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Lionel and I were in the mood for something different, so we decided to try out Acropolis Grill in Hamilton Place. The last time wed had Greek food was at a Greek friends dinner party when we were living in Japan, so we were long overdue for some dolmades and gyros.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Acropolis is the display case containing enticing desserts. The counter by the register is filled with cookies and treats. We were told everything was homemade, with bakers working in the kitchen each day just for that purpose.



We arrived about noon on Sunday, and by the time we left there wasnt a single empty table in the restaurant. It wasnt long before we found out why.



The menu contained an interesting selection of Greek, American, and a bit of Italian food, but we pretty much arrived seeking specifics. Lionel ordered a gyro sandwich, which came with tomato relish, tzatziki sauce, and a side of fries ($8.50). He had the option of substituting the fries for a cup of soup, chips, or fruit, but he didnt. (I wasnt surprised.)



I splurged and got the Greek Combo, wanting to try a bit of everything ($15). It came with pastitsio (lasagna-like baked pasta with meat and cheese), moussaka (layered eggplant dish with potatoes, ground sirloin, cheese, and bechamel sauce), gyro meat, and dolmathakia (grape leaves stuffed with ground sirloin and rice). I also had the option of a salad or soup. I chose tomato bisque.



To split, we got hummus and whipped feta spreads, which came with sliced pita ($7), and a basket of bread was served at the table, complimentary.



Im a sucker for good bread, if you havent guessed by now, and Acropolis Grill certainly satisfied. The basket came with two types: a whole grain wheat and a celebration bread. It also came with cinnamon honey butter, which always makes me excited. The whole grain wheat was very good, but the celebration bread was outstanding. It was sweet, soft, and delicious. I found myself wondering if theyd let me buy it by the loaf to take home.



As for our appetizer, you might expect at a Mediterranean restaurant for the hummus to blow your mind, and Im not saying it wasnt great, because it was, but it just tasted like normal hummus I might make at home. The real treat in my opinion was the whipped feta spread, something I have never tried before and am now officially in love with.



The truth is, though, that as much as we liked our appetizer, Lionel and I found ourselves a bit jealous when we saw other customers getting the Saganaki ($7). This is a thick slice of Kasseri Greek cheese which is seasoned and seared and then set on fire at your table! Everyone is supposed to yell, Ooopah! and the whole thing just looked like a lot of fun.



When our food arrived, we were both a bit surprised at the portions. For less than $9, Lionels gyro and fries was a pretty large meal. He said the fries were inconsistentsome undercooked, some overcookedbut he appreciated that they were well-seasoned and came with sea salt. His gyro was great, stuffed to the brim and full of fresh vegetables.



My combo plate was fantastic. The tomato bisque had a slightly spicy kick and was a wonderful, thick, pureed texture. Though I prefer dolmades cold and meatless, the dolmathakia was delicious, as was the moussaka and pastitsio. (The bechamel sauce really made both the baked dishes for me.) My favorite part, however, was the gyro meat and tzatziki sauce. It was tender and juicy. I was shocked at the large portion size.



My only real problem is that I wasnt prepared. Wed arrived and I was so excited about the desserts. The internet hive-mind seemed to think we should get the baklava cheesecake. Our waitress said the strawberry cake was to die for. And Id seen some chocolate creations when Id walked in that were just shouting my name.



Yet there we were, both absolutely stuffed. I had to box up half my meal, and we hadnt even finished our bread.



Disappointed in ourselves, we chatted with our waitress a bit before we left. Shed done her best to be attentive and accommodating, even though the place was packed.



She told us a bit of the history of the restaurant, and I learned a bit more before we left, noting some pictures and memorabilia hanging on the wall near the entrance.



The original owner, Teddy Kyriakidis, arrived in America from Greece in 1951. He owned and worked in restaurants in New Jersey and New York City before moving with his family to Chattanooga in 1982. Thats where he started Little Athens, an affordable comfort-food restaurant in East Ridge, which stayed in business for over 13 years.



Wanting to bring some Greek flavor to our city, he and his family opened Acropolis in 1995, and it has been family-run for over twenty years. The restaurant had a renovation about three years ago and continues to partner with local farmers and suppliers for its fresh produce.



Before we walked out the door, Lionel and I paused, staring longingly at the display case of desserts in regret. In a modest gesture of effort, we each picked out a cookie ($.60). The baklava cookie was absolutely to die for.



Next time Ill be getting an appetizer of cheese to have set on fire at my table, and Ill order my dessert before my dinner, just to make sure I dont miss out. Lesson learned, Acropolis, lesson learned.



Location: 2213 Hamilton Place Blvd., Chattanooga, Tn 37421



Hours: Sun  Th 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.


Even though we're in the midst of the Information Age, a lot of folks simply aren't getting the message: Neglecting physical activity after hours spent at a desk just isn't good for you. For desk-bound workers tied to their chairs, a new computer interface developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada encourages users to tap and kick rather than point and click.

Presented today at the Association for Computing Machinery's Designing Interactive Systems 2016 in Brisbane, Australia, the innovative system employs a standing desk and a wearable device attached at the foot. A Kinect camera monitors a user's movements, while pressure sensors on shoe insoles track toe and heel contact.

8 Ways Your Office Job Is Killing You

The setup captures a variety of user movements, each serving as an input for a some function otherwise performed with a mouse or keyboard on a computer screen. Stepping forward with the heel, for example, might open a new tab in a browser, while a kick might close an application.

The system doesn't completely replace a mouse and keyboard setup, but merely acts as a "cyberslacking deterrent," according to the developers, by encouraging a user to keep moving while staying productive. The developers even experimented with distracting content that prompts users to further exert themselves, say standing in a lunge for example, to put in a little extra effort.

Having trouble remembering what command was assigned to which movement? Simply jump, and a help screen pops up. See how the whole interface works in the video below:
Dogs were domesticated not just once but twice, and in two different parts of the world, finds new research with implications affecting both the history of dogs and humans. For years, researchers have been trying to answer the question, "Where do dogs come from?" with some claiming that dogs were domesticated in Europe, while others concluded that dogs were domesticated in Asia. According to the new study, published in the journal Science, both locations are correct. Lead author Laurent Frantz of the Wellcome Trust Paleogenomics & Bio-Archaeology Research Network at the University of Oxford told Discovery News that "two groups of humans came to the same conclusion that wolves can be domesticated." As a result, "all modern dogs are directly related to two or more wolf populations." RELATED: These Are the Most Popular Dog Breeds Now At the center of the research was a 4,800-year-old inner ear bone from a dog that once lived at Newgrange, Ireland. It is the hardest bone in the body of any mammal. The scientists sequenced the dog's genome via this sturdy bone. "We have found that this bone is the best preserver of ancient DNA in many studies -- a sort of DNA time capsule -- and, sure enough, this particular animal turned out to be the best preserved of any bone we have encountered in hundreds of experiments," co-senior author Daniel Bradley of Trinity College Dublin told Discovery News. WATCH: These Epic Dog Portraits Will Melt Your Heart

The researchers obtained mitochondrial DNA -- a type of DNA that is maternally inherited -- from 59 ancient dogs that lived between 14,000 to 3,000 years ago. They then compared all of the data with the genetic signatures of more than 2500 previously studied modern dogs. Their analysis uncovered a genetic split between modern dog populations now living in Europe and East Asia. The divide seems to have happened after the earliest archaeological evidence for dogs in Europe. The new genetic evidence also shows that there was a population turnover in Europe, where a smaller, existing dog population was mostly replaced by another bunch of dogs. The researchers think this happened when large groups of people migrated from Asia to Europe, bringing their dogs with them. Probably because of this influx, most dogs today are a mixture of both Eastern and Western dogs, helping to explain the earlier confusion over where dogs originated. RELATED: Dogs Play Dumb for Our Sake A review of the archaeological record additionally shows that early dogs appear in both the East and the West more than 12,000 years ago, but in Central Asia no earlier than 8,000 years ago. "Dogs were domesticated by hunter gatherers, prior to the advent of agriculture," Frantz said. "Dogs most likely provided multiple services to humans, such as facilitating hunting or providing protection." The researchers can't yet rule out that Neanderthals or some other ancient human first domesticated dogs. Other research teams have found remains for possible dogs going back to the Neanderthal era. Frantz said that he and his team are currently studying early dogs and wolves using techniques such as 3D scanning to better analyze their features. He explained, "This will allow us to compare wolves at that time with specimens we think may be dogs and to estimate a more accurate time for domestication." RELATED: When Did Wild Wolves Become Pet Dogs? As for the two or more wolf populations from which dogs first arose, it is possible that they have since gone extinct. The researchers don't think that these wolves were separate species in the biological sense, but were still genetically distinct because they evolved in different regions. Today's dogs run the gamut from tiny Chihuahuas to large great danes, but they are all still related to the two or more founding wolf populations, according to the researchers.

Africa has native wolves, such as the African golden wolf and the Ethiopian wolf, but Frantz said, "There is no evidence that native African wolves have been domesticated. They may, however, have played a role in the genetic make-up of modern African dogs through interbreeding." Given the proposed dual East-West origin for dogs, it appears that domestication of man's best friend was very appealing to early humans. Peter Savolainen, a geneticist at the Royal Institute of Technology, also told David Grimm of Science that if domestication "happened twice, maybe it wasn't as hard as we thought."

The Greenland sled dog, also sometimes referred to as a sledge dog, is yet another early East Asian breed. The recent DNA analysis conducted by Bogdanowicz and his colleagues "revealed post-divergence gene flow from grey wolves to Greenland sledge dogs," they wrote. This determination reminds that free-breeding dogs can still interbreed with wild canines, such as grey wolves, coyotes and golden jackals. The resulting offspring can be fertile, and conservationists are concerned that we may one day lose the uniqueness of wild canine species due to hybridization. Oldest Dog Turns Out to Be a Wolf

Basenjis look remarkably like dogs featured in ancient Egyptian art. Drawings found in the tombs of the 2700 B.C. Great Pyramid of Khufu show such dogs seated near the feet of their owners, or under chairs. The cat-loving Egyptians might have taken to the dogs because, like felines, these canines tend to be relatively quiet and wash themselves regularly with their tongues. Most researchers, including Bogdanowicz and his team, still believe that domesticated dogs largely arose in Asia and migrated to other regions. "It is very likely that migrating populations of early farmers were followed by dogs," he said, explaining that these dogs were not feral, but were originally free-breeding. Basenjis possess a very distinctive suite of characteristics, which must have been maintained by human breeders. While the official breed only dates back 60 years, these dogs clearly have been in existence for centuries. Wolves Are Kinder, More Tolerant Than Dogs

Nearly all DNA studies of dogs find that Arctic breeds, such as the Alaskan malamute, stand apart from modern breeds. An extensive genomic investigation conducted by senior author Robert Wayne from the University of California at Los Angeles and colleagues found that Alaskan malamutes, as well as American Eskimo dogs and Siberian huskies, "are highly divergent from other dog breeds." This means that they have evolved on a slightly different path than other, more modern dogs. Wayne and his team added that "historical information suggests that most have ancient origins, greater than 500 years ago." Dogs Migrated to America After Humans

"Saluki" is thought to derive from two early Sumerian words meaning "plunge-earth." What that means exactly, in reference to the dogs, remains a mystery, but it is known that Salukis were historically bred in the Fertile Crescent where agriculture is widely believed to have originated. Like Afghan hounds, Salukis tend to have long legs and a thin build. They are known as sight hounds, meaning that they hunt primarily by sight as opposed to by smell or other senses. Today, they are bred with coats in a veritable rainbow of colors ranging from red to tricolor (white, black and tan).

DNA analysis, as well as historical information, is helping to reveal the world's most ancient dog breeds. A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, puts the spotlight on East Asia as being a primary origination point for dog domestication. The earliest known dog-like fossils come from Europe, but it is likely that these dogs did not produce large populations that led to distinctive breeds. Genetic research on existing dogs reveal that certain breeds stand apart from others. "Our results show that these breeds represent lineages older than modern European breeds, and in this sense can be considered as ancient," senior author Wiesaw Bogdanowicz of the Polish Academy of Science's Museum and Institute of Zoology, told Discovery News. Afghan hounds fall into the ancient group. In fact, they were called "ancient" long before the advent of genomics. In 1925, an article published in "The Dog Fancier" had the declarative title: "The Afghan Hound Is an Ancient Breed." Canine experts at the time even thought that the dogs "entered the ark with Noah" and were the world's first ever dogs. According to the historical record, Afghan hounds date back to the pre-Christian era of northeastern Afghanistan. The original name for the breed, famous for its silken coat and fashion model thin build, was "Tazi." Photos: The Earliest Dogs

Wayne and his team found that only two East Asian breeds, the chow chow and Akita, "had higher (genomic) sharing with Chinese wolves" than other breeds. Researchers can therefore see past wolf contributions to the modern dog genome. Other wolf populations noted in the dog DNA studies include those from North America, the Middle East and Europe. Dogs and Humans Bonded Earlier Than Thought

The Samoyed, as a distinctive breed, originated in Siberia, where nomadic reindeer herders bred them as sled dogs and to help with herding. Their historical past is much deeper, however, as these primitive dogs descend from an even earlier, founding population of Russian dogs. According to an American Kennel Club fact sheet, "Of all modern breeds, the Samoyed is most nearly akin to the primitive dog. No admixture of wolf or fox runs in the Samoyed strain." Old Dog, New Origin: First Pooches Were European

The genetic analysis of Wayne and his team defined three basic groups of "highly divergent, ancient breeds." They are: *Asian group: dingo, New Guinea singing dog, chow chow, Akita and Chinese Shar Pei *Middle Eastern group: Afghan hound and Saluki *Northern group: Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky All of these dogs were found to be genetically "distinct from modern domestic dogs." Video: Dogs Have Feelings, Too

Bogdanowicz and colleagues' study suggests that the Shiba Inu belongs on the ancient dog list. The DNA of this dog shows that it is related to yet another East Asian breed, the Chinese Shar Pei. The American Kennel Club, though, reports that "Shibas are considered the oldest and smallest of Japan's dogs." The AKC only officially recognized this breed in 1992, demonstrating that the actual origin of a breed can happen hundreds of years prior to such designations.
Erlanger offers online childbirth education class. The online class is an easy-to-understand interactive program that includes more than 70 videos, animated illustrations, downloadable PDF files, review quizzes and information specific to Erlanger East and Erlanger Baroness birthing services. By choosing the online childbirth program, participants will have access to all the information for six months. The cost for the courses is $25.

For more information or to register for the online childbirth program and other classes and events mentioned below, call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465), seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to midnight. HealthLink Plus is a free membership program open to adults 18 and older.

Monday, June 13

Bariatric Support Group

5:30  6:30 p.m.

Siskin Fitness Center

Bariatric Support Group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have Bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) for more information.

Baby Care & Safety

6:30  8:30 p.m.

Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)

With times changing and discharge occurring earlier, Baby Care provides you with helpful items on caring for your baby at home. This class will help you plan and prepare for a safe home environment. Registration fee is $25. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 788-LINK (5465) to register.

Tuesday, June 14

Monogrammed Maternity

10 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

4 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)

Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. The session is available every Tuesdayand Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.

Baby Care & Safety

6:30  9:00 p.m.

Erlanger Baroness (Downtown)

With times changing and discharge occurring earlier, Baby Care provides you with helpful items on caring for your baby at home. This class will help you plan and prepare for a safe home environment. Registration fee is $25. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 788-LINK (5465) to register.

Thursday, June 16

Diabetes Education Class

1:30  4:30 p.m.

Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle Center

This class will explore ways to manage diabetes. Call 778-9400 for more information on physician referral and insurance reimbursement.

Monogrammed Maternity

10 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

4 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)

Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. The session is available every Tuesdayand Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.

Friday, June 17

Cancer Support Group

10:00  11:30 a.m.

Ronald McDonald House

Have you or someone you know been touched by cancer? Erlanger Cancer Center and Pastoral Care services offers a cancer support group open to patients, family members and friends and offers education through self-care topics and support with discussions and fellowship. A cancer navigator and pastoral care representative will guide attendees through topics that include navigating through a cancer diagnosis, management of cancer treatment, emotional support and much more. For more information on the support group, call 423-778-5030.
Press Release

June 4, 2016 On World Env't Day, Legarda Calls On Gov't To Address Rampant Illegal Wildlife Trade In observance of World Environment Day on June 5, Senator Loren Legarda has called on the government to step up its efforts to combat rampant wildlife smuggling. Legarda is supporting the United Nations' call to fight illegal trade in wildlife, which threatens endemic Philippine species and could lead to biodiversity loss. The focal theme for World Environment Day 2016 is "Go Wild For Life: Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife Trade," which, according to the UN, erodes Earth's precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage and driving species to the brink of extinction. In line with this, Legarda has expressed alarm over reports that some areas in southern Philippines are still being used as entry or transshipment points for illegal trade of wildlife species such as exotic birds, cats, seahorses, tortoises and marine turtles. According to the Philippine Center for Terrestrial and Aquatic Research (PCTAR), the multibillion-dollar black market continues to flourish globally, with the Philippines becoming a major player particularly in the trade of amphibians and reptiles. The Philippine forest turtle endemic to Palawan is listed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In June 2015, at least 3,900 of these freshwater turtles were recovered from a warehouse in Bataraza town in Palawan, the biggest haul of wildlife in recent years. "The full force of the law must be applied on all wildlife smugglers. There can be no excuses in not doing enough to stop the trade in endangered flora and fauna," she said, urging the authorities to crack down on pet shops that sell endangered animals and guard all our ports and gateways. Legarda also said that addressing climate change is very important in preserving wildlife species, noting that 30% of species would be at risk of extinction due to the warming climate. "The Philippines is a mega diverse country, but it is also one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of species either endangered or threatened of extinction. There needs to be stronger convergence among government agencies and local government units and collaboration with the private sector, civil society and citizens to protect our wildlife species," Legarda concluded.
STATEMENT ON JUNK FOOD TAX AND ON GENERALS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL DRUGS

As a legislator, I will study carefully all proposals of the incoming administration and consider them with an open mind. We need to see the figures and the effects on the economy including job figures. The last tax amnesty was a decade or so ago so we are open to that suggestion.

***

Sobra na ang problema sa droga ng bansa kaya sinusuportahan ko ang all-out war sa drugs. We support measures to help rid the police of scalawags allegedly involved in corruption and illegal drugs. We also support the proposed salary increase of policemen in order to attract more qualified and competent law enforcers in the country.
Press Release

June 6, 2016 Drilon: 16th Congress lays groundwork for future Senate President Franklin M. Drilon highlighted the sterling accomplishments of the Senate over the past three years, expressing confidence that its legacy paved the way for a better Philippines and laid the groundwork for the next administration. In a speech delivered during the Senate's sine die adjournment today, Drilon presented to the public what he called the Senate's "present to the future," in the form of laws that benefit the Filipino people. The four-time Senate President, who delivered the Senate's concluding message for the ninth time, said that hard work enabled the Senate to achieve so much in terms of passing crucial and much-needed legislation within a span of three years since the 16tH Congress opened in July 22, 2013. "With strong political will, this Senate cleared the hurdle of passing difficult but landmark measures that previously languished in the legislative mill for decades," Drilon stressed. "Thus, we need not be afraid to face the verdict of our people and history. We have fared well," he added. However, the Senate chief called on the public to guard the gains that were made possible under the 16th Congress: "The challenge that we must face head on is to protect our gains, and ensure the continuity of reforms, so that their fruits will be enjoyed not only by this generation, but also by the generations yet unborn." "Now, more than ever, we need to safeguard the reforms we have painstakingly put in place, so that neither force, nor personalities, can reverse these," he emphasized. Landmark economic reforms Drilon said that an inventory of the Senate's legislative achievements in the present Congress would reveal its focus on laying the foundation of a healthy economy. Leading the economic reforms passed by the Senate are the Philippine Competition Act, the country's first principal anti-trust law that had been stalled in Congress for more than 20 years, the amended 50-year old Cabotage law to foster greater competition and lower the cost of domestic shipping, and the Tax Incentives Monitoring and Transparency Act (TIMTA) to promote fiscal accountability in tax incentives granted by the state. It also allowed the full entry of foreign banks and liberalized the ownership of lending, adjustment and financing companies to boost investments in the country. Drilon said that alongside economic reforms are structural reforms to government agencies that directly affect the nation's economy, such as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the law creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the amended Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) charter. Helping workers, improving agriculture Drilon said that another hallmark of the 16th Congress is the many laws passed by the Senate on job security, social benefits, fair pay and higher income for Filipino workers, such as the act raising the tax exemption cap for 13th month pay and other benefits from P30,000 to P82,000. The Senate also passed laws intended to help the country's overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) such as the new charter of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) which ensures that OFW contributions will now go exclusively to pro-OFW programs, and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Law, which prevented a European Union blacklist that would have displaced more than 80,000 Filipino seafarers. The Senate similarly made inroads in pushing laws to develop the agricultural sector through the Sugarcane Industry Development Act, the extension of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) and the Amendments to the Fisheries Code. Better health, education services Drilon said that the Senate demonstrated strong political will to pass landmark health measures such as the Reproductive Health Act and Sin Tax Reform Law, which has resulted in an incremental excise tax revenues of approximately P150 billion from 2013 to 2015, which was used to enroll the indigent Filipino families and senior citizens to Philhealth. It also passed the Graphic Health Warning Act to compel cigarette companies to graphically demonstrate in cigarette packs the deadly effects of smoking. Drilon highlighted that the Senate also passed a number of laws to make public education more accessible to the youth, regardless of distance, age, or financial capacity, such as the Iskolar ng Bayan Act, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System Act (UNIFAST), Ladderized Education Act, the Open Learning and Distance Education Act, and the Open High School System Act. Improved Justice System Given the 16th Congress' reform-oriented agenda, Drilon said that the Senate worked hard to pass reforms in the justice sector, such as the amendments to the Sandiganbayan Act to speed up the delivery of justice. It also lengthened the prescriptive period for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act from 15 years to 20 years and passed the NBI Modernization Act to capacitate the bureau in fighting crimes. 16th Congress' legacy The Senate President recalled that the 16th Congress opened under a climate of distrust due to the controversies that confronted the chamber. "Three years ago, shortly after we convened the 16th Congress, the Senate went through what may have been its darkest period in its 100 years of existence," Drilon recalled. However, through hard work Drilon said the Senate was able to regain the public trust, as reflected in the opinion polls where a clear majority expressed satisfaction with the Senate's performance. But according to Drilon, there is no better gauge in measuring public trust and satisfaction that that of facing the judgment of the people in an election: "I sought a new mandate knowing full well that my reelection would rise or fall on the strength or weakness of my leadership of the Senate." Drilon, who topped the 2016 senatorial elections, said: "if he did well in the last election, it was because of our accomplishments in the Senate." "We have done the right things. We have done things right," he added. The Senate President said that having presided over all of the 284 sessions of the 16th Congress, the Senate dutifully performed its mandate to the nation. "Hard work is the bridge between the goals we set when the 16th Congress opened and the accomplishments that we are proudly claiming now," Drilon said. He however acknowledged that the 16th Congress "may have been far from perfect," and that there remained areas that will require fixing by future Congresses. "Yes, we failed to tick all the items in our government's bucket list, but we managed to cross out those that truly count," Drilon said. He then thanked his colleagues and the Senate secretariat for their hard work and support: "I can say with conviction that this Senate did more than enough. To my colleagues, let me therefore put on record my profound gratitude for the perseverance, hard work and unselfish support you have shown in the 16th Congress," Drilon said. "To my esteemed colleagues, I am humbled, honored and deeply grateful for your trust and support," he concluded.
The first phase of the Believe Campaign is to build a new outpatient center designed to engage children and meet the complex needs of families and physicians. Currently, outpatient services at Childrens Hospital at Erlanger provide medical services to over 100,000 children a year.

More than $125,000 was raised during this years Childrens Hospital Dragon Boat Festival. The event marked a decade of dragon boat racing in Chattanooga. Teams raced in authentic 46-foot long Chinese boats at the Chickamauga Dam. This years first place winner was BlueCross BlueShield  Liquid Awesome Blue. CBL & Associates - Motley Crew took second place with ContinuCare  Row Baby Row not too far behind in third place. This years fundraising champion was also CBL & Associates  Motley Crew.

During a one-week blood drive held at all Blood Assurance blood donation sites and at ErlangerBaroness Hospital, Blood Assurance raised $1 for every unit of blood donated by Erlanger employees and community donors. Blood Assurance recently presented a check for $1,000 for the Believe Campaign to Childrens Hospital representatives.

Childrens Hospital Foundation would like to acknowledge Haresh Patel, MD, and his wife Sumi Patel, along with other donors and volunteers, for hosting their annual traditional Indian dinner and fundraiser for Childrens Hospital. Seventy guests, including physicians affiliated with Childrens Hospital, enjoyed Indian food prepared by Sumi Patel and her family and friends. Over $21,000 was raised for the new childrens hospital campaign.



Members of Sigma Chi Fraternity at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently raised more than $32,000 in support of the new childrens hospital. Money was raised through Sigma Chis philanthropy week, Derby Days.
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Skeeter Jones is a craftsman, a carpenter, an artist, a low-tech man in high-tech San Francisco. He puts old faces on vintage houses  restoring or reimagining Victorian homes.

There was a time, he said, when people looked down on someone who worked with his hands. There was a time, too  in the 1970s and later  when homeowners looked down on San Franciscos Victorian houses. Many of their classic elaborate fronts were considered old-fashioned, expensive to maintain and ugly. So hundreds of Victorian fronts were covered up with aluminum or asbestos siding or stucco.

Painted ladies in concrete overcoats, Jones calls them.

But Victorians came back into style, and now many homeowners want to restore the classic San Francisco look.

Jones started Clearheart Fine Design and Building in 1982, and hes thrived ever since, restoring or rebuilding the old houses, giving them new Victorian facades so they look brand, spanking old.

Santiago Mejia/Special to The Chronicle

His services are not inexpensive: Jones charges $100,000 to produce a concept drawing and do the work. The customer pays for the material and the paint, so a typical job can cost about $200,000 and take months.

Its hard work, but its fun, Jones said.

10 on a scale of 10

His clients love him. Nettie Atkisson, who decided to restore the facade of a Victorian in the North of the Panhandle neighborhood, called Jones after a months-long search for someone to do the project.

He had more ideas in five minutes than my architect had in five months, she said.

Hes amazing, said David Harnden, who had Jones redo his Stick-Eastlake Victorian, a style popular in the late 19th century in which decorative boards are overlaid on the exterior of the house, on Hill Street in Dolores Heights.

Jim Warshell, the president of San Franciscos Victorian Alliance, also has high praise for Jones.

I think the world of Skeeter, said Warshell, whose organization seeks to preserve the citys legacy of mid- to late-19th century houses. He proves the crafts are still here. Hes a 10 on a scale of 10.

Warshell is passionate on the subject of Victorians. They are an endangered species, he said. And Noe Valley is ground zero for the problem.

Integrity of construction

Noe Valley has a lot of small Victorians, but it is not an official historic district, which would offer some protection to the houses.

So people buy an old cottage, rip it down and put up a big new mini-mansion, he said. People come to San Francisco to see the Victorians. They dont come to see mini-mansions.

Jones has admired Victorian houses for years. He thinks they are part of what makes San Francisco what it is. They were built mostly between 1870 and 1900, of redwood. Clear wood, no knots. Heart redwood, from trees that were hundreds of years old when they were cut, Jones said.

Thus Clearheart, the name of his firm.

He also admires the craftsmanship that went into the houses. The people who built them had an integrity of what they did, he said.

Jones works from old pattern books for the basics and adds his own ideas.

Some of the old houses he works on have been neglected or not maintained properly. You know the joke: They are held together by termites holding hands. he said.

Once he gets a project, Jones photographs the standing house, and looks for the shadow  the scars  of the original construction underneath.

On occasion, he goes beyond simple reconstruction. I build of the period, he said. I embellish what was there. I draw upon the past.

Jones tries to make the past live for the modern lifestyle. He calls what he does carpenter gothic sometimes, as if he were a Victorian-era designer working out new ideas. The Victorians, he said, mixed up styles, made something new.

He shows one example on 19th Street, in the Castro. He redid a house, taking off the old front and making a new one. It was Victorian and then some, with added touches like extra finials, which are decorative devices atop round pieces. And he added pendants, cornices and other pieces of wooden gingerbread.

Taking Victorianism to limit

A small girl who lived in the house said she liked dragons, so Jones built the heads of four dragons into the front bracing. The owner painted the house purple and gold. The Victorian Alliance calls this place a Victorian fantasy. The organizations members liked it so much they put it on their annual house tour.

A lot of Jones work is like that. I take Victorianism as far as I can imagine, he said.

He is not particular about what the house interior looks like. These are modern times, after all, and living in a gloomy, drafty old house may not always work for the 21st century.

But the exterior, thats a gift to the street, as one book about Victorians was called.

Seizing the opportunity

Jones is a burly man, in his 60s, with a handlebar mustache and a head of unruly hair, like an 1890s roustabout. He was named Skeeter after a comic strip. His real first name is none of your concern, he said. He went to Penn State and studied art but was caught up in the on-the-road period of many young men of the time.

He came through San Francisco, returned East, and came back to San Francisco, this time for good. He worked as a carpenter and saw the chance to open his own business doing Victorian facades.

Today, Jones is concerned about the direction of San Francisco.

Theres so much money here now, he said.

But its a dilemma. A new facade on an old house is an expensive luxury. It makes the house more valuable, which drives up housing prices.

Jones said his two sons, for example, are among the many who cant afford to live in San Francisco.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: carlnoltesf
The first time Tom Cooney visited the Normandy American Cemetery, he was too humble to mention that he had seen this place before  from a boat that was taking heavy fire as it unloaded troops.

I did nothing heroic. I just was there, says Cooney, who still is hesitant to take credit for his part in D-Day. But at this point, anybody who was on the beach or in the water on June 6, 1944, is a hero just for still being alive to tell about the largest seagoing invasion in the history of the world.

Out of around 125,000 American personnel who took part in the Normandy landings, there might be 5,000 still alive, according to one published estimate. Cooney does not know any other D-Day vets in San Francisco, and he has lived here for 60 years.

Ill always think of June 6. It was the absolute highlight of my life, he says before stopping himself so as not to sound like hes bragging. You just went where they sent you. Could have been Hawaii. Could have been Normandy.

Cooney will be 95 next month, but his memories of that cold gray morning, 72 years ago Monday, are as sharp as if it were yesterday. He can still feel his sea legs wobbling after two nights without sleep as he stood in a U.S. Navy Landing Ship, Tank (LST). He was a 22-year-old deck officer in command of a gun crew during the landing of the 1st Infantry, a fabled Army unit known as the Big Red One, as it struggled ashore at Omaha Beach.

Leah Millis/The Chronicle

This was the sector protected by a full-strength German division firing down from above in concrete bunkers. The ensuing slaughter was brought to gruesome life in the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan, and when Cooney saw that movie at the Metro on Union Street, his wife had to keep him from walking out in the first 20 minutes.

It was so real it brought it all back, he says. The tension and fear, and the violence and all.

Like big garages

Hed volunteered for the Navy after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, in 1942.

LSTs were built specifically for World War II. Theyre like big garages, Cooney says. They have the capability of crossing an ocean and at the same time have the ability to land on a beach.

To the sailors aboard, the LST soon came to stand for long, slow target. To avoid attack by German submarines, Cooneys LST zigzagged its way across the Atlantic, turning a 14-day trip into 27.

We knew that we were going to be invading Europe, he says, but had no idea when or where.

That turned out to be the Battle of Salerno, on the coast of Italy in September1943.

On Thanksgiving Day, his ship arrived at Plymouth, England. Cooney received reassignment to LST-157, and the long wait began.

The anticipation was so all-consuming, he says, getting ready for we didnt know what.

D-Day deception

A hint came at the end of April 1944, when the American fleet held a top-secret rehearsal at Slapton Sands, a beach that resembled the coast of Normandy. Code-named Operation Tiger, the mock-invasion went smoothly. But on the return up the coast, small German gun boats, called E-Boats, slipped through a defensive screen and penetrated the convoy. LST-157 was behind three that were hit, with 749 men killed. The world did not hear about that because anyone who mentioned it in a letter or otherwise was subject to court-martial.

Finally, on June 1 or 2, 1944, while LST-157 sat anchored off Weymouth, 150 or 200 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division were loaded aboard.

D-Day was set for June 5, and once the invasion force had embarked the ships were sealed. Armed guards brought the sailing charts aboard LST-157 and officers in the ward room were given their instructions. Then the weather turned bad and departure was delayed 24 hours.

The great armada finally sailed before sunset on June 5, a massive amount of ships, Cooney says. Thousands of ships.

To maintain deception, the convoy set a course due northeast, then turned southeast, a six-hour detour. Orders were for LST-157 to drop the Big Red One at Utah Beach, but that shifted to Omaha Beach, where the landing force was being cut to pieces by Nazi guns in concrete bunkers on the bluff above the beach.

The landing craft were under heavy fire and often pulled up short of the landing zone, dropping both soldiers and tanks into deep water, where many were pulled under. Some boats beached at an offshore sandbar and unloaded there, which also forced the troops to swim for it.

Clean landing

From his station at the stern of LST-157, Cooney saw ships on either side hit mines that exploded or had their bottoms ripped out by steel prongs set in the water by the Germans. But the skipper of LST-157 brought her in cleanly, in waist-deep water.

We made our landing right up onto the beach, Cooney says. The bow door was opened and the Big Red One guys went ashore.

It was around 8 a.m., two hours into the battle, and the big German guns were still firing steadily from high ground. Cooney was at the stern manning the anchor that had been dropped 25 yards offshore.

After the troops were unloaded, Cooney was ordered to operate the winch as the LST-157 moved offshore where it was ordered to stand by until the next day. No one knew if the invasion would be turned back and LST-157 would have to go in for a second time, to rescue soldiers for evacuation.

I was in the stern with a gun crew, Cooney says. The Germans were still firing from these concrete emplacements. Shells would go by, and Id see big splashes around us. I knew the bastards were shooting at me.

Ferrying Germans

He did not fire back because the 40mm gun in his charge was to be used only against German air attack, which did not materialize, thank God, he says.

LST-157 had been under fire from daylight until early afternoon when an American destroyer came toward shore and turned broadside.

I thought it was going to go aground, Cooney says. But they opened fire at the German gun emplacements and put them out of action. That was a tremendous relief.

A greater relief came with orders 24 hours later for LST-157 to turn around and head west for England to pick up more troops, tanks, gasoline, ammunition and supplies.

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We started a ferryboat service between England and France, he says. It was 10 hours each way without a harbor. We had to land on the beach every time.

On the return runs, LST-157 would be loaded with German prisoners below decks. That shuttle went on for several months. Then LST-157 was ordered to sail up to port at Glasgow, Scotland, where the ship was transferred to the British in a flag-lowering ceremony.

That was a sad time, Cooney says. For a year, this ship was home to me.

Cooney was shipped home to the States on a Dutch transport, spending Christmas Eve 1944, on the high seas, and New Years Eve at his parents home in Yonkers, N.Y.

From there he was sent west to oversee the ammunition loading dock at Port Chicago, on Suisun Bay.

It was the first time I got acquainted with San Francisco, he says, and I knew someday, somehow, I would get back.

The people who saved us

It took him 10 years, by way of Los Angeles and Boise, Idaho. He got a job as a buyer at the White House department store on Grant Avenue. When he and his wife, Joan, bought their apartment on Russian Hill, he was sure it was at the top of the market. That was in 1968.

Of the eight officers on LST-157, he is the only one left. One by one, theyve all melted away. Seems that Im the last leaf on the tree.

Hes been back twice to Normandy, most recently for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, in 1994. He and Joan did it the right way, sailing from England on the QE2 in a convoy led by the queen of England.

When we got off, there were all these French kids waving flags and their parents telling them these are the people who saved us, he recalls.

But what thrilled him the most was to see a monument to the U.S. Navy landing ships. Right away he spotted LST-157. Hed planned to go back just to see that, but he missed the 70th anniversary. His wife of 66 years had died a few months earlier.

Maybe I can make it for the 75th, he says.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: samwhitingsf Instagram:@sfchronicle_art
Bay Area mental health experts are pioneering a deceptively simple yet seemingly effective way to reduce the chances of psychiatric patients getting sent back to the hospital after theyve been discharged.

Before leaving the hospital, the patient can choose to be paired with a trained mentor who has been hospitalized for psychiatric disorders in the past. The two meet regularly, much like recovering alcoholics and their sponsors in Alcoholics Anonymous, but without the spiritual elements of the 12-step sobriety program.

Alameda Health Systems John George Psychiatric Hospital, in partnership with the local chapter of the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness, was the first to test the concept, called Mentor on Discharge, in 2011. The results shocked even the programs proponents: Among the 60 discharged patients who participated, rehospitalizations dropped 72 percent the following year, compared with their previous experience.

That to us was astounding, said Guy Qvistgaard, John Georges chief administrative officer. We had discovered a valuable tool; not a clinical tool, but a communication tool, a connections tool.

Its also a money-saving tool. Alameda Health System officials estimate the voluntary program avoided 125 hospital admissions during that period. At about $1,000 a day for in-patient hospitalization and an average stay of 8 days, that translates into $824,500 in direct hospital savings  and more than $1 million when additional costs are included.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness just established a similar program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which arranged its first mentor-participant match late last month. There are also programs in Santa Clara County, and the advocacy group is working with hospitals in Contra Costa and San Mateo to set up Mentor on Discharge in those counties.

Joe Rose, president of the alliances Alameda County South chapter, said interest had spread beyond California to as many as four other states.

Mentor on Discharge isnt the first or only peer counseling program for mental health patients. Rose said he came up with the idea based on an existing alliance program in Santa Clara County called Peer Pals. That program matches trained peer counselors with people who need support as they restore connections and get back on their feet.

A key change

To Rose, the missing piece was making the connection before a patient is discharged from the hospital. While patients receive instructions about medications and how to seek help when theyre discharged, they often trip up when they have to make those arrangements and manage their care when theyre first on their own.

The mentors, who are paid and have to be in recovery for at least a year, arent there to act as social workers, offer specific program advice, or serve as friends. They are trained to listen and offer support.

Martina Lawson-Hines was paired with her mentor, Tracey Shockley, after being hospitalized at John George this year.

Lawson-Hines, 28, of San Leandro, had been taking medications to manage her anxiety and depression, but had never been admitted to a psychiatric unit. She was hospitalized after her doctor changed the dosage of a medication and she traveled out of state for the holidays.

When offered the opportunity to meet with a mentor at John George, Lawson-Hines didnt hesitate.

When they paired me with Tracey, I had someone to talk to, someone to visit me, the support of someone who had experienced what I had experienced, she said, adding that she appreciated being matched with a woman who, like her, was African American.

Since being discharged from John George, Lawson-Hines has lived in the Villa Fairmount Mental Health Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro, which contracts with Alameda County to provide transitional supervised housing. The two women talk by phone and meet regularly, often at the Starbucks across the street from the center.

Lawson-Hines has Shockleys number programmed into her phone under Mentor Tracey. Just knowing I have this mentor to reach out to is something Im grateful for, she said.

Shockley, 48, who struggled with bipolar disorder and substance abuse, had been hospitalized a half-dozen times. A former dance instructor and performer, she lives in Berkeley with her husband and has received peer counseling training as part of a career shift.

While the two women are friendly, thats not what their relationship is about. Im not here to be friends with Martina, Shockley said. Its about keeping us well and on top of our health issues.

Shockley is one of 36 trained mentors in Alameda Countys Mentor on Discharge program, started by $238,000 in grants from the states Mental Health Services Act, which voters passed as Proposition 63 in 2004, and continued by grants from Kaiser Permanentes community benefit program.

San Francisco has trained 17 mentors and plans to work with about 20 participants in the pilot phase of the program, said Bailey Wendzel, program director at National Alliance on Mental Illness San Francisco. She estimates that the program could save more than $1,300 a day each time a hospitalization is avoided, or more than $10,000 for an average hospital stay.

The San Francisco Foundation, a Bay Area community development nonprofit, funded the training, and the county has provided $25,000 to support the pilot program, she said. Mentors are paid $15 an hour, and must devote four hours a week to each participant.

One of the mentors, Mike Ornelas, recently met with the programs first participant at San Francisco Generals psych unit. He said the mans eyes got really really big when he learned that Ornelas had been hospitalized multiple times for psychotic episodes exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse.

I said I stop taking medication, and Im right back here with you, said Ornelas.

Making gains

Ornelas, 40, who estimates hes been hospitalized about 20 times since 1999, finally got his mental health and substance abuse conditions under control in 2012 after a three-month stay in outpatient rehabilitation housing. The father of two is now engaged and last year completed a peer specialist certificate program at San Francisco State University.

Ornelas thinks of Mentor on Discharge as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for mental health.

Were just trying to connect with them, he said. Ive been in the position where I had no one I could turn to. It would have been really, really cool if I could have called somebody up or met with somebody once a week to connect with them or hang out with them. Thats what we are.

Victoria Colliver is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vcolliver@sfchronicle.com Twitter: vcolliver
When Noah Cowan was hired away from the Toronto International Film Festival to run the festival in San Francisco, he came determined to create here what hed helped create there  an urban village with filmmakers, actors and filmgoers talking film in cafes and bars as they walked a grand boulevard from screening to screening.

Last year, he tried it on Fillmore Street by linking the Clay Theatre to the Sundance Cinemas Kabuki, but the link didnt work. People arrived at the Kabuki by car, parked underneath, went in and didnt come out until they were back in the car headed home.

Then Cowan took a hard-hat tour of the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission Theater last fall. He stood looking down Mission Street and could see the future of the San Francisco International Film Festival. The urban village was laid out before him in the shape of a T. The top of the T is 16th Street with the Roxie Theater and the Victoria Theatre at either end, their proud marquees close enough to wave to each other and their old-time ticket windows standing as tollbooths to the urban village.

The long spine of the T is Mission Street, and the bottom of the T is the 100-year-old New Mission, which the Austin, Texas cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse refurbished and reopened in December as a luxury six-screen multiplex.

There is a wonderful triangle that forms between the Roxie, the Victoria and the Drafthouse, says Cowan, whose vision did not include the Kabuki. When SFIFF opens on Thursday, April 21, the Kabuki will not be the central screening house, or even used at all, for the first time in 30 years. Its three screens dedicated to SFIFF have been replaced by three screens at the Alamo Drafthouse, including the original theater of the New Mission, with 320 seats.

The glam and glittery Castro Theatre will still be used for opening night and movie-star fluff, but that will be as close as SFIFF gets to Market Street, or its old homes in Japantown and Pacific Heights.

Also being used is the theater at the newly opened Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Add in the Gray Area, a new Mission District venue for electronic arts, and four of the six locations will be completely new to SFIFF audiences. Five out of six if you count the Roxie, which was used sporadically for the first time last year.

You dream big when you make moves like this, says Cowan, whose big dream includes a crush of people up and down Mission Street, all wearing SFIFF laminates as necklaces, during the two-week festival.

Our international guests are going to just love being there, says Cowan, 48, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, which produces SFIFF. A Canadian who had never lived in San Francisco until he was hired two years ago, Cowan now talks about the Mission as if he has been pushing a tamale cart for 20 years.

For many of us, its the most vibrant neighborhood in the city, says Cowan, who lives on Telegraph Hill, which an Uber driver couldnt find from the corner of 16th and Mission.

A guide to the festival X The San Francisco International Film Festival, the oldest film festival in North America, is 59 years young this year, enjoying a burst of energy that will come with its move from Japantown to the more vibrant Mission District. The festival, which runs from April 21 to May 5, will still hold screenings at the Castro Theatre. But that venerated venue is only a brisk walk away (or Uber ride, or bus trip, or quick drive) from the festival's newly added showplaces: the Roxie, the Victoria and the Alamo Drafthouse theaters, all in the heart of the Mission. Click on each theater to see some of our best bets at each venue. Gray Area X VR DAY: This special program will focus on storytelling in the emerging area of virtual-reality filmmaking. The 150-minute session will feature artists who specialize in incorporating effective narratives into the cutting-edge virtual reality medium. View more info Alamo Drafthouse Cinema New Mission X AUDRIE & DAISY: Riveting from beginning to end, this documentary examines two dramatic cases  including one in Saratoga  of high school tragedies involving a sometimes lethal combination of sex, alcohol and social media abuse. 96 minutes, United States. View featurette Showing: 2:30 p.m., May 1 (Also plays at 6 p.m., April 28, Victoria.) HAVEABABY: In an unusual contest, financially challenged folks vie for free treatment in hopes of solving their infertility problems. It's easy to root for all the competitors. 80 minutes, United States. View trailer Showing: 8 p.m., May 1, and 4:15 p.m., May 4 (Also plays at 6 p.m., April 29, Victoria.) HOME CARE: Darkly humorous and ultimately bittersweet, this Czech gem concerns a home care worker who tends to everyone except herself  until she comes down with a fatal illness. 92 minutes, Czech Republic, Slovakia. View trailer Showing: 6:45 p.m., April 27 (Also plays at 8:50 p.m., April 28, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; and at 3 p.m., May 2, Roxie.) Castro Theatre X THE BANDIT: This hoot of a documentary follows the bromance between Burt Reynolds and stuntman-director Hal Needham, and their seminal work on "Smokey and the Bandit." Director Jesse Moss ("The Overnighters") helms another impressive film. 82 minutes, United States. View trailer Showing: 7 p.m., May 5 AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY: The roller-coaster literary affair of JT Leroy is told in this imaginative documentary from the viewpoint of the person who imagined JT in the first place. As one might hope, the version of events here is a house of mirrors unto itself. 110 minutes, United States. View more info Showing: 9 p.m., April 22 THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY: Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan gets the biopic treatment in this engaging, beautifully shot and well-acted film. Jeremy Irons, as Ramanujan's cranky mentor, gives his best performance in years. 114 minutes, United Kingdom. View trailer Showing: 1 p.m., April 24 THE FAMILY FANG: Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman play siblings who become enmeshed in their parents' bizarre  and public  performance pieces. Featuring Christopher Walken at his diabolically best. 106 minutes, United States. View more Showing: 7 p.m., April 30 LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD: Famed director Werner Herzog meditates on the Internet in a series of illuminating anecdotes that praise, pillory and predict the power of the medium. It's vintage Herzog, narration and all. 98 minutes, United States. View trailer Showing: 8 p.m., April 23 Roxie Theatre X THE DEMONS: This cautionary tale, about a 10-year-old Quebec boy who faces the perils of growing up, is an intoxicating mix of the unsettling and bittersweet. 118 minutes, Canada. View trailer Showing: 3 p.m., May 4 (Also plays at 6 p.m., April 28, and at 3:15 p.m., May 2, Alamo.) FROM AFAR: This drama concerns a frigid Venezuelan man and a tempestuous street tough who bring out the best  and worst  in each other. It's yet another fascinating LGBT movie from Latin America. 93 minutes, Venezuela, Mexico. View trailer Showing: 9:15 p.m., April 29 (Also plays at 8:50 p.m., April 27, BAMPFA.) THE INNOCENTS: A French Red Cross nurse in Poland finds herself caring for pregnant nuns who were raped by marauding soldiers during World War II, in this finely crafted feature. 115 minutes, France, Poland. View trailer Showing: 6:15 p.m., April 27 (Also plays at 12:30 p.m., May 1, Alamo.) Victoria Theatre X LIFE, ANIMATED: This stunning documentary profiles a young autistic man who finds a lifeline to his family and to the outside world  through Disney cartoons. Three words: Don't. Miss. It. 91 minutes, United States. View featurette Showing: 5:15 p.m., April 30 (Also plays at 6:30 p.m., May 2, Alamo.) WEINER: Providing amazing access to a campaign train wreck, this jaw-dropping documentary covers the ill-fated New York mayoral run of Anthony Weiner. As his sexting misadventures get exposed, a political suicide unfurls right before your eyes. 96 minutes, United States. View trailer Showing: 9 p.m., April 23 (Also plays at 3:45 p.m., April 25, Alamo.) LITTLE MEN: This sublime feature is a rarity in American cinema: the delicate depiction of male adolescent friendship. The backdrop is gentrifying Brooklyn, and director Ira Sachs weaves disparate themes of class, art, friendship and rent control into a satisfying, exquisite whole. 85 minutes, United States. View trailer Showing: 9 p.m., April 29 (Also plays at 1 p.m., May 3, Alamo.)

But he knows the key element of the urban village is to get attendees out of their cars and keep them out. Anyone who has tried parking in the Mission on an evening knows that you can easily miss a two-hour feature while circling 16th Street.

What weve been learning is that most of our audience is gathered around BART, whether in the Mission or in the East Bay, Cowan says. Thats the audience that continues to grow. So we began the process to evolve the festival to a Mission-based event.

The 16th Street BART Station sits almost equidistant from the Victoria and the Roxie. From the station, you can look up Mission and see the tall blade of the New Mission, five short blocks south.

For us, having this new anchor institution was too good to be true, Cowan says.

Also too good to be true for the Roxie, which has been limping along on life support since the invention of the VCR.

All of the Mission theaters have a synergy together, says Dave Cowen, executive director of the Roxie. Weve definitely seen larger audiences since the Alamo Drafthouse opened, and I think the film festival will build the Mission into a filmgoing destination.

It is already a destination for historians studying the disappearance of the single-screen houses. The Roxie opened for movies in 1909, and has miraculously stayed open, making its 234-seat room the longest-running picture show in the United States, as they claim.

The Victoria is actually older, opened in 1908, but it was built for opera and vaudeville. A screen was added 10 or 15 years ago when it became a venue for Frameline, the LBGTQ film festival.

Its not the Opera House. Its not even the Castro, says owner Bob Correia, who bought the Victoria in 1978. They said they were upgrading the area, and they are still saying it.

Across 16th Street, Correia can see an abandoned gas station waiting for the wrecking ball. The Victoria would probably be waiting for it, too, if it were not a city landmark. The exterior looks the way it always has, an ad for Albers Flapjack Flour still painted on the side.

Inside, Correia has done his own upgrade, replacing all 300 seats in the orchestra level, which is steeply raked so the sight lines are clear. The balcony has an even steeper rake for its 200 seats, but anyone above average height for 1908, which must have been 5 feet 5 inches, will be folded in too tightly.

Cowan, who is 6 feet tall, wisely chose to sit on the orchestra level when he came to Frameline. Its a terrific place to see a movie, says Cowan, who had an idea how to make it better: Replace the projector and sound system.

The 35mm film reels are now joined by a digital projector installed courtesy of SFIFF.

Somebody told me its worth about $50,000, Correia says. It brings the resolution onto the screen much, much better.

Correia says he has a verbal agreement that the projector will stay at the Victoria, to become part of the next SFIFF. Cowan hopes to leave it there, too. But he just works there. The paying audience will decide.

This is all a big experiment for us, and we will really be paying attention to the experience that people are having, he says. We dont have our own home, so we are dependent on our supporters to help guide us in the right direction.

And even if the whole urban village is a failure and SFIFF goes back to the Kabuki or elsewhere, it will have succeeded in joining the Victoria (1908), the Roxie (1909) and the New Mission (1916). It only took 100 years to make that happen.

We are in the oldest and the newest theaters in the Bay Area this year, he says. You walk between the three of them and you feel the history of that.

Sam Whiting is a Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com

Tickets: The 59th San Francisco International Film Festival: Thursday, April 21-May 5. $13-$15. www.sffs.org.
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Hundreds of Tegan and Sara fans spent hours Saturday snaked around the perimeter of the Folsom Street Foundry, angling for a prime spot near the stage to hear the hot indie pop duo perform the day after they released their eighth studio album, Love You to Death.

Only the most ambitious made it to the front. One fan, 23-year-old Annie Vizcaino, traveled from Davis after her partners 8 a.m. final. She was in line by 1 p.m. and when the doors finally opened at 7, still found herself a few rows back.

She was one of hundreds of screaming fans who packed the venue for the latest installment of the Tumblr IRL performance series, where musicians and visual artists collaborate to provide an intimate multimedia experience.

In this instance, the visual artist was Sirin Thada. The 39-year-old lives in New York and works mostly with watercolors. Twins Tegan and Sara Quin spotted Thadas work on Tumblr, a microblogging platform and social networking website owned by Yahoo. They asked Thada to work with them on the event, and that meant she needed to adjust to the scale of the venues tall ceilings and vast wall space.

A self-confessed huge fan of Tegan and Sara, Thada traded ideas back and forth with the band before settling on the final design.

I wanted to be inspired by the music, Thada said. They were amazing to work with. A project like this is once in a lifetime.

Thada drafted concepts for the large industrial warehouse, settling on mirrors as a symbol of the records focus on the necessity for self-reflection in a romantic relationship.

There were broken, jagged mirrors hung high on one computer-animated screen; on another, a man in a blue suit smoking a pipe stared into a shifting television screen as images of roses and fires and himself flitted by. Meanwhile, Tegan and Sara fans clumped in the middle of the floor, shrieking when Sara approached a balcony and snapped a picture on her phone.

Its probably going on her Snapchat, one fan muttered.

A little after 8 p.m., the two sisters strolled onstage, wearing matching black jackets and jeans. Sara distinguished herself with a pair of Converse sneakers and stood stage left; her sister kicked off the show with a statement sure to elicit cheers: Lets start things off with an old song.

The crowd enjoyed songs like Walking With a Ghost and Stop Desire, but the between-song chatter drew the most enthusiastic fan reaction.

Dont get mad at me on social media  some people need emotional support animals, Sara said at one point.

After running through a handful of songs, Tegan and Sara stopped the music and professed their love for San Francisco but lamented ever-climbing housing costs.

Offhand, responding to a cry from the audience, Sara joked, Oh, you guys are offering up your apartments? Thats so nice! I think that might make an interesting reality show, where we pick someone and become their roommate. Would you cook for us? The crowd roared like there was a chance that, if they screamed just loud enough, the Quins would knock on their door later that evening and ask for a couch to crash on.

They finished with their smash hit Closer and participated in a brief question-and-answer session after the performance, touching on their favorite books and the names of Saras cats.

They made a point of thanking Thada for her work before scurrying offstage.

Most fans streamed out after them, with a couple dozen of them lingering on the concert floor. Two friends, 30-year-old MJ Yap and Kasey Albano, 25, hung out, not wanting the night to end.

That was really great, Yap said. Were longtime fans, and weve seen them live a bunch, so seeing them like this always brings us back.

It was very familiar, Albano concurred. It was like being with an old friend.

Michael Rosen is a freelance writer.
WASHINGTON  President Obama, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him, is now ready to aggressively campaign for Hillary Clinton, starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week.

The White House is in active conversations with Clintons campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her, according to senior aides to Obama.

Advisers say the president, who sees a Democratic successor as critical to his legacy, is impatient to begin campaigning. They say he is taking nothing for granted.

I want us to run scared the whole time, Obama told a group of donors Friday night in Miami.

Potent force in race

It has been decades since a second-term president enjoyed the popularity to make him a potent force on the campaign trail.

Obamas approval rating was at 50 percent in this months New York Times/CBS poll, and strategists close to Clinton said they would be eager to have his participation as the general election unfolds. In contrast, President George W. Bushs approval rating was at 20 percent in a Gallup poll just before the November 2008 election, and he rarely appeared that year with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee.

Obama is particularly enthusiastic, aides said, about taking on Donald Trump. The Republican candidate has offended the president with his conduct on the campaign trail  Trump referred to a black supporter on Friday in one of his crowds as my African American  and as the most visible champion of the birther conspiracy theories that falsely hold that Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii.

Should Clinton do well enough in the primaries Tuesday to give her sufficient delegates to claim the Democratic nomination, Obama is likely to move swiftly to make a case for her.

He has indicated he wants to spend a lot of time on the campaign trail, so when its time to do that, well go out guns ablazing, said Jennifer Psaki, Obamas communications director. We are actively thinking through how to use the president on the campaign trail  what works for the nominee, what works for him, and how to utilize his strengths and his appeal.

Emphasizing economy

Jennifer Palmieri, Clintons communications director, said Clinton hopes to earn Obamas endorsement and his active participation in the campaign during the summer and fall.

Theres no one better to lay out the two paths voters will face in the fall elections, Palmieri said, and he is particularly strong at making the economic argument for her.

Advisers to Obama and Clinton believe that the president, who ran against Clinton in a sometimes nasty primary in 2008, can be a persuasive voice for voters who may find her difficult to relate to or who have supported the more liberal stances of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Some Democrats speculated Monday that by discussing Obamas plans to jump into the campaign fray, his team was hoping to nudge Sanders from the race, signaling that the time was coming for him to abandon his bid.

If he is considering such a move, Sanders refused to acknowledge it Monday while campaigning in the Bay Area.

Our focus right now is running and winning right here in California, Sanders said.
June 19

on Friday

Saturday
Sass, tears, and southern charm take the stage when Dalton Little Theatre presents playwright Mark Dunn's comedy, Five Tellers Dancing in the Rain. The play opens Thursday, June 16 and will run for two weekends only.Set in the break-room of a small Mississippi bank, the play follows the lives, loves, and losses of five bank tellers over six consecutive weekday mornings as they share laughter and tears over lots of hot brewed coffee. Whether they are dealing with broken arms or broken hearts, the tellers find strength and self-respect through the friendships of those who have been down the same road.People should come see this show because they have either gone through, are going through, or know somebody in these situations, said Ron King, director.He adds, It is funny, it is serious, it is full of southern charm.Mr. King has become familiar with the southern charm of Dunn's plays as he has directed four of the five works of the playwright that DLT has produced consecutively in as many years.Over the past few years, I have developed a close friendship with the author, said Mr. King. Mark has seen two of his plays staged at DLT, the most recent being the world premier event last season of Happily Ever After, a Wedding Comedy which was recently picked up by a publishing company and all the local talent will forever be in print.The actors and actresses who performed in the premier of Happily Ever After will have their names printed in the playbook as members of the play's premier cast along with DLT as the venue. Next season, DLT is set to premier another of Dunn's plays giving local talent another opportunity to be a part of a world premier event.Of Dunn's plays, DLT has also produced Belles, Cabin Fever: A Texas Tragicomedy, and Sand Pies and Scissorlegs.Five Tellers Dancing in the Rain premiered at Theatre on Broadway in Denver, Co. on June 25, 1993 and opened in New York City at the Thirteenth Street Repertory Company on November 12, 1993. The play is produced in cooperation with Samuel French.The cast includes Vicky Quinn as Dolores Bogatin, Amanda Havelin as Betina Embree, Katie Johansson as Twyla Tobias, Nikki Sloan as Lorene Lee, and Alana Sane as Jennifer Duck. Corbin Sloan offers his talents as stage manager and Macaven Kalifut will be working the lights and sound.Production dates are June 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25 at 7 p.m. with a Sunday matinee June 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.daltonlittletheatre.com . For more information or to make reservations, contact DLT at 706-226-6618 or E-mail at dlt@optilink.us.
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For three decades, Rachel Norton never told anyone she was raped in college.

The San Francisco school board member didnt tell her friends when it happened. She never told her mother. But late Sunday night, she decided to tell the world.

Norton had been reading about the six-month county jail sentence given to a former Stanford student, Brock Allen Turner, after his conviction on three felony counts of sexual assaulting a drunken and unconscious woman he met at a party on campus last year.

He could have served up to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors had recommended six.

Norton was infuriated, she said. And it brought back memories.

I think my anger in this case is related to the fact that, like many women, I was raped by an acquaintance in college after a night of drinking, she wrote on her SF Board of Education blog late Sunday night. I never reported it, because the situation was consensual up to a point, until it wasnt. I was confused enough, and drunk enough, that I could never completely make sense of what happened, even though I felt violated and ashamed after he left.

For years, she didnt think of the incident as rape even though she had said no. She wanted him to stop and tried to twist away, she said, but he pinned her down.

Like many women, Norton didnt scream. She didnt yell rape. She was silenced by shame.

I think most women I know have had some experience like that, she said Monday. If you didnt fight back you were complicit in the whole thing.

Unlike in the Stanford case, Norton said she wasnt bruised and bloodied from the assault.

I felt guilty about it like it was my fault, so I didnt do anything about it, she said.

With more awareness on college campuses about the importance of affirmative consent  yes, and only yes, means yes  Norton believed times had changed. But despite Turners conviction, his sentencing indicates theres still a blame-the-victim mindset thats alive and well, she said.

This incident really crystallized that things havent changed. Its still her fault, she said. I just would have hoped we would have moved so much more from (the idea) a girl deserves it if she gets drunk or wears a short skirt.

The victim in the Stanford case didnt do anything differently than I did in college, Norton said.

Shell never shed it completely, Norton wrote on her blog, especially since Judge Aaron Persky looked at her, and looked at her attacker, Brock Allen Turner, and decided it was more important to protect his future than uphold justice for her.

And so the school board member decided to tell her own story, to say out loud that alcohol isnt an excuse. That no means no. And silence of any kind isnt consent.

Its never fun to talk about something painful that happened to you, she said. I didnt fight and I didnt scream. But does that mean I wanted it? Does that mean I deserved it?

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jilltucker
Marwan Fawaz, the new CEO of Alphabets smart home division, Nest Labs, doesnt have a storied history like his predecessor, Tony Fadell, who played a crucial role in developing hot products like the iPod and iPhone.

Many analysts remember Fawaz as a Motorola executive who oversaw the sale of the companys home-products division to Arris Group for $2.35 billion in 2013. His role in that sale has some wondering if Alphabet, Googles parent company, has plans to sell Nest in the future.

Youre looking at what kind of skills they want from the individual, said Rob Enderle with advisory services firm Enderle Group. Selling Motorolas home division is a skill that would transfer, Enderle said.

Fadell came under pressure for the way he managed Nest: The company has not added any significant products since it was purchased by Google in 2014 in a $3.2 billion deal. Last year, Nest released its Nest Cam, but many analysts saw that as a rebranded version of a product from Dropcam, a connected-camera startup Nest bought for $555 million. In May, Google said it plans to launch its own Internet connected home device, Google Home, a competitor to the Amazon Echo. The announcement raised eyebrows because it fell under Google, not Nest.

Under Alphabet, the two companies operate with some autonomy. In March, the Information, a tech news site, reported that Nest officials offered to help develop Google Home and were rebuffed.

On Friday, Nest announced Fadell, the companys co-founder, would be stepping down as CEO.

Primarily, it looks like they have fallen out of favor, Enderle said.

To be sure, the future of Alphabets business doesnt depend on Nest. Alphabet made nearly $75 billion in sales last year, and less than 1 percent of that total was made from other bets, which included divisions like Nest.

But some analysts say they dont think Alphabet will sell Nest anytime soon. The smart-home division helps give Alphabet a greater foothold in the growing market for Internet-connected devices and could provide more insight into consumer behavior, they said.

Their core business is advertising, said Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights and Strategy. The key to advertising is context and an understanding of what the end user wants when they want it.

Nest said on Friday that Fawazs engineering and operational expertise will help its next phase of growth. Alphabets CEO, Larry Page, said in a statement that hes confident in (Fawazs) ability to deepen Nests partnerships, expand within enterprise channels, and bring Nest products to even more homes.

Regardless of Alphabets future plans for Nest, the division will need to focus on getting more products out, analysts said.

Moorhead said he believes Fawaz was brought in to keep the team on track. Those who know Fawaz said he is great at fostering teamwork, a contrast to Fadells domineering style. (You cant make an omelet without breaking eggs, Fadell said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, when asked to respond to charges that he was a tyrant.)

Hes a good people leader, said Himesh Bhise, CEO of Synacor, where Fawaz is on the board. Hes really good with teams and driving people to the same direction.

A Nest spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: thewendylee
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Over the weekend, hackers took control of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerbergs social media accounts.

A team of hackers calling themselves OurMine posted a message on Twitter Sunday, referring to Zuckerberg by his Twitter handle and asking him to send them a message: Hey @finkd, we got access to your Twitter & Instagram & Pinterest, we are just testing your security, please dm us.

Instead, the would-be hackers got a very different message from Facebooks Instagram photo-sharing service: Nice try.

While Zuckerbergs long-dormant Twitter and Pinterest accounts were apparently accessed and defaced, Zuckerbergs Instagram account went untouched.

No Facebook systems or accounts were accessed, said a Facebook spokeswoman. The affected accounts have been re-secured.

Facebook uses a technique called risk-based authentication to secure its social networks.

That means whenever a person logs into one of its services, Facebook looks at data like the network a person is on; what browsers or devices that person typically uses; and the third-party apps a person has connected to the account.

If something is amiss, Facebook may ask users to verify their identity by providing a code sent to a persons phone or posing questions only that user could answer.

Its not clear how the hackers might have gained access to Zuckerbergs accounts. A leading theory is that it might have been exposed alongside hundreds of millions of users whose LinkedIn and MySpace logins were dumped online recently.

The LinkedIn data, first stolen in 2012, resurfaced online in May.

Twitter suspended the OurMine account Sunday and restored Zuckerbergs account. By Monday, his Pinterest account had also been cleaned up. Twitter and Pinterest did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to monitoring its own systems, Facebook also looks for publicly posted user logins, a spokeswoman said. When it detects that a users account information has been posted online, it notifies the person.

Unfortunately, its common for attackers to publicly post the email addresses and passwords they steal on public paste sites, wrote Chris Long, a former Facebook security engineer who now works at Uber.

Someone claiming to be the OurMine team, posting through a newly registered Twitter account, said Monday that it was just trying to secure Mark Zuckerberg(s) accounts!

Sean Sposito is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ssposito@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@seansposito
A 9-year-old Fresno boy said he was asked to remove his autographed "Donald Trump: Make America Great" hat at school on Thursday.

Logan Autry said officials at Powers-Ginsburg Elementary School told him the hat had become a distraction and "brings negative emotions to the other children" who don't like the GOP presidential candidate, according to ABC 30.

Autry disagrees with the school's position on his hat, and told 24 News: "The First Amendment says I can wear my hat."

Though Autry isn't old enough to vote, he's still interested in politics and a big fan of Trump. The third-grader was in the front row of a campaign rally in Fresno on May 27. He shook the candidate's hand and had him sign a hat purchased at the event.

"...I felt his hair too, and it's actually real," Autry shared with ABC 30. "On the TV it looks not real, but it like, has a blur but when you see it in real life it looks a lot different."

The boy allegedly wore his hat to school for several days and engaged in discussions about it with other students. On Thursday, the conversation escalated when some students called Trump "stupid."

In a statement regarding the situation on June 6, Fresno Unified School District said Autry was asked to "temporarily remove his hat only after there was an incident of substantial disruption" based on the school's "responsibility to take precautions when the discourse begins to impact our school climate and interrupt school operations."

The statement goes on: "However, to be clear, school officials never imposed an outright ban. The student was not banned from school and was never banned from wearing the hat. School officials reached out multiple times to the guardians to inform them that the student could continue to wear the hat as long there were no further incidents of disruption. However, the guardians have not responded."

Autry's uncle, Zac Autry, who attended the Trump rally with the boy, told 24 News, "They should be able to let kids freely express themselves without the fear of being beat up or harassed or bullied."

Autry plans to continue wearing his hat.
A transgender nurse sued Californias largest private hospital chain, Dignity Health of San Francisco, on Monday for denying him insurance coverage for hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery, which the company attributed to a personality disorder.

Joe Robinson, an operating-room nurse at Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, Ariz., filed the suit in federal court in San Francisco, saying Dignity Healths stated policy of refusing coverage to its employees for all treatment leading to sex-transformation surgery violates federal laws against sex discrimination.

I was shocked when Dignity, which is supposed to be in the business of healing and holds itself out to the public as a bastion of humankindness, told me they would not authorize insurance coverage for my doctor-prescribed treatment, Robinson, 50, said in a statement through his attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Deposit forfeited

Because of the insurance denial, he said, he has had to pay for his own hormone therapy, and paid $7,450 for a double mastectomy last August. Robinson had planned to undergo sex-reassignment surgery in March but had to cancel it because he lacked insurance, his lawyers said. They said Robinson forfeited his deposit and is trying to reschedule the surgery.

Dignity Health said its policy is to not comment on lawsuits.

Dignity, the nations fifth-largest hospital owner, operates 39 medical facilities in California, Arizona and Nevada, more than half of them affiliated with the Catholic Church. In separate cases, the ACLU is suing the company in a California court for its refusal to allow women to have tubal ligations in its Catholic hospitals because of the churchs opposition to sterilization.

Religious directives

But the 243-bed Chandler hospital, where Robinson has worked since January 2014, is not church-affiliated. When Robinsons fiancee asked Dignity Health in September to reconsider its denial of coverage, the company responded that it had considered its ethical and religious directives, but concluded the denial had another legitimate basis: the insurance plans exclusion of coverage for treatment of personality disorders, including sexual/gender identity.

That was a shocking response from a health care provider, said ACLU attorney Josh Block.

Every major medical association has affirmed that transition-related health care for transgender people is medically necessary, Block said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order requiring insurance coverage. ACLU lawyers said the Dignity Health policy amounts to sex discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and also violates regulations, announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicers last month, prohibiting health companies that receive federal aid from denying insurance for health services related to gender transformation.

Block said it was the first suit in the nation to rely on the new federal regulations.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: egelko
CINCINNATI  A prosecutor announced Monday that no charges will be brought against the mother of the little boy who got into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo, saying the 3-year-old just scampered off as children sometimes do.

The killing of a 400-pound gorilla that was dragging the child through a moat May 28 set off a torrent of online criticism, with some vilifying the zoo for shooting the animal and others blaming the mother for not watching her child more closely.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the case didnt come close to warranting a charge of child endangerment, and he defended the mother as an attentive parent undeserving of the abuse and threats. He said she had three other children with her, ages 1 to 7, and had turned away for a few seconds to attend to one when her son took off.

If anyone doesnt believe a 3-year-old can scamper off very quickly, theyve never had kids. Because they can. And they do, Deters said.

In a statement, the family said it was pleased with the decision. This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us, the statement said.

The boy apparently climbed over a 3-foot barrier, made his way through bushes and fell 15 feet into a shallow moat. The zoos dangerous-animal response team shot the agitated, 17-year-old gorilla, Harambe, after concluding the boys life was in danger.

The zoo plans to reopen its Gorilla World on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. Deters said he was glad to see the improvements.

The zoos actions will be reviewed separately by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An animal protection group has urged that the zoo be fined.

Deters said there was no evidence the mother heedlessly put her child in danger, as prosecutors would have had to show.

If she had been in the bathroom smoking crack, that would be a different story. But thats not what happened here, the prosecutor said.

A law professor said he agreed with Deters decision, because being momentarily distracted isnt criminal.

Unfortunately, accidents happen, but the purpose of the criminal law is not to punish someone for accidents, even if the ultimate result is tragic, said Larry Cunningham, associate dean of St. Johns University School of Law.

Deters said he has been a bit taken aback by the reaction to the gorillas death. He said the zoo suffered a great loss, but its still an animal. It does not equate human life, and they felt that this boys life was in jeopardy, and they made the painful choice to do what they did.

The boy was treated at a hospital and released the evening of the incident. Police said he had scrapes on his head and knee.
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration is running out of time and options to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, so officials are scrambling to release as many prisoners as possible and considering novel legal strategies that include allowing some men to strike plea deals by video-teleconference and sending others to foreign countries to be prosecuted.

But it looks to be too late to close the prison before President Obama leaves office in January, denying him the chance to fulfill a campaign pledge.

Theres the difficulty in transferring prisoners from the U.S. base, questions about the legality of plea deals and solid opposition in Congress to anything that might help Obama achieve that promise.

The clock has struck midnight and the American people have won, said Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who has said he would oppose any effort to move detainees to prison facilities in his state. The president needs to admit that.

Later this month, lawmakers are on track to extend a ban on moving detainees to U.S. soil. That would leave the president with no way to make the January 2017 deadline, barring an unexpected reversal in Congress or a politically explosive executive order.

The White House increasingly is pointed to a parallel strategy: trying to shrink the number of detainees in hopes of persuading lawmakers that Guantanamo is too expensive to sustain as a prison for so few inmates.

Of the 80 remaining detainees, 30 have been cleared for an overseas transfer. Most will leave starting in late June and continuing into July, according to a U.S. official. Those prisoners will go to a number of countries, including at least one in Europe, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Seven additional detainees are facing trial by military commission, including five charged with planning and supporting the Sept. 11 attacks. Three others have been convicted. But commission proceedings have gone on at a glacial pace. In April, the Pentagon put forward fresh proposals for Guantanamo, but none has been incorporated into defense legislation moving through Congress.

The remaining 40 were either at one time considered for prosecution or held as indefinite law of war detainees until the end of hostilities in the fight against terrorism that began after the 2001 attacks. The United States started using Guantanamo for suspects in January 2002; at its peak, the facility held about 680 prisoners.

U.S. officials have chipped away at those numbers through the Periodic Review Board, a multiagency task force that conducts parole-style hearings for men once deemed too dangerous to release.
The United Community Action Alliance will host a Candidates Forum on Thursday, June 23 at the Kingdom Center, 730 M.L King Blvd. from 6-8 p.m.

All Candidates are welcome to attend. The public is invited.
LOS ANGELES  Authorities cautiously lifted some evacuation orders but warned serious challenges remained Sunday as crews in jagged terrain protected homes and worked to stop the progress of a brush fire that torched the populated hills northwest of Los Angeles.

Firefighters took advantage of cooler temperatures and calmer winds as aircraft made water drops along the eastern and southern edges of the blaze, which was held to just over 500 acres, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp said.

He said it was our No. 1 priority to get those two flanks contained, adding that the fire was hung up on the mid-slope of steep canyons, making a direct attack difficult.

The fire is on the side of a mountain, its not on any road, and we are trying to get firefighters up there, Tripp said Sunday at a news conference.

The fire was 30 percent contained and residents of the prosperous and semi-rural area of Calabasas were being allowed back into their homes, many of which were without electricity. Evacuation orders remained in the hilly enclave of Topanga along the fires southeast side.

Sheriffs officials said some 3,000 homes were threatened and about 5,000 residents were evacuated at the height of the fire, which was sparked Saturday by a car crash that downed power lines.

Three homes were damaged, but the full extent of the damage wasnt yet clear, Los Angeles County fire Capt. Keith Mora said. Other buildings, including some at a city park, also were damaged.

Fifty-foot-high flames erupted on ridges and embers turned trees into torches Saturday afternoon. The fire flared as Southern California sweltered under temperatures that hit the 90s in many places.

Hot, dry conditions led to spot fires that had crews scrambling, but officials were encouraged by more favorable weather conditions Sunday, Tripp said. Sundays high in Calabasas was in the mid-80s.

Flames raced through drought-dry brush and came within yards of million-dollar homes. The smoke could be seen across the region and a dusting of ash rained down on neighborhoods more than 30 miles away.

Some horse owners in the area put the animals in trailers and hauled them away. Authorities set up an evacuation center for people with large animals at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

More than 500 firefighters, aided by bulldozers and water-dropping helicopters were on the scene. Three firefighters sustained minor injuries, officials said.

To the southeast, a smoky wildfire burning in Riverside County was 30 percent contained Sunday. The blaze that broke out a day earlier along Interstate 15 in Temecula charred about 130 acres of dry brush. No structures were threatened.
MEMPHIS  A man suspected in a downtown Memphis shooting that left three people injured fled in a stolen vehicle that fatally struck a police officer, police said Sunday.

Justine Welch, 21, faces multiple charges that include first-degree murder, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph. He was being held at the Shelby County Jail. Jail records didnt indicate whether he has an attorney.
BOGALUSA, La.  The knock on the door, strong and quick, jolted Barbara Hicks Collins awake. It was the middle of the night. Someone must be in trouble, she thought. She flung open her front door to the shocking sight of her car engulfed in flames.

Investigators later determined someone had deliberately set fire to her Mercedes and also tried to burn down the one-story brick house she shared with her mother in this eastern Louisiana town, once known as a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity. Hicks Collins, a black woman, had no doubt the fire  set on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2012  was racially motivated. Her father had been a prominent civil rights leader, and her family remained active in the community.
The Classes of 1984 (Brainerd, City, Howard, Kirkman and Tyner) held their unprecedented 50th Birthday Celebration of Life Weekend on May 2729. The purpose of the weekend was to:

1. Show unity



2. Celebrate Life

3. Give back to the community

A Meet & Greet was held on Friday evening at the Chattanooga Billard Club. Saturdays event was a Family Cookout at the Riverpark (see aerial photo). On Sunday, each school attended worship service at the church of their choice and the weekend concluded with the Celebration Dance on Sunday evening at the Bessie Smith Hall. One classmate described the entire weekend as EPIC!



Based on proceeds from souvenir items, organizers announced a $2,000 donation to our selected charity, 22:6 Teen Moms.

22:6 Incorporated offers support and empowerment while also delivering awareness and education to teen moms in order to cultivate healthy parenting skills and personal development. Their upcoming project, Scholars of Tomorrow Parent Boot camp, will aim to prepare teen moms to effectively implement early childhood education at home, become engaged in their childs learning development, and connect as a partner with their childs school. Scholars of Tomorrow will promote the mission of 22:6 Inc. by continuing the pursuit to provide young moms with educational experiences and exposure to impactful activities and sessions that positively influence their lifestyles and choices as well as the educational future of their children.

For more information, contact Chris L. Ramsey, at cram125@epbfi.com or 619-0732.
BRUSSELS (AP)  A baby panda was born in Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo on Thursday just three months after Chinese experts artificially inseminated its mother Hao Hao.

Screaming seemingly well beyond the power of his 171 gram frame, the tiny pink male cub was tenderly cared for, washed and cradled by his mother in her black-and-white fur and carried around in her mouth.

Since panda births are such a rarity, some guardians were overcome by emotion and cried at the zoo, which is around 30 miles south of Brussels.

Still, zoo director Eric Domb had mixed feelings.

"It was very intense for us all. The utmost joy to see the birth," Domb told RTL network. "It is also a big worry since the chances of survival of a panda are only one out of two in the first three months."

With the help of the Chinese government, Hao Hao and her mate Xing Hui arrived in Belgium two years ago. Pairi Daiza adapted its zoo to build a bamboo forest and a cave to recreate their natural habitat.

The zoo said that "less than 2,000 pandas can be found in the wild, making every birth a true miracle." Austria and Spain are the only other two European countries where pandas have been born. Ever since their arrival, the pandas have been a huge hit at the zoo, and the newcomer will no doubt add to its popularity.

Yet even now, no one was ready for a name for the little cub. And it had to do with Chinese superstition, said Domb.

"So in no case whatsoever would we have considered a name before several of the first weeks have passed. We will think about it," he said.
Getty Images / /

A 43-year-old man who was gunned down outside a San Leandro bar over the weekend was identified as a San Francisco Muni driver, the transportation agency said.

Sukia Jackson was shot in the head during an altercation Saturday on the 1400 block of 150th Avenue. News of the killing reverberated through the community of bus drivers and train operators who knew and worked with Jackson.
Metal rockers Deftones have spent a career forging their craft. Founded in 1988 and still going strong today, the band has faced its ups and downs and been through a great deal of tragedy. Despite all this they have produced a total of eight albums, the most recent of which, entitled Gore, was released in April of this year.

Abe Cunningham, the bands drummer, and Frank Delgado, Keyboardist and DJ, spoke with Chattanoogan.com before their set at Shaky Knees Music Festival 2016 in Atlanta. Much of the discussion encompassed the path of Deftones since its inception and the future of whats to come.

Chattanoogan: Lets talk about the new album first, Gore, which came out in April, was met with critical acclaim by the media, what do think is responsible for that reception?

Delgado: I dont know, but we make the record and we cherish them and nurture them, and make this thing and once its released its really out of our hands. So its kind of for the people to decide. Its amazing to be this far along and doing what we do for all these years to have people still enjoy us and also still enjoy new music from us as well. So its definitely the people, with open ears.

Chattanoogan: Its the highest charting Deftones album, since the self-titled alubum in 2003. So what kind of statement is that in 2016?

Delgado: Its mind boggling, honestly. We have confidence in ourselves and making things that we like and I dont think we ever stop to think, well what if others dont like it? We just kind of, in a selfish way, make our songs, and get people together. And we like this, and we can back this, and then we put it out there and hopefully theres some people that still are into what weve got going on. And there is.

Chattanoogan: Creative tension is kind of a buzzword associated with this band. Is that a lot of media hype?

Delgado: Well to me its just another day at the office. I mean, not to be rude, also its a tired topic. It is just another day at the office. Its five guys, with strong personalities, and personal opinions, but with the end goal of still completing something. Were like brothers, its not always easy but its a lot of fun.

Cunningham: I think theres that creative tension in all bands. I havent been in any other bands to the same degree of creating and putting stuff out like this, but there has to be that push and pull and tension to get things going and to debunk ideas and then build new ones. Thats just a part of the process. It makes for a good story that theres this really big tension going on, but thats been like that since the first record. Nothings really changed. Its part of being in a band.

Chattanoogan: So how did the Deftones get stuck with that label?

Delgado: During the White Pony they used it as a really big media thing, for a tag for stories where theres this tension between Stephen and Chino and it makes for a good story, whatever. But I think they kind of regurgitated that on this round too.

Cunningham: Quite frankly most of our best material has come out of that tension, so its just band stuff.

Chatanoogan: So this is bassist Sergios third album with the band. How has he caught on, being a part of Deftones as a permanent member?

Delgado: Its been amazing. Ive never met anyone who is so gung-ho about things. Not only just his music either. For us, I think that was the spark we needed to just keep going. We never really thought about it. I think he was that backbone to just make us feel like we didnt have to question it. Here we go. Lets just keep making music. And were going to just see what happens and we havent really looked back honestly.

Chattanoogan: How did you all get with him in the first place?

Delgado: He was from this band that we love, and years ago we were on tour and our bass player had to have surgery and left tour immediately and long story short, in a hot second Sergio was able to come in and fill in. He learned the set in no time at all and he was with us for a couple weeks. It was Black Sabbaths first reunion tour. It was us, Pantera, and Black Sabbath. So we were like were going to stay on this tour, who can step up? And Sergio did it; he learned the set in a day and a half. So that was the first thing, he ran that tour, and from there we just became friends.

Chattanoogan: So, with Eagles of Death Metal also at Shaky Knees, I have to ask what it was like being in Paris and with Stephen at their show the night of the attacks?

Delgado: It was all so surreal, because it was all in real-time. We went to have sushi, and we happened to go the other street, we had been on that street the night before. We were supposed to play the next three nights at the same [venue] starting that Saturday. I actually had plans and wanted to go check out the show, too, it was close by.

Cunningham: We had just left dinner and we were walking back to the hotel and we saw Steph and they were not at the show, they were back at the hotel drinking a beer and we were just like hey whats up, we left early and we just got here. And we had just left from dinner and then thats when it all started.

Delgado: Cops started coming around and you could tell there was tension in the street. Sirens. People running. And you could just feel something was wrong. Our tour manager was calling about the club. The hotel was asking us to come in. It was just a bunch of emotions and a bunch of scary things going on, but it happened really fast.

Chattanoogan: So talking about the first Black Sabbath reunion tour, they are currently on their final reunion tour and its clear rock lives on. With a band as long running as Deftones, how do you stay relevant?

Delgado: If there was a recipe that we could bottle, we would and wed be very well off. But I think what it is, is that we keep it light and we keep it fun, regardless of all the B.S. and things that happen along the way, we just try to keep it light. We dont think about things too much. Maybe thats good or bad, but we just roll with it. Amazingly, its been 27-28 years, so just keep it light and fun.

Cunningham: I agree. We enjoy each others company because we have a good time and we try and make it to where its not too stressful, not overthinking a lot of things. We try to have our business and do it right and properly, and execute what we want to do. But we want to have a good time and to where we want to go back out and do it again; to where its not a burden. Because this is not a burden, this is fun, what we do for a living.
First Things Firsts six-week community conversation, The Impact of a Father, is coming to a close with two sessions left in the series. This week a panel of youth with varying backgrounds and experiences who will add to this ongoing conversation from their perspective about the correlation between father involvement and a childs well-being.

This is a diverse group of young adults," said Todd Agne, senior fathering coordinator at First Things First. "Some have had a great deal of influence from their father or father figure while others have had little to none. Our goal for this week is to hear first hand the difference a dad makes.

Speakers in the series so far have included Judge Robert D. Philyaw (current Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge), Dr. Charles Mitchell (assistant principal of Brainerd High School), Chief Fred Fletcher (police chief of Chattanooga Police Department) and Bryan Spillman (College Life Area Director for Younglife).

The youth panel will be held Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 a.m. at First Things First. The last session will be June 15 with former general manager of the Buffalo Bills, Buddy Nix.

For more information and to register visit FirstThings.org.
A group of students from Lee University traveled with music professor Dr. Jonathan Rodgers to Goa, India, to partner with Rahabs Rope, a ministry dedicated to combating human trafficking. The 26 Lee students were all members of Ladies of Lee, the universitys womens choir.

During the nine-day trip, the group conducted a Vacation Bible School program at a local YMCA, home visits with at-risk individuals living in slums, and did prayer walks in the city. In the evenings, they gave concerts in various community centers or churches.

The opportunity to travel to Goa with the Ladies of Lee was unlike anything I had ever had the pleasure of experiencing before," said Melanie Mendoza, president of the group. Ive been a member of this choir for the last three years, and Ive seen this group hard-pressed by new things, but this tripwith our smaller group (we were half our usual size), cultural barriers, and astonishingly high heat indexesproved the most stretching as well as the most uniting of all. Though the reality of human trafficking is harsh and undoubtedly serious, some of the most meaningful moments I experienced were in such seemingly small, maybe even silly things such as singing VBS songs with our audience of giggling preschoolers at a concert in Birla, dancing to Justin Bieber songs with girls close to our own ages in a Rahabs Rope production center, and in the visible kindness on the faces of believers as they sang along with our attempt to sing 'Blessed Be Your Name' in Hindi.

According to Dr. Rodgers, director of Ladies of Lee, he became interested in the work of Rahabs Rope two years ago at a conference and had looked into opportunities to work with them. This trip is the first time any Lee ensemble has traveled to India.

Our trip was beyond words, but these moments of delight, of tangible joy between people despite language, culture, or experience are what will stick with me when I look back on our time spent in Goa," added Ms. Mendoza.

In conjunction with Rahab's Rope, the Ladies of Lee partnered with local pastors to minister to their surrounding communities, specifically in Panjim, Birla, Chimbel, Baina, and Vasco. There are several community programs that are developing as a result of the support of Rahab's Rope and mission teams that come there. The group was able to supply the manpower for different activities in the community.

We were able to spend time encouraging, connecting with, and ministering to the women and children in the slums where the risk of human trafficking is very high, said Dr. Rodgers. Through the connections and associations with Rahab's Rope and local pastors and community leaders, we were able to bring a message of love, encouragement, and grace to people in need of the Gospel. As much as anything, this trip made us aware about the trafficking and poverty situation in India, and consequently, how we can make our communities and churches more aware of this tragic situation globally. With knowledge comes responsibility.

For over 50 years now, the Ladies of Lee have traveled the country and the globe spreading the love of God and the hope of the Gospel in song, word, and deed.

As we concluded our 50th anniversary year, it seemed only appropriate to cap it off by continuing a tradition that started many years ago of going out and spreading joy through spirit-filled singing, said Dr. Rodgers. Our vision is not only to sing to people, but to share what God has done in our lives (in song, scripture, and testimony), and as we do that we depend on the spirit of God to light a divine spark in the hearts of those who hear our message.

The mission of Rahab's Rope is to give hope and opportunity to women and girls that are at risk or have been forced into the commercial sex trade of India. They provide a safe and loving environment that will enable the women and girls to grow both physically and spiritually.

For more information about Rahabs Rope, visit www.rahabsrope.com/. For more information about Ladies of Lee, visit www.ladiesoflee.com/.
WASHINGTON  A Hispanic congressman from Texas, angered by Donald Trump's attacks on an American-born judge of Mexican descent, penned an open letter to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee telling him to "take your border wall and shove it up your ass."

The three-page letter, sent by U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, a Democrat from the border city of Brownsville, follows days of controversy over Trump's assertion that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a California judge presiding over fraud lawsuits against Trump University, should recuse himself because of his "Mexican heritage."

READ MORE: Trump claims Trump University judge has 'absolute conflict'

Vela, the son of one of the first federal judges of Mexican descent, wrote that while he might agree with Trump on some points about the border and U.S. relations with Mexico, "your ignorant anti-immigration opinions, your border wall rhetoric, and your recent bigoted attack on an American jurist are just plain despicable."

The letter, written in both English and Spanish, ended on an undiplomatic note that Vela suggested could not be helped. Though saying he does not speak for all Americans of Mexican descent, Vela concluded: "I am sure that many of these individuals would agree with me when I say: 'Mr. Trump, you're a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass.'"

READ MORE: Internet fondly looks back at failed white vs. black 'The Apprentice' pitch

A spokeswoman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request or comment.

Read the full letter below.

Dear Mr. Trump,

As the United States Representative for the 34th Congressional District of Texas, I do not disagree with everything you say. I agree that the United States Government has largely failed our veterans, and those of us who represent the people in Congress have the obligation to rectify the Veterans Administration's deficiencies. I also believe that the Mexican government and our own State Department must be much more aggressive in addressing cartel violence and corruption in Mexico, especially in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. And clearly, criminal felons who are here illegally should be immediately deported. There might even be a few other things on which we can agree.

However, your ignorant anti-immigrant opinions, your border wall rhetoric, and your recent bigoted attack on an American jurist are just plain despicable.

Your position with respect to the millions of undocumented Mexican workers who now live in this country is hateful, dehumanizing, and frankly shameful. The vast number of these individuals work in hotels, restaurants, construction sites, and agricultural fields across the United States. If I had to guess, your own business enterprises either directly or indirectly employ more of these workers than most other businesses in our country. Thousands of our businesses would come to a grinding halt if we invoked a policy that would require "mass deportation" as you and many of your supporters would suggest. That is precisely why the Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce agrees that these workers deserve a national immigration policy that would give them a pathway to citizenship.

While you would build more and bigger walls on the U.S.-Mexico border, I would tear the existing wall to pieces. No doubt Mexico has its problems, but it is also our third-largest trading partner. U.S. Chamber of Commerce has documented that this trade relationship is responsible for six million jobs in the United States. In 2015, the U.S. imported $296 billion in goods from Mexico while exporting $235 billion in products manufactured in this country to Mexico. The Great Wall of China is historically obsolete, and President Ronald Reagan famously declared, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall ... " while urging the Soviet Union to destroy the barrier that divided West and East Berlin. Why any modern-thinking person would ever believe that building a wall along the border of a neighboring country, which is both our ally and one of our largest trading partners, is frankly astounding and asinine.

I should also point out that thousands of Americans of Mexican descent that you mistakenly refer to as "Mexicans" have valiantly served the United States in every conflict since the Civil War. While too numerous to list, let me educate you about a few of these brave Medal of Honor recipients:

Master Sergeant Jose Lopez, from my own hometown of Brownsville, Texas, fought in World War II. Lopez was awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor in combat - the Medal of Honor - for his heroic actions during the Battle of the Bulge, in which he single handedly repulsed a German infantry attack, killing at least 100 enemy troops. If you ever run into Kris Kristofferson, ask him about Jose Lopez because as a young man Mr. Kristofferson recalls the 1945 parade honoring Sergeant Lopez as an event he will never forget.

In 1981, President Reagan presented Master Sergeant Roy Benavides with the Medal of Honor for fighting in what has been described as "6 hours in hell." In Vietnam, Sergeant Benavides suffered 37 separate bullet, bayonet and shrapnel wounds to his face, leg, head and stomach while saving the lives of eight men. In fact, when awarding the honor to Benavides, President Reagan, turned to the media and said, "if the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it."

You have now descended to a new low in your racist attack of an American jurist, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, by calling him a "Mexican" simply because he ruled against you in a case in which you are being accused of fraud, among other accusations. Judge Curiel is one of 124 Americans of Hispanic descent who have served this country with honor and distinction as federal district judges. In fact, the first Hispanic American ever named to the federal bench in the United States, Judge Reynaldo G. Garza, was also from Brownsville, Texas, and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Before you dismiss me as just another "Mexican," let me point out that my great-great grandfather came to this country in 1857, well before your own grandfather. His grandchildren (my grandfather and his brothers) all served our country in World War I and World War II. His great-grandson, my father, served in the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, was one of the first "Mexican" federal judges ever appointed to the federal bench.

I would like to end this letter in a more diplomatic fashion, but I think that you, of all people, understand why I cannot. I will not presume to speak on behalf of every American of Mexican descent, for every undocumented worker born in Mexico who is contributing to our country every day or, for that matter, every decent citizen in Mexico. But, I am sure that many of these individuals would agree with me when I say: 'Mr. Trump, you're a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass.'

Sincerely,

Filemon Vela

Member of Congress
Vista Tower Has Already Sold $200 Million Of Glam AF Condos

By Mae Rice in News on Jun 6, 2016 6:33PM

Construction hasn't even started on the Vista Tower, soon to be the third tallest building in Chicago, but that hasn't stopped the condos in the as-yet-theoretical building from selling like wildfire. So far, Vista has sold $200 million in condos since a "soft opening" last fall, a spokesperson for Magellan Development Group told Chicagoist.

So far, Magellan executive VP Sean Linnane said that 80+ condos have sold, most of them to Chicagoans. Plenty of the buyers, though, hail from overseas. Vista is a joint project, a collaboration between Magellan and China's Dalian Wanda Group. The latter group "does mainland China sales," Linnane said; meanwhile, a third party broker handles sales in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

Construction will begin this summer on Vista, the undulating, Jeanne Gang-designed tower slated for the downtown, just where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan. Recent renderings show floor-to-ceiling windows, wood floors, and incredible views of the city in the tower (a $1 billion project, according to Curbed). Unit prices range, unsurprisingly, from $1 million to $18 million.

[h/t Curbed]
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Hillary Clinton rolled her campaign through the Bay Area on Sunday even as a pair of island victories brought her to the brink of a landmark Democratic presidential nomination.

A Saturday win in the Virgin Islands left the former secretary of state needing 60 more delegates to secure the nomination over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Her victory Sunday in Puerto Rico  which has, conveniently, exactly 60 delegates  is expected to leave her just short of the number she needs for a first-ballot nomination.

Thats not the way Sanders sees it. He argued Sunday that Clinton cant count the 547 officially unpledged superdelegates who have vowed to support her.

It is extremely unlikely that Secretary Clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on Tuesday night, after the primaries in California and New Jersey, Sanders said at a news conference in Los Angeles. Now, I have heard reports that Secretary Clinton has said its all going to be over on Tuesday night. I have reports that the media, after the New Jersey results come in, are going to declare that it is all over. That simply is not accurate.

But Clinton, who would become the countrys first female presidential candidate from a major party, continued to state that Tuesdays primaries will be more than enough to push her over the top.

After Tuesday, Im going to do everything I can to reach out, to try to unify the Democratic Party, and I expect Sen. Sanders to do the same, Clinton said in an interview interview on CNNs State of the Union.

Vision of leadership

On Sunday morning, Clinton took a break from her desperate, all-out sprint toward Tuesdays California presidential primary for a low-key stop at a black church in Oakland.

Gone were the rancorous, cutting attacks shes made on Donald Trump, the likely GOP nominee, in recent days, or the confident, almost cocky assertions that shes already won the Democratic contest, regardless of what Sanders might think.

Instead, Clinton stopped at the morning services at Greater St. Paul Church to share her vision of a different sort of presidency.

I want to wake up every morning to wonder what I can do each day to make sure every child can live up to his or her potential, she told the hundreds of churchgoers packed into the sanctuary. To some, that doesnt sound like an issue a president should be focused on, but its what Im focused on.

Bay Area connections

To shouts of Amen! and I hear you! Clinton focused on the link between politics and religion. That connection shouldnt come as a surprise to this congregation, Clinton said, noting that the churchs pastor, Bishop Joseph Simmons, had worked on the campaign for her husband, then-President Bill Clinton, in the 90s before becoming a minister.

You shouldnt be confused, Clinton said. Endeavoring to lift up people ... is as true in public service as it is in service to God.

Standing at the transparent pulpit, with spring flowers beside her and two dozen robed choir members behind her, Clinton spoke of her own church experiences.

I learned a lot in Sunday school, she said. My mother decided she had to teach Sunday school to make sure my brothers showed up.

Clinton continued her religious theme on a more serious note, talking in a quiet voice about how the young man who shot and killed nine people in a church in Charleston, S.C., last year was able to purchase the gun only because of a loophole in the weapons law she wants to close.

The young white man entered the historically black Emanuel AME Church during Bible study. The people didnt recognize the newcomer, Clinton said, but remembered Matthew 25, Welcome the stranger.

The man sat for an hour, she said, then he not only broke the law, he defied God.

Clinton later strayed from religion and more somber topics to a lighter, more personal conversation. And she tossed in the Golden State Warriors, too, arguing that their Game 1 NBA Finals victory Thursday showed the value of teamwork.

We know some people have different talents than others, but we also know that we do better work when we all pull together, she said.

Fond Bay Area memories

Warning that she might be supplying too much information, Clinton talked about the time she and her future husband spent together in the Bay Area when she was interning at an Oakland law firm in the summer of 1971.

The two had just started dating when Bill Clinton came to visit her on the West Coast, she said.

We had the best time wandering around Berkeley, wandering around Oakland, wandering around San Francisco, Clinton told the Oakland congregation. I have a lot of great memories about how we started, so I have a stake in how you do here.

After the church stop, it was back to politics as usual for Clinton, who also had a community meeting in Vallejo and a Sacramento rally on her Sunday calendar.

In Vallejo, she spoke to about 30 educators, city officials and community members jammed into downtowns Good Day Cafe.

Its important for me to hear from people directly about the challenges their communities are facing, Clinton said. If she becomes president, she said, she wants to hear whats going on in cities and town across the country, because the best work is often going on out there.

The discussion included questions about education, school discipline, mental health and gentrification  subjects that havent been featured during the primary season.

Everything we touched on is about children and their future, Clinton said.

Multiple polls show Clinton and Sanders locked in a virtual dead heat in California. The two Democratic candidates spent the weekend crisscrossing the state, working desperately to bring their supporters to the polls on Tuesday.

Sanders events

For Sanders, that meant a series of concerts in three of Californias largest cities, including one at San Franciscos Crissy Field on Monday. Each event was designed to attract young and no-party-preference voters and persuade them to cast ballots.

Bill Clinton will be in the Bay Area on Monday for campaign events in Oakland, Antioch, Hayward, Richmond and San Francisco.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.
Donald Trump, who said last week that a judges Mexican heritage should disqualify him from a lawsuit against Trump, expressed doubt on Sunday that a Muslim judge could remain neutral in the case, comments that are unlikely to ease concerns among his fellow Republicans who fear his controversial remarks could hurt the party in November.

Trumps comments, made in an interview with John Dickerson, the host of CBS Face the Nation, followed his criticism of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge in San Diego overseeing a suit against the defunct Trump University. Trump said Curiel had a conflict of interest in the case because of Trumps proposed border wall with Mexico.

Republicans, concerned about how his contentious statements could harm their ability to retain control of the Senate and have a detrimental effect in down-ballot races, have struggled with how to distance themselves from Trumps language without alienating his die-hard voters.

In a series of interviews on Sunday television news shows, Republicans repudiated Trumps comments about Curiel. But instead of softening his stance, Trump intensified it.

Dickerson asked Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, if a Muslim judge would be similarly biased because of Trumps call for a ban on Muslim immigrants. Its possible, yes, Trump said. Yeah. That would be possible. Absolutely.

When Dickerson said there was a tradition in the United States, a nation of immigrants, against judging people based on heritage, Trump replied: Im not talking about tradition. Im talking about common sense, OK?

In his interview with Dickerson and in a separate discussion with Jake Tapper on CNNs State of the Union, Trump refused to retreat from his comments on Curiels background.

He is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine, Trump said. But I say hes got bias. I want to build a wall. Im going to build a wall. Im doing very well with the Latinos, with the Hispanics, with the Mexicans, Im doing very well with them, in my opinion.

GOP tries to contain damage

Curiel, 62, was born in East Chicago, Ind., to parents who had emigrated from Mexico. He graduated from Indiana Universitys law school and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California before being appointed in 2007 to the bench in San Diego by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. President Obama nominated Curiel to the federal bench in late 2011, and he was confirmed by the Senate in 2012.

Trumps broadside against Curiel was one of the most overtly racial remarks he has made in the presidential race, and it exacerbated the tension between some Republicans and their nominee. White, older, working-class voters make up a large portion of the partys base, and Republicans need to keep the presidential campaign close in order to hold their majority in the Senate. But Trumps remarks have offended wide blocs of voters to whom the party must appeal amid national demographics shifts.

And the critiques have raised concerns about how, as president, Trump would handle the separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches of government. That issue is sacred to conservatives, who have railed against what they see as an abuse of power by Obama.

Republicans have tried to mitigate the potential damage of Trumps language by rejecting it in one moment, but embracing his candidacy in the next.

On NBCs Meet the Press, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, did not directly answer a question about whether Trumps remark had been racist, but said he completely disagreed with it. All of us came here from somewhere else, McConnell said, referring to Curiels heritage. Thats an important part of what makes America work.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., whose name had been floated as a potential vice presidential nominee, said on ABC News This Week of Trumps behavior, I think that hes going to have to change. And Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has been among Trumps most vocal supporters, called the Curiel remarks inexcusable on Fox News Sunday.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made, said Gingrich, who also has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate.

But none of the three men rejected Trumps candidacy outright. Gingrich praised Trump moments later as a quick learner. Corker suggested that Trump has an opportunity to really change the trajectory of our country, and its my sense that he will take advantage of that.

Those defenses are becoming more strained as Trump has reversed his suggestions that he knows he must grow into the role of nominee. And Republicans were mostly silent after Hillary Clinton assailed Trump in a speech on Thursday about the stakes of the election. Trump led his defense on Twitter and at a rally, but his campaign and its surrogates had no uniform response.

In the weeks since he vanquished his remaining two primary opponents, Trump has repeatedly turned his campaigns focus inward  toward his businesses, the Trump University lawsuit, his fights with other Republicans  and obscured the hopes Republicans had of keeping a spotlight on Clinton and her email controversy or on a jobs report suggesting a slowdown in job creation.

Seeking to unify party

McConnell, who endorsed Trump quickly after Trump became the presumptive nominee early last month, has been vocal in his concern that the remarks on Latinos will have a historic effect, along the lines of the remarks that Barry Goldwater made on the partys ability to woo black voters after he declined to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

McConnell said the alternative to Trump  a second Clinton presidency  was worse. But he also urged Trump to stop focusing on the recent past and to look toward the future.

This is a good time, it seems to me, to begin to try to unify the party, McConnell said. And you unify the party by not settling scores and grudges against people youve been competing with. Were all behind him now. And Id like to see him reach out and pull us all together and give us a real shot at winning this November.
KABUL  The president of Afghanistan on Monday condemned the killings of David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamanna in an insurgent ambush while on assignment.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling Sunday in the south with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, said network spokeswoman Isabel Lara. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.
NAYMIYAH, Iraq  Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of the Islamic State stronghold of Fallujah on Sunday, two weeks after the launch of an operation to recapture the city, the Iraqi special forces commander overseeing the operation said.

Iraqi special forces have secured the largely agricultural southern neighborhood of Naymiyah under cover of U.S.-led coalition air strikes, Lt. Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi said. Special forces are now poised to enter the main city, al-Saadi said.

The Fallujah operation coincides with a twin offensive on Islamic State strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an Islamic State-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants de facto capital. At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.

The slow-moving Iraqi operation was announced in May. An array of troops including Iraqi military divisions, the federal police and the largely Shiite militia groups, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, had cleared Islamic State from the majority of Fallujahs suburbs.

On Monday, Iraqs elite special forces began pushing into the city center, but they have faced stiff resistance as Fallujah has been under the control of the militants for more than two years, and they have been able to erect complex defenses.

Tall dirt berms dot the dusty fields to the citys south. A single column of counterterrorism Humvees snaked up toward a row of low lying houses that mark the beginning of the main city.

Vibed! Vibed! shouted an Iraqi air commander from a small mobile base on Fallujahs southern edge. Using an acronym for a car bomb, the Iraqi special forces officer called to Australian coalition forces over a hand-held radio. Moments later, a plume of white, then black smoke appeared on the horizon. Commanders at the scene said the explosion was created by a coalition rocket destroying the incoming car bomb.

Car bombs were once the most deadly form of Islamic State counterattack for Iraqs special forces, who have taken the lead in a number operations, including in the cities of Tikrit and Ramadi. Al-Saadi, who also commanded the Tikrit operation, says coalition air power in Fallujah has prevented car bombs from inflicting casualties on his forces, but they have still succeeded in slowing progress.

We are expecting many more, once inside the citys more urban neighborhoods, al-Saadi said.

Fallujah is one of the last strongholds of Islamic State in Iraq. While the militants once held nearly a third of the countrys territory, their grip has slipped to less than half that, according to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
ISTANBUL  In the dark of night, when the streets of Istanbul enjoy a rare moment of quiet, Ali Buldu sets out beating his drum to wake up his neighborhood. For most, Buldus passing is a welcome sign that the Muslim month of fasting and prayer has begun.

The 55-year-old in traditional Ottoman attire has been making these predawn Ramadan rounds for half of his life. Its a tradition he treasures, just like his forefathers did, and one that he is trying to pass on to the next generation.

Roughly 2,000 drummers wander around Istanbuls neighborhoods during Ramadan, a time when Muslim families fast from sunrise to sundown and come together for prayer and copious meals sweetened by dates and pastries to break off the fast. The drummers wander the streets to wake up residents for sahur  meals eaten before dawn.

The Ramadan drummer has existed since the age of the Ottomans, Buldu says with pride as his 23-year-old nephew Emrah, who is joining him in the tradition, stirs sugar into his teacup before they march off in different directions at the speed of seasoned soldiers.

Throughout the year, Buldu and many of his male relatives earn money by playing at weddings and other festivities. But during Ramadan, they rely on the generosity of residents to survive.

During Ramadan, we dont have a job as no one organizes weddings, he said before his first outing of the year. May God bless the neighborhood residents. We take tips from those who (want to) give.

On average, Istanbuls drummers are in their forties or fifties. Most young people are not interested in taking on the task and seek out different jobs, says Buldu who picked up the sticks when his uncle died. Sometimes, the veteran drummer worries the craft will disappear and that drummers will be unceremoniously replaced by alarm clocks.

However, the introduction of Ottoman costumes five years ago and official membership cards for those who play have restored a sense of pride to the age-old tradition and helped expand the network of drummers in the booming metropolis.

In the past three years, the ranks of drummers have grown from about 900 to 2,000, says Selami Aykut, a neighborhood administrator in the middle-class district of Bahcelievler. Before, there would be just one drummer per neighborhood.

We want to keep the old traditions alive, Aykut said after his family shared a light predawn meal.

The practice is welcomed by most, except a small minority who are bothered by the bang of the drum  typically the elderly, sick or mothers with young babies, Aykut says.

It is important because people know that Ramadan has come from the sound of the drum, he says.
BAQAA REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan  One or more assailants armed with an automatic assault weapon attacked a local office of Jordans national intelligence agency Monday, killing four guards and a receptionist in what the government called a terrorist attack.

Government spokesman Mohammed Momani suggested Islamic militants were involved, describing the attackers as criminal elements who dont represent our moderate religion.

Those involved remained at large hours after the morning attack, which came on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the intelligence office on the edge of the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, near the capital, Amman.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Jordan, even though the pro-Western kingdom is on the front line in the military campaign against Islamic State extremists who control large areas of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

The shooting took place before 7 a.m., said Momani. He said it involved one or more attackers armed with at least one automatic weapon. They killed four guards and a receptionist, he said.

The targeted security office is a two-story building facing the Baqaa camp, which was established almost half a century ago for Palestinian refugees displaced in the conflict with Israel. The camp has a population of tens of thousands, including many Syrian refugees who have settled there since the start of the Syria conflict in 2011.

A highway separates the security compound and the camp.

Over the past two years, since IS groups swift land gains in Syria and Iraq, Jordan has cracked down on suspected sympathizers to prevent the extremists from recruiting inside its borders.
CAMP TARIQ, Iraq  As Iraqi security forces tighten their grip on the outskirts of militant-held Fallujah, allegations of human rights violations are surfacing on both sides of the operation.

On Monday, hundreds of civilians, many bearing marks of torture were released north of Fallujah after being detained by a group of government sanctioned mostly Shiite militias. Five of those detained died while in the groups custody according to Yahya al-Muhamadi, an Anbar council member working with displaced civilians.

The militia forces, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are one of a number of different Iraqi security forces participating in the operation to retake Fallujah from the Islamic State group that has controlled it for more than two years.

The Popular Mobilization Forces deny that their fighters detain civilians.

Al-Muhamadi spoke as he oversaw the registration of hundreds of newly displaced civilians along the main road to the east of Fallujah. Late Monday a dozen mini buses were packed with tired families from areas north of Fallujah recently retaken from the militants by Iraqi forces.

Local and federal Iraqi police regularly detain men and teenage boys from territory retaken from Islamic State. The practice is part of a legal screening process to prevent militants from escaping among the civilians, al-Muhamadi said.

Inside the center of Fallujah, Islamic State fighters are holding some 50,000 civilians captive and reportedly shot at a group of civilians attempting to flee the city Sunday across the Euphrates river, according to an international aid organization and the Iraqi military.

The operation to retake Fallujah was launched in May. Iraqs elite counterterrorism troops began their push into the city center last week and secured the southern edge of Fallujah Sunday.

While Iraqi government officials have encouraged civilians still in Fallujah to flee, Islamic State has threatened anyone who attempts to do so with death. Fallujah residents told the Associated Press a number of people have been shot trying to escape.
BRUSSELS  A passenger train rear-ended a freight train Sunday night in eastern Belgium, and Belgian media, quoting local officials, said three people were killed and about 40 others injured.

According to RTBF state broadcasting, the collision occurred in eastern Liege province at Hermalle-sous-Huy, on the banks of the Meuse River. It quoted the mayor of the commune of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Francis Dejon, as saying the collision was very violent.
The Lincoln Park Zoo's Baby Camel Is Named Alexander Camelton

By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 6, 2016 5:23PM

The Lincoln Park Zoo's newest baby camel got an internet-fame worthy name, presumably because his caregivers are as into Hamilton as we are.

The little guy, born May 9, has been named Alexander Camelton, the Zoo announced on Facebook Saturday, paying homage to both the nation's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and the hit musical Hamilton.

"How better to celebrate International Ungulate Day than with a look at Lincoln Park Zoos new Bactrian camel calf, born May 9?" the zoo posted on Facebook. "The little has been named Alexander Camelton by his caregivers a nod to the Founding Father and the hit musical!"

The smash-hit Broadway musical is making its Chicago debut this September, but if you can't wait that long, I guess you visit Alexander Camelton and sing to him.

Because why not?
BEIRUT  A two-pronged advance to capture key urban strongholds of the Islamic State group and its self-styled capital of Raqqa has underlined a quiet convergence of strategy between the U.S. and Russia to defeat the extremists, with Syrias Kurds emerging as the common link.

The dual advance toward Raqqa by the Syrian army from the southwest and the predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces from the north and west puts further pressure on the militants as they fend off simultaneous attacks on bastions such as Fallujah, and potentially Mosul, in neighboring Iraq.

The Kurdish involvement is proving vital to the interests of Washington and Moscow.

For the U.S., the predominantly Kurdish SDF has proven the most capable actor in northern Syria in defeating the extremist group, a point it made when its predecessor, the Kurdish YPG, held off the militants in Kobani, in 2015. That battle was seen by many as a turning point in the war on the Islamic State group.

For Russia, the SDF advance has drawn Islamic State fighters away from the front with the Syrian government and allowed the Kremlins allies in Damascus to advance, showing that Moscow is participating in the battle against the Islamic State group.

While the media has focused on the battles between Iraqi government forces and militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, the Syrian army on Saturday reached Raqqa province for the first time in almost two years.

Backed by intense Russian air strikes, Syrian troops began their advance toward the province Wednesday, the same day that U.S.-backed SDF forces launched an attack on the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij, which is 72 miles to the northwest of Raqqa and lies on a key supply route linking Raqqa with the Turkish border.

In terms of direct coordination of activities on the ground, that is not happening, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. I know there have been discussions about changing that, but at this point, our position is the same.

Asked about it Monday, President Vladimir Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: We exchange information with the United States on a daily basis, twice a day, thats all I can say.

Lina Khatib, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank, said it was hard to imagine such dual attacks happening without prior agreement between the U.S. and Russia.
Teen Kills Friend, Then Confesses On Snapchat, Prosecutors Say

By Mae Rice in News on Jun 6, 2016 2:11PM



Photo via Facebook

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting his friend in the chest, then confessing to the crime on Snapchat after his arrest, according to prosecutors.

At a Sunday hearing on the shooting, Assistant State's Attorney Anna Sedelmaier told the courtroom that the defendant, Anthony Mendoza, wrote "I killed Chris and now I'm going to kill myself" in a Friday snap, the Tribune reports. He allegedly sent the snap from the back of a police car, after he was arrested in relation to the death of Christian Bandemer, 16.

The shooting itself happened on Friday at 11:37 a.m. in the 3500 block of South Parnell Avenueright near U.S. Cellular Field in Bridgeport. Bandemer died of a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. Just before the shooting, according to prosecutors, Bandemer was admiring a gun with his 20-year-old cousin and Mendoza. The cousin allegedly stepped outside for a smoke, heard a "pop" and went inside to find Bandemer critically wounded. He encountered Mendoza a minute later, blood-stained and asking what happened, the Tribune reports.

Mendoza was ordered held in jail on $250,000 bail. Prosecutors requested he be held with no bail, but that request was denied.
Shaw University tracking record Freshman enrollment

Shaw University announced Wednesday that it has seen a record number of applications for admission to the institution during the Fall, 2016 recruitment season. This statistic represents a welcomed change to the declining enrollment numbers now being experienced by universities all across the country.

"We have a plan, and were successfully executing that plan, said chief enrollment officer Anthony Brooks. "We have been strategic, and deliberate about targeting young bright scholars and letting them know what Shaw has to offer over other institutions," said Brooks.

Latest tallies from the Office of Enrollment Management show new freshman applications up by 74 percent over last year and a 145% increase in the number of confirmed new students over the previous year. Shaw also anticipates about a 10 percent increase in new international students as the institution has beefed up recruitment activities abroad.

"I am not at all surprised by these epic results," said Shaw University President Tashni-Ann Dubroy. "As competitive as the higher education arena is right now, we knew we had to do something different in order for students to distinguish Shaw as their college of choice." Prior to Dubroys arrival as Shaws new president in August, 2015, the University had experienced chronic declining enrollment. Well documented factors leading to the drop include changes to qualification criteria for federal Pell Grants and Parent PLUS loans, which hit minority students attending historically black institutions exceptionally hard. Also, an increasingly competitive higher education landscape saw Shaw, and other minority-serving institutions, losing stellar students to larger institutions that executed initiatives to attract more minority students.

In advance of the start of Fall classes in August, Shaw is busy making preparations for what promises to be a banner enrollment year. This summer the university is making strategic campus improvements to make certain the new class of scholars is well accommodated. "When they come in the Fall, they will see renovated living facilities, welcoming academic and administrative spaces, and competitive academic programming that will set them apart in the marketplace," said Dubroy. Until then, Brooks says he and his team won't rest on their laurels.

"We're going to keep pushing and were going to keep working until weve converted every application into a confirmed student in-seat," said Brooks. "Members of our university community have had hands-on contact with admitted students. We know that ultimately,thats what makes the difference in whether a student decides to come to Shaw University or not. Its that personal attention they get here that they dont find anywhere else. When they step on this campus, they know that we are there family," said Brooks.
2 Men Have Been Charged With Murder After LSD Robbery Attempt

By Mae Rice in News on Jun 6, 2016 8:22PM



Devonte M. Dodd, 20 (left) and Samaj Waters, 18 (Chicago Police Department)

Two people have been charged so far in connection to a robbery attempt in which a group chased a man and a woman into traffic on Lake Shore Drive, where both victims were hit by cars, the woman fatally.

Devonte M. Dodd, 20, was charged with two felony counts of murder, one felony count of attempted armed robbery, and a misdemeanor count of mob action, Chicago police announced Sunday. Dodd allegedly approached the victimsPamela Johnson, 32, and her boyfriend Eugene Jackson, 43and announced he intended to rob them. He did so with Semaj Waters, 18, who was also armed, according to police. Waters was charged with the same crimes as Dodd on Friday.

The two men were among a group of more than ten young people that approached the victims in the 700 block of North Lake Shore Drive at 1:30 a.m. on May 30, according to surveillance footage of the incident. Two days after the attack, as new, clearer surveillance footage of the perpetrators surfaced, they reportedly began turning themselves in to police. It is unclear if Dodd and Waters were among those who turned themselves in.
Kids listen to a story being read aloud in a library during a community event to celebrate the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing, capital of China, June 4, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]
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Almost 40 years after Derek Yee shot to prominence starring in the 1977 film Death Duel, he returns to the genre as a director.

Actresses Jiang Mengjie (left), Bao Qijing (center) and Jiang Yiyan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sword Master, a remake of the 1977 classic, will open in Chinese mainland theaters on Aug 9.

The producer Tsui Hark and director Yee are both known for Hong Kong martial arts films.

Yee, who shifted to directing from acting in early 1980s, then went on to win a series of top awards in the Hong Kong film industry.

In the latest movie which is based on Taiwan novelist Gu Long's book, San Shaoye De Jian (Sword of the Third Master), the story is about the inner struggles of a martial arts genius who gets tired of fighting.

Then, after leaving the martial arts world to live a simple life, he is forced to pick up his sword again to rescue his friends.

The makers of the film, which stars mainland actor Lin Gengxin, actresses Jiang Yiyan and Jiang Mengjie and Hong Kong Academy Awards' best actress Nina Paw, recently released posters of the movie and held a forum to discuss female roles in Gu's novels.

Jiang Fangzhou, a best-selling Chinese author, says Gu's uniqueness is that he introduces modern values into historical fiction.
A display of electronic products from China's leading home appliance maker Haier is showcased during a Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, U.S. on Jan. 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Haier Group, China's biggest maker of household appliances, has opened a new refrigerator factory in Russia in response to increasing demand from the European market. The new plant is the first joint Sino-Russian business project in a non-energy field.

The new site, spanning 24,500 square meters, is located in Kamsky Industrial Park, Naberezhnye Chelny, an important industrial city in the Russian province of Tatarstan.

It will entail up to $55 million in investment, of which $39 million have been invested already to set up the plant. The rest will be invested this month to buy components and towards production.

The factory is a crucial step for Haier to localize its Russia operations. Haier has also started establishing an R&D center and a TV assembly unit in Russia.

Annual output of the Tatarstan plant will reach 500,000 refrigerators in 2020. Production capacity in the first stage will be 250,000 units, which will swell to 500,000 units by the end of the second and final stage. The target markets include Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and some parts of Europe.

By 2017, Haier plans to employ 500 professionals at this factory, and another 1,200 jobs will be created by outsourcing business. At present, there are already 248 staff in Naberezhnye Chelny.

Liang Haishan, the rotating president of Haier Group, said, "Innovation and cutting-edge technologies are the genes of Haier's global strategy. Tatarstan is one of the most prospective Russian regions in terms of economic development, technologies, and innovations."

He said Tatarstan has a supportive investment environment, highly qualified administrators, fully developed industrial clusters, and good prospects for logistics development. The future development of the plant augurs well for the company, he said.

Rustam Minnihanov, president of the Tatarstan Republic, said, "We are very proud that we managed to create all the necessary conditions in the region to attract such hi-tech companies as Haier."

Minnihanov said Haier's factory signals a good beginning towards mutual benefits. As Chinese investors come into the region, Russian enterprises, encouraged by the Russian government, are expanding in China.

Founded in 1984, the Qingdao-headquartered Haier Group is one of the world's leading home appliances manufacturer. It had a 9.8 percent share in global market in 2015, London-based market-research firm Euromonitor International data showed.

In January, the company agreed to buy General Electric's home appliances business for $5.4 billion in cash.

"Haier's strategy is to localize its production in Russia as fast as possible. Over the next two to three years, up to 70 percent of production in Russia is planned to be localized," said Mikhail Babich, Russian presidential plenipotentiary in the Volga Federal District.

In addition to financial investment, Haier is introducing a unique production model and innovative technology to Russia.

It implements special flaw-minimizing technologies at all production stages from manufacturing to assembly and packaging. It has built two laboratories in Naberezhye Chelny, one to check the quality of the products and the other to develop innovative technologies.

Haier has always made efforts to implement "One Belt and One Road" initiative and establish manufacturing bases in Russia. It began to enter the Russian market in 2008 and carried out deep research in the local market, the company said. It launched large-capacity and energy-efficient refrigerators, with a height of 1.9 to 2.0 meters, to meet specific needs and eating habits of Russian consumers.

Haier's 2015 revenue in Russia was ten times that of the 2010 figure. Turnover of home appliances dropped by 15 percent last year, while Haier's turnover increased by 78 percent.

In 2015, the specialists from Naberezhnye Chelny had undergone training at Haier factories in Shandong province of China and have since returned to their home base to put their knowledge to practice.

Yannick Fierling, chief executive officer for Europe operations of Haier, said the new factory would help the company to improve productivity and be more proactive towards the European market. The key to successful globalization is successful localization and getting closer to target markets and end-users, he said.

Zhou Nan, deputy secretary general in the home appliances branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said: "The time for Chinese home appliances (to shine in Russia) is coming. On one hand, the appliance makers need to improve their global layouts; on the other, they need to speed up the pace of going abroad by virtue of the Belt and Road Initiative."
The age of digital transformation is truly upon us and going strong. Every day, we hear of a new company with an exciting business model that is set to shake up the status quo and disrupt traditional business in their industry. We are familiar with the leading examples of these transformative companies, such as Uber and Airbnb, which have disrupted their respective industries.Digital transformation, however, is not restricted to consumer businesses. Traditional Business-to-Business (B2B) enterprises are waking up to the potential and looking for ways to tap into it, to deliver new services to their customers. For example, John Deere is moving beyond simply selling farm equipment and plans to use data from sensors on its equipment along with external data on weather and soil conditions for optimizing farm output and operations. This is an excellent example of data being collected from multiple sources and analyzed to dramatically improve farm operations-from optimizing equipment maintenance schedules to minimize downtime to crop cycle planning to maximize yields.Another example is The Climate Corporation, which began as a start-up in Silicon Valley in 2005 (and was subsequently acquired by Monsanto in 2013) and has disrupted the U.S. crop insurance market, reducing farmers' financial risks. The company collects information on weather patterns, local climate conditions and soil characteristics. Using these insights, it offers farmers highly customized insurance policies against damage from weather events. The ability of The Climate Corporation to monitor weather and related conditions in realtime results in timely assessments of weather-related damage, and significantly streamlines the process for farmers to file and receive payments against claims. Similar examples abound in financial services, manufacturing, supply chain, public sector and other traditional industries.If you peer under the covers of these new services, a common theme emerges-the transformative use of data. Data from customers (e.g., both drivers and end users in the case of Uber), data from newly digitized processes and assets (e.g., tractor sensors), and, of significant importance, data from external sources (e.g., weather data).According to Experian's Global Data Quality Research Discussion Paper 2015, 95 percent of companies feel driven to use data to understand customer needs, find new customers or increase the value of each customer. In the U.K., 90 percent of businesses believe data is changing the way they do business.The underlying trends fueling this growth of data-driven services are the dramatically increased availability of data from an increasing number of sources and ease of accessibility of data made possible by advancements in technology.With increased digitization, significantly more data is being generated, from a much wider variety of sources, and at a more frequent pace.We used to think of data mostly from a business viewpoint, as data generated from business transactions, but almost every action now leaves a digital footprint and generates data. We have data pouring in from an increasing number of sources, including sensors and devices that form the Internet of Things (IoT), from social networks, research data, government data, and from an organization's own systems.By some accounts, the amount of data is growing exponentially, doubling every two years. However, more data by itself does not necessarily mean more value. For data to be valuable, it needs to be curated and made easily accessible.According to Forrester Research, 70 percent of companies that grew over 15 percent YOY believe external data from partners is strategic to their firms' overall business strategy, and 72 percent believe the same for third-party data.This means that companies understand they cannot generate or own all the data they need to deliver the right services to their customers. There is significant value to be gained from data provided by partners or other external providers.This concept of organizations obtaining data from external vendors is not new. Several institutional data vendors and providers like Dun & Bradstreet and Reuters sell curated and aggregated datasets to businesses. The important shift is happening, however, with the ease of making data available in the cloud and use of APIs significantly increases accessibility, the barrier to sharing data has been lowered dramatically. Technology is making it easier for organizations to publish valuable data and give access to customers and partners. As a result, a growing number of organizations are publishing an increasingly large number of datasets, including private companies, research institutions, educational institutions, and government agencies.One prime example is the data government site from the U.S. government, which hosts more than 192,000 datasets (e.g., information on population statistics, demographics, health, agriculture, energy, and education). These are made accessible through APIs, allowing developers to easily build a wide range of applications.An example is Zillow, providers of a website in the U.S. offering detailed information on real estate, including current home values, price history, neighborhood comparisons, information on schools, and pricing trends for neighborhoods. This is based on data from Zillow's own primary research, combined with data from public records (e.g., real-estate transactions) and external third-party data sources (e.g., maps, neighborhood stores).Companies are thus bringing together data from multiple sources to deliver new products and experiences for their customers.Increasingly, companies and organizations are realizing the value that their own data may provide to their partners and others, and they're looking at ways to share it for mutual benefit. An example is the multibrand loyalty program Plenti that provides one common loyalty card used by several U.S. retailers, including Macy's, Rite Aid, Exxon and Mobil. Customers can earn points by shopping at one of the participating retailers and redeem these points with several of the other companies in the group. In this case, since customer buying history gets shared across companies, it raises some consumer-privacy concernssomething to be addressed in a separate discussion.Increasingly, businesses are also looking at ways to monetize their data by making it available at a price to other companies that can, in turn, use it to create new services for their customers.In conclusion, data is not only more available, it is more easily accessible and shareable because of the ease of cloud deployment and increasing use of APIs. Combined with the new generation of big-data technology and infrastructure makes it possible to process, combine and create a new mash-up of services that can deliver significant competitive advantage. Organizations are more frequently using internal and external data to increase revenue by creating new offerings, sharing data with partners to create new services, or even monetizing data by selling to customers and third parties.Data is becoming one of the most important corporate assets that can help drive revenue. It is indeed the lifeblood of the digital economy.
WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter today said he along with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar will "identify new ways" to cooperate ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here next week.



"Minister Parrikar and I will identify new ways to cooperate in advance of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Washington next week," Carter told the annual Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore today wherein he reiterated India's eminent role in Obama's Asia Pacific rebalance.



Pentagon said yesterday that Carter will accompany Modi when the latter visits the Arlington NationalCemetery to lay wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown. He is also scheduled to meet Modi during his three-day stay in the US.



India, US military relationship is as close as it has ever been, he said.



"Through our strategic handshake, with the United States reaching west in its rebalance and India reaching east in Prime Minister Modi's Act East policy -- the two nations are exercising together by air, land, and sea," Carter said.



"And there's also a technological handshake -- we're moving towards deeper and more diverse defence co-development and co-production, including on aircraft carrier design and construction," he added.



Carter said while peace in the Asia Pacific region has led to the miraculous growth of countries like China and India, but tension of late persists in the region.



"Tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea's continued nuclear and missile provocations and the dangers of violent extremism felt worldwide, pose challenges to the region's stability and prosperity," he said.



"If we continue to cooperate on security we would one day be discussing a US-China-India multilateral maritime exercise, a Japan and Republic of Korea joint disaster response in the South China Sea and an ASEAN-wide security network," Carter said.



Over the last year, progress has been made towards that vision. "China and India will both participate once again in the US-hosted RIMPAC naval exercise this summer. Japan and the Republic of Korea are engaging with each other in new ways," he said.



In addition to the ASEAN centric security network, which is developing in Southeast Asia, nations across the entire Asia-Pacific are increasingly working together and networking security together, Carter added.

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HEART: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a brief visit to Afghanistan, was today conferred with Amir Amanullah Khan Award, the country's highest civilian honour.



He was awarded the honour by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after the inauguration of the landmark Afghan-In diaFriendship Dam.



"A true brotherhood is honoured. PM is awarded the Amir Amanullah Khan Award, Afghanistan's highest civilian honour," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photo.



During his 25 minute-long speech after inaugurating the dam, Modi also invoked Chisht-born Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti who settled down in Ajmer and is venerated by thousands of people visiting his shrine.



"Khwaja Moiunuddin Chishti, the first of the Chishti saints in India, said that human beings must have the affection of the sun, the generosity of the river and the hospitality of the earth.



"He not only had the magnificent landscape of his ancestral land in mind, he could also be describing the Afghan people. So, when I came to Kabul in December, in the warmth of your welcome, I saw the kindness of your heart," said Modi in Chisht-e-Sharif in western Herat neighbouring Iran.



At the close of the speech, the Prime Minister also wished the people of Afghanistan and all Muslims across the world for the Holy Month of Ramzan.

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GENEVA: With the issues of black money and India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) high on the agenda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a meeting with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman.

"The meetings in Switzerland begin... President Schneider-Amman and PM Narendra Modi hold talks in Geneva," The Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and India is expected seek its support for membership in the group.

On the black money issue, India has been in touch with the Swiss government under the mandate of the double taxation avoidance agreement.

Monday's discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in.

Modi will also hold a meeting with business leaders and interact with Indian researchers in this Swiss city on Monday.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US later on Monday and on Wednesday to Mexico.

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to strongly push for India's membership at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) during his visit to Switzerland, Mexico and the US -- countries that are part of the elite group that looks after critical issues relating to the atomic sector.



India has been pushing for membership of the 48-nation bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12.



"This has been the objective we pursued for many many years. I think we have made lot of progress and that has led us to formally apply for the NSG membership some days ago. We are engaged with all NSG members," Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said.



He said India was looking at a very major domestic expansion in nuclear power sector besides at a "very large" international collaboration with different countries and its entry into the NSG would help its objective of having clean energy.



Insisting India not signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should not be linked to its bid for NSG membership, he said India fulfilled all its commitments relating to atomic sector.



"We have a very solid record with which much of the world is comfortable.The NSG has already made one exception for us. In a sense, our credentials have been examined, a judgement was arrived at in 2008.



"In 2008, we gave some commitments, we gave commitments on separation of our nuclear programme, between civil and the strategic side. We agreed to accept and implement additional protocol... We faithfully followed up," he said.



The Foreign Secretary said granting NSG membership to India is a "logical next step".



During his talks with the leadership of Mexico, Switzerland and the US, Modi is likely to seek support for India's membership bid at the NSG.

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WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in Washington this week will focus on enhancing Indo-US security and diplomatic cooperation and offers a chance to reflect on how much the strategic partnership has grown during eight years of Obama administration, the State Department has said.



"We look forward to Prime Minister Modi's visit next week, which will include both a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with President (Barack) Obama and a lunch at the White House," a State Department spokesman told PTI.



Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit "reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world", the spokesperson said.



According to the official, the discussions will focus on advancing the ambitious climate change and clean energy agenda, further enhancing security and diplomatic cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region, as well as supporting sustainable economic growth and prosperity in both the countries.



"Modi's visit to Washington offers a chance to reflect on how much the strategic partnership between the US and India has grown over the course of this Administration - following through on President Obama's goal to establish a 'defining relationship for the 21st Century' that will directly benefit our almost 1.6 billion citizens and increase cooperation to sustain and strengthen the global rules-based order both countries care deeply about," the spokesperson said.



Meanwhile, Alyssa Ayres, who served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia from 2010 to 2013, said: "This visit appears designed to lock in further progress in important areas of US-India cooperation -- defence, climate/clean energy, homeland security, potentially cyber -- as a way to keep momentum going through the transition into a new US administration."



Currently a Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ayres hopes that Obama could endorse India's candidacy in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping as a means of signalling that the US wants to support India's economic growth and seeks a collaborative way to do so.



"I would anticipate seeing in particular the much- heralded logistics exchange agreement at last announced as a signal that strategic ties will slowly and purposefully continue to grow.



"As for status of the relationship, this visit reinforces the onward and upward progress that has continued across three US and three Indian administrations, and looks poised to do so in the years ahead," Ayres said.



Modi's visit is a "diplomatic milestone for US-India relations", said Sadanand Dhume, resident fellow of American Enterprise Institute.



Two years ago, when Modi was elected as the prime minister, observers worried that bilateral ties would suffer. Instead, Modi and Obama have revitalised the relationship and given it new purpose, he observed.



However, according to Dhume, expectations of this visit lean more toward symbolism than substance. The high point will be Modi's address to a joint session of Congress on June 8, he observed.



"Beyond that, I expect incremental progress in a raft of areas, but not too many breakthrough announcements. Two possible announcements: formalising a deal on Westinghouse nuclear reactors to be built in Andhra Pradesh, and the two countries signing a logistics agreement.



"On the whole, both Modi and Obama can take credit for taking the bilateral relationship to a place from which the next US president can take it forward," he said when asked about the status of the relationship.



According to Ron Somers, the former president of US-India Business Council, the frequency of Modi-Obama engagements is a remarkable testament to show how far the two countries have come in deepening mutual respect for one another.



"The durability and depth of the Indo-US partnership has never been greater," he said.



"Expectations for the visit among business leaders includes the hope of expanding strategic and commercial ties. Deepening US-India defence cooperation and advancing progress on the civil nuclear accord are key bellwethers to be watched," Somers said.



In a conference call with reporters, Richard Rossow, senior fellow and Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the only major headline that he could envision would probably be the signing of a Logistics Exchange Memorandum and the announcement of Westinghouse moving ahead in the civil nuclear sector.



"I don't think you're going to see anything on the economic side that's going to raise people's eyebrows. There's still such a deep gulf between our positions on major trade issues and economic issues.



"So I think you may see - if we don't get one of those two biggies done, it may be termed simply as consolidation and repairing ties with Capitol Hill leaders, and that would be about it," Rossow said.

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BOSTON: Scientists have found a very small protein in our body that can swallow up and quarantine the Zika virus, dramatically reducing its ability to infect cells, an advance that may lead to new therapies to fight the infection linked to serious birth defects.



The interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3), in some cases, can also prevent Zika virus from killing our cells, researchers said.



The findings, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) in the US, suggest that boosting the actions of IFITM3 may be useful for inhibiting Zika virus and other emerging viral infections.



"This work represents the first look at how our cells defend themselves against Zika virus' attack," said Abraham Brass, assistant professor at UMMS.



"Our results show that Zika virus has a weakness that we could potentially exploit to prevent or stop infection," said Brass.



Researchers developed a suite of genomic tools to probe how human cells respond to pathogens and how these invaders exploit host cell factors and proteins to replicate.



The mosquito-transmitted Zika virus typically causes relatively mild symptoms in infected adults.



An ongoing epidemic of Zika virus began in early 2015 in Brazil and with it new evidence emerged that Zika virus infection of mothers during early pregnancy can result in microcephaly, a severe brain defect in infants.



There is no treatment for Zika virus infection. The best way to prevent the infection is to limit potential exposure to the infected mosquitoes that carry the disease.



From their earlier research on dengue virus and other flaviviruses related to Zika, researchers had a hunch that IFITM3 might reduce or block viral infection.



Using the IFITM3 tools and assays they had developed for studying dengue and influenza viruses, they were able to rapidly test IFITM3's effect on Zika virus.



Found in nearly all human cells, IFITM3 works to alter the cell membrane, making it more difficult for viruses to penetrate this outer defence.



The Brass lab found that when IFITM3 levels are low, Zika virus can more readily infiltrate into the cell interior and cause infection.



Conversely, they discovered that when IFITM3 is abundant and on guard, it strongly prevents Zika virus from reaching the interior of the cell and so blocks its infection.



"In effect, we see that IFITM3 allows our cells to swallow up and quarantine the virus thereby stopping their own infection, and also the infection of neighbouring cells" said George Savidis, a research associate in the Brass lab.



"We think this also reduces the levels of cell death caused by Zika virus," Savidis said.



"This work shows that IFITM3 acts as an early front line defender to prevent Zika virus from getting its hands on all of the resources in our cells that it needs to grow," said Savidis.



The study appears in the journal Cell Reports.

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U.S.-India Ties Of Incredible Significance To World'
NEW DELHI: Carmakers may have to cough up a stringent penalty of 100 crore and compulsorily order a recall for faulty designs and absence of necessary safety features in their vehicles.



The new Road Safety Bill may also provide for a penalty of up to 5,000 on individuals for use of unauthorised components and other manufacturing or maintenance-related violations, such as in fog lights, pressure horns, extra lights, roof-top carriers and metallic protectors.



The dealers and vehicle body builders would face a fine of up to 1 lakh per vehicle for such offences. Besides, the component dealers would be fined up to 1 lakh for "selling non-approved critical safety components for vehicles".



These proposed penal provisions form part of recommendations made by a panel of state transport ministers, set up by the Centre to frame stricter traffic and road safety rules.



For the automakers, the panel has suggested "stringent penalties to the extent of 100 crore for non-compliance of automobile regulations by automobile companies and power to order compulsory recall within stipulated time frame".



The panel, headed by Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunoos Khan, in its preliminary recommendations has proposed these penalties for contravening the provisions relating to construction and maintenance of vehicles, for which the current rules provide for a fine of 1,000 for first offence and 5,000 for subsequent offences.



The final recommendations are expected to be in place this month.



The panel has unanimously agreed to framing strict and steeper penalties that include imprisonment for offences like driving by minors, crossing speed limits, drunk driving, talking over phone while driving and jumping traffic lights.



It also recommends jail of up to a year in addition to a penalty of 10,000 for those driving with fake licences -- up from the current penalty provision of 500 and a maximum jail term of three months.



In case of juvenile drivers, the owner of the vehicle or the driver's guardian will face stricter penalties of up to three years in jail and fine of up to 20,000, while their vehicle registration certificate may also be cancelled.



After failing to push new Road Safety Bill in Parliament, the Centre had constituted the group of ministers (GoM) for further consultation and reaching a consensus on stricter traffic rules.



Road safety has been a matter of great concern in India with an average of 1.5 lakh fatalities every year in road accidents across the country.

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Protein That Swallow Up, Quarantine Zika Virus Identified
DOHA: With the enhancement of India's image globally, the whole world is attracted to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Sunday.

"Today the whole world is attracted to India, is curious about India," Modi said while addressing an Indian community reception here on the second and concluding day of his two-day visit to Qatar.

"Even you must have felt the change underway in India," he said after arriving to a rousing welcome to the reception.

"India's image has been enhanced globally," he said as members of the gathering chanted "Modi, Modi".

Modi said that people of India living in Qatar were never away from India even for a minute.

"They are reliving India on the soil of Qatar," he said.

At around 630,000, Indians comprise the largest expatriate population in this Gulf nation.

Modi said that the change in India has not happened due to Narendra Modi, but due to India's 1.25 billion people.

"Global agencies are in agreement that is there is a fastest growing economy, it is India. Our growth rate is high," the prime minister said, while pointing out that the world economy too was not doing well at the moment.

"While global purchasing power has gone down and adversely affected our exports, despite that we have clocked this high growth rate," he said.

"The quarterly figures, even as India has faced two consecutive droughts, reflect a praiseworthy 7.9 percent growth."

Stating that corruption has troubled India for long, Modi said that "we are determined to eliminate it".

"We have introduced several schemes for combating corruption, for fiscal discipline and economic reforms," he said.

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that when the leaders of other nations he visits praise the achievements of the Indian diaspora, "my hear fills with pride and joy".

Modi, who arrived here on Saturday afternoon from Afghanistan, visited a health camp for Indian workers soon after his arrival.

On Sunday, India and Qatar signed seven agreements following delegation level talks led by Modi and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Modi also met with top business leaders of Qatar and invited them to invest in India.

Later on Sunday, he will leave for Switzerland on the third leg of his foreign tour that will also take him to the U.S. and Mexico.

Read Also: Industrial Cooperation Can Directly Benefit India, China

India Reaffirms Commitment To Pursue Green Path To Growth
WASHINGTON: The US today welcomed India subscribing to the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC), an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.



"The United States welcomes this step by India and calls on all countries who have not yet done so to subscribe to the HCOC," the State Department said in a statement.



India is the 138th country to do so.



HCOC is a voluntary mechanism that has built a broad international predisposition against ballistic missile proliferation and promotes transparency and confidence building, including through the subscribing states' commitment to submit pre-launch notifications and annual declarations of their relevant policies.



"India's subscription reinforces its support for international missile nonproliferation and will help increase transparency and strengthen security," the State Department said.



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Source: PTI
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The work safety watchdog on Sunday demanded an investigation into the capsizing of a boat in the southwest province of Sichuan, in which a child died and 14 people remain missing.

Rescuers search for missing people in Bailong Lake of Guangyuan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 5, 2016. (Photo/Xinhua)

The search operation continues, and a work team will be sent to the site of the incident, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its website.

The leisure boat, the "Shuanglong," was carrying 18 people when it capsized during strong winds on Bailong Lake in the city of Guangyuan Saturday afternoon.

Three survivors remain under observation at a local hospital.

The administration also called on local authorities in Sichuan to launch water transport safety inspections, improve the management of sightseeing boats, remove possible dangers and prevent major accidents.
Morgan Ricks obit

Morgan Ricks

(Staten Island Advance Photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The death of a 3-month-old baby girl who was found critically injured in an apartment of the Richmond Terrace Houses has been ruled a homicide, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

"The cause of death is abusive head trauma," said an email from a spokeswoman for the medical examiner. "The manner of death is homicide."

No arrests have been made and the police investigation continues into the death of Morgan Ricks, whose home address was 220 Osgood Ave. On Friday, the medical examiner deemed her death a homicide, according to a statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The baby suffered head trauma, the Advance reported in September. A physician told cops when she was hospitalized that the baby suffered a "brain shift" and bleeding to her brain while in the care of a family member, police said at the time.

A law enforcement source said the baby lived with her mother, but was staying with her father when emergency personnel responded to a 911 call that she was unresponsive that night.

She was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in a seventh-floor apartment at 81 Jersey St. on Sunday, August 30, at about 2 a.m. She was transported in critical condition to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton.

The infant died over a week later, on Sept. 11, from her injuries.
Burger.jpg

Patrons at chain restaurants will now be able to see whether a menu item, like a burger and fries, has more than the daily recommended amount of salt. (Photo courtesy of Applebee's)

This icon will appear next to menu items at chain restaurants with 2,300 mg or more of salt. (Courtesy of NYC Health Department)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Lay off the salt.

That's what New York City health officials have been saying to New Yorkers since last September, and beginning Monday, the city can start issuing fines to chain restaurants that don't display a warning symbol for menu items with high salt content.

Last week, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court lifted a ban put in place by a court after the rule went into effect in December.

Now, the city can start fining restaurants with 15 or more locations nationwide that don't display the salt shaker symbol next to menu items with 2,300 milligrams of sodium -- about a teaspoon of salt -- or more. Patrons can still buy the item, but the restaurant must make it clear the menu item contains more sodium than the total daily recommended limit.

High salt intake has been attributed to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Some chains, like TGI Friday's, Applebee's and Subway, already include the salt shaker icon on its menus.

The city Health Department, whose Board of Health passed the rule last fall, said an estimated 3,000 chain restaurants in the city would be affected by the rule.

The National Restaurant Association has opposed the rule and said it would continue to challenge it in court. It is concerned changing menus will be a burden to restaurant owners, who will have to pay to update them.

Noncompliance would cost restaurants a $200 fine and a possible loss of their city permits.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has supported the rule, urging New Yorkers to "order something else" if the salt shaker icon appears next to a menu item.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are investigating an attempted arson that torched the inside of St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church in Stapleton Sunday afternoon.

At around 2:20 p.m., emergency units arrived to a fire inside the Episcopalian church, located at 225 St. Paul's Ave., that was caused by a glass bottle filled with accelerant, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.

Police say an unidentified individual intentionally chucked the incendiary device through the front window, resulting in a small fire inside the church.

NYPD officials on scene said the church was "fire-bombed" with a device representative of a Molotov cocktail.

Nobody was injured during the fire and the church sustained only minor damage, the spokeswoman said.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is on-going, she added.

According to police, the fire-bombing is being investigated as a hate crime by the NYPD's Hate Crimes units.

NYPD Crime Scene units remained on scene late into Sunday evening.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was a costly sale.

A Tompkinsville man faces two years in prison after admitting he sold heroin to an undercover cop.

Walter Powell has pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a felony count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Powell, then 28, was arrested on April 28 of last year and accused of selling heroin on four separate occasions to an undercover officer in St. George, prosecutors said.

When officers busted Powell, they found 53 plastic bags containing heroin on him, a criminal complaint said.

Powell admitted to one sale to satisfy all charges against him.

In exchange for his plea, he'll be sentenced July 21 to two years behind bars and one year of post-release supervision.

Mark J. Fonte is his lawyer.
China has been making significant progress in cleaning up its toilets, according to the National Tourism Administration, since the launch of a three-year "toilet revolution" which aims to build 33,000 restrooms and renovate 24,000 others by next year.

By the end of last year, 22,009 had been built or upgraded, 4 percent more than the target.

China will build or renovate 25,000 facilities this year, at a cost of more than 12.5 billion yuan (US$1.9 billion), the NTA said, and it will also work to improve toilets in rural areas.

Toilets in the countryside have earned a nasty reputation, with some little more than ramshackle shelters surrounded by cornstalks and others just open pits next to pigsties. The ongoing "toilet revolution" is set to change all that.

China's national standard requires "sanitary" toilets in rural homes to have walls, roofs, doors and windows and to be at least 2 square meters.

In the eastern province of Shandong, toilets in rural areas were often just roofless structures made of mud or rock.

"When children from the cities come to our village, they would rather hold it the whole time than use the pits," said Feng Jinghua, Party chief of Zhouzhuang Village in Qufu.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 percent of infectious diseases in rural China are caused by fecal contamination and unsafe drinking water. More than 30 types of infectious diseases, including diarrhea and cholera, are linked to pollution from human waste.

So far, more than 8 million of Shandong's 15 million rural families have flush or dry toilets and the provincial government plans to earmark more than 10 billion yuan to help upgrade the toilets of some 6.5 million rural families by the end of 2018.

"In the past, when we went to fairs in the nearby town, we did not even know how to use the flush toilets there," said Zhang Ruiyi, a farmer in Wuliqiao Village in Jiyuan, a city in central China's Henan Province.

In Zhang's village, all 112 families now have flush toilets, while in Jiyuan, about 90 percent of rural areas have flush toilets.

In the eastern province of Jiangsu, 94 percent of rural homes have sanitary toilets, the highest rate in the country, according to Chen Xiaojin, deputy chief of the provincial health department.

According to official figures, 75 percent of rural homes in China had flush toilets or dry toilets by the end of 2015.

Beijing had gone through four "toilet revolutions"  in 1965, 1989, 1994 and 2002  to eliminate pit toilets and fees for use as well as renovate public toilets in alleyways. As of 2015, there were almost six public toilets per 10,000 people in the city, compared to the national standard of four.

Another "toilet revolution" is planned for the capital over the next five years to improve sanitation and service levels.

Authorities aim to build 100 toilets with Wi-Fi access this year. The toilets, to be built in Tongzhou and Fangshan districts, will also have ATM machines and charging facilities for cellphones and electric vehicles, said Ji Yang, a city official.

Baby seats will be installed next to the toilets for the benefit of mothers.

The estimated cost of each toilet is between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan.

Urinals for children and barrier-free facilities will be installed in the city's current toilets, together with ventilation and air conditioning systems to ensure a stable temperature of at least 12 degrees Celsius in winter and 30 degrees Celsius in summer, he said.
Shanghai's first breast milk bank went into operation at the Children's Hospital of Shanghai yesterday, providing free nutrition for premature and sick infants.

Healthy mothers, including expats, who have given birth within the previous six months are encouraged to apply to be volunteer donors.

Donors will have their blood tested to eliminate mothers with infectious diseases. Donated milk will be disinfected, frozen and stored for up to six months.

Basic information about the donor, the consent form, and blood test and bacteriological data will be kept on file for 30 years, the hospital said.

About 1.1 million premature infants are born in China every year, and breastfeeding promotes healthy development of the intestinal tract and can mean a significantly lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and infectious diseases like sepsis. However, 85 percent mothers of premature infants in China are unable to breastfeed their children, the hospital said.

"Breast milk is the best food for babies in the first six months, particularly premature infants, whose organ functions are not developed yet," said Gong Xiaohui, deputy director of the hospital's neonatology department.

"However, Chinese mothers of premature babies are usually not able to feed their kids with breast milk because they are not physically prepared or sick. A breast milk bank is therefore urgently needed," she said.

Infants suffering from diseases such as short-bowel syndrome and congenital digestive tract disease, and low birthweight babies also require breast milk instead of milk powder, the hospital said.

Because breast milk can boost growth and enhance immunity, some European countries began establishing breast milk banks for needy babies more than 100 years ago. The first appeared in Vienna in 1909.

But there are only 10 breast milk banks in China and most of them are small.

The development of the service has been hampered by a misconception among Chinese people that ingesting breast milk from a donor is not safe, a lack of government support and high operating costs, said hospital president Yu Guangjun.

Sick baby dies

The idea of founding a milk bank emerged in 2014 when the hospital treated a baby who had been suffering from diarrhea since birth. He was very skinny and did not survive past six months, Zhang Ting, director of the hospital's digestive department, recalled.

Hospital staff concluded that the outcome may have been different if the baby had been fed breast milk. Preparation for the new bank started in late 2015.

China's first breast milk bank was established at the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center three years ago, but there is only enough donated milk to feed about 10 percent of the premature and sick babies who need it.

The center is also struggling to cover its costs, which amount to nearly 500,000 yuan (US$80,645) per year, or nearly 2 yuan for every 1 milliliter of donated milk.

The Shanghai bank is funded by a three-year government project to help high-risk infants.

But the hospital is seeking help from charity organizations, and a fee may be charged when the program ends.

The hospital has also cooperated with a non-governmental organization with the aim of attracting more volunteer donors. The organization, which is named First Mouthful of Milk, has called on its members to donate their breast milk to the bank.

The organization can help babies who are urgently in need, but is unable to conduct strict checks and provide sterile conditions like a hospital, it said.

The bank has the capacity to store 200,000 milliliters of breast milk, and it has three separate rooms for donors.

Needy babies at the hospital and the Jiading, Jing'an and Putuo districts' maternal and childcare service centers will be major recipients.

In a trial operation, four mothers have donated more than 4 liters of milk to the bank.

Donors will be granted certificates and enjoy preferential treatment at the hospital.

The application hotline is 18049959279 between 8am and 5pm on workdays. English service is available.
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Thousands of business people closed their stores at day time last Wednesday in Lijiang Ancient Town, Yunnan Province, signaling a gesture of protest against the local administration's practice of charging for entrance tickets to the famously well-preserved old town.

Thousands of business people closed their stores at day time last Wednesday in Lijiang Ancient Town, Yunnan Province, signaling a gesture of protest against the local administrations practice of charging for entrance tickets to the famously well-preserved old town.[Internet photo]



Some store owners resumed business at about 11:00 a.m. on that day after persuasion by the local administration, which vowed to launch a legal investigation on those who led and instigated the strike of local business owners.

With the approval of the provincial government in Yunnan, Lijiang Ancient Town started to charge for entrance tickets to finance the maintenance of the town in 2001. Before March 2007, with a cost of 20 yuan (US$3) per person, people could walk around the town with no extra charge. Afterwards, the price surged to 80 yuan per person. But visitors could dodge paying for the admission by taking other entrances.

It was not until last year that the administration started to tighten control over entrance. "Nowadays, every pass is watched by a gatekeeper who asks tourists to pay for a ticket," said a local businessman who sells jade in the town.

"As a result, the charge drove away tourists and led to a sharp decline in tourism," a local handicraft store owner said in an interview with the Beijing News.

Many tourists disagreeing with the charge gave up their plans to visit, which led to considerable losses for local groceries and souvenir stores.

Some stores only garnered 900 yuan each over a period of 10 days, a local businessman said.

According to the regulation for the protection of Lijiang Ancient Town, the local administration established by the Lijiang City Government is empowered to charge the tourists for maintenance reasons.

When talking about the losses of local businesses, Wu, a department director of the local administration, said, it remains unclear that the losses of some businesses among the approximately 4,000 entities inside the five-square-kilometer town are the result of the charges of entrance tickets.

However, the impressions of visitors and guides told a different story.

A visitor surnamed Qiu showed her yellow 80 yuan ticket for Lijiang Ancient Town online. She visited there on May 28, witnessing the change compared to her previous trip.

"Last year, when I came to Lijiang, there were not enough berths for vehicles in the parking lot, however, in my last visit I saw visitors choosing to leave the entrance site once they finish taking photos," Qiu said.

A tourist guide surnamed Wu said the rising charge of the entrance ticket which drives up tourists' spending costs has indeed affected the visits as people in the neighborhoods may choose less expensive towns with similar scenic spots.

The dilemma of entrance charge is not a case that solely troubles Lijiang. In 2013, another ancient town, Phoenix Town in Hunan Province, started to sell tickets, sparking a controversial public debate on whether the ancient town should impose charges for visitors.

At that time, local media in Yunnan ironically touted that compared to Phoenix Ancient Town, the Lijiang tourist site had set no fences for tourists who may enter the town many times in one day without interventions.

Three years later, the fences have sprouted up in Lijiang.

By 2015, revenues for maintenance use surpassed 2.77 billion yuan in addition to a loan amassing to 3.9 billion yuan. About 6.6 billion yuan is used for preserving and protecting the ancient look of the town, including the construction of infrastructure, the restoration of old buildings, dismantling illegal architecture and moving cable lines underground. There is still an outstanding debt of approximately 1.57 billion yuan.

"It has more than once been proved that entrance tickets can hardly become a reliable source for local government revenues," said Wang Xinbing, a senior expert in the tourism industry at Beijing International Studies University.

"The town would bebetter advised to adopt an alternative approach by checking for loopholes in the taxes caused by the previously relaxed control of the local administration. But the levies which test the wisdom of the local administration should be varied in accordance with the sizes and types of the local stores," Wang said.
 Flash

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called for more world efforts to stop illegal trade in wildlife in order to save lives of species of wild animals and plants, such as elephants, pangolins, sea turtles and rosewood.

Two tiger cub carcasses soaked in chemicals are displayed after investigators found them in Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, or "Tiger Temple", in Kanchanaburi Province, central Thailand, June 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

In his message to mark World Environment Day, which is observed annually on June 5, the secretary-general said that this year's observance "shines a much-needed spotlight on the illegal trade in wildlife. There is grave cause for alarm."

"Elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory, rhinos for their horns, and pangolins for their scales," Ban said. "From sea turtles to tigers to rosewood, thousands of species of wild animals and plants are being driven ever closer to extinction."

"The businesses and individuals involved are motivated solely by short-term gain at the expense of long-term benefit to communities and habitats," he said. "In many instances, they act in collusion with transnational organized crime networks and groups actively involved in destabilizing nations."

The United Nations and its many partners have resolved to tackle this illicit trade, including by setting clear targets to put an end to poaching in the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in September last year by all 193 member states, he said.

Last month, at the second United Nations Environment Assembly inNairobi, Kenya, the world body launched a UN "Wild For Life" global campaign, led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Convention on the International Trade in Wild Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

"The campaign asks everyone to pledge to end the illegal trade in wildlife, from ordinary citizens, who can ensure they do not buy prohibited products, to governments, who can pursue change though implementing effective policies to protect species and ecosystems," the secretary-general said.

Angola, which is this year's World Environment Day global host, has served notice that it will no longer tolerate the sale of illegal wildlife products, and is strengthening legislation and increasing border controls as part of efforts to restore elephant populations that were devastated by the country's civil war, he noted.

"Such action sends a strong message that wild species of plants and animals are a precious commodity that must be sustainably managed and protected from illegal trade," Ban said.

"On this World Environment Day, I urge people and governments everywhere to overcome indifference, combat greed and act to preserve our natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations," he added.

World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by UNEP.

World environment day was first established to be celebrated every year by running some effective campaigns by the UN General Assembly and UNEP in the conference on human environment began on June 5-16 at United Nations in 1972. It was first celebrated in 1973 with the particular theme "Only one Earth." Since 1974, the celebration campaign of World Environment Day is hosted in different cities of the world.

It is a big annual celebration started by the United Nations General Assembly to engage millions of people from different countries across the globe as well as draw attention of political and health organizations to implement some effective actions.
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A childcare worker accused of assault has signalled she will plead guilty to unreasonably disciplining children at a north Canberra centre.

Rajani Gautum, 50, was among four workers police charged last October over allegations of excessive force on up to 20 children aged between one and four at Northside Community Service's Civic Early Childhood Centre.

Four childcare workers were charged last October over allegations of excessive force on up to 20 children.

Gautum initially pleaded not guilty to four common assault charges and was set to fight the allegations during a two-day hearing set down for November.

But she returned to the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday where her defence lawyer, Peter Woodhouse, indicated she would instead plead guilty to three lesser charges of unreasonable discipline.
It's the attesting Gothic cathedral-inspired sculpture unlike any other art you might have seen.

Its leather-bound spires are made of whips, chains, studs and spikes, sex toys and gags.

Weighing close to a tonne, it hovers almost a metre above the floor, suspended by four ropes knotted according to the Japanese bondage technique Kinbaku, meaning the "beauty of tight binding".

No, it's not a prop from the set of Game of Thrones, but the centrepiece in a new display of contemporary Asian art at the National Gallery of Australia.
Mal's starting to realise how hot things are about to get, the 20-year-old photo of him is about to be leaked, his connections with China revealed. Chairman Mal, Jackie calls him and starts figuring out who the next defence minister might be. Alan Dale and Jacki Weaver in Secret City. Credit:Foxtel This scene is quickly turning into a cracker as Mal's exploits come to light. "Cheating on your travel allowances is a smear," says the PM's chief of staff, (Sacha Horler has some great scenes in this ep.) "but this is criminal, you're a liar, maybe a traitor." Mal gets his back up and threatens to split the party, tells the PM what he thinks of him, but Jim mans up and tells Mal the whole thing is a catastrof**k of his own making. Favourite new word. Another secret meeting by the lake, this time it's Harriet and Kim. Harriet's pushing the boundaries of their previous relationship, Kim's giving her a lesson about journalism, about how it's all bullshit that it's about truth and democracy. "You don't care about the story," Kim says. "Just that your name is on the front page." A tad harsh. All we care about is how good we look in our dinkus photo. Anna Torv as Harriet Dunkley, centre, with Marcus Graham as Andrew Griffiths, right, in Secret City. Credit:Foxtel

On the way back to work Kim stops on the top of Mount Ainslie to meet with Dancer. Last time these two got together there was some hanky panky and while Mount Ainslie is usually a hotbed of parked cars, today they keep their clothes on. Which is just as well because Kim's already been strip searched once this episode. At work she slips into the loos and downloads some secret decryption code - I just usually play Candy Crush on my phone - and heads to some dodgy hotel (need help, where is this one?) to see if she can break the code (are we allowed to say the words "the code" while recapping Secret City?) Everyone has stared moodily from Commonwealth Bridge at some point, haven't they? Credit:Foxtel Flash to Harriet who's making some moves on the nice copper Brimmer. She lights a joint and he offers to put the handcuffs on her. She's getting all flirty and finally I've realised what I've been doing wrong all these years with my sources. No wonder I never get my name on the front page. But then Harriet wakes up and she's in bed with Felix of the well-balanced thighs. How did that happen?

And now Chairman Mal is in the shower. Wait, so too is the PM's chief of staff. What's the rating on this show again? Back the most ridiculous storyline in the press gallery, so many staff, so many assistants, too many notebooks. Chairman Mal is being exposed in all sorts of other ways now. Down the corridor, Jackie's in with the PM, "Political graveyards are full of people who have been loyal to idiots". Might have to start a drinking game for every time Jackie comes up with a pearler. Meanwhile back at dodgy hotel Kim's just about cracked the code. It's a video of something they're not letting us see but Kim looks a little ashen. She's in trouble, a fluster really. She's scared and whatever was in that video has taken them all further down the rabbit hole than first thought. She's in a forest now, Mount Pleasant apparently, but there aren't that many pine trees there (insider note: the scene was actually shot at the Air Disaster memorial out off Pialligo Avenue, the most haunted spot in Canberra apparently.) There's a tree across the road and she can't get through and then a big black car pulls up behind her. Her and Harriet are playing phone tag. You were right about a lot of things. Looks like Kim has got this one terribly wrong. It's hard enough to drive in high heels, let alone in a Volvo. Ominous pan across the lake.
A man who bashed a Canberra grandfather to death has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental impairment to a serious assault that happened in the weeks before the New Year's Day killing.

Danny Klobucar, 27, went on trial in the ACT Supreme Court earlier this year over the brutal killing of Phillip's Miodrag Gajic, 71, several days after he tried to buy cannabis from the older man in 2014.

Danny Klobucar, who was found not guilty due to mental impairment of murdering Miodrag Gajic in 2014, leaves the ACT Supreme Court with a supporter on Monday morning. Credit:Jamila Toderas

In March, he was found not guilty of murder due to mental impairment.

A jury found Klobucar was the killer, but agreed with psychiatric evidence that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time and did not properly understand his actions were wrong.
Flights between Brisbane and Taipei are set to increase by 50 per cent, with Taiwanese carrier EVA Air launching additional services in October.

The new Tuesday, Friday and Sunday services were expected to attract 22,800 Taiwanese visitors every year, flying out of Taipei's Taoyuan airport.

EVA Air will increase its Brisbane services from October.

They will be in addition to EVA Air's existing two flights in and out of Brisbane Airport, and China Airlines' four-times-weekly service.

Brisbane was the only Australian port to be serviced by both Taiwan-based airlines.
Insurance companies have received more than $38 million in initial claims over damage caused by the wild weather that buffeted much of the east coast, declaring it a "catastrophe" event.

So far, customers in NSW and Queensland have made 11,150 insurance claims over damage caused by the heavy rainfall, storms and flooding, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said on Monday.

The industry-wide cost of these claims was $38 million, though insurers said it was too early to say what the full cost of the extreme weather would be, as more claims would be made in the coming days.

The declaration of a "catastrophe event" means the insurance industry will arrange a taskforce to focus specifically on damage from the wild weather, diverting resources towards most-affected areas.
The world's largest miners have squandered the benefits of the long resources boom, writing off the equivalent of 32 per cent of the capital expenditure spent since 2010, according to accounting firm PwC.

An analysis of the world's 40 largest mining companies by market capitalisation revealed a collective $US199 billion of impairments were booked between 2010 and 2015, representing a staggering 31.9 per cent of the $US623 billion in capital expenditure deployed over the period.

The top 40 largest miners recorded their first collective net loss of $US27 billion in 2015. Credit:Robert Rough

PwC said the findings highlighted a "lack of capital discipline".

While PwC's weighted commodity price index declined 25 per cent year-on-year in 2015, the combined market capitalisation of the top 40 miners plummeted 37 per cent to $US494 billion, just a third of the collective value five years ago.
 Flash

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China from June 12 to 14 and co-chair a bilateral intergovernmental consultation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here on Monday.

It will be Merkel's ninth visit to China since she took office, Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing.

In Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet with Merkel. She will also visit Shenyang, capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province, Hong said.

He said the consultation, established in 2011, is a dialogue mechanism aimed at coordinating and enhancing cooperation between the two countries. More than 20 ministers and vice ministers from both sides will be present at this edition.

In recent years, the China-Germany relationship has witnessed a rapid development with frequent high-level exchanges, the spokesperson said. In March, German President Joachim Gauck visited China, strengthening political mutual trust.

Hong suggested China and Germany, the host country of the Group of 20 summit in 2016 and 2017 respectively, maintain closer coordination in global and regional affairs.

It serves the fundamental interests of both countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Hong said, adding it will benefit the China-EU relations and promote peace and prosperity in the world at large.

China attaches great importance to the development of ties with Germany, and stands ready to take the consultation as an opportunity to advance bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, he added.
The Australian arm of energy drinks company Red Bull has increased its annual profits for the first time in four years in a highly-competitive $1.2 billion energy drinks market, where rival Coca-Cola Amatil is stepping up the pressure now that it has the rights to Monster Energy drinks.

Red Bull is the global leader in the energy drinks sector and the No.2 player in Australia, just behind the V brand operated by Frucor Beverages, with Coca-Cola Amatil in third position.

Red Bull Australia's profits have accelerated for the first time in four years. Credit:Getty Images

Red Bull Australia reversed a persistent downward profit trend locally, with a 58 per cent rise in net profit after tax to $11.4 million in calendar 2015, as sales revenues climbed by 9 per cent to $217 million. Directors are expecting sales to rise again in 2016 in Australia, saying "the company expects continued growth in sales in the coming year".

The vastly improved results prompted a dividend payout by the Australian arm to its Austrian parent of $11.5 million, compared with just a $1 million dividend declared last year.
She is one of the country's richest and most divisive figures and she's Australia's only representative on Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women.

Gina Rinehart has been named the world's 51st most powerful woman by the magazine, which regularly ranks global figures on their wealth and ability to influence public policy.

A mining magnate, Ms Rinehart is also well known because of her public battle with her children as they fought over the family fortune, as well as for her patronage of senior coalition figures, including Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce.

Valued at $US9.9 billion ($13.4 billion), Forbes says the daughter of Lang Hancock, "took her late father's bankrupted estate and rebuilt it into something much larger."
Each of these problems was exposed in this weekend's revelations. To recap, the Turnbull Government issued subclass 400 visas to seven Chinese workers to install machinery. These workers took Australian jobs, were underpaid and their lives were put in danger because of their lack of knowledge of Australian workplace safety law.

The Agreement opened up more routes for Chinese workers to come to Australia, failed to ensure that jobs would first be offered to Australians and created a system whereby non-compliance with our minimum wages and conditions would become the norm.

In 2015 anyone who dared criticise the Agreement was labelled 'xenophobic' or 'racist'. A detailed report written by yours truly exposing the Agreement was dismissed out of hand by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Andrew Robb, even if they admitted to never having read it. But now we have the proof we need to expose the flaws in the Agreement that the Government tried so desperately to conceal.

The weekend's explosive revelations of seven Chinese workers coming to our shores under the China Australia Free Trade Agreement was a big slap in the face for the Turnbull Government.

How were Australian jobs taken by these seven Chinese workers? These workers were performing welding and related tasks for which there are many Australian workers available. This was not a highly specialised job but one which the Australians working alongside them said they could do.

However, the Turnbull Government has prevented Australia from doing anything about it when our jobs are taken in this way. The Agreement prevents labour market testing, which is the best way of ensuring that a job is first offered to local workers before it goes to an overseas worker.

Turning to the second point, how were the Chinese workers vastly underpaid? An Australian worker performing these tasks would have received an hourly rate of $42 but these Chinese workers were paid $75 a day. The pay was deposited directly into their bank accounts in China. No pay slips were given, they did not receive penalty rates and of course superannuation was never on the cards. The Turnbull Government's response is that the Agreement doesn't allow for Chinese workers to be paid less than their Australian counterparts.

And yes, this is what the text of the Agreement says. But the truth is the Agreement opened many more migration pathways for Chinese workers and created a reality that when they were exploited no-one would ever find out. This is especially true when wages are being deposited into Chinese bank accounts. We simply don't have the enforcement resources to police this. The Fair Work Ombudsman has 300 inspectors for 11 million workers, one tenth of which are visa holders. It's a drop in the ocean and the Government knows it.

The third issue is that these Chinese workers repeatedly flouted Australian safety laws. Their lives were in danger, with one witness referring to the use of a thin piece of nylon as harness. Yet these workers all had safety certificates given to them by an Australian company allowing them to do this work. The men were forced to return to China after allegedly being caught out not complying with Australian workplace safety law.
Ian Bowie Bowral Missing in action I have just come back from a 'meet the candidates' meeting, in a community hall, on a very wet night. In the last 20 years I have been living in this electorate, this has never happened: all candidates have agreed to come to this small town. There were over 100 people attending on this dark and stormy night. We have seven candidates vying for election and only one, Peter Hendy, our sitting member, did not appear. Apparently he has decided that he is not going to appear at any community forums or debates. How can anyone vote for a candidate who is not prepared to talk to his constituents? And yes, I live in the 'bellwether' seat of Eden Monaro.



Louise Brown Wandella.

Team for Rio needs colour not Chiller's shade of grey Just reading about Kitty Chiller makes my blood boil ("Kyrgios blasts AOC over 'unfair and unjust' treatment", June 4-5.) I am surprised that anybody could claim how wonderfully she has dealt with the Nick Kyrgios issue.

If any reader received a 16-page "please explain" letter, would they feel that this is the OAC "reaching out to them"? Comparing Nick's behaviour with two others facing potential criminal charges is comparing apples with oranges. Australia always like to have mavericks and world-beaters  especially when it comes to sports. However, many people like Ms Chiller want them to be polite, deferential and a particular shade of grey. The two rarely ever go together. Nick's greatest crime appears that he made "some ill-advised comments about Kitty Chiller" on Twitter. Why were they "ill-advised" unless Ms Chiller feels that she is beyond criticism by those whose future she holds in her hands? I always find it remarkable that high-level sportspeople are also such accomplished representative speakers. But we can't expect them to be everything to everybody. Most of the most famous people in history have had pretty substantial character flaws. However, Kitty Chiller (and many others like her) want our stand-outs to be amazing and ordinary at the same time. We all understand that spectators on the sidelines often get carried away with passion, so it is a lot more natural to see an individual athlete succumb to "crimes of passion" when playing such a high pressure, individual sport at the highest level. Add to that, Nick has to cope with every other journalist with no inspiration is just waiting to criticise his latest transgression.

We need a wiser, more forgiving person at the head of our Olympic Committee. One that allows them more a little more latitude. This is not 1950, and if we allowed Ms Chiller to roll out her standards across society, then our own parliament would not be able to function. Rhys Williams Revesby







Scott appointment another brick in the all Why are you surprised Sharon McGuinness, John Cotterill, Dennis Suttling and all you naive supporters of public education out there?(Letters, June 4). Mark Scott's appointment as "Secretary" of Education in NSW is just another brick in the wall being built by Coalition governments and leaders to erode and marginalise public education and TAFE.



If Mark Scott really wants to show he is totally behind public education in NSW perhaps he could demonstrate this by reversing the $1000-plus "boarding school allowance" granted to every boarding school student in NSW last year and that goes on top of the $8000-plus boarding school allowance provided to every boarding school student by the federal government each year. No real explanation or rationale from the NSW government and an attempt to get an explanation from the minister, Adrian Piccoli, failed.



The sooner one of the articulate, high-profile advocates of public education stands up to be counted as a candidate for the Senate, the better. Judged by letters in the "Letters" pages, and resounding applause when private school funding is raised on Q&A, they would romp it in.



Kevin Farrell Beelbangera The love affair continues To be in love is to know lust fades, to live highs and lows, to see growth and change. So, be kind Elizabeth ("It was love at first sight when I first saw Sydney", June 4-5), she's growing and if you cannot embrace her changes then perhaps it's time to let her go. After all, Sydney has many suitors who, just like you did all those years ago, are experiencing their love at first sight moment today. Emma Kirkman Carlton

What Elizabeth Farrelly is arguing for is a just city. A just city requires that government and planners focus on maximising democratic processes, equity, affordable housing and social mix. It is evident that all four elements of a just city are being severely undermined by the Baird government due to its focus on economic growth and development above all else. Alan Morris Eastlakes Foot injury guaranteed In his latest foray into the world of climate change science, David Sayers (Letters, June 4-5) takes aim at Tim Flannery, and once again shoots himself in the foot. The suggestion that Tim Flannery has said it would "never rain again" is ludicrous. He has never said that. What is even more ludicrous is to suggest that what is now happening to the Great Barrier Reef has happened before. That's because the earth has never been warmed so rapidly by fossil-fuelled carbon emissions. There has only ever been one industrial revolution. And it's not happening over millions of years, but over decades. That's the whole point. When the history of all this is written, people like Tim Flannery will fare much better than the flat-earth climate change deniers whose wilfully ignorant actions and beliefs place us all at risk.

Michael Hinchey New Lambton Colin Booth may well have choked on his oats (Letters, June 4-5) however using Andrew Bolt's misrepresentation of what Tim Flannery said as a valid argument against the plight of the Great Barrier Reef, and his view of the world as limited to the condition of his local beach, rather than what is happening to small Pacific island nations faced with the threat of inundation, it seems a wonder with such myopia that Mr Booth could pour the milk into the bowl without missing.



Barrington Salter Neutral Bay So the federal authority reckons it's OK that 22 per cent of the reef has been wiped out as that means that 78 per cent has managed to survive. By extension does that mean that if cuts to Medicare and the PBS result in only 5 million Australians dying that it will be OK as 78 per cent of us will survive?



Barton Fielden Lindfield Gorilla not at fault Harambe the gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo was shot because a child fell into its enclosure ("Curious children will always test the boundaries", June 4-5.). There have been several such falls including at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey, Channel Islands, in 1986 and again at the Brookfield Zoo, Illinois, in 1996. In those cases the animals were not shot. It is unforgivable that childproof enclosures are still not in place to protect these rare and valuable animals.

Gary Wilson MacGregor ACT Plea strikes a chord Here here to Reverend Dr John Bunyan (Letters, June 4-5). Just because one is older, does not mean one's needs and cultural hunger should not be met. Songs of Praise on ABC TV was one of the few remaining church music programs left on the ABC. There was an outcry when Kay MacClennan's early Sunday morning program whimsically called For the God who sings was axed.

For believers and non-believers, hymns are reassuring, comforting and a much loved part of our culture. If Songs of Praise, which came from the UK, has gone, why can't we create an Australian version of same?





Megwenya Matthews North Turramurra WestConnex flaws Never sipped a latte in my life Duncan Gay ("Baird's WestConnex mea culpa: we could have done better", June 4-5). Nor am I an anti-road zealot, although I do confess to being an inner-westie.

How about some consultation and openness about this project and its funding? And what I'd really appreciate is less of the state government's chumming up to big business, and more listening to those who'd prefer the $16-plus billion (and counting) to be spent on accessible public transport. Now back to my basket weaving.

Suzan Fayle Rozelle

Mergers not always bad

Those persons fulminating against the amalgamation of a few local government councils might take pause for thought that six huge colonies amalgamated to create a nation in 1901. ("Getting away with merger", June 4-5.) None of us seems the worse off.





David Griffiths Turramurra Husband's trial over, what now for Jacenko? Should someone take Ms Jacenko aside and explain to her that her husband has been found guilty of insider trading and is facing a very possible jail sentence. ("Dare to do: How duo turned motto into a motza", June 4-5.) So, not all about her after all.



Roger Ellis Millthorpe



Can't wait to hear that PR queen and long-suffering wife of naughty boy Oliver Curtis, Roxy Jacenko, has sold the rights to the film. Bet she cuts a mean deal. I can see Ryan Corr as Hartman, Patrick Brammell as Ollie, and of course Asher Keddie as the lady herself.



Donna Wiemann Balmain Followers of fashion I have admired many of Max Fischer's letters over the years (Letters, June 4-5.) But, as a married clergyman, I didn't think we had that much in common. I was heartened to read that we share a similar fashion sense. The only difference is my tracky dacks are usually bought for me by my wife from Big W.



(Rev Dr) Niall McKay Hamilton



Keep the dish
The secrets of world-famous illusionist David Copperfield's show have been exposed in a long-running legal battle.

The Daily Mail reports how London-born chef Gavin Cox is suing the world's most famous magician, claiming he was left with permanent brain damage as a result of an illusion that went wrong at his Las Vegas show.

Cox, 55, was called on stage by Copperfield at the MGM Hotel and Casino to take part in a disappearing audience illusion in November 2013, only to fall backstage mid-way through the trick.

Now the secrets behind the famous "vanishing crowd" trick have been revealed in extraordinary detail, court documents in the three-year legal battle show.
Britain's decision should not worry fans of the show. Credit:HBO/Foxtel McShane, a Septon with a groovy vibe, sits with the Hound and recalls how he saved him from near-death. The Hound is still himself, although slightly more limpy in the leg, but McShane's Septon is helping him to health and some calm. But, soon after, the commune is ravaged by a group of nasty men who seemed to be from the Brotherhood Without Banners and Clegane's ire is back up. He grabs an axe and full-bore Hound umbrage resumes. Revenge killing has always been his thing. Changes in content delivery have reduced the need for Australians to take up arms against Digital Rights Management. Credit:HBO/Foxtel Jon Snow and Sansa are off trying to convince Houses of the North to join them in taking Winterfell from Ramsay Bolton. Their first visit is to the picturesque House Mormont, set on Bear Island beside gushing waterfalls.

House Mormont, home of Lady Mormont, fresh out of year five. Credit:HBO/Foxtel Inside was Lyanna Mormont the 10-year-old Lady of Bear Island. Is Margaery winning over the High Sparrow? Credit:HBO/Foxtel Lyanna, who at first glance looks like she has just finished Year Five at Bear Island Public School, is the cousin of Ser Jorah and the niece of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. She sat between senior advisors, her face a picture of youth and innocence. Lyanna Mormont the 10-year-old Lady of Bear Island Credit:HBO/Foxtel

Jon tries telling her about his honorable serving of her uncle but she brushes him off with the steel and impatience of Angela Merkel dismissing a hunting story from Vladimir Putin. Evil Waif, die, die, die! Credit:HBO/Foxtel "Enough small talk," she says. "Why are you here?" She is not impressed by these so-called Starks. Snow not being a "real" Stark, and Sansa, Lyanna points out, being married to Ramsay Bolton, and Tyrion Lannister as well. It takes the great dulcet-toned reasoner Ser Davos Seaworth to step forward and point out that, like her, he never expected to be in a position of power. And, oh yes, the dead are coming.

Bear Island Public School's Library Monitor agrees to support their quest. "We will not break faith," she says with the sternness of Eddard Stark. And then proudly reveals she has 62 men in her forces. This rather deflates Snow and Sansa but Davos, the man everyone should have as an uncle, remains impressed. "If they're half as fierce as their lady," he says, half-smiling, "the Boltons are doomed." There has been much chatter of late about the last episode being a little boring, even repetitive, particularly in the storyline of Daenerys Targaryen.

The latter's appearances have felt, more often than not, like: 1. She has a bit of bother. 2. She proceeds to deal with that bother (via a super power such as being immune to fire, or having an enormous dragon) 3. She gives a stirring appearance or speech that makes everyone amazed and more loyal than ever before, what a lady, I'll follow her anywhere, etc, etc 4. Repeat.

The Broken Man did not feature Dany but it did drag on a fair bit with Jaime trying to get the Blackfish to vacate Riverrun in scenes that were almost a carbon copy, set-wise, of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. Particularly Monty Python's French taunting scene and Dennis the mud-gathering anarcho-syndicalist peasant. Thank goodness for the reappearance of Bronn, whose salty language has been missed. When he, Jaime, and 8000 Lannister soldiers casually infiltrated the Frey's pathetic, mud-slapped siege of Riverrun, Bronn sums it up magnificently. "Good thing we're friends or we'd be f---ing you in the ass right now."

Another marvellous bit of summing up came from the dependable Lady Olenna, who upon being asked for more support from Cersei took a moment. "I wonder if you're the worst person I've ever met," she said. "At a certain age it's hard to recall. But the truly vile do stand out through the years." Nice one. Cersei looked so furious you could feel her restraining every urge to let the Mountain crush Olenna. But she cannot. Cersei sucking up Lady Olenna's sublime insults Credit:HBO/Foxtel Nor can she defeat the High Sparrow, who seems to be entirely taken by Margaery's pious new personality, even managing to encourage her back into the marital bed with King Tommen.

Margaery has engineered a stunning self-rescue. She is back in fine clothes and wearing a crown. The High Sparrow calls her "Your Grace". And, even though my favourite character (apart from Hot Jaime) Septon Unella ("Shame, Shame") now shadows her every move, Margaery does manage to smuggle a message into her grandmother's hand as she carries on pretending to be a born-again servant to the Gods. Lady Olenna and Queen Margaery under Septon Unella's creepy gaze. Credit:HBO/Foxtel The secret message turned out to be a drawing of a rose, highly symbolic for their House and also because Olenna is known as Queen of Thorns for her barbed comments. So Margaery is engineering a coup from the inside but is the high Sparrow also playing her? Or is he, despite his scratchy undergarments, falling in love with her?

It feels like he is softening more and more to Margaery and not just because she is acting like a total gluten-free, no-sugar goody two-shoes biscuit. And here's to Theon Greyjoy maybe getting a bit of joy in his life soon. When he and Yara dock for some post-sailing rest time (Yara gets it about with great happiness) she pushes him to guzzle some ale before pressing him with a supportive sister-to-brother message. He had, she said, had some "hard years", which is possibly the understatement of the series. But, dear sibling, life is short. There are battles to fight and ladies without tops on to pash so either get on with it or kill yourself, basically. Theon looked like he might, just might, choose life.

Dear Arya is wandering around Braavos as if she has not a care in the world. She books passage on a ship home and pauses on a bridge to stare at the city she has spent so long in while trying to be something she perhaps never intended to be. Arya strolling Braavos' ultimately menacing streets Credit:HBO/Foxtel And then a sweet old lady tries to say hello. Oh Arya, never trust sweet old ladies who might be wearing a layer of dead flesh over their face because they, are, of course, the awful Waif! For it is she, with a knife, which is plunged repeatedly into Arya's stomach before she falls over the edge of the bridge and into the river.

Satisfied with the lack of bubbles and the spread of blood in the water below, the Waif smirks and walks off. Like a medieval James Bond, Arya soon resurfaces gulping for air and scrabbling for shore. She then walks the streets, sodden and desperate as blood pours from her stomach. Staring at every face in the city, she realises she cannot trust anyone. Even worse no-one comes to her aid. It is like her version of a walk of atonement but without Supreme Killjoy Septa Unella ringing a bell and intoning "Shame Shame" (please can she be allowed to do this again soon? Even if only as punishment for a dog who has done an errant poo or someone who put the wrong things in the recycling bin). Will Arya die? The preview for next week's suggests not. But heaven help me if that Waif does not get her comeuppance I will jump into the screen and smother her with her orthopaedic sandals. We have three episodes left in this season. There is a lot to come. How will the Hound's story play out? Will he be reunited with Arya? Who was Sansa writing her letter to, presumably asking for help. Yikes, it could only be Littlefinger.
Rowan Atkinson has never played a "normal" character. Best known for the crazy, largely mute antics of Mr Bean and the ruthless, conniving Edmund Blackadder, Atkinson has now embarked on the first dramatic role of his career, as the famous fictional French detective Maigret.

With it comes a challenge that takes him out of his comfort zone, although not because he has left comedy behind but because Rowan Atkinson, recently divorced and turned 60, has been cast to play someone like him.

Rowan Atkinson in Maigret.

With his laconic manner, heavy coat and trademark pipe, the formidable character of Jules Maigret first appeared in print in 1931. The late Georges Simenon wrote 75 Maigret novels and 28 short stories, selling more than 800 million worldwide. This is the latest of numerous film, television and radio adaptions.

Atkinson, who has just finished filming both movies, says he has read 10 of the novels, mostly as a child, and has watched a number of the previous incarnations which have involved French, British, Irish, Austrian, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and Russian actors: "I view them as historical documents rather than a definition of how the character should be played. You have to find your own way [because] there is no value in trying to do impersonations of those that came before."
In Footprints, the first in a series of short films made under the Songlines on Screen banner, young men from the Djugun people in the area around Broome reconnect with their culture. It's a simple story but immensely moving, as Brian Bin-Saaban, an elder and lore keeper, delights in the fact some of the younger generation have expressed their willingness  nay, need  to learn the songs and dances that are not just their heritage but also their legacy. They have come down to them from the days of creation, and they need to be kept alive in order to keep that connection to land, to place, to culture. The images of bodies being prepared for the dance, of implements being crafted, adornments being woven, all against the stunning landscape of the Broome coast make an eloquent case for the seriousness and beauty of this connection. The second episode airing tonight, Naji, is a more straightforward affair  a Dreamtime story of how the ancients emerged from the sea. The only pit of this stuff is that more people won't see it. Karl Quinn

7Flix, 11pm

Mindy (Mindy Kaling) has been offered an amazing opportunity, to help start up an ob-gyn clinic in San Francisco with the dweebie Rob (Tate Ellington). Trouble is, boyfriend Danny (Chris Messina) is in New York and is terrified of earthquakes. More than that, he's traded his reluctance to co-habit for a brownstone fixer-upper, that he wants Mindy to share with him. Meanwhile, Pete (Adam Pally) has thrown caution to the wind, declaring his love for Lauren (Tracey Wigfield) and deciding to follow her to Texas. There are some great throw-away gags in this sharp sitcom, but the punchline to this week's episode may just leave fans of the show reeling. Karl Quinn

Movie: Mission: Impossible  Rogue Nation (2015)

Premiere Movies (pay TV), 8.30pm

The fifth feature in the Mission: Impossible franchise featured Tom Cruise doing all his favourite Tom Cruise stuff: being very intense about international conspiracies, racing around at great speed, and pulling off complex heists with a plethora of technical support and while claiming to be operating off the grid. It is predictable but mildly enjoyable, because firstly it a nostalgic throwback to a time before caped superheroes, and secondly the storyline and execution were handled with great aplomb by screenwriter (The Usual Suspects) turned filmmaker (Jack Reacher) Christopher McQuarrie, who guided Cruise's Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force around both the globe and Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa, a double agent inside the evil covert network the Syndicate whose character motivation is liberally inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious. Ferguson plays the accompanying action figure to Cruise, and that's the extent of their flirtations  their romance is purely run and gun. Craig Mathieson
Dr Harley said the tide was crashing and creating splashes "that are going higher than two-storey buildings" as police kept sightseers away. After the big storm, houses at Collaroy Beach front. Credit:Peter Rae On Tuesday morning, a State Emergency Service (SES) spokesman said all residents had been evacuated from the Collaroy properties overnight. He said the SES had not received any further reports of major damage to the Collaroy properties from Monday night's tide, and all of the buildings were still believed to be standing, but they were facing another king tide on Tuesday. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter searches for a person missing in heavy surf south of Bondi Icebergs. Credit:Westpac Life Saver @Lifesaverhel

The Bureau of Meteorology said the main threat would be three hours either side of Tuesday morning's high tide, which is at 10am. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for abnormally high tides for the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra and South Coast forecast districts. A search has resumed for a missing swimmer at Bondi Beach. Credit:Peter Rae "While the threat of coastal erosion is not as high as during Monday's high tide, due to a reduction in wave and tide heights, there remains a low-level threat of some residual erosion, given the dangerous surf conditions combined with the tides being at near the highest of the year," the bureau said on Tuesday morning. "Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast. Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas."

Coogee Surf Life Saving Clubhouse hit by massive waves during the storm. Credit:Peter Rae The erosion is the latest damage from huge storms and wild seas that have battered NSW since the weekend, claiming three lives and leaving one man missing. A search for a man who disappeared in rough waters off Bondi Beach on Monday afternoon has resumed on Tuesday morning. A sinkhole has opened on the lawn in front of Brian Vegh's Collaroy unit. Credit:Brian Vegh Surf lifesavers and police late on Monday searched for the swimmer, who was last seen jumping into the water at 2.30pm from rocks at the southern end of the beach that had been closed due to the conditions.

NSW Police suspended the search at 5.30pm, but it resumed again at first light on Tuesday. The floods at Camden in Sydney's south-west. Credit:Curtis Aviation, www.curtisaviation.com.au It came after the bodies of three men were found submerged in floodwaters at Leppington in Sydney's south-west, Bowral in the Southern Highlands and in the ACT. Police on Monday said they were at a loss as to why motorists continued to drive through floodwaters despite repeated warnings about the risks associated with doing so. A four-wheel-drive vehicle in Paddys River upstream from the Cotter Reserve in the ACT. The driver died after trying to cross the raging torrent. Credit:Graham Tidy

"What do we have to say to get the message across?" Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Kyle Stewart said. The SES spokesman said, even after it was revealed that three people had died in floodwaters, another motorist in Bomaderry, near Nowra, had to be rescued from floodwaters on Monday night. Collaroy, the morning after the big storm. Credit:Peter Rae "We had someone late last night drive around a barrier, and they had to be rescued," the spokesman said. "It's extremely disappointing and very frustrating."

The SES has performed 300 flood rescues since the weekend, which was a "massive amount", the spokesman said, while the organisation has received 10,289 requests for assistance state-wide since the emergency began. NSW Premier Mike Baird spent Monday surveying the destruction caused over the weekend, including on Sydney's northern beaches. He also visited parts of the city's south-west on the Georges River where residents in low-lying areas such as Milperra and Chipping Norton experienced their worst flooding in almost 30 years. "We come with a heavy heart," Mr Baird said. "It was a storm so ferocious, it took life from us. All the property damage goes into insignificance." Mr Baird said he didn't discount the hardships faced by those with homes ripped apart.

"Your home comes after that so it's very difficult," he said. The storm that saturated much of the NSW coast over the weekend has moved offshore but the Bureau of Meteorology warned that dangerous waves would continue to pound the coastline and that abnormally high tides were likely to increase the risk of flooding and beach erosion. "We're not completely out of the woods yet," bureau forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara said. On Monday morning, Collaroy residents returned to assess the damage and found up to 10-15 metres of waterfront land had been washed away. An in-ground swimming pool from one property had been swept onto the beach while several million-dollar homes hang precariously on the edge of sand cliffs.

Collaroy Surf Club has been severely damaged by the pounding surf and the nearby Collaroy Beach Club has closed its doors for now after waves ripped apart its beachfront balcony, the cool room and part of the sea wall. The club's chief executive Rob McConnell said waves were towering over the building about 10pm on Sunday night. "The old building just gave way," Mr McConnell said. "She is 100-years-old so we just have to put her back together again." Huge swells are believed to have undermined the foundations of the Coogee Surf Club, in the city's east, which is now also at risk of collapse. In the city's south-west dozens of roads were submerged and properties destroyed. The Georges River peaked at Milperra at 4.33 metres at midnight  its highest level since April 1988. The Nepean River also burst its banks, with three bridges in Camden going under. "The last time I saw a good flood in Camden was in 1990, when I was 16," said Craig Marshall from Curtis Aviation, who surveyed the damage from the air on Monday.
Last week the United States warned the football tournament could be a terror target but said there was no specific threat that triggered the warning. Fair bit around on the election today. John Howard is out campaigning for a former staffer, now the ex-junior minister, Jamie Briggs who was dumped from the frontbench in disgrace after an incident in a Hong Kong bar. Mr Howard is rubbishing Nick Xenophon's chances of clinching the lower house seat of Mayo, along with a swag of Senate spots as the major parties fear. Malcolm Turnbull released a video about his Battler Dad and your interpretation of this appears to depend upon which way you vote - cringeworthy (Labor), touching (Liberal).

4. Brexit Bomb Prime Minister David Cameron speaks after attending a Sky News interview with Faisal Islam. Credit:POOL What is it with Tories and war? Prime Minister David Cameron is warning leaving the EU would be akin to putting a "bomb" under the economy by weakening the value of the pound. For the past few weeks the Remainers have had the lead. Now that's shifting. And if Leave wins we will be able to pinpoint the release of the migration figures as the moment when momentum changed in favour of the Brexiters.

As if on cue, the value of the pound fell as polls shows the Leavers in front for the first time. 5. Nuclear submarines A leading think tank will recommend Australia considers nuclear submarines. This story is covered in the Financial Review and the Adelaide Advertiser. Conveniently, if adopted, this fits neatly with the surprise decision by the government to award the French with the contract to build the new submarines - DCNS makes nuclear subs and its proposed model for Australia is a modified version. 6. World's most powerful women German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the media during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as part of a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) Credit:Michael Sohn
A deal between the Victorian Labor Premier and the militant firefighters' union is threatening to hamper Bill Shorten's push to win seats in his home state.

With many marginal seats either in Labor's sights, or needing to be sand bagged, fears are growing that Premier Daniel Andrews' decision to back in a deal with the United Firefighters Union will damage the ALP campaign.

PM Malcolm Turnbull has joined the criticism of the Andrews government's treatment of CFA volunteers. Credit:Daniel Pockett

Mr Andrews' controversial decision has infuriated tens of thousands of volunteers who are panicked that it will undermine their work. The CFA board is "seriously concerned" it will reduce their ability to allocate and manage resources.
Electoral authorities are examining an offer by an Adelaide businessman to donate $500,000 to the Liberal Democratic Party in return for a guaranteed position as the party's lead Senate candidate in South Australia.

The Australian Electoral Commission said it was "concerned" about a written agreement, revealed by Fairfax Media, in which property developer and former abattoir owner Roostam Sadri indicated he was willing to fund the party in return for a start in politics.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the AEC confirmed the matter had been referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation.
YourVote is designed to stimulate informed debate on policies and issues throughout the election campaign by making it easier for voters to find out what the parties stand for. Professor Andre Krouwel invented the Kieskompas  a tool designed to boost accountability and transparency through greater scrutiny of policies. It does not tell you who to vote for, but it is designed to bring policy debates back to the fore, at a time when election campaigns revolve much more around the personalities of leaders, the adversarial horse race between the major parties, and one dimensional opinion polls. Increasing the emphasis on policies is particularly important in the Australian context, which has traditionally been characterised by high rates of partisan attachment. Through YourVote, we want to challenge voters to go beyond the personalities of the leaders and any previous assumptions about parties and their brands, to the main policy debates that divide candidates  or, as is the case is in the current Australian political climate, unite them  in this campaign. We believe that discussion about policies  a bi-product of participating in projects like YourVote  contributes to a more engaged and informed level of political debate.

YourVote also helps to hold parties and politicians to account for what they've previously said their stance is on issues of current relevance to voters. A global mission for more politically engaged voters In The Netherlands and Sweden, 40 per cent of the population participates in interactive projects like YourVote. In some countries these tools have revealed trends that signal possible outcomes that are not indicated in traditional opinion polls, such as a developing lack of trust in a party leader, or swing voting patterns. "In Portugal and Sweden we could identify the groups of voters  the block switchers  that cross from left to right and determine elections," Krouwel told Fairfax Media from Amsterdam. Krouwel's projects are not limited to developed democracies. The most challenging environments are where there is no press freedom. He cited projects in Turkey, Venezuela, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen as examples.

"It is dangerous for journalists to mention such an academic project that analyses policy positions of parties and candidates," he said. "In Yemen, the team works in a war zone. The constant violence means that nobody is busy with democracy, but the young academics and activists making the platform there keep telling us that they need to focus on the future because the present is too depressing." In some countries, team members have been threatened by the authorities, and even their universities which feared a backlash, to try and stop them participating in the projects. In Tunisia, during the 2011 Arab Spring, newspapers and radio stations that partnered or reported on the local Kieskompas project faced harassment, Krouwel said. "But repression by power-holders, authorities, and authoritarian leaders does not deter my brave colleagues from attempting to make elections more transparent." In many countries, finding the money for such projects is also difficult. But in democratic contexts, the unwillingness of parties to fully disclose their positions on issues can be the biggest challenge, according to Krouwel.

How does YourVote work? As the election was called, our team of researchers, led by academic experts from the University of Sydney, identified the key themes of the 2016 poll. These included healthcare, economic management, education, and migration. From there, we carefully developed 30 statements reflecting contestable issues for the YourVote online application to measure. The statements were chosen for their salience, but they do not represent every policy nuance that divides the parties in the campaign. YourVote provides an easy, interactive way for Australians to check which of the three major parties comes closest to their own policy views on a range of important election issues. Firstly, you're asked to rate your position on a five-point scale in response to the 30 key thematic political statements.

Statements you're asked to identify your level of agreement with include: Marriage should only be between a man and a woman

The government should regulate for more affordable housing, even if this means higher taxes

Penalty rates should be maintained for those working on Sundays and public holidays

The government should set higher renewable energy targets, even if it leads to higher electricity costs Once you've rated your responses to the 30 statements, YourVote will compare your preferences to the positions of each of the major political parties. You'll then be able to see your positioning, relative to the parties', on a "political landscape" that is designed around the main dividing lines in Australian politics. The parties' positions have been substantiated using policy statements, party platforms, media releases, interviews, party websites and speeches, along with authoritative media coverage.

Additionally, you'll be able to weight your results according to the issues that matter most to you. What role do political parties play in YourVote? Academic research reveals that citizen engagement with VAAs like YourVote increases political knowledge and interest in election policies. In turn, more confident and better informed voters are more likely to head to the polling booth on election day. "While traditional ways of mobilising voters, such as handing out leaflets, can increase the turnout by 0.5 per cent, VAA's tend to boost the number of people casting their vote from 2 to no less than 13 per cent  depending on the election," Krouwel observed. The potential for tools such as YourVote to substantially increase voter turnout, may explain why the political parties in developed democracies appear so bent on trying to influence the assessment of their policy positions by researchers and journalists working on such projects. However, YourVote is built on Kieskompas' rigorously independent scientific methodology which is designed to resist political interference.

The initial research phase of this project was conducted without contact with the political parties or their representatives. But at the end of this process, YourVote presented the 30 statements selected by the research team to the three political parties covered, to allow them to "self-position" against the statements. Once the parties' coding was received, the researchers examined the data for discrepancies between the academic coding and the parties' self-assessment. Where discrepancies were found, the data was re-examined and the research team made a final, independent determination of the parties' positions against each statement. To be clear: the positioning of the parties on the issues was ultimately determined by our research team, not the political parties.

What role do Fairfax Media and our audiences play? Despite the democratisation of media channels through the rise of social media, Krouwel argues that mainstream news publishers, such as Fairfax Media, are still essential partners in projects like YourVote. "Mainstream media still have the ability to reach large sections of society, and different groups within society, and they play a great role in understanding the political and social reality, whereas some online communities have become echo chambers," he said. "We believe online technology and platforms for collecting large sets of data on voter opinions are a big part of the future of journalism. The vox pop is now a virtual one." Your role in YourVote goes beyond using the tool to help inform your voting choice. Our research team will measure your contributions to map potential voting trends, and watch your comments on social media, regarding constructive contributions as "wisdom of the crowd".
Every northern spring, the top US colleges roll out a program of graduation (or commencement) speakers that would not look out of place on the guest list of an Oscars after party.

This year, Harvard's Class of 2016 heard from Steven Spielberg, the University of Pennsylvania played host to Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, while graduates from the University of Georgia were treated to an address by former American Idol host (and Keeping Up with the Kardashians creator) Ryan Seacrest.

Matt Damon delivers the commencement address to graduating students at MIT. Credit:Getty Images

And, over the weekend, actor Matt Damon returned to the set of his 1997 film Good Will Hunting to send off the Class of 2016 at Boston's Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The 45-year-old actor started his humorous address by apologising that the students had ended up with him as their speaker, explaining that previous speakers included Nobel Prize winners. The UN Secretary General. President of the World Bank. President of the United States.
Three people are dead and at least three others are missing in the wake of the severe storm that smashed south eastern Australia over recent days. Torrential rain battered three states: New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as an east coast low unleashed its fury.

The picture below was taken at Collaroy beach, on Sydney's northern beaches, in the aftermath of a king tide which coincided with the storm. Waterfront homes were left teetering, and an entire swimming pool from one property slipped on to the beach.

The storm left some of Sydney's beaches looking like they'd been hit by a cyclone, with daylight on Monday revealing a carpet of debris left behind. One woman told the ABC that she'd lost up to 10 metres of her back yard in the storm. "It was ferocious...it was a hell of a storm," she said.
Sydney's most expensive private school has asked the Presbyterian Church for advice on what the church describes as the "homosexual agenda", in the event that a same-sex couple wanted to enrol their child at the school.

The Scots College, which shot to public attention in February after the church removed the school's entire ruling council, asked the church for guidance at an Emergency General meeting last year.

"The Scots College has requested the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee to prepare a statement on a biblical response to the homosexual agenda and wishes to be able to respond rightly in the event that a same-sex couple might seek to enrol a boy within the College," the confidential minutes of the meeting in September reveal.
Nearly two years of industrial relations battles across the public service could be a game changer this election, says one senate hopeful.

David Smith, ACT director of the Professional Australia union representing technical public servants, has taken leave from work to campaign as Labor's second ACT senate candidate.

Public service battles loom as election issue. Credit:Paul Harris

He is confident frustration within the public sector may dictate outcomes in the bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro  held by assistant finance minister Peter Hendy  as well as Lindsay and Hindmarsh.

"I think it's going to have a huge impact on the election because you've got to look past the raw numbers of job losses and think of the public servants themselves, then it becomes a large group of voters," he said.
Eddie Obeid's wife Judith and two of the couple's five sons will be called to give evidence in his criminal trial over alleged business dealings at Circular Quay, the Supreme Court has heard.

Dressed in a grey suit and blue tie, the former minister and member of the NSW upper house appeared in the historic Darlinghurst Supreme Court on Monday to stand trial for misconduct in public office.

Eddie Obeid at the Darlinghust Supreme Court on Monday. Credit:Edwina Pickles

"I am not guilty, Your Honour," he called from the mahogany dock.

The 72-year-old is accused of wilful misconduct for failing to reveal he had a personal, family or financial interest in two cafe leases on the wharves at Circular Quay when lobbying a senior bureaucrat about the plight of leaseholders in 2007.
NSW has a new electoral commissioner - and appropriately enough, given the recent political donations scandals engulfing the state Liberal party, he comes armed with anti-money laundering experience.

John Schmidt is a former chief executive of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), the federal agency responsible for fighting money laundering and terrorism financing.

New sheriff comes armed: NSW electoral commissioner John Schmidt. Credit:Louie Douvis

Mr Schmidt, who starts a seven year term on August 8, will take his place on a three member electoral commission panel with investigative powers to regulate political donations in NSW.

The panel's chair, Keith Mason, announced in March the commission was withholding $4.4 million in public funding from the NSW Liberal party until it declares who donated $693,000 to it via a fundraising body, the Free Enterprise Foundation before the 2011 state election.
Metre by metre, Amanda Collins watched on as the ocean tore away at her beachfront property.

By 9pm on Sunday night, emergency services came knocking on her door.

"We could see our fence fall and then our deck fall. We knew it wasn't going to stop because the storm was still going," she said while waiting for engineers to assess her property the next day.

"It was relentless."
The NSW State Emergency Services says no evacuations have been ordered despite warnings of minor flooding as the swollen Queanbeyan River reaches its peak.

A moderate flood warning was issued for the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate with water levels to peak at 6.1 metres at 3pm, after heavy rain pounded the eastern coast of Australia.

Caravan park resident Ross Ferguson said this flood was "moderate". Credit:Jamila Toderas

Up to 40 Queanbeyan SES volunteers worked throughout the night responding to leaking roofs and other emergencies, public information officer Brett Hunter said.

Unlike the death of a 37-year-old Kambah man in flood waters in the ACT, he said there were no critical incidents.
Building homes and units so close to the water was an "accident waiting to happen", one of Australia's leading coastal management experts said as several properties remained teetering over the ocean on Sydney's northern beaches on Monday afternoon.

Professor Andrew Short said it was predictable that a major storm would pose a threat to waterfront houses at Collaroy and Narrabeen and for too long governments had put the problem in the "too hard or too expensive basket".

"Collaroy Beach is the most at-risk part of the NSW coast. It has been at risk for more than a 100 years and essentially nothing has been done for those 100 years," Professor Short, from the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences, said.
Dangerously addictive ice is rated the No.1 problem by a high percentage of drug users in the triangle of Brisbane southside, Inala and Logan.

More than 28 per cent of drug users in this area say ice is their major drug problem - higher than the Queensland-wide figure of 24 per cent of users rating ice as their main scourge - behind only alcohol and cannabis.

The federal government has allocated $6.4 million to tackle to growing ice epidemic on Brisbane's southside.

That prompted the federal government on Monday to announce $6.4 million for extra drug and addiction services between Mt Gravatt, Inala and Kooralbyn to tackle the ice epidemic.

The funding is part of the $300 million announced in the National Ice Taskforce Final Report by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in December 2015.
Using the aging Go Card system to power an innovative plan to link taxis with buses, trains and ferries would be impossible, a prominent public transport advocate warns.

But Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow more broadly welcomed the idea stemming from a review into taxis and ride-sharing, saying it could be possible with an upcoming next-generation payment system.

Public sector veteran Jim Varghese floated the idea of using taxis to service the troublesome "first and last mile" of the public transport network in his paper discussing options for resolving the ongoing Uber-taxi conflict.

He hoped the plan would provide an extra income stream for taxi drivers struggling with the introduction of American company Uber and potentially other ride-sharing services while "transforming" Brisbane's public transport network.
Queensland Rail says it warned the Newman government against installing a signalling system that eventually failed, delaying the opening of a rail link north of Brisbane.

In April 2014, QR was asked for advice on the train signalling system chosen for the Moreton Bay Rail Link between Kippa Ring and Petrie.

It advised against adopting the system, but the former government settled on it two months later.

Labor's Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe one week ago halted the likely midyear opening of the new $1.1 billion rail line for safety reasons after the signalling system failed.
Meet the growing inner-city dog walking business giving your dog the adventure you're too busy to take.

Operated by Tom Lillecrapp, 31, of Fitzroy, Melbourne  alongside his sleek Weimaraner; leggy two-year-old Captain  Tom and Captain bills its service as dog 'adventures', meaning off-lead, multi-terrain jaunts. No staid pacing around suburban blocks.

Tom Lillecrapp and his dog, Captain, lead the charge.

Their logo, visible everywhere from the vans that collect the dogs, to the snapback hat and sweater Lillecrapp wears while out, shows snowy peaks under a blazing sun, but if trips out to the Alps aren't quite on the cards, there's plenty of exploring to do in the byways of metropolitan Melbourne, like the winding paths of Yarra Bend  one of their favoured spots.

"An adventure is somewhere they can swim, where they can run around in long grass, where they can just be silly, and not have to worry about roads," Tom says.
Embattled Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett remains at her post following negotiations in the bitter CFA dispute, which continues to dog Premier Daniel Andrews.

But there is no resolution to the protracted war yet, with anger burning among volunteers about a deal that had been backed by the Premier that they fear would diminish the role of volunteers and impact on community safety.

Many on Spring Street expected Ms Garrett to resign if the Premier forced a deal through, but following talks on Monday and over the weekend it is understood an undertaking was given that the deal would not be rammed through cabinet.
Homeless protesters have started packing up and leaving a makeshift camp in City Square after being asked to "voluntarily move on" by Melbourne City Council.

For the past month, up to 30 people have remained at the makeshift campsite in City Square on the corner of Collins and Swanston streets to highlight the problem of homelessness in Melbourne.

A week ago, protesters said they would not move from the square until housing was provided for all people sleeping rough across the city. They also called for a 24-hour drop-in centre to be created in the CBD.

But in a statement sent to Fairfax Media shortly before 5pm on Monday, the council said it had asked protesters to leave the square.
The firefighting crisis rocking the Andrews government has been thrown into further turmoil with the CFA board declaring that it cannot sign the proposed pay and work deal with the union.

The decision, following a board meeting on Monday morning, will place further pressure on Premier Daniel Andrews to compromise on the pay deal with the United Firefighters Union which he has been backing.

The CFA board meeting happened as Mr Andrews met with his embattled Emergency Services Minister, Jane Garrett, who is understood to be considering quitting over the whole saga.
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:

This week was marked by another Georgian holiday. Thursday was their Independence Day. The country of Georgia has been independent for 25 years.

To mark the day, there was a big celebration in downtown Tbilisi. The U.S. Army is currently conducting a joint operation with the Georgians, so they have M-1 tanks as well as Bradley fighting vehicles in country. In the main square of town, the U.S. Army had their vehicles displayed along side of some domestically-produced military vehicles. The entire center of town was crowded with people attending concerts and all of the other attractions that were lining the main street.

Supra supper

The night before we attended a supra, a Georgian tradition. It consists of a meal and a lot of wine. It is a very regimented occasion that is run by toastmaster call a tamata.

Food is continually served, much more than you could ever eat. The tamata controls the event by offering toasts, giving speeches and telling stories. There are specific things that are toasted, and it is expected that you finish your glass with the toast. Toasting with anything other than wine is a sign of disrespect. If you are out in the crowd, you may be able to fake it, but I was at the head table where all the eyes were on me.

Before going, we had advice and/or wisdom passed to us to ensure that we made it through the night. Many of the traditions in a supra are there to help the attendees stay vertical.

Starting with the wine, only white wine is served. As one of the hosts explained to me, a day following a night of drinking red wine is very painful. Life experience has affirmed that that is a true statement.

The next hint was, start eating bread before you start drinking and continue eating throughout the night. The bread, according to them, puts up a barrier and slows the adsorption of alcohol. There were other foods and soups that were served that had other magical powers.

It all must have worked because we all left under our own power. It was about six the next morning before it caught up to me and I had to pray to the porcelain gods.

Fireworks

The next day, at the celebration downtown, it was rough. I was not able to crawl out of bed in time for breakfast so the only thing I had to eat was a bag of mini donuts I paid a gypsy 50 cents for. Along with a few bottles of water, that was about all I was in the mood for.

I was intending on staying in town for an hour or so and going back home to bed. Twelve hours later, I had not been home yet, and I was sitting in the most expensive restaurant in town waiting for a fireworks display. Half of the restaurant was closed off because it was hosting politicians as well as diplomats in the country.

Just when the fireworks were to start, there was a thunderstorm. We called our driver, and we headed down off the hill the restaurant was located on. As we pulled on the main road, the fireworks started. I wished I had made it back to bed 10 hours before.

We ended up working Friday and Saturday to make up for the time lost in the middle of the week. A couple of us went out for dinner on Saturday night. I could not stand the thought of Georgian food or wine at that point, so I had pizza and beer.

The pizza was great, but I had trouble getting down the beer. I must be getting old. I fared better than most though; the Marines attribute it to me being from Wisconsin. I guess we do have traditions that would prepare one for a culture like this.

This series began in the March 20 edition of The Dunn County News and can also be found at www.dunnconnect.com
Jersey City: Donald Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Muammar Gaddafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

"Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Mr Trump said in an interview with CBS' Face the Nation that aired on Sunday.

Muammar Gaddafi's tent pitched by the Libyan government on Donald Trump's suburban New York City estate. Credit:Mary Altaffer

"He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay.

"He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there," Mr Trump said. "And it became sort of a big joke."
In an interview with The Washington Post early Monday morning, Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen confirmed that the letter had been submitted to the court before Turner's sentencing last week and criticised the letter for reducing a brutal sexual assault to "20 minutes of action." He also slammed Turner and his father for refusing to own up to the crime. "To this day, the defendant denies what he did," Mr Rosen said, adding that Turner "preyed upon" his victim and displayed violence. Brock Turner's attorney did not return a request for comment regarding Dan Turner's letter. The controversial letter emerged three days after prosecutors released another letter, this one written by the victim, who has not been named. The two letters stand in stark contrast. While Dan Turner's has been described as myopic, the victim's has been called powerful and moving.

The victim's letter begins by bluntly addressing her attacker. "You don't know me, but you've been inside me, and that's why we're here today," she read in court. She then described how she decided to attend a party so she could spend time with her younger sister. "I made silly faces, let my guard down, and drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college," she said. "The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway. I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow. I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus. I was very calm and wondering where my sister was. A deputy explained I had been assaulted. I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. I knew no one at this party. When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing." She described in painful detail how the hospital staff documented her assault with probes and swabs, "shots, pills, had a Nikon pointed right into my spread legs. . . . "I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else."

She described Turner as a predator picking off "the wounded antelope of the herd, completely alone and vulnerable, physically unable to fend for myself. . . ." She added: "Sometimes I think, if I hadn't gone, then this never would've happened. But then I realised, it would have happened, just to somebody else. You were about to enter four years of access to drunk girls and parties, and if this is the foot you started off on, then it is right you did not continue." "You do not get to shrug your shoulders and be confused anymore," she said of his conviction. "You have been convicted of violating me with malicious intent, and all you can admit to is consuming alcohol. Do not talk about the sad way your life was upturned because alcohol made you do bad things." And yet, that is essentially the tone of Turner's father's letter. Dan Turner's letter begins with brisk reference to the sexual assault.

"First of all, let me say that Brock is absolutely devastated by the events of January 17th and 18th 2015," it says. "He would do anything to turn back the hands of time and have that night to do over again. In many one-on-one conversations with Brock since that day, I can tell you that he is truly sorry for what occurred that night and for all the pain and suffering that it has caused for all those involved and impacted by that night. He has expressed true remorse for his actions on that night." Mr Rosen said, however, that Brock Turner never accepted responsibility for the assault. Had he done so, prosecutors probably would have agreed to a sentence of less than six years. Dan Turner's letter then launches into a description of his son's "easygoing personality" and the "inner strength" that made him such a good swimmer. Dan Turner said he and his son were "totally in awe" of Stanford's campus, and noted with pride the school's 4 per cent acceptance rate. Turner then described his son not as a sexual predator, but as a victim.

"He excelled in school that quarter earning the top GPA for all freshmen on the swim team," the father wrote in his letter. "What we didn't realise was the extent to which Brock was struggling being so far from home. . . . When Brock was home during the Christmas break, he broke down and told us how much he was struggling to fit in socially. "In hindsight, it's clear that Brock was desperately trying to fit in at Stanford and fell into the culture of alcohol consumption and partying," Dan Turner concluded. "This culture was modelled by many of the upperclassmen on the swim team and played a role in the events of Jan 17th and 18th 2015." During the trial, prosecutors had argued that Brock Turner was part of a bigger problem. "He may not look like a rapist, but he is the... face of campus sexual assault," Deputy District Attorney Alaleh Kianerci told the jury, according to the San Jose Mercury News. In his letter to the judge, however, Dan Turner appeared to be flipping this script, using the pervasiveness of the problem as a shield to hide his son's personal responsibility.

The Internet was not having it. Prompting particular social media outrage was the way Dan Turner portrayed his son's suffering. "His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression," the father wrote. "You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite. Brock always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook himself. I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or to get his favourite steak for him... Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist." The letter, which was first published by liberal website ThinkProgess, makes no explicit reference to Brock Turner's victim, meanwhile. Despite what critics called its tone-deafness, however, the letter apparently worked.

Judge Aaron Persky agreed with probation officials' recommendation that Turner receive only six months in jail. "A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him... I think he will not be a danger to others," the judge said, citing Turner's youth and lack of criminal record, the Guardian reported. Mr Rosen said he was disappointed that Judge Persky did not sentence Turner to more time. At the same time, the prosecutor said he saw a silver lining in how the case and Turner's lenient sentence had "led to a frank discussion about how to prevent campus sexual assault and what those campuses should do when it happens. "Honestly, what has helped to create such national attention in this case is the eloquence of the victim," he added. "Never in my 20 years as a prosecutor have I seen a more eloquent victim statement."

Mr Rosen said her letter had done more than just tell her tale. It had "come to represent the truth of thousands of sexual assault victims have experienced as well." Indeed, her letter slammed Brock Turner for his solipsism. "You said, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life," she wrote. "Ruin a life, one life, yours, you forgot about mine. Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. . . . "You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again. You knocked down both our towers, I collapsed at the same time you did. Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today."
"Minister of war" Omar al-Shishani stands next to an IS spokesman among a group of fighters. The US said he was killed in March. Credit:AP After the killing of al-Anbari, seven or eight IS officials in Mosul were taken into custody and have since disappeared, their fates unknown, said the informant. In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the biggest city held by IS across its "caliphate" stretching across Syria and Iraq, a succession of militants who held the post of "wali" or governor, in the province have died in airstrikes. As a result, those appointed to governor posts have asked not to be identified and they limit their movements, the Iraqi informant told The Associated Press. Iraqi intelligence officials allowed the AP to speak by phone with the informant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his life. An Islamic State fighter opens fire on Iraqi forces in this photo distributed by the militant group. Credit:AP The purge comes at a time when IS has lost ground in both Syria and Iraq. An Iraqi government offensive recaptured the western city of Ramadi from IS earlier this year, and another mission is underway to retake the nearby city of Fallujah.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said some IS fighters began feeding information to the coalition about targets and movements of the group's officials because they needed money after the extremist group sharply reduced salaries in the wake of coalition and Russian airstrikes on IS-held oil facilities earlier this year. The damage and the loss of important IS-held supply routes into Turkey have reportedly hurt the group's financing. Iraq fighters take a selfie while firing artillery against Islamic State militants in Fallujah, Iraq. Credit:AP "They have executed dozens of fighters on charges of giving information to the coalition or putting [GPS] chips in order for the aircraft to strike at a specific area," said Abdurrahman, referring to IS in Syria. The militants have responded with methods of their own for rooting out spies, said the informant. For example, they have fed false information to a suspect member about the movements of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and if an airstrike follows on the alleged location, they know the suspect is a spy, he said. A soldier with Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces dresses next to his vehicle on the front line in Fallujah, Iraq, on Sunday. Credit:AP

They also stop fighters in the street and inspect their mobile phones, sometimes making the fighter call any unusual numbers in front of them to see who they are. "Daesh is now concentrating on how to find informers because they have lost commanders that are hard to replace," said a senior Iraqi intelligence official in Baghdad, using the Arabic acronym for the group. "Now any IS commander has the right to kill a person whom they suspect is an informer for the coalition." Another Iraqi intelligence official said at least 10 IS fighters and security officials in Mosul were killed by the group in April on suspicion of giving information to the coalition because of various strikes in the city. Mosul also saw one of the most brutal killings of suspected informants last month, when about a dozen fighters and civilians were drowned in a vat filled with acid, one senior Iraqi intelligence official said. IS also killed several dozen of its own members in Anbar, including some mid-level officials after Wuhayerb, a militant veteran who first served for al-Qeida, was killed in an airstrike last month.

Some of the suspects were shot dead in front of other IS fighters as a lesson, the Iraqi officials said. The story is repeated each time a commander or "official" is killed by the coalition. Non-IS members are also often caught up in the hunt for spies. In the Tabqa, near Raqqa, IS fighters brought a civilian, Abdul-Hadi Issa, into the main square before dozens of onlookers and announced he was accused of spying. A masked militant then stabbed him in the heart and, with the knife still stuck in the man's chest, the fighter shot him in the head with a pistol. Issa's body was hanged in the square with a large piece of paper on his chest proclaiming the crime and the punishment. IS circulated photos of the killing on social media. According to al-Talawy, several other IS members were killed in the town of Sukhna near the central Syrian city of Palmyra on charges of giving information to the coalition about IS bases in the area as well as trying to locate places where al-Baghdadi might be. Sherfan Darwish, of the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces, which has been spearheading the fight against IS in Syria, said there is panic in IS-held areas where the extremists have killed people simply for having telecommunications devices in their homes.
China has launched a major charm offensive across the south Pacific to win diplomatic support for its chain of artificial islands.

Vanuatu has become the first country in the Pacific to publicly pledge "full understanding and support" for Beijing's stance in the increasingly tense South China Sea dispute.

In dispute: An aerial view of a Taiwan-controlled island in the South China Sea. Credit:AP

China, which has recently surged to become one of the biggest foreign aid donors in a region traditionally dominated by Australia, has also targeted Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea in a bid to win their backing.
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72% of Russians Feel the United States is a Threat

"Pity the poor Russians, the heirs to Byzantium, in an Era dominated by the descendants of Rome." -- Richard Pipes

According to a poll conducted by the Levada Center, 72% of Russians consider the U.S. is a threat, 48% think Ukraine is "hostile" and 29% think Turkey is an enemy, newspapers reported.

The United States topped the list of countries, being named as hostile by 72 percent of respondents, followed by Ukraine with 48 percent of respondents. It is the highest level ever recorded for the Ukraine, which was seen as an enemy by only 37 percent of those surveyed in 2015. Russia is occupying territory that one belonged to Ukraine, including Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

Turkey was seen as an enemy by 29 percent of Russians, a dramatic shift for the country, which was considered hostile by only 1 percent of Russian respondents in 2015.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have been considered "bad" by Russians since 2014, Levada Center Deputy Director Alexei Grazhdankin said. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014.

"There are more and more Russians who see Ukraine as an enemy. As long as the conflict is not solved, it affects Russia's world image. That has an impact on the lives of ordinary Russians, such as the weakening of the ruble, the inability to travel abroad," Grazhdankin told Vedomosti.

Ties between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated considerably since the downing of a Russian SU-24 by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015. The incident caused outrage in Russia and was followed by a package of economic sanctions imposed on Turkey by the Kremlin.

"If tensions [between Ankara and Moscow] are not resolved, Russians' attitude toward the country will deteriorate further," Grazhdankin said, Vedomosti reported.

Belarus, Kazakhstan and China were named as Russia's closest allies, with half of all respondents believing Belarus to have a friendly attitude toward Russia. Kazakhstan and China were named by 39 and 34 percent respectively, according to the poll.

Ten percent of the respondents also mentioned Syria among Russia's allies this year, compared to only 2 percent in 2015. The change is likely connected to Russia's role providing assistance to the country's army at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The poll also showed a fall in the number of Russians in favor of becoming part of the European Union. Only 24 percent of respondents wanted Russia to join the organization, down from 53 percent in August 2009.

Grazhdankin said that the results of the poll depended heavily on the foreign policy of other countries: "If ties [with other countries] become less tense, the number of Russians viewing them negatively will decrease, just as we've seen this year with Britain, France and Germany."

Political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin noted that Russians' attitude to other countries are greatly affected by what is shown on television as many citizens have never traveled abroad, Vedomosti reported.

The survey was conducted May 20-23 throughout 48 Russian regions. Data was compiled from personal interviews. The statistical margin of error does not exceed 4.1 percent.

Why Do The Russians Feel So Isolated and Alone

People who are surprised by certain recurrences in Russian history apparently are not aware that popular culture changes very slowly, if at all.

U.S. history is a good example. The U.S. emancipated itself from Britain 250 years ago, forming a republic intended to be unique. Yet even today, our political and legal culture is thoroughly imbued with concepts and values inherited from Britain.

Russians are no different, carrying in their minds and hearts the fears and hopes inherited from their ancestors. The most ambitious and cruel attempt undertaken in human history to create a new "Soviet man" proved a dismal failure. When I read public opinion polls conducted in post-Soviet Russia, I am struck by how many of the opinions expressed resemble those of Tsarist Russia.

Take, for example, the political system. Russians mistrust democracy because they identify it with chaos and crime. When asked what they value more - security or freedom - they overwhelmingly opt for security, apparently unaware that the two are not incompatible.

They want their government to be strong to protect them from foreign and domestic enemies, most of which are imaginary. They also have believed for centuries that Russia has a right to be a superpower, feared rather than respected.

Another recurrent theme in Russian behavior is low respect for law and private property. Until 1864, Russia had no legal system worthy of the name. Foreign travelers to pre-1864 Russia often noted that Russians were subject to arbitrary judgments by the tsar and his officials. And even after the 1864 judiciary reforms were enacted, political crimes were judged not by courts but by administrative bodies. Contempt for law, therefore, survives to this day. According to public opinion polls, the majority of Russians regard the courts as corrupt.

Historically speaking, private property is the basis of freedom. In countries where it is respected, the government depends on its citizens for essential income and thus must respect their rights. Until the late 18th century in Tsarist Russia, private property, for all practical purposes, did not exist. All the land, the main source of wealth, belonged to the monarch, who leased it to his nobles in return for service. He not only ruled the country, he literally owned it.

Furthermore, owing to the institution of the rural community, the peasants, who made up four-fifths of the country's population, did not own the land they tilled but merely held it in temporary possession. As a result of this historical heritage, reinforced by seven decades of communism, Russians have a low opinion of property as a basic human right.

Another significant inheritance from the past is hostility to the outside world, especially Europe and the U.S. This attitude has religious origins. The Russian Orthodox Church, which for centuries dominated thinking and attitudes in the country, inculcated in its followers the belief that Western religions were heretical. This view became secularized in modern times and translates into a sense that the West is hostile. Asked in 1998 "Do you feel European?" a mere 12 percent of the respondents replied "yes, always," whereas 56 percent said "practically never." As a result, many Russians perceive themselves as isolated from the outside world.

I believe that once a majority of Russians start realizing that their country is not threatened from the outside, they will be able to devote themselves more assiduously to changing their attitudes and institutions, among which rule of law and human rights are the most important.

Richard Pipes, a historian and professor emeritus at Harvard University, is author of "Russia Under the Old Regime" and "Property and Freedom." This comment appeared in Vedomosti.
Sanders Campaign Makes California a Priority as Campaign Comes Down to Wire

What better place for a 73 year old to close out a US Presidential campaign, then a 100 year old pier?

Bernie Sanders made a surprise visit this afternoon on the Santa Monica Pier. He looked like any other grandfather, as he rode the Pier's 120 year old carousel with his grandson.

Sanders shook hands and stopped for photos and mingled with the always huge summer crowd on the pier. For more than an hour Sunday along the shops, restaurants and amusement park rides of the California landmark. The Vermont senator reminded voters about the state's California primary, urging them to vote.

Sanders stopped by a charity "Pedal on the Pier" fundraiser, telling people riding on stationary bikes that the U.S. should have "an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent."

Sanders and his wife, Jane, wrapped up the excursion by standing alongside grandchildren Dylan and Ella Driscoll as the kids sat atop horses and rode on the Santa Monica Carousel.

What better place for a 73 year old to close out a US Presidential campaign, then a 100 year old pier?

Bernie Sanders is looking for votes on the Santa Monica Pier, even taking his grandchildren for a ride on the pier's carousel.

Sanders shook hands and stopped for photos during a stroll of more than an hour Sunday along the shops, restaurants and amusement park rides of the California landmark. The Vermont senator reminded voters about the state's California primary, urging them to vote.

Sanders stopped by a charity "Pedal on the Pier" fundraiser, telling people riding on stationary bikes that the U.S. should have "an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent."

Sanders and his wife, Jane, wrapped up the excursion by standing alongside grandchildren Dylan and Ella Driscoll as the kids sat atop horses and rode on the Santa Monica Carousel.
Sanders within 2 points of Hillary Clinton in Latest Polls

Update: Bernie Sanders is in Santa Monica again tonight, Sunday night, campaigning this time at the Santa Monica Pier. In Culver City, has has been seen at Tanner's Coffee on Sepulveda. The guy is really trying hard, that's for sure!

In the last 30 days, the State of California has registered 650,000 new voters, 500,000 Democrats, and 138,000 Republicans. This is a hint that young people are registering, specifically so they can vote for Bernie Sanders. This author predicts he will win the California primary, and surprise the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The New York Times and LA Times agree that the Vermont Senator is close to leading Hillary Clinton in the polls. In fact one poll, released May 26 by the Public Policy Institute of California, showed Mrs. Clinton leading Mr. Sanders among likely voters.

About half of California voters will have voted by mail prior to the polls even opening on Tuesday, June 7th. But the polling places are also important, and Sanders Voters are much more energized and much more likely to show up than Clinton supporters.

This was supposed to be a showdown between two family scions; Hillary of the Clinton's, and Jeb of the Bushes. On the Republican side, "Low Energy Jeb" was almost the first candidate of 17 to drop out.

On the Democratic side, ironically, almost the diametric opposite has happened. A total of six major candidates entered the race starting April 12, 2015, when former Secretary of State and New York Senator Hillary Clinton formally announced her second bid for the presidency. She was followed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, and Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig. There was some speculation that incumbent Vice President Joe Biden would also enter the race, but he chose not to run. A draft movement was started to encourage Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to seek the presidency, but Warren declined to run.

The other candidates quickly dropped out of the democratic primary.

Prior to the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016, Webb (citing frustration with Democratic Party leadership) and Chafee withdrew due to low polling numbers. Lawrence Lessig withdrew after the rules of a debate were changed such that he would no longer qualify to participate.[3] Clinton won Iowa by the closest margin in the history of the caucuses over Sanders, in what would be a rare caucus victory for her. O'Malley suspended his campaign after a distant third-place finish, leaving Clinton and Sanders the only two candidates. The electoral battle turned out to be more competitive than expected, with Sanders winning the New Hampshire primary while Clinton scored victories in the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary. On three different Super Tuesdays Clinton secured numerous important wins while Sanders scored various victories in between.

Precisely because of the tenacity of the Sanders campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton is perceived as weak, both by the electorate and the Washington elite. The two are neck and neck in the California Democratic primary, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released today. Among surveyed voters likely to participate in the California primary, the former Secretary of State polled at 49 percent and Sanders at 47 percent. These numbers are similar to those in a poll released last week from PPIC, which showed Clinton at 46 percent and Sanders at 44 percent.

Clinton continues to hold a sizable lead over Sanders in her national delegate count, merely 73 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination. Clinton currently has 2,310 bound delegates and super-delegates who have pledged to vote for Clinton at the Democratic National Convention.

The California primary has reasonably been considered the last big prizes of the primary season. Sanders and Clinton will be battling for 546 delegates in the California Democratic primary, scheduled for June 7. Mrs. Clinton will probably garner the number of delegates she needs to win the Democratic nomination after votes are counted in New Jersey, where polls will close before California's because of the difference in time zones. But her loss in California will haunt her campaign into the convention.

According to NBC, the poll also showed that Sanders held a 36-percent advantage among voters younger than 45 and a 44-point lead among first-time voters. Even if Clinton wins the primary in California, these voters will continue to play an important role in the general election.

Also on June 7, Clinton and Sanders will compete in Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and North Dakota for 235 delegates.
Report removed from HuffPo over the Weekend; Clinton Foundation "Racketeering."

Update, 6/9/2016: President Obama today whole heartedly endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. This seems to create a conflict of interest for the Dept. of Justice, which has announced publicly that they are investigating her for violations of several statutes. It seems to require the appointment of an independent counsel prosecutor under statutes enacted in response to Nixon's transgressions. Stay tuned.

Last Saturday, a journalist employed by liberal Huffington Post reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will recommend that the Department of Justice file a Federal criminal complaint, indicting U.S. Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Frank Hugenard is a political scientist, public speaker and freelance contributor to the Huffington Post. He had his story removed by HuffPo editors and his account disabled without explanation. His article bore the title: ""Hillary Clinton to be Indicted On Federal Racketeering Charges" It quickly went viral before being removed.

FBI Director James Comey will present a recommendation to Loretta Lynch, Attorney General and head of the U.S. Department of Justice, that includes a compelling argument that the Clinton Foundation is an ongoing criminal enterprise engaged in money laundering and soliciting bribes in exchange for political, policy and legislative favors to individuals, corporations and even governments both foreign and domestic.

Huguenard, a Bernie Sanders supporter, says that he has sources within the FBI. They say the Bureau will recommend that the DOJ file Racketeering charges against Mrs. Clinton.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a United States Federal Law passed in 1970 that was designed to provide a tool for law enforcement agencies to fight organized crime. RICO allows prosecution and punishment for alleged racketeering activity that has been executed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise.

Attorneys regard the RICO statute as unduly broad, and in the past it has been used to indict even legitimate businessmen for legitimate activities.

Hillary Clinton admits using her own server to send classified e-mails, which was against State Department policy at the time.

Activity considered to be racketeering may include bribery, counterfeiting, money laundering, embezzlement, illegal gambling, kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking, slavery, and a host of other nefarious business practices.

Huffington Post Politics senior editor Sam Stein claims to have no idea why the post was removed, and refused to give further comment when contacted by Breitbart News. Stein opined, "Sorry. I don't know. I'd direct your question to a blog editor."

A controversy arose in March 2015, when it was revealed by the State Department's inspector general that Clinton had exclusively used personal email accounts on a non-government, privately maintained server-in lieu of email accounts maintained on federal government servers-when conducting official business during her tenure as Secretary of State. Some experts, officials, members of Congress, and political opponents, contended that her use of private messaging system software and a private server violated State Department protocols and procedures, and federal laws and regulations governing record keeping requirements.

Nearly 2,100 emails contained in Clinton's server were retroactively marked classified by the State Department, though none of the emails were marked classified at the time they were sent. 65 were later classified as "secret", more than 20 were designated "top secret", and the rest were later designated as "confidential".

However, the intelligence community's inspector general wrote Congress to say that some of the emails "contained classified State Department information when originated."

In a joint statement released on July 15, 2015, the inspector general of the State Department and the inspector general of the intelligence community said that through their review of the emails, they found information that was classified when sent, remained so as of their inspection, and "never should have been transmitted via an unclassified personal system." They also stated unequivocally that those secrets never should have been stored outside of secure government computer systems. Mrs. Clinton had stated over a period of months that she kept no classified information on the private server that she set up in her house.

Government policy, reiterated in the nondisclosure agreement signed by Clinton as part of gaining her security clearance, is that sensitive information can be considered as classified even if not marked as such.[394] After allegations were raised that some of the emails in question fell into the so-called "born classified" category, an FBI probe was initiated regarding how classified information was handled on the Clinton server. In May 2016, the inspector general of the state department criticized her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state stating that she had not requested permission to use it and even if she had, she would not have been given permission.

The controversy occurred against the backdrop of Clinton's 2016 presidential election campaign and hearings by the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

Perhaps the plan is to quietly indict Mrs. Clinton, have her plead guilty to violation of email regulations, pay a $10,000 fine, and then move on with the presidential race. Bill Clinton was actually impeached for committing perjury in 1998, but simply went on with his presidency. He was disbarred by the Supreme Court, but that didn't really matter either.

Update: 06/07--It seems Hillary Rodham Clinton has wrapped up the Democratic nomination. It's the best possible time for FBI Dir. Comey and the DOJ to indict Mrs. Clinton, without affecting the primary (it's in the past), or the general election (it's as far into the future now, as it's ever going to be). Assuming the DOJ's goal is not to affect America's presidential selection process.

Update: 6/08: Donald Halper from the Weekly Standard, says Donald Trump will deliver a major speech on Monday, in which he will say Secretary of State Clinton turned the State Department into her own private hedge fund. She collected money from the Chinese, the Russians, the Saudis, in the form of donations to the Clinton foundation, which employed her husband former President Bill Clinton. "The Clinton's left the White House broke. The Clinton foundation made them wealthy."

Smug or indicted? You decide

He says he doesn't know whether any government agency has investigated this, but that it probably constitutes a violation of American law.

See also

No Defeat, No Surrender for Bernie Sanders. http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/08/news/no-surrender-sanders-vows-to-continue-campaign-will-not-drop-out-wont-concede-nomination/1374.html

Clueless Thugs: Bernie Sanders Supporters beat other Sanders supporters in error. http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/08/news/bernie-supporters-beat-other-bernie-supporters-by-mistake-youtube/1379.html

Republican Ballots apparently not counted in Santa Monica, http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/08/news/become-a-republican-in-santa-monica-and-have-your-vote-demoted/1377.html
A $25,000 cash bond was set Monday by Judge James Isaacson for the man accused of kidnapping a girl Saturday in the town of Cleveland.

Timothy A. Rathbun, 57, appeared via a video link for the bond hearing. Rathbun is scheduled to return to court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12.

(Rathbun) admitted to taking the victim because he wanted to adopt the (girl) and wanted her to see where she would live. The (girl) did not know Rathbun prior to the incident, the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office said.

The $25,000 bond set for Rathbun wasnt enough, according to the man identifying himself as the father of the girl authorities said was abducted.

It should have been more, the man said, adding that bond should have been set at $1 million after what he did to my daughter.

The man said he hopes Rathbun is charged, convicted and sentenced to prison time, at least 45 years.

Rathbun, who was arrested on charges of kidnapping and endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, was ordered by the judge to have no contact with the girl or her family, and is not to use alcohol or illegal drugs.

Chippewa County District Attorney Steven Gibbs said he was pleased with Judge Isaacsons finding on the cash bond.

Law enforcement did another great job, he said of the arrest of Rathbun.

According to the sheriffs office:

Deputies were called to a residence in the town of Cleveland at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday on a report of a child abduction.

They discovered that Rathbun had taken the girl by force against the victims will from a neighboring residence and brought her to his own residence. Family friends of the girl were able to get her back from Rathbun after entering his residence, the sheriffs office said.

Minutes later, gunshots were heard in the area. A SWAT team arrived at the scene, and contact was made with Rathbun, who surrendered peaceably.
A SWAT Standoff and a Fire at the same time seemed connected.

Update, Monday morning: The suspect, later identified by as Edgar Salazar, finally surrendered. He was taken into custody around 1:30 a.m. Monday, Buena Park police said. The search then ended.

Firemen rushed to the 7700 block of 11th Street and Stanton Avenue just at 5:30 PM Sunday, as the Buena Park Fire Department fought a fire in a detached garage. Officials confirmed that one burn victim, a civilian man, is at UCI Medical Center with third degree burns. They have not confirmed that the fire involved honey oil production.

A witnesss video showed flames and and a plume of thick black smoke emanating from the residence. It was unclear what caused the fire.

A SWAT team was summoned after an individual was seen with a rifle, Buena Park police said in a statement. They said neighbors came to the firemen and told them a man was on a roof down the street, with a rifle.

At 11 PM, Police were still conducting a house to house search for the suspect. Officers from neighboring agencies began arriving to assist, including the police departments of Huntington Beach, La Habra and Anaheim, and the sheriffs departments of Orange and Los Angeles counties. The response became massive.

Buena Park police said the man with the rifle was spotted near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Orangethorpe Avenue, less than half a mile south of the fire.

Police advised nearby residents to remain locked inside their homes, and those outside the area to stay away.

"We are currently working a situation where individuals are reportedly in possession of firearms," the department advised local residents. "Stay inside, keep your doors and windows locked, and we will update you as the situation develops."

"Cops are roaming all over my neighborhood and in Buena Park advising everyone to stay in and keep our doors and windows locked," tweeted one local resident, Kea Lorraine, at 6:54 PM.

"Honey oil" is a street term for a waxy Marijuana distillate. Weed is more or less legal, and butane is certainly legal. Butane can be found in most cigarette lighters. But weed and butane combined, in unlicensed use by amateur manufacturing personnel, have in the past proven an explosive combination on many occasions.

Inebriated people and manufacturing are never a good mix. In fact, it's a rare month when either a meth lab or a honey oil lab, doesn't explode somewhere in California.

In Kern County, several people were killed in 2015 when a "honey oil" manufacturing facility exploded in a residential neighborhood. Law enforcement have expressed increasing concern about honey oil.

From Twitter

In April of 2015, A man died more than a week after a honey oil lab explosion in Redding, CA. The lab was located in a detached garage. http://www.krcrtv.com/man-dies-more-than-a-week-after-honey-oil-lab-explosion/32616366

12 days ago, a trailer fire in Truckee led to the discovery of a suspected butane honey oil lab, along with an assault rifle, a sawed-off shotgun and other weapons. http://www.sierrasun.com/news/22148730-113/assault-rifle-drugs-seized-after-fire-at-truckee

An explosion at a honey oil lab in Beaumont last month led to 2 injuries and arrests. http://patch.com/california/banning-beaumont/police-honey-oil-lab-explodes-beaumont-injuring-2-0

Hash oil is an oleoresin obtained by the extraction of marijuana and/or hashish.
Texas Health Insurance Increases by 57% in 2017.

Texans, who have individual health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will have their premiums increased substantially in 2017, with fewer doctors to see. This will not affect cities like Dallas who have companies using [Dallas group health insurance](http://insurance4dallas.com/group-health-insurance-dallas-tx/) rates. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, the only insurer that operates in all 254 counties, predicts a 57.3% increase in rates according to the consulting firm Avalere Health. In addition, Texans with individual coverage have noticed that doctors are not accepting their health insurance. This is so for many doctors in Texas are in Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) networks because they have higher pre-negotiated rates. Texans have only one carrier that participates in a PPO network, Baylor Scott and White. However, Baylor Scott and White only operates in 23 Texas counties, leaving the other 231 counties without a PPO network. As a result, plans offered by Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Coventry and United Health Care are Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPO) networks and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). These are networks many doctor dont participate.

The expected premium increase is not limited to Blue Cross Blue Shield, but all health insurance carriers and large cities including [health insurance in Fort Worth](http://insurance4dallas.com/health-insurance-fort-worth-tx/). The reason for the increase is due to financial losses by health insurance carriers. Thats to account for lower-than-hoped enrollment, sicker-than-expected customers and problems with the governments financial backstop for insurance markets. Under the Affordable Care Act, most Americans are required to have health insurance or risk being fined. This leaves Texans with individual policies in a dilemma, paying high premiums for policies doctors dont accept. Some Texans will receive income based subsidies through the exchanges, thereby reducing their total cost of ownership; but in many cases, these plans are also not affordable. At the same time, many consumers arent eligible for the income-based subsidies and get no costs reductions. That demographic includes small-business owners, self-employed people and early retirees. The expected premium increase will not affect group health insurance in Texas.

One solution to this problem is temporary health insurance for Texans. Some health carriers have short-term PPO health insurance plans. These plans have terms from 30 to 360 days. Short-term policies are not guarantee renewable, but are far less expensive even with the mandated penalty added. They may be obtained anytime throughout the year, but are not considered qualified health plans that meet the Affordable Care Act mandates. Short-Term plans are considered full coverage, but leave out some of the Ten Essential Health Benefits, which are required by the Affordable Care Act. Three excluded benefits are: maternity, mental health and pediatric dental and vision coverage. Choosing this plan over an ACA plan will trigger a fine, but will give full PPO coverage which most doctors accept at a price consumers can afford.

Insurance4Dallas helps insure all of Texas and provides consumers with detailed information and the ability to apply for insurance online, including Group Health Insurance Dallas, individual [health insurance Arlington](http://insurance4dallas.com/health-insurance-arlington-tx/) and Individual health insurance Fort Worth. I4D provides a full spectrum of health, dental, vision, life and other ancillary insurance products providing a diverse selection of price and benefit options complemented by personable customer service. Available via phone, email or fax, Insurance4Dallas answers consumer questions throughout the purchasing process and utilization of the health insurance policy (I4D) helps insure all of Texas and provides consumers with detailed information and the ability to apply for insurance online. I4D provides a full spectrum of health, dental, vision, life and other ancillary insurance products providing a diverse selection of price and benefit options complemented by personable customer service. Available via phone, email or fax, Insurance4Dallas answers consumer questions throughout the purchasing process and utilization of the health insurance policy.
Wanted: Mobile Apps to Handle Big Data from Space

An array of Earth observation satellites, including the Sentinels involved in Europes Copernicus programme, collect untold amounts of data as they circle our planet. This high-resolution imagery and further information on climates and environments present tremendous potential in overcoming some of the biggest challenges of our time.

Thanks to new developments in big data, cloud computing, and other areas, commercial products ? and mobile apps in particular ? are growing more and more proficient at handling huge quantities of information.

This is where the European Space Agencys Space App Camp comes in: For the fifth time, this event is inviting programmers to develop creative and innovative apps that make Earth observation data accessible to a wide audience.

Professional app developers from all over Europe are welcome to apply until 22 July 2016 at www.app-camp.eu. Based on the applications received, 20 of them will then be invited to participate in the free Space App Camp at ESAs ESRIN facility in Frascati (near Rome), Italy, from 12 to 19 September 2016. The selection criteria will include the applicants previous programming work. Travel and accommodation will be covered by the events organisers.

The Space App Camp is more than just another developer competition. In fact, its main goal is to familiarise the participants with the many ways satellite data can be used in mobile apps. Those who attend will be tasked with devising innovative apps and feasible business models in one of five subject areas: agriculture; environmental protection; smart cities; transport and logistics; or livestyle, tourism, and health. The event will also be an excellent opportunity to make interesting contacts from all across Europe while gaining insights into how ESA operates.

Space App Camp winner GAIA founds company and announces first cooperation partner

At the most recent Space App Camp in the autumn of 2015, four students from Austria, Germany, Greece, and Spain came up with the idea for GAIA ? an app designed to predict plant and crop damage based on Earth observation data. GAIA covers all of the relevant measurement data collected by the Sentinels, other satellites, and in-situ sensors in order to monitor specific fields of interest for potential losses. The app thus enables farmers to identify risks early on and obtain crop yield predictions. They also benefit from precise information on the condition of their fields, which in turn facilitates the efficient use of water, fertiliser, and other resources. Meanwhile, GAIA is capable of detecting certain diseases immediately (or even before their onset) by using temperature, soil and air moisture levels, and other parameters to calculate corresponding risk.

Just recently, a team comprising Lukas Bohler, Pascal Weinberger, and John Zachilashas founded the company GAIA Solutions Ltd in Great Britain. They have also entered into a partnership with the Health and Environmental Management Society (HEMS) of Nepal in order to make use of the real-world data it has gathered on training its machine-learning algorithms. GAIA has found partners to help it advance its software and hardware, as well.

The ESA Space App Camp was a unique opportunity for us to meet like-minded and highly skilled people interested in changing the world with code. So we did  and we did it beyond the app camp, starting a company on the basis of the team and the idea we prototyped together during the camp. I highly recommend this opportunity to all space-geeks, world-changers!

AZO ? an experienced organiser

Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO) has been organising the Space App Camps on behalf of the European Space Agency since 2012. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, AZO supports product innovations and the creation of new companies, particularly in the field of commercial aerospace applications. www.space-of-innovation.com
Varnish Plus Wins StackWorld 2016 ScaleUp Award

OSLO, NORWAY and NEW YORK, NY  (Marketwired)  06/06/16  Varnish Software, , today announced that Varnish Plus has been recognized with a StackWorld 2016 ScaleUp Award. The ScaleUp Awards recognize technologies that have enabled customers to achieve incredible scale, and Varnish Plus was chosen for the real customer impact it had supporting CacheFly scalability at high performance levels.

Rapid growth at , the fastest throughput content delivery network (CDN), led to the as a caching solution to support scalability at its extreme performance level, and to future-proof its caching & CDN. CacheFly gained operational efficiencies with Varnish Plus, along with the stability required for deploying in-demand new features. This ensures CacheFlys 100 percent service level commitment to customers, many of whom have massive caches in excess of 100TB.

, built on top of open source , gives advanced users access to a unique set of modules and expert support that enable secure, high-powered and scalable internet operations. Varnish Plus is aimed at organizations that want to run big Varnish installations in an enterprise setting with high requirements for scalability, reporting, manageability and support.

This is a great recognition of how Varnish Plus helps our customers be prepared for delivering their digital content at any scale, said Per Buer, founder and CTO of Varnish Software. The ScaleUp Award is an honor were proud to share with CacheFly, for showing the market how to benefit from building your own content delivery network. CacheFly uses Varnish Plus to push the limits of what caching can do for a CDN at massive scale without interruptions.

The ScaleUp Awards will be presented at the , June 27-28 in San Francisco.

Read the award-winning case study:

Watch the webinar recording with CacheFly CTO Matt Levine:

Varnish Software is a high-performance content delivery company that helps organizations with web scaling, API management and CDNs. Powered by a uniquely flexible caching technology, both Varnish Plus and Varnish API Engine are the indispensable common denominators among the worlds most popular websites and brands, such as the New York Times, Vimeo, Tesco, Nikon, and Tesla. Our products enable organizations worldwide to provide fast and reliable digital content delivery at any scale while giving them the flexibility to maintain control over their content and make the technology their own. For more information, visit

Varnish Software has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Oslo and Paris. For more information, please visit:

Hildur Smaradottir

VP Global Marketing

Varnish Software Group

email:

Mobile: +47 90181750
UCI Extension and Walden University Develop Articulation Agreement for Various Masters Degree Programs

IRVINE, CA  (Marketwired)  06/06/16  The University of California, Irvines continuing education has further developed an articulation agreement with , paving the pathway for its students to further their success in higher education. Through this agreement, UCI Extension students in the Information Systems Security, Data Science, and Project Management certificate programs have the opportunity to apply for elective credits toward an online Masters degree from Walden University.

We are pleased to collaborate with Walden University to continue providing opportunity for students to succeed in higher education and their individual career paths, said Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D., dean of Continuing Education, Distance Learning and Summer Session at UCI Extension. Articulation agreements such as this put students first and provide endless possibilities for professional and personal growth.

UCI Extension students who have completed the required courses with a grade of B or better and gained admittance to Walden University will have their UCI Extension course credits applied towards the appropriate Graduate Program. The articulation agreement paves the way for course transferability to the following programs at Walden University:

Master of Information Systems Management

Master of Science in Information Technology; Information Assurance and Cyber Security Specialization

Master of Science in Information Technology; Information Systems Specialization

Master of Science in Information Technology; Software Engineering Specialization

Master of Science in Project Management

This articulation agreement with UCI Extension provides new opportunities for students to continue in their pursuit of higher education online, said Eric Riedel, Chief Academic Officer, Walden University. Walden is proud to play a role in helping students further their academic goals, advance professionally and grow personally.

For more information about the articulation agreement and specific UCI Extension course transferability equivalency for Walden University Masters programs, please visit .

For more than 45 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 52,600 students from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 155 countries are pursuing their bachelors, masters or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university offers more than 80 degree programs with more than 390 specializations and concentrations. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit .

Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network  a global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities in 28 countries. For more information, visit .

University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine, serving adult students online, at the UC Irvine campus, and at employer sites nationally and worldwide. Since 1962, UC Irvine Extension has offered open enrollment learning opportunities to the Orange County community, providing open access to the resources of the university, through Certificate and Specialized Studies programs () and free, open educational resources (). Connect with UC Irvine Extension on the institutions .

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the worlds safest and most economically vibrant communities, it is Orange Countys second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy.

Vivian Slater

Echo Media Group

714-573-0899 ext. 235
Northeast Ohio Biomedical Companies Featured at BIO International  the Worlds Largest Biotech and Pharma Gathering

CLEVELAND, OH  (Marketwired)  06/06/16  Three Cleveland-based companies will represent Northeast Ohios biomedical innovation and expertise June 6-9 at BIO International 2016, the worlds largest biotech and pharma gathering. Under the JobsOhio, State of Ohio booth #7437 (West Bldg.), BioEnterprise client companies, DAPCEL, Western Oncolytics, and YourOmics will exhibit their innovation and share why they made Cleveland home for their biomedical start-up.

Northeast Ohio is home to world class clinical and research institutions, biomedical support organizations and an unmatched workforce that, when combined, create an ecosystem primed for biomedical entrepreneurial success, said Aram Nerpouni, president and CEO, BioEnterprise. DAPCEL, Western Oncolytics and YourOmics are three of more than 700 biomedical companies that have made the Medical Capital their home.

is a research biotechnology company focused on innovative gene redesign approaches aimed at producing correctly folded, active recombinant proteins. DAPCEL also offers a variety of custom services ranging from custom protein production and purification to custom bioactivity assays, which in particular include state-of-the-art Cell Invasion and Cell Migration Assays. DAPCEL products (recombinant proteins, antibodies and cell lines) and services outperform many other currently available on the market.

develops novel therapies for cancer. It takes cutting-edge treatments that show promise in early laboratory research and then demonstrates value to patients in clinical trials. The lead technology, a novel immune-oncolytic therapy, is anticipated to extend the lives of or outright cure, patients across a wide range of cancer types, while avoiding the severe side effects common with current cancer therapies. Western Oncolytics aims to use the most sophisticated science to give life and hope to cancer patients.

develops simple, accessible web-based applications allowing any biologist to gain insight from the fruits of the omics revolution. Its applications are designed for ease of use, empowering any scientist with powerful tools and comprehensive data sets to cut through complexity and rapidly obtain the necessary insights to further their research.

The BIO International Conference attracts more than 15,000 biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders from across the world. They come together for one week to network and discover new opportunities and partnerships. The event includes topics such as drug discovery, biomanufacturing, genomics and biofuels.

BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment, and acceleration effort designed to support the growth of bioscience companies. Located in Cleveland, BioEnterprise provides management counsel and support services to healthcare companies. BioEnterprise founders and partners are Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals.

Additional technology partners include the NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland State University, and BioOhio. The initiative comprises the collective activities of BioEnterprise and its partners commercialization offices: the Case Office of Technology Transfer, Cleveland Clinic Innovations and University Hospitals Case Medical Center  Center for Clinical Research. The combined efforts of these groups has created, recruited, and accelerated more than 300 companies in 14 years.

Annette Ballou

216.658.4525 office
IS Solutions Enhances Data Analytics Expertise Through Partnership with Search-Driven Analytics Leader ThoughtSpot

Posted by Publisher Internet

Monday 6th June 2016, Sunbury-on-Thames, UK: IS Solutions Plc, a leading AIM-listed data solutions provider, has announced that it has become a channel partner for ThoughtSpot, the leader in search-driven analytics in the enterprise. ThoughtSpots relational search technology  providing instant answers to business questions through search-driven analytics  is pivotal to IS Solutions stated aim of placing data in the hands of the users that can best drive value from it. This partnership with ThoughtSpot enhances IS Solutions Data Analysis capabilities and will allow clients to democratise data across their organisations, speed-up their ability to deliver data insights and expand the reach and value of that data to larger numbers of non-technical business users.

Peter Kear, CEO of IS Solutions Plc, commented: ThoughtSpots Relational Search technology is a game-changing approach to analytics and will help us make data access radically easier for non-technical business people. IS Solutions combines the best of people skills with leading technology to create an unrivalled data advantage and we are delighted to be reinforcing that capability by adding ThoughtSpot to our portfolio. I am convinced that reselling ThoughtSpot will continue our momentum in the area of data analysis and further assist our clients in driving value from their information assets.

ThoughtSpots arrival in Europe earlier this year has been met with unprecedented excitement from customers and the broader BI industry, added Ajeet Singh, CEO of ThoughtSpot. We are thrilled to be partnering with IS Solutions to meet this growing demand and expand the reach of our revolutionary search-driven analytics throughout the UK.

ThoughtSpot is growing rapidly, experiencing 810 percent sales growth in 2015. Earlier this month, ThoughtSpot also announced a Series C $50 million investment, bringing its total capital raised to over $90 million. Leading global brands in retail, financial services, telecom and healthcare are turning to ThoughtSpot to help every employee make faster, data-informed decisions that drive innovation and accelerate growth. ThoughtSpot 3, released last year, was a major advancement to the platform with over 200 new features, including the business intelligence industrys first DataRank algorithm that leverages the wisdom of crowds to empower anyone to be their own data analyst.
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The paint was slathered on top of a plastic fish mold. After careful positioning of a newspaper to prevent paint from bleeding through, children their pressed their now colorful creations onto one side of a white t-shirt.

The process was messy. No surprise, children loved it and making their own t-shirt fish print.

This is awesome. School just got out, so we were looking for things to do, said Nadine Welch of Chippewa Falls, who helped out her children, Aliyah, age 7, and Noah, 3, make the t-shirt prints.

The Welch family was enjoying an open house and family fun day at Lake Wissota State Park in Chippewa Falls. Admission to the park for Sunday was free.

The activities, besides the fish print, included frosting cookies, building bluebird houses, and taking part in kayaking and canoeing.

Thats what Aliyah Welch was looking forward to doing. She wants to check out the canoe rides, Nadine Welch said.

The fish prints, called Gyotaku from their Japanese origin, were very popular with the kids at the park.

Friends of Lake Wissota State Park volunteers and Amanda Sandford of the Nature Connection helped with the supplies and instruction.

Sandford said she started with 94 white t-shirts. After about an hour of the four-hour open house, she had 18 left.

We had to go back to the store and get some more, she said.

Some Minnesota visitors were happy about that. Rachel and Brodie Miller of St. Cloud, Minn. stopped by the park with their three children, Elliott, Isaac and Beckett.

We were just traveling back from Green Bay, she said. We have the Wisconsin State Parks pass.

So they stopped at Lake Wissota and then found out about the open house.

We like it very much, she said of the state park. Theres a lot of activities.

There were no complaints from Cameron Bowe, age 4, and sister Addison Bowe, age 2. They each grabbed a cookie and then decorated it with frosting.

We did the fish printing on the t-shirts and they built a bluebird house, said their mother, Elizabeth Bowe. She and her husband Greg were taking their children around the park, and stopped at the Karen Lea Nature Center so the kids could make their own sweet treat.
Insider: How Colts will try to help Sam Ehlinger in first NFL start
The following editorial was published in Fridays Wisconsin State Journal:

Dont look for leadership from Gov. Scott Walker on getting people and products where they need to go in Wisconsin.

The governors Department of Transportation is requesting a state budget that pretends roads dont cost more money to repair and improve. DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb, at the direction of the governor, said Wednesday he wont seek any major tax or fee increases  a move he acknowledged would delay projects across the state.

That leaves it up to the Republican-run Legislature to press for a fiscally responsible transportation budget, rather than stalling badly needed work and borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars to get by.

The good news is GOP leaders in the state Assembly are showing some political courage by considering an increase in the states gas tax, which hasnt been raised in a decade. The 30.9-cent-per-gallon tax is really just a user fee that charges motorists for driving on roads. Gas tax revenue has been basically flat since 2006, at about $1 billion a year, while the cost of road maintenance and construction has soared.

The governors irresponsible approach has been to borrow and delay. He sought $1.3 billion in borrowing for transportation in the current state budget, which the Legislature wisely reduced to $850 million. In the previous budget, the state borrowed $1 billion for roads.

Thats unsustainable and short-sighted, costing taxpayers more in the long run. When the state puts off maintenance, such as replacing asphalt on the base of a road, the base wears out faster. That shortens the lifespan of the road, causing more frequent and costlier reconstruction.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, gets that point. He says the Assembly is willing to consider a higher gas tax or vehicle registration fee after an audit of the highway program this fall. Raising needed revenue through reasonable user fees will allow the state to maintain good roads, saving taxpayers money over time.

Vos offers a powerful case for higher road revenue to fellow Republicans: It is not more conservative to borrow and spend than it is to actually raise the revenue and allocate it efficiently, he told the State Journal editorial board in March.

Hes right.

Another option worth pursuing is tolling some of the states interstate highways. The idea enjoys bipartisan support because it would bring in more revenue from Illinois tourists and over-the-road trucks. Illinois drivers are accustomed to paying tolls on major roads in their state. The tolls dont require cars to stop.

The federal government would have to give its blessing to tolls in Wisconsin. Vos and others have urged Wisconsins congressional delegation to support the option. Some states have been granted waivers for tolling. If they dont use those waivers, other states will have a chance. The Assembly wisely pushed for a study of toll roads, their impact and potential income in the current state budget.

Without more revenue from motorists, two Dane County projects face delay  the ongoing reconstruction of Verona Road, and the expansion of Interstate 39-90 from Madison to Beloit.

Iowa and Michigan have increased their gas tax to help pay for roads. Wisconsin should similarly raise user fees to cover increasing cost.
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The Chippewa Dairy Days Farmers Appreciation Dinner is going to be held from 5-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in Chippewa Falls.

The Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce hosts this annual event, and it is sponsored by over a hundred area businesses.

This fun evening offers rural and urban communities a chance to come together and socialize as well as an opportunity to support local farmers.

Tickets are $6 each and can be purchased at the Chippewa Falls Visitor Center, 1 N. Bridge St., or at the door the day of the event.

For more information, call 715-723-0331.

According to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Chippewa County is ranked in the top ten for the number of dairy herds and milk cows in the state, and agriculture provides jobs for 3,387 residents in Chippewa County.
"Into the Black," by Rowland White, delves into the surprising events of the first space shuttle launch in 1981. (Image credit: Touchstone)

On April 12, 1981, NASA astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen climbed aboard the space shuttle Columbia for a mission unprecedented in human history. For the first time, a crewed spacecraft was going to be tested with humans aboard on its inaugural flight. And this wasn't just any spacecraft  the enormous delta-wing orbiter was utterly unlike any of the capsules that humans had flown since Yuri Gagarin first flew to space exactly 20 years earlier.

The launch of Columbia appeared to go perfectly. But, after the astronauts opened the payload bay doors on orbit, they spotted missing protective thermal tiles at the aft end of the orbiter. The question was whether other tiles had been knocked off on the crucial underside of the ship. If they had been, the shuttle could burn up during re-entry.

The secret effort by NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to find the answer to this question using spy satellites is recounted in Rowland White's new book, "Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her" (Touchstone, 2016). [STS-1: The First Space Shuttle Flight in Photos]

Rowland White, author of "Into the Black" (Image credit: Touchstone)

Released in April, in time for the 35th anniversary of Columbia's first flight, the book is much more than a recounting of the 2.5-day flight. White tells the story of how a group of astronauts from the U.S. Air Force's canceled Manned Orbiting Laboratory helped form the core of the team that got the shuttle to orbit. The author also follows the orbiter's difficult development history through the 1970s, particularly the fragile thermal protection tiles.

Space.com recently spoke with White about the book.

Space.com: What made you pursue this project?

Rowland White: I was born in 1970 and grew up as an aviation nut. Of course, the last time that the American astronauts launched in the '70s was in 1975 for Apollo Soyuz. So I sort of missed out on the excitement of the whole Apollo program. So when the shuttle launched in 1981, it really captured my imagination for two reasons, really. One, it was the first time that I had been old enough to really enjoy the launch of American astronauts. The second reason was that here was a spacecraft with wings, it wasn't one of sorts of spidery tin cans that had taken astronauts to the moon. It was a sort of spacecraft out of the pages of science fiction, designed to carry a crew of up to seven or eight people on a mission of a couple of weeks, before swooping down and landing at an airfield ready to fly again. It just felt like it was the machine that was almost designed to capture my imagination in a way that with Apollo I sort of missed out on.

Space.com: Why did you focus on the first mission as opposed to a broader kind of book that might have covered the whole program?

White: I hope that through the sort of prism of that first flight I'd be able to draw in the various strands of the shuttle's development, the story of the astronauts, the story of the relationship between NASA and the military. And have at the heart of the story a sort of single focal point that would mean I can build a narrative that felt like a thriller, although I hope that all of the history and the science was rigorous and accurate. But I wanted to try to build a narrative that really had readers ripping through the pages to a sort of climax that felt like the last act of a big movie. In order to do that, you've really got to have a focal point, you have to have characters that readers can invest in, and you've got to have those characters in a situation that involves a measure of jeopardy and uncertainty. And in first flight of the shuttle where so much was unknown despite all the testing, despite all the research. So much was unknown about how she would perform in reality, that you had all of that. In John Young and Bob Crippen, you had a pair of really interesting characters flying together on board the shuttle's first flight.

Space.com: How would you describe their differences and their characters and how they meshed together?

White: They were to an extent a different generation. John Young had come up through Gemini and Apollo. He was very much a contemporary; obviously he first flew with Gus Grissom, a contemporary of Neil Armstrong. He sort of conducted himself in a different way to Bob Crippen, who always sort of seemed looser, more at ease, a sort of a cooler character somehow. I really came to appreciate and like enormously John Young. First of all, it's impossible to question either his experience or his competence or his intelligence, but I really came to value his incredibly dry and very funny sense of humor as well. I think he had a sort of perfect sense of comic timing. John Young, when he was asked whether or not he was nervous about the first flight of Columbia, said anyone who climbs aboard the biggest hydrogen oxygen explosion and isn't a little nervous doesn't appreciate the gravity of the situation they're in. He was a funny guy.

Bob Crippen obviously came to the shuttle along a very different path. Throughout the '60s he was kind of immersed in the black world of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project. He had come through Chuck Yeager's Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards. And then he was part of the MOL program for the whole of the '60s. He was a refugee from that program in 1969. He and Richard Truly and Gordon Fullerton and a handful of others were taken on by NASA in 1969 kind of rather against Deke Slayton's better judgment because it was reckoned that NASA would need Air Force support for the shuttle, and that taking on some of these refugee military astronauts might win favors from the Air Force.

STS-1 astronauts Robert Crippen (left) and John Young (right) discuss checklist items during suit-up in the Operations and Checkout Building prior to departure for the launch pad during the final countdown rehearsal before launch. (Image credit: NASA.)

Space.com: How many of these guys did you get to talk to? Did you get to talk to Young and Crippen?

White: I spoke to Crip and Dick Truly, Fred Haise. I spoke to Joe Engle. I spoke to a handful of the TFNG's [Thirty-Five New Guys] like Jon McBride and Dan Brandenstein, Rick Hauck. I spoke to George Abbey. I spoke to Tom Moser, who was head of the structural mechanics division, Hugh Harris, who was the public affairs officer. As well as meeting and talking to some of the astronauts and engineers and administrators involved, I also made great use of the incredible JSC (Johnson Space Center) oral history program. The archive there is extraordinary, and I really went through that with a fine-tooth comb.

Space.com: Did John Young not want to speak?

White: John Young was the only member of that first primary crew and reserve crew that I didn't get to talk to, and it was a great shame. As I understand it, he's not in the best of health. Thankfully, he's published an autobiography and that alongside of a lot of interviews with him, film footage of him, and written material, allowed me, I think, to certainly get a feel for him.

Space.com: Did you pursue any big mysteries in the book?

White: We know that a request of the Air Force for photographs of Columbia on orbit in 2003 was rescinded by Mission Control. So I asked one of the astronauts, in 1981 when you knew that there was damage to the heat shield, did NASA ask the Air Force for pictures? And he sort of chuckled to himself and said, "You know, that's a great story and I can't tell you a thing about it."

That, of course, that was the moment when I thought, that's the story I want to tell. Because that's the one which no one knows. That became the ambition from that point [] to try to bring that story to light. And it remained deeply classified. No one who knew what had happened could go on the record. They couldn't even mention the names of the spy satellites involved. They couldn't give me confirmation or not.

I had to go looking for a proper smoking gun, proper evidence that confirmed beyond all reasonable doubt in my mind that this is what happened and this is how it happened and when it happened and where it happened. That was a fantastic and exciting piece of detective work, which I hope I've kind of brought to life in an exciting and a dramatic way in the book. [Countdown: 10 Amazing Space Shuttle Photos]

Space.com: An interesting part of the book for me is how you talk about how they designed it for the stresses and also the whole heat shield issue.

White: They couldn't use the same approach they had used in Apollo. They couldn't use an ablative shield because it was by definition not reusable because its destruction was the thing that protected it by creating a sort of layer of plasma gas. You couldn't use metal because it buckled and twisted under heat, and the gaps that it would create would destroy the airframe. And so they had to look for something entirely new, and they settled on sand, essentially, silica sand.

You know that the surface of a desert is, essentially, impervious to heat and cold. It doesn't change shape, however hot it gets or however cold it gets. And that was the quality of the silica that was so valued in the tiles. But it was also brittle, so you couldn't just attach big sheets of it to the shuttle airframe because the shuttle airframe is made of metal. You see an airliner's wings flex as you go through turbulence. The shuttle, while it may have been more rigid a structure than an airliner wing, twisted, flexed and moved through different parts of the flight envelope. And big sheets of that silica material would have cracked and crumbled as the machine underneath it twisted.

So they made this incredible mosaic of 33,000 tiles, each one individually numbered and shaped, and that was what protected the aluminum skin beneath from the temperatures on the other side of the tile of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Aluminum melts at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. And so, two or three inches of silica tile  which are incredible light  are managing to prevent that incredible heat on the other side reaching the skin beneath it. It was a really novel and ingenious solution to the problem of the heat shield.

[Engineers developed a method of keeping the fragile tiles attached to the orbiter. But, they miscalculated the strength of the sonic shock wave produced by the shuttle's two solid rocket motors. The shock wave  10 times more powerful than projected  bounced off the launch pad and knocked tiles off the back of the orbiter.]

These two astronauts were the prime crewmen for the first flight in the Space Transportation System (STS-1) program. Astronauts John W. Young, left, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, will man the space shuttle orbiter 102 Columbia for the first orbital flight test. (Image credit: NASA)

Space.com: There were some rather harrowing aspects of the re-entry as well, right?

White: I mentioned the body flap, which was critical to controlling the shuttle, and the point at which it looked as if they might exceed the limits that the body flap could cope with and lose control of the shuttle as a result. The other thing that was not anticipated was the extent to which the shuttle's tail would kind of fishtail, would sort of swing outside of the expected limits.

And this is quite an interesting point. This is something John Young was always quick to point out. It demonstrated on that occasion just how critical the computers were to the shuttle's fortunes. What was happening with that porpoising tail was that it was beyond what a human pilot could have coped with. So without the avionics, without the computers supporting what John Young was doing, again, the limitations of what the shuttle could have coped with would have been exceeded, and she would have been lost. It was a high-wire act, that first flight. The only way of establishing whether the space shuttle system worked, whether or not that 10-year design process, the computers, the heat shield, the solid rocket motors, the main engines, the only way of working out and proving that all of that worked ultimately was to fly her. And so that's why that first shuttle flight was described by contemporaries of Young and Crippen as the boldest test flight in history. Because it was the only occasion before or since, and I'm sure it will never happen again, it's been the only occasion where a manned spacecraft has ever been launched with a crew on board without first being tested in an unmanned configuration.

Space.com: That's true. You had monkeys flying on Mercury and you had a bunch of unmanned tests in Gemini and Apollo.

White: But, here Young and Crippen ponied up and strapped themselves into the cockpit. We get used to acts of courage from astronauts, but it was an extraordinarily ballsy thing to do.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
NASA and United States Postal Service officials pulled the curtains back from new solar-system stamp designs after a spirited countdown at the World Stamp Show in New York City on May 31. L to R: Dan Durda; Constantine Tsang; Cindy Conrad; Alice Bowman; Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute; David Williams, COO and executive VP, USPS; Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist; Jim Green, NASA director of planetary science; Delontae Jenkins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Norman Kuring, oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

NEW YORK  Alan Stern and other NASA officials celebrated the release of new "Pluto  Explored!" and "Views of our Planets" stamps Tuesday (May 31) with a crowd of more than 500 stamp enthusiasts, leading a spirited countdown to the official reveal of the new stamps.

Stern, the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission that flew by Pluto last July, and the other researchers spoke to the significance of the Pluto flyby and the fact that America was the first to reach all nine classical planets. The speakers also looked forward to the future of NASA exploration. Afterward, a long, snaking line of World Stamp Show attendees waited for autographs from the scientists  Pluto posters and stamp envelopes in tow.

"This is the best picture of Pluto ever made before New Horizons," Stern began, showing a blurred spot of gray a few pixels across. "Don't laugh  because I was the principal investigator, so I took that picture, more or less." [Photos: Space Age Postage Stamps Through History]

"Three billion miles away, that's all you can see in the distance," he added. "This is why we explore. We send spacecraft to the planets because we have to go closer to really reveal their true nature, to understand their origin. To understand our place in the universe."

World Stamp Show attendees lined up for scientist autographs after the presentation of the new "Pluto Explored" and "Views of Our Planet" stamps at the World Stamp Show in New York on May 31, 2016. (Image credit: Michael Soluri)

Stern joined speakers including Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist; Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science; and Norman Kuring, an oceanographer at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland who created NASA's famous "Blue Marble" view of Earth in 2012 from satellite data.

Stern and other speakers described the stamp that, 25 years ago, marked Pluto as "Not Yet Explored"  which acted as a "rallying cry" to carry out a mission to the far-off dwarf planet. When New Horizons finally lifted off in 2006, researchers put one of those stamps on board.

"It did help mobilize energy," Stern said. "And it did help many of us stay motivated during the many years it took to see a mission like New Horizons become funded.  [The probe] flew for 3 billion miles, nine and a half years, setting a speed record across the orbit of every planet in our solar system, Mars outward."

The title of the "PlutoExplored!" stamps is a subtle nod to a 1991 USPS stamp that labeled Pluto "Not Yet Explored." (Image credit: USPS)

"Instead of the dull space rock that many of us expected  I plead guilty," Stofan said during her portion of the event, "Pluto has proved itself to be a complex and dynamic world with mountains, really cool moons, exotic ices and even a heart. (Stofan was referring to the heart-shaped plain visible on the dwarf planet's surface.)And after its flyby, New Horizons sent back a photo that went onto the updated Pluto stamp, revealing the dwarf planet for the first time in all its complex, textured glory. The probe also sent back a stream of data, which is still coming in today.

"The postal service rallied in near-record time with this updated stamp to set the record straight," she added.

USPS "Views of Our Planets" stamps depict Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. (Image credit: USPS)

Mary-Anne Penner, the United States Postal Services' director of stamp services, told Space.com that the agency was just waiting for Pluto's portrait before putting out the new classical planet series.

"We were already waiting. We knew it was coming," she said. "It takes about three years for a stamp to be developed, so it was actually there on the back burner, and we were just waiting to get the green light to get out of the gate."

While she couldn't speak to any new space-themed stamps coming out in the future, she said that space was a perennial favorite. "We love space," she said. "Everybody loves space, actually. That's probably one of the things we get the most inquiries on  what space stamps do you have out right now? What do you have surrounding space?"

So chances are, among the chosen few from the 40,000 stamp suggestions submitted per year, there are other gems that will show new views of the universe.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Elon Musk, seen here speaking at a 2015 conference, said June 1 his upcoming Mars mission plan would allow for the first human Mars mission as soon as 2024.

BROOMFIELD, Colorado  A Mars mission architecture SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk will unveil in September will call for a series of missions starting in 2018 leading up to the first crewed mission to the planet in 2024, Musk said June 1.

In an on-stage interview at the Code Conference, run by the technology publication Recode in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Musk repeated earlier comments that he would announce his architecture for human missions to Mars in September at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.

That plan would start with the uncrewed launch of a Dragon spacecraft in 2018 on a Mars landing mission dubbed Red Dragon. SpaceX announced April 27 it would fly that mission working in cooperation with NASA, who will provide technical expertise but no funding in exchange for data from the spacecraft's Mars landing attempt. [SpaceX's Red Dragon: A Private Mars Mission Plan in Pictures]

"The basic game plan is that we're going to send a mission to Mars with every Mars opportunity from 2018 onwards," Musk said. Launch windows for Mars missions open every 26 months, with the next opening in the spring of 2018.

"We're establishing cargo flights to Mars that people can count on," he said. "I think if things go according to plan, we should be able to launch people probably in 2024, with arrival in 2025."

Musk declined to give additional details about the plan, including the "very big rocket" that would launch the crewed vehicles. "In September Ill tell you," he said.

Earlier in the interview, Musk said that SpaceX would attempt to refly a recovered Falcon 9 first stage within the next three months. "We plan to refly one of the landed rocket boosters hopefully in about two or three months," he said. "We want to start reflying them before the end of the summer."

Musk didn't disclose who the customer would be for the first launch of a Falcon 9 with a reused first stage, although company officials recently said a couple of potential customers had expressed interest. SpaceX has now landed four Falcon 9 first stages, although some will be used for ground tests and the one from the first landing, in December 2015, will be put on display outside the companys Hawthorne, California headquarters.

Musk also said the first Falcon Heavy launch was still scheduled before the end of the year. That launch, he said, would not carry a payload, despite earlier reports that there was some interest from customers in flying on that vehicle.

He also addressed the lengthy development delays of the Falcon Heavy, whose first launch was originally scheduled to take place several years ago. "It's not like we had a lot of pressing customers who wanted us to launch this," he said. In fact, at least one company, ViaSat, decided to purchase a launch on an Ariane 5 because of Falcon Heavy delays, reserving its Falcon Heavy contract for a later mission.

Musk also said that SpaceX, which has launched three Falcon 9 missions in less than two months, would maintain a high launch rate. "We're sort of backlogged on our launches and we're trying to get them out as quickly as we can," he said, referring to the June 2015 Falcon 9 failure that halted launches for nearly six months.

"The launches will take place every two to four weeks. That's quite a high launch cadence," he said of the company's upcoming schedule.

Next year will also see the debut of the Dragon V2, also known as Crew Dragon, that SpaceX is developing for NASA's commercial crew program. That vehicle will be used for transporting NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and a version of it will also fly Mars missions.

Musk suggested he might fly on a Dragon vehicle in several years. "I think I will at some point," he said when asked if he planned to fly in space. "I'll probably go to orbit in four or five years, something like that."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Artist's illustration of an asteroid that has been turned into a giant mechanical spacecraft, which could fly itself to a mining outpost.

A few decades from now, asteroids may be flying themselves to mining outposts in space, nobly sacrificing their abundant resources to help open the final frontier to humanity.

That's the vision of California-based company Made In Space, which was recently awarded NASA funding to investigate how to turn asteroids into giant, autonomous spacecraft.

The project, known as RAMA (Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata), is part of Made In Space's long-term plan to enable space colonization by helping make off-Earth manufacturing efficient and economically viable. [How Asteroid Mining Could Work (Infographic)]

"Today, we have the ability to bring resources from Earth," Made In Space co-founder and chief technology officer Jason Dunn told Space.com. "But when we get to a tipping point where we need the resources in space, then the question becomes, 'Where do they come from and how do we get them, and how do we deliver them to the location that we need?' This is a way to do it."

Diagram of an asteroid that has been converted into a mechanical spacecraft by a robotic "Seed Craft." (Image credit: Zoe Brinkley

The plan

Made In Space's idea involves sending an advanced, robotic "Seed Craft" out to rendezvous with a succession of near-Earth asteroids in space.

The Seed Craft would harvest material from the space rocks, then use this feedstock to construct propulsion, navigation, energy-storage and other key systems onsite with the aid of 3D printing and other technologies. (Made In Space has considerable 3D-printing expertise; the company built the two 3D printers that were installed aboard the International Space Station in the past year and a half.)

Thus transformed into autonomous spacecraft, the asteroids could be programmed to fly to a mining station in Earth-moon space, or anywhere else they were needed. This approach would be much more efficient than launching a new capture probe (or probes) to every single space rock targeted for resource exploitation, Made In Space representatives said.

The converted asteroids wouldn't resemble the traditional idea of spacecraft, with rocket engines and complex electronic circuitry. Rather, everything would be mechanical and relatively primitive.

For example, the computer would be analog, akin, perhaps, to the Antikythera mechanism invented by the ancient Greeks to chart the motion of heavenly bodies, Dunn said. And the propulsion system might be some sort of catapult that launches boulders or other material off the asteroid in a controlled way, thereby pushing the space rock in the opposite direction (as described by Newton's Third Law of Motion), he added.

"At the end of the day, the thing that we want the asteroid to be is technology that has existed for a long time. The question is, 'Can we convert an asteroid into that technology at some point in the future?'" Dunn said. "We think the answer is yes."

Project RAMA is not starting from scratch. Autonomous 3D printers that use mechanically driven systems already exist, Dunn noted, as do mechanical computers made of 3D-printed parts.

Still, making it happen will require significant advances in a number of areas, including in-situ resource utilization (ISRU)  the art of living off the land. Made In Space is counting on NASA to push ISRU technology forward, Dunn said. (Advanced ISRU tech will be vital for supporting astronauts on Mars and other off-Earth outposts, NASA officials have said.) [What Technology Will Humans Need to Explore Mars? (Video)]

Early days yet

Made In Space's larger vision won't be realized for a while, because RAMA is still in the very early stages.

In April, the project received a Phase 1 grant from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which aims to encourage the development of potentially revolutionary space-exploration technologies.

Phase 1 NIAC awardees get $100,000 for nine months' worth of initial feasibility studies. (Recipients can then apply for a Phase 2 NIAC award, which is worth about $500,000 and funds two years of further concept development.)

Any discussion of Project RAMA timelines is therefore incredibly speculative, Dunn stressed. Still, he estimated that the effort might require 20 years or so of technology development and other work. If that's the case, the first Seed Craft may get off the ground in the late 2030s  perhaps just as asteroid-mining and off-Earth manufacturing are coming into their own.

"The anticipation is that the RAMA architecture is a long time line, and when it becomes capable is about the same time that people really need the resources," Dunn said.

Project RAMA could also have applications here on Earth, he added, saying that machines similar to Seed Craft could do a variety of jobs around the planet.

"You could build infrastructure in remote locations somewhat autonomously, and convert resources into useful devices and mechanical machines," Dunn said. "This actually could solve some pretty big problems on Earth, from housing to construction of things that make people's lives better."

You can read more about Project RAMA at Made In Space's NIAC page and in a piece that Dunn wrote for Medium.com.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Thierry Legault captured this shot of the International Space Station and Mercury both crossing in front of the sun on May 9, during a rare transit of Mercury.

As most space-loving Earthlings sought out Mercury's silhouette against the sun on May 9, one photographer waited in anticipation for something else to cross the sun's bright disk: the International Space Station.

Thierry Legault, a photographer from France, flew thousands of miles to witness the rare event as Mercury crossed in front of the sun. That planetary crossing, known as a transit, won't happen again until 2019, but Legault wanted to capture an even rarer sight: the space station crossing the sun during the transit of Mercury. That juxtaposition would be visible in only three locations: Quebec, Canada; Florida; and the Great Lakes area of the U.S. Legault's final destination took a lot of deliberation, but he settled on the suburbs of Philadelphia where the skies would likely be clear and he could find a quiet space.

The journey was a gamble, Legault said, because the space station crosses the sun in less than a second, meaning any clouds can easily ruin the shot. (Check out more awesome photos of Mercury crossing the sun.)

"Adrenaline flows in the moments before the station flies by  it is a one-shot chance," Legault said in an image description. "I cannot ask the space agencies to turn around so I can try again. Anything can happen."

Legault chose well. The image above includes frames superimposed on each other to show the station's path, with Mercury appearing as the black dot seen toward the bottom of the sun's center. But Lagault was also lucky: Only 10 minutes after he shot the photos, the clouds rolled in.

"Astrophotography is my hobby that I spend many hours on, but even without a camera I encourage everybody to look up at the night sky," he said. "The International Space Station can be seen quite often, and there are many more things to see. It is just a case of looking up at the right time." (You can see more of Legault's astrophotographer at his website here.)

Space.com's Satellite Tracker Map, made by N2YO, shows the current location of the International Space Station and other satellites, and when they'll next pass over your location.

Follow Shannon Hall on Twitter @ShannonWHall. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
NASA is considering sending the Dawn spacecraft to a third asteroid after it finishes its mission at the dwarf planet Ceres.

Dawn, which visited the asteroid Vesta before putting itself into orbit around Ceres, was expected to run out of fuel for its novel ion propulsion system by the end of this year.

ANALYSIS: Weird Polygonal Crater Reveals Ceres' Faults

The spacecraft had used extra propellant for thruster burns to orientate itself in space after problems with its reaction wheels prompted flight controllers to shut down the system. The wheels' spin naturally generates momentum to point the spacecraft without using fuel.

Upon arrival at Ceres in March 2015, flight controllers turned Dawn's reaction wheels back on and found the system operational.

"They worked great. There's been no other anomalies in that particular area for Dawn," NASA planetary science chief Jim Green told a science advisory committee during a webcast meeting this week.

Engineers then reassessed how much xenon propellant Dawn has left for science operations.

"It turns out it is actually pretty significant," Green said.

PHOTOS: Ceres Delights: Dawn's Latest Dwarf Planet Views

With enough fuel for at least another year of operations, NASA asked the Dawn team to submit a proposal for an extended mission.

Green declined to elaborate on an earlier discussion about options for Dawn, including sending the probe to visit another body in the main asteroid belt.

"They have had a variety of things they've discussed, and because it's a proposal I'm not at liberty to talk about it. But once again, an exciting mission," Green said.

In an email, Dawn lead scientist Christopher Russell told DNews, "Discussion of this topic is premature. We have only one approved continued operation plan and that is to remain in our present orbit."

ANALYSIS: Mystery Mountain Pops Up in Striking Ceres Photo

That may change before the end of September.

"An extended mission review is underway," Green told the advisory group. "The panels have met and final deliberations are not quite done yet. We'll announce what NASA's decision is on that in the August-September time frame."

Originally published on Discovery News.
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Grand Canyon University Launching Seminary in Fall of 2016 Graduate programs will prepare ministers, expand university's focus on servant leadership



Contact: Bob Romantic, Grand Canyon University, 602-639-7611



PHOENIX, June 6, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Grand Canyon University will launch a Theological Seminary in the fall of 2016 that incorporates all of its graduate theology programs and prepares the next generation of ministers for the church.



Grand Canyon Theological Seminary, like the University itself, will be interdenominational and evangelical in nature, and will be distinguishable in two ways.



First, in addition to teaching sound doctrinal principles and Biblical truths, the Seminary will be mission-oriented  a pillar for which GCU is known.



"This brings ministry to the graduate level and incorporates what we're already doing," said Brian Mueller, president of GCU. "Jesus' ministry should be the model for ministry today  to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. At GCU, we strongly believe it is our purpose to expand servant leadership into our community and to extend prosperity beyond our walls in lasting and meaningful ways. Grand Canyon Theological Seminary will be another extension of that. What we hope to do here is raise a generation of pastors who will go out and reflect what we are as a university."



Second, the Seminary will be housed within the framework of a rapidly expanding university.



"This is now a major, comprehensive university with 75,000 students studying in nine colleges across 200 academic programs," said Jason Hiles, dean of GCU's College of Theology. "We have an incredibly vibrant ground campus, and now we have a seminary right in the middle of that. You're learning to be a pastor in an environment where you have opportunities for transformative ministry on our campus and in the nearby neighborhood. It's going to be pretty special in terms of the experience for students."



The Seminary, which will be located on the second floor of the College of Theology, is uniquely positioned to serve a wide array of churches and denominations that embrace the central tenets of the Christian faith. Specifically, it will meet the needs of underserved groups such as denominations that do not have a seminary, ethnic churches, bi-vocational ministers, and ministers who can't easily relocate to complete their seminary education.



"The Seminary will be interdenominational in nature but will be adaptable to meet the needs of specific churches," Hiles said. "Our goal is to make Grand Canyon Theological Seminary the premier interdenominational, evangelical seminary in the Southwest by forming Christian leaders theologically, spiritually and professionally while equipping them to minister faithfully and effectively within a challenging cultural context."



Another attractive aspect of the new program is affordability. The accelerated program will help students complete their graduate work in less time and at a reasonable cost.



"Our price point is very appealing," Hiles said. "This makes us very affordable for students who will serve others after graduation, and serving others doesn't normally pay much."



GCU has offered master's-level theological curriculum for the past six years, including a Master of Divinity program. The Seminary offers 12 graduate degree programs, available in three modalities: full-time daytime, full-time evening and online. On-campus housing will be available for a limited number of full-time daytime students.



About Grand Canyon University: Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is regionally accredited and offers more than 200 academic programs across nine colleges for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The University's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates, both in-person and online, and individual attention from instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu.

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Caesar is the pseudonym used for a military photographer from Syria. For months, he smuggled evidence -- photos of prisoners who had been starved to death and who exhibited evidence of torture -- out of his department on USB sticks, which he stored in his shoe. The cache includes 55,000 photos of 11,000 bodies, proving how people were "killed in an industrial manner" in Assad's torture dungeons. If the regime had caught Caesar, he would have been the next one to show up dead in a photograph.

Caesar's material was initially passed by Syrian rebels to the government in Qatar, and British law firm Cater-Ruck hired Crane on behalf of the Qataris. As independent experts, he and two other legal experts were tasked with determining whether the photos were authentic.

"The photos are 100 percent real," says Crane, adding that Caesar is also real. The lawyer says he spent four days talking with the source. Caesar didn't want any money. He couldn't bear photographing over 50 torture victims per day, he said, and when a friend of his turned up among the dead one day, he decided to flee. Today, Caesar lives somewhere in Europe under an assumed identity.

Crane is convinced that Caesar's data only shows a small part of the truth. The photos came from three torture facilities in Damascus, but there are approximately 50 such sites across the country.

American Crimes

In the current political constellation, Crane's plan doesn't have a chance. As allies of Syria, Russia and China have voted several times in the UN Security Council against establishing a war-crimes tribunal for Syria. But in March, the US House of Representatives decided to press the UN to create a special tribunal. Republican Congressman Chris Smith even suggested using Crane's data set as a basis for it.

Thus far, students Levrant and White have finished writing five indictments with their professor. Now they want to write indictments against commanders of IS, the Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army.

"We don't have a political agenda," says Levrant, the head of the project. "A crime is a crime and the law is the law." Even if it comes to an indictment, it would be impossible to punish all of the people responsible. But it would be possible to target the principals, the top commanders of fighting units that took part in war crimes.

Crane actually lives a rather placid life as a retiree in North Carolina. He walks in the vineyards and takes care of his grandchildren. Once a week he flies to Syracuse for two days. He studied here over 40 years ago, and it brings him happiness to teach the prosecutors of the future how to hunt down war criminals.

As the son of a US officer, he lived for a time in southern Germany. As a 12-year-old in 1962, he visited the Dachau concentration camp with his family. "I could still smell the horror," he said. The experience stuck with him and ultimately motivated him to study law.

At the time, Crane was proud of how the Americans defended freedom in Europe, but today, he often finds it difficult to be proud of his nation. He was about to leave the Defense Department when planning for the Iraq war was underway in 2002. He says it was "only for one reason, oil."

And then there's the Charles Taylor affair. As chief prosecutor, Crane wondered at the time why, despite his excellent relationship with US intelligence services, he wasn't receiving any support -- why, in fact, his investigations were even being hampered. As it turns out, Taylor had been working for the military intelligence agency DIA as well as for the CIA, and they wanted to continue the cooperation.

Crane is most ashamed of the fact that his country hasn't signed onto the Statute of the International Criminal Court and quotes former US President George W. Bush, who once said that if just one US soldier had to answer before the court, he would march into the Netherlands.

Crane thinks it's extraordinary that the biggest war criminals in the world -- the US, China and Russia -- have never been called to account because they take advantage of their veto in the UN Security Council.

Thus far, very few have taken note of the war-crimes matrix being prepared in Syracuse. Crane, however, has experience with the process.

The path to justice, he says, is long and full of setbacks, but it can happen. After all, he's managed it once before.
Addis Ababa, June 5, 2016 (SPS) - NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki has expressed profound condolences over the passing away Tuesday of president of Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario front, Mohamed Abdelaziz, considering it a great loss for the Sahrawi people and for the peoples of Africa, in a letter to Speaker of the National Council, the acting President of the Republic, Khatri Adouh.

The full text of the letter:

I wish to extend, on behalf of the NEPAD Agency, my sincere condolences following the death of H.E. Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

This is a great loss for the Sahrawi people and for the peoples of Africa. As one of the cofounders and serving Secretary-General of the POLISARIO Front, President Abdelaziz lived his life dedicated to the liberation of Western Sahara and the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

As you may know, the NEPAD Agency had scheduled a courtesy visit to the SADR this month, June 2016, and we stand ready in solidarity to honour this commitment when the leadership deems appropriate, with the ultimate aim of transforming Africa.

Once again our sincere condolences, strength, and consideration to the government and peoples of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and to the Abdelaziz family.

Please accept, Mr. Speaker, the assurances my highest consideration.

Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki



Chief Executive Officer (SPS)

062/090
New York, June 6, 2016 (SPS) - Executive Director Carne Ross of the diplomatic advisory group, Independent Diplomat, has expressed condolences to the Sahrawi people over the passing away of President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mohamed Abdelaziz, in a letter to Mr. Emhamed Khadad and Ahmed Boukhari.

Below is the full text of the letter:

On behalf of myself and all of my colleagues at Independent Diplomat, I would like to express my profound condolences for the loss of your President and Secretary-General, Mohamed Abdelaziz. I felt greatly privileged to have met him, both in the refugee camps and in New York when we hosted him at Independent Diplomat. My experiences in the camps all those years ago were life changing. They serve as an ongoing inspiration and reminder of why Independent Diplomat exists.

President Abdelazizs unwavering pursuit of justice for the people of Western Sahara is a testament to a life dedicated to his nations cause. His skill in navigating the many challenges faced by your people over four decades of leadership was remarkable and exemplary.

Please convey my condolences to his family, all of our friends in the POLISARIO, and indeed all of the people of Western Sahara. We share your grief.

Independent Diplomat remains as committed as ever to the people of Western Sahara. We look forward to continuing our work with you to fulfil President Abdelazizs vision of a Western Sahara where the people are allowed to choose their own political future.

Yours sincerely,



Carne Ross



Executive Director (SPS)

062/090




NFU Scotland, NFU, NFU Cymru, and UFU have come together ahead of member state experts voting on a temporary re-extension of authorisation.

If the vote is passed this would be for approximately 18 months until more scientific evidence is available.

The UK farming unions say there is no well-reasoned argument holding back a full re-authorisation of glyphosate in line with the regulatory process.

The open letter, which has included NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie as a signatory, is as follows:

From their fields, yards and orchards across the UK, farmers are following the ongoing debate on the re-approval of glyphosate with mounting concern. To our minds, it comes down to a very simple question: what do we need? What do we need to keep providing people with food, our businesses viable and deliver other public goods that come from farming?

First and foremost we need a regulatory process that is based on solid, scientific evidence that is well scrutinised by an independent body and based on risk assessment. Indeed such a process for the registration of plant protection products has delivered a recommendation for the continued use of glyphosate. However, we need all elected officials and policymakers in national and European parliaments and institutions to respect the process. The ongoing situation has already severely damaged the credibility of the European Food Safety Authority and as a consequence has eroded confidence and certainty in the regulatory system.

It is deeply worrying that a decision that has very real consequences on millions of peoples everyday lives is the subject of political bargaining. We urge a return to evidence-led policymaking that is insulated from political swings and based on fair scientific risk assessment. Without this, we worry that doubt is unfortunately cast on the ability for the EU to deliver for farmers.

Secondly, European farmers need glyphosate to provide a safe, secure and affordable food supply while increasingly responding to consumer demand for greater environmental sensitivity.
Attracting in the region of 8,000 visitors, this is a key biennial event for the UK sheep industry. Not only will it provide a platform for people to hear from industry experts and to visit hundreds of exhibition stands it will also highlight how one progressive County Durham Farm operates their commercial sheep enterprise.

West Shields Farm is a family run partnership, managed by John Smith alongside his two sons, David and Alan. Also involved are Johns nephew and his son. This 900 acre traditional mixed farm, sitting at 270 metres above sea level, is home to a commercial sheep flock of 1,350 Mules and some Texels. The family use Texel rams purchased locally where possible.

In addition, the farm is home to 300 suckler cows and the family has a local contracting business. This is a team effort! It is a family farm with everyone involved working together, says David Smith.

We have been members of the National Sheep Association for considerable time and regularly attend North Sheep so as a family we are are delighted to be hosting the 2017 North Sheep event.

This is the first time that newly appointed Northern Regional Manager and Events Organiser Heather Stoney-Grayshon has headed up the event. However, Heather is no stranger to sheep farming or event organising, having grown up on a farm in Yorkshire, breeding sheep and cattle, as well as showing commercial beef cattle.
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Despite the constant headlines that business is in trouble in Connecticut, a case can be made for success, according to one magazine.

Fortune magazine released their annual "Fortune 500" list Thursday, with 19 Connecticut companies making the cut. Thirteen of this year's companies from Connecticut are based in Fairfield County.

Related: One southwest Connecticut town is among the richest in the country

Fairfield-based (at least for now) General Electric was the highest ranking at 11 on the list, with $140.3 billion in revenue and and also ranked eight the previous year. The next closest-ranking company from Fairfield County was Xerox, based in Norwalk, at 150.

Xerox fell from 143 the previous year. In all, seven of the 19 companies from southwestern Connecticut rose in ranking.

Perhaps the biggest jump on the list, definitely in Connecticut, was Greenwich's XPO Logistics, which rose from 909 to 353 and posted $7.6 billion in revenue in 2016a 223.5% growth in revenue.

"The Connecticut shipping provider's spectacular growth follows an ambitious slate of acquisitions completed over the course of 2015: UX Specialized Logistics for $59 million; Bridge Terminal Transport for $100 million; Con-Way Inc. for $3 billion; and Norbert Dentressangle for $3.53 billion," Fortune said.

Connecticut insurance companies once again landed comfortably within the top 100, with Hartford's Aetna and Cigna listed as 46 and 79, respectively. Both rose in ranking from the previous year, as well.

Related: Newly BBB accredited businesses in Fairfield County

The Fortune 500 list compiles companies based on their reported revenue for the 2016 fiscal year. The survey does not include companies that don't file with a government agency, are incorporated outside the United States, U.S. companies consolidated by other foreign or domestic companies that file with a government agency, and companies that failed to report full financial statements for at least three quarters of the 2016 fiscal year.

To see Fortune magazine's full "Fortune 500" list, click here.

Be sure to see all of Connecticut's Fortune 500 companies for 2016 in the slideshow above.
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STAMFORDOnline registration for the Navigators Kids in CrisisKIC IT Race Weekend this Saturday and Sunday at Cummings Beach at 440 Shippan Avenue in Stamford will end this Thursday June 9.

The Navigators Stamford KIC IT Race Weekend features five races over a two-day span, including the Navigators Stamford KIC IT Kids Triathlon on Saturday, June 11, and the Navigators Stamford KIC IT Olympic and Sprint Triathlons, and 5k and 10k road races on Sunday, June 12.
Battle of Midway 74th Anniversary -- Verna Linzey Attends Contact: Chaplain David M. Wagner, 951-787-9776



SAN DIEGO, Calif., June 6, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Saturday, June 4, 2016, the USS Midway hosted the 74th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. In attendance were Verna Linzey, escorted by AW2 Jonathan Howland, USN, and by her son Chaplain, Major Jim Linzey, USA (Ret.). They attended in honor of Verna's late husband CAPT Stanford E. Linzey, Jr., CHC, USN (Ret.), who was a Seaman Second Class on the USS Yorktown in the Battle of Midway.



Photo: Navy Color Guard on the USS Midway posting the colors for the 74th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Photo courtesy of Chaplain Jim Linzey



RADM John McLaughlin, USNR (Ret.) was the master of ceremonies as the president and chief executive officer of the USS Midway Museum. After he gave the welcome, the invocation was delivered by Captain Terry Corgon, USN, Chaplain, US THIRD Fleet. Then the opening remarks were given by VADM Nora Tyson, Commander, US THIRD Fleet. The address was given by Ian W. Toll, award winning author of historical military books. He retold the story of how the United States won the Battle of Midway.



June 4-7, 1942 was when the United States won the most decisive victory in the history of Naval battle. This was the turning point on the Pacific front in World War II. United States naval strike forces with bombers and torpedo planes dealt a decisive blow to the Imperial Japanese navy carrier task force. The Battle of Midway lasted 6 minutes.



The Imperial Japanese navy lost four large aircraft carriers which were among the six that attacked Pearl Harbor. The United States lost the USS Yorktown (CV 5) and the USS Hammann (DD 412).



The US naval strike forces which included three aircraft carriersthe USS Yorktown, the USS Hornet, and the USS Enterprisesailed within 200 miles northeast of Midway to protect Midway from the attack of the Japanese fleet. When the carriers sailed northwest toward their destination, an eerie sense of despair filled the Yorktown. Seaman Second Class Stanford Linzey felt it and was consumed by this fear. On June 3, 1942, he lay in his bunk in the dark. It was pitch black and silent. He asked God to remove this fear. After praying for a long time, the fear disappeared and he sensed relief and a deep abiding peace regardless of what might befall the Yorktown.



His wife, Verna Linzey, was back in San Diego and did not know anything about the impending battle or her husband's sense of fear and experience in prayer. But at the same time, about 5,000 miles away from her husband, she felt a strong desperation to pray for him. She did not know why. But she knelt in prayer by the side of their bed. It was between five and six o'clock in the evening California time. After praying for an hour, she, too, felt relief just as he did that same hour. When they later compared notes, they realized they had united in prayer simultaneously.



Japan did not know that the United States had three aircraft carriers near Midway. Our torpedo planes began the attack on the Japanese aircraft carriers, but they had no cover. So the Japanese combat air patrol from above came down and shot all but two of our torpedo plans out of the sky.



At 10:24 AM on June 4, 1942 one of the most savage sea battles in naval history broke out for six minutes. Then it was all over. Japan had lost. Just when the Japanese Command had thought they had won, our dive bombers suddenly attacked and bombed three Japanese aircraft carriers. They became blazing. Admiral Nimitz stated, "I want that last carrier," referring to the Hiryu. So the USS Yorktown searched, found, bombed, and sank it.

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The majority of Americans support legalization of marijuana, according to a national Quinnipiac University poll released Monday morning.

By a margin of 54 to 41 percent, respondents agreed with the statement marijuana should be made legal in the United States.

Men support marijuana legalization by a slightly wider margin than women, 60 to 37 percent vs. 48 to 46 percent.

The only demographics measured by the Quinnipiac poll who oppose marijuana legalization are Republicans, with 62 percent against and 36 in favor, voters over the age of 65, who are 57 to 37 percent no, and white women, who oppose it narrowly, 48 to 47 percent.

The poll found that Americans by very large margins support the medicinal use of marijuana, with a doctors prescription. The margin of support on that question is 89 to 9 percent, with every demographic backing it with at least 81 percent support.

By an 87 to 9 percent margin, respondents said that U.S. Veterans Administration doctors should be allowed to prescribe marijuana in pill form to veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Voters in households where at least one member is a veteran or on active duty military service support marijuana for PTSD by a smaller margin, 82 to 13 percent.

If you serve your country and suffer for it, you deserve every health remedy available, including medical marijuana in pill form. That is the full-throated recommendation of Americans across the demographic spectrum, including voters in military households, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is debilitating and life-threatening. The response from voters should take political considerations out of the debate and allow doctors to do what's best for veterans. The fact that a majority of American voters favors legalizing marijuana in general shows how attitudes about the drug have changed.

The poll surveyed 1,561 registered voters between May 24 and 30, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points.
When asked to name some of the most successful entrepreneurs on social media, many lists rank Richard Branson near the top. With more than seven million Twitter followers, nine million followers on LinkedIn and nearly three million Facebook likes, Branson joins Mark Cuban and Elon Musk as one of the most prominent executives on social media. But success on social media goes well beyond likes and follows. Branson follows several social media best practices that elevate him to the top of the pack. Follow these four to establish thought leadership, drive leads and nurture relationships on social media.

Related: 'Screw It, Just Do It': Exclusive Video Interview With Richard Branson

1. He connects on the most human of levels.

Branson successfully uses the platform to tell stories and naturally build engagement, creating a personal feeling among an extremely large following. Todays social media users are more savvy than ever. While standard marketing messages may have organically generated engagement or clicks a few years ago, social media followers now expect real connections.

Despite the sheer volume of followers Branson engages every day, Branson is able to respond to some tweets on a nearly daily basis. Further adding a personal touch to his tweets, Branson often includes personal pictures and images with his content. Theres an especially important element to note here: Branson typically posts to social media himself. It can be difficult to build and nurture real relationships on social media when an outside resource is posting to your accounts. Socially-savvy connections can often tell when posts are coming from a marketing team. Branson realizes that social success requires authenticity, and makes social media a priority during his day.

When asked recently by a follower how much time Branson devotes daily to blogging and social media, Branson responded directly to the follower: It depends what else Im doing and where I am, but I make sure to check in at least a couple of times a day.

Related: 10 Ways You Can Be More Like Richard Branson

2. He uses social media to drive traffic to the Virgin website.

While you hope to earn leads and build stronger relationships on social media, every business is ultimately engaging in social media and other marketing to increase sales. Posting feel good content may help drive engagement and clicks, but content that sends traffic to your website is what converts followers and likes into leads and ultimately, sales. Facebook and Google are continually switching off as the number one driver of website referral traffic.

Branson understands the importance of original blog content to his social media strategy, writing new blog posts on a nearly daily basis. He sends traffic to those blog posts on the Virgin website by posting the links in engaging tweets to his seven million followers.

3. He has fun.

In his book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, leading social media expert and New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk recommends offering fun, valuable content several times before ever asking for something from your social media followers. Whether its a cute animal picture, a funny meme or a personal story, Branson shares things he enjoys on Twitter. More importantly, he shares content that he knows his followers will enjoy.

While sending traffic back to your website is essential to growing your business, sharing content your followers will enjoy offers some balance to business-oriented content, simultaneously increasing the likelihood followers will trust the quality of your hook content.

Related: Why Richard Branson Says 'Screw Business as Usual'

4. He welcomes input from customers.

Branson understands that being active on social media -- and reaping the potential rewards of a strong social presence -- means becoming vulnerable to negative input or comments from customers. Rather than avoid this type of social feedback, Branson welcomes it, stating:

I enjoy reading through my social media feeds. Its a great way to get feedback about our goods and services, and a wonderful way to find inspiration for new ideas.

Through his #AskRichard live Twitter Q&As and through daily interaction, Branson engages his followers in open conversations about a range of topics. Branson takes a community approach to his Twitter followers instead of an adversarial one, leading to a highly engaged community of followers.

Social media success is not reserved for globally-recognized entrepreneurs with millions of followers. Make a commitment to social media and follow the lead of Richard Branson to make an impact.

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Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
home Tech iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak news, updates, rumors: New jailbreak tool successfully developed, but release date still uncertain

A lot of Apple users have been searching for the legitimate iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool but over the past several weeks, there were no official mobile software that could successfully break into the iOS system and tweak it according to the user's preferences. However, there could finally be a working jailbreaking tool in the future as a team of tech experts claims to successfully develop the right tool.

Neurogadget reported that the GSMagic Team finally came up with the correct jailbreak software that can actually break into the latest Apple operating system. It can be noted that the past several weeks have seen fake iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak software tools that may do more harm than good when downloaded. However, there is finally a hope for a real and functional jailbreak tool as GSMagic posted a video on their Twitter page, showing proof that they already figured out how to jailbreak the current iOS system.

GSMagic also said that their team is not accepting any kind of donation from anyone before they can finally release the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak tool. This further proves that the tool they are currently developing is legit and they are not only after people's money. Based on their progress in the video, the proper jailbreak can be released within a few days, Yibada reported.

Prior to this feat by GSMagic, an Italian hacker named Luca Todesco was able to hack the newer iOS versions but he refused to share the tools that he used to jailbreak the system. A lot of hacker teams such as Pangu and TaiG have attempted to develop the fitting jailbreak tool for the iOS 9.3.2 version but to no avail. Firstpost reported that Todesco managed to develop the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak hours after the iOS update rolled out. It is rumored that Todesco works for Apple that is why could not release the necessary tools for the jailbreak.

Yibada also noted that the working iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak may be released before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this month, although time is already ticking as the upcoming release of iOS 10 may affect the recent efforts of hackers to develop the 9.3.3 jailbreak tool.
B HS landlords have started the scramble to find new owners to take over the chains department stores, after a rescue bid to save the retailer collapsed, leaving property groups with likely empty shops.

Listed property companies are among those that have been rocked by BHS administrator Duff & Phelps admission last week that all 163 stores would close down.

The failed chains real-estate portfolio covers about 5.5 million square feet, equivalent to more than three Shard skyscrapers.

Ed Jenkins, Standard Life Investments head of UK retail, said the firm was working with the administrators but warned that clearly the occupier market will not be helped by having to absorb the BHS space. Standard Life has six stores.

Land Securities, which has three BHS stores, said it was confident in strong demand from retailers for space in its schemes.

Other property firms that face empty shops include British Land, which has five BHS stores, and shopping centres owner Intu with 10.

Tony Devlin, head of high street retail at property agent CBRE, said there was scope for the stores to find new occupiers, including retailers with formats more appropriate for todays trading conditions.

The property plans come in the same week Parliament will hear the latest round of evidence as MPs try to establish what led to the administration of BHS.

The once-popular store chain failed 13 months after it was sold by Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green for 1 to Retail Acquisitions, led by serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell.

The Work and Pensions and Business, Innovation and Skills committees will question BHS management and Chappell on Wednesday.

Chappell will face questions about a 10 million payment made by Green three months after he sold the business.
T wo property investors have driven into the London housing market by snapping up the former Ford stamping works site in Dagenham.

The sale to Europa Capital, on behalf of one its funds, and St Congar Land comes three years after the plant closed.

It had stood in east London for almost 90 years, but was closed as part of a move to cope with a drop in new vehicle demand.

The Ford Dagenham site is one of the best-known plants in the country, and inspired the hit musical Made in Dagenham.

A price of around 26 million for the 42-acre brownfield site was agreed with Ford Motor Company, according to the Land Registry. Property agent Cushman & Wakefield advised.

There are plans for 2,650 homes on the land.

Hugo Black, director of Europa Capital Partners, said: With a railway station adjacent to the site providing a journey time to the City of less than 20 minutes, the site represents an exciting opportunity in one of the best value-for-money areas of London.
S hares in Royal Dutch Shell have drifted up 10% since its controversial 35 billion deal to swallow BG Group closed in February. The appreciation can be put down to the rising oil price rather than investors all coming around to chief executive Ben van Beurdens way of thinking.

Compared with $27 a barrel earlier this year, Brent crude is hovering close to $50 now. While the heady days of $100-plus wont return any time soon, at least the market seems becalmed.

From last weeks Opec meeting in Vienna came the clearest signal yet that Saudi Arabia and Iran were no longer trying to out-pump each other to the detriment of others.

It isnt all good news for van Beurden after Nigerian militia attacked one of his pipelines. But he has more room to manoeuvre tomorrow when Shell presents a strategy update.

Chief among City concerns is that the company overpaid for BG just as the market was tanking.

It gained a pipeline of excellent deepwater and natural gas assets, but also eye-watering net debt of $70 billion (48 billion). The underlying worry is that Shells prized dividend, which has not been cut since 1945 and costs about $15 billion a year, is under threat.

Van Beurden has reassured that is not the case but is busy selling downstream assets and cutting jobs all the same. It looks as though he can run the combined entity off Shells pre-takeover cost base. Capital expenditure is expected to be slashed, too.

Analysts at Jefferies calculate the oil major must reduce debt by $27 billion by the end of the next year to hit its targets. With $6.5 billion of sale proceeds in the public domain, Jefferies has pinpointed another $14 billion.

Another idea doing the rounds is that Shell could raise more by spinning off mature assets including its North Sea operations into a separate company.

It might not need to. The takeover looks a good one when oil hits $60 a barrel. Van Beurden is weathering the impact of an oil glut. A year or so from now, expect him to have proved the BG doubters wrong too.

Learn Mandarin, defy the robots

The horrible inevitability of BHSs failure gave the human cost of this story top billing ahead of the reputational damage to Sir Philip Green  at least for day or so. To lose most of its 11,000 staff from the workforce would be considerable, made worse by the fact that many of these roles are based in small towns where the job market is far from dynamic.

A bigger loss on the other side of the world unsurprisingly made far fewer headlines here but has just as much to say about the future of work. It was reported that Foxconn, which manufactures iPhones for Apple, plans to replace 60,000 factory workers with robots.

The company still has close to a million human staff although the charming boss Terry Gou is on record as saying that managing animals gives him a headache.

Gou came up in conversation last week with Alec Ross, an adviser to Hillary Clinton on technology policy, at a Tata-sponsored dinner at the Hay Festival. As Ross puts it in his book The Industries of the Future, human labour involves very little upfront capital expenditure  compared with the cost of buying machinery  but higher operating expenditure because robots dont draw a salary. As robots become cheaper, that opex looks more and more costly.

It begs the question of where humans will fit in in the new world order. Far fewer of them will be standing in department stores or on factory floors.

The Cambridge academic Peter Mandler persuaded a Hay audience that social mobility had more to do with the creation of better jobs than a good education. Yet by some estimates, two-thirds of the jobs our children will do have not been invented yet. So how to prepare them? Ross assured me that classes in computer coding and Mandarin would be a good start.

Steely resolve sets an example

Incidentally, what to make of Tatas decision  if it comes  to hang onto the Port Talbot steelworks that looked likely to go the way of BHS a few months ago?

What a victory that would be for ministers Sajid Javid and Anna Soubry.

My rule of thumb is that when politicians get involved in a corporate crisis, it is usually already all over bar the shouting.

By showering Tata with loans and relieving it of some of its pension liabilities, high command in Mumbai appears to have had a change of heart. Steel crisis aside, Tata has a longstanding commitment to the UK.

I wonder what other inward investors make of the treatment they have received? There are plenty of domestically owned businesses that could benefit from interventions to make them more globally competitive too. Best to form an orderly queue.
L ast week I found myself debating the UKs membership of the EU on the radio with the immensely likeable Digby Jones, a proud Brummie, a former trade minister, a businessman, a Brexiteer  and also a member of the House of Lords.

As a Brexit peer he is in good company: Norman Lamont, Norman Tebbit, David Owen, Michael Howard, Nigel Lawson and other lords also support Britains exit. From their lofty perch they berate the EU for being economically deficient, expensive, bureaucratic and, above all, undemocratic. Without the slightest hint of irony, Lord Lawson has declared that one of the most unattractive aspects of the European integrationist movement is its contempt for democracy. Pots and kettles immediately spring to mind.

It is one thing to criticise the eurozone for its economic difficulties  which, to be fair, was the focus of Joness comments  but quite another to pontificate about the democratic deficiencies of the EU from one of the most bloated, and unelected, legislative chambers in the world?

With more than 800 members, the House of Lords is only second to Chinas National Peoples Congress in size and is about as undemocratic: unique in Europe, its members can revise and amend the laws of the land without anyone actually being elected. It is, in short, an affront to the basic democratic principle that those who make the laws of the land should be elected by those who obey the laws of the land.

Yet this obvious inconsistency appears to have escaped Lord Lawson et al when they berate the EU as profoundly undemocratic. I find what they do every day in the House of Lords profoundly undemocratic too.

Similarly, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling and the other Brexit ministers appear to be entirely untroubled that they serve in a Government that garnered no more than 24 per cent of the eligible vote. Such an undemocratic outcome  wielding unchallenged power when three quarters of voters either voted for another party or didnt vote at all  is, it seems, acceptable to these high priests of democratic virtue.

The truth is that our own democracy is in need of a complete overhaul. Westminster is hopelessly stuck in the past: MPs are not allowed to shake each others hands on the parliamentary estate; we cant call each other by our names and must instead use arcane titles such as my right honourable friend or the gallant and learned gentleman. We are not allowed to clap in the Commons so we register our approval by manically guffawing and waving papers instead.

The chamber, designed to encourage confrontation, is often full of puce-faced, middle-aged men gurning and shouting at each other from a few feet apart. There was even a rifle range below the House of Lords until it finally closed last year and the cloakrooms have hooks for MPs to hang their swords. It is hardly a reflection of modern Britain.

The answer, obviously, is to reform it. Thats what I tried to do  with limited success  during five years in government. As the two larger, established parties blocked all meaningful reform  to party funding, to the House of Lords, to our electoral system  I became increasingly frustrated at the way the Conservative and Labour Parties protected their vested interests. I left office considerably more anti-establishment than when I first entered government.

But my frustration only redoubled my belief in the case for political reform. One day, the self-serving defenders of the House of Lords will have to give way. One day, the lopsided electoral system will be replaced by a fairer one. One day, the practice of big money giving the Conservatives an unfair advantage at election time will be reformed.

What I would never advocate, however, is that Westminster and Whitehall should be razed to the ground or that we should quit our democratic institutions altogether. Yet that is precisely what Brexiteers are inviting us to do: respond to the flaws in the EU, which are numerous, by turning our backs on it altogether.

EU decision-making is complex and laborious. Far from being some superstate rampaging out of control, my experience is that it is simply far too slow at getting things done because everything, by and large, has to be agreed between 28 sovereign countries.

It took the EU almost 30 years, for instance, to agree a common definition of chocolate  in part because the continental purists objected to the inclusion of vegetable fat, found in many British chocolate bars, as a key ingredient. A common definition was important to British chocolate exporters because it allowed them, once the vegetable fat dilemma had been resolved, to export to 500 million European chocolate consumers without any impediment.

'Unique in Europe, the House of Lords can revise and amend the laws of the land without anyone actually being elected'

A body that takes three decades to define chocolate can be described as many things  not least slow and bureaucratic  but an undemocratic conspiracy is hardly one of them.

Yes, there is a small Brussels bureaucracy, the European Commission, which has the right to propose (not  please note, Brexiteers  to impose) new laws; there are MEPs who have the power to block and amend EU laws; yet the real decision-making authority rests largely with the member states themselves in the Council of Ministers.

The fundamental flaw in such a system is not that Britain fails to get its way  we win more than 90 per cent of the decisions taken  it is just that it is tediously long-winded. I guess there are some ways to address this  a further extension of qualified majority voting, for instance  but they would be anathema to many pro- and anti-Europeans alike.

The one solution that I am convinced would not work is simply to throw our hands up in the air, quit the EU altogether and wait for the whole thing to come crashing down.

Yet that is precisely what the Brexiteers are campaigning for: complacency at home and a failure of nerve abroad.
L ouisiana-style street food specialist Decatur has settled in Dalston and is launching a series of monthly crawfish boils.

These boils are a longstanding tradition in New Orleans, where friends, families and whole communities come together to cook up and prepare the seafood before enjoying a communal feast.

Decatur will bring the crayfish party to London, host its first boil on Saturday June 25 at their new home Pamela.

Guests will gather around a long table clad in newspaper onto which the boiled seafood will be poured out and piled high, along with fresh corn on the cob, smoked sausage, boiled potatoes and mushrooms.

Guests can then get peeling and tucking in, dipping in garlic butter and mopping with French sticks as they go.

The event runs from 1pm to 4pm, throughout which time there will be multiple boils to ensure everyone is substantially full. This will be followed by a beignet ice cream sandwich for pudding and there will also be a few items from Decaturs regular menu on sale  including chargrilled oysters.

Tickets are 35 and available now.

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L ondons most carnivorous celebration will return for its fourth year in September, bringing top chefs from around the world to Tobacco Dock for three days of meat, fire and music.

Meatopia will run from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 September, and will feature a lineup of more than 40 chefs.

Returning names include Hawksmoor executive chef Richard Turner  who is responsible for bringing this popular American event to the UK  along with Duck & Waffles Dan Doherty and Tomos Parry from Kitty Fishers. Among those making an appearance for the first time will be Berber & Qs Josh Katz and Yotam Ottolenghi.

Other chefs confirmed to be attending include Kitchen Tables James Knappett, Oscar Holgado and Tom Adams from Pitt Cue, Shotguns Brad McDonald, Shaun Searley from Quality Chop House, Selin Kiazim from Turkish restaurant Oklava, and author and chef Neil Rankin.

International names will include Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann, as seen on Netflix documentary series Chefs Table, Niklas Ekstedt from Stockholms Michelin-starred Ekstedt and Connie De Souza from Calgarys Charcut.

As well as chef demos and food stalls galore, the weekend will feature a working butchery from Turner & George, fire workshops from Hunter Gather Cook and a full lineup of live music, including Soul II Souls Jazzie B and Norman Jay MBE.

This will be washed down with plenty of beer, wine and spirit options, while sister fest Craftopia will offer all manner of craft beers, brewer demos and tasting sessions  all curated by Melissa Cole.

Each day at the festival will have a different vibe. The Saturday will be classic Meatopia with a similar set-up to previous years, while the opening night on Friday will be over 18s only and the Sunday will have a family-friendly carnival feel, with street theatre and colourful acts.

Tickets are available at meatopia.co.uk and cost 22.50 for Friday night, 32.50 for Saturday and 30 for Sunday.

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T he nation is getting ready to celebrate the Queen's official 90th birthday next weekend, and a packed schedule of events has been organised in the capital and beyond for the nonagenarian monarch.

The Queen turned 90 on April 21, but she also has an official birthday in June - this year it falls on Saturday, June 11.

A traditional church service, the annual birthday parade and a mass street party for 10,000 people will all celebrate the milestone birthday of Britain's longest reigning sovereign.

Gun salute for the Queen's 90th birthday at Hyde Park

Youll also be able to raise a late-toast to Her Majesty too, as an extension of pub opening hours on Friday and Saturday evening has been arranged to help us all get into the party spirit.

Heres everything you need to know about the weekend's celebrations.

Friday June 10

The Windsors will be out in force for a televised service at St Paul's Cathedral in the Queen's honour. Politicians - past and present - religious leaders and invited guests will gather to mark the Queen's 90 years as Philip also celebrates his 95th.

Afterwards, the monarch, accompanied by the Duke, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, will host visiting Governors-General for lunch at Buckingham Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other members of the royal family will separately join guests from the service at London's Guildhall.

Queen Elizabeth II - In pictures 1 /114 Queen Elizabeth II - In pictures PA Princess Elizabeth waving from the carriage as she drives in London in May 1928 PA The Queen wearing the Imperial State Crown and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in uniform of Admiral of the Fleet wave from the balcony to the onlooking crowds around the gates of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation in 1953 PA England captain Bobby Moore receives the Jules Rimet Trophy from The Queen after England defeated West Germany in 1966 AP Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear having cream tea at Buckingham Palace PA PA Wire Chris Jackson/Buckingham Palace via Getty Images PA The Queen sitting with her corgis at Virginia Water to watch competitors, including Prince Philip in the Marathon of the European Driving Championship, part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1973 PA The then the Duke and Duchess of York with their daughter Princess Elizabeth at her christening on May 1, 1926. It was not expected that Elizabeth would become Queen PA Princess Elizabeth arriving at Olympia for the Royal Tournament in 1930 PA Two-year-old Princess Margaret with her sister Princess Elizabeth in 1933 PA Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) with her eldest daughter on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after the coronation of King George VI in May, 1937 PA Princess Elizabeth after she broadcast on Children's Hour from Buckingham Palace in October 1940 PA Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and King George VI with Elizabeth in April 1944, shortly before her 18th birthday PA Elizabeth at the wheel of an Army vehicle when she served during the Second World War in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in January 1945 PA Elizabeth holding her son Prince Charles after his christening ceremony in Buckingham Palace in December 1948 PA Princess Elizabeth and Lt Philip Mountbatten at Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony, November 20, 1947 PA And with her baby daughter, Princess Anne, after her christening at Buckingham Palace in October 1950 PA Queen Elizabeth II, in a black mourning outfit, waving as she returns to Clarence House in London the day after she became Queen in February 1952 PA Queen Elizabeth wearing the St Edward Crown and carrying the Sceptre and the Rod after her coronation at Westminster Abbey, June 2 1953 PA Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill bowing to Queen Elizabeth as he welcomes her and the Duke of Edinburgh to 10 Downing Street for dinner in April 1955 PA Her Majesty holds Prince Andrew during an outing in the grounds at Balmoral, Scotland. He was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years PA The Queen wearing a leopard-skin coat at a Sandown Park race meeting in March 1962 PA The Royal Family in the grounds of Frogmore House, Windsor, Berkshire. Left to right: Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew in 1968 PA The Queen on a walk-about in Portsmouth during her Silver Jubilee tour of Great Britain in June 1977 PA Her Majesty on a walkabout during a visit to Liberia, Antigua, during her Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean in October 1977. The Queen has travelled around the world 42 times, visiting 117 countries according to the official count during her 90 years - and all without a passport PA Queen Elizabeth II with some of her corgis walking the Cross Country course during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials in 1980 PA Mother Teresa with the Queen in New Delhi, India in 1983 PA The Queen Mother, The Queen, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales after the christening ceremony of Harry in December 1984 PA Her Majesty takes the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London in June 1985 PA The Queen surveys the scene at following the fire at Windsor Castle in November 1992 PA The Queen surveys the damage caused by the fire inside Windsor Castle in 1992 PA South Africa's President Nelson Mandela greets The Queen as she steps from the royal yacht Britannia in Cape Town at the official start of the her first visit to the country since 1947 PA Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, and The Queen ride in a carriage along the Mall in 1996 PA The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh viewing the floral tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace following her death in 1997 PA Members of the Royal Family appear with The Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday in 2001 Getty Images The Queen and Prince Philip ride in the Golden State Carriage at the head of a parade from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee along The Mall in 2002 Getty Images The Queen waves to the crowd as she rides in the Gold State coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate to her Golden Jubilee PA Her Majesty - and Berry the corgi - with the England rugby squad after the 2003 Rugby World Cup win PA The Queen smiles in 2004 during her visit of the Light Cavalry of the Honourable Artillery Company to present a Royal Warrant in Windsor Getty Images Prince of Wales and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with their families (L-R back row) Prince Harry, Prince William, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles (L-R front row) Duke of Edinburgh,The Queen and Camilla's father Major Bruce Shand in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony in 2005 Getty Images The Queen in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London looking at some of the cards which have been sent to her for her 80th birthday in April 2006 PA The Queen attends the Royal Windsor Horseshow in 2007 Getty Images The Queen is handed a puck by President of Slovakia Ivan Gasparovic before throwing in the puck to start an ice hockey match between Aqua City Poprad and Guildford Flames in 2008 Getty Images The Queen meets singer Lady Gaga following the Royal Variety Performance in 2009 Getty Images The Queen watches the International Driving Competition at the Royal Windsor Horse Show held in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire in 2009 PA The Queen studies and re-launches the new layout of the Monarchy Website in 2010 Getty Images The Queen inspects the Grenadier Guards in 2010 before presenting their new colours in the garden of Buckingham Palace Getty Images The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wear 3 D glasses to watch a display and pilot a JCB digger, during a visit to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research centre in 2010 Getty Images The Queen places a wreathe at Ground Zero in 2010 in New York to honor the victims of September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center AFP/Getty Images The Duke of Edinburgh looks on as aThe Queen talks with Pope Benedict XVI exchange gifts during an audience in the Morning Drawing Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh in 2010 PA U.S. President Barack Obama, The Queen and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at Winfield House, the residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America, in Regent's Park in 2011 Getty Images The Queen is escorted by her grandson Prince William during a visit to RAF Valley in 2011 Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II drives her Range Rover as she attends Windsor Horse Show in 2011 Getty Images On stage outside Buckingham Palace in London with Charles, Camilla and a host of pop stars at the Diamond Jubilee concert during celebrations to mark her 60 years as sovereign in 2012 PA Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge onboard the Spirit of Chartwell during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames in 2012 Getty Images The Queen appears in cameo role for the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games The Queen speaks during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games Getty Images The Queen attends an audience with Pope Francis, during their one-day visit to Rome in 2013 Getty Images The Queen and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales watch the action during the Braemar Highland Games in 2014 Getty Images Queen posts first tweet signed 'Elizabeth R' in 2014 The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red evolving art installation at the Tower of London in 2014 PA The Queen sitting next to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh looks up during the Queen's Speech in House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in 2015 Getty Images Her Majesty attends the formal unveiling of the new logo for Crossrail, which is being named the Elizabeth line, at the construction site of the Bond Street station in central London, February 23, 2016 Reuters The Queen sits at a desk in the Regency Room after recording her Christmas Day broadcast to the Commonwealth at Buckingham Palace in 2016 Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Charles, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch a fly past during the Trooping the Colour in 2017 Getty Images The Queen arriving at the National Service of Thanksgiving to mark her 90th birthday at St. Paul's Cathedral Alex Lentati The Queen hands out Maundy money during the Royal Maundy service at Leicester Cathedral in 2017 Reuters The Queen and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (C-R) attend the Royal Maundy Service in Leicester Cathedral in 2017 EPA The Queen smiles as she departs after officially re-opening the The National Army Museum in 2017 Getty Images The Queen arrives at Hull Railway Station, during a visit to the city to mark its year as the UK City of Culture PA Service: The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall observe from a balcony during the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph in 2017 PA Queen Elizabeth II sits and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2018 Getty Images The Queen joins Anna Wintour on the front row at London Fashion Week AW18 PA The Queen posts her first ever Instagram message in 2019 @RoyalFamily The Queen smiling during a visit to the headquarters of British Airways at Heathrow Airport, London, to mark their centenary year PA US President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, Melania Trump, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, during a group photo ahead of the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, London PA The Queen with keeper Maia Gordon as Olive the duck walks alongside them during a visit to Gorgie City Farm in Edinburgh. PA The Queen talks to guests following the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament Getty Images The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2003 (Countess of Wessex/PA) PA Media The Queen sat alone at the Duke of Edinburghs funeral PA Wire The Queen sat alone at the Duke of Edinburghs funeral PA Wire Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle PA Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, looking at their homemade wedding anniversary card, given to them by their great grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, ahead of their 73rd wedding anniversary PA Queen Elizabeth II waits in the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience at Balmoral, Scotland PA

Saturday June 11 - the Queen's birthday

The traditional Trooping the Colour parade and carriage procession will kick off in the morning.

The Queen, accompanied by Philip and other royals, will watch the Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade at which The Queen's Colour of Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards will be trooped.

Afterwards, the royals will join a carriage procession back to the Palace. Royal fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of Princess Charlotte if she makes her first appearance on the balcony for the annual RAF flypast.

Sunday June 12

The finale of the official celebrations is a giant street party on The Mall.

Organised by the Queen's eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, the event will see 10,000 revellers - the majority representatives from the Queen's patronages - sit down to a hamper-style lunch along the London thoroughfare which leads up to the Palace.

A carnival parade will travel along entertaining guests and the Queen and Philip will take to a stage at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Palace to listen to speeches, before sitting in a royal box with the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, joint presidents of the event, for part of the day.

Queen Elizabeth II's 90th Birthday Celebrations 1 /22 Queen Elizabeth II's 90th Birthday Celebrations Britain's Queen Elizabeth II cuts into a birthday cake baked by Nadiya Hussain, left, winner of the Great British Bake Off, during celebrations of her 90th birthday in Windsor John Stillwell/AP Queen Elizabeth II attends a Walkabout to celebrate her 90th Birthday in Windsor Jeremy Selwyn Town criers, Steve Clow, Tony Appleton and Peter Baker join crowds outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire before a walkabout by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 90th birthday John Stillwell/PA Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (C) accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh waves to wellwishers during a walkabout on her 90th birthday in Windsor Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wave from the top of an open Range Rover on the monarch's 90th Birthday in Windsor Chris Jackson/Getty Images The Coldstream Guards after the changing of the guard outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire before a walkabout by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 90th birthday Andrew Matthews/PA Queen Elizabeth II attends a Walkabout to celebrate her 90th Birthday Chris Jackson/Getty Images The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 41-gun Royal Salute in Hyde Park, in London Children gather to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday in Windsor Jeremy Selwyn Judy Daley and Anne Daley from Cardiff wait in position for the Queen's 90th Birthday Walkabout in Windsor Chris Jackson/Getty Images Royal enthusiast John Loughrey joins crowds outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire before a walkabout by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 90th birthday John Stillwell/PA A King Charles Spaniel is pictured by Bunting outside Windsor Castle, west of London Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Dennis Melvin waits in position for the Queen's 90th Birthday Walkabout Chris Jackson/Getty Images Donna Werner, from Connecticut in the USA, joins crowds outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire before a walkabout by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 90th birthday John Stillwell/PA To mark the Queen's 90th birthday, soldiers, horses and Guns of The Kingis Troop Royal Horse Artillery commanded by Major Robert Skeggs, rides out from Wellington Barracks just after and make their way past the QVM and Buckingham Palace, as they go up Constitution Hill and into Hyde Park Alex Lentati 200 pupils of St Barnabas & St Philip's Church of England Primary School in Earls Court wear a variety of colourful Crowns and Tiaras in honour of Her Majesty's 90th Birthday celebrations Alex Lentati Soldiers from the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the City of Londons Reserve Army Regiment perform a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London to mark the 90th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Large screens will be erected in nearby Green Park and St James's Park for the public to watch the festivities for free. But if you cant make it down, the event will also be broadcast on the BBC.

This year's Big Lunch, where people are encouraged to sit down to eat with their neighbours in streets and community spaces, will also take place on June 12. Heir to the throne Charles and wife Camilla will attend a regional lunch.

Monday June 13

It's back to regular engagements a day later for the 90-year-old Queen when she attends the annual Service for the Order of the Garter at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

June 14-18

The Queen is the scheduled to attend Royal Ascot, where she will enjoy a day - or several - at the races.

And it's a particularly significant visit for her, as The Gold Cup on Ladies' Day will be renamed 'The Gold Cup in Honour of The Queen's 90th Birthday' this year.

Presumably, after a week of engagements, she'll spend Sunday having a royal lie-in.

TODO: define component type apester

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K eep your hands to yourself, barks Reymer. I recoil but realise why its the first rule of the jungle as I come eye to eye with a sewing kits worth of needle-sharp thorns arrowed towards me on a nearby tree. They were the first army of Costa Rica: wed rub frog poison on them and use them as darts, Reymer, our guide, explains as we wander through the sopping wet rainforest of Corcovado National Park.

The recent launch of direct flights between Heathrow and the Costa Rican capital San Jose has led to a surge of interest in the country, meaning travellers in search of its quieter corners might have to venture a little further off the tourist trail. Rumours of its potholed roads are largely untrue: stretches of smooth Tarmac and concrete between main towns abound, so Ive opted to try a new 4x4 self-drive tour to get off the beaten track and enlisted my father as my road-trip companion  a retired RAF navigator, hed be a pro at reading the maps.

Ill drive! he volunteers. Within minutes were in the thick of San Jose and its nerve-jangling. Cars crowd around us, horns tooting; there are new road rules, a new side of the road and a new car to tame. But then, travelling southwards, we join the broad Pan American Highway  which doesnt peter out until Buenos Aires in Argentina  and shoulders are lowered from ears as we start to take in the vistas.

For wildlife, many travellers opt for the easier-to-reach Manuel Antonio National Park, south of San Jose. But pristine Corcovado  the largest of Costa Ricas 26 national parks  has been described by the World Wildlife Foundation as the most biologically intense place on Earth, home to jaguarundi, ocelot, Bairds tapir, nine-banded long -nosed armadillo and jaguar. Sadly, we see none of these because the day we visit, Mother Nature decides to do the washing up. As we round the Osa Peninsula aboard a small boat  the parks richest sections lie on the coast  Voldemort-black clouds gather and a squall hits us square in the face, whipping up the waves until were dumped unceremoniously on the beach outside San Pedrillo ranger station.

Reymer does his best to lift our spirits, shouting quirky facts over the roar of the rain: See this, its a termites nest  they taste like peanut butter! You can smash them onto your skin to act as an insect-repellent. Look, the web of a golden orb spider! If you smoke it, it makes you high for two hours! See this plant? If its drunk as a tea, women cant get pregnant for six months. By now were wading through a foot of water and all animal life has scattered, so we scuttle aboard the boat and sail back through the protected waters of Marino Ballena National Park, which  as the title may suggest  is also a great place to see humpback whales. They migrate thousands of miles to winter offshore here. Here comes the Costa Rican Air Force, smiles Reymer, pointing to a squadron of pelicans as they cruise past us, snatching fish from the waters surface.

Half an hour from shore we spot a small brown bump amid the waves: the head of an olive ridley turtle. Theyre endangered because people like their eggs  they think its an aphrodisiac, laments Reymer. Indeed, Costa Rica is the worlds second-most important nesting site. The turtles favour a protected five-mile stretch of beach fringing the town of Ostional on the far west coast and come ashore in droves known as arribadas. At the last event in November, 3,700 were counted in just three hours. Our visit doesnt coincide but the butter-yellow sands are still littered with hundreds of empty leathery shells, curled like wisps of white willow bark.

Central American dream: 4x4 self-tours let you see the wildlife and beaches of Costa Rica

We have better luck spotting wildlife amid the cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota. Ooh, its just like the Yorkshire Dales  so green!  Dad coos as we park the car outside Trogon Lodge. Its certainly as damp as the Dales thanks to the cooling mist curling off the Savegre River that rushes past us. The encircling forest conceals more than 170 species of bird but one is particularly special  the quetzal. Famed for its iridescent emerald plumage, the male grows twin tail feathers that can trail more than a metre long. The Mayans revered them as gods and the feathers were so prized they were used in headdresses in place of diamonds and gems.

We rise before dawn and follow our guide, Carlos, who has been seeking out quetzals since he was a teenager. He asks the driver to pull over beside a wild avocado tree  the quetzal equivalent of catnip. No avocado, no quetzals, he utters matter-of-factly. We scan the bare branches, then wander slowly up the road, waiting. I turn to have a whispered conversation with fellow birders Pauline and Samson from Munich, who are also on a self-drive tour. How are you finding it? I enquire.

Fascinating: a Quetzal bird / Alamy Stock Photo

Good fun! The GPS isnt always right but then she does have a female voice! guffaws Samson. He is saved a rebuttal by a whimpering sound echoing up the valley. I spin around to look for Carlos but he is already running  telescope in hand  back towards the avocado tree. I scamper after him and push my eye up to the lens. There they are: a male and a female necking around fruits and blinking green and red in the sun like Christmas lights.

We point the car north-west towards the flatlands of the Guanacaste region  named after the national tree of Costa Rica  passing palm-oil plantations and sodas (coffee shops). Up here the weatherboard houses are painted in shades of peach, blue, pink and green while fields of Brahman cows, with saggy, wrinkled necks and Jar Jar Binks ears, hide under trees to escape the heat. The new Rancho Humo  a working cattle ranch with an old farmhouse that was converted into a boutique hotel last year  sits amid 50,000 acres of private-reserve wetlands, which are one of the most important nesting sites for birds in Central America.

We drive along Humos private trails on the lookout for exotic metre-tall, red-collared Jabiru birds and see roseate spoonbills, anhinga and the beefy bodies of crocodiles. In the afternoon, I saddle up for a ride with a cowboy. Santiago even wears a hat and spurs. Conversation is quickly thwarted by my pitiful Spanish, so we settle into silence and watch dragonflies darting in the dappled light beneath the trees, foals frolicking in the fields and a tortoise cooling itself off in a stream as we pass by.

Look out for reptiles...

Our final stop is Rio Perdido, an adventure lodge popular for its zip-lines and thermal waters that bubble up from the Earths core. We smear sulphurous white mud on our faces and limbs and air-dry until were crisp as crackers, then tiptoe into the pools  as clear and warm as a cup waiting for a teabag.

I tilt my head back and gaze up into the canopy and, for the first time, get a sense of the pura vida (pure life) that the Ticos  Costa Rican locals  speak of. No people, no phones, just nature. Normally the protagonist of a road-trip tale ends up learning something profound about themselves but the hero of this story is undoubtedly Costa Rica herself.

Details: Costa Rica

Emma Thomson travelled to Costa Rica as part of Pura Aventuras (01273 676712; pura-aventura.com) 15-night Costa Rica Uncovered trip, with B&B accommodation, activities, transfers and 4x4 rental car with GPS from 2,060 per person.

British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com) now operates a twice-weekly direct flight from Gatwick to San Jose, with return fares starting from 687.

A US$29 airport tax is payable upon departure.

More information: visitcostarica.com
T wo directors of a British defence company who bribed a US businessman to land a lucrative 5 million contract supplying equipment to troops in Afghanistan are facing jail.

Simon Davies, 46, and Robert Gillam, 66, paid the 120,000 kickback to Robert W Gannon in 2009 so they could supply bomb disposal equipment to British and American troops in the war-torn country.

Their firm, Mondial Defence Systems, is one of the worlds leading suppliers of battle technology, with clients including the Ministry of Defence, the United Nations, the US Defense Department and several British police forces.

Gannon, a former director of operations at a US defence contractor, helped Mondial secure the deal and greeted the bribes arrival with: Santa left his parcel. Much appreciated.

The American businessman was snared by the FBI and last year admitted taking the bribe, agreeing to help City of London Police to catch the others involved.

Gillam and Davies appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday when they pleaded guilty to corruptly giving a payment, and have both been warned they are going to prison when they are sentenced next month.

An immediate custodial sentence is inevitable in this case, Judge Anuja Dhir told the men on Friday.

Prosecutor Angus Bunyan told the court: It was Gillam who approached the American company in early 2009 because he heard they had the contract in Afghanistan.

Once the two men had made contact with Gannon, they wired funds to his bank account in Singapore and received inside information on the contract bidding process as well as tips on how to secure the deal.

According to US court papers, Gannon agreed to the deal in May 2009 in an email, saying: This will cost you. Later that month, emails show Gillam and Davies asking for help setting their bid for the contract. In August they told Gannon: We had put you in for 3 per cent of the gross for payments at the end but we are able to do that upfront at the amount stated if that is your preference. Do you want $,  or ?

They arranged for 72,000 to be sent to Gannon, followed by another payment of $75,000 in December 2009, to which Gannon replied: Santa left his parcel. Much appreciated.

Mr Bunyan said the contract is thought to have been for 5 million of equipment, though there is a dispute whether it may have been worth less.

Dorset-based Mondial Defence Systems is not alleged to have been involved in the illegal bribe paid by the two men.

Both Gillam, of Wareham in Dorset, and Davies, of Ringwood, Hampshire, were freed on bail until the sentencing hearing on a date to be set.
P olice have released a CCTV image as they search for two men who tied up and threatened a woman in a terrifying raid on her west London home.

Detectives said the thieves posed as delivery men as they knocked on the womans home in Fruen Road, Feltham, holding a parcel before they launched a vicious attack.

The men knocked the woman, in her 40s, to the ground, tied her wrists and ankles with tape, and threatened her with a suspected gun.

They then left the house with a large sum of cash following the raid at about 12pm on Tuesday, April 19.

Police today released a picture of two suspects they wish to speak to.

The first is described as a man of medium build wearing a light-grey hooded top and a hi-viz vest.

The second man is also of medium build, around 5ft 11in, wearing a brown UPS delivery service jacket and brown cap.

Anyone with information should call Hounslow CID on 020 8247 6160 or via 101. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
A Christian English tutor unmasked as one of Britains worst ever paedophiles has been jailed for at least 25 years for a horrifying campaign of rape and abuse against small children.

Richard Huckle, 30, exploited his "high status" as a wealthy Westerner to prey on impoverished children in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, chronicling nine years of abuse in pictures and videos distributed on the Dark Web.

The former grammar school pupil, born to devout Christian parents in Ashford, Kent, led a secret life as a prolific paedophile, targeting children as young as six-months-old to satisfy his depraved desires.

By the time of his arrest in December 2014, Huckle had penned a "truly evil" paedophile manual to help others avoid detection, and had begun to crowd-fund his abuse of a three-year-old girl.

The National Crime Agency snared Huckle in December 2014 when he flew to the UK for Christmas with his family, having been tipped off that the Brit had links to an Australian paedophile ring.

Richard Huckle sentenced

He pleaded guilty to an unprecedented 71 charges of abuse against 23 identified victims, though it is believed up to 200 children may have fallen into Huckles clutches.

Guilty: Depraved paedophile Richard Huckle

Judge Peter Rook QC today passed 22 concurrent life sentences on Huckle at the Old Bailey, telling him he must spend at least 25 years behind bars before being considered for release but warning he would remain a danger to children for years to come.

This was a prolonged campaign of rape of children from a small community", he said.

"You targeted and groomed impoverished children and families in a poor community.

"While you presented yourself to the outside world as a legitimate student, photographer English teacher, and philanthropist who could help with the education of children, in fact, you were systematically abusing the children you claimed to care about."

The judge said Huckle harboured "deep-seated distorted beliefs" about children, and sexual abuse had become "entrenched in your everyday life".

"Your life revolved around sexual activity with young children", he added.

"There is a strong likelihood you have blighted some of their lives forever."

Huckle clasped his hands together as if in prayer as the sentence was delivered.

As he was being led away to the cells, a woman screamed from the public gallery: "A thousand deaths is too good for you.

"I know one of the families, they mean nothing to you."

Huckle used his links to churches in north London and Kent to secure a trusted position in the tight-knit Christian community in Kuala Lumpur, working as an English tutor, freelance photographer and posing as a wealthy philanthropist.

Between 2006 and 2014, he amassed a horrifying catalogue of child abuse images, cataloguing his molestation of children from babies to 12-year-olds and boasting on the Dark Web about his depraved activities.

Huckle claimed he had hit the jackpot with a three-year-old girl who was as loyal to me as my dog and nobody seemed to care, and bragged that he had groomed four members of the same family for sex.

He took children out of orphanages to be raped and molested, all while holding a position of trust within the community.

He wrote online: Impoverished girls are definitely much much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids, and warned that he would never stop the abuse because he could get away with it so easily.

Huckle was a major contributor to an online paedophile sharing website called The Love Zone (TLZ), where he posted increasingly explicit pictures of his abuse of children.

He launched a PedoFunding campaign to sell pictures in exchange for Bitcoins, and confessed dreamed of eventually marrying one of his victims and making a living out of being a paedophile.

Huckle also awarded himself PedoPoints for each sexual act with a child, and amassed 1305 points in the year before his arrest.

Detective Superintendent Matthew Long, from the NCA, said Huckle is one of the most committed, manipulative, and conniving paedophiles we have ever come across", adding that he had based his whole life around the abuse of children.

He had started his campaign of abuse at the age of 19 by photographing a naked two-year-old girl during his gap year in Cambodia.

The following year he took up a volunteer teaching post in Kuala Lumpur and he eventually moved out there in 2010 to study IT.

When he was finally snared in 2014, Huckle was initially freed on bail to live with his parents and he confessed to sexual activity with children for the first time.

His horrified parents begged police to take him away and offered to give evidence against their son if the case went to trial.

In a letter to the judge days before he was due to be sentenced, Huckle argued he was not a "martyr for child sex tourism" and claimed he was easily influenced and gullible.

He lamented that he had never been successful with women, adding: "I am regretful, remorseful and eager to be rehabilitated from this offending behaviour."

However the judge pointed out he had described paedophiles in one of his online blogs as an "unfairly repressed minority.

Huckle admitted 13 rapes, 31 sexual assaults of a child under 13, six assaults on a child by penetration, three charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of causing a child to engaged in penetrative sexual activity, and one charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

He also pleaded guilty to 12 counts of taking indecent pictures of children, one count of making indecent pictures of children, and one charge of advertising indecent photos of a child.
L ondoners living in deprived communities are up to twice as likely to die of lung cancer, asthma and other lung diseases than people in wealthier areas, Sadiq Khan said today.

Vowing to step up action to tackle toxic air in the capital, he said residents of Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, and Newham were significantly more likely to be casualties of lung diseases than those living just a few miles in more affluent districts.

Mr Khan spoke out after a report by the British Lung Foundation highlighted health outcomes between different communities. This deeply concerning report shines a light on the huge health inequalities in London, as well as how poor air quality is a ticking time-bomb for our health, he said.

Scientists say the death toll from toxic air in London is up to 9,400 a year. Mortality rates from PM2.5 particulate pollution and nitrogen dioxide are highest in the City of London, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, according to other studies.

But experts believe people in deprived communities are likely to be more vulnerable because they are more likely to live nearer busy roads.

Legal action: Rosamund Kissi-Debrah is considering suing several agencies over the death of her daughter Ella

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: Air pollution can have a detrimental effect on the health of our most vulnerable citizens. Other factors, including smoking, also affect health.

Mr Khan is considering extending the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone to the North Circular and South Circular and introducing it before 2020.

Air quality campaigners said legal action by a mother who believes pollution contributed to her daughters fatal asthma attack could pave the way for similar claims.

Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, 47, whose daughter Ella died aged nine in February 2013, is considering suing Lewisham council, the mayors office and Government bodies for allegedly failing to keep air pollution at safe levels near their home near the South Circular.

Ms Kissi-Debrah is calling for a new inquest and an investigation into air pollution in the ground-breaking case. She and Jocelyn Cockburn, a human rights lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, will argue that safe air is a human right.

Lewisham council said: We will await contact from her before being able to comment.
P olice cordoned off a major west London road after a swarm of bees made their home on a bicycle's wicker basket.

Around 500 bees descended on Fulham Palace Road on Monday morning.

Resident Claire Shirley, 56, whose father used to be a beekeeper, assisted police in dealing with the swarm.

She said: Originally we thought it was a beehive, we think there were 500 bees and the police had to cordon it off in the end, its been quite a Monday.

The bees found a home on the wicker basket / Claire Shirley

People were just walking straight past it and we were worried that someone might have been stung.

Bee stings do not usually cause a serious reaction but can cause anaphylactic shock for those with allergies.

Ms Shirley added: The police wanted to turn the bike upside down and tip all the bees out but they couldnt do that because the bike was locked.

Police cordoned off the area while the incident was being dealt with / Claire Shirley

Eventually a bee keeper had to come down and he gently brushed the bees off.

A Met Police spokesman confirmed they were called to Fulham Palace Road at 11.54am to reports of a large swarm of bees.

A cordon was placed around the bees while the incident was being dealt with. It was lifted at about 2.30pm.
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the middle of a funfair in front of horrified families in south London.

Emergency services were called to Burgess Park in Camberwell to reports of a stabbing at about 6pm on Sunday.

The boy was found with knife wounds to his stomach and back.

Witnesses said the teenager was stabbed in front of parents and childen who had been enjoying the packed fair.

Air Ambulance attends Burgess Park stabbing

Josh C Philly posted on Facebook: Burgess Park funfair was really good today, but such a disappointment a boy got stabbed in front of many parents and kids, people really dont know when to stop with these violent stuff...

Southwark councillor Samantha Jury-Dada tweeted: Saw families enjoying the last day of the funfair at Burgess Park and then someone just got stabbed in front of us all. This has to stop.

An air ambulance then landed in the park as it was swamped by police and medics.

The boy was taken to a south London hospital as a priority and is in a serious condition.

Emergency services at Burgess Park where a 15 year-old boy was stabbed / Dirk Bischof

The incident occurred on the last day of George Irvins Ultimate Funfair which opened at the park on May 27.

There have been no arrests and enquiries into the incident are continuing.
A 15-year-old boy was chased by a knifeman through a packed funfair before being stabbed in front of horrified families, witnesses said.

Parents with young children looked on in shock as the teenager was chased down during the family event in Burgess Park, Peckham.

Some witnesses claimed onlookers were seen taking photographs as the boy lay injured in the park after the attack at about 6pm on Sunday.

The victim, named locally as Deneshel, a former pupil at Sacred Heart School in Camberwell, was found with stab wounds to his stomach and back after the incident.

Southwark councillor Samantha Jury-Dada, 23, was queuing for a ride with a friend when she saw the victim being chased.

She told the Standard: Me and one of my friends were queuing for a ride and they came from behind the back of the ride we were queuing for.

Horrified families saw the teenage boy stabbed at the funfair / Dirk Bischof

This boy was running away and he didnt get very far before he was on the floor.

We had to call the police because people just started taking pictures with their phones which was worrying.

A crowd gather at Burgess Park after a 15 year-old boy was stabbed at the funfair / Dirk Bischof

Ms Jury-Dada added that despite the funfair being at capacity, she did not see any police until after the incident had happened.

She said: I think we were quite lucky that there were no children in the way of the man running with the knife.

It did seem quite packed so even if he had more time to run I dont think hed have got away, Ive never seen anything like this happen in the area before.

I think the problem is this kind of thing does happen, you just have to look at Notting Hill carnival and big groups of people make it easier for crime to take place.

I dont want a ban to all funfairs but there were no police there and it was the last day of the funfair so it was packed.

I didnt see any blood and neither did my friend so I dont think it was a big bloody scene, there was a woman with the boy who looked like she was applying pressure to the wound to stop it from bleeding so much.

Emergency services at Burgess Park where a 15 year-old boy was stabbed / Dirk Bischof

Dirk Bischof, 46, was in the park with his daughter when he saw the air ambulance land.

He said: The actual incident happened inside the festival ground. We already went like three times this week so we were just chilling in the park.

In typical south London style, the people were standing around, spectating.

I've spoken to quite a few people to find out more and many told me "it was a miracle nothing happened sooner, considering it was school holidays'.

Burgess Park, being so close to the various estates has often got an explosive atmosphere during school holidays, with lots of young people descending onto facilities.

Paramedics at Burgess Park where a 15 year-old boy was stabbed at the funfair / Dirk Bischof

The victim remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Sacred Heart School headteacher Serge Cefai said: Its a very sad case and we hope that he recovers well.

Its very sad and I wish I was more surprised.

Police confirmed the boy was in a serious condition in hospital after the attack, which happened on the last day of George Irvins Ultimate Funfair which opened at the park on May 27.

There have been no arrests and enquiries into the incident are continuing.
T he family of a London student who died after being hit by a suspected drug driver today paid tribute to him.

UCL student Charlie Heywood, 19, was killed after being hit by a car in the early hours of Sunday morning in the West Midlands.

Passers-by and paramedics rushed to Birmingham Road in Sandwell to try and save the Arsenal fan at around 3.35am but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In an emotional tribute to the teenager his family said: "Charlie was a quiet, endlessly kind young man and a much-loved son, brother and grandson.

"He had so much to live for and was looking forward to his second year studying for a degree in history at University College London."

Police said a 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs.

Sergeant Steve Newbury, from West Midlands Police, added: "My thoughts are with the family of this young man who sadly lost his life this morning.

"Specialist officers are supporting them today.

"If anyone witnessed the collision and hasn't yet spoken to us, I would ask them to please get in touch so that we take your account of what happened."

Officers have appealed for anyone with information to call on 101.
A cyclist aimed a headbutt at a van driver after the motorist became embroiled in a street brawl with a group of riders in central London.

A video has emerged from the most recent Critical Mass cycle event that shows the shocking incident at a set of traffic lights near Blackfriars Bridge.

The brawl took place just minutes after the driver was surrounded by incensed cyclists when he appeared to ram into a group at the lights.

One male rider, who was not on his bicycle at the time, aimed a headbutt at the driver before throwing a series of punches during the fracas.

Caught on camera: The attack was filmed and uploaded to YouTube / DrMorocho/YouTube

The pair began arguing when the driver moved away from the lights as the man tried to cross the road.

Police were called to the incident on Friday, May 27, but took no action.

No action: Police were called to the brawl but no arrests were made / DrMorocho/YouTube

A City of London police spokeswoman said: "Police officers were called to Blackfriars Bridge following reports of an altercation between a van driver and a group of cyclists.

"Officers spoke to both parties, however neither wished to make an allegation of crime."

The cyclist appeared to apologise for his actions in a Facebook post.

He said: This should never have happened and I want to publicly apologise for my behaviour at this mass it won't be happening again it just gives us all a bad name ... Sorry again everyone.

The incident was caught on camera and uploaded to DrMorochos YouTube page.

Tempers also flared at the previous Critical Mass event in April, when a police car collided with a cyclist, drove over a bike and then sped off at the junction of Vauxhall Bridge Road and Millbank.

Police said officers were targeted by demonstrators who left a bike in the middle of the road as an obstruction as the 4x4 was being driven away.

Critical Mass is described a spontaneous gathering of cyclists on the last Friday of every month.
A father-of-three has been killed in a collision with a bus  the third cyclist to die in London in less than a month.

Dan Cash Stephenson, 45, suffered serious head injuries after colliding with the No 15 Boris bus Routemaster in Aldwych on Saturday. Police confirmed he died in hospital last night. He leaves two daughters, a son and his partner, Nicola Jane Stringer.

Today, friends paid tribute to Mr Stephenson as a true gent. He was a skilled BMX rider who had taken part in a charity bike ride on the day of the crash.

On Friday evening, cycle campaigners will remember him at a die in vigil outside City Hall to demand that Mayor Sadiq Khan continues to implement his predecessor Boris Johnsons long-term plan for safer cycle routes.

Mr Stephensons friend Gary Brennan told the Standard: Dan was a best friend  the world is a darker place today for missing him. I just cant put into words how heartbroken I am.

Its high time something was done about the sheer number of deaths and injuries to cyclists on Londons roads. Ive cycled in London a few times and its literally the only place in the world I felt uncomfortable.

Strand crash: Dan Stephenson, pictured on a BMX

Emergency services were called shortly after 5pm to the Strand, at the junction with Arundel Street, and took Mr Stephenson to hospital.

The Metropolitan police said the bus driver stopped at the scene and is assisting the inquiry. He has not been arrested. CCTV images from the bus are likely to prove crucial to investigators.

Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport at Transport for London, said: I am saddened to hear about the incident on Saturday in which a male cyclist collided with a Route 15 bus on the Strand.

Our thoughts are with both the family and friends of the cyclist and we are working closely with the police to investigate this incident.

Accident: Wreckage of the bike at the scene after its rider was taken away by ambulance / @mehbo

Mr Stephensons death follows that of Christopher Hope, 58, who died on May 15, four days after colliding with a car in Hornchurch, and Magda Tadaj, 25, who was killed in collision with a lorry in Croydon on May 23.

Police appealed for witnesses to Saturdays crash to contact the Merton traffic garage on 020 8543 5157.
A t least nine people were rescued by firefighters as a fire tore through a hotel in Earls Court.

Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus rescued four people from the 22 bedroom Rushmore Hotel, in Trebovir Road, where the fire started yesterday evening.

They also helped three people from a hotel next door and two people were rescued from the roof of a neighbouring property with an aerial ladder.

Witnesses said described seeing people everywhere and some struggling to breathe as 150 were evacuated from nearby buildings.

Fire crews rescued at least nine people from the building / Nigel Howard

Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters were called in to tackle the blaze which broke out in the four-storey Victorian townhouse hotel close to Earls Court station at about 9.45pm.

A witness who works nearby said: It started on the second floor at the Rushmore Hotel. I saw lots of people in the streets and some walking wounded. You could see the flames and smoke. I hope everyone is fine. They closed the road  nobody knows how it started.

Led to safety: Guests were wrapped in blankets after the blaze / Nigel Howard

Robert Natase Tweeted a photograph from the scene showing a plume of black smoke and said: A flat completely burnt in Earls Court next to my shop. Never seen so many fire people.

The entire of the second floor was on fire, as well as the third and fifth floors and a part of the roof.

Station Manager Winston Douglas said: This is a serious fire and crews are working very hard to stop the fire spreading.

The London Fire Brigade were still battling the blaze in the early hours of this morning.

The cause of the fire is not known at this stage and will be looked into by fire investigators.
F ormer Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro has arrived for her employment tribunal against the club and former manager Jose Mourinho.

She turned up at the hearing in Croydon holding hands hands with her husband, polar explorer Jason De Carteret.

She is claiming constructive dismissal against Chelsea and has a separate, but connected, personal legal action against Mourinho, who left the club in December and is now the Manchester United boss, for alleged victimisation and discrimination.

The case, which is anticipated to be heard over seven to 10 days until June 24, is due to open at the London South Employment Tribunal, but it could be settled at any time.

Eva Carneiro arrives at court with her husband / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

All three parties must agree to a settlement for the tribunal, which would be accessible to the public and the media, to be averted.

Dr Carneiro was criticised by Mourinho and dropped from first-team duties after she went on to the pitch to treat Eden Hazard during a draw with Swansea on the opening day of the Premier League season last August.

Then-manager Mourinho angrily berated her and physio Jon Fearn after they went on to the pitch.

Their action meant that Chelsea were temporarily down to nine men, and afterwards Mourinho called Dr Carneiro and Mr Fearn "impulsive and naive".

Dr Carneiro did not appear on the bench again for first-team duties and later parted company with the club.

Chelsea filed their defence in the tribunal hearing last December and another private preliminary hearing was held in January.
L ondon firefighters are being called four times a day to rescue children stuck in objects and furniture, new figures show.

The London Fire Brigade was forced to free youngsters trapped in potties, railings and toilet seats among 7,526 call outs in the past five years, including 1,499 last year.

Some of the most unusual cases included rescuing a child with a toilet seat wedged on its head and another with a toy train stuck on a finger.

The figures equate to just over a four call-outs a day on average.

The brigade released the numbers ahead of Child Safety Week and is asking parents to dial 999 only in an emergency.

The brigade spent 488,674 on call-outs to under 18s who accidentally locked themselves in rooms or got trapped in objects last year.

This figure is based on 326 per call-out, which is the rate used to recover costs charged for services such as repeated calls to lift releases and false alarms from automatic systems.

Mark Hazelton, the brigade's community safety group manager, said: "I'm a father so I know it's impossible to watch your children every second of the day but with a bit of extra forethought and careful supervision it's far better to prevent youngsters getting in a tight spot in the first place.

"Many of the incidents we get called to could be avoided with a little bit of common sense.

"I would ask parents to keep an eye on their children and only call 999 if it is a real emergency."

Child Safety Week takes place between June 6 and 12
A middle-aged man wearing nothing but Speedos was arrested after setting up a deckchair in the middle of Brick Lane market.

Stunned bystanders filmed the moment the sun-worshipper was confronted by police as he soaked up the rays on Sunday afternoon.

Police officers were seen telling the outraged man they had received complaints about his behaviour from members of the public.

After several minutes of discussion, they then told the man he was being arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency.

Sunbathing: The man wearing Speedos set up a deckchair in Brick Lane / YouTube

Craig Jameson, 28, who filmed the incident, said he initially thought the man was part of a slightly odd street performance.

He told the Standard: He was sitting there really quietly just laughing when people came up to him.

Someone started talking to him for ages and he just said he was listening to the music.

We watched for a little while and people were laughing and joking and nobody seemed offended.

A couple of the safety wardens from the council came over and spoke to him. They thought he was doing something wrong and they asked him to move but he didnt.

Mr Jameson said he and his wife went to a couple of shops and returned about five minutes later to see police trying to arrest the sunbather.

Police could be heard telling the man that there had been complaints about him to which the man responded: Who is upset?

Its illegal to sunbathe? he then asks the officers as they try to move him on.

As officers attempt to arrest him he calls out: Get this on camera, arresting me for sunbathing.

After being placed in handcuffs, the arrested sunbather makes reference to Muhammad Ali, shouting: For Ali. He likes freedom.

Arrested: The man was taken away in handcuffs by police officers / YouTube

Mr Jameson said he filmed the bizarre incident because he did not believe the man had done anything wrong.

He told the Standard: He wasnt wearing anything less than what people wear on the beach or at London Fields. He wasnt doing any harm.

[Police] grabbed hold of both of his arms  he wasnt violent but was resisting. They then walked him away in handcuffs.

I just thought it was not the right way to be handled. I thought they could have spoken to him and established he was doing no harm or give him a clear reason why he couldnt be there but they didnt.

It was something Ive never seen before. After he was arrested, people were talking and everyone I heard was saying it was not the right thing to happen. There was no need for it.

It comes a year after a man was arrested for setting up a deckhair in the middle of an east London road. It is not clear whether the two incidents are linked.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a man was later charged.

He said: Gerald Muir, 51, of Tower Hamlets, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Brick Lane on Sunday, June 5.

He has been bailed to appear at Thames Magistrates Court on June 20.
A series of booming "explosion" sounds have baffled residents after echoing across north-east London.

Police were called after three large bangs were heard from Wanstead to Ilford at about 11pm on Sunday.

The noises sparked a flurry of posts on social media as residents speculated over the source of the mysterious sounds.

Soumya Basu (@basusoum) posted on Twitter: Anyone else hear three loud bangs around Redbridge/Wanstead?

Tom Bellwood (@TomBellwood) said: Anyone else hear those three big bangs across Wanstead just now? Just me..?

And Cathertine Pearson (@catherine041081) added: Heard 3 very loud bangs in Woodford Green & wasnt *too* worried about it until I started reading everyone elses tweets. What is going on?

Others posted on Twitter that a helicopter was hovering above the Woodford and Barkingside areas.

A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said: We were alerted to reports of loud bangs in parts of Redbridge at around 11pm last night.

There was nothing untoward, with no damage or injuries."
M illions of Muslims across the UK will begin fasting today as they take part in Ramadan.

Marking the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, the holy month focuses on fasting, giving to charity and prayer.

According to the 2011 census, 40 per cent of all Muslims in England live in London, with the number exceeding more than 1.1 million.

Tower Hamlets has the largest Muslim population in the capital, with more than 110,000 residents following the religion.

Fasting: Muslims will fast during daylight hours during Ramadan / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Newham, Brent and Ealing boroughs also have in excess of 50,000 people who identify as following Islam.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims taking part in Ramadan fast from dawn until sunset, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and engaging in sexual activity during this period.

Those fasting are permitted to eat and drink during Iftar  the period of time between sunset and dawn where the fast is broken.

Iftar: Muslims often come together during Ramadan to share meals after sunset / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

When does Ramadan start?

This year, Ramadan begins on June 6 and ends with Eid-al-Fitr on July 7. In London, Iftar begins from 9.17pm but timings change throughout the holy month and Muslims are advised to check sunrise and sunset times daily.

Do all Muslims have to take part in Ramadan?

Adult Muslims are required to take part in the fasting unless they suffer from an illness, are travelling, elderly, pregnant, breast feeding or pregnant. Children are also exempt from fasting.

Where are celebrations being held?

Throughout Ramadan, the East London Mosque offers Iftar every evening, with more than 500 people attending for the shared meal.

To celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Eid Festival takes place in Trafalgar Square on July 9.

The festival, now in its 11th year, will include a food festival, catwalk show, face-painting, story-telling and live music. The event is organised by the Mayor of London.
A waiter has been sacked from one of Londons most exclusive steak houses after a leaflet calling for fairer tipping was found in his locker, a union has claimed.

Unite said Robert Czegely, 27, lost his job at the STK restaurant in Aldwych, part of the five-star Melia ME Hotel, over allegations of gross misconduct after the leaflet was discovered.

The group said he was sacked on Wednesday, May 25, after he was found with a flyer in support of fairer tips and the right to join a union.

The hospitality worker, employed at the restaurant for nearly two years, is now set to take the Spanish-led hotel chain to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal.

In February, the Standard revealed hotel bosses had been accused of using tips left by diners to top up the salaries of managers instead of handing it to waiters.

The restaurant was alleged to have used most of a 15 per cent service charge to increase senior management salaries instead of sharing it among low-paid workers.

Dave Turnbull, Unite London regional officer for the hospitality sector, said: It is truly shameful that a few days after business secretary, Sajid Javid, indicated that he would act to ensure transparency and fairness on tips and service charges, a global hotel chain, such as Melia, should sack an employee for supporting our campaign to achieve this outcome.

Melia proudly boasts of its ethical business stance on workers rights, yet this sacking flies in the face of any such claims.

We are clear that this dismissal was in breach of Roberts basic legal right to join and participate in a trade union.

The hotel said it was unable to comment specifically on the claims concerning Mr Czegely.

Guillaume Marly, general manager at the hotel, said: Due to employment laws, ME London cannot provide information about employee contracts.

ME London respects the thoughts and views of employees and the hotel will continue to fully support individual workers decisions to join a union.

Last month, Business Secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to end unfair tipping practices. A consultation is due to end on June 27.
A central London council has made the controversial decision to switch off its entire network of CCTV cameras.

Conservative-run Westminster City Council agreed the move at a cabinet meeting on Monday evening as part of an effort to cut costs.

It means all the local authoritys 75 cameras will be turned off on September 1 to save up to 1 million a year.

Some of the busiest areas of central London fall under Westminster Council control, including Soho, which has a huge night-time economy.

Opposition leaders and policing experts have previously criticised the proposals.

Terror and policing expert David Videcette told the Standard earlier this month: "It will be a huge, huge loss to police.

"All council CCTV networks are a massive resource to police, have a massive impact on bringing down anti-social behaviour, crime, drug dealing, they are very, very valuable to police.

"It's crazy - the money the council will spend on putting things right, vandalism, theft from local authority premises, it will pay for itself twice over.

"And there's a risk if there was a terrorist attack and we had to track a terrorist's movements.

But tonight Westminsters cabinet member for public protection Cllr Nickie Aitken said it could no longer afford to pay for the service which is non-statutory, meaning it is not legally required, when it was the Metropolitan Police who mainly made use of the cameras.

She said: Like many other local authorities around the country, our current view is that we are not able to continue to subsidise this non statutory service when there are many other pressures on our budgets and where other partners are the main beneficiaries.

We will keep talking and in the past week have had very constructive discussions with the Mayor, the Metropolitan Police and Mayors Office for Policing and Crime.

We want to work towards a pan London solution that is right for the capital as criminals dont stop at borough borders.

CCTV cameras in the area run by Transport for London, private businesses and on housing estates will continue to operate.
S adiq Khan today told Londoners he would be using Ramadan to get out there and build bridges between the capitals different communities.

The Mayor, a practising Muslim, said he hoped that the holy month would help break down the mystique and suspicion that existed around his religion.

In a message to mark the start of Ramadan, he said it was a time for all Londoners to come together to reflect on values of charity, peace, justice and tolerance.

He added: It is a great opportunity to unite our many diverse communities and faith groups at charitable events and iftars [the post-sunset meal at which Ramadan observers break their fast] across the city.

Mr Khan admitted he found the prospect of fasting particularly daunting this year because of his busy mayoral diary.

Fasting is a big challenge, and also a great leveller. Rich or poor, Muslims observe the fast together at the same time, and break bread together when the sun goes down. Community fasting is a way of building empathy towards those who are less fortunate.

Since his victory in last months election Mr Khan has been held up globally as a symbol of the capitals openness and diversity.

But he said he did not want to be defined solely by his faith: We all have multiple identities  Im a Londoner, a son and a father  and City Hall isnt a pulpit. He added that Ramadan was a great opportunity to overcome suspicions about Islam.

If youre someone who doesnt have Muslim friends and your only experience of Islam is what you see on the news  the angry man with a beard doing or saying something terrible you may inadvertently associate that with Islam and think that is what its all about, he wrote in The Guardian.

There is a role that Muslims in the public eye play: to reassure people that we are OK ... We have the most diverse city in the world, but we dont have people mixing as much as they could. I want to enable people to have a sense of belonging. Mr Khan will be hosting iftars around the city at synagogues, churches and mosques. At the end of the month there will be a festival in Trafalgar Square to celebrate Eid.

He admitted he was often miserable during the holy month because in the past he had to attend lots and lots of boring meetings without coffee.

My diary is still full for Ramadan  weve got the EU referendum coming up and I could even have to open my fast on stage with a glass of water at an event. Thats part and parcel of it.
B oris Johnson and Sadiq Khan today squared up ahead of their head-to-head debate on the EU referendum.

The former and current London Mayors will face each other at Wembley Arena just hours before voters decide the future of the UKs place in Europe.

It will be the first time the two have locked horns in a live debate, with 6,000 people expected in the audience.

Other speakers are due at the debate, but the clash between Mr Johnson and Mr Khan is most hotly anticipated with Mr Khan enjoying a much higher profile since taking control of City Hall and speculation rife about Mr Johnsons leadership ambitions.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Mr Johnson told the Standard he would try to use the spectacle to reject the fear he claims is being peddled by the Remain campaign.

He said: Its vital the people of this country hear the arguments and get to hear the advocates on both sides of the debate. Remain is the risky option.

Thats why we must vote leave to take back control of our money, our borders and our democracy.

Latest EU referendum poll

We hope to prove to the people of this country why a vote to leave is a rejection of fear that will bring independence and liberation for the UK.

The Standard understands the current plans will see each side of the argument advocated by three speakers at the event on June 21, to be broadcast on BBC One at 8pm.

It will be hosted by David Dimbleby, Emily Maitlis and Mishal Husain with further details to be announced.

Mr Khan told the Standard: Im looking forward to taking on Boris over Brexit and anyone else the Leave camp chooses to be at Wembley.

Ill passionately make the positive and patriotic case for remaining in the EU  in the best interests of London and of the rest of the country.

Cross-party unity in Remain

Anyone can apply for tickets to the event, but the BBC has said it will vet the audience to ensure each side is fairly represented.

David Cameron and Nigel Farage will appear on the same ITV programme tomorrow night taking questions for 30 minutes, though they will not directly face each other in a debate.

In mid-June there will also be special BBC Question Time programmes featuring David Cameron and Michael Gove, and there is expected to be a debate on Channel 4 the day before polling.

TODO: define component type apester

Mr Khan was in Balham today where he joined Labours Rosena Allin-Khan at Trinity St Marys Primary School as she campaigned to replace him as MP for Tooting.
S treet artist Banksy snuck into a primary school to paint a new mural overnight as a present for children who named a house after him.

Youngsters at the Bridge Farm school in Bristol returned from their half-term break to find the work on the wall of the school.

The painting is believed to have been done over the weekend, when the Bristolian artist was scheduled to collect an award at the South Bank Sky Arts Award.

The artist painted a stick-wielding child chasing a burning tyre.

@RebeccaRadford7

A spokesman for the artist confirmed that the work was a genuine Banksy this morning.

Geoff Mason, headteacher at the school, said the school had received a letter from the artist himself.

The letter reads: Dear Bridge Farm School, thanks for your letter and naming a house after me.

Please have a picture. If you dont like it feel free to add stuff, Im sure the teachers wont mind.

Remember, its always easier to get forgiveness than permission. Much love, Banksy.

It is believed that this painting is the first ever Banksy to appear at a school.

Children at Bridge Farm had written to the artist to let him know that they had named one of their houses after him.

Mr Mason told the Bristol Post: "It was done after we ran a competition to change the house names, and we decided to name them after Bristol legends. We had to include Banksy.

"We thought it would be a good idea to write to the PR company and let them know we've run the competition.

"I'm sure this is Banksy's work. We had a call from his PR team, and a letter signed by him."
A union boss was today embroiled in a sexism row after appearing to make a derogatory remark about a Conservative minister.

GMB general secretary Tim Roache sparked anger with a comment about Brexit campaigner Priti Patel.

During a speech in which he made the case for Britain to remain in the EU, he said: Priti Patel, surely a contradiction in her name.

A spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe said: "This kind of personal attack has no place in this campaign."



Sexism row: GMB general secretary Tim Roache / Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Angry members of the public took to social media to brand Mr Roache as a sexist ignoramus.

Mr Roache said people should have listened to the context of his remarks, saying it was what the minister said about workers' rights which was not pretty.

He tweeted: "Not sexist in the slightest. Listen to the context. What she says and thinks of workers and rights is not pretty."

The Evening Standard has contacted GMB and Priti Patel for their response.
A mateur video captured the moment a SeaWorld killer whale beached itself on concrete at a Tenerife tourist park.

The orca named Morgan was filmed lying still for about 10 minutes by concerned onlookers after a show at Loro Parque in Spains Canary Islands.

Its unusual actions sparked fears on social media the animal may be trying to take its own life, and prompted calls for captive killer whales to be freed back into the wild.

The footage, shared online by animal rights group The Dolphin Project, has attracted widespread criticism.

The whale lives at the park with five other orcas owned by SeaWorld, which has come under scrutiny for its treatment of whales in captivity.

If a killer whale is beached for too long out of the water, the weight of its body can crush its internal organs and muscles.

One viewer of the footage, Efrat Cybulkiewicz, wrote online: "Looks to me as if she's trying to take her own life, I don't blame her."

Another said: Free the orcas. Their place is in the ocean. Shame on humans who exploit whales.

A Dolphin Project spokesman said: While we cannot explain the reason for her behaviour, the juxtaposition of a previously-wild orca against the stark backdrop of the parks performance area is unsettling, to say the least.

Some people took selfies with Morgan in the background. Sadly, Morgan was still out of the water by the time the videographers had to leave.

Footage taken just weeks earlier appeared to show the orca repeatedly striking its head against a metal gate in an apparent attempt to escape a small medical pool.

The Standard has contacted SeaWorld for comment.
A t least three people have been killed and nine have been injured after a train crash in Belgium.

A late-night passenger train hit the back of a stationary freight train in the town of Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, at around 11pm (10pm UK time) on Sunday.

Belgian media said the train was carrying 40 people and travelling at a speed of 55mph when it crashed into the freight train, leaving some carriages completely destroyed.

Two cars from the train derailed and fell onto their side with the first carriage so badly damaged it curled back on itself.

Rescuers spent up to three hours freeing people from the wreckage. Relatives have arrived at the accident scene to search for loved ones.

Carnage: Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash which left at least three dead and nine seriously injured / AP/Virginia Mayo

Francis Dejon, mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, told a news conference the death toll could rise as some of the injured are in a critical condition.

He said: The passenger train is really in a lamentable state. We've very lucky there weren't more victims.

Belgiums national rail operator SNCB said it will participate closely in an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.

The train was travelling between Mouscron and Liers.
A British grandmother has been killed in a shark attack in western Australia just days after a surfer was fatally mauled.

Doreen Collyer, 60, a senior nurse and university lecturer, was diving off Mindarie, about 22 miles north of Perth on Sunday morning when she was killed by a 16ft-long great white shark.

Mrs Collyers diving partner, a 43-year-old-man identified only as John, told how he only realised something was wrong when he surfaced.

Fishermen came to their aid and used their boat to shield the pair from the shark, but Mrs Collyer died before she was lifted out of the water.

Mr Collyer, who was driving to meet his wife when he noticed helicopters overhead, paid tribute to her.

He said: Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her, she was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife.

The pair emigrated from Chester to Australia five years ago to be closer to their son and to see their granddaughter grow-up.

Mrs Collyer, who previously worked at Chester University, lectured in midwifery at the Edith Cowan University in Perth.

Her students used social media to share their memories of a kind and supportive teacher who will be missed by all.

The universitys acting vice-chancellor, Professor Arshad Omari, said: Doreen was a much loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher.

Having obtained an impressive record of senior clinical and lecturing experience in her native UK, upon migrating to Australia she made many valued contributions to ECU in the area of children and young peoples nursing. On behalf of the entire ECU community, I extend my sincerest condolences to her family in what is a very difficult time.

Mrs Collyers family told how she had been a keen swimmer in the UK but fell in love with diving when she tried it. She had an advanced open water divers certificate and used to dive up to four times a week in the summer.

It was the second fatal shark attack in the region in six days. Surfer Ben Gerring, 29, was mauled by a great white last Tuesday, 62 miles away in Mandurah, south of Perth.

Mr Gerring, whose right leg was torn off above the knee, died in hospital on Friday night.
A British toddler used in Islamic State propaganda videos has reportedly been smuggled from Syria to Sweden for an operation.

Isa Dare is believed to have been taken to a hospital in the country by his London-born mother Grace, according to The Sun.

The four-year-old had apparently been ill for some months.

His mother, 24, is said to have chosen Sweden because she married a Swede, Abu Bakr, after joining IS. He has since died fighting.

A source told the Sun: Isa had to have an operation weeks ago. He and his mother were in Sweden after she left Syria but no one knows how she managed to get out.

She had a Swedish husband with ISIS. He is the connection to the country.

Isa first featured in a video in January wearing military gear and an IS bandana.

Last July his mother, who now calls herself Khadija, posted a picture of him clutching a rifle.

She fled Lewisham, south east London with him to Syria in 2012, telling the boys father Deniz she was going to Egypt to study.
T he mother of a child whose three-year-old son fell into a gorilla enclosure at a US zoo will not face charges, it has been announced.

Prosecutors said the boy scampered off before ending up in the pen with the large animal in scenes that shocked the world.

Zookeepers at the Cincinnati attraction shot dead the gorilla named Harambe, sparking widespread condemnation even though zoo bosses claimed their action saved the childs life.

Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said the incident, on May 28, did not come close to warranting a charge of child endangerment, and he defended the mother as an attentive parent undeserving of the sharp criticism and threats.

Petition over gorilla death

He said the mother had three other children with her at the zoo and had turned away "for a few seconds" to attend to one when the boy took off.

"If anyone doesn't believe a three-year-old can scamper off very quickly, they've never had kids. Because they can. And they do," Mr Deters said.

In a statement, the family said it was pleased with the decision.

They said: "This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family.

Additional reporting by agencies
T he parents of a Japanese boy abandoned in a bear-infested forest as punishment could face abuse charges for the trauma he endured.

Police in Hokkaido have written to child services about possible psychological abuse after Yamato Tanooka was found six days after he was left in the forest by his family, Japanese media reported.

His father Takayuki Tanooka, who publicly apologised for his actions, now faces the prospect of legal action, it was reported.

The pair have received a torrent of abuse for their behaviour since news of their sons ordeal became public.

Takayuki Tanooka: 'We went too far' / Kyodo/via Reuters

Yamato was discovered on Friday by a soldier in an abandoned military hut where he managed to find shelter after he walked for three miles through the mountains.

His first words after he confirmed his identity were Im hungry.

The boy was ordered out of his parents car on May 28 as punishment for throwing stones during a family trip.

Kyodo news agency quoted sources that said Yamato cried so much after he was left at the side of the road that he lost his sense of direction.

Japanese soldiers search for the boy in the forest / Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP

He reportedly began walking in the opposite direction of his parents car before he made his way to the hut about three miles away.

Doctors said the boy was surprisingly well and calm considering he had been on his own for almost a week.

Missing Japanese boy found

Japanese media reported he lost 2kg and was suffering from mild dehydration when he was discovered.
I f you've ever meticulously cleansed your face only to find your towel smeared with make-up as soon as you've dried it, you may be wondering where you're going wrong.

With an influx of electric cleansing brushes now on the market, it might be time to up your game and revolutionise your beauty regime.

Much like electric toothbrushes , these facial cleansers have the power to clean deeper than most manual efforts, allowing for a better cleanse that will remove even the most long-lasting make-up.

Cosmetic doctor and skin care specialist Dr Ross Perry, who runs the Cosmedics Skin Clinics, explains: "Electric brush cleansers go a step further than simple washing, providing more of an exfoliating function for a more thorough cleanse. They can be a great help to those who struggle with build-up of oil or work in the city, where grime and pollution can linger on the skin."

Not only this, but facial cleansing brushes will help to reduce breakouts, the appearance of fine lines and leave you with clearer, brighter and more radiant skin.

For your fast track to envy-inducing skin, we've found the best cleansing brushes that will have you polished, buffed and primped in no time.

FOREO LUNA 2

Once you add the Foreo cleansing brush to your beauty routine, you won't know how you lived without it. Following the widely popular first model, which was the size of a macaroon, the LUNA 2 is handy device that holds up to seven months worth of charge in only one power-up.

The device works to minimise appearances of blemishes and smoothing fine lines, resulting in firmer skin that looks refreshed and revived. The Foreo Luna 2 uses bursts of T-sonic pulses to clean and clear clogged pores with devices specifically created for different skin types, including Sensitive, Normal, Combination and Oily that have a range of thicker or thinner touch-points for lighter or stronger cleansing. The device also has a two-year warranty and a 10-year guarantee.

169 | Space NK | Buy it now

BeGlow TIA All-in-One Sonic Skin Care System

BeGlow TIA has a two ends that work to cleanse and tone both simultaneously and at once. The innovative gadget, on the one side, uses ultra-gentle silicone bristles that oscillate upon contact on the skin to remove make-up and impurities more effectively than just using your hands. On the other, the titanium plate uses high frequency pulses to massage skin and boost micro-circulation, encouraging oxygen and nutrients to penetrate more effectively. The heads at each end are removable for ease in cleaning as well as replacing when needed.

To use the device, wet your face and apply cleanser. Press the first button for cleansing and the second to activate the plate. Pressing both the buttons together for three seconds activates another handy feature of the gadget, which is lifting. Hold both ends of the TIA on you face to firm and tone skin. The device is available in pink, white and black.

199 | Look Fantastic | Buy it now

Darphin Facial Sonic Expert

This gadget features two heads: a soft brush for a deep clean and a steel massager to give your moisturiser  and facial muscles  a lift. The Darphin works by removing impurities that age skin while boosting the natural cellular process. This leaves your skin feeling plumper and smoother by combatting the appearance of fine lines, pores and ageing.

125 | Space NK | Buy it now

Braun FaceSpa Pro

Get ready to supercharge your beauty routine with the Braun facial cleanser that works six times more effectively than cleansing by hand. Approved by dermatologists, the FaceSpa Pro has multiple heads to cleanse, tone and even epilate, removing facial hairs quicker and more efficiently than tweezers.

The cleansing brush has different head types for exfoliating or heads for more sensitive skin, while always ensuring a deep pore cleanse. The toning head has microvibrations with different modes that encourages the product to penetrate more than just the surface of skin. Whats more, this innovative device has a smart timer to tell you when its time to change the treatment area.

74.67 | Amazon | Buy it now

Bliss Pore-fector

This sonic tool, used in Blisss signature facial, works by stimulating skin to loosen impurities for a clean and clear complexion. The device extracts impurities and smooths skin through sonic waves that extract dirt that gets clogged in your pores in order to promote a radiant appearance. The gadget is offered alongside a facial toner and two purifying mask samples from the beauty label.

140 | Look Fantastic | Buy it now

Dry hair repair products - in pictures 1 /7 Dry hair repair products - in pictures Browse our pick of the best dry hair repair products... Getty Images Aveda Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Treatment This weekly treatment from plant-based hair brand, Aveda, uses quinoa protein to restore straw-like ends that have been damaged from colour and heat styling. Smooth on to washed hair from roots to ends and leave on for 2-5 minutes before rinsing. 29.50, Look Fantastic, Buy it now Kerastase Masque Therapiste Kerastase, maker of the worlds first hair masque, has created a butter-textured mask that works wonders on brittle and weakened tresses. Keratin promotes strength and elasticity, while Ceramides act as a protective layer to help prevent further damage. Not only does it make split ends appear less visible, but it also smells dreamy. 19.40, Feel Unique, Buy it now Percy & Reed Totally TLC Hydrating Mask Need a rescue treatment that will improve your hairs condition after just one use? Deeply hydrating, this indulgent mask is enriched with coconut oil, mango oil and marshmallow to fight frizz and also comes with a heat-activating cap designed by Jessica May Underwood. Once youve worked the product throughout your hair, stick the bonnet on to retain heat and then rinse after just 2-3 minutes. 20, Percy & Reed, Buy it now Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Remedy Masque If continuous colouring has made your mane lose its shine and smoothness, then try this extremely nourishing masque infused with Lotus and Ceramide. The rich blend solidifies and strengthens the hair fibre, while leaving your locks soft to the touch. Use once a week to keep hair feeling strong and flexible. 29.60, Look Fantastic, Buy it now Ojon Rare Blend Oil Total Hair Therapy This versatile treatment has been formed with a blend of natural oils from Tahiti and Africa. Just a small amount instantly makes dull hair more manageable and protects it against heat damage. Ideal for summer and a great alternative for those who arent keen on Moroccan oils. 30, Escentual, Buy it now Alchemy Oils Amla Hair Remedy Coconut, avocado and Argan oils combine to make this potent remedy. Smooth a few drops through hair before drying or lather on copiously as a leave-in mask: the oils work together to cleanse, fight premature greying and deliver growth and shine. With a hint of lemon, they smell great too. 27, Alchemy Oils, Buy it now

Magnitone The Full Monty Vibra-Sonic 3-in-1

More than just a face-saver, this multitasker boasts a cleansing brush, exfoliating body head and a pedi-buff foot file in one. With a pulselift toning mode and pulsing oscillations, both of which energise skin by boosting micro-circulation, this device will be sure to boost your beauty routine, leaving you feeling fresher and more radiant than with traditional cleansing methods.

129.99 | Argos | Buy it now

bareMinerals Skinsorials Double Cleansing Brush

The bareMinerals cleansing brush uses soft, synthetic fibres to cleanse skin. Wet the brush with warm water and massage onto skin in a circular motion. This will boost your skincare routine by encouraging cell renewal, invigorating skin and removing dead skin cells, thereby leaving you looking radiant and revitalised.

13.60 | Escentual | Buy it now

Shiseido The Skincare Cleansing Massage Brush

Enhance the benefits of foaming cleansers with the help of the Shiseido cleansing brush that works to cleanse, exfoliate and massage skin. The device stimulates your skin with finely-taped silk bristles that are soft but effective. Apply your cleanser and use the damp brush head over your face to massage it and encourage more lather.

26 | Escentual | Buy it now

Spin for Perfect Skin

This tool allows you to switch heads depending on your skins needs. For exfoliation, pore minimising and also buffing, this gadget has all bases covered.

22.61 | Vanity Planet | Buy it now

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A ward-winning British playwright Sir Peter Shaffer has died at the age of 90.

The acclaimed writer, who is best known for his plays Equus and Amadeus, passed away during a visit to Ireland, his agent has confirmed.

Just three weeks after his milestone birthday, Shaffer died with his niece Cressida reportedly by his side.

His agent Rupert Lord told The Guardian: He was simply at the end of his life but delighted to have been able to celebrate his 90th birthday with friends and then, I think, decided it was time.

On stage: Daniel Radcliffe performs in Equus at the Gielgud Theatre in 2007 (CHRIS YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images) / AFP/Getty Images

Lord said that Shaffer had been happy that a revival of Amadeus was due to be staged at the National Theatre later this year.

Peter was happiest that Amadeus was to be seen again on the stage for which it was written and had met and worked with Michael Longhurst, loved his ideas and had been very excited at the prospect of Lucian Msamati playing Salieri, he said.

National Theatre director Rufus Norris, paid tribute to the playwright following news of his death:

Peter Shaffer was one of the great writers of his generation and the National Theatre was enormously lucky to have had such a fruitful and creative relationship with him, he said.

The plays he leaves behind are an enduring legacy.

Shaffer received two Oscar nominations for adapting both Equus and Amadeus for the big screen.

He won the 1984 Academy Award for his screenplay of Amadeus, which also went on to win Best Picture.

Shaffers other notable plays include The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Black Comedy and Lettuce and Lovage.


K anye West was forced to cancel his secret concert in New York after fan riots broke out.

The rapper had planned to perform an under-the-radar gig at Webster Hall in Manhattan on Sunday night, but had to pull out due to the vast crowds that descended on the venue.

More than 4000 people showed up at the 1500 capacity venue in the early hours of Monday, with many clambering over cars and scaffolding in an attempt to get into the nightclub.

Many people posted snaps of the chaos on social media, while Wests wife Kim Kardashian posted a Snapchat video of her husband calling for mayor Bill de Blasio to "shut down the block".

One person in the crowd wrote: Dudes climbing scaffolding. Tons of people on cars and postal trucks.

A nearby resident posted a photo from their window, writing: When you live across from Webster Hall and Kanye causes a riot.

Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 launch 1 /22 Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 launch Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Caitlin Jenner and Kylie Jenner attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Kendall Jenner, holds her neice North West as she talks to Vogue editor Anna Wintour at the unveiling of the Yeezy collection and album release for Kanye West's latest album, "The Life of Pablo," Bruce Barton/AP JP Yim/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Olivier Rousteing, Kris Jenner and Melanie Griffith attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Kylie Jenner, Lil' Kim, Kanye West, ASAP Rocky, Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Caitlyn Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardshian attend Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 Collection presentation and listening party for the "The Life of Pablo" album during New York Fashion Week February 11, 2016. Also pictured are Jonathan Cheban (top R) and Kris Jenner (seated, front C). Andrew Kelly/Reuters Models pose during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Model Naomi Campbell appears onstage during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 JP Yim/Getty Images David Otunga, Jennifer Hudson, Rosie O'Donnell and Blake O'Donnell attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Lil' Kim and Caitlyn Jenner attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Kanye West attends Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Kanye West attends Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

@kanyewest shut down NYC tonight and did absolutely nothing, someone else added.

The rapper hinted that he would be performing a secret show on his Twitter account earlier on Sunday, with details soon leaked on social media.

Kanye West's 10 most controversial tweets

West had been due to appear at the Governor's Ball and decided to put on his own show when it was cancelled due to bad weather.

Just one hour before the show was scheduled to start, he wrote on Twitter: Show at 2am SOLD OUT.

Just before 2am, Webster Hall posted a message confirming that the gig had been cancelled.

There is no late show at Webster Hall tonight. Please get home safely, it read.


T om Hiddleston has distanced himself from rumours that he is set to take over as James Bond.

The British star, who is currently the favourite to step into Daniel Craigs shoes, has told fans that they might be disappointed.

Speaking at the Wizard World event in Philadelphia over the weekend, The Night Manager actor insisted that there was no announcement coming.

When asked by a fan in the audience about the 007 rumours, Hiddleston said: Im sorry to disappoint you, everybody. I dont think that announcement is coming.

But Im very gratified to hear the enthusiasm. Theres not much that I can say that I havent already said, but I know Your guess is as good as mine to be honest.

Hiddleston set tongues wagging last month when he was spotted in a meeting with former Bond director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli.

Who could be the next 007 James Bond? - In pictures 1 /22 Who could be the next 007 James Bond? - In pictures Idris Elba BBC Rege-Jean Page Dave Benet Jamie Dornan BBC/Stan/HBO Max & ZDF/Ian Routledge Tom Hardy 20th Century Fox James Norton Rex Luke Evans Agent Publicity Henry Cavill PA Lashana Lynch MGM Tom Hiddleston BBC Sam Heughan PA Jack Lowden Dave Benett Aidan Turner Mammoth Screen Chris Hemsworth AP Henry Golding AP Jamie Bell AP Richard Madden BBC Cillian Murphy BBC

He previously told Graham Norton: The thing is the position isn't vacant as far as I am aware. No one has talked to me about it.

I think the rumours have all come about because in the Night Manager I play a spy and people have made the link.

Other stars thought to be in the running for the role include Damian Lewis, Idris Elba, James Norton and Aidan Turner.

The Night Manager director Susanne Brier is also thought to be on the shortlist to direct the next instalment of Bond, after Mendes stepped down.


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Monday, 06 June 2016 10:42:54 (GMT+3) | Shanghai

Chongqing-based Chinese steel producer Chongqing Iron & Steel Co. (Chongqing Steel) has announced that it plans to acquire non-listed financial assets with high profitability from Chongqing-based Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group Co., Ltd (Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group), while it also plans to sell some of its own steel assets.





Furthermore, Chongqing Steel stated that the suspension of trading of the companys shares as of June 2, aimed at ensuring fairness of information disclosure and avoiding abnormal fluctuations in its share price, will not exceed a period of one month.
Monday, 06 June 2016 16:14:48 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Coal exports from Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS) terminals based at Port of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia , totaled 9.38 million mt in May this year, increasing by 1.6 percent compared to April, according to the company's announcement. 15 percent of the total coal handled at the terminals in May was coking coal

According to the released information, Japan was the largest export destination for coal shipments from PWCS in May, with shipments to Japan accounting for 46.7 percent of total shipments, while coal exports to China made up 17.15 percent of the total.
Monday, 06 June 2016 11:44:23 (GMT+3) | Kolkata

Affected by water shortage during the summer months impacting capacity utilization, Indian steelmaker Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) will invest $44 million to augment water storage infrastructure, a company official said on Monday, June 6.

The official said that the investment will be to build a second reservoir to avoid the acute water shortage likely to be faced by its plant located in the southern port town of Vishakhapatnam during the summer period.

According to the official, although the Vishakhapatnam region has received some amount of pre-monsoon rains during the past week, the precipitation was not sufficient to recharge the entire catchment area of river basins that provide water supply to the steel plant.

The RINL plant is currently receiving about 32 million gallons per day of water against a standard safety requirement of 37 million gallons per day with a storage capacity of at least 18 days requirement of water on any day, the official added.




Monday, 06 June 2016 15:22:07 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

In April this year, Turkey's scrap import volume increased by 17.8 percent year on year to 1.37 million metric tons, down 25.5 percent compared to the previous month, according to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The value of these imports totaled $265.7 million, down 12 percent year on year and falling by 27.5 percent compared to March.





In the January-April period of this year, Turkey's scrap imports increased by four percent to 5.53 million mt, while the value of these imports decreased by 32.6 percent to $1.08 billion, both compared to the same period of the previous year.



In the first four months, Turkey imported 1,133,369 mt of scrap from the US, up 3.81 percent year on year, with the US ranking as Turkey's leading scrap import source, ahead of the UK which supplied 906,710 mt in the given period, up 11.7 percent year on year.



Turkey's top 10 scrap import sources in the first four months of the current year are as follows:

Country Amount (mt) January- April 2016 January- April 2015 Y-o-y change (%) April 2016 April 2015 Y-o-y change (%) USA 1,133,396 1,091,760 3.81 247,493 318,782 -22.36 UK 906,710 811,724 11.70 137,557 208,473 -34.02 Russia 814,665 775,614 5.03 245,530 71,785 242.04 Netherlands 765,827 504,888 51.68 116,106 129,818 -10.56 Belgium 570,353 448,923 27.05 211,118 103,627 103.73 Lithuania 181,419 174,584 3.92 66,240 46,315 43.02 Romania 170,482 234,187 -27.20 51,201 45,401 12.78 France 148,803 66,220 124.71 38,998 - - Denmark 121,911 78,272 55.75 39,382 - - Lebanon 91,101 51,820 75.80 33,027 11,989 175.48

Turkey's main scrap sources on country basis in the first four months of the current year are presented below:
Monday, 06 June 2016 23:42:00 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Brazil exported 30,100 mt of wire rod in May, 81 percent more than in April, according to the countrys ministry of development, industry and foreign trade, MDIC.





The increase reflects chiefly 15,000 mt exported to the US, versus no exports in April, while exports to Latin American countries increased by 26 percent to 14,600 mt.





The average export price increased by 5.7 percent to $416/mt, pointing to the mesh grade exported at $384/mt, while the drawing grade product was exported at $435/mt, all FOB conditions at price deals probably closed in March.





Exports by ArcelorMittal increased fivefold to 17,200 mt at $443/mt FOB, while exports by Gerdau increased by 3.9 percent to 12,807 mt at $381/mt FOB.





A major exporter told SteelOrbis that his last export deal for the mesh grade product was closed at $485/mt FOB, while exports of the drawing grade product are priced at $500/mt FOB, following an 8 percent increase established for June.


Monday, 06 June 2016 11:26:35 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

SteelOrbis has been informed that Turkish producer Icdas ' 12-32 mm rebar prices in Turkey 's Marmara region are now at TRY 1,119/mt ($384/mt) + VAT ex-works, while its rebar prices in Biga, Canakkale in northwestern Turkey are at TRY 1,102/mt ($379/mt) + VAT ex-works.The mill's list prices have moved down by TRY 169/mt + VAT as compared to its previous price list issued on May 30, while due to currency fluctuations prices have decreased by $50.5/mt on US dollar basis.$1 = TRY 2.91
Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) chairman Hunor Kelemen voiced his satisfaction about his party's results in the local elections on Sunday.

UDMR leader estimates he has nearly 200 elected mayor. "We have kept a significant support within the Hungarian community. We are still the strongest Hungarian political force in Romania. (...) Statistically, we're very near to 200 mayors under UDMR's log, and there are seven or eight mayors supported jointly with the Hungarian Civic Party [PCM - author's note]. So we can see this as a shared success, because this was ultimately our goal when we had a deal with the PCM. We have more mayors with the PCM than we had before. This makes us happy, and I congratulate all those who earn mandates," Hunor Kelemen commented on Monday.

According to him, UDMR has won several new mayoralties, including the northeastern municipality of Satu Mare; in Cluj-Napoca, the biggest city in Transylvania, the main Hungarian ethnic party will have six or seven local counselors, up from five in the previous term; in Cluj County, the estimate is six or seven county counselor, up from five.

Agerpres
Updated at 3:47 p.m.

BRUSSELS  EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate's use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto's Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month.

Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the center of a dispute among EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers. Citizen and environmental groups have urged governments to exercise caution.

The EU executive had offered a 12- to 18-month extension to allow time for further scientific study by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), in hopes of allaying health concerns. Its earlier proposal to renew the glyphosate license for up to 15 years had failed to win support in two meetings this year.

The compromise proposal failed to win the qualified majority needed for adoption, an EU official said, adding the European Commission will discuss the issue at a meeting on Tuesday.

Seven member states abstained and 20 backed the proposal, a German environment ministry spokeswoman said. Only Malta voted against, diplomats said.

Without a majority decision that meets the required percentage of total EU population, the EU executive may submit its proposal to an appeal committee of political representatives of the 28 member states within a month. If there is again no decision, the European Commission may adopt its own proposal.

Monsanto on Monday defended the safety of its widely used herbicide, and said glyphosate's license should be renewed for the full 15 years.

"Further delays in this process represent a significant deviation from the EU regulatory framework and set a concerning precedent for other active substances," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice president of global regulatory and government affairs, said in a statement.

Monsanto has not ruled out a legal appeal if approval lapses after June 30, requiring a six-month phase-out of glyphosate-containing products. The industry lobby has criticized the regulatory uncertainty.

The controversy hangs over German chemicals group Bayer's $62 billion offer in May to buy the Creve Coeur-based seed giant. Germany was among states which abstained on Monday and has opposed Monsanto's genetically modified seeds.

Glyphosate use is key for Monsanto in the United States and Brazil, where the U.S. company depends on sales of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that can resist the widely used weed killer.

In Europe, sale and use of such seeds faces strong opposition and plays virtually no role in commercial farming. But an EU refusal of a new glyphosate license could signal stricter regulation of the broader agricultural chemicals industry.

It would also hit Monsanto's bottom line: If the EU were to halt glyphosate sales, the company could see earnings reduced by up to $100 million as its premium branded Roundup product is diverted to the generic market, said Bernstein senior analyst Jonas Oxgaard.

Smelling gas

Quashing the licenses in Europe might further embolden glyphosate foes elsewhere.

"With this decision all they do is cast doubt ... and create fear and confusion amongst Europe's consumers," Graeme Taylor of the European Crop Protection Association said.

Environmental and citizen campaign groups have called for an EU-wide ban in the absence of scientific certainty.

"Extending the glyphosate license would be like smelling gas and refusing to evacuate to check for a leak," Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said in a statement.

The prospect of a European ban could complicate EU-U.S. trade talks.

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said in May glyphosate was unlikely to pose a risk to people exposed to it through food.

The finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, but runs counter to a March 2015 study by the WHO's Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

That agency said the chemical was probably able to cause cancer and classified it as a 'Group 2A' carcinogen. It assessed whether the substance can cause cancer in any way  regardless of real-life conditions on typical levels of human exposure or consumption.

Additional reporting by P.J. Huffstutter and Karl Plume in Chicago.
MINNEAPOLIS  With the debut of Tiny Toast, General Mills is launching its first new cereal brand in 15 years.

Tiny Toast, which will arrive on store shelves this month, features pieces of crunchy toast covered with tiny pieces of fruit. Its one of only a few offerings in the cereal category flavored with real fruit, according to General Mills, which unveiled the cereal Monday. Tiny Toast comes in two flavors: strawberry and blueberry.

The whole grain oats and corn cereal is covered in strawberry or blueberry powder, and contain no artificial flavors or colors. In consumer testing, people told us that both varieties tasted real, and not fake like they typically associate with fruit-flavored cereals, Mike Evenson, product developer, said on the companys Taste of General Mills blog.

General Mills is positioning Tiny Toast as a family cereal, similar to Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, two of Mills most popular offerings. Tiny Toast is hitting stores shelves at a time when cereal sales are squishy, having fallen 9 percent from 2011 through 2015, according to market researcher Nielsen.

Cereal makers like General Mills often create line extensions of their classic brands: witness the proliferation of Cheerios flavors. New cereals are less common, since they often entail a bigger investment and more risk than a line extension. Work began on Tiny Toast more than a year ago.

General Mills last totally new cereal was Harmony, a combination of toasted wheat, rice and cornflakes with vanilla almond oat clusters. Designed to meet womens nutritional needs, it lasted two years, according to the Great American Cereal Book.

The last new hit cereal brand that General Mills launched was Reeses Puffs, which is made under license with Hershey Co. Launched in 1994, Reeses Puffs is still going strong.
Southwest Airlines has hit 100 daily departures from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The airline is the airports dominant carrier, with about half the market share, and has its own terminal.

Its newest nonstop flights are to Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Cleveland.

St. Louis passengers already could get to Cleveland and Portland directly on other airlines, but Oakland is a new nonstop destination from Lambert.

Southwest has added 11 new destinations from St. Louis in the last year.

This month is the first time in more than 10 years that any one airline has had more than 100 daily departures from Lambert, said Dave Harvey, Southwests managing director of business development, at a news conference Monday.

Mayor Francis Slay hailed Lambert for its resilience in the aftermath of Trans World Airlines demise and the pullout of much of American Airlines operations, saying Lambert has more boardings than airports such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Austin, Texas.

Southwest has been beefing up staff and operations in St. Louis, including adding two new gates that opened in April.

Officials said no new baggage carousels are set to be added for passengers on the additional flights, although theyll keep tabs on whether more are needed in the future.
David Schwimmer is cooking up a solid second career as a serious actor.

After a tragicomic turn as Robert Kardashian in FXs The People v. O.J. Simpson, the Friends veteran returns as a grieving widower in AMCs exciting and absorbing Feed the Beast.

You might think of the dark dramedy, adapted by Clyde Phillips (Dexter) from a Danish series, as a mashup of Restaurant Impossible and The Sopranos.

Stay with me. Schwimmer is Tommy Moran, single father to adorable TJ (Elijah Jacob). Tommy lost his way after the hit-and-run death of wife Rie. Ten-year-old TJ, who saw his mom killed, no longer speaks; Tommy drinks too much of the wine he also sells and has given up the hope of opening a restaurant, a dream he shared with Rie.

Jim Sturgess is Dion Patras, Tommys best friend, a rock star chef just out of prison on a drug charge. (Coked up, he burned down the restaurant where he was working.)

Dion needs to beat feet out of New York immediately because the fire left him deeply in debt to Patrick Woichik (Michael Gladis, Paul Kinsey on Mad Men), a mobster known as the Tooth Fairy. (Avert your eyes when you see why.) First, though, he wants to crash with Tommy and TJ for the night.

Immediately, hes worried. Father and son squat in the shell of the restaurant they had just started to build when Rie was killed.

Who lives like this? Dion marvels. I had better days back in prison. And then: Youve got a $20,000 stove and your fridge is empty.

Arguing over who let whom down ensues, followed by cooking, leading to fresh pasta and one of the interludes creator Phillips refers to as food porn. All the kitchen scenes are shot with lush, romantic beauty, a stark contrast to the grim Bronx neighborhood where the restaurant was going up.

This setup is just the tip of the delicious Feed the Beast iceberg. Theres so much wonderful here, from little scenes (TJ makes his hungover father a perfect cappuccino) to extremely moving ones (Tommy attends a grief group). Humor, thankfully, is abundant.

In the manner of Fargo or Mad Men, Feed the Beast presents a range of vividly drawn characters in roles big and small.

The core cast also includes Lorenza Izzo as Pilar, who meets Tommy in a grief group and finds his pain attractive; John Doman (Gotham, The Wire) as Aidan Moran, Tommys estranged, disabled father, described as an unapologetic racist; and Christine Adams (Weaver on Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Rei, in flashbacks.

Late in the premiere, Michael Rispoli shows up as a cop who wants more than anything to take down mobster Woichik and his imprisoned father. I am Ahab and that fat (expletive) is my white whale, he says, leaning hard on Dion.

At this point, it should no longer be a surprise that Schwimmer is the dramatic heart of the show. At 49, he may still be best known as Ross Geller on Friends (1994-2004), but he started out in drama, and his movie credits include projects as diverse as The Iceman (playing a gangster) and Madagascar (providing the voice for a giraffe).

Television continues to give Schwimmer his best opportunities, though. During the run of Friends, he played an unpleasant Army captain in HBOs Band of Brothers and the leader of a revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II in the NBC miniseries Uprising.

The most recent, though, and also most impressive, was FXs The People v. O.J. Simpson. Schwimmer gave a believable, touching performance as Kardashian, the faithful friend to Uncle Juice until the very end.

But Schwimmer does his best TV work yet in Feed the Beast, breaking viewers hearts just as Tommys has been broken. His pain reaches out and grabs us, and we root for him to find a way to go on.

That will be especially difficult given that Dions big idea for a partnership carries so many complications. Seeing what happens next, though, may be as exciting as anything TV offers this summer.

What Feed the Beast  Four stars out of four  When 9 p.m. Sunday, then 9 p.m. Tuesdays  Where AMC  More info amc.com/feedthebeast
Whether you consider it a junior Lincoln or an upscale Ford, the all-new Mercury, introduced by Edsel Ford in 1939, was just the ticket Ford Motor Company needed to bridge the wide gap between the companys base brand and its high-end luxury marque.

The 1947 model shown on this page was a continuation of the post-war series, when manufacturers were not focused on styling changes, but simply filling the pipeline with product to address high consumer demand. This demand was created by the enthusiastic post-war excitement as GIs returned from service to awaiting spouses and fiancees eager to get on with life.

So similar were the 1942 and 1946-48 models it takes a Mercury aficionado to tell the difference at first, second or even a third glance.

Ad execs werent too concerned with model names either because it really didnt matter what you called them, they were going to fly off the showroom floors as quickly as they came in. Checking my standard resources turned up a number of references to "series" models through the 40's such as 99A, 09A, 19A, 29A, 69M, etc. Curiously, magazine ads, as shown here, referred to models such as 114 and 118, but no such models appear in the Old Cars Price Guide. It would not be until the glamorous '50's the old familiar Mercury monikers, i.e. Monterey, Montclair, Park Lane Turnpike Cruiser and more, would begin to show up on fender badges and deck lids.

Surprisingly, the marketing department did find it in their hearts to get creative on the color choices. The green hue on the model "114" shown in this story was called Glade Green and the red "118" color was dubbed Pheasant Red. Other enticing names on the Ditzler chart included Rotunda Gray, Barcelona Blue, Monsoon Red, Parrot Green, Taffy Tan, Feather Gray, Tuscon Tan, Maize Yellow, Midland Maroon, Shoal Green and Strato Blue. I have to tell ya though, I think the ad department used artistic license to enhance the illustrations because when you check out the color chip chart, the overall impression is drab, dull colors that look more like left over WWII camouflage paint.

All 1947 Mercurys were powered by Fords flat head V-8 engine, which produced a modest 100 horsepower from 239 cubic inches of displacement (for you TKCS volunteers, Generation-Xers and younger, thats just under 4.0 liters). All 47 Mercs came with a trio of pedals on the floor as no automatic transmissions were offered.

The option list was scant with only the basics such as whitewall tires, fog lights, a heater and radio with foot control (weve come a long way baby!).

The 1947 sales brochure didnt have much to say about options, so the ad men had to tout the safety and performance features like long, slow action springs for a comfortable ride, two-way stabilization to "impart new roadability and handling ease on rough roads or when driving in a crosswind."

Base prices ranged from $1,592 for a basic 2-door sedan (Id have to assume its a 114 model) to $2,207 for an 8-passenger station wagon. Of course, those prices dont include that lengthy list of options.

Upcoming events

If you like Fords (and who doesnt? ... OK, the Chevy-Mopar people), be sure to attend the 30th (can you believe it?) annual All Ford Show, sponsored by the Fords Unlimited, on Sunday, July 31, at James S. McDonnell Park, in Maryland Heights. The FIN MAN and Co. will be there with our 02 Mustang GT convertible.

And stay tuned right here for the next Breakfast With the FIN MAN location.

Golden opportunity?

I'm still searching for the right person to help me syndicate the Old Car Column. Work from home on your own schedule. If you think you have what it takes and youre not afraid to work on a commission-only plan with potential first or second-year earnings of up to $90,000 in one to three years, send your resume to me at the_fin_man@msn.com. A background in outside sales or media sales would be helpful and a solid knowledge base of computers and related programs is a necessity. I need to do this now! Im not getting any younger, you know. Lets talk soon.

Thanks for reading the Old Car Column and Keep on Cruisin!

Bruce Kunz, a.k.a. "The Fin Man," is a member of the Society of Automobile Historians. If you love old cars and care about kids, help by visiting www.thefinman.com/Take_a_Kid_to_a_Car_Show.html and visit www.thefinman.com.
A teenager from west-central Illinois has the states first West Nile virus case of the year, health officials said Monday.

The teen became sick with the mosquito-borne virus in late May. The first West Nile illnesses are typically seen in July or August.

This first human case is much earlier this year, reminding us that its important to protect ourselves against mosquito bites now and not wait until the hotter months of summer, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, in a statement.

Missouri has had no reported cases of West Nile in 2016.

Most people who catch the virus have no symptoms. About one in five will experience fever, nausea and body aches. In rare cases the virus can cause brain swelling and death.

There were 77 illnesses and nine deaths from West Nile reported in Illinois last year. Missouri had 29 cases and three deaths.

Health officials urge residents to practice mosquito prevention by getting rid of standing water around the yard and wearing insect repellent that contains DEET.

The mosquito that carries West Nile, the common Culex, does not carry the Zika virus that can cause birth defects. Zika is carried by the Aedes aegypti, which is found in southern states, and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which circulate across much of the U.S., including Missouri and Illinois.

There have been no cases of Zika transmission by mosquito in the U.S. More than 600 Americans (four in Missouri and 16 in Illinois) have caught the virus while traveling to areas where it is widespread, including Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
The stream of dogs trickling out of the 1,880-square-foot home on Bennett Road in Howell, New Jersey, seemed to last forever.

There were pugs, Chihuahuas and terriers. Workers in hazmat suits came out with "arms full of puppies," according to the Asbury Park Press.

By the time the exhausted rescuers were finished, half a day had passed, and 276 dogs had been rescued.

Ross Licitra, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the paper that it was "the worst hoarding case" in Monmouth County's history.

There were so many animals that they had become one with the house itself, with dogs found on book shelves, atop jury-rigged platforms and even inside the walls of the home, according to the Asbury Park Press.

"The conditions of the house are deplorable," Licitra told the paper. "We actually have dogs in there that are giving birth at the moment. As we speak, we're bringing out newborn puppies that are only just minutes old."

The home's owners - identified by the paper as Joseph and Charlene Hendricks - were described as cooperative. They told investigators that they originally had eight dogs but that three years and lots of reproduction later, the number had skyrocketed.

"They're just not stopping it," Licitra told the paper. "I think it's just completely uncontrolled."

The pair hasn't been charged, but that could change depending on the condition of the dogs, which was initially described as "fair."

Although no dead animals were found on the property, Licitra told NJ.com that possible charges could include failing to provide veterinary care and allowing animals to live in inhumane conditions.

None of the animals had been vaccinated, spayed or neutered, Licitra said, and their flea-infested fur was matted and their nails overgrown. He noted that the dogs were covered in their own excrement, which led to their paws being filthy.

The owners said that the animals ate 100 pounds of food a day, Licitra told NJ.com.

"We have to charge them," he said. "We have to get the message out to people (that) we can't allow this to happen."

Kim Tamborra, office clerk at the Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey, in Tinton Falls, told NJ.com that the animals were neither house-broken nor socialized.

Suzanne DeGrande, a neighbor, told WNBC that she hadn't seen Charlene Hendricks outside the house in five years.

"I would knock on her door and say: 'Charlene, open the door. You have a dog loose.'And she would never open the door," DeGrande said.

Authorities discovered the hoarding by chance, when an officer for the Associated Humane Societies knocked on the door trying to place a dog that was on the loose, NJ.com reported. After knocking on the door, the officer heard enough barking to estimate that the home might have 20 dogs.

Investigators returned to the home several times before finally making contact with the owners last week, NJ.com reported.

When they realized how many dogs were in the home, they were shocked.

"When you opened the door, there were at least 80 dogs staring at you - lined up on shelves like statues," Licitra said.

WNBC reported: "One shelf was specially built near the ceiling of the living room, 'like a hamster cage for dogs,' according to Tierney Park, a Monmouth sheriff's deputy. "They have steps that go up to the shelf, and there were dogs looking down and barking."

After their dogs had been confiscated, according to the Asbury Park Press, the couple spoke to a reporter from the paper who approached them.

"Could you trim it down and not give us so much attention?" Joseph Hendricks said. "We're not bad people."

Noting that he was "exhausted" and "can't even think," Hendricks declined to explain how the hoarding had unfolded.

"It's more than you think," he said.
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The gunman was identified as Orlando Harris, 19, a recent graduate of the school. One survivor heard him say he was 'tired of everybody' in the school and that his gun jammed at one point.
ST. LOUIS  A maintenance worker at Bellefontaine Cemetery was shot and killed Friday night.

According to Post-Dispatch news partners KTVI, the workers were finishing up for the day and putting equipment away at a shed. He was shot several times and pronounced dead at the scene. It was not clear if he was targeted.

The shooting happened at around 6:30 p.m., but no other details were immediately available.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect name for the cemetery where the worker was shot.
ST. LOUIS  The parents of an amateur skateboarder from California provided video to support their claim that a St. Louis city employee swept their 11-year-old son off his skateboard on Friday, causing him to fall to the sidewalk.

Cortez and Nadia Russell, of San Diego, said they will file formal complaints with City Hall and also with the police for what they believe was the investigating officers indifference.

It happened about 8:15 a.m. outside City Hall West, at 1520 Market Street.

A police report says the city employee, Michael Hernton, 39, told the Russells that skateboarding is not allowed there, triggering an argument. It says, The employee advised officers he observed the child falling and attempted to grab the child but the child fell anyway.

But the video appears to show the man blocking the passing child with his arm, causing a fall. The boy, Cordano, was treated at Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital for a sprained ankle, lump on his head and bruised hip, his father said.

Nadia Russell said, He grabbed my son around the stomach and pulled him backward onto the ground.

Hernton works for Comptroller Darlene Greens office, which said he has been suspended with pay pending an investigation.

Police issued a summons for peace disturbance to Hernton, and one to Cortez Russell, 38, for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Officials said city ordinance prohibits skateboarding on any public street or sidewalk in the area bounded by Jefferson Avenue, Washington Avenue, Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and Highway 40 (Interstate 64).

The Russells said they were in town on a visit and that a photographer, Sean Loftin, was with them to photograph Cordano for sponsors.

The city employee was a random guy. Not a security officer, Loftin said. He stuck his arm out while the kid was riding on his skateboard and knocked him off the board onto the concrete.

Loftin added, The police kept saying that if he hadnt been skateboarding then it probably wouldnt have happened. Regardless of what he was doing, it was a ticketable offense at most. If I was jaywalking across a street and a city employee came and grabbed me and threw me on the ground for jaywalking, its the same thing.
ST. LOUIS  Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce announced Thursday that she will not file charges against two city police officers who fatally shot a man they said flourished a gun at them during a raid.

Her report says there is not sufficient evidence to support a charge, but does not take a position on whether they were justified to shoot.

Police said Mansur Ball-Bey, 18, ran out the back door of a home in the 1200 block of Walton Avenue that was being searched for guns and drugs about noon Aug. 19.

Authorities say he pointed a handgun with an extended ammunition magazine at police, who opened fire. Officials said Ball-Bey did not shoot.

Joyces announcement was made two weeks after she charged a former St. Louis officer, Jason Stockley, with murder in the killing of a man in 2011.

In the Ball-Bey case, Joyce said that with the evidence and witness accounts, she would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers did not kill in self-defense.

One of the biggest challenges we face in this case is that there is no independent, credible witness we can put in front of a grand jury or regular jury who contradicts police statements, Joyce said in a statement. None of the other witnesses had a clear view at the moment when Ball-Bey was shot.

She said her decision was based on her own offices inquiry, as well as a report delivered to her office in April by the police Force Investigative Unit.

Joyce called the shooting a tragedy and said, Im sorry for the pain that the Ball-Bey family is experiencing right now.

Ball-Bey was black. The officers who fired are white and were identified Thursday by the police department as Ronald Vaughan, 29, and Kyle Chandler, 33, who fired the fatal shot. Both graduated from the police academy in 2008.

The two officers were interviewed only by police and refused through their attorney to talk to prosecutors. Their attorney, Brian Millikan, said Thursday, Were relieved the inquiry is over  . This shooting, Ill agree with Jennifer Joyce, is a tragedy but was absolutely justified.

Todd El, leader of the Moorish Science Temple, spoke on behalf of the Ball-Bey family in an impromptu news conference on the steps of the courthouse Thursday.

He called for Joyce  along with Police Chief Sam Dotson and the city medical examiner, Dr. Michael Graham  to step down.

There was enough evidence to bring charges against these officers, El said.

Two versions of a shooting

Ball-Bey was shot on the first anniversary of the controversial police shooting of Kajieme Powell in St. Louis and a little more than a year after a Ferguson officer fatally shot Michael Brown, 18.

Joyce said two versions of the Ball-Bey shooting emerged from accounts by five key witnesses.

The first account came from an unidentified friend of Ball-Bey who was with him as at least 15 police officers and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tried to serve a search warrant at the apartment on Walton Avenue.

The friend, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, told authorities he did not witness the shooting and gave conflicting statements about where he and Ball-Bey were before the incident, Joyce said. In one interview, the friend said he and Ball-Bey were in an alley at the time; in another, he said they were in a gangway between two apartment buildings on the block. Ball-Beys friend told police neither he nor Ball-Bey had been armed.

The second account came from the two officers who shot at Ball-Bey, an off-duty police officer who was in a yard across the alley, and a member of the ATF.

An ATF agent and the off-duty officer said they saw Ball-Bey and his friend run from the back door of the apartment.

Hes got a gun, hes got a gun! The off-duty officer said he yelled to the officers who were chasing Ball-Bey. The off-duty officer also said he had heard one of the officers say, Police, stop!

Police said they saw Ball-Bey holding a gun. Joyce said Ball-Beys palm print was found on the magazine of a loaded gun witnesses said he tossed near an alley trash bin behind the apartment.

The two officers who shot at Ball-Bey told police they had no choice but to shoot when they saw Ball-Bey turn and point the gun toward one of them. One officer took cover behind a telephone pole at one end of the yard and said he thought Ball-Bey was about to shoot the other officer who was standing near a trash bin. Both officers said Ball-Beys gun flew out of his hands after being shot.

The off-duty officer said he saw Ball-Bey running with a gun in his hand and his arm extended before the witness ducked behind a parked truck. The witness said he could hear the shooting but could not see it but reported seeing Ball-Bey toss a gun near a trash bin afterward.

Ball-Bey, who worked at Fed-Ex, had no criminal history in Missouri, but photos found on his cellphone and YouTube videos show him wearing T-shirts naming a gang in St. Louis. Joyce said prosecutors had found social media photos of Ball-Bey with a gun that appeared to match the loaded .40-caliber handgun found at the scene. Joyce said that the gun had been reported stolen and that text messages on Ball-Beys cellphone discuss a gun of the same make and model.

Jermaine Wooten, a lawyer representing the Ball-Bey family, said at Thursdays news conference that police were fortunate when they picked up a gun that resembles the one that prosecutors say Ball-Bey is seen with on social media postings, but that the gun that police found was not his.

Two other .40-caliber guns were found at the scene of the shooting, but DNA and fingerprint samples were not a match to Ball-Bey, Joyces report says. Police said initially that they found the presence of fingerprints and DNA on Ball-Beys gun, but ultimately, forensic tests revealed no usable DNA.

Joyce said the lack of DNA on the gun was not unusual, given forensic limitations.

The only evidence to show that Mr. Ball-Bey did not have a gun was his friend who was with him that day, Joyce said. His friend, however, told numerous versions of the events, to the point where we found him to not be credible.

Joyce said perhaps the most critical evidence was the independent eyewitness testimony of the off-duty officer across the alley who said he had seen Ball-Bey with a gun. That officer, Joyce said, has reported misconduct of fellow officers in the past and was deemed a credible eyewitness.

Meanwhile, the credibility of Vaughan  one of the officers who shot Ball-Bey  has been previously deemed questionable by a judge. In 2013, the judge tossed out drug evidence in a case amid allegations that Vaughan may have planted the evidence.

No independent witness

Graham, the city medical examiner, has told the Post-Dispatch that an autopsy revealed Ball-Beys spine was severed. However, Graham said, Ball-Beys spinal cord didnt sever immediately, suggesting he could still move after being shot. The finding surprised police because officers and witnesses said Ball-Bey had been running after being shot.

According to Joyces report, Graham concluded Ball-Bey died not from a severed spinal cord but from a bullet that punctured his heart, and that his spine could have been severed by the bullet, by movement while running, by police kneeling on his back while handcuffing him, or while his body was being transported or autopsied. Police have said Ball-Bey struggled with officers as they tried to handcuff him.

One key finding in Joyces conclusion:  there were several factors in the execution of this search warrant that we believe need to be reviewed and addressed by the police department.

Joyce said the two officers who shot at Ball-Bey and the ATF agent mistakenly entered the backyard of a nearby corner store instead of the backyard of Ball-Beys apartment.

Joyce said no officer conducted surveillance on the rear of Ball-Beys building before serving the warrant.

Joyces report said prosecutors had interviewed more than two dozen people during the investigation and had made multiple requests for people to come forward with information.

No independent witness or the person who was with Ball-Bey claims to have seen the entirety of the incident, Joyce wrote.

Now that Joyces office is finished with her review, Dotson says the department will conduct an additional review to discuss tactical lessons learned from the incident.

Meanwhile, Wooten and fellow Ball-Bey family attorney Jerryl Christmas said they would have an independent forensic expert review Grahams work. They say the family believed police had planted the gun on Ball-Bey.

Ashley Jost and Christine Byers of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
The fatal shooting of a man by a St. Louis police officer in 2011 that resulted in a murder charge last month raised questions of why city prosecutors did not review the case for years.

Even though the St. Louis police board paid $900,000 to the survivors of Anthony Lamar Smith in 2013, the case lay dormant until Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce charged former officer Jason Stockley with murder in mid-May.

But the Smith case was not the only shooting that resulted in a six-figure payout to settle a lawsuit and yet was not immediately reviewed by Joyces office for criminal charges. There were two that her office never looked at and has no plans to.

In September 2013, the police department agreed to pay $400,000 to the family of Cary Ball, who was shot April 24, 2013, after he crashed a car at Cole and Ninth streets at the end of a police pursuit. Officers shot him 21 times.

And in March 2012, the police department agreed to pay $212,500 to the family of Normane Bennett, who was shot June 25, 2010, in an alley behind the 3900 block of Sherman Place after he fled from police who tried to arrest him and others for alleged drug activity.

Both payouts were among the largest of 44 settlements by St. Louis police that total $4.7 million since 2010, according to a review of the cases by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The settlements include cases that allege injuries or wrongful imprisonment or death.

Unlike trial judgments, such as the $2.5 million awarded in March to a man who was exonerated after spending five years in prison in a case that involved two former St. Louis police officers, the settlement amounts have never previously been made public. The Missouri Attorney Generals Office, which represented the police in civil cases until 2013, released a spreadsheet of the payout amounts in response to a public-records request from the Post-Dispatch.

The police officers involved in the deaths of Ball and Bennett were cleared by the police department. But unlike the fatal shooting of Smith, neither of the other cases has been reviewed by city prosecutors for potential criminal charges, a spokeswoman for Joyce said last week.

The lawyer whose firm won the $2.5 million judgment said that when police spend a lot of money to settle a case, local prosecutors should review it for potential crimes.

In my considerable experience, police departments do not settle and certainly dont settle for a lot of money unless there is clear evidence of liability, clear evidence the shooting was unjustified, said Jon Loevy, of the Chicago firm Loevy & Loevy. Anything short of that and they decline to settle.

I can tell you from experience, they dont just cough up money routinely. They fight hard, they are reluctant to resolve cases and there is just not that kind of money lying around unless there is merit.

Joyces spokeswoman, Susan C. Ryan, said the citys top prosecutor was concerned that the police department settled two shooting cases for a total of more than $600,000 but did not involve the circuit attorneys office in reviewing those cases.

This is why Ms. Joyce thinks the new officer-involved shooting protocol is a significant improvement from the way these cases have been handled in the past, Ryan said.

In September 2014, the police department established a Force Investigation Unit to review use of force by officers, and Joyces office started its own unit with the same name to conduct parallel investigations.

But Joyce said there were no plans to review either the Ball or Bennett cases for potential crimes.

At this time, the (circuit attorneys office) does not have the manpower to review those cases. However, if the city would provide the funding for the effort  Joyce would be willing to consider the undertaking, Ryan said.

No local review

In the Ball case, multiple witness accounts differed from each other and from the officers versions.

The officers said Ball pointed a .40-caliber Glock handgun at them but did not fire. In the aftermath, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson took what he said was a rare step in inviting the FBI to review the case. U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said later that there was no basis for criminal charges.

The Ball case took a similar track to the case involving Smith, in that the St. Louis police went to federal authorities first. In the Smith case, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office decided not to file charges.

In the Ball case, the police department did not ask Joyces office to review the matter, Ryan said.

Joyces office was contacted by Balls family in May 2013 because they had concerns about the police investigation. Ryan said a prosecutor met with family members to discuss their concerns. Joyce agreed to review that matter and assigned two prosecutors to begin the process.

But before receiving evidence and interviewing witnesses, the police formally asked the FBI to review the matter, Ryan said, and the circuit attorneys office suspended its investigation.

It is standard protocol for local prosecutors to stand down when the Federal Authorities have been asked to review a case, she wrote in an email.

But federal investigators are evaluating cases to determine if civil rights were violated, which is not the same as investigating potential violations of state law, said Jonathan Blanks, research associate at the Cato Institutes Project on Criminal Justice in Washington.

There are relatively high standards the feds must meet before they can bring charges, he said. Thats not necessarily the case for violations of state law.

In Bennetts case, police at the time said that Bennetts family had attacked officers, allowing him to flee, and that Bennett pulled a revolver from his pants and pointed it at the detective chasing him.

A police report says the Smith & Wesson revolver was later recovered about four feet from Bennetts body. The department never released the detectives name, but a civil suit filed by Bennetts mother, Mary Barnett, in February 2012 identified the officer as Marc Wasem. It claimed that Wasem fired seven shots at Bennett, five of which struck him and some of which were delivered as Bennett lay on the ground dying.

Barnetts attorney, Craig Kessler, said in an interview at the time of the lawsuit that the case should be investigated by outside authorities. He said he had nine witnesses, five of whom are related to Bennett, who saw the shooting from a variety of angles and who would testify that they never saw Bennett with a gun. Kessler said there were another five witnesses who would dispute the rest of Wasems account, as relayed in police reports.

You would want to do some type of investigation," he said. "You have direct evidence that theres a real bad situation that should be investigated.

But it wasnt, and there are no plans to reopen the case.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect date for the shooting of Anthony Smith.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Randall G. Pembrook has been named chancellor of the school  36 years after earning both a bachelors degree and a masters degree from SIUE in music education.

He earned a doctorate in music education from Florida State University.

Pending approval from the SIU Board of Trustees, Pembrook, will be the ninth chancellor in SIUE history.

He will succeed Julie Furst-Bowe, who left the school last year to return to her native Wisconsin.

Pembrook was one of 65 candidates considered over nine months by the universitys 21-member search committee.

The Metro East native most recently served as vice president for academic affairs at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.

Previously, he held several positions at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., including executive vice president, provost, interim vice president for enrollment management and acting dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies.

I am absolutely thrilled to be selected as the next chancellor, Pembrook said in a statement. For me, it truly feels like coming home. Im returning to my alma mater, which has grown significantly in national stature as well as student enrollment.

SIU President Randy Dunn announced the decision Monday morning. He called Pembrook an exceptional candidate.

He is an outstanding fit for SIUE who possesses the necessary skills to lead the university toward even greater successes in the years ahead, Dunn said.
Carla Rathmann, a former University of Missouri-Columbia employee, pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of mail fraud and credit card fraud in connection with the theft of more than $716,000 from the school over a span of nine years.

Rathmann, 54, worked as an administrative officer at Mizzous Southwest Research Center in Mount Vernon. Her responsibilities included receiving bills, paying bills, payroll and other accounting duties.

An audit conducted by the university suggests the theft was more widespread than what Rathmann admitted to during her guilty plea in Greene County federal court.

University investigators found that nearly $750,000 was stolen over 15 years. Rathmann worked at the university from August 2000 until September 2015.

University officials became suspicious after a newly hired supervisor found irregularities in Rathmanns financial transactions.

The audit report says the supervisor was especially suspicious of Rathmanns unwillingness to share financial information with him.

The investigation found that shed used a university purchasing card for personal expenses, made unauthorized cash withdrawals, manipulated her time sheets and made payments to fake vendors.

The bulk of the thefts Rathmann admitted to came from the alleged scheme involving the fake vendors.

In 2005, Rathmann created and registered three shell companies with the Missouri Secretary of States Office, according to Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

These companies  R&R, R&R Argi and Garrett Farm and Oil  did not produce a single product or provide a service of any type, Dickinson said in a statement. Either Rathmann or her husband were the owners and registered agents for these companies.

Mizzous investigation found that between January 2005 and June 2014, Rathmann used the fake companies to bill the university more than $570,000 for services never provided.

Additionally, the university believes Rathmann embezzled nearly $160,000 using a school-issued purchasing card for personal expenses, and an additional nearly $12,000 in unauthorized cash withdrawals.

By pleading guilty, Rathmann waived her right to a grand jury and agreed to forfeit $716,000 to the government.

Under federal law, she is facing up to 30 years in prison.

The university accepted some culpability for Rathmanns actions.

The audit found several factors that contributed to the fraud, including limited staffing in remote locations, lack of an on-site superintendent for long periods and failure to adhere to university policies.

A statement from the university said Rathmanns immediate supervisors have since retired.

Interim Mizzou Chancellor Hank Foley on Monday announced a series of new procedures to prevent future embezzlement. In addition to mandatory fiscal training, quarterly financial reviews and more on-site visits from supervisors, the university has added an extra step in the approval process for certain transactions.

We are very grateful for the efforts and assistance of the U.S. Attorneys Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI in the criminal investigation, Foley said. We will continue to strengthen and reinforce all of our financial systems and oversight processes that we instituted as a result of this investigation.

The universitys insurance carrier is expected to reimburse the school approximately $650,000.
ST. LOUIS  The four candidates for the Republican nomination for Missouri governor will square off in a televised St. Louis-area debate Monday night, co-sponsored by the Post-Dispatch and Fox 2 News.

Vying for the GOP nomination in Missouris Aug. 2 primary elections are businessman John Brunner, author Eric Greitens, former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

The winner of the Republican primary will face the Democratic nominee, likely to be Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, in the Nov. 8 General Election.

The debate will be televised on Fox 2 from 7 to 8 p.m., and a live stream will be available on STLtoday.com.

In past debates, the four Republicans have staked out different areas of focus, with Brunner stressing his business background, Greitens running as a government outsider, Hanaway pressing a law-and-order theme and Kinder running as the candidate who has shown he can win statewide elections.

The four candidates have generally agreed on the familiar front-burner Republican issues, including opposition to the Affordable Care Act and support of right to work legislation.

One of the few policy disagreements among the candidates arose in a debate in April, when Greitens defended his opposition to legislation that would protect businesspeople who refuse to cater to same-sex marriage ceremonies. Greitens warned that such laws had sparked boycotts in other states. He was the only one of the four to take that position.

Mondays hour-long debate is co-sponsored by Fox2, the Post-Dispatch and WDAF-FOX4 of Kansas City.

Moderators will be Shirley Washington of FOX 2, Post-Dispatch Political Editor Christopher Ave and FOX 4s John Holt. The event isnt open to the public.

Also, FOX 2's Erica Tallan and St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Nick Pistor will be discussing the candidates, issues and taking questions from viewers on Facebook LIVE. The broadcast will be about 15 minutes before the debate.
WASHINGTON  Responding to the Aaron Schock office decoration scandal, the U.S. House has made it easier for citizens to search for how their members of Congress are spending tax dollars on their offices.

The changes came after a bipartisan review headed by Reps. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

The information is searchable and sortable at http://disbursements.house.gov/. Its available in several formats, and includes all payments from official allowances for House members for the first three months of 2016. Future expenditures will be updated.

The new database access follows reforms instituted by the House last fall requiring members to get approval before spending more than $5,000 on any office furnishing and approval for any private flight costing more than $7,500. It also prohibits House members from being reimbursed for mileage on their campaign vehicles.

The reforms stemmed from revelations that Schock, a former Republican representative from Peoria, had spent more than $40,000 in taxpayer dollars to decorate his office in the style of the British drama series, Downton Abbey. Schock, who resigned his office, also was reported to have taken private planes to Illinois sporting events and abused House mileage reimbursements.

Davis said this is part of broader efforts toward transparency he has helped push through from his position on the House Administration Committee.
FERGUSON  A Ferguson restaurant that opened shortly before protests shook the north St. Louis County city is closing, according to social media posts.

The Ferguson Burger Bar and More, 9120 West Florissant Avenue, is closed "until further notice," a Facebook post announced Sunday morning. An ad posted to Craigslist shows the restaurant is for sale, highlighting the burger joints rankings in a Post-Dispatch food critics top 100 list.

Charles and Kizzie Davis, the store owners, took over the strip-mall restaurant on Aug. 8, 2014, one day before the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. The Burger Bar went untouched during the protests and looting that followed Browns death.

"Its been a wonderful experience under trial times here and there," the goodbye Facebook post reads.
ST. LOUIS  Otis Williams said he looked at Charlesetta Taylor and saw someone who could be his mother.

Williams, the head of the citys economic development agency, was charged with getting Taylor to leave her house of 70 years to make way for the planned $1.75 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agencys western headquarters. Taylor, 80, didnt want to leave.

I was trying to convince her she could trust me, Williams said. One thing I told her was she reminded me of my mother. And I told her I wouldnt do her wrong.

Taylor became the face of the movement to keep NGA from the neighborhood just north of downtown. But she relented when Williams offered to have the city physically move her house to another location.

Now, after NGA officially picked the St. Louis location as its next home, the city will begin the complicated task of clearing the site and delivering it to the federal government by next year. That will include demolishing everything in the 99-acre zone, and, of course, moving Taylors three-story red-brick home.

When its successfull and moved I can say that Otis did all he could, Taylor said. They did make that commitment to me and they have been good so far. It will be a gigantic thing. But it would not be as traumatic as watching a wrecking ball tear it down.

Williams said moving Taylors house would be the easy part.

The physical move itself will not be that big of a chore because the professionals who are doing that have done this all over the world, Williams said. We know we can get this done without a problem.

Taylor hasnt decided where her home will be moved.

But the wrecking ball is coming for the other properties. Williams said selective demolitions would begin in the next 30 days. Still, the bulk of them will be done later this year. Right now, Williams is focused on getting residents out of the neighborhood and into other housing.

We will work with each one individually, Williams said. We have assembled a team of real estate agents that will be working with each of the residents there to get them moved to the site theyve chosen. Or if they havent picked a site, to help them find one.

Williams hopes to have everyone out by Thanksgiving.

The city has committed $1.5 million a year over the next 30 years to pay for the site clearance. That money includes diverting half of the 1 percent earnings tax paid by NGA workers, who each year pay more than $2 million in city earnings taxes.

The area has 551 parcels with 110 owners, including developer Paul McKee, who had about 40 percent of the parcels, which he eventually sold to the city.

The NGA footprint is part of McKees larger NorthSide Regeneration plan, which will now get a jumpstart. McKee said in a statement last week: We want to invite people from throughout St. Louis, the Midwest and around the nation  especially the young and young of heart who are ready to embrace cultural diversity, new technologies and big new ideas  to join the NGA at Northside Regeneration  and working together we will create and enliven and prosper in the new spirit of St. Louis.

McKee is charged with developing the surrounding area, hoping to bring a surge of investment.

But Williams remains focused on the tough task at hand. The city will have until October 2017 to deliver the site. That means demolishing the homes, improving infrastructure, doing environmental cleanup and utility work.

The Army Corps of Engineers will build the facility. Construction is set to begin after the city delivers the site. The facility isnt expected to be completed until 2022 or 2023.

Now, its time to go to work, Williams said. We are up against a deadline.
Republicans should be very worried. Not because the GOP might lose the November presidential election but because the party might win.

Donald Trump, the de facto GOP nominee, has dramatically elevated the threat level behind his potential presidency by suggesting that ethnicity and religion are fair game for choosing a federal judges qualifications. His remarks came after U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel issued a ruling unfavorable to the for-profit Trump University in a lawsuit by former students.

Trump referred to Curiel as a Mexican judge who cannot be relied upon to rule impartially because Trump wants to build a border wall. Curiel was born in Indiana and is 100 percent American. His parents reportedly migrated to this country nearly a century ago.

When challenged about who else he might disqualify as biased, Trump stated that Muslims also might be included. Among the presidents jobs is nominating federal judges.

Trump appears to be still weighing his options on Jews. Some Trump fans have posted outrageous anti-Semitic messages online, and when asked by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer whether he condemns such messages, Trump replied, Youll have to talk to them about that.  I dont have a message for the fans. But he was quick to denounce the dishonest news media for pressing him on this point.

Defenders say Trump cannot be held any more responsible for what his supporters say than candidate Barack Obama was when backers such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright made outrageous public comments. The difference, however, is that Obama condemned it.

Trump refused to apologize for his characterizations of Curiel and instead sought to justify his stance.

Mainstream Republican politicians are now forced into a corner. They can either do whats right for their country by publicly denouncing him and refusing to back his candidacy  as they should  or they can stand sheepishly behind the mathematically certain GOP nominee. Capitol Hill Republicans fear they could lose their congressional seats and hand control to the Democrats if they dont back Trump.

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich cannot mask his queasiness. Hes a Trump supporter touted as recently as last month as a potential running mate. But he denounced the candidates remarks as inexcusable and Trumps worst mistake so far.

Others, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, seem not so willing to stand on personal conviction. In spite of the harsh insult Trump leveled at McCain for the 5 years the senator spent being tortured in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp, McCain now stands with Trump.

Thinking people cannot escape the conclusion that a Trump presidency would be disastrous for America. If GOP politicians cannot stand for what they know is right, they dont belong in office anymore.
For the past four years, this editorial page often held up former House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, as the poster child for ethics reform in the Missouri Legislature. A lot of lawmakers cash in on public service, but no one as brazenly as Tilley.

On Sunday, the Post-Dispatchs Kevin McDermott reported in depth on the infamous Tilley Shuffle. How, when he resigned from the Legislature in August 2012, he took $1.1 million left over in his campaign account and used it as seed money for political lobbying and consulting firms that he and family members run. How he spent about half of his leftover $1.1 million making campaign donations to lawmakers whom those firms lobby. How at least $420,000 came back to the Tilley family as personal income.

Through legal, but ethically dubious, alchemy, Tilley took more than a million dollars given to him when he held life and death power over legislation as speaker of the House and supposedly was considering a run for lieutenant governor, and used it to build a personal empire. In the process, nearly half a million dollars were converted into income that he and his family could spend as they chose.

It calls to mind the old Steve Martin joke: You say, Steve, how can I be a millionaire? First, get a million dollars.

Steve Tilley won election to the Missouri House in 2004, fresh from his familys optometry practice in Perryville. He was 33 at the time, an affable and energetic ally of then-Speaker Rod Jetton, a Republican from Marble Hill who pioneered the legislator-as-consultant scheme.

Today Tilley is one of the busiest lobbyists in Jefferson City, with a client list that includes big businesses (Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Tesla Motors) and big labor (the Missouri AFL-CIO). His loyalty follows the money. Last year he represented the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission. This year he switched to Uber, the ride-sharing company thats been the taxi commissions enemy.

His operations grew increasingly complex as he moved money from his original campaign into two political action committees. He was able to drop the charade that he was planning a future run for office. His sister, Kristal Brickhaus, got into the act with a fundraising company, as did his father, Everett Tilley, and brother, Jason Tilley, who are officers in one of his PACs.

This year, the Legislature passed bills outlawing these sorts of practices. Legislators can no longer be consultants, and they must wait six months after leaving office to become lobbyists. And they cant take their campaign cash with them. As long as unlimited amounts of campaign donations are allowed to flow in, theres still work to do.

This may be Steve Tilleys greatest accomplishment: He did things so ethically dubious that not even the Missouri Legislature could abide them.
Can we be assured that the plant will not pollute our land or water supply so that we are not discovering something decades later like so many areas in Missouri?
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 250 steals show; pound keeps lid on FTSE 100

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - 17:20

London's FTSE 100 edged lower on Tuesday, as a stronger pound put paid to the blue-chip index's hopes of replicating the climbs delivered by its European peers.

The pound jumped to $1.1464 at the London equities close Tuesday, from $1.1295 on Monday, as new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak restored some investor confidence in UK finances.

The FTSE 100 index closed down 0.51 of a point at 7,013.48 on Tuesday. A stronger pound acts as a drag to the international earner-heavy index.

In European equities on Tuesday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended up 1.9%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended 0.9% higher.

There was an eye-popping climb for the more domestic-focused FTSE 250 in London, however.

The FTSE 250 ended up 494.08 points, or 2.9%, at 17,831.63. The AIM All-Share closed up 11.89 points, or 1.5%, at 799.44.

The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 700.90, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 2.8% at 15,222.68, and the Cboe Small Companies ended up 0.2% at 12,269.51.

Sunak pledged to fix the "mistakes" of Liz Truss's leadership as he made his first speech as PM.

Sunak said Truss was "not wrong" to want to drive up growth but added that "some mistakes were made."

He vowed to place "economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda", after the financial chaos triggered by Truss.

In the FTSE 100, Segro finished 2.1% higher on Tuesday as UBS raised the British property investor and developer to 'buy' from 'neutral'.

At the bottom of the blue-chip index was HSBC, falling 4.2%, as it reported a decline in profit and revenue in the third quarter of 2022.

In the three months to September 30, HSBC reported pretax profit of $3.15 billion, down 42% from $5.40 billion a year before. Revenue decreased by 3.2% to $11.62 billion from $12.01 billion.

HSBC explained that its third quarter results included a $2.4 billion impairment, following the reclassification of its retail banking operations in France to held-for-sale, as well as a net charge for expected credit losses and other credit impairment charges.

Whitbread fell 0.8% despite swinging to an interim profit and return to dividends as the hotel sector recovered from Covid-19.

In the first half ended September 1, the Bedfordshire-based owner of the Premier Inn chain said revenue more than doubled year-on-year to 1.35 billion from 661.6 million.

Whitbread swung to a pretax profit of 307.4 million, compared to a loss of 19.3 million a year before. Compared to the same period of financial 2020, pretax profit was 40% higher than 219.9 million.

"The strong recovery in UK accommodation sales continued during the first half, and while Food & Beverage sales remained challenging and 5% behind pre-pandemic levels," Whitbread said.

In the FTSE 250, Urban Logistics added 1.5%, but was up over 10% earlier in the day.

The UK logistics real estate investor said trading in its first half was strong, as demand strengthened and vacancies fell.

"Lettings have been strong across the portfolio, as we see a robust occupational market with high demand and low vacancies. In particular, we're very pleased that our new development at Blenheim Park has let so quickly, with the final unit expected to be let shortly, and providing an expected 6.6% yield on cost across the project," said Chief Executive Richard Moffitt.

Elsewhere in London, Made.com plunged 93% as it said talks with possible suitors fell through, with the sofa seller now edging precariously closer to collapse.

"Following further discussion, those parties have all now confirmed to the company that they are unable to meet the necessary timetable. As a result, those discussions have been terminated and the company is no longer in receipt of funding proposals or possible offers for the issued and to be issued share capital of the company," Made said.

Made.com is also mulling whether a suspension of trading of its shares is "appropriate".

The euro stood at $0.9963 at the European equities close Tuesday, higher against $0.9877 at the same time on Monday.

Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP147.77 late Tuesday, lower compared to JP148.82 late Monday.

Stocks in New York were firmly in the green at the London equities close, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.9%, the S&P 500 index up 1.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 2.0%.

US equities received a boost from well-received updates from the likes of soft drinks maker Coca-Cola and courier UPS, with both firms posting rises in third quarter revenue and net income.

Coca-Cola shares were 1.3% higher, UPS was up 1.9%.

Brent oil was quoted at $91.91 a barrel at the London equities close Tuesday, up from $90.88 late Monday.

Gold was quoted at $1,655.96 an ounce at the London equities close Tuesday, sharply higher against $1,648.76 at the close on Monday.

In Wednesday's UK corporate calendar, Barclays will publish its third-quarter results and Bloomsbury Publishing posts its half-year results.

In the economic calendar, there's a services PPI reading from Japan overnight before the Bank of Canada make an interest rate decision at 1500 BST.

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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The Way We Were A treasure trove of local history photos and the stories behind them direct to your inbox SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE

We've all seen the grainy, black and white images. Most of us will have watched the Pathe news reels and limited film footage.

Many will have enjoyed, time and again, the classic war movie The Longest Day, Spielberg's masterpiece Saving Private Ryan or the excellent Band of Brothers TV series.

A lucky few, like yours truly may have visited northern France and stood on the beaches, seen the remains of the Mulberry Harbours, touched a landing craft or a glider and seen the scars of that great conflict across Normandy.

But I'd venture to say that it's only when you digest personal stories of the Normandy Landings or read news reports from the time that you get a genuine sense of what it was like for both those involved in D-Day  and, of course, the millions waiting anxiously for news back home.

There was no TV, no social media.

Millions huddled around radios or scoured newspapers such as The Sentinel for more information as the landings became public knowledge.

It is no exaggeration to say that much of the world held its breath on June 6, 1944, as the greatest seaborne invasion in history was executed.

Here in Britain, just a short stretch of water separated us from Hitler's 'Fortress Europe' and people knew details of the landings announced 70 years ago today in Parliament by the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill represented a calculated gamble.

It had been made possible by years of planning and subterfuge as well as the combined efforts of the Russian armies in the East and the almost forgotten Allied armies slogging away in the Mediterranean who had greatly diluted the fighting strength of the Germans.

Success was still, however, by no means guaranteed.

Indeed, The Sentinel's leader column of that fateful day ended with the words: 'So, in quiet confidence, in the conviction of the righteousness of our cause and with determination to endure, we place ourselves in the hands of good Providence who has supported us all the day long of these troublous years'.

For several years Britain had stood alone against the might of Nazi Germany  Hitler's impressive armies cutting a bloody swathe across the continent and staring hungrily across the English Channel.

First came the heroic retreat from Dunkirk. Then followed the Battle of Britain in which the Spitfire designed by our very own Reginald Mitchell, of Butt Lane, played a pivotal role. Thanks to the bravery and skill of a small number of pilots and their ground crew, along with the indefatigable Royal Navy, Hitler was forced to abandon his planned conquest of our country  just as Napoleon had more than a century before. The people of these islands had put up with The Blitz and several years of rationing.

The country itself had been transformed into a lean society, fit to survive the travails of a war which impacted on everything from the food people ate, to the jobs they did, to the clothes they wore and even the time they went to bed.

(For the record, Black-Out time on June 6, 1944, here in Stoke-on-Trent was 11.17pm to 4.57).

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It is almost impossible for us today, equipped as we are with technology linking us to people around the world, to conceive of what life was like for our ancestors during those dark days of the early 1940s.

The nation was united by a total war the likes of which we will never see again.

Ours is a throw-away society. Few of us make-do and mend. Most can't darn a pair of socks. Many can't cook. The thought of the Government telling us what we can and can't do is a complete anathema to the social media generation.

Loose lips sank ships back in 1944. These days it seems many people can't go to the toilet without telling people about it on Facebook.

There are a dwindling number of veterans, most of whom are in their nineties, and  indeed  people over the age of 75 who can recall the momentous events 70 years ago today.

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As well as telling their stories in print, I was keen to capture these ageing warriors on film and you can now watch them recall what took place by clicking on to our website.

They're ordinary blokes from our neck of the woods who, in their prime, took part in a truly extraordinary crusade.

They are not boastful but their evocative words are imbued with an endearing honesty which is lacking in today's politically-correct world.

We are extremely grateful to them for giving us their time and sharing with us and our readers their memories of a remarkable moment in human history.

They are indeed the best of us. Thoroughly deserving of the tag of 'the greatest generation' having fought so valiantly to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.

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We salute Bert, Albert, Ken, Herbert, Eric, Robert and all those who sailed, flew and marched with them on D-Day.

God bless them all.
VP9 Finally Comes of Age, But Is it Right for Everyone?

The value proposition for VP9 is clear, as stated in Figure 1: Adaptive HD streaming with 1/2 the data of H.264! Half the data rate cuts your bandwidth and storage costs and allows you to reach more viewers with better quality video on slower connections. It also cuts your customers monthly data costs, a major issue now that many ISPs are instituting monthly bandwidth caps.

Many producers are starting to explore the benefits associated with distributing VP9-encoded video to desktop/notebook browsers and some mobile platforms instead of H.264. While you wont be able to wean yourself off of H.264 entirely for many years yet, VP9 delivery is definitely a concept whose time has come. In this article, Ill compare multiple aspects of each, from encoding to delivery to player creation. Beyond this, Ill briefly touch on the IP situation and conclude with a brief mention of AV1, the codec that will soon replace VP9.

VP9, WebM, and DASH

Lets start with a brief overview of VP9, which is an open source codec from Google, courtesy of its purchase of On2 Technologies in 2010. The first codec open-sourced by Google was VP8, which was paired with the Vorbis audio codec in the WebM file structure, which was based upon the Matroska media container.

VP9, the next iteration of the codec, was first introduced in mid-2013 and first deployed by YouTube a few months later in September. Also in 2013, the WebM format was expanded to incorporate the Opus audio codec, which is most often paired with VP9. You can deliver a single file containing VP9 and Opus in a WebM file or produce multiple VP9/Opus streams in DASH packaging for adaptive streaming.

Figure 1. JW Player supports VP9 in its eponymous player and online video platform service.

VP9 is the last iteration of VPx, as Google formed the Alliance for Open Media in September 2015 to consolidate open source codec development with Mozilla, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, and others. The first alliance codec, called AV1, should be released sometime between December 2016 and March 2017, which I discuss later in the article.

With this, lets start our look at VP9 by examining file quality.

Same Quality at Half the Data Rate? Close!

To test quality, I encoded three video clips at three different resolutions at five different data rates. The first clip is a short segment from Blender Foundations Tears of Steel (TOS) movie, representing mostly traditional movie content. The second is a short segment from Blenders Sintel movie, representing animated content, and the third, which I call the New clip, is composed of multiple clips to simulate real-world video. Working in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, I produced very high data rate H.264 mezzanine clips in three resolutions with the same horizontal pixel count, but a vertical count that varied by clip. For example, the smallest New clip was 1280x720, while the Sintel/TOS clips were 1280x576. These mezzanine clips were the starting points for all encodes.

I used FFmpeg for all test encodes. For the VP9 encodes, I used the VOD recommended settings from the WebM Wiki, changing both the speed and frame parallel to 0 at Googles recommendation. For x264, I used two-pass encoding with the veryslow preset, with maxrate and buffer set to 150 percent of the target data rate, essentially 150 percent constrained VBR with a bit of wiggle room in the buffer. The Keyframe interval was set to 3 seconds for all tests.

I encoded each clip at five different data rates, which varied by clip. As an example, I encoded the 1920x856 Sintel/TOS clips at 1000Kbps, 1500Kbps, 2000Kbps, 2500Kbps, and 3000Kbps. In all tests, this left two comparison points for each clip in which VP9 was encoded at 50 percent of the data rate of H.264. For example, with the 1920x856 TOS clip, I could compare VP9 at 1000 with H.264 at 2000, and VP9 at 1500 with H.264 at 3000 (Figure 2). Since there were two comparison points for each of nine test clips, that meant there were 18 total comparison points to test the same quality at 50 percent of the data rate premise.

Figure 2. VP9s quality consistently and substantially exceeded H.264s over all tested data rates.

To test quality, I used the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) metric, calculated using the Moscow State University Video Quality Measurement Tool. In four of the 18 cases, the PSNR score of the VP9 video was higher than the H.264 video at twice the data rate. If I added a 5 percent tolerance by multiplying the H.264 score by 0.95, VP9 won in 14 of 18 test cases. At 10 percent tolerance, all VP9 files exceeded the quality of their H.264 counterparts. As you can see in Figure 2, the quality differential was fairly consistent along the entire data continuum.

Codec benchmarking is an inexact science, and all comparisons usually result in more questions than answers. To supplement my trials, I spoke with JW Players lead compression engineer, Pooja Madan, who designed and implemented JWs VP9 encoding facility. She advised that the company was achieving about 50 percent savings overall on its encoding ladder, hence the claim shown in Figure 1. Most other companies I spoke with while writing this article reported similar results.

But Youll Need Lots of Time

The Achilles heel of VPx-based codecs has always been encoding time, and VP9 is no exception. I produced all performance numbers discussed later on an HP Z840 workstation with dual 3.1 GHz E5-2687W processors with 10 cores each, and Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT), for a total of 40 cores. All source files were stored on and encoded files delivered to Turbo SSD G2 drives. This is an extremely fast and capable system that you can read about in a series of benchmarking reviews in Streaming Media Producer.

On the Z840, encoding the 96-second 720p New file into H.264 format at 2Mbps took 98 seconds. Encoding with the Google-recommended parameters delivered the same file in VP9 format in 19:10, about 12 times longer. When I interviewed JW Player for this article, Madan reported that the company had invested significant time to achieve the optimal balance between encoding time and quality.

I asked if she would share her FFmpeg scripts to use in my testing, and she (and the company) agreed. The results were impressive. Specifically, the JW Player command line script produced the 720p New file @ 2Mbps in 4:59, about 22 percent of the time of the Google script. I checked the PSNR value for the JW Player-encoded file against the file created using Google recommended parameters, and the JW score was about 5 percent higher.

During encoding, I tracked CPU utilization and noticed that when rendering a single file, VP9 barely moved the needle. I decided to check performance with multiple encoders running. To accomplish this, I created multiple folders on the two SSD drives and ran each of the command line scripts eight and then 12 times simultaneously. As you can see in Table 1, multiple encodes reduced the H.264 to VP9 encoding differential with the JW Player script down to less than 4 seconds per file when encoding 12 files simultaneously.

Table 1. Encoding times for H.264 and two VP9 test scripts.

These results raise two questions. The first asks why Google would produce a codec that performed so poorly on multiple-core workstations. The answer is because this performance model fits perfectly into its current encoding schema. That is, Google doesnt encode each input file from start to finish in a single encoding instance; it encodes all files in parallel, splitting each source into chunks and then sending them off to different encoding instances.

In the context of Googles encoding system, VP9 isnt slow at all. Heck, at 40.5 seconds per file, its only about 10 percent percent slower than H.264. However, this performance schema puts the burden on the developer to create an efficient encoding program or platform. Of course, VP9 isnt the first codec that fails to efficiently leverage multiplecore systems, and encoding programs such as Telestream Episode have long used a technique called split and stitch to improve performance on multiple-core systems. Much like YouTubes parallel encoding schema, split and stitch divides a single input file into multiple parts encoded separately in parallel, and then stitched back together for final output. Essentially, the 12-simultaneous encode test shown in Table 1 simulates this parallel encoding operation, which pushed the Z840 to 98 percent+ usage (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Twelve simultaneous VP9 encodes pushed the Z840 to the max.

VP9 isnt slow; its just highly inefficient in a multiple-core environment, which makes it tougher for developers to design encoding systems that operate efficiently. For this reason, expect to see substantial differences in encoding times (and quality) in programs that support VP9. Developers creating their own encoders should design their architecture from the start knowing that theyre going to have to deploy a system like Googles to maximize VP9 encoding time and efficiency. This is especially true in the cloud, where you pay for an instance by the hour, and the ability to spread encoding chores over as few CPUs and CPU-hours as possible translates directly to the bottom line.

And Youll Have to Experiment

Heres the second question: If JW Players script produced both better quality and a faster encoding time than Googles recommendations, why didnt I use it for my quality tests? JW Players script uses a technique called capped common rate factor (CRF), which tells FFmpeg to deliver a file at a certain quality level but capped at a certain bitrate. For example, the JW script used a CRF value of 30 and a data rate of 2Mbps. This tells FFmpeg to encode the file to a quality level of 30, but to cap the data rate at 2Mbps.

If a file is easy to compress, such as a talking head clip, the entire clip will likely be well under 2Mbps. If the clip is hard to compress, the entire clip will likely be capped at 2Mbps. So when encoding with capped CRF, the bit rate, and the resultant file size, will vary from clip to clip depending upon content.

This presents a challenge when comparing codecs, because its always necessary to check output file size to ensure that the encoder met the target data rate. Obviously, this cant be done with capped CRF-encoded files. I didnt think it was appropriate to use a capped CRF approach for benchmarking, though I certainly would consider it for production. If youre designing your own system, be sure to incorporate this feature, and if youre buying an encoder, verify that capped CRF is available before purchase.

Finally, for those encoding their own VP9 files, Madan was kind enough to share her top four VP9 encoding takeaways:

Use two-pass encoding; one pass does not perform well. With two-pass encoding, generate the first pass log for the largest resolution and then reuse it for the other resolutions. VP9 handles this gracefully. While VP9 allows much larger CRF values, we noticed that CRF < 33 speeds up the encoding process considerably without significant losses in file size savings. You must use the tile-columns parameter in the second pass. This provides multi-threaded encoding and decoding at minor costs to quality.

Ill add that you shouldnt assume that Googles recommendations are the best practices for your needs. The bottom line is that you may have to invest substantial time to create the optimal mix of encoding time and output quality.

Youll Have a Growing List of Encoding Options

As of NAB 2016, you should have more options when choosing an encoder, both on-premise and in the cloud. On the enterprise-encoding front, Telestream announced that it would incorporate VP9 encoding into the Vantage Transcode Multiscreen program by mid-2016. Exploring what motivated Telestream to integrate VP9 into Vantage 3 years after the codec became available, I asked Paul Turner, VP of enterprise product management, Why VP9, and why now? He says, New codecs show up all the time; as an encoding supplier, we look at all of them but dont instantly add them to our products. At this point, we believe VP9 has legs and is a viable alternative for customers who have been encoding in H.264 and other UHD codecs.

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Stinkfish just finished a lengthy street art tour around Honduras with his friends Mazatl and Kill Joy.

Between the months of April and May of this year they had the pleasure of being in Honduras for four weeks to work on the first stage of the Cuma Project, an independent initiative in which they visited several rural communities in the Intibuca State that is located in the western part of the country, that borders El Salvador.

The initial goal of the project, was to visit a variety of communities that have been affected by hydroelectric dam mega-projects of multinational corporations along with the Honduran government, in order to to do a series of interventions on school facades and communal houses. The contact and guides, the COPINH (The Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) is an organization that for more than 20 years have devoted themselves to the defense of the environment, the land and the local indigenous culture and way of life, the Lenca, primarily in the region of Intibuca, though the organization also functions as a network for other communities struggles on a National and International level.

Take a look at all the pieces after the break and make sure to check back with us soon for more updates from South America.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) announces changes in its China, India, Global Strategy and Finance leadership team, as it elevates the reporting of its China operations and expands its business model to be both an auto and mobility company.

Stuart Rowley, previously vice president and controller, has been named to the new position of vice president of Strategy.

John Lawler, vice president and chairman and chief executive officer, Ford China, is appointed vice president and controller, Ford Motor Company, succeeding Rowley.

Stuart and John have played key roles in delivering Fords long-term global growth strategy and strong financial performance, said Mark Fields, Ford president and chief executive officer. These moves are part of our commitment to continue developing our leadership team and strengthening their expertise throughout the business.

At the same time, leadership of Fords operations in China  including the Ford China import business as well as Fords passenger car joint venture Changan Ford and commercial vehicle joint venture Jiangling Motors Corporation  will be directed by Dave Schoch, group vice president and president of Asia Pacific. Schoch will add the title of chairman and chief executive officer, Ford China.

As our growth plans in China have developed, this market is delivering an increasingly important portion of our revenue and profits globally, said Fields. Elevating the reporting of this business right now reflects Chinas importance in our profitable growth plan going forward.

Marin Burela, president of Changan Ford, has announced his intention to retire October 1 and is named Asia Pacific special advisor, reporting to Schoch in the interim.

During his 32-year career at Ford, Marin has made significant contributions to our operations globally, including leading the development of our global small car portfolio and building Changan Ford into a very successful business in the worlds largest car market, said Schoch. We are grateful for his many years of service and wish him all the best going forward.

Nigel Harris, president and managing director of Ford India is elected a company officer and named president of Changan Ford, succeeding Burela. Harris successor will be named at a later date.

Burelas and Harris appointments are effective July 1. All other moves are effective immediately.

Rowley

In his new role, Rowley, 49, will report to John Casesa, group vice president, Global Strategy. He will play a leading role in Fords growth strategy by accelerating the development of new business models in both the companys core and emerging business opportunities. This includes helping guide the companys investments in new products and technologies to support a focus on innovation.

Rowley joined the company in 1990 and has served as controller since April 2012. Previously, he was chief financial officer, Ford of Europe. He also was chief financial officer and senior vice president of Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Lawler

Lawler, 50, will report to Bob Shanks, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Ford Motor Company, and will be based in Dearborn.

Lawler has served as chairman and chief executive officer of Ford China since December 2012 with responsibility of all operations and business leadership. Prior to this role, Lawler served as the chief financial officer for Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, based in Shanghai, and was responsible for the financial strategy and analysis of the companys operations in the region. He joined the company in 1990.

Schoch

A Ford veteran of more than 30 years, Schoch, 65, has held senior leadership roles in Ford operations across the globe, including serving as chairman and CEO of Ford China from 2011 to 2012 and his current role as president of Ford's Asia Pacific operations, a role he has held since December 2012. Schoch holds a unique skill set well-suited to lead Ford China as well as Asia Pacific as the company continues to implement its long-term growth plan for the region.

Burela

In his new role, Burela, 55, will report to Schoch, advising on key strategic initiatives within Asia.

Burela has served as president of Changan Ford since 2010. He joined Ford in 1984 as an engineering graduate trainee and has served in a variety of leadership roles globally, including serving as president and CEO of Australia, leading small car development globally and serving in senior management roles in Jaguar and Land Rover.

Harris

Harris, 54, will report to Schoch and be based in Chongqing.

Harris is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in sales and marketing. Most recently, he served as president and managing director of Ford India, leading the team as they established the critical building blocks for success. He also has held a variety of sales and marketing roles across Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific, including serving as general manager for sales at Changan Ford and Asia Pacific vice president of Sales and Service. He joined the company in New Zealand in 1985.
H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) announced today that it has signed an agreement to purchase Cyberbond, L.L.C., a global provider of industrial adhesives for the electronics, medical, audio equipment, automotive, and structural markets.

With this acquisition, we will strengthen our position in high-margin, high-growth engineering adhesives markets, says Jim Owens, president and CEO, H.B. Fuller. Cyberbond will expand our technology portfolio and add well-established sales channels in North America and Europe. In addition, we will leverage the expertise and customer relationships of our team in China to grow the Cyberbond business in that important geography.

Founded in 1997, Cyberbond is headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, with European operations based in Wunstorf, Germany. The company generated revenue of approximately $15 million in fiscal 2015 and will be included in H.B. Fullers Engineering Adhesives operating segment.

Cyberbond is excited about joining H.B. Fuller. We look forward to a seamless transition and continuing to grow our business under new ownership, says James East, CEO and a founding owner of Cyberbond. Mr. East and other key managers will continue with the company following the closing of the acquisition.

The company expects the acquisition to close this month.
KFit Holdings Pte Ltd (KFit) has signed a deal to acquire Groupon Indonesia at an undisclosed fee. The acquisition will see KFit enter the Indonesian market with Groupon Indonesia as a wholly-owned subsidiary of KFit, while Groupon Inc will become a strategic shareholder of KFit.

Groupon Indonesia is an established leader in local commerce with over 1 million subscribers and over 15,000 local merchants. It is among the most visited e-commerce websites in the country.

"Indonesia represents an untapped opportunity for us and serves as a natural expansion of our regional footprint in Southeast Asia. The combination of Groupon Indonesia's established presence and KFit's experience in building a mobile-first platform will propel us in a high-growth local commerce market, further accelerated by increasing mobile penetration," said Joel Neoh, Founder and CEO of KFit.

"Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, is expected to become the next breakout market for e-commerce after China and India. It's current GDP per capita is similar to China's in 2009, according to Alibaba.

"While KFit will continue to focus on health and fitness services, this presents a strategic direction for us to enhance and broaden our offerings. In the long run, this acquisition will provide us with a strong platform for growth in Southeast Asia," added Neoh.

The transaction is expected to be completed in Q3 2016. KFit has confirmed that there will be no immediate changes to the business.

How KFit is evolving

KFit's strategic imperative is to offer more services to cater to a broader base of consumers on a hyper-local level. Since its debut as a fitness sharing platform in April 2015, KFit has extended its offerings to include beauty and wellness categories, and launched its pay-per-use offering, KFit Go. In the past six months, KFit users have reserved over 400,000 activities. Today, one reservation is made every minute on the KFit platform.

"Our goal is to transform the way people experience much more than just fitness, which is why this acquisition is significant. We are going to build on Groupon Indonesia's strong foundation and grow it further based on our experience and expertise," said Neoh.

"We believe that the KFit team is well-positioned to take the Indonesian business to even greater heights, as Joel has been a formidable leader for Groupon in Asia Pacific in the past. We look forward to seeing the company grow and are excited to become a strategic shareholder of KFit," said Michel Piestun, president of APAC at Groupon.

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By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON (Reuters) - Hedge fund Pine River Capital Management will close its Pine River Fixed Income fund and return $1.6 billion to investors, to streamline its offering of funds, according to a letter to clients seen by Reuters.

Brian Taylor, Pine River's founder and co-chief investment officer, told clients on Monday that the eight-year-old fund, which posted some of the hedge fund industry's most eye-popping returns before losing money in 2015 and early 2016, will be closed.

"The next step in this rationalization effort will be the orderly process of converting the holdings of the Pine River Fixed Income Fund to cash and returning that cash to investors," Taylor wrote.

"We feel that the timing is appropriate following the recent decision by Partner and Fixed Income Fund founder Steve Kuhn to reduce his role at Pine River to focus on philanthropy."

Kuhn had been a co-manager of the fund and remains a partner in the firm who consults on trades, according to his attorney, Benjamin Plaut.

Investors will be able to put money into the firm's flagship $3.6 billion Pine River Fund, the letter said.

A Pine River spokesman declined to comment.

"We now believe we can best serve our investors by managing a single flagship multi-strategy fund - the Pine River Fund - which embodies our full opportunity set, rather than simultaneously managing two multi-strategy vehicles," the letter said.

According to the letter, Pine River will also spin off its $1.2 billion China Fund, which is run by Dan Li, allowing Li to run his own firm, Taylor said in the letter. He underscored that Pine River will still be involved in Li's fund and remains committed to China and broader Asia strategies.

The Pine River Fixed Income Fund earned a spectacular 93 percent return in 2009. Its assets peaked at $4 billion and it was instrumental in establishing $13 billion Pine River as a hedge fund industry powerhouse.

The Fixed Income fund gained 31 percent in 2010 and delivered gains every year thereafter until 2015 when it lost 2.7 percent loss last year thanks to investments in corporate bonds.

Fresh losses followed early this year and the fund is now down 2.6 percent through May after a 1 percent gain in May.

Colin Teichholtz, who co-managed the fund with Kuhn and two others, will become co-portfolio manager of the $3.6 billion Pine River Fund, working alongside Aaron Yeary and James Clark. That fund is off 1.3 percent for the year through May.

Many hedge funds have delivered lackluster returns recently and investors have complained about high fees. Taylor said it is reasonable to "reduce fees for those investors who are willing to commit longer-lock capital to our investment ideas." He also said that the firm is raising cash. "For investment strategies with longer life cycles, we are raising longer-lock capital."

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Diane Craft)
Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) disclosed the following on Monday:

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(b) Departure of Named Executive Officer

Kent Davies, Chief Operating Officer, will leave Haemonetics Corporation on June 30, 2016. Kent Davies joined Haemonetics in 2014 as President of Global Markets and has served as Chief Operating Officer since April 2015.

Haemonetics is grateful for Mr. Davies many and significant contributions during his time at the company and extends its best wishes to him for success in his future endeavors.
SAO PAULO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Agency of Health Oversight (ANVISA - Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria) has allowed Laboratorio Cristalia to register the first biological Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) based on the biodiversity of Brazil. It is called Colagenase Cristalia, an enzyme used in the production of ointments for the treatment of wounds (enzymatic debridement), burns and necrotic tissue.

"The registration of the API Colagenase Cristalia is one of our greatest achievements. We invested in research, development and innovation to arrive at a first rate medication. This is the first biotechnological API from Brazilian biodiversity that will be produced here, and will provide the opportunity to export this active ingredient," noted Dr. Ogari Pacheco, President of the Board of Cristalia.

The Biotechnology Division of Cristalia, headed up by Marcos Alegria, started production of the enzyme from a strain discovered on a farm in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, in the interior of Sao Paulo state. The productive process was registered with the Council for the Management of Genetic Assets (CGEN - Conselho de Gestao do Patrimonio Genetico) and the strain was deposited with the Brazilian Collection of Microorganisms of the Environment and Industry (CBMAI  Colecao Brasileira de Microrganismos de Ambiente e Industria), a body at Unicamp selected by CGEN as the designated depository of Brazilian biological samples.

The application to patent the process for obtaining Colagenase Cristalia has already been submitted, and this API produced by Cristalia is different from common imported Colagenase: it is developed in a culture without components of animal origin.

R$120 million was invested in research and development of the product, including the Biotechnology Plant for Anaerobics in Itapira (SP). In 2014, the plant received the Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices (CBPF - Certificado de Boas Praticas de Fabricacao) and has Biosafety Level 3.

The Colagenase API will be used in the production of Kollagenase ointment sold by Cristalia, as well as the development of other formulations, presentations and therapeutic combinations. "Not only will we cease to be dependent on this ingredient, but also for the first time in history, Brazil will be able to export biotechnology for therapeutic purposes," Pacheco concludes.

Cristalia

Cristalia is a 100% Brazilian Pharmachemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industrial Complex. Setting the standard in innovation and technology, Cristalia has acquired 89 patents in various countries, and it is a pioneer in producing the complete chain of a medication, from conception of the molecule through to the final product.

Focused on research and innovation, Laboratorio Cristalia produces 50% of the ingredients used in its medications. It regularly exports main active ingredients and finished products to more than 30 countries. In anesthesia, it is the market leader in Latin America. For further information, please go to www.cristalia.com.br.

Fabiola Capalbo+55 11 97492 8040

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cristalia-obtains-registration-for-first-biotechnological-pharmaceutical-ingredient-300280459.html

SOURCE Cristalia
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Exosome Diagnostics, Inc., the developer of a revolutionary liquid biopsy platform that enables non-invasive diagnosis of serious diseases, aiming to reduce or eliminate the need for tissue biopsies, today announced two key appointments to its rapidly growing Informatics group. Vasisht Tadigotla has been appointed as Head of Informatics and Robert Kitchen as Senior Scientist, Informatics.

We are very pleased to announce that Vasisht Tadigotla and Robert Kitchen have joined our Informatics team at Exosome Diagnostics, said John Healy, VP of Informatics. As our Informatics group continues to grow, Exosome Diagnostics is building the analytical framework required to enable even deeper insights based on the information-rich, high-dimensional data generated by our novel, non-invasive platform that captures the diverse DNA, RNA and protein markers found in microvesicles. We see this foremost as a communication tool for our companion diagnostic partners, A-to-D collaborators and internal development teams, providing intuitive visualization, rapid feedback and bullet-proof assurance of data quality and best analytical practices. Vasisht and Robert bring the domain expertise and diverse and rare skill sets required to guarantee these capabilities. We are very excited to have them join our team here at Exosome Diagnostics.

Vasisht Tadigotla brings over 10 years of experience in bioinformatics, genomics, research and technology development. Prior to joining Exosome Diagnostics, Vasisht was a Senior Scientist at Courtagen Life Sciences where he developed automated cloud-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) clinical analysis pipelines in a regulated environment. Before that he was a Staff Scientist at Life Technologies, where he played a key role in developing the Ion Torrent and SOLiD sequencing platforms. He earned his PhD in Biophysics from Rutgers University and a Bachelors Degree in Biochemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Robert R. Kitchen is a senior postdoctoral associate in the laboratories of Mark Gerstein (dept. of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry) and Angus Nairn (dept. of Psychiatry) at Yale University. He received his undergraduate degree in astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh in 2007 where he remained to complete an MSc in high-performance distributed computing in 2008 and a PhD in bioinformatics/biostatistics in 2011. His research focus is in the field of computational biology and biostatistics, developing advanced software tools and algorithms for the analysis of high-throughput functional genomic data. He has acquired a wealth of experience and has widely published in a variety of subjects including statistical modeling, data visualization, cellular biology, medical diagnostics, human brain development and heart disease. Robert has been extremely active in the rapidly expanding field of extra-cellular RNA, and the software he created has been adopted as the standard for RNA-seq analysis by the NIH Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium here in the U.S.

The consistently high quality of the data amassed at Exosome Diagnostics over the past several years, across thousands of samples is very convincing, said John Boyce, CEO of Exosome Diagnostics. It is the data we have today, not a vague promise of some future value that is most compelling to our companion diagnostic partners and is currently attracting the top talent in Informatics. It is clear to all this represents the next generation of biomarker discovery and the optimal platform to deliver noninvasive diagnostics.

About Exosome Diagnostics

Exosome Diagnostics is a privately held company focused on developing and commercializing revolutionary biofluid-based diagnostics to deliver personalized precision healthcare that improves lives. The companys novel exosome-based technology platform, ExoLutionTM, can yield comprehensive and dynamic molecular insights to transform how cancer and other serious diseases are detected, diagnosed, treated and monitored. Visit www.exosomedx.com to learn more.

ExoDx is a registered trademark of Exosome Diagnostics, Inc. Exosome Diagnostics and ExoLution are unregistered trademarks of Exosome Diagnostics, Inc.

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Kelly Donoghue, 617-761-6737

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Company:

Exosome Diagnostics

Dan Baughman, 248-613-2247

[email protected]

Source: Exosome Diagnostics, Inc.
FORT WASHINGTON, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program (ORP) has awarded eight grants to investigators to support clinical and pre-clinical studies of mirvetuximab soravtansine (IMGN853) and advance scientific knowledge of its uses in ovarian and other folate receptor alpha (FR)-positive cancers.

"This is another of the exciting research projects targeting unique vulnerabilities of cancer cells identified through molecular characterization of cancers," said Robert C. Young, MD, Interim Vice President, NCCN ORP. "We are grateful to ImmunoGen for their funding of these eight promising studies aimed at targeted therapy in cancers that affect millions of women worldwide."

"We are pleased to provide this funding to NCCN ORP to support preclinical and clinical exploration of our FR-targeted agent mirvetuximab soravtansine," said Anna Berkenblit, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ImmunoGen. "NCCN and its Member Institutions share in our mission to develop innovative therapies that meaningfully improve the lives of patients and this collaboration will help to further advance our understanding of the potential of mirvetuximab soravtansine."

Mirvetuximab soravtansine (IMGN853) is a potential new treatment for cancers that highly express FR, which include most cases of ovarian cancer and certain endometrial, breast, and lung cancers. An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), mirvetuximab soravtansine comprises an ImmunoGen FR-targeting antibody attached to the company's potent tubulin-acting agent, DM4. The antibody serves to target the compound specifically to cancer cells expressing FR, and the DM4 serves to kill these cells.[1]

The following clinical studies were awarded funding:

Kimberly Blackwell, MD, Duke Cancer Institute, "Determining the Clinical Efficacy and Predictive Biomarkers of Mirvetuximab Soravtansine (IMGN853) in Folate Receptor Alpha (FRA) Expressing, Chemotherapy Refractory Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)"

Mihaela Cristea, MD, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, "A Phase I, Dose Escalation Safety and Tolerability Study of Mirvetuximab Soravtansine and Gemcitabine in Patients with FR Positive Recurrent Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal, Fallopian Tube, Endometrial, and Breast Cancer"

Stacey Moulder, MD, MSCI, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, "Women's Triple-Negative First-Line Study: A Phase II Trial of Mirvetuximab Soravtansine in Patients with Localized Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) with Tumors Predicted Insensitive to Standard Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NACT), Including a Lead in Cohort to Establish Activity in Patients with Metastatic TNBC"

The following pre-clinical studies were awarded funding:

The awardees responded to a Request for Proposals issued by the ORP to the NCCN Member Institutions. Submissions were peer reviewed by the NCCN Mirvetuximab Soravtansine Scientific Review Committee. The funded concepts were selected based on several criteria, including scientific merit, existing data, and the types of studies necessary to further evaluate the efficacy of mirvetuximab soravtansine.

The NCCN ORP draws on the expertise of the investigators at the NCCN Member Institutions and their affiliates to facilitate all phases of clinical research. This research is made possible by collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in order to advance therapeutic options for patients with cancer.

For more information about NCCN ORP, visit NCCN.org/ORP.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 of the world's leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news.

[1] Ab, Olga, et al. IMGN853, an anti-Folate Receptor I antibody-maytansinoid conjugate for targeted cancer therapy. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4576. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4576

The following files are available for download:

Source: National Comprehensive Cancer Network
NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Macallan is delighted to present the sixth and final masterpiece from their prestigious The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection in partnership with Lalique. The 'Peerless Spirit' decanter represents the concluding chapter in the story of The Macallan's foundation stones, the elements that define the character of this extraordinary single malt. It also showcases the strength behind the decade long partnership, which has seen The Macallan and Lalique united by an unwavering commitment to craft, mastery and beauty.

The final decanter in this global sell out collection, The Macallan in Lalique 'Peerless Spirit', features a 65 years old whisky, one of the oldest and rarest ever released by the distillery. The whisky is not only a true testament to the skill of each and every one of our craftsmen but it also pays homage to The Macallan's commitment to creating beautiful whiskies through the tireless and obsessive sourcing, nurturing and maturing of our supreme spirit in exceptional oak casks.

Designed and created by the legendary French crystal house Lalique, the 'Peerless Spirit' release will be limited to only 450 individually numbered decanters. It celebrates the wonderfully rich, viscous and aromatic spirit that lies at the very heart of The Macallan. The exceptional sherry seasoned oak casks, rich flavor and beautiful natural color all come together to deliver the distinctive character and quality that and has helped make The Macallan one of the most precious single malt whiskies in the world.

Raul Gonzalez, Brand Director for The Macallan, commented: "This stunning collection of decanters is the result of two kindred spirits, rooted in a shared passion for craftsmanship, detail and mastery. This sixth and final release continues to showcase the unwavering commitment of both the masters of Lalique and The Macallan to create beautiful and desirable objets d'art.

"With the Six Pillars collection now complete, it is time to reflect not only on the exquisite whiskies that have been brought to the fore by The Macallan's Master Whisky Maker but also on the extraordinary skills of the Lalique craftsmen carrying on the legacy of Rene Lalique, the man whose talent continues to inspire and influence. It is the heritage, customs and traditions of both The Macallan and Lalique that have united to create these ultimate collectable whiskies."

Marc Larminaux, Creative Director for Lalique, based the design around a single peerless drop of The Macallan, symbolizing the most precious spirit in the world. The Peerless Spirit has been captured falling from the iconic Macallan inverted triangle, which can be found on every present day bottle of The Macallan. The first use of the triangle can be traced back to Macallan bottling's from the 19th century.

Silvio Denz, Chairman and CEO of Lalique, said: "We are proud to have been part of this stirring journey celebrating the Six Pillars of The Macallan. The marriage of the finest and rarest Macallan single malt whiskies with our beautiful bespoke hand crafted decanters has been a wonder to behold. The countless hours of painstaking work by both partners has been encapsulated by this stand out collection of decanters that will be much admired by collectors around the world."

The overall design of this decanter was heavily influenced by the blown and pinched technique as used by Rene Lalique for many of his famed Lalique perfume bottles. This final decanter and the other five from this remarkable series have all taken their inspiration from a design or a specific technique taken from Rene Lalique's heritage.

Since its inception in 2005, The Six Pillars Collection has proved extremely popular with collectors across the world. In 2014, according to a report in Whisky Magazine, The Macallan accounted for the top ten priced bottles sold at auction; eight out of ten of these sales were decanters from The Six Pillars Collection. In 2015, The Macallan was the No.1 most valuable whisky brand at auction, accounting for over 25% of the total value traded at auction (Rare Whisky 101). This is testament to the fact that collectors trust, respect and value The Macallan.

The Macallan 65 Years Old 'Peerless Spirit' decanter will retail at approximately $35,000 USD. For purchasing inquiries, please email; [email protected].

Tasting Notes: Dark Walnut color. Supremely balanced with comforting notes of honey-dipped Madagascan vanilla pods, cinnamon and Moroccan dates. Medium body with hints of cracked black pepper, cloves and delicately toasted cocoa beans. The finish is very long and deeply satisfying with a rich flavor of honey and dark chocolate. Bottled at 46.3% ABV.

About The MacallanFounded in 1824 in the heart of Speyside, The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed. Since then it has built a reputation as one of the world's finest single malt whiskies. The story of The Macallan is built on the Six Pillars, each influencing the whisky in its own distinct way. Spiritual Home, Curiously Small Stills, Finest Cut, Exceptional Oak Casks, Natural Color and the Peerless Spirit of The Macallan itself combined with its long experience of distilling and maturing a single malt whisky result in a reputation for product excellence and distinctive character. The vital contributing influences of Spain, North America and Scotland, together with true mastery, set it apart from the rest. For more information, visit www.themacallan.com. The Macallan can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About LaliqueFounded in 1888, Lalique is one of the crown jewels of France's crystal industry. Rene Lalique, renowned as the inventor of modern jewellery, then became Master in the art of glassmaking. Over time, his name has become the powerful symbol of a unique expertise, a synonym for luxury, excellence, creativity and an immediately recognizable style. Today, Lalique has reinvented the creative, eclectic world of its founder with its contemporary work in five areas: decorative items, interior design, jewellery, perfumes, and art. The crystal pieces are produced in Alsace France at the unique Lalique factory, opened in 1921. Lalique continues to thrive as a truly timeless lifestyle brand.

www.lalique.com

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151013/276594LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peerless-spirit--the-macallan-65-years-old-300280001.html

SOURCE The Macallan
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh slapped a ban on more than one person riding pillion on a motorcycle on Monday, a day after the wife of a prominent security official was shot dead by three suspected Islamist militants riding a motorbike.

Mahmuda Aktar, the wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Aktar who is known for his security campaigns against militants, was stabbed and shot dead by the three in the southeastern port city of Chittagong on Sunday.

Four people have been picked up for questioning and the motorbike used in the killing has been recovered, Chittagong city Police Commissioner Iqbal Bahar told reporters.

"Only two people are (now) allowed to ride a motorcycle, not three," Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters, adding motorcyclists will not even be allowed to carry a spouse and child, a common practice across South Asia.

Khan said the killing was meant to demoralize police officers and the government would look into the matter of security for their families. Also on Sunday, machete-wielding assailants killed a Christian grocer in a separate incident.

Both attacks appeared to be the work of Islamist militants who have killed at least 30 people, including religious minorities, liberal bloggers and academics, since February last year, police said.

Bangladesh imposed a similar ban on three riding a motorcycle - but later relaxed it - after two foreigners were shot dead a few days apart by masked men riding on motorcycles late last year.

Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the 30 killings but the government denies that either group has a presence in Bangladesh and says home-grown radicals are responsible.

Analysts say a climate of intolerance in Bangladeshi politics has both motivated and provided cover for perpetrators of crimes of religious hatred.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
A pump jack operates at a well site leased by Devon Energy Production Company near Guthrie, Oklahoma September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

By Amrutha Gayathri

(Reuters) - U.S. oil and natural gas producer Devon Energy Corp said it would sell assets in Texas for nearly $1 billion and that it was making progress on the sale of other assets as part of its plan to improve its finances through divestitures.

Devon said on Monday it would sell producing assets in east Texas for $525 million and in Anadarko Basin's Granite Wash area for $310 million.

The company will also sell its royalty interests in the northern Midland Basin in the Texas region for $139 million.

With these sales, Devon's proceeds from divestitures of natural gas-focused assets would total $1.3 billion, Chief Executive Dave Hager said.

"Proceeds for the entire divestiture program are well on their way to achieving our previously announced range of $2 billion to $3 billion in 2016," Hager said.

The company said it expected to make an announcement within the next several weeks on the sale of its 50 percent interest in Canada's Access Pipeline, which carries heavy oil across northeastern Alberta.

Devon also said it was making progress toward selling more Midland basin assets that produced an average of 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the first quarter.

Jefferies LLC was Devon's lead financial adviser. RBC Richardson Barr also gave Devon financial advice, while Vinson & Elkins LLP provided legal counsel.
An Iranian military fighter plane flies past an oil tanker during naval manoeuvres in the Gulf and Sea of Oman April 5, 2006. REUTERS/Fars News/File Photo

By Keith Wallis and Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - More than 25 European and Asian-owned supertankers are shipping Iranian oil, data seen by Reuters shows, allowing Tehran to ramp up exports much faster than analysts had expected following the lifting of sanctions in January.

Iran was struggling as recently as April to find partners to ship its oil, but after an agreement on a temporary insurance fix more than a third of Iran's crude shipments are now being handled by foreign vessels.

"Charterers are buying cargo from Iran and the rest of the world is OK with that," said Odysseus Valatsas, chartering manager at Dynacom Tankers Management. Greek owner Dynacom has fixed three of its supertankers to carry Iranian crude.

Some international shipowners remain reluctant to handle Iranian oil, however, due mainly to some U.S. restrictions on Tehran that remain and prohibit any trade in dollars or the involvement of U.S. firms, including banks and reinsurers.

Iran is seeking to make up for lost trade following the lifting of sanctions imposed in 2011 and 2012 over its nuclear programme.

Port loading data seen by Reuters, as well as live shipping data, shows at least 26 foreign tankers with capacity to carry more than 25 million barrels of light and heavy crude oil, as well as fuel oil, have either loaded crude or fuel oil in the last two weeks or are about load at Iran's Kharg Island and Bandar Mahshahr terminals.

The resumption of international shipping of Iranian oil has been made possible by an increase in interim, limited, insurance cover by "P&I clubs" - maritime mutual associations that provide "protection and indemnity" insurance to shippers.

The International Group of P&I Clubs, which represents the world's top 13 ship insurers, increased the amount covered by so-called "fall-back" shipping insurance from 70 million to 100 million euros ($113.36 million) in April.

"In the first days after lifting sanctions only Iranian ships were loaded in the country, mainly due to several problems in finding insurance/reinsurance," said Luigi Bruzzone of ship broker Banchero Costa.

"The strong interest of the market in these trades pushed all the stakeholders to solve all the problems ... and almost all P&I Clubs have granted their insurance."

INSURANCE RISK?

The "fall-back" cover is designed to offset any shortfall in payments from U.S. reinsurers, who are still not allowed to deal with Iran.

"We are not surprised to see the increase in Iranian cargoes given the progress made by the P&I clubs and obviously the increase in Iranian production," said Brian Gallagher, head of investor relations at leading Belgian tanker owner Euronav, which itself is not involved in Iran yet.

"We're interested in such trade ... (but) it will still take time for Iran to be fully integrated as there remain restrictions around dollar denominated transactions."

Indeed, while the partial lifting of sanctions means foreign tankers can now transport Iranian oil, risks remain because large accidents might not be fully covered.

As a result, insurers say many first-tier oil shippers, many of them publicly listed such as Euronav, Teekay Group or Frontline, still shy away from carrying Iranian oil.

If the fall-back cover is exhausted in an incident, Andrew Bardot, executive officer at the International Group of P&I Clubs, said that costs like "collision and cargo liabilities, will not be covered, and will remain with the shipowner".

A single Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) supertanker costs around $90 million, and the costs of a large oil spill can reach into the billions of dollars.

"The limitations of the 'fall-back' cover - together with other continuing restrictions, for example those relating to the U.S. dollar and use of the U.S. financial system - however have discouraged a number of shipowners, and in particular the large shipping groups, from resuming trade with Iran in which they were previously engaged," said Bardot.

NEAR PRE-SANCTIONS LEVELS

With international vessels supporting Iran's own tanker fleet, traders said that its oil exports was now close to pre-sanction levels of around 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd).

"Iran has ramped up harder and faster than expected," Citi analysts said.

Traders said that if Iran was close to capacity, it might not be able to offset supply disruptions that have occurred in other regions recently - including Nigeria or Libya - and which have already helped tighten the market and pushed oil prices to around $50 per barrel. [O/R]

Iran's oil exports were between 2.1 and 2.3 million bpd in April and May, up from 1.3 million bpd a year ago, when Iran was shut out of the European market and dependent on limited shipments to Asian buyers.

Asia is the main destination for crude shipped by foreign vessels, with India, China and Japan the biggest takers, but at least four international tankers are also heading for Europe.

India, in particular, is taking a lead role as its demand soars and refiners such as Essar Oil, Reliance Energy, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, and Bharat Petroleum Corp enjoy good ties with Iran.

The non-Iranian companies currently chartered to carry its oil include Chinese state controlled shipper China Shipping Development, PetroVietnam and Japan's Idemitsu Kosan.

Greek, Turkish and Seychelles-owned tankers are also shipping Iranian crude.

($1 = 0.8821 euros)

(Additional reporting by Osamu Tsukimori in TOKYO, Nidhi Verma in NEW DELHI, and Jonathan Saul in LONDON)
Kenyan opposition leader of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), Raila Odinga (C) leads his supporters during a protest near the premises hosting the headquarters of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to demand the disbandme

By Duncan Miriri and Edmund Blair

NAIROBI (Reuters) - At least one person was shot dead at a protest against Kenya's election body in the western city of Kisumu on Monday and others wounded, hospital officials said, as demonstrators also gathered in the capital.

Police fired into the air to break up a crowd trying to march on the Kisumu office of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), one witness told Reuters.

Protesters, accusing the commission of pro-government bias and demanding its members resign before elections in August next year, blocked roads with burning tires in Kisumu and in Nairobi's Kibera slum. Demonstrators also marched in the center of the capital, blocking traffic. "IEBC must go," they shouted.

Dennis Onyango, spokesman for opposition leader Raila Odinga who led Monday's rally in Nairobi, said two people were killed in Kisumu. But hospital officials said they only knew of one.

Juliana Otieno, superintendent at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, said 12 casualties with bullet wounds had been admitted to her hospital, while she said Kisumu County hospital reported one dead and others with bullet wounds. A nurse at Kisumu hospital also confirmed one dead there.

There was no immediate police comment on Monday's reported deaths. Kenyan television reported at least one person killed.

Western Kenya, traditionally an opposition stronghold, has seen some of the worst violence in the almost weekly protests. Three people were killed in clashes in the region on May 23.

Western ambassadors have accused the police of using excessive force and called for dialogue in a nation prone to political strife. The 2007 election triggered weeks of ethnic bloodshed and the 2013 result was disputed.

DIALOGUE DEMANDED

A meeting last week between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga failed to defuse tensions.

Odinga told demonstrators that more protests would follow if there was no dialogue on reforming the IEBC. "We respect the government but they must also respect us," he said. "If there is no dialogue next week, we will protest twice."

Police said on Friday that any march by protesters would contravene a court order and demonstrators could face arrest. Despite the warning, the protest in Nairobi proceeded calmly without clashes with police that were seen previously.

Businesses have called for a swift resolution of the row, saying it was taking a toll on an economy which was hit hard by the post-2007 election violence amid the tensions in the build up to the 2013 vote.

"We must find solutions and the solution must be based on the rule of law. It calls for a lot of mediation," Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chairman Dennis Awori told Reuters, urging churches, politicians and others to help bring calm.

IEBC commissioners deny any bias and say they will stay on, while the government has said any reform needs to follow constitutional channels, which could involve a petition to parliament where Kenyatta's Jubilee coalition has a majority.

(Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
A nun prays in front of a painting depicting Pope John Paul II inside St. Sprit in Sassia church in Rome, April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

BERLIN (Reuters) - A cloth with a drop of blood from former Pope John Paul II has been stolen from Cologne Cathedral, German police said on Sunday.

Police said a visitor had noticed that the relic was missing on Sunday morning and had alerted a church official.

The relic was contained in a glass container at the base of a statue of Pope John Paul II, who was leader of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005.

Police said the container had been priced from the sculpture's base in the night from Saturday until Sunday morning.

"Although the material value is low, the spiritual value is a lot bigger," the cathedral's provost Gerd Bachner said in the police statement and urged the thief to return the relic.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Stephen Powell)
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated March 1, 2016)

Up to 600,000 Shares

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund

Common Shares

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund commenced operations in September 2007 following an initial public offering.

Investment Objective. The Funds investment objective is to provide total return consisting of a high level of current income and gains and long term capital appreciation. In pursuing its investment objective of total return, the Fund will seek to emphasize high current income. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund seeks to achieve favorable after-tax returns for its shareholders by seeking to minimize the U.S. federal income tax consequences on income and gains generated by the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

The Offering. John Hancock Funds, LLC (the Distributor) has entered into a distribution agreement with the Fund, dated June 6, 2016, authorizing it to act as distributor for the common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share (Common Shares), offered by this prospectus supplement (Prospectus Supplement) and the accompanying prospectus dated March 1, 2016 (the Prospectus). The Distributor also has entered into a dealer agreement, dated June 6, 2016, (the Dealer Agreement) with UBS Securities LLC (the Dealer) with respect to the Fund relating to the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the Dealer Agreement, the Fund may offer and sell its Common Shares, par value $0.01 per Common Share, from time to time through the Dealer as sub-placement agent for the offer and sale of the Common Shares. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), the Fund may not sell any Common Shares at a price below the current net asset value (NAV) of such Common Shares, exclusive of any distributing commission or discount.

Sales of Common Shares, if any, under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be at the market as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), including sales made directly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange.

The Fund will compensate the Distributor with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of 1% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The Distributor will compensate the Dealer out of this commission at a certain percentage rate of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold under the Dealer Agreement, with the exact amount of such compensation to be mutually agreed upon by the Distributor and the Dealer from time to time. In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on the Funds behalf, the Distributor may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act and the compensation of the Distributor may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts.

Investment Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of dividend-paying securities of issuers located throughout the world. The Fund seeks to produce superior, risk-adjusted returns by using a disciplined, proprietary investment approach that is focused on identifying companies with strong free cash flow and that use their free cash flow to seek to maximize shareholder yield through dividend payments, stock repurchases and debt reduction. By assembling a diversified portfolio of securities which, in the aggregate, possess positive growth of free cash flow, high cash dividend yields, share buyback programs and net debt reductions, the Fund seeks to provide shareholders an attractive total return with less volatility than the global equity market as a whole. Free cash flow is the cash available for distribution to investors after all planned capital investment and taxes. The Advisor (as defined below) believes that free cash flow is important because it allows a company to pursue opportunities that enhance shareholder value.

Investment Advisor and Subadvisors. The Funds investment advisor is John Hancock Advisers, LLC (the Advisor or JHA) and its subadvisors are Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. (Epoch) and Analytic Investors, LLC (Analytic and, together with Epoch, the Subadvisors).

Exchange listing. The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol HTY. Any new Common Shares offered and sold hereby will be listed on the NYSE and trade under this symbol. The net asset value of the Common Shares on May 19, 2016, was $9.35 per share. As of May 19, 2016, the last reported sale price per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE was $10.30.

The Common Shares have traded both at a premium and a discount to NAV. The Fund cannot predict whether Common Shares will trade in the future at a premium or discount to NAV. The provisions of the 1940 Act generally require that the public offering price of common shares (less any underwriting commissions and discounts) must equal or exceed the NAV per share of a companys common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing). The Funds issuance of Common Shares may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for the Common Shares by increasing the number of Common Shares available, which may put downward pressure on the market price for the Common Shares. Shares of common stock of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from NAV, which may increase investors risk of loss.

Investing in the Common Shares involves certain risks. You could lose all or some of your investment. You should consider carefully these risks together with all of the other information contained in this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus before making a decision to purchase the Funds securities. See Risk Factors beginning on page 33 of the accompanying Prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined whether this Prospectus Supplement or the accompanying Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

You should read this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, which contain important information, before deciding whether to invest in the Common Shares. You should retain this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, as may be supplemented from time to time, for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information (SAI), dated March 1, 2016, as may be supplemented from time to time, containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. This Prospectus Supplement, together with the accompanying Prospectus and SAI, set forth concisely the information about the Fund that you should know before investing. The Table of Contents for the SAI is on page 58 of the accompanying Prospectus. A copy of the SAI may be obtained without charge by visiting the Funds website (jhinvestments.com) or by calling 800-225-6020 (toll-free) or from the SECs website at sec.gov. Copies of the Funds annual report and semi-annual report and other information about the Fund may be obtained upon request by writing to the Fund, by calling 800-225-6020, or by visiting the Funds website at jhinvestments.com. You also may obtain a copy of any information regarding the Fund filed with the SEC from the SECs website ( sec.gov ). You may also e-mail requests for these documents to [email protected] or make a request in writing to the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

The Common Shares do not represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.

Prospectus Supplement dated June 6, 2016

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI in making your investment decisions. The Fund has not authorized any person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This Prospectus Supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering including the method of distribution, also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying Prospectus, the SAI and the documents incorporated by reference into the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI. If the description of this offering varies between this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus or the SAI, you should rely on the information contained in this Prospectus Supplement. The Fund is not making an offer to sell the Common Shares in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI is accurate only as of the dates on their covers. The Funds business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since the date of its description in this Prospectus Supplement or the date of its description in the accompanying Prospectus and SAI.

ii

Until July 1, 2016, all dealers that buy, sell or trade the Common Shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver the Prospectus and this Prospectus Supplement. This requirement is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver the Prospectus and this Prospectus Supplement when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

iii

CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words may, will, intend, expect, estimate, continue, plan, anticipate, and similar terms and the negative of such terms. Such forward-looking statements may be contained in this Prospectus Supplement as well as in the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Several factors that could materially affect the Funds actual results are the performance of the portfolio of securities the Fund holds, the price at which the Common Shares will trade in the public markets and other factors discussed in the Funds periodic filings with the SEC. Currently known risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Funds expectations include, but are not limited to, the factors described in the Risk Factors section of the accompanying Prospectus. You are urged to review carefully those sections for a more detailed discussion of the risks of an investment in the Funds securities.

Although the Fund believes that the expectations expressed in the Funds forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the Funds forward-looking statements. The Funds future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward- looking statements, are subject to change and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, such as those disclosed in the Risks  section of the accompanying Prospectus. All forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus or the SAI are made as of the date of this Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus or the SAI, as the case may be. Except for the Funds ongoing obligations under the federal securities laws, the Fund does not intend, and the Fund undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus and the SAI are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by section 27A of the 1933 Act.

iv

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This is only a summary. You should review the more detailed information elsewhere in this prospectus supplement (Prospectus Supplement), the accompanying prospectus (the Prospectus), and in the Statement of Additional Information (the SAI) prior to making an investment in the Fund. See Risk Factors in the accompanying Prospectus.

The Fund John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund commenced operations in September 2007 following an initial public offering. Investment Objective The Funds investment objective is to provide total return consisting of a high level of current income and gains and long term capital appreciation. In pursuing its investment objective of total return, the Fund will seek to emphasize high current income. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund seeks to achieve favorable after- tax returns for its shareholders by seeking to minimize the U.S. federal income tax consequences on income and gains generated by the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Funds investment objective is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. The Offering John Hancock Funds, LLC (the Distributor) has entered into a distribution agreement with the Fund, dated June 6, 2016, authorizing it to act as distributor for the common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share (Common Shares), offered by this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus dated March 1, 2016. The Distributor also has entered into a dealer agreement, dated June 6, 2016, (the Dealer Agreement) with UBS Securities LLC (the Dealer) with respect to the Fund relating to the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the Dealer Agreement, the Fund may offer and sell its Common Shares, par value $0.01 per Common Share, from time to time through the Dealer as sub-placement agent for the offer and sale of the Common Shares. Offerings of the Common Shares will be subject to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), which generally require that the public offering price of common shares of a closed- end investment company (exclusive of distribution commissions and discounts) must equal or exceed the net asset value (NAV) per share of the companys common shares (calculated within 48 hours of pricing), absent shareholder approval or under certain other circumstances. Sales of the Common Shares, if any, under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be at the market as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), including sales made directly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. The Common Shares may not be sold through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery or deemed delivery of a Prospectus and an accompanying Prospectus Supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of Common Shares. Listing and Symbol The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol HTY. Any new Common Shares offered and sold hereby will be listed on the NYSE and trade under this symbol. The NAV of the Common Shares on May 19, 2016, was $9.35 per share. As of May 19, 2016, the last reported sale price per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE was $10.30.

S-1

Use of Proceeds The Fund currently intends to invest substantially all of the net proceeds of any sales of Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus in accordance with its investment objective and policies as described in the accompanying Prospectus under Investment Objective and Investment Strategies within three months of receipt of such proceeds. Such investments may be delayed up to three months if suitable investments are unavailable at the time or for other reasons, such as market volatility and lack of liquidity in the markets of suitable investments. Pending such investment, the Fund anticipates that it will invest the proceeds in high-quality, short-term debt securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Funds distribution to the holders of Common Shares (Common Shareholders) or result in a distribution consisting principally of a return of capital. Investment Advisor and Subadvisors The Funds investment advisor is John Hancock Advisers, LLC (the Advisor or JHA) and its subadvisors are Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. (Epoch) and Analytic Investors, LLC (Analytic and, together with Epoch, the Subadvisors). The Advisor is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation. The Advisor is responsible for overseeing the management of the Fund, including its day-to-day business operations and monitoring Epoch and Analytic. As of March 31, 2016, the Advisor had total assets under management of approximately $131.6 billion. Epoch, a subadvisor to the Fund, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds portfolio investments. Epoch, founded in 2004, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. As of March 31, 2016, Epoch managed on a worldwide basis approximately $42.5 billion. Analytic, a subadvisor to the Fund, is responsible for formulating and implementing the Funds Options Strategy. Analytic was founded in 1970. As of March 31, 2016, Analytic had total assets under management of approximately $15.6 billion. See Management of the FundThe Advisor and The Subadvisors in the accompanying Prospectus. Risk Factors See Risk Factors beginning on page 33 of the accompanying Prospectus for a discussion of factors you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in the Common Shares.

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SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES

The purpose of the table below is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. In accordance with SEC requirements, the table below shows the Funds expenses as a percentage of its average net assets as of October 31, 2015, and not as a percentage of total assets. By showing expenses as a percentage of average net assets, expenses are not expressed as a percentage of all of the assets in which the Fund invests. The offering costs to be paid or reimbursed by the Fund are not included in the Annual Expenses table below. However, these expenses will be borne by Common Shareholders and may result in a reduction in the NAV of the Common Shares. See Management of the Fund and Dividend Reinvestment Plan in the accompanying Prospectus. The table and example are based on the Funds capital structure as of October 31, 2015.

Shareholder Transaction Expenses

Sales load (as a percentage of offering price) (1) 1.00 % Offering expenses borne by the Fund (as a percentage of offering price) (2) 0.41 % Dividend Reinvestment Plan fees (3) None

Annual Expenses (Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares)

Management fees (4) 1.00 % Other expenses (5) 0.27 % Total Annual Expenses 1.27 %

(1) Represents the estimated commission with respect to the Common Shares being sold in this offering. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of the Funds Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. Actual sales of the Funds Common Shares under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, if any, may be less than as set forth under Capitalization below. In addition, the price per share of any such sale may be greater or less than the price set forth under Capitalization below, depending on market price of the Funds Common Shares at the time of any such sale.

(2) Offering costs charged upon sale of the shares, based on the last reported sale price on May 19, 2016.

(3) Participants in the Funds dividend reinvestment plan do not pay brokerage charges with respect to Common Shares issued directly by the Fund. However, whenever Common Shares are purchased or sold on the NYSE or otherwise on the open market, each participant will pay a pro rata portion of brokerage trading fees, currently $0.05 per share purchased or sold. Brokerage trading fees will be deducted from amounts to be invested. Shareholders participating in the Plan may buy additional Common Shares of the Fund through the Plan at any time and will be charged a $5 transaction fee plus $0.05 per share brokerage trading fee for each order. See Distribution Policy and Dividend Reinvestment Plan in the accompanying Prospectus.

(4) See Management of the FundThe Advisor in the accompanying Prospectus.

(5) Other expenses have been estimated for the current fiscal year.

EXAMPLE

The following example illustrates the expenses that Common Shareholders would pay on a $1,000 investment in Common Shares, assuming (i) total annual expenses of 1.27% of net assets attributable to Common Shares in years 1 through 10; (ii) a sales load of 1.00%; (iii) offering expenses of 0.41% (iv) a 5% annual return; and (v) all distributions are reinvested at NAV:

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Total Expenses $ 27 $ 54 $ 83 $ 165

The above table and example and the assumption in the example of a 5% annual return are required by regulations of the SEC that are applicable to all investment companies; the assumed 5% annual return is not a prediction of, and does not represent, the projected or actual performance of the Common Shares. For more complete descriptions of certain of the Funds costs and expenses, see Management of the Fund in the accompanying Prospectus. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at NAV, participants in the Funds dividend reinvestment plan may receive Common Shares purchased or issued at a price or value different from NAV. See Distribution Policy and Dividend Reinvestment Plan in the accompanying prospectus.

The example should not be considered a representation of past or future expenses, and the Funds actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. Moreover, the Funds actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example.

S-3

CAPITALIZATION

The Fund may offer and sell up to 600,000 Common Shares from time to time through the Dealer as sub-placement agent under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of the Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. The table below assumes that the Fund will sell 600,000 Common Shares at a price of $10.30 per share (the last reported sale price per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on May 19, 2016.) Actual sales, if any, of the Common Shares under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be greater or less than $10.30 per share, depending on the market price of the Common Shares at the time of any such sale. To the extent that the market price per share of the Common Shares on any given day is less than the net asset value per share on such day, the Fund will instruct the Dealer not to make any sales on such day.

The following table sets forth the Funds capitalization:

 on a historical basis as of October 31, 2015 (audited);

 on an actual basis as of May 19, 2016, to reflect the sale and reinvestment of Common Shares from November 1, 2015, through May 19, 2016, and the application of the net proceeds from such sale of Common Shares; and

 on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect the assumed sale of 600,000 Common Shares at $10.30 per share (the last reported sale price per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on May 19, 2016), in an offering under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, after deducting the assumed commission of $61,800 (representing an estimated commission to the Distributor of 1.00% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares, of which a certain percentage will be paid to the Dealer in connection with sales of Common Shares effected in this offering) and the offering expenses of $25,320 related to the issuance of shares.

As of

October 31, 2015

(audited) As of

May 19, 2016

(unaudited) Pro Forma

(unaudited) Actual Actual As Adjusted Net assets $ 106,265,525 $ 99,964,156 $ 106,056,901 Common Shares of beneficial interest outstanding  unlimited number of shares authorized with $0.01 par value 10,553,471 10,689,537 11,289,537 Paid-in capital $ 139,975,305 $ 141,374,501 $ 147,467,246 Undistributed (distributions in excess of) net investment income - ($2,963,777 ) ($2,963,777 ) Accumulated net realized loss on investments, written options and foreign currency transactions ($30,607,419 ) ($37,793,498 ) ($37,793,498 ) Net unrealized depreciation on investments, written options and translation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies ($3,102,361 ) ($653,070 ) ($653,070 ) Net Assets $ 106,265,525 $ 99,964,156 $ 106,056,901 Net asset value per share $ 10.07 $ 9.35 $ 9.39

S-4

MARKET AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION

The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol HTY and commenced trading on the NYSE on September 26, 2007.

The Common Shares have traded both at a premium and a discount to their net asset value (NAV). The Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade in the future at a premium or discount to NAV. The provisions of the 1940 Act generally require that the public offering price of common shares (less any underwriting commissions and discounts) must equal or exceed the NAV per share of a companys common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing). The Funds issuance of Common Shares may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for Common Shares by increasing the number of Common Shares available, which may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. Shares of common stock of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from NAV. See Risk FactorsGeneral RisksMarket Discount Risk on page 35 of the accompanying Prospectus.

The following table sets forth for each of the periods indicated the high and low closing market prices for Common Shares on the NYSE, and the corresponding NAV per share and the premium or discount to NAV per share at which the Common Shares were trading as of such date. NAV is determined once daily as of the close of regular trading of the NYSE (typically 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time). See Determination of Net Asset Value on Page 45 of the accompanying Prospectus for information as to the determination of the Funds NAV.

Market Price NAV per Share on

Date of Market Price

High and Low Premium/(Discount) on

Date of Market Price

High and Low Fiscal Quarter Ended High Low High Low High Low January 31, 2014 $ 12.96 $ 11.63 $ 12.24 $ 11.69 5.88 % (0.51 )% April 30, 2014 $ 13.21 $ 12.55 $ 12.59 $ 12.19 4.93 % 2.95 % July 31, 2014 $ 13.89 $ 12.51 $ 12.64 $ 12.20 9.89 % 2.54 % October 31, 2014 $ 12.65 $ 11.65 $ 12.03 $ 11.03 5.15 % 5.62 % January 31, 2015 $ 12.89 $ 10.77 $ 11.51 $ 10.75 11.99 % 0.19 % April 30, 2015 $ 12.85 $ 11.34 $ 11.34 $ 10.61 13.32 % 11.22 % July 31, 2015 $ 12.07 $ 9.41 $ 10.94 $ 10.22 10.33 % (7.93 )% October 31, 2015 $ 9.85 $ 9.05 $ 10.49 $ 9.66 (6.10 )% (6.31 )% January 31, 2016 $ 10.63 $ 9.04 $ 9.83 $ 8.89 8.14 % 1.69 % April 30, 2016 $ 11.27 $ 10.06 $ 9.57 $ 9.19 17.76 % 9.47 %

The last reported sale price, NAV per share and percentage premium to NAV per share of the Common Shares as of May 19, 2016, were $10.30, $9.35 and 10.16%, respectively. As of May 19, 2016, the Fund had 10,689,537 Common Shares outstanding and net assets of the Fund were $99,964,156.

The following provides information about the Funds outstanding securities as of October 31, 2015.

Title of Class Amount

Authorized Amount Held by

the Fund or for

its Account Amount

Outstanding Common Shares unlimited 0 10,553,471

S-5

THE FUND

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund was organized on April 23, 2007 as a Massachusetts business trust pursuant to an Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the Declaration of Trust). The Fund commenced operations in September 2007 following an initial public offering. On September 25, 2007, the Fund issued an aggregate of 8,750,000 Common Shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share, pursuant to the initial public offering thereof. On November 14, 2007, the Fund issued an additional 600,000 Common Shares in connection with the exercise by the initial underwriters of an over-allotment option. In addition, the Fund has issued 1,142,763 Common Shares pursuant to the Funds equity shelf- offering program during the period from November 1, 2012 to May 19, 2016. The Funds principal office is located at 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 and its phone number is 800-225-6020.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Sales of the Common Shares, if any, under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be at the market as defined in Rule 415 under the 1933 Act, including sales made directly on the NYSE or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of the Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. Actual sales, if any, of the Common Shares under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be less than as set forth in this paragraph. In addition, the price per share of any such sale may be greater or less than the price set forth in this paragraph, depending on the market price of the Common Shares at the time of any such sale. As a result, the actual net proceeds the Fund receives may be more or less than the amount of net proceeds estimated in this Prospectus Supplement. Assuming the sale of all of the Common Shares offered under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, at the last reported sale price of $10.30 per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on May 19, 2016, the Fund estimates that the net proceeds of this offering will be approximately $6,092,745 after deducting the estimated sales load and the estimated offering expenses payable by the Fund.

Subject to the remainder of this section, the Fund currently intends to invest substantially all of the net proceeds of any sales of Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus in accordance with its investment objective and policies as described in the accompanying Prospectus under Investment Objective and Investment Strategies within three months of receipt of such proceeds. Such investments may be delayed up to three months if suitable investments are unavailable at the time or for other reasons, such as market volatility and lack of liquidity in the markets of suitable investments. Pending such investment, the Fund anticipates that it will invest the proceeds in high-quality, short-term debt securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Funds distribution to Common Shareholders or result in a distribution consisting principally of a return of capital.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Under the Dealer Agreement between the Distributor and the Dealer, upon written instructions from the Distributor, the Dealer will use its reasonable best efforts, to sell, as sub-placement agent, the Common Shares under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Dealer Agreement. The Dealers solicitation will continue until the Distributor instructs the Dealer to suspend the solicitations and offers. The Distributor will instruct the Dealer as to the amount of Common Shares to be sold by the Dealer. The Distributor may instruct the Dealer not to sell Common Shares if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by the Distributor in any instruction. To the extent that the market price per share of the Common Shares on any given day is less than the NAV per share on such day, the Distributor will instruct the Dealer not to make any sales on such day. The Distributor or the Dealer may suspend the offering of Common Shares upon proper notice and subject to other conditions.

The Dealer will provide written confirmation to the Distributor following the close of trading on the day on which Common Shares are sold under the Dealer Agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on the preceding day, the net proceeds to the Fund and the compensation payable by the Distributor to the Dealer in connection with the sales.

The Fund will compensate the Distributor with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of 1.00% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The Distributor will compensate the Dealer for its services in acting as sub-placement agent in the sale of Common Shares out of this commission at a certain percentage rate of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold under the Dealer Agreement, with the exact amount of such compensation to be mutually agreed upon by the Distributor and the

S-6

Dealer from time to time. There is no guarantee that there will be any sales of the Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. Actual sales, if any, of the Common Shares under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus may be greater or less than the price set forth in this paragraph, depending on the market price of Common Shares at the time of any such sale. Assuming 600,000 Common Shares offered hereby are sold at a market price of $10.30 per share (the last reported sale price per share of Common Shares in the market as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on May 19, 2016), the Fund estimates that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation payable to the Distributor and the Dealer, would be approximately $25,320.

Settlement for sales of Common Shares will occur on the third trading day following the date on which such sales are made, in return for payment of the net proceeds to the Fund. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The Distributor has agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to the Dealer against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the 1933 Act. The Dealer Agreement will remain in full force and effect unless terminated by either party upon 30 days written notice to the other party.

The principal business address of the Dealer is 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus, and the SAI do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement that the Fund has filed with the SEC (file No. 333-201040). The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC at sec.gov. See the cover page of the accompanying Prospectus for information about how to obtain a paper copy of the Registration Statement or SAI without charge.

S-7

Up to 600,000 Shares

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund

Common Shares

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

June 6, 2016

Until July 1, 2016, all dealers that buy, sell or trade the Common Shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. This delivery requirement is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Form 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Report on Form 6-K for June 6, 2016 Commission File Number 1-31615 Sasol Limited 1 Sturdee Avenue Rosebank 2196 South Africa (Name and address of registrant's principal executive office) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F. Form 20-F __X__ Form 40-F _____ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ____ Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders. Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ____ Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant's "home country"), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant's securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant's security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes _____ No __X__ If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-_______________. Enclosures: Preliminary findings of the Lake Charles Chemicals Project review Sasol Limited (Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa) (Registration number 1979/003231/06) Sasol Ordinary Share codes: JSE: SOL NYSE: SSL Sasol Ordinary ISIN codes: ZAE000006896 US8038663006 Sasol BEE Ordinary Share code: JSE: SOLBE1 Sasol BEE Ordinary ISIN code: ZAE000151817 ("Sasol" or "the Company") Preliminary findings of the Lake Charles Chemicals Project review In March 2016, Sasol announced that it would be undertaking a detailed review of the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP), after deciding to pace the execution of the project to support the Company's low oil price Response Plan. At that time, there were early indications that the overall end-of-job cost was under pressure, and since the project engineering was at an advanced stage, sufficient information was available to proceed with a detailed project review. The LCCP consists of a world-scale 1,5 million ton per year ethane cracker, and six downstream chemical projects - two large polymers plants (low-density and linear low-density polyethylene) and an ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant, which together will consume around two thirds of the ethylene produced by the cracker; and three smaller, higher-value derivative plants, which will produce speciality alcohols, ethoxylates and other products. The project is under construction near Lake Charles, Louisiana in the USA, adjacent to Sasol's current chemical operations. A preliminary finding from the ongoing detailed LCCP review is that the expected total capital expenditure for the project could increase up to US$11 billion, including site infrastructure and utility improvements. This estimate includes a sufficient contingency to effectively manage the project to beneficial operation. While the detailed review is still in progress, current indications are that the estimated capital expenditure increase is mostly due to construction delays caused by higher- than-expected rainfall, higher labour costs, certain of the lump- sum bid contract prices being higher than originally estimated, as well as quantities of bulk materials being in excess of those included in the original estimate. In addition, the slower rate of capital spend until June 2018, due to Sasol's low oil price Response Plan, has resulted in an extended project schedule and contributed to further project cost increases, which have been partially offset by productivity benefits due to improved phasing of engineering and construction activities. As of 30 April 2016, the capital expenditure to date on LCCP is US$4,5 billion, and the overall project completion has progressed beyond 40%. It is, however, important to emphasise that no material or unexpected scope changes to the project have taken place. Overall construction on the project continues on all fronts, with most engineering activities nearing completion and procurement well advanced. As the review progresses and additional information becomes available, management is setting firm targets and objectives for the project team in order to minimise the capital expenditure and optimise the overall project schedule. It is, however, expected that the ethane cracker will achieve beneficial operation in the second half of calendar year 2018, which will enable around 80% of the total output from LCCP to reach beneficial operation later in 2018 and early 2019. The remaining volumes from the other derivative units will reach beneficial operation by the second half of 2019. The expected returns for the project have reduced due to changes in long-term price assumptions and the higher capital estimates, and are now expected to be around Sasol's weighted average cost of capital, compared to returns approximating hurdle rate at the time of Final Investment Decision in October 2014. The increase in the estimated LCCP capital cost and extended schedule will reduce the expected project returns by approximately the same amount as the Company's lower long-term price assumptions. Although the capital expenditure for LCCP is expected to increase, Sasol does not expect this to result in the Company exceeding its self-imposed gearing targets. The Company is continuing with its previously announced low oil price Response Plan, and will manage its balance sheet to incorporate the current estimated capital expenditure. The funding strategy has not changed as a result of the higher capital expenditure estimates. The project will continue to be funded from existing facilities and ongoing group cash flow. The detailed LCCP review is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2016, and further details will be communicated together with Sasol's annual results announcement on 12 September 2016. Sasol will be hosting a conference call at 14:00 South African time (8:00 Eastern time) on Tuesday, 7 June 2016 to discuss this announcement, which will be webcast via Sasol's website www.sasol.com. Note: All references to years refer to the calendar year. 6 June 2016 Johannesburg Sponsor: Deutsche Securities (SA) Proprietary Limited Disclaimer - Forward-looking statements: Sasol may, in this document, make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analyses and other information which are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements may also relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding exchange rate fluctuations, volume growth, increases in market share, total shareholder return, executing our growth projects and cost reductions, including in connection with our Business Performance Enhancement Programme and Response Plan. Words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "seek", "will", "plan", "could", "may", "endeavour", "target", "forecast" and "project" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward- looking statements will not be achieved. If one or more of these risks materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. You should understand that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors are discussed more fully in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed on 9 October 2015 and in other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The list of factors discussed therein is not exhaustive; when relying on forward-looking statements to make investment decisions, you should carefully consider both these factors and other uncertainties and events. Forward-looking statements apply only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant, Sasol Limited, has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. Date June 6, 2016 By: /s/ V D Kahla Name: Vuyo Dominic Kahla Title: Company Secretary
Filed pursuant to Rule 433

Registration Statemen t Nos. 333-202913 and 333-180300-03

June 6, 2016





Credit Suisse Structured Product Offering List



Please find the summary of the indicative terms for our June offerings below. All terms, including but not limited to coupon rate, participation rate, knock-in level, buffer amount, automatic redemption premium and fixed payment percentage, as applicable, are subject to change and will be determined on the Trade Date. Additionally, dates listed below are expected dates, which are subject to change due to market conditions. The proceeds to issuer listed may only represent a portion of the total underwriting discounts and fees for an offering. Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meaning given to them in the applicable offering documents. Any payment on the securities is subject to Credit Suisses ability to pay its obligations as they become due. Each of these summaries of the indicative terms for our June offerings is a general description of the terms of such offering. Please see the applicable offering document at the links provided below. Investing in the notes involves a number of risks. See Selective Risk Considerations herein and Selected Risk Considerations in the applicable offering documents.

FOR BROKER-DEALER USE ONLY. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION. SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Advisory Accounts

Product

Description* CUSIP Trade

Date Maturity

Date Offering

Closes Proceeds to Issuer Fact

Sheet Preliminary

Pricing

Supplement 1Y SPX RTY Contingent Coupon Autocallable Yield Notes, 70% American Barrier, [8-9]% p.a. coupon paid monthly 22548QA47 6/30/16 7/6/17 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download 1.5Y SPX Buffered Accelerated Return Equity Securities, 10% Buffer, 200% upside participation rate, to a maximum return of [13-15]% 22548Q7L3 6/30/16 1/4/18 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download 3Y SPX RTY Contingent Coupon Callable Yield Notes, 70% European Barrier, [8.5-9.5]% p.a. contingent coupon paid semi-annually 22548QA39 6/30/16 7/8/19 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download 4Y SPX RTY Absolute Return Barrier Securities, 70% European Barrier, [140-145]% upside participation rate 22548Q7H2 6/30/16 7/3/20 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download 4Y SPX Digital Plus Barrier Notes, 70% European Barrier, the greater of [30-35]% digital payment and 100% upside participation rate 22548Q7J8 6/30/16 7/3/20 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download 5Y SPX RTY Accelerated Barrier Notes, 50% European Barrier, [155-160]% upside participation rate 22548Q7K5 6/30/16 7/6/21 6/30/16, 2PM EST 99.75% Download Download

* The actual coupon rate, participation rate, knock-in level, buffer amount, automatic redemption premium or fixed payment percentage, as applicable, to be determined on the Trade Date.

Selective Risk Considerations

An investment in the securities involves significant risks. Investing in the securities is not equivalent to investing directly in the Underlyings. The risk considerations set forth below are only intended as summaries of some of the risks relating to an investment in the securities. Prior to investing in the securities, you should, in particular, review the Selected Risk Considerations section in the relevant Preliminary Pricing Supplement and the Risk Factors section in the relevant Product Supplement, if applicable, which set forth risks related to an investment in the securities.

 You may receive less than the principal amount at maturity, and depending on the terms of your investment, your investment may result in a loss of up to 100% of the principal amount.

 The value of the securities and the payment of any amount due on the securities are subject to the credit risk of Credit Suisse.

 Depending on the terms of your investment, the securities may not provide for regular fixed interest payments.

 Depending on the terms of your investment, your investment may be subject to a cap, in which case, you may not benefit from the full appreciation of the underlying(s).

 If the securities are subject to a potential early redemption, your opportunity to be paid interest, if applicable, over the full term of the securities might be limited.

 If the payment on the securities is based on the performance of the lowest performing underlying, you will not benefit from the performance of any other underlying.

 If the payment on the securities is based on the performance of the lowest performing underlying, the securities are exposed to the risk of fluctuations in the level of the underlyings to the same degree for each underlying.

 If the securities are linked to a reference share or a reference fund, anti-dilution protection is limited.

 Prior to maturity, costs such as concessions and hedging may affect the value of the securities.

 Credit Suisse currently estimates that the value of the securities on the trade date will be less than the price you pay for the securities, reflecting the deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and other costs of creating and marketing the securities.

 The securities will not be listed on any securities exchange. Credit Suisse (or its affiliates) intends to offer to purchase the securities in the secondary market but is not required to do so. Many factors, most of which are beyond the control of the Issuer, will influence the value of the securities and the price at which the securities may be purchased or sold in the secondary market.

 We and our affiliates play a variety of roles in connection with the issuance of the securities, including acting as calculation agent and as agent of the Issuer of the securities, hedging our obligations under the securities and determining the estimated value of the securities. The agent for this offering, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (CSSU), is our affiliate. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, CSSU may not make sales in this offering to any discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the customer.

 The securities will be affected by a number of economic, financial, political, regulatory, and judicial factors that may either offset or magnify each other.

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Credit Suisse AG ("Credit Suisse") has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus supplement and prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, with respect to the offerings to which this Structured Product
Faith Nevalagi was last seen on Saturday night.

Auckland teenager Faith Nevalagi has been found safe and well.

Police had been urgently seeking the teenage girl who was missing since Saturday night.

Faith had been last seen around midnight after being dropped off in Sylvia Park earlier in the evening.

She later visited an address in Onehunga - thought to be a "gang-related pad" - but has not been seen or heard from since.

Her parents, Daniel and Andrea Nevalagi, had been searching the Onehunga and Hillsborough areas for their daughter.

On Monday afternoon, police said Faith was now at home with her family and thanked the public for their help.

Her grandfather Blue Dudley said he was thrilled to have the 14-year-old home.

"I'm overwhelmed that she's safe."
Toxic plumes in surgical smoke are a hazard to patients, surgeons, and nurses.

Surgeons, patients and nurses sick of breathing in poisons and viral particles in surgical smoke will have to wait for any new minimum protections.

And WorkSafe NZ has confirmed it has no specific guidance relating to toxic and stinky electrosurgical smoke plumes.

The plumes formed during operations where flesh was burned, and could contain cancer-causing and viral particles small enough to be inhaled.

SUPPLIED Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Bruce Hodgson says all hospitals should adopt more effective surgical smoke evacuation technology.

Staff at Dunedin's Mercy Hospital and the Nurses Organisation (NZNO) last weekend called for a national debate on the issue, which had flown under the radar for years.

READ MORE:

* Call to tackle toxic surgery smoke risk for doctors, nurses, patients

WorkSafe occupational health manager Chris Jones said "some preliminary work" had been done on the issue but more was needed.

So was extensive consultation with hospitals and medical professionals, he said.

"Developing such guidance material is not scheduled for this or the next financial year but will be considered in future," Jones said.

He said even though WorkSafe had not yet provided formal guidance on electrosurgical smoke, the Health and Safety at Work Act's general provision still applied.

"That means that hospitals have a duty of care and are required to identify and manage health and safety risks, including electrosurgical smoke plumes, so far as is reasonably practicable."

Orthopaedic surgeon Bruce Hodgson said he was grateful his employer Mercy Hospital was "enlightened" and among local leaders in adopting smoke evacuation technology.

"It surprises us to find there are still hospitals where the administration say 'it's a voluntary thing.'"

He said change "has to come" because surgical smoke was a major safety issue for staff and patients.

"No-one's ever actually highlighted it before...I imagine in two years then the guidelines will come in from WorkSafe about that."

He said sluggish bureaucracy meant it could be 5 or 10 years before all New Zealand operating theatres installed the technology.

He compared the issue to smoking in restaurants and enclosed spaces, where people knew of secondhand tobacco smoke risks years before legislation tackled the issue.

Unfortunately, it might take a health professional to prove they'd been made seriously ill from plumes before reform was accelerated, he said.

Hodgson said "overwhelming observational evidence" showed associations between illness and plumes, but it was very difficult to prove causation.

Lawmakers in California last month approved a bill to improve protections for workers and patients exposed to surgical fumes.

"California can become a leader in reducing surgical site infections and improving health and safety standards for patients and caregivers alike," the California Nurses Association said.

A 2013 Surgical Endoscopy study found surgical smoke had several components with known carcinogenic properties.

A more recent local Perioperative Nurses College newsletter said surgical smoke plumes posed a "serious health risk."

Some 90 per cent of endoscopic and open procedures caused smoke, a study from surgical care company Steris found.

The study said smoke evacuation practices were lagging well behind knowledge of plume dangers.

Surgical smoke stank, and could contain benzene, methane, free radicals and hundreds more compounds, the Steris study added.
Revealed: Indias ambitious new naval strategy View(s):

Recent developments in the Indian Ocean have been a witness to Indias mustering enough political will to advance its regional interests through actionable deliverables, visibly in opposition to mere notional assertions of the past. As India reorients its Indian Ocean policy, a tripartite transformation is underwaya regional outlook that ties together Indias Act East policy, its Look West policy and, most noteworthy, its cooperation with the United States in the regional maritime domain.

Acting East

The transformation from a Look East to an Act East policy has been at the center of Indias maritime recalibrations in the past few years. Such an approach has been accompanied by an improvement in relations with not just the individual countries to its east, but with strong regional organisations such as ASEAN. Countries of specific focus for India have recently included Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia.

The maritime area extending from Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands has also been critical to Indias recent regional maritime calculus. The focus on the Andaman Sea, for instance, has been critical to both Indias developing role in the Indo-Pacific as well as its by now axiomatic desire to be a regional net security provider. In this regard, from April 1927 in the Andaman Sea, INS Karmuk along with a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft participated in the twenty-second Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT). CORPAT has been underway since 2005, taking place biannually to ensure the safety of international trade and shipping lines. The twenty-second CORPAT had a clear focus on search and rescue at sea and preventing unlawful activities, furthering Indias regional net security provider agenda. India has also extended naval cooperation with Thailand in other areas, such as training of Thai navy and coast guard trainees. For this purpose, Indian naval ships Tir and Sujata and sail-training ship Sudarshini, along with the Indian Coast Guards Varuna, were deployed in Phuket, Thailand as part of an overseas deployment this spring.

Another country that has been involved with India recently in maritime CORPAT exercises is Indonesia. The Indonesian-Indian CORPAT followed the Indo-Thai CORPAT. The 2016 CORPAT exercises between the two countries marked the twenty-seventh in the biannual series since 2002. In the ongoing exercise, which lasts almost a month, both countries are working to secure Indian Ocean sea lanes from the twin threats to commercial shipping and international trade, besides improving interoperabilitya rather manifest component of most maritime exercises. Since 2014, both navies have consistently raised the bar for the next year in terms of resources and commitment. The most outstanding factor of the latest chapter of Indonesian-Indian CORPAT exercises has been the geostrategic optics involved in choosing the venue of Port Blair in the Andaman Sea, once again underscoring the high priority accorded to the maritime area in Indias latest Indian Ocean policies.

Indias eastward maritime attention has been complemented by unprecedented multilateral diplomacy with the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus). Between March 28 this year, India hosted on its soil a multinational field training exercise called Force 18, comprising the eight dialogue partners of the ADMM Plus. These countries included important countries to Indias east like China, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand. The peacekeeping component of Force 18 focused on regional stability.

The maritime area comprising the Andaman Sea has become strategically crucial for India over the years. This message was made loud and clear when India built its first Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The post has assumed special strategic significance, not only because it allows India to keep a close watch on Chinas naval forays in the Indian Ocean, but also because it proves a good launch pad for Indias anticipated net-security-provider role in the region.

Besides Indias aforementioned eastern maritime rejuvenation, the latest step has involved an Indian geostrategic push for the South China Sea, which the Ministry of Defence in India has labelled a region of vital strategic importance to India. On May 18, India sent four ships of the Indian Navys Eastern Fleet for a two-and-a-half-month operational deployment to the South China Sea and northwestern Pacific. Indias step, coming on the heels of several bilateral steps to increase maritime cooperation with the United States in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific, has been widely interpreted as pitting India against growing Chinese maritime dominance in the region.

The Andaman Sea, along with the larger Indo-Pacific, has become indispensably critical to the joint India-U.S. regional grand maritime strategy that is in the making. This has been sufficiently established by both the gradual strengthening of the U.S.-India defence partnership through deliverables, and the series of bilateral agreements signed between the two countries, bringing them closer than ever before. India and the United States signed the U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region in January 2015. The mention of the South China Sea, together with freedom of navigation and over flight, brought out the common interests between the two countries in the Asian maritime theater.

This sentiment was supplemented by the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) agreed to, though not signed, during the visit of the United States Defence Secretary Ashton Carter to India in April 2016. The LEMOA contains apparent anti-China rhetoric. Ashton Carters April visit also underscored the need for a navy-to-navy bilateral discussion between the two countries on the issue of antisubmarine warfare. Chinas submarines, which have been spotted more frequently in the Indian Ocean since 2010, have raised hackles both in New Delhi and Washington, causing the countries to come together on the issue. To advance the pledge made in April this year, India and the United States have started discussions on antisubmarine warfare (ASW). ASW is likely to prove a critical maritime deterrent strategy against Chinas Indian Ocean adventures. The most likely cooperation in ASW between India and the United States will be in naval aviation, as Indias naval aviation has reached a threshold of transformation. The United States Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft and the Indian Navys P-8I Neptune, an export version of the P-8A, constitute the most modern ASW technologies.

More notable is the maiden maritime security dialogue between India and the United States held recently, where both countries discussed Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation and multilateral engagement, stressing the bilateral maritime agenda. The involvement of officials from the Defence and External Affairs Ministries of India shows that the current establishment is demonstrating renewed policy seriousness toward Indias littorals.

The rhetoric surrounding a regional grand strategy in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific has been gradually moving from a stage of tacit consent to one that is fast becoming unequivocal. During his most recent visit to New Delhi, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry B. Harris, invoked the idea of the now defunct Quadrilateral Initiative, in a clear shot at reviving the idea of cooperation between India, Japan, Australia and the United States. Outlining his choice of the term Indo-Asia-Pacific versus the term Asia-Pacific, he voiced Washingtons desire to bring back Australia to the quadrilateral maritime partnership that went awry due to Beijings opposition soon after it was proposed in 2007.

Looking West

The part of the Indian Ocean to Indias west has traditionally been the outlier in its regional maritime strategy. However, more recently, there has been a perceptible shift in Indias maritime policy to integrate some of the countries that lie to its west. Indias western maritime focus in the Indian Ocean has been accelerated by the growing Chinese presence in the region, but more importantly by a realisation that a holistic Indian Ocean strategy (one that conforms to a regional grand strategy in principle) is probably a better way to stop the Chinese juggernaut in the longer term. A few immediate concerns in the Indian Ocean that have retooled its erstwhile maritime policies are Chinas port-led encirclement of India, Chinese control of the Indian Ocean port of Gwadar in Pakistan, Chinas gaining basing rights in Djibouti in East Africa and, most recently, an increase in the frequency of Chinese submarine visits in the Indian Ocean.

Although India has officially protested at some of the aforementioned Chinese steps in the Indian Ocean, it has considered a long-term comprehensive maritime response to increasing Chinese footprints in the Indian Ocean to be a fitting countermeasure. Indias recent finalization of the Chabahar Agreement, along with Iran and Afghanistan, is aimed at mitigating Chinese leverage in the Indian Ocean through its unbridled access to the Gwadar port. This has been backed by Indias heightened sense of responsibility towards guaranteeing security in the Indian Ocean, besides a show of strength in the Persian Gulf. India has increased routine reconnaissance in the western Indian Ocean. Recently, a naval Poseidon-8I long-range patrol aircraft on routine reconnaissance thwarted a pirate attack on the high seas by flying over a merchant vessel that was being targeted by three pirate ships, around eight hundred nautical miles from Mumbai.

The Narendra Modi government has made a deliberate push to improve Indias maritime policy to the west by improving naval relations with countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. On April 24, 2016, India confirmed that it would send a flotilla of warships to the Persian Gulf to add military heft and improve naval relations with some of the Indian Ocean countries. Since that promise, INS Delhi, Tarkash and Deepak have anchored in Dubai to bolster naval relations between India and UAE. Importantly, both countries are expected to perform a joint naval exercise in the region, sending strong regional signals. The three warships continued their goodwill visit in Bahrain and Kuwait, expanding the scope of Indias maritime cooperation with Gulf countries in combating piracy and maritime terrorism.

These diplomatic feelers on either side of peninsular India had an appropriate prelude in Modis earlier landmark visits to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, besides his numerous other oceanic overtures in the Indian Ocean. Modi has also led Indias leasing out of Assumption Island from Seychelles, marking a historic shift in Indias expansive reconnaissance and surveillance designs in the Indian Ocean. Indias enhanced maritime focus on either side of its peninsular landmass has also been supplemented by a quest for dominance through competition with China, towards the south.

India recently has sought to boost maritime cooperation with the Maldives, too. In April of this year, India deployed its Advanced Light Helicopter MK III at Kadhdhoo Island in the Maldives in a bid to assist that country in search and rescue, casualty evacuation, coastal surveillance, maritime reconnaissance, communication and logistic duties. While Mauritius has been caught in intense maritime cooperation between India and China, most speculations have rendered Seychelles finally falling in Indias geostrategic corner. More importantly, India has pushed for the spirit of south-south cooperation in the southern Indian Ocean, most notably through its recent maritime cooperation, along with Brazil and South Africa, called IBSAMAR.

Indias latest bid to change its maritime character has involved engaging with a host of countries to its east as well as to its west, marking Indias new bidirectional strategic maritime loops. While its western maritime loop has included the Gulf countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran and Saudi Arabia, its eastern maritime loop intends to tie the ports of Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, Subic Bay in the Philippines, Sasebo in Japan, Busan in South Korea, Vladivostok in Russia and Port Klang in Malaysia.

Indias push at bettering naval relations with countries in Southeast Asia, the Gulf countries and countries to its south is part of a larger maritime agenda, to form as well as lead a new institutionalised response in the region that is largely led by the Indian Ocean Naval Symposiuma body which has served as a forum for sharing information and cooperating on maritime issues in the region, but more importantly, which aspires to turn around Indias regional maritime purpose.

(Vivek Mishra is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University and is finishing his PhD on American Maritime Strategy on the Indian Ocean in the post Cold War era, 1990-2012 from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)

Courtesy The National Interest (thenationalinterest.org)
The Trans-Pacific shell game Jomo Kwame Sundaram View(s):

ROME  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement is being portrayed as a boon for all 12 of the countries involved. But opposition to the agreement may be the only issue that the remaining US presidential candidates can agree on, and Canadas trade minister has expressed serious reservations about it. Are the TPPs critics being unreasonable?

In a word, no. To be sure, the TPP might help the US to advance its goal of containing Chinas influence in the Asia-Pacific region, exemplified in US President Barack Obamas declaration that, With TPP, China does not set the rules in that region; we do. But the economic case is not nearly as strong. In fact, though the TPP will bring some gains, they will mainly accrue to large corporations, and come at the expense of ordinary citizens.

In terms of gains, one US government study on the topic projected that, by 2025, the TPP would augment its member countries GDP growth by a meager 0.1% at most. More recently, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) estimated that, by 2032, the TPP would increase Americas economic growth by 0.15% ($42.7 billion) and boost incomes by 0.23% ($57.3 billion).

But TPP advocates have largely ignored these results, preferring to cite two studies by the Peterson Institute of International Economics, a well-known cheerleader for economic globalization. In 2012, the PIIE claimed that the TPP would boost total GDP in member countries by 0.4% after ten years. In January, it declared that TPP would augment total GDP by 0.5% over the next 15 years. In a World Bank study released the same month, the authors of the PIIE research projected a 1.1% average increase in GDP in TPP member countries by 2030.

Something is clearly amiss. A closer look reveals that these studies findings concerning the TPPs purported benefits lack supporting economic theory, credible modeling, or empirical evidence. The only advantages presented that are consistent with mainstream research methodology are tariff-related trade benefits. But if the PIIE authors had used conventional methods to estimate total gains from trade, such benefits would comprise a very small share of the alleged gains from the TPP. According to the PIIE and the World Bank, about 85% of overall growth from the TPP is due to non-trade measures and related foreign investments.

Meanwhile, the studies ignore employment and income distribution  where some of the leading risks of trade liberalization lie. Instead, they simply assume full employment in every country and a consistent income distribution, trade balance, and fiscal position in all countries.

The ITC study, which used a slightly different model, predicts an increase in the trade deficit that would destroy 129,484 American jobs (yet, inexplicably, it estimates that the TPP would raise employment by 128,000 jobs). It also projects a net increase in exports of $25.2 billion in 2032 (in 2032 US dollars), a small fraction of the PIIEs projection of $357 billion in 2030 (in 2015 dollars).

For our study, my colleagues and I used the PIIEs own 2012 estimates of trade-related gains, despite our reservations, along with more realistic economic specifications, including for income distribution and employment. We projected downward wage pressure, which, by depressing domestic demand, would lead to lower employment and higher inequality in all country groupings. Projected job losses would total some 771,000 across the TPP countries, including 448,000 in the US alone. These losses would offset any growth benefits, with the US and Japan suffering small net income losses (-0.5% and -0.1%, respectively).

Even if the TPP is found to conflict with the national or public interest, participating countries are obliged to follow its provisions. Powerful lobbies, mainly from the US, made sure of that. And, unfortunately, that is not all they did.

Despite being portrayed as a trade deal, the TPP is not even really about trade. Many TPP countries are already among the worlds most open economies, with most merchandise trade among them having already been liberalized by earlier agreements and unilateral initiatives. The main remaining trade constraints involve non-tariff barriers, such as US agricultural subsidies, which the TPP does not address.

Instead, the TPPs most important provisions strengthen, broaden, and extend intellectual property rights. That will give pharmaceutical companies much longer monopolies on patented medicines and keep cheaper options  both generics and alternatives that are deemed too similar  off the market, hurting both consumers and governments that provide subsidies.

Moreover, the TPP weakens national regulation, such as over financial services, and strengthens the rights of foreign investors, at the expense of local businesses and the public interest. Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions allow foreign investors to pursue binding private arbitration against governments if new regulations reduce their expected future profits.

Governments that lose those lawsuits will be obliged to compensate foreign investors; but even those that win will incur high legal costs. In fact, potential ISDS compensation payments or settlements alone could far outweigh the TPPs limited economic benefits. Fear of incurring such high costs are likely to weaken governments incentives to implement regulations that hurt foreign corporate interests, even if they serve the public good.

Finally, though the TPPs biggest impact will lie outside the trade realm, the agreement has been used to undermine multilateral trade-liberalization efforts. The most obvious victim has been the World Trade Organizations ongoing Doha Development Round negotiations, but Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Economic Community will also suffer.

The TPPs advocates have, for years, been grossly exaggerating the deals projected benefits, while downplaying its potentially high risks and costs, most of which will be incurred by ordinary citizens. The reality is that the TPP will have a barely perceptible impact on GDP, benefit large corporations almost exclusively, and significantly constrain the policy space governments need to accelerate economic development and protect the public interest. Some partnership that is.

(Jomo Kwame Sundaram was an Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the United Nations system and received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.)

Courtesy:

Project Syndicate, 2016. Exclusive to the Sunday Times.www.project-syndicate.org
Ethnic Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga congratulates the recipients of Queens Birthday Honours who have served their ethnic communities.

"The achievements of these remarkable people will inspire a new generation of young people to serve their ethnic communities, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

The efforts of these outstanding people ensure people of diverse cultures keep their heritage alive while also contributing to New Zealand society.

This years recipients include Professor Wei Gao for services to science and engineering; Dr Pushpa Wood for services to financial literacy & interfaith relations; Mr Viduranga Aruna Abeygoonesekera for services to New Zealand-Sri Lanka relations and the Sri Lankan community; and Mrs Nanette Nathoo for services to the Indian community.

ONZM; OFFICER OF THE NEW ZEALAND ORDER OF MERIT

Professor Wei Gao - For services to science and engineering

Wei and his son set up Alpha Group manufacturing and produce health products with ingredients extracted from medicinal fungi, natural plants and marine life in Auckland. Wei Gao is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and has served as the Chairman of the New Zealand Chinese Scientists Association since 2012, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Dr Pushpa Wood - For services to financial literacy & interfaith relations

Dr Wood is the Director of Westpac Massey Financial Education and Research Centre and Chair of the New Zealand Chapter of the World Council of Religion and Peace. She recently facilitated the OEC Community Leadership programme.

MNZM; MEMBER OF THE NEW ZEALAND ORDER OF MERIT

Mr Viduranga Aruna Abeygoonesekera - For services to New Zealand-Sri Lanka relations and the Sri Lankan community.

Mr Abeygoonesekera was appointed Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in 2007 and has helped promote trade and economic relations between NZ and Sri Lanka.

QSM; QUEENS SERVICE MEDAL

Mrs Nanette Nathoo - For services to the Indian community

Nanette Nathoo leads the Indian women programmes and chairs the Law and Order Crime Prevention committee of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Indian Central Association. From 1999 to 2002 she was a Trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

SOURCE: Office of Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
National promised the proceeds of assets sale would be spent on schools, hospitals and roads but weve been cheated, says New Zealand First.

They betrayed New Zealanders by using the now depleted Future Investment Fund, built by controversial asset sales, as nothing less than a slush fund, says the New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

The Prime Minister promised $1 billion to modernise and transform schools by 2016 but hes cheated schools by $212 million.

National has not built a millimetre of the Puhoi to Wellsford motorway but has closed the Napier-Gisborne Line and has is shutting down Northland rail.

National spent $41.1 million from the fund on the Mighty River Share Loyalty Bonus Scheme and the Genesis Initial Public Offering Bookbuild. How many houses could that have built?

The Prime Minister told Parliament last year that this fund was being used to buy assets that are long-lived, are here in New Zealand, and are owned by the Crown on behalf of all taxpayers.

So how is $23 million for the Passports Memorandum Account, $12.5 million for the RealMe on-line authentication and verification service, $23 million for New Zealands World Bank Subscription and $7.9 million preparing for the 2018 Census, a road, a hospital, a school or even, an asset?

How can the Prime Minister justify raiding this fund for $4.4 million for the Cabinets new document management system or $6 million to modernise the War Pensions Act 1954 and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act?

It is clear National treated this asset sales fund as a slush fund to underwrite its sleight of hand surplus. The purpose the National Party gave the public for these sales was simply propaganda on which they should be held to account.

Vote Initiative $m Budget Arts, Culture & Heritage/ Transport National War Memorial Precinct 2014 Arts, Culture and Heritage Te Papa - Cable Street 8 2014 Arts, Culture and Heritage Maintain the integrity of Te Papas Cable Street and Tory Street buildings 40 2015 Business, Science and Innovation Expand and accelerate Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) to at least 80% of NZ 210 2015 Business, Science and Innovation NZ Business Number: Source and update relevant data about a business from one place 2015 Conservation Kauri dieback 2014 Conservation Approval of Funding for Establishment of Pike River Track and Related Assets 2016 Economic Development Replacement of Refugee Resettlement Facilities 9 2014 Education School Network Upgrade Project 2012 Education Support for Mental Health Initiatives  System Development 2012 Education School Network Upgrade Project 2013 Education School Property Expansion 2013 Education School Property Expansion 2014 Education New Schools and Roll Growth Classrooms: Capital costs in line with shifting demographics 2015 Education New Zealand Schools Public Private Partnership Project Two: Outcome of Procurement and Approval of Adjustments to Appropriations 2016 Finance Landcorp Protected Land Agreement 20 2012 Finance Mighty River Share Loyalty Bonus Scheme 40 2013 Finance Replacement of Matriarch System (the IT system DMO uses) 2013 Finance Analysis for Outcomes (Cabinet Investment Function) 2013 Finance World Bank subscription 23 2014 Finance Genesis IPO Bookbuild Decisions 2014 Finance Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank - Membership 2016 Health Increase in the health capital envelope 2012 Health Canterbury DHB Rebuild 426 2013 Health Whole of Government Radio Network 2013 Health Future Capital Projects 200 2014 Housing Tamaki Transformation 45 2013 Housing Canterbury Housing Contingency 75 2014 Housing Hobsonville Land Company 2014 Immigration Implementing Immigration Global Management System 2013 Immigration Replacement of Refugee Resettlement Facilities 2013 Internal Affairs TVNZ Archive 2014 Internal Affairs Internal Affairs Delivery of its Government ICT Functional Leadership and Information Management Mandate 2014 Internal Affairs Archives New Zealand: Christchurch Regional Office: Relocation of regional office following the Christchurch earthquakes 2015 Internal Affairs GCIO Common Capabilities: Capital injection to address deficits on the memorandum accounts 5 2015 Internal Affairs Return of insurance claim proceeds to fit out Christchurch building 2015 Internal Affairs RealMe: Continuation of on-line authentication and verification service 2015 Internal Affairs Capital injection for construction of Waitangi Wharf 52 2015 Internal Affairs Passports Memorandum Account: Capital Injection and Passport and Travel Document Fees 23 2016 Internal Affairs Reconstruction of the Waitangi Wharf in the Chatham Islands 2016 Justice Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct 2013 Labour WorkSafe New Zealand 2014 Labour Market Technology to manage gaps in New Zealands border security 2015 Labour Market Vision 2015: More visas processed online, transformed business processes and updated ICT systems 2015 Office of the Clerk Closed captioning Parliament TV 2013 Parliamentary Service Crown Asset Management 2012 Parliamentary Service Funding for Crown Capital work 7 2014 Primary Industries Crown Investment in Irrigation Infrastructure 80 2013 Primary Industries Investment in Crown Irrigation Investments Limited 40 2014 Primary Industries National Biocontainment Laboratory 2014 Primary Industries and Food Safety National Biocontainment Laboratory: Final Funding Requirement 2016 Prime Minister and Cabinet CABnet (document management) project 2012 Prime Minister and Cabinet New Visitor Centre 2012 Prime Minister and Cabinet Strengthening Capability on Security and Risk Management 2013 Prime Minister and Cabinet Additional funding to support CabNet 2014 Prime Minister and Cabinet Planned maintenance for the Government House buildings and related assets 2015 Revenue Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) 2014 Revenue Research and Development - cashing up tax losses 2014 Revenue Implementing New Zealands Future Revenue System 2016 Science and Innovation Advanced Technology Institute 2012 Social Development White paper for Vulnerable Children Start-up costs 3 2013 Social Development Transfer of Social Housing Needs Assessment 2014 Social Development Social Housing Reform: Implementing the Transfer of Needs Assessment Function 2014 Social Development Reviewable Tenancies 2014 Social Development Childrens Action Plan (CAP) operating model: A case management IT system that will enable collaboration and information sharing 2015 Social Development Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis - Implementation 2016 Statistics Census 2018 Contingency 2014 Statistics Christchurch Integrated Government Accommodation (CIGA) 2014 Statistics Census 2018 Programme 2014 Tertiary Education Capital Cases for Canterbury Tertiary Education Institutions 165 2013 Tertiary Education Crown Capital Investment to Support the University of Canterburys Science and Engineering Rebuild 2014 Tertiary Education Lincoln University: Rebuild and redevelopment of Science facilities post quake 100 2015 Transport KiwiRail Turnaround Plan Year 3 250 2012 Transport National War Memorial 50 2012 Transport National War Memorial Park 2013 Transport KiwiRail Turnaround Plan 2013/14 onwards - additional Crown commitment 2013 Transport Replacement ground station for Search and Rescue satellite system 2013 Transport KiwiRail Turnaround Plan 198 2014 Transport Funding for KiwiRail Aratere Incident 25 2014 Transport Maritime NZ - IT system 2014 Transport Ongoing capital injection for KiwiRail 2015 Transport Accelerated regional state highway package 97 2015 Transport Urban cycleway investigation, design and construction 40 2015 Transport Wellington metro rail signals power supply upgrade 2015 Transport Kiwirail 2016 Veterans Affairs - Defence Force Modernisation of the War Pensions Act 1954 2012

SOURCE: Office of Winston Peters
Education Minister Hekia Parata has congratulated outstanding educator Karen Sewell on being made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queens Birthday Honours List.

Dame Karen has played a pivotal role in the education of generations of New Zealanders, Ms Parata says. The honour is richly deserved.

She is the only person to have headed the Education Ministry, the Education Review Office and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. She is currently the chair of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu Correspondence Board, served on numerous other education bodies and led the implementation of National Standards, a new national curriculum, and Youth Guarantee.

In total, 16 people have been honoured for services to early childhood, primary and secondary education in this years Queens Birthday Honours.

All have gone beyond the call of duty to help prepare our kids for the future, Ms Parata says.

The recipients are:

DNZM

Karen Margaret Sewell, QSO, for services to education

CNZM

Myrlene Dawn Jones, OBE, for services to netball and education

ONZM

Heather Irene Bell, for services to education

Alexandra Mary Raine Matheson, for services to performing arts, education and LGBTIQ rights

MNZM

Tristan David Brebner, for services to education

Jacqueline Duncan, for services to education

Kieran Francis Fouhy, for services to education

Thomas Hullena, for services to education

Susana Lemisio, for services to the Tokelau community and early childhood education

Barry Douglas Petherick, for services to education

Anthony James Pope, for services to education

Rahera Shortland, for services to Maori, education and television

Amalia Tuffield, for services to special education

Graham Stewart Young, for services to education

QSM

Pareaute Polly Nathan, for services to Maori and education

Arihia Amiria Stirling, for services to education and Maori

SOURCE: Office of Hekia Parata
The death of a second person following a Wairarapa crash has pushed the long weekends road toll to seven.

Shortly before midday on Sunday State Highway 2 near Mt Bruce was the scene of a head-on collision.
The birdlife of Ohiwa Harbour will be the topic of conversation at this weeks Bird Bay of Plentys meeting.

Bird BOP members Meg and Mike Collins will be discussing the birds of Ohiwa Harbour and the work the pair have done around the harbour for the last 12 years.

The harbour itself covers around 26km2 and has a number of islands within it. Due to the harbours variety of both resident and migratory shorebirds it makes it a popular destination for bird watching throughout the year.

Through the Ohiwa Reserves Care Group, both Meg and Mike have focused their efforts on the Ohiwa Spit and Domain as well as Whangakopikopiko, or Tern Island, a shell bank within the harbour.

Meg also organises the Birds New Zealand shore bird count every six months. Monitoring of this kind has been done since 1986 and produces data showing the benefits of predator controls over the years.

Along with shorebirds, there is also a sizeable population of North Island weka that have spread from Motu area to the Ohiwa surrounds but locals have learned to live with wekas. They are known to investigate and interfere with anything new. Changes have had to be made to bait stations and traps to compensate for this.

The talk takes place on Wednesday, June 8 from 7pm at the Tauranga Arts and Craft Centre on Elizabeth Street. Anyone is welcome and a gold coin donation is appreciated.

Birds BOP is the regions branch of Birds New Zealand society. Its all about enjoying and studying birds. Birds BOP holds events like evening meeting such as this one and field trips.

If you are interested in birds, you can pop along to the meeting or, for more information, email birds.bop@osnz.org.nz
Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner congratulates those who have been recognised in this years Queens Birthday Honours for their contribution to the disabled community.

This years recipients have been recognised across a wide range of areas including Paralympic sport, foster care, special education and support services for disabled people, Ms Wagner says.

I congratulate all the recipients on their outstanding contribution to the disability sector.

These professionals, through their advocacy and advisory work at the community, regional and national levels in New Zealand, work to ensure that the needs of disabled people are met and their rights respected. They make a positive difference in the everyday lives of many disabled people.

The recipients are:

MNZM

Mr Ken Sowden - For services to Paralympic sport

Mrs Amalia Tuffield - For services to special education

Ms Shelley Campbell - For services to health and people with disabilities

Ms Genevieve McLachlan - For services to people with disabilities

QSM

Mrs Andrea Hawkless - For services to people with severe epilepsy

Mr Lance Girling-Butcher - For services to the blind and seniors

QSO

Mrs Lynda Mooij - For services to foster care

Honorary QSO

Mr Johannes Mooij For services to foster care

SOURCE: Office of Nicky Wagner
The Green Party has launched a campaign and petition to ensure New Zealands rivers are safe for swimming now and in the future.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei says theyve chosen 10 rivers from around the country to visit in order to highlight what needs to be done to make them clean enough to swim in again.

The 10 rivers chosen by the Greens includes the Tarawera River in the Bay of Plenty, along with the Waikato, Wairua, Kaipatiki/Lucas Creek, Tukituki, Waitara, Ruamahanga, Manawatu, Waikirikiri/Selwyn and Mataura rivers.

New Zealanders want rivers that are safe to swim in that they and future generations can enjoy. But the Government has given up on clean rivers, says Metiria.

Rivers can be clean enough to swim in, but only if the Government lifts its wadable standards and demands they be swimmable instead.

Metiria says New Zealand needs a Government to back our rivers, and to stop defending polluters, adding that under National nearly two thirds of the countrys rivers were now unsafe for swimming.

She believes this new petition is an opportunity for Kiwis to demand rivers that are clean enough to swim in.

John Key says that most of our water just runs out to sea, when in fact it sustains communities who swim in and gather kai from rivers, as well as native species and ecosystems.

Government subsidies for damaging irrigation projects  like the Ruataniwha dam that will impact the Tukituki River  shows the Governments refusal to protect water quality.

Metiria says lots of work to clean up the countrys rivers is currently being carried out by tangata whenua, communities, industries and farmers - but they cant do it on their own.

We need strong regulation that requires our rivers be safe for swimming, which the Green Party is committed to, she says.

For more information about the Green Partys campaign and petition visit: rivers.greens.org.nz
The New Zealand Defence Force is sending ships, aircraft and personnel to take part in the worlds largest international maritime exercise.

A senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Navy will be playing a key role: commanding the amphibious task force of 13 ships from the task force flag ship USS America.
Starting with Casa Cook Rhodes in Greece, the brand will eventually comprise of a global chain of up-scale but relaxed boltholes for discerning travellers.

Targeting travellers aged 25 to 50, Casa Cook has been created in line with the companys strategy for profitable growth and differentiation. It will complement Cooks existing five hotel brands  SENTIDO, SunConnect, Sunwing, Sunprime and smartline.

The brand is designed to be a fusion between the local destination and the lifestyle requirements of its target group which the company describes as young modern travellers, from urban centres who have an affinity for fashion and design and are searching for a healthy work-life-balance.

Each property will have individually selected artwork and vintage furniture to create a relaxed atmosphere and a stylish boho-chic environment.

Casa Cook employees are ambassadors, inspiring guests to explore by sharing their local knowledge and insight on traditions to offer a truly authentic holiday experience.

Located on the hillsides of Kolymbia on the island of Rhodes, the 90-room boutique Casa Cook Rhodes features decorated rooms with either swim-up pool access or a private pool.

It was designed by German hotel designer Michael Schickinger, creative director of Lambs & Lions, and interior designer Annabell Kutucu.

The health and well-being offering includes yoga, Pilates, massages and a state of the art gym. All Casa Cook hotels will offer bicycles for guests use.

Up to three further Casa Cook hotels are planned by summer 2017.
Barack Obama's first visit to Spain as president will take place after the NATO summit in Poland. This will be the first time in 15 years that an American president has made an official visit to Spain

File photo of Rajoy and Obama. EFE

The US president Barack Obama, will make an official visit to Spain between 9 adn 11 July, the White House announced on Monday. This will be the first time in 15 years that an American president has visited while in office.

His agenda will include meetings with King Felipe VI, who invited Obama to visit Spain, and with acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy. For security reasons it has not yet been announced where these meetings will take place.

The visit aims to highlight the importance of Spain to the US as a defence ally, the aspect of the two countries' relationship that most interests Washington, and which is most advanced, said diplomatic sources.

Obama will come to Spain from the NATO summit in Poland (8 and 9 July). In recent years both the US bases in Spain, in Rota and Moron de la Frontera, have been used in defence projects piloted by the US. Since the end of 2015, Rota (Cadiz) has hosted four American destroyers that form part of the NATO anti-missile shield. Moron de la Frontera (Seville) has become a permanent base for the US marine rapid crisis response force for Africa.

For several years the Spanish government has been negotiating a visit from the president of the United States as a gesture of recognition for the implication of Spain in these two projects. The visit finally comes just before the start of the US presidential election campaign.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  Three students were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after a school bus accident on the last day of school Monday morning.

Thirty-six students on their way to Sebastian River Middle School were on the bus when it was involved in an accident at 7:20 a.m. at 86th Avenue and 85th Street Monday, according to Flynn Fidgeon, school spokesman.

Three students were taken to the hospital for precautionary purposes and parents were being notified, Fidgeon said. All other students were placed on another bus and taken to school.

The students received very minor injuries, according to Brian Burkeen, Indian River County Fire Rescue assistant fire chief.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.

Today is a half day of school for Indian River County public school students.

This story will be updated.
A U.S. Coast Guard boat stands watch along the St. Lucie River on Saturday afternoon as President Barack Obama, along with Floridian National Golf Club owner Jim Crane and two former Miami Heat players, Ray Allen and Alonzo Mourning, play a round of golf at the Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City. Obama is expected to leave Palm City today between noon and 2 p.m. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Caryn Shaffer of TCPalm

President Obama, in a blue shirt and khakis, was greeted at the airport by Mr. Kim Johnson, Chairman, St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners.

The rain was kind enough to let up briefly to allow the president and media pool to board Air Force One without being soaked.

The president was up the steps of the plane at 4:01 pm.

Air Force One was bound for Washington, D.C., at 4:09 pm.
CURRENT CONDITIONS

8 p.m.: A flood watch is in effect for Indian River County until midnight and may extend through Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall predictions for the area have been decreased to one to two inches into Tuesday morning. Tropical moisture trailing from the departing tropical storm will linger across the area and will result in additional periods of heavy rain each afternoon through Thursday.

5:44 p.m.: Accuweather.com issued a significant weather advisory for eastern Okeechobee, Saint Lucie, Northwestern Martin and Indian River counties until 6:15 p.m. Doppler radar was tracking a line of strong thunderstorms at 5:33 p.m.

4:30 p.m.: The National Weather Service is reporting Tropical Storm Colin is dropping rain over 80 percent of Florida, two-third of Georgia and three-quarters of South Carolina. A big rain shield is moving north-northeast. WPTV NewsChannel 5 is reporting a strong line of storms is moving in on Palm Beach County from now until 5 p.m. Funnel clouds are possible.

SUMMARY

Location: 165 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola

Winds: 50 mph

Movement: North-northeast at 17 mph

Next advisory: 5 p.m.

At 2 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Colin was about 165 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola.

Colin is moving toward the north-northeast near 17 mph. A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected by this evening, and a rapid northeastward motion is expected overnight and Tuesday.

On this track, the center of Colin is forecast to approach the coast of the Florida Big Bend area late this afternoon or evening, move across portions of Florida and southeastern Georgia early Tuesday morning, and move near the southeastern coast of the United States later on Tuesday.

The strongest winds and heaviest rains are well removed from the center.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph, with higher gusts in rainbands located well to the east and southeast of the center. Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 250 miles to the southeast of the center.

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for

Indian Pass to Englewood

Sebastian Inlet Florida to South Santee River South Carolina

Interests elsewhere along the southeastern coast of the United States should monitor the progress of Colin. Additional warnings or watches may be required for parts of this area later today.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

RAINFALL: Colin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible across the northeastern Yucatan peninsula, western Cuba, western to northern Florida, southeastern Georgia, and coastal areas of the Carolinas through Tuesday.

STORM SURGE: The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters. The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. Localized coastal flooding and dangerous surf are possible along the Atlantic coast from Florida to South Carolina within the tropical storm warning area.

WIND: Brief squalls with winds to near tropical storm force will be moving through portions of the Florida Keys this afternoon. Tropical storm conditions reached the west coast of the Florida peninsula this morning, and will continue through this evening.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the warning area along the Atlantic coast by early Tuesday.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible today and tonight across portions of Florida and far southern Georgia.
The Military Moms Prayer Group welcomed 60 members and guests to a celebration dinner on May 5 to recognize community volunteers who have supported the group's Holidays for Heroes outreach to the troops. The event, held at the home of the prayer group's newly elected president Linda Colontrelle, honored a wide range of businesses, churches, and civic organizations that have made possible the delivery of more than 1,500 care packages to deployed troops last year, and an estimated 16,000 over the past decade.

Most of these packages have been sent to the troops by caring people from our community and beyond. They use Military Moms mailing kits made available at more than 20 local organizations honored at the dinner.

Scott Redfield, owner of Studio 14/Zumba Works, whose father landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, said, 'It's an honor and a privilege to be a small part of what the Military Moms Prayer Group accomplishes each year. They are a blessing to our troops.'

When the Military Moms Prayer Group was founded, the group has focused on two missions: praying for the troops weekly and sending gift boxes for the holidays. The interdenominational group began in August, 2006, when five women: Linda Colontrelle, Margy Kulczycki, Pam Proctor, Gail Reams and Michele Scales gathered in a Sunday School classroom to pray. Four of the women had sons in the military, the other was a 'cheerleader' who was a strong supporter of US troops. One-by-one, other women started coming to pray as their loved ones and friends were deployed. Today, about 20 women gather from 5-6 p.m. each Thursday at Christ Church Vero Beach to pray for the military.

A few months after the group began, Colontrelle, whose son Danny a West Point graduate was serving in Iraq, organized a gift-box drive for Christmas, launching what is now the group's annual Holidays for Heroes program.

'I am as committed to the Military Moms Prayer Group now as I was when my son was serving overseas 10 years ago,' says Colontrelle. 'I want every man and woman serving, as well as their families, to know how much they are loved and appreciated.'

For more information, call 772-473-0288 or visit MilitaryMomsPrayerGroup.com
Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard will be the guest speaker at the June meeting of the Democratic Women's Club of Indian River County.

The son of educators who served in the state legislature, Sen. Bullard earned his bachelor's degree in history education from Florida A&M University and in 2000 began teaching at Coral Reef Senior High School in Miami.

In 2008, Bullard was elected to succeed his father, Rep. Edward Bullard, in the Florida House of Representatives. He won reelection in 2010. In 2012, he was elected to succeed his mother, Sen. Larcenia Bullard, as the state senator from District 39, consisting of Hendry, Collier, Monroe and Miami-Dade.

Sen. Bullard currently serves as the Transportation vice chair and as a member of several committees, including Education Pre-K through 12, Agriculture, Government Oversight and Accountability, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

A strong advocate for public education improvement and opportunities, Sen. Bullard has introduced several bills such as those pertaining to the election rather than the appointment of the Commissioner of Education, mandated recess for school children, and the Florida Teacher Fair Pay Act. He also led efforts to ban fracking, eliminate the school-to-prison-pipeline, and increase the state minimum wage.

Sen. Bullard was presented the 2015 Democratic Women's Club of Florida Legislative Advocacy Award in recognition of his support of women's issues, education, healthcare and the environment. He has also been recognized with several other honors, including the Barbara Jordan Leadership Award, Florida Education Association Friend of Education, Champion of the Middle Class and the Florida Association of School Administrator's Next Generation Leaders Award.

He is active in numerous community organizations, including City Year Miami, Camillus House, the NAACP, 100 Black Men of South Florida, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee, of which he serves as chair.

The Democratic Women's Club of Indian River's luncheon meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m., June 11, at the Club at Pointe West, 7500 14th Ln. Cost is $25 and reservations are required. Email DemLunch@aol.com to secure your spot.
Based on 2016blueprints leaked byon Twitter several days ago, UK-based price comparison service and switching websitecreated these 3D renders of the Korean company's upcoming flagship stylus-toting phablet.Both @OnLeaks and uSwitch ( source ) have been pretty much accurate for the past couple of years with most of their predictions and 'insider information' disclosures -- so there's reason to believe that these images could be on-point.Looking at the renders, it appears that the 2016 refresh to the popular SGNote will have a design language that combines that ofand-- replete with SuperAMOLED screen that gently curves down either sides, an anodized aluminum mid-frame, noticeable antenna bands, and - of course - a slot at the rear for the S-Pen stylus.One of the new hardware features that's expected to make a debut on the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is the USB Type C port, which will replace microUSB 2.0. The image above reflects its inclusion in the product design.Other rumored technical specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note6 include a 5.7 to 5.8 inch screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 32/64/128GB storage space options, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability, 4G LTE support, and imaging capabilities similar to that of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.The 2016 iteration to the Galaxy Note series is expected to be unveiled come August 2016 via an exclusive keynote presentation at this year's IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany.
Europe is leading the charge when it comes to the adoption of zero-emission vehicles. It was reported in April that the Netherlands is looking to ban the sale of all gas and diesel powered cars by 2025, and now Norway is attempting to do the same thing.

According to a report from Norwegian paper Dagens Naeringsliv, the country's four main political parties - Conservative, Progress, Christian, and Liberal - have agreed to a number of environmental measures that include requiring all cars sold from 2025 to be of the zero-emission variety.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to learn that Tesla boss Elon Musk was particularly happy to hear the news. The CEO tweeted a picture of Dagens Naeringsliv's front page, which features the ban as its main story.

Just heard that Norway will ban new sales of fuel cars in 2025. What an amazingly awesome country. You guys rock!! pic.twitter.com/uAXuBkDYuR --- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2016

Despite Musk's enthusiasm, the policy is still only at the proposal stage. If it is adopted, "all new private cars, buses and light commercial vehicles" will be zero-emission from 2025. The sale of gas-powered and diesel-powered heavy transport will be phased out over a longer period.

The chances of the proposal becoming law is quite high, as Norway is already introducing a series of environmentally-friendly policies. Its capital city, Oslo, will ban all privately-owned cars from its roads by 2019, the exceptions being those carrying disabled passengers and vehicles transporting goods to stores.

24 percent of all new cars sold in the Scandanavian country are electric, giving Norway the highest EV market penetration per capita in the world. For comparison, just 0.66 percent of new cars in the US are electric.

Another nation looking to move entirely to zero-emission vehicles is India. The country's power minister has announced plans for all cars in the country to be electric by 2030.
(Photo : LG Electronics Germany | Facebook) LG is gearing up to roll out "X-Men"-themed smartphones in July. Six smartphones from the LG X-series - including two yet-to-be-released smartphones - will be based on popular characters such a Mystique, Quicksilver and more. (Photo : LG Germany | Facebook)

Fans of the X-Men franchise will be pleased to learn that LG is poised to launch several smartphones that are based on the popular film series.

Thanks to LG  which has an X-series of smartphones  Marvel superheroes such as Mystique, Professor X, Cyclops and more will be taking over the South Korean company's handsets.

LG is likely capitalizing on the frenzy surrounding X-Men: Apocalypse, which hit theaters in May. The themed smartphones from LG are a perfect way for the company to promote its X-series as well.

Movie-themed smartphones are not new and we reported recently that Samsung teased a Batman-themed Galaxy S7 edge. In the past Samsung has also released an Iron Man-themed Galaxy S6 edge.

The news of the OEM pushing out X-Men-themed smartphones comes courtesy of LG Electronics Germany, which spilled the beans on its Facebook page via promotional posters, giving a peek into what the company has in store.

Curious which LG smartphones from the X-series are in for an X-Men makeover? The new LG X Style and LG X Power will be getting the Mystique and Professor X themes, respectively. The former boasts "fabulously flawless looks" and the latter "long-lasting power."

The LG X Screen gets the Nightcrawler theme and the company raves about the phone's "agile and swift" aspect. The LG X Cam gets treated with Cyclops who is synonymous with "extraordinary vision."

These four LG smartphones are not the only ones getting a splash of Marvel love as the company will also be releasing two yet-to-be-announced devices with the X-Men theme. These are the LG X Mach and the LG X Max, which are based on the characters Quicksilver and Beast, respectively.

The X-Men-themed smartphones from LG are reportedly set to go on sale in the United States, Europe and Latin America in July this year. The exact release date and pricing of the smartphones are not known.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Underneath a town in New Zealand, a new volcano might very slowly be growing.

Such was the suggestion inferred from a previously unknown magma chamber discovered by a team of scientists in the coastal town of Matata, which is about 120 miles southeast of Auckland.

Researchers say the huge magma chamber could also explain the recent swarm of earthquakes that shook the town in recent years. Although experts do not expect drastic events or an eruption anytime soon, they say the chamber contains enough magma to fill 80,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Ian Hamling, lead author of the report and a geophysicist from GNS Science, says there is no need to panic. However, it is likely that lots of bodies of magma are "dotted" throughout the crust.

What was remarkable about the study is that there are no active volcanoes near Matata. He says it is quite unusual to detect magma in an area where there are no volcanoes.

"It was quite a big surprise," says Hamling.

Something's Rising

Thanks to modern equipment, the researchers were able to accurately measure horizontal and vertical changes in the coastal land.

Hamling and his colleagues at GNS Science investigated ground motions in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) by using radar data from different satellites, including data from the defunct Envisat of the European Space Agency.

The TVZ runs down the center of North Island in New Zealand, which has seen 25 massive eruptions in the past 1.6 million years. Today, the region possesses spectacular volcanic features, such as bubbling hot pots and frequent eruptions at Whakaari.

Previous studies have found that much of the TVZ was sinking or subsiding, which is anticipated because magma drains from an underground chamber.

However, one area to the west along the Bay of Plenty coast appeared to be rising, researchers say. Hamling says at that time, they dismissed it because they were focused on looking for volcanic features.

The team did take a closer look later. They took in data from global positioning stations and geodetic surveys that dated back from the 1950s.

Scientists found that the ground near Matata had risen by 5 millimeters (0.19 inches) per year in the 1950s, but that the growth rate doubled to about 12 millimeters (0.47 inches) per year beginning in the mid-2000s. It has since dipped back to the lower rate, they said.

Link To Earthquakes

A period of sudden rise in the land between 2004 and 2011 most likely generated thousands of small earthquakes, which scientists previously thought were caused by tectonic shifts. Hamling says the quakes are also likely triggered by magma stressing and breaking rock.

The magma remained 6 miles below the surface, which is deep enough that Hamling says it wouldn't develop into a volcano within his lifetime. The volcano could either rise after hundreds or thousands of years, or the magma chamber would eventually cool and harden.

Meanwhile, researchers say their findings would allow them to develop a warning signal for the town of Matata, which has a population of 650 people.

Details of the study are featured in the journal Science Advances.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The European Commission has approved the world's first gene therapy for children. The new treatment  Strimvelis  is designed for children with severe combined immunodeficiency or ADA-SCID.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)'s new Strimvelis therapy requires the removal of stem cells from a patient's bone marrow. These stem cells are then genetically fixed in a test tube before reintroducing it to the body.

For the first time, a commercially available treatment was granted approval to use gene-repairing methods to treat a disorder. The successful clinical trials also helped in making Strimvelis available within Europe.

"What we are talking about is ex vivo gene therapy - you pull out the cells, correct them in test tube, and put the cells back. If you want to fix a disease for life, you need to put the gene in the stem cells," said Stanford University scientist and pediatrician Maria-Grazia Roncarolo, who led the trials in Milan.

In the Strimvelis clinical trials, researchers were able to document a 100 percent survival rate among the 18 child patients who were followed up between 2.3 and 13.4 years.

This suggested that the new gene therapy can successfully replace the faulty gene with functioning copies with virtually no side effects.

"I would be hesitant to call it a cure. Although there's no reason to think it won't last," said GSK gene therapy development head Sven Kili.

The results of the clinical trials are published in the journal Blood.

Every year, about 15 patients in Europe are diagnosed with ADA-SCID, which stems from a defective gene inherited from both parents. This faulty gene prevents ADA (adenosine deaminase) protein production, which is needed to create the white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Prior to the new treatment, ADA-SCID cure includes a bone marrow transplant, which is a very risky procedure. Another option would be a life-long enzyme replacement therapy.

ADA-SCID is associated with the X-linked SCID, which has been dubbed as the "bubble boy" disease because a child patient in the United States had to live inside a plastic shield to protect him from bacteria and viruses.

The condition can become fatally dangerous to affected children and can leave babies with virtually no defense mechanism against viruses or bacteria.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
American Airlines is dropping Gogo as its in-flight Internet provider after launching a lawsuit against the company for its slow services, replacing it with ViaSat.

ViaSat will be providing connectivity to the newest fleet of American Airlines made up of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Gogo, the market leader for in-flight Internet services, uses slower air-to-ground connections compared to the high-capacity satellite networks utilized by ViaSat. ViaSat already caters to Virgin America and JetBlue, among other carriers in the United States, and it is adding American Airlines to its list of customers.

Gogo used to provide 10 Mbps of bandwidth for American Airlines passengers to share, which is prone to a slowdown if many users get on the network at once. In comparison, ViaSat will be able to deliver 12 Mbps to each passenger on the airplane.

"Our satellite bandwidth enables an 'at home' internet experience that can serve everyone on the plane - and empowers innovative business models for airlines and their passengers," said ViaSat CEO and chairman Mark Dankberg in the statement announcing the selection of the company as American Airlines' new internet service provider.

The new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are expected to be delivered to American Airlines beginning next year, with at least 100 units being added to the carrier's fleet by 2022. The entry of these airplanes into American Airlines coincides with the launch of two new ViaSat 3 satellites, with each one capable of providing a network capacity of 1 Tbps. This capacity is about the same as that of all commercial satellites currently operating combined.

Gogo will still have a partnership with American Airlines, though, as it will still be providing Internet services for a significant number of the carrier's fleet, including 134 Airbus planes. American Airlines, however, has a contract option to drop Gogo's ground-based Internet service covering 550 of the 1,100 planes outfitted at any time.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists produced "polymer opals" that scatter light in intense colors. These intriguing materials change colors when stretched or twisted.

Stretching the new material will transform its color into the color spectrum's blue range while compressing it will shift it towards the red range. Releasing the material will coax it back to its original, starting color.

University of Cambridge researchers also managed to manufacture these materials on industrial scales. This suggested that the new materials can have a wide range of applications from banknote security features to smart clothing.

Other potential applications could include heat-reflective coatings for buildings, footwear and packaging.

For the study, they utilized a new technique called Bend-Induced-Oscillatory-Shearing (BIOS) to produce hundreds of meters of polymer opals.

Some of nature's brightest colors including the ones in butterflies and opal gemstones can be traced to their innate microstructures that follow a systematic order. This is what the Cavendish Laboratory-based researchers tried to artificially recreate.

"Finding a way to coax objects a billionth of a meter across into perfect formation over kilometer scales is a miracle. But spheres are only the first step, as it should be applicable to more complex architectures on tiny scales," said senior author Professor Jeremy Baumberg.

Producing the polymer opals started with growing barrels of transparent plastic nano-spheres. Each of these plastic nano-spheres has a solid core and a sticky exterior.

The team allowed these nano-spheres to dry out into a gelatinous mass. The team bent sheets that contain a sandwich of these nano-spheres using successive rollers, which then produced systematically-arranged stacks.

The research team changed the sizes of the initial nano-spheres to create different colors. The material's rubber band-like consistency allows the spaces between the nano-spheres to change. This causes the material to change colors when stretched or twisted.

"It's wonderful to finally understand the secrets of these attractive films," said lead author and Ph.D. student Qibin Zhao.

Cambridge Enterprise is helping to look for commercial opportunities for the new material. So far, over 100 companies have reached out to the University's commercialization arm.

The research was published in the Nature Communications journal on June 3.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
T-Mobile prepaid subsidiary MetroPCS is apparently gearing up to launch the Samsung Galaxy On5 in the United States, according to a newly leaked pricing grid.

Samsung released its budget-friendly Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 in China back in October 2015, but the handsets never reached markets outside of Asia. MetroPCS, however, seems to think that the U.S. could use another affordable Galaxy smartphone and wants to offer the Galaxy On5 starting later this month.

PocketNow obtained a confidential MetroPCS "pricing grid" for the second quarter of this year and says it comes from a trusted source. Based on these leaked scheme, the prepaid carrier plans to add the Galaxy On5 to its lineup on June 27, at a dirt-cheap price of $60.

Despite the low price, however, the Galaxy On5 is still a capable handset that should offer a more-than-decent performance on a budget. The smartphone features a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels and packs an Exynos 3475 quad-core processor under the hood, paired with Mali-T720 graphics and 1.5 GHz of RAM.

This combo may not deliver a stellar performance or handle intensive applications, but it should nonetheless be able to handle regular tasks and apps.

Other specifications include an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel selfie cam, 3G / 4G LTE cellular connectivity and a 2,600 mAh battery to keep everything up and running. The handset should last for up to 15 hours of 3G talk time and up to 49 hours of music play.

The Samsung Galaxy On5 will reportedly join MetroPCS' portfolio alongside the LG Stylo 2, which launched in Taiwan as the LG Stylus 2 Plus. The LG handset will launch on the same June 27 date as the Galaxy On5 but at a higher price of $150. According to PocketNow, the two will replace the LG G Stylo and the Galaxy S6, respectively.

Having the modestly specced Galaxy On5 replace the former Galaxy S6 flagship sounds quite odd to say the least, but the MetroPCS Galaxy S6 did reach its end of life a few weeks ago. Other devices that will reportedly leave the carrier's lineup soon include the Galaxy Grand Prime, the ZTE Obsidian and the Kyocera Hydro Wave.

MetroPCS has yet to offer any official comment or statement regarding its future device plans, however, so it's best to take this report with a grain of salt for now. As always, we'll keep you posted on any new developments.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ziox Mobile Announces Zi5003 At Rs 4,990 | TechTree.com

Ziox Mobile has recently announced the launch of its latest Smartphone, the Zi5003 embodying the spirit of supreme performance at an affordable price point of Rs. 4990/-. Packed with state of the art features in an aesthetically appealing design, the entry level Zi5003 allows you to do much more with your phone!

Housed in an attractive body and designed for ease of functioning, the Dual SIM smartphone enjoys seamless multitasking with highly advanced 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor. Enjoy increased efficiency, higher performance, high browsing speed and smooth multitasking even on the go.

Its 5 FWVGA display with a terrifically responsive and smooth capacitive touch makes the viewing experience from all screening angles, bringing in outstanding quality supported by superior graphics. Further driven by 512 MB RAM + 4 GB ROM storage,expandable up to 32 GB, and running on Android 5.1 Lollipop.

On the camera front, the Zi5003 comes loaded with 5 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera. Also, the device is backed by a 2,000 mAh battery.

Mr. Vikas Jain (Managing Director- Ziox Mobiles), said for the launch, In our endeavor to have a product line-up which connotes Matlab Ki Baat, we are pleased to include the Zi5003 in our stable which will appeal to our consumers who enjoy a phone for its richness of features.

Adding significance at the budgeted prices, the Zi5003 comes installed with several pre-loaded features including Gesture Control and Smart Wake. Weave magic with smart gestures that allows one to access apps while the phone is still locked by just drawing the pre-defined designs assigned to your most accessed apps.

Connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth, free navigation with GPRS and A-GPS USB along with the media functions which incorporates FM Radio, mp3 Player and multi-file format support for videos. Explore whole new possibilities that open with the Ziox Zi5003 in your hands.

Available in Slate Black, Rose Gold & Rich Blue colors along with a 12 month warranty, the product is already available at leading retail stores.

TAGS: Ziox Mobiles
A 40 anos de Malvinas

"Revisar el pasado es pensar el futuro". La frase de la presidenta de Telam, Bernarda Llorente, resume el espiritu del documental coproducido entre la agencia de noticias y el canal publico de TV sobre la cobertura que los medios de comunicacion hicieron del conflicto, plagada de censura y mentiras. Una autocritica necesaria para mirar hacia adelante en un (ya viejo) contexto de fake news y negocio informativo.
El congresista Democrata, Filemon Vela, representante del Distrito 34 de Texas, dio a conocer una fuerte carta que escribio al candidato Republicano, Donald Trump.

En la misiva fechada al 6 de junio, Filemon Vela, califica de racista a Trump. Despidiendose con una ultima linea diciendo:

Sr. Trump, usted es un racista y puede tomar su pared en la frontera y metersela en el trasero.

El Congresista Filemon Vela, confirmo que escribio la carta en la frustracion por la retorica de Donald Trump.

Aqui la carta completa:

June 6, 2016

Donald Trump

725 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Dear Mr. Trump,

As the United States Representative for the 34th Congressional District of Texas, I do not disagree with everything you say. I agree that the United States Government has largely failed our veterans, and those of us who represent the people in Congress have the obligation to rectify the Veterans Administrations deficiencies. I also believe that the Mexican government and our own State Department must be much more aggressive in addressing cartel violence and corruption in Mexico, especially in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. And clearly, criminal felons who are here illegally should be immediately deported. There might even be a few other things on which we can agree.

However, your ignorant anti-immigrant opinions, your border wall rhetoric, and your recent bigoted attack on an American jurist are just plain despicable.

Your position with respect to the millions of undocumented Mexican workers who now live in this country is hateful, dehumanizing, and frankly shameful. The vast number of these individuals work in hotels, restaurants, construction sites, and agricultural fields across the United States. If I had to guess, your own business enterprises either directly or indirectly employ more of these workers than most other businesses in our country. Thousands of our businesses would come to a grinding halt if we invoked a policy that would require "mass deportation" as you and many of your supporters would suggest. That is precisely why the Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce agrees that these workers deserve a national immigration policy that would give them a pathway to citizenship.

While you would build more and bigger walls on the U.S.-Mexico border, I would tear the existing wall to pieces. No doubt Mexico has its problems, but it is also our third-largest trading partner. U.S. Chamber of Commerce has documented that this trade relationship is responsible for six million jobs in the United States. In 2015, the U.S. imported $296 billion in goods from Mexico while exporting $235 billion in products manufactured in this country to Mexico. The Great Wall of China is historically obsolete, and President Ronald Reagan famously declared, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall  " while urging the Soviet Union to destroy the barrier that divided West and East Berlin. Why any modern-thinking person would ever believe that building a wall along the border of a neighboring country, which is both our ally and one of our largest trading partners, is frankly astounding and asinine.

I should also point out that thousands of Americans of Mexican descent that you mistakenly refer to as Mexicans have valiantly served the United States in every conflict since the Civil War. While too numerous to list, let me educate you about a few of these brave Medal of Honor recipients:

Master Sergeant Jose Lopez, from my own hometown of Brownsville, Texas, fought in World War II. Lopez was awarded the United States highest military decoration for valor in combat - the Medal of Honor - for his heroic actions during the Battle of the Bulge, in which he single handedly repulsed a German infantry attack, killing at least 100 enemy troops. If you ever run into Kris Kristofferson, ask him about Jose Lopez because as a young man Mr. Kristofferson recalls the 1945 parade honoring Sergeant Lopez as an event he will never forget.

In 1981, President Reagan presented Master Sergeant Roy Benavides with the Medal of Honor for fighting in what has been described as 6 hours in hell. In Vietnam, Sergeant Benavides suffered 37 separate bullet, bayonet and shrapnel wounds to his face, leg, head and stomach while saving the lives of eight men. In fact, when awarding the honor to Benavides, President Reagan, turned to the media and said, if the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it.

You have now descended to a new low in your racist attack of an American jurist, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, by calling him a Mexican simply because he ruled against you in a case in which you are being accused of fraud, among other accusations. Judge Curiel is one of 124 Americans of Hispanic descent who have served this country with honor and distinction as federal district judges. In fact, the first Hispanic American ever named to the federal bench in the United States, Judge Reynaldo G. Garza, was also from Brownsville, Texas, and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Before you dismiss me as just another Mexican, let me point out that my great-great grandfather came to this country in 1857, well before your own grandfather. His grandchildren (my grandfather and his brothers) all served our country in World War I and World War II. His great-grandson, my father, served in the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, was one of the first Mexican federal judges ever appointed to the federal bench.

I would like to end this letter in a more diplomatic fashion, but I think that you, of all people, understand why I cannot. I will not presume to speak on behalf of every American of Mexican descent, for every undocumented worker born in Mexico who is contributing to our country every day or, for that matter, every decent citizen in Mexico. But, I am sure that many of these individuals would agree with me when I say: Mr. Trump, youre a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass.

Sincerely,

Filemon Vela

Member of Congress
The Venezuelan government expects the immediate release of the plane held in Argentina after the release of its 19 crew members; the foreign minister of this Caribbean nation, Carlos Faria,... | Read More
Nick Francis, chairman at Casual Films, urges corporate filmmakers to be proud of their creativity

We are astoundingly lucky to be able to call ourselves filmmakers. Pretty much everything about the filmmaking process is great: the blow of finger warming coffee on a predawn call; the flashes of inspiration made beautifully, satisfyingly tangible; working in strange locations with even stranger people. Its not the worlds most valuable, or most lucrative job, but it just might be the best.



So why are we corporate filmmakers cagey about it? Why do freelance portfolios neglect to include work sullied with the term? Corporate can match advertising for creativity, cinema for production quality and television for drama, so why are we furtive about it? Of course, there are dodgy fringe examples, but no more than in the late night depths of the other disciplines. It seems to be the residual fugg of a name that has meant many things over the years.

During its golden age in the middle of the 20th century, Industrial filmmaking in the UK had a strong, global reputation. Many famous filmmakers of the time, including father of documentary, John Grierson honed their craft making films for companies.

With the recessions of the 1970s and the advent of the videotape, things changed. Cheaper production and distribution lead to business television  dry corporate comms, guzzle fed to captive audiences in magnolia washed offices. Creativity became redundant, money and talent moved on; quality plummeted.

By the late 90s a new breed, chief among them the Edge Picture Company, began to bring a new creative rigour to the corporate sphere. But, if it was technology that ushered in corporates dark age, it is technology that has provided its renaissance. Three key things happened in the mid-noughties: Cameras moved from shoulder to palm, prices from Porsche to Piaggio equivalent; Domestic computers began to run editing and graphics programmes; broadband made the Internet a medium for film.



The most powerful comms medium known to man had a new home and a billion new proponents. Anyone with a website (pretty much everyone) needed a video. By any metric  engagement, reaction, future recollection  video makes the online experience more effective. As brands understood this they needed video more than ever. Where did the new wave of commissioners look for the work? The creative corporate companies that were lithe enough to react and resourceful enough to flourish.

The restricted logistics actually lead to the levels of creativity we see across the industry. Simply, commissioners are less likely to lose their jobs over a lower budget project  less micromanagement means better work. Combined with a growing understanding of the expanding list of tools available  interactive, 360, VR, drones, geotagging, GoPro, digital / app integration  makes this the most exciting time ever to be a corporate filmmaker.

We have only just begun to see what the sector is capable of. Advertising budgets are moving online, the advertising agency model is holed pretty close to the waterline, brands are becoming broadcasting channels  commissioning ever more TV type content. The world of film is changing and moving. Corporate sits where these macro-movements meet.

So, whether we need a rebrand, a new name, or just a new way of thinking about ourselves, the time it should happen is now.

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Vietnam will need more than VND26.2 trillion (US$1.16 billion) to upgrade its airports over the next two years and service fees may be increased to provide funding for the project, according to local media.

Nearly 30 percent of the estimated cost will be funded by the state to make sure local airports are capable of meeting future passenger growth, news website Thoi Bao Tai Chinh Vietnam reported, citing Dao Viet Dung, deputy general director of state-controlled Airports Corporation of Vietnam.

The company, which manages 22 airports around the country, will cover the rest, he said.

In order to fund the upgrades, the company will seek the transport ministry's permission to increase service fees for domestic flights, such as runway and passenger surcharges, Dung said.

At the moment, such fees for international flights are around 2.5-8 times higher than those for domestic flights, he said. Details about the possible fee hikes have not been disclosed.

The Airports Corporation, which saw a 2.37 percent revenue increase to over VND11.87 trillion last year, earlier reported that with the exception of Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai, the other 20 airports have been making losses or have barely broken even.

With 13 subsidiaries, mostly operating in ground services, the company raised $51.6 million from selling a 3.47 percent stake in an initial public offering at the end of last year.

It is expected to earn at least another VND2.2 trillion ($98.1 million) from the upcoming sale of a 7.4 percent stake to France's Aeroport de Paris. Under the government's plan, ACV will have to sell more shares to private investors until the state ownership falls to around 75 percent.

Vietnam's air market is forecast to see a rise of 19 percent to 45 million passengers this year.
Pangolins found at a house rented by Vo Ta Dung in Binh Duong Province on December 26, 2015. Photo credit: Trung Kien/Dan Tri

Police have arrested a man in the southern province of Binh Duong for allegedly possessing 11 pangolins he planned to sell for their meat.

Vo Ta Dung was arrested on charges of violating wildlife protection regulations, according to media reports.

On December 26 the environment police had caught two other men, Nguyen Van Huan and Vo Ta Dung, the arrestees nephews, carrying three pangolins weighing 19kg on a street in District 12.

A subsequent raid of Dungs house in Binh Duong led to the seizure of eight more pangolins.

Dung said he came from his native Ha Tinh Province to Binh Duong in August and rented a house to live in and store pangolins.

He hired Dung and Huan to transport the animals.

On December 26 Dung agreed to buy three pangolins from Tran Thi Tien for VND45.7 million (US$2,032). His nephews were caught when they were transporting the animals bought from Tien.

At the police station Tien admitted to selling them and handed over another pangolin she had.

The police decided not to arrest Tien because she is taking care of her baby.

Wildlife trading remains a problem in Vietnam.

On Tuesday, Action for Wildlife Organization announced plans to survey young peoples attitude toward wildlife protection.

The wildlife nonprofit seeks to improve local youths' awareness of protecting the countrys wildlife and biodiversity through a program to be developed based on the survey findings.

Last week another NGO, Wildlife At Risk, organized several activities for students and tourists on Phu Quoc Island to raise awareness of protecting the dugong and the environment in the beautiful island district.
Customs officers at Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat Airport have seized a total of 1.2 tons of the narcotic stimulant khat in five separate cases recently.

The latest case was detected on June 4 when the agency in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security seized 336kg in cargo sent to a company in Binh Thanh District.

The company, whose name was not disclosed, had declared the consignment from Kenya as tea leaves.

On May 25 customs seized 170kg sent to the same company.

Two other seizures were made on May 17 and 29 of 510 kg sent to a company in District 1 and a man in Dong Nai Province.

Investigators said the leaves were set to be smuggled to the US, Australia and European countries.

On May 18 a HCMC company managed to obtain a license from the Plant Inspection Department to export 34 kg of khat leaves to the US by declaring the consignment as henna leaves.

But it was seized at Tan Son Nhat airport.

Police are investigating the smuggling cases.

A police official who asked not to be named estimated the market value of 1.2 tons of khat leaves at more than US$2.2 million.

Khat leaves contain psychoactive ingredients cathine and cathinone, which are similar to amphetamines.

When chewed, they cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. But users, after the high, can become depressed, experience loss of appetite and sleep disorder.
Authorities in Malaysia are looking for 20 Vietnamese women who reportedly left their husbands in Malaysia and might have returned to Vietnam with their children.

Michael Chong, Public Complaints Bureau Chief at the Malaysian Chinese Association, said at a press conference Monday that there has been no trace of the women or their children in Malaysia.

Chong said, as cited by Free Malaysia Today, that Vietnam Foreign Affairs director Le Phu Hoa has agreed to try to locate the women and children.

But he said all search efforts will be made on humanitarian grounds.

We understand the importance of a mothers love, so we will not side with anyone and will not attempt to separate mother and child. We only want to bring them together so they can discuss among themselves how best to resolve the issue, he said.

The children are Malaysian citizens, he added.

He said many of the women were married to Malaysian men via matchmaking agents who charged between RM18,000 and RM25,000 (US$4,400-6,100).

Many of the women could have run away because their husbands are too old, Chong said.

His unit plans to seek support from Vietnamese media as well as the matchmakers.
Police in the South Korean port city of Busan on Wednesday said they have arrested three people who attempted to smuggle 100 Vietnamese into the city by sea.

The trio, aged 52 to 60, tried to lease a 500-ton cargo ship to smuggle all the illegal immigrants from Vietnam into Busan, the Korea Times quoted the municipal Police Agency as saying.

They had earlier colluded with a group of brokers in Vietnam in the plot, police said, adding that the Korean trio receives 8 million won (US$6,500) for every Vietnamese they could successfully bring over.

In total, the group of three could have made around $490,000 if they had managed to smuggle all 100 Vietnamese into their country, after spending $160,000 to hire the ship and crew.

The oldest member of the trio, identified only as S., was also wanted on charges of smuggling around 100 Chinese men into the country in an earlier case. Another also faces charges for bringing nine Koreans into Japan illegally in March, police said in a statement, adding that further investigations are ongoing.

Earlier this month, authorities in the resort island Jeju arrested 33 Vietnamese among 59 tourists who allegedly disappeared after arriving on a trip in January. Two brokers, both are Vietnamese, were also arrested for allegedly helping the fleeing tourists overstay and work illegally on the island.
A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday sentenced four people to up to one and a half years in jail for trafficking pangolins.

Vo Ta Dung, 54, had the longest jail term. Two of his accomplices received five months and 11 days, which was the detention period, and were released after the trial. The other got a suspended sentence of one year.

The operation was busted last December when two members were caught driving three Manis javanica, a pangolin species native to Southeast Asia which has been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered.

Vietnam treats the animal as a protected species and bans its use for commercial purposes.

The group said they were hired by Dung from September 2015 to transport pangolins bought from hunters in Ho Chi Minh City to a storage in the neighboring Binh Duong Province.

From there, the gang has delivered at least 12 pangolins to buyers in northern Vietnam, police found.

Pangolins, also known as anteaters, are facing high threats as its meat is considered a delicacy by some while its scales are used to make boots and shoes. The scales are also used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat conditions such as psoriasis and poor circulation, despite the lack of adequate scientific evidence.
A photo of Aiden Webb, 23, who was reportedly gone missing near Sa Pa for four days. Photo credit: Lisa Shaw Webb

A British woman is seeking help in searching for her nephew who has gone missing while trekking in the mountains near Sa Pa in northwestern Vietnam.

Lisa Shaw Webb said Aiden Webb was last seen last Thursday.

He went trekking in the mountains in northwest Vietnam near Sapa and I lost contact with him after he fell and got lost, she wrote on fundraising page GoFundMe.

He is injured and has been gone for two nights and three days.

Lisa Webb has contacted the local police and they have men searching for Aiden in the mountains.

Please could everyone share this picture as he has lots of friends who travel in this area? The quicker we get his out, the quicker he can be found, Lisa wrote in her Facebook page and the entry has been shared more than 33,000 times.

Her pleas have elicited many responses, including from some in Vietnam who said they saw him.

She contacted someone who said they saw him, but unfortunately the pictures they sent her were not his, she said.

Aiden's father and uncle are expected to arrive in Vietnam Tuesday morning.
Police in Hong Kong and mainland China arrested 42 people including illegal Vietnamese immigrants and the gangsters who smuggled them in during raids last Wednesday.

The mainland police caught 31 in hideouts in Guangzhou and Shenzhen while Hong Kong officers arrested 11 others.

The exact number of Vietnamese nationals arrested is unclear yet. But police said there were at least five Vietnamese among the core members of the gang, the South China Morning Post reported.

Preliminary investigation found the gang had been in operation for a year and smuggled more than 100 Vietnamese into Hong Kong.

The illegals would be taken to Guangxi Province from Vietnam by land for HK$30,000 (US$3,900) each. They would hide in Guangzhou and Shenzhen before going to Hong Kong by speedboat.

The police said the racket has been under investigation since March.

The report cited a police source as saying that the illegal immigrants were given fake identity cards to find jobs, mostly at construction sites.

The investigation is continuing, and there can be more arrests, the police said.

The number of Vietnamese illegal immigrants arrested in Hong Kong has dropped from 189 a month last year to 112 now, the report said, citing official data.
The Ho Chi Minh City police are looking for a man suspected to have impersonated a police officer to steal an American tourists bag.

Kumar Bloomstein, 23, was riding a motorbike in District 2 Thursday afternoon when a man approached him, introduced himself as a criminal investigator and said he suspected Bloomstein was involved with drugs.

He ordered the American to come along to a police station, and when they approached one on Mai Chi Tho Street, the man told Bloomstein to leave his bag and go fetch his passport to prove he was in Vietnam legally.

The tourist went to his hotel in District 1, but when he returned the man had disappeared with his bag, which contained two tablets and a camera.

The robbery happened two days after a German tourist was robbed in a similar manner in the same area.

The police have not arrested the suspect in the first case yet, and it is still not clear if it was just the same person.

Vietnams tourism market has seen a strong recovery this year, with a 20 percent increase in foreign arrivals in the first five months.

Ho Chi Minh City hopes to welcome 5.1 million foreign visitors this year, up from 4.7 million last year, but safety issues could make that goal hard to achieve.

A Moroccan man was stabbed late last month while fighting off two men who snatched his wifes purse in the city. He is recovering.
A worker cuts a tree in front of an office building at a business district in Tokyo, Japan, May 18, 2016.

When Fumiko Kasai returned to work a decade ago she found Japan's job market was very different to the one she had left in the 1980s to raise her four children.

Kasai, who had enjoyed a well-paid full-time job with a car firm before giving up work when she married, is now a temporary worker at a butcher's. Earning 200,000 yen ($1,835) a month, her hourly pay is around half that of a full-time worker doing the same job.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has put tackling Japan's labor inequality at the center of his policy agenda as the number of temporary workers hits a record high, posing a challenge to his "Abenomics" stimulus package ahead of a summer election.

"At first I saw nothing strange about a housewife doing a low-paid part-time job," 59-year-old Kasai said.

"But no matter how hard I worked, my salary would not rise much even as I bear the responsibility as a team leader. I don't want employers to treat temporary workers as cheap labor force for the sake of cutting personnel costs."

With part-time and temporary workers now making up about 40 percent of the labor force, Abe vows to adopt an "equal pay for equal work" scheme, forcing firms to pay the same wage for workers doing the same job.

Abe is counting on the plan - a centerpiece of a mid-year raft of policy announcements - to boost flagging consumption and win votes ahead of a July upper house election.

The move follows his decision to delay a scheduled sales tax hike by two-and-a-half years, putting his plans for fiscal reform on the back burner amid stubborn weakness in the economy.

But the plan could backfire on Japanese firms by pushing up labor costs and squeezing profits, analysts say. It also faces resistance from the businesses who would have to implement it.

"It will be a step forward towards fixing a labor gap," said Yuriko Kinoshita, a member of the Seikyo Roren representing co-op workers. "But it's hard to carry it out without support from the management and understanding from regular employees who worry about pay cuts in the name of equal pay for equal work."

Sadayuki Sakakibara, head of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, has said he would support Abe's plan, but added: "We must consider Japan's own pay system and job practice, rather than just promising the same pay for the same job."

In the Reuters Corporate Survey earlier this year only 9 percent of Japanese firms described the plan as realistic.

Lost decades

Structural reform to boost consumption and revive growth is one of the "three arrows" of Abenomics - aimed at reviving the economy after two so-called lost decades of torpor and deflation - alongside fiscal stimulus and massive monetary easing.

But Abe has so far struggled to push labor reforms that would make it easier for companies to hire and fire, due in part to opposition from unions representing full-time employees.

Meanwhile, the gap has been growing between "regular" and "non-regular" workers. The former are full-time employees with permanent contracts and pay scales based on seniority; the latter are temps, part-timers and short-term contract workers with more precarious jobs.

Before Japan's bubble burst in the early 1990s, 80 percent of workers were full-time employees with job security, and most felt middle class. Last year, the share of non-regular workers in the labor force hit a record 37.5 percent.

Suzuka Watanabe, 53, a temporary store manager at a grocery, said her pay was about 60 percent of regular workers in the same job. Watanabe took up the job three years ago when her husband died and she had to raise their teenage son by herself.

"I agree there needs to be a system in which part-timers work for a short time and flexibly," Watanabe said. "But that doesn't mean part-timers should put up with lower hourly pay than full-time workers if they do the same job with the same responsibilities."

Masaki Kuwahara, senior economist at Nomura Securities, said Japan needed to make more use of women and older workers given its dwindling labor force.

A worker opens a traffic sign above a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, Japan, May 10, 2016.

"However, it will be difficult to implement such a policy anytime soon and the hurdle is high if you attempt to force it under Japan's traditional labor system, which is based on the lifetime employment and seniority-based wage system," he said.

Cheap labor force

Overall employees' annual pay stood at 4.15 million yen as of 2014, having peaked at 4.67 million yen in 1997, reflecting a steady decline in the number of well-paid full-time workers, government data shows.

Hourly wages for part-timers stand at 56.8 percent of those for full-time workers, excluding benefits.

In France, by comparison, the ratio is 89 percent, while in Germany it is 79 percent and in Britain and Italy about 70 percent, according to data from the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training, a semi-governmental institution.

The government aims to bring the wage differential between regular and non-regular workers to the same levels as in Europe.

"Labor inequality is becoming a serious problem even as companies are raising record profits," Masahiko Shibayama, special adviser to the premier, told Reuters. "To boost consumption, we must improve treatment of non-regular workers."

Fusako Hirasawa, a single mother of a seven-year-old girl, earns 150,000 yen-a-month as a temporary worker delivering door-to-door food and groceries near Tokyo five days a week, about 70 percent of what regular employees make.

"It's quite common nowadays for women to work regardless of being married or a single mother, so I hope companies treat workers more equally," she said.
Iraqi government forces advance towards the centre of Saqlawiyah, north west of Fallujah, during an operation to regain control of the area from the Islamic State (IS) group, on June 4, 2016

The Iraqi government will investigate allegations of abuses by the security forces in the course of the operation to retake the jihadist-held city of Fallujah, a spokesman said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered the creation of a human rights committee to examine "any violation to the instructions on the protection of civilians", Saad al-Hadithi said in a televised briefing.

He said Abadi had issued "strict orders" for prosecutions to take place in the event of any abuses.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shiite cleric in Iraq, has issued guidelines intended as a form of code of conduct for forces fighting the Islamic State group and aimed at curbing abuses.

Officials including Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi have expressed concern over reports of abuses committed by the forces involved in the operation to recapture Fallujah.

Juburi spoke on Thursday of "information indicating that some violations were carried out by some members of the federal police and some volunteers against civilians".

The statement did not provide details on the alleged abuses, but urged Abadi to "look into these acts and deal with them in a strict and expeditious way".

Fallujah is a Sunni city that lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of IS's most emblematic bastions.

The Hashed al-Shaabi taking part in the Fallujah operation is an umbrella organisation that includes Sunni tribal fighters but is dominated by powerful Tehran-backed Shiite militias.

It is nominally under Abadi's authority but some of its most powerful groups answer directly to Iran.

Those groups have been repeatedly accused of fuelling sectarianism and their involvement in the Fallujah battle was seen as potentially explosive.

Hadithi reiterated Abadi's stance that the fate of the estimated 50,000 civilians still believed trapped inside the besieged city was given utmost priority.

"The operation to liberate Fallujah could have been completed in days but we put the safety of civilians first," the spokesman said.

Iraqi forces launched an offensive to retake the jihadist bastion on May 22-23. After a week of shaping operations, they have since struggled to break into the city centre.

The UN's top envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, also said in a statement that Iraq should "thoroughly investigate" reports of human rights violations against civilians.

"This noble cause of ridding Fallujah of Daesh (IS) terrorists should not be allowed to be tarnished by violations of human rights and dignity of people, notably on sectarian grounds," he said.
The illegal mining of some of Afghanistan's most important minerals is funneling millions of dollars into the hands of insurgents and corrupt warlords, according to activists and officials who say the money is fuelling the conflict.

The mountains of Afghanistan hold as much as $1 trillion to $3 trillion in mineral resources, according to estimates by the U.S. and Afghan governments, including world-famous lapis lazuli, a deep blue, semi-precious stone that has been mined in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province for thousands of years.

"In the current circumstances, where 50 percent of the mining revenue is going to the Taliban, and before that it was going to armed groups, by any reasonable definition lapis is a conflict mineral," said Stephen Carter, a researcher for Global Witness, a non-profit watchdog that investigates the links between natural resources, corruption and conflict.

"And that means people should think very hard about buying it," he said.

Since 2014, at least 12,500 tonnes of lapis worth about $200 million have been extracted, much of it illegally or in a way that avoided nearly $30 million in government taxes, according to a report released on Monday by Global Witness.

Global Witness says not only are the Taliban continuing to profit from the illegal mining of lapis and other jewels in Badakhshan, but that senior players in the Afghan government may have direct involvement.

Among the officials Global Witness accuses of profiting from the illegal trade is former defense minister Bismillah Mohammadi, as well as several members of parliament with ties to northern Afghanistan.

A man washes lapis lazuli at his shop in Kabul, Afghanistan June 5, 2016.

A close aide to Mohammadi rejected the claims as "baseless" and an effort to defame the former minister.

Gul Mohammed Bedar, a deputy governor of Badakhshan, also denied allegations that government officials had their fingers in the illicit trade, but confirmed that the lapis mines are controlled by "illegal armed groups" as well as the Taliban, making it difficult for the government to manage.

Lapis mining was outlawed last year, but the mines now lie in a lawless region controlled by the Taliban and warlords of varying allegiances.

Much of the illegal lapis is being smuggled out through neighboring Panjshir province, according to officials, home to some of Afghanistan's most powerful players.

The mining sector across the country is plagued by corruption and conflict, with as many as 10,000 deposits estimated to be outside government control, according to a report released on Sunday by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.

"Natural resources have long played a role in conflict in Afghanistan," the report said. "This has been shown most recently in the violent conflict over the natural lapis in Badakhshan among groups of warlords who are backed by political elites in Kabul."
As China spends billions to upgrade and reorganize the People's Liberation Army, the deficiencies in competing Asia-Pacific militaries are coming into focus. And even some of China's much heralded military advances are drawing attention for their shortcomings. Here is a snapshot of some of Asia's less illustrious military kit.

BRP Sierra Madre

A shipwreck turned military outpost. Photographer: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Big Number : It reportedly costs the Philippine government 3.6 million pesos ($76,900) in fuel each time it has to resupply troops on the Sierra Madre, who are replaced every three to five months. Each mission comes with the risk of run-ins with the Chinese coast guard.

BRP Rajah Humabon

The country's oldest active warship. Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

Big Number : Maintenance of the ship which patrols the South China Seaor as Manila calls it, the West Philippine Seacan cost up to 20 million pesos ($428,000), according to government tender notices in 2012.

HTMS Chakri Naruebet

Thailand's first aircraft carrier ironically doesn't have aircraft. Photographer: Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images

Big Number : Thailand bought it for $230 million in 1997. The Spanish-made aircraft carrier's runway is too short for any aircraft other than helicopters and Harrier planes that can take off and land vertically.

WS-10 Taihang Jet Engine

The WS-10 Taihang turbofan engine on display at an air show in China. Photographer: Yang jia/Imaginechina via AP Photo

Big Number : Last year, state media reported that China earmarked $16 billion in special funding for jet engine development.

China's Aircraft Carrier

The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, was commissioned in 2012. Photographer: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images

Big Number : The carrier was bought at a bargain price of $20 million from a Ukrainian shipyard in 1998, according to media reports.

J-31 Stealth Fighters

A Shenyang J-31 fighter jet, also known as "Gyrfalcon." Photographer: VCG via Getty Images

Big Number : At a reported cost of $75 million each, the J-31 is certainly a cheap optionhalf the price of the U.S. F-35 stealth plane.

DF-26 Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile

Military vehicles carrying DF-26 ballistic missiles. Photographer: Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Big Number : The U.S. is concerned about the development of the "carrier killer." The John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier that is destined for Asia will cost about $11.5 billion, not to mention the lives of its crew of more than 4,000.

Indonesia's Hercules C-100s

Indonesian search and rescue teams work at the site of an Indonesian military C-130 Hercules aircraft crash in Medan on June 30, 2015. Photographer: Kharisma Tarigan/AFP via Getty Images

Big Number : Indonesia had at least 30 Hercules C-130s under its wing as of 2014.

USS Fort Worth

The USS Fort Worth was crippled by a botched maintenance procedure. Photographer: Bay Ismoyo/AFP via Getty Images
Ashton Carter, U.S. secretary of defense, third left, and Manohar Parrikar, India's defense minister, second right, attend a meeting at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit in Singapore, on Saturday, June 4, 2016. Photo: Bloomberg

Global defense chiefs meeting in a plush hotel in Singapore on the weekend were faced with one of Asias biggest looming security challenges, but left without any tangible sense of how to tackle it.

The elephant in the room at the Shangri-La security forum was a uninhabited shoal about 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the Philippine coast, a triangle of reef and rocks that barely stretches above high tide. Occupied by China since 2012, the Scarborough Shoal threatens to become the biggest flash point in disputes over the South China Sea.

U.S. Admiral John Richardson raised the prospect of China building on the shoal in March and the following month the U.S. sent air force planes into its vicinity. An airstrip there would add to Chinas network of runways and surveillance sites that U.S. Pacific Command chief Harry Harris said last year would create a mechanism by which China would have de facto control over the South China Sea in any scenario short of war.

The potential motivation for China to build on the shoal is a coming international arbitration ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against its South China Sea claims. China didnt take part in the hearings, arguing the tribunal lacks jurisdiction.

If the non-binding ruling is unfavorable to China, it might respond by putting structures on the shoal to give it a military outpost right on the Philippines door. Chinese Admiral Sun Jianguo said on Sunday China will not accept the tribunals ruling, expected by mid year.

While countries including the U.S. have warned China against doing so, its unclear how they might respond if it it did. Speaking at the Singapore forum, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the U.S. as an ally of the Philippines would take action, without elaborating on the consequences of a Chinese move.

Carter said on Saturday he had nothing new to say on any Chinese activities in the area around the shoal, but any actions there would be provocative and destabilizing. Southeast Asian defense chiefs avoided commenting on the possibility.

China contests more than 80 percent of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in seaborne trade passes every year, overlapping claims from the likes of Vietnam and Malaysia. It has reclaimed 3,200 acres of land on seven features in the Spratly Islands and added some military infrastructure.

Carter was very careful to choose his words to leave the impression that there would be some action taken, but not to draw any red lines, said Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. This is a critically important question, she said. I believe they want to restrict U.S. access over time.

The U.S. has been wary of setting red lines after the Obama administration promised in 2012 that if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his people he would cross one. After his regime killed at least six people and injured dozens in a chlorine gas attack, the U.S. failed to act, undermining its credibility.

Air zone

The U.S. says it doesnt take sides on the South China Sea claims, but its officials have sought to deter China from consolidating its hold over the waters. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday in Mongolia the U.S. would consider the establishment of an air defense identification zone over the area to be provocative and destabilizing, repeating Carters phrase.

China declared an ADIZ over part of the East China Sea in 2013, where it claims islands contested by Japan. Analysts consider China as yet unequipped to patrol such a zone over the South China Sea, but the possibility it might one day do so has spooked countries that border the waters.

To deter China from installing more military equipment on the Spratlys, the U.S. since October has sent warships three times within the 12 nautical mile zone around several artificial islands China has created, to demonstrate the right to transit what it considers international territory.

The South China Seas freedom of navigation hasnt been impeded because of the territorial disputes, Admiral Sun said in a speech Sunday. If freedom of navigation is undermined then China would not be to blame.

Exclusion zone

Chinas foreign ministry says it has the right to build on the features because they are its indisputable territory and its mainly to provide civilian services like search and rescue. Still, security analysts are concerned China will continue taking actions that are too minor to prompt a response, but which over time equate to substantial change.

"The question is whether we should allow China to establish an exclusion zone in the South China Sea, which would effectively turn it into a Chinese lake, Richard Heydarian, a professor of political science at De La Salle University in Manila, said on the sidelines of the forum. Who knows what happens down the road, he said. China may impose restrictions on other countries, depending on what is its whim.

For the moment, it isnt likely that China will rush to build on Scarborough, according to Luo Yuan, a retired PLA major general and deputy general secretary of the China Society of Military Science in Beijing.

For the time being China is trying to maintain the status quo, mainly because of the size of the project, the investment required, and the sensitivity of the issue, Luo said on the sidelines of the meeting.

But the question that remains is, should China decide to proceed, how can the U.S. and others prevent it from going ahead without risking setting off a full-scale conflict.

I would like to think that what Carter said was a polite way of publicly alluding to a red line that has been privately communicated, Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said on the sidelines of the forum.

Nothing will roll back their physical presence but if China doesnt achieve some kind of de facto extension of authority as a consequence of the island building, then that is still a significant effect that the international community has achieved.
China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) as US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew looks on during the opening session of the US - China Strategic and Economic Dialogues, in Beijing, on June 6, 2016

President Xi Jinping said China and the US needed to trust each other more as both sides sought to minimise tensions over the South China Sea at the opening Monday of key annual talks in Beijing.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital sea despite competing claims by several Southeast Asian neighbours, and has rapidly built artificial islands suitable for military use.

Washington has responded by sending warships close to Chinese claimed reefs, angering Beijing.

"China and the US need to increase mutual trust," Xi said at the opening of the annual strategic dialogue, calling for redoubling of efforts for the two powers to manage conflicts and avoid "strategic misjudgement".

"Some disputes may not be resolved for the time being," he said, but both sides should take a "pragmatic and constructive" attitude towards those issues.

"The vast Pacific should be a stage for cooperation, not an area for competition," he said.

Speaking for the US, Secretary of State John Kerry called for a "diplomatic solution" to the problem.

"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute in the South China Sea and oppose any country resolving claims through unilateral action", he said, referring to China's increasingly aggressive expansion in the area.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims in the South China Sea, which encompasses vital global shipping routes and is believed to have significant oil and gas deposits.

Manila accuses China of taking effective control of the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and has brought a case against Beijing to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. China has shunned the proceedings and says it will not recognise any ruling.

'Provocative act'

The Beijing talks follow an Asian security summit at the weekend where US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned that Chinese construction on the shoal would prompt unspecified "actions" by the United States and other nations.

Following Carter's comments at the Singapore meeting, Chinese Admiral Sun Jianguo said the issue had become "overheated" and said China did not fear "trouble" over its territorial disputes.

Establish an air defence identification zone over the South China Sea would be considered "a provocative and destabilising act"

Tensions mounted after the South China Morning Post reported last week Beijing could establish an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the sea -- which would require civilian aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers.

Such a move would be considered "a provocative and destabilising act", Kerry said on a trip to Mongolia Sunday.

The Beijing dialogue is perhaps the most important meeting between the world's two largest economic and military powers, giving them a chance to seek agreement and iron out disputes on a range of issues related to security and economics.

Both countries promote the event, known as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, as an opportunity to move forward issues, such as global warming, where they find easier agreement.

But the discussions are often defined by points of conflict, with increasing tensions in the South China Sea promising to overshadow this year's efforts to focus on the positive.

'Keep the pressure'

The meeting is the eighth of its kind and is set to cover a number of key issues beyond the South China Sea, including climate change, cyber-security, terrorism, trade and economic cooperation.

Among those is the question of how to handle North Korea's nuclear ambitions, an area where Kerry said it is "imperative to keep the pressure."

The North staged its fourth atomic test in January and launched a long-range rocket a month later -- widely seen as a ballistic missile test, banned under existing UN resolutions.

Beijing is Pyongyang's largest trading partner and has been its key diplomatic protector for decades. It is seen as a critical element in any plan to convince North Korea to change its behaviour.

China has seemingly lost patience with North Korea's behaviour, and it played a critical role in pushing a recent round of sanctions through the United Nations.
Rescue workers work on the roof of a passenger train after it collided with a goods train on June 5, 2016 near Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Belgium

At least three people were killed and 40 injured in a train crash in eastern Belgium, the Belga news agency reported.

A passenger train slammed into the back of a goods train on the same track at high speed, Frederic Sacre, spokesman for Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel, told AFP.

The accident occurred on the line linking Namur and Liege, close to the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, with Belga quoting the mayor of the commune on the toll.

Around 40 passengers were on board, Infrabel and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the statement said.

At least three people have been killed and 40 injured in a collision between a goods train and a passenger train in Belgium.

The front carriage was completely turned on its side, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Belga reported that the collision had been "very violent," adding that fire and police services had been sent from Liege to the scene, with several passengers having to be extracted from the wreckage.

A person who had been on board described the scene as "chaos" to the local daily newspaper L'Avenir, saying that the front two carriages had been destroyed.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear, with questions remaining over whether the passenger train was able to brake before the crash.

"The priority is to care for the victims," Infrabel and SNCB said, but added that information was already being analysed to determine how the crash took place.

A crisis centre was set up at the scene of the accident.
The ACT's Indigenous elected body says it will keep a "close watch" on an inquiry into the death of inmate Steven Freeman, while calling for more to be done support Aboriginal people in custody.

Mr Freeman, 25, was found dead in the Alexander Maconochie Centre late last month, a death that greatly affected the Indigenous community and reignited concerns about his treatment following a vicious bashing last year.

The circumstances surrounding the death of inmate Steven Freeman at Alexander Maconochie Centre are still unclear. Credit:Jay Cronan

So far, no detail about the manner of Mr Freeman's death has been released.

But the ACT government has launched an urgent, independent inquiry to probe Mr Freeman's treatment at the AMC, headed up by Philip Moss, a former anti-corruption boss who recently produced a damning report of rape and abuse at the Nauru detention centre.
"That means that fares have been falling as the benefits have been passed on to customers, but airline margins have improved." IATA forecasts global airlines will report $US39.4 billion of net profit this year. Credit:Robert Rough Operating profit margins for global airlines are expected to grow to 8.8 per cent this year, up from 3.5 per cent in 2013, but the outlook differs by region. IATA forecasts North American margins will rise to 15.4 per cent, while in Asia-Pacific they will average 8.4 per cent and in Africa will be negative 1.1 per cent. IATA has not released a 2017 forecast but aviation consultancy CAPA Centre for Aviation believes margins could peak this year. "In a cyclical industry, the good times do not last forever," CAPA says in a report.

"Margins will not continue to climb indefinitely, even if they can now reach higher peaks than previously. History suggests that peak margins are followed by a downturn and it will be a significant test for the airline industry's capacity and cost discipline to maintain margins in the region of 7 per cent or more." Achilles heel In a cyclical industry, the good times do not last forever. CAPA Centre for Aviation There was something of a consensus among the chief executives at the IATA annual meeting in Dublin last week that the oil price remains low in relative terms. Just how much the fuel price would have to creep back up to return to what is deemed "high" is less clear. "The industry can and will adapt to any fuel price," Dunkerley says. "What has proven in the past to be the Achilles heel of the industry is when we have dramatic and unexpected changes, either in demand or in fuel prices. So it really isn't just the level of fuel. It is more demand and how predictable is it and how does it roll out compared to today's projections."

During the global financial crisis the fuel price fell dramatically, but so too did air travel demand, particularly in the premium cabins that airlines rely on for an outsized proportion of revenue. The current fuel price drop for the most part hasn't harmed demand, although there are some exceptions. United Airlines' Houston hub, which is heavily reliant on the oil industry for traffic, has taken a hit. Gulf carriers such as Emirates have also experienced a decline in demand from lucrative business travel as a result of cost-cutting by oil and gas producers around the world. Qantas has hedged Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says his airline's hedging program should be sufficient to mitigate against any sharp increases in the fuel price. As of February, Qantas had already hedged 77 per cent of its fuel for the 2017 financial year, protecting it against any spikes. "What determines our ability to cope with a low or medium or high oil price is supply and demand," he says. "When you have a functional market where everybody is acting commercially, you can cope with a high oil price. You can cope with the benefit of low oil prices as well. So what we do is we give ourselves time for the market to correct. We are very well hedged."

IATA's Pearce says the period of high fuel prices had forced airlines to improve their profitability through cost-cutting measures and investment in aircraft with a lower fuel burn in a way that had set it up well for the current period. "It should give confidence if we are entering a period where fuel prices are rising or the economy is slowing there is some scope there for airlines to report an improved financial performance," he says. On average, airlines reported a 9.9 per cent return on invested capital [ROIC] last year, beating their weighted average cost of capital for the first time in decades. The average ROIC is expected to rise to 10.4 per cent this year. Short haul to growth Herdman says during the period of high fuel prices, growth in the Asia-Pacific region had been concentrated on shorter routes.

"The lower fuel prices have made the growth a bit more balanced with long-haul routes, both leisure and business both benefiting," he says. "Obviously, long-haul leisure traffic is quite sensitive to fuel prices. It is a big component of the overall cost mix." Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian said there was no doubt capacity had grown over the past few years, much of it driven by low fuel prices. Some investors, particularly in North America, have expressed concern about falling airfares. However, Bastian says it would be short-sighted to focus exclusively on average fare prices. "Demand is very strong," he says. "Fuel is stable in that $US50 [a barrel] range. It is a good place for us, and presumably the industry, to be. We are making record margins." The lower fuel price hasn't stopped airlines from taking delivery of new aircraft, and there are incentives other than the oil price to keep modernising the fleet. Newer aircraft emit less carbon, less noise and are more cost competitive in a market where full-service carriers are competing increasingly against low-cost counterparts for traffic.

Challenge for manufacturers Airbus chief operating officer Tom Williams, however, says the fall in the oil price has made it more challenging to sell A320s with a more fuel-efficient new engine option than when the price was higher. "We were lucky to build a stronger order book at a time when fuel was running against the airlines' favour," he says. Swiss chief executive Thomas Kluhr, whose airline will be the first in the world to take delivery of the next-generation Bombardier CSeries aircraft, has expressed no regrets about the cost of building a more modern fleet. "With the CSeries we will be able to reduce our operating costs significantly," he says. "I think we will see the impact on our P&L [profit and loss statement] very quickly. The CSeries will lower carbon-specific emissions by up to 20 per cent and noise emissions by up to 50 per cent."
The millennial generation wants banks to offer personalised and predictive products and allow them to control their data when they buy financial services through mobile apps, says Telstra in a new report on millennials' attitudes towards banking.

"Millennials may be the first generation to live their lives never requiring, nor engaging with, a traditional institution and only ever associating the word 'branch' with a tree," says Telstra's global industry executive for banking, finance and insurance, Rocky Scopelliti, in his Millennials, Mobiles and Money  The Forces Reinventing Financial Services report.

In banks, millennials demand speed, convenience, flexibility and customisation. Credit:Getty Images

Customised banking

To keep up with the demands of tech-savvy youth, advertising strategies will have to change and banks will have to tap a variety of data sources to ensure relevant and timely offers are delivered to prospective customers in real time, the report suggests.
Three months after pulling the plug on Homebrand, Woolworths is also taking the knife to its Select private label range as new chief executive Brad Banducci aims to restore supermarket sales growth to 4 per cent.

In a major shake-up of its private label strategy, Woolworths plans to replace Select, a mid-tier house brand positioned to compete on price and quality against national food and grocery brands, with the eponymous Woolworths label.

Launched in 2005 by former Woolworths chief executive Roger Corbett, the Select brand was priced at a 10 per cent discount to comparable national brands and covered more than 1000 products in key categories including packaged groceries and chilled foods.

Select sales grew strongly between 2006 and 2012 and the brand is estimated to generate annual sales of close to $1 billion.
It is surely time to do some serious rethinking about the nature and operation of democracy in the modern world. In the United States, Donald Trump has turned the Republican Party upside down by appealing directly to the voters and rejecting many of the principles of the party that he will represent.

Here in Australia, we continue to witness the negative consequences of factional party politics and the corruption of good government by the money of vested interests. The Australian community is disaffected and relatively uninvolved in the decisions which will determine our future.

Donald Trump has turned the Republican Party upside down by appealing directly to the voters and rejecting many of the principles of the party that he will represent. Credit:Brennan Linsley

And yet we urgently need a government that can take firm decisions, supported by the population, about a number of issues that are being largely ignored. Ian Dunlop, ("Citizens awake  we are being taken for fools") argues that the climate crisis is so important that we need a government of national unity of the kind that we had during World War II, where all parties worked together to help to win the war.

Our elections are instead about short-term appeals to the self-interest of marginal seat voters. Party politics has become all about opposing the ideas of the other party and characterising them as irresponsible or wrong. Our political representatives get to become candidates through becoming loyal servants of the party and of the groups which fund the party and its campaigns.
Of all the students preparing to go to college this fall, perhaps none have faced a more hazardous journey than a young woman named Sultana. One measure of the hazard is that I'm not disclosing her last name or hometown for fear that she might be shot.

Sultana lives in the Taliban heartland of southern Afghanistan, and when she was in the fifth grade a delegation visited her home to warn her father to pull her out of school, or else she would have acid flung in her face. Ever since, she has been largely confined to her high-walled family compound - in which she has secretly, and perilously, educated herself.

"I'm unstoppable," Sultana laughs, and it's true: She taught herself English from occasional newspapers or magazines that her brothers brought home, in conjunction with a Pashto-English dictionary that she pretty much inhaled. When her businessman father connected the house to the internet, she was able to vault over her compound walls.

"I surrounded myself with English, all day," she told me by Skype. Today her English is fluent, as good as that of some Afghan interpreters I've used.
Peter Owen, who has died aged 89, founded his own publishing house in 1951 and became a champion of the obscure, the neglected, the modern, the foreign, the difficult and the downright unpopular; yet he somehow managed to keep his head above water and maintain his independence when all about him were losing theirs.

In a country notorious for its conservative tastes, Owen championed the global avant-garde, introduced British readers to voices from Japan to Mexico, held the torch for fading reputations (Colette, Apollinaire, Gide), and broke the record for the number of Nobel prizewinners (seven, including Shusaku Endo, Octavio Paz and Cesare Pavese) on his list.

Of the 80 Peter Owen books in print in the 1990s, 50 were translations, from Norwegian, Bulgarian, Japanese, Latvian and Maghrebi, as well as French and German.

Owen was bewilderingly eclectic. He published everyone from Anais Nin, Paul Bowles and Muriel Spark in the 1950s (she was his first editor and drew a charming picture of the publishing house's early days in A Far Cry From Kensington) to Fiona Pitt-Kethley in the 1990s, with Marcel Marceau, Salvador Dali and Shere Hite in between.

His list included Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, the Norwegian novelist Tarjei Vesaas' The Ice Palace, the Hungarian Jozsef Lengyel's From Beginning to End, the Italian Cesare Pavese's A Mania for Solitude, a Romanian epic called The Uprising by Liviu Rebreanu and Hebdomenos, the only novel by the artist Giorgio de Chirico, who was born in Greece of Italian parents and wrote the novel in French.
The political and industrial situation surrounding the United Firefighters Union's protracted bid for a pay rise and changed conditions is complex and murky, but there is one pre-eminent principle that ought to shine through for everyone involved  maximising the protection of the community from fire. From that flows a second overarching principle  maximising the safety of those who protect the community from fires.

Victoria's fire fighting force is a marvellous melange of some 800 paid workers and tens of thousands of volunteers. It's an effective and crucial defence against the deadly conflagrations that come each summer. Over the years, though, there have been tensions between the small, primarily metropolitan professional force and the massive, primarily rural and regional force.

Protesters at a rally of CFA volunteers and supporters. Credit:Daniel Pockett

The Age believes the union is making a grab for power over the County Fire Authority, which co-ordinates most of the volunteers. Some of the clauses it is seeking to have in the agreement are an egregious attempt to micromanage the volunteers. The union is, in effect, putting its desire for an unreasonable degree of control ahead of the wellbeing of the community. And, as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission points out, as many as 12 of the union's ambit clauses may well contravene the Equal Opportunity Act.

One of the most perplexing aspects of the situation is the political catastrophe Premier Daniel Andrews has created by intervening. Until a few months ago, he was robustly supporting Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett, who was rightly resisting what she described as the union's "outrageous" position. Mr Andrews has made a bad situation far, far worse. By meeting privately with, and then backing, the union's secretary, Peter Marshall, the Premier not only humiliated and undermined one of his best-performing ministers, he encouraged speculation that either Mr Marshall has some clandestine leverage over Mr Andrews or Mr Andrews is craven and even incompetent in the face of militancy.
And that's neat and all, but um, given the events of certain leadership challenges circa September 2015, how hard do you want to play the "loyal" card with regards the lessons your father taught you, Malc? What's in a name? One of the people most likely to have plenty of time on his hands after the election is NSW senator David Leyonhjelm, the Liberal Democrat who was elected in 2013 on a bold platform of having been randomly chosen as the first party on the NSW senate ballot paper and having "Liberal" in the name. And sure, maybe winning that seat was all because of the excellent policies of the party and the magnetic charisma of its senator - but given that Leyonhjelm had won a mighty 89 votes running in the 2007 election under the name "The Liberty and Democracy Party", it's just possible that confusion, hastiness and pure good luck had something - or, more likely, literally everything - to do with expanding that voting base to 434,002 in 2013. Even with all that in his favour Dave won the fifth senate seat out of six, and it's unlikely that the same confluence of fortune will be applicable in 2016.

In any case, he's facing a challenging road ahead. In order to retain his seat in he's going to have to convince more than 372,000 NSW voters to put him ahead of the Coalition, Labor and the Greens. And that sounds ambitious, though not impossible. Sure, he might yet still be plonked ahead of the Liberals and thereby win more of those all-important "person in too much of a hurry to read their ballot paper properly" votes, but it's hard to imagine a huge number of preference flows going to him, even in the far-reduced influence preferences are going to exert. Not least because he rather annoyed the Sex Party and other Victorian minor parties by failing to preference them as promised in 2013 - a mistake which he has insisted was because of his confusion over today's complicated modern fax machine technology. But he could still win hearts and minds over to his quiet, dignified wisdom. Unless he does things like, say, parody Kevin Rudd's Apology to the Stolen Generations in order to complain about the existence of tax. Wow. Just just wow. "At long last we acknowledge the mistreatment of Australian taxpayers, amongst the longest suffering peoples on this land," says the grown man in a position of authority in his new online video.

"We reflect, in particular, on the systematic punishment meted out to wealth creators and of the relentless grab of their hard-earned money. On behalf of my fellow legislators, past and present, I apologise for the laws and policies of successive Coalition and Labor governments that have inflicted a profound loss of wealth on its citizens and deprived them of their liberties." And it's great to see Ley-J showing that his cultural sensitivity is at the same level as his gift for satire. It's fine to joke about a controversial topic, but you really do need to work extra hard to ensure that the joke is genuinely hilarious rather than, as Dave has managed, overlong hammering of a single unfunny premise that's pretty questionable to begin with. Sure, that's pretty much Saturday Night Live's approach - but Leyonhjelm has neither the universal name recognition nor the raunchy on-screen magnetism of, say, Taran Killam. Distractions can be distracting Then again, maybe Big Dave's had other things on his mind that have made it hard to focus on the top notch quality of previous ads like the one with the pugs eating superannuation or the one where he was smoking a mighty stogie on camera and talking about how he'll reduce tobacco taxes, somehow.
The new coastal management bill replaces a 1979 act that has been left behind by the science and increasing legal complexity, the government said.

The Baird government last month released details of its second stage of coastal reforms. Planning Minister Rob Stokes, whose Pittwater constituency was hard hit by the weekend storms, had made the changes a priority, bringing them across from his former role as environment minister.

"The problem is that you have to identify risks in order to resolve them - and we've just seen some good examples of why we need to know where they are," Mr Stokes told Fairfax Media.

He said many studies had been conducted over the years but little done to fix "wicked problems" involving people's homes exposed on the coast. "In many cases, we've know what to do do but the debates about funding have not been resolved until now," he said, adding that councils will be given the primary role from now on.

Among the changes are the creation of a NSW Coastal Council to advise the Planning Minister on issues, and a new definition of the coastal zone to identify both the areas where development is appropriate and where it should be avoided, such as in vulnerable wetlands and rainforests or hazardous areas.

In what the government claims is a world leading approach, offshore sand and other sediment buffers will be taken into account so that councils will also have to work together. Councils will be able to tap $83.6 million over five years of funding to reduce coastal risks but in exchange, their programs will be closely audited.

The impact of the latest storms was made worse by the rising sea levels. Over the past century sea levels have risen about 21cm globally as a warming world has melted glaciers and also swollen the world's oceans, and are likely to continue to rise, Dr Braganza said.
As quick as Lake George started to hold water due to torrential rain lashing the eastern half of Australia, the water subsided.

Heavy rain fuelled by an intense weather system on the NSW coast caused water to settle in the million-year-old lake for the first time in several years.

Lake George filling up on Sunday afternoon. Credit:Brook McBride

Brook McBride was returning to Canberra via the Federal Highway on Sunday afternoon when she saw the 25-kilometre long and 10-kilometre wide lake "almost full".

But by Monday afternoon the water was already starting to seep into the earth.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared himself a feminist - something Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Minister for Women Michaelia Cash have previously refused to do - and opened up about his difficult childhood on a day spent courting female voters.

"I am a feminist, yes," Mr Turnbull proclaimed twice on Monday afternoon, saying his father ingrained in him a deep respect for women and he believes they are "taking the world by storm", even in traditionally male-dominated fields.

In an unusual detour, he also paid an emotional tribute to his late father Bruce on the back of a new campaign ad focused on their relationship, rather than the Coalition's policy agenda.
While his former party works to combat the threat growing Greens support poses to Labor's chances in Griffith and Brisbane, state MP Rob Pyne has publicly endorsed a Greens candidate in his electorate warning the "duopoly should be worried".

The former Labor turned independent MP has spoken out against Queensland Labor's continued support of Queensland's mining industry since leaving the party, and while he has committed to vote with his former parliamentary colleagues on matters of "true labour values", he has deviated from the party on environmental issues.

He said that is one of the main reasons he has thrown his support behind Kurt Pudniks, The Greens candidate for the seat of Leichhardt, currently held by the Coalition's Warren Entsch, where Labor believes Sharryn Howes has a chance of nabbing the seat herself.

"Cairns is a town in desperate need of attention, and prioritisation, in the federal policy arena," Mr Pyne said.
The sky was fast plunging into darkness when a car pulled up to Amina*, and the male driver leaned out to warn about wild dogs.

The animals roam Nauru in packs and Amina, a young female refugee who was waiting for a bus home, was already terrified of being mauled.

She accepted the Nauruan man's offer of a lift, but instead of taking her home, he drove Amina to a house, ordered her inside and stripped naked.
It was a heart-wrenching moment for two best friends - one lying in a hospital bed, the other sitting by her side. One dying from breast cancer, the other promising to care for the young lives she was leaving behind.

At a hospital in Virginia, the two women started to cry.

Stephanie and Donnie Culley with most of the children.

"'Will you take my babies? Will you do this for me?'" 39-year-old Stephanie Culley, from Alton, Virginia, said her friend, Beth Laitkep, asked her. "I told her yes, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Laitkep, a single mother to six children, found out she had breast cancer in 2014, when she was pregnant with her last - a boy named Ace - Culley told The Washington Post on Saturday in a phone interview. Ace was delivered by emergency C-section at 30 weeks, she said, so that Laitkep could begin aggressive chemotherapy treatments.
Fairfax Media revealed in May that GPs were increasingly concerned companies were taking advantage of generous rebates for after hours visits and using inexperienced junior doctors to drive profits.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has called for after-hours services to be formally linked to clinics and to only see patients needing urgent care.

General practitioners want out-of-hours doctor services reined in over fears the booming sector is compromising quality and squandering scarce public health funding.

The rebate for after-hours visits classified as "urgent" is $130 to $150, compared to $55 for a non-urgent visit or $36 for a standard visit in a doctor's surgery.

Department of Health data shows $195 million was billed to the Medicare Benefits Schedule for urgent after-hours visits in 2015, compared to $90.8 million in 2010.

The college wants patients to access out-of-hours doctors through their GP and for a summary of the clinical management of a patient to be sent to the GP the next morning.

It is also calling for advertising of out-of-hours services direct to patients to stop and for the qualification benchmark for deputised GPs to be raised.

College president Frank Jones said the release of its position paper followed consultation with GPs over "the dramatic rise in the use of after hours item numbers".
"It happened really fast," recalled McGhee's only child, Melinda, a Defense Department contractor who lives in Northern Virginia. In July 2010, she spent a week at her parents' house while relatives visited from Arizona. Soon after their departure, her father's behaviour changed markedly. He began writing odd notes that he affixed to the refrigerator door. When he didn't like what his wife had made for dinner one night, he left a note on the table that said, "Don't make this again." "We thought maybe he was upset about something" Melinda recalled, adding that she and her mother initially shrugged it off. McGhee remembers little other than a feeling of overwhelming exhaustion. "I just wanted to sleep all the time," he said. Within days, Melinda McGhee said, her father began acting "like a 2-year-old." He was cranky. He could not remember why he had gone into a room or if he had just eaten. He confused day and night.

"It was scary," she recalled. "He'd want to drive, and we had to hide the car keys." She began spending as much time as possible with her parents. Her mother, born in Japan, does not drive or speak English well. So it was their daughter who communicated with doctors, drove her parents to medical appointments and acted as her father's advocate, trying with her mother to make sense of what was happening. In late July, braced by his wife and daughter because he was too weak to stand unassisted, McGhee was escorted into the office of his internist. Alarmed by his condition, the internist - who had seen McGhee the previous month for a sinus infection - sent him straight to a local emergency room. A CT scan was performed to check for a head injury or a stroke, along with an MRI scan of McGhee's brain. Based on his symptoms, doctors suspected he might have normal pressure hydrocephalus, an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that causes confusion and movement problems and can mimic dementia. The internist, who had ordered numerous blood tests, found little of significance. Because hydrocephalus was high on the list of possible diagnoses, McGhee was referred to Williams, who was then director of the hydrocephalus centre at Sinai Hospital.

Williams, who saw McGhee in mid-August, noted that his MRI showed atrophy in some areas of the brain suggestive of dementia. Hydrocephalus remained a possibility, but a form of rapidly progressive dementia, particularly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, seemed more likely. Creutzfeldt-Jakob is a rare, devastating neurological disease that typically strikes people between the ages of 60 and 65. About 300 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Few victims live longer than a year after the onset of symptoms, which include rapid deterioration in memory, judgment and coordination. The disease occurs when the normal structure of prion protein, which is found throughout the body, goes awry, destroying brain cells. Scientists do not know why this process occurs, and no treatment has been found to retard the disease. (One variant form of it, popularly known as "mad cow disease," occurred in England in the 1990s possibly as a result of the consumption of diseased cattle. The classic, dominant form of CJD is not linked to meat.) "I have seen patients [with Creutzfeldt-Jakob] and it can indeed go that fast," Williams said of McGhee's precipitous decline. Other possibilities, he thought, included frontotemporal dementia, a disease that destroys the brain's frontal and temporal lobes, which govern personality and language, and rapidly progressive Alzheimer's. Hydrocephalus seemed less likely to Williams: McGhee lacked some of the telltale neurological signs, and the tremors in his arms and legs were not typical of it. But there was no doubt that McGhee was confused and disoriented. He could not spell any words backward or perform "serial 7s" - counting backward from 100 subtracting by 7 - tasks that are part of a mental status exam and would have been easy for him only weeks earlier. He did not know the date - or even the year.

Concerned that McGhee's cancer might have recurred, Williams ordered a new round of tests. He also scheduled a spinal tap to check for infection and an EEG to rule out a seizure disorder. "It's important to cast a wide net," Williams said, but not to order tests indiscriminately. "Premature diagnosis is how we often make errors. That's a reason we consider the differential diagnosis process," a cornerstone in medicine, in which doctors systematically weigh the possibility of one disease against others based on symptoms and test results. When Williams saw McGhee a few weeks later, he was worse. McGhee needed a wheelchair and told Williams he thought he was at Travis Air Force Base in California or in Tokyo - places he had been in the past. "When you see families" in such a situation, Williams noted, "they are scared" witless. A turning point

Around the same time, results of the blood tests Williams ordered had come back. Most were unremarkable, except for the Lyme disease screens. McGhee had elevated antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme. A Western blot test, which can confirm the diagnosis, was strongly positive. Whatever else might be wrong, Williams decided, it was clear that McGhee had Lyme disease and would need treatment with IV antibiotics. McGhee's spinal tap did yield some positive news: There was no indication of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, though there was evidence of an infection or inflammation. That did not rule out another form of dementia or other serious illnesses, including a recurrence of his cancer. Because Williams was scheduled to be away for two weeks, a colleague temporarily took over McGhee's case and oversaw three days of inpatient testing. In the hospital, Melinda McGhee said, doctors told her they were fairly certain that her father's confusion and other symptoms were the result of dementia.

"It just didn't make any sense," she recalled. How, in a matter of weeks, could he go from a man adept at managing his finances to someone who couldn't find his cheque book? Doctors, she said, told her that while his deterioration looked sudden, it wasn't. "They would say things like, 'Your dad is a really smart guy, and he's been hiding it from you. It's been going on for a really long time.' " But more tests revealed little. Once home, McGhee, who had begun receiving two weeks of IV antibiotics, seemed to be getting better. His confusion began to clear, his short-term memory improved and his tremors abated. "I could feel myself recovering," he recalled. On September 29, he went back to see Williams, who was heartened by the improvement.

"He looked 1000 per cent better than when I last saw him," Williams noted. After reviewing the test results, he concluded that McGhee had been suffering not from dementia but from Lyme meningoencephalitis, a rare bacterial infection of the nervous system that typically occurs several weeks, or even months, after Lyme exposure. "Spring and summer is when these teeny, tiny ticks come out, and 20 percent of people who are bitten don't have a bull's-eye rash," Williams noted. "And Lyme is on the list of the causes of rapidly progressive dementia," although it is unusual. McGhee said he was unaware of any tick bite. He wonders if the disease might have taken hold because his immune system was suppressed by the chemo he underwent to treat his leukaemia. Williams said he doesn't think so, because McGhee's treatment had ended months earlier. "He just happened to get two bad things: cancer and Lyme disease," the neurologist said. McGhee, now 81, made a full recovery and has had no problems since. He wonders where he might have wound up had Williams not ordered tests for Lyme disease.
Public servants at the Department of Immigration could face prosecution over their conduct in the final days of the life of a detained asylum seeker, lawyers say.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance says the death of 24-year-old Iranian detainee Hamid Khazaei came after basic failures by departmental bureaucrats to uphold federal health and safety laws and they could be held personally responsible by the courts, even if their department is cleared.

Fairfax reported on Monday that Department of Immigration and Border Protection documents  released to the Australian Lawyers' Alliance (ALA) under freedom of information laws  painted a damning picture of what the ALA calls under-reporting of safety breaches "at best", and concealment at worst in Australia's network of offshore detention camps.
The family of missing Australian man Rye Hunt hope Brazilian police can find fresh leads after a reported sighting by a fisherman on a island near Rio de Janeiro failed to result in him being found.

The mysterious disappearance of Mr Hunt has taken a number of turns since the 25-year-old Tasmanian was last seen with a travelling companion at Rio's international airport more than two weeks ago.

In the most recent development, police called off a sea search after 72 hours following reports a body wearing clothes similar to Mr Hunt's was seen 8km off Copacabana Beach.
Is this the most important "pop up" ever?

The endless dusty paddocks and abject misery of Syrian refugee camps are hardly an obvious place for Silicon Valley jargon like "start-up" and "disruption".

A child plays around a temporary refugee camp for displaced Syrians in northern Syria. Credit:AP

But thousands of people displaced by war or natural disaster may soon be relying on a foldable hut invented by two South Australian entrepreneurs, and it's getting global market attention.

Former soldier and UN observer Neale Sutton and businessman Andrew Hamilton's self-designed "Humanihut" was last week plucked from relative obscurity to be on the Disrupt 100 list, an index of the most promising start-ups around the world.
Entrepreneurs are jostling for position in the nascent but lucrative medical cannabis industry, even as political and legal traction is proving difficult.

Take Chris Nasr, founder of LeafCann, who represents the contemporary face of the medical cannabis industry.

Chris Nasr is the changing face of medical cannabis.

A 24-year-old electrician from a conservative Arabic family, Nasr is hard to dismiss as law-flouting drug user.

Nasr's discovery of the herbal treatment came after his aunt suffered a stroke and was struggling with pain management.
Google has banned a Chrome extension called "Coincidence Detector," which automatically identified Jewish people online by placing a set of three parentheses around their names wherever they appeared on a webpage.

The brackets, known as (((echoes))), are an anti-Semitic punctuation-based code that has been used increasingly online by the alt-right internet community to mark people for abuse, as reported recently by Mic.

Screenshot of reviews for the "Coincidence Detector".

The extension's description in the Chrome store sarcastically explained that its purpose was to "help you detect total coincidences about who has been involved in certain political movements and media empires."

Google has said the extension was blocked because it violated the company's hate speech rules.
Police are hunting a man who held a fake gun to a woman - and pulled the trigger twice - as she was getting out of her car in a Castlemaine car park.

It is believed the man approached the woman with the imitation firearm in the Railway Avenue car park on Monday, May 30, around 6am.

He allegedly pointed the fake gun at the woman, threatened her and demanded her keys as she was getting out of her Audi.

The woman twice refused his demands and after each refusal heard the click of the gun as he pulled the trigger.
A daughter watched helplessly as her mother was fatally injured when the car she was in was "cleaned up" in a horror high-speed crash in Melbourne's north-west on Sunday night.

Police believe Bozica Nikolic, 57, and her best friend, Subha Deumic, 62, were travelling in a red Toyota sedan when it was hit by a black Mercedes  allegedly travelling at high speeds  in Attwood about 10pm.

Detectives are investigating whether the driver of the Mercedes  a 20-year-old from Tullamarine who is not known to police  ran a red light on Mickleham Road and crashed into the Toyota turning from Alanbrae Terrace.

Ms Deumic's daughter was following in a car behind and witnessed the collision, which sent the Toyota careering across the road.
A jogger is in hospital fighting for his life after he was struck by a car in Kew while on a late-night run.

It is believed a 47-year-old Surrey Hills man was jogging at about 10.50pm on Monday when he was hit by a red hatchback while crossing Normanby Road, as the car was turning right from Cotham Road.

Police at the scene where a man was hit by a car in Kew overnight. Credit:ABC/Twitter

The driver, a 30-year-old man from Forest Hill, was not injured and has been released by police pending further inquiries.
More charges have been laid against the three brothers accused of abducting and raping a teenage girl in Geelong on November 1 last year.

Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Monday prosecutors had laid two extra charges each against Allan Wild, 30, Kevin Wild, 29, and Brodie Wild, 21.

The Geelong park where the men allegedly abducted the girl.

The three are accused of abducting the 14-year-old girl from a reserve in the Geelong suburb of St Albans Park and then raping her at a nearby address. A fourth brother was also charged, but his charges were later withdrawn.

The new charges against Kevin Wild are both sex offences, the court heard, but it was unclear what the new charges against his brothers are. The court did not release charge sheets.
Police have released an image of a man they wish to speak to about a woman who died after being dropped off at a Mildura hospital in a badly-injured state by a man who then fled.

Police have been told a man dropped the injured woman, believed to be aged in her 40s, off at the hospital in Ontario Avenue shortly after 7am on Monday.

Victoria Police released this image of Steven Samaras on Monday Credit:Victoria Police

She later died.

In a statement released late on Monday afternoon, Victoria Police said Preston man Steven Samaras, also known as Steven Kallouf, may be able to assist with the investigation.
Tuesday is National Nightmare Commute Day - but hopefully not because your train is cancelled again.

Capitalising on the Prime Minister's penchant for taking selfies on public transport, an alliance of outer suburban councils across Australia is asking residents of city fringes to tweet the start and finish of their daily hell commutes.

Ben Robert will be part of "National Nightmare Commute Day" Credit:Jason South

The National Growths Area Alliance hopes to map the slog across town from underfunded, under resourced suburbs on the outskirts of cities, where around 5 million Australians live.

The Growth Areas Alliance wants residents with super-commutes, whether in a car or on public transport, to post on Facebook (to @FundourFutureAU) or Twitter (hashtag #FundourFutureAU) about their experiences of chronic road and public transport problems in their areas.
Students from an exclusive Melbourne girls' school were stranded by a cyclone, hospitalised with gastro and caught an aggressive strain of conjunctivitis during a "calamitous" school camp, court documents claim.

The St Catherine's Year 10 camp to Fiji also ended in misery for deputy principal Rosemary Ward, who says her relationship with superiors soured after she escalated concerns about the trip's mismanagement. She claims she is being pressured to resign and is now seeking up to $250,000 in damages and other costs from the Toorak private school.

The deputy principal of St Catherine's is suing her school for violating workplace laws. Picture Michael Clayton-Jones. Credit:Michael Clayton Jones

Ms Ward claimed the camp's "backpacker-style" accommodation was unsuitable for young females, who were leered at by older men.

Drunk backpackers woke the school group when they stumbled past the dormitories late at night, one room flooded due to the wild weather and some students ate their meals on the floor because there were not enough seats.
Throughout the dispute the union has placed conditions as the main sticking point, not pay.

Negotiations have been going on for more than 1160 days. The union wants to insure that best practise firefighting is implemented and that the 800 career firefighters are given a fair pay rise.

The biggest sticking point from the CFA is handing more power to the union through draconian consultation provisions that give the union a say on even the smallest operational changes. The MFB has been warning the CFA about how disruptive these provisions can be.

The CFA is also worried about a clause that requires seven paid staff to be dispatched to a fire incident before operations can begin  the volunteers say this will have deep safety implications. The union and government argue that this will not affect volunteers or public safety, especially at the 1200 volunteer brigades.

The CFA also says there is a problem with clauses around lines of command and allocation of resources, with volunteer incident controllers instructing paid staff who may be second to the scene.

Many critics are also deeply concerned about the cost to the state with the most extreme estimates placing the entire cost of the deal  including the promise of 350 extra firefighters made at the state election  at more than $1.2 billion.

At the other end of the scale is a cost of between $140 -$160 million over four years.
Police searching a vehicle on the Eyre Highway in remote WA found about $7 million of drugs inside.

Serious and Organised Crime Division detectives have charged a man after the discovery of the haul near Norseman, 730km east of Perth, on Saturday morning.

Some of the ecstasy pills allegedly found in the accused's car. Credit:WA Police

It will be alleged the search uncovered about 6kg of MDMA (ecstasy) pills, 3.5kg of heroin and 3.8kg of cocaine.

The drugs are estimated to be worth between $6.5million and $7 million.
Up to two kilometres of beaches north of Perth are closed as the hunt for a large great white shark continues after a female diver was fatally mauled.

WA fisheries officers will today reset baited drum lines one kilometre off Mindarie marina where the woman was attacked yesterday.

It's the second fatal shark attack in WA within a week and authorities say the threat to public safety is serious.

Department of Fisheries officers set the first drum line hours after the attack but nothing was caught.
Washington: It's fair to say now, that if the angry old white men who are a rump constituency in the Republican Party were to hit on Adolf Hitler as a presidential nominee, the party establishment likely would say, 'well, that's nice  he'll do.'

Put to one side any gap that remains on the spectrum of political ugliness between presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and a Hitler-type, the extent to which the party is rallying around the New York mogul puts the US on course for a disturbing moment of self-revelation  if Trump wins, will it be his face that Americans see when they look in the mirror on the morning of November 9?

On Sunday, Trump opened a new flank in his self-serving attack on the judiciary  previously it was based on race, now it is based on religion too.
Manila: The Philippine president-elect is urging the public to help him in his war against crime, telling citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest or fight back.

In a nationally televised speech late on Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao, where he is still mayor, that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded.

"Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support," Mr Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the country's police.
Washington: Hillary Clinton cruised to victory in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary on Sunday, putting her on the cusp of mathematically clinching the party's nomination and becoming the first woman to lead a major US presidential ticket.

CNN called the race with the former secretary of state leading Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders by 64 per cent to 35 per cent, and 22 per cent of the vote counted. In 2008, she defeated then-candidate Barack Obama on the island by a 2-1 margin.

The contest for the lion's share of Puerto Rico's 60 elected delegates came amid sparring between Clinton and Sanders about how best to aid the debt-stricken US commonwealth. Sanders campaigned on the Caribbean island in May. Clinton did not, but sent her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to represent her.

Clinton began the day with 2323 total delegates, according to AP. The total includes pledged delegates won through state primaries and caucuses, and superdelegates -- elected officials and party luminaries who can change their allegiance before the Democratic convention in July.
IRVINE, Calif., June 6, 2016 -- Kia Motors America's (KMA) 2016 Optima midsize sedan and 2016 Soul hatchback have been recognized by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com as among the 10 Best Family Cars of 2016. The prestigious list, which identifies top picks for safety, performance and family-friendly features, will appear in the July issue of Parents magazine (available June 14) and online at parents.com/best-family-cars.

"Kia places a priority on safety as well as packing our vehicles with innovative and easy-to-use features at an outstanding value, and the recognition from Parents magazine and Edmunds.com validates our efforts," said Orth Hedrick, vice president of product planning, KMA. "The Optima and Soul have numerous features geared toward families who are looking for advanced driver assistance systems, cutting-edge technology, spacious passenger seating and ample cargo capacity."

To create their ninth annual list, Parents magazine and Edmunds.com rated hundreds vehicles in a variety of key areas, including: quality of ride, safety, comfort and capacity, fuel efficiency, kid-friendly features, price and value, reliability and interior and exterior workmanship.

"Kia is one of only two brands with two vehicles on our 10 Best List," said Dana Points, editor-in-chief, Parents magazine. "The Soul is a great starter model for young families, with surprising room at a base price of $15,900. Additionally, the redesigned Optima sedan is striking inside and out, with advanced technology, a smooth ride and better fuel economy than the previous car."

About the 2016 Optima

Passionately designed and obsessively crafted, the Optima defies the staid midsize sedan segment with its exquisite design, abundance of premium convenience features, and exceptional refinement, delivering a class-up experience to those looking for higher levels of sophistication in their day-to-day driving. Available with three engine choices, including a new 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that's mated to a seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), the Optima is more confident than ever on the road. With a base price of $22,1401 the Optima's roomier, more luxurious cabin features an impressive level of craftsmanship that comes standard across five trim levels  LX, LX 1.6T, EX, SX and SXL.

About the 2016 Kia Soul

The extremely popular Soul ups its "wow" factor for the 2016 model year with a host of new style and convenience features. Owners can express their unique individualism through a new Designer Collection that plays up the Soul's fun-loving attitude with a two-tone paint scheme. Available in three trim levels (Base, Plus, Exclaim), the Base Soul comes standard with a gasoline direct injection (GDI) 1.6-liter all-aluminum DOHC four-cylinder engine. Plus and Exclaim models enjoy the more powerful 2.0-liter NU power plant with GDI technology. With a base price of $15,9001, the Soul offers wagon-based practicality, plenty of passenger room, and a feature-rich interior.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2015, surpassing the 600,000 unit mark for the first time in company history. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K9002 flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle3, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 15,000 plant and supplier jobs.

* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts



1 MSRP excludes destination and handling, taxes, title, license fees, options, and retailer chargers. Actual prices set by retailer and may vary.

2 K900 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.

3 Soul EV in select markets with limited availability.
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A woman who admitted to helping her husband steal more than $230,000 from Saturday Night Live alum Joe Piscopo will not face prison time, prosecutors said.

Jennifer Larocca and her husband, Frank, used Franks status as Piscopos bookkeeper to write themselves checks for a total of $234,500. The parents of three childrenall under age eightthey said theyd been going through personal hardships and required a little extra cash.

Frank was sentenced to three years in state prison last week. But Jennifer will only serve three years probation, according to prosecutors.

I wish to apologize to the victim J.P. and his family, who no doubt have suffered the most here, Jennifer said in a letter to the court, according to the Daily Record. I just want them to know my husband and I were suffering from personal and family hardships at the time which clouded my judgment and overcame my will.

She did not appear to elaborate on the hardships. Jennifers attorney did not return a request for comment.

Jennifer pleaded guilty in February to taking between $500 and $75,000 from Piscopo. While it was Frank who was employed by Piscopo to help pay his bills, Jennifer admitted she herself made out checks for personal expenses with Piscopos money, NJ.com reported. The couple stole money from the comedian over the course of four years.

Frank pleaded guilty one week later. While prosecutors supported Jennifers no-jail-time plea, they asked for Frank to be sentenced to three years behind bars. The judge agreed, but Frank may get out after just a few months under a new intensive supervision program that will allow him to serve the rest of his time on parole.

Piscopo starred on SNL from 1980 to 1984, where he was best known for his Frank Sinatra impressions. He now hosts a radio show on AM970. The star didnt comment on the sentences on his Twitter account, and his representatives did not return a request for comment.

Despite the comedians hands-off approach, Judge Thomas Critchley didnt mince words when handing down Jennifers sentence, and warned the mother that she wouldnt get another chance if she landed back in court.

At the end of the day, the economic relationship between the members of our community, our trust in each other, our ability to live a reasonably cultivated and healthy life depends on the economic life of individuals in the community, he said. So my long-winded point is its a substantial theft and it should not be repeated.

As part of their plea deal, Jennifer and Frank agreed to pay back the full sum they stole from Piscopo. Theyve paid back $64,000 to date, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Im happy that my husband and I have an opportunity to make amends and pay J.P. back, although it will be slow and we will struggle doing so, Jennifer wrote in her letter to the court. I wish to thank J.P. and the prosecutors for agreeing to let me serve my sentence outside of jail. If that is in fact the case I will be able to take care of my children.
As news spread last week about the discovery of one of the missing Chibok schoolgirls, the Nigerian army announced, to little fanfare, the rescue of nearly 100 other women and children from the clutches of Boko Haram.

The rescue may not have made headlines at all if it hadnt turned up Serah Luka, a captive initially believed to be yet another one of the Chibok teens still missing after a high-profile abduction in the spring of 2014.

The debate over whether Luka was or was not one of the 218 missing schoolgirls instantly overshadowed the rescue itself, drawing criticism on social media and from the army.

We shouldnt focus on whether she is one of the Chibok girls or not, Brig. General Abubakar Rabe said. The important thing is that we are pursuing Boko Haram and rescuing human beings on a daily basis. We should be allowed to concentrate on rescuing other people in our operations.

The intense focus on the Chibok girls, driven by powerful advocacy campaigns, belies the scale of Boko Harams kidnapping operations and the progress the military is making in rescuing hundreds of women and children.

The Nigerian army, which began a major offensive to reclaim territory from Boko Haram last year, claims to have rescued more than 1,000 hostages since the beginning of this year alone.

The exact number of captives abducted over the groups seven-year insurgency is not even known. While rights groups have put the number around 2,000, activists characterize the figure as a definite underestimation and say that the true scale of the groups hostage activities is only coming to light as Nigerian forces continue to push into land that had previously been considered off limits.

Whats very important to remember is that Boko Haram held huge territorythey were in control of 19 out of 65 local government areas across the three states of emergency. So while usually you would have a situation where if children, if wives or family members were abducted, theyd be able to report it, for a long period of time those areas were inaccessible, so those reports were not able to be made, said Rachel Harvey, UNICEFs chief child protection officer in Nigeria.

What were seeing is much larger numbers [of people] that have been rescued and encountered by the Nigerian armed forces and I think we should expect to see numbers in the thousands [of people] who were not only abducted, but held under Boko Haram control and also subjected to sexual violence.

The increasing number of returnees are painting a fuller picture of the atrocities carried out by the jihadist militants and the diversity of hostages under their control.

Besides forcing abductees into marriage and subjecting them to sexual violence, as was widely reported in the wake of the Chibok abductions, the militants have also forced them to carry out suicide bombings on their behalf. According to Harvey, more than 20 girls under the age of 18 did so last year, further stigmatizing returnees whose communities often fear that they were radicalized in captivity.

While reports on Boko Haram that emerged in the wake of the Chibok kidnapping emphasized its attacks on Christians and symbols of Western education, growing evidence shows that they are more indiscriminate in their choice of targets.

Both Muslims girls and women, Christian girls and women were targeted. People were targeted in Boko Haram strongholds, people were targeted in areas where there were skirmishesboys were also abducted and they were used by Boko Haram both in support roles and to fight as well, Harvey said. I dont think anyone was safe from the abductions.

Boko Haram has become increasingly brutal over the course of its seven-year insurgency. While the militants once spared civilians from attacks, it now targets them routinely. Reports of forced marriages didnt even emerge until a couple years before the Chibok kidnapping in 2014, which was and remains the largest recorded single kidnapping incident of women and children in the countrys history.

The sheer scale of the abduction was the motivation behind the now-famous Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which brought the Chibok girls global attention.

Before the Chibok girls abduction there had been several othersbut it was the first time in the history of Nigeria where a very large number of teenage girls, who were writing their exams, were taken by a terrorist group276 were abducted in the month of April, 2014, said Jeff Okoroafor, a spokesman for the campaign. [Nothing like this had ever] happened before and we couldnt just close our eyes.

The groups singular focus on the Chibok girls has drawn criticism as other kidnappings and rescues have taken place. But Okoroafor says that the only reason rescue operations are continuing at such a steady pace is because of the attention and pressure created by Chibok-inspired campaigns.

No one ever knew about these abducted persons before we started crying out about the Chibok girls abduction. These were people the government never knew had been taken, he said. It doesnt mean we dont speak for the other abducted persons, it only means that we are holding onto [the Chibok girls] as a symbol.
Editor's Note, 6/6/2016: The Independent Police Review Authority said Monday that cases of killings by police that were missing from its online portal were excluded because they are in fact closed cases.

CHICAGO  At least three killings by police not included in a large release of evidence on Friday by the citys Independent Police Review Authority, were missing because they have been closed, but the summaries of those cases were never added to the agencys website, IPRA said on Monday.

All available video, audio, and reports associated with police shooting cases that are still being investigated by IPRA were supposed to have been made available to the public via the agencys website on Friday. But at least three cases appeared to have been missing, a Daily Beast investigation found, based on IPRAs annual reports and summary reports of individual cases.

It has been clear that we all agree that theres a lack of trust and that increased transparency is essential in rebuilding that trust, IPRAs chief administrator Sharon Fairley said of the public, the agency, Mayor Rahm Emanuels office, and the Chicago Police Department at a press conference announcing the online portal last week.

The creation of the portal and its unveiling last week was hailed by many as a move toward greater transparency for the beleaguered police oversight agency. Considering the previous policy allowed city officials to sit on videos of police shootings nearly indefinitely, the creation of IPRAs case portal (and a new policy to releasing videos within 90 days of the incident) is a major step forward.

The first case that appeared to be missing from the portal is the death of Mark Garcia, who police say was robbing a Walgreens on Feb. 3, 2014 when he was confronted by an off-duty officer. The officer was said to have been concerned about a cashier he saw stuffing money into a bag. The officer told Garcia he was a cop and asked him to get on the ground, according to Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden.

[Garcia] knelt down, but said he wasnt going to be arrested and the officer would have to shoot him, Camden told the Chicago Tribune at the time. [Garcia] then reached into his pocket as if he had a gun.

It is unclear if Garcia was armed. Camden told the Tribune only that police recovered what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun from the scene. (For police to be found justified in killing a suspect, they need only feel reasonable fear that their lives are in danger.)

Garcias autopsy, obtained last year by The Daily Beast, showed that the 56-year-old was shot once in the shoulder, with the bullet travelling back to front.

Sissac said Monday that the officers actions in the fatal shooting of Garcia were found justified and that the case was closed in October of 2014. As of Monday the findings of the investigation had not yet been uploaded to the website, but Sissac insisted that report would be available soon.

The second fatal police shooting that appeared to be omitted from IPRAs online case portal is the death of Steven Isby. Like Garcia, Isby was shot and killed by an off-duty Chicago police officer during what former Superintendent Garry McCarthy described as an attempted burglary. McCarthy told the Tribune that the officer was still in his uniform and on his way home from work on Aug. 11, 2014 when he saw Isby attempting to break into a building.

The officer confronted Isby, who was allegedly holding a screwdriver, and a struggle ensued. The officer was shot once in the arm and Isby died as a result the scuffle, according to McCarthy.

Not clear how he [the officer] got shot, whether the gun got taken away from [the officer] and he got it back, or whether or not it discharged while he was fighting with him, McCarthy said at the time.

Isby was shot at least eight times that night, with all of the bullets striking his chest and arms and travelling front to back, according to Isbys autopsy reviewed by The Daily Beast last year.

The officer in Isbys case was also cleared of wrongdoing by IPRA, Sissac said on Monday.

The Daily Beast review also found, based on IPRAs own statistics, that at least one fatal shooting from 2011 was missing from the portal.

That year, IPRAs annual report identified 23 fatal police shootings. Reports available on the agencys website show that 17 fatal police shooting cases have been closed, leaving six as pending or open investigations. On Monday, Sissac said that all of those cases have been closed, with officers being exonerated of wrongdoing in nearly all of them.
The sky was thick with smoke and haze on the morning of June 6, 1944, when an explosion rocked a boat packed tight with American troops within sight of Omaha Beach.

Wedged among the five dozen men was a 21-year-old pre-med student from West Philadelphia named Waverly Bernard Woodson, Jr. He was one of five medics assigned to the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only African-American combat to participate in the Normandy landings. The U.S. Army was segregated during World War II, meaning the 320th was all black except for the top officers, who were white.

Moments before a shell hit Woodsons landing craft, a mine had knocked out the engine. The second blast felled troops like matchsticks. Shrapnel killed the man beside Woodson, whose own extremities burned. He reached down and brought up a hand covered in blood. I am dying, he thought. A fellow medic slapped dressings on his buttocks and thigh as the helpless craft drifted to a stop.
A fortnight before the battle got underway in Iraq to retake the city of Fallujah from the so-called Islamic State, I sat down with a native son of that restive town, Sheikh Khamis al-Khanjar. He was once a central power broker in Iraqs political system and is now an exile with, it would seem, many millions of dollars at his disposal to try and buy his way back in.

As we talked in the lounge of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Tallinn, Estonia, where we were both attending the annual Lennart Meri Conference, Khanjar touched on the core problem bedeviling Iraq, of which ISIS is only one manifestation. The United States, he believes, is almost autistically focused on the issue of Sunni jihadism at the expense of broader social cohesion and geopolitics, particularly Tehrans meddling in the affairs of its next-door neighbor. The very integrity of the modern nation-state a Western superpower tried hubristically to reinvent in Mesopotamia 13 long years ago is now in mortal jeopardy.

Instead of saying, We need to keep Iraq united, Khanjar said, echoing a favored American talking point, we must admit that Iraq is no longer united and ask what can we do to bring it back together. Iraq is on the path to disintegration.

Again today, we are repeating the mistake of betting completely on one person: Abadi, Khanjar said. He was referring to Iraqs prime minister, a Haider al-Abadi, a U.S. ally who has faced popular revolt against his dysfunctional government and seems ever less in control over Iraqs security apparatus.

Abadi, Khanjar concedes, is an improvement on his dire authoritarian predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, when it comes to allegiance to Iran, but when it comes to the Sunnis, weve seen no change.

Our detainees are still detained, said Khanjar. Daily killings are still happening. And we have displacement and refugees. Worst of all, there is still no U.S. appetite to give the Sunnis a voice or role in the political process.

A member of the Albu Issa tribe, Khanjar is a wealthy businessman and philanthropist who now lives in Dubai. A former western diplomat described him to me as probably the most thoughtful Sunni Arab Ive ever met. But his personal history in Iraq is complicated. He allegedly made his fortune by working with Saddam Husseins regime, principally the dictators sons Uday and Qusay, and then running off with the money once that regime was toppled in 2003.

Critics also accuse Khanjar of having financed both the anti-American insurgency during the first half of the U.S. occupation, and then the Sunni Awakening factions that partnered with the U.S. military to beat back al-Qaeda. In many cases, these factions consisted of former insurgents.

The same ex-diplomat who called him the most thoughtful Sunni Arab said of Khanjars reputation, There are in Iraq no good guys and no bad guys. Theyre all hybridsbecause otherwise theyd be dead.

More recently, Khanjar had been a founding father of the Iraqiya coalition, a political bloc supported by the Sunni parties and headed by the secular Shiite and former interim prime minister Ayad Allawi (a longtime favorite of the CIA), who brought with him a dozen or so Shia MPs. Iraqiya came out ahead, albeit by a slender margin, in the 2010 parliamentary election and, at least according to Iraqs constitution, ought to have been given the first crack at forming a government. Instead, incumbent Prime Minister Maliki and his State of Law bloc was accorded that privilege by his own extralegal skullduggery and public American backing.

The State Department believed that Iraqiya would never cobble together enough seats for an outright majority, although American military commanders, notably Gen. Raymond Odierno, warned that Maliki was a sectarian thug who was dangerous to the well-being of Iraqs already tenuous national security and social cohesion. Odierno was right.

Maliki purged his own Sunni cabinet membersincluding his own vice president, Tariq al-Hashimiwith spurious terrorism allegations. He then suppressed popular anti-government protests with violence and stole billions from public coffers that might have otherwise gone toward a nationalistic security policy. The resurgence of the group now called the Islamic State owes much to the reaction against Malikis ignominious tenure.

Khanjar remembers this period as one of American betrayals and question-begging screw-ups.

At the time I was visiting foreign leaders in the region, he recalled of Iraqiyas frenetic shuttle diplomacy in the wake of the 2010 election. Every time Id go, theyd tell me that President Obama was pressuring them to tell me to give up the premiership. I used to meet with the Americans personally, too. Its not about us giving the premiership to Maliki, I used to tell them. We have millions of people who believe in violence and we convinced them to vote, not use arms. If we just give it up, they will lose faith in this process and return to violence. That they famously did.

Today, the sheikh is reduced to waging a quixotic lobbying effort, alongside Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Ninevah province and Rafia Hiyad al-Issawi, the former Iraqi Finance Minister and one of Malikis purge victims, to drum up greater U.S. support for a semi-autonomous Sunni federal region in Iraq. Their vehicle for doing so is the Oce of the Arab-Sunni Representative for Iraq, which last year opened a headquarters in Washington, D.C. Khanjar reportedly spends $65,000 a month to keep the operation afloat.

Plainly, its not going very well. Neither Nujaifi nor Issawi have been granted visas to travel to the United Statesretribution, they say, for their prior trip in 2015 during which they lambasted their own government. Nor has Khanjars return to the ballot box borne fruit. Kirama, the party list backed by the sheikh in the 2014 parliament elections, won just one seat out of 68 Sunni MPs.

During my last meeting in the Emirates with U.S. officials, I told them we have a trust crisis between Sunnis and the central [Iraqi] government, the sheikh said, somewhat understating matters. How might trust be regained? I asked. He relayed three suggestions.

First, Washington should pressure Iraqs state television to stop sectarian incitement or displays of chauvinist religiosity. Get rid of the Shia call to prayer, make it a national TV station. (Khanjar himself owns Al Fallujah TV, a network that had been based in the city now under ISIS control.)

Second, it should demand a ban on pictures of political leaders from other countries: Why are there posters celebrating Khomeini, Khamenei, Rouhani? We should keep Iraqi politics about Iraqi political leaders.

Third, dont allow people to fly flags that are not Iraqi flags. We have Hezbollah flags even in government installations. There are Iranian flags. Would your federal government allow Mexican or Canadian flags to be flown on its buildings? (Such a measure could actually come at a cost to many Sunnis who toted the Saddam-era Baathist flag in 2013 protests.)

These seemingly modest reforms were couched in the language the Obama administration was best suited to appreciate: strategic communications. And yet the response with which Khanjar was met was underwhelming. During one meeting, a U.S. government official told me: Well, you guys are asking for some really complicated things.

The sheikh let out a mirthless laugh. Thats how the meeting ended.

Like many Sunnis in Iraq, not to say the broader Middle East, Khanjar has come to believe that even such small requests cannot be satisfied because the United States is no longer seriously interested in containing or reducing Iranian hegemony. No, the White House allowed Maliki to steal an election six years ago, and refuses to exert pressure on the Iraqi government now. This analysis ignores the U.S. pressure put on Maliki to resign in 2014 after his government lost Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, to an ISIS onslaught that had taken Fallujah a few months earlier. But, by Khanjars lights, Abadi is not that different.

The primary objective of the U.S., Khanjar says, has always been to strike accommodation with its main adversary in the region, using negotiations over Irans nuclear weapons program as a pretext for creeping rapprochement.

One hears this refrain everywhere now, from anti-regime activists and rebels in Syria, to Saudi and Turkish diplomats in Washington, to former Obama administration officials tosotto voceDemocratic and Republican operatives stumping for Hillary Clinton.

Its an assessment that once seemed only the latest installment in a long line of perennial Middle East conspiracy theories, given credence by only handful of hawkish critics of the presidents foreign policy Washington.

But thanks to Jeffrey Goldbergs revealing expose of the Obama Doctrine in The Atlantic and David Samuelss controversial profile of Obamas deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes in The New York Times Magazine, such thinking veers perilously close to the conventional wisdom.

Realigning the United States away from its traditional Gulf State allies and its only regional NATO ally, Turkey, toward the Islamic Republic in a utopian quest for equilibrium does seem a pillar of the administrations policymaking. And even if it is not, the Sunni perception that it is has had lasting and deleterious consequences for U.S. interests and influence in the Middle East.

They wanted to progress on the Iran nuclear deal and at the time the Iraqi government was playing a mediating role between the U.S. and the Iranians, Khanjar said. I know that Secretary [of State John] Kerry has called many Iraqi officials and told them to bring Iran closer to the table. What was very interesting to us is that Kerry would meet with or talk to individuals accused of killing American soldiers, like Hadi al-Amiri.

That would be Iraqs former Minister of Transportation and the head of the Badr Organization, a prominent Shia militia. Al-Amiri is also an operative of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps; although an Iraqi national, he actually fought on the Islamic Republics side in the eight-year Iran-Iraq War. Video footage of him commanding Khomeinis infantry on the battlefield against Saddam crops up routinely on social media, chiefly to embarrass the Iraqi government, which claims to be fighting on behalf of all Iraqis with Amiris heavy-lifting assistance.

That assistance takes the form of Popular Mobilization Units, or PMUs, a broad consortium of (mostly) Shia militias and splinter groups which Amiri leads internally. Some of these groups are loyal to Iraqs Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose moderation and rejection of sectarianism have long been a saving grace in a country where both are in short supply. But many of more of these militias are Iranian proxies who avowedly fight under a banner of holy war rather than counterterrorism.

Thats why a good number of them have also been deployed to Syria to protect Shiite shrines, thinly veiled code for propping up Bashar al-Assads flailing regimenot by fighting ISIS, of course, but by fighting various rebel groups including those backed the Gulf States and the CIA.

The PMUs have also committed war crimes, according to Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, very often with U.S.-made weaponry and materiel earmarked for the Iraqi Security Forces, whose officers have also been accused of carrying out anti-Sunni abuses, or standing idle while militias do so. Yet, this being Iraq, no one is ever held to account because the very actors in the government who might credibly investigate such atrocities are ideologically beholden to or under the thumb of the perpetrators.

The Badr Organization, for instance, now runs Iraqs Interior Ministry, which includes the countrys Federal Police tasked with ensuring law-and-order in areas liberated from ISIS, or, as the case may be, refusing to punish reprisal acts of murder, abduction and torture against Sunnis.

For Khanjar, another grievance among his constituents is Iraqs secret informant law, a medieval statute by which he claims the overwhelming majority of Sunni detainees have been victimized: If you and I right now disagree over the coffee cup you have, I can go to the Iraqi police station and tell them, I think he had explosives near his coffee cup or in his bag. You are immediately detained. You have three or four years to clear your name. But you are tortured in prison until you confess. And perhaps you will be executed. We have many people who, I can assure, you have never harmed a cat, yet are prosecuted under this law.

According to numerous press reports, the PMUs are now integral to the stalled Iraqi government campaign to penetrate Fallujah. Moreover, this offensive dubbed Operation Breaking Terrorism took the United States by surprisethe Pentagon thinks Mosul should be the top priority.

The move on Fallujah appears to have been orchestrated by Iran. Why? Arguably to put an end to devastating ISIS terrorism in nearby Baghdad since Fallujah is a launch pad for many of the recent car bombings that have killed scores of civilians. But another suspected motive of moving the recapture of Fallujah forward on the calendar was to distract from roiling internal Shia crisis in the government, broadly characterized as one between Iraqi nationalists and pro-Iranian fifth columnists.

This crisis has twice led to the ransacking of the Green Zone and government buildings by loyalists of populist Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and now threatens to topple the government. Although well intentioned, Abadi has proven unable to introduce a raft of economic and political reforms because he is not fully in control of his own state.

Washingtons role in the Fallujah operation is therefore not only secondary, it is also ambiguous. CENTCOM has conditioned U.S. air support on the promise that the PMUs refrain from entering the city where even the 50,000 human shields held captive by ISIS are bound to judge invading Shia Islamists as a paltry alternative to their current occupiers. The militias, Fallujah tribal leader Majid al-Juraisi, told the Washington Post are sectarian just like Daesh [ISIS] is sectarian We reject their involvement in this campaigncompletely.

For this reason, only the Iraqi military, special forces, and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside them are technically allowed in. Nevertheless, the PMUs are firing artillery into Fallujah and are arrayed at the outskirts of it.

More worrying still is the fact that Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps heavyweights, such as spymaster Qassem Soleimani, who runs the expeditionary Quds Force, and Mohammad Pakpour, who runs the IRGCs Ground Force, have been photographed very near the front lines, conferring with commanders of Iraqs Badr-controlled Federal Police, no less.

An early proposal, after the resignation of Maliki and the appointment of Abadi, was the formation of a National Guard to patrol Sunni-majority governorates. The Guard would, theoretically, be stronger than the local police but not as strong as the Iraq army.

Crucially, troops from outside a given governorate would not be allowed in without the express invitation of the governorates governing council. Washington not only supported the idea, it encouraged Iraqi Sunnis to demand it of Baghdad, according to Khanjar. But the prime minister couldnt deliver.

Abadi couldnt even get his own allies to vote for this law, even though he told the Americans he would, Khanjar said. It was us and the Kurds. Abadi never even sent the bill to parliament. Of course, they also tried to dilute the law, saying the troops would have to follow the prime minister and that he could send troops from one governorate to another without the governors approval.

Khanjar is convinced that the United States has no real plan for integrating Iraqi Sunnis into the state because its too busy acquiescing to what he calls the Hezbollah-ization of Iraqs security sector.

Iran, he believes, has used the exigency of war against ISIS as an opportunity to carve out an uninterrupted swath of territory from its own borders through Iraq and Syria, reaching all the way to Lebanonalso known as the Shia crescent. And the PMUs are becoming their own de facto political faction in the mold the Party of God. Amiri and his subordinate, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who also follows orders from Tehran, are busy forming a political wing for the PMU, of which Muhandis is the most senior commander. He is also, as of 2009, a U.S.-designated terrorist because, according to the Treasury Department, he committed, directed, supported, or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces.

Iran has given instructions to Amiri and al-Muhandis to copy the Lebanese model like with [Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan] Nasrallah, to find someone to control this political wing, Khanjar said. This is why Abadi and Sadr are pushing back. They will be nobodies in Shia politics if this happens.

There is some evidence that, if not actively facilitating this expansionist project, the Americans are at least naively flattering it at their own expense.

In March, Steven Walker, the U.S. consul in Basra governorate, visited injured PMU fighters in hospital in a gesture of gratitude for their service to the anti-ISIS coalition. His good deed did not go unpunished.

Commander Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji took to the YouTube channel of his Iranian-backed Abu Fadhl al-Abbas militia, to denounce Walker as evil and to warn him not to try that again. We are the sons of Khomeini, who said that if America is pleased with us, we must conduct soul-searching We are the sons of the resistance that has let you taste the bitterness of defeat. Al-Khafaji also blamed the United States for providing ISIS with aid, weapons, plans, and aerial cover, a common trope of the Revolutionary Guards propaganda narrative against the coalition.

Khanjar mentioned this recent episode of a U.S. official extending his hand of friendship to a hostile Iranian proxy, only come away with a palm full with spit. This is U.S. policy in a nutshell, he said derisively.

Nor is Iran the only outside actor trying to undermine U.S. interests in Iraq. Hezbollah-ization, Khanjar said, has come with the approval and encouragement of Vladimir Putin, whose own capital has risen steadily in Iraq since ISIS sacked Mosul two years ago.

A joint operations room exists in Baghdads Green Zone where officers of Iranian, Russian, and Syrian intelligence, and commanders of Iraqs PMUs convene to coordinate their own war effort, apart from the coalitions. Abadi apparently had no foreknowledge of the creation of such a facility, nor did Iraqs Defense Minister Khalid Obeidi, according to Khanjar. As the Wall Street Journal reported last week, Soleimani drafts the plans for military operations that Muhandis then carries out in Iraq; the Quds Force commander also approves arms and ammunition deliveries from Iran to the PMUs. The only daylight between the Russians and the Iranians, Khanjar said, is on the issue of Kurdish independence: Moscow is for it, Tehran is against it.

The Kremlin, playing all sides, is also trying to win over Iraqs Sunnis by issuing invitations to the more co-optable and politically insignificant ones to come to Moscow. According to Khanjar, These Sunnis come back and try and tell their people, The U.S. doesnt care for you, theyre not going to protect you.

Khanjar fears it may well be too late to convince his sect otherwise and that this will lead to an inexorable return of violent Sunni revanchism well after the caliphate lies in dust. He reckons that 80 percent of ISIS are native Iraqis from Sunni communities, though the majority doesnt believe in the ISIS ideology. Theyve cast their lot with the barbaric cult out of desperation and resentment for years of disenfranchisement and persecution. The answer to what ails Iraq, if there is indeed an answer at all, is political, not military. Otherwise, he maintains, ISIS will give way to its sequel.

The U.S. gave us a military solution in 2006 and 2007 to defeat al-Qaeda, he said. We got rid of them but we got something ten times worse. If we just do the military solution again, yes, we will be victorious but God help us what comes next.

As we concluded our interview in Tallinn, we were politely interrupted by Estonias 39 year-old Interior Minister Hanno Pevkur, who wanted to be introduced to the sheikh. Its very nice to see all your ministers are young and handsome, Khanjar told the official. Why are all our ministers old and ugly? Pevkur offered that perhaps youth and attractiveness were the secrets to the marked success of the small Baltic nation and NATO member, which suffered through a far worse and far longer occupation than Iraq. Khanjar smiled.
KIEV  Nadezhda Savchenko, who was until a few days ago a famous Russian prisoner and is now a fledgling Ukrainian politician, has a soldiers haircut trimmed into boyish bangs, and one might easily be reminded of some old movie about Joan of Arc, a young woman out to save her country when men have failed.

Indeed, the analogy between the Ukrainian pilot and the Medieval French peasant girl who became an armor-clad saint has become something of a cliche, and an image Savchenko is cultivating. But her vocabulary, her clothing, and her manners also bespeak her decade in Ukraines military.

During our exclusive interview, she kept both thumbs hooked into her front pocketsbroad shoulders opened, chin pulled up, her strong posture calm and stable, and her blue eyes looking right mine as she said, I am ready for a bloody fight. I am ready to die for Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians, having spent the last two years watching television news about Savchenko on trial in Russia on improbable murder charges, or seeing images of hunger-striking Savchenko starving herself to near-death in jail, greeted the pilots freedom gained in a prisoner exchange with rapturous celebration.

Her fans believe that Savchenkothis heroic woman, this emerging star in the political firmamentis someone who finally offers hope for their troubled country. And she doesnt seem reluctant to answer their call.

Ukrainians, if you want me to be your president, I will become the president, she declared upon her return from Russia.

Instead of sleeping in at home or lying in the sun on the sandy beach of the Dnipro River, 35-year-old Savchenkoelected a member of parliament while she was in prisonhas been meeting with officials, making public statements, speaking at press conferences, and building up her team.

Coffee and cigarettes keep her going, she joked. Even in her pink shirt, tucked in at the front and hanging over her jeans at the back, Savchenko looked pale and tired. I switched on all my inner reserves during the Crimea crisis and I still have not switched myself off since then, she told The Daily Beast.

Less than a week has passed since Savchenkos release from prison and the new Rada deputy already is shaming the entire Ukrainian parliament, calling the deputies to confess their sins: You are all on the Titanic in this parliament, just so you know, Savchenko declared from the Radas tribune.

I am surrounded with business sharks and political sharks look, I am little now, but after awhile, I will grow into a huge shark, too, Savchenko told The Daily Beast impulsively. I am not a politician, yet, I am feeling a terrible, constant pain for my country, for dying soldiers, she said, speaking very quickly. So psychologists want me to stop feeling pain, but if I do, I will become the same as all of them, the real politicians.

From her childhood, Savchenko had many ambitions. As a teenager, she loved to read Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, by Richard Bach (most famous for Jonathan Livingston Seagull), and she loved to perform on stage.

Nadiya, as shes called, studied to be a designer, then a journalist, but her dreams of airplanes trumped all the rest. By her mid-20s, Savchenko was a qualified paratrooper. Her resume included more than one hundred hours of piloting, dozens of parachute jumps and several months of service in Ukraines contingent as part of the coalition of the willing in the war in Iraq. In a 2011 documentary about her as the first woman pilot in Ukraines air force, Savchenko can be seen running with a heavy backpack right alongside her male counterparts.

The only two systems she knew well, Savchenko joked, were the army and prison.

Of course she is not a politician, yet, veteran television anchor Savik Shuster told The Daily Beast. Starting with the Maidan revolution [in late 2013], her life was in turmoil: first she was fighting on the front, then she got kidnapped, she served time in prison, stood trial and currently she an MP voting against changes in the constitution.

In all of this, there are elements of theater, which remains a passion. Savchenko said about her new life in the spotlight: The stage is nothing new for me. I have never been shy before cameras or big crowds.

So far, Savchenko has been anything but shy. She cursed deputies as lazy school students, journalists as jackals and dogs, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a nit, which in criminal slang meant a miserable prisoner.

Some of her statements about putting an end to the war in Donbass, the east of Ukraine. or uniting people in the east and the west, sounded unpopular, but she did not seem to care. Today people throw flowers at me and tomorrow they might stone me as soon as they see me in the street; but I am not crazy, I understand everything, Savchenko insisted in her interview with The Daily Beast.

And although she often repeated the statement, I dont want to blow up Ukraine, some observers and politicians are concerned about Savchenkos unpredictable character.

Last week she opposed President Petro Poroshenkos judicial reform and changes to the constitution. Wearing a black vest over a black sweater, a popular outfit both among the military and Ukrainian nationalists, Savchenko invited the deputies to imagine that she had a grenade in her hand. Today Ukraine is this grenade, the constitution is the ring and the trigger is our Donbass, Savchenko explained to parliament members, demonstrating how by pulling the ring, the countrys constitution, the parliament risked to blow up Ukraine together with Donbass.

What was her strategy? In a refrain oddly reminiscent of Donald Trump in America, she told The Daily Beast, If I tell you A, B and C of my plans, then my enemy will know my strategy; besides, I just promised that I would stop criticizing the politicians.

Both in Ukraine and in the West experts have speculated about the best ways to use Savchenkos energy. Some suggested she could lead an anti-Russian propaganda division. I do not want to be anybodys anti, I want to be just for Ukraine and pro-Ukraine; and I am not an icon, I am not holy, I am not a panacea for all sorts of diseases, she told The Daily Beast.

A great majority or Ukrainians say they admire this eccentric Lady dynamite, hoping she can make a significant difference in a largely unpopular government. On the Shuster Live television show last week, Savchenko got a 97 percent public approval.

But there is also a lot of criticism to be heard. Rada Deputy Vadim Rabinovich went so far as to accuse Savchenko of being a Kremlin agent with a secret agenda. There is nothing we can do about the Savchenko factor, Putin sent her to us to provoke a revolution, Rabinovich said.

Maybe, after all shes been through she could use some makeup, go for a massage, or a manicure? Savchenko bridled at the idea when it came up on Ukrainian television. Today I have the manicure done, tomorrow Id begin to drive a Lexus and the day after tomorrow, I would sell Ukraine, Savchenko declared.

That sort of attitude draws a marked contrast another famous Ukrainian lady, Savchenkos party leader, Yulia Tymoshenko. Ukraines famous former prime minister crowned with a blond braid was known for elegant makeup and designer dresses. Under deposed President Victor Yanukovych, Tymoshenko spent nearly three years in prison, but even behind bars the former PM kept her appearance as perfect as in the parliament.

Looking at Savchenkos pale face, it was obvious even to her aides and friends that the pilot needed some rest. Her memory fails her, she definitely suffers from a deep post traumatic syndrome, but unfortunately, she is not taking a break, Hramadske TV anchor Yekaterina Sergatskova told The Daily Beast.

Savchenko is not naive. She realizes that many people look at her as an impulsive immature woman who behaves more as a revolutionary than as a member of the political establishment, and that suits her just fine. My goal is to wake up peoples consciousness, Savchenko told The Daily Beast. If each politician does not understand now that it is time to stop stealing and lying, that they have to begin to change themselves, our country will not survive.
If Al Giordano challenges Bernie Sanders for his U.S. Senate seat in 2018, he will tick nearly all of the boxes Sanders checked during his surprisingly robust presidential run.

Nearly zero odds of defeating an entrenched Washington politician? Check.

Little chance of Democratic Party support? Double check! A decades-old history of lefty activism that casts him as a hippie-turned-politico? Check, check, and check again.

So why would he do it? Because in Giordanos view, and that of his social media supporters, Bernie is losing ugly and hurting Democrats chances of prevailing against Donald Trump in November.

I mean, what havent they touched? Giordano asks, peering at me via a 6-by-4 inch Skype window from his home in Mexico City. What part of the Obama coalition have they not alienated? Its like they want to erase the coalition.

Giordano is referring not to Sanders himself, but to his most fervent online followers, who have blasted away at everyone from John Lewis to Delores Huerta to Elizabeth Warren, and most recently Barney Frank, for failing to support Bernies political revolution, or worse, for backing Hillary Clinton, who is loathed by a swath of the Sanders faithful. Giordano says he blames Sanders for the vituperative tendencies of his shock troops, and for failing to talk them down.

The 56-year-old Giordano presents as a combative Hillary Clinton supporter, but he didnt vote absentee for her (or for anyone) in the April 19 primary in his home state of New York. He vocally backed and voted for Barack Obama in 2008, but has only voted for president one other time in 20 years: for Bill Clinton in 1996.

For me this is not about Hillary Clinton, who has her strengths and she has her flaws, he says. This is about a coalition that has saved the United States and can keep saving it, and this is what needs to be protected. And so maybe its time for the Obama coalition to go to Vermont.

I first noticed Giordano when his tweets began popping up, rapid fire, in my Twitter feed, during Sanders April rally that drew 18,000 people in the South Bronx ahead of the states primary. Giordano, a Bronx native whose parents were organizers in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx in the 1960s, and who tweets frequently to his 8,500 or so followers in English and sometimes in Spanish, took to Twitter to let the Senator (follower count: 2.4 million) have it.

I felt that he was using the south Bronx as a prop, Giordano says. Not a single person from the south Bronx was mentioned from that stage [or] given a speaking role. Nothing [was said] about the history of the neighborhood and how it picked itself up by the bootstraps and cleaned itself up when the state, federal and city authorities would do nothing. And this is a guy whos saying hes got a movement, who is a democratic socialist, but is completely ignoring what was going on there. And I knew at that moment that the people in the neighborhood would just roll their eyes and vote against him. Which is exactly what happened. The Bronx was the best percentages in New York State for the Clinton campaign.

Giordano, a bearded, graying, former reporter with the Boston Phoenix alternative weekly, cut his teeth as an anti-nuclear protester in the early 1980s while living in Rowe, a small Massachusetts town bordering Vernon, Vermont. When he wasnt filing for the Phoenix, he spent his time protesting the twin nuclear power plants on either side of the state border: Yankee Rowe and Vermont Yankee. And he became close friends with the late leftie activist and anarchist Abbie Hoffman. He has spent the last 19 years in Mexico, where he runs an online newsletter, Narco News, and a school that trains journalists to cover social movements. His claim to fame is winning a First Amendment case against the Banco Nacional de Mexico, which sued him, a Mexican reporter and Narco News for libel over a series of stories claiming a bank official was in league with Central American drug cartels.

Giordano recalls being an early Bernie Sanders supporter.

I did support him when he first ran for [Burlington] mayor, he says of Sanders. I did support him when he first ran for Congress, and then the year he won. I supported him as a journalist and got my newspaper to endorse him. But he says he cooled to Sanders after the Newt Gingrich-led Republican revolution takeover of the House in the 1994 midterm elections. Back then, Sanders was still distancing himself from Democrats, including liberal stalwarts like Barney Frank and Steny Hoyer, who were, in Giordanos words, giving Gingrich hell.

Giordano can be glib. He waves off Sanderss collegiate activism with the civil rights group CORE as what all the hip, young, white lefties were doing in the 60s. Still, he says that era taught the country about the power of grassroots organizing, something he says the Sanders campaign has failed at.

I was tweeting back in August when the Bernie Stans were yelling at Black Lives Matter advocates: train your troops, Senator, he says. These white progressives are the only people that never got that training.

Giordano says the Sanders team did hold one training session in New Hampshire, in the early days of the campaign: They involved some friends of mine in it. They created a manual. And then they didnt do anything else in any other state. The campaign cant claim it didnt have the resources to do it. Its not that expensive.

Giordano says he plans to open an organizing academy in Vermont so that people can finally get the training that the Sanders campaign wouldnt give them. He says hell model it on the Camp Obama boot camps for young organizers in 2007 and 2008 designed by Marshall Ganz, who organized California farm workers with Cesar Chavez during the 1960s.

We use this model in the School of Authentic Journalism too, he says, touting his Mexico City school and its more than 500 graduates, whom he calls potential ground troops for his would-be campaign.

Giordano is confident he can raise enough money to run, via small dollar, online contributions, Bernie and Obama-style. And he notes that Vermont isnt exactly an expensive media market, which makes the idea of raising enough cash to compete with Sanders attainable, even if the national and state Democratic parties continue their 20-year tradition of either supporting Sanders independent runs outright, or declining to back a Democratic challenger.

But he says his best asset will be his ability to work with the Democratic coalition. To work with the coalition youve got to be a contributing, positive member of it, he says, in a bit of unabashed shade throwing. And I think after this campaign, Vermont is gonna be ready for that.

Or not. Sanders remains popular in the nations most liberal state, where he decimated Hillary Clinton 86 percent to 14 percent in the March 1 primary. Seasoned politicos see a race against the Senator as futile. Barney Franks response when I asked for his view was that it doesnt sound like a good use of anybodys time.

Still, Giordano is undaunted. Everything thats different about Bernie is just as different about me, he says, adding that in many ways, he is to Sanderss left, and not just on guns. He reels off a string of issues where he says Vermont could use a more effective grassroots movement: from black motorists in the state being five times more likely to be pulled over than white motorists, to the fact that the state legislature recently rejected a bid to legalize marijuana.

And while those are state, not federal issues, Giordano says he believes they can be addressed by unleashing a slew of newly trained organizers and activists in the state.

Ive got those bases covered, but I just get along with people better, he says, contrasting himself to the notoriously prickly Senator.

As for the important detail of his not living in Vermont at the moment, Giordano cites the states liberal residency laws, and New Englands long tradition of accepting out-of-staters, from the Kennedys to Sanders himself. He says he would mount a listening tour of the state, and reconnect with old friends from his anti-nukes organizing days. Just let Jeff Weaver try and call me a carpetbagger, he snarks.

Giordano says the one thing that would stop him from running would be if Sanders changes his tone and makes a serious effort at unifying the party and bringing his supporters around in time for the Democratic National Convention.

If he does wind up running, Giordano insists he can win, despite the prognostications of seasoned Vermont political hands, whose responses to my queries ranged from absolutely not to no chance that Sanders can be defeated.

Chatting over Skype in his Mexico City home, the man who would be Bernies Bernie is unfazed. I think some of the successes that the Sanders campaign has had have shown that the electorate doesnt just give it to you because its your turn or youre already there, he says. Nobody is safe from a more creative challenger, who can compete in the money and organizing department.

And while he still calls his bid exploratory, Giordano has changed his Twitter header to read: Al Giordano. Vermont. 2018. Bring it on.
In 2012, Jezebel blogger Lindy West wrote a viral take-down of comedian Daniel Toshs incendiary, now-infamous rape joke, and later went on TV to debate the issue with Jim Norton, one of the veteran stand-up comics who vigorously defended Tosh (Amy Schumer was another).

Keyboard warriors aimed a deluge of vitriol at West, the nastiest of which she read aloudrapid-fire and emotionlessin a video on Jezebel: four minutes of comments like, That big bitch is bitter that no one wants to rape her do some laps lardy holly [sic] shit her stomachs were touching the floor.

West was already known for defending victims of sexual violence, bullying, and bigotry, but the rape joke kerfuffle cemented her reputation as one of the loudest feminist proponents of identity politics on the internet. But it came with sacrifice.

I cant watch stand-up nowthe thought of it floods me with a heavy, panicked dread, West writes in her new memoir, Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman. My point about rape jokes may have gotten through, but my identity as a funny personthe most important thing in my lifedidnt survive.

Wests memoir is built on a collection of essaysmany of them pieced together from previously published columns in Jezebel and The Guardiandetailing her transition from shy, self-hating chubby girl to loud-and-proud, self-described fat feminist. (I dislike big as a euphemism, she writes. Every cell in my body would rather be fat than big.)

The message West hammers home, one deeply felt by most fourth-wave feminists, is that because societys vision of gender is forced upon us, identity politics is the appropriate prism through which we should view the world.

Sure, women shouldnt be defined by their bodies, but the patriarchy prevents us from escaping that prison. We internalize the images society bombards us with, and women will suffer so long as those images exist.

Indeed, West cant recall a time when she wasnt aware of them.

That periodwhen I was still wholly myself, effortlessly certain, my identity still undistorted by the magnetic fields of culturewas so long ago that its beyond readily accessible memory, she writes in the opening essay of Shrill about how heavier women are portrayed in media and pop culture.

West may have sacrificed her identity as a funny person for a Certified Activist badge, but her descriptions of role models available to her as a young girl are highly amusing: the fact that Miss Piggy is a literal pig affords fat fans the opportunity to reclaim that barb with defiant ironyshe invented glorifying obesity.

But West doesnt mask her suffering with humor or attempt to laugh off years of fat-shaming and online harassment. The more she endured, the more intolerant she became of comedy making light of marginalized identities.

She listened to the Howard Stern Show every day in college, but part of Sterns shtick was scrutinizing womens bodiesa constant reminder that hers would never measure up to cultural standards. The show became less funny to West, and she couldnt pretend to laugh along with the rest of the world.

I sometimes envy (and, on my bad days, resent) the funny female writers of my generation who never get explicitly political in their work, she writes in Shrill. Theyre allowed to keep their funny cards; by engaging with comedy, by trying to make it better, I lost mine.

To say that the personal is political for progressive feminists like West doesnt begin to reflect how much they feel defined and oppressed because of their identity. Those with multiple marginalized identities are even more oppressed (a white, cisgender woman is higher up on the food chain than a Hispanic trans woman).

As a woman, my body is scrutinized, policed, and treated as a public commodity, West writes. As a fat woman, my body is also lampooned, openly reviled, and associated with moral and intellectual failure. My body limits my job prospects, access to medical care and fair trials, andthe one thing Hollywood movies and Internet trolls most agree onmy ability to be loved.

Indeed, studies in the U.S. and the UK have found that weight discrimination is more pervasive than gender discrimination, and weight bias is worse for women than men.

West doesnt cite these studies in Shrill, perhaps because personal experiences are more compelling for readers and fans.

But not all women in America believe that they are in thrall to men, and the ideology that West subscribes to isnt particularly tolerant of their opinion. Certainly, Shrill is not written for these women.

That said, you dont have to agree with Wests ideology and views about rape jokes to be moved by her personal heartbreaks and triumphs.

West argues that shes affected change as a culture warriorthat her public debates and writing about body image, rape jokes, and online misogyny have tipped the scales slightly in womens favor.

On a personal level, she isnt simply accepting her body; shes reveling in it in a truly radical way, unlike the kind of superficial body positivity we associate with Lane Bryant ads. Her weight buoys her, and that newfound strength manifests gracefully on the page.

The breadth of my shoulders makes me feel safeI can open your jar, I can absorb blowsliteral and metaphoricalmeant for other women, smaller women, breakable women, women who need me, West writes.

She recalls how the images of fat women that used to make her recoil were one day beautiful.

I wanted to look and be like themI wanted to spill out of a crop top; plant a flag in a mountain of lingerie; alienate small, bitter men who dared to presume that women exist for their consumption, she enthuses. I wasnt unnatural after all; the cultural attitude that taught me so was the real abomination. My body, I realized, was an opportunity. It was political. It moved the world just by existing. What a gift.

Wests writing here is as strong and substantive as she feels, knowing that her body is not just an object to be consumed and exploited but a manifestation of her feminist ambitions.

That womens bodies are consumable objects is the takeaway from a forthcoming memoir by one of Wests feminist peers, Jessica Valenti, an early feminist blogger (she founded Feministing.com in 2004).

Valentis memoir-in-essays, Sex Object, traffics in many of the same first-person experiences as Shrill: both authors write candidly and confessionally about issues like abortion, online harassment, and sex.

Valenti, 37, narrates her life as a sex objectshe vividly describes being sexualized and sexually exploited during every phase of her life, from childhood to being pregnant with her own childand suggests that all women are sex objects, whether they feel that way or not. Her use of the term is more resignation than reclamation, she admits.

Valenti recalls watching a boy in her junior high school class toy with a lollipop in her friends mouth, then clenching her jaw when he tried the same move on her (This is how I learned what blow jobs are).

Boys used to tease her about having a big nose, but when she developed breasts at eleven she focused on the things my body could do and inspire.

Whenever she was alone in a subway car as a teenager, shed move to avoid some man exposing himself to her. On crowded train cars men rubbed up against her and, in one case, ejaculated on the back of her jeans.

These experiences will resonate with many women, but for Valenti they shape and define her. When a married friend aggressively hits on her, she reflexively flirts back and hates herself for it.

Im crying because I am thirty-three years old and I cant escape the feeling that men see that I am the kind of person for whom doing the right thing does not come easily, she writes. After decades of life and feminism, I still somehow believe that my job is to protect men at all costsand that not doing so is a crime greater than keeping secrets from my family.

Valentis identity as a sex object isnt entirely passive. She feels compelled to play that role as a child, and is later complicit in being an object of desire despite her feminism. But theres a sense that she has very little personal agency. How could she in our patriarchal culture?

Given all that women are expected to live withthe leers that start when weve barely begun puberty, the harassment, the violence we survive or are constantly on guard forI cant help but wonder what it all has done to us, she muses. I started to ask myself: Who would I be if I didnt live in a world that hated women?

Valentis feminist fans likely recognize this world and ask themselves the same question. Indeed, her memoir suggests that that all women are intimately familiar with this world, or they will be when they finish it.

If you marinate in the misogynistic world Valenti describes, isolated in an echo chamber of confirmation bias, ideology doesnt just inform your personal experiences, it dictates them.

One of the many sexual experiences Valenti writes about happened when she was too drunk to remember much of it. She recalls the guy she was dating at the time taking her clothes off; asking him what he was doing when I realized he was on top of me; then darkness until she woke up the next day, upset and still drunk. She remembers making a joke about date rape, at which point he smiled and told her he went down on her first.

She never referred to what happened as rape or assault, despite knowing that penetrating an unconscious person constitutes rape.

The truth is that this thing that happened to me, no matter what you want to call it, did not have a lasting impact on me, she writes. It did not destroy me or change who I am in the way I thought something like that is supposed to do.

Only in retrospect does she argue that her shameful uncertainty about the experience is likely linked to the fact that she did not feel like a person who was capable of being violated because at the time I barely considered myself a person.

Her uncertainty is shameful because my politics call for it. Not being certain opens her up to criticism on all sides, and if a young woman told her the same story today shed be certain of what happen.

I dont know why I wont allow myself the same courtesy, she writes. Maybe Im just exhausted of feeling like an arbiter of sexual violence, even for myself.

At this point, readers may feel exhausted too. Earlier in Sex Object, Valenti refuted the well-worn myth that feminists often assume the mantel of victimhood, rejoicing that feminism today feels like an unstoppable force of female agency and independence. But the through-line of Valentis essays is that women are victims of a culture that objectifies and hates them.

Her shameful uncertainty about why shes never acknowledged that she was technically raped doesnt make her less of a victim. That shes only ashamed because it didnt damage her makes her a victim of her own ideology, too.

Valentis dedication to helping other women by writing candidly about her own vulnerability is noble, but Sex Object leaves you wondering whether feminism has infantilized the author more than it has empowered her.

She writes: I am tired of faking confidence or being told that my lack thereof is a fault when it seems to me the most natural reaction I could possibly have to the lifelong feedback women are given.

So much for female agency and independence.

There is strength and empowerment in collective experiencea central tenet of feminism. But to Valenti and West, feminism is also a cross to bear and a never-ending battle, because being a woman means being subjected to things that men will never be subjected to.

They firmly believe that if a woman feels the world is on top of her, then it is. Both writers are determined to change the cultureeven if that means policing it.

If they are as oppressed as they insist, they are also remarkably adept at building successful careersand selling booksoff the back of that oppression.
Once upon a time, pro-life Christian women were a bulwark between Donald Trump and the White House.

These women leaders formerly begged their fellow conservatives to back anyoneanyone! Seriously, anyone!but the the thrice-married, morally ambiguous reality TV star.

Those times are gone.

On June 21, many of those womenalong with hundreds of other evangelical leaders and activistswill gather in Manhattan to meet with Trump, pepper him with questions, and consider whether or not to push the millions of activists they influence to go all-in for this years presidential campaign.

But the progress hes had thus far with this cohort suggests hell have little trouble getting them onboard the Trump train.

No ones about-face has been more dramatic than that of Andrea Lafferty, who heads the socially conservative Traditional Values Coalition. On Feb. 12, she and 14 other female pro-life leaders signed a letter urging South Carolina Republicans to back anybody but Trump.

America will only be a great nation when we have leaders of strong character who will defend both unborn children and the dignity of women, the letter read. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do either.

Lafferty told The Daily Beast that she doesnt feel that way anymorenot even a little bit.

Im just really excited about it, she said.

He will be president, she added. Donald Trump will win.

Listening to Trump and speaking with his supporters changed her heart, she said. And she isnt alone.

A number of leading pro-life women say theyre increasingly open to backing Trumpnot just because they feel hes the only serious alternative to Hillary Clinton (sorry, David French), but because theyre actually taking a shine to him on his own merits. And Trump has been quietly courting evangelical Christians, taking an approach thats the opposite of typical candidates. Instead of wooing the right during the primaries and then turning center-ward in the general, Trump is doing more than ever to appeal to social conservatives and evangelical Christians.

Its great, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, who heads the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List. Its why it makes it easier for me to be open-minded, because we are dealing with somebody who is not a typical candidatehe just does things very differently.

During the Republican primaries, Trump consistently flummoxed pro-life activistsblowing them off, praising their top foes, and blithely missing memo after memo. And he waltzed to the nomination without kissing their rings, suggesting that winning their clout aint what it used to be.

But since becoming the presumptive nominee, the candidate has made an odd pivot, making staff decisions designed to win their loyalty and explicitly courting their approval with a pro-life-friendly Supreme Court short list. Ben Carson has helped, activists say, since he already had so much affection from evangelicals. And Trumps decision to hire John Mashburn, a well-connected former aide to pro-life stalwart Sen. Jesse Helms, sent shockwaves through the pro-life communityif Trump was good enough for Mashburn, they said, hes good enough for anyone.

But Trump is still Trump. When he promised he would only nominate pro-life judges, Dannenfelsers ears perked up. She said shes never heard another Republican politician use that phrase.

I think they think that it doesnt sound sophisticated, that its too frank for them, Dannenfelser said, of Republicans who are more euphemistic about their judicial philosophies. What has been jarring on the one hand is refreshing on the other, which is that he calls it like he sees it.

This view is new, as Dannenfelser joined Lafferty and others to rip Trump back in February.

He has impugned the dignity of women, most notably Megyn Kelly, he mocked and bullied Carly Fiorina, and has through the years made disparaging public comments to and about many women, they wrote. Further, Mr. Trump has profited from the exploitation of women in his Atlantic City casino hotel which boasted of the first strip club casino in the country.

Trump has yet to repent of those sins. But that hasnt kept his old detractors from making peace with him.

I stand behind everything I said in that letter, and Im hoping to see improvement in that area, and Id love to help him with that, said Penny Nance, who heads Concerned Women for America and signed the South Carolina letter. But I was around back in the day when the Clinton machine was demeaning and destroying the reputations of women who dared to come forward and tell their stories of being abused by Bill Clinton.

Hillary Clinton has her own problems when it comes to demeaning women, she added.

Nance is one of the co-hosts of the Trump/Evangelical summit, along with a host of other evangelical luminaries. An event invitation that anti-Trump radio host Erick Erickson posted on his site The Resurgent also lists James Dobson, Ken Cuccinelli, Tony Perkins, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, Lila Rose, Bob Vander Plaats, and Richard Viguerie as organizers of the summit. Most of those people endorsed Ted Cruz, so the event will give Trump a chance to court his last serious primary opponents top allies.

The crowd will have plenty of skeptics.

Kristan Hawkins, who leads Students for Life and plans to attend the June 21 meeting, said she isnt convinced yet that Trumps newfound pro-life conviction is for real.

We certainly welcome converts to our cause, thats what we do every day at Students for Life, said Hawkins, whose group has 950 chapters. The question is, is this a genuine belief?

Though her group doesnt endorse candidates, it can encourage its members to vote pro-lifewithout naming names. Of course, Hawkins said shes unlikely to do that unless shes persuaded one of the candidates is, well, actually pro-life. So shell have plenty of questions ready for the mogul.

Others have already made their peace. Laura Beth Kirsop, a pro-life activist from South Carolina who also signed the Susan B. Anthony list letter, said shes ready for Trumpeven though she thinks hes kind of a bad person.

Right now, if I had to vote tomorrow, I would vote Donald Trump because of where he at least says he stands on the pro-life issue, she said. But, again, I cannot defend his character.
It should get our attention when a lone senator stops a popular piece of bipartisan legislation, blocking passage and opposing the prevailing opinion even in his own party.

Thats what Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, a rising star in the GOP, has done and in a few weeks hell have successfully killed the much-needed and long overdue reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. The law, which expired in 2007, banned states receiving federal money from jailing juveniles in correctional facilities where they would be in contact with adults convicted of criminal charges.

The law hasnt been reauthorized since 2002, when George W. Bush was in the White House.

While many conservatives have joined with Democrats to embrace sentencing reform and other efforts to reduce a record prison population, Cotton is on a different path. He rails against the criminal leniency movement, and says he has nothing but contempt for those who want more empathy for criminals. He quotes Hillary Clintons comment from the 90s about superpredators, for which she has apologized, saying she got it right.

Weve enjoyed 25 years of declining crime, which has allowed people to indulge in their wooly headed theories, he said in a recent speech at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, where he pronounced criminal-justice reform dead in this Congress.

His objection to the juvenile justice bill centers on its elimination of the Valid Court Order (VCO) that allows judges to lock up juveniles for status offenses, transgressions like running away from home, disobeying parents, underage tobacco use, or curfew violations, behaviors that would never land an adult in jail.

Greater knowledge about the science of the adolescent and teenage brain, together with data that shows incarceration doesnt work, have led 24 states to phase out VCOs. Another 11 have it on the books, but dont use it.

Cottons home state, Arkansas, has the fastest growing prison population in the country, and it is one of the most prolific users of VCOs, locking up children as young as eight for these status offenses. The state doesnt separate juveniles according to their level of offense so kids detained for chronic truancy can be kept with someone charged with a serious crime.

His state is among the top ten of the least safe juvenile centers in the country, with kids most likely to be assaulted, says Naomi Smoot, a senior policy associate with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice.

When the juvenile justice reform bill first passed in 1974, one of its core protections was that status offenders not be held in confinement. In 1980, as the tough-on-crime 80s and 90s got underway, the VCO exception was added to give judges the option of jailing kids who violated a direct order from the Court, such as running away from home or refusing to attend school regularly.

Now the judges that wanted the VCO are lobbying hard for its elimination. Texas Judge Darlene Byrne, president of the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Justice (NCJFCJ), told The Daily Beast, Brain science has evolved, and it would be silly to think justice shouldnt keep up with science and brain development.

The NCJFCJ joined with over a hundred advocacy organizations, including the National District Attorneys Association and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, to push for the reauthorization of the reform bill in Congress, an outpouring of support that crosses party and political lines.

The bill also has the backing of 5,000 law-enforcement agencies across the country, including dozens in Arkansas, and would have passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous voice vote this year if Cotton hadnt stepped in with his hold.

Last week, the House zeroed out funds for juvenile justice, arguing that it made no sense to steer funds to a bill that has not been re-authorized since 2002.

So hes really hurting us, says Marcy Mistrett, CEO of Campaign for Youth Justice. This is a bill that has such extreme support, that I cant believe it is being held up by one lone senator.

Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley doesnt hide his frustration with the lone objector, noting in a recent interview that the other 99 senators have voiced no objections to Senate passage, and that if the objection is not lifted, It could end our bipartisan effort to reauthorize JJDPA in the 114th Congress.

Until recently a strong supporter of the VCO, Grassley now champions its removal. He told the Juvenile Justice Update newsletter that the latest research persuaded him that locking up these young people is costly and not especially effective in reducing recidivism.

Cotton stands alone in his opposition in Washington and in Arkansas, where a legislative task force is hard at work on prison reform, backed by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, a former prosecutor and Drug Enforcement Administration head in the Bush administration.

This is not a soft-on-crime crowd, says Bill Kopsky with the Arkansas Public Policy Panel in Little Rock. Senator Cotton is out of touch with the reality here in the state. If we continue at the same rate (of incarceration), we will need $1.3 billion more over the next ten years than were currently spending, and that would require massive tax increases or cuts in everything else.

Cotton is on the fast track in Washington. Forty years old and highly credentialed with two Harvard degrees, a coveted seat on the Armed Services, Intelligence, and Banking Committees, and multiple tours as an Army officer in Afghanistan and Iraq, You dont have to be a highly trained artillery officer to see a trajectory here, enthused his introducer at the Hudson Institute last month.

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice spent two months meeting with Cottons staff searching for a compromise before recognizing it was hopeless.

Hes not someone who can be persuaded, says Naomi Smoot. Hes looking to make a name for himself as a new law and order icon.

With a presidential run likely in four or eight years, Cotton is betting that he can never go wrong with a hard line on crime. Juvenile Justice Reform advocates are left trying to steer around him legislatively to get a bill to the Senate floor, where they are convinced they have more than enough votes for passage.
A Tennessee doctor is refusing to administer vaccines to patients becausewait for itthey can cause autism.

Dr. Daniel Kalb is a physician at Cool Springs Family Medicine (CSFM) in Franklin, TN, a practice that provides preventative care through natural measures like detoxes, colon cleanses, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and ultraviolet light treatment. They also offer Botox.

On May 31, Dr. Kalb wrote an eight-point list (that has since been removed from the CSFM website but can be found here) about why CSFM will not offer vaccines to patients, noting his 15 years of experience with upset mothers whove shared their vaccine injury stories.

Dont tell me that they are making it up or they are just reaching for an explanation, or that it was a coincidence or that they are just too stressed, or that they are uninformed, he wrote. All of those arguments are stupid.

After writing that we can do better, and questioning the HPV vaccine Gardasil (Are you kidding me? It is not safe), he takes a moment to defend the father of the anti-vaccination movement, Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Wakefields infamous paper on the link between the MMR vaccine and autism was retracted by The Lancet in 2010.

Commenters on Cool Springs site praised Dr. Kalb for his bravery. Thank you for putting the children first. You are a true hero on the war against humanity. Bravo!!!!! one writes. YOU ARE AN ANGEL AMONG USTruly, you are.

Dr. Kalbs post came shortly after 12-year-old Marco Arturo posted a sarcastic video on Facebook, trolling anti-vaxxers. Youre putting everyones children in danger because you read some forwarded email, he tells the camera. Please vaccinate your children.

Spreading anti-vaccination rhetoric like Kalbs is harmful; time and time again health professionals have emphasized the dangers of spreading false claims linking vaccines to autism spectrum disorders.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 64,000 health professionals, released a statement in September 2015. Claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature, it says. It is dangerous to public health to suggest otherwise.

The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and numerous other global health organizations support the use and safety of vaccines.

Autism Speaks, an organization that aims to change the future for all who struggle with an autism spectrum disorder, lists CSFM on its site under Tennessee Resources. The organizations statement on the link between autism and clearly states, the results of the research are clear: vaccines do not cause autism. So why is Dr. Kalbs practice still listed as a resource for care?

C.J. Volpe, Chief of Media Strategy at Autism Speaks, told The Daily Beast that Cool Springs Family Medicine will be removed from their resource guide. It was still listed under Health Services: Family Practitioners at the time of publishing.

Dr. Kalb could not be reached for comment.
ROME  If VirginiaRaggi becomes mayor of Rome in a run-off election on June 19 it will be the first time in the citys 2,769-year history that a woman has led the eternal city. And if first-round voting on Sunday is any indication, it looks like history is about to be made.

Raggi, 37, is a lawyer and grassroots activist who cut her teeth as a public defender for juvenile delinquents. Her noble career, her intelligence and her beauty have led the Italian press to frequent comparisons with Amal Clooney.

Raggi is estranged from her husband, who works in radio and played no part in the campaign. She has a seven-year-old son, and she grew up in the leafy suburbs of the city, far away from the daily grind of the often very gritty Italian capital.

She is courteous and polite, something few associate with true Romans, whose battle call is a guttural oi in local dialect. But she is no lightweight. Among other things, she drives a serious motorcyclea 650which is not exactly a Vespa, and she does it in full leather.

Raggi admits to being a non-practicing Catholic, which should put her on par with most of her constituents. I am very Roman, she told The Daily Beast at a recent political rally. I may not seem like the classic Roman, but you can bet I am.

She represents the anti-establishment, Europe-hating Five Star Movement, the political party headed by former comedian Beppe Grillo, who has said he would set himself on fire if Raggi loses the mayoral race. (We dont really believe him, but, then, its a virtual certainty shell win in any case.)

Raggis campaign fundraising events have included serving up pizza for 20 a pie in Romes middle-class neighborhoods where daily life has become unbearable. Corruption has ruined everything, this is the main problem, she said recently at one such fundraiser. Every city in the world tries to apply the law, why can't we?

Thus far, Raggis only political experience has been as a council member on Romes city government, but she says that is what makes her most qualified. Experience in Italy belongs to the parties who have ruined Rome and the country, she told The Guardian recently.

Raggis campaign platform has centered around the daunting task of trying to make Rome livable again, after several scandals that have nearly led to the collapse of the city, and which meant the political death knell for her predecessor Ignazio Marino who was forced out of office after he helped expose the so-called Mafia Capitale organized-crime ring that had infiltrated the city government.

Raggis campaign promises have been noble, including the implementation of diaper services to try to reduce garbage in the citys overflowing landfills, and improving public transport by actually making people to pay to ride the buses, which is rarely enforced now.

She says her city council members will be prohibited from using personal credit cards on their expense reports, and she hopes to re-launch the failed bicycle exchange sharing program as a way to reduce mind-numbing traffic. This time she promises to have better locks so all the bikes arent stolen like last time.

We have to bring legality back, something that in Italy, in Rome, isnt there, she said at a press conference last month.

Raggi also opposes the citys bid for the 2024 Olympics, which she says would be criminal considering much of the city is drowning in traffic and pot holes. Her opposition has brought harsh criticism, since Olympics bring money and many businesses in the capital would love the opportunity to spend it on renovations.

She even supports an anti-euro barter system that would help low-income families enjoy a better life, based on the super-successful Sardinian secondary scheme called Sardex.

Her critic,s including Roberto Giachetti, the man from Prime Minister Matteo Renzis Democratic Party who she will face next Sunday in a run-off election, criticize her ideas as naive. Its not her lack of experience thats a problem, its her lack of awareness, Giachetti said at a rally last week.

Still, she handily won the first round of voting on Sunday with 37.4 percent of the vote against Giachettis 22.6 percent, and the rest, including 7-months-pregnant Giorgia Meloni from Silvio Berlusconi's center right party, trailing behind.

If Raggi wins next Sunday, she wont only make history, she might even make a difference in a city that has all but given up.
Ohio Jewish Rabbis React to State Expert Offering 'Christian Understanding' of Abortion Law

Legal action from the Jewish community has begun in Florida, Indiana and Kentucky.

By Madeline Fening Oct 25, 2022

In a battle that has long ebbed between science and religion, Republicans in Ohio have begun using explicitly Christian rationale to try and limit abortion care access for everyone in the state. During an Oct. 7 hearing in a Hamilton County Court, Judge Christian Jenkins ruled to indefinitely block the state of Ohios six-week abortion ban...
The Second Auxiliary Surgical Group arrived in Northern Africa shortly behind the invading force of Operation Torch during World War II. They were a group of surgical teams without nurses and without a headquarters, and therefore without consistent direction or organization. Paul A. Kennedy, M.D., a surgeon in a mobile general surgical team, was by turns amazed, baffled, and bemused by war. Like most of the men with whom he crossed the Atlantic, Kennedys knowledge of the world was limited.

Kennedy eventually spent almost three years in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II, performing hundreds of surgical procedures on soldiers so desperately wounded that they could not survive evacuation to hospitals further in the rear. From the beginning of 1944 until the end of the war, he kept a medical journal in which he meticulously recorded and illustrated 355 of these cases. He also kept a personal diary and took more than 1,500 photographs, most of which had been developed and carefully labeled, but never printed

Like so many veterans, Paul A. Kennedy never spoke of his experiences in World War II. After his fathers death, Christopher Kennedy discovered his fathers personal and surgical diaries and photographs from his service during the war. Together, they comprise Battlefield Surgeon: Life and Death on the Front Lines of World War IIa living history of the experience of a member of the United States Army Medical Corps in World War II.

Kennedys personal entries, clinical cases, illustrations, and photos capture the homesickness, boredom, loneliness, fatigue, and sometimes, fear, of the North African and European theatres of the war. His life was characterized by the constant movement that working in field hospitals demandedto provide rapid surgical care, the unit had to keep pace with the front. The hospital included a headquarters and three platoons that could work independently. Each one hundred-bed platoon had its own designated staff and transportation for men who were severely wounded. The newly created concept proved to be adaptive, efficient, and in some cases the deciding factor between death and survival. Surgeons like Kennedy and his fellow colleagues spent sleepless nights on concrete floors and sandy beaches, going directly to the wounded soldiers. He lay just behind the front lines and waited patiently for soldiers whose life depended on immediate care.

The entries below detail Kennedys arrival in Rome shortly after it fell into Allied control. At the same time, unbeknownst to those in Rome, more than 150,000 troops were preparing to cross the English Channel as part of Operation Overlord, better known today the as D-Day invasion. Although he participated in some of the fiercest action of the warOperation Avalanche, the attack on Anzio, and Operation Dragoon, and entered the Dachau concentration camp two days after it was liberatedKennedys diaries depict a life without high drama, a catalogue of the routine in the midst of a great conflagration.

Tuesday, May 30, 1944

Got in bed today after noon mealjust going back to work now at 11:30 p.m.I didnt sleep worth a damncant in the daytime. Ill be an old man if this thing keeps up much longer. And according to all rumors theyre getting ready to start another push very soon for Rome. Right now I need a rest and not more work. There are all sorts of speculations as to what will happen to the 2nd Aux when Rome fallssouthern France, England, Yugoslavia, and India have all been mentionedmy guess is England.

Wednesday, May 31, 1944

Weve changed hours againfor the tenth time8 p.m. to 8 a.m. now. Finished up at 3:00 this afternoon and were going back at it nowits 8 p.m. I dont think the Russian salt mines were ever any worse than this. Theres another push on and were getting another load200 cases behind now. There are four field hospital platoons out nowtwo of the 33rd and two of the 10th, so well be cut down on the major cases.

Thursday, June 1, 1944

Progress has been quite good but the casualties have been high. Were not seeing the worst cases now cause the field hospitals have jumped ahead. Expect well be going to one of them soon. Doing simple debridements here these past couple days and they are monotonous and boring.

Friday, June 2, 1944

Had a fairly good sleep but its never as restful as what you get at night. Well be off this night tour in another week. At the rate things are moving now I think theyll be in Rome in a week. Theyre at the Alban hills and at some points nothing stands between them and Romeexcept a few Jerries.

Not much work tonightmostly minor stuff. Another field hospital platoon went out this evening. Hope we get assigned soon. Had a few snaps of Ruthie todayshes a wonderful baby.

Saturday, June 3, 1944

The shock ward was empty for the first time this morningseems queer not being loaded with casualties. Luther had word this morning that his team was gonna leave to join the 11th F.H. without usbut tonight at 7:30 we got orders to leave too. Packed in half an hour, said our goodbyes, and set out for a place near Cori. Staying here tonight with the 95th Evac. Harry Borsuk hereplatoon leaderhospital to be beyond Valmontone about 15 miles from Rome on Highway 6. Came through Cisternaworst destruction Ive seen yet. Theres nothing standing. Were back in a field hospital and on our way to Rome. Im happier when were movingmoving toward home!

Sunday, June 4, 1944

Up at 6:30 (good nights rest)had pancakes, then set out in a weapons carrier for our new site. The number of wrecked Jerry vehicles, guns, etc. is a mute tribute to the work of our aircraft. The roads were just covered with wreckslarge tanks with 88s pointing dumbly into the grounda few 170s (Anzio Express) that looked awfully powerful but now appeared to be dead. Valmontone, Cori, and Labico are all shot up and have nothing left.

Dead horses stinkingeven the smell of rotting human flesh filtering through occasionally. Were set up near Palestrina on Highway 6 with the 3rd Division Clearing Station. Work is pouring in alreadyrearguard action, the boys say. Jerry is on the run and some of our troops are on the outskirts of Rome.

Monday, June 5, 1944

Business it seems to follow us wherever we go. Cases galoremore than we could handle. Were the most forward field hospital now. Brought in three new teams to help out and they were very welcome. Brinker, Lowry, and Cantlon [Edwin L. Cantlon, general surgeon]. Rome is in our handswas yesterdayand the troops are beyond. Evidently Jerry intends to keep running for a while. Tanks have been going by here all day in one steady streamlast night they rumbled by in countless numbers. Im sure somebody is gonna be impressed by them very soon. The war is moving fastgoodI want it that wayI want to get home.

Tuesday, June 6, 1944

Rome

Up early, got our work done (off call for once), and a group of us headed for Rome. I was anxious. The mark of the war looks fresh upon the country that leads to Romeburned-out tanks, guns, etc. Dead horsesand people streaming back to their homes. Rome seems to be a beautiful city. Little destruction, nice-looking peoplemuch cleaner than the more southern Italiansmore like a city in the States. Saw St. Peters and knelt by the Tomb of St. Peter.

Its a magnificent church, strong and tall, and it suggests Catholicismenduring. Crossed the Tiber, saw the Coliseum and Roman Forum. This was the Rome we were waiting for.

(Incidentally, the second front opened today, but we saw Rome.)

[The incidental second front was nothing less than Operation Overlord, the cross-channel invasion of France at Normandy, involving almost sixty-five hundred naval craft and five Allied divisions. Eventually, more than one hundred divisions were to pass through Normandy on their way to the very heart of Germany and to the ultimate destruction of the Third Reich.]

Excerpted from Battlefield Surgeon: Life and Death on the Front Lines of World War II by Paul A. Kennedy, edited by Christopher B. Kennedy (University Press of Kentucky, 2016.
Speyburn distillery renovation completed

Speyburn, one of Scotlands most picturesque and historic distilleries, has completed a two-year 5 million renovation and expansion of existing distillery buildings. The new distillery combines the very latest energy efficient technology with traditional techniques, stonework and craftsmanship.

The distillery's production capacity has been doubled from 1.8 million litres to over 4 million litres per year, making Speyburn the largest distillery in the Inver House Distillers group and allowing the brand to lay down stock for its core markets, expand into new territories and build its portfolio of malt whiskies.

The sensitive renovation of existing distillery buildings was made using a blueprint created by distillery manager Bobby Anderson, the distillery team and local contractors, including Rothes-based Forsyths. As well as retaining four of the original Douglas Fir washbacks, 15 new stainless steel washbacks have been installed, a third still has been added now giving one large wash and two spirit stills.

There is a new eco-friendly thermol vapour recovery system to regenerate steam and improve efficiency by 20%. Distillery co-products are transferred to the nearby CORDe (formally the Combination of Rothes Distillers) plant to be burned and used to make electricity for the grid

The investment comes as Speyburn reported significant growth in its core markets in 2015, with volumes rising by 44.5% and sales value by 28%

Speyburn is currently released in two core expressions - Bradan Orach and 10 Years Old  plus the limited edition US exclusive Arranta Casks. It is the only distillery to use the fresh water of the Granty Burn, a tributary of the River Spey famed for its exceptional purity, which runs close to the distillery site and gives Speyburn whiskies its distinctive character and flavour.

Extensive as the expansion has been, sustainability lies at its heart. The improvement in Speyburn's carbon footprint has yielded energy savings of more than 20%, equating to approximately 6,000,000kWhs per year.

In addition to installing a more energy efficient distillation system, Speyburn opted to modify existing infrastructure to house the new equipment rather than embark on construction of major new facilities. As a result, the distillery's unique original features have been maintained, while traditional methods of production continue to prevail.

Two new malt bins have been installed increasing capacity from two x 30 tonne storage bins to four x 30 tonne bins. There are daily, sometimes twice daily, deliveries of malt, averaging out at nine deliveries per week. The mill is a 10 tonne Boby mill which grinds 5.6 tonnes of malt per mash.

The new larger mash tun has halved the mashing cycle time from eight and a half hours to four hours, and the bigger and shallower mash tun allows for the process to be accelerated without compromising quality of the wort.

As well as retaining four Douglas Fir wooden wash backs, the distillery has also added 15 stainless steel wash backs to service its production capacity increase. 18 wash backs fermenting at four-hour mashing cycle gives 72 hour fermentation, while the 19th wash back is either used for filling or emptying.

Martin Leonard, operations director at Inver House Distillers paid tribute to the distillery team as they gathered to celebrate with a dinner and dram on Thursday May 26: Over the past two years we have seen a remarkable transformation of Speyburn Distillery. Our beautiful, very traditional site has been enhanced and developed for the future, very much in the spirit of our founder John Hopkins who made the great use of the natural resources here in Rothes, most importantly the Granty Burn, the natural stone and the compact space.

"We want to thank Bobby Anderson [distillery manager] and the full distillery team for all their hard work in delivering this ambitious investment and putting so much of their personal vision and skill into the project. We now have a distillery that will support our growth plans for Speyburn and our environmental objectives and we are proud of that achievement.

6 June 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor
Havana Club introduces Anejo Clasico

Marking two decades of US presence and celebrating the peak of Cubas cultural resurgence, Havana Club Puerto Rican rum is rolling out a market expansion with a new bottle design. The introduction of a dark rum variant, Havana Club Anejo Clasico, complements the existing Havana Club Anejo Blanco offering, and the launch of a new brand campaign: The Golden Age, Aged Well'. The Havana Club Anejo Clasico makes its debut in Florida today, with expansion continuing throughout the US this summer.

Havana Club asked Jones Knowles Ritchie to design the new dark rum variant and the Blanco packaging to reflect the its authenticity as the credible, premium Cuban rum distiller it has become since its establishment in 1878.

As an ode to the family that produced rum for generations, the crest on every bottle is a reminder of the brands gilded origins. The sleek, yet timeless-feeling, bottles feature a centre seal, which has been prominently featured on packaging and advertising since the brands inception in 1934. The crest, created by the founding Arechabala family, is surrounded by hand-lettered typography reminiscent of this lively, bygone time.

Fabio Di Giammarco, global vice president of rums for Bacardi says: We are thrilled to launch Havana Club Anejo Clasico and share it, alongside Havana Club Anejo Blanco, with the support of the The Golden Age, Aged Well creative campaign, which highlights the stunning Cuban historical period during which this rum was most revered. It is an honour that the Arechabala family has entrusted us to continue their familys legacy and have no doubt that well be able to bring to life all the things that made it a legendary brand.

Made from the finest sugarcane molasses, the Anejo Clasico rum begins with bases that are mellowed in oak casks between one to three years, before being chosen for selective filtration and blending. Upon blending, the master blenders return the rum to oak casks for a second mellowing period of at least three months for additional smoothness. The result is a golden liquid with robust notes of sweet fruits akin to pineapple and apricot, complemented by oaky notes with hints of almond and vanilla.

Our family could not be happier that Bacardi is launching Havana Club Anejo Clasico, which is based on the original recipe created by the Arechabala family in 1934, said Jose Arechabala, a great-grandson of founder Jose Arechabala Aldama. Our families knew each other before we were both exiled from Cuba, and with Bacardi being the premiere rum company in the world, its only fitting that they continue our legacy by paying proper homage to the capital city of Cuba, a place we once called home.

Along with the new product and packaging, the brand is also introducing a new creative ad campaign, The Golden Age, Aged Well, which evokes the glamorous, effervescent feeling of the Golden Era in Cuba and pays tribute to the historical Cuban Golden Age heritage of Havana Club. Tag lines for the ad campaign include The Freedom, The Decadence, The Dazzle, The Glamour. If Only Someone Had Bottled It, Even A Revolution Couldnt Topple The Rum, and Always True To Its Rumba Loving Soul.

With a focus on Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, and Philadelphia, the advertising campaign will be executed through programmatic buying to distribute high-impact and native media including custom videos and cocktail education, reaching a sophisticated consumer through private marketplaces, geo-based spot and digital radio and mobile location. Out-of-Home advertising will be implemented throughout Miami, Fla.

Anejo Blanco has a RRP of US$19.99 and Anejo Clasico US$21.99.

6 June 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor
Scapa Jutland profits will be donated to RNLI

Scapa Jutland is a new single cask single malt Scotch whisky from Chivas Brothers. It has been specially crafted to mark the centenary of the Battle of Jutland. Scapa was used as a base by the British naval fleet during the First World War and the artisanal island single malt distillery has released 249 bottles of Scapa Jutland (RRP 200) with all profits from their sale, estimated at over 45,000, to be donated by Chivas Brothers to the RNLI.

Of the 249 bottles released, 11 have been named in memory of ships from the British and German Navies that fought during the conflict, including HMS Invincible, HMS Queen Mary and HMS Collingwood and HMS Indefatigable. HMS Indefatigable will be placed up for auction through Master of Malt in future in order to raise further funds for the RNLI.

Produced in association with the family of Admiral John Rushworth Jellicoe  Commander of the British Grand Fleet that fought at Jutland from 30th May to 1st June 1916  Scapa Jutland is exclusively available from the Scapa Visitor Centre alongside the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Jutland on Orkney, 31st May 2016, at the RRP of 200.

Scapa and the British Royal Navy share over 100 years of cooperative history dating back to when Admiral Jellicoe used the distillery, situated overlooking the Scapa Flow on the remote Orkney Isles, as his base during the First World War. Admiral Jellicoe saved the distillery from a fire during his tenure and thanked Scapa for services rendered during the war, by building a wooden staircase in the mill room as a memorial to the British Royal Navy.

Brian MacAulay, Scapa master distiller, says, We are thrilled to present Scapa Jutland, a true Orcadian Single malt that has been crafted using traditional methods and thoughtfully matured for 16 years in a single first-fill American oak cask. Bursting with sweet, tropical fruit flavours and notes of vanilla, toffee and butter scotch, this single cask expression is harmoniously balanced with a long, sweet and spicy finish and is a fitting tribute to the commemorations here on Orkney.

Ross Martin, RNLI corporate partnerships manager, says: The RNLI are very grateful to Chivas Brothers and the Scapa Whisky Distillery for their generous offer of donating all profits from the sale of Scapa Jutland to help fund the crew training requirements at our three Orkney Islands Lifeboat Stations. Crew training is a substantial investment but a vital one. RNLI volunteer crew really are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and we owe it to them to provide the best training possible. The funds raised from the sale of this limited edition malt will be used to support our lifesavers and help us continue to save lives at sea.

Pictured above: RNLI Lifeboat crew member Graham Campbell and Nicola Stevenson, Scapa Distillery visitor manager

1 June 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor
Access to safe water and sustainable energy are inextricably linked, and extremely important if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. More than 660 million people globally - or one in 10 - lack access to safe drinking water. This has devastating health consequences and causes more than 1.5 billion deaths every year. Most still rely on surface, well or spring water for their water supply and require energy to pump ground water or boil it using wood, kerosene or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). However, water is often not boiled for long enough or stored properly afterwards, so it still contains pathogens and is often highly contaminated.

New for this year in the annual Ashden Awards - which celebrate sustainable energy trailblazers around the world - is an award exploring the nexus of energy and water. Nazava Water Filters, the winner of the 2016 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy and Water, is helping tackle the problem of access to safe drinking water in Indonesia, where women struggle to get safe drinking water for their families, and where around 15,000 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases every year.

The company has developed a low cost water filter made using two locally-available transparent plastic containers stacked one on top of another with a ceramic filter candle in between. The filter candle blocks pathogens and solid particles from passing through and reduces chemical contamination, thereby improving both the taste and odour of the water. Safe drinking water is dispensed through a tap in the lower container, making the filter a functional and aspirational household item for rural households, available in different shapes, sizes and colours.

The most popular filter costs $20, which can be paid for in cash or in instalments, which means this household-level approach provides a cheaper and more reliable alternative to boiling or buying treated water, especially in isolated areas or on small islands. Eliminating the use of fuel to boil water cuts greenhouse gas emissions, saving about 10,000 tonnes/year CO2.

To date, over 50,000 filters have been sold through an effective network of more than 120 women resellers, including community health workers and midwives working with the Ministry of Health, benefitting 200,000 people with affordable access to safe drinking water.

Runner up in the 2016 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy and Water, 1001 Fontaines is a French NGO that sets up water treatment kiosks in rural villages across Cambodia, where household income is less than $2 a day.

Using a community-scale, decentralised approach appropriate for supplying safe drinking water to rural and peri-urban areas, the kiosks - that cost around $25,000 to set up - filter and treat surface or ground water (from rivers, lakes, ponds or tube wells) using solar-powered UltraViolet sterilisation techniques.
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By Gleaner Staff

Gov. Matt Bevin on Monday announced his plan revamping the application process for the Kentucky Colonel program.

Bevin and Lynn Ashton, executive director of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, announced a new online nomination process for requesting Kentucky Colonels. The form includes a field where the recommender can list the nominee's service in a charitable organization or acts of community service.

"Each year, Colonels in all 50 states and 36 countries combine their resources to support non-profits that improve the lives of Kentuckians," Bevin said in a statement. "Kentucky Colonels are servant leaders that are dedicated to the well-being of their community in a way no one else can be. They touch the lives of those who need it most throughout the Commonwealth, including people and families in our communities. Kentucky Colonels enjoy a rich tradition and history, and we hope that this renewed focus on community service helps revitalize the spirit of giving within the Order."

The commission of Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by governor of Kentucky. It is recognition of an individual's noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to their community, state and nation.

"We appreciate the Governor taking the time to thoughtfully review the application process for the first time in memory," Ashton said. "We look forward to continuing to work together in honoring servant leaders and improving the lives of Kentuckians."

To nominate someone for the Kentucky Colonels, visit https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Governor/KentuckyColonelCommission. Only active members of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels may make recommendations.
New Burlington Area Homeless Shelter director carrying mission forward

The new executive director of the Burlington Area Homeless Shelter says she's excited for her new role and here to serve the community.
Update: According to court documents, the case against Liam Oberlander was dismissed.

June 3

Sephylia Paulk, 49, of 145 Scribner Ave., Norwalk, was charged with third-degree assault. She was given a court date of June 13.

Maurice Bacon, 54, of 93 Woodward Ave., Norwalk, was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics within 1,500 ft. of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1,500 feet of a school, failure to have headlights lit, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, failure to drive right, and failure to obey a stop sign. He was issued a $1,500 bond and given a court date of June 13.

Clara Arroyave, 39, of 47 Gregory Boulevard, Norwalk, was charged with creating a public disturbance. She was issued a $103 fine.

Jordan Dawe, 21, of 139 Wolfpit Ave., Norwalk, was charged with owning/harboring a dog to create a public nuisance. He was issued a $75 fine and given a court date of June 17.

Reda Pouhaddada, 23, of 32 Lockwood Lane, Greenwich, was charged with sixth-degree larceny. She was given a court date of June 10.

Melissa Clark, 34, of 25 Lexington Ave., Norwalk, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. She was given a court date of June 6.

Wesley Moore, 38, of 17 Adams Ave., Norwalk, was charged with two counts of violation of probation, second-degree failure to appear, third-degree assault, second-degree strangulation, and second-degree threatening. He was issued a $46,000 bond and given a court date of June 3.

Efstrati Papadakos, 47, of 25 Fullin Road, Norwalk, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, failure to drive right, and traveling too fast for conditions. He was issued a $2,500 bond and given a court date of June 17.

June 4

Maria Chacon, 31, of 16 Chapel St., Norwalk, was charged with interference with a 911 call, second-degree criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct. She was given a court date of June 6.

Reetu Sharma, 37, of 115 Flax Hill Road, Norwalk, was charged with sixth-degree larceny. She was given a court date of June 10.

Liam Oberlander, 19, of 325 Grove St., Oradell, N.J., was charged with second-degree breach of peace, third-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, and possession of less than one half ounce of marijuana. He was given a court date of June 14.

June 5

Edgar Velez, 19, of 14 Snowden St., Norwalk, was charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell, possession of drugs with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of drug paraphernalia within 1,500 ft. of a school. He was issued a $1,000 bond and given a court date of June 14.

Alfonso Solis, 27, of 1810 Brucker Boulevard, Bronx, N.Y., was charged with sixth-degree larceny. He was given a court date of June 10.

Kamil Gorczynski, 27, of 37-39 Ferris Ave., Norwalk, was charged with disorderly conduct. He was issued a $1,000 bond and given a court date of June 6.

Scott Zane, 57, of 25 Rowley Ave., Woodbury, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane. He was issued a $250 bond and given a court date of June 14.

Ramon Dias-Artiga, 41, of 109 Flax Hill Road, Norwalk, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, operating a motor vehicle without a license and insurance, and failure to drive in the proper lane. He was issued a $250 bond and given a court date of June 14.

June 6

Dorothy Roy, 55, of 66 Wakelee Road, Waterbury, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence and improper parking. She was issued a $250 bond and given a court date of June 16.
NORWALK  A patient checked into the emergency room on May 18, coming off a drunken high with minor injuries. He was treated and discharged the next day, and by May 20 he had checked in again, this time testing positive for marijuana and benzodiazepines, a psychoactive drug. He also appeared to be cutting himself.

The patient has been homeless, floating between relatives and staying outside. He has poor hygiene, and when hes drinking, is known to cause problems at the Open Door Shelter in South Norwalk, where he is a frequent visitor. Described as a handful, the patient wants to go back to the Norwalk Hospital Inpatient Outpatient Program (IOP) where he trusts at least one person. He agreed to go back on his medications  used to treat an unspecified mental health condition  if he could go back.

The patient is one of dozens who frequent the emergency room, and is the epitome of the type of patient the hospitals Community Cares Team is trying to help.

Started in 2014 by Dr. Katherine Michael, a psychologist and director of Community Behavioral Health for the Western Connecticut Health Network, the Community Cares Team (CCT) is a collaborative effort among doctors, nurses, social services professionals and community health advocates to reduce emergency room recidivism by providing patients with a holistic and individualized approach to their case that takes into account all factors that cause them to keep returning to the ER.

The Community Care Team is actively following 150 patients, accumulated over the past two years. Including the high-user team  people consistently visiting the ER  the program has reviewed about 200 cases. When the program was first started two years ago, the 30 highest ER visitors were there a combined 1,120 times in one year. After two years, their visit rate was reduced almost by half to 584 visits in one year, thanks to the efforts of the CCT.

But their work is far from over. Last year, 10 new patients visited the emergency room a combined 1,300 times, according to hospital data.

Often these patients are not insured so they lack primary, preventative care. One of our first steps is to get them insured if they can be, and the reason theyre coming in less often is that theyre getting primary care, Michael said. Theyre getting preventative treatment.

A collaborative effort

Every Tuesday morning, the CCT meets to discuss patients in the program. The patients have agreed that those on the CCT are free to discuss their case openly with one another, an important aspect of the program. Without this agreement, collaboration would be near impossible as HIPPA laws prevent doctors from openly discussing a patients case otherwise.

Though the CCT meets in person once a week to touch base, most of the work is done between meetings. During that time, theyre in constant contact as things progress  or regress  with each patient.

At a meeting two weeks ago, the team members sat facing one another in a conference room at the Triangle Community Center, listening as CCT High Risk Navigator Staci Peete read through the agenda of patients one by one.

The first patient they discuss has been using drugs since age 10. Both of his parents dealt with substance abuse issues, and the patient also suffers from severe PTSD. Hes struggling to stay sober, and last tested positive for methodone, benzos, cocaine and heroin.

Hes agreed to go to Liberation Way, a rehabilitation treatment facility in Norwalk, but CCT members are concerned he will still struggle to stay sober. They recommend inpatient treatment, but are looking for additional solutions.

Dawn Emerson, who works at New Haven-based nonprofit New Reach, says the patient has a long distance girlfriend who visits about once a month. When shes in town, the patient does much better and stops using. She suggests finding a local person to build a relationship with the patient and provide peer support as a way to curb his drug use.

Members of the CCT listen, and almost immediately launch into a discussion about the best way to approach this idea, laying out first steps and developing an implementation process that coincides with the patients admittance to Liberation.

While coordinating the individual efforts of 15 or more people may seem daunting  and near impossible  it somehow works. For all team members, these efforts are an addition to their regular work loads.

The hospital has invested in one full-time employee to manage the program  Peete. Her duties include keeping track of all patient information and progress, facilitating communication throughout the week, following up with patients and organizing the weekly meetings. Peete also spends a significant amount of time tracking down patients that frequent the ER but havent been brought into the CCT program yet.

The collaboration works because everyone has a different role, Emerson said. Were breaking down silos. We all have our own agenda but it all comes together in the end.

More than a Band-Aid

Michael said many of the patients who repeatedly visit the emergency room do so because they lack primary care, usually because they also lack insurance. Michael said the first step for every new CCT patient is to obtain insurance if possible.

Weve been able to get insurance for every patient who is eligible, Michael said. Where we run into trouble is with our undocumented patients  about 5 to 10 percent of patients  but we try our best to get them help through grants.

From there, CCT members look at each patient holistically, treating not just the symptoms of a problem, but the causes, to the best of their ability. For example, when CCT members learned one of their current patients didnt know how to read, the team immediately began discussing and looking into community programs that could help the patient live a more independent life by teaching her how to read.

Additionally, most of the programs initial patients were homeless, which can cause a whole slew of health issues, particularly in the winter. As a result of the CCT efforts, 45 previously homeless patients have been housed since the program started, effectively reducing ER recidivism for those patients.

Even with the individual successes of the program, Michael and Peete agreed that patients often can only be helped as much as they are willing, but the small victories  like getting a patient to volunteer for rehab rather than forcing them  are what counts.

Its really hard to watch them get worse, Michael said. Its an ongoing process and were constantly getting new patients.

Hospital support and challenges

Because of the way fees are assessed to emergency room visitors, the hospital actually makes more money if there are more visitors. Even so, Michael said the hospital has shown a demonstrable commitment to the CCT program.

I think its the right thing to do, Michael said. Its the right thing to do for people and its looking beyond what makes money. Eventually it will save money, but right now the hospital is investing in something that reduces income but is better for patients.

Even so, the program is not without its challenges. For example, because the program relies on collaboration with organizations outside the hospital, Michael said things like state budget cuts have a huge impact on the program.

Thats the other part of the puzzle and were trying to figure out how it works, Michael said. A lot of psychiatric problems used to be treated in state hospitals, but many of those are being shut down.

Other challenges include waiting lists at substance abuse facilities, and determining a solution for a patient only to discover its not readily available in Fairfield County, though the program does work with organizations from New Haven to Greenwich.

The hospital has made a commitment to keep this, Michael said. Theyre interested in the infrastructure to do what we need to do down the road, which is take better care and have it cost less.
Has Gov. Dannel P. Malloy forgotten what its like to try to run a city?

The former Stamford mayor, now in his second term at the states helm, cut another $20 million in municipal aid with a line item veto Thursday. Zip, gone.

This is on top of the $175 million sliced earlier from promises for the states 169 municipalities. And this is at the 11th hour  just weeks before the start of the new fiscal year and well after most cities and towns have adopted their budgets.

Its hard enough to take care of the living, but now, adding insult to injury, municipalities even have to handle the dead. It almost sounds like a bad joke  except it is true.

The states chief medical examiner said May 26 that reductions to his budget mean the office can no longer handle the unclaimed bodies of people who die of natural causes, as of July 1. Cities and towns have to scramble to figure out how to assume the responsibility.

Connecticut has to stop balancing its sorry budget on the backs of the municipalities that will have little choice but to raise property taxes or reduce services. Either way, people pay the price.

The latest cut came as a swift response when the House of the General Assembly, in special session Thursday, failed to vote on Malloys legacy legislation dubbed Second Chance 2.0. The bill would have removed bail requirements for misdemeanors, which means those charged with a minor crime who could not afford bail would not have to stay in jail  at the states expense. We supported this portion of the bill as a more fair approach to criminal justice.

But representatives grew concerned about the possibility of former felons going free on new misdemeanor charges and despite the governors lobbying  every day his staff emailed notices of how many people with minor charges sat in Connecticut jails because they could not post bail  support flailed. The bill was not called for a vote.

The language in the bill can be reworked to ally justifiable concerns, but the overall intent is proper. The bail portion of Second Chance 2.0 should be at the top of the agenda if the Assembly reconvenes or when the new one takes office in January.

Malloy made the latest cuts, as he signed the new $19.76 billion budget, to compensate for savings he expected by closing a prison. No Second Chance 2.0, no prison closing. The governor also withdrew $1.7 million for the Connecticut Humanities Council and $775,000 to federally qualified health centers for just over $22 million dropped from the states budget.

These are difficult financial times as projected revenue has been falling short. We all understand. With no new or increased taxes  an imperative  the budget gets squeezed with as many as 2,000 state employees to be laid off and some bonding projects canceled.

But pushing expenses down to the cities and towns is never the answer.
Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn today named Randall G. Pembrook, PhD, as the ninth chancellor in Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles history. The selection is pending formal SIU Board of Trustees approval, and Pembrook will officially assume his duties in early August. An official introduction and reception will be scheduled for the beginning of the academic year.

I am excited about the selection of Dr. Pembrook to serve as the next chancellor for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and am looking forward to a long working relationship with him, Dunn said. Randy is an SIUE alumnus with extensive background and experience in higher education and has family ties to southwestern Illinois. He is an outstanding fit for SIUE, who possesses the necessary skills to lead the University toward even greater successes in the years ahead.

Chancellor Search Advisory Committee Chair Gireesh Gupchup, PhD and dean of the SIUE School of Pharmacy, led the 21-person committee through the nine-month national search that began with 65 candidates. The committee was comprised of faculty, staff, students and alumni. Executive search firm Witt/Kiefer assisted the search committee in representing the president in the search.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank all of the SIUE stakeholder groups for their assistance and support during the search process, Gupchup said. The search committee should be complimented for its dedication to the task of selecting a chancellor who fits SIUEs mission, vision and values. The talented candidate pool was fully vetted. We are extremely pleased that Dr. Pembrook has agreed to lead SIUE as we continue our success.

Pembrook has served as the vice president for academic affairs at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas since January 2011. He has been the chief academic officer at Washburn working with faculty, staff, students and administrators from the College of Arts and Sciences, Schools of Applied Studies, Business, Law, and Nursing, the Washburn Institute of Technology, Mabee Library/Student Success Center and Academic Outreach.

Pembrook has worked closely with the directors of Washburns Center for Community and Civic Engagement, Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning, Honors Program, Leadership Institute, Mulvane Art Museum, Office of International Programs, the KTWU Public Television Station, and the Washburn Transformational Experience Program. In the last five years, Washburn University has implemented over 15 new programs such as the doctor of nursing practice, masters programs in accounting, addiction counseling, communication and leadership, health sciences, and law, as well as bachelors programs in entrepreneurship and innovation, environmental biology and forensics.

I am absolutely thrilled to be selected as the next chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said Pembrook. For me, it truly feels like coming home. Im returning to my alma mater, which has grown significantly in national stature as well as student enrollment.

Because of SIUEs people and its location, there are many amazing opportunities ahead. There are also challenges, particularly at this moment with budgets, but with the help of outstanding individuals at the institution and in the community, I know we will continue to achieve great things as a university.

Before coming to Washburn, Pembrook served at Baker University for four years in several capacities, including executive vice president and provost, interim vice president for enrollment management, acting dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, and special assistant to the president. He also has served as chief academic officer for Bakers College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Nursing, and School of Professional and Graduate Studies.

Before joining Baker in 2007, Pembrook was dean at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he also served as associate dean of the Conservatory, chair of the Music Education/Music Therapy Division, and Conservatory faculty chair as well as chair of a four-campus faculty committee reporting to the University of Missouri system president.

Pembrook earned an associates degree from Lewis and Clark Community College before achieving both a bachelors and masters in music education/piano performance from SIUE in 1978 and 80, respectively. He earned a doctorate in music education from Florida State University in 1984.

A Metro East native, Pembrook and his wife Mary Jo have two daughters, Sarah and Rachel.

I will be within an hour of my home town and family in Greenfield and look forward to working diligently for the citizens of southwest Illinois, the state in general and the region to continue SIUEs standing as a valued higher education partner, Pembrook said.

I must extend my deep gratitude to the members of the search committee and its chair Gireesh Gupchup, who have worked tirelessly over the past nine months to bring us this outstanding candidate, added Dunn. My thanks go as well to Dr. Stephen Hansen for his dedicated service to SIUE as interim chancellor this past year.

Pembrook succeeds Julie Furst-Bowe, who resigned after a three-year tenure to become vice president of instruction at Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) in Wisconsin.
It rolls through Edwardsville today as Route 157.

But for roughly 50 years, it was one of many alignments of America's most famous highway - Route 66.

And while it was decommissioned in Illinois in 1977, the Mother Road's allure is as strong as ever.

That much will be evident June 11 and 12 when the Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor Weekend encompasses Edwardsville and Glen Carbon.

That weekend, which overlaps Edwardsville's Route 66 Festival, covers a larger portion of the old highway, stretching from Chatham in the north to Collinsville in the south.

Thirteen communities along the ribbon of road are taking part in Blue Carpet Corridor events.

Participants will be able to pick up passports along the route and have them stamped at various locations.

Edwardsville's passport stop is an old tourist cabin located on the grounds of Afterwords Books, 454 East Vandalia.

Glen Carbon's stop is its Heritage Museum, located at 124 School St. in Old Town.

Passport stop hours all along the route are from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 11 and 8 p.m. to 3 p.m. on June 12.

June 11 will be the second day of Edwardsville's festival, which will feature a classic car cruise, live music, activities for children and plenty of food and drink.

Other events include a local author's fair from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Afterwords Books. Bailey Cakes, meanwhile, is offering Route 66 cupcakes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glen Carbon, meanwhile, will host George Portz and the Friends of Bluegrass from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 11 and the Red-Haired Boys from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 12, both at the pavilion behind the Heritage Museum.

Local author/historian Cheryl Jett Eichar is the president of the Blue Carpet Corridor organization and she said this year, the word is out and Mother Road fans will becoming from near and far.

"And, although many Route 66 fans across the U.S. could not or did not attend the first event, primarily through social media, the greater Route 66 community around the world learned of our event," Jett said. "And this year, we have at least one international guest coming to Edwardsville to experience the Route 66 Festival and the Blue Carpet Corridor. Mariko Kusakabe, who is a Japanese Route 66 blogger and photographer (she blogs in Japanese for all the Route 66 fans in that country) has flown over to the U.S. for our weekend and will be visiting Edwardsville that weekend."

Organizers of last year's inaugural event learned a few lessons, Jett said, some tweaks have been made.

"Although most of the communities will have similar activities to the 2015 event, particularly the long-running festivals like Edwardsville's and Chatham's, we have a few changes this year. We have consistent hours for all 13 of our passport stops to be open to greet visitors and stamp passports - from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday," Jett said. "In Collinsville, the passport stop will be at the World's Largest Catsup Bottle instead of the Miner's Institute."

In addition, more souvenir merchandise has been produced.

"We are drawing in more artisans and artists to produce souvenir merchandise. For instance, Edwardsville artisan Micah Wall is producing hand-cast pewter '90th Anniversary of Route 66' souvenir coins, which will be available in limited supplies at the Edwardsville passport stop. Edwardsville artist Ellen Keller is producing map art magnets and wearables, handmade souvenir items which will be available at the Troy Passport Stop'" Jett said.

"For 2016, the Route 66 Association of Illinois will begin their motor tour in Edwardsville, signing up participants on Friday evening at the Route 66 Festival in City Park. The entire motor tour will be along the Blue Carpet Corridor through Sunday morning this year. The new Illinois Museum of Coal at Gillespie had its kick-off exhibit in the Gillespie City Hall last year; this year they have an exhibit in the lobby of their new building, which is a historic bank building."

Illinois, for the purposes of Route 66 history buffs, is divided into red, white and blue corridors.

The blue corridor event is again using the theme "Miners, Mobsters and the Mother Road."

Communities participating in this year's event in addition to Edwardsville and Glen Carbon are: Chatham, Virden, Girard, Carlinville, Gillespie, Staunton, Hamel, Litchfield, Mount Olive, Troy and Collinsville.
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Linkedin Winandriyo Kun Anggianto and Dimas Muhamad (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Youla Lasut was speechless when she found out that her husband Alfian Elvis Repi, a crew member of the tugboat Brahma 12, was eventually released by the militant Abu Sayyaf group after more than a month in captivity.



After the release of 10 captives early this month, we were all relieved when President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced that the other four hostages would soon join them.



The release of the Indonesian sailors teaches us important lessons in dealing with such depraved groups.



First is the virtue of total diplomacy as cited by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, which meant concerted attempts by all stakeholders harnessing formal and informal avenues.



While our negotiators were paramount in protecting our citizens abroad, there were other significant actors, including the military.



Second is the merit of tapping into our socio-cultural affinity with the people in the southern Philippines, who are mostly Muslim. For decades Indonesia actively supported the peace process in the conflict-torn region.



This bond with the Philippines, particularly the south, is an asset that we managed to use, apart from our negotiators reportedly presenting tempeh, bakpia snacks and a copy of the Koran to the kidnappers.



Lastly the government unequivocally denied that they succumbed to Abu Sayyafs demand for ransom. While defying a call for ransom has its own risks, paying it has its other drawbacks.



It might save todays hostages,but might lead to the snatching of tomorrows victims. Abu Sayyaf would only become emboldened to capture more hostages if the captives become lucrative cash cows.



We also need more rigorous preventive measures to avoid future kidnappings. Every year more than 100,000 ships pass through the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea, carrying 55 million metric tons of cargo and 18 million passengers.



The constructive trilateral meeting between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on May 5 demonstrated a robust political commitment among the countries to get to the bottom of the Abu Sayyaf menace.



Among other things, they agreed to conduct patrols, render immediate assistance for people and ships in distress and establish a national focal point and a hotline.



Coordinated and joint patrols among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are among the astute preventive strategies. The Malacca Strait patrols illustrate how effective and fruitful joint patrols can be.



According to the International Chamber of Commerces International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks in the Malacca Straits have dropped from 38 in 2004 to just nine from 2011 to 2015.



The trilateral meeting paved the way for a more rigorous partnership in the region, especially between Indonesia and the Philippines, which finally led to the release of the four hostages.



Yet these measures are not enough. We need to not only treat the symptoms but to eliminate the virus, especially because many of the abduction cases are driven by economic motives.



The Philippines has undertaken numerous initiatives to boost development in its southern territory, but other countries, including Indonesia, also have a role to play. Indonesia and its neighbors should bolster the existing platforms to support development, particularly in underdeveloped pockets such as the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area ( BIMP-EAGA ), and also the Initiative for ASEAN integration.



Indonesia can attempt further connectivity between North Sulawesi and the southern Philippines such as by expediting the completion of the Davao-General Santos-Bitung shipping lane as a part of the BIMP-EAGA blueprint, which is expected to be finished this year.



Indonesia should also strengthen development and technical cooperation in the southern Philippines.



This is critical not only for economic development in the Philippines and Indonesia but also to drain any lingering sympathy for Abu Sayyaf from among the grassroots.



Indonesian development cooperation in the southern Philippines would hopefully increase affinity toward Indonesians among people in the south and hopefully contribute to resistance against future kidnapping, at least of Indonesians.



No words can explain what it feels like to not know what is happening to your loved ones when they are held hostage.



No other family should go through the agony ever again. We must take the wind out of Abu Sayyafs sail and to do what we need with all hands on deck.

***

The writers work at the Foreign Ministry. The views expressed are their own.

---------------

We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Isabelle Louis and Jeremy Douglas (The Jakarta Post) Bangkok  Mon, June 6, 2016

This years World Environment Day on June 5 puts the spotlight on the illegal trade in wildlife. The problem has particular significance in Asia, which is the destination for most of the ivory taken from 20,000 to 25,000 elephants and the horns of more than 1,200 rhinos killed in Africa every year. Demand in the region is driven by fast growing middle and upper classes with an appetite for exotic pets, decor, food and fashion.



While several iconic species including rhinos, tigers and elephants are now in decline, with some populations pushed to the brink of extinction, it is actually less known species such as pangolins, turtles and reptiles that are most frequently smuggled across borders and consumed in the region.



And although it is difficult to obtain an accurate valuation of the regional wildlife trade, it is known that prices of some species are subject to speculation  often driven by proximity to extinction  and that the profits made by organized crime are significant.



Despite a variety of national and international instruments to counter the problem, transnational criminal groups have been able to circumvent regulations and to launder illegally sourced wildlife into legal markets.



This often happens through fraud, advanced smuggling techniques, or more simply with corruption. The size of some recent seizures  several tons of ivory were intercepted over the past few years in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam  and the variety of nationalities of the couriers arrested leaves no doubt about the organized and transnational nature of wildlife trafficking.



We are paying a heavy price. The illegal wildlife trade undermines our ability to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda adopted last year. Ivory from a poached elephant is worth about US$21,000 a kilogram while a living elephant can generate more than $1.6 million in economic activity.



The illegal wildlife trade also has serious negative impacts on biodiversity, leading to the extinction of species and damage to habitat. The environmental impact of the illegal wildlife trade also goes beyond the immediate detrimental effects on target species and can result in the spread of diseases or introduction of invasive species when live animals are moved across international borders.



In a landmark resolution last year the United Nations General Assembly called on countries to declare the illegal wildlife trade a serious criminal offence.



Discussions at the second United Nations Environment Assembly that has just taken place in Kenya May 23 to 27 reaffirmed the urgency of stepping up efforts to combat wildlife crime through concrete actions at the national level and through expanded international cooperation.



There are also signs that leaders in this region have started recognise the significance of the problem  the last ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime added trafficking in wildlife and timber to the list of priority transnational crimes for the region to address.



Given the size of the market for wildlife in Asia it is important that political statements in the region are followed up with concrete actions, and that the illegal wildlife trade is treated as a serious organized crime like drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, terrorism, and arms smuggling.



Addressing the illegal trade in wildlife will require collective coordinated action, working across source, transit and destination countries, in the most strategic hotspots across the supply chain. It is important to shift the focus of the criminal justice response from couriers and poachers to trade controllers and corrupt facilitators.



Legal loopholes need to be closed and laws and penalties made tougher in conjunction with anti-corruption provisions. And hopefully greater public awareness will bring pressure to bear on governments to enforce laws.



As we mark World Environment Day, the United Nations is calling on everyone to stop wildlife trafficking. Everyone has a role to play from lawmakers, community leaders, police and customs officers, prosecutors and judges, to businesses and average citizens. We urge you to join us in calling for zero tolerance.



Wildlife trafficking needs to be stopped.

***

Isabelle Louis is acting regional director of the UN Environment Program Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Jeremy Douglas is regional representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 7, 2016

Disadvantaged Village Development and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar recently visited a number of villages in South Sumatra to engage with local people concerning village management.

The June 2 trip saw the minister visit different places in the communities, ranging from Islamic boarding schools to village administration offices. The following is a brief report of his journey.

Role of pesantren in village development

During his visit to the Al-Ittifaqiyah pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in the Ogan Ilir area, Marwan urged the community to preserve Pancasila as its ideology, which all Indonesians should see as the foundation for living harmoniously amid the differences across the archipelago.

The speech was given following the commemoration of the state ideologys birth on June 1. During a ceremony that took place on that day, President Joko Jokowi Widodo also issued a presidential decree that turned June 1 into a national holiday.

According to Marwan, pesantren communities have already proven their ability to shield the integrity of Indonesia as a nation. Im sure that Islamic boarding schools always strive to adapt themselves to the constantly changing conditions of society. It is important, however, for them to still retain their root mission so that they dont turn their backs on the basic teachings, he said.

The minister also explained about the ministrys village development programs, in which pesantren could take part. Marwan furthermore said that the ministry has committed to devising programs that can benefit all Indonesians.

The village fund, which is disbursed by the government, reflects an effort to intensify equal development. The main objective of the fund disbursement is to create a prosperous and wealthy state, he explained.

Responsible use of village funds

Speaking about village funds, Marwan also urged village heads, who were present during his pesantren visit, to use the funds responsibly and efficiently.

The village funds can function as a means of improving villages if they are used responsibly and efficiently. It is a blessing for village heads when the economic conditions of a particular village improves, he said.

Efficient cash flow reporting

On the same day, the minister also took time to visit the Semambu village in the Indralaya district, Ogan Ilir regency. Accompanied by the village head, Suparmin, he said that village fund reports should be no more than two pages long.

Just report the cash flow  no need to make the document too thick so that it will be easier for people to make and understand it, Marwan said.

He also stated that village funds should be used to create labor-intensive projects that involve local citizens. This can impact the local economy tremendously and boost its growth.

For example, we can just recruit locals to work together to construct new roads in villages  no need to use contractors to do the job, he said, adding that the involvement of residents in village infrastructure projects can create a significant multiplier effect.
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Linkedin Qraved (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Bakso (meatballs) have long been considered one of the greatest parts of Indonesian cuisine. They can be found across the country, all the way from Sabang to Merauke.

With an affordable price per portion, memories of legendary bakso never fade from the hearts of locals. While a good time to eat the dish is at lunch, a bowl of bakso also makes the perfect snack around 5 p.m., especially during the rainy season.

This dish has survived amid people's busy lives in the capital, and here are a few examples of the bakso joints loved and frequented by Jakartans.

Bakso Jawir

Found in several areas including Kemang in South Jakarta and West Jakartas Puri Indah and Tanjung Duren, Bakso Jawir promises a low price with unquestionable quality and taste. With egg, extra meat or plain bakso, you can tailor your dish based to your tastebuds.

The bakso starts at Rp 15,000 and youll go home with a full belly, guaranteed.

Bakso Solo Samrat

Many bakso experts will recommend you go to Bakso Solo Samrat. This place is a perfect choice if youre craving bakso after walking around Lotte Shopping Avenue in South Jakarta as its close to the mall.

With its status as a premium bakso outlet  price and taste wise  Solo Amrat is praised for its meaty bakso and delicious pangsit goreng (fried wontons).

Bakso Aan

Meatball is the best choice when you're hungry and cold weather is attack A photo posted by STEVANY (@stevanyvany95) on Nov 23, 2015 at 7:16am PST

Its clear that Pantai Indak Kapuk (PIK) in North Jakarta has transformed into the center of the culinary world in Jakarta.

Among the choices of numerous Korean restaurants, Bakso Aan stands tall and proud with its famous bakso halus (smooth meatballs) and bakso ikan (fish meatballs). Another thing to order at Bakso Aan is a legendary carbonated drink called Cap Badak.

(Read also: What to do on Transjakarta's Saturday night food tour)

Bakso Akiaw

Always be my favorite for dinner  #jktgo #handsinframe #appetitejournal #shotoniphone A photo posted by Windy Tjung (@windyjunica) on Apr 13, 2015 at 9:04am PDT

If you go all the way to Kota, you'll find an exceptional bakso place called Bakso Akiaw. With many options including choosing your own topping, the dish will be a unique culinary experience.

This essential bakso outlet is one of the tastiest warung (food stalls) around Mangga Besar in West Jakarta.

Bakso Titoti

Bakso titoti dulu~ #bakso #baksotitoti #indonesianfood #kuliner #instafood #foodpic #favoritefood A photo posted by putrithyas (@putrithyas) on Apr 25, 2016 at 4:25am PDT

Spacious and located in the great spot of Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, Bakso Titoti is filled with fans almost every day.

A recommended dish is bakso spesial, which includes large bakso urat, small bakso urat, smooth bakso urat and large bakso telur (meatballs with egg filling). If satisfaction has a definition, this bakso spesial is it.

(Read also: Bakso Titoti Wonogiri survives test of time)

Bakso Boedjangan

Established in Bandung, Bakso Boedjangan has expanded its brand to four cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta.

This bakso eatery is famous for its modern concept, without forgoing the original taste of bakso. The favorite here is the creamy bakso super keju (meatballs with cheese). (kes)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Want to wear your hijab in the most fashionable way? Indonesia boasts plenty of Muslim fashion designers whose works are adored local and globally.

Without further ado, here are six local designers that specialize in Muslim fashion. We adore them all.

Dian Pelangi

As her name suggests, Dian Pelangis collections are known for color. While sticking to signature tie-dye, batik, and songket, Dian plays with various patterns and color. In addition to DP by Dian Pelangi, Dian offers a selection of other lines including DP Bride, Gallery Dian Pelangi, DP Hajj, D-Men, and DP Kids.

Starting price: Rp 300,000 (US$22.45)

Today at #PestaWirausaha  dress from @dianpelangicom hijab from @hautehijab  Thank you @wardahbeauty for having me  A photo posted by Dian Pelangi  (@dianpelangi) on May 4, 2016 at 2:56am PDT

(Read also: Dian Pelangi: In the arms of the rainbow)

Ria Miranda

A graduate of ESMOD fashion school and an ex fashion stylist for Noor magazine, Ria Miranda is quite successful with her trademark feminine-cut clothes in pastel colors. Check out both her modest luxury line, Ria Miranda Signature, and her casual wear line, Ria Miranda.

Starting price: Rp 1,100,000 for signature collections and Rp 437,500 for casual wear

Elhasbu

Owned by model Lulu Elhasbu, the Elhasbu brand is known for its signature tunic. The Elhasbu tunic is a favorite to pair with jeans and pants, and looks great with both heels and sneakers. In addition to the tunic, the brand also offers a great range of dresses suitable for daily use.

Starting price: Rp 400,000

A photo posted by Lulu Elhasbu   (@luluelhasbu) on May 6, 2016 at 3:30am PDT

(Read also: Dynamic, chic & elegant finesse of Islamic fashion)

Casa Elana

Casa Elana is perfect for breast-feeding moms who want to appear trendy. Shaped in cape-like fashion, mothers can finally escape from the dreary shirt routine and wear something more fashionable. The brand also offers other daily wear clothes, ranging from tops and pants to head scarfs.

Starting price: Rp 445,000 for the brands breastfeeding range and Rp 250,000 for casual wear

Our Ramadhan and Raya Series now live at www.hijup.com @hijup A photo posted by Casa Elana (@casaelana) on May 27, 2016 at 12:22am PDT

JENAHARA Black Label

Jenahara Nasutions clothing label was created in 2011 as a premium line. Customers can expect edgy, unconventional designs. In 2015, JENAHARA Black Label was featured at Indonesia Fashion Week.

Starting price: Rp 899,000

(Read also: 6 local quirky bag brands on the rise)

Jenahara Black Label - Ignis Fatuus SS 16 Collection. Ignis Fatuus is about an illusion of the creation. A phosphorescent light that flits over swampy ground at night, possibly caused a dellusion . Pre order this collection email to : jenaharablacklabel@gmail.com #jenaharablacklabel #jenahara #Ignisfatuus A photo posted by Jenahara Black Label (@jenaharablacklabel) on Dec 15, 2015 at 9:17pm PST

Meccanism by Zaskia Mecca

Meccanism is a brand by actress-turned entrepreneur Zaskia Adya Mecca. It features casual wear intended for daily use, ranging from casual to office wear. Aside of clothes and pants, it also provides head scarfs and prayer clothes (mukena). (kes)

Starting price: Rp 110,000
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Linkedin Kunto Nurcahyoko (The Jakarta Post) Landak, West Kalimantan  Mon, June 6 2016

Indonesia is one of the largest archipelagic countries in the world. In addition to diverse geography, its biodiversity and human resources have also made Indonesia a country with abundant development potential.

In terms of economy, Indonesia holds a pivotal role in global interaction and is among the 20 most powerful economies. Having been hit hard by a prolonged financial crisis in 1998 the Indonesian economy has improved significantly.

Currently, Indonesia, boasting a nominal GDP value amounting to US$895 billion, is ranked 16th on a list of global economic powers. In fact, the Economist Intelligence Unit predicted that Indonesia will become the fourth largest economic power, with an expected GDP of $15.4 trillion by 2050.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

The Attorney Generals Office (AGO) requested an additional Rp 310 billion (US$23.21 million) for its operational costs during a work meeting at the House of Representatives on Monday.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo highlighted the offices shortage of operational funds during the work meeting, which discussed the AGOs budgetary allocation in the revised 2016 state budget with House Commission III, which oversees security, human rights and legal affairs.

The AGOs budget for the handling of cases, comprising general crimes, special crimes, state administration and civil crimes, is far from sufficient, Prasetyo said during the meeting at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday.

Junior attorney for development Bambang Waluyo said the office wanted the additional Rp 310 billion for a number of things, such as Rp 32 billion to furnish low-cost apartments for employees in Kedoya, West Jakarta; the procurement of intelligence equipment; the execution of a court order against the Supersemar Foundation; surveillance activities; and to make up for the budget shortfall from the amount it was allocated last year.

Furnishing the low-cost apartments is deemed important because many senior AGO officials occupy houses initially intended for rank and file employees.

Regarding intelligence equipment, Bambang said the AGO did not have standardized information security. It could cost as much as Rp 97.7 billion," Bambang said.

The AGO initially received Rp 4.71 trillion from the state budget, or Rp 361 billion less than it received in 2015. (ebf)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama may have cut working hours for Jakarta civil servants during Ramadhan, but he will not tolerate lateness and has threatened to cut the allowance for those not in on time during the fasting month.

During Ramadhan, city civil servants start work at 7 a.m., an hour earlier than usual, and finish at 2 p.m., two hours earlier than usual. The policy allows them to go home earlier to break the fast with their families.

It is based on a decree issued by the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform.

However, Ahok stressed that he expected the citys civil servants to comply with the new working hour policy by getting to the office an hour early.

"If they come late, we will cut their regional performance allowance [TKD]," Ahok told journalists at City Hall on Monday.

He said he would assess the impact of the new policy and whether it produced effective working results during the fasting month, which began on Monday. (rin)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

An artist who painted the Free Papua Movement flag on the wall of a building in Darwin, Australia, has reportedly been asked by the building owner to erase the mural. The request was allegedly made due to "external pressures.

Randazzo Properties (RP), the owner of the building, expects the mural to be removed from the wall this week, Kompas.com reported, citing a written statement as quoted from AustraliaPlus, on Monday. RP is said to have contacted the owners of buildings located in proximity to the wall to request access so that the mural can be removed.

Due to external pressure, I have requested that the mural be removed as soon as possible [...], a Randazzo Properties employee wrote in an email.

Free West Papua activists in Australia admitted that they had been informed of the mural removal request made by RP. The activists allege that the external party mentioned by RP was the Indonesian Consulate General in Darwin.

The Indonesian Consul in Darwin, Andre Siregar, claims not to have had any contact with the owner of the building in question. However, the consul admitted that in August 2015 he had written a letter to the Northern Territory government voicing objection to the separatist mural.

While claiming to respect freedom of expression in Australia, Andre considered that physically, the mural was located in close proximity to both the Indonesian Consulate General and Australian Parliament buildings, potentially raising questions regarding the level of Australian support for the Free Papuan Movement among Indonesian officials who visited the country.

Andre said there were two people in Darwin who support the Free Papuan Movement, including the mural artist, Juni Mills.

Mills claims that the wall has been used by different artists to convey various messages for years, adding that the mural was designed to show solidarity between Papuans and Indigenous Australians.

This mural shows respect, love and solidarity for West Papuan people, said Mills.

People cannot raise the West Papua flag in West Papua. They will be killed or imprisoned or punished, said the artist. So we painted the flag here as a form of solidarity [...] We acknowledge their struggle, she said.

The main problem, Mills further said, was that the Indonesian government did not want the struggle of the Free Papuan Movement to spread abroad. They want to block information on anything that has occurred in West Papua, said Mills. The artist said the mural was painted in June 2015.

Mills believed that the order to remove the mural was related to a conference to be held soon at the Charles Darwin University.

The Indonesian conference will invite academics, researches, lecturers and students of different disciplines to discuss the latest information on developments in Indonesia.

On the issue of the mural, RP executives have not yet provided a statement. Several activists gathered at the location of the mural on Saturday to protest the removal request. (ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Bank Indonesia (BI) said on Monday that it had enough cash to meet the demand for money during Ramadhan.

"We have anticipated public needs," BI executive director Suhaedi said.

The central bank expects Rp 160 trillion in withdrawals during Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, 14.7 percent more than in regular months, Suhaedi said.

According to BI, currency circulation is currently Rp 534 trillion, consisting of Rp 527 trillion in banknotes and the remainder in coins.

BI distributed cash to 43 representative offices and started cash exchange operations in a number of strategic locations in the capital city on Monday. (dan)
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Linkedin Veeramalla Anjaiah (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Mon, June 6 2016

The decades-old South China Sea (SCS) issue, North Korea and terrorism were the main focus of this years Shnagri-La Dialogue, which ended on Sunday. Primary SCS claimants  China and Vietnam  strongly defended their claims, while the US stepped up pressure on China to stop what it says are illegal activities and militarization of the disputed waters.

Indonesia and other ASEAN countries called for a peaceful solution to the dispute and asked all claimant countries not to resort to provocative actions that escalated tensions in the region.

After receiving strong criticism from Vietnam, the US, Japan, India, France, UK, the Philippines and Australia, China reiterated its position that it respected international law but would strongly defend its sovereignty in the SCS at the gathering of global military chiefs and security analysts in Singapore.

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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

The government has expressed pessimism over the punctual completion of the 2600-kilometer trans-Sumatra toll road project, which has run up against financing and land procurement problems.



The megaproject, designed to connect 24 toll road sections, is estimated to cost Rp 331.69 trillion (US$24.7 billion) and was slated to finish by 2019.



The project was expected to support the upcoming Asian Games, set to be held in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, from August to September 2018, as the government was targeting to finish the toll road sections connecting Medan in North Sumatra, Pekanbaru in Riau and Palembang in time for the quadrennial event.



With the deadline approaching, however, government officials appear to be pessimistic about the feasibility of the ambitious target.



Speaking in a public discussion last week, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said he had recently informed President Joko Jokowi Widodo that the construction of the trans-Sumatra toll road would likely be completed behind schedule.



The trans-Sumatra [project] is a tough one, he said, declining to elaborate.



Similar concern was voiced by the ministrys secretary general, Taufik Widjoyono, who compared the project with the 498-km trans-Java toll road project.



The trans-Java project is likely [to be finished] by 2018. The land is ready, there is a bridging fund. However, for the trans-Sumatra project, the problems lie maybe with land procurement or the capacity of Hutama Karya, he said recently, referring to the state-owned construction firm assigned to build most parts of the road.



Taufik said the late disbursement of a Rp 3 trillion capital injection (PMN) from the 2016 state budget for Hutama Karya had also created difficulties for the company to finish the project.



The government assigned Hutama Karya to build the toll road to improve connectivity in the region despite the lack of commercial appeal.



Based on the latest data from the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT), construction of the 24.5-km Palembang-Indralaya section, slated to be finished by 2017, has only progressed 15 percent, even though the necessary land procurement is 71.26 percent complete.



Meanwhile, the 17-km Medan-Binjai section, slated to be finished in 2018, only saw construction progress of 14 percent, while land procurement progress stood at 78 percent.



Hutama Karya president director I Gusti Ngurah Putra confirmed that there were indeed problems with land procurement and funding.



We are trying to provide bridging funds for the land procurement in four sections, including Medan-Binjai and Palembang-Indralaya. We are trying to expedite the process, he said, adding that the funds were estimated to amount to Rp 1.8 trillion.

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Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya, East Java  Mon, June 6, 2016

Growing pressure from foreign NGOs demanding Indonesia immediately ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been met with strong resistance from East Java Governor Soekarwo.

Soekarwo asked foreign NGOs not to intervene in matters related to tobacco farming and product manufacturing in Indonesia, including East Java.

No, no. It has nothing to do with those NGOs. Tobacco is the livelihood of East Javas people. Why do they have to dictate how we handle our tobacco affairs? I dont like it. Mind your own business, Soekarwo said last week in Surabaya, East Java.

The governors insistence on rejecting the intervention of both foreign and domestic NGOs in tobacco affairs cannot be separated from the fact that tobacco accounts for 26.3 percent of plantation products in East Java. The province has around 108,000 hectares of tobacco plantations, 55 percent of the total tobacco fields in Indonesia.

Soekarwo said East Java had a close relationship with Indonesias tobacco product manufacturing industry as it employed around 600,000 workers, who would be affected if the government ratified the FCTC.

A similar sentiment was conveyed by tobacco manufacturers in Indonesia. They wrote a joint letter expressing their concerns over the sustainability of the tobacco industry in Indonesia to President Joko Jokowi Widodo at the end of May. They outlined their concerns that the government would bow to growing pressure from NGOs on immediately ratifying the FCTC.

Cigarette manufacturing association Paguyuban Mitra Pelinting Sigaret Indonesia (MPSI) chairman Djoko Wahyudi said one of the requirements stipulated in the FCTC was the prohibition of additional materials, including cloves, in cigarettes, though 95 percent of cigarettes in Indonesia are kretek (clove cigarettes).

The FCTC will kill kretek, a genuine Indonesian product. We hope and call on the Indonesian government to stay committed to protecting the national tobacco manufacturing industry as a whole, which comprises tobacco farmers, workers and industrial players, said Djoko.

He said the MPSI employed more than 40,000 workers across Indonesia.

Djoko said the FCTC was part of a hidden agenda from foreign parties to kill Indonesias tobacco manufacturing industry, which more than 6 million Indonesian people depend on for their livelihoods. The tobacco industry contributed Rp 173.9 trillion (US$12.91 billion) to tax revenues in 2015, making it the third-largest tax contributor in the country.

Djoko said the government had channeled Rp 2.79 trillion of incentive funding through the Tobacco Revenue Sharing Fund (DBHCT) for tobacco producing regencies in 16 provinces in 2015. The amount was slightly higher than the funds allocated in the previous year, which reached Rp 2.78 trillion.

With 39 regencies and municipalities, East Java received Rp 1.43 trillion, the largest portion at 51.25 percent of the total DBHCT allocated in 2015. Central Java ranked second with Rp 633.38 billion, followed by West Java with Rp 318.59 billion.

Livelihoods  Female workers select dried tobacco leaves. East Java's governor has claimed the ratification of the FCTC would affect the livelihoods of the province's people, many of whom depend on tobacco to make a living.(thejakartapost.com/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)

Echoing Djokos opinion, Indonesian Tobacco Growers Association (APTI) chairman Soeseno said he supported Soekarwos move to reject the FCTC ratification because it contained several excessive regulations that could kill the tobacco industry in Indonesia.

Soeseno said among the regulations required for countries that ratified the FCTC were the mandatory implementation of plain packaging, which included a total prohibition on logos and branding on cigarette packs; the prohibition of cigarette advertisements, promotion and sponsorship; the prohibition of shops and stores displaying tobacco products; tobacco land restrictions and tobacco farmland conversion; and a prohibition on the government interacting with tobacco industry stakeholders.

If Indonesia ratifies the FCTS, we will have to convert our tobacco plantations to other commodities; this will threaten the prosperity of around 2 million farmers and millions of tobacco workers in Indonesia, said Soeseno, claiming there was no other commodity that could provide greater profits for farmers.

Currently, 180 countries have become parties in the signing, ratification and accession of the FCTC. Indonesia, together with several other countries such as the US and Switzerland, is not yet a party to the convention. (ebf)
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Linkedin Azis Anwar Fachrudin (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

The time has come for Muslim preachers to prepare what they will deliver in the daily sermons during the coming Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan.

Ramadhan is probably the only time in which Islamic sermons will talk more about ethics, morality, patience and anything related to controlling emotions  as these are among the key meanings of fasting  rather than issues pertaining to Islamic identity and politics. The Arabic word for fasting, siyam or sawm, literally means to refrain/abstain from something.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

The voter-canvassing program conducted on behalf of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama caused jitters in neighboring Singapore over the weekend, as the city states immigration authorities denied entry to two cofounders of Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) on Saturday.



Early reports suggested that the two Teman Ahok founding members, Amalia Ayuningtyas and Richard Handris Saerang, had been arrested soon after arriving in the country on suspicion that they planned to hold a political gathering.



Responding to the news, Teman Ahok coordinator Aditya Yogi Prabowo demanded the Singaporean authorities release the two and threatened to hold a rally and use all of Teman Ahoks resources to secure their release from detention.



The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore later issued a clarification stating that the two were not under arrest and they had only been subjected to interrogation by the immigration authorities.



The Indonesian Embassy coordinated with the Singaporean authorities to help them get on a flight on June 4. But due to technical issues, they were unable to depart for Jakarta on their Garuda Indonesia flight, so we secured seats for them on Garudas first flight on June 5, the Indonesian Embassy said in a statement published on Sunday.



The embassy said the Singaporean immigration authorities had treated the two activists well and had provided them with proper accommodation while they waited for their flight home.



The Singaporean Embassy in Indonesia issued an official statement saying that the two, in an interview with immigration officials on Saturday, acknowledged that they planned to hold a political event and were aware that this was in violation of the countrys law.



They informed the immigration authorities that they were in Singapore to conduct political activities including raising campaign funds. They were therefore denied entry into Singapore and arrangements were made for them to return to Indonesia, the embassy said in a statement.



It also said that Singapore had a strict law against foreigners engaging in political activities in the country. Singapore has always taken a strong stand against the importation of foreign politics into Singapore. We will not allow foreigners to use Singapore as a platform to conduct any political activities. Any contravention of this by any individual will be dealt with in accordance with our laws, the statement said.



Speaking at a press conference upon her return to Indonesia, Amalia denied that she had planned to stage a political event in Singapore and said that she was in the country only in response to an invitation from a group of Indonesian expatriates living in Singapore to attend an Indonesian food festival.



An organizer of the food festival, who wished to remain anonymous, backed up Amalias statement.



The activists, however, acknowledged that there was indeed a plan to stage a vote-canvassing event for Ahok, including the sale of Teman Ahok merchandise as well as collecting copies of ID cards of attendees who were Indonesian nationals.



There was a suggestion [to hold an Ahok-related event] and one designer apparently designed [flyers] for the event. However, after learning that such an event would be banned we quickly asked the designer to revise it. We respect the law of Singapore, he said.



Also in the press conference, Amalia said the problem was exacerbated by the slow response of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore. She said that officials from the embassy were late in providing assistance as Sunday was their day off.



If they had been with us, I believe things would have been a lot easier, she said.



In January this year, Malaysia deported human rights activist Mugiyanto Sipin as he attempted to enter that country to attend an event organized by the pro-democracy Bersih 2.0 coalition. (fac)

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Linkedin David Rising (Associated Press) Berlin  Mon, June 6, 2016

Germany's head of state, 76-year-old President Joachim Gauck, said Monday he won't seek a second term in 2017 due to his age, a move that could cause complications for Chancellor Angela Merkel heading into an election year.

Gauck told reporters at his office in Berlin he would complete his five-year term but didn't feel he was up to another because "the years between 77 and 82 are different than those that I'm in right now."

"Until the end of my term, I will seriously and happily fulfill my duties," he said.

Following the announcement, Merkel said she had been hoping Gauck would stay for a second term but that "I respect the decision of the president."

A new president will be chosen in February, an awkward time for Merkel who faces national elections later in 2017. With no obvious successor for Gauck, the search for a candidate seems likely to be complicated as factions in Merkel's coalition government seek their own nominee.

There are already questions over whether her Christian Democratic Union and Bavarian-only sister party Christian Social Union will be able to agree upon a joint candidate, and many see the situation as a test of Merkel's authority.

Some names being mentioned include Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, or Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is a member of Merkel's coalition partner Social Democrats.

Merkel said she would hold broad discussions about a successor to Gauck beyond her CDU-CSU party circle but was not more specific.

Germany's president performs a largely ceremonial role that has little executive power, but is considered an important moral authority.

Last year, Gauck labeled the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as "genocide" in a speech supported by the German government, marking a shift in the country's stance after officials previously avoided the term. His words were echoed last week in a resolution passed by Germany's Parliament.

In a gesture of reconciliation in 2013, Gauck met with French President Francois Hollande at the site of the largest civilian massacre in Nazi-occupied France, Oradour-sur-Glane, saying he shared the bitterness of those in France "over the fact that the murderers have not been brought to justice." It was the first visit to the ghost town by a serving German leader.

More recently, Gauck has also spoken out against the rise of anti-Islam populist groups and their anti-migrant message, saying Germans should remember its own nation's history of fleeing war and persecution.

Gauck, a former East German pro-democracy activist with no political affiliation, won wide backing from Germany's mainstream parties when elected by lawmakers in 2012 and is very popular, with recent polls showing about 70 percent supporting him for a second term.

"This decision was not easy for me, because I consider it a great honor to serve this country," Gauck said.

_____

Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

The government has allocated Rp 1.6 trillion (US$119 million) of the state budget for an energy security fund (DKE) and strategic oil reserve in the revised 2016 state budget bill, which was submitted to the House of Representatives last week.

"I applaud the budget allocations on both items in the revised budget. Now, we only need to implement it," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.

However, he considered the Rp 1.6 trillion allocation as not ideal. "For instance, it will take Rp 23 trillion and five years to build a strategic oil stock. Its still far [from ideal], but it is better than nothing," he stated.

The energy security fund aims to improve energy resiliency in all sectors by providing incentives and subsidies for renewable energy development. Meanwhile, the strategic oil reserve fund would become the bumper to anticipate the hike in fuel prices. (ags)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

The government should use the human-trafficking angle in its defense strategy against the death penalty handed down by a Malaysian court to Rita Krisdianti, an Indonesian migrant worker, even though it would contradict Indonesias relentless commitment to the fight against illegal drugs, experts have said.

The Penang High Court recently sentenced Rita, 27, to death for her alleged involvement in drug smuggling. There is a strong indication that Rita has been a victim of human trafficking, because there must be some people in Indonesia who put her in that situation and also arranged her trips and documents, NGO Migrant Care director Anis Hidayah said on Monday.

Victims of human trafficking should be assisted and protected as they could give some leads to reveal the mastermind behind the syndication.

Hence, Anis called on the government to form a joint team to further investigate Ritas entrapment in the drug-smuggling syndicate. She said the team could consist of people from the National Police, Manpower Ministry, Foreign Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).

Meanwhile, Wahyudi Jafar, a researcher at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), said that Indonesias firm stance against drug abuse would complicate the efforts to protect its citizens who had become implicated in drug cases overseas.

It is going to be difficult [for Indonesia]. How can you ask other countries not to execute drug suspects if the same execution policy is still being implicated in your home country? Wahyudi said.

Hence, there should be consolidation between Indonesia and Malaysia, including lawyers and advocacy groups in both countries, to revoke the death penalty against Rita, he said.

The Foreign Ministry should actively work on it, Wahyudi said. Otherwise, Indonesias recent executions of drug suspects could be a boomerang that sacrifices migrant workers overseas.

Rita was sentenced to death following her arrest on July 10, 2013, when Malaysian authorities at Penangs Bayan Lepas Airport found over 4 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in her bag.

She claimed she did not know about the meth, saying the bag belonged to a fellow Indonesian who had managed her travel arrangements from Hong Kong to Penang, via Bangkok and New Delhi. (vpr)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said on Monday that President Joko Jokowi Widodo had instructed the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to establish financing schemes, or business plans, for strategic projects.

Pramono said the decision was made to facilitate financing issues the government was facing in implementing 225 projects.

President Jokowi has instructed Bappenas and the BKPM to set a business plan for each of the projects so that each will not be entirely financed by the state budget. If a private company is interested in a particular project and has a business plan, such as for the Patimban port project, it can cooperate to work on the project, Pramono said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

He made the statement after a limited Cabinet meeting, during which the progress of strategic projects was evaluated.

During the meeting, the President claimed that 86 projects or 44 percent of the total projects had been implemented while the remaining 139 projects, or 56 percent, were in the planning stage.

Pramono said that during the meeting, the President highlighted that amid the ongoing global economic slowdown, the 225 strategic projects must address fundamental issues, namely to drive economic growth at both the national and regional levels.

In one blow, we hopefully can create a multiplier effect in regions where the projects are to be implemented, he said.

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said the 225 projects and several power plant projects, which the government counted as strategic projects, needed to be completed immediately. The projects are stipulated in Presidential Decree (Perpres) No.3/2016 and Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.1/2016.

"They comprise 52 railway projects, 19 train projects, 17 airport projects, 13 port projects, 10 clean water projects and the development of 60 reservoirs," Darmin said.

In terms of regions, 89 projects will be located in Java, followed by 46 in Sumatra, 28 in Sulawesi, 24 in Kalimantan, 16 in Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, 13 in Maluku and Papua, and 10 in other provinces.

"Eighty-six projects have been implemented while the 139 others are in the planning phase," the minister said.

Darmin also reported that in the 35,000 MW power plant project, work contracts for the construction of plants to produce 17,800 MW of electricity had been signed.

The work contracts for the 15,500 MW electricity plants, which will be built by independent power producers, and about 3,750 MW, which will be handled by state electricity firm PLN, will be signed this year, Darmin said.

He further said the President had highlighted that funding schemes for the projects should be decided as soon as possible. There should be an immediate decision on which projects are to be financed by the state budget, state-owned enterprises, provincially owned firms, private companies or public private partnership (PPP).

"It will be discussed by technical ministries, as well as the Finance Ministry and Bappenas," Darmin said. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang  Mon, June 6 2016

A second-grade elementary school student, Evelyn Tiandy, was kidnapped by a group of three unidentified men in front of her mother, Rita Tjoa, 37, outside a minimart in Bundaran Tiga, Cikupa, Tangerang.

Rita said the incident took place on May 17 after Rita and her daughter stepped out from the minimart.

We were in the parking lot. All of a sudden a man came and grabbed Evelyn away, Rita said at the office of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak) in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, on Friday.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

JAKARTA: Actor Vino G. Bastian has taken physical training with the Orange Berets, the special forces corps of the Indonesia Air Force, for his new film, kapanlagi.com reported Sunday.

In Bangkit! (Rise!), dubbed Indonesias first disaster movie, Vino stars as a search and rescue team member deployed to secure Jakarta after a combo of flood and earthquake.

The corps is the actual trainer of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Hong Kong immigration authorities are investigating 18 Indonesian citizens for allegedly providing false information on their passports.

They are female migrant workers. They are under investigation for allegedly falsifying data on their passports, said Andry Indrady, the immigration consul at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Hong Hong, as quoted by news agency Antara on Monday.

The Indonesian migrant workers allegedly falsified personal data, including their age, to be able to work in Hong Kong.

Andry said the KJRI Hong Kong had corrected the passports based on data from the Immigration Management and Information System (SIMKIM).

The KJRI Hong Kong has corrected data on the passports, completed with introduction letters, which contain guarantees on the legality and accuracy of the data, from the Hong Kong immigration department, he said.

Still, Andry said, Hong Kong immigration authorities were pursuing two processes in parallel by issuing corrected visas to the Indonesian migrant workers while at the same time continuing the criminal prosecution against them.

As of now, 35 passports have been corrected by the KJRI. Fourteen people have received new visas, while 18 are still being investigated by Hong Kong authorities, with full assistance from the KJRI. Meanwhile, three other workers are serving the Hong Kong courts sentences, said Andry.

He said the KJRI Hong Kong was strongly committed to providing services based on the mission to protect Indonesian citizens abroad. The consulate, he said, had provided legal assistance, starting from the questioning stage through to trials, to Indonesian citizens whose data was corrected. The KJRI Hong Kong, he added, also provided bail for Indonesian citizens undergoing hearings in accordance with Hong Kong laws.

Andry said the KJRI Hong Kong also had provided written legal assistance in the form of mitigation letters, prepared by retainer lawyers, for court judges. Consulate officials were also routinely coordinating with Hong Kongs immigration department.

The immigration consul further said the KJRI Hong Kong had taken anticipative measures by striving to hold a high-level meeting of Indonesian and Hong Kong authorities in the near future to solve data differences on the passports of Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong and to initiate the signing of an MoU on cooperation between the Hong Kong immigration department and Indonesias immigration directorate general. (ebf)
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Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

Indonesian timber products may have recently met the EUs legality standards, but the first fully licensed shipments to the regional bloc will have to wait until the end of the year.



Before Indonesian timber products are eligible for the EUs Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing scheme, the 28-nation grouping will need to conduct further internal discussions and preparations.



EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guerend said the EU Commission would carry out a process called democratic scrutiny in the European Parliament and the European Council to review the proposal.



The process will start in the middle of June and will go on for two months before a decision is made and the policy is finally adopted. Guerend expects the discussions to run smoothly. After this timber industry players and operators in the EU will be given 90 days to prepare.



So thats our internal decision-making procedure [...] Hopefully Indonesia can ship its first FLEGT-licensed timber products before the end of the year, Guerend told The Jakarta Post recently.



After years of intense negotiations, the EU recently declared that Indonesia had achieved full implementation of its timber legality system (SLVK), enabling the countrys timber products to secure a FLEGT license. By producing FLEGT-licensed timber, Indonesian timber products will be regarded by the EU as having been harvested legally and gain free access into the EU market.



Indonesias timber industry has long been scrutinized and condemned for extensive deforestation, including such practices such as improper land conversion, illegal logging and the burning of forests.



The authorities also lack communication procedures between seaports, so these are the challenges the EU has to prepare for



The EU claims that the scheme will reduce illegal logging practices by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.



Environment and Forestry Ministry senior ministerial advisor Agus Justianto said EU countries also needed preparations before the first FLEGT-licensed shipment from Indonesia. During Indonesias recent roadshow to five EU countries to inform local timber importers, Agus found that most countries were not yet ready.



Each country only has one competent authority to handle FLEGT licenses, while there are several seaports in each country through which our products will enter. The authorities also lack communication procedures between seaports, so these are the challenges the EU has to prepare for, Agus said in Jakarta recently.



The Trade Ministry expects timber exports to grow 10 percent now that Indonesia has secured the SLVK certification and FLEGT license, both of which will both restore European trust in Indonesian timber.



In 2015, Indonesia exported just under US$1 billion worth of timber products to EU countries, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Of this total, furniture exports accounted for $319 million, followed by processed wood at $282.47 million and paper at $192.31 million.



Indonesias highest timber exports were recorded in 2011 with a total of over $1 billion. In subsequent years, the figure declined before slowly picking up pace in 2014.



Indonesia Sawmill and Wood Working Association (ISWA) chairwoman Soewarni said that with the FLEGT license, Indonesian timber exporters would be more confident in selling their products overseas.



In my association, more than 90 percent of the businesses are ready, so we hope the EU can quickly make a positive decision, she said.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

Land subsidence, soil erosion and high tide are only some of the problems northern Jakarta is facing.

The partial collapse of coastline embankments in Pantai Mutiara and Muara Angke, both in North Jakarta, over the weekend has raised alarm about the extend of those problems.

The incidents inundated hundreds of houses in both areas on Friday night and Saturday night respectively.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bengkulu  Mon, June 6, 2016

Malaysian investor YBK Usahasama Sdn Bhd Selangor is planning to build a resort and dairy farm in Kepahiang regency, Bengkulu province.

As part of assessing the investment feasibility, the Malaysian investor has made a site visit and conducted a field survey at the Kepahiang tea farm, which will be the location of the new projects.

The views are great and suit a resort or a hotel. If the project is realized, it will open up more jobs to surrounding residents, YBK Usahasama spokesperson Che Ayzayem Bin Che Amdan said in Bengkulu on Saturday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Kepahiang Regent Hidayatullah Sjahid lauded the interest, saying it was in line with the local administrations plans. The administration plans to clear five hectares of tea fields for foreign investment.

"We welcome all investors who want to invest their money, especially in livestock and agriculture, he said.

The Kepahiang tea farm, build in 1920 during the Dutch colonial era, is the one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. (ags)
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Linkedin Yuliasri Perdani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

Indonesia - India connections: Amol Titus explores the firm bonds between Indonesia and India in his latest book Me Sambal You Chutney.

From legends, history and a visit to a tailor in Mayestik in Jakarta, an Indian author based in Jakarta, Amol Titus, explores the firm bonds between Indonesia and India.

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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Six months after the issuance of a regulation aimed at fast-tracking hundreds of infrastructure projects, more than half of the projects remain stranded at the planning stage, with only 88 projects under way.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has urged his ministers to speed up the national strategic projects, which are divided into 13 sectors across the archipelago, with a focus on ensuring their implementation.

"After six months, I have been informed that 139 of the 225 projects, or 56 percent, are still in the planning phase. Only 88 projects or 44 percent are in the implementation phase," he said at a limited meeting held at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday.

Therefore, he urged the Coordinating Economic Ministry, the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and the Presidential Office to keep on monitoring the projects.

Constrains in implementation, he said, must be recognized immediately, including financing and land acquisition problems. "We have to make sure the projects are implemented," he stressed.

Earlier this year, the President issued a presidential regulation on the acceleration of the implementation of national strategic projects. The regulation stipulates provisions in regards to issues including licensing, non-licensing, land procurement and domestic components.

Specific to licensing and non-licensing, the Investment Coordinating Boards (BKPM) One-Stop Integrated Service must issue all licenses and non-licenses within five days after a complete application is received.

The regulation also listed 225 priority infrastructure projects divided into several categories: toll road, non-toll road, facilities for inter-city trains, inner-city train infrastructure, airports revitalization, new airport development, seaports and the construction of a million houses.

In the energy sector, the prioritized infrastructure projects are oil refinery projects, gas pipelines and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminals, as well as smelter facilities.

The government also includes electricity infrastructure projects as national strategic project, along with drinking water facilities, waste management, broadband technology and tourism. (ags)
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Linkedin Michele Salcedo (Associated Press) Washington  Mon, June 6, 2016

David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email, but offered few additional details.

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007. (ags)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is implementing intelligence-style supervision as part of efforts to ensure that industry players adhere to financial service standards for customers.

OJK consumer protection department head Anto Prabowo said the measure was taken in response to customers complaints regarding financial services, along with investigations into violations.

"Our teams interact directly with financial service providers, so we get information onsite. We set up field operation guidelines just like those applied in the intelligence world, with mystery shopping where our officers pretend to buy insurance products," he said as quoted by kompas.com in Bogor on Saturday.

Though the supervision unit was formed in 2013, he continued, it was formally coordinated under a new dedicated directorate from last year. With the intelligence-like supervision system, the OJK can monitor businesses closely.

However, Anto called on consumers to be more outspoken and active in questioning financial products before buying them, to minimize risks. "They have to be more critical, while the agents must explain the details of the products more comprehensively," he said. (ags)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6 2016

A ministerial talk addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict held in Paris over the weekend once again reaffirmed the need to focus on a two-state solution to end the prolonged conflict, with the host country warning that the solution on offer might have reached the point of no return.

Officials from 27 countries  including Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi  and three organizations met to discuss the Middle East peace process in Paris on Friday after France decided to instigate new diplomatic momentum. The meeting resulted in a joint communique that renewed their support for a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The two-state solution is the only way to achieve enduring peace, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, according to excerpts of the communique received by The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, June 6 2016

Recent news of several victims reporting sexual harassment at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the prestigious Gadjah Mada University (UGM) has stirred the public conscience regarding the safety of universities, the place where we send young people to further their education and grow into adulthood.

The school investigated and punished the lecturer involved, stopping him from taking classes or thesis consultations for an indefinite time. The step was lauded by many but questions remain: Will this become the standard procedure if further reports arise in future? Will it encourage more victims to speak up?

The combination of lax ethical guidelines that create opportunities for abuse and a lack of awareness of the unequal power relations between lecturers and students have made all universities vulnerable to such cases, as our special report showed last week.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has asked his supporters to pay attention to regulations and follow all laws, including those imposed by other countries, following an incident in which members of the Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) group were denied entry to Singapore.

Ahok regretted the incident, in which two Teman Ahok founders  Amalia Ayuningtyas and Richard Saerang  were denied entry to the city-state because of their plans to conduct political activities including raising campaign funds. Singaporean law prohibits foreign political activities in the country.

"Don't be so enthusiastic that you violate laws. It will make you stressed," Ahok said on Monday at City Hall.

He hoped no similar incidents would recur in the future. Ahok also appreciated the move by Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia Anil Kumar Nayar, who called him to explain the incident involving the Teman Ahok members.

Amalia and Richard were invited by Jakartans living in Singapore for an event in support of Ahok, who will run as an independent candidate in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election. They planned to attend a gathering to raise funds as well as collect copies of the identity cards of Jakartans living in the city-state to boost the number of IDs required for Ahok's independent candidacy.

However, upon arrival at Changi International Airport on Saturday they were questioned by Singaporean authorities about their reason for visiting the country.

Information circulated on social media indicated that Amalia and Richard were detained by local authorities, a claim later denied by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and the Singaporean Embassy in Jakarta.

Teman Ahok is a group of volunteers supporting Ahok in his bid for a second term in the capital's top post. (rin)
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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, June 7, 2016

Indonesia still has a long way to go to achieve its carbon emission reduction target as efforts to combat climate change are being hampered at the regional level, a World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia analysis shows.

In 2013, Indonesia had achieved just 2.25 percent of the total target of carbon emission reductions at the provincial level, which is set to be achieved by 2020, according to the WRI analysis on various government data.

Seeing how Indonesia only has four years left, provinces have to push for better implementation [in the climate change mitigation program] to meet the target by 2020, WRI Indonesia climate program coordinator Andhyta F. Utami said.

WRI Indonesia came up with the figure by using carbon emission reduction evaluation and monitoring documentation from 34 provinces, which was submitted to the National Action Plan on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (RAN-GRK) secretariat at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).

After that, WRI Indonesia compared the total emission reduction that all provinces had achieved to the commitment laid out in the gubernatorial regulations on a provincial action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

If this data is accurate, then we have to better implement the carbon reduction program. But if its wrong, then there needs to be better monitoring of the implementation of the program, Andhyta said.

A Bappenas analysis, meanwhile, shows that Indonesia succeeded in reducing its carbon emissions by 15.5 percent from 2010 to 2015. Indonesia is aiming for a 29 percent emission reduction by 2030.

According to WRI Indonesia analysis, there is much contradiction between regional government development programs and their greenhouse gas reduction programs.

For instance, West Kalimantans development road map contains a target of increasing the consumption of mineral resources, while East Java is aiming to increase exploration and exploitation activities to develop mining and mineral resources.

The development priorities in these two provinces contradict climate change mitigation proposals, such as protecting the remaining forest and reforestation. They need to find ways to balance their development plans with the emission reduction efforts, which contradict each other, said Andhyta.

Among all the provinces, North Sumatra had the highest amount of carbon emissions in 2010, emitting 260 million tons of CO2. It was followed by Riau, East Java, Central Kalimantan and Lampung as provinces with the highest greenhouse gas emissions.

The main source of emissions in those provinces vary, from agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation, industry and waste, said Andhyta.

However, Papua, one of the most underdeveloped provinces in the country, has the highest carbon emissions per capita, with more than 80 million tons of CO2 per 1,000 people. Meanwhile, North Sumatra ranks fourth in terms of carbon emissions per capita, with 20 million tons of CO2 per 1,000 people. Emissions per capita is calculated by dividing the total carbon emissions with the total population.

It means that every person in Papua is responsible for more emissions than a person in North Sumatra. It shows that every individual has to have a sense of responsibility, WRI Indonesia country director Tjokorda Nirarta Samadhi said.(dmr)
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Linkedin Carla P. Gomez, Joel Franco and Nestor P. Burgos Jr. (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Iloilo City, Philippines  Mon, June 6, 2016

All five men who were killed in the span of three days share one thing in commonbeing suspected of involvement in crimes, including the illegal drug trade.

Five bodies in three provinces in three days.

Five men, including a lawyer, fell victims to what appear to be cases of summary execution in Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental from Thursday to Saturday. The killings came as President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who told police to get drug suspects dead or alive, prepared to assume office at the end of the month.

All share one thing in commonbeing suspected of involvement in crimes, including the illegal drug trade.

In Negros Occidental, a suspected drug supplier in the northern part of the province was killed by two motorcycle riding men in Calatrava town.

Habib Into, 49, of San Carlos City, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, was at the top of the list of most wanted drug suspects in San Carlos City and other areas, said Superintendent Jacob Crisostomo, San Carlos City police chief.

Some 10 grams of shabu and 21,000 pesos (US$453) in cash were found from Into, police said.

A few hours later, a body was dumped by still unidentified men in Barangay Zone 15, Talisay City, also in Negros Occidental.

The victim, identified as Jeffrey Buencuchillo, 33, was tied and suffered multiple gunshot wounds. His hands were cut off.

Police found in the crime scene a cardboard with a message that read: I am a member of Akyat Bahay, a thief, an addict. Dont follow my example because you will be killed next. (Akyat Bahay means house burglar.)

In Negros Oriental, a lawyer was killed while he rode a tricycle to a pension house in Barangay Looc, Dumaguete City, around 10:20 a.m. on Friday.

Rex Agan Perewperew, 38 and a native of Siquijor, was also shot by motorcycle-riding men. He suffered three gunshot wounds in the back.

Police said Perewperew is being investigated for alleged involvement in drugs. He was out on bail for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

In Iloilo, two men with criminal records were separately found dead with gunshot wounds on Saturday.

The body of Sherwin Taasan, 38, was found by a village watchman around 5:45am on a grassy lot in Barangay San Vicente in Leganes town, some 11 kilometers north of Iloilo City.

Inspector Gerry Leones, Leganes police chief, said Taasan had six gunshot wounds, including two in the head.

He was found with his hands tied behind his back with a black shoelace.

Taasan, a resident of Barangay Rizal Pala-Pala II in Iloilo City, had been arrested several times for snatching, Leones said, citing accounts from his live-in partner.

He is also facing a murder case.

Rotchel Navales, common-law wife of Taasan, said Taasan was on board a jeepney bound for Molo District when two armed men flagged down the vehicle and handcuffed him.

The two said they were police and my husband has a warrant [of arrest] and they handcuffed him, she told investigators at the Leganes police.

Navales said Taasan was involved in petty crimes and was once a drug user.

Even though he was a thief, they should not have killed him. We have small children, said Navales who has seven children with Taasan.

In Iloilo City, a 33-year-old ex-convict was found dead with 11 gunshot wounds around 3 a.m. in Barangay San Jose in Villa Arevalo District also on Saturday.

His hands were tied behind his back with a packing tape.

Police identified the victim as Lou Facto, a resident of Barangay Sooc, Villa Arevalo.

Facto had been recently released from detention for an illegal drugs or firearms case, according to Police Officer 2 Rhizan Magoleno, of the investigation section of the Arevalo police station.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Mon, June 6, 2016

Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Xu Bu has said China and ASEAN will achieve broader and deeper cooperation as they have entered the diamond decade of their relations.

Speaking in a seminar, which marks the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, in Semarang, Central Java, last week, Xu Bu said ASEAN stood out in its neighboring region as the priority of Chinas diplomacy.

Xu Bu said 2016 was the year, which marked the opening of the ASEAN Community, the starting of Chinas 13th Five-Year Plan and the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations.

"If the first 10 years were seen as the golden decade for China-ASEAN relations, just as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang put it, we have now ushered in a new era for China-ASEAN relations, the diamond decade, which boasts broader and deeper cooperation," the ambassador said in his remarks during the seminar. Several experts from China and ASEAN member countries attended the event, where they discussed various issues.

China and ASEAN established the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in October 2003.

Xu Bu explained that since the launch of their dialogue relations 25 years ago, China and ASEAN had made great achievements in practical cooperation across all fields.

In 2015, China-ASEAN trade aggregate topped US$472 billion, China-ASEAN two-way investment amounted to more than $156 billion, substantially increased people-to-people relations and there were more than 180,000 exchange students sent by both China and ASEAN countries, he added.

Xu Bu said China had been ASEANs biggest trading partner for seven consecutive years, while ASEAN ranked as Chinas third largest trading partner for four consecutive years. Every week, he further said, there were more than 1,000 flights shuttling between China and ASEAN countries.

Closer economic ties, greater financing links and richer people-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN bond our destinies much tighter than ever before, the ambassador said.

He went on to say that the building of the ASEAN Community had provided a fresh opportunity to further deepen China-ASEAN economic cooperation and trade.

The liberalization and facilitation of trade in goods and services and investment in our region have reached a new stage. In terms of trade in goods, ASEAN has generally achieved free movement of goods within the region. ASEAN consumers are enjoying a wide range of choice in both quality and price of products.

Since adopting a package of policies in 1995 on liberalization of trade in services, ASEAN has formulated nine relevant policy sets under an ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, which has helped enhance institutional transparency and market penetration rates.

"The employment conditions for doctors, architects, tour guides and other professionals have also been greatly improved. In terms of investment, the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement has effectively given rise to freer intra-regional movement of capital and a better business-friendly environment," Xu Bu said.

He said the building of the ASEAN Community had injected vitality into the upgrading of the China-ASEAN free trade Area.

The protocol pronouncing the full conclusion of China-ASEAN negotiations on upgrading our FTA was signed in November last year, and it will take effect in the coming July. Broader markets, more convenient terms of trade and a better investment environment in ASEAN will help achieve a speedy and steady upgrading of the China-ASEAN FTA, he added.

Xu Bu said the building of the ASEAN Community also facilitated the negotiation process of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which was currently at a crucial stage.

China fully respects ASEAN centrality in the negotiation process and stands ready to work together with ASEAN toward the early conclusion of negotiations within this year in the spirit of minimizing differences and maximizing convergences, said the ambassador.

He further said China was also willing to join hands with ASEAN to accelerate bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and create a favorable trade and investment environment, so as to increase the China-ASEAN trade volume to $1 trillion and two-way investment to $150 billion by 2020.

On the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025, Xu Bu said, China would help ASEAN countries with infrastructure development, industrialization and industrial upgrading. We will also strive to speed up the construction of the China-Laos railway, China-Thailand railway and Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway projects and promote the construction of a Trans-Asian railway network, so as to level up the connectivity and promote trade and personnel exchanges in this region," Xu Bu said.

Meanwhile, Rokhmin Dahuri, professor in Coastal and Ocean Management, from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said a stable and peaceful Asian region was highly important and needed not only for nations within this region, but also for the international community as a whole.

Despite a remarkable progress in economic development achieved by both China and ASEAN countries in the last two decades, except for Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and to some extent Malaysia, the remaining seven ASEAN countries and also China are still confronted with high unemployment, poverty, health and sanitary problems," said Rokhmin, who is also President of the Indonesia Aquaculture Society.

Rokhmin explained that based on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, only Singapore and Brunei Darussalam had achieved a status as a high-income country as their GDP per capita was higher than $11,750. Meanwhile, on the basis of GDP per capita and technological capacity, it was only Singapore that had achieved a developed country status since 2010.



"In other words, China and eight ASEAN nations have a long way to go to materialize the dream of every nation on Earth [in wanting] to be a developed and prosperous country. It is therefore compulsory for China and ASEAN member countries to have a stable region and peaceful global social-political environment, said Rokhmin.

Without regional stability and peace, investment and trade among nations would be hampered. And, this situation will in turn reduce economic growth, employment creation, and prosperity of people in the region," he went on.

Rokhmin said the worlds community needed mutual, peaceful, productive, and sustainable China-ASEAN relations because since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, China and ASEAN countries had been the growth engine of the global economy.

China and ASEAN combined is economically the most dynamic region in the world whose growth rate is three to four times higher than that of developed countries such as the US, Canada, EU, and Australia," said the former fisheries and maritime affairs minister. (ebf)
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Linkedin Christine O. Avendano and Estrella Torres (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila  Mon, June 6, 2016

The arbitration court in The Hague is expected to hand down a ruling in the coming weeks, and China has embarked on a series of high-level meetings with its security allies to win support for its position not to recognize the courts decision.

China has said it expects a United Nations arbitration court to rule in favor of the Philippines in the dispute over territory in the South China Sea, but the decision will not change anything, as Beijing will not abide by it.

In a statement to US reporters posted on the Chinese foreign ministrys website, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the case filed by the Philippines in 2013 was not to settle any specific disputes, but to ask the arbitral tribunal to judge on questions about the interpretation and application of the Convention [on the Law of the Sea].

China does not accept or participate in the arbitration, and the arbitral tribunal has lent a ready ear only to the Philippines. I think the award will probably be in the Philippines favor, Liu told the US journalists who traveled to Beijing on May 19.

Incoming Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. on Friday said the Philippines would seek help from friends and allies to persuade China to get to the negotiating table to implement the decision of the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Even if we get a favorable judgment, or decision, from the arbitration court, there might be some questions of enforcement or implementation of this decision because the court does not have any enforcement capability, Yasay said.

The arbitration court in The Hague is expected to hand down a ruling in the coming weeks, and China has embarked on a series of high-level meetings with its security allies to win support for its position not to recognize the courts decision.

The Philippines has asked the UN tribunal to invalidate Chinas claim to almost all of the South China Sea, and declare that its right to exploit resources in waters within its exclusive economic zone should be respected.

Liu reiterated that China would not implement the award, and declared that the ruling would not change anything.

There is no agency entitled to act as the international police and award depends on countries for recognition and implementation. This is the essence of international law, which needs the respect from sovereign nations, Liu said.

He also raised suspicion at the United States strong support for the Philippines arbitration case when it did not stand to benefit from it.

We dont understand why the US has been so active in backing the arbitration behind the scene. As time goes by, I believe the plot will eventually come to light. In sum, the arbitration initiated by the Philippines is dishonest and not based on goodwill. China will not accept or participate in it, let alone to recognize the so-called award, Liu said.

He said that once the arbitration court handed down its decision, we can expect propaganda by countries like the Philippines and the US about the award having binding power for China.

Liu stressed that China would make clear its position of not recognizing or accepting the award and would justify why the award has no binding power.

But he said China would stay committed to settling the South China Sea disputes with the Philippines through negotiation and consultation.

We hope the next Philippine administration will adopt new thinking on the issue, he added.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has said he is open to bilateral talks with China to solve the territorial dispute.

But he has also said that the Philippines will never surrender its right over Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing ground off the coast of Zambales province that China seized in 2012 after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy.

It was the loss of Panatag Shoal, internationally known as Scarborough Shoal, that compelled the Philippines to submit its territorial dispute with China to the UN tribunal for resolution.

Malacanang on Sunday said that more countries were supporting the Philippine case.

Speaking on state-run radio, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the petition brought by the Philippines was in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, which the Philippines and 165 other nations had ratified.

The step taken by the Philippines continues to gather support from different countries, Coloma said.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday, Rear Adm. Guan Youfei, director of the foreign affairs office of Chinas national defense ministry, said China considered the Philippine case illegal, as the territorial and sovereignty disputes have not been subjected to arbitration.

China has refused to recognize the UN court and stayed away from the proceedings in The Hague.

The United States and other Western countries have said China should respect the courts ruling and stop its land reclamation in the South China Sea to reduce tensions in the region.

Coloma said the Philippines would continue to keep its commitment to its allies to help keep peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

We affirm our shared commitment with the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United States that regional stability rests upon a foundation of international law, rules and norms, and that there is need to respect the rights of all nations regardless of size, he said.
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Linkedin Veeramalla Anjaiah (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Mon, June 6, 2016

China has strongly defended its claim on the South China Sea (SCS) at the Asian Security Summit, while the US stepped up pressure to stop illegal activities and militarization in the disputed waters.

The decades-old SCS issue was among the main topics at this years summit, dubbed the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), which ended on Sunday. The event, held in Singapore, was attended by global military chiefs and security analysts.

After receiving strong criticism from the US, Vietnam, Japan, India, France, the UK, the Philippines and Australia, the bellicose China reiterated its position at the summit that it respected international laws and strongly defended its sovereignty in the SCS.

"We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble. China will not bear the consequences nor will it allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interests, or stay indifferent to some countries creating chaos in the South China Sea," the head of the Chinese delegation, Adm. Sun Jianguo, said in his speech on Sunday in Singapore.

Sun, the deputy chief of the joint staff department of China's Central Military Commission, was responding to comments from US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, who said on Saturday at the SLD that Beijing risked erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation through its expansive and unprecedented actions in the disputed waters.

The US, which is not a claimant country in the SCS issue and has not taken a side in the dispute, also sent a strong signal that it would remain a guarantor of regional security.

But, the United States will stand with regional partners to uphold core principles like freedom of navigation and overflight, and the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means and in accordance with international law, Carter said.

Vietnam, the second fiercest claimant on the SCS after China, said that Hanoi would not take sides in the dispute and called for the issue to be resolved in accordance with international laws such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as peaceful regional-level negotiation between ASEAN and China.

Vinh fired shots at China by saying the latters acts of unilateralism and coercion in the SCS could lead to militarization of the region. This development, if not addressed, is likely to lead to armed races, rivalry and unpredictable and disastrous consequences, he said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries called for a peaceful solution to the SCS dispute and asked all claimant countries not to resort to provocative actions that may escalate tensions in the region.

We must not allow the South China Sea dispute turn into a conflict. We must optimize our efforts to resolve the issue through peaceful means, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Saturday.

Echoing a similar view, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who delivered the keynote address on Friday, said ASEAN unity was important in order to create a new equilibrium in the region, adding that the SCS dispute must be resolved through peaceful means.

We promote the freedom of overflight and navigation, and we support peaceful resolution of conflict in line with international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Prayut said.

Surprisingly, facing a legal dispute on the SCS at the international tribunal in The Hague, China claimed that it and ASEAN were capable of preserving peace in the region.

"China and ASEAN are capable of preserving peace and stability in the South China Sea through cooperation. Other countries should play a constructive role in this regard, not the other way around," Sun said.

Currently, China claims more than 85 percent of the SCS based on its 1947 nine-dash line, which is mostly based on historical rights, while other claimants (except Taiwan) refer to the UNCLOS and the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. (ags)
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Linkedin (Viet Nam News/ANN) Phnom Penh  Mon, June 6, 2016

Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to fully and effectively actualize protocols on defense cooperation in order to enhance mutual understanding and trust, ensure a peaceful and stable environment for their economic development and foil plots to weaken their relations.

To that end, they will conduct regular exchanges of information and delegations in all areas, as consented by Vietnams Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia General Tea Banh during their talks in Phnom Penh on Sunday.

They will also cooperate in protecting land and marine border security and create optimal conditions for border demarcation and marker planting by competent agencies.

In a parallel effort, the two sides will coordinate with each other more closely to prevent cross-border crimes, facilitate border trade and share experience in training.

General Lich affirmed Vietnams consistent policy of developing friendship and comprehensive cooperation with other countries, especially in traditional friends and neighbors.

The guest said his selection of Cambodia as one of the first countries to visit in his capacity as Defense Minister showed that Vietnam attached great importance to the friendship and all-round cooperation it has with the nation.

Tea Banh said Lichs visit was significant as it helped accelerate the implementation of bilateral defense agreements and charted orientations and measures for the collaboration, continuing defense links as one of the pillars in relations between the two countries.

During his two-day official friendly visit to Cambodia, the Vietnamese minister was received by President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday.

The Cambodian leaders promised to create the best possible conditions for the bilateral defense links on the basis of agreements reached by the two Governments and defense ministries.

For his part, Lich said the Vietnamese defense ministry would continue the close and effective partnership with its Cambodian counterpart in order to contribute to the two countries relationship. VNS
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Barcelona, Spain  Mon, June 6, 2016

The world's biggest cruise ship has arrived in Barcelona, which it will use as its summer base for Mediterranean journeys.

The $1 billion Harmony of the Seas docked in the Spanish port before dawn Sunday at the end of its inaugural voyage from Southampton in the United Kingdom.

The French-built ship is taller than the Eiffel Tower and is the widest cruise ship ever built. It can carry 6,360 passengers.

The 16-deck ship is 362 meters (1,187 feet) long and boasts more than 2,500 staterooms, 20 dining venues, 23 swimming pools and a park with more than 10,000 plants and 50 trees.

Before arriving in Barcelona the Harmony of the Seas docked in Vigo in the northwest and at Malaga, dwarfing the small Mediterranean port.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, June 6, 2016

Iftar (breaking the fast) during Ramadhan can be an adventurous activity for culinary enthusiasts as hotels and restaurants in Jakarta offer up various kinds of delectable dishes to cater to Muslim diners.

Here are some choices available in the capital city for those seeking to break the fast in style.

The Dharmawangsa Jakarta

This hotel's Jakarta restaurant is set to provide an extensive buffet menu of cuisines from Manado, Padang and Bali between June 6 and July 3. With prices starting at Rp 550,000 (US$41) per adult, choices of roasted marinated lamb and international dishes are available as well.

If tasting Lebanese specialties sounds good to you, head to the Bimasena Lobby Lounge to find shish taouk, lamb kefta, pilaf rice and lobster dishes, among other. The price also starts at Rp 550,000 per adult.

Where: Jl. Brawijaya No. 26, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

(Read also: Weekly 5: Jakartans' Ramadhan preparations)

Hotel Borobudur Jakarta

This hotel is slated to feature special Egyptian cookies, kahk, for dessert, during the holy month. Kahk has a slightly chewy texture and a sweet nutty flavor. Served in an exclusive box, patrons can purchase it as souvenir for Rp 250,000.

Meanwhile, Borobudur's famous Bogor Cafe will present cuisine ranging from the Middle East to North Africa with prices starting at Rp 388,000 per person.

Where: Jl. Lapangan Banteng Selatan, Central Jakarta

Dharmawangsa's Jakarta restaurant is set to provide an extensive buffet of cuisines from Manado, Padang and Bali between June 6 and July 3. (The Dharmawangsa Jakarta/-)

Fairmont Jakarta

Fairmont's Spectrum restaurant on the second floor will be serving Indonesian, Western and Middle Eastern cuisine, including the all-time favorite Lamb Ouzi, in an extended iftar dinner buffet. The price starts at Rp 350,000 per person.

Those bringing family members along may want to consider dining in Sapori Deli, the hotels Italian restaurant. With a starting price of Rp 280,000 per person, the restaurant highlights home-cooked dishes in a five-course set menu that includes tajil (traditional sweet snacks eaten to break the fast).

Where: Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8, Senayan, Central Jakarta

InterContinental Jakarta Midplaza

InterContinental's Rasa restaurant is set to offer an extensive selection of Indonesian, Indian, Western and Southeast Asian cuisines between June 7 and July 7. Some of the must-tries include Lamb Ouzi Biryani and Fish Tajine.

While dining, patrons can also expect to be entertained by marawis (religious percussion groups). The starting price for the meal is Rp 375,000 per person.

Where: Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, South Jakarta

Borobudur is slated to offer up special Egyptian cookies, kahk, for dessert during the holy month.(-/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Mandarin Oriental Jakarta

The Cinnamon restaurant will focus on authentic Betawi cuisines, so expect to see the legendary soto Betawi (beef ox tongue soup simmered in clear coconut cream broth with green sambal and bitternut crackers) and nasi uduk and Kebon Kacang (rice cooked in coconut milk) on the menu. The starting price is Rp 350,000 per person.

To finish it off, patrons can enjoy classic desserts such as kolak pisang (sweet compote made from banana) and sweet glutinous black rice porridge.

Where: Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta

(Read also: 5 Indonesian restaurants to impress your foreign friends)

Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta

Throughout the holy month, the hotels Signatures restaurant will hold an iftar buffet consisting of a delicious array of tajil and hot tea with starting prices at Rp 350,000 per person. Guests can visit the Lobby Nirwana Lounge to enjoy a special tajil menu that starts from Rp 175,000 per person. (kes)

Where: Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1, Central Jakarta
On Friday, community activists and local elected officials rallied against legislation proposed by Governor Cuomo to change the states liquor laws. They say the amendment to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law would make it harder for community boards to act against problem bars.

In April, the governors blue ribbon panel in charge of modernizing the 80-year-old law released it recommendations. They included streamlining applications for liquor licenses, eliminating the Sunday morning ban on liquor sales and weakening the 200 Foot Law. That provision prevents bars and restaurants with full liquor licenses from opening within 200 feet of a church or school.

Last month, Community Board 3 approved a resolution calling on the governor to provide opportunities for feedback about the proposed changes from Manhattan community boards. The resolution stated that the commission included heavy representation from the nightlife and brewing/distilling industries. Only one representative of a New York City community board was allowed to attend.

In a news release from CB3, Chairperson Gigi Li said, Community Board 3 requests that an additional meeting of the Working Group be convened to allow for participation and recommendations from diverse community boards, particularly those in Manhattan, that must plan and serve their communities based on implementation of New York State Liquor Authority decisions and the (states liquor laws).

In that same press release, State Sen. Daniel Squadron added, Ive long supported a key role for community boards in the liquor application process  it doesnt make sense that community boards werent given a meaningful role in developing proposed changes to the liquor law Provisions that impact our communities and raise real concerns should not be pushed forward without engaging those communities. City Council member Margaret Chin said, Our neighborhoods, which are already over-saturated by late-night establishments serving alcohol, need more transparency in the liquor license granting process, not less I urge our state elected officials to ensure that the community is consulted on any changes to the law and that all voices are heard.

This morning, we contacted the office of State Assemblywoman Alice Cancel. We were told that she also opposes the legislation.

A spokesperson from the governors office told DNA Info, The legislation brought forward was the product of extensive and thorough review, and will not only modernize these outdated and arcane laws, but also increase opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive.

If youd like to have a look at the legislation and its sponsors, click here. CB3 is urging local residents to contact the governor with feedback about the proposed changes.
Solomon Smith and his team feed hundreds of people every week at Brixton Soup Kitchen in south London.

But now Solomons gone global and has hit the streets of Toronto and Miami to work with homeless people.

Solomon, who is currently in the US with his twin brother David and their friend Abdul Diarrassouba, while Mahamed Hashi and other volunteers keep things running in Brixton, said: We came out to Miami to feed and clothes the homeless.

Solomon Smith in Miami (Solomon Smith)

When the guys were due to fly to Miami they accidentally missed their flight, so decided to find even more people to help in Toronto.

We just said, Lets look for the homeless out here and feed them, Solomon added. We didnt have a hotel so we just rented a car and slept there and made food packages by buying bags, water and toothpaste etc.

Over the past six days, the guys have given out more than 230 food packs and socks to homeless people and have shared their progress on social media, filming the people they have helped.

They have also been working with a homeless charity called Anonymous Hands Miami, which provides hot meals to the homeless in Miami.

Solomon first did homeless work in Miami three years ago and revealed he plans to open a soup kitchen there in the future.

Over the past five days, more than 230 food packs have been handed out (Solomon Smith)

He said: The people in Miami love the support the Brixton Soup Kitchen are doing as there arent that many groups like us doing work like this so they are so happy we are here.

It feels so amazing helping people in need; it shows that everyone, everywhere needs help and when they are thankful that makes me feel so happy.

Some of the food bags provided to the homeless (Solomon Smith)

Great work, guys!
A police officer is facing a

three-day public misconduct hearing after he was supposedly spotted going on patrol wearing a woolly hat bearing the slogan I love weed.

PC Simon Ryan, of the North Yorkshire force, will be one of the first officers to be subjected to the new-style hearing what are open to the public. The hearing will be

also chaired by an independent lawyer, as opposed to a senior police officer.

According to the hearing notice, one of the allegations against PC Ryan is that whilst on duty at Northallerton police station he wore a black woolly hat stating I love weed or words/pictures to that effect. Despite being advised to remove the hat, he resumed wearing the hat whilst on mobile patrol.

PC Ryan has also been accused of making "

handwritten annotations" on a document "belonging to an occupant of a house that was being searched."

(Dave Thompson/PA)

The force alleges that PC Ryans behaviour amounted to a breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, orders and instructions, duties and responsibilities, and discreditable conduct, contrary to Regulation 3 and the Schedule to the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012.

One colleague - who has remained anonymous - told the Northern Echo newspaper: Its a great pity that it was felt necessary to hold a disciplinary hearing over allegations which appear to amount to high spirits.

He said: Simon is level-headed and sensible, an excellent cop who has amassed loads of experience working in the Northallerton area for many years now, and one that you want to have working alongside you.
Tough life for a roadside marker: It's subject to sun and snow and rain and, sometimes, tornadic-force winds.

It's an inadvertent target of cars and trucks, and the intentional bull's-eye for spray paint, handguns, rifles and shotguns.

It's been uprooted, abducted and, when the price of aluminum was higher, likely hustled over the state line and sold for scrap in South Dakota.

Hard to imagine a recycler would accept such an object, said Lynne Ireland, deputy director of the Nebraska State Historical Society, but history is a litany of occurrences that are hard to imagine.

And that's what these markers serve: History.

They endure all of this, the weather and the vandals and the bullet holes, to be able to tell you this was the spot of the Ainsworth Army Air Field. Or where Mari Sandoz grew up. Or where 25 military horses and four mules perished during the Easter Blizzard of 1873, or where Sam Bass pulled off the first and greatest robbery of a Union Pacific train four years later.

Or to give you more than 500 other place-based lessons about Nebraska's past.

But the damage takes its toll, and about 100 of the markers need repair, repainting or replacement.

Which is why the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation launched the Nebraska Marker Project, and is trying to raise $80,000 to fix the monuments by next year's sesquicentennial.

Not familiar with the foundation? They're aware of that, even though the organization that raises money for the Historical Society has been around since 1942 -- a full 15 years before the Legislature approved the placement of roadside markers.

When its staff attended the Cattlemens Ball last year in Lynch, few people had heard about the foundation, said Leslie Fattig, its executive director. But they had seen the states roadside monuments, which the foundation's fundraising has helped support.

We started talking about the Nebraska historical markers, and they said: 'You're those guys?' And we said, 'Yes, we're those guys,' she said. People relate to us through those markers.

So back in Lincoln, they came up with the Nebraska Marker Project, which they launched this week. It gets the foundation's name out there, and it raises money for the monument program.

The cast aluminum markers aren't cheap. A traditional two-post sign -- 5 feet wide, 6 feet tall -- costs $5,300. A smaller, single-post marker runs $1,950. The state doesn't budget for these, and the expenses are typically paid by local groups and governments.

Repairs can be costly, too. The foundation figures it needs to raise an average of $500 to $700 for each, Fattig said, depending on the damage.

Sometimes there's paint touch-up, sometimes the weather has wreaked havoc. Sometimes people have used them for target practice, and sometimes cars have run into them.

Sometimes they disappear. The society keeps a list of the state of the monuments, and it notes a marker near Wayne was possibly taken by the 2013 tornado, and markers are missing from Deuel and Dundy counties.

The 515 history lessons span millions of years, from the geology of Cheyenne County to Malcolm Xs boyhood home in Omaha. And the program remains popular: 13 markers were installed last year, and so far in 2016, 11 more have either been ordered or planted.
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BIS students write to save orangutans in Borneo

The burning of forests in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries to clear land for palm oil production has been an unending saga of smog, environmental policy, deforestation and corporate exploitation leading to the sickening of up to half a million people last year alone. Between the various countries, companies, stakeholders and ethnic groups, the recent Indonesian moratorium on new palm oil and coaling mine permits is only an initial step in countering the myriad social and environmental issues brought about by the deforestation of millions of hectares of rainforest.



By Shayan Amin

Monday 6 June 2016, 03:17PM

The situation is complex enough that you hardly find adults who can coherently understand all the issues involved, much less children who are aware enough to be motivated to make an impact. Siblings Abbey and Aiden Lemons are exceptions. Currently primary students at British International School, Phuket, theyve written a chldrens book  called For Petes Sake  about how palm-oil products are causing the destruction of tropical rainforests.

Having visited the Orangutan Foundation International Care Center in Indonesian Borneo, they witnessed the plight of orangutans and other animals suffering the destruction of their habitats. The illustrated book shows how human activities cause this.

To help spread awareness, a portion of the proceeds of this book will go towards returning orangutans to the wild within the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve. Rimba Raya is a forest on the southern coast of Borneo and has become a preservation and biodiversity reserve for hundreds of at-risk species. The Bornean orangutan is one of these species, and has seen a 95 per cent decrease in population over the last century.

The siblings sat down with Natalie Prolman of GlobalCitizen.org and answered a few questions.

 What inspired you to write this book?

What really inspired us to write this book was the fact that our dad has been working on this project to save the orangutans for a very long time, and when we were young, we always thought that it wasnt much of a problem, but now we realise how devastating the situation with palm oil and deforestation around the world really is. The reason we wrote this book was to show people what is happening to our planet and how were responsible.

 What are you hoping to achieve by sharing this story?

We wish to show all people, of all ages, how important our beautiful world really is, and to take action instead of just ignoring it. We also hope to achieve some balance between palm companies and forest conservation.

 What is your connection to nature and the rainforest?

Our connection to the rainforest and nature is far greater than just the Rimba Raya reserve, though it still plays a large part in our lives. We go to the beach every day and go hiking in the islands jungle as often as we can. Were both certified scuba divers since 10 years old and have made hundreds of dives now. We spend most of our free time in nature.

 Why do you think its important for children to understand how palm oil is connected to the destruction of the rainforest?

Children, including us, need to know what is happening to our world because later in life if we dont know whats happening, its going to be a slap in the face and it will be our responsibility and our problem to fix. Soon we or our children will ask what happened to the trees? What happened to all the beautiful creatures and plants that our parents or grandparents told us stories about, and what happened to the orangutans?

 What is your message to global citizens who want to take climate action?

Dear global citizens, if you want to take action against climate change and deforestation, then dont sit around doubting you can make a difference, because really anyone can. You just have to be willing to take responsibility for the things you consume.

 Anything else you would like to share?

We would like to thank everyone involved in making this book happen, especially our parents. We also wanted to say that we didnt write this to impress people or show what good kids we are, we wrote this to make a real difference. We hope the story of Pete will reach a lot of people.

The book can be purchased directly on the website For-Petes-Sake-Book.org for shipping within the USA, with a portion of the proceeds going to a fund to return Pete to the wild.

It is also available on Amazon for international shipments outside the USA. People in Phuket can email order@for-petes-sake-book.org.
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DSI relents, promises bail to sect leader

BANGKOK: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has promised to grant bail to Wat Dhammakaya abbot Phra Dhammajayo if he acknowledges money laundering charges against him. DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang yesterday (June 5) pledged that when the abbot acknowledges the charges, the DSI will not oppose his bail request.

crimereligionpolice

By Bangkok Post

Monday 6 June 2016, 10:42AM

Phra Dhammajayo, founder and leader of the Dhammakaya sect, is reportedly bargaining with the DSI, agreeing to surrender to hear criminal charges, so long as he is immediately given bail. Photo: Bangkok Post

Also, if the abbot is certified by a medical team as unable to visit the DSI due to his ailments, the authorities will visit the temple and inform him of the charges, Col Paisit said.

In a move seen as a compromise for the temple, the DSI said the abbot will secure bail regardless of where he answers the charges, either at the department or the temple.

On Friday (June 3), DSI deputy chief Somboon Sarasit, met representatives of Wat Dhammakaya, Phra Theprattanasuthi, who is the chief monk of Pathum Thani province in which Wat Dhammakaya is located, and the director of the National Office of Buddhism (ONAB) to iron out the bail issue.

However, the details were not disclosed until yesterday.

The DSI chief said the abbots representatives had requested during the Friday meeting that Phra Dhammajayo be granted bail when hearing the charges.

They also said Phra Theprattanasuthi must also join the DSI when meeting the abbot. The temple asked that a medical team from the Phramongkutklao Hospital check the health of the 72-year-old abbot, who disciples insist is seriously ill, at the temple. Earlier, the temple requested a medical team from the Medical Council of Thailand.

The DSI, however, has not decided what medical team will run the health check. The issue is expected to be discussed at a meeting today (June 6).

A DSI source said police have made good progress in their investigation into the case. Investigators expect to wrap up the probe and send it to prosecutors this week.

The talk on Friday was held after Phra Dhammajayo repeatedly failed to meet officials at the DSI to acknowledge embezzlement charges, citing illness. The abbot is accused of involvement in money laundering and receiving stolen property worth B1.2 billion in connection with the B12-billion Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement. He has denied all charges.

Read original story here.
Hua Hin attackers get two years

HUA HIN: The Hua Hin Provincial Court yesterday (June 5) sentenced the four Thai men who savagely assaulted three British tourists in Hua Hin during Songkran to four years in prison.

crimeviolencetourismpolice

By Bangkok Post

Monday 6 June 2016, 09:29AM

Footage of the attack was caught on CCTV. Photo: Screen grab by Bangkok Post

The jail term was not suspended. However, the court reduced the term by half after the defendants  Suphattha Baithong and Yingyai Saengkhamin, both aged 32, and Siva Noksri and Chaiya Jaiboon, both 20  confessed. After the courts ruling, the men were taken directly to Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Prison.

Orasa Awutkhom, director of the Prachuap Khiri Khan tourism office, said officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in England would inform the family of the courts decision.

The men were found guilty of physical assault causing severe injury to Lewis Owen, 68, his wife Rosemary, 65, and their 43-year-old son, Lewis John Owen.

The attack started in the early morning of Songkran Day, April 13, when Lewis Owen Jnr accidentally bumped into Suphattha, one of the defendants, in Soi Bintabhat in Hua Hin district. A scuffle broke out and as his parents tried to stop it, Suphattha and his three friends punched the three in the face, kicked their bodies and stomped on their faces.

The Thais apologised and admitted they were drunk. Chaiya claimed he thought one of the tourists had hit one of his friends first.

The assailants were detained in Hua Hin on April 16 after local police found CCTV footage a day after the assault that showed three people lying unconscious after being beaten in the soi.

The video of the savage attack, which made headlines overseas, sparked public anger and calls for maximum punishment against the four thugs.

Rosemary Owen suffered a serious head injury while her husband and son needed multiple stitches.

A local family friend said the Owens had visited Hua Hin for 20 years because they love the place and its people. But they have insisted that they will never return to Thailand again.

Read original story here.
Phuket drug dealer busted with 698.5grams of ya ice, police now hunt his supplier

PHUKET: Police arrested a man from Patong yesterday evening (June 5) when he was found to be in possession of 698.5 grams of crystal meth (ya ice). During questioning, the man told police he bought the drugs from a man named Chanon who police are now on the hunt for.

crimedrugspatongpolice

By Darawan Naknakhon

Monday 6 June 2016, 01:03PM

Prasongsak Petchchoo, 36, was arrested with 698.5 grams of ya ice at his rented room on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket Town. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

A team of Border Patrol Police 425 based in Phang Nga led by Capt Ampon Samorthai arrested 36-years-old Prasongsak Petchchoo from Patong with 698.5 grams of ya ice at his rented room on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket Town at 5pm yesterday. Police also seized from him a mobile phone and digital scales.

Capt Ampon explained, We received a tip-off from undercover officers that a man known only as Ek had been selling drugs to local teens and that he was staying in a rented a room on Yaowarat Rd.

Undercover police monitored his activity and at 3am on Friday (June 3) spotted him coming out of the room holding a plastic bag. We immediately approached him, carried out a search and found three bags of ya ice totalling 149.4g in the plastic bag, he said.

Prasongsak then took us to his room where we discovered ten more bags of ya ice totalling 549.1g hidden in a wardrobe.

Prasongsak told us that all the drugs were his and that he got them from his friend name Kem or Chanon Sungkaew.

Chanon called Prasong whilst he was being held at the police station and told him to take good care of the ya ice. We are now looking for Chanon, Capt Ampon added.

Prasongsak was taken to Phuket City Police Station where he was charged with possession of Category 1 drug with intent to sell.
Hughes State Attorney finds no facts to support investigation into Noem airplane use

The Hughes County States Attorney found Tuesday that there were no facts to support a criminal prosecution" for Noem's alleged misuse of the state airplane.
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This May 29, 2016, photo shows David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio photographer, at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Gilkey and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, June 5, 2016, a network spokeswoman said. (Michael M. Phillips/The Wall Street Journal via AP)
In this June 27, 2014 file photo, Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas talks to the media after touring the McAllen Border Patrol station, in McAllen, Texas. Vela said in an open letter Monday, June 6, 2016, that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on a sitting federal judge "are just plain despicable." (Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor via AP, File)
Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion signaled Monday that he'll push for a property and income tax reduction package next year and wants to do so as chairman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee.

After two years as chairman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, Smith has informed colleagues he'll seek the revenue chairmanship that will be vacated by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island when he leaves the Legislature at the end of the year.

Smith has been a member of that committee for two years.

"As evidence of my commitment to tax reform," Smith wrote his fellow senators, "I introduced the Strong Roots Nebraska plan (during the 2015 legislative session) that would have combined both income and property tax relief."

"I believe now, as I believed then, that the path forward for tax relief must be comprehensive and that to achieve a broad and critical coalition, it must include both property tax and income tax," he said.

Focusing on income tax reduction, Smith said that "by addressing the high income tax burdens on our state's families and businesses, we can in turn reduce our dependence on business incentives for creating jobs and expanding our economy."

Smith's comprehensive tax reduction bill was held by the Revenue Committee as it focused on rural property tax relief this year.

The 2016 Legislature provided targeted local property tax relief for farm and ranch landowners by increasing the state's property tax credit fund.
A group of people in Uttar Pradesh's Bisada village on Monday defied prohibitory orders to hold a 'Mahapanchayat', where they demanded cases be registered against the family of Dadri lynching victim Mohammad Akhlaq, for slaughtering a cow.

More than 50 people attended the panchayat held in response to a forensic report that said the meat recovered from Akhlaqs fridge after the murder was beef. They also demanded the murder charges against those accused of lynching him be dropped, further inflaming communal passion in the village.

In September last year, a mob of around 100 people dragged out 52-year-old Akhlaq from his house and lynched him over rumours that he stored beef.

In an initial report then, a local government veterinarian said the flesh looked like mutton and not beef. However, on Tuesday a forensic lab in Mathura confirmed that the meat was from a cow or its progeny.

Eating beef is not illegal in Uttar Pradesh, where Dadri is located, although the slaughter of cows is banned.

The report prompted family members of those accused of killing Akhlaq justify the murder, saying his family broke the law and insulted Hindu sentiments by killing a calf.

With this, the situation in Bisada village became tense again on Monday, nearly nine months after the Dadri lynching

We want police to register an FIR against Akhlaqs family for slaughtering and eating a cow and change the sections of FIR against the accused from murder to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, said Sanjay Rana, father of a suspect, was quoted as saying.

SSP Dharmendra Yadav said a case will be registered against the family only if the charge that the meat found in Akhlaq's home was beef was found to be true.

"It's a very sensitive matter. The Circle Officer, Dadri, will head a probe into the charges," he said.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had earlier this week questioned the authenticity of the forensic report and said "there was nothing objectionable in his house. Every eye is on this matter.

Everyone wants that the victim's family should get justice as murder had taken place."
Congress General Secretary and former union minister V. Narayanasamy on Monday took charge as Chief Minister of Puducherry.

Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Narayanasamy and to five ministers: R. Kamalakannan, M. Kandasamy, Malladi Krishna Rao, A. Namassivayam and M.O.H.F. Shahjahan.

The Congress, which fought the May 16 elections in alliance with the DMK, won 15 seats in the 30-member assembly. The DMK won two seats.

After several deliberations, Narayanasamy was elected the Congress Legislature Party leader some time back.

There were three contenders for the Chief Minister's post - former Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam, party leader Namassivayam and Narayanasamy.

Narayanasamy did not contest in the May 16 elections. He has to be elected to the assembly within six months.
As President Obama gets ready to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House for the second time in as many years, a New York Times report describes the bond between the two as an "unlikely friendship".

"There are few relationships between Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Modi," The New York Times said ahead of what will be the seventh meeting between the Indian prime minister and the US president.

The report said the two largest democracies in the world have "compelling reasons" to find common cause.

For example, the US is encouraging India's rise as a regional giant for Obama's so-called "pivot to Asia" policy and counter China's global economic and military superpower ambitions.

For India, the US bond, according to the Times, is needed to "accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies".

But the relationship between Modi and Obama is still "unlikely".

The Times said Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life because he believes that "criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy".

"But Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organisation that campaigns forcefully for India's Hindu majority," it said, recalling the Gujarat religious riots that saw some 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, killed in 2002 when Modi was the chief minister of the western Indian state.

The 2002 Gujarat carnage is again in the spotlight because a court only last week convicted 24 people for massacring 69 Muslims in mayhem at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Housing society neighbourhood.

The Times, citing a Human Rights Watch report, said the BJP government in India has "increasingly used the country's broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent".

The newspaper also raised the issue of shutting down non-governmental organisations, such as Greenpeacea global aid group that has offices in over 40 countries.

On a personal front, the Times said, both leaders "avoid the socialising common in their capitals".

"Obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends...Modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships."

The newspaper, however, drew some "similarities that extend beyond political beliefs" between the two.

Both men rose from modest circumstances, had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected.

"Modi's humble origins, largely corruption-free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor," it said.

"And parts of Modi's political operation, in particular its effective use of social media, were based on Obama's model."

Ashley J. Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Times that both men "are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters".

Raymond E. Vickery, a former United States assistant secretary of commerce, said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness.

"Modi is a really down-to-earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesn't just go to talking points," Vickery said.
Pakistan is not desperate to resume peace talks with India, a top official has said.

There was no restlessness on the Pakistani side for a dialogue, Sartaj Aziz, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was quoted as saying in a news report on Monday.

But he quickly added on Sunday that if South Asia had to see peace, there had to be "coordination first".

Aziz also said that India never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with Pakistan.

The Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying that all the developments in this regard were sabotaged when the talks between the countries were postponed after the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in January.

"It is a very strange thing to say as it was decided here on December 9 that the dialogue will resume but then the Pathankot incident occurred and everything vanished into thin air," Aziz said.

Azia was speaking during Geo News show 'Naya Pakistan'.

He referred to Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement on the "slowly closing" window of goodwill and dialogue with Pakistan.

Parrikar had said that Pakistan separates terrorists between "good ones and bad ones".

"They (India) say they will talk if we (Pakistan) make some progress on terrorism but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues including Kashmir," said Aziz.

"The whole world agrees that India and Pakistan should have composite dialogue."
In a strong boost to its bid, India on Monday secured the support of Switzerland for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Switzerland welcomes India's contributions to non-proliferation of nuclear arms, Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann said at a joint address to the media with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following delegation level talks between the two sides.

We promised India support in its efforts to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Schneider-Ammann said.

Stating that Switzerland was interested in India's membership of the NSG, he said that the process has started and we will share and contribute actively.

On his part, Modi said he was thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and its support is crucial for India's membership in the 48-member group.

India has already formally applied for membership in the group. The US, Russia and Britain have extended support to India's membership.However, China has maintained that, to be a member of the NSG, the country should be a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Modi, who arrived here from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour, said that India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, he said.

As was expected, the issue of black money also figured in Monday's bilateral talks.

Combating the menace of 'black money' and tax evasion is also our shared priority, Modi said.

We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders, he said.

An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect.

The Swiss strong suits of vocational education and renewable energy too figured in the talks.

President and I agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs, the Prime Minister said.

Schneider-Ammann said that the two sides discussed clean technology, energy security, clean air and sustainable development. Ahead of the delegation level talks, Modi and Schneider-Ammann had a restricted meeting.

After the talks, Modi attended a business meeting in which he invited a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India.

"Within my country I need to create two or three Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," Modi told a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis and Nestle.

"We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence, Swiss model of skill development is very relevant for us," the prime minister said.

"India is not just a market of 1.25 billion. We have skills and a government open to business," he added.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

Later, Modi also interacted with a group of Indian students and scientists from CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Concluding his engagements in this Swiss city, Prime Minister Modi on Monday departed for the US on the fourth leg of his foreign tour that will also take him to Mexico.

Prior to Switzerland, he visited Afghanistan and Qatar.
The swearing-in ceremony of Mamata Banerjee on May 27 as chief minister of West Bengal for a second time, in her own words, was a political get-together. An elated Mamata was joined on the occasion by leaders of various political parties, and they included key regional playersfrom Nitish Kumar to Akhilesh Yadav to Arvind Kejriwal to Farooq Abdullah. The political significance of the occasion was not lost on anyone.

In this victory celebration of 2016 lay signs of what could be expected in 2019. The makings of a federal front to take on Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections were visible. Nitish, with whom Mamata shares a great rapport, must be hoping to get her on board for the 'grand alliance' that he has proposed. He was among the first to congratulate Mamata, expressing hope that she and Kejriwal would join forces with him to protect federalism.

The occasion must have reminded Modi of the challenges that he would have to face in the form of regional satraps. If it was Nitish who had earlier staked claim to be his main challenger, now, Mamata, emboldened by her resounding victory, could be more vocal on issues of national importance, both inside and outside Parliament.

The secular space in Indian polity is abuzz with talks of a federal front. The moth-balled concept of a non-Congress, non-BJP front has been brought out and dusted. With the status of the Congress as the principal opposition force being threatened on account of its repeated electoral setbacks, its shrinking national presence and the absence of a viable revival plan, regional players are expected to vie for pole position as Modis principal challengers. They are likely to play a bigger role in national politics and could be the driving force behind such an alliance rather than the Congress putting it together.

It is not entirely impossible, according to political experts. Modis principal opposition is coming from the regional parties as the Congress does not know what to do, said Abhay Kumar Dubey of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. He said that by the middle of 2018, the regional players would reveal their cards and it would become clear whether it would be a non-Congress front or one with the Congress playing some role.

Tough task: Rahul Gandhi is perceived to be incapable of taking on Modi | Aayush Goel

LAYING OUT A simple argument for a grand alliance, Pavan Varma, Janata Dal (United) leader, said the fact that the Modi government came to power with the lowest electoral support of 31 per cent of votes meant that close to two-thirds of the country voted for the opposition.

There is talk of a grand alliance, which is not driven by the Left. In the past it was the Left that made efforts to form a third front. This time around, Nitish has been first off the blocks to give a call for a 'grand alliance' that is bound by the common thread of opposition to the RSS and the BJP.

However, putting together such an alliance is not easy, which Nitish realised soon enough. His call was construed as an expression of his prime ministerial ambitions and he was snubbed by the Congress and other parties. This showed that the leadership issue would be the biggest hurdle in forming a front of the regional parties, with most of the leaders nursing prime ministerial ambitions.

Nitishs national ambitions are clear. He has emerged as one of Modis prime challengers. The JD(U) said Nitish was prime minister material. He addressed a rally in Varanasi and has made efforts to expand his partys footprint to Uttar Pradesh. He is, however, handicapped by the regional limitations of his party. Nitish Kumar is as an experienced chief minister, who has provided Bihar with good governance and social uplift. There is no better match to Modi than Nitish. However, we are not an all-India party, said JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi.

Nitish's presence at Mamatas swearing-in was also seen as his expectation of getting the Trinamool Congress supremo on board for his grand alliance. However, Mamata, after her resounding win in West Bengal, might not be willing to accept the supremacy of Nitish. Similarly, it would be difficult for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa or Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, tall regional leaders in their own right, to accept the leadership of another regional player. Meanwhile, Kejriwal has already made it clear that he will have no truck with regional parties.

Jayalalithaas ambitions are no secret. The slogans on the posters and hoardings in Chennai once read, From Fort St George to Red Fort. Although such slogans were absent during the recent assembly elections, AIADMK sources said Jayalalithaa would weigh her options over the next one year before making her intentions clear.

POINTING TO THE challenges in putting together a federal front, Bhartruhari Mahtab of the Biju Janata Dal said a lot of work needed to be done. The first is to find a common agenda of the regional parties, which will be a national agenda they can agree upon and work on, he said.

Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, however, is more optimistic. When it comes to fighting for the existence of the Constitution, you have to fight together and not against each other, he said. Laluji [RJD leader Lalu Prasad] said we should realise that fighting in an isolated manner would not be easy.

Meanwhile, it will be difficult to visualise Mamata together with the Left, or Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav with BSP leader Mayawati or Jayalalithaa with M. Karunanidhi. Soon after the results of the recent assembly elections came out, Congress president Sonia Gandhi extended the olive branch to Mamata. Although the possibility of the Trinamool joining a Congress-led front remains, the Congress will have to sever its ties with the Left for that to happen.

I HOPE THAT Mamata, Mulayam, Lalu, Jaya and [Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh] Badal will come together to form a federal front. We will not be competition in each others territories. And the leader can be chosen by consensus, said Tyagi.

For the moment, however, Mamata is not expected to antagonise Modi. She is likely to keep her cards close to the chest till a few months before the Lok Sabha elections. She has declared that she will play the role of a constructive opposition even as she gave a thumbs up to the GST. It would make sense for her to extract benefits for her state from Modi and further buttress her position. She will also be circumspect because of the probes into corruption allegations against her party members. There is nothing new in the policy, as we have maintained for long that we would play a responsible role in Parliament. We will oppose them where necessary and will support them where it is needed, said Derek O Brien of the Trinamool. In an interview published on the Trinamool website, Mamata said her party would play an important role in national politics in the future. The people are with us, she said.

The regional parties are aware of the BJPs plans to extend its presence in their strongholds. It could emerge as a threat to their brand of politics. The BJP has already launched an aggressive campaign in Uttar Pradesh, with party president Amit Shah naming the Samajwadi Party as its main opponent. A wary SP has directed its cadres to go on the offensive to counter the BJP threat. It is also looking at stitching up the right kind of alliances, for example with Ajit Singhs Rashtriya Lok Dal, to contain the BJP in western UP.

While Modi talks of cooperation with Mamata at the Centre, his party is dreaming of unseating her in West Bengal. We will be a major force in the coming days in West Bengal and would be the right alternative to the Trinamool, said West Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha. Shrikant Sharma, national secretary of the BJP, said there could be a cooperative arrangement with the party at the Centre, but at the state level, the Trinamool was the BJPs opposition. Mamata is our political opponent in West Bengal and Jayalalithaa is our opponent in Tamil Nadu, he said. As of now, AIADMK is the strongest regional party with 37 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. We are strong in the Rajya Sabha, too. We will ensure that Ammas name is etched in history, said Navaneetha Krishnan, MP.

The growing clout of the regional parties could prove to be a major challenge for the Congress. With Congress vice president Rahul Gandhiset to assume charge as party president soonperceived to be incapable of posing a strong challenge to Modi, regional leaders are likely to vie for the role of the main opposition. If Nitish has taken on Modi unabashedly and Mamata has declared that she is ideologically opposed to the BJP, Kejriwal, the third element of the federal triad, has been relentless in his attacks on Modi, be it on the issue of corruption, interference in the working of the Delhi government or the controversy over the veracity of the prime minister's academic credentials.

It is not the Congress or Rahul, but the Aam Aadmi Party which is taking on Modi. So the AAP is the principal opposition party and Kejriwal is the principal opponent of Modi, said party leader Ashutosh. Kejriwal will also be a challenge for Modi in Punjab and Goa, which go to the polls next year. The AAP has emerged as a powerful brand in Punjab and Goa. We are providing people with an alternative to the Congress and the BJP in these states, he said.

The role of the Congress in an anti-Modi front is still uncertain. It is unclear if it can bargain from a position of strength in the formation of an anti-Modi alliance. It is also doubtful whether tall regional leaders like Nitish or Mamata or Mulayam or Mayawati would want to accept Rahul's leadership. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley poked fun at the Congress, writing on Facebook: Will it be the main challenger to the BJP-led NDA in 2019 or will it stand behind a hotchpotch combination of ideologically disparate regional groups? The AAP's contention is that the Congress cannot be the alternative as it has lost to the BJP in all elections where the two parties contested directly against each other after the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Dubey said an alliance on the lines of the National Front of the 90s was possible, but he could not foresee the role of the Congress in this kind of an alliance. To be able to bargain from a position of strength, the Congress will have to win one or two states. If the Congress is not able to bolster its position, a coalition of a third kind could take shape, he said.

The situation today, he said, is similar to the 1970s, when the Congress was at loggerheads with everyone. Today, the BJP seems to be at loggerheads with every regional force, and this could lead to a situation where they unite, and this could be without the Congress, he said.

HOWEVER, others feel that the Congress will have to play a major role in the creation of any such alliance to bind together disparate regional forces. Even today, the Congress is present in every village of the country. Nobody had thought that it would win the elections in 2004. Just because the Congress has lost in Assam and Kerala, we cannot say it is finished, said Mahtab.

Congress leaders naturally agree. If there is any political force that can challenge Modi in 2019, it is the Congress. Alignments will take place at the state level, but nationally, the Congress is the only relevant force, said Congress leader Sachin Pilot. He said even now, it was his party that was taking on Modi at the national level, raising issues such as amendments to land acquisition, intolerance and corruption. Kejriwal has been taking on Modi, but he is, at the end of the day, only the chief minister of Delhi. He does not have traction all over the country, said Pilot.

Loss of attraction: Uttar Pradesh (pointing finger) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is unlikely to be part of an alliance including BSP supremo Mayawati | PTI

According to the Congress, the fight in 2019 will be between the BJP and its allies and the Congress and its allies. Any secular alliance in this country has to have the Congress as its nucleus. The regional parties will have to ally with the Congress, for the simple reason that they do not have presence in states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, said Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed.

However, the Congress needs allies, perhaps more than the regional parties need the Congress. But the Congress is unlikely to join an alliance where it is not seen as the leader. We will go for alliances in 2019. However, those have to be formed state-wise. For example, we had an alliance with Nitish and Lalu in Bihar. Similarly, we will have alliances with like-minded parties in other states, said Ahmed.

The role of the Left in cobbling together a secular alliance appears to be very limited. It was actively involved in the creation of the third front in the past, but those were the days when the Congress was in power and the search was for a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative. That role has been taken over by others. And the electoral debacle in West Bengal does not bode well for an understanding between the Congress and the Left in 2019. Anyways, the Congress will have to choose between Mamata and the Left.

Meanwhile, there is another opposition brewing against Modi, said Tyagi, adding it was not in the corridors of power. Modi has not fulfilled his election promises, be it to bring back black money or increase minimum support price to farmers or create jobs. There is a lot of discontent. So, the opposition to Modi is not only from the opposition parties, but also from the people, he said.

The question of who is really the opposition to a strong leader at the Centre has been asked earlier. In 1987, George Fernandes had said that there was no real opposition to Rajiv Gandhi. Had V.P. Singh not revolted against Rajiv, they would have had to invent a V.P. Singh. Modi, however, is not without opposition. It will make its presence felt in many ways before 2019 and may unite to take him on in the Lok Sabha elections.

WITH RABI BANERJEE, AJAY UPRETY, ANOOP M.S. AND LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN
Mahindra World City Jaipur Ltd (MWC Jaipur), a joint venture between Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited (MLDL) and Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO), recently hosted a delegation of Indian diplomats deputed in seven different nations. The intent of the visit was to meet and interact with MWC Jaipur officials and representatives of companies operational on-site to acquire a deeper understanding of the varied business opportunities present at the integrated business city. The visit was also intended to help the ambassadors promote improved commercial relations and leverage the Make In India initiatives between India and the countries of their postings.



The delegation was visiting Rajasthan with a view to familiarize themselves with the unique positioning of the state as a business destination and identify potential investment opportunities. The delegation visiting MWC Jaipur included Honourable Sunil Kumar Lal - Ambassador of India to Brazil, Honourable Ms. Narindra Chauhan - Ambassador of India to Serbia, Honourable Sanjay Rana - Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan, Honourable Harsh Kumar Jain - Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Honourable Sunil Jain - Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Honourable Sarvajit Chakravarti - Ambassador of India to Slovenia and Honourable Rahul Kulshreshta - Ambassador of India to Kuwait.



Extending a warm welcome to the delegation, Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra World City, Jaipur said, We are honoured to host such an esteemed delegation at Mahindra World City, Jaipur. We have worked very closely with our stakeholders to establish MWC Jaipur as a preferred business destination for 65+ clients, including MNCs like JCB, Perto, Rexam, Deutsche Bank, Genpact and MetLife, amongst others. The world class plug-n-play infrastructure at MWC Jaipur today offers significant Quick Start advantages to global companies looking to expand their businesses in India.

The delegation visited MWC Jaipurs SEZ and DTA zones and interacted with various companies currently operational on-site, including Infosys and JCB. Discussion points included the decision making process involved in choosing Rajasthan and MWC Jaipur for business expansion, experiences in setting up operations at MWC Jaipur, and various advantages therein - strategic location, clearly demarcated zones with ready infrastructure for manufacturing and other industries, reduced time to market and enhanced ease of doing business. The delegation concluded that these factors today place Rajasthan and MWC Jaipur high on the consideration list of global companies seeking to expand their presence in India, while leveraging the Make In India opportunity.

MWC Jaipur spans 3,000 acres and encompasses 4 sector-specific SEZs (IT/ITES, Engineering & Related Industries, Handicrafts and Gems & Jewellery) and a Domestic Tariff Area (DTA). Mahindra World City, Jaipur has emerged as one of Indias leading industrial hubs, contributing to the Indian governments vision of Make in India by creating opportunities for industrial growth, skill development, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and employment.

About Mahindra World City Jaipur Ltd.

Pioneered by Mahindra Lifespaces, Mahindra World Cities are integrated business cities through developments in Chennai and Jaipur. These developments cover 1862 hectares (4,600 acres) and house over 125 reputed global companies, providing an integrated environment for Livelihood, Living and Life. Mahindra World Citys business is driven by its mission of sustainable urbanization woven around a strategic business plan that aims to bring about a positive change for customers, stakeholders and communities.



Mahindra World City, Jaipur is located in the Delhi-Mumbai Corridor and is spread across 3,000 acres. MWC Jaipur is being developed in partnership with Rajasthan State Industrial Development Corporation (RIICO), an agency of the Government of Rajasthan. Situated 25 kms from Jaipur airport, it houses facilities for more than 65 corporates like Infosys, Wipro, JCB, Perto, Rexam etc. across its SEZ and DTA facilities. It is the first city in India which is pre-certified SEZ with Gold certification under the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). In addition, the Evolve IT Park situated within MWC Jaipur is a LEED platinum certified Green Building. Mahindra World City Jaipur is the worlds largest and Asias first project to receive Climate Positive Development Stage 2 Certification from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of large cities taking action to address climate change.

About Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd.

Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd., the real estate and infrastructure development business of the $16.9 billion Mahindra Group, is a leader and pioneer in sustainable urban development, through the creation of residential and integrated large format developments across nine Indian cities - Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The Companys residential & commercial development footprint includes over 1.20 million sq. m. (12.94 million sq ft) of completed projects and over 0.88 million sq. m. (9.44 million sq. ft.) of ongoing and forthcoming projects.



Mahindra Lifespaces has pioneered the concept of an integrated business city through Mahindra World City developments in Chennai and Jaipur; built on the philosophy of Livelihood-Living-Life, these developments span 1796 hectares (4,437 acres), house over 125 global and Indian companies and serve to drive economic growth and community development. In addition, Mahindra Lifespaces enables access to quality housing at affordable prices via its brand Happinest.



A pioneer of the green homes movement in India, Mahindra Lifespaces is the first Indian real estate company to have voluntarily released its triple bottom-line focused, externally assured Sustainability Report based on the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) framework. In 2015, Mahindra Lifespaces has been recognized as Regional Sector Leader in Asia, in its category, by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) for the second year in a row.

About Mahindra

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.

A USD 16.9 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.

In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the worlds largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times Boldness in Business Award in the Emerging Markets category in 2013.

For further enquiries, please contact

Zarina Hodiwalla,

Tel: +91-22-2420527

Email: hodiwalla.zarina@mahindra.com
A gay pride parade was hosted in Tel Aviv on Erev Shabbos RL, attracting many members of the toeiva community from Israel and elsewhere.

A chareidi man, Itzik, as he prefers to identify himself, was heading home and found himself in proximity of the toeiva event. He explained to the media that he regularly passes the area on his way home from yeshiva on erev Shabbos to persuade people to put on tefilin. As he headed home, standing at an area bus stop, he was harassed by persons participating in the parade. They shouted insults at him as he waited for a bus.

Itzik stresses he said nothing to provoke them, and clearly they targeted him because he was dressed as a chareidi. However, despite the provocation he remained silent and ignored them.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP) sent a sharp message to new Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman chastising him for his first statements as soon as he became defense minister.

You cant bribe G-d by going to pray at the Kosel and immediately afterwards announce your acceptance of a two-state solution which endangers the Jewish people and the Jewish state, the rabbis wrote.

Wasnt enough blood spilled after every concession, withdrawal and submitting to pressure until now?! The rabbis asked. Among the rabbis who signed the letter to Lieberman were, Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, the rabbi of central Tel Aviv, Rabbi Moshe Havlin, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Gat, Rabbi Sholom Gold of Har Nof, wrote Lieberman, Dont you realize that by making statements in favor of a Palestinian state or cohesion of the nation trumps attachment to greater Israel, only rewards terror and invites more terror. Your statement during the first speech as defense minister jeopardizes the security of Israel instead of defending it? the rabbis said.

There is nothing that has so divided Israel as trying to detach Israel from its land, said the RCP, it not only endangered Israel but is the cause of the tremendous schism among Israel today. The integrity of the Land of Israel is the only guarantee for the integrity of the nation and peace in the land as determined in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 329.

The rabbis called on the defense minister to come to his senses and retract his statements. If you are too weak to withstand the pressure of the enemy and world opinion then resign as indeed your predecessor, Mr. Yaalon did. If you truly want to contribute to the defense of Israel then follow the Torah which illuminates our lives and announce that there no longer will be any negotiations on withdrawals from any territory currently under Israeli control, the rabbis concluded their letter.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Representatives from the Zaka International Rescue Unit participated in the recent two-day United Nations World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul, Turkey, sharing best practices with participants from around the world. The summit, the first of its kind, held under the banner of international humanitarian cooperation for a better world, was headed by UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, with the participation of presidents, and representatives of hundreds of aid organizations from all over the world, who came to participate in a professional conference and make an attempt to make the world a better place.

Zakas participation in the prestigious summit came in the wake of the recent granting of consultative status by the United Nations to the international humanitarian volunteer body. The delegation included the commander of Zakas International Rescue Unit, Mati Goldstein, and veteran Zaka volunteer, Shimon Grossman, who have both accrued a great deal of experience in mass casualty emergencies including many humanitarian disasters worldwide.

The Zaka representatives participated, among other events, in the State of Israels official event headed by Mr. Kobi Wimisberg, Director of Strategy and Cooperation, the National Emergency Management Authority, Israel Ministry of Defense.

During the event, Mr. Wimisberg explained the National Emergency Management Authoritys ideology regarding preparedness for disasters and war; the unit volunteers explained to the audience from around the world, about the communities training program that connects community emergency teams for easier rescue. The program was highly praised by the heads of state at the summit. It should be noted that the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Agency for International Development Cooperation MASHAV expressed its willingness to help anywhere in the world where its aid is needed.

Despite the political climate in Israel, Zaka representatives sat together with representatives of organizations from all over the world, in order to advance possible cooperative ventures. Unfortunately, Zaka representatives were often attacked by pro-Palestinian representatives/ However, once the spirit of the organization was explained to them and they understood that Zaka does not discriminate on race, religion, creed or gender, and that Zaka volunteers have participated in dozens of incidents around the world, including cooperating with Arab organizations, representatives of Arab television stations asked the Zaka volunteers for interviews and to be hosted on news programs, on the topic of the rescue teams that unite all population sectors.

The results and conclusions of this summit again prove that the Zaka organization and volunteers have taken their place as a global volunteer body that is willing to participate in any cooperative effort so as to pass on important information gained from years of practical experience, and connect worlds through action and volunteerism.

Shimon Grossman: The summit on an international scale places Zaka as one of the leading organizations in the field. I feel that we had a special mission here on behalf of the residents of Israel and world Jewry. We could say that we enjoyed tremendous success, thank G-d.

Mati Goldstein: The inter-organizational dialog serves as a unique fabric to connect with other countries, and removes many barriers that exist within official bodies. I am delighted that our program was so highly praised, and that we not only save lives and honor the dead, but also removes barriers.

Zaka chairman, Yehuda Meshi Zahav: The dedication of our volunteers in Israel and overseas is beyond words, and is now receiving the proper international expression. Our worldwide volunteer deployment can provide solutions for any emergency incident or routine situations, and most importantly of all, contributes to cooperative efforts and friendship not only among brothers but can also bring nations closer, even those who are usually considered enemies.

Photo: Zaka International Rescue Unit Commander Mati Goldstein (left) and Zaka volunteer Shimon Grossman (right) with fellow participants at the recent United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Zaka)
Today the Orthodox Union, the nations largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, expressed support for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos announcement that he would issue an executive order prohibiting the state from doing business with any entity associated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel movement.

Allen I. Fagin, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, said:

I was privileged to join Gov. Andrew Cuomo this morning in Manhattan where he once again took decisive action and demonstrated his steadfast commitment to the safety and security of the Jewish community both in New York and worldwide. Gov. Cuomo sent a strong message to the world that New Yorkers and all those who value freedom will stand together against hatred and terrorism. On behalf of the Jewish community in New York and across the United States, we applaud Gov. Cuomo for his leadership and friendship.

Nathan Diament, Executive Director of the OU Advocacy Center, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, said:

The OU Advocacy Center has actively advocated for measures that will keep our communities safe both in the U.S. and abroad. We believe the BDS movement is, at its core, anti-Semitic and runs counter to the founding principles of this country. We commend the governor for his exceptional leadership on this issue.

(YWN Desk  NYC)
A pair of powerful Senate Republicans on Sunday warned Donald Trump to drop his attacks on a Latino judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, joining the widespread rejection of their presumptive presidential nominees treatment of the federal jurist. A third prominent Republican who also supports Trump urged the candidate to start acting like a potential leader of the United States.

Were all behind him now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned, adding that its time for unifying the party, not settling scores and grudges. I hope hell change his direction.

So far, Trump has refused, reiterating in interviews broadcast Sunday that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiels Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial involving a billionaire who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trumps view, a hater of Donald Trump.

I couldnt disagree more with Trumps central argument, McConnell said on NBCs Meet the Press.

I dont condone the comments, added Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on ABCs This Week.

And Newt Gingrich, who became speaker of the House promising to open the GOP more to minorities, delivered the harshest warning of all.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think its inexcusable, Gingrich, a former presidential contender, said on Fox News Sunday.

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom theyve made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The GOP pushback against Trump comes two days before presidential primaries in California, home to more Latinos than whites. Its the final major battleground between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Far ahead of Sanders in the delegate race, Clinton is poised to clinch her partys nomination in the next few days.

Trump has no more competition for the GOP nomination, but he does have significant issues with the most senior elected members of the party he hopes to lead.

On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan tepidly endorsed Trump  but 24 hours later disavowed the billionaires remarks about Curiel.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied. Trumps legal team has not sought to have Curiel removed.

Trump already has rejected calls for him adjust his approach.

Im not changing, he said Tuesday at a fiery news conference at Trump Tower.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on the idea. Asked on CBS whether a Muslim judge would be unfair given Trumps plan to ban Muslims from the U.S, Trump responded: Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.

For a party that in 2012 explicitly pinned its survival on drawing support from Hispanics, Trumps words create an ugly series of headaches.

Asked three times whether Trumps attack on Curiel was racist, McConnell thrice refused to respond directly and repeated a statement about disagreeing.

I think its a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans, said McConnell, R-Ky.

Gingrich answered: I think that it was a mistake  I hope it was sloppiness. (Trump) says on other occasions that he has many Mexican friends, et cetera, but thats irrelevant. This judge is not Mexican. This judge is an American citizen.

Corker, R-Tenn., expressed the same discomfort many other Republicans in Congress have complained about when theyre asked to respond to, or justify, Trumps remarks. I thought this interview was going to be more about the foreign policy arena, Corker said on ABC.

Like Ryan, all three Republicans have endorsed Trump. But their comments carried the implicit caveat that their support depends at least in part on Trump dropping his criticism of Curiel. All three also suggested ways Trump could move beyond his legal issues.

Corker, who recently met with Trump in New York, said Trump has a tremendous opportunity to build out his foreign policy agenda.

Gingrich urged Trump to become more of a statesman.

Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level, he said. This is no longer the primaries. Hes no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States and hes got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.

McConnells advice was blunt.

This is a good time, it seems to me, to begin to try to unify the party and you unify the party by not settling scores and grudges against people youve been competing with, he said. Id like to see him reach out and pull us all together and give us a real shot at winning this November.

(AP)
Donald Trump has broadened his judicial objections from an actual jurist of Mexican descent to a hypothetical judge who practices Islam, saying a Muslim on the bench could be biased against him, too.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee spent much of the past week criticizing the rulings of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a case involving Trump University. Trump told the Wall Street Journal that Curiels Mexican heritage represents an inherent conflict of interest, because the candidate has proposed construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Curiel was born in Indiana.

In an interview that aired Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation, Trump suggested that judges who belong to other ethnic and religious minority groups might also be unable to objectively consider the merits of a case involving one of his companies. This was his exchange with host John Dickerson:

DICKERSON: If it were a Muslim judge, would you also feel like they wouldnt be able to treat you fairly because of that policy of yours?

TRUMP: Its possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.

DICKERSON: Isnt there sort of a tradition, though, in America that we dont judge people by who their parents were and where they came from?

TRUMP: Im not talking about tradition. Im talking about common sense, OK? Hes somebody  hes proud of his heritage. And I think thats great that hes proud of his heritage.

DICKERSON: But youre saying its a barrier to him doing his job.

TRUMP: Well, hes not treating me  hes not treating me fairly.

Trump has proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Callum Borchers
Relations between chareidi city councilmen and Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav are nearing a crisis as the former accuse the latter of failing to live up to a coalition agreement pertaining to a rotation on the council.

A meeting on the matter was held on Sunday evening 28 Iyar hosted by Yaakov Litzman with two Yahadut Hatorah Haifa councilmen, it was decided that a meeting would take place on Monday morning that would be attended by Litzman, Moshe Gafne and Aryeh Deri. The meeting is described as a last effort to mend fences with the citys mayor, Yona Yahav and Miki Halper, the Degel Hatorah councilman who was supposed to become a deputy mayor but the mayor refuses to honor the agreement. The Agudas Yisrael councilman, Aryeh Blitenthal stepped down to permit Halper to take the post in line with the rotation agreement but the mayor has a different plan.

Blitenthal stepped down about 10 days ago but Mayor Yahav has since announced he does not plan to appoint Alper in his place.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Cleared for publication: Last month, in a joint Shin Bet (ISA), IDF and Israel Police operation, a 17-year-old resident of Gaza, who is active in the Hamas military wing, was arrested after crossing the perimeter fence from Gaza into Israel.

During his investigation it was discovered that he belongs to the Hamas Beit Lahiya Brigade and that most of his activity was in the field of tunnels. Details were also learned about the Hamas terrorist operations in which he took part including his recruitment into Hamas and the training courses he took as well as details about many other militants with whom he worked in the Hamas military wing.

His investigation revealed high value information about Hamass operations in northern Gaza, especially its attack tunnels.

Information was also obtained on Hamas work methods vis-a-vis the digging of tunnels, means of communication in the tunnels and the location of many tunnel shafts designed to serve members of elite Hamas units in infiltrating Israeli territory during clashes with Israel.

It was learned that Hamas is active in digging tunnels that are linked to combat tunnels throughout Gaza. Hamas has dug a ramified network for moving fighters around the Strip exclusively underground. This network of tunnels includes rest quarters for use by elite unites in time of emergency.

These tunnels have many entry points. Some of them have been dug close to civilian structures such as innocent homes, schools and mosques, clearly endangering the civilian population in Gaza.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Ministers Zeev Elkin and Uri Ariel departed from Israel on Monday 29 Iyar for Mr. Netanyahus fourth official state visit in the past year.

The Prime Minister has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin a number of times in connection to the advanced S-300 aerial defense system, seeking to prevent the sale of the Russian-built system to Iran. With the S-300 in Iranian hands, senior Israel Air Force officials have explained an aerial strike against Irans nuclear facilities would be complicated somewhat but such a strike would still be possible. Despite Israels efforts and US pressure siding with Israel, Putin decided to go through with the sale.

While the trip is short, it is longer than past trips as Mr. Netanyahu is planning to remain in Russia for 2.5 days. The official reason given for the visit is to mark 25 years of relations between the countries. In reality, talks will surround Russias role in the ongoing civil war in Syria as well as discussing the matter of pensions for former Russian citizens now living in Israel.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Bayit Yehudi party leader Education Minister Naftali Bennett appears to have his role confused with that of a member of the Knesset opposition. He busies himself with alerting the media on a daily basis with attacks against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the coalitions policies, a coalition he and his party are a part of.

In his latest attack, Bennett criticized PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman for expressing support for the two-state solution, the creation of the State of Palestine alongside Israel.

In his remarks on Sunday night the eve of 29 Iyar, addressing the Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Yom Yerushalayim event, Bennett stated Chas vsholom that Israel or Yerushalayim would be divided, which would be the result of the two-state solution He accuses Netanyahu and Lieberman of trying to appease the international community, adding my response to them is never!

He added we cannot support the land of Israel [when speaking] in Hebrew and establish a Palestinian state [when speaking] in English.

Likud party officials have made it clear, that Bennett is welcome to remain in the coalition but unfortunately, his actions seem to indicate he is looking for a way to leave and join the opposition.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Former Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who is in the midst of his fraud/money laundering trial, is seeking the release of his assets, valued at NIS 20 million, which the state locked down as a result of the criminal charges against him. The ravs assets include apartments, insurance policies and bank accounts.

Israel Radios Reshet Bet reports attorneys for Rabbi Metzger are calling on state officials to at least release a portion, NIS 7 million. It is reported the rabbi wishes to sell one of his apartments, on King David Street in Tel Aviv, which is valued over NIS 5 million.

The rabbi explains that while he is facing a NIS 7 million fine for accepting bribes, there is no reason to freeze the remainder of his assets.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The Knesset Interior Committee on Monday, 29 Iyar, debated MK Moshe Gafnes Mikveh bill which limits toiveling in a state-operated mikveh to compliance with regulations from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the local religious council. These regulations prohibit a convert from toiveling, regardless if the conversion is Orthodox, Conservative or Reform.

This law in essence circumvents a High Court ruling that instructed the Beersheva Religious Council to permit a Reform convert to toivel in front of a Reform beis din.

Committee Chair MK David Amsellem opened the session explaining he placed the matter on the agenda and was contacted by the Prime Ministers Office to make certain the version of the bill presented is acceptable to Bayit Yehudi and Kulanu. Amsellem responded that he is conducting the discussion regardless of the vote on the actual bill.

MK (Kulanu) Rachel Azariya requested to stop the discussion due to the disagreement. The discussion quickly led to an exchange of shouts. Azariya continued shouting until such time the chairman ousted her from the session and take a five-minute break. MK Gafne shouted at Azariya What kind of populism is this and MK Yehuda Glick lamented their behavior, calling it a disgrace to the Knesset.

Azariya and her Kulanu party as well as Bayit Yehudi are opposed to the current working of Gafnes bill, which eliminates the gains as they view it, made in the last Knesset. Among Azariyas fears is the bill will eliminate todays regulation permitting a woman to toivel on her own without a balanit (mikveh lady) being presence. Azariyas concerns are echoed by MK (Bayit Yehudi) Shuli Muallem, both opposed to the current wording of the bill, which if favorable to Gafne.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Tragedy in northern Israel RL as the Rav of Kibbutz Gesher HaZiv zl was killed after a suffering a fatal drowning incident when he toiveled along the Akhziv Coast in Nahariya.

EMS and police were summoned on Monday morning 29 Iyar to Akhziv Coast in Nahariya after receiving calls for a man who drowned sea. Police pulled the unconscious man from the water and MDA personnel began resuscitation efforts. Untimely they were compelled to pronounce him dead on the scene.

The rav did not have a family. He was in his 30s. The tzibur is asked to be mispallel on behalf of Yosef Chaim ben Avraham.

Gesher HaZiv is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Situated in the Western Galil on the coastal highway between Nahariya and the Lebanese border, opposite the Akhziv National Park, it falls under the jurisdiction of Matte Asher Regional Council.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
easyJet carried 6.9 million people on its planes last month, a 5.7 per cent rise from a year earlier, but its aircraft were less full as air traffic disputes, terror worries, and price wars all remain issues,

Despite the upturn in passenger numbers, the airline's load factor, a measure of how full the aircraft is, dipped by 0.1 per cent to 91.5 per cent compared with a year earlier.

easyJet has been battling against rival Ryanair which has been reporting higher growth in passenger numbers in the last few months.

Both airlines have blamed air traffic control strikes in France and Italy for disruption, but easyJet today also highlighted bad weather and the Brussels terror attacks earlier this year.

Numbers up: easyJet carried nearly 7 million passengers on its planes last month

easyJet said it saw 173 fight cancellations in May, with French strikes and weather conditions accounting for most of them. It also highlighted caution after the EgyptAir tragedy on May 19.

In early trade this morning, easyJet shares on the FTSE 100 index were down 0.6 per cent, or 9.5p at 1,514.5p.

Last month, Ryanair announced plans to cut its fares by 7 per cent. easyJet then told This is Money it also plans to cut its fares by 7 per cent this summer.

Speaking to This is Money in May, easyJet said: 'easyJet consumers have enjoyed lower fares, which have decreased by 6 per cent year-on-year, the second successive year of falling fares, as the benefits of lower fuel costs are passed on to passengers.

'easyJet will offer its customers lower value fares this summer - with fares down around 7 per cent in the period April to June.'

Over the 12 months to May, easyJet saw its rolling passenger numbers rise 7.3 per cent to 71,49 million and its load factor increase by 0.2 percentage points to 91.4 per cent.

Last month, easyJet's first half results saw the airline swing to a 24million loss, with currency fluctuations and the spate of terrorist attacks on holiday resorts taking their toll.

Upbeat: easyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall said at the time of last month's half-year results: 'We are confident that over the full year we will again grow passenger numbers, revenue and profit'

The airline, which posted a 7million profit at the same stage a year earlier, said the Paris terror attacks last November 'significantly impacted trading', triggering a 2.7 per cent drop in revenue per seat.

The suspension of flights to the Egyptian tourist destination of Sharm el-Sheikh following the terrorist-blamed crash of a Russian airliner also in November reduced revenues by a further 1.3 per cent.

The no-frills airline's total revenues in the first half increased by 0.3 per cent to 1.77billion, but overall revenue per seat fell by 6.6 per cent on a reported currency basis, dipping to 51.29.

IAG - which owns British Airways, Ireland's Aer Lingus, and Spanish carriers Iberia and Vueling - reported its May passenger numbers last Friday, with its group traffic and group capacity both increasing by 14 per cent.

On a pro-forma basis, to adjust for its acquisition of Aer Lingus last August, traffic rose 4.4 per cent, whilst capacity rose 4.5 per cent.

IAG shares were also lower today, down 7.5p at 522.5p, with airline stocks impacted by a firmer oil price which makes the costs of fuel more expensive.

At the end of April, IAG posted a pretax profit of 104million for the first three months of the year, after suffering a loss of 26million during the same period last year.
Pay cut: Burberry ceo Christopher Bailey poses with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey saw 6million wiped off his pay package as the fashion firms sales and shares plunged.

Bailey suffered one of the biggest pay cuts ever seen at a FTSE 100 firm  down 75 per cent  after a dire year in which profits fell 10 per cent and the shares sank 35 per cent.

The 45-year-old, who has the dual role of chief creative officer and overall boss, has been one of the best paid executives in the City.

His vast pay deal was the target of investors and 52.7 per cent of shareholders voted it down in 2014.

But the latest annual report published yesterday revealed his total pay fell to 1.9million for 2015 from 7.9million.

A failure to meet profit targets meant Bailey lost out on his bonus and long-term incentive plan.

In the end he received his 1.1million salary, 464,000 in benefits and 330,000 in pension contributions.

His 7.9million for the previous year comprised a salary of 1million  where he was chief executive for 11 months  an allowance of 424,000 and a host of extra rewards.

There was 303,000 in pension payments, an annual bonus of 1.8million and 4.4million from a long-term incentive plan.

In 2013 the company said it would hand Bailey one million free shares worth around 15million after a rival firm tried to poach him and he agreed to stay to do his job.

The first slice of those free shares were set to vest next month and Bailey was due an estimated 2.2million.

However, he has requested these should be deferred because of the recent problems suffered by the business.

Last month he said a fifth of the fashion lines are to be axed, along with jobs and 100million of costs as he tries to revive the troubled brand.

While the move to defer the share award is being billed as a gesture of restraint given the disappointing performance, it also serves to give Bailey the benefit of 12 months extra time to improve the share price.

His controversial dual role and lack of experience has been a concern for some shareholders.

He is one of the few FTSE 100 bosses who refuses to answer questions from journalists at financial updates.
Asda's chief executive Andy Clarke has confirmed that he is preparing to step down from the top job at the supermarket chain as its US owner Wal-Mart criticises the UK businesses' poor performance.

Mr Clarke has indicated that he will be succeeded by incoming Asda chief operating officer Roger Burnley, who is set to join the supermarket group in October from rival Sainsbury's.

The move comes as top bosses at WalMart blasted Asda for a continuing sales slump, admitting they have no idea when the UK chain will enjoy an upturn in fortunes.

In and out: Roger Burnley (left) looks set to become Asda's new chief executive after Andy Clarke's departure

Mr Clarke told Retail Week: 'I said that I wanted to find somebody who had the ability to be my successor and it took us some time to find the right person, the right cultural fit, the right sort of character and leader that can run the business.

'He's a great leader and he's going to be a great colleague.

'I look forward to spending time with him and preparing him for what hopefully should be his next role.'

In terms of when Mr Burnley will take the helm, outgoing boss Mr Clarke said: 'I'm in no rush to do anything else and we are on a three-year journey from a strategic plan perspective. I'm very happy to deliver that and work through that and then we can talk about that from there.'

Asda poached Mr Burnley from Sainsbury's last year, where he was retail and operations director. He also did a stint at Asda between 1996 and 2002, when he was supply chain director.

Last month, Asda posted a 5.7 per cent slump in like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to March 30. The supermarket chain also suffered a 5.8 per cent drop in quarterly sales over the Christmas period.

In a bid to boost its performance, Asda is undergoing 'Project Renewal', which involves pumping 500million into cutting prices for shoppers.

Poor show: Asda first quarter sales fell 5.7 per cent, worse than the previous quarter's 4.7 per cent drop

The supermarket is battling against a tide of discount chains, including Aldi and Lidl, which have enjoyed strong sales growth in recent years.

Last week, Walmart International's chief executive Dave Cheesewright raised the prospect of further price cuts - saying that the US giant would look to 'shift the balance in Asda from protecting profit to protecting share.'

Mr Cheesewright used the American grocers annual meeting to speak frankly about the performance.

He told Retail Week: Theres lots of work going on there but we are pretty dissatisfied at the moment. So watch this space on Asda, but it will be painful, I think, probably through this year.

Walmart bosses admit they have no idea how long it will take to fix the troubled chain.
If you were self-employed and had a problem at work, what would you do?

In the Western world, where almost everyone has access to the internet, you would probably Google your dilemma. Or if you need to get in touch with an expert or one of your peers, you would simply look their details up online.

But in many other parts of the world, finding answers in this way is simply not an option. This is particularly true of almost all the half-a-million smallhold farmers worldwide, most of whom are living on less than $1 (69p) a day.

Breaking down barriers: While most farmers don't have the internet, 90 per cent can access a mobile

But while most farmers have no internet connection, around 90 per cent have access to a basic mobile phone. That's where WeFarm kicks in.

A pioneering UK-based social enterprise, it helps farmers ask questions and share their knowledge and expertise via a free peer-to-peer text messaging service.

WeFarm users can ask questions on agriculture and livestock and receive crowd-sourced answers from other farmers around the world within minutes.

It means they have access to a huge bank of specialist knowledge, and can act quickly to stem the problem - crucial when livestock are dying or they need to know the best time to plant crops.

The company is the brainchild of Kenny Ewan, 35, who spent seven years working with indigenous communities in South America.

And after winning funding from Google, WeFarm is now the UK finalist for The Venture, a global competition giving $1million prize money away to start-ups working to 'transform communities and solve global challenges'.

The Venture is currently in its final group voting stages, with $250,000 split between the finalists based on votes from the public. The remaining $750,000 will be awarded to the ultimate winner in July.

Here, Kenny talks about his ambitious plans for WeFarm, including his dream of getting 100million farmers to communicate with each other via the platform.

How did you come up with the idea for WeFarm?

After graduating from university, I spent seven years living in South America where I specialized in working with indigenous communities. I often saw innovative solutions to common challenges being developed, yet people in nearby villages were rarely aware of these new innovative techniques.

In 2009, I joined Cafedirect Producers Foundation (CPF), an independent UK charity that works with coffee, tea and cocoa farmers across Africa and Latin America.

At CPF I put my ideas together with Claire Rhodes, who had similar experiences from working abroad, to design the first version of WeFarm and pilot it with the farmers we worked with.

Kenny Ewan (centre) with WeFarm business development manager Amy Barthorp (l) and PR Zoe Fairlamb (r)

How does it work?

WeFarm has created a pioneering peer-to-peer system, that crowdsources vital information even without any access to internet.

It was developed and piloted with farming communities over four years, and launched in February 2015. We currently have 11 employees globally.

We operate in Kenya, Uganda and Peru. We launched in Kenya first, and currently we have 54,000 users there. But we are also now scaling fast in Uganda since our recent launch.

Over the next year we are aiming to keep this great growth going to reach 1 million farmers using WeFarm, including a launch in India.

There are a few other services offering agricultural advice in East Africa through SMS, but almost all come from a top-down perspective where farmers can ask for information from a small group of experts.

Ultimately, we believe that our model is far more scalable and sustainable, as we aim to become the first choice service for farmers worldwide.

Simple but effective: WeFarm lets farmers crowdsource the answer to their problems using a mobile phone

What is your background?

I actually studied architecture at university. After graduating I moved to Peru, and spent seven years running an NGO across Latin America and using my design and engineering skills to build grassroots projects with indigenous communities.

In 2009 I returned to the UK to manage projects for CPF in 13 African and Latin American countries. When WeFarm launched as an independent social enterprise in 2014, I became its chief executive.

How is the company funded?

We won the Google Impact Challenge in 2014, which provided launch funding, and we are currently finalizing our seed investment round in order to scale to the next level.

WeFarm is completely free for farmers; we even cover their text message costs for sending us questions or an answer!

Our business model ensures that the basic Q&A platform is free for farmers, and we can generate revenue through the unique data insights generated by millions of interactions through WeFarm.

What is the ultimate aim of WeFarm?

To improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers, and do it using their own knowledge and ideas.

This is a vital part of WeFarm  proving that poor people dont just need to be told what to do, but have generations worth of experience to share.

Self-starting: The aim of WeFarm is improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers, via their own expertise

Is there any way of evaluating the quality of the advice given?

We empower the crowd to validate users and information. Farmers rate content that they receive, which our system attaches to key words, locations and profiles to make sure it is constantly improving and learning in order to get the best quality content possible to our users.

We also use lots of filters and processes to make sure the advice being shared is as good as possible.

I would use the example of eBay as a similar model. They cant possibly verify millions of individual items being sold through the platform so they have the crowd do it for them. I know that I can buy a t-shirt from Sue, because 60 other eBay users have told me that Sue is a good seller. WeFarm is doing the same for information.

I strongly believe in the power of knowledge and information and I think that restricting information is unsustainable and unscalable. There is a widespread belief that people living in poverty need to be told what to do by Western experts, but this is the status quo WeFarm is challenging!

Venture judges with Kenny, centre: l-r Pat Venning of Pernod Ricard UK, social entrepreneur foundation Unltd's Louise Cannon, and the Ventures selection advisor Soushiant Zanganehpour.

How does the business make a profit?

WeFarm currently generates revenue through the unique information and data created by the millions of organic interactions happening on the system.

For example, we are developing a statistical model that can track coffee ripening periods over entire regions or countries.

This can also be used to track disease or drought, and have huge social benefits as well as enabling WeFarm to be a sustainable business.

What accolades has WeFarm received so far?

In 2014 WeFarm won the Google Impact Challenge, which was an amazing moment in being able to launch the system.

In 2015 we won a Meffy for Innovation in Technology Award, and won the Best SMS solution award at the Messaging & SMS World Awards. We also recently won the Innov8 Global Start-up Competition in Manchester.

We applied for Chivas Regal Scotch Whiskys The Venture global competition because it's a great platform for social entrepreneurs. I watched the competition evolve last year and knew I really wanted to be a part of it in 2016.

We are proud to be representing the UK this year, especially as I know how many great social enterprises there are in this country, and really excited to compete in the final against 26 other countries in New York in July.

Were currently at the public voting stage, where we can win a share of $250,000 (173,000) to help us with funding.

Just think, that coffee that we drink every morning thats so easily accessible, was likely due to a farmer who was able to prevent the spread of bacteria in their crop!

Whats the next step for WeFarm?

Our goal is to reach 1million farmers in the next 12 months.

My ultimate dream for WeFarm is for it to improve the livelihoods of 100million farmers worldwide, and to do it using their own knowledge and ideas.

Along the way it would be great to change perceptions about how sustainable peer to peer models can create huge and positive change, even in poor countries, and to prove that that social ideas can also be profitable and successful businesses. We are on our way!
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By John Ingle of the Times Record News

While a museum down the street is unearthing prehistoric fossils in North Texas, the Baylor County Museum at 116 N. Washington St. in Seymour is helping people reconnect to their past through historic documents, photos and everyday items used by pioneers and others throughout history who have called the county and its rural towns home since it was formed in 1858.

The county seat of Seymour was originally settled by Oregonians, according to the Texas State Historical Association, and was later named after local cowboy Seymour Munday in the latter parts of the 1800s. It was a rough and tumble area, according to several websites, including the city's official site.

Free grazers cherished the open ranges early on until farmers moved in and started putting up fences, causing friction between the ranchers and farmers. An 1884 law settled that dispute, according to the city of Seymour website, bringing law and order to the North Texas county.

Baylor County was named after Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon and captain in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican War in the 1840s.

Two names not connected, but two professions synonymous with Texas lore: the cowboy and Texas Rangers.

"We feel like we provide a really good service to our people," said Janice Thornhill, a member of the Baylor County Historical Commission. "Those who have their roots here, they may not live here now, but they come back from time to time or they email and say, 'Hey, we're trying to do this family tree. Can y'all help us out?'"

For those at the museum, they're not only displaying what once was, but they're also connecting today's generations with who were.

Bridging generations

Connecting the past and present is what historical societies are meant to do. They are the link between the youngest generations and those who have long committed themselves back to the Earth. They are the narrators of old who pass on stories, names and artifacts to the leaders of future lineage, lest they not forget.

It was in the 1970s when a group of Seymour and Baylor County residents formed to begin preserving and sharing the history of the county and its communities, said Thornhill, a retired public educator and counselor of about 40 years after serving in Petrolia, Henrietta, Seymour and Benjamin. Loyd Myrtle Clark, she said, was one of those local organizers and people involved in Seymour with the early days of the historical commission who prompted Thornhill, who graduated from Midwestern University in 1968, to get involved.

"The historical commission, as Loyd Clark always said, is an arm of county government," she said. "If you look at statutes and all, there is a provision for each county to have a county historical commission. Our mission is to, more or less, preserve the county's history."

And, without a doubt, the Baylor County Historical Commission has preserved the history of days long gone for the future days yet to come. All any guest needs to do is walk in and ask about so-and-so, or a specific event or any other piece of history regarding the county or towns within its boundaries. It's likely they'll have it, or ask you to bring it to them.

Thornhill said their goal is to capture the history of all areas of Baylor County, not just one section or town. An example is Dr. W.L. Gaines, a physician, pharmacist and newspaper man in Bomarton about 11 miles southwest of Seymour. Not much is left in the small farming community but the tales of the past.

A cigar box was located a few years back with a letter from Gaines providing insight on possibly a failed marriage, and a newspaper ad with a very direct message from the pharmacist.

"All parties owing me for services and drugs please call at once and settle your bill. You used my drugs and I want my money," the doctor wrote. "This article is directed to YOU, and not the other fellow  come in and pay your account. Gaines Drugstore, By Dr. W.L. Gaines."

Family ties

Lonnie Hitchcock knows just about everything there is to know about Seymour and Baylor County, especially the families who settled there. His mother's family was one of the pioneer families that ventured out to the uncivilized land and challenged the perils of North Texas weather and warring Native American tribes.

The lifelong resident said people often go to the Baylor County Museum to learn more about families.

"I more or less just hang around here and try to talk to people if they come in here and ask questions about a family or something," the historical commission member said. "A lot of times I'll know something about the family or the name rings a bell or something with me. That's kind of how I help the museum out ..."

Hitchcock, born in 1949, said he either went to school with someone folks are asking about, or he knows the family.

He's also there to relay to children that times in rural Texas decades ago was a lot different from today. He said he does so by telling them about how he grew up pulling cotton and stuffing it in a long, slender cotton sack, which is an item on display in the museum.

"It's important, you know, for the younger generation to see how we lived back in old days," he said. "I grew up without running water. We drank cistern water."

Door to the Past

Just about every facet of Baylor County life from its beginning is brought to life at the Baylor County Museum. People visiting the depository will feel as if they've taken a step back in time when they see an ornate bed and trunk brought into the area aboard a wagon in the 1890s.

A room called "Kitchen items of Yesteryear" displays everyday items such as a pressure cooker, charcoal and gasoline clothing irons, a wash basin with a wringer attached, canisters that once held a variety of products for cooking and baking.

Branding irons from area ranching operations, antique firearms, Native American artifacts and cowboy memorabilia are showcased, as well as tools like wrenches, a grubbing hoe and fencing gadgets.

"You'll see that we have a lot of different kinds of items," Thornhill said. "It's not just one thing."

Relics telling the story of education throughout Baylor County can be viewed at the museum, as well as children's toys and a two-person carousel. A safe once used by the Baylor County treasurer made by Diebold Safe & Lock Co. from Canton, Ohio, is situated next antique typewriters, adding, coin and court reporting machines.

The room that shows the story of medicine in the county includes utensils, diplomas, medication containers and physician bags including one used by Dr. Thomas Burnett and another by Dr. E.H. Balch.

One area of the museum that gets quite a bit of attention is the Veterans Wall. Photos of men from Baylor County or with family ties line a wall, many showing the long-standing history of military service by families from World War I on. Ribbons awarded for service, unit patches and more show the proud service from the county.

Thornhill said a big project the commission is working on now is repurposing the Lake Creek Bridge  a pony truss bridge  by placing it in the Seymour City Park to be used as a pedestrian bridge.

"It's not a real big bridge, and it's really not very functional anymore," she said of the small one-lane structure. "It's not functional anymore because it's only about 11-feet wide, so there's not a tractor or anything that would go over it."

Moving the bridge has been eight years in the making by the commission, Thornhill said.

As with many museums, it seems the list and variety of items in the Baylor County Museum is long and can only be appreciated by paying a visit.
Hanaba Munn Welch/Special to the Times Record News The scene of a double homicide in April 2015 looks much the same now as it did when the bodies of a man and woman were found at the vacant house 2 miles west of Quanah.

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By Hanaba Munn Welch, Special to the Times Record News

The capital murder trial will start today for Gary Andrew "Drew" Callaway, 31, charged in the April 2015 deaths of two people in a vacant house west of Quanah.

Jury selection ended Thursday in Quanah with a seven-man, five-woman jury in place in the 46th District Courtroom in the Hardeman County Courthouse.

The victims were Lisa Marie Waddle, 46, of Burkburnett and Terrance Besaw, 41, of Chillicothe  both shot to death according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Texas Department of Public Safety special agents and Wichita Falls police arrested Callaway at the Motel 6 in Wichita Falls several days after the bodies of Besaw and Waddle were found at the house, a rural location between Quanah and Acme.

They made the arrest on an outstanding credit card abuse warrant. Callaway was ultimately charged with two counts of capital murder and his bond was set at $1 million.

District Judge Dan Mike Bird will preside. Attorneys for the defense are Jonathan Whitsitt of Vernon and Earl Griffin of Childress. District Attorney Staley Heath is prosecuting the case.

In Texas, a capital murder conviction can carry the death penalty or result in a life sentence.
TIMES RECORD NEWS file photo The south side of the MPEC property between Travis and Austin streets was one of the areas recommended by PKF consultants for a full-service hotel to help lure more conventions to Wichita Falls.

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By Claire Kowalick of the Times Record News

By the end of summer the city of Wichita Falls could have the information needed to draw a full-service hotel to the Multi-Purpose Events Center area.

The City Council will consider a resolution Tuesday to approve an $111,000 expenditure through the 4B Sales Tax Corporation Board to retain the services of Gatehouse Capital LLC for an initial planning period.

"In previous studies, the city determined that we have a need and a market for a full service conference center hotel near our MPEC facilities," Deputy City Manager Jim Dockery said Friday.

Gatehouse Capital, based in Dallas, submitted a bid to develop a proposal that includes drawing a hotel flag (i.e. a Doubletree, Marriot, Hilton), financing and operating costs, and estimate of the amount of public funding needed to make the project a reality.

"In the next 90 days we will have that information to make a final decision," Dockery said.

The city contracted with PKF Consulting USA beginning in January 2015, for a $33,000 market and feasibility study of a full-service hotel near the MPEC.

The findings of PKF suggest that the city's market would support a full-service hotel near the MPEC, but it would take a sizable public investment to make such a development appealing to hotel developers.

The 4B Board suggested a hotel-development firm could determine if there was a team of developers was interested in the project.

Gatehouse has teamed with contractors and architects on a number of successful projects around the county including a partnership with the city of Midlothian for a Courtyard by Marriott; a hotel in Jacksonville, Florida; W Hollywood Hotel and Residences in Hollywood; W Hotel and Residences Victory in Dallas, and projects in San Diego, Silicon Valley, and Mission Beach.

Gatehouse owner Maurice Collins Jr. wrote in his proposal letter that the company understands the catalytic value this hotel will have for the city and they would like the opportunity to help make this vision a reality.

"I believe this is a truly unique opportunity for both parties to work together and develop something extremely valuable and game-changing for your growing city," Collins said.

The company's plans include design for a 150-200 room full-service hotel including a pool, fitness center, restaurant/bar, ballroom, break-out rooms and banquet/catering services.

The $111,000 includes market and economic studies, a master conceptual design, and the initial 90 days of effort by the group.

If the city decides to move forward with the project and Gatehouse, they would credit the initial expenses toward the final project.
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WASHINGTON  After a year living incredulously, we're down to Hillary and Donald and Gary and Jill. Don't be too weary. We still have a long way to go.

Gary is Gary Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, who has just been nominated for president on the Libertarian Party ticket. He ran four years ago and got 1 percent of the popular vote. This year his running mate is William Weld, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts. Jill is Jill Stein, a Massachusetts physician who ran for president four years ago and got about half a percent of the vote as the Green Party candidate.

Johnson and Weld want more personal freedom, less government and no foreign entanglements. Stein sounds a lot like Bernie Sanders in her dislike of the two-party system and like Sanders and consumer advocate Ralph Nader in her disdain for corporate power and worry over climate change. Nader ran for president as the Green Party nominee most notably in 2000.

I am not including Sanders as a contender because he will not get the Democratic nomination. Even though he keeps insisting that a democratic socialist, which he declares he is, could win the White House, he cannot. By fall, he will have no platform to mount his campaign on, unless his narcissism is as great as Donald Trump's.

What this is all about is the debate schedule this autumn before the November election and who gets to participate.

Hillary Clinton and Trump have historically high negatives with voters. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found 54 percent of voters view Clinton negatively and 58 percent of voters view Trump negatively. While those numbers are likely to change multiple times before November, they are stunningly high for the two parties at this time in the process.

If Johnson can get to 15 percent popularity in the polls, he will be included in the debates, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates. It was set up in1987 to "ensure that debates, as a permanent part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners." While it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) corporation, its critics say it functions as a way to keep "fringe" candidates out of the debates. It negotiates dates, times, settings and conditions for the debates between or among the candidates.

Johnson already is garnering 10 percent of the vote, according to two national polls that included him. Some polls do not include him, at least not yet. If Stein is included, Johnson currently gets 5 percent and she gets 3 percent. Few polls include her, at least not yet.

After the July conventions, when the Democrats convene in Philadelphia and the Republicans go to Cleveland, Sanders will be out of the picture. Johnson and Stein easily could pick up some of his supporters.

If Johnson gets to 15 percent, as a debate participant, he would have a platform to express his views, some of which resemble those of Sanders. If his popularity grows because of the debates, he could do harm to either Clinton or Trump or both if the popular race continues to be a tossup.

Former President George H.W. Bush vehemently blames quirky Texas businessman Ross Perot's third-party bid in 1992 for his loss to Bill Clinton that year. And Nader's bid definitely hurt Democrat and sitting Vice President Al Gore in 2000. (Although Gore won the national popular vote, he lost the state of Florida's electoral votes when the Supreme Court stepped in to decide the famous case of the hanging chads.)

That, of course, must always be kept in mind. We don't elect presidents by popular vote. We have the infamous Electoral College, whose delegates, based on the popular vote, meet in December to elect the president. But because of the way states are weighted, once again, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico will be crucial states to win, especially for Trump. It can never be said too often: No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio.

Isn't this entertaining?

Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may send her email at amcfeatters@nationalpress.com.
Albany

Changing is not a befitting way to describe Dannemora.

A village etched into the rising elevation of the thickly wooded northern Adirondacks in rural Clinton County, many of those who grew up there have stayed and some have little reason to stray from town. The local pharmacy provides quick groceries without needing to trek to nearby Plattsburgh. A small pizza shop is the mainstay source of a takeout dinner. The maximum security prison, with its walls that rise three stories high and its loudspeakers cutting through the quiet night air at regular intervals, is the source of a wealth of local jobs.

Yet for all the unvariedness, change is coming  and is said to already have been happening.

A year after the high-profile escape of convicted killers David Sweat and Richard Matt from the Clinton Correctional Facility and the ensuing nearly month-long manhunt put Dannemora on the map nationwide, the people of this village and an entire state prison system are awaiting a report from the state inspector general that will detail how the Hollywood-style escape could have happened.

In her public comments as the next hurdles in the aftermath of the escape have been crossed, Inspector General Katherine Leahy Scott has been critical of "systemic lapses" in the prison's security procedures, and when her report is at last released, it is to include recommendations on how to improve the 150-year-old prison's security.

A source familiar with the investigation said the IG's office has conducted well north of a hundred interviews and poured over thousands of pages of documents.

Change has not waited for a report, however. As Politico New York reported last week, patrols of the prison's underground bowels, which Matt and Sweat used in their daring escape, have begun, and the honor block where the men were held has been eliminated.

The superintendent of the prison, Steve Racette, was replaced (formally, he put in for retirement after being placed on administrative leave), and his wife has maintained in media interviews that the IG's report will vindicate her husband.

For its part, when asked what changes have been made at Clinton Correctional and within the prison system as a whole, a state Department of Corrections spokesman said the agency could not comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Asked last week on Long Island about the escape's anniversary, Gov. Andrew Cuomo  who ordered the IG's investigation and was on the ground the morning it was discovered Matt and Sweat broke out  alluded to complacency in a place where change is not prevalent and perhaps thought to be unnecessary. An escape from Clinton had not occurred in modern times, though Matt and Sweat were by no means the first to bust out.

"I think part of what happened is because there were no escapes, there was a sense that ... let's say they were not on high alert because it had never happened," he said. "When you show up for work at night and there's never been an escape, maybe you were little complacent. So that's gone, that's changed, there are different routines, there are more checks by supervisors now, there have been physical changes to the building, where access to the rear areas has now been closed off."

He said Clinton is a better prison for the changes that have been made.

It was some time in the overnight hours between June 5 and 6, 2015, that Matt and Sweat slipped through holes cut in the rear of their adjoining steel-plated cells and navigated a labyrinth of catwalks and tunnels, slipped through a steam pipe and emerged through a manhole on a street a block from the prison. They had stuffed sweatshirts to make it look like they remained in their beds, and it wasn't until 5:30 the next morning that it was discovered they were gone.

The plan had been to hop in the waiting car of Joyce Mitchell  a prison tailor shop worker who supervised Matt and Sweat and who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Matt  and ride off toward Mexico before anyone was the wiser. But Mitchell never showed. The fear of what she was set to do sent her into a panic attack, and she said months later that she had gotten in over her head.

"I'm just somebody that got caught up in something that she couldn't get out of," she said in a jailhouse interview with NBC in September shortly before she was sentenced to up to seven years in prison for aiding the escape by providing hacksaw blades and other tools to the inmates. "I am so sorry for everything that everyone went through because of me."

The sparsely populated wooded areas around Dannemora became the focus of both a manhunt and national media attention as Matt and Sweat trekked through swamp and brush, eluding the hundreds of law enforcement officers trained on the area.

Tips came in that the men were as far away as other countries. One tip sent law enforcement scurrying to the Southern Tier for a brief search that turned up nothing.

Yet the men were never far from the prison. Twenty days in, Matt fired a shotgun at a camper trailer in Franklin County dozens of miles from the prison. The gun had been stolen from one of many hunting cabins that dot the woods and the men had sought refuge in. Not long after, a U.S. Border Patrol Team shot and killed Matt

He was no longer traveling with Sweat, however.

Two days later, Jay Cook, a State Police sergeant, patrolling a mile and a half from the Canadian border confronted a man walking along the road. The man took off, but before he could reach the tree line, Cook took him down with two shots to the torso. David Sweat had been captured

While the crippling fear of not knowing where the men were was over, Clinton County court has been the source of ongoing remembrances of how summer 2015 started.

In addition to Mitchell, corrections officer Gene Palmer pleaded guilty in March to promotion of prison contraband for passing hacksaw blades to Matt and Sweat through hamburger meat Mitchell had convinced him to smuggle in.

Sweat remains in solitary confinement at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, Seneca County. As he was sentenced to additional prison time on top of his life behind bars in February, he spoke publicly about the terror he and Matt incited.

"That was never my intent," he said, "and I deeply apologize for that."

Even if the terror has subsided, the aftermath of his actions continues to unfold.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10

A timeline of Dannemora escape events from break-out to the latest in the court cases against those who helped the men escape is below:
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Saratoga Springs

A motorcyclist seen flying a Confederate flag on the back of his bike in Saratoga Springs' Memorial Day parade has sparked outrage and prompted city officials to look into the matter.

"This man was blatant about it. It's like he didn't care," city resident Joy King said. "He rode that motorcycle with that flag flying high."

The flag has a long, controversial history, being seen by many people as a symbol of hate and racism, and in recent years, debate about removing the flag from government buildings bubbled to the surface.

King, who is black, saw the flag during the parade on May 26 and was shocked. She contacted local officials to find out how someone would be allowed to fly it in a city Memorial Day parade.

"This was not something that the city was aware of prior to or during the parade and is certainly not something that the city supports," Mayor Joanne Yepsen said. "While we respect and value everyone's freedom of speech, we do not want to see symbols of hatred, prejudice and bigotry on display at city events."

Yepsen said the man may have been from Georgia, but she was unaware of how he got into the parade. The city will be investigating, and Yepsen will meet with residents to discuss the issue.

The motorcyclist flew two flags. The Confederate one was about 4 feet long. Beneath was a much smaller Stars and Stripes.

Linda LeTendre, a social justice activist and city resident for 14 years, said King contacted her the day after the parade. LeTendre didn't see the flag herself, but was "appalled" when she heard the news.

"I actually did cry when I heard that this happened in my community," LeTendre said. "I think (parade organizers) need to screen their people a little bit better, and the politicians who were marching in the parade, I think they need to denounce this immediately."

The parade was organized by a committee formed by the city, but headed by veterans, including the local American Legion Adirondack Post 70.

Jim Coyne of the American Legion couldn't be reached for comment.

King has lived in Saratoga all her life and said she had never experienced the racial tension she says she now sees. She said this flag isn't just about blacks, but also those who are Jewish or Catholic, Hispanic or Asian or same-sex married couples.

"Something is stirring the pot, but I don't know what it is," King said.

Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen remarked on the oddity of displaying a Confederate flag when the parade ended at the Civil War memorial in Greenridge Cemetery.

"Obviously, I'm very much opposed to exposure of a Confederate flag in a Memorial Day parade for a variety of reasons," he said.

afries@timesunion.com  518-454-5353  @mandy_fries
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Albany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday directed state entities not to do business with and to divest public funds from companies associated with the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.

An executive order affects all state agencies and departments, as well as public-benefit corporations and public authorities, boards and commissions for which the governor appoints the chair, chief executive and a majority of board members. The Port Authority is not subject to the order.

The order directs divestment within a year.

More Information See the full executive order at at Capitol Confidential. See More Collapse

State Office of General Services commissioner RoAnn Destito will have 180 days to develop a list of institutions and companies found to be participating in boycott, divestment or sanction activity against Israel. If a company is named on the list, it would have 90 days to prove they are not participating in such activity against Israel.

BDS refers to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, an international grassroots movement that promotes nonviolent economic means to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. It was called for by Palestinian civil society in 2005. Cuomo's executive order is the first of its kind for any state.

In announcing the executive action in Manhattan Sunday morning  timed to coincide with the Celebrate Israel Parade  Cuomo, who traveled to Israel amid his primary campaign in 2014, chastised some in the Democratic Party for being critical of Israel's response to terrorism.

"How can you have a disproportionate response when you are dealing with an enemy who is obsessed and single-minded?" Cuomo said. "By definition you can't be disproportionate. And they will do everything that they can do, and they are. And as frightening as those tunnels are, and as radical as the mindset and obsessive as the mindset that built those (Hamas) tunnels, this BDS movement is in many ways more frightening because what they're saying is they're not making a physical attack, they want to make an economic attack."

In a brief gaggle with reporters during the parade, he called Israel an "important strategic ally for the United States ... and we have to keep that relationship strong."

Jewish philanthropy organization UJA-Federation of NY CEO Eric Goldstein said the executive order "clearly demonstrates the discriminatory nature of BDS against the State of Israel and we are proud that the governor of New York State has taken this historic action to stand with Israel and reject the BDS movement."

In a statement, Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan applauded the executive order while also highlighting legislation passed by the Senate in January that would prevent the state from contracting with businesses that boycott American allies. That legislation has not yet come up for a vote in the Assembly.

Assembly-only legislation targeted at barring business and investment with companies that boycott Israel specifically also has not come up for a vote.

The full executive order is below:

EO_157_new

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
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Albany

A group of retired Teamsters demonstrated in front of the Leo W. O'Brien federal building in Albany Monday to protest pending threats to their pensions and to highlight the need for Congress to take action.

The march, largely by retired truck drivers, comes as dozens of union pensions nationwide are in danger of serious shortfalls or insolvency due to declining membership over time.

And, retirees noted, it comes after Congress has, over the years, passed laws that have allowed further depletion of pension plan coffers.

Now, the looming shortfalls could force millions of retirees nationwide to swallow steep cuts to their pensions unless something is done.

"You're going to have a lot of people going on welfare," said Pat Albert, who attended the rally with her husband Bud, a retired Teamsters trucker.

Bud Albert, 83, spent years as a truck driver for a variety of firms in the Capital Region and Vermont and gets a pension from the NYS Teamsters Conference pension system.

It's a so-called multi-employer pension plan. Under these plans, Teamsters would keep their pension credits as they moved from job to job.

That approach worked well in past decades. But after deregulation in the 1980s, consolidations in the industry, and a declining percentage of workers who are unionized, many of these plans are running out of money.

One of the largest, the Central States Teamsters fund, more than a year ago said it was going to have to cut benefits in order to remain solvent. That hasn't happened. Earlier this month, the federal Treasury Department rebuffed a plan for cuts that was scheduled for July. But union retirees in that plan, including several dozen in the Capital Region  as well as the NYS Teamsters Conference members  are nonetheless bracing for future cuts.

NYS Teamsters Conference members have been writing their Congressional and Senate representatives but have gotten a tepid response at best.

Democratic 20th District Rep. Paul Tonko has met with the group, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer has responded with letters, saying that the Senate Republican majority is blocking changes.

They haven't heard back from others, including Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand or North Country Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik from the 21st Congressional District. Republican Chris Gibson, in the 19th District, has responded but didn't make any promises.

In order for the plans to cut benefits, they needed permission from Congress, which happened two years ago.

Managers of the endangered plans say they need to make cuts or they'll go broke. And with dozens of plans in danger, Congress has said that would put too much pressure on the federal Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. which provides a backstop for pensions that are in trouble.

Teamsters and others, however, maintain there are other options, such as tapping some of the multi-billion settlements coming in from major investment banks resulting from misdeeds that helped foment the 2008 financial collapse.

"The taxpayers bailed out Wall Street. Then those guys got millions of dollars of bonuses," remarked Ted Oleski, president of the NYC Conference retirees group.

Tom Baum, the retirees' representative for the NYS Conference, said he hopes that political pressure leads to action. "Obama doesn't want this to happen on his watch," he said.

Like many of Monday's marchers, Baum is a retired UPS driver.

He realizes there are fewer union members than before. But he noted Congress since the 1980s, through a series of complex and obscure laws, has helped chip away at the health of private sector pensions (public sector pensions in New York and others states are constitutionally guaranteed, so if they run short of money, the government simply raises taxes or gets money through other savings to make up the shortfall).

Congress for example, greatly increased taxes on pension "overfunding." That, however, meant there were far less reserves in many pension funds when the 2008 financial crash came along.

And they placed limits on the liability that employers have for pension agreements when a company is sold.

Pensions received by the retirees vary, depending on when they worked and for how long. At the top end, those who spent decades working at UPS, which offers top pay, can enjoy pensions of $60,000 or more.

But those who worked at smaller firms, or who retired decades ago when wages and benefits were far lower, get a fraction of that amount.

Nationally, hundreds of thousands of retirees who are in multi-employer plans are in danger of seeing their pensions cut over the next couple of years, if some action isn't taken, said Baum.

In upstate New York alone, there are 16,000 in the NYS Conference plan, including about 2,000 in the Capital Region.

The problem is not limited to Teamsters.

Other endangered plans, which are in "critical" or "declining" status include those for bricklayers, retail workers, butchers, carpenters, miners and brewery employees.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
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Troy

When a new officer is sworn into the ranks of the Troy Police Department, the highlight of the ceremony is when a badge is pinned on the officer's chest by a proud family member.

The badge is supposed to be an ever-present emblem of service to the public.

But in Troy, where the badges are refurbished from New York City-area agencies, not all are made the same. In fact, sometimes they eventually fall off in pieces.

Chief John Tedesco spoke before the City Council to get money approved for the department's badges. Tedesco told the City Council that for $8,000, the department could create a mold and design a unique badge for the department.

"The cost to this proposal is the creation of the molds for TPD products. Once accomplished, a local vendor who represents a noteworthy manufacturer will be chosen," Tedesco said in a memo.

"The products are solid, durable badges that officers can take (pride) in," he continued.

The council agreed with the chief that it was time for a hometown badge.

"I was surprised to hear they were spending funds on something that fell apart," said Councilwoman Kim Ashe-McPherson, chairwoman of the City Council's Public Safety Committee.

"The police department should be able to have good equipment, including badges," Ashe-McPherson said. "That's something they wear with honor and pride."

The city is drawing on $85,892 in federal asset forfeiture funds for the initial $8,000 expenditure.

The city will also apply the forfeiture funds for other police equipment upgrades. This will allow the financially-strapped city to avoid tapping into its budget to equip its officers.

Patrol officers will see new mobile data terminals installed in their squad cars. This $49,356 investment will help make the switch to tablets from laptops in marked cars. In addition, five driver's license reader kits will be purchased for $1,695.

The department will also spend $9,000 to issue Springfield SDS .45-caliber semi-automatic pistols to the detective bureau. These pistols are smaller than the standard issued SIG Sauer patrol weapons.

The department also plans to spend $15,815 to raise a new storage building for evidence. This would replace a barn, originally built for the now disbanded mounted unit, adjacent to the police station.

kcrowe@timesunion.com  518-454-5084  @KennethCrowe
A year after the manhunt for two inmates who escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, click through the slideshow above to learn more about other notable inmates who have served time there.
Click through the slideshow above to see a timeline of the developments in the Dannemora prison escape and manhunt from 2015.
Crowds turn out to the annual Summer Concerts in the Park Series, even when it rains. Hoping for nothing but sunshine for the weekly Monday concerts, the Titusville Council on the Arts has drafted a slate of great music, beginning next week.
[June 06, 2016] ASCO 2016: Pivotal Avelumab Study Shows Positive Results in Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) today announced results from the first pivotal, international, multicenter, open-label, Phase II study of avelumab*, which showed a 31.8% objective response rate (ORR) (28 of 88 patients; 95.9% CI: 21.9-43.1%), in the pre-planned primary analysis of the study, and a manageable safety profile in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) who were treated with avelumab in second or subsequent lines of therapy. Tumor responses were rapid, with 78.6% of patients (22 of 28) responding within 7 weeks of starting treatment, and durable, with 82.1% of patients (23 of 28) still responding at the time of analysis. No unexpected safety signals were reported. These data will be reported today during an oral presentation at the 52nd American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. "To see a tumor response in almost a third of patients in this trial, and for the majority to keep responding after six months, represents a potential breakthrough for this challenging disease," said lead investigator Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., FACS, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, USA. "Currently, the only treatment option available for advanced stages of this aggressive type of skin cancer is chemotherapy, where the response rates are not adequate or durable." Metastatic MCC has a poor prognosis with less than 20% of patients surviving longer than five years.1 Although chemotherapy is considered a second-line treatment option for metastatic MCC, it is not a standard of care. Current guidelines recommend that these patients participate in clinical trials.2 "This is an important milestone for us as this is the largest data set of any anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1 reported to date in this patient population," said Luciano Rossetti, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development in the biopharma business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which in the US and Canada operates as EMD Serono. "The clinically meaningful tumor response rate for avelumab in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma where chemotherapy has failed, reinforces our belief in the promise of this molecule, particularly considering the high unmet need in this disease." In the trial, eight patients (9.1%) achieved complete responses and 20 patients (22.7%) achieved partial responses. The median duration of response has not been reached (95% CI: 8.3 months - not estimable; range, 2.8-17.5+ months). Tumor responses were seen in patients regardless of the status of certain biomarkers (PD-L1 and Merkel cell polyomavirus). The progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months was 40% (95% CI: 29-50%, estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method). Early data also showed an overall survival (OS) rate at 6 months of 69% (95% CI: 58-78%) and a median OS of 11.3 months (7.5-14.0 months); however, these OS data are still maturing since minimum follow-up was 6 months for inclusion in this analysis. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 62 patients (70.5%); the most common were fatigue (23.9%) and infusion-related reactions (17.0%), all of which were Grade 1 or 2. Grade 3 treatment-related AEs were reported in four patients (4.5%). There were no Grade 4 treatment-related AEs or deaths. "This has been an exciting ASCO for the strategic collaboration between the two companies, between the MCC data and the other encouraging responses observed across a broad range of tumors," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., PhD., Vice President and Head of Early Development, Translational and Immuno-Oncology at Pfizer Oncology. "The clinical benefits for avelumab as a monotherapy in notably hard-to-treat cancers may be amplified even further when combined with other therapies." Avelumab has received multiple regulatory designations in MCC from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA (News - Alert)), including Orphan Drug (FDA and EMA), Fast Track and Breakthrough status (FDA). There are plans to submit marketing applications for avelumab to regulatory authorities based on these data. About JAVELIN Merkel 200 JAVELIN Merkel 200 is an international, multicenter, open-label, Phase II study of avelumab conducted in 88 patients with metastatic MCC. Patients in this study were generally elderly (median age was 72.5 years, range 33-88 years) and pre-treated, with at least one line of chemotherapy (one [59.1%], two [29.5%] or three or more [11.4%] previous treatments). Patients received avelumab 10 mg/kg intravenously once every two weeks. The protocol-defined analysis set for efficacy and safety consisted of all patients who received at least one dose of study treatment. The cut-off date for the planned primary analysis was 6 months after start of study treatment of the last patient. The primary endpoint of the study was confirmed best overall response according to RECIST v1.1 and assessed by an independent review committee. Secondary endpoints were duration of response, PFS, OS, response status by RECIST at 6 and 12 months, safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of avelumab. *Avelumab is the proposed nonprorietary name for the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (MSB0010718C). Avelumab is under clinical investigation and has not been proven to be safe and effective. There is no guarantee any product will be approved in the sought-after indication by any health authority worldwide.



Multiplicity adjustment accounting for interim analysis to achieve overall 95% confidence level. References

Lemos B, Storer B, Iyer J, et al. Pathologic Nodal Evaluation Improves Prognostic Accuracy in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Analysis of 5,823 Cases as the Basis of the First Consensus Staging System for this Cancer. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2010;63:751-761. NCCN Merkel Cell Carcinoma Guidelines Version I. 2016. Available from: www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/mcc.pdf. Accessed April 2016. About Avelumab Avelumab (also known as MSB0010718C) is an investigational, fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody. By inhibiting PD-L1 interactions, avelumab is thought to enable the activation of T-cells and the adaptive immune system. By retaining a native Fc-region, avelumab is thought to potentially engage the innate immune system and induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). In November 2014, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize avelumab. Alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer Inc., New York, US Immuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer Inc. The global strategic alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer Inc., New York, US, enables the companies to benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further explore the therapeutic potential of avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The immuno-oncology alliance will jointly develop and commercialize avelumab and advance Pfizer's PD-1 antibody. The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international clinical programs to investigate avelumab as a monotherapy, as well as in combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat cancer. About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of  12.85 billion in 66 countries. Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials in the United States and Canada. Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines, as well as many of the world's best-known consumer healthcare products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn (link is external), and like us on Facebook (News - Alert) at Facebook.com/Pfizer. Pfizer Disclosure Notice The information contained in this release is as of June 6, 2016. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments. This release contains forward-looking information about avelumab (MSB0010718C), including a potential indication for avelumab for the treatment of metastatic Merkel Cell carcinoma, Pfizer's and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany's immuno-oncology alliance involving anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 therapies, and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical study commencement and completion dates and regulatory submission dates as well as the possibility of unfavorable study results; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and, even when we view data as sufficient to support the safety and/or effectiveness of a product candidate, regulatory authorities may not share our views and may require additional data or may deny approval altogether; whether and when drug applications may be filed in any jurisdictions for any potential indications for avelumab (including a potential indication for avelumab for the treatment of metastatic Merkel Cell carcinoma), combination therapies or other product candidates; whether and when any such applications may be approved by regulatory authorities, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of avelumab, combination therapies or other product candidates; and competitive developments. A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results," as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005771/en/

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[June 06, 2016] DigiCert CEO Nicholas Hales Wins 2016 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award For Utah Region

LEHI, Utah, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today EY announced that DigiCert CEO Nicholas Hales has received the prestigious 2016 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Services category in the Utah region. DigiCert is the world's second-largest provider of high-assurance digital certificates, providing online authentication and encryption for the world's largest enterprises to secure their web and Internet of Things (IoT) investments. Hales, who was presented with the award at a special gala event at Salt Lake City's Grand America Hotel on June 4, was selected by an independent panel of judges. The awards program, which is celebrating its 30th year, recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. "I'm humbled and honored to receive this award as a recognition of the numerous contributions of our management team, our employees, our board and their families, who truly make DigiCert succeed," said Hales. "Receiving this award further strengthens DigiCert's resolve to demonstrate continued innovation, excellent customer experience and industry leadership as we strive to raise the bar for information security practices in our increasingly connected economy." DigiCert excels in its market through its focus on innovation, customer experience and industry leadership. The company's award-winning digital certificate management platform, CertCentral, helps organizations simplify management of their often complex certificate deployments. DigiCert's in-house expertise and always-on customer support eases enterprise security concerns with flexible and scalable certificate solutions that include a responsive API capable of hosting billions of certificates without downtime. DigiCert also leads the way in elevating industry best practices as an active member of more than 60 consortia and a frequent developer of standards for existing and emerging markets. Because of DigiCert's approach to the market and its strong reputation, the company enjoys bestin-class customer retention rates and industry leading market share growth. The company boasts a strong portfolio with Fortune 500 and leading customers across technology, healthcare, manufacturing, critical infrastructure, finance, retail and many more industries. DigiCert recently expanded its influence with the 2015 purchase of Verizon's Enterprise SSL business unit and subsequent partnership with Cybertrust Japan to increase its reach throughout Europe and Asia. DigiCert benefits from the experience and expertise of its investors Thoma Bravo and TA Associates, as it continues to innovate to serve the needs of a rapidly growing and diverse global client base.



Now in its 30th year, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Robert Unanue of Goya Foods, and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2015 winners Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks. As a Utah Region award winner, Hales now is eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 19, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The US Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco, June 2017.

Sponsors Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Utah Region, sponsors also include Beehive Startups, The Community Foundation of Utah, Corporate Alliance, Digital Bytes Production & Design, Diversified Insurance Group, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Strong & Hanni Law Firm, The Summit Group Communications, and Utah Business Magazine. About DigiCert, Inc.

DigiCert is a premier, trusted provider of enterprise security solutions with an emphasis on authentication and encryption via managed PKI and high-assurance digital certificates for the web and the Internet of Things. Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, DigiCert is trusted by more than 115,000 of the world's leading government, finance, healthcare, education, and Fortune 500 organizations. DigiCert has been recognized with dozens of awards for providing enhanced customer value, premium customer service, and market growth leadership. For the latest DigiCert news and updates, visit digicert.com or follow @digicert. About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. About EY's Strategic Growth Markets Practice

EY's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth. About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375909

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[June 06, 2016] El Carmen Celebrates 15 Years of Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. ("CEMEX") (NYSE: CX) announced today that, in conjunction with the commemoration of World Environment Day, its El Carmen Conservation Program is celebrating 15 years of continued scientific research, habitat preservation, and species restoration. With over 140,000 hectares, this cross-border private conservation region between Mexico and the United States is one of the most biodiversity rich areas in North America and one of the five great wilderness ecosystems in the world. Located in northern Coahuila, Mexico, and southern Texas, United States, El Carmen represents an extensive key biological corridor for wildlife migration and distribution. This territory is home to more than 1,500 plant species, 289 avian species, 80 types of reptiles and amphibians, and 78 mammal species. Among the highlights of its protection efforts is the reintroduction of extinct species in the region, such as the bighorn and pronghorn sheep, which currently number approximately 400 specimens. Other species with considerably increased populations include the desert mule deer, the white-tailed deer, and the black bear, which is the largest population of this species of bear in Mexico. "Through our El Carmen Conservation Program, we are able to restore habitats and wildlife in a region that is 8.4 times larger in size than the total sum of the areas impacted by our operations worldwide," said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. "El Carmen's 15 years of conservation efforts reaffirm the key role that sustainability plays in our company's strategy." Over the past 15 years, the El Carmen ecological reserve has provided research and educational opportunities to more than 900 students and academicins, who monitor the region's biodiversity and contribute to its conservation. It has also served as the scene for 16 Master's and PhD Thesis projects of candidates from prestigious universities across Mexico and the United States, including ITESM, UANL, UCLA, Yale, and Texas A&M. Among other institutions, their study of El Carmen has resulted in the publication of 60 scientific and popular papers.



El Carmen holds active cooperation agreements with several conservation NGOs such as Cuenca Los Ojos A.C., The Texas Bighorn Society, and The Wild Sheep Foundation, as well as orientation partnerships with such institutions as Agrupacion Sierra Madre, Unidos Para La Conservacion, Birdlife International, Conservation International, and The Wild Foundation. The Mexican and U.S. Governments are also participants in this conservation initiative through agencies comprising SEMARNAT, CONANP, CONAFOR, and SEMA, in Mexico, and the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the United States. CEMEX will continue to strengthen its cooperative relationships to foster El Carmen's restoration through its participation at the Business Summit of the Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP13) that will take place in Cancun, Mexico, in December 2016.

To promote the awareness of and respect for the ecosystems that inhabit El Carmen and CEMEX's protection and restoration efforts in this and other areas, the company enabled the CEMEX Nature digital platform, available online at: http://www.cemexnature.com/ CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries. Celebrating its 110th anniversary, CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through innovative building solutions, efficiency advancements, and efforts to promote a sustainable future. For more information on CEMEX, please visit: www.cemex.com Follow us on: facebook.com/cemex twitter.com/cemex youtube.com/cemex instagram.com/cemex/ CEMEX assumes no obligation to update or correct the information contained in this press release. CEMEX is not responsible for the content of any third-party website or webpage referenced to or accessible through this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606006478/en/

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[June 06, 2016]

Inspiring Innovation 2016 To Focus On Intersection Between Innovation And Finance

ARLINGTON, Va., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg BNA today announced it will host an evening of panel discussions and networking with Swiss and American business leaders on Wednesday, June 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at a New York City venue. The event, "Inspiring Innovation 2016: When Investors Meet Inventors," will include panel discussions on the dynamics of successful companies' approaches to R&D, invention and innovation, and how businesses make strategic investment decisions. To request an event invitation, visit http://on.bna.com/pWth300YAfQ.

The event will feature the annual presentation of the Tell Awards, which honor American companies that have mad significant innovations and investments in Switzerland. The awards will be presented by Ambassador Andre Schaller, Consul General of Switzerland. This year's winners are Accuray, Biogen and Sportradar.







Speakers at the event include:

Craig Hatkoff , Founder, Disruptor Foundation/Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards

, Founder, Disruptor Foundation/Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards Ted Leonsis, Founder, Revolution Growth

Elmar Mock , Founder, Creaholic, Co-Inventor of the Swatch

The event is underwritten by Switzerland Global Enterprise and sponsored by KPMG. Event supporters include the European American Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.

About Bloomberg BNA

Bloomberg BNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bloomberg, is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Its network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance  the information that matters most to professionals. Bloomberg BNA's authoritative coverage spans a full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & data security, human resources, and environment, health & safety.

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SOURCE Bloomberg BNA
[June 06, 2016] Kaplan Test Prep Survey: The GRE Tries to Break the LSAT's Lock on Law School Admissions, but Most Admissions Officers Are Cool to It

A majority (56 percent) of law schools have no plans to adopt the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law's controversial new policy allowing applicants to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT scores, according to a recently conducted Kaplan Test Prep survey of admissions officers at 125 law schools across the United States.* Just 14 percent say it's something they plan to adopt, while 56 percent say it's something they don't plan to do. The remaining 30 percent say they are unsure. The University of Arizona's law school announced their decision to begin accepting the GRE earlier this year after conducting research with Educational Testing Service, the GRE's administrator. The validity of this research is now being evaluated by the American Bar Association, the organization that accredits the nation's 200 plus law schools. "Right now, there doesn't seem to be any great enthusiasm by law schools to adopt the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT, which isn't too surprising considering that law schools tend to be judicious, wanting to see all evidence and research before making an important decision like this," says Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. "What's particularly interesting is that nearly a third of law schools say they are unsure if they will accept the GRE, as opposed to simply being against it, which suggests that the pro-GRE movement has room to grow. We'll be watching developments closely so that pre-law students have the most accurate and up-to-date information to make good decisions." In a recent interview that Marc L. Miller, the dean of the University of Arizona's law school, gave to Bloomberg Law, he stated the reason behind the admissions change was to find "a greater number of high-quality applicants with the widest range of life, educational, and professional backgrounds." Results from Kaplan's survey support this view. Eight in 10 admissions officers say that law schools that accept the GRE might do so because they "want a more diverse pool of applicants and students." But admissions officers say there are other, less altruistic reasons law schools may allow applicants to submit GRE scores. Eighty-four percent say law schools that adopt the GRE may do so because they are "concerned about filling seats because of dropping/stagnant application numbers." And 70 percent say it could be because U.S. News & World Report doesn't yet factor GRE scores of accepted students into their rankings -- this would allow law schools to admit potentially less qualified students without immediate consequences.



The survey also found that while 70% say the LSAT is the "more appropriate test" for admissions, 53% law schools don't want the American Bar Association to explicitly mandate that law schools can only accept the LSAT; 38% would favor this, while 9% are uncertain. "The fact that most admissions officers don't want the ABA to prohibit schools from accepting the GRE implies that they are in favor of letting law schools experiment in new ways to help revitalize the legal education landscape," said Thomas. "For now, our advice for pre-law students is to take the LSAT, unless the only law school you plan to apply to is the University of Arizona's. Quick adoption of the GRE by many other law schools, especially top tier ones, seems unlikely right now."

To speak with a Kaplan Test Prep law school admissions expert about the survey, please contact Russell Schaffer at [email protected] or 212.453.7538. *125 of the 207 American Bar Association-accredited law schools were polled by telephone in May 2016. Included among the 125 are 15 of the top 25 law schools, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. All test names are registered trademarks of their respective owners. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Kaplan. About Kaplan Test Prep Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan offers new economy skills training (NEST) programs and resources designed to provide training in skills that are in high demand in today's job market and prepare participants for hire. Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC) View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005969/en/

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[June 06, 2016] Medical Mutual of Ohio and The MetroHealth System Launch CLECare

Medical Mutual of Ohio and The MetroHealth System today announced a unique partnership that will change the way health care is delivered in Northeast Ohio. CLECare is a new insurance product designed to provide better care and a better patient experience at a lower cost - approximately 15 percent savings compared to typical insurance premiums. CLECare offers employers and their covered employees and dependents a tailored network of providers, each committed to coordinating care for patients at all stages of their health needs. MetroHealth will provide most of the care - including tests, doctor visits and hospital stays - at its rapidly expanding network of health centers, emergency departments and inpatient facilities. Other care including selected complex procedures, behavioral health services, home and hospice care will be offered by other organizations around Northeast Ohio. This network makes it easier for patients to access care at a better value. The network will improve the patient experience by sharing clinical information and reducing unnecessary treatments. It will also allow members to access the most appropriate care within the network. "This rare and intense collaboration improves patients' access to the best care for their needs while reducing costs," said Akram Boutros, MD, president and CEO of MetroHealth. "The partnership really came together because all of us are committed to improving patient care." MMO acquired the insurance business from HealthSpan effective March 1, 2016, and MetroHealth assumed care for HealthSpan's 40,000 plus patients in Cuyahoga County on April 1 of this year. As the organizations came together to addres the needs of the former HealthSpan community, they saw an opportunity to create a partnership that will deliver more affordable health care to more people in Cuyahoga County.



"We expect significant interest from former HealthSpan insurance purchasers and the growing number of employers and individuals in Cuyahoga County who seek better value for their health care dollars," said Rick Chiricosta, chairman, president and CEO of Medical Mutual of Ohio. CLECare is available now through Medical Mutual. For more information, visit MedMutual.com.

About The MetroHealth System The MetroHealth System is an essential health system committed to providing health care to everyone in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and improving the health of the community overall. Its 7,200 employees deliver care to everyone at its main campus, just west of downtown Cleveland, and at more than 25 other MetroHealth locations. It also provides health care at more than 20 additional sites in Cuyahoga County through community partnerships such as the School Health program. MetroHealth is home to Cuyahoga County's only verified Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, and it is one of two adult and pediatric burn centers in the state of Ohio verified by the American Burn Association and the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. In the past year, MetroHealth provided more than one million patient visits in its hospital and health centers. MetroHealth also is an academic medical center committed to teaching and research; each of its active physicians holds a faculty appointment at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. MetroHealth has earned Magnet status, which places it in the top six percent of all hospitals nationwide for nursing excellence. MetroHealth's mission is, "Leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery and teamwork." For more information, visit metrohealth.org. About Medical Mutual of Ohio Founded in 1934, Medical Mutual of Ohio is the oldest and largest health insurance company based in Ohio. For more than 80 years, the company has served customers with high-quality, affordable group and personal health insurance plans, and third-party administrative services to self-insured group customers. As a mutual health insurance company, Medical Mutual is unique in that it operates for the benefit of its members. Unlike publicly-traded insurance companies that must maximize their financial return, Medical Mutual does not answer to stockholders or Wall Street analysts. For more information, visit the company's award-winning website at MedMutual.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606006180/en/

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[June 06, 2016] SpringCM Appoints Former Salesforce Exec to Board of Directors

SpringCM, the No. 1 global sales contract management solution for Salesforce customers, today announced the appointment of Salesforce veteran Dan Dal Degan to its Board of Directors to help accelerate the pace of innovation and guide the company's rapid growth within the Salesforce ecosystem. "With 30 years of experience leading technology companies, including 11 years during the hyper growth period at Salesforce, Dan is uniquely qualified to help take SpringCM to new market heights," said Greg Buchholz, CEO of SpringCM. "Dan has a proven track record of building powerhouse companies and his expertise will help us continue to innovate new solutions that elevate our customers' businesses." Dal Degan joined Salesforce as one of its first 100 employees when the company was doing less than $50 million in revenue. When he left, the company had more than 12,000 employees and over $ billion in sales. During his time at Salesforce, Dal Degan started the central region and through his sales efforts was responsible for more than 15 percent of total worldwide bookings.



"In my 11 years at Salesforce in sales leadership, I saw SpringCM, in my hometown of Chicago, emerge as an increasingly relevant value-added partner in the fast-growing market for contract lifecycle management and enterprise-class content management," Dal Degan said. "With category-leading solutions and significant traction in key industries such as public sector, financial services, consumer goods, healthcare, NFP and retail, SpringCM is now poised for a significant expansion in this vibrant CRM ecosystem. I'm very excited to join the experienced, talented team Greg Buchholz has assembled." In Dal Degan's 30 years of experience, he has worked for or advised six companies, five of which eventually successfully IPO'd. Besides Salesforce, he has held positions at Oracle, Siebel Systems (News - Alert), Sybase, Ensighten, and Synchrony.

"Dal Degan's operational experience in guiding rapid growth makes him a natural fit for SpringCM's Board of Directors," according to Skip Glass, SpringCM board member and partner at Foundation Capital. "He was successful very early at Salesforce and at Sybase (News - Alert), where he spent five years and a key contributor to both companies becoming multi-billion -dollar companies." Dal Degan holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master's degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is active in the community, serving on the University of Illinois Chancellor's Alumni Committee on Corporate Sponsorships, the Lazarus House Homeless Shelter in St. Charles, and the Cara Program fighting homelessness and poverty in Chicago. About SpringCM SpringCM is a secure cloud platform that manages sales contracts and all types of documents seamlessly across desktop, mobile and partner applications like Salesforce. SpringCM goes beyond standard sales contract management software with advanced workflows that automate manual tasks and complex processes to shorten contract cycles from weeks to days, and speed time-to-revenue. For executives looking to strategically leverage contract management to deliver immediate savings and accelerate revenue, SpringCM is the No. 1-rated sales contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform. Every day, more than 600 companies, including best-in-class organizations like Anaplan, athenahealth, BCBS, and the USDA, use SpringCM to streamline internal sales and legal operations, improve the customer experience and get more done, faster. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005436/en/

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[June 06, 2016] Tait and Sonim partner to offer ultra-rugged smartphones with Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) solution

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonim Technologies, maker of the world's toughest mobile phones and Tait Communications, a leading supplier of critical land mobile radio (LMR) communications systems, have partnered to deliver highly efficient solutions for customers who want to provide some employees with seamless mobile radio interoperability on rugged cellphones. Sonim's unique ultra-rugged Android smartphones provide a platform for UnifyVoice, Tait's push-to-talk over cellular (PTToC) solution. Sonim's XP6 and XP7 devices, with dedicated Push-To-Talk and emergency buttons, deliver a rugged mobile radio-centric user interface appropriate to the mission-critical sectors Tait serves. Sonim's ultra-rugged smartphone platform running Tait UnifyVoice software allows public safety agencies and industrial enterprises to cost-effectively extend their LMR networks to include non-radio users, freeing up critical radio capacity. Sonim's smartphones provide users with a familiar, easy-to-use experience with its built-in dedicated push-to-talk button, emergency key, long battery life, extra-loud audio and overall ruggedness. Bruce Mazza, Tait Communications' VP of Solutions Marketing, says the Sonim line complements Tait's reputation for tough mobile radio equipment. "The ability to withstand whatever conditions the job demands is a hallmark of Tait equipment and Sonim has a similarly high standard with its cellular handsets," Mr. Mazza says. "Through UnifyVoice, customers can supply some of their employees with an appropriate, work-fit cellular phone that ineracts seamlessly with their radio network users  perhaps people who would not normally be frontline but who, especially in times of emergency, need to be in communication with those who mainly use the mobile radio network to do their jobs. This ultimately leads to more effective communications and a safer, more productive environment for users on the ground.



"Sonim's approach to creating ultra-rugged hardware built around an open Android ecosystem is exactly what is required by many of the land mobile radio sectors Tait serves," Mr. Mazza says. Robert Escalle, VP of Public Safety and Defense for Sonim Technologies, welcomed the partnership as a means to demonstrate Sonim's desire to deliver a best-in-class solution to the first responder community. "We're excited to be able to work with Tait, the clear thought leader in the LMR industry. They have really committed to a truly open ecosystem approach to meet the evolving needs of mission critical communications," said Escalle.

Tait recently launched UnifyVoice at the IWCE 2016 demonstrating tight integration to its LMR systems leveraging ESChat software from SLA Corporation, along with P25 ISSI and DMR AIS gateways and unique seamless roaming capabilities. Refer to the press release at http://www.taitradio.com/about-us/news/2016-news/tait-redefining-boundaries-critical-communications-iwce. About Tait Communications (www.taitradio.com) With 45 years' industry experience, Tait Communications is a world leader in unifying mission critical communications. Tait customers protect communities, power cities, move citizens, harness resources and save lives all over the world. Tait works with them to create and support the critical communication solutions they depend on to do their jobs. More information about Tait's UnifyVoice is available here. About Sonim Technologies (http://www.sonimtech.com/) Sonim Technologies is the provider of mission-critical solutions designed specifically for workers in extreme, hazardous and isolated environments. The Sonim solution includes ultra-rugged mobile phones, business-process applications and a suite of industrial-grade accessories, collectively designed to increase worker productivity, accountability and safety on the job site. Sonim's industry-leading, 3-Year comprehensive warranty has redefined customer expectations of rugged technology. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., and offers its products with mobile operators around the world. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tait-and-sonim-partner-to-offer-ultra-rugged-smartphones-with-push-to-talk-over-cellular-pttoc-solution-300279482.html SOURCE Sonim Technologies

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[June 05, 2016] Nexusguard Scoops Prestigious Customer Service Award for Fourth Year in a Row

HONG KONG, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexusguard, the global leader in DDoS mitigation, today announced that it has been awarded Asia Pacific Customer Service Consortium's "Customer Service Quality Standard (CSQS) certification" for the fourth consecutive year. The CSQS is the most recognized global award for CRM, Customer Service, and Contact Center and Support Services -- in serving customers to improve business performance, to align the service approach internally and to improve inter departmental and companywide integration. Nexusguard is the single tech firm winning the prestigious accolade. Nexusguard is dedicated to putting customer service excellence first. Relationship Managers (RM) and Technical Account Managers (TAM) work together to provide professional support and solutions, bringing customer peace of mind to their business. Adrian Luwa, Director of Operations at Nexusguard, emphasized: "Our professional team continues to uphold our commitment - customer-oriented and continues to strive for innovation in order to offer premium service to our customers who are under a multitude of threats, including distributed denialof service (DDoS) attacks, to ensure uninterrupted internet service."



The CSQS award scores nominees in three key service areas: Operation Service Center, Proactive Service Center, and Strategic Business Unit. CSQS is granted if a company excels in all three, surpassing industry benchmarks. The panel scores how well companies have adopted Customer Service Knowledge Management (CSKM) to empower frontline staff to deliver a superior customer experience. As the global cybersecurity leader, it is a solid recognition and affirmation for exceptionally well-qualified service. Nexusguard strives to improve customer experience delivery beyond providing service availability. Nexusguard provides highly customized services, backed by actionable insights, to meet or exceed the unique requirements of every customer.

About Nexusguard Founded in 2008, Nexusguard is the global leader in fighting malicious internet attacks. Nexusguard protects clients against a multitude of threats, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, to ensure uninterrupted internet service. Nexusguard provides comprehensive, highly customized solutions for customers of all sizes, across a range of industries, and also enables turnkey anti-DDoS solutions for service providers. Nexusguard delivers on its promise to maximize peace of mind by minimizing threats and improving uptime. Headquartered in San Francisco, Nexusguard's network of security experts extends globally. Visit www.nexusguard.com for more information. Press Contact

Benjamin Yip

Head of Marketing, Asia Pacific

D: +852 3526 0626

[email protected] Crystal Ngan

Senior Marketing Communications Executive, Asia Pacific

D: +852 3910 0565

[email protected]

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[June 05, 2016] Global and China Automobile Brake System Market (Disc Brake, Drum Brake, ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, AUTO HOLD) Report 2016-2020

PUNE, India, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- During 2016-2020 global and Chinese automotive braking system markets will grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% and 7.3%, respectively with electronic control system forecast to become the main driving force behind the industry development. Complete research titled Global and China Automobile Brake System (Disc Brake, Drum Brake, ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, AUTO HOLD) Industry Report, 2016-2020 spread across 180 pages and providing 155 Charts Available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/580938-global-and-china-automobile-brake-system-disc-brake-drum-brake-abs-ebd-cbc-eba-bas-ba-aeb-esc-esp-dsc-auto-hold-industry-report-2016-2020.html In 2015, the global automotive braking system market size exceeded USD50 billion, and market size of China automotive braking system came to over RMB60 billion. With the saturation of automobile market, the global and Chinese automotive braking system markets have leveled off. In China's braking system market, manufacturers mainly develop towards ABS, braking force distribution (EBD/CBC, etc.), brake assist (EBA/BAS/BA), Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP, DSC, etc.), AUTO HOLD, and so forth. Among them, ABS and EBD/CBC have the highest assembly rate of close to 90%; vehicle stability control develops very fast, with the assembly rate approaching 50%; brake assist and AUTO HOLD, benefiting from the development of autonomous driving technology, are seeing rapid growth in assembly rate. At present, the Chinese braking system manufacturers are working to make layout in electronic control, particularly in ABS, Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP/DSC), and Electric Park Brake (EPB). The advanced enterprises, such as Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic and Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology, have entered the fields of intelligent drive and telematics. Major Global Automobile Brake System Manufacturers covered in this report are Bosch, Continental, ZF TRW, ADVICS, Mando, Nissin Kogyo, Hyundai Mobis, Akebono Brake, WABCO, KNORR, etc. Major Chinese Automobile Brake System Manufacturers are Zhejiang Asia-Pacifi Mechanical & Electronic, Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology, Wuhu Bethel Automotive Safety Systems, Wangxiang Qianchao, FAWER Automotive Parts, Ruili Group, Guangzhou Comet, Chongqing Juneng, Dongfeng Electronic Technology, Longji Machinery etc. Order a copy of this report at http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=115357



Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic, one of the leading Chinese braking system manufacturers, mainly operates an array of products including disc brakes, drum brakes, brake pumps, vacuum boosters, and ABS, etc. It now has an annual capacity of 1 million sets of automotive electronic control system. At present, the company is actively developing automotive electronics, and, based on ABS, gradually makes technological breakthroughs in EPB, ESC, and EABS. Currently, the company is entitled to supply ABS and EPB to auto makers like Chery, SAIC, and FAW, and is expected to achieve small-lot supply in 2016. Additionally, it has obtained eligibility for supplying ESC and EABS to Dongfeng Motor and Nissan. Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology is also an important braking system manufacturer in China. In 2015, the company realized massive supply of its independently developed and industrialized ABS, and completed the EBS development and vehicle matching test. Meanwhile, it was developing ESC and EPB, etc. In February 2016, the company planned to invest RMB267 million in automotive EBS project. When the design capacity is achieved, the company will have a capacity of 200,000 sets/a ABS and 50,000 sets/a EBS, with the revenue and net income estimated to add annually RMB426 million and RMB66.82 million, respectively.

The report highlights the following: Market size and competitive landscape of global automotive braking system; Market size, import and export, competitive landscape, development trend of automotive braking system in China; Development of China's brake market segments, including disc brakes, drum brakes, pneumatic brakes, and hydraulic brakes; Assembly rate, market size, and development of China's electronic control market (ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, and AUTO HOLD); Development of global and China braking system suppliers, including product type, financial indicators, capacity, output and sales volume, production bases, industrial layout, and development trend, etc. Explore More Reports on Automotive and Transportation at http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/cat/automotive-transportation.html Another research titled Brakes Market for Friction Products by OE & Aftermarket (Brake Pads, Shoes, Lining, Rotor, Drum) profiles companies like Federal-Mogul, Aisin-Seiki, Robert Bosch, Robert Bosch, Continental, Delphi Automotive, Nisshinbo, SGL Carbon AG, TRW, Tenneco, Akebono Brake Industry, Bendix, Sangsin, Longji Machinery, MIBA AG, BPW, Hongma, Gold Phoenix, Klasik and Boyun. Read more at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/571747-brakes-market-for-friction-products-by-oe-aftermarket-brake-pads-shoes-lining-rotor-drum-.html About Us: ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more. Connect With Us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReportsnReports/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reportsnreports Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketsreports G+ / Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/111656568937629536321/posts RSS/Feeds: http://www.reportsnreports.com/feed/l-latestreports.xml Contact:

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Maharashtra, India.

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[June 06, 2016] Food Lovers' 200,000 Worth of Savings with Gourmio Sponsorship of Opera Holland Park

LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GOURMIO, the new ready-to-cook recipe box from Italy, has signed its first sponsorship deal with Opera Holland Park, which includes up to 200,000 worth of savings on authentic Italian food and wine. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375203 )

The online retailer, which delivers delicious Italian meals next day nationwide, will also offer the chance to win a luxury opera trip for two to Tuscany. Gourmio is the first food box to offer the traditional ingredients and recipes of a single country. Its easy-step recipes make it convenient to cook authentic Italian meals using traditional ingredients from the artisans and PDO producers of Italy. Chefs in Italy select speciality ingredients then design regional recipes to recreate at home. Around 40,000 are set to flock to Lndon's Holland Park during its 10-week opera season, which starts on June 7th. Head of development Felicity Sutherland said: "Opera Holland Park are delighted to be working with Gourmio. Their commitment to excellent authentic Italian food is the perfect accompaniment to our productions of beautiful Italian opera."



Inside 10,000 programmes will be 20 gift vouchers towards recipe box orders at gourmio.co.uk. Opera lovers can also enter Gourmio's fantastic competition to win a luxury trip to Lucca, Tuscany, to see a Puccini opera. Gourmio founder Marco Sargiani said: "Opera Holland Park has a wonderful season that includes two Italian operas and we are proud to support this special summer event. We hope opera lovers will be as curious about the traditional food of Italy as they are about Italy's finest composers such as Puccini and Rossini."

Boxes contain beautifully packaged ingredients, step-by-step recipe cards and the traditions behind each dish. Choose from a range of starters, main courses and desserts without subscribing, or buy Gourmio's box of the month. In June the 'Mountain & Sea' meal box for 39 takes Italian food lovers on a journey from the Mediterranean to the Alps. Notes to editors: Gourmio is based in Wimbledon , London .

, . Recipe boxes come lined with wool insulation and ice packs.

Gourmio is subscription-free. Simply select recipes and wine at gourmio.co.uk then check out.

Delivery nationwide Tuesday to Friday.

Minimum order: two main meals each for two people (four meals in total).

Price of main meals: 6.40-8.25 per head. w: gourmio.co.uk

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[June 06, 2016] India and Japan Organize Workshop to Improve Research Collaboration

NEW DELHI, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum, Japan organized a workshop on Monday to discuss and strengthen ongoing collaboration between the two countries in various research areas. Mechanisms to improve the partnership in the areas of infrastructure, manufacturing and high technology, including solar power generation, space, biotechnology and advanced materials were discussed at the day-long workshop. The role of innovation and research for Prime Minister Modi's 'Smart City' initiative were also discussed. "India and Japan share a common vision of a sustainable future. The scintillating discussions today will help bridge the communication gap between different sectors and improve proficiency. The Government of India is committed to transforming India into a knowledge-based society and such collaborations will be instrumental in achieving the same," said Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technlogy.



It is important that R&D and business leaders exchange more information concerning mutual benefit areas of cooperation, establish joint research programs, and accelerate communication between younger scientists. The most promising areas of collaboration, effective ways to achieve the maximum potential from a product and prospective roles adopted by different sectors were among the prominent topics discussed. Mr. Koji Omi, Founder and Chairman, STS forum, Japan said, "The Indian government has shown a keen interest in improving the country's research and development capacities. Innovation and research have proven time and again to be the driver of social and economic growth of a country. India has immense potential in the various research fields and we intend to work together to create sustainable solutions for the future."

In the past, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his intention to support India's efforts by sharing its advanced skills and technologies and through active mobilization of Japanese public and private sector involvement. Mr. Abe has earlier commended Prime Minister Modi's 'Smart City' initiative, which requires high technologies, like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), intelligent communication system, renewable energy sources and its management, etc. A panel session was held to discuss the areas for innovation to be mobilized for realizing 'Smart Cities' and the role to be played by the public and private sectors. "Japan and India have significantly strengthened bilateral scientific cooperation in the biological, chemical, physical and earth sciences over the years and meetings like the one organized today are the perfect setting for cross-pollination of ideas for the progress and development of both our countries' people," said Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. The event was supported by the Japan External Trade Organization, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Embassy of Japan.

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[June 06, 2016] Outertech Releases Clipboard History Pro 3.15, Windows Clipboard Manager with Optional Cloud Synchronization and AES Encryption

COBURG, Germany, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Outertech has released Clipboard History Pro 3.15, a Windows clipboard manager that optionally supports synchronization between computers with AES encryption, and includes the unique ability of using the usually idle CAPS LOCK key as a global hotkey to show a clipboard history menu in every application. Version 3.15 of the app improves filtering and introduces more text macros. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375182

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375183 Clipboard History Pro 3.15 is a Windows clipboard manager featuring optional cloud synchronization and AES encryption. Clipboard History Pro keeps a repository of text snippets that have copied to the clipboard before. Additionally, frequently used word phrases called stickies can be added to the global paste menu. Pressing a configurable hotkey, a tray icon, or the usually idle and useless CAPS LOCK key will bring up a paste menu of last clipboard items and saved text snippets. When using the hotkey or the CAPS LOCK key the clipboard history paste menu will be available in every Windows application. Download Clipboard History Pro at http://www.outertech.com/en/clipboard-manager Clipboar History Pro can optionally synchronize clipboard content between multiple computers. The software has built-in support for Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and others. The synchronization process will also work perfectly in multi-user environments, even if several users add text to the clipboard at the same second. Clipboard History Pro safeguards user data with AES encryption.



At the heart of Clipboard History is an archive feature. Every text ever copied to the clipboard can be stored away for future use. A JSON database guarantees a high level of security and performance. Clipboard History has been vested with more than 1 million data records in the text archive. The archive can be searched by text and date. Search keywords can be combined and even excluded with the "-" sign. A search for foo -bar will find all archive items that contain the text foo, but don't contain the text bar. System Requirements: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista or XP (32 and 64 bit)

Clipboard History Pro starts at $24.95(US) for a single computer license. A less advanced version is also available as freeware. Both editions can be downloaded at: http://www.outertech.com/en/clipboard-manager Journalists may request a reviewer's license by contacting [email protected] Contact

Thomas Reimann, Outertech

+49 95619762733

Email

@outertech About the Company Incorporated in 1999, Outertech is a software development company based in Coburg, Germany. Its mission statement: "To make computers more stable, more useful, faster, and easier to use." Outertech's lead products include Cacheman (short for Cache Manager), an award-winning Microsoft Windows performance optimization program initially developed in 1996 as the very first Windows optimization software ever. Cacheman is currently available as version 10.01 with Windows 10 support. Linkman (short for Link Manager), another exciting Outertech product is a bookmark manager that integrates with the Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Opera browsers. Initially released in 1997, Linkman's optionally password protected XML databases have been praised for twenty years of bookmark data security. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outertech-releases-clipboard-history-pro-315-windows-clipboard-manager-with-optional-cloud-synchronization-and-aes-encryption-300279753.html SOURCE Outertech

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[June 06, 2016] Teacher Sets Out on Philanthropic Mission to Support Global Childhood Education With Launch of Ecommerce Site Live the Give

DALLAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At Live the Give, a new e-retailer of eco-friendly journals, helping end global poverty is the core mission. Company founder and elementary school teacher Najat Murillo has zeroed in on education as the key to solving this age-old problem. Therefore, 15% of Live the Give sales revenue will be go toward Fund for the Future  an initiative to raise awareness of the vital role education plays in global society. "I have always wanted to help children around the world enjoy a better quality of life and a more hopeful future," says Murillo. "I believe the best way to do that is by giving them the opportunity to be in school and by improving the quality of their education. I am determined to spread awareness of the importance of global education and the impact it has on our society." International organizations like the U.N. agree that education is a fundamental human right, as well as the most effective way to break generational cycles of poverty. Educated citizens earn more income over their liftime, which boosts economic growth in entire nations. War and political instability are reduced when more citizens have a quality education and can have an impact on their governments. In terms of societal benefits, education has been shown to promote gender equality and the overall wellbeing of children. Providing a quality education for all children is among the best ways to make a difference in our world for the better. As Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."



With Live the Give, Murillo is working to make a profound difference in the state of global education. The company will donate 15% of all sales revenue to this worthy cause, and work together with other organizations to spread awareness of this issue. Among Live the Give's most popular items today are its personalized journals, with a custom cutout design that makes for a special gift or a personal keepsake. Shoppers can enter a name up to 12 characters and have it cut through the front cover leaving an impressionable design. You may also choose a font design, notebook size, and background color.

In addition to supporting education around the world, Live the Give also believes in helping our environment. All Live the Give products are composed of 100% recycled paper. Shoppers anywhere in the U.S. enjoy $3 flat rate shipping. About Live the Give Live the Give is a new ecommerce site on a mission to help every child around the world attain a quality education, and to promote a sense of global citizenship. The company contributes 15% of all sales to the Fund for the Future initiative. Contact: Najat Murillo

469-939-7523

Email Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375200

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375201 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teacher-sets-out-on-philanthropic-mission-to-support-global-childhood-education-with-launch-of-ecommerce-site-live-the-give-300279540.html SOURCE Live the Give

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[June 06, 2016] Gateway to One of The Highest Transacting Shoppers Online, Dealmoon.com, Debuts at The 2016 Internet Retailer Conference + Exhibition June 7-9

UNION CITY, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealmoon.com, who has built a voracious niche of 13M monthly visits from Chinese American online shoppers and an Alexa rating of 1134, will make its debut at the Internet Retailer Conference + Exhibition (IRCE) at McCormick Center, Chicago June 7-9, 2016. Since 2009, U.S.-based Dealmoon.com has consistently delivered a lofty $200 average order value selling billions of dollars for some of America's most cherished brands. Dealmoon.com is known for bringing the Singles Day (11/11) online shopping phenomenon to those e- and retailers, sales of which in 2015 dwarfed their Cyber Monday and Black Friday online totals for the first time. Dealmoon.com will showcase their services to IRCE participating brands in booth #1855. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375511

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375510LOGO "When I was at Monster Products managing e-retail for the #1 headphone brand, 'Beats By Dre' (currently owned by Apple)," said Jeff Helfand, now Senior Drector of Business Development for Dealmoon, "Dealmoon was helping me sell 1,000s of units in a single week, consistently out-performed Google Search and, frankly, was my leading source of online customers. I'm looking forward to sharing this best kept secret with the IR 1000."



"On 2015 Single's Day, " said Co-Founder of Dealmoon.com, Jennifer Wang, "We had over 150 luxury brands giving our users exclusive offers, including the top six U.S. luxury department stores. We were able to generate over $1.5 million in sales for one of the department stores - within 72 hours." This summer, Dealmoon.com will be expanding their offerings with local deals through their app, which has already attracted 1M downloads. While at IRCE, they will be looking for not only national brands, but those who are looking to drive regional traffic.

Dealmoon.com is the brainchild of six Chinese Americans whose initial concept was to serve as a one-stop shop for their fellow immigrants to feather their nests and find all they needed to build a new life in America. Today, it has become an online shopping phenomenon that is fueled by product recommendations of their editors in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, Dallas, and two offices in China. More than 5M enthusiastic followers congregate on the Chinese equivalent of Facebook / Twitter called Weibo and a sister online magazine called Fashion Moon also serves as an online lead generator. About Dealmoon.com - is the biggest shopping secret unknown to most Americans, yet it is one of the world's leading cross-continent consumer buying advisory websites with 13M monthly visitors and 4M vocal fans on over 40 social media channels. With offices in China and the U.S., Dealmoon.com's curation shopping advisors make product recommendations on exclusives and deals for categories such as beauty, apparel, shoes, handbags, electronics, nutrition, baby, home, travel and finance. Some of the world's most storied brands and cherished retailers and e-tailers are listed. Dealmoon.com's powerful influence has been known to decimate entire inventories of brands from a single posting within a few days. With its massive leverage, Dealmoon.com introduced China's annual Singles' Day to North America; the shopping event (bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined) and was lauded by TIME magazine. Dealmoon.com publishes over 400 best-of-web deals per day in both English and Chinese. Dealmoon.com was the recipient of the coveted Retail Innovation Award in 2016. Press Contact:

Alyson Dutch

Brown + Dutch PR, Inc. 310.456.7151

Email To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gateway-to-one-of-the-highest-transacting-shoppers-online-dealmooncom-debuts-at-the-2016-internet-retailer-conference--exhibition-june-7-9-300279763.html SOURCE Dealmoon.com

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[June 06, 2016] Indoor Farms of America: Canada Now Fully Covered For Local Vertical Farm Access, First Accessible Farm Delivered

LAS VEGAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce today the completion of distribution coverage for all of Canada, with the signing of a second Distributor Agreement with West Grow Farms which covers Western Canada provinces as well as Eastern Canada. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375759LOGO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375758LOGO "The team at West Grow Farms, headed by Randy King and Jim Philpott, brings a high level of capability to folks who want to construct an indoor agriculture facility, from small to large scale," stated David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America. "Randy and Jim have many years in building complex structures in the potentially harsh climates found in Canada, and bring that talent to our team in Western Canada, Quebec and the Eastern provinces. We are very pleased to now have put in place two quality companies to bring our equipment to Canada to grow many vegetables and fruits more cost effectively and sustainably, year round in any location." Randy King, Managing Partner at West Grow, said: "We are extremely excited for the opportunity to bring this amazing technology into the Canadian markets we will serve. After exhaustive research, we were unable to find a comparable system that was nearly as productive as IFOAs'. With food sovereignty becoming a significant concern for many countries with short growing seasons; we are confident that IFOA's growing system will revolutionize how produceis grown in northern climates. We are thrilled by the prospect of providing fresh, locally grown, all natural produce to Canadians year round."



The founders of Indoor Farms of America spent nearly 2 years in R&D developing a comprehensive array of --now with multiple patents awarded-- reliable, economically viable high yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment which provides a much more affordable means to grow a variety of crops in a sustainable manner, literally anywhere in the world. "We also want to follow up to our prior release about Wheelchair Accessible farms," says Ron Evans, company President, "We have now built and delivered the first accessible farm in a shipping container, and it will open doors for so many who can be productive and enjoy being actively involved in running a farm every single day. We know our aeroponic equipment is a game changer, but this new development has really set a high bar. Schools, adult rehabilitative centers, and more can easily and affordably deploy a commercial scale farm where access for wheelchair bound people is part of the program."

Response to all the Company offerings has been overwhelming, says Martin. "We are appreciative of all the visitors to our facility, in these first few months of production, and it is reflected in the numerous sales we have made of our equipment to entities in the U.S. and around the world, as we launch our marketing campaigns and bring distribution to areas that want and need it." An example is a recent visit to the Las Vegas showroom and demonstration farm, from members of the Parliament of the country of Jordan, including the heads of Agriculture there. In depth discussions about sustainable farming and providing access to their people for truly fresh and locally grown produce all year long were reflective of the needs in so many areas, according to Martin. With Canada fully covered, along with South Africa and some surrounding countries on the African continent, Indoor Farms of America is focused on vetting distributors in key areas of Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia, as it begins to develop major markets of the U.S. through operators seeking their equipment. "When we have engineers tell us we represent a far better value, very highly engineered and quality product, and a more strategic partnership than going it alone and attempting to do their own thing, we know we are doing our job," stated Martin. CONTACT:

David W. Martin, CEO - Email - IndoorFarmsAmerica.com

4020 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. B Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 664-1236 or (702) 606-2691 CANADIAN CUSTOMERS CONTACT:

West Grow Farms

Randy King, Managing Partner

Email Phone: 780-963-1733 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indoor-farms-of-america-canada-now-fully-covered-for-local-vertical-farm-access-first-accessible-farm-delivered-300280077.html SOURCE Indoor Farms of America

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[June 06, 2016] In Powering Online Ordering for Thousands of Businesses on Yelp, delivery.com adds Laundry Merchants to the Fold

NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- delivery.com, one of the most popular websites and mobile apps for local ecommerce, has expanded its partnership with Yelp by activating online ordering for laundry and dry cleaning services on the Yelp Platform. Users browsing Yelp can now order from thousands of delivery.com restaurants or laundry providers directly from the business' Yelp listings. Today's announcement marks another milestone in a journey that began in June of 2013, when delivery.com began powering online ordering for available restaurants on Yelp. Thanks to a direct integration between the two platforms, users can easily find local merchants and complete transactions from the business' Yelp listing, eliminating the need to be redirected to another website and reducing the distance from discovery to commerce. As the leading destination for information on local businesses, Yelp commands averages of more than 90 million unique monthly visitors on mobile and 77 million on desktop. For delivery.com, deepening the integration with Yelp increases orders for its laundry and dry cleaning merchant members, who will benefit from delivery.com and Yelp's combined marketing efforts.



Jed Kleckner , CEO of delivery.com. "Today's consumers expect to be able to transact anywhere and everywhere, so the more places we can make that possible, the better it is for the digital economy as a whole." "We're excited to add this new booking option on Yelp," said Chad Richard, Yelp's SVP of Business & Corporate Development. "delivery.com brings the convenience of laundry pick-up and delivery to Yelp users and is a great example of our commitment to expanding the functionality of Yelp Platform beyond food ordering and delivery to connect people with great local businesses."

About delivery.com

delivery.com empowers the neighborhood economy by enabling customers to order online from their favorite local restaurants, grocery stores, wine and spirits shops, and laundry and dry cleaning providers. Every day, delivery.com customers explore their communities and order from more than 12,000 local businesses while at home, at work, or on the go. With headquarters in New York and a growing presence throughout the U.S., delivery.com makes ecommerce an integral part of local daily life, helping customers shop, businesses grow, and neighborhoods thrive. delivery.com is a trademark of Delivery.com, LLC. About Yelp

Yelp Inc. connects people with great local businesses. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. Since then, Yelp communities have taken root in major metros across 32 countries. By the end of Q1 2016, Yelpers had written approximately 102 million rich, local reviews, making Yelp the leading local guide for real word-of-mouth on everything from boutiques and mechanics to restaurants and dentists. Approximately 21 million unique devices* accessed Yelp via the Yelp app, approximately 69 million unique visitors visited Yelp via mobile web and approximately 77 million unique visitors visited Yelp via desktop on a monthly average basis during the Q1 2016. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110721/MM39828LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-powering-online-ordering-for-thousands-of-businesses-on-yelp-deliverycom-adds-laundry-merchants-to-the-fold-300280069.html SOURCE delivery.com

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[June 06, 2016] Reynolds, KADA Announce New LAW Kentucky F&I Library

DAYTON, Ohio, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced the release of the Reynolds LAW Kentucky F&I Library, which is a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance (F&I) documents for automobile dealers in the state of Kentucky. The Reynolds LAW Kentucky F&I Library, which was jointly developed by Reynolds Document Services and the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (KADA), carries both paper-based and electronic formats of the forms. "We are pleased to announce the availability of the LAW Kentucky F&I Library and add Kentucky to the growing list of states that have adopted LAW F&I libraries," said Jerry Kirwan, senior vice president and general manager of Reynolds Document Services. "This library of standardized documents can help dealers better manage risk as well as prepare for the transition to electronic transactions. "At the same time, using documents in the LAW F&I Library can streamline the F&I process, making it more efficient and help dealers deliver a better customer experience for buyers at the dealership." Kirwan noted LAW brand documents are regularly reviewed for compliance with the latest automotive regulations. Reynolds' industry-leading forms specialists lead the review, in conjunction with Reynolds' outside legal partners and representatives from KADA. "KADA is proud to be a part of this project with Reynolds Document Services. The LAW Kentucky F&I Libray gives our dealer members the opportunity to improve day-to-day operations and customer service and increase overall efficiency in their dealerships," said Gay F. Williams, CAE, president of KADA. "We appreciate the level of expertise and effort Reynolds has put forth in creating this valuable tool. The program will also continue to offer forms that are specific to Kentucky and to KADA."



In addition, the LAW Kentucky F&I Library can help facilitate the conversion to laser-printed transactions or e-contracting, since the documents are available in both paper-based and electronic formats. Reynolds Document Services maintains licensing agreements with all major providers of electronic F&I (e-F&I) solutions. About KADA

The Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (KADA) was incorporated in 1938. The primary purpose of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association is to promote high principles of commercial honor and integrity in the sale and service of motor vehicles and to serve as the voice of the dealer with state government. About Reynolds LAW Brand Documents Reynolds' LAW brand is well established as one of the most trusted brands in the automotive industry. LAW documents are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and have been endorsed by a number of state automobile dealer associations and leading automotive finance institutions. The flagship product of the LAW brand is the Reynolds LAW 553 Universal Retail Sale Contract, the most widely accepted document in auto finance. The Reynolds LAW 553 is available in a variety of languages and is regularly reviewed by industry experts to help keep pace with new legislative and regulatory developments. Reynolds and Reynolds was founded in 1866 as a business forms printer. Since the 1920s, Reynolds has been known as the leader in serving automobile dealerships nationwide with standard and custom business and vehicle sales and service documents to help dealers manage their operations more efficiently and serve their customers more effectively. About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. (www.reyrey.com) To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reynolds-kada-announce-new-law-kentucky-fi-library-300280102.html SOURCE The Reynolds and Reynolds Company

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[June 06, 2016] Qingdao Haier Acquires GE Appliances

QINGDAO, China, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. (SHA: 600690; "Qingdao Haier"), a Shanghai stock exchange listed company that is 41% owned by Haier Group ("Haier") and General Electric Company (NYSE: GE; "GE") today announced the signing of closing documents for Qingdao Haier's acquisition of GE Appliances from General Electric. Today marks the beginning of GE Appliances being part of Qingdao Haier. As previously announced, GE Appliances will continue to be headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and operated independently under the day to day direction of the current management team. A board of directors, with representatives from the senior leadership teams of Qingdao Haier and GE Appliances, and two independent directors, will help guide the strategy and operations of the business. Mr. Zhang Ruimin, Chairman and CEO of Haier Group, said: "Haier and GE Appliances have always sought to adapt to changing times and customer preferences. We share the same vision of the future and, by acquiring GE Appliances, both companies will be able to achieve significant synergies. Haier is on an exciting journey as it transforms itself into a true 'Internet enterprise', which fosters and cultivates innovation and customer choice. GE Appliances has great employees and a strong global customer base and I am confident that, together, we will be able to embrace the digital era and offer customers the best possible choice and service now and in the future." Mr. Liang Haishan, Chairman of Qingdao Haier, said: "Today's announcement is positive news for employees, customers, business partners and shareholders. Investing and growing in the U.S. is a key part of Haier's strategy and the acquisition of GE Appliances will help us accelerate that expansion. We have great respect for and trust in GE Appliances' talented management team and we look forward to working closely together to create a truly global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative, high-quality home appliances." Mr. Chip Blankenship, President and CEO of GE Appliances, said: "We are excited to become an important part of a global appliance company. Haier loves appliances as much as we do and shares our goal to be the most competitive, innovative and customer-focused company in the world. Together we will find new and better ways to help people improve their lives at home." Today's announcement follows the previously announced Memorandum of Understanding between Haier Group and GE to cooperate globally and pursue joint growth projects in areas including advancedmanufacturing, healthcare and Industrial Internet.



Advisors Bank of America Merrill Lynch and PwC Corporate Finance are acting as financial advisers to Qingdao Haier. PwC Corporate Finance ran project management for the transaction. White & Case is acting as overseas legal adviser to Qingdao Haier. China International Capital Corporation Limited and King & Wood Mallesons are acting as independent financial advisers and domestic legal advisers to Qingdao Haier, respectively.

About Haier Group Haier is the world's leading home appliance provider, with global revenues amounting to US$30.3 billion and profits of US$2.89 billion in 2015. Its mission is to create innovative home appliances that anticipate the fast-changing needs of consumers all around the world. Haier has been named the number one global home appliance brand every year for the last seven years by Euromonitor International, a world leader in strategy research for consumer markets, and in 2012 the Boston Consulting Group named Haier one of the ten most innovative companies in the world as well as the most innovative company in the consumer and retail category. Its global headquarters are based in the Chinese city of Qingdao and it also has regional headquarters in both Paris and New York to serve its clients in Europe and America. Haier also has 5 R&D centers, 66 trading companies and 21 industrial parks worldwide. About Qingdao Haier Qingdao Haier Co., also a subsidiary of Haier Group, is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHA: 600690) and focuses on driving innovation in smart home technologies. About GE Appliances GE Appliances, a Haier company, makes moments that matter for our owners through our passion for making great appliances and providing unparalleled services. We make with our hands, heads and hearts. We make with integrity, inventiveness and ingenuity. For more than 125 years we have been creating a legacy of invention  we've electrified and modernized life, bringing convenience and fun to kitchens. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.geappliances.com. Disclaimers This press release, as Haier Group's introduction of this transaction, does not constitute any supplement, amendment or adjustment to any public announcement made by Qingdao Haier with respect to this transaction; for any information relating to Qingdao Haier and this transaction, please refer to the public announcements made by Qingdao Haier on Shanghai Stock Exchange. This press release does not constitute any representation, warranty, business performance commitment or guarantee of Haier Group or Qingdao Haier in respect of the target assets of this transaction, nor does it constitute any recommendation, offer or invitation, express or implied, for any individual or entity to purchase any securities of Qingdao Haier. Any forward-looking statement contained in this press release, which may involves the company's development strategy, finance, business performance and operation plan, is based on certain hypothesis and is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may be materially different from or even opposite to what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statement does not constitute any commitment or binding obligation of Haier Group and Qingdao Haier, including any obligation to update any statement contained in this press release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: FOR HAIER Brunswick, Communications Advisors to Haier Emma Schultz, Brunswick, 202.393.7337

[email protected] Alex Finnegan, Brunswick, 202.393.7337

[email protected] FOR GE APPLIANCES Kim Freeman, 502.452.7819

[email protected] FOR GE Jennifer Erickson, 646.682.5648

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qingdao-haier-acquires-ge-appliances-300280237.html SOURCE Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd.

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[June 06, 2016] Securus Reaffirms Its Integrity Pledge to the Corrections Industry

DALLAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Securus Technologies, a leading provider of civil and criminal justice technology solutions for public safety, investigation, corrections and monitoring, reaffirms its long-standing Customer Integrity Pledge, established in 2012. "Every Securus Associate must sign our integrity pledge upon their hire and then reaffirm their commitment to it every year," said Richard A. ("Rick") Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Securus Technologies. "I love our industry  serving law enforcement, corrections, inmates, friends/family members, and all of society  and only hire Associates with the highest integrity and ethics. It offends me that some carriers have less than the highest integrity in their business dealings and even engge in unlawful practices such as deliberately programming clocks that time the duration of calls and adding 15 to 36 seconds to calls, charging rates over those permitted, using add-on programs to artificially inflate charges to its customers, and deliberately double billing calls. At Securus we always serve all of our customers with their best interests at heart  it's in our DNA."



Securus recently received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a formal accreditation. "I'm proud that the BBB determined that we met their standards of honesty, integrity, transparency and trust and gave us their highest rating," said Smith. "It's a testament to our Associates and the only way we will conduct business. Our customers deserve it, and we deliver it each and every day." ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serving more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,200,000 inmates across North America, Securus Technologies is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, inmate self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. Securus Technologies focuses on connecting what matters. To learn more about our full suite of civil and criminal justice technology solutions, please visit SecurusTechnologies.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100831/DA57799LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securus-reaffirms-its-integrity-pledge-to-the-corrections-industry-300280438.html SOURCE Securus Technologies, Inc.

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'A true blessing:' Meet the family behind the viral photo from UK's scrimmage

Micheal McGuire didn't know his photo was going to go viral after he rushed to meet his family at the Blue-White Scrimmage in Pikeville on Saturday.
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MIDDLETOWN  The most recognizable barn in central Pennsylvania will soon be on the move.

The iconic Star Barn along Route 283 in Lower Swatara Township will be dismantled starting Tuesday.

It will be a long and careful process. First, the siding will come down. Then, crews will take down the framing.

The barn will then be reassembled at Ironstone Ranch near Elizabethtown, a working horse ranch that hosts wedding receptions and other events.

Crews hope to have the Star Barn removed by July. The new owner, Palmyra-based DAS Companies, plans a barn raising at the new home in West Donegal Township next year.

The barn was built in 1872 and features gothic revival-style architecture. Its iconic cupolas were removed last year.
No matter how grim the news, Audrey Montemayor refused to waver from a dream.

It was her goal, her passion since middle school, to become a classroom teacher.

Ive always wanted to work with kids, she said. Her experiences in babysitting and as a church youth group leader only reinforced the desire to make a difference in the lives of children.

I had great teachers through my time, added Montemayor, a Cumberland Valley High School graduate. Childhood development courses and a classroom internship her senior year prepared her for the work ahead.

Her Penn State professors were open and honest about the obstacles. It was kind of in the background of every class, said Montemayor, now a fourth-grade teacher at Hampden Elementary School. They were making us aware of what we were going to face.

Word came down to Montemayor and her classmates of a tight job market, a heavy workload, the negative public perceptions and the all-around uncertainty that went with a lack of state funding, rising health insurance costs and the pension crisis.

No Child Left Behind put a strain on teaching, she said. It deterred people from going into this atmosphere. I had a couple of friends who started out wanting to be teachers but changed their minds.

A few switched over to nursing or a similar field as a way to continue their desire to help children. Montemayor stayed the path and graduated from Penn State in May 2014 with a bachelors degree and certification in early childhood and early adolescent education.

I always took it as a challenge, she said. It never made me not want to be a teacher.

Job search

While some friends and classmates were landing jobs out of state, others were hired as assistants hungry for a full-time teaching position. Her goal was to stay in Pennsylvania which was where Montemayor ran into difficulty.

That first year was spent substitute teaching in State College and working on her masters degree. She applied in May 2015 to the Cumberland Valley School District and recently completed her first year of full-time teaching.

The job market for teachers continues to be difficult throughout the Keystone State, said Wythe Keever, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union representing 120,000 active classroom teachers.

While math, science and special education teachers are in high demand, there is a surplus of early childhood education graduates compared to the number of job openings statewide, Keever said. He added art and music teachers are also having difficulty finding work.

The Keystone Research Center has statistics showing that 30,000 jobs in public education were cut between the 2009-2010 and 2013-2014 school years. This amounts to about 10 percent of the workforce among school districts statewide.

Some of the pressure began with the recession of 2008-2009 and continued following the deep cuts made in state funding of public education during the Corbett administration, Keever said.

The result has been the laying off of thousands of teachers who have more experience than recent college graduates. The Sentinel asked local administrators whether the presence of this seasoned workforce is discouraging college students from pursuing a career in education.

Al Moyer is the current superintendent of South Middleton School District. An administrator with 25 years of experience, he was given the mandate at a previous school district to assign greater hiring priority with less experience or fresh out of college because it is cheaper than bringing in a seasoned professional at the pay scale established by contract.

On the other hand most contracts require school districts to reimburse teachers for the money they spend to earn their masters degree, Moyer said. Many times a veteran teacher already has a masters degree so the district could avoid the expense by hiring experience.

Change in plans

Sometimes teachers who are laid off do not wait to be rehired or recalled to the classroom, said John Friend, superintendent of the Carlisle Area School District. Instead they look for a new profession or move out of Pennsylvania.

No matter what, Carlisle has to pay a salary scale competitive with other school districts to draw quality teachers to the classroom, Friend said. He added that Carlisle has made the administrative support of new staff members more of a priority in recent years.

Christine Royce is both a professor and department chair in teacher education at Shippensburg University. She said many graduates have left Pennsylvania to accept teaching jobs in southern states like North Carolina and Virginia. There is active recruitment taking place on campus and via email postings from school districts outside Pennsylvania.

Graduates with a Pennsylvania certification may need to take additional coursework or meet other requirements before they could teach in a different state, Royce said.
Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
The best Android apps unlock your phone's true capabilities. Social media, productivity, health and fitness, you name it, there's an app on the Play Store to suit your needs. With countless apps available to you, the sky's the limit.

With so many apps to sort through, finding which ones deserve a place on your Android phone can be a challenge. That's where we come in. We've gone through Google Play to find top Android apps across a wide variety of categories.

Whether you want to fill up one of the best Android phones with apps or just try out something new like a productivity app, fitness tracker or web browser, check out the best Android apps you might have overlooked. (And if you're looking for top first-person shooters, puzzlers and arcade-style throwbacks, check out our picks for the best Android games.)

Best Android productivity apps

Check out these apps if you want to turn your Android phone into another device for getting things done. (For more picks, see our selection of the best productivity apps for mobile devices.)

Niagara Launcher (Free)

(Image credit: Peter Huber)

With Niagara Launcher (opens in new tab), you get a lean Android launcher that delivers the customizability that Android users demand. We selected this as the best Android app in our Tom's Guide Awards 2021 because it offers a clean and minimal interface that puts your apps front and center in an alphabetical list.

We also appreciate how Niagara puts notifications front and center, letting you read and respond from the home screen. Distractions are at a minimal with Niagara, which even keeps ads out of the free version of the app. If you like a clean look for your Android phone, get this on your device right away.

1Password ($3.99/month)

(Image credit: AgileBits)

The best strategy for keeping your data and identity safe is to use good, strong passwords. And there's no better tool than 1Password (opens in new tab)for keeping those good, strong passwords straight. The app can store many bits of information  logins to apps and websites, credit cards, bank account info, passports, licenses and more  which you protect with a single master password. End-to-end encryption along with encryption keys that never leave your Android device keep things secure. Try out the service for free for 30 days; after that, a $3.99 monthly subscription helps you stay on top of all those passwords you use every day.

Automate (Free)

(Image credit: Llama Lab)

You'll find several Android apps that promise powerful automation options, but they're not always so user-friendly. For something a bit more approachable, consider Automate (opens in new tab), which uses a visual, flowchart-based interface for making your own custom-designed scripts.

This top Android app boasts more than 320 different task building blocks that can include actions, event triggers, loops and more; you can arrange those blocks in a flowchart style to easily visualize your creations. Automate is free, with a $2.99 in-app purchase unlocking a Premium mode for creating scripts that require more than 30 blocks.

Solid Explorer File Manager ($1.99)

(Image credit: NeatBytes)

Android has a glut of free file explorer apps that let you manage your device's external storage, ranging from excellent tools to freemium bloatware. If you're willing to spend a small amount to get an excellent ad-free and bloatware-free app, check out Solid Explorer (opens in new tab), a premium file manager that comes packed with features and a clean, hassle-free interface. Drag-and-drop controls, a multi-tab and multi-pane interface, and support for network and cloud storage and compressed archives cover your basics, while more advanced features like a root explorer, plugin support and batch operations are available for power users.

(Image credit: Google)

The iPhone has had Find My Friends (and, as of iOS 13, the Find app) for what seems like nearly forever. Google now offers its own alternative for those living in the Android universe. Googles Trusted Contacts (opens in new tab) works similarly to Apple's approach, letting you share your location or see where your contacts are. You can send out or request a real-time location, so you dont have to share your constant whereabouts. However, Trusted Contacts will automatically send out your location if youre not able to answer a request, which could be of help in an emergency. (See our guide on how to use Trusted Contacts for more on the app's features.) And yes, there's even an iOS version of Trusted Contacts (opens in new tab) for iPhone-toting friends and family.

Flud (Free)

(Image credit: Delphi Softwares)

Torrenting apps are one thing you're not likely to see in iOS for a while. In the Android market, Flud (opens in new tab) is one of the best Android torrent apps out there. Expect a clean Material interface without speed limits for uploads or downloads.

Flud sports staple features such as selective file downloading and prioritization, magnet link support, sequential downloading support and a Wi-Fi only mode. You can also dig deep into more advanced functions, in case fiddling with router port forwarding is your idea of fun. The free version is fully functional, while a paid version removes advertisements.

Vurforia Chalk (Free)

(Image credit: PTC)

Not sure why there's all this fuss about augmented reality? Vuforia Chalk (opens in new tab) can show you the value of AR for mobile apps, as it adds a new dimension to tech support.

Chalk sets up a video call between two devices, where the person getting advice points their rear camera at whatever they need explained to them, and the other person draws on their own screen as they provide instructions and advice. The person getting the help sees those doodles live, appearing on their screen, falling on the specific buttons, knobs and other parts of whatever they're looking at, in effect providing live, visual annotations that can help solve problems.

Best Android travel and weather apps

Whether you're heading to the office or a longer family trip, the right apps on your Android phone can help make the journey easier. And a good weather app can make sure you won't get drenched along the way. For more apps like this, check out our picks for the best travel apps and best weather apps for all mobile devices.

Transit (Free)

(Image credit: Transit App)

Transit (opens in new tab) is a fantastic aid for commutes, helping plan out the fastest public transport routes to a destination. The app provides routes that combine numerous transportation methods  such as trains, buses, and bike sharing  while also factoring in short walks to each stop and wait times. Transit can provide real-time data on arrival times of your bus or train, compare routes, step-by-step navigation, and notifications for service line disruptions. You can even book an Uber or reserve a car2go from within the app if public transit has failed you.

Mobile Passport (Free)

(Image credit: Airside Mobile)

If you're going to be spending time abroad, you can breeze through a few lines with the use of Mobile Passport (opens in new tab). It's a U.S. Customs and Border Protection-approved app that helps speed you through lengthy immigration lines by letting you submit your passport control and customs declarations from your phone (assuming you've got a U.S. or Canadian passport). By replacing paper forms and providing faster processing in a number of major US airports that support the Mobile Passport service, the app will save you a good amount of time in line. Just remember to bring along your paper passport, as this app isn't a replacement for that.

Skiplagged (Free)

(Image credit: Skiplagged)

If you're traveling light and looking to save a few bucks, check out Skiplagged (opens in new tab), a neat app that can keep your travel costs down by taking advantage of "hidden city flights," where flyers get off at a layover, instead of at the flight's final destination. Users enter their origin and target destination, and Skiplagged will show you the cost of a direct flight, as well as any cheaper "hidden city" flights that have your intended destination as a layover. The caveat? Stick to carry-on luggage, as any checked-in bags will go all the way to the flight's final destination. Skiplagged also allows you to book hotels, including last-minute deals and special offers.

Best Android health and fitness apps

Need a good workout companion? Or are you more interested in tracking your health? Your Android phone can do either, provided you download the right app. And if you're particularly interested in staying fit, we've found even more of the best workout apps and best running apps for mobile devices.

FitNotes (Free)

(Image credit: James Gay)

If you're looking for a workout log, FitNotes (opens in new tab) is the best there is. Whether you're into bodybuilding, powerlifting, or just weightlifting in general, this app ought to be your constant companion. It can track reps and weights (with exercises split by muscle group), which is its main goal. You can also add exercises, jot down your cardio stats, see a calendar view of what you've done for the month, and get progress reports. It's simply awesome what FitNotes can do for your gym life. Sure, the design is a bit ancient at this point, but it gets the job done. The app stays out of your way so that you can focus on your workout.

Fabulous (Free)

(Image credit: TheFabulous)

While there are a lot of exercise trackers and personal fitness apps out there, few focus on holistic body and mind improvement. Enter Fabulous (opens in new tab), a self-improvement app aimed at upgrading mind and body to help make you feel... well... fabulous. Based on scientific principles and incubated in Duke's Behavioral Economics Lab, Fabulous starts you out with simple goals like trying to lose weight, get better sleep, or improve your concentration; the app helps with simple exercises, scheduled notifications and activities, and other coaching tools designed to build healthy habits for body and mind.

Sleep as Android (Free)

(Image credit: Urbandroid)

If you want a better sense of how youre sleeping at night, Sleep As Android (opens in new tab) takes a science-based approach to sleep tracking. The app can work with the sensors on your Android device and even with other wearables to monitor the quality of your sleep, finding the optimal time to wake you up in the morning. Integrations with other apps let you control supported smart light bulbs or incorporate captchas or music from Spotify into your morning alarms.

The app is free to download, but after a two-week trial, youll need to pay up for the full version.

Woebot (Free)

(Image credit: Woebot Labs)

It's good to talk to somebody every now and again, even if that someone is a bot. Woebot (opens in new tab) aims to help you exercise some self-care using techniques that draw on cognitive behavioral therapy. While it's no substitute for a real-live therapist, Woebot offers tools and reassurance for those times when you're feeling anxious or down, helping you to develop the skills to take care of your mental health. The app shines with daily mood augmented by regular check-ins so it can spot patterns that might escape the attention of other people  even you. And the app makers promise that whatever you share with Woebot stays with Woebot.

Clue Period Tracker (Free)

(Image credit: Clue Period Tracker by BioWink)

Clue Period Tracker (opens in new tab) is a useful mobile addition to the tech-savvy woman's reproductive health toolkit. The app serves as an all-in-one period tracker, allowing you to record period dates, flow heaviness, and menstrual products used; you also can log other factors such as sexual activity, birth control use, cervical fluid, and more.

With that info, the app provides in-depth info about the menstrual cycle, complete with references. Clue also includes a learning algorithm that can help predict your period cycles, PMS, and related fertility data. To make the most out of that feature, though, you'll need to subscribe to Clue's premium tier, starting at $0.99 per month.

Best Android entertainment apps

Find great shows to stream, podcasts to listen to and things to read with the help of these Android apps.

Libby (Free)

(Image credit: OverDrive)

Your Android phone is a fine device for reading ebooks and listening to audiobooks, and if you know where to go, you don't even need to pay a cent to do so. Libby (opens in new tab) works with your local library to provide a digital media management platform for borrowing and returning ebooks and audiobooks. Just sign in and connect your library card. After that, you can browse your local library's digital offerings. Libby lets you use multiple library cards, sample books, download or stream content, tag titles, and sync data across devices.

Pocket Casts (Free)

(Image credit: Podcast Media)

The Play Store contains a lot of podcast apps, but the best one by far is Pocket Casts (opens in new tab). A long-time player in this game, Pocket Casts has helped get people into podcasts over the course of its lifespan. It sports an attractive design, tons of ways to listen, several playback options, cloud syncing, auto-download, and much more.

To get all of the features, however, including the use of desktop apps, you'll need to be a Pocket Casts Plus member, which costs $0.99/month or $9.99/year. If you're hooked on podcasts, this app is for you.

Podcast Addict (Free)

(Image credit: Xavier Guillemane)

Android isn't exactly hurting for good podcast managers , but when it comes excellent free options, Xavier Guillemane's Podcast Addict (opens in new tab) is a great choice. It covers the basics with automatic episode updates and downloads, as well as automatic deletion features to save space, variable speed playback, silence skip, volume boosting, a sleep timer and other neat features.

A podcast search tool allows you to quickly find individual episodes or search through a variety of databases for new podcasts and trending shows. In addition, the app also supports video podcasts, YouTube channels, audiobooks, streaming radio and other media sources.

JustWatch (Free)

(Image credit: JustWatch)

Finding an online TV show or movie to stream used to be simple: go to Netflix for almost everything. But as streaming market becomes more competitive and producers and networks scramble for exclusives to make their own streaming service stand out, it can be a pain keeping track of where to go to watch a particular show or movie series.

Enter JustWatch (opens in new tab), a service that keeps track of the latest offerings from 37 different streaming services, showing you where and when to watch a particular TV show, covering big names like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime Video. You can search for a particular series or browse through what's new. The app also offers latest movie trailers and showtimes, complete with one-click Fandango bookings for your local cineplex.

Best Android music apps

There's life beyond the now dead Google Play Music. Check out the top Android music apps to add a little melody to your Android phone.

Poweramp ($3.99)

(Image credit: Max MP)

Turn to Poweramp (opens in new tab) if you need an Android music player that can support a wide variety of audio formats, while also offering premium features like a 10-band graphic equalizer and support lyrics. The app also includes a tag editor, fast library searching, home and lock screen widgets. You can try out Poweramp for free for 15 days, but it will take $3.99 to upgrade to the full version. It's well worth price for music lovers.

IDAGIO ($9.99 per month)

(Image credit: Idagio)

IDAGIO (opens in new tab) taps into an overlooked market  high-quality classical music streaming. IDAGIO subscriptions cost $9.99 per month, allowing users to stream lossless FLAC audio of new, exclusive and rare recordings of concerts and opera performances, all searchable by composer, soloist, ensemble or orchestra so that you can easily track down and compare recordings and performances. Users can check out curated playlists or create their own, and they can stream music through Chromecast or Sonos, as well as download music for offline play.

Best Android photo and art apps

A good Android camera app can give you more control over the pictures you take or add terrific effects to what you've already shot. And the art apps available at Google Play can unleash your creative side.

Pixtica (Free)

(Image credit: Perraco Labs)

For a feature-packed alternative to the built-in camera app on your Android phone, try Pixtica (opens in new tab). You'll find many shooting features and camera controls in a single package. You can fine tune details like ISO, shutter speed and focus using Pixtica's manual camera controls, and you'll also be able to access extras such as live filters with real-time previews, panorama and hyperlapse modes.

You can use the app for free if you don't mind ads, but signing up for a Pixtica subscription gets rid of those ads and unlocks all filters and photo resolutions, removes watermarks on live filters and GIFs and lets you record as much video as you want.

Glitch Lab (Free)

(Image credit: Ilixa)

Plenty of apps in Google Play promise to add digital glitch effects to your photos. But few do it as thoroughly and simply as Glitch Lab (opens in new tab)\. You'll find more than 100 effects in the app organized into categories such as color, streaking and retro. The app support infinite undos and redos and you can even save images to reuse as masks.

Unlock the pro version via a $6.49 in-app purchase and you get even more effects, plus valuable features including higher resolutions and lossless file saving.

Canva (Free)

(Image credit: Canva)

Whether you're creating a holiday card or a stirring Instagram story, Canva (opens in new tab) can help you produce something memorable. The design and video editing app can create just about everything from social media posts to invitations, logos and photo collages.

You can start building your creation from scratch or turn to one of Canva's many free templates, and the app has a library of photos and illustrations for your use, assuming you don't want to turn to your own images. When you're done editing images and adding text, you can share your finished work, either via email, WhatsApp or Instagram.

Best Android social media apps

You probably know about Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram, but there are other Android-compatible social apps that are well worth your time.

Slowly (Free)

(Image credit: Slowly Communications)

The old-fashioned pen-pal gets a modern take with Slowly (opens in new tab), a social app that's intended for a slower, more deliberate messaging experience that might otherwise get lost in our modern age of instant gratification. Users set up a simple profile with an avatar, location and a list of interests; Slowly will then match you with users with similar interests.

Unlike traditional messaging apps, Slowly adds a time delay element to your messages, encouraging longer-form writing at a more weighty, deliberate pace. In addition, the app has a stamp collection feature, with each message coming with stamps based on the sender's location, as well as special seasonal stamps or premium ones available as in-app purchases. You can also share a limited number of photos per day if your pen friend has agreed to receive them.

Signal (Free)

(Image credit: Signal Foundation)

Open Whisper Systems' Signal (opens in new tab) is a fantastic messaging solution for security conscious mobile users. It is an all-in-one messaging and voice call solution that uses end-to-end military grade encryption. You can send text, voice, group messages, media and attachments. Ease of use and strong, open source, audited encryption makes it a favorite of the security conscious, with accolades from the likes of Edward Snowden and other privacy advocates. It's one of the many top encrypted messaging apps we've looked at for mobile devices.

Unfold (Free)

(Image credit: Unfold Creative)

Unfold (opens in new tab) is a clean and easy to use creative tool that focuses on creating slick and polished Instagram Stories-ready presentations, with an arsenal of sleek and elegant templates that you can apply to your photos. It's a no-guff approach that focuses on the simple and stylish, eschewing the wacky for the elegant, with 25 free templates and 5 fonts, applicable on photo and video presentations, with more available as in-app purchases.
Tash Sultana has been attracting serious buzz in recent months thanks to a dynamite combination of talent, charisma, and a rapidly expanding profile on social media, which recently saw her accrue a million hits on one of her videos.

The triple j Unearthed feature artist recently wrapped a huge, completely sold-out national tour and now shes ready to do it all over again, announcing an extensive trek around the country and overseas, hitting up Berlin, London, and Amsterdam.

Tash also recently signed with Tom Windish (Alt J, Lorde, The XX) Jackie Nalpant & Aaron Pinkus at Paradigm/Windish Agency for North America as well as Paul Boswell (The National, Fat Freddys Drop) at Free Trade Agency for UK/Europe bookings.

With all of this success and US dates on the horizon for early 2017, theres no stopping Tash Sultana right now. Her new single, Notion, will premiere later this week before it drops independently worldwide 17th June.

Tickets are selling fast via www.tashsultana.com.

(Photo Credit: Greg Holland)

Tash Sultana National Tour Dates

Monday, 12th September 2016

Badehaus, Berlin

Thursday, 15th September 2016

The Borderline, London

Saturday, 17th September 2016

7 Layers Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sunday, 18th September 2016

Rotown, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Thursday, 22nd September 2016

The Northern, Byron Bay

Friday, 23rd September 2016

Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane

Friday, 30th September 2016

The Corner Hotel, Melbourne

Thursday, 6th October 2016

Mojos, Fremantle

Friday, 7th October 2016

Settlers Tavern, Margaret River

Thursday, 13th October 2016

Bahas Tacos, Rye

Friday, 14th October 2016

Torquay Hotel, Torquay

Saturday, 15th October 2016

Uni Bar, Adelaide

Thursday, 20th October 2016

Newtown Social Club, Sydney

Thursday, 27th October 2016

Sooki Lounge, Belgrave

Friday, 11th November 2016

Kings Arms, Auckland
"Thank you to Mayor Sly James and the policiticans who filibustered hateful legislation in the Missouri Senate. Our #COMMUNITY supports your fight for our right to be who we are. #gay #pride #kansascity"

Kansas City's Mayor was looking a bit trimmer this weekend when he made a visit toHere's a message that organizers shared:Like it or not, whilst the Mayor has many detractors . . . This appreciation for diverse communities demonstrates his skill as a politico who is reaching further to maintain his popularity that's waning a bit in his second term.You decide . . .
AMID RECENT NEWS THAT EASTERN JACK POWER PLAYER VICTOR CALLAHAN WROTE MO HOUSE REP. JOHN RIZZO A $10K CHECK FOR HIS STATE SENATE CAMPAIGN . . . KANSAS CITY INSIDERS CONTEND THAT THIS CASH ENDORSEMENT PRETTY MUCH DECIDES THE CONTEST!!!

- Remember that Mr. Callahan was the guy who kicked the KCPS out of Independence and for that his constituents will be forever grateful and now have hope for a brighter future and fully accredited schools. Like it or not, Mr. Callahan's financial support turns heads among the political denizens in this part of Missouri.

- Mr. Callahan has $500K in his campaign war chest and this cash support could not only signal more to come but also offers a cue to fellow Democrats about where to put their bets.

- The other side is spending all their money on noob campaign consultants while Mr. Callahan's cash support usually comes with some important advice and power player phone calls that put the party faithful into line.

"This is a big deal in this race and shows everyone where influential Democrats come down. This signals a lot of different things but mostly that the leading Democrats have made up their mind and would rather have somebody who has legislative experience..."

One of the most skilled politicos in the Greater Kansas City area has just weighed in with a timely donation amid a heated Democratic Party primary contest.To wit . . .Why???Thebut didn't really put it in context . ..Money quote from Kansas City Insiders in support ofHowever, there's still a lot of Summer campaigning left to do . . .But what this cash move shows us is that MO House Rep. Rizzo has solid support from unions and power players while his Democratic Party challenger is only pushed forward by the likes of JaxCo Legislator Crystal Williams and a few bored and embittered Midtown Kansas City women who think they can tweet their slate of candidates and Hillary Clinton into power.You decide . . .
Henry Ferri, a former soldier in an amphibious special combat brigade in the United States Army, was one of those first brave, yet terrified souls storming Normandy Beach on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944.

To this day, I dont know why Im alive, the Hampden Township native said Monday on the 72nd anniversary of the invasion.

Ferri recalled being in the initial assault wave as a combat engineer attached to the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division on Omaha Beach  one of the five code-named beaches in Normandy  during a presentation Monday morning at the Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory in Carlisle. His tale was part of the Veterans Cafe event, which is co-sponsored by the Army Heritage Center Foundation.

In addition to learning about Ferris experiences, those in attendance discussed their own perspectives on D-Day.

Its difficult for Ferri to speak about what happened those years ago, and he said he tries not to think about them. However, the experience gave him a new appreciation for life, and thats why hes now willing to share his story.

Thats what were trying to do with the Veterans Cafe, create a forum where they can share their stories, said Jeff Hawks, education director of the Army Heritage Center Foundation. That takes a lot of courage. Not just to do what he did, but to talk about it afterward.

Were privileged to have folks like him among us, he added.

Last year Ferri talked to students at Cumberland Valley High School about storming the beach for the first time, but broke down in tears. He said he rarely even discussed those events with his family.

On Monday though, he took a slightly more detached approach when speaking to those at the Veterans Cafe by reading a prepared speech about his experience instead of relaying his memories to listeners on such a personal level as he described what he went through on D-Day.

Our job as to go in and take over the beach to make it inhabitable for other soldiers; take out mines, things like that, he said. All the people in front got killed and I happened to be in the back. That saved me. We were neutralized.

We had to make a decision to either get rid of all our equipment and swim in, of course youre about 400 yards out and the water is freezing, so either way youre going to die, he said.

Machine gun turrets on the beach were killing everything, but Ferri and fellow survivors who escaped the gunfire and the mine explosion that wrecked his landing craft were picked up by another craft and those men eventually made it to the beach and neutralized the machine guns, allowing more soldiers to reach Omaha Beach.

Hearing the story from somebody who was there brings it home in a way that reading about it in a book cant, Hawks said. And Henry is speaking for a lot of guys who cant speak for themselves, either because they didnt survive the day or its been too painful to talk about.
Saudi Arabia's central bank has told banks it is banning the use of options and other derivatives to speculate against the riyal, in a new effort to reduce pressure on its currency peg, a senior executive at a Saudi bank told Reuters on Sunday.



The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency "wants to make sure that there is no snowball effect against the riyal in the forwards markets", the executive said, declining to be named because of commercial sensitivities.



"So now banks in the country are banned from accepting any options against the riyal." Non-speculative trade in the riyal forwards market is not forbidden, the executive added.



The central bank did not respond to a telephone call to its headquarters seeking comment.



Its order is a renewed attempt to prevent low oil prices, which have saddled Saudi Arabia with big state budget and external deficits, from pressuring the riyal's three-decade-old peg of 3.75 to the U.S. dollar.



In January, commercial bankers in Saudi Arabia said the central bank had contacted them privately and urged them not to conduct derivatives trades against the riyal. The central bank has also been asking banks for information on their trades.



Since January, the riyal has rebounded in the onshore forwards market. But it has remained near multi-year lows in the offshore forwards market, which is not under the direct control of the central bank, and the cost of insuring Saudi sovereign debt against default has stayed high.



On Monday, the government is expected to announce details of a reform plan designed to reduce the economy's reliance on oil.



A general announcement of the plan's goals in April won praise from foreign economists for its ambition, but was also criticised for lacking detail, which made it difficult to gauge whether the plan was feasible.-Reuters
Saudi Arabia's National Transformation Plan, a pivotal element of the "Vision 2030" reforms announced in April by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will be put before the cabinet for approval on Monday, a senior Saudi source told Reuters.



The plan is expected to flesh out sector-by-sector details of the implementation of Prince Mohammed's programme, which is intended to restructure the kingdom's entire economy and make it less dependent on oil revenue.



"The Council of Economic and Development Affairs has approved the final draft of the National Transformation Plan, which is one of the plans adopted and part of the 2030 vision, which was launched and adopted by the Saudi deputy crown prince, president of CEDA," the source said.



Prince Mohammed was given a central role in decision making after his father, King Salman, became monarch early last year, taking charge of CEDA, a new supercommittee of top ministers charged with overseeing reforms.



Saudi Arabia finances now depend on oil revenue and its economic performance closely tracks government spending. But energy prices have plummeted since mid-2014, causing steep declines in income and putting growth at risk.



HIGH PROFILE



The wider reforms are expected to include subsidy cuts, tax rises, sales of state assets, a government efficiency drive and efforts to spur private sector investment. Last month the International Monetary Fund said the plans were "appropriately bold and far reaching".



Details of the plan, a programme of wide-ranging economic reforms, will be disclosed in daily news conferences with government ministers starting Monday evening, the senior source said.



Other parts of the Vision 2030, including a partial privatisation of state oil giant Saudi Aramco and transformation of the government's Public Investment Fund into one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds, have yet to be approved.



The emphasis placed on the plan by Prince Mohammed is evident in the high-profile nature of its launch, with senior ministers expected to deliver rare briefings on how their departments will implement the programme.



The timing is also significant because Monday is the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, when business and government activity in the conservative Islamic kingdom have historically slowed down. Launching the plan despite the start of the holiday signals a more energetic approach.



Riyadh has been cutting spending and trying to raise fresh revenues as it grapples with its budget deficit, which totalled $98 billion in 2015.



The IMF predicted the deficit would stay very large this year, at about 14 percent of gross domestic product compared to 16 per cent last year.  Reuters
Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has agreed to buy Asia Square Tower 1, a 43-storey office building in Singapore, from Blackrock for a record S$3.4 billion ($2.5 billion) in what the US firm said was the largest-ever single-tower real estate deal in the Asia-Pacific region.



Asia Square Tower 1, located in the city-state's financial district, has over 1.25 million sq ft of net lettable area and has Citigroup as its anchor tenant, BlackRock and Qatar Investment Authority said in a joint statement.



BlackRock was advised by real estate consultant firms JLL and CBRE.



"Following this flagship transaction, we expect there will be increasing investor interest in Singapore prime office stock in the coming months," Greg Hyland, head of capital markets Singapore at JLL, said in a separate statement.



The sale comes as vacancy rates in Singapore's office property sector are nearing their highest level in almost a decade, with the supply of commercial space set to increase amid slowing economic growth.



Developers are set to add 4 million sq ft of office space in Singapore this year and another 1.4 million next year, said Nicholas Mak, executive director at SLP International Property Consultants.



BlackRock also owns a second tower in the Asia Square development.  Reuters
Poland-based Krynica Vitamin, a leading producer of beverages, is seeking a local partner to produce its products in Iran, a senior company official said in a report.



The company has recognised the huge potential of the Iranian market and is looking for local partners to invest in the production of non-alcoholic drinks, Barotosz Kazouski, export manager, Krynica Vitamin, was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily News report.



Pointing to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's visit to Poland, he added that after the removal of anti-Iran sanctions, Tehran-Warsaw relations have entered a new phase.



Kazouski noted that the two countries are determined to expand cooperation in the economic and political fields.


The third edition of the Global PR Summit, considered the worlds fastest growing business event in PR and corporate communications, concluded yesterday (June 5) in Bahrain marking a great success.



The PR extravaganza featured regional and international PR gurus from world renowned brands such as Google, Ericsson, Mepra, GE, MasterCard and Socialyze.



The PR Summit addressed the latest trends and challenges in todays fast changing PR world with a special focus on reputation management in a social media era. The event welcomed keynote presentation on the Art of Apology by Mary Jo Jacobi, former chief communications officer at BP America, Royal Dutch Shell, HSBC and Lehman Brothers and Patrick Jephson, former chief of staff to the late Princess Diana.



Other top notch speakers included Joyce Baz from Google, Simon Jenkins from Socialyze, Jumanah Anter from MasterCard, Hussein Dajani from Hug Digital and Fida Kibbi from Ericsson. The Global PR Summit 3 also included a special interactive panel on working with connected celebrities with Sarah Walker from the Ritz Carlton and social media influencers Talal Al Rashed from Kuwait and Sheikha Dana Al Khalifa from Bahrain.



The calibre of speakers and insightful interactive discussions offered attendees the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of todays ever changing PR trends and provided a natural support structure to help stretch the PR knowledge beyond limits.



The Global PR Summit has annual editions in 18 different countries and the 2016 calendar includes Bahrain, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, India, and Myanmar.



The third edition of the Global PR Summit was organized by P World with Traccs as the events exclusive partner and Ritz Carlton as a Gold Sponsor. The event was supported by Mepra, the Bahraini PR Association, Bahraini Social Media Club and Eye of Riyadh.  TradeArabia News Service
Japanese investigators raided Suzuki Motor Corp's headquarters last week as they probed the minicar maker's use of improper fuel economy tests, an official said.



Investigators were looking for confirmation of Suzuki's claims that it had used data compiled from indoor tests performed on individual parts, rather than vehicle coasting tests, the transport ministry official said.



It was the second such raid by the transport ministry on a Japanese automaker after Mitsubishi Motors Corp in April, as the government cracks down on manufacturers over the mileage testing scandal.



Mitsubishi's admission that it had misrepresented its fuel economy readings led to its takeover by Nissan Motor Co Ltd and the resignation of its president last month.



Suzuki's improper tests involved 14 branded models and 12 models sold under other brands.



Japan's No. 4 automaker by sales has said it lacked the resources after the 2008 global financial crisis to meet regulatory testing standards. It also cited increased pressure to develop models and engines in the late 2000s.  Reuters


Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall and leisure pioneer across Mena, has launched its 10th annual Make a Difference Ramadan Campaign, encouraging local communities to donate a selection of items to help families in need.

During Ramadan, Majid Al Futtaim will place special donation boxes in convenient locations in all of its destinations across Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, and the UAE, encouraging visitors to donate everyday essentials including books, clothes, foods, toys and electronics.



Alain Bejjani, chief executive officer, Majid Al Futtaim  Holding said: In line with our vision to Create Great Moments for Everyone, Everyday, the Make a Difference Ramadan Campaign brings us together with local communities to support those in need during the holy month.



For ten years, we have seen the campaign help capture the true spirit of Ramadan amongst communities, and motivate individuals and families to make a difference by helping those less fortunate. The campaign continues to be one of our most successful annual charity activations and we hope to increase donations once again this year.



Across the region, Majid Al Futtaim partners with charitable organisations such as the Islamic Association in Bahrain, Life Makers in Egypt, Bassma in Lebanon, Dar Al-Atta in Oman, and Red Crescent in the UAE, ensuring timely and appropriate distribution of all donated goods through their humanitarian network during Ramadan. Last year, the company collected more than 36 tonnes of donated items, which were distributed to families in need across the region through its humanitarian aid partners.



We have been a proud partner of Majid Al Futtaims Make A Difference campaign for the past ten consecutive years. It is a truly inspiring initiative that captures the Ramadan spirit of giving and compassion and we hope that this year will see the highest number of donations to date, said Mohammed Abdullah Alhaj Al Zaroni, manager, Red Crescent UAE.



Starting on the first day of Ramadan and continuing into Eid, the Make a Difference Ramadan Campaign will provide easily accessible donation points at Majid Al Futtaim assets across the region, including Mall of the Emirates and City Centre malls. Collection points can also be found in participating Carrefour, Magic Planet, Ski Dubai and VOX Cinemas.



Customers may also make donations through Najm, Majid Al Futtaims Visa credit card, a statement said.  TradeArabia News Service


Qatar Airways has announced plans to fly direct to Las Vegas from Doha, said a report citing a spokesperson.



According to a report in Doha News, a specific date has not been announced yet.



Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker first mentioned the notion of a Las Vegas route this week at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting in Dublin, the report said.



Currently, no Gulf carrier flies directly to Las Vegas.



The news comes as Qatar Airways just launched its 10th route into the US, direct from Doha to Atlanta, Georgia, it said.
US hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group has signed its first hotel in the Middle East with Qatar-based Al Alfia Holding to develop a Dream Hotel in Doha, the state capital.

The deal was signed by Dream Hotel Group CEO Jay Stein, Sheikh Sultan from Al Alfia Holding and Sant Singh Chatwal, chairman, Dream Hotel Group.



To cap off a letterhead day, Dream Hotel Group took the opportunity to announce $1.5 billion in new hotel development, including Doha and five other locations, all with independent hotel development partners. Future US locations include Nashville, Dallas, Palm Springs, and two additional New York properties in Times Square and Long Island City.



"We are thrilled that the Dream brand of hospitality, marked by vibrant nightlife and dining opportunities, has resonated so widely," said Stein. "These six new developments double the footprint of our founding brand and give our loyal guests many more options to explore the other side of themselves."



The new locations mark a thrilling new chapter for Dream Hotels, the group's founding luxury lifestyle brandpositioning them as international hospitality innovators. The Dream Hotels brand is on track to have five hotels operating in renowned US cities by early 2019, with an additional opening in Doha, Qatar, Dream Hotels' first foray into the Middle East.



"We'll be announcing additional properties in the coming months, continuing to solidify our burgeoning portfolio," added Stein. "The expansion stands as testimony to the passion that the Dream team shows me every day in bringing rich experiences to our guests."



"We always believed in the Dream brand, but it's exciting to see so many of our development partners believing in the same dream and turning it into a reality," noted David Kuperberg, chief development officer, Dream Hotel Group.



Dream Doha will open in late 2019. The ambitious 325-room property, featuring nine dining and nightlife venues, is the first Middle Eastern development for the brand and a pivotal step in the expansion strategy. Joining Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa and Dream Bangkok in Thailand, Dream Doha marks the third international property for the group. - TradeArabia News Service
The international travel spotlight is well and truly on the Solomon Islands



(TRAVPR.COM) SOLOMON ISLANDS - June 5th, 2016 - Honiara, Solomon Islands  The Solomon Islands tourism industry has enjoyed one of its best ever starts to a year with combined international visitor arrivals for the two month period January and February 2016 increasing by more than 23 per cent.

Official Solomon Islands government statistics released this week show 3,362 international visitor arrivals for the period reached 3,362, a 23.4 per cent increase over the 2,724 total achieved for the same period in 2015.

Double digit growth was achieved in all the destinations top four source markets  Australia, the US, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

Australian visitation - up again by 23.9 per cent from 1,090 to 1,351  represented 40.1 per cent of total arrivals.

US arrivals however constituted the biggest increase for the period with the 275 figure recorded in 2016 marking a 41 per cent increase over the 195 total achieved in 2015.

Papua New Guinea visitor arrivals grew by 12.4 per cent from 169 to 240 while New Zealand figures too rose by 10.6 per cent from 169 to 187.

Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau CEO, Josefa Jo Tuamoto said the national tourism office was heavily focused on taking the message as far and wide as possible in 2016.

A hands-on Tuamoto has personally led a tourism mission to Papua New Guinea and attended SIVB road shows in Australia while marketing manager, Freda Unusi and senior marketing officers have participated at several key tourism EXPOs and travel industry events taking place in New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and Korea in recent months.

Theres no doubt about it, this is a fantastic start to 2016 and the efforts we have gone to across 2015 and in 2106, hand in hand with our industry partners, and our adherence to a highly strategic, long range marketing plan are beginning to pay dividends, Mr Tuamoto said.

This year while we will continue to maintain strong profile in our key source markets we are also taking the message further afield with plans to raise profile in Asia, the United Kingdom and Europe.

The NTOs long range strategy includes the recent appointment of a Germany-based representative to assist with UK and continental Europe promotional activity with strong focus on promoting the destinations niche tourism offerings and in particular diving, culture and bird watching.

US activity too has been bolstered with the appointment of a PR/marketing company which is already proactively planning visits by senior US travel writers and representing the NTO at several key dive-oriented events.

The US representative is also expected to play a key role in drawing further attention to next years significant 75th anniversary of the Guadalcanal campaign and the related connection with US president, John F.Kennedy who fought in the Solomon Islands during WWII.

###
Airline commits to provide vital air link with strong tourism potential



(TRAVPR.COM) SOLOMON ISLANDS - June 5th, 2016 - Honiara, Solomon Islands  Further spreading the benefits of international tourism across the Solomon Islands and providing a vital air link for the people of Malaita Province, Solomon Airlines has resumed flights into the provincial capital of Auki.

The national carrier has commenced operation of three weekly services ex-Honiara on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using a combination of its Twin Otter and Islander aircraft on the route.

Announcing the news, General Manager Operations & Commercial, Gus Kraus acknowledged the efforts the Solomon Islands government, the Malaita Provincial Government and local landowners have gone to in ensuring the return of what he described as a much needed air service between Honiara and Auki.

We also see this as a huge opportunity to open up the province to the benefits of tourism so it goes without saying we are very excited with this long-awaited development, Mr Kraus said.

Mr Kraus said he was hopeful the airline would be able to employ its Dash 8 aircraft on the route in the not too distant future.

More work is required on the runway before we can start flying the Dash 8 into Auki, he said.

But we are hopeful following recent discussions with the Malaita Provincial Government, we will see this further opportunity bearing fruit in the near future.

Solomon Airlines CEO, Captain Ron Sumsum and marketing manager, Colin Sigimanu flew into Auki on the airlines first service this week where it was met by the Premier of Malaita Province, the Hon. Peter Chanel Ramohia who officiated at a formal event welcoming the resumption of air services.

Malaita constitutes one of the largest of the Solomon Islands nine provinces. Its capital city, Auki, has a population of close on 9000 people.

The province is known as a cultural jewel, famed for its traditional production of the highly prized Shell Money which still exists as an alternative form of currency and plays a key role in traditional wedding dowry payments.

The Malaitan people are also known for their Pan Pipe orchestras and their ability to call sharks.

Flights between Honiara and Auki take just 30 minutes.

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Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in partnership with the national carrier SriLankan Airlines are gearing up for the up-coming Travel Bloggers Conference on June 7th at Cinnamon Grand in Colombo. The success of the first conference in 2014 has paved the way for an even bigger experience this year as the conference is set to be coupled with the Cinnamon Travel Blogger Awards. The gala awards night will be the first of its kind recognizing the worlds leading travel bloggers for their invaluable contribution to the world of travel.



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - June 6th, 2016 -

Nearly 1000 submissions were received by the judging panel consisting of Jens Thraenhart Founder of Digital Innovation Asia (DIA); Mario Hardy - Chief Executive Officer at Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA); Jan Tissera  President of TravelClick International; Sally Davey Founder of Tripbod.com; Debbie Hindle  Managing Director of Four Travel and Dileep Mudadeniya  Head of Brand Marketing at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, who shortlisted 30 finalists for the 10 categories being awarded. 10 of the nominees will go on to be awarded in the categories of Travel Blog of the Year, Best Up-coming Travel Blogger, Best Travel Writing Blog, Best Travel Photography Blog, Best Travel Video Blog, Best Food Blog, Best Luxury Travel Blog, Best Airline Blog, Best Optimization of Social Media and Best Responsible Tourism Blog.

The gala awards night will not only see the 10 winners pick up their awards; the contemporary Sri Lankan themed event scheduled to be held on the night of the conference promises to bring together a selection inspiring fusion performances and gourmet cuisine for an unforgettable night. This international awards ceremony will be the first of its kind not only for the global blogging community but for Sri Lanka as well. As such Hon. Minister John Amaratunga, Minister for Tourism Development will also be addressing the audience at the event.

As participation is limited, hospitality and tourism industry participants are encouraged to reserve tickets for this exclusive event that will provide additional opportunities to network with popular travel bloggers and key industry leaders from the region. Tickets are priced at Rs. 10,000 and can be reserved by calling +94 719760568 or emailing tbcasia@cinnamonhotels.com

Cinnamon TBC Asia is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in association with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) and the national carrier SriLankan airlines, and is also supported by Sri Lanka Tourism, Four Communications, Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Market Development Facility (MDF), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), Wijeya Newspapers, E FM, Travel Click International, Uptown Kandy, Reap Digital, C Visit and PATA.

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Italy Visa agency, a subsidiary of Ryna Tours, recently started operations in Dubai for providing Italy visa to travelers interested in traveling to the amazing land of Italy.



(TRAVPR.COM) DUBAI - June 6th, 2016 - The Schengen visa applications can now be done at this comprehensive center that will aid visa applicants throughout the process.

Obtaining Italy visit visa or Italy business visa is now made easy with the complete and comprehensive services rendered by Italy Visa Agency. The agency has launched their website and has facilitated applications from people in Dubai. Visa aspirants can visit the website and fill their details online to receive complete guidance and support for their Italy tourist visa process.

Based in Meena Bazar, a location that is easily accessible, Italy Visa Agency has ensured that along with online applications, people have the provision of visiting its office easily for in-person guidance. The experienced staffs at this agency have a thorough understanding of the entire Italy visa application process and hence can ensure that your visa applications are successfully handled. Applicants can be rest assured that their visa process will be in hands of experts from the industry and feel relaxed after meeting the executives at the agency.

With years of experience of its parent organization; Ryna Tours, that has been in the industry for years and serves clients in their travel needs all across the world, Italy visa applicants in Dubai can now find an easy resource for their visa application needs.

Moreover, Schengen visa applicants can find loads of information about Italy and what they can do in this amazing destination at the website of Italy Visa Agency. The agency has maintained a blog to provide information about Italy to patrons. So along with being an able source to ensure that you get your Italy visa on time, the agency has also ensured that travel aspirants are provided complete guidance regarding this destination so that their tour is further eased.

When quizzed about how the agency intends to serve clients across Dubai, a representative quoted that We believe in providing end-to-end solutions to our esteemed clients and hence, our processes are aimed at performing functions that usually travel agencies do not engage in. We have always aimed to excel in everything we do and hence, along with the Italy tourist visa or Italy business visa process, we also guide clients about their itineraries. This inclusive service model allows us to better serve our customers.

So Italy visa in Dubai applicants can now have an agency that cares. Along with the documentation process, filling of forms to return of passports and visas; applicants have a source that will perfectly manage their visa process; and that too right here in Dubai.

About Italy Visa Agency

A subsidiary of Ryna Tours; a pioneer of comprehensive tourism activities across the globe, Italy Visa Agency has been initiated as a one-stop source for all requirements related to Italy visa and Italy tourism.

You can get in touch with this agency by calling on +971 4 2247449 / +971 503698546 or visit the website to know more.

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There are two ways to tell the tale of the Central States Pension Fund.

Theres the numbers story: an actuarial tale of how a pension fund that was supposed to cover the retirement years for nearly half a million Teamsters wound up headed for insolvency.

And then theres the human tragedy: aging workers fearful that pensions they earned through decades of labor are gone.

Either way, this is the ultimate in a bureaucratic kicking the can down the road.

Nearly a month has passed since the U.S. Treasury Department said no to a rescue plan to shore up the finances of the failing Central States Pension Fund, which covers some 400,000 participants. The idea was that by cutting benefits for some retirees now, some up to 60 percent, the fund could stave off insolvency. The shorted checks were to start in July. But Treasury said no deal, arguing that the plan didnt meet regulations, and the cuts were scrapped.

It was cause for a momentary sigh of relief for the retirees, who had filled auditoriums in cities nationwide to plead their case with federal officials.

But the Central States Fund is still predicted to be insolvent within 10 years. And the fund is the canary in the mineshaft for similar multi-employer pension funds also at risk.

In late May, the overseer of the pension fund pretty much threw up his hands and said Congress needed to save the retirees, floating the idea of a bailout. It was explained that too much time has passed, and the trustees, actuaries and lawyers cant figure it a new way to save the fund from insolvency that would satisfy government regulations.

Therefore, there will be no new rescue plan, was the wording on the one-page announcement by the executive director of the Central States Pension Fund.

For the 400,000 people whose pensions are managed by the fund, many of them already aging and ailing, there will be no escaping the devastating effects of this decision to do nothing.

If the fund goes bust, mortgages wont be paid. Prescriptions wont be filled. Utility bills and grocery shopping will be a regular hardship.

In recent weeks, a handful of Democratic senators made pressed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to do something before Congress takes its summer break.

Fat chance.

Unions are involved here, and Republicans like nothing better than showing contempt for unions. Never mind that union corruption in the 1970s is merely where the fund began to unravel. A consent decree involved the courts, Wall Street firms and other trustees into the management of the fund. Congressional decisions affecting the trucking industry through deregulation had a massive impact, as companies that had once paid into the fund went bankrupt.

Congress dealt a huge blow two years ago when it struck down an enshrined American ideal. Money earned for a pension cant be pulled out from under you like a rug once you retire. That promise, once codified in law, was upended by the passage of the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014, which was tucked into a must-pass omnibus bill. President Obama signed it. The new law allowed for the proposed cuts that were to begin in July.

Several bills have been introduced to help repair that damage. One would repeal the 2014 provisions allowing cuts to pension checks. Another tries to control the excessive pay and bonuses given to executives of troubled pension funds, if they issue cuts to retirees. Talks are on-going about closing federal tax loopholes and redirecting some of the money to shore up the multiemployer fund pensions.

Something must be done here, because the risks are great if Central States fails. It could take down the multiemployer arm of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal governments multiemployer pension insurance program. That fund is in trouble too.

Where will this saga end? Heres a prediction.

Nothing will happen until Congress is embarrassed into action. Central States or some other fund teetering on edge will go bust. Media will highlight retirees without their hard-earned pensions. Well find these seniors moving in with their children when they lose their homes, forgoing doctors appointments to save money and embarrassed to be asking for help from local food pantries.

Congress will act when it is desperate enough to stave off the uncomfortable images of gray-haired men with canes suffering because of broken promises. But by then more pension funds will be in trouble and any congressional action might be little more than plugging holes in a sinking boat.

Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Readers may email her at msanchez@kcstar.com.
People from Dubai can rejoice as the application for Canada visit visa has just become easier with the launch of Canada Visa Agency in Dubai.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - June 6th, 2016 - 6th June, 2016, Dubai, UAE  Canada visa agency based in the heart of Dubai city in Meena Bazaar will now accept applications for Canada tourist visa and also Canada business visa via its website and also in person at its center.

Aspirants of Canada visa will be amazed at the ease of process involved in applying for a visa when they opt for the services of Canada Visa Agency which is a subsidiary of the well-known and reputed Ryna Tours that has been serving travel aspirants all across the continents for many years now.

Canada tourism has almost always been a distant dream for people residing elsewhere than the United States as the requirement for eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) meant that the process was made tougher. However, with the presence of Canada Visa Agency, patrons can expect to experience a simplified process and accurate guidance to ensure that their applications are successful and their coveted dream of visiting the wonderful land of Canada becomes a reality.

We are here to serve people from Dubai and for that we have made sure that we have employees that are seasoned in the trade. Our visa executives know the process of Canada tourist visa inside out and are hence capable of handling all kind of documentation and needs that visa aspirants may have. This was quoted by one of the executives of Canada Visa Agency when asked about how the agency plans to make the visa process easy.

Canada visa applicants can also visit the website of Canada Visa Agency and read about relevant and vital information related to the process to increase their knowledge about the same. All information is easily available on the website and it also allows aspirants to fill in their details to receive a call from the expert professionals present at the agency to guide them.

With an experienced travel company like Rayna Tours at the background of operations, Canada Visa Agency can be the right source to approach for all requirements related to Canada visit visa or Canada business visa. Visiting the office of this agency is also not difficult due to its central location. Moreover, applicants can also expect to get guidance related to travel requirements in Canada when then opt for the services of this agency.

So people who expect to obtain a Canada tourist visa in Dubai can now have an agency that looks after the entire process on their behalf. Handling of documentation work and delivery of passports with stamped visa will now become hassle free with Canada Visa Agency.

About Canada Visa Agency

Being a sister concern of a reputed travel company like Rayna Tours, Canada Visa Agency has already ensured that visa aspirants for Canada in Dubai can bank on its services. Easy to find location and an apt process of online application ensures that people can be assured of brisk services and response.

You can call on +971 4 2247449 / +971 503698546 or visit the website of Canada Visa Agency to know more.

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People who intend to get a Malaysia visit visa in Dubai now have a source that can be a perfect avenue for managing even the minutest of details on their behalf to eventually guarantee success in the Malaysia Visa application process.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - June 6th, 2016 - 6th June, 2016, Dubai, UAE 

Malaysia Visa Agency has now been launched to serve people while they apply for their Malaysia tourist visa. Even for people who intend to visit Malaysia for business purpose, availing of Malaysia business visa can be easily achieved via the services of Malaysia Visa Agency.

Though residents or citizens of UAE are not required to fulfill visa requirements while traveling to Malaysia for a period of 90 days, others who expect to travel to this beautiful location will need to obtain a visa. This is where Malaysia Visa Agency can be the right destination you can visit and get your applications processed to eventually travel to Malaysia.

Rayna Tours; a name that does not need introduction in the travel domain is the parent company behind Malaysia Visa Agency. With a reputation of serving loads of travel enthusiasts globally, Ryna Tours has a vast list of satisfied customers who have fulfilled their travel needs. With Malaysia Visa Agency, Ryna Tours has added one more feather to its already rich cap. This full fledge visa application center will now help Malaysia visit visa aspirants to accomplish their dreams of traveling to this amazing land.

When asked about what will be the process to apply for a Malaysia tourist visa via the agency, one representative quoted that Our operations are streamlined and made as easy as possible for aspirants. Our goal behind initiating this agency was very clear; we expect to serve clients to their fullest and hence, we have provided them with both options of either filling their details online, or visiting our centrally located center in Meena Bazaar.

Malaysia Visa Agency has understood the fact that technology if leveraged to its fullest can be a definite boon to ease any process and this is also true in case of applications for Malaysia visa. By officially launching services, the agency has made available a source that not only accepts applications for visa to Malaysia, but also guides aspirants comprehensively. For this, the agency also maintains a blog on its website to provide information related to Malaysia tourism.

So people, who now expect to get a Malaysia visit visa in Dubai, have got a bankable solution to take care of the proceedings. Right from application to receiving passports stamped with their Malaysian visa, Malaysia Visa Agency will handle the process with expertise and ensure that it is successful.

About Malaysia Visa Agency

Malaysia Visa Agency is a subsidiary of Rayna Tours that has been serving travelers across the world to fulfill their travel needs; right from acquiring visas to planning of itineraries and accommodation needs. With the expertise and experience of its parent company to back operations, Malaysia Visa Agency will be a name to recon with for Malaysia visa application needs.

You can know more about the agency by visiting its website or call on +97142247449/ +971503698546 to speak with a visa executive.

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London | Singapore June 2016 The TAS Alliance powered by The Apartment Service, is delighted to confirm that Ascott is the latest serviced residence company to join the growing global membership of The TAS Alliance - now in its third year. Ascott is the world's largest international serviced residence owner-operator with over 28,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The company also has over 17,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 45,000 units in over 290 properties. Its portfolio spans more than 100 cities across 27 countries. Shabina Awan, Director of Partnerships and Alliances for The Apartment Service said: Our partnership with Ascott has increased the number of apartments in the TAS Alliance network by 45,000 apartments in key cities. This enhances our already excellent coverage, especially in extremely important markets where demand is growing. She added: Being a partner of The TAS Alliance allows Ascott to reach out to a wider audience through our network. Addison Goh, Ascotts Vice President, Brand and Marketing said: Ascott has built up our global scale and strong cross selling and marketing network worldwide over 30 years. TAS Alliance offers another channel for us to cater to more potential guests. As a leader in the serviced residence industry, Ascott provides TAS Alliances customers with the comfort of having an established and internationally-recognised operator to take care of their accommodation needs. Mr Goh added: This year, Ascott will be opening more than 4,000 units in almost 20 cities. We will continue to expand our footprint around the world to achieve 80,000 units by 2020 so that more travellers will be able to experience Ascotts award-winning hospitality. Jo Layton, Managing Director - Group Commercial Sales for The Apartment Service added: The TAS Alliance members and partners and the TAS Alliance team at The Apartment Service are excited to welcome Ascott to our family. We believe that this alliance will only strengthen our already longstanding relationship with this key global operator and enhance the accommodation solutions for our clients and our guests. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Ascott team. For press enquiries please contact: Bard Vos  Marketing Manager | marketing@thetasalliance.com Jo Layton  MD Group Commercial Sales | Jo.Layton@thetasalliance.com - end  About the TAS Alliance The approach of serviced apartment unification allows The TAS alliance to join together independent serviced apartment providers under one branded marketing and sales combination in a global network. This will deliver value and distribution awareness to suppliers as well as the guarantee of quality assured, comprehensive, easy to access solutions for buyers internationally. The TAS Alliance acts as a stop source of bookings, extranet facilities, traveller tracking, issue resolution processes, multi-currency billing options, and much more. With access to over 55,000 apartments globally in 160 countries, partners are considered a US operator and a global serviced apartment agent . In the past 30 years, there have been over 55,000 units in every key city accessible through the TAS Alliance. The TAS Alliance offers full solution exposure for buyers looking to enhance and expand their serviced apartment programs. For more information, visit www.thetasalliance.com. About The Ascott Limited The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be the world's largest international serviced residence owner-operator. It has over 28,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, as well as over 17,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 45,000 units in over 290 properties. The company operates three award-winning brands  Ascott, Citadines and Somerset. Its portfolio spans more than 100 cities across 27 countries. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific's first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. In 2006, it established the world's first Pan-Asian serviced residence real estate investment trust, Ascott Residence Trust. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning serviced residence brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Visit www.the-ascott.com for more information and connect with us on social media at www.the-ascott.com/connect.
Abhilasha Kapoor

Amritsar, June 6

Permanent employees of Government Medical College here supported the contractual workers protesting for the past five days by joining them during the protest today. Permanent nurses would also be proceeding on mass casual leave for two days from tomorrow.

The contractual nurses and the ancillary staff union have been protesting to demand regularisation of their services. With around 400 contractual workers at the hospital going on protest, the hospital authorities are already facing a difficulty in providing services to the patients.

With regular employees, too, on leave, it is feared that medical services would be affected greatly. The hospital has till now been using the services of nursing students of various colleges to fill the gap caused by contractual workers. However, with permanent employees too not available, the nursing students would not be able to handle the workload.

The Nurses Association Punjabs president Raj Bedi Anand said, We have already given a notice and would be going on two days mass leave. We would sit with protesting contractual workers. She said contractual employees were working for the past six years, but they were being paid very less.

She said that none of the permanent employees would render their services to the patients and the hospital. Both the day and night work in the hospital would come to a halt due to the protest by the employees in the hospital, said Anand.

Contractual Workers Association leader Sukhjinder Singh said, The responsibility for the trouble which would be faced by the patients is that of the state government because it had failed to fulfil its promise of regularisation of jobs.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Jain today dismissed an appeal of the prosecution in the fake licence case registered against model Noor Kataria by the UT police. She was earlier acquitted by Civil Judge Shilpy Gupta in December 2014. The decision of the lower court has been upheld.

Telecom company officials stated in the court that no driving licence (DL) was attached with the pro forma and the original form had no picture of Noor. The DL was used as a proof to take a mobile phone SIM card. Defence counsel Terminder Singh said the case was false as no licence was recovered from her. The seizure memo, by which the licence was recovered, was not proved. The investigating official did not even record his complete statement and later on did not appear in the court.

Earlier, Noor was granted bail by the court on a bail bond of Rs 25,000. She also surrendered in the court at that time as the court had ordered to start the process of declaring her a proclaimed offender after she did not appear before it. However, she moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against this and the HC granted her bail.

Noor was arrested in the fake licence case on May 23, 2008, during the investigation of the sensational Anuradha murder case. Models alleged relationship with Baljinder Singh Sandhu, alias Talla, was seen as the motive behind the murder of the latters wife, Anuradha.

The fake licence was recovered from a flat in Sector 38. The flat was owned by Talla, where Noor was residing but it could not be established in the court.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 6

Even as the Police Department has initiated the process of checking the credentials of travel agencies that thrive in the holy city, another incident has come to light in which a travel agency cheated several youths on on pretext of sending them to Kuwait.

However, they abruptly shut operations and closed their establishment at Meenu Market, Dasaundha Singh Road, near Lawrence Road.

Following a preliminary probe, the Civil Lines police have booked three persons, identified as Iqbal Singh, alias Jaspal Singh, alias Sunny, his brother Balwinder Singh, alias Bal, both residents of Patti Hajipura, Sathiala, and Baljit Kaur of the New Partap Nagar area.

Deepak Suri, a resident of Guru Amar Dass Avenue of Ajnala Road, stated to the police that the accused changed their identity and forged documents in order to open their office, MK Manpower Consultants, at Meenu Market and cheated innocent people of Rs 9.12 lakh on the pretext of sending them to Kuwait on work visas.

While a case under Section 419, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B, IPC, and Section 13 of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act has been registered against the three, an inquiry was marked to Assistant Commissioner of Police (North) Gurnam Singh.

Gurnam Singh said he was yet to go through the case because he had received the file only yesterday.

The city police had recently busted a gang which used to cheat people on the pretext of sending them to Arab countries on a work visa. The police was flooded with complaints in which hundreds of youth were duped by fake travel agents. Following this, the police have initiated the process of checking the credentials of these travel agencies.
P Dhanapal re-elected as Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly

Published: June 4, 2016

Ruling AIADMK P Dhanapal was unanimously re-elected as Speaker of the 15th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

With this, he becomes first speaker to be elected for a consecutive second term in the states legislative history.

Besides, Pollachi V Jayaraman of ruling AIADMK was unanimously re-elected as the Deputy Speaker of the legislative assembly.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had proposed their names as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively and the state Finance Minister O Panneerselvam had seconded the proposal when the Assembly met.

Both of them earlier had served as Speaker and Deputy Speaker during the 2011-16 AIADMK regime. Mr Dhanapal was re-elected to the Assembly from Avinashi (Reserved) constituency for sixth term and Mr Jayaraman was re-elected from Pollachi seat for fourth term.

Mr Dhanapal was elected Speaker for the first time in 2002 in then AIADMK regime. Also, he was the first Dalit to become Speaker after 1955. J Sivashanmugam Pillai was the first Dalit Speaker between 1946 and 1955 of the then Madras Legislative Assembly.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016

Topics: Elections  P Dhanapal  Persons in News  States  Tamil Nadu  TNPSC

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 6

World Environment Day was celebrated at the Bathinda Military Station. On this occasion a 2.5 km walk to spread awareness about the rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions was organised. As many as 225 children participated in the walk. Other events organised included a tree plantation drive and a painting competition and talks by children on the theme Save Planet Earth. Children educated the audience about various aspects harming the nature and various methods to overcome them.

Suman Soni, zonal president, Army Wives Welfare Association, Chetak Corps, felicitated the participating children and urged them to raise awareness to protect nature and Earth. She said the trees are very helpful and useful friends of humanity. We should save trees and plant more in order to save life and environment, she said.
Jayshree Sengupta

IN a trip to Bangladesh after a gap of nearly two years, I observed quite a few changes that marked economic progress. Many more upmarket shops and designer boutiques have sprung up in posh areas of Dhaka, including a hijab boutique. The roads are full of huge SUVs, CNG autorickshaws, cycle rickshaws and a few small cars that reflect the economic divide within the population. Either people are very rich or they belong to the lower middle class. The inequality of incomes is widening because real estate prices have skyrocketed and people owning houses have sold them to become rich overnight. People without property, however, remain poor. Many old houses have been replaced by swanky glass and steel malls. And there are lots of restaurants.

Bangladesh, with a population of 157.9 million, is a riverine country and has the fertile soil of a delta region, but it is also susceptible to cyclones and floods. Despite the frequent natural calamities, Bangladesh is experiencing 6.5 per cent GDP growth because of its hardworking population, especially the women. Many more women on the streets are now wearing hijab and burqa than before. But one can also see salwar-kameez clad women going about their work alone. They are working in shops, banks, offices, hotels, etc. Womens labour participation rate is higher at 58 per cent, compared to Indias 27 per cent; and their independent incomes, though smaller than mens, are helping to empower them.

Ready-made garment (RMG) manufacturing by women is safer than before because of the regular electricity supply, thanks to Indias power supply of 500 MW and the recent 100 MW of additional power from Tripura. The infamous Rana Plaza garment factory collapse was due to the vibrations from generators as power failed frequently in the already unsafe building, causing it to crumble.

The textile industry of Bangladesh, which includes RMG, is growing at a rapid pace and is the second-largest garment exporter after China. Bengal muslin was world famous during the British era, but the British government swamped the Indian market with cheap machine-made textiles from Lancashire and Manchester and managed to kill the muslin production. Today, Bangladeshi textiles have again become important, and since it enjoys special status of one of the least-developed countries under the Generalised System of Preferences (a preferential tariff system), it gets duty free access to the EU. After the Rana Plaza disaster and Tazrin Fashion fire, the US, in 2013, suspended the privilege of free access under the GSP for apparels assembled in Bangladesh. The US wants Bangladesh to do more for workers safety and the GSP has not been given back. Yet exports are booming and it is the largest apparel exporter of western brands today. Bangladeshs garments exports are high at $26 billion (2015), and higher than Indias.

Bangladesh gives many incentives to potential investors in EPZs which include a 10-year tax holiday, exemption on income tax on salaries paid to foreign nationals for three years, and dividend tax exemptions for the period of the tax holiday. Foreign investment is coming ($1.7 billion in 2015), especially from Saudi Arabia which is interested in gas and oil exploration, power and transportation. The UAE is interested in shipbuilding.

The shipbuilding and ship-breaking industries are shaping up well. Bangladesh has the worlds largest ship-breaking industry, employing over 2,00,000 people in Chittagong. A side product of ship-breaking is the scrap steel which provides for half of all steel used in Bangladeshs industries. Other artifacts like ceramic bowls and plates, which are recovered from ships before they are broken up, are also interesting byproducts. Bangladesh itself produces beautiful ceramics and leather products. Building medium-sized and small ships is also a growing industry and is enjoying a niche market.

At the airport, like before, I found hundreds of Bangladeshis heading for the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia (which has 3.5 million Bangladeshis). Most workers are employed in menial jobs abroad and their remittances have helped finance urban growth. Gulf jobs are increasing at a slower pace, but the emigration to other countries continues unabated. Bangladeshi cooks can be found worldwide because they can dish out Italian, American, Chinese or French food.

On the whole, there seems to be no stop to Bangladesh becoming an emerging market economy. Bangladesh has improved its human development indicators. Being a small country and more homogenous than India  in terms of language and religion  social programmes can be better implemented. Many educated women are spending their time in villages running NGOs for primary education and womens health rather than doing corporate jobs. The fellow feeling is much more evident in Bangladesh than in India. Perhaps it is because Bangladesh is not divided by the caste system that progress is faster than in India.

Mobile phones have helped micro credit and as a result, there are many small enterprises in the countryside. Private banks like Islami Bank are doing brisk business as compared to the public sector banks. The nationalisation undertaken by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been gradually reversed and private enterprise is booming.

Of course, on the flip side, there is the chaotic traffic of Dhaka which can drive anyone nuts. The jams can take hours to clear. The congestion in the big cities is quite suffocating and there is also growing intolerance of liberals and minorities.

Increase in public investment in infrastructure is badly needed, and is increasing. With more flyovers, metro rail and highways, Dhaka could be another Bangkok. Corruption is however endemic to the system, like in India, and if reduced, the benefits would flow to the poor, just like it would in India.

Bangladeshs prosperity will only lead to greater demand for Indian goods and services. Also, the migration would be less as job opportunities increase. Bangladesh could be a part of ASEAN in the future, something India should take note of, and it could become a middle income country sooner than later. Instead of treating our immediate neighbour as a source of potential immigrants, we should treat it as a country of business opportunities. Indian investors can also take advantage of its low-wage costs.
Dharamvir Gandhi

THE Indian Republic that came into existence in 1947 suffered an ignominious communal Partition, acceding to creation of a quasi-theocratic state, Pakistan, leaving a bloody trail and lasting bitterness in the subcontinent. The three communities  Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs  held prolonged and sometimes acrimonious negotiations with the British and amongst themselves finally to agree on partitioning India. Yet the decision of Hindus and Sikhs to stay put together did impart secular and democratic credentials to the young Republic. It was achieved with an assurance by no less than Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, that the Sikhs would be allowed to function as a semi-autonomous unit so that they may have a sense of freedom, followed by a resolution passed by the Constituent Assembly on December 9, 1946 to envisage the Union of India as an independent sovereign republic, comprising autonomous units with residuary powers. The dark days have spoiled the experiment and lest the present may not sour India's tryst with destiny, we should invoke a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

Truth! Not an ideal or absolute truth. But truth in all its concatenations, revealing to all, what actually happened in the run-up to, during and after the dark decades. The Bluestar Operation on the Golden Temple, a place revered across communities and classes, shook the soul of Punjab. The fact that the people could never know the reality of Hindus killed while travelling in buses or trains; the number or the names of the pilgrims killed during the Bluestar operation or why justice could not be delivered to Sikhs killed during the genocide of 1984 in Delhi and elsewhere or how many were killed in extra-judicial killings and disposed of as unidentified. Equally tragic was the death heaped on the innocent, unaware family members of the policemen. The most intriguing was the cold-blooded murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra who was trying to figure out the number of young men killed in fake encounters. Anybody who has a story to tell or lift the veil on some aspect of the sordid tragedy must be facilitated to do so. The mystery shrouding these events hides the causes and reasons these were enacted for. Unless the truth reveals itself through publication or reading of all government records, recording of all available evidence and all narration of victims, the festering wound created by history, cannot be given a healing touch.

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Justice! More than three decades over, barring few exceptions justice has been aborted. Not only by the wall of secrecy built around the whole episode but by the complete failure of law-enforcing agencies as is the case of the Delhi massacre. The successive governments tried to thwart justice as has been recently brought out by the Pilbhit incidents. The Hindu commuters on buses or trains could never know for what fault they were being killed. The families across communities were eliminated, with women suffering the most, either raped or killed or both. The innocent and unaware family members of the policemen were done to death for no fault of theirs. The need of men individually or humanity collectively to move on, makes it imperative to give a proper closure to dark chapters as we try to do a decent cremation, burial or perform the bhog for every human. It is already more than three decades and if justice could be delivered to some who got killed, maimed or suffered, the souls can rest in peace.

Reconciliation!Only reconciliation has the ability to erase the communal divisions among communities and individuals, make them compatible, mutually beneficial and prosperous. Reconciliation involves repentance, forgiveness and forgetting. Moreover, it is a new beginning; and entails adoption of large heartedness and broadmindedness. And this will not be the first time to embrace these virtues. Human society has over millennium evolved through such actions of individuals and statesmen.

I hereby demand a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, broadly on the pattern of the post-Apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, but with the addition of justice and provisions necessary to unearth the truth of what happened in Punjab and similar events outside Punjab.

The earlier People's Commission, established under the aegis of retired judges by Justice Kuldip Singh was aborted through legal action in the high court.

I believe that communication and discourse are great instruments for bringing down the walls of hatred and promoting fraternity and brotherhood. In the same measure, these form the foundation of democracy. As Baba Nanak pertinently reiterates the importance of openness of dialogue.

Jab lag duniya rahiye/Nanak kuch suniye kuch kahiye.

(As long as this world exists, O' Nanak, Let us listen and let us say something.)

Let democracy thrive. Let fraternity and brotherhood prevail in Punjab. Let the spirit of humanity win.

The writer is the AAP Member Parliament from Patiala
FOR four decades, over a dozen countries have tried to control Afghanistans political destiny. India has been an active player since the post-colonial great game first began in 1978. Indias influence has waxed and waned with changes in Kabul. But several recent developments have again sent Indias stock in Afghanistan soaring. Prime Minister Narendra Modi figures in two of them. Last week the Prime Minister inaugurated the Salma Dam in Afghanistan. Before that he presided over a leasing ceremony for an Iranian port that would be Indias route to Afghanistans Pashtun areas. In between, and to Indias relief, a US drone attack killed Talibans anti-talks chief Mullah Mansour Akhtar.

The Indian strategic community, especially its diplomats and security managers, must now ensure that the hard work done and the lives sacrificed by our unsung engineers, architects and foot soldiers do not go in vain. The project was delayed by six years not just because of extremely difficult working conditions. Ministries often sat on requests for the release of funds and engineers would cool their heels in Kabul because travel by road was too dangerous. The story was the same for the crucial Delaram-Zaranj road built by Indian engineers that will eventually connect to the Iranian port of Chabahar. Unlike Indias two completed projects in Afghanistan  the Parliament House building and a power transmission line to Kabul dams and transport corridors cannot exist in isolation.

In order to capitalise on the goodwill generated by the two projects, India should opt for a cooperative model. This will mean integrating the power generated from Salma Dam with the Central Asia backed electricity grid and connecting the proposed Iran-Afghanistan road to the existing routes such as Taftan-Quetta highway (where Mullah Mansour was droned). India had consciously selected these projects to put across its policy of providing wholesome assistance to Afghanistan. India should now dovetail them with other projects to benefit the wider region, and not just small parts of Afghanistan. This will ensure a lasting influence in the region that is not circumscribed by national boundaries.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5

Jat leaders in Haryana today resumed their quota stir amid stringent security measures, drawing a rather tepid response. Despite the prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 in nine districts, protesters owing allegiance to the Yashpal Malik faction of the All-India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti held dharnas at various places.

With most Jat organisations keeping away, the response was lukewarm even in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Bhiwani districts that witnessed large-scale violence in February.

Reports from Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal and Jind said the protests remained peaceful. A strong posse of police and paramilitary forces kept a vigil in these districts. We are happy with the response we have received. Besides the dharnas across Haryana, these will be held at the Narela border (UP) on June 8, Punjab on June 9, MP on June 10 and Uttarakhand and Rajasthan on June 11, Malik said.

Sukhbir Singh Hooda, spokesperson for the All-India Jat Mahasabha, claimed his organisation as well as khap panchayats had been successful in keeping the Jats away from the agitation as they had complete faith in the state governments intentions and efforts.

Home Secretary Ram Niwas said no untoward incident was reported. The traffic was normal and no highway or railway track was blocked by the protesters. In many districts, no dharnas were staged. At some places, the protesters submitted memorandums to the Deputy Commissioners concerned and dispersed.

Warning that some anti-social elements were trying to vitiate peace, Niwas asked the people not to pay heed to rumours. The government is on a constant vigil. Some people did try to add fuel to the fire on the social media. Cases have been registered against them, he said.

Sonepat District Magistrate K Makarand Pandurang issued orders banning internet services, including GPRS and bulk SMS via mobile. The ban will remain till further orders. Apprehending a repeat of February protests that claimed at least 30 lives, the Manohar Lal Khattar government has this time deployed 48 companies of paramilitary forces is the state.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders will be imposed in certain areas of the national Capital bordering Haryana and a few other places on Monday, the Delhi Police said.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

A fortnight after reservation for Jats in government jobs and educational institutes under BC (C) category was stayed, a vacation bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday did not vacate the order.

Taking up the matter, the Bench of Justice Daya Chaudhary and Justice Arun Palli fixed June 13 for arguments. The court also directed all parties in the case to file their replies by June 10, while making it clear that no adjournment would be granted on the next date of hearing.

The development took place on Haryanas plea for vacation of ex-parte interim orders. The counsel for Haryana said the petitioner had approached the High Court without exhausting the available channel for redressal of his grievances.

He said it was mandatory for the petitioner to move Haryana Backward Classes Commission, the statutory authority to entertain and examine complaints/issues raised by the petitioner. As such, the writ petition was not maintainable. It was premature at the current stage. Therefore, the impugned stay orders were liable to be set aside on this score alone, he added.

The state counsel said the process for carrying out recruitment to various posts had already been initiated by Haryana Staff Selection Commission and Haryana Public Service Commission. Besides, the admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the session 2016-17 were also open; and candidates had applied under the backward classes category. The admission process for professional courses such as the MBBS had also started for the 2016-17 session, he added.

In his petition, Murari Lal Gupta had earlier sought directions for quashing the block C of the Act providing reservation to Jats under a newly carved BC (C) category. The petitioner submitted that reservation to Jat community was provided under the new Act on the basis of Justice KC Gupta commission report, which had already been quashed by the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the petitioner, Mukesh Verma, said the reservation on the basis of the Justice Gupta commission report would amount to revision of a judicial order, which could not be done by the legislature.

He submitted that in 2014 also the state government had introduced a bill to include Jats in the list of other backward classes for reservation in job and educational institutes. But, the Supreme Court in case of Ram Singh and others versus the Union of India had held that Jats were not backward socially, educationally and politically.
Sat Singh

Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, June 6

The district administration has served a notice on members of the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) to immediately vacate the dharna site in Charkhi Dadri. The authorities concerned had granted permission to hold a dharna only on June 5. However, the protest is still on.

Bijender Hooda, Subdivisional Magistrate, said, Protesters had sought permission for a single day. Now, if they do not vacate the site, a case would be registered against them for violating section 144 of the CrPC.

Meanwhile, Rajkumar Hadodi, district president, ABJASS, said they would not vacate the dharna site and the authorities were free to take action against them. The administration has deployed paramilitary forces and the police to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, in Karnal and Jind...

Karnal: Jats shifted their protest site to Sultan Bhawan in the districts Ballah village on Monday. The administration, meanwhile, launched helpline numbers for sharing information regarding inconvenience because of the agitation. The numbers are 0184-2254000, 2255300, 2261500, 2261400, 2265999, 4091000, 100 and 9729990750. TNS

Jind: The ABJASS shifted its site of demonstration from Jhanjh Kalan village to Khatkar village on Monday. The protested along the Jind-Narwana national highway at Jhanjh Kalan village yesterday, defying the administration's order of protesting 100 m from the highway. The new protest site is 150 m from the NH. The samiti has permission to protest at Khatkar till June 8. OC
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, June 6

The protest by the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) along the Rohtak-Panipat National Highway 709 at Jassia village continued peacefully for the second day today.

Samiti members and other community leaders from Delhi addressed the gathering.

Mostly elderly men participated in todays demonstration organised amid a massive deployment of the police and paramilitary forces.

Organisers said ABJASS chief Yashpal Malik could not attend todays dharna, as scheduled, because of the death of his cousin.

The district administration sent senior administrative and police officials to persuade protesters to call off the agitation and invite them for talks with the local administration and state authorities. The dharna, however, continued till the time of filing the news report.

Sources said some khap leaders tried to dissuade villagers from participating in the dharna, as its success would undermine the influence of khaps on the community. It would also benefit Malik and hit the popularity of local leaders.

Khap leaders were apprehensive that if law and order was disturbed, it would bring a bad name to the community.

Meanwhile, traders and other entrepreneurs, whose establishments were burnt, looted and ransacked during the agitation in February, are apprehensive on the back of Jats threat to intensify the agitation.

There is every possibility of the situation getting aggravated. The state leadership should come forward and adopt a proactive stance to convince agitators to withdraw their agitation, said Jatin Batra, a victim of arson in February and traders leader.

VK Juneja, whose school on the Rohtak-Panipat highway was burnt during the previous agitation, said some local youths had recently threatened traders of repeating the act and he had apprised the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the matter.

Rohtak SP Shashank Anand said there was no reason to intensify  or even continue  the agitation, as the local administration and state authorities were willing to talk to protesters.

We have appealed to them to come for talks and resolve the matter amicably. We are in constant touch with leaders of protesters and those of the community of nearby villages, the SP said, adding the police were prepared to face any eventuality and nobody would be allowed to take law into their own hands.

Assocham fears threat to industry

Gurgaon: The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham) said today that the Jat reservation stir was a threat to the industry and moved an appeal to the state government to take all possible steps to avoid violence. The chamber said the loss of property and life that took place in the February violence continued to haunt traders and such incidents must not recur. It has asked Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to ensure there was no further damage, as it would do irreversible damage to the state economic scenario. The state cant afford any deterioration in the law and order situation. The agitators should respect law of land. We hope the state government learns from the previous violent agitation and make foolproof arrangements protect common man and the investors. Strict vigil must be maintained around water channels. All highways and railway lines must be protected at any cost and no untoward incident should be allowed anywhere in the state, said DS Rawat, Assocham secretary general.  Sumedha Sharma

Talk to protesters, clear their doubts: Hooda to govt

Chandigarh: Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday asked the BJP government in Haryana to clear doubts over Jat reservation so that the state did not have to suffer again. Hooda said the Prakash Singh Committee report has made it clear that the BJP government was responsible not only for failing to control violence in February but also for driving the state towards violence and arson. Demanding resignation of the government, Hooda said as the Parkash Singh Committee had clearly stated that the government had been completely paralysed during the Jat agitation, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar did not the moral right to remain in power. The former CM said it seemed that having failed to stop the spread of violence in February, the state government was out to act against people out of revenge. Innocent persons are being framed, Hooda alleged. TNS

Police harassing youths: Cong leader

Faridabad: Vikas Choudhary, a local Congress leader, on Monday alleged that police were harassing youths under the garb of maintaining peace. Choudhary protested registration of case against Harjit Dagar, a private university student, who was booked for allegedly posting objectionable material regarding quota for Jats on the social media. He claimed Harjit was innocent and had no intention to incite communal violence. He demanded that the case be withdrawn immediately. Meanwhile, Jats assembled at the Mini-Secretariat andsubmitted a memorandum to the DC, seeking reservation within 15 days. TNS
Tribune News Service

Solan, June 6

Pinegrove School, Dharampur, is hosting the Unified Floorball National Event on the campus. The event was inaugurated by Kiran Attri, Head Teacher (Elementary), Kasauli Panchayat pradhan Madhu Sharma and Special Olympics Bharat vice-president Rashim Dhar Sood.

The event assumes significance as the selected athletes will be the probable contenders to represent India in their sport at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 slated to be held in Austria.
Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Palampur, June 6

The BJP today virtually set the tone for Assembly election in Himachal, due in December 2017 at the rally organised in Palampur today. Though the rally was organised to announce various nation highway projects, the BJP tried to put up a united face before the masses.

JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health and prominent BJP leader from Himachal, set political alarms ringing by offering Minister for Transport GS Bali to join the BJP.

Nadda, while lauding the various schemes launched by the NDA for Himachal, said, All the roads in Himachal are going to be pucca now courtesy the NDA government and Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari. I would request the people of Himachal to now cement the position of the BJP in the state. I shall also request GS Bali to permanently come into the BJP,

Meanwhile, Gadkari laid foundation stone for three national highway projects worth Rs 2,147 crores and five railway over bridges at Palampur today. The highways for which the foundation stone was laid included Rs 1,600 crore four laning of Pathankot-Mandi national highway, Pathankot-Kalar national highway. Gadkari also inaugurated Bathu bridge on the Nagrota Bagwan-Ranital national highway. The statement of Nadda attracted applause from the public in the gathering and stoic smile on the faces of senior BJP leadership of the state, including former CMs Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal.

The Naddas statement sent the rumour mills spinning with many connecting it to growing closeness of GS Bali with the senior BJP leaders, especially Nitin Gadkari. During his last informal visit to the state Nitin Gadkari remained personal guest of Bali. Today also Gadkari praised Bali for the work done by him in Himachal in the field of transport and assured him all help in future projects also.Interestingly, three of the five railway over bridges announced by Gadkari today in Palampur are in the Assembly constituency of Bali.

Bali, when asked to comment on the offer made by Nadda, said, I thank him for the honour but I am a staunch Congressman. He refused to comment further about the offer.

Gadkari said work was already progressing on projects worth Rs 47,000 crores in Himachal and foundation stone has been laid for projects worth Rs 5,000 crores. Gadkari, who stayed in a resort managed by a trust headed by BJP MP from Kangra Shanta Kumar, also announced Rs 4 crore for installing low-cost heart surgery equipment in the institute.

He also said infrastructure projects worth Rs 25 lakh crores had been launched in the country that would provide jobs to four crore people. He also asked Bali to identify black spots on roads in Himachal that are prone to accidents and assured grants for removing them.

Bali praised Gadkari for giving 17 national highways to the state. He also demanded that the Kangra-Shimla highway should also be widened and converted to four lane.

The state president of BJP Satpal Satti and BJP MP from Mandi Ram Swaroop Sharma were among other leaders present on the occasion.
India, Qatar sign seven agreements to boost bilateral ties

Published: June 6, 2016

India and Qatar have signed seven bilateral agreements in various fields to boost bilateral ties.

These agreements were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.

It was PM Narendra Modis second stop to Qatar after he had visited to Afghanistan as part of his five- nation tour which will also take him to Switzerland, US and Mexico.

Signed agreements are

MoU for investment in National investment & infrastructure fund: It aims at establishing framework for facilitating participation of Qatari institutional investors in Infrastructure projects in India under NIIF.

It aims at establishing framework for facilitating participation of Qatari institutional investors in Infrastructure projects in India under NIIF. MoU on cooperation in tourism: Aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of planning and developi

Aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of planning and developi ng of tourism. It will be done through promotion and marketing to support cooperation between private sector stakeholders.

Agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in custom matters: It promotes mutual assistance and cooperation on matters pertaining to customs administration through exchange of information and intelligence between the two countries.

It promotes mutual assistance and cooperation on matters pertaining to customs administration through exchange of information and intelligence between the two countries. MoU on Finance Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) and Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU): Facilitate exchange of intelligence related to terrorism-financing, money laundering and related crimes and persons connected thereto.

Facilitate exchange of intelligence related to terrorism-financing, money laundering and related crimes and persons connected thereto. MoU in the field of youth and sports: It provides exchanges and cooperation in sports activities, exchange visits of leaders and officials and training camps for sports teams etc. between the two countries.

It provides exchanges and cooperation in sports activities, exchange visits of leaders and officials and training camps for sports teams etc. between the two countries. MoU on cooperation in skill development & recognition of qualifications:

MoU on cooperation in the field of health: Provides cooperation in areas of health, including in environmental and occupational health, pharmaceuticals, medical education.

Provides cooperation in areas of health, including in environmental and occupational health, pharmaceuticals, medical education. It also seeks to exchange of the best practices in the field of primary healthcare, technology, research in the field of health care, health care system and exchange of medical scientists and experts.

Besides, PM Narendra Modi and Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had wide-ranging talks. They highlighted the need to isolate the supporters and sponsors of terrorism. They also decided to constitute an inter-ministerial high-level joint committee to regularly review all bilateral matters, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016

Topics: black money  Health  India-Qatar  Narendra Modi  Skill Development  Sports  Terrorism

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Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 6

Nine trekkers of the Income Tax Department from Delhi, who got trapped in Bara Bhangal a remote tribal of Kangra district on June 1, were today rescued through land route.

SP Kangra Sanjeev Gandhi said the six- member rescue team that was sent from Holi area of Chamba district reached the Bara Bhangal village on Saturday.

The evacuation began on Sunday morning. Trekkers were brought to Baijnath through 70-km trek after crossing 4,665 m high Thamsar Pass, said Gandhi. The rescued trekkers have returned to Delhi after a medical check-up conducted at Baijnath, he said.

The nine trekkers all members of Income Tax Trekking and Mountaineering Club Delhi started trek to Bara Bhangal from Manali on May 25. Three members of the team sustained minor injuries while crossing Thamsar Pass but managed to reach Bara Bhangal from where they contacted district administration for help.

An aerial rescue operation was launched by the state government. However due to bad weather the plan to rescue them using helicopter was abandoned. After it land rescue team from Regional Mountaineering Institute Bharmour was sent though Holi to evacuate them.

The trekkers who were rescued today are: Sunil Kumar Gaur, Sanjeev Mann, Gaurav Singh, Gaurav Vashishtha, Rajeev KR, Anurag KR Singh, Avesh Pal, Rajesh KR and Vipin Bisht. All the trekkers were part of Income Tax trekking and mountaineering club of Delhi.
M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 6

Rising airfares have started playing a damper on tourism in Kashmir even as the sector was on a path of revival this year after setback suffered in 2014 due to devastating floods.

Tickets to a few cities are even costlier than international flights. This has made Valleys tourism players lose sleep. Despite raising the matter several times with the Centre and state, the issue of soaring airfares continues to bother the stakeholders.

If you want to book now, the cheapest ticket to New Delhi these days costs more than Rs 6,500. If booked in advance during lean season, one can buy it for less than Rs 2,500. And, if you want to go to Mumbai, the fare is Rs 10,000. It means one has to pay around Rs 20,000 for a return ticket to Mumbai, which is costlier than some international destinations, said Gulzar Ahmad, a travel agent.

He said that more tourists would come to the Valley in case a check was kept on the airfares as Kashmir is yet to be connected by train. Since Kashmir is not connected by train, high airfares impact the tourism sector badly in summer, he said.

Government officials and private tourism players have on several occasions raised the issue of steep hike in the airfares during peak season with the Centre.

We have held meetings with Union ministers and DG, Civil Aviation. However, we were told that they cannot control airfares. They said other tourist destinations too faced the same issue, said Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) president Mushtaq Ahmad Wani.

Wani said though airfares to other tourist destinations too soared in peak season, most of these locations have good road and rail connectivity unlike Kashmir. He said their demand of fixing an upper limit for economy class airfares too was not considered.

Even as Wani admitted that the state government could not do much to control airfares, he said the J&K government should not announce measures that add to the problem. He said this in reference to the announcement of an increase of five per cent tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in the recent J&K Budget 2016-17.

After objections from the Kashmir Inc, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu had stated that helicopters, which ferry pilgrims to various religiousdestinations, were exempted from the hike.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 6

Amid noisy and uproarious scenes, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sparred in the Assembly here today over the issue of setting up a sainik colony in the Kashmir valley.

The issue came up as soon as Question Hour started when members of the National Conference, Congress and others raised different issues seeking attention of the government. Independent MLA Engineer Rashid, came into the well of the House questioning the government over the sainik colony issue.

It is highly unfortunate that at a time when tourism and economy have started picking up in Kashmir, a sustained campaign has been launched by certain quarters to dish out concocted and inflammatory reports to provoke the situation, the Chief Minister said.

Pointing out that Omar had led this misinformation campaign by spreading canards on Twitter about purported settling of non-state subjects in sainik colonies, she said as a former CM and head of the Opposition, he knows that there was no truth in it. He (the former CM) had himself attended four meetings of the Rajya Sainik Board in which the decisions to locate land for sainik colonies for retired soldiers were reiterated. However, when the matter came up during our government, it was communicated to the quarters concerned that there was no land available for it, she said.

Intervening, Omar said that his tweets were related to the government orders. I was, undoubtedly, present in many such meetings (as CM), Omar told Mehbooba, adding, Please let me know if there is any such order issued during my government. He pointed out that he had only sought clarification about the inclusion of non-state subjects. I am also here for welfare of the people, he said while urging the Chief Minister not to drag (him) into the issue of sainik colony.

I want to make it clear that the Army is not constructing any sainik colony in Kashmir. They may be constructing accommodation at the land already under their use, Mehbooba said, adding that these structures were in no way linked to any sainik colony as was being projected.

The Chief Minister said the government would not allow anybody to put Kashmir on fire and bring misery to the people. I am not here for luxury, I am here to work and bring relief to the people, who have suffered immensely because of turmoil, misgovernance, corruption and nepotism, she said. I will not permit anybody to play with the lives of people and disrupt peace and would continue to work for welfare for as long as I am here, she said.

The issue also came up in the Legislative Council where Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said that some people were trying to disturb peace in Kashmir that would not be allowed.

I fail to understand the motive behind the claim made by of an organisation (Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society) about the construction of a sainik colony. Nowhere, such colony is being constructed. It is a rumour aimed at polarising the situation and attempts are being made to set Kashmir on fire, he said.

Claiming that blocks were being constructed at Rangreth, the JKCSS had recently asked government whether the structures were part of proposed residential colony for ex-servicemen.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 6

The Legislative Assembly here today passed grants of Rs 3,036.61 crore for the Health and Medical Education Department for the current financial year.

Winding up the discussion, in which 23 members participated, Minister for Health and Medical Education Bali Bhagat sought the support of legislators for improving the health sector in the state.

Health being the concern of everyone, we must make collective efforts to streamline its working so that the benefits of the facilities reach the common man. Efforts of just the minister are not sufficient in improving the system. The entire House should support fine-tuning of the healthcare system on the ground, said the minister.

He appreciated the concerns of the members for upgrade of health facilities in their respective areas. He said the government would do justice with every area and ensure equitable distribution of resources and manpower as per the actual requirements of the area.

He said the department would devise a well-knit mechanism to make available the requisite staff, medicines, diagnostic equipment and other infrastructural facilities in the health institutions, with special focus on rural and far-flung areas to provide improved medicare to the patients on their doorsteps.

The government has already identified the gaps to improve the facilities and the Centre will be approached for providing necessary funds for plugging those, said the minister.

The Health Minister said that during its short stint of two months to rejuvenate the health sector, the government had taken various measures which included implementation of the Free Drug Policy from June 1 in all health institutions (except tertiary hospitals).

Most of the essential drugs will be available to the patients free of cost in the health institutions and doctors have been instructed to prescribe all available drugs to the patients and the prescriptions would also be put to audit regularly to strictly enforce the policy, the Health Minister said.

The details of the drugs and other facilities available in the hospitals will be prominently displayed for the information of the common man, he added.
Manika Ahuja

Remember the popular advertisement with the punch line Why should boys have all the fun? Well, guys today do not want girls to have all the fun, either! While women are continually matching pace with their male counterparts at workplaces, men are soon overtaking the kitchen, earlier hailed as the domain of girls. If the enrolment for cookery and bakery hobby classes across Chandigarh is anything to go by, it is safe to conclude that there has been a marked rise in the number of boys cooking up a storm in the kitchen!

Kitchen corner

Chef Naman Arora from Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Sector 42, Chandigarh, who trains students enrolled for hobby cookery and bakery classes, shares that more and more boys are getting interested in cooking. The culinary trainer, who envisions the change as more need-based than career-based, remarks, While some learn the drill because of their plans to move abroad for further studies, many boys are attending hobby cookery classes because they have grown over the stereotypical distinction of kitchen being a girls safe haven. Reality shows such as MasterChef Australia and channels like Food Food too have been instrumental in triggering the positive change.

Varinder Singh, who recently passed out of class 12 from Government Model School, Chandigarh, has always harboured a passion for cooking. I relish treating my family and friends to dishes made by me. Everybody should know how to cook in todays time, he says. Agrees Ankush Mittal, who is pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts from Panjab University, Cooking is a must-have skill these days.

Time to experiment

Arbindoo Walia, who has been conducting cooking classes for nearly two decades in Mohali feels that the very fact that all internationally acclaimed cooks are men, inspires the boys. She sums up, For women, cooking generally happens out of compulsion, while for boys, it is backed up by interest.

Mohali-based businessman, Parminder Singh Behl is elated that he can now assist his spouse in kitchen. I take charge of the kitchen on weekends. Thanks to my cookery hobby classes, I can make pizzas, Spanish dishes and burgers, he smiles.

Necessary skill

Gurpartap Singh Walia knew his ambition of working overseas will make learning cooking a necessary skill for him. With so many students like me moving overseas for work or education, it is a great help.

Anjori Saini, who holds bakery classes in Chandigarhs Sector 9, believes that the greater influx of males into cooking is due to their need to gain independence. Twenty-something boys enrol for hobby bakery classes with great vigour. The realisation that cooking is a mandatory skill has sunk in, smiles Saini.

Not a girly thing

Student of class 10 in Chandigarhs St. Stephens School, Aditya Bhatts Facebook wall overflows with sumptuous mouth-watering desserts. Why not? If you got it, flaunt it, he giggles. From brownies to muffins and cheesecakes, the young lad can bake them all. Bhatt delightfully shares his pleasant experience, The best part is that I can now lay out a platter full of lavish food for my mom.

Ritu Aggarwal from Ritus Cookery Classes, with a decade-long experience in culinary training, puts it best, One thing is for sure...cooking is no longer a girly thing.
Our Correspondent

Jaipur, June 6

At least 10 students affiliated to NSUI injured when police resorted to lathicharge to disperse protesters outside Rajasthan Universitys main campus in Jaipur on Monday.

The NSUI activists were protesting against alleged saffronisation of education and change in question paper pattern in examination by the BJP government.

One of the seriously injured students Deepak Dhindoria was admitted to the trauma ward of SMS hospital, while others were discharged after first-aid.

The police have arrested 13 students, including NSUI president Satveer Choudhary and a girl, under Section 151 of the IPC.

Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Archana Sharma condemned the police highhandedness and alleged that the BJP government wanted to crush students silent protest. She accused the state government of saffronising higher education by deleting references pertaining to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and even Mahatma Gandhi from history books.

The ideology of BJP and RSS was being thrust on students, she said. Nearly 100 students were part of the NSUI-led protest against MA II-semester paper which had questions related to BJPs governance and its saffron ideology.
New Delhi, June 6

A Delhi court on Monday found five people guilty of having gangraped and robbing a 52-year-old Danish woman in 2014.

Mahendra alias Ganja (27), Mohd Raja (23), Raju (24), Arjun (22), Raju Chakka (23) were found guilty of offences under sections 376 (D) (gang rape), 395 (dacoity), 366 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

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Nine people  among them three minors  were accused of having gangraped and robbed her at knife-point on January 4, 2014, after leading her to an isolated place near the Divisional Railway Officers' Club close to the New Delhi Railway Station.

The three minor suspects are still being tried by the Juvenile Justice Board. The 9th suspect  Shyam Lal (56)  died in February while the case was still being tried.

Arguments on sentence will be heard on June 9.  Agencies
Geneva, June 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left for the US after ending his engagements in Switzerland, where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Au Revoir Geneve! In under half a day, PM completes visit and emplanes for Washington DC," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

During the visit, India and Switzerland also agreed to step up cooperation to unearth blackmoney Indians stashed in Swiss banks.

In Washington, the Prime Minister will meet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office, their sixth after Modi assumed power.

He is also scheduled to address a joint session of US Congress on June 8.

Modi is on a five-nation tour. He began his travel in Afghanistan, then travelled to Qatar and Switzerland.

After the US, he will visit Mexico at the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto.  PTI
Ahmedabad, June 6

A special sessions court adjourned arguments for sentencing in the Gulberg Society massacre of 2002 to June 9.

The court found 24 people guilty in the mass murder of 69 people on February 28, 2002, in post-Godhra riots.

Among those killed in the brutality was former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri.

Of the 24, the court found 11 guilty of murder and 13 guilty of lesser crime.

Among those found guilt was Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Atul Vaidya, who was convicted for attacking and burning shops and houses, among others things, but not murder.

The court declared 36 of the 66 accused as not guilty for want of evidence and ordered their acquittal.

Those set free included Bharatiya Janata Party corporator Bipin Patel and police Inspector KG Erda.  IANS
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 6

India will expand its military footprint in Vietnam by expanding an existing programme to upgrade all Soviet-era military equipment used by Vietnamese, besides additional shipbuilding and missiles. Vietnam is locked in an intense dispute with China.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is on a three-day visit (June 5-7) to Hanoi, met his counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich and also addressed a joint delegation of Indian and Vietnamese industry leaders. Major areas identified for working together include upgrade of Soviet systems, including thermal sights and fire control systems for armoured vehicles, T-54 and T-55 and upgrade of MI 17/Mi 8 Helicopters. Indian forces use T-55 tanks, Mi-17 helicopters besides armoured vehicles.

India will also help Vietnam in shipbuilding and missile system programme.

In the past, India supplied spare parts to Vietnam for its Soviet-origin warships and over hauled MiG 21 fighter jets besides training its Navy to operate the kilo-class submarines it imported from Russia. India has already given a credit line of $100 million to Vietnam which is being utilised for procurement of offshore patrol boats for its border guards. A bid document by Vietnam Border Guards was handed over to Indian Company Larson & Toubro.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4, Parrikar expressed concern at the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea. More than half of Indian trade was done through these waters, Parrikar said in Singapore. China claims the hydrocarbon-rich South China Sea in almost its entirety and is locked in a dispute at the UN with Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. After the talks, Parrikar visited the Research and Development facilities of a company.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, both leaders emphasised the necessity for sharing white shipping information to facilitate exchange of information in the maritime domain. Parrikar called on the President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang and PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, today.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Spokesperson Corporal Juston Wheetley addressed the Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce during a recent monthly luncheon.

Wheetley, along with Trooper Tim Craig, an undercover officer, discussed how drugs can affect a business.

Too many times we find ourselves investigating cases involving small businesses or large businesses ..., said Wheetley, where employees or even business owners themselves have been embezzling from the company or stealing property from the company in order to further their drug use.

Wheetley said it may be a trusted employee that has changed in behavior or has been acting differently.

Then you notice profits or inventory is missing and you cant figure it out, said Wheetley. Finally it comes to a point where you start looking deeper and you find out money has been being moved from account to account. Then you are sitting there with an extremely large amount of debt and the person you trusted all these years, who you may have noticed changes with, has been taking money from you.

You find yourself as a business owner in a bad situation and for some small businesses it could bankrupt them and shut them down. Protecting yourself, looking out for your business and self, is what we're talking about.

Wheetley added that most times you will know the employee and could even have a friendship with them.

We have a drug problem here in St. Francois County and have for a long time, said Wheetley. The problem with the drugs is there is no clear answer for it. A lot of times these offenders get arrested, go to jail, and come out to commit the same offense.

Craig said they have investigated numerous businesses in St. Francois and other counties where employees have taken money and anything they can to support a drug habit.

One of the particularly bad things about heroin is after about one to three or four times of getting high off heroin the body changes, said Craig. You dont get high anymore from using the heroin, it only keeps you from getting sick. The withdrawals symptoms from heroin are described as very painful and intolerable in a lot of cases.

Craig added some of the more long-term heroin users know how to control that better. There are heroin addicts they call "sleepers" and they function every day.

They hold a job and they have families, said Craig. I knew a former heroin addict who was an addict for years and he was a prosecuting attorney. No one knew. He had the money to buy it, but couldnt get off it. It really opened my eyes as an officer as to what they go through. (It is rare) to have a heroin addict who can control his addiction.

Craig said they look at the criminal side. Once they have identified a problem or a person who has taken money from a business, they come in to do an investigation, build the case, and arrest the person.

That person goes to jail and then they bond out, said Craig. Then you are sitting there for a period of time waiting for the case to go through the court system. It can take up to three years from the time of the arrest.

Craig added in the grand scheme of whats going on in the world with the murders, drug cases and violent crimes ... stealing/business embezzlement is not as high up on the scale as far as prison terms.

What we see a lot of times is probation with reimbursement terms, said Craig. Where they have to reimburse the company ... pay them back. Once that person has been convicted they are required to make payments and their wages will have to be garnished. It takes three months before the garnishment catches up with them and some will quit their job once it catches up.

Craig said the best advice he could give is to be diligent with record keeping and noticing behavioral changes in workers.

Pay attention to your employees because when you notice a change, something is probably wrong, said Wheetley. We are in a society today where we dont want to hurt anybodys feelings. We dont want to say something because we are afraid we are going to hurt feelings."

But Wheetley warned that employees peddling drugs through your business could have serious consequences.

The reason they dont do it at their homes is because their assets can be seized, he said. We can take their vehicles. We can take their houses. And so why do it in a place they will get their stuff taken away and not your place.

Wheetley said if drug activity is discovered at a business it's a possibility that investigators could shut the business down until they figure out what is going on.

Dont be afraid to hurt somebodys feelings if you have the gut feeling that something may be wrong, said Wheetley.
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today secured the support of Switzerland for Indias entry into the elite 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

For India, this is a significant diplomatic achievement as it is working hard to get into the elite grouping. India formally applied for NSG membership on May 12 and later this month, when the plenary meeting of the NSG takes place in Seoul, Indias membership candidature is likely to be discussed.

After securing Switzerlands support, Modi will now seek the support of the US and Mexico, which he will visit over the course of the next few days. The membership works by consensus and China has already made noises that India, a non-signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), cannot be admitted into the NSG.

In another sign that things with the US may also not be that smooth, The New York Times in an editorial on Sunday made a case that India does not merit membership into the NSG.

In Geneva today, Swiss President Johan Schneider-Ammann said: We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of the NSG. He made the statement after holding talks with Modi.

In his statement to the media, Modi thanked the President for Switzerlands understanding and support for Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Besides securing Swiss support for Indias candidature, the other big issue that was discussed between the two leaders was that of black money.

The PM also reached out to the business community in Switzerland and invited them to invest in India.

Later in the day, Modi left for Washington DC. The US tour will be watched most closely, with the PM scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress on June 8.

Modi is also expected to ask US President Barack Obama for his countrys support for Indias entry into the NSG.
Washington, June 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival here.

"This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in US-India ties. Over the last seven years, the United States and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order," a senior administration official said.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital on Tuesday afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office.

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The President will host a lunch for the Prime Minister after the meeting.

"The Prime Minister's visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage," the official said.

"From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the United States and India lead together," the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile, two leading US dailies  the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal  have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders "have each invested in developing a close relationship", Benjamin J Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is China's growing footprint in India's traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, WSJ reported.  PTI
Geneva, June 6

India on Monday got the backing of Switzerland in its bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group ahead of the elite groups crucial meeting even as the two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and black money.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his countrys support to Indias membership in the 48-member group after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

Agreeing to expand cooperation in tackling the problem of Indians stashing black money in Swiss banks was one of the key focus areas of the talks between the two leaders besides stepping up ties in areas of trade, investment and vocational training.

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We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG, Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for the last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12. The group will take up Indias application in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

I am thankful to the President for Switzerlands understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG, Modi said.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its membership will help India expand its atomic energy sector. Modi also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was shared priority for both the countries.

We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the agreement on the automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect, Modi said.

On his part, the Swiss President said both the countries are making considerable progress in fighting tax fraud and evasion.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 6

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a PIL plea for a CBI probe into the recent violence in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

A vacation Bench comprising Justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy accepted the plea for an urgent hearing as petitioners counsel Kamini Jaiswal said evidence was being destroyed.

The matter was serious as the violence had left 29 people killed, she said. The victims included the police SP and SHO of the area.

The petition has been filed by BJPs Delhi unit spokesman Ashwini Upadhyay.
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, June 6

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear tomorrow a PIL plea for a CBI probe into the recent violence in Mathura to find out the real reasons that led to the incident.

A Vacation Bench comprising Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Amitava Roy accepted senior counsel Indira Jaisinghs plea for an urgent hearing as the matter was serious.

Appearing for the petitioner, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, Jaisingh said a CBI probe was necessary to stop the ongoing destruction of evidence in the case involving the death of 29 persons, including the Superintendent of Police and the Station House Officer of the area.

A CBI probe was must to expose the alleged nexus between the executive and the lawmakers on the one hand and the cult and extremist groups on the other, the petition by the Delhi unit BJP spokesman said.

Members of the cult comprised members of the Swadheen Bharat Vidhik Satyagrahi, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi and Swadheen Bharat Subhash Sena, it said. About 3,000 of them had encroached upon 300-acre Jawahar Bagh since 2014. The violence erupted when a police team went there on June 2 to evict them following an order by the Allahabad HC.
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, June 6

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna said in an editorial today what many in the BJP are saying: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis quietly worked to get his Number 2 Eknath Khadse ousted from the cabinet.

Khadse probably thought that yesterdays kid Devendra Fadnavis did not understand politics and could do what he pleased. But this kid was packing gunpowder in the cracker, said Saamnas editorial on Khadses resignation from the Fadnavis cabinet amidst a string of allegations. The newspaper noted that the CM had quietly asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau to track Khadses personal assistant Gajanan Patil for the past six months. Now we understand that Fadnavis works in secret and plays his hand when the time is right, Saamna said.

The Shiv Sena which blames Khadse for breaking up its alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections in Maharashtra ridiculed the disgraced leaders protestations of innocence. Khadse is saying he will leave politics if he is proved guilty. Chhagan Bhujbal is saying the same thing from jail. Ashok Chavan who quit as CM is also saying the same thing. Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra is also saying he is innocent, Saamna said.

Saamna, which has been unable to hide its glee at the ouster of Khadse, accused Khadse of being arrogant. His arrogance for successfully breaking the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was visible on his face till the end, the edit said. The newspaper pointed out that Khadse could meet the same fate as Chhagan Bhujbal who broke away from the Shiv Sena in the 1990s.
Lucknow, June 6

The administration and police in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh has been put in a state of high alert as a 'panchayat' has been called on Monday afternoon in Bisahada village in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri, an official said.

This is the village where a Muslim named Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on September 28 last year after a mob accused him o having eaten beef.

Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate NP Singh however denies reports of a mahapanchayat in Dadri.

Section 144 has been in force not only in Dadri but the whole district since September 2015, he said.

This comes a week after a government forensic lab in Mathura claimed in its report released that the meat in question was of "cow or its progeny", reviving the debate.

People in Bisahada village have demanded that a case of cow slaughter be registered against Akhlaq's family. Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding that the 17 accused in the killing of Akhlaq be now released.

An official, however, said the accused would be produced before a fast-track court on Monday for framing charges. A juvenile has already been granted bail by the high court.

The jawans of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary have been patrolling the village since Sunday evening.

Security has been increased following announcement by some Hindu frontal organisations Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini  that they will participate in the panchayat, said officials.  IANS/ TNS
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 6

While the prayer ceremonies started off peacefully during the Operation Bluestar memorial programme at the Golden Temple complex, tense moments were witnessed when a group raised anti-government slogans during the customary address by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. No violence was reported during the programme as was witnessed during the last two years.

Giani Gurbachan Singh, in his message, expressed resentment against the Centre for not apologising to the community for Operation Bluestar. He also expressed concern over Pilibhit jail atrocities, sacrilege incidents and alleged patronage to anti-Panthic forces. When Canadian Premier can submit an apology for Komaghata Maru even after a century, it was painful for the Sikhs that our own government refrained from apologising for Operation Bluestar, he said.

City residents observed the shutdown call given by the Dal Khalsa in a religious manner. The call was to pay homage to those who laid down their lives during Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Barring medical services, the entire city wore the deserted look till 5 pm. Even the street vendors refrained from setting up their makeshift businesses.

Youths detained

Several youths reportedly belonging to some US-based organisation were detained. Around 15-20 youth were intercepted by the Kotwali police team at Katra Jai Mal Singh, near the Golden Temple complex. The men were wearing navy blue T-shirts bearing objectionable slogans.

Similarly, some youths were restrained from entering the Golden Temple complex till they removed their T-shirts bearing the picture of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Police remain on high alert

There was a three-tier vigil under the supervision of Police Commissioner Amar Singh Chahal and IG (law and order) Amit Prasad around the Golden Temple and other parts of the city. A total of around 8,000 personnel, including a squad of 4,000 Amritsar police, jawans of the RAF, CRPF and the ITBP, were deployed.

Damdami Taksals demands

The Damdami Taksal has asked the Centre to return the belongings of its former chief late Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bodys chief Harnam Singh Dhumma demanded that besides the rare artefacts and books of the Sikh reference library, the Centre should return the original arrow possessed by Bhindranwale.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 6

A large number of activists of the Sangat Langha, Amritsar, today held a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi demanding the Union Government's intervention for opening a corridor to Kartarpur in Pakistan, the last abode of Guru Nanak Dev, which is close to the Indian border.

BS Guraya, who was leading the protest, said, "There a number of Sikh shrines in Pakistan. Kartarpur Gurdwara in Pakistan is just at a distance of 4 km from Gurdaspur in Punjab in India, but we have to travel 225 km to reach the gurdwara."

Goraya said last month he had submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki seeking his intervention in opening the corridor to Kartarpur. In October 2010, the Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution unanimously requesting the Union Government to take up the issue of corridor with Government of Pakistan. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

However, neither the Congress-led UPA government nor the BJP-led NDA government had taken any action, Goraya said.

"The government allows periodic jathas of pilgrims to religious places in Pakistan, including Hinglajgarh, Katasraj and Nankana Sahib. Of late, Pakistan has included Kartarpur in the jatha itinerary, but the pilgrims have to take a circuitous route of 225 km to reach there," he said.
Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Even as the recruitment scam in the Local Bodies Department has rattled the Akali-BJP government, it is likely to give its nod for 600 appointments in the department.

Citing reasons that the appointments to only Assistant Corporation Engineer, Assistant Municipal Engineers and Sub-Divisional Engineers were under scanner, the government is expected to give the go-ahead to all remaining appointments in the department.

The case will be formally examined by a three-member committee constituted by the Department of General Administration and headed by Secretary, Vigilance, before a final go-ahead for recruiting successful candidates is taken.

The Department of Local Bodies (DLB) has reportedly sought directions from the Department of General Administration last week, whether they could go ahead with the remaining recruitments for 604 posts of junior engineer, accountant, legal assistant, assistant town planner, building inspector, senior assistant, sub-fire officer, chief sanitary inspector, draftsman, executive officer, accountant and junior draftsmen among others.

Recruitments for these posts are to be made in the Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats, Improvement Trusts and in the Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

Official sources in the government have said the Department of General Administration has put forth the application moved by the DLB before the three-member committee.

This committee will submit its report to the Chief Minister, who will then take a final call.

Since the controversy over leakage of question paper broke out earlier this year, leading to a case being registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in April, the recruitment process in the Local Bodies Department had come to a halt, said a senior functionary in the Local Bodies Department.

Though the Vigilance Bureau probe has found that 19 candidates are suspected to have been benefited from the leaked question paper and answer keys and that too those who appeared for just three posts  Assistant Corporation Engineer (37 posts), Assistant Municipal Engineer (19 posts) and SDE (10 posts), the recruitment for all other posts have been held up. With development being the key agenda for the government, we need to fill in these vacancies at the earliest, he added.

The Department of Local Bodies had advertised 670 posts (originally 682 posts were advertised and later 12 posts of accountant were withdrawn) in July 2015 and written tests for these posts were held in November last year. The results for these posts were declared on December 17 last. Later, it was found that 19 of the top 50 successful candidates had a similarity in answering the questions, which subsequently led to a Vigilance probe in the matter. Following investigations, all recruitments in the department were put on hold on May 17.
Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 6

The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, today decided to withdraw all three exam centres for the PMET in Haryana in view of the renewed Jat agitation.

Over 2,000 students were to appear for the test in three towns of Haryana. The decision was taken keeping in view the security of all students and to ally all apprehensions of disturbance in the neighbouring state, the university authorities said.

However, to meet the inadequacy of computers in Punjab for the online PMET, the medical university has now decided to conduct the test in two shifts, 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. Around 8,000 medical aspirants will appear in the test in each shift at exam centres established across Punjab, said Dr Raj Bahadur, vice-chancellor, BFUHS. The PMET is scheduled for June 11.

All students were required to check exam centres details at the university website, said the VC. We want all second shift students to reach their exam centers by 12.30 pm so that they can enter the exam room one hour before the start of the test, he said.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the IT company which was given contract by the university to conduct the PMET online, was facing problem in arranging about 16,000 computers in the state for taking the test in one go.

It was thus decided to set up some centres in towns of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh which are situated close to Punjab areas so that the students of the border areas could take exam at these centers.

Earlier, the PMET was scheduled to be held in one shift from 11 am to 2 pm on June 11. It is of the first time that the BFUHS is conducting the PMET online. Earlier, May 15 was fixed as the date for this medical entrance test but due to legal wrangle over the common entrance test, NEET, the test date for PMET was changed to June 11.
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 6

Amidst heavy security arrangements by the SGPC, civil administration and the police in the holy city in view of the Operation Bluestar anniversary, pro-Khalistan slogans were raised soon after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh read a public message on Monday morning.

The prayer ceremonies started off peacefully, but tension increased at the Golden Temple complex when some people among the devotees also raised anti-Badal slogans.

SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann sat away from the crowd after he complained of uneasiness due to suffocation. His supporters, however, continued to raise slogans against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The police detained 15-20 youth for disturbing the event. The men were wearing blue T-shirts bearing the slogan Sikh Referendum 2020.

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Amidst the scuffle, the turbans of MLAs Virsa Singh Valtoha and Harmeet Sandhu came off as they were heckled by supporters of the SAD (Amritsar). The MLAs were escorted to safety by security men.
NEW DELHI, June 6 (INFA): THE three-man Punjab Boundary Commission has, by a majority of two to one, recommended that Chandigarh should go to the proposed Hariana Prant, it is reliably learnt. The two members, who favour that Chandigarh should form part of Hariana, are the Commissioner's Chairman, Mr. Justice J.C. Shah, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, and Mr. M.M. Philip, a senior retired civilian. The third member of the Commission, Mr. S. Dutt, also a retired senior civilian, has, however, expressed the view that Chandigarh should go to the Punjabi Suba since the Hindi-speaking population of the area is "migrant". Mr. Justice Shah and Mr. Philip are reported to have suggested that Chandigarh should serve as joint capital for a year or so till the Punjabi suba chooses its capital out of the various big cities in its proposed area. The sharp division of opinion among the Commission members regarding the future of Chandigarh has placed the Central Government in an unenviable dilemma, which it is finding difficult to resolve.

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Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 6

Workers of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) held a protest at the corporation office in support of their demands here today. They expressed anger over appointment of UPNL workers in the DMC.

The agitated staff, under the aegis of the Nagar Vikas Karamchari Mahasangh, gathered at the office and raised slogans in support of their demands. They alleged that UPNL workers had been appointed in the DMC in violation of norms.

They alleged that the appointment of UPNL workers on different posts would adversely affect their promotion prospects. The corporation was appointing new candidates through outsourcing by ignoring the existing employees, they alleged.

President of the association Nam Bahadur said There are so many permanent and contractual employees in DMC but officials are promoting and appointing new employees through outsourcing. The DMC officials are doing injustice with existing employees who are serving from such a long period in the hope of promotion.

He demanded that priority be given to existing employees in any promotion or appointment or the workers would be forced to launch an intense agitation against the department.

The protesters threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the DMC did not stop the appointments.
Washington: Due to changing climate, Arctic regions of North America are getting greener, with almost a third of the land cover looking more like landscapes found in warmer ecosystems, according to a new NASA study. With 87,000 images taken from Landsat satellites, converted into data that reflects the amount of healthy vegetation on the ground, the researchers found that western Alaska, Quebec and other regions became greener between 1984 and 2012. The new study further supports previous work that has shown changing vegetation in Arctic and boreal North America. PTI

Amadeus playwright Peter Shaffer dead

London: British playwright Peter Shaffer, who won an Oscar for his film adaptation of Amadeus, one of his most celebrated stage dramas, died on Monday aged 90. "It is with great sorrow that we must announce the death of our friend and client, Sir Peter Shaffer CBE whilst on a visit to Ireland with friends and family," Shaffers agent Rupert Lord said on his agency's website. Shaffer died at a hospital following short illness. He won the Oscar in 1985 for the adaptation of Amadeus, his drama about composer Antonio Salieris jealous fixation with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. AFP

Cloth with Pope John Paul IIs blood stolen

Berlin: A cloth with a drop of Pope John Paul II's blood was stolen from Cologne Cathedral in western Germany at the weekend, police said. "Its material value is small but the spiritual loss is much greater," the cathedral's provost, Gerd Bachner, was quoted in the police statement as saying. Bachner urged the thieves to "come to their senses" and return the relic. A visitor to cathedral noticed early on Sunday that the cloth was missing from its glass case, which was built to recall a visit by the pontiff to Cologne in November 1980. AFP

Zuckerbergs Twitter account hacked

New York: Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked by a hacker group that claimed to have obtained passwords from his 2012 LinkedIn account. Hey @finkd, you were in Linkedin Database with the password dadada!, Hacker group OurMine Team wrote from Zuckerbergs Twitter page. On his Pinterest, the new title was Hacked by OurMine Team. The group claimed the password leaked through a massive data breach on LinkedIn in 2012 with more than 164 million users' data stolen. Zuckerberg has not tweeted since 2012. PTI
Male: Former Maldives vice-president Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 10 years on a terrorism charge, his lawyer said on Monday, weeks after ex-leader Mohamed Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain. Adeeb, once a close confidant of Yameen, had enjoyed a meteoric rise until he was dramatically impeached in November after being accused of trying to assassinate his boss by blowing up his speedboat. PTI

UK paedophile gets life for Malaysia abuse

London: A British paedophile who preyed on Christian children in an impoverished part of Kuala Lumpur was sentenced on Monday to life with a minimum term of 25 years. Judge Peter Rook handed Richard Huckle 22 life sentences to be served concurrently after he pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences. AFP
Male, June 6

Former Maldives vice president Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 10 years on a terrorism charge, his lawyer said today, weeks after ex-leader Mohamed Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain.

With Adeeb's sentencing, almost all of President Abdulla Yameen's key rivals are either in jail or living in exile.

The tiny nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims has been gripped by political turmoil since Nasheed  its first democratically-elected president -- was toppled four years ago in what he claimed was a coup led by mutinous police and troops.

Nasheed -- whose legal team includes high-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney -- was sentenced to 13 years on controversial terrorism charges last year but was allowed to travel to Britain for surgery last month and was granted political asylum.

Adeeb's lawyer Moosa Siraj told reporters that his client was convicted yesterday night following a closed-door trial based on witness testimony that Adeeb brandished a handgun at an opposition rally in May last year.

"It is an unfair trial and we will appeal against the verdict at the High Court," Siraj told reporters in Male.

A court official said the case record will not be released to the public as it was considered a matter affecting national security.

Adeeb, 34, once a close confidant of Yameen, had enjoyed a meteoric rise until he was dramatically impeached in November after being accused of trying to assassinate his boss by blowing up his speedboat.

Yameen was unhurt in the explosion last September, but his wife and two others were injured. A trial related to those allegations is yet to conclude.

Nearly four months ago, Yameen secured the jailing of another dissident, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, leader of the opposition Islamist Adhaalath Party.

He was jailed for 12 years after being tried under a controversial 1990 anti-terrorism law for allegedly inciting unrest during an anti-government rally in May 2015 on the capital island.

Imran's party had joined the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last year at a mass rally to protest the jailing of dissidents, including Nasheed.

Yameen -- who defeated Nasheed in a controversial election run-off in November 2013 -- has resisted international pressure to free the former president and has refused to accept a UN panel ruling that his jailing last year was illegal.

Yameen has invited opposition parties for talks to resolve their differences, but they have ended in failure.  AFP
BAGHDAD, June 6

The leader of the largest Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary group has criticised a lack of "precise planning" in war operations to capture Falluja, the stronghold of Islamic State near Baghdad.

Hadi al-Amiri's comments, in an interview with Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday, make him the second Shi'ite militia leader to voice dismay at efforts launched on May 23 by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to dislodge the ultra-hardline Sunni militants from Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of the Iraqi capital.

"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, the leader of the Badr Organization, the largest component of the Popular Mobilization, a coalition of Shi'ite militias that came together two years ago to fight Islamic State with support from Iran.

On Friday, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Talabawi, said the operations had come to a near standstill and asked Abadi to order the resumption of attacks.

Popular Mobilization has been fighting alongside the army in Falluja. Army units are also receiving air support from the US- led coalition.

Abadi said on June 1 the army had slowed its offensive over fears for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city with limited access to water, food and healthcare.

But Amiri accused the authorities of moving military assets away from Falluja, to the frontlines of Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital in northern Iraq.

Several calls to the Iraqi military spokesman since Sunday evening went unanswered. A government spokesman declined to comment. Under the Iraqi Constitution, Abadi is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

"I believe that sending a large part of armored vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of Mosul's battle, is a betrayal to the battle of Falluja," Amiri said, referring to a region in northern Iraq.

"Today the military planning and American pressure are aiming to have this major operation conducted in parallel with the operation of liberating Mosul.

"We say to them, 'Whether you helped us or not, we will win the battle of Falluja,'" he added.

A spokesman of the US-led coalition did not reply to an email seeking comment and could not be reached by telephone. The coalition said two weeks ago it was providing air support to Iraqi government forces only.

Abadi ordered the offensive on Falluja after a series of bombings claimed by Islamic State hit Shi'ite districts of Baghdad, causing the worst death toll this year.

Falluja would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after former dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western province of Anbar.

Abadi has expressed hope that 2016 will be the year of "final victory" over Islamic State, with the capture of Mosul, their de facto capital in northern Iraq.  Reuters
London, June 6

A British paedophile who preyed on Christian children in an impoverished part of Kuala Lumpur was sentenced on Monday to life with a minimum term of 25 years.

Judge Peter Rook handed Richard Huckle 22 life sentences to be served concurrently after he pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences.

Huckle, 30, held his hands together in prayer as the judge delivered his sentence, and remained impassive as his punishment was announced.

A woman in the public gallery leapt to her feet and shouted a thousand deaths is too good for you as Huckle was led out of court.

Rook said Huckle had almost certainly blighted the lives of his victims forever.

The prolific offender has already spent 488 days in jail, so faces more than 23 years behind bars before a parole board can consider his release.

Among the admitted offences were 22 charges of rape against children he groomed while posing as a volunteer working with Christian communities in the Malaysian capital.

Relentlessly you preyed on the very young, said Rook.

You targeted and groomed impoverished children.

Huckle posted pictures of the abuse of boys and girls on website True Love Zone (TLZ), with the youngest victim believed to have been around six months old.

He was eventually snared by an Australian investigation into the site.

British police arrested Huckle, from Kent in southeast England, at London Gatwick Airport in December, 2014, as he returned home from Malaysia to spend Christmas with his parents.

He was carrying a heavily-encrypted computer and camera that contained over 20,0000 images of child sex abuse, over 1,000 of which showed him committing offences including rape.

The laptop contained a ledger in which he detailed the abuse of 191 victims, but officers were unable to press charges on all cases as there was no photographic evidence.

Huckle handed the judge a note before sentencing pleading for leniency and his defence argued in mitigation that he had not inflicted any physical pain on his victims, a claim the judge dismissed.

Ive been shown some of the video footage and Im sure that your action caused immediate pain and distress, said Rook. Others were passive, having been groomed into submission.

The court heard that Huckle had written a guide to child abuse that he intended to publish for profit.  AFP
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Fifteen aspiring Tulsa police officers began their seventh week of Tulsa Police Academy training, learning how to properly search someone detained or arrested. A good search takes less than a minute.

Keep the suspects fingers locked and unable to fight. Do a top-to-bottom pat-down checking the waistband, pockets and shoes for knives and firearms. Lastly, pass the suspect to another officer only after checking for weapons and contraband.

Instructors grill the cadets on the procedures until lunch. Then, its on to the next items in the 28-week academy, which is set for graduation in the fall.

By next summer, the Tulsa Police Department hopes to have three academies, twice as large as the current one, to be held annually for the next five years. Funding comes from the public safety portion of the recently voter-approved Vision Tulsa sales-tax extension. The public safety portion was approved by 72 percent of residents and creates a permanent tax expected to bring $272 million during the next 15 years for new safety officers and dispatchers.

The first payment will be available Jan. 1 and will add 160 police officers, 70 firefighters and 16 personnel to the 911 emergency call center. A previous study by the University of Cincinnati suggested adding at least 200 officers.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for us to fundamentally change how were going to do police work, Tulsa Police Maj. Ryan Perkins said. Were going to be able to, for the first time in a long time, really put the resources to work to make a significant change in the crime problem and our ability to provide services to people. Having the number of officers that we need for people to be able to do community outreach kind of work and being able to interact with the community, I think, is going to be an even bigger thing than the actual law enforcement part of (Vision Tulsa).

Recruiting issues

While Tulsa Police officials are excited to ramp up to the recommended staffing level, currently at roughly 750, within the next five years, the department has faced a shortage of qualified applicants in recent years. Officers say the department will have to broaden its recruiting base to meet its goal of 30 recruits each for three academies per year.

There are no plans to change or lower our standards for coming in (to the academy), and frankly, I dont think the elected officials or citizens want us to, Perkins said.

They want us to hire the same quality police officers that weve always hired because generally, if you look at the surveys, theyre happy with the service. Once the officer actually gets there, theyre happy with the service that they get most of the time. They just dont like waiting so long for the police officer to get there.

Perkins oversees officer training at the Tulsa Police Academy, 6066 E. 66th Street North, and has a team of recruiters traveling the state and region.

We are not just competing locally (for recruits), he said. Were competing regionally and throughout the Midwest. Right now, we are the second largest department in the state, yet we are eighth in pay. Thats an issue in recruiting and in retention, and thats why pay has to be part of recruiting.

Patrick Stephens, president of Tulsas Fraternal Order of Police, said the FOP was supportive of the public safety tax because the current number of officers requires large amounts of overtime, which leads to fatigue.

It will relieve some of that stress theyre under right now with being undermanned, Stephens said. It will help keep the officers from just running from call to call to call.

Stephens says adding the officers will attract recruits, who consider salary as a significant part of their decision.

The funding will reinstate the divisional street crimes units, which Police Chief Chuck Jordan said was lost about a decade ago.

Half of the new officers will be added to patrols at one of the three divisions  Gilcrease, Mingo Valley and Riverside. Their assignments will give seasoned officers the opportunity to move into sections such as the detective or special investigations divisions.

Because human trafficking has worsened in Tulsa, more officers are needed in the vice and other types of detective work, Jordan said. Last month, the detective division had a shortage of 18 officers.

Were deeply involved in intelligence-led policing, which basically is identifying and targeting offenders, Jordan said. Youve gotta have a unit that can do that, and youve gotta have a unit that can address everything from disturbances in a park that neighbors are complaining about to a serial rapist. We want those people in place so we dont have to continue to form a task force every time something happens. Its been a proven method in the past of really reducing crime, and we want to do that again.

The prevalence of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents concerns Jordan, who wants to increase the motorcycle force.

Thats not the part of policing thats red lights and sirens and maybe so much fun, but one of the most important missions we have is to keep people safe, he said. We lost more people from traffic than we do all other crimes combined as far as injuries and property loss.

Push for diversity

Since the 1990s, Tulsa Police officials said the department has made concerted efforts to reflect the citys racial and ethnic demographics.

While recruitment of black, American Indian and Asian officers has been nearly proportional to the citys demographic, its been a struggle with Hispanic and Latino recruits.

The largest growing section of the city has been in the Hispanic or Latino population, which is about 16 percent, and the department needs more Spanish-speaking officers. About 30 officers on the force speak Spanish, and consultants have suggested at least three times that many.

Among the current academy, TPD recruited a Spanish-speaking couple from Texas State University, and a fluent Spanish speaker graduated from a cadet class last year.

A focused effort on attracting quality Latino candidates is one of our biggest challenges, and its one of our biggest initiatives, Perkins said. We see it. We know whats going on. We are going to places where we think we have the best chance of recruiting those folks. Thats eastern New Mexico and west Texas, and south Texas in San Antonio and San Marcos. Were also soon going to be focusing in the Texas Panhandle. There are lots of criminal justice schools and a large Hispanic population there as well.

Diversity among the force creates a better environment for police interactions with residents, Perkins said.

We can better understand the circumstances in the community and better deal with different cultures and different cultural issues that may be going on, he said.

Ultimately, the public safety tax will help other city departments, which have taken cuts in the past to keep officers, Jordan said.

This is a game changer, frankly. Weve talked about this since I got here in 1969, having some kind of dedicated funding. Now that were here, its going to mean a lot for our community and a lot for our police department, he said.

Perkins goes a step further, saying the tax shows officers that residents consider them worthy of their trust.

The citizens are trusting us with millions of their tax dollars to go out and hire police officers that are going to make them safer and make their neighborhoods safer. So we have to ensure that we are hiring the right people, that we are not overreaching our capabilities with our ability to train them and prepare them, he said.
IMAGE: A grenade lies near the left front wheel of a car belonging to Kaiteur News publisher Glenn Lall, outside the newspapers office and printery on Saffon Street, Charlestown, Guyana, late Saturday night
Skinner Trace which is off the S.S. Erin Road is experiencing major land movement which has 
Cast and creatives from such shows as Barracuda, The Family Law and Ready for This will appear at the 2016 Screen Futures Summit being held in Melbourne later this month.

Presented by the Australian Teachers of Media and The Australian Centre for the Moving Image from 30 June  3 July, it will feature more than 100 sessions of keynotes, panels, screenings, Q&As, masterclasses and workshops.

Logie Hall of Fame inductee Noni Hazlehurst will lead a session on Power and Influence in the Media, and what impact the current media landscape has on all of us, particularly children.

Summit Organiser Kate McCarthy Ficai said We have crafted three dynamic days, packed with insightful and challenging discussions from local and international leaders around the future of media education, screen culture and content creation.

This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from our Industry and to really dive in to the insights and questions our speakers pose as we navigate our way through our collective future. Screen Futures is for anyone working in the education and media sectors as well as general screen enthusiasts of all ages.

The Screen Futures Summit will run for three days across two venues, ACMI and RMIT University. The quinquennial conference will provide exposure to contemporary thinking and practice in Film, Television, Media and Cultural Theory in relation to education and beyond. It will inspire and connect content makers, classroom teachers, educators and media lovers, through robust conversation and creative workshops with futures focused leaders.

Paul Wells, Director of the Animation Academy at Loughborough University in England, will deliver the Screen Futures Summit opening key note address looking at how the era of social media and digital culture has changed our world irrevocably, and how animation and moving images are now centre stage as we look to creative ideas to help make sense of it all. Paul has a long list of credits as a scholar, screenwriter and director of animation, comedy and animated documentary.

Other keynote speakers and sessions at the Summit include:

 Barracuda

Author and co-producer Christos Tsiolkas, will be joined by Elias Anton, lead actor in the new ABC TV series of Barracuda, and award-winning founder of Matchbox Pictures, Tony Ayres, to discuss the process of taking a novel to the screen and what they hope the series will bring to audiences later this year.

 Screening of the new documentary, Chasing Asylum

Followed by a Q&A with Oscar winning filmmaker, Eva Orner, live from New York, facilitated by Melbourne Barrister and human rights advocate, Julian Burnside (OA)

 The Family Law

Join the team from The Family Law, the family comedy of a unique, sprawling Chinese-Australian family, for a Q & A with Benjamin Law, Julie Eckersley, Andrew Arbuthnot and Moneth Montemayor.

 Ready For This Live Q&A with the cast and crew

A behind the scenes look at this contemporary Logie award-winning teen drama that tackles multiculturalism as it presents Indigenous Australian kids as part of the fabric of mainstream TV.

 Screen Culture, Identity and Diversity on Screen

Rousing audiences to a standing ovation, Miranda Tapsell accepted her 2015 Logie Award with the words, Put more beautiful people of colour on TV and connect viewers in ways that transcend race and unite us. This is just one sign among many that the zeitgeist has changed and diversity is on the agenda. Join our industry leaders to discuss whats changed and what more needs to be done for our screens to reflect their audience. With panelists Sue Maslin, David Vadiveloo, Julie Kalceff, Rosie Lourde and Rebecca Mostyn.

 Future of Media & Journalism

What will journalism look like? How will it be funded? Who will the journalists be? What standards will they be accountable to? Panel: Professor Jock Given, Professor Matthew Ricketson, Sally Whyte (Crikey) and Richard Bean (ACMA)

 Share your passion and grow an audience on YouTube

YouTube AUNZs Online Partnership Manager Guillaume Deront will be joined by local YouTube channel celebrities to share the future of YouTube with you, as well as some tips on how to find and build your audience.

 Indigenous Community Media from the Bush to the City

Community media plays a big role in communicating and preserving Indigenous culture, but it has also been the springboard for many successful Indigenous filmmakers such as Warwick Thornton, Rachel Perkins and Curtis Taylor. A look at where Community Media has come from to see where it is going. Panel: Philip Batty, Neil Turner, Warwick Thornton, Curtis Taylor

 Beyond ShootyBangs Revenge: The storytelling potential in games

There is a shift happening in videogames, a shift that some would argue is well overdue. No longer are we confined to the demographic of the pimply teenager in his mothers basement playing militaristic warfare games or ripping through zombies with chainsaws. A new world is opening up where people are using games to tell personal stories of their lived experience, to encourage empathy, and to examine what it is about games themselves that can help us stand in anothers shoes. Leena van Deventer explores the potential games have for a totally different way to tell stories

 The Reinvention of the Media; Issues for the Future of Media Studies

Graeme Turner is a highly regarded media and cultural studies leader and one of the founding figures in media and cultural studies in Australia. In his keynote at the Summit he will argue that the scale of change we have seen in the media over the last two decades has produced, in effect, a re-invention of the media  and that media studies being taught in schools has so far failed to address the full range of these changes and their implications

The Youth Media Festival will run concurrently on Saturday 2nd July 2016 and is for young content makers and students working in film, TV, radio, games and online spheres.

Full schedule of Screen Futures Summit and Youth Media Festival


Upcoming ABC documentary series The Bully Project, to be hosted by Ian Thorpe, has now been retitled as Bullied, due to other projects in the market.

Based on a Dutch format, the project partners with ReachOut Australia, and will be filmed in Queensland by KEO Australia and Lune Media with teens over the age of 14.

Psychologist Professor Marilyn Campbell of QUT has also joined the series. Currently Editor of Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, she will ensure the welfare of series participants and provide on-screen expertise.

Im delighted to join the series co-producers KEO & Lune as we embark on a journey to reveal more about the complex issue of bullying here in Australia. This is an exciting opportunity to address a very difficult problem for our young people, which has been shown to be harmful for all concerned, she said.

Bullying is a complex relationship problem which is deeply embedded in our society and for viewers this will be an educative program that will help everyone identify bullying behaviours and how to deal with it  be they young people who are bullied, teachers, family members or peers.

The show is also looking for Queensland-based teenagers aged 14 or over who are being bullied. For further info visit stopbullying.tv

The series will launch in 2017 on ABC.
Season 2 of US comedy series This is Not Happening returns to Comedy later this month.

This premiered in the US in February.

Hosted by Ari Shaffir, This Is Not Happening features long-form storytelling from stand-up comedians. From Moshe Kashers wild days as a wannabe teenage gangster to the time Jim Breuer almost got arrested for prank calling the Sears paint section as a famous dictator, these comedians incredible stories prove that there is nothing as crazy as the truth.

Fridays from June 24 at 8.30pm on Comedy.
Mayoress Martine Craveia was on hand to welcome the Wales team at Dinard Airport when they arrived for UEFA EURO 2016 late on Sunday evening.

Having left from Stockholm, where Chris Coleman had watched his team suffer a disappointing 3-0 defeat by fellow finalists Sweden, Wales were greeted in north-west France by a host of local dignitaries. Now they turn attentions to their UEFA EURO 2016 Group B opener against Slovakia in Bordeaux on Saturday.

Dinard, a quiet seaside commune in Brittany, has been a hive of excitement due to the impending arrival of a squad including the likes of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey. Wales flags can be spotted on every corner, with the locals doing their utmost to make their visitors feel at home. The Welsh party will stay in a self-contained wing of a hotel overlooking the beautiful coastline of Brittany.

The squad will train at Dinard FC's nearby ground, where the team media centre is also located. Preparations have been meticulous since qualification was secured, giving Wales the perfect platform on which to make history in their first major tournament in 58 years.

UEFA.com

UEFA.com

UEFA.com
One Ukrainian serviceman was killed in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on the ATO, Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

One Ukrainian serviceman was killed, another seven soldiers were wounded in Donbas over the past day. The Ukrainian army suffered these losses in Mayorske and Avdiyivka [Donetsk region].

ol
Germany and France are developing a norm on the suspension of a visa-free regime for Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo, Germanys Die Welt newspaper reports.

Germany and France are developing the norm under which certain countries of the European Union will be able to suspend a visa-free regime, reads the report.

According to the newspaper, the countries are concerned about the introduction of a visa-free regime for Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo, fearing higher crime rate.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere at a Parliaments sitting last week provided explanations why the number of burglaries climbed over the past months, Die Welt reports. Speaking to MPs behind closed doors, the minister said that those burglaries are mostly committed by international traveling gangs, taking special note on those coming from Georgia.

Earlier the EU suspended a decision on the abolition of a visa-free regime for Georgia.

Iy
Compared to last year the number of attacks on journalists has slightly decreased in 2016, Executive Director of "Institute of Mass Media" Oksana Romaniuk told a press conference held at Ukrinform.

"As of today, the number of attacks and barriers to journalists because of their legitimate professional activities has somewhat dropped compared to the previous year, the first five months. We have recorded 18 cases of assaults. Meanwhile, the last year saw 58 assaults," she noted.

However, according to Romaniuk, the negative trend has started in May because the number of attacks on the media personnel has gone slightly up. In particular, such cases numbered seven in May. The main attackers on the journalists were common citizens, and the most "attacked" of them were investigative journalists.

As a note, Day of Journalist is marked annually in Ukraine on June 6.

tl
Ukrainian MFA has assigned a diplomat to work with the Ukrainian media on the emergency situations with Ukrainian nationals abroad.

To improve the efficiency of communications on the emergencies cases overseas involving the citizens of Ukraine such as traffic accidents, death, detention, arrest, hostage-taking, natural disasters, man-made disasters, the Consular Department of Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assigned a diplomat who will be responsible for operational communication with the media - Starak Oresta Mykhailivna, the official press release by the ministry notes.

tl
A three-month research from the University of Colorado at Boulder recently exposed a new liability regarding narcotic painkiller treatment.

The short-term practice of pain-killer treatment can lead to chronic pain which can actually be more intense than the original pain for which the medicine was intended for as what was discovered by senior researchers, Science Daily reported.

Using rats in their study, CU-Boulder Assistant Research Professor Peter Grace and Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins discovered that painkillers, varying between morphine to Vicodin, encouraged a long-lasting chronic pain after the treatments which lasted for about five days.

Grace pointed out that in their research they were initially presenting the long-term negative effects of opioids use, that even in just a transitory period of treatment; the medication itself highly influenced chronic pain.

The reason for this long-drawn-out pain is that the treatment exaggerates the discharge of pain signals from the immune cells located in the spinal cords of the studied rats. If a specific rat had a nerve injury this will immediately send a message coming from the nerve cells to the spinal cord.

Upon the administration of morphine, this only prompted the cells to go into a "frenzied mode" thus setting off what they call a "cascade of actions" wherein spinal cord inflammation is one of the byproducts.

Additional test results are being called for on whether the painkiller treatment, will bring out the same response in humans, as the scientific experiment on rats is the foremost discovery to display such a consequence. It has also been found out that glial cells that distinguish opioids, those supportive cells in the central nervous system, can have their receptors blocked by a drug called DREADD, UPI mentioned.

A journal on this study was made available in the May 30 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Targeting the Catholic Church and citing discrimination, a liberal academic group is urging the United States government to revoke federal protection from religious charities.

A faction of law professors from different institutions got together for the Columbia University "Public Rights/Private Conscience Project" releasing a memo that stated FBOs (Faith based organizations) should not be granted immunity as far as religious non-discrimination laws are concerned. The memo also stated that FBOs should not be exempt from giving services in breach of their religious principle while functioning as federal contractors.

The established goal of the Project is to organize advocates, attorneys as well as scholars to establish and arrange new ways of building anticipated clash between religious liberty and sexual rights, LifesiteNews reported.

The Project is backed by a leading Planned Parenthood donor, the Ford Foundation along with the pro-homosexual ARCUS Foundation, both of which have invested a great deal of money into taking a stand against the Catholic Church for its viewpoint on homosexual "marriage."

The Columbia Conscience Project memo mentions the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) several times, targeting the Bishops' Conference for not permitting contraception and abortion when taking government funding. The memo further expresses apprehension in regards to transgender individuals receiving adequate healthcare or housing while being served by religious organizations that receive federal grants.

The group further blames the USCCB for making use of influence citing the huge number of programming it offers, and claims this is facilitated by the government as they grant them so much money.

According to the paper, if government agencies did not allow discrimination as well as other similar exemptions within their programs, non-profits that are willing to observe the grant terms would have a stronger motivation to maximize their activities to compete for these grants.

As per the Columbia document, eliminating religious exemptions for hiring would not make a lot of difference for FBOs. In addition, the lawyers' 16-page paper also intends to put pressure on President Obama to nullify the Bush Administration memo, ProPublica reports.

The paper urges the federal government to strictly direct that FBOs that they cannot discriminate against or even deny material services to intended beneficiaries of federally funded programs.

The Obama administration has strongly supported programs as well as special rights for "transgender" individuals and LGBT, and even warned or sued agencies that refuse to comply.

Back in 2014, the Obama administration, without involving Congress declared that the civil rights provisions aimed to avert inequity against women in the 1972 federal law Title IX is also applicable to transgender individuals.
In the recent years, Louisiana legislators give some control to certain local universities and colleges over tuition and fees. However, that is only for a temporary basis. And that limited control is supposed to expire by the end of 2017.

This is the reason why both chambers in the Louisiana Legislature approved Senate Bill 80 to transfer authority over university and college tuition rates and student fees from state lawmakers to the schools' supervising boards.

Lest, these voters favored this proposal, it becomes the first permanent shift in authority over college costs from the legislators to the university boards, Nola reported. This will potentially authorize the universities to control their tuition rates and fees. And will allow public universities and colleges to become more expensive to attend. There have been many institutions which already raised both tuition and fees on students with only partial control over the costs.

On the other hand, Higher education officials made no secret that they are in quest of control over tuition and fees. This is to attend the dramatic decline in state funding they have experienced over the last eight years, Nola added. Minority of the colleges and universities wanted the power to lower tuition rates to become more competitive with other schools in the LA region. For example, LSU law school officials believe their out-of-state tuition is too high to draw students outside Louisiana.

Officials of Louisiana's higher education have been trying for years to get permanent control over tuition rates. The current law stated, the Legislature must grant any tuition change for any Louisiana university program with a two-third of votes.

Florida is the only other state in the country that involves the Legislature in setting tuition rates. In fact, Louisiana's universities offer some of the lowest tuition rates in the South. Recent concerns alarm that universities and colleges might choose to raise tuition when the TOPS college scholarship program is not liable to cover the cost of going to school.
May 5 2015

Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC), owners of Campbeltown Airport, has released concept visualisations prepared by Doug James of Mode Design for a proposed spaceport at the former RAF base.Led by Discover Space UK the bid team cite inherent advantages of a Campbeltown bid, notably a 3,000ft long runway, low population density and community ownership.Campbeltown is amongst five locations to be shortlisted for the launch pad , going head-to head with Prestwick, Stornoway, Newquay and Llanbedr to land the out of this world prize.MACC chairman and Discover Space UK director Tom Miller, said: Machrihanish has a long-history with space flight, going back to the launch of NASAs Space Shuttle in 1981.Machrihanish was an emergency landing site for the shuttle in Europe, with our 3,049m runway long enough to welcome the shuttle and get it airborne again aboard a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.Then in 2009, the last time the UK looked at establishing a spaceport, Virgin Galactic said Machrihanish was one of its preferred sites for the UK spaceport.The UK government aims to have an operational spaceport by 2018.
June 6 2016

Abertay Housing Association has brought forward plans to build 60 flats for social rent to designs by Barton Willmore together with associated public realm enhancements at Finavon Street, within the Fintry area of Dundee.Supplanting 54 Orlit style modular concrete houses dating from the 1940s, demolished in 2011, the scheme will create a series of distinct areas along by strengthening the urban frontage to Fintry Drive and Finavon Street together with a signature block where the two intersect.In their design statement Barton Willmore wrote: The focus is on attractive, simple proportions both in the form of the buildings and in the development of the elevations where we have proposed generous well-proportioned windows arranged in classic rhythms. This is combined with a simple palette of robust materials to create a family of buildings which complement each other and create a distinct character and identity.Incorporating a mix of flatted, semi-detached and terraced properties the scheme will be predominantly composed of brick with areas of zinc cladding and white render panels.
Women with advanced bladder cancer have inferior survival compared with men. However, women treated on clinical trials do not appear to have a survival disadvantage. Less frequent administration of systemic chemotherapy in women with advanced bladder cancer may contribute to their inferior survival.

The authors identified patients diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer from 1998 through 2010 using the National Cancer Data Base, a national outcomes database that includes 70% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in the United States. Sex differences in demographics, systemic chemotherapy administration, and overall survival (OS) were compared.

A total of 23,981 patients were identified (35% of whom were female). Compared with men, women were older, more likely to be black, and less likely to be insured (P<.01 for all). The Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score did not differ between men and women. Women were less likely to receive systemic chemotherapy than men (45% vs 52%; adjusted relative risk, 0.91 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.88-0.94]). Women had a lower median OS compared with men (8.0 months [95% CI, 7.7-8.3 months] vs 9.8 months [95% CI, 9.5-10.0 months]; P<.001). OS remained lower for women on multivariable analysis, even after adjusting for the administration of systemic chemotherapy (hazard ratio for death, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.08-1.15]).

Women are less likely than men to receive systemic chemotherapy for advanced bladder cancer and this difference may partially account for the poorer OS observed in women. However, OS remains lower in women independent of chemotherapy use, and may be related to unmeasured comorbidities, functional status, or tumor biology. Cancer 2016.  2016 American Cancer Society.

Cancer. 2016 May 25 [Epub ahead of print]

Tracy L Rose, Allison M Deal, Matthew E Nielsen, Angela B Smith, Matthew I Milowsky

Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Biostatistics and Clinical Data Management Core, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Urologic Oncology Program, Department of Urology, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Urologic Oncology Program, Department of Urology, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27224661
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Two UW Students Win EPSCoRs Communicating About Water in Wyoming Contest

In Wyoming, water plays a key role in politics, community relationships, agriculture, natural resources debates and more. A University of Wyoming writing contest allows college students to weigh in on the subject and further examine the states valuable resource.

Two UW students -- Patrick Harrington and Megan Richter -- were recently named winners in the Communicating About Water in Wyoming writing contest.

Harrington, a Master of Public Administration student from Greybull, won the graduate essay contest with his work, titled Confidence in the Current, a lyrical memoir about a life spent on Wyomings rivers.

Richter, a senior in mechanical engineering originally from Sheridan, took the undergraduate essay contest for her incisive and humorous look at sustainability and water quality, titled Well Call It Chocolate Milk.

The contest awarded $500 prizes to the undergraduate and graduate student winners; and provides publication, along with 15 other undergraduate and graduate entries, in an anthology of essays by UW students. The anthology will be published at the end of this month. The contest is part of the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) Communicating About Water program.

WyCEHG and the UW MFA in Creative Writing program partnered to sponsor the contest. WyCEHG is funded through an award from the National Science Foundation to Wyomings Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Im very thankful for the recognition this award brings and the added bonus of a $500 scholarship that will keep me plugging away at graduate school, Harrington says. As a songwriter in the local band the Libby Creek Original, getting recognition for the act of writing feels pretty dang great!

I am unbelievably grateful to have received a scholarship for my writing. I have had to juggle 20-plus-hour workloads on top of being a full-time student since I started college, and am reaching a point in my academic studies where my financial aid is rather constrained, Richter says. Being able to minimize my reliance on loans -- particularly in my potential last year -- is a relief for me. This lessens some burden to work and try to balance an overwhelming class load in my engineering classes.

Harrington received his bachelors degree in environment and natural resources, and religious studies from UW. He is the assistant director of the Wyoming Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program housed within UW. The program sends young adults on six, 10-day-long conservation projects all over Wyoming where they construct trails, build fences, chainsaw trees, restore habitat and preserve historical structures.

Harrington describes his essay as a story of self-discovery on the free flowing rivers of Wyoming and falling in love with this place Id only half-heartedly called home.

Fly fishing is misleading simple; the angler is only trying to convince fish that feathers are food, Harrington explains. But, in a broader perspective, and for me, fly fishing is something much deeper. Standing in a river connects us to the world we are a part of and forces us to be sensitive enough to reflect and respond to the moment -- whether that moment is a trout or climate change. This isnt by accident -- for sure -- if you want to catch fish, youve got to be as sensitive as they are.

Richter originally went to the University of Nevada-Reno to study journalism. She switched her major to mechanical engineering in 2012 and then returned to Wyoming to attend UW.

Richter says her essay discusses the complexity of water in Wyoming.

Too often, we have an unbalanced perspective of water in the West as being plentiful while always somehow being in short supply, she says. The fact of the matter is we want to thrive in an ecosystem that was never designed for our long-term, sedentary habitation; our existence in the West always dictates the maximization of water at whatever the ecological and financial cost. It is a complicated and rather unattractive picture, but it is the reality of being in the western United States.

Fortunately, despite all these gloom-and-doom facts, even with the United States population increase, our water usage is at a 40-year low, which is pretty great. But, this kind of decrease in water usage has been the result of a few things: environmental awareness by the public, regulations and also better technology. However, if we want to continue to decrease our water demand, we have to continue to be thoughtful about our water usage and the costs it enacts long-term on not only the environment, but ourselves.

Any UW or Wyoming community college student was eligible to submit a nonfiction essay. The undergraduate categorys theme was What I Understand About Water in Wyoming, and essays were to be 350-600 words. The graduate categorys theme was called How I Understand the Science of Water, and essays were to be 600-1,000 words.

All of our entrants submitted informative and creative work to our contest, and we at Wyoming EPSCoR are proud to have inspired UW students to communicate about water in such unique and informative ways, says Liz Nysson, coordinator of Wyoming EPSCoR.
UW Indoor Vertical Dance and Lights Along the Shore Set Performance June 9

Vertical Dance and Lights Along the Shore will present a free public performance Thursday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. in the UW Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center atrium. (UW Photo)

Vertical Dance and Lights Along the Shore will team up once again for a special free public performance Thursday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center atrium.

For its fourth performance at the Berry Center, the UW Department of Theatre and Dances Vertical Dance will present three dance pieces in a concert with Lights Along the Shore.

Lights Along the Shore will perform original and arranged work for performance. This instrumental ensemble specializes in original compositions and arrangements of classical and folk music from around the world. Ensemble members are UW Department of Music faculty members: Steve Barnhart, percussion; Rod Garnett, Moldovan, pan pipes and traditional flutes; Blake McGee, clarinet; and Lisa Rickard, piano.

For our performance, we chose themes from biodiversity for inspiration, says UW Department of Theatre and Dance Associate Professor Margaret Wilson. The pieces will be abstractions of bird, animal and plant life, woven with movement unique to dance in the vertical dimension. The pieces are developed with the dancers and specific to the type of rigging.

The rigging is designed by Neil Humphrey, UW Department of Geology and Geophysics professor, and adjunct instructor in theatre and dance. He and Wilson create and direct the specific pieces.

Performing will be UW Department of Theatre and Dance students Jordyn Brummond and Sydney Edwards, both from Laramie; Amanda Vinson, from Parker, Colo.; and Stephanie Young, from Springfield, Ore.; along with Humphrey and Wilson.

We are pleased to perform with Lights Along the Shore at the Berry Center again, Wilson says. This will be Steve Barnharts last concert in Laramie before he heads off to North Carolina having recently retired from UW, and we are delighted to share in this performance with him. We also are grateful to the Berry Center for giving us such a wonderful and unique place to dance.

She adds that the Berry Center represents the ideal interface of science and art.

Vertical dance is, in fact, a beautiful mix of physics and choreography, and we continually progress our ideas with the opportunity to work at the Berry Center, Wilson says.

For more information, contact Wilson at (307) 766-5138 or mawilson@uwyo.edu.
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One of the greatest women's matches to ever take place in a WWE ring featured one of Ireland's greatest female wrestling exports as The Irish Lasskicker, The Boss and The Nature Girl stole the show on Wrestling's biggest night on the calendar.

The Women's Triple-Threat match on the Grandest Stage of Them All in Dallas, Texas was heralded by many as the match of the night and seen as the instigator for what would become a new focus on women's wrestling.

Becky Lynch has been a force since her debut on the main roster as a part of Team PCB back in July of last year, but after the group disbanded she picked up pinfall victories over Charlotte and Paige announcing herself as one of the top females in the company.

The feisty redhead spoke recently about her goals for the Women's Revolution, the prospect of females competing in stipulation matches and her friends who she has met in the business.

On revolution goals

Becky Lynch as part of Team PCB with Paige and Charlotte (image: si.com)

With a WrestleMania match already under her belt, Lynch seems in no mood to ease up as she sets her sights on becoming the figurehead of the WWE at the forefront of the Women's Revolution.

She said "We want to main event WrestleMania. We want to main event every pay-per-view if it is possible."

With females in the WWE no longer an after thought, the prospect of having the technically gifted women close one or many of the numerous pay-per-views is now a real possibility.

After establishing and making a name for themselves in NXT once debuting on the main roster their stock has continued to rise, but one name remains in developmental and one many in the WWE Universe feel is the missing piece of the puzzle.

Lynch said,"The next step will be having (former NXT Women's Champion) Bayley up here to have that foursome."

All four women (Bayley, Sasha Banks, Lynch, and Charlotte) have all worked together and are close from their time in developmental, it is only a matter of time before all four are together on the main roster and showing the WWE Universe what the fans at NXT already know.

On Stipulation Matches

Could female stipulation matches one day be the norm? (image:whatculture.com)

Thanks to the upcoming PPV of Money in the Bank it has presented itself with several interesting and intriguing questions with one being; where is the female MITB?

With the annual event increasing in popularity and excitement each year the question marks over the 'supposedly' equal female wrestlers competing at the event and many others of its kind are still to be answered.

Lynch was all in favor of the stipulation but suggested they should hold off because the women are currently "holding" their own making the gimmick match unnecessary.

She said "Oh, absolutely. I don't see any reason why there would not be. At the moment, I don't think they are necessary because I think we are holding our own without any extras."

On Friends in the WWE

You are bound to cross paths with people on life's journey and some people stay closer than others; friends. Lynch has competed all across the world and she opens up about what it is like building a friendship with wrestlers in the business.

She said "It is incredible. The amount of people I can name that I crossed paths with. We were just in Italy and I remember ten years ago: Myself, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens were in these 5,000 seat arenas but only had 100 people in the crowd"

A world away from the independent scene The Irish Lasskicker is now a recognized name in the world of wrestling and says that the way her life has changed it is "Insane" just "how far" herself and the rest of her friends have "come."

She finished by saying how "cool" it was to be "on the same journey" and to all be "in this together" as colleagues and friends.
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By Jc Oberst, Special to The Star

A change of command ceremony is a formal event conducted by military units for their assigned personnel to signal a shift to new leadership.

I attended the change of command on the USS Carl Vinson last week in San Diego.

The outgoing commanding officer and former E-2C Hawkeye squadron commanding officer, Capt. Karl Thomas, was relieved by Capt. Douglas Verissimo. Rear Adm. James Loeblein, commander of the Carrier Strike Group, was the guest speaker. He talked about the commitment made by the men and women in our armed forces when they joined the military. He reminded the attendees that the men and women standing in ranks were volunteers who wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their lives.

Today, less than 1 percent of the U.S. population makes this commitment to our nation. This is why it is important for us to take care of those who served us.

President Barack Obama visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day. I read President Obama's Memorial Day speech and it is very moving. I recommend you take the opportunity to read it on the White House briefing room website (www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room). He recognizes the sacrifices of the 20 Americans who gave their lives during the previous year and their families. He closes by saying, "A nation reveals itself not only by the people it produces, but by those it remembers. We do so not just by hoisting a flag, but by lifting up our neighbors. Not just by pausing in silence, but by practicing in our own lives the ideals of opportunity and liberty and equality that they fought for. We can serve others, and contribute to the causes they believed in, and above all, keep their stories alive."

As part of our efforts to remember our fallen military members, my office took on a new project recently. We are developing a comprehensive list of all the veterans' memorials and veteran museums in Ventura County. If you know the location of additional veteran memorial or museum in Ventura County, we would appreciate you contacting our office at 482-6550. The current ones are listed in the graphic that accompanies this article.

One last note, it is election season. Some of you may have already voted, but for those of you who are still contemplating how you will vote, I encourage you to take some time to research the candidates so we elect the best people to represent us. Then, make your voice be heard and vote.

Upcoming events

June 14: Flag Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Flag Retirement Ceremony, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Ceremony is hosted by Veterans of Foreign War's Eric Huberth Post 11395. Guest speaker is Tim Hagel, chief of police for the city of Thousand Oaks. For more information, contact Gary Erland at 241-4671.

June 18: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ricky Burrus Veteran's Memorial Ride, Twisted Oak Tavern, 30105 Agoura Road, Agoura Hill. This ride is a major fundraiser for Rolling Thunder California Chapter 1 and funds go to support local veterans with projects managed by the chapter. Motorcycles and cars are welcome and participants will stop at a few local veterans memorials. Cost is $10 to $1,500. Ride ends at Twisted Oak Tavern with food and live music. To register online go to rollingthunderca1.com, call 630-6878 for more info.

June 26: 1:30-3 p.m., Disabled Veteran Sail Day, Channel Island Yacht Club, 4100 Harbor Blvd., Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard. Third annual event takes disabled veterans from all over Southern California on an afternoon sail, then back to the club for food, drinks and giveaways. Please come and enjoy a day of sailing the Santa Barbara Channel. This is our way of saying "thank you" for your service to our great country. RSVP is required. For more information, contact event Chairman Bill Brayton by email at bbrayton@atra.com, or by phone at 822-7544.

June 28: 8 a.m. to noon, Employment Development Department Veterans Job and Career Orientation, Gold Coast Veterans Foundation, 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo. EDD holds Veterans Orientation honoring our servicemen and women. Representatives from Veterans Affairs Veterans Center, Ventura County Veterans Service Office and EDD Workforce Services Veterans Service Program will be present. Call EDD at 568-1282 for more information.

Need assistance navigating veteran services? Give JC Oberst a call at 482-6550.
Star file photo Hank Bangser, superintendent of the Ojai Unified School District, plans to retire at the end of next year. Bangser is shown in 2014 with Moorpark Unified School District Superintendent Teresa Williams.

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By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, Special to The Star

Ojai Unified School District superintendent Hank Bangser has announced he will retire at the end of next school year, exactly eight years after he began work in the position.

Bangser, 67, informed district staff of his decision in an email Friday. He said he had spoken with board members about his plans to retire in a closed-door session in May. He will remain for one more year at the district and retire on Aug. 17, 2017, he said.

The school board is scheduled to vote on whether to approve Bangser's retirement at its meeting Tuesday. At the same meeting, the board will decide whether to appoint assistant superintendent of business services, Andrew Cantwell, as the district's new superintendent starting in the 2017-18 school year.

Bangser, who previously worked as a school superintendent in Illinois, said he would not discuss his retirement further until after the board's vote. However, in his email Friday he said he had informed the board before his appointment as Ojai's superintendent in 2009 that he wanted to retire within 10 years, or just after his 70th birthday.

His current contract ends in 2019 and his salary is close to $176,000 a year, according to information on the district's website.

In his email, Bangser acknowledged the district's ongoing financial difficulties, a situation largely due to steep declines in school enrollment over the past 15 years.

"I have truly cherished the past seven years here, as horrific as our financial situation has been," the superintendent wrote. "I am excited to return to work with you next year  as I did in my last year before retiring from the superintendency in Illinois, there will be no doubt that I will serve as your superintendent with the same commitment that I have offered to the district in the past seven years."

Bangser said he is recommending Cantwell as his successor because of his "outstanding performance" in the assistant superintendent role.

Cantwell, a Moorpark native, joined the Ojai Unified district in 2015. He holds a master of business administration and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He previously worked as a financial services manager and director of classified human resources for the Santa Barbara County Education Office. He also worked for three years at the Moorpark Unified School District.

"Andy has emerged as one of the rising stars among the Ventura County assistant superintendents of business," Bangser wrote.

Reached by phone Friday, Cantwell said he would comment after Tuesday's meeting.

"I'm extremely honored to be considered but I'm going to hold off on any other comment until the decision's taken," he said.

Board Vice President Jane Weil also declined to comment until Tuesday, although she noted Bangser's long tenure in the district.

"He's definitely been here for a longer period I think than anyone in the past couple of decades. That's been wonderful that he will be here a total of eight years," she said. "That's been really nice, to be consistent during this fiscally difficult time."

The school board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at 414 E. Ojai Ave. in Ojai.
File photo

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By Staff Reports

A Camarillo man was arrested in Ventura last month after a woman said she was sexually assaulted at a tattoo parlor there in March.

Police said the 20-year-old woman told them she was assaulted at High Class Tattoo on South Victoria Avenue by a tattoo artist on March 6.

Police said Jaime Garza, 51, was arrested outside his Camarillo home in the 1600 block of Pierside Lane on May 25 on suspicion of sexual assault.
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The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

For once, the headlines about the latest health scare are not hyperbole: The end of the Antibiotics Era may be nigh.

Staving that off will require fast and creative thinking  not only in medical science, but also in public policy.

Public health officials were horrified but not surprised to find a Pennsylvania woman who had an infection with the same kind of drug resistance first identified last fall on farms in China.

The E. coli found in the woman carried the same genetic mechanism of resistance to colistin  a last-resort antibiotic  that was discovered in Chinese livestock that were routinely fed the drug. And this resistance mechanism is easily spread from one bug to another.

The looming danger is that the gene for colistin resistance will make its way to bacteria already immune to carbapenem, another last-resort drug, creating an invincible "superbug."

No one yet knows the magnitude of the agricultural threat, because too many countries, including the United States, fail to keep track of the amount and kinds of antibiotics fed to various livestock.

This needs to change  and fast.

In January, American farms are scheduled to stop feeding antibiotics to animals merely to help them grow. But this is a voluntary program, not a legal ban (as in Europe), and data will be needed to find out if the change makes a difference.

People are fed too many antibiotics, too.

A recent study found that in outpatient settings, about a third of prescriptions are written for conditions the drugs cannot treat.

Add to that the frequency with which doctors prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics because they don't know which bug is causing a patient's infection, and you've created a perfect environment for bacteria to develop resistance.

Ideally, medical science would maintain a full pipeline of new antibiotics to keep one step ahead of germ evolution.

But that's not the case  in part because developing and selling antibiotics is not a particularly good business.

Even more ideal would be to have novel formulations that are sparingly used, so as to not overexpose them to the bacterial resistance machinery.

What's needed from an economic standpoint is a way to "de-link" the revenue from the sales of such drugs  that is, guarantee that drug manufacturers can get paid for effective new formulations.

A British commission on antibiotic resistance has just recommended raising billions of dollars from world governments to make payments of this kind.

Improved medical technology is also necessary, including fast diagnostic tests that would help doctors treat infections more narrowly and accurately, as well as vaccines, probiotics and other nontraditional approaches.

And if public money is going to be spent in support of basic science aimed at discovering new kinds of germ-killing compounds, then drug companies should be prepared to share their proprietary compound information.

It's some comfort to know that the Pennsylvania woman with the colistin-resistant infection has recovered; other drugs did the trick. So antibiotics aren't quite useless yet.

Public health officials, however, are right to warn that they soon will be  unless humans make a concerted effort to find new ways to fight the bacteria that threaten their existence.


Last night, Jersey Shores Ronnie Ortiz-Magro launched his new t-shirt brand Jersey Laundry at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas (Photo credit: Hew Burney).

Photo credit: Hew Burney.

Ronnie and 10 of his close buddies partied in a VIP booth, danced and fist pumped the night away while taking videos and photos with the crowd.

Photo credit: Hew Burney.

At one point he joined resident DJ Ryan Wellman in the booth who was playing Jersey Shore soundtrack hits. With his fist pumping, he got on the microphone for a Jersey Shore shout out to all the fans, asking who is going to smoosh tonight?!!

Photo credit: Hew Burney.

Looking like he was about to smoosh himself with a beautiful blonde who was following him around all night, Ronnie partied into the early morning hours.

Photo credit: Hew Burney.

Photo credit: Hew Burney.

[az_easel item=B003R4ZMN6]
A ferry terminal is submerged by the overflowing Parramatta river, in Sydney, on June 5, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Saeed Khan)

SYDNEY: Wild weather which has smashed into Australia's east coast and whipped up giant waves on Sydney beaches has left at least three people dead and others missing, police said Monday (Jun 6) as the clean-up began.

Ferocious storms pounded the coast over the weekend, causing flooding in New South Wales while huge seas resulted in coastal erosion, in one instance sweeping away the in-ground swimming pool of a beachside home.

"This storm, which was so ferocious, has taken life from us," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said as he warned that conditions remained dangerous.

"Up and down the coast this has caused carnage.

"It is clear -- the ferocity of this storm was such that the damage has been unbelievable up and down the coast."

The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of rain, wind and wave action had combined to create the extreme conditions.

One part of Sydney suffered its worst flooding in 30 years, while the city's Observatory Hill weather station received some 226 millimetres of rain over the weekend -- well above the average monthly rainfall for June of 131.9 millimetres.

The bureau said a wind gust in excess of 115kmh was recorded in Sydney Harbour during the storm, while two of the three runways of Sydney Airport were closed due to the high winds.

Police said divers had retrieved two bodies from cars which had been swept away in flood waters, one in the southwestern Sydney suburb of Leppington and another in the town of Bowral, some 100km south of the city.

The New South Wales State Emergency Service said despite a flood rescue crew attending to the vehicle at a Leppington creek, they could only rescue one occupant. Police said they heard the cries of someone else.

Authorities said the body of a third man was found near a flooded river crossing close to Canberra, adding that attempts to rescue him also failed due to the severe weather and fast-rising water.

The storm swept south from Queensland, through New South Wales and onto Tasmania where police Monday held grave fears for two people thought to have been swept away by floodwaters.

A man aged in his 80s was feared to have been swept away, Tasmanian police said, while the wife of another elderly man rescued by helicopter through the roof of his inundated home was missing.
The Hanoi Peoples Committee held a ceremony to launch activities to respond to this occasion. 3,000 pine trees were planted in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province on World Environment Day.

More than 300 young people attended a ceremony to mark the event and launch the Week of Vietnams sea and islands.

Ninh Thuan provinces Peoples Committee held a meeting and a campaign to clean the beach.

2016 World Environment Day was held to encourage the people to be friendlier with the environment. It also aims to call for the communitys effort to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking which has posed risks for biodiversity and lives of many species in the world.

In Ho Chi Minh city, more than 300 students drew paintings and cycled along Truong Sa and Hoang Sa roads to communicate environmental protection.

Nguyen Thi Bich Thao from district 3, Ho Chi Minh city said,We took part in the launching ceremony to raise peoples awareness of environmental protection. I often ask my family and friends to use less plastic bags and replace with recycled ones to protect the environment."

Vietnam has responded to World Environment Day as an annual activity since 1982, said Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, adding that this year, the ministry launches a broad array of responding activities that call for joint efforts to address urgent environmental issues in localities.
Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during church services at Greater St. Paul Church on Jun 5, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP)

WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary Sunday (Jun 5), US networks projected, bringing her to the brink of victory in their long-fought battle for the party's presidential nomination.

With 29 per cent of the island territory's districts reporting, former secretary of state Clinton was ahead with 62.5 per cent of the vote, compared to 37.1 per cent for Sanders, according to CNN.

Victory in debt-hobbled Puerto Rico marked a double dose of good news for Clinton over the weekend, with another territory, the US Virgin Islands, voting overwhelmingly for her on Saturday.

The pair of wins provides a boost ahead of Tuesday's culminating vote with New Jersey and the big prize of California at stake.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" -- she wrote in a bilingual tweet that thanked the Isle of Enchantment for the win.

Puerto Rico has 60 pledged delegates at stake, and Clinton will win at least 31 of them.

That would put Clinton, who amassed 2,323 delegates prior to Puerto Rico's vote, just a handful shy of the 2,383 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination, a threshold she will undoubtedly cross on Tuesday.

Sanders, however, has vowed to fight on all the way until the Democratic National Convention in July, arguing he could persuade many of the several hundred so-called super delegates who back Clinton to change their allegiance and support his campaign.

Super delegates are Democratic Party bigwigs who are not bound to any candidate or to the results of statewide votes and do not officially cast their vote until the convention.

Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned in Puerto Rico in recent weeks, and both have put forward plans to help the island emerge from a debt crisis.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation, backed by the White House, that would be charged with overseeing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its finances and restructuring the Caribbean island's US$70 billion in debt.
What will be the biggest trade and investment benefits that this agreement gives to Vietnam?

Vietnam is a very interesting country for us. We are among Vietnams biggest markets. We are going to increase both trade and investment opportunities. Under the agreement, in terms of trade, strong commitments in opening the markets will help boost bilateral trade. The two sides will remove import tariffs for over 99 per cent of tariff lines within seven years for the EU and ten years for Vietnam. For the remaining tariff lines, the two sides will apply tariff quotas or partial tariff reductions. This can be seen as the highest commitments attained by Vietnam in the FTAs it has inked with partners so far.

Thus the EVFTA will open new opportunities for both Vietnamese and European businesses.

The EU remains Vietnams second-largest trading partner. During 2003-2015, the two sides trade turnover augmented sevenfold, from $6.3 billion to $41.2 billion.

Economic ties between both sides continue to grow strongly and are expected to be further reinforced as a result of the EVFTA.

In terms of investment, Vietnam is a very fast developing market. It has a young and dynamic population, numbering nearly 100 million people. Vietnam has very high growth with great demand for consumption. This will bring about lots of investment opportunities for us.

The EVFTA will help Vietnam attract high-quality investments from the EU and other partners. Vietnam will have an opportunity to become a transit spot for EU investment and trade in the region. Currently, Vietnam has over 1,800 European valid investment projects registered at $23.16 billion, occupying 8.7 and 8 per cent of Vietnams total foreign-invested projects and total registered foreign direct investment capital, respectively. It is therefore essential that companies have a good understanding of what has been achieved so as to reap the benefits of the EVFTA.

Vietnam and the EU are trying to sign the EVFTA this year. What outstanding issues must be resolved beforehand?

At the moment, we only have some procedural issues. We are revising the text and seeking feedback from the two sides to ensure that the agreement is legally sound. The text will also need to be translated into 24 languages within the EU and also into Vietnamese. We expect that the EVFTA will be able to come into force in early 2018. We know that Vietnam is now boosting its economic and institutional reforms. If the reforms are well implemented, there will be no real problem in the implementation of the EVFTA.

Under the EVFTAs strict legal requirements, European investors can sue Vietnams government without seeking approval from their home governments. What do you think about this?

The EVFTA sets out some relatively simple standards for the treatment of investors. All investors will be fairly treated without discrimination. According to the EVFTAs Chapter 13 on dispute settlement, the deal creates a framework to resolve any future disagreements that may occur between the EU and Vietnam over the interpretation and implementation of the agreement.

The system is intended as a last resort should the parties fail to find a solution by other means. Should parties fail to reach an agreement through formal consultation, they can request the establishment of a panel, made up of independent legal experts. As an alternative to a formal settlement mechanism for disputes, the EU and Vietnam also set rules that will allow for mediation to tackle measures that adversely affect bilateral trade and investment.

With such an investment tribunal system stipulated in the EVFTA, investors may have their disputes resolved more conveniently and impartially. So I dont think the Vietnamese government needs to be concerned by investors suits.

Under the EVFTA, Vietnam will open its doors to almost all European foodstuffs, such as wines and spirits, frozen pork (eliminating import tariffs after seven years), beef (after three years), milk products (after five years), and chicken (after ten years). Still, do you think that these products will be able to compete with Australian and American products which are now widespread in the Vietnamese market?

It is difficult for me to say about the competition. During the negotiations, we have carefully studied the levels of agricultural development of each other, and then set out the gradual tariff reductions. Thats why we have set a maximum of seven years for Europe and a maximum of ten years for Vietnam. This will help Vietnams producers gradually adapt to the EVFTAs tariff reductions. We see Vietnam as a market with enormous potential.

We are confident that Vietnamese producers can adapt to new market situations. In some cases, they would need time to do so. We are co-operating with Vietnams government to help producers adapt and change their production methods, so that they can produce more safe products.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last week stated that the local business environment must be improved further in order to facilitate private enterprises, which are considered to be the backbone of the economy.

Phuc ordered that all ministers must publicise their roadmaps in administrative reforms under the ASEAN-4 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand) standards.

If any unit or agency fails to obey [this order], their department heads will face strict punishments, Phuc stressed. All obstructions must be removed, both in practice and on paper. If we fail to reform and renew all procedures, we will lag behind.

Under the ASEAN+4 standards, the average tax payment time is 121.5 hours per year, while the time spent on processing employee insurance is 49.5 hours per year. The average time taken to establish a new business is six days (In Vietnam, it is currently 16 days).

Phuc also stressed that the government would have to be rebuilt with integrity and transparency at the forefront, a key task being the service of enterprises and the public.

All decrees on business conditions must be enacted before July 2017. No delay is accepted. All decrees must be of a high quality, with enterprises feedback included, Phuc stressed.

The prime ministers order is part of the governments efforts to develop a sturdy private sector, which will hold 49 per cent of GDP and 49 per cent of total development capital by 2020.

At last weeks Vietnam Private Sector Forum, the first of its kind and the largest economic forum for domestic private firms in Vietnam, representatives of hundreds of enterprises believed that the governments pro-business policies would help them expand production. They also called upon the government to support their performance.

Nguyen Tien Dung, director of locally-owned Hung Dung Co., Ltd making electrical and electronic products in the northern province of Hai Duong, told VIR that The new government has inspired enterprises with their strong commitment to improving the local business climate. His company grew 10 per cent for this years first five months. Still, the firms growth has been achieved without any support from the government.

The government has enacted lots of policies. However, we cant access any specific information about the policies, Dung said.

Fresh milk maker TH Groups chairwoman Thai Huong also said she believed the governments policies would help spur enterprises confidence. We suggest that the government soon withdraw uncultivated land owned by ineffective state-owned enterprises, and give such land to agricultural investors like TH, Huong said. This will help the government increase its coffers and help private firms have more land for production.

According to Dau Anh Tuan, head of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys Legislation Department, his department has received thousands of letters from private firms lamenting of their woes, largely caused by cumbersome administrative procedures and corruption.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue told enterprises at the forum that The government continues creating the best conditions to improve the business climate, making a level playing field for enterprises of all economic sectors.
German pianist Peter Schindler, artist Bui Nhu Lai of the Youth Theater House, Korean dancer and choreographer Chun Yoo Oh whose is living and working in Vietnam will join the show.

The Promise to 800s cripted and directed by Sun Goo Jung is co-organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations and Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera.

In 1226, Prince Ly Long Tuong rode huge waves to reach a remote sea to seek shelter and after a long sea trip.

He came to Ongjin land on the Korean peninsula of the Goryeo nation at the time.

After nearly 800 years, there are currently around 2,000 people who are descendants of the Ly Dynasty in the RoK.

Korean choreographer Chun Yoo Oh has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for 10 years. She has organized several Vietnam-Korea cultural exchanges and activities, such as presenting dancing perfomances, Into the time in 2013, Arirang Saigon in 2014, and Cay no (Cross-Bow) in 2015.

The play earlier presented at Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on June 2.

The Promise to 800 was also unveiled last December and got positive responses from audiences in Hanoi and HCMC.
Of these, 17 artists are showcasing 80 artworks in an art exhibition lasting between Saturday and June 12 at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts in District 1.

Themed Sac Mau Nhan Ai, which means the hues of compassion, the event is organized to fundraise and donate half of the proceeds generated from selling the artworks to 200 orphans raised in Ky Quang Pagoda.

It is sponsored by a Vietnamese-American family passionate about art.

Tan Ngoc Mai, the husband, said that he had drawn sketches of his American friends to raise money to open the exhibition.

I was able to collect US$4,000, and my wife told me that she would cover the rest, Mai said in cheers as there are plenty of artworks from various artists.

Some are willing to donate all their money earned from the sold pieces, he said, expressing hopes that the event will conclude in success so that he and his wife can support more orphans.

Another art display, named Memory and Oblivion, was opened at the Institute for Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on 28 Le Thanh Ton Street on Friday with 21 illustrations on Chinese ink composed by Florian Nguyen, a Vietnamese-French artist.

The paintings depict childhood memories of the immigrant Vietnamese generation, which are inspired by the imagination as well as the curiosity of his country of origin, he explained, saying that he was only told about Vietnam by his grandparents so he wanted to find out more about his homeland.

Instead of expressing accurately what the country is, I try to depict what I feel about Vietnam in my works, Florian shared his thought.

The event will close on June 17, according to IDECAFs website.

Two Ho Chi Minh City-based artists Hoang Duong Cam and Truc-Anh is showing their artworks at Galerie Quynh on Dong Khoi Street in an exhibition called Between Two Mysteries, running from June 3 to July 9.

Inspired by vast flooded woodlands in the southernmost part of the country, Cams Lightning in U Minh Forest paintings vividly portray the forest across colliding layers of myth and history, conceptualization and sensory exploration, external landscapes and internal state of mind.

Meanwhile, the works by Truc-Anh highlight a host of fantastical figures and images from world history, popular culture, fiction, and imagination.

Blanc Art Space on 75D Tu Xuong Street is presenting New Wave, an exhibition featuring paintings of three young artists  Nguyen Xuan Quyen, Phan Dinh Khanh, and Vo Quang Tuan. The event is open until June 17.
General Director of Kyoei Steel Vietnam Co., Ltd (KSVC) Hoshino Yoichi, shared with VIR that, we have decided to maintain the license as before, we have not altered that decision so far He confirmed that the investor has spent $3 million to improve soil where the project has been located since 2012.

However, Hoshino Yoichi gave no timeline, only saying that if the appropriate business conditions present themselves, we will implement the project without further delay,

As VIR reported previously, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is considering dropping the high-quality steel project from its new master steel plan 2020 with vision to 2030, which is currently being drafted. The project has moved at a snails pace since 2012, according to VIRs MoIT source that declined to be named.

The project, with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes, held its groundbreaking ceremony in March 2012 and was expected to operate commercially from 2015, becoming the second-largest steel project in Vietnams northern region, after the Thai Nguyen steel project. Its capacity could rise to about one million tonnes of steel bar products when in full production.

Hoshino Yoichi explained that the business conditions have changed dramatically when compared to the time of the initial investment decision, four years ago.

Steel demand in Vietnam has shown a trend of recovery, as steel consumption in 2015 in Vietnam was 8.87 million tonnes, which was up 28 per cent in comparison with 2014, and is anticipated to develop further by another 15 per cent in 2016, according to KSVC.

Meanwhile, authorities have permitted new large scale-investments in steel projects since last year, so even if demand for steel increases, the steel production can also increase definitely, this is contrary to our expectations, he added.

The MoIT predicted that Vietnam steel sector will see their overall manufacturing output rise over the next five years.

Commenting on this issue, former chairman of Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) Pham Chi Cuong, who has years of experience in Vietnams steel sector, said that there is a need to adjust the master plan based on the current context of the steel sector and the use of electricity.

Some projects are on track, however, in this case careful consideration is needed as KSVC entered Vietnam early on and has a good reputation for quality and experience, Cuong suggested that the ministry should guide investors into the production of high-end steel products that Vietnam currently imports for mechanical engineering.

Kyoei Steel officially entered Vietnam in 1994 as Vina Kyoei Steel, established as a joint venture company between Kyoei Steel, Mitsui & Co. and Itochu Corporation (Japan), and Vietnam Steel Corporation. Its factory is located in the Phu My Industrial Zone in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.
The expos will highlight the latest innovations in the water and energy sectors

The events, including Vietnams leading international water supply, sanitation, water resources, and purification event - Vietwater 2016, and Vietnams leading renewable energy and energy efficiency exhibition - RE & EE Vietnam 2016 will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City from November 9 to 15, 2016. More than 400 leading enterprises from 35 countries will showcase cutting-edge technologies, solutions and products in the water and energy industries. There will be many international pavilions, including ones from Australia, the EU, China, France, Holland, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Notably, the Singapore pavilion will receive support from the International Marketing Activities Programme from the International Enterprise Singapore. Some medium and small-sized enterprises based in Singapore will have a chance to enjoy up to 50 per cent off its participation fee.

The shows are expected to create a networking platform, connecting over 10,000 professionals, trade buyers, key decision makers, government representatives, and associations. This is a great opportunity for participants to discover the latest technologies and innovations available in this sector. Within the framework of the expo, the conference and technical seminar will discuss recent hot topics and offer some valuable and practical experience for participants.

Eliane Van Doorn, business development director of UBM ASEAN at UBM Asia  the organiser of the events  stated that Vietnam is a potential market for the water and energy sectors. According to the recent Renewable Energy Development Strategy, Vietnam will increase the rate of power generation from renewable energy by 7 per cent in 2020, while the rate of clean water access also increase by 100 per cent by 2020 as the National Rural Clean Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy. Hence, there are many foreign enterprises who are looking to invest in Vietnam. Towards that trend, we are organising Vietwater and RE & EE Vietnam this year again in Ho Chi minh City, to create a business platform for these enterprises to find out what the opportunities are and to conduct business and to connect with local partners.
The proposed expansion of Noi Bai airport would affect 300 households in Huong Gia hamlet, Phu Cuong commune

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is seeking comments from ministries and agencies on the expansion of Noi Bai international airport, which covers 720 hectares of land of Phu Minh, Phu Cuong and Mai Dinh communes in Soc Son district.

The expansion would increase the airports capacity to 80-100 million passengers a year, and cost an estimated $5 billion, which would be sourced from domestic and foreign investors. Of this figure, $2 billion is allocated for site clearance (based on 2015 market prices).

The announcement of the Noi Bai expansion plan has reminded people of the controversial $16 billion Long Thanh international airport in the southern province of Dong Nai some years ago. At that time, the 5,000ha project also faced strong opposition due to its huge cost, feasibility, and its attractiveness to domestic and foreign investors.

Now many people are concerned that site clearance costs may rise when detailed planning of the expansion is made.

Tran Van Thong, head of Huong Gia hamlet of Phu Cuong commune, said that, Huong Gia is home to more than 900 households, of which 300 are listed in the site clearance plan for the Noi Bai expansion. The total cleared area could cover over 30ha.

However, Vo Huy Cuong, deputy head of the CAAV, told VIR that, The expansion has been planned for years with careful consideration given to future outlooks. The attractiveness of the project will be clearer when the feasibility study is carried out.

People once raised doubts over the Long Thanh airport project but now the project is going ahead and has seen interest from foreign investors, including GMR Group, Made in USA Works as well as some Japanese and US firms. The Japanese government previously proposed a $4.3 million grant to the projects feasibility study.

According to Cuong, the expansion is extremely necessary, as Noi Bai not only serves the domestic demand but also works as an international entrepot. The airport, which has a designed capacity of 25 million passengers, is forecast to handle 18-19 million passengers this year. With the rising numbers of travellers set to continue, it is forecast to suffer overloads in the next two to three years.

Its time for Vietnam to make preparations for a feasibility report for the Noi Bai expansion project, otherwise it will experience a similar situation to Tan Son Nhat international airport, which is becoming overloaded amid sluggish development of the Long Thanh airport project, he explained.

Under Hanois transport planning by 2030 with a vision towards 2050, recently approved by the prime minister, Noi Bai international airport will meet the 4F airport standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, capable of accommodating B747-400, A350, B787, A380 aircraft. Its capacity will be increased to 60 million passengers a year, while its total area will be enlarged to 1,500ha.
Meeting in Vienna on Thursday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries expressed confidence that the crisis of the past two years that saw prices plunge and splits emerge was now over. (AFP/Joe Klamar)

VIENNA: OPEC looks to be in a happier place with oil prices recovering, but its inability to agree an output ceiling to restrain the flow of crude betrays lingering divisions that could spell trouble ahead, analysts warn.

Meeting in Vienna on Thursday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries expressed confidence that the crisis of the past two years that saw prices plunge and splits emerge was now over.

It said that since December, "crude oil prices have risen by more than 80 percent, supply and demand (has been) converging and oil and producer stock levels in the OECD have recently shown moderation."

According to Helima Croft at RBC Capital Markets, the mood at the bi-annual gathering was a "lot more upbeat" than the acrimonious last meeting in December.

Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih, newly appointed by the kingdom's dynamic Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, went on a "charm offensive" to "mend fences," Croft said.

This was helped by the fact that OPEC's Riyadh-driven strategy of keeping pumping oil at high levels in order to maintain market share and squeeze competitors despite low prices appears, at last, to be working.

With dozens of US shale oil producers going bankrupt, non-OPEC output is forecast to fall and prices have recovered to around US$50, a six-month high, having tumbled from over $100 in 2014 to almost US$25 in January.

At the same time, the International Energy Agency predicts the stubborn global supply glut -- which sparked the vicious price collapse -- would "shrink dramatically" this year. Demand also looks healthy.

This recovery is coming just in time, too, with years of low prices having hit investment in new wells and technologies, creating concerns about possible supply problems in the future.

"You have to have stronger oil prices. Investment is so low now, it has been shrinking for two years. This has never happened before," Bill Farren-Price of Petroleum Policy Intelligence (PPI) told AFP.

NO DOGFIGHT

The meeting also saw regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran - which is ramping up output after nuclear sanctions were lifted this year and adding to pressure on the price - appearing to bury the hatchet, in Vienna at least.

Saudi Arabia "made it very clear that they have no intention of swamping the market with oil as a means of hurting Iran economically through a lower oil price," said Bjarne Schieldrop at SEB Markets.

This signalled that there is no "internal dogfight," Schieldrop said.

"I believe that this time there was a very good unity between OPEC members," Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said, with no signs that any members would "do something against each other to destabilise the market".

This better mood allowed OPEC to finally name a new secretary general. Nigeria's Mohammed Barkindo will replace long-serving Abdullah el-Badri of Libya, who soldiered on in the job for years as OPEC members could not concur on a successor.

However, the 13-nation cartel - 14 from July 1 with Gabon joining - didn't manage to agree a new collective output ceiling, having scrapped its previous one at the December meeting.

Experts said that the Saudis proposed reinstating one but that the Iranians baulked. Zanganeh said that setting a collective OPEC ceiling "means nothing" without agreeing production quotas for members.

OPEC 'ADRIFT'

But for RBC's Croft, a ceiling would be "a positive sign that down the road at some point they will be involved in more active market management. Right now we have had 18 months of essentially OPEC being adrift."

Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics, agreed, telling AFP that the lack of ceiling "throws into question their efficacy to operate regarding physical production levels".

Ole Hansen at Saxo Bank said that OPEC's "struggle to agree on much apart from (the) status quo" means that prices could "once again turn towards the downside".

"With key technical levels currently being tested there is a raised risk of a deeper correction," Hansen said.

And this in turn, could reignite divisions within the group.
Telcos hopeful that the TPP will size up prospects in Vietnams telecommunications market

According to the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), many US firms are eyeing Vietnams lucrative telecom industry, such as AT&T, CenturyLink, GTT Communications, Level 3 Communications, Sprint, and Verizon.

USITC said in its report TPP Agreement: Likely Impact on the US Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors released in late May, that these firms wanted Vietnam to lift or, ideally, remove foreign equity caps and restrictions that were likely to deter US carriers from establishing or expanding their operations in the country.

If these firms expand their business to Vietnam, they would also help Vietnam in luring more foreign telecom services.

American telecom companies are some of the most sophisticated and competitive in the world. This is only one of many economic sectors where US firms see opportunity in Vietnam, Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, told VIR. As the countrys telecom sector opens-up, Vietnamese consumers will enjoy greater choice, higher quality services, and more competitive pricing.

For example, in a bid to take advantage of Vietnams telecom market opportunities, the US DASAN group would intensify its operations here.

Min Nam Woo, chairman of DASAN Networks Solutions, the US-based company recently agreed to a merger with another US-based company, Zhone Technologies, to become DASAN Zhone Solutions, told VIR that this year, DASAN would double its research and development (R&D) workforce in Vietnam, to better serve its clients worldwide. Currently, DASAN has an established R&D lab in Hanoi.

DASAN will pave the way for the development of a highly skilled labour force in Vietnam, especially in electronics and engineering. As a US company we can assist local telecommunications carriers in their plans to expand to the US market, one of the most lucrative markets in the world, Woo said.

Vietnams telecom market was worth $7.4 billion in 2013, which is forecast to grow by 144 per cent in 2018. The industry is currently controlled by three giants, VNPT, MobiFone and Viettel, with the total mobile subscriber number of 138 million. Still, under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) commitments, Vietnam will have to gradually open the industrys door to the agreements 11 member countries.

Specifically, facilities-based basic services in Vietnam are permitted only through a joint venture (or with the purchase of share in a Vietnamese enterprise), with foreign equity limited to 49 per cent. Facilities-based value-added services are permitted only through a joint venture (or purchase of shares in a Vietnamese enterprise with foreign equity limited to 51 per cent), and foreign equity of up to 65 per cent will be permitted no later than five years from the TPPs entry into force.

Also, non-facilities-based basic and value-added services are permitted only through a joint venture (or purchase of shares in a Vietnamese enterprise) with foreign equity limited to 65 per cent, or 70 per cent for virtual private networks. Foreign equity limitations and joint venture requirements will be eliminated no later than five years after the TPPs entry into force. Facilities-based carriers own and operate the network(s) over which they offer telecom services, whereas non-facilities-based carriers lease such networks.

According to USITC, certain provisions in the TPPs state-owned enterprises (SOEs) chapter are also relevant to US enterprise service providers, particularly those interested in entering Vietnam, as the telecom service markets of Vietnam are dominated by state-owned service providers.

Beneficial provisions include those that require telecom sector SOEs to compete on the basis of quality and price, rather than through commercial and regulatory discrimination, subsidies, and favouritism. The chapters provisions will allow US telecom companies to bring enforcement actions against SOEs that engage in discriminatory behaviour.
Auto brand Mercedez-Benz is part of the uptrend in German investment- Photo: Le Toan

Released last week, the results of the AHK World Business Outlook survey, conducted in March 2016 by the German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (GIC/AHK Vietnam), show that German firms confidence, outlook, and expectations in Vietnam for the next year are growing.

Marko Walde, GIC/AHK Vietnams chief representative, said that German enterprises are seeking opportunities for further investment in Vietnam, because they see Vietnam as an attractive destination in terms of the integration efforts made by the Vietnamese government - EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership and its other locational advantages.

More than half of the German companies surveyed are upbeat about Vietnams economic outlook. 47 per cent expect better economic development, and 60 per cent forecast good business performance over the next 12 months. Seventy per cent thought their business situation at this time was good, while 58 per cent perceived their business outlook as positive. Some 54 per cent of respondents were considering raising their investment in Vietnam next year, with 58 per cent intending to hire more employees for their investment plan.

According to GIC/AHK Vietnam, Bosch will complete its $340 million investment in Vietnam during the 2011-2016 period. The firm will continue expanding its production lines and will build a research and development centre in the southern province of Dong Nai.

In another case, after investing $20 million in Vietnam between 2013 and 2014, Mercedes-Benz will launch its first cars assembled here in June. Meanwhile, medical equipment maker B.Braun will complete its $225 million investment by 2017. Ball-bearing manufacturer Schaeffler is also boosting its investment, after having disbursed $117 million across its projects in the central city of Danang.

Other German firms are also considering a hike in investment here, including Messer, which has invested $80 million in producing industrial gas; and Knauf, which has invested $38 million in gypsum production. Also, Siemens wishes to participate in projects such as thermal power and smart transport in urban areas. It is also pursuing a role in the development of metro line No2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

German companies are more confident regarding Vietnams economy and business development than in other ASEAN members, or in China and India. It shows a very positive sign in terms of the business confidence, outlook, and expectations among German companies in Vietnam, Walde said, adding that All the positive feedback from German companies as well as Vietnams locational advantages are the results of Vietnams government encouraging integration into the world economy and improving the infrastructure of the investment environment.

According to Walde, Vietnam is a fast-growing market and only the second ASEAN country (after Singapore) to have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU.

This FTA will provide significant new opportunities for companies on both sides by increasing market access for goods and services. The agreement will help promote high-quality capital flow from the EU as the business and investment environment is bound to improve now that commitments have been made, Walde said.

Around 300 German companies have ongoing operations in Vietnam. To date, most German companies (182 projects worth $880 million) have entered through greenfield or 100 per cent foreign-owned companies, while others have opted for direct acquisition or joint ventures.
However, there is no information about the winner.

Floating dock 83M, which was purchased in 2008, is currently anchored at Go Dau port in the southern province of Dong Nai. It has been abandoned since its purchase.

The dock was retained by authorities as the material evidence of two criminal cases: one is intentionally violating state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences and asset embezzlement at Vinalines; the other related to asset embezzlement at Vinalines Shipyard Limited (VNLSY), a subsidiary of Vinalines.

The charges were made because former board members of Vinalines were found guilty of falsifying documents and accepting kickbacks for themselves and others, totalling $1.66 million, in a corrupt deal to buy the aging floating dock from Russia at an over-inflated price, causing a $17.26 million loss to the state budget.

Since late 2012, Vinalines contacted the ministry with plans of teaming up with capable investors to operate it or leasing it.

However, despite Vinalines attempts to find investors, the fate of the floating dock had remained undecided until recently.

As of December 31, 2015, the estimated value of the floating dock was over VND500 billion ($22 million), including Vinalines expenses for buying the floating dock, port services, and maintenance expenditures.

In November 2015, VNLSY signed a deal with a local consulting firm to appraise the floating dock. The value was then put at only VND34.8 billion ($1.55 million), as the steel structure had significantly deteriorated over the years of abandonment.

Therefore, in February 2016, Vinalines requested for the Ministry of Transports permission to auction the floating dock for the initial price of VND34.8 billion ($1.5 million).
Photo by ASSOCIATED PRESS

Devotees of Elizabeth Hesselblad stand in St. Peters Square at the Vatican during the canonization ceremony led by Pope Francis on Sunday.


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Lawmakers from opposing sides of Cambodias political divide have sparred over their differing interpretations of parliamentary immunity, amid questions over whether recent arrests and an attempted arrest of opposition parliamentarians have undermined the principle.

The Cambodia National Rescue Partys (CNRP) Ou Chanroth and Chheang Vun of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) both appeared on the Hello VOA program on May 31.

The encounter followed the arrests of Senator Hong Sok Hour in August last year, and National Assembly member Um Sam An in April, as well as the more recent attempt by armed security forces to arrest CNRP Vice-President Kem Sohka at the main opposition partys headquarters on May 26.

Local and international observers say the cases raise questions about how authorities are applying the principle of parliamentary immunity in Cambodia. Under Article 80 of the Constitution, no assembly member shall be prosecuted, detained or arrested because of opinions expressed during the exercise of his [or her] duties. It takes a two-thirds parliamentary majority to strip a lawmaker of this immunity.

The government points to an exception to this rule, which allows arrest and detention in cases where lawmakers are caught in flagrante delictoin the act of committing a crime.

Chheang Vun told VOA Khmer listeners the principle of immunity was designed to protect lawmakers while performing their parliamentary duties. But he said lawmakers could not use their immunity to abuse the rights of others or to breach national traditions, public order and national security.

Watch Facebook Live parts 1 & 2 of Hello VOA in Khmer:



In Kem Sokhas case, the opposition leaders multiple refusals to appear in court can be considered as being caught in the act of a crime, Chheang Vun claimed. He said an extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly on May 30 had allowed the court to continue its action against Kem Sokha, but not to strip him of his parliamentary immunity.

Ou Chanroth said Kem Sokhas circumstances did not fit with a common-sense understanding of a crime immediately seen in action, arguing that once a few days have passed from an alleged crime, the principle of flagrante delicto no longer applied.

If ignoring a court summons constituted being caught in the act of a crime, there will be a lot of people who will be imprisoned, he added.

Responding to a question from a listener posted on VOA Khmers Facebook page, Chheang Vun angrily rejected the questioners comparison between Kem Sokhas decision not to attend court and CPP stalwart and National Assembly President Heng Samrins refusal to appear at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to give evidence.

Chheang Vun described the question as regrettable, and appealed to the questioner to think as a human being, not as an animal. The analogy was like comparing high-value hardwood with rotten wood, he said.

[Heng Samrin is] a national hero who liberated the country from the genocide and created a good environment for us today, he said. Without Samdech Heng Samrin and other leaders of the Cambodian Peoples Party, [the questioner] may not be able to ask me such a question at this time.
Five African Union peacekeepers in Somalia have been arrested for allegedly trying to sell military supplies in the capital, Mogadishu.

Somali security forces, along with troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), say they conducted a raid at a garage in which AU soldiers allegedly were trying to sell military supplies, including ammunition boxes, fuel and sandbags.

"AMISOM exercises zero tolerance to unprofessional conduct among its personnel, and the culprits will be prosecuted in accordance with the law," AMISOM said Monday. It said the mission in Somalia  a 22,000-member force  "will not be derailed by the selfish acts of a few of its members."

AMISOM did not reveal the nationality of the soldiers, but promised that it will "ensure that this practice is uprooted from within its ranks."

The AU troops are helping Somalia's government fight an insurgency by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.

AU and Somali government forces have pushed al-Shabab out of most Somali cities and towns. However, the al-Qaida-linked group still launches periodic raids and suicide attacks, and also has carried out attacks in several neighboring countries.
An Army officer from Washington, DC has won the Miss USA contest and will now represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant.

Deshauna Barber is a 26-year-old logistics commander for the 988th quartermaster detachment unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, just outside Washington, and also works as an IT analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"As a woman in the United States Army, I think...we are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated," Barber said when asked during Sunday's show televised on the Fox Network about women in combat. "Gender does not limit us in the United States," she said.

The pageant organization is recovering from a few controversies last year.

In December, comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey hosted the Miss Universe show and wrongly announced Miss Colombia as the winner instead of Miss Philippines. He acknowledged his mistake on stage, but came under a lot of criticism for his botched announcement of the winner.

Harvey made a brief appearance in a video in Sunday's Miss USA show poking fun at himself and his hosting snafu.

Also last year, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was a co-owner of the Miss Universe organization, along with NBC Universal. However, after making disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants in announcing his presidential bid, NBC - which had aired Miss Universe for several years - cut ties with Trump and refused to air the 2015 Miss Universe show.

Univision, the Spanish-language network, was also scheduled to air the show last year, but also refused to air it because of Trump's remarks.

Trump sued both companies. Both lawsuits were eventually settled.
At least one person was shot dead at an opposition rally for electoral reforms in western Kenya, according to a local reporter.



Phillip Orwa of the Standard newspaper tells VOA that another 20 people were wounded Monday as police confronted protesters in the city of Kisumu.



In the capital Nairobi, hundreds of opposition supporters marched to the headquarters of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), waving tree branches and signs that read Kenyans Dont Trust IEBC.

Court declines to block protest



Kenya's high court this morning declined to block the planned protests. The judge also ordered the police to provide security for the demonstrators.

James Orengo, a senator from Siaya county, and a CORD leader, welcomed the news.

The order that has been made by the judge of the high court today, is a great victory for the country," he said. "There was a habit that was beginning to emerge where certain elements in government were trying to use the courts in order to sanitize their activities.

Riot police were noticeably absent from the streets in Nairobi, though about a dozen were deployed inside the IEBC compound. Unlike previous weeks, tear gas and water cannon were not deployed Monday in Nairobi to disperse protesters.



Call for electoral reforms



The CORD opposition coalition is demanding electoral reforms ahead of the 2017 national polls, including the dissolution of the IEBC board which the opposition says is biased in favor of the ruling Jubilee coalition.



The near weekly protests began in April, and Kenyans have taken to calling them Machozi Monday, for the tear gas used by police. Three people were killed in western Kenya during the last round of demonstrations May 23. Photos and videos of police beating protesters have sparked public outcry.



Attempts last week to hold talks between the opposition and the government failed.
Each year, China and the United States hold expansive high-level talks that address everything from tensions in the South China Sea or on the Korean peninsula to investment obstacles.

U.S. officials have said the talks are like a stabilizer that helps cushion broader relations and manage frictions.

Rights groups and activists, however, argue that increasingly there is one topic that could use more focus at the annual meeting - human rights.

Specifics needed

Just before this year's meetings began, Reporters Without Borders and nine other rights groups sent a joint letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew calling for action on the issue.

The letter noted efforts the United States has already taken to address what it called the well documented and downward slide of human rights and rule of law since President Xi Jinping became president. That included calling out China at the United Nations Human Rights Council in March over its rights record.



During the meetings, the groups have urged U.S. officials to not only speak out about specific cases of concern, but meet with human rights defenders and representatives of civil society during the meetings, if possible, much as President Barack Obama recently did in Vietnam.

Rights groups note that in recent years, officials have mentioned specific cases of concern in China less frequently because it upsets their counterparts in Beijing. But such discussions also make a big difference, they add, in how individuals are treated and their conditions in custody.

One China policy

Human rights has long been a topic that is compartmentalized in Sino-U.S. relations, but what is needed now is an integrated approach to the issue, a one China policy, said Yang Jianli, founder and president of Initiatives for China.

We cannot pit human rights against trade or vice versa. Any engagements with China has to take into consideration the human rights issue, Yang said.

Economic ties and areas of cooperation between the two countries continue to expand, this year the two are expected to sign 12 agreements and reach 135 outcomes. At the same time, the human rights situation in China continues to deteriorate.



As the meetings began Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry noted the issue in passing, but did not mention any specific cases in public.

It is absolutely vital that we use this meeting in good spirit, in good faith, constructively, to work on those differences, whether they are on human rights or on maritime security or fair trade or cyber or government transparency, he said.

Foreign NGO law mentioned

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew voiced concern about Chinas recent passing of a law that tightens restrictions on foreign NGOs. He noted the benefits China has seen from opening up and integrating with the global economy.

All sectors were instrumental in this successful integration, including non-governmental organizations. NGOs have served to strengthen our bilateral relationship and have made new forms of cooperation possible, Lew said. He added that Chinas new NGO law would weaken that foundation by creating an unwelcome environment for foreign NGOs.



The "Foreign NGO Management Law" is worrying not only because of the powers it gives the public security over groups from overseas, but the impact it will have on domestic NGOs as well, said William Nee, a researcher at Amnesty International in Hong Kong.



It raises questions about their ability to get funding and whether they will automatically become suspects once they have partnerships with foreign NGOs, Nee said.



Rights groups have called for China to completely scrap the law, which they argue goes against international standards or at the very least, revise the legislation.

Less talk, the better

China, however, seems increasingly sensitive about efforts to discuss human rights. Just last week, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi sparked an international incident when he berated a Canadian journalist for asking a question about human rights.



At home on Chinese social media, Wang Yi has been widely derided for his remarks that the Chinese people were best fit to speak about their human rights situation with many noting that the reality is that those who do end up in jail or worse.

In an editorial Monday on the talks entitled S&ED Should Be Platform for Frank Dialogue, the Communist Party-backed and popular nationalistic tabloid, the Global Times said: More Chinese are tired of U.S. rhetoric against Chinas human rights issue and believe it is just a tool used by Washington to compete with China.

It was unclear how the editorial gauged Chinese public sentiment on the issue, since there is never any independent public opinion polling on such political issues inside China.
China soon is expected to reduce the number of business sectors that are barred from receiving foreign investment.

Vice Premier Wang Yang said Monday that China would submit the "new negative" list next week, but just how many sectors will open up remains uncertain.



The issue is a focus among top U.S. and Chinese officials at the "Strategic and Economic Dialogue" talks in Beijing this week. Washington has pushed Beijing to reduce the number of investment areas that are reserved for local businesses.

New deadline

China failed to keep its self imposed deadline for releasing the list last March. That caused disappointment among U.S. dialogue participants who felt such delays could affect the negotiations for a broader business investment treaty between the two countries, which President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to pursue last September.

Chinese leaders including Premier Li Keqing have repeatedly indicated that the negative list would only keep a few sensitive sectors off-limits. But the recent economic slowdown in China may have led authorities there to delay its release to protect local industries as long as possible, analysts said.

"This may be a small step in the right direction," Julian Evans-Pritchard, China Economist at Capital Economics told VOA. "China is more willing to cooperate in the economic field than it is in the political sphere. But trade and investment issues are also used as bargaining chips in overall negotiations. So we will have to see how it turns out."

China's President opened the bilateral talks on Monday exuding hopes of reaching a strong investment agreement. "We must make our best efforts to achieve a mutually beneficial China-U.S. investment agreement at an early date and create new bright spots in bilateral economic and trade cooperation," Xi said.

However the fact that officials are waiting for the end of the dialogue to announce the list makes some observers pessimistic.Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, said the meeting is a moment when US and Chinese officials are focusing on the relationship and it is disappointing that China did not provide it in advance. "It makes one wonder how important the S&ED meeting is to Chinas leadership."

Jack Lew's worries

Apart from China's restrictive investment laws, there are also U.S. concerns over China's industrial overcapacity, in which businesses sell products such as steel at below-market rates. In his remarks at Mondays opening ceremony, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the practice puts tremendous pressure on the global economy.

"Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets. Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of international markets," he said.

Although the U.S. is looking at the problem of Chinese industrial overcapacity from the standpoint of the global economy, observers say Beijing looks at those industries as important for providing jobs.

For example, analysts believe more than 25 million people are employed in China's energy sector, likely many more workers than the sector actually needs. Although reforming such industrial sectors is essential to make them more efficient and competitive, Beijing is worried that would result in layoffs, leading to higher unemployment and social unrest.

U.S. businesses are skeptical about China's promise to open up more to foreign investment. Past experience has shown that local governments often delay implementation of a new list or create administrative bottlenecks to delay opening up sectors even after the central government announces reforms.

"There is a growing distrust about China's desire to open up investment sectors. The Shanghai Free Trade Zone promised to encourage foreign investors in a wide range of new sectors. But foreign businesses are complaining that they are not getting adequate market access," economist Evans-Pritchard said.



China might consider relaxing investment controls in pharmaceuticals, hospitality and some other service sectors, which do not suffer from overcapacity. But Beijing will continue to keep telecommunications, heavy industry and traditional industries far from the reach of foreign investors, he said.



China's technology thirst



At the same time, China feels the need to attract more investments and infuse new technologies to upgrade its industrial sector and enhance the quality of its exports.The government has also committed itself to creating an "innovative society" by encouraging infusion of new technologies across the board. China still has a weak research and development base despite its high industrial growth, and depends heavily on either imports or imitation of foreign technology.



Bringing in more foreign technologies is possible only if China opens up new investment sectors, which is why it is ready to cautiously open up a few sectors, analysts said.
Sagal Salad Osman, a Somali female journalist working for the state-run Radio and TV, was shot and killed in Mogadishu Sunday.

Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists, told VOA that Sagal Osman was gunned down by unknown assailants in Hodan District as she was leaving a local university. He said the gunmen fled from the scene immediately.

We condemn in the strongest terms possible, and we call for the government to probe and bring those who were behind the killing to justice, he said.

Abdirahman Yusuf al-Adaala, director of the Somalia News Agency, said Sagal Osman, in her early 20s, was a rising journalist who was a producer and anchor for youth related programs.

Sagal Osman is the second female journalist to be killed in Somalia in the last six months.

In December 2015, Hinda Haji Mohamed, a female journalist who was working for the state media, was killed in a car bombing in Mogadishu. The terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for that attack.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for media workers.

In a statement, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud condemned the murder of the female journalist, saying: Those who harm the innocent people should be held accountable and will be brought to justice as it happened before.

No one has claimed the responsibility for Sunday's murder, but journalists in Somalia have been frequently targeted by al-Shabaab.
Germany's head of state, 76-year-old President Joachim Gauck, said Monday he won't seek a second term in 2017 due to his age, a move that could cause complications for Chancellor Angela Merkel heading into an election year.

Gauck told reporters at his office in Berlin that he would complete his five-year term but didn't feel he was up to another because the years between 77 and 82 are different than those that I'm in right now.''

Until the end of my term, I will seriously and happily fulfill my duties,'' he said.

Following the announcement, Merkel said she had been hoping Gauck would stay for a second term but that I respect the decision of the president.''

A new president will be chosen in February, an awkward time for Merkel who faces national elections later in 2017. With no obvious successor for Gauck, the search for a candidate seems likely to be complicated as factions in Merkel's coalition government seek their own nominee.

There are already questions over whether her Christian Democratic Union and Bavarian-only sister party Christian Social Union will be able to agree upon a joint candidate, and many see the situation as a test of Merkel's authority.

Some names being mentioned include Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, or Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is a member of Merkel's coalition partner Social Democrats.

Merkel said she would hold broad discussions about a successor to Gauck beyond her CDU-CSU party circle but was not more specific.

Germany's president performs a largely ceremonial role that has little executive power, but is considered an important moral authority.

Last year, Gauck labeled the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide'' in a speech supported by the German government, marking a shift in the country's stance after officials previously avoided the term. His words were echoed last week in a resolution passed by Germany's Parliament.

In a gesture of reconciliation in 2013, Gauck met with French President Francois Hollande at the site of the largest civilian massacre in Nazi-occupied France, Oradour-sur-Glane, saying he shared the bitterness of those in France over the fact that the murderers have not been brought to justice.'' It was the first visit to the ghost town by a serving German leader.

More recently, Gauck has also spoken out against the rise of anti-Islam populist groups and their anti-migrant message, saying Germans should remember its own nation's history of fleeing war and persecution.

Gauck, a former East German pro-democracy activist with no political affiliation, won wide backing from Germany's mainstream parties when elected by lawmakers in 2012 and is very popular, with recent polls showing about 70 percent supporting him for a second term.

This decision was not easy for me, because I consider it a great honor to serve this country,'' Gauck said.
Greek authorities are investigating a possible Islamic State link behind the discovery of a huge quantity of synthetic opiates destined for Libya.

The Narcotics and Arms Division of Greece's Financial Crimes Unit (SDOE), in cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seized 26 million tablets containing Tramadol, a painkiller available only on prescription.

They had arrived at Piraeus, Greece's largest commercial port, in a container from New Delhi on May 10. Greek agents acted on a tip-off from the DEA, said Loukas Danabasis, director of the division.

The pills were found stacked behind boxes of household linen, which was the listed consignment on shipping documents.

Authorities were investigating whether the pills were destined for Islamic militants, Danabasis said.

"The companies that were involved in this case  in other words the company that sent it, as well as the company that was going to receive it in Libya  have been previously involved in such transfers  and particularly the company in Libya is characterized as being suspect of having relations with the Islamic State," he said.

Greek authorities did not name the companies involved in the transfer. The drugs were estimated to have a value of about $13 million.
The main advice for the millions of Muslims who are beginning the Ramadan fasting period on Monday? Moderation when breaking the fast each night.

For the month of Ramadan  considered by most to be from June 6 to July 5 this year  Muslims eat just two meals a day: suhoor, the meal before sunrise, and iftar, the meal at sunset.

This year, for countries in the Northern Hemisphere, Ramadan coincides with the summer solstice  the longest day of the year  leading to the longest average fasting hours in the holiday's 33-year lunar-based cycle, according to the news magazine The Week. Some Muslims will be fasting for up to 17 hours a day.

No feasting while non-fasting

Because of this, Dr. Razeen Mahroof, an anesthetist from Oxford, cautioned against eating too much during the non-fasting hours, according to NHS Choices, Britain's health website.

"The underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control," Mahroof told the health website. "This shouldnt fall apart at the end of the day."

He said the pre-dawn meal should include foods that are filling yet provide energy for many hours, such as carbohydrates.

"Suhoor should be light and include slow-digesting food, like pita bread, salad, cereal [especially oats] or toast, so that you have a constant release of energy, Mahroof said.

NHS Choices, as well as other websites, offer meal plans for those adhering to Ramadan fasting. But all suggest foods to avoid, especially during the night meal, include those high in fat and sugar as well as fried foods.

Sleep and hydration

Senior nutritionist Lovely Ranganath told Gulf News that sleeping and hydrating are also secrets to staying healthy during the month.

"Waking up for suhoor becomes difficult as the digestion of fried foods interferes with our sleep cycle," Ranganath told Gulf News. "The body needs to put in more effort to break down the fats, which is a long process."

She said not hydrating can cause not only dehydration but bloating of the stomach.

There are more than 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country  196 million of its 206 million residents are Muslim. There are more than 3.3 million Muslims in the United States.

Many Muslims break their fast each night by eating a date and taking a sip of water, a tradition started nearly 1,400 years ago by the Prophet Muhammad.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog says North Korea appears to have reopened a plant to reprocess plutonium, an indication the communist country is widening its arms effort.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday satellite evidence shows North Korea has likely resumed activities at a plant at Yongbyon to produce plutonium from spent nuclear reactor fuel.

The information matches evidence found by the U.S. monitoring website 38 North, which reported in April that exhaust plumes had been detected from the thermal plant at Yongbyon's main reprocessing installation.

IAEA head Yukiya Amano says because the agency does not have monitors in North Korea, it cannot be certain about the North's activities.

"As we do not have inspectors on the ground we are only observing through satellite imagery. We cannot say for sure. But we have indications of certain activities through the satellite imagery," Amano told a regular news conference in Vienna.

In February, the director of U.S. National Intelligence, James Clapper, told U.S. lawmakers that North Korea could be weeks or months away from recovering plutonium from Yongbyon.

North Korea conducted a nuclear test in January and followed it with a long-range rocket launch a month later, drawing tougher sanctions from the United Nations.
The outdoor market should be packed, but just a few people have braved a hot sun to haggle over flat-screen TVs and gaudy rugs trucked over from Libya, just 30 kilometers away.

There is also no business at Ben Guerdanes currency black market; the men manning the dusty sidewalk stalls shoo a visitor away with a surly wave.

One of Tunisias poorest towns, Ben Guerdane is largely dependent on cross-border trade  legal and illegal  for its survival. Already struggling businesses faced a fresh blow a few weeks ago, when Libyan authorities temporarily closed the frontier to stop the flow of smuggled oil.

There is an even larger cause for worry. Tunisian authorities have closed their side of the border at least twice since last November to crack down on two other exports: jihadi fighters and weapons. Earlier this year, they completed the first part of a 200-kilometer border fence with Libya to help thwart terrorism.

But the threat also comes from within. This tumbledown, neglected town of 80,000 has long been a breeding ground for foreign fighters that have joined Islamist insurgencies in Afghanistan, the Middle East and, more recently, in neighboring Libya.

After the revolution

Ben Guerdane illustrates the darker fallout of Tunisias 2011 revolution: deepening poverty and unemployment, fading hopes and rising insecurity. Apart from trade, there is no industry here to speak of, no signs of economic development, although authorities promise change.

People have been abandoned, says Abdelbasset Abdelmoumen, who lost his job as a geography teacher a few years ago. The state has never taken responsibility; its never found solutions here.

As he waits for customers at the towns outdoor market, trader Choukri Yahia reminisces about the heady days five years ago, when Tunisians and Libyans overthrew their respective dictators.

We thought life would be better after the revolutions, says Yahia, who sells embroidered gowns and hair bands. At least, thats what we hoped.

When Libyas civil war broke out in March 2011  just two months after Tunisias revolution  Ben Guardene residents handed out sandwiches and soft drinks to refugees streaming across the border.

But things quickly soured. Libyas uprising also drove home tens of thousands of Tunisian migrant workers, drying up precious remittances as the Tunisian economy foundered. Instability in both countries has since delivered a new set of problems.

In March, Islamic State fighters crossed the border from Libya to attack Ben Guerdane, several dozen dying in the assault. Residents identified some as former neighbours and classmates. Overall, up to 7,000 Tunisians have joined jihadist groups in North Africa and the Middle East, experts estimate. Ben Guerdane is considered a top supplier.

The tradition of jihad is so strong in Ben Guerdane, wrote risk analysis firm The Soufan Group, that al-Qaeda in Iraqs former leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, allegedly said, 'If Ben Gardane had been located next to Fallujah, we would have liberated Iraq.'

'They hate this life'

Soaring unemployment in Ben Guardene  as high as 50 percent by some estimates  has left men like Abdelmoumen, who has a masters degree, idling in cafes.

Theres been no fixed idea about how to integrate young people, to give them work, he says.

Yet many agree that joblessness is not the only factor breeding Tunisias jihadis. Nor can Ben Guerdane be dismissed as a jihadi factory. Many residents here are proud of fighting the Islamists in March.

A report by the Carnegie Foundation cites a mix of reasons nurturing Tunisia's extremism, including a post-revolutionary vacuum that has allowed radical groups to flourish, and a failure by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party to balance religion and politics.

These youngsters are searching for identity, says Faycal Dchicha, who runs a development group that works with youth in Ben Guerdane and other area towns. They want to be recognized and valued.

Sitting at an outside cafe with friends, 30-year-old Mohamed Jbara, an unemployed software engineer, offers his own list of reasons.

"Number one is money, number two is they hate this life, and number three is Daesch manipulates people, he says, using the Arabic term for Islamic State.

He describes how a handful of former friends have left to join insurgency groups.

You stop seeing them at the cafe, then after a few months you hear they have left for Syria and Iraq, he says.

He views his own future as bleak, but he rules out joining them.

We have maybe 20 percent more democracy now, but no jobs,Jbara says. Life is harder now than before the revolution.
Islamic State (IS) is imposing a harsh set of rules on residents of areas it controls in Syria and Iraq during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that began Monday.

These rules include forbidding the use of satellite TV receivers, limiting the hours of daily work and instituting strict dress codes for women.

IS recently conducted a campaign encouraging people in Syria and Iraq to destroy their television receivers "because they promote a psychological war against the caliphate."

In a video that circulated among IS followers online, an IS figure talks about "the vices that television channels are bringing to the homes of Muslims which serve the enemy."

In Raqqa, the IS de facto capital in Syria, IS has carried out a door-to-door search campaign to confiscate satellite television receivers and other streaming devices, according to Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group that reports on IS abuses in Syria.

The activist group also said that IS has issued a new ruling that limits working hours each day to only two hours. The remaining hours of the day must be devoted to worshipping and prayer, it said.

In Iraq, IS militants vow to stop civilians at checkpoints in Mosul, saying they will only be released if they surrender their television receivers, local news reports in Iraq said.

Dos and donts

Life is very tough for people under IS control during the holy month, officials say.

"Last Friday, imams in Mosul gave instructions to people on dos and don'ts during Ramadan and Eid," said Ismat Rajab, a former local government official in Mosul. This year, the holiday month ends on July 5, and is celebrated with a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr.

He said IS religious police in Iraq's second-largest city have forced restaurants and pastry shops to close during the day. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk.

Muslim scholars say IS is using Ramadan to further its radical religious views.

Push against West

IS "doesn't differentiate between Ramadan and other months of the year," said Sheikh Mohammed Sharaffadine, a scholar of Azhar University, one of the most prestigious Islamic institutions in the world.

"But during Ramadan, they want to prove to their followers that they are more pious than other Muslims," he told VOA via phone from Cairo.

IS says it wants to spread its violent, anti-West ideology during Ramadan. In an audio message allegedly recorded last month by IS spokesperson Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the group calls on its followers to launch attacks in the United States and Europe during Ramadan.

"Ramadan, the month of conquest and jihad. Get prepared, be ready ... to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers ... especially for the fighters and supporters of the caliphate in Europe and America," read the message, suggesting attacks on both military and civilian targets.

In another internet video, an IS narrator offers historical examples of Islamic conquests since the seventh century.

"By such propaganda, they don't only target their sympathizers," Saraffadine said of IS. "They also want to embroil ordinary Muslims in Western countries who live in those societies peacefully."
Somalias president says he wants plans in place to accommodate more than 300,000 Somalis expected to come home if Kenya closes the Dadaab refugee camp.



President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud spoke Monday, as he became the first-ever sitting Somali leader to visit the sprawling complex in eastern Kenya, the biggest refugee camp in the world.



Kenyan Interior Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, one of several Kenyan officials who welcomed Mohamud to Dadaab, affirmed his governments decision to shut down the 25-year-old complex, despite pleas from U.N. refugee agency UNHCR and others to keep it open.



Kenya is committed to close the camp, Nkaissery said. It is a decision we have already reached and we will jointly collaborate with the Somali government and the UNHCR on your safe return.



Mohamud said if the refugees must come home, he wants Somalia to be ready to accommodate them.



Let me assure you that we (Kenya, Somalia and the UNHCR) have never discussed and agreed on your quick return to an uncertain future, he told an audience that included camp leaders.



We do not want you to go back forcibly without services such as shelters, education, health services in place. We want you to get at least services similar to what you get here, Mohamud said.



It is unclear who would pay for or provide those services if the Somali refugees return home.



You can make a difference

President Mohamud said he was grateful for Kenya's support in accommodating the refugees over such a long period, but that one day, the Somalis in the camp will all return home to help rebuild their country.



We thank Kenya for hosting a large number of our people and we will never forget it, but keep in mind that your return to your country is a sign for a revival of Somalias peace. You can make a difference in your country when you get back, the president told an audience of refugees.



Kenya said in April that it plans to close down Dadaab, citing concerns that Somali militant group al-Shabab is using it as a launching pad for terrorist attacks in Kenya.



Starting in the early 1990s, the camp became a haven for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing civil war, lawlessness and recurrent droughts in Somalia. At its peak in 2012, Dabaab housed nearly a half-million people. Some Somalis have left the camp and voluntarily returned to their country.



Despite continued insecurity in Somalia, the Somali government said it will cooperate with the U.N. refugee agency and Kenyan government to ensure a smooth and voluntary repatriation of the camp residents.



Mohamud is the first sitting Somali president to visit the camp since it opened in 1991. He led an official delegation from the Somali government and met the leaders of the Somali refugees.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has assumed the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), promising to consolidate peace and security, and calling on member states to work even harder to defeat terrorism.

President Sirleaf takes over from Senegalese President Macky Sall. Her election took place at the ECOWAS summit held over the weekend in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

Goals: More trade, financial stability

A press release issued by the office of the president said Sirleaf called for the conclusion of negotiations and legal actions to enhance trade integration in West Africa.

The new ECOWAS chairperson promised she will work to improve financial stability.

Ousmane Sene is director of the West Africa Research Center based in Dakar. He said achieving monetary integration will be an important step toward regional integration.

ECOWAS moving from here, I guess, it will be consolidating the sub-regional organization. They are already talking about monetary integration. You will no longer be having naira in Nigeria, CFA in Senegal, but it will be one currency and which is extremely important because this will be going toward consolidating economic relations within the community, he said.

Economic cooperation

Sene said ECOWAS leaders are talking about achieving a single monetary unit for the region as early as 2020.

Just think about the number of countries where you already have the CFA currency circulating because the CFA is composed of eight countries who are at the same time members of ECOWAS. You can easily imagine that in Ghana they will be willing to put the cedi aside, in Nigeria they willing to put the naira aside and decided to get one currency which is going to float everywhere, Sene said.

Sene said ECOWAS economic integration would mean a further step toward empowering the people of the region and Africa in general because of wider markets, larger populations and plenty of economic opportunities.

Sene said trade integration in West Africa has been made difficult by the lack of will of individual member state governments.

A case in point, you have the problem between Gambia and Senegal. The border being closed not by the state, but the border being blocked by truck drivers why, because in the Gambia they decided to raise drastically what it costs to go through the border to Gambia. So, this is obviously the problem. The free movement of goods and the free movement of populations sometimes is hampered by the constraints and difficulties which customer officers or policemen in charge of frontiers have created."

Defeat terrorism

President Sirleaf also called on ECOWAS member states to work even harder to beat terrorism, strengthen intelligence capacity and enhance coordination with the African Union, the United Nations and other partner institutions.

She said Boko Haram must be "totally defeated."

Sene said ECOWAS member states are considering the idea of integrating forces to intervene in member countries when necessary.

Instead of having Senegal sending troops to Mali in order to defend against terrorism, we will be thinking about having the ECOWAS forces composed of Senegalese soldiers, Nigerian soldiers, Ghanaian soldiers, Gambian soldiers, etc. in one, unified army which will be able to intervene any time; and it will be much stronger. They will have more weaponry; they will have more equipment; they will be better trained, and they will be able to intervene wherever it is necessary, Sene said.
Dutch prosecutors say an international joint investigation into the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine is "at a very advanced stage" and the results will be available within months.

This part of the investigation concerns the weapon used and "the exact launch site of the weapon" to bring down the Malaysia Airlines plane.

The airliner crashed in territory held by Russia-backed separatists on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people onboard, two-thirds of whom were Dutch.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded last October that the plane, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down by a Russian-made surface-to-air Buk missile.

The Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office said late last week the joint investigation team is "still waiting for information from the Russian Federation about Buk installations," noting they were expecting an answer "within two months."

The prosecutor said the investigators won't publish their results in a report, but will eventually include them "in a criminal file, which is intended for the hearing of the case in a court or a tribunal."

The investigators are from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Their governments have pledged to bring those responsible for the crash to justice.

Several lawsuits have been filed regarding the doomed flight.

Early last week, families of six Malaysian crew members sued the airline for negligence and breach of contract, their lawyer said. And last year, relatives of 16 victims from Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, and 33 next of kin, launched legal action against Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, in the European Court of Human Rights.

Each claimant is seeking $10 million in damages.

The downing of the jet also led the European Union and the United States to level new sanctions against Moscow, in addition to those already in place for Russia's actions in Ukraine.

The airline also suffered severe financial losses after it was hit with the downing of Flight MH17 and the loss of flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Earlier this year, debris found in the Indian Ocean was confirmed to have been from the Boeing 777, which had 239 passengers and crew aboard when it went down. But it remains a mystery what happened to the plane.

On Sunday, some passengers and crew were injured aboard Malaysia Airline Flight MH1 when it experienced turbulence over the Bay of Bengal. The flight was en route from London to Kuala Lumpur.

RFE/RL contributed to this report. Some material from AFP and Reuters.
Monday marks the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day Invasion by Allied forces along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of France that helped defeat the Nazis in World War II.

About 160,000 Allied troops parachuted or waded onto the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, in what was the largest sea assault in military history. Though about 4,500 died by the end of the day, the operation eventually led to an Allied victory across Europe.

More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion.

The invasion began shortly after midnight, with a perilous airborne operation led by paratroopers of the "Screaming Eagles'' 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne divisions. At dawn, thousands of Allied troops leaped out of landing craft to storm the beaches under ferocious German defensive fire.

U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, then the supreme commander of Allied forces across Western Europe, called the operation a crusade in which we will accept nothing less than full victory.
On May 4, 1493, then-pope Alexander VI issued what was known as a papal bull  the Inter caetera  which set off the European conquest of the New World at the expense of indigenous tribal people. On May 4 of this year, Steven Newcomb, co-founder of the California-based Indigenous Law Institute, met with Pope Francis and called on him to formally revoke the bull.

We are also calling on them to formally acknowledge that it was issued and that the system of thought and behavior that was unleashed on the planet, he said. Newcomb's Shawnee and Lenape ancestors were among the hundreds of tribal groups that lost land and other rights to European settlers.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the pope was believed to be not only the head of the Christian Church, but Gods representative on Earth. Kings and popes often competed for authority, but if a papal bull worked in a kings favor, he was likely to follow it.



A series of mid-15th century bulls gave the Churchs blessing for Portugal to invade, conquer, fight, subjugate the Saracens and pagans and other infidels and other enemies of Christ, to take their property and enslave them.



Basically, the pope was granting Portugal the right to do anything it wanted to do, said Robert J. Miller, professor of law at Arizona State Universitys Sandra Day OConnor School of Law and a member of the Eastern Shawnee tribe.



Portugal had been focused on exploring and plundering Africas west coast, but when Christopher Columbus claimed the West Indies for Spain, Lisbon was outraged, believing its rights to discovery and colonization extended globally.



Thats when Pope Alexander IV issued the infamous Inter caetera. He drew a line midway across the Atlantic Ocean, giving Spain discovery rights to the west of the line and Portugal all lands to the east.



Not to be outdone, King Henry VII in 1497 authorized explorer Henry Cabot to sail west and claim new lands for England.



Cabot stepped ashore in Newfoundland and went through the same charade of claiming the land for England that Columbus had for Spain, said Miller. They didnt care that there were indigenous people there because since they werent Christian, they werent considered to be humans.



Evidence in US law



Taken together, the Inter caetera and related bulls established the Doctrine of Discovery, a legal and ideological concept Christian Europe used to justify its actions. Miller believes doctrine was incorporated into American colonial, state and federal laws, he said, and is part of a U.S. policy in place today.



He said the language of the doctrine can be found in modern case law. In 1954, the Tee-Hit-Ton Indians sued the U.S. for lumber taken from their ancestral lands in Alaska. The court dismissed the suit, arguing that because the Tee-Hit-Tons were in a hunting and fishing stage of civilization, they had only a limited right of occupancy, and therefore the U.S. was not required to reimburse them.



American Indian tribes in the United States own 56 million acres [23 million hectares] of land today in trust with the United States, Miller said. But the tribes do not really own the fee simple absolute title to these lands the way you or I do when we buy homes, said Miller.



Tribes cannot sell reservation land. Tribes cannot lease reservation lands. Tribes cannot develop reservation trust lands without the permission of the United States, he said.



Robert T. Coulter, director of the non-profit Indian Law Resource Center and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, says the Doctrine of Discovery has never been part of United States law - in spite of what courts and government officials may claim.



Statements of the pope are not law. Nor are the statements of a particular king, he said. International law isnt created that way and it never was. Professor Miller is making a legal argument that hundreds of tribes dont own the land that they own. And this makes it even more difficult for Indians to hang on to their lands.



The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs defines a federal Indian reservation as an area of land reserved for a tribe or tribes under treaty or other agreement with the United Stateswhere the federal government holds title to the land in trust on behalf of the tribe."



Coulter responds by saying, The United States imposes all kinds of unjustifiable restrictions on what tribes can do with their land. Thats true, but it doesnt have anything to do with discovery. I think the governments legal basis for that is near zero.





As for the Vatican, in 2010 its ambassador to the United Nations told the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues that the papal bull Inter caetera was rescinded by subsequent bulls and treaties over the centuries and is today merely a historic remnant with no juridical, moral or doctrinal value.



Furthermore, he said, if nations set the Doctrine of Discovery as a legal precedent, refuting it is a matter for their lawmakers.



In a landmark speech in July 2015, Pope Francis acknowledged the grave sins on the part of the Church in colonial times.

I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offense of the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America, he said.
A veteran American journalist and his Afghan translator were reported killed in Afghanistan Sunday, after coming under attack while traveling with an Afghan army unit in southern Helmand province.

The U.S.-based National Public Radio identified the dead as photojournalist David Gilkey and translator Zabihullah Tammana. Two other journalists in their convoy were reportedly unharmed.

No other details were immediately available, and it was not clear late Sunday the size of the military unit or whether it suffered other casualties.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Beijing, said in a statement, "This attack is a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people... and the courage of intrepid journalists."

An NPR website described the 50-year-old Gilkey as an award-winning photographer and video editor, and one of the first unescorted journalists to enter Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

He also covered the 2008-2009 conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, known widely as the Gaza War, as well as the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in early 2010.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists on Sunday issued a statement of condolences, saying that despite waning public attention, "Afghanistan remains a dangerous place for journalists -- local and foreign -- working to cover that protracted conflict."

The statement cited data showing the deaths of 24 journalists and one media worker since the U.S. response in October 2001 to the al-Qaida attacks on the United States. Those numbers do not include Gilkey or Tammana.
A 77-year-old former World Bank economist has a slight lead over the daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori in Peru's presidential runoff election.

With a little more than half the votes counted in early Monday, Pedro Kuczynski has 50.6 percent of the vote, compared to Keiko Fujimori's 49.4 percent.

"We are going to have a government built on consensus," said Kuczynski . "No more low blows or fights."

Keiko Fujimori urged her voters to sit tight and wait. "We're going to wait with prudence because all night votes will be coming in from the provinces, from abroad, and from the rural voters of deep Peru," she said.

Fujimori had been leading in public opinion polls until recently, but the scandal around money laundering allegations against a senior aide has taken a toll, transforming the race into a repeat performance of Fujimori's 2011 bid when she lost by a razor's edge to outgoing President Ollanta Humala.

In addition, many Peruvians have vowed to never vote for anyone associated with her father. She has tried to distance herself from her father's authoritarian rule of Peru from 1990 to 2000.

Both candidates are right-leaning conservatives. Kuczynski endorsed Fujimori when she ran for president in the 2011 election against Humala.

If Fujimori wins the runoff, she would become Peru's first female president.
Poland and more than 20 NATO member states are launching a large-scale military training exercise as part of efforts to assure central and eastern European countries concerned by Russia's actions in nearby Ukraine.

The Poland-led, 10-day, Anakonda-16 exercises will involve 31,000 troops, 3,000 vehicles, 105 aircraft and 12 Navy ships.

"The Anakonda military exercise is an exercise which aims to test the capabilities of the alliance member states to defend the territory of the eastern flank of the alliance," said Polish defense minister Antoni Macierewicz.



The joint forces will practice moves including a nighttime helicopter assault, bridge-building operations, and air defense. Other drills include a mass casualty evacuations and a chemical decontamination exercise.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff,Lieutenant General Mark Milley says the U.S.has a "single purpose" in the operation and that is to "demonstrate that we are shoulder to shoulder with the Polish people, we are shoulder to shoulder with the Polish army and we are shoulder to shoulder with NATO, to ensure that all of the countries of NATO remain free and independent."
Tributes poured in Monday for veteran journalists David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tammana, an American reporter and an Afghan translator reporter killed Sunday in Afghanistan when their vehicle came under Taliban rocket fire.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, writing on Twitter, condemned the attack as "cowardly," and described Tammana and Gilkey as journalists "on the front line to report about the truth."

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and Gen. John Nicholson, commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, also offered condolences, along with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who described the duo in a statement as "intrepid journalists."

Gilkey, Tammana and two Afghan soldiers were killed while riding in a vehicle that authorities say came under sustained Taliban fire just outside an army base in the Helmand provincial town of Marjah. The town and surrounding agricultural region are considered Taliban strongholds and the center of the country's opium poppy production.

Watch related video report from VOA's Zlatica Hoke:

The 50-year-old Gilkey, on assignment for the U.S.-based National Public Radio, was an award-winning photographer and video editor. NPR described him as one of the first unescorted journalists to enter Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

He also covered the 2008-2009 conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, known widely as the Gaza War, as well as the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in early 2010.

Afghan media described 38-year-old Tammana as a native of northern Afghanistan who lived In Kabul with his wife and three children.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists says 24 journalists and one media worker have been killed since the U.S. response in October 2001 to the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks on the United States. Those numbers do not include Gilkey or Tammana.
British pedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday for abusing 23 Malaysian and Cambodian babies and children over almost a decade.

Huckle, 30, stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes against impoverished victims aged 6 months to 11 years.

"It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this," said judge Peter Rook.

As Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman sitting in the public gallery shouted: "a thousand deaths is too good for you.

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offenses and was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2014.

He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia, where the authorities have been criticized for failing to properly tackle sex crimes against children.

The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just.

"For doing this to the children, this is the correct [decision]. Wherever the crime happened. I'm happy about the verdict," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu.

Vadivelu said Huckle often visited the community, which is a settlement for poor families displaced by construction projects in the city.

Malaysian police have said they are seeking details on the victims from their British counterparts while the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information.

But a rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg.

"Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children.

Prolonged campaign of rape

The London court heard Huckle abused his victims over a period of nine years between March 2006 and December 2014. All the crimes took place in Malaysia, apart from the first incident which involved the abuse of a 2-year-old child during a visit to Cambodia.

"Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young - pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," the judge told him.

"This was a prolonged campaign of rape of the children from a small community."

The judge said one of the most aggravating features of the case was that Huckle targeted and groomed impoverished children and their families, seeking to impress them with his relative wealth and status as a Westerner.

"Your offending behavior became entrenched in your everyday life," he added. "Your life revolved around your sexual activities with young children. Your distorted beliefs in respect of children are deep-seated. Your self-delusion knows no bounds."

Huckle boasted of his crimes online and had written a

60-page manual advising other pedophiles on how to abuse children.

The judge said this was a "truly evil document proselytizing pedophilia" and that Huckle had intended this to become a commercial enterprise.
Russia has increased dramatically both the rate and breadth of its airstrikes in Syria, tripling the number of air raids in the past few days and demonstrating its freedom of action in the war-torn country, according to an analysis by a U.S.-based think tank.



The escalation marks a dangerous shift in the Russian airstrike pattern to levels only seen prior to the brokering of the cessation of hostilities agreement in late February, said Genevieve Casagrande, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War.



The expansion, she notes, coincides with a further breakdown of the internationally-brokered Geneva peace negotiations, which opposition politicians dismiss as a waste of breath" because of the continued airstrikes on opposition-held territory both by Russian warplanes and the air force of President Bashar al-Assad.

Aleppo targeted



Sunday witnessed an especially violent series of regime airstrikes on insurgent-districts in the city of Aleppo with at least 53 people, including children, being killed, say activists. Regime helicopters dropped dozens of barrel bombs  oil drums or canisters packed with explosive and metal fragments  focusing mainly on the al-Qatriji neighborhood, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a Britain-based pro-opposition monitoring group, said.



Rebels responded by shelling government-controlled districts killing a reported eight civilians. The volunteer rescue group, known as the White Helmets, recorded 40 air strikes on Aleppos rebel-held areas on Sunday. A rescue worker was killed in the airstrikes.



Russia is clearly demonstrating its freedom of action in Syria, according to an assessment by Casagrande. It has pivoted its air operations towards mainstream elements of the armed opposition across Western Syria. Russian air operations against the Syrian opposition expanded beyond the targeting of critical front lines in Aleppo and once again began to target deep within opposition-held terrain in Idlib Province from May 30 to June 2, she added.

TU 142

And for the first time in the Syria conflict a Russian Tu-142 aircraft was filmed flying over Aleppo. The Aviationist, a military aviation website, reported that a video shot purportedly by rebels Sunday showed the reconnaissance plane  the first, if confirmed, of a Tu-142 participating in the air war over Syria.



The Tu-142 was developed as a maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, the Aviationist reports. However, it is believed to be able to carry different sensor packages and some believe the Bear F could be used as an ISR [Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance] platform, to pinpoint targets for tactical strike aircraft.



The plane could also have been dual tasked with an additional role to monitor the USS Truman aircraft carrier, currently on patrol in the eastern Mediterranean. Over the weekend two waves of U.S. navy fighter jets were launched from the USS Truman for raids on Islamic State group positions in Raqqa  the first launched from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean since 2003, according to U.S. defense officials.

Russian military spokesmen insist their airstrikes are targeting only terrorists.

In Syrias Daraa province the Kremlin controlled TASS news agency reported the remarks of the spokesman of the so-called Russian reconciliation center, Colonel Stanislav Ivanov, who said: The international terrorist organizations the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra and other illegal armed groups have unleashed this bloody war. Russia has offered assistance.



But U.S. officials say Russian airstrikes have targeted more often than not mainstream anti-Assad rebel groups.



Colonel Ivanov was commenting at a rally to welcome a 4-ton humanitarian aid delivery the Russians made in Daraa. He didnt note that a few days earlier, on May 31, the Russians launched their first airstrikes on the province since February 25, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Those strikes targeted terrain largely held by factions within the U.S.-backed Southern Front coalition, says analyst Casagrande.

But the most intense regime and Russian airstrikes have focused on Aleppo. Analysts say these appear to be setting the circumstances for a full-scale siege of rebel-held parts of the city and much of the focus of the airstrikes appear to be aimed at helping regime ground forces to encircle the rebels and sever insurgent supply routes.

'Hysterical' bombing by Russia



The Syrian Observatory dubs the bombing of Aleppo, which has targeted hospitals, hysterical. Since April 22, it claims, at least 2,600 people have been wounded in the strikes and at least 500 civilians have died  including 105 children under the age of eighteen years and 76 women.



Elsewhere in Syria, a top Syrian Kurdish commander died Sunday during a U.S.-backed offensive by Kurdish-led forces to seize from the Islamic State group the town of Manbij. Abu Layla, a brigade commander, was hit by sniper fire. The Kurd-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the so-called Manbij pocket, a stretch of territory west of the Euphrates River, took two more villages Sunday aided by an air campaign by U.S. warplanes.






Countries Sunday observed World Environment Day, whose theme this year is combating the $20 billion illegal wildlife trade. In East Africa, a new team of sniffer dogs has joined the fight.

Asha, an English Springer Spaniel, excitedly twirls in circles and strains on her leash. She scrambles over suitcases on a conveyor belt full of luggage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Floppy ears and a lolling pink tongue give her a playful look, but Asha is hard at work.

Asha sniffs a canvas backpack, briefly sits, then excitedly grabs a toy her handler gives to her. This is her reward for finding a piece of hidden ivory during a demonstration of her abilities.

Asha has been specially trained to sniff out ivory in airports and ports in Kenya and Tanzania. She is part of a new team of eight sniffer dogs combating illegal ivory trafficking trained by the African Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the Kenyan Wildlife Service and Tanzanias wildlife division. Eight more dogs are being trained in the program and will be deployed to Mozambique and Uganda.

Since they started in January, the dogs have led 26 busts of ivory and other illegal wildlife products.

If you have four or six busts in one month, thats really something. It speaks to the international community that this area is well-guarded and we are combating wildlife trafficking, said Mark Kinyua, head of Kenyan Wildlife Services Canine Unit.

Big bust

At the end of March, sniffer dogs confirmed a large seizure of ivory in cargo transiting through Nairobi on its way to Bangkok from Mozambique. The ivory was worth more than $60,000.

Michael Ogwora, a dog trainer with the African Wildlife Foundation, says the dogs are highly attuned to sniffing for ivory.

We use a small amount of ivory, maybe some grams, and the dog can detect 0.5 grams hidden in a bag or luggage. The dog will just go straight there instead of going to each and every bag.

But the dogs are also detecting other illegal wildlife products, including more than 500 kilograms of pangolin scales in cargo at Nairobis international airport in March, and 16 lives turtles in May. This year, about 1,000 kilograms of pangolin scales have been seized.

The dogs at Nairobis international airport have made more finds than any other detection dog teams in East Africa, said Will Powell, African Wildlife Foundations Conservation Canine Director.

Powell is based in Arusha, Tanzania. For 20 years, Powell has been training dogs to sniff for landmines and explosives in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Powell says training dogs to sniff for ivory is not so different from teaching them to detect explosives. When they find the target substance, dogs are rewarded with praise and toys.

Handlers are key

Selecting the right handlers is just as important as the right dogs. Handlers must show a connection with the dogs, which include English Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois from Europe.

Seven rangers from the Kenyan Wildlife Service and six from Tanzanias Wildlife Division went through two months of intensive training last year. They worked alongside dogs to detect ivory hidden in luggage, shipping containers and vehicles.

Powell says, By the time the handlers have gone through their training they will be so in tune with their dogs that they can tell whether the dog has detected ivory even before the dog decides to sit.

Kenya toughened laws against ivory trafficking in 2014, which has led to a drop in elephant poaching. But it remains a major trafficking hub, especially through Mombassa, the major port for East Africa.

Africas elephants are being decimated by poachers to feed demand for ivory from Asia. Across Africa, about 100,000 elephants were killed for ivory from 2010 to 2012. Sixty percent of Tanzanias elephants have been poached since 2009.
A fire at a Sri Lankan army ammunition depot has killed one soldier and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

Officials say people living within five kilometers of the depot were forced to leave their residences Sunday.

The blaze set off explosions at the Salawa military complex, about 33 kilometers east of the capital, Colombo.

Authorities say the fire started at one arms depot and spread to a larger ammunitions depot.

Some residents were allowed to return to their home Monday.

Officials ordered all nearby schools and government offices to remain closed Monday.
While presidential candidates may need money to run a campaign, volunteers and campaign workers are just as critical to winning a race. Behind the scenes workers get people excited so theyll go to the polls and vote.

Vietnamese American Tim Phan was in-between jobs and decided to become a full time volunteer for the Hillary Clinton campaign. He has been working nonstop for more than a month in anticipation of the California Primary.

Every night we stay up late entering data, planning out the next days events and stuff, said Phan.

Phan works close to a 12-hour-day recruiting volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls in languages that include English, Korean and Spanish to remind people to vote.

If they do pick up the phone, cause sometimes people dont answer the phone or its a wrong number, hopefully they tell us yes, theyre voting for Hillary. Phan added, We just kind of thank them for their support. Even if they dont vote for Hillary, we still mark their support for other people as well. Its a good way for us to track our progress in certain districts, certain counties and cities.

Phan also helps organize special events with leaders from different immigrant communities to rally voters and volunteers.

Bernie boosters

A few miles away, passionate Bernie Sanders volunteers like Jeremy White are also working so their candidate can get the votes.

For me the best part is when you meet somebody else who just have that empathy in them and just has the passion to drop everything and do whatever they can for this revolution and to get our voices heard and the voices of those who arent represented, White said.

Jeremy White works as a freelance production designer in the film industry and suspended his career for the last few months to help Sanders win votes. He rented an old coffee shop and created a Sanders art museum filled with original work from supporters. In big letters on the front of the building visitors will see Bernies Coffee Shop.

Usually we have about three people come in asking for coffee. We tell them we dont serve that unfortunately but they can sign up and volunteer, White said.

Besides knocking on doors and calling potential voters, Sanders supporters are also selling Bernie T-shirts made by volunteers to support their efforts.

Trump rooters

No one from Donald Trump's campaign responded to VOAs request to interview a campaign worker. Without access to volunteers, VOA found plenty of supporters at a Trump rally in Orange County, California. While they are mainly white here, there are a small handful of immigrants and their children to speak for Trump.

Well I think the things that he said are offensive are things that need to be said though. In the end all that matters is that America is safe, America is strong and American is great again, said the son of Indian immigrants, Vishnu Vallatharasan.

Weve had a lot of presidents. Theyve been movie stars. Weve had generals become president, people who have been in the army, governors, senators. Weve never had a billionaire. I want us to try something new, said Vietnamese American Peter Pham.

Whether it is at a rally or a campaign office, campaigners may vote for different candidates but they have one thing in common. They share the belief that every vote counts.
As U.S. voters go to cast ballots for their next president in November, some will be turned away from polling places because of state laws that require showing identification.

Those laws, especially the most restrictive measures requiring a government-issued photo ID, are a relatively new phenomenon in the United States that have risen sharply during the past decade.

Voter ID laws are now active in 33 of the 50 U.S. states, covering about 60 percent of the population. Since President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, 11 states have enacted identification requirements for voting. The rules in those states range from strictly asking for photo IDs such as a driver's license to simpler documents such as a paycheck.

Proponents say the laws prevent voter fraud and give the public more confidence in the process.

"Voter ID can prevent and deter impersonation fraud, voting under fictitious voter registrations, double voting by individuals registered in more than one state, and voting by illegal aliens," Don Palmer, a former election official in Virginia and Florida, wrote in a Heritage Foundation report.

Palmer argued that those who oppose the laws exaggerate the number of people who are affected, and that those assertions inhibit the national debate.

Election turnout

According to the Federal Election Commission, 129 million people voted in the 2012 presidential election. That was about 55 percent of the voting age population, down from about 58 percent in 2008.

Many factors can account for lower election turnout, but a University of California, San Diego report released in February found no apparent relationship between the strict photo ID laws and overall voter turnout.

What the authors did find, however, was that while the laws had little impact on white voters, they reduced turnout among Hispanics, African-Americans and mixed-race voters.

"The key test is not whether turnout is lower in strict voter ID states but instead whether the turnout gap between whites and non-whites is greater in strict voter ID states."

The report said a lack of identification is particularly found among minorities, the poor and younger people.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report cited a few of the reasons people struggle to obtain government identification. Some people lack transportation to get to the appropriate government office, while others do not have the necessary documents -- like a birth certificate -- to get the card. The GAO also cited the cost of state driver's licenses, though many of the states that require voters to have ID provide a free form of identification.

Still others who are employed, especially those in part-time work or jobs that do not provide any form of leave, cannot afford to skip work in order to get to a government office during the hours it is open.

Right to vote

Attorney General Eric Holder stressed in a 2012 speech the need to be vigilant in preventing voting fraud, but that "political pretexts" will not be allowed to keep Americans from exercising "their most precious right."

"The arc of American history has always moved toward expanding the electorate. It is what has made this nation exceptional. We will simply not allow this era to be the beginning of the reversal of that historic progress."

Opponents of the laws have also argued there is a huge imbalance between the cost voters and states incur to follow the rules and the small number of reported incidents of fraud the laws could prevent.

Ahead of the 2012 election, Justin Levitt wrote in a report for the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy that evidence of such fraud is "extraordinarily rare."

"Though it does occur, there are only a handful of recent accounts. During this same period, hundreds of millions of ballots have been cast."

Levitt said there is a reason many states offer voters alternatives to photo IDs to prove their identity and have their votes count.

"They recognize that there are some legitimate, eligible American citizens who do not possess government-issued photo identification cards. And they do not wish to make it unduly difficult for these citizens to exercise the most fundamental right in our constitutional order."
Police in Vietnam broke up peaceful environmental protests Sunday in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over recent mass fish deaths.

Dozens of protesters were detained, including 30 in Hanoi, where demonstrators grouped in front of St. Joseph's Cathedral to call for greater government transparency, according to civil society activists based in the Southeast Asian country.

Activists documented detentions on social media accounts, saying police in both cities took people into custody before and during the protests. Access to Facebook was reportedly blocked at the time, preventing demonstrators from communicating with each other and spreading news about the public marches.

The catalyst for the marches  which have repeatedly been broken up by police  is an estimated 100 tons of dead fish along the central coast.

Demonstrators blame the mass fish kill on the release of toxic chemicals from a new Taiwanese-owned steel mill. Although an official investigation has found no links between the fish deaths and a $10.6 billion coastal steel plant run by a unit of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics, public anger against the company has not abated.

Public frustration huge

Last week, the government said it had identified the cause of fish deaths but needed more hard scientific evidence before making public allegations.

Critics have repeatedly condemned the government's delayed response to the massive die-off of marine life.

"The crackdown is for fear that more and more people will come to know how this government is malfunctioning," Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a protester in Nha Trang, told VOA Vietnamese. "This environmental disaster is a good opportunity for many who have long been ignorant and fearful to come out and speak up for transparency and against corruption."

"They've been successful in their repressive crackdowns, but public frustration is getting huge," added Tran Quang Nam, a protester in Hanoi. "The more repressed people feel, the stronger the backfire would be once the spring bounces back with even greater force."

Mass detentions appalling

Phil Robertson, deputy director for Human Rights Watch in Asia, condemned Sunday's mass detentions, describing them as part of an ongoing pattern.

"It's appalling that the authorities cracked down and detained peaceful protesters in Hanoi and elsewhere instead of providing even the most basic answers about the massive fish kills," he said. "The Vietnam government should let the people express their views and hold their public assemblies rather than continuing this campaign of harassment, intimidation and detention.

"For every protester that showed up today in Hanoi and other cities, there were many more that local police and officers prevented from leaving their houses to join," he added.

In late April, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who took office earlier that month, ordered a thorough inspection of the fish deaths. On April 26, government officials said findings of the probe would be released within a week.
Referencing the Russian President has never been easier.



Vladimir Putins entire oeuvre of speeches and addresses over a 15-year career has been collected in a new three-volume book that premiered at a Moscow book fair over the weekend.



The book, titled Direct Speech, and issued by the publishing house Zvonnitsa, claimed to be a portrait of an era with Putin cast as a central figure in the history of the 21st century equal to the likes of Charles de Gaulle or Fidel Castro, according to the books publisher Georgy Zaitsev.

The book is needed by todays Russians  governors, and deputies, mayors, and heads of village administrations, historians, political analysts, diplomats, and students  all who are interested in modern politics and history, from the description of the book issued ahead of the book fair.

"It's like a time machine. I feel like I'm returning back to my childhood," said Dmitry Gubin, an independent journalist based in Moscow.



Gubin noted that, just as weighty volumes of Lenin, Marx and Engels were must-have displays on the bookshelves of Soviet bureacrats, the Putin editions are certain to become required props for official spaces tied to today's Russian state.



"The printed version will be definitely bought by [Putin's ruling] United Russia party and by state cooperations to demonstrate they are absolutely loyal to Putin," Gubin told VOA. "But it's hard to imagine that someone will curl up to read this at home," he added.



Putin joins elite list

With Direct Speech, Putin now enters the pantheon of Russian-Soviet leaders with multi-volume editions  joining Vladimir Lenin (55 volumes) Joseph Stalin (14 volumes), and Leonid Brezhnev (4).

The Kremlin gave its tacit approval to the books publication  with Putins press spokesman noting Putins soaring popularity made such as understandable and easy access to the presidents speeches a positive thing.



But in the book's design (a retro dark blue jacket with grey embossed lettering and clunky polit-speak. Volume 1 is subtitled "Addresses by the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly: On the Situation in the Country and Basic Directions for Internal and External Policies. 2000-2015") some see an overly active embrace of Soviet bookshelves' past.



Pre-orders are brisk

The publisher claims pre-orders have been particularly brisk in Crimea, the peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.The move sent Putin's ratings soaring at home despite triggering western sanctions and a war in eastern Ukraine.



Indeed, a reassertive Russia under Putin is one of the major reasons for the book's existence, said publisher Georgy Zaitsev.



Putins first term as president was dedicated to keeping Russia a unified state; the second  to lifting the country up from its knees. Our book reflects these stages, Zaitsev commented to the Russian media.



But in giving Putin the encyclopedia treatment now, the journalist Dmitry Gubin sees opportunism alongside an acknowledgement of Putin's mortality.



Even the book's cover, he noted, is suggestive of a tombstone.



"I'm sure the bureaucrats will all buy it," said Gubin. "And I'm also sure that the volumes will disappear as soon as Putin is gone."
What Is Ramadan?

What: Millions of Muslims began observing Ramadan, the ninth and most sacred month of the Islamic calendar, on Monday.

What happens: It is a monthlong period when Muslims, from sunrise to sunset, abstain from eating, drinking and other physical needs, such as smoking or sex. At least two meals a day are eaten: suhoor, before dawn, and iftar, at dusk.

Why: The fast is intended to purify the soul, bring the faithful closer to God, remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate, and create sacrifice and self-discipline.

Exceptions: Children under the age of 12, the elderly, the sick, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating, and people who are traveling are exempted.

How is the date determined: Muslims use a lunar calendar and moon-sighting methodology to determine the date, which means different countries may declare the start of Ramadan a day or two apart.

Monday observance: Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, as well as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Palestinian territories, the United States, among others.

Tuesday observance: Pakistan, Iran and most of India.

End of Ramadan: This year, the holiday month ends on July 5, and is celebrated with a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr.
The Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Childcare, the National AIDS Council and people living positively with HIV/ AIDS, has launched a booklet designed to create awareness on taking antiretroviral drugs and the management of HIV/AIDS.

The Literacy Manual, among many issues, highlights methods of taking antiretroviral drugs, dangers of abandoning them and the general management of HIV/AIDS.

Some people living with HIV/AIDS told Studio 7 they expect to get simple guidelines from the manual on managing their health conditions.

One of the people living with HIV, Angela Chiwetani of Widows Foundation of Life, said she hopes to get a lot of information on taking ARVs.

The manual will help those living positively like me to work closely with our nurses and doctors on issues of side effects. A lot of people just take medication but have limited information about the ARV medication.

Stanley Takaona, who is also living positively with HIV and heads the Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS Activist Union Community Trust, said there are some people that were fast-tracked into taking ARVs.

Takaona said the manual will, therefore, come in handy for such people.

There is a gap with some people who have been rushed into treatment especially health workers. We have some of them who do not go through the process of adherence and counselling and some high level-people are fast-tracked to get on medication. We have to reach these people that have been fast-tracked into the system.

Dr. Tsitsi Mutasa Apollo of the Ministry of Health and Childcare said they collaborated with the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV to come out with the manual in order to create HIV/AIDS awareness and proper ways of taking ARVs.

Writers of the manual acknowledge the ever-changing nature of HIV/AIDS management information and have recommended that the booklet should be updated at least every two years to keep up with international guidelines on tackling HIV/AIDS.
Air Zimbabwe pilots, who have not received their pay since 2013 have told parliament that their conditions of service are so bad that some of their colleagues have left the state-controlled company for greener pastures. They said the situation has been worsened by the fact that the national airline does not have a substantive management team and board members with knowledge of the aviation industry.

Presenting their grievances on conditions of work and ideas of turning around the national airline, chairman of the pilots working under the Zimbabwe Flights Crew Association, said they are now only 35 pilots out of 60 in 2009 due to bad working conditions.

Zimbabwe Flights Crew Association chairman, Captain Otis Shonhai, said the pilots that have left Air Zimbabwe sought greener pastures outside the country.

Even up to present day we havent got a proper working contract each one of us, there is no contract with the company. We are just on a working allowance thats what we are getting right now but we have been professional enough and we will continue to be professional to say that if we decide to go and fly we will do our very best and bring people home safely or take them safely to their destination, said Captain Shonhai.

He said pilots were expecting housing and vehicles loans like doctors, adding they also needed farming land.

Captain Shonhai said most of their grievances had not been addressed because the company has not had a substantive management team.

Association secretary, First Officer Gutu Kachambwa, concurred, noting that they believed most of the airlines problems were a result of bureaucracy between the board and the ministry and lack people with aviation expertise in the board.

If you look at Air Zimbabwe right now there is no substantive management team for three years everybody is acting and we are seating and doing nothing about it. You are giving people responsibility and you are not giving them authority so how are they going to run the airline? said Kachambwa.

Two other pilots, who attended the parliamentary hearing, said Air Zimbabwe had a potential to operate efficiently and drive the countrys economy if the right decisions are made on time.

For example, Kachambwa said paying Zimbabwes outstanding International Air Transport Association would improve the companys fortunes.

Lets get into the IATA clearing house, because IATA clearing house unlocks business value for us. It enables us to code share  so we are saying as a matter of urgency we know there is an amount which is owing to IATA and I dont believe as a nation we cant get that amount to pay toIATA, he said.

The two suggested that pilots get a seat on the Air Zimbabwe board and that the board itself be composed of people with knowledge of the aviation industry.

They also suggested the acquisition of new planes saying the companys fleet was too old and costly to operate. The pilots added that reviving the London route would also raise money for the national airline.

Air Zimbabwe flies to Johannesburg, Tanzania, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls and the pilots said opening up more routes would create business for the airline.

Transport Minister Jorum Gumbo and acting Air Zimbabwe chief executive officer could not be reached for comment.

Transport committee chairperson, Dexter Nduma, said parliament was concerned with the plight of pilots and Air Zimbabwe in general and would engage government with a view to resolving its problems.

The company is saddled with debt amounting to more than $300 million, making it unattractive for any merger with international partners.
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If, during the Cold War, research credits for social and political studies were oriented towards the study of totalitarism - in other words, the assimilation of Nazism and Stalinism  they were reoriented towards terrorism just after the attacks of the 11 September 2001. Suddenly, thousands of experts appeared, all financed in order to justify, a posteriori, the official version of the attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the proclamation of the Patriot Act.

Thirteen years later, the phenomen repeated itself on the occasion of the proclamation of the Caliphate by Daesh. It was now less a question of fighting a vague terrorist threat than engaging in a war against a genuine though unrecognised state, and anticipating the transfer of arms, money and combatants that it generates.

Two intergovernmental organisations, the UNO and the European Union, have accomplished a colossal job of work defining a strategy for the prevention of violent extremism and the fight against Daesh. The General Assembly of the United Nations will examine this work on the 30 June and the 1 July. Obviously, one may fear that the prevention of violent extremism may be no more than a justification for the repression of any form of opposition.

When we read the available documents  those (1) of the Secretary General of the UNO [1], (2) the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (Resolution 1373), (3) the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team [2], and (4) the European Union External Action Service [3]  we are overcome with vertigo at what looks less like a battle plan than an elaboration of politically correct rhetoric.

The UNO and the EU base their work exclusively on Western sources which are far removed from the terrain - not only do they never make a single mention of the information transmitted by Iraq, Syria and Russia, but seem to ignore the very existence of such information. And yet it was handed to the Security Council by ambassadors Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Bachar Jaafari and Vitali Tchourkine. The documents are freely available.

Syria, and to a far lesser degree, Iraq, furnished information concerning the transfer of money, arms and jihadists on a day-to-day basis, while Russia distributed five thematic reports concerning

 1. the illegal commerce of hydrocarbons [4];

 2. the recruiting of foreign terrorist combatants [5];

 3. the trafficking of antiques [6];

 4. the deliveries of arms and ammunition [7];

 5. the components intended for the fabrication of improvised explosive devices [8].

All these documents directly implicate Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. These three states - allies of Washington  have all responded with generalised denials without ever discussing the slightest element of the charges.

Daesh is functional on the four strategic objectives of the United States, namely the fomenting of a civil war between the Sunnis and the Shia in Iraq, the project for the partition of Iraq into three federalised parts, the project for cutting the road linking Iran and Lebanon, and the project for the overthrow of the Syrian Arab Republic. To the point where we might ask ourselves - if Daesh didnt exist, would Washington have had to invent it?

It would be a mistake to believe that the occulting of the documents mentioned above is the result of anti-Iraqi, anti-Syrian or anti-Russian prejudice. Indeed, the Western sources, both public and private, which support their evidence are also ignored. For example, declassified documents from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency [9], or the articles in Janes, the favourite magazine of NATO officers [10]. No, the UNO and the EU approach the question of Daesh with one clear and simple a priori  this state popped up quite spontaneously, without any help whatsoever.

The UNOs blindness is such that its Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, attributes to the International Coalition led by Washington the victories obtained through the sacrifices made by the Iraqi and Syrian Arab armies, the Lebanese Resistance, as well as the massive engagement of the Russian army.

The result of fifteen years of the war against terror, we are assured, is to have killed more than a million and a half civilians in order to eliminate 65,000 to 90,000 presumed terrorists, and to have moved from an obscure terrorist threat (Al-Qaida) directly to a terrorist state (Daesh)! After having explained that fifteen member-states of the UNO have failed (Failed States) despite years of international aid, we are supposed to believe that within a few months a group of illiterate conscripts has managed, on its own, to create a state and threaten world peace.

Al-Qaida has moved quietly from the status of threat to that of ally, depending on the situation. It was able to finance the AKP in Turkey [11], help NATO overthrow Mouamar el-Kadhafi in Libya and do a good job in Syria, while still being listed by the UNO as a terrorist organisation. No-one has judged it constructive to explain this evolution and this contradiction. In any case, it doesnt matter any more, since the status of enemy is now occupied by Daesh.

Over the last fifteen years, we have watched the Western camp develop its theory about 9/11 and the threat of Al-Qaida. After the publication of my critisism of this cock and bull fable [12], and despite the fact that terrorist attacks have multiplied, we have seen public opinion begin to doubt the sincerity of their governments, then move gradually away from their official declarations to the point of not believing them at all any more. All this while certain heads of state  in Cuba, Iran [13], and Venezuela  have publicly declared that they are not falling for it.

Given that this time, the opposition point of view is defended from the beginning by numerous states, including two permanent members of the Security Council - Russia and China  are we going to spend the next fifteen years becoming schizophrenic about the danger of Daesh?
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amber Heard is suing comedian Doug Stanhope and unnamed others for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress following the publication of his guest column at The Wrap titled, Johnny Depp Is Being Blackmailed by Amber Heard  Heres How I Know. In the essay, Stanhope refers to Heard as a demon who fabricated abuse charges against her husband Depp, ostensibly to leverage them against the actor in their divorce proceedings. Heards camp has denied the claim.

Stanhope is a close friend of Johnny Depp and, as part of a coordinated effort, wrote a highly defamatory article about Ms. Heard, filled with completely false, highly defamatory and very hurtful statements. Ms. Heard seeks the maximum possible jury award and will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the lawsuit to Chrysalis, a domestic-violence shelter in Arizona, in an effort to counter the setback made to women by the defendants defamatory article and related wrongful acts, Heards attorney Charles Harder said in a statement. Heard filed the complaint Friday in Arizona Superior Court. It alleges Depp subjected her to a campaign of violence during which Depp has hit and kicked Heard on numerous occasions, has thrown objects at her, at one point nearly suffocated her to the point where she feared for her life. According to the suit, Heard repeatedly returned to Depp, despite his verbal and physical mistreatment of her, hoping optimistically that the man she married would change his behavior. Each time Heard returned, however, within months, the cycle of substance abuse and violence repeated.
With the day-to-day craziness at Pied Piper, its easy to forget that the general public has yet to use the product. They have borne witness to it at TechCrunch Disrupt and via the streaming of that poor guy trapped beneath a condor nest. But no one outside of Richards team has taken it for a test drive. Its always been Richards desire to bring his platform to the tech community, an intent that formed the crux of his dispute with Action Jack Barker. So, why is he reluctant to show Pied Piper to the public now?

To soothe Richards anxiety, Dinesh suggests a beta release. The platform is stable enough to handle it, despite still being somewhat buggy. Dinesh explains the beta concept: You give it to people in the real world, they use it, and that is how we find the bugs. That is what a beta is for! Flagging a release as beta gives users a specific expectation in the tech world. Think of it like test screening of a movie, except unlike test audiences, beta release users rarely do anything to make the product worse.

When Richard fears a flaky Pied Piper 1.0 would embarrass him, Jared counters with something that sounds like Microsofts mission statement. If youre not mortally embarrassed by your initial release, he says, You released too late. Richard remains unmoved. Unbeknownst to him, however, the beta process has already started. Tara, Gilfoyles partner in hedonistic love, who was last seen distracting Dinesh and worshipping Satan, has been testing Pied Piper all day. In the middle of Richards expected freak-out, Tara shuts him up with her review: Despite a few interface bugs, the system kicks ass.

Also kicking ass? The million-dollar debt thats hanging over Erlichs head, courtesy of Bachmanity Insanity, the failed Polynesian party on Alcatraz that a now-bankrupt Big Head couldnt finance. I got a scoop for you, says C.J. Cantwell, the tech blogger whose silence Erlich bought with Big Heads last $500,000. Its about two young tech businessmen who flew too close to the sun. While looking at their melted, Icarus-brand wax wings, Erlich and Big Head realize C.J. is talking about them. Paid off or not, she still has a tech blog to write  and her expose on the humble bartenders, waitstaff, and cooks who were not paid for working Erlichs party will be chum in the shark-infested waters of social media.

You were supposed to be my meal ticket, Erlich mumbles. But there may be a chance for Big Head to still deliver on this promise. While reviewing Bachmanitys finances, Jared discovers an accounting error: Seventy percent of Big Heads money had been allocated for taxes. This is too much, even for Palo Alto, or as Erlich accurately calls it, Taxo Alto. Suddenly, theres a 6-million-dollar surplus in Big Heads bank account. Erlichs reputation is saved!

Or is it? Writer John Levenstein proves the old adage that the loudest vessels of piousness have the most sins to hide. Arthur Clayman, the financial advisor who spent the last two episodes chewing out the Bachmanity duo for their frivolous monetary pursuits, made that tax error on purpose so he could keep the money. And no, Clayman did not buy a Bionic Man with the six million dollars; he used it to pay debts he incurred from bad business deals. Give me back Big Heads fucking money! Erlich futilely screams.

Erlich goes to the D.A to report this Claymanity Insanity, but the D.A. isnt particularly sympathetic. Homegirl is woke about the situation, and she aims to enlighten these fools. I see two able-bodied young white men who lucked into more money than most people see in five lifetimes, she tells them. And who, if they hadnt had their millions stolen from them, would have squandered them. If Bachmanity doesnt pay those workers what theyre owed, theyll play right into the publics perception of rich, entitled, tech-bro douchebags. And if you think this perception doesnt exist, might I suggest you visit San Francisco? Or maybe just read this.

The D.A. calls Erlich not particularly likable and points out an equally unlikable solution to his problems: He can settle his debts by selling his stake in Pied Piper. Erlich balks at this idea, especially considering that Pied Piper has an almost unimpeded shot of selling like gangbusters once it goes live. Erlichs stake could be worth far more than the paltry million dollars he currently owes. But its either that or the D.A. will prosecute Erlich.

When Erlich visited Laurie to sell his shares, I felt something I dont think Ive ever felt while watching this show. I felt sorry for Erlich Bachman. Back in season one, Erlich called Richard my Wozniak, and for better or worse, he has been Richards Steve Jobs. Pied Piper looks poised for the kind of success Erlich has yearned for, a yearning that fuels every stupid fucking thing he does on this show. Relinquishing the one thing that will yield his desired success feels kind of tragic, even if the wound is self-inflicted.

Back at Hacker Hostel, Dinesh convinces Richard to do a limited beta release for friends and acquaintances. Each team member gets ten invites. Gilfoyle gives his keys away because having friends violates his religious beliefs. Trust no one! he warns. While Jared reels off the names of all the women hes slept with, Dinesh stares at an empty piece of paper. He has no one to invite. Eventually, Monica gets one of Dineshs keys, as does an acquaintance of Richards. Two down, eight to go.

To save face, Dinesh creates five fake accounts which, of course, get exposed because Gilfoyle has built a God view into the beta. Richard can see the IP and GPS location of every user. In addition to serving as Dineshs weekly humiliation, the God view also shows that someone at Hooli has obtained Pied Pipers beta! How the hell did that happen? Richard asks anxiously.

When the two rehired guys on the Nucleus team hear about the beta from a mutual friends email, they refuse to tell Gavin because Nucleus is nowhere near beta-ready. However, Gavin already knows about Pied Piper  because Hooli reads its employees emails. Let this be a cautionary tale for you readers. Twenty years ago, I worked for a place that had an entire department devoted to this very thing. Occasionally, Id send out bogus emails to myself in which Id trash the company, and then in parentheses, Id put, Hi email guys! Thanks for reading! My attempts at satire eventually got me fired, but I digress.

Gavins security guy creates a fake account. Posing as Richards friend, he sends an email requesting a beta key. After Dinesh sends it to him, like a dumbass, Gavin installs the stolen beta into his phone and his personal laptop. He sees how brilliant Pied Piper is, then demands that the Nucleus team imitate it. But while Gavin demos Pied Piper, Gilfoyle sends a zip bomb to Gavins account, frying his phone and his personal laptop.

You put a stolen beta into your personal machine? a rehired Nucleus guy asks. Matt Ross takes Gavins reactionary freak-out to new heights, screaming like Mortimer Duke at the end of Trading Places. Turn the building power off! he yells, but its too late to prevent total computer annihilation. (Plus: Laptops have batteries, Gavin. So do phones, dude!) The rehired guys end their second tenure at Hooli by quitting, leaving Nucleus without its two lead engineers. You didnt even remember us! one tells Gavin. I invited you to my wedding, the other says. WHY?! Gavin asks.

Friends, and the lack thereof, are a central theme of To Build a Better Beta. Richard is disappointed when Monica, the one friend whose opinion he admires most, hates his software. Erlichs dilemma might have been solvable if hed had a friend to call. Ditto for Dineshs problem. And Jared invokes the wrath of both Gilfoyle and Dinesh by suggesting that they are each others best friends. Fuck you, Jared! they reply in unison, proving theres more than a bit of truth to the claim.

With all this focus on camaraderie, I expected the end-credits song to be that obnoxious Bette Midler ditty that goes, Ya gotta have FRIEEEE-ENNNNDS! Instead, the episode ends with the mouse click that sends the Pied Piper beta into the hearts, minds, and machinery of the general public. I pumped my fist in programmer solidarity. Releases are awesome, folks! What could possibly go wrong now?
The Waco-McLennan County Library will kick off its Summer Showcase with fun, educational, multicultural stories from urban griot and traveling storyteller Decee Cornish at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center, 300 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

For more information, call 750-5941 or visit www.wacolibrary.org.

CSI Mayborn

Baylor Universitys Mayborn Museum Complex, 1300 S. University Parks Drive, will have an Imagine . . . Youre a Forensic Scientist CSI Mayborn program from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Jim Huggins, a forensic science professor at Baylor, will lead crime scene investigations in CSI Mayborn, in which guests will learn to lift fingerprints from a crime scene, identify what makes fingerprints unique, and how to study tire tracks and discover their use in crime investigations.

Regular museum admission rates will apply.

Genealogical society

Hill County Genealogical Society will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the Hill County Courthouse Annex, 126 S. Covington St. in Hillsboro.

Guest speaker Lisa Redden will present Finding Ancestors With DNA, a New Frontier.

For more information, call Cleo Y. Davis at 254-283-5098 and leave a message.

Dr Pepper camps

The Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute is offering full-day and half-day camp sessions for children ages 8 to 12.

The weekly sessions will be June 20-24, July 11-15 and Aug. 1-5.

Cost is $75 per week for half-day sessions and $125 for full-day sessions.

The camp will include hands-on experiments and team activities. Campers will explore the fantastic world of fizz, imagine and invent their own soft drinks, master the art of advertising and train behind the soda fountain.

To register, email tours@drpeppermuseum.com or call 757-1025, ext. 129.

For more information, visit www.drpeppermuseum.com.

Teacher certification

McLennan Community College will have an information session about its Alternative Teacher Certification program from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 139 of MCCs Michaelis Academic Center, 1400 College Drive.

For more information, call Fay Gutierrez at 299-8067 or email fgutierrez@mclennan.edu.

CS Civic Club

The China Spring Civic Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the China Spring Tabernacle building, 127 Ford St.

Newcomers are welcome.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
Hewitt Drive could one day consist of six travel lanes, continuous sidewalks and enhanced pedestrian crosswalks, but when that occurs rests on state finances.

The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization board, which represents surrounding cities, makes recommendations to the Texas Department of Transportation on regional transportation improvements.

More than 120 similar projects were evaluated, and Hewitt Drive is one of about 14 considered for an entire 25-year planning period.

This clearly is one of the highest priorities, MPO Director Chris Evilia said.

Hewitt City Manager Adam Miles has told council members to expect phone calls from business owners and pedestrians as the plan may or may not include raised medians.

Miles said the MPO and the Texas Department of Transportation have a ways to go before making the final decision for the project, which runs from Woodway Drive to Sun Valley Boulevard.

A divider is better to prevent wrecks, but there is a push from businesses along that stretch that want to keep the continuous turn lane, he said.

Parents of children in Midway Independent School District have contacted the MPO about wanting refuge spots for children to pause at while crossing the proposed six-lane street, Miles said. He said it is a classic case of business owners and pedestrians that occurs when street work is proposed.

Evilia said the transportation plan is fiscally restrained. The best estimate is the money will be available in 2025 or after, he said.

The proposed $23 million project  half in Waco and half in Hewitt  seeks to address road congestion that has resulted from suburban development, as well as pedestrian concerns for the area.

The plan includes expanding the road from four to six lanes, and moving drainage underground, to allow for room for curb and gutter and continuous sidewalks on both sides.

The plan also includes an enhanced pedestrian crosswalk in the vicinity of Midway Middle School.

We always know that theres a lot of concern about pedestrian travel along the corridor, especially when you get down to Midway schools, Evilia said. Weve gotten a lot of feedback from parents in the area. The schools on one side of the road, and everyone seems to live on the other side of the road. We recognize thats a real significant issue.

TxDOT has some flexibility with the plan to be submitted by the MPO in pedestrian design.

Evilia said the hope is that Proposition 7  which was passed by voters in November  can cover the costs.

Proposition 7 allows the Legislature to dedicate a portion of the states general use and sales tax and motor vehicle tax to highway improvements.

Evilia said legislatures still have some work to do in determining how much money will come to the Waco area.
MEAD  There was no politician, no decorated veteran, no top ranking soldier to offer the key note address at Morningside Cemetery last Monday morning.

Still, Mr. Civilian offered much to reflect upon.

Morningside Cemetery Association Trustee Bob Williams delivered the Memorial Day address. He thanked all of the past and current veterans, firefighters, emergency medical responders and police officers for their service.

I salute you for all the hours, days and years of training and sacrifice you endure to keep me, Mr. Civilian, safe and free, he said.

After recounting a visit last year to the World War II museum in New Orleans, Williams also presented some of the history of Morningside Cemetery.

He said it was fitting to give some of the history, since this year notes the 100th anniversary of its founding.

The first cemetery in the Mead area was founded Dec. 20, 1883. It was located about a mile southwest of Morningside Cemetery. The cemetery, known as the Mission Cemetery, was active until 1916.

Williams said all cemetery records were lost in fire in 1929, but it is believed that Morningside Cemetery was officially founded Nov. 1, 1916.

The cemetery was founded by members of the Mead Baptist Church and the Mission Church, today the Mead Evangelical Covenant Church. The two churches engaged in a joint establishment of the cemetery association with is own board of trustees. Two acres at the present site were purchased for $500.

Williams reported that some of the graves from Mission Cemetery were later moved to Morningside Cemetery.

Some graves remained in Mission Cemetery until 1942, when the U.S. Government moved into the area for the Ordnance Plant. Williams said many of the remains that were moved do not have names attached to them and were buried along the west fence area.

The oldest tombstone at Morningside Cemetery belongs to the Yeltmans. These markers date 1887.

Williams said these markers were moved to the cemetery from Estina Cemetery, a rural cemetery that had fallen in disrepair. Although there are no records to support this, he said he knows this history because the Yeltmans were his great-grandparents.

Of the records that do exist, the first mention of a Memorial Day service at the cemetery occurred in 1939. In 1986, the service became an annual event.

The upkeep of the grounds is the responsibility of the trustees, and it is our hope that this cemetery will continue to serve this community long into the future, he said.

With American flags fluttering freely along the cemeterys fence line and down the center aisle, Williams also pointed out some of the war heroes associated with Morningside Cemetery.

A memorial marker for Robert Swanson stands at the cemetery. Swanson was killed in World War II, and no remains were ever found.

A small white marker in the cemetery marks the gravesite of a man named Fleming, the only Civil War veteran buried there.

One of the recent burials was for that of World War II Veteran Bob Pearson. Pearson was a trustee of Morningside Cemetery for many years. His son, Curtis Pearson, is now a trustee and took part in Mondays service by reading the roll call of deceased veterans.
Gliders to Gunships  The Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum: A Jewel of the Midwest

by Matthew McDaniel

The many small military and aviation museums dotting the United States rarely get the attention or patronage they deserve. Largely staffed by volunteers and operating on shoe-string budgets, they are almost always a labor of love for a small group of local historians who make it their mission to chronicle the past for current and future generations. Columbus, Indianas Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum is just such a place; a museum detailing the rich history of a largely-unknown air base.

Atterbury Army Air Base opened in February 1943 and served as a training station for Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber crews, combat glider pilots, and glider tow-plane flight crews during WWII. The name came from the previously established Camp Atterbury Army Base, located 14 miles to the northwest. The Air Base also served as the landing field for medical transport flights to/from Wakeman Army Hospital Center, within Camp Atterbury. Deactivated for a short time following the war, the field reactivated as Atterbury Air Force Base in 1949. In 1954, the US Air Force officially re-dedicated the facility as Bakalar Air Force Base in honor of native-Hoosier, 1st Lt. John Bakalar, who died during WWII when his P-51 Mustang suffered a catastrophic engine failure on takeoff. Bakalar AFB went on to host many Training, Cargo, Transport, and Special Operations Squadrons, flying such aircraft as the C-46 Commando, the C-47 Skytrain, and the C-119 Flying Boxcar, until its closure in 1970. However, for museum volunteers and patrons alike, the most fascinating era remains the WWII years, when huge Waco gliders and their Douglas and Curtiss tow-planes were a fixture in the skies overhead Columbus residents.

Today, the museum displays all manner of items related to the historic airbase, from large-scale models of the aircraft that once called it home, to archives full of documents and photographs, to professionally displayed artifacts.

There is a full-scale replica of a portion of one of the typical barracks buildings that once housed hundreds of airmen on the base. Many such barracks buildings survived into the 1990s, but most are gone now. One exception is the Base Chapel which, externally, resembles the barracks buildings typical to the Base, albeit with the addition of a steeple and more attractive main entrance. Museum volunteers have completed a detailed and historically accurate restoration, effectively making the chapel a museum annex (as its located a few blocks from the main museum site). However, the crown jewel of the museums collection is a fully restored cockpit section from a rare Waco CG-4A combat glider. Used for both troop and cargo transport, the Waco weighed in at a whopping 7,500 lbs. when fully loaded with its official maximum payload of 3,900lbs. However, the gliders routinely operated at 9,000lbs or more when they carried emergency loads (including Jeeps, Howitzers, ammunition, and/or battle-ready troops) into combat zones. The museums CG-4A cockpit is accurately detailed in every way, including fully functional flight controls. Best of all, it is displayed at floor level, where every nuance can be examined by visitors. The most recent expansion to the museum added a theater/media-room designed to evoke the inside of a CG-4. Actual CG-4A bench seats line the side walls and the room is trimmed with wooden framework and portholes similar to the gliders interior!

Too extensive to detail here are the museums many displays, describing the bases affiliation with the Tuskegee Airmen, its many Cargo-Transport and Special Ops Squadrons, and the rest of its fascinating history. Artifacts abound as well, including a meticulously restored WWII Willys Jeep (which is still driven on occasion), a fully operational military rotating beacon, and various historic items produced for WWII military needs by several world-renowned manufacturing companies based in Columbus, Indiana (Cummins Engine Co., Cosco Housewares, Inc., and Noblitt Sparks, Inc. [now ArvinMeritor Industries]).

Just outside the museum entrance is McDonnell F-4C Phantom II 64-0844. Originally delivered to the Columbus Municipal Airport (the citys name for the former air base) in 1988, the Phantom was flown in beneath a Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe heavy-lift helicopter. While no Fighter units ever called Bakalar AFB home, many passed through on maneuvers and during various military exercises from the WWII years through 1970. Jet-era fighter and attack aircraft have used (and still use) the expansive live-fire aerial gunnery range within nearby Camp Atterbury to practice bombing and gunnery techniques, including thousands of F-4 sorties during that aircrafts operational lifespan. Mounted on an attractive ground-level base as the airports gate guardian, the massive fighter became a bit weather-worn after enduring a couple of decades alternating between Indianas notoriously baking summer heat and frigid winter snows. Though still technically under the airports authority, the museum eventually got involved in the Phantom IIs care, helping with preservation measures, a fresh coat of paint, and attractive landscaping. The F-4C again looks fantastic on its perch below the control tower and right outside the museums main entrance; a historic aircraft design and menacing presence, well preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Off the nose of the F-4, Bakalar Green is a walking park that contains several historical markers and monuments dedicated to the various servicemen and operational units based at Bakalar during its decades as an active Air Base. One such marker honors the 71st Special Ops Squadron, the Bakalar-based Unit that became the only Air Force Reserve Unit activated to fly combat missions in Viet Nam. Between May 1968 and June 1969, the 71st operated Fairchild AC-119G Shadow Gunships and earned both the Presidential Unit Citation and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in the process.

Like so many museums of similar size and mission, the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum is still FREE and asks only for donations to fund its operation and future expansion. As a charitable 503(c) corporation, donations to the museum are tax deductible.

If You Go:

Try to take an extra day (or even a few hours) to enjoy the Columbus Architectural Tour, which highlights the scores of architecturally significant buildings that helped to earn Columbus the nickname, Athens of the Prairie. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 U.S. cities for modernist architecture, Columbus has attracted travelers from around the world for decades thanks to the city planners long-term commitment to hiring world-renowned architects and to building unique structures and sculptures. Columbus has eight buildings listed as National Historic Landmarks and no less than 60 buildings considered as showcases of the modernist architectural style.

Driving in: The Museum is a quick drive from I-65, Exit #68 if coming north from Louisville or Exit #76 if coming south from Indianapolis.

Flying in: Navigate to Columbus Municipal Airport (KBAK), park in the transient parking directly in front of the Terminal and the Museum is a 2-minute walk across the parking lot. Fuel is available via the FBO (full service) or a self-service fuel pump.

Lunch is available at the Hangar 5 restaurant inside the airport Terminal building, or at dozens of establishments around the city, ranging from fast food to formal dining.

Visit the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum website at: www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.org

*******************************

About The Author: Matthew McDaniel is a Master & Gold Seal CFII, ATP, MEI, AGI, & IGI and Platinum CSIP. In 25 years of flying, he has logged 16,000 hours total and over 5,500 hours of instruction-given. Currently, he flies the Airbus A-320 series for an international airline, holds eight turbine aircraft type ratings, and has flown over 80 aircraft types. McDaniel is one of 25 instructors in the world to have earned the Master CFI designation for 7 consecutive two-year terms. He has been a freelance aviation author since 2003, and can be reached at: matt@progaviation.com or +1-414-339-4990.

Copyright 2016, Matthew McDaniel. First publication rights granted WarbirdsNews. All other rights reserved by copyright holder.
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Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Utility and Entergy Wholesale Commodities. The Utility segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. The Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment engages in the ownership, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear power plants; and ownership of interests in non-nuclear power plants that sell electric power to wholesale customers, as well as provides services to other nuclear power plant owners. It generates electricity through gas, nuclear, coal, hydro, and solar power sources. The company sells energy to retail power providers, utilities, electric power co-operatives, power trading organizations, and other power generation companies. The company's power plants have approximately 24,000 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity, which include 5,000 MW of nuclear power. It delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The company was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. produces and distributes specialty plant nutrients, iodine and its derivatives, lithium and its derivatives, potassium chloride and sulfate, industrial chemicals, and other products and services. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications comprising x-ray contrast media, polarizing films for LCD and LED, antiseptics, biocides and disinfectants, pharmaceutical synthesis, electronics, pigments, and dye components. In addition, the company offers lithium carbonates for various applications that include electrochemical materials for batteries, frits for the ceramic and enamel industries, heat-resistant glass, air conditioning chemicals, continuous casting powder for steel extrusion, primary aluminum smelting process, pharmaceuticals, and lithium derivatives, as well as ingredient in manufacturing of gunpowder. Further, it supplies lithium hydroxide for the lubricating greases industry, as well as cathodes for batteries. Additionally, it offers potassium chloride and potassium sulfate for various crops, including corn, rice, sugar, soybean, and wheat; industrial chemicals, including sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, and solar salts; and other fertilizers and blends. The company operates in Chile, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Asia, and internationally. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
All airline passengers will soon be able to check in on their smartphones and use permanent luggage tags to avoid the need for printed stickers, says Star Alliance chief executive Mark Schwab.

The 28 members of the airline alliance, including Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Thai Airways, agreed to step up automation efforts to help improve the check-in and baggage experience at a meeting in Zurich on Saturday.

Star Alliance wants to provide seamless connections for passengers. Credit:Bloomberg

By the end of next year, Star Alliance wants all airlines to have facilities in place for passengers to check in online or using an automated kiosk and to be able to print a baggage tag at home or at the airport kiosk.

Mr Schwab said when Terminal 2 at London Heathrow used by the Star Alliance carriers opened in 2014, there had been a target of 70 per cent of passengers using self-service transactions that had seemed ambitious at the time.
Quick, quick, I've got to get home ... the premiere of Secret City is about to air  who are these idiots running across Commonwealth Avenue Bridge .. get out of the way  ahh, maybe not so close to the railing there dude .. you didn't have to jump into the lake to avoid me .. what's going on?

Secret City is what's going on, Foxtel's latest Showcase mini-series shot here in town and inspired by the books by political journalist Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis (I've known Chris for 25 years, worked with him on my first night here at The Canberra Times). He knows how to tell a good story, this is going to be good.

First up, though, we detour to Beijing, "Free Tibet, free Tibet", some young woman is yelling and then, whoops, she sets herself on fire. Six months later we're on the Bridge, a guy swallows a SIM card and jumps into the lake.

Now we're in the bedroom of an unknown woman, she must be a journalist because she's 30 something and still gets the actual paper delivered. Or is she, because next thing she's rowing on the lake, on a clear Canberra day. Show me a journalist who's out of bed at 6am and rowing on the lake.
Sydney storm aftermath: battered city recovers after extreme weather

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That a former Labor deputy prime minister might be fighting to retain his seat against a high-profile unionist would once have seemed absurd.

But that's the scenario playing out in Grayndler, the inner-Sydney seat held by 53-year old Anthony Albanese for the last 20 years. His Greens party rival is Jim Casey, 46, a forthright firefighter with an honours degree in arts who has taken leave from his job as head of the NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union to fight the campaign. So far it's proving one of the campaign's more colourful contests, with Mr Albanese lambasting his rival for past associations with the International Socialist Organisation while Casey accuses the Labor frontbencher of running a "reds under the beds" scare campaign.

Grayndler will not only determine the fate of Mr Albanese, a potential future Labor leadership contender who was Bill Shorten's only challenger when the party ran its last leadership contest after the 2013 election.
Many farmers believe plans to grow the CSG industry in NSW to match the scale of Queensland have gone quiet rather than gone away and a recent ABC Vote Compass survey of 250,000 people found two-thirds of voters oppose easing restrictions on CSG exploration - a level of opposition that has risen significantly since the 2013 federal election. Santos has remained largely silent on its CSG expansion plans amid ardent resistance across regional and North Coast communities, but was forced to update its intentions under the Baird Government's so-called "use it or lose it" licence provisions. The company's renewal application for PEL 1 was obtained under freedom of information laws by the Wilderness Society of Newcastle. It sets out almost $4 million to be spent over three years to "explore and appraise two possible CSG targets identified in the Gunnedah Basin". Due to more than 35 redacted pages in the 50-page renewal application, the exact location of its four drilling target areas remains a secret, but Santos has flagged exploration of "the late permian coals of the Black Jack Group and the early permian coals of the Maules Creek formation".

The PEL 1 application identifies ten other PELs as part of its "contiguous exploration plans". Santos owns exploration acreage covering 200,000 kilometres of Australia. In a statement, the miner downplayed its intentions in the Liverpool Plains, saying the company's focus remained its existing gas-producing project at Narrabri on the edge of the less-fertile Pilliga Scrub. Santos' general manager of energy in NSW, Peter Mitchley, said: "The licence obligations are consistent with those carried over from 2009. Santos' Narrabri Gas Project is a 'Strategic Energy Project' under the NSW Gas Plan, meaning the company is focused on developing much needed gas in the Pilliga and that all other work obligations in surrounding licences (including in PEL 1) are in abeyance. "Santos has no plans to work outside the Narrabri Gas Project area at this time. Any future work, should it be planned, would be subject to landowner consent, community consultation, and rigorous regulatory assessment."

A spokesman for Mr Joyce said the granting and renewal of mining exploration licences were "entirely the responsibility of the NSW Government". "However, it's worth noting that petroleum exploration licenses were handed out indiscriminately under the previous NSW Labor Government. It has taken the current NSW Government to implement a Gas Plan that has seen the CSG footprint in NSW reduced from over 60 per cent to less than 8 per cent," Mr Joyce's spokesman said. Mr Joyce remained opposed to mining on prime agricultural land and on the Liverpool Plains in particular, he said. But farmers will pursue Mr Joyce on the issue, saying the federal government can intervene and must state its clear position before election day. David Quince, a farmer from Mullaley, south-west of Gunnedah, said: "For too long the National Party has tried to hoodwink voters into thinking that CSG is a state issue, or that they don't have any powers, but the reality is they have all the power they need at a federal level to protect land, water and communities  they just don't want to.
He won Gen X hearts in I Know What You Did Last Summer, but 21 years later Freddie Prinze Jr is taking on stomachs.

The 40-year-old former teen heartthrob has become the latest celebrity to enter the cookbook game, with his recipe tome Back to the Kitchen hitting shelves in June.

Freddie Prinze Jr, pictured in 2014, is releasing a cookbook. Credit:Getty

In an interview with Bon Appetit (which was not even hyperbolically titled: "Freddie Prinze Jr. Is the Unexpected Foodie We Never Saw Coming"), Freddie Prinze Jr has revealed he has always had a passion for cooking.

"I've always cooked for actors I've been lonely on location with," he told the publication.
Former Premier Colin Barnett and Environment Minister Albert Jacob. Credit:Emma Young The Department of Fisheries has confirmed that drum lines set about 8am one kilometre off Mindarie marina, where Mrs Collyer was attacked, will remain in place until weather conditions are reassessed on Monday night. If a great white of the right description (three to six metres) is caught it will likely be shot, or if this is impossible, left to die on the line. Speaking in Sorrento on Monday morning, where this year a sharkproof swimming enclosure will be built, Premier Colin Barnett said that while policy was constantly evolving with research and development, for the moment the government was doing everything it could to keep people safe. Beaches near Mindarie remain closed after a fatal shark attack on Sunday. Credit:Michael Stamp Mr Barnett said all of WA was in shock after the "ferocious attacks" resulting in the deaths of Mrs Collyer and surfer Ben Gerring, who died on Friday after a three-day fight for life in hospital after a shark, which has since been caught and killed, took his leg.

Mr Barnett extended his sympathy to the families and communities of the victims. "There has been a great sense of shock at the loss of those two lives in quite ferocious attacks," he said. "People will be apprehensive. "No doubt there is world exposure." The government had spent more than $30 million on shark mitigation measures  some effective, some not. Better ones involved helicopter patrols on major Perth beaches and South-West beaches in summer.

More enclosures would be constructed this year, at Sorrento and Quinns Beach - the latter the state's largest at 300 metres. Mr Barnett said people should have no doubt that the patrolled beaches were safe but it was impossible to protect all surf breaks or divers out in reefs. This was where personal responsibility came into play and the government strongly urged people to use the Shark Smart website to familiarise themselves with the latest updates on shark activity and conditions in order to make informed choices. Other measures were more divisive. Mr Barnett said the government was not considering a permanent drum line policy because its trial had failed to catch great whites, the most deadly species.
LAKE CHARLES -- A Texas man is facing serious charges after he led multiple law enforcement agencies on a pursuit in Texas and Louisiana.

It happened shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday. The Orange County (Texas) Sheriff's Office notified Louisiana State Troop D of a pursuit on Interstate-10 in Texas about to enter the state of Louisiana.

Texas authorities from several different agencies, including the Port Neches Police Department, Beaumont Police Department and Orange County Sheriff's Office were pursuing a stolen 2012 Ford pickup truck puling a boat and trailer.

The Vinton (Louisiana) Police Department was in the process of setting up to deploy spike strips on the stolen vehicle when the driver, later identified as 29-year-old David Henry Mitchel Jr., of Baytown, Texas, swerved onto the right shoulder of the highway in an attempt to run over a Vinton police officer.

Mitchel continued to steer his vehicle toward the Officer as the officer ran out of Mitchel's path, narrowly missing him. Troopers joined the pursuit, west of Sulphur, as Mitchel continued east on I-10.

Between Sulphur and Westlake, a Troop D Trooper successfully deployed spike strips as Mitchel steered the vehicle he was driving toward the trooper in an attempt to run over him.

Mitchel continued driving east and the Westlake Police Department successfully deployed stop sticks. With rapidly disintegrating tires, Mitchel crossed the Calcasieu River Bridge. Shortly thereafter, the Lake Charles Police Department successfully deployed spike strips.

The vehicle Mitchel was driving finally became disabled on I-10 East near the Shattuck Street exit in Lake Charles. Mitchel surrendered without incident and was placed under arrest by Troop D troopers.

Mitchel was transported to Troop D for processing. After arrival, Mitchel attempted to walk out and was stopped. Mitchel then tried to escape forcibly and attempted to remove a Taser from a Trooper's duty belt. Mitchel was subdued and was transported to the Calcasieu Correctional Center where he was booked.

Mitchel was charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of possession of stolen things, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, flight from an officer, speeding, improper lane usage, attempted simple escape and attempted disarming of a peace officer. He also faces numerous charges from Texas authorities.

No injuries were reported. The Vinton Police Department, Sulphur Police Department, Westlake Police Department, Lake Charles Police Department and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office all contributed to the successful outcome of this pursuit.
One arrested, two to the hospital after hit-and-run crash on I-24 in Christian County
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jun. 04, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 04, 2016 | 10:05 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Paducah police are seeking the publics help in identifying a woman who attempted to rob the Superway convenience store on Hinkleville Road on Saturday.



Police said the woman walked into the store shortly after 6:00 am, carrying a large dark-colored bag. She allegedly put a 12-pack of beer into the bag, walked to the counter and asked for a carton of cigarettes. When the clerk asked for identification, police say the woman pulled a silver handgun and demanded money.



The clerk then reportedly activated an alarm and chased the woman out of the store. The woman fled in a 1990s model navy blue Ford pick-up truck with a silver tool box in the bed. It was driven by a white male with a long face.



The woman was reportedly wearing tight, dark pants with either tears or red material on them, work boots and a large, black hoodie with red lettering.



Anyone with information about the womans identity or the pick-up truck is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550 or Crime Stoppers at 443-TELL. Tipsters can also text their tips to CRIMES (274637) by entering KyTips followed by their information, or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website at westkycrimestoppers.info. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 28, 2016 | 09:27 PM | HICKORY, KY

Kentucky State Police Post 1 in Hickory will dedicate a monument today in honor of two troopers who were killed in the line of duty last year.The monument will be unveiled at 2 p.m. today to commemorate Troopers Eric Chrisman and Joseph Cameron Ponder. The 23-year-old Chrisman was fatally injured last June in a vehicle collision in Livingston County. Ponder, 31, was fatally shot in September while conducting a routine traffic stop in Lyon County.Chrisman had been a trooper for only six months, and Ponder for only nine months.

The monument was made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Back the Badge organization and donated to Post 1.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 06, 2016 | 11:22 AM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY

A Graves County man faces burglary and theft charges following his arrest on Friday.

According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, a home on Wingo Road was broken into on May 31. A dirt bike, rifle and several tools were taken from inside.

On Wednesday, deputies received a tip that the dirt bike was seen in the Pilot Oak/Dukedom area. Deputies followed up on the tips and learned that the items had possibly been sold in Tennessee. The dirt bike, rifle and two of the hand tools were found in Martin, TN on Thursday.

On Friday, deputies located and questioned 25-year-old Anthony Travis of Dukedom. From that interview and other evidence, deputies determined that Travis was involved in the burglary and thefts. Deputies said they recovered the remaining stolen power tools hidden in a wooded area near Travis' home.

Travis was arrested and charged with 1st degree burglary, theft of a firearm, 3rd degree criminal mischief, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence and violation of an EPO/DVO. He was booked into the Graves County Jail.
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By Dan Sewell/The Associated Press

Jun. 06, 2016 | CINCINNATI, OH

By Dan Sewell/The Associated Press Jun. 06, 2016 | 12:41 PM | CINCINNATI, OH

A prosecutor said Monday that he isn't seeking charges against the mother of a 3-year-old boy who got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit, resulting in the shooting of an endangered gorilla to protect him.



Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the child's mother had three other children with her, and she was attending to them when the 3-year-old "just scampered off" on May 28.



He said children's services made a visit to the boy and mother, and social workers were impressed by the child's environment. Deters said the mother's actions were "not even close" to meriting reckless endangerment charges. Legal experts had said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely.



The family has declined to comment.



The zoo plans to reopen its Gorilla World on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the outer barrier before falling some 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe to protect the boy.



The zoo's role will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act. An animal protection watchdog group has urged that the zoo face federal fines.



The shooting caused a wide outpouring of criticism, blaming the boy's parents or the zoo for the gorilla death. A Cincinnati police spokesman said last week police planned to "reach out" to the boy's mother to advise her of threatening language in some posts.



The zoo said that there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World's 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high - a half foot taller than before - with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom.



A Cincinnati police report identified the boy's mother as Michelle Gregg, 32, who works at a preschool near Cincinnati. The child's father isn't named in the report, and it's not clear whether he was at the zoo that day. The boy's family has said he is doing well at home. Police said he had scrapes on his head and knee, but was alert and talking when rescued.



University of Dayton law professor Lori Shaw said earlier that child endangering cases are complicated and fact-specific. She said Ohio law requires that the defendant be found "reckless" and to have exposed a child to "substantial risk," or a strong possibility of harm.



Police released 911 tapes of calls after the boy fell. "He's dragging my son! I can't watch this!" a woman says in the 911 call, pleading for help. She shouts at her son repeatedly: "Be calm!"



A record of police calls shows nine minutes passed between the first emergency call about the boy falling into the enclosure and when the child was safe.



The police report states that witnesses said the gorilla initially appeared to be protecting the child, but after onlookers started screaming, it became "agitated and scared" and began dragging the child.
By The Associated Press

By The Associated Press Jun. 06, 2016 | 05:05 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt says he will host a virtual town hall meeting this week to gather feedback on how Kentuckians define school success.

The event is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday. It will be hosted on the Kentucky Department of Education's media portal and also will be available on demand.

Pruitt held a series of 11 regional town hall meetings across the state this spring.

The department says nearly 3,000 people attended those regional meetings, with more than 260 people voicing comments and more than 200 submitting comments by email.

Pruitt says the virtual town hall meeting offers another chance for participation by people unable to attend the earlier meetings.

Suggestions at the meetings will be used by officials in developing a new accountability system.
Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
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Make art, not war - such a trite slogan, such a simple truth. In Lola Arias' Minefield, six Falklands veterans share a stage - three British citizens, three Argentinians. Almost 25 years ago, they shared another, a theatre of war, but now, despite not speaking the same language, despite lingering resentments and memories that won't budge, they've become a band - a marine on the mic; a Belgrano old-boy on the drums.

At its simplest, Minefield is a documentary piece that charts the Falklands War through personal testimony: six young men, now middle-aged, who went to war in 1982, who fought, who killed, who lived and lost. It gives you a grasp of the politics, as plastic-faced Maggies and Leopoldo Galtieris nod along to rousing speeches, and of the order of events, but mostly it lets you into the lived experience of war: the waiting, the work, the laughter, the flashes of danger. This is a show that knows - and really knows - what it is to come face to face with your enemy and, just as important, with your equal. These men were each other's prisoners. They fought hand to hand. They cradled the dying and buried the dead.

It is the layers that make Minefield though, and Arias' careful composition lets it blossom into much more than a mere documentary. These are real people remembering - sometimes misremembering, sometimes misrepresenting - real experiences and, very often, the real traumas that followed. Much of that finds an outlet in art. Over the years, the veterans have made models of battlefields and collected items from the Falklands' fields. They've told stories, sung songs and danced dances. Even in battle, art found a place - in mess-hall drag acts and parade ground chants. Former signalman David Jackson recounts having one ear on the job, and another on Hancock's Half Hour.

Minefield is, of course, another example - proof that time and talk can heal. If it's moving, it's because it's hopeful, not because it's remotely sentimental. Arias prefers complexity at every turn, and there's an admirable restraint from the six performers - testifying without ever tugging at the heartstrings. It's never easy though: Ruben Otero wears a T-shirt with a statement of Argentinian sovereignty emblazoned upon it.

En route, there are several extraordinary sequences. A raucous cover of the Beatles' "Get Back" - one of the Argentinians plays Ringo in a tribute band - twists into a barked military command, then into a grand political statement: "Get back to where you once belonged." A drum solo crashes out the anger of losing comrades and friends on the Belgrano, blasting you back in your seat as the cymbals surge into chaos. Ex-marine Lou Armour watches his younger self breaking down in a television documentary as he recalls a dying Argentinian addressing him in broken English. It's still shameful 25 years on. The story itself is still shifting.

That's what history does: it lives. Minefield is nothing if not that - living history - with all the tangles, traumas and hard truths that entails.

Minefield runs at the Royal Court until 11 June as part of LIFT.
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY  The Alberta government says a program intended to encourage more value-added processing in the petrochemical industry has drawn more interest than expected.

Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd says the petrochemicals diversification program, which provides $500 million in royalty credits to the sector, has attracted 16 applications from local and international companies.

McCuaig-Boyd says thats twice as many as what the government had hoped for.

She says the government will take 60 days to examine the proposals before picking two or three plants worth a total of $3 billion to $5 billion.

Petrochemical companies dont pay royalties to the province, but the credits they would receive could be passed on to their oil and gas suppliers, which in turn could use the credits to help offset their royalty payments.

When the program was announced in February, the government said it would focus on two components of natural gas: methane and propane, which can be used in the making of fertilizers, plastics and other products.

The programs goal is to create 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 full-time permanent jobs in the value-added facilities.

McCuaig-Boyd says there are about 8,000 petrochemical workers in the province.
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch have made plenty of good business decisions over the years. Placing millions of dollars with Ponzi-scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff may have been one of them.

Koch Industries Inc. invested an unknown sum with the con mans now-defunct securities firm years ago and walked away with US$21.5 million in profits before Madoffs arrest in 2008. Since 2012, the company run by the conservative-activist brothers, worth today a combined US$109 billion, has refused legal demands to return the money.

Irving Picard, the trustee liquidating Madoffs firm, contends in a suit the cash is fraudulent proceeds of the fraud and should be shared among the thousands of victims. Koch Industries, and dozens of other early investors named in 87 other lawsuits, argue the company can keep the profits because the money was sent overseas and is beyond U.S. jurisdiction. At stake: a total of US$2 billion.

The battle is coming to a head in Manhattan bankruptcy court, where Judge Stuart Bernstein could rule within weeks on a key issue affecting Picards suit. The defendants claimed a victory in 2014 when U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said money transferred overseas is generally out of Picards reach. In the Koch case, the US$21.5 million was sent in 2005 to a fund based in the British Virgin Islands and then to a Koch entity in Britain, filings show.

Picard is claiming the transactions were essentially domestic transfers made to appear foreign.

The trustee is not crazy  he has a very decent argument, said John Pottow, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of Michigan Law School.

Koch Industries has said the suit lacks merit. The Koch entity involved made an investment in an entirely separate fund, Koch spokesman Rob Carlton said in an email. That Koch entity no longer exists, and its investment was redeemed in 2005, long before anyone knew of Madoffs fraud. The Koch brothers are controlling shareholders in the company and have other investors.

Picards spokeswoman, Amanda Remus, declined to comment.

Picard isnt accusing Koch and the other defendants of wrongdoing. As in his many prior suits to recover cash, he contends the returns arent legitimate because Madoff used money from new investors to cover the fake profits of older ones. He has used that argument successfully in mostly domestic cases to claw back more than US$11 billion for victims, who lost US$17.5 billion in principal. (Some foreign defendants settled with Picard and moved on.)

Most of the US$2 billion involves transfers from funds that were operated by Fairfield Greenwich Group  by far the biggest feeder fund that channelled investors money to Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, or BLMIS. Several other suits involve funds run by Tremont Group Holdings. Both are based in New York and dealt with their shareholders from their offices in Manhattan, even though they had feeder funds based in the Caribbean to capture foreign investments for Madoff, Picard says.

Regardless of where these feeder funds maintained operations, their transactions related to BLMIS were predominantly domestic, Picard has said in filings in federal court in New York. Moreover, the customers knew their investments were subject to U.S. law, he argued.

If Picard wins on this issue, his fight to recover the US$2 billion isnt over. He must then prove the transfer in each defendants case was domestic. Then, for transfers that occurred more than two years before Madoffs arrest, Picard must establish one more thing: the feeder fund in which the defendant invested had actual knowledge of the fraud.

Were strongly of the view that the extraterritoriality defence applies to the Fairfield Greenwich defendants, Mark Cunha, a lawyer for Fairfield, said in an interview. We look forward to the judges decision.

Koch Industries, an industrial conglomerate and one of the biggest private companies in the U.S., started investing with Madoff in the mid-1990s, court records show. At first, it invested with a Fairfield fund in the U.S., Greenwich Sentry.

In 2003, the company set up the entity in Britain, Koch Investment (U.K.) Co., to invest through a different fund Fairfield set up in the British Virgin Islands that was exclusively for foreigners called Fairfield Sentry. Two years later Koch Industries withdrew the cash now at the centre of the trustees lawsuit. (Koch also withdrew US$58 million from Greenwich Sentry the same year, according to the funds Chapter 11 filings.)

Although registered in the United Kingdom, Koch Investment had no employees or operations in the United Kingdom and was operated and managed entirely from the United States, the trustee said.

Picards legal team has also cited the bankruptcy of Maxwell Communication Corp. in the 1990s. The judge in that case noted the dangerous implications of automatically labelling a transfer as foreign just because it involved foreign participants.

Picards plan makes sense since its so easy to move money outside the United States, said Joelle Scott of investigative due-diligence firm Corporate Resolutions Inc. Id be surprised if the judge shut him down.

Madoff is serving a 150-year sentence in a federal prison in North Carolina for running the Ponzi scheme.

 Bloomberg News
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This article was published 05/06/2016 (2333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Move over McDonalds  some new competition is coming to town.

Jollibee, the largest fast-food chain in the Philippines, is planning to open two locations in Winnipeg.

Jonah Levine, sales representative in retail and investment at Cushman & Wakefield Winnipeg, confirmed the hugely popular restaurants will be located at 1400 Ellice Ave., and in Northgate Shopping Centre.

SUPPLIED Jollibee restaurants will be opening on Ellice Avenue and in Northgate Shopping Centre.

Earlier this week, leaked plans for a Jollibee restaurant on Ellice surfaced on social media. Since then, Winnipeggers have been tweeting excitedly about the welcome news.

Known as the McDonalds of the Philippines, Winnipeggers will be able to sink their teeth into a variety of dishes such as Chickenjoy fried chicken, plates of cheesy spaghetti and the Aloha Champ Burger  a bacon cheeseburger garnished with a pineapple ring.

Levine couldnt confirm if the restaurant would have a special Canadian-style menu, But I presume a lot of it is about bringing traditional Filipino Jollibee to Canada, he said.

Its like if you were a Canadian expat living in a different country, and a Tim Hortons opens across the street and you havent had a double-double in 10 years, said Levine. He added that like Tim Hortons, Jollibee is a hub of social activity and a place where families gather.

Its a very important brand in the Philippines, he said. Its a very exciting addition to the landscape in Winnipeg.

Levine said the locations were chosen for their visibility and accessibility for both the Filipino population and for Winnipeggers in general. The Filipino population is highly focused in the northwest, and both of those locations provide excellent exposure and access.

Levine said the Ellice location will open later this year, while the Northgate location will open sometime in 2017.

As of 2015, Jollibee had 900 locations in the Philippines and more than 30 in the United States. A Toronto location was expected to open in 2015 but was delayed to 2017. The Winnipeg locations are believed to be the first in Canada.

alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL  Saputo Inc. has voluntarily expanded the recall of Neilson brand partly skimmed chocolate milk due to possible Listeria contamination.

The recall first announced Saturday applied only to four-litre bags of chocolate milk sold in Ontario and Quebec with a June 1 best before date.

The recall now includes milk with expiry dates up to June 22 and includes all sizes of Neilson chocolate milk made at its Georgetown, Ont., plant until production stopped late Friday.

The move followed a positive test on one of 70 random samples taken by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at a supermarket.

Although no additional samples tested positive, the Montreal-based company said it expanded the recall out of caution.

Saputo spokeswoman Sandy Vassiadis says the company is investigating.

The production line at the plant has been cleaned and dismantled but its unknown when production will resume, Vassiadis said.

It will only reopen when we are satisfied that we found the root cause and that we are ready to reopen, she said.

The agency says there have been reported illnesses that may be associated with the consumption of the product. Vassiadis said further lab testing is underway to confirm the link.

Food contaminated with Listeria can cause vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headaches and neck stiffness.
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A crash landing in the frigid waters of Hudson Bay or a possible terrorist attack? Both scenarios crossed the minds of spooked passengers on an Air China flight from Washington D.C. to Beijing forced to make an emergency layover in Winnipeg.

The problem turned out to be engine failure, with passengers reporting the right engine failed over Hudson Bay in mid-flight.

Passengers waiting to be screened for departure Sunday afternoon after the Saturday night scare traded war stories about the event and, surprisingly, a lot of happy memories about their unexpected Winnipeg layover.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jian Wyatt (centre) and other Air China passengers wait to check in to board a plane out of Winnipeg Sunday. Passengers from an Air China had to make an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg when their flight made an emergency landing Saturday night.

I went to one casino last night and another one this morning, said Brian Edwards, an American passenger from northern Virginia.

I tried not to let it bother me too much. I didnt win anything but I had some fun, Edwards said. He said he discovered Winnipegs large Filipino population and ended up chatting in Tagalog with churchgoers Sunday morning. I was on my way to the Philippines when this happened. My wifes Filipino. I didnt know Winnipeg had a large Philippine population.

Jian Wyatt, an American with a group of Chinese nationals, called a cab and took of tour of Winnipeg Sunday morning, taking part in the citys annual Pride Day Parade and visiting The Forks.

People here are very nice, Wyatt said. We feel great.

Wyatt flipped through her smartphone and showed off photos of the group with brightly dressed Pride parade goers at the legislature.

We had a good trip this morning, Wyatt said. She introduced herself as American from Maryland and said most of the passengers were Chinese nationals whod never been in Canada before.

This woman wants to say something, Wyatt added, gesturing to a group of three other women with her; one started speaking as Wyatt translated. She says she feels very touched by the service in Canada and shes saying Thank God,' Wyatt said.

Richardson International Airport spokesman Scott Marohn said close to 300 passengers on a flight from Washington D.C. to Beijing had an unexpected emergency layover Saturday night in Winnipeg due to engine trouble.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS An Air China plane sits on the runway at Winnipeg's airport Sunday, June 5, 2016. Passengers from an Air China flight had to make an unscheduled stop in Winnipeg when their flight made an emergency landing Saturday night.

The Air China Boeing 777-300 notified the air authority early Saturday evening that it had developed a problem with one of its two engines and needed to divert to the city for an emergency landing.

Winnipeg is part of a route called the Great Circle that international flights routinely take from North American to Asia and the airport authority is prepared for calls like that, the spokesman said.

The airport acted on its contingency plans, calling on a short list of hotels for rooms. Canada Border Services staffs an office at the airport and because none of the Chinese nationals had visas, the paperwork was the longest part of the wait before people could tuck into bed for the night, most by about 2 a.m.

At the departure area Sunday, the Chinese nationals traded their paperwork for their passports as they checked in to take off again.

Air China, meanwhile, was reported to have flown in a second plane from Beijing to finish the flight. Air China workers, busy helping passengers check in, were unable to give public updates Sunday.

Saturday night was anything but fun and passengers were visibly annoyed with Air China for the engine trouble, and especially with the spotty updates to passengers afterward.

Many described flight attendants who were visibly nervous. There had been but a single intercom message from the cockpit to announce the right engine had failed before landing in Winnipeg about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

The worst part of the ordeal was watching the inflight screens show the flight tracking normally over the Arctic on a flight path from D.C to Beijing before a sudden change in course. Passengers described the flight tacking a sharp course change south. They didnt know it at the time, but the plane had received permission to land in Winnipeg.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Passengers from an Air China flight wait to board a new flight out of Winnipeg after their Saturday night flight had to make an unscheduled stop due to engine failure.

Somebody should have tried more to communicate with us. I dont think they did a good job working on that, one passenger said.

It was pretty frustrating. We werent given any information when we landed (either). We just sat there (in the plane) for three or four hours not knowing what was going on, another passenger said.

A third said the sudden change in course reminded him of the recent EgyptAir Flight 804 flight that crashed into Mediterranean Sea, killing all 66 on board. A week after that plane crashed, no terrorist groups had claimed responsibility but some passengers Saturday night couldnt help but worry about a terrorist attack. The described a cabin filled with passengers who reacted with silence, trying not to complain or add to the tension they were all feeling.

That was the negative thing. After an hour and a half, they were saying we were making an emergency landing. And then we all just got to sit there. For an hour and a half. I was praying on the plane that we would be all right. Thank God, we were, one passenger said.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg School Division board chairman Mark Wasyliw wants bail and probation officers stationed in discreet private offices in some high schools to work with students caught up in the justice system.

Wasyliw hopes to pitch the idea to Justice Minister Heather Stefanson as a made-in-Manitoba way to help troubled youth while cutting costs.

Its one of four notices of motion Wasyliw tabled at a school board meeting Monday, which will be debated and voted upon by trustees June 20.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg School Division board chairman Mark Wasyliw.

Wasyliw also tabled a motion demanding Premier Brian Pallister protect school boards under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement with the other western provinces, which Manitoba expects to sign soon.

He said he fears the deal would scuttle school boards ability to buy goods and services based on their environmental and social benefits rather than on the lowest price.

Pallister told reporters he would respond when he receives a formal communication from WSD citing specific sections of the trade agreement that concern the board.

Wasyliw said in an interview Monday morning students involved with the youth justice system are clustered disproportionately in high schools in low socioeconomic neighbourhoods.

Students charged with criminal offences meet regularly with youth bail management officers; students convicted of criminal offences meet with probation officers.

The provincial office housing the bail and probation staff is in an industrial park near Westview Park, he said.

Its behind Garbage Hill, Wasyliw said. Its the most inconvenient and nonsensical place to put these offices. It takes them half a day  they need two or three buses.

Getting by bus to the offices can rob students of a big chunk of school time, Wasyliw said. If the students are late or dont show up, they may be arrested and charged with violating the conditions of their release.

The province is wasting tens of thousands of dollars a year for incarceration, court, and police costs, he said.

Wasyliw said he wants provincial justice officers to rotate among several WSD high schools, meeting with students so they dont miss class time. The sessions would be in office space out of sight to the general student body.

Bail and probation officers could also check on a students attendance, academic progress and associations with other students. Theyre going to be talking to staff, to administrators, and theyd also be hearing good things about the students, Wasyliw said.

An aide to Stefanson said Monday, Minister Stefanson is always willing to meet with stakeholders to discuss ways to improve outcomes for students involved in the youth criminal justice system.

Meanwhile, Wasyliw feared Manitobas imminent western trade deal would force school boards to accept the lowest price from bidders within the four provinces.

Were considering a green sustainability policy  it is groundbreaking, he said.

Environmental policies dont fit well with these trade agreements. We are open to getting sued, to paying damages, if WSD accepts a local bidder who meets the divisions green and social justice priorities but costs more than a bidder in another province.

An aide to Pallister said in an email existing procurement rules do allow for school boards to take a variety of criteria into consideration when awarding contracts, including social goals.

In his other notices of motion, Wasyliw is calling on the board to conduct a review of the possibility of launching a division-wide organic waste collection project, and of studying other North American school boards goals, costs and revenues in recruiting international students, with a possible goal of expanding WSDs international student program.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 05/06/2016 (2333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Petro-Canada stations are running dry in Winnipeg.

The stations at McPhillips Street and Dafoe Boulevard, and Keewatin Street and Inkster Boulevard, both had their posted gasoline price as 0.00 Sunday, alerting customers to the fact they were out of gasoline.

The clerk on McPhillips said they ran out of gas a couple of days ago.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Petro-Canada station on McPhillips Street was one of the chain's locations that had run out of gas.

At the station on Keewatin, a clerk told customers they posted zeros for prices Sunday morning when they ran out of gas.

We dont know, it could be a week, a couple of days. Its all the Petro-Cans. Its a supply problem, she said.

Both stations remained open for business Sunday despite dry pumps as they also feature convenience stores.

The clerk at the Keewatin station said the problem was with the Suncor refinery. Suncor owns Petro-Canada.

Suncors Petro-Canada stations across Western Canada are running short on fuel because of a refinery outage in Edmonton and the Fort McMurray, Alta., wildfires.

Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal said the cumulative effects of lower crude production because of the fires and the Edmonton outage mean the company has been producing less diesel and especially less gasoline for its retail operations.

Given the prolonged duration of the fires and its impact on the supply for our refinery, as well as ongoing planned seasonal maintenance in the industry, our product inventories are greatly reduced, Seetal said.

The company is reporting temporary shortages at Petro-Canada stations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the British Columbia Interior.

In an email to the Free Press, Seetal said its difficult to say how many gas stations are out of fuel.

The cumulative impact of the fires in the Fort McMurray region and an unplanned outage at part of our Edmonton Refinery have meant we are not able to produce what wed normally produce in terms of gasoline and diesel. While both fuels are impacted, diesel is to a lesser degree because the unplanned outage at our Edmonton refinery was on a unit that primarily produces gasoline. The refinery does continue to operate and produce refined products, albeit at a reduced rate, Seetal said.

To help fill the gap, Suncor is bringing in more gasoline and diesel by truck and rail from its own network as well as from third parties.

Seetal added Suncor is prioritizing supplies to go to stations in areas it has deemed as critical where there are few or no other refuelling options. The company has also designated the town of Fort McMurray as critical.

The gasoline shortage comes as prices have spiked 10 cents a litre in recent days across the Prairies, said Gasbuddy.com petroleum analyst Dan McTeague. Gas prices rose as high as 109.9 in Winnipeg last week.

The price increase is more related to two major refineries in the U.S. Midwest also being knocked out and record demand down south, but the Suncor outage isnt helping, McTeague said.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Wildfires in Fort McMurray were blamed for fuel shortages affecting some Petro-Canada locations in Western Canada, including on Keewatin Street in Winnipeg.

This is really bad timing, he said. Theres three not-so-positive stories for motorists right now.

He said while the Petro-Canada shortages might not have caused a spike in prices yet, it isnt helping.

It wont help bring them down. If you have a shortage in the system, itll keep prices up artificially, said McTeague.

Michael Ervin, senior vice-president at energy consultancy the Kent Group Ltd., said the Edmonton outage had already led to a five-cent differential in wholesale western Canadian gas prices compared with Ontario.

That, I think, is reasonably attributable to a tightness in the Edmonton market now, said Ervin.

But he said Suncors 142,000-barrel-a-day refinery is only expected to be out for another week, so the wider impact should be limited.

The anticipated date for it to be back online is a matter of a few days, said Ervin. Given that, I dont think theres going to be a wider ripple effect here.

 Staff / The Canadian Press
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This article was published 05/06/2016 (2333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Normal operations have resumed at Winnipegs airport after a potential security breach delayed flights Sunday evening.

All flights in and out of James Richardson International were on hold while airport staff investigated a security incident related to baggage, the airport communicated to passengers through its Twitter account Sunday evening. Shortly after 8:30 p.m. that airport operations were gradually resuming but did not release information on the cause of the alert.

During the alert, inbound and outbound flights remained on the tarmac. Inbound planes were not allowed to taxi up to the gate and passengers arriving in Winnipeg were not allowed to deplane.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Outbound flights are delayed at James Richardson International Airport while staff investigate a "security incident."

Information was sketchy on what the baggage alert was about or what security officials were investigating.

The airport remained open during the alert.

Airport authority spokesman Michael Badejo said the alert went out at 4:30 p.m. and flights were immediately held up.

He couldnt say whether Winnipeg police had been called upon to assist or if the investigation involved Canada Border Services officers in customs.

This is the second emergency this weekend at the airport. An Air China flight bound from Washington D.C. to Bejing was forced by engine trouble to make an emergency layover in Winnipeg Saturday night.

The nearly 300 passengers who ended up sleeping in local hotels overnight had just cleared check-in for their outbound flight when the alert was issued.

Badejo said he hadnt heard what the alert was about or if it involved those passengers eager to get back in the air.

I cant comment on the investigation, Badejo said.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 05/06/2016 (2333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many locals, its become a running joke  the apparently never-ending construction on Portage Avenue.

But for some business owners in Winnipegs downtown, its no laughing matter.

Lynn Bishop owns the Sound Exchange, the long-standing used-record store at 557 Portage Ave. She said the street in front of her shop has been more or less constantly under construction for the past year, preventing customers from parking and making crossing the street difficult during backed-up traffic.

ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Gordon Partridge, co-owner of Spectrum Health Care, makes his feelings known on the issue.

Theyre killing us, she said. How do they think were going to pay our bills? How do they think were going to survive without parking?

Bishop said the rotating construction projects during the past year might spell the end for her business, which she started with her late husband, Tom, more than 40 years ago. The latest round of construction began last month, and its been more than two weeks since the stores last sale.

We moved in here, it was either 78 or 79. I dont know how, but were still here today. I dont know if were going to be here in a month, she said, visibly emotional.

In late April, community association West End Biz sent out a notice to business owners in the area, notifying them of the rehabilitation construction to Portage Avenue (which began at the beginning of May and is set to be complete at the end of June).

Throughout the period, the notice advised, parking will be prohibited on eastbound Portage Avenue from Memorial Boulevard to McGee Street  a repeat of the prohibited parking on the other side of Portage last year. The notice also promised access to businesses will be maintained at all times.

Gordon Partridge, co-owner of Spectrum Health Centre, said this has not held true for his business at the corner of Portage Avenue and Maryland Street. In mid-May, jackhammering began on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance to his business  which primarily serves clients suffering from mobility issues  without any notice.

It was rubble, you couldnt get through, he said.

One client, a woman in a wheelchair, arrived for her scheduled appointment and had no way to get in.

She was stranded for two hours, Partridge said.

Theyre killing us. How do they think were going to pay our bills? How do they think were going to survive without parking? Lynn Bishop,owner of the Sound Exchange

That event prompted Spectrum staff to put up a cheeky sign, reading: Celebrating 10 years of construction at Portage and Maryland.

Partridge said 10 years may be an understatement. Spectrum Health Centre has been in its current location for 15 years, and he said he cant remember a time when the corner hasnt been under construction in one way or another, playing host to a revolving door of projects ranging from sidewalk repairs to sewer lines to road work.

He agreed the work needed to be done, but said it was a matter of common courtesy  letting businesses know when and for how long theyll be disrupted, and helping accommodate their needs.

Other business owners have noticed disruptions, as well, to varying extents.

It hurts everybody around here, said a saleswoman at Jessicas Bridal Warehouse, at 633 Portage Ave., who gave only the name Connie. Its been affecting us quite awhile I work every day, I see it.

Next door to the Sound Exchange at Corner Tattoo, Sheldon Withawick said theyre suffering, too.

Theres always noise going on, always banging, he said. (Workers) dont really clean the streets very well after doing construction, so dust comes flying in the building I think it affects (business) quite a bit, actually.

Withawick said he didnt understand why parking was still prohibited on his block, considering work was no longer ongoing on that section of Portage and had moved further along.

A similar story is playing out on Selkirk Avenue, between Salter Street and McGregor Street, where Selkirk has been completely closed since May 9, and wont open until July 31  only to close again from McGregor Street to Arlington Street until Sept. 30.

ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Traffic cones and road barriers have become more common than customers, say some Portage Avenue business owners.

For its part, the City of Winnipeg said workers are doing their best to get their jobs done and get out.

The city understands that construction work can be disruptive to residents and area businesses and we work to minimize the impact as much as possible, said Lisa Fraser, a communications officer with the City of Winnipeg. We work to complete construction projects as quickly as possible and the work on Portage includes an accelerated completion bonus so there is additional incentive for the contractor to complete the work as early as possible.

Regarding Bishops corner at Portage and Young, Fraser said once a few minor repairs are completed, parking may be restored during off-peak hours, if possible.

The construction hasnt hurt all businesses on Portage Avenue equally.

Nancy Johnson, a volunteer and former treasurer at Just Like New to You Thrift Store, said her shop relies mostly on foot traffic and hasnt been deeply affected.

Tyler Sneesby, general manager and partner at the Good Will Social Club, said his business has had the best-case scenario experience with the construction. While two summers without parking pose a challenge, he said, he commended the City of Winnipeg and West End Biz for their efforts to keep business owners in the loop, and to accommodate the Good Wills request to keep construction on the sidewalk out front as efficient as possible to preserve its patio. In the end, the patio was only out of service for 12 days, Sneesby said.

This summer, weve actually had a good experience, he said. We still dont have parking and we dont know when well have parking. But the fact remains they were aware of our concern and they did their best to get our front section started and finished as quickly as possible.

For Bishop at the Sound Exchange, as quickly as possible might still be too slow. She and her husband started the business in the 1970s because we loved music, she said. Asked what the store meant to her, she said: Everything. If business doesnt pick up soon, she said she didnt know how much longer she could keep her doors open.

Its just heartbreaking, she said. The city shouldnt be allowed to do this to their people.

ZACHARY PRONG / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lynn Bishop, the owner of Sound Exchange on Portage Avenue, is upset about constant construction that has left her customers with nowhere to park. She says her sales have dropped significantly and fears she will be forced to close.

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO  At the recent Conservative Party policy convention, members gathered in Vancouver to say goodbye to former prime minister Stephen Harpers near-decade of strong leadership, and hello to a new, with-it political party.

That was the goal, anyway. Did it succeed?

During the convention, Tories tweaked several long-standing policy positions in different directions. The party now supports a peace officers right to issue a ticket for simple possession of small quantities of marijuana, for example. They backed conscience rights for doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals who refuse to perform medical procedures such as abortion and euthanasia due to their own beliefs. There was strong support for right-to-work legislation to reduce union control.

An important additional phrase  a belief in the value and dignity of all human life  was also added to the partys governing principles. While some Tory critics, and reportedly a party delegate, mumbled that it had social conservative connotations, it really doesnt. The statement should not be objectionable to anyone who treasures the basic principles of freedom, liberty and democracy.

The biggest issue that had some Tory supporters crowing, however, was the change in party policy on same-sex marriage.

Even though Canada legalized same-sex marriage in July 2005, the Conservative party constitution defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This policy was struck down in Vancouver by a vote of 1,036 to 462. All of the provinces and territories, except Saskatchewan, voted in favour of a neutral position on marriage.

The political left treated this decision in its usual mocking tone. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates to the Liberal party conference in Winnipeg: Better late than never. Who knows? Ten years from now, they might finally be willing to admit that climate change is real. Or that tax cuts for rich people dont help the middle class. Or that government shouldnt legislate what women can wear on their heads.

Trudeaus derogatory remarks aside, its clear that Conservative party members missed a few things.

First, a significant number of Tories havent paid close attention to the partys traditional marriage policy since the Liberals forced our nation to accept same-sex marriage more than a decade ago. Second, younger Conservatives  in particular, millennials  are heavily supportive of gay couples getting married in Canada and beyond. Third, there are small-c conservatives who, like me, still oppose same-sex marriage but dont feel the need or desire to reopen these political war wounds again.

In other words, many Tories have either willingly or begrudgingly accepted the fact that the battle for marriage is over  and they lost. There are other important battles that need to be fought, and the party must focus its time and energies on them.

Fred Litwin, a Conservative activist who runs the blog Gay and Right, told Daily Xtra on May 28, Its cleaning up a remnant that needed to be cleaned up. Litwin, who also organizes the biannual Fabulous Blue Tent Party with Roy Eappen and Jamie Ellerton, makes a very good point. What made sense as policy in the past no longer does in the present, which means its time to adjust things.

Hence, the main selling feature for the recent Tory policy convention was a success, for the most part.

It is unclear, however, whether some of the holdout social conservatives accept the Tories shift on same-sex marriage, and adjustments to other policy changes.

Theres an element of frustration over the watering down of social conservatism and traditional family values. Its true that their political options are limited, and a massive shift to smaller outfits such as the Christian Heritage party is unlikely. However, social conservatives could sit at home in record numbers  and cause damage to the party in several key ridings.

Well see what happens.

Columnist and political commentator Michael Taube was a speechwriter for former prime minister Stephen Harper.

 Troy Media
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On May 25, I was pleased to host a community consultation on climate change with the Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

The forum provided us with an opportunity to gather input and ideas from the community on how best to address climate change and promote clean growth in Canada. We appreciated that the minister chose the riding of Winnipeg South to organize and present the first federal climate change consultation in Manitoba.

Following an introductory presentation, attendees separated into groups based on four key themes:

 Mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing emissions;

 Putting a price on carbon;

 Growing good jobs through clean technology; and

 Preparing our communities and protecting them from the effects of climate change.

Supplied photo Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid and Minister Catherine McKenna met with each group during a recent community consultation on climate change.

After 40 minutes of lively discussion, every group was invited to give a brief summary with suggestions.

Everyone appreciated the chance to hear some interesting and innovative ideas.

Min. McKenna was impressed by the overwhelming turnout and passion displayed by Winnipeg South residents, and Winnipeg residents in general, towards tackling the issue of climate change. The room was packed with enthusiastic participants, and those who couldnt find a seat inside formed groups in the hallway in order to take part in the discussion.

A dialogue as important as this one benefits greatly from as many local voices and perspectives as possible. Our community consultation on May 25 was a wonderful start, and the level of support that Winnipeg South has displayed towards this ongoing challenge is something I am proud to be a part of.

Winnipeg South residents who were unable to attend the community consultation are encouraged to submit their ideas and recommendations on how best to address climate change to: http://www.letstalkclimateaction.ca
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Craig T. Slusher, 28, of Black River Falls, Wis., was westbound on state Hwy. 76 near Holty Ridge Drive shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday when he lost control of his Kawasaki motorcycle and struck a guardrail, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Slusher was thrown over the guardrail and suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, the State Patrol said. He was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The Caledonia Police Department and Houston County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene.
A local songwriters work will be performed at the St. Joseph Parish Festival on Saturday.

The Mears Brothers, a Nashville band with ties to the Baraboo church, will perform during the event at the Sauk County Fairgrounds.

In addition to their standard country fare, theyll perform the work of two Wisconsin songwriters: John Young of Baraboo and Alyssia Dominguez of Dousman.

Both are really good writers that we are looking forward to playing with on June 11, John Mears said, and who knows, working as co-writers or publisher in the future.

Through Mears Ministries and ARC Records, the trio uses music to raise funds for causes worldwide.

The Mears Brothers have created a CD, titled Music for St. Joseph, and all sales proceeds will go to the Baraboo parish. St. Josephs is already selling copies of the CD, as we hope to help them make some much-needed revenue with hosting this event, Mears said.

St. Joes is important to Tommy, Jim and John Mears. Their parents were married there in 1947. Although they grew up in Racine, the brothers spent summers at the Double KD Ranch in Baraboo and attended Mass at St. Joes.

They wanted to involve local talent in Saturdays show, which is why they put out a call for submissions from local songwriters. Young, a watercolor artist who draws a weekly editorial cartoon for the News Republic, submitted a song titled Just Like You. Young has been writing songs for 20 years.

Thats one thing Ive always wanted to do, is just hear my work, he said. Actually, Id like to hear someone else sing it.

Youngs style of music, which he describes as a little bit country, a little bit blues, fits nicely with the Mears Brothers sound. The group has written and published more than 350 songs since moving to Nashville in the late 1980s. It has released six albums and had three top 10 independent hits. The Mears Brothers are the writers and voices behind the regional holiday hit Christmas in Wisconsin.

Although enmeshed in the country music scene, the trios greatest success has come on the West Coast. The Mears Brothers have written songs for many television shows such as HBOs True Blood, as well as Kevin Bacons 2015 film Cop Car.

They also devote considerable time to charitable efforts. Theyve created and donated custom CDs to organizations such as Boys Town, St. Jude Childrens Hospital, Ronald McDonald House and the Salvation Army.

On Saturday in Baraboo, theyll raise money with some help from their Nashville friends. A silent auction will feature autographed items from Charlie Daniels, Clint Black and Jason Aldean, as well as merchandise donated by Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells businesses.

In addition to raising money for St. Joes, the event will launch Youngs songwriting career. Not that he expects to abandon art.

Its more of a hobby, he said. I just do it because I like doing it.
Authorities say a Wisconsin Dells man severely beat a 3-year-old boy for not going to sleep.

According to the criminal complaint filed against 28-year-old Michael J. Moriarty, the beating left the boys entire face bruised and cut, his eyes blackened and nearly swollen shut, and his lips swollen.

The boy was living with his mother, two sisters, and his mothers boyfriend, Moriarty, at the Twi-Lite Motel in Lake Delton when the incident occurred late last month, authorities say.

The sisters told authorities that Moriarty became angry with their brother when he would not go to sleep. Moriarty allegedly shoved the boy off the bed numerous times before picking him up and slamming him to the ground.

Michael held (the boys) arms behind his back and lifted (the boy) over Michaels head and slammed (the boy) to the ground, the complaint states. Michael asked (the boy) if he liked that and wanted him to do it again. Michael lifted (the boy) again, and slammed him to the ground.

The boy told authorities that Moriarty also punched him in the head and repeatedly hit him with a slipper.

Illinois authorities have filed for extradition to Cook County, where Moriarty is wanted for kidnapping, battery, child abuse, and intimidation of a victim.

The Sauk County case charges Moriarty with physical abuse of a child, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and $10,000 in fines. He has been jailed on a $10,000 cash bond in the extradition case and a $3,000 cash bond in the child abuse case. He and is due to appear in court June 9.
Donald Trump is no conservative and never will be.

He still hasnt figured out that the mix of insults, bluster and off-the-cuff political statements that won him the Republican Party primary wont work in the general election.

But a lot of us conservatives enjoyed watching him attack the news media for the way theyve questioned his handling of the $6 million donation he raised for veterans organizations.

For decades weve watched the unfair and unbalanced mainstream news media spew its liberal bias and wanted to throw a brick through the TV screen. Trump symbolically did just that when he called that press conference on May 31.

He went overboard in his attack, of course, because hes Donald Trump. But his media rage was justified.

The news media questioned him like a war criminal about the details of the $6 million he raised for the vets, acting as if he had never really raised the money or never intended to disburse it.

Trump is hopelessly naive if he really thought he was going to be given a standing ovation by the news media for raising money for the vets or anyone else. But the liberal media wolf pack nitpicked at every part of Trumps charitable effort.

Some of the checks had not been sent out yet!

It was only $5.6 million that was raised, not $6 million!

And look! Trump hadnt yet paid the million bucks he promised to chip in!

Everyone knows it was a PR stunt for Trump to skip Republican Debate No. 37 and go on TV and pander to military veterans.

And its true that it was way back in January when he was bragging he raised the $6 million.

But come on. Did anyone  other than the biased reporters in the news media  really think the checks were going to be mailed out the next day or next week? To any vets group that sent in an email asking for money?

The organizations clamoring for a share of the money had to be carefully vetted by someone on Trumps staff.

Imagine what the news media would have done to Trump if some wacko paramilitary group ended up spending $100,000 on hate billboards or worse.

And really, did anyone  other than the media dumbos  think Trump was planning to never pay his million or pocket all the money himself?

Trumps message was valid. He just didnt deliver it well.

He shouldnt have singled out individual reporters, and he should have taken a more lighthearted, sarcastic, mocking approach, not an angry one.

He should have said he was sorry the liberal news media thought the process was taking too long, but that raising and responsibly handing out $6 million takes time.

He should have explained that he had his small staff working on it, but that they were also busy trying to help him become president of the United States.

At his press conference, Trump also should have asked something like, I was wondering. When will the Washington Posts crack investigative team and the rest of you so-called journalists show the same level of interest in exposing the shady fundraising techniques of the Clinton Foundation?

Itd be a major accomplishment if the Washington press corps merely asked Hillary a few tough questions about the lucrative international influence-peddling racket she and Bill are running.

But of course Hillary doesnt do press conferences. She hides from the press  and the press barely complains.

Im not a big fan of Trump, but he was right to attack the Washington media. The trouble is, the way he did it was not even close to being presidential. And in November that could prove to be his Achilles Heel.
A UW-Madison lecturer last week seized a once-in-a-lifetime chance to confront rock legend David Byrne with puzzling evidence that his memory of life during wartime had stopped making sense.

In a column last Tuesday for the Guardian, the former Talking Heads guitarist and vocalist considered the parallels between modern protests and those of the Vietnam War era and earlier.

Byrne focused on a 1968 protest in which a group of anti-war activists broke into the offices of the draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned the records of potential draftees. His own records were among those destroyed, Byrne wrote. If not for the activists, led by the recently deceased Rev. Daniel Berrigan, Byrne said, he may have been sent to Vietnam.

The protest just outside Baltimore was an event that UW-Madisons Shawn Peters knows well, but he had never heard about Byrnes connection to it.

A native of Catonsville, Peters  who works in the Integrated Liberal Studies program and describes himself as a big fan of Talking Heads and Byrnes solo work  had researched the protest for years and published a book about it in 2012. Peters wondered if he had missed a famous connection to the event.

After digging into the claim, Peters realized it was impossible that Byrnes draft records could have been destroyed in the 1968 protest.

So Peters got in touch with the Guardian. Byrne was born in 1952, he told them, and the Catonsville draft board didnt store the records of 16-year-olds.

The British news outlets staff talked about the discrepancy with Byrnes representatives. Byrne acknowledged Peters was right and said the inaccuracy was a mistake borne out of a false memory of his connection to the event, noting in an update to his column that he has been researching the way our memories can inadvertently distort the truth.

The more we recall something, the more we reconstruct a memory, and the more inaccurate it tends to be, even as it becomes more deeply embedded, Byrne wrote. I guess Im not an exception.

Peters says he accepts that Byrne didnt intentionally make up a connection to the protest.

The lecturer, who analyzes one of Byrnes albums in one of his courses, said the whole experience has been a bit strange for him.

I dont typically interact with rock stars; my work is far more low-profile, Peters wrote in an email. But its gratifying to know that I can participate in public conversations about history and the nature of memory.
Any decision regarding the future of the University of Wisconsin-Extension Columbia County is, by definition, one made with insufficient information, members of the County Boards Agriculture, Extension and Land and Water Conservation Committee declared Monday.

In that context, the committee voted unanimously to go forward with a request to make the position of community development educator, now held by Kathleen Haas, a full-time county post  which, if approved as part of the 2017 county budget, would cost the county an additional $7,966 for salary and benefits.

The position is now an 80 percent-time post. Twenty percent of Haas compensation comes from the state for her work with the Extensions Resource Advocacy Network, and of the remaining 80 percent, 60 percent comes from the state and 40 percent from the county for her work in Columbia County.

Haas said that work includes interaction with local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses and community and civic groups; work with the countys Land and Water Conservation Department on groundwater and drinking water safety; work with the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation on improving broadband access; work with food producers on efforts to get local foods into school lunches; and every 10 years, work with a county committee on the redistricting process triggered by the U.S. Census.

The committee has to make a recommendation now because all county departments must submit their proposals for new positions, or increased hours for existing positions, by July 1 to be considered for the 2017 budget year.

But with a looming $3.6 million statewide budget cut to UW-Extension, Karen Nelson, 4-H and Youth Development coordinator, said, it is now unknown what Columbia Countys Extension office will look like  including which educators will work solely for Columbia County and which will be assigned to work in a multi-county region that includes Columbia County.

We have no idea where any of us will end up, Nelson said.

The cut to Extension is part of a $250 million cut to the UW System. The basic plan calls for all Wisconsin counties and Native American tribes to maintain a local Extension office, but for some educator positions to be regional instead of local. The current proposal calls for Columbia County to be included in a region with Sauk, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties.

Nelson is a member of a work group that is discussing the cut-related Extension changes in the context of the 4-H program. Patti Herman, family living educator for UW-Extension Columbia County, is in the work group for the Family Living program.

Herman said shes been told to expect that her group will continue to work as late as February  meaning that any changes to Extension are not likely to be ready for implementation until late 2017 at the earliest.

County Board Chairman Vern Gove said the lack of information about whats going to happen to Extension, and how individual counties will be affected, is frustrating.

Thats what gets me, he said. Theyre leaving you guys hanging and were not getting any answers either.

Nelson said officials of the counties that are part of Intercounty Coordinating Committee  Columbia, Dodge, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marquette and Sauk  will hold a special ICC meeting from 9 to 11 a.m. July 27 in Dodge County, which several top state Extension officials are expected to attend.

Gove noted that, at the May ICC meeting in Baraboo, several county officials said they wanted to meet with Extension officials.

Every one of the board chairs at last months session requested this, because were not hearing anything  and it is a big decision for any county, he said.

For now, however, the proposal for Columbia County to pick up the 20 percent of Haass compensation now paid by the state is just one issue that the UW-Extension Columbia County has to address with almost no information about its future.

Another is the replacement of Administrative Assistant Joyce Dunbar, whose last day of work will be later this month, and 4-H Program Assistant Amber Schneider, who will be leaving on Sept. 1.

Interviews will soon be conducted in the search for Dunbars successor. However, Nelson acknowledged that an authorization to replace Schneider  who is resigning to further her education  doesnt necessarily depend on the county allocating more of its money to Extension, though Extension officials have said that would be nice.

A larger county allocation for Extension is unlikely in 2017, given the countys budgetary constraints, said Committee Chairman Mike Weyh of the town of Lewiston.

Gove added that he couldnt guarantee that other County Board committees would authorize full-time county status for Haas, because other personnel needs  including more custodial workers to take care of two new county buildings after they open next summer  will likely have higher priority.

Gove also urged Nelson to consult the county accounting department to get a firm cost estimate for extending Haass hours as a county employee. The figure that she quoted, $7,966, came from state sources, she said.
From tragedy to triumph

A confluence of happenstance, luck, skill and science allowed vet to get embryos from a beloved show Guernsey after having to euthanize her.
Equality and equal access to health care

A new clinic at Wits Universitys Empilweni Services and Research Unit (ESRU) will provide high quality research, training and medical services.

A new clinic at Wits Universitys Empilweni Services and Research Unit (ESRU) will provide high quality research, training and medical services.

This multistorey complex in the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital is an addition to the existing Paediatrics Department at the hospital.

The clinic is led by Professor Ashraf Coovadia, who heads up the Empilweni Services and Research Unit as well as the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.

The clinic was born out of a need to conduct clinical research in infectious disease, Coovadia said at a function to thank the donors that include the South African Muslim Charitable Trust, the ELMA Foundation and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

This R14-million clinic will:

Serve the health needs of HIV-infected and affected infants, children and adolescents as well as women who are HIV infected.

Train undergraduate and postgraduate students in the disciplines of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Infectious Diseases, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine and more will benefit from such a centre.

Conduct clinical research.

Facilitate postgraduate training and qualifications.

Speaking at the function, Mark Heywood, the Executive Director of Section27, praised Coovadia for his vision and hard work that led to the clinic being build.

Heywood acknowledged Coovadis dedication to bring about equality and equal access in the healthcare sector and said he is not only one of the best paediatricians in the country but also a great activist. His love and professionalism extends beyond looking out for children and furthering research but also into the wider environment.

Heywood said Coovadia has had a huge impact on child health care in South Africa, particularly around equality and equal access to health services. He played a significant role during the height of HIV/Aids-denialism in the country to ensure that children receive the care and treatment they need, and to help prevent mother-to-child-transmission.

Heywood also commended the donors that are all South African institutions. To see South African institutions willing to invest in this countrys future is important and humbling, and I think it sets the example.

Coovadia and his colleagues envisage that the clinic will also become a centre of excellence and training for future generations of healthcare providers, public health specialists and researchers.

The clinic will offer opportunities for collaboration across medical disciplines and universities both in South Africa and abroad. It will also be a resource to provincial and national health policy units because it will be a rich source of expertise and research.
BubbaJones said: I have a problem with the felons, IF their crime was non-violent OK, but if they are violent, especially if they used a weapon, then NO SIR. Click to expand...

Here is the problem with what you are saying. This notion that people should be labeled as "felon" until death is morally wrong and it is imo fiscally dumb. If you are convicted of a felony and you serve your time and punishment then why should you have to wear the badge of felon for the rest of your life? What happens? You cant get a job, you commit crime again, you go back to prison. Repeat. How many "felons" would their be if they could have got out of prison without the felon label so they could get a good job? This labeling a person felon for life is some what of new idea. Their was a time that a person got out of prison with a clean slate and could go back to a normal life. Now we take away their voting rights, their gun rights, we put restrictions on where they are allowed even if they have satisfied all legal requirements including parole. Then we say, see told you so, you committed another crime, your a bad person. Repeat the cycle. At some point and time we have to stop this silly cycle
Notice regarding Professor Emerita Ellen F. Rosen

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Provost Michael R. Halleran sent the following message to the campus community June 6, 2016 - Ed.

Dear colleagues, I write to pass along the news that Ellen F. Rosen, Professor of Psychology, Emerita, passed away recently.

Ellen Rosen was born January 28, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois, to Clara Paulker and Samuel Rosen. Before she entered school, the family moved to Glencoe, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago, where she attended elementary and middle school. In 1958, she graduated from New Trier High School, one of the premier American high schools. She earned a B.A. from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a major in psychology. She completed a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign in 1967 and was hired immediately as an assistant professor at William & Mary.

Her teaching interests were in the technical and quantitative areas of psychology. She taught statistics and experimental design as well as physiological psychology, but also instructed Human Sexuality, Women in Psychology and seminars in emerging areas of the discipline. Prof. Rosen also taught several courses in the Women's Studies Program. She served several terms as director of the graduate program in psychology. She earned tenure in 1971 and later was promoted to full professor. She and her research partner Linda Petty were awarded grants from the Department of Education and the National Institute of Mental Health to support their research and to develop innovative educational programs for students and faculty at Hampton University (HU). In 1993, Prof. Rosen co-authored Gatekeepers of Psychology with E. Rae Harcum, a colleague in the psychology department at W&M. In 1999, she retired as Professor Emeritus after 32 years at W&M. Following retirement, she became Dean of the Graduate Programs at Chicago State University (CSU), a minority university on the south side of a Chicago. During her time at CSU, the graduate programs flourished with the addition of numerous masters level programs and the approval of several terminal degrees.

In 2004, Ellen and her life partner Linda Petty retired and moved to Davis, California, where they had often visited friends and enjoyed the low humidity. When they could legally marry in California in 2008, Ellen asked Linda to marry her. They were married a few days after the judge's ruling. Ellen volunteered at community meals for many years, earning the nickname The Salad Lady. She was also a dedicated volunteer at the Davis Police Department. Her favorite activity there was directing traffic on Picnic Day. As an active member of the Davis Unitarian Universalist Church, she served on the finance committee, was a worship associate, and sang in the choir. She brought years of experience and wisdom to her service on the Davis Human Rights Commission. Through her early experiences as a Jewish girl in the post WWII upper class suburban Midwest and her consciousness raising in the 1960s, she was always a soldier in the army for social justice. She was a founder of the Women's Studies program and was an advocate and mentor for women and minority students at W&M. She served in many volunteer and grant funded capacities in the psychology department and the Center for Teaching Excellence at HU. She was a teacher and mentor of minority students at HU and CSU. She was a feminist, lesbian educator who served and loved her students. They are her legacy.

Ellen cultivated her love of nature and all animals. She had a special affinity for dogs, and in the course of her life, she nurtured 27 dogs in her home. She was an early supporter of the Best Friends Animal Statuary in Utah.

Ellen is survived by her life partner of 45 years and wife of 8 years, Linda Petty. She leaves behind her brother Elliott Rosen, his wife Sandy, and their daughters Samantha and LiShan of Chicago, Illinois. She took on the role of mother to a deceased friends son, Jeff Justice, of Virginia Beach. Ellen also has an adopted daughter-in-law, Lori Mathis, and a granddaughter, Dani Mathis, of Marietta, Georgia.

Ellen's memorial service will be held on June 18th at 2 PM at the Unitarian Universalists Church, Patwin Road, Davis, CA. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Best Friends Animal Statuary of Utah.

Sincerely,

Michael
Ok? I didn't start anything with you. Yet again you antagonize people and then pretend like you're the victim when they tell you to **** off. Really not seeing how you can slant this as my fault.




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Members of the Mount Saint Charles Class of 2016 have a 'we did it!' moment on Sunday.
Here's what I hope. I hope that every eligible Mexican-American in this country goes to the voting booth November 8th. I hope they tell Trump exactly what they think of his racist comments. I hope they flood the polls with every single family member, every cousin, every aunt/uncle. I hope they pick up Abeula y Abeulo and drive them to the polls. I hope they roll them to the voting booth in their wheel chairs, with their walkers or carry them into the polling places. I hope those lovely Mexicans KICK Trump's ***!

That's my hope.

This man (if you can call him that) is the lowest form of life. I have HAD IT with his foul, disgusting bigoted comments. There is a place in hell for people like Donald Trump.
OPG stresses low-carbon role of nuclear before Canadian senate

06 June 2016

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Nuclear capacity is playing a significant part in the ongoing decarbonisation of the economy, Ontario Power Generation's CEO Jeff Lyash told a Canadian senate committee meeting last week.

Pickering (Image: OPG)

Addressing the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources meeting on the effects of transitioning to a low-carbon economy, Lyash said that to achieve its carbon reduction goals, Canada would effectively need to end the use of fossil fuel by 2050. "At a minimum, it will substantially reduce it and change its role significantly in our economy. Ontarios electricity sector is already well down this path, currently representing less than 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

By ending its use of coal in 2014, OPG has transformed itself into a major producer of clean power, Lyash said. "This remains North America's single largest action to combat climate change to date," he said.

Nuclear power from three nuclear power plants - OPG's Darlington and Pickering and Bruce Nuclear's Bruce - provide 62% of Ontario's electricity, and Lyash told the committee the long-term value of such "low-intensity carbon electricity" was "enormous". "Nuclear power helps Ontario move away from coal, and nuclear power makes intermittent renewable integration into the system possible," he said. "Looking forward, as Canada considers how to move towards a lower carbon economy, we would suggest a balanced approach - one that maximizes the role of all low-carbon technologies, such as nuclear, hydro, solar, wind and biomass; and one that can be levered through electrification to lower carbon emissions economy-wide."

OPG's generation fleet relies on nuclear and hydroelectricity, with Darlington and Pickering accounting for more than 6600 MWe of the company's 17,000 MWe of capacity. "OPG's power is now virtually free of smog and greenhouse gas emissions. And we produce this power at a cost that is about 40% lower than other generators in the province of Ontario," Lyash told the committee.

Investing in the future

Earlier this year the Ontario government approved a CAD 12.8 billion ($9 billion) project to refurbish the four Candu units at Darlington, starting in October, and also approved the continued operation of the Pickering plant to 2024. Lyash said the investment would result in CAD 14.9 billion in economic benefits for Ontario. Refurbishment will enable the plant to continue operating for 30 years. Pickering is currently licensed to operate until 2018, but Lyash said keeping the plant in operation until 2024 would ensure access to "safe, clean, low-cost electricity" during the refurbishment, while potentially avoiding the emission of eight million tonnes of greenhouse gases.

"A significant part of our success in helping the ongoing decarbonisation of our economy lies in preserving and expanding the nuclear production we have today. That's what refurbishment is about," he said.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
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
The suspect

By: Chan Yuan

People in Victoria, Australia, were surprised to see a photo of a suspect with his nose blacked out.

Transit Crime Investigation Unit detectives appealed for public assistance after a woman was sexually assaulted while traveling on a train last month.

The 30-year-old woman told police that the incident happened on the St. Kilda Road train on Tuesday around 8:00 p.m.

The woman told investigators that the man stood close to her and touched her on the behind several times, before she moved to another part of the train.

Police believe that the man may have sexually assaulted another passenger before getting off the train near the Shrine of Remembrance.

Investigators have released a computer generated image of the man they believe can assist them with their inquiries. The nose of the suspect was blacked out because the victim did not remember how it looked like.
The application process is now open, and the administration says the forms should take five minutes to complete. Get more info on that and more recent business news here.
Concerns For Safety Prompts Search in Chirk

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jun 6th, 2016

Concerns for safety prompted a search on a bridge in Chirk yesterday evening.

At around 8:30pm last night there were reports of police activity in the Chirk area, particularly around the bridge on the A5.

Traffic in the area was being slowed down by officers, with Carly telling us that police were also seen looking over the side of the bridges.

The police helicopter was also seen circling and hovering over the Chirk area.

A spokesperson for North Wales Police has confirmed that they attended the scene yesterday evening following concerns for safety.

Officers from North Wales Police and West Mercia Police searched the area, however the search was negative.

Thanks to junkbox on Twitter for the image featured above
Drivers employed by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) ended their weeklong strike after approving a new contract with their employer, First Transit. The transit workers, members of Teamsters Local 542, went on strike last week after their employer stopped contract negotiations. The drivers had been without a contract since last July.

Terms of the new contract have not been made available by either the company or the union.

Workers have been fighting for raises and affordable medical coverage in addition to a pension, instead of the companys offer of a 401(k). Low wages for bus drivers put many in poverty.

The strike only shut down bus lines that were operated by First Transit, one of many private companies that operate city bus services. The MTS workers on strike chiefly deal with providing paratransit services to those who are disabled and not able to move on their own.

The MTS strike followed a four-day walkout by 1,700 San Diego AT&T workers, which was called off by the by the Communication Workers of America (CWA) the day before the First Transit strike began, isolating their struggle from the 39,000 Verizon workers who were striking on the East Coast.

The fact that workers originally rejected a 27-31 percent increase from the company only emphasized the abject poverty wages they received. Even a 31 percent increase on a $14/hour wage would have amounted to $18.34/hour. This would remain a poverty wage that would not sustain an individual, much less a family in a city and state that have one of the highest costs of living.

Reporters with the WSWS were able to talk to workers at the picket lines last week. Many expressed their opposition to the companys plans and the grueling work schedules they are forced into.

One worker who wished to remain anonymous told the WSWS, I work a 5-and-a-half-hour to 4-hour split shift at work from 5 am to 8:45 pm. When we get home we try to relax, eat, watch 15 minutes of the news, spend time with the family. By that time its a quarter past ten and you have to get up at 4 am.

He added, People are dealing with 4-and-a-half hours sleep. Can you still work safely? You have to. I got more sleep driving a semi-truck than driving a city bus.

On the citys high rent costs he said, Its outrageous. People dont live where they want to. That cuts into your paycheck with gas and your commute. He added, The people who are telling you, you can do this, are the same people who are buying a house and making 10 times as much as you do. When we go inside were just a payroll number to them.

Another worker said, I drive 12 to 14 disabled people per day. Most of our clients cant live the way they do without this service. Were paid differently from city drivers; we havent had a raise since August 2014. We have been without a contract for nine months before the strike.

The proposal they offered us would mean I only get a raise of $1.65. I dont even make that $15 an hour they keep talking about. Eighteen dollars an hour is what it takes to afford a two-bedroom apartment in San Diego. Id have to work until 2019 to afford that. I live with my parents.

One worker said, I make under $26,000 a year and I have a family of four. All theyre doing with the wage increases is just keeping up with minimum wage. Were making just as much money as the guy flipping burgers but were dealing with the frailest of the frail. I make $11.50 an hour.

Regarding their bosses, he said, Were tools to them. I live in Mission Hills. Two hours to get there, two hours to get back. I love this job but I cant keep doing it with a family to support.

He warned, Look at Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; it cant keep going on like this, and theres more of us than there are of them.
Jeremy Corbyn is attempting to position himself as the key figure defending Britains continued membership of the European Union.

Last Thursday, the Labour Party leader delivered a keynote address before selected activists and reporters at the Institute of Engineering Technology in London in which he sought to distance himself and Labour from the damaging association with the Conservative government of Prime Minister David Cameron in the Remain campaign. On the same day, Cameron was given a hostile reception by audience members in a Sky TV debate.

But Corbyn trod a fine line, basing his criticisms of the Tories largely on their role in blocking supposedly progressive EU measures and portraying them as the real guilty party in the imposition of austerity and other attacks on working people that the Leave campaign blames on Brussels.

He began by taking an even-handed swipe at myth-making and prophecies of doom dominating the campaign, citing Chancellor George Osborne for warning of a recession in the event of an exit from the EU. A vote to Leave means a Conservative Government would then be in charge of negotiating Britain's exit, he warned, saying that would be a disaster for the majority of people in Britain.

For the most part, his speech was a hymn of praise for all that is positive in the European Union, combined with the claim that the EU could be reformed if there was a radical, reforming government to drive that agenda alongside allies in Europe.

Among the manifold benefits bestowed by the EU, according to Corbyn, were clean beaches, restrictions on pesticides that kill bees, measures against air pollution, the encouragement of renewable energy, the termination of mobile phone roaming charges, human rights legislation, the protection of speech and press freedom, 28 days paid leave, equal rights for part-time workers, guaranteed maternity leave and decent rights at work.

Only then did he make the Labour case for reform of the EU in alliance with our allies across the continent. That case consisted of a second shopping list, including the strengthening of workers' rights across Europe, a ban on the undercutting of wages, an end to pressure to privatise public services, a collective approach to the challenges posed by migration and the refugee crisis, the democratisation of EU institutions and reforms to ensure we generate prosperity across Europe to the benefit of all.

It all sounded wonderful or at least highly promisinga presentation that required Corbyn to virtually ignore the reality of EU-imposed austerity and escalating militarism. To the extent these realities were acknowledged, it was in the context of pledges by Corbyn to fight for economic protectionist measures. These included urging Cameron to support reform of the Posting of Workers Directive to close a loophole that allows workers from one country to work in another and be paid less than local workers.

He also pledged to veto adoption of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the trade deal being negotiated between the United States and the EU, which, Corbyn charged, would open up public services to further privatisation and make privatisation effectively irreversible, as well as allowing corporations to sue national governments if regulations impinged on their profits.

The Labour leader offered a rebuttal of the xenophobic attacks on EU migration by the Leave campaign while studiously avoiding opposition to Camerons intended restrictions on benefits for migrants, an anti-immigrant measure negotiated with the EU as part of the Remain program. He stressed that some industries are affected by the undercutting of wages, and some communities can change dramatically and rapidly and that can be disconcerting for some people. He continued: That doesn't make them Little Englanders, xenophobes or racists. More people living in an area can put real pressure on local services like GPs surgeries, schools and housing.

However, This isn't the fault of migrants, but of unscrupulous employers and a failure of government.

Even these careful and circumscribed efforts to distance himself and Labour from the Tories earned Corbyn the ire of his partys right wing and the media. The Financial Times wrote that he had, by claiming that Treasury forecasts about the dire consequences of a vote to leave were histrionic hype and myth-making, carried out what one colleague described as deliberate sabotage.

The Financial Times went on to say that Corbyns statement that the biggest risk of recession in this country is from a Conservative government was an implicit criticism of other Labour figures who have stood shoulder to shoulder with Tory ministers in recent weeks to present a united front against Brexit. The newspaper continued: They include Ed Balls, former shadow chancellor; Alistair Darling, former chancellor; and Sadiq Khan, mayor of London.

David Miliband, Tony Blairs favoured successor and a former foreign secretary, insisted that Corbyn should share a platform with Cameron as he had, adding, Where centre-right and centre-left agree, we should say so.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, who has repeatedly demonstrated her hostility to Corbyn, stated that he had, as part of his Remain and Reform agenda, listed almost as many downsides with the EU as positives.

BBC deputy political editor John Pienaar wrote of mutinous grumbling among backbenchers who, if this referendum ends in the momentous outcome of a vote to leave, will cast wrathful glances in the direction of their leader.

On behalf of the trade unions, the new leader of the GMB, Britains third-largest union, Tim Roache, told Kuenssberg that he viewed the Labour leader as a half-hearted Remain.

The pseudo-left groups in the UK are divided over the EU. They either utilise Corbyns position to justify their own support for a Remain vote, or, in the case of the advocates of Left Leave, bemoan his missed opportunity to create a crisis for Cameron and the Tories and hasten the election of a Labour government.

Both positions conceal Corbyns real motivations. He is not adopting either a correct or false tactical position over how best to defend the interests of the working class. Rather, he is toeing the line dictated to him by the dominant sections of British imperialism, who see membership of the EU trade block as essential for securing their economic interests and for the ability of the NATO military alliance to function effectively against Russia and China.

This is clearly demonstrated by his chosen allies in seeking the reform of the EU. Corbyn made much of his talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the leader or Syriza, who was elected on a clear anti-austerity platform to resolve his country's financial crisis. Although Greece has suffered from austerity, he said, the Greek president and the Greek people are clear that their country wants to stay within a reformed Europe.

Tsipras betrayed the mandate he had been given to oppose austerity and is instead imposing the attacks demanded of him, precisely in the name of maintaining Greek membership of the EU. Greek workers have mounted four general strikes against his government since last November.

On the TTIP, Corbyn stated that his position was the same as French President Francois Hollande, who had said he too would veto the deal as it stands. Hollandes Socialist Party government is presently the target of mass working class opposition, due to its imposition of labour legislation expanding the normal work week to 46 hours, making it easier to sack people, and limiting the right to strike. The labour reform was pushed through parliament in the face of a wave of strikes and protests involving millions of workers and youth, which were met by the government with brutal police repression.

Notwithstanding Corbyns pallid left posturing, a Labour government he headed would adopt the same hostile position towards the working class as those of Tsipras and Hollande.
On Wednesday last week, the German cabinet approved a further tightening up of anti-terrorism laws. Throughout Europe, the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris are being used as a pretext for constructing a police state, as happened in the US following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

In his official statement on the draft legislation, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere boasted about building a veritable surveillance state: We have introduced mass data retention, we have strengthened the federal police and Federal Criminal Bureau, we have agreed to new regulations in Europe for the exchange of passenger data and information between police authorities.

This is all good, de Maiziere continued. Nevertheless, following the attacks in Brussels, Paris and Istanbul, the German government has asked where there are still security gaps and what needs to be done in order to safeguard our people even more. He added threateningly, Knowledge is power. And we want to powerfully oppose terrorist organisations and this includes sharing our knowledge with each other.

The draft legislation, which the interior minister wants to quickly push through parliament, contains three core points: the intelligence service and Federal Police will be granted more powers; the exchange of data with foreign intelligence services will be expanded; and communication using prepaid mobile phones will be subject to increased control and monitoring. The summary of the draft legislation also states, Gaps in penal law covering support for the continued operation of banned organisations will be closed.

If one studies the details of the 39-page draft, it becomes clear how far the measures go. Among other things, the laws covering the operation of the domestic Secret Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service (BND), the Federal Police, state access to Internet data, the law covering voluntary associations, the Federal Criminal Bureau (BKA), telecommunications and the penal code are all to be amended.

In addition, The basic right of telecommunications secrecy (Article 10 of the constitution), in accordance with Article 5, will be restricted. This means that In case of emergency, data collection may be started on the day the application is made before the control measure is agreed. In other words, in the future, it will be legal to start listening in without any form of court order.

The powers of the Federal Police are also to be extended. The modified Article 3 of the Police Act states: With the insertion of the number 4 in section 28 paragraph 2, the Federal Police, as almost all police forces of the country and the Federal Criminal Bureau, are empowered to operate undercover agents within their jurisdiction to protect public safety and not only for law enforcement purposes.

Like the BKA, the Federal Police will, in certain cases, be able to secretly record audio and video in private dwellings without the knowledge of those affected.

The amended Telecommunications Act stipulates that buyers of prepaid mobile phone must present their identity card, passport or other valid official document containing a photograph of the holder.

At the same time, the telecommunications service provider will be obliged under Section 111 (requests for information by the security authorities), to immediately store the phone number and other subscriber line ID, the name and address of the subscriber, their date of birth, the address of the connection, the device number and the date of service commencement.

To facilitate the networking of the secret services, the draft states, For the cooperation with foreign public authorities that are entrusted with intelligence tasks (foreign intelligence agencies), for researching attempts or activities that relate to specific events or groups of people, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution [as the domestic Secret Service is called], can set up shared data files. Likewise, it can utilise joint data files that are created by foreign intelligence services.

Whereas the close collaboration of the German Foreign Intelligence Agency (BND) with Americas National Security Agency (NSA) was regarded as a scandal, this is now to be officially allowed by the domestic secret service.

Given these plans to massively increase state powers, it is hard to avoid the impression that the disruption of a suspected terrorist cell in the German city of Dusseldorf announced the following day arrived just on cue for the government and media.

On broadcaster ARD, BND chief Gerhard Schindler pushed for measures to finally deal with the problems. These lay not in the exchange of information, but in the acquisition of information. We need a stronger penetration of terrorist networks with human resources and we need better monitoring of terrorist communications.

In fact, the circumstances surrounding the arrest of three Syrian citizens by German security authorities last Thursday remain unclear. According to the official statement by the Attorney Generals Office, the four accused planned to carry out an attack in Germany on behalf of the foreign terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). But the same statement also says, There is no evidence that the accused had already initiated the concrete implementation of their attack plan.

While politicians and the media are stirring up a permanent hysteria about terrorism, it has become clear that the state of emergency proclaimed in France and Belgium does not serve the struggle against Islamist terrorist networks. Rather, the extensive increase in state powers is directed against the growing resistance of workers and youth. The French government is using its emergency powers to disperse occupations, ban peaceful demonstrations and threaten long prison terms for protesters who are opposing the reactionary El Khomri labour reforms.

The increase in state powers in Germany has the same aim. The first anti-terrorism legislation in Germany was introduced by the then-Social Democratic Party-Green Party government parallel to the introduction of the Hartz welfare and labour reforms. The tightening up of terror laws heralds even harsher attacks on the working class.

In its edition last Wednesday, the conservative daily Die Welt warned that the German economy was losing its competitiveness and Germany its attractiveness. The main reason identified by the newspaper was the weak economic performance in relation to capitala trend which is mainly due to the higher cost of labour.
For the past three weeks about 30 homeless people have maintained a defiant occupation of a section of Melbournes City Square, determined to highlight the plight of all homeless people.

The protesters want access to proper housing and accommodation and a 24-hour drop-in centre for the homeless established in the central business district (CBD). According to official statistics, over 140 people sleep on the streets each night in Melbournes CBD.

The occupation, which began on May 12, has been maintained despite arrest threats, denunciations by the city council and a vicious vendetta by the local media.

Last month the Herald Sun, a Murdoch-owned tabloid, initiated a slander campaign against beggars and other people sleeping rough in the inner city, falsely claiming they were violent and anti-social.

In early May the newspaper devoted its front page and a double-page spread to a sensational story suggesting a homeless couple sleeping under a bridge were living a comfortable life at one of Melbournes best addresses. Throughout the month, the paper published various stories, claiming that beggars were not homeless and bragged about how much they make.

Melbourne, the newspaper reported, was beginning to resemble a third world ghetto. The homeless were jeopardising its reputation as the most liveable city in the world. In other words, the visible presence of poor people was threatening the profits of tourist operators and retailers.

In an effort to whip up public opinion, former state Liberal Party leader and current Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle claimed most of those involved in the occupation were not genuinely homeless and the group had been infiltrated by outside agitators. They may be homeless but they are protesters and so theyll be treated like anybody else who is protesting, he said.

Three days later, in the early hours of May 20, council officers carrying formal move-on orders and assisted by police attempted to dismantle the protest, removing milk crates, tents, chairs and couches. The next day, a charity group that provides hot showers for the inner city homeless from a converted bus was issued with parking fines and ordered to move on. The shower bus had previously been allowed to park in the same location every week.

Those occupying Melbournes City Square are just a handful of the thousands of homeless throughout Australia. For decades, Labor and Liberal-National governments, state and federal alike, have presided over an unprecedented redistribution of wealth away from the working class into the hands of the wealthy, while slashing spending on housing, health and welfare and privatising vital services.

According to recent statistics, over 200,000 households languish on public housing waiting lists. This includes at least 55,000 in New South Wales, 32,000 in Victoria, 22,000 in Queensland, 21,000 in South Australia and 2,310 in Tasmania. The systematic run-down of state-funded housing is compounding a wider accommodation crisis amid rampant property speculation. House prices in Australia, relative to average incomes, are among the highest in the world, with tens of thousands of families in housing stress.

Record numbers are now sleeping rough in Australian towns and cities as charities and under-funded government social services strain to meet growing demand for shelter and food from families, young people, pensioners and the unemployed.

By current estimates, more than 105,000 people throughout Australia are homeless. Thousands sleep on city streets or in cars and abandoned buildings on any given night. Over 22,000 people are homeless in Victoria, most of them in the greater Melbourne area.

Homeless Australia reports that last year over 250,000 people throughout Australia sought assistance from homeless services. More than 70,000 of those were children, including 42,000 aged under 10. Over 90 percent of the unmet requests for accommodation involved a single parent with children.

Homeless Australia told the media its services were at breaking point and communities across Australia will continue to see more and more people turned away from services and onto the streets.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls Liberal-National government provided no extra funding for over-stretched homeless services in this years budget. In fact, the last three federal budgets have slashed $674 million from housing and homeless programs. The only specific housing measure in this years budget allows state and federal governments to impose a Compulsory Rent Deduction Scheme on all welfare recipients.

In attempt to divert attention from Labors role in the growing homeless crisis during the current federal election campaign, Martin Foley, the state Labor governments minister for housing and mental health, announced an extra $750,000 to assist the homeless. This money, even if provided, is just a three-month extension of existing and grossly inadequate welfare programs and will provide no new accommodation.

World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with some of those involved in the City Square protest.

Lisa explained that the occupation started when the police moved two homeless people from a doorway where they were sleeping. This occurred at 6 a.m., and one of the men was crying and suicidal. She spoke scathingly about the Labor governments promise to provide an additional $750,000 for the homeless and estimated there were close to 200 people sleeping on the streets each night in the CBD.

The promise is dodgy, Lisa said. Its an extension of an existing program that would run for three months, not long term. They will put people in bed-sitters or rooming houses but therell be no long-term accommodation.

People have to beg to get the money to get a room each night. To stay at a backpackers hostel you have to raise $45 each day  People are kicked off Centrelink [welfare payments] if they fail to turn up to just one appointment, but some of them cannot make it.

Lisa said the state government had sent welfare agencies, such as the Salvation Army and Launch Housing, to persuade the homeless to abandon their protest. They were offered temporary housing at Magpie Nest Housing.

I told people not to go there, she said, because it was a dangerous place. They dont comply with the building code. There are no locks on your doors and you have to pay for contents insurance out of your welfare payments.

Kerian, who has been homeless for about a year, said homeless people faced difficulties accessing education and medical support. The homeless still have regular medical appointments to keep, and the doctors and medical professionals are in the city, which means that some homeless people cant live further out.

John spoke about being constantly harassed by the policeday and nightand told to move on. When we ask the police where we should go, they reply that they dont care. Just move on or youll be arrested, they say. He said police harassment had escalated since the Herald Sun began its campaign against the homeless.

The author also recommends:

Australia: Homeless people speak on worsening social crisis

[12 February 2015]

Australia: Sydney city council attacks the homeless

[23 February 2015]

Australia: Public housing tenants face evictions

[11 November 2013]
Last weekends Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual conference hosted in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, was utilised by the Obama administration and US military to threaten China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing responded with categorical assertions that it will not retreat and, in the words of its representative, Admiral Sun Jianguo, has no fear of trouble.

The ominous character of the conference reflected the preparations by all parties for the UN International Court of Arbitration ruling in The Hague on a US-backed challenge by the Philippines to Chinas territorial claims in the Spratly Island chain. The court, a body stacked with appointees of the major imperialist powers, is expected to decide against Beijing this month. The Chinese government has categorically rejected the courts jurisdiction and said it will ignore the decision.

Washington was represented at the Shangri-La Dialogue by Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and Admiral Harry Harris, the head of US Pacific Command.

Carters speech on June 4 was arrogant, provocative and menacing. He boasted that the US military had deployed its most advanced capabilities to the Asia-Pacific as part of the Obama administrations rebalance or pivot to the region. It would take decades, Carter asserted, for anyone to build the kind of military capability the United States possesses.

Carter gloated over the fact that the US military edge had been honed by unrivalled and hard-earned operational experience over the past 15 yearsa reference to the brutal, neo-colonial wars waged by the United States in the Middle East, which have claimed millions of lives and created the greatest refugee crisis since World War II.

Carter sought to intimidate Beijing with the list of US alliances and partnerships in Asia. He first named Washingtons two main allies in AsiaJapan and Australiawhose military forces would be expected by Washington to contribute to a US-led war against China. The Philippines, which is serving as the US proxy in the UN court, was named next, followed by India, Vietnam and Singapore. South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos were subsequently included in the US camp.

Carter asserted that Washingtons network was not aimed at any particular country. He immediately proceeded to make clear China was the target. He declared there was growing anxiety in this region, and in this room, about Chinas activities on the seas, in cyberspace, and in the regions airspace.

China, Carter threatened, could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation.

Among the military commanders and analysts present at the conference, the implications of this remark would not have been lost. At the centre of US military discussion on how to wage war on China has been a strategy known as Offshore Controla blockade of the key sea lanes between the Indian and Pacific Oceans by the US and Australian navies to cut off Chinas access to raw materials and trigger an economic collapse.

Explaining the plan, Mark Morris of the US National War College wrote in November 2013:

War starts and the United States and its allies begin offshore controlling. Chinese seaborne imports and exports are reduced drastically. Factory production drops and millions of workers are laid off; soon the numbers soar to tens of millions and perhaps a hundred million ... When jobs are not found, they start protesting  Now the Chinese Communist Party is faced with tens of millions of unemployed protesters. It will try to blame some enemy that cant be seen  Not believing the party, discontent grows and protests increase. The Chinese Communist Party orders the Peoples Liberation Army to break the blockade, but the Peoples Liberation Army-Navy replies that China doesnt have the right type of Navy for that and are unable to comply with the orders. Discontent grows and protests become more worrisome to party leaders. The Chinese Communist Party declares that it has taught the foreign dog a lesson and seeks a [peace] conference at Geneva.

Far from than the scenario of the Chinese regime capitulating, as outlined by Morris, the preparedness of the United States to seek to militarily isolate China could lead to full-scale war and a nuclear exchange. This was spelt out on several occasions during the Shangri-La conference.

In a forum discussion on June 4, Carter declared that if China responded to a ruling by the UN court by building military structures on Scarborough Reefan islet under Chinese control but claimed by the Philippinesit would result in actions being taken both by the United States, and actions being taken by others in the region that will have the effect of not only increasing tensions but isolating China.

During a press conference later the same day, addressed by both Carter and Admiral Harris, Harris stated: We want to cooperate with China in all domains as much as possible  but the bottom line is, look, we want to cooperate where we can, but we have to be ready as a military to confront if we must.

Both Carter and Harris asserted that the US would continue and escalate military deployments into Chinese-claimed territory on the pretext of freedom of navigation.

On June 5, Chinas Admiral Sun responded with carefully prepared remarks. Referring to the Philippiness case in the UN against China, Sun stated: Some hegemonic countries have empowered small countries to make provocations against big countries. China, he declared, will not bear the consequences, nor will it allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interests, or stay indifferent to some countries creating chaos in the South China Sea.

With US imperialism and China drawing the battle lines for confrontation, representatives of other states defined their positions.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian aligned with the US, calling for the European Union to deploy naval forces to assert freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. If we want to contain the risk of conflict, we must defend this right, and defend it ourselves.

In a written statement, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop endorsed Carters speech and vowed Canberras support. She asserted: As the world becomes more connected and interdependent, the US-Australia alliance is necessarily an increasingly global one. Australias position on disputes in the South China Sea is a longstanding one and is well known by all countries including China.

Addressing the conference, Japanese Defence Minister Gen Natakani accused China of issuing a challenge to the rule-based global orderthe term used by Washington and its allies to demand Chinese submission to US military and political hegemony. On the sidelines of the conference, Japan, India and the US signed an agreement to increase trilateral military cooperation in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnams deputy defence minister, most bluntly spelt out the conclusions that flow from the Shangri La Dialogue. Sitting next to Chinas Admiral Sun, Nguyen warned that Chinas refusal to submit would lead to military conflict.
Katie Toomb loves her work as a Public Relations intern at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

When she graduated from Lebanon High School in 2011 and left for college on the East Coast, she knew she liked musical theater and reading, but like any college freshman, she hadnt exactly chosen a career. And because shed been recruited to play volleyball at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, that school chose her. She says the time spent on her degree introduced her to a collection of experiences and ideas, as well as interesting people, and for this she says she feels very lucky.

I was exposed to many, many intelligent people while I was there, she said.

Toomb said her internship, which began January 20, can be attributed to the opportunities she gained at Washington and Lee. Still, she said, there was a huge culture shock, coming from the mid-valley to what she understood to be the South, but many of her college friends thought otherwise.

I had a friend from Alabama who insisted Virginia is absolutely not the South, she said.

For her, of course, it was an entirely new world. But growing up in Lebanon, she said, gave her the support she needed to be successful so far from home.

I had some really amazing teachers at Lebanon High, she said. One of them was Jennifer Walter. She was very encouraging to myself and my peers. She taught us that even though we come from a small town, that we can pursue our dreams.

When she graduated from Washington and Lee in May, 2015, she admits she still had no real idea of what she would like to do, but she still wanted to be involved with musical theater, and with her Bachelor of Arts in English, she was poised for opportunity. A college friend told her about the internship program at the Kennedy Center, and she thought she would take her shot.

Even though her internship is an unpaid position, spending her work days at a 44-year-old national performing arts venue that hosts 2,000 performances each year, she says, is a wonderful experience.

Its really fast-paced, she said, and just to be surrounded by so many people who are truly passionate about the arts, I feel like Ive gained so many experiences, and Im really fortunate.

Living and working in and near Washington, D.C. (she lives in a house in Bethesda, Md., just north of the Capitol), Toomb said she has heard and discovered more about politics than she ever had before, especially in this election cycle. And if D.C. is considered the Hollywood of Politics, then Toomb has experienced some celebrity sightings as well.

One cool thing was that (Vice President) Joe Biden came out May 17 for the Ireland 100 opening performance.

The Ireland 100 is the centers international festival offering for this year. It features musical events, cultural displays, and Irish art.

Toombs intership at the center ended Sunday, but as far as shes concerned, its only the beginning of her career.

Ive found that I really, really enjoy PR, she said. I come to work and I dont feel like Im working.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The lawyer of the man accused of killing Florida State Law Professor Dan Markel is still saying his client has nothing to do with the Markel's killing.

Attorney Jim Lewis says Sigfredo Garcia's arrest is based solely on speculation, as well as the pressure for police to solve a nearly two-year-old case. Garcia was arrested in Broward County on May 25th. In arrest documents unsealed by a judge, police connect Garcia, as well as a second suspect, Luis Rivera to the July 2014 murder through a family of Markel's ex-wife, Wendi Adelson.

According to the documents ,the mother of Garcia's children had a personal relationship with Adelson's brother.

Jim Lewis says Garcia never met Markel and the evidence does not add up, "there's a lot of evidence that the Tallahassee Police Department and the FBI have put forward in this case that are just not correct. I just think they have it wrong. And I just think when we get to court, hopefully sooner rather then later, they'll see they have the wrong guy here."

Garcia is in the Leon County Jail. His bond hearing is scheduled for June 24th. At that hearing, Garcia's attorney says he plans to ask for his client to be released, so he can go home to his family.
Oct. 6, 1931  June 2, 2016

Theodore Ted W. Waldron, 84, formerly of Lebanon, passed away in Salem on Thursday, June 2.

Ted was born Oct. 6, 1931, in Roseau, Minnesota, the son of Lester and Hazel (Appleby) Waldron. In 1946, he moved with his family to Dallas and attended Monmouth High School. He joined the Air Force during his senior year of high school and served as a records and payroll clerk. He served for four years and attained the rank of tech sergeant.

After his honorable discharge, he returned to Salem where he studied accounting while working as a psychiatric aide at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. He married Margaret Peggy Clements on Jan. 6, 1956, and he helped raise her six children.

He worked at the Oregon State Penitentiary as a correctional officer, then for the Salem Post Office before working for the Asten Hill Manufacturing Company in Salem. He then held two full time positions at the Overhead Door Company and the Shell Service Station in Keizer. From the 1970s through the 1990s he worked at Southwest Forest Plywood Company in Albany. In July 1993, his wife of 37 years, Peggy preceded him in death.

In June 1994, he married Donna Kenoyer in a barefoot ceremony at an Albany park. The couple lived in Albany, Dallas, Willamina and Lebanon. Ted has resided at Rosewood Memory Care in Salem for the past seven years.

Ted was a member of Southside Church of Christ in Lebanon and the American Legion. He enjoyed fishing, arts and crafts, playing the guitar, cooking and playing pool.

He was also preceded in death by a stepson, Tom Harris; stepdaughter Edie Eggleston; brothers Lester and Clark Waldron; and sister Gloria Ozment.

He is survived by his wife, Donna of Lebanon; son Ted Waldron Jr. of Albany; stepdaughters Maxine Gertzinger and Oweta Smith; stepsons Floyd Carnes and Andy Carnes; 24 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 10, at Southside Church of Christ, 196 W. Airport Road, Lebanon. A private interment will be held in Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem.

Family suggests donations to Alzheimers Research in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355.
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In the heavy fighting in France during World War II, 12 men serving around Rollo Worden woul
ALBANY POLICE

Stolen car  7:57 a.m. Friday, 400 block Hummingbird Street S.E. A blue 1995 Toyota 4-Runner was reported stolen sometime during the night.

Burglary arrest  10:36 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Keely Scott Reynolds, 37, of Scio, was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree theft, possession of methamphetamine, second-degree criminal mischief and a warrant for probation violation. His initial bail was set at $35,000 and he was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

LINN COUNTY SHERIFF

Lost firearm  3:14 p.m. Saturday, 40000 block Turnidge Road. A caller reported that she lost her backpack into the Santiam River when she was kayaking near the Willamette. The backpack contained a handgun.

LEBANON POLICE

Assault arrest  12:30 a.m. Thursday, Linn County Jail. Bryce Anthony Martin, 23, of Lebanon, was arrested on charges of felony fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), strangulation and second-degree criminal mischief. He was released from jail without posting bail later that day.

Drug-dealing arrest  3:10 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Jose Alfredo Morales, 33, of Lebanon, was arrested on warrants for delivery and possession of methamphetamine, delivery of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, and delivery and possession of heroin. He was released from jail without posting bail at 4:03 p.m.
Israel has challenged the accuracy and objectivity of a report submitted by the Palestinians to the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it is riddled with misleading or false captions to photos accusing the Jewish state of wrongdoing.

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A report released last month by the UN health organization warned of the mental, physical, and environmental health of Palestinians under Israeli control.

Instead of compiling a professional and objective report, the WHO is being used by those whose only interest is to harm the State of Israel, said Danny Danon, Israels ambassador to the UN. They are doing so even when this means that they are creating an alternative reality and disseminating vicious lies.

The watchdog CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) and the pro-Israel blog Isreallycool documented a series of instances in which the report by the Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry seemingly included photos with misleading descriptions to assert Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

In one of the sections, the PA Ministry of Health accuses Israel of attacking Palestinian medical staff and hospitals. Its report includes a photograph of an Israeli soldier in an ambulance with the caption: Israeli occupation soldiers search the interior of a Palestinian ambulance. The image  actually of an IDF ambulance  is carefully cropped to exclude the Star of David icon as much as possible. Only the top pinpoint of the Jewish symbol is exposed at the bottom of the photograph, revealing the ambulance to be Israeli.

Photo from the Palestinian report.

The caption in another picture describes a scenario in which settlers attack a Palestinian child while being observed by Israeli occupation forces. CAMERA and the pro-Israel blog claimed the photograph, which was taken by a photographer for Agence France Presse and belongs to Getty Images, actually features an Israeli child being pulled by Israeli security forces from Jewish residents of the outpost of Havat Gilad, with no Palestinians in the picture.

An Israeli ambulance (Photo: Hillel Maeir/TPS)

In yet another instance, a fictional image of a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities by an Israeli M-15 was described in the report as a photograph of an Israeli aerial attack on Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The mountainous background of the image, created by The Aviationist blogs Al Clark, depicts a geographic region that contrasts with the flatlands of the Gaza Strip.

The photographs and their misleading captions could influence WHOs report, which was proposed by the Kuwaiti delegation on behalf of the Arab Group and the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian report also speculated that Israel freezes the bodies of Palestinian terrorists in order to obscure whether the deceased individuals organs have been stolen. The Palestinian health ministry also wondered  citing a widespread belief among Palestinians and a report in the former Soviet mouthpiece Pravda  whether Israel has injected prisoners with carcinogenic viruses.

The reports final version calls for the director-general to make recommendations for improving health conditions of Palestinians with focus on a number of areas including incidents of delay or denial of ambulance service.

Neither the World Health Organization nor the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health returned TPSs requests for comment.
Forty thousand Americans marched on Sunday in the pouring rain to celebrate the annual Israel parade in new York city.

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Manhattans Fifth Avenue was transformed into a blue and white spectacle as participants waved the Israeli flag and tens of thousands more stood and cheered.

New York residents believe in Israel and we deeply love the people of Israel, said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio at the event. As long as I am mayor, we will stand by Israels side.

The parade, first founded in 1964, is takng place for the 52nd year. Representatives from more than 250 organizations marched along Fifth Avenue from 57th Street to 74th Street accompanied by dancers on rollerskates, motorcyclists, 15 marching bands and dance groups, clowns and jugglers. Joining the parade were also Broadway actors starring in the classic Fiddler on the Roof who sang excerpts from the show.

Israel parade in New York (Photo: Dalka Yosef)

The parade is not only the worlds largest display of support for Israel but also the largest annual event for Jews in New York who number around 2 million, said Arik Goldstein, director of the New York branch of UJA-Federation. It is the only event in new York which succeeds in gathering all strands and sects of Judaism.

Israel parade in New York

Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, praised the event citing Israel-US ties: It is heartwarming to see tens of thousands of Americans come to the streets of New York to show their unconditional support for Israel. We have real friends in the US. The alliance between the two countries is stronger than ever and based on deep commitments and shared values.

Photo: Dalka Yosef

The giant show of solidarity on New York's streets was not the only good news for Israel. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that his state is taking significant steps against the BDS movement, which calls for a boycott against the State of Israel.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation stating that any company that boycotts Israel will be boycotted by the State of New York. The legislation was signed two hours before the Israel parade in New York City.

The governor announced the new measures at an event in the presence of Israel Consul General of New York Ido Aharoni and Director of the Jewish Conference of Presidents Malcolm Honlein, and dozens of legislators including Representative Jerrold Nadler.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and Consul General Ido Aharoni

Cuomo further stated that he will focus on compiling a list of businesses and organizations that support BDS and will instruct state institutions not to work with and divest from them.

Danon, who hosted the largest international conference against BDS at the UN headquarters in New York last week, welcomed the governor's decision. Governor Cuomos announcement is another effective strike against those seeking to harm Israel, he said.

America is Israels largest and most important ally, and the governors initiative emphasizes this special bond. This is another crucial victory to defeat the BDS phenomenon and other states will soon join the fight and help curb BDS in the United States," he added.

Consul General Aharoni expressed great satisfaction with the governors decision and thanked him for his support of Israel and the Jewish people. He mentioned that Cuomo was the only US governor, who visited Israel during Operation Protective Edge.
A veteran American photojournalist and a translator working for NPR were killed while accompanying Afghan troops in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, NPR and military officials said.

NPR's David Gilkey and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were in an Afghan army Humvee traveling between the provincial capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, and Marjah, when their vehicle was struck by an 82mm rocket during a Taliban ambush, Shakil Ahmad Tasal, a spokesman for the Afghan army's 205th Atal Corps told Reuters.

The attack occurred around 2:30 PM local time and also killed the vehicle's driver, an army soldier, Tasal said.

The pair were traveling on assignment with fellow NPR employees Tom Bowman and Monika Evstatieva, who were both unharmed, according to a statement from NPR.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued the first executive order in the country forcing state entities to drop investments linked to boycotts of Israel.

Cuomo signed the order Sunday before marching in Manhattan's Celebrate Israel parade.

The Democratic governor expects state agencies to divest all public funds from any ties to the movement known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. BDS was founded in 2005 to protest Israel's actions toward Palestinians by boycotting Israeli products and companies.
Muhammad Ali's younger brother wept, swayed to hymns and hugged anyone he could reach. He raised his hands to the sky, eyes closed, surrounded by congregants at the church where their father once worshipped.

Rahaman Ali took center stage at the two-hour, high-energy service at King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, sitting in a front-row pew with his wife, Caroline. The church is not far from the little pink house in Louisville's west end where the Ali brothers grew up.
A former World Bank economist has been edging out the daughter of imprisoned ex-President Alberto Fujimori in Peru's presidential election Sunday, according to early results from a vote widely seen as a referendum on the disgraced strongman's legacy.

With about half of polling stations counted, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had 50.6 percent of the votes compared with 49.4 percent for his rival Keiko Fujimori, whose lead evaporated in the final weeks of campaigning.
BRUSSELS- Belgian media are reporting that three people were killed and about 40 others were injured as a result of a train collision.

According to RTBF state broadcasting, a passenger train struck a freight train late Sunday night in eastern Liege province in Hermalle-sous-Huy.

Belgian media quoted the mayor of the commune of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Francis Dejon, as saying the collision had been "very violent."
Al Jazeera reports that 20 people, including women and childredn, were killed in a Russian airstrike on Monday.

The airstrike occured outside the beseiged government held town of Deir Ezzor

ISIS forces are currently beseiging the town, and are known for using civilians as human shields.
Five Jordanians were killed in an armed attack on the offices of the Jordanian General Intelligence Services (GIS) in north Amman, according to the Minister of Media Affairs Mohammed al-Momani speaking to the Jordanian Al-Ghad newspaper.

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A sentry keeping guard outside the building, an office employee, and three other Jordanian officers were killed in the attack.

King Abdullah of Jordan (Photo: AFP)

Al-Momani said that the GIS offices in the Baqaa refugee camp were hit by a terrorist attack just before 7 AM on Monday.

Al-Momani also told Hala Akbar, an army radio station, that the attack on the first day of Ramadan represents a clear deviation from the Islamic faith and the blood of Jordanians "Whose blood was spilled to protect Jordanians."

Al-Momani further stated that the security services are pursuing the attackers and investigating the circumstances of the attack.

He added that Jordanians stand together in confronting attempts to harm their security forces and that these attacks will only increase the cohesion of Jordanians in fighting "evil forces".

Jordan is considered a peaceful country which typically is not the subject of terror attacks. The last attack occured in 2005 when three suicide bombers killed 60 people.
To mark 49 years since the start of the Six Day War on Sunday, the Ministry of Defense released testimonies given by IDF major generals who served in it. Their testimonies were given in the years following the war.

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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin recalled the time leading up to the Six Day War. Up until the beginning of May, we were completely convinced that Egypt had made it clear to Syria that the mutual defense contract signed by the two countries in 1966 would only be put into effect if a general war broke out. Our assumption was that if we intiated an attack in Syria it would definitely obligate Egypt (to join), as well.

These days, the Six day War is considered to have been brought on by an escalation in Israels relationship with the Arab world, the relationships between the Arab nations themselves and the intervening of world powers such as the Soviet Union. A new power dynamic was forming in the Middle East, but it was yet unclear as to how Israel should respond to it. Personally, said Rabin. I cant say that on the eve of the Six Day War I knew what I know now following the war about the Egyptian soldiers' capabilities, particularly when it came to matters of defense. I gave them more credit than was due.

Moshe Dayan during the Six Day War (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

Yitzhak Rabin and Moshe Dayan in Jerusalem (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

When asked why there was no detailed plan to reclaim the Old City, Rabin disclosed that, in fact, There was an explicit order not to reclaim the Old City. It was based on political considerations and out of my hands.

Rabbi Goren refused a ride and ran to the Kotel

Despite Israel warning Jordan not to intervene in the war, Jordan opened fire on Tel Aviv on June 5, took over the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in Jerusalem, and opened fire on West Jerusalem. On June 7, The IDFs Jerusalem Brigade and Paratroopers Brigade led by Moti Gur were sent in to take back the Old City. After a grueling battle, the paratroopers, along with artillery forces, arrived at the Lions Gate and broke through, fighting their way in until at last they raised the Israeli flag atop the Temple Mount and Western Wall.





Following the Liberation of Jerusalem (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

IDF Paratroopers at the Western Wall (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Uzi Narkis verified Rabins statements, explaining that it was Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion who clearly distinguished between taking back Jerusalem and the Old City. There was no order to take the Old City, as Ben-Gurion wanted to avoid any complications. Narkis added that after the war began, he called Mayor of Jerusalem Theodore Teddy Kollek and informed him that Everythings fine - youre going to be the mayor of a united Jerusalem.

Narkis recalled meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and trying to convince him to take the Old City. He flat-out refused, but he looked elated, so I tried again, saying, Moshe, what about the Old City? Again he said no. It turned out that at that time the, government still hadn't decided on whether to enter or not.





GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sheika Gavish with IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Bar Lev (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

(Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

Upon entering the Old City, Narkis ran into the IDF Chief Rabbi Maj. Gen. Shlomo Goren. I grabbed him and offered him a ride. He refused, and instead ran (to the Old City) with a Torah book in his left hand and a shofar in his right.

I could have attacked the Temple mount from the air

Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Mordechai Mottie Hod had to decide on a course of action almost by himself. There was no backup or assistance from any (government) body, he said. Indeed, later on it revealed that the Air Forces basic strategic plans were never discussed by the IDF General Staff, but were simply accepted as fact.

General Motti Hod, head of the Israel Air Force (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

Describing the generally flippant attitude in Israel prior to the war, Hod admitted that Back on May 15, I didnt take it seriously. I got word about it from the Command Center and said Well, okay. I just accepted the head Military Intelligence Directorates opinionwhich was almost unanimously accepted by all of Israelthat as long as Egyptian President Gamal Nasser was tied up with 90,000 troops in Yemen, he wouldnt himself get into this war.

Failing to notify the families of the fallen and injured

Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yeshayahu Gavish elaborated on his role in defending Israels border with Sinai. After getting word that the Egyptian army was advancing into Israel, The IDF General Staff discussed the matter and said that Egypts advancement was meant to hinder our capabilities up north. We were to deploy a minimal level (of IDF forces) down south, just to prevent any mishaps. But it wasnt considered a threat to Israel. As the person in charge of the southern border, Gavish held a somewhat different attitude of the Egyptian advancement. I cant say that I viewed it as an immediate danger, but as I was overseeing that front, I took it more seriously and demanded that more troops be sent.

Soldiers on the northern front (Photo: Ephriam Kidron)

Speaking at a conference dedicated to the Six Day war, Gavish voiced criticism over the lengthy amount of time that it took the IDF to inform the families that their loved ones had fallen or were injured. It lead to a rumor mill, particularly in more remote areas. We made a terrible mistake in not informing the families of the severely injured, who had died by the time their families were given notice. He admitted that Waiting around for a week was excruciating, and I consider it as a grave injustice.

In addition, Gavish criticized the lack of ammunition at Port Said and the fact that the civil defense had built housing that did not include adequate shelter.

Psychological warfare: leaflets on the outposts

Additional documents which were released provide a glimpse into Unit 640, the psychological warfare unit of the IDF. The unit's mission was to erode the enemy's will to fight while assisting IDF forces in newly conquered areas. Using Dassault Mystere jets, the Israel Air

Force air-dropped over 115,000 leaflets onto enemy territory, including 15,000 on Nablus, 10,000 on Jericho, and 10,000 on Gaza.

After the capture of Umm Katef in Western Sinai (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

The unit also used powerful loudspeakers to broadcast messages meant to demoralize the enemy forces. The unit only released details of the results of these psychological warfare operations, the results of which sometimes led the enemy to immediately lay down their weapons as opposed to fighting the IDF.

There were several examples of leaflets which were dropped on Jordanian military outposts situated between Ramallah and Nablus. One read "The IDF is coming for you with all of its immense power. The victory of the IDF is certain. We are stronger and more numerous than you. If you stand against us, we will annihilate you. Lay down your weapon so that you might once again see your home. IDF."

(Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

How was this psychological warfare perceived in the eyes of the enemy? An op-ed in the Lebanese military publication "a-Jindi a-Libnani," written a month after the war and translated into Hebrew, states that "the deadliest weapon in the treacherous Israeli enemy's arsenal wasn't napalm bombs or barbaric air raids, nor were they the violent methods (Israel) used against women and children  they were the broadcasts and the rumors they started, the ugly publications they published, their agents, their spies, and their psychological warfare which were designed to sow doubt and fear, to cause despair, and to undermine the foundations of national solidarity."

The op-ed also noted "the (Israeli) attempts to convince (Lebanese forces) that they couldn't win, (attempts) to cause jealousy amongst the officers NGOS and soldiers, undermining confidence in their capacity for leadership and in self confidence, and causing disparagement in the weapons and training (of the armed forces). They caused soldiers to yearn for their children and families by broadcasting disinformation about women who cheated on their husbands."

Hi, there's also a front in the north

The Syrian military had 50,000 troops including huge tank and artillery divisions. They were in control of the Golan Heights and controlled the front. Meanwhile, the IDF only had one brigade and a few other divisions in the area. During the first days of the war, the IDF kept from from fighting the Syrians on the ground so that the Israelis wouldn't have to split their forces between three different fronts.

The Syrian air force was attacked and destroyed however, and a Syrian attempt to capture Tel Dan in northern Israel was repelled. The fighting was primarily done via heavy artillery exchanged for the first three days of the war. It was only when the fighting was beginning to subside on the other fronts that the IDF at last decided to deal with Syria. An entire tank battalion was moved from the West Bank to the front with Syria.

The GOC Northern Command Maj. General David (Dudu) Elazar gave testimony in 1969 regarding the preparations for war.

Dado, Eshkol, and Rabin on the Golan Heights after the Six Day War (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

The IDF chiefs following the Six Day War with Prime Minister Levy Eshkol (Photo: IDF Archieves in the Ministry of Defense and Bamachane)

"All my efforts, at least in this case, was to somehow get the General Staff's attention to the northern front. From the beginning of the escalation, I truely believed that a war with Egypt meant a war with Syria."

General Elazar was not afraid to express his criticism, and was against the plan to occupy Gaza.

"I can tell you that one plan, the plan to occupy the Gaza Strip, makes me hot with anger. I believe it is folly, something which should be forbidden. I have vehemently fought against this plan, and I believe it is a disaster."

However, on June 7th, the Strip was occupied.
The holy month of Ramadan began on Monday, with Muslims in Israel and the territories starting their fast at 3:56am and breaking it at 7:44pm.

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The Israeli government does not treat Ramadan as an official holiday. Amnon Be'eri-Sulitzeanu and Dr. Thabet Abu Rass, co-directors of the Abraham Fund Initiatives, said that despite the millions of Israeli citizens celebrating Ramadan, civil institutions do not recognize the Muslim holiday.

The time has come that the state, its institutions, government offices, and educational and academic bodies integrate Ramadan into the state calendar, the co-directors said. Integrating important dates to the Arab-Israeli society into the public calendar is a necessary step to create an equal Israeli society.

Beeri-Sulitzeanu and Abu Rass also said that the hot weather this year requires public and private sector employers to exercise greater sympathy with fasting Muslim employees.

A girl praying in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo: AP)





Prayer schedules in Kalkota, India. (Photo: Reuters)

A market in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Photo: Reuters)

Store in Egypt sells lamps to celebrate the holiday. (Photo: EPA)

Ramadan lamps on display in Gaza. (Photo: AP)

Ramadan in Damascus, Syria. (Photo: AFP)

They further stated that the month-long fast has deep social meaning for Muslims.

The point of fasting is to raise (ones) consciousness to do acts of kindness and identify with poor and weak members of society, who (suffer) hunger and hardship on a daily basis, explain Be'eri-Sulitzeanu and Abu Rass. During (Ramadan), many Muslims will donate to charity and volunteer at communal and medical institutions.

A market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: AFP)

Preparing for the holy month in Oman. (Photo: AFP)

Selling special Ramadan candy in Deir al-Asad, Israel.

Religious authorities from Saudi Arabias high sharia court announced on Sunday that Ramadan will start Monday morning. They made the announcement after making lunar determinations. The Saudi court will also announce the start of Eid Al-Fitr at the end of the month.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira voiced his criticism regarding a leak of information from his upcoming report on Operation Protective Edge on Monday. Speaking at an accounting conference in Eilat, Shapira said, I submitted a draft that was classified as Top Secret, and unfortunately there was a leak. This is regrettable and extremely inappropriate.

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A month ago, it was reported that Shapira's report was expected to severely criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as then defense minister Moshe Yaalon and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The report on Operation Protective Edge is extremely important, continued Shapira. I believe the public deserves to know what happened. We need to study and learn from the report, which was why I had set up a special taskforce to prepare it. The report includes several chapters, among them a review of the relationships within the Security Cabinet and their repercussions. Unfortunately, a leak has occurred, despite the fact that it was personally handed over to all the relevant parties, instead of by mail or through a secretary.

Shapira added that Another chapter included in the report has to do with international law. I think this is a very important issue, which is why were taking stricter percussions with it: instead of putting it out one segment at a time, we are going to publish it as a single document. This is why its taking longer.

According to reports of the leak, the draft claims that Netanyahu and Yaalon did not update the Security Cabinet on a warning issued in July 2014 by the Israeli Security Agency, on a possible confrontation between the IDF and Hamas. In addition, it states that under Netanyahus leadership, the Security Cabinet never discussed the threat of the tunnels coming out of Gaza up until Operation Protective Edge. Gantz is also expected to be taken to task in it, for the military estimates he provided the Security Cabinet.

Sources who have read the draft said that Shapiras report is even harsher than the one published by the Winograd Committee on the substantial deficits found during the Second Lebanon War. Shapiras report will supposedly blow the oversights found there out of the water by plainly showing that nothing has changed and that no lessons have been learned.

Those close to Netanyahu have dismissed these rumors by saying that the Shapiras work will amount to an unprofessional report by an unprofessional comptroller. The criticisms raised against Netanyahu have prompted those in his inner circle to claim that The operation was handled with transparency and successfully, with everything else being nothing but slander. Furthermore, the sources claimed that the Security Cabinet did, in fact, meet several times with the explicit purpose of discussing the Gazan tunnels.

The reported leak moved bereaved parents to demand that the report be released in full to the general public. This issue must be brought to light, said Ilan Sagi, whose son Erez fell during an incident in Gaza two years ago. Everyone should know how the government conducts itself. Its important to the families. I hope it comes out without any cover-ups.

Shmuel Lav, the father of Liad Lavi who fell in battle, said that several bereaved parents have already requested to see the full report, because they have a right to it. He was not shocked by the leaked findings, saying that This is how the country has been run for years. This operation lasted longer than it should have. It hurts, but what is so astonishing about this report? That the prime minister and defense minister kept information from the other Cabinet members? Its really shouldnt come as a surprise; this is the way our country works, for better or worse.
GENEVA - A US-backed offensive around the Syrian city of Manbij risks displacing 216,000 people if it continues, in addition to 20,000 who have reportedly already been uprooted, the UN humanitarian agency said in a report published on Monday.

The report, containing information as of Saturday, said there was a possibility that people would "face impediments" to move out of Islamic State-held areas and it was critical they received shelter, drinking water, food and healthcare.
Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby on Monday accused the United States of toning down the joint communique issued following the Paris peace conference.

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It changed things and softened its tone, Elaraby was quoted as saying in an interview.

It (the communique) could have been more firm, but the Americans objected, he said, adding that US State Secretary John Kerry was not keen on the idea.

World delegates at the Paris peace summit (Photo: MCT)

Much like Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, Elaraby rejected Netanyahus recent statements, that certain parts of the initiative must be changed for it to be accepted by Israel.

There has been no alteration or change in the Arab initiative. Netanyahu is interested in it because he wants to enter and enjoy the Gulf markets, and he views the initiative as a gateway to them. Israel is aware of the fact that it wont be able to have access to the Gulf if it does not first deal with the Palestinian issue, based on the Arab initiative. We at the Arab League will not accept any alteration to the initiative, Elaraby said.

Last week, Netanyahu said that the Arab initiative was on the table, but that it must undergo some changes.

We are willing to negotiate with the Arab nations over updating the initiative and having it reflect the dramatic changes that have taken place in our region since 2002, while maintaining the agreed upon goal of a two state solution, said Netanyahu.

Israel wants to be paid for its efforts, Elaraby said in response. Payment in the form of being granted entry to the Arab markets, particularly when no one is breathing down its neck to reach a solution. I believe Israel wants to enter the Arab world and become an economic powerhouse while cooperating with Arab countries.

When asked if the Arab League was asked to alter its peace initiative during the Paris summit, Elaraby said that Even if it had occurred to them, no one actually came and asked for it.

Last summer, added Elaraby. I heard from a top European official that Netanyahu was very happy in light of certain developments in the Arab world, since it reflected something that Ben-Gurion once saidthat Israels strength is based not only on its own power, but also on the weakness and deterioration of the Arab world.
The High Court ruled Monday afternoon that a business cannot claim it is kosher if it doesnt have a kashrut certificate from the Chief Rabbinate, and that doing so constitutes a criminal offense.

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Nevertheless, the judges said that the ruling only applies for two years and that during this period the relationship between kashrut inspectors and restaurants would have to change so that the former would not be subordinate to the restaurants nor be employed by them.

"If this is not achieved," Justice Rubinstein wrote in the ruling, "at least in a substantial and serious manner, the issue is likely to be reopened and the position of both sides will be maintained."

Kosher certificate (Photo: Avi Muallem)

With the ruling, the court thus adopted the strict interpretation of the Chief Rabbinate regarding the prohibition to committing kashrut fraud. The ruling is also a victory for the legal adviser to the Chief Rabbinate Harel Goldberg over the attorney general who refused to present his position arguing that it is allowed as long as the word kosher does not appear on the certificate. This means that alternative supervisory bodies would be prohibited from issuing certificates unless they come in addition to those issued by the rabbinate.

The petitioners representative, Attorney Ricky Shapira stated, "The petitioners are distressed by the High Courts ruling which provides the rabbinate an unprecedented monopoly in the field of kashrut. The ruling was contrary to the position of the Attorney General, formulated only because the petition was filed, and we believe this will disproportionately harm the freedom of commerce and the freedom of religion for business owners and consumers. Given the fact that the judges disagreed, and due to the serious implications of the ruling, the petitioners intend to apply for a further hearing before an expanded panel of the High Court. We hope that the court will grant our request, in light of the apparent violation of fundamental rights and the fact that the verdict is inconsistent with fundamental principles such as the duty to promote religious pluralism."

Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, who heads the project "Private Supervision" (an alternative kashrut model for restaurants; businesses presenting his certificate have been punished with fines), said: "We are currently studying the High Court's ruling with our legal counsel. Private supervision is not going anywhere. As the most professional and ethical kashrut supervision body in Israel, we will not abandon the public to the Chief Rabbinate.

The debate regarding the exclusive right to issue kashrut certificates was raised by Shai Gini and Yehonathan Vadai, two restaurant owners in Jerusalem who decided to forfeit the kashrut certificates from the Chief Rabbinate which they possessed. Gini decided to stop using Gush Katif greens (greens strictly farmed to ensure that they contain on insects  ed.) as required by the Chief Rabbinate, and Vadai refused to continue paying the salary of his kashrut supervisor who, according to him, only came a few minutes each week and didnt do any real supervising.

However, they continued to keep the laws of kashrut and decided to present themselves as a kosher establishment under the supervision of Private Supervision. They were fined because their restaurants were presented as being kosher despite lacking the required kosher certificates. They claimed however, that the restaurant did not present itself as kosher.

They petitioned the High Court, claiming that as long as a business abides by the laws of kashrut and does not mislead customers about the type of certificate it possesses, no law has been violated. While the High Court rejected the petition, it did not do so outright. "This ruling is not meant to sanction the existing kashrut system," wrote Judge Noam Solberg in the ruling. "One must not understand from my opinion that this is specifically the correct and appropriate mechanism. The ruling is a legal examination of existing law. It deals with what exists, not with what is necessarily desirable."

Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef said that we should welcome the decision intended to prevent misleading the public who observe kashrut laws. I invite all business and restaurant owners to come and become familiar with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, which undertakes a daily effort to make things easier for the public and business owners, all the while maintaining the required kashrut level.
Dennis Ross, 68, has filled a lot of positions in American peacemaking envoy-teams ever since the Oslo Accords. David Makovsky, 56, was a senior member of the American peacemaking team during the days of the Kerry initiative. The two recently jointly wrote an article that was published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) in late May. The article was written in reaction to the failed political negotiation between Zionish Union party Chairperson Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister (and Likud party Chairperson) Benjamin Netanyahu.

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In the article, Makovsky and Ross decried the behavior by Zionist Union MKs who refused to join the coalition. "Saying no to Netanyahu appears to be more important to them than breaking the stalemate with the Palestinians and defusing the international delegitimization movement against Israel," they wrote.

Dennis Ross. A correct diagnosis, but a terrible treatment plan. (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)



The article is worth mentioning for several reasons. First, the two have a decades-long familiarity with the Middle East's "major players", as well as those of the US and Europe; second, because their opinions can have an influence on decision makers. Third, Mike Herzog, Isaac's brother, currently works at the WINEP, and is trying to promote his sibling's position with Makovsky and Ross' help; and fourth, because it's apparent that they're writing from the heart. Israel is really important to them.

And they're wrong. And not merely wrong, but representative of a classic case in which an experienced team of doctors offers a correct diagnosis, but picks an awful course of treatment. They're prescribing aspirin to a terminally ill patient.

"(Netanyahu's) room to maneuver on the international stage has already shrunk dramatically since the Herzog talks collapsed two weeks ago," they write. "Between 2009 and 2015, when Netanyahu led a broader coalition with parties on his left and right, he had political space to maneuver and took advantage of it at times (e.g., by issuing a moratorium on some settlement construction in 2009-2010 and releasing pre-Oslo prisoners). Now he has no such space. Without a broadened government, he will likely be unable to demonstrate publicly that Israel's settlement policy is being brought into line with his professed desire for a two-state outcome. And without such an initiative, the government will be hard pressed to prevent international efforts to address the Israeli-Palestinian issue."

Herzog. Promoted by his brother. (Photo: Amit Shabi)

And this is happening, the two bemoan, right at the time when regional parties  such as al-Sisi's Egypt  are showing a willingness to give an Israeli initiative a chance, thus avoiding the possibility of an agreement being forced upon the Jewish state. Poor al-Sisi, he's barely holding on in Cairo, but he's still willing to promote peace in Israel.

Ross and Makovsky's diagnosis speaks of several developments, which they believe scare PM Netanyahu: The Obama administration may remove its veto of international initiatives, which could cause the French to convene a second Paris conference, which could lead to a IN Security Council resolution enforcing the new peace plan by year's end.

Why is this bad? In their opinion, there are four reasons: Demands of Israel will be concrete and those made of the Palestinians will be vague; Russia and other Security Council members will support any Palestinian demand; success will convince the Palestinians to toughen their stance; and the right-wing government in Israel will become entrenched in its positions. The next US administration will get stuck with a policy that cannot be implemented.

So much for the diagnosis. Their solution is to resume the peace process. "To avoid internationalization," they write, "(Netanyahu) will need to go over the heads of politicians at home and publicly explain the stakes to the Israeli people. The clandestine attempt to reach an understanding with Herzog about the settlements failed, they write. If Netanyahu wants to avoid the internationalization of the conflict he must publicly announce that he will stop construction beyond the separation fence.

PM Netanyau. "His room to maneuver on the international stage has already shrunk dramatically." (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Indeed, a public announcement of a construction freeze would generate a crisis in the coalition: Netanyahu would be able to swallow Bayit Yehudis threats to leave the government, but he will find it hard to withstand threats coming from the radical right wing of the Likud. He's no Ariel Sharon. But these are trifles compared to the big question hovering over the conflict: What is the peace process worth when everyone knows there will be no peace at its end? This is a process that leads nowhere.

The peace process is a great excuse: It allows Dennis Ross and several of his colleagues to repress their historical failure; it lets John Kerry feel that he almost touched the Nobel Prize; it allows Benjamin Netanyahu to nurture the process for its own sake, not as a means to reaching a solution but as an alternative to a solution; it allows the leaders of the Labor Party to pave their way to a government in which they will be a lame appendage, a fig leaf used by the government to lend legitimacy to itself in the eyes its international critics.

Currently there is no peace, and there isn't even a process. In light of this reality, the question is this: What is Israel willing to do in the field, unilaterally, now, in order to avoid becoming a bi-national, apartheid state? This is the question Herzog must ask Netanyahu. This is the question that the world will eventually ask Israel.
Go organic: how to increase the value of Vietnam's rice exports

In an attempt to become more competitive on the international market, Vietnamese rice exporters are finding their ways into new markets that are more demanding but willing to offer higher prices.

As Vietnam is increasingly integrating into the global market following a variety of free trade agreements, it will be easier for rice exporters to access new markets.

When the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact takes effect, Vietnams rice exporters will gain considerable advantage from exporting to member countries, many of whom are top producers of wheat and corn rather than rice, said Phan Thi Dieu Ha, deputy head of the Import-Export Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

However, the fact that Vietnamese rice is less competitive on the international market because it has failed to differentiate itself makes it difficult for export companies to seize these new opportunities.

Ha said that despite fast-growing bilateral trade relations between Vietnam and Japan, Vietnamese rice exporters have been unable to really penetrate the Japanese market in the past five years.

The reason, she said, was the Southeast Asian country has failed to improve the quality of the grain and to build a national rice brand.

Industry experts agreed that although Vietnam is one of the worlds largest rice exporters, it lacks a national brand that could boost exports and help Vietnamese firms gain more credibility in the global market.

Professor and economist Vo Tong Xuan said that Vietnamese farmers and rice exporters often have to make export deals at lower prices as international dealers often penalize them for a lack of origin guarantee.

Vietnam is focused more on quantity rather than quality, mainly exporting low-quality rice to less demanding markets at a price 4060 percent lower than rice from India and Thailand. Photo from the government website of Vinh Phuc Province.

Vietnam traditionally focuses more on quantity rather than quality, which has actually backfired on the countrys rice exports, said Bui Huy Son, head of the Trade Promotion Department.

He suggested the government develop a strategy to help exporters to target high-end markets and support rice growers by shifting to organic farming.

As demand for organic produce has risen rapidly in recent years, Vietnam should invest more in organic rice farming to introduce crops free from pesticides, antibiotics or other banned chemical substances, said Vo Minh Hai, owner of the Hoa Sua organic rice export company.

He added that investments in research and development to create new paddy varieties such as diabetes-friendly rice would also boost rice exports to developed and demanding markets such as the U.S, the E.U. and Japan.

Vietnam harvests three crops of rice each year, of which the winter-spring crop is the biggest and mostly used for export.

The country, which produced a record 45.21 million tons of paddy last year, exports around 30 percent of its output, mainly to China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Vietnamese rice exporters on one hand will need to maintain their position in the traditional markets, but on the other, gradually expand into niche markets which offer more profits, said Industry and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh.
Vietnam used to be a major exporter of medicinal herbs in the 60s and 70s, but now the country has to rely on China for sources of these traditional remedies.

Data from Vietnam Customs showed that Vietnam spent $113 million on imports of medicinal herbs in the first four months of this year, and 62 percent of that figure went to China, up 22.1 percent from the same period last year.

In 2015, China also accounted for nearly 60 percent of Vietnams imports of medical herbs, equivalent to $198 million.

One manager of a company involved in the sector told VnEpxress: Small pharmaceutical companies cant afford to invest in producing these materials, so they resort to external sources. Only a few big companies are able to supply medicinal herbs for the domestic market.

The manager added that Chinese herbs attract many Vietnamese traders due to their low prices, even though some of them are grown in Vietnam.

These materials pose massive health risks once they are used to produce drugs. Tests by the National Institute of Drug Quality Control found that out of 400 samples of Chinese herbs, more than 60 percent did not meet standards for active ingredients, while 20 percent were mixed with sand, cement or other toxic substances.

Vietnam consumes about 60,000 tons of medicinal herbs each year. The country has some plantations, but they are small-scale and cannot meet domestic demand.
The country will run a trade deficit this year but the figure will be less than five percent of total export revenue, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade in a teleconference on June 6.

Vu Ba Phu, general director of the Department of Planning under the ministry, explained that the free trade agreements Vietnam has joined will draw many foreign-invested projects, boosting demand for imported machinery and equipment.

Data from the department also showed that Vietnam saw a trade surplus of $1.36 billion over the first five months of the year, with export value recorded at $67.7 billion, surpassing import value at $66.3 billion.

While state-owned enterprises recorded a trade deficit of $7.74 billion in the first five months, companies with foreign invested capital posted a trade surplus of $9.1 billion.

China remained the biggest supplier of Vietnams imports with a turnover of $19.2 billion, down 2.9 percent on-year, followed by Japan at $5.7 billion, down 6.4 percent.




Health News

Baltimore, Maryland - Rats that responded to cues for sugar with the speed and excitement of binge-eaters were less motivated for the treat when certain neurons were suppressed, researchers discovered.

The findings suggest these neurons, in a largely unstudied region of the brain, are deeply connected to the tendency to overindulge in response to external triggers, a problem faced by people addicted to food, alcohol and drugs. The findings, due to appear in the June 15 issue of the journal Neuron, are now available online.

External cues  anything from a glimpse of powder that looks like cocaine or the jingle of an ice cream truck  can trigger a relapse or binge eating, said Jocelyn M. Richard, a Johns Hopkins University post-doctoral fellow in psychological and brain sciences and the reports lead author. Our findings show where in the brain this connection between environmental stimuli and the seeking of food or drugs is occurring.

First researchers trained rats to realize that if they heard a certain sound, either a siren or staccato beeps, and a pushed a lever, they would get a drink of sugar water. Then, as the rats performed the task, researchers monitored neurons within the ventral pallidum area of the rats brains, a subcortical structure near the base of the brain.

When the rats heard the cue linked to their treat, a much larger-than-expected number of neurons reacted  and vigorously, researchers found. They also found that when the neuron response was particularly robust, the rats were extra quick to go for the sugar. The researchers were able to predict how fast the rats would move for the sugar, just by observing how excited the neurons became at the sound of the cue.

We were surprised to see such a high number of neurons showing such a big increase in activity as soon as the sound played, Richard said.

Next, the researchers used optogenetics, a technique that allows the manipulation of cells through targeted beams of light, to temporarily suppress the activity of ventral pallidum neurons while the rats heard the sugar cues. With those neurons inactive, the rats were less likely to pull the sugar lever; when they did pull it, they were much slower to do so.

That ability to slow and calm the reaction to cues or triggers for binges could be key for people trying to moderate addictive behaviors, Richard said.

We dont want to make it so that people dont want rewards, Richard said. We want to tone down the exaggerated motivation for rewards.

In addition to Richard, the research team included Frederic Ambroggi, a researcher at Aix-Marseille Universite and Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Patricia H. Janak, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins; and Howard L. Fields, director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at the University of California, San Francisco.

The research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants AA022290 and AA014925 and by the State of California.
Health News

Dallas, Texas - The mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to microcephaly and other neurological problems in newborns of affected mothers directly infects the brain progenitor cells destined to become neurons, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in a study published online today in Cell Reports.

The team of researchers used a strain of Zika currently impacting the Americas, and found that the virus infects about 20 percent of cells on average, evades immune system detection, and continues to replicate for weeks.

The cellular system we studied mirrors what pathologists are finding in the brain tissue of affected infants and will be valuable for further understanding how Zika causes severe brain-related problems. The system may also serve as a platform for testing new therapies targeting the virus, said Dr. John Schoggins, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study.

Zika can be spread by infected mosquitos or through sexual intercourse. In adults, the symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. However, Zika virus can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, and other severe neurological effects such as eye problems, hearing loss, and impaired growth in infants born to women who contracted the virus when pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDCs website lists a series of unanswered questions about the virus that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern. The unanswered questions include when during pregnancy the infection may harm the fetus and how the virus affects individual pregnancies.

There was a suggestion that the detrimental effects of the virus might be linked to its ability to infect brain cells, specifically the progenitor cells that give rise to neurons, said Dr. Schoggins, a Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar in Medical Research, in Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell.

We showed that neural progenitors can be infected by a strain of Zika virus that is currently infecting people in the Americas, Dr. Schoggins said. We found that the virus kills some neural progenitor cells, but not all. Other cells survive the infection, and surprisingly, continue to replicate the virus for many weeks. In addition, it appears that Zika virus does not stimulate much of an immune response.

Dr. Schoggins collaborated on the study with Dr. Genevieve Konopka, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and a Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research, whose expertise includes working with neural progenitor cells, cells similar to stem cells that tend to differentiate into neurons. Other UT Southwestern co-authors included: lead author Dr. Natasha Hanners, a pediatric infectious diseases fellow training in Dr. Schoggins lab; Jennifer Eitson, a research assistant in Microbiology; Dr. Noriyoshi Usui, a postdoctoral researcher in Neuroscience; and Microbiology graduate student R. Blake Richardson. A researcher from UCLA also participated.

This project received support from the National Institutes of Health and the Rita Allen Foundation.
Latest News

Baltimore, Maryland - The universe appears to be expanding faster now than predicted by measurements of the rate as seen shortly after the Big Bang, a study led by a Johns Hopkins University scientist has found.

Nobel Laureate Adam Riess, the Thomas J. Barber and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Physics & Astronomy, said the results compiled using NASAs Hubble Space Telescope could shed light on the composition of the universe, and raise questions about Einsteins theory of gravity.

This surprising finding may be an important clue to understanding those mysterious parts of the universe that make up 95 percent of everything and dont emit light, such as dark energy, dark matter, and dark radiation, said Riess, who is also affiliated with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The study to appear in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal was conducted by Riess and 14 co-authors from 11 research institutions, including Johns Hopkins University.

Riess said the cause of the accelerating expansion of the universe is one of the great mysteries in physics, and he has for years been working to improve the quality of measurement in hopes of revealing a clue. This study is part of that effort.

The new work takes a more precise measure of the expansion rate using novel techniques, building on earlier research for which Riess and two other scientists shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. The result is unprecedented accuracy, reducing uncertainty to only 2.4 percent.

The improved Hubble constant value  the measure of the speed of the expansion of the universe  is 73.2 kilometers per second per about 3 million light years. In other words, for every 3.26 million light years out, the universe is expanding 73.2 kilometers per second faster. The new value means the distance between cosmic objects will double in another 9.8 billion years.

That refined measurement raises a question, however. It does not match the expansion rate predicted for the universe from its trajectory seen by a recent satellite shortly after the Big Bang. Measurements of the afterglow from the Big Bang by the European Space Agencys Planck satellite mission yield predictions that are 9 percent smaller for the Hubble constant. The difference with the Planck measurement is 3 to 4 times the uncertainty, making the difference quite significant.

While there have been published doubts raised about the accuracy of some of this CMB data, taken at face-value, it appears we may not have the right understanding, and it changes how big the Hubble constant should be today, Riess said.

Charles L. Bennett, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Alumni Centennial Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins, who was not part of the research team, said the new study makes more precise the local measurement of the expansion rate of the universe, which is one of the bedrock measurements in cosmology and has been so for decades. This important new expansion rate measurement has made the disparity with the Planck missions expansion rate even sharper.

There are a few possible explanations for the universes excessive speed. Dark energy, already known to be accelerating the universe, may be shoving galaxies away from each other with even greater  or growing  strength. Another idea is that the cosmos contained a new subatomic particle in its early history that traveled close to the speed of light. Such speedy particles are collectively referred to as dark radiation and include previously known particles like neutrinos. More energy from additional dark radiation could be throwing off the best efforts to predict todays expansion rate from its post-Big Bang trajectory.

The speedier universe may also be telling astronomers that Einsteins theory of gravity is incomplete.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Despite the prevalence of workplace wellness efforts, only one-third of American workers say they regularly participate in the health promotion programs provided by their employer, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association.

Additionally, less than half of working Americans (44 percent*) say the climate in their organization supports employee well-being, and 1 in 3 reports being chronically stressed on the job. The APA survey suggests a key part of the solution is senior leadership support.

Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of employees with senior managers who show support through involvement and commitment to well-being initiatives said their organization helps employees develop a healthy lifestyle, compared with just 11 percent who work in an organization without that leadership support, according to APA's 2016 Work and Well-Being Survey (PDF, 726KB). It was conducted online by Harris Poll among more than 1,500 U.S. adults in March.

The survey found widespread links between support from senior leaders and a variety of employee and organizational outcomes, with more than 9 in 10 workers saying they feel motivated to do their best (91 percent vs. 38 percent of those without leadership support), are satisfied with their job (91 percent vs. 30 percent) and have a positive relationship with supervisors (91 percent vs. 54 percent) and coworkers (93 percent vs. 72 percent). These employees are also more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work (89 percent vs. 17 percent) and fewer said they intend to leave their job in the next year (25 percent vs. 51 percent).

Among all employees surveyed, 33 percent said they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday, an increase in the percentage of those reporting chronic job stress for the first time in three years. And only 41 percent said their employer helps workers develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Promoting employee well-being isnt a singular activity, but is instead set up in a climate that is cultivated, embraced and supported by high-level leaders and managers, said David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, director of APAs Center for Organizational Excellence. When supervisors actions match their words, employees notice.

And while leadership support is related to how employees feel about their work, only 4 in 10 working Americans said their senior managers are involved in and committed to well-being initiatives.

When it comes to building a climate of well-being, employers need to look beyond just physical health to help employees feel recognized, valued and involved and create opportunities for growth and development, Ballard said. But as the survey revealed, employers are falling short in their efforts.

Overall, only about half of employed adults said they feel valued by their employer (53 percent) and that the rewards and recognition they receive reflect the effort they put into their work (50 percent). Even fewer said the recognition they receive reflects their contributions to the organization (47 percent) and is based on a fair performance evaluation system (47 percent).

Just half of working Americans said they believe their employer provides enough opportunities to be involved in decision-making and fewer than that (46 percent) said they regularly participate in activities that involve them in making decisions, solving problems or setting goals.

With lack of opportunity for growth or advancement being second only to low salaries as a source of job stress, only half of the U.S. workforce reported being satisfied with the development opportunities offered by their employer, and just 43 percent said their employer provides sufficient opportunity for internal advancement.

Many employers say they focus on workplace wellness, but what is put into place is too often individual programs or policies that arent supported by the organizations culture, Ballard said. Employers who truly embrace well-being as part of how they do business create a workplace where both employees and the organization thrive.
Latest News

Beijing, China - S&ED Joint Session on Climate Change Remarks:

VICE PREMIER WANG: (In Chinese.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Vice Premier. Weve had a very productive discussion here this morning, and I think whats important to point out  since we launched the Climate Change Working Group in 2013 with State Councilor Yang Jiechi originally, our nations work on this particular area has become one of the strongest pillars of our relationship.

And I think weve known that we have an ability to achieve what no other two nations have the ability to achieve, and weve known that from the beginning. So as a result, each year, our bilateral cooperation has increased. And it was really  as I said earlier, it was thanks to this cooperation that we were able to go to Paris and be able to pass the agreement that took place in Paris. But looking to the year ahead now, what we talked about here today, there are a few areas where we have an ability together to really make a difference.

First, we have to make good on the agreement that we reached last December. And we all went to New York. I had the privilege of signing for the United States, and along with Vice Premier Zhang, we had representatives from more than 170 countries. And now, the key is to make sure we bring this agreement into force this year. We need 55 countries representing 55 percent of the emissions. Were already above 40 countries and were already above 40 percent, so were really getting very, very close. And if we work together, we can get the  we can get this into effect this year, which makes a dramatic impact.

Second, we need to build on the contributions that our two countries have made in the negotiations by showing similar leadership in other venues. And we discussed a few minutes ago the work we could do on the HFCs on the Montreal Protocol, on the civil aviation market, and also to deal with the G20 summit when we come here to China. We (inaudible) there to make a significant contribution.

And we also, as the worlds two largest economies, we need to uphold our own commitments by showing that were going to scale down high-carbon, high-pollution investment and developments in the choices that we make with respect to our own financing.

And so finally, Ill just close by saying that we discussed ways that we can broaden and institutionalize our bilateral leadership on climate change, recognizing, as we both do, that this is a long-term investment for our people and for people on the planet. So I think all of us are very encouraged by the progress that weve made. Were very grateful for the strength of the joint working group cooperation and I think we have an opportunity now to make a dramatic contribution over the course of the rest of this year.

So thank you very much, Mr. Vice Premier. We really think this was a very valuable conversation this morning.

VICE PREMIER WANG: (Via interpreter) The Chinese and American representatives had in-depth and candid discussions on the next steps of the Paris agreement and the bilateral cooperation. They came to a lot of common understanding and produced positive outcomes. This meeting is quite successful and is a good way to start the S&ED this year. This is the fourth time we gathered together to discuss this global challenge and (inaudible) cooperation.

Since the first joint special session on climate change in 2013, climate change cooperation has become a bright spot in our efforts to build a new model of major country relationship. We established the Climate Change Working Group and issued three joint statements, actively implemented the Ten Year Framework for Cooperation for Energy and the Environment and played a crucial role for the conclusion of the Paris agreement.

These outcomes embody the hard work and wisdom of China and the United States, and they are made possible by the hard work and the dedication of our teams. I want to use this opportunity to pay respect and express appreciation to all of you. This year is crucial for the international community to implement the Paris agreement. We will continue with the spirit of cooperation of the Paris conference, work for effective implementation of the agreement, constructively participate in the follow-up negotiations, deepen mutual trust, build consensus, prevent the implementation of the agreement from going awry.

Just now, Secretary Kerry mentioned the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou. We need to make good use of this summit to encourage the member-states to produce more substantive outcomes on energy, accessibility, clean energy, energy efficiency, and the global energy governance, and strengthen the confidence and the participation of the various parties in global climate governance. We need to continue to use the S&ED, the Summit on Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities, Climate Change Working Group, and other mechanisms to expand our bilateral practical cooperation on energy conservation, emissions reduction, clean energy, smart grids, green ports, and low-carbon cities, and to create more tangible benefits to our two peoples. We need to increase communication, draw on each others strengths, find a green development path compatible with our respective national conditions and development stages, and (inaudible) abilities, realize common development at a higher level and set a fine example for global sustainable development.

There is a lot we can do together and this requires us to continue with close communication and to make sustained efforts to work together for new outcomes and new progress on climate change cooperation. Thank you.

SECRETARY LEW: Thank you. We had a good discussion this morning following up on the efforts of working together. We had an historic agreement in Paris in December and today, we focused on what we can do working together to implement that agreement and to tackle the opportunities and challenges that are connected to implementing.

Climate change is surely a health issue, but it is also an economic issue. The costs of climate change are not limited to one sector of any economy or any one economy in the world. It affects agricultural productivity, transportation, infrastructure, power grids, and it obviously drives up the costs of health care.

For all these reasons, taking action to address climate change today is critical from an economic perspective. If we fail and we defer dealing with climate change, were going to have more expensive and more drastic actions that we have to take further down the road, and at the expense of more damage to our environment and our climate.

The only sensible path is for us to work to make changes now as gradually as we can  in the process, create jobs, reduce businesses and household expenses and drive innovation, technology, and new industries.

We will be most effective if we use market forces that balance the cost of reducing emissions with what the latest science tells us we need to do to keep temperature increases below dangerous levels. The alternative: Allowing greenhouse gas emissions to climb to increasingly dangerous levels will only escalate the damage and expense of dealing with the challenge in the future, and that means more expensive action.

To meet our global climate goals we need to mobilize climate finance so countries can pursue low-carbon resilient development. And we can only reach the unprecedented levels of funding needed for climate financing by using a variety of channels, including development finance institutions, direct bilateral assistance, multilateral development banks, and new funds such the Green Climate Fund and China South-South Climate Cooperation Fund.

These limited public resources must leverage larger amounts of private sector capital for adaptation and mitigation activities. And were now well on our way to meeting the goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020 from all sources to address developing country needs in the context of meaningful mitigation activities.

However, supporting low-carbon investments alone is not sufficient. We also need to reduce financing for high-carbon projects, particularly coal-fired power generation thats not absolutely critical, and take advantage of increasingly cost-effective, low-carbon alternatives. It makes little sense to cut carbon emissions at home by greening our power sector only to subsidize the construction of high-emission facilities elsewhere in the world. Its like trying to fill a bucket with water that  well, the bucket that has holes. It just doesnt work.

Climate change affects us all regardless of where the emissions come from, which is why we need to work together to address the challenges globally. Thats why the United States and China are leading by example working to strictly control public investments and (inaudible) projects that generate large amounts of pollution and carbon emissions, both domestically and internationally.

The United States and China have a robust cooperation around all of these issues, which has been an important part of this years Strategic and Economic Dialogue. In addition, this year weve worked closely with China on the valuable new green finance work that China has launched during its G20 presidency. Through the leadership of the Peoples Bank of China and the Bank of England, were identifying both challenges to increasing green finance activities and opportunities to address those challenges with innovative solutions. We look forward to continuing this joint effort, recognizing the important role that both of our countries play in leading the transition to a low-carbon future. Thank you.

STATE COUNCILOR YANG: (Via interpreter) Thank you. Well, today, we really had a good session and the two sides are focused on how we can work together to deepen climate change cooperation, and we discussed a lot of important issues. And it is very useful for our future cooperation. Our joint working group is working very effectively  we commend them for that  and we adopted the report.

And now, several impressions: First, our successful cooperation on climate change proves that we can do a lot of major things that are good for both countries and the world. The international efforts against climate change have been going on for nearly three decades, and the UNFCCC has been in effect for over two  20 years. While the breakthrough at Paris and the accord would not have been possible without our cooperation  in particular, President Xi and President Obama took the lead in announcing the respective post-2020 target and really demonstrated a sense of responsibility as major countries  it also shows that we have more common interests than differences, as long as we opt toward dialogue, not confrontation; more understanding and more sense of responsibility. We can turn a lot of issues of potential disputes to cooperation.

Second, sticking to common but differentiated responsibility is the important prerequisite. The Paris accord is a testament to the implementation of that important principle. We have 1.3 billion people, although our total emission is big, but per capita emission is only one-third of developed countries. We are determined to go low carbon, but it takes time. We hope that our two sides could continue to deepen our cooperation along the (inaudible) for common but differentiating responsibilities.

And third: Paris accord is a new starting point for bilateral climate change cooperation. Just now, we have heard a lot of what Chinas been doing. China is in this intensive campaign to cut emission and treat the environment. In the next five years, our carbon intensity will be down by 18 percent and non-fossil fuels will take up 15 percent in the primary energy consumption from the 12 percent. It means hundreds of billions of dollars of business opportunities. If we can work together, then our cooperation will bear new fruit.

We can expand low-carbon technology joint research and development and dissemination and work together on nuclear energy, shale gas, and renewable energy. We will ensure the success of the summit on low-carbon city and explore areas of cooperation on green port, zero-emission vehicles. In our discussion, we said that if the United States can ease its natural gas export to China, then we will move faster to reduce our use of coal. China will be willing to learn from the experience of the United States on carbon trade, GHG calculation and energy conservation management.

Last but not least, I want to emphasize that action is more important than statements. It is not easy to reach the Paris Accord. It is more difficult to implement it. Well, we have made sure we have set out the target of the 2030 peak time, and we have set up this 20 billion South-South Cooperation Fund. We say it and we mean it and we will make good on each of the steps that we have taken.

Just now, Secretary Lew said that the United States will honor its commitment, including providing 100 billion U.S. dollars to developing countries every year by 2020, and the United States will reach its reduction target at 2020. And it will transfer climate-friendly technologies to developing countries. Only in doing so, only by working together, can we make sure that we will continue to make progress on climate change and produce more progress, and to translate that accord into concrete result.

Well, todays session is really productive. Ill call it a day or conclude discussions. (Applause.)
Vinalines, Vietnams largest state-owned shipping firm and port operator, has sold an unused floating dock for $1.7 million, on which the company spent around $26 million, said the company last Friday.

The dock was mocked by the countrys press as an iron heap as criticism came flooding of misspent state funds and the companys lax business management.

Vietnam National Shipping Lines put the dock up for auction after it had managed to secure government approval to sell it in March, according to the Ministry of Transport.

An individual investor made the highest bid for the dock at VND38.5 billion ($1.7 million), a company source said.

Vinalines is working with government authorities to handle things related to the dock, such as anchoring costs. After that the company will make [information about the sale] public, the source added.

The dock is mocked by Vietnam's press as an iron heap to stress the companys lax business management. Photo from Tranport Ministry

On March 19, the government finally gave Vinalines the go-ahead to sell the dock and gave it full responsiblity for the sale, said Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Cong.

The ministry has been working with the company to come up with a final solution, but we haven't been successful. The longer the dock is left unused, the greater the losses, and the higher the environmental risk, said Cong.

In February, Vinalines submitted a proposal to the government expressing the intention of putting dock 83M up for auction at a starting price of nearly VND35 billion.

Vinalines reportedly spent VND22.85 trillion dong between 2005 and 2010 on 73 second-hand ships, including 17 described as too old by a government report.

Among them was the purchase of a 51-year-old Japanese-built floating dock that a Singaporean seller had put a price tag of $5 million on. However, Vinalines ended up paying $9 million for the dock.

Repair work raised the cost to $26.3 million, which was said to be about 70 percent of the price of a new dock.

The unused dock is now mocked in Vietnam's press as an "iron heap", symbolic of Vinalines' losses.

According to government inspectors, Vinalines lost VND434 billion in 2011 due to careless corporate management.

Four Vinalines' executives have been arrested since then, including former Chairman Duong Chi Dung, who was accused of deliberately mismanaging the company.
Traveling all over the country and overseas in search for human hair has earned hundreds of Vietnams poor farmers a fortune from a business that does not even require a marketing strategy due to ever-increasing demand.

Buying hair is ridiculously simple. The buyer goes around with a speaker or microphone to let people know they are in the market for hair. If anyone wants to offer their hair, the buyer cuts it and bargains to get the best price.

Nguyen Xuan Quang from Hong Da Commune in Phu Tho Province goes on regular working trips to the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia to convince locals in remote areas to cut and sell their long hair. Each trip lasts about two months.

It is such an exciting experience. I can earn money and have a chance to stretch my horizons. Traveling to other countries for hair, I get the opportunity to visit many famous historic sites. It is really interesting, Quang said.

Like Quang, about 400 locals in the commune are involved in the hair business at present, making tens of millions of dong (up to $4,400) per month. Some even pocket hundreds of millions of dong. Farming is no longer tempting; hair is what locals are after.

A local with some hair he had bought. Photo by VnExpress

Even the most creative mind could not imagine how much you can make from hair, said local hair merchant Nguyen Thi Nha.

Hundreds of big houses have sprung up in the poorest village in the northern province of Phu Tho in stark contrast to the 80s when locals, even the elderly and kids, mostly lived off collecting garbage and scrap.

No one really remembers when the village stopped collecting scrap and started harvesting hair, but at some point they got out of the rubbish business and started traveling around the country in search for hair.

When domestic supply was no longer able to meet the demand, they took a bold step to sustain the business by driving to remote areas in Laos and Cambodia for more locks.

In the remote areas, life is harsh. They seem to lack everything. Many need salt or sauce more than money. Sometimes, even several packages of noodles can be exchanged for a huge amount of hair, a local said.

The main barrier is language. They usually hire an interpreter for about $9 per day, but many have learnt the languages themselves to reduce costs.

In the village, there are even wholesale agencies that buy large quantities of hair.

A local sorts out hair. Photo by VnExpress

The story is similar to Dong Tho Commune in Bac Ninh Province, where old and young are skilled at sorting through different kinds of hair.

After preliminary treatment, hair is sold to fashion shops or exported to China, Thailand or Korea.

Occupational hazards

The highly profitable business also carries with it many risks, mainly traffic accidents and robberies in remote areas.

Only after stepping into my house did I believe that I was still alive. In a remote area in Laos I visited, the population was very sparse. Sometimes you had to travel tens of kilometers to find a house. My sister and I had to store gas in a big can in case we ran out [] Everything comes at a price, Nguyen Thi Nha, a local said.

Sometimes, hair buyers could be beaten forno reason at all. There was a time when rumors said that vendors can do some hypnotism to rob or kidnap kids, many hair buyers were alleged to be among these criminals. They were beaten right after locals heard their voices.

Despite these dangers, locals are still thirsty for hair, and many have abandoned farming to go on the hunt for this strangely profitable commodity!
Our nations beloved Bapu is in the news again, thanks to Joseph Lelyveld's controversial book about him and Anna Hazares fight against corruption in a true Gandhian style. While the latter refers to Satyagraha and non-violence, the former raises some questions about Bapus personal life and alludes to some of his controversial views. <br><br> Since two-thirds of our countrys population is under 35 years and hence the future of our country, it merits discussion to understand what the Gen Y, as they are popularly called, thinks about the Mahatma? Or perhaps, do they even bother to think about the man who led our country to freedom? <br><br> For the Gen Y, the name Gandhi is more associated with Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi than Mahatma Gandhi. Not because the third Gandhi is not great but, because the first two are more relevant to this age. Most of the young people must have heard about Mahatma Gandhi through their grandparents or read about him in History books. But, the major recall value is likely to come thanks to the Bollywood blockbuster, Lage Raho Munnabhai. <br><br> It is safe to assume that almost everybody in India would be aware of Mahatma Gandhi. And, many would not know much about him except for the fact that he was a great freedom fighter who believed in non-violence. What was his value system, what were his principles, what were his other achievements etc would not be known to many. If this seems like an exaggeration, one can watch any youth based reality show to understand the level of general awareness of many of our urban teenagers or people in their early twenties. If many from amongst the urban youth, who have access to the best of education, are not fully aware of Indian history, then one can imagine the levels of awareness of the urban poor or rural youth. <br><br> It is the duty of the senior members of our society, especially the politicians to ensure that the future generations know about the great contributions of our freedom fighters and other leaders. So, what do they do to ensure this? Ban a book that talks about some controversial issues related to Mahatma Gandhi? Is this the right thing to do? <br><br> First, by banning the book, the politicians have curbed the very freedom of speech or expression that Bapu himself propagated. Second, they have increased the probability of people reading the book. How many people in India would have read yet another book about Gandhiji when hundreds of other books have low levels of readership? By banning the book, the politicians have provided free publicity to the book. Moreover, even if one does not read the book, everybody who reads news would read about those very controversial issues that the politicians wanted to hide. In an effort to score brownie points, the politicians have done more disservice to Bapu than Joseph Lelyvelds book could have possibly done. <br><br> Now that certain controversial issues have come to the fore, it is worth discussing them. First, there are some references to his personal life. Irrespective of whether they are true or not, it is nobodys business. What matters is what Bapu did for our country and what his teachings were. <br><br> Second, there are some discussions about him being a racist, more so from the critics of the book. There are only two possibilities. Either they are true, or false. If false, then there is no issue. But if true then one should praise Bapu even more for having overcome his regressive ideas as is evident by his later life. To err is human and if Gandhiji did something like this in his early life, then it is no great sin. In the times that he lived in, to have such racist ideas is no surprise. Plus, a youth is a reflection of his society. It is only when one matures that one realizes the true self. If Gandhiji overcame this trait of his, then it is even more commendable. <br><br> Veteran social activist Anna Hazare is doing some great service to Gandhiji at a time when his integrity is being questioned by some. He is spreading word about non-violence and Satyagraha as propagated by Gandhiji. The same great service was done by the movie Lage Raho Munnabhai. This is what matters to Gen Y and this is what they remember about him. This generation, unlike their predecessors, believes in live and let live. What Gandhiji did in his personal life is of no concern to them and rightly so. <br><br> There is a history in everybodys life but the purpose of history is to learn from it to help us guide through perilous times. Gandhiji has been labelled as the father of our nation for much bigger reasons than what he did in his personal life. This is precisely what the Gen Y should learn from. <br><br> Gandhiji had once said, A nations culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. Thus, what the generations that shall lead our country in future think about Gandhiji, is very crucial.
Air New Zealand touches down in Vietnam with new direct flight

The 11-hour flight from Auckland landed in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday morning, opening direct Air New Zealand flights to Vietnam that are expected to offer more cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

The official launch of Air New Zealands direct flight to Vietnam's economic hub Ho Chi Minh City is part of New Zealands efforts to expand in the Pacific Rim, according to an official statement from the airline.

Air New Zealand plans to offer two-way flights from Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City three times a week for an initial promotional price of VND8,800,000 (about $393), excluding VAT, on Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Air New Zealand is launching direct flights to Vietnam from June 2016. Photo by common.wikimedia.org

According to Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia, direct flights connecting New Zealand and Vietnam's largest cities will offer opportunities for investors and enhance tourism, culture and education collaboration.

This connection will offer Vietnamese people the chance to taste better quality apples and kiwis from New Zealand for a cheaper price, while mangos, dragonfruit and other Vietnamese products could reach the New Zealand market. Education and tourism opportunities between the two countries will also be developed, the minister said.

Nghia underlined that Vietnam is expanding its international integration with a focus on economic cooperation, so Vietnam is happy to welcome foreign investors and enterprises from New Zealand.

Air New Zealand said the new route represents the airline's "strong growth mode", and confidence about launching more new routes.

One of the passengers on the inaugural flight to Ho Chi Minh City, New Zealand's Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce, said: On this visit, beside education and tourism cooperation, we would like to share other specialties, especially New Zealand foods.

Lemongrass chicken and black pepper beef were two of the traditional dishes on the menu for passengers on Air New Zealand's first flight to Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Patna: Bihar government on Monday dissolved a committee constituted by Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) to probe into alleged irregularities in evaluation of marks in this year's 10+2 examination.

The decision to dissolve the committee was taken after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with Education minister Ashok Choudhary, Principal Secretary (Education) DS Gangwar and BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

"The government has dissolved the committee," Choudhary told reporters after the meeting and said it was decided to go for direct action into irregularities without any further delay by registering an FIR against education mafias.

"It was discussed that the committee constituted by the Board would have taken time and arrived on a conclusion that irregularities have been committed, which prima facie has already been established. There is no point delaying action and hence, the state government decided to go for direct action by registering an FIR and initiating action against the culprits," the minister said.

Later, an official statement said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the education department to lodge an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in Vaishali in Intermediate exam for the current year.

The CM ordered that the entire matter be probed by the police and stern action be initiated against those found guilty, the statement said.

The CM instructed to make arrangements for continuous assessment of students in higher school levels, it added.

Kumar had yesterday asserted that no one would be spared and action would be taken after fixing responsibility.

The BSEB had yesterday constituted a four-member committee headed by Patna High Court Judge Justice (retd) Ghanshyam Prasad to probe the irregularities in the evaluation of marks for 10+2 Intermediate exam.

The BSEB had on June 4 decided to cancel the results of topper Saurabh Shrestha and third topper in Science stream Rahul Kumar after they were found not up to mark during a re-test conducted by a team of experts on 13 toppers in Arts and Science streams of Intermediate level in the current year.

Arts topper Ruby Rai, in an interview to media, had called Political Science as "Prodigal Science", which according to her was about cooking, and has been directed to face experts on June 11.
Patna: The Patna High Court on Monday granted bail to suspended JDU MLC Manorama Devi in connection with alleged liquor possession at her Gaya residence.

On June 1, the Patna high court had ruled that mere possession of liquor bottle is not illegal as the Bihar Excise Act has provisions for penal action only in cases of "trade and consumption of alcohol" -- thus raising hopes of bail to the suspended JD(U) MLC.



According to new state Excise Law 2016, keeping liquor at ones residence is illegal and the owner of the house could face jail up to 10 years for violating the law.

The MLC was booked under the new Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act 2016, following the recovery of liquor bottles from her house during a raid in search of her son Rocky Yadav, an accused in the killing of teenager Aditya Sachdeva in a road rage case.



She had evaded arrest for several days before surrendering on May 17 in the Gayas court which remanded her to judicial custody.

She is currently lodged in the Gaya Central Jail, along with her son Rocky Yadav. Also lodged in the same jail is her husband Bindi Yadav, a well-known criminal-politician, who is also accused of helping his son Rocky evade arrest after the murder.
Nalanda: A district court on Monday framed charges against former minister and RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadav and other accused persons in the rape case of a minor girl in Nalanda two months ago.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (I) Shashi Bhushan Prasad Singh framed charges against Yadav under various sections of IPC that include 376 for raping a girl besides Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012, Special Public Prosecutor Shyameshwar Dayal said.

Charges have also been framed against the other five accused persons under Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. Sulekha Devi and her kin, named in the charge sheet, were accused of supplying girls to the RJD MLA and were arrested.

In April, a 205-page chargesheet was filed by women's police station in-charge Mridula Kumari in the court of additional district judge Rashmi Shikha with the RJD MLA listed as the main accused.

A minor girl reported to the Nalanda district police on February 6 that a woman named Sulekha Devi took her an undisclosed place about 15 km away from the district headquarters, Bihar Sharif. The woman forced her to have liquor after which she was allegedly raped by a man, later identified as legislator Yadav, the girl said. All this while Devi was present there, the minor alleged in her complaint to the police.

Devi then gave the girl Rs 30,000 but she went home and informed her parents about the incident who approached the police. Initially, a case was registered against Devi. During police investigations, when the minor girl was taken to the site of the crime, it was found to be the RJD's legislator's house. She also identified Yadav as the man who allegedly raped her.

Yadav, who won from Nawada seat on RJD ticket in 2015 Assembly polls and is a former minister in the RJD government, was suspended by the party on February 14 after the rape charges surfaced. Currently, Yadav and the other accused persons are lodged in a district jail.

The RJD is the majority partner in the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government in the state.
New Delhi: In the wake of Jat leaders in Haryana launching fresh stir over quota, prohibitory orders were imposed in several parts of the national capital, covering over one-fourth of the city, Delhi Police said.Haryana launching fresh stir over quota, prohibitory orders were imposed in several parts of the national capital, covering over one-fourth of the city, Delhi Police said.

Most of the areas, in which prohibitory orders were imposed, are either located in the border areas near Haryana or inhabited by a large number of people belonging to the Jat community.

"Delhi Police imposed CrPC section 144 in the bordering districts of Delhi and other parts of the city which are likely to have protests in connection with Jat quota demand," a statement by Delhi Police said on Sunday.Jat quota demand," a statement by Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The prohibitory orders have been implemented in 18 police sub-divisions -Dwarka and Najafgarh in South-West Delhi, Alipur and Bawana in outer Delhi, Mehrauli and Vasant Vihar sub division in South Delhi, Sarita Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar sub division in South-East Delhi, Gokalpuri, Seemapuri and Khajuri Khas in North-East Delhi, Madhu Vihar and Kalyanpuri sub division in East Delhi, Mukherjee Nagar in North-West Delhi and whole North Delhi, the senior police said.

These five sub-divisions, which have under its jurisdiction over 54 police stations, covering over one-fourth of the land area of the city. In the first phase of the Jat agitation, violence was witnessed in and around Mukherjee Nagar and Najafgarh areas.

"Adequate arrangements have been made to ensure no law and order issue occurs," the official added.

In February, the agitating members of Jat community had held demonstrations at several places in the city, leading to severe disruption of traffic on key arterial roads.

Damage to public property by the protesters, who blocked major state border entry points, including Sindhu border, Nangloi-Bahadurgarh Road, Karnal road, Tikari, Jharoda and Madhuban Chowk in the southwest and outer Delhi, creating major traffic snarls which affected many areas in the city.
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has on Monday alleged that there was 'complete Jungle Raj' in Delhi and blamed Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung for the declining law and order situation in the national capital.

"Complete jungle raj in Delhi. LG/Modiji failed miserably. What have they done to control deteriorating law and order?" the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief asked in a series of tweets.

Complete jungle raj in Del. LG/Modi ji failed miserably. What hv they done to control deteriorating law n order? https://t.co/7L8USZvwzQ  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 6, 2016

His comments came a day after a 50-year-old woman and her two daughters, aged 19 and nine, were found murdered at their house in Delhi's Brahmapuri area.

Separately, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an 11-year-old boy in Mangolpuri area.

Delhi Police reports to the central government in the capital, not to the city government headed by Kejriwal.
Lucknow: The state administration and UP Police have sounded a high alert in Greater Noida in view of a 'panchayat' called on Monday afternoon in Bisahada village, nearly nine months after a Muslim named Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on the charge that he and his family consumed cow's meat.

To dissuade people from attending the 'mahapanchayat', the police has imposed Section 144 in Dadri, which prevents large groups from gathering as a precaution against violence.

The development comes a week after a government forensic lab in Mathura said in its report that the meat in question was of "cow or its progeny".

The report has revived the controversy over the legal and moral issues surrounding the lynching. People in Bisahada village have demanded that a case of cow slaughter be registered against Akhlaq's family.

Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding that the 17 accused in the killing of Akhlaq be now released.

An official, however, informed that the accused would be produced before a fast-track court on Monday where charges would be fixed on them. A juvenile has already been granted bail by the high court.

The jawans of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary have been patrolling the village since Sunday evening.

Security has been increased following announcement by some Hindu frontal organisations -- Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini -- that they will participate in the panchayat, said officials.
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday said that he is not in favour of early election in the coastal state.

Election to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly are due before March next year.

"I am not favouring election before completion of five years (that is in March 2017). Two months before that (when the elections are scheduled) there will be (model) election code of conduct (into effect)," Parsekar said here.

The Chief Minister said his government has to complete several developmental works before the scheduled election.

"The election should be on schedule and also our party will come back to power," he said.

BJP came to power in 2012 defeating the ruling Congress. Parsekar became the Chief Minister in November 2014 after Manohar Parrikar joined the Narendra Modi Cabinet as the Union Defence Minister.
Aiden Webb, a young British backpacker from Norwich, has been reported missing in Sapa by his family.

His aunt, Lisa Shaw Webb, raised the alarm via a widely-shared Facebook posting, saying he was last seen three days ago on Fansipan Mountain in Hoang Lien National Park.

I'm sad to announce that my nephew Aiden Webb has gone missing in Vietnam, Lisa captioned for the picture of Aiden on her Facebook account. As a family we are trying hard to locate him. His dad (my brother Trever) and my other brother (Michael) are flying out to Vietnam tonight at 6pm to help in the search... this is very upsetting for our family.

Lisa Shaw Webb's post has been widely shared on Facebook. Photo from Facebook/Lisa Shaw Webb.

Aiden has contacts with some people that he met while on his travels if they could keep an eye out for him that would be very helpful.... wrote Lisa

Please could everyone share this picture as he have lots of friends who travel in this area.. the quicker we get his out, the quicker he can be found. She added. with the help from social media we can we band together and search for Aiden.

Support from individuals and organizations has been pouring in.

Many people in Sapa and surrounding areas have offered their help on her Facebook post, while popular fanpages in Vietnam have started to share and translate Lisas message.

BEATVN, a popular Facebook page in Vietnam shared Lisa's post on their over-one-million-fan page

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the search, which has attracted $1,435 in donations so far.

We are contacting Lisa for further updates. If you want to help with the search, you can visit www.facebook.com/lisa.s.webb1 for more information.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Monday announced an abolition of the semester system from standard 9th to 12th that was introduced in 2011.

Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama made the announcement.

"We have received several representations from parents, educational institutes and experts against the semester system in standard 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. So we have taken the decision to abolish it. Now annual exams for standard 10th and 12th will be conducted by the Gujarat State Higher Secondary Board," said the release, quoting Chudasama.

The minister also said the science stream students of std 12th will be given supplementary books prepared by an experts' committee this year so as to help them prepare for next year's NEET.

Health Minister Nitin Patel said that std 12th state board syllabus would be brought on par with CBSE.

"As per the Supreme Court's directive, NEET will be compulsory from the next year. We are preparing std 12th science syllabus in accordance with CBSE syllabus so that our students do not face any problem while appearing for NEET. A formal announcement about a change in the syllabus will be made soon by the education department," Patel said.

"The Gujarat government has also sent a proposal to the Centre about allowing state students to write NEET in Gujarati," he added.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing protests by the Jats for quota in jobs and education in neighbouring Haryana, Minister of State for Rural DevelopmentChaudhary Birender Singh, on Monday said reservation is right of the community.

"The reservation is the right of Jat community, there is no difference between Yadavs and Gujjars," Singh told the media here.

Over 7,000 troops of central security forces are helping the Haryana Police patrol highways, railway tracks, important government offices and public places.

The districts on high alert include Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Panipat and Kaithal.

The call for the renewed agitation has been given by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti. However, some sections of the Jat community and its leadership have distanced themselves from the agitation call.

A 24-hour helpline (0172-2740390) has been set up in Chandigarh.

Mobile internet and bulk SMS services have been banned in Sonepat and Rohtak.

Last month, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP led the effort to clear a new law that includes the caste as a beneficiary of affirmative action policies. But the Punjab and Haryana High Court has put the law on hold because it busts a prescribed cap of 50 percent on quotas.

Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Tyagis and Bishnois, are seeking reservation under the Other Backward Classes(OBC) category.

They had been promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from 10 percent to 20 percent by the state government.
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi's open defence of her son-in-law Robert Vadra following allegations of buying benami property in London was aimed at sending a clear message to the Congress' "demoralised" workers that "family is more important than the party", a pro-RSS journal has said.

The 'Organiser' has said in an editorial piece that challenging the government or calling the Prime Minister a "Shahenshah" (Emperor) is not going to help the party, which should sense the awakened India and respond to changing situation as a responsible national opposition for healthy democracy.

"By coming out in open defence of Robert Vadra, family is more important than the party is the obvious message that is being transmitted to the demoralised cadre of the tainted party," the editorial said.

The journal said the "dynastic party" is losing ground and BJP is gaining ever since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It said the first-family is the "glue that holds the feudal satraps within the party together" and any attack on family is responded to with strong a voice from the managers.

"Perhaps, Sonia Gandhi is sensing this transformation, hence the outrage against any allegations," it said.

It said, "Challenging the government or calling Prime Minister a 'Shahenshah', is certainly not going to solve the riddles for the Congress."

Attacking the Congress' first family, the editorial said "Political Congressism" led by Nehru-Gandhi family "represents the dynastic, corrupt, opportunistic and divisive nature of polity" and misuse of investigative machinery for political purposes has been the cardinal principle of this system.

"The awakened and young Bharat is determined to get rid of these vices. The response of people to the constructive development initiatives indicate the self-belief and vigour of awakened Bharat rather than fatalism. Congress needs to respond to this changing situation as a responsible national Opposition. It is also a prerequisite for healthy Democracy.

"For that, freeing Congress from its own culture is must, otherwise irrespective of call from anybody, people will fulfil the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of forcing the dissolution of outlived organisation," it said.

The editorial titled "Congress caught in 'catch 22'" said the reported links of son-in-law of the family with an arms dealer and the 'Cash for Vote' in Karnataka "exemplifies the plague incurred on the nation's political system by the party. Both the instances represent the political culture Congress has nurtured."
Chandigarh: In a soul-stirring incident, a Sikh, who did not know how to swim, used his turban to rescue a drowning dog.

Sarwan Singh, 28, did not waste time in taking off his turban and hauling the canine to safety.

A video has gone viral showing the brave man climbing down the banks of a canal in Punjab and helping the dog.

Watch it here:
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea demanding a CBI probe into the recent violence in Mathura, which left 29 people dead and several others injured.

As per news agency ANI, the apex court posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday.

The development comes days after violence had erupted in Mathura on June 2 during an operation to evict members of a religious group 'Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi' from government land.

The deadly clash between police and a cult group claimed at least 29 lives and left hundreds other injured.

Meanwhile, the Congress party today called on the Akhilesh Yadav led-Uttar Pradesh Government to form a special team under the supervision of the High Court and run a fair trial in the recent Mathura violence, saying the CBI does not need to intervene right now as it will only delay the investigation.

Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari told ANI that the Samajwadi Party led state government should ask for a CBI probe only if they are not satisfied with the investigation of the special team.

"I believe the Mathura incident is a heart wrenching and painful episode where two of our vigorous soldiers have been killed. There should be a fair investigation .the culprits must be punished," he said.

"A special team can be formed in Uttar Pradesh itself. And I believe it will be much better if this is coordinated under the supervision of the High Court," he added.

Taking potshots at Chief Minister Akhikesh Yadav and his family, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said on Sunday that the Centre was ready for a CBI probe into the matter provided the Uttar Pradesh Government demands the same in writing.

The Home Minister said it seems there is something hidden in the entire episode.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother and state PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the Mathura violence.

It also came to light that Uttar Pradesh government had disregarded 40 intelligence reports indicating presence of a large number of licensed and unlicensed firearms inside Jawahar Bagh  the site of the deadly clash.
Washington: As President Obama gets ready to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House for the second time in as many years, a New York Times report describes the bond between the two as an "unlikely friendship".

"There are few relationships between Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Modi," The New York Times said ahead of what will be the seventh meeting between the Indian prime minister and the US president.

The report said the two largest democracies in the world have "compelling reasons" to find common cause.

For example, the US is encouraging India's rise as a regional giant for Obama's so-called "pivot to Asia" policy and counter China's global economic and military superpower ambitions.

For India, the US bond, according to the Times, is needed to "accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies".

But the relationship between Modi and Obama is still "unlikely".

The Times said Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life because he believes that "criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy".

"But Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organization that campaigns forcefully for India's Hindu majority," it said, recalling the Gujarat religious riots that saw some 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, killed in 2002 when Modi was the chief minister of the western Indian state.

The 2002 Gujarat carnage is again in the spotlight because a court only last week convicted 24 people for massacring 69 Muslims in mayhem at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Housing society neighbourhood.

The Times, citing a Human Rights Watch report, said the BJP government in India has "increasingly used the country's broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent".

The newspaper also raised the issue of shutting down non-governmental organisations, such as Greenpeace - a global aid group that has offices in over 40 countries.

On a personal front, the Times said, both leaders "avoid the socializing common in their capitals".

"Obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends... Modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships."

The newspaper, however, drew some "similarities that extend beyond political beliefs" between the two.

Both men rose from modest circumstances, had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected.

"Modi's humble origins, largely corruption-free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor," it said.

"And parts of Modi's political operation, in particular its effective use of social media, were based on Obama's model."

Ashley J Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Times that both men "are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters".

Raymond E Vickery, a former United States assistant secretary of commerce, said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness.

"Modi is a really down-to-earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesn't just go to talking points," Vickery said.


Islamabad: In yet another provocative remark against India, the alleged mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has warned India of lethal consequences if it pulls off an act of aggression against Pakistan.

If any drone attack takes place against Pakistan from Indian bases, we have enough drones for whole India, Hafiz Saeed had said while addressing a rally in Pakistan recently, according to a TV news channel report.

Earlier this year, the JuD chief, who has the backing of Pakistan's ISI and its Army, had launched a mass recruitment drive of terrorists to execute its anti-India plans.

Saeed had reportedly visited various launching pads near the Indo-Pakistan border from where terrorists are being infiltrated to India.

With India erecting latest Laser walls at the International Border for full-proof security, the JuD is also believed to be planning to push its new recruits into the Indian side in this summer season.

During his two day stay near border, he had made provocative speeches in at least 10 villages.

The UN had declared JuD a terror organisation and also individually designated Saeed as a terrorist in December 2008. The US has already put a $10 million bounty on his head.

Saeed, who orchestrated the November, 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed, roams around freely in Pakistan despite being a designated terrorist and has made many anti-India remarks and speeches.
Geneva (Switzerland): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a meeting with President of Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider Ammann in Geneva.

A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann pic.twitter.com/ZcO8EAy0xm  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

PM @narendramodi lands in Geneva, marking the start of his Switzerland visit. pic.twitter.com/hUJFdnhsvu  PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 5, 2016

The discussions between the two leaders are expected to focus on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Modi is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

He is also likely to seek Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as it is a key member of the elite grouping.

Delegation level talks also will be held between the two sides on the occasion.

Besides, the Prime Minister will interact with a select group of Switzerland business leaders during his short visit.

Prime Minister Modi reached Geneva late last night on the third leg of his five-nation tour after his visit to Afghanistan and Qatar.

All eyes are on Geneva as the top leaders of India, a strong believer in the Non-alignment and Switzerland, a traditionally neutral nation are meeting this morning.

The hopes on the outcome of bilateral discussions are high as an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Switzerland for the first time on a state visit almost after five decades.

The support of Switzerland for India getting the entry into the NSG is crucial as a high level NSG meeting is scheduled later during the month to finalise new memberships.

The visit gains significance as India seeks for membership so that it will ensure access to technology through that, India can meet its climate change commitments with clean energy and stability and the ease of doing business, irrespective of the political dispensation.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise with the Swiss authorities about the black money accounts and the two countries are working on finalising an arrangement that could pave the way for automatic exchange of information on tax-related issues.

Through his interaction with the Swiss business leaders, Prime Minister Modi is likely to boost confidence levels of investors in India. Human resource development matters such as encouraging Swiss Model of learning as part of the human resources development initiatives also likely to come up during the bilateral discussions.

Prime Minister Modi will reach Washington later in the evening after completing his tour of Afghanistan, Qatar and Switzerland.

This is Prime Minister's fourth visit to the United States.

The main objective of the visit would be to consolidate the progress made in diverse areas such as economy, energy, environment, defence, security and above all to intensify cooperation for the future.

(With agency inputs)
Geneva (Switzerland): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Geneva late last night on the third leg of his five-nation tour, on Monday issued a joint press statement with Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann here.

Beginning the press statement, PM Modi said, "I feel the weight of history in this truly international city. This is a city with a humanitarian soul. After all, it is the home of Red Cross."

On economic links between India and Switzerland

PM Modi, who addressed a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, and Nestle, said, "Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerland. So the scope for partnership is immense. We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us."

"The economic links between our two countries are strong and vibrant. India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. We see a perfect connect between our development needs and Swiss strengths," PM Modi said.

"Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann and I have agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs. Want Indian economy to be driven by smart and sustainable cities, robust farm sector, vibrant manufacturing and a dynamic service sector," Modi added.

"ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who`s who of Swiss business at Round Table with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Vikas Swarup, the spokesman of the ministry of external affairs tweeted.

ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who's who of Swiss business at Round Table with PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/zsxz0weg95  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

PM Modi woos investors in Geneva

Inviting a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India, PM Modi said, "I invite Swiss companies to be a key partner in India's economic growth. We are keen to welcome a large number of Swiss visitors to India, and have opened the facility of e-tourist visa for this."

On NSG membership

PM Modi, who sought Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as it is a key member of the elite grouping, also thanked Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann for their 'understanding and support' for India's bid.

During the joint address, Swiss President Schneider-Ammann too announced his country's support to India's membership in the 48-member grouping as he said, "We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG."

On Black Money

Raising the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks, PM Modi said, "We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. Early start to negotiations on the agreement on automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect."

PM Modi mentions Bollywood, Sania Mirza & Leander Paes

PM Modi highlighted successful Indo-Swiss collaborations using the example of tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, as he asserted, "Thanks to the Indian film industry, we are very familiar with the enchanting Swiss landscape. The successful Indo-Swiss collaborations include Martina Hingis partnering with our Sania Mirza and Leander Paes."

Switzerland is the third stop on PM Narendra Modi's five-nation tour, who arrived in Geneva earlier today after a successful visit to Doha. Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as Indias key partner in Europe.

The hopes on the outcome of bilateral discussions are high as an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Switzerland for the first time on a state visit almost after five decades.
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified new regulations which enable male students to file cases of sexual harassment for the first time.

As per the UGC (Prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions) Regulations notified in May 2016, sexual harassment is gender-neutral; male students are vulnerable to many forms of sexual harassment like their women and transgender counterparts.

The Telegraph reports that the regulation stresses that institutions must act decisively against gender-based violence.

As per the UGC provision, victim's friends, colleagues, relatives, co-students, or psychologists can file a complaint on his/her behalf if he/she is not able to do due to "physical or mental incapacity or death".

However, a complaint will have to be lodged within three months of the offence.

If any university or college fails to follow the UGC regulations, it would have to face action, including fund cuts.

Also, the regulations underline that an internal complaints committee, set up by a university, shall complete its probe within 90 days and the authorities will have to take action within 30 days.
The authority towed the capsized cruise ship ashore for investigation. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Da Nang police has launched today an investigation into the cause of the cruise capsize on Han River that resulted in three deaths.

Colonel Tran Muu, captain of the investigation team in Da Nang, said the citys police is determined to identify the culprits of the overturned cruise incident that killed three people, including two children on June 4.

In addition to the responsibilities of the ship-owner and the driver, we will consider other related individuals and organizations and take drastic measures to get to the bottom of this, said Muu.

Tomorrow, the police will form an investigation team. Ship-owner Vo Quoc Hung and captain Le Cong Chi of the capsized cruise will be handed to Da Nang police after giving their testimonies.

On June 4, a cruise ship called Thao Van, license plate DNa 0016, was carrying 55 people (including two crew members) as it departed from the Han River Port. After about 10 minutes, the ship suddenly tilted and capsized. Two cruise ships and a nearby canoe quickly came to a rescue, saving more than 40 people.

Da Nang authority ordered all cruise ships on Han River to halt operations for license and safety checks. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Preliminary investigation show that the boat overturned because of overload. The ship had only 28 seats but was carrying 56 people in total, according to Da Nang authority.

Thao Van was modified from a fishing vessel into a cruise ship and is the smallest one operating on the Han River. The ship sank once in 2014 with no casualties.

Da Nang is one of Vietnam's top tourist destinations for foreigners and locals.
Srinagar: Four persons were injured on Monday in an explosion inside a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp near Sonamarg hill station in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior police officer told IANS here, "Four persons were injured an explosion inside a BRO camp near Sonamarg in Ganderbal district today."

"The exact cause of the explosion is being ascertained, but it is mostly likely an accidental explosion as the BRO uses explosive material for road-laying operations in the mountainous areas," he said.

The injured have been taken to hospital, the officer said.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday hit out at the opposition and the media for playing up sensitive issues like setting up a separate enclave for army personnel to "paint Kashmir in a bad light".

"I do not know what these newspapers want. Do they want to set the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story," Mufti said in the state assembly.

The chief minister's angry outburst came after Independent legislator Engineer Rashid rushed to the speaker's podium waving a copy of a newspaper which had carried a frontpage report with a photograph that the government was building a separate township on the outskirts of Srinagar for soldiers who retire after serving in the troubled state.

She said the newspaper had "misreported" the facts to gain popularity and showed a Sainik colony under construction.

The chief minister sought to clarify that the photograph in the daily was that of residential quarters being made for spouses of married serving army personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment.

She warned that anyone trying to "disrupt peace" would be dealt with "sternly".

Mehbooba also lashed out at the opposition National Conference and the Congress during the stormy Question Hour and said they were raking up non-issues.

At the centre of her attack was her political bete noire Omar Abdullah, former chief minister and president of the National Conference.

"Omar Abdullah attended four meetings of the Sainik board and in all those four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of an enclave.

"Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet," she said in a jibe at Abdullah's frequent use of the microblogging site Twitter.

Abdullah denied the allegation that he had ordered land to be identfied for a separate soldiers' colony. "If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefitted."

He said it was in fact the chief minister who was putting the state on fire. "I think when the chief minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me."

"My small tweets prick you. Your mood gets spoiled. If I make you accountable by tweeting, I will continue it. I won't stop and I won't apologise for it."

The Congress members also took objection to the chief minister's remarks.

"Did the Anantnag attack happen due to the media," asked Congress leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, referring to the killing of two policemen by terrorists in the south Kashmir town on Saturday.


Srinagar: Security forces today launched a search operation in the forests of Handwara region of Kupwara district following a tip-off about presence of militants in the area, police said here.

"A search operation has been launched in the Bawan forests of Handwara by security forces this morning following inputs about a group of militants in the area," a police official said.

He said so far no contact has been established with the militants, who are believed to be hiding the dense forest area.
Bengaluru: As the battle for representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha rakes up, the Congress on Monday moved at least 14 Independent MLAs from the state to a five-star hotel in Mumbai.

As per the report, the confinement of MLAs has been done until Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad elections are held in the state. Congress is said to fear horse trading ahead of Rajya Sabha polls and thus in a bid to stop poaching of lawmakers, the party moved 14 Independent MLas to Marriot Hotel in Mumbai.

The move has come at a time when Election Commission is set to take cognisance of 'cash-for-votes sting' case, that allegedly showed MLAs negotiating for their votes.

Reacting to the charges of horse-trading, senior Congress leader Veeranna Mathikatti told News18 that the party did not corral the Independent MLAs. "The MLAs wanted protection from horse trading and therefore, they came to us with their support. The BJP has no moral right to make allegations against us. There is no exchange of money. Congress has not paid any money."

A Karnataka BJP leader has called the move as 'disgraceful' accusing Congress of engaging in the shameful act to keep its house in order.

The Congress is trying to gather support to get its three candidates elected to the Upper House from the state, however, the party is said to lack the required numbers.

"The Election Commission of India has received queries on the alleged sting operations by some channels related to the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka. In this regard, the commission has asked Karnataka`s Chief Electoral Officer to provide a report on the facts of the matter," the EC said.

A Congress delegation will be meeting the Election Commission at 12:30 pm today.

On Thursday, a 31-minute sting operation, conducted by Times Now over a week, with interviews and quotes from senior politicians, lawmakers, ministers and two candidates contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, allegedly exposed how votes can be "purchased" through favours in the guise of development.

The footage, recorded with open or hidden cameras, has the former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, his younger son and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, state cabinet minister D.K. Shivakumar, Congress lawmaker N.A. Harris, Congress nominee K.C. Ramamurthy, JD-S nominee B.M. Farooq and Independents Varthur Prakash, Ashok Kheny and Mankal Vaidya.

Though the expose does not show any cash being offered or exchanged, it claims to reveal that the Congress will give crores of rupees for the development of constituencies represented by Independents across the state.

Meanwhile, a few legislators, mostly from smaller parties, were shown talking about exchange of money in lieu of support in the coming Rajya Sabha elections in a sting aired by India Today TV channel on Thursday.

The sting pertained to two legislators from Janata Dal-Secular, one from the Karnataka Janata Paksha and an Independent.
New Delhi: The leading online retailer Amazon has once again found itself at the receiving end of social media fury, after it was found that they were selling doormats depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses on their website.

There was an instant outcry on Twitter with people urging other users to boycott the mobile app, as well as the e-commerce website.

The backlash levels against Amazon on the micro-blogging site were so high, that soon enough, #BoycottAmazon was seen trending in India.

Products with images of Hindu gods, Jesus Christ and verses from the Quran were being sold by a retailer called Rock Bull, but most of the tweets seem to have been directed at Amazon.

As per Mashable.com, after the backlash, Amazon reportedly removed most of the products from its site.

Last month, the online shopping giant came under fire for selling wildlife specimens and hunting equipment on its website.

Check out some of the furious tweets below!

#BoycottAmazon, Now! Uninstall the app and cancel the orders, let them feel the heat...rate the app at 1 star. pic.twitter.com/oodnIeltd8  Govinda Zavar (@zGovinda) June 5, 2016

#BoycottAmazon For Hurting Hindu Sentiments By Selling Door Mats Featuring Hindu Goddess Laxmi.

RT & Spread! pic.twitter.com/SHsg2lVcEg  Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) June 4, 2016
Imphal: The 'commander-in-chief' of insurgent outfit Thadaou People Liberation Army (TPLA) active in Manipur has been caught by the Army, defence sources said today.

Based on specific inputs on the presence of a senior TPLA cadre at Bethel Veng village in Senapati district, an operation was launched by troops of Army's Jwalamukhi Battalion and the outfit leader was apprehended on June 3.

The insurgent identified himself as 45-year-old Nekholen Lhouvum alias Helen and said he was the 'commander-in-chief' of the group, the sources said.

He also confessed to being involved in kidnappings, incidents of shootings and extortions in Sadar Hill area along with his group members.

A 9mm pistol (US made), one 9mm magazine and five live rounds of 9mm have been seized from him.

The sources said he was later handed over to Imphal West police station.
Bhubaneswar: Claiming that his government was doing "exceedingly well" in achieving its promises despite fund cuts by the Centre, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday he believes in work and not publicity.

"My government is accountable to the people of Odisha. We believe in work and not in publicity," Patnaik said at a hurriedly-convened media briefing in an obvious reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "deep slumber" barb against the state government.

Patnaik read out achievements of his governments, four days after Prime Minister Modi asked the people of Odisha whether the state government has ever presented the account during its over 16-year rule.

Modi, while addressing a public meeting at Balasore on June 2, had also called upon the people to opt for a political change in order to develop, while dubbing the state government to be in "deep slumber".

Targeting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Patnaik said "Most of the central government schemes, which used to be in the 90:10 sharing pattern have been changed to 60:40 or 50:50. This change in fund sharing will benefit developed states and deprive the not so developed eastern states, including Odisha."

The rising trend of cess and surcharge further deprives Odisha of the due share in the central taxes. The service tax, which was 12.36 per cent in 2014, has now effectively become 15 per cent (inclusive of surcharge and cess), the Chief Minister said, adding that this would further increase prices, putting a heavy burden on the common man.

Stating that he has reviewed the achievements of different departments vis-a-vis the manifesto of the ruling BJD, Patnaik said "I am happy with the overall progress. We are definitely moving towards achieving our promises."

"I am happy to note that most of the departments have done exceedingly well. In some areas, we have to improve. We are the only state in the country to adopt the manifesto as the agenda for governance the day we assumed office," the Chief minister said.

Patnaik, who did not take any question, claimed that the BJD government has created record in providing shelter security to more than a million households and expressed confidence that the 2.3 million target would be achieved in the stipulated time.

On BJD's promise of enhancing irrigation potential of the state, Patnaik claimed commissioning of mega lift and other efforts have led to the creation of three lakh hectares of additional irrigation.

"We have substantially increased our investment in irrigation and are moving towards the target of one million hectares of capacity addition," the Chief minister said.

Claiming that the effective rate of interest was made one per cent for crop loans to benefit small and medium farmers, he said electrification of 11.5 lakh households including three lakh BPL families, have been achieved so far.

He said the construction of 500 new sub-stations was in full swing.

This apart, Patnaik said his government, in a record time, has set up 100 Odisha Adarsh Vidyalays.

"It is heartening to note that more than 30,000 children from rural areas, some from the backward blocks, have been enrolled in this quality education initiative," he said.

On the proposed medical colleges in the state, Patnaik said despite stoppage of funds by the Centre, "We have gone ahead with the construction of six new medical colleges. I am hopeful that two of them will be functional by next year and the rest by 2018."

He said poor people in the state avail free medicines under Niramaya scheme, a unique distribution scheme of the state.

Besides, Patnaik claimed Odisha leads in providing universal coverage to mothers.

"More than two million women have been assisted under the Mamata Scheme," he said apparently in reference to Prime Minister Modi's concern over mother and child mortality rate in the country.

He also said Odisha leads in implementation of the Forest Rights Act.

"Our IPR 2015 has given further fillip to the industrial scenario in Odisha and we have been ranked very high in the Ease of Doing Business," Patnaik said.

Taking a dig at Patnaik for his statement, senior BJP leader and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said "Who prevents you from going for publicity? You do not publicise as you have no achievements."

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Narasingha Mishra of the Congress also lashed out at the Naveen government accusing it of failing to fulfil its promises of making 35 per cent of each block irrigated.
Chandigarh: Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday dubbed the Enforcement Directorate summon issued against his son Raninder Singh for alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as 'fraud notice' and said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley can't get over his defeat in the 2014 general election.

"This is total fraud notice. This issue of income tax and all has been done by Jaitley, he can't get over his defeat," Singh told ANI.

"Secondly, they are building up for the coming elections," he added.

It may be recalled here that Jaitley lost from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat to Amarinder Singh by nearly 90,000 votes in the 2014 general election.

The Punjab Congress chief also said this move is aimed to create political ramifications ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

"For the last two years, nothing happened and suddenly he (Jaitley) woke up and told the officers that he wanted something against me," he added.

The Congress MP further said the truth will come to the fore once this matter is taken up in the court.

"And, when it goes to court not one issue will stand up to judicial investigation," he added.

The Enforcement Directorate yesterday summoned Raninder Singh for alleged violation of the FEMA.

Raninder has been summoned by the agency at its Chandigarh office to explain the alleged movement of funds to Switzerland and creation of a trust and few subsidiaries in the tax haven of British Virgin Islands.

They said the alleged violations have earlier been investigated by the Income Tax department and a case in this regard is currently in court in Punjab. The next hearing in this case is slated for July 26.

The case came to fore when the Income Tax department received details of Raninder allegedly holding the offshore account in the alpine nation as part of details received in this regard by the Central Board of Direct Taxes from their French counterparts in 2011.
Amritsar: A small group of people who raised pro-Khalistan and anti-government slogans were whisked away by the SGPC Task Force and police as the 32nd anniversary of the Indian Army's 'Operation Bluestar' passed off peacefully at the Golden Temple complex here on Monday.

The slogans were raised soon after Akal Takht Jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh read out his address to the Sikh community.

Prayers were offered at the Golden Temple complex, which is home to the holiest of Sikh shrines Harmandar Sahib, on Monday morning to mark the Bluestar anniversary.

Except for a few pro-Khalistan and anti-government slogans by a small group of Sikh hardliners, the event passed off peacefully in front of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion located inside the temple complex.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members and police personnel in plainclothes kept a close watch on the hardliners trying to hijack the ceremony.

The task force members did not allow the hardliners to take control of the function.

Akal Takht Jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh read out his address to the Sikh community. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said scores of people attended the ceremony.

Security agencies were on alert in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, ahead of the Blue Star anniversary. Paramilitary forces and Punjab Police personnel kept a close watch in different parts of the city, especially around the Golden Temple complex.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had appealed to all sections to exercise restraint and observe the anniversary peacefully.

The appeal came due to apprehension of clashes between Sikh hardliners and moderates.

In the last three-four years, pro-Khalistan slogans have been raised by hardliners during the anniversary function. Clashes also took place in the last two years.

The Punjab Police detained several radical Sikh leaders ahead of the anniversary as a preventive measure.

Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa has called for an "Amritsar Bandh" on Monday.

Several people, including security personnel, were killed in 'Operation Blue Star', the Army's action on Amritsar's Golden Temple complex in June 1984 to flush out armed extremists led by separatist Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Jaipur: The 2.4-km second stage of Jaipur Metro is expected to be completed by March 2018, in which advanced technology has been employed with an eye on preserving the city's rich heritage.

"We have completed one tunnel already. It is Badi Chaupar. The second tunnel is about to be completed. We are right on schedule and the completion date is around March 2018," said Christopher Mark Cooper, Project Leader of the Jaipur Metro.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has undertaken the development of first phase of Jaipur Metro corridor.

The work for the 9.25-km phase 1A from Mansarovar to Chandpole began in February 2011 and within a span of four years, DMRC completed the construction and made the route operational, making it one of the fastest project implementations in Metro sector.

While the construction for phase 1B is being done by a Taiwanese company, DMRC is playing the role of general consultant.

Phase 1B is aimed at providing the metro service in the more inward and congested but significant areas of Jaipur.

Apart from enhancing connectivity and improving the city's public transport system, DMRC and Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) are also making it a point to preserve and promote the city's rich cultural, architectural and archaeological heritage.

Excavation at the two chaupars (city squares) -- Badi Chaupar and Choti Chaupar -- which fall on the proposed phase 1B route was thus done in scientifically and archaeologically appropriate manner.

During the excavation at Choti Chaupar station, a nearly 300-year-old water reservoir ('baoli') with ancient tunnels on all four sides was restored.

JMRC plans to reconstruct it at its original location after the completion of Choti Chaupar station.

The design of Choti Chaupar station has been revised to accommodate the water body over station roof and depth of the station was also increased.

DMRC and JMRC came up with similar innovative approach in the case of Chandpole gate, which though historically significant, was falling in way of the tunnel being dug to connect Chandpole metro station with yet-to-be-constructed Badi Chaupar.

"Chandpole was a big challenge not due to geology but due to very low overburden machine so it is technically very challenging. It was nice to complete it with zero damage to the Jaipur Gate," Cooper said.

DMRC is expanding its footprint in other parts of the country.

It has done the detailed planning of Phase-I of Kochi Metro for a 25.612-km corridor from Aluva to Pettah with 22 stations.

The construction of Phase-I of Kochi Metro started in June 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2017.

DMRC has prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Metro lines in other Indian cities also and is a consultant for them in various capacities.

This includes Metro projects in Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, East West Corridor of Kolkata Metro, Mumbai, Lucknow, Nagpur, Noida-Greater Noida, Vijaywada and Surat.

"We have constructed the Jaipur Metro (phase 1A) in nearly four years. We are also constructing the Kochi Metro. In fact, trials have already started there. These are the projects where DMRC has itself done the construction. These constructions are on fast-track and the work is being done swiftly," a top DMRC official said.

DMRC is also making its presence felt in the international arena lately.

It recently completed Special Assistance on Project Implementation study for the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit System in Indonesia.

It is also acting as a project consultant for the Dhaka Metro where it is helping in the preparation of specification and manuals for the Dhaka MRT-6 project.
Guns, machetes and grenades deployed as Vietnamese gangs take to the streets

Dozens of gang members traveled 150 kilometers from Quang Ngai to Binh Dinh to solve a bloody dispute yesterday that ended with police making four arrests.

The gang carried guns, grenades, knives and machetes to a deserted area, before calling out the rival gang for a showdown. The reason for the violence is still unclear.

Police check a car after members of the two gangs had fled the scene. Photo by VnExpress/Hong Trang

The two gangs opened fire on each other, and locals said they heard a loud explosion and locked their doors. Others who were out on the street ran for shelter.

Tens of police were called in to stop the fighting.

When they arrived at the site gang members from both sides scattered, but four were detained.

One of the gang members who was arrested. Photo by VnExpress/Hong Trang

The two gangs used guns and grenades to fight each other but no one was killed, a police officer said.

The case is under further investigation
Colombo: A major fire triggered a series of explosions at one of Sri Lanka's largest military ammunition dumps, killing one soldier and forcing thousands of people to flee as debris fell into populated areas damaging nearby homes.

In the worst ammunition depot fire in Lanka's history, the ammunition dump at Salawa area in Avissawella, 30 kms east of Colombo, caught fire at around 5 PM (local time) yesterday, setting off huge explosions that went on through the night.

Rocket-propelled grenade shells and shrapnel triggered by the explosions destroyed a hospital and hundreds of nearby homes, creating panic among thousands of people who rushed for cover, officials said.

"A soldier has been killed and the military has entered the premises," military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said, adding that soldiers have doused the fire.

More than 40 people were injured in the incident.

Firefighters had to struggle for more than 12 hours to douse the blaze at the Salawa military complex.

Thousands of people living close to the site were asked to vacate their homes and move to schools, temples and other places for cover as intermittent blasts were still erupting.

The incident is termed as the worst ammunition depot fire in Sri Lanka's history. The armoury is one of the largest ammunition storage of the Sri Lankan Army.

The cause behind the incident was not immediately known. Residents said loud explosions were heard with raging fire within the complex which houses weapons ranging from T56 rifles to mortar bombs.

All residents within a five kms radius of the complex were evacuated last night to prevent people from inhaling fumes emanating from the fire. Residents said the fire could be seen even this morning, more than 12 hours after the first explosions were heard.

President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered police's Crime Investigation Department to probe the incident.
Kabul: At least seven persons, including a district intelligence chief, were killed in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan`s Sari Pul province on Monday, a local official said.

"Sharraf Uddin, intelligence chief of Sangcharak district, was killed along with his deputy and three security force members following a militants` attack on Monday afternoon," an official told Xinhua.

A local leader, accompanying the targeted officials, and a child were also killed in the gun firing, he added.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the incident.
Kabul: An American photojournalist and his Afghan translator were killed in an attack in Helmand province of Afghanistan.

They were travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in on Sunday, their employer, National Public Radio, has announced.

Two other journalists travelling with American photojournalist David Gilkey and his translator Zabiullah Tamana were unharmed as their vehicle was struck by shellfire near the town of Marjah, Khamaa Press reported.

"David has been covering war and conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11," said an NPR official.

US Secretary of State John Kerry praising the "gifted storyteller", said: "This attack is a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defence and security forces to securing their country and of the courage of intrepid journalists."

Gilkey received an Emmy award in 2007 for the video series Band of Brothers, about Michigan marines in Iraq, while his role in an NPR investigation on veteran medical care helped the outlet earn a 2010 George Polk Award.

Last year, Gilkey was honoured with the Edward R Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.


Dhalka: Bangladesh`s home minister Monday announced a ban on motorcyclists carrying more than one passenger in an attempt to curb increasing numbers of deadly attacks by Islamic militants.

The move comes one day after three attackers on a motorcycle stabbed and shot dead the wife of a senior anti-terror police officer as she walked her young son to a school bus stop.

Police said they have detained four people over Sunday`s attack in the southern city of Chittagong, the latest in a wave of killings.

"They will be questioned over the murder," Chittagong police chief Iqbal Bahar told AFP, adding that officers have also seized the motorbike thought used by the three attackers.

The victim, Mahmuda Begum, 35, was the wife of decorated officer Babul Akter who in recent months led operations in Chittagong against top members of banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the government would ban multiple motorcycle passengers, a common sight on the impoverished nation`s traffic-clogged streets.

Police say militants often use motorbikes to carry out attacks.

"We will not allow three people to ride together and we will impose it by all means," Khan told reporters.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left more than 40 people dead in the last three years.

Authorities have blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks which have spiked in recent weeks, rejecting claims of responsibility from the Islamic State (IS) group and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda.

Khan said Sunday`s killing was revenge for Akter`s successful crackdown against local JMB militants that led to the death of the regional chief Mohammad Javed.

Begum`s murder was followed hours later by the machete killing of a Christian grocer at his store in the northeast -- an attack later claimed by IS.

Bangladesh`s secular government blames its opponents over the killings, saying they are trying to destabilise the country.

Experts say a government crackdown on opponents, including a ban on Bangladesh`s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami following a protracted political crisis, has pushed many towards extremism.
Islamabad: Pakistan`s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is "going back home" after successfully undergoing open heart surgery in London, his daughter said on Monday.

"Doctors satisfied with PM`s progress and latest reports. All being well, Insha`Allah PM will be discharged this afternoon," Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Twitter.

"PM going back home," she wrote in a second tweet.

The tweets did not clarify whether Sharif had actually been discharged from hospital or when he would be returning to Pakistan.

It was the 66-year-old`s second major cardiac medical procedure in five years.

His daughter last week tweeted to her almost two million followers that the surgery had been successful.

She also posted a picture of Sharif lying in an intensive care unit bed with his eyes closed and said he was "stable".

The London hospital where the procedure was carried out has not been officially named.

Sharif`s surgery lasted around four hours, according to his daughter`s tweets.

Sharif took power in a landslide in a May 2013 General Election, for the third time since 1990.

He has a power base rooted in Pakistan`s richest and most populous province, where he is known as the Lion of the Punjab.

But he has been under pressure since the so-called Panama Papers leak linked his family to a series of offshore companies.

The premier insists his family has done "nothing wrong", saying the claims had been investigated twice, decades ago, under the tenure of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The leaked papers claim his children owned London property through an offshore company.

Sharif pledged to resign if the allegations concerning him and his family were proven.
Dadri: Despite prohibitory orders being clamped in Dadri's Bishada, the villagers on Monday held a panchayat to discuss the case of Mohammad Akhlaq.

As per reports, a group of BJP and Shiv Sena politicians led a panchayat demanding action against the family of Akhlaq and also issued threats.

They held the meeting at the same temple where a priest had used the loudspeaker to alert the village about 'beef' at Akhlaq's house.

BJP's Sanjay Rana, whose son Vishal, has been arrested for Akhlaq's murder, was quoted by NDTV as saying, "We give them 20 days. If there is no action, even I can't guarantee that I can control this public anger."

"People have been yelling that there has been cow slaughtering so something should also be done in this regard," he was further quoted as saying but added that "there is no tension in the village."

The police said that it allowed the panchayat as a way of keeping the peace, as per the report.

Meanwhile, Jaan Mohammad, Akhlaq's brother told the TV channel, "I appeal to all, please maintain our communal harmony. We just want truth to be revealed, and we want peace."

On the other hand, Yusuf Saifi, advocate for the victim's family, said that meat piece was recovered from the nearby transformer and not from Akhlaq's house. "We will challenge the forensic report in the court," he said.

Earlier today, prohibitory orders had been clamped and security stepped up in Bishada village in the wake of the proposed mahapanchayat over demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter nine months after he was lynched over rumour that his family had eaten beef.

District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh had clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after villagers had announced panchayat for today.

Residents of the village, including kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, yesterday had met the SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

VHP leader Surindera Jain had yesterday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said, as per PTI.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

"Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," PL Punia said.

(With Agency inputs)
Lucknow: In the first major fallout after the Mathura clashes, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday shunted out the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura even as it dismissed BJP's charge that there was political pressure on police to not evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh.

"#UPCM@yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who has been under attack over the violence, tweeted.

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar has been put on the wait list and has been replaced by Special Secretary PWD Nikhil Chandra Shukla.

SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh has been replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar, an official statement said.

In its report to the Union Home Ministry, the state government rejected BJP's charge that there was political pressure on police to not evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh park and said the recent violence there was the result of the failure of local authorities.

Links to Naxals have not been ruled out given the quantity and type of weapons used by Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi - an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The state government admitted that last Thursday's clashes between the police and squatters belonging to the cult at the public park was the result of the failure of the local police to assess the situation.

The report said the police was forced to act before they had made adequate preparations following an attack by the cult members.

According to reports, a police contingent led by Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi had gone to Jawahar Bagh on June 2 for a recce when it came under attack. In the clashes that ensued 29 people, including Dwivedi and the SHO of the local police station Santosh Kumar, were killed. Cult leader Ram Vriksh Yadav was also found dead.

The members of the obscure cult were heavily armed and outnumbered the police force which went to evict the encroachers from the Jawahar Bagh park last week on a court order, the report said, noting that grenades and automatic weapons were freely used against the police.

Chief minister's uncle, Shivpal Yadav, who is a minister, has been accused by BJP of being a patron of the cult which moved into the 280-acre park in 2014.

Shivpal has denied any links to the cult, demanding that the BJP "either prove its allegations or apologise publicly".

IG (Law and Order) H R Sharma told reporters that post mortem examination has been conducted over 19 bodies. While 18 bodies have been cremated, 10 out of 11 charred bodies have been identified.

So far, 45 cases have been registered against 3,000 encroachers.

A day after the clashes, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had admitted on Friday that there were "some lapses" on the part of the police in Mathura during the anti-encroachment drive and that there was no information that protesters had so much of weapons and ammunitions with them.

"There were some lapses. Police should have gone with full preparation and after holding talks, but there was no information that they would be having so much (arms and ammunition," Akhilesh had said.

The transfers were ordered by the chief minister even as Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chandra Kant launched a probe to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, which left the Samajwadi Party government red-faced and invited sharp criticism from the opposition.

Targeting the SP government, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the law and order situation in the state has collapsed in the state and asked it to write to the Centre to institute a CBI probe on the clashes.

"There is more to it than meets the eye. What does not meet the eye needs to be revealed. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you should write to the Centre seeking a CBI probe. If UP government recommends a CBI probe we will surely accept it. It is not an ordinary incident," Singh had told a rally in Amroha yesterday.

BJP chief Amit Shah has also accused Shivpal Yadav of patronising the cult.

A BJP delegation met UP Governor Ram Naik and demanded CBI inquiry into Mathura violence and sacking of Shivpal Yadav, even as party workers held state-wide demonstrations and clashed with police.

The delegation was led by BJP state president Keshav Prasad Maurya, party spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.


Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transferred the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura four days after a deadly clash left 29 people dead and several others injured.

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's office confirmed the development through a tweet on its official Twitter handle.

District Magistrate and SSP of Mathura have been transferred. New incumbents will join soon, it said.

On #UPCM @yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon.  CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) June 6, 2016

Babloo Kumar has been appointed the next SSP of Mathura, reports said.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea demanding a CBI probe into the recent violence in Mathura.

As per news agency ANI, the apex court posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday.

The development came days after violence had erupted in Mathura on June 2 during an operation to evict members of a religious group 'Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi' from government land.

The deadly clash between police and a cult group claimed at least 29 lives and left hundreds other injured.

Meanwhile, the Congress party today called on the Akhilesh Yadav led-Uttar Pradesh Government to form a special team under the supervision of the High Court and run a fair trial in the recent Mathura violence, saying the CBI does not need to intervene right now as it will only delay the investigation.

Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari told ANI that the Samajwadi Party led state government should ask for a CBI probe only if they are not satisfied with the investigation of the special team.

"I believe the Mathura incident is a heart wrenching and painful episode where two of our vigorous soldiers have been killed. There should be a fair investigation .the culprits must be punished," he said.

"A special team can be formed in Uttar Pradesh itself. And I believe it will be much better if this is coordinated under the supervision of the High Court," he added.

Taking potshots at Chief Minister Akhikesh Yadav and his family, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said on Sunday that the Centre was ready for a CBI probe into the matter provided the Uttar Pradesh Government demands the same in writing.

The Home Minister said it seems there is something hidden in the entire episode.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother and state PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the Mathura violence.

It also came to light that Uttar Pradesh government had disregarded 40 intelligence reports indicating presence of a large number of licensed and unlicensed firearms inside Jawahar Bagh  the site of the deadly clash.
New Delhi: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Monday accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of antics and lip-service on Mathura violence, and alleged the BJP and Samajwadi Party are working "hand in glove".

"Dono partiya aapas mein mili hue haen (These two parties are hand in glove with each other)," Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said in a statement here, adding such nexus has only added to the miseries of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acted differently on West Bengal violence but with regard to the violence in Uttar Pradesh it is showing inaction.

"With regard to West Bengal (violence), the central government had taken several initiatives and tried for a CBI probe. But they are only indulging in rhetoric and drama in Uttar Pradesh," she said.

The BSP supremo reminded the BJP-led central government that besides the party winning as many as 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also is an elected member from the state. "So, it becomes all the more important that the Centre shows more accountability towards the affairs in the state," she said.

Referring to Mathura violence, Mayawati flayed Governor Ram Naik for his perceived "silence".

She alleged the Mathura violence was sparked off due to the state administration`s tacit support to the "land grabbers".

"However, the inadequate action of the central government suggests that the intelligence reports on the emerging situation in Mathura should have been passed on to the state government. This may be considered an act of negligence of the central government," Mayawati alleged.
Lucknow: Ahead of the high voltage 2017 Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh, a big decision has been taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.

Zee Media quoted sources as saying, while banking on the leadership of the prime minister, BJP has decided that Narendra Modi will hold one rally each in the poll bound state.

The saffron party will sound it's poll bugle in UP on June 13, 2016, with a grand rally led-by PM Modi. The rally is scheduled to take place in Allahabad after BJP's national executive meeting in the state.

During the meet, PM's further course of action and details of his various other rallies will also be finalised, as per the report.

Notably, after registering a landslide victory in the recently concluded Assam Assembly elections, BJP's big focus is on Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Following its debacle in Bihar Assembly polls last year, the BJP had projected a chief ministerial candidate in Assam and won the polls along with its allies.

The Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party is certain to go all guns blazing to win the 2017 UP elections, which sends maximum MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Notably, the BJP had won on 71 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. Congress won two, Samajwadi Party five and Mayawati's Bhaujan Samaj Party wasn't able to open its account.

Key players in the state  Bharatiya Janata Party led by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati - are personality driven and have their strong vote bases. Meanwhile, Congress, which has been out of power in the state for nearly three decades, suffers from a leadership crisis.
Maritime disputes loom large as U.S., China start Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing

China's President Xi Jinping (right) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (left) during the joint opening ceremony of the 8th round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th round of U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, in Beijing June 6, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Damir Sagolj

Mounting tensions over South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea) territorial rows could overshadow U.S.-China talks in Beijing Monday, after the two global powers exchanged barbs over the disputed waterway.

China claims nearly all of the sea despite competing declarations by several Southeast Asian neighbors and has built artificial islands suitable for military use in the South China Sea (Vietnamn's East Sea).

Washington has responded by sending warships close to Chinese-claimed reefs, angering Beijing.

Tensions mounted after the South China Morning Post reported last week Beijing could establish an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the sea -- which would require civilian aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers.

On a trip to Mongolia Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the establishment of such a zone would be considered "a provocative and destabilizing act".

"We believe that it is critical that no country move unilaterally to militaries the region," he told reporters in Ulan Bator.

Kerry arrived later Sunday in Beijing for the two-day "Eighth U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue", which will also be chaired by U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang.

The meeting follows an Asian security summit in Singapore Sunday attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, where the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea) dispute was front and centre.

"The South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea) issue has become overheated because of the provocations of certain countries for their own selfish interests," Admiral Sun Jianguo said at the meeting.

Despite the terse exchanges, Kerry insisted this week's dialogue with Beijing was about cooperation, not discord.

"Some people want to try to create a sense of tension and clash, but I think it's much more important to be working on the things that we can do to cooperate together and to make a difference," he told Hong Kong's Phoenix TV in an interview aired Sunday.

He highlighted areas of collaboration between the global superpowers, including on the Iran nuclear deal, combating Ebola in west Africa and supporting UN sanctions against North Korea, Beijing's traditional ally.

Concerned

Monday's meeting is set to cover issues beyond the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea), including climate change, cyber-security, terrorism, trade and economic cooperation.

A U.S. Treasury Department statement said talks will focus on "a wide range of bilateral, regional and global areas of immediate and long-term economic and strategic interest".

But ahead of the meeting, a U.S. official told AFP: "The tensions on the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea) are higher than last year. We remain concerned."

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims in the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea), which encompasses vital global shipping routes and is believed to have significant oil and gas deposits.

Manila accuses China of taking effective control of the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and has brought a case against Beijing to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. China has shunned the proceedings and says it will not recognize any ruling.

China's vice minister of foreign affairs Zheng Zeguang warned against rising tensions ahead of Monday's meeting.

"Confrontation between the U.S. and China will only be disastrous for the two countries and for the world," he told reporters Thursday.

While in China, Kerry will also attend the annual U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People exchange, a forum bringing together government officials and private sector representatives to strengthen ties in fields such as education, culture and sports.

Kerry arrived in Beijing after visiting Mongolia, which he hailed as an "oasis of democracy" sandwiched between China and Russia.
Baqaa: A gunman apparently acting alone killed five Jordanian intelligence agents on Monday in a daylight "terrorist attack" on their office in a Palestinian refugee camp north of the capital.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks in the past.

"The intelligence agency office in the Baqaa camp was the target of a cowardly attack shortly before 7:00 am (0400 GMT) today that left five agents dead," government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.

Momani said security forces were investigating who was responsible for the "terrorist attack" on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

A security source told AFP that preliminary findings suggested the attack was carried out by a lone gunman who opened fire with an automatic weapon before escaping.

The shooting happened as the team members were starting their shift.

It was unclear whether the gunman was a camp resident or an outsider, the source said, adding that experts were poring over CCTV footage for more clues.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS`s predecessor Al-Qaeda in Iraq killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

The Baqaa camp, where Monday`s attack took place, is 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Amman and is the largest of the kingdom`s 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

On Monday security forces blocked the road to the camp to keep journalists away, an AFP correspondent said.

Former member of parliament Mahmud al-Kharabsha said what happened in Baqaa had been "expected"."This camp was chosen for an attack in order to sow sedition (between Palestinians and Jordanians) in the country," Kharabsha told AFP in Baqaa.

"What happened was expected. Jordan is in the midst of a cyclone and shares long borders with Syria and Iraq," he added.

Baqaa -- which suffers from chronic poverty and unemployment -- houses around 220,000 people, including more than 100,000 of the two million Palestinian refugees who live in Jordan.

It was one of "six emergency camps" set up in 1968 to house Palestinians fleeing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War during which Israel seized the Palestinian territories, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Baqaa was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp, a court official said at the time.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member taking part in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.

msh-kt/ila/hkb/srm
Washington: US President Barack Obama will visit Poland and Spain in July, in what will likely be his final trip to Europe, a continent that has often presented more problems than opportunities during his presidency.

The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain.

During his nearly eight years in office, Obama has at times had difficult relationships with America`s oldest allies.

For most of his first term, Europe was frustratingly slow to contain sovereign debt crises that were fed by and prolonged the Great Recession.

Relations with Europe were further tested by Obama`s "pivot to Asia" -- which was widely perceived as capping a decades-long strategic shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Obama has publicly said that it was a mistake to depend on European allies to manage Libya`s emergence from decades of Muammar Gaddafi's s dictatorial rule.

Five years after Gaddafi was killed, the country is still in turmoil and is now a base for the Islamic State group.

That is likely to be a topic of discussion in Warsaw, along with Russia`s continued testing of NATO resolve in eastern and central Europe.

The Russian annexation of Ukraine`s Crimea region was followed with active support for separatists in the east of the country.

The country is today de facto partitioned, posing a significant obstacle for Kiev`s reform efforts and plunging the West in Russia into the biggest standoff since the Cold War.

Meanwhile, Russian aircraft have launched a series of provocative intercepts of NATO, Swedish, and other craft.

In response to "an aggressive Russia," Obama has announced an increased US troop presence in eastern Europe, with continuous rotations of an additional armored brigade beginning in early 2017.

Obama will also hold bilateral talks with Poland`s conservative President Andrzej Duda to "reaffirm the American commitment to Poland`s security, and exchange views on the broader security environment in Europe," the White House said.

Duda`s government is deeply controversial, accused by critics of breaking EU norms on democracy by reforming the constitutional court.

In Warsaw, Obama will also hold talks with EU leaders, hoping to kick forward stalled transatlantic trade talks, although a breakthrough before he leaves office seems unlikely.

In Spain, Obama will meet the country`s acting president.

Spaniards will go to the polls on June 26, the country`s second general election in six months.

December 20 elections were inconclusive that put an end to Spain`s traditional two-party system.

Spain has never had a coalition government and parties tried in vain since the polls to cobble together an alliance which had enough support to be able to pass a parliamentary vote of confidence.
Jersey City: Donald Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Muammar Gaddafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

"Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Trump said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" that aired yesterday.

"He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay."

"He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there," Trump said. "And it became sort of a big joke."

The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gaddafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.

Gaddafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.

At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally and was then re-erected, to the town's chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land.

Representatives of Gaddafi loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had "no idea" that Gaddafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told The Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates.

"We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.
Male: A Maldives court has convicted the country's former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The decision by the Criminal Court today in a session closed to the media made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge since President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected in 2013.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, former Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim and head of a leading political party, Sheik Imran Abdulla, are the others to get lengthy prison terms.

Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.

The cases have been criticized for a lack of due process violations.

Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Gayoom when an explosion hit his presidential speedboat last year.
Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel`s office hit back on Monday at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a blistering row over a German parliamentary vote declaring the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians.

Erdogan has angrily condemned last week`s vote on the World War I massacres, charging that the 11 German MPs with Turkish roots who backed it supported "terrorism" by the banned Kurdish Workers` Party (PKK), and demanding Sunday that they undergo "blood tests" to see "what kind of Turks they are".

But Merkel`s spokesman Steffen Seibert said that while Berlin also considers the PKK a terrorist group, "to associate individual members of Parliament with terrorism is utterly incomprehensible to us".

Integration Minister Aydan Ozoguz labelled the terrorism claim "incredible" and said it "represents a severe test for German-Turkish relations".

The June 2 vote added yet another bone of contention to Turkey`s troubled relationship with the European Union, and comes as the 28-nation bloc is banking on Ankara to block the flow of migrants into Europe.

Seibert made clear that "the resolution was a political initiative that emerged from the midst of the Bundestag, which is a democratically-elected, independent organ under our constitution".

"The Bundestag reached a sovereign decision. That must be respected," Seibert said, adding that this was the message Merkel had given to the Turkish president.Erdogan -- in a bitter reaction to the vote to recognise the 1915-1916 killings as genocide -- singled out German Greens party co-leader Cem Ozdemir, one of the instigators of the resolution.

Ozdemir has been placed under police protection after receiving anonymous death threats.

Integration Minister Ozoguz, of the Social Democrats, said that "the death threats against us, members of the German Bundestag, are absolutely unacceptable and deeply shock me".

"I expect that Parliament will now clearly express its solidarity with us and will not leave us alone in this," she told national news agency DPA.

The Turkish community in Germany -- which broadly opposes the `genocide` vote -- nonetheless also criticised Erdogan on Monday for the pressure his government and its supporters had placed on German lawmakers of Turkish origin.

"We find death threats and demands for blood tests abhorrent," its chairman Gokay Sofuoglu told DPA.

"I think the era when people were defined by their blood ended in 1945. This is absolutely out of place."
Hanoi: India and Vietnam are looking at deepening defence cooperation, an official statement said on Monday after Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his counterpart here.

Parrikar, who arrived here on an official visit on Sunday, and met Vietnamese National Defence Minister, Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich, and they reviewed the "entire spectrum" of defence cooperation initiatives and focussed on measures to further strengthen their bilateral defence relations, the statement said.

The two ministers welcomed the efforts made by their armed forces to further extend collaboration in new fields.

Parrikar complimented Vietnam on their successful participation in the International Fleet Review held in India in February 2016. Visiting the elite 308 Division, he complimented the efforts of the Vietnam People`s Army soldiers on their contribution in the past.

He also visited the Research and Development facilities of Viettel Group of industries even as both ministers emphasised the need for greater defence industry cooperation.

Parrikar also attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries with the focus on enhancing defence industry networking, information sharing and exploration of possibilities for partnerships and collaborations between the two countries.

It also saw the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Ltd. India had recently provided Vietnam with a $100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by it for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, both leaders emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of information in the maritime domain. The two sides also focussed on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

Parrikar also extended an invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart to visit India at an early date and the invitation was accepted.

He also called on Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday.

"The leaders reviewed the Strategic Partnership and the new initiatives undertaken to further strengthen it. They reiterated the resolve to continue high-level contacts between the leaders of both countries," the statement said.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Washington today on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama to review bilateral ties and address a joint session of the US Congress.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews from Switzerland where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Penultimate leg of PM Narendra Modi's journey begins as he arrives in Washington D.C. On a sunny summer afternoon," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

US' Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal were among the top officials present at the base to receive Prime Minister Modi.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the US Congress. He will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to do so. Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Obama.

Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit "reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world", a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.

This is Prime Minister Modi's fourth visit to the US.

"In my meeting with the President on June 7, we will seek to build upon the progress achieved in providing new vigour and momentum to our strategic partnership in diverse areas," Modi had said before departing for his five-nation tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

Modi will begin his US visit by paying tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery. He will then meet heads of a number of American think tanks and will attend an event to repatriate Indian antiquity by the US.

Modi will also address the 40th AGM of the USIBC (US India Business Council) and meet US business leaders.

"India and USA are natural partners, two vibrant democracies that celebrate their diversity and pluralism. Strong India-USA ties benefit not only our two nations but also the entire world," Modi had said.

From the US, Modi will visit Mexico before heading back to India.
Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif`s recovery is on track, his daughter Maryam Nawaz has said, nearly a week after he underwent surgery.

"PM`s recovery on course. Was made to walk several times in the corridor during the day, and up and down a flight of stairs twice," Maryam tweeted.

Since Sharif was hospitalised, Maryam has taken charge of the media management in the Sharif camp, feeding the press updates on her father`s medical condition, Dawn online reported.

From announcing Sharif`s decision to undergo the surgery, to tweeting his first picture after the procedure, Maryam`s Twitter feed has provided minute details about how much time the premier would spend inside the intensive care unit (ICU).

Maryam also update the media about Sharif`s plans to come back home.

Sharif underwent open-heart surgery at a London hospital and was moved to an intensive care unit in a stable condition last week.

He is expected to return to Pakistan before the end of Ramadan, Maryam said earlier.

"Three of his arteries were blocked. It will take five or six days for the prime minister to get discharged from the hospital and we expect that he will return home in three to four weeks," she had said.

Following his surgery, Sharif will be overseeing the affairs of government from London.
Paris: French authorities on Monday evacuated 1,850 migrants from a tent camp which had sprung up in a Paris park, where conditions had nosedived after one of the wettest Mays on record.

The Paris regional government said the operation was the biggest carried out in the capital where makeshift camps have mushroomed in recent months as France struggles to accomodate asylum seekers.

The migrants were taken by bus to about 60 different reception centres in the Paris region, in what was the 23rd such evacuation of the past year.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told Europe 1 radio there had been 1,300 people counted at the camp on Sunday -- mostly Afghans, Sudanese and Eritreans -- but that numbers had surged as word spread they would be rehoused.

The camp had already been evacuated a month ago.

"I never thought I would spend my first nights in Paris on the street," said Ali, a 28-year-old English teacher from Somalia, keen to take a shower, eat and have a good night`s sleep once he arrived at the reception centre.

"Really, it was horrible, people were sick, toilets were overflowing," he said.

Last week, Hidalgo said she wanted to create a refugee camp in Paris to provide proper accommodation for asylum seekers and ease the pressure on overflowing housing centres.

And French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France would take in 400 refugees a month from Greece as part of an EU relocation deal it signed last year.

In September, EU states inked a deal to share out 160,000 refugees as Europe deals with an unprecedented migration crisis which saw more than a million arrivals last year.

However, there has been next to no progress, with less than one percent of that figure redistributed so far.

Under the deal, France agreed to take in 30,000 refugees, but so far it has only taken in 500. Even at 400 per month, it would still fall far short of its obligations.

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Beirut: Syrian regime troops supported by Russia and US-backed fighters pressed twin offensives against the Islamic State group Monday as pressure built on the jihadists` northern strongholds in the war-torn country.

The advance comes as 17 civilians -- nearly half of them children -- were killed in air raids on a popular market in eastern Syria on the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

In northern Syria, IS fighters in the town of Tabqa are caught between Russian-backed regime forces advancing from the southwest and US-supported Kurdish and Arab fighters pushing in from the north.

The coincidence of the near-simultaneous attacks has raised speculation about possible coordination between the United States and Russia in the anti-IS fight.

The Syrian Democratic Forces -- led by the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) -- last week launched an assault on Tabqa, its military base, and a nearby dam from the north of Raqa province.

They are slowly working their way through vast agricultural plains to reach the strategic locations and are still at least 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of Tabqa.

But after the government`s latest advance on Monday, regime forces pushing north were closer to Tabqa than the SDF, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Russian-backed government fighters are now within 24 kilometres (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the key reservoir in the Euphrates Valley contained by the Tabqa Dam, the Britain-based Observatory said.

"There is a joint operations room in Baghdad where the Iraqis and the Syrians are coordinating with the support of the Americans and the Russians," a source close to the regime said on Monday.

Around Tabqa in particular, the source said, it would be "impossible" for the US and Russia to back their respective ground allies if they did not coordinate.

London-based analyst Matthew Henman stressed that any coordination between Washington and Moscow has so far been "informal".

"There may be an element of informal, top-level coordination to avoid any confusion or inadvertent clashes but full coordination is unlikely," said Henman, who heads IHS Jane`s Terrorism and Insurgency Research Centre.

Russia last month floated a proposal for joint air strikes with the United States against jihadists in Syria, but the offer was swiftly rejected.

Two years after it shot to international infamy after declaring a fundamentalist "caliphate," IS is coming under mounting international pressure.

In Iraq, US-backed forces are laying siege to Fallujah, which IS has held since 2014.

In Syria, besides the Raqa front, IS is also under attack by the Kurdish-led SDF in Aleppo province.

SDF fighters crossed the Euphrates near the border with Turkey and pushed west towards the jihadist-held Syrian city of Manbij.

Analysts suspect that the SDF`s operational focus on Manbij may explain the alliance`s minimal progress towards Tabqa.

Manbij lies at the heart of a pocket of IS-held territory along the border that US commanders regard as the principal entry point for foreign fighters and funds.

Both Manbij and Tabqa stand on a key supply route from the IS-held border town of Jarabulus to the jihadists in Raqa city. The US government estimates that IS has between 19,000 and 25,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Syria`s conflict has evolved into a complex war involving foreign powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Peace talks to end the five-year war -- which has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions -- have stalled and a related ceasefire is in tatters.

On Monday, 17 civilians -- among them eight children -- were killed in air strikes on Al-Asharah, an IS-held town in eastern Deir Ezzor province.

The Observatory said the strikes were suspected to have been carried out by either Russian or Syrian government planes.

Neither IS nor its rival al Qaeda was included in the truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels which came into effect in February after efforts by Washington and Moscow.

While the battles for the key locations of Tabqa and Manbij intensify, it appears the fight for Raqa city -- which would be a much more symbolic victory -- has taken a backseat.

The US-backed SDF alliance`s offensive north of the IS stronghold last month started amid much fanfare.

But Henman said "Raqa will likely be one of, if not the last Islamic State bastion to fall in Syria".

"Both Damascus and the Kurds would like to be the ones to do it and would prefer not to see the other in control of it."
On Monday (June 6) afternoon, Director of Hoang Lien National Park Nguyen Quang Vinh confirmed he has received a report that a British tourist has gone missing after setting out to climb the 3,143 meter Fansipan Mountain in northwest Vietnam.

A massive search was launched by the authorities in Sa Pa District and Hoang Lien National Park early on June 4, and local police and rangers have also been called in.

According to Express.co.uk, a British Foreign Office spokeswoman has confirmed Aiden Webb, a young British backpacker from Norwich, is missing.

Aiden Webb, 22, has been reported missing for three days in the mountains near Sapa in the northwest of Vietnam by his family.

His aunt, Lisa Shaw Webb, raised the alarm via a widely-shared Facebook posting, saying he was last seen three days ago on Fansipan Mountain in Hoang Lien National Park.

I'm sad to announce that my nephew Aiden Webb has gone missing in Vietnam, Lisa wrote on a picture of Aiden on her Facebook account. As a family we are trying hard to locate him. His dad (my brother Trever) and my other brother (Michael) are flying out to Vietnam tonight at 6 p.m. to help in the search... this is very upsetting for our family.

In her most recent post, Lisa wrote: "Latest message from Bluebell who's out there with Aiden Webb: They have sent two teams into the mountain this morning following the streams as I suggested Aiden probably will have chosen to stay near water and perhaps follow the stream down the mountain. 20 men slept on the mountain last night and have been searching again this morning."

In the comments section on Lisa's post, some local people have claimed they have seen a blonde tourist in Hoang Lien National Park who looks like Aiden. However, no confirmation has been made.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the search, which has attracted $1,435 in donations so far.

If you want to help with the search, you can visit www.facebook.com/lisa.s.webb1 for more information.

Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina at 3,143 meters (10,312 ft), is a popular destination for Vietnamese and overseas trekkers. It is located in Lao Cai Province to the northwest of Vietnam.
New Delhi: At least three people were killed and 40 injured in a collision between a goods train and a passenger train in Belgium around one hour before midnight on Sunday, according to reports.

The accident reportedly occurred on the line linking Namur and Liege in the east of the country, close to the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse.

"A train... carrying around 40 passengers crashed into the back of a freight train on the same track... The collision derailed two of the six carriages," Reuters news agency quoted Belgian railways SNCB in a report.

Francis Dejon, the mayor of the Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse district told Belga news agency three people were dead and 40 injured in the crash, according to a preliminary estimate.

Local emergency services and reinforcements from the nearest city of Liege were at the site of the crash.
London: A British paedophile who preyed on Christian children in an impoverished part of Kuala Lumpur was sentenced today to life with a minimum term of 25 years.

Judge Peter Rook handed Richard Huckle 22 life sentences to be served concurrently after he pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences.

Huckle, 30, held his hands together in prayer as the judge delivered his sentence, and remained impassive as his punishment was announced.

A woman in the public gallery leapt to her feet and shouted "a thousand deaths is too good for you" as Huckle was led out of court.

Rook said Huckle had almost certainly "blighted the lives of his victims forever".

The prolific offender has already spent 488 days in jail, so faces more than 23 years behind bars before a parole board can consider his release.

Among the admitted offences were 22 charges of rape against children he groomed while posing as a volunteer working with Christian communities in the Malaysian capital.

"Relentlessly you preyed on the very young," said Rook. "You targeted and groomed impoverished children".

Huckle posted pictures of the abuse of boys and girls on website True Love Zone (TLZ), with the youngest victim believed to have been around six months old.

He was eventually snared by an Australian investigation into the site.

British police arrested Huckle, from Kent in southeast England, at London Gatwick Airport in December 2014 as he returned home from Malaysia to spend Christmas with his parents.

He was carrying a heavily-encrypted computer and camera that contained over 20,0000 images of child sex abuse, over 1,000 of which showed him committing offences including rape.

The laptop contained a ledger in which he detailed the abuse of 191 victims, but officers were unable to press charges on all cases as there was no photographic evidence.

Huckle handed the judge a note before sentencing today pleading for leniency and his defence argued in mitigation that he had not inflicted any physical pain on his victims, a claim the judge dismissed.

"I've been shown some of the video footage and I'm sure that your action caused immediate pain and distress," said Rook. "Others were passive, having been groomed into submission."

The court heard that Huckle had written a guide to child abuse that he intended to publish for profit.
Beijing: The US and China started their annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing Monday, as rising tensions in the South China Sea threatened to overshadow the meeting.

"China and the US need to increase mutual trust," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in opening remarks, calling for redoubling of efforts for the two powers to manage conflicts and avoid "strategic misjudgement".

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea despite competing declarations by several Southeast Asian neighbours and has built artificial islands in the area suitable for military use.

Washington has responded by sending warships close to Chinese-claimed reefs, angering Beijing.

The meeting is set to cover issues beyond the South China Sea, including climate change, cyber-security, terrorism, trade and economic cooperation.
Tokyo: The US Navy on Monday banned its sailors stationed in Japan from drinking in response to the arrest of an American sailor in Okinawa on a suspected DUI charge.

According to officials, the indefinite ban applies to all sailors based in Japan or transiting through, the Japan Times reported.

"We have recognised a problem, we`re owning it, and we`re doing everything we can to ensure that every one of our sailors understands how important our behaviour is to the alliance and to our relationship to the people of Japan," said Ronald Flanders, spokesman for Naval Forces Japan.

All sailors will be confined to their bases unless they are billeted to in-town accommodation.

Those who live off base will be allowed to travel to and from work, schools, gas stations, grocery stores and the gym. Other activities were prohibited by the order and subject to military law.

The restrictions are some of the most sweeping affecting off-duty behaviour by US sailors in Japan in recent years.

On Saturday, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, who is assigned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, was arrested after allegedly driving a car on the wrong side of the road, hitting two cars and injuring two people.

She is being held by Japanese police on suspicion of drunken driving.

In March, an American sailor was arrested following the suspected rape of a Japanese tourist at a hotel in Okinawa. He pleaded guilty.
Beijing: US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is visiting Beijing for the eighth session of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue that kicked off on Monday, has urged China to obey the rules of international law to resolve the South China Sea issue.

"The only position we have taken is not to sort this out through unilateral actions, but resolve it through the rule of law, diplomacy, negotiation," Kerry said as the world's two largest economies hope to reconcile their geopolitical disagreements and negotiate mutually beneficial investment deals in the two-day talks.

The talks will be held between Vice Premier Wang Yang and Chinese Councillor Yang Jiechi and Kerry and US Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.

Kerry had warned Beijing at a news conference days earlier that the Chinese establishment of an air defence zone over the South China Sea would be a "provocative and destabilising act".

China had last month insisted on its rights to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) extending up to 482 km beyond its territorial seas based on a 1947 map of the disputed, resource-rich South China Sea islands, Efe reported.

A verdict by Permanent Arbitration court in The Hague, on the appeal launched by the Philippines to thwart China's growing domination over the archipelago, is also expected to darken the Sino-American dialogue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said differences between the two countries are "natural", and Washington should "avoid using the differences as an excuse for confrontation", referring to US military redeployment in many of the six countries embroiled in the maritime spat.

Kerry has also expressed wishes for a consensus to pave the way for pending bilateral economic deals valued at about $30 billion -- more than twice the $15 billion invested by Chinese companies in the North American nation last year.

According to the US Council on Foreign Relations, if the vital trade routes through the South China Sea and East China Sea are not managed wisely, multilateral conflicts are likely to erupt into battlefields that will mar economic gains.

"It's up to us to ensure that America and China are more partners than rivals," the US Secretary of State tweeted on Monday.
Kuwait City: Yemen`s warring parties have pledged to free all child prisoners but have failed to reach agreement on a wider release for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the UN envoy said on Monday.

"In the prisoners committee, an agreement was made on the unconditional release of children," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

There was no immediate word on how many children are held prisoner by the Saudi-backed government or by Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies.

The UN envoy had been trying to push the two sides to agree to release half of all their prisoners before Ramadan, which began on Monday.

After almost seven weeks of negotiations, the two sides have failed to make progress on any of the core issues in the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait.

The rebels and their allies have held out against demands contained in a UN Security Council resolution for their surrender of heavy weaponry and withdrawal from areas, including the capital, which they have seized since 2014.

The government has resisted proposals for a unity administration with the rebels, fearing it would undermine the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

The UN envoy said that despite the lack of progress, both sides remained engaged in the talks, which would continue through Ramadan, when Muslims observe a daytime fast.

In the past few days, the talks have been overshadowed by rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in third city Taez, which killed 11 civilians.

The UN envoy condemned the bombardment and urged both sides to respect a ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

"The attack against a crowded market in Taez is unethical. We condemn the bloody incidents in Taez despite the cessation of hostilities," he said.

There have been no face-to-face meetings between the two sides over the past week. The UN envoy has met with the delegations separately in an effort to come up with bridging proposals.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. The delegation headed by Artem Asatryan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia departed for Geneva on June 6.

The Minister will take part in the 105th session of the International Labor Conference.

Minister Asatryan will deliver a speech during the plenary session of June 6-8.

Meetings with top official of the International Labor Organization are scheduled.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on June 6 the USD exchange rate was 478.30 AMD which is an increase of 0.24 drams compared to the previous day.

Armenpress reports that the Euro increased by 9.93 drams forming 542.58 drams. British pound dropped by 0.13 drams forming 688.61 drams, Russian ruble increased by 0.15 drams reaching to 7.29 drams on June 6.

The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 247.58 AMD, gold-19,076.04 AMD, and platinum-15,054.77 AMD.


Appelbaum, whose work has put him in the crosshairs of his own government and foreign states, resigned from the Tor project on Friday, accompanied by a short note from Tor executive director Shari Steele.



On Saturday, Steele made a longer post that explained that the project had heard rumors of "sexual mistreatment" for "some time" by Appelbaum, but that she had since learned that "a number of people have made serious, public allegations of sexual mistreatment," and she said that the organization would take specific steps to address them, starting with retaining a law firm "that specializes in employment issues including sexual misconduct."

Today, Appelbaum posted a note denying the claims, saying "the accusations of criminal sexual misconduct against me are entirely false."

Allegations about Appelbaum's conduct have been collected on an anonymous website whose maintainer(s) invite complainants to submit their stories using a secure webform. Wired's Andy Greenberg spoke to Andrea Shephard, "a Berlin-based developer co-worker of Appelbaum's at the Tor Project" who said the site had been created by a "'longtime member of the Tor community' whom she knows and trusts."

Steele's note urges "People who believe they may have been victims of criminal behavior are advised to contact law enforcement" and adds, "We recognize that many people in the information security and Internet freedom communities don't necessarily trust law enforcement. We encourage those people to seek advice from people they trust, and to do what they believe is best for them."

I am not a neutral observer in this. I have known Appelbaum for a decade, and consider him a friend. Shari Steele, Tor's executive director, was formerly ED of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was my boss there. She is also my friend. I have tried to present the story fairly in this post, and make these disclosures in the interest of transparency.

More context: Boing Boing has covered Appelbaum's activist work for many years, including the harassment and surveillance campaigns waged against him by the US government, which conscripted tech companies to act as their agents. Appelbaum also wrote one of two afterwords for my 2013 novel Homeland, and consulted on the novel, providing important feedback that helped shape the book. He co-founded the San Francisco hackerspace Noisebridge, which also appears in my novel.



WIRED couldn't independently verify the stories on the website created by Appelbaum's accusers, who used pseudonyms, nor determine the creator of the site itself. But Andrea Shephard, a Berlin-based developer co-worker of Appelbaum's at the Tor Project, says the site was created by a "longtime member of the Tor community" whom she knows and trusts. Shephard also says she's spoken directly with one of Appelbaum's alleged victims, who told Shephard in February of this year that Appelbaum had raped him or her. "SadlyI think it's the damn truth. He's a charismatic, socially dominant manipulator," Shephard writes to WIRED. "I absolutely believe the accusers." Shephard says that Tor's management had suspected Appelbaum of sexual misconduct for months. And the revelation of another alleged victim in recent weeks had accelerated calls to force his resignation from the organization, a push led by Tor's executive Director Shari Steele. The Tor Project's statement, written by Steele herself, echoed that timeline. "These types of allegations were not entirely new to everybody at Tor; they were consistent with rumors some of us had been hearing for some time. That said, the most recent allegations are much more serious and concrete than anything we had heard previously," Steele writes. "We are deeply troubled by these accounts."

Tor Developer Jacob Appelbaum Resigns Amid Sex Abuse Claims [Andy Greenberg/Wired]





(Image: RightsCon Rio 2012- Jacob Applebaum, Jim Killock, CC-BY-SA)
By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government on Monday acknowledged it would miss a deadline to introduce a law allowing medically-assisted death and predicted many sick patients would have trouble finding doctors willing to help end their lives. The Supreme Court last year overturned a ban on physician-assisted suicide and gave Ottawa until June 6 to introduce a law allowing the practice. Debate on the sensitive topic dragged on for so long that the final version of the draft legislation is not ready. It could be months before a law is adopted and even then, legal challenges are likely. "Unfortunately, despite tremendous effort, this bill is not yet in place," Health Minister Jane Philpott said on Monday. Doctors can to help patients die starting June 7, but in the absence of a federal law it is now up to Canada's ten provinces to individually set their own guidelines. Philpott said this would produce a patchwork of differing rules. "I expect that in these early days, many physicians will be extremely reluctant to provide assistance to patients wanting medical assistance in dying," she told a health conference. Ontario, Canada's most-populous province, on Monday said it would create a referral service for doctors seeking advice. The Supreme Court ruling covered willing adults facing intolerable physical or psychological suffering from a severe and incurable medical condition. However the government drafted a narrow law and rejected amendments covering minors, the mentally ill and those not suffering from a terminal disease. Critics, like Grace Pastine of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, say this condemns people with degenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis to unbearable suffering. "(This) is a cynical, misinformed and unconstitutional piece of legislation," she told reporters in Vancouver. Legal expert Peter Hogg told a Senate committee in Ottawa that the bill clearly contravened the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the bill was well-crafted and would defend the most vulnerable. "We are ensuring that this big step ... is done the right way," he told legislators. The bill is now before the Senate upper chamber, where several members plan to introduce amendments to broaden the legislation. It will then go back to the House of Commons, where the Liberals must decide whether to approve amendments they had previously rejected. Given that the House breaks for the summer this month, debate could be pushed back until later in the year. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Alan Crosby)
Calgary child taken to Iran 'without my knowledge or consent' says mother

Hasina Shah went to court feeling upbeat last month, confident she would soon see her daughter return from a trip she said she didn't know about and didn't approve.

"I thought I had the upper hand and that I would learn my daughter was coming back soon."

Shah knew her daughter had been taken to Europe by the paternal grandmother. What she learned that day in court was worse than she expected.

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Her little daughter Elnaz Ebrahimi was no longer in Germany, but in Iran.

"I just found out, in front of the judge, that my daughter is in Iran," she said, looking shocked outside a Calgary courtroom.

Shah does not believe this is a case of child abduction; the grandmother has relatives in Iran and does have a return ticket.

But the more pressing questions are: how did the girl get a passport when the mother insists she never signed for one?

How is it that the "consent to travel" letter was only signed by the father?

And how can she ensure her daughter is returned from a country with which Canada has no diplomatic ties?

In the dark

The twisted tale started four years ago, when Shah and Elnaz's father split up after a short union.

They settled on joint custody, though the father, Omid Ebrahimi, had day-to-day custody  meaning the girl lived with him and his mother, the child's grandmother, Mansoreh Haidary.

Shah was supposed to have the child every other weekend.

On May 13, Shah says she called the family to say she would be late picking up the girl the following day.

"I kept calling and they were not answering on a Friday night. So on Saturday, I got a message from my ex's sister that my daughter is in Germany and the dad is aware of it. I called the sister and said, 'How is that possible? I didn't even know she had a passport.'"

Story continues

Shah immediately called Calgary police and the following Monday filed a "Hague Application" in court, which is a mechanism for parents to have their child returned to Canada. The hitch is that it can only be used in countries that are party to the Hague Convention. Germany is one such country; Iran is not.

On May 25, Shah went to court, hopeful she would learn of plans to have the child returned.

But in court she was told that, not only was the girl not coming back anytime soon, little Elnaz was now in Iran with her grandmother.

'How did she get a passport?'

Court documents show that Elnaz Ebrahimi was issued a passport in December 2014.

Both parents must sign a passport application and Shah insists she never did.

CBC asked the department which oversees passports, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, to produce a copy of the original passport application for Elnaz so the mother can see who signed it.

A department spokesperson said in an email to CBC: "We take allegations of fraud very seriously. We are aware of this situation and will be in touch with Ms. Shah as soon as possible."

Hasina Shah says she has not heard from the government.

Then there's the question of the "consent to travel letter."

These are notarized letters parents are encouraged to have with them when travelling without both parents present, though they are not required by law.

The father did sign one of those letters May 1, 2016, authorizing his mother to travel with the child first to Europe then to Iran.

It was notarized.

Both parents are not required to sign it, which leaves Shah wondering what the point of the letter is, especially in the case of a divorce.

"How can only one parent consent to travel?"

In an affidavit, Omid Ebrahimi said he was not aware he was signing a letter allowing his mother to travel because "I do have some difficulties with the English language."

To add to the drama, the affidavit states that Ebrahimi has had a falling out with his mother and she will not talk with him from Iran.

Cracks in the system

Christy Dzikowicz, a director with the Canadian Centre for the Protection of Children, said there is a growing problem of unauthorized travel with children.

"We don't have exit controls," she says. "So consent letters are recommended, but they are not mandatory."

It's left to airlines to scrutinize travel documents at the point of departure. Border guards are only in place for when people are entering Canada.

Immigration lawyer Raj Sharma said there are cracks in the system that need to be filled.

"We have got to have systematic determination of when a child is travelling overseas. There have got to be more checks because this is happening way too often. Obviously, people are slipping through the cracks. Parental child abductions are happening way too often. Why is it still going on?"

Courtroom pressure

On May 25, the judge ordered the child returned and awarded the mother sole custody when she does. A Certificate of Pending Legislation (CPL) has also been placed on the grandmother's home in Calgary as an incentive for her to return with the child.

A CPL acts like a lien on the title of a property, stating that were the home to be sold, proceeds of the sale could be tied up in litigation.

According to the affidavit, the grandmother is not feeling well and does not want to travel until she improves. The case has been adjourned until July.

Waiting game

All this means Hasina Shah is left in limbo.

She has applied to Legal Aid to get a lawyer, a process she has been told could take three weeks.

In the meantime, she feels there is very little she can do.

"What can I do? I have no power."
By Krishna N. Das and Jonathan Spicer DHAKA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hours before the Federal Reserve Bank of New York approved four fraudulent requests to send $81 million from a Bangladesh Bank account to cyber thieves, the Fed branch blocked those same requests because they lacked information required to transfer money, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. On the day of the theft in February, the New York Fed initially rejected 35 requests to transfer funds to various overseas accounts, a New York Fed official and a senior Bangladesh Bank official told Reuters. The Feds decision to later fulfill a handful of resubmitted requests raises questions about whether it missed red flags. The New York arm of the U.S. central bank initially denied the transfer requests because they lacked proper formatting for the SWIFT messaging system, the network banks use for international financial transfers, the two officials said. The Bangladesh Bank official said they lacked the names of correspondent banks, which typically receive wired funds. The Fed rejected the requests, which came from hackers who had broken into the SWIFT network through Bangladesh Bank systems. Later in the day, however, the cyber thieves resubmitted those 35 requests. On the second try, the messages had the proper formatting, the New York Fed official said. The requests had been authenticated by SWIFT, the first line of defense against fraudulent wire transfers. Despite the technical compliance, the New York Fed rejected 30 of the requests a second time. But the Fed did approve five requests  for a total of $101 million. Later, one of those five transfers - a $20 million request - was reversed because of a misspelling. The New York Fed has said it blocked the 30 resubmitted requests because they were flagged for economic sanctions review. Only afterward were they deemed potentially fraudulent. The Bangladesh Bank official and another source close to the bank said the New York Fed should have rejected all the requests on both the first and second attempts. The source close to the bank, who also had direct knowledge of the matter, said anomalies in the four transfers that ultimately went through should have raised questions at the New York Fed. They were paid to individual recipients, a rarity for Bangladesh's central bank, and the false names on the four approved withdrawals also appeared on some of the 30 resubmitted requests rejected by the bank, said the source close to the Bangladesh Bank. "Of course, we asked the Fed why the repetition of the names did not create red flags," the source said. "They are saying they rejected 35 badly submitted ones," the source said. But when the requests were re-submitted, they "paid 5 of them and stopped 30. Why? They can give no answer." Bangladesh Bank and SWIFT declined to comment. The New York Fed has said there were no problems with its procedures for approving SWIFT fund transfers, and declined to comment on whether it missed any warning signs. The cyber theft from Bangladeshs central bank - and recent disclosures of other similar fraud attempts - have brought scrutiny on the SWIFT messaging system. SWIFT is a cooperative of global banks formally known as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, and its transaction system was used as a conduit for one of the largest cyber bank heists in history. In the United States, a congressional committee has launched a probe into the New York Fed's role in the bank heist. The Bangladeshi central bank might seek compensation for the funds from the Federal Reserve, and Bangladesh Bank police have said that recent installation of a new SWIFT settlement system at the bank last fall may have provided thieves an opportunity to gain access to the banks SWIFT servers. RED FLAGS? The New York Fed's reviews of payment requests that come over the SWIFT system are focused chiefly on guarding against money laundering and transfers to people and entities that are under U.S. government sanctions, Fed officials have said. But requests often also are temporarily halted to fix typos and other formatting problems. The Fed branch has said its clients, including Bangladesh Bank, and SWIFT have primary responsibility for preventing unauthorized transfers. Fed employees queried Bangladesh Bank about the purpose of the payments requested on Feb. 4 and again on Feb. 5, according to a letter to congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) by New York Fed General Counsel Thomas Baxter. The four transfers totaling $81 million went to accounts in the Philippines. The money wound up with casinos and casino agents and remains missing. An attempt to transfer $20 million to a foundation in Sri Lanka was reversed because the word foundation was misspelled. The source close to Bangladesh Bank said questions about the anomalies in the approved requests were discussed at a meeting in Basel last month between New York Fed President William Dudley, Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir and representatives from SWIFT. Rep. Maloney and Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, both have made inquiries to the New York Fed. The House Science Committee informed the New York Fed in a letter this week that it is launching a probe into its handling of the transfer requests. The committee plans to examine the New York Feds response to the heist, the oversight of SWIFT, and whether additional measures are needed to address vulnerabilities to cyber attacks. SWIFT, which has come under scrutiny after the Bangladesh Bank heist and cyber attacks in at least three other cases, plans a new program to improve security and also wants banks to "drastically" improve information sharing. (Additional reporting by Tom Bergin in London; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and David Greising)
High-Performance Computing

Texas Advanced Computing Center Plans Stampede 2 Supercomputer

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin will deploy a new supercomputer, called Stampede 2, to provide researchers across the United States with access to high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $30 million grant to TACC to build the new supercomputer, which "builds on technology and expertise from the Stampede system first funded by the NSF in 2011," according to information from The University of Texas at Austin.

With a peak performance of up to 18 petaflops, Stampede 2 will double the peak performance, memory, storage capacity and bandwidth of TACC's original Stampede system. Stampede 2 includes "a mix of upcoming Intel Xeon Phi processors, codenamed 'Knights Landing,' and future-generation Intel Xeon processors, connected by Intel Omni-Path architecture," according to a news release. Upcoming 3D XPoint nonvolatile memory technology will be integrated in the final phase of deployment.

"The kind of large-scale computing and data capabilities systems like Stampede and Stampede 2 provide are crucial for innovation in almost every area of research and development, from providing insights to fundamental theory to applied work that has real near-term impacts on society," said Dan Stanzione, executive director of TACC and principal investigator of the Stampede and Stampede 2 projects, in a prepared statement. "Stampede has been used for everything from determining earthquake risks to help set building codes for homes and commercial buildings, to computing the largest mathematical proof ever constructed."

Stampede 2 vendor partners include Dell, Intel and Seagate Technology. The supercomputer will be operated by a team of cyberinfrastructure experts at TACC, UT Austin, Clemson University, Cornell University, University of Colorado Boulder, Indiana University and Ohio State University.
SUNDAY, June 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental therapy based on immune-system antibodies is helping some people with advanced stomach cancer live longer, a new study finds.

The phase 2 clinical trial, involving 161 patients, focused on an antibody called IMAB362.

The median survival of people using the treatment plus standard chemotherapy was more than 13 months, compared with 8.4 months for those who received chemotherapy alone, the researchers reported.

One specialist in gastric (stomach) cancer care believes therapeutic advances are sorely needed.

"Metastatic gastric cancer carries a poor prognosis and the treatment effectiveness of current chemotherapeutic agents leave a lot to be desired," said Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y.

While a larger, more rigorous trial is still needed, "this study is quite encouraging that this type of therapy may be effective in treating this disease," he said.

The IMAB362 antibody employed in this new treatment targets a protein on cancer cells called claudin 18.2. German researchers found that study patients who had the highest levels of this protein in tumors prior to receiving the new treatment had an even longer median overall survival, at almost 17 months.

The study was to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in Chicago. The research was funded by drug maker Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG.

Study lead researcher Dr. Salah-Eddin Al-Batran directs the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research at Nordwest Hospital in Frankfurt. In an ASCO news release, he said that since "claudin 18.2 is abundant in gastric tumors, we estimate that half of all patients with advanced gastric cancer may be candidates for this new treatment."

In addition, he said, "this unique target is not present in any healthy tissues except the lining of the stomach, thereby minimizing treatment side effects."

According to the researchers, a larger, phase 3 study in stomach cancer patients is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

IMAB362 is the first antibody to target claudin 18.2, which is also found in a number of other cancers, including pancreatic, lung, esophageal and ovarian tumors. Because of this, the same research team said it plans a phase 2 study of IMAB362 in patients with pancreatic cancers.

Dr. James Grendell is chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. He agreed that phase 3 studies are needed to confirm the new findings. But he called the new antibody-based approach "exciting."

The therapy "utilizes agents to break down the barriers that prevent cancers from being recognized and destroyed by our body's own immune system," Grendell explained. "These agents -- such as IMAB362 in this report -- tear off the disguise and expose the cancer as the 'enemy invader' it really is."

Grendell agreed that because the therapy's target, claudin 18.2, is found in a number of other tumor types, "this therapeutic antibody has the potential to improve the outlook for patients with a variety of currently difficult-to-treat cancers."

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 26,000 cases of stomach cancer will be diagnosed in Americans this year, and almost 11,000 will die of the disease. Stomach cancer affects men more than women, and typically affects people over the age of 65.

Experts note that findings presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about stomach cancer.
(Facebook/PrisonBreak)Dominic Purcell was recently injured on "Prison Break's" Morocco set.

Production for "Prison break" season 5 grounded to a halt recently when one of its stars, Dominic Purcell, suffered an injury on set.

The 46-year-old actor was injured on the Morocco set of the newly revived series when an iron bar fell on his head, resulting in a broken nose and cuts on his forehead. Purcell was immediately airlifted from Marrakesh to Casablanca for treatment.

Luckily, the actor appears to be on the mend already. He received stitches for his head wound and will be taking several weeks off to recuperate. The "Legends of Tomorrow" actor even took to social media to update fans on his progress and to thank them for their support.

Purcell posted a photo showing his injuries and thanked fans for their support. He even found the humor in the situation and said that it "pays to have a thick skull." He also joked in another post that he even got a free nose job from the accident.

The actor also posted his thanks to his "Prison Break" co-star Wentworth Miller for the concern over his health.

"Went is holding up the fort in my absence his leadership and care is inspirational," Purcell wrote. "He's taken control taken it upon himself to push the production and lead by example."

The accident happened in Morocco, which is standing in for war-torn Yemen, and the cast and crew were filming some big scenes. Production was briefly stopped after the accident but has commenced since then. Fortunately, the incident hasn't affected the show's production schedule or Purcell's presence on the series and any scenes he missed will be shot when they return to Vancouver.

The news that "Prison Break" is still on schedule and that Purcell will be back in no time is a great relief for fans who have waited a long time for the series to return to TV screens.

The new season will reportedly find Michael Scofield (Miller) alive and imprisoned in the Middle East, with his brother Lincoln (Burrows) setting out to rescue him.

"Prison Break" season 5 is expected to be aired in spring 2017.
MONDAY, June 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Babesiosis is a sometimes serious illness transmitted to humans by ticks. Now, researchers say a two-drug combo seems to have cured the illness in mice.

Babesiosis -- transmitted by the same ticks that transmit the bacteria behind Lyme disease -- is caused by the B. microti parasite, which can develop resistance to current treatments.

"This is the first radical cure against this parasite," said lead researcher Choukri Ben Mamoun. He's an associate professor of infectious diseases at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn.

People infected with the babesiosis parasite sometimes have no symptoms. However, in other cases they can develop symptoms that range from mild and flu-like, to severe and life-threatening.

Babesiosis is becoming more common in the United States, the researchers noted, and is more widespread in the Northeast and northern Midwest. The Yale team said that up to 19 percent of ticks, and up to 42 percent of mice (and other rodents) that carry the Lyme bacterium also carry B. microti.

The new treatment involved giving mice infected with babesiosis low doses of two drugs -- atovaquone and another drug known by the acronym ELQ-334.

The researchers picked atovaquone because it targets a particular enzyme that, when mutated, gives the babesiosis parasite a chance to mutate and resist current drugs. ELQ-334 works similarly, but it targets a different enzyme, the research team explained.

According to Ben Mamoun's team, the treatment not only cured mice of babesiosis, it also prevented the recurrence of the disease. The researchers noted that with current treatments, babesiosis can return to sicken the patient again.

"The novelty of the study was identifying a combination therapy that will both kill the parasite and also paralyze the target enzyme, making it nearly impossible for the parasite to develop resistance," Ben Mamoun said in a Yale news release.

However, research that works in mice and other animals often fails in a human trial. So, the researchers said the next step is to conduct clinical trials of this combination therapy in people. The researchers are currently refining one of the medicines, ELQ-334, to first assure that it will be safe for use in humans.

The study was published online June 6 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on babesiosis.
(The following statement was released by the rating agency) JAKARTA/TAIPEI/SINGAPORE, June 06 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings Indonesia has assigned National Ratings to PT Bank Maybank Indonesia Tbk's (Maybank Indonesia; BBB/AAA(idn)/Stable) proposed issuance of rupiah sharia senior and rupiah subordinated bonds as follows: - Sharia senior bonds up to a maximum of IDR700bn with a maturity of three years assigned a National Long-Term Rating of 'AAA(idn)' - Subordinated bonds up to a maximum of IDR800bn with a maturity of seven years assigned a National Long-Term Rating of 'AA(idn)' The bonds are issued under Maybank Indonesia's existing sharia senior Debt Programme I of up to IDR1trn and subordinated Debt Programme II of up to IDR3trn, to which Fitch had previously assigned National Long-Term Ratings of 'AAA(idn)' and 'AA(idn)', respectively. The proceeds will be used to support business growth. 'AAA' Long-Term National Ratings denote the highest rating assigned by Fitch on its national rating scale for that country. This rating is assigned to issuers or obligations with the lowest expectation of default risk relative to all other issuers or obligations in the same country. 'AA' National Ratings denote expectations of low default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, changes in circumstances or economic conditions may affect the capacity for timely repayment to a greater degree than is the case for financial commitments denoted by a higher rated category. KEY RATING DRIVERS The proposed senior debt is rated at the same level as Maybank Indonesia's National Long-Term Rating as it constitutes direct, unsubordinated and senior unsecured obligations of the company and ranks equally with all other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. The proposed subordinated debt is rated two notches below Maybank Indonesia's National Long-Term Rating - one notch for loss severity (reflecting their write-down features), and one notch for non-performance risk (reflecting their subordinated status and coupon and/or principal deferral risk). The notes will represent direct, subordinated and unsecured obligations of the bank and rank equally with all its other unsecured and subordinated obligations. Maybank Indonesia's rating reflects Fitch's view of a high likelihood of timely support from its higher-rated parent, Malaysia-based Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank; A-/Negative), in time of need. This view is based on Maybank Indonesia's strategic importance to Maybank's regional business expansion in south-east Asia, the parent's majority ownership/control, and a high level of integration with its parent. RATING SENSITIVITIES Any changes in the bank's National Rating would affect these issue ratings. Downward rating pressure may arise from a multi-notch downgrade of the parent's rating or any developments leading to a weakening of perceived support from the parent, such as major changes to ownership or a significant weakening in the parent's financial ability, although Fitch believes this to be a remote prospect in the near to medium term. There is no rating upside for the bank's rating as it is at the top of the scale. Contact: Primary Analyst Gary Hanniffy, CFA Director PT Fitch Ratings Indonesia DBS Bank Tower 24th Floor, Suite 2403 Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav 3-5 Jakarta, Indonesia 12940 +62 21 2988 6808 Committee Chairperson Jonathan Lee Senior Director +886 2 8175 7601 Date of Relevant Rating Committee: 30 March 2016 Media Relations: Leslie Tan, Singapore, Tel: +65 67 96 7234, Email: leslie.tan@fitchratings.com. Note to editors: Fitch's National ratings provide a relative measure of creditworthiness for rated entities in countries with relatively low international sovereign ratings and where there is demand for such ratings. The best risk within a country is rated 'AAA' and other credits are rated only relative to this risk. National ratings are designed for use mainly by local investors in local markets and are signified by the addition of an identifier for the country concerned, such as 'AAA(idn)' for National ratings in Indonesia. Specific letter grades are not therefore internationally comparable. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com Applicable Criteria Global Bank Rating Criteria (pub. 20 Mar 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=863501 National Scale Ratings Criteria (pub. 30 Oct 2013) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=720082 Rating Sukuk (pub. 18 Aug 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=869792 Additional Disclosures Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1005612 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&det ail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE.
AIM: MARL







6 June 2016



Suite 102, 3 Eden Street

North Sydney, NSW 2060

Australia

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

GUERNSEY, United Kingdom, June 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the tenth Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the registered office of the Company at Granite House, La Grande Rue, St Martin, Guernsey GY1 3RS at 12.00 noon on 30 June 2016 (UK London) for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, passing the following Ordinary Resolutions.

Words and expressions used or defined in the circular to shareholders dated 6 June 2016 (a copy of which is produced to the meeting and signed by the Chairman for the purposes of identification) (the "Circular") shall have the same meanings where used in these resolutions, except where the context otherwise requires.

ORDINARY BUSINESS:

To consider and if thought fit pass the following resolutions, which will be proposed as ordinary resolutions:

1. That the Report of Directors and the audited financial statements of the company for the financial period ended 31 December 2015 be adopted.

2. That Mr. John Horsburgh (who retires in accordance with the Articles of Association and ,being eligible, offers himself for re-election) be re-appointed as a director of the Company.

3. That Mr. Glen Parsons (who retires in accordance with the Articles of Association and, being eligible, offers himself for re-election) be re-appointed as a director of the Company.

4. That Mr. Eric Roth (who retires in accordance with the Articles of Association and, being eligible, offers himself for re-election) be re-appointed as a director of the Company.

5. That Mr. John Goodwin (who retires in accordance with the Articles of Association and, being eligible, offers himself for re-election) be re-appointed as a director of the Company.

6. That the aggregate fees for non-executive directors be not more than 150,000 annually, to be distributed among them as the Board sees fit.

7. That Grant Thornton Limited be re-appointed as auditor of the Company and that the directors be authorised to determine the remuneration of the auditors.

Special Business

8. That, in accordance with articles 26.3(a), 26.5 and 26.6 of the Company's articles of incorporation and section 287 of the Companies Law, and with effect from Admission, all the ordinary shares of 0.01 pence in the capital of the Company that are in issue at 6.00 p.m. on 30 June (each an Existing Ordinary Share) be consolidated into ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each (each a New Ordinary Share) on the basis of 1 New Ordinary Share for every 10 Existing Ordinary Shares, with each New Ordinary Share having the same rights and being subject to the same restrictions under the Articles as each Existing Ordinary Share, provided that where such consolidation results in any shareholder being entitled to a fraction of a New Ordinary Share, such fraction shall, so far as possible, be aggregated with the fractions of New Ordinary Shares to which other shareholders of the Company are entitled and the directors of the Company be authorised to sell (or appoint any other person to sell) to any persons all the New Ordinary Shares representing such fractions and to distribute the proceeds of sale (net of expenses) in due proportion among the relevant shareholders entitled, save that no shareholder shall be entitled to recover any of such proceeds of sale unless his entitlement exceeds 3, and the proceeds of sale not so distributed shall be retained for the benefit of the Company and that any Director (or any person appointed by the Directors) shall be and is hereby authorised to execute an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares on behalf of the relevant shareholders and do all acts and things the Directors consider necessary or expedient to effect the transfer of such shares to, or in accordance with the directions of any buyer of any such shares.

By order of the Board Registered Office:

Granite House

La Grande Rue

St Martin's

Guernsey

Channel Islands

John Horsburgh

Chairman

Date: 6 June 2016

Notes:

(a) A member entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint one or more proxies to exercise all or any of his rights to attend and to speak and vote at the meeting. A member may appoint more than one proxy in relation to the meeting, provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by him. To appoint more than one proxy, please contact the Company on telephone number +61 2 9437 4588.

(b) To be valid, an instrument appointing a proxy and any power of attorney or other authority under which the proxy instrument is signed (or a notarially certified copy thereof) must be deposited with the Company at the Company's registered office or by facsimile to the Company on +61 2 9437 4599 not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting.

(c) In the case of a corporation, the proxy form must be expressed to be executed by the corporation and must be signed by a director and the secretary or by two directors or under the hand of a duly authorised officer or attorney.

(d) In the case of joint holders the vote of the person first named in the register of members tendering a vote will be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders.

(e) The completion and return of a proxy card will not affect the right of a member to attend, speak and vote in person at the meeting convened by this notice.

(f) The quorum for the meeting is two or more members present in person or by proxy or a duly authorised representative of a corporation which is a member.

(g) The ordinary resolutions must be passed by a simple majority of the total number of votes cast for and against such resolution.

(h) At the meeting the vote may be taken by show of hands or by poll. On a poll, every member, who is present in person or by proxy, shall be entitled to one vote for every share held by him.

(i) If, within half an hour after the time appointed for the meeting (or such longer interval not exceeding one hour as the chairman of the meeting may think fit to allow) a quorum is not present, the meeting shall stand adjourned for 14 days day at the same time and place, or to such time and place as may be fixed by the chairman of the meeting and if at such adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the members present in person and by proxy shall be a quorum.

(j) Pursuant to regulation 41 of The Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, members will be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting if they are registered on the Company's register of members 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

The Notice of Meeting may be viewed and downloaded from the Company's website www.marianaresources.com or by following the link below:

Link: http://www.marianaresources.com/site/media/160606_Mariana_news_notice.pdf

**ENDS**

For further information please visit website at www.marianaresources.com or contact the following.

In Australia: Glen Parsons (CEO) Mariana Resources Ltd +61 2 9437 4588 Eric Roth (COO) Mariana Resources Ltd +56 9 8818 1243 Rob Adamson RFC Ambrian Limited (Nomad) +61 2 9250 0041 Will Souter RFC Ambrian Limited (Nomad) +61 2 9250 0050 In U.K. Oliver Stansfield Brandon Hill Capital (UK Broker) +44 20 3463 5061 Jonathan Evans Brandon Hill Capital (UK Broker) +44 20 3463 5016 Camilla Horsfall Blytheweigh (Financial PR) +44 20 7138 3224 Megan Ray Blytheweigh (Financial PR) +44 20 7138 3203

About Mariana Resources

Mariana Resources Ltd is an AIM quoted exploration and development company with an extensive portfolio of gold, silver and copper projects in South America and Turkey.

Mariana's most advanced asset is the Hot Maden gold-copper project in north east Turkey, which is a joint venture with its Turkish JV partner Lidya (30% Mariana and 70% Lidya). A maiden mineral resource estimate of 2.03 Moz gold Equivalent (Indicated Category) and 0.97 Moz gold Equivalent (Inferred Category) (100% basis) was reported for Hot Maden on August 18, 2015. Elsewhere in Turkey, Mariana holds a 100% interest in the Ergama gold-copper project.

In Suriname, Mariana has a direct holding of 10.2% of the Nassau Gold project.) The Nassau Gold Project is a 28,000 Ha exploration concession located approximately 125 km south east of the capital Paramaribo and immediately adjacent to Newmont Mining's 4.2Moz gold Merian project.

In southern Argentina, the Company's core gold-silver projects are Las Calandrias (100%), Sierra Blanca (100%), Los Cisnes (100%), Bozal (100%). These projects are part of a 160,000+ Ha land package in the Deseado Massif epithermal gold-silver district in mining-friendly Santa Cruz Province. Mariana acquired 100% interests in the Dona Ines gold-silver and Exploradora East copper prospects in northern Chile through the Aegean Metals Group transaction which closed in January, 2015, with Mariana exploration now being funded by Asset Chile through the provision of $1.65m for a total 50% interest.

In Peru, Mariana is focusing on acquiring new opportunities which complement its current portfolio.

Safe Harbour

This press release contains certain statements which may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as at the date of this press release and include, without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, the realization, cost, timing and extent of mineral resource estimates, estimated future exploration expenditures, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, and requirements for additional capital. The words "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimate", "forecasts", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "may", "will", or similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: the effects of general economic conditions; the price of gold, silver and copper; misjudgements in the course of preparing forward-looking statements; risks associated with international operations; the need for additional financing; risks inherent in exploration results; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters; currency and commodity price fluctuations; title matters; environmental liability claims; unanticipated operational risks; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or in the completion of development or construction activities; political risk; and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's annual financial statements for the most recently completed financial year which is available on the Company's website at www.marianaresources.com . Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Notice of AGM http://hugin.info/137803/R/2018081/748982.pdf

HUG#2018081
ALMELO, Netherlands, June 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (NYSE:ST) ("Sensata") today announced that Joshua Young has joined as Vice President of Investor Relations. He will report directly to Paul Vasington, Chief Financial Officer and will be based out of the Companys U.S. headquarters in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Joshua succeeds Jacob Sayer, who has been named Vice President Finance - Chief Financial Officer for Sensatas Performance Sensing Automotive business unit.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fcade635-dfad-464e-a744-524db829539d

Joshua joins Sensata from Bruker Corporation, where he served as Vice President, Investor Relations since 2012 and also headed up the Companys Corporate Development program. During his career, Young has worked with management teams in various industries to create significant shareholder value, including Merck KGaA, Millipore Corporation and Aspen Technology, Inc. Young is a seasoned finance executive with nearly 20 years of investor relations and corporate development experience. He received his masters in business administration from Boston College and bachelor degrees in public relations and political science from Syracuse University.

"We are pleased to welcome Joshua, an investor relations expert with many years of experience in communicating and connecting with the financial community, to Sensata. We look forward to benefiting from the deep experience and capability he brings to the role," said Sensata Chief Financial Officer Paul Vasington. Joshua and Jacob will work seamlessly to transition investor relations, and I am confident that both will be instrumental to our continued growth as a best-in-class company.

About Sensata Technologies Holding N.V.

Sensata Technologies Holding N.V., a global industrial technology company, engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of sensors and controls. Sensata produces sensors and controls for applications such as thermal circuit breakers in aircraft, pressure sensors in automotive systems, and bimetal current and temperature control devices in electric motors.




SPOKANE, Wash., June 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goldrich Mining Company (OTCBB:GRMC) (Goldrich or the Company) is pleased to announce Goldrich NyacAU Placer, LLC ("GNP") has commenced mining at the Chandalar gold project in Alaska. Favorable spring weather conditions allowed GNP to begin processing stockpiled pay gravel approximately three weeks ahead of the normal mid-June start of the production season. Mining of pay gravel is expected to continue through early September, subject to weather conditions.



We are pleased to kick off the 2016 season at Chandalar, stated Goldrich President and CEO Mr. William Schara. GNP expects to process stockpiled pay gravel, blast and process additional mineralized material, and continue development of the new wash plant this year. We want to thank GNP for their continued hard work to move the Chandalar placer project forward.

GNP is a 50/50 joint-venture formed between Goldrich and NyacAU, LLC (NyacAU) to mine the various placer deposits that occur throughout the Companys 23,000 acre Chandalar land package (Chandalar) in central Alaska. Goldrich retains ownership of its 50% interest in GNP but, after the sale of 12% of the cash flows Goldrich receives in the future from its interest in GNP to Chandalar Gold, LLC (CGL), a non-related entity, Goldrich will effectively receive approximately 44% and CGL will receive 6% (12% of Goldrichs 50% of GNP = 6%) of any cash distributions produced by GNP, subject to the terms of the GNP operating agreement (see press release dated June 23, 2015).

According to the GNP operating agreement, on at least an annual basis, GNP shall allocate and distribute all revenue (whether in cash or as gold) generated from GNPs placer operation in the following order:

CurrentCurrent year operating expenses, Members distribution of 20% (10% to Goldrich and 10% to NyacAU) provided that, for so long as the loan (LOC2) to GNP from NyacAU for the purchase of a royalty is not paid in full, GNP shall retain 100% of Goldrichs distribution to apply against the loan, After payment of operating expenses and the members distribution of 20%, GNP will apply any remaining revenue to reduce the remaining balance of the loan from NyacAU to GNP for the development of the mine (LOC1), Reserves for future operating expenses and capital needs, not to exceed $3,000,000 in any year, and Member distributions of any remaining gold production on a 50:50 basis to each of NyacAu and Goldrich provided that, for so long as LOC2 is not paid in full, GNP shall retain 100% of Goldrichs distribution to apply against the loan.

To date approximately US$24 million has been invested by NyacAU to develop the mine. All initial capital expenditures are being funded by NyacAU under terms of the joint-venture operating agreement.

About Goldrich Mining

Goldrich Mining (OTCBB:GRMC) is a U.S. based resource company focused on developing the Chandalar gold district in Alaska, USA. The Company controls a land package spanning over 22,000 acres of highly prospective gold targets and historic mines. Goldrich is focused on building shareholder value by monetizing placer assets, generating non-dilutive funds, and working towards building a gold mine at Chandalar.

For additional information regarding Goldrich Mining Company or this news release, please contact President and CEO Mr. William Schara via telephone at (509) 768-4468 or visit www.goldrichmining.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements concern use of proceeds and potential exercise of the warrants. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as expects or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, estimates or intends, or stating that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might, should or will be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation:

risks related to our ability to continue as a going concern being in doubt;

risks related to our history of losses;

risks related to our outstanding gold forward sales contracts and notes;

risks related to need to raise additional capital to fund our exploration and, if warranted, development and production programs;

risks related to our property not having any proven or probable reserves;

risk related to our limited history of commercial production;

risk related to operating a mine;

risk related to accurately forecasting production;

risks related to our dependence on a single property  the Chandalar property;

risks related to climate and location restricting our exploration and, if warranted, development and production activities;

risks related to our mineralization estimates being based on limited drilling data;

risks related to our exploration activities not being commercially successful;

risks related to actual capital costs, production or economic return being different than projected;

risk related to our joint venture arrangements;

risks related to mineral exploration;

risks related to increased costs;

risks related to a shortage of equipment and supplies;

risk related to fluctuations in gold prices;

risks related to title to our properties being defective;

risks related to title to our properties being subject to claims;

risks related to estimates of mineralized material;

risks related to government regulation;

risks related to environmental laws and regulation;

risks related to land reclamation requirements;

risks related to future legislation regarding mining laws;

risks related to future legislation regarding climate change;

risks related to our lack of insurance coverage for all risks;

risks related to competition in the mining industry;

risks related to our dependence on key personnel;

risks related to our executive offices not dedicating 100% of their time to our company;

risks related to potential conflicts of interest with our directors and executive officers;

risks related to market conditions; and

risks related to our shares of common stock.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking statements. Some of the important risks and uncertainties that could affect forward-looking statements are discussed in the Companys latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We disclaim any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events, except as required by law.
LIVERMORE, Calif., June 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Topcon Positioning Group announces the formation of the Topcon Agriculture Group, a new global organization that further incorporates its precision agriculture business with recently acquired companies to create new connected field and farm management solutions for aftermarket and OEM customers. Global headquarters of the new group is Turin, Italy, with regional North American headquarters in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, U.S. and regional APAC headquarters in Adelaide, Australia.



"With our recent acquisitions of Wachendorff Elektronik, Digi-Star, RDS Technology and NORAC we now have the most extensive offering of field and farm management solutions in our industry," said Ray O'Connor, president and CEO of Topcon Positioning Group (TPG). "We will continue a strong focus on traditional field applications, but we now also have the sensors and software to provide comprehensive planning, process control, workflow monitoring and extensive reporting that will bring our customers the full advantages of connected farming with immediate positive effect on their productivity."



The new global headquarters in Turin, Italy, is also a result of this added emphasis on connected farming. "Our telematics division  Tierra Telematics Design  has been located in Turin since 2008 and has had great success in both the construction and agricultural markets, particularly with important OEM clients," said Ivan Di Federico, TPG Chief Strategy Officer and now also chairman of Topcon Agriculture. "It is our objective to bring IoT (Internet of Things) solutions into the ag business that will link all the mechanics of farming to provide a workflow automation framework necessary to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture."



Fabio Isaia, the former Tierra CEO will now become CEO of Topcon Agriculture. "The new ag paradigm is moving towards the integration of different technologies to collect data from heterogeneous sources, which is exactly where we see our business going," Isaia said. "Similar to other sectors, our mission will be to mine 'big data' to find information that will help customers to 'harvest' knowledge and make educated decisions to improve their workflows and business, with valuable ROI. Furthermore, we are planning to create an eco-system that will allow our customers and their partners to integrate seamlessly any data source and data model."



Wachendorff Elektronik, a recognized global leader in the design and manufacturing of in-cab display for off-highway equipment located in Geisenheim, Germany, will expand its capabilities and become the primary manufacturing location for the entire Agriculture Group.



Albert Zahalka, who has been president of Topcon Precision Agriculture since 2010 and is now also COO of Topcon Agriculture, said, "Digi-Star has been a great addition to our company, and now as regional headquarters, will continue to supply its leading weighing, feed and farm management solutions, along with centralized sales and support for our distributors and OEM partners. We are very excited to have our North American regional headquarters located in its agricultural heartland.



"NORAC Systems, with its best-in-class boom height control systems," Zahalka said, "and the intelligent measurement systems produced by RDS Technology will continue to mainly provide core technologies and solutions to the global OEM markets."



Isaia said, "Together with Wachendorff, Digi-Star, NORAC and RDS, we can count on a vast and comprehensive products portfolio that will become smartly connected to the new Topcon Agriculture eco-system, to source information that's the core of all augmented agricultural services we'll offer to our customers."



O'Connor said, "This new business model greatly broadens the scope of our investment in the global agricultural markets. It will re-center our operational structure to make a strong push into the growing European aftermarket and OEM business, while further developing our investment in the agricultural heartland of North America. It will create new efficiencies in R&D, engineering and manufacturing, while streamlining our abilities to continue to grow our other core businesses."



About Topcon Positioning Group

Topcon Positioning Group is headquartered in Livermore, California, USA (topconpositioning.com). Its European head office is in Capelle a/d IJssel, the Netherlands (topconpositioning.eu). Topcon Positioning Group designs, manufactures and distributes precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, BIM, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. Its brands include Topcon, Sokkia, Tierra, Wachendorff Elektronik, Digi-Star, RDS Technology, NORAC and 2LS. Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732).

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=40492
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Burma has made extraordinary progress in the last year, including holding successful nationwide parliamentary elections in November 2015 and the formation in March 2016 of a democratically elected, civilian-led government. However, significant problems remain. Chief among these are restrictions on freedoms of speech, association, and assembly; human rights violations in ethnic minority areas; and restrictions on members of the Rohingya population. The new government has already demonstrated its commitment to addressing these issues, either through action or public statements.

After Aung San Suu Kyi publicly stated April 7 the new government would try to release political prisoners, a judge in Tharrawaddy Township Court on April 8 closed the cases and ordered free 69 students and activists held on politically related charges. President Htin Kyaw granted amnesty to an additional 63 political prisoners, including five journalists, on April 17.

Last year, there was a significant decrease in reports of violent abuses by the military of noncombatant and civilian populations in conflict-torn, ethnic minority border areas, and the previous government signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with eight ethnic armed groups on October 15, 2015. However, fighting continued between the military and ethnic armed groups in Kachin, Shan, Karen, and Rakhine states.

The Rohingya, a stateless ethnic minority primarily residing in Rakhine State, were singled out for special restrictions. There were prohibitions on movement within the country. The Rohingya were required to fill out forms for permission to stay overnight in another village and to register on the guest list with the village. The previous government did make efforts to quietly resettle an estimated 25,000 Rohingya to their villages of origin. The new government also has said Rakhine State issues will be part of the newly formed National Peace and Reconciliation Centers mandate.

The United States is committed to advancing universal rights, building partnerships that will move us forward, and helping every person live up to their potential. On human rights, every country, including our own, has room to improve. And in cases like Burma, we are committed to working with the new government and civil society to support reforms that contribute to Burmas historic transition.

In Burma, an elected civilian government has begun to free political prisoners, said Tom Malinowski, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. We will do everything we can to support it in tackling reform of the countrys laws and constitution, seeking peace with ethnic minorities, and addressing the human rights and humanitarian challenges of the Rakhine State.
The general elections in Spain on June 26 are likely to see a battle between extremes, and the Socialist Party (PSOE), which will be stuck in the middle, could be the loser if it fails to capture the hearts and minds of an indecisive electorate that, right now, sees little reasons to head to the polls. The Unidos Podemos coalition between anti-austerity group Podemos and the communist-led United Left (IU) has pursued the same strategy as the conservative Popular Party (PP) in seeking to polarize voters during the campaign and ignore the Socialists. These factors, along with voter turnout that could be five points lower than at the inconclusive December elections, has given the PP first place in the latest Metroscopia opinion poll for EL PAIS, with Unidos Podemos second and the PSOE in a distant third.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. SAMUEL SANCHEZ

Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has stood firm over the last six months, maintaining the PPs lead in the polls. If elections were held today, he would take 28.5% of the vote, just 1.5% off the margin his partys strategists need. Whats more, PP voters are traditionally loyal (78% of them say they will be supporting Rajoy in three weeks time).

The PP and Unidos Podemos know that voters have short memories, and they can each count on a loyal and motivated constituency

At the other end of the political spectrum, Unidos Podemos is in a similar position. Despite public perceptions that Podemos has blocked efforts to form a government, supporters of the coalition led by Pablo Iglesias and Alberto Garzon have rallied (78% say they will repeat their vote on June 26), giving it a 25.6% share of the vote according to Sundays Metroscopia poll (5.4% ahead of the PSOE).

The PP and Unidos Podemos know that voters have short memories and that despite their failure to reach consensus and form a government over the last six months, they can each count on a loyal and motivated constituency. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria has effectively admitted that she prefers Iglesias as a rival, finding it easier to explain to voters the dangers she sees a Podemos government posing for Spain, while Rajoy has openly questioned whether his main rival is Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez. In turn, Unidos Podemos has successfully established itself as the only alternative to a third consecutive PP government, with Iglesias calling on the old social democrats that traditionally have supported the PSOE to decide who they are going to support on June 26.

The PSOE finds itself in its most difficult position since Spain returned to democracy four decades ago

The PSOE finds itself in its most difficult position since Spain returned to democracy four decades ago. The possibility of losing its position as the voice of the left in Spain is very real as it finds itself sandwiched between two powerful rivals. What was once its strength: occupying the center-left ground where the majority of Spanish voters are to be found, has now become its weakness in an increasingly polarized fight. The Metroscopia poll gives the Socialists 20.2% of the vote, almost two points down from its result in December, putting it in a distant third place after the PP and Unidos Podemos: on the morning of June 27, it would still have a role to play in the formation of any government, but would not be in a position to take the initiative.

English version by Nick Lyne.
These are the responsibility of the editor and convey the newspaper's view on current affairs-both domestic and international

A recent rescue operation in the Mediterranean. EFE/ Marina Italiana

At least 13,800 people have been rescued in the Mediterranean over the last week while they were trying to reach Italy from Libya. The figure represents an alarming increase: up until now, 4,200 people have been saved since January. The 90 operations carried out last week by Frontex, the EUs border force, have saved more than 500 lives, although hundreds more will have perished making the dangerous sea crossing.

The figures reflect the increased activity by the people-trafficking gangs operating in Libya, which are taking advantage of the political chaos there. According to Frontex, the million or so refugees who arrived on the shores of Greece and Italy in 2015 paid between them more than 4 billion to traffickers, a significant part of which will have been channeled into drug trafficking or weapons smuggling.

The million or so refugees who arrived on the shores of Greece and Italy in 2015 paid between them more than 4 billion to traffickers

The situation in Libya is worrying. Unlike the networks operating in Turkey, which have divided their business up into different zones along the countrys coastline, in Libya there is fierce competition between the many groups operating there, which are mostly made up of local criminals and former members of the military and the militia. Frontex has extensive evidence showing that these gangs knowingly expose people to further risk. Unlike in Turkey, where traffickers often travel the relatively short 10-kilometer distance to the Greek islands, the gangs operating out of Libya pack up to 60 people aboard fragile rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats to make the 500-kilometer journey.

The events of the last week point to another long summer that will bring more human tragedy, obliging the authorities in Europe to take measures to prevent the Mediterranean from once again becoming a mass grave for people fleeing conflict and poverty.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Barack Obama sale del avion presidencial el pasado 3 de junio. Joel Auerbach (AP)

The president of the United States, Barack Obama, will make an official visit to Europe between July 7 and 11, during which he will stop in Poland and Spain. According to official information released by the White House on Monday, the world leader will meet with Spanish acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and King Felipe VI on July 9.

The White House added that this visit to Europe would be taking place within the context of a NATO meeting that will take place in Warsaw between July 7 and 9. The meeting will be an opportunity to reinforce the solidarity between members of the Alliance, to advance in the strengthening of security and to plan greater stability between the members, the US authorities explained.

The visit to Spain, which is an important ally, is aimed at intensifying cooperation in terms of security and strengthening political and economic relations, the White House said in a statement.

Before meeting with Rajoy and the Spanish king, Obama will meet the Polish president as well as the heads of the European Council and the European Commission in order to discuss cooperation issues between the US and the EU.

English version by Simon Hunter.
More than 6,000 people gathered in downtown Bogota in the early hours of Sunday morning to take part in a project by Spencer Tunick. Not only did the American photographer persuade the multitude to pose nude for a group photo but he also got Colombians out on the streets as early as 2am in order to take part, despite the low temperatures in the capital.

Participants met in Plaza de Bolivar, just a few meters away from the presidential residence, city hall and Catedral Primada. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were more security officers on the ground than normal in this part of town to patrol the event.

Tunick said he chose the location based on the understanding of his work: celebration of the beauty and naturalness of the human body juxtaposed against the symbols of societys institutions of power.

Women participating in a nude group photo. Leonardo Munoz (EFE)

Thousands of people signed up to participate in the project through the Bogota Museum of Modern Art (Mambo). They received confirmation of their participation but did not get any hints as to what the project entailed. Organizers expected 10,000 participants, but as Tunick predicted, fewer actually showed up once the excitement about the event had died down.

People dealt with the long wait and cold by drinking plenty of coffee and agua panela, a traditional Colombian drink, while applauding and shouting. Meanwhile, Tunick moved back and forth on the stairs of the Supreme Court of Justice, giving orders to his team.

Around 4am, the photographer addressed participants, with a: Hola Colombia! The crowd filled Plaza de Bolivar with their screams and shouts. It was time to undress and gather in the middle of the square, where Tunick had placed blocks of wood that looked like surfboards, on which several people had to stand.

Tunick shot the nude group photo in Plaza de Bolivar in downtown Bogota. Leonardo Munoz (EFE)

Participants were asked to stand silent with arms by their sides while looking straight ahead. A drone did the rest. Then, some women were photographed in front of the Capitol. Others posed for a photo near Teatro Colon and the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Center, to which only a few select people had access.

The photographs will be shown at a Mambo exhibit in Bogota at the end of the year.

English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
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Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

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The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

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STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens

ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
Washington State Training Center Wins START Award

The site teaches at-risk high school juniors and seniors to make aerospace parts from blocks of titanium, aluminum, nylon, and phenolic resin.

The Work Force Development Center in Mukilteo, Wash., has received its second safety and health award from the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which announced the award June 2, saying this one is for the center's second work site for aerospace assembly training. It is the ninth work site in the state to be recognized through the START program -- Safety through Achieving Recognition Together.

Last year, the center's first work site was the first Washington nonprofit to ever receive the award, which recognizes occupational safety and health excellence that leads to a safer workplace, lower costs, and improved morale.

WFDC is a nonprofit vocational training organization that provides apprenticeships for disabled, socioeconomically disadvantaged, or otherwise at-risk high school juniors and seniors in aerospace assembly. The students earn minimum wage and high school credit while getting valuable experience with the tools and processes in the aerospace industry to prepare them for entering the workforce. The second work site specializes in using Computer Numerical Controlled machine tools that cut, drill, and carve out aerospace parts from blocks of titanium, aluminum, nylon, and phenolic resin.

"Learning to work safely in an industrial environment is an essential part of our students' educational experience," said Carmela Morelli, WFDC's director of Human Resources & Student Services. "We are so proud of our employees and students for their commitment to following the guidance of the L&I safety and health consultants."

To participate in the program, employers must have an injury rate below their industry's average for at least a year and must also allow safety and health experts to visit the work site and review workplace hazards, examine safety and health programs, and interview workers and managers. "Work Force Development Center is clearly a safety leader in the community that others can learn from," said Lou Flores, Consultation Program manager for L&I's Division of Occupational Safety and Health. "This award is a tribute to the center's hard work and commitment to making sure that trainees and employees are safe on the job and learn safe work habits that will last a lifetime."

For more information on START, visit www.Lni.wa.gov/Safety/Topics/AtoZ/Start/.
Here is a transport related question that is uniquely Singapore. If you currently own a car that is reaching the end of its Certificate Of Entitlement (COE), should you consider renewing the COE for a further 10 years, or buy a new car instead?

How COE Renewal Works

Before a car can be driven in Singapore, car owners first need to bid for a COE. The COE allows the car to be driven in Singapore for 10 years.

At the end of the 10-year COE period, vehicle owners may choose to deregister their vehicles or extend their COEs for another 10 years. If owners want to extend their COE for another 10 years, they do not need to bid for a new COE. Rather, they pay the Prevailing Quota Premium (PQP).

The PQP is determined by using the moving average of the COE prices in the last 3 months. For example, if the average COE prices over the past 3 months were $50,000, $45,000 and $43,000, then the PQP would be $46,000.

For June 2016, the PQP for Category A COE is $46,454.

Cost Difference Between Getting A New Car And Renewing Your COE

It is natural to quickly presume that renewing your COE would be much cheaper than getting a new car. For the most part, that is usually true. But just how much are the cost differences that we are talking about?

Let us take a look using two examples.

Mazda 3 (Registered 31 July 2007)

Estimated PARF Rebate At The End Of COE When Car Is Deregistered: $8,408

Buying A New Car

Source: SGCarMart

Assuming a car owner uses up the 10-year COE before deregistering it, the PARF rebate (i.e. paper value) for a Mazda 3 would be about $8,400. If we assume that the car has no body value left on it (i.e. dealer do not pay you any extra money to deregister), that will be the amount received.

Based on current prices, a brand new Mazda 3 would cost $95,000. If you subtract the amount you get from the PARF rebate, you pay about $86,600 for a brand new car with a fresh 10-year COE.

Editors Note (Updated 7 June 2016): Our initial calculation did not take into consideration the future PARF value car owners would receive back if they bought a new car, and then deregister it 10 years later. Having illustrated that an owner would pay about $86,600 for a new Mazda 3 after the PARF rebate, the actual cost would further reduce to $78,000 once we take into account the next PARF rebate.

Story continues

Renewing Your COE

If you were to renew your COE, you would be paying $46,454 for a new COE. In other words, you would be paying about $42,000 more to get a new car, instead of renewing an older model.

Editors Note (Updated 7 June 2016): The difference would be about $31,500 once we take into account the PARF rebate for the next car

$42,000 may seem costly, but the actual cost would be lower than than that once you take into consideration the higher repair costs and maintenance incurred due to up keeping an older car.

Repair and maintenance cost can vary significantly depending on the condition of the existing car. One can easily expect to pay about $15,000 or more over the next 10 years for repairs. In addition, maintenance and fuel efficiency will also be more expensive. Even if we assume this is as little as $40 per month more, you can expect to pay $5000 more over a 10-year period.

In total, we can easily expect to pay at least $20,000 or more for up keeping an older car.

New Mazda 3 Old Mazda 3 Cost $95,000  (Less) PARF Rebate $8,400  COE $46,000 Estimated Additional Repair & Maintenance Cost Over 10 Years $20,000 Estimated Final Cost $86,600 $66,000

The difference in cost would be about $20,000 over a 10-year period.

Editors Note: The difference is actually about $11,500 once you take into consideration the double effect of the PARF rebate

Audi A6 (Registered Jan 2007)

Estimated PARF Rebate At The End Of COE When Car Is Deregistered: $27,155

Buying A New Audi A6

Source: SGCarMart

Based on current prices, a new Audi A6 would cost $211,000. After the inclusion of PARF rebate, a new Audi A6 would cost about $184,000.

In contrast, extending the COE for an Audi A6 would cost about $48,000. Repair cost would be tricky. One hand, a well maintained German car should be expected to have fewer problems in the long run. That being said, a problem with a major component such as the transmission could easily cost more than $5,000 to fix.

New Audi A6 Old Mazda 3 Cost $211,000  (Less) PARF Rebate $27,000  COE $48,000 Estimated Additional Repair & Maintenance Cost Over 10 Years $20,000 Estimated Final Cost $184,000 $68,000

The difference in cost would be about $116,000 over a 10-year period.

Editors Note: The difference in cost is about $157,000 once we take into consideration the effect of the PARF rebate from the new car

When Should You Choose To Renew?

Generally speaking, it would be more much worthwhile to extend the COE for more expensive and established car brands such as Audi, Mercedes & BMW. As a proportion to the overall price of the car, the COE for these cars could represent about 25% of the total price.

In contrast, for more affordable brands such as Mazda, Kia or Mitsubishi, the COE could easily represent 50% of the price of the car. Paying more money to get a new car (i.e. $42,000 more for a Mazda 3) could save owners thousands of dollars in repair cost over the next 10 years.

Ultimately, car owners should have the best gauge of the condition of their current car. If you are already spending quite a fair bit of money fixing parts that are failing, chances are you will be spending a lot more money in the next 10 years after you extend your cars COE.

Editors Note (Updated 7 June 2016): Paying more to repair an old car is expected. Aside from the wear and tear for older parts that need to be replaced, it is also possible that older car models may not have spare parts for repair. It has to be imported from overseas, adding to the cost. Road tax also increases for vehicles that are older than 10 years. According to a LTA document, the surcharges increases at a rate of 10% per annum of the basic road tax amount payable, up to a maximum of 50% per annum.

In such instances, buying a new car might only cost a little more, in contrast to spending a bomb on repairs in the future.

If your car is giving you hardly any problems, and have a relatively low mileage to go along with it, extending the COE, particularly for more expensive car models, might be the better and much cheaper option.

Editors Note (Updated 7 June 2016): However, wed like to clarify that just because a model is expensive does not always mean it is better, or cheaper to maintain. Expensive car models usually cost more to repair. Mileage is also a better gauge on how old a car truly is. All this should ultimately factor in to whether a car owner should extend his COE, or buy a new car.

Read Also: Why Are Cars In Singapore So Expensive?

DollarsAndSense.sg is a website that aims to provide interesting, bite-sized financial articles which are relevant to the average Singaporean. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter to receive exclusive content not available on our website. Follow us as well on Instagram @DNSsingapore to get your daily dose of finance knowledge through photos.

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Editors Note (Updated 7 June 2016): Following feedback from readers, we have published an additional article to further explain in details other factors to be considered when deciding between extending the COE or buying a new car. We strongly recommend for you to read our follow up article, please click here.

The post Should You Renew Your COE Or Buy A New Car appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
This article was originally on GET.com at: Should Singaporeans Get Free Income From The Government By Doing Nothing?

As you might have heard, free money by the government will not be a real thing in Switzerland as the Swiss have overwhelmingly spoken against it with 76.9% of voters in agreement that this revolutionary, audacious proposal be abandoned. For those who're clueless about this entire commotion, the Swiss came up with an initiative that gives its citizens 2500 francs (about S$3480) every month for basically doing nothing. This is probably as close as you can get to making your dreams a reality.

What if Singapore were to initiate the same thing? Most importantly, are there any repercussions? We at GET.com have some reasons why Singapore should and shouldnt give free money to its citizens. Some of which you probably wouldnt like so much.

Should Singaporeans Get Free Income From The Government By Doing Nothing?

3 Reasons Why Singapore Should Give Citizens Free Money

1. Everybody Loves Free Money

Seriously, who doesnt like free money? Hardly anything is free in Singapore (or anywhere for that matter), but getting free money is pretty much what every Singaporean wishes for. If the government were to give us free money, it would probably make us happier by tenfold and some of us would probably be able to live more comfortably with the extra cash in hand.

2. Some People Wont Need To Work

Assuming that the government gives us the same amount as the Swiss, that will be $3480, which is more than what entry level jobs are paying. Then there are also labour jobs that pay even less. So of course if you weigh out your options, why would you want to go through the stress of work and earn peanuts when you can literally do nothing and receive a more than decent amount of money?

Plus, some of these low paying jobs dont require people to pay taxes, so theyll be getting the money in full and not have to think about taxes, its a win-win.

Story continues

3. People Can Pursue Their Passion

I know a lot of people that dont pursue their passion like painting or starting a business, simply because they cant afford to not have a stable form of income. While some of us can afford a career move, others are struggling to put food on the table.

Maybe with the free money from the government, people can finally be able to focus on doing what they want to do instead of putting their energy into an unfulfilling job for the sake of money.

3 Reasons Why Singapore Shouldnt Give Free Money

1. Taxes Will Go Up

Unfortunately though, the reality of the government giving away free money has its repercussions. And one of them, which was also highlighted by the Swiss government, is one that affects its citizens the most - a drastic increase in taxes. Singapore is currently one of the countries with the lowest personal income tax rates in the world, but in order to give back to its citizens, the government will first need to take and that will be in the form of tax money that is from the citizens in the first place.

While it wont necessarily mean that Singapore will climb the charts in becoming a country with one of the highest personal income tax rates in the world, it will definitely not make its citizens happy. In turn, the money that the government gives away will probably have to be used to pay for the taxes anyway.

2. Productivity Will Go Down

As mentioned in the reasons why Singapore should give away free money, some people will choose not to work. This will contribute to the productivity level in Singapore to go way down. Its bad enough that right now, there are signs that point to an economic gloom in Singapore and as a result, at least 13 jobs have taken a hit in their earnings.

But should there be a sudden decline of people in the workforce, this will create a chicken and egg situation where its going to be harder to recruit workers because people either wont want to work or people wont have enough skills to work, but at the same time it will make it harder for people to get jobs. Plus this free money concept will encourage people to stay unemployed and not look for ways to better themselves.

3. Gross Domestic Product Will Go Down

Because people no longer want to work, this decline in the workforce will cause our GDP to go down. What this means exactly is that the countrys overall trade will slow down to the point that it might even lead to a fall in our currency value. Already Singapores non-oil domestic exports have plunged down to their lowest level in the last 3 years, if the productivity continues to go down, who knows what will happen next.

Conclusion?

Overall, this free money business will cause more harm than good. Most of all, it is unsustainable in the long run. As much as the idea of free money is enticing, at the end of the day it still goes back to affecting us, the citizens. It seems that in order to support and make such a utopian idea work, might in turn cause more suffering than it should.

So I say, we cherish what we have now. Even if that means waking up every morning to a job and working hard, at least we can proudly say that we reap what we sow, most of the time anyway.

What do you think? Should the government give us free money? Let us know in the comments below, wed love to hear your thoughts!

What do you think? Share your comments with us below!

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CAPE TOWN, June 6 (Reuters) - Ghana's National Petroleum (Other OTC: NLPTF - news) Corporation (GNPC) was in discussion with a range of traders and expected its first order of imported liquefied natural gas early next year, a senior official said on Monday.

Alex Mould, acting chief executive at GNPC, said they were in the market for between 250 million to 500 million standard cubic feet (SCF) of gas which would used to help generate power in the West African country. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Ed Stoddard)
ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Jun 6, 2016) - McAlister's Deli, a leading fast casual restaurant chain known for its Famous Sweet Tea and recently ranked as one of consumers' favorite chains by Restaurant Business, today announced it is looking for new partnerships with experienced multi-unit franchise owners as the brand continues its expansion into the Columbus, OH market.

"Columbus represents an important part of McAlister's growth strategy and we're excited about the brand's continued expansion into the market," said Jeff Sturgis, McAlister's Vice President of Franchise Development. "The McAlister's Deli brand has become a top choice for some of the most successful multi-unit franchise owners in the country, so we're excited to watch the brand grow in these areas due in large part to the talent of our franchisees."

McAlister's first Columbus area location opened in Dublin in 2014. As the company looks to open additional locations in the area, they are actively seeking qualified franchisees to develop in Franklin and Delaware Counties. Currently, McAlister's has eight locations throughout the state of Ohio, including Dayton and Cincinnati.

McAlister's had a successful year of franchise growth in 2015 with $548 million in system-wide sales, the opening of 27 new restaurants -- some in new markets, including Chicago, Rochester, and Orlando -- and nearly 60 commitments for new restaurants. This growth is fueled by both existing franchisees as well as new partnerships with experienced multi-unit franchise owners with notable portfolios.

McAlister's currently operates more than 350 franchised locations in the U.S., across 27 states. The company has attracted a record number of franchise inquiries in recent years due to its quality leadership, healthy sales to investment ratio, and exceptional company performance.

To learn more about franchising opportunities with McAlister's, please contact (888) 855-DELI (3354) or franchising@mcalistersdeli.com, or visit www.mcalistersdelifranchise.com.

About McAlister's

Founded in 1989, McAlister's Deli is a fast casual restaurant chain known for its sandwiches, spuds, soups, salads, desserts and McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea. In addition to dine-in and take-out service, McAlister's also offers catering with a selection of sandwich trays, box lunches, desserts, a hot spud bar and more. With numerous industry accolades, the McAlister's brand has 350 restaurants in 27 states. The company is headquartered in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.mcalistersdeli.com.

About FOCUS Brands Inc.

Atlanta-based FOCUS Brands Inc., through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 5,000 ice cream shoppes, bakeries, restaurants, and cafes in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 60 foreign countries under the brand names Carvel, Cinnabon, Schlotzsky's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Auntie Anne's and McAlister's Deli, as well as Seattle's Best Coffee on certain military bases and in certain international markets. Please visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more.
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ABUJA, June 5 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is to take a 10-day holiday during which he will travel to London and see a doctor regarding a persistent ear infection, his spokesman said on Sunday.

It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) comes days after the 73-year-old former military ruler cancelled a trip to the restive Niger Delta region at the last minute. Last month, he pulled out of what would have been his first official trip to the commercial capital, Lagos.

"The president was examined by his personal physician and an E.N.T specialist in Abuja and was treated. Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution," said spokesman Femi Adesina.

The statement also said the president would travel to London on Monday "to rest".

Buhari took office in May 2015 after winning an election largely on his vows to crack down on corruption and end the insurgency waged by Islamist militant group Boko Haram in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation, which also has the continent's biggest economy. (Reporting by Felix Onuhah; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Peter Cooney)
RA Air Defense handed over to Russia - Union of Informed Citizens

On Friday, the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations gave a positive conclusion to the agreement on the the Creation of a United Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasus Region of Collective Security, which is due to be discussed in the National Assembly plenary session in the coming days. Though officials state that Armenias security will only benefit from that agreement and the Armed Forces will not lose their independence, the agreement stipulates the opposite. Air Defense Unification As it is known, the air defense units of the 102nd Russian Military Base located in Gyumri, as well as the Russian squadron located in Erebuni airport in Yerevan have the obligation of protecting the Armenian airspace (according to Article 3 of the 1995 agreement on the Russian Military Base in the Territory of Armenia). And the new agreement stipulates that during threat of war or aggravation of the military-political situation, the Armenian and Russian air defense forces located in the territory of Armenia should act together and cannot perform independent actions. Moreover, in order to prevent one of the sides from unsanctioned use of anti-aircraft weapons, the appendix of the agreement envisages organization of actions to obviate such cases. In addition, even during the peaceful period, air defense forces retain full independence solely in the organization of daily activities (with regard to other issues, the level of independence has decreased). As it has already been mentioned, the parties have partial independence in managing their air defense forces during peaceful times. However, the parties are deprived of that independence during war or, as it is mentioned in the contract, during aggravation of the military-political situation  More precisely, only one of the parties is deprived of that independence, and that party is naturally Armenia. Under the Command of the Russian Federation The point is that Article 6 of the agreement stipulates the hierarchy of management of joint actions of Armenian and Russian air defense forces deployed in the territory of Armenia. According to the hierarchy, the overall coordination of joint actions will be implemented by the commander of the aerospace defense forces of the Russian Federation. The overall management of the actions will be carried out by the commander of the Southern Military District of Russia. And it is only the direct management of operations that will be done by the Armenian side, namely, by the commander of air defense forces. This means that the high command (overall coordination and leadership) of the Armenian air defense forces is passed to the Russian Federation. In other words, during war or aggravation of military-political situation, Russia will take over Armenias air defense leadership. Consequently, we regret to note that the agreement makes Armenia similar to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, one part of the power structures of which have officially become branches (subdivisions) of the Russian ones. Daniel Ioannisyan Union of Informed Citizens
There has been a significant increase in the number of GP-led transactions reviewed by LPs over the past 12 months, according to a study by Capstone Partners focused on GP-led Secondaries.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Manvel Badeyan was not surprised by being appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Kuwait.

To the question why it was decided to appoint him Ambassador in Kuwait, he said Kuwait is not his choice. Nevertheless, I know a lot about Kuwait since I have visited there several times. Kuwait is a friendly country for us, and has strong ties with Armenia. It seems that the former Ambassador made lots of works in Kuwait, we have friendly relations with that country, Armenpress reports, Badeyan stated.

There were various meetings with the Kuwait leadership over the past year, the Prime Minister tried to establish business ties, and in recently the Justice Minister of Armenia visited there.

To the question, what will be his mission during his tenure, is he going to strengthen the business ties, Badeyan stated: It is one of my duties, there is a need to develop all sectors, including political, economic and cultural. One of the major missions for Ambassador is to strengthen the ties between the two states.

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree appointing Manvel Badeyan Ambassador of Armenia to Kuwait.
SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

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Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

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STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

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Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

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Anush Sedrakyan: Samvel Babayan's patriotic stance is highly questionable

The return of any politician would be welcome during the military operations. I think he [Samvel Babayan] has returned to participate in the pre-election campaign, Deputy Chairperson of the Free Democrats Party, Anush Sedrakyan, said speaking about the return of Samvel Babayan, a former commander of the NKR Defense Army. Babayan, who served as the commander of Karabakhs army in 1993-2000, returned from Russia last month in the wake of April four-day war in Karabakh. People, who remained silent in the political domain for a long time and preferred to abstain from participating in the countrys political, economic and defense issues, showed up before the elections with the so-called patriotic stance. But that patriotic stance is questionable because in addition to political functions, there are many other functions and a former politician, be he in retirement or in exile, can participate in the political life of his country. I have not noticed such a thing, therefore, I am deeply puzzled, she said. Asked whether Babayan could be ordered to return by a definite party or person, Mrs Sedrakyan said, I think this is an attempt to form pro-government blocs in the country. I is vying for a position and it does not matter where he is elected in Armenia or in Artsakh because elections are scheduled to be held in the two Armenian states. But I think that false heroism will not beautify him as heroism is ones ability to live in the country, for that country and with that country.
Modified On Jun 06, 2016 12:00 PM By Arun for BMW 5 Series 2017-2021

BMW has launched the 520i petrol variant of the 5 Series sedan at Rs 54 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Imported as a completely built unit (CBU), the sedan is available in a single 'Luxury Line' grade.

Just like the 320i that was introduced last month, the 520i uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor coupled with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. It develops 184PS of power and 270Nm of torque that helps it clock 0-100kmph in 7.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 233kmph. It also gets a start-stop system, brake energy regeneration, and an Eco Pro mode, all of which help it save as much fuel as possible.

Other than the engine, the petrol variant is identical to its diesel counterpart. The design remains unchanged, and it continues to sport the signature kidney grille, LED headlamps, and some good-looking 18-inch alloy wheels. On the inside, it gets bells and whistles such as a 10.2-inch infotainment screen paired to a 600W Harman Kardon music system, leather upholstery and a sunroof. The 520i was previously discontinued citing lack of demand. However, we think the uncertainty around the future of diesel in the country has prompted BMW to re-introduce the petrol 5'er in the country.

Following Delhi, Kerala too banned the registration of diesel vehicles with engines above 2,000cc. Moreover, it is highly likely that the NGT will replicate the ban in 11 cities across the country. Notably, other manufacturers will be introducing petrol variants of their offerings as well. Case(s) in point  Mahindra will be introducing petrol motors for the popular Scorpio and XUV500, and Toyota is expected to launch a 2.7-litre petrol motor for the Innova Crysta.

At Rs 54 lakh, the petrol 520i is priced on par with the diesel 520d variant. Which one would you pick? Let us know!

Read More on : 5 Series
Modified On Jun 06, 2016 03:25 PM By Khan Mohd. for Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2016-2020

Copying, plagiarism, and piracy may be tabooed terms in the rest of the world, but in China things are very different; there are hardly any global products left whose copy is not available in the dragon land. In a yet another instance of getting inspired, Jiangling Motor, a Chinese automaker, has been sued by Jaguar Land Rover over building a Range Rover Evoque-lookalike, the Landwind X7.

Showcased at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show, the Landwind X7 is almost identical to the premium Evoque SUV, with the only difference being the Landwind badge and the front grille. And of course, the lookalike Range Rover Evoque costs one-third of the original one.

When contacted for a comment on the lawsuit filed against Jiangling, JLR officials confirmed that they have sued the Chinese automaker and that a court in Chaoyang district of Beijing is handling the case for actions surrounding copyright and unfair competition relating to this matter. However, they didnt comment further, citing that the matter is already subjudice.

Though the Landwind X7s latest avatar was showcased in November 2014, JLR has been selling imported Evoques in the country well before that. However, the trouble has now amplified as only last year JLR had started selling Made-in-China Evoques in the mainland.

This is not the only case of bootlegging by a Chinese carmaker. Earlier, Honda had filed a similar lawsuit as another carmaker copied the CRVs design. Honda won the case, but only after fighting for 12 long years which earned them a petty $2.43million as compensation.

Read More on : Range Rover Evoque price
Armenia is not taking enough efforts to involve Karabakh in the talks - Nikol Pashinyan (video)

Opening the four-day sitting of the Armenian National Assembly, NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan said by a decree of Serzh Sargsyan, Republican lawmaker Manvel Badeyan had been appointed Armenias Ambassador to Kuwait. Hovhannes Margaryan, a lawmaker representing the Country of Law Party (OEK) faction, proposed his fellow colleagues to welcome the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag and urge other countries to follow suit. I congratulate everyone on the occasion, said Galust Sahakyan. Nikol Pashinyan from the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction said a number of diplomatic missions have made statements alleging Armenia is not taking every effort to involve the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the talks as a third party. It is time Armenian authorities provided evidence to show that Armenia is doing everything possible to involve the NKR in the negotiation process. I am making this statement to focus public attention on the issue. We cannot and should not let any representative from Armenia discuss any issue related to the Karabakh conflict without a representative from Karabakh. All these issues have been discussed in the presence of media representatives. If you think there are unsolved issues, you can turn to the corresponding committee to convene a discussion, said Mr Sahakyan.
California's primary can change the world

May Bernie Sanders be the Democratic Party nomineeIn US House races, please vote for antiwar candidates.In polls Trump beats Clinton and Sanders beats both. If for any reason Bernie Sanders is not the Democratic nominee, many more millions will vote third party. A vote for Clinton is a vote for Trump. Please vote either for Sanders or an antiwar third party candidate such as Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party's Jill Stein, or the Socialist Party.******************************************************************************Hillary Clinton: Advocate of War Without EndI Issues Re Human Beings1. Clinton voted for the Iraq War, an immoral fiasco which has cost countless US lives and many more lives of civilians, soldiers etc. Its only effect besides costing trillions of dollars has been to multiply anger at the US around the world and to create ISIL.2. Clinton helped prosecute 12 illegal immoral wars of the Obama administration (a man who sold out his electorate almost immediately upon entering office). The 12 are Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Central African Republic, the Congo, Libya, Egypt, Iran. All of them have been total failures except for rightwing religious haters and war profiteers. Hillary Clinton promotedGen. Stanley McChrystals recommendation to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan though Obama did not want more troops. She backed and Obama opposed the militarys plan to leave behind 10,000 to 20,000 American troops in Iraq Clinton lobbied for the CIA plan to give money to Syrian relbels which Obama opposed.3. Clinton is in favor of government murder, called execution, something opposed by over 3/4 of the world's countries and at least 42 states. The Obama nominee she supports, Merrick Garland, is an executioner as well.4. Sidney Blumenthal, paid 10,000 a month by the Clinton Foundation, advised Hillary Clinton in a private server on reasons to bomb Libya.a Planning illegal immoral wars in secretb. Doing it illegally on a private server5. In at least 3 false flag operations of the CIA and government, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the World Trade Center bombing, and the alleged murder of Osama Bin Laden, Clinton has supported the official lies.6.. The candidate most favored by the billionaire bankers and hedge fund owners of Wall St. is Hillary Clinton, who has connections to Goldman Sachs. Clinton supported the Wall St bank bailout which was a giveaway of tens of trillions of dollars to the richest Americans. Her son in law's hedge fund was floated by Goldman Sachs. She and her husband were house guests of Wigmore of Goldman Sachs who was for that group in charge of facilitating the UK's utility privatizations.6b. Six of 10 of Clinton's biggest donors are big banks. 9 of 10 of Sanders' biggest donors are unions.7. Took an active role in the coup d'etat in Honduras which iremoved the democratically elected Manuel Zelaya and replaced him with a pawn of loanshark capitalism.8. The Pentagon is alleged to be proficient in the art of war, while the State Department is allegedly a department of diplomacy and peace. Why would anyone appoint a henhawk to a peacemaking position?9. Clinton has never had the requisite lack of bias on Mideast topics to be president. She considers herself aligned with Israel against any rights of the Palestinian people. Her paid remarks to Goldman Sachs and videos of her speech to AIPAC are hard to access.10. The renowned Randall Robinson and many others have written of Hillary Clinton's tyranny in Haiti, including the electoral process.11. She never supported unions when on the board of unionbusting WalMart.12a. In New York, Clinton and her machine disenfranchised 3 million Latino, black, young and other voters who tried to register as Democrats and failed. In this she was helped by warmonger media such as CBS which failed to warn New Yorkers of impending registration deadlines.12b. Clinton, McCain and other vote fraud in Arizona: Latinos and blacks found their voting sites closed. There were thousands waiting to vote as the corporate media called the victory for Clinton. (see links)12c, In Nevada she tried to strongarm caucus rule changes to benefit her campaign.12d She has helped to create the class of unelected and undemocratic super delegatesClinton, McCain and other vote fraud in Arizona: Latinos and blacks found their voting sites closed. There were thousands waiting to vote as the corporate media called the victory for Clinton. (see links)13 Snowden said Clinton's charge that he could have had whistleblower protection was false, given that the Obama administration of which she is a part has prosecuted more whistleblowers than any other.14. Clinton supported the job outsourcing, labor and environment weakening Trans Pacific Partnership 45 times... now she says she's against it.15. Clinton has taken 4.5 million from 58 registered oil and gas lobbyists.16. Clinton supported the Keystone Pipeline until pressured by political reality into opposing it.17. In Libya, Clinton went above the heads of Pentagon generals "Libya has been destroyed. It became a haven for ISIS. The Libyan national armory was looted and hundreds of tons of weapons were transferred to jihadists in Syria. see link18. Privatizer prison profiteers are raising money for Clinton. Because we have many privatized prisons whose profit motive is enhanced each time they jail another person, the US has the highest per capita rate of prisoners in the world.See lnk19. Clinton operatives have been hacking into sites of her opponents.20a. Clinton supported fracking projects around the world20b Clinton supports offshore drilling, the kind which has made the Gulf of Mexico a toxic dump of BP's neurotoxin Corexit, the kind which has destroyed the Niger Delta.21. Clinton has been evasive about the unconstitutional spying of the NSA as well as about all NSA raw data going to the government of Israel.22. Some want Clinton to be the first woman president in the US. However she has helped bomb millions of women and girls, and billions of women animals.23. Hillary Clinton voted for legislation which made it easier to hide assets in offshore accounts.24. Clinton claims to have the support of African Americans, though once again more black Americans per capita than whites are dying in antisecurity immoral foreign wars.25. In April of 2016, 100 civilians in Yemen (women, men, children, their pets etc) were murdered by Saudi jet fighters dropping bombs given the polygamous sheiks by the Obama administration with the approval of Hillary Clinton.26. Clinton took 15 million dollars from Wall Street operatives.27. In his prosecution of Timothy McVeigh, Merrick Garland worked for McVeigh's execution. McVeigh after washing out of the Rangers was recruited by the CIA and given 2 million dollars cash. After he followed CIA instructions, the agency told authorities his whereabouts and stole back the 2 million dollars. Hillary Clinton and Merrick Garland share their support of government murder (the death penalty) despite the fact that over 3/4 of the world and 42 states have no executions.28. The Clinton emails have never been an issue for this poster, but it is interesting to note that the hacker who exposed the situation has been extradited to the U.S.29. Clinton's role in diverting money to war has destroyed health care for hundreds of millions of Americans who have the highest costs in the world and only middling care.30. Clinton's role in diverting money to war has destroyed the college dreams of a whole generation of Americans.31. Clinton's role in diverting money to war has destroyed bridge infrastructures in the US, harming the safety of all Americans.32. Clinton's role in diverting firefighters to war has caused fires at home.33. Clinton's role in diverting money to war has killed millions overseas, tens of thousands of American soldiers, and wounded millions more American soldiers. She has helped create American veterans shoddy health care at home.34. Clinton has helped turn American airwaves into warmonger media.35. Hillary Clinton wants the map of empire to continue. American soldiers are sitting ducks in the Mideast, The head of the Joint Chiefs wants them brought home. The map is of places in which soldiers stationed in many places around the globe, hemorrhaging money. while poverty grows at home.36. It is said that Clinton exaggerated her role in the Irish peace process.37. Hillary Clinton is lying about the US government role in the WTC bombing.38. Over half of Americans have an unfavorable view of both Clinton and Trump39. Clinton switched her position on same sex marriage. She has often. when realizing a position she took was becoming a nonmajority position. switched her position.40. Bankster thieves have several hundred trillion dollars in derivatives, a false wealth, a house of cards producing nothing whether it's cattle futures or subprime mortgages. Neither Clinton nor Trump can be trusted to change this.41. According to Wikipedia, Chelsea Clinton is on the board of several of Barry Diller's corporations. Diller was an executive with the rightwing Fox network for a number of years.42. Clinton opposes the use of a carbon tax as a way to hasten nonviolent renewable solar, wind and other energy not derived from deforestation, mountain decapitation, air pollution, animal habitat destruction.43. Should Sanders lose the Democratic nomination, 33 to 50% of his supporters would not vote for Clinton and the likelihood of a Republican president becomes higher.44. Clinton supported border fence legislation. Sanders opposes it.45. Bernie Sanders supports marijuana legalization. HIllary Clinton approves only of medical marijuana.46. Clinton's Russophobia has been demonstrated.47. Ralph Nader, Bernie Sanders, and many others have commented on Hillary Clinton's failure to release transcripts of her speeches, etc. as symptoms of her lack of transparency.48. Six billion dollars disappeared in her tenure at the State Dept.49. Hillary wants to remove women's choice to say no to lethal vaccines for their children50.There were 400 unelected 'super' delegates lined up for Hillary Clinton before the first primary, an antidemocraticantiprimary practice. Since Clinton has been more hawkish even than Obama re the 7 illegal immoral war zones in which this government is currently bombing people, animals, birds, trees etc., are these delegates also prowar?51. Clinton works closely with her fellow hawk and corporate hack, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Sanders has given 1/4 million dollars to Schultz' primary opponent, Tim Canova.52. Clinton refuses to debate Sanders in California.53. Clinton has claimed to be agnostic about nuclear power.54. Clinton ate murdered pig pieces at the Iowa State Fair and murdered cow pieces at the NY State Fair55. Clinton has aggressively promoted the Netanyahu agenda.56. voted for NAFTA which outsourced many American jobs57. Clinton twice voted for the unconstitutional Patriot Act, a massive tome of several thousand pages which was prepared before the WTC bombing. The Patriot Act allows government agencies to ride roughshod over individuals.58. Clinton's health is poor. She has had several fainting spells, is subject to blood clots and stroke, etc.59. Hillary Clinton attempted to interfere with the reelection of Venezuela's socialist president Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro after the Bush and Obama administrations destabilized the country. She has helped to plunge millions in Venezuela into poverty as she helped to destroy CITGO, the Venezuelan oil company owned by the people of Venezuela, a company which gave hundreds of millions in fuel oil to the poor of New England. Joseph Kennedy was one of many who praised Venezuela's generosity.60. The press were roped off away from Clinton and unable to ask her questions at a parade.61. Clinton commited perjury telling a federal judge she had surrendered all the emails, when she had notThe following paragraph isFrom Bob Fitrakis of freepress.orgWith the recent release of Hillary Clintons emails by Wikileaks, the public now knows exactly how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) went from a collective defense organization to the new Barbary Coast Pirates of imperialism. The irony that the U.S.-dominated NATO military organization would be concerned with "protecting" Arab civilians is all too obvious since the United States is the nation most responsible for killing Arab civilians.The real reasons for the attack have been dealt with most directly by America's famous reformed "economic hitman," John Perkins.Perkins points out that the attack on Libya, like the attack on Iraq, has to do with power and control of resources, not only oil, but gold. Libya has the highest standard of living in Africa. "According to the IMF, Libya's Central Bank is 100% state owned. The IMF estimates that the bank has nearly 144 tons of gold in its vaults," Perkins wrote"As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton was reportedly one of the most hawkish members of President Obama's cabinet, pushing for the 2009 troop surge in Afghanistan and US intervention in Libya. She has also been a vocal proponent of the same drone war that has led to the deaths of 2,400 civilians. In her recent memoir, Hard Choices, she bragged about having presided over the imposition of "crippling sanctions" on the Iranian economy during her tenure as secretary of state." Joseph Mulkerin of TruthoutWikileaks reveals Sidney Blumenthals's email to Hillary Clinton about Libya's 143 tons of gold (as another reason illegally to bomb Libya)Bob Fitrakis of Free Press on the 143 tons of gold held by the Libyan Central Bank, their oil reserves as 2 additional reasons that Sidney Blumenthal and Hillary Clinton plotted to bomb LibyaClinton's health5 reasons not to vote for ClintonNote: Why are there eartags painfully stapled onto calves' ears? Because they are objects, numbers, not feeling animals to those who profiteer from them. They are also branded with blazing hot irons and if male, castrated.II Issues Re Animals1. James Blair of Tyson Foods (one of the nation's biggest animal slaughter operations) and insider trading helped H Clinton turn $ 1000 into $100,000. She invested in cattle futures. Those cows had no future.2. Hillary and Bill Clinton have had a special relationship until his death in 2011 with Don Tyson, whose company has killed tens of billions of cows and pigs and trillions of chickens after a life of suffering in hideous factory farms. The Clintons have a longstanding relationship with John Tyson, Chairman of Tyson Foods.3. Hillary Clinton was for a time on the WalMart board, one of the world's biggest killers of mammals, birds, fishes.4. Hillary Clinton voted for the immoral Iraq war the prosecution of which has murdered hundreds of billions of birds and mammals, burned to death by bombs, crushed by tanks, seized and killed for food etc and which has added trillions to the US debt.5. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promoted the 7 illegal wars, bombing campaigns and drone assassinations of the Obama administration in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia, with untold billions of animal deaths.6. Hillary Clinton voted for NAFTA, which gave countries with less humane legislation easier access to the US market.7. Until Bernie Sanders' critical mass of opposition, Clinton was in favor of the Keystone Pipeline which like nearly all oil pipelines destroys fragile animal habitats, kills animals with oil spills, crushes them under heavy vehicle8. Clinton has hired a Monsanto person for her campaign. Monsanto has killed mammals, birds, bees and other insects in a variety of ways9. Clinton is tied to Goldman Sachs through her son in law's hedge fund. Sanders wants her to release the text of her remarks to Goldman Sachs, which paid her $225,000 for her speaking engagement. Politico article: "She sounded more like a Goldman Sachs managing director." Goldman Sachs is invested in animal slaughter, environmental destruction, war profiteering etc and was a major factor in plunging Greece, Spain and other countries into massive debt through pricegouging interest. She, Ted Cruz whose wife has a 6 figure salary with Goldman Sachs, and John Kasich, who lost hundreds of billions for Ohio pension funds when he was an executive with Lehman Brothers, are the 3 candidates of the duopoly most tied to Wall Street.10. At the State Department, Hillary Clinton gave an award to Heifer International, the butcher industry's corporation which separates terrified baby animals from their mothers and sends them to lives of slavery and slaughter overseas, thereby spreading disease to humans, global heating and freezing, deforestation, and world hunger.11. Clinton has supported fracking around the world. Poisonous fracking water chemical stews have killed millions of animals, from cows, sheep and other mammals to birds, reptiles, fishes etc. not only from water poisons but from fires caused by deforestation frackers who interfere with the rain cycle and massive earthquakes such as an 8 point record breaker for Canada in Alberta.12. Because Hillary Clinton is on record requiring forced vaccination of children against parents' wishes, (against choice), it follows that she favors the animal research (torture of animals called vivisection) which develops the vaccines.III The EnvironmentHillary's fracking promotion through the State Department has harmed the planet.Fracking made Oklahoma the earthquake capital of the world. Government inaction on fracking has caused 800 earthquakes in the Youngstown Ohio area alone. It causes turned on water faucets to burst into flame. It deforests fragile environments. It sends a poisonous stew of fracking chemicals into the ground. They end up everywhere in the watershed, killing people, cows, sheep, other mammals, birds, frogs etc.The movie Promised Land with Matt Damon exposes the criminal techniques of fracking companies, sometimes owned by huge natural gas companies.Hillary Clinton supported offshore drilling, supported the Keystone Pipeline for a long time, has worked at the State Department in support of 7 illegal immoral wars and the bombing which destroys fragile environments.Ralph Nader video of Hillary's lack of transparencyMother Jones and The Huffington Post have covered the stories of rancher deaths and deaths of cows and sheep.How Hillary Clinton's State Department sold fracking to the worldHillary Clinton Touted Fracking Across the Globe, and Only Bernie Sanders Can Be Trusted to Save Us From ItHillary Clinton Touted Fracking Across the Globe, and On... In 2011, the Bulgarian government granted U.S. Oil Company, Chevron, permission to extract oil using the controversial technique known as "fracking." The.... View on http://www.huffingtonpost ... Preview by Yahoo-saiom shriver-Oklahoma fracking capital of the worldGas companies' fracking crimes are explored in the movie Promised Land (Matt Damon).HILLARY'S GUNSHillary Clinton wants fewer gunsin the US.... and many times moreweapons in the 7 illegal war zonesshe has promoted.WHY WAS A HENHAWK PLACED IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT, A CABINET POSITION OF DIPLOMACY?Pentagon officials are alleged to know the art of war.State Department officials are alleged to knowdiplomacy, an art of peace.Why would anyone appointa henhawk as head ofthe State Departmentfrom which she waged warwithout surcease?VULTURES AND MEGATHIEVESRotting cadaversdraw vultures.Riches attract thieves.Mass riches attractimperialists and hedgefund megathieves.* Footnote:Wikileaks revealed that one reasonHillary Clinton, always more hawkisheven than Obama, pressed so muchfor the bombing of Libya and the murderof the socialist Qaddafi was the 143 tonsof gold in the LIbyan Central Bank.HILLARY CLINTON AND SOCIAL SECURITYHillary Clinton and companyhave diverted money from theSocial Security trust fund toillegal wars. She can't betrusted with the socialsecurity of citizens.HILLARY CLINTON: A WOMAN WHO DOESN'T PROTECT WOMENDo we want a first woman presidentwho is facilitating the bombingof innocent women in SEVENillegal war zones?HILLARY CLINTON AND CATTLE FUTURESHillary Clinton is saidto have been involvedin insider tradinginvesting in cattle futures.Someone who investsin cattle futuresknows that the cowshave no future.CLINTON TRUMP AND BANKSTER THIEVESBankster thieveshave several hundred trilliondollars in derivatives,a false wealth, a house of cardsproducing nothingwhether it's cattle futuresor subprime mortgages.Neither Clinton nor Trumpcan be trusted to change this.***************************How Clinton's hawkishness increased (she was a hawk long before 2010 (a claim of the NYT)Hillary Clinton's role in the coup d'etat removing democractically elected Manuel ZelayaPrivatized prison profiteers raising money for ClintonManuel ZelayaNote: The Goldman Sachs CEOinvested a lot of money with Hillary'sson in law's hedge fund.James Blair of Tyson Foods helped Hillary Clinton net 100,000 dollars from one thousand. Tyson's is one of the biggest slaughter operations in the USThe documentary The Noble Lie provides more information on the CIA false flag operation, the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.Cattle futures controversyThis writer is voting for a third party candidate.What Hillary Clinton has said in her paid speechesHillary Clinton speech to AIPAC America Israel Political Action Comm.Quote about Clinton is from Julian Assange http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/julian_assange_voting_hillary_clinton_spread_terrorism_20160224 Clinton's ties to Don Tyson, one of biggest slaughterhouse operators in USFrom http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news is the following quoteDonald J Tyson, billionaire, dies at 80a vote for Hillary is a vote for Monsantopic source: thefederalistpapers.comRemaining primaries:Snowden disputes Clinton allegationClinton on TPPClinton evasive about NSAHacker who exposed Clinton emails has been extradited to USHillary: tyranny in Haiti article by Randall RobinsonWar profiteering contractors return to Iraq in drovesHillary's perjury to a federal judge
President Muhammadu Buhari will proceed on 10 days vacation for medical reasons.

This was contained in a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman.

It reads: President Muhammadu Buhari will take 10 days off and travel to London on Monday June 6th to rest.

READ ALSO: President Muhammadu Buhari is sick in Aso Rock

During the holiday, he will see an E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear infection.

The president was examined by his personal physician and an E.N.T specialist in Abuja and was treated. Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution.

Nigerians wish President Buhari a speedy recovery:

Legit.ng reported earlier that Buhari has an infection in his left ear, otherwise called Meniere Disease, a challenge which has drastically reduced his outings in the last one week.

The president had on three recent occasions cancelled official visits within and outside the country due to the infection and was represented at those events by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

READ ALSO: Buhari cancels trip to Niger Delta

Its not the first vacation of President Buhari.

The president was on break from his official functions from February 5 to February 10, 2016.

During his absence, his vice performed the functions of the president.

Source: Legit.ng
- MASSOB, BIM called on the United Nations to divide Nigeria

- According to pro-Biafra groups this is the only solution to the current nation's problems

Two pro-Biafra groups have appealed to the United Nations and other world leaders to divide Nigeria into six geo-political zones to solve the current crisis.

The Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) stated that giving the six geo-political zones in Nigeria self-rule would be the only answer to the many problems in the country.

READ ALSO: How urgent restructure of Nigeria will save it

The MASSOB alongside with the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) called on the UN and other super powers to regard the lives of people that are killed on a daily basis in Nigeria arising from the insurgency in the north-east and Fulani herdsmen said to be reportedly affiliated to ISIS and Boko Haram.

Chris Mocha, the spokesman, said the proposed nations comprise South East (Biafra), South South (Niger Delta), North East, North West, South West (Oduduwa) and North-Central.

He underlined that no amount of preaching on nationalism can change Nigeria as it is today.

Mocha added that when the proposed zones are given independence, assets of the citizens of the different countries will be protected by international laws, just as mutual agreements will guide the future relationship of the new republics.

Meanwhile, the group insisted that several of their supporters were killed last week during the Biafra anniversary at Nkpor and Onitsha.

It said: While all the members of BIM/ MASSOB in Anambra central senatorial district including Nkpor town in Idemili North Local Government Area celebrated at Ifite Dunu, our counterparts in Anambra North including Onitsha converged at the zonal secretariat, project site at Nteje in Oyi council area of Anambra state.

READ ALSO: Dear President Buhari, we live in fear  Read open letter to PMB

Below, watch the latest documentary by Legit.ng from the National War Museum in Umuahia, Abia state:

Source: Legit.ng
- Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the brutal murder of Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme in Kano state

- Northern CAN have said the late Mrs. Agbahime was deliberately killed

- Sultan of Sokoto has also condemned the killing of Mrs. Agbahime, accused of blaspheming Prophet Mohammed

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the brutal murder of Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme in Kano State, saying all Nigerians must rise against this grievous act of lawlessness and impunity. He asserted that the perpetrators of the heinous crime must be fished out to face the full wrath of the law.

A statement issued by the spokesman to the Speaker, Turaki Hassan, quoted him as saying that there must be justice for the victim who was allegedly killed by a mob in a market in Kano State over allegations of blasphemy.

"We live in a society governed by clearly stated rules and laws. When such crimes of high magnitude, or any at all, are allowed to go unpunished for any reason, we risk descending into a state of lawlessness and anarchy where anyone can assume the role of judge, jury and executioner.

READ ALSO:El-Rufai under fire for mourning Muhammad Ali but ignoring beheading in Kano

The rule of law must prevail. I urge all security agencies to ensure that they carry out a thorough investigation into the events that led to her untimely death and ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to face the full wrath of the law," he stated.

Calling for tolerance among Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences, the Speaker noted that the peace and sanctity of Nigeria is not negotiable and as such, everything must be done to protect them insisting that the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined in the constitution must be respected by one all.

Dogara condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed that God comfort them noting that it was not only their grief but that of all Nigerians of goodwill and, indeed, lovers of humanity.

In the same vien, the Sultan of Sokoto, who is also the President-General of the Jamaatu Nasril Islam, on Sunday condemned the killing of Mrs. Agbahime, accused of blaspheming Prophet Mohammed by irate mob in Kano State.

The leader of the Nigerian Muslims also condemned the religious crisis that broke out at Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

That crisis led to the killing of 24-year-old Methodus Emmanuel and three others in Pandogari.

The Sultan noted that the two separate incidences which he described as ugly stood condemned and regarded as criminal and unIslamic.

He argued that it was unbelievable that such acts could still be perpetrated in the light of enlightenment campaigns by Muslim leaders on the need for Muslim to co-exist with others in the country.

Abubakar stated this in a statement issued on Sunday in Kaduna on his behalf by the Secretary-General of the Jamaatu Nasril Islam, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu.

The JNI boss said, With pains and sobriety Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) reacts to the most unfortunate alleged blasphemy that was reported to have happened in Wambai Area of Kano, Kano State and Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Council of Niger State.

These ugly incidences utterly stand condemned and are regarded as criminal and unislamic, perpetrated by miscreants and criminals.

We equally commiserate with Mr. Agbahime of the Deeper Life Bible Church of Kano, over the death of his wife, Mrs. Bridget Agbahime as a result of injuries she sustained in the fracas that ensued between her and the hoodlums.

READ ALSO: Blasphemy: IGP Arase promises speedy justice

Also, the northern chapter of CAN has condemned the killing. The northern CAN warned that such act, which it described as barbaric, must henceforth stop. He urged the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Danguje, and the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, to warn their people.

The Christian body wondered why such a gruesome and barbaric incident always features in Kano. Why must it always be Kano State? This is not telling good of the state known to be a commercial city, Reverend John Hayab, was quoted by Punch.

Hayab noted that information made available to the group indicated that the late Mrs. Agbahime was deliberately killed.

Source: Legit.ng
David Babayan: Should we keep silent when someone dishonors people? (video)

Knowing him [Hayk Khanumyan] well enough I could expect such a development one day. The attack cannot be prompted by political motives. He just finds problems with others and is always involved in provocations because of his temper and behaviour, NKR Presidents Spokesman David Babayan told A1+ speaking about the attack on NKR opposition lawmaker Hayk Khanumyan. Babayan says this is not the first time such a thing happens to Khanumyan. Unfortunately, I know him [Khanumyan] personally and I am well aware of his personality. Asked whether he saw any political context behind the attack, Mr Babayan said, No, I see none. We have many opposition lawmakers who are not less critical of others but they never offend anyone. This is Karabakh and you deal with people who have lived through war and one cannot speculate his being oppositionist. He [Khanumyan] might have done wrong to someone or insulted someone who could not bear the offense. On June 6, Khanumyan announced that an initiative group had been set up in the NKR to push for the appointment of former commander of the NKR Defense Army Samvel Babayan as the countrys defense minister. Asked whether the attack could be linked to his statement, Do you think Defense Minister is a head of a village who is elected? Laws must be respected. Do we live in 1917? And do not confuse this with Bolshevik Revolution [in 1917] when commanders were elected. What do they mean by saying they demand that Samvel Babayan be appointed Defense Minister? That demand will naturally produce no results since it's a provocation, David Babayan said. In reply to out next observation that many political figures in Artsakh say that they do not have real opposition in the country, the NKR Presidents Spokesman said, We do have opposition. The so-called opposition forces should try their best not to be discredited. Should we keep silent when someone dishonors people? I repeat that unfortunately I know him and I have helped a lot that  I cannot even call him a person I know who I am dealing with; I know what kind of man he is I think he has done it deliberately in order to give a political color. .."
Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as the country's 4th democratic president on May 29, 2015 after beating Goodluck Jonathan in an intense and heated presidential election.

Behind the facade of his tough man some politicians who the president respects. These persons influence the policy direction of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Legit.ng takes a look at 9 of those eminent personalities and why the president will listen to them:

1. Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of Nigeria's most respected politician ever

The former senator and governor popularly called Jagaban is the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His power goes across all political governors, senators, House of Reps who got elected through his party. His influence extends across all states and in Nigeria. Tinubu is sure and well close to the president and one of the major people behind the president's victory in the 2015 presidential elections.

It is alleged that Tinubu requests for whatever he wants from all APC governors,senators and more which indirectly puts him in a powerful position in Nigeria. He evens appears to be untouchable.

It must be said that Tinubu played a great role in the enthronement of the new administration of Muhammadu Buhari, first by securing a merger between their parties ACN and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a couple of others and then kicking the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of power. It is not news that Tinubu also handpicked the Vice President who is his close friend.

READ ALSO: Pro-Buhari group: Buhari's administration is losing direction

2. Yemi Osinbajo

Osinbajo is the vice president of Nigeria, in office since May 29, 2015. He is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and a Professor of Law until his inauguration as vice president.

The vice president is the next in post to the president which makes him a pretty high profile and powerful personality too. Also when the president is away from country he substitutes him.

3. Abba Kyari

File photo of Abba Kyari

Kyari the chief of staff has the ears of the president, no doubt. He plans Buharis schedule who to see and who he should not see.

Apart from his traditional roles as the chief of staff, Buhari made it mandatory that ministers must go through Kyari if they desired any contact with him. Buhari known for his bluntness, handed down the instruction on November 5, 2015 while declaring open a retreat organised by the Presidency for the then ministers-designate. In addition, all communications and appointments from you (ministers) to the Presidency should be routed through the Office of the Chief of Staff as is normal in this Presidential System, he said.

4. Theophilus Danjuma

Danjuma who is from Taraba state is a power broker is seen who always sought after by successive governments. He is one of Nigerias most influential and respected senior military officers ever. Reports state that he was one of the major sponsors of Buharis presidency.

He was also one of the most influential people during Buharis stewardship as head of state between 1984 and 1985. Buhari served under Gen Danjuma in the Army and they have known each other during war and peace times.

With interest in oil blocs, Danjuma is believed to played a major role in the emergence of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and minister of state for petroleum resources.

Danjuma only recently urged the new administration to probe the outgoing administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

5. Rotimi Amaechi

Amaechi's influence in this administration was directly felt during the ministerial screening exercise. Despite being indicted for corruption in a probe of his administration by his state government, he still scaled through to become a minister in a government whose mantra is "War Against Corruption".

It was also alleged that former River state governor, who is now the minister of transport, bankrupted Rivers state while he was governor so as to finance Buharis election.

6. Ismailia Funtua

Ismaila Isa Funtua is the Chairman of the popular Bulet International Construction Company. He is said to be a personal friend of the President, hence he has Buharis ears on national issues, including appointments.

Although Funtua, does not hold political office, he has much influence on the President even more than those who are holding offices.

He has been part of Buharis delegation on some of his foreign trips, including his official visit to the United States in July 2015.

7. Ibikunle Amosun

The Ogun state governor has remained a long time ally of the president since their days in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). They are said to be very close to the extent that Buhari passes the nights in Amosuns houses in Lagos and Abeokuta.

It was alleged that Kemi Adeosuns appointment as minister of finance which was influenced by Amosun was said to have further widened the political gap between the Ogun state governor and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was said to prefer Mr. Wale Edun to hold the position.

Amosun is also frequent at the Presidential Villa, holding talks with Buhari on a regular basis. When Buhari was expected in Lagos for a two-day official visit, Amosun was in the Villa holding talks with the president who had dispatched Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to represent him.

READ ALSO: Buhari's government is weak - Ango Abdullahi

8. Mamman Daura

Daura is a nephew to Buhari, he is very close to the president. Hence, he has inputs in many of Buharis major decisions including appointments.

He is often seen with the president and travels with him. He is believed to have considerable inputs in the choice of those who emerged as ministers, especially those from the North.

Dauras influence in government did not start today. He and Buhari belonged to a group called Kaduna Mafia which was a group of young Northern Nigerian intellectuals, civil servants, business tycoons and military officers residing or conducting business in the former Northern capital city of Kaduna during the end of the First Republic.

After the 1983 coup, he was one of the few personalities who played key advisory roles. In the late 1980s, he succeeded Ibrahim Dasuki as head of the African International Bank and also served as chairman of the board of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

9. Nasir el-Rufai

The Kaduna state governor though not directly in the president's cabinet, has the president's ears in all important political matters. It is even rumoured that he was the one that vetted the ministerial list before it was sent to the senate.

By extension el-Rufau has considerable influence on Buhari which is not in doubt. He is one of the most regular state governors at the Presidential Villa. Sources within the Villa say that the governor doesnt book his visits in advance. Protocols are simply waived for him. Owing to his closeness to the President, El-Rufai has been very influential in some of the major appointments so far made by the present administration.

Source: Legit.ng
- Africa News 24/7 recently published a picture about President Buhari

- The picture seems to be the BBC mocking President Buhari for receiving medical treatment abroad

- However, we can reveal that the picture was in fact completely faked

President Muhammadu Buhari has often stirred controversy as a political leader but one news website has attempted to stir the pot in an altogether shocking way.

The African News 24/7 website reported that the president had flown to the UK to receive treatment for an ear infection and would remain there for 10 days.

Nothing wrong there, but the website then accused the BBC of actually mocking Buhari for his illness!

The picture was posted on http://www.africanews247.com/

READ ALSO: Buhari departs for medical treatment (photos)

The picture seems real at first glance but a closer examination proves that it's a complete fake.

Firstly, you can see the picture of Buhari on the television screen has clearly been superimposed over a message reading 'BREAKING NEWS' if you check the original picture below. The remaining background clearly matches with the original picture.

Observe the three problems with this photograph

Secondly, the green area at the bottom of the picture never appears in BBC broadcasts, and we have no idea where the pair of eyes at the right hand bottom of the screen come from!

READ ALSO: Opinion - How Buhari can spend recovered looted funds

Finally, the newsreader is wearing a red flower on her right lapel. This flower is a poppy, worn by everyone in the UK (where the BBC is based) from Novmeber 1 to November 11 to commemorate Britain's fallen soldiers and the end of World War I.

This dates the picture to November 1-11 in 2013, proving the Africa News 24/7 photo is fake!

Africa News 24/7 has not commented on this fakery thus far but they hace certainly been caught out! Check out the original picture below.

The original picture

READ ALSO: Ramadan - Buhari sends message to Nigerians

Source: Legit.ng
OSCE representative is aware of 'street art protest' with cardboard tank

Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, is aware that an artist is being tried in Armenia for organizing an unusual street art protest in Yerevan. Civil activist Artak Gevorgyan is facing up to two years in prison for driving a cardboard tank through Yerevan streets and hitting the metal gates of the National Security Service last summer. Armenian journalist Arman Gharibyan, who is studying at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary, has spoken about the violence against the civil activist during a meeting with Dunja Mijatovic and David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression. He also asked what they could do to help Artak. Dunja Mijatovic was aware of the trial, she said she had already appealed to the Armenian authorities, though not officially, urging them to stop the persecution of the artist. Unlike the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, David Kaye was not familiar with the case. He said they according to their mandate, they could not interfere unless they were asked to, Arman informed us from Budapest. During the CEU-hosted meeting, Dunja Mijatovic and David Kaye spokes about freedom of expression of artists. Artak Gevorgyan is accused of grossly violating public order by way of disrupting the normal activities of security personnel at the NSS building, causing fears over property protection.
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On 21 March 2016, the German implementation of the European Directive On Credit Agreements for Consumers Relating to Residential Immovable Property (Consumer Credit Directive) came into effect. The new law imposes stricter conditions on lending to private residential buyers. The core of the new legislation is that the banks have

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With a little training and simple equipment, members of the public can generate data that provides valuable insights into the health of local streams, a Purdue University study shows.

Twice a year, hundreds of volunteers participate in the Wabash Sampling Blitz, a water-quality monitoring program in central Indiana. Over four hours, they collect water samples from 206 sites within the region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed and assess the samples for temperature, pH, water cloudiness, levels of nutrient runoff and pathogen concentrations.

The Blitz proffers local watershed managers far more information about the water quality of the Wabash and its tributaries than they could gather on their own. But how valid is the data?

Purdue researchers found that Blitz volunteers proved consistently able to estimate nitrogen concentrations in the water with "moderate to substantial agreement to lab values," said Indrajeet Chaubey, principal author of the study and professor of ecohydrology.

"Volunteers' analysis of nitrogen levels were directionally correct," he said. "When you hone in on exact numbers, the accuracy gets cloudier, but the values are generally true. This suggests that citizen scientists can provide meaningful and highly valuable data for watershed groups."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 52 percent of assessed streams in the U.S. have degraded water quality. Agricultural operations, in particular, can be sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment, which can leach or drain off into waterways.

The majority of the land that drains to the Wabash River is used for row crop agriculture, and the watershed is also home to the urban areas of West Lafayette and Lafayette.

Monitoring water quality can be a complex and costly undertaking, and capturing a glimpse of the entire Wabash watershed was far beyond capability of the staff of the Wabash River Enhancement Corp., a nonprofit agency that leads efforts to improve the river and its tributaries.

In 2009, WREC, partnering with Purdue researchers, created the Wabash Sampling Blitz to recruit, train and deploy community volunteers in a large-scale, simultaneous data collection effort. Volunteers travel to assigned sites in the watershed where they measure water transparency and temperature in stream and collect and assess water samples using field test strips that change color according to nutrient and contaminant concentrations.

"The impetus of the Blitz was the question 'What does water quality for the whole watershed look like?' " said study co-author Ron Turco, professor of soil microbiology. "We'd never seen the entire watershed in a six-hour period. The Blitz accomplishes that goal completely."

The Blitz acts as a screening tool, revealing "hot spots" in the watershed that could need more attention and effort.

While volunteer-analyzed nitrogen values were on par with laboratory-analyzed values, the results for orthophosphates, another group of nutrients, were spottier. Chaubey attributed this to the limits of the field test strips.

"Orthophosphates are generally very low in rivers, and the test strips are made to test for higher concentrations," he said.

The researchers emphasized that the value of community science efforts goes far beyond the data. The Blitz also helps the public understand the link between what happens in the landscape and how it affects local waterways, Chaubey said.

"The Blitz requires a lot of time, effort and coordination, but the returns are tremendous: a snapshot of the entire watershed, increased awareness of water quality issues and the opportunity to bring science to citizens and educate them on what they can do to protect water quality," he said.

The study was published in the first edition of the journal Citizen Science on May 20 and is available at http://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.1.

The Wabash Sampling Blitz is funded by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana American Water. For more information about the Blitz, visit www.wabashriver.net/wabash-sampling-blitz.

Writer: Natalie van Hoose, 765-496-2050, nvanhoos@purdue.edu

Sources: Indrajeet Chaubey, 765-494-5013, ichaubey@purdue.edu

Ron Turco, 765-494-8077, rturco@purdue.edu

ABSTRACT The Wabash Sampling Blitz: A case study on the effectiveness of citizen science Rebecca Logsdon Muenich 1*; Sara Peel 2; Laura C. Bowling 3; Megan Heller Haas 3; Ronald F. Turco 3; Jane R. Frankenberger 4; Indrajeet Chaubey 5 1 Graham Sustainability Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA 2 Wabash River Enhancement Corporation, Lafayette, Indiana, USA 3 Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA 4 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA 5 Department of Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences and Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA * Corresponding author E-mail: rlogsdon@umich.edu The increasing number of citizen science projects around the world brings the need to evaluate the effectiveness of these projects and to show the applicability of the data they collect. This research describes the Wabash River Sampling Blitz, a volunteer water-quality monitoring program in Central Indiana developed by the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC). Results indicate that field test strips for nitrate+nitrite-N read by volunteers generally agree with lab-determined values. Orthophosphate results are less transferable owing to low observed concentrations, although the field test strip values from unfiltered samples consistently over-predicted the lab values. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) applied to volunteer-collected data groups sampling sites into meaningful management clusters that can help to identify water-quality priorities across the watershed as a proof of concept for watershed managers. Results of the HCA provide an opportunity for WREC to target future programs, education and activities by analyzing the data collected by citizen scientists. Overall this study demonstrates how citizen science water quality data can be validated and applied in subsequent watershed management strategies.

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-2722;

Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu

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The way we work is fundamentally changing, with a rise in mobile working -- people who travel away from home for long or short periods of time. Some people, such as truck drivers, may be away from home as part of their normal working life, while other workers may have occupations that require them to travel and represent their organisation regionally, nationally or even internationally. For mobile workers and their families, this kind of travel can have consequences for daily family life. Alongside an interdisciplinary research team, made up of academics from across the UK, BU's Professor Adele Ladkin has investigated the consequences of mobile working and what it means for family life.

Family Rituals 2.0 is an interdisciplinary research project, drawing on expertise from a number of universities across the UK. The project considered work-life balance for mobile workers and their families, in the context of our digital age. It stemmed from the researchers' interest in discovering how being away from home affects people's ability to participate in family activities -- or rituals. Family rituals could be celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries, or simply day-to-day activities such as reading bedtime stories to children. These are the kinds of things that a mobile worker might miss out on while away from home and technology could enable families to continue to enjoy their meaningful family activities even when they're not together.

There were three stages to the project; the first involved interviews with Human Resource Managers from organisations that employ mobile workers. The second stage was talking to the mobile workers themselves and their families, and the third stage of the project was design-led ethnographic research with five families. In this final stage, the designers and computer scientists designed a prototype technology, which lived with the family as a mechanism to explore the consequences of the absence of a family member and how to maintain important family rituals.

Professor Ladkin's involvement in the project came about because of her expertise in tourism employment. Business travel is an important sector, and many employees in tourism are routinely mobile due to the nature of their jobs, for example in the case of airline personnel, tour guides and cruise ship workers.

"I think the one thing we look at a lot in tourism is the idea of employees' health, wellbeing and the work-life balance. It is widely recognised that tourism work can involve long hours, and can involve travel away from home, so an understanding of people's working environments and how that might impact on their wellbeing has been helpful in this project," says Professor Ladkin. "My research experience in qualitative data collection and analysis through interviews and diaries also came in useful for this project."

The team working on the project consisted of sociologists, computer scientists and designers. They came from the University of the West of England, Newcastle University, The Royal College of Art, and Bournemouth University. Between them, the team had a wide range of experience and knowledge, which benefitted everyone, but also presented its challenges at times. "Sometimes it was a challenge to understand our different approaches," says Professor Ladkin. "For example a designer works in a different way to how I, as a social scientist, would work and both are different again to the way a computer scientist works. We have very different terminology, so we had to work out what each other meant!"

The research results showed that employers were aware of the importance of work-life balance for their employees and had policies in place to support this within their organisations. However, the research also showed that there was a gap in HR policies for managing the work-life balance of mobile workers. "There were no separate HR guidelines to address the different issues that people who are travelling may encounter, such as physical travel fatigue or managing absence from home and the workplace," says Professor Ladkin. "There was a degree of awareness of some of the potential issues but no specific 0mechanisms in place to help support the work-life balance of mobile workers."

Through interviews with the mobile workers and their families, the team learned about the importance of connecting to home and the implications of this for fostering work-life balance. "Our findings to date have centred around understanding what it means to be absent from family during the course of work, how technology can mediate absence, and what organisations might consider to facilitate the work-life balance of mobile workers," explains Professor Ladkin. "We are particularly keen to take our findings back to organisations who may be seeing a growth in their numbers of mobile workers."

"We feel there is more work to be done and will be seeking further funding to help continue the research," continues Professor Ladkin. "We were quite ambitious with our aims and it would be really beneficial to have more time to research this issue."

The research was presented as part of the London Design Festival in September 2015 and it was also on display at the Science Gallery in Dublin for the 'Homesick' exhibition about technology and communication.

Further information on the project can be found at http://familyrituals2-0.org.uk/.
Phosphorus is the biggest cause of water quality degradation worldwide, causing 'dead zones', toxic algal blooms, a loss of biodiversity and increased health risks for the plants, animals and humans that come in contact with polluted waters. This threatens the loss of economic and social benefits from freshwaters upon which society relies. In a series of studies published in a special issue of Water Research, leading scientists assess how geo-engineering in lakes can control phosphorus pollution.

After decades of run-off from agriculture, human sewage and industrial practices, phosphorus has been stock piled at an alarming rate in our lake bed sediments. The scale of the problem is daunting, and humans are still pumping about 10 million tonnes of extra phosphorus into our freshwaters every year. Long-term monitoring activities following the control of phosphorus sources to lakes show that plants and animals don't recover for many years. This is because phosphorus stored in bed sediments is released back to the water column. Society then has to make a decision -- either speed up recovery using geo-engineering to cap sediment phosphorus stores, or do nothing, and accept poor quality freshwaters for decades to come. Geo-engineering is contentious, costly, and the side effects are not well known. This special issue brings together 60 authors from 12 countries to present evidence on this approach.

Miquel Lurling, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, explains that "The scale of this problem has driven the development of a vibrant green economy sector. Our special issue uncovered an alarming number of emerging materials being proposed for use in lakes. The potential for unintended side effects when using novel untested materials is high. A common conclusion of a number of papers was that it is essential to conduct comprehensive assessments of candidate lakes prior to any treatments. We reviewed these considerations in our editorial paper and stress the need to ensure the safe and effective use of this approach."

With the recent introduction of water quality targets and deadlines for standing waters including the EU Water Framework Directive and the Clean Water Act in the USA, the need for approaches like geo-engineering is growing. About 40% of lakes in Europe are failing current water quality targets and combined economic losses in the USA associated with high phosphorus levels in freshwaters is estimated at $2.2 billion annually. There is a need to develop approaches that effectively control phosphorus pollution in freshwaters. This special issue draws on a wide range of laboratory and field scale experiments to produce the most comprehensive analysis of this approach for phosphorus management to date.

Bryan Spears, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK, commented: "Our papers assessed the ecological and chemical responses across over 100 lake treatments from around the world. It's safe to say the approach is widespread and global. Most case studies used either aluminum salts or lanthanum modified bentonite additions to control phosphorus. The responses were highly variable across the lakes. In some cases dramatic and sudden improvements were reported in chemical and ecological quality, in others nothing really happened, or the responses were short lived. To improve confidence in the use of the approach a series of papers presented models to predict responses in candidate lakes. One key conclusion is that although this mitigation approach is promising when used correctly and in combination with catchment management, it should not simply be used to off-set the effects of poor environmental behavior."

Geo-engineering in lakes is also being targeted at other environmental problems. Emerging approaches include the control of greenhouse gas emissions from lakes and the control of toxic cyanobacteria for human health. For example, geo-engineering approaches were utilized in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and have been proposed for use in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games to ensure acceptable levels of health risk to athletes during open water events.
Automated robot that scans library shelves using laser mapping and radio tags can ensure no book is misplaced again.

Being able to access and download information in an instant is a hallmark of the digital age. But much of the world's knowledge remains between the pages of printed books. Tracking these volumes in libraries is a tedious, labor-intensive process, but improved access to these invaluable resources is now possible thanks to robot technology developed at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore [1].

Some libraries are adapting to automation by placing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags into their collections. These computerized barcodes contain unique identifying labels that can be quickly scanned using wireless, handheld RFID readers. Alternatively, 'smart shelves' containing multiple RFID antenna can automatically register when books enter or are removed from their stacks. Such approaches are expensive, however, and still rely on manual labor.

At A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research, researchers Renjun Li, Zhiyong Huang, Ernest Kurniawan, and Chin Keong Ho are designing robots that can relieve librarians of many menial tasks, while enhancing searching and sorting of books. Their latest project is an autonomous robotic shelf scanning (AuRoSS) platform that can self-navigate through libraries at night, scanning RFID tags to produce reports on missing and out-of-sequence books.

Li notes that this function required a way to steer a tall, wheeled robot through complex mazes of library stacks, while keeping a critical distance from shelves at all times. "Too far and we lose the RFID signals, but too close and the antenna hits the shelf," he says.

The team's other obstacle was reading available library maps. Although adequate for human users, map resolutions are usually not detailed enough for robot movement. "We decided to detect the shelf surface itself, and use that as a reference to plan the paths," says Li.

To help track shelves in real-time, the researchers assembled a 'macro-mini' manipulator, where the mobile base robot contains an additional small robotic arm. The mini manipulator can move laterally, and uses ultrasonic sensors to position an RFID antenna to the optimal distance for book scanning. It also measures positioning errors, and feeds this data into the mobile navigation unit to anticipate direction changes.

Real-world trials at Singapore libraries revealed the AuRoSS robot's potential -- up to 99 per cent scanning accuracy was achieved, even with curved shelves (see image). "During the re-opening of Pasir Ris Public Library, we put on a public demonstration and received very positive reactions," says Li. "We are improving the robustness and analytics engine and integrating into library operations."

The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the Institute for Infocomm Research. For more information about the team's research, please visit the Robot-assisted Scanning and Analytics webpage.

Reference

[1] Li, R., Huang, Z., Kurniawan, E. & Ho, C. K. AuRoSS: an autonomous robotic shelf scanning system. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Sept 28 - Oct 2, 2015, Hamburg Germany. pp. 6100-6105.
The Neanderthal genome included harmful mutations that made the hominids around 40% less reproductively fit than modern humans, according to estimates published in the latest issue of the journal Genetics. Non-African humans inherited some of this genetic burden when they interbred with Neanderthals, though much of it has been lost over time. The results suggest that these harmful gene variants continue to reduce the fitness of some populations today. The study also has implications for management of endangered species.

"Neanderthals are fascinating to geneticists because they provide an opportunity to study what happens when two groups of humans evolve independently for a long time--and then come back together," says study leader Kelley Harris, of Stanford University. "Our results suggest that inheriting Neanderthal DNA came at a cost."

Previous studies of DNA extracted from Neanderthal remains revealed that these Eurasian hominids were much more inbred and less genetically diverse than modern humans. For thousands of years, the Neanderthal population size remained small, and mating among close relatives seems to have been common.

Then, 50,000-100,000 years ago, groups of anatomically modern humans left Africa and moved to the homelands of their distant Neanderthal cousins. The two groups interbred, mingling their previously distinct genomes. But though a small fraction of the genome of non-African populations today is Neanderthal, their genetic contribution is uneven. Neanderthal sequences are concentrated in certain parts of the human genome, but missing from other regions.

"Whenever geneticists find a non-random arrangement like that, we look for the evolutionary forces that caused it," says Harris.

Harris and her colleague Rasmus Nielsen (University of California, Berkeley / University of Copenhagen) hypothesized that the force in question was natural selection. In small populations, like the Neanderthals', natural selection is less effective and chance has an outsized influence. This allows weakly harmful mutations to persist, rather than being weeded out over the generations. But once such mutations are introduced back into a larger population, such as modern humans, they would be exposed to the surveillance of natural selection and eventually lost.

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To quantify this effect, Harris and Nielsen used computer programs to simulate mutation accumulation during Neanderthal evolution and to estimate how humans were affected by the influx of neanderthal genetic variants. The simulations incorporated data on the mutation rates, genome properties, and population dynamics of hominids.

The results suggest that Neanderthals carried many mutations with mild, but harmful effects. The combined effect of these weak mutations would have made Neanderthals at least 40% less fit than humans in evolutionary terms--that is, they were 40% less likely to reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation.

Related conclusions were reached in an independent study that used very different methods, led by Ivan Juric at the University of California, Davis. This work is currently being peer reviewed and is available at the pre-publication preprint server bioRxiv.

Harris and Nielsen's simulations also suggest that humans and Neanderthals mixed much more freely than originally thought. Today, Neanderthal sequences make up approximately 2% of the genome in people from non-African populations. But Harris and Nielsen estimate that at the time of interbreeding, closer to 10% of the human migrants' genome would have been Neanderthal. Because there were around ten times more humans than Neanderthals, this number is consistent with the two groups acting as as single population that interbred at random. Recent DNA evidence has confirmed that the Neanderthal contribution to Eurasian genomes was higher in the past.

Although most of the harmful mutations bequeathed by our Neanderthal ancestors would have been lost within a few generations, a small fraction likely persists in people today. Harris and Nielsen estimate that non-Africans may have historically had approximately 1% lower reproductive fitness due to their Neanderthal heritage. This is in spite of the small number of Neanderthal gene variants thought to be beneficial today, including genes related to immunity and skin color.

The results also have implications for conserving endangered species. Many vulnerable populations in fragmented habitats face similar genetic problems to the Neanderthals: inbreeding, low genetic diversity, and accumulation of harmful mutations. One management strategy for overcoming these problems is genetic rescue--improving the health of an inbred population by outcrossing it with other populations.

"Genetic rescue is designed to move gene variants from an outbred population to an inbred population," says Harris. "Our results suggest managers must ensure that this movement only goes one way; otherwise harmful mutations from the inbred population may lower the fitness of the outbred group."
Though they meet thousands of new people in their lifetime, what underlying psychological factors might couples use to stay committed to their partners? According to a recent study, people in relationships actually see tempting people outside of their partnership as less attractive. This perceptual bias could represent a non-conscious method of self-control that assists in overcoming temptations in order to facilitate long term goals of staying with a romantic partner.

In a recent set of experiments, psychologists Dr. Shana Cole (Rutgers University), Dr. Yaacov Trope (New York University) and Dr. Emily Balcetis (New York University) found evidence that couples downgrade the appearance of people they perceive as threatening their relationships. The results are published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Most previous research in this area has focused on explicit biases, where participants know they are judging attractiveness and reporting their thoughts about another person. This study is the first to look for implicit, or non-conscious, visual biases that may aid partners in staying committed to a relationship.

The first experiment showed participants images of an opposite-sex lab partner with whom single and coupled college students would interact extensively. Each participant read the individual's profile, which included relationship availability. Next, participants matched the individual's photo with one of several other images. These other images had been manipulated, so that some were more attractive than the original photo and some less attractive.

Of the 131 heterosexual college participants, those in a relationship who learned the target was single and therefore a potential threat to their relationship viewed the individual as less attractive he or she actually was, while participants in a relationship who learned the individual was in a relationship and single participants viewed the individual as slightly more attractive than was really the case.

This downgrading bias occurred despite the fact that participants were offered entry into a raffle for $50 if they selected the correct face during the matching activity, suggesting participants in a relationship were actually perceiving the individual as less attractive.

"Misperceiving attractive people who represent threats to the relationship as less attractive may help people resist the inclination to pursue them," says Dr. Shana Cole. "This is especially important since finding someone physically attractive is a primary reason why people choose to date or romantically pursue someone."

The team replicated their study with 114 students, this time also asking participants to report how satisfied they were in their relationships. This second study also included an extra detail about the availability of the individual. Some participants saw that the individual selected "Sure, I'm interested in dating" while other participants saw that the individual selected "Nah, not interested right now."

In study two, participants who were satisfied with their own relationship partners showed the same results as those in relationships in study one. They saw the individual as less attractive than he or she actually was. However, among those in less satisfying relationships, the results appeared similar to those of single people. Unsatisfied participants more accurately matched the attractive faces to the provided photo.

"In today's world, it can be difficult to stick it out with one long-term partner," says coauthor Emily Balcetis. "This work suggests that there are processes that may take place outside of conscious awareness to make it easier to stay committed to one's own partner."

When it comes to real world behavior, "There are still several questions that are left open," says Cole. "Future research could see whether perceiving intriguing and available individuals as less attractive affects behavior toward the individual. It's possible that if we see tempting others as unattractive, we will flirt less with them or be more reluctant to give out our phone number."
A study led by Loyola Medicine researchers may help reassure patients who worry the breast cancer drug tamoxifen could increase their risk of uterine cancer.

The multi-center study was presented June 5 during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology at McCormick Place in Chicago. First author of the study is Kathy S. Albain, MD, FACP, FASCO. The study's co-principal investigator is Ronald K. Potkul, MD, FACS, FACOG. Dr. Albain is a professor in the department of medicine, division of hematology/oncology, and Dr. Potkul is chair of the department of obstetrics and oncology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The study enrolled 296 eligible postmenopausal breast patients with a type of early-stage breast cancer called estrogen receptor-positive. Patients were randomly assigned to take tamoxifen alone or tamoxifen plus the hormone progestin. They were followed and assessed at years two and five. Researchers predicted that taking progestin would decrease the risk of abnormalities that can develop into uterine cancer. Such abnormalities occur in the endometrium (inner lining of the uterus).

At year two, the primary time point, researchers evaluated 89 women who took tamoxifen alone and 80 women who took tamoxifen plus progestin. There were five endometrial abnormalities in the tamoxifen-alone group and one abnormality in the tamoxifen-plus-progestin group. This difference was not statistically significant. All abnormalities were benign. Only one additional benign abnormality was found at five years. No cancers were detected at two years or five years.

Two years after treatment began, only 6 percent of the patients in the tamoxifen-alone group, and 3.6 percent in both groups combined had benign endometrial abnormalities. Based on previous studies, researchers had projected that 30 percent of the women in the tamoxifen-alone group would show endometrial abnormalities.

Dr. Albain said the reason the abnormality rate was much lower than expected most likely was due to the study's screening requirements. All women recruited for the study underwent uterine ultrasound exams before taking tamoxifen. If the ultrasounds showed a thickening of the inner lining of the uterus greater than 5 mm, a biopsy was performed. If the biopsy showed an endometrial abnormality, the woman was excluded from the study.

"For women who are concerned about taking tamoxifen to treat or prevent breast cancer, our study suggests that a normal ultrasound before treatment may provide additional reassurance," Dr. Albain said.

Tamoxifen is a highly effective drug that is used both to treat breast cancer and help prevent breast cancer in healthy women who are at high risk of developing the disease.

"However, many women who would benefit from taking tamoxifen fail to do so because they fear getting endometrial cancer," Dr. Potkul said. "Our study found that for women who did not have endometrial abnormalities when they began taking tamoxifen, there was a very low rate of developing pre-malignant conditions."

The median age of the women in the study was 59.5 years. They underwent endometrial ultrasounds at the beginning of the study and after two years and five years. After two years, 67 percent of the women in the tamoxifen-alone group had a thickening of the inner lining of the uterus greater than 5 mm, compared with 60 percent of the women in the tamoxifen-plus-progestin group. This difference was not statistically significant. All women who had a thickness greater than 5 mm underwent subsequent biopsies. The biopsies revealed five cases of endometrial abnormalities in the tamoxifen group: four cases of proliferative endometrium (more cells than normal lining the uterus) and one case of simple hyperplasia (non-malignant clumping of cells). One woman in the tamoxifen-plus progestin group had an abnormality (proliferative endometrium). None of the abnormalities in either group developed into uterine cancer.

Although there were more endometrial abnormalities in the tamoxifen-alone group, the difference was not large enough to be statistically significant. It would require a follow-up trial with thousands of women to determine whether adding progestin to tamoxifen truly reduces the risk of uterine cancer, researchers concluded.

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and administered by SWOG, a global network of researchers who design and conduct cancer clinical trials. SWOG (formerly the Southwest Oncology Group) is one of the five cooperative groups in the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network.
<p><em>The Jane Goodall Institute</em><span></span></p>

Films like "Blackfish" and "The Cove" have become powerful tools in recent years for turning the plights of animals into international conversations. In particular, documentaries like these have increased public awareness of captivity by transforming orcas like Tilikum, SeaWorld's largest killer whale, into household names. In the wake of "Blackfish," SeaWorld announced it would no longer breed orcas at its facilities, a giant step forward for captive animals.

"Unlocking the Cage"

And the next on the list for major breakthroughs? Chimpanzees. At least that's what a dedicated team with the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is hoping for. "Unlocking the Cage" is a documentary that follows Steven Wise, an attorney and the president of NhRP, and his team on a quest to set free four chimpanzees held in roadside zoos and medical testing facilities across the country. Their names are Hercules, Leo, Tommy and Kiko. Hercules and Leo Though Wise is the one leading the charge in "Unlocking the Cage," the real stars are the film's more silent characters: the chimps. Hercules and Leo are two chimpanzees, both nearly 10 years old, who have been used for medical research, without a steady place to call home, for years. Their contribution to science has been to be probed by metal wires inserted into their muscles. They've been anesthetized countless times and have been held in cold, sterile labs for most of their lives.

Rare glimpse of Leo inside Stony Brook University | Nonhuman Rights Project

During the film, Hercules and Leo were on loan to Stony Brook University in New York, from the facility that owns them, the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in Louisiana, over the objection of Wise and the NhRP. "After being subjected to five years of imprisonment in the basement of a computer lab at Stony Brook University, where thin wires were inserted into their muscles and they were placed under general anesthesia dozens of times," Wise told The Dodo, "Hercules and Leo were taken from Stony Brook in New York back to their 'owner,' the New Iberia Research Center." Today, they lie in wait, along with 218 other chimpanzees, at the NIRC, while plans are made to retire them to a new sanctuary in Georgia called Project Chimps, where they can join others like them. But it could take another three to five years.

The Jane Goodall Institute

Meanwhile, Wise and NhRP, with the added voice of Jane Goodall, continue to seek a more immediate place for Hercules and Leo to rest. "We have little reason to think this timeline is realistic," said Wise. "Save the Chimps, the spectacular chimpanzee sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, has, since August of 2015, offered to take Hercules and Leo at no cost to the NIRC, or anyone else, for the rest of their lives. The NIRC has repeatedly refused this offer." "They have suffered enough and deserve the right to be as free as they can be in North America," Wise said. Tommy Tommy is a 26-year-old chimpanzee who has lived in captivity his entire life. And he's currently missing, though that wasn't the case when Wise first visited him in the film. Tommy's life began in Hollywood, but by the time Wise found him, he was living alone in a garage on a used trailer lot in Gloversville, New York.

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Animals Melt Into This Woman's Arms When She Sings To Them

Tommy, inside his "home" in Gloversville, New York | "Unlocking the Cage"

Tommy's "home" | "Unlocking the Cage"

Now, nobody can find him. An employee of the DeYoung Zoo told The Dodo it had never heard of a chimp named Tommy. "We are working hard to find answers to this," said Wise. "Tommy does not appear to be at the DeYoung Zoo and the zoo has refused to tell us where Tommy is. We will not rest until we find him and have him sent to Save the Chimps sanctuary. Like Hercules and Leo, Tommy has suffered long enough."

Kiko Kiko, also around 26 years old, is a family pet forced to wear a chain around his neck under the watch of Carmen Presti and his wife, Christie, in Niagara Falls, New York. The Prestis refer to their home as The Primate Sanctuary.

Kiko | Nonhuman Rights Project

They once owned a second chimpanzee named Charlie, famously known as "The Karate Chimp," who died during the course of filming "Unlocking the Cage," as did two other chimps, Merlin and Reba, who lived at the Bailiwick Zoo (now the Bailiwick Animal Park) in Catskills, New York.

Charlie with Whoopi Goldberg | Nonhuman Rights Project

"Kiko is partially or completely deaf as a result of abuse he suffered while on the set of a 'Tarzan' movie before being acquired by the Prestis," according to the NhRP. "Carmen has said he bought Kiko because he wanted Charlie to be in a movie, but the movie makers said they needed two chimpanzees [so he brought Kiko along as well]. The movie later fell through." "Captivity, it's just killing these guys," Wise said in the film. "So, we need to locate every surviving chimpanzee in New York state and file a suit on their behalf."

"Unlocking the Cage"

The path to safety for Hercules, Leo, Tommy and Kiko is a long one, and could actually be quite complicated, involving strategic legal battles and arguments that have never before been made in U.S. courtrooms. These four chimps might end up representing many other animals who are held in captivity across the country. And their names could become just as familiar to us as Tilikum's. But first, their freedom. Why chimps? According to Wise, chimps were the ideal starting point for conversations about animals' rights simply because we know an awful lot about them. "There's been a massive outpouring of scientific articles and studies, both from the wild and in captivity, about the cognitive ability of apes," said Wise.

"Unlocking the Cage"

"What is known makes it clear that the cognition of chimpanzees is quite similar to the cognition of human beings," he said. "It makes it, we think, easier for judges and legislators to really empathize with chimpanzees, because the way they think and the way they feel is really so close to the way we think and feel."

"Unlocking the Cage"

"When you imprison a chimpanzee, the chimpanzee understands that tomorrow he's going to be in prison," Wise said in the film. "As far as he knows, it's not going to end." There are also lots of places for chimps to go once they've been awarded their freedom. From the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida, mentioned above, to the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA), there are options for any newly freed chimp. On the other hand, according to Wise, there are two sanctuaries for elephants in the United States, but there are currently no feasible options to retire dolphins and whales.

But before the question of which sanctuary Hercules, Leo, Tommy and Kiko will go to, comes a novel battle that will transform them from property into autonomous beings in the eyes of the law. Are chimps property? "We intend that the first recognition of legal 'personhood' for any nonhuman animal will catalyze a new conversation," Wise said.

Steve Wise in court | "Unlocking the Cage"

"Unlocking the Cage" shows Wise and his team filing the first lawsuits on behalf of Hercules, Leo, Tommy and Kiko, that seek to transform these chimpanzees from a "thing" with no rights to a "person" with legal protections. Legal "personhood" is not what you might think. It doesn't mean chimps will suddenly be required to pay taxes, have the ability to vote or get a driver's license. The single biggest misconception, according to Wise, is that the NhRP is trying to win "human rights for animals." "This is not what we are seeking," he said. "We are seeking gorilla rights for gorillas, chimpanzee rights for chimpanzees, elephant rights for elephants, orca rights for orcas."

"Unlocking the Cage"

Distilling "personhood" arguments down to one point is not easy, but, on a very basic level, Wise and his team are simply trying to change the fact that nonhuman animals are currently treated as property, as "things." "Things exist for persons, while persons exist for themselves," said Wise.

"Unlocking the Cage"

The end goal also goes beyond animal welfare, which would just mean maintaining a minimum level of care for the chimps in their prison-like living situations. If given "personhood" status, chimps would have an avenue to stop being "owned," and therefore stop being moved around or treated poorly at the whims of their owners. "If a human being is kidnapped and is being held against her will, judges don't debate whether the kidnapper is treating her well or not, they try to give her her freedom back," Wise said. "There's no reason why nonhuman animals should be treated in any different way. We won't have a discussion of whether or not the wardens who have prisoners in their care are treating them well. The question is, 'Should they be there in the first place, or are they entitled to their freedom?'" What Wise and "Unlocking the Cage" hope to show is that chimps, because of their similarities to humans, deserve these basic legal rights, allowing someone to step in and sue on their behalf, with the ideal result being their release into the care of sanctuaries or back into the wild. "The Harambe killing has put the legal 'thinghood' of all nonhuman animals and the terrible reality of their lives and deaths in a harsh light," said Wise. "Nonhuman animals like Harambe the gorilla or [Hercules, Leo, Tommy and Kiko] are seen as legal things who can be exploited at our will and imprisoned in zoos or cages." "But, we have reached a real turning point in how society relates to nonhuman animals," said Wise. "The days when every nonhuman animal is seen as a legal thing subject to be exploited and enslaved are rapidly coming to an end."

"Unlocking the Cage"
When Baine, a Nigerian dwarf goat, was born, his owners quickly noticed there was something different about him - he couldn't move his back legs.

He wasn't able to move his front legs much either. As it turns out, Baine was born with a congenital condition that would never allow him to walk or stand.

Worried that they would be unable to give Baine the specialized care the disabled goat needed, his owners got in touch with Wisconsin's Heartland Farm Sanctuary to see if the rescue would be able to give him a forever home. That was how Baine joined the Heartland family in October 2014, when he was just 2 years old.

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

Despite the challenges that came with being unable to walk, Baine still found a way to get himself around the sanctuary - by pushing himself forward using the ankles of his front feet. As a result, Baine developed pressure sores, which the sanctuary took care of by bandaging his ankles and making certain to re-bandage and medicate his sore spots as needed.

Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog Is So Gentle And Patient With Her Foster Kittens

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

A solution to get Baine even more active came in the form of a wheelchair made just for him by University of Wisconsin-Madison's engineering department. The latest model of his wheelchair arrived in May 2015.

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

"Since he was scooting himself around using his two front legs while he was on the ground, it didn't take him long to figure out he could use the same movement to cruise around in his cart," Jamie Monroe, administrative director at the sanctuary, told The Dodo.

"We also put fresh hay in front of him while he was in his cart to entice him to move forward," she said. Monroe said within one day of first being fitted with his wheelchair, Baine, ever the fast learner, took off and hasn't stopped since.

But not only does Baine love strolling around in his cart, he adores his daily grooming sessions. After all, it's the secret to how he keeps his long coat so fabulous.

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

"He gets bathed twice a day to keep him happy and clean," Monroe said.

"This is a favorite 'chore' for the animal care staff and volunteers, and Baine loves it. He usually falls asleep while getting blow-dried," she said.

This browser does not support the video tag. Facebook/Heartland Farm Sanctuary

When Baine isn't getting special spa treatments, he's usually hanging out with his many friends. From Blossom, the sheep ...

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

... to Tyrion, Baine's best friend, whom he arrived at the sanctuary with back in 2014.

"Baine is an incredibly special guy," Monroe said. "Despite his significant physical challenges, he's always smiling and has such a confident, happy-go-lucky personality. He is an inspiration to the many kids and adults who visit our barn - many who are facing challenges themselves, physical or otherwise."

Heartland Farm Sanctuary

You can keep up with Baine's adventures on Instagram here.

Want to help Heartland Farm Sanctuary continue doing good work for animals?

Heartland Farm Sanctuary
Centerra Gold Inc. says its Kumtor subsidiary is the target of a fresh criminal investigation by the Kyrgyz Republic and that several senior managers have been advised they wont be allowed to leave the central Asian country.

The Toronto-based company didnt disclose the identities of the managers or their positions.

In a statement released Monday, Centerra Gold and Kumtor Gold said they strongly dispute that any commercial transactions or any actions by their managers were improper.

Centerra said in the same statement that the environmental protection agency for the Kyrgyz Republic has alleged that Kumtor owes an additional $220 million (U.S.) in environmental pollution fees.

The company said there was a court hearing held last Friday in relation to that allegation. Centerra said although it hasnt received an official version of the courts order, it understands that the court granted an immediate interim order to secure the agencys claim, which the company says is limiting Kumtor Golds financial transactions, such as transferring assets or property or paying dividends while the fee dispute is ongoing.

Centerra said it plans to appeal the order.

Andrew Breichmanas, an analyst for BMO Nesbitt Burns, suggested the Kyrgyz government is responding after Centerra gave it a notice of arbitration in connection with various disputes relating to the Kumtor gold project, including the environmental claims.

Retaliation by Kyrgyz authorities is not unexpected, but suggests that a negotiated settlement, as achieved in previous disputes, may be unattainable, he wrote in a note to investors.

Scotiabank analyst Trevor Turnbull said Centerras latest woes in the Kyrgyz Republic dont bode well.

The recent restrictions placed on the Kumtor operating company and its management by the Kyrgyz courts and authorities are an extremely negative development, in our view, he said in a note.

The Kumtor gold-mining operation has been the focus of a number of disputes between the company and the Kyrgyz government.

Last year, a former CEO of Centerra was arrested by Bulgarian authorities while on a cruise in the Danube River with his family.

Len Homeniuk, then 68, spent 11 days in prison and was later put under house arrest in Sofia while fighting a Kyrgyz extradition request. The Bulgarian courts later rejected the request.

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Will O.J. Simpson confess to murdering Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman?

This question, which feels about two decades old, has infiltrated the news cycle. It did so after Simpsons former confidante, Ron Shipp, suggested a mea culpa is forthcoming, leading to dozens of headlines on Monday.

The guy is in total torment today, Shipp told the New York Daily News. Someone told me he is 300 pounds and he looks horrible. O.J. has always felt his appearance meant everything and now, deep down inside, he is starting to live with himself.

I hope one day he actually will rid us of all the doubt and all the conspiracy theories and say, Sorry I cannot go to prison (because of double jeopardy laws), but I am sorry I did it.

You can understand where Shipp is coming from.

He is projecting scruples on his old friend. He is drawing a dotted line between Simpsons ragged appearance and presumed guilty conscience. He figures Simpson, now holed up in a Nevada jail over unrelated robbery charges, is remorseful and eager to unburden himself of monstrous demons, even if salvation is impossible.

And on all counts, Shipp is wrong.

The odds of Simpson confessing are roughly equal to the chance Donald Trump aborts his run for the U.S. presidency to take over the NAACP. Theres a better chance Canadian Tire becomes a global player in the milkshake business.

The closest Simpson ever came to admitting he slaughtered Brown and Goldman came on that surreal June night in 1994, days after the killings, when he slumped in the back of a white Ford Bronco and threatened suicide as he was followed by a phalanx of police cars and TV choppers in a harbinger of what was to come.

Recalling the circus that encircled the Trial of the Century  live courtroom coverage, late night TV jokes, magazine covers, sketch spoofs, storylines in prime-time dramas and comedies, quick-publish books, song lyrics, the surge of talk radio  is to be reminded this double homicide still has a cultural life of its own.

The case put a blinding sidelight on everything from Kim Kardashians dad to Dancing Itos to Kato Kaelin impersonators to bit characters on Seinfeld. Too often, we chuckled at the absurdity instead of railing against the horror. Brentwood seemed as fictional as Springfield. And galvanized in this pan, where spectacle sears reality, Simpson remains a charred object of fascination.

Earlier this year, FX aired the 10-part series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, that was both a ratings and critical success. ESPNs multi-part, long-form documentary O.J.: Made in America premieres on Saturday night (CTV, 9 p.m.) and is generating early raves. Writing in GQ, Chuck Klosterman called it revelatory and the first time the O.J. trial makes sense.

That is high praise. But in this blur of first-rate filmmaking and deep context and new conspiracy theories  Martin Sheen is executive producing another documentary series, Hard Evidence: O.J. Is Innocent, due out next year  is clarity becoming a casualty to storytelling?

The surging popularity of true crime content in recent months, including the Serial podcast, Netflixs Making a Murderer and HBOs The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, has affected what many viewers think about those cases. To be absorbed in this programming is to be entombed in the procedural tick tock of speculative theory. It is to contemplate hard questions that have no easy answers.

It is also to entertain doubts that may well prove a mirage.

That is exactly why Simpson will never confess to the grisly crimes most sensible people believe he committed and for which a civil jury found him liable. If he hasnt already, why would he now? Why come clean when pop culture continues to muddy what happened with profit-driven forays into what could have happened?

Two people were murdered that night in Brentwood, Calif.

Thats all we need to remember.

vmenon@thestar.ca

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Childrens aid societies in Ontario have agreed to collect data on the race of children and families they serve, a move that comes after mounting outrage about the high number of black and aboriginal kids in care.

Mary Ballantyne, CEO of the Ontario Association of Childrens Aid Societies, says societies will have a consistent approach in place within a year to gather the race-based data.

We need to have this data, Ballantyne said. It will help us figure out what kinds of services need to be provided to what kinds of kids.

The goal is to ensure that families and children served across the province are being treated equitably, she added. It is a top priority.

Ballantyne vowed to make the province-wide race data public as soon as it is collected and analyzed.

The societies are making the commitment after an ongoing Star investigation found that 42 per cent of children and youth in the care of the Childrens Aid Society of Toronto have at least one parent who is black. Only 8 per cent of the citys under-18 population is black.

Black community leaders have complained for years that their children are taken into care in disproportionate numbers. Theyve been pushing the government to order the collection of race-based data, arguing that the child protection system is biased against black families.

Everton Gordon, interim CEO of the Jamaican Canadian Association, called the societies commitment to collect race-based data a step in the right direction. He insists, however, that the statistics be used to trigger programs and reforms that will reduce the number of black kids in care.

Its more than just a numbers game, Gordon said in an interview. It speaks to a system that has embedded biases that produce disproportionality for different marginalized groups.

Gordon applauded the Star for first publishing the data on the number of black Toronto kids in care.

Before the Toronto Star exposed the issue we were working in the dark, he said. Many social service organizations who were involved in providing support had no clue exactly what the true picture was.

Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services Tracy MacCharles, has expressed concern about the number of black kids in care but has stopped short of ordering societies to collect race-based statistics.

Data collection is currently a messy patchwork. Some societies note the racial backgrounds of their children, and track how theyre doing, while others dont. The ministry is setting up a central database to standardize the collection of child protection data, but full implementation is years away, and race-based data is so far not part of the program.

Ballantyne, whose association represents 44 of Ontarios 47 societies, says they are not waiting for the province to act. Her association is working with societies to set up their own standardized way of collecting the age, sex, creed, place of origin, citizenship and race, including bi-racial, of the children and families they serve.

The new push for data collection is part of a sweeping reform agenda recently adopted by childrens aid societies. Changes include standardized training and accreditation of child protection workers and amalgamation of services and agencies.

Queens Park is also promising a major overhaul of the child protection system after a report released in May sharply criticized the government for failing to ensure that vulnerable children are getting high-quality care.

Ontarios childrens aid societies are privately run but funded by the provincial government  receiving $1.5 billion in 2015. They take children into care who are abused or neglected by parents, and provide services to help keep families together.

On average, 15,625 Ontario children were in foster or group-home care in 2014-15.

Perhaps the most accurate province-wide count of Ontario aboriginal children  First Nations, Metis and Inuit  in care is through a government-mandated survey known as OnLAC. Its data, obtained and first published by the Star, found in 2014 that 23 per cent of children in care for at least one year were First Nations. That is 9.3 times more than the 2.5 per cent of Ontarios under-18 population who are First Nations.

Ontarios Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Renu Mandhane, has said systemic and persistent discrimination is likely involved in a disproportionate number of aboriginal and black children being taken from their families and placed into care. She, too, wants the provincial government to collect race-based data to gauge the full extent of the problem.

Childrens aid societies also want to know how race intersects with other factors related to children being removed from their families, including poverty and mental illness, Ballantyne said.

What are the drivers in the child welfare system? she asked. Is it race, or is it things that are correlated with race?

Related:

Why are so many black children in foster and group homes?

The history of childrens aid in Ontario

CAS racial disparities shameful, opposition MPPs say

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For one month this summer and another month this fall, Toronto police officers will be stationed at eight key locations to manage traffic flow and safety during morning and afternoon rush hours.

The first of the four-week trials in the pilot project begins June 13. It will cost the city $250,000 to hire the off-duty officers through the paid-duty program.

Were taking action to keep Toronto moving by targeting some of our most congested intersections, Tory said in a news release Monday. Traffic assistant personnel will improve the flow of traffic by directing traffic, making sure vehicles dont block intersections, and stopping illegal left turns.

Tory said that, if the pilot proves effective, the traffic managers could become permanent. He added, however, that he is seeking necessary legal clarification to ensure the city can replace the officers with civilians so that police officers can be better deployed on other kinds of police work.

Until then, officers will deal with intersection blockage, pedestrian and cyclist compliance and illegal turn movements at:

Bay St. and Queen St. W.

Front St. and Simcoe St.

Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Parklawn Rd.

Sheppard Ave. and Yonge St.

Front St. and University Ave.

Bay St. and Bloor St. W.

University Ave. and Adelaide St. W.

Various parts, intermittently, of Bay St. from Bloor St. W. to Front St.

With files from David Rider

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A proposal to move ahead with a licensing system for Toronto apartment buildings will be considered by council this week after vigorous lobbying by tenant advocates who support the plan and landlord opponents who dont.

The proposed rules would apply to rental buildings that have 10 or more units or are a minimum three stories high. The system would include annual inspections and require landlords to make sure maintenance plans are in place.

City council is not being asked to create a landlord licensing system now but to vote on holding public consultations this fall.

Natalie Hundt, a spokesperson for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), says landlord licensing is urgently needed because too many tenants are being forced to live in unsafe, substandard housing.

This would have some real consequences for landlords who fail to comply, Hundt said Monday.

Daryl Chong, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association (GTAA), said a city staff report shows private sector apartments are in 92 per cent in compliance with city rules, which hardly screams of a big problem.

The apartment association, which is calling for enhancements to the existing, complaints-based Multi-Residential Apartment Building Audit Enforcement Program, has distributed door-hangers and started an online petition asking tenants to tell your city councillors and the mayor to reject the city hall apartment tax.

Councillor Josh Matlow will be on his feet urging councillors not to be scared into buckling to the landlord lobbys campaign of misinformation.

There is no apartment tax, he said, but a licensing fee, between $12 and $15 per unit, possibly lower, to be paid for by landlords, not renters.

I believe the majority of councillors want to stand up for tenants and advocate for their quality of life and ensure they have safe, healthy, and respectful homes, Matlow, chair of the citys tenant issues advisory committee, said Monday.

But Matlow said hes heard a council colleague will introduce a motion to offer a solution to councillors who dont want to be seen as anti-tenant. It will call for more resources to be put into the audit enforcement program and will give councillors a way to put in their newsletters that theyve done something for tenants.

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong says while the licensing proposal is well-intentioned, he believes its a bad piece of public policy. Ultimately, it will end up costing apartment dwellers a lot of money.

ACORNs Hundt said Minnan-Wong is horribly misinformed because provincial laws would prevent those costs from being pushed onto renters.

She urged Mayor John Tory to support moving the landlord licensing proposal to the next stage.

There is an opportunity for him to create a legacy for himself. Fifty per cent of the voting population are tenants and they know that they city needs landlord licensing to protect them.

Amanda Galbraith, the mayors director of communications, wrote in email Monday that the mayor believes tenants in this city need to be protected.

He will work with his council colleagues to best protect the interests of tenants.

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Toronto police have identified the victim of Fridays fatal shooting in a west-end parking lot as 25-year-old Brampton man Christopher McLean.

Police and paramedics were called the parking lot of an apartment building near Weston Rd. and Imogene Ave. around 6:30 p.m. Friday. McLean was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police believe the shooting was targeted.

Over a dozen shell casings were found at the scene.

Police are seeking two male suspects who are believed to have fled the scene in a black sedan. No further suspect description is available.

The shooting was the second in the citys west end within an hour.

With files from Brennan Doherty.

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Marine rescue crews across the Greater Toronto Area were busy saving boaters out on the water in Sundays rough weather  including the crews of four catamarans that flipped close to Spencer Smith Park in Burlington.

Staff Sgt. Gerard Kelly of the Halton Regional Police said that around 2:40 p.m., four catamarans from a west-end boating club in Burlington were hit by a strong gust of wind and capsized. They began drifting eastward, towards Guelph Line and Lakeshore Rd.

Callers watching from several restaurants along Spencer Smith Park saw the four boats flip and called police, Kelly said.

Four people in the catamarans  all with life jackets  tried swimming about 500-600 metres towards shore. One actually made it  the other three were picked up by both a police marine boat and a nearby Sea-Doo rider.

All four boaters are unharmed, Kelly said, and no one was missing from amongst the group.

But a few hours later, Toronto Police rescued a pair of boaters on a flipped boat about 7 km off of Toronto Islands Gibraltar Point. A rescue boat with the marine unit was dispatched shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Both boaters were assessed by paramedics, but were not taken to hospital.

Police later warned boaters on social media about the numerous boating accidents Sunday, and advised caution because of Sundays stormy weather.

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Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack says a weekend of gun and knife violence in Toronto shows how prolific the issue of violence is in the city.

Mayor John Tory said it was unspeakable, its horrifying that a sleeping 10-year-old child was shot in his home Friday but stressed Toronto remains a very safe big city.

Tory said he wants the federal government involved in stemming the flow of guns into Canada.

Half the guns involved in these crimes come from the United States and we have to stop that, said Tory, who added the fact its very disturbing to me that there were seven stabbings over the weekend.

Isnt that the scariest part of this whole thing? said McCormack of the timing of the recent violence, just days after the June 2 Project Sizzle raids that saw multiple arrests and hundreds of charges laid.

They got 50 people arrested, all these guns taken off the streets and in the following three days of that announcement youve got three people shot and (eight) people stabbed.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announced Friday the force had arrested 53 people, seizing handguns and cash, shutting down The Heart of a King street gang.

McCormack said the police association has been talking about the issue of escalating violent crime for quite some time. To me, the time for talk is over. We have to have some action on this.

He said its not just one group thats going to solve this and called for politicians, citizens, community leaders and police to work together on solutions with a multi-pronged approach . . . to erode a culture of violence, provide opportunities (and) social nets to help with the long-term aspect.

As a more immediate response, McCormack repeated his call for a more obvious police presence in communities and for policing to be more preventative rather that reacting to calls. He quoted a 2015 police association member survey where 75 per cent of officers said they spent less than an hour daily on proactive policing, compared to 35 per cent doing the same kind of community engagement in 2014.

Its not about finger pointing, Tory told CP24 earlier Sunday. It is about really having a determined effort to make sure the city stays safe, which in the vast majority of places, the vast majority of time, it is.

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Some 3.5 million people  more than Torontos current population  are expected to be added to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area over the next two decades.

Ontario is recognizing that this staggering pace of growth, first signalled in the Places to Grow plan of 2005, needs to be managed better. The province has announced new rules to help municipalities steer that growth. But critics are asking how the government will come up with the billions of dollars needed to provide relief from overcrowded schools and hospitals and poor GO Transit service in some of the highest-growth areas.

With the growing population, things will get worse, not better, if we dont get ahead of the curve, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who sat down with the Star recently in Brampton.

Horwath highlighted the widening funding gap for growth-related infrastructure, especially in communities whose population is already exploding  and which are expected to absorb the lions share of the population boom over the next 25 years.

Im not in government, Im in opposition, Horwath said. So we get up and we try to flag these concerns and issues for the government. But we dont see a real, co-ordinated approach. In fact, what we see is more of a reactionary approach, almost like theyre putting out fires when they can.

But their overall vision is not about the future  Im sorry, but Im going to be honest with you  its about dollars and deficits, not about the well-being of people, not about meeting the population pressures.

A new report by public affairs consulting firm StrategyCorp, highlighting the biggest concerns of 25 municipal chief administrative officers across Ontario, is similarly blunt.

Provincial assumptions about growth are not keeping up to date with on the ground experience, the report says, quoting another CAO as saying: There is no provincial strategy for economic development  especially not for (the) GTA.

Three weeks ago, the Liberal government rolled out its plans to bolster existing growth legislation. The new plans place the onus squarely on municipalities to encourage higher population densities while curtailing urban sprawl, to make more efficient use of land and infrastructure funding.

At the announcement, the Star asked Finance Minister Charles Sousa how his government plans to pay for the growth it has mandated to municipalities such as Milton, where the population is booming, while better co-ordinating growth-related services among government ministries.

We made a commitment to invest  historic investments, I may add  $160 billion over the next 12 years, which will affect all communities ... to enable the influx of families that are moving into these areas, Sousa said. He added that growth issues have been neglected for far too long in previous regimes.

Thats why this plan and this co-ordinated review is being taken, so that we make appropriate assessments, he said.

Sousa said the province is also working with Ottawa to help manage and fund future growth in the region.

One of the biggest issues officials in Milton and other high-growth municipalities have raised is poor funding for transit and transportation.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca called it crucial that investments are focused on where growth is taking place, and that the province needs to do a better job of this.

We have to work together to make sure that we are aligning the growth with where those transit investments are occurring, he said.

Milton Councillor Colin Best has been a vocal critic of the provinces failure to support the growth it mandated.

The lack of any long-term budgeting for growth by the province is a huge problem, Best said. The Ministry of Education, for example, does not align the number of schools it will budget to be built with the growth targets the province has given us. It gives us no idea. Right now we need eight new elementary schools and two new high schools, but we have no clue if were going to get them.

Miltons population has spiked from 7,018 in 1971 to about 120,000, and Best said it is set to double again in less than 20 years.

Milton has kept in line with the provinces growth legislation, which came into effect in 2006, and is already achieving population densities above the 80 people per hectare the province recommended.

But wheres the money and the co-ordination from the province? Best asked.

Schools in Milton are already overcrowded, with some using more than 20 portables, he said.

The province has just increased Haltons population target by an additional 40,000, Best said. The regions population will now pretty much double by 2041, to over a million residents. We just cant handle this growth if the province doesnt figure out how its going to manage it and pay for it.

Horwath agreed. Moments after visiting Brampton Civic Hospital, she singled out the issue of health-care capacity.

If the government cant even provide the services, so that people cant even get the kind of health care they need, when they need it and where they need it, then the government is failing on one of the most basic priorities that people have.

She pointed to data that shows hospital capacities in high-growth communities are well beyond what her party calls internationally recognized safe occupancy rates.

In terms of actual fundamental planning for the future, we dont see that, in a co-ordinated, cross-ministerial way. We dont see that.

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A 10-year-old boy recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder after a bullet flew through a window in his public housing unit was expected Sunday to be released from hospital in the coming days.

The boy appeared to be recovering well at Sick Kids Hospital, said Luvna Khanam, a neighbour who described herself as a friend of the family.

He was pretty active now, she said, a day after visiting him in hospital. I spoke to him actually. I said, How are you doing Ahmed, are you OK? and he said, Yes auntie, Im OK. 

The Friday-night shooting at the Toronto Community Housing complex shocked the neighbourhood of Blake St. and Boultbee Ave., near Pape and Danforth Aves. The weekend was unusually violent, with three shootings and eight stabbings in Toronto.

They arent blood relatives, but the Pakistani families who live in the row of townhouses are so close they are practically kin, Khanam said.

She said she remembered hearing gunshots Friday night, but only learned what had happened the following morning, adding that the incident has made her worried for the safety of her own kids. Thats really scary, actually. If you are not safe inside the home, where are you going to be safe, right?

A young woman who answered the door at the unit where the shooting occurred did not want to be interviewed.

By Saturday morning, the only visible traces of the gunfire were police ballistics markers showing at least six bullet holes in a wall in the units fenced-in backyard. The back of the townhouse opens onto a grassy common area shaded by pines.

Imran Nawaz, a friend who visited the family on Sunday, says he has no idea why anyone would target the house.

The volley of bullets could easily have been deadly  the family likes to spend time in the living room on the ground floor in the summertime, he said. Thank God everybody (else) is safe, he said.

Several neighbours in the same row of townhouses said they are now planning to move, but wouldnt give their names because they are afraid for their safety.

One resident, 23-year-old college student Paul Kazumba, says he recognized the sound of gunshots immediately on Friday and found cover inside his apartment. Its insane, he told the Star on Sunday. If a 10-year-old is getting shot and hes not even targeted, then anyone can get hit.

Authorities struggled to explain the gun and knife violence across the city over the weekend. This is not normal, said Const. David Hopkinson, spokesperson for Toronto Police Services.

This number of violent incidences in one weekend is a little higher than what we . . . what I would believe to be normal.

The incidents dont seem to be correlated, according to Hopkinson, who added that it is difficult to tell because investigation is still ongoing.

Here is a roundup of the rest of the weekend violence.

Friday at around 5:30 p.m.

One person was transported to the trauma centre with life-threatening injuries following a shooting on Bloor St. and Aukland Rd. in Etobicoke.

Friday at around 6:30 p.m.

One man in his mid-twenties was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot multiple times in the parking lot of an apartment building on Weston Rd. in the Emery neighbourhood.

Saturday at around 3 a.m.

A man obtained non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the back multiple times at Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. Police say the man was robbed of his cellphone and suspects fled the scene.

Saturday at around 3:55 a.m.

A large fight erupted on Dundas St. W and Ossington Ave. that resulted in two people being stabbed and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Saturday at around 4:50 a.m.

Two people were stabbed after an altercation in a restaurant on College St. and Bathurst St. They were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say they discovered another person had been stabbed during the alternation but were unable to disclose any further information due to the ongoing investigation.

Saturday at around 4:30 p.m.

A man in his early 40s was stabbed in the head near Lawrence Ave. and Galloway Rd. Police say he was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His condition hadnt changed as of Sunday evening.

Sunday at around 3:20 a.m.

A man in his 20s obtained life-threatening-injuries after he was stabbed during a street robbery at Spadina Ave. and College St.

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If this is the golden age of transit building in Toronto, why are the advocates and supposed beneficiaries so discomfited?

Because too many of the projects are too politicized to give an independent observer  like the commuters and the citizens who pay the freight  any confidence that the right project is being built along the right corridor, at the right time, using the right transit mode, for the right price.

We love all the projects: Crosstown. SmartTrack. LRT. Relief line. Yonge subway to York Region. One-stop Scarborough subway. Malvern LRT that doesnt go to Malvern. Love them all, but not effervescently so. We know we are being used. Our leaders have ground the confidence out of us and replaced it with cynicism.

The fear is well wake up 30 years hence to find that we squandered an opportunity to realign our transit needs and deliver a city region equipped to handle its burgeoning future. We fear well fail  not because of lack of money or an appetite for improvements, but for lack of guts to speak the truth.

This week the province boasted it will spend $160 billion on our transportation needs. Facts and careful consideration of the alternatives should determine where projects go.

On the day that embarrassingly low ridership numbers for the one-stop subway to Scarborough became public, the provincial government sprung into action, arm in arm with Mayor John Tory, with a curious transit announcement. Was it designed to deflect attention? Why announce $150 million for design studies of the downtown relief line, a transit route not yet approved?

Within 24 hours another reason emerged. Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca assembled the media to tell citizens his government is spending $50 million for studies on pushing the Yonge subway line north to Highway 7, quickly using up the Yonge subway capacity freed up by the relief line.

The flurry of announcements only muddled the thinking around the timing of the Yonge subway extension to York Region. And it failed to eclipse the fuzzy reasons for choosing to build a one-stop subway extension from Kennedy to the Scarborough Town Centre.

A short summary to capture the tortuous path to this point, and explain why not even the loudest proponents sleep well with the Scarborough subway on their minds:

The SRT (Scarborough Rapid Transit) opened in 1985. Left to rot, basically, it needs rehabilitation. Former mayor David Miller proposed an LRT replacement; the province agreed and said it would pick up the full $1.4-billion cost.

Enter Rob Ford. The late mayor pushed council to vote for a three-stop subway instead of LRT. The province balked and refused to pay. The project is now Toronto's cost.

Enter a provincial byelection. The ruling Liberals back the subway and candidate Mitzie Hunter wins in Scarborough. Full election follows and sees Liberal candidates all promising a subway.

Enter John Tory. Campaign platform promises SmartTrack  essentially, frequent service on GO lines inside Toronto, including a route right next to the planed Scarborough LRT-subway route, already approved.

Everyone points to the obvious conflict and argues that SmartTrack and the subway would cannibalize each other. Brad Duguid, the influential cabinet minister from Scarborough, refuses to back down on the subway. Tory has to salvage SmartTrack in the Scarborough corridor because the western segment proves absolutely unworkable.

Enter chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat with a political compromise. She moves the subway farther east  to McCowan, adding cost, now pushing $2 billion. To check further cost escalation, the subway will not stop between the Kennedy-Eglinton station and Highway 401  the systems longest distance between stations. This means, even though the subway veers east to McCowan, it wont stop at Lawrence, to capture the thousands who travelling to the Scarborough General hospital.

The mayor, the chief planner, the province all cheerily quote strategically placed statistics and data to camouflage the conflicted, contemptible process.

If the RT wasnt orphaned; if Ford hadnt killed the LRT replacement; if the provincial Liberals hadnt bought Scarborough votes with promise of a subway; if Tory hadnt campaigned on a competing transit line right next to the proposed subway; if Tory and Duguid hadnt insisted on keeping their projects  then we might have a transit plan that actually serves all of Scarborough.

Our leaders sow sadness where there should finally be joy. We should remember this every time we see them making announcements, bribing us with our own money.

Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca

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NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo is the first candidate in the race for the leadership of the federal New Democrats.

The well-regarded Parkdale-High Park MPP will officially throw her hat in the ring on Tuesday in Toronto.

DiNovo, an outspoken critic of ousted NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, wants the federal New Democrats to reaffirm their socialist principles, tackle climate change, and advance social justice.

While she will not immediately resign as an MPP, sources close to her say she wont seek re-election in the 2018 provincial election regardless of the outcome of the federal leadership contest.

A champion of LBGTQ and other minority rights, DiNovo is one of the most effective opposition MPPs at Queens Park with the Liberal government routinely adopting her private members bills as government legislation.

Her work has led to increases in the hourly minimum wage, recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder as a workplace injury, and added gender identity to the Ontario Human Rights Code, among other changes.

Last fall, DiNovo was among the first prominent New Democrats to call out the party for its poor showing in the October election won by Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberals.

Our results were completely devastating, the ordained United Church minister told Star freelance columnist Desmond Cole.

The messaging that I hear and others hear coming out of Ottawa seems delusional in terms of its description of what went down, the 10-year MPP said in December.

Blaming the mainstream media and the Liberal strategists is a little like farmers blaming the weather, she said.

The only entity we can change as the New Democratic Party is ourselves. We have some serious soul-searching to do.

Her comments came months before New Democrats defenestrated Mulcair at their Edmonton convention in April.

DiNovo has always maintained that the small group of people around the leader, whispering in his ear also deserved to be castigated for the NDP falling from official opposition to third place.

Theres enough blame to go around. I dont think were going to solve things simply by changing the face at the top.

While she is an outsider to federal politics, DiNovo is better known in vote-rich Ontario than any of the MPs currently being touted to run.

They include Manitoba MP Niki Ashton, who won just 5.7 per cent of the vote at the NDP leadership convention that picked Mulcair in 2012, B.C. MP Peter Julian, and Quebec MPs Alexandre Boulerice and Guy Caron.

New Democrats will pick their new leader at a convention expected to be held in either September or October 2017.

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Ontarians who choose a medically assisted death will get the drugs for free now that the practice is legal, Health Minister Eric Hoskins said Monday as federal legislation on assisted dying remained in limbo.

But the uncertainty surrounding Bill C-14  now under consideration by the Senate  prompted the province to advise patients and doctors get legal approval before taking the penultimate step.

Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur said its important to ensure cases meet the criteria set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in a landmark 2015 decision striking down the ban on assisted dying.

While not required by the Supreme Court, we encourage patients and health-care providers to seek further clarity about how the Supreme Courts decision applies to their particular circumstances by bringing an application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, she and Hoskins said in a joint statement.

Meilleur later told reporters such applications can be heard in a timely manner.

In Ottawa, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said guidelines from the provinces on assisted dying dont provide enough clarity and protection for health-care providers in the absence of legislation, The Canadian Press reported.

The Supreme Court tossed out the assisted dying ban last year as a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, specifically the right to life, liberty and security of the person.

It set Monday as the deadline for the federal government to have legislation in place governing the practice nationwide, leaving provincial governments to fill the gap.

To qualify for physician-assisted death, citizens must have grievous and irremediable health conditions that cause intolerable suffering on an enduring basis, the Supreme Court ruled.

But the federal government bill restricts assisted dying to competent adults over 18 with a terminal or incurable illness whose death is reasonably foreseeable.

Critics have raised concerns the bill falls short of the courts intentions and Liberal promises by failing people who are suffering intolerably with non-terminal diseases or conditions.

Hoskins  who, like his federal counterpart, is a doctor  encouraged senators and MPs to pass the legislation as expeditiously as possible.

He noted Ontario physicians and patients can proceed with appropriate medical assistance under strictures set out by the provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Its really up to the health care provider together with a pharmacist to make specific decisions in the context of the guidelines, Hoskins said.

Aside from the Supreme Court criteria, the regulatory body for Ontarios doctors stresses that cases must involve intolerable physical or psychological conditions and that physicians must use their professional judgment to assess an individuals suitability.

The province will also establish a referral service so that doctors who are unwilling or unable to help patients die can refer them to doctors who will perform the service, Hoskins said.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is concerned the delayed federal legislation will cause hardships, particularly with the Ontario recommendation patients going to court for approval.

Not only is it a financial barrier, but the clock is ticking for many of these folk. The whole point of this kind of process  is to put them out of their pain and to give them a chance to die with dignity.

Ontario is doing the best it can for the short period of time he expects to pass before federal legislation is in place, Hoskins said.

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One of Premier Kathleen Wynnes veteran ministers says hell stand aside later this month to make room for more women around the cabinet table.

Sometimes the best way for a man to advance the equality of women may be to step back, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Ted McMeekin wrote in a Facebook post after meeting with Wynne on Monday.

As the Star first reported, the premier is planning a major cabinet shuffle after the legislature rises for its summer break on Thursday to reshape her government for what is expected to be a challenging battle for re-election in two years.

McMeekin said hes taking the soul-searching step in hopes Wynne can match Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by having gender parity in her own executive council.

I have three daughters, all confident and accomplished young women. With my wonderful wife, they are the joy of my life, wrote McMeekin, who will stay on as MPP for the Hamilton-area riding of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

Thinking of them, Ive often dreamed of a day when the question of gender parity wouldnt even arise, because it would just be taken for granted, he added, describing himself as a feminist.

Many observers expected McMeekin would be dropped as Wynne rebuilds her cabinet with fresh faces.

Wynne has tried to downplay the pending shuffle and told reporters in Winnipeg recently that she will try to have equal numbers of men and women.

I will do my best to have representation from around the province, experience, gender, all of those things, and if I fall short (on gender equality) I will continue to try, she said at a federal Liberal convention last month.

Wynne hailed McMeekin as a progressive and said as we take steps towards gender parity in cabinet, selfless and bold action like Teds is welcome.

Government sources have confided that it will be difficult for Wynne to have gender parity given her existing caucus, which is much smaller than Trudeaus. There are now eight women, including the premier, and 19 men in cabinet.

Wynne is halfway through her mandate and is aiming to move ministers from policy-making mode to implementation, with sources saying she will change the structure of some ministries and promote a number of backbenchers to cabinet.

Insiders say they include Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault, a former New Democrat MP who won a contentious byelection last year, and Eleanor McMahon (Burlington), who was press secretary to former prime minister Jean Chretien.

Other women under consideration are Indira Naidoo-Harris (Halton), a former journalist with CBC and Omni; former CKCO journalist Daiene Vernile (Kitchener Centre); Cambridge MPP Kathryn McGarry, a critical care nurse; and Chief Government Whip Marie-France Lalonde (OttawaOrleans).

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OTTAWAThe federal government says a Russian rocket that upset Inuit groups over its potential to pollute Arctic waters with toxic fuel has launched.

A spokesman for the federal public safety department says the rocket blasted off Saturday morning.

Kevin Miller says the government monitored the launch and re-entry of debris closely.

In an email he said no debris had been observed falling on Canadian territory as of Sunday morning.

A stage of the Russian satellite-launching rocket was expected to fall into Baffin Bay between Ellesmere Island and Greenland outside Canadian territorial waters, but within seas over which Canada has economic control.

Published reports from experts on the Russian space program suggest its normal for about 10 per cent of the fuel in the main stage to remain unburned, and an Arctic contaminant specialist at the University of Manitoba says the hydrazine fuel is highly toxic and is known to persist in water.

Questions that were emailed to Public Safety Canada about where the debris from Saturdays launch fell were not immediately answered.

The area of concern in Baffin Bay is heavily hunted and travelled by Inuit from nearly a dozen communities in Canada and Greenland.

A commission of Inuit in Canada and Greenland was preparing a formal protest to Russia over the launch, and the Canadian government has said it has told Russia it wants more advance information about such launches.

A spokesman for the Russian embassy had said last week that all the fuel should have burned up by the time the rocket stage splashed down.

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BUJUMBURA, BURUNDIA Burundian journalist has been arrested by the countrys National Intelligence Service, and some fear he is being tortured, the director of an independent radio station said Monday.

Egide Ndayisenga of Bonesha FM was arrested Sunday while visiting friends in Western Cibitoke Province, Patrick Nduwimana said. Two friends with him were arrested and later released, he said.

Ndayisenga had sought refuge in Rwanda last year when the station was bombed and those suspected of opposing President Pierre Nkurunzizas bid for a third term feared they were being hunted down, Nduwimana said. Ndayisenga recently returned to the East African country.

Burundian Police Deputy Spokesman Moise Nkurunziza said he was still verifying whether Ndayisenga was arrested and why.

The arrest of Ndayisenga is a continuation of the harassment and silencing of independent journalists in Burundi, said Lambert Nigarura, a prominent lawyer and activist here.

The government in Burundi does not want the world to know that its killing its own people, and all independent journalists are in danger, Nigarura said. Both opponents and supporters of the government have been killed in apparent revenge attacks.

Bonesha FM was one of the independent media outlets shut down in May 2015, accused of conspiring with the generals who attempted to overthrow the president during violent protests against his bid for a third term. He was re-elected in July.

The violence has left more than 400 people dead and forced more than 260,000 to flee the country, according to the United Nations.

Bonesha FM has continued to operate a website with stories about the country.

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Since the fall of 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel has quietly presided over hundreds of cases from a spacious wood-panelled courtroom on the second floor of the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego, drawing little attention outside the tight-knit federal legal community.

Its a building that Curiel is familiar with, from his 13-year-long tenure as a narcotics prosecutor with the U.S. attorneys office in San Diego, eventually rising to chief of the unit.

There, from 1989 to 2002, he built a reputation as a tough, effective lawyer in charge of a special task force charged with dismantling the Arellano-Felix drug cartel  an assignment that earned him round-the-clock protection from the U.S. marshals service for a year while under a death threat from the cartel.

Now, Curiel finds himself facing a different kind of threat.

The bespectacled, soft-spoken judge has been the target of repeated verbal assaults on his ethnic background, competence and fairness from Donald J. Trump, the likely Republican nominee for president.

In a campaign appearance in San Diego on May 27, the candidate went on at length about two federal lawsuits filed against him and his real-estate investing program. He said Curiel, who is presiding over those two class-action suits, was a hater and referred to the Indiana-born judge as a Mexican.

They ought to look into Judge Curiel, he said.

The attacks continued last week, with Trump telling the Wall Street Journal that Curiels ethnic heritage  his parents were Mexican immigrants  made him biased.

Trump also criticized Curiels membership in La Raza Lawyers Association, apparently confusing the professional organization with an activist group that goes by a similar name.

A centrepiece of Trumps campaign has been his vow to build a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico and to deport immigrants here illegally. Trump contends that Curiel, given his ethnic background, has a built-in conflict of interest.

Those attacks on Curiel have stunned legal observers, who say they threaten the independence of the judiciary, and outraged those who know Curiel in his previous career as a federal prosecutor and in his work as a judge in state courts in San Diego and the federal court.

Its offensive, said Gregory Vega, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego and longtime friend of Curiel. We havent talked about this, because he doesnt talk about his cases. But Im angry.

There has been widespread backlash against Trumps remarks from within the Republican Party.

Former speaker Newt Gingrich called the comment inexcusable and the worst mistake Trump has made in the campaign to date. Trump retaliated Monday by saying it was it was inappropriate for Gingrich  who had been mentioned as a possible running mate  to criticize his comments.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he couldnt disagree more with Trump, although he would not call the attacks racist. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker struggled to answer questions about Trumps positions, at one point saying he had agreed to be interviewed just about foreign policy. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that he disagreed with Trumps comments, adding: He clearly says and does things I dont agree with.

Gingrich compared Trumps attack to a liberal attacking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds that hes black.

We would all go crazy, Gingrich said. Every conservative would say it was wrong and it was racism. And Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level. This is no longer the primaries. Hes no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States and hes got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.

On Fox News early Monday, Trump was asked to respond to Gingrichs comment, along with those of other Republicans.

As far as Newt is concerned, I saw Newt, I was surprised that Newt  I thought it was inappropriate what he said, Trump said Monday morning.

San Diego lawyer Candace Carroll headed a screening committee for Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that reviewed and recommended applicants for federal judges, and which reviewed Curiel in 2011. The committee casts a wide net and interviews scores of people, she said.

If youre a jerk, opposing counsel will know that and tell the committee about it, she said. If youre arrogant, well hear arrogant over and over again. He was very highly recommended. No one could say a bad thing about him.

Curiel is presiding over two class-action lawsuits filed against Trump over his now-defunct Trump University real-estate seminars, for which some people paid up to $35,000 (U.S.).

The suits maintain the seminars were taught by unqualified instructors and were designed to extract as much money from attendees as possible, urging them to max out credit cards and using high-pressure sales tactics that emphasized upselling attendees to get them to buy more expensive course offerings.

Trump and his legal team have said the claims are bogus, and that the vast majority of attendees were satisfied with the seminars.

Curiel is the third judge who has presided over the 2010 suit. He inherited it in early 2013, just a few months after he was sworn in to the federal bench.

At that time, the court record shows, Trump didnt object to Curiel being assigned and didnt ask him to recuse himself, a rare move in federal courts but not unheard of. In fact, a review of the nearly 700 docket entries lodged so far in both cases show no formal motion that questioned his impartiality or fairness.

Trump nonetheless has been critical on the campaign trail and has said the case should have been thrown out long ago. Trump University hasnt accepted any new students since 2010, but last week  in the wake of Curiel unsealing hundreds of pages of records, many of which paint an unflattering picture of the business and how it was run  Trump said he would reopen it after he wins the suit.

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KABUL, AFGHANISTANLike dozens of war reporters here over the past decade, NPR correspondent Tom Bowman was crammed into a butt-bruising military armoured vehicle while two of the people he counted on most  a photographer and interpreter  were separated in another vehicle.

The convoy was travelling on a dangerous road in Afghanistans restive Helmand province, where ongoing battles between Afghan soldiers and Taliban insurgents have defined a 15th year of a war that shows no sign of easing.

Suddenly, bullets, rocket-propelled grenades or mortar rounds  no one seems to know for sure  began crashing into the convoy.

The Humvee Bowman and NPR producer Monika Evstatieva were riding in sped off to a nearby military base.

When we pulled in, we said, Where are our friends?  Bowman recalled on NPRs Morning Edition on Monday, a day after the attack. We waited maybe an hour or two, and then the Afghan army truck came in, and they opened up the back and there were two dead bodies.

When another truck pulled in later with another body, the scale of loss became apparent: Award-winning NPR photojournalist David Gilkey, NPR interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna and an Afghan soldier who had been driving them had been killed in the ambush.

On Monday, remembrances poured in as, once again, journalists were reminded of the risks associated with working in Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

Gilkey, 50, had won a George Polk Award in 2010, an Emmy in 2007 and numerous distinctions from the White House Photographers Association.

He had covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the earthquake in Haiti, among other stories during his career. He joined NPR, working for its website, in 2007.

Tamanna, 38, was also a journalist in his own right, shooting photos in Afghanistan for the Chinese news agency Xinhua and writing for Turkeys Anadolu agency.

Zabi and David, who were on the front line to report about the truth, themselves became the victims of Taliban brutality, said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. History will remember Zabi and David as fighters for freedom of information and expression.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 27 journalists or media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. But Gilkey, a native of Portland, Ore., was the first foreign journalist to be killed in Afghanistan since 2014, when a rogue Afghan police officer shot and killed Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, a German national.

The deaths are once again causing journalists here to re-evaluate the risks in a country where both the brutality of the Taliban and the number of casualties continue to grow.

Yet the determination to bear witness to the war is something Kathy Gannon, chief Associated Press correspondent for Afghanistan-Pakistan, knows well.

During the 2014 attack that killed Niedringhaus, Gannon, 62, was shot six times.

She endured 16 surgeries over the past two years but returned to her Islamabad-based job earlier this year.

We are not motivated by danger; we are motivated by stories, Gannon said in an interview Monday. We are driven by that desire to get as close as possible to the people in the country, in the village, and in the conflict, and the only way we can best tell their story is to be by their side.

For much of the war, journalists in Afghanistan wanting to get near the fighting could embed with U.S. or coalition soldiers. But as the U.S. military reduced its troop presence here over the past two years, those trips must now be taken alone or accompanying the Afghan military. That presents a host of life-threatening challenges.

Afghan soldiers arent as well trained as U.S. and coalition troops, and they can react either too fast or too slowly to threats. Insider attacks from renegade Afghan soldiers or police officers remain a major concern. And if a journalist becomes injured, there is no guarantee Afghan forces will be able to arrange a Medevac flight to a hospital.

According to Afghan and coalition officials, the NPR reporting team had spent Friday and Saturday with U.S. troops on a NATO base in Helmand. But because the Americans only sporadically leave their base in Afghanistan, the NPR team also had approval from the Afghan Ministry of Defence to go on a 36-hour mission with the Afghan armys 215th Corps.

Ahmad Shaikal Tassal, a spokesman for the 215th Corps, said the journalists were travelling from Laskhkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, to Marja when the ambush took place. One tribal elder from Helmand, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared for his own safety, said the Taliban have effectively controlled large stretches of that road since November.

They could do anything they wanted to do on that road, the man said. They were planting IEDs and equipped with rocket-propelled grenades.

But for many journalists drawn to dangerous parts of the world, those are the sorts of risks that are worth taking. Last month, before he travelled to Afghanistan, Gilkey said he was determined to sleep with, eat with, and go on patrol with Afghan soldiers to get a look at a war that one can only see by going there.

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At first, the voices he heard in his head were pleasant. But then, they turned malevolent. Jean Thibodeau, a 19-year-old University of Toronto student and avid pot smoker, became convinced he was possessed by the devil. He could see blood gushing down his chest and feel a deep gash in his neck. I remember thinking, Im going to die, said Thibodeau in an interview.

His roommate became so concerned he took him to the emergency department of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

They told me I was having a psychotic episode brought on by cannabis, said Thibodeau, who requested that the Star use his grandmothers surname as he is still recovering from the breakdown.

I was shocked. We live in a society where there is such a culture around smoking dope that people think it is cool to be a stoner. Nobody ever talks about the pitfalls.

Researchers have established a link between cannabis and psychosis among young people, although they cannot predict who will be triggered, or why.

Youths who are especially at risk are those with a family history of mental illness, or who have suffered sexual or physical abuse. Thibodeau, who went to private school and has a supportive, intact family, doesnt fit any of these categories.

When people start smoking before the age of 16, there is a higher risk of having a psychotic experience. We know that early use is dangerous, said Dr. Romina Mizrahi, a psychiatrist and director of the Focus on Youth Psychosis Prevention Clinic at CAMH. The brain continues to develop until the age of 25.

The clinic has treated 55 teenagers and people in their early 20s for what Mizrahi calls pre-psychosis in the past two-and-a-half years. These are people who, like Thibodeau, report hearing voices in their heads, or experience paranoid delusions, and are referred by a family doctor or psychiatrist to the program.

They are not sick yet, but they are having symptoms. They are still rational, and we can help prevent further experiences of psychosis or full-blown disorders such as schizophrenia, Mizrahi explained. We advise them to abstain from smoking marijuana.

Experts do not believe that legalizing cannabis will make it any easier for teenagers or young people to buy it, because it is so readily available already. By the end of Grade 12 in Ontario, 37 per cent of students will have used cannabis, according to a 2015 longitudinal CAMH study on drug use.

But psychologists and researchers want to have a more nuanced conversation about the drugs potential harmful effects, especially as pot dispensaries open across Toronto, Vancouver and other Canadian cities. A lot of teenagers who smoke dope say, I smoke dope and so do all my friends and none of us have gone crazy,  said Cory Gerritsen, a clinical psychologist who facilitates CAMHs youth prevention clinic.

They simply do not believe there are any risks.

Thibodeau wants people to know that there are risks. He had never tried marijuana in high school. But when he started at the U of T in the fall of 2013, his roommate offered him a joint. He became hooked. He bought a vaporizer pipe and started smoking daily, and neglected his course work. Then the voices began.

I had the sensation of a gust of wind in my ear and it was like a second consciousness talking to me, he recalled. At first, it was a force for good. But then the voice became abusive.

The voice said he would die. And Thibodeau believed it to be true. He continued to smoke pot daily, and didnt make the link between marijuana and his delusions until he ended up in CAMH a year later.

He was prescribed an anti-psychotic drug and enrolled in the youth prevention clinic. To combat his anxiety, he learned mindfulness meditation, as well as positive imaging and distraction techniques. Slowly, the voices retreated.

We are trying to build up young peoples resilience and get them back on a positive trajectory, said Gerritsen. We are trying to prevent kids from becoming lost. If they say they cannot quit smoking dope, we send them to an addictions program.

Research studies have found that people who use high doses of marijuana frequently over many years, or who start using it in adolescence, are at increased risk of suffering side effects. A review of research on the recreational use of the drug looked at 116 studies and concluded that it is linked to various mental effects, including panic attacks, anxiety, cognitive impairment and psychosis. The study was published in 2015 in Deutsches Arzteblatt, a German medical magazine.

Mizrahi, who is also a research scientist, is studying the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)  two ingredients in marijuana  on the brain, among smokers and non-smokers, patients with schizophrenia, and those at risk of developing it.

THC provides a euphoric effect, while CBD has antipsychotic, anti-anxiety effects. In the past decade, growers have created strains with more THC because users enjoy the feeling of euphoria. But THC is also associated with psychosis.

There are significant changes in the brain when people use cannabis, she said. It may be that people self-medicate with marijuana because there is something wrong with their own natural endocannabinoid system, which regulates stress, she said.

Contrary to popular belief, cannabis can be addictive, though withdrawal symptoms are not as strong as they are for other drugs, such as heroin. Thibodeau said he fights the urge to smoke every day and feels a deep sense of shame about what happened to him, even as he looks forward to completing his degree and leaving the stoner life behind.

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The first known published description of Donald Trumps hair, as an entity that deserved its own description, was mild. His sandy hair is probably a bit long by standards of the corporate world, read a 1984 newspaper profile of the then-38-year-old mogul. With the sides slicked back just a bit.

Three decades later, describing the headstuff of the leading Republican presidential candidate has been elevated to an art form. Is it swirled or swooped? Animal or vegetable? (Mineral?) Burnt sienna or orange Creamsicle?

Last week, one website published an extensive investigation asserting that the whole concoction might actually be a $60,000 weave. Here, in the most comprehensive and highly scientific endeavour of its kind, culled from 30 years of news articles, are the top 100 unique descriptors of the Trump mane, written by journalists or pontificators who secretly fancy themselves poets:

1. The complex superstructure that is Donald Trumps hair.

2. A masterpiece whose guiding principal is a heroic desire to completely conceal the forehead.

3. A thin sheath of perfectly placed strands.

4. An abandoned nest.

5. A hairspray labyrinth.

6. It appears to be a comb-over, but, incredibly, it doesnt arrive from any direction. You cannot stare at The Donalds hair very long. Its like staring into the sun.

7. A decomposing ear of corn.

8. A corn husk doll cursed by a witch.

9. An ambitious corn dog that escaped from the concession stand at a rural Alabama fairground, stole an unattended wig, hopped a freight train to Atlantic City and never looked back.

10. The furrowed wake that a speedboat would leave on a lake of orange sherbet.

11. A Mobius combover.

12. (His hair) resembles the behaviour of alpha chimps who, as primatologist Frans de Waal reports in Chimpanzee Politics, make their hair stand on end in order to look large.

13. The male equivalent of a push-up bra.

14. An upside-down Twitter logo.

15. A mullet that died in some horrific accident.

16. Carefully crafted helmet of fine gossamer, woven into a precise immovable template.

17. Golden fleece.

18. Dyed the nascent yellow of a baby chick.

19. A hue best described as Cigarette-stained teeth blond.

20. The patriotic shade of amber waves of grain.

21. A ginger forest.

22. Orange fizz.

23. Burnt Cheetos auburn.

24. The same unplaceable tinge as the marble in the Trump Tower lobby.

25. The ginger flank of Trumps hair was plastered firm down at the sides, and a side parting had emerged. The back was long, straggly, and running free.

26. Orange and matted on the sides, and now white/silver, wispy, swept back, defying the laws of physics and practicality on top.

27. More flyaways than LAX.

28. More soft-serve swirl than Dairy Queen.

29. An aggressive cowlick gone rogue.

30. An unruly shrub.

31. An unfortunate situation.

32. This multidirectional comb-over is so complex that even engineers marvel at its structure. Resistant to wind and rain, NASA has looked at it as a possible Shuttle Shield.

33. The roll of sod that never looked quite right in your yard.

34. Farcical follicle humiliation.

35. Combed like hes televangelist Benny Hinn.

36. Like Biff, from Back to the Future.

37. Like Lucille Ball.

38. Like a troll doll.

39. Dyson Airbladed.

40. Norwegian bunch grass.

41. Mexican feather grass.

42. A South American Flannel caterpillar.

43. The hair of 33 Barbie dolls.

44. A hairpiece come to life.

45. It is a flourish. On top, it flows forward to the forehead where it does a fine, serpentine U-turn, while along the sides it sweeps over the tops of his ears like rows of cirrus clouds.

46. (It) appears to be courting the womens vote, combed on the left side of his head in the shape of a vagina.

47. A pancake hat.

48. An omelette.

49. Bread at the end of the loaf.

50. A wavy slant that seems to defy gravity.

51. White roots and light filaments wrapped and wrapped around the back of his head.

52. An airboat skimming the Everglades

53. The halo of meticulously crafted bulls----.

54. A Kangol hat made of spun sugar.

55. What appears to be Daniel Boones mythical coonskin cap.

56. A pumpkin having a nervous breakdown.

57. Bolted down like a storm cellar door.

58. Decomposing pumpkin pie inhabited by vicious albino squirrels.

59. A viscous, bird-killing oil slick.

60. Fine strands of gold-plated fur.

61. A horses mane blowing in the wind.

62. A dead skunk.

63. A radioactive skunk.

64. A dead squirrel.

65. A mutant squirrel.

66. A beavers tail.

67. A very well-behaved guinea pig.

68. A badger sitting atop his head.

69. An actual, live woodchuck.

70. A dishrag that on closer inspection is alive with maggots

71. It may look like a dead gerbil, but it actually advertises both his vanity (hence, his humanness) and his imperviousness to ridicule. It would qualify as the most original Washington haircut since Ronald Reagan went prematurely orange.

72. A dead, furry lobster.

73. Diffused, unsavory salmon.

74. Artless.

75. Banjo strings.

76. That thing.

77. That construction.

78. That curious thatch, which he wears longer than most men of his generation who are not in a 70s revival band.

79. A small straw hut.

80. Wisps of insulation material.

81. Best left to an architectural critic.

82. A face on the top of his head. A twin, all but absorbed in the womb. The eyes move. The lips quiver.

83. Buttery-fluffed.

84. Souffled.

85. Miraculous, restorative-powered.

86. Epic and luxuriant mop.

87. Billowing golden pompadour.

88. Weird piece of Velcro.

89. Strange phenomenon.

90. A glowing orb presiding over the nights spectacle.

91. A creation consisting of two different parts, like an Ikea shelf.

92. A comb-over from hell.

93. The new wave of comb-overs, (which) drops the lie and the shame and just asks onlookers to marvel at the scale, vision and depth of the comb-over youve just created.

94. The grotesque, exhibitionist, peacocky mutation that adorns his skull.

95. The Trump Crosshatch (TM).

96. A mound of cotton candy.

97. A bridal-level updo.

98. A blow-dried confection.

99. An interdimensional, gravity-warping vortex.

100. Hair

Sources: The Washington Post, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Haaretz, the Weekly Standard, (Canadas) Globe and Mail, Jezebel, Nerdist, Reddit, Psychology Today, the (U.K.s) Guardian, Quartz, Rolling Stone, the AV Club, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Beast, Huffington Post, St. Petersburg Times, (Ontarios) Hamilton Spectator, Mens Health, the New Hampshire Union Leader, Esquire, Buzzfeed, Wired, Yahoo!, Gawker, the Vancouver Sun, Ssmosh, NME, the Irish Examiner, the Washington Times, Odyssey, the National Report, the (U.K.s) Daily Mail, the Herald Times, the (Bloomington, Ind.) Waterloo Region Record, People, the (U.K.s) Daily Mirror, the Toronto Star, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, the (U.K.s) Independent, the New York Observer, the New York Post, the Irish Daily Mail, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Moscow News, the (U.K.s) Telegraph, (Canadas) National Post.

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HERMALLE-SOUS-HUY, BELGIUMA passenger train slammed at high speed into a slow-moving freight train in eastern Belgium, killing three people and sending 10 others to the hospital, authorities said Monday. The accident came just hours after reported lightning strikes and a signal disruption on the line.

Two cars from the passenger train derailed when it rear-ended the freight train around 11 p.m. Sunday in Hermalle-Sous-Huy, a hamlet on the Meuse River. Belgian prosecutor Brigitte Leroy said the passenger train was travelling around 100 km/h and the freight 10-15 km/h at the time of the crash. Earlier reports had said the freight train was stopped.

State broadcaster RTBF said the dead included two passengers and the trains driver. RTBF TV reported many of the passengers were students in their early 20s returning to school after the weekend.

Ten people were hospitalized, local hospitals reported. As of midday Monday, Belgian media said only one of the injured was still being treated: a 26-year-old man who underwent two operations for broken ribs and vertebrae and abdominal pains. Twenty-seven other passengers were treated at the scene.

Francis Dejon, mayor of St. Georges-sur-Meuse, told a news conference that the passenger trains first car was so badly smashed in the wreck it was curled back on itself. The second of the six cars also derailed and came to a stop on its side.

Belgian railway police and state prosecutors were investigating the cause of the accident.

Belgiums King Philippe and Prime Minister Charles Michel visited the crash site Monday afternoon, thanking rescue workers and viewing the derailed, wrecked rail cars. Michel, through a spokesman, said no effort would be spared to find out why the accident occurred.

It took rescuers three hours to free people from the wreckage of the train, which carried around 40 people when it crashed 27 kilometres southwest of the city of Liege while travelling from Mouscron to Liers. The wheels and axle of one train car were knocked loose by the impact. A large chunk of wreckage jutted up from the freight train of around 20 cars.

Belgiums national railway operation, SNCB, reported on its Twitter account Sunday that there was a signals disruption on the rail line about an hour and a half before the wreck occurred, but said the problem had been solved.

A spokesman for Infrabel, a separate company that oversees Belgiums rail infrastructure, said installations where the wreck occurred were hit by lightning earlier Sunday.

Its an element were going to have to look at, but its premature to see this as the cause of the accident, spokesman Frederic Sacre said.

The wreck has halted train service between Namur and Liege, two of Belgiums largest cities, and an SNCB spokeswoman said it could take several days to clear the tracks.

Leroy, the prosecutor, said it may be months before the crash investigation is complete.

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ROMEDuring the circus-like years of Silvio Berlusconi, Italians grew flinchingly accustomed to being the butts of the worlds jokes.

Will they have the last laugh?

They look toward America and wonder. Me, too. In Donald Trump, Americans have a version of their buffoonish former prime minister  a clown all their own. He baffles and appalls much of Europe.

Here in Italy, he prompts an additional reaction: relief, even satisfaction, that another country is proving vulnerable to an emphatically tanned, flamboyantly randy and frequently ridiculous billionaire who makes promises he cant possibly keep.

The Ferragamo is on the other foot.

We do feel, partly, ha-ha-ha, said Maria Valentini, a professor at a university just outside Rome. Its your turn.

After I ended a telephone chat with an Italian architect I know well, he texted me an assessment from his assistant, who explained that under Berlusconi, We felt like idiots. Now we feel better, thinking that in the U.S., they are being idiots squared.

Its our revenge, Roberto DAlimonte, an Italian political scientist, told me. Maybe America is becoming more like Italy. He wasnt entirely serious about the revenge. He was about America.

Italy is a fascinating vantage point for the upheavals of 2016, and not only because of the echoes of Berlusconi in Trump.

Harsh nationalist sentiments are gripping Europe, and they demonstrate the pervasiveness of the anxieties that Trump is preying on and of the social and economic currents behind his rise. Austria nearly became the first Western European country with a democratically elected leader from the far right since the end of World War II. Britain is about to decide whether to exit the European Union.

Theres concern about a revival of fascism.

And yet Italy, where Fascism was forged after World War I, seems placid in the context of the Continent. The current prime minister, Matteo Renzi, is charting an unremarkable centre-left course.

Italy has become some kind of oasis, Patrizio Nissirio, a senior editor at the Italian news agency ANSA, told me. Thats a sentence I never thought Id say.

Italians complain that Renzi is uninspiring and unimaginative, but for now seem to prefer that to megalomaniacal and rash.

Make no mistake: Italy has problems. Desperate migrants by the thousands are trying to reach Sicily by boat from Northern Africa, and many are dying en route. In October, there will be an epochal vote about a constitutional change that would reconfigure Italys Parliament, and Renzi has staked his government on its success.

I arrived in Milan to be foiled by a train strike. I made my way to Rome just in time for a garbage strike. The citys most recent mayor resigned in disgrace, and the campaign to pick his successor has been a morose one.

But they were glad not to be residents of France, where Marine Le Pen surges anew. Or of Greece, where everything has fallen apart.

Or of the United States. Berlusconi, they argued, looks tame next to Trump. They have a point.

To talk with them about the parallels is to remember how universal some types of gullibility are. We all crave saviours. And certain political conditions create certain political opportunists. Its predictable, even when observers fail to predict it.

Berlusconis ascent was as surprising to many Italians in the 1990s as Trumps was to many of us. We realized that we didnt know our own country, said Raffaella Menichini, a longtime journalist with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. American journalists found ourselves in the same boat.

Berlusconi came to power by fashioning himself as a bold exception and antidote to the professional political class, which had just been racked by a widespread corruption scandal. He saw his opening.

He was a super-rich businessman who knew how to feed the media  heck, he owned much of the media  and he pledged to use his entrepreneurial savvy to restore Italys economic dynamism, pushing the country forward by bringing it back to supposedly brighter days. He promised a new Italian miracle.

There was nostalgia in that vow, as there is in Trumps to make America great again. Like Berlusconi, Trump deftly exploited profound disgust with politics as usual. And he understands, as Berlusconi did, that extreme bluntness mitigates extraordinary affluence, giving a plutocrat a bridge to, and bond with, the common man or woman.

Italians are fascinated by Trump. Hes prominent in newspapers, which tease out themes that connect him to Berlusconi, such as his objectification of women.

The Italians look at Trump as a kind of Berlusconi, said Marco Ventura, who was a spokesman for Berlusconis government when I covered it from 2002 to 2004. But its too easy a comparison.

And too easy on Trump. While Berlusconi had his rants and his scapegoats, warning Italians of overzealous judges and unrepentant Communists, there was little if anything on a racist par with Trumps repeated vilifications of Mexicans and Muslims. He projected more affability.

He always said that when you speak to people, you have to show that you have the sun in your pocket, said Giuliano Ferrara, an Italian political analyst who worked in the Berlusconi government.

But Ferrara and other Italians noted a more crucial difference, and they did so in conversations before Hillary Clinton savaged Trumps foreign-policy credentials in that belatedly fiery jeremiad on Thursday. Trump, they said, has the potential to muck up the world in a way that Berlusconi never could. So Americans indulgence of him is infinitely more dangerous than Italians of Berlusconi.

Italy doesnt claim to be the watchdog of the world, Valentini observed. You are.

Domenico Minchilli, the architect I mentioned before, said Trump, as president, would have 100 million times more power than Berlusconi ever had.

So while everyone was making fun of him over here until about a month ago, Minchilli added, I think everyones now frozen in terror that this guy could actually make the giant leap to the Oval Office.

I sense that to be true around Europe. I know it to be true in Italy, where any hunger for that last laugh ultimately pales next to a panic over its price.

Berlusconi could be dismissed as comical, by Italians as well as by the foreigners who mocked him. Trump cant. Hes a taller man, with a longer stride. And whats peeking from his pocket most definitely isnt the sun.

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A Conservative senator wants to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. That should be an easy ride. It probably wont be.

Sen. Carolyn Stewart Olsens Bill S-214, which is aimed at cruel and often unnecessary animal tests used in the development of cosmetics, is sensible.

Given that many leading cosmetic brands already avoid animal testing, the ban shouldnt interfere too much with the constitutional right of Canadians to gussy themselves up.

But it is an animal welfare bill and, as Stewart Olsen says, there are always some legislators who think that any law benefitting non-humans represents the thin edge of a very large wedge that, unless countered, could result in rampant veganism.

There are some within my own caucus, the New Brunswick Conservative says.

So we shall see whether Justin Trudeaus Liberal government, which has already shown itself skittish on animal welfare issues, has the nerve to back this singularly inoffensive private members bill.

In a rational world, few should have any problem with Bill S-214. It doesnt propose to ban the use of animals in testing drugs and other medications. It doesnt propose to ban the use of animals in research labs.

Rather it focuses solely on cosmetics. In effect, the bill says it makes no sense to put animals through intense pain just to develop, say, a different brand of lipstick.

And pain there is. One procedure, known as the Draize test, involves immobilizing a rabbit with its eyelids clipped open  sometimes for days at a time  and administering drops of the ingredient under scrutiny. If the rabbits eyeball corrodes, the ingredient is deemed too strong.

Another involves force-feeding animals with a chemical until 50 per cent of them die. This is known as the Lethal Dose 50 test  or LD50 for short.

Liz White, of the advocacy group Animal Alliance, argues that such tests are no longer necessary.

First, most ingredients used in cosmetics have already been tested. There is no need to duplicate.

Second, new methods exist that do not require live animal test subjects. Some use human skin grown in laboratories. Another uses the eye tissue from slaughtered cattle.

White says there is no information available publicly on how much animal testing for cosmetics is done in Canada. But given that the domestic industry is small, the answer is probably: not much.

The real effect would be on imported cosmetics. But here too, the effect may be minimal. Stewart Olsen estimates the big international cosmetic firms are already 99 per cent free of live animal testing.

This may explain why the industry remains relatively sanguine about Bill S-214.

Im not sure the cosmetic industry is thrilled, says Stewart Olsen. But at least, she says, it is not fighting her.

The senator, who at one point in her career was press secretary to former Conservative leader Stephen Harper, says she is no animal activist. Her bill includes an escape clause that would allow the health minister to override the ban under certain circumstances. She says she is willing to entertain reasonable amendments.

But she thinks the overarching goal of doing away with animal testing for cosmetics makes sense.

The 28-member European Union has had a ban on the sale of animal-tested cosmetics since 2013. Stewart Olsen reckons that a similar law here would make it easier for Canadian cosmetic manufacturers to crack the important European market.

Certainly, other countries appear to be heading this way, reports Troy Seidle of Humane Society International.

Israel has a ban on the sale of animal-tested cosmetics as does India. Australias government has just announced plans for a similar ban next year. South Korea, New Zealand and Turkey have enacted partial bans.

Will Canada follow suit? Health Minister Jane Philpott is carefully non-committal. In response to one petitioner, she wrote that her department supports alternatives to animal testing and continues to monitor what is happening in other countries.

But she doesnt say if she and her government will support Bill S-214.

Certainly, the Trudeau government has not shown itself keen to advance animal welfare issues. It has already signaled its unwillingness to back another private members bill, this one put forward by a Liberal MP and designed to overhaul animal cruelty laws.

But perhaps S-214 will be different. Perhaps images of rabbits with their eyes burned out will have some effect.

Ive received thousands of emails from across the country, says Stewart Olsen. She sounds surprised.

Thomas Walkom's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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The story of my people, the Grassy Narrows First Nation, weighs heavily on the collective conscience of Canada. For over half a century mercury poison has contaminated the river that is our lifeblood.

In one of Canadas most shameful and tragic acts of wilful neglect, nothing has ever been done to clean up the 9,000 kg of mercury dumped in our river, while generations of Grassy Narrows families continue to bear the debilitating burden of mercury poisoning.

Now we have a tremendous opportunity to create a fresh start.

This week a new scientific expert report found our river can indeed be cleaned up, and the fish can become safe to eat again, even for pregnant women. We are blessed to be offered this momentous opportunity to set things right. This is the sacred work of healing and reconciliation. We must seize this opportunity with all of our creativity, compassion, and power.

Instead, we have been met with stalling and dodging from Premier Kathleen Wynne, and silence from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

For many decades our relationship with the government has been one of broken trust, neglect, and abuse. On top of mercury poisoning we have endured residential schools, hydro dams, relocation, and clear-cut logging. Nowhere in Canada is the need for reconciliation more stark and urgent.

In 1962 a pulp and paper mill in Dryden, Ont., began dumping untreated mercury waste into the Wabigoon River upstream from our homes. For the next 8 years our families ate our daily meals of fish from the river without any warning that they were among the most contaminated fish on Earth.

For countless generations the river has been sacred to our people, providing fish, drinking water, and nearly full employment in the guiding and commercial fishing businesses. In the 1970s when the mercury pollution was brought to light, our economy collapsed, and our people were diagnosed with the debilitating symptoms of mercury poisoning by Japanese experts: numbness in the finger tips and lips, narrowing field of vision, loss of coordination, and trembling. These are the symptoms of a degenerating brain.

Under intense pressure, the governments of Ontario and Canada set up a scientific panel to identify solutions. In 1984, scientists made their final recommendations: The river should be cleaned up. Pilot projects had achieved a 90 per cent reduction of mercury levels in aquatic life without any negative side effects.

More than 50 years after the dumping began it grieves me deeply to see absolutely nothing has been done to clean up our river and that our people continue to suffer.

The same Japanese research teams, now world-renowned, have recently reported that a new generation of young people in Grassy Narrows bears the lifelong burden of mercury poisoning. Ecologists tell us that fish in Clay Lake on our Wabigoon River still have the highest mercury levels in Northwestern Ontario by far. One meal of walleye from Clay Lake contains up to 150 times the safe daily dose of mercury recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Levels of mercury in the fish have not improved since the early 90s, suggesting that there is an ongoing source of mercury in the system.

My people have never given up hope. Through epic strength, tenacity, and wisdom we have become leaders in a new movement that is guided by the people who have the most at stake and the deepest vision forging strong alliances to fight for our common future.

We now have both federal and provincial governments who have made promises to repair Canadas relationship with First Nations and to right the wrongs that have been done to First Nations people. We consider those promises to be sacred. This new relationship must bring justice for Grassy Narrows or its promise will not be fulfilled.

We must not deny another generation of our children a bright future by refusing to clean our river. It is time for Premier Wynne and Prime Minister Trudeau to join Grassy Narrows in breathing life back into the abundant river from which our health and our culture flow.

We are ready to walk a new path with you. We are ready to demonstrate to Canada and the world that even in the most challenging of circumstances hope can be reborn.

Simon Fobister Sr. is the chief of Grassy Narrows Reserve.

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Its supposed to be gone. But taxpayer-funded partisan advertising has returned to Ontario, with the auditor general branding a new government ad a sad step backward.

Bonnie Lysyk warned of this last spring, when the Liberal government undermined the ability of her office to veto dubious advertising practices. Now tax dollars are again being spent to support government-friendly ads that would have been blocked by Ontarios auditor.

As reported by The Canadian Press, Lysyk said her office would have rejected a new ad from Premier Kathleen Wynnes government promoting Ontarios new climate change plan.

The 30-second spot was released last week featuring environmental activist and broadcaster David Suzuki. Addressing a darkened lecture hall packed with children, he is shown warning that climate change is a looming threat. Who will have to live with the consequences? You, he tells his young audience as the ad focuses on childrens worried faces.

A written tag line at the end of the spot states: Lets not leave this for our kids to figure out, meanwhile a voice-over urges viewers to be a part of Ontarios climate change action plan by accessing a designated website. As of Monday, however, there was no action plan there for anyone to see. People were told to stay tuned for more details.

The site did feature a one-minute video showing a variety of cute children sharing their opinion of climate change, with several declaring that it sucks.

Lysyk is quite right in concluding that the primary goal of such advertising is to inspire a feeling that Queens Park is on the right track.

The intent of the ad is to create a positive impression of government doing something, versus being specific and providing people with information that they need to know and that they can do something with, Lysyk said, as reported by CP.

Ontarios original Government Advertising Act, introduced by the Liberals in 2004, disallowed use of public money for feel-good ads meant to foster a positive impression of governments. It gave the auditor general the right to preview government ads and block any that were deemed overly partisan.

This exceptional piece of legislation thoroughly blocked publicly funded political propaganda. But it was evidently too restrictive for Wynnes administration.

In last years budget her government served notice that it would limit the definition of partisan advertising to more overt indications of party involvement. Use of an elected persons name or photo, or party colours and logos, is still forbidden. But Queens Park is now free to spend public money on fluff such as last weeks offering  an ad that simply tells Ontarians their government has a climate change plan, of some sort, thats implicitly backed by Canadas most famous environmentalist.

Criticism from Lysyk comes a week after another government watchdog, Ontarios financial accountability officer Stephen LeClair, complained of being held back by the Wynne government. He revealed that her administration routinely avoids sharing information by declaring it subject to cabinet deliberation.

Ontarios independent budget overseer said his office was unable to obtain even basic data, such as when the province might balance its books.

LeClairs post was created under the Liberals in an effort to boost accountability. Undercutting him, and gutting a ban on government funded partisan ads, sends a troubling signal about where Wynnes government is heading.

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Access to justice, particularly where liberty is at stake, is a fundamental right of citizenship. Yet, across Canada, low-income citizens are denied that right every day.

Its a reality one Ontario judge sought to highlight last week when he halted a number of drug charges against Toronto resident Tyrell Moodie until the provincial government agrees to pony up for his legal fees. Moodie earned $16,000 last year, which makes him ineligible for legal aid in Ontario. (The threshold is around $12,000.) But Superior Court Justice Ian Nordheimer estimated Moodies legal bills would run upwards of $11,000. Thats just not realistic given the defendants income, the judge wrote in his decision.

It should be obvious to any outside observer that the income thresholds being used by Legal Aid Ontario do not bear any reasonable relationship to what constitutes poverty in this country, the judge continued.

Hes right. People who make twice as much as the legal-aid cut-off still fall below the poverty line. Clearly someone living in Toronto, making $16,000 per year, should not be expected to shell out nearly 70 per cent of his annual salary  money he almost surely does not have  for what is, after all, his constitutionally guaranteed right to justice.

Ontarios legal aid system is an intractable mess, despite laudable recent efforts by the province to improve it. In 2014, the government committed about $96 million over three years to fix the program  the first funding boost since 1996. Coverage has expanded by 6 per cent per year since then. But that has brought us merely to the current, clearly inadequate, threshold.

Ontario rejected over 150,000 applications for full legal aid in 2013-14, almost twice the number accepted. Most who dont qualify end up pleading guilty rather than mounting an all-but-doomed self-defence.

Even those who do qualify dont necessarily get access to justice. The dismal fees legal aid pays its attorneys  nearly 50 per cent less than a paralegal or law clerk would earn at a big Bay Street firm  drive experienced lawyers out of the system. And because their measly payments are structured as a block, rather than as an hourly fee, attorneys often move quickly to strike plea deals, even when that may not be in the best interests of their clients.

Legal advocates argue the province could better allocate resources by putting more money toward lawyers and trial budgets and less into the programs bureaucracy. These suggestions have merit, and the province should seriously consider them. But Ontario alone cannot fix the problem.

Ottawa has a clear obligation to act on this. The legal aid crisis is a national phenomenon. Sad to say, Ontarios system, abysmal as it is, is widely regarded as the best in the country.

Yes, the provinces are responsible for the administration of justice, but its Ottawa that writes the criminal code and therefore shares significant responsibility for the justice system. In fact, part of the problem is of the federal governments own making.

A decade of evidence-blind tough-on-crime policies created real burdens for the provinces. At the same time, the federal government has drastically decreased funding for legal aid. When the system was introduced in the early 1970s, Ottawa covered half the cost. Now the proportion is around 13 per cent in Ontario. Its time the government reconsidered both its approach to crime policy and its obligation to the provinces.

Ottawa needs to take a comprehensive look at the disaster that is this countrys legal aid systems and help lead the provinces out of the mire. The rights of citizenship should not depend on income. Its the federal governments undeniable responsibility to ensure that they dont.

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Re: The strange paradox of populism in politics, Insight June 4

The strange paradox of populism in politics, Insight June 4

Susan Delacourts article on populism in Canadian politics rings hollow. Populism is politics that favours the interests of ordinary people over those of the economic and political elites.

Ms Delacourts article considers the image and manner of several politicians, but not their actual policies. This is not populism at all. Her article was about the pretence of populism.

This article unwittingly displays why so many commentators remain puzzled by the appeal of populism: they think populism is mere marketing. They simply dont believe that a politician could really represent the interests of ordinary people.

At least we can look to Bernie Sanders for proof that populism can be more than a pose.

Paul Bigioni, Pickering

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I rode in two old articulated streetcars along Queen St. this past week. As expected, there was rust on the body, rattles here and there, with pieces of trim missing or held in place with tape.

As most everyone is aware, the TTC is fully engaged in keeping these failing relics operational past their best-before-date in eager anticipation of the delayed new models from Bombardier. The rundown nature of the streetcars is understandable. What is not understandable is the filth.

Every surface on the inside of these same streetcars was covered in dirt, black marks, dust, smears, streaks, you name it and it was there. Not just recent grime accumulated from a day of hard use, but filth and muck that had clearly been there for weeks, months or even longer.

It was on the ceiling, the walls, the windows, the hardware holding the seats and on the floor. None was particularly worse than the other because they were all terrible. People even doodled in the dirt on the windows, thats on the inside not the outside.

I was ashamed of my city, I was ashamed of the TTC and above all I was disgusted that we would put people into such squalid conditions. Had this been an apartment or bedroom, the health department would have condemned it as unsuitable for human habitation.

Yes, the TTC has the unenviable and likely unpleasant task of eking more service from these relics. But, that in no way excuses them from providing a clean environment for their customers to ride in.

David Kister, Toronto

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Several magnitude 7 quakes occurred in 2016 (but none above M8): Papua New Guinea, NZ, Ecuador, Solomon Islands, Sumatra, Chile, Alaska and others - nearly all major earthquakes were located near active subduction zones.See the top 20 list of largest quakes in 2016 with this map.
An intense seismic crisis started at Bardarbunga volcano on 16 August 2014 and is continuing at the time of writing (23 Aug). It may or may not lead to a volcanic eruption, possibly under the Vatnajokull ice cap.Follow updates as news come in!
The difficulty of deconstructing Donald Trumps views on energy can be boiled down to the case of the dead ducks.

About six minutes into a May 26 energy address he gave in North Dakota, Trump condemned the Environmental Protection Agencys use of totalitarian taxes to force the states energy companies to pay multibillion-dollar fines before a penalty is even confirmed, which is actually rather hard to believe.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against seven companies for the death of 28 birds while the administration fast-tracked wind projects that kill more than a million birds a year  far more than a million birds, I have to tell you, far more, he said.

There are good reasons Trump may think the situation is hard to believe: It isnt entirely true.

Those two statements contain two errors and one questionable assertion. Trump named the wrong agency, inflated the amount of the fine at least 133,333 times over and used the highest end of estimates about the number of bird deaths from wind turbines. Moreover, a federal judge tossed the duck case out of court in early 2012. No fine was paid.

Harold Hamm, chairman, chief executive officer and founder of Continental Resources Inc. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

How did this mashup happen? It was a product of the way Trump gets and absorbs advice. In this case, as in others, he relied on the contentions of other tycoons and then weaved them into his own mixture of ideas, anecdotes and figures. (Trumps campaign did not reply to a request for comment.)

The dead duck story starts with oil billionaire Harold Hamm, whom Donald Trump has hailed as the king of energy and who helped introduce Trump at the North Dakota event at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference. The youngest of 13 children of an Oklahoma sharecropper, Hamm, 70, made much of his fortune in North Dakotas Bakken shale oil region. He is the chief executive of Continental Resources and owns $12 billion of the companys stock.

Trump said that Hamm has been amazing right from the beginning in his assessment of the market  and may have been on more magazine covers than the presumptive Republican nominee himself.

Hamm has been telling the story about dead ducks for years. In 2011, the U.S. attorney in North Dakota brought criminal misdemeanor charges against seven oil companies, including Hamms, for failing to prevent 28 migratory birds, mostly ducks, from dying in the companies waste ponds. (In Continentals case, the feathered victim was a Says phoebe, a type of rusty-bellied flycatcher.) The companies faced maximum fines of $15,000 per bird.

Rather than try to settle the case, Hamm decided to fight the charges.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Interior Department, said the oil-waste pits in question were supposed to be fenced and covered with nets to minimize bird deaths. The U.S. attorney said at the time that all seven companies, including Hamms, had been cited for similar violations without taking action. With the rate of shale oil drilling soaring, the state was considering whether to ban the waste pits and insist that the companies recycle liquid drilling waste.

But U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland, a President George W. Bush appointee, in 2012 dismissed the governments case, declaring that oil drilling was a legal, commercially-useful activity that had resulted in purely accidental bird deaths and that there was nothing criminal about it. He said charges of criminal taking under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act should be directed at hunters and poachers.

It was a victory for Hamm, who later that year dabbled in politics. He was on an energy advisory committee for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, hosted a Romney fundraiser and donated $985,000 to Restore Our Future, a super PAC supporting Romney. Hamm did not comment for this article, but a company spokesman said she thinks that he and Trump met for the first time that year.

Scarcity vs. abundance

Other Trump positions in the North Dakota speech mirrored Hamms views, such as giving oil drillers greater access to federal lands and shelving protections for endangered species that lie in the path of drilling.

Hamms overarching vision appears to fit neatly with Trumps pledge to make America great again. In an interview in 2012, Hamm said there were two views of oil in the United States: one that oil and gas are scarce, and the other that they are abundant. He put himself in the latter camp.

Yet Hamm, like Trump, may be relying on overly optimistic numbers. In the 2012 interview, Hamm said he thought that U.S. Geological Survey estimates of U.S. shale oil reserves were wrong and that the Bakken field alone held 24 billion barrels, seven times the USGS reckoning at that time. The following year, the USGS approximately doubled its estimate to 3.65 billion barrels, still about a seventh of Hamms assessment.

Trump, too, used inflated numbers last month. He said the United States has 1.5 times as much oil as the combined proven resources of all OPEC countries. Yet according to the federal Energy Information Administration, the United States had proven oil reserves of 39.9 billion barrels as of Dec. 31, 2014. Saudi Arabia has proven reserves of about 268 billion barrels, and four other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have greater reserves than the United States.

Buoyed by these numbers, Trump promised complete American energy independence, a goal that has eluded presidents since the Arab oil embargo of 1973. The United States imports about half the oil it needs.

The biggest source of U.S. imports is Canada. Trump said that he, unlike President Obama, would approve a construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would secure nearly 800,000 barrels a day of crude-oil supplies from Albertas oil sands.

Trump said the project would create 42,000 jobs, a figure commonly cited by oil industry groups. In fact, according to pipeline owner TransCanadas original estimates, the project would create 6,500 direct construction jobs over two years and 7,000 indirect supply-chain jobs. After construction, the pipeline would require fewer than 100 people to monitor pumping stations.

Trump also said he would use his bargaining skills to persuade TransCanada, which has filed suit over Obamas rejection of a construction permit, to give the American people a significant piece of the profits from the pipeline.

TransCanada spokesman James Millar said in an email to The Washington Post that the pipeline wasnt a matter for U.S. government ownership. He said it was a business deal between American and Canadian companies and it is those U.S. firms who have negotiated contracts with us to either ship their oil to U.S. refineries or refineries who want to access American and Canadian crude through KXL to process it.

Millar said that they are profiting from this business deal and those profits benefit U.S. workers and the American economy. The U.S. Governments role is that of a regulator.

Extreme agendas

In addition to Hamm, Trump has talked about energy policy with Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee who has been a blunt critic of Obama. A former member of North Dakotas Public Service Commission, he was elected as the states sole House member in 2012.

Cramer has joined other lawmakers in an amicus brief in the case seeking to overturn the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gases. He has denounced Obamas war on coal that seeks to put all coal mines out of business and said on his website that when this administration isnt creating solutions in search of problems, it is apparently destroying private industry solely for political objectives.

He supported the lifting of export restrictions on crude oil, giving North Dakota producers badly needed access to foreign markets where they can get higher prices.

Cramer, who declined to comment for this article, also has criticized Obamas proposal to hand an additional $12 million to the Justice Departments environment and natural resources division.

The President should not regulate and litigate just because he cannot legislate, Cramer said in a news release on his website. The Congress will not allow him to borrow millions so the federal government can lawyer up in order to push an anti-jobs, extreme environmental agenda.

Trump seems to be listening. He pledged in his first 100 days to rescind job-destroying Obama executive actions on the environment.

In a Trump administration, political activists with extreme agendas will no longer write the rules, he declared in his energy address. Instead, we will work with conservationists whose only agenda is protecting nature.
Annie Proulx published her last novel 14 long years ago, but clearly the 80-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner has not settled into retirement. That rumbling you hear is the sound of her new novel arriving in bookstores and libraries across the country. At more than 700 pages, covering three centuries, Barkskins is an awesome monument of a book, a spectacular survey of Americas forests dramatized by a cast of well-hewn characters.

Granted, your interest in forests may not extend to 700 pages, or even  to be honest  to seven, but such is the magnetism of Proulxs narrative that theres no resisting her thundering cascade of stories. By drilling deep into the woods that enabled this country to conquer the world, Proulx has laid out the whole history of American capitalism and its rapacious destruction of the land.

She begins in the late 17th century in the dark wilderness of whats now Canada with two fresh arrivals: Rene Sel, a tough woodsman from central France, and Charles Duquet, a weakling from the Paris slums. They have no idea who their employer is, and they cannot fathom this New World where evergreens grow taller than cathedrals and spruce pierce the clouds. But from these cast-off men, both so common and anonymous, will spring the branches of two families engaged in the relentless denuding of land.

The roles of their respective descendants, though, are very different in the coming centuries. Rene Sel is forced to marry an old Indian woman, a member of the MiKmaq tribe in Quebec. Although his only previous sexual experience was with his brother, Rene and his Indian bride develop a surprisingly devoted relationship, and their children draw us into the grinding tragedy of these native people and the ever-dwindling wilderness. For hundreds of years, theirs is a story of reluctant  and often forced  assimilation, countered by spurts of doomed cultural nostalgia. And yet from their deep respect for the forests eventually sprouts our only hope of survival.

Meanwhile, that other immigrant woodsman, Charles Duquet, scarcely larger than a child, quickly runs away from his master, but not from the idea of cutting down trees. Hes driven by dreams of wealth, and here in the New World hes finally found a place commensurate to his infinite greed. He could barely waste time sleeping, Proulx writes, for his mind was in ferment, his body burned with the intense desire to get on with things. Siring and adopting sons as needed to accomplish his goals, Duquet changes his name to Duke and builds a company capable of sawing down hundreds of thousands of acres. Were there in the forests and the boardrooms for each technological breakthrough, financial innovation and political shenanigan as Duke & Sons clear-cuts its way to a lucrative future. And distance is no barrier to their ambition. The novel is filled with treacherous sea voyages and fantastic episodes set in China, New Zealand, Germany and the Amazon  wherever there are tall trees to plunder.

Author Annie Proulx (Gus Powell)

With its dozens of characters spread over hundreds of years, Barkskins could easily have collapsed into a great muddle of voices, but each of them is so distinct and so brilliantly choreographed that they never blur. The novel doesnt feel so much long as capacious, giving Proulx the room she needs to unfold whole lives, to play out superb comic set-pieces, to track long-range hopes to their ultimate success  or failure. From Renes children struggling to survive a torrent of European immigration to Duquets great-great-granddaughter, who becomes a kind of Queen Victoria of the lumber empire, these are people cut from real experience.

Even side characters are captured with sharp wit. A politician gives off an air of having hung in a silk bag in the adjoining room until it was time for him to emerge and perform the duties of his position. Two hundred years later, a spoiled heiress sees herself as the family intellectual; she took Book-of-the-Month Club selections and often read at least the first chapters.

We stay with many of these characters until they die  and oh, do they die! Fans of Proulxs Accordion Crimes (1996) will recall her penchant for gruesome ends, and the primeval forests offer a rich variety of gothic ways to slice, impale and crush a man. But the scope of this novel also demonstrates the quirky vicissitudes of chance and health: flus, heart attacks and cancers scrape away the rich and the poor without regard for station or timing; a clumsy cat might knock over a candle and redirect the flow of a dynasty; the prick of a shoe nail might incite a deadly infection. And thus the river of history is split and redirected anew without regard for the best laid plans.

Whats more impressive, these characters never seem preordained for significance or for stumbling into pivotal moments. Proulx is not writing in the E.L. Doctorow vein of historical fiction. Her characters never fight alongside George Washington; Sigmund Freud does not analyze any of the loggers. Famous figures are mentioned here and there, but historical events play off in the distant background. Our attention stays fixed on these particular people rooted to the history theyre making.

And the novel is well-seeded with research without any annoyingly didactic intent: The invention of the corporation allows for unimagined new economic risks, the widespread importation of coffee extends the workday, and the construction of prefab homes accelerates the development of vast new cities. These and dozens of other innovations are built into this plot as though there were no limits to Proulxs encyclopedic knowledge. (The Guardian reports that, ironically, Proulx is severely allergic to the red cedars shes been studying for the past decade.)

If the novels contemporary finale decays into preachy pulp, well, that hardly stains the previous 700 pages, which constitute a vast woods youll want to get lost in. As a story of the great, woefully uneven conflict between people who imagine the forests are infinite and people who know they are not, Barkskins is a towering new work of environmental fiction, alongside the most vital work of T.C. Boyle and Lydia Millet. More than this, though, its a revelation about how we became the nation we are.

Ron Charles is the editor of Book World. You can follow him on Twitter @RonCharles.

On June 15 at 7 p.m., Annie Proulx will read from her work at Sidwell Friends School, 3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016. For tickets, call Politics & Prose Bookstore at 202-364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
You hear it in the rat-a-tat manner in which his thoughts spill out, the way his memories rapidly trigger other memories, his insights fire up other insights: Andrew Lloyd Webber is in a race for posterity and against time.

Im acutely aware that Im 68, the once and current Tony nominee says, sitting in his Upper West Side pied-a-terre, the treetops of Central Park out his living room window forming a massive, verdant front yard. The race not only involves keeping track of his myriad projects, of shows he wants to write and others he wants to rewrite, and of still others that are in various stages of birth and rebirth. Its also a mad dash back from the regrets and serious health issues surrounding some of the work hes done over the past decade, a series of lackluster musicals starting with The Woman in White and ending with Stephen Ward that he now feels were ill-conceived or poorly staged  or even misguidedly created while he was on, gulp, morphine.

I dont know how I even got to the opening night of Stephen Ward,  Lloyd Webber says, referring to his roundly panned 2013 London musical about the notorious Profumo affair, the sex scandal that rocked the British government a half-century ago. Thats a show I really ought to look at, because I think I should look at it when Im not drugged up to my eyeballs.

Lloyd Webber was medicated for a severe back condition, an affliction that followed his treatment for prostate cancer. Ive had effectively four missing years with the cancer and the back pain, he says; the cancer occurred during the development of 2010s Love Never Dies, his eagerly anticipated sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. The show, which starred Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess, was so tepidly received in London that after the notices appeared, the composer interrupted the run to try to fix the show.

That this falloff in quality weighs heavily on Lloyd Webber is reflected in the fact that he is willing to raise the issue, and analyze it, without having to be asked. Perhaps the effort to offer a possible explanation for some lesser work is an attempt to help frame the consideration of his remarkable career as a musical theater composer, one that through such enduring hits as Cats, Phantom, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar is far and away the most commercially successful of our time.

A 2010 performance of Sunset Boulevard at the Signature Theatre in Washington. (Astrid Riecken/for The Washington Post)

It may be, too, that better health  he says hes fully recovered  and the heady array of big projects on his agenda motivate him to look back with candor.

Cats, for instance, is coming back to Broadway this summer, in a version to be choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, who worked on Hamilton. Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd Webbers 1995 Tony winner, was a hit this spring at the English National Opera in London, and is perhaps on its way back to New York, with Glenn Close again as the freakish Hollywood relic Norma Desmond. Love Never Dies, meanwhile, has been restaged in Melbourne, Australia, in a version he likes much better, and that is now being talked about, he says, for a U.S. debut at the Kennedy Center.

And then there is School of Rock, the new musical version of the Jack Black film that opened to mostly positive reviews on Broadway last fall and has earned Lloyd Webber a level of industry recognition that he hasnt received in years. The show has garnered four Tony nominations, including one for Lloyd Webbers enjoyable pop score. Its been 10 years since his last Tony nomination for best score and twice as long as that since he last won, for his score of Sunset. (He previously won Tonys for the music of Evita  shared with Tim Rice  and Cats.)

Winning a trophy during the Tony ceremonies Sunday at the Beacon Theatre, a few blocks from the apartment he shares with his wife, Madeleine, is an extreme long shot if your musical this year isnt about a certain Founding Father and your name doesnt end in Miranda. Lloyd Webber, whose own company, the Really Useful Group, has often produced his musicals, professes admiration for Hamilton. Engaging Blankenbuehler to gently reinterpret Gillian Lynnes original dances for the money-minting Cats (18 years, 7,485 Broadway performances) is a shrewd decision. He senses how advantageous it is at this moment to be in business with members of Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Mirandas team.

I think the design is really clever, he says of the Hamilton production, directed by Thomas Kail. And really, the use of the [turntable] and everything is masterful. It serves that piece. I dont think its possible to overemphasize how important getting that, the look of a show, is.

Seated at a table, sipping coffee, the donnish Lloyd Webber launches on this pleasant spring day into an entertaining, free-ranging monologue that encompasses everything from his recollections of his own hits and misses to his associations with other major figures of theater. He speaks a lot on this morning about Harold Prince, the esteemed Broadway producer-director who staged two of Lloyd Webbers most durable successes, Phantom and Evita, and who, it appears, remains anchored in the composers thoughts when hes considering how great musicals get made.

Mentioning the minimalist mise-en-scene of Hamilton reminds Lloyd Webber of Princes work on his shows and of how deeply the directors vision has influenced his own. Prince, he says, had wanted to work with Lloyd Webber and his then-lyric-writing partner Rice in the 1970s on Jesus Christ Superstar, which was conceived and released as an album before making its way to the stage.

Webber, who wrote the music for the Broadway hit show "Cats," speaks on stage immediately following the farewell performance of the long running Broadway hit on Sept. 10, 2000. (Stephen Chernin/Associated Press)

Hal wanted to direct and produce Superstar,  Lloyd Webber recalls, and the director said so in a telegram to the composer. Unfortunately, he sent it to the wrong address. I think it got sent to my fathers college of music, and it didnt get to me until we had already been committed to [producer] Robert Stigwood. And I often wonder, would my career have changed completely had Hal have done it?

Lloyd Webber loathed what he describes as the vulgar spectacle that Stigwood and director Tom OHorgan made of Superstar on Broadway. It was the worst night of my life, the composer says now about sitting through the garish version OHorgan devised, complete with King Herod in drag. Can you imagine, youre 23 years old, your dream is to have a musical on Broadway, the show premieres, and you hate the production?

He and Prince stayed in touch and, during the run of a short-lived 1975 London show of Lloyd Webbers Jeeves  later retitled By Jeeves  they met. And the young man devoted to theater music absorbed the words of the experienced Broadway director, who gave him a primer on musical theater success, including how the visuals of the stage affect everything. (The set for Jeeves, Lloyd Webber remembers, was hideous.)

I went round to meet him at the Savoy Hotel, where he was staying, and where Hal gave me a piece of advice that has stayed with me forever. Which is, you cant listen to a musical if you cant look at it. When you think of Hals best productions, you understand whats behind that.

He said that with the Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, set in New York City, the clarifying design work by Australian director Simon Phillipss team, for the shows 2011 restaging in Melbourne, has set the musical on its proper path.

Going back to Hal Princes point, the Australian production sort of got it, and thats the one thats just been in Hamburg [in Germany], and Ive also done some revisions to it that have been tried out in Hamburg. And that is the production that comes to America. But I cant do any more to it; Ive done what I feel I can to it, and I think one has to say: Thats it. Thats the piece. 

Theres still more to come from Lloyd Webber; he says that hes considering a pitch made by NBC for him to write an original musical for television that would be broadcast live, the way Rodgers and Hammerstein once did, with Cinderella.

Among the projects not at the top of his list: a memoir. The trouble with autobiographies is, if you write what you know, nobody will ever speak to you again. And I know an awful lot.
John Besets from the Netherlands lights a candle at soldier Billie D. Harriss grave in the Normandy American Cemetery. (Francois Mori/Associated Press)

Proud veterans in their 90s and families of fallen service members on Monday commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, on the northern coast of France. The invasion helped the Allies defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.

Small ceremonies and moments of remembrance took place along the wide beaches and cliffs where nearly 160,000 U.S., British and Canadian troops landed as dawn was breaking June 6, 1944.

According to recent research, more than 4,400 Allied troops died that day. But the invasion turned out to be a turning point in the war. By the end of August, the Allies had liberated Paris from the Nazis.

Henry Breton of Augusta, Maine, was among the shrinking number of survivors of the landings to come for Mondays anniversary. Speaking from the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, 91-year-old Breton recalled the fierce German counterattack and the valor he experienced months later at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium.

Its all worth it, he said. It brings back so many memories.

U.S. representatives of World War II veterans associations pay their respects Monday at the American military cemetery in Colleville sur Mer, France. (Francois Mori/AP)

Peggy Harris of Vernon, Texas, was unable to come this year to visit the grave of her husband, 1st Lieutenant Billie D. Harris. But her friend Janie Simon brought flowers and a sign asking visitors to email photos of the gravesite to his widow.

She feels blessed that even though she lost Billie in this quest for freedom, people come here. That gives her great comfort, Simon said from the gravesite.

Harris landed in Normandy on D-Day, was killed days later and buried by French villagers, but his wife didnt find out what happened for more than 60 years.

She never remarried, Simon said. Its a real love story.

U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Hartley Baird from Pittsburgh sailed into Normandy in August 1944 and fought to liberate France from the Nazis.

I wouldnt have survived if the men hadnt cleared the way on D-Day, he said at the American Cemetery, where he came to pay homage to the true heroes, those that are buried here.
Dear Amy: My sister-in-law was working in the marijuana industry before it was legal (now it is legal here). She was earning thousands of dollars under the table, while at the same time seeking subsidies from the government.

I was very uncomfortable with this, and after many months of agonizing about what to do, I called her up and told her that I thought that her behavior was unethical. She defended it by saying that the industry was in transition (which it was) and that she would write down her income, but that she didnt have any records.

She has since stopped working there. Now, she is earning money by working under the table doing various odd jobs (which she doesnt report as income). She also has some other income, which she does report.

I would like to address her unreported income, but am reluctant because I am her in-law.

I am also worried that I will damage our relationship (which was very good before this whole episode). I wish that her (blood) family would address it, but they dont. They dont see it as a big deal. I also feel like a goody two shoes who is being holier than thou, but at the same time I think what she is doing is unethical and inconsistent, even with her own statements.

Should I talk with her again, or should I keep my mouth shut?

In-law Ethics

In-law Ethics: I notice that your in-laws work in the marijuana industry seems to have bothered you more from an economic standpoint than from the fact that she was (I presume) engaged in an activity that was illegal until your state laws changed.

At the same time, unless you are her accountant, it is really not your job to watch, police or examine her tax return. Im assuming that she isnt really the sharpest tool in the family shed if she chooses to share this financial information with you in the first place.

If she is working various odd jobs and taking cash under the table and just scraping by, then she may fall under the category of working poor  along with millions of other Americans. According to a recent widely quoted national study by the University of California, more than half of front-line fast food workers, 48 percent of home-care workers and 25 percent of part-time college faculty receive government assistance.

Unless she is applying for and fraudulently receiving subsidies (currently), you should butt out. If you continue to be deeply offended by her behavior, tell her. But, yes, you will come off as a goody-two-shoes (do you care?), and no  you shouldnt expect her to thank you for poking around in her business and then judging her for her choices.

Dear Amy: My sister-in-law insists on sharing every meal we have together when eating out. This might not be a problem in our hometown diner when we are having soup and a sandwich, but it is very annoying when I have a lovely meal in front of me at a nice restaurant.

It has become a family joke, but I am embarrassed by it. How do I handle this?

Perplexed in Michigan

Perplexed in Michigan: Someone elses embarrassing behavior should not embarrass you. If you let this dynamic take hold, youll be forever guarding your plate against your marauding in-law.

Perhaps your sister-in-law possesses one of those telescoping forks, whereby she can reach across the table and snatch your food off of your plate. If not, the most logical defense is a good offense  choose to sit as far away from her as possible.

I (personally) hate to share food. I dont want yours, and I dont want to part with mine. If sharing seems to be on the horizon, you need to say  respectfully  Um, no. Im not sharing my meal. You should order what you want for yourself, because whats on my plate is staying on my plate.

If this no sharing stance causes family members to shame or embarrass you, hold your head high  and your leftovers close.

Dear Amy: Carol described herself as a Luddite, who doesnt like to see babies and young children with screens pressed to their faces. She asked your permission to educate these parents on how harmful it is.

Thank you for discouraging her from lecturing strangers on how to raise their children.

A Parent

Parent: Exactly. Carol shouldnt lecture strangers on the hazards of screen use and offer recommendations on how to raise their children (. . . thats my job).

Amys column appears seven days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Write to Amy Dickinson at askamy@tribpub.com or Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
A Krispy Kreme store in Miami. The doughnut chain will open a shop in Manassas this fall, a company spokeswoman said. The eatery will be in a brick building in front of the Davis Ford Crossing shopping centers main strip of retailers. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

National Doughnut Day was Friday, but fans of the sugary treat in Manassas and the surrounding area should have another opportunity to celebrate later this year.

A Krispy Kreme doughnut shop is slated to open this fall in the Davis Ford Crossing shopping center on Liberia Avenue, a company spokeswoman said last week. The store will be in a free-standing brick building in front of Davis Fords main strip of retailers, and crews are working to get the site ready.

It is a good-looking spot, said Tom Horton, managing partner of Richmond-based Monument Restaurants, which will operate the shop.

The Manassas location is being developed as part of an agreement the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Krispy Kreme signed with Monument Restaurants in 2014. In that deal, Monument acquired the existing Krispy Kreme in Rockville, Md., and the two companies announced that another 20 doughnut shops would be built in the greater Washington area and elsewhere in Maryland over the next several years. Overall, Krispy Kreme has more than 1,000 shops in 27 countries, according to the companys website.

A number of factors influenced Monuments decision to come to Manassas, Horton said. Demographic data  such as average household income in the area  looked good, he said, and Davis Ford Crossing seemed like it would be easy for customers to enter and exit.

Monument at one time was the largest franchisee of another Washington-area restaurant chain, burger giant Five Guys. Horton said he and his partners were attracted to Krispy Kreme for several reasons, including the longevity of the brand  it has been around since 1937  its Southern heritage and its iconic nature, symbolized by glazed doughnuts and round neon signs that alert customers as to when the signature snacks are hot and coming off the conveyor belt.

The doughnut business is alive and well, he said.

Prince William-area residents must travel to Alexandria, the District or Fredericksburg for Krispy Kremes, but Duck Donuts, a staple of North Carolinas Outer Banks, has a location in Bristow and one planned for Woodbridge. Another popular chain, Sugar Shack Donuts, which started in Richmond, has expanded to Fredericksburg, Alexandria and Arlington.

Those doughnut dealers and others, such as convenience stores, fielded special advertising campaigns for National Doughnut Day.

The annual holiday, held on the first Friday in June, was begun by the Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the organizations doughnut lassies, women who served the confections to soldiers in World War I. The doughnut lassies are sometimes credited with popularizing the sweets in the United States as troops returned home from war, according to Krispy Kreme and the Salvation Army.

Krispy Kreme locations also were to collect donations for the Salvation Army on Friday in miniature versions of the red kettles that the nonprofit organization uses for the same purpose during the Christmas season.

A day earlier, however, Manassas Mayor Harry J. Hal Parrish II (R) was quick with a quip when asked for a comment about Krispy Kreme coming to his home town.

Its sweet, he said.
THE DISTRICT

Fatal shooting

in Southeast

A man was shot and killed Sunday in Southeast Washington, police said.

The incident happened at about 8:48 p.m. in the 5200 block of Call Place SE. Police said that when they arrived, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police identified the man as Tyrique White, 18, of Southeast. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 Dana Hedgpeth

Man sentenced

in knife attack

A District man was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to using a knife to cut his former girlfriend 28 times across her face, arms, chest, legs and back in January.

In March, Meguiel Jackson, 36, pleaded guilty to the charge of malicious disfigurement while armed in the Jan. 22 attack inside his former girlfriends apartment. At the time of the incident, Jackson was on probation for a 2014 incident in which he was arrested for striking the same woman in the head with a gun, causing a wound that required stitches. He pleaded guilty to two counts of simple assault in that case.

The 12-year sentence was part of the plea agreement Jackson and his public defender reached with prosecutors.

 Keith L. Alexander

Sentencing in armored-car robbery

A District man was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for his role in an armored-car robbery and a carjacking.

Federal authorities said Marcellus Ramone Freeman, 24, was sentenced Monday in Greenbelt, Md. Freeman, also known as Derrick Relando Pitts, previously pleaded guilty to robbery, discharging a gun during a robbery and carjacking.

According to court documents, Freeman and two accomplices traveling in a stolen Jeep robbed an occupant of an armored car at gunpoint in Takoma Park in 2012. One robber was wounded in an exchange of gunfire, which also disabled the Jeep. The robbers stole another vehicle after shooting and wounding its owner.

The other two men accused in the case were previously sentenced to 75 years and 18 years.

 Associated Press

THE REGION

MARYLAND

Metrobus crash in Montgomery injures 12

A crash at about 4:15 p.m. Monday involving a Metrobus, a pickup truck and a tree injured 12 people in Montgomery County, a fire and rescue department spokesman said.

The bus carrying 15 passengers struck a tree on East-West Highway near Grubb Road, spokesman Pete Piringer said.

 Victoria St. Martin

BWI opens CPR training kiosk

Passengers have a new way to pass the time at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport: They can learn about CPR in about five minutes at an interactive kiosk.

The airport said in a news release Monday that the kiosk at Gate B7 has a touch screen and a practice mannequin. A video shows how to perform hands-only CPR, and offers a practice session, then, a test.

There are four other such kiosks around the country.

 Associated Press
BLOOD DONATIONS

BLOOD DRIVES Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Leesburg Public Safety Center, 65 Plaza St., Leesburg, 800-733-2767; June 17, 1:30-6 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St., Leesburg, 800-733-2767; June 28, 3-8 p.m., Loudoun Valley Community Center, 320 W. School St., Purcellville, 800-733-2767; June 21, 3-7 p.m., Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Rd., Leesburg, 866-256-6372.

INOVA BLOOD DONOR CENTER Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood.

FIRST AID

FIRST AID/ADULT, INFANT AND CHILD CPR/AED Fauquier Hospital Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Call for schedule. Registration required.

HEARING

DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER Technical assistance through the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, civic groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free.

FREE HEARING TESTS Age 18 and older. Mondays-Thursdays 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. 703-858-7620. Registration required.

HEARING LOSS, TINNITUS AND MENIERES SYNDROME SUPPORT For all ages, including parents of children with hearing loss. First Fridays at 2 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2906.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING Age 18 and older, second Tuesdays 10 a.m., Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

HEARING LOSS OUTREACH Free referrals. Fourth Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Loudoun County Workforce Center, 102 Heritage Way, Leesburg; third Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Free appointments: 703-430-2906 or nvrcloudoun@aol.com.

MENTAL HEALTH

COUNSELING FOR SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVORS Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020.

CRISISLINK Suicide and crisis intervention. The organization provides community education, has a volunteer crisis response team and offers CareRing, a daily telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org.

PIEDMONT CHAPTER, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS A support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their family members. naminorthernvirginia.org.

PREGNANCY, PARENTING

ADOPTIVE FAMILY PRESERVATION Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m. Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellerio@umfs.org.

BIRTHRIGHT OF LOUDOUN COUNTY Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272.

BOND BETWEEN US A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844.

BREAST-FEEDING SUPPORT Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588.

DAD SUPPORT New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360.

FOR THE CHILDRENS SAKE A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information : 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org.

LA LECHE LEAGUE Mother-to-mother support and breast-feeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-431-3852; Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, email lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637.

LOUDOUN FATHERHOOD PROGRAM Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free.

LOUDOUN NURTURING PARENTING PROGRAM Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org . Free.

MOTHERNET/HEALTHY FAMILIES LOUDOUN Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217 , or inmed.org.

NEW MOTHERS SUPPORT Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg, main entrance. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360.

YOUNG PARENT SERVICES Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375.

ONLINE CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION PROGRAM Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breast-feeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360. thebirthinginn.org/classes.

PARENTING ALONE GROUP For parents of school-age children who have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org .

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SUPPORT Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438.

SENIORS

EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Age 55 and older. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

FITNESS FOR PEOPLE 55 AND OLDER Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 1-1:45 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. $36, 12-visit card.

EYE CARE LensCrafters staff members will clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free.

INOVA LOUDOUN MOBILE VAN Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

LAUGHING YOGA FOR SENIORS I mprove flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10 :30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

LOUDOUN ADULT DAY CENTERS For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232.

SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280.

SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free.

ZUMBA GOLD CLASS: For people 55 and older who are learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance.Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12.

TAI CHI Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

ZUMBA GOLD CLASS Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month.

SUPPORT GROUPS

AL-ANON SERVICE CENTER OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org.

ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVER SUPPORT For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800.

ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVERS SUPPORT For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org.

ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVER SUPPORT Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov.

ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org.

ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520.

ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334.

TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org.

AUTOIMMUNE SUPPORT Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. Email autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com .

BEREAVED PARENT SUPPORT One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT For those experiencing loss because of the death of a loved one. Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800.

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588.

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857.

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free.

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT ASSISTANCE FUND Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org.

CANCER SUPPORT Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273.

CANCER SUPPORT Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012. ashburnpresbyterian.org.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT AND RESOURCE GROUP Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

CARING FOR AGING PARENTS Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537.

CHADD PARENTS SUPPORT For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.nova loudoun@gmail. com .

CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION: Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707.

CREATING AND CONNECTING Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850.

DEPRESSION BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE OF WESTERN LOUDOUN Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org.

DROP-IN GRIEF SUPPORT For those coping with a death. Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781.

FAMILIES OVERCOMING DRUG ADDICTION SUPPORT First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-9221 or email myfodafamily@gmail.com.

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER YOUTH AND PARENT SUPPORT A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518.

GRIEFSHARE Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church, 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15.

GRIEFSHARE Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free.

GRIEF SUPPORT Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Call 540-347-5922 or email hospicesupport@verizon.net.

GRIEF SUPPORT Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

HOSPICE SUPPORT Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses. 540-347-5922.

LOOK GOOD, FEEL BETTER For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45 to 9 p.m. ,Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free.

LOUDOUN CHADD SUPPORT Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445.

LOUDOUN INTERGROUP OF OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS Fellowship and support. For locations and times, call 571-420-2012. oa.org.

LYME DISEASE SUPPORT Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@gmail.com.

LYME DISEASE SUPPORT Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-347-7265 or email lymeinfauquier@gmail.com.

LYME DISEASE SUPPORT First Tuesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com.

MADD LOUDOUN VICTIM SUPPORT For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491.

MAN-TO-MAN CANCER SUPPORT Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Call 703-858-8857 or email karen.archer@inova.org.

MENDED HEARTS Northern Virginia chapter, for heart surgery patients and families and friends of heart disease patients. Third Saturdays 11 a.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (Patient Information Lounge) . 703-924-6244 or mendedhearts200.org.

MENOPAUSE SUPPORT Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SUPPORT Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SUPPORT Last Sundays 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. 703-771-4256.

NAR-ANON FAMILY SUPPORT For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125.

PARKINSON'S SUPPORT Open to anyone with Parkinson's disease, family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851.

POST-PARTUM SUPPORT Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. 703-909-9877. Email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required.

REACH TO RECOVERY Home visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550.

SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INCEST SURVIVORS GROUP COUNSELING Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020.

SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS EMPOWERMENT SUPPORT Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48-hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720.

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT GROUP For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850.

STROKE SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS SUPPORT Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6667 or robynthomson@inova.org.

SUICIDE COUNSELING Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com.

WOMENS SUPPORT Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876.

WIDOW AND WIDOWER SUPPORT Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

WOMENS CANCER SUPPORT Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850.

MISCELLANEOUS

BRAIN TRAUMA SURVIVORS BROWN BAG LUNCH For survivors and caregivers, first Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free.

CHILD DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENINGS For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County public schools Child Find Center. 571-252 - 2180.

CHOLESTEROL SCREENINGS Weekdays 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35.

EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLIES Loudoun residents who are in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Interfaith Relief. 703-777-5911. interfaithrelief.org.

FAUQUIER FREE WALK-IN MEDICAL CLINIC Patients must call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are also seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

FAUQUIER HOSPITAL BISTRO SENIOR SUPPER CLUB Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49.

GAMERS UNION FOR TEENS WITH ASPERGERS Youths 12 to 21 interact through gaming; their caregivers meet for networking. Second Tuesdays 6 p.m. Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Rd., Leesburg. 703-777-0323. Free.

HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. A trained volunteer provides support to military members and their families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental health services. heroescare.org or email caring@purbap.org .

INOVA LOUDOUN HOSPITAL MOBILE HEALTH SERVICES BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS Monday 9-11:30 a.m., William Watters House, 22365 Enterprise St., Sterling; Tuesday 10 a.m.-noon, Dulles South Multipurpose Room, 24950 Riding Center Dr., South Riding; Thursday 10 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville; June 14, 9 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfiled Pl., Sterling; June 16, 11 a.m.-noon, Lovettsville Community Center, 57 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. For information, call 703-858-8818 or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free.

LOUDOUN CARES INFORMATION AND REFERRAL HELPLINE Call for help in finding resources for county residents who are dealing with rent eviction, utility cut-offs, needed health care, employment and more. 703-669-4636.

MOTOR SKILL SCREENINGS Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN Call for help in resolving complaints related to long-term-care facilities. 703-324-5861.

ROAD TO RECOVERY, for cancer patients who need rides to appointments. 410-781-6909. Email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free.

SEVEN LOAVES FOOD PANTRY Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m.-noon. 540-687-3489 or sevenloavesmiddleburg.org.

TREE OF LIFE FOOD PANTRY Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM

Email: ldliving@washpost.com

Fax: 703-777-8437

Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175
Workforce Resource Center to host Steer Your Career

Job seekers are invited to attend Steer Your Career, the Loudoun Workforce Resource Centers employer panel discussion.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will be Thursday at 9 a.m. at the center, 102 Heritage Way, first floor, rear entrance, Leesburg.

Representatives from the Loudoun County public schools Department of Transportation, Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and Veterans Management Services will share information about their organizations, job openings, job requirements and candidate qualifications.

To register, go to tinyurl.com/employerpanel.

For information on the panel discussion and the Workforce Resource Center, go to loudoun.gov/wrc, or call May Durkovic at 703-777-0688 or Shelly Rodriguez at 703-737-8081.

Loudoun heritage bus tour registration to close Friday

The Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library will sponsor a heritage bus tour June 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The tour is being organized by Alicia Cohen, cultural tourism ambassador.

The tour will begin at Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St., Leesburg, and travel to sites in Leesburg, Waterford, Purcellville and Gleedsville, as well as to Oatlands Plantation.

Bus space is limited. The registration deadline is Friday. A box lunch is included in the $75 tour fee.

For information or to register, call Cohen at 703-606-3275 or email aaheritagelocova@gmail.com.

Campaign reminds drivers to move out of harms way

June is Move Over Awareness Month, and the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office and the county Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services are reminding motorists of the move over and move it laws.

The move-over law requires drivers to move over one lane, if possible, whenever an emergency vehicle displays emergency lights. If traffic is too congested to move over safely, the law requires drivers to slow down, drive below the speed limit and be prepared to stop.

The move-it law requires motorists involved in a fender bender with no resultant injuries to remove their vehicles from travel lanes.

Loudoun County Sheriff Michael L. Chapman and Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Brower appear in a video to raise awareness of the laws and to explain the possible consequences for motorists who do not obey them. The video is at sheriff.loudoun.gov/moveover.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck
House minority whip Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Szeliga of Maryland has joined the chorus of Republican elected officials who are denouncing Donald Trump for accusing a judge of bias because of his Mexican heritage, calling such pronouncements racist.

Szeliga, the minority whip in the Maryland House of Delegates, is facing the heavily favored Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D).

[Pushing racial boundaries, Trump draws rebuke from a fretful GOP]

Trump repeatedly has called on U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel to recuse himself from presiding over lawsuits against Trump University, saying the Mexican judge has an inherent conflict of interest because of Trumps plans to build a wall along the southern border.

Curiel was born in Indiana to parents who had immigrated to this country from Mexico.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) and former speaker Newt Gingrich are among Republicans who have criticized Trumps remarks in recent days.

Szeliga, a Republican state delegate from Baltimore County, moved to distance herself from Trumps comments as she tries to persuade Marylands strongly Democratic electorate to elect her to the Senate.

Mr. Trumps statement with regard to Judge Curiel is insulting to all Americans, Szeliga posted Monday on Facebook. My own daughter-in-law is of Mexican descent. To say that anyones ethnic background should disqualify them from public service of any kind  particularly a judge who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States  is, by definition, a racist statement.

Szeliga has said she would support the Republican presidential nominee but has been critical of Trump.

Van Hollen has invoked Trump in his critiques of Szeliga.

Szeliga on Monday also announced the endorsement of R. Clayton Mitchell Jr., a conservative Democrat who was speaker of the House of Delegates from 1987 to 1993.
Betty Jo Gaines was executive director of Bright Beginnings, a nonprofit organization that serves D.C. homeless children and their families. (Bright Beginnings)

Betty Jo Gaines, a former director of D.C.s parks and recreation department who found a second calling as executive director of Bright Beginnings, a Washington nonprofit organization that serves about 160 homeless children and their families each year, died May 3 at a hospital in Washington. She was 73.

The cause was complications from pneumonia, said her daughter, April Gaines-Jernigan.

Dr. Gaines joined the Districts parks and recreation department as a part-time playground monitor in 1966. During the next three decades, she managed its Head Start child-care programs and, from 1995 until 1999, served as department director.

Forced out of office by newly elected Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who criticized the condition of parks-department facilities under her watch, Dr. Gaines planned to relax and vacation in retirement when a friend connected her with Bright Beginnings.

Founded in 1991, the organization provides early-childhood education and support services for homeless families with children younger than 5. Dr. Gaines joined the nonprofit as executive director in 2001 and continued in the job until shortly before her death. Under her leadership, the organization doubled its funding and expanded services, including offering evening care for the first time.

When I joined Bright Beginnings, my goal was clear  help the most disadvantaged kids, Dr. Gaines told the Wall Street Journal in 2012. When I walk through the door every morning and the kids smile and run up to hug me, I am so grateful for my chance to do this job.

She told the Journal she would consider retiring only after a new early-childhood development center was opened in Southeast Washington, allowing Bright Beginnings to serve an additional 100 children each year. In March, as her one of her final acts as executive director, she presided over its groundbreaking.

Betty Jo Lewis was born April 29, 1943, in Charlotte, N.C. In 1966 she earned a bachelors degree in sociology from Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university in Charlotte. She received a masters of education degree from Howard University in 1970, followed by a doctorate in special education from American University in 1979.

In 2007, she was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine.

Her marriage to Stanley Gaines ended in divorce. In addition to her daughter, of Washington, survivors include her mother, Dixie Mae Lewis of Silver Spring, Md.
Police offer free VIN etching in Prince William, Manassas

Free vehicle identification number (VIN) etching will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Manassas Train Depot, 9431 West St., Manassas.

Police said the process, which involves using a chemical solution to etch the VIN on the vehicles windows, is one of the most effective deterrents to auto theft.

The event is sponsored by the Prince William County and Manassas police departments and the Virginia State Polices Help Eliminate Auto Theft program.

Bring a valid drivers license and current vehicle registration.

Visit heatreward.com or call 703-792-4425 for information.

Gar-Fields SADD program receives Geico award

Gar-Field Senior High Schools Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club was one of five regional high school student groups to be honored recently for its efforts to fight underage drinking.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program teamed with Geico to present the 24th annual Geico Student Awards. Each of this years winning high school student groups will receive plaques and $1,000 from Geico to continue their efforts to promote alcohol- and drug-free lives.

Summer bus pass program offers discounts to teens

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission will begin selling its summer teen bus pass Monday, offering local 13- to 19-year-olds discounted rides on its OmniLink and Cross County Connector buses.

The MyLink pass, which will cost $30, is good through Sept. 3, PRTC officials said. Passes, which will be loaded onto a rechargeable SmarTrip card, will be sold at the PRTC Transit Center and various locations across the county.

For information, call 703-730-6664 or visit prtctransit.org.
Maryland was settled long ago, but parts remain wild and rugged. On Saturday night a woman from the Alexandria area of northern Virginia became lost in one of them, a forest in the states far western reaches, authorities said.

The woman, in her 60s, was with friends searching for fiddlehead ferns in Potomac State Forest when they became separated and she became lost, said Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police. The area is heavily wooded, riven by gullies and characterized by tangles of underbrush.

A friend called 911 setting off a search that personnel from several jurisdictions. At least two dogs and more than 30 people were involved. As one method for attracting her attention during the hours of darkness, they activated the lights and sirens on their vehicle.

The woman was found shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. She was cold and wet and taken to a local hospital for a check.

The forest is more than 150 miles northwest of Washington.
Senate Republicans have declined to hold hearings for President Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick D. Garland. Garland currently is chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit. (Evan Vucci/AP)

An exodus of older judges has created a spike in vacancies at federal trial courts nationwide, intensifying complaints that election-year fights over ideological control of the bench now extend to lower-court appointments.

While Senate battles over nominees to the Supreme Court and appeals courts draw more headlines, the less-noticed openings are increasing workloads and delaying trials in federal courts that take in hundreds of thousands of cases a year  compared with the 80 or so cases heard by the nations highest court.

Of 673 U.S. district court judgeships, 67  or 10 percent  are vacant under President Obama, nearly twice as many as at this point of Republican George W. Bushs presidency and 50 percent higher than at this time under Bill Clinton (D) or George H.W. Bush (R), according to data kept by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The number of federally designated district court judicial emergencies  where seats carry particularly heavy caseloads or have been open for an extended period  is also roughly double what it was in May 2008 and May 2000, according to the administrative office.

Heavy caseloads in some places slow resolution of everything from commercial disputes to workplace discrimination claims to federal regulatory challenges, in which district court rulings are often the last word because most are not appealed.





Because of the logjam in filling vacancies, some courts slog at less than full strength for years before getting a surge of new judges appointed by a single president. The feast-or-famine effect, as some legal analysts view it, has occurred in some of the busiest courts in the country and in jurisdictions as diverse as Texas and the District.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts decried the persistent problem of judicial vacancies in critically overworked districts in a 2010 year-end report, blaming both sides for creating extraordinary caseloads.

Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of judicial nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes, Roberts said.

[Justice Roberts urges end to partisan fights blocking action on federal judges]

Since that warning, the problem has, by several measures, grown worse.

Recently retired Manhattan federal judge Shira A. Scheindlin, a 1994 Clinton appointee, called the failure to fill dozens of openings a judicial scandal ranking alongside the GOP-led Senates refusal to hold confirmation hearings for Merrick B. Garland, Obamas election-year nominee to the Supreme Court.

Obstructionism undermines public trust in the courts, where at the trial level only experience and competence, not ideology, should count, Scheindlin wrote in a recent op-ed piece for the New York Times.

[Federal judicial vacancies reaching crisis point]

Supreme Court nominations are inherently political. So its no surprise that they are drawn out for ideological or partisan reasons, she wrote. But district court nominations are different.

Even before the current crisis, mounting caseloads and standoffs between the White House and Senate had lengthened the average time it took to get civil lawsuits to trial in federal courts by 63 percent and for criminal cases by 16 percent in the decade ending in 2013, according to a Syracuse University study of court data.

The practical impact of bottlenecks has raised warnings from judges appointed by both parties.

Jerome B. Simandle, chief judge of the federal district court in New Jersey and a 1992 George H.W. Bush appointee, told his state bar association that three emergency vacancies are leading to untenable, record caseloads for judges in the countrys second-busiest federal court.

We really hope the U.S. Senate can move the nominations forward, not just for our court but for all courts. We cant meet the demands of the public for fair and impartial courts without judges, Simandle said in an interview.

He noted that during the 1992 election year when he was appointed, a Senate and White House held by opposing parties managed to have 53 district judges confirmed. The total so far this year is six.

Senate Republican leaders say they are confirming as many trial court judges as past Congresses.

A spokeswoman for Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) called continued attacks on his nominations record unfounded and based on political rhetoric from paid political operatives and an increasingly desperate minority.

As of last week, the panel had held hearings for exactly as many judicial nominations this Congress  43  as Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) oversaw as chairman through May 2008, and had confirmed 325 Obama appointees, compared with 304 George W. Bush appointees, committee spokeswoman Beth Levine said in a statement.

To say that President Obama hasnt been treated fairly during his presidency isnt based in reality, Levine said. She called complaints a made-up crisis, given fluctuating annual vacancy rates.

But Leahy said once Obama took office, the Senate shifted from what Leahy in a statement called the Senates previous practice. Deference to home state senators was no longer the norm and procedural delay after procedural delay quickly became the standard practice of the Republican caucus, whether they were in the minority or now in the majority, creating a vacancy crisis in the lower courts, he said.

As those arguments play out, judges continue to retire or take senior status, and nomination hearings in the Senate have not kept pace with that wave.

Nearly 50 percent more judges  239  have stepped back from active status under Obama than did under George W. Bush at the same point in their presidencies, according to judicial records.

A Democratic-led Senate confirmed 58 district court judges during Bushs last two years in office. Under Republican control, the Senate has confirmed 16 Obama nominees since 2014, judiciary data show.

The slowdown has blunted any shift to the left of lower courts in the usual ebb-and-flow of the two-party system.

As of last month, 52 percent of active federal district judgeships were held by appointees of Democratic presidents. Another 10 percent were vacant. By comparison, of judges now on senior status with reduced caseloads, 55 percent were named by Republicans.

The balance of the federal trial courts will be even more up for grabs for the winner of this years presidential election.

In the long run, if all presidents get their fair share of nominees, then the courts will be balanced. And if theres a period without confirmations at all, you lose that balance, Scheindlin said in an interview.

[Republicans vow no hearings and no votes for Obamas Supreme Court pick]

Openings on the federal court that serves the District and those for Texas illustrate the stakes.

Washingtons influential U.S. district court oversees numerous high-profile lawsuits involving the federal government, such as an ongoing inquiry into Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clintons handling of emails as secretary of state and recent rulings striking down key parts of Obamas Affordable Care Act health law and the Districts gun regulations.

As of late May, all but one of the 12 active judges were Democratic appointees, including nine named by Obama and confirmed since December 2010. Obama is set to have three more in the nominations queue, although their confirmation chances are unclear.

The lopsided political profile of the federal trial court in the District owes much to chance and generational turnover. No new judges joined the bench between November 2002 and December 2010, an eight-year gap that was the longest such spell since at least the 1970s. That period without new faces was caused mostly by the lack of openings before 2007, not delays in filling openings.

The impact of Obamas appointments as openings occurred became clear when Richard W. Roberts, a 1998 Clinton appointee, unexpectedly stepped down March 16 as chief district judge, citing health reasons. On the same day, Roberts had been named in a lawsuit brought by a Utah woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago. Robertss attorneys have denied the allegation.

Robertss successor as chief judge  a role based on seniority and age  was Beryl A. Howell, 60, a former Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee counsel who was Obamas first nominee. Howell joined the court a little more than five years ago and is the shortest-tenured chief judge to take the post at the court since the 1940s.

[New chief chosen to replace retiring D.C. federal judge named in sex assault case]

Howell cautioned against drawing conclusions about judges based on the party of the president who nominated them, while underscoring the importance of filling vacancies.

When judges take the bench, they put on a black robe, and they leave their politics behind, Howell said in a statement, and a full bench of active judges is what every chief wants.

If the Washington courts Democratic tilt was largely a result of coincidence, open seats in Texas appear to be a result of political calculations, said Russell Wheeler, an expert on the federal judiciary at the Brookings Institution.

In the Lone Star State, where immigration and drug prosecutions have sent caseloads above 1,200 a year for some judges, 10 of 52 judgeships have gone unfilled for more than two years, on average.

Critics say delays in filling 20 percent of the bench in effect have kept Obama appointees from overturning the courts existing 25 to 17 GOP-appointee majority.

While the imbalance in D.C. is pretty much a coincidence, the imbalance in the four Texas districts is mainly because the GOP senators have used their virtual veto power over nominations to prevent timely nominations, Wheeler said.

[Federal judge in Texas blocks Obama immigration orders]

Drew Brandewie, a spokesman for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), said that the White House, working with senators, named five nominees in March and that a bipartisan state committee of lawyers named by Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is continuing to screen candidates. The Senate has confirmed 13 other Obama judicial nominees for Texas, he added.

Brandewie called the process of raising challenges to nominees a natural product of having a president of a different party than the states two senators and the party holding the Senate, a dynamic he said would be the same were party affiliations reversed.
Ebrima Jawara, a mechanic at Ourisman Honda in Bethesda, and his daughters Sarah Jawara, 12, left, and Aminata Jawara protest outside the White House. Their mother has been held for almost two months in a prison in Gambia. (Family Photo)

The Jawara girls were getting anxious for their mother to return from visiting relatives in West Africa  the prom was looming, school award ceremonies would be held soon and they needed a break from their dads cooking. But the day before her flight back to the United States in April, they received a disturbing call that upended their lives in suburban Maryland.

Their mother, Fanta Darboe Jawara, they learned, was being held in Gambias notorious Mile 2 Central Prison. And they have no idea when  or if  shell be released.

On [June] 16th, itll be two months, said Sarah Jawara, 12, who is counting the days without her mom. I really miss her.

Jawara, 45, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had returned to her homeland for the first time in 11 years for a family reunion. Just as she was getting ready to head back to her husband and girls in Frederick, Md., she was caught in a sweep of arrests at a government protest in Banjul, Gambias capital. Although her family has connections to Gambias opposition party, Jawara maintains that she was simply a bystander before she was beaten and locked up.

The protest unfolded that day  April 16  as Jawara was waiting for a taxi after going to the bank.

I was stopped by gentleman in plainclothes who asked me to give him my phone. I asked him why I should give him my phone, Jawara said in her sworn statement from the Gambian central prison in Banjul.

He was a police intervention unit officer who was there to stop a protest by the United Democratic Party (UDP), a longtime critic of President Yahya Jammeh.

Jammeh has been the leader of the tiny West African country since his bloodless military coup in 1994. He has been criticized internationally for human rights abuses, especially for his stance on homosexuality.

We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively, he said in 2014. He also claimed to have come up with an HIV/AIDS cure made of herbs and bananas. The United States has officially condemned his statements.

Jawara and her family deny that she was participating in the protest.

The [police] officers started dragging me and slapping me, they were beating me from the time I was arrested up to the time we arrived at the [police intervention unit] camp, she said in her statement.

Jawara is charged with unlawful assembly, rioting, inciting violence, riotously interfering with traffic, holding a procession without a license, disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The prison where she is being held was recently the target of a U.N. report after inspectors were denied access to the facility. Freed prisoners reported sleeping on concrete floors and being fed cornmeal mixed with dirt.

[The Obamas: Refusing to give in to the haters after years of threats and abuse]

This is not the Gambia that Jawaras daughters know.

I visited last year, and we went to all the touristy places, said Aminata Jawara, 17, who is finishing up her junior year at Frederick High School and is about to receive an award in her nursing program.

But instead of all the end-of-the-school-year picnics and events she thought shed be going to with her mom, she helped organize a protest outside the White House last weekend. She and her sister and her father, Ebrima Jawara, wore T-shirts bearing her mothers face and waved banners calling for her release.

The girls say their mom is loud and funny, the one who chaperons every school field trip, never misses Muffins and Moms events. Their dad works as an auto mechanic at Ourisman Honda in Bethesda.

The Jawaras have lived in Frederick for more than 20 years. Both parents come from prominent Gambian families. Ebrima Jawara is the grandson of the president who was deposed in 1994. Fanta Darboe Jawara has family members who are leaders in the opposition party.

But they wanted to escape their small countrys politics and start over here.

We both came here in 1990. I went to school at Frederick Community College, Ebrima Jawara said. And we did well. We bought a single-family house.

Now hes pushing government leaders to help free his wife. She is the subject of a Change.org petition, declarations by Amnesty International, State Department news briefings, online postings, tributes and that protest in front of the White House.

Ebrima Jawara contacted his local congressman, his senators and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who runs a foundation helping free Americans in trouble around the globe.

I think this is a case of egregious conduct against a person who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Richardson told me Sunday. This is an American citizen who has obviously been treated unfairly and maligned.

Jawara and the others arrested in the protest are being represented by Gambian lawyers, who are demanding that the Gambian government drop all charges against her, said Erin Pelton, a senior advisor on prisoners and hostage recovery for the Richardson Center for Global Engagement.

The State Department has met with Jawara five times, been to all her court hearings and condemned the Gambian governments severe response to recent protests, spokesman John Kirby said this month. But he had little information about Jawaras condition or the state of her case.

Sarah, whose friends at school really dont know what shes going through, is also having a hard time understanding the arrests for something she sees every day, something she considers a fundamental human right.

They should release them, even if they were protesting, she said. It was peaceful, they shouldnt arrest people for a protest.

Her American self cant see it any other way.

Twitter: @petulad
Riders board a shuttle bus at Minnesota Avenue Metro station at the start of the morning rush.

June 20, 2016 Riders board a shuttle bus at Minnesota Avenue Metro station at the start of the morning rush. J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post

What it looks like on the D.C. Metro at the beginning of year-long maintenance

What it looks like on the D.C. Metro at the beginning of year-long maintenance

Metro emerged from the first weekday commute since it launched a massive rebuilding program with no major breakdowns Monday, but that was of little comfort to the thousands of riders facing months of lengthy delays, crowded trains and commutes that may only get more difficult.

The first day of Metros SafeTrack program brought complaints of conflicting or incorrect information from staff in stations, and trains arriving on wrong tracks, causing commuters to miss their rides. But although commuters faced long waits on crowded platforms, ridership was down compared with a normal weekday.

It is too early to tell whether the education campaign designed to discourage people from riding portions of the system affected by Metros SafeTrack program kept riders away Monday. But Metro officials reported that ridership was lower than normal at the stations directly affected by the first portion, or surge, of the program, something that would probably surprise riders who endured crowded trains and platforms.

According to preliminary figures, about 26 percent fewer passengers boarded at Orange and Silver line stations west of Ballston when compared with a similar Monday in May.

[See some of the reasons why Metrorail is hard to maintain]

The first phase, or surge, of the year-long maintenance blitz that launched over the weekend involves 13 days of continuous single-tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston, affecting the Silver and Orange lines.

This is the third day of almost 300 days, General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said.We have a long way to go.

Indeed, this surge is only the first of 15 projects that are part of Wiedefelds plan to make Metros rail system safer and more reliable.

Earlier in the day, Jack Requa, Metros executive managing officer, said the decline in ridership showed that people paid attention to the message that commuters should find alternative transportation during the project.

Officials across the region had launched a massive information campaign designed to warn commuters about SafeTrack and offer them commuting alternatives.

Still, Requa cautioned that Mondays results do not mean riders should immediately return to the rails.

Just because the morning went well, dont necessarily think everyone can come back to rail and everything will be fine, he said.

Here's what Orange Line riders need to know about how Metro's overhaul of the transit system affects them. (Claritza Jimenez,Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)

Given the fear that platforms would be packed, trains overcrowded and tempers short, it was one of the few times Metro officials seemed happy to report that fewer people were riding Metro.

What Im trying to do is maintain service for those people who have no other options  if you dont have a car, or you dont have the financial means, Wiedefeld said at an afternoon news conference. Thats really the goal. . . . If they have options, we hope they use them.

Wiedefeld said despite the drop in ridership at stations west of Ballston, ridership across the system remained relatively stable. He predicted that any impact on the agencys bottom line related to SafeTrack would be modest.

He estimated that SafeTrack repairs will cost the agency about $60 million, but he has said the number could go up or down, depending on what crews find. He said he is committed to completing the project within the agencys current capital budget and remained optimistic that work will be completed in March as scheduled.

[Metros SafeTrack may just upend your commute]

While Metro officials reported no major incidents Monday morning, a switch problem was reported just before 8 a.m. outside of East Falls Church, further slowing trains already delayed by SafeTrack work. That was followed by a train malfunction outside the Dunn Loring station and problems on the Yellow Line. Even so, trains continued to move through the 117-mile system.

Wiedefeld acknowledged that some trains were too full. In one instance, he said, people were so packed in one train that they were pushing up against the doors.

If you lean against those doors, it basically shuts down, he said. It wont let the train go.

The train was emptied, and riders were able to board a so-called gap train, an extra train lined up to relieve overcrowding, like what Metro uses after a Nationals game.

He said Metro will continue to monitor trains for overcrowding. If the stations are too packed, officials may start metering  letting only a certain number of passengers down to the platform, he said.

A snapshot of Google Maps live traffic tracker showed that area roadways were a bit more crowded. Traffic was particularly heavy on Interstate 66 and the Dulles Toll Road, two of the roads most likely to be affected if Metro riders return to driving. But it may be too early to tell whether that was the result of the SafeTrack or other factors.

At a meeting convened Monday by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, one of the regions largest business groups, transportation officials detailed new steps they are taking to ease traffic congestion. They said they are redoubling efforts to get workers to telecommute or shift their work schedules so that so that roads and transportation systems arent overwhelmed.

In the District, Greer Johnson Gillis, deputy director of the D.C. Department of Transportation, said the city has instituted extended emergency parking restrictions.

For example, officials have extended parking restrictions in place during morning and evening rush hours by 30 minutes to keep traffic flowing from the Key Bridge in Arlington to the citys central business district. The District also has created priority bus corridors on other key D.C. roads, including M Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington Circle, H and I streets and adjacent streets.

And the citys plans  along with plans in other area jurisdictions  will evolve as SafeTrack work moves forward. Metros next project, which starts June 18 and involves the closure of the Orange, Blue and Silver lines between Eastern Market and Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road, will likely have a bigger impact on D.C. roadways.

Well be flexible, Gillis said.

Dan Waetjen, regional president of BB&T Bank and chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, said that the business group is very supportive of Metros maintenance endeavor but realistic about the widespread effects.

This will be a difficult and challenging year, Waetjen said. This certainly is a disruptive undertaking.
Arlington County Board candidate Erik Gutshall pauses to pose as he canvasses in the Ashton Heights neighborhood May 24, 2016 in Arlington, VA. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

With just over a week left before Arlingtons June 14 Democratic primary, the two candidates for a county board seat sharpened their rhetoric at the final party-sponsored debate Sunday night.

Challenger Erik Gutshall accused incumbent Libby Garvey of accepting campaign donations from developers with business before the county, producing a state report of a $250 donation Dec. 2, 2011, from a top executive with Monday Properties, which owns multiple buildings and is developing more in Rosslyn. Four months earlier, the executive, Timothy Helmig, gave Garvey $500 for her unsuccessful primary race for a state House seat.

Garvey said she wasnt sure she had even decided to run for the board at that time, although her website shows she declared Nov. 17, 2011. She said that she has routinely returned a number of $1,000 checks from developers.

Small amounts of money are okay, Ill take $100 from anybody, because whos going to think $100 is going to affect me on anything? But large checks, no  as I said, I have returned $1,000 checks, Garvey said.

Shown the state report after the sparsely attended debate in South Arlington, Garvey said she didnt remember Helmigs donation.

Libby Garvey, chair of Arlington County Board, greets voter Laurie Siegel, right, while canvassing for reelection in Arlington, Va., May 27, 2016. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

[Liberal challenger vs. maverick incumbent in Arlington board race]

The battle over Garveys seat has pitted those who like her independent-minded stances against those who say that she is not in line with Arlingtons progressive Democratic principles. Garvey enraged party stalwarts in 2014 by campaigning against another Democrat and for a Republican turned independent, whose subsequent election broke the partys 15-year streak of holding every seat on the board. Garvey also fought against the now-canceled Columbia Pike streetcar.

She has questioned the need for property tax forgiveness for elderly homeowners and twice tried to cut the money the board allocated for its Affordable Housing Investment Fund, a low-interest revolving loan that allows nonprofit organizations to build low-cost housing.

Gutshalls more-aggressive-than-normal primary challenge led to a kerfuffle last week as some residents objected to the fliers he mailed to residents raising some of these issues. He defended the campaign literature Sunday as necessary to help voters draw a distinction between the two Democrats.

[Heated Arlignton board race takes unusually negative turn]

Garvey said she would continue to focus on her record and mentioned that her first campaign mailer featured bright sunshine. Im not going to characterize the other campaign, she said. Thats for voters to do.

Nearly all the 50 people in the Campbell Elementary School audience Sunday night were campaign workers or committed supporters for each candidate. One who was not, Sheridan Collins, praised both as well spoken.

Collins said she liked Gutshalls statement that he learned while on the local planning commission that commissioners should represent the communitys point of view, rather than try to make the county boards preferences work.

Im concerned that someone in office a while goes a little deaf over community involvement, Collins said. She would not say for whom she plans to vote.

Much of the rest of the debate covered territory the opponents have addressed in previous encounters.

Gutshall continued to press Garvey over her failure to plan ahead while she served on the school board for the booming student enrollment that has resulted in overcrowding at many local schools. Garvey pointed out that during her 15 years on the board, almost two dozen schools were rebuilt or constructed. She also blamed failure to build more on lack of cooperation from past county boards.

[Board chair faces opposition from within her own party]

Gutshall noted that Garvey was the only member of either the school board or county board to oppose a citizen-led Community Facilities Study that advised elected leaders how to address the demand for more schools, parks and public space. Garvey said in an interview later that she couldnt remember exactly why she opposed it but it was probably because we trying to force the staff into doing things they werent ready to do. She added that some of the recommendations from the study are being implemented.

Gutshall, a former president of the Lyon Park Citizens Association, said the county should have alerted residents of that neighborhood to the impending opening of a gun store. Legally, the countys hands are tied, he noted, but their lips do not have to be sealed. Garvey said that she is opposed to guns, gun stores and gun violence, but issuing statements will only turn the store into a cause celebre and help them attract more supporters.

A few more neighborhood-based forums and debates are planned, but Sundays event was the last of the Democratic Party-sponsored debates. The primary, which is open to all registered Arlington voters, is June 14. Early voting ends Saturday.


Downtown Cleveland looms beyond the Tremont neighborhood, where old factories and warehouses are quickly being replaced with housing and businesses. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

When this former industrial powerhouse beat out Dallas, Denver and other cities competing to host this summers Republican convention in the same week that basketball legend LeBron James announced his return to the Cavaliers, Cleveland felt it had its mojo back.

Millennials were moving downtown. Lakefront condos, luxury hotels and outdoor cafes were opening around a new convention center, and the Public Square, the heart of downtown, was getting a $50 million makeover with new fountains, lush grass and blooming dogwoods. The Comeback City couldnt wait for Republicans from every state and 15,000 journalists from around the world to check out the change  and spread the word.

But back then, in 2014, no one forecast Hurricane Donald.

Now Donald Trump, the most unconventional presidential candidate in modern times, is promising to create a big spectacle with a showbiz feel, leaving Cleveland excited about the heightened interest  and nervous about what might happen with the arrival of the political storm.

I would venture to say we have never had this much attention, said David Gilbert, president and chief executive of the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee. In terms of changing the narrative about Cleveland, showcasing all the change, its a tremendous opportunity. . . . We are no longer the bridesmaid.



Photos from the 1924 Republican National Convention can be viewed in the Cleveland Public Library. The Ohio city is preparing to hold its first major political convention since 1936. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The last time Cleveland held a convention was in 1936, when Kansas Gov. Alf Landon was handed the Republican nomination here and Franklin D. Roosevelt won the Democratic bid in Philadelphia, the city that will also host this years Democratic convention.

In 2012, 30 million people tuned in to see Mitt Romney accept the GOP nomination on the final night of the Tampa convention. TV networks are predicting far more eyeballs on Cleveland. Facebook, Twitter and Google are all preparing for the biggest social-media political event ever held.

The accessibility of this convention will be unprecedented, said Audrey Scagnelli, national press secretary for the Republican committee organizing the convention. AT&T just finished laying 50,000 feet of fiber downtown, she said, to make sure anyone with an Internet connection in any corner of the world sees what is happening in Cleveland.

Couple global exposure with a candidate who is a lightning rod and Clevelanders get nervous, said Christine Link, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Ohio. It was supposed to be Jeb Bush in a slam dunk, and we were going to have a lovely, beautiful party, she said, recalling the thinking back when the city landed the convention two years ago.

Now, Bikers for Trump, the Coalition Against Trump and a growing list of fired-up groups are applying for permits to march down the streets.

With the GOP convention less than two months away, Cleveland scrambles to prepare for the arrival of tens of thousands of delegates, demonstrators and journalists. The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe walks us through the latest developments to see where the city stands ahead of the convention. (Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

Hes dangerous to our country! said Tom Burke, who is coming from Grand Rapids, Mich., to organize an anti-Trump rally. I am 51, and in my lifetime we have never seen a candidate like this. He talks about using nuclear weapons! He is going to start another war!

Demonstrators picket every political convention, but there is added security concern here because punches have already been thrown at Trump rallies  including last week in San Jose. Cleveland police have insisted they are prepared for the thousands of people who love Trump sharing the streets with thousands who detest him.

There is already a lot of focus on police because of the 2014 shooting death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was carrying a toy gun, as well as a Justice Department finding of a pattern of use of excessive force.

Gun rights advocates have started a petition, signed by more than 45,000 people, to allow people to carry firearms at the convention; Ohio, like many other states, has an open-carry law. But the Secret Service is banning guns in and immediately around the arena.

Police officials said officers will wear body cameras  and many will wear shorts and ride bikes or horses in a deliberate effort not to appear confrontational. If officers don riot gear, which is incompatible with the cameras, special police video crews are to accompany them.



A downtown shop displays an image of the man who will be on everyones mind next month: Donald Trump. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Its going to be a zoo. Nobody envisioned it would be Trump coming here, said Carl Wendorff, a warehouse manager.

Cleveland sought the convention in the hopes of shedding what Gilbert called a perception problem.

In other words, people were sick of their city being called the Mistake on the Lake.

It was a way to get thousands of people to see, for instance, paddle boats and pike in a river that was once so polluted it caught fire. That 1969 fire on the Cuyahoga turned the city into a punch line.

Decades of hard times, factory closings and population loss have hurt. But recently, the health-care industry, led by the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals; an affordable cost of living attractive to many national firms; and a new effort to market the food, music and art scene helped lead a rebirth.

I have a two-minute commute, said Peter Hart, 25, a PNC bank employee and one of the thousands who now live in the heart of the city.

Jeremy Paris recently moved here from Washington to lead a group charged with beautifying downtown. The executive director of the Group Plan Commission stood at the edge of the soon-to-open six-acre Public Square park that will have an outdoor art exhibit in summer and an ice rink in winter.

The Republican convention accelerated many projects. Workers are everywhere installing giant flower planters, paving streets and scrubbing 200-year-old facades. Last week, car chase scenes for the latest Fast & Furious movie were being filmed near the citys lakefront Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where the conventions opening-night party will be held.

You get your house ready for a party  thats what we are doing, Paris, who used to work on Capitol Hill, said about all the activity.

The convention is expected to inject over $200 million into the local economy  a key reason so many in this Democratic county, which voted solidly for Barack Obama, dont mind being overrun by Republicans.

A barbershop owner was just telling me he has a bunch of Secret Service guys coming in every week to get their hair cut, Gilbert said.

Hundreds of people are already here spending in big ways and small, he said.

Trump, the longtime owner of the televised Miss Universe pageant and star of the reality TV show The Apprentice, said in an interview with The Washington Post that conventions in the past have been too dull. Its very important to put some showbiz into a convention, otherwise people are going to fall asleep, he said.

Trump is even thinking about using the 67,000-seat Cleveland Browns football stadium for a Trump address, a far bigger venue than the convention center. But he is not saying yet what celebrities he is hoping to woo to Cleveland. Notably, many GOP stalwarts, including Romney and former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, are staying away.

So are a small handful of companies who usually sponsor the event, Gilbert said. In this hyper-divisive election cycle, companies including Coca-Cola are taking pains to say they are not endorsing any candidate and offering the exact same donation to help pay for both partys conventions.

So far, Cleveland has raised $57 million of the $64 million it pledged to help pay for hosting the event, which is expected to draw 50,000 delegates and media.

On a recent evening downtown, many people jogging and walking talked about the buzz in the Lake Erie air. James and the Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals, and Clevelanders are counting down to the citys big moment in prime time, which begins July 18.

In this city, used to bad news, many people cant help but worry something will go wrong.

But Carol Sanders, who works for the local Sibling Revelry Brewing, is getting into the spirit, even offering a special convention beer called Swing State Pale Ale.

To satisfy every political taste, the beer can be poured from either a red tap or blue tap.
Vice President Biden on Monday announced the launch of a first-of-its kind, open-access cancer database to allow researchers to better understand the disease and develop more effective treatments.

The Genomic Data Commons, a part of the National Cancer Institute, contains the raw genomic and clinical data for 12,000 patients, with more records to come as researchers contribute to it, he said. Besides detailed analyses of the molecular makeup of cancers, the database has information on which treatments were used and how patients responded.

Biden announced the GDC start in remarks to thousands of researchers, physicians and patient advocates at the American Society of Clinical Oncologys annual meeting. Earlier in the day, hed visited the University of Chicago, which is housing the database and will manage it for NCI.

Biden told the cancer doctors that the database will encourage needed collaboration among scientists in different disciplines to ferret out important aspects of cancer and find new ways to help patients.

The way research currently is conducted hinges on the cult of the individual, Biden said, and fails to adequately reward what he labeled team science.

The vice president also called for an overhaul in how the nation does clinical trials, so that doctors can more easily find eligible patients to take part and patients can find the trials right for them.

There has got to be a better way, he said, urging the oncologists to work to improve the system.

As head of the Obama administrations cancer moonshot, Biden has repeatedly stressed the importance of broad sharing of scientific data to accelerate work on therapies and even cures. He has warned that research silos will only slow progress.

Increasing the pool of researchers who can access data and decreasing the time it takes for them to review and find new patterns in that data is critical to speeding up development of lifesaving treatments for patients, he said Monday.

Officials hope the Genomic Data Commons will prove pivotal to advancing precision medicine, in which physicians attempt to tailor therapies to the specific characteristics of a persons cancer. That has been a hot topic at the oncologists meeting and a priority for the administration for the several years.

What I see as transformative is, this is where the world is going, and GDC is just a part of it, said Doug Lowy, acting director of the cancer institute said in an interview. He said Bidens exhortations about data-sharing have driven home the point to researchers.

In the past several years, vast troves of genomic cancer data have been generated as a result of rapid DNA-sequencing technology. But Louis Staudt, one of the NCI researchers leading the database effort, said in a recent interview that the information is scattered among different government and academic repositories and is sometimes out of scientists reach.

So one of the initial goals is to bring all the data into one place, analyze it and display it in a uniform way, he said. The aim of GDC is for researchers to have information at their fingertips about relationships between abnormalities or mutations in genes and clinical outcomes, he said.

The database, which will be accessible through an NCI portal, will be interactive and searchable. Scientists will be able to re-analyze the raw data according to their interests. Those most likely to use the GDC are researchers or researchers/clinicians, as opposed to community oncologists, Lowy said.

Initially, the data is coming from big existing NCI programs, such as the Cancer Genome Atlas, which has generated maps of important genomic changes in 33 types of cancer, and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments, which focuses on pediatric cancer. Information from clinical trials funded by NCI will have to be submitted to the database, Lowy said.

He said the GDC will include safeguards for patient privacy. The leaders of the nations major cancer centers are working on a model consent form.

While the initiative is being touted as part of the administrations moonshot effort, its roots go back years. The Institute of Medicine, in a 2011 report entitled Toward Precision Medicine, called for a knowledge network of disease that would mine genomic information for clues to patterns and treatments. It recommended the creation of a data repository for biological information along with the medical histories and health outcomes of patients.

The NCI effort, which has been in the planning stages for a couple of years, is the result of a very complex undertaking that has involved years of trial, and sometimes error, to reach fruition, according to a blog post by Lowy and Warren Kibbe, director of the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology. The post is scheduled to be published Monday on the website Medium.


(Cam Cottrill for The Washington Post)

Richard McGhee and his family believed the worst was behind them.

McGhee, a retired case officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency who lives near Annapolis, had spent six months battling leukemia as part of a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The experimental chemotherapy regimen he was given had worked spectacularly, driving his blood cancer into a complete remission. But less than nine months after his treatment ended, McGhee abruptly fell apart.

He became moody, confused and delusional  even childish  a jarring contrast with the even-keeled, highly competent person he had been. He developed tremors in his arms, had trouble walking and became incontinent.

I was really a mess, he recalled.

[He couldnt eat, drink or work. And doctors couldnt explain his searing pain.]

Doctors suspected he had developed a rapidly progressive and fatal dementia, possibly a particularly aggressive form of Alzheimers disease. If that was the case, his family was told, his life span would be measured in months.

Luckily, the cause of McGhees precipitous decline proved to be much more treatable  and prosaic  than doctors initially feared.



Richard McGhees leukemia went into complete remission after experimental chemotherapy. But then he was struck by another illness, from which he has now fully recovered. (Courtesy of Richard McGee)

Its really a pleasure to see somebody get better so rapidly, said Michael A. Williams, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Until recently, Williams was affiliated with Baltimores Sinai Hospital, where he treated McGhee in 2010. This was a diagnosis waiting to be found.

McGhee isnt so sure. He wonders what might have happened to him had Williams not ordered a test that proved to be essential in discovering the reason for his dramatic deterioration.

Bizarre behavior

It happened really fast, recalled McGhees only child, Melinda, a Defense Department contractor who lives in Northern Virginia. In July 2010, she spent a week at her parents house while relatives visited from Arizona.

[For half her life, doctors told her to lose weight. But something else was going on.]

Soon after their departure, her fathers behavior changed markedly. He began writing odd notes that he affixed to the refrigerator door. When he didnt like what his wife had made for dinner one night, he left a note on the table that said, Dont make this again.

We thought maybe he was upset about something Melinda recalled, adding that she and her mother initially shrugged it off.

McGhee remembers little other than a feeling of overwhelming exhaustion. I just wanted to sleep all the time, he said.

1 of 26 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The case files: Medical mysteries View Photos From a daily afternoon fever to a debilitating reaction to chemotherapy, heres a look at perplexing medical mystery cases. Caption From a daily afternoon fever to a debilitating reaction to chemotherapy, heres a look at perplexing medical mystery cases. Doctors were stumped by this 2-year-old boys symptoms. He had swollen thumbs, bleeding gums and anemia. He cried whenever anyone touched his legs. Doctors were running out of time. Read the case Cam Cottrill/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Within days, Melinda McGhee said, her father began acting like a 2-year-old. He was cranky. He could not remember why he had gone into a room or if he had just eaten. He confused day and night.

It was scary, she recalled. Hed want to drive, and we had to hide the car keys. She began spending as much time as possible with her parents. Her mother, born in Japan,does not drive or speak English well. So it was their daughter who communicated with doctors, drove her parents to medical appointments and acted as her fathers advocate, trying with her mother to make sense of what was happening.

In late July, braced by his wife and daughter because he was too weak to stand unassisted, McGhee was escorted into the office of his internist.

Alarmed by his condition, the internist  who had seen McGhee the previous month for a sinus infection  sent him straight to a local emergency room.

A CT scan was performed to check for a head injury or a stroke, along with an MRI scan of McGhees brain. Based on his symptoms, doctors suspected he might have normal pressure hydrocephalus, an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that causes confusion and movement problems and can mimic dementia.

The internist, who had ordered numerous blood tests, found little of significance. Because hydrocephalus was high on the list of possible diagnoses, McGhee was referred to Williams, who was then director of the hydrocephalus center at Sinai Hospital.

Williams, who saw McGhee in mid-August, noted that his MRI showed atrophy in some areas of the brain suggestive of dementia. Hydrocephalus remained a possibility, but a form of rapidly progressive dementia, particularly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, seemed more likely.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob is a rare, devastating neurological disease that typically strikes people between the ages of 60 and 65. About 300 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Few victims live longer than a year after the onset of symptoms, which include rapid deterioration in memory, judgment and coordination.

[Doctors dismissed his pain as migraines. Then they said he had 24 hours to live.]

The disease occurs when the normal structure of prion protein, which is found throughout the body, goes awry, destroying brain cells. Scientists do not know why this process occurs, and no treatment has been found to retard the disease. (One variant form of it, popularly known as mad cow disease, occurred in England in the 1990s possibly as a result of the consumption of diseased cattle. The classic, dominant form of CJD is not linked to meat.)

I have seen patients [with Creutzfeldt-Jakob] and it can indeed go that fast, Williams said of McGhees precipitous decline. Other possibilities, he thought, included frontotemporal dementia, a disease that destroys the brains frontal and temporal lobes, which govern personality and language, and rapidly progressive Alzheimers. Hydrocephalus seemed less likely to Williams: McGhee lacked some of the telltale neurological signs, and the tremors in his arms and legs were not typical of it.

But there was no doubt that McGhee was confused and disoriented. He could not spell any words backward or perform serial 7s  counting backward from 100 subtracting by 7  tasks that are part of a mental status exam and would have been easy for him only weeks earlier. He did not know the date  or even the year.

Concerned that McGhees cancer might have recurred, Williams ordered a new round of tests. He also scheduled a spinal tap to check for infection and an EEG to rule out a seizure disorder.

Its important to cast a wide net, Williams said, but not to order tests indiscriminately. Premature diagnosis is how we often make errors. Thats a reason we consider the differential diagnosis process, a cornerstone in medicine, in which doctors systematically weigh the possibility of one disease against others based on symptoms and test results.

When Williams saw McGhee a few weeks later, he was worse. McGhee needed a wheelchair and told Williams he thought he was at Travis Air Force Base in California or in Tokyo  places he had been in the past.

When you see families in such a situation, Williams noted, they are scared witless.

A turning point

Around the same time, results of the blood tests Williams ordered had come back. Most were unremarkable, except for the Lyme disease screens. McGhee had elevated antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme. A Western blot test, which can confirm the diagnosis, was strongly positive.

Whatever else might be wrong, Williams decided, it was clear that McGhee had Lyme disease and would need treatment with IV antibiotics.

Richard McGhee had only recently recovered from leukemia when he was struck by unexplained dementia-like symptoms. He credits a specialist doctor with discovering the surprising cause. (The Washington Post)

McGhees spinal tap did yield some positive news: There was no indication of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, though there was evidence of an infection or inflammation. That did not rule out another form of dementia or other serious illnesses, including a recurrence of his cancer.

Because Williams was scheduled to be away for two weeks, a colleague temporarily took over McGhees case and oversaw three days of inpatient testing.

In the hospital, Melinda McGhee said, doctors told her they were fairly certain that her fathers confusion and other symptoms were the result of dementia.

It just didnt make any sense, she recalled. How, in a matter of weeks, could he go from a man adept at managing his finances to someone who couldnt find his checkbook?

Doctors, she said, told her that while his deterioration looked sudden, it wasnt. They would say things like, Your dad is a really smart guy, and hes been hiding it from you. Its been going on for a really long time. 

But more tests revealed little.

Once home, McGhee, who had begun receiving two weeks of IV antibiotics, seemed to be getting better. His confusion began to clear, his short-term memory improved and his tremors abated. I could feel myself recovering, he recalled.

On Sept. 29, he went back to see Williams, who was heartened by the improvement.

He looked 1,000 percent better than when I last saw him, Williams noted. After reviewing the test results, he concluded that McGhee had been suffering not from dementia but from Lyme meningoencephalitis, a rare bacterial infection of the nervous system that typically occurs several weeks, or even months, after Lyme exposure.

Spring and summer is when these teeny, tiny ticks come out, and 20 percent of people who are bitten dont have a bulls-eye rash, Williams noted. And Lyme is on the list of the causes of rapidly progressive dementia, although it is unusual.

McGhee said he was unaware of any tick bite. He wonders if the disease might have taken hold because his immune system was suppressed by the chemo he underwent to treat his leukemia.

Williams said he doesnt think so, because McGhees treatment had ended months earlier. He just happened to get two bad things: cancer and Lyme disease, the neurologist said.

McGhee, now 81, made a full recovery and has had no problems since. He wonders where he might have wound up had Williams not ordered tests for Lyme disease.

I really worry about other people, he said. Would they just be put in some kind of facility and just waste away? Im just so grateful that everything turned out so well and to Dr. Williams for making the diagnosis.

Williams said he believes that other doctors would have figured out what was wrong.

McGhees case, he said, is gratifying. He was delighted to hear from his former patient after six years and to learn that hes alive and kicking and doing quite well.

Thats part of the joy of medicine, he added.

Submit your solved medical mystery to sandra.boodman@washpost.com. No unsolved cases, please. Read previous mysteries at wapo.st/medicalmysteries.
Almost 6,000 people have logged more than 1.8 million miles walking, running or biking in the Get Your Tail on the Trail program. (Courtesy of St. Lukes Media Services)

Several years ago, the St. Lukes University Health Network, which serves Bethlehem, Allentown and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania, surveyed residents on their health as required for its tax exemption under the Affordable Care Act.

Officials were alarmed by the findings. The survey found that 14 percent of residents had diabetes and an additional 3 percent said they had suffered from diabetes in the past. By comparison, the national average of those with diabetes is 9 percent.

Also, more than a third of respondents reported getting no exercise during the week, while Hispanic residents were more likely than others to be overweight or obese and less likely to consume three servings of fruits and vegetables on an average day.

In looking for ways to address the situation, St. Lukes found a partner in the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, an organization tasked with promoting and maintaining the Delaware and Lehigh Trail, which stretches 165 miles between Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia.

Together, they created Get Your Tail on the Trail, a program designed to encourage physical activity and usage of the historic pathway. Now in its fourth year, more than 5,900 Get Your Tail participants have logged more than 1.8 million miles walking, running or biking along the corridor.

This program came together in part because of Obamacare. Under ACA guidelines, nonprofit hospitals such as St. Lukes are required every three years to conduct a community health needs assessment and to draft an implementation plan for addressing the findings.

Partnerships such as that of St. Lukes and the D&L corridor group are also part of a shift by hospitals away from just treating people who are ill in a fee-for-service manner and toward what is known as population health, or the move from volume to value, said Bonnie Coyle, St. Lukes director of community health.

At the federal level, theyre saying, Were not just going to pay you because you delivered the services. Were going to pay you if you made the patient healthier in the process of providing them that care,  Coyle said.

Michael Consuelos, a physician and senior vice president of the Health & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, a trade group, said St. Lukes is a model for other nonprofit hospitals looking to address the health needs of their service area.

Hospitals are assessing the needs of their community, moving from just taking care of sick patients and moving toward taking care of the population as a whole. That work needs to be done, Consuelos said.

With the program well underway, officials are involved in early stages of licensing the Get Your Tail model to other hospitals and for those wanting a scalable wellness program.

A long history

Founded in 1872, St. Lukes has a long history of wellness activities, such as running an organic farm and operating a fleet of vans to reach underserved populations.

Its part of our corporate culture to try to get out and be active, said Kenneth Szydlow, St. Lukes vice president for marketing and public relations.

At the same time the hospital network was reacting to the volume to value mandate, officials at the D&L Trail were looking to create programming and sponsors to boost the trails usage. Trail corridor executive director Elissa Garofalo reached out to St. Lukes officials to propose several ideas, one of which became Get Your Tail on the Trail.

As part of the effort, participants register at tailonthetrail.org and report miles that they spend walking, running or biking on the trail. Theyre encouraged to meet goals such as the 165-mile challenge that began May 1 and concludes Nov. 1.

Garofalo said everyone has been surprised at the high level of participation. She expected that a couple hundred would sign up. After the end of the first season, close to 2,500 people logged more than 255,000 miles biking, running and walking.

Susan Deibert, 45, from Hellertown, has lived in the Lehigh Valley her entire life but hadnt used the D&L Trail for any type of exercise. Signing up for Get Your Tail gave her and her friends the opportunity to socialize while exercising.

So I went out more and more, and I thought, Lets take a look around here. And I found myself as I went on getting into biking, going to different parts of the trail, taking on different challenges I would have never thought I would have done, she said.

Deibert said she lost weight and became more physically active, taking to biking the trail to meet the 165-mile challenge. It spurred me to become more active, which in turn makes you more healthy and want to do more. Ive been participating ever since [the start of Get Your Tail], Deibert said.

Creative partnerships

Both Coyle and Consuelos say the ACA has become a powerful motivator in advancing population health. Thats a concept defined by researchers David Kindig and Greg Stoddart as the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group. This means hospitals take part in addressing larger community health issues to improve health care while lowering costs.

Consuelos notes that this undertaking is a challenge because hospitals are medical facilities and treat medical problems.

Hospitals will only affect 10 percent of health-care outcomes. The rest of social determinants they are bumping up against: education, crime, transportation, housing, Consuelos said. This is a journey that our hospitals are on, to explore new and innovative ways to work with their community to improve the health of the community.

To that end, the challenges allow for creative partnerships with existing infrastructure such as multi-use and rail trails. While used for recreational purposes, communities are taking advantage of trails to also promote wellness.

Szydlow said they were cautiously optimistic at the beginning that the program would work because of the immensity of the wellness challenges in the Lehigh Valley  a population of more than 820,000, of whom an estimated 13 percent lack health insurance  as well as the general lack of awareness and usage of the D&L Trail.

He has been pleased with the results.

It surprised us in a positive way. We thought it would be more of struggle to get people to get out and about and interested. But theres something about this program that resonated with the population we were aiming at  which, quite frankly, is calling them couch potatoes, Szydlow said.

St. Lukes and trail officials say the partnership is mutually beneficial: St. Lukes gets more people active and the D&L gets more awareness of the trail system.

We crossed paths at the right time to say, Heres a great partnership to accomplish multiple goals,  Coyle said. Hospitals should think about partnering with trails and trails with hospitals. They may not a natural partnership, but in the world of wellness, its a perfect partnership.
The Post's Lena Sun visited Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., where scientists identified a strain of bacteria resistant to the last-resort antibiotic, colistin. The bacteria was found in a Pennsylvania woman. Microbiologist Patrick McGann explains how his team identified the gene that gives the bacteria this resistance (Monica Akhtar,Lena Sun/The Washington Post)

Microbiologist Patrick McGann knew he had identified a dangerous germ. He just didnt know how dangerous.

In mid-May, a colleague had found a strain of E. coli bacteria from a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman that tested positive for resistance to a drug called colistin. Thats the antibiotic used when all others fail.

McGann, whose job is to prevent outbreaks of new pathogens in the U.S. militarys sprawling health-care system, wasnt yet alarmed. Sometimes mutations occur spontaneously that make bacteria resistant to an antibiotic. It would be a completely different problem, though, if the bacteria turned out to carry a certain colistin-resistant gene called mcr-1.

But that required deeper molecular testing. McGann asked his research team at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., to do an initial test for the presence of the resistant gene. And on May 18, he got the result as he rode Metros Red Line back to the lab from a meeting.

[The superbug that doctors have been dreading just reached the U.S.]

Research technician Ana Ong texted him to say the strain of E. coli had tested positive for the mcr-1 gene.

Stunned, McGann texted back: Youre s----ing me?? And then, realizing what the discovery meant, he didnt wait for her reply.

Onto the sequencer ASAP, he wrote back, referring to the labor-intensive, round-the-clock effort required to read the entire genetic code of the bacteria and determine how easily the gene might spread.

We had to drop everything else to get this done, he explained later. When [the test] came back positive, all hell broke loose.

U.S. health officials and experts had been bracing for this moment since the genes discovery late last year in China. Theyd hunted for mcr-1 in tens of thousands of samples from meat sources, animals and people.

And now that its definitively here, officials expect to find more cases  provoking even greater alarm. Immediately, the discovery in Pennsylvania gave new urgency to measures throughout the military and the federal government to determine where else the gene might be lurking and how to control its spread.



Patrick McGann, left, and Kathy "Ana" Ong, prepare blood plates as their team at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research looks for evidence of a dangerous antibiotic-resistant gene in bacteria. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

For infectious-disease experts, the nightmare scenario is for the gene to spread to bacteria that are now susceptible only to colistin. That would make them invincible to any antibiotic, unstoppable by the most lifesaving drugs of modern medicine.

[Superbug investigation: CDC official says more cases are likely]

This one popped up

The gene mcr-1 was found first in pigs and people in China and then spread across Asia and Europe. By March, there were even more reports from France, Switzerland, Malaysia, Brazil and Argentina.

Still, the gene remains relatively rare. After the initial report from China, McGanns team tested more than 3,000 antibiotic-resistant bacteria that had been collected from military facilities around the world. None contained the mcr-1 gene.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the United States. Many service members wounded during the Iraq War contracted a strain of bacteria that the media later dubbed Iraqibacter. The normally harmless bacteria, found in soil and on skin, got into wounds and caused stubborn bloodstream infections, many of them resistant to many types of antibiotics. After about 2007, colistin was often one of the most effective treatment options available, McGann said.



Technician Brendan Corey watches a robotic micro lab prepare DNA samples for sequencing at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Thats one reason the Army created the Multidrug-resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network (MRSN) in 2009; McGann is its chief of molecular research and diagnostics. Researchers say the detection of colistin-resistant bacteria in the Pennsylvania woman was a result of this strong surveillance system  but also sheer luck.

McGann got the initial call about a resistant E. coli sample from Kurt Schaecher, chief of the infectious-diseases laboratory at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The hospital has the reference lab for about 100 military facilities, which regularly send it drug-resistant organisms.

[How worried should you be about this latest superbug?]

Schaecher, who had just started in the job, was troubled by the number of reports coming in from around the world about the mcr-1 gene. Testing for colistin resistance was not routinely done in the lab, but he thought it would be prudent to start.

On May 12, he pulled out six of the labs most recent samples to test for resistance to colistin. The next day, the results were back. And lo and behold, this one popped up, he recalled, referring to the Pennsylvania sample.

He immediately alerted McGann. Both men were very surprised, Schaecher said.

They didnt know why the bacteria werent killed by colistin  it could have been a spontaneous mutation rather than the mcr-1 gene. McGanns team went straight to Bethesda to collect the sample for more testing.

Once McGanns lab detected the gene on May 18, he alerted Schaecher and began fully sequencing the bacteriums genome.



Rosslyn Maybank, left, and McGann work on tracing the mcr-1, antibiotic resistant gene. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

A needle in a stack of needles

Sequencing would tell everyone where the gene was located. Was it on the bacteriums single chromosome? Or in a much more troubling spot, on something called a plasmid, a mobile piece of DNA that exists outside the chromosome?

[Superbug known as phantom menace on the rise in U.S.]

If the gene were on the chromosome, that wouldnt be so bad. The bacterium could pass the resistance only to its progeny, limiting the spread. But finding the gene on the plasmid would be much, much worse. Plasmids can transfer their genes to other bacteria, McGann said, even strains that arent closely related. The technical term for this ability is promiscuity.

The sequencing process took several days. The researchers had to extract the DNA from the bacteria and set up the sequencing machines that would read the entire genome and determine not only what genes were in the organism, but also if there were plasmids and what kind.

By 9 p.m. on May 20, they were ready to proceed. They ran the same test on two machines. One sequencer is less accurate but takes about eight hours. The other, larger sequencer is more accurate but takes 72 hours.

By the following day, early results confirmed that the gene was fully present and was most likely on a plasmid. Barely 24 hours later, another researcher had confirmed that the mcr-1 gene was present on a promiscuous plasmid, McGann said. The final verification took until May 23.

It was like finding a needle in a stack of needles in another stack of needles, Schaecher recalled.

McGann likened plasmids to cars that can carry a gene and transport it to other bacteria. Some plasmids can transfer those genes more readily than others. This one moved pretty well, he said. Not quite a Fiat, more like a BMW.

Even as the patient was being treated  her bacteria, while resistant to colistin, were sensitive to other drugs  researchers began to notify colleagues in the Defense Department and other government agencies. They alerted the CDC as well as the Health and Human Services and Agriculture departments that a superbug capable of spreading colistin resistance far and wide had finally surfaced in a person in the United States.

Some officials have complained that they should have been informed sooner. McGann said it would have been imprudent to send an alert before results were completely confirmed. Around the same time, he, Schaecher and the research team submitted a paper about their findings to a medical journal. The editor, Yohei Doi, an infectious-disease doctor at the University of Pittsburgh, raced to get it reviewed.

The paper was published May 26, and the discovery made headlines around the world.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  These are the top superbug threats in the U.S. View Photos The White House has made the germs a serious priority. Caption The White House has made the germs a serious priority. Urgent threat According to the White House plan to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriacea, CRE, is one of the countrys most urgent threats. Forty-four states have had at least one type of confirmed CRE case, which are resistant to nearly all antibiotics including last-resort drugs. CDC Wait 1 second to continue.

Thousands of samples

Meanwhile, another surveillance system that includes the CDC, the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration has also been searching for the gene in bacteria collected from food animals, meat sources and people. Scientists have scoured more than 44,000 samples of salmonella bacteria and 9,000 samples of E. coli and shigella bacteria.

That search is how the USDA scientists recently found the gene in a sample from a pig intestine. It also was in a strain of E. coli, and also on a plasmid. The USDA is working to determine the samples origin.

The strains and plasmids appear to be different, McGann said. That suggests that the gene is circulating through at least two  and possibly more  routes within the United States.

McGann said he learned about the mcr-1 gene in the pig sample only when his team notified government officials about its own finding. U.S. officials havent provided details about when the animal sample was found or why information about it wasnt disclosed earlier.

Public health officials are most worried about the colistin-resistant gene spreading to a family of superbugs known as CRE, for carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, which the CDC has called one of the countrys most urgent public health threats. In some instances, CRE kills up to 50 percent of patients who become infected. Colistin is increasingly the last-resort drug to treat patients with such infections.



McGann checks a DNA sampling before loading it into a genome sequencer. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Already, doctors have been forced to rely on colistin as a last-line defense for many drug-resistant infections. Colistin, more than half a century old, is otherwise rarely used in human medicine because it can cause severe kidney damage.

The drug is not used in animals in the United States, but in Europe it has been widely used in veterinary medicine for decades to treat and prevent infection. In May, the European Medicines Agency recommended limiting its use in animals to halt the spread of resistance. Its also widely used in farm animals in China.

The Armys MRSN system receives 400 to 500 samples of multidrug-resistant organisms each month, primarily from its facilities around the world. About half are MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, bacteria resistant to many antibiotics that can cause a variety of problems, including skin infections and bloodstream infections. Another third are E. coli, and less than 1 percent are CRE.

The new information about the Pennsylvania womans colistin-resistant bacteria means McGann and his team can do more targeted searching in the repository of organisms. Theyve already scoured an additional 6,000 samples without again finding the gene.

This summer, all military services will be expected to begin providing the repository system with multidrug-resistant organisms.

By contrast, the national antibiotic resistance surveillance system that the CDC, USDA and FDA operate collectively serves all civilian hospitals in the country. It covers a far larger patient population and collects thousands of pathogen samples for each of the 15 antibiotic-resistant bacteria that the CDC has deemed to be urgent or serious threats.

Until now, the resistance testing has taken place at the CDC. But late last year, Congress approved $160 million in additional funding to boost the Obama administrations antibiotic-resistance detection efforts. As a result, the agency plans to start funding state health departments this fall to do improved testing for antimicrobial resistance. That will include colistin.
A serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in South Los Angeles, a jury decided Monday.

Lonnie Franklin Jr., 63, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for the Los Angeles police, was convicted last month of 10 counts of first-degree murder for crimes dating back as far as 30 years.

Members of the victims families cried Monday as the verdicts on punishment were read. Some rocked back and forth. One said, Thank you.

A prosecutor had asked jurors to show Franklin the same compassion he showed his victims and give him the ultimate penalty. An emotional defense attorney asked jurors to sentence Franklin to life without parole to hasten the healing process for the victims relatives.

Franklin said, Yes, your honor when told of the formal sentencing date  Aug. 10  but otherwise sat quietly and stared straight ahead the entire time.

Most of the slayings fit a similar pattern. Women were shot, choked or both, and their partly clad or naked bodies were dumped in alleys and trash bins in the impoverished area where Franklin lived.

Police didnt connect the crimes to a serial killer for years. Victims family members and community residents complained the killings werent thoroughly investigated because the victims were poor and black and some were prostitutes who had been using cocaine.

Franklin came under suspicion after a task force began reexamining the cold cases after the last of the killings, in 2007. DNA from his son showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the victims.

A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor later collected utensils and crusts from Franklin while he was attending a birthday party. Lab results connected him to evidence found on several bodies.

The culprit had been dubbed the Grim Sleeper because of an apparent gap in slayings between 1988 and 2002. Police posited that the killer might have been in prison during that period or that he may have laid low after one victim barely survived a November 1988 assault. However, there may have been murders during the gap that police did not connect with the others, authorities now say.
EUROPE

NATO states conduct major drill in Poland

NATO members and partners on Monday launched their biggest joint exercise, carried out in Poland, at a time when central and eastern European nations are seeking strong security guarantees amid concerns about Russia.

The Anaconda-16 exercise will involve about 31,000 troops from Poland, the United States and 17 other NATO member nations, as well as five partner nations, according to Polands military operational command, which is organizing the exercise.

Russia views any presence of NATO troops close to its borders as a threat to its security.

We do not hide that we have a negative attitude toward the NATO line of moving its military infrastructure to our borders, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow.

This will activate the Russian sovereign right to provide its own safety with methods that are adequate for todays risks, he said.

Poland, Lithuania and other nations in the region, as well as NATO leaders, are stressing that any military presence or exercises are purely defensive and deterrent measures focused on threats from the Middle East.

The drill is part of NATOs exercise program and is being held just weeks before the alliance holds a crucial summit in Warsaw that is expected to decide that significant numbers of NATO troops and equipment will be based in Poland and in the Baltic states. Those countries are particularly concerned about the conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow supports the separatists.

 Associated Press

IRAQ

Civilians allegedly shot while fleeing Fallujah

The Islamic State militant group has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the nearly two-week-old battle between Iraqi government forces and extremists in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, an international aid organization and the military said.

On Sunday, the militants fatally shot seven civilians and seven defectors inside Fallujah as they tried to flee, Maj. Ali Hanoon said.

Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, on Monday put the number of civilians killed by the Islamic State since the operation started at dozens. Iraqi officials say the total is probably higher.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the Islamic State-held city since late May, but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance from the militants and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city. On Sunday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah.

Last week, a suicide bomber struck in a crowd of civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, killing two people and wounding three, according to police.

From Baghdad, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, said late Sunday that a number of fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River.

The NRC put the total number of families that have fled from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the offensive at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC said.

 Associated Press

FRANCE

Emergency fund to be set up for flood victims

France is setting up an emergency fund to help those who lost everything after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Monday that the return to normality will take time after unusually intense rains that lashed Europe last week. At least 18 people died in Germany, France, Romania and Belgium, and thousands of homes and cars were damaged.

Valls said the emergency fund will be credited with several tens of thousands euros to provide quick help to people with no resources.

The Seines water levels peaked Saturday in the French capital but remained more than 12 feet above normal on Monday. Some areas west and south of Paris were still under flood watch.

About 6,000 homes remained without electricity on Monday, and several train stations and roads were closed in Paris and surrounding towns.

 Associated Press

3 die as storm lashes eastern Australia: Three people were killed in floodwaters from a strong storm that pounded Australias east coast over the weekend, with rains and huge ocean swells forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes and sending a swimming pool sliding into the sea. The storm whipped up waves as high as 40 feet, causing severe beach erosion. It also pummeled beach houses and knocked out power to more than 85,000 homes and businesses over the weekend.

French tycoons claim about funding Netanyahu is being probed: Israeli authorities are looking into French tycoon Arnaud Mimrans claim that he gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 1 million euros  or more than $1.1 million  for an election campaign. Such a sum would violate Israels campaign finance laws. Mimran is the key suspect in a carbon-tax fraud case in France. The Israeli prime ministers office said any contribution to Netanyahu was done lawfully while he was a private citizen and was not part of any campaign donation.

2 reported killed in Kenya protests: Police killed two people in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu during protests calling for the disbanding of the national electoral commission over allegations of bias and corruption, witnesses said. The weekly protests resumed after attempts to start negotiations between the government and the opposition on reforming the commission failed. Opposition leader Raila Odinga led peaceful demonstrations in the capital, Nairobi, but police in Kisumu tear-gassed demonstrators, who responded by throwing stones. Witnesses said police fatally shot two protesters. Police said the protesters had attacked them.

3 dead in Belgian train wreck: A passenger train slammed into a freight train in eastern Belgium, killing three people and sending 10 to the hospital, authorities said. The accident occurred just hours after reports of lightning strikes and a signal disruption on the line. Two cars from the passenger train derailed when it rear-ended the freight train. Prosecutor Brigitte Leroy said the passenger train was traveling about 60 mph and the freight train at 6 to 9 mph.

 From news services
Donald Trump needed validation.

At a rally Friday, Trump was discussing racial violence at his events and the perception that nonwhite people are against him, when he singled out a black man in the crowd.

Look at my African American over here, Trump said, pointing. Look at him. Are you the greatest?

The gesture  reminiscent of Trump eating a Cinco de Mayo taco bowl at Trump Tower and tweeting I love Hispanics!  was as respectful as if he had just instructed the crowd to look at my Irish setter over here. And it was as clumsy as if he had tried to validate his pro-Israel position by saying, Look at my Jew over here, or to neutralize his general intolerance by saying, Say hello to my lesbian, or, Take a gander at my Chinese American.

It turns out Trumps African American, Gregory Cheadle, says hes not a Trump supporter. He said he wasnt offended by Trump taking possession of him, telling NPR it would have been worse if Trump followed my African American by saying, Whats up, dawg? or the N-word.

Republican lawmakers past and present reacted to Donald Trump's comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel over the weekend, carefully distancing themselves from Trump's position. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Small consolation.

A confluence of three factors has caused a sudden and sharp change in Trumps fortunes. The media scrutiny has increased significantly since he secured the nomination, and journalists, rather than chasing his outrage du jour, are digging in to report more on Trump University, Trumps stiffing of charities, his lies and his racism. Hillary Clinton has, finally, made the shift to attacking Trump vigorously over his instability. And Republicans are, belatedly, discovering that their presidential candidate wasnt putting on a show during the GOP primaries: Hes an actual racist.

You know youre in trouble when youre being lectured on sensitivity by Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker, a frequent Trump defender, emailed The Posts Dan Balz to say that Trumps claim that a federal judge had a conflict of interest because the Indiana-born jurist is Mexican was completely unacceptable. (He softened his criticism of Trump on Monday.)

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) concurred that Trumps attack on the judge and his claim that a Muslim on the bench also couldnt judge him fairly was absolutely unacceptable. After an initial effort to rally around the nominee, Republicans are trying, awkwardly, to keep their distance. Sunday on ABCs This Week, Bob Corker (R-Tenn), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, complained to George Stephanopoulos when asked a question about the border wall with Mexico: I thought this interview was going to be more about the foreign-policy arena. The host reminded Corker that the relationship with Mexico is foreign policy.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, just one day after endorsing Trump, said on a radio show that Trumps remarks about the Hispanic judge were out of left field.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker, but thats nonsense. The things Trump is doing now  disparaging the Mexican judge, disqualifying Muslim judges, calling somebody claiming Native American blood Pocahontas and singling out my African American  is very much in line with what he has been doing for the past year, and before.

More than six months ago, I began a column by proposing, Lets not mince words: Donald Trump is a bigot and a racist. His bigotry went back decades, to the Central Park jogger case, and came to include: his leadership of the birther movement suggesting President Obama was a foreign-born Muslim, his vulgar expressions for women, his talk of Mexico sending rapists into America, his call for mass deportation, his spats with Latino news outlets, his mocking Asian accent, his tacit acceptance of the claim that Muslims are a problem in America, his agreement that American Muslims should be forced to register themselves, his call to ban Muslim immigration, his false claim about American Muslims celebrating 9/11, his tweeting of statistics from white supremacists, his condoning of violence against black demonstrators and his mocking of a journalist with a physical disability.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  These Republicans refuse to vote for Donald Trump View Photos And theyll tell you why. Caption And theyll tell you why. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell General Powell said at a meeting of the Long Island Association that he would be voting for Hillary Clinton, a spokeswoman confirmed Oct. 25. Powell added in an interview that he picked Clinton because I think shes qualified, and the other gentleman is not qualified. Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Now that Trump has secured the nomination, Republican officeholders are shocked to discover that his racism continues?

A month ago, the Trump campaign chose prominent white nationalist William Johnson to be one of its delegates. The campaign blamed a database error and Johnson resigned, but the racist American Freedom Party claims it has more delegates on Trumps list. Another Trump delegate was indicted recently on federal child-pornography and weapons charges, and Mother Jones magazine, which discovered Johnsons selection, on Friday reported that another Trump delegate, David Riden, has said that U.S. leaders who abuse the Constitution should be killed by American citizens with weapons. And the Chicago Tribune reported that Illinois Trump delegate Lori Gayne uses the social-media handle whitepride and said: Im so angry I dont even feel like I live in America. You can call me a racist.

Republicans, look at your nominee over here. Its a grotesque sight.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Correction: An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly referred to the General Accountability Office. The correct name of the agency is the Government Accountability Office. This version has been corrected.

On the steps of the Supreme Court in 1954, Nettie Hunt explains the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down segregated public schools, to her daughter, Nickie. (Bettmann/CORBIS)

LAST YEAR, Rep. Paul A. Gosar, an Arizona Republican, explained why he disliked an Obama administration plan to build affordable housing  as a means of helping minorities and poor people  in mainly white, middle-class neighborhoods.

Instead of living with neighbors you like and choose, this breaks up the core fabric of how we start to look at communities, Mr. Gosar told the Hill newspaper. That just brings unease to everyone in that area.

Yes: Unease at the prospect of neighborhood integration has long been central to U.S. racism, or a euphemism for it. It has also played a central role in an equally poisonous problem  the resegregation of public schools  that started accelerating 15 years ago, about a half-century after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools are inherently unequal.

New data compiled by the Government Accountability Office, Congresss watchdog, show that the number of high-poverty public schools serving primarily black and Hispanic students nationwide more than doubled, to some 15,000, between the turn of the century and 2014. A bout 16 percent of K-12 public schools now serve predominantly poor, minority students, which also means their students are more likely to lack access to math, science and advanced-level classes and to face higher rates of suspensions, expulsions and other harsh discipline.

Put another way, 62 years after the Supreme Court acted to end segregation in public education, U.S. schools in the 21st century are rapidly resegregating  a function of widening disparities in wealth, entrenched housing patterns and policies, and disparate allocations of funding by government at all levels.

The fault is widely shared. The Supreme Court bears a measure of blame for a 1973 ruling allowing schools to rely primarily on local property taxes for funding. That decision enshrined a system in which Zip codes determine funding levels, saddling poor neighborhoods with resource-starved schools burdened with overcrowded classes and underpaid teachers. The federal government, which provides public schools with less than 10 percent of their funding, is ill-equipped to compensate, and many states make little effort to even out disparities. Sharply increased funding is not an adequate answer, but without it poor schools will be unable to attract the talented teachers they need.

Chipping away at a problem as multidimensional as school resegregation demands a kitchen-sink approach. Policymakers and lawmakers must act forcefully to halt and reverse a corrosive trend that will further balkanize an already-fractured and fragmented society.

The GAO report urged the federal Education Department to intensify its monitoring of school disparities and the Justice Department to take a more aggressive stance to follow up on scores of school desegregation cases, many of them involving court orders issued decades ago.

A critical challenge is the related and underlying problem of community sorting and segregation  including the white neighborhoods Mr. Gosar would insulate from unease, and from which spring racially exclusive schools. Mindful of decades of federal policy and private practice that promoted racially concentrated urban and suburban neighborhoods, the Obama administration has advanced policies that would use federal grants as incentives to build affordable housing in relatively affluent areas. Thats a promising start to encourage neighborhood integration, which is so tightly tied to integrating schools.
EIGHT, JUSTICE Ruth Bader Ginsburg said last month, is not a good number. Since Antonin Scalia died, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court and depriving it of a deciding ninth vote, the justices have had to punt, duck, dodge and weave around contentious issues. Justice Ginsburg provided a timely reminder that the judicial branch of government is not properly functioning, and has not been for months.

Meanwhile, even as Justice Ginsburg subtly prods the nations politicians, those responsible for this dysfunction  Senate Republicans  are doing more than ever to discredit themselves.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) continues to insist that the GOP blockade of Judge Merrick Garland, President Obamas nominee to replace Scalia, is about a principle, not a person. The crucial principle that apparently justifies hobbling the Supreme Court is the newly invented notion that the president should be able to fill court vacancies during only three-quarters of his elected term.

Mr. McConnells discovery of this principle has been as obvious a case of situational ethics as has ever been seen in Washington. Indeed, from the beginning, it was clear Republicans had more than proper procedure on their minds. The next justice could fundamentally alter the direction of the Supreme Court and have a profound impact on our country, Mr. McConnell warned in March.

Now Mr. McConnell has gone a step further, making his opposition not simply cynical but patently ridiculous. In interviews last week, Mr. McConnell argued that Mr. Garland is ideologically extreme. I dont think you could have a worse  from a conservative point of view, I dont think you could have a worse nominee than Merrick Garland, he said on MSNBCs Morning Joe. I would say, hes a well-qualified, very liberal judge, he told NPR.

It is absurd to claim that Mr. Garland, a nominee about whom many liberal groups are not excited, a judge whom Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) once called a consensus nominee, is the worst-case scenario for Republicans. Fellow judges from across the ideological spectrum effusively praise Mr. Garland. His work on the countrys second-most prominent court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has been careful and evenhanded. Mr. McConnells claims do not pass the laugh test  unless by worst, he means most-qualified and therefore most difficult plausibly to reject.

Mr. McConnells admission that Mr. Garland is well-qualified should end the discussion. The president gets to nominate; the Senate gets to object in extraordinary circumstances, but has an obligation to confirm if nominees are, as in this case, obviously qualified and within the mainstream of judicial thinking. No other arrangement can keep the system working. But the majority leader obviously has other considerations in mind.
Now that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both given speeches laying out their national security visions, the lines in the 2016 foreign policy debate have been drawn: In the race to be commander in chief, Clinton is campaigning as a center-right internationalist, while Trump is campaigning from the isolationist left.

Clintons big national security speech in San Diego last week was framed, in part, to appeal to anti-Trump conservatives. She argued that she is the only candidate in the race who understands if America doesnt lead, we leave a vacuum, which our rivals will rush in to fill. She promised to go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin (never mind that she was the architect of the disastrous Russian reset), to stick with our allies (never mind that shes the one who threw Poland and the Czech Republic under the bus, withdrawing plans for ballistic missile defense sites after they agreed to stand up to Russia and host them) and to listen to our generals (never mind that it was on her watch that the Obama administration withdrew all U.S. forces from Iraq, against the advice of our generals, paving the way for the rise of the Islamic State).

To conservatives rightly skeptical of her record, Clinton offered a simple answer: You have no alternative because, she says, Trump is temperamentally unfit to serve as commander in chief. She pointed out his affection for tyrants (never mind that she once called Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad a reformer and Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak and his wife friends of my family). She echoed the criticism leveled by Trumps Republican rivals that Trump will stay neutral on Israels security and declared Trumps foreign policy vision dangerously incoherent.

If you believe in American engagement in the world, Clinton effectively argued, I am your only choice.

Meanwhile, Trump is running to Clintons left on global affairs in an effort to win over Sen. Bernie Sanderss (I-Vt.) supporters. He believes he can lock in the GOPs growing isolationist/non-interventionist minority, while expanding his support on the left by echoing the policies and even the language of the Democratic socialist on foreign affairs.

Trump responded to Clintons speech by declaring Im the one that didnt want to go into Iraq, folks, and shes the one that stupidly raised her hand to go into Iraq and destabilize the entire Middle East. And he declared last month: Her decision to go in  and this was her baby, Libya  was a disaster. Thats indistinguishable from Sanders, who proudly says: I voted against the war in Iraq . . . Secretary Clinton voted for that war. She was proud to have been involved in regime change in Libya.

Trump is also campaigning on a promise to pull back from the Middle East so that we can spend the money here at home. We have spent $4 trillion trying to topple various people, Trump says. If we could have spent that $4 trillion in the United States to fix our roads, our bridges and all of the other problems, our airports and all of the other problems we have, we would have been a lot better off  I can tell you that right now. This is, almost verbatim, what Sanders says: We are spending $4 trillion on war in Iraq  by the way helping to rebuild Iraqs infrastructure  when what we should be doing is investing that money in our bridges, our roads, our sewer systems, our wastewater plants.

Trump is running to Clintons left on international trade, never failing to point out that her husband signed the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA . . . has been a total disaster for the United States and has emptied our states  literally emptied our states of our manufacturing and our jobs, Trump recently declared, echoing Sanders, who declares that Clinton voted for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions of jobs.

Trump is careful not to go too far and thus alienate the hawkish GOP base, 75 percent of whom support sending ground troops to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and 90 percent of whom say President Obamas approach to terrorism has not been aggressive enough. Trump promises to beat the hell out of ISIS, waterboard captured terrorists, target their families and rebuild our military.

But his strategy is clear: Trump believes he can win up to 40 percent of Sanders voters in November, while Clinton is counting on winning over Republicans who care about responsible international leadership. To reach these voters, the two have turned the foreign policy debate on its head, each appealing across party lines to the others base.

Will it work? To vote for Clinton, Republicans would have to choke down their disdain for her disastrous record from Benghazi to the rise of the Islamic State. To vote for Trump, Sanders voters would have to get over their disgust for waterboarding and wall-building. For many on the left and right, that may be too much to bear.

This much is certain: At a time when approval of Obamas handling of foreign policy is underwater by a whopping margin of 57 percent to 39 percent, foreign policy should be a liability for Clinton. Instead, she enjoys an almost 30-point advantage over Trump on the question of whom voters trust to handle foreign affairs. Trump has willingly ceded the historic GOP foreign policy advantage to win over the #NeverHillary left. Well see whether his gamble pays off.

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Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric (2015 revenue: $117 billion), gave an interesting speech the other day that illuminates some pressing questions about the future of globalization. This involves politics as much as economics. It should be no surprise that the three remaining major presidential candidates (Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump) are no fans of globalization.

Most people consider globalization an economic phenomenon, signifying the spread of technology, the growth of trade, and the threats to U.S. workers and firms from many sources  low wages, manipulated exchange rates, government subsidies and pure competitive advantage. It is all of these things but also much more. If there was an organizing principle to U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War, it was globalization.

The general idea was that, as countries traded with each other, their populations would become richer  in poor countries, middle classes would emerge  and nations interests would become intertwined. The threat of major wars would recede, because middle-class societies prefer commerce to conflict. The new world order would have tensions and feuds, but they would be manageable precisely because they occurred in a context of shared interests.

With hindsight, we know that this vision was simplistic and flawed. Expectations were unrealistic. Three defects stand out.

First, globalization overestimated its capacity to suppress ethnic, religious and nationalistic strife. For proof, see the Middle East ablaze.

Second, it optimistically presumed strong and steady economic growth. Markets were assumed to be self-correcting, so slumps and stock declines  while inevitable  would be short and mild. The devastating 2008-2009 financial crisis and Great Recession punctured this premise.

Finally, the economic benefits of more trade and open financial markets were considered so obvious that globalization would enjoy strong political support. Not so. It represents a loss of national sovereignty. Countries accept this when the rewards  prosperity and rising living standards  seem high. When gains fade, the bargain becomes less tenable.

Enter GEs Immelt. Globalization is being attacked as never before, he told MBA graduates of New York Universitys Stern School of Business. This is not just true for the U.S., but everywhere. At another point, he said: We are having a raucous [U.S.] presidential election, one where every candidate is protectionist.

So GE must defend its interests. With globalization, it is time for a bold pivot, Immelt said. We will localize production. To the extent possible, production will occur where the company makes sales. With 420 factories worldwide, he said, GE has tremendous flexibility in locating production. For the United States: We will produce for the U.S. in the U.S., but our exports may decline.

Superficially, this seems reasonable. We produce where we consume; so do other countries. In fact, its a formula for U.S. economic stagnation, because most of GEs growth is happening in foreign markets. When Immelt joined GE in 1982, 80 percent of the companys sales occurred in the United States. Now, 70 percent originate elsewhere. If other multinationals copy GE (which seems plausible), there will be a slow-motion shrinkage of their U.S. operations.

Similarly, policies backed by the presidential candidates, including opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, may backfire. The candidates falsely promise to strengthen the economy by de-globalizing. In practice, just the opposite may be true. Consider Trumps proposed 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports. No one should think this would stimulate much added production to the United States.

U.S. companies would not start producing more apparel and footwear in the United States, nor would they start assembling consumer electronics domestically, writes economist Douglas Irwin of Dartmouth College in a forthcoming issue of Foreign Affairs. Instead, production would shift from China to other low-wage developing countries in Asia, such as Vietnam. Meanwhile, China would almost certainly retaliate against U.S. exports. The big loser would be the United States.

There would also be broader political repercussions. Trumps America First policies would reinforce the drift away from U.S. global leadership  in ways that would benefit China, my Post colleague David Ignatius recently wrote. Clintons and Sanderss trade policies merit a similar verdict.

Just because globalization is flawed doesnt mean that its nationalist substitute is superior. Creeping protectionism reduces the efficiencies created by large international markets. This would limit the possibility of lowering prices of traded goods and services. It would also foster more trade conflicts as countries aided local firms with more subsidies and protectionism.

For all its shortcomings, globalization has contributed to a huge reduction in worldwide poverty over the past quarter-century. We ought to be more realistic about its limits and should police its vulnerabilities  particularly the danger of financial breakdowns. But as an organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy, we shouldnt abandon it until we have something better. We dont.

Read more from Robert Samuelsons archive.
Republican leaders, having fallen in behind Donald Trump, may hope that they can move beyond daily questions about their presumptive nominee. In fact, their endorsements should guarantee that the questions have only begun.



Speaker Ryan, you have decided to support Trump because you believe he will support your legislative agenda. Do you also agree that anyone with a Hispanic surname should be disqualified from presiding over any cases having to do with the nominee or his businesses?

Think back eight years to the firestorm ignited by revelations that Barack Obamas pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, had said in a sermon, God damn America. Obama, then an Illinois senator running for president, was hounded by reporters to repudiate the comment.

Today, it is the candidate who is making the incendiary comments. Dont voters in Ohio, Arizona and elsewhere have a right to know whether their leaders agree or disagree with the views of the man they have endorsed?

Paul Ryan endorsed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on June 2, but the two haven't always seen eye-to-eye. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Senator McCain, you say you back Trump because it would be foolish to ignore the voters who have propelled him to the nomination. Do you also agree with the suggestion, which he recently retweeted, that Hillary Clinton is the one who killed 4 Americans in Benghazi?

What purpose would such questioning serve, beyond tormenting people who, it might be argued, richly deserve to be tormented?

No comment from a Republican politician is likely to chasten Trump or modify his behavior in the campaign, far less if he is elected. Indeed, one of the saddest aspects of the GOP self-abnegation parade is the politicians delusion that a caution from them for Trump to act more presidential will have any impact. He got this far without them; their misgivings will not trouble him, now or later.

The questions matter, but not because they will shape Trumps behavior. His campaign is founded on an assault on the norms of democracy: judicial independence, a free press, a republic that judges every individual for his or her worth and not by religion or ethnicity or gender or disability.

Even if he loses, that assault could do grave and lasting damage  particularly if U.S. citizens and foreigners come to believe that other U.S. leaders see nothing objectionable or out of the ordinary in Trumps views.

Senator McConnell, you have endorsed Trump because Clinton would represent a third term for Obama. If a President Trump seeks funds to round up and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants in a mass version of the Operation Wetback that he admires, would you support the appropriation?

Democrats will repudiate Trumps hate speech, but their objections will be dismissed as predictable campaign give-and-take. It is only Republicans who still have an opportunity to salvage some standards  to say that, no matter their rationale for endorsing, they understand that some behavior and some rhetoric are still beyond the pale.

Chairman Priebus, you were one of the first and most enthusiastic riders on the Trump bandwagon. Tell us, please: Do you agree that the government of Mexico deliberately sends rapists across the U.S. border?

The media should not be satisfied with a generic response that an endorsement does not imply 100 percent agreement.

As ABCs George Stephanopoulos on Sunday pressed Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) for his views on Trumps wall, Trumps racist attack on a judge and other positions, the chairman of the foreign relations committee looked increasingly miserable. I thought this interview was going to be more about the foreign policy arena, he complained.

Sorry, Senator: If youve endorsed Trump, reporters are absolutely right to ask you, and other Republican leaders, which beliefs you share and which you reject.

Senator Portman, you have praised your partys nominee for bringing new voters into the fold. Do you agree with him that vaccines cause autism?

Senator Paul, do you think that U.S. armed forces should be ordered to kill the innocent relatives of suspected terrorists overseas?

Senator Rubio, do you still believe that Trump is a con man?

A day after endorsing Trump, Ryan said that he disapproved of the nominees criticism of a judge for his Mexican heritage. Oddly, since Trumps dismissal of the Indiana-born judge as a Mexican came well before Ryans endorsement, the speaker acted as if it was a surprise  out of left field, he said.

He clearly says and does things I dont agree with, Ryan said. And Ive had to speak up on time to time when that has occurred, and Ill continue to do that if thats necessary. I hope its not.

If Ryan and other Republican leaders do in fact speak up when it is necessary, they could yet perform some service to their party and their nation. They might also salvage a sliver of dignity and self-respect.

Read more from Fred Hiatts archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders walks onstage with his wife, Jane, and their grandchildren for a rally in San Diego on June 5. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Standing on stage before more than 3,000 people last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders took an unusual poll for someone vying to be the Democratic Partys standard-bearer for 2016.

Ive never asked this question before, and Im kind of curious to know the answer, said the senator from Vermont. How many people here have at one point or another gone to a Democratic Party meeting?

Only a hundred or so members of the audience put up their hands.

I would say thats about 3 percent of the people here, Sanders said. I understand why that is the case. The message to the Democratic leadership is that if the Democratic Party is to be the party of working people and young people and the middle class, theyve got to open up the doors.

In the course of a year while running for president, Sanders has managed to shift the Democratic Party to the left, in part by leveraging the power of liberals who feel disconnected from it. Now, the partys leaders have begun the delicate task of trying to bring those voters back into the fold.

And Sanders isnt making it easier for them. With questions such as that one in Santa Cruz, he continues to position himself outside the party. He has done so in other ways as well  notably in his selections to sit on the 15-member Democratic platform committee.

Now it may fall to that committee to broker a peace between Sanders supporters and the rest of the party.

[How Bernie Sanders missed his chance to beat Hillary Clinton]

Sanders was given the appointments as a concession by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chair of the Democratic National Committee. Now, the committees makeup is a hybrid of longtime party activists, party elders and leftist critics  a combination of figures appointed by Sanders, front-runner Hillary Clinton and Wasserman Schultz.

While the Wasserman Schultz and Clinton appointees have worked within the party for years  such as the panels chairman, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), former congressman Howard Berman (Calif.), and Carol Browner and Wendy Sherman, former top aides to President Obama  Sanderss picks include a climate activist who has been arrested while protesting at the White House fence and an Ivy League professor of African American studies who dubbed Obama a Rockefeller Republican in blackface.

[Opinion: Can Democrats soothe the Bern?]

They were provocative picks and were meant to be, said David Axelrod, a Democratic strategist who helped guide Obamas two presidential campaigns and served in the White House. Bernie has built his campaign around distinct positions, and he appointed outspoken exponents of his point of view to the platform committee. The question is whether common ground and language can be found or whether his appointees will take an all-or-nothing approach.

Several members of the platform committee, which has yet to formally meet, say they are committed to forging a consensus.

Were not going into this platform discussion to pick a fight, said James Zogby, a Palestinian-rights activist and DNC member whom Sanders placed on the panel. This isnt pitchforks and torches at night. This is a mass movement in the country, like the civil rights movement and the womens movement created a different dynamic in the country.

Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden, whom Clinton appointed to the committee, said the two presidential candidates share similar policy goals on issues including college tuition, child care and regulatory reform.

There is a debate about the speed and scale but not the subject or end goal, Tanden said. There really isnt a difference in the analysis of the problem.

Still, there are significant differences between the campaigns on a handful of issues, including whether to ban all fossil-fuel extraction from federal lands and waters, the use of U.S. military force abroad and how to address the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At a news conference Wednesday morning next to a Monterey County lettuce field, Sanders said the old Democratic platform that blandly referred to safe exploration of natural gas needed to be updated, with a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

There are tens of thousands of homes, right here in California, where you can turn on the faucet but cant drink the water, Sanders said. Absolutely, the Democratic platform going into the general election should make it absolutely clear that the Democratic Party stands with the American people, stands with the people of California, for a ban on fracking.

One of Sanderss platform committee appointees is Middlebury College professor and 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, who engaged in acts of civil disobedience at the White House to protest the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline and blasted Obama for allowing Shell to pursue drilling in the Arctic Ocean last summer. McKibben said in an email that the pace of climate change means the next administration must take more-aggressive action to curb the nations carbon output.

The science has gotten steadily gnarlier over the last eight years as we break one temperature record after another, he said, so the policy response needs to get steadily tougher.

[How activists convinced Obama that Keystone XL failed the climate test]

McKibben said he had not attended a Democratic convention since he covered it for Harvard Universitys Crimson in 1980: A lot of people in funny hats!

One of Sanderss picks was blocked: Roseann DeMoro, the no-holds-barred executive director of National Nurses United. The DNC informed the campaign it did not want an additional labor representative on the platform-writing committee, since one already sat on the full platform committee.

Sanders did get to appoint Cornel West, a prominent racial-justice activist who holds appointments at Princeton and Union Theological Seminary and who has been highly critical of Obama for several years. In a 2014 interview with the author Thomas Frank, West said of the president, He posed as a progressive and turned out to be counterfeit. The following year, West described him as the first niggerized black president, which he defined as a black person who is afraid and scared and intimidated when it comes to putting a spotlight on white supremacy and fighting against white supremacy.

Cummings, who is also African American, said in an interview that his goal is not to bring the platform committee members to common ground  its to get us to higher ground. Im going to preach that.

My position is that both sides need to be heard, he added. And they need to be respected.

Cummings said he will welcome the insights academics such as West, who can present their vision of the way the things should be, and then you balance that with folks who are in the trenches working on things day to day. Speaking from his home in Baltimore on Tuesday, the congressman noted that on his way home he ran into five young black men who were begging for jobs, and the day before he found a family on his stoop, seeking help with housing.

We need to come up with practical solutions, contrast our positions with the Republicans and show the American people we are on their side, he said.

No Democrat has come to the convention with enough delegates to demand platform and rules changes since Jesse Jackson in 1988. Sanders, Jackson said, ought to use his forces to expand the party and cement his more progressive economic ideas.

Everybodys talking about the $15-per-hour minimum wage now. Everybodys talking about student debt, credit card debt. But Bernie cannot let himself get so far out where he cant control his own troops, Jackson said. The language you hear from Hillary now tells you that hes already winning.

He added that Clinton Democrats this year are not the moderates of Bill Clintons Democratic Leadership Council of the 1980s and 1990s. Theyre the rainbow Democrats, Jackson said.

[Leading liberals push to unify around Clinton]

Several top Democratic strategists said in interviews that they remain confident that several politicians embraced by the partys progressive wing  including Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), whose advisers are regularly talking with the Clinton campaign  will be able to win over the left.

Obamas approval ratings among liberals, at 93 percent, are higher than with moderate Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

One of the people who party operatives will have to win over is Chris Siennick, a 26-year-old who attended Sanderss rally in Santa Cruz this week. His right arm was tattooed with an image from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and his left arm bore the slogan Peace Land Freedom from a 1917 uprising in Ukraine.

Getting this many people registered as Democrats can really move the party in a progressive direction  more socialist, less capitalist, Siennick said. I think that starts at the Democratic National Convention and moves onward from there.

Before Bernie, I thought it was just another profiteering, capitalist party. I never thought the party could be salvaged. But Bernie pulled it left.

Eilperin reported from Washington. Scott Clement in Washington contributed to this report.
Hillary Clinton moved closer to the Democratic presidential nomination with two contests this weekend as she and Sen. Bernie Sanders continued a fierce contest in California ahead of voting Tuesday that is likely to make Clinton the winner of a bruising primary battle.

Late Sunday, Clinton won the Democratic primary in Puerto Rico, according to early returns. On Saturday, she overwhelmingly won caucuses in the Virgin Islands.

Clinton spent the day speaking at an African American church in Oakland, Calif., and seeking to shore up support among younger Latino voters. Sanders campaigned in West Hollywood and elsewhere in Southern California.

In Puerto Rico, 60 pledged delegates and seven superdelegates were at stake, and Clinton was expected to capture a large majority of them.

Sanders and Clinton are in a statistical tie in delegate-rich California, forcing her to mount a late statewide press to avert an embarrassing loss on the same night she is widely expected to capture enough delegates to claim the nomination.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders greets supporters in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

As he shook hands with brunch-goers Sunday afternoon in West Hollywood, Sanders reiterated his belief that there will be a contested convention. Absolutely, he said when asked by a reporter if that remains his view.

Sanders, wearing a loose sky-blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up under the hot sun, ducked down for selfies at Joeys Cafe with young people who were sipping smoothies and eating plates piled with eggs and French toast, and he urged them to vote Tuesday. He was flanked by his wife, Jane, and Secret Service agents.

Sanders then roamed throughout the block, waving to crowds that gathered in the neighborhood, a community known to be supportive of gay and transgender rights.

Well stand up and make it clear that it is too late for establishment politics and establishment candidates. We need real change in this country, Sanders told a crowd at Hamburger Marys that spilled out onto the street. And we need a government which represents all of us, not just the 1 percent!

Even a blowout for Sanders in California would not close Clintons big lead over him among pledged delegates. Sanderss claim that he still has a way to claim the nomination would depend on him winning a huge share of superdelegates who have not yet announced their preference, plus persuading some superdelegates already committed to Clinton to swing to him. Neither is likely.

[How Bernie Sanders missed his chance to beat Hillary Clinton]

Clinton has spent most of her time campaigning in California without mentioning Sanders, but that has begun to change in recent days as the race has gotten closer.

The Fix's Chris Cillizza explains why the June 7 California primary isn't quite the showdown between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton that it's being portrayed as. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Several polls show Sanders within two points of Clinton. In response to the growing pressure, Clinton has returned to critiquing Sanders over his past opposition to immigration-reform legislation.

It is true we got close to immigration reform, Clinton said in Los Angeles, recalling a 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill that failed when she, Sanders and President Obama were then in the Senate. President Obama and I voted for it, and Senator Sanders voted against it.

It was heartbreaking, she said, referring to the bills failure.

Sanders has said he voted against the legislation because it did not sufficiently protect farmworkers.

But Clintons allies also think that younger Latinos are not fully aware of her past work on immigration issues, including registering voters in Texas, working with the families of farmworkers as a teen and advocating for immigration reform legislation in the Senate.

Immigration is at the center of this presidential campaign, Clinton said at Mission College as she sat at a lunchroom table sandwiched between two children of undocumented immigrants. This is very personal to me.

[Clinton looks to shore up support among younger Latinos in California]

Sanderss top advisers said Sunday that the campaign would not accept any declaration by Clinton or party leaders that Clinton is the presumptive nominee.

Theyd be wrong, Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Sanders, said in an interview Sunday in Santa Monica, Calif. The reality is this is going to the convention.

[Bernie Sanders, eyeing a contested convention, urges media to hold off on calling race]

Although the Puerto Rico primary was a relatively low-key affair, the territory offers more delegates than about half of the other Democratic contests, including the first four in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Puerto Rico is among U.S. territories that can hold nominating contests and award delegates despite not being able to vote in the general election.

A candidate needs 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.

Some voters endured waits of more than two hours  or gave up entirely  because of long lines at polling stations, according to multiple reports on site.

The commonwealth, which is amid a financial crisis, reduced the number of polling stations by more than two-thirds from the more than 1,500 originally announced. Sanders supporters complained vociferously on social media.

An MSNBC reporter said that the Democratic Party blamed the Sanders campaign in part because it had requested a reduction in sites, citing a lack of volunteers to monitor them. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs called the allegation total bunk.

Briggs said the campaign had instead urged the Democratic Party to maintain the more than 1,500 polling stations promised. They cannot blame their shoddy running of the primary on our campaign, he said in a statement late Sunday.

Sanders made a campaign trip to Puerto Rico last month and has been airing television ads there. Clinton went there in September.

The politics of a pending bailout of the cash-strapped island has figured in the campaign.

Sanders said last week that he plans to introduce his own bill dealing with the Puerto Rico debt crisis after having slammed an effort supported by Obama and House leaders that Sanders said would make a terrible situation even worse.

The House bill has drawn criticism from some other quarters as well. Clinton has expressed concerns, but said she wants to see the bill move forward to stop Puerto Ricos problems from worsening.

Phillip reported from Oakland, Calif.; Gearan, from Washington. John Wagner contributed to this report from Washington.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it would review two cases brought by African Americans on death row in Texas, the state that most often carries out what is an increasingly rare punishment in the United States.

One challenge involves Texass use of what lawyers say is an outdated method of determining whether inmates intellectual disabilities are so great that they should not be executed. The other alleges that racial discrimination infected an inmates sentencing.

Last term, Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg urged the court to accept a case that would allow the justices to fully examine whether capital punishment can be carried out in a way that satisfies the Constitution. So far, the court has not accepted such a case.

[Supreme Court turns down death-penalty case]

But Mondays actions and recent decisions by the court are a reminder of how much time the court spends policing the imposition of the death penalty and the inclination of the justices to put limits on its use.

The court last term upheld the use of a much criticized drug used in lethal injections. But it has also thrown out the death sentence imposed on a black Georgia man by an all-white jury, tossed out the capital-punishment sentencing scheme in Florida, raised questions about the method used in Alabama and said states must be more flexible in determining intellectual disability.

[Supreme Court finds Floridas death-penalty process unconstitutional]

Both of the cases accepted Monday come from Houston, which is in Harris County. About half of the African American prisoners on Texass death row are from there, according to lawyers in the case. They add that since December 2004, all of the new death sentences in Harris County have been imposed on men of color  three Hispanic men and 13 black men.

Texas has carried out six executions this year, representing nearly half of the 14 executions nationwide.

One of the cases is brought by Duane Buck, who says his trial attorney was inadequate because he presented testimony at sentencing by an expert who said black people were more likely to be violent.

By any measure, Duane Bucks death sentence is extraordinary, his new attorneys said in a brief to the Supreme Court. At sentencing, his trial attorney presented bizarre and objectionable testimony from a defense expert that Mr. Buck was more likely to be dangerous in the future because he is black.

Buck was convicted of murder in the killing of his ex-girlfriend and a man at the womans Houston apartment in July 1995; her children were present.

During the sentencing phase of his trial, Bucks attorney called psychologist Walter Quijano to testify about the convicted mans future dangerousness, something Texas requires in order to impose death.

Bucks attorney put Quijano on the stand even though he knew that Quijano believed that race was among the statistical factors in deciding whether a person will or will not constitute a continued danger,  said Bucks brief to the Supreme Court, filed by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Texas Defender Service.

Then, on cross-examination, the trial prosecutor exploited and compounded defense counsels error by asking Dr. Quijano to reiterate his false and discriminatory expert opinion that Mr. Bucks race increased his likelihood of future dangerousness, the brief said.

Then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, now a Republican U.S. senator, conducted a study and said six death-penalty cases, including Bucks, needed to be reopened because of testimony by Quijano.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit denied Bucks attempt to overturn his death sentence. Texas says future litigation of the long-running case is barred for procedural reasons.

Bobby J. Moores case is even older. He was convicted of murder for a killing during a grocery-store robbery in Houston in 1980. His case raises the question of whether modern standards should be used in determining whether he is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for the death penalty.

Moores attorneys say the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ignored the Supreme Courts recent rulings about not using a strict IQ-score threshold in determining whether an inmate is mentally incompetent.

Texass highest criminal court has decided that Texas courts must continue to apply a 1992 standard of intellectual disability unless and until the states legislature sees fit to enact new regulations, said the brief filed by Washington lawyer Clifford M. Sloan. That approach defies both the Constitution and common sense, it said.

When the court first announced Monday morning it was accepting Moores case, it indicated it would also consider whether Moores 35 years on death row and 15 years in solitary confinement violated the Constitutions protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

But hours later it clarified that the justices were considering only the intellectual-disability question.

The cases are Buck v. Stephens and Moore v. Texas.
The Supreme Court for the second time will consider redistricting cases from Virginia. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File) (Jon Elswick/AP)

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will take its second look at whether Virginias Republican political leaders gerrymandered the states electoral maps in order to diminish the power of African American voters.

Last month, the justices upheld a plan imposed by a lower court that redrew some of the commonwealths congressional districts and created the possibility of electing a second black U.S. House member.

[Supreme Court leaves in place Virginia redistricting decision]

On Monday, the court said it would review a different courts rejection of a challenge that said Republican leaders reduced the strength of minority voters by packing them into a dozen House of Delegates districts.

A three-judge panel had voted 2 to 1 that the districts were constitutional and that race had not been the primary consideration in drawing them.

The case will be considered in the new term that begins in October, and if the Supreme Court orders any changes in the districts, they would presumably take place in advance of the 2017 elections.

The Supreme Court is increasingly being asked to consider cases of alleged racial gerrymandering. Unlike the usual process involved in selecting which cases it will review, federal law leaves the court little discretion in deciding whether to review redistricting challenges.

Last year, the court sent back Alabamas legislative redistricting plan, saying legislators had failed to find the legal sweet spot between districts drawn with enough minority voters that they can elect representatives of their choice but not with so many minority voters that surrounding districts are intentionally made safe for white Republicans.

[Supreme Court sides with black challengers in Alabama redistricting case]

The Virginia cases were brought by Marc E. Elias and funded by the National Democratic Redistricting Trust. Elias is general counsel to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and worked on the campaign of now-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said the three-judge panel in the current case plainly laid out the constitutionality of Virginias House of Delegates redistricting plan and we are confident that upon review the Supreme Court will affirm the lower court ruling.

Supporters of the plan noted that every member of the Legislative Black Caucus voted for it when it was drawn in 2011.

But support from black incumbents does not guarantee that the maps were fair, said Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021, a nonprofit group pushing for nonpartisan redistricting.

Its not about the black legislators. Its about the black voters, whether African American voters have been illegally packed into districts, Cannon said. This leaves a number of communities split. It wrings out competition from elections, and it only serves as an incumbent-protection racket.

He added: The Supreme Court has a chance to uphold good-government redistricting criteria in this case because what theyre faced with is a scenario in which the political process subverted all other good-government criteria in favor of politics.

Richmond braced for a stalemate over redistricting in 2011, the first time since Reconstruction that political map-making had been undertaken by a divided legislature. But the GOP-led House and Democratic-led Senate struck an informal deal: Republicans in the House agreed to accept Senate lines drawn by Democrats, and Democrats in the Senate agreed to accept House lines drawn by Republicans.

Some Democrats complained at the time that the GOP could have drawn two additional majority-minority districts but chose not to. Many black legislators spoke in favor of the plan, saying that their views had been taken into account.

The deal sailed through the House on an 86-to-8 vote. Most of the resistance came from Republicans in the closely divided Senate, where the map was passed on a straight party-line vote of 22 to 18. Senate Republicans said at the time that the Democratic plan divided up too many counties and cities and contained districts that varied too widely in population.

More recently, House Democrats have begun complaining about the lines.

We have a state that is essentially a 50-50, Republican-Democratic state and two-thirds of the House is controlled by the Republicans, said House Minority Leader David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville). That only makes sense in terms of lines that are drawn to protect the incumbent Republican majority.

That may not mean much to the justices. The court has shown a high tolerance for partisan gerrymandering aimed at protecting incumbents. But the Constitution forbids gerrymandering that relies too heavily on race, because it harms the political clout of minorities.

The lawsuit singled out 12 legislative districts for such criticism. But two of the three judges examining the plan said challengers had failed to prove that race was the predominant factor in drawing 11 of them.

Dissenting Judge Barbara Milano Keenan disagreed, saying the states leaders applied a one-size-fits-all racial quota to the otherwise dissimilar districts.

In the congressional case decided last month, the Supreme Court did not reach the question of whether Virginia lawmakers had intentionally packed minority voters in a way that diminished their strength. Instead, the court found that the Republican congressmen challenging the lower courts decision did not have the legal standing to bring the suit.

The legislative redistricting case is Bethune-Hill v. Virginia Board of Elections.
When Attorney General Loretta Lynch decided not to defend a statute that makes it easier to fire Department of Veterans Affairs senior executives, attention quickly focused on Sharon Helman.

The former Phoenix VA director and admitted felon was fired during the departments scandal over the cover-up of long wait times at VA facilities. Yet although a letter Lynch sent to Congress last week centers on Helmans lawsuit to be reinstated, there is much more at stake than one individuals fate  namely, civil service protections.

In the letter, as reported by CNN, Lynch said the Justice Department would not defend a section of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014. Among its many good provisions, the law also severely weakened the ability of VA senior executives to appeal disciplinary actions. That threatens the federal civil service system generally  a system that protects the public and the government, not just federal employees, from undue political influence in government operations.

That section of the law denied any role to the presidentially appointed members of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), a quasi-judicial panel that reviews federal employee disputes. Instead, the law gave hearing officers, administrative judges who are employees, power that under the Constitution belongs to politically appointed Officers of the United States, according to Lynch. For most federal workers, administrative judge rulings can be appealed to the three-member MSPB. The law abolished that right only for VA senior executives, placing them in an inferior position compared with colleagues in other agencies.

That scheme, Lynch wrote, which impairs the Presidents ability to supervise the execution of the federal civil service laws, is inconsistent with the Appointments Clause in the Constitution.

Although outraged Republicans charged that the Justice Departments decision could help Helman, the governments brief in the case makes it clear that the Obama administration is not on her side.

Helman was properly removed from her senior executive position in the Department of Veterans Affairs for a range of misconduct, the brief says. That misconduct included knowingly accepting, and intentionally failing to report, tens of thousands of dollars in gifts  including tickets to a Beyonce concert and a Disneyland vacation  from a consultant who represented companies actively seeking business with the agency.

Some folks deserve to be fired. The process to get rid of federal employees can be frustratingly slow and cumbersome. Boosting MSPB staff and resources so it can handle cases more quickly could be one part of the solution. But the answer should not be a law that so undermined the ability of VA senior executives to appeal actions that the Senior Executives Association considered it a sham of due-process rights. Restricting the appeal rights was only one portion of the measure that also included significantly reduced appeal timelines. If a hearing officer does not overturn a ruling against an employee in three weeks, much less time than cases generally take, then VA wins by default.

Rep. Jeff Miller, the Florida Republican who has been relentless in his pursuit of VA changes following the scandal over cover-up of long patient wait times, thinks those strict measures are appropriate. Im outraged by the Obama administrations decision, which is remarkably hypocritical given the fact that President Obama enthusiastically supported this law, said Miller, who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The effect of this reckless action is clear: It undermines very modest reforms to our broken civil service system supported in 2014 by the president and an overwhelming majority of Congress. . . . This decision only underscores the urgent need for civil service reform across the federal government that enables leaders to swiftly and efficiently discipline those who cant or wont do their jobs  an ability that is presently almost nonexistent.

Swift discipline sounds good, but without effective safeguards it can come at a cost  decimation of the due-process protections that are fundamental to the federal civil service system. The civil service system guards against politically motivated personnel decisions, as was common under the spoils system.

Said Jason Briefel, SEAs interim president: The Constitution is the law of the land and cannot be dismissed or ignored.
Mohamed Abdelaziz, the head and co-founder of the Polisario Front independence movement in the Western Sahara, died May 31. He was in his late 60s.

The group  based in Tindouf, in southern Algeria  announced the death but did not cite a cause or place.

The death of Mr. Abdelaziz, leader of the Polisario Front for four decades, comes at a time of growing tensions over the fate of the Western Sahara. The Polisario Front has fought for four decades for independence for the vast, mineral-rich territory on Africas Atlantic coast, which was annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew in 1975.

Morocco considers the territory its southern provinces and has pumped funds into the areas development over the years. Morocco is also becoming increasingly assertive on the topic with the United Nations, which has worked for years to help settle the issue of Western Saharas status.

Mr. Abdelaziz was born in Smara, which is now in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara, and led the Polisario Front, which he helped found, since 1976, according to Algerias state-run APS news agency.

Mohamed Abdelaziz in 2015. (Francisco Seco/AP)

The issue of Western Sahara has prompted new friction between two North African neighbors, Morocco and Algeria. Algeria supports the Polisario Front, and like numerous other African countries recognizes the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic it defends.

The Moroccan government has proposed wide-ranging autonomy for the region, but the Polisario Front insists on self-determination through a referendum for the local population  as called for in U.N. resolutions.

Morocco expelled most U.N. civilian staff in April after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the word occupation to refer to the situation after a March visit to a camp for Western Sahara refugees in southern Algeria during which he met with Mr. Abdelaziz.

In April, a top member of the Polisario Front, Bachir Mustafa Sayed, warned that war is possible over the disputed territory if the U.N. Security Council fails to set a timetable for a vote on self-determination.

Mr. Abdelaziz warned in a letter to Ban that Morocco will have a green light to a military aggression unless the Security Council imposes real and direct pressure on Morocco to restore the U.N. missions work. He warned that the Saharawi people in Western Sahara will defend their rights in the face of aggression by all legitimate means, including armed struggle.

The Polisario had mounted a desert war against Morocco after the territory was annexed.

Ban called Mr. Abdelaziz a central figure in the search for a resolution of the Western Sahara conflict, according to a statement released by the U.N. spokesperson. Ban said he looks forward to continuing to work to help the parties to achieve a mutually acceptable political solution providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Issandr El Amrani, North Africa project director with the International Crisis Group, said the impact of Mr. Abdelazizs death on the U.N. contingent was unclear but it adds uncertainty at a time when the mission is under pressure.

Amrani noted the saber-rattling tone among some Polisario activists in the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough. The next Polisario leader will have to contend with that sentiment, Amrani said.

The Polisario Front has appointed the head of the movements National Council, Khatri Adduh, as interim Polisario leader.

In the refugee camps of Tindouf, Saharawi blogger Mohamedsalem Werad described the overall atmosphere on Tuesday as quiet, sad and uncertain. Many people are expecting all kinds of scenarios, he said.

 Associated Press
Jordanian military units parade on June 2 marking 100 years since Arab Revolt. The intelligence offices of this staunch U.S. ally were attacked at the Baqaa refugee camp. (Muhammad Hamed / Pool/EPA)

An attack described as a terrorist strike targeted offices of Jordans powerful intelligence service Monday, killing five people and raising concerns that Islamist militants were behind the bloodshed in the Western-allied nation.

Jordans government spokesman, Mohammed al-Momani, said the terror attack took place at 7 a.m. in the Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp near the capital, Amman, on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The dead included four members of the intelligence agency and a receptionist, he added.

[Jordan looks toward elections amid regional crises]

Momani did not name who was responsible for the attack or how it was waged, but he strongly suggested that Islamist factions could be responsible. He said the attackers showed criminal behavior of those outside our moderate religion.

Jordans intelligence service has been a critical ally to the United States in the battle against the Islamic State. It has repeatedly foiled plots by the Islamic State, according to the state, most recently in a lengthy raid in March.

Jordans air force also takes part in strikes against Islamist State targets. One of its pilots was publicly executed by being set fire in a cage in an Islamic state video released early last year.

Jordan responded by executing two convicted militants.

Despite being adjacent to Syria and Iraq, the main battlegrounds in the war between the Islamic State and its opponents, attacks on Jordanian soil have been relatively rare.

In 2005, dozens were killed in suicide bomb attacks against luxury hotels claimed by Iraq-based militants but there have been few incidents since.

In addition to the historic Palestinian refugees that make up a major proportion of its population of 7 million, Jordan is home to 600,000 registered refugees fleeing Syria.

In February, King Abdullah II of Jordan warned that country was stretched to the limit by all the refugees, warning that the dam is going to burst.

Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Like dozens of war reporters here over the past decade, NPR correspondent Tom Bowman was crammed into a butt-bruising military armored vehicle while two of the people he counted on most  a photographer and interpreter  were separated in another vehicle.

The convoy was traveling on a dangerous road in Afghanistans restive Helmand province, where ongoing battles between Afghan soldiers and Taliban insurgents have defined the 15th year of a war that shows no sign of easing.

Suddenly, bullets, rocket-propelled grenades or mortar rounds  no one seems to know which for sure  began crashing into the convoy.

The Humvee in which Bowman and NPR producer Monika Evstatieva were riding sped off to a nearby military base.

When we pulled in, we said, Where are our friends?  Bowman recalled on NPRs Morning Edition on Monday, a day after the attack. We waited maybe an hour or two, and then the Afghan army truck came in, and they opened up the back and there were two dead bodies.

1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The extraordinary photos of the NPR journalist killed in Taliban ambush View Photos Award winning photographer David Gilkey captured beauty and the harsh realities of war around the world. He was killed in an attack in Helmand province in Afghanistan, along with NPR interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna and an Afghan soldier. He was 50. Caption Award-winning photographer David Gilkey captured the harsh realities of disaster and war around the world. He was killed June 5 in an attack in Helmand province in Afghanistan, along with NPR interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna and an Afghan soldier. He was 50. 2010 A man carrying a shotgun walks through a collapsed building while trying to keep looters at bay in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 18, 2010, after an earthquake left the capital nearly destroyed. David Gilkey/NPR Wait 1 second to continue.

When another truck pulled in later with another body, the scale of the loss became apparent: Award-winning NPR photojournalist David Gilkey, NPR interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna and an Afghan soldier who had been driving them had been killed in the ambush.

On Monday, remembrances poured in as, once again, journalists were reminded of the risks associated with working in Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

Gilkey, 50, had won a George Polk Award in 2010, an Emmy in 2007 and numerous distinctions from the White House News Photographers Association.

He had covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, among other stories during his career. He joined NPR, working for its website, in 2007.

Tamanna, 38, was also a journalist, shooting photos in Afghanistan for Chinas Xinhua News Agency and writing for Turkeys Anadolu agency.

Zabi and David, who were on the front line to report about the truth, themselves became the victims of Taliban brutality, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said. History will remember Zabi and David as fighters for freedom of information and expression.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 27 journalists or media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. But Gilkey, a native of Portland, Ore., was the first foreign journalist to be killed in Afghanistan since 2014, when a rogue Afghan police officer shot and killed Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, a German national.

The deaths are once again causing journalists here to reevaluate the risks in a country where both the brutality of the Taliban and the number of casualties continue to grow.

Yet the determination to bear witness to the war is something Kathy Gannon, chief Associated Press correspondent for Afghanistan-Pakistan, knows well.

During the 2014 attack that killed Niedringhaus, Gannon, 62, was shot six times.

She endured 16 surgeries over the past two years but returned to her Islamabad-based job earlier this year.

We are not motivated by danger; we are motivated by stories, Gannon said in an interview Monday. We are driven by that desire to get as close as possible to the people in the country, in the village, and in the conflict, and the only way we can best tell their story is to be by their side.

For much of the war, journalists in Afghanistan wanting to get near the fighting could embed with U.S. or coalition soldiers. But with the U.S. military having reduced its troop presence here over the past two years, those trips must now be taken alone or accompanying the Afghan military. That presents a host of life-threatening challenges.

Afghan soldiers arent as well trained as U.S. and coalition troops, and they can react too fast or too slowly to potential threats. Insider attacks from renegade Afghan soldiers or police officers remain a major concern. And if a journalist becomes injured, there is no guarantee that Afghan forces will be able to arrange a Medevac flight to a hospital.

According to Afghan and coalition officials, the NPR reporting team had spent Friday and Saturday with U.S. troops at a NATO base in Helmand. But because the Americans only sporadically leave their base in Afghanistan, the NPR team also had approval from the Afghan Ministry of Defense to go on a 36-hour mission with the Afghan armys 215th Corps.

Ahmad Shaikal Tassal, a spokesman for the 215th Corps, said the journalists were traveling from Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, to Marja when the ambush took place. One tribal elder from Helmand, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared for his own safety, said the Taliban have effectively controlled large stretches of that road since November.

They could do anything they wanted to do on that road, the man said. They were planting IEDs and equipped with rocket-propelled grenades.

But for many journalists drawn to dangerous parts of the world, those are the sorts of risks that are worth taking. Last month, before he traveled to Afghanistan, Gilkey said he was determined to sleep with, eat with, and go on patrol with Afghan soldiers to get a look at a war that one can only see by going there.

Sayed Salahuddin and Sharif Hassan contributed to this report.

Read more:

A year of Taliban gains shows that we havent delivered, top Afghan official says

Taliban replaces leader killed in U.S. drone strike

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world


The father of Suleman Malik, a local Muslim leader, prays the noon prayer in his living room, which is open to all members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat congregation in Erfurt, Germany. (Lene Muench/For The Washington Post)

This medieval city of timber-framed buildings and cobblestone streets is on the front lines of the escalating culture war over Islam in the West.

Donald Trump may be calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. But on this side of the Atlantic, too, Islam is under fire, with political opposition to the faith growing as an anti-Muslim message emerges as the rallying cry of Europes far right.

In few places is the shift more startling than here in Germany, where attacks by Islamist radicals in neighboring nations and a record wave of Middle Eastern migrants are testing the national will to protect minority rights adopted after World War II.

[Islam is Europes new fascism, and other things European politicians say about Muslims]

Once a libertarian force opposed to the euro and Greek bailouts, the fast-growing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has now squarely joined the anti-Islam ranks. In recent weeks, the AfD unveiled a scathing denunciation of the faith, warning against the expansion and presence of a growing number of Muslims on German soil. Adding fuel to the partys campaign, German authorities on Thursday arrested three Syrian men who had posed as migrants, accusing them of plotting an attack on the historic center of Dusseldorf in the name of the Islamic State.

Saying it wants to protect womens rights, national security and German culture, the party  supported by almost 1 in 6 voters  is calling for a ban on headscarves at schools and universities and is preparing to release an anti-Islam manifesto based on scientific research. Here in the formerly communist east, the party has gone further, startling local Muslims by launching an effort to stop the construction of Erfurts first mosque.

According to city records, 75 percent of Erfurts 200,000 residents say they have no religion. But AfD officials are outraged by the thought of minarets rising only a few tram stops away from the steeples of Erfurts ancient churches.

This issue is too important to remain silent about, said local AfD politician Stefan Moller. We owe it to our country to speak out. We are patriots.





Muslim leaders and progressive politicians, meanwhile, are sounding the alarm, while calling the AfDs move against Islam a sign of the times. This year, at least two German universities have closed Muslim prayer rooms, arguing that places of higher education should be secular and that Islam should not receive special treatment. They are encouraging Muslims who want to pray to use generic rooms of silence designed for all students.

In Germany, as in other parts of Europe, there has also been a recent spate of attacks on mosques, including attempted arsons and vandalism.

Reminds us . . . of Hitler

Some here  and not only Muslims  are deeply worried by the trend.

The crematoriums for the concentration camps [of World War II] were built in Erfurt, said Bodo Ramelow, the left-wing governor of the state where Erfurt is located. Buchenwald and Dora concentration camps were here. The first big wave of racism was directed against our fellow Jewish citizens. . . . We must never again allow a majority vote to prevent a minority from thriving.

Muslim leaders see rising opposition in Germany as part of the same phenomenon that has turned Islam into a campaign issue in the United States, as well as in France, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and other nations in Europe.

For the first time [since World War II] there is a party again attempting to existentially constrain an entire religious community and to threaten it, Aiman Mazyek, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said about the anti-

Islam stance of the AfD. This reminds us of the times of Hitler.

Political opposition in Europe to more conservative forms of Islam has been growing for years. In 2009, Switzerland effectively banned a new mosque, and a year later, France passed a law outlawing headscarves in public. But Muslim leaders fear a resurgence of anti-Islam sentiments throughout the West.

In the United States, Trump is targeting Muslims, while in Austria last month, a Muslim invasion of migrants fleeing war became the dominant theme of a presidential race narrowly lost by the far right. In Britain, Londons first Muslim mayor faced a campaign in which even Prime Minister David Cameron sought to link him to extremists.

In France, acts of violence against Muslims surged more than threefold in 2015, jumping from 133 incidents to 429, according to the countrys Interior Ministry. In May, Polish police entered university dorms in Krakow to question a number of foreign students about connections to terrorism, prompting allegations of racial profiling and Muslim-bashing.

In January, the Danish city of Randers passed a resolution requiring public institutions to serve pork. Supporters rallied in favor of the bill by saying Danish food culture should trump the religious requirements of Muslim immigrants.

In April, the Italian province of Veneto adopted a change in a law that critics say makes it harder to build mosques.

Im absolutely against the construction of new mosques, Luca Zaia, Venetos governor from the right-wing Northern League, told the Nuova di Venezia newspaper. Ive already met some of these preachers, and I told them clearly that sermons need to be pronounced in Italian, for reasons of transparency.

Criticism becomes broader

Germany has long been a bastion of tolerance in Europe, with many citing World War II history as an example of the danger when religious and ethnic minorities are targeted.

Some AfD supporters point to the growing influence of radical Islam in Germany as evidence of what happens when the faith is left unchecked. In 2014, for instance, a group of ultraconservative Islamists staged a publicity stunt in the city of Wuppertal, dressing up as sharia police  a reference to Islamic religious law  and allegedly telling bystanders not to drink alcohol or visit nightclubs.

Islams critics, although insisting they have nothing against progressive Muslims, are increasingly taking aim at the faith more broadly. They note a lack of respect for gays and lesbians, as well as women, allegedly shown by some Muslims  including suspects in a series of sexual assaults on New Years Eve in the German city of Cologne.

But opponents of the right wing argue that its own stances against gay rights and in defense of traditional roles for women suggest that anti-Islam positions are merely being used as a political ploy to win votes.

The AfD basically represents the same authoritarian, homophobic and sexist  in short: inhumane  position as ultraconservative Islamic associations, Mina Ahadi, an Iranian dissident and critic of fundamental Islam, wrote in an open letter to the group.

An attempted meeting between the AfD leadership and senior Muslim officials in Germany broke down last month, with both sides blaming each other. To produce materials arguing that Islam is incompatible with German democracy, the AfD is relying on authorities such as Tilman Nagel, a former professor of Islamic studies at Gottingen University who, in a telephone interview, lashed out at political correctness.

The fundamental principles of Islam cant be reconciled with our free constitution, he said.



Suleman Malik, spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat congregation in Erfurt, stands in front of the construction site for a planned mosque. Opponents of the project want to violate our freedom of religion, but I dont think they will succeed, Malik said. (Lene Muench/For The Washington Post)

In Erfurt, the AfDs opposition to a new mosque has stunned the small local community of 70 Muslims who are seeking permission to build it, the citys first, on a grassy patch of land in an industrial quarter on the outskirts of town. In fact, the AfD found out about the plan only when a local Muslim leader told the party about it during a meeting last month.

I could see the hate in their eyes when I told them, said Suleman Malik, a 33-year-old immigrant from Pakistan who is leading the effort.

They want to violate our freedom of religion, but I dont think they will succeed, he said. This is a national issue now, and I dont think Germany wants to see this happen.

Stephanie Kirchner in Berlin, James McAuley in Paris and Stefano Pitrelli in Rome contributed to this report.

Read more

Austrias right-wing populism reflects anti-Muslim platform of Donald Trump

Why Sadiq Khans win in London is so remarkable

How Muslims are using social media to shame European cops

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
One or more assailants armed with an automatic assault weapon attacked a local office of Jordans national intelligence agency Monday, a killing four guards and a receptionist in what the government called a terrorist attack.

Mohammed Momani, a spokesman for the government, suggested that Islamist militants were involved, describing the attackers as criminal elements who dont represent our moderate religion.

Those involved remained at large hours after the morning attack, which occurred on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There was no assertion of responsibility for the assault on the intelligence office, which lies on the edge of the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, near the capital, Amman.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Jordan, even though the pro-Western kingdom is on the front line in the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State, a Sunni militant group that controls large areas of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

The security office is a two-story building facing the Baqaa camp, which was established almost half a century ago for Palestinian refugees displaced in the conflict with Israel. The camp has a population of tens of thousands, including many Syrian refugees who have settled there since the start of the conflict in their country in 2011.

A highway separates the security compound and the camp.

Several hours after the attack, the access road to the security compound was closed. Security agents were visible outside the building, including masked members of the countrys counterterrorism squad.

Mondays attack came three months after Jordanian special forces clashed with gunmen linked to the Islamic State at a hideout in the northern city of Irbid. Seven suspected Islamic State activists and a Jordanian officer were killed. The Islamic State cell had planned attacks on military and civilian targets in the kingdom, officials said at the time.

Over the past two years, since the Islamic States swift territorial gains in Syria and Iraq, Jordan has cracked down on suspected sympathizers to prevent the extremist group from recruiting inside its borders.

Several hundred Jordanians have been sentenced to prison by special military courts for expressing support for the Islamic State on social media.
Perus presidential election was in a dead heat late Sunday with a former World Bank economist apparently leading the daughter of imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori in a vote viewed as a referendum on the disgraced strongmans legacy.

But with the results of two quick counts of the ballots showing that Pedro Pablo Kuczynskis narrow lead over Keiko Fujimori was within the statistical margin for error, it was too close to call the election.

Kuczynski addressed throngs of cheering supporters waving red and white Peruvian flags from the balcony of his campaign headquarters, urging them to be vigilant against fraud at the ballot box but otherwise sounding as if he had already been declared the winner.

Were going to have a government built on consensus. No more low blows or fights, said Kuczynski, who supported fellow conservative Fujimori in the 2011 runoff won by President Ollanta Humala.

Meanwhile, Fujimori put on a brave face, dancing to her campaign theme song on a flat-bed truck and telling supporters to await official results expected later Sunday.

Keiko Fujimori greets supporters in Lima on June 5. (Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press)

Were going to wait with prudence because all night, votes will be coming in from the provinces, from abroad and from the rural voters of deep Peru, she said.

In its quick count, pollster Ipsos-Apoyo said Kuczynski got 50.5 percent of the votes, compared with 49.5 percent for Fujimori. Polling firm GfK showed Kuczynski winning by 1.6 points. Both counts had a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.

A potential swing vote in a close race could be the 885,000 Peruvians eligible to vote abroad  about 3.8 percent of the electorate. Ipsoss quick count results account for the foreign vote.

Fujimori had won the first round of voting by a 20-percentage point margin, but her wide lead over Kuczynski melted away in the days before Sundays runoff vote.

It would be a stunning turnaround for the ex-World Bank economist, who managed to narrow the lead by abandoning his above-the-fray, grandfatherly appeal and hitting Fujimori hard.

Peru is on the threshold of becoming a narco-state, the 77-year-old candidate, who would be Perus oldest president, told supporters at his closing campaign rally in Lima.

The reference wasnt just to Alberto Fujimoris well-known ties to corruption, organized crime and death squads, for which hes serving a 25-year prison sentence. It was also an attempt to draw attention to a string of scandals that have hobbled Keiko Fujimori in the final stretch. The most notable scandal was a report that one of her big fundraisers, the secretary general of her party, was the target of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. Peru is the worlds largest producer of cocaine.

Her running mate, Jose Chlimper, a cabinet member at the end of Alberto Fujimoris government, is also in hot water for orchestrating the broadcast of a doctored audiotape in an attempt to clear the name of the party boss.

If Fujimori wins, the big question is whether shell be able to control her party, Eduardo Dargent, a political scientist at Limas Catholic University, said before the voting.

PPK, as Kuczynski is almost universally known in Peru, is also benefiting from a last-minute endorsement by the third-place finisher in the first round of voting, leftist congresswoman Veronika Mendoza. She was the protagonist of a massive anti-Fujimori demonstration last week, the likes of which Peru hasnt seen since the turbulent end of Alberto Fujimoris rule 16 years ago.

Keiko Fujimori, who served as first lady in her fathers administration after her parents divorce, has tried to contain her rivals rise by distancing herself from her fathers crimes, even signing a pledge not to pardon him if elected.

Im the candidate, not my father, she has frequently repeated.
Protesters demonstrate outside the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, on May 20. (Hitoshi Maeshiro/European Pressphoto Agency)

The U.S. Navy on Monday banned its sailors on the Japanese island of Okinawa from drinking alcohol, both on and off base, and placed tight restrictions on their movement after a sailor was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia was arrested after she was involved in a crash on Okinawas main island this weekend, in the midst of a month-long curfew imposed on U.S. service members after the arrest of an American contractor on murder-related charges.

The latest incident is likely to further inflame local anger over the U.S. military presence on the island, which shoulders the overwhelming burden of the U.S.-Japan military alliance.

Mejia, 21, crashed head-on into two cars after crossing the center line on a highway shortly before midnight Saturday, according to a police spokesman.

The sailor was unhurt, but a 35-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man in the other cars were injured, one suffering a chest injury, the other an arm injury.

U.S. Naval Forces Japan immediately banned all drinking of alcohol by its sailors and said they would be allowed off base only to engage in official actions such as taking their children to child care or going to the grocery store or gas station.

These measures are not taken lightly, said Rear Adm. Matthew Carter, commander of Naval Forces Japan. For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship, and the U.S.-Japan alliance as a whole.

The measures will remain in place until commanders are comfortable that all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior on the U.S.-Japan alliance, he said.

[In Okinawa, protesters dig in as work proceeds to relocate U.S. Marine base]

Mejia, who serves at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, was found to have a blood alcohol level about six times the legal limit during a breath test, officers from the Kadena police station told Kyodo News.

She is in Japanese police custody, and the U.S. military is cooperating fully with the investigation, said Lt. Gen. John Dolan, commander of U.S. forces in Japan.

The incident occurred during a month of modified liberty regulations for U.S. military personnel, designed as a time of unity and mourning over a brutal killing on the island.

Kenneth Shinzato, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine who was working as a computer and electrical contractor on the Kadena base, was arrested last month in the slaying of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro.

Shimabukuros body was found in a forest near where Shinzato told police they would find her, according to local news reports. She appeared to have been stabbed and strangled, they said.

Shinzato, who is married to a local woman and took her surname, has been charged with dumping a body, often a precursor to a murder charge.

After the slaying, U.S. military personnel and civilian employees, as well as their families, were prohibited from drinking or buying alcohol outside U.S. bases, going to parties off base or being off base between midnight and 5 a.m. until June 24.

Tensions are running high on Okinawa, which makes up only 1 percent of the Japanese land mass but is home to several huge military bases and more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan.

[Protest voices: Okinawans have been treated like we are disposable for too long]

There is sizable opposition on Okinawa to attempts to relocate a controversial U.S. Marine Corps base to a new site on the island, with many calling for the facilitys closure.

In prefectural elections on Sunday, candidates who oppose the relocation triumphed, taking 31 of 48 seats, according to Kyodo. The base has long been viewed as a source of crime, danger and noise.

After the killing of Shimabukuro, local newspapers started publishing detailed histories of U.S. military misbehavior in the prefecture.

The Okinawa Times reported last month that 5,862 U.S. military personnel and civilian employees were arrested between 1972 and 2014, 737 of them in serious crimes, including murder, rape, burglary and arson.

Meetings with a U.S. congressional delegation that visited Okinawa last week were canceled because local politicians did not want to be seen dealing with U.S. representatives, delegates said.

At the Asia Security Summit in Singapore, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani called the latest incident extremely regrettable. He told reporters that he had instructed officials at the Okinawa Defense Bureau to lodge a formal complaint with the U.S. Navy in Okinawa.

Before the incident, Nakatani had met with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and asked him to ensure that all U.S. military personnel and contractors consciously abide by Japanese laws.

In Tokyo, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida called U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and again asked the United States to do more to prevent such crimes. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo had not commented by Monday morning.

Read more

Okinawa governor revokes permit for construction of new U.S. Marine base

Okinawa governor prepares to take his anti-base message to Washington

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The Obama administration is seeking to amend surveillance law to give the FBI explicit authority to access a persons Internet browser history and other electronic data without a warrant in terrorism and spy cases.

The administration made a similar effort six years ago but dropped it after concerns were raised by privacy advocates and the tech industry.

FBI Director James B. Comey has characterized the legislation as a fix to a typo in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which he says has led some tech firms to refuse to provide data that Congress intended them to provide.

[Read the letter from privacy advocates opposing the FBIs effort to expand its surveillance powers]

But tech firms and privacy advocates say the bureau is seeking an expansion of surveillance powers that infringes on Americans privacy.

Now, at the FBIs request, some lawmakers are advancing legislation that would allow the bureau to obtain electronic communication transactional records using an administrative subpoena known as a national security letter. An NSL can be issued by the special agent in charge of a bureau field office without a judges approval.

Such records may include a persons Internet protocol address and how much time a person spends on a given site. But they dont include content, such as the text of an e-mail or Google search queries. Theres also a limit to how much visibility the bureau would have into which part of a website a person had visited. For instance, according to the bureau, if the person went to any part of The Washington Posts website, law enforcement would see only washingtonpost.com  nothing more specific.

Comey said that making this change to the law is the bureaus top legislative priority this year.

The inability to obtain the data with an NSL affects our work in a very, very big and practical way, he told the Senate Intelligence Committee in February.

The Senate panel recently voted out an authorization bill with the NSL amendment. The Senate Judiciary Committee this week is considering a similar provision introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) as an amendment to ECPA, a law governing domestic surveillance.

Cornyn said that what he characterized as a scriveners error in the law is needlessly hamstringing our counterintelligence and counterterrorism efforts.

But privacy groups and tech firms are again warning that the expansion of power would erode civil-liberties protections.

The fix the FBI seeks would dramatically expand the ability of the FBI to get sensitive information about users online activities without oversight, said a coalition of privacy and civil society groups and industry organizations in a letter sent to the Hill Monday.

The new categories of information that could be collected using an NSL would paint an incredibly intimate picture of a persons life, said the letter, signed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, among others. For example, a persons browsing history, location information and certain email data could reveal details about a persons political affiliation, medical conditions, religion and movements throughout the day, they said.

In addition, the NSL would come with a gag order preventing the company from disclosing it had a received a government request, said Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU legislative counsel. The letter noted that over the past 10 years, the FBI has issued more than 300,000 NSLs, most of which had gag orders. Thats the perfect storm of more information gathered, less transparency and no accountability, Gulani said.

But a law passed last year, the USA Freedom Act, requires the Justice Department to review gag orders periodically to assess whether they are still justified.

The amendment being considered Thursday by the Judiciary Committee is part of a broader effort by lawmakers to update ECPA to require law enforcement to get a warrant for all email content, regardless of whether it is one day or one year old.

Privacy groups and tech companies support the broader ECPA update, versions of which some lawmakers have sought for years.

But the groups and tech organizations in their letter said that if the ECPA bill includes the NSL provision, they will pull their support.

A November 2008 opinion from the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel made clear that ECPA allows the FBI to obtain with an NSL only four types of basic subscriber information from Internet companies: name, address, length of service and telephone bill records. There is no reference in the law to browser history, for instance. The opinion said the four existing categories were exhaustive.

The FBIs Office of General Counsel, however, has argued that electronic communication transactional records are the functional equivalent of telephone billing records. To eliminate any uncertainty, the FBI wants the law to explicitly cover such data.

Sens. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the ranking minority-party member on the Judiciary Committee, and Mike Lee (R-Utah), a committee member, oppose the Cornyn amendment. They say they will push for a clean version of the ECPA update similar to a bill passed by the House earlier this year.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew chided China on Monday for allowing a glut of steel and aluminum to flood global markets, and urged Beijing to treat foreign companies with the same openness that Chinese firms often receive across the world.

The annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue is usually an occasion when the two sides try to highlight areas of cooperation and progress. But this years event in Beijing is overshadowed by growing trade and commercial friction, as well as continued sparring over Chinas efforts to exert greater control over the South China Sea.

Massive investment in heavy industry in Chinas boom years has led to an overhang of production capacity. With economic growth slowing, the government has been left propping up industries such as steel, aluminum, shipbuilding and coal mining.

[Why is Washington causing waves at the World Trade Organization?]

Now, the issue has become a global one.

China is accused of dumping much of the excess production in Western markets, causing job losses and protests. The U.S. Commerce Department responded last month by imposing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on many Chinese steel products.

Excess capacity has a distorting effect and damaging effect on global markets, Lew said at the start of two days of high-level talks. Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of global markets.

On Sunday, during a talk at Beijings Tsinghua University, Lew said excess steel capacity also would have a corrosive effect on Chinas economic efficiency.

China produces more than half of the worlds steel, but argues that excess capacity in the industry is a global issue. It also accuses the United States of protecting and subsidizing its domestic iron and steel industry for more than three decades, allowing it to become uncompetitive globally.

[How Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba lost a friend in Washington]

Lou Jiwei, Lews Chinese counterpart, responded by arguing that China already had cut 100 million tons of iron and steel production last year, and by pledging to do more. He said Chinas infrastructure investment boom in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis had played a huge rule in supporting the global economy.

At that time, the whole world applauded China and thanked China. Even Time magazine once featured two Chinese migrant workers on its cover, he argued. It said, the world should be thankful for Chinese migrant workers for helping the world get out of the crisis. Now you are pointing fingers at Chinas overcapacity issue. What were you saying back then?

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened Mondays talks pledging to continue to reform Chinas economy and open it to the outside world. We have full confidence that China can achieve its goals of economic and social development, he said.

But many diplomats and analysts are skeptical, arguing that economic reforms have slowed, and that protectionism is rising.

Not much is happening on the ground, and its not going to happen soon, one European diplomat said about cutting overcapacity, speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing a sensitive subject. There is a limit to what you can do without jeopardizing political and social stability.

The talks also come at a time of growing concern about Chinas treatment of foreign companies.

[Vietnam makes gains as manufacturing powerhouse]

Ahead of the talks, American Chamber of Commerce complained of delays and hiccups in reforms, and noted that 77 percent of its members now feel less welcome in China than before, citing in particular unclear laws and inconsistent interpretation.

Lew said concerns about the business climate in China had risen.

Candidly, foreign businesses wonder if they are welcome, and find Chinas regulatory environment harder and harder to navigate, he said.

Many European nations share those concerns, arguing that their markets are far more open to Chinese investment than China is for their companies, in anything from banking to automobile manufacture.

In some fields, there is no progress, and in others the situation is deteriorating, the European ambassador said, citing protectionism in several sectors of the economy, including new rules to impose licensing requirements on imports of pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs.

Lew also recalled a steep fall in Chinas stock market in August that triggered declines across the United States and Europe, and called for greater transparency in Chinas regulatory environment and in its economic data, as well as better communication of its economic policies.

The Treasury secretary said the U.S. government was also very concerned about a new law regulating the activities of foreign non-governmental organizations in China. He said the work of such groups had helped China open to the outside world, helped it address critical human needs and allowed for its larger economic success.

China, though, fears that some NGOs, supported and encouraged by Western governments, have a very different agenda: to subvert one-party rule in China and encourage a transition to democracy, and it is determined to weed them out.

Gu Jinglu contributed to this report.

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Complacency, protectionism: Why China wont shut underused factories]

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The new album by Anohni, Hopelessness tackles many pressing issues, such as drone bombings, war, the Obama administration, mass spying, global warming, and more. The WSWS spoke to Anohni about her music and her views on the current political situation.

Published below are our questions and Anohnis responses.

***

Thanks for taking the time to respond to our questions. We found many parts of your new album moving, but also striking in its direct criticism of state spying, dron e bombings and Obama himself. Could you speak on some of the reasons why you made the new album? What motivated you?

I wanted to participate as vigorously as I could and use direct language to articulate long held concerns.

Your singing voice is strikingly unique. How would you describe your approach to singing and your artistic evolution over the years?

At first I sang to help myself. Then I sang to comfort others, and to share creative process. Today I want to use my voice to break bones that I fear are healing in deformed ways.

You have spoken out against war and President Obamas drone bombing campaigns. As reports have shown, and as our web site has analyzed, the Obama administration has escalated the war efforts of the previous Bush administration. The United States has been at war continuously now for more than 15 years. How did this inform your work on the song Drone Bomb Me, Crisis, and others?

I attended protests in Washington in 1991 against Bush seniors invasion of Iraq. We carried signs saying NO WAR FOR OIL. It has been more than 15 years. In my view, we are surrounded by an array of seemingly disparate issues: income disparity, the collapse of biodiversity, the death of the oceans and forests, overpopulation, apocalyptic sky-god religious ideologies, the weapons industry, corporate sovereignty, global warming, banking corruption, the collapse of checks and balances in democracy, capital punishment, drone bombing campaigns and corrupt American foreign policy, the suspension of habeas corpus, the reintroduction of torture, addiction to fossil fuels, misogyny and racism.

I look at these not as separate issues but as a network of codependent conditions that amplify and exacerbate one another and climax in ecocide. To address any one of them is just like playing a game of whack-a-mole. I feel like its time for us to try to inhale the big picture. That is what I am clumsily trying to do in my recent work.

The songs Obama and Watch Me address questions of mass surveillance and the disillusionment with the Obama administration felt by many. Few artists have even attempted to address such issues, let alone truthfully. What is your assessment of the Obama administration and its punishment of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning?

I obviously think it is a terrible disappointment, especially in light of Obamas early promises to create transparency in government. During Obamas tenure, a performance of diplomacy and sympathy for identity politics has taken a front seat. Yet Chelsea Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for being the only one with the courage to expose American war crimes, we are all iris scanned when we enter the country, our emails and phone calls are all recorded, and Obama continues to sign kill lists of targeted suspects for instance in Pakistan, escalating the Republicans stance of merely imprisoning suspects in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere without trial. Europe is heaving under the strain of millions of refugees fleeing 25 years of dubious American military intervention in the Middle East. By not prosecuting the previous administrations war crimes, and by using automated drones to kill suspects and innocent bystanders in the name of the war on terror, I believe that Obama has contributed to the escalation of the terrible destabilization unfolding in the region.

You have argued that identity politics is a distraction from more fundamental issues at stake today. How and why did you arrive at this conclusion?

Every election cycle since I arrived in the US in the early 80s, I watched as the gay community was wheeled out as evidence that if you didnt support Republicans, people like THIS were going to be teaching your children in schools and spreading AIDS through Christian churches across the nation. If you didnt vote for Ronald Reagan, millions of unborn fetuses would be executed in their third trimester, etc etc. It seemed clear to me that we were being played, used as a front to manipulate working and middle class people to vote for corporations masquerading as advocates of Christian family values.

Dick Cheney and Ronald Reagan both have gay children. But they knew that if they toyed with the knee-jerk biases of the populace, while retracting their access to receiving a meaningful state funded education, and get them hooked on powerfully manipulative corporate propaganda like Fox News, then they could convince huge swaths of misinformed and plainly ignorant Americans to vote against their own best interests.

Many working class people still vote for corporate representatives who are only interested in taking away their pensions and securities, firing them and rehiring them as temps, dismantling their unions, making obsolete cultural program funding, shipping jobs overseas, dismantling working class access to university education, and otherwise consciously widening the chasm between themselves as the rich and the increasingly poor electorate. By redirecting the growing frustrations of the disempowered working and middle classes to focus on the real or imagined shortcomings of their neighbors, or simply by inflaming deep rooted prejudices, they could distract and manipulate voters while they laughed all the way to the bank. The only real threat to the establishment in the last couple of decades that I have seen was the Occupy movement, which was shut down by the Obama administration with the same brutal efficiency that the Black Panthers were once wiped out.

The election campaign in the United States is fraught with dangers, with Trump and Clinton being, according to polls, the most widely hated candidates ever to run in a US presidential election. Sanders, for his part, is working within the very political system that has produced such immense social inequality and endless wars. We have closely analyzed his record as well with an eye to clarifying what genuine socialism is.

According to polls, a majority of young people are favorable to socialism , and there are millions today who now identify as socialists. At any rate, what do you think of the elections ahead, as well as the question of socialism?

I feel like the choices are dire. I hope Bernie wins the nomination as I think he is the only viable candidate. Hillary will peddle more of the same, which might be OK if we had all the time in the world, but things seem to have gotten much worse on the world stage since Obama took office. If Trump wins I fear that he will send a nuclear bomb to the middle east. He is such a volatile figure. He is already boasting about his willingness to engage in nuclear warfare. I think he is a hugely dangerous man.

Could you speak on the title of your album, Hopelessness? Where do you see hope?

I see hope in taking action and trying to speak up.
Hundreds of refugees have died in two more cases of boat sinkings. Within eight days, many more than 1,200 refugees have drowned during their voyage to Europe.

A refugee boat had an emergency around 75 nautical miles south of Crete on Thursday. An Italian trading vessel sailing past informed the coastguard, which sent patrol boats and other commercial ships to the area. When the first ships arrived on Friday morning, the completely overcrowded wooden fishing cutter had already capsized. Hundreds of refugees were floating helplessly in the sea.

A total of 342 refugees were rescued, and nine bodies were recovered. But the scale of the sinking initially remained unclear. The alarming question is how many people were actually on board the 25-metre-long cutter, an officer of the Greek coastguard said. Survivors reported that up to 700 refugees were on board. By contrast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) believes a count of 500 refugees is more likely.

At first, the coastguard refused to provide information on the origin of the refugees on the boat that likely set out from the Egyptian port of Alexandria. However, Joel Millmann of IOM stated, These are refugees we would have previously seen on the Balkan route, from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Since the closing of the Balkan route, refugees are attempting to use other routes to reach Europe. The dangerously long route from Egypt or Turkey, past Crete and to Italy, is playing an increasingly significant role.

In addition, grim scenes played out on the beaches of the Libyan town Suwara, roughly 160 kilometres west of Tripoli. A total of 117 bodies of refugees were pulled from the sea. Among the dead were 75 women and six children, according to a spokesperson from the Red Crescent.

The drowned refugees were overwhelmingly from Nigeria, Gambia, Mali and the Central African Republic and had been in the water for days, according to Doctors without Borders. According to them, they originated from a boat tragedy which was previously unknown.

There is no let-up in the series of catastrophic boat accidents in the Mediterranean. Within 10 days, six ships have capsized, sending probably more than 1,200 refugees to their deaths. The past eight days marks one of the deadliest periods yet in the migration crisis, which is now in its fourth year, an IOM spokesman said.

It was no accident that the refugee crisis began with the wars initiated by the United States and their European allies in Syria, Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic. These imperialist military interventions, conducted in the name of allegedly defending human rights and the struggle against terrorism, have destroyed large areas in the Middle East and North Africa and robbed millions of the necessities of life.

Fully 12 million Syrians have been forced to flee, of which 8 million are internally displaced. During the last five years, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the number of refugees has risen by almost 18 million to 60 million people fleeing war, persecution, desperate living conditions and poverty.

The imperialist powers aggressive foreign policy is complemented by the criminal European Union policy of sealing off the borders to refugees. The numbers of deaths in the Mediterranean continues to break new records. Thus far in 2016, at least 2,800 refugees have drowned during the journey to reach Europe. This is an increase of some 40 percent since the same period last year.

But whereas the majority of refugees chose the much shorter and less dangerous route across the Aegean Sea to Greece, they have been compelled by the shameful pact between the EU and Turkey to risk the dangerous voyage from North Africa to Italy. The mass deaths in the Mediterranean are not simply collateral damage resulting from a wrong refugee policy, but a consciously desired consequence of an inhumane policy of deterrence.

When the European Union decided in the autumn of 2014 to end the Italian sea rescue mission Mare Nostrum, through which 150,000 refugees were rescued from the water, the EU border protection agency Frontex warned that this would result in a growth in refugee deaths. In the paper presented at the time by Frontex outlining the concept of Mission Triton, which took the place of Mare Nostrum, it stated that the withdrawal of naval units from the sea around the Libyan coast[will] probably result in a greater number of refugee deaths.

But this was explicitly welcomed, because Frontex believed that significantly fewer refugees will risk the voyage in bad weather and the prices for the trips will increase. The numbers of refugee deaths rose dramatically with the start of Mission Triton.

Francois Crepeau, then UN special rapporteur for the human rights of refugees, sharply condemned the EUs inhumane policy. To top it off by stating that increased number of deaths will have a deterring effect on future migrants and asylum seekers is disgusting, he said. It is as if one would say: let them die, because it is a good deterrent for the others.

With the militarisation of the Mediterranean, the EU is pushing this criminal game to the limit by forcing the refugees to take ever more dangerous routes. NATO is patrolling the sea between Greece and Turkey with its own naval group, to combat people smuggling and illegal migration in the Aegean, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asserted. One cannot be more explicit in stating that the issue is not rescuing refugees.

The EU mission EUNAVFOR Med in the waters between Libya and Italy is aimed above all at destroying the smugglers boats and detain smugglers. In addition, it aims to prepare a new military intervention in Libya. The NATO-led war in 2011 to topple the Gaddafi regime plunged the country into a bloody civil war. In large parts of the country, which is dominated by rival militias, infrastructure is virtually non-existent and order has completely broken down.

Although hundreds of thousands of refugees from throughout Africa are already struggling to survive in Libya under terrible conditions, the European Union intends to deport refugees in large numbers to the country. The German government in particular is considering a repatriation agreement with Libya, using the EU-Turkey deal as a model.

In the opinion of human rights organisations, such a pact would be gruesome, utterly unacceptable, as Lotte Leicht from Human Rights Watch told German public broadcaster ARD. It would mean that the EU would breach its own core principles. But these have already been trampled underfoot in the EU, which describes itself as an area of freedom, security and law. They are supporting the regimes in Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Eritrea without any qualms so that they can detain refugees.

An increasing number of states are being arbitrarily designated safe countries of origin, permitting the rapid rejection of asylum seekers and the immediate deportation of those affected. As a result of the dirty deal with Turkey, the registration centres on the Greek islands were transformed into internment camps. More than 8,500 refugees are currently confined to the camps, described as hot spots.

The people in the camps are desperate and extremely tense, said Spyros Galinos, the mayor of Lesbos. Food and medical care in the camps are utterly inadequate, and the hygienic conditions catastrophic. The detained refugees receive practically no information about their asylum applications.

The tensions caused by this are erupting ever more frequently into violence. More than 20 refugees were injured on Samos; on Lesbos, tents and sleeping bags were burned during conflicts between refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan. On Chios, refugees have started a hunger strike in protest at their conditions.

At the same time, deportations of refugees from Greece to Turkey were halted in appeals decisions. In at least 10 cases, the three-person asylum committee agreed with the refugees appeal against the rejection of their asylum application by the Greek authorities because Turkey is not a safe third state. The dirty deal with Turkey is being exposed as a human rights disaster, as the refugee organisation ProAsyl stated.

Nonetheless, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the EU-Turkey deal as a success because fewer people were drowning in the Aegean, meaning lives were being saved. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere recently declared that the deal had secured a decline in refugee numbers. Last autumn, between 5,000 and 6,000 people arrived in Greece from Turkey daily, he said. Now it is fewer than 100 per day. But the price for this is that almost 100 people are dying daily in the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy.
25 Years Ago | 50 Years Ago | 75 Years Ago | 100 Years Ago

25 years ago: Yeltsin defeats Gorbachev in Soviet elections

On June 12, 1991, Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Republic of the Soviet Union by a 57 percent majority. The election was a clear expression of the hatred and contempt of the masses for the ruling Stalinist bureaucracy, represented by President Mikhail Gorbachev, which they held responsible for the devastation of living standards and increasing sabotage of the Soviet economy. At the same time, it underscored the acute dangers faced by the Soviet working class in the absence of a revolutionary proletarian leadership.

The capitalist media spouted fraudulent claims that this election represented a revival of Soviet democracy. In fact, Yeltsin engineered the vote, creating the office of a Russian presidency precisely in order to assume Bonapartist powers in his own hands, enabling him to rule by decree and to turn the Russian parliament into a powerless talk-shop

As for his being an anticommunist, this was certainly true in the same sense that the term applied to every representative of the privileged bureaucratic caste which emerged under the leadership of Stalin in the 1920s, usurped the political power of the working class, smashed Soviet democracy and ruthlessly exterminated the generation of Bolsheviks who had led the 1917 October Revolution.

On June 5, just over a week before his electoral defeat, Gorbachev spoke before the Nobel Peace Prize committee in Oslo, Norway to appeal for financial support from the leading capitalist countries to back his program of perestroika.

The only democratic credentials which the spokesmen of the imperialist bourgeoisie concerned themselves with in evaluating Boris Yeltsin was his program for the wholesale privatization of state enterprises, the selling off of vital resources for Western bank credits and the transformation of the Russian Republic into one giant free enterprise zone for foreign capital.

The conception that such a transformation would be carried out democratically or would give rise to a flowering of democratic rights for the masses of Soviet workers was utterly fraudulent. In Eastern Europe, where the drive to capitalist restoration was far more advanced, even the bourgeois media had to acknowledge that it meant a drastic attack on the living standards and conditions of the masses of workers. The results were the continuing destruction of the industrial infrastructure and the systematic dismantling of the social and cultural benefits that the working class won in struggle against the bureaucracy.

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50 years ago: James Meredith shot in Mississippi civil rights march

On June 6, 1966, former University of Mississippi student James Meredith was shot in the back while participating in a march to promote black voter registration in the state. Meredith, who in 1962 became the first black student at the formerly all-white Ole Miss, was hit by 60 shotgun pellets as he walked along US Highway 51, two miles south of Hernando, Mississippi. Meredith had to cut short his planned 220-mile voter-registration walk from Memphis to Jackson after only 28 miles.

Earlier in the day a group of 300 black residents gathered in Hernando to greet Meredith. Police arrested Aubrey James Norvell, an unemployed white hardware clerk from Memphis, for the shooting. Despite the presence of nearly a score of police officers, including FBI and state troopers, no attempt was made to stop Norvell from firing. Initial press releases erroneously claimed that the civil rights activist was dead. Merediths wife collapsed in a state of shock after hearing the false reports.

After the shooting, Meredith told reporters that he regretted that he was unarmed at the time of the attack. Ill never make that mistake again, he said. When a visitor pointed out that that sentiment was not in keeping with the pacifism preached by the middle class leadership of the civil rights movement, Meredith replied, Who the hell ever said I was nonviolent? I spent eight years in the military and the rest of my life in Mississippi.

A contingent of civil rights marchers led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael attempted to take up Merediths march the next day, but were forced off the highway by state police.

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75 years ago: Labor candidate loses Minneapolis election

On June 9, 1941, T.A. Eide, candidate of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union, narrowly lost the citys mayoral election to the Republican candidate, by a margin of 80,359 to 74,497. Eide was defeated after he caved in to a witch-hunt inspired by the Stalinists and taken up by the Republicans, which cited the endorsement of Eide by the Trotskyist-led Local 544 of the Teamsters.

The Minneapolis Central Labor Union had fielded its own slate of candidates for municipal office after the Stalinists, who controlled the Farmer-Labor Party in the Twin Cities, refused to allow the CLU to play any role in the selection of candidates or adoption of a platform. Eide placed first in the primary, outpolling the FLP candidate by five-to-one.

The Stalinists denounced Eides independent campaign and branded him as the candidate of the terrorist Local 544 and the underworld. The Republicans and the capitalist press took up this line and amplified it, and only days before the vote Eide capitulated and publicly denounced Local 544s leaders, alienating the rank and file of the most important union local in the state.

The CLU slate agreed to adhere to a platform adopted by the unions that called for opposition to US involvement in the world war, defense of democratic and trade union rights, extension of education, a municipal housing and job program, opposition to all sales taxes, public ownership of all utilities and free health care.

Local 544 called on all workers to elect the labor candidates and see that they put into effect this platform. The Socialist Workers Party, then the American section of the Trotskyist movement, gave critical support to Eide against the candidate of the Stalinist-dominated FLP, while stressing the need for the establishment of a genuine Labor Party in the city, as well as efforts to link up with forces advocating an independent Labor Party nationally.

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100 years ago: Arab Revolt against Ottoman Empire proclaimed

On June 7, 1916, the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, issued a proclamation denouncing the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), the ruling party in Turkey, and proclaiming the independence of the regions known as Hejaz. His statement was an announcement of an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

The CUP had come to power in 1908 in the Young Turk revolution on a program of aggressive nationalism. During the period preceding the war there had also been a rise in Arab nationalism, reflected in increasing demands for greater autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. The Arab revolt of 1916 was aimed at securing independence from the Ottomans and establishing a single Arab state in the region from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen.

Hussein bin Ali was a Hashemite Arab leader, who had been appointed Emir of Mecca in 1908 by Abdul Hamad II, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire prior to the ascension to power of the Young Turks. Britain had agreed to recognize Arab independence, subject to certain exemptions, following World War I, in return for Arab help in the war with the Ottoman Empire.

The promises contained in letters to bin Ali were seen by the Arab ruling elite to constitute a formal agreement between them and Britain. They established a military force under the leadership of Hussein bin Alis son, Faisal, which fought against the Ottoman Empire.

Britain recognized the value of supporting and encouraging Arab nationalism in order to pursue its own aims. In an intelligence memo written in January 1916, T.E. Lawrence, a member of the British Intelligence staff in Cairo later dubbed Lawrence of Arabia, described the Arab revolt as beneficial to us, because it marches with our immediate aims, the break-up of the Islamic bloc and the defeat and disruption of the Ottoman Empire, and because the states [Sharif Hussein]  set up to succeed the Turks would be  harmless to ourselves .  The Arabs are even less stable than the Turks. If properly handled they would remain in a state of political mosaic, a tissue of small jealous principalities incapable of cohesion  (emphasis in the original).

The Arab revolt commenced just weeks after the signing of the Sykes-Picot agreement that provided for the carve-up of the Arabian Peninsula between France, Britain and Russia following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. The agreement struck conflicted significantly with the promises to Hussein bin Ali and the Arab bourgeoisie.

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Kim Jong Un

Here is what you need to know.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen speaks. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will speak in front of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia on Monday. Traders will be watching for any clues as to how Friday's jobs report and the coming Brexit vote could affect the Fed's decision on interest-rate hikes. The speech will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Fed rate-hike odds have been pushed way back. Friday's disappointing jobs report has pushed back market expectations of a Fed rate hike. Ahead of the report, the market was pricing in a 22% chance that the Fed's next hike would happen in June and a 54.8% chance it would happen in July. Now the market sees just a 4% chance of a June rate hike and a 58.5% chance that the next hike won't happen until December.

The Leave campaign continues to gain momentum. Two new polls show the Leave vote out in front for Britain's June 23 referendum on staying in the European Union. A YouGov poll for Good Morning Britain shows Leave at 45% and Remain at 41%. Additionally, a TNS Poll reported by Reuters shows Leave at 43% and Remain at 41%. The news has pushed the British pound to its lowest level in three weeks, down 0.8% at 1.4402.

Switzerland rejected guaranteed basic income. Reuters reports that early projections showed a resounding 78% voting against the initiative that would have guaranteed a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,563) per adult and 625 francs per child under 18. Daniel Haeni, a cafe owner who led the initiative, told the Swiss broadcaster SRF: "As a businessman I am a realist and had reckoned with 15 percent support, now it looks like more than 20 percent or maybe even 25 percent. I find that fabulous and sensational." The Swiss franc is stronger by 0.1% at 0.9752 per dollar.

China's unemployment rate might be a lot higher than the country says. A new report from Fathom Consulting, cited by Bloomberg, shows that China's unemployment rate has tripled since 2012. Fathom says the jobless rate in China is really 12.9% versus the roughly 4% that is reported by Beijing. "China has a substantial hidden unemployment problem, in our view, and that explains why the authorities have come under so much pressure to re-start the old growth engines," the report said.

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German factory orders missed big. German factory orders fell 2% in April, missing the 0.5% decline that was expected. Orders from outside the eurozone tumbled 8.3%, while those from inside the eurozone climbed 2.5%. According to Deutsche Welle, April's reading marked the biggest monthly decline since July 2015. The euro is down 0.3% at 1.1334.

David Rosenberg warns that the US economy is looking as if it's headed for recession. In an op-ed article for Business Insider, Gluskin Sheff's market strategist warned that private-sector temp jobs had fallen in four of the past five months and said that type of weakness has been a precursor to US recessions. Rosenberg says that the US economy is seeing parallels to November 1969, May 1974, December 1979, October 1989, November 2000, and May 2007 and that the recessions that followed those periods averaged five months in duration. Rosenberg did note a few positives, saying the median duration of unemployment was at its lowest level of the year, long-term unemployment fell, and millennial employment gained.

Lots of millennials want to work at Goldman Sachs. The investment bank received more than 250,000 applications for summer jobs, according to the Financial Times. A deeper look at the numbers shows 223,849 undergraduates applied for summer jobs and new analyst positions in 2016, a 46% increase from 2012. Additionally, applications from those studying or completing their MBAs climbed 15% to 30,542. By comparison, Morgan Stanley receives about 8,000 applications a year, the FT says.

Stock markets around the world are mixed. Britain's FTSE (+0.9%) leads in Europe after Japan's Nikkei (+0.4%) lagged in Asia. S&P 500 futures are up 1.25 points at 2,099.00.

Earnings reports trickle out. Casey's General and United Natural Foods are among the names reporting after markets close.





More From Business Insider


Before Eating, Divide The Plate

Heres a simple rule to portion a plate properly: Divide it in half. Automatically fill one side with fruits or vegetables, leaving the rest for equal parts protein and starch. This way, you begin to see what a properly balanced meal looks like. Spaghetti and meatballs? Steak and potatoes? Theyre only half a meal, incomplete without fruits and vegetables.

Pre-Portion Tempting Treats

The bigger the package, the more food youll pour out of it. When two groups were given half- or 1-pound bags of M&Ms to eat while watching TV, those given the 1-pound bag ate nearly twice as much.

Head Off The Mindless Munch

Five minutes after eating at an Italian restaurant, 31 percent of people couldnt remember how much bread they ate. If youre worried you might do the same, have the bread removed from the table.

Downsize The Dishes

If youre one of the 54 percent of Americans who eat until their plates are clean, make sure those plates are modestly sized. On a standard 8- to 10-inch dinner plate, a portion of spaghetti looks like a meal. On a 12- to 14-inch dinner plate, it looks meager, so youre likely to dish out a bigger portion to fill the plate. When researchers gave study participants 34- or 17-ounce bowls and told them to help themselves to ice cream, those with the bigger bowls dished out 31 percent more ice cream.

Limit Your Choices

The more options you have, the more you want to try. In one study, researchers gave two groups jellybeans to snack on while they watched a movie. One group got six colors, neatly divided into compartments; jellybeans for the other group were jumbled together. Those given a mix ate nearly two times more.

Use Your Power For Good

Most homes have a nutritional gatekeeper who controls 72 percent of the food eaten by everyone else. The person who chooses food, buys it, and prepares it wields power. If thats you, take advantage of it.

Avoid A See-Food Diet

Office workers who kept candy in clear dishes on their desks dipped in for a sample 71 percent more often than those who kept their candy out of sight.

Turn Off The Television

The Vast Wasteland leads to vast waists. Its not just the couch-sitting. TV distracts you from how much youre eating, and the more you watch, the more youre likely to eat. In a study comparing how much popcorn viewers ate during either a half-hour show or an hour-long show, those who watched more television ate 28 percent more popcorn.

Think Before You Drink

Pour cranberry juice into two glasses of equal volume: one short and wide, the other tall and thin. Most people pour 19 percent more cranberry juice in the short glass because the eye is a poor judge of volume in relation to height and width.
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If the limp one dollar hot dogs at IKEA aren't satisfying you enough, then try this A$100 (US$73.26) "haute dog" on for size. It might just be the priciest sausage sizzle going on in Australia.

SEE ALSO: Heroic kid wore a hot dog costume during her dance studio's 'princess week'

As you'd hope, this is certainly no half-burnt sausage on cheap white bread. The "haute dog" consists of a brioche bun, with an Australian angus beef sausage, topped with a Perigord black truffle-infused mustard that itself is worth a hundred bucks.

Show me the money.

maille

Image: maille

For $100 you're not just buying a sausage sandwich. It comes with a 100 gram pot of the fancy Maille mustard to help improve any regular old hot dog. It's the star attraction of the Maille Mustard Mobile truck, which is travelling around Australia.

"It is a very tasty, very sought after mustard," Joe Barrs, Maille's ambassador told Mashable Australia, while he was selling the hotdog at Melbourne's Good Food and Wine show on Friday. "We had a tub of it air freighted to us about a month ago ... and we've sold out."

If you couldn't afford the $100 "haute dog," there is a $25 version with a Chablis white wine mustard on top, as well as the $10 version with a choice of regular mustard for the more sensibly inclined. Personally we'd be probably just as satisfied with a few of those Bunnings sausages.
For the first time since being horrifically scalped in a freak carnival ride accident in Nebraska, the 11-year-old victim was all smiles as she addressed the public about her recovery.

Read: 11-Year-Old Girl's Scalping Horror Was Not Caused By Malfunction or Operator Error

Though Elizabeth Gilreath's mom, Virginia Cooksey, has been speaking out since the accident during a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Omaha, the Nebraska Medicine said the public appearence was the girl's idea.

"[Elizabeth] joined us at the last minute. It was a complete surprise," the hospital's publicist Taylor Wilson told InsideEdition.com. "Ten minutes beforehand, her mom said Elizabeth was up for it."

Her can-do attitude continued through the press conference. Elizabeth, nicknamed Lulu, smiled and giggled as her mom updated the public on her status.

"It's what keeps me going. It's what keeps me strong," Cooksey said when she was asked about her daughter's laughter.

As fate would have it, Lulu giggled in response to her mom's answer, demonstrating her positive outlook throughout her treatment despite having a long road of healing ahead.

She can be seen in her wheelchair during the press conference, and wears bandages over the top of her head, where she suffered the most extensive injury after her long, red hair was caught in a carnival ride's spinning mechanism, leaving her scalped.

Read: Boy Bitten By Shark In First Attack Of the Season At Florida Beach

But, her mom said doctors are happy with the progress. Though they first believed she may not regain eyesight in addition to not being able to regrow hair, her mom said that she can now see out of both eyes, even though one appears to be surgically shut as it heals.

"Elizabeth is a very tough patient," her mom said in the Friday press conference as her daughter held her hand.

Though Lulu announced confidently at the hospital's press conference, "I'm getting out on Monday or Tuesday," Cooksey wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend that she has been scheduled for more surgery and will not go home until a later date.

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"She's so tired and ready to [go] home," Cooksey writes. "I keep telling her [baby] steps and it's all in (God's) time."

In support of the 11-year-old's recovery, strangers from all over the U.S. are leaving encouraging messages on her mom's Facebook.

"Keep on rocking Miss Lulu. Your an awesome courageous lil girl," one post read.

Another said: "We are all praying for you!! Your smile lights up on camera & in pics. You are a very special little lady. You got this!!"

Read: Parents of Missing Boy, 7, Left in Woods as Punishment: 'We've Done An Unforgivable Thing'

After recovery, the family's next goal is to "get laws passed [about] safety" Lulu said.

According to Cooksey's Facebook page, they have already begun a lawsuit seeking justice for her injuries on the ride called King's Crown, at a carnival run by Thomas D. Thomas Shows.

Watch: 11-Year-Old Scalped by Carnival Ride Looks in Mirror For First Time Since Horrific Accident

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SPOILER ALERT for Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 7, "The Broken Man."

The latest episode brought back some old characters we didn't realize we missed and left off with a major cliff hanger. Read on for the high points from tonight's GoT.

(Missed out on last week's episode, "Blood of My Blood?" Catch up with our recap.)

1) The Hound is still alive. The show opens upon a peaceful, nomadic tribe that dwells in the hills. We see a man among them who is strong enough to carry a massive log by himself. When he puts it down and turns around, the scarred face of the The Hound (a.k.a. Sandor Clegane, brother of The Mountain) is revealed.

But wait. Didn't he die like, two seasons ago? Last time we saw The Hound, Arya had left him for dead after Brienne dueled him and left him severely injured. Apparently, the nomadic cult leader (played by Deadwood's Ian McShane) found The Hound and assumed he was dead since he was already starting to rot and had a bone sticking out of his leg. "The gods aren't done with you yet," he tells The Hound.

2) Margaery tells her grandmother to flee King's Landing. The High Sparrow, tricky as he is, convinces Margaery that the next person she should convert is her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell. Otherwise, "I fear for her safety; body and soul," he says, or rather, threatens. When Queen Margaery meets with her grandmother, she struggles to convince her to go home. Finally, when she slips a piece of paper into Olenna's hand, the older woman concedes. When Olenna exits the room and opens the note, it's a drawing of a rose. What does it mean? For one thing, the symbol of House Tyrell is a flower and Olenna's nickname is the Queen of Thorns. The note could be Margaery's very subtle way of saying she's still on the Tyrell's side, and therefore, her religious devotion is all an act.

We also learn during her little heart to heart with the High Sparrow that she hasn't slept with King Tommen since her release from prison. The Sparrow reminds Margaery of the importance of producing an heir.

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4) Olenna Tyrell is the queen of shade. When Cersei Lannister learns about Olenna's plans to leave, she finds her and begs her to stay so their houses can fight the Sparrows: "We must fight them together. We need each other," Cersei says. But Olenna puts the evil queen mother in her place by reminding her that she is alone: two of her children are dead, Jaime is out fighting, and everyone in King's Landing despises her. Plus, the struggle with the Sparrows is all her fault. "You lost, Cersei," Olenna tells her, "It's the only joy I could find in all this misery." BURN.

5) Jaime takes over the battle with the Blackfish-with Bronn. Despite his and Cersei's plans to stay in the capital to fight the Sparrows, Jaime leads the Lannister army to assist the Freys in taking back Riverrun from the Blackfish (a.k.a. Brynden Tully). To our surprise, he is once again assisted by everyone's favorite bad-mouthed knight, Bronn, whom we last saw with Jaime to Dorne. When they arrive, they find the castle being weakly attacked by the Freys, who threaten to slaughter Brynden's nephew Edmure Tully if the Blackfish doesn't surrender. In disgust, Jaime and Bronn take over the siege.

6) Jon Snow gets schooled by a little girl. Though they have the support of the Wildlings, Jon Snow, Sansa and Ser Davos Seaworth still need help from other houses in the North. Their first stop is House Mormont-as in Daenerys' Jorah Mormont and former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch Jeor Mormont-which is led by 10-year-old Lady Lyanna (named after Ned Stark's sister, of course). Though young, she is a sassy little girl. She first denies help to Sansa and Jon, but Ser Davos gets her attention by convincing her that the war is bigger than the Starks versus the Boltons; it's between the living and the dead (as in the White Walkers) and no one will come out unscathed. Naturally, he hits her with the "The dead are coming" line to seal the deal. But it's only a small win-the trio only get 62 men from the negotiation.

7) The Blackfish and Jaime face off. Before making any military advances, Jaime talks with Brynden Tully first, offering freedom and safety to him and his men if he surrenders. But Tully is good at holding grudges; he still calls Jaime "Kingslayer." When Jaime tells him to let it go since the war is over, the Blackfish sternly responds, "As long as I am standing the war is not over." Tully and his men have enough provisions in the castle to survive two years and they're not going to surrender.

8) GoT finally has a lesbian main character. Yara and Theon Greyjoy make a pit stop at a brothel during their escape from Uncle Euron. Though Theon sits with his eyes down, still experiencing PTSD from Ramsay's torture, Yara happily gets it on with a female prostitute. Game of Thrones has previously featured gay characters (Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell) but lesbian characters have been scant, if not completely missing. Yara might actually be the first one-and it's about time. After a pep talk with Theon, she enthusiastically picks up where she left off with her lady.

9) The Greyjoys plan to team up with Daenerys Targaryen. While talking to her little brother in the brothel, Yara reveals her plans to sail their ships to Meereen, make a pact with Daenerys, and take back the Iron Islands from their usurping uncle. Now that's an alliance we're begging to see happen.

10) Sansa goes behind Jon's back. The Stark-Snow campaign is lacking momentum. House Glover, for example, refuses to join in (despite its age-old alliance with the Starks) because Lord Glover doesn't want to fight alongside Wildlings. By the time Jon's party sets up camp, they have an army of 2,000 Wildlings plus northern reinforcements that include men from House Mormont and House Hornwood. Jon thinks they need to attack as soon as possible, but Sansa is hesitant. After seeing a fight break out between soldiers in the camp, she is convinced they need more men before they can fight. She goes behind Jon and Davos's backs, and drafts a mysterious letter, possibly pleading for more help. It's unknown where she sent it.

11) Arya gets stabbed. Arya has a pleasant introduction, finally buying a ticket to sail back to Westeros, and all seems well until she is approached by a creepy old lady on a bridge. The lady wastes no time, immediately stabbing Arya several times in the stomach (Red Wedding style) and removing her mask to reveal she is actually the Waif. Arya quickly pushes her away and dives into the river. The Waif is convinced she's dead, but the Stark girl is able to swim to the riverbank and return to the town center of Braavos, as she bleeds profusely from her belly. Is she going to be ok?!

12) The Hound seeks revenge. The leader of the tribe continues to tell The Hound of the importance of starting over and becoming good again. Even he, a nonviolent figure, was once a killer who murdered a boy in front of the boy's mother. "It's never too late" to become a better person, he tells Clegane.

A tribe gathering is stopped short when three members of the Brotherhood Without Banners interrupt their storytelling session. (Backstory: the Brotherhood is a guerrilla outlaw group that roams the Riverlands. They hate the authority of kings and lords-hence the lack of banners-but they especially hate the Lannisters.) The brothers leave after a verbal exchange with the tribe leader, but something doesn't feel right. The next morning, the Hound returns from chopping wood to find the whole tribe slaughtered, including their pacifist leader. He grabs his axe. He is out for blood.
Beirut (AFP) - Seventeen civilians including eight children were killed in air strikes on a market in eastern Syria on Monday, the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on Al-Asharah, a town held by the Islamic State group in Deir Ezzor province, were suspected to have been carried out by either Russian or Syrian government planes.

"The market was overcrowded on Monday because people were shopping for Ramadan," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said many of those killed were from the same family, and that the death toll was likely to rise because of the serious condition of some of the wounded.

Residents of nearby villages typically flock to Al-Asharah market to do their shopping, Abdel Rahman said.

Heavy air strikes hit IS-held areas in and outside the divided city of Deir Ezzor from early Monday, he said.

IS controls more than 60 percent of the city, besieging an estimated 200,000 people there.

The jihadist group also controls most of the surrounding oil-rich province by the same name.

The Observatory relies on a network of sources inside Syria to gather its information on the five-year conflict, which has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions.

It says it determines whether strikes were carried out by Syrian, Russian or US-led coalition aircraft based on the location of the raids, flight patterns and the types of planes and munitions involved.

Russia began carrying out strikes in Syria in September 2015, one year after the United States began its air campaign there.

Regime air strikes killed at least 15 civilians in the IS-held area of Boleel outside Deir Ezzor city on Friday, according to the monitor.
Nearly 300 dogs were rescued from a New Jersey home  including some found within walls and bookshelves  in what local officials are calling the worst case of animal hoarding they've ever seen.

Read: Melancholy Rescue Dog Learns to Trust After Spending Weeks Staring at Wall, Unresponsive

The Monmouth County SPCA was called into a Howell home last weekend after neighbors complained about a smell. Authorities originally suspected there were 80 dogs living in deplorable conditions.

But, after a 15-hour rescue effort, 276 pugs, Chihuahuas, Yorkshire Terriers and more were rescued from the home by a team dressed in hazmat suits and masks.

SPCA's Ross Licitra said in a press conference that some of them were found living atop bookshelves, and even inside the walls.

"Most of these dogs have never seen the outside of the house before," Licitra said.

Licitra called it "the worst hoarding case we've ever experienced here."

According to WCBS, some of the dogs were giving birth during the rescue. Newborn pups were given oxygen masks.

Rescuers brought the dogs out to a triage center located just outside the home, where they were treated by local veterinarians. Asbury Park Press reported that authorities were able to vaccinate 80 dogs before they ran out of supplies.

Two dogs were hospitalized. One of them suffered a broken leg from collapsing furniture, WCBS reported.

The SPCA have put out a desperate plea for donations and volunteers to foster the dogs. All 276 dogs will be put up for adoption, but will not be ready for several more weeks.

Read: Woman Disembowels Her Own Chihuahua to Fake Miscarriage After Sham Pregnancy

Licitra emphasized the homeowners Charlene and Joseph Hendricks were cooperating with rescue efforts. He said the Hendricks started with eight dogs in the three-bedroom ranch home three years ago, and the number began skyrocketing from there.

When WCBS spoke to owner Joseph Hendricks for comment, he replied, "get out of here."

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Charlene Hendricks was caught on camera by local news stations pacing the home and smoking a cigarette outside.

The couple may be facing animal cruelty charges, although authorities said the severity may depend on the condition of the dogs.

Watch: After 10 Years of Never Being Groomed, This Two-Legged Poodle Underwent an Incredible Transformation

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Talking about money is a dreaded subject for most people. Add to it the stress about landing a new position or securing a promotion, and most people have a difficult time clearly and calmly asking for what they want without coming across as either too aggressive or too soft. The good news is that with thoughtful communication, you can excel in salary talks. Here are tips on how to handle the most common salary negotiations.

[See: 15 Awesome Jobs That Pay More Than $90K.]

Scenario 1: New or Returning to Career -- Not sure what to ask for? Start with research. Use tools like Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and even the Bureau of Labor Statistics to get some ballpark ranges for your targeted role. If you are truly a novice for that position, assume you are likely to be at the low end of the range. Also, make sure you factor in if you are in an expensive labor market, like San Francisco, or a more affordable one, like Pittsburgh. Once you have a range, now you are ready for salary talks.

If asked "What salary are you looking for?" Calmly reply with "Can you tell me about the typical compensation you offer for X in the first year as well as in subsequent years?" If given a range, you can clarify with, "What criteria is used to determine where someone would fall in the range?"

The answers to these questions give you both what you are likely to expect as well as a road map for how you can increase compensation. They also communicate to the interviewer that you are thinking about more than just the immediate rewards -- but the longer-term advantages of staying with the company.

Another option is to say, "I am looking for the right opportunity and am open to the market rate for the role." Remember, you do not have to accept a role if the pay is too low. However, if you throw out a salary number first, it's likely the employer will offer you a wage pretty close to that number, even if it is much lower than fair market compensation. Realistically, how many of us would really pay more for something if the seller expressed that they were happy with a lesser amount than it was being sold for elsewhere? If you are a relatively uninformed negotiator, find a tactful way to get the other party to give numbers first.

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[See: 10 Job Resolutions to Revitalize Your Career in 2016.]

Scenario 2: You want more than what is being offered. Most of the time, you will find yourself in this scenario because you have not previously discussed the intended range and how specific pay is determined. Here are some questions to ask if the proposed compensation is too low: "Do you ever make exceptions to the target salary?" "Are there any factors or qualifications that would warrant something higher than this salary range?"

Be prepared to answer why you are worth more than the discussed range. This could mean going over the research you have done that shows the offered pay may be "20 percent below market" or "slightly less than similar roles in the market." If you are a very competitive candidate who doesn't need to make a move, your response could be a polite, "I'm very intrigued by the role you have described. I am targeting a salary of X. I would welcome a continued discussion about the opportunity if that is an option for you." If the company has a hard line on compensation, you will quickly know and part ways. If the conversation continues, you have been clear about your needs and are less likely to have last-minute lowball compensation surprises.

Scenario 3: You really want the role, but immediate salary is under your target. If you have been unsuccessful negotiating exactly what you want, but are close, you can ask for a 90-day or six-month performance review. This works well if you plan on working really hard to demonstrate your value and if the company can (and will) actually pay the increased amount. You could say, "I am very interested in the opportunity. The salary we discussed is still a little less than my goal but I am happy to prove that I am worth the increase. Would you be open to an increase to X if I am able to accomplish certain tasks by 90 days?" Or you can say, "I am very interested in the opportunity. The salary we discussed is still a little less than my goal. What could I accomplish or contribute in the first 90 days that would warrant a salary increase at that time?"

[See: 10 Part-Time Jobs to Help Pay the Bills.]

If they agree to the "stair-step" approach to your compensation, make sure you get the details of what is required, what the increase will be and what the date of the review is in writing on your offer letter. Management changes in companies frequently, so you want to make sure the commitment is in writing.

In short, negotiating does not have to be painful if you take a knowledgeable, polite and professional approach. Compensation is based on market value for your contribution -- but employees do need to be their own advocates. If you can show a way that you can contribute at a higher level than others, most managers will try to make a reasonable salary request work.

Robin Reshwan is the founder of Collegial Services, a consulting/staffing firm that connects college students, recent graduates and the organizations that hire them and a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). She has interviewed, placed and hired thousands of people across a broad spectrum of companies and industries. Her career tips and advice are used by universities, national clubs/associations and businesses. A Certified Professional Resume Writer, Robin has been honored as a Professional Business Woman of the Year by the American Business Women's Association. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and as a Regents Scholar from University of California, Davis.
At Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert on Sunday night (June 5), 35 people were arrested with one injured and three taken into custody as the result of a floor fight at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, Lt. Brian Polite of the New Jersey State Police Department tells Billboard.

"There were 35 arrests at this year's Summer Jam, which is significantly lower than last year's count," he explained. "Most of the arrests were largely due to offenses typical of a large concert or sporting event such as soliciting without a license, or selling without a permit, and disorderly conduct." At last year's Summer Jam, 61 people were arrested and 10 troopers were injured.

6 Show-Stealing Moments From Hot 97's Summer Jam 2016

The melee that broke out in the general seating area in front of the stage erupted into slight chaos following Fat Joe and Remy Ma's set around 12:30 a.m. Folding chairs had been thrown while other concertgoers panicked and ran for the exit. The house lights also remained on even as the next performers, A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky, took the stage. State Police arrested the suspects and contained the situation within several minutes, causing a temporary delay in the show. Hot 97's veteran DJ Funkmaster Flex treated the crowd to a string of hits to stall for time, per the station's assistant program director and Ebro in the Morning host, Ebro Darden. The impromptu intermission ultimately shaved off time reserved for headliner Future to perform.

"Radio station told me to leave...major pump fake," the Atlanta rapper tweeted, before shutting down rumors of beef between him and the New York radio station. "Totally satisfied & happy wit hot 97 always showing love spinning my records...misunderstood,dnt play Yoself."

Hot 97 Summer Jam Festival Stage Canceled Over Weather Concerns, Main Stage Still On

Despite initial reports that the victim (whose identity has not been revealed) was stabbed as a result of the scuffle, Lt. Polite says the victim suffered a non-life-threatening "laceration to the head" and was taken to Hackensack Hospital.

Summer Jam's pre-concert at the Festival Stage, which was set to include performances from Chance the Rapper and Tory Lanez, was canceled on Sunday afternoon due to threats of severe weather. The show began at approximately 9:30 p.m. Other high-profile performers at Summer Jam included Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and DJ Khaled.
In case you hadn't noticed, Donald Trump has been saying some pretty bigoted stuff over the past year.

The presumptive GOP nominee has routinely used racist and xenophobic rhetoric to rally his , referring to Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and calling for an all-out ban on Muslims entering the United States, among other controversial statements.

Today, there remain few minority groups Trump hasn't vilified or demonized for his political gain. But that hasn't stopped plenty of Republican lawmakers from the real estate mogul's presidential run anyway  some even after fiercely condemning him at first.

One of these lawmakers is Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Ryan has made in the past applauding the societal contributions made by American Muslims, all while Trump's bigoted rhetoric.

"Not only are there many Muslims serving in our armed forces dying for this country, there are Muslims serving right here in the House, working every day to uphold and to defend the constitution," Ryan said in a press conference in December, criticizing Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the US.

Yet moments after meeting with members from the Fellowship of Reconciliation  an interfaith anti-violence organization  and pledging to fight against bigotry and rhetoric against Muslims and refugees last week, Speaker Ryan publicly endorsed Trump as president.

"I'll be voting for [Donald Trump] this fall," Ryan tweeted Thursday. "I'm confident he will help turn the House GOP's agenda into laws."

I'll be voting for @realDonaldTrump this fall. I'm confident he will help turn the House GOP's agenda into laws.http://www.gazettextra.com/20160602/paul_ryan_says_he_will_vote_for_donald_trump ...

Ryan later doubled down on his endorsement in an published at his Wisconsin hometown local newspaper, the Janesville Gazette, on Jun 2.

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"[T is not just a choice of two people, but of two visions for America," Ryan wrote. "And House Republicans are helping shape that Republican vision by offering a bold policy agenda, by offering a better way ahead."

Ryan isn't the only Republican official who has flip-flopped on supporting Trump  demonstrating a disturbing willingness from the GOP to abandon moral principles, tolerate bigotry and accept racism for a chance at victory.

Here are seven other Republican politicians who have done the same in recent months:

1. Sen. Tim Scott

Source: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is the fi ate since the Reconstruction era. He condemned Trump in a Feb. 28 statement for refusing to denounce the Ku Klux Klan, former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, and other white supremacists.

Sen. Scott said at the time:

Any candidate who cannot immediately condemn a hate group like the KKK does not represent the Republican Party, and will not unite it. If Donald Trump can't take a stand against the KKK, we cannot trust him to stand up for America against Putin, Iran or ISIS.

But Scott  who is currently running for re-election  has since changed his tune and announced his support for Trump. His campaign spokesman issued a statement in May, announcing the Senator's endorsement:

Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, the senator will do what he can to assist his campaign; however, his focus will remain on his own re-election and serving the people of South Carolina.



Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article75935547.html#storylink=cpy

2. Sen. Mitch McConnell

Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

After Trump his plans to ban all Muslims from entering the US, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)  echoing Ryan  the move "inconsistent with American values."

McConnell said in a press conference on Dec. 8, 2015:

(And) to show how completely and totally unworkable it would be, King Abdullah of Jordan, a great friend and ally of ours, would presumably not be able to come to the United States. How about President Ghani of Afghanistan, a great friend and ally of ours who would not be able to come to the United States. This suggestion is completely and totally inconsistent with American values.

Unfortunately, not even a blanket ban on an entire religious group discouraged McConnell from backing Trump for the long haul. The senator has since repeatedly said he would support whoever the GOP nominee ends up being  even if it is Trump.

"I have committed to supporting the nominee chosen by Republican voters," McConnell in a May statement, "and Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee, is now on the verge of clinching that nomination."

3. Sen. John McCain

Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Before stating his support, even Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) felt the wrath of Trump's schoolyard insults. At an Iowa campaign event in July, Trump criticized the Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war, saying he likes "people who weren't captured" and that McCain shouldn't be considered "a war hero."

In December, McCain told CNN he considered Trump's ban on Muslims "foolish."

"It's just foolishness," McCain . "It's been a long series of statements like this that have been just foolish."

But Sen. McCain also thought it was " " for the Republican Party to not back the GOP nominee, adding to other Republican voices who are increasingly setting the stage for a Trump presidency.

"You have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee of our Republican Party. I think it would be foolish to ignore them," McCain said in an CNN's State of the Union interview on May 9.

4. Rep. Peter King

6 Republicans Who Called Donald Trump a Bigot  Then Agreed to Support Him Anyway

In an interview with the New York Daily News in March, New York Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) suggested he would leave politics if Donald Trump were elected. (King had initially supported Marco Rubio's presidential run.)

"Maybe I'll become a reporter for the Daily News," he said. "Listen, [a Trump nomination is] not going to happen. Right now I'm just focusing on Marco Rubio becoming the nominee. I'm not going beyond that."

King also once said he would take cyanide if Sen. Ted Cruz got elected. Luckily for him, Cruz dropped out  then King ended up reluctantly endorsing Trump.

"I'm supporting the nominee of the party, but I still have real questions with him as far as national security," King said in May. "I don't think his Asian policy is coherent."

5. Sen. Rand Paul

Source: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)  who also ran for president this election cycle  once called Donald Trump "a disaster" for the Republican Party. The son of 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul went o s A on Jun. 14 to criticize Trump's alienation of minorities.

"I'm in the camp of saying, yes, we need to be careful of letting the voice of the Republican party be someone who thinks that all immigrants are rapists or drug dealers," Paul said. "I think that Trump is a disaster for the Republican party."

While Paul has also said Trump will eventually tear down the GOP, he on a radio program hosted by conservative host Leland Conway in May 5 that he'd pledge his support to the Republican nominee regardless of who it is  since he believes Hillary Clinton is so much worse.

"You know, I've always said I will endorse the nominee," Paul told Conway. "I think it's almost the patriotic duty of anyone in Kentucky to oppose the Clintons, because I think they're rotten at the core, I think they're dishonest people, and ultimately I think we have to be concerned with what's best for Kentucky."

6. Sen. Marco Rubio

Source: Paul Sancya/AP

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), whom Trump famously belittled in a GOP debate hosted by FOX News on Mar. 3 by calling him "Little Marco," told reporters he most likely won't return to politics and won't run for re-election after losing so badly to Trump.

Rubio also called Trump a "con artist" after one debate Feb. 26, and dubbed him "the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency" during a Mar. 3 interview with CNN's New Day before disavowing him for refusing to condemn the KKK.

"He refused to criticize the Ku Klux Klan," Rubio said. "He's now been given three interviews. ... He refuses to criticize it. How are we going to elect  how can someone like that be our nominee?"

But in a May 26 interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Rubio flip-flopped on his position. He said he'd support Trump, ultimately, because he didn't want Hillary Clinton to win the presidency:

"I want to be helpful," Rubio explained. "I don't want to be harmful, because I don't want Hillary Clinton to be president."

Meanwhile, Trump's rise in GOP politics over the past year has been staggering.

The man who once claimed he " " has since proposed a " " on all Muslims entering the US, supported the idea of a to track Muslim Americans and a myth about American soldiers dipping bullets in pig's blood to kill Muslims during World War I.

Today, Trump's supporters regularly taunt and harass Jewish Americans online, using photos of World War II-era concentration camps and even an chrome extension "compiling and exposing the identities . They Latino and #BlackLivesMatter protestors at Trump's rallies with regularity, often with the real estate mogul's .

Yet the lawmakers listed above  among others in the GOP  remain willing to walk back on their righteous condemnations of this man, all for the sake of partisanship and political victory.
Several new cruise ships are hitting the high seas this year, including Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, which made its inaugural sailing last month. With a 6,780-guest capacity, Harmony reigns as the world's largest cruise ship, and is the third Royal Caribbean ship in the past six years to claim this title.

[See: 10 Amazing Cruise Ship Amenities.]

Still, the cruise line's executives insist they didn't set out to break any records when they started to work on Harmony.

"It doesn't enter into our decision-making," says Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley. "It's great to be able to say it's the biggest ship in the world ... But we don't design that way."

Instead, Bayley says his team first decided what to include on the ship and then figured out how big it needed to be to fit innovative features and amenities.

"We literally spent the next few years moving things around, trying to figure out how we can get all of this to glue together," he says. "Then, bingo -- all of a sudden, Harri [Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean Cruises' executive vice president, maritime] comes back and says, 'Well, guys, if you want to have all this stuff, it's gonna be this big.'"

"All this stuff," as Bayley describes it, adds up to a variety of whiz-bang features. Perhaps the most prominent is the twin 10-story slides called "The Abyss," which earned their name from the muffled squeals of excitement you can hear from inside the tube as passengers twist and turn down the slide. Also aboard the Harmony, you'll find an ice-skating rink, two 43-foot rock-climbing walls, two surf simulators, a zip line, an outdoor boardwalk complete with a working carousel and "Central Park," an onboard green space filled with 10,000 plants and 50 trees. Even as you catch sight of the ship from afar, you'll likely be struck by its presence. At 1,187 feet long, the ship would be taller than the Eiffel Tower if you were to stand it on its rear.

Throughout the summer, Harmony will be taking passengers on seven-night western Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona, Spain, and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, with stops in Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Florence and Naples. Fares start at $1,498.50.

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Harmony might take up the most space on the docks, but it's not the only boat making waves this year. Here's a look at the top ships to hit the high seas in 2016:

ms Koningsdam

>Holland America Line

Inaugural sail date: April

Holland America's newest ship, Koningsdam, is the first of the line's Pinnacle class. Koningsdam holds 2,650 guests and has a few new touches, including what the company says are its first purpose-built staterooms for families, plus staterooms for solo travelers. The increased size allows room for more public venues, too. In the ship's Music Walk area, passengers can enjoy different music genres, ranging from chamber music at the Lincoln Center Stage to blues at B.B. King's Blues Club. Koningsdam will be based in Amsterdam for a series of northern European and Baltic cruises this summer (its seven-day "Norse Legends" cruises start at $919). The ship will cruise the Mediterranean in September before heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for its winter Caribbean season.

Ovation of the Seas

Royal Caribbean

Inaugural sail date: April

Royal Caribbean's 4,180-passenger Ovation of the Seas is the third of the cruise line's high-tech Quantum-class ships. Like its sister ships within the fleet, Ovation features frills like the gravity-defying North Star capsule, which takes guests 300 feet above sea level for 360-degree ocean views. The ship also has indoor bumper cars and RipCord by iFLY, an indoor skydiving simulator. Ovation's four-night July cruises from Tianjin, China, to Seoul (Incheon), South Korea, start at $1,138 per person.

Viking Sea

Viking Ocean Cruises

Inaugural sail date: April

Compared to other cruise ships launching this year, Viking Sea leans toward the smaller side: The ship can accommodate 930 passengers in its 465 cabins. Onboard, you can expect plenty of Scandinavian flourishes, including a two-deck Explorers' Lounge with decor inspired by Viking trade routes. Like its sister ship, Viking Star, Viking Sea also has an infinity pool. This summer, the Viking Sea will sail through Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Mediterranean. Its least-expensive itinerary -- the 10-day, five-country "Empires of the Mediterranean" trip from Venice to Athens -- starts at $2,999 per person.

[Read: The Best Cruises for Foodies.]

Carnival Vista

Carnival Cruise Lines

Inaugural sail date: May

While Royal Caribbean may hold the title of world's biggest cruise ship, in terms of passenger market share, Carnival remains the biggest cruise line. The company's newest ship, Carnival Vista, carries fewer than 4,000 passengers, and roughly 1,500 fewer passengers than Royal Caribbean's Harmony. But Vista has plenty of bells and whistles, too, including a water park called WaterWorks, which has a 455-foot slide. The ship also boasts the SkyRide at SportsSquare, which allows you to pedal your way through midair. Cruise prices for eight-day summer Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona, Spain -- with stops in Sicily, Rome, Florence and Pisa -- start at $839 per person.

Regent Seven Seas Explorer

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Inaugural sail date: July

With a 750-passenger capacity, the fourth ship in Regent Seven Seas Cruises is much smaller than the megaships setting sail today. Still, Regent is touting Explorer as "the most luxurious ship ever built." And it's making the case with its upscale main attraction: a 3,875-square-foot suite. The Regent Suite is appointed with two bedrooms and a large, private outdoor balcony. Most indulgent of all: an in-suite personal spa complete with a sauna, steam room and a spa treatment area offering unlimited treatments. The per-person brochure fare for this suite on the ship's 14-day maiden voyage from Monte Carlo is a jaw-dropping $143,998, but there's a 2-for-1 fare for $71,999 that includes airfare. The brochure fare for Explorer's lowest-level suite comes in at $29,998.

[See: The Best Cruise Lines of 2016.]

Seabourn Encore

Seabourn Cruise Line

Inaugural sail date: December

Priding itself on offering a more intimate onboard experience than today's megaships, Seabourn's fourth Odyssey-class ship carries only 604 guests and some indulgent flourishes. Each suite will have its own private veranda. Plus, making its debut on Seabourn Encore is The Retreat, a rooftop sanctuary that includes 15 private cabanas, each with a flat-screen TV and a refrigerator filled with drinks of your choice (rates for the cabanas alone start at $350 per day). All this luxury, of course, comes at a price; fares for its December voyage -- a 16-day Holy Land & Arabian Gems cruise from Greece to Dubai -- start at $4,499 per person.





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Several new cruise ships are hitting the high seas this year, including Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, which made its inaugural sailing last month. With a 6,780-guest capacity, Harmony reigns as the world's largest cruise ship, and is the third Royal Caribbean ship in the past six years to claim this title.

[See: 10 Amazing Cruise Ship Amenities.]

Still, the cruise line's executives insist they didn't set out to break any records when they started to work on Harmony.

"It doesn't enter into our decision-making," says Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley. "It's great to be able to say it's the biggest ship in the world ... But we don't design that way."

Instead, Bayley says his team first decided what to include on the ship and then figured out how big it needed to be to fit innovative features and amenities.

"We literally spent the next few years moving things around, trying to figure out how we can get all of this to glue together," he says. "Then, bingo -- all of a sudden, Harri [Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean Cruises' executive vice president, maritime] comes back and says, 'Well, guys, if you want to have all this stuff, it's gonna be this big.'"

"All this stuff," as Bayley describes it, adds up to a variety of whiz-bang features. Perhaps the most prominent is the twin 10-story slides called "The Abyss," which earned their name from the muffled squeals of excitement you can hear from inside the tube as passengers twist and turn down the slide. Also aboard the Harmony, you'll find an ice-skating rink, two 43-foot rock-climbing walls, two surf simulators, a zip line, an outdoor boardwalk complete with a working carousel and "Central Park," an onboard green space filled with 10,000 plants and 50 trees. Even as you catch sight of the ship from afar, you'll likely be struck by its presence. At 1,187 feet long, the ship would be taller than the Eiffel Tower if you were to stand it on its rear.

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Throughout the summer, Harmony will be taking passengers on seven-night western Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona, Spain, and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, with stops in Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Florence and Naples. Fares start at $1,498.50.

Harmony might take up the most space on the docks, but it's not the only boat making waves this year. Here's a look at the top ships to hit the high seas in 2016:

ms Koningsdam

>Holland America Line

Inaugural sail date: April

Holland America's newest ship, Koningsdam, is the first of the line's Pinnacle class. Koningsdam holds 2,650 guests and has a few new touches, including what the company says are its first purpose-built staterooms for families, plus staterooms for solo travelers. The increased size allows room for more public venues, too. In the ship's Music Walk area, passengers can enjoy different music genres, ranging from chamber music at the Lincoln Center Stage to blues at B.B. King's Blues Club. Koningsdam will be based in Amsterdam for a series of northern European and Baltic cruises this summer (its seven-day "Norse Legends" cruises start at $919). The ship will cruise the Mediterranean in September before heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for its winter Caribbean season.

Ovation of the Seas

Royal Caribbean

Inaugural sail date: April

Royal Caribbean's 4,180-passenger Ovation of the Seas is the third of the cruise line's high-tech Quantum-class ships. Like its sister ships within the fleet, Ovation features frills like the gravity-defying North Star capsule, which takes guests 300 feet above sea level for 360-degree ocean views. The ship also has indoor bumper cars and RipCord by iFLY, an indoor skydiving simulator. Ovation's four-night July cruises from Tianjin, China, to Seoul (Incheon), South Korea, start at $1,138 per person.

Viking Sea

Viking Ocean Cruises

Inaugural sail date: April

Compared to other cruise ships launching this year, Viking Sea leans toward the smaller side: The ship can accommodate 930 passengers in its 465 cabins. Onboard, you can expect plenty of Scandinavian flourishes, including a two-deck Explorers' Lounge with decor inspired by Viking trade routes. Like its sister ship, Viking Star, Viking Sea also has an infinity pool. This summer, the Viking Sea will sail through Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Mediterranean. Its least-expensive itinerary -- the 10-day, five-country "Empires of the Mediterranean" trip from Venice to Athens -- starts at $2,999 per person.

[Read: The Best Cruises for Foodies.]

Carnival Vista

Carnival Cruise Lines

Inaugural sail date: May

While Royal Caribbean may hold the title of world's biggest cruise ship, in terms of passenger market share, Carnival remains the biggest cruise line. The company's newest ship, Carnival Vista, carries fewer than 4,000 passengers, and roughly 1,500 fewer passengers than Royal Caribbean's Harmony. But Vista has plenty of bells and whistles, too, including a water park called WaterWorks, which has a 455-foot slide. The ship also boasts the SkyRide at SportsSquare, which allows you to pedal your way through midair. Cruise prices for eight-day summer Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona, Spain -- with stops in Sicily, Rome, Florence and Pisa -- start at $839 per person.

Regent Seven Seas Explorer

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Inaugural sail date: July

With a 750-passenger capacity, the fourth ship in Regent Seven Seas Cruises is much smaller than the megaships setting sail today. Still, Regent is touting Explorer as "the most luxurious ship ever built." And it's making the case with its upscale main attraction: a 3,875-square-foot suite. The Regent Suite is appointed with two bedrooms and a large, private outdoor balcony. Most indulgent of all: an in-suite personal spa complete with a sauna, steam room and a spa treatment area offering unlimited treatments. The per-person brochure fare for this suite on the ship's 14-day maiden voyage from Monte Carlo is a jaw-dropping $143,998, but there's a 2-for-1 fare for $71,999 that includes airfare. The brochure fare for Explorer's lowest-level suite comes in at $29,998.

[See: The Best Cruise Lines of 2016.]

Seabourn Encore

Seabourn Cruise Line

Inaugural sail date: December

Priding itself on offering a more intimate onboard experience than today's megaships, Seabourn's fourth Odyssey-class ship carries only 604 guests and some indulgent flourishes. Each suite will have its own private veranda. Plus, making its debut on Seabourn Encore is The Retreat, a rooftop sanctuary that includes 15 private cabanas, each with a flat-screen TV and a refrigerator filled with drinks of your choice (rates for the cabanas alone start at $350 per day). All this luxury, of course, comes at a price; fares for its December voyage -- a 16-day Holy Land & Arabian Gems cruise from Greece to Dubai -- start at $4,499 per person.

Sid Lipsey is an L.A.-based travel writer who likes to eat and drink his way through vacations, especially when he's at sea. His work has appeared in Yahoo Travel, Fox News and CNN. Follow his travels on Twitter and Instagram.
Ellen DeGeneres "The only way I'm trying to influence people is to be more kind and compassionate with one another. That is the message that I'm sending out. I don't have an agenda. I'm not here to brainwash anyone. I want you to live your lives being exactly who you are. Be true to yourself. The most important thing is to be true to yourself," said DeGeneres on her show. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Happy Pride Month! Every year, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots. The riots, which took place in Manhattan, were a crucial tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the U.S. So this month, we celebrate the massive strides the LGBT community has made since then. In particular, leaps like last year's landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality. Progress like this is due to the forward-thinking advocates and allies who have worked tirelessly to achieve a more unified and equal existence for all.

And among those advocates and allies stand celebrities of various sexual orientations, who have lent their voices to the LGBT community and their fight for equality. Here, we've rounded up some of our favorite celebrity quotes on being gay, coming out, and the continued push for equal rights.
ABBA celebrated the 50th anniversary of their founding by performing onstage together for the first time in 30 years.



ABBA to Release First New Song in 18 Years

Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad were all in attendance at Stockholms Berns Salonger Sunday for a private gala honoring the influential pop group, and while the quartet stood onstage together to discuss their career with attendees, ABBA sang a rendition of their 1980 hit Me and I, Swedens Expressen reports.

At first, Lyngstad and Faltskog sang the track together as a tribute to Andersson and Ulvaeus, but soon the male half of ABBA joined in toward the end of the song to cap the reunion. The impromptu performance marked the first time since 1986 that ABBA has played music together onstage in public.

Since then, the quartet has reunited sparingly, mostly for promotional purposes: In January, ABBA staged a rare four-member reunion at the opening of Mamma Mia! The Party in Stockholm, a gathering that represented the first time since 2008 that the group was photographed together, EW writes.

In 2010, after it was revealed that ABBA would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Andersson announced that the quartet would not reunite at the induction ceremony for a variety of reasons, including Faltskogs reluctance to fly. Agnetha is not flying, so I dont know how shes going to get to New York, Andersson told Rolling Stone at the time.

Despite a rumored billion-dollar offer for a reunion tour, ABBA have refused to get back together  both couples, Lyndstad and Andersson as well as Faltskog and Ulvaeus, divorced in 1980  making their Sunday performance all the more improbable.

It was absolutely amazing. A lot of emotions, Lyngstad told Expressen of the reunion. Weve made this journey throughout our history. Benny and Bjorn in particular. Its been very nostalgic.

While no video from the Me and I performance has emerged, a few photos of the reunited ABBA have been posted on social media.

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ABBA. #bjornobenny #b&b50 #thankyouforthemusic A photo posted by Per Sundin (@perurban) on Jun 5, 2016 at 3:41pm PDT

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The four members of ABBA have come together for an improbable performance.

Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad made a rare joint appearance on Sunday (June 5) for a celebration to mark the half-century since the legendary pop group was born.

The Swedish superstars were joined with other musicians, homegrown actors, celebrities and guests for a private party at the Berns Salonger hotel in downtown Stockholm, the Expressen reports.

ABBA Reunites for Stockholm Restaurant Launch

It's the second surprise ABBA reunion this year, after the former bandmates' assembled Jan. 20 for the opening of Stockholm's Mamma Mia! The Party.

On this occasion, however, the foursome shared a music-making moment not seen for decades, according to people who were in the room. Images of the former bandmates singing and embracing on stage have been circulated on social media though video of the performance has yet to emerge.

Nar Bjorn & Benny firar sitt 50-ariga samarbete blir den naturligtvis en valdigt speciell kvall.

A photo posted by Niklas Stromstedt (@poptonten) on Jun 5, 2016 at 4:25pm PDT

ABBA. #bjornobenny #b&b50 #thankyouforthemusic

A photo posted by Per Sundin (@perurban) on Jun 5, 2016 at 3:41pm PDT

Ulvaeus and Andersson met for the first time on June 5 1966. A friendship grew, ABBA was formed and the rest is, well, history.

Beloved for their fashion-forward looks, perfect harmonies and timeless pop hooks, ABBA sold more than 380 million albums worldwide in a career that exploded in 1974 with its Eurovision Song Contest-winning performance of "Waterloo".

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus Discusses New Photo Book, Writes Off Reunion: 'You'll Never See Us Onstage Again'

The act split in 1982 and hasn't performed together since 1986. ABBA's music has enjoyed a huge boost thanks to the lucrative Mamma Mia! stage show, which opened in 1999 in London and later became a Broadway hit. The jukebox musical has grossed more than $2 billion from more than 40 international stage adaptations and been seen by more than 55 million people.

Legend would have it the members of ABBA once turned down a $1 billion fee to reunite for a tour.
Just three weeks before Donald Trump triggered a national firestorm over his claims that U.S. Judge Gonzalo Curiel was biased against him because of his Mexican heritage, his lead lawyer in the Trump University case praised Curiel for a sound decision and said he had no plans to file a motion for him to be recused.

The judge is doing his job, said Daniel Petrocelli, shaking his head, when asked if planned to seek Curiels recusal. Were not seeking to recuse the judge.

The comments by Petrocelli, who heads the defense team for the presumptive Republican nominee, were made to reporters outside the federal courthouse in San Diego on May 6 (and videotaped by Yahoo News) after a key pre-trial hearing on the Trump University case. They got no national media attention at the time.

But they could now undercut Trumps repeated assertions that Curiel, who was born in Indiana, had an absolute conflict because he is Mexican and should therefore disqualify himself. Legal experts across the political spectrum and Republican Party leaders including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have denounced Trumps slurs on Curiels impartiality.

Ive been treated very unfairly by the judge, Trump told CNNs Jake Tapper last Friday. This judge is of Mexican heritage. Im building a wall.  I think he should recuse himself.

Petrocelli, a renowned civil litigator who has spearheaded Trumps defense in the Trump University case, praised Curiel after the May 6 hearing and for good reason: The judge had arguably done Trump a huge favor. The plaintiffs in the case, who claim they were defrauded out of tens of thousands of dollars they paid for Trump University seminars they say were largely worthless, had pushed for a trial date this summer in the 6-year-old case  right after the Republican Party convention. Justice delayed is justice denied, Jason Forge, one of the plaintiffs lawyers, had argued to Curiel that day. There are people who are still paying off their debts for the money they paid to Trump University.

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But Curiel rejected that argument and pushed the trial back to Nov. 28 so as not to interfere with Trumps campaign for president. It was no small break for the presumptive GOP candidate, since he is the lead defendant in the case and would likely be the chief witness in a trial that is expected to last at least a month.

Although Petrocelli had sought a trial date in February  by which time Trump, if he wins the election, would actually be president  he praised Curiels ruling that day. Were pleased that this case is not going to trial [while] Mr. Trump is preparing for the presidential election, he told reporters outside the courtroom. We think thats a sound decision by the court.

Later, when rejecting the idea of a recusal motion against Curiel, Petrocelli added: I think the court today did a good job of trying to balance out competing interests.

Petrocelli declined to comment to Yahoo News Monday on his opinion of Curiel. And despite his comments last month, he and Trump have other rulings by Curiel to object to, notably his denial last November of a motion by Trump to dismiss the case on summary judgment (Curiel had concluded there were genuine issues of material fact to resolve about Trump University) and his decision last March to allow Tarla Makaeff, the lead plaintiff in the class-action case, to drop out and be replaced by another plaintiff. (Makaeff had said she was unable to continue because of pressing health problems. At the request of Trumps lawyers, Curiel then reviewed her health records and concurred.)

But legal experts say that Petrocelli would have little to no chance of prevailing in a legal motion to recuse Curiel because of perceived bias due to his ethnic background  a major reason he has pointedly failed to file such a motion. It would have zero legal merit, said Stephen Gillers, a New York University law professor who specializes in legal ethics. A judges ethnicity, gender and race is never a grounds for recusal. Its quite clear. A lawyer would not make that motion without fear of being sanctioned.

Daniel Petrocelli, Donald Trump and Judge Gonzalo Curiel. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg/Getty Images, AP Photo, San Diego Superior Court)

In fact, Gillers said, there is even legal precedent for sanctioning lawyers who make such motions: In 1998, lawyers in a civil case moved to disqualify federal Judge Denny Chin, who is Asian-American, because some of the parties in the case were also Asian-Americans. Not only was the motion rejected, one of the lawyers was later sanctioned by Judge Chin  a decision that was later upheld by a U.S. appeals court.

There is an even more recent precedent against such recusals in the same judicial circuit where the Trump University case is being tried. One of the parties seeking to overturn a ruling by then U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker in favor of same-sex marriage on the grounds that Walker was gay. In a unanimous ruling in 2012, a U.S Court of Appeals panel rejected the idea that Judge Walkers sexual preference compromised his impartiality. To hold otherwise would demonstrate a lack of respect for the integrity of our federal courts, the judges concluded.
WPP founder and CEO Martin Sorrell, speaks at the British chambers of Commerce annual conference in London Britain, March 3, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File photo

Sir Martin Sorrell, the CEO of the world's biggest advertising company, WPP, looks likely to be facing a shareholder revolt over his record pay package at the company's annual general meeting this Wednesday.

Sorrell received 70.4 million ($101.6 million) in cash and shares in 2015, which was one of the biggest annual remuneration packages in UK corporate history.

WPP said the deal  which included 63 million ($90.9 million) in share awards and a 4.2 million ($6.6 million) annual bonus  was large but was due to the fact that he had delivered "an outstanding set of returns to share owners."

But advisory firms are lining up to tell shareholders to vote against Sorrell's 2015 pay deal, which was up nearly 64% on the previous year.

The Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) has written a letter advising its 70 member funds to reject WPP's remuneration report and its "excessive" payments to Sorrell.

LAPFF notes that Sorrell's pay has increased by 56% per year over the past five years, which represents twice the year-on-year average increase in the company's total shareholder return over the same period (28.8%). Sorrell's variable pay is more than 58 times his salary and the highest in the sector, the forum added. In addition, the forum thinks Sorrell's 1.42% share capital should already provide him with "substantial alignment with other shareholders and an incentive to perform."

Kieran Quinn, LAPFF Chairman, said: "Most shareholders will, in the main, accept what they consider a reasonable level of pay for performance. However, with WPP, we consider there are several aspects of the payment which do not reflect this, and we are advising our member funds to oppose the remuneration report on this basis."

Meanwhile, The Times reported that two proxy advisory firms, ShareSoc and Pirc, are also advising investors to vote against WPP's remuneration report. Another advisory firm, ISS, is recommending only "qualified support" for the report, according to The Times.

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WPP told Business Insider it does not comment on shareholder advisory bodies recommendations.

However, a WPP spokesperson provided this statement to clarify the company's compensation policy:

The remuneration policy is clearly stated in the Annual Report and some 90% of Sir Martin Sorrell's remuneration is derived from the formulaic application of the LEAP long term co-investment scheme approved by an 83% vote in favour by shareholders in 2009. During the five year performance period 2011-15 WPP's market capitalisation increased by over 10bn and its shares rose 98% while the FTSE100 increased by only 5.8%. The LEAP scheme was replaced in 2013 by a long term scheme with a substantially lower opportunity and the run-off of the LEAP scheme has one more year to run. The final year of LEAP also has a substantially lower opportunity for Sir Martin with over 40% less shares than for the five years ended 31 December 2015.

Last year, advisory firms predicted a shareholder revolt in reaction to Sorrell's 2014 pay package, which had increased 43% year-on-year to 43 million ($66 million).

However, just over 22% (19.5% against and 2.7% in abstentions) voted against Sorrell's pay package, which was fewer than the 28% who voted against Sorrell's compensation the prior year.

In 2012, 60% of WPP shareholders voted against the "LEAP" long-term incentive scheme, which was replaced next year with a new plan that is expected to substantially reduce Sorrell's total compensation from next year.

In a 2014 interview with Business Insider, Sorrell had this to say about his pay deal:

In terms of my own compensation, what people tend to forget is that about 85% to 90% of my compensation is based on performance. For 28 years, all my net worth is in WPP, except for a very small piece, therefore the success or failure of WPP is tied very much with what I am paid.

I've not sold stock, with the exception of when I had a divorce settlement, in that last 30 years. And, interestingly, I've paid tax on that stock and locked myself in. And if the share price falls below the price of stock vested, I get a double whammy: I pay tax on that rate and the value of what I can ultimately disclose.

There's a very important distinction between people that have started a company from zero and stayed with it for 28 years and haven't flitted from flower to flower, and people who do.

The risk I have taken is substantial and it goes against all conventional financial planning where they say to diversify your risk. But my dad always used to tell me to invest in the company you know best and that company is the company you work with.

NOW WATCH: We did a blind taste test of wings from Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Buffalo Wild Wings  the winner was clear





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(Adds background on Petershill, details from investor letter)

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Olivia Oran

BOSTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Affiliated Managers Group Inc , a holding company for money management firms, said on Monday it will buy stakes in five hedge funds from Goldman Sachs Group Inc for $800 million, sparking a 3.5 percent jump in Affiliated Managers stock.

AMG, which has been buying pieces of hedge funds for more than a dozen years, said the deal will boost its assets under management by roughly $55 billion to $700 billion and increase economic earnings per share by 50 cents to 80 cents in 2017.

Goldman is selling minority stakes that its Petershill Fund I owns in hedge funds Winton Capital Group Ltd, Capula Investment Management LLP, Partner Fund Management LP, Mount Lucas Management LP, and CapeView Capital LLP.

Senior management at each of the funds will continue to own the bulk of the equity and operate independently under the same terms as the prior arrangements with Petershill Fund I, AMG said.

AMG's share price, which has fallen 21 percent over the last 12 months, got a shot in the arm after the announcement, trading at $177.45, up $5.93.

Hedge funds have suffered through their worst period since the financial crisis, with many posting lackluster returns and investors complaining loudly about hefty fees.

During the first three months of 2016, investors pulled out $17 billion in assets from hedge funds, which manage roughly $2.8 trillion.

In a letter to investors obtained by Reuters, Petershill said it "maintains its conviction" in investing in the alternatives industry, including hedge funds.

The fund will receive up to $835 million from the deal, the letter said.

Petershill's second fund is raising funds to buy stakes in private equity firms as it tries to diversify its investment pool, according to reports in May.

Petershill is part of the alternative investment management group within Goldman's investment management division, led by Tim O'Neill and Eric Lane. Investment management has grown its share of revenue within Goldman to 21 percent in the first quarter of 2016, up from 15 percent in the year-ago period.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston and Olivia Oran in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Sam Ehlinger officially becomes the starting quarterback of the Colts. If he fails or gets injured, Nick Foles will take over. And if Foles gets injured, the quarterback will be anyone but Matt Ryan. Ryan is done. Hes out. He wont play again, for reasons rooted in his contract. Put simply, once the team decided [more]
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa on Monday sought to allay fears after Washington warned Americans of a possibly imminent terror attack by Islamic extremists in the country's major cities.

"We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger," State Security Minister David Mahlobo said in a statement.

The United States on Saturday said it had received information that terrorist groups were planning to carry out attacks in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The warning said attacks may target sites frequented by US citizens, including high-end shopping areas and malls in the economic hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town, which is popular with tourists.

It came against the background of the Islamic State group's "public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan," the US embassy in South Africa said.

One of South Africa's largest shopping centres, Sandton City in Johannesburg, said it was taking the warning seriously.

Along with several other malls, it is "on high alert and additional security measures have been implemented", said Nomzamo Radebe, CEO of JHI Retail which owns Sandton City.

But the South African government played down the threat.

State security ministry spokesman Brian Dube told AFP that authorities have not stepped up security following the alert.

"We have not come to a situation where we have to change our national threat level," Dube said.

"Our information has not necessarily confirmed what has been raised by the Americans," he added.

The United States regularly warns its citizens around the world to beware of terror attacks, but the weekend's note was specific about the targets and the imminence of the threat.

This is the second alert it has issued for South Africa in under a year.

- UK says 'high terror threat' -

The warning was followed by a British government travel advice, cautioning against a "high threat from terrorism" in South Africa.

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"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town," said an online foreign travel advice.

South Africa has so far escaped the jihadist attacks seen in several other African countries.

But according to Robert Besseling, Executive Director at Ex Africa Business Risk Intelligence, a threat of Islamist terrorism in South Africa was real.

"A successful terrorist attack in South Africa is feasible, given police ineffectiveness, serious weaknesses within the intelligence apparatus, and the lack of a counter-terrorism strategy," he said in a statement.

However, a local analyst said South Africa's neutral foreign policy did not place it at risk.

"We don't have a history of terrorism here, we have got a foreign policy that's quite neutral, we don't engage in any counter-insurgency operations either on the continent or elsewhere that would place us in at risk of retaliatory attacks," said Ryan Cummings, an analyst with Cape Town-based Signal Risk think tank.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Shelling by Turkey's military and attacks by U.S.-led coalition aircraft killed seven Islamic State militants in Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday. Turkish howitzers and rocket launchers opened fire over the border, while the air strikes hit an area near the Syrian town of Azaz, the agency said, citing security sources, but giving no detail on when the attacks took place. The shelling and air strikes destroyed weapons systems that the militants were preparing to use to fire on Turkey, the agency said. Azaz lies south of the Turkish border town of Kilis, which has been repeatedly hit by Islamic State rockets. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
SETP textron

Continuing an ever expanding trend, aircraft consumers are proving that one engine is actually better than two.

And to capitalize on this change, Textron Aviation, parent company to famous aircraft manufacturers Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker, revealed a widely anticipated new turboprop aircraft, to begin testing in 2018.

The Single Engine Turboprop aircraft, or SETP, will enter a very competitive but fast-growing market segment that includes the Swiss-made Pilatus PC-12 and French manufacturer Daher's TBM line.

Cruising speed of the new SETP is estimated to reach 285 knots, and the aircraft can be configured to carry up to eight passengers. The cabin features a flat floor as well as a wide rear cargo and passenger door. It pressurizes to a very passenger-friendly cabin altitude of just 6,130 feet. The aircraft also has a service ceiling of 31,000 feet.

While the Textron's Beechcraft brand already includes the well-known King Air twin turboprop line, consumer demand is increasingly moving customers toward single-engine aircraft thanks to the reliability, efficiency, and speed provided by modern turbine engines.

The company has also committed to using General Electric's new Advanced Turboprop engine, a major coup for the company and a loss for Pratt & Whitney, whose PT6 line of turboprop engines has been the industry standard for over half a century.

Textron has yet to reveal the SETP's final name, the brand under which it will live, or where it will be produced. While it is not releasing an actual number, Textron claimed in a recent press release that the SETP will deliver "best-in-class operating costs."

The company is accepting preorders at a unit price of $4.8 million.

SETP textron

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For CEOs, it's not always good news when activist investor Carl Icahn has his eyes on your company. But for Allergan (NYSE: AGN), CEO Brent Saunders says Icahn's investment announced last week was the ultimate stamp of approval.



"I asked him did he have something he wanted us to do differently?" Saunders told CNBC's " Squawk on the Street " on Monday. "He said no, that he was confident in our strategy and he looked forward to being an investor for the long-term."



Icahn's investment in the pharmaceutical company comes two months after the U.S. government blocked a $160 billion merger with Pfizer by issuing new tax inversion rules.

Shares of the company, which makes the wrinkle-injection Botox, jumped 3 percent on the Icahn investment news last week. The exact size of his stake isn't known, since it was not filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"He did say it was a very large position but we'll have to wait until we get the shareholder trades for the month to see what it actually is," Saunders said.

Icahn and Saunders first worked together at Forest Laboratories, where Saunders was previously CEO. The company was later acquired by Actavis, which eventually combined with Allergan.

"He is a shrewd investor," Saunders said of Icahn. "I think he saw what we saw when we announced our $10 billion buyback, which is that Allergan is a compelling investment."

The company's stock buybacks will begin immediately after the close of a deal for Teva (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: TEVA-IL) Pharmaceuticals to Allergan's generic drug business for $40.5 billion. The company will start buying back stock in increments of $4 to $5 billion when the deal wraps up this month, Saunders said, then renew the program until it exhausts the $10 billion.

"My sense is that will take us several months to do the whole thing but we will get it done," he said, adding that the Dublin-based company could not complete an immediate buyback because of Irish law.

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The Teva deal will also allow the company to pay down about $8 billion in debt immediately. Another $2 billion in debt will be paid over the next 18 months as bonds mature, Saunders said. The rest of the profits from the Teva deal, Saunders said, are designated for growth.

"That will leave us net round number about $20 billion including cash flow from operations to invest for growth," he said. "We'll be looking to bolster our position in the categories in which we compete through M&A."





More From CNBC


On Jun 6, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Alliance Data Systems Corporation ADS.



The company delivered earnings per share that outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate on the back of solid organic growth. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) financial transaction service provider outperformed earnings in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 2.19%.



Alliance Data has been generating solid results on operational strength across all its segments. Also, the inorganic story remains impressive with strategic buyouts. The dotz coalition loyalty program in Brazil, where the company has a 37% stake is well placed with membership of nearly 18 million and has more than 60 million collectors enrolled.



Riding on its operational strength, the company is also strengthening its balance sheet. Banking on this strength, Alliance Data is effectively deploying capital by engaging in shareholder-friendly moves apart from pursuing growth initiatives. To this end, the company has targeted share buyback of $1 billion in 2016. This is turn is making the stock an attractive pick for yield-seeking investors.



However, escalating expenses are weighing on margin expansion and dependence on a few clients for revenue generation is a concern. Also, if there is an increase in costs related to redemption of AIR MILES reward miles, profitability may be affected. In addition, AIR MILES reward miles issued is directly proportional to AIR MILES reward miles available for redemption in the future. This in turn might affect revenues. For 2016, issuance growth is estimated in the range of 35% while redemption growth is expected to be in line with issuance growth.



Nonetheless, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 and 2017 moved up in the last 60 days as most of the estimates were revised higher. It increased 0.3% to $15.79 for 2016 and 0.7% to $17.88 for 2017. The expected long-term earnings growth rate is currently pegged at 13.8%.



Stocks to Consider



Some better-ranked financial transaction service providers are Total System Services, Inc TSS, WEX Inc. WEX and Global Payments Inc. GPN. While Total System and WEX sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Global Payments carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
From Road & Track

Aloha Wanderwell was born with an adventurer's name, and she certainly lived up to it. The first woman to drive a car around the world "wore men's breeches and had a pet monkey," says Atlas Obscura. We can only hope to live so well, to achieve such great things.

This "Amelia Earhart of the automobile" spent seven years traveling the globe starting in 1921, when the world was hostile to cars and women alike. She was 16, and she signed on board to join a man named "'Captain' Walter Wanderwell," but whose real name was Valerian Johannes Piecynski, to see who could visit the most countries in the world.

They traveled in a fleet of Ford Model Ts, along with a camera crew and a pet monkey named Chango.

Aloha-who was born Idris Galcia Hall in Winnipeg, Canada-served as a jack of all trades: "cinematographer, photographer, translator, driver, actress, and seamstress," as well as documentarian. She spoke French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. She grew up a tomboy with wanderlust and grit-her father was killed in World War I-and she was tall, blonde, and beautiful, as well as an unabashed feminist, who flaunted her men's attire as a necessity. She got caught up in civil strife in China. She had to tow out Model Ts alongside oxen in Africa. She chronicled food shortages in Germany after World War I, and her films of native peoples in Brazil are now in the Smithsonian. She eventually fell in love with the Captain and had two children with him, just before he was mysteriously murdered on a yacht, which is still a fate far more interesting than what many of us will face.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she was famous-but, eventually, the adventures fell into the dust of history. She deserves to be rediscovered. That's why her story is well worth the read: a lady adventurer who saw so much of the world-by car, nonetheless-before it changed, over and over again.

Image via Aloha Wanderwell
LONDON  British playwright and screenwriter Peter Shaffer, who won an Oscar for Amadeus, has died at the age of 90. Shaffers U.K. agent Rupert Lord said Shaffer died Monday in Ireland after a short illness.

Shaffer wrote more than 18 plays, including Amadeus, Equus, Black Comedy, Lettice and Lovage, The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Five Finger Exercise.

Many of his works were adapted for television or the movies, including his first play, The Salt Land, which was written in 1951 and produced for television in 1955. Another early adaptation was Five Finger Exercise, which was directed by John Gielgud in Londons West End in 1958, transferred to New York in 1959, and was followed by a film version in 1962.

Equus, which is one of his best-known works, was first produced by Londons National Theatre, and later went to Broadway, where it ran for more than 1,200 performances, and won a Tony. It was also made into a film in 1977, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Burton. The screenplay earned Shaffer an Oscar nomination. The play was revived in the West End in 2007, with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in his first major role in theater, and the production subsequently ran on Broadway.

Amadeus opened at the National Theatre in 1979, and on Broadway in 1980, where it ran for more than 1,000 performances and won a Tony, and then transferred to the West End. The 1984 movie won Shaffer one of its eight Academy Awards. Amadeus will be revived at the National Theatre in the fall.

Lettice and Lovage ran for nearly three years in the West End. In 1990, the play opened on Broadway with Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzack both winning Tony awards for their roles.

Shaffer maintained strong links with the National Theatre, for which several of his plays were written and first produced. The Royal Hunt of the Sun was the first premiere of a new play ever produced by the National Theatre in 1964.

Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, said: Peter Shaffer was one of the great writers of his generation and the National Theatre was enormously lucky to have had such a fruitful and creative relationship with him. The plays he leaves behind are an enduring legacy.

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Shaffer was awarded a British national honor, Commander of the British Empire, in 1987, and he was knighted in 2001.

He is survived by his brother Brian, nephews Milo and Mark, and nieces Cressida and Claudia, whose father and Peters twin, the playwright and screenwriter Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth), died in 2001.

Related stories

London Theater Review: 'The Threepenny Opera' with Rory Kinnear

London Theater Review: Caryl Churchill's 'Here We Go'

London Theater Review: Wallace Shawn's 'Evening at the Talk House'
London (AFP) - British playwright Peter Shaffer, who won an Oscar for his film adaptation of "Amadeus", one of his most celebrated stage dramas, died on Monday aged 90, his agent said.

"It is with great sorrow that we must announce the death of our friend and client, Sir Peter Shaffer CBE whilst on a visit to Ireland with friends and family," Rupert Lord said on his agency's website.

Shaffer died at 5:30 am (0430 GMT) at a hospital outside Cork in southern Ireland following a short illness, Lord said.

"Peter was one of the true greats of British theatre as well as a wonderful friend, wickedly funny man and sparkling raconteur whose lifelong passion for his own art was matched by his love for music, painting and architecture," said Lord.

Shaffer won the Oscar in 1985 for the adaptation of "Amadeus", his drama about composer Antonio Salieri's jealous fixation with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was one of eight Oscars which the film won that year.

He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1978 for the screenplay of "Equus", his 1973 stage play about a psychiatrist treating a young man fascinated by horses.

His other plays include "Lettice and Lovage" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun".

"He had been struggling with his health for some time but was both determined and delighted to have been able to celebrate his 90th birthday in Ireland last month with close family and friends," said Lord.

- Twin also famous screenwriter -

Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in Liverpool, northwest England, and educated in London before studying history at the University of Cambridge.

He was conscripted to work in the coal mines during World War II.

He was the twin of Anthony Shaffer, the screenwriter and playwright whose screenplays included the Alfred Hitchcock film "Frenzy", the British cult thriller movie "The Wicker Man" and Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile". He died in 2001.

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Peter Shaffer also received multiple Tony, Olivier and Golden Globe awards.

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987 and knighted in 2001.

Much of his working life was linked to the National Theatre in London, for which several of his plays were written and first produced.

"Peter Shaffer was one of the great writers of his generation and the National Theatre was enormously lucky to have had such a fruitful and creative relationship with him," said its director Rufus Norris.

"The plays he leaves behind are an enduring legacy."

The British Film Institute said it was saddened to hear of his death.

A private funeral will be held in London in the coming days.

"Details of a memorial ceremony will be announced in due course," Lord added.
Ambi Group is partnering with Beijing-based SinoLicensing to form Ambi-Sino China  a finance, production and distribution company.

SinoLicensing CEO Chuan Melody Bi and and Ambi co-owner Andrea Iervolino will oversee the day-to-day operations. The deal was announced Monday in Beijing.

In addition to expanding Ambis distribution to China, Ambi-Sino will finance and produce Chinese original content, co-produce English-language content with Chinese partners, and serve as a local production partner for Ambis productions and third-party projects.

Ambi-Sino will be able to exploit the Ambi library, which includes the Exclusive Media library it acquired last year. That acquisition covered remake and sequel rights for about 400 titles, including Begin Again, Cruel Intentions, Donnie Darko, End of Watch, Ides of March, Memento, The Mexican, Parkland, Rush, Sliding Doors, Snitch, Undefeated and The Way Back.

These properties, and more, will be considered for local remake opportunities in the Chinese language with cooperation from local and international financing partners, Ambi noted.

The initial focus for Ambi-Sino are Chinese-language remakes of titles currently handled by Ambi Distribution. It will co-produce English and Chinese feature films, and co-finance local Chinese content, both for theatrical, and online distribution. The Beijing-based team will handle other formats of popular content, including games.

We are excited about the opportunity to create a China-based extension of our company, which will prove extraordinarily valuable not only to us, but also to the network of producers, distributors and content creators that are joining us on a daily basis, Iervolino said. The ability to operate in China as a Chinese company, with highly respected local partners, will multiply and streamline our opportunities there and around the world.

Melody Bi said in a statement, The China film industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world and we are excited to work with Andrea and the Ambi team, who not only have strong passion for the China market, but also respect and understand the differences and uniqueness of the local audience and ecosystem here.

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Two-year-old Ambi has assembled a slate that includes This Beautiful Fantastic, starring Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Wilkinson; James Francos In Dubious Battle; the sci-fi thriller Rupture, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Chiklis and Peter Stormare; the psychological thriller Lavender, starring Abbie Cornish and Dermot Mulroney; and the romantic comedy All Roads Lead to Rome, starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

It announced last month that Lucy Liu, Suki Waterhouse and Snoop Dogg had joined James Francos post-apocalyptic thriller Future World.

(Photo: Andrea Iervolino)

Related stories

Lamborghini Movie in the Works at Ambi

Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' Getting Remake

AMBI Group Launches $200 Million Film Fund
AMC is teaming up with some familiar faces for a potential miniseries based on David Carr's The Night of the Gun.

The network on Monday announced that it is partnering with Sony Pictures Television to develop a six-parter based on the late journalist's memoirs, with Shawn Ryan adapting and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk set to play Carr. Night of the Gun shifted Carr's focus from reporting to his own life, chronicling his longtime struggle with addiction.

"I read David's story, The Night of the Gun, when it came out and was wildly entertained by his saga," said Odenkirk. "It's a story of survival filled with pain, crack, journalistic righteousness, abandoned cars, crooks, lies, and then there's the two little girls who saved his life; it's overstuffed with humanity. Shawn Ryan is the man to explore this real anti-hero story. I hope to do justice to David's intellect and his scrappy nature. It's gonna be crazy ... if we do it right."

If the project moves forward, it will be another carefully selected mini for the cable network. AMC has not been overly zealous in its push into limited series, recently airing co-production The Night Manager to much acclaim.

"David Carr's work as a journalist was uncompromising, enlightening and, most of all, always driven by a fundamental quest for the truth," said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. "When he turned those skills and values around to focus on his own life as an addict, the result was a stunningly original, compelling and important piece of journalism the likes of which the world had never seen - a simultaneously heartbreaking, funny and inspirational account that redefined the idea of telling a personal story. Shawn Ryan, Bob Odenkirk and the incredible team behind this have embraced all the things that David would have loved as a storyteller and crafted a vision for The Night of the Gun that we hope will be as timeless as David's book."

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Night of the Gun will be a co-production between AMC Studios and Sony Pictures Television, with Ryan and Odenkirk set to executive produce.

"The Night of the Gun is an incredible tale of a journalist's search for the truth about the most painful subject of his career - himself," said Ryan. "David Carr's autobiography is a searing, hysterical look at the demon of addiction and his journey from the crack pipe to esteemed columnist for The New York Times. I couldn't be more honored to help bring his story to life, especially with the immensely talented Bob Odenkirk as an actor and creative partner."

Carr, a longtime New York Times columnist, died in 2015 of heart disease after collapsing in the newsroom.
ROK and US Marine Chemical attack

Chemical agent attacks have long been a part of a militarys arsenal. During ancient times, while the Persians were under siege by the Romans, they pumped toxic gases made from sulphur crystals and bitumen into tunnels that the Romans were digging.

Centuries later, weve found more innovative methods to wreak havoc with agents that are naked to the human eye.

It is estimated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that the normal response time for a chemical attack is 12 hours  far too long for an emergency of this scope.

In addition to this deficiency, hospitals actually carry a limited amount of supplies for nerve agent exposures.

Even if a hospital was lucky enough to have an ample supply, their varied shelf lives make them unsustainable resource due to their costly nature.

Women Syria Chemical Gas Treatment

To address these insufficiencies, a streamlined logistical system has been implemented by the CDC  their antidote of choice?

Meet Chempack.

chempack firefighter

Chempacks contain antidotes to assist state and local officials in responding quickly during a nerve agent attack.

Initiated in 2002 with an overall budget of $6 million, the program has since expanded to 1,960 Chempacks strategically located in 1,340 locations in the US.

In fact, more than 90% of the US population is an hour away from a Chempack.

Chempack locations

For obvious reasons, the specific location for each of these Chempacks is not disclosed to the public.

There are two different types of Chempacks: a version for first responders, which is used to treat up to 454 people; and a more robust version for hospitals, which is used to treat up to 1,000 people.

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Each chempack unit contains the antidotes to prevent human nervous system failure, such as Diazepam, which reduces the severity of chemically-induced convulsions.

To deliver these agents, the Chempack also includes military grade MARK 1 autoinjectors that are loaded with doses of the antidotes.

Chempack internals

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Georgia, in this file photo taken September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell/Files

In densely populated areas like New York, officials have created mobile Chempack units, where a designated driver can leave their location within three minutes, resulting is a faster response time.

With US National Intelligence Director James Clapper stating that terrorist organizations, such as ISIS, were already planning on using chemical weapons towards the US, the CDC's Chempacks may prove to be a public necessity.

NOW WATCH: A chemical reaction results in the stuff of nightmares





More From Business Insider


VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / American CuMo Mining Corporation (MLY.V) (OTC Pink: MLYCF) (CuMoCo or the Company) is pleased to announce that it and its subsidiary, Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation (Idaho CuMo), have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ping Shan Resource Holdings Ltd. (PS Resources), a subsidiary of a leading Hong Kong based commodities group, and MCC8 Group Company Limited (MCC8, and collectively with PS Resources, the Chinese Partners), a China-based leader in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and management for non-ferrous metallurgical industry projects, with respect to the development of CuMoCo's CuMo Project, a molybdenum-copper-silver deposit located in Idaho, USA.

The parties entered the MOU to formalize their understanding and intentions with respect to the development of the CuMo Project. Specifically, the Chinese Partners are to arrange a minimum of US$700 million in project financing for the development and construction of the CuMo Project in order to receive an 80 percent of net proceeds interest in the joint venture to be formed between Idaho CuMo and the Chinese Partners in respect of the CuMo Project (Joint Venture). Subsequent funding of the Joint Venture is to be provided on a pro rata basis. At the appropriate time, Idaho CuMo intends to seek mining equipment equity loans to cover their 20 percent of the contributions to the Joint Venture.

Upon formation of the Joint Venture, the CuMo Project would continue to be owned by Idaho CuMo and managed through the Joint Venture by a committee (Management Committee) consisting of two committee members from Idaho CuMo and two from the Chinese Partners with appropriate provisions to resolve deadlocks. The parties contemplate that the Management Committee would be charged with the objective of reaching a production decision for the CuMo Project and commissioning an independent Definitive Feasibility Study, including all environmental studies, permits and bonding arrangements for the Project.

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The parties are to negotiate a binding, definitive project financing agreement (Definitive Agreement). The terms of the Definitive Agreement would be subject to various regulatory, government, Board of Director and shareholder approvals. The terms of the MOU provide that once Idaho CuMo has obtained US$25 million in new capital (Initial Funding), the Chinese Partners would be granted exclusivity for one year to perform due diligence, obtain all required approvals and secure funding to complete the proposed transaction (Exclusivity Period).

Strategic Venture Fund of Hong Kong facilitated the MOU between CuMoCo and the Chinese Partners, subsequent to signing a US$50 million consulting agreement with the Company.

CuMoCo's President and CEO Shaun Dykes stated, "We are extremely pleased to see that our CuMo Project has been met with genuine interest from one of Asia's largest and most prestigious companies in the non-ferrous metallurgical industry, and a company that has a declared focus on modern environmental solutions. MCC8 not only has an impressive financial background, the company has also demonstrated its outstanding capability for sustainable green solutions in its many recent projects. CuMoCo looks forward to the CuMo Project being developed to the benefit of its many stakeholders, including Boise County and the State of Idaho."

About Ping Shan Resources and China MCC8 Group

Ping Shan Resources is part of a leading Hong Kong based commodities industry group (the "Group"). The Group has been engaged in the production of cotton, tea and mining since the 1980's in Southeast Asia and China. The Group is the 67% shareholder of a Hong Kong publicly-traded company. Within the mining segment, the Group owns major interests in a copper mine and one of the largest talc mines in China.

Located in Hong Kong and China, MCC8 Group Company Limited (MCC8) (formerly Jinchuan Metals Nonferrous Construction Company), is a leader in engineering, procurement, project financing construction and management organization for non-ferrous metallurgical industry projects in Asia and abroad and a key partner of the Jinchuan Group, which is one of the world's top three nickel, cobalt and copper multinationals by market share. MCC8 has a 60-year history of construction and completion of more than 80 large non-ferrous metallurgical projects. MCC8 generated revenues of US$ 2 billion in 2015 and currently has more than 10,000 full-time employees. Furthermore, MCC8 and China MCC21 Group Ltd - a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Metallurgical Group Corporation - have formed a consortium to provide technical and operational support for international precious metals and other mining projects.

For more information, see http://www.chinamcc8.com

About CuMoCo

CuMoCo is focused on advancing its CuMo Project towards feasibility and establishing itself as one of the largest and lowest-cost molybdenum producers in the world as well as a significant producer of copper and silver. Management is continuing to build an even stronger foundation from which to move the Company and the CuMo Project forward. For more information, please visit www.cumoco.com and www.cumoproject.com

For further information, please contact:

American CuMo Mining Corporation

Shaun Dykes, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 689-7902

Email: info@cumoco.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this new release.

Forward-looking information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as the Company's ability to successfully negotiate the Definitive Agreement with the Chinese Partners, the Company's ability to move the CuMo Project through development to feasibility and production, and for the Company to become one of the largest and lowest-cost molybdenum producers in the world as well as a significant producer of copper and silver. Forward-looking information is based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including the result of exploration activities, the ability of the Company to raise the financing for a feasibility study and to put the CuMo project into production, that no labour shortages or delays are experienced, that plant and equipment function as specified that the Court will not intervene with the Company's proposed exploration activities at the CuMo Project, and the ability of the Company to obtain all requisite permits and licenses to advance the CuMo Project and eventually bring it into production. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future prediction, projection or forecast expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of molybdenum, silver and copper; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended March 31, 2016. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

SOURCE: American CuMo Mining Corporation
- Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib is being treated in Dallas for a gunshot wound to the leg, Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth confirmed on Sunday. "He's OK & we're gathering more info," Smyth posted on Twitter. The exact circumstances of the shooting remained unclear, although multiple reports said Talib was injured early Sunday morning at a nightclub in Dallas, where he has an off-season home. Talib is in the third year of a six-year, $57 million contract with the Broncos, who defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in February. The Broncos are scheduled to travel as a team to Washington on Monday to be honoured for the win at the White House.

AFP
By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European Union without Britain would be financially poorer, less economically liberal and free-trading, less Atlanticist and less open to further enlargement. A British vote to leave the 28-nation EU in a referendum on June 23 would not only deal a severe blow to the union's self-confidence and international standing, amputating it of its second biggest economy and one of its two main military powers. It would also blow a hole in the EU's common budget and tilt the balance away from the open, competitive economy favoured by the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland and central European states, towards protectionism and heavier regulation. Even committed European federalists acknowledge that Britain has made major contributions in opening up the community's internal market, promoting an outward-looking foreign policy and sharing a pragmatic, empirical administrative culture. "We would lose the intrinsic value of Great Britain - its global geopolitical vision, economic common sense and financial and legal know-how," said Sylvie Goulard, a French member of the European Parliament from the centrist liberal ALDE group. Supporters of a more deeply integrated political union centred on the 19-nation euro currency area would have no cause for rejoicing, since eurosceptics elsewhere would be emboldened to press for their own renegotiations and referendums. "The real risk is not (Britain) remaining in the EU, it is a leave vote, which could perpetuate the disintegration of the entire European Union," said former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. A keen federalist, he represented the European Parliament in negotiations between Prime Minister David Cameron and other EU leaders in February that led to a deal exempting Britain from the EU's treaty goal of "ever closer union". "Brexit would make the narrative of the EU about disintegration, not integration," researchers at the London-based Centre for European Reform said in a report entitled: "Europe after Brexit: unleashed or undone?" For one thing, much of the EU's time and energy would be consumed for the next two years or longer by wrangling over the terms of withdrawal and the UK's future relations with the bloc. Aside from that, the EU's historic Franco-German axis seems too weak to agree on any major strengthening of the euro zone, at least until after elections in both countries in 2017. "I don't think Europe can transform itself and make a bold leap forward in integration with the current cast of political characters. Perhaps with their successors," Goulard said. Unpopular French President Francois Hollande is in the last year of his term, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is constrained by domestic resistance to an influx of refugees and to any more risk-sharing with southern euro zone countries. POWER DYNAMICS The power dynamics of European leadership would change if Britain quit. Germany would lose a counterweight to French economic dirigisme. France would lose its main partner in supporting EU military missions in Africa and elsewhere. Europe might be less inclined to stand up to Russia, or to work as closely with the United States. The EU would remain divided into a majority of countries which share the euro, and a minority that have not yet joined or have voted to stay out. But those non-euro countries - Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia - would have less clout without Britain's presence as the main financial centre outside the single currency area. Guntram Wolff, a German economist who heads the Bruegel economic think-tank in Brussels, said the Berlin establishment was in a funk, fearing that "we are left alone with all those Mediterranean spending countries with a preference for redistribution and we are going to pay for them and drift away from a liberal, pro-market, TTIP Europe. Thats the big angst." Among the headaches for the EU would be how to make up for Britain's contribution to the common European budget, most of which goes on subsidies to poorer regions and to farmers. The UK is the number three net contributor after Germany and France, paying in an average 9.23 billion euros a year more than it received from EU coffers in 2010-2014, according to the European Commission. It would continue to pay contributions for at least two years until it finally left. Britain's EU friends would lose a powerful ally on issues such as upholding free and unfettered competition, curbing state aid to industry, resisting tax harmonisation, and opposing barriers to trade with China and other emerging economies. A hub of EU-funded research and innovation would drift away. "I fear it would be a less open, liberal Europe without the Brits," said a Swedish diplomat. "That would make it harder for us to win the economic arguments." London was the biggest supporter of the EU's eastward enlargement to take in 12 mostly former Communist states in 2004 and 2007 - at least partly in the belief that a wider EU would slow centralisation. No country has fought harder for ambitious free trade pacts with the United States, Canada, Japan and other major economies. Without energetic British backing, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) under negotiation between Brussels and Washington is less likely to come to fruition. German and Austrian voters are reticent over data privacy and private arbitration courts, while the French are anxious over so-called "Frankenstein foods" - hormone-treated beef, chlorine-washed chicken and genetically modified crops. (This story corrects spelling of Wolff surname in paragraph 16) (Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Andrew Roche)
* Angola LNG's return brings relief amid project delays

* Up to six more cargoes may be offered by Angola -trader (Adds company statement)

By Oleg Vukmanovic and Sarah McFarlane

MILAN/LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Angola's recently refurbished liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant has launched a tender to sell its first cargo since it was unexpectedly shut down in April 2014.

According to tender document details relayed by traders, the cargo was loaded between June 3 and 5 on board the Sonangol Sambizanga tanker and bid submissions are due on the morning of June 13, trade sources said.

Angola LNG confirmed the first cargo since the shutdown had been loaded and was being sold via an international tender but did not give further details of the process.

The tender is valid until June 15, one source said, while a second trader said that up to six more cargoes could be loaded before the facility goes offline for a final phase of testing.

In the current tender, the delivery date of the first cargo varies according to the location of terminals dotted around the world.

For example, the Chevron-led project lists a six-week delivery window for Argentina's Bahia Blanca terminal - between June 28 and August 14, one trader said.

The cargo may be priced based on levels at Britain's gas trading hub, the National Balancing Point, or as a percentage of Brent crude oil, he said.

During the period the plant was shutdown LNG prices fell by around two-thirds to trade below $5 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) this year.

"The market has changed a lot while our plant has been shut down, but we are pleased to be able to deliver Angola LNG to the world and to take our place as a reliable and safe supplier in global LNG markets," Artur Pereira, chief executive of Angola LNG Marketing said.

MARKET IMPACT

Resuming supply from Angola may bring a measure of relief to buyers as delays to new projects and supply outages have helped to nudge spot LNG prices higher in the past few weeks.

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The combined impact of these delays means there is less supply in the market than traders previously assumed, prompting some to cover short positions they otherwise intended to keep open.

Exports from Chevron's new Gorgon export facility in Australia are not expected to resume until the end of the month, industry sources said, following an unplanned shutdown in April.

Meanwhile, Houston-based Cheniere Energy has already said that the completion of its second production line at Sabine Pass would be delayed until August, from June.

And a second line at Origin Energy's AP LNG project is also running behind schedule, sliding from the third-quarter into the fourth, according to trade sources.

Angolan supply, although still slight by global measures, may help to allay any residual fears of supply tightness as Asian markets head into peak summer demand season, traders have said.

Chevron has a 36.4 percent share in Angola LNG, while Angolan state oil firm Sonangol has 22.8 percent. Other stakeholders include Total, BP and ENI .

(Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic and Sarah McFarlane, editing by Louise Heavens and Jane Merriman)
Tears streaking her face, the wife of an Afghan reporter killed alongside US journalist David Gilkey paced skittishly around her Kabul apartment block for more news, as relatives eager to cushion the shock lied that he was still alive.

Zabihullah Tamanna, a 38-year-old father of three killed Sunday in a Taliban ambush in southern Helmand province, is seen as one of the many unsung heroes of Afghanistan's media landscape who put their lives at risk to report on the wrenching conflict.

"Tell me what has happened to him?" pleaded Fawzia, Tamanna's 32-year-old wife, as relatives seeking to soothe her anxiety told her Monday he was wounded but alive.

"Tell me, does he need blood? I will give all the blood in my body," she said, oblivious to reports confirming that Tamanna had been killed while travelling with an Afghan army unit during a reporting assignment for National Public Radio.

Her 10-year-old son Mustafa figured out more quickly, dissolving into tears.

The news could no longer be hidden as the relatives pitched a tent outside the apartment block in downtown Kabul to accommodate the steady stream of fellow journalists and friends who arrived to offer condolences.

Fawzia cried inconsolably as the news sunk in.

The family's grief spotlights the plight of Afghan civilians, increasingly caught in the crosshairs of a lethal Taliban insurgency.

Gilkey and Tamanna, who was hired as a translator for NPR, were heading to Marja to cover an army operation when they were hit by a Taliban rocket.

Tamanna, better known as Zabi, worked for the Chinese news agency Xinhua and more recently for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency, NPR said.

NPR correspondent Philip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna, said he had a "great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country".

His killing highlights how Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks.

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Seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in January for what the Taliban said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against the insurgent group.

Prior to the deaths of Gilkey and Tamanna, 24 journalists and one media worker have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion, said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

"Afghan journalists like Zabihullah killed while covering conflict are the unsung heroes in Afghanistan," said Abdul Mujeeb Khelwatgar, director of media advocacy group Nai.

"Such killings must stop."
A group supported by the NRA is hoping to win over women and LGBT Californians to defeat a proposal backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to require background checks for the sale of ammunition with a pair of aggressive new television ads.

The group, the Coalition for Civil Liberties, opposes the new requirement, casting it as an effort to limit the sale of ammunition and making it more difficult for people to defend themselves.

The organization is releasing its first television ad in the state Monday targeted at suburban women, featuring a woman walking through a darkened parking structure when she is approached by an assailant. When the woman attempts to fire a handgun in her possession for self-defense, the hammer drops on an empty chamber because the weapon isnt loaded. It concludes with the ominous slogan, Take Away Our Rights, Take Away Our Life.

A second, nearly identical commercial will be released Wednesday, except the character in the spot will transgender, and that ad will be targeted to areas with large concentrations of LGBT Californians.

The bill, the Safety for All Act of 2016, would require background checks for ammunition sales and ban the possession 0f high-capacity magazines that have been grandfathered under existing law. It has become a hallmark initiative of Newsoms campaign for governor in 2018.

Richard Grenell, the GOP operative behind the ads, said the group is aiming to upset the traditional Democratic coalition in an effort to defeat the proposal. Newsom came under fire last month for suggesting that a trans woman and member of the LGBT firearm advocacy group Pink Pistols who appeared in a web ad opposed to the measure was being used by pro-gun groups.

Because Gavins latest proposal goes too far and tramples on personal freedoms, he has opened up a real opportunity for those of us who believe in more civil liberties, Grenell told TIME. Gavin is losing the traditional Democrat coalitions like women, the working class and the LGBT community who are challenging the progressive idea that the government should be the center of our lives.
A California appeals court is unplugging a $1 million lawsuit brought by Paul Brodeur, a former staff writer at The New Yorker, over a scene in the 2013 film, American Hustle, where defending the notion that microwaves take the nutrition out of food, Jennifer Lawrence comments, "It's not bullshit. I read it in an article. Look, by Paul Brodeur."

That comment earned Sony's Columbia Pictures and other producers a defamation lawsuit from Brodeur, who claimed that an Oscar-nominated film based on some truth (American Hustle was inspired by the FBI's ABSCAM sting of the late '70s and early '80s) had damaged his reputation by attributing him to be the source of scare-mongering about the dangers of microwaves. Surprisingly, in April 2015, Brodeur's lawsuit was given the green light by a judge over objections that viewers would understand the movie to be a "screwball comedy" where nothing Lawrence's character utters can be seriously taken as fact. The dispute then went on appeal where it drew a friend-of-the-court brief from the MPAA, The New York Times and others.

On Monday, California appeals court justice Elizabeth Grimes come to the conclusion that Brodeur's defamation complaint is unlikely to be successful and must be stricken as an impingement of producers' First Amendment rights.

To get there, the appeals court first must find that the complained-about activity targets speech on a matter of public interest. Here, credit is conferred to the epoch that American Hustle was attempting to evoke in a farcical matter. Grimes writes that "the microwave oven scene plainly drew on an issue of public interest in the 1970's, and plaintiff was an integral part of that issue at the time" as a well-known author in the environmental field writing about the health dangers of the use of various electrical devices.

Grimes also distinguishes this case from one that targeted the classic 90s film, Reality Bites, which triggered a lawsuit from a guy named Troy Dyer who sued over Ethan Hawke's portrayal of a slacker named Troy Dyer. "This case is nothing like Dyer," writes Grimes. "Here, plaintiff is, by his own evidence, a public figure - not a private figure like Mr. Dyer, who did nothing to insert himself into the discussion of any public topic or debate."

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The appeals court then looks at the merits of the complaint and whether Brodeur can establish an untruthful statement was made that harmed his reputation.

Grimes writes that Brodeur hasn't produced admissible evidence alleging he ever took a firm position on whether microwave takes all of the nutrition out of food. The plaintiff attempted to cite a 1978 interview he gave with People Magazine where he was asked, "Is there any danger in eating food cooked by microwaves? Brodeur responded, "None that is known."

That's not good enough nor can the Food and Drug Administration's own statements about the dangers of microwaves move the Jennifer Lawrence comment into the category of being provably . As today's appellate opinion puts it, "Of course the FDA document does show that, in 2015, we knew that, contrary to Rosalyn's comment, microwave ovens do not 'take all the nutrition out of our food.' But the document says nothing about the state of understanding on that point in the 1970's, and plaintiff produced no evidence that the statement was known to be 'scientifically unsupportable' in the 1970's."

Finally, Grimes and the two justices who joined her agree with the producers that the comment in the movie isn't reasonably susceptible of a defamatory meaning.

"American Hustle is, after all, a farce," states the opinion. "The stage was set at the beginning of the film. ('Some of this actually happened,' is the line that appears on screen to start things off, and it sets the tone perfectly." The character who utters the allegedly defamatory statement is portrayed throughout the movie as 'slightly unhinged' and 'a font of misinformation,' and Irving and Rosalyn both refer to the microwave oven as the 'science oven.' We doubt any audience member would perceive any of Rosalyn's dialogue as assertions of objective fact."

In other words, the "Ditzy Defense" has actually won out!
Deshauna Barber, a serving U.S. Army officer and an IT analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been crowned Miss USA 2016.

Twenty-six-year-old Barber, representing the U.S. capital as Miss District of Columbia, was declared winner of the pageant ahead of runners-up Miss Georgia Emanii Davis and Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin in Las Vegas Sunday night.

According to her biography on the pageants website, Barber was commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in 2011 and is currently a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit based at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Barber, who hails from a military family  her father is a retired Army Master Sergeant who served in Iraq  told the Washington Post that she considers military service a family tradition. And during the interview segment of the pageant, she praised the U.S. for opening all combat roles to women.

I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate to every branch of the military, she said. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated. And it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army.
Deshauna Barber of Washington, DC, took the Miss USA crown this weekend after giving a moving answer about women in the military.

The Army reserve officer and IT analyst clinched the win after she proudly affirmed the Pentagon's recent decision to open combat jobs to women.

*Yells* Deshauna Barber...... DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA!! #MissDCUSA #MissUSA #RoadToMissUSA A photo posted by Deshauna Barber (@missdcusa) on Jun 4, 2016 at 3:30pm PDT

"As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate to every branch of the military. We are just as tough as men," the 26-year-old said to applause when asked about the controversial issue.

Read: 90-Year-Old Veteran Receives Honorary Diploma After Dropping Out To Fight in World War II

"As a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated. And it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army."

More Than Pretty Soldier + Nurse =  #MissDCUSA #MissCTUSA #MissUSA #RoadToMissUSA A photo posted by Deshauna Barber (@missdcusa) on May 28, 2016 at 1:15pm PDT

Barber is the daughter of a retired Army master sergeant who served overseas following the 9/11 attacks. Barber's mother and siblings also served in the armed forces.

"I consider it to be a family tradition, she said in a pre-show interview. "Its something that runs through our veins  patriotism and service for this country."

Barber is the first-ever military member to win the pageant. She told reporters following the event that she's exploring the possibility of going inactive while serving as Miss USA.

Read: Hillary Invokes Muhammad Ali As Trump Says Muslims May Also Be Unfit to Judge His Cases

Barber's clear convictions appeared to sway the judges at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. She took the crown over runners-up Miss Georgia Emanii Davis and Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin.

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Miss Hawaii, too, managed impress with her answer to a sticky question. Pressed on whether she'd vote for Clinton or Trump, Hardin said: "What we need in the United States is someone who represents those of us who feel we dont have a voice."

Republican nominee Donald Trump owned the Miss USA pageant until his controversial remarks about immigrants led NBCUniversal  which co-owned the event  to cut ties with the billionaire.

Trump eventually sold off his stake in the pageant.

Watch: Ex-Miss Pennsylvania Stands By Claim Trump's Pageant Was Rigged: 'He Doesn't Scare Me'

Related Articles:
Arnold Schwarzenegger cast his ballot for John Kasich, not Donald Trump, in Californias Republican primary, which will certainly raise speculation of whether Californias former governor will endorse the presumptive GOP nominee.

I can confirm he voted for Kasich, said Daniel Ketchell, Schwarzeneggers spokesman.

In response to a query from Los Angeles Times Seema Mehta earlier on Monday, Ketchell confirmed on Twitter that he had cast his ballot for Kasich, whom he endorsed in the primary. Kasich, however, suspended his campaign last month.

Ketchell said that he didnt know when or if Schwarzenegger would endorse a candidate in the presidential race. In an interview with Chuck Todd on Meet the Press last week, Schwarzenegger said he would make an announcement before the election. You can be sure of that. But I will do it my way. Which is always an unusual way.

There has been some speculation that even if Schwarzenegger does not cross party lines and support Hillary Clinton, he would withhold his endorsement of Trump.

While Schwarzenegger has been a loyal Republican, and will succeed Trump on Celebrity Apprentice, there are major areas of disagreement. One of Schwarzeneggers signature issues as governor has been climate change, but Trump has said he is not a big believer that global warming is man made.

Former Gov. Gray Davis, Schwarzeneggers predecessor and a Clinton supporter, told Variety on Friday that he doesnt know which way Schwarzenegger will go. Hes a friend of mine. Hell make up his own mind. But he is far more moderate than Trump.

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It was snapped up by Qatars sovereign wealth fund.

Global investment management firm BlackRock has sold prime office building Asia Square Tower 1 for $3.4 billion, marking the largest ever single-tower sale in Asia Pacific.

The 43-storey building was bought by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Current tenants of Asia Square Tower 1 include financial services companies Citibank and Julius Baer as well as insurance firm Marsh & McLennan.

Asia Square is one of the most prestigious commercial developments in the region and represents a rare opportunity to acquire a premium, highly sought-after property in one of Asias most important business and financial centres, said Stuart Crow, Head of Asia Pacific Capital Markets, JLL. The real estate consultancy has been the sole leasing agent and property manager of Asia Square since it opened in June 2011.





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NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka floated into the International Space Station's newest habitat Monday, possibly paving the way for private space stations in the years to come.

The two space station crewmembers entered the habitat  named the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) - at 4:47 a.m. ET Monday after Williams helped to expand the module on May 28.

SEE ALSO: Watch the Space Station's first inflatable habitat grow in new NASA time-lapse

According to NASA, Williams said the BEAM looked "pristine" from the inside. Williams wore a mask and headlamp when entering the habitat, which was reportedly about 44 degrees Fahrenheit on the inside, and he took an air sample for analysis.

The crewmembers may also enter the habitat on Tuesday and Wednesday to do more testing, and the hatch linking the 7-foot-long BEAM to the rest of the Space Station will be closed after each excursion is over.

The habitat itself was built by Bigelow Aerospace, a private space company with the goal of eventually fabricating modules or even full space stations that can get packed up and expanded once in orbit.

To be viable, such stations will need to offer astronauts, and perhaps someday, scientists and even tourists, similar levels of protection against the many formidable hazards of operating in space as the current Space Station does.

"This first test of an expandable module will allow investigators to gauge how well the habitat performs and specifically, how well it protects against solar radiation, space debris and the temperature extremes of space," NASA said in a statement.

The compact nature of expandable modules could free up more room on a rocket for other important hardware or experiments that also need an expensive ride to space.

Because of their small size during launch, the habitats could even be a key component of a mission to Mars.

The BEAM is expected to stay attached to the Space Station for two years before being jettisoned from the outside of the orbiting laboratory.

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During that time, astronauts will take readings of the habitat's interior about three to four times annually, according to NASA. Those readings will focus on monitoring the BEAM's structure, temperature, radiation and pressure.

Bigelow Aerospace is dreaming big when it comes to inflatable habitats in space.

The private company  founded by hotel magnate Robert Bigelow  has suggested that they would like to fly an even larger module to the Space Station in the future, which could serve as a tourist destination and additional square footage for experiments.

If Bigelow gets its way, this "timeshare" could happen as soon as 2020.

Bigelow has also suggested that companies could have their own branded space stations using their expandable habitats.

"We would love to see Disney have a Disney space station," Bigelow said during a press conference in April.
MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Aurvista Gold Corporation (AVA.V) (ARVSF) (AV2.F) ("Aurvista" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sean Charland to the Board Directors of the Company, effective immediately.

Sean Charland is a seasoned communications professional with experience in raising capital and marketing resource exploration companies. He has helped raise over C$150 million for a variety of venture listed and private companies in mineral exploration and mining, technological and health sectors with the majority of the focus on mineral exploration and mining. His large network of contacts within the financial community extends across North America and Europe. Mr. Charland is currently a Director of Zimtu Capital Corp. - a publicly held investment issuer and company builder focused on private and small-cap resource companies. He is also a Director of Eyecarrot Innovations Corp. and Arctic Star Exploration Corp.

Mr. Gerald McCarvill, Chairman of the Board of Aurvista stated, "I'm delighted to welcome Sean Charland to our Board. His experience in the capital markets will bring an important component to the existing Board. Sean will be working closely with directors and management on advancing the Douay project and future corporate and business development strategies."

About Aurvista Gold Corporation

Aurvista Gold Corporation is a junior gold exploration and development company with 85,689,121 shares outstanding trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, the OTC Pink Sheets in the U.S and on the Frankfurt Exchange. Aurvista's only asset is the Douay Gold Project totaling 287 claims for 145.3 km(2). Of the total, 32 claims for 11.9 km(2) form the North West Zone and are in a joint venture with SOQUEM (75% Aurvista, 25% SOQUEM). The project is located along the gold-bearing Casa Berardi Deformation Zone in northern Quebec. Details can be viewed on the Company's website at www.aurvistagold.com.

About Zimtu Capital Corp.

Zimtu Capital Corp. (TSXV:ZC) is a public investment issuer that invests in, creates and grows natural resource companies. Zimtu also provides mineral property project generation and advisory services helping to connect companies to properties of interest.

For further information please contact:



Mr. Jean Lafleur, P. Geo.

President and CEO, Director

Cell +1 514 927 3633

Mr. Bryan Keeler

Chief Financial Officer

+1 416 504 4126

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. When used herein, words such as "anticipate," "will," "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Aurvista Gold Corporation's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.aurvistagold.com.

SOURCE: Aurvista Gold Corporation
"It's brutal, this business, so you never think you're gonna last," says Jeff Daniels, the veteran actor of stage and screen, as we sit down at New York's iconic Empire Hotel to discuss his rollercoaster of a career. At the moment, Daniels - who's perhaps best known for the film Dumb & Dumber and the TV series The Newsroom - is appearing on Broadway opposite Michelle Williams in David Harrower's two-hander Blackbird, in a complex and grueling role he previously played nine years ago, and for which he was recently nominated for the best-actor-in-a-play Tony. He has learned from past experience not to take moments like this for granted: "I've taken about 50 pictures of the marquee," he says, "because it's special."

(Click above to listen to this episode now, or click here to access all of our episodes via iTunes. Past guests include Steven Spielberg, Amy Schumer, Louis C.K., Lady Gaga, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Harvey Weinstein, Jane Fonda, Aziz Ansari, Brie Larson, J.J. Abrams, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson, Kristen Stewart and Michael Moore.)

See More: Jeff Daniels and More Tony Nominated Actors Play Rapid Fire

The 61-year-old, who was born in Athens, Georgia, and lives in Chelsea, Michigan, notes that he was active in in the theater long before film or TV. A product of the now-defunct Circle Repertory Company, he was an understudy for the CRC's 1977 Broadway production of Gemini (he never got on) and then made a big impression when the CRC mounted Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July on the Great White Way three years later. Soon, Hollywood came calling.

After making his big screen debut in a small part in Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981), Daniels went on a remarkable run of successful films for major directors: James L. Brooks' Terms of Endearment (1983), a star-studded hit that went on to win the best picture Oscar; Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), during the making of which the filmmaker expressed a confidence in him that made him believe in himself; Mike Nichols' Heartburn (1986), the first project for which he didn't have to audition; and Jonathan Demme's Something Wild (also 1986).

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The same year that those last two films were released, Daniels and his wife decided to relocate to Michigan to raise their young and growing family. He knew he was giving up the prospect of stardom, but also that it would have been fleeting anyway. And, once settled back in Michigan, he fed his creative urges by forming and running the Purple Rose Theatre Company, a 168-seat black box theater that operates for 42 weeks a year as "a version of Circle Rep in the Midwest." He employed the likes of Wilson to write new plays for it, and he has written many for it, as well.

Read More: Jeff Daniels Channels His 'Newsroom' Anchor Will McAvoy for Trump Commentary

At the same time, his screen career "was dying" - one notable exception being his work in 1993's Gettysburg - and "the move to Michigan was in jeopardy." And then came salvation, or at least a much-needed career reboot, in the unlikeliest of ways: 1994's Farrelly brothers comedy Dumb & Dumber. Jim Carrey was looking for a non-comedian to star opposite him in the tale of two idiots, and Daniels embraced the opportunity to do something different - even if it meant a scene of him experiencing explosive diarrhea or getting his tongue stuck to a pole. "I never looked at it as anything other than a great thing," he says. "It did exactly what I wanted it to do. It blew up my career."

The ensuing decade brought Daniels a host of plum film roles that he knocked out of the park - among them Carroll Ballard's Fly Away Home (1996), Gary Ross's Pleasantville (1998) and especially Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale (2005), in which Daniels, in an Oscar-worthy performance, channeled his own career frustration to play a smug and disgruntled literary professor. ("I said, 'Let me pour some gas on that and light it,' he recalls.) It also brought, in 1997, his first opportunity to act in a theatrical production of Blackbird - the story of a man visited by a much younger woman with whom he had a sexual relationship 15 years earlier when she was 12 - Off Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club, under the direction of Joe Mantello.

Read More: Off Script: Jeff Daniels Explains His Strategy for "Sprinting a Marathon" in 'Blackbird' on Broadway

"When we did it the first time, I did my best," he recalls, but, he acknowledges, "I took some easy ways out." In the nine years that followed, he feels he became a markedly better actor, thanks mostly to his work in the 2009 best-play Tony winner God of Carnage ("the Hamilton of its season ... we were rock stars"), for which he was nominated for the best-actor-in-a-play Tony, and on the 2012-2014 HBO series The Newsroom, for which he won an Emmy for best actor in a drama series ("There's a thing about being number one on a call sheet ... this was a great opportunity, to have Aaron Sorkin tailoring a role for you").

"So, nine years later, when Scott Rudin called, I looked at it and I said, 'You know what? I didn't go far enough. I didn't go dark enough. I didn't make the choices, even leading into page one, that would give me the chance to make the portrayal definitive.'" This time he did. "The only way to do it is all-in," he realized. And, once again under the direction of Mantello, that's what he's done. "Literally you gut yourselves every night," he says - as evidenced by his hunched posture entering and exiting the interview room. But he wouldn't have it any other way. "It's opening night all over again every single show."

Read More: 'Allegiant': What to Expect From Jeff Daniels' Character
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh slapped a ban on more than one person riding pillion on a motorcycle on Monday, a day after the wife of a prominent security official was shot dead by three suspected Islamist militants riding a motorbike. Mahmuda Aktar, the wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Aktar who is known for his security campaigns against militants, was stabbed and shot dead by the three in the southeastern port city of Chittagong on Sunday. Four people have been picked up for questioning and the motorbike used in the killing has been recovered, Chittagong city Police Commissioner Iqbal Bahar told reporters. "Only two people are (now) allowed to ride a motorcycle, not three," Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters, adding motorcyclists will not even be allowed to carry a spouse and child, a common practice across South Asia. Khan said the killing was meant to demoralize police officers and the government would look into the matter of security for their families. Also on Sunday, machete-wielding assailants killed a Christian grocer in a separate incident. Both attacks appeared to be the work of Islamist militants who have killed at least 30 people, including religious minorities, liberal bloggers and academics, since February last year, police said. Bangladesh imposed a similar ban on three riding a motorcycle - but later relaxed it - after two foreigners were shot dead a few days apart by masked men riding on motorcycles late last year. Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the 30 killings but the government denies that either group has a presence in Bangladesh and says home-grown radicals are responsible. Analysts say a climate of intolerance in Bangladeshi politics has both motivated and provided cover for perpetrators of crimes of religious hatred. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Primary school pupils in Bristol have come back from their half-term holidays to discover that famous street artist Banksy has painted an artwork on the side of their school.

The notoriously secretive artist and activist spray painted and signed the graffiti to thank Bridge Farm primary school in Bristol for naming a house after him.

The head teacher at the school confirmed to the Bristol Post that he received a letter from the artist himself confirming it's his work.

"I think it went up over the weekend, and completed last night, but we're not entirely sure," Geoff Mason said.

"It was done after we ran a competition to change the house names, and we decided to name them after Bristol legends. We had to include Banksy."

The letter read: "Dear Bridge Farm School, thanks for your letter and naming a house after me."

"Please have a picture, and if you don't like it, feel free to add stuff. I'm sure the teachers won't mind. Remember, it's always easier to get forgiveness than permission."

"Much love, Banksy."

The head teacher said the artwork "will inspire the children."
Bassnectar has been active in recent weeks. Last Wednesday, he casually announced plans to release new music on Twitter, and four fresh tracks arrived Friday. The producer also contributed to the compilation Rave For Bernie, and he'll perform at Mysteryland US this weekend.

Bassnectar Releases Four Singles Off Forthcoming 'UNLIMITED' Album

Later this month, Bassnectar will get behind the decks at Electric Forest as well -- the first appearance in what will become a regular residency at the festival. The producer announced the news during an interview with Insomniac Events founder Pasquale Rotella on Night Owl Radio.

"After last year, [the festival] asked if I would come in as an official resident to play each year," Bassnectar explained. "I haven't really done that officially for any festival yet. I just felt like there was nowhere else that felt more like home for that - partly due to the people that attend, and also just the heart and soul that's put into that event."

Bassnectar in His Own Words: On Waking Dreams and Wild Moments

In addition, Rotella asked Bassnectar about his "cult following of die-hard fans." "I'm pretty speechless about it," the producer replied. "The enthusiasm reminds me of some Grateful Dead, Bob Marley shit, in terms of people remixing the logo and taking the art and making their own bits out of it. It feels punk rock to me, a bit heavy metal. Back in the '80s, we'd cut out posters and sew them on to the back of jackets. The music you love becomes the flag - an iconic symbol for your culture. To be involved in any kind of version of that is super humbling."

"I'm not interested in pop or the mainstream -- really on any level, not just musical," Bassnectar added later. "I just don't feel like a mainstream human."

Listen below after the 38 minute mark. Electric Forest takes starts June 23rd in Rothbury, Michigan.
The United States Oil Fund (USO) , which tracks West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures, and the United States Brent Oil Fund (BNO) , which tracks Brent crude oil futures, are up an average of 15% this year and that is enough for some analysts to call for near-term downside for crude.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects oil stocks to expand by 1.5 million barrels per day in the first six months of 2016 and then slow to 200,000 barrel per day in the second half of the year due to a drop in high-cost production, like U.S. shale oil.

Related: 12 Rebounding Energy ETFs

Meanwhile, some of the worlds largest producers continue to pump crude at record levels, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries maintaining Saudi Arabias strategy of squeezing out high-cost competitors.

While oil did recover on Wednesday, the general trend has been downward since oil hit above $50 last week. Strategas technical analyst Chris Verrone believes the downtrend is here to stay, especially given the risk associated with crude stocks, reports CNBC.

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Last week, oil ETFs stumbled after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to agree on a production ceiling, with Iran planning to pump out more crude.

Related: 32 Best ETFs to Track Crude Oil

Saudi Arabia previously said it would join a production freeze deal if Iran agreed to curb output. However, Tehran has maintained that it should be allowed to raise production to previous levels before the introduction of Western sanctions over Irans nuclear program, instead arguing for individual-country production quotas.

Consequently, market observers believe that the failure of a deal reflects political differences that are undermining the organization, notably between the Sunni-led kingdom and the Shiite Islamic Republic.

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Verrone also points to a long-term chart of oil that shows that crude is being stretched over its 200-day moving average, a smoothing mechanism which he believes will be rechallenged to the downside for oil, according to CNBC.

Bearish oil ETFs include the VelocityShares 3x Inverse Crude (DWTI) , United States Short Oil (DNO) and the DB Crude Oil Short ETN (SZO) .

For more information on the oil market, visit our oil category.

United States Oil Fund


Credit: AKM-GSI

19-year-old model Bella Hadid zips in and out of major international cities for work faster than a New York minute, but when there's time to spare, the beauty knows how to celebrate. That's what the star did Wednesday night in London, where the newly minted Dior Makeup ambassador was fresh off the brand's resort 2017 runway show held the day before.

For an outing to the city's burlesque-themed Cirque le Soir hot spot, Hadid did what club kids do best and rocked a two-piece outfit ideal for a late night spent on the dance floor. Her natural-looking glow (courtesy of Dior, we presume?) paired well with two tightly wound braids that also offered a sharp contrast to her chest-baring Cushnie et Ochs long-sleeved turtleneck bodysuit ($695; intermixonline.com). Below the waist, she opted for black leather pants with matching boots and carried a brown, black, and rose tinted cheetah print handbag.

It seems that Hadid has enjoyed her post 9-to-5 escapades of late, turning the hours after sunset into bonafide fashion opportunities. Back in April, she hit L.A's Roxy Theatre in a dark denim dress with sleek all-black leather accessories for a live concert.

RELATED: How to Take Care of Your Swimsuit

Keep on rockin' on, Bella.
By Alissa de Carbonnel BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate's use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto's Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month. Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the center of a dispute among EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers. Citizen and environmental groups have urged governments to exercise caution. The EU executive had offered a 12- to 18-month extension to allow time for further scientific study by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), in hopes of allaying health concerns. Its earlier proposal to renew the glyphosate license for up to 15 years had failed to win support in two meetings this year. The compromise proposal failed to win the qualified majority needed for adoption, an EU official said, adding the European Commission will discuss the issue at a meeting on Tuesday. Seven member states abstained and 20 backed the proposal, a German environment ministry spokeswoman said. Only Malta voted against, diplomats said. Without a majority decision that meets the required percentage of total EU population, the EU executive may submit its proposal to an appeal committee of political representatives of the 28 member states within a month. If there is again no decision, the European Commission may adopt its own proposal. Monsanto on Monday defended the safety of its widely used herbicide, and said glyphosate's license should be renewed for the full 15 years. "Further delays in this process represent a significant deviation from the EU regulatory framework and set a concerning precedent for other active substances," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice president of global regulatory and government affairs, said in a statement. Monsanto has not ruled out a legal appeal if approval lapses after June 30, requiring a six-month phase-out of glyphosate-containing products. The industry lobby has criticized the regulatory uncertainty. The controversy hangs over German chemicals group Bayer's $62 billion offer in May to buy U.S. seeds company Monsanto. Germany was among states which abstained on Monday and has opposed Monsanto's genetically modified seeds. Glyphosate use is key for Monsanto in the United States and Brazil, where the U.S. company depends on sales of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that can resist the widely used weed killer. In Europe, sale and use of such seeds faces strong opposition and plays virtually no role in commercial farming. But an EU refusal of a new glyphosate license could signal stricter regulation of the broader agricultural chemicals industry. It would also hit Monsanto's bottom line: If the EU were to halt glyphosate sales, the company could see earnings reduced by up to $100 million as its premium branded Roundup product is diverted to the generic market, said Bernstein senior analyst Jonas Oxgaard. SMELLING GAS Quashing the licenses in Europe might further embolden glyphosate foes elsewhere. "With this decision all they do is cast doubt ... and create fear and confusion amongst Europe's consumers," Graeme Taylor of the European Crop Protection Association said. Environmental and citizen campaign groups have called for an EU-wide ban in the absence of scientific certainty. "Extending the glyphosate license would be like smelling gas and refusing to evacuate to check for a leak," Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said in a statement. The prospect of a European ban could complicate EU-U.S. trade talks. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said in May glyphosate was unlikely to pose a risk to people exposed to it through food. The finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, but runs counter to a March 2015 study by the WHO's Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). That agency said the chemical was probably able to cause cancer and classified it as a 'Group 2A' carcinogen. It assessed whether the substance can cause cancer in any way - regardless of real-life conditions on typical levels of human exposure or consumption. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin and Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt. Additional reporting by P.J. Huffstutter and Karl Plume in Chicago. Editing by Adrian Croft and David Gregorio)
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Anything goes at drag brunch - but an appearance by Bernie Sanders was certainly not expected.

California's presidential primary is this Tuesday, June 7, and on Sunday, Sanders stopped by Hamburger Mary's of West Hollywood to watch some drag queens perform and eat brunch. He also hoped to earn a few votes.

SEE ALSO: Bernie Sanders uses candy to teach Stephen Colbert never to give up

Sanders stole the drag queens' spotlight by making a speech in the crowded restaurant.

We need a government which represents all of us - not just the one percent," Sanders said to the crowd.

Supporters of the democratic candidate who happened to be brunching at Hamburger Mary's took to social media to share their excitement.

Restaurant goers can be heard yelling "YAS," "We love you!" "How can you not love this guy!?" and "This is f*cking amazing!".

"It is too late for establishment politics," Sanders called out to the throng. "We need real change."

Bernie and his wife Jane Sanders continued through town on Sunday by hitting up other local hotspots, including LA's Historic Downtown Farmers Market and the Santa Monica Pier, where they rode a carousel with grandkids Ella and Dylan.

Whether or not Sanders wins over California on Tuesday, it looks like he's having a blast on the campaign trail.

[H/T Buzzfeed]
(Reuters) - Best Buy Co Inc's shares fell as much as 5 percent on Monday after Chief Executive Hubert Joly cut his stake in the electronics retailer by about 44 percent, two weeks after the company gave a disappointing current-quarter profit forecast. Joly sold 398,000 shares worth about $12.8 million, leaving him with a 0.16 percent stake in the company, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. (http://bit.ly/1VI8iuy) Best Buy spokesman Jeffrey Shelman said on Monday that Joly's sale was "solely related to his desire to diversify his overall personal holdings" and that he had no plans to step down. Joly's sale is slightly less than "25 percent of his total (Best Buy) holdings when you include options and performance shares," Shelman said. The electronics retailer said last month that second-quarter profit would be hurt by supply disruptions for some high-margin products after an earthquake in Japan and due to investments in customer service. The company has been struggling to boost sales as demand for smartphones and PCs continue to fall. Shares of the company were down about 3 percent at $31.34 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Best Buy's shares have gained nearly 8 percent this year, compared to the 1 percent rise in the broader S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary Index <.SPLRCD>. (Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
Bill Clinton's brother has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in California.

Roger Clinton was booked Sunday in Redondo Beach, according to an online arrest record.

Clinton, 59, remains in police custody with bail set at $15,000.

Read: Bill Clinton Among Notables Tapped to Eulogize Muhammad Ali at Public Funeral

The arrest came just as both Bill and Hillary Clinton are blitzing through California ahead of Tuesday's primary.

The younger Clinton brother is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Read: Hillary Invokes Muhammad Ali As Trump Says Muslims May Also Be Unfit to Judge His Cases

As CBS reports, Roger Clinton was arrested in 2001 in nearby Hermosa Beach on suspicion of DUI. Clinton later pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge and was put on probation.

Years earlier, Clinton served more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a gram of cocaine in 1985.

Clinton was famously pardoned after the fact by his brother as he was on his way out of the White House in 2001.

Watch: Inside The $5 Million Mansion Where The Obamas Will Live After White House

Related Articles:
Roger Clinton, Bill Clinton's embattled younger half-brother, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of drunk driving in California, PEOPLE confirms.



Redondo Beach police pulled the 59-year-old over on the Pacific Coast Highway around 7:20 p.m. and arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol, a department spokesperson tells PEOPLE.



He is being held at the jail on $15,000 bail and was expected to appear in court on Monday.



It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea.



The Sunday arrest came just two days before the California Democratic primary in which Clinton's sister-in-law, Hillary, is up against Bernie Sanders.



Hillary Clinton's campaign referred press questions to the former president's office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.





In 2001, Clinton was famously pardoned by then-president-Bill after being convicted in 1985 of conspiracy to sell a gram of cocaine.



Congressional investigators later found that Clinton tried to secure pardons for at least 10 of his friends, with officials noting that the man tried to "cash in" on his White House connections, according to the New York Times.



However, Clinton has attempted to keep a low profile in recent years, and told the Times in 2015 that it's not easy being a Clinton.



"I don't have a choice of being first brother," he said. "It's not like I've been given the option of doing it and I could turn it down. There are times when it's hard."
This might be the best season of Game of Thrones yet, and Silicon Valley and Veep are as excellent as ever. But theres a good reason to look forward to the finales for all three HBO shows: Vice Principals. Thrones, Silicon, and Veep are gone on June 26th, Vice Principals enters our lives on July 17th. What are you going to do in-between? I dunno, watch Eastbound and Down again?

In case you missed our summer TV preview, Vice Principals, created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, stars McBride and Justifieds smooth-talking Walton Goggins as warring vice principals who want to be the head honcho after Principal Bill Murray resigns. Oh yeah, Bill Murrays on the show, too, as is Freaks and Geeks Busy Philipps and Boardwalk Empires Shea Whigham. In the just-released trailer above, Murray instructs Neal (McBride) and Lee (Goggins) to remember one thing: Its all about the students. Its not about you two.

Related Links:





Cut to Neal and Lee sniping and acting like man-children (or, an impeccably dressed man-child, in Goggins case) when they learn the positions been filled. They begrudgingly team up, and their unwarranted retribution against the new principal involves sheep masks, dirt bikes, and Beach Boys songs.

Its the perfect summer show.
A Florida woman is keeping the baby girl she put up for adoption after the adoptive mother fled seconds after seeing the child had been born with a rare birth defect.



When Christina Fisher of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, found out she was pregnant last year, she knew she wasn't in a position to raise a child by herself. The 36-year-old described herself as "basically homeless" to the Northwest Florida Daily News.



She also said she had already raised an 18-year-old daughter and wasn't prepared to raise another. And the baby's father was not in the picture.



So, Fisher made the difficult decision to put her unborn child up for adoption, finding a family in Georgia who could give her child a better life. But when she gave birth on January 11, the adoptive mother fled the hospital just seconds after seeing that Fisher's baby girl, Abigail Lynn, was born with facial deformities.







"I let [the adoptive mom] take the other wristband into the NICU," Fisher told the paper. "She came out crying and left the hospital. We never heard from them again."



Doctors explained that Abigail had Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects facial development  especially the cheekbones, jaw, ears and eyelids.



After the adoptive mother fled, Fisher said she "took it as a sign that she was supposed to be mine. And now, she is my heart."



Fisher said she's thankful the adoptive family made the choice it did, allowing her to keep her daughter.



"I'm not a religious person at all, but I know when something is smacking me in the face," she said. "I just knew I would never be able to give her up. I would always be wondering if they were taking care of her properly."



Abigail may need cochlear implants when she gets older, but because the condition does not affect the brain, she should be able to have a typical childhood.



"There's doctors with Treacher Collins, even a male model," Fisher said. "She may need reconstructive surgery, but she'll be able to lead a perfectly normal life."



Now, Fisher and her baby are living with a friend in a two-bedroom apartment. She's working at a fast food restaurant to support her newborn daughter. While she's thankful to the adoptive family, she doesnat plan on telling her daughter about what might have been.



"That kind of rejection from someone so shallow ... she doesn't need to know about it," she said. "They missed out on the most amazing baby in the world."



Photo provided courtesy of Oksana Peery photography.
A woman who planned to give her newborn up for adoption is now raising the baby herself after the would-be mom sprinted out of the hospital in tears when she met the baby, who has a rare genetic condition.

Christina Fisher, 36, never expected to raise a child alone again, looking into adoption due to financial complications and the father being out of the picture.

Read: Woman Graduates From School Where She Was Abandoned In Cardboard Box As A Newborn

After weeks of keeping in contact with an agency and meeting the adoptive parents, Fisher was prepared to give newborn Abigail Lynn a new life and a new home.

But on Jan. 11, the baby was born at a Florida hospital with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which the bones and tissues in the face are not fully developed.

It was not detected in the amniocentesis or in the ultrasound, Fisher said on a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising funds to help her care for the baby.

Clearly surprised by the baby's condition, the adoptive mother began crying, fled the hospital and never returned, she said.

Read: Baby Born With Zika-Related Birth Defects In New Jersey Hospital

Fisher made the courageous decision to keep Abigail and raise her. I was not fully prepared for her but now I can no longer see my life without either one of my daughters, Fisher said.

Fisher's other daughter, 18-year-old Debra, has graduated high school in Louisiana where Fishers family resides.

Florida-based photographer Oksana Peery adored the story of baby Abigail and was eager to assemble a beautiful photo shoot with the mother and daughter.

The photos portrayed sweet moments between Fisher and the tiny 5-month-old, including Abigail falling asleep in her mothers arms.

Both Christina and Abigail are absolutely amazing, such an incredible story of true love, Peery told InsideEdition.com.

Baby Abigail is now nearly eight pounds and continues to grow.

Story continues

Watch: 53-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth To Her Own Grandchild

Related Articles:
By Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) said it would sell a 43-storey Singapore office tower for $2.5 billion - one of at least three office building deals in the last two months for a market gripped by worries about oversupply and rising vacancies.

The sale to Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, is Singapore's largest office transaction. It is also the largest single-tower real estate deal in Asia-Pacific, according to BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager.

The selling price of S$2,700 ($1,980) per square foot for Asia Square Tower 1 in the city-state's financial district, has only been outdone by deals in London and Hong Kong, according to property consultant JLL, which was one of BlackRock's advisers on the transaction.

The U.S. firm said the deal could mark a turning point for Singapore real estate and that gloomy views about the market were likely overdone.

"Singapore as a home for capital is always very well regarded in the region," said John Saunders, head of Asia Pacific for BlackRock Real Estate.

"So for those folks who have dry powder and are looking to invest, frankly ourselves included, I think a lot of people are looking at Singapore and saying this could be an interesting environment," he added.

But others were less optimistic, saying the BlackRock deal should be regarded as an exception at a time when vacancy rates for Singapore's office property sector are near their highest level in almost a decade and a raft of new supply was about to hit the market.

"This is not a deal that triggers more deals, because of the supply and demand situation," said Nicholas Mak, executive director at SLP International Property Consultants.

He said developers were set to add 4 million square feet of office space in Singapore this year - equivalent to about 5 percent of the current market - which will be followed by another 1.4 million next year.

Media reports have said that BlackRock had been seeking S$4 billion for the building instead of S$3.4 billion it gained. BlackRock said it was happy with the price but declined comment further on financial terms.

Story continues

On a per square foot basis, similar valuations were gained in a 2014 Singapore deal, according to consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield.

The BlackRock deal follows two smaller ones - Singapore's Capitaland Commercial Trust's (CACT.SI) plan to buy the remaining 60 percent of an office building it did not own and an offer by Singapore-listed MYP Ltd (MYPL.SI) to buy the Straits Trading Building for S$560 million last week.

Asia Square Tower 1 has over 1.25 million square feet of net lettable area and Citigroup Inc (C.N) as its anchor tenant, BlackRock and Qatar Investment Authority said in a joint statement.

BlackRock owns a second tower in the Asia Square development but first wants to complete renting out the building, which is currently close to 90 percent leased, before reviewing a sale.

Qatar Investment Authority is one of the most active sovereign investors in the world. While it has focused on investments in Europe, it has recently sought to diversify its portfolio with investments in Asia.

($1 = 1.3613 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
* BlackRock says deal may be turning point for Singapore market

* Others less optimistic as new supply due to hit market

* Follows two other recent Singapore office building deals (Recasts and adds comments from BlackRock, property consultant)

By Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE, June 6 (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc said it would sell a 43-storey Singapore office tower for $2.5 billion - one of at least three office building deals in the last two months for a market gripped by worries about oversupply and rising vacancies.

The sale to Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, is Singapore's largest office transaction. It is also the largest single-tower real estate deal in Asia-Pacific, according to BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager.

The selling price of S$2,700 ($1,980) per square foot for Asia Square Tower 1 in the city-state's financial district, has only been outdone by deals in London and Hong Kong, according to property consultant JLL, which was one of BlackRock's advisers on the transaction.

The U.S. firm said the deal could mark a turning point for Singapore real estate and that gloomy views about the market were likely overdone.

"Singapore as a home for capital is always very well regarded in the region," said John Saunders, head of Asia Pacific for BlackRock Real Estate.

"So for those folks who have dry powder and are looking to invest, frankly ourselves included, I think a lot of people are looking at Singapore and saying this could be an interesting environment," he added.

But others were less optimistic, saying the BlackRock deal should be regarded as an exception at a time when vacancy rates for Singapore's office property sector are near their highest level in almost a decade and a raft of new supply was about to hit the market.

"This is not a deal that triggers more deals, because of the supply and demand situation," said Nicholas Mak, executive director at SLP International Property Consultants.

He said developers were set to add 4 million square feet of office space in Singapore this year - equivalent to about 5 percent of the current market - which will be followed by another 1.4 million next year.

Story continues

Media reports have said that BlackRock had been seeking S$4 billion for the building instead of S$3.4 billion it gained. BlackRock said it was happy with the price but declined comment further on financial terms.

On a per square foot basis, similar valuations were gained in a 2014 Singapore deal, according to consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield.

The BlackRock deal follows two smaller ones - Singapore's Capitaland Commercial Trust's plan to buy the remaining 60 percent of an office building it did not own and an offer by Singapore-listed MYP Ltd to buy the Straits Trading Building for S$560 million last week.

Asia Square Tower 1 has over 1.25 million square feet of net lettable area and Citigroup Inc as its anchor tenant, BlackRock and Qatar Investment Authority said in a joint statement.

BlackRock owns a second tower in the Asia Square development but first wants to complete renting out the building, which is currently close to 90 percent leased, before reviewing a sale.

Qatar Investment Authority is one of the most active sovereign investors in the world. While it has focused on investments in Europe, it has recently sought to diversify its portfolio with investments in Asia. ($1 = 1.3613 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
By Aradhana Aravindan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc said it would sell a 43-storey Singapore office tower for $2.5 billion - one of at least three office building deals in the last two months for a market gripped by worries about oversupply and rising vacancies. The sale to Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, is Singapore's largest office transaction. It is also the largest single-tower real estate deal in Asia-Pacific, according to BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. The selling price of S$2,700 ($1,980) per square foot for Asia Square Tower 1 in the city-state's financial district, has only been outdone by deals in London and Hong Kong, according to property consultant JLL, which was one of BlackRock's advisers on the transaction. The U.S. firm said the deal could mark a turning point for Singapore real estate and that gloomy views about the market were likely overdone. "Singapore as a home for capital is always very well regarded in the region," said John Saunders, head of Asia Pacific for BlackRock Real Estate. "So for those folks who have dry powder and are looking to invest, frankly ourselves included, I think a lot of people are looking at Singapore and saying this could be an interesting environment," he added. But others were less optimistic, saying the BlackRock deal should be regarded as an exception at a time when vacancy rates for Singapore's office property sector are near their highest level in almost a decade and a raft of new supply was about to hit the market. "This is not a deal that triggers more deals, because of the supply and demand situation," said Nicholas Mak, executive director at SLP International Property Consultants. He said developers were set to add 4 million square feet of office space in Singapore this year - equivalent to about 5 percent of the current market - which will be followed by another 1.4 million next year. Media reports have said that BlackRock had been seeking S$4 billion for the building instead of S$3.4 billion it gained. BlackRock said it was happy with the price but declined comment further on financial terms. On a per square foot basis, similar valuations were gained in a 2014 Singapore deal, according to consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield. The BlackRock deal follows two smaller ones - Singapore's Capitaland Commercial Trust's plan to buy the remaining 60 percent of an office building it did not own and an offer by Singapore-listed MYP Ltd to buy the Straits Trading Building for S$560 million last week. Asia Square Tower 1 has over 1.25 million square feet of net lettable area and Citigroup Inc as its anchor tenant, BlackRock and Qatar Investment Authority said in a joint statement. BlackRock owns a second tower in the Asia Square development but first wants to complete renting out the building, which is currently close to 90 percent leased, before reviewing a sale. Qatar Investment Authority is one of the most active sovereign investors in the world. While it has focused on investments in Europe, it has recently sought to diversify its portfolio with investments in Asia. ($1 = 1.3613 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
In northern Afghanistan, a man ties a 200-pound chunk of lapis lazuli to his back and hauls it down a mountain that is too steep for even donkeys to navigate. Hell reportedly be paid around $10 daily to do the dangerous work. But profits for armed groups, including the Taliban, will be huge: In 2015, they raked in $12 million from lapis mining, according to a new report by Global Witness.

This year, the Taliban alone is expected to reap more than 50 percent of those profits, according to the report released Monday.

Stephen Carter, the reports author and Afghanistan campaign leader for Global Witness, calls mineral extraction a massive strategic blind spot. He said its particularly alarming that mining is considered a sort of economic or corruption issue, rather than a massive potential threat to security.

The lapis-rich Badakhshan Province has been outside of government control for the past two years, after former district police chief Commander Abdul Malek seized the mines in a 2014 coup. Locals, who had long complained about being prevented from working in the mines and therefore sidelined from profits, largely supported the coup.

Under Maleks regime, things have improved slightly for locals, if only because things were so bad before. There was a lot of zulm [cruelty] before  now there is less, local miner Ghulam Mohammad told Global Witness after the coup. The unhappiness has gone from 100 percent to 40 percent.

Others were happy that Malek, unlike the government officials who controlled the mines before 2014, reinvested some of the money in the community  including repairing a local road and building a mosque.

However, the benefit to locals is still very small and the Afghan government itself takes in hardly any tax revenue from mining. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reportedly sent a warning to Kabul, saying the countrys lapis trade was vastly undervalued and millions of dollars in profits likely were going to warlords and corrupt officials.

Story continues

In a recent Foreign Policy interview, a European Union official said that the tax revenue gained from lapis mining is next to nothing, despite the massive profits made by powerful individuals and armed groups.

Meanwhile, Afghan government officials may be illegally profiting from mining. The Global Witness report said armed groups mainly associated with an Afghan parliamentarian, Zulmai Mujadidi, earned $700,000 from lapis mining in 2014.

Everyone has their finger in this  the Taliban, criminal gangs, warlords, government officials, security forces, the EU official said of illegal mining. Everybody is into this.

And the Taliban has taken advantage of the chaos, and has skimmed enough of the profits to make mining its second-largest source of income, behind the poppy trade. In 2014 alone, according to the report, Malek handed over $750,000 to the extremist group  his formerly sworn enemy.

Most of the lapis is carried through Pakistan into China, where it is a luxury item.

If the Chinese government said, Were banning the trade of lapis until it no longer benefits armed groups, immediately the bottom would fall out of this market completely, said Carter.

Whether that happens depends on how worried the Chinese become about how friendly Taliban fighters in Badakhshan become with the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Its also noteworthy that ethnic Muslim Chinese Uyghers, whom Beijing considers terror threats, have reportedly joined groups of foreign fighters in Badakhshan, according to the report.

But the problem is bigger than just lapis. Illegal or marginally-legal groups are also extracting tourmaline, gold, coal, and other resources from Afghanistan. Washington has given Afghanistan about half a billion dollars to support the mining sector, with very little of it going to governance, Carter said.

Yochi Dreazen contributed reporting.

Photo credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
By Edward Taylor and Jens Hack

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Ian Robertson, BMW's (BMWG.DE) board member for sales, has dispensed with the Bavarian carmaker's customary discretion and urged fellow Britons to vote to remain in the European Union in a referendum this month.

British support for leaving the EU has risen, with the Out campaign now having a 4-5 percentage point lead, according to opinion polls published on Monday.

Robertson, who was born in western England and brought up in Wales, fears that Britons do not fully grasp what is at stake in the referendum on June 23.

"The UK is a prosperous economy but if you imagine it without the flow of labour from the EU, I firmly believe that the British economy would not be in as strong a shape as it is," Robertson, 58, said in an interview at BMW's headquarters in Munich, southern Germany.

The global car and motorbike group, with its roots in Bavaria, owns the BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands and employs 122,700 staff.

Around 7,800 of its employees work in factories dotted around Britain, including those producing Mini and Rolls-Royce cars, two brands that use their British heritage to market themselves around the globe.

Underscoring the point, Prime Minister David Cameron, campaigning to keep Britain in the EU, appeared on Monday in front of a row of Minis with the message "Stronger In" on their licence plates.

An exit would make Britain less attractive as a location for investment even though demand for premium cars is solid, Robertson said.

"The UK is BMW's fourth-largest market. The customer strength on the ground means that the investment case for the UK is there anyway. But part of the attraction is that ability to export as well as to import, and to do it in the most logistically friendly way."

INWARD INVESTMENT

Much of the British car industry is now in foreign hands and Robertson argues that access to markets across the 28-nation EU played a crucial role in attracting overseas investment.

Story continues

"If you look at the investment into the UK auto sector that occurred - whether it was from Germans, Americans, Japanese or latterly Indians - the ability to be part of the EU was a factor when those decisions were made," Robertson said.

"It wasn't the only factor, but it was an important one."

Businesses ranging from budget airline Ryanair (RYA.I) to U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) have warned of the economic consequences should Britain vote to leave.

Robertson, who headed BMW's South Africa business from 1999-2005, is cautious about whether Mini might make changes to its production network in the event of an exit vote.

"At the end of the day, the British people are going to make a decision, and then we will consider what the next steps are," Robertson said.

It is less critical because BMW broadened its manufacturing footprint even before the Brexit debate started, as part of a "produce where you sell" strategy.

Today the Mini, for example, is made in Austria and the Netherlands as well as in England. BMWs are produced in China and the United States as well as Germany.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Jens Hack; Editing by Keith Weir)
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's prosecutor general found evidence linking the tourism minister of interim President Michel Temer to the corruption scheme at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported on Monday. Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot included intercepted phone messages in a request to the Supreme Court for a formal investigation of Tourism Minister Henrique Eduardo Alves, Folha reported in publishing excerpts of the messages. The messages supposedly show Alves offering political support to construction firm OAS Engenharia allegedly in exchange for campaign donations funded by money illegally taken from Petrobras. Alves, of the PMDB party, ran for the governorship of the state of Rio Grande do Norte in 2014. OAS Engenharia is one of the several engineering firms with executives sentenced by local courts over their involvement in the corruption and money laundering scandal. Alves has repeatedly said all campaign donations were legal. The general prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to request for comments. Alves is the third minister in Temer's cabinet to be linked to the massive Petrobras corruption scheme since his interim administration started last month. Within the space of one week, Temer had to drop Planning Minister Romero Juca, a key figure in passing austerity measures through Congress, and the minister in charge of fighting corruption, Fabiano Silveira, after recordings suggested they had tried to derail the Petrobras investigation. Brazil's Senate voted last month to suspend President Dilma Rousseff for up to six months to face trial for allegedly breaking budget rules. (Reporting by Silvio Cascione; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Economic woes are not new to the Brazilian economy with its gross domestic product shrinking for the fifth successive quarter. Brazil recorded a 5.4% year-over-year decline in GDP in the first quarter of 2016. On a quarterly basis, the GDP fell 0.3%, which is better than a 1.3% decline in the previous quarter and 0.8% estimated by analysts.



Though the data came in better than the market estimate of 6% decline and a 5.9% plunge recorded in the previous quarter, analysts view this uptick as a desperate effort by Rousseff to gain support of the people by boosting government spending in April ahead of the vote. Government spending grew 1.1% sequentially.



Notably, Brazils suspended president Rousseff, who was accused of influencing the budget, has been subjected to an impeachment process.



In the first quarter, investment and consumption lagged while net external demand was the bright point. Household consumption fell 6.3%, gross fixed capital formation contracted 17.5% while exports of goods and services jumped 13% and imports plummeted 21.7%.



Has Recession Bottomed Out?



A group of analysts believe that this economy is now showing signs of a depression. As per Goldman Sachs, Almost a two-year long recession led the Brazilian economy to shrink to its size in late 2010. And there was a plunge in real per capita GDP of 9% that gave the economy the tag of being in depression, going by a Financial Times article.



Some other economists believe that the recession has reached a bottom. As per this school, the worst of the recession was in fact in the second half of last year, and this years recession will be more contained than last year. In fact, signs of easing in the rate of contraction have already started to give such cues. The change in governance shored up the confidence that people have in the economy in April and May.



In fact, previously we saw how any news against Rousseff turned out favorable for the stocks as her administration was infamous for excessive red tape in the private sector. Notably, Brazilian stocks staged a rally in the initial part of 2016 on Dilma Rousseffs impeachment proceedings (read: Fragile Five ETFs Not At All Fragile This Year?).



The prospect of a change in governance set the Brazil ETFs on fire, despite a faltering economy. Now it remains to be seen if the stand-in president Michel Temer is able to effectively implement measures to revive the economy (read: Why Brazil ETFs are Gaining despite Economic and Political Risks?).



The finance ministry also expects a recoil in the economy in the next few quarters by the timely implementation of measures recently announced. The new finance minister announced measures like revamping the bloated pension system to avoid further deterioration in government accounts, as per Bloomberg.



These were internal issues. Externally, a lot depends on the economic condition of China  one of Brazils key trading partners. Also, a sustained recovery in commodity prices is also needed as the economy is rich in commodities from metals to agricultural products.



Threats Ahead



Apart from political instability, Fed hike worries which may prompt a 2013-like Taper Tantrum and spreading of the Zika virus are added concerns. Normally, as the Fed tightens policies, U.S. Treasury bond yields surge and emerging markets see investments gushing out.



ETFs to Watch



Whatever the case, it may take some more time before we could be sure about the momentum in the Brazil ETFs. GDP reports indicate that large-cap Brazil ETFs like iShares MSCI Brazil Capped (EWZ) are a better choices for investments, if anybody trusts that the worst is over. This is because large-cap stocks are more exposed to foreign demand than smaller caps (read: Top & Flop ETF Performers of May).



Small-caps deal with domestic consumption, an aspect in which the Brazilian economy is lacking presently. This makes small-cap ETFs like iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF (EWZS) and VanEck Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (BRF) vulnerable options. Then again, the country is hosting the Summer Olympics in a few days this year. Hosting such a big event should bolster activities and transactions in the domestic economy, which in turn may brighten small-cap ETFs.



So, investors having a strong stomach for risks may play this economy, but wary investors could wait on the sidelines for better entry points.



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ISHARS-BRAZIL (EWZ): ETF Research Reports



ISHARS-MS BR SC (EWZS): ETF Research Reports



VANECK-BRZL SC (BRF): ETF Research Reports



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London (AFP) - Supporters of Brexit moved ahead in the latest opinion polls on Monday, putting pressure on the pound and Prime Minister David Cameron just over two weeks before Britain's EU referendum.

The WhatUKThinks average of the six last polls put "Leave" at 51 percent against "Remain" at 49 percent ahead of the membership vote on June 23 that the pro-EU camp says could hit world economic growth if Britain votes to quit the bloc.

The balance tipped in favour of "Leave" following the three latest polls, which showed a growing number of Britons want their country to become the first in history to break away from the European Union.

John Curtice of Strathclyde University, seen as Britain's top polling expert, said the swing was likely linked to the start of a pre-referendum "purdah" period on May 27.

This means government ministries are no longer allowed to take part in the campaign. Cameron's government backs remaining in the EU.

"The government is unable to dominate the media headlines through using the civil service machine," Curtice told AFP.

Brexit campaigners have also captured headlines in recent days with plans for an Australian-style points-based immigration system.

Matthew Goodwin, professor of politics at the University of Kent, said on Twitter on Monday that "those who argue immigration not central to anti-EU vote don't understand anti-EU vote".

- Immigration, economy key -

Playing on the immigration theme Monday, Boris Johnson, the charismatic former London mayor and leading Brexit advocate, told a campaign event: "The risks of 'Remain' are massive".

"We have absolutely no control over the people coming from the whole 27 other EU countries, some of them with criminal records," Johnson said.

"We are talking about taking back control of our immigration policy."

The influx of EU workers from countries such as Poland and Romania is at near-record highs and anti-EU campaigners say the new arrivals drive down salaries and burden public services.

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Cameron, who heads up the "Remain" camp, has emphasised the economic risks of leaving.

He took part in an event Monday with political opponents Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, warning that leaving the EU would "put a bomb under our economy".

"While they (the 'Leave' camp) peddle fantasy politics, in the real world our economy is slowing because of the huge uncertainty hanging over Britain's economic future," Cameron said.

Financial markets have proved volatile ahead of the vote, particularly as the referendum campaign heats up.

The pound fell to 79.05 pence against the euro in Asian trading -- its lowest level in three and a half weeks -- and was also down against the dollar at $1.4454 around 1930 GMT.

"It is becoming extremely worrying for the financial markets and expect more sterling losses if polls continued to indicate a Brexit lead," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at trader FXTM.

US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned of the fallout for the markets and the world economy if Britain votes to leave.

"A UK vote to exit the European Union could have significant economic repercussions," she said in a speech.

- Unions for 'Remain' -

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also warned that both the military alliance and the EU were stronger with Britain as part of them.

"We live at a time of many threats and instability, we don't need more instability, we need more cooperation in Europe," he said in Brussels.

Several of the biggest trade unions in Britain urged members to vote to stay in the EU.

The general secretaries of Unite, Unison and the GMB were among 10 union leaders who wrote a letter to The Guardian newspaper claiming that parental leave and holiday rights would be under threat from the Conservative government without EU protection.

"Maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full-time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave -- continue to underpin and protect working rights for British people," read the letter.

"If Britain leaves the EU, we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat."
By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European Union without Britain would be financially poorer, less economically liberal and free-trading, less Atlanticist and less open to further enlargement. A British vote to leave the 28-nation EU in a referendum on June 23 would not only deal a severe blow to the union's self-confidence and international standing, amputating it of its second biggest economy and one of its two main military powers. It would also blow a hole in the EU's common budget and tilt the balance away from the open, competitive economy favored by the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland and central European states, toward protectionism and heavier regulation. Even committed European federalists acknowledge that Britain has made major contributions in opening up the community's internal market, promoting an outward-looking foreign policy and sharing a pragmatic, empirical administrative culture. "We would lose the intrinsic value of Great Britain - its global geopolitical vision, economic common sense and financial and legal know-how," said Sylvie Goulard, a French member of the European Parliament from the centrist liberal ALDE group. Supporters of a more deeply integrated political union centered on the 19-nation euro currency area would have no cause for rejoicing, since eurosceptics elsewhere would be emboldened to press for their own renegotiations and referendums. "The real risk is not (Britain) remaining in the EU, it is a leave vote, which could perpetuate the disintegration of the entire European Union," said former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. A keen federalist, he represented the European Parliament in negotiations between Prime Minister David Cameron and other EU leaders in February that led to a deal exempting Britain from the EU's treaty goal of "ever closer union". "Brexit would make the narrative of the EU about disintegration, not integration," researchers at the London-based Centre for European Reform said in a report entitled: "Europe after Brexit: unleashed or undone?" For one thing, much of the EU's time and energy would be consumed for the next two years or longer by wrangling over the terms of withdrawal and the UK's future relations with the bloc. Aside from that, the EU's historic Franco-German axis seems too weak to agree on any major strengthening of the euro zone, at least until after elections in both countries in 2017. "I don't think Europe can transform itself and make a bold leap forward in integration with the current cast of political characters. Perhaps with their successors," Goulard said. Unpopular French President Francois Hollande is in the last year of his term, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is constrained by domestic resistance to an influx of refugees and to any more risk-sharing with southern euro zone countries. POWER DYNAMICS The power dynamics of European leadership would change if Britain quit. Germany would lose a counterweight to French economic dirigisme. France would lose its main partner in supporting EU military missions in Africa and elsewhere. Europe might be less inclined to stand up to Russia, or to work as closely with the United States. The EU would remain divided into a majority of countries which share the euro, and a minority that have not yet joined or have voted to stay out. But those non-euro countries - Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia - would have less clout without Britain's presence as the main financial center outside the single currency area. Guntram Wolff, a German economist who heads the Bruegel economic think-tank in Brussels, said the Berlin establishment was in a funk, fearing that "we are left alone with all those Mediterranean spending countries with a preference for redistribution and we are going to pay for them and drift away from a liberal, pro-market, TTIP Europe. Thats the big angst." Among the headaches for the EU would be how to make up for Britain's contribution to the common European budget, most of which goes on subsidies to poorer regions and to farmers. The UK is the number three net contributor after Germany and France, paying in an average 9.23 billion euros a year more than it received from EU coffers in 2010-2014, according to the European Commission. It would continue to pay contributions for at least two years until it finally left. Britain's EU friends would lose a powerful ally on issues such as upholding free and unfettered competition, curbing state aid to industry, resisting tax harmonization, and opposing barriers to trade with China and other emerging economies. A hub of EU-funded research and innovation would drift away. "I fear it would be a less open, liberal Europe without the Brits," said a Swedish diplomat. "That would make it harder for us to win the economic arguments." London was the biggest supporter of the EU's eastward enlargement to take in 12 mostly former Communist states in 2004 and 2007 - at least partly in the belief that a wider EU would slow centralization. No country has fought harder for ambitious free trade pacts with the United States, Canada, Japan and other major economies. Without energetic British backing, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) under negotiation between Brussels and Washington is less likely to come to fruition. German and Austrian voters are reticent over data privacy and private arbitration courts, while the French are anxious over so-called "Frankenstein foods" - hormone-treated beef, chlorine-washed chicken and genetically modified crops. (Corrects spelling of Wolff surname in paragraph 16) (Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Andrew Roche)
By James Macharia JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Britain has warned of a high threat of attacks against foreigners in popular shopping malls in South Africa in an alert issued at the weekend, when a similar advisory was published by the United States embassy in Pretoria. Africa's most industrialised country has a significant expatriate and tourist population but has seldom been associated with Islamist militancy. South Africa's government said the country was safe following the U.S. warning on Saturday. It was not immediately clear what triggered the warnings. Security officials say there are no known militant groups operating in South Africa. It has only a small Muslim population. The British government first issued its statement on Saturday and was marked as "still current" on its travel advice website on Monday. The warning identified upmarket shopping areas and malls in the commercial hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town, widely regarded as South Africa's tourism capital, as the main target areas in the suspected planned attacks. "There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town," the British government said. "There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time." (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/terrorism) On Saturday, the U.S. warned its citizens of possible attacks by Islamist militants on U.S. facilities or shopping malls in South Africa during the month of Ramadan. The U.S. issued a similar warning in September, but no Islamist attack was reported. State Security Minister David Mahlobo said in a statement that South Africa remained "a strong and stable democratic country", adding that there was no immediate danger posed by the alert. Analysts said that a terrorist attack in South Africa was feasible, citing economic hardships that could be a catalyst for radicalising South Africa's Muslims. Economic growth is seen below one percent this year and unemployment is at its highest ever, near 27 percent. "Both in terms of sources of financing from older religious conservative generations and of a growing community of economically side-lined, mostly young Muslims," Robert Besseling, head of the EXX Africa business risk intelligence group said in a note. Jasmine Opperman, the Africa Director for Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) said if Islamist extremist groups ever do decide to target South Africa, the nation is unprepared to protect itself. "Shopping malls and tourist destinations are areas that are particularly prone to terror attacks," Opperman wrote in a note. "In South Africa, security is usually outsourced to private security companies, primarily aimed at preventing petty crimes such as theft," she said. Johannesburg's Sandton City, one of Africa's biggest shopping malls located in a wealthy business district, said it had improved security following the warnings. Nomzamo Radebe, CEO of JHI Retail, the company that manages the shopping complex popular with tourists said they were "on high alert and additional security measures have been implemented," said without giving details. Islamists have attacked shopping malls on the continent before, including Kenya's Westgate building where Somali militant group al Shabaab massacred at least 67 people, including foreigners, and held out for four days as security forces laid siege to the complex. (Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A British paedophile, who abused 23 Malaysian and Cambodian children and babies including one aged just six months, was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday. Richard Huckle, who awarded himself points for his crimes, may have targeted almost 200 children and boasted that those from poor communities made easier victims than well-to-do westerners. Using the pretext of being a photographer, English teacher and western philanthropist, Huckle won the trust of impoverished families before carrying out nine years of abuse. This included rapes which he filmed, photographed and shared online with paedophiles worldwide. Dubbed the country's worst paedophile by Britain's media, Huckle stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes. "Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young, pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," said judge Peter Rook. "You were and are sexually obsessed with children. In one of your postings you stated that you had become consumed by your paedophilia." As the pony-tailed Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman shouted from the public gallery: "A thousand deaths is too good for you". Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and when he was arrested at London's Gatwick Airport in 2014, he was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children, including more than 1,000 of him raping and abusing victims, on his computer and camera. He was just 19 when he began the abuse in March 2006, targeting a two-year-old child in Cambodia. The rest of the abuse until his arrest took place in Malaysia. He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia where the authorities have been criticised for failing to tackle sex crimes against children properly. The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just. "For doing this to the children, this is the correct (decision)," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu, adding that Huckle often visited the settlement for families displaced by construction projects in the city. A rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg and the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information. "Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children. CATALOGUE OF ABUSE The court heard Huckle had kept a hidden ledger of his activities on his computer where he awarded himself points for different types of abuse and made reference to 191 children. There was also material on his laptop that was so encrypted the authorities have not been able to access it. He produced his own online paedophile manual advising others on how to abuse children and escape detection, having criticised a previous version. The judge called it a "truly evil document", saying Huckle had also intended to make a commercial enterprise out of his abuse by posting images of his crimes in return for bitcoins, a web-based currency. "At one stage, you made the chilling observation that 'impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids,'" Rook said. "It is clear from your postings on hidden encrypted paedophile websites on the dark web, and from the manual you were in the process of drafting that your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification by child sex abuse." Some of his victims were abused for years, and would be blighted for life, said the judge, adding that he would pose a very high risk to children for many years to come. POLICE DELAY? Last week, the Malaysian authorities said they were seeking details from British police about Huckle's victims and complained they had found out about the case only in April. Andy Brennan, Deputy Director of Britain's National Crime Agency's child exploitation unit, said they had told the Malaysian police soon after learning Huckle's identity. "We received intelligence suggesting that somebody who hadn't been identified at that point was active in these areas. That would have been August 2014," he told reporters outside court. He said after working out where Huckle was, his agency first told Malaysian police in November 2014 and had met them on a number of occasions at that time. "I'm very confident we worked very, very closely with the Malaysian authorities and with the NGO based in Malaysia to provide the best support to that community where those children are based." (Additional reporting by Costas Pitas in London and A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; writing by Michael Holden and Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison and David Stamp)
By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A British pedophile, who abused 23 Malaysian and Cambodian children and babies including one aged just six months, was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday. Richard Huckle, who awarded himself points for his crimes, may have targeted almost 200 children and boasted that those from poor communities made easier victims than well-to-do westerners. Using the pretext of being a photographer, English teacher and western philanthropist, Huckle won the trust of impoverished families before carrying out nine years of abuse. This included rapes which he filmed, photographed and shared online with pedophiles worldwide. Dubbed the country's worst pedophile by Britain's media, Huckle stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes. "Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young, pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," said judge Peter Rook. "You were and are sexually obsessed with children. In one of your postings you stated that you had become consumed by your paedophilia." As the pony-tailed Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman shouted from the public gallery: "A thousand deaths is too good for you". Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and when he was arrested at London's Gatwick Airport in 2014, he was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children, including more than 1,000 of him raping and abusing victims, on his computer and camera. He was just 19 when he began the abuse in March 2006, targeting a two-year-old child in Cambodia. The rest of the abuse until his arrest took place in Malaysia. He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia where the authorities have been criticized for failing to tackle sex crimes against children properly. The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just. "For doing this to the children, this is the correct (decision)," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu, adding that Huckle often visited the settlement for families displaced by construction projects in the city. A rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg and the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information. "Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children. CATALOG OF ABUSE The court heard Huckle had kept a hidden ledger of his activities on his computer where he awarded himself points for different types of abuse and made reference to 191 children. There was also material on his laptop that was so encrypted the authorities have not been able to access it. He produced his own online pedophile manual advising others on how to abuse children and escape detection, having criticized a previous version. The judge called it a "truly evil document", saying Huckle had also intended to make a commercial enterprise out of his abuse by posting images of his crimes in return for bitcoins, a web-based currency. "At one stage, you made the chilling observation that 'impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids,'" Rook said. "It is clear from your postings on hidden encrypted pedophile websites on the dark web, and from the manual you were in the process of drafting that your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification by child sex abuse." Some of his victims were abused for years, and would be blighted for life, said the judge, adding that he would pose a very high risk to children for many years to come. POLICE DELAY? Last week, the Malaysian authorities said they were seeking details from British police about Huckle's victims and complained they had found out about the case only in April. Andy Brennan, Deputy Director of Britain's National Crime Agency's child exploitation unit, said they had told the Malaysian police soon after learning Huckle's identity. "We received intelligence suggesting that somebody who hadn't been identified at that point was active in these areas. That would have been August 2014," he told reporters outside court. He said after working out where Huckle was, his agency first told Malaysian police in November 2014 and had met them on a number of occasions at that time. "I'm very confident we worked very, very closely with the Malaysian authorities and with the NGO based in Malaysia to provide the best support to that community where those children are based." (Additional reporting by Costas Pitas in London and A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; writing by Michael Holden and Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison and David Stamp)
They paved paradise and put up a Hard Rock Hotel.

A block of West 48th Street in Manhattan once known as Mecca for musicians of every stripe but especially rockers, will soon be home to New Yorks first Hard Rock Hotel. The stretch between Sixth Avenue and Broadway was for decades known as Music Row, anchored by Mannys and Sam Ash musical instrument emporiums. Here one might hear a Beatle or a Stone, a Hendrix or a Zimmerman, trying out the latest from Fender, Gibson, Gretsch or Rickenbacker, not to mention countless just-musicians testing their chops against new gear in a friendly zone, before skyrocketing rents and bigger retailers like the Guitar Center shut the last of them down, opening up the street to real estate speculators.

In the latest development, Hard Rock International announced Monday plans to build its latest destination hotel on the street, in a parcel assembled by real estate entrepreneur Gary Barnetts Extell organization. The planned 445-room Hard Rock Hotel New York will breathe new life into Music Row and recapture the legacy of this historic location, the company announced, apparently without irony.

The announcement put to rest one rumor that had the hotel going into another high-profile Extell Development Company parcel on Eighth Avenue between 45th and 46th streets, a site also mentioned as a possible development to include a new Broadway theater.

The new hotel will rise on the north side of the block, directly opposite the Cort Theatre, one of the few Shubert Organization properties that still retains transfer rights to the air above its landmarked space. Such a transfer could be useful to a developer looking to build even higher towers in a neighborhood that has seen its once human scale change dramatically in recent years, as more towers have sprung up throughout the Broadway Theater District.

Were both proud and eager to showcase the Hard Rock Hotels experience in New York City, a destination whose spirit and limitless energy aligns perfectly with our brand, Hamish Dodds, chief executive officer at Hard Rock International, said in the announcement. With Hard Rock Hotel New York being an entirely new build project, we are able to develop a hotel with customized amenities and programming that will deliver a one of a kind music experience tailored for New York City.

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The new hotel will honor the Citys musical and cultural heritage with live music events and artist-inspired design elements, according to the announcement. With Hard Rock Internationals standing as curators of the worlds largest and most priceless music memorabilia collection, the hotels design will feature museum-like displays adorning the walls. Memorabilia for the hotel will be carefully selected with a focus on contemporary artists who call New York home, as well as iconic musicians and pivotal moments in history that have shaped the citys undisputed musical legacy.

Promised features include an invigorating Rock Spa featuring the revolutionary Rhythm & Motion spa menu offering modernized, music-infused Swedish massage practices and treatments. Guests will also enjoy firsthand music experiences through the signature Sound of Your Stay music amenity program, allowing for Fender guitar and DJ-equipment rental delivered in-room for impromptu jam sessions.

Hard Rocks Hotel & Casino expansion strategy demands dynamic and knowledgeable developers, such as Gary Barnett and the Extell group, and we look forward to seeing the project flourish with their expertise, says Marco Roca, executive vice president of global hotel development at Hard Rock International. The opening of Hard Rock Hotel New York, along with the completion of properties in Berlin and Dubai, as well as soon to be announced projects in other major gateway cities, present a huge milestone for the brand and further solidify its standing as a global hotel collection.

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The father of an ex-Stanford University swimmer who was sentenced to six months in jail last week for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman believes his son should have received probation because the 20-year-old has already suffered for 20 minutes of action.

On Thursday, Brock Turner was given a six-month prison sentence for his sexual assault of a woman in January 2015 outside a fraternity party on the schools Palo Alto campus.

As it stands now, Brocks life has been deeply altered forever by the events of Jan. 17th and 18th, Dan Turner wrote in a reference letter posted to Twitter on Sunday by Michelle Dauber, a Stanford law professor and friend of the victim. He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile. His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite.

Dan Turner argued that Brocks loss of appetite and a swimming scholarship is punishment enough:

Brock always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook himself. I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or to get his favorite snack for him. I had to make sure to hide some of my favorite pretzels or chips because I knew they wouldnt be around long after Brock walked in from a long swim practice. Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist. These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways. His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life. The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life forever alters where he can live, visit, work, and how he will be able to interact with people and organizations. What I know as his father is that incarceration is not the appropriate punishment for Brock. He has no prior criminal history and has never been violent to anyone including his actions on the night of Jan 17th 2015. Brock can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and is totally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity. By having people like Brock educate others on college campuses is how society can begin to break the cycle of binge drinking and its unfortunate results. Probation is the best answer for Brock in this situation and allows him to give back to society in a net positive way.

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Reaction to the fathers letter was swift, with many on Twitter condemning his argument as tone-deaf at best.

It's the utter lack of self awareness and context that makes Brock Turner's dad's statement so chilling. Purest dumb dad privilege  John Hodgman (@hodgman) June 6, 2016

I understand that this father's pain must be excruciating and I sympathize. But this statement is itself an outrage. https://t.co/KR8Mq9jsHE  Nick Davis (@NicksFlickPicks) June 5, 2016

RAPE CULTURE: Brock Turner's dad is sad he only got "20 minutes of action" & doesn't even like eating steaks anymore pic.twitter.com/eQswM8Lb11  Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) June 5, 2016

Shameful. His son raped a woman. Rape IS violence not "20 minutes of action". https://t.co/ldM1rmz5Z2  Brie Larson (@brielarson) June 5, 2016

Better ways to spend 20 mins:

 teach your son women are people

 teach your son rape is bad

 teach your son human decency#BrockTurner  Amy The Great (@AmyJoRyan) June 6, 2016

Turners childhood friend, Leslie Rasmussen, also sent a letter to the court asking for leniency:

I dont think its fair to base the fate of the next [10 plus] years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesnt remember anything but the amount she drank to press charges against him. I am not blaming her directly for this, because that isnt right. But where do we draw the line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campuses isnt always because people are rapists.

He was always the sweetest to everyone, Rasumssen added. The whole thing [is] a huge misunderstanding.

At Turners sentencing, the victim, now 23, read a powerful, 7,200-word letter directly to her attacker.

You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today, she began.

More from her letter:

On January 17th, 2015, it was a quiet Saturday night at home. My dad made some dinner and I sat at the table with my younger sister who was visiting for the weekend. I was working full time and it was approaching my bed time. I planned to stay at home by myself, watch some TV and read, while she went to a party with her friends. Then, I decided it was my only night with her, I had nothing better to do, so why not, theres a dumb party ten minutes from my house, I would go, dance like a fool, and embarrass my younger sister. On the way there, I joked that undergrad guys would have braces. My sister teased me for wearing a beige cardigan to a frat party like a librarian. I called myself big mama, because I knew Id be the oldest one there. I made silly faces, let my guard down, and drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college.

The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway. I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow. I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus. I was very calm and wondering where my sister was. A deputy explained I had been assaulted. I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. I knew no one at this party. When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing. I still remember the feeling of my hands touching my skin and grabbing nothing. I looked down and there was nothing. The thin piece of fabric, the only thing between my vagina and anything else, was missing and everything inside me was silenced. I still dont have words for that feeling.

The victim urged the judge, Aaron Persky, to consider the dangerous message a lenient sentence would send:

As a society, we cannot forgive everyones first sexual assault or digital rape. It doesnt make sense. The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly, we should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error. The consequences of sexual assault needs to be severe enough that people feel enough fear to exercise good judgment even if they are drunk, severe enough to be preventative.

Brock Turner could have received up to 14 years in jail for his assault. But Persky, a Stanford alum, concluded that Turners young age and lack of criminal history warranted something much less severe.

A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him, Persky said at Turners sentencing on Thursday. I think he will not be a danger to others.

Please sign this ASAP Letter to Stanford University in Support of Survivor of Brock Turner, help her get counseling https://t.co/fQD8hXDbt0  Michele Dauber (@mldauber) June 6, 2016

Dauber, in turn, helped launch a petition asking Stanford to publicly apologize to the victim and help pay for her therapy.

The national spotlight is on this case, and it is on our university, a letter attached to the petition reads. Stanford needs to step up, take responsibility for the crime committed by its own student, recognize the pain and needs of the survivor, and realize that this is not an isolated incident.

Late Monday, Stanford released a statement defending its handling of the Turner case:

Stanford University did everything within its power to assure that justice was served in this case, including an immediate police investigation and referral to the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office for a successful prosecution.

Stanford urges its students to do the right thing and intervene and we are proud of our students for stopping this incident. Many other student witnesses cooperated in the investigation. Once Stanford learned the identity of the young woman involved, the university reached out confidentially to offer her support and to tell her the steps we were taking. In less than two weeks after the incident, Stanford had conducted an investigation and banned Turner from setting foot on campus  as a student or otherwise. This is the harshest sanction that a university can impose on a student.

There has been a significant amount of misinformation circulating about Stanfords role. In this case, Stanford University, its students, its police and its staff members did everything they could. Stanford University takes the issue of sexual assault extremely seriously and has been a national leader in taking concrete steps to implement prevention programs, to train students on the importance of bystander intervention, to provide support to students who may experience sexual assault and to assure that cases are handled fairly and justly.

This was a horrible incident, and we understand the anger and deep emotion it has generated. There is still much work to be done, not just here, but everywhere, to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault cases.

Meanwhile, several efforts to recall Persky are under way.

There are at least three separate petitions asking the judge be removed from the bench over his handling of the case.

To sentence Turner to a short six months in jail for his blatant, disgusting actions is a horrifying example of how rape culture has continued to run rampant on college campuses across the country and is reinforced by our legal system, Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, said in a statement announcing her groups petition. One in four women will be sexually assaulted while in college. With an epidemic of that proportion, survivors of sexual assault need judges that take these issues seriously.

Curiously, both the Stanford University Department of Public Safety and the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department did not release Turners mug shot, as they usually do.

But after requests from several media outlets, including Yahoo News, the offices released a pair of booking photos late Monday: one from Stanford the night of the assault (below, left) and another from the sheriffs department on the day he was formally charged.
Brown-Forman Corporation BF.B is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Jun 8. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 1.1%.



However, the company has an average negative surprise of -0.14% over the trailing four quarters. Let us see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors Influencing this Quarter



Brown-Forman has been gaining from its strong portfolio of premium American whiskey brands, its Jack Daniels trademark and a balanced geographic approach. The company expects the trends that have been driving growth since fiscal 2012 to boost its fiscal 2016 results as well. Moreover, the company expects growth on sturdy worldwide demand for authentic American whiskey brands, consumer interest in flavored whiskey and a rising trend in premium spirits.



However, Brown-Forman has been battling foreign currency headwinds for a while now. These along with tough economic conditions in emerging markets and a soft global retail network, weighed on its third-quarter fiscal 2016 results, in particular sales. Apart from lingering currency headwinds, the company indicated that future projections have become difficult in the face of an uncertain global economic environment and its impact on businesses. Consequently, management lowered its sales and earnings outlook for fiscal 2016. Moreover, stiff competition and any rise in excise taxes remain concerns.



Earnings Whispers



Our proven model does not conclusively show that Brown-Forman is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below:



Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Brown-Forman is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 73 cents.



Zacks Rank: Brown-Forman carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Though a favorable Zacks Rank increases the predictive power of ESP, the companys ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult.



We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



Stocks to Consider



Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:



The J. M. Smucker Company SJM, scheduled to report earnings on Jun 9, has an Earnings ESP of +0.84% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Constellation Brands Inc. STZ, slated to report earnings on Jun 30, has an Earnings ESP of +1.97% and a Zacks Rank #2.



Pepsico Inc. PEP, expected to report earnings on Jul 14, has an Earnings ESP of +1.56% and a Zacks Rank #3.



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BROWN FORMAN B (BF.B): Free Stock Analysis Report



PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Bruce Springsteen reunited onstage with Courtney Cox to take one more dance in the dark at Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England on Sunday (June 5).

Ok, so it wasn't the real Courtney Cox, but a male fan in the audience dressed in homage to the Friends actress who was plucked from obscurity to join the Boss onstage for the '80s classic, "Dancing in the Dark."

Wearing a black wig, a classic Born in the USA tour shirt and blue jeans, the fan -- identified as Chris Couper -- got the 66-year old rock star's attention with a sign that read, "Would you dance with Courtney Cox if she had a (GREAT) Beard?"

He then hit the stage and recreated Cox's awkward dance moves, just like the 1984 video. Couper did get one extra perk-he got to play one of Springsteen's guitars for the big finish.

Courtney @c_coups Cox nailed it on stage with Bruce @Springsteen for Dancing in the Dark! #Legend pic.twitter.com/YOQrxccHqd

- Carrot Relish (@ChrisTreloar) June 5, 2016

@c_coups it was you!!! With @ChrisTreloar pic.twitter.com/4ppu4KJ1c3

- RedHeadedGoose (@RedHeadedGoose) June 6, 2016

Watch a full video below. "Courtney" enters after the 11 minute mark:
By James Oliphant LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton called for party unity on Monday, suggesting it was time for Bernie Sanders to abandon his hard-fought challenge, as six states hold nominating contests on Tuesday when she expects to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton told reporters in California that Tuesday marked eight years from the day she withdrew from the 2008 White House race, endorsing Barack Obama after a bitter rivalry. Her supporters have said Sanders should look at that as a road map for his own exit from this year's race. After staying above the campaign fray for months, Obama could endorse his former secretary of state as early as this week, the New York Times and CNN reported. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the president was waiting for New Jersey and California to vote on Tuesday before weighing in. Tuesday's voting is expected to clinch the Democratic nomination for Clinton, 68, which would make her the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. Her campaign hopes an expected victory in New Jersey will give her enough delegates to effectively lock up the nomination early in the evening, before the results come in from California, the biggest electoral prize and likely the last to report results on Tuesday. Although she has won more votes and earned the support of more delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July, she has shied away from calling on Sanders to drop out of the contest. On Monday, she pointed to her 2008 decision to unite the party and said Democrats needed to do the same to take on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. "I believed it was the right thing to do. No matter what differences we had in our long campaign, they paled in comparison to the differences we had with the Republicans, and that is actually even more true today," Clinton said. "Anyone who has supported me, anyone who has supported Senator Sanders has a lot at stake in this election in preventing Donald Trump from being our president," she said. Clinton has long been the front-runner to be the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 8 election but has faced an unexpectedly tough fight against Sanders, 74, a U.S. senator from Vermont, and his attacks on her from the left. An Obama endorsement would come as a welcome boost to Clinton and to Democrats concerned the party needs to turn its attention to campaigning against Trump. While he has made remarks indicating a preference for Clinton, Obama has so far avoided a clear endorsement. Obama remains popular with many voters. His job approval was over 50 percent in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll and has been on the rise in 2016. Still, although Sanders lags well behind in delegates needed to win the nomination, he said on Monday he would make his case to so-called superdelegates who are not required to vote for a particular candidate at the convention. "Our goal is to get as many delegates as we possibly can and to make the case to superdelegates that, I believe, the evidence is fairly strong that I am the strongest candidate," he said. Superdelegates largely consist of party leaders and elected senators, members of Congress and governors. CALIFORNIA VOTES Clinton has 2,357 delegates going into Tuesday's contests, just 26 short of the 2,383 she needs to clinch the nomination at next month's convention in Philadelphia. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Mexico also hold nominating contests on Tuesday, but most attention will focus on California. Clinton once held a sizable lead there over Sanders, but opinion polls in recent days showed them in a dead heat. While Clinton expects to become the presumptive nominee regardless of the California result, a Sanders victory could embolden his supporters to urge him to wage a fractious convention fight. It could also help Trump, 69, who clinched the Republican nomination last month, argue that she is a weak candidate. "It's going to make her ability to seal the deal with disaffected Democrats all that much harder, which is unfortunate given the fact that the Republicans for better or for worse already have their candidate," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who supports Clinton. "The only one benefiting from this is Donald Trump." Sanders' campaign appeared to burn through cash to get to the final nominating contests, ending April with just $5.8 million on hand, compared with Clinton's $30 million. The senator has not released his May fundraising figures. Spokesman Michael Briggs said in an email the campaign was "doing fine." Clinton heads into Tuesday's contests after a victory over the weekend in Puerto Rico's primary. She is also expected to win in Washington, D.C., which holds the final primary of the year on June 14. Trump, a real estate developer, has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail. In recent days, his comments about a judge he believes to be biased against him because he is Mexican-American have drawn criticism. On Monday, Trump insisted his concerns were valid. The latest Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll showed Clinton with an 11-percentage-point edge over Trump, 46 percent to 35 percent, a marked change from just 10 days ago, when fewer than 4 points separated the two. (Additional reporting by Grant Smith; Ginger Gibson, Amanda Becker, Emily Stephenson, Timothy Gardner and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Frances Kerry and Peter Cooney)
Egg normous Burrito Text

A Burger King franchisee has added a burger burrito to the menu.

The Whopperrito is now available at a Burger King location in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, reports Grub Grade. The ridiculous mashup takes a Whopper  beef, American cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, and onions  and wraps it up in a flour tortilla.

The Whopperrito is a regional product, sold only on a local level by a Burger King franchisee, a spokesperson told Business Insider. There are currently no plans to introduce the Whopperrito nationally.

The Whopperrito test comes one month after Burger King debuted the Egg-Normous Breakfast Burrito in May. Following the launch of the Tex Mex-inspired breakfast item, all the ingredients for the Whopperrito should be found in the kitchen of ever Burger King across the country.

In other words, even if your local Burger King isn't officially serving up the Whopperrito, the burger-burrito may be a new entry to the fast-food chain's secret menu. All it takes is swapping a bun for a tortilla.

NOW WATCH: An NYC restaurant created a sushi burger





More From Business Insider


Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has ordered former prime minister Isaac Zida to return to the country where he is accused of corruption.

Kabore warned Zida -- a former military officer who took power after president Blaise Compaore was ousted by a popular uprising in October 2014 -- that he may consider his absence from the country as "desertion."

After leaving government last year, Zida went to Canada to be with his family who moved there when he was still in office.

An official report from the country's anti-corruption authority accuses him of misappropriation of public funds and illegal enrichment.

"We have given a leave of absence to prime minister Zida which expired on February 19," Kabore told reporters on his return late Sunday from a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"I have always said... that it is extremely essential and mandatory that he (Zida) return because when you take on responsibilities at a certain level, you have a duty to report, a duty to explain."

He did not however set a deadline for Zida's return.

Zida, a former number two in the presidential guard, took power on November 1, 2014. following Compaore's ouster.

But following pressure from political parties and the international community he ceded power later that month to retired diplomat Michel Kafando, who was named transitional president.

Kafando in turn named Zida as his prime minister.

The transitional regime was replaced by Kabore's government which was elected in November last year.

Asked whether Burkina Faso has made a formal request to Canada to extradite Zida, Kabore said, "We are not there yet."
EXCLUSIVE: Former Army sergeant and intelligence analyst with the 82nd Airborne Division-turned-screenwriter Mitchell LaFortunes Burn Run has just sold to Thunder Road Pictures, one of the production companies behind the gritty Sicario.

The spec went out last week from Paradigm, one of two screenplays with the same title and set in Afghanistan. This one, however, is based on true events from LaFortunes experiences while working as an intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency who was deployed to the western region of Afghanistan during the Edward Snowden leaks in 2013. Prior to his time at DIA, LaFortune served as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, developing counter-insurgency strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Burn Run was pitched as Sicario meets Jason Bourne with the storyline when an intelligence leak dangerously exposes a covert mission in Afghanistan, a grieving CIA operative and his translator must find their way out of the desert, outgunned and hunted by elite special forces.

Producing the film will be Thunder Roads Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (who brought it into the company). Andrea Dimity will serve as an exec producer.

Other films on Thunder Roads slate (with other producers, all) include the thriller 24 Hours to Live, which will mark the feature directing debut of Brian Smrz and will star Ethan Hawke; the drama Wind River starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen and written by Sicario scribe Taylor Sheridan, who also is on board to make his feature directorial debut; Hotel Mumbai, about the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai which was recently acquired by The Weinstein Co.; and a sequel to Sicario.

LaFortune, who is repped by Paradigm, is currently working on a project that examines violence, radicalization and the impact of war on combat veterans post-9/11.

Related stories

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Story continues

'Burn Run': Two Scripts, One Title Compete In Spec Market

Oscar Nominated For Colombian Pic 'Serpent', Ciro Guerra Makes First Hollywood Deal To Direct 'The Detainee'
Traders are looking for the uptrend to continue for Richmont Mines.



optionMONSTER's monitoring program detected the purchase of 2,000 July 5 calls for $3.20 to $3.30 at the same second on Friday. There was no open interest in the strike before the trade appeared, showing that this is a new position.



Long calls lock in the price where investors can buy stock, allowing them to profit from a rally with limited capital at risk. Their cheap cost can also generate significant leverage on a percentage basis if shares move in the right direction. (See our Education section)



RIC rose 8.34 percent to $8.18 on Friday and is up 53 percent in the last three months. The Canadian gold miner's next quarterly results are estimated for Aug. 4.



Overall option volume in the name was 14 times greater than average on Friday. Calls outnumbered puts by a bullish 130-to-1 ratio.





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BuzzFeed will not accept Donald Trump for President advertisements, citing the presumptive Republican nominees rhetoric, the company announced on Monday.

CEO Jonah Peretti, in a letter to employees, said that they informed the Republican National Committee that we would not accept Trump for President ads and that we would be terminating our agreement with them.

The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs, he wrote.

BuzzFeed signed an advertising agreement with the RNC in April.

Since signing this advertising deal, Donald Trump, as you know, has become the presumptive nominee of his party, Peretti wrote. The tone and substance of his campaign are unique in the history of modern US politics. Trump advocates banning Muslims from traveling to the United States, hes threatened to limit the free press, and made offensive statements toward women, immigrants, descendants of immigrants, and foreign nationals.

He wrote that the decision to reject ads was akin to the shunning of other categories, like cigarettes. He also said that it would not affect editorial coverage of the campaign.

The full e-mail, via BuzzFeed, is below:

Hello BuzzFeeders, I wanted to share with you a business decision we have made regarding the Trump for President campaign and why we made it. In April, the Republican National Committee signed an agreement with BuzzFeed to spend a significant amount on political advertisements slated to run during the Fall election cycle. As you know, we accept advertisements from both republican and democratic candidates and we were pleased to accept this advertising order from the RNC. Since signing this advertising deal, Donald Trump, as you know, has become the presumptive nominee of his party. The tone and substance of his campaign are unique in the history of modern US politics. Trump advocates banning Muslims from traveling to the United States, hes threatened to limit the free press, and made offensive statements toward women, immigrants, descendants of immigrants, and foreign nationals. Earlier today Buzzfeed informed the RNC that we would not accept Trump for President ads and that we would be terminating our agreement with them. The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs. We dont need to and do not expect to agree with the positions or values of all our advertisers. And as you know, there is a wall between our business and editorial operations. This decision to cancel this ad buy will have no influence on our continuing coverage of the campaign. We certainly dont like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company. However, in some cases we must make business exceptions: we dont run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we wont accept Trump ads for the exact same reason. Thanks, Jonah

Story continues

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C&J Energy Services, Ltd. CJES was recently sent a notice by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for failing to satisfy the continued listing standard deemed necessary by the stock exchange. Per the standard, the company is required to maintain the average closing price of at least $1.00/share over a 30 trading-day period.

The companys average closing price for the preceding 30 days was 97 cents per share, which led the NYSE to issue a non-compliance standard notice. The notice, however, will neither disrupt the companys ongoing operations nor will it set off an event of default under its credit facilities.

Per the NYSE rules, the company has now entered a red zone, which can result in the suspension of trading and delisting of the stock if its price does not rise above $1 within six months. In order to maintain its listing, the company has to reply within 10 days of receipt of the NYSE's notice that it will strive to cure the deficiency.

C&J Energy plans to notify the NYSE that it will improve its condition. The company intends to utilize all available options to regain compliance with the minimum share price criteria.

Though all crude-focused stocks have been hurt by the free fall in commodity prices, the companies in the exploration and production (E&P) sector have been the worst hit. These companies have been able to extract less value for their products, which in turn, has badly affected oilfield services providing companies like C&J Energy.

In the first quarter of 2016, the company saw its revenues decrease by around 33% year over year and saw its debt increase to about $1.3 billion. This has put immense pressure on the company in terms of serving its upcoming debt maturities and interest payments.

The Bermuda-based company provides completion and production services for the oil and gas industry, primarily in North America. The company provides well construction, well completions, well support, and other oilfield services to oil and gas E&P companies.

Story continues

Currently, C&J Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked players from the broader energy sector are Braskem S.A. BAK, Murphy USA Inc. MUSA and EP Energy Corporation EPE. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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Lynwood (United States) (AFP) - Californians geared up Monday for their state's high-profile primary, the last major vote in a process all-but-certain to culminate with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump facing off in the US presidential election.

Clinton was mounting a hectic 48-hour campaign push before Tuesday's primary, hoping to finish strong and end any argument for her nomination rival Bernie Sanders to remain in the race, as he has pledged to do until the Democratic national convention in July.

"It's not over until it's over, and tomorrow is a really important day particularly right here in California," the former secretary of state told reporters at a community center in Compton, near Los Angeles.

An hour later, standing out in the bright southern California sunshine, she told a few hundred supporters at a bilingual rally in the heavily Hispanic town of Lynwood that she would be "deeply honored and humbled for it to be Hillary day" on Tuesday.

"But that all depends on all of you," she said as she encouraged her supporters to help get out the vote.

Polls show a very tight race in California. But regardless of the outcome here Clinton appears assured of winning the number of delegates necessary to clinch her party's nomination.

Trump did so last month on the Republican side, becoming his party's presumptive nominee.

- Unprecedented matchup -

Six states hold Democratic primaries Tuesday including New Jersey, where polls close earliest and which will likely push Clinton over the threshold.

The victory -- to be made official at the nominating convention in July -- would make Clinton the first female nominee of a major US political party, and set the stage for an unprecedented matchup with real estate tycoon Trump, a political neophyte who turned American campaigning on its ear during an extraordinary primary season.

Clinton sought to downplay the historic nature of her accomplishment, saying she wanted to "stay focused" on Tuesday's contests.

Story continues

"I was delighted to win Puerto Rico, delighted to win Virgin Islands," she said of her weekend victories in two US territories that pushed her to the brink of the nomination.

"We are moving forward every day and by tomorrow night I'll have more to say about it."

Clinton is scheduled to hold a primary event Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York.

Her surrogates were eager to highlight history in the making, after the former first lady came up short in her 2008 challenge against Barack Obama.

"Let's make sure those 18 million cracks that this woman put in the glass ceiling eight years ago shatter once and for all," actor Tony Goldwyn said in Lynwood.

- 'Have to be unified' -

Sanders still stands in Clinton's way -- at least regarding party unity -- by repeatedly stating he will take his fight to the convention in Philadelphia, regardless of Tuesday's outcome.

Clinton vowed Monday to "do everything I can to unify the Democratic Party," saying she would be reaching out to Sanders.

"And I hope he'll join me in that. We have to be unified going into and out of the convention to take on Donald Trump and to repudiate the kind of campaign he's running."

Clinton offered her familiar support for expanding renewable energy, enshrining equal pay for equal work, improving gun safety and ensuring greater rights for immigrants, including a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented.

Trump, she said, was opposed to all of the above.

"So when I hear Donald Trump attacking people based on their immigrant status, their religion, their disabilities, their gender, whatever the reason he attacks people, I am so upset because that is not who we are as Americans," said Clinton.

"We need to stop this divisiveness, this bullying and bigotry."

Clinton has sharpened her attacks on Trump, using a foreign policy speech last week to declare him "temperamentally unfit" to lead the world's most powerful nation.

Trump blasted back Sunday.

"Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president. She has bad judgement, poor leadership skills and a very bad and destructive track record. Change!" he posted on Twitter.
Traders are looking for Starbucks to rally in the next seven weeks.



optionMONSTER's tracking program shows that more than 7,500 Weekly 56 calls expiring on July 22 were purchased for $1.28 to $1.35 today. This represents fresh buying, as open interest in the strike was a mere 44 contracts before the session began.



Long calls lock in the price where investors can buy stock, allowing them to profit from a rally with limited capital at risk. Their cheap cost can also generate significant leverage on a percentage basis if shares move in the right direction. (See our Education section)



SBUX rose 2.08 percent to $55.74 in afternoon trading but is down 7 percent in the last three months. The coffee giant's last quarterly report on April 21 was bearish, and its next earnings numbers are estimated for release after the close on July 21.



Overall option volume in the name is twice its daily average so far today. Calls outnumbered puts by a bullish 4-to-1 ratio.





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The campaign for primary day, June 7 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrates with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during her primary night event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on June 7, 2016, in New York. Hillary Clinton hailed her victory as a historical milestone for women. Thanks to you, weve reached a milestone, she told cheering supporters at the rally. The first time in our nations history that a woman will be a major partys nominee. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

Powered by a solid triumph in California, Hillary Clinton declared victory in her yearlong battle for the heart of the Democratic Party, seizing her place in history and setting out on the difficult task of fusing a fractured party to confront Donald Trump.

Clinton cruised to easy victories in four of the six state contests on Tuesday. With each win, she further solidified Sen. Bernie Sanders defeat and dashed his already slim chances of using this night of state contests to refuel his flagging bid.

The victories allowed Clinton to celebrate her long-sought milestone a becoming the first woman poised to lead a major political partys presidential ticket. Standing before a flag-waving crowd in Brooklyn, N.Y., the former secretary of state soaked up the cheers and beamed.

Barriers can come down. Justice and equality can win, she said. This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us. This is our moment to come together.

Clinton had already secured the delegates needed for the nomination before Tuesdays contests, according to an Associated Press tally. Still, Sanders had hoped to use a victory in California to persuade party insiders to switch their allegiances. Sanders picked up wins in Montana and North Dakota, but Clinton won substantially in California. (AP)

Here's a look at the candidates on primary day and on the campaign trail in California, New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Find more news-related photo galleries on the Yahoo News Photo Tumblr!
A murder case in Michigan took a bizarre turn when the victims family suggested his pet parrot might have been an eyewitness to the crime and is able to recount what he saw and heard, according to local media.

Murder victim Martin Durams family believes Bud, an African grey parrot, has been reenacting a chilling exchange that occurred just before Duram was fatally shot in his Ensley Township home in May 2015.

That bird picks up everything and anything, and its got the filthiest mouth around, the victims mother, Lillian Duram, told NBC affiliate WOOD-TV.

The family says a video recorded weeks after the murder shows Bud reenacting an argument between Duram and his wife that they believe led to the shooting. In the video, the bird alternates between high- and low-pitched voices before uttering, Dont f***ing shoot.

Screen grab of Bud, the African grey parrot, currently owned by Christina Keller. (Photo: woodtv.com)

The 45-year-old was found dead on-site. His wife, Glenna Duram, 46, was found with a shotgun wound to the head, which she survived.

Now, because of the birds repeated reenactments, the victims parents tell local media they have reason to believe Glenna Duram killed their son before turning the gun on herself in a murder-suicide attempt. They believe the bird is repeating their sons last words as he begged his wife not to pull the trigger.

In police reports obtained by WOOD-TV, Michigan State Police say Glenna Duram is a suspect and that she denies killing her husband. She also left suicide notes for family members that she does not recall writing, according to the reports.

His family thinks the parrots low- and high-pitched voices correspond with their son and daughter-in-law, respectively.

Then, all of a sudden, this came out of the birds mouth, the victims father, Charles Duram, told local ABC station WABC, referring to the shooting comment. I personally think he was there and he remembers it, and he was saying it.

Buds previous owner, Martin Duram, was shot and killed in his home in Ensley Township, Minn., in May 2015. (Photo: woodtv.com)

Doreen Plotkowski, the owner of Casa La Parrot in Grand Rapids, told WABC it is not uncommon for African grey parrots to mimic mens and womens voices.

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Its definitely an argument between a man and a woman, Plotkowski said to the station. In my mind, its something that hes heard, definitely heard before.

But plenty of people have been skeptical of the familys story.

Glenn Reynolds, a spokesperson for the World Parrot Trust, a conservation and welfare organization, said it is extremely rare, though not impossible, for a parrot to hear something once and then repeat it.

An African grey is probably the best at it, he told Yahoo News. I just think its highly unlikely that the bird would say that after hearing it one time.

Reynolds, who used to breed parrots, said his wild-caught African greys didnt pick up any speech patterns at all, but that those he raised were incredible talkers.

I have heard them mimic voices that were so close to the persons voice that you would think its that person, he said. A friend of mine had an African grey for many years. When the phone rang, the parrot would say, Chris, telephone in his mothers voice and, OK, I got it in Chriss.

A representative from Michigan State Police could not immediately be reached for comment.
By Deena Beasley

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer drugs, but the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study released on Monday.

The study of cancer drug prices in seven countries, which did not take into account discounts or rebates to list prices, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The lowest drug prices were found in India and South Africa. But after calculating price as a percentage of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, cancer drugs appeared to be least affordable in India and China.

Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikvah, Israel, calculated monthly drug doses for 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of cancer types and stages. List prices in Australia, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States were obtained from government websites.

The high prices commanded by modern cancer drugs are generating increased resistance and demands for price discounts from politicians, health care providers, insurers, patients and some doctors.

Drug companies argue that they need to make a profit to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines.

The study researchers used gross domestic product and cost of living statistics from the International Monetary Fund to estimate drug price affordability.

Median monthly prices for branded drugs ranged from $1,515 in India to $8,694 in the United States. For generics, median prices were highest in the United States, at $654, and lowest in South Africa, $120, and India, $159.

In terms of ability to pay, the study found cancer drugs to be most affordable in Australia, where generic drugs were priced at 3 percent of "domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity" and patented drugs were 71 percent of the same measure.

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In China, the study found generic drug prices were 48 percent and patented drugs were 288 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living.

In India, the cost of generics was 33 percent of that measure, while patented drugs were 313 percent.

In the United States, generics were found to be priced at 14 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, and patented cancer drugs were 192 percent of the same measure.

The study did not take into account that drug costs are paid by either the government, health insurers, or patients themselves, depending on each country's health insurance system.

Worldwide spending on cancer medicines will exceed $150 billion by 2020, driven by the emergence of expensive new therapies that help the immune system to attack tumors, according to a forecast earlier this year from IMS Health Holdings.

(Reporting By Deena Beasley; Editing by Bill Rigby)
Jerusalem (Israel) (AFP) - The Roman Catholic church on Monday swore in a new guardian of its sites in the Holy Land for the first time in over a decade.

Italian Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, 52, replaces Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa in the post known as Custos of the Holy Land.

The Custos is responsible for caring and maintaining Christian presence in much of the Middle East, as well as coordinating and organising the thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Jerusalem every year.

He was sworn in on Monday afternoon in a ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City  which includes the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Patton walked with over 100 robed priests, monks and nuns, as well as a few hundred Christian well-wishers, from the Jaffa Gate entrance of the Old City to Saint Saviour Church.

Angelo Isan, who works with the Vatican's embassy in Tel Aviv, said it was a "very important day for each one of us."

Alexandra, an elderly Christian Palestinian who joined in the procession, said she was happy to share such a happy day in the context of troubles for Christians across the region.

She said members of her family in the Syrian city of Aleppo had been forced into exile during the country's war and she was concerned about the Islamic State group threatening Christians across the region.

"I am celebrating this happy day and God willing peace will come. If God wills it, Daesh wont come to Jerusalem," she said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Patton was born in Italy and speaks English, Spanish and his native Italian. He has held a number of senior church administrative positions, the Custody's website said.

The Custody is made up of 285 members of the Franciscan order from 39 countries.

Its territory covers Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, the Greek island of Rhodes and the monastery of Mosky, in Cairo.

Pizzaballa, who served for 12 years, was the longest-serving Custos in modern times.
BANGUI (Reuters) - Central Africa Republic will restart diamond exports three years after its stones were found to be funding armed groups in an inter-religious conflict and placed under embargo, the mines minister said on Monday. Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by "anti-balaka" Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south. Having held successful elections aimed at drawing a line under the violence, new President Faustin-Archange Touadera is seeking to revive the shattered economy. Mines Minister Leopold Mboli Fatrane said on state-owned radio that the partial lifting of the export ban would initially apply to the southern region of Berberati. "Very quickly we'll be working on other zones. As you know, we must follow certain conditions imposed by the Kimberley Process," he said. "We must separate the so-called 'blood diamonds' from those that aren't." The Kimberley Process, which implemented the export ban, is a grouping of producer countries, consumer nations, industry representatives and civil society organisations formed to prevent the sale of diamonds from funding conflicts. Last year, it agreed to allow the government to resume rough diamond exports on the condition that it implemented a programme to ensure the traceability of its stones. In September, a U.N. panel of experts said the illicit trade in diamonds was still funding major players in Central African Republic's conflict and increasingly involved neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Chad. "As you know, today security has returned to Berberati. The government is today able to ensure traceability there," Mboli Fatrane said. According to Kimberley Process data, Central African Republic officially exported 371,917 carats of diamonds, worth over $62 million, in 2012, the year before the ban was put in place. The first diamonds to be shipped from the country following the resumption of exports comprise 3,703 carats of stocks that must be examined and approved by the government's diamond inspection office. (Reporting by Crispin Dembassa-Kette; Additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier, editing by David Evans)
Washington (AFP) - Eight journalists killed in the 2015 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo had their names added Monday to a US memorial honoring reporters killed in the exercise of their profession.

The memorial wall at the Newseum, a Washington museum of news and journalism, added the names of 20 people killed last year, as a reminder of the threats faced by journalists in many parts of the world.

Also honored were two US television journalists shot to death on live TV and reporters, bloggers and camera operators killed in Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey and Syria.

The ceremony came in the wake of the weekend death of American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator covering the conflict in Afghanistan, the latest somber reminder of the risks run by journalists.

Newseum president and chief executive Jeffrey Herbst told a ceremony that these 20 were just a fraction of the reporters who lost their lives in 2015.

According to the press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a total of 110 journalists were killed around the world last year.

With the annual rededication, Herbst said, "we seek to remind our society and societies across the world of the sacrifice and also... what has to be done to promote an informed society."

"Governments, rebel groups, insurgents now all recognize that control of information is important and thus they kill and intimidate journalists and bloggers in hope of furthering their cause," he told the ceremony.

Herbst said that 2015 "was an especially tragic year for journalists, and that is why we selected 20, a much higher number than usual, to represent all of those killed."

- 'Deeply rooted' values -

France's US ambassador Gerard Araud told the audience that the attack on Charlie Hebdo by Islamist gunmen in January 2015 "showed us why we so ardently defend the right to speak and to draw without censorship."

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Araud added that "defending a free and independent press is deeply rooted in our respective cultures and protected by our founding texts" and that the fight for a free press is inextricably tied to broader security issues.

"Defending the press means today fighting Daesh," he said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

"To thwart attacks on journalists and others means participating in the coalition against terrorism, to thwart those who work to undermine our values," Araud said.

Those honored at the ceremony Monday included Charlie Hebdo's Stephane Charbonnier, Georges Wolinski, Jean Cabut, Elsa Cayat, Philippe Honore, Bernard Maris, Mustapha Ourrad and Bernard Verlhac.

Also included were TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, killed by a disgruntled former reporter while conducting a live interview in Virginia.

Others whose names were added were:

- Ibrahim Abd al-Qader and Fares Hamadi, two Syrian online journalists killed in Turkey after being lured to an interview with a purported Islamic State defector.

- Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American blogger, killed with his wife by machete-wielding attackers in Dhaka.

- Gleydson Carvalho of Brazil's Radio Liberdade, killed by gunmen at his radio station.

- Soleil Balanga, a radio journalist slain in a knife attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

- Yahya Abdul Hamid, an Iraqi radio reporter kidnapped and killed after the Islamic State group overtook Mosul.

- Mexican photojournalist Ruben Espinosa Becerril, found dead after covering a crackdown on student protesters.

- Zaman Mehsud, a Pakistani journalist covering the conflict-torn Waziristan region, shot by gunmen on a motorcycle.

- Somali journalist Hindia Haji Mohamed, killed in a car bomb three years after taking over for her husband who died in a suicide bombing.

- Kenji Goto, a Japanese video journalist and writer executed by IS in Syria, where he traveled in an attempt to rescue a friend kidnapped by the organization.
It has declined by 27% from it's 10-year peak.

The Straits Times Index (STI) has been a serial underperformer compared to other benchmark indices in the region. This chart from UOB Kay Hian shows that the FSSTI has fallen 27% from its 10-year peak, compared with its ASEAN peers' 9-14% decline from their decade highs.

The only indices which performed worse than the STI are the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Hang Seng.

Meanwhile, among the best-performers are the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEI), Bombay Stock Exchange's SENSEX, and South Korea's KOSPI.

Singapore also did not fare well in terms of earnings per share (EPS) growth. The STI's EPS growth currently hovers at 6.8%, compared to 51.9% for the KOSPI, 57.6% for Indonesia's JCI, and 27.3% for Thailand's SET.







More From Singapore Business Review


Taking her internet stardom into hyperspace, Candace Payne is once again a "happy Chewbacca" after meeting the wookiee himself.

Read: Mom Who Put on Star Wars Mask Speaks About Newfound Internet Fame: 'I Am the Happiest Emoting Chewbacca'

Thanks to her infectious laughter while trying on a Chewbacca mask for the whole world to see, the Texas mother went from a regular Star Wars fan to household name after her video went viral.

Since then, she has appeared on morning talk shows, late night TV and even got her own autograph booth at the Dallas Fan Expo this past weekend. Yet, her biggest moment came when she met actor Peter Mayhew, who starred as Chewbacca in five Star Wars films.

Mayhew invited the Payne to the Fan Expo in a letter sent to James Corden on The Late Late Show last month.

Payne and Mayhew finally had a chance to meet and discuss their Chewbacca roars in person at the event.

The 72-year-old actor posted about his encounters with Payne on Twitter.

Lovely meeting @candacepayne for the first time in person today! pic.twitter.com/lUYwfeSDKB  Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) June 5, 2016

Payne took to Twitter to say the encounter was so incredibly awesome. She also posted about her experiences at the Expo on Instagram.

Thanks, so much for all the feels and great experiences today, Dallas Fan Expo! #comiccondallas #dallascomiccon #dallasfanexpo A photo posted by Candace Payne (@candacepayne) on Jun 5, 2016 at 2:10pm PDT

She also met Marvel creator, Stan Lee.

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Y'all. Just. WHAT?!????!!!!! S T A N () L E E! A photo posted by Candace Payne (@candacepayne) on Jun 5, 2016 at 2:38pm PDT

Payne had no idea the video would reach the lengths it has.

Read: 'Star Wars' Director J.J. Abrams Surprises 'Chewbacca Mom' on 'Late Late Show'

"I saw the views climb, then the messages started, the calls, I thought 'Jesus, take the wheel,'" she told InsideEdition.com in May after the initial overwhelming response the clip had gotten.

Watch: The Empire Strikes Back: Chewbacca Gets Arrested While Campaigning for Darth Vader

Related Articles:
BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to speed up the signing of extradition treaties with countries where corruption suspects have fled to, a senior official wrote in state media, as Beijing steps up its overseas hunt for citizens suspected of corruption. China has been trying to get increased international cooperation to hunt down suspected corrupt officials who have fled overseas since President Xi Jinping began a war against deeply-rooted graft more than three years ago. But Western countries have been reluctant to help, or sign extradition treaties, not wanting to send people back to a country where rights groups say mistreatment of criminal suspects remains a problem, and also complaining China is unwilling to provide proof of their crimes. Beijing has vowed to pursue an overseas search dubbed Operation "Fox Hunt" for corrupt officials and business executives, and their assets. Writing in the latest issue of influential bimonthly Communist Party journal Qiushi, Huang Shuxian, deputy head of the graft-busting Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said more efforts needed to be made to recover corrupt officials and their assets from overseas. "Grasp well the important elements of 'people, money and proof'," Huang wrote. "Speed up the signing of extradition treaties and establish law enforcement cooperation with destination countries for those who have fled abroad." There needs to be a "new international order to fight corruption", with more diplomatic efforts exerted, he added. At the same time, controls on allowing officials abroad also need to be strengthened, he said. China last year urged the United States to start talks about an extradition treaty, something the United States has been reluctant to do. Huang said in April that China faces a tough task in hunting down corruption suspects abroad. In an indirect admission that China has done a poor job in getting suspects back, Huang wrote that China needed a better understanding of international laws so it had greater "legal tools" at its disposal. Propaganda efforts needed work too, to win over an international audience. "Strengthen propaganda and public opinion work ... use various platforms to tell China's anti-corruption story well, expound upon China's position and increase our right to speak internationally," Huang wrote. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
(Reuters) - Chinese auto information website operator Bitauto Holdings Ltd said it is raising $300 million from internet companies Tencent Holdings Ltd <0700.HK>, Baidu Inc and JD.com Inc and an additional investor. The three companies will invest $50 million each in Bitauto. Bitauto will issue up to $150 million in convertible bonds to PA Grand Opportunity Ltd. Tencent, Baidu and JD will each buy 2.5 million newly issued ordinary shares of Bitauto for $20.23 per American depositary share, Bitauto said. (Reporting by Sai Sachin R in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
By Denny Thomas

HONG KONG (Reuters) - After snapping up assets at a record pace so far this year, Chinese buyers are expected to hold back in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November, nervous that campaign rhetoric might invite closer regulatory scrutiny of deals.

Uncertainty about the ultimate winner could also give buyers pause, said lawyers and bankers, as the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, has regularly accused China of stealing U.S. jobs and manipulating its currency for unfair trade advantage.

"The identity, let alone the foreign policy of the incoming presidential candidate in the U.S., isn't exactly clear, and it is fair to say there is considerable uncertainty about how that will play out in the China market," said Andrew McGinty, a Shanghai-based partner at law firm Hogan Lovells International, who has advised on M&A in China for two decades.

Chinese foreign acquisitions this year have totalled $104 billion, close to the total announced last year, but there have also been a record nearly $27 billion of failed attempts, mostly in the United States, and mostly due to regulatory pushback. Figures for deals announced in March through May are already down from a peak in February.

The latest Chinese outbound deal to run into regulatory trouble is Anbang Insurance Group's proposed $1.57 billion bid for U.S. peer Fidelity & Guaranty Life (FGL.N).

The New York regulator has asked Anbang to withdraw its application after it failed to provide information requested for processing the deal.

Any deal launched for a U.S. target now is unlikely to secure all the required regulatory clearances before the November election, and most buyers will think twice before launching sensitive deals during the most intense period of campaigning, bankers say.

"That will create a certain amount of uncertainty within Chinese buyers because people want to know, 'Well, who is it going to be looking at my deals?' especially if you consider the CFIUS aspect," said McGinty, who has nearly two decades of experience in China.

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The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for potential national security threats, has emerged as a significant risk for Chinese companies making U.S. acquisitions. The United States is also seeking to broaden the committee's powers.

HARD LINE

Some technology-related acquisitions from China have faced unexpected and intense CFIUS scrutiny, leading to some deals being pulled. In February, China state-backed Unisplendor Corp scrapped a $3.78 billion bid for Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) after CFIUS said it would investigate the transaction.

"This (scrutiny) is not likely to decrease any time soon and may increase, at least in the short term, after a new president takes office," said Anne Salladin, special counsel with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, who advises on CFIUS matters.

Trump has not made comments on Chinese acquisitions, but has called for 45 percent tariffs on imports from China. Chinese officials have generally avoided criticising Trump directly, though they have disputed his claims.

A spokeswoman for Trump's campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Salladin said Trump has taken a hard line toward China and other countries during the Republican primary campaign, but noted that presidential candidates would often "move toward the centre" during the campaign proper and might, if elected, govern differently from their campaign rhetoric.

"I think it's too early to make any predictions at this point," she added.

Another area of concern for some experts is how a new U.S. president would tackle the long-contentious subject of foreign currency. China and the United States have traded accusations of currency manipulation for years before Trump's campaign chimed in.

"If that were to come back on the agenda, there could be some friction that would not be helpful for U.S.-China deal-making," said McGinty.

But anti-China sentiment is unlikely to deter Chinese buyers in the longer term, said Alberto Forchielli, founder of China-focused private equity firm Mandarin Capital.

"Chinese investments in the U.S. will be less and less popular. It will be a more difficult business climate," Forchielli said.

"Chinese corporates, however, are not worried about U.S. elections. They know that in an electoral year there is a phase of China bashing. They will continue to buy."

(Additional reporting by Lisa Jucca, Tris Pan, Clare Jim in HONG KONG and Richard Valdmanis in WASHINGTON; Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Will Waterman)
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / CHX Technologies has engaged TPIreg, an experienced pharmaceutical regulatory team in Hamilton, Ontario, to assist in the preparation of a new drug application for CHX's topical drug, Prevora, to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Prevora is approved by Health Canada, the European Medicines Agency and by the British and Irish regulatory authorities for the prevention of dental decay in high risk adults.

The FDA application for Prevora is planned for 2017. Prevora's application will be for a first-in-class therapeutic indication.

About Prevora : This is a clear, prescription tooth coating painlessly applied by a dental professional to the teeth of adults who are experiencing cavities, crowns, root canals or extractions or who are at high risk of this medical condition. Prevora works to manage the bacteria which cause dental decay. It is one of the most independently-reviewed preventive dental products, having been evaluated in 4 randomized controlled studies involving adolescents, new mothers and adults from ages 18 to 80. In its pivotal Phase III clinical trial for the FDA, Prevora reduced cavities by up to 70% in the highest risk adults over one year, versus placebo.

About dental decay in adults : About 1 in 3 adults past mid-life experience recurrent cavities and another 1 in 3 are at high risk of this most common chronic disease. Adults suffering from a high rate of dental decay include diabetics and those taking multiple medications for arthritis, mood disorders, high blood pressure, Parkinson's disease, or other chronic disorders. Existing surgical treatments for cavities (e.g. fillings and crowns) do not manage the bacteria causing these problems. Dental surgery is, thereby, inherently far more expensive than Prevora. 1 in 4 American adults report they need to see a dentist but cannot afford to do so.

About CHX Technologies : CHX is a specialty pharmaceutical company with a vision to improve the affordability of good oral health. CHX recently announced a strategic partnership with MCI Medical Clinics in Canada to co-market Prevora as a new medical service available from the family doctor.

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About TPIreg : TPI is an established regulatory consultancy advising pharmaceutical companies in North America and the EU.

For more information contact:

Ross Perry

CHX Technologies

Toronto

rossperry@chxtechnologies.com

(416) 233-3737

SOURCE: CHX Technologies, Inc.
(Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's brother-in-law Roger was released from a southern California jail on Monday after he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, according to police and local media.

Roger Clinton, 59, was released from Redondo Beach jail after posting a $15,000 bail, Redondo Beach police spokeswomen said in a phone interview. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 2.

Police declined to confirm that the man arrested and then released was the same Roger Clinton who is the younger half brother of former President Bill Clinton.

It is not the first time that Roger Clinton has been in the news. Bill Clinton, on his last day in office, pardoned his brother for a 1980s drug conviction.

It could not be immediately learned if Roger Clinton had retained an attorney. Roger Clinton could not be reached for comment. The Clinton campaign also did not respond to requests for comment.

Redondo Beach police pulled over Roger Clinton, of Torrance, California, after the police department received a phone call about 7:20 p.m. on Sunday about a driver possibly under the influence traveling south on the Pacific Coast Highway in an erratic manner, a police statement said.

Clinton was evaluated for driving under the influence of alcohol, including field sobriety tests, and was arrested, the statement said. He was taken to the Redondo Beach jail, where he refused all chemical testing, it said.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales; Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. When Hillary Clinton took the stage here at a local community college on Sunday night, the former secretary of state was technically campaigning against her Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders in Tuesdays unexpectedly close primary.

But in a blistering 25-minute speech, which was filmed by her campaigns ad makers, Clinton aimed her remarks entirely at the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, insisting he is not qualified or temperamentally fit to be president. Sanders never came up.

Clinton ticked through a litany of issues. Reprising the theme of her widely praised speech on foreign policy last Thursday, she reminded voters that he has insulted our closest allies, praised dictators, and acted in very cavalier ways that would make the country unsafe if he were to be elected.

We are going to have a very contentious campaign because I am going to point out every single moment that I can why I believe the Republican nominee should never get near the White House, Clinton said.

Since arriving back in California last week in the face of unexpected weakness in the polls against Sanders, Clinton has appeared to finally find her footing against Trump as she closes in on the Democratic nomination. In her hectic barnstorming schedule across the state, she shifted from primarily painting the real estate tycoon as an out-of-touch billionaire to mocking him as a thin-skinned fraud whose lack of political experience would be comical if it werent so dangerous.

Slideshow: The campaign for primary day, June 7 >>>

The shift in tone began with her speech Thursday in San Diego. Clinton dryly stated Trumps past positions on various foreign policy issues, one by one, as the audience laughed. (He says he doesnt have to listen to our generals or our admirals, our ambassadors and other high officials, because he has  quote  a very good brain, was one of her laugh lines.) As she crisscrossed the state over the weekend, making dozens of appearances, Clinton joked that she couldnt believe Trump had really said the things she mocked in her speech. By the end of working on that speech, even I was saying, Did he really say all of this? she told a few hundred supporters in Culver City on Friday. Each time she mentioned her San Diego speech, her audiences cheered.

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Sanders, meanwhile, drew crowds of thousands in California at dozens of rallies as he continues to make the pitch that he would be the better candidate to run against Trump, despite significantly trailing Clinton in pledged delegates, superdelegates and the popular vote. His camp feels confident he can win in California, pointing to a 650,000-strong surge in voter enrollment in the past six weeks and polls that show him within the margin of error against Clinton.

Speaking to a few thousand people in Cloverdale, a rural community about 90 miles north of San Francisco, Sanders on Friday mocked Clintons unplanned return to the state. She looks nervous already, Sanders said. She was supposed to be campaigning in New Jersey, but suddenly, she and Bill got on a plane, and here they are in California. Sounds like the campaign is not quite over.

Sanders held a press conference Saturday in downtown Los Angeles to make the case to his dwindling press corps that the media should not declare Clinton the presumptive nominee once she gains the 2,383 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination, which will almost certainly happen Tuesday. (Clinton is only 26 delegates short of that total, and California alone awards 475 delegates Tuesday night.) Sanders argued that Clinton would only become the presumptive nominee once she has won that total without the help of superdelegates, who could switch their votes at the convention. But few of the hundreds of superdelegates who back Clinton have shown any indication of flipping to Sanders.

It is extremely unlikely that Secretary Clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on Tuesday night, Sanders said.

If the race in California is close, state officials could be collecting and counting mail-in ballots for days. In Kentucky last month, the Sanders campaign demanded a recount because of the states close results. Sanders spokeswoman Symone Sanders said they are expecting a win in California, but will cross that bridge when we come to it on a potential recount.

Its clear that the senators persistence in the face of Clintons near-certain win is irritating at least one of the Clintons. At an event in East Los Angeles on Sunday, Bill Clinton responded to Sanders supporters who were heckling him. If I were them, Id be screaming too because they know they will be toast by Election Day, he said.

Clinton, meanwhile, has barely mentioned Sanders during her dozens of campaign stops in the Golden State. But she made an appeal to voters here as they prepare to vote Tuesday. I cant do any of this alone, she said. I want to finish strong here in California. It means the world to me.

Additional reporting by Holly Bailey.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton won the Puerto Rico Democratic primary on Sunday, moving her a step closer to prevailing over her rival, Bernie Sanders, in the fight for her party's presidential nomination. Clinton was the projected winner over Sanders in the U.S. island territory, according to NBC News. The win gives the former secretary of state a boost ahead of a big night on Tuesday, when six states, including New Jersey and California, will hold nominating contests. Clinton is hoping to cross the threshold of 2,382 delegates needed to secure the nomination for the Nov. 8 presidential election as early as 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, when polls close in New Jersey. She and Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont, are in a dead heat in California. But delegates in the state are awarded on a proportional basis, so even a loss there for Clinton would not be likely to stop her from securing her party's nomination and a likely general election contest with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Ahead of Puerto Rico's nominating contest, Clinton had been just 60 delegates shy of clinching the nomination, when including superdelegates, who consist of party leaders and elected senators, members of Congress and governors. Sanders is bracing for a prolonged fight that will run into the Democratic convention at the end of July. Networks reported huge voter turnout and long lines in Puerto Rico, with just over 430 polling stations open compared with over 2,000 in 2008. The island is suffering through a severe debt crisis, which has hampered basic government services. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Additional reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Washington (AFP) - Hillary Clinton defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary Sunday, taking her to the brink of victory in their long-fought battle for the party's presidential nomination.

Former secretary of state Clinton won with 59.38 percent of the vote against 37.53 percent for Sanders, according to official results from the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.

Victory in debt-hobbled Puerto Rico marked a double dose of good news for Clinton over the weekend, with another territory, the US Virgin Islands, voting overwhelmingly for her on Saturday.

The pair of wins provides a boost ahead of Tuesday's culminating vote with New Jersey and the big prize of California at stake.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" -- Clinton wrote in a bilingual tweet that thanked the Isle of Enchantment for the win.

Puerto Rico has 60 pledged delegates at stake, and Clinton won 36 of them, with 24 going to Sanders.

That puts Clinton, who amassed 2,323 delegates prior to Puerto Rico's vote, just a handful shy of the 2,383 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination, a threshold she will undoubtedly cross on Tuesday.

Sanders, however, has vowed to fight on all the way until the Democratic National Convention in July, arguing he could persuade many of the several hundred so-called super delegates who back Clinton to change their allegiance and support his campaign.

Super delegates are Democratic Party bigwigs who are not bound to any candidate or to the results of statewide votes and do not officially cast their vote until the convention.

Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned in Puerto Rico in recent weeks, and both have put forward plans to help the island emerge from a debt crisis.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation, backed by the White House, that would be charged with overseeing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its finances and restructuring the Caribbean island's $70 billion in debt.
Berlin (AFP) - A cloth with a drop of Pope John Paul II's blood was stolen from Cologne Cathedral in western Germany at the weekend, police said.

"Its material value is small but the spiritual loss is much greater," the cathedral's provost, Gerd Bachner, was quoted in the police statement from Sunday as saying.

Bachner urged the thieves to "come to their senses" and return the relic.

A visitor to cathedral noticed early Sunday that the cloth was missing from its glass case, which was built to recall a visit by the pontiff to Cologne in November 1980.

Police released a picture of the glass with a hole smashed by the thieves.

Police assume the theft took place between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Pope John Paul II led the Catholic church from 1978 until his death in 2005.
Cover Story of the June 2016 Issue of the CANNAINVESTOR Magazine

BOULDER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH), a development stage diversified cannabis company, today announced that it has been featured on the cover of the June 2016 issue of the CANNAINVESTOR Magazine www.cannainvestormag.com.

Jeff Binder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CLS Holdings USA, stated, "We are excited to be the lead cover story on CANNAINVESTOR'S June magazine, sharing our story and opportunity with its readers. We remain consistent in our philosophy in providing as much communication and transparency of our business progress with the Wall Street community."

We invite all industry investors, analysts, entrepreneurs, and the financial media to subscribe at no cost to the CANNAINVESTOR Magazine. The June magazine issue will be the second issue of a monthly series and will be available in digital and print forms. The digital version of the magazine will be complimentary and can be viewed by visiting www.cannainvestormag.com.

"Greetings and a warm welcome to our sophomore issue of the CANNAINVESTOR Magazine," states Gracie Moreno, Editor-In-Chief of the CANNAINVESTOR Magazine. "The main purpose of our magazine is to highlight publicly-traded and privately-held industry companies. The cannabis industry is still in its infancy stage and data, information and research will be vital for investors to make informed investment decisions. We couldn't be more excited to profile CLS Holdings USA, Inc. on the cover of our second magazine issue. We feel CLS Holdings USA, Inc. has a great story to communicate to our investment community."

CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences", as it maintains a proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into higher quality and quantity. The Company mission is to be the industry leader in the extraction, conversion and marketing of cannabinoid oils, wax, edibles and shatter by leveraging our extraction methods and conversion processes.

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About CLS Holdings USA, Inc.

CLS Holdings USA, Inc. plans to be a diversified cannabis company, specializing in the extraction and conversion of cannabinoids. CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences", as it maintains a proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into higher quality and quantity. CLS Holdings USA business model includes licensing operations, processing revenue, processing facilities, sale of products and brand creation and consulting services.

For more information, check out: http://www.clsholdingsinc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "prospects," "outlook," and similar words or expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, performance or achievements. The Company disclaims any intention to, and undertakes no obligation to, revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, a future event, or otherwise. For additional risks and uncertainties that could impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please see the Company's most recent Form 10-K filed as of May 31, 2015, including but not limited to the discussion under "Risk Factors" therein, which the Company has filed with the SEC and which may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov.

Contact Information

Corporate:

Chairman and CEO

Jeff Binder

jeff@clsholdingsinc.com

888-438-9132

Investors:

Hayden IR

Brett Maas, Managing Partner

brett@haydenir.com

646-536-7331

SOURCE: CLS Holdings USA, Inc.
Code Black 2.0 continues to take shape.

The CBS medical drama  which on Friday announced a major Season 2 cast shake-up that saw two actors promoted and another two fired  is adding a male co-lead opposite Marcia Gay Harden, and TVLine has procured intel on the newbie MD.

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The character, Colonel David Willis, is a onetime combat doctor who has served three tours in Afghanistan. Described as heroic, blunt, irreverent, and rule-breaking, Willis lands at Angels Memorial to teach the attendings and residents new war-tested techniques. Per the casting notice, hes a says-what-he-thinks veteran who doesnt suffer fools and puts the patient first over all else, including your precious feelings. Possessed with a roguish charm, gallows humor and willingness to take risks, hes sexy to women and compelling to men.

Producers are looking for an actor in his late 30s/early 40s to fill the ethnically diverse, series-regular role.

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On Friday, news broke that cast members Bonnie Somerville (Christa) and Raza Jaffrey (Neal) would not be returning in Season 2. Recurring players Boris Kodjoe (Will) and Jillian Murray (Heather), meanwhile, will be back as full-fledged series regulars.

In an impromptu Q&A with fans Saturday night, series creator Michael Seitzman conceded that losing Somerville and Jaffrey sucks for sure, before adding that hes excited about the new characters joining the team.

Thoughts on Code Blacks newest doc? Got a casting suggestion? Hit the comments!

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Coldplay is reportedly planning to pay a tribute to the tragic UK band Viola Beach during the group's Glastonbury set.

Chris Martin and co will cover one of the group's songs on stage this June, NME reports. All four members of the up-and-coming UK band were killed, along with their manager, in a car accident while on tour in Sweden on February 13.

To honor the group, Coldplay is said to be covering one of Viola Beach's tracks while photos of the musicians and their manager are projected for the crowd at the festival's Pyramid Stage.

Coldplay will headline Glastonbury on Sunday, June 26.
(Reuters) - A Connecticut teenager was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for stabbing to death a female classmate in a school hallway hours before their 2014 junior prom.

Christopher Plaskon, 19, pleaded no contest in March to charges that he killed 16-year-old Maren Sanchez, the junior class president and a National Honor Society student, at Milford's Jonathan Law High School in April 2014.

Connecticut Superior Court Judge John Ronan sentenced him in a Monday morning hearing, a court official confirmed.

Police said Plaskon attacked Sanchez in a hallway on the Friday morning of the prom, fatally stabbing her in the neck and torso. Police believe that he killed her after she rejected his invitation to the annual formal dance.

A knife was recovered near the crime scene, a police report stated. A witness saw Plaskon discard the bloody knife onto a hallway floor, according to the report.

According to court documents, as he was taken into custody, covered in blood, Plaskon told the arresting officer: "I did it. Just arrest me."

(Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston, editing by G Crosse)
Libya is already a mess, but things may be about to take a serious turn for the worse. Only a few months have passed since the United Nations helped Libyans to cobble together a unity government that was supposed to end the countrys two-year civil war. Yet now that faint hope of stability is threatening to vanish  and the result could be an even broader conflict, one that might even ultimately lead to partition.

The reason is simple. In their rush to create a new government that might restore a modicum of stability, Libyas ostensible friends in the international community overlooked one big obstacle: General Khalifa Haftar and his motley band of Qaddafi-era soldiers and militias known as the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Haftar is an odd and much misunderstood piece in the wider Libyan puzzle. Behind him stands a collection of various political and community leaders who have much to gain by aligning themselves with him  even if only temporarily. The general also enjoys quite a bit of genuine popular support, mainly in the eastern province of Cyrenaica but to some extent nationwide.

Haftar has consistently rejected the internationally backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and the militia army loyal to it. His chief of staff recently upped the ante by threatening to liberate (read: invade) Tripoli from a nearby town. At the same time, Haftars forces  under the guise of combating Islamic State, which has been expanding its presence in Libya  have deployed themselves around Cyrenaicas oil fields, a move widely interpreted as a prelude to seizing control of them. Meanwhile, his political allies have been trying to sell the oil already under their control independently on the world market, and have even printed their own currency with the help of the Russians. (Meanwhile, the Central Bank in Tripoli, which is loyal to the unity government, uses a company based in Great Britain to print Libyan dinars.)

Haftar and his allies are, in short, exacerbating the countrys existing political divide. A spate of recent kidnappings of the generals critics in territory under his control in Benghazi and Tobruk, as well as the prominence of Qaddafi-era personalities and secret police operatives in his administration, offer clues about the type of state he aims to form.

One can understand Haftars popularity only by considering the circumstances that have allowed him to reinvent himself. In the aftermath of the 2011 revolution, various Islamist groups who had been heavily persecuted by Qaddafi exploited the power vacuum to take revenge on their enemies. Benghazi and large swathes of Cyrenaica came under a sustained assassination campaign as former members of the security and judicial services, and many others, fell victim to horrible attacks. Shootings in mosques, sniper attacks, and car bombs paralyzed the entire region. The transitional authorities did little more than to offer fatuous advice on improving security (such as telling people in Benghazi to look under their cars with a stick every morning). Extremist groups with links to the Al-Qaeda-allied Jabhat al-Nusra, and later the Islamic State, exploited the insecurity to gain a foothold.

Enter Haftar, who in 2014 launched a military campaign against the Islamists he called Operation Dignity. His forces allowed officers and soldiers of the old army to strike back against their foes. The offensive was hampered by the lack of a tangible enemy or clear objectives, ultimately prompting a once-fractious collection of Islamist, extremist, and vehemently anti-Qaddafi militias to bury their differences and unite against the new threat.

Haftar is a controversial figure. He stands accused of committing war crimes during his command of Qaddafis war on Chad in the 1980s; in the years that followed he forged an opaque relationship with the Washington security establishment. Despite all this, though, his Operation Dignity was embraced by large segments of the Libyan population, who viewed him as the only person capable of defying the forces of chaos. Its an old political truth that decisiveness in a period of anarchy is a sure path to popular support.

Two years later, the generals popularity remains strong. Having seized control of Benghazi and other areas, he has shown that he can return a semblance of stability and peace, an immensely appealing achievement to a population that has suffered five years of near-continuous warfare. Haftar, indeed, is the only person in Libyas new political elite who can boast such an accomplishment  regardless of how tenuous his victory may be, or how much outside support it took to achieve. The heavy military support provided to the general by Egypt and the Gulf, as well as the frontline presence of French Special Forces assisting his troops, are perhaps Libyas worst kept secret. He can also claim the loyalty of many officers of the old army, though a significant number of veterans reject him and his methods.

But Haftar may not be quite the force for stability that he claims. Until very recently his camp was showing signs of fragmentation, both politically and militarily; there are many reasons to suppose that his supporters are much less cohesive than they may at first seem.

If the unity government wants to show that it can do a better job, it should start by creating a truly unified army. The GNAs recent appointment of Mahdi al-Barghathi, one of Haftars previous commanders, to the post of defense minister, sets a good example of what needs to be done. The troops of the Qaddafi-era army, who were regarded with suspicion by the dictator and systematically neglected in favor of elite units commanded by his sons, remain the best foundation for a modern and genuinely national army. Rather than attempting to build on them, though, the unity government has relied on a ragtag assortment of existing militias. The same strategy was pursued by the GNAs predecessors, and it is destined to fail for the same reasons that these earlier attempts did: these militias are loyal only to themselves, not to any civilian administration, and they are correspondingly useless as a fighting force.

The unity government should be doing everything it can to assure the populace that it is the surest path to stability and prosperity. Instead, unable to extend its influence beyond relatively small fiefdoms in Tripoli and Misrata, the GNA has been focusing on cultivating its international image. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, in power for two months, has spent the majority of his time abroad; he has yet to even visit Cyrenaica. GNA officials tout their presumed success in concluding lucrative deals with outside investors, but their hype makes for a sharp contrast with the lack of progress toward establishing an effective administration or genuine security. The GNAs inability to distinguish itself from previous transitional administrations is leading an already suspicious population to trust in the devil they know (Haftar) rather than risk supporting yet another weak government that is heavy on rhetoric and light on substance.

Even so, Haftars success shows that political reinvention is possible in todays Libya. Unity government officials should visit the East and engage with the people there to show that they have a genuinely national outlook. They should ensure that the funding theyve promised to Cyrenaicas local governments actually reaches its intended recipients  something that is currently by no means a given. GNA officials should also work harder to provide communities with services and supplies, including medicine and even generators (to cope with the endemic shortage of electricity), in order to prove that theyre better capable of providing for the beleaguered population than Haftar.

Haftar is a man whose popularity is a direct product of Libyas post-revolutionary vacuum of leadership. Confronting him  be it rhetorically, militarily, or with the much repeated threat of sanctions  will only reinforce his position while casting the GNA as just another faction in the countrys continuing power struggles rather than as a genuine national government. The unity government should instead focus on giving the population the security and public services it so desperately desires. If it can do this, the Haftar problem will solve itself.

Photo credit: KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
A man intended to end his life by jumping off a bridge in Mexico City, but tacos (and non-edible guidance) helped save his life.

Feeling defeated and lonely, the unnamed young man was about to jump off a bridge on Ticoman and Insurgentes Norte last Tuesday morning, Remezcla reported.

Police officers found him slightly drunk and chatted with him for a few minutes, convincing him to step off the bridge ledge. After offering to treat him to tacos, the man responded, "Yes, tacos sound good."

They indulged in several tacos at the taco stand at the Gustavo A. Madero, SDP Noticias reported. The police later took him to a mental health facility.

"We tried to convince him that life is beautiful and that he doesn't have to end it like that,"

Martin Santiago Mondragon, one of the paramedics at the scene, told a reporter.

Watch the full Spanish news segment via the Hechos Meridiano Facebook post below:

Compared to the rest of the world, Mexico's suicide rate is on the low side, but have been rising slightly. Mexico's suicide rate rose from 4.4 per 100,000 people to 5, according to 2005 data published by the Washington Post and Telesur. (The United States has a suicide rate of 10 per 100,000 people.) One in 10 suicide attempts in Mexico results in death, according to Telesur.

If someone shows serious intent to harm themselves or commit suicide, experts recommend asking simple, non-judgmental questions to give them the opportunity to safely express pent-up negative emotions. You should not leave them alone  seek help immediately.

And if this man's story is any indication, ordering tacos might not hurt, either.

Editor's note: For information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Both provide free, anonymous support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Tron Legacy movie poster

Wall Street is excited about Blockchain.

Nasdaq CEO Bob Greifeld has said his company needs to be a "rapid applier" of the technology. Autonomous Research has called the technology a "game changer." Goldman Sachs has said the use of blockchain technology in stock trading could result in $6 billion in industry cost savings globally.

There's no shortage of hype, but widespread implementation is still a long way away in the highly regulated financial services industry.

While the rest of Wall Street watches, the Australia Securities Exchange (ASX) is pioneering the attempt to implement blockchain technology in a large scale market.

The exchange is looking at replacing its clearing and settlement system with a blockchain solution, and will make a decision on whether to go through with the change by mid-2017.

"The securities industry is experimenting with blockchain across the post-trade market," Morgan Stanley said in a research note titled 'Blockchain - Is ASX set to shape a brave new world?'

"Within equities, the most progressed of these is the ASX-planned replacement of the central depository (CSD) with a blockchain solution. If successful, the implications could be significant across the securities value chain."

Blockchain uses computers with advanced encryption to keep track of transactions, and the use of a blockchain solution in clearing and settlement has the potential to reduce costs, save time, and cut complexity.

Goldman Sachs set out how this could work in a recent note. It said:

Essentially, by enforcing agreement at the time of entry, blockchain could eliminate some of the most common post-trade issues and errors, such as incorrect settlement instructions or incorrect account/order details. Today, these details are confirmed/affirmed by multiple parties (DTCC, custodians, broker/dealer, clients) and multiple times throughout the life cycle of the trade. If blockchain could be fully implemented across these parties, many of these attributes could be included in a smart contract, thus becoming a pre-trade requirement to execute an order rather than a downstream, post-trade check that requires multiple parties to agree.

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The US bank said this would reduce duplications in affirming and reconciling trades, and help save the industry $6 billion globally.

There are challenges however. The size and fragmented structure of stock markets in the US and European Union could slow the adoption of blockchain technology for example, according to Morgan Stanley. There are regulatory concerns too.

This will only work on a large scale if global exchanges decide to follow suit and adopt the same standards. Without this, the market risks ending up with multiple systems with similar cost challenges as those faced today.

That means the world will be watching what happens in Australia.

"If the ASX "flicks the switch", this would increase the pace of innovation and disruption risk to the post-trade securities market,' Morgan Stanley said.

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Tiny Toast Cereal Breakfast Table

General Mills is launching a new cereal, for the first time in a long time.

On Monday, the company announced that it will be launching a cereal called Tiny Toast this month, in both blueberry and strawberry varieties.

According to General Mills, the cereal is intended to have the "all-family appeal" of brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Tiny Toast is General Mills' first new cereal brand since 2001, when the company released Harmony cereal, a "low-fat nutritional cereal for women" that has since been discontinued. With Tiny Toast, General Mills says it is attempting to replicate the taste and smell of real fruit.

General Mills Cheerios Cereal

"People told us that both varieties tasted real, not fake like they typically associate with fruit-flavored cereals," Mike Evenson, product developer in the company's Innovation, Technology and Quality division, said in a General Mills' blog post on the new cereal.

The launch of Tiny Toast comes at a tumultuous time for the cereal industry. The breakfast food has struggled in recent years, with cereal sales dropping 5% from 2009 to 2014.

There are an increasing variety of breakfast foods on the market  many of which millennials believe to be more convenient than the classic bowl of cereal and milk.

General Mills has been fighting back with by cutting artificial flavors from cereal. The "real fruit" appeal of Tiny Toast is another step in the direction of pushing for cereals' comeback by proving that it too can be a authentic breakfast option, worthy of dirtying a spoon and bowl.

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idiocracy

Earlier this year, the screenwriter of cult classic Idiocracy, Etan Cohen, said that he never expected the movie to become a documentary while observing the rise of Donald Trump  who's now, of course, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

It turns out the people behind the 2006 comedy have now come together to produce an anti-Trump ad campaign leading up to the election.

In Idiocracy, an average American (played by Luke Wilson) wakes up after a government experiment five centuries later to find that society has gotten dumber and the president is a former professional wrestler named Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (played by Terry Crews).

Cohen told BuzzFeed in a recent interview that he and Idiocracy director Mike Judge (also creator of "Silicon Valley") began talking after Cohens statement via Twitter went viral. They decided that they should shoot fake political ads satirizing Trump using Terry Crews' Camacho.

This is what satire is for... to be able to hold up a mirror and say, This is crazy, Cohen told BuzzFeed. Idiocracy was like that, but this all of a sudden felt like a very immediate need for the true meaning of satire and what it can actually do.

Judge and Cohen are currently waiting on Fox to clear the rights for Camacho before shooting the ads.

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The Minister made the announcement at an awarding ceremony in Ho Chi Minh city organised by the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam.

I have never been to New Zealand but friends Ive spoken that have been have told me that it is 'beyond expectation'. I put a lot of effort in to coming up with my poster and slogan, hoping to be lucky enough to win this prize and have the opportunity to visit this magical place. I am so happy, shared Mr. Nguyen Huy Cuong.



Photos: New Zealand Embassy



As part of the Embassys activities to increase interest and knowledge about New Zealand tourism in the lead up to the commencement of direct flights by Air New Zealand between Ho Chi Minh city and Auckland on June 4th, 2016, over 700 submissions were sent to the third edition of the New Zealand, New Horizon.

We really wanted to get from the Vietnamese public their ideas on how to promote New Zealand. What is it about the image of New Zealand that draws Vietnamese to want to visit New Zealand? Is it the amazing scenery, adventure tourism, the Hobbit films or the great food and beverage? We had some really strong entries which we look forward to putting into use to showcase New Zealand in Vietnam, commented New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Mr Haike Manning.

This is the third consecutive year that someone that has never before visited New Zealand has won New Zealand, New Horizon, showing the creativity of young Vietnamese designers.

The best poster winner was Nguyen Kim Chi with her entry on the Hobbiton village, while the best slogan winner went to Hoang Kim Nghia with New Zealand: Love at first sight.

Fifteen winners of the most engagements (likes, shares and comments) on social media were awarded with New Zealand Natural Ice cream vouchers or USBs.

The New Zealand Minister is visiting Vietnam between June 4th - 7th to celebrate the commencement of direct flights between Ho Chi Minh city and Auckland, and promote strengthened connectivity between the two nations, particularly in tourism, education, IT and food and beverage./.
The coffee market and related exchange traded notes are experiencing wild swings as traders assess the extent of weather damage in Brazil, the worlds largest producer of coffee beans.

The iPath Bloomberg Coffee Subindex Total Return ETN (JO) jumped 3.4% on Monday after surging 3.8% in the previous session. The iPath Pure Beta Coffee ETN (NYSEArca: CAFE) also gained 2.7% after rising 3.7% Friday. Both JO and CAFE are now trading above their long-term, 200-day simple moving average.

Related: Coffee ETN Pullback Could Spell Opportunity

Coffee prices strengthened on heavy rains that disrupted coffee bean harvests, which also caught short sellers off guard.

Above average rains in May continued into June, damaging coffee beans and affecting the drying of beans on farms, reports Shweta Upadhyaya for Agrimoney.

Persistent rainfall has hurt the quality of Brazils arabica crop since last week, Cooxupe, the countrys largest coffee exporter, told Agrimoney. Wet weather is damaging beans and causing them to drop from trees.

The rains have sped up maturation of beans and hindered production of valuable beans such as semi-washed arabicas.

Additionally, the Cooperative of Coffee Growers in the Mina Sul area said that most of the progress in coffee harvests is made from June to August and the ongoing rains will paralyze the harvest.

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Concerns over coffee supplies out of Brazil may have triggered a short-squeeze in the futures market, forcing large bearish traders to close out positions and buy into the rally. Managed money turned net short on coffee after a selldown of net 21,000 lots over two weeks, Agrimoney reported.

Nevertheless, Commerzbank warned against chasing the rally in coffee.

Admittedly, global stocks are now at a very low level  yet the arabica crop in Brazil, which is now being harvested, looks set to be very good and is likely to ease the supply situation, Commerzbank said. Although estimates vary, many observers are anticipating the second-highest crop of all time. It is questionable whether it will make any further gains.

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For more information on the coffee market, visit our coffee category.

iPath Bloomberg Coffee Subindex Total Return ETN
Will the Cruel Intentions revival ever make it to television?

Though the show, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, is not yet on the 2016-2017 slate, creator Roger Kumble tells Variety NBC and Sony are still in talks and are discussing the possibility of launching the show next summer.

The latest Ive heard is that Sony and NBC are trying to figure this out, Kumble says. It feels like a long time, but it hasnt been that long because they had the upfronts and then it was Memorial Day and everyone in the industry goes on vacation so I think theyre regrouping. Whats been great is that Im still getting emails of support from NBC and Sony saying, Were behind this show.'

Sources say that the network is already toying around with a trailer, targeting a domestic summer launch, in addition to meeting about international marketing plans  a sign that NBC is edging toward a series pickup.

Last week, the pilot was leaked by industry insiders, before quickly becoming password-protected, and the episode has received mostly positive reception among the select few who received it. With early press commentary trickling around Twitter, fans began to take notice, adding to the heavy social media buzz already surrounding the Cruel Intentions reboot.

I was kind of surprised when the other day I got a call like, Your pilot is online,' says Kumble says. Maybe there will be a groundswell of people who have seen this in the past 24 hours, and that might just be what we need to push this thing into series. He admits he plans to forward the tweets on to Sony and NBC.

Social media buzz can play a role in a networks decision to move ahead. Case in point: The Mindy Project, which Hulu picked up after Foxs cancellation, partly due to the #savethemindyproject Twitter campaign, and more recently, Nashville, which has been trending ever since ABC cancelled the show in May, and is now in contention for pickup at four to five different networks.

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If NBC does not end up greenlighting the series, Kumble says Sony will likely shop the show elsewhere.

Because of the IP and because of the love for the pilot, theyre optimistic about their chances, Kumble says. Both Sony and NBC have been so amazing. Its been the best experience of my careerwere all on the same page and that it really made it a real joy to develop.

But, the plan is to get Cruel Intentions on NBC.

Im holding out hope and a lot of us are, Kumble adds. Im very cautiously optimistic  but Im not buying a new car.

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The week after wrapping their ninth annual Philadelphia Picnic festival, the Roots have unveiled the eclectic lineup for their inaugural New York City edition, scheduled for October 1st and 2nd in Manhattan's Bryant Park. The first night will feature a marquee jam between the Roots, D'Angelo and John Mayer, while the second  dubbed "A Love Letter to New York"  will be headlined by the full Wu-Tang Clan, David Byrne and Nile Rodgers, with backing from the Roots.

Questlove Recalls How Jimmy Fallon Won Over the Roots

Swizz Beats, Jeremih, Deerhoof, Trombone Shorty, X Ambassadors, Kevin Gates, EPMD, Black Thought's Live Mixtape (including Styles P and Freddie Gibbs) and comedians Jerrod Carmichael and Neal Brennan will also perform. Roots-curated chefs and pop-up food stalls will appear throughout the Park.

Ticket on-sales begin Friday, June 10th at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

"New York is a second home to us," Roots drummer-producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson told Billboard about expanding the festival. "There's going to be pop up shops there, really good curated food, comedy, DJ parties there and acts that you wouldn't expect  This is gonna be much more than just some music and some expensive water. We've always had jam sessions or musical gatherings or concerts or just small jam sessions with friends in club spaces, and now I think the opportunity is there for us to do some other ideas."

"Bryant Park is an amazing location because it's so central to the city," added rapper Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter. "We're Philadelphians; we pride ourselves on being a Philadelphia brand gone universal. And we're kind of honorary New Yorkers because of the Tonight Show gig, so we thought it was a respectful way to pay homage to our second homes."

In other Roots news, the iconic Philly crew recently teamed with ESPN to create the fiery NBA Finals anthem "Show Me You're a Champion."

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Indian prosecutors sought the death penalty on Monday for 24 Hindus convicted over a massacre during religious riots in 2002 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state where it happened.

Judge P.B Desai heard submissions from the prosecution as well as lawyers representing the 24 convicted over the killings, before adjourning final sentencing until Thursday.

The 24 were found guilty last week of playing a role in the massacre of 69 Muslims who were hacked and burnt to death as they sheltered at a residential complex in the city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state.

It was one of the single worst massacres of the week-long violence that left more than 1,000 people dead in total.

Public prosecutor R.C Kodekar told the court on Monday some of the victims were women and children.

"The crime is rarest of the rare as the victims were hacked to death and then burnt by the accused," Kodekar told the court.

"The victims were killed only because they belonged to the minority community.

"The accused had targeted innocent people, so they must get the maximum punishment prescribed in law," Kodekar said.

Judge Desai last week convicted 11 people of murder and another 13 of lesser offences following a years-long trial. Another 36 were acquitted for lack of evidence.

The judge also ruled the massacre at the Gulbarg Society complex was a spontaneous attack, rejecting claims of a pre-planned conspiracy against Muslims.

Defence lawyer Abhay Bharadwaj said the 24 should be given minimum sentences given the judge's rejection of criminal conspiracy.

The riots have long dogged Modi, who has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence.

The Hindu nationalist premier was cleared in 2012 by a Supreme Court-ordered investigation of any wrongdoing.

The violence was triggered by the death of 59 Hindu pilgrims in a train fire on February 27, 2002, that was initially blamed on Muslims.
Demi Moores trademark brunette hair now includes some streaks of gray.

The 53-year-old actress was spotted out at Pinches Tacos in West Hollywood, California, with her pregnant friend over the weekend, and kept her style very relaxed and her hair au naturel. Moore was seen in a pair of bootcut jeans, beige flats and a graphic T-shirt that read: Im out of bed and dressed  what more do you want?

EXCLUSIVE: Kiefer Sutherland Say Hes Just Friends With Demi Moore but 'Honored by Romance Rumors

AKM-GSI

Despite her laid-back lunch, Moore still knows how to go glam on the red carpet. In February, she joined her three daughters for an event celebrating Zac Posens collaboration with M.A.C Cosmetics and wore a sparkly crop top, a matching high-wasted skirt and trendy glasses.



PHOTOS: Hollywoods Best Bikini Bods Over 40

Moore looked so good in her age-defying getup that her 22-year-old daughter, Tallulah Willis, referred to her as a literal teenager. Check out the sexy style:

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By J.R. Wu TAIPEI (Reuters) - (The June 4, 2106 story was refiled to correct paragraph 17 to clarify that Hong Kong was not the only place on Chinese soil to hold June 4 vigil) On the anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on student-led protests in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Taiwan's new president told China on Saturday that democracy is nothing to fear. Tsai Ing-wen said in a Facebook post on the 27th anniversary that Taiwan could serve as an example to China. Tsai said in the run-up to Taiwan's elections earlier this year that she had seen people from China, as well as the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, mixing with crowds in Taiwan. "These many friends, after experiencing things for themselves can see that in fact there's nothing scary about democracy. Democracy is a good and fine thing," wrote Tsai, who took office last month. China sent in tanks to break up the demonstrations on June 4, 1989. Beijing has never released a death toll but estimates from human rights groups and witnesses range from several hundred to several thousand. The subject remains all but taboo in China, where President Xi Jinping is overseeing a broad crackdown on rights groups and activists. Tsai also said in her Facebook post about the Tiananmen crackdown's anniversary that nobody could deny the material advances China had made under the Communist Party. However, China would win even more respect internationally if it gave its people even more rights, wrote Tsai, who is from Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world which holds free elections, and Tsai risks upsetting Beijing with her frank remarks on Tiananmen. China has never renounced the use of force to bring what it views as a wayward province under its control and is deeply suspicious of Tsai. Chinese officials have accused her of pushing the island towards formal independence. In Beijing, security was tight at Tiananmen Square, with long lines at bag and identity checks. The square itself was peaceful, with hundreds of tourists stopping to take photos in the early summer sun. While most state media made no mention of the sensitive anniversary, the English version of popular Beijing-based tabloid the Global Times wrote in a commentary that people in China had put the events of 1989 behind them. "The annual hubbub around the June 4 incident is nothing but bubbles that are doomed to burst." China dismissed a statement by the U.S. Department of State on the political turbulence in 1989, urging the United States not to harm bilateral ties, the official Xinhua news service reported. Tsai said Taiwan understood the pain caused by Tiananmen because Taiwan had similar experiences in its struggle for democracy, referring to repression under the martial law enforced by the Nationalists over the island from 1949 to 1987. "I'm not here to give advice about the political system on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, but am willing to sincerely share Taiwan's democratic experience," she said. In Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and is one of the only places on Chinese soil where June 4 commemorations are tolerated, around 125,000 people attended the main candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, according to organizers' estimates, which local broadcaster RTHK said was the lowest attendance since 2008. The police estimated attendance at 21,800. In a sign of persistent tensions around Hong Kong's future and its relationship to mainland China, an activist shouting for Hong Kong independence tried to rush the stage at the vigil. A number of university students boycotted the main vigil and instead held separate on-campus events discussing the city's current political situation instead of just commemorating the events of 1989. Reuters estimated about 2,000 people attended events at local universities. Pro-Beijing groups cordoned off areas near Victoria Park where they set up mainland Chinese flags and shredded yellow umbrellas to symbolize Hong Kong's 2014 street protests that called for democratic reforms but failed to achieve them. (Additional reporting by Faith Hung, and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Venus Wu, Teenie Ho, Tris Pan, Sue-Lin Wong, Hera Poon, Joyce Zhou and Clare Baldwin in HONG KONG; Editing by Paul Tait and Hugh Lawson)
By Luciana Lopez NEW YORK (Reuters) - As she looks ahead to the November White House election, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has hired the leader of a group that seeks to built political power among Latinos to help mobilize key voting communities. Cristobal Alex, president of the non-partisan Latino Victory Project, will be the Clinton campaign's new deputy director of voter outreach and mobilization, starting later this month, an aide said. Alex will work under Addisu Demissie, the national voter outreach and mobilization director. Minority voters have been major blocs for Clinton as she has built a commanding lead over Senator Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic nomination, and they could prove a crucial factor in the general election. Among those minority voters are Latinos, a fast-growing group that, many activists say, has recently seen a spike in voter registration. Many activists point to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump as the spur for those registrations. Seeking to portray himself as tough on illegal immigration, Trump has angered Latinos by saying Mexico is sending rapists and drug dealers over the border, and pledging to build a border wall that he says he will make Mexico pay for. Most recently, he has drawn criticism, including from senior Republicans, for saying a Mexican-American federal judge overseeing lawsuits involving fraud allegations against Trump University cannot do his job properly because of his Mexican heritage. In contrast, both Clinton and Sanders have actively wooed Latino voters, releasing ads in Spanish and promising to hire Latinos to key cabinet positions. But one complication when courting these voters is the difficulty in polling multi-lingual, multi-cultural communities. "Throughout the election cycle we know that we are going to see a lot of really bad Latino polling," said Matt Barreto, co-founder of research firm Latino Decisions and pollster for the Clinton campaign for Latino issues. Barreto said that he has used "large sample surveys of Latino voters" for the campaign. "We are very confident that the Clinton campaign is taking all the necessary steps to gather the most accurate data possible on Latinos voters," he added. Clinton added to her delegate lead Sunday, when she won Puerto Rico's primary. Primaries on Tuesday, when Clinton hopes to wrap up the nomination, include delegate-rich California, with a diverse population including Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans. Latino activists have warned Democrats that merely attacking Trump is not enough to win their votes, pressing for engagement on a range of issues. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Robert Birsel and Frances Kerry)
By Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is not considering cancelling an agreement with the European Union to readmit migrants who had previously reached the bloc illegally from Turkish territory, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday. "It is now the EU's turn to fulfill its responsibilities. I believe it will act in line with the deal as Turkey has done so much for it. Cancellation of the deal is not on our agenda, and we will continue to do our part for the deal to succeed," Kurtulmus told reporters after a meeting of cabinet ministers. "The drop in the number of refugees arriving in Europe is clear evidence that Turkey is taking the deal seriously," he added, warning that the deal should not be an issue of domestic politics in EU countries. The deal between Brussels and Ankara to stem the flow of illegal migrants into Europe has been hampered by disagreements over Turkey's counter-terrorism law, which the European Union wants to see brought in line with EU standards. Turkey has accused Europe of throwing up new hurdles to fully implementing the deal, which is meant to give Turks visa-free travel to the EU in return for curbing illegal migration. Turkey's government says it has already met the EU's criteria for visa-free travel and that it will not change its anti-terrorism laws any further. (Editing by David Dolan/Mark Heinrich)
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister, addresses the meeting (Source: qdnd.vn)



In a meeting with defence industry businesses of Vietnam in Hanoi on June 6th, the Indian defence chief said the partnership is also an important part in defence ties between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister, underlined that during the countrys international integration, Vietnam wishes to work with India to open up intensive cooperation space for development by creating a favourable environment for enterprises, including those in the defence industry, to seek opportunities to invest in each country.

He stressed the significance of the meeting amidst the growing ties between the two countries, including defence affiliation.

The meeting was part of the two defence ministries commitment to strengthening dialogue and build mechanisms for businesses to develop Vietnam-India defence relations.

During the meeting, businesses of both sides also introduced their strengths to each other./.
Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN) struck a definitive agreements with undisclosed parties to monetize nearly $1 billion of non-core upstream assets in east Texas, the Anadarko Basin and an overriding royalty interest in the northern Midland Basin. According to the company, these transactions were subject to customary terms and conditions and were expected to close in the third quarter of the current year. The Company sees incurring minimal taxes in connection with these transactions.

Devon Energy president and CEO, Dave Hager, commented about the transaction, "Combined with other recent asset sales, we have now announced $1.3 billion of gas-focused upstream divestitures. As we've said previously, proceeds from these tax-efficient transactions will be utilized to further strengthen our investment-grade financial position."

He continued to add, "With oil prices having moved in our favor throughout the sales process, we are encouraged by the interest and progress in marketing our remaining non-core oil assets in the Midland Basin and Access Pipeline in Canada. Proceeds for the entire divestiture program are well on their way to achieving our previously announced range of $2 billion to $3 billion in 2016."

The company disclosed that the largest transaction was an agreement to sell upstream assets in east Texas for $525 million. The energy firm added that net production from these properties averaged 22,000 oil-equivalent barrels (Boe) per day in the first quarter of 2016, of which about 5 percent was oil. Field-level cash flow accompanying these assets, which excluded overhead costs, totaled $10 million in the first quarter. The proved reserves associated with these properties accounted for about 87 million Boe at the end of the last year.

Devon Energy said that in a separate transaction, it agreed to divest its non-core position in the Anadarko Basin's Granite Wash area for $310 million. Net production associated with these properties averaged 14,000 Boe per day in the first quarter of 2016, of which 13 percent was oil. Field-level cash flow accompanying these assets, which excludes overhead costs, totaled $6 million in the first quarter. The proved reserves in connection with these properties accounted for 31 million Boe at the end of the last year.

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Similarly, In the northern Midland Basin, the company reached a deal to sell its overriding royalty interest across 11,000 net acres for $139 million. Its current production from this overriding royalty interest was about 1,000 Boe per day. The transaction does not include the Company's working interest across 15,000 net acres in Martin County.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
(Reuters) - A 26-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia was crowned winner of the Miss USA pageant on Sunday. Deshauna Barber, an IT analyst for the Department of Commerce, triumphed over 51 other contestants, including first runner-up Chelsea Hardin, representing Hawaii, to claim victory in the annual contest which was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As one of the contestants, Barber was asked a question about women soldiers and replied "We are just as tough as men." For her question as one of five finalists, Hardin was asked whether she would support Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, former owner of the pageant, if the U.S. election were held tomorrow. The question brought jeers from the audience and criticism on social media. In her reply, Hardin declined to name either candidate, instead addressing qualities a president should possess. The other finalists were from Georgia, Alabama and California. Barber will go on to compete as the U.S. representative at the annual Miss Universe pageant later this year. (Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump seems to take any opportunity to tout his popularity with minority voters  even when it's completely fabricated.

On Saturday, Trump quoted a tweet from user @Don_Vito_08, who had written, "Thank you Mr. Trump for standing up for our country!" and called for his followers to #VoteTrump2016 and join him on the #TrumpTrain. Accompanying the tweet was a now-deleted photo of a black family alongside a meme reading, "American families for Trump. We need a common sense president."

Source: Twitter

It didn't take long for Twitter users to use their own common sense, and sleuthing skills, to figure out that the tweet was a sham. User @MarkCzerniec pointed out that the photo @Don_Vito_08 and Trump had shared was ripped from a WCPO Cincinnati story about the 27th Annual Midwest Black Family Reunion which took place in August 2015.

Source: Twitter

A to BuzzFeed, the family photo is among the first Google image results when searching "black family." And what's more, after speaking with Perry  one of the people in the photo  BuzzFeed determined that the family hadn't known Trump (or anyone else) would be using it.

"When I saw it, I immediately knew it was political propaganda," Perry told the site. He said a friend had sent him a screenshot of the tweet on Saturday morning.

He continued, "Why use it without asking for someone's permission? Why use our image without asking?" Perry told BuzzFeed that his family hasn't publicly endorsed Trump, or any candidate, this election season.

Trump has taken advantage of the sketchy stylings of @Don_Vito_08 before. The watermark on the family photo in the original tweet (@Don_Vito_08's Twitter avi) also appeared on a meme Trump tweeted out comparing his wife Melania Trump to Ted Cruz's spouse Heidi Cruz.

"@Don_Vito_08: "A picture is worth a thousand words" @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8" https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeSI7TIW4AApKS0.jpg:large

But this recent Twitter faux pas comes at a particularly coincidental moment. Trump was recently criticized for his comments at a rally on Friday, when he pointed to a black man in the audience and exclaimed, "Look at my African-American over here!" Trump singled out the man, who NPR identified as a man named Gregory Cheadle, as evidence of his "tremendous African-American support."

"I am not a Trump supporter," Cheadle told NPR. "I went to go hear Donald Trump because I have an open mind."
Paris (AFP) - Having sealed his place as one of the greatest players of all time, Novak Djokovic was on Monday backed to keep breaking Grand Slam records with little seemingly standing in his way.

The 29-year-old captured his first French Open on Sunday to become only the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam.

More impressively, he is just the third man to hold all four majors at the same time and the first since Rod Laver back in 1969.

That is something even his eternal rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have failed to do achieve.

"He will be the big favourite again at Wimbledon and at the tournament after that and all of those after that one," predicted three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, who was on hand Sunday to witness Djokovic end a three-final losing streak at Roland Garros with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Andy Murray.

It was Djokovic's 12th Grand Slam title, to add to his six at the Australian Open, three at Wimbledon and two at the US Open.

He also became the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to clinch the Australian and French Opens back-to-back and therefore put himself in a position to grab a calendar Grand Slam, which has only been achieved three times -- by Don Budge in 1938 and Laver in 1962 and 1969.

"Well, I don't want to sound arrogant, but I really think everything is achievable in life," said the Serb.

"I'm trying to grasp and I'm trying to cherish, obviously, these moments right now. Whether or not I can reach a calendar slam, that's still a possibility."

He is right to be confident as he tightens his grip on the men's game.

His victory over fellow 29-year-old Murray was his 24th in 34 meetings with the British world number two and eighth in 10 clashes at the Slams.

He leads Federer 23-22 and is 26-23 against Nadal.

- Declining powers -

Federer still holds the record for Grand Slam titles at 17 while Nadal is second on the all-time list at 14.

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But Federer will be 35 in August and has not added to his Slam total since winning Wimbledon in 2012.

Nadal's last major was at Roland Garros in 2014, while Murray remains firmly stuck on two, the last of which came at Wimbledon in 2013.

Djokovic has won six of the past eight Grand Slams -- his only losses coming to Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open and his 2015 French Open final heartbreaker to Stan Wawrinka.

The winning mentality is also hot-wired into his DNA. He has now won 29 successive matches at the Slams, bettering even his run of 27 which ended in 2011.

As well as time, Djokovic has physical fitness and endurance on his side.

By contrast, Federer's streak of 65 successive Grand Slams, stretching back to 1999, ended when a back injury ruled him out of the French Open while Nadal, plagued by injuries throughout his career, withdrew from Roland Garros after two rounds with a serious wrist injury.

Despite their declining powers, Djokovic insists he owes Federer and Nadal a great debt for pushing him closer to a historic calendar sweep which could also become a "Golden Slam" should he win the Olympics in August.

"These two guys -- and Andy, as well -- the rivalries with all three of the guys have definitely helped me to become a better player and helped me achieve all these things," said Djokovic.

"Nadal and Federer were so dominant in the sport when Andy and myself came in the mix. But, again, at the beginning I was not glad to be part of their era.

"Later on I realised that in life everything happens for a reason. You're put in this position with a purpose, a purpose to learn and to grow and to evolve.

"Fortunately for me I realised that I need to get stronger and that I need to accept the fact that I'm competing with these two tremendous champions."
You know the voluntourist  you've seen the Facebook poverty-porn profile pics featuring the fair-skinned traveler surrounded by smiling, brown-skinned children. You know the ones who come back from a week, a summer, a semester in [insert developing country], don headscarves or other indigenous trappings, and can't stop talking about their "life-changing" trip to help the poor people.

The satirical Instagram account Savior Barbie captures voluntourists at their worst: posing with African orphans, hair flowing in a Serengeti breeze, smug in their conviction that wealthy, often white, First Worlders are the only ones who can solve global poverty.

Source: Savior Barbie/Instagram

The hybrid of volunteering and tourism isn't just social media phenomenon; it's one of the fastest-growing sectors of the travel industry. A 2008 study surveying 300 organizations found that 1.6 million people volunteer on vacation, spending $2 billion annually, according to the New York Times. And to no one's surprise, a full-on backlash has followed, with critics arguing that the $2 billion spent on airfare, lodging and food for volunteers could be put to much better, more sustainable use as donations to the communities these people come to serve.

But while voluntourists may be misguided, their intentions are (usually) sincere and commendable. These travelers  many of them young and genuinely amped up on ideals  want an authentic experience, to get to know another culture in a way that can't be accomplished just by hitting the top tourist attractions. They want to expand their worldview, sometimes literally changing their perspective on life itself. Like all cliches, there's truth at the core.

"If we can volunteer in an orphanage in Belize and go lie on the beach for a week, we get to feel doubly good about ourselves," Peace Corps volunteer Emily Wolfteich said in an email. "The problem is when we only consider ourselves and our good intentions. If we are uneducated about the culture and the problems of the place we want to volunteer, then we aren't actually contributing to the well-being of that community."

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In one of visit.org's projects in Nicaragua, travelers learn how to ethically produce coffee. UCA San Ramon both shows and lets travelers be a part of the coffee-making process.

Know where you're going: While voluntourism can be a one-way ticket to becoming the proverbial Ugly American, there are ways to volunteer and travel that can make a real impact and benefit all parties in the transaction, from the recipients of the good work to the sponsoring organization to the volunteers themselves.

For starters, travelers need to do their research. Most volunteer trips that actually benefit the communities in developing countries they are working for have an established partnership with the communities they serve.

Dos Pueblos, a nonprofit that has been working in the Nicaraguan community Tipitapa for over 30 years, knows the needs of the people they're working with. Executive Director Lupe Ramsey coordinates with a Nicaraguan community organizer who lives in the community to evaluate and coordinate volunteer projects. Groups of volunteers from New York City's Upper West Side neighborhood visit Nicaragua to work on projects  such as building potable water wells or libraries  for about a week once or twice a year.

"We work with local organizers who really know the work and have really been doing my job for most of their lives," Ramsey said in a phone interview. The organizer "goes through an evaluation process. If she sees that there is real need, and also that the community is organized enough to participate in the project and keep it going. There has to be a level of ability."

In March, Dos Pueblos sent a group of about 30 young volunteers from the Upper West Side to build a library in Tipitapa. After they spent a week constructing the physical library, the community organizer on the ground found volunteers to staff the library and ensure the facility will be maintained. Ramsey says she is in "constant contact" with the community organizer to make sure the projects are working and to decide what to work on next.

The College of William and Mary students discuss a map showing water access in the area with community members while on a service trip to Nicaragua.

"Participatory development": Many people get the idea to volunteer abroad in high school and college, where expensive international volunteer trips can be billed to parents as a way to open up their privileged children's minds while helping those less fortunate. Plenty of these groups/projects show up, construct some kind of school or other useful building and leave, without connecting with that community or truly understanding its needs.

In a recent viral essay, Pippa Biddle, a writer and board member for the travel nonprofit Onwards, describes a project in which she and other volunteers spent a week helping to build a library  only to discover how ineffective and counterproductive their work was: "[T]urns out that we, a group of highly educated boarding school students, were so bad at the most basic construction work that each night the men had to take down the structurally unsound bricks we had laid and rebuild the structure so that, when we woke up in the morning, we would be unaware of our failure."

At the College of William and Mary, Sociology Professor David Aday leads two international service trips a year, in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, focused on public health issues. Students have to apply to be a part of each project and are required to take a year-long seminar while involved. He calls this "engaged scholarship," in which students learn about the community, do field work on a week-long trip each year and try to address problems through "participatory development"  or, as he describes it, a method "which seeks to find respectful ways to partner that promote individual and collective agency and community capacity."

Aday has been working on both projects for over 10 years, and students who work on the projects often stay involved through all four years of college. As a sociologist, Aday and his students started working in the communities by conducting ethnographic research, talking with community members and learning about the issues in the communities before starting work on any projects. One project is currently focused on finding solutions to reduce flooding damage; another is working to form a partnership with Engineers Without Borders to bring the community clean water.

"The potential view of voluntourism turns on the extent to which those involved have done any kind of critical examination of the proposed 'helping' effort, and the extent to which those involved know anything about the local community, its needs and its inequalities," Aday said in an email. "If the intervention is not done thoughtfully, the result may be to further advance the dependence of the community and its residents."

One of visit.org's tours in Israel, nonprofit Sidreh Lakiya, gives tours to travelers, showing them how Bedouin women weave and what life is like in Old World society.

Flipping the script on volunteering: There's another way to really experience a travel destination without needing to volunteer at all. As more travelers search for "off-the-beaten-path experiences," Michal Alter, co-founder and CEO of Visit.org, saw an opportunity to connect tourists with such experiences and to help the communities they're visiting at the same time.

"My experience working for local nonprofit organizations has taught me that local organizations have a lot of assets that they [use to] do a much better job sharing with the world," Alter said during a conversation at her office. "They have a unique understanding of the local community, the history of the community culture and a unique trust relationship with the community."

Visit.org is an online platform where tourists can find travel experiences run by local nonprofits in communities around the world. They currently have over 200 projects in about 30 countries worldwide. From immigrant women teaching a baking class in New York's East Harlem neighborhood to Bedouin tribeswomen teaching tourists in Israel how to weave baskets, these activities connect travelers with experiences that can't be manufactured or replicated. Instead of coming in to provide a service when traveling, visitors learn something from the people who live in the place they are visiting.

"We want to flip that relationship and say, actually, local communities have tons of culture, history, expertise on this very issue that they've been working on for generations, and they have a lot to share."

"By flipping that relationship instead of constantly thinking that, when people come from the outside, they have the skills, they have the knowledge that they share with the locals who need it  that's basically some kind of perception that exists," Alter said. "We want to flip that relationship and say, actually, local communities have tons of culture, history, expertise on this very issue that they've been working on for generations, and they have a lot to share."

Alter and her co-workers go through a vetting process before agreeing to feature nonprofits on their platform in order to ensure that they are benefiting the community in some way. Nonprofits on the website receive their full tour price, and visit.org covers its overhead via a booking fee that the user pays. By changing the dynamics of the cultural and educational relationship, Alter believes tourists learn more  and do more good  than they would through a traditional volunteer experience.

"It's the public education aspect of what we're doing," she said. "Travelers that go through these powerful experiences become more intelligent about this specific topic when they go back home."

Ultimately, the best thing you can do to avoid becoming a voluntourist is to leave your ego at home (along with your savior complex and belief in American exceptionalism) and bring only your humility and a willingness to work hard.

"The most effective projects that volunteers can be involved with are those that have been started and supported by the community they're entering into, to which they bring specific skills or resources," the Peace Corp.'s Wolfteich said. "No matter where in the world, projects that stem from a need and a solution identified by the community are the ones that are most likely to stick around."
Paris (AFP) - A chemical in green tea has been shown to improve cognitive ability in persons with Down's syndrome, scientists and doctors said Tuesday.

In a year-long clinical trial, the treatment led to improved scores on memory and behaviour tests, they reported in a study, published in the The Lancet Neurology.

The positive impact remained six months after the trial ended.

Brain scans revealed that the compound, called epigallocatechin gallate, altered the way neurons in the brain connect with one another.

"This is the first time that a treatment has shown efficacy in the cognitive improvement of persons with this syndrome," said Mara Dierssen, senior author of the study and a researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona.

While significant, she added in a statement, the results should not be interpreted as a "cure".

"But it may be a tool to improve these individuals' quality of life."

Experts not involved in the study described it as "exciting" and "an important piece of work."

At the same time, they cautioned, the findings must be validated in additional trials.

Down's syndrome is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, and afflicts approximately one in 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

Also known as trisomy 21, the condition is caused by the presence of an extra, or third, copy of chromosome number 21.

Humans normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, which together contain up to 25,000 protein-coding genes.

In Down's syndrome, the extra copy causes some of the genes in chromosome 21 to be "over-expressed", leading to reduced cognitive abilities and other health problems.

In earlier experiments with mice designed to mimic Down's, Dierssen had shown that inhibiting one of these genes, DYRK1A, improved function and development in the brain.

- 'A leap forward' -

But the technique used -- gene therapy -- was not an option for humans, so the researchers turned to the green tea compound.

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In the trials, 84 young adults with Down's syndrome were split into two groups.

One was given a decaffeinated green tea supplement containing 45 percent epigallocatechin gallate, along with weekly online cognitive training.

The second group had the same training, but ingested a look-alike placebo instead of the supplement.

The subjects took cognitive tests after three, six and 12 months.

There was little-to-no change in most categories, but in a few -- the ability to remember patterns, verbal recall, adaptive behaviour -- the "green tea" group scored significantly better.

Moreover, they improved over time.

"It's exciting that an understanding of the genetic neurobiology of Down's syndrome is leading to the possibility of disorder-specific treatments," said David Nutt, head of the Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, in commenting on the study.

Marie-Claude Potier, a Down's specialist at the Brain and Spine Institute in Paris, said the results were a "leap forward," but that safety and efficacy need to be confirmed.

Still genetics is not everything, cautioned another pair of researchers, even as they recognised the importance of the new study.

"We can no longer afford to view someone with Down's syndrome solely through the lens of trisomy 21," noted Fabian Fernandez and Jamie Edgin of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Arizona in a commentary.

It is equally important to "understand each individual in light of their larger genetic and environmental background," as well as other health problems and access to education, they wrote in The Lancet Neurology.
The Humans won the Best Play award and Shuffle Along took the top musical prize at the 61st Drama Desk Awards, which were unveiled last night at the Town Hall with Michael Urie serving as host. The final major award before Sundays Tony Awards did not feature record-setting Tony nominee Hamilton, which was up for Drama Desk honors last year when it was off-Broadway.

The wins mirrored the New York Drama Critics Circle honors last month for Stephen Karams The Humans and Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, also minus Hamilton. The Humans has six Tony nominations and Shuffle Along has 10.

Among revivals, Arthur Millers A View From The Bridge and She Loves Me won for play and musical, respectively.

Here is the full list of winners:

Outstanding Play

The Humans, Roundabout Theatre Company

Outstanding Musical

Shuffle Along

Outstanding Revival of a Play

A View from the Bridge

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

She Loves Me, Roundabout Theatre Company

Outstanding Actor in a Play

Frank Langella, The Father, Manhattan Theatre Club

Outstanding Actress in a Play

Jessica Lange, Long Days Journey Into Night

Outstanding Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof

Outstanding Actress in a Musical

Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

Michael Shannon, Long Days Journey Into Night

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play

Saycon Sengbloh, Eclipsed, Public Theater

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

Christopher Fitzgerald, Waitress

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

Jane Krakowski, She Loves Me

Outstanding Director of a Play

Ivo van Hove, A View from the Bridge

Outstanding Director of a Musical

(tie)

John Doyle, The Color Purple

Bartlett Sher, Fiddler on the Roof

Outstanding Choreography

Savion Glover, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Music

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Bright Star

Outstanding Lyrics

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen

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Outstanding Book of a Musical

John Caird, Daddy Long Legs

Outstanding Orchestrations

Larry Hochman, She Loves Me, Roundabout Theatre Company

Outstanding Music in a Play

Philip Glass, The Crucible

Outstanding Set Design for a Play

Christopher Oram, Hughie

Outstanding Set Design for a Musical

David Rockwell, She Loves Me

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play

Anita Yavich, The Legend of Georgia McBride

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical

Ann Roth, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play

Justin Townsend, The Humans

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical

Justin Townsend, American Psycho

Outstanding Projection Design

Finn Ross, American Psycho

Outstanding Sound Design for a Play

Fitz Patton, The Humans

Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical

Dan Moses Schreier, American Psycho

Outstanding Wig and Hair Design

Mia M. Neal, Shuffle Along

Outstanding Solo Performance

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Fully Committed

Unique Theatrical Experience

That Physics Show

Special Awards

The Humans  Special Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble

Cassie Beck, Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell, Lauren Klein, Arian Moayed, and Sarah Steele spend a very special Thanksgiving Day together in Stephen Karams play, reminding us that home is indeed where The Humans are.

The Royale  Special Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble

The heavyweight cast of McKinley Belcher III, Khris Davis, Montego Glover, John Lavelle, and Clarke Peters gels as a unit in bringing Marco Ramirezs story, inspired by Jack Johnson, to unforgettable life, offering a trenchant statement on racism in America.

Sheldon Harnick  Special Drama Desk Award

New productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Rothschild and Sons, and She Loves Me this season remind us that this veteran lyricists takes on faith, family and community are as resonant as ever.

Camp Broadway  Special Drama Desk Award

For more than 20 years, this indispensable organization has introduced young people to the magic of theater. Camp Broadway plays a crucial role in creating tomorrows audiences.

Danai Gurira  Sam Norkin Award

Whether writing about women in wartime Liberia in Eclipsed or about an affluent immigrant family from Zimbabwe struggling with assimilation in Familiar, Danai Gurira demonstrates great insight, range, and depth, bringing a fresh new voice to American theater.

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Sure, the paychecks are lovely, as is the recognition. But that doesn't mean the role of showrunner is devoid of anxiety and heartache, which became clear when The Hollywood Reporter gathered six of the industry's top drama producers for a candid conversation about working in television in the year 2016.

For Jessica Jones' Melissa Rosenberg, 53, crafting a storyline about an interracial relationship for the first season of her Netflix series landed her on a Nazi hate site. In the case of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story's Nina Jacobson, 50, the very idea of a team of white creatives taking on a racially polarizing case had her in a cold sweat. And for American Crime auteur John Ridley, 50, exploring a male-on-male sexual assault case in the anthology's second season knocked him and the executives at ABC into a panic far outside their comfort zone. On the following pages, the three showrunners - along with Sam Esmail, 38 (Mr. Robot); Julian Fellowes, 66 (Downton Abbey); and Marti Noxon, 51 (UnREAL, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce) - expand on those concerns along with, yes, some of the happy surprises along the way.

Between the six of you, you've touched on powerful, if at times risky, themes including suicide, rape, murder, sexism, classism, addiction and mental illness. As storytellers, when was the last time you were genuinely scared to tell a story?

FELLOWES With that list, I thought you were just talking about Downton. (Laughter.)

ROSENBERG I was dealing with a lot of different issues on Jessica Jones: rape, abortion, interracial relationships, feminism - all this stuff. What made me nervous was how the audience was going to [react]. The one I thought was really going to get the most flak was the abortion story; the one that actually got the most, much to my horror and disappointment, was the interracial relationship.

RIDLEY Really?

ROSENBERG Yeah. I got put on a Nazi hate site. It was terrifying.

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FELLOWES When we did the story where Anna, the maid, was raped, a woman said to me, "There is one thing I don't understand." Now on Downton, we used to repeat last week's show on Sunday afternoon and then show that week's episode in the evening. So she said, "I watched that program on Sunday and then I watched it again on Sunday afternoon the following week and you had re-edited it." I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "Well, you'd taken all the graphic stuff out of the rape." There was no change in the edit at all; it was in her head. She was so horrified by the story that she had actually elaborated it in her brain to something that was almost unacceptable.

JACOBSON I was scared of taking on O.J. overall as a white person, knowing that this is a polarizing case. We made every effort to have an inclusive team, but ultimately you started with a bunch of white people, and we know that the case means different things to different people. That was much scarier to me than, say, what we were talking about with episode six, the "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" episode, taking on issues of feminism and sexism in the workplace.

John, the first season of American Crime dealt more with racial politics, which hit close to home for you. You've said that for your second season, which centered on a case of sexual assault, it was a little harder to find an entry point. How did that impact your storytelling process?

RIDLEY We really wanted to look at the things we didn't talk about in the first season, and there was a lot of conversation [at the time] about sexual assault on campuses, and that's where we started to go. Michael McDonald, the other producer, and I felt like we're going to go into something and have maybe a bit of a predisposition about things or even a distance because we are two guys. We were a little nervous about that but also nervous about, are we yet another male voice going into a subject matter that - I don't want to say better suited to women, as though men or women or black or white can't do things - but are we just one more additional voice in a lot of very adept voices trying to talk about something? And actually we had read a few stories about male peer-to-peer sexual assault, so truly in the eleventh hour I called Michael and said, "Do you think we should go down this road [instead]?" We delayed our pitch to ABC by a couple of days and then we went in. They couldn't wrap their heads around it [at first, but we all felt like] it's happening, so maybe this is something we should be talking about.

FELLOWES I'm sure it was a very good decision, but I don't think writers can be held back by the fact that, I can't deal with rape because I'm not a woman, I can't deal with anti-Semitism because I'm not Jewish, I can't deal with racism because I'm not black. None of us would be able to write anything! And of course you think, "I hope I'm being faithful to this; I hope I'm not being offensive; I hope I've got the right elements of this," but to some extent it's an act of faith when you write. You just have to jump in.

RIDLEY It wasn't just, "Oh, let's not do it because we're guys." It was, if we are going to talk about it and we're going to try to add yet one more voice, could we take that extra two days and say, "Is there something else that's not being talked about or making us even more nervous?" I'm not saying [looking to Jacobson], "Well, I don't want you talking about black people because you're white." Or [to Noxon,] "I don't ever want to see you talk about dudes."

NOXON I only like to write about people with vaginas, so you're safe. (Laughs.)

This came up on last year's roundtable. Empire co-creator Lee Daniels said he finds white people writing for black people offensive. But I wonder whether it goes beyond white people writing for black people to black people writing for white people, men writing for women 

ESMAIL You write what you know, but I think you can also write what you really want to know - if you have a genuine curiosity to know about a culture, a race, an orientation. You get into problems when you don't have a curiosity and it's just, "Oh, we need to have a diverse cast, so let's just make that person black or that person a woman." If that's the way you're treating it, and you don't really have that curiosity about getting into that world, then you will get the comments.

NOXON We also can't write worrying what the internet is going to think. I had this moment I don't know how long ago, when I realized none of the showrunners whom I respect the most are well liked by everybody. And it's because they're not afraid to put stuff out there and make people angry. And when I finally got to a place where I was like, "Maybe I can pretend I don't care," I found my output changed dramatically. You can't live hoping that you're not going to offend people - you should live hoping you are going to offend people because then you're doing something interesting.

What can't you believe you have gotten away with - or haven't - on your shows?

ESMAIL We had a sex scene that the network did talk to me about because it was between two men and it was pretty graphic. My argument to them was, "If this was between a man and a woman, would we be having this conversation?" That was the end of that conversation.

ROSENBERG The beauty of working at Netflix is you don't have limits. But I also work with Marvel, and their brand is generally PG-13, so no f-bombs. And if anyone was going to say f - , it would be Jessica Jones. But what's funny is that people have said: "She didn't say f - ? I could have sworn she did." Because Ritter can deliver a "f - " with her face.

RIDLEY On ABC, you can't say "asshole," but you can say "ass" in any other combination of words. So we have this litany of ass fill-in-the-blanks: ass-can, asshat, ass-  anything.

JACOBSON We get emails from Standards & Practices about language, certainly about the N-word, but we're like, "It's an essential part of the show. It's not gratuitous; it's got to be there." And ultimately, FX was very supportive of it and stood behind us.

ESMAIL We had f-bombs everywhere, and Standards & Practices would say, "You can't say this on air." And I'd say, "OK, we'll drop the audio out" because I knew online and on iTunes we would have it. Eventually, they caught on to that and just started to be more lenient because they knew I would just drop the audio and then throughout the episode they'd have all these audio dropouts. (Laughter.)

ROSENBERG Yeah, I can saw a guy's arm off and have the blood spurting up but I can't say the word "f - ."

Melissa, in crafting a female superhero, were there tropes you actively were trying to avoid?

ROSENBERG We had several rules going in that I felt very strongly about. One, she was never going to play the honey pot, meaning she was never going to put on the tight bandage dress and heels and go seduce the guy she needs information from. That was just never going to happen because it's not in her character to do that, and it was never going to happen because for every single female cop who's ever been on TV that's the go-to. And she was never going to go to the strip club. That got pitched a lot. I'm like, "Yeah, no, we're still not going to the strip club." And then I also didn't feel like I needed to hear the word "bitch."

Nina, you and Melissa have worked on blockbuster film franchises (The Hunger Games and Twilight, respectively), an area in which there are few women in prominent roles. What challenges did you face that you might not have if you were men?

JACOBSON I definitely think it's very different. In general, men can and frequently do fail up, and women can and frequently do succeed down - and you're just aware of the fact that as a girl, you can't screw up. Like one screw-up and you're in jail, whereas there are countless male executives, writers, directors who get so many chances. And the ability to fail is an essential part of creativity. You look at the world of startups and Silicon Valley, and all of the most successful people have countless failures, and that's not held against you. As a woman [in Hollywood,] you always feel like you make that one mistake and you're done, or maybe you don't even make that mistake and suddenly you're done anyway. And there isn't a female equivalent of that guy [for whom] you're like, "How does that person have that job still?" or, "How does that person get hired over and over again?"

Have there been points during your careers when you felt pigeonholed? And to that end, have there been types of projects that you aren't entrusted with that you feel you'd be more than capable of executing?

RIDLEY Everything. (Laughter.) Among the things that infuriate me is, with respect to white dudes, seeing a white dude coming out of Sundance with an OK film and getting handed a multimillion-dollar franchise - you don't see [that] with women; you don't see it with people of color. There are certainly mornings where I wake up and go: "You know what, I'm doing things I love and that I have an immense amount of control over. Why walk into the $200 million franchise where you know you're going to have to put up with things that are going be very hard?" But there are other days where I wake up and go: "I've got kids who are 12 and 16. They deserve to see even a little bit of my perspective injected in here in some mild indoctrination."

Read more: Showrunner Roundtable: 12 A-List Writers Dish About Lesbian Weddings, Race and Why "Black People Don't Get to Write for White People"

NOXON There's also this attitude that is very corporate, which is, "Well, we have a woman directing a film on our slate of 30, and we have John Ridley - he's doing this show that's very topical, so we're covered." How many times have I heard: "Oh, you're doing that lady movie. We've got that one."

ROSENBERG Or have you gotten the one where your agent goes to put you up for a job, and they say, "We already have a woman"?

NOXON Oh yeah.

FELLOWES But I think if you get anywhere in this game, it's usually because you've got one thing that you're known for and you do quite well. And then you become the go-to person for that particular kind of job, and then you do more and more of it, and of course you start to think, "Why can't I do a superhero movie?" For me, I was asked to do School of Rock [on Broadway], which seemed about as unlikely as anything you could imagine. And it was thrilling because you just think, "Who in the world would think I would be the guy to go to for School of Rock?" But that's a battle for any screenwriter or any actor who has gotten anywhere by being known for one thing.

Several of you worked on first-season shows that came on under the radar and then exploded. Knowing that you won't have the benefit of low expectations for season two, how is your process impacted?

ROSENBERG It seems to me the way to approach a second season after a first one has done very well is to not try to imitate it.

FELLOWES For exactly that reason when we decided to have a go at doing a period drama - and the thinking at that time was that period drama was dead - we deliberately started it in 1912 because if it did have any legs it meant the second [season] would be in the First World War and the third [season] would be at the beginning of the '20s. So they were all completely distinct. But having said that, at the end of the first [season], there's a scene when the war is announced, which could be the last - if it was never recommissioned. Because the one thing people forget is that you don't know if it's been a success until all of the filming is over and the editing is over. You're just like a Spartan mother exposing your child on Mount Taygetus to see if it can sustain itself in the weather.

Nina, in your case, you've opted to go in a very different direction for American Crime Story's second season, focusing not on a high-profile murder trial but rather on Hurricane Katrina. How did you come to that decision, and do you have any hesitations about the choice now that you've seen how well a celebrity murder trial played?

JACOBSON O.J. is a singular case that is unlike anything else, so it's not like there are a bunch of other stories just like that. The idea is that each of these seasons will be a crime in which the America that we think of ourselves as, or want to see ourselves as, and the America we see in the mirror at that moment are at odds. So, it is a different definition of an American crime than a case or a trial, but we wanted to go to something very different and very bold but keep that thematic focus on this portrait of America as seen through these watershed moments that are crimes, defined one way or the other.

Julian, in your case, there has been a lot of chatter about continuing with Downton by doing a movie. Are you writing the alleged movie?

FELLOWES If the alleged movie comes to pass, I will allegedly write it. (Laughs.) I'd like to do a movie. I think it would be fun, with a bigger canvas and broader strokes and all that. But we don't make those decisions. We just sit like Oliver Twist with this bowl.

Read more: 'Mr. Robot' Creator Details the Sex Scene He Battled to Get on Air

Do you have ideas about what it would look like?

FELLOWES Yes, only because I don't want to be in the position where they say, "OK, it's a go, but can we have it in four weeks?" I want to know slightly what I'm going to do.

What are your best stories about the casting process on your series, be they the biggest challenges or the happy surprises?

JACOBSON Casting with Ryan Murphy as your partner is unlike anything I've ever experienced. For one, so many actors really want to work with him and know that he does right by them. But then he also is able to get the studio and the network to pay for all of them. Usually you get like, "Oh, you got that one great person - you're good; now just cast the rest of the show." We kept thinking at some point they're going to say, "That's enough with the first-on-the-call-sheet types." But the character that was hard to cast was Chris Darden because there were a lot of black dudes who were like: "No way - I'm not playin' that guy. I hate him." Not to mention the fact that you had to get somebody who could on one hand be charismatic and sexy enough that you were rooting for him and that you really cared about him but on the other hand let himself be bowled over by Johnnie Cochran. A lot of actors would walk in and couldn't do it: They were either so charismatic and alpha that they couldn't be the guy who got overwhelmed, or they were so beta they couldn't be the guy you rooted for.

FELLOWES In Britain, you come up against a lot of snobbery about actors, and if they've been in a soap opera, if they've been in this, been in that, it's, "Oh no, we don't want to have them." And they're perfect, so then you have to go to war.

ROSENBERG I knew casting Jessica Jones was always going to be a huge challenge. The reason for that, among other things, is that you have to believe she can kick ass. So some teeny little thing with teeny arms is not going to do it. And then she also has to be a great dramatic actress, and she has to be able to deliver a dry line. There are a lot of actresses whose dramatic chops are fantastic, but, man, the comedy goes to die with them. [Krysten] Ritter was always very close to the top of the list because I knew she could at least deliver a dry line. And then I saw her run in Breaking Bad and I'm like, "Oh, she's a dramatic actress and she's phenomenal."

ESMAIL Rami [Malek, who stars as Elliot on Mr. Robot] was a nervous wreck - he was shaking. He literally said the script breeds anxiety, and it was nerve-racking [to watch]. I was like, "I don't know, is he going to get through this audition?" And by that point we had seen maybe 100 guys, and it was not right. It was the "f - society" speech, and it felt didactic, and I was like: "This is terrible. We've got to call USA and cancel this because this is not good." But then Rami just did it. I [still] don't know if that was all part of the character. The other thing I'll say is, in particular with TV, you don't want to cast an asshole, as good as they might be.

And yet I imagine every person at this table at one point has cast an asshole.

RIDLEY Oh yeah. (Laughs.)

FELLOWES And even if you haven't cast an asshole, some of them turn into assholes.

NOXON It's probably apocryphal, but there was a story that was told that Steven Bochco had a death scene for each of his characters on all of his shows, and if one of the actors started to really become problematic in a way that was destructive to the show, he'd just call them up, pull it out and hand it to them and say, "Read that." I've always thought about that.

A few of you have memorably killed off characters. Do you panic about how the audience will react?

FELLOWES The death of Matthew goes down as one of the great television crimes of our day. (Laughs.)

ROSENBERG I'll never forgive you for that.

FELLOWES Of course, the lovely thing is that the audience believes in the show to such an extent that they assume a character only dies because you've decided to kill them - not because the actor [Dan Stevens] is desperate to get off and do a show on Broadway, which was the real truth.

I imagine you have found yourselves inspired by other television shows at points in your lives or your process. Anyone have one?

NOXON Hill Street Blues. I went back and watched it for a project that I was doing and God, that pilot is incredible. NYPD Blue, too. I want to do a police drama at some point.

ESMAIL For me, The Twilight Zone. It just made you lean into the TV as you were watching. It's the very definition of, "I want to know what happens next," and that excited me.

FELLOWES For me, television is getting involved with the characters. It isn't enough for me to have a new story every week, like a small movie. I like movies, but there's something about the extended narrative [that TV offers.] In the days of ER and The West Wing, they rediscovered that you can have a relationship with television characters that you don't have in the cinema. And often they're more grown-up [stories], and you get strong women in television far more often than in film.

NOXON Although I would say most of [West Wing creator Aaron] Sorkin's gender politics are pretty retrograde. I have a real problem with his gender stuff.

RIDLEY But other than that, the shows were terrific.

NOXON No, he's brilliant. Brilliant. I went on a rant about this to a friend [because] I have a whole thing about The Newsroom. I do the impressions and everything. And I did this for my friend because she had mentioned that she knows him and maybe we could go to dinner, and I went through this whole thing and at the end she went, "Oh my God, he'd love you." (Laughter.) Which is a scene out of The Newsroom.

Which character do each of you most identify with on your respective shows?

ESMAIL Elliot, in every way. He's a thinly veiled version of myself. I wrote what I knew because a lot of the details of his life and the loneliness were issues I've dealt with basically my whole life. I know, poor me.

NOXON I was gonna say Mary [on UnREAL], who went off the roof. (Laughs.)

FELLOWES I think there are bits of us in all the characters we write, particularly as we put them into predicaments where we've often lived through something fairly similar.

If each of you were to turn the cameras on yourself and do an autobiographical series, what would be the logline or working title?

ESMAIL Mr. Robot. (Laughs.)

NOXON I'm a little bit like Sam. It's called Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce. That's pretty ripped from the headlines. (Laughs.)

RIDLEY It would be about a 50-year-old black dude writing in Hollywood. Titles are not my forte. Ironically, you know what the original title of American Crime was that I went and pitched to the network?

NOXON American Crime Story?

RIDLEY No, it was called The People Vs. They said: "That's too arcane. How about American Crime?" These two shows cannot get away from each other.

ROSENBERG The content of mine would be about failure - I've gotten fired more than all of you put together. If I were a white dude, I'd probably have failed a fraction as many times before I hit it big.

FELLOWES I'd call mine Uphill. I was 50 before anything happened.

JACOBSON I'd probably go with There's Gotta Be a Pony in Here Somewhere.

This story first appeared in a special Emmy issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / EDCI Holdings, Inc. (EDCI) (the "Company" or "EDCI"), today announced that the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the Superior Court of Maricopa County in regards to the indemnity claim from the City of Phoenix against one of the Company's subsidiaries. The Superior Court dismissed the claim because it was not brought within the eight-year period of repose.

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EDCI reminds its stockholders that effective January 25, 2013, EDCI has closed its transfer books. Since that time, certificates representing shares of our Common Stock are not assignable or transferable on the Company's books except by will, intestate succession or operation of law, and the Company will not issue any new stock certificates, other than replacement certificates. Transactions effected on the Pink Sheets or otherwise are not, accordingly, legally transfers of EDCI stock. Reference to the EDCI Pink Sheet trading ticker in this press release has been made in an effort to ensure the press release is made available on a website that the owners of EDCI stock as of January 25, 2013 have previously used to access updates on EDCI. EDCI is not otherwise undertaking to make any future information available, whether pursuant to any Pink Sheets / OTC Markets / or other disclosure standards.

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Overview of the program (Photo: tgvn.vn)



The event drew the participation of 80 diplomats from embassies of the countries and representative offices of foreign organizations in Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung warmly welcomed the diplomats attending the program. He also expected that the program would help the diplomats supplement their knowledge about the history, culture and development path of Vietnam.

"The program will provide information about the foreign policy of Vietnam, benefit issues that Vietnam and other countries pursue. We are also willing to listen to and receive the sharing of diplomats on issues they are interested in, so that the program really serves your practical needs," said Mr. Le Hoai Trung.

He also stressed that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have always devoted special attention and are willing to help diplomats of countries and international organizations in Vietnam to fulfil their mission during their tenures.

On this occasion, Mr. Pham Sanh Chau, Head of the Department of External Culture and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoped that at the event, foreign diplomats also introduce themselves and their countries, building a network to work together and to promote friendship and cooperation between their countries and Vietnam and between countries.

"This is an exciting initiative in many aspects, shortening the process of learning about Vietnam for the diplomats," stressed Mr. Pham Sanh Chau.

On behalf of the diplomats attending the program, Moroccan Ambassador El Houcine Fadarni, Head of the diplomatic corps, thanked Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs for organization of a significant annual event, providing the interesting and orthodox necessary information about Vietnam, which helps diplomats more confidently conduct their work and be more engaged with Vietnam. He shared that, besides sessions about knowledge, new diplomats to Vietnam should also actively participate in events organized by Vietnam to further enhance understanding of Vietnam through practice.

After participating in the five presentations of the program, the delegates also visited the Vietnam National Museum of History, which stores, displays and introduces Vietnam's history in the most integrated, richest, continuous and comprehensive manner.

The first program Learning about Vietnam session was organized in May 2015 and attracted the attention, support and high appreciation of diplomatic missions and international organizations in Vietnam./.
Jane Sanders picks me up at the Burlington, Vt. airport in her light green 2011 Subaru Forester with a Bernie 2016 sticker in the window and a childs booster seat in the back. No entourage, no driver, no hint that the wife of a presidential candidate is at the wheel.

Im still allowed, she says happily, adding that the Secret Service wont let Bernie drive anymore.

After apologizing for being late (although she really isnt) she asks if I mind if we stop by Staples to return the printer cartridges she bought in the wrong size. I use up ink so fast, she says. I just want to print in black and white but I keep using up the color, even in draft mode

I wonder for a moment if Melania Trump or Bill Clinton change their own ink cartridges. Or do their own printing. Or pick up reporters from the airport and then apologize.

Sanders and I first met early last fall, when her husbands campaign for the Democratic nomination was heating up. Ive come to Burlington to talk again, to take stock of the then vs. now, as that same campaign may or may not be coming to a close. Bernie is still barnstorming in delegate-rich California, where polls show him in a tight race with Hillary Clinton, and where he is hoping that somehow a landslide will help him make his increasingly unlikely case for the nomination. Jane has taken a break from the trail for a few days to come home, nurse a cold, see her grandchildren, and give me a tour of the place that launched this unpredictable run in the first place.

The printer cartridge exchanged (of course the new one is more expensive) we drive through the city that both native New Yorkers call home, the one that gave Bernie 92 percent of the vote during the Vermont primary. We pass the site of an old oilfield that Bernie helped convert into a waterfront park when he was mayor, and that became the place where her son was married and her husband announced he would run for president. A tour guide behind the wheel, Jane points out the site of Bernies Senate office, and his presidential campaign office, and his former congressional office all within blocks of his former office in City Hall.

Story continues

Everywhere you look theres something that her husband fixed, or changed or envisioned, she says. Being here seems to energize her, a last deep breath and squaring of shoulders before she heads back across the country for the next round in the bruising battle that this campaign season has become.

*****

Hows your baby? Jane asks Jacquelyn Ralph Perron, the one-woman hair-and-makeup operation at the Polaris Mediaworks location that serves as a remote site for many of Janes local TV appearances.

His first birthday party was this weekend, she answers. We had a Where the Wild Things Are theme.

Jane is here so often that Perron knows exactly what kind of minimal makeup meets with Janes less-is-enough preferences, and Jane has basically watched Jackies 1-year-old son grow up in near weekly increments. At first reluctant to speak for the campaign (I thought, Im the wife, who the heck cares), Jane has grown into one of her husbands most vocal and popular surrogates (though lets admit it, Susan Sarandon draws bigger crowds).

Thats one thing thats changed from when we first met, she says as Perron applies a little lip color. I looked around and saw that other campaigns had more people out there spreading the word, and I realized that if I wanted that for Bernie I would have to be one of those.

CNN is playing on the green-room screen  a mix of Donald Trump berating the press for asking about his donations to veterans groups, and outrage over the shooting of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. When bizarro worlds collide, and Trump is asked about the ape, Jane is unexpectedly sympathetic. Reporters ask, so he has to answer, she says. Then they can make it seem like thats all he wants to talk about.

As she waits for a microphone to be clipped to the colorful tropical-bird-themed shirt that she bought on a campaign trip to Puerto Rico ahead of the June 5 primary there, she worries briefly that Wolf Blitzer might actually ask her about gorillas too. But instead most of their conversation is about another topic that frustrates her  the math of the nomination. Can her husband possibly win a large enough percentage of the June 7 vote to overcome Hillary Clintons delegate lead?

In response, she takes CNN to task for including superdelegates in their tally.

I think CNN and MSNBC should listen to the communications director of the DNC when she says dont count those superdelegates before they vote, she says. Yes, hes 272 pledged delegates behind Secretary Clinton, and it is a steep climb, but the fact is hes won a number of races, a number of elections, by large margins, and if he somehow does that well in California, he could lead in the pledged delegate count.

If thats the case, she argues, superdelegates might change their votes. Its tough, but its doable, she insists. You dont quit before the final vote is counted.

The segment ends, but she waits to have an unaired word with Blitzer. Dont include those superdelegates and pronounce her the nominee immediately after New Jersey closes she warns  meaning three hours before voting ends in California on Tuesday. Dont count those superdelegates until they actually vote on July 25.

*****

We stop for lunch at Sweetwaters, a restaurant across from the pedestrian mall that Mayor Sanders helped create in the middle of town, a spot not far from the church where Jane first heard him speak during his first campaign and almost instantly fell in love.

Jane and Bernie often came here for late dinners after City Council meetings during the early years of their marriage, and there is a small cartoon version of his face tucked amid the elaborate mural at the entrance, which otherwise consists mostly of naked Grecian-looking young men.

We are still on the subject of superdelegates.

I knew nothing about the Democratic primary process at the start of this campaign, she admits, since both she and her husband are both Independents. It has been a real education. And we need to reform that electoral process, not from a self-centered point of view, but for the future. If it were a self-centered view, we would have been complaining all along, were just taking notes.

Not complaining? I ask. Isnt all this dont count the superdelegates yet actually complaining?

No, she says. Its just clarifying the larger existential reason for those delegates in the first place.

The purpose of the superdelegates is supposedly to make sure the right person gets the nomination, she says. Her husband disagrees that such a mechanism should exist, and if he were designing the rules they would not, but since they do, she argues, they should be permitted to actually do that job. They are the insurance policy, she says. And our question is: Are they the insurance policy for the establishment candidate or are they the insurance policy for the Democratic Party.

She cites the many polls that show Bernie Sanders having more of a lead over Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton has, then says she is tired of having to argue this viability question at all.

Virtually every interview from a year ago until today has as the question or the intimation, but you really cant win, and its more of a scorecard that theyre interested in rather than why hes running and what he wants to accomplish, she says.

When pressed, she concedes that voters do in fact know where Bernie stands on his key issues  for a single-payer health care system, a higher minimum wage, less gun control than Clinton and more regulation of Wall Street. But she credits social media for getting that message out, because the mainstream press was too busy covering Donald Trump.

I think the press deserves responsibility for giving Trump the nomination, especially the TV press, she says. Rally after rally of his was covered beginning to end, while everyone else got a snippet of time. Then Marco Rubio said one outlandish thing and his next four rallies were also covered live. Anyone trying to talk about issues never got any coverage. I think this is a real comment on our democracy.

I reviewed the notes from our first interview this past fall, I tell her, and was surprised to see we didnt mention Donald Trump at all. This isnt the campaign anyone expected, she says, adding she thought the Republican nominee would be Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio. Lindsey Grahams a smart guy, I would have thought hed have done better. I thought the brash one would have been Chris Christie. And I never would have thought it would have gotten this ugly. But you never get the campaign you expect.

I suggest that the ugliness of supporters, the name-calling and online trolling, is not limited to Donald Trumps campaign. Arent both Sanders and Trump tapping into similar wellsprings of dissatisfaction, turning over the same rock and exposing some very angry people beneath?

In some ways, yes, she agrees. Trump looks like he just tells it like it is. Bernie also tells it like it is. I think people are sick and tired of the poll-tested, canned politicians and both Trump and Bernie offer something completely different. But you need to get past that and get to the issues and then you see a real distinction between our supporters.

She goes on to reject the worst of the so-called Bernie Bro behavior, with its implicit misogyny directed at Clinton. Our campaign has always been and will always be about a vision for the future, she says. It has been about solutions, not about tearing apart people. We fight back against people who say hateful things supposedly on our behalf. Our social media people were No, this isnt us; no, thats not the way.

I tell her that I put a message up on my Facebook page asking what questions I should ask the Sanders and that the overwhelming majority of responses were from readers who fear that Bernie is effectively handing the race to Trump by hanging on. By continuing to criticize Clinton, and by feeding the Bros, their logic went, Sanders makes it ever more difficult for the party to unite before the general election.

Jane disagrees. I think that weve been very clear that well do anything to oppose Donald Trump, to beat Donald Trump, she says. That is a very necessary goal.

Should he not get the nomination, might another goal be some role in a potential Hillary Clinton administration?

Right now he is just focused on winning the election, she says.

Maybe secretary of education? Or secretary of labor?

She smiles for just a moment, then deadpans: Maybe you can join in on the conversations after  but doesnt finish the thought.

*****

Back at the wheel, Jane is talking about what happens after November. Her husband does not take his talk of a revolution lightly, she says, and win or lose he and his circle intend to use the clout from this campaign to keep pushing their ideas. That means marshaling the lists and infrastructure built during the past year into some sort of organized change.

Its not just about winning the presidency, its about changing our country to have it be what we all want it to be and know it can be, she says. As president, hed want an outside, really organized group of people helping support him, moving it in the direction of the issues that hes talked about. And if hes not the nominee, it will be him leading that group, leading that transformation.

Shes been spending some time noodling on the details of such a group  something like MoveOn or Organizing for Action, but with a Sanders-issues focus. Its something Ive thought about and will be able to bring to him at a future moment, not in the middle of a campaign. This is something we will move on regardless of the outcome of this election, and I will definitely be involved in that.

As she drives, the landscape becomes more suburban, and soon we pull into the driveway of a cream-clapboard colonial on a quiet residential street. There is a fulltime Secret Service detail guarding the place, and they are confused because Jane forgot to tell them she was expecting a reporter and a camera crew.

Once we are cleared, she ushers us into exactly the house so many doting grandparents have. There are photos of the Sanders five children and seven grandchildren on all the walls, a clutter of knickknacks on all the shelves, and piles of mail, magazines and the stuff of daily life everywhere else. (Later, Jane will text me to ask if I remember where she put her keys when she came home because she couldnt find them. I didnt.)

In the room adjacent to the kitchen the floor is covered with grandchildrens toys  drums, a keyboard, things that make noise that their parents prefer stay here rather than come home. (No, her 2016 taxes arent anywhere in this clutter, she says. They havent been released because they just havent been finished yet  the couples accountant filed for an extension until October.)

In the dining room, she moves a miniature Nativity scene out of view. Weve hardly been home since Christmas, she says by way of explanation. Nearby is an antique sculpture of Don Quixote, which she asks that I not write about as a metaphor. And hanging on the walls nearby are several framed prints heavy with symbolism  all scenes from the White House. They are prints commissioned and sent as Christmas cards every year of the Clinton presidency  and they bear the signatures of both Hillary and Bill Clinton. Which means Jane and Bernie Sanders sit in their dining room and gaze at greetings from the Clintons.

I guess maybe we should do something else with those, she says. Then she explains proudly that they were among the first thing that her daughter, now a professional woodworker, custom-framed by hand, and you get the sense they arent going anywhere.

A Secret Service agent tells her that her husband has been trying to reach her. She turned off her phone during her TV interview earlier and during all the time weve been talking hasnt glanced at it once. A scroll through her messages shows that she also has two radio interviews scheduled within minutes, so we say our quick goodbyes and I grab a ride back to the airport with my camera crew.

I am halfway down the driveway when she calls out with one last thought, one she seems to have been mulling for several hours.

Those people on Facebook who are afraid were giving the election to Trump? she says, tell them not to worry. We always said we would do whatever is necessary to defeat him. I have no doubt well be able to do that, no matter whos the nominee.
(Adds comments from Engie Brasil CEO)

By Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 6 (Reuters) - The Brazilian unit of French utility company Engie SA is looking to sell its natural gas blocks in Brazil's Bahia and Maranhao states as part of a global strategy to focus on renewable energy resources, the division's chief executive said on Monday.

Engie Brazil CEO Mauricio Bahr, speaking at an event in Rio de Janeiro, also said the company has no interest in bidding for the thermoelectric power plants or liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals put on sale by Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, commonly known as Petrobras.

"We've started a movement to not invest in technology that emits CO2, even though gas emits with a smaller impact," Bahr said. "We are going to invest 100 percent in renewable energy, like hydro, solar and wind."

To that end, Engie will gradually sell off its exploration and production assets worldwide, he said.

"The blocks in Brazil are part of this global action," Bahr added. He did not say how long the divestment plan would take.

He also said Petrobras' dominance of the Brazilian energy industry as well as the lack of legislation allowing full access to the country's gas system limits potential buyer interest in the natural gas assets the state-owned oil company is selling.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier, writing by Jeb Blount, editing by G Crosse)
Chantilly (France) (AFP) - England manager Roy Hodgson and his 23-man squad arrived at their Euro 2016 hotel in Chantilly, north of Paris, on Monday, having earlier landed at Le Bourget airport.

Amid great pomp and beneath hazy sunshine, the team bus was led down a cobbled street to the entrance of the luxury Auberge du Jeu de Paume hotel by five horsewomen.

To a musical backdrop provided by a three-strong brass band dressed in red hunting uniforms, Hodgson was the first to alight outside the hotel, which is a stone's throw from the picturesque Chateau de Chantilly and Chantilly Hippodrome.

The rest of the England contingent followed, led by captain Wayne Rooney.

Clad in dark blue suits, they shook hands with Chantilly 's mayor, Eric Woerth, as well as the daughter of the Aga Khan, who owns the hotel.

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, hotly linked with a move to Arsenal, cast a brief glance towards the banks of photographers to his left as he entered the building.

Around 50 members of the press and a similar number of onlookers were present, as well as several French gendarmes and military policeman, some carrying guns.

Some hotel employees could also be seen peering down at the scene below from the building's third-storey windows.

Hodgson had earlier told the UEFA website: "It's what we've been looking forward to for such a long time. We qualified quite early so we've had our minds on this moment for a long time and it's just great to be here.

"It will be a very good tournament with a lot of good teams taking part. We are relaxed and we think we are in decent form and just hoping we can show that on the field."

England are due to stage a fully open training session at their nearby Stade des Bourgognes training base on Tuesday, when local schoolchildren will be invited to attend.

Hodgson's men open their campaign against Russia in Marseille on Saturday and will also face neighbours Wales and Slovakia in Group B.
(Updates with quote, details)

CAPE TOWN, June 6 (Reuters) - Equatorial Guinea's energy minister on Monday said Schlumberger had walked away from the country's Fortuna floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project but he also said he was confident it would be successful.

Fortuna, Africa's first deep-water independent floating liquefied natural gas project, is one of a number planned when energy prices were higher. The offshore field is expected to produce 2.2 million tonnes per annum.

Oil and gas explorer Ophir Energy in April said it had ended talks with Schlumberger over the U.S. company's upstream participation in Fortuna.

Energy minister Obiang Lima said he was confident the project would go ahead and be successful, with Equatorial Guinea taking an equity stake via its state-owned companies.

"Some people were a little bit hesitant after Schlumberger left but the problem with Schlumberger is that they wanted to monopolise everything and we don't want that," Lima told Reuters on the sidelines of an oil and gas conference in Cape Town.

"Some people thought they left because the project was not profitable. That is not the case - it was because they wanted to do everything and we cannot allow one service company to do everything," he said.

Schlumberger was not immediately available to comment.

Ophir said it was talking to a range of equity investors, as well as gas buyers, to help to finance the project.

"We've done all the work in a very difficult environment to deliver a very investable project, (including) bringing down the capital costs of first gas by half to what they were 12 months ago, to $450 million, which is huge," Bill Higgs, Ophir's chief operating officer, said.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Ed Stoddard and Jane Merriman)
By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO, June 5 (Reuters) - Estacio Participacoes SA has gone from being predator to prey, as a recent share slump left Brazil's No. 2 for-profit college operator vulnerable to a flurry of unsolicited takeover bids from larger and smaller rivals alike.

Rio de Janeiro-based Estacio received a second takeover offer in four days on Sunday, when Ser Educacional SA placed a non-binding merger bid. Kroton Educacional SA had made a preliminary all-stock deal valued at 3.37 billion reais ($956 million) on Thursday.

Estacio, the byproduct of a series of acquisitions in recent years, said in a securities filing on Sunday that a three-member committee had been appointed to analyze both bids and, if necessary, make a counteroffer to "maximize shareholder value".

Slowing revenue growth drove Estacio's stock down 21 percent in the year through Wednesday, the day before Kroton's bid was announced. By contrast, profit resilience has helped bolster the shares of Kroton and Ser Educacional, which gained 18 percent and 51 percent, respectively, in the same period.

The proposals are setting the stage for what may become the largest hostile takeover in Brazil's fast-growing education sector. Interest for Estacio underpins the strength of for-profit college operators even as a two-year recession stoked student delinquencies and led the government to cut student loan subsidies.

Both offers, however, face tough antitrust scrutiny, as a prior round of takeovers left market leader Kroton with twice as many students as Estacio, and a likely rejection from Estacio shareholders. Shares of Estacio are up 36 percent since Thursday, suggesting investors expect suitors to sweeten offers.

"Disclosing a potential takeover like this without properly preparing the ground, like more structured terms, for instance, creates uncertainties and leaves room for defensive moves by Estacio," Victor Schabbel, an analyst with Credit Suisse Securities, said of the Kroton offer.

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In a separate filing, Ser Educational offered to pay Estacio shareholders a one-time dividend worth 590 million reais. Kroton has yet to present a formal, non-binding offer.

The battle for Estacio is also pitting Brazil's top banks and law firms against one another.

The investment-banking arms of Itau Unibanco Holding SA and Credit Suisse Group AG are advising Kroton and Ser Educational on their unsolicited proposals. Grupo BTG Pactual SA, Brazil's No. 1 independent investment bank, is Estacio's advisor.

Executives at Ser Educacional, based in the Brazilian northeastern city of Recife, will detail the Estacio offer to investors at a Monday conference call.

($1 = 3.5268 Brazilian reais) (Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Additional reporting by Jeb Blount in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
* Glyphosate widely used in farming and gardening

* Licence for glyphosate expires on June 30

* EU executive may now appeal lack of decision (Adds Monsanto comments and market impact from analyst)

By Alissa de Carbonnel

BRUSSELS, June 6 (Reuters) - EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate's use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto's Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month.

Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the centre of a dispute among EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers. Citizen and environmental groups have urged governments to exercise caution.

The EU executive had offered a 12- to 18-month extension to allow time for further scientific study by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), in hopes of allaying health concerns. Its earlier proposal to renew the glyphosate licence for up to 15 years had failed to win support in two meetings this year.

The compromise proposal failed to win the qualified majority needed for adoption, an EU official said, adding the European Commission will discuss the issue at a meeting on Tuesday.

Seven member states abstained and 20 backed the proposal, a German environment ministry spokeswoman said. Only Malta voted against, diplomats said.

Without a majority decision that meets the required percentage of total EU population, the EU executive may submit its proposal to an appeal committee of political representatives of the 28 member states within a month. If there is again no decision, the European Commission may adopt its own proposal.

Monsanto on Monday defended the safety of its widely used herbicide, and said glyphosate's license should be renewed for the full 15 years.

"Further delays in this process represent a significant deviation from the EU regulatory framework and set a concerning precedent for other active substances," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice president of global regulatory and government affairs, said in a statement.

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Monsanto has not ruled out a legal appeal if approval lapses after June 30, requiring a six-month phase-out of glyphosate-containing products. The industry lobby has criticised the regulatory uncertainty.

The controversy hangs over German chemicals group Bayer's $62 billion offer in May to buy U.S. seeds company Monsanto. Germany was among states which abstained on Monday and has opposed Monsanto's genetically modified seeds.

Glyphosate use is key for Monsanto in the United States and Brazil, where the U.S. company depends on sales of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that can resist the widely used weed killer.

In Europe, sale and use of such seeds faces strong opposition and plays virtually no role in commercial farming. But an EU refusal of a new glyphosate licence could signal stricter regulation of the broader agricultural chemicals industry.

It would also hit Monsanto's bottom line: If the EU were to halt glyphosate sales, the company could see earnings reduced by up to $100 million as its premium branded Roundup product is diverted to the generic market, said Bernstein senior analyst Jonas Oxgaard.

SMELLING GAS

Quashing the licenses in Europe might further embolden glyphosate foes elsewhere.

"With this decision all they do is cast doubt ... and create fear and confusion amongst Europe's consumers," Graeme Taylor of the European Crop Protection Association said.

Environmental and citizen campaign groups have called for an EU-wide ban in the absence of scientific certainty.

"Extending the glyphosate licence would be like smelling gas and refusing to evacuate to check for a leak," Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said in a statement.

The prospect of a European ban could complicate EU-U.S. trade talks.

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said in May glyphosate was unlikely to pose a risk to people exposed to it through food.

The finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, but runs counter to a March 2015 study by the WHO's Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

That agency said the chemical was probably able to cause cancer and classified it as a 'Group 2A' carcinogen. It assessed whether the substance can cause cancer in any way - regardless of real-life conditions on typical levels of human exposure or consumption.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin and Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt. Additional reporting by P.J. Huffstutter and Karl Plume in Chicago. Editing by Adrian Croft and David Gregorio)
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Commission is confident that Greece will conclude the reforms needed to unlock bailout funds before next week's meeting of euro zone finance ministers, top officials said on Monday.

Greece and its international lenders wrapped up the bulk of reforms needed for badly needed bailout cash in May, but left some loose ends which must be tied up before Athens can receive instalments of 10.3 billion euros ($11.48 billion) by September.

"The Greek authorities have done 95 per cent of changes necessary but not all is finalised. Some changes have to be made in the coming hours," Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg.

"I am confident Athens will use the time before the Eurogroup to finalise the limited issues that are still open," Moscovici added, saying that a disbursement of a first tranche of 7.5 billion euros could be decided as early as next week and be made this month.

Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said one of the conditions was the setting-up of an independent agency to collect tax revenue. Euro zone finance ministers will discuss the finalization of the Greek deal in a regular meeting in Luxembourg on June 16.

To qualify for the funds, Greek lawmakers reluctantly approved tax rises and pension reforms, freed up the sale of bad loans weighing on banks' balance sheets and promised to expedite privatisations.

But Greece must also legislate a series of extra actions which the leftist-led government is resisting due to growing dissent at home after six years of belt-tightening. Another of the measures is phasing out a top-up benefit to pensioners.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
At the talks (Photo: VNA)

The activity was part of Indian Minister of National Defence Manohar Parrikas first visit to Vietnam on his post, on June 5-8, at the invitation of General Ngo Xuan Lich, Politburo member and Vietnamese National Defence Minister.

After the reception, the two sides had talks in which Minister Manohar Parrika confirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of India in the region, adding that India wanted to further develop friendly and cooperative relations with Vietnam, for the benefits of the two peoples.

Minister Xuan Lich stressed that India is both a close friend and an important partner of Vietnam. Vietnam always prioritises boosting comprehensive relationship with India, he said.

During the talks, the two ministers agreed that the defence cooperation between the two countries have been developed based on signed agreements, including in delegation exchanges, training and sharing of experience.

They also agreed to deepen the defence cooperation in accordance with defence cooperation deals and the joint declaration on the vision of the Vietnam  India defence relationship in the 2015-2020 period, under which the two countries will focus on exchanging delegations and training high quality human resources, bringing the defence relation to match the strategic partnership between the two countries, for the development of the two countries, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and all over the world.

During the time in Vietnam, the delegation from the Indian Defence Ministry will attend the meeting with Vietnamese and Indian military industrial enterprises and visit some military units in Vietnam./.
France has thrown its hat into the acrimonious South China Sea debate, calling for more European naval patrols in a contested waterway that is at the center of a growing dispute between China and the United States and its Asian allies.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking Sunday at a three-day security conference in Singapore, called on European navies to have a regular and visible presence in the region to uphold the law of the sea and freedom of navigation.

If we want to contain the risk of conflict, we must defend this right and defend it ourselves, he said.

Although the French defense minister did not explicitly call out China, his remarks amounted to thinly veiled criticism of Beijing, which has aggressively pursued its territorial claims in the South China Sea with vast dredging work and construction of military facilities on artificial islands.

If the law of the sea is not respected today in the China seas, it will be threatened tomorrow in the Arctic, in the Mediterranean, or elsewhere, Le Drian told the security conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue and hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Frances stance marked the latest international pushback against Chinas tough tactics in the strategic waterway, where more than $5 trillion worth of goods pass through annually.

The Singapore conference gathered top defense officials and diplomats from the region and beyond to hash through the security challenges facing Asia, especially the increasingly bitter spat over Chinas claims to nearly the entire South China Sea. Beijing defended its policy at the forum and accused Washington of meddling in the region. But China was the target for indirect criticism from other countries, and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued a stark warning to Beijing in a speech at the conference.

China would face unspecified U.S. actions if it tried to reclaim land at the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the coast of the Philippines, Carter said Saturday.

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And on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking ahead of a major summit this week with Beijing on economic and security issues, urged China to avoid declaring an air-defense identification zone over the South China Sea. Doing so, he said, would be a provocative and destabilizing act.

Since it started pressing its claims to little reefs and rocks, and feuding with other countries over fishing rights, Beijing has sought to keep the argument from being internationalized, preferring to deal with its smaller neighbors on a one-to-one basis. China has regularly worked to keep the South China Sea disputes off the agenda at biannual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes many of the countries with which Beijing is butting heads, especially the Philippines and Vietnam.

But Chinas intransigence on sovereignty and territorial issues, coupled with an increasingly aggressive deployment of muscled-up coast guard ships, a rapidly modernizing navy, and a building spree on reclaimed reefs, has driven many of those Southeast Asian countries closer to the United States. Washington, for example, just ended a ban on the sale of U.S. weapons to Vietnam and has redoubled defense ties with the Philippines.

Other Asian countries are also worried about Chinas activities. Japan last year said it would consider carrying out naval patrols in the South China Sea, even though Tokyo and Beijing have their own heated dispute in the East China Sea. This year, India has become increasingly vocal about the challenge China poses to free navigation in the Western Pacific.

And now, with Frances comments, even European nations are advocating a more muscular response to Chinese encroachment. For France and Europe, said Le Drian, its not just about protecting economic and trade interests in the region. Its also about upholding the international order and rule of law.

Le Drian said he would soon provide more details on his proposal for regular patrols by European navies.

The timing of the French defense ministers remarks was no accident. An international court in The Hague is due to rule this month on a long-running dispute between China and the Philippines, and Beijing has rejected the tribunals authority while lobbying other governments to back its view. The Permanent Court of Arbitration is expected to rule against China, and Washington has been calling on Beijing to abide by the results of the decision.

More EU involvement in the South China Sea is something the United States has hoped to see for quite a while now, Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Foreign Policy.

The timing of the French call may also mean that we see European Union governments come out in vocal support of the Hague decision in a few weeks, she said.

Frances involvement in the Asia-Pacific region hasnt been purely theoretical. It inked a $40 billion deal this year to sell advanced submarines to Australia, citing increased fears over the regions security, and called for a greater French presence around its colonial possessions in the Southern Pacific.

Le Drians words over the weekend also offer a reminder that while China is trying to parlay its growing economic might in Europe into diplomatic dividends, some European heavyweights are still ready to push back against Beijing.

Chinese leaders want to overcome what they call a century of humiliation, which started with European naval imperialism in the Opium Wars of the 19th century and lasted through the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. But, ironically, their actions appear to be forcing European gunboats to again steam for the South China Sea.

Photo credit: BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images

Correction, June 6, 2016: France secured a $40 billion submarine deal with Australia in April of this year. A previous version of this article mistakenly said the deal was concluded last year.
Music fans worldwide were still mourning the death of iconic rock star Prince at age 57 when the tragedy was compounded by news that it was due to an opioid overdose. On June 2, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Ramsey, Minnesota, announced that an autopsy had determined that Prince's death was an accident caused by fentanyl toxicity. Fentanyl, a prescription opioid drug used to treat severe pain, carries a high risk for addiction and dependence; Prince was reportedly taking it for hip pain.

[See: 8 Lesser-Known Ways to Ruin Your Joints.]

The U.S. is in the midst of an epidemic of opioid overdoses. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and in 2014, 40 percent of the 47,055 fatal drug overdoses that occurred were related to prescription pain relievers. In fact, 78 people in the U.S. die every day from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to fentanyl, opioids include prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine, as well as the illicit drug heroin. "There is a higher risk of overdose with fentanyl because it is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin," says Dr. Michael Weaver, professor and medical director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction at the McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center--Houston. "The higher the potency, the higher the risk of overdose, because you need a smaller dose to get an effect."

Here are five other things everyone should know about the risks of opioid overdose and how to handle it:

1. You don't need to have an opioid addiction to be at risk for an overdose.

"Opioid overdose can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere," says Dr. Anita Gupta, vice chair and associate professor of pain medicine in the department of anesthesiology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. That said, the higher the potency and the higher the dose, the greater the risk of overdose is. In addition, if people take benzodiazepines (like Valium or Xanax) or sleep aids (such as Ambien, Sonata or Lunesta); if they abuse other drugs (like heroin or marijuana); or if they drink alcohol while taking a prescription opioid, the combination can have deadly consequences. "Anything that slows down breathing increases the risk," Gupta says. "And people who have kidney disease or liver disease are at higher risk because they may not break down the drugs the way they should."

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2. When opioids are taken as prescribed by a physician to manage pain, overdose is unlikely.

"Opioids can treat pain really effectively but you need to know how to use them safely," Gupta says. Trouble can set in when people begin taking more pills than prescribed or taking them more often than recommended. The risk of overdose also increases when people take the drugs for reasons other than pain relief -- to help them sleep, for instance, or to self-medicate anxiety or depression. "People who have pain can't sleep -- it's a huge problem [because] doctors often prescribe sleep meds with opioids," Gupta says, which increases the risk of excessive sedation and overdose.

Moreover, "when people who have been taking opioids stop taking them, their tolerance decreases; then, if they restart opioids at the same dose as they had previously, they are at high risk for overdose," notes Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, associate chief of general internal medicine at the Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. The same is true of someone who has been taking a particular opioid then switches to another that's stronger than the previous one.

[See: These Medicines May Cause Bone Loss.]

3. If someone you know is taking a prescription opioid, be alert to warning signs of an overdose.

If the person's breathing slows down, his pupils become tiny, his lips or fingernails develop a bluish tint, his skin becomes pale and clammy and/or his heartbeat becomes slow or irregular -- these are signs of a possible overdose. "People may look like they're sleeping -- if you try to rouse them and they're not responding, call 911," Gupta says. In the meantime, it's important to know that . . .

4. An opioid overdose can be treated with the right medication.

"Naloxone is an opioid antagonist or blocker that temporarily reverses the effects of opioids for 20 to 30 minutes," Weaver says. "Naloxone is not something that is given and then the person who overdosed is fine -- [he or she] must still get to the emergency department for medical treatment."

In other words, naloxone buys a bit of time while someone calls 911, but it's not a complete antidote. The drug comes in a nasal spray that can be squirted into the person's nose or as an injection that's given (into a muscle) by a friend or family member. In addition, naloxone can be administered intravenously by paramedics who arrive on the scene or in a hospital setting. "If naloxone is going to work, it works in minutes," Gupta says, "but sometimes people need a second dose."

There is a major push nationwide to improve access to these opioid antagonists. Doctors are increasingly co-prescribing naloxone when they prescribe opioids, and it's now available without a prescription at some drugstores across the country. "Over the past few years, there have been many initiatives to get naloxone into the hands of the public, so that common people can save lives and prevent their loved ones from overdosing," Cunningham says. "It should be administered to anyone who is suspected to be overdosing. If someone who is not overdosing from opioids is mistakenly given naloxone, it will not do any harm."

[See: 7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can't Ignore.]

5. It's best to address suspected opioid abuse before tragedy strikes.

If you believe someone you care about is abusing opioid painkillers or using them for things other than pain -- to help the person get to sleep, relax, relieve stress or lift a bad mood -- intervene before things get out of hand. Start by talking to your primary care physician, who can guide you to the most appropriate help, Gupta suggests. Narcotics Anonymous, a 12-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, is also a great resource, as is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "People do quit on their own but it's much easier with help -- and there is help available," Weaver says. If the person is addicted to an opioid, as part of medication-assisted therapy, slowly tapering down the dose or substituting a different opioid for the one being abused can prevent withdrawal symptoms that can lead to relapse, Weaver adds.

Stacey Colino is a freelance Health + Wellness reporter at U.S. News. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at staceycolino@gmail.com.
(Adds details from court hearing, background)

By David Ingram

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, a lightning rod for outrage over soaring U.S. prescription drug prices, pleaded not guilty on Monday to an additional criminal charge that federal prosecutors filed against him last week.

Shkreli, 33, was indicted in December on seven criminal counts, including securities fraud. Prosecutors on Friday added an eighth charge, saying Shkreli tried to conceal from investors his control over shares in Retrophin Inc.

Evan Greebel, former outside counsel to Retrophin, also pleaded not guilty to the charge at a court hearing in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Greebel faces two counts in all.

Shkreli last year sparked outrage among patients, medical societies and U.S. lawmakers after another company he ran, Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of Daraprim by more than 5,000 percent to $750 a pill.

In December, U.S. authorities arrested him on fraud charges unrelated to the pricing of Daraprim, saying he ran his investment funds and companies almost like a Ponzi scheme.

U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto declined during Monday's hearing to set a trial date for Shkreli and Greebel but said she was considering an early 2017 time frame.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Chris Reese and Lisa Von Ahn)
Norman Reedus dished to ET about the upcoming seventh season of The Walking Dead, which he says is well worth the wait.

"It's mind-blowing," Reedus told ET's Katie Krause. "The thing about the show is it's so personal to us. There's death of friends and death of each other, and it's kind of hard to talk about, you know?"

WATCH: Negan Raises 'Holy Hell' in 'Walking Dead' Finale

While Reedus assured us fans will be satisfied with where the show is going, he admitted that it won't leave them with any warm, fuzzy feelings. In fact, he joked that this season might lead some viewers to take their frustrations out on their own belongings.

"It will definitely be emotional," Reedus promised. "Things will be broken in their homes."

ET caught up with the 47-year-old actor over the weekend at Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards in Culver City, California, where he told us about his most manly trait.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Talks Negan's Debut With 'That Bat' on 'TWD' Finale!

"I'm learning how to make a perfect poached egg right now," he said. "I'm kind of cheating because I have one of those pans with the little circle cups in it, but that will eventually turn into Eggs Benedict, then I will reach full manhood."

The Walking Dead returns to AMC in October, but in the meantime, Reedus is gearing up for his other AMC show, Ride With Norman Reedus, premiering June 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

"It's like a travel docuseries through the United States on motorcycles," Reedus explained. "I take a buddy; we go on a ride; he teaches me things. We meet people; we learn new things; we try crazy things. It's a lot of fun."

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By Aaron Ross, Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed KINSHASA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concerned over Congolese President Joseph Kabila's apparent attempts to cling to power, U.S. officials are pushing for sanctions against his inner circle but running into opposition from European powers wary of moving too quickly. Kabila is ineligible to stand in Democratic Republic of Congo's next election due in November, after serving two elected terms. Opponents accuse him of plotting to hold onto power by delaying the poll or even changing the constitution to remove the term limit, as several African leaders have done. His government says it is unlikely to be able to organize the vote on time, and the electoral commission has said the delay could last 16 months. Senior Kabila ally Henri Mova Sakani on Saturday raised the possibility of a constitutional referendum on the number of terms he can serve. Any such move risks triggering further violence in Congo, which has never had a peaceful transition of power. Donors worry about a repeat of the regional conflict in eastern Congo between 1996 and 2003, when millions of people died and more than a half-dozen countries were sucked into the fighting. "This is an historic moment because Congo is such an important part of Africa," Senator Edward Markey, the Africa subcommittee ranking Democrat, told Reuters. "They are going to be looked to for leadership or a failure of leadership." Protests against a potential delay have already turned violent and authorities have arrested dozens of critics of Kabila, who took power when his father was assassinated in 2001. The resolution last month by three senior Democrat senators, including Markey, calls on President Barack Obama to join with international partners "to impose targeted sanctions on those officials ... who are responsible for violence and human rights violations and undermining the democratic processes or institutions of DRC, including visa bans and assets freezes." CONFLICTING VIEWS U.S. officials, including the State Department's special envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region, Tom Perriello, and several senators, are considering sanctions against Congolese officials, for the moment mostly lower-level people in the security forces. The Senate's Africa subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 8 on U.S. sanctions policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Senator Jeff Flake, the subcommittee's chairman, told Reuters he had discussed targeted sanctions with State Department officials. The U.S. Congress is pushing President Barack Obama's administration to act unilaterally if it must. But without the EU, sanctions may have little impact since officials in Congo, a former Belgian colony, are thought to have most assets in Europe. The European Union is divided on the subject, and even nations that support sanctions want to exhaust other options first. "The assessment ... is that we still have a little bit of time to see what is going to happen in DRC," one Western diplomat posted to Washington said. A European diplomat based in Kinshasa said European thinking is that sanctions threats would "have the best effect when they serve as a warning, not having to be implemented". Within the EU, Britain is among those leaning toward sanctions with Spain and Italy more reluctant, diplomats say. The Washington-based diplomat suggested that, as is often the case, commercial interests may play a part in some calculations. A Spanish-led consortium is one of two finalists to develop a $14 billion segment of the Grand Inga hydroelectric project, meant to produce 44,000 MW in all. [ID:nL5N18760P] Spain's ACS, which is in the consortium, declined to comment. The Spanish Foreign Ministry said it had no comment. Other EU states also question the efficacy of actually going through with sanctions. The concern is that they "would put him [Kabila] in a corner right now and actually make him more defiant and probably make it even more complicated to have ... substantial dialogue," the Washington-based diplomat said. "SELECTIVE" "We hope to coordinate with the Europeans and that they would follow suit quickly," one U.S. official said. The vast wealth contained in Congo's forests and the minerals underneath them has often divided world powers since its independence in 1960, when the United States and the former Soviet Union vied for Cold War influence. Extra U.N. sanctions beyond current travel bans and asset freezes related to conflict in eastern Congo would not get past veto-wielding Russia and China, Congo's top trading partner. Meanwhile, the country's African neighbors, who analysts think carry the greatest influence, have remained silent. Congo's government has bristled at talk of sanctions. In a statement last month, foreign minister Raymond Tshibanda denounced the "selective application" of sanctions threats, when the presidents of Rwanda and the smaller neighboring state Congo Republic have already changed their constitutions to let themselves stand for third terms. Last month allies of Moise Katumbi, Kabila's main political rival, visited Washington to plead for sanctions. Stephanie Wolters, a Congo analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, said U.S. sanctions could send an important message but warned that it was also a risky strategy. "The more isolated the government becomes, the harder it will be to manage potential fallouts of the growing crisis," she said. "European countries are worried about just that." (Additional reporting by Lou Charbonneau at the United Nations, Robin Emmott in Brussels, Aguado Gonzalez in Madrid and Maria Vega Paul in Rome; Editing by Tim Cocks and Peter Graff)
Brian De Palma John Lamparski Getty final

Brian De Palma has never been shy about giving his full, honest opinion. Especially to fellow filmmakers.

The director of classics like Scarface, Carrie, and The Untouchables recently told Business Insider that after seeing Close Encounters of the Third Kind before it premiered in 1977, he turned to his good friend Steven Spielberg, who directed the movie, and said, I dont know, this doesnt really work for me.

Laughing about it now, he said, And this was considered a crowning success of his career.

But Spielberg wasn't the only person in the talented inner circle that De Palma ran in during the 1970s (they were known as the Movie Brats) who was on the receiving end of his harsh opinions.

In an encounter that has become a Hollywood legend, De Palma didnt think much of the original Star Wars, either.

George Lucas Movie Brats mates were the first people to see Star Wars, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, John Landis, and De Palma.

After watching an early cut of the movie  which included little to no effects and didn't yet have the John Williams score  the Brats got together to tell Lucas what they thought. Spielberg told Lucas it was going to be a hit, but De Palma thought differently.

The crawl at the beginning looks like it was written on a driveway, De Palma told Lucas, according to the book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. It goes on forever. Its gibberish.

Looking back now at his alleged insults, De Palma has a different recollection. Kind of.

That is not correct, De Palma told Business Insider. I am sarcastic. I am considered the class clown, but a sarcastic clown. So I would make fun of certain things. Because everyone would take this stuff too seriously.

Brian De Plama George Lucas Brad Barket Getty final

He did, however, admit he didnt like the opening crawl.

The crawl didn't make any sense at all, De Palma said. And I kept kidding him about the Force. I was like, What is the Force? But you have to understand, we used to look at each other's movies in order to be helpful. We might say some things that werent nice.

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De Palma admits the harsh criticism didnt always go down well for some. Though he said, as far as he knows, Lucas never took offense to his remarks about the movie.

But one story has it that Lucas wife at the time, Marcia, confronted De Palma.

I don't remember this, but there was an account where Marcia told me, You've hurt George's feelings and you should be gentle with him. I don't remember that. I really don't know what they're talking about, De Palma said. I was basically myself. The thing the guys could always count on with me is I would say what I thought. I wasn't holding back.

Success washes away all sour grapes in Hollywood, and if Lucas was ever mad at De Palma, that sure ended quickly, as the original Star Wars went on to make over $775 million worldwide in its theatrical run and gave birth to one of the most lucrative movie franchises of all time.

"De Palma," a documentary on the filmmaker, opens in theaters on Friday.

NOW WATCH: Sacha Baron Cohen recounts his 2003 Trump interview: 'I was the first person actually to realize that hes a d---'





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A coke addicted ex-con with a brutally mangled pinkie finger and an alcoholic widower with a son who refuses to speak decide to open a restaurant in the Bronx. Only one of em knows the business will be a front for a mobster with a penchant for forcibly removing peoples teeth with a pair of pliers.

Welcome to Feed the Beast  David Schwimmers new AMC drama that couldnt be farther from Central Perk if Ross Geller had lived in a run-down studio on the outskirts of Queens and never uttered a single zinger in his tragedy-strewn life.

RELATEDGreys New Romance, Becketts Bike, First Axed Show, Virgin Sex and 26 More Fall TV Predictions: Which Came True?

Before you grade the pilot in our poll below, lets do a quick recap of the action.

Schwimmers character Tommy is reeling from his wifes hit-and-run death, trying to get through to his beautiful tween son TJ (who hasnt uttered a word since the accident), and sampling way too much of the wine hes distributes for a living.

His life gets a much needed jolt of chaos when his pal Dion (Cloud Atlas Jim Sturgess) gets released from prison  not before having sex with his attorney and snorting a line up his nose  and shows up at Tommys door looking for a place to crash from a mob boss with revenge on his mind.

Turns out, Dion and Tommy and his late wife Rie had dreams of opening a Greek restaurant in the Bronx, but their plan disintegrated like baguette crumbs in a burner after Rie was killed, Dion got convicted of arson for burning down the eatery where all three were toiling, and Tommy found himself without a wife or his job as a sommelier.

RELATEDPreacher Recap: There Will Be Blood

But thats just a hint of the overarching story. Dions stint as an arsonist came at the request of thuggish mobster Woichik (Extants Michael Gladis, bringing several seasons worth of ham to the banquet)  but since he got caught, Woichik was unable to collect insurance, and hes looking for payback. With his life hanging in the balance  and surrounded by the killer stove and brass espresso machine that Tommys allowed to lie dormant  Dion proposes to Woichik that a Greek restaurant in Tommys warehouse-y home could be a moneymaker, not to mention a great venue for laundering ill-gotten money.

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Like spicy seafood broth over black orzo  the tastiest-looking of Dions premiere-episode dishes  the idea is all too tempting for Woichik to resist. But Dion never tells Tommy about the dark underbelly of their enterprise, instead convincing his friend that he can keep Ries memory alive and help TJ out of his isolation by recommitting to their culinary dream.

A few portions of the pilot are a little difficult to digest: We get a stereotypical Asian brothel worker who refers to her pimp as uncle and eyes Dion like a carnivore to a New York strip. (Memo to producers: Its 2016, not 1916, K?) That scene where Dion (who snuffs and snorts like an anteater through the entire hour, even when theres no coke in sight) uses nondescript household objects as stand-in for cooking implements is 1-800-too-much (and not in a good way). And Tommys glumness is so unrelenting that TJs vow of silence seems a little too understandable.

But maybe thats just me and my finicky palate?

What did you think of the Feed the Beast premiere? Grade it in our poll below, then sound off in the comments!



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Mr. Bui Minh Phong receiving the decision conferring him professor brevet from Mr. Balog Zoltan, Minister of

Human Resources (Photo: VNA) On behalf of Hungarian President, Minister of Human Resources Balog Zoltan and Vice Minister of Education Palkovics Laszlo emphasized that the work of university lecturers is not individual, nor just a matter of universities and the education sector, but it is the common work of the whole Hungarian nation.



On behalf of Hungarian President, Minister of Human Resources Balog Zoltan and Vice Minister of Education Palkovics Laszlo emphasized that the work of university lecturers is not individual, nor just a matter of universities and the education sector, but it is the common work of the whole Hungarian nation.

Prof. Dr. Bui Minh Phong, born in 1953 in a family with seven siblings in Huong Thuy commune, Huong Khe district, Ha Tinh province, proved to have special aptitude for math.

He studied at a class specializing in math organized by the Ministry of Education and Training at the Vinh University of Pedagogy, then was admitted into university with excellent scores and was sent to Hungary to study at a pedagogical university in Eger city. During his years in university, he had many appreciated research works.

Graduated in the country in the 1976-1978 period, he continued study and excellently graduated as a Master in mathematics, and was sent to work at the Ho Chi Minh city Pedagogical University. In 1985, he returned to Hungary to do scientific research and successfully defended his excellent doctoral thesis in 1987.

He was proposed to research and work by Hungary from 1988 to now. Besides teaching at the University of Budapest, Prof. Bui Minh Phong has completed hundreds of research works, many of which have been published in prestigious mathematics journals.

Working in Hungary and a number of universities in the world, but Prof. Bui Minh Phong still devotes himself to the development of mathematics in the homeland. Not only returning the homeland to teach, he is also a bridge for cooperation between universities of Hungary and Vietnam.

Over nearly a quarter of a century, besides his scientific career, Prof. Bui Minh Phong is a very familiar and enthusiastic face in all cultural, social activities of the Vietnamese community in Hungary with many key positions voted by the community. He is currently Standing Vice Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Hungary.

His scientific achievements also contribute to improving the image of Vietnamese people in the process of integration in Hungary./.
EAST PALO ALTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Finjan Holdings, Inc. (FNJN), a cybersecurity company, and its subsidiary Finjan, Inc. ("Finjan"), announced that it will be presenting at the 6th annual LD Micro Invitational on Wednesday, June 8 at 9:30 AM PST at the Luxe Sunset Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Phil Hartstein, President and CEO and Michael Noonan, CFO will be giving the presentation and will be available to meet with investors. A live webcast of the presentation can be found on the Finjan IR calendar at http://ir.finjan.com/ir-calendar.

The conference will feature 195 companies in the small / micro-cap space.

You can view Finjan Holding's profile at http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/FNJN.

ABOUT FINJAN

Established nearly 20 years ago, Finjan is a globally recognized leader in cybersecurity. Finjan's inventions are embedded within a strong portfolio of patents focusing on software and hardware technologies capable of proactively detecting previously unknown and emerging threats on a real-time, behavior-based basis. Finjan continues to grow through investments in innovation, strategic acquisitions, and partnerships promoting economic advancement and job creation. For more information, please visit www.finjan.com.

ABOUT LD MICRO

LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).

In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.



For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.

Follow Finjan Holdings, Inc.:

Story continues

Twitter: @FinjanHoldings

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/finjan



Investor Contact:

Vanessa Winter | Finjan Holdings, Inc.

Alan Sheinwald or Valter Pinto | Capital Markets Group LLC

(650) 282-3245

investors@finjan.com

SOURCE: Finjan Holdings, Inc. via LD Micro
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firefighters managed to tame a fast-moving brush fire in the hills outside Los Angeles on Sunday after it burned more than 500 acres and threatened homes in the affluent city of Calabasas, authorities said. After some 5,000 people were forced to evacuate the area on Saturday, fire officials lifted mandatory evacuations on Sunday in Calabasas, a small city of rugged hills 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Los Angeles that several celebrities call home. The fire has burned 516 acres and was 80 percent contained by Sunday afternoon, said John Tripp, deputy chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A commercial building was destroyed in the fire, which started when a vehicle hit a utility pole and brought down a power line, but no homes were damaged. Aerial TV images showed the burned area abutting backyards. Evacuation orders were set to be lifted Sunday evening in the hills in Topanga Canyon, a rustic stretch famous for its resident artists and musicians that rolls down to the Pacific Ocean. Tripp said air crews dropped fire retardant "so the fire did not escape and get down into Topanga Canyon." The fire was one of several burning in Southern California, where days of high temperatures dried out brush and produced what Tripp called "extremely stressed vegetation." (Reporting by Frank McGurty and Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Mary Milliken)
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Three Jordanian intelligence officers and two other security personnel were killed in an attack on their security office in a Palestinian refugee camp outside the Jordanian capital, Amman, and one suspect was arrested, officials said on Monday, saying it appeared to be an "individual and isolated act." The incident at the Baqaa camp, the biggest of its kind in Jordan, jolted the U.S.-backed Arab kingdom, whose relative stability has distinguished it from powerful war-ravaged neighbors, Syria to the north and Iraq to the east. Initial investigations suggested the attack at the intelligence department's office at the Baqaa camp was an "individual and isolated act", Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said. He gave no further details. Earlier, when Jordan announced the incident, Momani described it as a terrorist attack that took place at 7 a.m. (0000 ET), adding that alongside three officers, a guard and a telephone exchange operator at the security office were killed. Two residents said the suspect was a 22-year-old Palestinian from Baqaa camp with no Islamist leanings. They said he was seen acting suspiciously in a disused mosque in the area and when he tried to resist arrest, shot at someone, injuring him lightly but using a pistol believed to have been used in the attack. A large proportion of Jordan's more than 7 million people are descended from Palestinian refugees who fled in the aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948. The incident raised fears among residents of a security backlash against camp residents, who have long complained of suffering discrimination in areas such as jobs. MILITANT ISLAM IN CAMPS Western donors and political analysts warn of growing Islamist radicalisation in Jordan's impoverished refugee camps and in districts within major cities laid low by poverty and a lack of economic opportunities. Dozens have left the sprawling Baqaa camp, which houses over 100,000 Palestinian refugees, to join Islamist militant groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. Earlier this year, several Islamic State sympathizers were killed in a shootout with security forces in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid. Security authorities said later they had carried out a pre-emptive strike on militants linked to Syria who were planning suicide attacks on shopping malls and government buildings. Jordan, a U.S. ally for decades and with close security ties with Israel, has long been a target of radical Sunni Muslim fundamentalist groups including al Qaeda and Islamic State. It was among the first regional state to join a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, which seized large expanses of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and 2015 but has been pushed back by U.S.- and Russian-backed counter-offensives this year. King Abdullah has repeatedly warned that the threat from ultra-hardline Sunni groups poses the biggest threat to Jordan's long-term stability. Amman has imprisoned dozens of hardline Islamists in the last few years, many of whom who came from Syria or were arrested while trying to cross the border. Jordan's main political opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, which commands a large following within the camp, said the attack on Baqaa only served those who sought to sow strife. "Preserving the stability of Jordan is a religious duty and necessity," said the statement by the mainstream Islamist party. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the attack was "proof of the criminal behavior of terrorist groups" who act against the tenets of Islam. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Cooney)
Access to a workplace retirement plan can be a valuable financial perk  if you're using it wisely.

Some typical missteps could cost you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your career.

That's an important consideration, given the shortfall in Americans' retirement savings. In a recent report from insurer Northwestern Mutual, two-thirds of consumers believe there is a chance they will outlive their savings.

Worse yet, a quarter of workers say their family has less than $1,000 in savings and investments, according to the 2016 Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates. Only 14 percent said their family has set aside $250,000 or more.

Amping up savings and getting a fuller sense of your retirement needs are key components, but it's also important to have a better understanding of your workplace plan and how to make it work for you, said certified financial planner Harriet J. Brackey, co-chief investment officer of GSK Wealth Advisors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"Don't think you have to become a professional money manager to get this right," she said. "It's not rocket science, you can make a good informed decision if you just slow down."

These four mistakes could be costing you money:

"Not putting in enough to get the company match is the No. 1 mistake people make," said Brackey. Last year, 23 percent of employees didn't get the full match, according to a report from Aon Hewitt.

That's free money you're passing up. A 2014 Fidelity report calculated the average annual employer contribution at $3,540 per employee. Depending on the rate of return and how short you are from a full match, that can add up to more than $100,000 lost over 20 years of working.

Tax-advantaged health-savings accounts can help cover current medical expenses, yet workers are missing out on their potential for added retirement savings. Only 38 percent of workers with access to an HSA are contributing to one, and of those, 47 percent are using the money solely to cover short-term expenses, according to an April report from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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Letting HSA assets grow over the long term can be a smart play to cover health costs in retirement  especially for workers in higher tax brackets, said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder/director of financial planning at Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.

Depending on the rate of return, a 2014 report from EBRI found, someone contributing the maximum for 20 years with no withdrawals could expect to amass $118,000 to $193,000.

One in 5 workers empties an old retirement account within five years of leaving a job, according to a 2016 Fidelity analysis. But workers are better off considering other options, said Meghan Murphy, a director at Fidelity Investments  rolling over the funds to their new workplace plan or to an IRA, for example, or even just leaving them be.

"If you cash out, you've diminished the [compounding] advantage you had," she said.

Fidelity estimated that a 30 year old who cashes out $16,000 from a 401(k) would end up with just $11,200 after taxes and the early withdrawal penalty. Had she let the balance ride, it would have grown to roughly $81,500 by retirement at age 67.



After you've contributed enough to get the full employee match, consider your options. There are several good reasons  including tax diversity, lower fees and better investment options  that you might want to cut and run , stashing extra retirement savings in other places.

"Some people have just horrible 401(k) plans," said McClanahan. (Check the reviews for yours on BrightScope.com.)

A 2014 Center for American Progress report estimated that over a career, high fees could siphon 20 percent or more from the value of an employee's savings balance at retirement. For a 25-year-old worker starting out with a roughly $30,000 salary, paying 1 percent in fees instead of 0.25 percent meant shelling out $96,027 extra over a lifetime  and working an extra three years to retire with the same account balance as a worker in a lower-fee plan.





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(Adds details throughout)

By Dominique Vidalon and Pascale Denis

PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) - Europe's largest hotel group AccorHotels, which wants to limit a push by Chinese shareholder Jin Jiang to increase its stake, should maintain a diverse group of shareholders, French President Francois Hollande said on Monday.

France's AccorHotels has started talks with other shareholders because it is concerned that state-owned Jin Jiang, already its largest shareholder with a 15 percent stake, owns main French rival Louvre Hotels Group, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

French newspapers Le Figaro and the Journal du Dimanche have also reported that Jin Jiang could seek a controlling stake. Hollande said he would be keeping a close eye on developments.

"Accor has Chinese shareholders because it is growing in Asia. But I am watching closely to make sure that the capital of this big company remains in diverse hands," Hollande told newspaper La Voix du Nord.

Le Figaro said the French government wanted to curb Jin Jiang's influence amid risk of seeing another prize asset of its CAC40 blue chip index -- like Alcatel which was bought by Finland's Nokia or Alstom's power business bought by GE -- falling into foreign hands.

A French banking source however said on Monday it would be hard for the government to "on the one hand welcome Chinese investments in France, notably in the nuclear sector, and on the other hand try to stop a Chinese group in AccorHotels".

Jin Jiang, owned by the city of Shanghai, recently offered to pay 45 euros per share to U.S. investment fund Colony and private equity group Eurazeo to buy their remaining combined 11.08 percent stake in AccorHotels and the offer is still on the table, the source said.

"Talks have been underway for several weeks between Jin Jiang, AccorHotels, Eurazeo and Colony, focused on board organisation and shareholdings. We need to organise future relations over the long-term," the source told Reuters.

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"There would have to be some way of organising cohabitation with a top shareholder who also happens to be a competitor."

Spokespeople for Jin Jiang, AccorHotels, Colony and Eurazeo declined to comment.

Under French takeover rules, Jin Jiang would need to bid for the rest of AccorHotels if its stake exceeded 30 percent, but it could exercise strong influence below that level.

Colony and Eurazeo sold a combined 9.6 percent stake on the market in March 2015 at a price of 48.75 euros.

AccorHotels, the world's fifth largest group, controls 3,900 hotels with a range of brands from luxury Pullman and Sofitel to budget Ibis.

CHINESE INVESTMENT POURING IN

Jin Jiang is among a growing number of Chinese firms investing in Europe's tourism industry, including Fosun which took control of French holiday group Club Med last year.

Chinese investors poured a record $23 billion in Europe in 2015, including $3.6 billion in France, number three destination for Chinese deals after Britain and Germany, according to a research report by U.S. law firm Baker & McKenzie.

The Journal du Dimanche newspaper said AccorHotels CEO Sebastien Bazin had also held talks with another Chinese conglomerate, HNA, to try to thwart Jin Jiang's advance.

In a May 27 filing with French market watchdog AMF, Jin Jiang said it controlled 15.06 pct of AccorHotels' capital and 13.15 pct of voting rights but had no plans to seek control, though it did not rule out seeking board representation.

Bazin told the group's annual shareholders meeting in April it would be "a good thing" if Jin Jiang eventually won seats on AccorHotels' board.

Analysts have said Jin Jiang may be beefing up its stake to avoid being diluted when Saudi and Qatari investors get stakes in the company as part of AccorHotels' $2.9 billion takeover of FRHI Holdings Ltd. AccorHotels is holding a shareholders meeting on July 12 to approve the FRHI Holdings deal.

As part of the deal, AccorHotels will issue new shares. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will get a stake of 10.5 percent and Kingdom Holding 4280.SE, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's investment company, a 5.8 percent stake.

(Additional reporting by Matthieu Protard and Geert De Clercq in Paris; Editing by Paul Taylor and Anna Willard)
President Francois Hollande has warned China's state-owned Jin Jiang, the world's fifth-largest hotel group, against a possible takeover of French company AccorHotels.

"Accor has Chinese investors because it is also developing in Asia," Hollande said in an interview set to appear in La Voix du Nord newspaper on Tuesday.

"But I am keeping a close eye on the capital of this global group remaining diversified," the president added.

Jin Jiang has been steadily increasing its stake in AccorHotels and is now its largest shareholder, sparking concern in France that it may try to take control of the company which owns brands such as Pullman, Mercure and Ibis.

The Jin Jiang group, a rising force in the global hotel industry that is owned by the city of Shanghai, has increased its stake in AccorHotels from 5 percent at the start of this year to 15 percent at the end of last week.

French newspaper Le Figaro reported last week that Jin Jiang is targeting a 29 percent stake in AccorHotels.

That would be just below the 30 percent level that would force it to make a public offer to purchase the remaining shares in AccorHotels.

The Journal du Dimanche reported on Sunday that AccorHotels could seek to protect itself by having the French state take a 10 percent stake.

The newspaper said that while Prime Minister Manuel Valls was supportive, Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron preferred focusing the government's limited resources on supporting the struggling French nuclear energy industry.
NBCs Game of Silence made some noise with what would be its series finale. Did the Quitman boys exact justice for the wardens past crimes?

PHOTOSGame of Silence Cancelled at NBC

Though Jackson & Co. seemed to have handed Detective Winters and her FBI pal a closed case  having found Peteys grave on land purchased by Carroll after the youths suspicious death  Carroll deflected the charges by throwing Red (vanished) and Bobby (dead) under the bus. Still, Carroll is spooked by the close call, so he drives to the ranch to prepare for his big speech. There, Bolo Tie shares his suspicions about Jessie, saying shes possibly a mole for the opposition  but Ray isnt buying it.

After making peace with Marina  who in turns reveals that she is pregnant (with a boy, she later learns)  Jackson and the others realize they need Terry and/or Dennis to come clean about their role in Peteys murder, and implicate Carroll to boot. Alas, though they are able to compel clergyman Dennis to confess to the DA, it turns out he doesnt rat on Carroll.

RELATEDNBCs Game of Silence Promises Season 1 Payoff, Shocking Set-Up for Future

Marina meanwhile gets a visit (and a pregnancy gift) from Diana Stockman. Jacksons fiancee presses Diana about her ties to Ray Carroll, seeing as he is about to get slapped with a murder rap (or so she believes). Diana plays it cool (but is obviously rattled), saying that Marinas savviness is precisely why she hired her.

With Dennis suddenly lawyered up, Jackson turns to Terry to tell the truth, pointing out that the warden went out of his way to ensure that duress was not a defense for the one who put down Petey. Terry suspects, rightly, that Jackson is wearing a wire, and a shootout with the feds ensues, but he escapes after being shot. Later, Terry calls Winters to fetch him his go bag, lest her brother get killed. Jackson though assures Liz that hes made arrangements for her brother to be protected, so she should go ahead and use the meet-up to collar Terry.

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Shawn attends Amys funeral with Boots widow, where the deceaseds nephew hands him an envelope from her car with his name on it. Its a list of other Quitman kids who apparently were killed.

At his big fundraiser, Carroll reconsiders Bolo Ties warning about Jessie when he sees her chatting with the donor whose file she is suspected of stealing. In private, Carroll reveals that he now remembers little Jessie West from her scared visit to Quitman back in the day. So what is she up to? Their tense convo is interrupted by a text from Gil  one of the stolen blackmail photos!  which sends Carroll racing to his emptied safe, where he faces the business end of Gils gun. Gil almost allows Carroll to distract him with psychobabble and what not, but he snaps out of it and juts the gun against Carrolls forehead. Im not gonna shoot you. Its much worse than that, Gil says, steering Carroll back to the fundraiser where Jessie is leading a damning, disturbing slideshow of Carrolls predatorial, Quitman-era crimes. Carroll flips out and tries to fame Jessie as a liar, but the crowd doesnt buy it and flees away from the rubber chicken dinner.

Jackson

Game of Silence - Season 1

has less luck, though, when it comes to tracking down Marina, who has been abducted from their home  and prime suspect Terry legitimately has no idea where she is. Liz arrives to keep Jackson from crossing any lines, then goes to arrest Terry for Peteys murder. Terry tries to saunter away, but Liz puts a bullet in him.

As the finale draws to a close, Diana welcomes to the fold her new go-to man  Dennis?!  assuring him that she has the Jackson Brooks situation under control. How so? Youll be sorry you asked. Because as Jackson and the others gather at the Louisiana field where the FBI is searching for the other graves, Agent Sugg spies blood dripping from Jacksons trunk. And, sigh, sure enough, inside Jackson finds his pregnant fiance, brutally murdered.

As showrunner David Hudgins (who adapted Game of Silence from the Turkish series Suskunlar) previously said of the finale, You get a result and you get a payoff  but its also an ending that people will find shocking open[ing] up the world to a whole other level. If there had been a Season 2, that is.

What did you think of that tragic ending, and what Game of Silence Season 2 might have looked like?



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Spoilers for Season 6, episode seven. You know the drill.

Even in its sixth year, Game of Thrones loves to annoy its viewers by constantly introducing new characters. That's not always a bad thing.

This week, we met several new characters, including Ian McShane's nameless character and the reigning leader of House Mormont, Lady Lyanna. You know, your new favorite person in Westeros.

SEE ALSO: Where are all the Valyrian steel swords in 'Game of Thrones'?

The young woman, niece of former Night's Watch Lord Captain Commander Joel Mormont and named after the fabled Lyanna Stark, has very, very, few f*cks to give when Jon Snow, Sansa and Ser Davos come to Bear Island asking for men to fight against Ramsay Bolton.

Age doesn't stop her from asking the tough questions or from speaking truth to Stark power. She demanded hard knowledge from those begging help from her sworn fighters and she doesn't give over easy. She'll take advice, but she doesn't need it.

Lyanna Mormont will most like rule the Seven Kingdoms in the next five to 10 years.

She definitely has Twitter's vote.

As Ser Davos said when she offered Jon Snow her 62 fighting men:

"If they're half as ferocious as their lady, the Boltons won't stand a chance."
(Spoiler alert. This post contains important plot info about the June 5, 2016 episode of Game of Thrones, The Broken Man. Tread carefully.)

Jorah Mormont has been one of the main characters on Game of Thrones from the beginning through the present, and for a few seasons his father Jeor was Lord Commander of the Nights Watch before he was killed by mutineers beyond the Wall in season 3.

And now we have a new Mormont entering the stage, thanks to Jon Snow and Sansa Starks visit to their home at Bear Island to ask for fighting men in their campaign against the Boltons.

Jon and Sansa are greeted by one Lyanna Mormont, who is a child  reminiscent of when Bran Stark was Lord of Winterfell when everyone in the family older than he was out of town in season 1. The difference here, though, is that Lyanna is not the temporary lord. Shes the heir, taking the position because her mother died fighting with the Starks a few years back.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones': What Did Queen Margaery's Note to Her Grandmother Mean?

Lyanna is a firecracker, clearly fit for the job. When Jon tries to speak gently to her to ask for help, treating her like a child rather than a lord, she snaps at him about fighting somebody elses war. Shes stern, but fair, showing none of the weakness or uncertainty youd expect from a child who rules over a bunch of people.

Lyanna is, of course, closely related to those Mormonts weve known so well in the past. Shes the late Jeors niece, and thus cousin to Jorah. After Jeor took the black years earlier, Jorah would have been the heir to Bear Island  but he was caught selling poachers on his land as slaves and exiled to Essos, where hes been helping Daenerys.

Jeors sister Maege, then, took up the lordship, but as Lyanna says Mage died fighting in the Starks rebellion against the Lannisters.

Also Read: 16 Big 'Game of Thrones' Fan Theories for Season 6 (Photos)

Though shes initially harsh toward Jon and Sansa, Lyanna does of course eventually pledge to help, and later can be seen with Starks wildling forces back on the Westerosi mainland. The Mormonts have had close ties with the Starks for generations, and breaking those ties would be a big step, particularly given her name. In case you hadnt noticed, Lyanna has the same name as Ned Starks sister who died during Roberts Rebellion. Its not a coincidence  Lyanna Mormont is named after Lyanna Stark.

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Now that she and her house have Joined up, expect to see more of young Lyanna. An exciting prospect, considering how much of a badass she was in her one scene in The Broken Man.

Can young Lyanna measure up with her Mormont relatives? Its too soon to say, but you can check out where Jeor and Jorah place in our rankings of the existing Game of Thrones main characters below.

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'Game of Thrones': Ian McShane's Elder Brother, the Quiet Isle and a Familiar Face

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By Paul Carrel BERLIN (Reuters) - Europe's most powerful nation is suddenly powerless and worried. After shaping Europe's response to the Greek debt, Ukraine, and Syrian refugee crises, Berlin is now unable to influence the outcome of the other big geopolitical risk on its doorstep: Britain's June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union. The outcome is a big worry for Berlin. A vote for 'Brexit' would undermine the integration of Europe, the grand project that has enabled Germany to forge its post-war identity. It would upset the EU's balance of power and raise the danger of other countries leaving too. In keeping with an informal agreement among continental European governments to hold their peace, German politicians are staying out of the campaign in the run-up to the vote, for fear of being seen to be bossing Britons around. Chancellor Angela Merkel would like Britain to stay, but stresses: "It is naturally the decision of the British people how to vote." In the corridors of power in Berlin, the knowledge that the best thing to do now is keep out of the British debate is mixed with deep angst about losing a kindred free-market spirit that helps balance out the statist leanings of the third big EU power, France. "We're all crossing our fingers," said David McAllister, a Berlin-born conservative ally of Merkel. "We would really miss them," the half-Scottish politician said. Another senior member of Merkel's conservatives, speaking on condition of anonymity, was more direct when discussing the EU without Britain: "Everyone will say it is a club of losers." "We need a counterweight to France," the same official added. "If the referendum result is negative, then we've got a real problem - it will be massive." Reflecting a deep desire to keep the UK on board, Germany played a constructive role in helping Prime Minister David Cameron reach a deal with his fellow EU leaders in February that he said gives Britain "special status" in the 28-member bloc. That deal reinforced London's reputation in many European capitals as an awkward EU partner. But for Germany, any awkwardness is far outweighed by the positives of the British contribution. These include its strengths in foreign policy, developing the EU's single market, holding down the bloc's budget, rolling back bureaucracy and promoting free trade. THREE'S COMPANY The prospect of wielding more power in a smaller EU with France as the only other major power does not appeal to Berlin. The EU's traditional Franco-German axis has become uneven, largely due to France's economic malaise. Britain is seen as bringing balance. "A three-way relationship is in this case definitely stronger than a two-way relationship, especially as one partner in the pair is more or less on its last legs," said Michael Broening, analyst at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a political foundation linked to Germany's left-leaning Social Democrats. For Roderich Kiesewetter, a conservative lawmaker who sits on Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, the EU would benefit from more British influence. "The European Union is very much marked by the French approach," he said, pointing to a top-down bureaucracy. "British output-orientated pragmatism is much closer to our approach." As one example of welcome British influence, Kiesewetter pointed to a deal Cameron secured earlier this year authorising EU member states to limit in-work benefits - a mechanism for topping-up low salaries - for workers arriving from other EU states. "Germany wanted this too, but we didn't dare say so for fear of others complaining about 'you rich Germans'," he said. FEAR FACTOR Unable to stay completely quiet on the issue, Merkel said last week Britain would lose out if it left the EU. Berlin's bigger fear is what would become of the rest of the Union. "The weight of the EU, but also confidence in the cohesion and the steadfastness of the EU, would diminish dramatically," said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel. Britain has supported Berlin taking a foreign policy role commensurate with its economic power. But Germany's ambitions are eclipsed by its concerns that a Brexit could allow Russia to project its power into a destabilised EU. "It would be a success for Russia," Kiesewetter said. "It cannot be in Germany's national interest for a British exit to weaken the EU and strengthen Germany." His view is shared by just about the entire political establishment in Berlin. Peter Tauber, general secretary of Merkel's conservatives, summed up the prevailing sentiment: "Europe is only strong together. The British are part of that." (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A German regulator has fined three companies for still relying on a Safe Harbour agreement to electronically transfer personal data to the United States, despite the deal being declared invalid by the EU's highest court last year on concerns about U.S. mass surveillance activities. The Hamburg Data Commissioner said on Monday it had fined Adobe Systems, fruit juice maker Punica, a subsidiary of Pepsico, and Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever a total of 28,000 euros ($32,000) for failing to set up alternative legal channels for cross-border data transfers quickly enough. Companies that need to transfer personal data to the United States - be it for completing credit card transactions, hotel bookings or moving employee data - have been operating in a legal limbo since the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) struck down the Safe Harbour pact last October, depriving them of the easiest means available under the EU's strict data protection laws for authorising data transfers. For 15 years the Safe Harbour agreement had allowed companies to store data about European Union citizens on U.S. servers by stating that they complied with EU data protection standards. Adobe was fined 8,000 euros, Punica 9,000 euros and Unilever 11,000 euros. The regulator said they had put in place alternative legal mechanisms for transferring data to the United States following the fine. "The fact that the companies have eventually implemented a legal basis for the transfer had to be taken into account in a favourable way for the calculation of the fines," said Johannes Caspar, the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection. "For future infringements, stricter measures have to be applied." The EU's 28 data protection authorities gave companies a three-month grace period to bring their U.S. data transfers in line with EU law after the ruling. Hamburg's action is the most high-profile example of a regulator cracking down on companies for not changing the way they move data to the United States. The Hamburg regulator said it had conducted inspections on 35 "internationally active Hamburg-based companies" and most of them had set up alternative legal arrangements to shift data to the United States, such as "standard contractual clauses". But some companies had failed to set up such contracts - standard templates drawn up by the EU executive to allow cross-border data transfers to be made under EU privacy laws - even six months after the ECJ ruling. "The data transfer of these companies to the USA was thus without any legal basis and unlawful," the regulator said in a statement. However, Caspar said standard contractual clauses would also have to be scrutinised to decide if they give sufficient protection to Europeans' data, leaving open the possibility that regulators will restrict their use too. ($1 = 0.8797 euros) (Additional reporting by Harro Ten Wolde; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
Berlin (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's office hit back Monday at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a blistering row over a German parliamentary vote declaring the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians.

Erdogan has angrily condemned last week's vote on the World War I massacres, charging that the 11 German MPs with Turkish roots who backed it supported "terrorism" by the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), and demanding Sunday that they undergo "blood tests" to see "what kind of Turks they are".

But Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said that while Berlin also considers the PKK a terrorist group, "to associate individual members of parliament with terrorism is utterly incomprehensible to us".

Integration Minister Aydan Ozoguz labelled the terrorism claim "incredible" and said it "represents a severe test for German-Turkish relations".

The June 2 vote added yet another bone of contention to Turkey's troubled relationship with the European Union, and comes as the 28-nation bloc is banking on Ankara to block the flow of migrants into Europe.

Seibert made clear that "the resolution was a political initiative that emerged from the midst of the Bundestag, which is a democratically-elected, independent organ under our constitution".

"The Bundestag reached a sovereign decision. That must be respected," Seibert said, adding that this was the message Merkel had given to the Turkish president.

- Police protection -

Erdogan -- in a bitter reaction to the vote to recognise the 1915-1916 killings as genocide -- singled out German Greens party co-leader Cem Ozdemir, one of the instigators of the resolution.

Ozdemir has been placed under police protection after receiving anonymous death threats.

Integration Minister Ozoguz, of the Social Democrats, said that "the death threats against us, members of the German Bundestag, are absolutely unacceptable and deeply shock me".

Story continues

"I expect that parliament will now clearly express its solidarity with us and will not leave us alone in this," she told national news agency DPA.

The Turkish community in Germany -- which broadly opposes the 'genocide' vote -- nonetheless also criticised Erdogan on Monday for the pressure his government and its supporters had placed on German lawmakers of Turkish origin.

"We find death threats and demands for blood tests abhorrent," its chairman Gokay Sofuoglu told DPA.

"I think the era when people were defined by their blood ended in 1945. This is absolutely out of place."
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Ghana's oil output is expected to average 110,000 barrels per day in 2016, similar to last year, as output is ramped up at Tullow Oil's Jubilee Field, a senior government official said on Monday. Production at Jubilee was interrupted earlier this year due to technical problems but output resumed last month, said Thomas Mba Akabzaa, chief director at the ministry of petroleum. Africa-focussed Tullow Oil restarted output at 30,000 bpd in May. The estimated average production for the year is 110,000 barrels per day for 2016, including from production loss," Akabzaa told Reuters on the sidelines of an oil and gas conference. He said first production at the new Tullow operated TEN offshore field was expected on 17 August and that four unnamed firms searching for oil in the Tano Basin had lost their exploration licenses after failing to meet the necessary requirements. "In Ghana, at the end of 2015, (several) new petroleum agreements were signed. However, as I speak about 80 percent are yet to meet 20 percent of their work program requirements for 2015 largely as a result of the difficulty in raising the required funding," he told delegates. Sharply lower global oil prices, which fell below $40 dollars in January from almost $100 in 2014, has seen oil companies scale back projects and reduce head count. In Ghana, government negotiations with Tullow helped save 100 jobs in the petroleum industry, after the firm initially flagged 130 jobs were on the line, said Akabzaa. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf, editing by William Hardy)
(Adds comment from plaintiffs' lawyer, details from decision)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Monday two units of Anglo-Swiss mining company Glencore Plc must face a private antitrust lawsuit accusing them of trying to monopolize the market for special high grade zinc, driving up its price.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said zinc purchasers alleged "a plausible story of market control" by the Glencore units, Glencore Ltd and Pacorini Metals USA Inc, that violated the Sherman Act, a U.S. antitrust law.

In a 62-page decision, the judge also dismissed the purchasers' claim that Glencore's 2010 purchase of Pacorini was an illegal merger because its effect was to reduce competition.

Forrest had in January dismissed an earlier version of the proposed class-action lawsuit, which also named Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co as defendants. She said at the time that the plaintiffs could replead some claims against the Glencore units.

The lawsuit is among several in Manhattan in which investors and businesses accused banks and other defendants of conspiring to rig prices in financial and commodities markets.

Glencore Plc declined to comment, as did a lawyer for Glencore Ltd. A lawyer for Pacorini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Christopher Lovell, a lawyer for the purchasers, said his clients were gratified by the decision and looked forward to pursuing their case.

Zinc purchasers accused the Glencore units of having conspired since September 2010 to ensure long queues for the metal at warehouses licensed by the London Metal Exchange.

They said this enabled the defendants to receive increased storage fees and command increased premiums when selling zinc they owned, as part of a plan to artificially inflate prices.

Zinc is used to coat steel to protect against corrosion and is also used in batteries, castings and alloys such as brass.

It is according to the U.S. Geological Survey the world's fourth most widely produced metal by weight, trailing iron, aluminum and copper. http://on.doi.gov/1UCOMNy

The case is In re: Zinc Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-03728.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Richard Chang)
LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs has agreed to fully underwrite an offer from Zegona should the British investment firm reach a deal to buy Spanish budget mobile operator Yoigo, a person familiar with the deal said.

Zegona, set up by former Virgin Media executives to buy and run businesses in the European technology, media and telecoms sector, has been in talks with Yoigo-owner Teliasonera for more than two months about a deal.

It is in a battle with Spanish operator MasMovil to buy Yoigo, to add to its portfolio which already includes the Spanish cable operator Telecable which it bought in 2015.

Spain's telecoms sector has been through a round of consolidation, with Orange swooping on broadband operator Jazztel, Vodafone buying Ono and Euskaltel agreeing an offer for R Cable in recent years.

Zegona has agreed a national roaming deal with Telefonica which would enable Yoigo customers to access data, the source told Reuters.

Zegona declined to comment, while Goldman Sachs and Teliasonera were not all immediately available to comment.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Alexander Smith)
ben sasse

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse torched Donald Trump over his suggestion that Indiana-born US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot fairly preside over lawsuits against Trump University because of his Mexican heritage.

In a Monday tweet, Sasse, one of the last remaining Republican anti-Trump holdouts, vehemently criticized the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's comments.

"Public Service Announcement: Saying someone can't do a specific job because of his or her race is the literal definition of racism,'" Sasse tweeted.

For his part, Trump maintained that his suggestion that Curiel's heritage made him unfit to preside over the case was not racist.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Trump repeatedly brushed off CNN anchor Jake Tapper's persistent questions about whether his comments about Curiel were racially or ethnically biased.

"If you are saying he cannot do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?" Tapper said.

"No, I don't think so at all," Trump said.

He added: "This judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall, I'm building a wall."

Sasse was hardly the only high-profile Republican to condemn Trump.

Over the weekend, several Trump supporters  such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, current and former House Speakers Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich, and Sen. Bob Corker  all condemned Trump's comments about Curiel.

"This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made," Gingrich said.

Though the majority of his Republican colleagues in the Senate have endorsed Trump, Sasse has remained steadfast in his opposition of Trump.

In a fiery open letter published on his Facebook page last month, the senator called for a third-party challenger to both Trump and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

"There are dumpster fires in my town more popular than these two 'leaders,'" Sasse wrote.

NOW WATCH: Heres the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will reportedly live in after the White House





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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Sunday which bans the investment of "public funds" in any organization or company which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.

While some applauded the governor, others said the executive order was unconstitutional.

BDS is part of a political movement started in 2005 that seeks to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law and afford human rights to Palestinians.

Read more: Israel Just Hosted Its First Transgender Beauty Pageant

Today's Executive Order directs state entities to divest all public funds supporting the BDS campaign against Israelpic.twitter.com/rCRXXN2uIv https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMtDpoUUAABd7v.jpg:large

Jewish Voice for Peace explains it would support the BDS movement until Israel "[e]nds its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantles the Wall; recognizes the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and respects, protects and promotes the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194."

I'm proud to sign this nation's leading executive order, which will help protect Israel from threat of divestment.http://on.ny.gov/1Pd8g77

Cuomo bypassed the New York Legislature, instead deciding to unilaterally enforce the law. He said, while speaking at the Harvard Club, BDS was an "economic attack" against Israel and "we cannot allow this to happen," the New York Times reported.

"If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you," he added.

The governor signed the order immediately prior to attending the Celebrate Israel Parade.

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New York stands in solidarity with Israel today and always. Photos from today's EO signing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/governorandrewcuomo/albums/72157668939954221/with/27380084092/ ...pic.twitter.com/0E377IhodW https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMzZ_0UUAE8blA.jpg:large

The hotly contentious issue predictably produced impassioned reactions. Some commended Cuomo's explicit political and ideological alliance with Israel, including a number of high-profile politicians and activists.

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind supported the decision:

Applaud @NYGovCuomo for standing w/ Israel to fight #BDS. When businesses boycott Israel, NY boycotts you! #BDSFailhttps://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/739484307463544832 ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMtDpoUUAABd7v.jpg:large

As did Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt:

Bravo @NYGovCuomo for your exec order ag #BDS. Boycotting #Israel isn't new but always wrong.http://nyti.ms/1UC4zw3

And Israel's ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, thanked Cuomo:

Thank you, Governor Cuomo, for your strong stance against the BDS movement.https://twitter.com/nygovcuomo/status/739484307463544832 ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMtDpoUUAABd7v.jpg:large

Thank you @NYGovCuomo for dropping a bomb on #BDS! "If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you"! BOOM!pic.twitter.com/YuUFuaBA2b https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkQEcXyWkAAeIuv.jpg:large

However, others argued the move was unconstitutional  violating freedom of speech  and that it harks back to the McCarthy era.

"Legal experts have described this long pending anti-boycott policy as '21st-century McCarthyism,' warning it would effectively create a discriminatory 'blacklist' of Palestinian human rights advocates who endorse boycotts like those organized in order to combat U.S.-backed apartheid in South Africa," Ben Norton wrote in Salon.

Many used social media to express similar concerns and disapproval:

4) Andrew Cuomo is being lauded for his unconstitutional executive order to quash the BDS movement.http://www.salon.com/2016/06/05/ny_gov_cuomo_signing_unconstitutional_mccarthyite_pro_israel_exec_order_punishing_bds_boycott_movement/ ...

Shameful move by NY governor trying to stop #BDS. Legal groups calling it "21st century McCarthyism."https://twitter.com/nygovcuomo/status/739456398698909696 ...

Can you believe NY Gov. Cuomo signed a McCarthyite exec. order punishing Israel boycott #BDS http://fb.me/586hQQF8s Got free speech? No!

A similar bill to Cuomo's executive order was nixed from the New York Senate in May.

This was in response to the New York's Freedom to Boycott Coalition's gathering the signatures of over 100 organizations for an open letter denouncing anti-boycott legislation. NYFBC dispatched the letter to every assemblyperson and senator of New York State.

"[Such laws create] unconstitutional blacklists," the letter stated. "We share deep concerns about unconstitutional attacks on boycotts, a form of protected political speech. We call on you to stop this legislation and oppose any similar efforts."

"We are counting on you to defend free speech and reject this new version of McCarthyism," they concluded.
The heavy civil contractor and construction materials producer, Granite Construction Incorporated GVA has been awarded a $20 million contract by the Alaska Department of Transportation for the rehabilitation of the taxiways at the Anchorage International Airport.



The scope of the contract includes the rehabilitation of taxiways R and T, as well as the construction and installation of taxiway shoulders, safety areas, elevated lighting systems and signage. Construction work will begin in early Jun 2016 and be completed in a year. Granite Construction will book the project into backlog for the second quarter of 2016.



In the first quarter of 2016, Granite Constructions total contract backlog recorded an all-time high of $3.4 billion, up 15.3% year over year. Solid backlog trends and a relentless focus on execution will continue to provide the company opportunities for top and bottom line growth.



The current economic environment bodes well for the companys planned growth in 2016 and additional opportunities in 2017. With strong committed volumes across geographies at the Construction Materials segment, the business will improve in 2016.



In general, Granite Constructions vertically integrated business remains on track to drive growth in 2016, while large project teams continue to focus on improving project execution to deliver better financial results. Moreover, the company intends to focus on the execution of its large project backlog, apart from bidding for and winning new deals and contracts.



Granite Construction currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the sector include Dycom Industries Inc. DY, Tutor Perini Corporation TPC and TopBuild Corp. BLD. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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Cairo (AFP) - Thirty-one migrants who survived when their boat sank off Crete last week arrived in Egypt on Monday along with the bodies of nine people who died, police told AFP.

Two helicopters, three ships and a coastguard vessel scrambled after the makeshift boat sank off the Greek island on Friday with hundreds of people on board.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the vessel was "believed to have left Africa with at least 700 migrants on board".

The Greek coastguard said on Friday night it had rescued 340 people and recovered nine bodies.

The survivors arriving in Egypt Monday were 26 Egyptians, two Sudanese, two Eritreans and an Ethiopian, a police official said.

Friday's shipwreck suggests that people-traffickers are trying to open alternative sea routes to Europe that avoid a NATO naval force in the eastern waters between the Turkish coast and the nearby Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have reached Europe via that route since the start of last year. The flow has dramatically dropped since the arrival of the NATO force and a deal between Turkey and the European Union that entered force on March 20.

The EU-Turkey deal set the stage for a renewed effort by Ankara to stop clandestine migrants setting off from the Turkish coast, in exchange for political and financial support from the EU.

It also allowed for migrants including Syrian asylum-seekers who had arrived in Greece to be sent back to Turkey.

More than 2,500 migrants and refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean this year while trying to reach Europe, while upwards of 200,000 have arrived by sea, according to figures from the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
Ukraine's state service for food safety and consumer protection reports about a letter from the Embassy of Ukraine in the South African Republic inviting shipments of Ukrainian pork.

"The regulator has received an official letter from Ukraine's embassy in the South African Republic with an offer to import [Ukrainian] pork. That offer was a pleasant surprise. One should be aware that access to that market is not easy  there are many food-related regulations," head of the service Volodymyr Lapa is quoted by an announcement on the service's website as saying.

In his words, Ukraine will first have to fill in a detailed questionnaire, and then prove its effective control of African swine fever in its territory.

As was reported with reference to Ukrainian customs reports, in 2015, Ukraine almost tripled pork exports, to 27,170 tonnes, while pork imports plunged by 88.1%, to 3,690 tonnes.

Last year, Ukraine cut poultry exports by 7.7%, to 161,284 tonnes. Poultry imports grew by 0.4% from 2014, to 61,250 tonnes.
Gronk

People can say whatever they want to about Rob Gronkowski. Still, nobody can say that the star New England Patriot doesnt have heart. As per his yearly tradition, Gronk was involved in the annual Buzz Off head shaving for cancer research.

Rob Gronkowski has been a big advocate for cancer research and is in his sixth year in a row of shaving his head for the cause.

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This is just an unbelievable event, Gronkowski told the crowd, per ESPN. Just seeing kids, what theyre going through, puts a feeling in you that you want to help them out. You want to raise awareness for all the kids going through the hard times, the struggles, to know that theres someone there at all times for them.

Gronk has a huge heart and his participation in the Buzz Off event is a shining example of his character. For all the party, fratboy-ish antics he may partake in, he is always just about having fun and living life to the fullest. Participating in the Buzz Off event helps raise money for cancer research at the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana Farber, Boston Childrens Hospital, Hasbro Childrens Hospital and the Family Reach Foundation.

Gronk was joined by fellow New England Patriot, Nate Solder, at the Buzz Off event. It is great to see role models in the New England community participating in events like the Buzz Off event which is helping raise money for the cancer research. It shows another side to the athletes kids grow up watching and shows that there is real character beyond the helmet for Patriots players like Gronk.

The post Gronk shaves head for Buzz Off cancer fundraiser appeared first on Cover32.
Punxsutawney Phil is set to hit the stage - without Scott Rudin.

The noted producer has dropped out of a new stage adaptation of the 1993 Bill Murray-Andie MacDowell comedy, according to The New York Times.

Rudin - who will already produce revivals of Hello, Dolly! and The Front Page this Broadway season - leaves the production before it begins performances at the Old Vic Theater in London, running from July 15 through Sept. 17. The show is set to bow on Broadway next January.

"The production in New York is going to be a transfer of the London production, which is not how we had originally conceived the project when I joined it," Rudin wrote in a statement to the Times. "The more it evolved, the more it felt that there was no way for me to do what I like to do, so I asked to withdraw. Not every ideal show happens in the ideal circumstances for everyone involved. I wish them well with it. It's a great show, and I'm sure it will be a big hit."

Read More: 'Groundhog Day': THR's 1993 Review

The new musical reunites much of the key creative team from Matilda, the acclaimed musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, which has been a hit on both sides of the Atlantic: director Matthew Warchus, composer-lyricist Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell. The book is by Danny Rubin, who co-wrote the Columbia Pictures film's screenplay with director Harold Ramis, based on Rubin's story.

The plot follows the mind-bending experience of misanthropic Pittsburgh TV weatherman Phil Connors, disgruntled at being sent to small-town Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day event. When a blizzard prevents his return to the city, he gets caught in a time loop, replaying the same day over and over until he softens his cynical demeanor, befriending and helping everyone he meets over the course of the day.

David Rooney contributed to this report.
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest U.S. environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals. The groups, most of them environmental organizations, warned that companies could challenge U.S. environmental standards in tribunals outside the domestic legal system under provisions of the 12-nation TPP and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with Europe. Congress is expected to vote on the TPP after the Nov. 8 election during a lame-duck session. President Barack Obama wants the agreement ratified before he leaves office on Jan. 20, but opposition to the deal has grown during this year's presidential campaign. "We strongly urge you to eliminate this threat to U.S. climate progress by committing to vote no on the TPP and asking the U.S. Trade Representative to remove from TTIP any provision that empowers corporations to challenge government policies in extrajudicial tribunals," the groups wrote in the letter to every member of Congress. Obama's political ally and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she wants to renegotiate the TPP to include stronger rules on currency manipulation. Voter anxiety over the impact of trade deals on jobs and the environment has helped power the campaigns of Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who is running against Clinton for the Democratic nomination. The letter says approving the deals would enable fossil fuel companies to use "investor-state dispute settlements" to demand compensation for environmental rules through cases decided by lawyers outside the U.S. judicial system. The groups noted that in January, Canadian energy company TransCanada asked for a private tribunal through the North American Free Trade Agreement to seek compensation exceeding $15 billion, after Obama last year rejected a permit for its Keystone pipeline, citing global warming concerns. "The TPP and TTIP would more than double the number of fossil fuel corporations that could follow TransCanadas example and challenge U.S. policies in private tribunals," the letter said. A spokesman for the United States Trade Representative said on Monday that the United States has never lost an ISDS case because "we have continued to raise standards through each agreement." The spokesman said the TPP has the strongest environmental safeguards of any trade agreement and upgrades NAFTA with "full enforceable environmental obligations." Ilana Solomon, director of the Sierra Club's trade program, said skepticism around trade deals in the U.S. election creates an opportunity for Congress to reject the TPP. "There is so much momentum now to end the TPP and other trade agreements," she told Reuters. "This is an area where there is bipartisan agreement... that these deals harm workers, communities and our environment." (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio and Dan Grebler)
(Reuters) - Police on Sunday shot dead a gunman who allegedly killed two people in Florida, authorities said.

Cape Coral police said the bloodshed began late Sunday afternoon when they responded to calls of a motorcyclist having been shot and found him dead at the scene.

A short time later in response to another call, police found two people shot, one fatally, at a nearby gas station convenience store.

The suspected gunman fled in a car and was pulled over a few minutes later.

"The suspect was still armed and violently resisting officers. Our officers engaged him, killing the suspect," Det. Sgt Dana Costin told a news conference.

Two other people in the car were injured, Costin said. He did not provide details on their relationship to the gunman or how they were injured. Local media reported they were a child and a teen-ager.

The suspect's and the victims' identities were not available, and the investigation was continuing, Costin said.

Cape Coral is a community of some 165,000 on Florida's Gulf Coast just west of Ft. Myers.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Gunmen suspected of belonging to Somalia's Islamist al Shabaab group shot and killed a female journalist working for state-run radio on Sunday, police said. Major Nur Ali, a police officer, said Sagal Salad worked for Radio Mogadishu. "Three men armed with pistols killed (her)... We heard gunfire and we rushed to the scene, the gunmen had already escaped," Ali told Reuters. "She was rushed to hospital but she died on the way. They killed her near a college campus where she studied. We believe al Shabaab is behind her killing." Al Shabaab was not immediately reachable for comment. Late last year, a female reporter who also worked for Radio Mogadishu was killed in a car blast. Two men convicted of the killing were executed in April. Also in April, a government firing squad executed a former media officer working for al Shabaab for ordering the death of six journalists. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab was forced out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping troops in 2011 but has remained potent, launching frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow Somalia's government. Somalia was plunged into anarchy in the early 1990s following the toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, and has been struggling to reconstruct. Somalia ranked 172nd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. (Reporting by Abdi sheikh; Editing by George Obulutsa and Toby Chopra)
Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Haitians will head to the polls on October 9 to vote for a new president, officials confirmed on Monday, after the results of last year's controversial election were formally annulled.

"The Council has decided to repeat the first round of the presidential election," the president of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Leopold Berlanger told reporters.

A second round vote will be held on January 8, 2017.

The decision to cancel the results followed a recommendation last Monday by an independent commission that found that fraud had marred the October 2015 vote.

The opposition condemned that vote as an "electoral coup" in favor of former president Michel Martelly.

Interim president Jocelerme Privert -- whose term is scheduled to end mid-June -- was reported at the weekend has having announced the October 9 balloting date at a Caribbean summit in Havana.
Mitch McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid spent much of a heated Monday speech on the Senate floor lighting into "Trumpet" Mitch McConnell and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

After calling the Republican "capitulation" to Trump complete, he chastised McConnell, the Senate majority leader, for leading a supposedly "pro-Trump propaganda tour" the week before.

"Sen. McConnell spent last week as Donald Trump's head cheerleader  a trumpet," the Senate minority leader said. "The Republican leader left Washington 10 days ago without doing his job on Zika so he could stump for Trump."

"And in the last 10 days, it has become clear that Sen. McConnell will go to any length to support Donald Trump," he continued.

McConnell embarked on a recent media tour to promote his newly released memoir, "The Long Game."

Reid lambasted McConnell for not explicitly calling Trump's attacks against US District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel racist during a Sunday "Meet the Press" interview. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Curiel's Mexican heritage makes it impossible to rule fairly in a Trump University case over which the judge is currently presiding.

Curiel was born in Indiana, but Trump has suggested that Curiel's background has made him impartial because of Trump's vows to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Mitch McConnell

Trump later said that it was "possible" that a Muslim judge would also not be able to preside fairly over a case involving the presumptive nominee because of his proposed barring of Muslim immigrants.

"Donald Trump opined a federal judge should be disqualified from presiding on his case because of his Mexican heritage," Reid said. "He went even further in saying he would feel the same way if the judge were Muslim."

"And how did the Republican leader respond?" Reid continued. "Sen. McConnell repeatedly refused to say Donald Trump's attacks on Judge Curiel's ethnicity are racist. This is precisely the type of failure that gave rise to Donald Trump in the first place."

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In a Sunday interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," McConnell said that he "couldn't disagree more" with what Trump has said about Curiel.

"This is a man who was born in Indiana," McConnell said. "All of us came here from somewhere else."

But McConnell would not call the attack "racist" when pressed repeatedly by host Chuck Todd.

"Sen. McConnell and all congressional Republican leaders have never taken a stand against Trump's vile rhetoric," Reid said.

"By refusing to denounce Trump's attack on a federal judge for the racism it clearly connotes, it shows Sen. McConnell is the poster boy for Republicans' spinelessness that allowed Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee for President of the United States," he continued.

Reid went on, insisting that McConnell was "too busy being a trumpet for Trump" to work on any legislative matters. He also said that there are many more questions for McConnell to answer after dodging the question of whether Trump's attacks against Curiel are racist.

In McConnell's newly released memoir, he dedicated a passage to his longtime Senate counterpart.

McConnell wrote:

If a scalpel will work, he picks up a meat-ax. He also has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. In person, Harry is thoughtful, friendly, and funny. But as soon as the cameras turn on or he's offered a microphone, he becomes bombastic and unreasonable, spouting things that are both nasty and often untrue, forcing him to then later apologize.

NOW WATCH: Heres how Ted Cruz responded to being called Lucifer in the flesh by John Boehner





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Lets discuss the most important topic of conversation surrounding Captain America - his dating life! As you recall in The First Avenger, Cap and Agent Peggy Carter had a romance that was just starting to blossom before it was, well, put on ice. Then in The Winter Soldier, Cap and his neighbor, a SHIELD agent assigned to surveil him, make some eyes at each other. You know, eyes. The two of them wind up sharing a smooch in Civil War. Great, right? Wrong! Its actually kind of weird.
hbologo

HBO has given pilot orders to two provocative dramas with Oscar-winning auspices: Succession, directed and executive produced by The Big Shorts Adam McKay; and Mogadishu, Minnesota (formerly know as The Recruiters), executive produced by Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Lockers Kathryn Bigelow. Succession is written/executive produced by Peep Show co-creator Jesse Armstrong and exec produced by Will Ferrell, Frank Rich and Kevin Messick, while Mogadishu, Minnesota is written/directed/executive produced by rapper Knaan Warsame.

This marks HBOs first drama pilot orders in almost a year. They come five months after HBO head of comedy Casey Bloys added drama development to his purview. The pilot pickups follow an extensive review by Bloys of the networks drama development pipeline, which I hear resulted in the release of dozens of scripts. They join drama Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, which HBO landed in April with an eight-episode, straight-to-series, first-season order.

The pilot orders for Succession and Mogadishu, Minnesota also are the first HBO green lights since longtime president of programming Michael Lombardo stepped down last month, succeeded by Bloys.

Succession appears topical as the Redstone family real-life soap opera is unfolding. It follows the saga of a fictional, American global-media family that is not only rich and powerful but also powerfully dysfunctional. The drama will explore family loyalty, international business, and the perils of power in the 21st century.

Armstrong wrote the script and is executive producing with Gary Sanchezs McKay, Ferrell and Messick as well as Rich, who is under a creative consultant deal with HBO.

McKay is coming off a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar win with co-writer Charles Randolph for The Big Short. Armstrong also worked on the HBO comedy series Veep, on which Rich serves as an executive producer under his HBO deal. The Emmy-winning series was recently renewed for a sixth season. Armstrongs first novel, Love Sex And Other Foreign Policy Goals, a black comedy about the Bosnia war, will be published in the U.S. this month by Blue Rider Press.

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IMG_6595

Warsames Mogadishu, Minnesota is a family drama that grapples with what it means to be American among the Somalis of Minneapolis. Somalia-born and Canadian-raised Warsame and Bigelow executive produce with Carolyn Strauss (Game Of Thrones). The project is said to touch upon the subject of Jihadi recruitment in the U.S.

Warsame and Bigelow are repped by CAA and attorney Warren Dern from Sloane Offer.

Armstrong is repped by UTA and UK agent Cathy King. McKay is repped by WME and Mosaic.

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The IMF Board of Directors will decide on a new tranche for Ukraine after the analysis of reforms and fulfillment of commitments made in June, IMF Resident Representative Jerome Vacher has said.

He said the IMF will judge not only what has been promised, but what has been done to implement reforms.

"We'll look at the policy followed next month [in June]. This is what we will evaluate, this is the basis upon which the Board of Directors will make its final decision on whether to allocate the tranche," he told Ukrainian TV Channel Inter in an interview broadcast on Sunday evening.

The work done by Ukraine to implement reforms will be assessed late in June, he said.

If the assessment is positive, Ukraine will be able to get the tranche in the middle of July, Vacher said in the interview.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / HealthWarehouse.com, Inc. (HEWA), the only VIPPS accredited online and mail-order pharmacy licensed in all 50 states, announced today that it will be presenting at the 6th annual LD Micro Invitational on Tuesday, June 7 at 2pm PST. Lalit Dhadphale, President & CEO will be giving the presentation and meeting with investors. An audio file will be available following the presentation at: http://wsw.com/webcast/ldmicro10/hewa.

The conference will be held at the Luxe Sunset Bel Air Hotel and will feature 195 companies in the small / micro-cap space.

View HealthWarehouse.com's profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/hewa.

Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of Accesswire

About HealthWarehouse.com

HealthWarehouse.com, Inc. (HEWA) is a trusted VIPPS accredited online pharmacy based in Florence, Kentucky. The Company is focused on the growing out of pocket prescription market, which is expected to grow to over $80 billion in 2016. With a mission to provide affordable healthcare to every American by focusing on technology that is revolutionizing prescription delivery, HealthWarehouse.com has become the largest VIPPS accredited online pharmacy in the United States.

HealthWarehouse.com is licensed in all 50 states and only sells drugs that are FDA-approved and legal for sale in the United States. Visit HealthWarehouse.com online at http://www.HealthWarehouse.com.

About LD Micro

LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).

In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.

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For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.

Contact

Mr. Lalit Dhadphale, CEO

lalit@healthwarehouse.com

(859) 444-7341

SOURCE: HealthWarehouse.com via LD Micro
The streets outside Webster Hall in New York turned chaotic early Monday morning (June 6) after a last-minute secret show by Kanye West was canceled, with thousands of fans flooding the streets, jumping on cars and attempting to gain entry to the venue. The throng gathered after West's headlining set at the Governors Ball festival was canceled due to weather and his creative director, Virgil Abloh, posted (and then erased) a tease that the rapper would be playing a show at the 1,500-capacity Webster Hall at 2 a.m.

Kanye West's Surprise Webster Hall Concert Canceled Following 'Near Riot'

The show whisper, confirmed by 2 Chainz, caused large groups of fans to rush to to the East Village venue, with security struggle to contain the chaos. When West tweeted at 1 a.m. that the show was sold out, the crowd went wild.

Check out some footage of the scene outside Webster Hall:

In the midst of the mayhem crowd waiting to see #kanyewest at 2am this morning, I officially became an adult when I had a "WTF am I actually doing here" epiphany and decided that the pizza waiting for me at home was more important than getting trampled on.

A video posted by Kenyatta Chambers (@yattachambers) on Jun 6, 2016 at 6:56am PDT

when @kanyewest is getting mobbed by screaming fans right across your dorm -- pic.twitter.com/PMVJWD6MAw

- Eric Liang (@hiEricLiang) June 6, 2016

More footage from scene of Kanye @ Webster pic.twitter.com/c5pX7yZJa1

- tom mckenna (@tmckenna1) June 6, 2016

The scene outside Webster Hall right now, where Kanye West is said to be performing tonight at 2AM pic.twitter.com/JepLL3Eyof

- XXL Magazine (@XXL) June 6, 2016

#kanyewest shut down NYC

A video posted by DJ Akademiks (@akademikstv) on Jun 5, 2016 at 10:55pm PDT

Thousands of Kanye West fans are seen chasing after the hip-hop star in Manhattan after his surprise Webster Hall show was canceled. The show was announced after rain lead to the cancelation of Governor's Ball on Sunday. But after more than 4,000 people showed up to the venue - which can only house 1,500 - officials decided against the second concert as well. As you can see, that didn't stop fans from gathering, or Kanye from giving them a momentary glimpse of himself. Visit the PIX11 app for the full story.

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A video posted by WPIX-TV New York (@pix11news) on Jun 6, 2016 at 2:47am PDT

ASAP Rocky and ASAP Nast trying to maneuver through the Webster Hall crowd. pic.twitter.com/eVVVhnzjp0

- UTOR (@utorlive) June 6, 2016
d-day

Several hours into the D-Day invasion, General Eisenhower sent a cable about the apparent success of the operation back to the War Department in Washington.

At the time, Eisenhower had scant details of how well the beach head invasions had actually went. But based on reports he was receiving, the legendary general and future president was fairly certain that the invasion was proceeding well and would result in an Allied victory.

Eisenhower's message begins:

Local time is now eight in the morning. I have as yet no information concerning the actual landing nor our progress through beach obstacles ... All preliminary reports are satisfactory. Airborne formations apparently landed in good order with losses out of approximately 1250 airplanes participating about 30.

The last paragraph from the classified message reveals that June 5 was actually Eisenhowers original planned date for D-Day. However, stormy weather moving over the Channel from England made a landing on the target beaches 'impossible.'

The weather considerably improved by the morning of June 6th. Allied infantry began landing on the coast of France at 06:30. By the end of the day, the Allies had gained a foothold in German-occupied Western Europe that was critical to winning the war.

Eisenhower wrote that the preliminary reports of the invasion were satisfactory: "The enthusiasm, toughness, and obvious fitness of every single man were high and the light of battle was in their eyes."

Here is the full classified message from Eisenhower on D-Day, made available from the FDR Presidential Library:

Eisenhower D-Day Cable

Eisenhower D-Day Cable





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The Department of Labor finally released its long-awaited overtime rule, and it's likely to send a ripple of changes through workplaces between now and December -- when employers must begin to comply.

Related: Here's How the New Overtime Rules Will Affect Entrepreneurs

The rule will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation, resulting in a boost to many workers wallets. The means: The rule doubles the minimum salary threshold to exempt an employee from overtime pay.

In general, employers have three compliance options:

Raise non-exempt employee salaries so those people maintain their exempt status

Reclassify hourly employees as salaried employees

Reclassify salaried employees as hourly, adjusting their base pay in order to account for overtime.

This last option is the most cost-neutral. If done right, employees will earn the same amount they did before the rule change. But when you reclassify employees, you have much more to consider than just simply the financial aspects. Your employees are your company, so any decisions you make need to help nurture their careers and lives in the right ways.

Heres what happens when a salaried, exempt employee becomes a non-exempt hourly one -- and all the elements a company should consider:

The legal implications

Reclassifying employees as hourly workers is legal, but employers still need to be careful. For one thing, the process needs to be well-documented. To stay compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers need to show the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division when the changes were made, and why.

Its also best for all parties involved if an employees compensation structure is changed only once, if at all. Switching employees back and forth between salaried and hourly may appear suspicious in the eyes of the DOL -- the employer appears to be trying to avoid complying with different aspects of the FLSA.

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Also consider the legal costs of reclassifying employees. An analysis conducted by economists at George Mason University in April found that the tech-startup industry alone may pay between $317 million and $4.5 billion in legal fees to comply with the new overtime rules.

Related: Do New Overtime Rules Make Telework Too Risky?

The change to benefits

The nondiscrimination rules and regulations of the Affordable Care Act make it difficult for employers to switch workers' eligibility for health benefits between exempt and non-exempt status. But other benefits, especially ancillary ones, may change when employees are reclassified as hourly workers.

Benefits like paid time off, vacation accrual and, sometimes, disability or life insurance may change, depending on salaried or hourly status. Depending on employer policies, the change can be detrimental or beneficial to employees. For example, salaried workers may have more paid time off and vacation accrual, while rules for bonuses and allowances for sick time may be more favorable to hourly employees.

Consider changes like these before reclassifying your own employees. Updating benefits policies may be the best option as you consider reclassifications. For example, instead of basing the amount of paid time off you award, on a salaried or hourly status, consider companywide policies or offer paid leave based on tenure and job level. Review benefits and evaluate what will make the most sense as you finalize reclassifications.

The loss of flexibility

Salaried employees may be accustomed to flexible working arrangements. In fact, data released in January from GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com found that regular at-home work has grown by 103 percent since 2005. Approximately 20 to 25 percent of the workforce teleworks with some frequency, and 3.7 million U.S. employees now work from home at least half of the time.

But if workers are reclassified as hourly employees, that will have to change. This doesnt mean flexible work has to end -- it will just look different. For example, if an employee needs to stay late to finish an important project or deadline, he or she could be allowed to start later the next day. That way, hourly employees could still work 40-hour weeks and complete all necessary tasks.

To make the transition easier, train employees and managers on time-keeping procedures. Thoroughly explain wage and hour policies and what constitutes compensable work. Also create new policies that limit work outside the office and use HR software to monitor time more accurately.

Some employers may choose to eliminate flexible work altogether to avoid risks, but thats a drastic approach that employees will resent. Instead, work with employees and managers to develop flexible-work arrangements that work for everyone and will keep the business compliant.

The reaction from employees

In addition to all the changes employers deal with when it comes to shifting compensation structures, they should regard the whole scenario from the employees side. Its a major job change that can shift an employees whole attitude towards his or her work.

Some employees may view the change as a demotion or step back in their career. Remind employees that reclassification is a matter of compliance, not one of status or performance at work. Eligibility for overtime ensures they are properly paid for their time and hard work -- when they work more hours, theyll get rewarded for it.

In addition, reclassification can provide employees with a better sense of work-life balance. Instead of staying late at the office every night, employees can get a much-needed break without stunting their career growth.

Even after reassuring employees that reclassification isnt a punishment, consider that its still a giant adjustment. Exempt employees are used to working beyond the typical work day. They answer emails at all times, work nights and weekends and are always available.

An April 2015 study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology called this need to quickly respond to emails and other messages telepressure. But when reclassified, employees will need to break these habits.

Related: Millions of Employees Are Now Eligible for Overtime Pay Thanks to New Federal Rule -- Start Up Your Day Roundup

Employees are used to the freedom of working off the clock to get things done, but reclassified employees will need to adjust their habits to fit into the 40-hour work week. Review policies on overtime and how to log hours. Work with employees to readjust priorities and responsibilities. Its a big change, but with support from managers and employers, reclassified employees can manage their work and adjust to new policies.
The Hershey Company HSY recently announced a voluntary recall of three SoFit products due to an expanded supplier recall of sunflower seeds.

Hersheys supplier, SunOpta, issued a recall earlier this month on discovering that the sunflower seeds produced by it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes infection.

As an act of caution, Hershey recalled SoFit snack products that included a sunflower seed item as well as an almond and a pumpkin seed item manufactured on the same equipment.

Hershey added the SoFit brand to its portfolio as part of its acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in an Indian company, Godrej Hershey Ltd., from Godrej Industries Ltd. and another small shareholder in 2012. The Hershey Company already held a 51% stake in Godrej Hershey at that time.

Hershey is shifting its focus to snacks items as it faces declining demand for its chocolate products. This year it has launched snack items like Reeses Snack Mix and Hersheys Snack Bites canister. The Apr 2016 acquisition of New York-based barkTHINS premium chocolate snacking brand will also build on the companys better-for-you snacks portfolio.

In Feb 2015, Hershey also announced plans to use simpler ingredients like locally produced milk, roasted California almonds, cocoa beans and sugar in its chocolate products to cater to a growing number of health-conscious consumers.

In keeping with this trend, Hershey launched healthier versions of Hersheys Kisses milk chocolates and Hersheys milk chocolate bars made with simple ingredients and no artificial flavors during the 2015 holiday season. In 2016, it launched yogurt flavored Brookside branded fruit and nut bars made with simple and natural ingredients and a simpler version of Hersheys classic syrup - Hersheys Simply 5 Syrup  made with five simple ingredients.

Stocks to Consider

Hershey carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked food stocks are B&G Foods Inc. BGS, Post Holdings, Inc. POST and Lancaster Colony Corporation LANC. All three stocks hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will mark the close of their California primary campaigns on Monday with concerts, in a star-filled show-of-support as Clinton looks to clinch the Democratic nomination and Sanders insists that his bid isnt over.

Clinton is attending a fundraiser at the Greek Theatre with Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin and Andra Day, with tickets starting at $250 per person. Former President Bill Clinton is also expected to appear at the event, as she wraps up five days of campaigning in California.

Sanders, meanwhile, is holding a concert at the Presidio in San Francisco, with Dave Matthews, Fantastic Negrito, Fishbone and John Dexter Stewart on the bill, along with speakers Cornel West, Shailene Woodley and Danny Glover.

Polls show Clinton with just a slight edge over Sanders in California, according to a RealClearPolitics average. On a press call Monday, analysts with the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Poll said that a higher-than-expected turnout, particularly among young and independent voters, will favor Sanders. Their most recent polls show Clinton with a lead of 49% to 39% among likely voters, and Sanders with a slight edge among eligible voters.

Clinton is returning to New York after the concert, as she is just a few dozen delegates away from the 2,383 mark to claim that nomination. That is likely to happen before polls close in California. She is heavily favored in New Jersey, which also holds its primary on Tuesday, meaning that networks could call the race, and her passing of the delegate threshold, as early as 5 p.m. PT. Other states voting on Tuesday include Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Clinton held a press availability with reporters, and addressed what it will be like being the first woman to clinch the nomination of a major party.

It is really emotional, and I am someone who has been very touched, really encouraged by this extraordinary conviction that people have, she told reporters in Lynwood, where she was holding a rally.

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I do think it will make a very big difference for a father or a mother to be able to look at their daughter, just like he can look at their son, and say you can be anything that you want to be in this country, she said.

She also said that her campaign would wait and find out to see if Sanders concedes. She noted that eight years ago on Tuesday, she dropped out of the race and endorsed then Sen. Barack Obama. I believe it was the right thing to do. No matter what differences we had in our long campaign, they pale in comparison to the differences we had with Republicans, and that is actually even more true today.

Sanders has vowed to take the race all the way to the Democratic National Convention in July, and has spent the last couple of weeks in California, which has 546 delegates, the largest number of any state. His campaign is hoping that a win will bolster their case for staying in the race.

At a press conference on Saturday in downtown Los Angeles, Sanders asked networks not to call the nomination for Clinton on Tuesday, noting that she still will not have enough pledged delegates. A chunk of Clintons support comes from unpledged super delegates, party leaders who are free to switch their support. Clinton has a wide lead among those delegates, but she also leads among pledged delegates, too.

Now I have heard reports that Secretary Clinton has said its all going to be over Tuesday night. I have reports that the media, after the New Jersey results come in, are going to declare that it is all over. That simply is not accurate, Sanders told reporters.

Sanders is holding an election night event at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Clinton and Sanders have drawn heavily on celebrity surrogates while campaigning in the Golden State. Susan Sarandon, Woodley, Josh Fox, Max Carver and Dick Van Dyke spoke at a rally for Sanders at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday  Van Dyke even sang and danced in introducing the candidate.

My deep feeling is Bernies voice is silenced, and those like him are silenced, are grand kids are going to live in an oligarchy, Van Dyke said. Im afraid it is going to happen.

Woodley and a group of other Hollywood figures, like Rosario Dawson and Kendrick Sampson, even trekked across the state in an RV.

Clinton also has been enlisting celebrity supporters, including Sally Field, Elizabeth Banks and Debra Messing, who appeared with her at a rally on Friday at West Los Angeles College. They focused mainly on Clintons experience, and their criticism of Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee. On Monday, she campaigned with Scandal  star Tony Goldwyn.

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Before Hillary Clinton took the stage in Sacramento on Sunday evening, drums were sounded furious and fast by percussionists from a local high school. Then Clinton, readying for war with a smile on her face, spelled out her plans for taking on Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Were going to have a very contentious campaign because I am going to point out at every single moment that I can why the Republican nominee should never get near the White House, Clinton said to cheers of several hundred supporters who waited in 100-degree heat before packing into a gymnasium at Sacramento City College.

Clinton accused Trump of running a campaign based on insultsagainst Mexican immigrants, Muslims, women and other constituencies, and quoted Abraham Lincoln: A house divided against itself cannot stand.

The speech, delivered in advance of the states Democratic primary on Tuesday, follows a cutting foreign policy speech on Thursday, in which Clinton portrayed Trump as inexperienced and lacking the temperament to be entrusted with the countrys nuclear codes. Those are themes she continued to hit on Sunday, amid reeling through policy agenda items that pleased the crowd, like promising to tackle climate change and pass gun control measures.

I believe that Donald Trump is not qualified or temperamentally fit to be president, she said.

Though Clinton had not technically clinched the delegates she needs to be the Democratic nominee, news broke during her speech on Sunday that she had beaten rival Bernie Sanders in the Puerto Rico primary, bringing her within a few dozen delegates of that horizon. With a double-digit lead in New Jersey, which also goes to the polls on Tuesday, Clinton is expected to be the nominee before polls close here, though losing the liberal bastion could sap her momentum and underscore anew the challenges she has faced exciting voters this year. Some polls have showed a tight race in California.

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Like Clinton, most of the surrogates who spoke before she took the stage avoided mentioning Sanders name. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson summed up the apparent threat level by politely dismissing the Vermont Senator, saying hes doing a good job.

Speakers instead doubled- and tripled-down on the theme that the stakes could not be higher in this campaign, describing it as a choice between a safe-and-trusted candidate who runs on diversity like a car on gasoline, and a divisive, unpredictable cannon who could jeopardize the future of our country and the future of the world, as a former ambassador said. California Gov. Jerry Browns chief of staff described Trump as he who shall not be named, to the crowds delight, joking that he liked the sound of his own name too much.

Many of the attendees were avid Clinton supporters, while some were Sanders fans who had come to believe that Clinton is the candidate theyll need to rally behind. But those present shared a distaste for the Republican alternative. Hillary has the most incredible experience, said Margaret Munson, a resident of nearby Penn Valley, Calif. And she is not a bigoted, arrogant, immature, misogynistic type of person.

Its Hillary or bust, said a Sanders fan and local college student, Jay Oslehi. Trumps going to ruin everything.
donald trump

Many of Donald Trump's high-profile Republican supporters are distancing themselves from racially tinged comments he made about a US federal judge, and Hillary Clinton's campaign has taken notice.

Over the weekend, several Trump supporters  such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, current and former House Speakers Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich, and Sen. Bob Corker  all condemned Trump's suggestion that Indiana-born Judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot fairly preside over lawsuits against Trump University because of his Mexican heritage.

Clinton's campaign on Monday released a new digital advertisement highlighting Republicans' opposition to Trump's comments.

"I couldn't disagree more with a statement like that," McConnell said on NBC's "Meet The Press," which Clinton's video highlighted.

"This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made," Gingrich said on "Fox News Sunday," in another clip singled out by the Clinton campaign.

For his part, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee refused to apologize, firing back individually at some of his supporters.

In a Monday interview on "Fox and Friends," Trump knocked Gingrich for criticizing his comments about the judge.

"I saw Newt, I was surprised at Newt, I thought it was inappropriate what he said," Trump said.

Trump's assertion that Curiel is not qualified to fairly hear Trump's case because of the judge's parents' nationality has already become a part of Clinton's pitch to Latino voters, many of whom have been incensed by Trump's inflammatory statements about immigrants.

In a Saturday speech in California, the Democratic presidential frontrunner slammed Trump's "prejudiced, bigoted attack" on Curiel.

"This is not just another outlandish, insulting comment from Donald Trump, and it is not normal politics. This is something much, much more dangerous," Clinton said.

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Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are close to the final agreement of an updated memorandum as part of the second review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) David Lipton has said.

"We're at the advanced stage of talks. We've agreed with the Ukrainian government on key issues. There are some insignificant issues remaining to be agreed," he said in an exclusive interview with Ukrainian TV Channel ICTV, which was broadcast on Sunday evening.

Lipton did not elaborate on the agreed key issues.

He also said that an increase in retirement age in Ukraine was not on the agenda. "Difficult aspects in the pension fund will be discussed in future. This is a complex issue. The pension system does not work well. It is rather expensive, and has led to the situation when most Ukrainian pensioners don't get proper pensions," he said.
First Lady Hillary Clinton testifies for the final day before the Senate Finance Committee on Health Care September 30, 1993. REUTERS/Mike Theiler

By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich remembers the day 23 years ago when Hillary Clinton, notebook in hand, came to see him and other senior Republicans to talk about "Hillarycare." It was early 1993. Clinton, on behalf of her husband, then-President Bill Clinton, was leading a healthcare reform drive that vaulted her onto the national stage. Hillarycare would famously collapse after a fierce debate. In interviews with Reuters, some participants looked back on it as a crucible for the Democratic presidential front-runner that helped shape her approach to politics and governing. The experience, they said, may have tempered her ambitions for the capacity of government and made her more of an incrementalist. "Back then, she seemed to have more of a taste for the big theory and the big plan," said Republican activist and editor Bill Kristol, who wrote anti-Hillarycare strategy memos for Republicans in the 1990s. Kristol said that since then, Clinton, who is vying to face off against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 U.S. election, seems to have learned that "the appearance of a massive government imposition on the citizenry doesn't go over well in America." 'WHATEVER SHE WANTED' Clinton walked into the 1993 meeting with Gingrich and said she wanted to learn from him and other leaders who were already studying healthcare. He was then the Republican whip in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the highly accomplished wife of the Democratic Party's new superstar and a Yale-educated lawyer. Gingrich's advice to her was simple: Do a series of small reforms year to year. Don't do a comprehensive plan. "You won't be able to pass it," Gingrich said he warned Clinton in the meeting, also attended by then-House Republican Leader Bob Michel and then-Representative Dennis Hastert. "It will fall of its own weight ... She listened to us carefully and promptly went off and did whatever she wanted to," recalled Gingrich, now a political commentator often mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate to Donald Trump. Later that year, the Clinton White House delivered an ambitious and complex, 1,342-page proposal for universal health insurance for all Americans. The first lady led the charge and testified in a series of lengthy congressional hearings. She wowed lawmakers with her energy and intelligence. But she could not convince enough of them to back the plan. Conservatives and healthcare industry interests attacked it. One negative TV ad campaign paid for by health insurers memorably featured the fictional couple Harry and Louise. In the end, Hillarycare failed, and never even received a floor vote in the House or Senate, although both chambers had Democratic majorities. Aided by the backlash that followed against "big government" Democrats, the Republicans in 1994 won a majority in the House for the first time since the 1950s, and Gingrich became speaker in early 1995. Even Clinton supporters acknowledged that the size and scope of Hillarycare unsettled some Americans. "She has learned that excessive disruption in this country creates great angst. And also division," said Chris Jennings, who was the first lady's congressional liaison during the 1993-94 battle, and is now an informal adviser on healthcare to Clinton's campaign. Reuters did not speak with Clinton for this story. But Clinton wrote in her 2003 autobiography "Living History" that "our most critical mistake was trying to do too much, too fast. That said, I still believe we were right to try." Clinton has also pointed out that while she was still first lady, she rebounded from the Hillarycare setback by urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a health insurance program for children in low-income families. CAUTIOUS SENATOR Clinton was elected in 2000 to the U.S. Senate, where she displayed bipartisanship and caution, said Jim Manley, who was a junior staffer for Senator Ted Kennedy in 1993-94 and later the spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "Once she got to the Senate, she was determined to work with Republicans," Manley said. "The senator I saw was someone who was very cautious. She picked an issue and worked very hard to build consensus." Now, having run unsuccessfully for president in 2008 and having served as secretary of state, Clinton is on course to take on Trump, a former reality television personality and luxury real estate developer. On the campaign trail she talks about building on President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act, which made health insurance more accessible to millions of Americans. She favors a "public option," or government-run plan, being added to the Affordable Care Act. She also has suggested allowing some working Americans to buy into the Medicare government health insurance system for the elderly. "What she (Clinton) doesn't believe at this moment in time is that we can or should just start all over again" on healthcare, said Jennings, her former congressional liaison. (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Mary Milliken)
Photo: Instagram

Bittersweet! Five months after David Bowies death, Iman marked what would have been their 24th anniversary by sharing a throwback photo of them together taken two decades ago.



June 6th, 24th wedding anniversary, the supermodel, 60, wrote with the hashtag #foreverlove.

In the photo  which was part of a photo shoot they did with Bruce Weber for Vogue in 1995, the first and only time they shot something together  the Somali beauty, whose full name is Iman Abdulmajid, and the rock star are intertwined as they pose on the beach. A graphic treatment appears on the photo and reads: The best thing about me is you.

Iman and Bowie, who succumbed to cancer on Jan. 10, first swapped vows during a civil ceremony held in Switzerland in April 1992. The splashier wedding came more than a month later when they tied the knot at the American Church of St. James in Florence, Italy, on June 6.

Bowies son, Duncan Jones, was his best man, and among the 68 invited guests were a handful of celebrities including Yoko Ono and Bono. Here they are posing with her parents.

A photo posted by IMAN (@the_real_iman) on Apr 1, 2016 at 4:47am PDT

In a 2013 interview Iman did with Naomi Campbell for Interview magazine, she talked about their wedding day. They said, Oh you shouldnt complain: Youre going to be married for 50 years; its going to be happy. And they were right.

Iman and David went on to have one daughter together, Lexi, who is 15.

Since Bowies death, the NYC-based Iman  who also lost her mother this year  hasnt yet appeared on any red carpets, but shes very active on social media. Last week, she shared photos from the set of an unnamed project she has been working on  likely connected to her cosmetics empire. In the pics, she looks as stunning as ever.
A war surgeon is sharing an incredible story of how the Queen's beloved corgis came to his rescue.



During a visit to Buckingham Palace in 2014, Dr. David Nott  who had just returned from Syria, where he had been volunteering in war zone operating rooms  was speaking with Queen Elizabeth when he was suddenly overcome by an episode of PTSD.



One of Britain's top vascular surgeons, Dr. Nott has volunteered for 20 years with Doctors Without Borders and the British Red Cross in crisis-hit areas like Sarajevo, Afghanistan and Syria. He had just returned from Syria 10 days earlier, where he had operated on gravely injured children.





aIt felt like the apocalypsea: Surgeon David Nott on working in Gaza #desertislanddiscs https://t.co/8VQw9rK00Y pic.twitter.com/l2rueAfElN a BBC Radio 4 (@BBCRadio4) June 6, 2016









"She must have detected something significant," Dr. Nott told BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs on Sunday. "I didn't know what to say to her. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to her  I just couldn't. She picked all this up and said, 'Well, shall I help you?' I thought, 'How on earth can the Queen help me?' "



He added, "All of a sudden the courtiers brought the corgis, and the corgis went underneath the table. And she went to one of the courtiers and said, 'Can we open up that, please?' So she opened up this lid and there was a load of biscuits. So she got one of the biscuits and broke it in two and said, 'Okay, why donat we feed the dogs?'



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"And so for 20 minutes during this lunch, the Queen and I fed the dogs. She did it because she knew that I was so seriously traumatized. You know, the humanity of what she was doing was unbelievable."





Story continues

What Did Queen Elizabeth II Do for the First Time in 63 Years?





And it helped. "Stroking animals, touching them and feeding them  we just talked about the dogs and how many she had. She was just so warm and so wonderful. I will never forget it."





The Incredible, Compassionate Moment Queen Elizabeth and Her Corgis Helped a War Surgeon in the Throes of PTSD| The British Royals, The Royals, Queen Elizabeth II



Dr. Nott told the radio program, "I do suffer" from post-traumatic stress  an issue for which the Queen's grandson, Prince Harry, has been working to raise awareness  adding, "It takes me about three months to get over missions sometimes."



He also shared a harrowing incident when he had to stay silent so as not to reveal his nationality to some ISIS fighters who arrived at the makeshift hospital in need of help. "I remember so vividly my legs shaking like jelly," he recalled. "I donat care who I operate on. We are all human beings."
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Energy-hungry India is ready to revive projects including the Nagarjuna Oil Refinery in the south of the country to boost its oil sector, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan told a local television channel on Monday.

India, the world's fastest growing major economy, meets about three-quarters of its oil needs through imports and wants to expand its production and refining capacity to meet soaring demand.

The Nagarjuna refinery, in the state of Tamil Nadu, was in an advanced stage of construction when it suffered severe damage in a December, 2011 cyclone. The firm lacks the financial strength to continue work at the site.

Completion of the facility, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, would help fill a looming shortage in processing capacity but would require a cleanup of the site and extensive renovation work.

"The government will support any project, within the legal framework, to boost the country's oil sector. The Nagarjuna refinery is also one of these projects," Pradhan told CNBC's Hindi-language news channel in an interview.

Nagarjuna Oil Refinery earlier said it was in talks with prospective investors, including state-run firms like Indian Oil Corp, as well as the royal family of Saudi Arabia, to revive the facility.

In other comments, Pradhan played down reports that the country's biggest explorer, Oil and Natural Gas Corp, would be forced by the government to bail out Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC). He said it was a commercial matter and the boards of the firms would take a decision.

GSPC has been rapped by the federal auditor for investing about $3.5 billion in an offshore block off India's eastern seaboard without achieving significant success.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Ed Davies)
By Manoj Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday that state bankers would propose a mechanism to reach "commercially prudent" loan settlements, as the government and lenders met to discuss how to tackle the country's bad loan problem.

The proposal is to create a steering committee of the five banks with the greatest loan exposure that would analyse problem loans and recommend steps such as replacing management and deep loan restructuring at indebted firms, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The creation of a special panel to handle tough loan decisions has been well flagged, and would give cover for banks to take a "haircut" on irretrievable loans without having to face a political and popular backlash.

"The government is fully committed to supporting the banks in this regard," Jaitley told a news conference in New Delhi.

It would "empower" banks to take decisions while providing legal protection and support for recovery of debt, Jaitley added.

India's banks are saddled with about $120 billion in stressed loans, or 11.5 percent of the total, with 27 public sector banks accounting for the lion's share.

Fixing the state banks, which account for 70 percent of total sector assets, is vital for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to revive weak credit and investment growth and put India's economic recovery on a firmer footing.

Asia's No.3 economy clocked up growth of 7.9 percent in the March quarter, making it the world's fastest-growing. But that figure was lifted by government and consumer spending, raising concerns growth could end up fizzling out in a burst of inflation.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holds its bi-monthly policy review on Tuesday, with Governor Raghuram Rajan expected by nearly all economists polled by Reuters to hold rates after a recent uptick in inflation.

PROCESS FLOW

The one-page document set out the "process flow" of the five-bank steering committee that would examine bad loans and then recommend appropriate action.

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If a forensic audit commissioned by the panel delivers adverse findings, then a change of management would be initiated and a search launched for a bidder for the business.

If no viable buyer can be found, and the forensic audit finds no wrongdoing, then a deep restructuring would be pursued with the existing promoter, according to the document, based on consultations between the financial services department of the finance ministry and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

It was not immediately clear whether this proposal was final but bankers said its goal was to provide a level of legal protection for them in deciding whether to take major haircuts on loans that have gone sour.

"The situation is very grim," said one senior banker who attended the meeting, adding that the main issue was "who will take, and how much, haircut".

The IBA is also considering a proposal to set up two funds to buy equity in companies under debt stress and provide them with working capital, another banker said, confirming a recent newspaper report.

The Economic Times reported at the weekend that the RBI had proposed a Stressed Assets Equity Fund (SAEF) that could be backed by the government, insurers and local and foreign investors. The government contribution would come through the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

The other proposed entity, the Stressed Assets Lending Fund (SALF), would provide "last mile" finance to keep troubled businesses ticking over while their debt woes were resolved.

Separately, Jaitley reiterated that the government was ready to provide more capital to the state-run banks if needed. It has earmarked about $3.7 billion for bank recapitalisation in its 2016/17 budget.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Writing by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Kim Coghill)
Shareholders in PJSC Kharkiv tractor plant say that the accusations brought by the SBU Security Service of Ukraine against the plant's management are groundless. The say the charges were made in order to seize the plant's bank accounts and announced plans to protect their rights in courts, including international ones.

The shareholders said in a statement issued on Monday morning that the SBU's accusations against the plant's director general, that he had allegedly prepared foundry equipment for dismantling in order to ship it to Russia, are groundless.

"As PJSC Kharkiv tractor plant is in private ownership and is not on the list of strategically important enterprises (Cabinet resolution No. 83 dated March 4, 2015). It does not fulfill defense orders, but produces civil equipment. Its business activity is guided solely by its shareholder interests," the statement said.

The enterprise uses its assets in line with economic expediency and market rules, the shareholders said.

According to the statement, the plant was built in Soviet times and was designed to manufacture 50,000 tractors per year. However, the ratio of production capacity use at its foundry shop is not more than 5%. The low workload and obsolete and obsolescent equipment makes it uncompetitive for it to produce metalware.

"One of the solutions is to outsource that part of the production process with the possibility of scrapping completely worn production facilities. It is surprising that standard measures to ensure economic recovery have become a reason for opening a criminal case on trumped-up charges of 'sabotage,'" the statement said.

The shareholders say another reason for the charges was the scanning of technical documentation, which let the SBU conclude that the plant allegedly planned to transfer this documentation to the aggressor state, Russia.

"Firstly, the plant, indeed, scanned all paper documentation as per schedule to ensure its better safety. Secondly, scanned documents concerned the production of tractors without classified status... What is more, all the blueprints and other classified documents were transferred to Kharkiv Morozov Design Bureau in March 2010 after the Industrial Policy Ministry issued resolution No. 10/1-2-1705, dated 13.11.2009, on the closure of the classified department at Kharkiv tractor plant due to its irrelevance. Accordingly, the charges of 'sabotage' mentioned in the SBU's accusations are baseless," the statement said.

The shareholders note that due to the criminal cases, which entailed the seizure of property and all bank accounts, the plant's work is paralyzed. All the workers have been sent on leave and there is a three-month delay in the payment of wages to 2,500 employees. Also the same time, the company cannot pay all taxes, despite the availability of funds in its accounts. It has discontinued shipments of finished products, components, spare parts and materials from nearly a hundred Ukrainian enterprises.

Shareholders have announced the plant "has hired one of the world's most competent and reputable auditors  an international audit firm from the Big Four [PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG]," the statement reads.

In addition, the company claims that "due to inability to meet financial obligations, Kharkiv tractor plant is forced to turn to the procedure of pre-trial readjustment as the only possible way out of an artificially created crisis."

Shareholders say that "the manner the abovementioned activity [against it] is being performed... suggests a deliberate destabilization of the plant's work with a view to its subsequent seizure." "And we intend to go in all courts, including international ones, to punish those responsible," the statement said.

"We will initiate the creation of an ad hoc investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It will name SBU representatives who pressured the plant, and it could learn whose commercial interests SBU agents acted in the interests of," the shareholders said.

In addition, the plant's owners intend to apply to courts in keeping with practice of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on facts of public "groundless accusations against the general director of Kharkiv tractor plant," because they believe that the statements and actions by the SBU towards him have grossly violated his rights as a person and a citizen of the state of Ukraine.
India is committed to protecting state banks suffering from mounting bad loans after they reported almost $2.7 billion in losses in the last two quarters, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Monday.

The banks are struggling under a mountain of soured loans, prompting central bank governor Raghuram Rajan to set a 2017 deadline for them to clean up their balance sheets.

After meeting the heads of India's 27 public-sector banks, Jaitley said the government has already earmarked 250 billion rupees ($3.7 billion) for recapitalisation of banks this year and would provide more if needed.

"Banks should be empowered and constitutionally should be protected so as they can bring about commercially prudent settlements," Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.

"We must support them fully so that their ability to support (economic) growth remains sound."

Jaitley said the government has overhauled its bankruptcy law, which will soon make it vastly easier to wind up companies and help banks recover bad loans.

He said other reforms to help banks were also in the pipeline.

Jaitley said the 180 billion rupees ($2.7 billion) in net losses suffered by the state banks in the last two quarters were mainly because of provisions for bad debt.

The Reserve Bank of India has asked lenders to treat some troubled accounts as bad loans and make adequate provisions for these loans as the banks come under increasing pressure to clean up their books.

Vijay Mallya, a liquor tycoon who left the country in March owing $1.34 billion, has come to personify India's problems with bad debt, with banks scrambling to recover loans to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
Ramunas Savickas has invested a lot of time and money on building a new life outside Lithuania. Since moving to Britain in 2005, he has worked as a driver, dishwasher, factory worker and vegetable picker before saving enough funds to start his own business in Wisbech, a rural town 100 miles north of London. Sitting in his restaurant, Smakas, which opened in 2014, Savickas expresses dismay at the very idea of the U.K. leaving the E.U. I dont want to think about it, he says, it is depressing.

His anxiety is common among the roughly 10,000 Eastern Europeans, mainly Poles, Latvians and Lithuanians, who have made the rural Cambridgeshire town their home since the E.U. extended its borders eastward in 2004, guaranteeing them the right to work and live in the U.K. They and 2.1 million other Europeans working in the U.K. face an uneasy couple of weeks leading up to the June 23 referendum, when a vote to leave the political bloc could threaten their continuing presence in the country.

The Fenlands, where Wisbech is located, is a flat region in eastern England known for having the most productive farmland in Britain. It has historically relied on seasonal, foreign labor, attracting migrants from across world to spend a few summer and autumn months working in some of the 4,000 farms or food-packaging factories in the surrounding countryside. As a result, Wisbech has become an Eastern European enclave in the heart of rural Britain, complete with a Catholic church offering a Polish Mass, and close to a dozen Eastern European grocery stores and delicatessens selling delicacies such as pickled herring and frozen dumplings.

It is impossible to predict what will happen to this population of immigrants if Britain votes to leave the E.U. on June 23. Immigration has been one of the central issues of the referendum, with a poll by the Observer suggesting that nearly 50% of respondents would cast their vote based on concerns about immigration levels to the U.K. Vote Leave says withdrawal from the E.U. would give Britain the ability to control its borders, proposing an Australian-style points-based immigration system that would apply to both Europeans and non-Europeans wanting to move to Britain.

But the specifics of such a program are vague. The most likely scenario for new migrants under a negotiated free-trade deal between Britain and the E.U. would be stringent requirements to qualify for the most-common visa, says Catherine Barnard, a professor of European law at the University of Cambridge who heads a research project on European immigrants in Britain. Applicants for a Tier-2 visa would need to be sponsored by the company hiring them, hold a graduate degree and earn more than the required salary threshold of more than $30,000.

This would spell trouble for new migrants wishing to join families and friends in Wisbech, where most immigrant workers earn a minimum hourly wage of just $10.35. According to a report by the University of Oxfords Migration Observatory, the majority of E.U. immigrants currently in Britain would fail current visa requirements for overseas workers, with only 7% of all E.U. migrants in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, and less than 30% in the manufacturing sector meeting the threshold.

What happens to them is a matter of conjecture. The Vote Leave campaign has said that E.U. migrants currently residing in the country wont be deported, but thats little assurance to some. The problem is what does that mean? says Barnard. Does it mean they wont be thrown out? Will they enjoy all the rights they currently have?

Darja Davidova is surprised to hear that there may be a risk to her right to remain if she were required to apply for a new visa. But we have been here for so long, says the 29-year-old. Six years ago, Davidova moved to Wisbech from Latvia for a short-term job at Greencore, a food-packaging company that makes supermarket ready meals. Today, she is studying English at the University of East Anglia while supporting herself through part-time work at the Rosmini Centre, a local charity that offers advice and support to migrants. She has made Wisbech her home and is upset that she, like most Europeans living in Britain, cannot vote on June 23.

Initially set up in 2007 as a place for foreign workers to learn English, the Rosmini Centre has seen a sharp increase in European migrants worried about their visa status and mortgages in light of the upcoming referendum. According to Anita Grodkiewicz, the director of the center, there has also been a marked increase in people looking into obtaining British citizenship or permanent residency in the country.

Wisbechs agricultural and food-packaging sectors are dependent on foreign labor and Grodkiewicz thinks employers would struggle without a fresh supply of European workers, possibly forcing them to turn to black market gangmasters who bring immigrants over illegally. If you are not part of the E.U. and you dont have all those people  you are going to employ [whoever] you can get hold of, she says.

That may be of little concern to native residents of Wisbech, who have watched their community go through wholesale changes over the past dozen years, as foreign nationals have come to comprise a third of its population. The transformation has happened so rapidly that there has been little time to adjust: in January, the center-right think tank Policy Exchange named the town the second worst integrated place in the U.K. Victoria Gillick, a local campaigner married to a Eurosceptic U.K. Independence Party councillor, told the Wisbech Standard: By encouraging the immigration of cheap foreign labour, which Fenland authorities endorsed, we have allowed farmers and local multinational food businesses to create an ultra-low-wage economy in Fenland.

Migrants in Wisbech are aware of such feelings. A Polish butcher on the towns main square, who did not wish to be named, complains about what he perceives as racism toward migrants, saying that he is considering a move to the nearby town of Kings Lynn. These people, only problem, he says before serving an Eastern European customer.

While his restaurants non-English clientele enjoy the Lithuanian delicacy of a bright pink, beetroot soup and plates piled with fries and chicken Kievs, Savickas regards the upcoming vote with both fear and resignation. If Britain leaves the E.U., the flow of new customers will run dry. The future of his restaurant and neighboring supermarket, in which he has invested close to $150,000, hangs in the balance. What can we do? he says, conceding that even though he wants to stay here forever, the decision is in the hands of the British.
Relman Morin covered Dwight Eisenhower for the Associated Press from World War II to the White House. In 1969, he used that experience to write a biography of the war hero and Presidentand now AP Books is republishing that biography in a fresh edition, with a new foreword and bonus reports from the AP archives.

Here, we pick up with Eisenhower on the day before the invasion of Normandy

Dwight D. Eisenhower stretched out in the back of his staff car, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. He was bone-tired. A feeling of numbness began creeping over him. For many months all his thoughts had been concentrated on this hour, planning and working toward it, and now it was at hand with all the unimaginable consequences for good or evil, for success or the most disastrous military debacle in history. His watch showed 9:10. It was the night of June 5, 1944, the night before D-Day.

The car rolled through the gates of the airfield and started the long journey to his headquarters in Portsmouth, passing through the blacked out towns and villages. His aides in the front seat of the car remained silent. They thought he was sleeping.

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Instead of sleep, a montage of memories passed through his mind, pictures new and old. They all pointed toward this hour and came together in it, the apex of a pyramid.

The paratroopers on the airfield he had just left were camouflaging their faces with linseed oil and paint and they had said, Dont you worry, General. Well take care of this for youmen of the 101st Airborne Divisionhe shook hands and turned away and a tear glistened in his eyetheoretically, to an officer, soldiers are just bodiesyou dont think of them in terms of Joe Jones or Charlie Smith; you think of casualties in terms of percentages, statisticssome of these men, Eisenhower knew, would be dead very soon and he did not think of them as statisticshe stayed with them until they began boarding the C-47s and gliders and now they were on their way to the drop zones, the Douve and Merderet Rivers and the town of Sainte Mere Eglise.

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Would the weather hold?Eisenhower put his hand in his pocket and fingered three coins, his lucky coins American, British, Frenchhe had been forced to postpone the start of the invasion for 24 hours because of near-gale conditions in the Channelthen the meteorologists brought better forecasts, a break in the winds that might last just long enoughnot ideal conditions but better than any they could see for the next few dayseach day was precious to the Germans, frantically fortifying the invasion coast.

After the meteorologists sketched the weather picture at 4:15 on the morning of June 5, they all sat in silencethe decision lay in his hands and he took a long moment, weighing all the factors while the Generals and Admirals waited, looking at himfinally, he said, Okay, well go.

D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The first alerts rang shortly after 1 a.m. in the German strongpoints frowning above the invasion beaches. Paratroops! Some time later (records disagree) the German Seventh Army in Normandy sounded the alert. Then the hail of bombs hit the invasion coasts, smashing gun positions, detonating strings of mines, touching off a fury of explosions from blazing ammunition dumps, chewing up telephone communications. In one blockhouse after another, the telephone went dead.

Next came the naval bombardment. In the hours of darkness, a mighty concentration of ships, troopships, supply ships, warships, moved quietly up the Channel and made their rendezvous in the Bay of the Seine. They slipped across completely undetected. German radar stations in the area had been put out of action by earlier bombings. But the weather was the main factor. It had been so bad that German reconnaissance planes stayed on the ground and German outpost ships remained in the harbors. Battleships, cruisers, 122 destroyers, 360 motor torpedo boats and some 6,000 other ships approached unseen.

The same foul weather that worried Eisenhower so deeply, and forced a 24-hour postponement of the attack, now permitted him to achieve a complete strategic surprise. Weather luck in reverse!

At 5:30 a.m., a shattering broadside from heavy and light naval guns slammed into the German beach defenses, the hammer blow of a giant. Paul Carell described its accuracy: A field gun from one strongpoint fired at a destroyer. The ship turned broadside and fired back. First shell, long. Second shell, short. Third shell, dead on target, blowing the field gun to bits and killing the crew. Carell pictured the scenes in the blockhouse:

And then a cry went up: The ships!

Jahnke pressed his eye against the scissor telescope. What he saw seemed beyond comprehension. Ships big and smallThey were coming by sea in spite of the bad weather. And they were coming at low tide. The Czech hedgehogs, the wired ramming blocks with their mines, the stakes with the primed shells, and all the other cunning underwater obstacles they had built were now standing high and dry.

Rommels blundered! flashed through Jahnkes head. They were coming at low water. (Rommel had always said the assault landings would be made at high tide.)

The First Infantry Division, the Big Red, hit the beach at Omaha, followed by the 29th Division. They came under fierce fire and the attack stalled. Pinned down in front of the cliffs, the wounded and dying fell and in those hours the scene fulfilled Churchills dire foreboding, the waters running red with their blood.

The planes and warships had done all they could. In the end, it was the raw courage of the soldiers who said, Come on you guysIm sick of this. Lets try it. And in twos and threes they rose and pressed home the attack. Human courage tipped the balance in that perilous hour.

One other circumstance, possibly critical on D-Day, favored the Allies: Hitler was asleep and Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl, at his headquarters, refused to waken him. German commanders in the invasion area telephoned for permission to bring up the First Panzer Corps, which was northwest of Paris. They could not call these units into action without authority from Hitler. Jodl thought the Normandy operation might be a feint. Not until 12 hours later did the First Panzer Corps move toward the scene.

Not long afterward, it became apparent that Eisenhower could forget the communique he had written taking full responsibility for the defeat in Normandy. In fact, he already had forgotten it.

Excerpted from Dwight D. Eisenhower by Relman Morin, courtesy of AP and Diversion Books. The book Dwight D. Eisenhower: An Associated Press Biography is available now.


At the risk of sounding anti-American, I have to begin by saying this...

I don't like Budweiser.

But if I have a redeeming, patriotic leg to stand on, it's that I'm a huge fan of craft beers, and really, what's more American than a little upstart with passion and hops?

One of my good friends is a master brewer in the midst of opening his own brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the Brewers, and, yes, the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life, along with many, many others. There are already a number of popular craft beers in the area, but the market just keeps growing.

That may be one reason why such big beer behemoths like Anheuser Busch-InBev (NYSE: BUD) and SABMiller (SBMRY) are making a deal.

News of the potential deal came out last November, but needed approval from a number of bodies, including the U.S. Justice Department. That approval could come as early as this month. The combined companies would then account for almost a third of the world's beer, according to Reuters.

The deal is worth a reported $107 billion, making it the biggest brewer by capitalization.

But why are these two companies merging?

As early as October 2015, before a deal was even certain, Forbes had this to say about why BUD was pursuing SAB:

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"AB InBev's history offers testimony to the company's acquisitive character, documenting how the brewer has looked to acquire companies that hold dominant or promising positions in local markets, to further its reach in beer. Inbev was formed in 2004, when the Belgian company Interbrew and the Brazilian company Ambev came together. In 2008, InBev and Anheuser-Busch combined to form Anheuser-Busch InBev, with around $54.8 billion required to fund the deal. The $20.1 billion deal to complete the acquisition of the Mexican Grupo Modelo followed in 2013, and the re-acquisition of the South Korean Oriental Brewery for $5.8 billion early in 2014 further highlights AB InBev and its largest shareholders 3G Capital Partners' strategy for the future."

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In other words, it's growth through acquisition.

And SAB has a huge market share in what could be the fastest-growing beer market in the world: Africa.

Take a look at this map from BUD's January 2016 presentation.

The countries in yellow represent places where SAB holds a large footprint. The red countries are where BUD holds sway. The pink countries are where both companies have significant market share.

According to BUD, Africa's share of the world beer volume will have nearly doubled between 2000 and 2025 to 8.1%. That growth rate is three times the global growth rate... and SAB dominates. This is the main reason why BUD wants to acquire SAB.

Investors seem to think this tie-up is a good idea. The combined company will have revenues of $64 billion, putting it in the top five consumer goods companies.

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And back in October, when Forbes reported on the potential deal, it gave BUD a price target of $120. As of June 1, BUD was trading for $129.

But where do they go from here?

BUD estimates that the combined company would save $1.4 billion a year in cost synergies. Now, analysts think BUD shares could climb as high as $157, about 24% higher than current prices.

That price is certainly attainable, though ambitious in the near-term. Over the past five years, BUD shares have climbed 126.05%. That's more than 25.5% a year on average. So that 24% target fits with the current trajectory, should BUD shares maintain momentum.

What about SAB?

Over the past five years, SAB has climbed more than 97%. While not the same growth as BUD, it's still a nice push higher. Analysts aren't quite as excited about this company, though, with the highest price target only 8.9% higher than current prices and the overwhelming majority rating the stock a hold.

With this in mind, I'm inclined to like BUD for once in my life... At least, the stock, that is.

[More from StreetAuthority.com: The $7.8 Trillion Market You Can't Afford To Ignore]

Risks To Consider: While BUD and SAB have jumped through hurdles to gain approval in South Africa and Europe, the deal is still waiting on approval from the United States and China. Either could suddenly say no, or require more accommodation through selling off assets that would impinge on competition.

Any such hiccup in the approval process would impact share prices negatively, and even stop the deal altogether.

But with both South Africa and Europe approving the deal, it's unlikely that the United States or China will block it from going forward. We will know sometime this month if the United States will approve the deal. More risk-averse investors could wait until the announcement to make a purchase.

Action To Take: This deal has been a long-time coming, though, and the two companies appear to be in it for the long-haul. Longer-term investors can grab shares on pullbacks leading up to the expected approval, and hold Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD) through the massive growth potential in Africa over the next decade.

Editor's Note: Did you know less than half of all stocks yielding 6% or more can be found in the United States? That's causing many American investors to overlook hundreds of high-yields -- many up to 8%... 10... even 12%. See all the facts here, and get the name of a little-known stock yielding 13% today.

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Sell in May? Apparently not if youre a retail trader this year.

Retail traders tracked by TD Ameritrade jumped back into equities in a big way last month, making a dramatic break from the bearish to neutral stance theyd adopted earlier in the year, according to the Investor Movement Index, or the IMXSM. In doing so, they reached for some downtrodden names but still shied away from one particular sector.

The IMX rose sharply to 4.87 in May, up from 4.41 in April and the largest single-month increase in the history of IMX. Because the IMX measures portfolio volatility relative to overall market volatility, rising volatility of some of the more widely held positions paired with relatively stable market conditions further increased the IMX. It was the second month in a row of IMX gains, following a very small gain in April. The index dipped as low as 4.33 earlier this year, and remains well off its 52-week high of 5.39.

In the accompanying video, youll get my take on the May IMX reading and learn which stocks retail traders were buying and selling during the month. Youll also learn about a couple of stocks that retail traders sold in May after piling into them earlier this year.

If youre wondering what stocks retail traders scooped up last month, think about some corporate names that play a big role in everyday life, including both information technology and consumer discretionary. These companies, one of whom seems to have a store on every other corner here in Chicago, have been under a bit of price pressure lately, but retail traders often zero in on names they believe represent bargains, as they did when they bought energy stocks earlier this year. The energy sector was recently up more than 10% year to date, so maybe retail traders are onto something.

Remember, this sophisticated index is a tool that lets you see what hundreds of thousands of actual traders were doing in May across all markets. Retail traders were cautious earlier in the year, but they seem to have gained more confidence as spring advanced. Could this be the sign of market strength this summer? Lets wait and find out what June brings.

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Historical data should not be used alone when making investment decisions. Please consult other sources of information and consider your individual financial position and goals before making an independent investment decision. The IMX is not a tradable index. The IMX should not be used as an indicator or predictor of future client trading volume or financial performance for TD Ameritrade. Investing in stocks involves risks, including loss of principal. Commentary provided for educational purposes only. Inclusion of specific security names in this commentary does not constitute a recommendation from TD Ameritrade to buy, sell, or hold. Historical data should not be used alone when making investment decisions. Please consult other sources of information and consider your individual financial position and goals before making an independent investment decision. The IMX is not a tradable index. The IMX should not be used as an indicator or predictor of future client trading volume or financial performance for TD Ameritrade. Market volatility, volume, and system availability may delay account access and trade executions. Past performance of a security or strategy does not guarantee future results or success. Options are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading may expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Options trading subject to TD Ameritrade review and approval. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options. Supporting documentation for any claims, comparisons, statistics, or other technical data will be supplied upon request. The information is not intended to be investment advice or construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy, and is for illustrative purposes only. Be sure to understand all risks involved with each strategy, including commission costs, before attempting to place any trade. Clients must consider all relevant risk factors, including their own personal financial situations, before trading. TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. TD Ameritrade is a trademark jointly owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. and The Toronto-Dominion Bank.  2016 TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
By Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Esha Vaish

(Reuters) - Commercial property investors are writing clauses into contracts giving buyers the right to walk away from real estate deals if Britain votes to leave the European Union this month, as a way to unfreeze a sector stalled by uncertainty over Brexit.

Transactions in commercial property fell by 40 percent in the first quarter, according to the Bank of England, with many buyers and sellers waiting to see the outcome of the June 23 referendum in case an exit vote hurts property prices.

In one example from a commercial transaction seen by Reuters, a clause sets a deadline after the vote when the buyer would be permitted to terminate the contract if the referendum results in a decision to leave.

Sellers too are taking legal precautions, seeking language in contracts to ensure that Brexit will not be considered a "material adverse change" that would annul a deal.

Paul Firth, head of real estate at law firm Irwin Mitchell LLP, said a significant percent of the firm's "bigger investment deals" with values ranging from 10 to 80 million pounds either included Brexit clauses, or purchasers had sought to negotiate that they be included.

He said the use of such clauses had increased in recent weeks as the referendum date draws closer.

"(Investors) fear that the value and return on investment properties may decline and that it may not be as good an investment if Britain withdraws from the EU," he said.

Since commercial real estate deals are usually confidential, it was not possible to determine precisely how common such clauses are.

However, half of the 24 law firms, brokerages and commercial property firms Reuters spoke to said they had used Brexit clauses, brokered a deal with such a clause or had requests to include them in at least one deal. Some of the others said they had seen them.

Prime Minister David Cameron and other politicians supporting the campaign to stay in the EU say a vote to leave would damage the economy and cause property prices to fall. Those campaigning to exit say any such threat is overblown and Britain can prosper outside the EU.

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But whether overblown or not, it is a risk some buyers seem unwilling to take.

Guarantees are being offered not only for commercial property but also for homes. An invitation to a May 25 launch of some floors of Two Fifty One, a 41-storey luxury apartment tower going up in south London's gentrifying Elephant and Castle district, offered buyers a "money back Brexit guarantee pledge".

Buyers attending the launch would not have to exchange contracts until July 6 and could withdraw their offer and get their deposits back if they were unhappy with the outcome of the vote, said Martin Lent, chief executive of SCM, the development manager for the project by residential developer Oakmayne.

In commercial property, Brexit clauses are more common in higher value deals where the risks are greater, said Andrew Friend, director of a UK property fund at Henderson, one of Europe's largest investment managers.

"Deals that include these clauses tend to be at the higher lot size end of the market and they're more focused on sectors such as financial office space in London, which are more sensitive to a Brexit type situation," said Friend.

FOREIGN INVESTORS

Brexit clauses are particularly in demand among overseas investors. Two lawyers dealing with property said most enquiries about Brexit clauses were from foreign investors who were concerned that an "Out" vote could weaken sterling, as well as reduce appetite for leasing commercial space in Britain.

"When it comes to international investors looking to build global or European portfolios, we are either 'on hold' or would use a Brexit clause," said Rob Wilkinson, chief executive of AEW Europe, which managed property assets in the UK worth about 2.1 billion euros as of March 31.

Melanie Curtis, a real estate partner at law firm K&L Gates LLP, said she had worked on a deal with a Brexit clause in a commercial property transaction worth more than 10 million pounds, in which her firm acted on behalf of an overseas buyer.

"The buyer required a Brexit clause, as it may reassess its UK investment policy in the event of withdrawal from the EU."

James Crookes, head of real estate and property at law firm Pinsent Masons LLP, said some clauses, rather than giving the buyer the right to walk away or renegotiate, would automatically reduce the purchase price of a property in the event of a Brexit vote. In one deal, the price would be lowered by 1 million pounds.

"So they're factoring in a valuation on the assets based on Brexit."

Nick Lloyd, national head of capital markets at commercial property broker Lambert Smith Hampton, said offering Brexit clauses could also be beneficial for sellers, to secure deals while fewer transactions are taking place, in anticipation of a potential flood of properties returning to the market if Britain votes to remain in the EU.

"Whilst they mitigate downside risk for buyers, they can be attractive to a vendor who wants to avoid the risks of marketing during a potential oversupply of new stock after the referendum," said Lloyd.

But with less than a month to the vote, two law firms and one property broker said they were now advising clients to reject demands for a Brexit clause and simply put deals on ice.

"One seller recently asked the buyer to confirm it would proceed with the purchase irrespective of the outcome of the referendum," said Mark Payne, a partner in the real estate team at law firm Clifford Chance LLP.

"This proposal was, however, rejected."

(Editing by Robin Paxton, Guy Faulconbridge and Peter Graff)
- By Mark Yu





Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM), incorporated in 1973, is a multichannel specialty retailer of high quality products for the home. The company was founded by Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956. Williams passed in December 2015 at the age of 100.





(Chuck Williams, New York Times)

According to the company's filing, Williams-Sonoma is one of the U.S.'s largest ecommerce retailers with some of the best known and most beloved brands in home furnishings. The company currently operates its retail stores in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and the U.K., and has franchised its brands to third parties in a number of countries in the Middle East, the Philippines and Mexico. Further, the company's products are also available to customers through catalogs and online worldwide.

The company's claim of being one of the U.S.'s largest ecommerce retailers was further supplemented by an article from San Francisco Chronicle in 2015 titled, "Williams-Sonoma is America's best retailer a online and in store."

In the article, Williams-Sonoma was said to be one of the risk takers in the online business. Just as when Amazon (AMZN) was turning 5 in 1999, Williams-Sonoma Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer Patrick Connolly, age 69, was already pitching and trying to convince the company's then CEO, Howard Lester, and executives that there would be benefits in integrating an online ecommerce to Williams-Sonoma's business heritage. The company then started an online business wedding registry, which was successful, and evolved into a successful omnichannel retailer.

Business operations

The company's ecommerce business contribution to its sales has been rising for the past several years. In fiscal year 2015, the company derived 50.7% of its net sales from online compared to 43.9% in 2011. On the other hand, retail store sales' contribution declined in the same period from 56.1% in 2011 to 49.3% in 2015. Nonetheless, Williams-Sonoma has continually grown its retail store sales at an annual average of 3.7% in the past five years. Contradicting the move (closing stores) its traditional brick and mortar peers are planning this year, Williams-Sonoma is (still) actually looking forward to building more stores by the end of this year, raising the number to 627.

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Williams-Sonoma has several merchandising strategies, which include the names Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham.

Brand names and products (from company's recent filing)

Williams-Sonoma: From the beginning, the namesake brand, Williams-Sonoma, has been bringing people together around food. A leading specialty retailer of high-quality products for the kitchen and home, the brand seeks to provide world-class service and an engaging customer experience.

Pottery Barn: Established in 1949 and acquired by Williams-Sonoma in 1986, Pottery Barn is a premiere multichannel home furnishings retailer. The brand was founded on the idea that home furnishings should be exceptional in comfort, quality, style and value.

Pottery Barn Kids: Launched in 1999, Pottery Barn Kids serves as an inspirational destination for creating childhood memories by decorating nurseries, bedrooms and play spaces.

West Elm: Helps customers express their personal style at home. Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the brand opened its first store in 2003 in Brooklyn, the neighborhood it still proudly calls home. Mixing clean lines, natural materials and handcrafted collections from the U.S. and around the world, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living.

PBteen: Launched in 2003, PBteen is the first home concept to focus exclusively on the teen market. The brand offers a complete line of furniture, bedding, lighting, decorative accents and more for teen bedrooms, dorm rooms, study spaces and lounges.

Rejuvenation: Founded in 1977 with a passion for old buildings, vintage lighting and house parts and great design, it was acquired by Williams-Sonoma in 2011.

Mark and Graham: Launched in late 2012, Mark and Graham is designed to be a premiere destination for personalized gift buying. With over 100 monograms and font types to choose from, a Mark and Graham purchase is uniquely personal.

The company has 618 stores a 571 stores in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 27 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia and one store in the U.K. The company also has multiyear franchise agreements with third parties that currently operate 48 franchised stores and/or ecommerce websites in a number of countries in the Middle East, the Philippines and Mexico.

Among the merchandising strategies, Pottery Barn is the company's most valuable brand name.

(Pottery Barn website)

The Pottery Barn had contributed at least 40% or $2 billion to the company's sales for the past three years. Ranking next to it were the brand names Williams-Sonoma, West Elm and Pottery Barn Kids accordingly. Interestingly, Pottery Barn was actually purchased by the company from Gap in 1986 for just $6 million.

Sales and earnings performance

From the second quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of this year, Williams-Sonoma has beaten the Wall-Street consensus five out of eight times, including the first quarter of 2016, in terms of its sales numbers. Nonetheless, its market price was still badly beaten by Mr. Market by roughly 20% since.

The company has the trailing 12-month gross, operating and profit margins of 37%, 9.8%, and 6.23%. Although some retail investors may not find the profit margin number attractive, the company has been able to at least grow its book value by 0.8% and its free cash flow by 9.7% in the past five years.

Dividends, cash flow and balance sheet numbers

The company has been providing dividends since the 1990s. The company has quite a secure dividend coverage from its profits at 2.42 times. Williams-Sonoma is currently paying 41% of its profits to its shareholders, compared to a five-year average of 37%. The company has grown its dividend handouts by some 17% in the past five years.

Interestingly, Williams-Sonoma spent almost double in its share repurchasing activities not only recently but for the past six years. Overall, the company has been paying more than 100% of its profits to its shareholders through dividend handouts and share repurchasing activities.

Rapidly increasing number of shares outstanding and accumulation of debt would be definitely a red flag if observed in these types of situations, but Williams-Sonoma proved otherwise. Shares outstanding had actually fallen from 110 million to 92 million in the past six years while debt was eliminated from $9 million in 2011.

Despite these exemplary achievements, Mr. Market disregarded the 60-year-old company. In return, Williams-Sonoma's total return was less than its peers as it was heavily influenced by the company's share price performance.

(Williams-Sonoma's Total Return Chart from company's annual filing)

Valuations

Williams-Sonoma's price to earnings (P/E) and price to book (P/B) ratios are not that off when compared to Standard & Poor's 500's. Williams-Sonoma is currently trading at 16 times its earnings and four times its book value. The S&P 500 currently trades at 19 times P/E and 2.7 times P/B. Currently, the company yields slightly more than the S&P 500 at 2.6%.

Intrinsic valuation

Using 6.32% as cost of equity, 0% as cost of debt, corporate tax rate of 38% and recent quarter total equity numbers, I derived a weighted average cost of capital of 6.32%. Further, using a terminal growth of 4% and a 10-year growth of 8%, I arrived at an intrinsic valuation of $44 a share, which dictates that the current price of $53 is overvalued by 17%.

Summary

Williams-Sonoma certainly is unaffected by Amazon's online presence.

The company was able to cope with the now sprawling ecommerce business secondary to its venture in the business at an early stage, thanks to Connolly. Further, Williams-Sonoma has no debt and has been actively providing to its shareholders in whichever way it can. Unfortunately, Mr. Market does not recognize this. As a retail investor, the current valuations are attractive.

However, if one were to be influenced by the general activity of the market, there could be more opportune times to accumulate Williams-Sonoma's shares. For instance, the company faltered severely in the Great Recession to single P/E and P/B multiples despite consistently handing out dividends in that tough period. With a beta value of 0.95 (various financial resources), the company would definitely be one of the good stocks to accumulate in one's portfolio, given any massive pullbacks.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






The Individuals' Deposit Guarantee Fund using decision No. 46-rsh of the board of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) dated June 2, 2016 eliminating the bank license and liquidating insolvent bank Khreschatyk (Kyiv) has started the bank liquidation procedure.

The fund said on its website that the decision was made by its executive directorate on June 3.

The liquidation procedure was launched on June 6 and will last until June 5, 2018.

Ihor Kostenko has been appointed liquidator of the bank.

The NBU on April 5 declared Bank Khreschatyk insolvent. The Individuals' Deposit Guarantee Fund introduced temporary administration until June 4, 2016.

The bank's depositors are 308,000 individuals, 98.7% of them will be fully reimbursed for their funds (up to UAH 200,000). The total amount to be recovered is UAH 2.8 billion.

The main reason for the bank's insolvency is the reluctance of other shareholders to invest in the capitalization of the financial institution. The NBU on the results of stress tests estimated the need for the bank recapitalization at UAH 1.25 billion by June 2017, including UAH 600 million by May 1 this year.

According to the latest data on the bank's ownership structure, its largest co-owners are Andriy Ivanov (37.44%), Mykola Soldatenko (24.24%) and Kyiv City State Administration (25%).

Ivanov is a junior partner of Kyiv Investment Group, Soldatenko is a former co-owner of Zaporizhstal, a minor shareholder of Industrialbank.

Bank Khreschatyk was founded in 1993. It ranked 18th among 123 Ukrainian banks on October 1, 2015 in terms of total assets (UAH 10.09 billion).
The Islamic State group, the terror organization that has taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria and has been the target of extensive U.S.-led international military operations to destroy it, has killed dozens of its own men in a purge of suspected infiltrators, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

According to the AP report, successful drone assassinations of senior ISIS commanders have led to ongoing purges of suspected informants. ISIS has killed dozens  "reportedly dropping some into a vat of acid"  and arrested many others. In a number of cases, ISIS personnel realized they were under suspicion and fled the group's territory.

Read more: ISIS Has Declared a State of Emergency Amid Suspicions of an Imminent Attack

Iraqi helicopters launch airstrikes on ISIS positions in the town of al-Bashir near Kirkuk in April 2016.

The aftermath of a government air strike in Aleppo, Syria in 2015.

According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights rep Rami Abdurrahman, ISIS had caught wind of deals between members of the group and coalition forces ever since the terror group cut salaries dramatically in January. "They have executed dozens of fighters on charges of giving information to the coalition or putting (GPS) chips in order for the aircraft to strike at a specific area," Abdurrahman added.

The purges have been especially violent in the ISIS-controlled city of Mosul, where airstrikes have put an end to numerous senior commanders. Several videos have emerged online of the grotesque execution methods used by the group.

Earlier this month, a force of Iraqi security personnel and militia members successfully stormed parts of Fallujah, while Syrian military units supported by Russian air forces closed in on the group's capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa. According to the United Nations, the Syrian Civil War has displaced more than half the country's population, causing at least 310,000 deaths and forcing some 10.6 million people from their homes. In April, Reuters reported the income and controlled population of the group had fallen "about a third" from its height in the years prior.
(BAGHDAD)  The ISIS group has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the nearly two-week battle between Iraqi government forces and IS militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, an international aid organization and Iraqi military say.

On Sunday, the militants shot and killed seven civilians and seven IS defectors inside Fallujah as they attempted to flee, Iraqi Maj. Ali Hanoon said.

Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, on Monday put the number of civilians killed by IS since the operation started at dozens but declined to be more specific, saying the information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete. Iraqi officials say the total is likely higher.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the IS-held city of Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance the militants have put up and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city. On Sunday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah, a largely agricultural area.

They know that if they trap the civilians, it will slow our progress, Hanoon said.

Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, killing two people and wounded three, according to police.

From Baghdad, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, said late Sunday that a number of fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River. Iraqi officials had no immediate information on the river incident.

The NRC cited interviews with some of those who fled the city,

Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety, said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC Country Director in Iraq. This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives.

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The NRC put the total number of families who managed to flee from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the Iraqi offensive, which started May 21, at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC added.

The Fallujah operation in Iraq coincides with a twin offensive on IS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an IS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants de facto capital.

At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.
June 6 (Reuters) - The International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) launched standard templates on Monday for sharia compliant foreign exchange forwards, the latest effort by the industry body to improve hedging practices in the sector.

Islamic finance is expanding beyond its core centres in the Gulf and Southeast Asia, prompting the need for more cost effective tools to manage foreign currency risks.

The Bahrain-based IIFM, a non-profit organisation which develops specifications for Islamic finance contracts, outlined two templates to accommodate the main industry practices, although it expects one of them to eventually gain more favour.

The standards involve use of either one or two unilateral promises, known as wa'ad, which are committed separately by each counterparty, with the latter providing greater credit security.

"Based on market requirement and feedback, our assessment is that the use of two unilateral wa'ad structure will increase," chief executive Ijlal Ahmed Alvi told Reuters.

"Certain other FX products can now be explored under two unilateral wa'ad concept, which IIFM may look into in the future."

There are several hedging tools used in Islamic finance, some based on a cost-plus-profit arrangement known as murabaha, but these tend to be cumbersome and expensive, said Alvi.

Islamic finance follows religious principles which ban the charging of interest and shun ambiguity in contracts.

This means Islamic banks are precluded from traditional forwards as these become legally binding at the outset, leaving counterparties exposed to an overtly uncertain outcome in the eyes of scholars.

In an Islamic forward, the exchange rate is fixed at the outset but remains a promise until offer and acceptance is completed at the forward date, which is when the transaction becomes a contract.

The choice of wa'ad also means Islamic banks don't have to employ their balance sheets for their hedging needs, compared to previous practices under murabaha.

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"These standards using the wa'ad structure will overcome this constraint and lead the way to handling other off-balance sheet hedging structures," said Naveed Khan, vice chairman of IIFM.

The IIFM, which developed the standards together with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), has previously launched templates for cross currency and profit rate swaps and the Islamic equivalents to repurchase agreements.

The body started operations in 2002, founded by the Islamic Development Bank and the central banks and monetary authorities of Bahrain, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sudan. (Reporting by Bernardo Vizcaino; Editing by Kim Coghill)
By Crispian Balmer and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement looked likely to take charge of Rome after country-wide municipal elections at the weekend, piling pressure on Prime Minister Matteo Renzi ahead of a vital constitutional referendum due in October. With the Rome count almost complete, 5-Star candidate Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer running her first campaign, led with just over a third of the vote, ahead of the candidate from Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD) with a quarter. The race will be decided by a run-off vote on June 19. Renzi voiced disappointment on Monday at the results but cautioned against reading too much into local elections, where issues ranged from garbage collection to traffic congestion. The vote was widely seen as a test for Renzi's two-and-a-half year-old government, but he rejected this and said it would have no impact on the outcome of the upcoming referendum. "I am not worried," he told a news conference. The 41-year-old prime minister has staked his political future on winning the referendum, which is aimed at bringing stability to politics and ending Italy's tradition of revolving-door governments. He has said he will stand down if he loses, a gamble that could trigger political chaos and revive market turbulence in the euro zone's third-largest economy. Renzi denied Sunday's vote was a triumph for the 5-Star Movement, which draws support from voter anger against corruption, saying it had only flourished in Rome and Turin, out of some 1,300 towns and cities that went to the polls. 5-Star, which was founded just seven years ago by comedian Beppe Grillo, has a loose political structure and did not even present a candidate for mayor in the vast majority of towns. Renzi said the right-wing Northern League party had failed to make major advances. "If this had been a protest vote then we would have seen the 5-Star and Northern League doing strongly everywhere. But that didn't happen," said Renzi, who played little part in municipal campaigning until the final week. However in Rome, 5-Star's Raggi described the shift to her part as historic. "The wind is changing, this is the moment," she told her supporters in the early hours of Monday. "We are facing a historic moment," she added. "The Romans are ready to turn a page and I am ready to govern this city and to restore Rome to the splendor and beauty that it deserves." Unlike other non-traditional parties that have flourished across Europe since the 2008 financial crisis, the 5-Star Movement straddles ideological divides, focusing its anger on rampant graft in Italy more than austerity or immigration. ROMAN SPLENDOR Victory in Rome, which has been battered by corruption scandals, would represent a major step forward for the party, which governs in just a handful of mainly small cities. Success in running the Eternal City could prove a spring board to winning power in general elections that are due in 2018, but could come earlier depending on the outcome of the referendum. Raggi will be the city's first female mayor if she wins the run-off vote on June 19. She promises to crackdown on graft, cronyism and everyday illegality like fare-dodging and double-parking that have become the norm in dilapidated Rome. Rome's previous mayor came from the PD and was forced out in October after a scandal over his dining expenses. That affair left Renzi with a mountain to climb in Rome, but he had hopes of a clear victory in Milan, where he hand-picked the PD candidate, Giuseppe Sala, who headed last year's successful Expo World Fair in Italy's financial capital. However, Sala emerged with only a slender advantage over center-right candidate Stefano Parisi, taking 42 percent of the vote, less than a percentage point more than his rival. The pair will square off again in two weeks time. Apart from Rome, the PD suffered a major setback in Naples, where it failed to make a run-off ballot. However, Renzi's party remains the single largest force in Italy's fragmented politics and led in the two other major cities, Turin and Bologna, where there will also be a run-off. "We are not happy," Renzi said. "We had wanted to do better, especially in Naples." There the leftist incumbent Luigi de Magistris, an independent former prosecutor who has declared the city a "Renzi-free zone", won 42 percent in the first round and looks well placed to see off a center-right candidate in the run-off. In Turin, historical home of carmaker Fiat, the incumbent center-left mayor Piero Fassino led the field with 42 percent, but faces a tough second round against 5-Star candidate Chiara Appendino, who got 31 percent. In Bologna, a traditional center-left stronghold, the PD-backed candidate won about 40 percent, less than expected, and will face a right-wing candidate in the run-off. (Additional reporting by Steve Scherer, Editing by Crispian Balmer, Mark Bendeich and Angus MacSwan)
By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Lawyers representing jailed former Nigerian oil state governor James Ibori have alleged serious misconduct by Britain's prosecuting authorities, a London court heard on Monday. The allegations include that the prosecution team failed to properly disclose information to the defense in relation to alleged corruption by a British police officer involved in the investigation, and that it made misleading statements in court. Ibori, who was governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007, is serving a 13-year sentence in a British jail after pleading guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering. In his heyday, Ibori was a power broker at the heart of the People's Democratic Party, which was then ruling Africa's most populous country and top oil producer. His conviction in Britain was seen as a high point in efforts to fight corruption in Nigeria, an endemic problem there, but also in Britain, the former colonial ruler and a destination of choice for the proceeds of Nigerian graft. However, Ibori's conviction on at least one count is now being called into question by his defense team, Judge David Tomlinson told Southwark Crown Court. Prosecution lawyer Jonathan Kinnear, who took over the case earlier this year after the previous team stood down, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was conducting a review into whether Ibori's convictions were sound and expected to conclude it in August. If the allegations of prosecutorial misconduct were confirmed and one or more of Ibori's convictions were quashed, it would be a major embarrassment for Britain at a time when it is trying to make a big push in the fight against corruption. Prime Minister David Cameron hosted a global anti-corruption summit in London last month in which Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took part. Days earlier, Cameron was caught on camera calling Nigeria "fantastically corrupt". Ibori's defense team have applied for Judge Tomlinson to permanently halt court proceedings on the confiscation of Ibori's assets, which have been dragging on for years. But the judge, having read the defense lawyers' formal application for a stay, said that it amounted to a challenge on Ibori's convictions, a matter that should probably be dealt with by the Court of Appeal, a higher court. "I am being invited to trespass into matters which are beyond my jurisdiction," he said. Kinnear told the court the issue of how and when the defense team had disclosed information "in relation to allegations of corruption" to Ibori's lawyers was being reviewed by the CPS. The CPS had previously said that initial results of its disclosure review "have found that material exists to support the assertion that a police officer received payment in return for disclosing information about the investigation". No ruling was made at the Monday court hearing. Judge Tomlinson adjourned the case until Wednesday. Ibori did not attend the hearing. He is being held at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire, northwest of London. (Editing by Hugh Lawson)
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced a tender to attract a consultant as part of providing technical assistance to draw up a modern public private partnership concept via the improvement of Ukrainian legislation.

The press service of the Infrastructure Ministry, the technical task is intended to design the policy and legal conditions for public private partnership/concession in Ukraine and expand the participation of private entities in infrastructure projects. The new public private partnership/concession policy and legislative base for the implementation of projects in Ukraine would be drawn up and approved.

"The new document would trigger the development of concession in Ukraine and make this type of public private cooperation beneficial for all participants. Business has been waiting for this law for a long period of time, and the work aims at quickly drafting the measure and presenting it in 2016," the ministry said.
Short hair, endless possibilities! While attending the ninth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday, June 4, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jaimie Alexander proved that despite its cropped length, a pixie hairstyle can be quite the versatile 'do.



PHOTOS: Stars With Pixie Hairstyles

The Blindspot actress, 32, styled her pixie teased at the top with teeny braided accents on each side. "I wanted to give Jaimie a very 'Warrior Hellen of Troy' style to complement her beautiful, flowy [romper and skirt combo by Haney]," Kerastase consulting hairstylist Matt Fugate tells Us. "We decided to add two micro braids to help secure the hair down during the windy day and give this battle-like look."



(top left to right) Kerastase Paris Nutritive Bain Magistral, $41, kerastase-usa.com; Kerastase Paris Nutritive Fondant Magistral, $43, kerastase-usa.com; Kerastase Paris L'incroyable Blowdry, $20.50 for 50 mL, kerastase-usa.com; (bottom left to right) Kerastase Paris VIP Volume in Powder, $20 for 75 mL, kerastase-usa.com; Kerastase Paris Fix Fabulous No-aerosol Precision Hold Hairspray, $37 for 200 mL, kerastase-usa.com; Kerastase Paris Laque Noire Extra-Strong Hold Hairspray, $20.50 for 75 mL, kerastase-usa.com

To create the style, Fugate first prepped Alexander's tresses with Kerastase Nutritive Bain and Fondant Magistral. He then added the brand's L'incroyable Blowdry on her damp hair, and blow-dried the product in.



PHOTOS: 10 Times the Kardashian-Jenners Looked Better as Blondes

After that, the hairstylist, who also works with Karlie Kloss and Lena Dunham, plaited two very fine hairline braids above the Thor actress' ears, which he secured with pins. He spritzed VIP Volume in Powder throughout the rest of the hair to give it body and lift, then curled it in different sections for a tousled look.



PHOTOS: The Best Braided Hairstyles on the Red Carpet



Fugate rolled the top portion of her hair toward the center of her head, creating a fauxhawk. He sprayed Fix Fabulous on the braids and blow-dried them. He finished with a generous spritz of Laque Noire to hold the entire look in place.



Would you short-haired ladies try Alexander's hairstyle? Tweet with @UsWeekly using the hashtag #stylebyUs!

Get celeb fashion, beauty tips, and more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up for the Us Weekly Style & Beauty newsletter now!


Wall Street is kicking off the week with solid gains. All three major averages (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC) are higher across the board as crude price rise (CLN16.NYM) and investors await a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen at 12:30 p.m. ET following Friday's much weaker-than-expected jobs figures.

Walmart upgraded

Walmart (WMT) shares were higher in early trading after Jefferies upgraded the stock to "buy" from "hold" and raised its price target to $82 a share from $60 a share. In a note, Jefferies analyst Daniel Binder said investments are beginning to improve store conditions and that will translate into better sales and earnings for the retailer.

Whole Foods (WFM) rose in early trading after a Barron's report over the weekend that predicted shares of the upscale supermarket chain could rise 20% over the next year. Whole Foods' sales trends are beginning to improve thanks to cost cutting and the rolling out of a smaller, lower-priced version of its stores.

Priceline (PCLN) is losing another top executive, the company announced late Friday. Paul Hennessy, the CEO of its priceline.com unit, is leaving to take a job at an e-commerce company outside the travel industry. This comes after Priceline's chief executive resigned in April for having a relationship with an employee.

Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App

Adamis Pharmaceuticals (ADMP) shares plunged in early trading following news that the Food and Drug Administration requested additional testing before it could approve its treatment for severe allergic reaction.

Hercules Offshore (HERO) shares sank Monday morning. The prolonged slump in oil prices is forcing the oil and gas driller to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, yet again. Hercules is planning to sell all of its assets and shut down just seven months after emerging from bankruptcy.

Economic slowdown

The election isnt till November, but its already hurting our economy. A study shows 60% of economists say that the November vote is slowing down growth. Around 60% of economists say the uncertainty of the November vote is hurting economic growth. Thats according to the National Association for Business Economics. The study went on to say that the remaining candidates have extremely different policy views, which is making businesses uneasy.

Story continues

US/China talks

The United States and China are holding their annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue meeting in Beijing. The two sides will talk mostly about economic issues, primarily excess capacity in industrial goods like steel. Some economists just want the Obama administration to concentrate on stability between the two countries.

Cadillacs showroom overhaul

Some of Cadillacs 925 dealerships are about to make a major change. Showrooms will have virtual reality headsets and no cars on site. The plan is to educate drivers about their cars and services provided to them. The biggest issue since these dealers wont have any cars on their lot ... people will not be able to drive off with a new Cadillac.
The 7-year-old Japanese boy who survived for days in the wilderness after he was abandoned along a road as punishment has forgiven his father.

Six days after Yamato Tanooka vanished in a region of Hokkaido known for its many bears, the boy was discovered in a military barracks three miles from where his dad left him.

Now that the family's fear and despair have turned to joy, Yamato's father told local reporters in an interview airing Monday that they have apologized to the boy.

"I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'," Mr. Tanooka said in Japanese. "And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you.'"

Read: Boy, 7, Missing in Wilderness After Parents Leave Him There as a Punishment: Reports

Yamato was found inside a military facility for the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) near Shikabe in northern Hokkaido, miles from where his parents left him for misbehaving six nights earlier, reports said.

Little Yamato survived freezing temperatures at night and heavy rainfall wearing just a t-shirt and jeans, and suffered only minor scrapes and a low body temperature, the Guardian reported.

He was incredibly calm considering he had been missing for seven days, a doctor who assessed Yamato told reporters. He didnt panic at all.

Yamatos parents made him get out of their car on a mountain road because he was throwing stones at cars and people, Hokkaido Prefectural Police said.

When they went back to the spot where they left him, the boy was gone.

Read: Missing Hiker Left Haunting Journal of Last Days: 'When You Find My Body, Please Call My Husband'

The parents originally told police their son had gotten lost while they were out hiking to gather wild vegetables, but later told the truth about the circumstances of his disappearance.

"I couldn't bring myself to make the request [for the search] and give the reason [for him being missing] as it is because of a punishment," the boys father, Takayuki Tanooka, told reporters in Japanese.

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A SDF official was on a drill when he found the child in the one-story hut without heat, authorities said. He was curled up on a mattress when he was found.

He looked well and didnt appear to have lost any weight. Hes safe  thats the most important thing. Im so relieved, a tearful Takayuki Tanooka told TV Asahi.

More than 180 rescuers had been searching for Yamato, with the military eventually joining the search.

Watch: Boy Calls 911 On Dad for Running Red Light: 'I Told the Cop to Give Him a Ticket'

Related Articles:
J.K. Rowling is calling out racism for what it is.

The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child author re-addressed critics of the casting of Noma Dumezweni, a black woman, as Hermione Granger in the upcoming play set for London's West End.

"I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione 'turned white' - that is, lost color from her face after a shock - that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with," the 50-year-old novelist told U.K.'s The Guardian. "But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm."

PHOTOS: New 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Photos Show Grown-Up Ron and Hermione With Their Daughter

Rowling expressed her support of casting the Olivier Award-winning actress in the part -- which picks up nearly 20 years after the Harry Potter series and features grown-up Ron and Hermione and their daughter, Rose -- in December, tweeting, "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione."

Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione  https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015

Emma Watson, who plays Hermione in the movies, also tweeted out support in January, writing, "Can't wait to see Noma Dumezweni as Hermione on stage this year."

Can't wait to see Noma Dumezweni as Hermione on stage this year.  #harrypotterandthecursedchild #2016  Emma Watson (@EmWatson) January 2, 2016

MORE: Emma Watson Finally Gives Her Thoughts on the 'Harry Potter' Play's Black Hermione

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Dumezweni replied to Watson, tweeting, "Thank You Miss Watson! Much appreciated. I look forward to experiencing #Hermione too. Blessings Abound to you."

Thank You Miss Watson! Much appreciated. I look forward to experiencing #Hermione too. Blessings Abound to you. Nx! https://t.co/9l5ZtNhHKX  MissNoma (@MissDumezweni) January 3, 2016

Also, ahead of the play's big debut, Rowling posted a plea for fans who see the performances in London to "keep the secrets," and not spoil the surprises for everyone else who's waiting for the production to come to their area.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins previews on Tuesday, and is set to premiere in London on July 30.



PHOTOS: Check Out the First Look at Grown-Up Harry Potter and Family in 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'

Meanwhile, fans of Rowling know how vocal she is against shamers on the internet.

Watch the video below to see the author's response to an online troll who went after Serena Williams.

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morning joe

Joe Scarborough wasn't pleased with Donald Trump's refusal to apologize for increasingly frequent inflammatory racially and ethnically tinged statements.

During a segment on Monday, the "Morning Joe" cohost slammed Republican members of Congress for backing Trump despite comments and policy proposals that have racial, ethnic, and religious bends.

Those included Trump's proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the US and his feud with a judge of Mexican heritage, the latter of which Scarborough said was "completely racist."

"They can't be morally outraged this week when they knew what he was doing last week," Scarborough said of Republicans who have endorsed Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

"These Republicans that are so shocked and stunned at this clear act of racism had all the evidence in the world before that he had done things that stopped them from endorsing him," Scarborough continued.

The "Morning Joe" cohost repeatedly knocked Trump on Monday over the mogul's rhetoric.

Scarborough and his cohost Mika Brzezinski expressed dismay after playing a clip of Trump highlighting his support among black voters at a rally. During the rally, he abruptly pointed to a man in the crowd and said, "Look at my African-American over there."

"What century is that man from?" Scarborough said several times with his hand on his forehead.

"He's exhausted, he's delirious, he's out of his mind," Brzezinski said.

And later in the show during a conversation with Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Scarborough condemned Trump's suggestion that Indiana-born Judge Gonzalo Curiel could not fairly preside over lawsuits against Trump University because of the judge's Mexican heritage.

"What standard is this? It's not American," Scarborough said.

Publicly, Trump's relationship with Scarborough and Brzezinski has apparently cooled in recent days.

While the "Morning Joe" hosts have been criticized for their occasional coziness with Trump, in recent days the real-estate magnate has resumed rhetorical attacks on the show.

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Trump knocked the show last week shortly after Brzezinski expressed dismay at House Speaker Paul Ryan's endorsement of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

I don't watch or do @Morning_Joe anymore. Small audience, low ratings! I hear Mika has gone wild with hate. Joe is Joe. They lost their way!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2016

Watch a clip of Monday's "Morning Joe" segment below:

Trump blasts "Mexican" judge born in Indiana... @JoeNBC: This is unbelievable. He is getting worse, not better. https://t.co/RAXzkGNp99  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) June 6, 2016

NOW WATCH: GINGRICH: 'This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made'





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Donald Trump has been getting a lot of backlash for his recent comments that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot fairly preside over a case involving Trump University because of his Mexican heritage. On Monday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough criticized Trump for his comments, saying they were "completely racist."

"Here you have a guy that is from Indiana, from Indiana. I think his family, if I'm not mistaken, had been in the country longer than Trump's grandmother," said Scarborough.

Scarborough said he's always had problems with Trump's racism, including his Muslim ban, and said that in his past conversations with Trump he had hoped to "pressure him to back down and change that policy."

"Instead, Al, he's doubled down," said Scarborough, addressing panelist Al Sharpton. "And now it's people that may have - what is it, one-sixteenth Mexican blood? If you've got one-sixteenth Mexican blood then maybe you can't be a judge. One-sixteenth Muslim blood? I mean, this is unbelievable. He is getting worse, not better."

The Morning Joe host also criticized Republicans who've endorsed Trump, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

"These Republicans this week who were so shocked and stunned and deeply saddened and offended by this clear act of racism had all the evidence in the world before that he had done things that, again, stopped them from endorsing him," Scarborough said. "How do you endorse, Paul Ryan, a man that supports the banning of 1.4 billion Muslims from ever entering the United States of America? You make him back down, actually."

He said that by endorsing Trump without convincing him to change his views on Muslims and other minorities, Ryan is putting "the House of Representatives in play."

He said of Ryan, "He endorses Donald Trump, he endorses his racism against Muslims. Paul Ryan endorses his racism against Mexicans. Paul Ryan endorses his racism against Americans who may have, oh, I don't know, one-16th Mexican blood in there, saying they're disqualified to be judges."

Story continues

Trump blasts "Mexican" judge born in Indiana... @JoeNBC: This is unbelievable. He is getting worse, not better. https://t.co/RAXzkGNp99

- Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) June 6, 2016

Read More: Donald Trump Singles Out "My African-American" at California Rally
John Oliver Trump University final

HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on Sunday took another look at presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump and one of his business ventures that's prompting lawsuits and skepticism.

In February, Oliver dedicated an entire show to Trump, which concluded with the comedian unleashing the Donald Drumpf website (one biographer claims Drumpf was at one time the Trump family name).

This time, Oliver directed his attention at Trump University, which has come back into the news as Trump has verbally attacked the judge who is presiding over the lawsuits related to the university. Trump has pointed out that the judge is of Mexican heritage.

The segment points out that the Trump University cases comprise just a fraction of at least 3,500 lawsuits either Trump or one of his companies has been involved in over the last three decades (unprecedented for any presidential candidate).

But delving into what went on behind the scenes at Trump University, you can understand why the school is in hot water.

First off, the New York attorney general found that the school isn't even a university and in a deposition from Trump, he admits he didn't "handpick" instructors for the school, as he states in promotional videos.

In fact, Oliver's segment points out that instructors included a former salesman for Lowe's and a manager for Buffalo Wild Wings.

Then there's the playbook the instructors were given, which includes gems like ways to upsell students to more expensive courses. Instructors facing pushback about prices were told to remind students that "Trump is the best."

The segment highlights one former student, Carmen Mendez, who paid $35,000 for the courses and didn't even get to meet Trump. Another former student noted that though students were promised a picture with Trump, it "turned out to be a cardboard cutout" of the real-estate mogul.

The segment shows a clip of Trump saying in an interview that 98% of the people who took Trump University courses approved of them.

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Turns out, the students filled out cards on what they thought of the courses while "still expecting to receive future benefits from the program."

Oliver closes the segment by stating that the only experience worse than attending Trump University would be realizing, "Oh s--t, he's got 3 years, 364 days left in his first term."

Watch the complete segment below:

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From Jon Stewarts final time behind the desk on The Daily Show to Jimmy Kimmels Back to the Future reunion with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, late night television has gifted viewers with some truly memorable gems in the past year. Many of these were courtesy John Olivers fantastic one-night-a-week Last Week Tonight on HBO, where the former Daily Show correspondent turned show host has employed equal parts intelligence, wit and passion for subjects as varied as the Paris attacks and Donald Trump. So whats the British comedians next target? Television icon Oprah Winfrey by way of the shady business of medical debt selling, buying and collection.

Oliver and the Last Week Tonight writing team decided to tackle debt buying-companies on their most recent episode. If you havent heard of the business of debt buying, or any of the companies highlighted by the 20-minute segment, youre not alone:

Debt buying companies like [Encore Capital Group, SquareTwo Financial, PRA Group and Asta Funding, Inc.] that youve probably never heard of have amassed a huge amount of Americans debt. In fact the largest, Encore Capital Group tell investors that one in five consumers either owes them money now, or has owed them money in the past. Which is incredible.

What follows is a detailed, point-by-point deconstruction of an industry that  despite numerous, repeated lawsuits and on-the-books federal regulations  tends to operate in a shadowy manner. By way of explanation, Oliver offers a rather simple example of what the process companies selling, buying and reselling an individuals debt might look like:

Lets say you have a $1,000 credit card debt that you cant pay. At a certain point, your bank might write off the [debt] on its taxes, and then to make just a little extra money, sell it off to a debt buyer for a tiny fraction of the cost. Maybe $50, and that debt buyer can then come after you for the full original amount. And if it cant collect, potentially it can then resell that debt for a fraction of what it paid to someone else who can still come after you for the original amount. Or sell it for a fraction of what it paid, and so on and so on and so on.

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The rest of Olivers deep dive is quite frightening. For despite federal and state regulations limited or barring debt collectors from pursuing certain means to obtain their purchased debt from consumers, many companies (and the individuals who work for them) regularly weasel around the law per thousands of lawsuits, threatening phone calls and home visits. Some, as demonstrated by a clip shown by Oliver, will even ignore the law outright by calling the home of a persons employer to demand payment.

So what does any of this have to do with Oprah? Instead of merely reporting what he and the Last Week Tonight team had dug up on debt buying, Oliver and company decided to create their own debt collection business (a) to prove how disturbingly easy it was, and (b) to outdo Winfrey by staging the largest onetime giveaway in television show history. How? By purchasing a medical debt portfolio worth nearly $15 million for a fraction of the cost (roughly $60K) and  instead of doing what everyone else in the business does and trying to collect  forgiving it. All of it.

Olivers very real company (Central Asset Recovery Professionals, Inc.) bought the portfolio, which almost doubled Winfreys car famous car giveaway worth $8 million, and sent it directly to the nonprofit group RIP Medical Debt. With a bit of added pomp and circumstance  including, but not limited to, a couple of large golden dollar signs, a giant red button made out of what appears to be an inflatable ball, and confetti  Oliver forgave the debt and sent the Last Week Tonight studio audience into a frenzy.

Thats great, but will it ever become a meme?

TBS

(Via Consumerist and RIP Medical Debt)
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has designed a draft national system for remote identification of individuals and the company BankID in order to provide administrative online services, the NBU has reported on its website.

"The NBU invites bank society, the public and executive power agencies to join the public discussion of the regulation of the individuals and company remote identification BankID system," the central bank said.

The NBU said BankID today is operating in test mode: the pilot BankID project will be launched in autumn 2016.

The services will be provided on the public administrative service portal (https://poslugy.gov.ua) and other portals of government agencies.

"Using this service, Ukrainian bank clients will be able to avoid long lines and complicated procedures to receive administrative services. They will be provided online," Director of the IT department at the NBU Volodymyr Nahorniuk said.

He said BankID will allow banks to offer new useful bank services online to their clients.

BankID will provide a level playing field for bank system players. The central bank will not store data about clients or use it for commercial purposes.

BankID will help to develop e-government in Ukraine, individual and company identification systems, as well as fighting corruption.

The NBU said BankID is widely used in developed economies to simplify administrative services. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and other European countries have similar services.

The implementation of the project in Ukraine is outlined in the comprehensive program on development of the Ukrainian financial sector through 2020.
Johnny Karagiorgis, who guest starred on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has died, Us Weekly can confirm. The Paramus, New Jersey resident  known to some as "The Greek"  suffered a massive heart attack on Saturday, June 4.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost

Johnnys wife, Penny Drossos, posted about his death on Facebook. "My heart is broken my world is shattered. John Karagiorgis had a massive heart attack yesterday evening and has left us," she wrote. "Thank you all for your texts messages and support but please understand I'm still in shock n denial that this has happen. Please understand I need sometime to grieve with my kids at this time."

PHOTOS: Before They Were Real Housewives!

Drossos paid tribute to her late husband with photos, too. On Sunday, she posted a throwback photo from their wedding day and pics of Johnny with their young son and daughter.

Karagiorgis and Drossos had their fair share of drama on the reality TV series in season 5. Karagiorgis filed criminal charges against Joe Gorga and Jacqueline and Chris Laurita after a fight broke out in front of a Ridgewood, New Jersey, boutique in March 2013. The three stars countered and the original charges were dropped.

PHOTOS: Stars Who Got Their Start on Reality TV

Karagiorgis co-owned the popular hot dog restaurant Rutt's Hut in Clifton. Drossos owns Medusa's Hair Loft, a hair salon in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, which was previously featured on the Bravo series.






New York (AFP) - Thousands of fans clogged New York's streets early Monday on hopes of a surprise show by rap superstar Kanye West, who appeared in the crowd but ultimately did not play.

West had been due Sunday to headline New York's Governors Ball festival, but the final day was canceled on fears of heavy thunderstorms.

After West wrote vaguely on Twitter about a show at 2:00 am (0700 GMT), a sea of fans converged around Webster Hall, a historic venue in the city's East Village neighborhood and favorite spot for unannounced gigs.

Police were forced for more than an hour to close the area to traffic, with authorities sending out a traffic notice to residents, after thousands swarmed onto the streets including on parked cars, some chanting West's name.

As a black car neared the venue, fans surrounded it and forced the vehicle to slow, with a smiling West appearing out of the sunroof to acknowledge the crowd, footage posted on social media showed.

But West ultimately did not play, likely due to the mayhem.

Webster Hall, whose main floor has a capacity of 1,500, informed that there would be no late surprise show and asked fans to go home.

West's appearance at the Governors Ball festival, which takes place on Randall's Island in the city's East River, would have been one of his first shows since he released his latest album "The Life of Pablo" in February.

A master of staying in the spotlight, West, who is married to reality television star Kim Kardashian, has also said he plans to run for president in 2020.

A younger rapper who had been due to play Sunday at Governors Ball, Vic Mensa, played Sunday evening at Webster Hall in a last-minute but announced show.

Australian indie rock sensation Courtney Barnett, who was also among the canceled acts, performed a free show at the Rough Trade record store in Brooklyn.
Go home, Kanye West fans. That was the message that rang loud and clear on Sunday night, as The Life of Pablo rapper and his pal Travis Scott drove around New York City with the moon roof open trying to find a place to play their music in peace.

The New York Daily News reported there were at least 4,000 "anxious Yeezus followers" swarmed Webster Hall, a concert venue in Manhattan, after it was rumored West and Scott would perform there. The unparalleled hype was likely brought on by the fact his headlining show for the final night of this year's Governor's Ball on the nearby Randall's Island was cancelled the same day due to weather.

Kanye and Travis Scott pulling uppic.twitter.com/bwloiRgwtd

"Show at 2 a.m. sold out," West tweeted, causing fans to flock to the concert venue where the hitmaker's pal Vic Mensa was performing. One person was arrested outside of the concert hall for disorderly conduct.

"There is no late show at Webster Hall tonight," the venue responded. "Please get home safely."

A storm rolled in as the two men stuck their heads out of their car literally searching for somewhere to go after Governor's Ball was canceled. As West tried to part the crowd outside Webster Hall like Moses, his wife Kim Kardashian West did her part in documenting the entire experience on her Snapchat. At one point the car was essentially stalled in the middle of an ever-widening crowd of fans screaming at the artists.

Kanye West tried to throw a surprise NYC show last night but it ended in chaos: http://factm.ag/EC2LW7 pic.twitter.com/ogHkw2jYRv https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkQoT3uWsAA8VlM.jpg:large

Kardashian West's Snapchat also showed West saying on his phone, "Call the mayor and shut down the block about four streets and put screens up so they could have a party outside. I heard it was sold out already."

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"Alright guys we're in bed, we tried," Kardashian West said while pouting to her millions of fans on the social platform. "He tried so hard but it was just bigger... the cops just really wouldn't allow it."

Unfortunately, it looks like the mayor was the only one sleeping on Yeezus Sunday night. #Kanye2020.
@vogueitalia

"It's all about family" Kate Moss asserts in the June issue of Vogue Italia, which she covers with her 13-year-old daughter Lila Grace. Despite her party girl image and A-list status, our favourite supermodel has ensured that her teen daughter has been kept away from the spotlight, until now.

The iconic Italian magazine teased us with images on Instagram today, before the issue entitled 'Love' comes out later this week. The striking, black and white portraits were shot by Mario Sorrenti, Kate's former boyfriend, who photographed her in her breakthrough Calvin Klein campaign back in 1993. The supermodel, styled by Fashion Editor Joe McKenna, wears a ribbed Versace top as she holds her young daughter in a matching Versace ensemble.

Kate last covered the magazine in February, when she was shot by Mario Testino in an issue dedicated to laughter, in which the model was captured giggling candidly. But seeing as we're pretty accustomed to seeing Kate's face in countless campaigns and covers (she's covered British Vogue 30 times in her prolific career) and we're soon to see her on the silver screen in the Ab Fab film, it's her daughter who really grabbed our attention.

We first took notice of Lila (who is Kate's daughter with Dazed & Confused co-founder Jefferson Hack) at the supermodel's wedding to The Kills frontman Jamie Hince in July 2011. Mario Testino's wedding snaps were then featured in the September 2011 issue of British Vogue, including a touching image of an unclothed Kate embracing Lila in a sensitive shot much like the Vogue Italia cover story.

@vogueitalia

Needless to say, Lila Grace is a natural beauty... so does this shoot mark the beginning of her own modelling career? Last year, during a Q&A with Ask.fm, Lila assured us that despite her mother's supermodel status, she's just like other mums and also revealed that she had no interested in following in her footsteps: "No, like every mum shes embarrassing and annoying but u love them rlly (sic)... [I'd consider being] "a fashion designer... but defo not a model (sic)."

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Though Kate's younger sister Lottie, 18, has been stealing headlines of late, landing the cover of French Vogue with male mega model Lucky Blue Smith in May, as well as a number of other major fashion jobs, we think little Lila is the real one to watch.

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By Olzhas Auyezov AKTOBE, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - Police killed five gunmen and detained two others in a pre-dawn raid in the Kazakh city of Aktobe on Monday after a suspected Islamist militant attack the day before on a national guard base and several firearms shops. On Sunday, gunmen killed three army servicemen and three civilians before responding security forces killed 12 of the attackers and wounded six, the Interior Ministry said, in what was the deadliest such incident in the history of the oil-exporting Central Asian republic. "During the search operation overnight, police killed five more criminals and two were arrested after resistance," the Interior Ministry said in a statement. State television aired photographs and read out the names of seven men it said were on the run from police on Monday hours after the early hours raid against what the ministry described as "religious radicals". "The identities of all the criminals involved in the attacks have been established. Measures are being taken to locate and detain them," the ministry statement added. "The situation in Aktobe is stable, businesses and public transport are functioning normally," it said. However, Kazakh authorities raised the "terror threat" level to yellow, the second highest designation, and the situation in Aktobe remained tense. Beefed-up police squads at the airport wore helmets and bulletproof vests while Aktobe's streets emptied due to a curfew. The Internet and automatic cash machines were out of order. The ministry said the militants first attacked a firearms store in Aktobe, a northwestern Kazakh town with a population of 400,000 around 100 km (60 miles) from the Russian border. They then split into two groups, one of which robbed another gun shop while the other stormed a national guard base. Kazakh authorities often announce detentions and trials of Islamist militants, but most of them have been people who traveled or planned to travel to places such as Syria and Iraq. Violent clashes within Kazakhstan itself are rare. However, the plunge in the price of oil, Kazakhstan's main export, has threatened political and social stability in the former Soviet republic of 18 million people. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov and Mariya Gordeyeva; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Nairobi (AFP) - The Kenyan government's plan to close the world's largest refugee camp violates international law and is unconstitutional, a Kenyan rights watchdog said Monday, asking a court to intervene.

Nairobi vowed last month to shut down the sprawling Dadaab camp on the Kenya-Somalia border, home to some 350,000 people, on national security grounds.

The vast majority of the camp's residents are refugees who have fled the more than two-decade long conflict in Somalia.

The government plans to return the refugees to their homeland or third countries by November, in a move that has been widely condemned by humanitarian organisations.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), calling for an "extremely urgent" court hearing, said the closure would endanger refugees "if they are forcibly returned without proper assessment of the security concerns".

Sending refugees home against their will would violate Kenya's constitution as well as the UN's Refugee Convention and the Organisation of Africa Unity Convention on refugees, the group said, calling the plan "arbitrary" and "discriminatory".

The state-funded KNCHR urged the government to suspend the decision to repatriate Somali refugees and to reverse a decision to disband Kenya's Department of Refugee Affairs.

It said disbanding the department would leave refugees with no administrative authority to examine their demands for refugee status.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Nkaissery said last week that the decision to close the camp was final.

Nairobi justified the plan by accusing Shabaab Islamist extremists of planning the 2013 Westgate shopping centre attack and the 2015 Garissa University assault from Dadaab, though it has not provided any proof.

Nairobi has also bemoaned the high cost of maintaining Dadaab, but the international community covers most of the costs through the UN refugee agency.

Critics have cast doubt on the feasibility, as well as the legality, of closing the site and sending the Somalis home amid fears it would spark a humanitarian crisis.

Analysts have suggested the government may be using the announcement of the camp's closure to put Dadaab back on the international agenda at a time when attention is focused on the migrant crisis in Europe.
On Sunday's episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kendalland Kris Jenner head to Rome for the first time together, but paparazzi wind up ruining their day after they were spotted.



When they return home, Kylie, 18, Khloe and Kendall, 20, decide to go all out and get prosthetics in order to go out in public and not get recognized by the paparazzi.



The three girls get fitted with face molds, bodysuits, fake tattoos and wigs. Khloe, 31, decides to get an entire mold of her face in order to go "undercover" as a senior citizen named Dolores (aka, "Dottie"), while her younger sisters took a more subtle approach.



After getting all "glammed", the sisters decide to go on a Hollywood tour bus to find out what guides say about their family. Sadly, as soon as they stepped out of their rental car, paparazzi were there with their cameras. Kendall didn't take it well and told her sisters that she's done and wants to go home  but they still went ahead with their plans.







While aboard the tour bus, all three of the sisters have a blast and decide to Snapchat the entire experience before photos leak online. When fans and more paparazzi spot them, they jumped off the tour bus and escape onto the Beverly Hills Hotel property.







"I am so happy Khloe did this with us," Kylie said. "She made this such a fun experience."



Also during this episode, things got a little heated between Khloe and Scott Disick.



While working out together, Khloe opens up to Kourtney and told her how much she misses hanging out with Disick.



"This is a complicated situation, Scott needs reassurance to feel love and apart of our family, but I need to be respectful of Kourtney's feelings," Khloe told the camera. So, the family invites him over for a major event.



During the Kardashians' annual Armenian birthday party for the late Robert Kardashian, Khloe tried to talk with Disick during dinner, but he was a man of few words and wound up walking away from the table. Khloe took it to heart and got upset over his "negative attitude" towards the family.





RELATED VIDEO: Kourtney Kardashian Wishes 'Baby Daddy' Scott Disick a Happy 33rd Birthday - See Her TBT Photo



"Instead of focusing on the positive, he is dwelling in this moody negative attitude," she told the camera about Disick, but it wasn't so simple for him.



"When you've been with someone for 10, 11 years, and then all of a sudden you're not, it's a lot to get used to," Disick tells the camera.



Later in the episode, she confronted Disick about his attitude at the party.



"I feel like someone held a gun to your head for you to be there," Khloe told Disick. He admitted to her that he has good days but also has a lot of bad days.



"I think sometimes it difficult to be around you and everyone, because it reminds me of old times," Disick responds.



"I want you to start hanging out more and to start smiling more and not be so moody," Khloe replied.



"I'd rather be there and have that little bit of sadness than not be there at all," he said in return.



Keeping Up with the Kardashians airs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on E!
Forward Grand LLC, Fortabud LLC, Invest-Construction LLC and Investment Company Ukrbud Invest LLC (all based in Kyiv) have asked Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee to permit the creation of a construction corporation.

The committee told Interfax-Ukraine that the authorized representative of the companies submitted an application for receiving preliminary conclusions on the necessity of getting a permit for agreed actions in the creation of Ukrbud Ukrainian construction corporation.

"It is impossible to present any conclusion for receiving this permit by Forward Grand LLC, Fortabud LLC, Invest-Construction LLC and Investment Company Ukrbud Invest LLC," the committee said.

The authority said that it has no information at what stage the creation of the corporation is at.
Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, contemplation and prayer, began Sunday and will run through Tuesday, July 5. It's celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations that would become the Quran.



During Ramadan, followers of Islam  Muslims  do not eat or drink (not even water) from sunrise to sunset, and try to abstain from impure thoughts or behavior. Daily fasts are to be broken by sharing meals with family or friends and at the end of the month, a three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr marks Ramadan's conclusion.



Islam is the world's second-largest religion, after Christianity, with over 1 billion followers. An approximate 7 million Muslims call the United States their home; the country's first mosque was built by Lebanese immigrants in North Dakota in the 1920s. (It was torn down and later replaced  the country's oldest surviving mosque is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and dates to the 1930s.)



Because Ramadan is based on the Islamic lunar calendar (which means it follows the phases of the moon instead of the rise and fall of the sun  the lunar calendar falls short of the solar calendar by 11 days), it doesn't start during the same date each year and can pass through every season.







Muslims are expected to go about their day-to-day tasks during Ramadan, though some increase their praying and mosque visits during the month. Ramadan is required of all Muslims puberty-aged and older, though the sick, elderly and women who are pregnant or nursing are exempt.



If you're looking to display some decent Ramadan etiquette as a non-Muslim, greetings are as follows: The standard Ramadan greetings are "Ramadan kareem" (which means "have a generous Ramadan") or "Ramadan mubarak" (which means "have a blessed Ramadan"). You'll be following in the example of several U.S. presidents: Then-First Lady Hilary Clinton hosted the first Eid al-Fitr dinner at the White House in 1996. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both hosted iftars (the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan) at the White House during their terms, and Barack Obama followed suit, having the first White House Ramadan dinner in August 2010.
Los Angeles (AFP) - Jurors on Monday recommended the death penalty for a Los Angeles garbage collector convicted of the "Grim Sleeper" killings that terrorized southern Los Angeles for more than two decades.

Lonnie David Franklin had been convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for the killings of nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007.

The same jury at Los Angeles Superior Court deliberated for five hours over two days before recommending the death penalty, with sentencing set for August 10.

"He's a prolific serial killer and he's evil," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman had told the court, adding that there was a "long line of victims behind him."

The prosecution presented evidence that it said linked him to the killings of a further four other women between 1984 and 2005, although authorities suspect Franklin is behind dozens more murders.

"You can either give mercy to him -- the serial killer -- or you can impose justice. Death is the only just punishment for this defendant... (for) the 14 lives he stole," the prosecutor said.

The court heard Franklin had committed crimes dating back to the 1974 kidnapping and gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Germany while he was in the US military.

The 63-year-old was a "sexual predator" and "career criminal" whom DNA evidence showed had acted alone, Silverman said.

Franklin stalked the streets of South Los Angeles at a time when an epidemic of crack cocaine plagued the neighborhood, the authorities say.

Several of his victims were prostitutes and drug addicts whom he shot or strangled, dumping their bodies in alleyways or trash bins. He raped some before killing them.

Prosecutors said Franklin took advantage of some of his victims' addiction to crack to lure them to his backyard camper with money and drugs before killing them.

Investigators searching his home found nearly 200 pictures and videos of women, many of whom have not been identified.

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Defense attorney Dale Atherton had urged the seven-woman, five-man panel to recommend life without parole, arguing that a death sentence would delay the healing process for the victims' families.

Franklin was given the moniker "Grim Sleeper" because of a 13-year gap in the murders.

Although Franklin was arrested in July 2010 after his DNA was connected to some of the victims, appeals and judicial wrangling repeatedly delayed efforts to bring him to trial.

The killing spree was the subject of a 2014 HBO documentary by British filmmaker Nick Broomfield, who claims the Los Angeles police failed to properly investigate the murders because the victims were mainly drug addicts and prostitutes.

It has been a decade since the last execution in California. Clarence Ray Allen was given a lethal injection on January 17, 2006 after being convicted of paying a fellow inmate to commit three murders.
Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila, is breaking her silence about her famous father, and offering the world insight into the legendary fighter's death.

She spoke to Good Morning America Monday morning saying, all of us kids... were all at the hospital and all had the opportunity to be with him when he passed away. We all were there and that doesnt always happen, when everybody has the opportunity to be there, so that was very nice."

Read: Muhammad Ali Dead at 74: World Mourns 'The Greatest' Fighter of All Time

The 38-year-old said the atmosphere inside the hospital was a very peaceful time and we sent him off in a very peaceful way."

The Champ had been hospitalized Thursday near Phoenix with respiratory problems. The 74-year-old boxer had suffered from Parkinsons disease for decades.

His daughter, also a former boxer, said: I can say that Im obviously really sad but Ive been sad for a long time just watching my father struggling with Parkinsons disease.

You know, you hold your head up and you say, Yeah, hes doing great, but, you know, I felt like he was trapped inside of his body so I have comfort in knowing that hes not suffering anymore. So thats what makes me feel better."

Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Ali would go on to change his name after joining the Black Muslim movement.

As Muhammad Ali, the fighter became the first to win heavyweight titles three times. He finished his career with 37 wins by knockout.

I just have so much respect for him because you just don't see that. You don't see that anymore, not only in just athletes, I mean there's just not that many men that you can compare to my father," Laila said. "When I think of my father, I think of people like Nelson Mandela and people like that."

Read: Michael J. Fox Recalls Fellow Parkinson's Sufferer Muhammad Ali's Touching Words of Support

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Funeral services are planned for this weekend in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where the city plans to hold a memorial. The flags were ordered at half-staff in the city to honor the death of its native son.

Laila added: This man just transcends everything there is and everybody just loves him. There isnt anybody else like him. I dont think there ever will be. That makes me sad too. Hes passing on and Im just like, man, what does this next generation have?"

Muhammads daughter, Hana, penned an emotional letter to her iconic father on Instagram.

A photo posted by Hana Ali (@hanayali) on Jun 4, 2016 at 9:57am PDT





Watch: Former World Champion Boxer 'Sugar' Shane Mosley Rescues Toddler From Freeway Pile-Up

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A Chinese automaker notorious for copying European automakers' designs is being taken to court by Jaguar Land Rover.

Even though the Chinese crossover appears to be a clear copy of the British original, the case may not be as simple as it seems.

JLR says its Range Rover Evoque served as more than inspiration for the Landwind X7. JLR is suing Jiangling over what it sees as copyright infringement.

The X7's design is so similar to the Evoque that body kits are available to convert it to look exactly like an Evoque, badging and all.

ALSO SEE: Man pays almost $5 million for "1" license plate

The British company has been successful in barring Jiangling from selling the X7 in a number of markets outside of China.

2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The actual, copyrighted Range Rover Evoque

It is rare for a foreign firm to win a court case in China, though, especially one over copyright violations.

The X7 has been on sale since last year, but JLR has held off on legal action, in part because Chinese consumers react negatively to foreign firms taking their domestic companies to court.

If JLR wins, a flood of lawsuits from other European automakers over copycat designs in China could be inevitable.

Needless to say, automakers like Porsche, whose Macan was recently cloned by Zotye, are paying close attention.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.




11:30 06.06.2016 Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Privatbank Not Complying with Court Rulings: Who Is Helping Them?'

1 min read

On Monday, June 6, at 12.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press centre will host a press conference entitled "Privatbank Not Complying with Court Rulings: Who Is Helping Them?" Participants will include lawyer Vadym Chunzhyn, and Director of Briver LLC Dmytro Mendis (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation. More information by phone: (095) 010 0172.
When Haiti is devastated by a hurricane or earthquake, the countrys misery makes global headlines. And when lawless politicians  the kind of people who have caused Haitians so much grief for so many decades  scuttle elections to seize power, Haitis friends must take action. With Washington having pledged $4.5 billion in U.S. aid to the country since 2010, U.S. policymakers and Congressional appropriators should not stand by as a de facto government takes root in Port-au-Prince.

Haitis parliament selected Jocelerme Privert in February by to serve as interim president. He committed to organize the election of a president, hand over power as early as May 15, and leave office no later than June 14. It now appears that Privert is not eager to do any of those things  at least until he can help engineer the election of someone acceptable to his political patrons, former presidents Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Rene Preval.

Privert is a member of Prevals Verite party and a critical link to Aristides radical Lavalas movement. Ominously, when Privert was sworn in as interim head of state, many Aristide acolytes flocked back to the presidential palace for the first time since he left office in 2004. We are back in power and we wont let it go, one Lavalas follower, who was among those who sipped champagne at Privets inauguration, told Reuters.

As Minister of Interior from 2002 to 2004, Privert helped Aristide manage armed gangs as a tool to terrorize political opponents. When some of those violent allies turned on him, he retaliated ruthlessly before being forced to resign and flee the country in February 2004. Privert was among several Aristide officials investigated for egregious human rights violations, including dozens of murders, committed by security forces and pro-government gangs in Gonaives in October 2003 and Saint-Marc in February 2004. Privert was arrested after Aristide fled; in February 2005, the investigating judge, Clunie Pierre Jules, found sufficient evidence to try Privert and 29 others for the Saint-Marc massacre. After the judge assigned to the case, Hugues St. Pierre, died a suspicious death in 2007, no trial was held, and Privert was set free.

How does a man like that become president? Privert was chosen to fill an unusual vacancy created when Michel Martelly left office on February 7, before a successor had been elected. Jovenel Moise and Jude Celestin were declared the top two finishers in presidential balloting last October and were expected to compete in a December 27 runoff. However, that second round was never held because electoral authorities said that violent demonstrations organized by Aristide, Preval, and losing candidates would disrupt the voting.

The origin of this power struggle is in Preval and Aristide anger that their respective candidates were either disqualified by the electoral council or humiliated in the first round. They blame Martelly for manipulating that process and are determined to eliminate his man, Moise, from contention.

Privert advanced this scheme by naming a verification commission to reexamine the October election  despite the fact that several previous audits found no evidence of systematic fraud. Remarkably, one of the men Privert appointed to this independent panel is one of the losing presidential candidates. Predictably, last week, that commission recommended scrapping the October results. A new electoral council appointed by Privert is expected to ratify this decision soon, scheduling elections in the fall, when the Verite party expects to capture the presidency along with many of the senate seats up for election by November. Of course, the prospects for Verite are improved if Privert holds on to power.

In the meantime, Priverts government is wielding that power to reward the Lavalas faithful with government jobs and to harass political opponents. For example, last month, a prosecutor initiated proceedings against Laurent Lamothe, who served as Martellys prime minister from 2012 through 2014. Last Wednesday, another prosecutor issued a ban forbidding 11 Martelly cabinet ministers and nine members of the electoral council from leaving the country. In both of these cases, the prosecutors retreated when their authority was challenged. Some Haitians complained that this judicial harassment recalled the tactics of past dictators.

Privert now is lobbying for support in parliament so that he can remain in power beyond the end of his term in mid-June and preside over general elections late this year. However, many legislators would prefer to designate a different interim head of state to organize the presidential runoff as soon as possible. Political settlement aside, the Lavalas movement has a long history of using violence to get its way. The international community must be unequivocal in endorsing urgent elections as the solution.

After the verification commission recommended rebooting the presidential election, a U.S. State Department spokesperson merely repeated the call for a democratically elected president. A representative for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was more assertive, saying that Haiti can ill afford a prolonged period of transitional governance, which could affect international support. The U.N. statement reminded Privert of his responsibility to guarantee the peaceful completion of the 2015 elections.

Canada has requested urgent consultations on Haiti at the Organization of American States, which monitors the rule of law and democracy in the hemisphere. The draft declaration presented by the Canadian delegation appears to grasp the seriousness of Priverts stalling of the runoff; it urges officials to complete as soon as possible the electoral process initiated in 2015, noting that a failure to do so may affect the constitutional exercise of power and require further measures to defend Haitis democratic system under the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Aristide and Preval may calculate that if Privert can defy President Barack Obamas State Department for a few more months, they will able to do as they please for years to come. U.S. diplomats and members of Congress who have taken an interest in Haiti must send a very clear message that the United States will not throw good money after bad.

Friends of the Haitian people are doing them no favors by tolerating a power grab by politicians with a long and sorry history of promoting their selfish interests at the expense of their nation.

Photo credit: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
By Duncan Miriri and Edmund Blair NAIROBI (Reuters) - At least one person was shot dead at a protest against Kenya's election body in the western city of Kisumu on Monday and others wounded, hospital officials said, as demonstrators also gathered in the capital. Police fired into the air to break up a crowd trying to march on the Kisumu office of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), one witness told Reuters. Protesters, accusing the commission of pro-government bias and demanding its members resign before elections in August next year, blocked roads with burning tyres in Kisumu and in Nairobi's Kibera slum. Demonstrators also marched in the centre of the capital, blocking traffic. "IEBC must go," they shouted. Dennis Onyango, spokesman for opposition leader Raila Odinga who led Monday's rally in Nairobi, said two people were killed in Kisumu. But hospital officials said they only knew of one. Juliana Otieno, superintendent at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, said 12 casualties with bullet wounds had been admitted to her hospital, while she said Kisumu County hospital reported one dead and others with bullet wounds. A nurse at Kisumu hospital also confirmed one dead there. There was no immediate police comment on Monday's reported deaths. Kenyan television reported at least one person killed. Western Kenya, traditionally an opposition stronghold, has seen some of the worst violence in the almost weekly protests. Three people were killed in clashes in the region on May 23. Western ambassadors have accused the police of using excessive force and called for dialogue in a nation prone to political strife. The 2007 election triggered weeks of ethnic bloodshed and the 2013 result was disputed. DIALOGUE DEMANDED A meeting last week between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga failed to defuse tensions. Odinga told demonstrators that more protests would follow if there was no dialogue on reforming the IEBC. "We respect the government but they must also respect us," he said. "If there is no dialogue next week, we will protest twice." Police said on Friday that any march by protesters would contravene a court order and demonstrators could face arrest. Despite the warning, the protest in Nairobi proceeded calmly without clashes with police that were seen previously. Businesses have called for a swift resolution of the row, saying it was taking a toll on an economy which was hit hard by the post-2007 election violence amid the tensions in the build up to the 2013 vote. "We must find solutions and the solution must be based on the rule of law. It calls for a lot of mediation," Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chairman Dennis Awori told Reuters, urging churches, politicians and others to help bring calm. IEBC commissioners deny any bias and say they will stay on, while the government has said any reform needs to follow constitutional channels, which could involve a petition to parliament where Kenyatta's Jubilee coalition has a majority. (Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Throughout your working life, you strive to build your wealth in order to ensure that you and your dependants can live comfortably during your lifetime. But what happens when youre no longer around? Legacy planning is a form of wealth management that helps you gift the assets you have accumulated throughout your life to the people you care about in the most efficient way possible.

Here are just some of the benefits you and your family will enjoy by putting in some time and effort towards planning your legacy.

Provide for your children

The main goal of legacy planning is to ensure that your wealth goes to your intended recipients, and children are usually at the top of the list. Depending on what stage your family is at, there will be school fees and university fees to consider, as well as leaving your children enough to set up comfortable homes of their own.

Take care of your spouse and loved ones

If your spouse or other family members are dependent on you, you will want to make sure they can maintain their standard of living and not have their lives thrown into disarray if something unfortunate happens to you. Think about what they will need in order to live comfortable lives, and plan accordingly.

Protect what you have built

Things like business succession should also be taken into account if you are a business owner. As the head of a company, you work hard to create your empire, which provides financially for your family as well as producing jobs for the community. Business owners dream of having the companies they started flourish long after they are gone; planning who your successors will be, and how the business will evolve, plays a big part in making this dream come true.

Make a difference

Leaving money to family members is what most people think of when considering legacy planning, but you may also want to leave a part of your wealth to charity. This may be a charitable organization that is close to your heart or has played a key role in your familys lives, or it may simply be an organization that reflects your values and what really matters to you.

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Enjoy peace of mind

Having a plan to distribute your wealth will also help prevent disputes further down the line, and there are many things to consider. Is everyone you care about accounted for? In what order and what percentage will your beneficiaries receive their inheritance? When will they receive it? What measures should you put in place so that these assets are protected? It is also vitally important to talk to your family about the measures you have put in place, to avoid ugly disputes when you are gone.

Most people are under the misconception that legacy planning is only for the affluent. Regardless of how much wealth you have, legacy planning is something that will help you as long as you have the desire or need to make a difference in someones life financially.

That said, there are some things to keep in mind when creating your legacy plan. You dont want to jeopardise your current standard of living, the plans you have for your children or your retirement nest egg. Instead, make sure that you are financially comfortable and on track to achieving all your other financial goals.

There are many solutions to legacy planning. One of them is life insurance policies that allow you to determine the amount of premium you are able (and willing) to pay, after taking into consideration your current financial commitments and future plans.

Start planning your legacy today for greater security in the future.
From LennyLetter

While bombast and narcissism have the American consciousness in a chokehold this election season, New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen remains ever above the melee, prizing compromise over obstructionism. She is still willing to roll up her sleeves and hammer out bipartisan bills, finding partners in even those Republican senators whose stances on reproductive freedom and the environment make her skin crawl. She has plenty to say about Donald Trump, sure, but she would rather focus on her legislative aims. Because as the race for the White House plods on, Shaheen has more immediate priorities: she has a job to do.

The only woman to be elected both a governor and a senator, Shaheen has represented New Hampshire in the Senate since 2009. Reelected in 2014 and driven by a deep reverence for our legislative process, Shaheen has continued to use the powers of her office to further substantive feminist goals.

Here, just a few of the bills Shaheen has championed:

She cosponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which has made it easier for women to secure equal paychecks.

She pushed the Shaheen Amendment and saw it passed in 2012; it provides abortion access to women in the military who had been victims of sexual assault.

In 2015, she wrote legislation to support the effort to put a woman on the $20 bill and circulated fake bills on the Senate floor to draw attention to the movement. The stunt made an impression. The Treasury Department announced in April that Harriet Tubman would replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20.

A few weeks ago, she bagged a legislative unicorn: the Senate passed the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, which she sponsored, in a unanimous vote. The bill entitles victims to receive the results of any tests done on their rape kits and ensures that those kits be preserved at no cost until that state's statute of limitations has expired. A meeting with 24-year-old Amanda Nguyen, who was raped and currently has to file a request to have her rape kit preserved every six months, motivated Shaheen to spearhead the initiative.

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"That needed to be fixed," Shaheen tells me when I reach her on the eve of the vote. She wears her matter-of-factness like a good suit - with evident pride.

Meanwhile, a conservative blogger once branded her a backer of "a radical abortion agenda" because of her tireless support for Planned Parenthood. A decisive endorsement!

Entrenched as she is in Congress, Shaheen has not forgotten the itch of activism. As we chat, she draws on her involvement in the social movements of the '60s over and over to animate her persistent commitments to women, to families, to fairness. She remembers, laughing now, how she lobbied at school to do away with a curfew that applied only to women and not to men. She won. And so wedded was she to her politics that when her now-husband Bill Shaheen spotted her on the street and wanted her number, she told him to "drop dead." That is a direct quote. They were engaged six weeks later.

Shaheen cannot stand the idea that all the work and care and decades of service have turned her into some congressional insider - a mere "establishment" politician. Nope. Meet a woman who will not be stripped of her bona fides.

Mattie Kahn: Was there a time as a young adult where you really felt you were taking a risk and you weren't sure if it was going to pay off?

Jeanne Shaheen: No - I came of age in the '60s. Like so many people then, I was paying attention to the civil-rights movement, the anti-war movement, the women's-rights movement. For most of us who came of age in that era, it was about trying to right the wrongs that we saw in the world. We didn't think of it as risk-taking. We felt we had to act.

MK: When did you fall in love with what politics could do?

JS: It was really in university, watching what was happening. I can remember very vividly having a conversation with my favorite political-science professor. We were talking about the war in Vietnam and the protests. At that time, there were thousands of people in the streets demonstrating to end the war. I can remember him saying to me that when enough people get mad about what's happening and do something about it, the policy of the country will change. And that is what happened. I'm a believer that democracy works, which is not to say it always works the way I want it to. But it was seeing that activism ultimately can pay off that got me interested in politics. It forced me to realize that people can make a difference.

MK: Speaking of the democratic process, you didn't win your first Senate race in 2002. But you went on to beat your opponent in a rematch six years later. Deciding to take him on again - that must have taken a lot of grit. How did you summon the nerve to do it?

JS: I have seven grandchildren. I remember thinking about the future of this country, and I remember wondering how I would respond to my grandchildren if I decided not to try and run for the Senate for a second time. This was 2008 and the end of the George W. Bush administration. We were in Iraq. We didn't know who would take control of the country. As a nation, we were facing all of these challenges. I remember thinking, How will I face my grandchildren if 10 years from now or 20 years from now, they came to me and said, "Why didn't you run for the Senate when you could have made a difference?" That was really the motivation.

MK: Between the Shaheen Amendment and the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, which has had tremendous bipartisan support, you've made sure that the voices of victims of sexual violence are heard loud and clear in government. When did you realize just how silenced they'd been?

JS: You have to remember that I grew up at a time before Roe v. Wade. No matter the circumstances, women could not make their own choices about their reproductive futures and about access to health care. I saw what an impact that had on women. I've been committed to elevating women's voices since that time - and on issues of [reproductive freedom and sexual assault], especially.

MK: Does it feel like more of your peers have started to get involved in this work over time, now that it's becoming a more talked-about issue?

JS: I do feel like it's become a more visible issue, which has been very important to addressing the challenges. A lot of men over the years have worked on these issues, but it's very often women who have carried the ball and made the breakthroughs that have really been important. As more women have gotten elected to office, there have been more allies to address the particular challenges that women face.

MK: That makes sense. I've seen a few stories over the past few weeks about how many women are running for Senate who have a real shot at winning, which is exciting. What advice do you have for your maybe future comrades - particularly in an environment that isn't always the simplest to navigate as a woman?

JS: I used to get asked a lot after I got elected governor of New Hampshire what it's like to be the first woman governor. My standard answer was, "Gee, I don't know, because I've never been a man governor." When I have run for office, I have not talked about my gender because there's not been a need to. It's obvious - you know when you look at me.

What I have tried to do is talk about issues and policies that I think have an impact on families and therefore on everybody. Access to reproductive health care, issues of child care and paid family medical leave - those issues don't just affect women. They affect families. They affect the ability of middle-class and working families to have opportunities and make a good living. For me, that's what's important. And that's what I've tried to focus on.

MK: Absolutely. Still, I bet that at some point during your tenure in office, someone has probably tried to dismiss your legislative interests as "women's issues." How do you respond to that?

JS: I think it's important to remind people that if half the population doesn't have the same access to opportunities, everybody is worse for that. And that goes for national policy and for foreign policy as well. It's been really important to me to make sure we have this conversation when we're talking about what's going on around the world. We need to emphasize women's empowerment everywhere because it does make such a huge difference - not just how women do, but how their families do, how their communities do, and, ultimately, how their countries do.

MK: Yes, but sometimes we do really need to elevate women for no one's sake but our own. I'm thinking of the movement to put a woman on the $20 bill, which is finally happening - in many ways because of the work you did to support it. Why are national icons so significant? Why did it matter to you to see this fixed?

JS: I need to give credit for the grassroots Women on 20s movement, because that's how I got interested in it. I saw what they were doing and how people across the country had engaged on this issue. So we filed legislation to support it. As soon as we did that, we saw again the kind of interest and support we had. It just captured people's imagination.

Symbols are important. The fact that we have not had women on our currency is a statement. The figures who are on our currency are people who have been important in American history. Women have been really important in American history, and yet they haven't been recognized in the same way that many historic men have been, that Andrew Jackson has been. I think it's quite poetic justice that Harriet Tubman is going to replace him.

MK: So you have this full, multifaceted legislative agenda - tons of issues you want to act on, see improved. Every day, you - and, in a perfect world, all of our representatives - get up and try to make this country a better place. How do you prioritize what needs to be done and what can wait until next session or next term?

JS: It's based a lot on what I hear from my constituents and what I believe about the future of the United States in the world. And it's based a lot on my priorities - economic opportunity and national security. As I have traveled, in particular to hot spots like Afghanistan and to countries in the Middle East, it's become very clear that without those two things - without the ability to feel secure and safe, without the ability to see economic opportunity - it's very hard for people to feel secure in their lives. So those have become my guiding principles, and I spend a lot of time thinking about how to accomplish those things.

MK: When was the last time a voter brought an issue to your attention that made you think, Yes, I need to take care of this now?

JS: Amanda Nguyen, who introduced me to the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act. Amanda is from California and is a Harvard grad. She was raped and was looking for somebody in Washington who could help what she saw as a travesty. It was a travesty what happened to her and what happens to so many survivors of sexual assault who have to battle in a system stacked against them. She contacted a number of Senate offices, and when we heard from her, we said, "She's absolutely right. We need to try and do something about that." So we did. For me, that's what makes this job rewarding. It's the ability to see that what we're doing is making a difference for people. If I didn't feel like I could make a difference anymore and that people's lives could be changed for the better, I wouldn't be here.

MK: Looking ahead, Hillary Clinton, whom you've supported for months, has said that there will be women on her short list for vice president. Since then, certain enterprising news outlets have thrown out some prospects, and many have mentioned you as a potential candidate. Would you consider it?

JS: That's something that Hillary Clinton has to decide. I'm very honored to be on those lists that people are putting forward. But I think that's Hillary Clinton's decision. I know she'll make a good one.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Mattie Kahn is a writer at elle.com. She has never run a race - in politics or on pavement. But she likes the idea of brave women who do.
Pass us the peanut butter and Oreos, please. Lindsay Lohan just took us back to the '90s.



Lohan, 29, took fans on a trip down Memory Lane when she revisited one of the homes from the Parent Trap over the weekend. In the Instagram photo, a smiling Lohan is dressed in a white blouse, ripped jeans, moccasins and sunnies.



The classic white house is located in London and does not seem to have aged a bit. The one big difference? The address shows the number "23," but Lohan reminds her Instagram followers, "but it was number 7 in the movie."





Related Video: Lindsay Lohanas Changing Looks









Lohan has been splitting her time between New York and London in recent months. Since the move, the actress has started dating Russian business mogul Egor Tarabasov and a source told PEOPLE she is is in much better spirits since leaving Los Angeles.



"She sounds more humble and much more calm," says the source. "I think it was good for her to get away from her family  and she has said [moving to London] was the best thing that ever happened."
Ukrainian parliamentarian Nadia Savchenko visited Ukrainian soldiers in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone in Donbas, the ATO Headquarters' press service has said.

Nadia Savchenko's night visit "was a surprise to everyone," the report says. However, the Ukrainian parliamentarian was able to have fruitful communication with many military personnel, meet with her former fellow servicemen and sit at the controls of a combat helicopter," a report released on Monday morning says.

At the same time, the report does not state which area Savchenko visited, or any other details.
A Los Angeles jury Monday has returned the death sentence for Lonnie David Franklin Jr., a convicted serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper," for at least 10 murders over 22 years.

BREAKING: Los Angeles jury returns death sentence for serial killer known as 'Grim Sleeper.'

The murders "were so vicious, they were so calculated and they were so demeaning," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said during closing arguments, the Los Angeles Times reported. "The way that these women ended up, half of them naked ... all of them in filthy alleys."

Read more: These Are the Black Women Who Were Murdered by an LA Serial Killer Called the Grim Sleeper

According to the Times, Franklin targeted black women, especially sex workers in South Los Angeles amid the boom days of the crack cocaine black market in the 1980s. Franklin evaded detection and capture due to both a rise in drug-related slayings and "several other serial killers [who] were operating in the same area in those years," though critics have long argued law enforcement failed to adequately prioritize the case due to the race and profession of the victims. He earned the title "Grim Sleeper" via a supposed hiatus in the slayings from 1988 to 2002, though authorities later suspected he never ceased killing at all.

Authorities found dozens of photographs of victims and others in Franklin's possession.

Activists working with the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders, "kept Franklin's alleged victims' names alive through persistent media advocacy," Mic reported in May. They include Debra Jackson, 29; Henrietta Wright, 34; Barbara Ware, 23; Bernita Sparks, 26; Mary Lowe, 26; Lachrica Jefferson, 22; Alicia Alexander, 18; Princess Berthomieux, 15; Valerie McCorvey, 35; and Janecia Peters, 25.

Police believe the full tally of Franklin's crimes may never be determined. He is believed to be linked to at least 25 homicides.

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Whether the death sentence will be carried out is another open question. The state of California has not executed any prisoners found guilty of capital crimes since 2006, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, although triple murderer Alfredo Rolando Prieto, was extradited to Virginia and executed by lethal injection in 2015.

Correction: May 6, 2016

A previous version of this story erroneously reported when Mic reported on Franklin's alleged victims' names. It was first reported in May.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) Chief Vasyl Hrytsak has announced the creation of a joint group with the UN to monitor Ukrainian pretrial detention facilities in order to prevent torture.

"Last week, we had a meeting with [UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan] Simonovic. We had a constructive conversation and reached an agreement on further cooperation and the creation of a joint group that will resolve such nuances virtually online to prevent such accusations against Ukraine in the future," Hrytsak told reporters on Monday during a surprise check of an SBU pretrial detention facility in Kyiv, in which Verkhovna Rada human rights ombudsman Valeria Lutkovska and Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko participated.

Simonovic earlier said there had been instances of torture in Ukraine, including by the SBU.
2016 Tribeca Film Festival After Party For "The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" Sponsored By Sauza 901

Getty Image

Maisie Williams continues to kick butt on screen and off. The Game of Thrones actress (pictured above at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year) attended a summer masquerade ball over the weekend in England to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Not that it necessarily matters, but 19-year-old Williams attended the event dressed in a modest, floor-length white gown with a stylish cutout pattern.

Unfortunately, the British tabloid Daily Mail covered the event, and not only focused on what Williams was wearing, but somehow even managed to sensationalize her tasteful outfit. Of course, actresses have to deal with this bull crap on a regular basis, but Williams decided to call them out on it, giving the perfect, here, fixed it for you comeback.

Alternative

Game of Thrones actor, Maisie Williams, helps raise thousands at a Summer Masquerade Ball for @NSPCC  pic.twitter.com/tsDgOJTTcy  Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) June 6, 2016

Consider this the latest example of Maisie Williams winning at the internet. Whether or not a girl has no bra is none of your damn business.
A Malaysian graphic artist was charged on Monday with violating multimedia laws by caricaturing Prime Minister Najib Razak as a sinister clown to protest at allegations of massive corruption.

Fahmi Reza's depictions of Najib went viral earlier this year, and posters and stickers bearing the images have also appeared in public places, earning the designer-activist comparisons to street-art provocateurs like Banksy.

He was charged under a section of Malaysian communications and multimedia laws that forbid disseminating online content deemed to "annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass" others.

Fahmi, 38, faces a possible one-year prison sentence and 50,000 ringgit ($12,200) fine, said his attorney, Syahredzan Johan.

"This is essentially criminalising (free) expression," said Syahredzan.

Fahmi pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out in court.

Syahredzan said police were also investigating him for sedition.

In a Facebook posting Monday, Fahmi vowed to "defend my rights to criticise the corrupt rulers by using art as a weapon".

Fahmi was warned by police previously to stop posting the images, which show Najib in powder-white clown make-up, evilly arched eyebrows and a garish blood-red mouth.

Najib is battling accusations that billions of dollars were stolen from a state-owned development fund he oversees, and is under pressure for accepting a mysterious $681 million overseas payment.

Najib denies accusations that the huge payment was siphoned from the struggling fund.

But he has fuelled anger by curbing investigations, purging government figures who have demanded transparency and clamping down on media reporting of the affair.

Even before the corruption allegations emerged a year ago, Najib's government had moved to silence critics following a 2013 election setback.

Dozens of government opponents including opposition politicians have been investigated for, or charged with, a range of offences over the past three years, typically sedition.

The campaign has drawn growing warnings from international human rights groups that free expression and democratic rights in Malaysia are under severe threat.
By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) - A court in the Maldives jailed former vice president Ahmed Adeeb for 10 years on terrorism charges, his lawyer said on Monday, after a closed-door trial that was denounced by the opposition as flawed. Adeeb, 34, once seen as the successor to President Abdulla Yameen, was arrested on Oct. 24 in a probe into an explosion on Yameen's speedboat and was accused of possessing firearms. Parliament impeached Adeeb on Nov. 5 over his alleged role in the explosion. Adeeb was sentenced on Sunday, a week after ousted former leader Mohamed Nasheed, now in exile in Britain, formed a united opposition group aimed at toppling Yameen. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges after a trial in 2015 that was widely denounced as politically motivated. He was given permission to travel to Britain for medical treatment and was last month granted refugee status by the British authorities. A broad crackdown against political dissent belies the popular image of the Maldives, an island chain with a population of 400,000, as a holiday paradise, with radicalized youth enlisting in significant numbers to fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East. Moosa Siraj, Adeeb's lawyer, said his sentence was based on three witnesses who said his client possessed two firearms. "It was not a fair trial. Adeeb did not get a chance to speak and explain his side," Siraj told Reuters. Government officials were not immediately available for comments. The newly formed Maldives United Opposition said the process was flawed. "This deeply unfair sentence was based entirely on hearsay, without the slightest hint of evidence required to prove guilt, spokesman Ahmed Mahloof told Reuters via a text message. (Editing by Nick Macfie)
What makes a female marine crustacean "swipe right" on a prospective mate? If she's Dulichiella appendiculata  a tiny relative of the sand-hopping beach flea  she's impressed by the size of the male's enlarged right front claw, which is significantly bigger than its left one.

And she definitely prefers righties to lefties.

Scientists have investigated the mating success of right-clawed D. appendiculata males versus their left-clawed rivals, and found that righty males attracted more females. But lefties were found to be more solitary than righties, with a tendency to disperse into more habitats. And moving into a territory where there's less competition increased their chances of finding a willing female, the scientists found. [In Images: The Menagerie of Tiny Alienlike Creatures Under the Sea]

Study lead author Pablo Munguia, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences, told Live Science in an email that he "bumped into" this heavy-handed species while studying reef diversity in Florida for his doctoral dissertation. Munguia was captivated by the peculiar asymmetrical claws, which were present only in males. But it wasn't until more than a year later that he realized that there were "righties" and "lefties" in D. appendiculata populations, and that this might be linked to mating prowess.

Looking for a right-hand man

D. appendiculata is a type of amphipod  a flattened and shell-less crustacean  that lives on reefs or hard structures like shells, and measures about 0.2 to 0.24 inches (5 to 6 millimeters) in length.

And in relation to its body size, one of the male's two claws is enormous.

"The claw can be 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) long," Munguia told Live Science. "To put it in perspective, it is 20 to 30 percent of the length of the adult male," he said. This kind of dramatic asymmetry is rare in animals, the study authors reported.

Story continues

The claws grow as the male matures, Munguia said. Juveniles are miniature versions of the adult forms, and their bodies  and the males' claws  get bigger with every molt. In addition, the claw takes on its distinctive ax-like shape over time. It's not yet known at what age D. appendiculata becomes sexually mature, though Munguia said that other closely related species reach sexual maturity about a month after hatching.

"When males reach approximately 3 millimeters [in length], one can tell whether the individual is becoming a righty or a lefty," Munguia said.

Males use their enlarged claw not only to attract females, but also to guard their mates from other males.

The right stuff

To study these tiny creatures, Munguia spent three summers collecting and analyzing hundreds of individuals living inside pen shells, which were vacant of their usual mollusk inhabitants, in Florida seagrass beds. The researchers discovered that there were approximately the same number of righty and lefty males in the overall populations.

But wherever there was an abundance of D. appendiculata, most of the males were right-clawed, Munguia told Live Science. The right-clawed males tended to congregate around females  and each other  more than the left-clawed males, which were quicker to seek out new habitats where competition would be lower.

Females preferred males with an enlarged right claw, but in habitats where populations were sparse, lefties dominated, and were more likely to find a mate than if they were living in more crowded spots.

"The two alternative modes of gaining access to females seem to have found a balance," Munguia wrote in the email. Further studies will determine the stability of this balance between righties and lefties in D. appendiculata and in related amphipod populations in other marine habitats, he added.

The findings were published online May 31 in the Journal of Crustacean Biology.

Original article on Live Science.

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Dust off your sequined flares: ABBA is back!



All four members of the Swedish supergroup performed in public for the first time in 30 years in Stockholm on Sunday.









Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made the surprise appearance at a party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ulvaeus and Andersson's friendship at the Berns Salonger Hotel in downtown Stockholm, according to The Expressen .







It is the first time that all four members of the band have sung together in public since 1986.



"It was absolutely amazing. A lot of emotions," Lyngstad, told Espressen after the performance.



"We've made this journey throughout our history," Lyngstad continued. "Benny and Bjorn in particular. It's been very nostalgic."



Songwriter Andersson, 69, added simply, "It's been a great night."



Ulvaeus and Andersson first met on June 5, 1966. They later recruited Faltskog and Lyngstad to form ABBA and were propelled to global stardom on the back of a barn-storming 1974 Eurovision Song Contest-winning performance of "Waterloo." The band went on to sell 380 million albums worldwide.



This run of global success came to an end, however, in 1982 when a series of broken marriages among the band members finally took its toll, causing them to split.





Related Video: Two Cellists  With Great Hair  Put a New Spin on Pop Songs





While Faltskog, 66, and Lyngstad, 70, largely stepped away from the limelight, Ulvaeus, 71, and Andersson, 69, went onto create the Broadway hit Mamma Mia!, which later became a cult movie starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.



Yet Sunday's performance was a far more intimate affair. Faltskog and Lyngstad initially took the stage to perform "You and I," which they dedicated to Ulvaeus and Andersson, reports the Expressen. In an impromptu move the songwriters then jumped on stage to sing with their bandmates and talk about the history of ABBA.



It's the second surprise ABBA reunion this year. On Jan. 20, the band members came together to celebrate the launch of Ulvaeus' new restaurant, Mamma Mia! The Party, in Stockholm.



Fellow Swede and musician Niklas Stromstedt shared a photo from the "special evening" on Instagram.



"I never could have dreamed it would become such a party. I feel like I can die happy having experienced a night like this," actor Marie Goranzon told Expressen after the ABBA show.



Fellow party guest Janne Schaffer added, "We witnessed a piece of music history tonight."
At a campaign rally Friday in Redding, California, Donald Trump took a moment to point at a random black man in the audience and yell, "Look at my African American over here! Look at him!"

It was a cringeworthy attempt to show his presidential campaign had at least one black supporter  despite being rife with racist overtones and facing low support among black voters.

But ready your Crying Jordan memes, America. In an interview with NPR this weekend, Trump's so-called "African American" revealed he isn't actually a Trump supporter; the "Veterans For Trump" sign he was holding over his head was merely a tool to shade him from the sun.

"I am not a Trump supporter," Gregory Cheadle told NPR on Sunday. "I am a free man. I am not chained to any particular party, and I refuse to be chained to any particular party."

Source: Mic/YouTube

But Cheadle said Trump's comments last week did not offend him in the least.

"I was not offended by it because he had been speaking positively about black people prior to that statement," Cheadle told NPR. "People around me were laughing [at the fact] that he noticed me, and everybody was happy. It was a jovial thing."

Cheadle, a Republican, is running his own campaign to represent California's 1st district  which encompasses the northeast corner of the state, including Redding and Chico  in the United States House of Representatives. According to his website, if elected, Cheadle would spend his time trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which he claims "is more about government control of the masses than anything else."

A Trump supporter punches a black protester in the face at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Cheadle's feelings  and Trump's oddly possessive phrasing  aside, the Trump campaign and its rallies have become known for their hostility toward black attendees.

In St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; and Fayetteville, North Carolina, black demonstrators  who have often disrupted the rallies to speak out against the candidate  have been violently attacked by white attendees.

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Trump's prickly relationship with black Americans doesn't end there. He came under fire in November after retweeting an infographic from a neo-Nazi Twitter account that falsely claimed 81% of white homicide victims in 2014 were killed by black murderers (the real number is closer to 15%, according to CNN).

And in February, Trump declined to distance himself from former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke, who expressed his support for the businessman's campaign on his radio show.

"[Voting] against Donald Trump at this point is really treason to your heritage," Duke told listeners of the David Duke Radio Program, BuzzFeed reported.

According to six recent national polls compiled by FactCheck.org, between 4% and 10% of black voters polled are Donald Trump supporters. Unfortunately for the candidate, this small number makes them super hard to find en masse at his rallies  though they do tend to stand out in that blinding sea of whiteness.
AMC

In the cold open of the second episode of AMCs Preacher, writer Sam Catlin takes us back to 1881 with a brief introduction to a mysterious cowboy, a grizzled man of few words. Confronted with an ill daughter, the cowboys wife asks him to travel by horse to a town two-to-three days away to retrieve medicine to save his daughters life. The man, played by Outlanders Graham McTavish, agrees.

Related Links:





Along the way, he meets a caravan of Christians and eats a meal with them. He tells the leader of the Christian men that, no, he does not believe he is in paradise. The next morning, the cowboy rides into a town called Ratwater, Texas. Outside that town, several Native Americans have been hanged in a tree.



AMC

The episode doesnt return to Ratwater, Texas or 1881 again, which may have left some viewers confused. What Catlin and directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are doing here is very briefly introducing a character by the name of The Saint of Killers who will likely recur throughout the entire series.

Spoilers

For those who have not read the Garth Ennis comics, The Saint of Killers is the series-long villain  a man poised to become the Angel of Death. In his life before becoming the Angel of Death, he was a greatly feared solider during the Civil War. However, after raid on a group of Apaches, he freed a young woman who the Apaches had held captive. This woman saw the good in the cowboy. The cowboy lived with the woman for a decade out in the wilderness, where he conceived a daughter with the woman. When his daughter was struck with illness, the cowboy rode his horse into a town to retrieve medication. Unfortunately, he was delayed by a group of outlaws in the town of Ratwater. Ultimately, the cowboy didnt make it back in time to save either his daughter or his wife, both of whom succumbed to fever.



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AMC

Grief stricken, the cowboy returned to Ratwater to seek his revenge upon the gang of outlaws. He managed to kill all but their leader, a man named Gumbo McCready. McCready killed the cowboy, who went to Hell.

However, the cowboy was so possessed by hatred that Hell could not contain it. The cowboys heart was so cold that it literally caused Hell to freeze over. Ultimately, The Saint of Killers ended up taking the place of the Angel of Death, gunning down the Devil himself, and returned to Earth to kill Gumbo McCready (and everyone else in the town of Ratwater).

Afterwards, God put him into a deep slumber, saving The Saint of Killers until he needed him. That time arrived when Genesis  the comet-like energy  possessed Jesse Custer. God sent an angel to wake The Saint of Killers and tasked him with killing Jesse.



The Saint of Killers may only show up periodically on AMCs Preacher, but he will remain a constant threat to Jesse.

Vertigo Comics
Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban explained Monday how he thought Donald Trump would be a "puppet president."

During an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, the brash billionaire and business mogul said Trump had proved over his run that he had no grasp of policy. And without that understanding, he will have to rely on those around him to get anything done.

"If you look back over the past 10 months, you don't say, 'Look, he's really started to show an in-depth grasp of all the issues that he's talking about,'" Cuban said. "It's the exact opposite."

"He speaks in headlines," he continued. "He tries to make headlines without doing any type of deep policy dives. If you don't understand the issues, if you don't have in-depth knowledge of your policies and the reasons why they may or may not work, then you're going to have to listen to other people."

The owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" also said Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, would "have to be guided by others in everything" should he be elected in the fall.

"And so because of that, he's going to be a puppet president," Cuban said. "And whoever is closest to him is going to have a lot more impact on this country than probably Donald will."

Cuomo asked Cuban whether he was trying to make a sneaky play to be that person close to Trump as the Manhattan businessman's running mate.

Cuban has previously expressed interest in serving as Trump's vice president, even as he has appeared to have soured on Trump's candidacy in recent weeks. Cuban also expressed interest in serving as Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's running mate, which Clinton expressed an openness to during a recent "Meet the Press" interview.

"No it's not a sneaky play on my part," Cuban said. "I mean if it were a sneaky play, I'm not being very sneaky, am I?"

He said his best partnerships had come with people who don't think exactly like him. He then drew contrasts with Trump  Cuban said, for instance, that he knew the tech world, while the real-estate magnate "doesn't even send emails."

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"Donald doesn't have a clue about tech," he added. "I'm an independent. I can discuss things with both sides of the aisle. There's no sneakiness about it. I think I complement his skill set very well."

Cuban also made a point of chastising Trump's rationale for not releasing his tax returns. Trump has said he won't release his taxes while under an IRS audit, a reasoning that has been questioned by both sides of the political aisle. Leaders in both parties have demanded that Trump release his taxes before the November election.

"There's nothing to preclude you from showing your taxes," Cuban said. "That's your property. And the fact that you're being audited, if he's like me, he gets audited every year. The process is the same, and, you know, it's really not going to change anything."

He continued to say that whether Trump pays a low tax rate, which the returns would show, isn't as important as Trump's perspective on taxes.

"At some point, you have to recognize that you get a lot of advantages in this country," Cuban said. "He and I have been incredibly blessed to have our opportunities in this country. And if you ask me, the most patriotic thing you can do in this country after military service is pay your taxes."

Cuban recently said "it's not even close" between him and Trump as to who has more in liquid assets. He also cast doubt on whether Trump is a billionaire.

"I've gotten a lot from ... this country and I feel like I owe them back something," he later said. "He doesn't feel that way, and that's his choice."

Watch clips from Cuban's CNN interview below:

.@mcuban: Donald Trump would be a "puppet president" because he doesn't grasp all the issues https://t.co/aMwPPbWbZb https://t.co/Im1v8Zqqyy  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 6, 2016

Mark Cuban laughs at Trump's claim that he's being audited because he's a "strong Christian" https://t.co/IWKD89PInv https://t.co/gQfVycXLQj  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 6, 2016

NOW WATCH: Trump is fuming over this attack ad from a pro-Hillary super PAC





More From Business Insider


One Ukrainian serviceman killed in Donetsk in past 24 hours

A Ukrainian army serviceman was killed and another seven suffered injuries in shelling incidents and fighting in Donbas in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) Andriy Lysenko said.

"A Ukrainian serviceman was killed and seven soldiers injured in the hostilities over the past day," he told a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

The Ukrainian army suffered those casualties in a clash near Mayorsk and shelling incidents near Avdiyivka, Lysenko said.
BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts' top securities regulator is seeking information from 241 brokerage firms to keep "rogue" brokers out of his state, he said on Monday.

Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin said he sent letters to firms in which more than 15 percent of their current representatives have at least one current disclosure incident on their records.

"This exceeds the average percentage found among all Massachusetts-registered broker-dealers," Galvin said in a news release. Disclosure incidents can involve allegations from disputes headed for arbitration to illegal conduct.

The news release did not say what Galvin's next steps would be.

My office diligently works to keep the bad actors out of the Commonwealth, Galvin said. "... This sweep is intended to establish how the industry is meeting this critical investor protection responsibility of keeping the rogue broker out of the industry.

Galvin sent letters asking the undisclosed broker-dealer firms for hiring information dating back to Jan. 1, 2014. His office is looking for the number of representatives terminated or placed on heightened supervision during that period.

The firms have until June 20 to respond.

(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin; Editing by W Simon and Lisa Von Ahn)
Brushing each others hair out of their eyes, exchanging quick kisses, and whispering sweet nothings in Arabic, Nayyef Hrebid and Btoo Allami are clearly a couple in love.

I am proud of our life, Allami told TakePart, tapping his heart with one hand and gesturing toward his husband with the other. But it wasnt too long ago that the two were forced to keep their relationship a secret.

Hrebid and Allami are the subjects of the documentary Out of Iraq, which made had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival last week. The film tracks their 12-year relationship, following the couple from their forbidden romance in Iraq to a years-long battle to gain asylum in the U.S.

Hrebid and Allami fell in love in 2004 while both were working in the military, Hrebid as a translator for the U.S. Marines and Allami as a soldier in the Iraqi army.

Being openly gay in Iraq was not an option, and even revealing their feelings to each other came with a risk.

I wanted to tell him, I love you, but was afraid, Allami says in the film. Their relationship was sealed with a kiss four days after they met.

Consensual homosexual relationships are not expressly illegal under Iraqs penal code, yet LGBT Iraqis have faced harassment, beatings, and brutal executions because of their sexual orientation. Militant groups have systemically persecuted LGBT Iraqis, but family and community members present the most common, most lethal threat, according to a 2014 report from Out Right International.

For my family, its a lot about shamethat people will [say] bad things about them, Hrebid told TakePart. They want anything to kill this shame. Thats what I was most worried about.

Along with fearing persecution, Hrebid was in danger because of his work with the Marines. In 2007, his name appeared on the hit list of a militant group that targeted translators as traitors. Hrebid was granted a visa and resettled in Seattle in 2009. He was forced to leave Allami, who was denied both tourist and student visas.

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The next six years were filled with efforts to get Allami out of the Middle East. He spent several years living illegally in Lebanonhe deserted his post in the Iraqi army in 2010after his family threatened his life on discovering his sexual orientation. With dozens of identification checkpoints throughout Lebanon, the couple feared that Allamis illegal living situation would be discovered, and he would be sent back to Iraq.

From Seattle, Hrebid worked with advocates to send Allami money, file paperwork, and schedule interviews with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Allami had nine interviews with UNHCRone of which lasted 11 hoursbut he was repeatedly denied refugee status. Allami pursued asylum through a Canadian program and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2013. In 2015, he was granted a visa to live in the U.S.

Thats the moment Id been waiting for all of my life, Hrebid said of the couples interview at the U.S. consulate in Montreal.

While the pairs story has a happy ending, they hope their film will spread awareness about the plight of LGBT Iraqis and the difficulty of obtaining refugee status based on sexual orientation.

Along with sharing their story, the couple are giving back to their community by sponsoring LGBT Iraqis in Seattle. So far, theyve worked with eight refugees, helping them find jobs and adapt to American culture.

First time, we needed help, Allami said. Now we can help.

Take the Pledge: Pledge to Be an Ally of the LGBTQ Community

Related stories on TakePart:





 This Iraq Veteran's Harrowing Survival Story Has a Heartwarming Happy Ending

 Berlin to Open LGBT Refugee Center

 How to Get Authentic Iraqi Food Cooked By a Refugee Delivered to Your Door

Original article from TakePart
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The ruling party of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto lost several historical strongholds on Sunday in an election largely seen as a referendum on corruption, impunity, and violence across the country. Results showed the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, losing six of 12 gubernatorial races in the country, with contenders on both the right and left making gains. The PRI formerly held nine of the 12 governorships. VERACRUZ The PRI was headed for defeat in Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Quintana Roo and Tamaulipas, and faced the prospect of a particularly tough loss in oil-rich Veracruz, where a tight race was widely seen as a harbinger ahead of 2018 presidential elections. With three-fourths of ballots counted in Veracruz, the center-right National Action Party (PAN) and the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) coalition held nearly 34 percent of the vote on Monday afternoon. In second place, the PRI claimed about 30 percent of the vote, suffering a setback blamed on outgoing PRI Governor Javier Duarte, who has been assailed for an increase in violent crime across the state. The center-left National Regeneration Movement (Morena), led by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, took some 27 percent of the vote, benefiting from voter fatigue toward established political parties. Morena also had strong showings in Oaxaca and Zacatecas, suggesting it could overtake the PRD to become the third largest political party in Mexico. The results are a boost for Lopez Obrador's expected presidential bid. LOST GROUND The PRI had never lost Veracruz, Mexico's third most populous state, or Tamaulipas, Durango or Quintana Roo in gubernatorial contests prior to the election. On Monday, the PAN looked set to take Tamaulipas, while PAN-PRD alliances were likely to win in Quintana Roo and Durango, where the opposition coalition had approximately 46 percent of the vote to the PRIs 42 percent. The results are likely to encourage the two leading opposition parties to keep forming coalitions to hold the ruling PRI and leftist Morena at bay going forward. Ricardo Anaya, chairman of the PAN, said in a debate on Sunday that party alliances were in Mexico to stay. (Reporting by Natalie Schachar; Editing by Tom Brown)
By Dave Graham XALAPA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling party lost several bastions in Sunday's regional elections to the center-right opposition, dealing a heavy blow to President Enrique Pena Nieto for failing to crack down on corruption and gang violence. The rout will help set the tone for the next presidential election in 2018, underscoring deep discontent over graft scandals and a sluggish economy, and throwing the contest open to contenders from both the left and right. Early results from gubernatorial races in 12 of Mexico's 31 states on Monday showed Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, heading for defeat in seven of them, a result far worse than most polls had forecast. Projected losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun. All three have been run by the PRI for over eight decades. The center-right National Action Party (PAN) was the big victor in the gubernatorial races, leading in seven states. In three of these contests, it fielded a candidate in alliance with the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) "If we get results, we're going to win the presidency in 2018," PAN leader Ricardo Anaya told local radio. The PRI held nine of the 12 states going into the vote, of which the most populous is Veracruz, a region dominated by just a few families since the PRI took control in the decades after Mexico's 1910 revolution. PRI party boss Manlio Fabio Beltrones, who some had viewed as a potential presidential candidate, struck a contrite tone. "What we need to do is observe this election, and take on board the electorate's message to the PRI," he said. With two-thirds of votes counted in Veracruz, the PRI was behind the PAN-PRD contender and just ahead of the unheralded candidate of a new leftist party founded by combative two-time presidential runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Investors have eyed warily the progress in Veracruz of Lopez Obrador's National Regeneration Movement (Morena), because he has vowed to undo Pena Nieto's historic opening of the oil industry to private investors if he wins in 2018. Only registered as a party two years ago, Morena won a large chunk of the vote in three states and emerged as the first choice of the left in others. PAN chairman Anaya was quick to target Lopez Obrador, suggesting he now viewed the leftist firebrand as his party's main rival in the next presidential vote. "We don't want the option for change to be the destructive populism that Lopez Obrador represents," he said. "I'm convinced that an alternative like that would put Mexico in the same situation Venezuela is now in." Veracruz, where Morena initially led the vote count on Sunday, became a liability for Pena Nieto after years of gang warfare, mounting debts and allegations of corruption. Accused by critics of misusing public funds and failing to tackle rampant impunity, outgoing Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte was such a lightning rod for public anger that PRI candidate Hector Yunes was "embarrassed" to be in the same party. Duarte, who could not seek re-election, has denied wrongdoing. But his six-year term became notorious for the killings of journalists and violent crime. Few voters in Veracruz state capital Xalapa sought to defend him. "There's no money, there's no jobs, there's no security for our children," said local teacher Ruth Morales, 52. "This government has only benefited a handful of people." (Additional reporting by Natalie Schachar, Lizbeth Diaz and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Simon Gardner and W Simon)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Mezzi Holdings Inc. ("MEZZI", "MEZZI BRAND GROUP" or the "Company") (TSX-V: MZI, FRA: 0MZ) is pleased to provide a corporate update.

The summer MEZZI capsule collection adds 2 all-new styles: the Carezza, an envelope clutch that showcases our latest integrated tech features and the Ameli, a versatile cross-body clutch that integrates our popular portable charger. In addition to the new Carezza and Ameli products, MEZZI will also be restocking other in-demand styles. Each style will be available in multiple colourways with official launch on June 18th to coincide with our first two pop-up locations in Cleveland and Virginia.

As part of the launch, MEZZI has partnered with 20 retailers to host the #ShowAndTech Summer Tour. The tour during June and July will include 27 in-store pop-up shops in 21 North American cities. Additional locations are being scheduled for August. Approximately half of the participating retailers are new to the brand and are not current stockists.

MEZZI BRAND GROUP currently is targeting additional acquisitions to further grow its eyewear business. The Company will provide additional details on these initiatives in the coming weeks.

"We're excited for our largest ever product launch of what we feel to be our most beautiful and functional collection yet. Pre-orders are the strongest we've seen. Combining this with our other corporate initiatives to aggressively grow revenues, and further consolidate accessory verticals, summer 2016 is shaping up to be our busiest season ever," Keir Reynolds, CEO, commented.

About MEZZI BRAND GROUP

MEZZI Brand Group is a Vancouver-based consumer accessory brand management company. We believe that great brands are built one great product and one valued customer at a time. We have gathered a group of young talented experts ranging from accessory design, product development, marketing, branding, e-commerce, digital media and PR to build and scale our millennial-customer focused brands. A well-defined, strategic philosophy and clear mission statement promotes and protects MEZZI Brand Group's most valuable assets - our brands - MEZZI Smart Luxury, Capital Eyewear and MLine Cases.

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For further information, please contact:

Mr. Keir Reynolds

CEO

Tel: (778) 998-9242

Email: keir@mezzi.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Keir Reynolds

Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Mezzi Holdings Inc.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Today, Stephan Bogner from Rockstone Research published an update on MGX Minerals Inc. (CSE: XMG) as the company reported today to have acquired the intellectual property and design rights to a proprietary processing design which proposes to reduce lithium brine evaporation times by >99% over standard solar evaporation pond processes, from approximately 18 months to 1 day.

The design was developed as part of the previously announced Design & Scoping Study for its highly mineralized lithium brine properties in Alberta, which include 14 of the 24 highest grade (>90 mg/L) lithium assays thoughout the province, as reported by the Alberta Geological Service. All intellectual property rights have now been acquired from the inventor. The company has retained Fasken Martineau, an international business law firm, to conduct an intellectual property assessment and prepare documentation for the filing of a patent.

Rockstone believes that today's news demonstrate that the process flowsheet, designed by Cementation AG, has been working successfully for the highly mineralized brine associated with MGX's lithium properties in Alberta.

With this technology in hand, coupled with the vast existing infrastructure in Alberta, MGX could be clearly at the forefront of the rapidly developing lithium brine industry, especially in Alberta. A maiden NI43-101 Technical Report is expected to be completed by next week.

The full report can be accessed with the following links:

English (PDF):

http://rockstone-research.com/images/PDF/MGX7en.pdf

English (web version):

http://rockstone-research.com/index.php/en/research-reports/1150-At-the-forefront-of-Albertas-lithium-brine-riches

German (PDF):

http://rockstone-research.com/images/PDF/MGX7de.pdf

Disclaimer: Please read the full disclaimer within the full research report as a PDF as fundamental risks and conflicts of interest exist.

SOURCE: Rockstone Research
Hrytsak promises to give UN free access to all Donbas sites under Kyiv control

The UN mission will be allowed to enter all the places on Kyiv-controlled territory in Donbas, where it will be possible, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak has said.

"We will let the UN mission travel wherever possible," Hrytsak told reporters after a briefing in Kyiv on Monday, responding to a question whether the UN mission will be allowed in Mariupol and Kramatorsk.

He stressed that mutual understanding has been achieved in this issue.

Hrytsak added the mission will be allowed to travel to all areas possible, but in compliance with the norms of Ukrainian legislation.
Miss District of Columbia USA, Deshauna Barber, is a commander is the United States army. When asked at the 2016 Miss USA pageant how she felt about the Pentagon's decision to open all combat roles to women, she made it clear: Women are just as strong as men.

"Gender doesn't limit us," Barber said.

Miss DC USA was asked by judge No. 2 if political correctness is being put above the military's ability to perform at the highest level. After giving some excellent side-eye at the mere suggestion women were somehow less capable than men in the military, she proceeded to slay her answer.

Miss District of Columbia had the hardest question, and gave the most perfect answer #MissUSA #DC She got this.https://amp.twimg.com/v/3692792d-9d5a-47d8-9c30-5494b35e98da ...

"As a woman in the United States army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military. We are just a tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender doesn't limit us in the United States Army," Barber said.

Twitter immediately crowned her the winner and was loving her killer confidence.

Miss DC's confidence is undeniable. #MissUSA

Loving the brown girls, showing strength and beauty tonight! Let's go GA, & DC #MissUSA

If Miss DC wins #MissUSA I will literally sign up to compete right now.

DROPS MIC *DC* #MissUSA

Let those boys know, queen.
And your new Miss USA is

Miss District of Columbia, Deshauna Barber! The 26-year-old beauty beat out 51 other contestants -- including runner up Miss Hawaii, Chelsea Hardin, and Miss Georgia, Emanii Davis  to take the coveted crown at Sunday night's pageant, held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After proving herself in all aspects of the competition, including the swimsuit portion, Barber really shined during the question and answer challenge.

Congrats to the new @MissUSA #MissUSA (this woman is beautiful + smart as hell so watch out world!)  pic.twitter.com/MaHe775fZY  keltieknight (@KeltieKnight) June 6, 2016

WATCH: The Inspiring Stories of the Miss Universe Pageant

The Columbus, Georgia native -- who serves in the military as a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland -- was asked about the Pentagon's decision to open up all combat jobs in the armed forces to women, and whether or not the move was made in the interest of political correctness.

"As a woman in the United States Army," Barber began, before having to pause for a wave of cheers from the audience," I think it is an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military. We are just as tough as men."

WATCH: Miss Rhode Island Completely Bombs Miss USA Question

"As a commander of my unit, I am powerful, I am dedicated, and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army," she concluded to a cacophony of applause.

However, one question didn't go over so well with the audience, or those watching at home. When Miss Hawaii came up to answer her question, Harper's Bazaar Executive Editor Laura Brown asked a pre-written prompt about who Hardin would be voting for in the upcoming presidential election.

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"If the election were held tomorrow, would you vote Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump for president, and why would you choose one over the other?" Brown asked, as a round of boos emanated from the crowd.

WATCH: In 2012, Rob Kardashian Asked a Contestant If a Transgender Woman Could Win Miss USA

Hardin skillfully sidestepped the divisive question, answering, "It doesn't matter what gender, what we need in the United States is someone who represents those of us who don't feel like we have a voice, those of us who want our voices heard. We need a president to push for what is right, and push for what America really needs."

Many viewers decried the question on social media, arguing that it was inappropriate to ask a contestant to publicly reveal who they would be voting for, and chastising the pageant for forcing Hardin into such an unfairly difficult position.

Miss Hawaii killed the question round! Good job avoiding that super inappropriate question! Very disappointed they even asked that!  Brittany Wise (@brittanyywise) June 6, 2016

I'm embarrassed for the entire #MissUSA organization. Asking a contestant who they would vote for is absolutely inappropriate.  Madeline Langdon (@MadelineLangdon) June 6, 2016

EXCUSE ME, SHAME ON MISS USA FOR THAT QUESTION. Miss Hawaii is such a poised young woman and handled that flawlessly. #MissUSA  Absofcourse (@Absofcourseee) June 6, 2016

I applaud Miss Hawaii for her answer. That judge shouldn't have asked her that question 'cause it's nobody's business but her own #MissUSA  BusBus (@LilBusie) June 6, 2016

The question to Miss Hawaii should never have been asked! #MissUSA  Holly Julian (@HollyDurst) June 6, 2016

Many of those outraged by the prompt also complimented the 24-year-old contestant for her thoughtful and carefully worded response. It may have been her tact that helped Hardin reach the position of runner-up, over Miss Georgia.

After being crowned the winner by Miss USA 2015, Olivia Jordon of Oklahoma, Barber could barely contain her excitement as she walked the stage with tears in her eyes as she thanked those who supported her.

WATCH: Miss USA, Teen USA & Universe Are 'Best Buddies'

Related Articles
miss usa

People are pretty excited about the newly crowned Miss USA, Deshauna Barber, who won the pageant Sunday night, when it aired on Fox.

Barber, 26, works for the Department of Commerce and is a Captain in the Army and commander of the 988th Quartermaster Detachment at Fort Meade in Maryland. She's from the DC area.

She stepped up to the mic Sunday night to answer a question from a judge about the Pentagon's recent decision to allow women in all combat roles in the military. The judge asked what she thinks of the criticism that the move "puts political correctness over our military's ability to perform."

"As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military," she said, to huge applause.

"We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States."

The enthusiasm could be felt outside the room, too. People on social media were in thrall to Miss DC, soon to be Miss USA.

I think I just shed a tear for #DistrictofColumbia's answer. How do you follow that?! #MissUSA     L E XS  (@AlexisLovesMe) June 6, 2016

District of Columbia is such an amazing representative of what a badass chick looks like in the US. YASSSS #MissUSA  Lauren Alvarez (@champagnelali) June 6, 2016

Yo #DistrictofColumbia was the only one who answered her question straight up, please give her extra points for that. #MissUSA  lily lane (@LilyLaneMusic) June 6, 2016

Admit it, at this point we wish #MissDC was running for president! Excellent role model for all. Strong, confidant, and class! #MissUSA2016  Charis Stone (@ReesebytheSea) June 6, 2016

#MissUSA District of Columbia just won with that answer.  Absofcourse (@Absofcourseee) June 6, 2016

I knew #DistrictofColumbia was the winner after her passionate answer about Women in Military. #MissUSA https://t.co/2isDzFo77B  Millennial Princess (@MillennialRoyal) June 6, 2016

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Mitch McConnell didnt want Donald Trump to be the Republican standard-bearer any more than Paul Ryan did. After all, the pair could not be more different in personality and style. McConnell cherishes the very rules, decorum, and tradition that Trump flouts at every turn. Where the unvarnished Trump speaks without a filter, the Senate majority leader is coolly calculating, choosing his public utterances as carefully as anyone this side of the Vatican. Yet unlike his counterpart in the House speakers office, McConnell didnt agonize for a month over whether to endorse the presumptive nominee. He ripped the Band-Aid off the day after Trump clinched his victory, endorsing him with a terse statement that sounded like an election-night concession speech.

To understand why McConnell chose to bow quickly to the inevitable, to simply get it over with, look to his new memoir, The Long Game. You wont actually find Trumps name in its 278 pages; in fact, McConnell barely mentions any of the Republicans who ran for president this year, a conscious omission that was made, in all likelihood, because he was finishing the manuscript while the outcome of the primaries remained in doubt. But in the book, McConnell comes through as a proud politician whose loyalties lie with the Republican Party more than a conservative ideology and as a man who has always relished strategy and tactics over the particulars of policy. If Ryan wants people to see him as earnest, McConnell is fine if they merely see him as shrewd. Hes no idealist, and he has little use for purists. And if the taciturn Kentuckian shares anything with the voluble New Yorker who now leads his party, its that they both love nothing more than victory and, in their own way, making sure you know how they won.

As memoirs go, The Long Game is fairly conventional and not all that revealing. McConnell shares a few anecdotes from his interactions with presidents (George W. Bush comes off as pretty funny), settles a few scores (former Senator Jim DeMint, watch your back), and lays bare his contempt for a trio of DemocratsBarack Obama, Harry Reid, and Al Gore. McConnells low regard for Obama and Reid has become well-known in recent years, and the book adds only a few details to stories that he or others have already told. He titled one chapter Professor Obama and complained that the president would drone on for so long during phone calls and meetings that the discussions would become a waste of time.

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Hes no different in private than in public. Hes like the kid in your class who exerts a hell of a lot of effort making sure everyone thinks hes the smartest one in the room. He talks down to people, whether in a meeting with colleagues at the White House or addressing the nation.

McConnell claims that reports of his personal dislike for Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, are overstated. But his description of him in his book suggests otherwise. He calls Reid bombastic and unreasonable and at one point in 2011, he said he refused to continue negotiating with him over the debt ceiling and turned instead to Vice President Joe Biden. Harry is rhetorically challenged, McConnell writes. If a scalpel will work, he picks up a meat-ax.

Recommended: Here's What Hillary Clinton Sounded Like in 1969

McConnell reserves some his sharpest barbs for Gore. The former vice president, he wrote, has the personality of a cardboard boxa harsh assessment coming from a senator not exactly known for his charisma. He likened the 2000 presidential recount in Florida to watching Gore try to become the Tonya Harding of American politics.

Few of us expect to be at the center of world-changing events when we first file for office, and personal ambition usually has a lot more to do with it than most of us are willing to admit.

Yet where McConnell is most candid is in his straightforward embrace of politics for politics sake and his unapologetic acknowledgement that he, like so many of his colleagues, is driven by personal ambition as much as any idealistic desire to do good. The truth is that very few of us expect to be at the center of world-changing events when we first file for office, and personal ambition usually has a lot more to do with it than most of us are willing to admit, he writes. That was certainly true for me, and I never saw the point in pretending otherwise. When McConnell got into politics, he wanted to win, and he wanted to get to the topin his case, by becoming Senate majority leader. Politicians often refer to the long game to spin their short-term defeats, but McConnell makes a decent case for why his patient, plodding efforts to pick his fights and accumulate power over time helped him accomplish his dream.

Policy takes a backseat to campaign politics and legislative maneuvering throughout the book. If theres any issue that truly animates McConnell, it is opposing campaign-finance reform as an affront to the First Amendment protection of free speech. Yet the victory in which he takes the most pride was how he conceived of an obscure parliamentary maneuver to scuttle a Democratic reform bill in 1994. It wasnt really the outcome that excited McConnell; it was how he displayed his mastery of Senate rules and won the notice of his colleagues, who would soon begin electing him to leadership positions in the party. The same was true in his description of the GOPs fight against Obamacare in 2009 and 2010. The result for the country, as Republicans saw it, was an enormous defeat. But McConnell portrayed it as a victory for the party and for him personally, since he was able to maintain total GOP opposition to the bill and set the stage for the partys retaking of Congress in the 2010 midterm elections. That Republicans were unable to repeal the bill and get the policy off the books seemed to matter less.

Recommended: The Seven Broken Guardrails of Democracy

McConnell may be more politician than policy maker, but he describes a number of principled stands he took throughout his career. First and foremost is his support for civil rights, which went against the prevailing opinion in Kentucky for decades. He writes that he voted for Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater in 1964 over Goldwaters opposition to the Civil Rights Act, and he later stood up to the Reagan administrations support for the apartheid regime in South Africa.

McConnells political mentor was the late Kentucky Senator John Sherman Cooper, who also supported civil rights. Cooper, McConnell wrote, was a practitioner of Edmund Burkes approach to democracy, in which elected representatives should follow their own judgment and not simply cater to the views of the people who elected them. McConnell cites that philosophy in describing his opposition to a constitutional amendment to ban the burning of the American flag, which had popular support but which McConnell came to believe would infringe on the First Amendment. I was not willing to cherry-pick on the issue, arguing that political speech should be protected while offensive speech should be limited, he writes. Speech is speech, and its certainly not the role of government to decide what is offensive and what is not.

How, then, does McConnell approach the candidacy of Trump? On one hand, Trump routinely violates the one rule of Republican politics that McConnell seems to hold above all others. I had no respect or tolerance for people who had not, it seemed, learned the simple lesson my mother taught me as a child: never try to make yourself look good or important by making others look bad, he writes. As a Republican, short of setting yourself on fire, there is no better way to draw attention to yourself than to criticize fellow Republicans. He is referring to the conservatives, like Jim DeMint, and renegades, like Chuck Hagel, who regularly undercut his leadership in the Senate, but its also a perfectly apt description of Trumps rhetorical style.

As a Republican, short of setting yourself on fire, there is no better way to draw attention to yourself than to criticize fellow Republicans.

McConnell endorsed Trump quickly after the last of his rivals dropped out of the presidential race. But he hasnt hesitated to criticize his tone or his more outlandish statements in the weeks since. He has said Trumps proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States is a very bad idea, and he similarly denounced Trumps criticism of New Mexicos Republican governor, Susana Martinez. McConnells priority in 2016 is, and has always been, preserving the Republican majority in the Senate and, by extension, his job as majority leader. He didnt spend a lifetime working to win the post only to lose it after two years. McConnell has personally triumphed in years when Republicans nominated lackluster presidential candidatesin 1996, when Bill Clinton easily defeated Bob Dole, and in 2008, when Obama topped John McCain. McConnell writes in the book that he knew McCain was going to lose nearly two months before the election, when Obama outclassed him in a meeting with President Bush on the rapidly unfolding financial crisis.

Back in February, The New York Times reported that McConnell told fellow Republican senators that they would drop Trump like a hot rock to hold their majority. He hasnt repeated that statement in public, but he never denied making it in private. In interviews on tour promoting his book, McConnell has said the election will be a choice between two very unpopular candidates and that he worries Trump could permanently alienate Latino voters from the GOP in the same way that Goldwater caused black voters to bolt from the party. He has also begun making the case that a Republican Senate could serve as a check on Trump and prevent him from abusing power or doing any real damage to the country.

Recommended: The Odious Essentialism of Attacking a Judge for His Ethnicity

So why back Trump at all? McConnell clearly has strong doubts about his ability to win, not to mention his temperament and policies. And he has argued that Trump is not a bellwether of the GOPs demise but an aberration, a blip on the partys ascendancy that McConnell is helping to lead. I think in this particular election, Republican primary voters were looking for an outsider, he told NPR. I dont agree with Donald Trump on everything, and I dont think the Trump nomination is going to redefine in any real way what Americas right-of-center party stands for. We will have agreements. We will have disagreements. Trump, then, is just another short-term challenge in McConnells long game.

As for Ryan and many other top Republicans, this awkward dance with Trumpsupporting his candidacy but not his many outrageous statementshas proved difficult for McConnell to pull off. On Sunday, he told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that he couldnt disagree more with Trumps statement that Judge Gonzalo Curiels Mexican heritage created a conflict in the lawsuit against Trump University. But he dodged three times when Todd asked him if Trumps statement was racist. I think the party of Lincoln wants to win the White House, McConnell said, pivoting to his political comfort zone. The right-of-center world needs to respect the fact that the primary voters have spoken.

McConnells other option was to disavow Trump entirely, to uphold the Burkean maxim that he should follow his own judgment even if it contradicts the will of Republican voters. Theres another clue to why he didnt in the book, and it goes back, again, to Goldwater. McConnell writes that he couldnt vote for Goldwater in a principled stand against his opposition to civil rights, but he adds a few sentences later, Given what unfolded, I would come to regret this vote more than any Id ever cast. McConnell viewed the expansion of government under LBJs Great Society as a disaster and his war on poverty as a failure. In the years and decades ahead, the budding politician would more often turn to pragmatism, party loyalty, and shrewd deal making over a rigid adherence to idealism. In 2016, those priorities translate into an arms-lengthand potentially short-livedalliance with Trump.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Mugging for the camera on a trip to Bali. Mugging for the camera on a trip to Bali.

All images via Instagram/jessicaemilyquinn

Despite her carefree smile, life hasnt always been easy for Jessica Quinn. At the age of 9, the young New Zealander lost her leg after an extremely difficult battle with bone cancer.

Ive never considered my cancer story any different but I am starting to realize how my outlook on life can help, Quinn tells the Daily Mail. People thrive on the real stories.



ALSO SEE: Inspiring Amputee Model Posts Bikini Snaps Showing Off Her Prosthetic Limb

Now 23, the aspiring model has been sharing her journey on Instagram with her 58,000 (and counting) followers, hoping to inspire others to stay strong no matter what life throws at them.

I want to reach out, not just people with disabilities but also anyone living with insecurities, she says. Thats my goal, to help everyone from young and old to male or female. I dont want to put myself in a category.

Click through the gallery above to see some of Quinns modelling shots and let us know what you think by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
This week, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Washington to meet with President Barack Obama. It will be his fourth visit to the United States in two years, and  not insignificantly  his last in the Obama era. The two men clearly enjoy a relationship that transcends the formalities thrust upon them, as evidenced by Obamas visit on short notice to India in January 2015 at Modis invitation for Indias Republic Day celebrations. But an under-regarded aspect of Modis visit to America will be how much the summit means to him domestically.

In the two years since he was elected prime minister, Modis stock has fallen considerably at home. Some of this was inevitable. He invited unreasonably high expectations upon himself with a carefully calculated presidential-style campaign, especially since he then became the first prime minister to enjoy a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, Indias lower house of Parliament, in 30 years. But the sense of a missed opportunity also has much to do with how passive Modi has been with his stock of political capital  not just in an economic sense, but also in providing direction and self-definition to a diverse, rapidly liberalizing society and still-maturing democracy.

Two years is enough time for the temper of a regime to emerge. And its not a pretty one. Modis India has been revealed to be a depressing stage on which the demons of religious bigotry and hypernationalism hover unsleepingly over the vital debates of a society in transition. The prime minister has an unresolved  and on the current evidence, unresolvable  paradox. He wants to modernize India (vikaas, or development, remains the word he deploys the most) without in any way refashioning or reimagining the Hindu-conservative ideology through which he and his party understand the world. The result is that he drags India forward with one hand and backward with another.

Critics of the prime minister say this, too, was inevitable. But it didnt have to be this way. For a sense of the alternative path open to Modi in 2014, a short history of Hindu nationalism is in order. Often the movement is traced back to the 1980s, when it began for the first time to make inroads into the comfortable majorities enjoyed in the first three decades of Indian democracy by the Congress party, which gave India its liberal constitutional order in 1947.

But as some perceptive students of Hindu nationalism, such as the French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot, point out, Hindu nationalism as an organized political force is actually as old as the Indian independence movement and cannot be easily wished away. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu-nationalist volunteer-based organization that serves as the spiritual parent of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (and which he first joined as a teenager) was formed in 1925, around the time the Congress acquired a mass base with the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhis criticism of Hindu society, particularly the iniquities of its caste system, provoked bitter resentment from Hindu nationalists. The movement chose to focus instead  with particular intensity at the time of Partition  on the destabilizing role of minorities in India, particularly Muslims. (India has the second-largest Muslim population in the world.)

For close to a century, then, Hindu nationalism has provided an alternative point of view on the past, present, and future of India (supplemented for several decades by a third view from the left, which has fallen away as a pan-Indian political force). In contradistinction to the Nehruvian point of view that Indian history is a kind of palimpsest requiring, in the age of the nation-state, a liberal order that privileges no religious allegiance and actively disables traditional caste and gender hierarchies, Hindu nationalism holds that Hinduism is the real unifying thread of the Indian past, and the Hindu way of life should continue to be the motor that stabilizes and drives the present. Hindu nationalism, like right-wing movements worldwide, deals in religious symbolism, the politics of identity, nostalgia for a prelapsarian order (its imagined ideal is Ram Rajya, or the rule of the mythical King Rama of the epic Ramayana), and minority-baiting. It ignores the major battles within modern Hinduism  the tension, for instance, between the traditional caste system and the egalitarian impulses of a modern democracy  and often reflexively labels Hindu reformers anti-Hindu.

This narrative was enough, in a Hindu-majority country, to make for a substantial force politically, but never enough to win it an actual political majority  until Modi came along. With his mixture of technocratic zeal, charisma, command over the tools of mass and social media, and ingenious (some would say disingenuous) focus on a political message that made no reference to the partys majoritarian agenda of the past, he took Hindu nationalism over a bridge it had never managed to cross electorally. Modis victory over a supine Congress party in 2014 was, crucially, also a massive victory for him within his own party. No Hindu-nationalist leader had ever stood so high above his peers in the party, or enjoyed such popularity with the youth of the country.

What Modi could  and should  have done upon assuming power in 2014, was to use his extraordinary power and influence to reform not just the economy, but Hindu nationalism itself. Not only were the major themes of the movement almost 100 years old, they were rooted in a crisis  the breaking up of British India into the nation-states of India and Pakistan, the reaction of orthodox Hinduism to the arrival of political and social modernity  that needed to be rethought for the 21st century. And given the movements insistence on doctrinal stridency and continuous provocation, it could not be reformed from below, by a cadre or a brain trust, but only from above, by a powerful general showing that the responsibilities of power required a new sense of maturity and grace.

To prevent himself from being gradually undermined by his own side, Modi should have invested the spoils of victory in a new long-term normal for his party  and given the partys influence in national debate, for India itself.

By setting new limits to what was politically acceptable in the Hindu nationalist movement, he would have, of course, unsettled millions of almost fanatical followers, but they would have had no choice but to follow him. In this way he would have separated them from their worst impulses. By taking a strong public stance on Muslim- and minority-baiting, he could have signaled that if Hindu nationalism actually wanted to win the respect it so desperately craved, it would have to be much more intellectually rigorous and morally generous. From here on, being rooted in the Hindu worldview would not rule out a healthy interest in and respect for the other religions and histories of the subcontinent.

Modi could have stressed the need, when he had the ears of both friend and foe, for Hindu nationalism to lead the task of modernizing a society that leans reflexively on tradition. In fact, he has done this to a small degree with his focus on the construction of toilets. India is the country where open defecation is the most widely practiced in the world. Hindu tradition in particular encourages open defecation to ensure ritual purity, and so there was a real courage and provocation to the party faithful in Modis call in 2014 for India to build toilets before temples. Had he explored this possibility further, he would have demonstrated that Hinduism is a continuously evolving entity, not a force that hit its high point 2,000 years ago, and therefore Hindu nationalism is one as well and needs to move on from the warlike formulations articulated by the often-splenetic thinkers of its early years. Lastly, by emphasizing that there is no special line between belonging to a religion and being Indian, Modi could have shown to young Indians today that it was time to leave behind the ghosts and resentments of the 20th century, and that Indianness was a natural right given equally to all who live in India. It would have been possible to attempt all this and yet remain a Hindu nationalist.

It fell to Modi to solve, or at least smooth out, a paradox: that an ideology that always insists on demonizing an other can by definition never, except by coercion, create a platform on which everybody can be something together. All this would have required genuine courage, rather than the bluster and bravado so characteristic of the Hindu nationalist movement in India.

Sadly, in Modis two years in charge Hindu nationalism has only reverted to type, as it were, thereby adding duplicity to its long catalog of bad faith. Consider the evidence.

In the first winter of the Modi era, the head of the RSS  a longtime friend of Modis by the name of Mohan Bhagwat  declared that no matter their actual religious identity, all Indians were culturally Hindu, emboldening other right-wing organizations to undertake a campaign of ghar wapsi, or the reconversion of Hindus converted to Islam or Christianity in centuries past. For months, the prime minister, who only occasionally gives interviews and then only to the foreign press, had nothing to say on the matter. The controversy festered endlessly in the mainstream media and on social media, disrupting many more important debates  including the important one about toilets  and setting the tone for the Modi era.

This winter, the government set off a new frenzy of nationalist cross-fire when it slapped a sedition charge on Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader in Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University. Kumar was booked for his role in a demonstration protesting the execution of a man sentenced to death for a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, one at which slogans supporting the freedom movement in the state of Kashmir were allegedly chanted. For the government to charge one of its own citizens with sedition was not only politically unwise, it required a much stronger case than that provided by Kumars speech.

Instead, those supporting Kumars right to dissent, and pointing to a university as a space where no point of view was sacred, were accused by politicians and intellectuals of the new establishment of being anti-national, a word that has by degrees come to be applied to any criticism of the present government.

These are only two examples of many bizarre clashes and conflicts in Modis India  ugly not only in themselves, but in their fallout in an age of instantaneous information around the rest of the country. When, for instance, a Muslim man was lynched by a mob late last year on the suspicion that he was in possession of beef, Indias minister of culture, Mahesh Sharma, gave an interview in which he called the murder an accident and spoke of the shock to the Hindu soul when it heard rumors of cow slaughter. As Sharmas obtuse remarks very precisely prove, there is in fact something frightening about the ruling partys arrogance and siege mentality. Hindu nationalism manages simultaneously to exhibit a persecution complex and a prosecution complex.

The prime minister has done nothing to stanch this coarsening of public discourse and breakdown of civility in India. When a number of prominent Indian writers, such as the great Hindi poet and intellectual Ashok Vajpeyi, returned their state awards to protest the creeping normalization of religious intolerance in India, the government, instead of engaging with their criticisms, called them a manufactured protest.

Modi rode to power on the back of a majority, but on his watch it has refashioned itself into a baying mob, resolutely opposed to religious and intellectual freedom. Allowed to take root, it could set India back many decades. (When released on bail, Kanhaiya Kumars remark, We dont want freedom from India, we want freedom in India, struck a chord with many Indians who dont otherwise share his politics.)

When Modi arrives in America, then, he will be given a heros welcome, as in the past, by hundreds of thousands of Indian-Americans. They will likely have no sense of the irony of their position: They are at liberty to be both Indian and American, while millions back home must win a tested OK sticker from the present regime before they are allowed to call themselves Indian.

All this explains why Modi will this week enjoy greatly his chance for a last tete-a-tete and photo-op with Obama. Indias disingenuous democrat knows full well that he wont be able to squeeze the same symbolic meanings or endorsements out of a summit with, say, Donald Trump.

Photo credit: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
On Jun 3, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Mohawk Industries, Inc. MHK.



On May 5, this global manufacturer of flooring products reported solid first quarter 2016 results.

First quarter 2016 adjusted earnings of $2.38 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33 by 2.15% and increased 40% year over year. The better-than-expected earnings were driven by robust operating margin, higher revenues and improved currency translations. Revenues of $2.17 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.52% and increased 15.5% year over year on the back of higher sales across all the segments, especially Flooring Rest of the World. Organic revenues increased 19%.



Mohawk Industries enjoys ample exposure to the U.S. residential and remodeling sector, which has been witnessing a slow yet steady recovery. Also, the company is trying to boost its long-term fundamentals through acquisitions, brand support via strong advertising, regular innovations, and strong cash generation.



Further, Mohawk Industries intends to invest in internal projects in 2016, which are expected to expand its ceramic capacity and upgrade its capability in the U.S, Mexico, Europe and Russia.



Though the U.S dollar has weakened lately, unfavorable currency translations still remain a major overhang and may hurt Mohawks profitability in the near term. Also, a slowdown in Russian and European economy could also impact the top line in the near term.



Mohawk Industries carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Investors interested in the wider consumer discretionary may also consider stocks like Capella Education Co. CPLA, American Public Education APEI and Leggett & Platt, Incorporated LEG. While American Public Education and Capella Education sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Leggett & Platt holds a Zacks Rank #2.



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If you want a nice view of the moon, instead of squinting into the night sky or cursing tall buildings, you could soon gaze at an expertly crafted model of the stunning celestial object. And this version is small enough sit atop your coffee table.

The lunar globe, dubbed MOON, bills itself as the most accurate of its kind. Its makers used NASA data to re-create the moon's many craters, including Petavius and Copernicus, at 1/20,000,000th the original size. The mini moon comes with a ring of LED lights that revolve around the globe and illuminate the face of the moon as seen from Earth.

MOON also reveals the far side (sometimes referred to as the "dark side") of the moon, which faces away from Earth. This mysterious lunar region is even more pockmarked with craters than the Earth-facing side is, said Oscar Lhermitte, creator of MOON. "Its quite stunning," he said. [Top 10 Amazing Moon Facts]

The road to building MOON began four years ago, Lhermitte, a French industrial designer based in London, told Live Science. He was inspired to create MOON after he saw high-resolution photos captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been in orbit around the moon for almost seven years. The LRO probe collects information on the lunar environment, maps day and night temperatures, and snaps high-resolution images of the moon.

Lhermitte reached out to the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Planetary Research, which worked on the LRO mission, and obtained access to the institute's extensive database of 2D lunar photos.

In order to transfer the 2D, black-and-white photos onto a 3D globe, Lhermitte converted the images into "digital terrain models," he said. The models assigned values of elevation for shades of grey; for instance, anything that was 100 percent white would be designated as the lowest point and anything that was 100 percent black would be designated as the highest point. Varying shades between black and white then correlated to varying elevations, which gave rise to a topographic, bumpy surface, Lhermitte said.

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Once the 3D data was ready to be imprinted on the globe, Lhermitte had to export the unusually dense file (typical 3D printing jobs are about 1 megabyte, but this 3D printing job was about 4 gigabytes), he said. And he had to hope his computer wouldn't crash, Lhermitte said. He printed a full model of the moon using an industrial nylon (a white, robust plastic) 3D printer; this model is now the master, or the model from which subsequent molds are made. The master's outer layer is 0.004 inches (0.1 millimeters) thick.

Each globe is made with hard polyurethane resin, a common casting material, and pigmented to reflect the moon's greyish color. Since people "only recognize craters when the light shines on them," Lhermitte said, MOON also comes with a rotating light source controlled by a mini, internal computer.

Lhermitte's colleagues, Alex Du Preez and Peter Krige, designed the computer to include an algorithm that calculates the path of the moon around the sun for the next 100 years. The computer also contains a clock that will sync itself with the accurate time and phase of the moon once plugged in, Lhermitte said. As a nod to lunar enthusiasts, "The MOON's clock has the same memory capacity (64 kilobytes) as the computers used for [the] Apollo 11" mission in 1969, he added.

Lhermitte said he hopes to see his creation used in school classrooms, science museums and observatories in the near future. He is currently creating two sizes of MOON; one model is smaller and contains the revolving light source and the other is larger and does not come with a light source. The smaller model is 1/20,000,000th the moon's original size and measures 6.8 inches (17 centimeters) across, and the larger model is 1/11,500,000th the moon's original size and measures 11.8 inches (30 cm) across.

The project raised more than $210,000 through a crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign, well beyond the original stated goal of $36,201. The project is now available for pre-order through Kickstarter, with the smaller version (which includes lights) currently selling for about $870 and the larger version (which lacks the ring of LED lights) currently going for $800. Both versions of the lunar globe will begin shipping pre-orders in November.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The targets of the terrorist attacks in France, which were prevented by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), were a mosque, a synagogue, government and administrative offices, SBU Head Vasyl Hrytsak has said.

"The targets for explosions were - as strange as it may sound, but we've got this documented  a Muslim mosque, a Jewish synagogue, an institution that deals with the collection of taxes from citizens of France, highway surveillance stations, and many other sites," Hrytsak said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
trump morning joe

MSNBC

Throughout the early days of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps apparent relationship with MSNBCs Morning Joe political talk show, many have wondered whether co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarboroughs connections to the candidate were a little too close. After all, not too long after several repeat appearances during and after the Iowa Caucus, comments by Scarborough in which he bragged about he and Brzezinskis candid meetings with Trump went viral. Considering their Monday morning rant against the leading Republicans most recent, racially tinged tirade, however, its safe to assume that any coziness otherwise assumed between the program and Trump has been razed to the ground.

As Politico notes, Morning Joes increasing hostility for Trump might have something to do with the latters most recent tweeted insult levied at the show. On Friday morning, Trump wrote that he doesnt watch or do the MSNBC program due to its small audience and low ratings! His social-media-driven jabs at Scarborough and Brzezinski are nothing new, so the latest tweet may have been a catalyst, but a much stronger reason for Morning Joes ire is Trumps unwavering public slander of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge overseeing the Trump University fraud case. Trump has repeatedly indicated that, per Curiels Mexican heritage, the ruling against him in favor of the Trump University plaintiffs is biased due to the judges alleged dismay over the candidates plans to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.

Over the weekend, Trump sat down with CNNs Jake Tapper for an interview in which the formers comments about Curiel were brought up. Instead of using the interview to recant his past statements or try to clarify them, Trump stuck to his guns. And as the montage of clips played by Brzezinski and Scarborough on Monday illustrate, Trump didnt falter from his opinions of Curiel in subsequent interviews with Fox News and CBS. Hes not treating me fairly, he whined at Face the Nation host John Dickerson, who asked analogously whether Trumps insistence on Curiels ethnicity would preclude a Muslim judge from giving Trump a fair ruling in court. His response? Yes, or in Trumps own words, Im talking about common sense.

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That was all the prompting Morning Joe needed to begin the segment. Brzezinski started by polling guests Al Sharpton and Nicolle Wallace, asking whether Trumps words about Curiel and the hypothetical Muslim judge were racist. Both agreed, but neither really had a chance to get any words in as Scarborough couldnt contain himself any longer. The former Florida representative turned television personality launched into a monologue against Trump:

They cant be morally outraged this week when they knew what he was doing last week. And by the way, I said it here on the TV box. And you can check it out on the TV box. I said, all the way back in December, I would never endorse Donald Trump so long as he supported banning 1.4 million people for entering the last best hope for a dying world, the United States of America, simply because of the god they worship. Simply because they were Muslim.

If that wasnt enough, he also name-dropped Speaker Paul Ryan and other elected Republican officials whove endorsed (or said theyd vote for) Trumps nomination:

So these Republicans, this week, who were so shocked and stunned and deeply saddened and offended by this clear act of racism had all the evidence in the world before that he had done things that again stopped them from endorsing him Now he endorses Donald Trump. He endorses his racism against Muslims, Paul Ryan endorses his racism against Mexicans. Paul Ryan endorses his racism against Americans who may have, oh, I dont know, 1/16th Mexican blood in there, saying theyre disqualified to be judges.

For those of you who enjoy watching seven straight minutes of screaming political banter, check out the entirety of Scarboroughs thoughts on Trump (and more) in the video below.

(Via Politico)
The mother of the young boy who fell into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit on May 28  forcing zookeepers to gun down a 17-year-old endangered silverback  will not face criminal charges related to the controversial incident, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters revealed during a press conference held Monday afternoon.



"By all accounts, this mother did not act in any way that she presented this child into some harm," the prosecutor told reporters. "She had three other kids with her, and she turned her back. I've gotten dozens if not hundreds of emails about this case. If anyone canat believe a 3-year-old can scamper off very quickly, then they've never had kids."



His decision followed an extensive review of evidence collected by detectives as well as witness statements and interviews with the boy's family.



"If she was smoking crack on the bathroom, it would be a different story," Deters said.



Deters also lauded the quick thinking of zoo employees to spare the boy's life.



The family of the young boy released a statement immediately following the announcement.



"The family is very pleased with this decision; it is what we expected. This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life. We extend thanks to all of those who have been praying for us and who have supported us through this trying ordeal and praise to God for His mercy and grace," the statement read.



Detectives from Cincinnati's police force turned over the findings of their investigation into Saturday's incident to Deters last Wednesday.



A spokeswoman for the prosecutor said he'd mull over the department's recommendations.



Cincinnati police launched an investigation into the controversial incident last week, with a focus on determining whether the boy's mother, 32-year-old Michelle Gregg, should be held responsible for what happened.



Police released audio from the 911 call Gregg made that afternoon as the massive primate dragged her son around the enclosure for around 10 minutes.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



The boy suffered only minor injuries while the male gorilla was shot to death, sparking outrage nationwide and spurring calls for Gregg's arrest on social media.



In a statement, the Greggs thanked zoo officials for the actions they took "to protect our child. We are also very appreciative for the expressions of concern and support that have been sent to us. Some have offered money to the family, which we do not want and will not accept."



Instead, the family suggests such donations be made to the Cincinnati Zoo in Harambe's name.



Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revealed it is conducting its own investigation into the safety protocols and day-to-day operations of the zoo.



The zoo announced that it will reopen its Gorilla World exhibit sometime this week, following the installation of higher safety barriers.



The May 28 incident was the first in the exhibit's 38-year history, zoo officials disclosed.
This week friends, family, and fans of Muhammad Ali will gather to honor of the life of one of the world's most legendary fighters. It was announced on Monday morning that there would be an Islamic funeral prayer program held in Ali's honor on Thursday, June 9, at the Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.

The location marks Ali's last fight in Louisville in 1961 where he defeated Willi Besmanoff.

MORE: Muhammad Ali Dies at 74: Celebs and Athletes Mourn the Loss of a Legend

"To be properly prepared for burial, prayed over and then buried is a right owed to every single Muslim," Imam Zaid Shakir, the man who will preside over the ceremony, said in a statement. "In the case of someone of Muhammad Ali's stature, to leave any of those rights unfulfilled would be a crime."

Following the prayer program, Ali will be buried in his hometown of Louisville on Friday, June 10 in a very special ceremony. His casket arrived on Sunday ahead of the service, which will feature many respected dignitaries and stars.

A Protestant minister, representative from the Catholic Church, a rabbi, representative from Buddhism, and a Mormon senator will all speak at the well-known Muslim's funeral. There will also be a poetry reading and several eulogies from close friends and family, including actor Billy Crystal and former president Bill Clinton.

WATCH: Will Smith Pays His Respects to Muhammad Ali: 'You Changed My Life'

On Monday morning, Ali's daughter Laila opened up on the Today show about the loss of her father.

"Well, we're sad. I personally have been sad for a long time. My father's been struggling with Parkinson's disease for many years," she said. "It wasn't easy to watch him suffer, so knowing that he's not suffering any more is what gives me comfort."

Adding, "I think that the whole world is sad," Laila spoke of her father's life after death, saying, "I know he's in a better place now. He's talking again and moving again and doing all the things he couldn't do in his body."

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Muhammad passed away on Friday at the age of 74.

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Beirut (AFP) - More than a billion Muslims observed the start of Ramadan on Monday but in the besieged cities of Syria and Iraq residents struggled to mark the holy month.

Islamic authorities announced the start of the fasting month with the sighting of the crescent moon in countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Marking the divine revelation received by Prophet Mohammed, the month sees Muslim faithful abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk.

They break the fast with a meal known as iftar and before dawn have a second opportunity to eat and drink during suhur. The month is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.

But for many in Syria who have been accustomed to hardship after five years of war, this year's Ramadan was expected to be especially difficult, particularly in besieged cities and towns.

In Madaya, where some 40,000 people have been living under government siege for months, resident Mumina, 32, and her husband planned to break the fast using UN food handouts.

The package contain pulses and tuna cans but "there's no pasta, no meat, no dairy. We tried to plant some vegetables but the land isn't good for planting now," she said.

"There's barely any food in the markets and whatever we find is so expensive that we can't buy it," she said, planning a simple meal of beans for Monday night.

Shadi Matar, an activist from Daraya, also complained that residents would only feed on greens for iftar.

"We definitely have a lot of choices," he said trying to put a brave face on things.

"There's parsley, radishes, coriander, arugula, spinach, and sometimes we can find zucchini," he said. "But there are other people who don't even have these options."

An estimated 8,000 people live in Daraya which received on June 1 its first aid delivery since a regime siege began in 2012, but British charity Save the Children said it excluded desperately needed food.

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- Queuing for tomatoes -

In the Iraqi city of Fallujah, father-of-six Abu Mohammed al-Dulaimi also worried about how to provide food for his family during Ramadan.

Iraqi forces have tightened a siege around Fallujah as they press a major advance to retake the city from the Islamic State jihadist group.

An estimated 50,000 people are believed trapped inside, some being used as human shields by IS, and the families left behind are often those who could not afford to leave.

"You have to get up at 5:00 in the morning and stand in line forever to pay 5,000 dinars ($4.50) for a kilo of tomatoes," said Dulaimi, contacted by AFP inside Fallujah.

"I can't even go there myself, I have to send someone, because you need to have a long beard and a short dishdasha," he said, describing the attire of jihadists.

In conflict-hit Libya, residents spoke of a somber mood and complained of the high cost of food.

"There are power cuts and cash shortages," said bank employee Karima Mounir.

In some parts of the world, Muslims were prepared to mark Ramadan with extravagance, including in the wealthy Gulf monarchies.

Dubai's sail-shaped landmark Burj al-Arab hotel said it would offer "an array of delectable traditional delicacies" at iftar for 400 Emirati dirhams ($110) per person.

- 'Bridges between communities' -

In Indonesia, faithful spent the days leading up to Ramadan taking part in rituals, including visits to relatives' tombs and swims in springs infused with flowers.

The hardline Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) group meanwhile threatened to raid Indonesian nightspots that flout restrictions during Ramadan.

"Please respect the holiness of Ramadan," Ja'far Shodiq, the group's deputy chairman, told AFP. "The FPI is not against fun -- but sometimes fun can verge on immoral."

In China, the start of Ramadan was marked with the customary ban on civil servants, students and children in the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region taking part in the daytime fast.

Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and a month during which the faithful must devote themselves to piety and charity as well as compassion and generosity.

London's newly-elected Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan underlined this in an article published on the Guardian's website saying Ramadan "provides an opportunity to break bread and build bridges between communities".

US President Barack Obama also celebrated the start of Ramadan in a message paying tribute to Muslims in America and around the world.

But he also took a swipe at presidential candidate Donald Trump without naming him, saying: "We will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees into our nation, including those who are Muslim."

Trump has drawn controversy by calling for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States following a deadly shooting attack in San Bernardino, California in December.

Shiites in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and elsewhere will begin observing Ramadan on Tuesday.
Completing a few crucial tasks during the summer can give teens a leg up when the school year starts.

"You have all of these teachers coming at you on day one with what's required in their courses and you are just trying to stay afloat," says Melanie Hall, an elective teacher and program coordinator for AVID, a college readiness program, at Grand Prairie High School in Texas.

[Get3 answers for high school parents about AVID classes.]

Students who make a plan over the summer can revisit and grow with it, taking it piece by piece, she says, which can help them accomplish their goals more efficiently.

Teens can complete the following tasks during the summer before each year of high school to prepare for what lies ahead.

Rising freshmen: Students could get involved in a high school activity, such as a fall sport or marching band, over the summer to get to know other students before school starts, says Scott Koebel, a school counselor at Newark High School in Ohio.

He also recommends students sit down with a parent, or perhaps a school counselor, and put together rough drafts of four-year course and extracurricular plans for high school that students can tweak over the years. There's value in starting to see the big picture, he says. Along with that, students should consider setting a couple short and long-term goals for high school.

Reading and writing for fun should also be on a rising freshman's summer agenda too, says Hall. She encourages students to find books that will help them become better leaders or grow as people. She recommends "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens."

Rising sophomores: Soon-to-be 10th-graders are still too young to get a job, says Hall, but they can take part in community service.

This is a good summer for career exploration, Koebel says, because it's before students really get into the college application process. Students could fill out career interest inventories or take part in a job shadowing experience, he says.

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Hall says journaling is a good way for students to reflect on their college and career goals this summer.

Rising juniors: Students may want to visit some colleges over the summer, says Koebel. And while there are drawbacks to visiting schools this time of year -- students won't see the campus with all the students there -- admissions staff may be less busy and prospective students may receive more personal attention, he says.

If students can't visit schools over the summer, they should make plans to visit schools during their junior year, Koebel says. Students could follow colleges they are interested in on social media to get a feel for the school too, he says.

And teens who are working or volunteering this summer should try to do so in a field that interests them, Hall says.

[Followa summer study plan to maximize SAT preparation.]

Rising seniors: The summer before senior year is focused on activities related to completing college applications for many students. Rising seniors should refine and finalize college application essays, resumes and other materials over the summer, and work on creating them if they haven't gotten started yet, says Hall.

Students should also identify which areas they need to improve upon to get into their dream schools, Hall says. Some students may need to retake the SAT or ACT, for example.

Koebel recommends students finalize where they want to apply. Students can also determine which teachers to ask for recommendation letters and reach out to teachers about them toward the end of the summer.

Regardless of their year in school, students can search and apply for scholarships over the summer, Hall says. And read and write.

Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.

Alexandra Pannoni is an education Web producer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at apannoni@usnews.com.
In 1241, the Mongol army marched into Hungary, defeating the Polish and Hungarian armies and forcing the Hungarian king to flee. In 1242, despite meeting no significant military resistance, the Mongols abruptly packed up and left.

Now, a new study of the climate in Eastern Europe that year suggests a reason for this mysterious military retreat: The Mongols got bogged down. Literally.

A cold and snowy winter yielded to a particularly wet spring in Hungary in 1242, according to data from tree rings. As a result, the grasslands of Hungary turned to marsh, said study researcher Nicola Di Cosmo, a historian at Princeton University. The Mongols, dependent on their horses, wouldn't have been able to move effectively across the squishy land, and their steeds would have had few fields to graze.

"This is one of the very few cases in which we can identify a minor climatic change on just one winter and link it to a particularly important historical event," Di Cosmo told Live Science. [10 Surprising Ways Weather Has Changed History]

The invasion of Hungary

The invasion of Hungary happened well after the death of notorious Mongol leader Genghis Khan in 1227. His successor, his son Ogodei, led the Mongols into Russia in 1235 and into Eastern Europe by 1240.

Multiple Mongol commanders brought at least 130,000 troops and perhaps as many as half a million horses into Hungary in the spring of 1241, Di Cosmo wrote in the journal Scientific Reports. They won key battles in April of that year, beating both the Polish and Hungarian armies and setting up an administrative system in eastern Hungary.

In the early months of 1242, the Danube and other rivers in the region froze solid, according to contemporaneous reports. This allowed the Mongols to move into western Hungary, where they spent several months fighting until their sudden retreat.

Di Cosmo's co-author Ulf Buntgen, a climate researcher at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, examined tree-ring data from northern Scandinavia, the Polar Ural, the Romanian Carpathians, the Austrian Alps and the Russian Altai to untangle the climate factors that might have led to the Mongol army's actions. Previous theories had held that perhaps Ogodei's death in December 1241 prompted the main Mongol commander to head home; but that's unsatisfying, Di Cosmo said, because the commander never went back to Mongolia to take part in the politics there  he ended up back in Russia.

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Marsh versus military

Tree rings hold a record of the tree's summer growth and winter quiescence, which researchers can use to extrapolate what the weather might have been like in a particular year. The record that Buntgen examined told a tale of above-average temperatures in Hungary between 1238 and 1241, followed by a sudden spate of cool summers between 1242 and 1244. In 1242, the region encompassing southern Poland, the Czech Republic, western Slovakia, northwestern Hungary and eastern Austria was exceptionally wet, the researchers report today (May 26) in the journal Scientific Reports.

The finding that spring flooding probably stymied the Mongols makes sense, Di Cosmo said, because the grasslands of Hungary were notoriously marshy until major draining projects in the 1700s and 1800s. The Mongols also retreated via different routes than their initial invasion, skirting through the Carpathian foothills and other high ground, Di Cosmo said.

"All of this, I think, is evidence that they were not happy with the terrain where they were operating," he said.

Di Cosmo and his colleagues have previously found that a stretch of warm, wet weather between 1211 and 1225 probably helped fuel the Mongols' initial expansion by giving them ample fodder for their horses. And other climate researchers have found that the Mongols may have influenced the climate as well: In 2011, researchers reported that the Mongol invasion of the 1200s had a tiny but perceptible effect on global carbon dioxide levels because the amount of death and destruction their expansion caused slowed deforestation for agriculture.

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
When aeronautical engineers have new ideas to try out, after having done all they can with computer models, they take what they have learned and actually build an experimental aircraft to test the new technologyan X-plane. Both NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) have recently announced plans for new X-planes that they are ready to get to work on. NASAs plan is especially ambitious, setting out to develop a whole series of new X-planes over the next 10 years. One of the planes will be a supersonic vehicle the size of a business jet that burns low-carbon bio-fuels and generates such quiet sonic booms that people on the ground will barely hear them.

Another plane, already in development, will replace the wing and engines on a four-seat Tecnam twin with a series of new electric-powered propellersaiming to produce an emissions-free, efficient flight. A hybrid wing-body design that looks like a flying fish could be the airliner of the future, with turbofan engines in the back shielded by two vertical tails to protect people on the ground from engine noise. The agency hopes to develop efficient, energy-saving new technologies that can be adopted by commercial aircraft manufacturers. NASA says if funding comes through, the new X-planes could start flying by 2020.

Meanwhile, DARPA is working on a design for an X-plane with a stacked wing frame that has a series of rotors mounted in between. The rear-mounted wing would create vertical thrust for takeoff and landing, then rotate to provide horizontal thrust for cruise flight. A second, smaller wing near the nose of the airplane would work the same way. DARPA says its X-plane would fly as fast as 460 mph and could be in the air by 2018. Initial models likely will be unmanned, DARPA says, and could be used for military applications like resupplying soldiers in the field or even providing evacuation. Manned aircraft also could use the technology. (nasa.gov; darpa.mil)

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Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak said he did not know about the materials of the so-called shadow costs of the Party of Regions.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about the preparations for the transference of the shadow costs materials to NABU," Hrytsak said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

Hrytsak noted that former Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Trepak wrote a letter of resignation and is currently on vacation. "This means that formally he is an SBU employee as there is no order to dismiss him. Being an SBU officer, who knows Ukrainian legislation and norms of law well, he is aware that it would be necessary at least to report the circumstances of obtaining this information to the head of the Security Service," he said.

Hrytsak added that Trepak had to pass these materials to the SBU for legal assessment. "Unfortunately, that did not happen," Hrytsak added.
Updated with Viacom response: Any deal to sell all or a portion of Paramount Pictures would require the unanimous approval of Viacoms directors, according to a change in the bylaws endorsed today by Sumner Redstones National Amusements  which controls 80% of the voting stock.

The terms would ensure that theres no sale: National Amusements President Shari Redstone is a Viacom director  and along with her father, Chairman Emeritus Sumner Redstone, opposes a sale of a stake in Paramount.

Sumner Redstone, 93, is also a Viacom director, but CEO Philippe Dauman has asked a Massachusetts court to rule that he is not competent to manage his affairs. It will hold a procedural hearing tomorrow.

Dauman has said that he expects to have a deal to sell a minority stake in Paramount by the end of this month. That helped to lift Viacoms stock price, which has lost about a third of its value over the last 12 months.

Viacom called todays announcement by National Amusements illegitimate because it followed invalid changes made to the theater companys board last week when members voted to replace Dauman and Abrams.

Viacom also characterized the bylaw changes as completely at odds with good corporate governance. They are clearly intended to impede the ability of the Viacom Board of Directors to fulfill its obligations to all stockholders, including the public non-controlling stockholders who own 90% of the equity of Viacom.

National Amusements says today that it has delivered written consents to Viacom that have amended Viacoms corporate bylaws, effective immediately, in order to protect the long-term interests of all Viacom stockholders.

The Redstone-controlled theater chain says it is not opposed to a transaction that would unlock value at Paramount. But any deal would have to be thoroughly vetted and approved by Viacoms full Board, and the rationale for such a transaction should be clearly articulated to Viacoms stockholders in advance.

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It adds that any deal to sell a key asset must be part of a carefully constructed long-term strategy; it is not an end in and of itself.

In addition to the change for Paramount, National Amusements says that it amended Viacoms bylaws to require a unanimous vote if the board wants to change the bylaws, or repeal any amendment adopted after September 15, 2011 (when the most recent revision took place).

A unanimous vote would also be needed to move certain types of corporate litigation away from the jurisdiction of the Delaware Chancery Court.

National Amusements says it made the changes to safeguard the interests of all stockholders.

It challenged a recent statement by Lead Independent Director Frederic Salerno saying that the independent directors are looking out for all investors, not just the Redstones.

His statements indicate that directors are more interested in preserving their own positions and those of Viacoms management team rather than on exercising their fiduciary duty to promote the long-term interests of all Viacom stockholders, National Amusements says.

The company says Article II, Section 10 of Viacoms corporate bylaws give it the right  as the owner of a majority of the voting Class A shares  to make the change without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote by Viacom stockholders.

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By Wiktor Szary WARSAW (Reuters) - A large-scale military training exercise involving more than 20 NATO and partner countries kicked off in Poland on Monday, part of efforts to reassure east European nations rattled by Russia's actions in nearby Ukraine. For more than 10 days, 30,000 troops backed by large numbers of vehicles, aircraft and ships will be deployed in one of the biggest exercises on NATO's eastern flank since the end of the Cold War, a move likely to put further strain on the already-tense relations between the Kremlin and the West. The Anakonda-16 exercise, which includes maneuvers such as a night-time helicopter assault and the dropping of U.S. paratroopers to build a temporary bridge over the Vistula river, is being held one month before a NATO summit in Warsaw that will approve more troops to be stationed in eastern Europe. The goal of Anakonda-16 is to "train, exercise and integrate the Polish national command and force structures into an allied, joint multi-national environment," the U.S. Army Europe said. The United States will provide around 14,000 troops for the exercise, the largest foreign contingent. Non-NATO countries such as Sweden and Finland are also taking part in the exercise. Poland joined NATO in 1999, a decade after the demise of Moscow-backed communism in eastern Europe. Warsaw has been very critical of Moscow's actions in Ukraine and has repeatedly urged NATO to boost its presence on Polish territory. RISING TENSIONS Russia has accused the U.S-led alliance of threatening its security by expanding eastwards and has warned of retaliation. NATO says exercises such as Anakonda-16 and plans for the deployment of more troops to the region are a defensive response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. NATO officials have also expressed concern about Russia's own military exercises in which thousands of Russian troops conduct war games without giving the alliance any prior warning. For the sake of transparency, the bi-annual Anakonda exercise, which was first conducted a decade ago, has been registered with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Polish army said. Tensions between Russia and NATO have been highlighted by recent encounters of their armed forces. In April, two Russian warplanes flew what U.S. officials described as simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea. Russia, in turn, accused the United States of intimidation by sailing a U.S. naval destroyer close to Russia's border in the Baltic region and warned that it would respond with "all necessary measures" to any future incidents. Moscow also accused Washington of attempting to blunt the Russian nuclear arsenal after it switched on an $800 million missile shield in Romania and broke ground on a similar site in Poland. Washington says the shield is vital to defend the United States and Europe from so-called rogue states. (Reporting by Wiktor Szary; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Brussels (AFP) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that both the alliance and the EU were stronger with Britain inside, and warned that a "Brexit" could cause instability.

Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian premier who heads the 28-nation military grouping, said that it was "up to the British people" whether they choose to remain in the European Union in a referendum on June 23.

"What really matters for NATO is I strongly believe a strong UK in a strong EU. It is good for both the UK and the EU but also for NATO," Stoltenberg told an event in Brussels held by the Politico Europe newspaper.

"We live at a time of many threats and instability, we don't need more instability, we need more cooperation in Europe."

He added: "It is a great advantage to have the UK being strong in the EU, pushing for security cooperation with NATO... It's good to have the UK in NATO pushing for strategic cooperation with the EU."

Both the EU and NATO have so far largely steered clear of intervening in Britain's increasingly toxic referendum debate, in which Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing for his country to stay in the EU.

Meanwhile Stoltenberg defended NATO after the presumptive Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump said the alliance was obsolete.

Asked about the comments, Stoltenberg said that "NATO is important for the security of the US and Europe."

He also pointed out that the only time NATO had invoked its collective defence clause since its formation after World War II was "in defence of the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks."
Natus Medical Inc. (BABY) recently announced an expansion of its share repurchase program, which authorizes it to buy back additional shares worth $20 million by Jun 1, 2017. However, shares did not show much positive movement in response to the news. Share price increased only 0.6% to close at $34.16 on Jun 3, 2016.



Per management at Natus Medical, the repurchase will be funded by using cash on hand, cash generated from operations, existing credit facilities or other financing options. As of Mar 31, 2016, the company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $81 million and an existing line of credit of $25 million.



Natus Medical expects to generate cash flow from operations of almost $70 million, while free cash flow is projected at around $65 million for full-year 2016. The improving liquidity will help the company to easily fund the acquisition of the additional shares. This will definitely boost the bottom line in the upcoming quarters.



Meanwhile, Natus Medical reported earnings of 34 cents per share in first-quarter 2016 which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4 cents and increased 9.7% from the year-ago quarter. The company repurchased $9.1 million of its stock during the quarter.



Natus Medical expects earnings to be in the range of 3536 cents on the back of revenues of $92$93 million ($91.9 million reported in the year-ago quarter) for the second quarter of 2016.



For full-year 2016, earnings are projected to be in the range of $1.61$1.65 per share with revenues in the band of $378$382 million (up 1.1% at mid-point).



Natus Medical believes its innovative product pipeline and increasing demand for Peloton (newborn hearing screening tests), NicView (provides streaming video for families and babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 24/7), and Global Neurodiagnostic (GND) services will help it to achieve the targets for full-year 2016.



Natus Medical expects to receive its first NicView order from outside the U.S. in the second quarter. The NicView service is already used by 83 hospitals in the U.S.



Notably, the acquisition of NeuroQuest LLC (in March this year) allowed Natus Medical to expand its GND services into seven new states in the U.S. The company further expects to expand GND services in the U.S. throughout 2016.



We believe that the expansion of these services will drive Natus Medicals top-line growth, going forward. The company still aims at achieving adjusted operating margin of 20% for full-year 2016, which is difficult considering the first-quarter decline (16.3% versus 16.9% in the year-ago quarter). Moreover, the Venezuelan crisis remains a concern.



Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



Currently, Natus Medical carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).



Better-ranked stocks in the medical sector include Masimo Corp MASI, Cryolife CRY and Exactech EXAC. While Masimo and Cryolife sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Exactech has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that he had received $40,000 from a French tycoon on trial for alleged fraud, but said the contribution was not political and was used for promoting Israel.

During his trial in France, Arnaud Mimran said he had given one million euros ($1.1 million) in campaign contributions to Netanyahu in 2001, when the Israeli leader was not in public office.

Israeli law limits individual campaign contributions to parliamentary candidates to 11,480 shekels (2,670 euros) and 45,880 shekels for party chairmanship races.

The allegation has received widespread attention in Israel, with the country's attorney general examining Mimran's testimony.

"The claim that Arnaud Mimran contributed one million euros to the election campaign of Mr. Netanyahu is a baseless lie," a statement from the prime minister's office said.

"There was no contribution by Mimran to Netanyahu's election campaign.

"In August 2001, when Mr. Netanyahu was a private citizen, Mimran contributed $40,000 to the fund for public activities for Mr. Netanyahu, which included media appearances and numerous educational campaigns abroad in favour of Israel, and made in accordance with the law."

In an earlier statement, Netanyahu's office said that "Mr. Mimran, who is on trial for fraud in the range of several hundreds of millions of dollars, is trying to divert attention by means of another fraud" by accusing the prime minister.

An Israeli justice ministry spokeswoman said Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had ordered an examination of Mimran's testimony "immediately after he became aware of it."

If the donation was not a campaign contribution, tax authorities would have to verify whether it was declared, said Moshe Negbi, legal expert for Israeli public radio.

Netanyahu left the prime minister's office in 1999 after being defeated by Labour's Ehud Barak. In 2002, he became foreign minister in then-prime minister Ariel Sharon's government.

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Mimran is one of the main defendants in a trial in Paris over an alleged scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

The tycoon's allegations against Netanyahu are the latest focused on his spending.

Last month, the Israeli state comptroller issued a critical report on Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, in 2003-05 when he was finance minister.

"Trips by Mr. Netanyahu and his family, funded by external bodies during the period in which he served as finance minister, deviated from regulations on the subject and as such could give the appearance of obtaining a benefit or of a conflict of interest," the report said.
Netflix has ordered a second season of its much-maligned French-language drama Marseilles. The streaming giant took to Twitter to post the news in French with the simple message, The fight is not over.

The move comes despite the show, which stars Gerard Depardieu as an aging corrupt politico in the fight of his life against his one-time protege, taking a critical battering upon its French bow in May. It was met with largely negative reviews when its first two episodes premiered on French public broadcaster TF1 as part of a deal with Netflix.

Given that Netflix tends not to release ratings, it remains to be seen how the rest of the series has fared now that it is exclusively on Netflix, but Netflix execs have attached a lot of prestige  and coin  to the project, its first French-language drama. The eight-episode series was created and written by Carlos co-writer Dan Franck. Among the directors are Florent Emilio Siri (Hostage), Xavier Gens (Hitman) and Cedric Anger (Next Time Ill Aim For The Heart). Benoit Magimel plays the young upstart. Geraldine Pailhas (Don Juan DeMarco) and Nadia Fares (The Crimson Rivers) also have major roles in the series opposite Depardieu, whose barnstorming turn has, to some extent, been critic-proof, unlike some of the shows dialogue.

Marseilles, set in Frances culturally diverse second city, is only one of Netflixs local-language shows. The SVOD giant also has its $100 million event series The Crown, created and written by Peter Morgan, debuting this year. The series follows the reign of Englands current and longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

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Netflix is also teaming with the BBC on on a blockbuster adaptation of the classic novel Watership Down. The four-part animated miniseries is the brainchild of dynamic Brit production-management banner 42. The series will premiere on BBC One in the UK and internationally on Netflix. An A-list collection of talent has been assembled for the project including Star Wars: The Force Awakens John Boyega, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Kingsley and Gemma Arterton. Netflix also has local-language series planned in Italy, Germany and Spain.

Netflix has also commissioned its first original series out of Argentina with Daniel Burmans Edha. The series will start production in Buenos Aires and debut exclusively on Netflix worldwide next year. Burmans credits include El Rey Del Once and El Abrazo Partido. Written by Burman, Mario Segade and Oficina Burmans writers room, the one hour, 13-episode season will follow the life of Edha, a young, successful fashion designer and single mother, who is at a crossroads that could change her life forever. As she struggles to make a decision that will take her to a whole new level in the fashion world, she meets a handsome immigrant-turned-model. Their savage passion is mingled with his profound desire for revenge.

Edha will join the slate of other Netflix original series produced in Latin America such as Club de Cuervos, Ingobernable, Narcos, 3% and the untitled project by Jose Padilha based on current events in Brazil.

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Analysts at Morgan Stanley say that one demographic will be a key to Netflixs success in the US moving forward: older people, particularly those over 65.

And the analysts have a plan for how Netflix could snag older viewers.

After being the highest-performing stock on the S&P 500 in 2015, Netflix has had a rocky start to 2016, and is down around 12% year-to-date. Part of Wall Streets worry, besides doubts on international subscriber growth, is a fear that Netflix is reaching saturation in the US.

In other words, where are the new US Netflix subscribers going to come from?

Morgan Stanley says one answer is older Americans, particularly using integration with cable boxes as a way to lure them in.

Based on our recent survey, US households that do not have Netflix skew older and are much less aware of Netflix programming, the analysts wrote in a note on Monday. Older people are simply less likely to be Netflix users. Heres a chart that shows it:

Morgan Stanley netflix

But that doesnt mean they are less likely to pay for TV in general. In fact, they watch more TV and are more likely to pay for TV. Here is a chart demonstrating that:

Morgan Stanley

If older Americans are more likely to pay for TV, why are they less likely to subscribe to Netflix?

Morgan Stanley's thesis is that older people in the US dont inherently dislike Netflix content, but that some of them are simply unfamiliar with it because they are used to their normal methods of watching TV. They aren't looking to figure out how to sign up for Netflix and then get it to stream on their TV. An integration with a cable box could help that.

The analysts point to the UK as a place where this thesis has been borne out. Survey data from the UK, where Netflix is more widely distributed on cable, is encouraging, they write. Growth in reported Netflix usage on Virgin Media's TiVo platform and on TalkTalk (covered by Terence Tsui) following their respective set-top box integration deals highlights the benefits.

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The deals

As to the negotiation process for getting Netflix in the boxes, the analysts think its likely Netflix would be willing to sweeten the deal with cable companies by offering them favorable terms, like the ones they give Apple or TiVo. Then all Netflix needs is a partner on the other end that is not actively fighting such a deal.

We think that both Charter and even Comcast (together now representing ~40mm video customers and ~47mm broadband customers) could be willing partners with Netflix in the near or medium term, the analysts write. We note that Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has publicly stated that it is in our interest to support over-the-top .. .and we plan to integrate over-the-top television with traditional television.

And lest you still think that all age groups are already familiar with Netflix (even Americans that are over 65), consider the following chart. It shows that older Americans are much more unsure about which streaming or premium TV networks have the best content (including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, and so on):

Screen Shot 2016 06 06 at 3.44.24 PM

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David French

The Never Trump movement received another setback Sunday night as David French, a conservative writer and lawyer, announced that he would not mount an independent campaign for president.

It came less than a week after conservative editor Bill Kristol supposedly handpicked French as an alternative to Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

"After days of prayer, reflection, and serious study of the possibilities, I am not going to run as an independent candidate for president of the United States," French wrote in a column for National Review.

French suggested there was a window for an independent candidate to succeed in the 2016 election, thanks to the historically low favorability ratings of Trump and his likely Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. But he said he was not the man for the job.

"Given the timing, the best chance for success goes to a person who either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent," French said in the column.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve my country, and I thank God for the successes I've had as a lawyer and a writer, but it is plain to me that I'm not the right person for this effort," he added.

French, with a lack of name recognition or experience in politics, was a relatively underwhelming pick to take on Trump. Other names that had been floated included 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, and Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

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If the information that Germany has excluded Russia from its list of its partners is true, this could be a source of regret and concern, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"If the information about the new edition of 'the White Book' is true, it could be a source of regret and, also, concern," Peskov told reporters on Monday.

He was asked to comment on a report of the newspaper Die Welt, which said that the new edition of 'the White Book', a document describing national threats to the German government, for the first time defined Russia as Germany's opponent rather than partner.

This is regretful because if the newspaper's report is correct, it would be a matter of "obvious misunderstanding of the essence of the Russian position, which is consistent and is not aimed at confrontation, but rather seeks to create an atmosphere of interaction and mutually advantageous cooperation on the European continent," Peskov said.

"There is concern because this position rests upon an incorrect understanding or, maybe, some incorrect information; this position can definitely lead to certain confrontational steps, which will absolutely not contribute to the atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation," Peskov said.
Its been three years since Jiah Khan committed suicide, and yet her ex-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholis fight to prove his innocence is on. According to a leading daily, Sooraj, 10 days back wrote a letter to the Juhu Police Station, CBI and th Mumbai Police Commissioner informing them about a new evidence.

Recommended Read: Sooraj denies doing Salman production, confirms film with Ajay

Few weeks back, Sooraj and his legal team came to know about a London-based businessman D Bloom, who had written to Mumbai Police in February 2015, about how his son faced a similar accusations in 2001 by Jiahs family. At that time, Jiah was 14 and her mother Rabiya had filed a case of sexual assault against Blooms son.Reportedly, the trial court in London later acquitted him on basis of substantial evidence that stated they were in a romantic relationship and whatever transpired between them was consensual. During the trial, the London police documented evidence that Jiah had attempted suicide by slitting her wrist. When the daily got in touch with Sooraj, he refused to comment as the matter is subjudice. But Soorajs lawyer Prashant Patil spoke about it and said, Jiahs history is of no relevance to us otherwise. But here, we are citing instances from her past to reveal some vital information that was hidden by the complainant (Rabiya Khan). In 11 Supreme Court and two Bombay High Court judgements, it was noted that if a suicide victim suffers from any hypersensitive tendency, it needs to be brought to the Courts notice. In three years she has never in a single statement said that Jiah had attempted suicide thrice before.

We have documented evidence of the same, which we will be producing before the Court. We have never intervened during the investigation and done our best to be supportive and let law take its course. But for a fair trial, the whole truth should be out. We object to the fact that Rabiya did not come clean on her side of the story. He added, We will be filing the complete transcripts of the London case and Mr D Bloom is willing to personally come down and record his statement with the Mumbai police. It was in February 2015 that he had written a mail to the Mumbai Police with information about Jiahs background that could prove to be strong evidence in this case. All along Rabiya has said how the deceased had a strong support system in her family . Bloom claims that Rabiya would frequently leave Jiah and her younger sister Kavita in London and stay away from home for days at stretch, leaving the kids to fend for themselves. In fact, transcripts also reveal that when Jiah was a minor, she had undergone an abortion. These are details documented in the transcripts that are in his possession. It is unfortunate that the Mumbai Police ignored that mail in 2015. While this piece of information may amount to Rabiya facing perjury charges, there is also a high possibility that it could make a potent case of defamation against the dead, given the kind of allegations it has against Rabiya and Jiah.

When asked to comment on it, Soorajs lawyer told the newspaper, We are not trying to defame the dead. Under the Evidence Act, we have every right to file additional evidence that could give some context to the case. We dont want trial by media. It is eventually up to the court to decide whether the information is of any relevance here. It was only when rape charges were levied against Sooraj by the prosecution that we were compelled to explore more. Why is a charge this gruesome being made without any substantial evidence? Her letters have been read and interpreted multiple times before, then why is this charge coming three years too late? We only believe that truth must prevail and justice be delivered, without vendetta colouring anyones perception. If Sooraj has committed a heinous crime, he will be convicted. If not, he will walk out a free man. The crux of the matter now is that the victim had a suicidal pattern, she was undergoing therapy for depression and she had tried to commit suicide many times before she actually did."

When the daily contacted Rabiya to get her side of the story, she said, "This is absolutely ridiculous.The defence is trying to destroy the actual case. All these allegations are baseless. It is being done only to distract the High Court. I am seriously contemplating legal action against the people responsible. Besides this, I have no other comment to make.


Joe Booth, 47, figures he's only alive because one person out of dozens responded to letters he'd written begging for help. Serving time in a state prison near San Diego in 2009 for making a death threat against a man who defrauded his ailing mother, he was transferred to a cell with a prisoner who was serving life for a brutal rape.

Booth, who is openly gay, said that at the time he presented himself as "very effeminate," with long red hair to his waist. On his first day in the new lockup, his cellmate caught a rat. As he was torturing the animal, he glared at Booth and told him that he had power over life and death. Booth took that as a threat and got an appointment with a prison psychiatrist to request a new cell.

"I was looking for an exit, anything that would get me out."

The psychiatrist listened to his story and said she'd have him moved. But when he left the room, guards took him right back to the same cell (Booth speculates she was overruled). That night, as he was sleeping on the top bunk, his cellmate grabbed his ankle, yanked him onto the floor and raped him. The same happened each of the next three nights.

"I was looking for an exit, anything that would get me out," Booth said of those four days. "I'd close my eyes tight and hope that when I opened them I'd be somewhere else."

Every day, he begged guards and mental health staff to move him, but they laughed, figuring it was merely a "lovers' quarrel," he says. The fifth day, he decided to yell for help until he got a guard to pay attention. After an hour, one came over and got him switched into a solitary holding pen.

Booth felt suicidal. He needed medical care and wanted to file rape charges, but the guards at the prison paid him no mind. So he started writing letters  dozens in all  to every organization he could think of.

The only person who responded was a volunteer advocate at San Diego's Center for Community Solutions, a local rape crisis center, which succeeded in scheduling a rape exam for Booth. When guards finally transported him to a local hospital for the exam, a volunteer was waiting for him in the exam room. She asked his name, touched his hand and said she knew he'd been raped and that it wasn't his fault. "Getting in contact with that volunteer saved my life," Booth said.

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Prison rape is shockingly common even 13 years after passage of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA. Nearly 200,000 prisoners were sexually abused in 2011, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Of those raped by another inmate, more than one-third were transgender or gay prisoners; 7 percent were women.

A prison worker displays the contents of a "PREA response kit" used to gather and preserve evidence in suspected sexual assaults at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington.

And those are just the reported numbers, which could be just a fraction of what's actually happening. Sexual assault in prisons is at least as underreported as it is on the outside, says American University law professor Brenda Smith, who served on the now-disbanded National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. In the general population, fewer than one-third of rapes are ever reported to the police.

PREA sets standards for prison rape prevention  like eliminating cross-gender strip searches and installing video monitoring  that states must ensure they're working to implement. States that do not comply forfeit 5 percent of the federal money they use to run their prisons. PREA standards also require prisons to partner with victims advocates to get services to inmates who have been assaulted.

For inmates who are sexually assaulted, getting help from outside has until recently been nearly impossible. But now some states and counties are making help easier to get by setting up prison sexual assault hotlines. A 2013 report from the Bureau of Justice statistics shows one reason being able to talk to someone outside matters: Prisoners are raped more often by staff than other inmates.

A handful of states  Virginia, Vermont, Washington and New York  and individual prisons are contracting with rape crisis providers to run hotlines. In San Antonio, the county jail approached the city's Rape Crisis Center two years ago to staff a hotline. Since then, the center has expanded the service to 15 other detention facilities in Texas and one in Mississippi, says the center's Deana Buril. In New York state, one rape crisis center reports that they contracted for 500 minutes of cell service annually to run their hotline when they started in 2014. They burned through those minutes in the first month.

Brochures about PREA standards are left out for offenders to take at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Had Booth been in another California prison, he might have been able to get help before he was attacked. One rape crisis center  the Women's Center High Desert East of Bakersfield  has been staffing one of the nation's longest-running prison rape hotlines and offering counseling services since 2006 for inmates at the nearby California Correctional Institution. The hotline was launched as a pilot project funded by Just Detention International, an NGO that advocates for an end to sexual abuse behind bars.

The center's experience shows that the existence of PREA doesn't guarantee cooperation from prison staff. When the group first went into CCI in 2006, prison guards were mostly hostile,  when they were introduced to guards, they'd often turn their backs and walk away. Stone and her staff would put up posters with the hotline number in the prison yard and come back to find them gone. "Prison staff and even inmates viewed us as outsiders," she said.

So she and her colleagues started bringing the guards fresh-baked cookies and picking up coffee from Starbucks. Stone would tell them about her father and her other relatives who worked in law enforcement. When that rapport was established, guards started calling the center's main rape crisis hotline about problems in their own families. Gradually, they warmed to the counselors. By a year or two into the pilot, the sergeant who was introducing Stone and her colleagues would start with, "They're PREA, but they're cool."

There's no easy way to measure the value of offering prisoners a place to call anonymously, but those who run the hotlines said there's little doubt the service is needed. Given that perpetrators are often guards themselves, asking a prison staffer to connect them to a counselor is no solution. Numbers from Virginia's Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance, which runs that state's hotline, show just how common that is. Of 637 calls the alliance has taken in which the caller identified who assaulted or abused them, 458 of those involved a perpetrator who worked for the prison.

Hotlines, outside counselors working in prisons  "all of that would have been unthinkable before PREA," says Just Detention's Jesse Lerner-Kinglake.

But nationally, he and other PREA advocates say the law's gains are in jeopardy. Since 2012, states have been required to move toward fully implementing PREA's standards, which can make the law's zero-tolerance-for-prison-rape mandate a reality.

To keep their federal funding, states simply have to provide written assurance that they intend to comply with the standards  there's no deadline, and states don't have to provide details of what they're doing to move toward compliance.

And three states  Alaska, Arkansas and Utah  have refused to implement PREA at all. In Utah, for example, officials argue that their budget is insufficient to implement PREA, though they say the state is committed to the law's principles. And Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson says his state is committed to a zero-tolerance policy on prison sexual abuse, but claims that the state can't comply with the law's prohibition of cross-gender searches because of a court case in which female corrections officers alleged discrimination in their work in male-dominated facilities.

A bill before the current Congress  the Justice for All Reauthorization Act  would fix some of that. It would give states six years to come into full compliance, require them to report their progress on eliminating prison rape and make their audit reports public. In the Senate, the bill is out of committee, though no floor vote is scheduled. In the House, it's been stuck in committee since February.

Buril of San Antonio's Rape Crisis Center says there's a good reason for the public to care about ending prison rape and getting prisoners help. It's not just that sexual assault in prison is a form of torture. It's that most prisoners will be released, and those who have been traumatized and haven't gotten counseling are more likely to land in trouble again and back in prison. "That costs all of us money," she says.

Booth has done well since he got out in 2011. He's got a steady maintenance job. Getting help to deal with his trauma was key to the stable life he now has on the outside, he says, adding, "I'm a completely different person."
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is a noted fan of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but Gingrich said Sunday the businessmans comments about a federal judges Mexican heritage crossed the line.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made, Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday.I think its inexcusable. Trump has said he thinks Judge Gonzalo Curiel is biased against him because of Curiels ethnicity.

Curiel, who is the presiding judge in a lawsuit against Trump University, was born in Indiana but his parents are from Mexico. Trump has long proposed that he would build a border wall along the U.S.s southern border with Mexico and he seems to think that proposal would make Curiel an unfit match for the case.

Gingrich did not call the Republican candidates comments racist, saying that he has every right to criticize a judge, but he told Fox News Sunday the statements were sloppy and said that Trump should know better.

He is an American. Period. When you come to America, you get to become an American, and Trump, who has grandparents who came to the U.S., should understand this as much as anybody, Gingrich said.

On Monday, Trump responded to Gingrichs comments, calling them inappropriate in an interview. The businessman said he has to defend himself against attacks on Trump University.

You have to respond, Trump said Monday. All Im trying to do is figure out why Im being treated so unfairly by a judge.
June 5 (Reuters) - Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib is expected to make a full recovery after being taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg on Sunday morning, the Super Bowl champions said in a statement. Talib was treated at a Dallas area hospital after being shot in the early hours of the morning and is almost certain to miss Monday's team trip to Washington D.C. to meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. "We are in communication with Aqib Talib, who remains at a Dallas hospital for observation as he recovers from a gunshot wound suffered to his lower right leg on Sunday," the statement said. "He is expected to be released from the hospital soon, and we are glad he is okay and will make a full recovery." According to multiple reports in local media, Talib was one of several victims of a shooting at a Dallas night club. A three-time Pro Bowler, the 30-year-old Talib is in the middle of a six-year, $57 million contract with the Super Bowl champion Broncos that he signed back in 2014. In 2012, Talib was suspended four games for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances. (Writing by Jahmal Corner, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
Niamey (AFP) - Niger vowed to avenge the deaths of 24 of its soldiers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the jihadist group's deadliest attacks in the country.

"We must continue to fight, this insult must be expunged, there is nothing to be done, it must be avenged," Defence Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said Sunday.

The minister was speaking to troops at a garrison at Bosso, near the Nigerian border where the deadly attack took place on Friday, according to a broadcast on state television on Monday.

It said the minister visited military positions in Bosso accompanied by army chiefs and Nigerian General Lamidi Adeosun, head of the multinational force that groups soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to fight Boko Haram.

The minister also toured the town to view to scale of the damage caused by the Islamic insurgents, the television said.

It showed images of a burnt-out military transport vehicle and a town seemingly devoid of its 20,000 residents and Nigerian refugees.

"It's terrible, all of Niger is crying," said Massoudou, adding that he felt "deeply wounded" after visiting the site of the bloodshed.

The attack "will unfortunately be engraved on the history of our people."

He urged the troops to keep their "morale high" as "we will win this war."

Twenty six Nigerien and two Nigerian soldiers were killed in the attack by hundreds of Boko Haram assailants on a military post in Bosso, the government said in a statement Monday.

The defence ministry earlier said that a total of 32 soldiers had been killed.

Some 67 soldiers were injured, according to the updated statement, while 55 Boko Haram fighters were killed and "many" injured.

- Insurgents 'do what they like' -

"On the enemy's side, several dead and injured were taken away," the ministry said.

Local resident and former MP Elhaj Aboubacar said: "They drove up at twilight, shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), they fired a lot of shots and torched many places in Bosso."

Story continues

"We don't know where our military went, but one thing is for sure, Boko Haram were able to do what they liked until dawn," Aboubacar said.

It was one of the deadliest attacks by Boko Haram in Niger since the Islamist group began launching raids in the country in February 2015 from its stronghold in neighbouring Nigeria.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has devastated infrastructure in Nigeria's impoverished northeast and forced around 2.1 million people in Nigeria to flee their homes, according to the UN's refugee agency.

The unrest has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and made more than 2.6 million homeless.

Since Friday's attacks, thousands of residents have fled Bosso to "more secure areas", a UN source said.

Water, food, shelter and medical aid remain "the most urgent needs", the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Niamey.

It said humanitarian aid missions to Bosso were suspended for security reasons.

The attack comes as the multinational force prepares to launch a "decisive" offensive against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari flew to London on Monday for a 10-day holiday, during which he will receive medical treatment for a persistent ear infection. His departure comes days after the 73-year-old former military ruler cancelled a trip to the restive Niger Delta region at the last minute. Last month, he pulled out of what would have been his first official trip to Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos [nL8N18U1CP] [nL5N18K54Z]. A presidency statement issued late on Sunday said Buhari would see an ear, nose and throat specialist in London after being examined by two doctors in Nigeria who "recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution". The president flew out of the international airport in the capital, Abuja, where he was accompanied by personal aides, including his chief of staff and official spokesmen. (Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram)
(Corrects paragraph one to show day of week Novartis said this was Monday, instead of Tuesday)

* Novartis to seek approval after July following trial

* Drug combo shrank tumours in 63 pct of patients in study

* Combination already approved in skin cancer

By John Miller

June 6 (Reuters) - A Novartis trial of two drugs against an aggressive lung cancer bodes well for broadening their use beyond melanoma, the Swiss drugmaker told the American Society of Clinical Oncology's conference in Chicago on Monday.

Novartis's Tafinlar and Mekinist combination shrank tumours in 63 percent of the trial's 57 people with BRAF V600E-mutation positive non-small cell lung cancer who had failed on chemotherapy, the company said, citing a Phase II study.

The company already has U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European approvals for the drugs against BRAF V600E-mutation positive melanoma.

It is now aiming for a U.S. regulatory submission for lung cancer after July, Alessandro Riva, global head of Novartis Oncology Development, said in an interview.

Rare-but-deadly BRAF V600E-mutation positive lung cancer is marked by a gene change that helps it grow, making fighting it difficult with chemotherapy. In the study, the median progression-free survival was 9.7 months, which Riva called unprecedented.

The latest findings follow those from an interim analysis of 24 patients in 2015 that showed similar results.

"We are talking about a response rate that is in the 60 percent ballpark, (with) progression-free survival that is approaching 10 months -- never seen in the past with chemotherapy", Riva said. "Chemotherapy... has a progression-free survival (PFS) that is not more than two or three months."

The median analyst estimate for 2018 sales for both drugs is about $1.3 billion, according to Reuters data.

DIFFERENTIATE FROM ROCHE

Late last year, Novartis's cross-town rival Roche also won approval for its own BRAF V600 melanoma combination, Zelboraf and Cotellic.

Story continues

With this lung cancer study, Novartis is now seeking to expand its combination's uses, in part to differentiate itself from Roche's offering.

Doctors leading Novartis's study said it confirms a potential new avenue to take on an aggressive lung cancer, whose patients have a poor prognosis.

"The potential to treat this oncogene gives hope to a very small, underserved patient population," said Dr. David Planchard, a thoracic oncology specialist at France's Cancer Institute Gustave-Roussy and the trial's principal investigator.

The most common side effects were fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abnormal physical weakness, decreased appetite, dry skin, chills, accumulation of fluids causing swelling, cough and rash.

During the study, 23 of the 57 participants died.

Novartis acquired the drugs after buying GlaxoSmithKline's oncology business last year. [http://reut.rs/1Y2n8fB ] (Editing by Alexander Smith)
Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Hrytsak has not received an official response from the French side regarding the detention of a French citizen who intended to commit acts of terrorism at Euro 2016.

"Unfortunately, I don't know yet the official response of the French government. We are acting within the framework of international conventions that provide for cooperation between the special services. I can only say that work underway ... was being done in a well-balanced manner, and the detention of the suspect at the border was not a surprise for our counterparts," Hrytsak said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

Speaking about the reasons why the detention of the Frenchman was reported only now, the head of the Security Service cited security concerns.

"It would have be beneficial for Ukrainian security services to make the announcement on May 21, when the French citizen was detained [planning to commit acts of terrorism at Euro 2016], but security concerns were more important for us," Hrytsak said.
David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed Sunday while on assignment in southern Afghanistan, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack that killed Gilkey and Tamanna "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists - and their interpreters - who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR senior vp news and editorial director Michael Oreskes said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," said Oreskes.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, taking pictures for China's Xinhua news agency and writing for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president, to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Story continues

See More: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2016

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for the Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. Kathy Gannon, AP special correspondent for the region, also was in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

NPR's David Gilkey took these photos of Afghan commandos as they prepared for a night mission. https://t.co/uEeOQZ3xfL

- NPR (@NPR) June 6, 2016

NPR photojournalist David Gilkey and Afghan interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna were killed by the Taliban on Sunday. https://t.co/eCBoNorgtc

- Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) June 5, 2016
NPR photographer David Gilkey and his interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna were killed Sunday in Afghanistan when the Army Humvee in which they were riding was hit by rocket-propelled grenades. Gilkey was 50 and Tamanna 38.

Secretary of State John Kerry said: This attack is a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world. Read his full statement below.

Gilkey won numerous awards for his photojournalism, having covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Israel-Hamas strife in Gaza, the end of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia and the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. Of shooting the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, he said: Its not like you put the camera to your face and therefore it makes what youre seeing OK, but certainly you can put yourself in a zone. Its hard, but you cant get caught up in it and become part of it. You still need to maintain your state of mind that you are helping tell this story. Watch Gilkey discuss his Haiti experience in a video montage of his photos above.

As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him, NPR VP News Michael Oreskes said in an email to staff. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes.

Tamanna worked as a photojournalist for the Chinese news agency Xinhua and later wrote for Turkeys Anadolu News Agency. He wrote the regions big news stories but also the daily attacks and drone strikes that killed militants and civilians. NPRs Philip Reeves, who brought Tamanna to the radio pubcaster, said, He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country.

Story continues

NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, who along with producer Monika Evstatieva were in a separate vehicle in the convoy that was not hit, said that when the journalists bodies arrived by helicopter at Camp Shorab in Helmand Province, an honor guard of dozens and dozens of U.S. soldiers stood at attention and saluted.

Here is Kerrys full statement about the deaths of Gilkey and Tamanna:

I was saddened to learn today of the death of an NPR photographer, David Gilkey, and his colleague Zabihulla Tamanna, who were part of a crew reporting on Afghan forces in the southern part of the country. This attack is a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world. David Gilkey certainly never shied away from conveying those stories, whether there in Afghanistan or Somalia, Haiti, Gaza, Iraq and dozens of other places around the world. He was more than a gifted photographer. He was a gifted storyteller, who understood the power of imagery to enhancing the power of understanding. He will be sorely missed. Teresa and I send our thoughts and prayers for these courageous individuals to their colleagues, friends and families.

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President Obama could deliver his long-awaited endorsement in the 2016 presidential race as early as Wednesday, his chief spokesman suggested on Monday.

Maybe he will, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters with a grin when asked at his daily briefing whether Obama would finally make it official on June 8.

Earnest also seemed to reject Bernie Sanders contention that his battle with frontrunner Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination would continue even if she meets expectations Tuesday and secures a majority of pledged delegates after primaries in California and New Jersey. She holds a lopsided edge over the Vermont senator among superdelegates, who will help decide the partys nominee at its convention in Philadelphia this summer.

Were going to give Democratic voters the opportunity to weigh in, Earnest said, but certainly somebody who claims a majority of the pledged and superdelegates, you know, has a strong case to make.

Slideshow: The campaign for primary day, June 7 >>>

Some of President Obamas top aides and some of his former senior advisers have repeatedly made clear that he views Clinton as his political heir. But the president has not formally jumped into the fray, mindful that one of his most important jobs in 2016 will be uniting the Democratic Party after an especially contentious primary season.

The president intends, certainly through the fall if not earlier, to engage in this campaign, and to engage in this debate about the future of our country  and thats an opportunity that the president relishes, Earnest said. Obama enjoys campaigning and he is good at it, the spokesman added.
Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama edged closer to a formal endorsement of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee Monday, with his White House suggesting the next 48 hours would be pivotal.

With a series of key primary votes on Tuesday that could see Clinton all but seal the party nomination, the White House would not rule out an endorsement by Wednesday.

"Once the voters in New Jersey and California have an opportunity to express their preference," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, "then we may be in a position where we have a much greater sense of what the outcome is likely to be."

It is an open secret in Washington that President Barack Obama intends to endorse Clinton.

But Obama has been wary of putting his hand on the scale during a long and sometimes bitter Democratic primary race between Clinton and leftist party rival Bernie Sanders.

He wants to avoid alienating millions of young voters who have flocked to Sanders's energetic campaign.

The 74-year-old senator from Vermont -- who was an independent until recently -- has given voice to popular anger about income inequality.

"I think the Sanders campaign would agree that the president has worked hard and gone to great lengths to be fair," said Earnest.

But, he added: "The president does have a long, personal relationship with Secretary Clinton. She served as secretary state for more than four years, for goodness sake."

Sanders has won 10 million votes during the primaries, three million fewer than Clinton.

But Sanders's supporters have vowed to fight to the bitter end and even challenge Clinton's nomination at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in July.

Yet there is growing unease in Democratic circles that such infighting could open a window for Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

"The Democratic Party cannot afford to take lightly the risk that is posed by the potential of electing the presumptive Republican nominee," said Earnest.

Story continues

Such comments send an unmistakable message to the Sanders camp.

So too do the words of Clinton, as she campaigned in California.

"I'm gonna do everything I can to unify the Democratic party, and I certainly am going to be reaching out to Senator Sanders and hope he will join me in that," she said.

- Presidential polls -

Obama's recent high poll ratings all but secure him a central role in the effort to secure a third White House term for Democrats.

According to Gallup, his approval is now 51 percent, almost double George W. Bush's approval at the same point in his presidency.

Obama aides have long said they would defer to Clinton's campaign about his role in her campaign. But a few patterns have already emerged.

Obama has scarcely concealed his contempt for Trump and has repeatedly belittled him during speeches, although not always by name.

The 44th president has also made the economy a theme of campaign-style events. That is an issue that is sure to be central across the rust belt and beyond.

Polls show Obama remains hugely popular among college educated women, who could prove vital in states like Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Unsurprisingly for the country's first minority president, he is also popular among black, Hispanic and Asian voters.

Obama may spend a significant amount of time stumping for Senators in a bid to flip the chamber to Democratic control.

Republican donors who are disgruntled with Trump have vowed to pour their cash into Congressional races, hoping to limit the fallout from Trump's unpopularity.

Obama also remains stratospherically popular with liberal democrats -- a 92 percent approval rating with the group according to Gallup -- which puts him a good position to win over disgruntled Sanders voters.
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will visit Poland and Spain in July, in what will likely be his final presidential trip to Europe, a continent that has often presented more problems than opportunities during his term.

The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain.

During his nearly eight years in office, Obama has at times had difficult relationships with America's oldest allies.

For most of his first term, Europe was frustratingly slow to contain sovereign debt crises that were fed by and prolonged the Great Recession.

Relations with Europe were further tested by Obama's "pivot to Asia" -- which was widely perceived as capping a decades-long strategic shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Obama has publicly said that it was a mistake to depend on European allies to manage Libya's political recovery from decades of Moamer Kadhafi's dictatorial rule.

Five years after Kadhafi was killed, the country is still in turmoil and is now a base for the Islamic State group.

NATO leaders are expected to discuss support for efforts to control the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean.

They will also weigh NATO support for operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, providing cover for AWACS early warning and control aircraft to be deployed.

Continued tensions with Russia will also feature prominently.

Relations between Moscow and the West were plunged to the worst point since the end of the Cold War by Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The United States and its allies have also been irked by Russia's support for separatists in the east of Ukraine, de facto partitioning the country.

Meanwhile, Russian aircraft have launched a series of provocative intercepts of NATO, Swedish and other craft.

In response to "an aggressive Russia," Obama has announced an increased US troop presence in eastern Europe, with continuous rotations of an additional armored brigade beginning in early 2017.

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NATO is likely to agree to rotate four brigades into eastern Europe, officials said.

Obama will also hold bilateral talks with Poland's conservative President Andrzej Duda to "reaffirm the American commitment to Poland's security, and exchange views on the broader security environment in Europe," the White House said.

Duda's government is deeply controversial, accused by critics of breaking European Union norms on democracy by reforming the constitutional court.

Obama will also hold talks with EU leaders in Warsaw, hoping to kick forward stalled transatlantic trade talks, although a breakthrough before he leaves office seems unlikely.

In Spain, Obama will meet the country's acting president.

Spaniards will go to the polls on June 26, the country's second general election in six months.

December 20 elections were inconclusive that put an end to Spain's traditional two-party system.

Spain has never had a coalition government and parties tried in vain since the polls to cobble together an alliance that had enough support to be able to pass a parliamentary vote of confidence.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has issued instructions to consider the application of personal sanctions against those who are violating the freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Crimea.

"In connection with the systemic and deliberate violations by the Russian occupying authorities of human rights for the freedom of expression and opinion in the occupied Crimea I ordered to address the issue of the use of personal sanctions against those involved in unlawful actions against media and journalists, and the violations of the law on the freedom of speech in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in Sevastopol," the head of state wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
President Obama on Thursday will make his first visit to the studio of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Thats two days after Tuesdays primaries in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. Obamas former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes to sew up the Democratic nomination in the race to replace him, so she can turn all her attention to defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Shes 26 delegates shy of the delegate count needed to secure that nom, but Bernie Sanders has vowed to lead his movement to the Dem convention next month.

Obama is expected to endorse Clinton this week  maybe speaking to some of Sanders followers via Fallons show, which is the most watched late-night show on U.S. television. Among younger viewers, adults 18-34, Fallon is averaging 400,000 viewers, best the 18-34 audience of his timeslot competitors Stephen Colbert on CBS (276,000), and Jimmy Kimmel on ABC (219,000).

Obama visited Jay Lenos Tonight Show three times, but has not been a guest on the show since Fallon took over as host. The president was Fallons guest when Fallon hosted NBCs Late Night, and did a special broadcast from the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill way back in April 2012. They slow-jammed the news. It went like this:

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State investigators claim they've had previous contact with Octavia Renee Rogers, the 29-year-old mother whose three young children were found dead inside a closet, authorities in Arizona tell PEOPLE.



A statement issued on Friday by the Arizona Department of Child Safety in conjunction with the Phoenix Police Department claims investigators couldn't track down Rogers in 2010 after receiving allegations concerning an abrasion someone noticed on her son's forehead.



A year later, the Department of Child Safety investigated an allegation of child neglect stemming from the smell of marijuana that was allegedly emanating from the family's home, DCS Director Gregory McKay explains in the statement.



At that time, Rogers mother was referred to family preservation services, but refused the services. However, the statement notes "there was no reason or legal grounds to take the children into emergency state care and the case was closed as unsubstantiated."



Earlier this year, DCS investigated Rogers over an allegation she delivered a baby that had been "exposed to marijuana," reads the statement.



"The investigator found the children to be safe and referred the mother for services," but she "did not participate." The statement claims "there was no reason or legal grounds to take the children into emergency state care" and "the case was substantiated and closed."



Police have identified the three deceased boys, who were found in a closet in their home, as Jaikare Rahaman, 8, Jeremiah Adams, 5, and Avery Robinson, who was 2 months.



Investigators found Avery's remains stuffed into a suitcase, according to court records.



"DCS will do all it can to assist the Phoenix Police Department in bringing [the case to the] appropriate resolution,"McKay said in the statement. "DCS will be conducting an internal review to ensure processes are employed to best protect children. We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and pray for the peace of the departed.



I ask all Arizonans to respect, support, and commend the dedicated men and women of DCS and Law Enforcement who do the unimaginable," McKay continued. "Who do, when no one else can or will. Who comfort the afflicted, protect the weak, and wipe the tears; who then go find a private place to shed their own."



Rogers remains hospitalized with self-inflicted stab wounds. Detectives haven't had a change to interview her because of her medical condition. She has not yet been charged with a crime.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



At around 2 a.m., police responded to a 911 call made by Rogers' brother, who claimed Rogers tried to lock him out of his own house before locking herself in a bathroom.



According to authorities, the brother arrived home from work and found Rogers in the garage talking about religion and how she "found the answer."



Rogers allegedly locked her brother out of the home. When he finally managed to get into home, he allegedly saw Rogers bleeding from several serious stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.



He told police while he was calling 911 that Rogers, who is believed to be pregnant, allegedly tried to drown herself in the bathroom.



Police arrived on the scene and treated Rogers for her wounds. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and is expected to make a full recovery.



While treating Rogers, police learned she had three sons. Officers entered the home and found the bodies of the 5-year-old and 8-year-old hidden in a bedroom closet, Crump said.



Upon further inspection, officers uncovered the body of the 2-month-old in a suitcase in the same bedroom closet. All three children had been stabbed multiple times, police report.
Members of Congress held a discussion Monday about a serial killer in Harford County -- heroin. Every Monday, the Harford County Sheriff's Office updates numbers on a big sign and others to reflect the increasing number of heroin overdoses and deaths. There have been 112 overdoses that they know of so far this year, 18 of which were fatal. The Sheriff's Office is setting up 2016 for another spike in statistics. As of Monday, the county has seen a 50 percent increase in overdose deaths compared to last year, and an 84 percent increase in nonfatal overdoses.
- World champion Carolina Marin on Monday pulled out of the Australian Open to better prepare for the Rio Olympics. "Back in Spain and I won't play in Australia! Recuperation and training. I will not play Australia Open! Sorry," Marin tweeted. The world-ranked No 1 added that she had suffered "some discomfort in Indonesia and we've come to Spain to recover and get ready for the most important thing: the Olympic Games. Thanks very much for all your support!" Marin, 22, suffered a shock defeat at the Indonesian Open over the weekend, knocked out by fourth seed Wang Yihan from China in their semi-final.

AFP
top hat thinking

College tuition is one of the biggest purchases many graduates will ever made  and it's costing them their "American Dream."

In fact, 78% of borrowers agree student debt has impacted their ability to save for retirement, 50% have been held back from buying a house, and 21% are struggling to start a family, according to a 2016 survey from EdAssist that examined the perspective of 1,000 Americans with student loans.

And it's not just Millennials who are dealing with this burden.

Sixty-five percent of Baby Boomers still carry debt for their own education and 78% say it affected their ability to save for retirement.

"You would think that far in your career, with that much tenure behind you, you'd have your student loan debt paid off," Chris Duchesne, vice president of client services and marketing at EdAssist, told Business Insider.

Clearly, that's not the case.

Worries of debt may have kept Americans from pursuing their dream jobs, forcing them to prioritize those that offer higher pay or better benefits  such as student-loan debt repayment programs  instead.

"When borrowers go for a higher-paying job in a field they don't care about, they might be less engaged and less likely to stay at the job," Duchesne told Business Insider. "A potential employer then misses out on the benefits of the competence, passion, energy, and expertise that drives the company."

To attract and retain talent, employers may have to start taking this financial burden into consideration.

"If you're an employer that demonstrates that you understand it, acknowledge it, and will do something about it, then you're really going to differentiate yourself from the marketplace," Duchesne told Business Insider.

With the current national debt at $1.3 trillion and growing every second, the issue of student debt does not seem like it will subside any time soon.

Story continues

"All these forces at play are pointing that this is going to be a continuing point of interest and a continuing point of pain for employees,"Duchesne told Business Insider.

NOW WATCH: These businesses profit off your laziness





More From Business Insider


Nairobi (AFP) - At least two protesters were shot dead in Kenya on Monday as anti-government rallies turned violent, with police opening fire to disperse demonstrators in the country's third biggest city, Kisumu.

Kenya's opposition CORD alliance has staged protests almost every Monday since April to demand a shake-up of the country's electoral commission ahead of presidential polls in August next year.

Protests took place in several towns but in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya, police opened fire before using tear gas and water cannon to quell the protests as news of the deaths spread.

Another 61 people were injured in the clashes, 20 of whom were hospitalised with wounds from bullets or sharp objects, doctor Ojwang Lusi, chief health officer in Kisumu county, told AFP.

A bullet wound was visible on one corpse, laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters who said he was hit by police fire.

Protesters blocked a road with the other body as they clashed with police.

"We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights, this man has been shot dead while protesting," said protester Michael Omondi.

Police chief Joseph Boinnet said the shootings were "under investigation."

- Looting -

Witnesses said one of the wounded was a five-year-old child.

Word of the shootings fuelled heavy clashes in the centre of Kisumu and the working class district of Kondele. There were widespread scenes of looting and two supermarkets were destroyed.

At least three people died in similar protests in two towns in western Kenya on May 23, two of them when anti-riot police opened fire in Siaya. According to police, a third person died when they fell as they were fleeing tear gas in Kisumu.

"Last time they shot someone dead and claimed he suffered injuries as he was falling down," said Kisumu resident Charles Otieno.

"What will they say today after the death of this man because he was clearly shot?" he added.

Story continues

The CORD protests began in April to force a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the 2017 presidential poll.

The protests were suspended last week to allow for talks with the government but resumed on Monday.

- Lethal force -

Nairobi's police chief Japheth Koome warned at the weekend that police were prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

"No demonstration. That's the message. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. It will not be allowed," Koome told the BBC.

"Please, if you value your life, don't attempt it that way. You will be dealt with firmly."

But the High Court early Monday ruled that the protest was legal.

Soon after the ruling, demonstrators gathered at Nairobi's central Uhuru, or Freedom, Park and started marching towards the office of the national electoral commission.

CORD leader Raila Odinga, who has blamed the commission for his defeat in 2013's presidential election by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta, led the march to the commission's office.

"We need to talk and we are hoping they will listen to us and agree to dialogue," Odinga told his supporters. "If not, next week we shall do double the protests."

Next year's election is shaping up as a replay of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga again aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence.

More than 1,100 people were killed in 2007 after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.
On Sunday, Dan Turner, the father of former Stanford University student Brock Turner, penned a letter defending his son, who was found guilty of raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Turner addressed the statement to the judge presiding over Brock's case, asking that he look kindly on his son with regards to sentencing  prison, he wrote, would be a "steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life."

Journalist Lauren Duca called it like she saw it: "RAPE CULTURE," she wrote on Twitter, "Brock Turner's dad is sad he only got '20 minutes of action' & doesn't even like eating steaks anymore."

Now, @AlexandraOzeri, in what is to date her one and only tweet, joined the Twitter conversation to take a stab at the rape culture inherent to Turner's letter, adding some necessary context. She tweeted a screenshot of her handiwork with the caption, "Here, I fixed his letter (changes in bold)..."

Source: @AlexandraOzeri/Twitter

Ozeri first takes on some back-breaking euphemisms: "the events," becomes "raping an unconscious woman;" the "anxiety, fear and depression" Turner says his son was consumed with becomes "not taking responsibility for the rape he committed."

All of the details on Brock's history as a good student, a positive "contributor to society" and his lack of prior criminal history is put in perspective. "Bringing up the fact that this was only his first rape is like bringing up that it's somebody's first murder or terrorist attack, so it's still a crime," Ozeri writes. The other points on Brock's swimming career and lost potential are "cute details" that "don't have anything to do with the rape he committed," according to Ozeri.

And her repeated reminder: Any punishment that befalls Brock (for example, the extremely brief six-month jail sentence the court allowed him because any more time would "severely impact" his well being) is his own fault. After all, says Ozeri, "he screwed his own life and many other lives by raping someone."

Any questions?
By Sarah McBride

SAN FRANCISCO, June 6 (Reuters) - A whistleblower lawsuit filed against Oracle Corp over its accounting practices underscores the pressures established computer companies face to show that they are growing in the fast-moving business known as the cloud.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco by former Oracle senior finance manager Svetlana Blackburn, also revives longstanding questions about proper accounting when software and computer services are bought on a subscription basis rather than as a single package, analysts said.

Those questions are becoming more urgent as companies including Oracle, IBM, Microsoft and SAP race to transform their businesses for an era in which customers no longer own and operate their own information technology systems and instead lease computing services and software from cloud vendors using vast data centers.

Blackburn's lawsuit accuses Oracle management of pushing her to "fit square data into round holes" to make Oracle's cloud services' results look better. She alleges that her bosses instructed her to add millions of dollars of accruals for expected business "with no concrete or foreseeable billing to support the numbers."

"We are confident that all our cloud accounting is proper and correct," an Oracle spokeswoman said on Thursday, adding that Blackburn worked at Oracle for less than a year and was terminated for poor performance.

Blackburn does not use the word "fraud" in her lawsuit, and analysts say outright fraud is unlikely.

Nevertheless, the situation poses risks, said Pat Walravens, an analyst at JMP Securities, partly because Oracle's sales force has been offered big incentives to book cloud deals. An Oracle spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incentives.

Oracle shares fell almost 4 percent the day after the lawsuit was made public.

Accounting for cloud software "can get very complex and requires judgment calls and estimates which a third party might disagree with upon further review," Walravens added.

Story continues

Because cloud software is growing fast while traditional software sales slow, companies have an incentive to play up their prowess in the cloud.

In quarterly reporting, many companies have begun to break out some measure of cloud revenue, including Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and Amazon.

Accountants and analysts say that classifying software sales as cloud or traditional remains something of an art.

"There's some subjectivity in 'is it cloud, is it traditional software?," said Steve Biskie, an auditor and co-founder of compliance consultancy High Water Advisors.

Like others, he said the most nebulous part of cloud accounting concerns situations where the customer buys a product that can be used partly in the cloud, and partly on its own hardware.

U.S accounting rules state that in cases when use is mixed, companies should allocate the revenue between traditional, or licensed software; and cloud, or hosted software.

"Determining the fair value of the software license and hosting service may require the use of estimates," the rules say. "Management should consider all relevant information, such as information from the negotiation process with the vendor, in estimating the fair value of the license."

There lies the gray area, says Enterprise Strategy Group analyst Dan Conde, and the point on which the Oracle lawsuit might hinge.

"They can't tell how much I use my own hardware," he said. "Am I a casual user, or writing a lot on a computer? It then requires some guesswork there."

Software accounting issues have dogged companies for years, particularly subscription-software businesses. Three years ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigated IBM over how it reports its cloud-computing revenue, an investigation that ended in 2014 with no enforcement action.

Five years ago, Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler took cloud-software company Salesforce.com Inc to task for financial practices such as how it accounts for sales commissions.

An SEC inquiry over a similar issue, which ultimately led to the company restating its 2002 and 2003 results, contributed to a delay in Salesforce.com's 2004 initial public offering.

In 2006, software maker Computer Associates had to restate past financial results after an internal audit found issues concerning stock options and how the company booked some subscription revenue.

Its former chief executive, Sanjay Kumar, pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 2006 and was sentenced to 12 years in jail.

(Reporting by Sarah McBride; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Bill Rigby)
Donald Trump

Donald Trump advised prominent campaign surrogates to go after journalists who ask questions about a Trump University lawsuit and encouraged them to defend him against criticism of his comments about the US district judge presiding over the case.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has taken heat over his questioning of US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel's ability to handle two fraud lawsuits involving the for-profit real-estate school.

The billionaire real-estate mogul has said that the Indiana-born Curiel's ethnic background creates an "inherent conflict of interest" because Trump has promised to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and deport immigrants who are in the country illegally.

His campaign reportedly issued a memo last week telling surrogates who are asked about the case and Trump's comments on Curiel that "the best possible response is 'the case will be tried in the courtroom in front of a jury  not in the media.'"

But Trump slammed that strategy during a private conference call with supporters on Monday, Bloomberg reported, citing two unnamed sources who shared their notes from the call.

When former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer brought up the memo during the call, Trump reportedly said, "Take that order and throw it the hell out."

Trump said that he didn't know the staffer who sent the memo and asked how the campaign could defend itself against criticism if supporters weren't allowed to talk about Curiel and Trump University in the media.

"Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks?" Trump said, according to Bloomberg. "That's one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that aren't so smart."

Trump also reportedly told his supporters to attack journalists who inquire about Curiel and the lawsuit. He's been beset by accusations of racism in recent days because he has questioned whether Curiel's ethnicity disqualifies him from handling the Trump University cases.

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Trump reportedly advised going after journalists and suggested that they were the racially influenced party for questioning his comments about Curiel, according to Bloomberg.

NOW WATCH: GINGRICH: 'This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made'





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The first International GRAIN UKRAINE conference will take place in Odessa on the 23-24th of June, with the support of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Governor of Odessa Region Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili. The organizer of the event is TIS Group of Terminals, the head of the organizational committee is Mr. Andrey Stavnitser. The main grain event of this summer GRAIN UKRAINE 2016 is a completely new format of the conference, as well as the main summer platform for a dialogue between the biggest representatives of agricultural market. The new format is provided by international speakers, who have never taken a stage in Ukraine before, and also by a series of private events for informal communication. International TOP-speakers, "stars" of world's agribusiness will exclusively take place in the annual GRAIN UKRAINE conference. Each of the represented speakers of the conference is a leading specialist in his particular sector of agricultural market. "I wish that all key players of Ukraine's agribusiness would gather in Odessa on an annual basis, opening new perspectives of business development for themselves. Grain conference GRAIN UKRAINE will become at the same time a seminar and a practicum, where all the invited speakers are exceptional specialists from all over the world, whose experience, I am sure, will become really useful for us" - the Head of the organizational committee, CEO of "TIS Group of Terminals" Andrey Stavnitser has noted. The program of the conference will reveal a series of important and topical questions, a number of which will touch upon such topics as: The main factors influencing the prices of the world agricultural production in 2016, World agribusiness: a look into the future. What Ukraine needs to do for a success in the nearest 7-10 years, The shifting trade flows in global grain and oilseed markets and how to adapt your risk management to fit new realities", "Grain market of Iran: perspectives of import, taking into consideration all the financial conditions. As well as: The market of North Africa and Middle East: the current situation and perspectives for development and The latest tendencies and events in settling of international grain disputes and many others. GRAIN UKRAINE 2016 is knowledge, business, and informal communication. And speaking about knowledge, best speakers from all over the world are responsible for this part. Here are only some of them: - Dave Hightower (USA)  President at The Hightower Report; co-founder of Chicago Hedge Partners; more than 25 years of experience in hedge management and consulting for numerous food companies of the USA, grain producers, as well as international governments; - Diego Lerini (Argentina) - Origination Manager at Molinos Rio de la Plata; Former Vice President of the Argentinean National Sunflower Association; - Andrei Agapi (Great Britain) - Andrei Agapi - Team Leader: Europe and Black Sea Grains  S&P Global Platts; a specialist in market analysis of clean-tech agriculture companies in Europe; holds a master degree in finance from Toulouse Business School, France; - Cleber Vieira (Brazil) - Partner and Project manager, Agroconsult; Masters degree in Biotechnology from UNESP Chemistry Institute; Specialist in Marketing from the Getulio Vargas Foundation; - Hesham Soliman (Egypt)  President at Mediterranean Star For Trading; great experience in trading, purchasing, procurement and logistics in different countries and with different companies; - Guo Jia Hua (China) - Director and General Manager of Donlinks International Investment Co.; 25 years of experience in trading in China: import and export of agri-commodities to and from China, project development, distribution of feed raw materials in China. One can talk about the achievements of GRAIN UKRAINE 2016's speakers endlessly, but only having heard the reports at the conference and having met the speakers in person, it will become possible to appreciate the new level of conferences, the beginning to which will be put on the 23-24th of June in Odessa. One of the ultimate tasks of GRAIN UKRAINE 2016 is to provide the participants with unlimited possibilities for comfort business-communication. Coffee-breaks and lunches at the terrace with the view of the city, brunch, an exclusive party from our Italian partners are waiting for the guests of the conference. And with the finishing of the conference on the 25th of June the participants will attend the concert of Okean Elzy, staying in the VIP-sector of GRAIN UKRAINE 2016. "The necessity of creating a new forum is motivated, in the first place, by a leading position of Ukraine on the agrarian map of the world, and also by the quality of operation of such events in Ukraine. Its time to finish off with the boring conferences, where everyone falls asleep. GRAIN UKRAINE is a conference, where it will be equally interesting both to listen to the reports and to communicate in person  of which Andrey Stavnitser is sure about. Mikhail Saakashvili about GRAIN UKRAINE 2016: I am sure that Odessa region will become a great place for holding meetings of agribusinesss representatives. Speaking about GRAIN UKRAINE 2016, you can state without a doubt  ALL AGRICULTURAL MARKET WILLL BE HERE!GRAIN UKRAINE 2016 INTERNATIONAL GRAIN CONFERENCE Odessa, conference-hall "Sady Pobedy" cell. +38 067 975 94 33 info@grain-ukraine.com www.grain-ukraine.com The Interfax-Ukraine news agency is the General information partner of the Event
By Eric M. Johnson

(Reuters) - A Union Pacific train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames along Oregon's scenic Columbia River gorge on Friday in the first major rail accident involving crude in a year.

While no injuries were reported, the train remained engulfed in flames six hours after the derailment, officials said. The accident has already renewed calls for stronger regulation to guard communities against crude-by-rail accidents.

Union Pacific Corp, owner of the line, said 11 rail cars from a 96-car train carrying crude oil derailed about 70 miles (110 km) east of Portland, near the tiny town of Mosier.

Oil spilled from one car, but multiple cars of Bakken crude caught fire, said Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Fuller. Firefighters were still fighting the flames several hours later.

The crude was bought by TrailStone Inc's U.S. Oil & Refining Co and bound for its refinery in Tacoma, Washington, some 200 miles (322 km) northwest of the derailment, the company said.

Television footage showed smoke and flames along with overturned black tanker cars snaking across the tracks, which weave through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

"I looked outside and there was black and white smoke blowing across the sky, and I could hear the flames," said Mosier resident Dan Hoffman, 32, whose house is about 100 meters (328 ft) from the derailment. "A sheriff's official in an SUV told me to get the hell out."

While rail shipments have dipped from more than 1 million barrels per day in 2014 as a result of the lengthy slump in oil prices, the first such crash in a year will likely reignite the debate over safety concerns surrounding transporting crude by rail.

"Seeing our beautiful Columbia River Gorge on fire today should be a wake-up call for federal and state agencies  underscoring the need to complete comprehensive environmental reviews of oil-by-rail in the Pacific Northwest," said U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.

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Ecology officials from Washington state said there was no sign of oil in the Columbia River or Rock Creek.

SAFETY MEASURES DELAYED

Since 2008, there have been at least 10 major oil-train derailments across the United States and Canada, including a disaster that killed 47 people in a Quebec town in July 2013.

The incident comes eight months after lawmakers extended a deadline until the end of 2018 for rail operators to implement advanced safety technology, known as positive train control, or PTC, which safety experts say can avoid derailments and other major accidents.

The measures included phasing out older tank cars, adding electronic braking systems and imposing speed limits, all meant to reduce the frequency and severity of oil train crashes.

The tank cars involved in Friday's crash were CPC-1232 models, which elected officials have raised concerns about in the past even though they are an upgrade from older models considered less safe. On Friday, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon repeated his call from last year for federal officials to look into whether the newer cars were safe enough.

"It's clear with this crash - as it has been for years - that more must be done to protect our communities," Wyden said.

Rail operators such as Union Pacific are required under federal law to disclose crude rail movements to state officials to help prepare for emergencies. The rule was put in place after a string of fiery derailments.

EVACUATIONS

Union Pacific hazardous materials workers responded to the scene along with contractors packing firefighting foam and a boom for oil spill containment.

In its latest disclosure with the state, Union Pacific said it moved light volumes of Bakken crude oil along its state network, which includes the Oregon line. In March, it transported six unit trains, which generally carry about 75,000 barrels each.

As emergency responders descended on the crash site, Interstate 84 was closed and residents were ordered to leave the area.

Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of the Columbia Riverkeeper advocacy group, said the crash should raise concerns about Tesoro Corp's proposed 360,000 barrels-per-day railport in Vancouver, Washington, which would be the country's largest.

"We are very concerned about additional oil trains passing through our community because of their safety record, the risk of fires, of explosions, the risks of spills," he said.

(Reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Jarrett Renshaw, Devika Krishna Kumar, and Catherine Ngai in New York, Erwin Seba in Houston, Curtis Skinner in San Francisco and Eric M. Johnson in Calgary, Alberta; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Leslie Adler and Tom Hogue)
Get ready to scream at this odious decision of the Department of Justice.

Sharon Helman, the former head of the Veterans Affairs office in Phoenix, where unacceptable wait times and false recordkeeping were common, and where 40 military vets died while waiting for treatment, was removed from her job after the Veterans Choice Act was passed.

A key provision of that act allowed for incompetent and indifferent executives whose inaction allowed veterans to die to be more easily fired, House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy said. She was fired for a variety of reasons last November after an 18-month suspension during which she continued to collect her $169,000 salary and bonuses. She is now suing the federal government to get her job back.

Sharon Helman

In addition to her incompetent and egregious management of the Phoenix VA, Helman pleaded guilty last February to filing a false financial disclosure that failed to list more than $50,000 in gifts from a lobbyista former VA employee whose consulting firm did contractual work for the VA in Phoenix.

A report in Phoenix New Times explained:

She hid the substantial gifts she received from the lobbyist in her official financial-disclosure reports to the government, according to the Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office. The office released a statement describing how Helman actually had received gifts worth more than $19,300 that year from the lobbyist. The gifts included an automobile, a check for $5,000, concert tickets, and two round-trip airline tickets, a statement from the office says. She filed a false report in 2012 that failed to note $2,000 in gifts. And in 2014, she took gifts valued at more than $27,700.

For that crime alone she could have been sentenced to 5 years in prison. But she got a slap on the wrist and probationno prison time.

If that doesnt raise questions about the justice system, this will: Loretta Lynchs Department of Justice is ignoring the bi-partisan legislation that was passed with President Obamas blessing in 2014, which clearly states in a provision that chief administrative judge rulings are "final and shall not be subject to any further appeal."

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Still, Lynch thinks key parts of the law is unconstitutional and could jeopardize other incompetent public servants. In a statement to Kevin McCarthy, which was obtained by CNN, Lynch wrote, "I note that the scope of this decision is narrow. Although the Department of Justice has decided not to defend (VA reform law) against the Appointments Clause challenge in this case, the department will continue to defend the vast bulk of the statute."

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The landmark Paris Ritz hotel will re-open its palatial doors to guests Monday after nearly four years of renovations and a major fire.

The classically styled hotel, owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, has undergone a top-to-bottom overhaul after promising a "legend to be reborn" when it closed for the works in 2012.

The Ritz, situated on the swanky Place Vendome, will only have 142 rooms and suites, compared to 159 previously, but not all of them will be immediately available as final touches are still taking place.

The hotel was supposed to have re-opened in March but a fire ravaged a section of the building in January, delaying the plans.

The hotel founded by Swiss entrepreneur Cesar Ritz in 1898 is storied as the lodging of choice of Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway, who has a small bar named after him.

"When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz," Hemingway once said of the hotel that inspired the word "ritzy".

The American writer famously rallied a group of Resistance fighters to go and liberate his beloved hotel which had been requisitioned in June 1940 by the Nazis and occupied by German brass including on occasions Hermann Goering and Joseph Goebbels.

However he was too late as the Nazis had already left, so he took to the bar where he is said to have run up a tab for 51 dry Martinis.

In more recent history however, the Ritz has become known as the place where Britain's Princess Diana spent her last hours before a car accident in a tunnel in the French capital while being pursued by paparazzi.

The refurbishment of the hotel, estimated at 140 million euros ($150 million) in 2012, was aimed at sprucing up the ageing hotel to cater to the tastes of its mega-rich clientele.

It now boasts a summer restaurant under a movable glass canopy, a larger ballroom and the latest technology in its rooms.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. (PESI), today announced that it will be presenting at the 6th annual LD Micro Invitational on Tuesday, June 7 at 3:30 PM PT. Ben Naccarato, Chief Financial Officer of Perma-fix Environmental Services will be giving the presentation and meeting with investors.

The conference will be held at the Luxe Sunset Bel Air Hotel and will feature 195 companies in the small / micro-cap space.

View Perma-Fix Environmental Services' profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/pesi.

Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of Accesswire

About Perma-Fix Environmental Services

Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. is a nuclear services company and leading provider of nuclear and mixed waste management services. The Company's nuclear waste services include management and treatment of radioactive and mixed waste for hospitals, research labs and institutions, federal agencies, including the Department of Energy ("DOE"), the Department of Defense ("DOD"), and the commercial nuclear industry. The Company's nuclear services group provides project management, waste management, environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, new build construction, and radiological protection, safety and industrial hygiene capability to our clients. The Company operates four nuclear waste treatment facilities and provides nuclear services at DOE, DOD, and commercial facilities, nationwide.

Through Perma-Fix Medical S.A., our majority-owned Polish subsidiary, we are developing a new process to produce Tc-99m, a widely used medical isotope in the world.

Please visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.perma-fix.com.

About LD Micro

LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).

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In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.

For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.

Contacts:

David K. Waldman-US Investor Relations

Crescendo Communications, LLC

(212) 671-1021

Herbert Strauss-European Investor Relations

herbert@eu-ir.com

+43 316 296 316

SOURCE: Perma- Fix Environmental Services via LD Micro
By Paul Kilby

NEW YORK, June 6 (IFR) - Peruvian debt inched tighter on Monday in a somewhat muted response to market-favorite Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's surprise lead in the country's presidential election.

Spreads on Peru's five-year credit default swaps were about 6bp tighter at 144bp, while the sovereign's dollar bonds, which trade at very high dollar prices, were about 1/8 of a point higher, according to a New York-based trader.

The outperformer was Peru's euro-denominated 2026, which climbed about 3/4 of point to hit 104.25-105.00.

"I would have expected a bigger gap tighter, but either candidate would have been a market friendly outcome so some of that had already been discounted," said the trader, who thought CDS would eventually return to its March tights of around 133bp.

Kuczynski, popularly known as PPK, had been trailing in the polls behind Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori.

But partial results Monday showed him eking out a one percentage point lead, setting him on course to take the presidency later this year.

While both candidates espoused market friendly policies, Kuczynski - a former banker and investor - had been Wall Street's preferred choice.

"The initial reaction should be very supportive," said Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America debt strategy at Nomura.

"It reaffirms Peru's safe-haven status. It should be a natural rotation trade out of Mexico."

A Kuczynski presidency would face some challenges, however, given that Fujimori's party still holds a solid majority in Congress.

"This may impose constraints in terms of governability," said Morden.

(Reporting by Paul Kilby; Editng by Marc Carnegie)
By Mitra Taj and Ursula Scollo LIMA (Reuters) - The future of Peru's presidency hung in the balance as former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held a razor-thin lead in Sunday's election over Keiko Fujimori, daughter of an imprisoned authoritarian leader. With 94 percent of votes processed by late Monday, Kuczynski's lead over Fujimori narrowed to 0.56 percent in one of the Andean country's tightest elections ever. Officials suggested it might take a few days to call a winner. Ballots from far-flung provinces and the Peruvian diaspora were still outstanding, said Mariano Cucho, the head of the electoral office ONPE. "Tomorrow we'll be announcing a new update," said Cucho. Some ballots were also being challenged and will be reviewed by electoral authorities, with an appeals process taking up to a week. While disputes over ballots are typical in Peru, where voting is mandatory and volunteer observers can lodge complaints, they have not played a significant role in recent presidential elections that ended with candidates conceding defeat before a full vote count is complete. Cucho said earlier on Monday, when about 90 percent of votes had been processed, that 1.5 percent were being disputed. Renate Weber, head of the European Union's observation mission, said voting had been "calm and orderly" with no signs of fraud. Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former prime minister and World Bank economist, portrayed himself as an honest and experienced leader who would clean up corruption, ensure every town in Peru has piped water and revive economic growth that has slowed on weaker prices for Peru's mineral exports. Fujimori, the 41-year-old daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, has promised to take an iron-fist approach to crime, the top voter concern, while ramping up spending on scores of infrastructure projects from reservoirs to roads. Fujimori had long been the favourite to win the election, but Kuczynski caught up with her in the final days of the campaign as Peruvians weighed the legacy of her father and scandals involving her close advisers. (Additional reporting by Marco Aquino, Caroline Stauffer and Teresa Cespedes; Editing by Alistair Bell and Mary Milliken)
By Ursula Scollo and Mitra Taj LIMA (Reuters) - Center-right economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had a slight lead over Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of an imprisoned former president, as early results came in from Peru's presidential election on Sunday. The 77-year-old Kuczynski had 50.59 percent support while Fujimori had 49.41 percent with about 52 percent of votes counted. Earlier, polling firm Ipsos said its quick count of a sample of votes gave Kuczynski, known in Peru as PPK, about 50.5 percent and Fujimori 49.5 percent, a technical tie. Another pollster, GfK, gave Kuczynski 50.8 percent of votes to Fujimori's 49.2 percent. "The most likely scenario is that PPK wins the election and becomes the next president of Peru," said Alfredo Torres, an analyst with Ipsos, although he cautioned it was too early to call the election because it was so close. Kuczynski, a former prime minister and investment banker, portrayed himself as an honest and experienced leader and has promised to clean up corruption and revive sluggish economic growth. "We take this preliminary verdict with optimism, but with modesty," a grinning Kuczynski told cheering supporters from a balcony at his Lima campaign headquarters. He told the crowd to be vigilant until the final official results were announced. Fujimori, 41, a former congresswoman, had a big lead in the first round of voting in April and was ahead in most opinion polls a week ago. But her lead melted away in the final days of campaigning in Peru's fourth democratic election since the end of her father Alberto Fujimori's decade-long rule in 2000. Fujimori, who narrowly lost her first presidential bid against left-leaning Ollanta Humala in 2011, said in an upbeat speech on Sunday evening that rural votes from "deep Peru" still needed to be counted. "This is a tight vote without a doubt ... what we're seeing is the vitality of democracy in our country, and that fills me with pride," Fujimori said in front of her orange-clad supporters at her campaign headquarters in Lima. Seeking to be the South American country's first female president, she has spent the past five years trying to broaden her appeal beyond loyalists to her controversial father. Alberto Fujimori was credited with defeating violent Shining Path guerrillas and building schools and hospitals in rural areas but his authoritarian style divided Peru and he is serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and human rights abuses. 'BETTER OFF' In this year's campaign, Keiko Fujimori ousted her father's staunchest defenders from her party's congressional ticket and stepped up campaigning in provinces she lost to Humala. Still, many voters remained wary after scandals linked her new associates to money laundering and drug trafficking. Fujimori has defended her team and said her party was the victim of a smear campaign. "Peru will be much better off with PPK. I'm very proud that Peru remembered what happened years ago. I have family members who had to leave the country because of Fujimori," said Alexandra Gamarra, a 25-year-old student who celebrated the early results at Kuczynski's campaign headquarters. If he wins, Kuczynski will have to reckon with a solid majority of Fujimori's party in Congress and a leftist party that has promised not to align with either of them. While both candidates are fiscal conservatives who would maintain a free-market model in the resource-rich Andean economy, their styles and approaches differ widely. The campaign pitted the Fujimori family's brand of conservative populism against Kuczynski's elite background and stiff technocratic style, which has curbed his appeal in poor provinces and working-class districts. Fujimori repeatedly promised to respect democratic institutions and waged a more energetic campaign than her rival, performing regional dances in far-flung villages where she promised to deliver tractors and portrayed her rival as out of touch with struggling Peruvians. (Additional reporting by Marco Aquino and Ursula Scollo; Writing by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Peter Cooney and Kieran Murray)
By Amy Tennery (Reuters) - A petition calling to remove from the bench the judge whose sentencing in a high-profile Stanford University rape case has sparked outrage had attracted close to 100,000 signatures by Monday. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky last week sentenced former Stanford student Brock Turner to six months in county jail for the sexual assault of an unconscious and intoxicated woman in January 2015. Opponents have accused Persky of being too lenient on Turner. Persky also attended Stanford, according to a biography of provided by the League of Women Voters. A petition calling for his removal from office posted on the Change.org website on Saturday attracted over 95,000 signatures by Monday evening. Maria Ruiz, a Miami nurse who authored the petition, said she was "outraged" when she heard about Turner's sentence. "Honestly, I was terribly upset," Ruiz told Reuters. "As soon as I heard about it I jumped on the computer and I was like, I have to do something." The Change.org post encourages people to file complaints with California's Commission on Judicial Performance. The agency declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of complaints. Ruiz listed 45 different recipients in the petition, including U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Neither senator immediately responded to a request for comment. Numerous attempts to contact Persky went unanswered. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said on Monday he did not believe Persky should be recalled from office. "While I strongly disagree with the sentence that Judge Persky issued in the Brock Turner case, I do not believe he should be removed from his judgeship," Rosen said in a statement. A day after the sentencing, BuzzFeed published a letter that the unidentified victim had read during Turner's sentencing. "You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today," she writes. "My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition." The letter has been viewed over 5.7 million times, according to BuzzFeed, and generated an outpouring of sympathy on social media. In contrast, a letter reported by several media outlets over the weekend that Turner's father, Dan Turner, purportedly filed to the court prior to sentencing drew jeers online. While the lengthy letter by Dan Turner talked about his son's "true remorse," critics seized on other parts of his remarks. "Brock always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook himself," Dan Turner wrote. "Now he barely consumes any food." Some social media users mocked the letter's tone. "Brock Turner's dad says his son shouldn't go to jail for '20 min of action,'" Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffee), a contributing writer at Politico Magazine and a columnist at Foreign Policy, wrote on Twitter . "And the poor boy's appetite is gone." (Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Leslie Adler)
ZHENGZHOU, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 14 others injured in a passenger-bus and truck collision in central China's Henan Province Saturday afternoon, police said Sunday.

A 19-seat bus, carrying 16 people, collided with a freight truck on a section of a highway in Baofeng County. One person on the bus died at the scene. Fifteen of the bus' passengers and two from the truck were injured and sent to hospital, according to the county public security bureau.

Three of the injured died at the hospital. Three people remain in a critical condition.

The investigation continues.
MANILA (Reuters) - Around two dozen Philippine metallic mines have repeatedly breached environmental rules and been identified in a list to be submitted to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, the industry regulator said on Monday. "Of the 44 metallic mines operating, we can say that half of them have repeatedly been warned to undertake environmental protection measures to be considered compliant with the law," Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) Director Leo Jasareno said in a radio interview. Violations involve hazardous operations that expose mine workers, communities and the environment to fumes, dusts and mine wastes. Jasareno said some violators had been slapped with suspension orders. Jasareno's comments followed Duterte's call on Saturday for mining companies to "shape up" and stop destroying the environment. Duterte signaled he would prefer ownership of mining assets to be left to local investors and may push to rewrite rules to limit environmental degradation in the sector. The Philippines has some of the largest untapped mineral resources in the world but opposition from the Catholic Church, a strong anti-mining lobby led by environmental activists, an insurgency and corruption, have stalled many projects. Among the projects that could not take off is the gold-copper Tampakan mine in the southern Mindanao island discovered in 1991. Tampakan is now in the hands of a group of Filipino investors after Swiss giant Glencore quit in 2015, with the venture halted by a ban on open-pit mining. Development cost for Tampakan was previously estimated to reach $5.9 billion. Jasareno said he had prepared a "transition report" discussing the state of the mining industry, which was ready for submission to the next secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Duterte, who assumes office on June 30, has named nearly all his cabinet members last week but has yet to appoint a new minister that will oversee the country's mining sector. Jasareno said his report identifies frequent violators as well as responsible miners, but declined to publicly name those that breached environmental rules. He said Duterte's strong stance against irresponsible mining -- he has mentioned miners in the southern Surigao province, home to many of the country's 27 nickel mines -- will help the agency enforce environmental regulations. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Michael Perry)
UN rights experts on Monday urged the Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to stop instigating deadly violence, especially against journalists, slamming his comments as dangerously irresponsible.

UN expert on summary executions Christof Heyns described recent remarks by Duterte as "irresponsible in the extreme, and unbecoming of any leader."

Duterte, 71, who won the presidential eection last month, on Saturday urged the public to join his ruthless anti-crime campaign, offering people huge bounties for killing drug dealers.

He also last week said there was justification for killing journalists who took bribes or engaged in other corrupt activities, touching off fears this could incite more murders of media workers.

"A message of this nature amounts to incitement to violence and killing, in a nation already ranked as the second-deadliest country for journalists," Heyns warned in a statement.

One hundred and seventy-four journalists have been murdered in the Philippines since a chaotic and corruption-plagued democracy replaced the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago.

The UN independent expert on freedom of expression, David Kaye, also voiced alarm Monday at Duterte's comments.

"Justifying the killing of journalists on the basis of how they conduct their professional activities can be understood as a permissive signal to potential killers that the murder of journalists is acceptable in certain circumstances and would not be punished," he said in the statement.

"This position is even more disturbing when one considers that the Philippines is still struggling to ensure accountability to notorious cases of violence against journalists," he said.

He pointed especially to the massacre in the conflict-wracked southern province of Maguindanao in November 2009, in which the son of a political warlord and his bodyguards gunned down 58 people, including 32 journalists -- making it one of the world's deadliest attacks on media workers.

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Kaye also slammed Duterte's warning to journalists that he could not guarantee their safety "if you disrespect a person".

"Such provocative messages indicate to any person who is displeased by the work of a journalist or an activist, for example, that they can attack or kill them without fear of sanction," he said.

Duterte may not take the experts' concerns to heart: Last week he launched a seemingly unprovoked profanity-laced attack on the UN, after facing criticism from foreign and local medial groups.
Remington Steele is plotting his return to television.

Pierce Brosnan, who played the aforementioned con man from 1982 to 1987, will star in AMCs upcoming drama The Son, a multi-generational epic tale of the story of Americas birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas family, our sister site Deadline reports.

RELATEDFeed the Beast Premiere: Did David Schwimmers AMC Drama Satisfy?

Brosnans character  Eli, the head of the McCullough family, who would come to be known as the First Son of Texas  was originally awarded to Sam Neill, but the Jurassic Park actor chose to vacate the role for personal reasons.

The series, which was ordered straight to series for 10 episodes, begins production in Austin later this month; its slated to premiere sometime in 2017.

Are you excited to see Brosnan back on TV? Drop a comment with your thoughts on The Son below.

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Premium consumer goods company Pilgrims Pride Corporation PPC has gained a state approval for an expansion project at its Mayfield, KY-based poultry processing complex. The project would further solidify the companys presence in Kentucky.



Work on the project is scheduled to commence from Oct 12, 2016. The $24 million project involves the relocation or removal of the conventional processing equipment and installation of new ones. This upgrade will to enable the facility to start debone portioning operation by Jul 2017.



Further, the expansion project will facilitate the processing of larger birds and in turn, better serve its customers. The facility is estimated to witness an increase of roughly 1 million pounds every week in live weight production once the project is completed. Also, the transformed facility would create as many as 155 new employment opportunities and would even make way for construction of 75 new chicken houses by local family farms.

Pilgrim's Pride enjoys a high brand value in the market. The company operates various chicken-processing plants and owns a number of food facilities in Mexico and Puerto Rico. With a vast international network, the company employs more than 35000 people around the world. The new $24 million expansion plan is part of the companys $190 million strategic capital investment program to upgrade the quality of overall operational functions. It would help Pilgrim's Prides customers to tap new growth opportunities, which will help them to augment sales and widen their businesses.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Pilgrim's Pride presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks within the industry include Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN, Capella Education Co. CPLA and Carter's, Inc. CRI. All the three stocks presently hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



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GENEVA (Reuters) - Switzerland promised on Monday to work with Indian authorities to tackle tax dodgers who stash money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid Indian taxes.

(Click http://in.reuters.com/news/picture/pm-modi-on-five-nation-tour?articleId=INRTSG7FG for pictures.)

After talks in Geneva with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann and round-table discussions with Swiss businessmen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries had agreed to make combatting tax evasion and "black money" a shared priority.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect," he said, referring to a portal supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Modi promised in his 2014 election campaign to recover billions of dollars sent to tax havens abroad to avoid income tax, now about 30 percent in India.

Schneider-Ammann said no figure had been put on the amount of "black money" to be recovered. Talks would begin later this month, he said.

Modi said Switzerland had also agreed to support its bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which it applied to join last month, having won a waiver in 2008 that accorded it the right to trade in commercial nuclear technology.

New Delhi's bid for full membership of the 48-nation club, if granted, would tip the balance of power in South Asia against its arch-rival Pakistan, whose own application has been backed by China despite questions over its proliferation record.

Modi tacked on Switzerland and Mexico as extra stops on a five-country tour to seek their support on joining the NSG. He left Switzerland for Washington, where U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to offer his backing also.

Both Switzerland and Mexico have been viewed as sceptical about India's bid for nuclear legitimacy. They are among countries concerned that India has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a step that would require New Delhi to give up its nuclear arsenal.

The nuclear club holds its annual meeting later this month.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Additonal reporting by Douglas Busvine in New Delhi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
London (AFP) - The pound fell on Monday after a boost for Brexit backers in Britain's EU referendum put the polls back to neck-and-neck, as divisions in David Cameron's Conservative Party turned increasingly bitter.

Trade unions representing six million workers also urged their members to vote to stay in the European Union, warning that an EU exit under a Conservative government would threaten workers' rights.

Prime Minister Cameron took part in a cross-party event with political opponents Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens to accuse "Leave" supporters of "perpetuating an economic con-trick on the British people".

"While they peddle fantasy politics, in the real world our economy is slowing because of the huge uncertainty hanging over Britain's economic future," Cameron said at the "Britain Stronger In" event in south London.

The broadside came after former London mayor Boris Johnson, a leader of the "Leave" campaign who is seen as the most likely successor to Cameron, warned Britain would have to pay more for membership of the EU.

"The risks of 'Remain' are massive," he said, claiming that Britain could also be forced to pay more to solve the migrant crisis and help bail out the eurozone in future, even though it is not a member.

Conservative former prime minister John Major on Sunday had accused Johnson, a charismatic politician with popular appeal, of being a "python" who could not be trusted, in a scathing personal attack.

- 'A lot more volatility' -

Financial markets have proved volatile ahead of the June 23 vote that could see Britain becoming the first country to drop out of the EU and have proved particularly so as the campaign has heated up.

Traders on Monday were reacting to two opinion polls over the weekend which put the "Leave" camp just ahead, pushing the WhatUKThinks website's average of the last six polls to 50-50, excluding undecideds.

Story continues

The pound fell to 79.05 pence against the euro in Asian trading -- its lowest level in three and a half weeks -- and stood at around 78.61 pence against the euro at around 0910 GMT.

The pound also fell against the dollar to $1.4439.

"It is becoming extremely worrying for the financial markets and expect more sterling losses if polls continued to indicate a Brexit lead," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at trader FXTM.

Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, said: "With both sides likely to step up their game over the next couple of weeks, I imagine we'll see a lot more volatility in the pound."

- 'Preventing panic' -

Several of the biggest trade unions also urged their members to vote to stay in the 28-member EU.

The general secretaries of Unite, Unison and the GMB were among 10 union leaders who wrote a letter to The Guardian newspaper claiming that parental leave and holiday rights would be under threat without EU protection.

"Maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full-time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave -- continue to underpin and protect working rights for British people," read the letter.

"If Britain leaves the EU, we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat. The Tories would negotiate our exit and, we believe, would negotiate away our rights," it said.

In an indication of growing concern, the BBC reported that pro-EU lawmakers were considering ways of using their parliamentary majority to influence negotiations in case Britons vote to leave.

MPs could push for Britain to remain in the EU single market despite losing membership, for example through continued membership of the European Economic Area.

"We would accept the mandate of the people to leave the EU," the BBC quoted a government minister as saying.

"But everything after that is negotiable and parliament would have its say," the minister said.

British banks have also begun advising their staff on how to deal with customer queries in case of Brexit, the Financial Times newspaper reported.

It quoted bankers as saying the general guidance was to say "there would be no immediate impact, with the aim of reassuring customers and preventing them from panicking".
Most families saving for college have heard of tax-free 529 savings plans, but not all of them know about a small subset of 529s: the "prepaid tuition" type that allow you to pay for college at today's prices to avoid higher prices later.

Once the dominant type of 529, prepaid plans have fallen from favor, holding about $24 billion in assets last year compared to $234 billion for savings-style plans, according to the Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund trade group.

Some prepaid plans have run into financial trouble and closed to new savers. Others have undesirable features, like "guarantees" that aren't really guaranteed. But mostly the prepaid category has simply lost out in competition with savings-style 529s that harness the stock market's greater growth potential.

[See: 11 Health Care ETFs for a Heart-Healthy Portfolio.]

Still, any family setting up a serious college-savings strategy should at least look at what a prepaid plan offers. As with savings-style 529, gains in the value of a prepaid plan are tax-free if used for approved college expenses like tuition, and some states offer tax deductions on contributions.

"The owner of a prepaid tuition plan contract is shifting the (risk) burden to the prepaid plan to pay for the number of college credits covered in the contract for that beneficiary," says Jamie Canup, an attorney specializing in investment management at Hirschler Fleischer of Richmond, Virginia. That's quite different from the risk the family assumes with a savings-style 529 that owns a mix of stocks and bonds, which offer no guarantee, Canup says.

"Your investments are at market risk with a savings plan," Canup says, "which means you could lose money on your investments, or lose your investment entirely." Of course, a savings plan could also grow faster than a prepaid plan, which rises in value as tuition charges go up.

Fortunately, shopping for a prepaid plan is easier than looking for a savings-type plan. That's because only 12 states offer them, and they require that either the student or account owner -- generally the person who funds the plan -- be a state resident. Prepaid plans accepting new enrollments are offered by Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. (Check your state even if it's not on this list, because some others offer plans that share some prepaid features.)

Story continues

There is also a nationwide plan for private colleges, the Private College 529 Plan.

Experts say many families have a serious misconception about prepaid plans, believing they can be used only at the state college or university designated when the plan was set up.

"This is less of a concern than when these plans first appeared, because most plans have a cash-out option," says Liz Miller, president of Summit Place Financial Advisors in Summit, New Jersey.

Credits can to be converted to cash for use elsewhere, even at a private college or university, or at a school in any other state.

The prepaid plan's chief benefit: peace of mind.

"I view the pre-paid plans as an insurance annuity," Miller says. "Just like the annuity you may buy for your retirement, the pro is that there is a future guarantee that may bring you comfort. The con is that there are likely high costs imbedded and if you saved and invested steadily yourself, you could probably do better."

[See: 10 Ways You Can Throw Retail Stocks in Your Chart.]

With all or part of the college costs paid for, you don't have to worry about price increases even if college is many years off.

That would be a relief if the stock market were to tank, dragging down the value of savings-style 529s heavy on equities. Unlike stocks and bonds, college tuition rarely falls, so pre-purchased credits are unlikely to lose value. A prepaid plan thus offers a degree of security. In fact, if the economy and financial markets went into a tailspin, state colleges might have to raise tuition to offset cuts in state funding. A prepaid plan could actually gain value in troubled times.

"Originally, almost all the 529 plans were prepaid plans," Canup says. "Then college savings plans became popular during the late '90s and early 2000s when market returns were high. When the Great Recession hit in 2008, many owners of prepaid plans were pleased that their account values had not fallen the way account owners of college savings plans had experienced at that time."

The longer the period before college starts, the more valuable the protection against future tuition hikes.

"Prepaid plans are most suitable for families with younger children," Canup says.

In many cases, a prepaid plan works best if the student does attend the school designated when the credits were purchased, Canup says, urging investors to carefully study the provisions for converting credits for use elsewhere.

"Much like a health insurance plan, it's important to understand the benefits of going to an "in-network" college (one that is specifically covered by a plan) and the conversion formula used for attendance at an "out-of-network" college (a college not specifically covered by that plan)," 529 plan expert Joseph Hurley writes on his website.

"There is often a haircut to the value (in a cash out)," Miller says.

What's the downside? Unfortunately, prepaid plans are not always as risk-free as they appear. Funds collected by the plan are invested, often in a mix of stocks and bonds, in hopes the assets will grow at least as fast as tuition rates. That means the fund could fall short in a market meltdown.

And while some plans offer guarantees that require the state to provide funding if plan assets fall short of those required to meet its obligation, investors should learn if their states offer such guarantees before putting in their money.

Another issue: sometimes states worried about meeting future obligations impose "premiums" when credit hours are purchased. In effect, you pay more per hour by buying today and using later than if your student went to college right away. Premiums are meant to give a plan a financial cushion.

These and other features vary considerably among plans, so it will pay to study the terms closely.

Note that if a prepaid plan looks attractive, you need not put all your eggs in one basket. One strategy is use a prepaid plan for just part of your college savings, such as enough to cover one of the four years, while using a savings-style plan for the rest of your college investment.

[See: 13 Money Hacks to Turbocharge Your Investments.]

You could then keep the prepaid credits in reserve in case other college savings have a downturn. The prepaid credits could be used for a student's senior year if they are not needed earlier.





More From US News & World Report


Most families saving for college have heard of tax-free 529 savings plans, but not all of them know about a small subset of 529s: the "prepaid tuition" type that allow you to pay for college at today's prices to avoid higher prices later.

Once the dominant type of 529, prepaid plans have fallen from favor, holding about $24 billion in assets last year compared to $234 billion for savings-style plans, according to the Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund trade group.

Some prepaid plans have run into financial trouble and closed to new savers. Others have undesirable features, like "guarantees" that aren't really guaranteed. But mostly the prepaid category has simply lost out in competition with savings-style 529s that harness the stock market's greater growth potential.

[See: 11 Health Care ETFs for a Heart-Healthy Portfolio.]

Still, any family setting up a serious college-savings strategy should at least look at what a prepaid plan offers. As with savings-style 529, gains in the value of a prepaid plan are tax-free if used for approved college expenses like tuition, and some states offer tax deductions on contributions.

"The owner of a prepaid tuition plan contract is shifting the (risk) burden to the prepaid plan to pay for the number of college credits covered in the contract for that beneficiary," says Jamie Canup, an attorney specializing in investment management at Hirschler Fleischer of Richmond, Virginia. That's quite different from the risk the family assumes with a savings-style 529 that owns a mix of stocks and bonds, which offer no guarantee, Canup says.

"Your investments are at market risk with a savings plan," Canup says, "which means you could lose money on your investments, or lose your investment entirely." Of course, a savings plan could also grow faster than a prepaid plan, which rises in value as tuition charges go up.

Fortunately, shopping for a prepaid plan is easier than looking for a savings-type plan. That's because only 12 states offer them, and they require that either the student or account owner -- generally the person who funds the plan -- be a state resident. Prepaid plans accepting new enrollments are offered by Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. (Check your state even if it's not on this list, because some others offer plans that share some prepaid features.)

Story continues

There is also a nationwide plan for private colleges, the Private College 529 Plan.

Experts say many families have a serious misconception about prepaid plans, believing they can be used only at the state college or university designated when the plan was set up.

"This is less of a concern than when these plans first appeared, because most plans have a cash-out option," says Liz Miller, president of Summit Place Financial Advisors in Summit, New Jersey.

Credits can to be converted to cash for use elsewhere, even at a private college or university, or at a school in any other state.

The prepaid plan's chief benefit: peace of mind.

"I view the pre-paid plans as an insurance annuity," Miller says. "Just like the annuity you may buy for your retirement, the pro is that there is a future guarantee that may bring you comfort. The con is that there are likely high costs imbedded and if you saved and invested steadily yourself, you could probably do better."

[See: 10 Ways You Can Throw Retail Stocks in Your Chart.]

With all or part of the college costs paid for, you don't have to worry about price increases even if college is many years off.

That would be a relief if the stock market were to tank, dragging down the value of savings-style 529s heavy on equities. Unlike stocks and bonds, college tuition rarely falls, so pre-purchased credits are unlikely to lose value. A prepaid plan thus offers a degree of security. In fact, if the economy and financial markets went into a tailspin, state colleges might have to raise tuition to offset cuts in state funding. A prepaid plan could actually gain value in troubled times.

"Originally, almost all the 529 plans were prepaid plans," Canup says. "Then college savings plans became popular during the late '90s and early 2000s when market returns were high. When the Great Recession hit in 2008, many owners of prepaid plans were pleased that their account values had not fallen the way account owners of college savings plans had experienced at that time."

The longer the period before college starts, the more valuable the protection against future tuition hikes.

"Prepaid plans are most suitable for families with younger children," Canup says.

In many cases, a prepaid plan works best if the student does attend the school designated when the credits were purchased, Canup says, urging investors to carefully study the provisions for converting credits for use elsewhere.

"Much like a health insurance plan, it's important to understand the benefits of going to an "in-network" college (one that is specifically covered by a plan) and the conversion formula used for attendance at an "out-of-network" college (a college not specifically covered by that plan)," 529 plan expert Joseph Hurley writes on his website.

"There is often a haircut to the value (in a cash out)," Miller says.

What's the downside? Unfortunately, prepaid plans are not always as risk-free as they appear. Funds collected by the plan are invested, often in a mix of stocks and bonds, in hopes the assets will grow at least as fast as tuition rates. That means the fund could fall short in a market meltdown.

And while some plans offer guarantees that require the state to provide funding if plan assets fall short of those required to meet its obligation, investors should learn if their states offer such guarantees before putting in their money.

Another issue: sometimes states worried about meeting future obligations impose "premiums" when credit hours are purchased. In effect, you pay more per hour by buying today and using later than if your student went to college right away. Premiums are meant to give a plan a financial cushion.

These and other features vary considerably among plans, so it will pay to study the terms closely.

Note that if a prepaid plan looks attractive, you need not put all your eggs in one basket. One strategy is use a prepaid plan for just part of your college savings, such as enough to cover one of the four years, while using a savings-style plan for the rest of your college investment.

[See: 13 Money Hacks to Turbocharge Your Investments.]

You could then keep the prepaid credits in reserve in case other college savings have a downturn. The prepaid credits could be used for a student's senior year if they are not needed earlier.

Jeff Brown spent nearly 40 years as a newspaper reporter, columnist and editor, including 20 years writing about investing, personal finance, the economy and financial markets. He spent 20 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer and has been freelancing since 2007.
China working on next step in high-speed rail transport, says innovation expert

A next-generation high-speed train is being tested in China. The train can run at 400 kilometers per hour and is suitable for cross-border services. DOU XIN/XINHUA

China is developing a next-generation bullet train that can run at 400 kilometers an hour and is suitable for cross-border services, a senior researcher with the nation's high-speed rail program said on Sunday.

"The train, to be developed in the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), will have wheels that can be adjusted to fit various gauges on other countries' tracks, compared with trains now that need to have their wheels changed before entering foreign systems," said Jia Limin, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University and head of China's high-speed rail innovation program.

"Once the new bullet train is put into service, it will operate on China's rail network as well as on the Moscow-Kazan high-speed line in Russia, which is designed for 400 km/h trains," he added, referring to the 770-km link that connects Moscow and Kazan, a metropolis on the Volga River. The rail line is a joint venture between China and Russia.

According to an agreement by Chinese and Russian authorities, the Moscow-Kazan line is likely to be extended to Beijing, which will significantly reduce rail travel times between the two nation's capitals.

Wheels on trains now traveling between China and Russia have be changed before crossing the border because the gauges are different. The new bullet train will not require this procedure, saving time and money, Jia said.

He was speaking in Beijing on the sidelines of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) Technology and Innovation Achievements Exhibition.

Currently, high-speed trains in China run at speeds ranging from 250 to 300 km/h, although their maximum speed can reach about 350 km/h.

With the aim of exploring new concepts, Jia said China has developed and begun to test an ultrafast bullet train that is potentially able to travel at 600 km/h. The train has been made by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, a subsidiary of the country's largest train maker, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, in Shandong province.

The ultrafast train is being used to trial cutting-edge technologies, advanced materials and to test operational limits, the professor said, adding that its development means China is now able to design and manufacture trains that can travel at least 500 km/h.

However, Liu Youmei, a bullet train expert and academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that under the current conditions, the maximum speed for high-speed railways cannot exceed 400 km/h because higher speeds will incur much higher operation costs.

He said the ultrafast train should be used only for demonstrating new concepts and technologies rather than commercial operation.
President Barack Obama will join Jimmy Fallon for late-night antics for the first time since 2012.

NBC said President Obama will appear on its Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for the first time. Obama previously appeared with Fallon during the comedians tenure on NBCs Late Night  and then, it was during a special broadcast from the campus of the University of North Carolina. During that cameo, the President helped Fallon slow-jam the news in a memorable bit.

Obama appeared on ABCs Jimmy Kimmel Live in March of last year.

His cameo on the venerable NBC late-night franchise is just the latest example of the wee-hours programs courting politicians during election season. Fallon has already enlisted Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in sketches. Rival Stephen Colbert has had memorable exchanges with Vice President Joseph Biden, among others.

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President Obama recently commuted the sentences of 42 men and women who were serving years in prison under harsh, outdated laws for small drug offenses. According to reports, these new batch of inmates granted a second chance bring Obamas clemency total to a whopping 348, more than the last seven presidents combined.

Compared to other presidents, Bush commuted only 11 inmates prison sentences while President Bill Clinton came in at a distant second to Obama with 61. President H.W Bush granted three prisoners clemency, while Jimmy Carter gave 29 inmates a second chance. President Ford, 22 and Nixon, 60.

Obamas efforts come in part to his commitment to criminal justice reform. While his time in office may soon be up, number 44 made history when he became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison in July 2015. The president spoke with six inmates at the El Reno Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma., and spoke candidly about Americas prison problem.

I think we have a tendency sometimes to almost take for granted or think its normal that so many young people end up in our criminal justice system. Its not normal. Its not what happens in other countries. What is normal is teenagers doing stupid things, Obama said after touring the facility and visiting with the six inmates.

Thanks to @POTUS, 58 men and women will get a second chance: https://t.co/Dl2oXBCOHjhttps://t.co/NGRVpOLBB0  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 6, 2016

The men and women whos sentences have been commuted were expected to be released October 1 or the following June.
June 6 (Reuters) - 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

Martin Sorrell is facing a shareholder rebellion over his 70 million pounds ($100.72 million) pay package as chief executive of WPP Plc. Two proxy advisory firms, Pirc and ShareSoc, are advising investors to oppose the advertising group's remuneration report on Wednesday, while another, ISS, is recommending only "qualified support" for the report. (http://bit.ly/1PdCkjc)

John Kingman, the most senior civil servant in the Treasury, is being lined up to take on the chairmanship of Legal & General Group Plc in one of the most eye-catching moves from Whitehall to the City in years. (http://bit.ly/1PdCnLR)

The Guardian

The Bank of England is stepping up its preparations for a possible decision by Britain to leave the European Union on June 23. The first of three special funding operations by Threadneedle Street will be launched on June 14 to ensure UK's commercial banks have the necessary cash to cope with any turmoil caused by the uncertainty surrounding a Brexit vote. (http://bit.ly/1PdCRBB)

Retail Acquisitions, the former owner of BHS, pledged to keep all funds in the business and plough any proceeds from the sale of the group's properties into its day-to-day running until a deal had been struck on the future of the BHS pension scheme, the Guardian understands. (http://bit.ly/1PdD87D)

The Telegraph

The Bank of Scotland has warned that nearly a third of companies are planning further job cuts to survive the slow recovery from sub-$30 a barrel oil prices seen earlier this year. The bank's annual oil sector survey shows that 43 percent of companies are planning cost cutting. (http://bit.ly/1PdD9Zl)

Deliveroo, the London-based food delivery network, is due to hit revenue of 130 million pounds this year, solidifying its position as one of UK's most-promising technology companies. (http://bit.ly/1PdCPtl)

Story continues

Sky News

HouseSimple, an online estate agent backed by Charles Dunstone, has raised 13 million pounds to fund its growth plans, Sky News understands. (http://bit.ly/1PdCCX6)

The Independent

Sports Direct International Plc boss Mike Ashley has said he will now appear before MPs to defend his firm's "good name". Ashley has backed down after months of refusing to give evidence to the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee about working conditions at his sporting goods chain. (http://ind.pn/1PdCCq9)

($1 = 0.6950 pounds) (Compiled by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney)
A Super PAC backing Hillary Clinton has debuted a new ad hitting Donald Trump for an incident revealing insensitivity toward a disabled person.

The ad features Chris and Lauren Glaros of Columbus, Ohio, two parents of a young girl named Grace (whose name serves as the title of the ad) who was born with spina bifida.

When the Glaros family saw the footage of Donald Trump apparently mocking the physical affect of a reporter who suffers from a joint condition that impairs the movement of his arms, they say they were shocked.

The children at Graces school all know never to mock her. And so for an adult to mock someone with a disability is shocking, says the mother. The father says that when he saw the incident, It showed me [Trumps] soul. It showed me his heart. And I didnt like what I saw.

Many people criticized Trump after the incident occurred in November, but Trump denied that he was mocking the reporter.

The Super PAC running the ad, Priorities USA, says it is a $20 million buy that will air in major markets in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, Iowa and Nevada.
There are a number of ways in which Asian Americans are thriving economically. They are overrepresented among the ranks of professional-managerial workers in the U.S., and have higher average incomes than whites. On average, they are also more educated than Americans of other racial groups, including whites. These facts lead many to conclude that Asian Americans represent a model minoritya group whose hard work, initiative, personal responsibility, and success offer proof that American meritocracy works as intended.

This stereotype is often held up as proof that some racial stereotypes can be favorable, even flattering. But the model-minority image brings with it a number of problems. For instance, research done by Stacey Lee, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madisons School of Education, shows how this image can deter Asian American high-school students from seeking help when theyre struggling in school, socially isolating them and, ironically, causing them to fare worse academically. Similarly, the Georgia State University sociologist Rosalind Chou has found that the model-minority standard places enormous pressure on Asian Americans to disavow and downplay incidents of racial harassment; when Asian Americans are depicted as the minority group that doesnt complain, attract negative attention, or cause problems, it can feel uncomfortable for them to point out stereotypes, insults, and assaults.

Recommended: A New Theory Explains How Consciousness Evolved

Historically, the model-minority stereotype has served an even more disturbing purpose. For years, Asian American men were represented in mainstream media as conniving, threatening sexual predators who posed a particular danger to white womenan image that stuck until around the late 1960s. As the University of California, Hastings law professor Frank Wu wrote in his book Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White, this representation fell out of favor as blacks became more assertive in resisting segregation. At that point, the model-minority image offered a useful foil, demonstrating how racial groups could and should appropriately behave. Thus, the model-minority designation suggests that Asian Americans are succeeding by conventional American standards, but it also masks some harassment directed toward them and distances them from other minority groups.

Inevitably, all of this shapes many Asian Americans professional trajectories. Whites are three times more likely to be admitted to elite universities than Asian Americans with comparable qualifications, which has implications for their access to well-regarded degrees and the social networks that can facilitate entry to and success in high-status occupations. And while data suggests that many Asian Americans have been able to enter managerial jobs, which have historically been the exclusive province of white men, its often overlooked that specific groups of Asian Americans for the most part havent. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Americans have made inroads into these white-collar professions, such as engineering and medicine, but Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, and Filipino Americans remain overrepresented in lower-wage jobs. The heightened success of some Asian Americans hides the economic and educational challenges facing others.

Recommended: Telling the Story of the Stanford Rape Case

And many of the Asian Americans who secure high-status jobs still encounter discrimination that can block their path to the highest professional tiers. Research suggests that whites see Asian American men as being unfit for management, because they are stereotyped as passive and weak. Naturally, this will hurt them in occupations that reward those who are believed to be aggressive, assertive, and forthright. Given that these characteristics are valued in many of the highest-ranking roles in companies and organizations, the model-minority stereotype can, in practice, serve as a cover for a racialized sort of glass ceiling.

Biases against Asian Americans often go unnoticed unless or until high-profile events occur, in contrast with the sort of egregious discrimination many African Americans encounter. Eileen OBrien, an associate professor of sociology at Saint Leo University, points out that this dynamic can leave Asian Americans without the collective memory or tools to challenge racial discrimination when it occurs. Her work shows that unlike African Americans, who have a long history of visible activism and community organization, Asian Americans can often lack the social and cultural resources necessary to name and combat stratification. Because of this, its especially worth focusing on the ways in which stereotypes about Asian Americans are not nearly as innocuous as they may appear.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
PARIS (Reuters) - A French prosecutor on Monday demanded the maximum 10-year jail sentence for the brother of one of the Paris attackers, who is accused of traveling to Syria to train as a militant fighter. Karim and Foued Mohamed-Aggad were among a group that traveled to Syria in December 2013. Karim came back to France in early 2014; his brother returned later, then joined the three-man team that killed 90 people at the Bataclan concert hall during the coordinated attacks in Paris in November. Two of the three Bataclan attackers, one of them Foued, killed themselves by exploding their suicide vests. The third was shot dead by police. Now Karim and six others, aged from 24 to 27, are standing trial in Paris on charges of taking part in an Islamist recruitment network and receiving training from Islamic State. Four face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The prosecutor called for eight-year sentences for the other three. "These are heavy sentences that are called for, I am aware of that," prosecutor Nicolas Le Bris told the court, calling the facts before the court extremely grave. "We have people here, and this comes from wiretaps, who were on the front line." Earlier in the trial, Karim Mohamed-Aggad urged a fair hearing. "You choose your friends, not your family," he said. Some of defendants told investigators they had believed they were going to Syria on a humanitarian mission. Others said they left to fight Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces but not to become Islamist militants. But Le Bris dismissed the explanation. Citing evidence gathered from wiretaps and from "jihad" documents found in the computers and mobile phones of the suspects, Le Bris said each of the seven was determined to join a jihadi group and once in Syria "fitted in perfectly." (Reporting by Chine Labbe, writing by Richard Lough, editing by Larry King)
The trial of Officer Caesar Goodson for his involvement in the death of Freddie Gray was always going to be the highest-profile case, among the trials of the six officers accused. Goodson was driving the van in which Gray was loaded on the morning of April 19, 2015. By the time the van arrived at a police station less than hour later, Grays spine was nearly severed, and he would die several days later. Prosecutors brought an unusually strong slate of charges against the officers involved, especially Goodson, who is accused of depraved-heart murder, the gravest of the charges in the case.

But the stakes have been raised by the results in the two preceding trials of officers in the case: The state enters Goodsons trial with no wins so far. The trial of Officer William Porter ended in a hung jury and a mistrial; prosecutors intend to retry him. Then in late May, Officer Edward Neroone of the officers who initially apprehended Graywas acquitted by a judge on charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of misconduct in office. Nero opted for a bench trial, meaning Judge Barry Williams ruled, rather than a jury. (Defense attorneys have generally argued that the officers cant get a fair jury trial in Baltimore.)

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Can the Baltimore Prosecutor Win Her Case?

On Monday, in preliminary hearings, Goodson opted for a bench trial as well, despite expectations that hed choose a jury trial. Goodson's case presents a unique challenge for prosecutors in that he was the only one of the six officers who did not give a statement to investigators, The Baltimore Sun reports. The trial is expected to feature medical experts giving contrasting opinions over exactly how and when Gray was injured. Many observers expect the question of whether Gray was given a rough ridein which police intentionally bang suspects around while in transport, to punish or injure themto be central in the case. Goodson, 46, also faces charges of manslaughter, second-degree assault, and misconduct in office.

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The states winless record is particularly pivotal in this case because Baltimore City States Attorney Marilyn Mosby won loud praise and loud criticism when she announced the charges. Police-reform advocates viewed her decision as an unusually strong step to combat police abuses, especially after several cases around the country where prosecutors and grand juries were seen as too deferential to police. But critics worried that Mosby was moving too fast, didnt have the goods to charge the officers, and was reacting more to political pressure created by protests in the streets of the city. (Others accused her of more crassly political motives: Her husband, City Council member Nick Mosby, was a prospective mayoral candidate, but he later dropped out of the race.)

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When Mosby charged the officers, I spoke with David Jaros, a professor of law at the University of Baltimore. He brings a nuanced perspective to the case, because he has written on the need to reform police, but as a former public defender is wary of prosecutorial overreach. He argued at the time that Mosby had likely overcharged the suspects, but also that such overcharging was common. Jaros has been following the trials closely, and I spoke with him again to understand why the prosecution has struggled so far, what to expect from the Goodson trial, and the thorny issues that have arisen during the trials. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

On what to expect from the Goodson trial:

Its widely viewed as the strongest case for the prosecutor, and it is the one that has the most serious charge. Its been really hard to evaluate the strength of the states cases, because were not privy to all of their information. Everything is based a little bit on the assumption that what we know is all there is to know. To the extent that the state has committed itself pretty clearly to the idea that Mr. Grays fatal injury occurred in the van, and I think both intuitively and legally the van's driver would appear to have the greatest duty of care, but that by no means guarantees that he's criminally liable in these cases. It remains to be seen the degree to which the defense can suggest that Officer Goodson was either not fully aware of Mr. Gray's condition or that another officer was the one who he was relying on to insure that he was adequately secured.

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Officer Goodson is charged with depraved-heart murder in a case that on its face seems more like negligence, whereas depraved-heart murder says that the individuals showed such wanton and reckless disregard for human life that it amounts to malice. That is a very different mens rea that the commonwealth says is akin to intentional murder. The example I use in class for depraved-heart murder is that the students stand on the roof of the law school and throw cinderblocks off the edge into a crowd below. Where they're not aiming for anyone specifically, they don't have the intent to kill, but they're perfectly fine with the possibility that they might crush someone's skull. That's depraved-heart murder. It's a pretty significant step from that to failing to buckle someone into a van.

On the importance of whether the prosecution can prove that Goodson was giving Gray a rough ride:

If you believe that there was a rough ride and the driver not only didn't secure [Gray] but was attempting to cause him some physical injury by driving in an erratic manner or braking sharply, then it becomes more reasonable to think that those actions could amount to depraved heart murder. To me, it would be a big step in that direction if he were in the process of giving him a rough ride, or at least deliberately trying to injure him with an understanding that there was a high probability that he'd be causing this guy's death, and simply not caring. If he simply is not thinking about the risks to his passenger, and he's simply callously doing his job transporting people whose welfare he frankly doesnt give a lot of thought to, Im not even sure that amounts to recklessness. It may just be negligence. Negligence is just, you dont do what a reasonable person would do. Recklessness is where youre aware of what you should do and you choose not to do it.

Its widely viewed as the strongest case. Intuitively and legally the van's driver would appear to have the greatest duty of care.

On the lessons to be taken from Officer Neros trial:

It was pretty interesting to me that Officer Nero gets acquitted, but we should be very careful about what we draw from that. The state came up with this rather novel legal theory. They had to acknowledge a Supreme Court case called Illinois v. Wardlow, which is the law of the land despite it resulting in very racist and unfair practices, which says officers can have reasonable suspicion to chase and detain someone if someone in a high-crime area runs from them unprovoked. If in Sandtown, where Freddie Gray runs, someone runs from the police, they can grab them, but if they run in my neighborhood, they can't. The states attorney had to acknowledge that was the law. Their theory was, [Officers Nero and Garrett Miller] had the right to grab him, but they once they grabbed him they had to immediately act to dispel their reasonable suspicion or confirm it. Because they waited for the officer who initially called out the chase, this legal detention morphed into an illegal arrest, and that illegal arrest was an assault. That's really stretching the law. Its certainly criminalizing conduct which police regularly engage in. Yet the states attorney was also, she commented in her closing statement, reacting to the policethe term she used was "jacking up [Baltimore] citizens" on a daily basis, by simply grabbing them and throwing them against a wall or a car without probable cause. If we cant stop the police from doing that that kind of behavior, which is a violation of constitutional rights and which grossly degrades the social fabric in communities and trust between police and the people they are supposedly protecting, then we are pushed toward using the criminal law in a way that I find troubling for the individual defendant.

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Interestingly, the judge acquitted Nero not because he rejected this theory, but because they failed to show that in the course of the detention morphing into an arrest, that Officer Nero was actually the one who touched Freddie Gray. As a law professor who was particularly interested in this novel legal theory and perhaps skeptical of it, I was expecting him to say this was a lawful detention. He never said that. If I were the prosecutor, frankly, I might be emboldened by the Nero acquittal, because there was not that clear rejection of their theory by the judge.

If I were the prosecutor, frankly, I might be emboldened by the Nero acquittal, because there was not that clear rejection of their theory by the judge.

On why the state hasnt managed to obtain a conviction yet:

As the case has played out in court and the evidence weve seen, we havent gotten a lot of additional information about what happened that suggested particularly more egregious behavior by the police, which has led to some difficult questions. Its forced the prosecutor to adopt some novel theories about criminal liability. One explanation for the aggressive effort the prosecution is making in these cases is that they believe that even more egregious a thing occurred than they alleged in court, but they simply don't believe they have the evidence to back it up. That might explain why they are pursuing such legal strategies. At the same time, we havent seen it.

On the way the case is viewed in Baltimore:

One should be careful about speaking on behalf of the temper of a city, particularly when there are different communities who feel so differently about the case. People are talking about, "How does Baltimore feel about what happened? How does Baltimore view the fact that Marilyn Mosby's office lost this case?" What it's driven home for me is the degree to which there are very different communities in Baltimore who experience the police in very different ways, and therefore view this prosecution through very different lenses, and are drawing very different lessons about what the two most acquittals mean.

On the implications for police reform nationally:

I, being a former public defender and not a great believer in the use of criminal law to shape peoples behavior, am not completely comfortable with the idea of using individuals to promote broad policy reform, and yet at the same time we are faced with egregious practices a powerful institution that has thus far resisted any other efforts to reform it. We have to balance our concerns about individuals being used as a tool to reformindividuals and the application of the criminal law to reform the police, which I think raises issues of fairness and notice. I dont think this is a case where, well, the police routinely beat the crap out of suspects to get a confession so it's unfair to charge the first one who actually get charged with assault. What is clearly a crime and has been ignored should be prosecuted.

If we cant stop police behavior that is a violation of constitutional rights, then we are pushed toward using the criminal law in a way that I find troubling for the individual defendant. That goes to the technical questions of getting a conviction. It is this widespread and historic reluctance or failure of prosecutors to aggressively go after police misconduct for a variety of reasons. Some of which that they work with the police every day; others are that it's hard to get convictions in those cases, and we saw criticism in Ferguson and Staten Island with Eric Garner, where there was a feeling that the prosecutor's offices did not treat those cases the way they would treat other cases involving crime with suspects who were not police officers. This case remains a notable step in a very different direction of prosecutors taking seriously cases where there is potential criminal activity by the police, but it is in many ways not as obviously an egregious case as some of those cases in other parts of the country. This is a case where it turns out the crime is a crime of omission, rather than a crime of commission, at least as far as we know, because we dont have evidence of a rough ride. Its, "You failed in your duty to effectively protect the suspect." The law in Maryland isit requires a level of recklessness which may not be easy for the prosecutor to prove.

Policing in poor communities is a real problem in America, and while this case may not involve particularly egregious behavior by these officers, it has certainly uncovered widespread egregious behavior that occurs on a regular basis and is not otherwise being acknowledged or dealt with by policymakers.

We have ample evidence that rough rides are occurring, even if there wasnt a rough ride in this case. We have the states attorney acknowledging for the first time that police routinely grab people on the street, throw them up against the wall without probable cause, and search them. How are we going to stop this egregious behavior? I think the answer is, we shouldnt necessarily be doing this with criminal law but, we can't then just not do it. We are struggling with a way out of this mess which requires that we respect individual rights and limits of what criminal law can accomplish but not give up on the need to reform egregious policing practices.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to help Puerto Rico restructure its $70 billion in debt is likely to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives beginning on Thursday, a Republican leadership aide said on Monday. The House Rules Committee is scheduled on Wednesday to decide which amendments, if any, to the bill would be allowed to be considered during debate by the full House and before a vote on passage. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L), Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong (3rd R), Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang (2nd R), Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (1st R), US Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew (1st L) pose for photos at the opening ceremony on June 6 in Beijing. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING, June 6 -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for deepening communication and cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs between China and the United States.

The Pacific Ocean should not become an arena for rivalry, but a platform for inclusive cooperation, Xi said at the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.

China and the United States have extensive common interests in the region and should maintain frequent dialogues, cooperate more, tackle challenges, and jointly maintain prosperity and stability in the region, rather than "cultivate exclusive circles of friends," Xi said.

He reaffirmed that China pursues neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and has always been committed to bolstering peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

The S&ED is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday and Tuesday, while Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chairs the CPE with Kerry.
The greeting "Ramadan Kareem"  which means "have a blessed Ramadan"  marked the close of President Obama's statement on the Muslim holy month Sunday. Ramadan requires adherents to fast during daylight hours and commit themselves to serving others for 30 days each year.

The president's -word statement also included a veiled swipe at presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has made multiple Islamophobic statements over the course of his campaign.

"As Muslim Americans celebrate the holy month, I am reminded that we are one American family," the president said. "I stand firmly with Muslim American communities, in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights."

Obama's reference to divisive rhetoric seems aimed squarely at the real estate mogul, who called for a controversial and widely criticized ban on Muslim travel to the United States in December in response to terrorist attacks in , and Paris, France.

"I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance," the president added. "I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all."

President Barack Obama's place setting is pictured during the White House "iftar" dinner, which breaks the fast at the end of the day during Ramadan.

T are 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States today, according to a recent estimate by the Pew Research Center. Divisive rhetoric  like that peddled by Trump  adds to an already tense environment for Muslims in the U.S., as hate crimes against Muslim Americans and their places of worship increased sharply last December, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

S also impact those Muslims being driven away from their homes due to war and conflict worldwide. Since the Paris and San Bernardino attacks last fall, leaders in 30 states have called for a halt to the president's plans to resettle refugees displaced by the fighting between government soldiers, rebels and Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

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Irrational fears of Muslims caused some to believe the U.S. wasn't equipped to vet the "good" refugees from those who may have been radicalized. In light of this opposition, the president doubled down on his support for refugees in his statement on Sunday.

"We will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees into our nation, including those who are Muslim," Obama said.

"[In] this month of reflection, we cannot forget the millions of lives that have been displaced by conflict and struggle, across the world and in our own backyards. Far too many Muslims may not be able to observe Ramadan from the comfort of their own homes this year or afford to celebrate Eid with their children. We must continue working together to alleviate the suffering of these individuals."
Brandi Redmond and her husband Bryan have certainly gone through their fair share of ups and downs on The Real Housewives of Dallas this season, but she says they're coming out of it stronger as a couple.



The former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader tells PEOPLE that starring on the hit Bravo show taught her and Bryan to "really communicate more" after overcoming the tensions they went through this season  notably, Bryan walking out on a tearful Brandi during a date and telling her he was "done."





Real Housewives of Dallas' Brandi Redmond Talks Backlash Husband Bryan Faced After His Behavior This Season: 'People Literally Come Up and Call Him an A--Hole'| Bravo, Couples, Reality TV, The Real Housewives of..., People Picks, TV News

That said, watching the show back hasn't been easy for the couple, who were high-school sweethearts and share two young daughters, Brooklyn, 6, and Brinkley, 4.



"It's extremely difficult," Brandi says. "Having to come back and relive it  it's really, really hard."







Speaking about their blowout, Brandi says that she "was at a point where I felt like I needed him, especially with everything else going on in my life, I needed more from him."







And according to Brandi, the backlash Bryan has received from certain fans has made things even tougher.



"It's hard on him. I mean, we've been out to eat and people literally come up and call him an a--hole! In front of our little girls!" Brandi says.



"He's been struggling with it but we know at the end of the day that it's the way he handled something and he agrees that it was wrong," she adds. "I think as long as we are willing to forgive and try to forget after this is all over with, then we can just move forward."



Bryan later apologized for his behavior and has learned "how valuable time as a family is," says Brandi.



"I really don't rock the boat that much with Bryan, just because I know how hard he works, and I do know how much he loves us and cares about us," she says. "He is an amazing father. He is an amazing provider. He is the kind of man who would do anything for anyone."



"I think that's what the viewers don't get to see  they don't get to see that side of him, that side that makes me laugh," she continues. "He really is so kind and so genuine and we all make mistakes, we all go through things, and I think if anything this taught us more about each other."





RELATED VIDEO: Real Housewives of Dallas Star Brandi Redmond Reveals Why She Wouldn't Want to Fight with RHOBH's Lisa Vanderpump

Real Housewives of Dallas Star Brandi Redmond Reveals Why She Wouldn't Want to Fight With Lisa Vanderpump" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="sharethisnow" data-auto-play="no">



Of course, Redmond admits the two "still have our bickering, just like any other couple," but they're going strong and ultimately, she doesn't regret having their rough patches as a couple documented on the show.



"I'm proud of what was captured in our journey. I think that it made us authentic, and I think it's encouraging for other people to see that not everybody's perfect and we all have ups and downs," she says. "And at the end of the day, I'm such a fighter  I'll fight for my family, my marriage and my friendships."



As for whether we can expect any more drama with Bryan? Certainly not on Monday night's episode, which chronicles an all-girls trip to Austin  and as predicted, things are about to get wild.



"I had probably too much fun in Austin," teases Brandi. "I have to admit that I was drunk as a skunk!"



The Real Housewives of Dallas airs Mondays (10 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
Aden (AFP) - Eight civilians including five members of one family were killed in 24 hours of shelling by Iran-backed rebels on residential parts of Yemen's third city Taez, local officials said Monday.

Three children were among those killed in clashes that have continued despite a ceasefire and peace talks in Kuwait between Huthi rebel and loyalist delegates, the sources said.

Another 13 civilians were wounded, the sources added, accusing the rebels of firing mortar and artillery rounds into the residential areas.

Rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in Taez killed 11 civilians on Saturday, drawing condemnation from UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He has urged both sides to respect the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

However, the government sources in Taez said nine loyalist fighters were killed and 26 wounded in 24 hours of clashes in the city's eastern districts.

Military sources told AFP that 12 rebels were also killed.

Witnesses said fighting continued on Monday across several residential neighbourhoods of the southwestern city.

Separately, suspected jihadists attacked the airport in the government-held second city Aden, sparking a firefight that killed at least one civilian, a security source said.

Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow jihadist of Western origin who was detained late last month.

Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.

The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained jihadist, a Western national of Algerian origin.

The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.

Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies.

Story continues

In the neighbouring province of Abyan, a gunman on the back of a motorbike killed the commander of a loyalist army brigade late on Sunday, a security official said.

Colonel Mohammed Salem al-Abbadi was one of the founders of the pro-government militias that drove Al-Qaeda out of Abyan in 2012.

Saudi Arabia led a military intervention against the rebels in Yemen in March last year, and the ensuing conflict has been exploited by IS and rival Al-Qaeda jihadists to expand their presence in the impoverished Arab nation.

In recent months, Saudi-led forces have taken action against the jihadists with US support, driving them out of several southern cities they had overrun.
(Reuters) - Copa America organisers were left red-faced on Sunday after playing the wrong national anthem for Uruguay before their match against Mexico in Arizona. The Uruguay players lined up on the pitch for their anthem, "Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba", ahead of their tournament opener but were greeted instead by the national anthem of Chile at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Most of the Uruguay players were expressionless at first, before their poker faces gave way to some looks of bemusement. Organisers quickly sent out an apology. "We sincerely apologize to the Uruguayan Federation, the Uruguay National Team, the people of Uruguay and to the fans for this mistake. We will work with all parties involved to ensure such an error does not occur again," the statement said. The mistake capped off an ignominious opening weekend to the tournament, which the United States is hosting for the first time, with few goals, some mediocre games and, in some cases, sparse crowds. Uruguay's day did not get better as they were beaten 3-1 by the Mexicans. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)
(Reuters) - British support for remaining in the European Union has a one-point lead over the "Leave" campaign, according to a YouGov poll for the Times posted Monday. Forty-three percent of respondents of the latest YouGov poll intend to vote to keep Britain in the EU, while 42 percent support an exit vote in the referendum, according to a message posted on Twitter by Times political correspondent Sam Coates. Britons will vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member bloc. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 6, 2016 / Rennova Health, Inc. (RNVA) (RNVAW), a vertically integrated provider of industry-leading diagnostics and supportive software solutions to healthcare providers, today announced that it will be presenting at the 6th annual LD Micro Invitational Conference on Tuesday, June 7th, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Seamus Lagan, CEO of Rennova Health, Inc., will be giving the presentation and meeting with investors. The conference will be held at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles from June 7-9, 2016.

The presentation will be available via live webcast, and may be found on the company's website at www.rennovahealth.com. The webcast and presentation will be archived on the company's website for 90 days following the event.

View Rennova Health's profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/RNVA

Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of Accesswire

About Rennova Health, Inc.

Rennova Health, Inc. provides industry-leading diagnostics and supportive software solutions to healthcare providers, delivering an efficient, effective patient experience and superior clinical outcome. Through an ever-expanding group of strategic brands that work in unison to empower customers, we are creating the next generation of healthcare.

For more information about Rennova Health, Inc., visit www.rennovahealth.com.

About LD Micro

LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).

In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.

For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.

Story continues

Contacts:

Rennova Health

Sebastien Sainsbury, 561-666-9818

ssainsbury@rennovahealth.com



Investors

LHA

Kim Golodetz, 212-838-3777

Kgolodetz@lhai.com

or

Bruce Voss, 310-691-7100

Bvoss@lhai.com

SOURCE: Rennova Health, Inc. via LD Micro
Data from China's General Administration of Customs shows that the countrys imports of crude oil reached 335.5 million tons in 2015, and more than doubled over the past decade. China has become the world's largest oil importer, and consequently wields great influence when it comes to international oil prices.

Oil traders from the Middle East, South America and Russia all compete for the Chinese market. From February to April this year, China's crude oil imports exceeded 30 million tons. A large number of vessels loaded with crude oil dock at Qingdao port, and that oil is then shipped to refineries all across China.

With imports continuing to increase, China's dependence on foreign crude oil is also rising. The dependency passed the internationally recognized warning line of 50 percent in 2009; it reached 60.6 percent in 2015.

"China's rapid economic development has resulted in the countrys high demand for imported oil, and a rising dependency on foreign oil is inevitable. This brings some risks, but by improving transport and cooperation with international oil organizations, we are fully capable of coping with the risks," said Guo Haitao, president of the School of Business Administration of China University of Petroleum, to a reporter from The Paper.

Until mid-2015, China's crude oil reserves stood at 26.1 million tons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.However, based on the International Energy Agency's (IEA) recommendation that a country's oil stocks should not be less than 90 days worth of net imports from the past year, then a reasonable number for China would be 76 million tons. Obviously, there is a big difference between that number and the figure from 2015.

China is currently planning a new system to handle its growing oil reserves. Private companies will be allowed to build and operate their own strategic stockpiles, while also being required to maintain national inventories for possible export.
Ariel Helwani

Ariel Helwani, presently of Vox's MMAFighting.com, has long been considered the best journalist covering MMA and the UFC. But now he has been banned from covering the sport, and apparently only because he was doing his job too well.

On Saturday, Helwani said he was stripped of his UFC credentials, removed from a UFC event, and told he had been banned for life from covering the UFC, all because he broke a piece of news before UFC officials wanted it to get out.

On Saturday, prior to UFC 199, Helwani reported that retired fighter Brock Lesnar was close to signing a deal that would have him come out of retirement and compete at UFC 200. (Lesnar has since confirmed Helwani's original report.) Later on that day, during UFC 199, Helwani tweeted that he  along with his colleagues Esther Lin and Casey Leydon  had all been kicked out of the event and told that they were banned for life from UFC.

I was escorted out of the building by Zuffa staff before the main event. Credential taken away, too. Didn't see Bisping realize his dream.  Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 5, 2016

My long-time colleagues @ekc and @allelbows were also escorted out of the building w/ me. Sorry to report no post-fight coverage tonight.  Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 5, 2016

I love this sport & this job with all my heart. Did nothing unethical. I reported fight news. That's it. & then told we're banned for life.  Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 5, 2016

News of Helwani's dismissal caused an immediate firestorm within the fighting community, and the media community more broadly.

Helwani is the reigning five-time World MMA Award Journalist of the Year winner; journalists and fighters alike respect and necessarily rely on Helwani's reporting.

.@postfightpress @arielhelwani don't know what happened but no way that can really go down.This sport needs the GOAT of MMA reporting  Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) June 5, 2016

That's unfortunate. I'll always answer his phone call, he's always been fair to me. https://t.co/sxer1PvuQa  Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) June 5, 2016

Many, though, were not surprised to learn of Helwani's ban, saying that UFC has been treating journalists like this for a long time:

Did fans really not know that UFC has long used the threat of a lifetime ban to keep entrenched media in line? It's a decade old policy.  Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) June 5, 2016

On Twitter, many media members expressed anger that a journalist had lost access apparently only for the crime of doing his job. The Vertical's Chris Mannix called for journalists covering UFC 200 to boycott covering the event.

Every credible @UFC reporter should boycott UFC 200 unless credentials of @ArielHelwani, others are restored. Don't let UFC choose coverage.  Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixYS) June 5, 2016

ESPN's Rachel Nichols said all UFC fans, especially those who purchase the Pay-Per-View to watch the fights, should be concerned about Helwani's dismissal:

Just catching up on this @arielhelwani story. Those of you spending your dollars on UFC should be concerned. https://t.co/oZhQWJX9OS  Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 5, 2016

On Monday, Helwani talked with Yahoo's Kevin Iole and spoke at greater length about what had transpired on Saturday night at UFC 199. He revealed that UFC CEO Dana White had personally given Helwani the boot because, among other reasons, he was too negative.

From Yahoo:

I was brought to the back by UFC [public relations] and told by Dana White that I had to leave the arena, said Helwani, who said it happened just prior to the main event. Dana mentioned that from what I recalled that Brock Lesnar was upset the news was released early and that this could have ruined their deal.

He repeatedly said, Go cover Bellator [a UFC competitor]. We dont want you here.  I said, What did I do wrong? He said, Youre too negative.

Dana White

Helwani also appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Monday, where he revealed that the Fertitta brothers, who own the UFC, allegedly told White to ban him for life.

"He said 'Lorenzo Fertitta is not a fan of yours," Helwani told Dan Patrick. "He made the call to kick you out and you're not welcome here ever again ... I know [White] was a little bit upset. I don't know if he wanted to go to this length. I don't know if he wanted to ban me necessarily  again, maybe that's me just dreaming  but he did say multiple times that this was Lorenzo's decision, that Lorenzo was not a fan of mine, that I am too negative and he hates me and that I'm done. And he said, 'You're finished. You're not going to cover this organization ever again.'"

Helwani, who previously worked at Fox, also said outright that he was ousted from Fox (UFC's broadcaster) because UFC wanted him gone.

"Fox dropped me because the UFC told it to. Thats a fact," Helwani told Patrick.

The UFC initially declined to comment on Helwani's blacklisting, but ultimately said in a statement that Helwani's story wasn't "wholly accurate". They also said he hadn't come to them to confirm the report of Lesnar's fight at UFC 200.

"Im not saying you dont have a job to report, but in this case [with Helwani], the professional standards are to reach out [to the UFC] for comment on a story youre about to report, even if you get a no-comment," UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said.

When reached by Business Insider, the UFC was not immidiately available for comment.

While this is by far the most brazen punishment Helwani has received, as Deadspin notes, it is not his first spat with UFC. His relationship with White is a complicated one, and in 2014 Helwani was temporarily denied credentials to UFC events allegedly because he had reported on Bellator, a UFC competitor.

UFC 200 will take place on July 9. Only time will tell if Helwani (and his two coworkers) will be able to cover the event. It should go without saying that they deserve to be there.

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More Republicans have come out against Donald Trumps incendiary statements about the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit against the defunct real estate education company Trump University. In a series of tweets on Monday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former Trump rival, called the presumptive Republican nominees attack against Judge Gonzalo Curiel flat out wrong.

Attacking judges based on their race &/or religion is another tactic that divides our country, Kasich said on Twitter.

Trump has suggested that Curiel cannot be impartial in the case because of his Mexican heritage and the businessmans proposal to build a wall along the southern border of the U.S. Curiel is an American citizen. He was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants

Kasich is one of many Republicans who have pushed back against Trump in recent days. In an interview with NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to say whether Trumps comments were racist, but said he disagreed with the comments.

I couldnt disagree more with what he had to say, McConnell said. I dont agree with what he had to say. This is a man who was born in Indiana. All of us came here from somewhere else.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was also asked about the remarks on ABCs This Week on Sunday. Corker said he does not condone the comments. Corker called on Trump to adjust his rhetoric going into the general election.

I think that hes going to have to change. Im not talking about him necessarily changing his views, but I think that hes moving into a different phase, hes talking to the right people, Corker said.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, usually a vocal Trump booster, called his latest comments inexcusable. And later on Monday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Trumps statement runs contrary to American values. Mr. Trumps comments demonstrate both a lack of respect for the judicial system and the principle of separation of powers, Collins said, according to Bloomberg. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who has said she will support the Republican nominee, but wont endorse any particular candidate, also weighed in on the comments.

Story continues

His comments are offensive and wrong, and he should retract them, Ayotte told NBC News.

In an interview that aired on Sunday, CNNs Jake Tapper asked Trump repeatedly if saying someone could not do a particular job because of his or her race was racistthe businessman denied that it was. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska responded via Twitter on Monday, suggesting the businessmans statements were the definition of racism.

The statements continued to pour in throughout Monday afternoon. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest weighed in, as well as former presidential contender Sen. Marco Rubio who said Trumps line of attack is wrong and should end. Rubio said when he ran for the Republican nomination he warned something like this would happen.

That man [Curiel] is an American, born in the U.S., a judge who has earned that position. I dont think it reflects well in the Republican Party. I dont think it reflects wells on us as a nation, Rubio said in an interview with Orlandos WFTV.

Trump responded to the backlash Monday in an interview with Fox News, saying he has a right to defend himself against the judge.

You have to respond, Trump said. All Im trying to do is figure out why Im being treated so unfairly by a judge.
Capitol Hill lawmakers return from their latest recess to face two looming fiscal dilemmas: how to fund the federal government and what to do to boost the countrys response to the Zika virus.

Right before breaking for the Memorial Day holiday, an energy and water spending bill went down in defeat on the House floor after Democrats succeeded in attaching an amendment prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Related: The GOP Chained Itself to Trump. Heres What that Means

That resulted in many Republicans voting against the underlying bill. The series of events was an unexpected consequence of the push by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to return the chamber to regular order, an unrestricted amendment process that many rank-and-file members, especially conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus, clamored for so they could have more input into the legislative process.

Theres nothing to stop Democrats from offering the same amendment or another on a hot button political issue such as immigration that would be anathema to the GOP, especially in an election year.

The standoff could scuttle the entire appropriations process and force Ryan to begin contemplating a catch-all omnibus bill, a move that would be loathed by conservatives.

Ryan would probably prefer avoiding that option as well. With government funding set to expire shortly before Election Day, a short-term spending resolution and an eventual omnibus, put together during an already contentious lame duck session of Congress, would no doubt be drawn into the boiling cauldron of presidential politics.

Related: After Endorsing Trump, Paul Ryan Decries Anger and Division in Politics

While the House tries to unsnarl itself, the Senate appropriations committee has unanimously approved eight of the 12 annual spending bills, primarily by avoiding so-called poison pill amendments and sticking to the funding levels set by last years bipartisan budget agreement.

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Where the upper chamber is running into trouble, though, is what to do with a proposed $2 billion to help combat the Zika virus.

Before adjourning, the Senate approved a $1.1 billion, bipartisan package; the House approved $622 million bill that faces a veto threat from the White House. Both measures are well below the $1.9 billion President Obama has requested to try to tackle to mosquito-borne virus.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) chastised Republicans for not hammering out a compromise before leaving town and vowed that he would force a vote on a larger, $2 billion package as soon as lawmakers are back into session.

Related: Is It Time to Cancel the Rio Olympics? Health Experts Say Zika Risk Is Too High

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are more than 300 pregnant women in U.S. who have been exposed to Zika, which is known to cause birth defects. Earlier this week, USA Today reported that a third Zika-infected infant was born with the severe birth defect called microcephaly.

Depending on how deeply Reid and other Democrats dig in their heels, the Senates appropriations process could go off of the rails. Even a week-long deviation could have greater consequences down the road, considering there are less than 60 days left on the congressional calendar.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The director of Sundance-nominated "Broken English," Zoe Cassavetes, steers a 5-minute promo for the French hotel's June 6 reopening.

The Place Vendome's prestigious Hotel Ritz closed for extensive renovations in July 2012 and now reopens nearly four years later.

French actress Ana Girardot of original French TV series "Les Revenants" -- "The Returned" for its English-language adaptation -- stars opposite Spanish actor Andres Velencoso in a short treatment that leads viewers on a Parisian mystery tour and, it would appear, inside the newly refurbished Ritz.

With the new-look Ritz was under construction at the time, Cassavetes told Vogue that her team instead recreated the hotel's interior scenes within the Chateau de Fontainebleau, 55km south of Paris itself.

The night visit concludes with an early morning shot of the river Seine, flanked by the Eiffel Tower on one side and the glass-roofed Grand Palais to the other.

RITZ Paris presents 'Behind the door' by Zoe Cassavetes: youtu.be/PuQbYlbedX0
Rodrigo Duterte, the president-elect of the Philippines, again urged citizens to join in a campaign of murderous vigilantism against drug dealers and criminals this week.

In a nationally televised address, Duterte told voters "if [a drug dealer] fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," CNN reported. "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun ... You have my support. Shoot him and I'll give you a medal."

During the speech, Duterte increased his pledged bounty on drug lords of 3 million Philippine pesos ($65,000) to 5 million Philippine pesos ($108,000), CNN reported.

"I'm not saying you that you have to kill them, but the order is 'dead or alive,'" the president-elect added. For corrupt cops, he said, "If you are still involved in drugs, I will kill you. Don't take this as a joke. I'm not making you laugh. Son of a bitch, I'll kill you."

The statement more or less effectively sends the signal to Filipinos that vigilante murder is not only OK, but is actually supported by the state. Duterte, in addition to bigoted statements on the campaign trail, is infamous for his involvement with death squads during his mayorship of Davao City. He has admitted to murdering people as a vigilante before.

"Me?" he asked during a local broadcast. "They are saying that I'm part of a death squad. True, that's true." He is known as "The Punisher" in Davao City for his role on death squads.

On the campaign trail, Duterte promised to spread his murderous brand of vigilantism to the entire country, which has long been plagued by violent crime and saw massive increases in organized criminal activity in 2015.

"I will use the military and the police to go out and arrest [criminals], hunt for them and, if they offer a violent resistance ... I will simply say, 'Kill them all so we can finish this problem,'" Duterte said, according to CNBC. He pledged five heads a week until the crime problem is resolved.
Image via @rootspicnic

Image via @rootspicnic

The Roots have hosted the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia for years now, and this past weekends installment featured Future, Metro Boomin, Migos, and a bunch of others. Now, it looks like the event is ready to expand, as it was announced today that there will be a New York City edition picnic (at Bryant Park) on October 1 and 2.

The lineup is set to include (aside from The Roots themselves, of course) DAngelo, John Mayer, Lil Uzi Vert, Kevin Gates, Jeremih, David Byrne, Nile Rodgers, and Wu-Tang Clan, the latter three of whom will be backed by The Roots. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. at rootspicnic.com.

To make the announcement, Questlove and Black Thought made a freestyle rap video with Questlove making a beat by hitting the table and Questlove describing each of the scheduled performers. Check it out below, and peep the full lineup above.

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As the last of the public exited at sunset, nine pieces of vaulted treasure emerged to make their debut at the New York Public Library on June 2. Against a backdrop of 78-foot-high marble walls, lit candelabra and trays of champagne, rare items including a Gutenberg Bible from 1455 sat beneath clear glass cases poised to be celebrated at a Chanel Fine Jewelry-hosted cocktail hour and dinner.

"The only time I've been around rare books is when I've been in sweatpants and Uggs and an oversized t-shirt, so I'm excited to re-introduce myself to Gutenberg and be dressed for the occasion," said Allison Williams, who wore a black velvet lace top and floor-length white leather skirt from the label's 2016 Paris-Rome collection. Amanda Peet, who grew up coming to the library, had her sights set on Vladimir Nabokov's annotated copy of Madame Bovary: "I read that book in the last five years. I'm interested to see what those annotations mean, what it even is, what his notes are."

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Allison Williams attended Chanel Fine Jewelry's dinner to celebrate treasures from the NYPL collection. (Photo: Getty Images)

But what quickly became clear - as a spectacle of silk, tweed and lace-embellished stars like Dakota Fanning and Rose Byrne filled the room - was that the most celebrated item, was also the loneliest: all eyes were on Chanel, not on Gutenberg.

"I feel like I'm dressed a bit like an old grandma - I love that everything is covered," said Leelee Sobieski, who stunned in a silver-embroidered tweed jacket and skirt from the spring/summer 2016 collection. "My husband's grandma - great Grandma Shirley to my kids - I feel a little bit like her and she's amazing," added the actress just before bumping into friend Jemima Kirke. "I love that this look is like a jewelry box itself," said actress Phoebe Tonkin of her embroidered top from the Chanel 2016 Cruise collection. "But the relationship between jewelry and books? I guess both collect stories over time."

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Despite the Parisian fashion house's history of support for the NYPL, the interconnectedness of the literary and high fashion worlds remained somewhat ambiguous to many of the guests. "I'm not quite sure how they relate, but I'm excited to drink wine in a library - I've never done that before," said actress Haley Bennett.

Byrne drew parallels from subtle but coincidental details. "I think the preservation of fine things is what Chanel and the library both do, but I think with Coco Chanel being a Leo - being associated with the symbol of the lion and the lion statues being outside of the library - there is a certain presence," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

CHIC IN CHANEL: Amanda Peet and Rose Byrne attended Chanel Fine Jewelry's dinner to celebrate treasures from the NYPL collection. (Photo: Getty Images)

The symbolic lion, which Gabrielle Chanel surrounded herself with at her apartment in Paris, was present in nearly a dozen pieces of fine jewelry at the party. "I'm not into chokers. We need to put a cap on the '90s," declared Kirke, who wore a massive gold, diamond and onyx Constellation du Lion ring. "But this ring is great, it covers up my psoriasis."

"I've got two lions on and I think they speak for themselves," said Dakota Fanning of the "Lion Mosaique" cuff and "Lion Protecteur" ring in 18K white gold and diamonds that she wore. "Chanel is such an iconic brand, it's always represented elegance to me," she said while making her way into the newly renovated Gottesman Exhibition Hall for dinner. "Getting to wear such beautiful jewelry and a beautiful dress to support the New York Public Library - it's a once in a lifetime experience."

Indeed, the room, which was filled with banquet tables that overflowed with pink peonies, white hydrangeas, roses and candlelight, would never look the same. "Next year we are going to take the treasures out of the vault and put them in safe cases in this room and invite every New Yorker, every tourist, everyone to see them," president of the NYPL Anthony W. Marx told THR. "And then we'll connect all of these treasures digitally."

Until then - or at least until the clock neared midnight - guests enjoyed a three-course meal served a la Francaise in a space that some said felt "like Europe instead of New York" and others like Beauty And The Beast. "Yes, I've partied in a library," Kirke said, "but never like this."

See More: About Last Night: Dakota Fanning Is Chic In Chanel; Lea Michele's Nude Mini
Karl Rove, who has publicly spoken about his views on Trump told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney that he met with Trump at casino mogul Steve Wynns home in Manhattan ten days ago.

I was asked to meet with him by a mutual friend, and happy to do so. We met for about two hours at the apartment of Steve Wynn, our mutual friend, the Las Vegas casino and hotel owner, and we had a cordial conversation for about two hours, he said.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, on Friday, repeatedly attacked Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing a class-action lawsuit against against Trump University, over his Mexican heritage.

He also obscured the fact that he had an endorsement from Paul Ryan, last week, and he also stepped on the news about having raised $6 million from veterans. He had already however damaged that in part by being angry when talking with the press about it, rather than sharing the triumph on what he had done on behalf of all these veteran groups and mocking the press for thinking that he wouldnt get the job done of raising $6 million, said Rove.

Rove said the latest incident didnt impact his meeting with Trump.

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HAIKOU, June 6 -- One person was killed and 11 others injured after a tornado hit Wenchang City in south China's Hainan on Sunday afternoon, local authorities said Monday.

The tornado struck the townships of Jinshan and Fengpo on the island province, cutting off power supply, uprooting trees and ripping roofs off houses, according to the city's emergency office.

The tornado has affected 749 people from the two towns. Four of the 11 injured suffered serious injuries. They are receiving treatment at the People's Hospital of Hainan Province.

A total of 178 homes were damaged in the tornado.

The rescue work continues.
6 Jun - Speculations are rife over Annabelle Rama's recent visit to the president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, with many saying that she has been offered to be the next Chairperson of the Movie and Television Review & Classification Board (MTRCB).



However, according to Coconuts Manila, daughter Ruffa Gutierrez doubts that it had anything to do with the MTRCB, believing that her mother is not the kind of person who would want to do the job.



"Knowing my mother, I don't think she'll be interested, because she won't want to stay in a room watching movies all day and night," said Gutierrez.



She also believed that the job will not be good for Annabelle's relationship with her friends, who are mostly movie producers.



"I don't think she'll be interested. I don't think it was even offered to her," she said.



In fact, the reality star also once stated that she is not interested in holding a government position despite being friends with Duterte.



(Photo source: cebudailynews.inquirer.net)
Moscow (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to "actively support" Syrian troops from the air around Aleppo Monday, after a weekend of fierce fighting left dozens dead in the divided city.

Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia has waited long enough for Syria's moderate opposition to leave areas controlled by jihadist groups, and that air raids by Russia should "not be a surprise".

"What is happening in Aleppo and around it now, we warned the Americans about this in advance, and they know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory," he told a press conference.

Washington "is asking us and Syrian leadership to delay air strikes" until opposition forces are separated from jihadists of the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, he said.

"We believe there has been more than enough time" for that, he said.

"Everyone who has not left the terrorists now only have themselves to blame."

"We will be deciding on how our air force should act based on our understanding of the situation," he said.

"We share this understanding with the Americans during video-conferences... There won't be any surprises for the Americans."

In Washington, a State Department spokeswoman insisted US officials are in talks with groups on the ground to encourage moderate elements to separate themselves from Al-Nusra.

"We would reiterate that Russia and the Assad regime need to distinguish between the terrorists and parties to the cessation of hostilities," Elizabeth Trudeau warned.

At the weekend, the Russian defence ministry unusually dispatched several statements marked "urgent" about clashes and massing "terrorist" forces near Aleppo, even suggesting the presence of Turkish troops.

Earlier Monday, the ministry said there were over two thousand militants near the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood, among them "various terrorist groups and teams of so-called 'moderate opposition'," accusing them of killing dozens of civilians.

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Aleppo is divided between government and rebel control and has seen some of the worst fighting, which has thwarted diplomatic efforts to get the sides to move towards peace.

The Britain-based Observatory of Human Rights said Sunday that regime strikes on rebel-held districts in the city killed at least 32 civilians, while rebel attacks killed eight in neighbourhoods under government control.

Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire on February 27 that dampened violence in Syria, but Aleppo remains a hotspot where fighting began to rage since mid-April compromising diplomatic efforts.

Russia has rolled back its air strikes after announcing a surprise pullout of the bulk of its forces in March, but it still maintains a contingent in Syria and flies air raids in the country.
Vladimir Putin

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters Monday that Russia would provide "the most active" support to the Syrian army to keep the strategic city of Aleppo and the surrounding area from falling into the hands of "terrorists."

"What is happening in and around Aleppo now is what we had warned the Americans about beforehand  and they know it: that we will in the most active way support the Syrian army from the air not to allow the seizure of this territory by terrorists," Lavrov said.

Lavrov's comments, which come one day after Russia's deputy defense minister announced that there was still "much to be done to support the Syrian army"  have added to speculation that Russia is preparing to revamp its military operations in Syria three months after announcing it had begun to withdraw.

Moscow intervened on behalf of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad in September, turning the tide of the war in Assad's favor with relentless airstrikes targeting anti-Assad rebels near Turkey's border and Aleppo, which is now the war's epicenter.

Putin shocked the world when he announced in March that Russia would begin to withdraw "the main part" of its military presence in Syria four months after intervening. Jeff White, a defense fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Business Insider at the time that Putin had "left some important military tasks unfinished," including the encirclement of Aleppo.

Perhaps for that reason, Russia left many of its military resources in Syria intact in the event it would need to re-escalate.

"The notion that Russia needs to 'return' to Syria is fallacious," Mark Kramer, the program director for the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, told Business Insider on Monday.

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"Even after Putin announced that Russia was ending its military operation a few months ago, Russian planes continued to provide bombing support for Syrian forces, albeit much less frequently than before," he added.

Experts say it now appears Moscow is setting the stage for a large-scale offensive against Syria's more mainstream opposition, considered terrorists by forces loyal to Assad, by ramping up its antiterrorist rhetoric, reinforcing its ground role via military advisers and private contractors, and escalating the rate and breadth of airstrikes around Aleppo's frontlines and in Idlib province.

Syria Russia airstrikes

On Saturday, the former chief of the general staff for the Russian armed forces said Russia "should act more forcefully" against Syria's "terrorists," who were given time to prepare for an offensive by the cessation-of-hostilities agreement brokered between the US and Russia in late February.

The French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported in early May that Russia had contracted private "mercenaries" to fight for Assad, and Al-Monitor reported last week that ground forces and paratroopers had been deployed to Russia's port on Syria's western coast "to support more than 3,000 Russian volunteers dispatched to the region in the last few weeks, in a bid to revive coordination with the Syrian Arab Army."

The rate and breadth of Russian airstrikes in Aleppo and opposition-held territory in Idlib province tripled over the course of three days last week, according to the Institute for the Study of War, marking what it called "a dangerous shift in the Russian airstrike pattern to levels only seen prior to the brokering of the cessation of hostilities agreement in late February 2016."

nusra

Zeina Khodr, a correspondent for Al Jazeera based out of Doha, put it bluntly:

"Moscow may be justifying and paving the way for a large-scale offensive against [Al Qaeda affiliate] Jabhat al-Nusra."

In that way, however, Russia is evidently also preparing for a large-scale offensive against Syria's mainstream rebels  many of whom have continued to coexist with Nusra in the name of survival.

"I have an impression, which is supported by yet unconfirmed facts, that these [moderate] groups intentionally occupy al-Nusra front positions in order to prevent al-Nusra from being attacked," Lavrov told Sputnik News last month.

That Nusra is not protected by the terms of the cease-fire has created a loophole for the Russians to attack mainstream rebel groups in the midst of the cease-fire. Many of these groups are backed by the West, and that some have reportedly chosen to coordinate with Nusra against forces loyal to Assad "has exposed the Achilles' heel of the American strategy in Syria: the line between terrorist and 'moderate rebel' is pencil-thin."

That is according to The Daily Beast's Nancy Youssef, who was told last week by a US intelligence official that Lavrov's recent proposal that the US and Russia coordinate their airstrikes in Syria to target Nusra militants "was a blatant attempt to deflect attention from the targeting of moderate opposition" forces in Syria.

Free Syrian Army Idlib

"

Despite claims they are focusing on" Al Qaeda in Syria and ISIS, the official said, "Russia and Assad have primarily targeted the moderate opposition."

Lavrov offered to halt airstrikes long enough to allow the rebels to back away from Nusra positions, but the US refused the proposal.

The rebels did not back away despite urging from US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Moscow is evidently now taking advantage of a lack of "cooperation" from Washington and stalled peace talks in Geneva  Mohammad Alloush resigned from his position as the opposition's chief negotiator last month  to re-escalate its military presence.

"It can be said that for the first time the military and the diplomatic positions have converged on the need to restrengthen [Russia's] credibility," Mohammad Ballout wrote in Al-Monitor on Friday. "This might pave the way for a partial re-adoption of the military option."

Kramer, of Harvard, noted that Russia "may well escalate its operations back up to something close to their October through March levels."

"But if so," he added, "that would represent a fairly embarrassing admission that the Syrian regime is unable to sustain progress on its own."

NOW WATCH: Heres the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will reportedly live in after the White House





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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Finnish counterpart the Kremlin would take unspecified measures to respond to increased NATO activity in the Baltic region, making clear he was vexed by Helsinki's hosting of alliance drills. Lavrov made his comments at a news conference in Moscow on Monday with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini on the same day as NATO launched Baltops 16, an annual naval exercise, on Finnish soil for the first time. "We do not hide our negative attitude to the movement of NATO's military infrastructure towards our borders, to dragging new states into the military activity of the bloc," Lavrov told reporters. "We will invoke Russia's sovereign right to guarantee its security with measures proportionate to the current risks. I am confident that our Finnish friends and neighbors also understand this." Lavrov, who said he saw no threats in the Baltic region that would justify the area's militarization, did not elaborate. Soini told the same news conference that military exercises like the one launched on Monday helped strengthen Finland's military capacity and were "not directed against anybody." He said Finland, not a member of NATO, was taking the "security challenges" it faced seriously, closely cooperating with NATO, and deepening cooperation with next-door Sweden. "This kind of issue can be openly discussed with each other," said Soini, speaking English. "Finland is independently making these kind of decisions, and of course our aim is currently our security. There are no other aims." (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov and Vladimir Soldatkin in MOSCOW and by Jussi Rosendahl in HELSINKI; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday its air forces will provide "the most active" support to Syria's government troops not to let the strategic city of Aleppo and the surrounding area fall into the hands of "terrorists". "What is happening in and around Aleppo now is what we had warned the Americans about beforehand - and they know it: that we will in the most active way support the Syrian army from the air not to allow the seizure of this territory by terrorists," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news briefing. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
Moscow (AFP) - In a rare appeal for leniency, Russian prosecutors on Monday asked a judge to release radical artist Pyotr Pavlensky with a hefty fine as he faces prison for torching the doors of the security service's headquarters.

Pavlensky doused a massive wooden door of the FSB security service's Moscow headquarters with gasoline and set it on fire in a November performance he called "Threat".

He has been held behind bars since the performance and has been charged with damaging a cultural site, which carries a maximum jail sentence of three years.

In a surprise move, however, prosecutor Anton Sizov asked for the accused to be fined rather than jailed.

"I call for Pyotr Andreyevich to be found guilty and given the punishment of a fine of two million rubles ($30,400/27,000 euros)," he said.

The prosecutor added that the fine could be reduced to 1.5 million rubles since Pavlensky has two children as dependents, has no criminal record and has been in pre-trial detention for more than six months.

Pavlensky should also compensate the cost of the scorched door, which was valued at 481,461 rubles, a representative of the security forces told the court.

The judge Yelena Gudoshnikova is set to announce her verdict on Wednesday. It is relatively unusual for a judge to issue a punishment harsher than what is requested by prosecutors.

The gaunt 32-year-old artist is known for his intensely physical performances that protest against Russia's restrictions on political freedoms.

He has previously nailed his scrotum to Red Square, sewn his lips together, wrapped himself in barbed wire and chopped off part of his ear.

Pavlensky has refused to testify since the start of the trial, speaking only to journalists and supporters. While his defence team fought for his freedom, he has repeatedly demanded that the judge put him on trial for terrorism.

Sitting in a cage in a courtroom packed with supporters and journalists, Pavlensky cleared his throat and remained silent after the judge invited him to make his final statement before adjourning.

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His lawyer Dmitry Dinze asked the court to free Pavlensky and drop the charge against him.

"He is not a criminal element... but a truly acknowledged performance artist," Dinze said.

- Pyotr not likely to pay -

Pavlensky's partner Oksana Shalygina said after the hearing that the prosecutor's request for leniency was "unexpectedly helpful".

"We expected the sentence would go the whole hog: that the prosecutor would ask for three years," Shalygina told AFP.

She suggested that the decision was due to the large amount of publicity surrounding the case and the current state of Russia's relations with the West.

The artist could still end up serving a sentence in an open prison as he is likely to refuse to pay the fine, defence lawyer Dinze told AFP.

"If he doesn't pay the fine, then after a while Pyotr will be detained and the question will come up of replacing the fine with a 'real punishment'," Dinze said.

He said this could mean Pavlensky would have to serve time in a "settlement colony," a kind of open prison in a remote area.

"So far as I know Pyotr isn't going to pay anything. So the struggle continues," Dinze said.

Dressed in shorts, sandals and a grey top, Pavlensky looked melancholy as he sat in the defendant's cage and did not react to the prosecutors' request.

He has consistently argued he should face terrorism charges, likening his case to that of Ukrainian film maker Oleg Sentsov who was convicted of terrorism last year for setting fire to pro-Kremlin party offices in Russia-annexed Crimea.

Pavlensky's partner Shalygina confirmed she expected he would refuse to pay any fine as a matter of principle.

"We don't have that money and it's not clear how they will claim it," she said, adding that even if supporters donated it, Pavlensky "won't want to pay the authorities."
Two eyes painted on a newly discovered Egyptian coffin seem to stare out from across millennia, conveying the secrets of the ancient Egyptian elite.

The coffin, discovered this year in the necropolis at Qubbet el-Hawa across the Nile River from Aswan, belonged to an important local woman, Sattjeni, daughter of one governor, wife of another and mother of two more, said excavation leader Alejandro Jimenez-Serrano, an Egyptologist at the University of Jaen in Spain.

Sattjeni's mummified body was buried in two cedar coffins made of wood imported from Lebanon. Though the outer coffin had degraded over the nearly 4,000 years since Sattjeni's death, her inner coffin was in excellent condition, according to Egypt's antiquities ministry, which announced the discovery May 24. [See Photos of Sattjeni's Elaborate Burial]

Sattjeni was not a royal, but her family practiced royal strategies to hold on to their governing power: She married her sister's widower, and the family also associated itself with the ram-headed deity Khnum, much as pharaohs intermarried to keep power in the family and claimed to be descended from the gods.

In an email interview with Live Science, Jimenez-Serrano revealed more about the excavations at Qubbet el-Hawa and the life of Sattjeni.

Live Science: Tell us about the excavations at west Aswan. What kinds of artifacts and structures do you find at this site? What was this area used for during the Middle Kingdom (between about 2000 B.C. and 1700 B.C.)?

Jimenez-Serrano: Qubbet el-Hawa is one of the most important nonroyal necropolises of ancient Egypt. Its importance lies in the great quantity and quality of the biographical inscriptions carved in the facades of the funerary complexes. The necropolis was mainly used to bury the highest officials of the nearby town of Elephantine, the capital of the southernmost province of Egypt, at the end of the third millennium and the beginning of the second (2200 B.C. to 1775 B.C). The governors were buried together with their relatives; the members of their courts (officials and domestic service) were buried in other smaller and less-decorated tombs. Thus, today, we know the existence of 100 tombs, of which only 80 have been completely cleared.

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During the Middle Kingdom, especially during the 12th Dynasty (1950 B.C. to 1775 B.C.), the governors of Elephantine built giant funerary complexes in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa. Some of them are beautifully decorated and have important inscriptions.

Live Science: How did you uncover the burial of Sattjeni? What was that moment like?

Jimenez-Serrano: In 2013, we discovered the upper part of a chamber, which belonged to a tomb that was probably quarried in the Byzantine period (fifth century A.D.). In the walls of this chamber, there was a Christian prayer painted by the Coptics. Thus, we thought that the area was disturbed. However, that chamber at the end was not a chamber, but the beginning of a shaft. During this year, we began the excavation of the shaft, and the more that we excavated, the more we got the sensation that a great discovery might appear ... and it appeared!

The worker called me, and I went to the bottom of the shaft, where there was a tiny aperture. With a torch, I could have a look inside, and the first thing that I could see were hieroglyphs. Later, we could determine that those hieroglyphs were on the coffins of the Lady Sattjeni. [Photos: More Than 40 Tombs Discovered in Upper Egypt]

Live Science: Who was Sattjeni, and why was she an important figure?

Jimenez-Serrano: Sattjeni was the second daughter of one of the most important figures of the 12th Dynasty, the governor Sarenput II. Unfortunately, her brother Ankhu died shortly after his father, and there were no male successors. So she and her sister Gaut-Anuket had the rights of the rule in Elephantine. The latter married a certain official called Heqaib and converted him into the new governor of Elephantine: Heqaib II. However, we suspect that Gaut-Anuket did not live much time, because Sattjeni married Heqaib II. They had at least two children, who became the governors of Elephantine successively, as Heqaib III and Ameny-Seneb.

Live Science: What does this discovery tell you about 12th Dynasty society?

Jimenez-Serrano: This discovery shows that the local dynasties of the periphery of the State emulated the royal family. In this concrete case, we can confirm that women were the holders of the dynastic rights. Probably, the members of these families married as the royal family  brother with sister  in order to keep the divine blood "pure." We must not forget that Sattjeni's family declared themselves heirs of a local god.

Live Science: What were the coffins like, and was there anything interesting about their construction or preservation?

Jimenez-Serrano: We are still investigating why the outer coffin was so decayed compared to the inner [one], which was in perfect condition. Both were made with the same foreign wood: cedar from Lebanon. Perhaps the inner coffin was treated with an organic substance that we have not yet detected.

(This interview was edited lightly for length and clarity.)

Original article on Live Science.

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By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had removed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases of child deaths and injuries. The U.N. report on children and armed conflict - released last Thursday - said the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, and half the attacks on schools and hospitals. Following a complaint by Saudi Arabia, however, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases cited in the annual report of states and armed groups that violate children's rights in war. "Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the secretary-general removes the listing of the coalition in the report's annex," Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. But Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the removal of the coalition from the blacklist was "irreversible and unconditional." "We were wrongly placed on the list," he told reporters. "We know that this removal is final." Mouallimi, who described the removal of the coalition as a vindication, had earlier on Monday said the figures in the U.N. report were "wildly exaggerated," and that "the most up-to-date equipment in precision targeting" is used. Saudi Arabia had not been consulted prior to the publication of this year's report, Mouallimi added. Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said in a statement sent to Reuters late on Sunday that the U.N. had not based enough of its report on information supplied by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing Iran-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. Some 6,000 people, about half of them civilians, have been killed in Yemen since last March, according to the U.N. The Houthis, Yemen government forces and pro-government militia have been on the U.N. blacklist for at least five years and are considered "persistent perpetrators." Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) also reappeared on the list. Last year, the United Nations left Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas off the blacklist, after they had been included in an earlier draft, but criticized Israel over its 2014 military operations. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall; editing by Dominic Evans and G Crosse)
By William Maclean, Marwa Rashad and Reem Shamseddine

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia plans to more than triple the government's non-oil revenues and clamp down on public-sector salaries over the next five years, ministers said on Monday as they described reforms designed to reduce the economy's dependence on oil and build a sustainable future.

The National Transformation Plan (NTP) aims to boost non-oil revenue to 530 billion riyals ($141 billion) by 2020, creating some 450,000 non-government jobs, according to comments by ministers and documents distributed to reporters in Jeddah.

The plan aims to "enhance the level and quality of services" provided by government and "achieve a prosperous future and sustainable development," it said.

The NTP, which includes over 500 projects and initiatives as well as performance indicators for ministries and other government agencies, will cost around 270 billion riyals to implement, the document showed.

Minister of State Mohammed Al al-Sheikh said the cost would have no impact on Saudi budget spending, and added that a further 300 billion riyals was expected to be contributed to NTP initiatives by the private sector.

The plan is part of a wider, long-term reform drive known as Vision 2030, which was announced by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in April. He aims to overhaul many aspects of Saudi Arabia's economy and society as the kingdom prepares for a future of shrunken oil revenues and a rising population.

The finances of the world's top oil exporter have been hit hard since the summer of 2014, when crude prices plunged, producing a state budget deficit of nearly $100 billion last year.

The plan aims to increase the percentage of government debt to gross domestic product to 30 percent from 7.7 percent now.

Under Vision 2030, new non-oil revenue is expected to come from the introduction of a value-added tax, "sin taxes" on sweet drinks and tobacco, and fees imposed on the private sector.

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Al al-Sheikh said there were no plans to introduce income tax for citizens. The text of the plan proposed to spend 150 million riyals on preparing income tax for residents, a phrase normally applied to expatriates. Al al-Sheikh said the only tax commitment approved so far was for VAT and said that further questions on taxation should be addressed to the finance minister.

According to the NTP, the government will strive to reduce the value of public salaries and wages as a proportion of the budget to 40 percent from 45 percent by 2020, and cut water and electricity subsidies by 200 billion riyals.

The Energy Ministry aims to maintain its oil production capacity at 12.5 million barrels per day (bpd), raise gas output capacity to 17.8 billion standard cubic feet a day from 12 billion, and raise refining capacity to 3.3 million bpd from 2.9 million, the document said.

Saudi Arabia will also aim to install 3.5 gigawatts of renewable power capacity by 2020 and spend 300 million riyals on identifying locations for atomic electricity plants and preparing them for construction, the plan said.

An appendix to the plans listed spending targets for hundreds of initiatives aimed at boosting both economic and social goals, including 4.7 billion riyals on improving hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units.

Other spending included 2.1 billion riyals to restructure the postal sector, 5 million to set up an intellectual property authority, 8 million to improve civil service performance and 3.5 billion to maintain cultural heritage. [L8N18Y57W]

PLANS

Whether the plans are achievable has become a constant subject of conversation in the kingdom. On Monday, the first day of Ramadan, the annual satirical television show "Selfie," which runs during the fasting month, lampooned the preoccupation with the plan.

It showed a vision of Saudi Arabia 100 years in the future, with a widely lamented shortage of adequate housing persisting and women still barred from using cars alone even in self-driving cars.

While some of the targets, such as cutting lavish energy subsidies, have been roundly applauded by economists as long overdue, others, such as a goal of ending dependence on oil by 2020, have provoked widespread scepticism.

A focus on the private sector to deliver new revenue streams and help boost employment has raised concerns that measures such as deregulation and privatisation will fail to help companies compensate for a fall in state spending.

The government aims to accelerate privatisation. Details in Monday's plan showed the Energy Ministry aimed to transfer all its power generation to "strategic partners" by 2020. Riyadh will also privatise its water desalination agency, it said.

The plans have alarmed some social conservatives, who regard proposals to increase the number of women working and create more opportunities for entertainment in a country where cinemas are banned as risking a betrayal of Islamic values.

Managing such contradictory impulses will be a tough task for Prince Mohammed, the architect of the reforms, who has risen from near obscurity before his father became king early last year to a position of almost unprecedented power in the kingdom.

He was named head of the new Council for Economic and Development Affairs, a supercommittee tasked with overseeing long-term structural changes in Saudi Arabia's domestic policy.

Monday's national transformation plan is the latest manifestation of that process, the culmination of months of detailed planning that drew in foreign consulting firms and thousands of Saudis through workshops with the private sector.

Other elements of the Vision reforms which are not included in the National Transformation Plan include the privatisation of state oil giant Saudi Aramco and the transformation of the Public Investment Fund into a massive sovereign wealth fund.

(Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Jeddah and Hadeel al-Sayegh and Sami Aboudi in Dubai, Mustafa Hashem; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Dan Grebler and Leslie Adler)
KABUL, June 6 -- A U.S. journalist and his Afghan translator, were killed as militants attacked an Afghan army convoy in the southern Helmand province on Sunday, an Afghan military official confirmed early Monday.

"David Gilkey of U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) and his translator Zabihullah Tamana were embedded a convoy of Afghan national army when the militants fired an 82 mm caliber gun and it unfortunately struck the military vehicle Humvee where the ill-fated journalists were in," Major General Mohammad Moheen Faqir, commander of army Corps 215 Maiwand, told Xinhua.

"Taliban are suspected to carry out this attack since the militant group are active in that area," he added. However, neither group nor individual has claimed responsibility.

"Both the journalists were killed on the spot in the unfortunate incident which occurred in Marja district at around 02:30 p.m. local time," the official added.

The late journalists were covering the clashes between security forces and militants as well as the security situation in the restive Helmand province when the gruesome incident happened, the official said, adding Tamana had served as translator for Gilkey in the mission.

An army soldier who was driving the Humvee used by the ill-fated journalists was also killed in the attack, the official asserted.

Two more NPR reporters were travelling in a separate vehicle escaped unharmed, Faqir said.

Zabihullah Tamana, 38, had served as photojournalist for Xinhua News Agency Kabul bureau from 2003 to 2010.

Around 50 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan over the past one and half decade, six of them since 2015, according to Nai, an agency supporting media in Afghanistan.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Saudi Arabia demanded Monday that a UN report blaming the military coalition it is leading in Yemen for the deaths of hundreds of children be corrected and warned it could undermine peace talks.

The annual UN report on children and armed conflict added the Saudi-led coalition to a blacklist of children's rights violators after determining that it was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children killed in Yemen last year.

Saudi Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi told reporters that he was "deeply disappointed" and "disturbed" by the report and said the figure of 60 percent was "wildly exaggerated."

"We are asking that the report be corrected immediately so that it does not reflect the accusations against the coalition and Saudi Arabia in particular," he told reporters after meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.

The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many parts of the country.

The war has left some 6,400 people dead, with more than 80 percent of the population in desperate need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

The report was released Thursday as the United Nations was seeking progress in talks held in Kuwait to try to end the war.

"The timing of this report is most unfortunate because it comes as we are hoping for a breakthrough in the discussions in Kuwait leading to an agreement and hopefully an end to the conflict," said Mouallimi.

"Issuing such a report at this time can only be counterproductive for the purposes of the peace negotiations on Yemen," he said.

The ambassador acknowledged that "there were some collateral damages from time to time" but that the coalition had played a "positive role" in restoring Yemen's legitimate government and providing humanitarian aid.

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UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric defended the report and said some adjustments would be made even though the list would remain intact.

"We are looking at changing the format, and not the content," he said. "The report is as it stands."

Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the heavy civilian toll from the Saudi-led campaign.
In declaring independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh sought to leave behind the countrys long history of ethnic and provincial discrimination. It also sought to dispel the radical Islamist ideology that has driven Pakistan so far from the pluralistic vision of its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

In 1972, Bangladeshis enshrined in their founding constitution the principles of secularism and political pluralism. But in 1977, General Ziaur Rehman removed the principle of secularism from the constitution, and in 1988, General Ershad declared Islam the state religion, as part of a strategy to enlist the support of Islamists to serve his political ambitions.

Today, Bangladesh once again faces an existential threat posed by religious extremists. To counter it, political leaders must return to the countrys founding principles.

The center-left Awami League found success in the previous two elections on a platform that promised to crack down on militancy and restore the constitution to its original principles. While in office, the Awami League has taken a firm stance against extremists, carrying out security operations and arresting militants.

Some complain, however, that the governments efforts against extremism are inconsistent and insufficient. While militants are being arrested, many fear that the government is contributing to the confusion regarding religions role in state politics. For example, when the Awami League government amended the Constitution in 2011, it eliminated the line on the granting by the State of political status in favor of any religion, and declared Islam as the state religion, leaving the issue unresolved.

Most recently, State Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal refused to condemn the murder of secular activist Nazimuddin Samad, saying, it is needed to see whether he has written anything objectionable in his blogs. This echoed previous statements by Kamal, who responded to terrorist attacks last August by warning Bangladeshi citizens not to say or write anything that might offend anyone. Such statements provide political support to Islamist terrorism.

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Awami League leaders have explained that they feel anxious about taking too strong a stand against Islamists because the opposition plays that religion card against us relentlessly. They may have a point.

In 2013, Islamist extremist group Hefazat-e-Islam organized mass demonstrations demanding a 13-point program that included the introduction of draconian blasphemy laws, ending foreign cultural intrusions such as free speech, and executing anyone found guilty of maligning Islam. Bangladeshs largest Islamist organization, Jamaat-e-Islami, which accused the Awami League of complicity in a conspiracy against Islam, also supported these demands.

While Bangladeshs main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), stopped short of publicly endorsing Hefazats program, the party did provide material support to the Islamists efforts. This is not the first time that the BNP has found itself allied with violent Islamist extremists.

Following a brief period of military rule, voters granted the Awami League a descisive victory in 2008, in an election during which National Democratic Institute observers saw no evidence of a pattern of infractions that would prejudice the elections. In 2014, the Awami League won a second term, but this time the elections were marred by problems following the governments decision to abolish the previous system of holding the vote under a caretaker government. Opposition parties  the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in particular  responded by announcing a boycott.

As it became clear that the oppositions decision to boycott was not going to derail elections, supporters carried out a systematic campaign of violence to stop voters from reaching the polls. On numerous occasions, opposition party members and activists threw petrol bombs at trucks, buses, and motorized rickshaws, Human Rights Watch reported. In some cases, opposition group members forced children to carry out the attacks. Bangladeshs Hindu minority, traditionally Awami League voters, came under intense attack as BNP activists, along with Jamaat-e-Islamis militant wing, carried out a terror campaign as part of an effort to stop them from voting.

The oppositions concerns about its chances in fair elections were not unwarranted. Following the 2014 elections, independent survey data collected by Democracy International suggested that the Awami League would have won the elections despite the opposition boycott. Had the elections resulted in a large enough voter turnout for the Awami League, the BNP could have faced a fate worse than defeat: political irrelevancy. As it turned out, the governments heavy-handed response to opposition violence gave the BNP a new lease on life.

Among Democracy Internationals 2014 post-election survey results, however, came an important finding: Some 32 percent of respondents said that the BNP needed to cut its ties with Jamaat-e-Islami. This is not surprising. Jamaat-e-Islami is loathed by most Bangladeshis for its role in aiding and abetting atrocities committed during the countrys 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. To this day, Jamaat-e-Islami registers a 60 percent disapproval rating in Bangladesh. The BNP may be banking on its alliance with JI to bring its Islamist supporters to the polls, but in doing so, the BNP is also ignoring the number of votes that it loses by aligning itself with a political pariah.

Not only is BNPs alliance with JI dissuading voters, but it is weakening the partys own internal cohesiveness. The ill effects of the alliance are not lost on several senior party leaders, who think that JI, with its tendencies towards religious extremism and violence, is dragging the BNP down. Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been unwilling to sever ties with the Islamists, resulting in mounting frustration and fractures within the party. A lack of resolution has distracted party leadership, resulting in an inability to formulate cohesive policy proposals. For months, news reports have depicted a party in increasing disarray.

Although they lack popular political support, Islamist groups have been able to wield outsized influence through the use of violence and intimidation. Pandering to religious extremists has become an integral part of Bangladeshi political parties strategy for self-preservation. It is not only self-defeating, but dangerous. Today, Bangladeshs Islamists are threatening more than protests. On March 25th, Hefazat officials warned that they would launch an armed jihad against the government of Bangladesh should the Supreme Court approve a petition to fully restore to the constitution the 1971 principles of secularism and religious neutrality. It took only two minutes for Bangladeshs Supreme Court to dismiss the petition on a technicality, an outcome that extremists hailed as a victory. Meanwhile, global terrorist groups like the Islamic State have taken to the path paved by Jamaat-e-Islami, and are actively trying to establish a foothold in the country.

To prevent violent Islamist extremism from making further inroads in Bangladesh, the countrys two main political parties must demonstrate leadership. The Awami League should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to booth capture and other efforts by supporters to influence election outcomes, and it should demonstrate fearless and uncompromising support for the nations founding principles of freedom and equality for all citizens, regardless of their personal religious beliefs. The BNP should act on the advice of the European Parliaments 2014 resolution, unequivocally distance itself from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam, and focus instead on developing sound policy solutions to address critical economic and social issues. Taking these steps will not only strengthen Bangladeshs political parties. It will strengthen the country.

Photo credit: ARIF ALI/AFP/Getty Images
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A Sydney scientist has discovered seven new species of the tiny Australian peacock spider - a spectacularly colored, three-millimetre arachnid that dances to attract a female mate. Jurgen Otto, with the help of colleague David Knowles, made the two latest discoveries of the miniature creatures while looking for other spiders in Western Australia in November and had all seven named in the scientific journal Peckhamia last month. "They are very, very colorful, they often have iridescent scales and they do something quite remarkable. They perform a courtship dance for females, to impress them," Otto told Reuters TV on Monday. While footage of the dances is proving popular online, some female peacock spiders end up eating the colorful males if they are not impressed by the courtship. The discovery of the new spiders means there are now 48 known species, found mostly in southern Australia and which range in size from three to five millimeters. Juveniles measure just half-a-millimetre. The Sydney scientist, who studies mites during the day, developed a passion for the tiny spiders in 2005 after discovering an arachnid on a photograph he took following a bushwalk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales. Otto said the dancing spiders, who offer no threat to humans, were even proving popular with arachnophobes. "They are harmless, they are cute, they are colorful, they remind people of their own cat. I often compare them with kittens with too many legs, so really people get excited when they see them," he said. "People who hate spiders confess that they actually can't help loving these ones and in time this will just change the opinions people have of spiders, I hope." (Reporting by Stefica Nicol Bikes. Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore. Editing by Nick Macfie)
Geologists have discovered a massive magma chamber below the Earth's surface, sitting near some of New Zealand's most active volcanoes.

This was a surprising find, as magma chambers normally sit directly under volcanoes, not off to the side like these. Pressure buildup can cause the magma underneath a volcano to rise and pour out of it as lava, creating a volcanic eruption.

But this magma chamber is different. Geologists have nicknamed outliers like this one "zombie volcanoes" because they show signs of life where geologists normally wouldn't expect to find it. And there's probably quite a few of them out there.

"There's no need to panic, but chances are there are lots of bodies of magma dotted throughout the crust," Ian Hamling, a geophysicist at GNS Science in New Zealand, told Nature News.

Hamling and a team of scientists were using radar satellites to study the Taupo Volcanic Zone when they noticed an abnormal patch of magma that appeared to be rising. After sorting through previous data, Hamling figured out that the area has actually been slowly rising since the 1950s. During its peak growth, 9 million cubic meters of magma were bubbling into the chamber every year.

It's smaller than the magma chamber under Yellowstone, Hamling told Nature News, but it's still an impressive size.

It's unclear whether or not the zombie volcano could actually pose a threat, but so far there hasn't been any increase of volcanic activity in the area.

Geologists say we'll probably find a lot more of theses zombie volcanoes now that radar satellites are becoming more advanced. They've probably always been lurking below the surface, we just had no way to detect them until now.
Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid have paired up for the Versace Fall/Winter 2016 campaign.

The US supermodels are joined by rising New York star Janiece Dilone in the campaign, which was shot by renowned fashion photographer Bruce Weber. The pictures, previewed by the Italian fashion house on Instagram, see Kloss rocking a businesslike ensemble while Hadid stars in a family frame complete with two kids and a stroller.

According to Versace, the campaign is a combination of real-life' and fantastical' images designed to illustrate "the relevance and wearability of modern #Versace for all parts of one's life, from the ultra-glamourous to the everyday."
NCIS: Los Angeles creator Shane Brennan has signed a new two-year overall deal with NCIS producer CBS TV Studios for his production company Shane Brennan Productions. Under the extension, Brennan will focus on development. He will remain an executive producer on NCIS: LA, which was renewed for an eighth season, but will step down as showrunner after steering the action drama for its first seven seasons. His No .2, longtime NCIS: LA exec producer R. Scott Gemmill, will take over.

Brennan has several projects in development including The Expendables, a co-production between CBS Television Studios and Lionsgate TV. This event series, based on the hit movie franchise, was set up at Fox this past season and is now being shopped to other networks and digital distributors.

Additionally, Brennan, who will continue to partner with Grant Anderson, President of Shane

luna

Brennan Productions, is adapting Luna: New Moon, the first book in an upcoming science fiction series by Ian McDonald. Brennan and CBS TV Studios landed the rights to the book, set in the year 2110 on the moon, in a competitive situation last summer.

Brennan and Shane Brennan Productions are repped by Paradigm and attorney Kevin Kelly.

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By Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - An Iraqi Shi'ite militia leader accused government forces of "betrayal" as a split emerged between the Iranian-backed paramilitaries and the army over tactics for fighting Islamic State. The head of the largest militia, Hadi al-Amiri, criticized the army for moving an armored brigade to the Makhmour area near Mosul - Islamic State's capital in northern Iraq - while the battle to dislodge the militants from Falluja, their stronghold near Baghdad, is still underway. "Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, who leads the Badr Organisation. "I believe that sending a large number of armored vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of the Mosul battle, is a betrayal of the battle for Falluja," he told Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday. Badr Organisation is the largest component of the Popular Mobilisation, a militia grouping which has been fighting alongside the Iraqi army at Falluja, with government units also receiving air support from the U.S.-led coalition. Amiri also accused the Iraqi authorities of deciding to move the forces to Makhmour, which lies around 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, under pressure from the United States. An army spokesman denied that the build up would affect the battle for Falluja, about 350 km south of Mosul, which the militias and Iraqi government forces are trying to regain after two years of Islamic State control. The row reflects the diverging priorities of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - a Shiite who was elected in 2014 on a promise to mend rifts with the Sunni Muslim minority - and the Shiite militias backed by Iran. Falluja, which lies 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, is a historic bastion of the Sunni insurgency against the U.S. occupation and then against the Shi'ite-led authorities that took over after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003 Sunni politicians fear the participation of the Shi'ite militias in the assault could further inflame sectarian tensions. HISTORIC BASTION Amiri is the second militia official to voice dismay over the Falluja assault. On Friday, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Talabawi, said the operations had come to a near standstill and asked Abadi to order the resumption of attacks. Abadi said on June 1 that the army had slowed its offensive over fears for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city with limited access to water, food and healthcare. Iraqi army officers confirmed that an armored brigade had arrived on Sunday night in Makhmour. This was part of preparations for an offensive to take an airfield that they plan to use in a future offensive on the city. Bridges and boats have also been brought to facilitate the crossing of the Tigris river from Makhmour to Qayyara, where the airfield lies, they said, giving no indication of when the battle would start. Iraqi armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool played down the effect of any mobilization to capture Mosul. "I don't believe it would impact the ongoing battle of Falluja," he told Reuters. "The forces allocated to Falluja are achieving victories and we have started moving toward the city center." Falluja was the first city captured by Islamic State in Iraq, in January 2014, six months before the group declared its caliphate over areas of Iraq and Syria. Abadi has expressed hope that 2016 will be the year of "final victory" over Islamic State, with the capture of Mosul. Abadi ordered the offensive on Falluja after a series of bombings claimed by Islamic State hit Shi'ite districts of Baghdad, causing the worst death toll this year. His initial decision seems to have gone against the plans of his U.S. allies, who would prefer the government concentrate on Mosul rather than risk getting bogged down in a protracted battle in a potentially hostile mainly Sunni area. The government has already recaptured two cities from Islamic State - Saddam's home town of Tikrit, and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western province of Anbar. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and David Stamp)
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The corporate income tax is a major revenue source for the U.S. government, but it has been shrinking for decades and the three main presidential candidates could not differ more dramatically on what to do about it.

Republican Donald Trump and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have starkly contrasting plans, some more detailed than others, for taxing corporations.

The tax paid by companies on their profits accounted for 30 percent of the U.S. federal tax base in the 1950s; last year, it was only 11 percent, Internal Revenue Service data show.

The decline, experts say, has many causes: loopholes that cut corporations' taxes; a lower corporate tax rate; rising overseas profits that are lightly taxed; and a shift away from incorporation toward partnerships and other business structures that pay no corporate tax.

Despite the dwindling corporate tax base, Trump, the Republicans' presumptive nominee for the Nov. 8 election, wants to ease the burden on companies by slashing the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent. In this regard, he shares the same view as most Republicans.

Trump, a real estate developer, has described his proposals as revenue neutral, saying reduced tax rates would be paid for by eliminating some tax breaks and repatriating corporate cash held overseas.

However, the Tax Policy Center, a centrist tax research group in Washington, said that under Trump's plan, corporate income tax revenues would fall $1.9 trillion from 2016 to 2026.

A cut on that scale would hugely expand the federal budget deficit, unless severe budget cuts or alternative tax hikes were also made, the center said.

Steven Rosenthal, a Tax Policy Center senior fellow, said Trump's plan is a standard business-focused approach, but "the drafting is incomplete, so we can't tell exactly what he's thinking."

A Trump campaign spokeswoman pointed to the proposals on the campaign website but declined to comment further.

Story continues

Republicans generally support corporate income tax cuts because, they say that would help corporations compete globally. In addition, some question the validity of the tax, which they say is passed on to consumers and investors.

"Taxing businesses is the Democrats' version of manna from heaven: someone else supposedly is paying for the government. But all citizens are hurt through lower growth, higher prices, lower wages," said Grover Norquist, a Republican tax activist.

"Taxes should be transparent. It should be clear who is paying them. The corporate income tax is designed to hide the tax burden," said Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, a small-government group that opposes tax increases.

CLINTON, SANDERS

Democrats tend to view the corporate income tax as a fair levy on businesses that benefit from the security, services and infrastructure provided by government. Corporations have been taxed by Washington since 1909.

Clinton, a former secretary of state and the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, has not promised a corporate tax cut.

Like Trump, she has called for closing loopholes that corporations use to avoid taxes. But unlike Trump, her plan would raise corporate tax revenues by $136 billion over 10 years, the Tax Policy Center said.

Clinton spokesman Jesse Ferguson said the candidate's proposals "go further to prevent the erosion of the corporate tax base by ensuring corporations pay their fair share." But the Clinton campaign has yet to release its full plan.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont challenging Clinton for the Democratic nomination, would make more drastic changes and boost the corporate tax take by $1 trillion in the same decade, mostly by raising taxes on overseas profits, according to the Tax Policy Center.

"Virtually all of the revenue raised by Senator Sanders' corporate tax plan would come from large, multinational corporations that have shifted their profits offshore to avoid taxes," said Sanders policy adviser Warren Gunnels.

FAIR SHARE?

The question of whether businesses pay their fair share of taxes strikes a chord with Americans on the campaign trail. An April Gallup poll found 67 percent of U.S. adults said corporations do not pay enough tax.

Since the mid-1950s, income tax receipts from individuals have held steady at 40-50 percent of federal revenues, while payroll taxes, deducted from the paychecks of wage-earners, have soared to 34 percent last year from 5-10 percent in the 1950s.

Meanwhile, Congress has steadily reduced the corporate tax rate, now 35 percent. That is down from 46 percent in 1986, and 52 percent in 1956. Over that period, corporations have also carved out various loopholes that let them avoid paying the full rate.

The corporate tax applies only to incorporated businesses, while other business structures have been gaining in popularity. In 2003, the share of U.S. business income generated by incorporated companies fell below the share made by partnerships and other kinds of companies that pay no corporate tax.

Whatever candidates may say on the campaign trail, no changes can occur without agreement by Congress. And despite years of talk about the importance of tax reform, neither President Barack Obama nor lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been able to agree on a reform agenda that many say is needed to boost the economy and bring sanity to a tax code of Byzantine complexity.

(Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Frances Kerry)
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The corporate income tax is a major revenue source for the U.S. government, but it has been shrinking for decades and the three main presidential candidates could not differ more dramatically on what to do about it. Republican Donald Trump and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have starkly contrasting plans, some more detailed than others, for taxing corporations. The tax paid by companies on their profits accounted for 30 percent of the U.S. federal tax base in the 1950s; last year, it was only 11 percent, Internal Revenue Service data show. The decline, experts say, has many causes: loopholes that cut corporations' taxes; a lower corporate tax rate; rising overseas profits that are lightly taxed; and a shift away from incorporation toward partnerships and other business structures that pay no corporate tax. Despite the dwindling corporate tax base, Trump, the Republicans' presumptive nominee for the Nov. 8 election, wants to ease the burden on companies by slashing the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent. In this regard, he shares the same view as most Republicans. Trump, a real estate developer, has described his proposals as revenue neutral, saying reduced tax rates would be paid for by eliminating some tax breaks and repatriating corporate cash held overseas. However, the Tax Policy Center, a centrist tax research group in Washington, said that under Trump's plan, corporate income tax revenues would fall $1.9 trillion from 2016 to 2026. A cut on that scale would hugely expand the federal budget deficit, unless severe budget cuts or alternative tax hikes were also made, the center said. Steven Rosenthal, a Tax Policy Center senior fellow, said Trump's plan is a standard business-focused approach, but "the drafting is incomplete, so we can't tell exactly what he's thinking." A Trump campaign spokeswoman pointed to the proposals on the campaign website but declined to comment further. Republicans generally support corporate income tax cuts because, they say that would help corporations compete globally. In addition, some question the validity of the tax, which they say is passed on to consumers and investors. "Taxing businesses is the Democrats' version of manna from heaven: someone else supposedly is paying for the government. But all citizens are hurt through lower growth, higher prices, lower wages," said Grover Norquist, a Republican tax activist. "Taxes should be transparent. It should be clear who is paying them. The corporate income tax is designed to hide the tax burden," said Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, a small-government group that opposes tax increases. CLINTON, SANDERS Democrats tend to view the corporate income tax as a fair levy on businesses that benefit from the security, services and infrastructure provided by government. Corporations have been taxed by Washington since 1909. Clinton, a former secretary of state and the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, has not promised a corporate tax cut. Like Trump, she has called for closing loopholes that corporations use to avoid taxes. But unlike Trump, her plan would raise corporate tax revenues by $136 billion over 10 years, the Tax Policy Center said. Clinton spokesman Jesse Ferguson said the candidate's proposals "go further to prevent the erosion of the corporate tax base by ensuring corporations pay their fair share." But the Clinton campaign has yet to release its full plan. Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont challenging Clinton for the Democratic nomination, would make more drastic changes and boost the corporate tax take by $1 trillion in the same decade, mostly by raising taxes on overseas profits, according to the Tax Policy Center. "Virtually all of the revenue raised by Senator Sanders' corporate tax plan would come from large, multinational corporations that have shifted their profits offshore to avoid taxes," said Sanders policy adviser Warren Gunnels. FAIR SHARE? The question of whether businesses pay their fair share of taxes strikes a chord with Americans on the campaign trail. An April Gallup poll found 67 percent of U.S. adults said corporations do not pay enough tax. Since the mid-1950s, income tax receipts from individuals have held steady at 40-50 percent of federal revenues, while payroll taxes, deducted from the paychecks of wage-earners, have soared to 34 percent last year from 5-10 percent in the 1950s. Meanwhile, Congress has steadily reduced the corporate tax rate, now 35 percent. That is down from 46 percent in 1986, and 52 percent in 1956. Over that period, corporations have also carved out various loopholes that let them avoid paying the full rate. The corporate tax applies only to incorporated businesses, while other business structures have been gaining in popularity. In 2003, the share of U.S. business income generated by incorporated companies fell below the share made by partnerships and other kinds of companies that pay no corporate tax. Whatever candidates may say on the campaign trail, no changes can occur without agreement by Congress. And despite years of talk about the importance of tax reform, neither President Barack Obama nor lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been able to agree on a reform agenda that many say is needed to boost the economy and bring sanity to a tax code of Byzantine complexity. (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Frances Kerry)
File photo of Beijing No 2 Experimental Elementary School's Baiyunlu campus. [Photo: The Beijing News]

A primary school in Beijing's Xicheng District has implemented an emergency health and safety plan after some students allegedly became sick due to a renovated playground, the Beijing Morning Post reports.

Students at Beijing No.2 Experimental Elementary School's Baiyunlu campus have exhibited bloody noses, dizziness, coughs and rashes since April this year, and the student's parents believe the symptoms were caused by gases emitted from the renovated playground.

The China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC) is examining any gases released by the school playground, with results expected in one week's time.

Relevant authorities of the Beijing Xicheng District have also established a working group to investigate possible causes.

The emergency plan, to be implemented while the testing is taking place, will equip all classrooms with air purifiers and require green plants to be planted on the school playground.

The school is still open to students. Students are also allowed to study at home and the school will make up the missed lessons, the plan details.

The emergency plan was published on the school's official website on June 6, and will be in effect until the test results are released.
Im not, you are! Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Chinese militarys Joint Staff Department put the Pentagon on full blast over the weekend, flatly rejecting Defense Secretary Ash Carters repeated assertion that Beijings aggressive moves in the South China Sea were isolating it from the world community.

We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now, and we will not be isolated in the future, Adm. Sun said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He added that many countries maintain a Cold War mentality when dealing with China, saying they may only end up isolating themselves. The comments were a direct response to Carters accusation last month that China was building a Great Wall of self-isolation in the South China Sea. Carter repeated the line on Saturday in Singapore. We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble, the Chinese officer said.

South China Sea Trouble, again. In a related bit of news, Taiwan Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan said Monday that Taiwan wont recognize Chinese air defense zone over the South China Sea.

Fallujah. Shiite militias want in on the fight for Fallujah, and things are getting tense. The Iraqi armys assault on the city has stalled, and head of the Iranian-backed Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, insisted over the weekend, no one can stop us from going there. Amiri gave civilians in the Islamic State-held city 10 days to flee before he said his men would go in. He also criticized American advice that has prioritized the eventual assault on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in the north, which also appears to be stalled. The Iraqi army has been struggling to fix its broken equipment and sustain troops in the field without massive amounts of American planning, and help.

Droning. On Friday, the U.S. Central Command announced it had taken three airstrikes on al Qaeda targets in Yemen in February and March, killing what the military claims were 81 militants. That brings the total of publicly acknowledged U.S. strikes on the group in Yemen this year to nine  but wait! According to the Long War Journal, there have been a total all 16 U.S. strikes in Yemen this year including several either carried out by the CIA, or not acknowledged by the Pentagon just yet. And those strikes? Looks like they killed about 107 alleged militants.

Story continues

As Bobby Chesney writes over at the Lawfare blog, this would seem to put us on pace for the highest number of US airstrikes there since 2012. It is certainly possible this is just the luck of the draw, with actionable intelligence arising unusually often of late. But its also possible that something has changed in terms of policy constraints or available resources. Just recently, FPs Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary wrote as much when they reported on President Obamas still very active signature strike drone tactic.

Moving on. Recently retired U.S. Army General John Campbell might not be commanding American and NATO forces in Afghanistan any more, but he has been appointed to the board of directors for defense behemoth BAE Systems. In a statement, Michael Chertoff, chairman of the companys board of directors  who is also founder of the Chertoff Group, a D.C. advisory firm, senior counsel of mega law and lobbying firm Covington & Burling LLP, and former secretary of the Homeland Security Department  said Campbells knowledge and perspective on the U.S. militarys needs around the world will be highly valuable. BAE employs over 32,000 people in the U.S., UK, Sweden, and Israel, and had sales of over $10 billion in 2015.

Good morning again from the Sitrep crew, thanks for clicking on through for the summer 2016 edition of SitRep. As always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

David Gilkey, Zabihullah Tamanna, RIP

On Sunday, NPR Photographer David Gilkey was killed in Afghanistan along with his Afghan interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna while they were embedded with an Afghan army unit that was attacked by the Taliban in Helmand province. They were traveling with NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, who were riding in another vehicle, but were unhurt.

China

In the wake of what the U.S. Navy says was a risky intercept by Chinese fighter jets of a U.S. spy plane this spring, U.S. Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris is saying that Chinas fighter pilots have been minding their manners better over the past few months. Harris made the comments during the Shangri-La dialog, according to Bloomberg, and cited recent positive behavior from Chinese military personnel. The incident, in which two Chinese fighter jets reportedly came within in 50 feet of a U.S. Navy E-P3, is rare, according to Harris.

Russia

Theres a new undersea Battle of the Atlantic, according to Navy 6th Fleet commander Vice Adm. James Foggo III. Foggo writes in the latest issue of Proceedings that Russian submarine activity has grown more active after Russias invasion and annexation of Crimea. Foggo draws a parallel to U.S.-Soviet undersea jousting during the Cold War, as well as between the U.S. and the Germans in both World Wars, to highlight what he labels as Russias increasingly aggressive attempts to probe and challenge American naval defenses.

Syria

Russian airpower is getting more involved in the fight against rebels seeking to topple the Assad regime, Reuters reports. The London-based monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says Russian and Syrian jets carried out at least 50 strikes on targets in Aleppo and locals tell Reuters that both countries warplanes have also struck in Idlib. The uptick in air operations follows a purported withdraw from Syria by some Russian forces in March, after which Moscow brought home some of the aircraft it had deployed to its base in Latakia. Russia agreed to a cessation of hostilities in February, proscribing attacks against rebel groups other than the Nusra Front and the Islamic State.

Syrian army troops have ventured into Raqqa province, home to the capital of the Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate, Al Jazeera reports. Syrian forces havent been in Raqqa for the past two years. The troops are reportedly headed to Tabqa, where U.S.-backed forces are currently duking it out with the Islamic State.

The Islamic State

The Islamic State is tearing itself apart on a mole hunt in search of spies tipping off the United States, according to the AP. The group killed at least 38 of its own members in an attempt to find the culprit (or culprits) who leaked information that may have lead to the death of Abu Hayjaa al-Tunsi, a senior commander in the jihadist group who was killed in a drone strike. Islamic State members have accused those killed of dropping small chips which can be used to mark locations for airstrikes and have tried to flush out spies by strategically leaking information about the movements of group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and checking to see if U.S. airstrikes align with the false information.

Afghanistan

Its not just opium that fuels the Talibans war in Afghanistan. A new study by the anti-corruption group Global Witness says the illicit mining of Afghanistans valuable minerals is filling both the Talibans coffers and enriching corrupt Afghan officials. The group says that the trade in deep blue lapis lazuli is particularly valuable for the militant group and the mineral should be considered a conflict mineral. Global Witness officials say that half of illegal mining proceeds go to the Taliban.

Cuba

The U.S. and Cuba may be working on a prisoner swap, according to NBC News. The talks are reportedly still tentative and no firm commitments have been made but the U.S. has reportedly considered trading convicted Cuban spy Ana Montes in exchange for Joanne Chesimard, who fled to Cuba after being convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1979. Montes was sent to prison in 2002 after federal authorities discovered that the high-ranking Defense Intelligence Agency analyst had been secretly working for Cuba and funneling classified information to the communist country.

Japan

A U.S. Navy sailor allegedly involved in a car accident has been arrested and accused of drunk driving. The incident follows the high-profile arrest of a U.S. military contractor in May, accused of killing an Okinawan woman. Both President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter have offered apologies for the incident, but tensions between local community and U.S. military personnel remain high, and the U.S. Navy says its trying to do something about it. On Monday, the Navy slapped a drinking ban on all 18,600 personnel in Japan, and canceled all off-base liberty.

Photo Credit should read ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images
Photojournalist David Gilkey wasnt known in the NPR newsroom for being emotional. He saved it for the pictures he made during the nine years he worked for National Public Radio.

Gilkey, 50, was killed Sunday in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, with NPR interpreter and local journalist Zabihullah Tamanna, 38. Both were embedded with an Afghan National Army unit when their armored Humvee was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in what NPR reported was an an apparent ambush.

NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, who had reported from Afghanistan numerous times with Gilkey, was traveling in a different car in the same military convoy and was not injured. In a choked voice, Bowman called Gilkey a real character in a dispatch aired Monday morning.

I know people in the newsroom called him Smiley because he never smiled; he was really gruff, Bowman said. But he was a real sensitive soul and he was a real, complete artist. His pictures  his pictures were absolutely beautiful, and the ones he recently took on a mission we went on were just unbelievable.

Any story you did, he made it better because of his pictures.

Tamanna was known as Zabi, and was an Afghan reporter as well as a photographer. NPR said he kept a tick-tock on the country, chronicling attacks, drone strikes, and also the big stories of the day. He worked for the Chinese news agency Xinhua and recently wrote for the Anadolu news agency in Turkey, NPR said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 24 reporters, photographers, and other journalists have been killed covering the war in Afghanistan since September 2011.

Here is NPRs tribute to Gilkey. And here are a few pictures, all of them taken by Gilkey and re-posted with NPRs permission. Click on the images for an enlarged version.

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A Cuban man smokes a cigarette while checking the engine of his car, in June 2014.

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Looters carry away a stolen mirror, which shows the reflection of local police, in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the city.

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A woman walks toward a ship washed onto the village of Barangay 68 in Tacloban City, Philippines, by Typhoon Haiyan, in November 2013.

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An elderly man waits to see a doctor at a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital at a camp in South Sudan, in March 2016.

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A female marine chats with her colleagues during combat training exercises in Californias Mojave Desert, in March 2015.

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Afghan children stand in a poppy field in the northern Helmand River valley, in May 2011.

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A U.S. marine lights a cigarette after a late afternoon patrol in the scorching heat of the northern Helmand River valley, in May 2011.
On Jun 3, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Colorado-based SM Energy Company SM.



We expect SM Energys attractive oil and gas investments, balanced and diverse portfolio of proved reserves and development drilling opportunities to create long-term value for shareholders. We view the company as one of the most attractive players in the exploration and production (E&P) space.



Given the companys increasing focus on oil, specifically in the Permian and Rocky Mountain regions, we believe that SM Energy will be able to boost its oil-weighted activity. Additionally, SM Energy has meaningful leasehold positions in the leading U.S. shale plays like Bakken, Niobrara, Haynesville, and Granite Wash. We believe that the companys favorable position in these areas will provide it with many years of profitable drilling inventory. The key growth drivers for SM energy include the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale and Rockies Williston Basin Bakken/Three Forks shales.



Eagle Ford will likely accelerate faster than expected because of additional takeaway. On the other hand, the company remains proactive in its Permian play. The inclusion of additional acreage to its holding in the Permian play validates the potential of the basin. Moreover, the leasehold expansion in New Ventures, along with acreage additions in its East Texas and the Powder River Basin, contributed to production growth.



Given the significant liquids content, Eagle Ford represents an attractive resource potential. Development of the Eagle Ford Shale, where the company holds a premier position, is an important aspect of SM Energys goal to increase stockholder value. We also believe that the companys emerging core portfolio will support visible organic growth over the next several years.



However, SM Energy is a firm in the upstream energy space, which exposes it to weak commodity prices. Also, the company anticipates a substantial decline in the number of operating rigs in 2016, which in turn, would result in reduced production. Moreover, cuts in capital spending could hurt production volumes.



Though the company holds considerable acreage in the Williston Basin, most of its holdings lie in the region having low yield. Thus, SM Energys results will likely lag its peers who have acreage in the core region of the Bakken.



Further, constraints and delays in bringing additional capacity could limit production growth. Disappointing results from the Eagle Ford Shale, Bakken, Niobrara, and Granite Wash plays could also result in weaker-than-expected performance by the stock.



Stocks to Consider



Currently, SM Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the oil and gas sector include CVR Refining, LP CVRR, Murphy USA Inc. MUSA and Braskem S.A. BAK. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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When Indian-American Jeet Vijay moved to the motherland six months ago, there were a few obvious options. Hed never lived in India before, and he could have settled in Mumbai, where many expats reside, or in Delhi, where the international elite congregates. Most natural for the longtime venture capital and private equity man would have been Bangalore, the technology hub and the city that led Thomas Friedman to declare the world flat.

Instead, he chose what Indians call a tier two city, one that years ago would have seemed a frankly strange option: Pune. Located about three hours by car from Mumbai, Pune has been dubbed slightly strangled things like the Oxford of the East for the presence of its more than 800 colleges, and the Detroit of India because of the automobile industrys presence. Indeed, Pune has been fortunate, enjoying a mix of a youthful feel thanks to the colleges, an upscale vibe that comes from dynastic industrial families and the general tinge of cosmopolitanism accompanying the software boom, which brought outsourced jobs to the city.

I chose Pune because its like Austin, says Vijay, who formerly oversaw student startups at the University of Texas campus there. Here in India, he plans to do the same, bringing young people in Pune together with their counterparts worldwide in an educator-slash-incubator called Bhau. Startup fever is certainly one measure by which to test just how happening a city is, and by that measure, Pune is doing swell  AngelList counts 880 in this city of city of 2.5 million. (The site says around 970 are located in Gurgaon, outside Delhi, one of the other major tech capitals).

Can it pull off what so many cities are experiencing today as they are lifted up by the billowing coattails of the tech industry?

But check the other vital statistics and its thriving too. Quality of life? Yep: A 2015 Mercer Quality of Living survey ranked Pune the second-best place to live in the country, after erstwhile tech center Hyderabad. Jobs? Employment portal Shine.com found in 2014 that in the IT sector, which is growing around 14 percent a year, Pune was a top three destination city for employers. Theres a lot of talent available, says Navin Honagudi, the investment director at Mumbai-based KAE Capital who oversees Pune investments for the firm. Thats thanks to the long history of legacy IT companies employing people in the city, from Infosys to Wipro. Much as Seattle has seen cloud technology startups spin off from former Amazon and Microsoft employees, Pune might draw on the talent of people trained by the big guns to innovate for the next round of entrepreneurship. I would say if youre going to have a new company today, you should definitely consider Pune, Honagudi says.

Story continues

It was 105 degrees in Pune when mumbai based @sanjsponge checked it out in May - but the city is hot in more ways than one. Call it the next big startup hub. A photo posted by Ozy Media Inc. (@ozy) on Jun 3, 2016 at 9:51pm PDT

Then theres the growth of the city itself: A report by the Pune Smart City Commission estimates the population will hit 5 million by 2030. And as the whole country gets itself in a tizzy trying to create the smart cities Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered up, Punes municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar, a graduate of the Indian Institutes of Technology who carries himself more like a Silicon Valley CEO than a local policymaker, is collected and calm, taking meetings with Americans from the Department of the Treasury, organizing conversations on waste management with Japanese leaders, answering a phone call from the United Kingdom in the middle of our time together. (He trades quips about the recently elected London mayor Sadiq Khan with the person on the other line, and, before hanging up, tells them, Yes, we all have to work for our cities.)

So far, that work by Kumar and his predecessors has involved a lot of money-grubbing, finding new sources of funding for infrastructure projects such as the new ring roads he wants to construct or the train improvements the city will need if it is to nearly double its citizens use of public transit by 2030. Kumar has also focused on things like clean water delivery in a drought-stricken state at the same time that he bakes up plans to connect the city to Wi-Fi in major hubs.

But many foreigners arriving in Pune will be struck by that eternal problem of Indian cities: Povertys still rampant. Not far from the stately homes in tree-lined Koregaon Park, one can still encounter slums. Indeed, 36 percent of the citys population live in slums  greater than the average of 22 percent of people who live in such conditions in other Indian metropoles, according to the Smart City report. And then theres the trouble behind that black-boxed word startup! To innovate alone is not enough. The quality of Punes startups remains low, say both KAEs Honagudi and Vijay. As in the entire country, theres a dearth of creativity and too much copycatting foreign tech companies. It hasnt yet lived up to the promise, Honagudi says. Indeed, few of the companies in the city inspire breathless, futuristic headlines  more like steady, plodding descriptors about back-end or business-to-business software.

And then theres the question of learning from the elders. Bangalore may have been the city to instill palpitations in the heart of globalization enthusiasts a decade ago, but it has since become frightfully congested: Horror stories abound among city residents  hours spent in traffic each day, property prices rising. Can Pune avoid Bangalores fate? More broadly, can it pull off what so many cities are experiencing today as they are lifted up by the billowing coattails of the tech industry? After all, making a modern city requires more than just plentiful Wi-Fi.

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Base Camp Kids has been offering date nights for parents who struggle to find babysitters [Photo: Facebook/Base Camp Kids]

As most busy parents will testify spending time with your SO pretty much goes out the window the second you become a parent. Not only have you got to be able to stay awake past 8 o clock to be able to go out, theres also the added issue of bribing finding someone to babysit your little darlings.

But one childrens play centre is switching up the date night game by transforming into a fine dining restaurant once a month. BASE Camp Kids has been running their date nights since mid-2015, allowing parents to grab some them time over a fancy meal, while their children are looked after nearby.

While the kids are away, the adults can play [Photo: Facebook/Base Camp Kids]

The genius idea is the brainchild of the centres owner, Lelen Kemke, who told Daily Mail Australia that she came up with the idea after realising how difficult it was for parents to find good babysitters they trust.



I realised that there were people who might find it hard to get babysitters or didnt feel comfortable leaving their kids with a babysitter, but who still wanted a fine dining experience, Ms Kemke told Daily Mail Australia.



Their only option was really to go to the bistro at the local pub, so we began our date nights last year, she explains. The nights have been so popular with parents that they are often booked up weeks in advance.



The centre offers fine dining while the kids are entertained nearby [Photo: Facebook/Base Camp Kids]

And if you imagine soft play fine dining = soggy chicken nuggets and undercooked chips, then think again because the food is considerably fancier, with salmon, seafood paella, and rack of lamb all gracing the menu.



Sadly, BASE Camp Kids is based in Melbourne, Australia, which is a pretty long way to go for a date. But hopefully the idea might inspire someone to make the same clever service available in the UK.



Story continues

Until then, were back to begging for babysitters and working on staying awake past 8 o clock!



What do you think of the idea? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

Little Girl Wears Hot Dog Costume For Princess Day, Wins The Internet

Science Explains Why Some New Mums Turn Into Baby Bores On Facebook
GEORGETOWN (Reuters) - South Africa must polish the weaker element of their bowling armoury and make better use of a spinning wicket when they face Australia in the tri-nation series in Guyana on Tuesday. They must also nullify the threat of Australia's powerful hitters to stand any chance of victory in their second one-day international, spinner Aaron Phangiso told reporters on Sunday. South Africa lost the opener in the 10-match series to hosts West Indies at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence on Friday after being dismissed for a paltry total of 188 as Sunil Narine returned to international action with a six-wicket haul. South Africa's spinners took six wickets in reply but were also laid into by Kieron Pollard, whose unbeaten 67 took West Indies to a four-wicket victory. "We can maybe try a different approach when a player like Pollard is on the attack, perhaps change up the lengths a little bit," Phangiso said. "Its something that we will need to work on -- how to counter a situation when a batsman is being positive and on the attack," he added. Against West Indies, Phangiso posted career-best figures of 3-40, which might have looked a lot more flattering had Pollard not hit him for three enormous sixes. "The surface was dry, definitely not one that you get back in South Africa often. It was very helpful to the spinners, we saw Narine taking a six-for-27 for the West Indies and our spinners picked up six wickets between us. "Im quite pleased with my performance but there is still a lot of improvement to be done," he said. Australia, South Africa and West Indies meet each other three times over the next three weeks in Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Barbados with the top two playing in the final in Bridgetown on June 26. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; Editing by Ken Ferris)
8M0I6865 P 9 in flight (1)

Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder of Vector Space Systems who was involved in the early days of SpaceX, wants to do for spaceflight what Apple CEO Steve Jobs did for so many other industries: Revolutionize it.

In April, after several years of quietly developing a small launch vehicle akin to a taxi ride into orbit, Vector stepped out as a new kid on the private spaceflight scene to do something nobody else had thought of doing: thinking big by thinking small.

Its goal: To create a system that could frequently and reliably launch small satellites into orbit, allowing space entrepreneurs to focus on innovation rather than get caught up in the gritty details of launches and satellites.

And the company is on the fast track to achieving this goal. It has already designed the launch vehicle and tested its first and second stage engines. Cantrell anticipates Vector is just two years away from its first orbital launch.

To me this is going to change the direction of the commerce in space, Cantrell told Business Insider. If we do this, we can then create the equivalent of what Steve Jobs created for the rest of the world: A new capability that we didnt know we needed.

Thinking big by thinking small

While Vector might be the new kid on the scene, Jim Cantrell is something of a veteran. Thirty years ago Cantrell worked on Mars missions at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He went on to join the joint effort between France and the Soviet Union to build a mission to Mars, becoming an expert on Soviet aerospace companies and rockets in the process. He was later involved in the first wave of new-space, the advent of privately funded spaceflight missions.

Cantrell says it was his expertise in Soviet rockets and missions to Mars that attracted Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, to him. Musk was looking to send a mission to Mars using Russian rockets, which were tens of millions of dollars cheaper than US rockets. When the Russians refused to sell these rockets to Musk, Cantrell said, he decided to build his own, and SpaceX was born.

Story continues

But while Musk was interested in the big stuff  using a 230-foot-tall rocket to launch massive satellites into extremely high orbits, servicing a mature market, and building the infrastructure to colonize Mars  Cantrell wanted to focus on the small.

In his post-SpaceX years, Cantrell became involved in the latest wave of investor-funded space companies. And about a year ago it occurred to him  the smaller, lower end of the satellite market is rapidly expanding, and yet nobody is really servicing it.

Cantrell took his idea to focus on this market to John Garvey, Vector's co-founder and chief technology officer, who had been working on smaller rockets for years. And Vector Space Systems was born.

P 19 during lift ops at Kodiak

A neglected market

Over time, satellites have been shrinking in both size and cost. For $25,000, Cantrell noted, you can buy pieces for satellites on the internet and have them shipped to your front door. Compare that to two decades ago when satellite parts could run you up to $5 million and might collectively weigh 300 lbs (compared to the 10 lbs they might weigh today). This allows for smaller satellites, built in greater numbers.

The way the spaceflight industry currently operates, these small satellites go up as secondary payload to the larger, more expensive satellites.

They get stuck in the cracks and crevices, Cantrell said.

He compared them to loaves of bread that can be stuck here and there and used to provide stability for the spacecraft.

Even worse, the companies dont get to choose their orbit and they sometimes have to wait years before they can be launched.

But, Cantrell said, these small satellites are sort of like the personal computer of the space industry  theyre where all the innovation happens.

Cantrell wants to pay more attention to this market to help it grow in a similar way to what Apple did for the computer industry.

Through the years Apple created an operating system that didnt require you to be an expert user, Cantrell said. They put together a platform with different devices you never knew you needed but desperately need now. This enabled app developers to bring smarts and brains and thoughts and creativity to the table to create commercial and maybe not so commercial activities you never thought of.

A taxi ride into space

By tending to this small satellite market, Vector Space will provide companies with a more personal launch experience  theyll be able to choose their launch date and their orbit.

This creates more of a taxi ride to orbit than a bus, Cantrell said. You can choose a lot better where you go and when you go.

But Cantrell doesnt want to stop there. In the next few years, he plans on implementing a second phase, where Vector will embed its space expertise into expert systems that will help its customers design their own satellites.

Folks who know nothing about space can say, Hey, what would it cost if I launched a satellite that does this. When they come to our system they can find out how much it would cost to build and launch. All these space apps can be built just like people build apps for their phones and computers.

The cost of the launch could be anywhere from $25,000 to a few million dollars, depending on what the company is interested in. Its priced like a car, Cantrell said, where you can add options. The more special services you want, the higher the price.

The rockets Garvey had been designing essentially gave the young spaceflight company a five year leg up on a normal development cycle. In May, the company did a second stage engine test that was successful, an impressive feat for a company that was just founded two months earlier.

Several subscale prototypes of the vehicle have already been built and one will be flown this summer. Next year upwards of three near full-scale vehicles will be sent on suborbital flights. And by 2018, Vector hopes to launch its first full scale prototype vehicle, which is currently under construction, into orbital flight.

Vector is in a burning hurry to get to full operational capability on a commercial basis by late 2018, Cantrell said.

Cantrell described the Vector team as an experienced, success-oriented bunch of guys who are all tired of an industry that doesnt seem to get anything done.

I dont think any of us are doing this for the money. Were doing it because we think this is really the right thing to do, he said. We have no idea what people are going to think of and thats kind of the point. Its going to crowdsource ideas and creativity into space.

NOW WATCH: SpaceX is about to launch it's 25th rocket into space  here's why that's so important





More From Business Insider


Actor Stacey Dash had her first role at age 18, but her breakout performance came a decade later in Clueless. Her career took a sudden political turn when she tweeted support for Republican Mitt Romney over Democrat Barack Obama in 2012, with some fans and colleagues treating her endorsement as an act of heresy. The way Dash stood up to the backlash impressed Roger Ailes, and the CEO of Fox News Channel has since hired her as a pundit. Her book, There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative, comes out from Regnery on Monday. The Hollywood Reporter chatted with her about her political transformation, and other topics - beginning with an odd appearance at the Oscars in February.

Why did Chris Rock introduce you as the "new director of our minority outreach program" at the Oscars?

Chris Rock asked me to do it, and I was told what to say. It was a joke.

So does that mean diversity isn't a problem in Hollywood?

It's absolutely a problem, but a diversity outreach program won't solve it. Movie casting being colorblind is the way to solve it. Stop segregating films. We have Black Hollywood and Hollywood. You know that, and I know that. We should get rid of black films, and everybody just make films.

Read More: Stacey Dash Slams Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscars Speech

Got any anecdotes suggesting Hollywood is antagonistic toward conservatives?

It's very antagonistic. According to them, conservatives are responsible for everything bad, including what's happening in Venezuela. That's a joke, but not really if Bernie Sanders is elected. If that happens, we could replace the "Hollywood" sign with a big picture of Venezuela.

Do you have anecdotes that prove what you're saying about Hollywood discriminating against conservatives?

You'll have to read my book. I talk about Russell Simmons, and there's also an anecdote about my casting-couch experience. There's a lot.

Are you associated with the Hollywood conservative group Friends of Abe?

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I'm not allowed to speak about that. It's a very secretive thing.

Why is there a need for such an organization in Hollywood?

You tell me.

Some say they feel discriminated against.

People have been discriminated against for thousands of years. The ones who stand up and fight are the ones who beat it.

Can you stand up and fight in secret?

No.

So you're disparaging FOA?

Not really. I'm just telling them, "You know what? Grow a pair. Step up. Stand up for what you believe in."

But did your acting offers dry up after you became a conservative?

They completely dried up.

Read More: Stacey Dash Reads "Mean Tweets" About Her Awkward Oscar Moment

What's the nastiest thing someone in Hollywood has said to you about your politics?

Everybody tells me I'm racist. I'm a black Mexican. It's absurd. White casting people have actually said to me, "You're not black enough." It's the same as stereotyping white people, with ugly sweaters at Christmas and grandma drunk on eggnog. That's not white people, and now they say black people have to think, act, speak and look a certain way in order be black enough.

What do white Hollywood liberals consider black enough?

I have no idea. Good question.

I bet you'll see in the comment field of this story that Republicans who claim discrimination in Hollywood are just no-talent hacks making excuses for not getting jobs.

I'd say, look at my Twitter feed. Look at what the press writes. It's very clear, right there in black and white. I'm not making it up.

What's the worst I'd find in your Twitter feed?

"I wish Stacey Dash would fall in a sinkhole and never come out." People tell me to kill myself. I don't let it get to me. But I've been dreaming of being an actress since 8, and I was well on my way. Then, I came out as a conservative and everybody shut the door on me. I lost friends and family. What I did not lose is my dignity and my strength.

Was it worth the trade-off?

Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Pay equality is a big issue in Hollywood, but your book rejects the premise.

It just has to do with negotiations. If you have Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie in a movie, who do you think will get paid more? I'd bet on Angelina Jolie, and it has nothing to do with gender. To me, that's like playing the race card. It's an excuse.

Why are there so few black conservatives in America?

They've been duped into believing the Democratic hypocrisy and policies that have been shoved down their throats for eight years by a black president. "Here's your 40 acres and a mule. That's all you get. Don't try to go higher than that, because the white man won't allow you." I don't think that's true.

Can you defend conservatism, given some Hollywood liberals simply dismiss conservatives as racist homophobes?

Conservatives are open-minded and honest, and far from racist. They're the ones who give private money to communities and churches so people can do better.

Just the fact that conservatives are anti-same-sex marriage means they're homophobic, no?

They're not anti-gay marriage, they're anti-government involvement in marriage at all. Conservatives have brothers and sisters and children who are gay, and love them just the same. If they marry someone who will make them happy, who cares what a court says? The government has no business. A marriage should be in a church before God, and there are a lot of churches that marry gay couples.

Read More: Oscars: Stacey Dash Explains Her Awkward Oscar Cameo

Does the government have any business when it comes to transgenders and bathrooms?

No. A men's room is for men, and a ladies' room is for women. If a man has taken the time to become a woman, or a woman a man, then use the appropriate bathroom.

Did you say that on Entertainment Tonight?

That was misconstrued. The woman asked me an asinine question. "What if they don't know what they are that day?" I thought that was so insulting to transgenders, who take a lot of time and thought to change. So I answered her ridiculous question with a ridiculous answer. I should have just not answered, but she made me angry. I didn't mean to offend anybody. Of course I don't think anybody should have to go pee in the bushes, although I have when I had to.

So you regret giving that controversial answer on ET?

No, I don't regret it, and I'd say it again, because it was a stupid question. "What if they don't know what they are that day?" I mean, that's very insulting to transgender people.  It makes them look mentally challenged, or something

Are you 100 percent on board with Donald Trump, and a member of a PAC supporting him?

I am on board, but not a member of the PAC. I am now part of a coalition of women for Trump. It's not a PAC, it's a part of the campaign.

You talk about being broke, even after your breakthrough role in Clueless? What went wrong?

I spent too much money. No one ever taught me. I didn't understand it. I wasn't political back then. I only became political in 2008 when I voted for Barack Obama.

What caused you to become conservative?

I thought we needed a black president. It was gong to be brilliant. He'd unite us in a profound way. He's going to make people in the inner city realize that anything is possible. But he did the exact opposite. He's divided us more than I've ever seen in my lifetime.

How do you try to convince your fellow actors that Trump is worth voting for?

There are a lot of actors who will vote for Trump. You'll be surprised. Everybody likes their money and their guns, and everybody wants America to be strong. No one likes to be on the weak team, and right now we're on the weak team. So that means Trump. You can't count on a criminal or a socialist.

Who are you calling a criminal?

Oh, let me see. Hillary Clinton. Four dead in Benghazi, classified information in a server in a barn, deleting emails, getting money from Arabs, and we don't know the quid pro quo. There are so many things.

Read More: Image Awards: Stacey Dash Responds to Anthony Anderson's Jab

As soon as you say "Benghazi," Hollywood liberals say, "Oh, that's just a Fox News talking point."

Oh. Wow. Really? That's sad. We all saw her say, "What difference does it make?" It doesn't matter if you're liberal or conservative, for someone to say that about four people dying on her watch is pretty cold and callous.

What's it like for an actress to work at Fox News as a pundit?

It's fascinating how it all works. It's fair and balanced, but I'm not perfect there. I've gotten in trouble. I got sent to the principal's office and got suspended. I'm Stacey Dash, and I say what I want to say, and sometimes it sounds gruff. I have to become, like Trump says, more presidential and diplomatic.

What's it like working for Roger Ailes?

He's the best. He's witty, warm, gracious. That's what makes him great.

Who are you inviting to the upcoming Donald Trump fundraisers?

I can't tell you who. If I tell you, that's called snitching. Where I come from, snitches get stitches.

Speaking of which, your book says you were a gang-banger?

I had to join a gang in seventh grade, so I could go to school instead of fight everyday. I had to fight everyday, so I wasn't getting an education. When I joined a gang, I had backup. That was in the San Fernando Valley in California during forced bussing. Nobody was happy with that.

You also talk about sexual abuse?

I was 4. My parents were addicts, so I was raised by a Cuban family for the first four years of my life. It wasn't a happy household. He was 16.

Who would you rather see win the Democratic primary and face Donald Trump?

Hillary Clinton, because she needs a good lashing.

What's your problem with modern-day feminism?

I just think we are 21st-century feminists who can be strong, powerful and sexy. Use all the things God gave us - our legs, our eyelashes, our femininity. We have the power. We're the mothers of the world. Be proud of what you have, use what God gave us and what men like, not in an inappropriate way. Be proud. Be strong. Be sexy.

What are you doing in Sharknado 4?

I'm the mayor of Chicago. It was really fun. I would say I'm a Republican mayor. I never even heard of Sharknado until I did it. I'm proudly going to Comic-Con for them.

Do you still advocate putting an end to Black History Month?

I do. We gave a lot more to history than one month can portray. We should be part of the curriculum 365 days a year. We're a part of American history. Period. I thought that was the case, but apparently some people think we need a special month. Again, stop segregating. Do you want to be segregated or integrated? I want to be integrated. I want a country that's unified. United we stand, divided we fall.

See More: Oscars: Stacey Dash Has Awkward Moment on Oscars' Stage

What's your advice to a young actor who happens to be conservative?

My advice to any young actor is make sure it's the only thing you want to do, because it is so difficult. And if you're conservative, it's even more difficult. But stand up for what you believe in.

Anything else you want to tell me?

If you hate me or love me, I really implore you to read my book. When I say the things I say, I'm not coming from a place of judgment. I am coming from a place of experience. I've been there. I'm trying to say things that will help us all.

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Statoil ASA STO on behalf of the Johan Sverdrup licensees has awarded the contract for the construction of three bridges and two flare towers to Rosenberg WorleyParsons AS.



The contract is worth nearly NOK 600 million. The three bridges and two flare towers will be constructed and assembled primarily in Stavanger. Other Norwegian and international sub-suppliers will also assist Rosenberg WorleyParsons in the work.



Delivery of a bridge between the riser platform and the drilling platform and one flare tower (riser platform) is expected by 2018. The remaining two bridges and one flare tower (processing platform) are scheduled for delivery in 2019.



Together the three bridges are estimated to weigh 4,700 tons and be 260 meters long. These bridges will link the four platforms that make up the phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup field development. The two flare towers will be placed on the processing and riser platforms.



To date, the project has inked contracts worth about NOK 60 billion, of which Norwegian share exceeds 70%.



Statoil, the operator of Johan Sverdrup, holds 40.03%. The other licensees are Lundin Norway, Petoro, Detnorskeoljeselskapand Maersk Oil holding 22.6%, 17.36%, 11.57% and 8.44%, respectively.



Statoils endeavors to improve recovery of resources in mature fields are commendable. The company has operations in all major hydrocarbon-producing regions of the world, with an emphasis on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). We believe that Statoil is well positioned to sustain its steady production growth over the next few years on the back of its large resource base at NCS.



Currently, Statoil carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the oil and gas sector include CVR Refining, LP CVRR, Murphy USA Inc. MUSA and Braskem S.A. BAK. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
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/Zhao Yingquan)

BERLIN, June 5 -- Philippines' assertion concerning the South China Sea (SCS) abused the international law and the United States' interference is only a show of hegemony that does no good to anybody, Chinese overseas scholars said Sunday at a seminar in Berlin.

The seminar, themed "The South China Sea Issue: China's Stance, International Voice", gathered several Chinese overseas scholars in Germany, The Netherlands and other European countries.

It was also attended by more than 50 representatives of Chinese students studying in Berlin, Chinese enterprises and overseas Chinese living in Germany.

Noting the SCS case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in 2013, Qiu Rungen, visiting scholar at Berlin's Humboldt University and an expert on international economic law, said that such an arbitration, though deliberately wrapped up, actually violates the legislative purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its juridical logic.

In fact, China and the Philippines have agreed in bilaterally-signed documents to settle SCS disputes through dialogues and negotiations. Additionally, China made a declaration in 2006 that excluded a compulsory arbitration under Article 298 of the UNCLS.

Given these facts, Qiu said that China's assertion of neither accepting nor participating in the SCS arbitration is not only fully in line with the UNCLOS but also meets the basic legal principle of international laws.

It's evident that the Philippines has abused the legal procedure to initiate the unilateral arbitration and the international tribunal's jurisdiction over the case was marred with nomological bias, said Luo Gang, a doctoral student specialized in international law in Germany.

The SCS international arbitration tribunal in The Hague announced its jurisdiction over the case in October 2015, and prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months. However, the combination of the tribunal and its judging process are questioned by a number of Chinese and international scholars.

The U.S. role messing up the SCS was also discussed by the Chinese scholars.

The United States has made a series of harsh rhetoric on the SCS issue, mostly accusing China of threatening the freedom of navigation, while it itself exercised several military operations by closely flying or sailing past South China Sea islands, violating China's sovereign rights and adding tension to the region.

The arbitration case shows that the United States can not tolerate the rise of China and has fancied China's development a challenge to the America-dominated international order, Humboldt University Law doctoral student Li Ke pointed out.

U.S. words and deeds expose once again that the American hegemony is accustomed to use so-called "rules" to pursue power politics, Li added.

The Chinese scholars attending the seminar all agreed that the "disputed" Nansha Islands have long been part of the Chinese territory, which is not only supported by numerous historical evidence since ancient times, but also by the many international treaties from modern times.

They voiced opposition to the Philippines' illegal seizure of China's Nansha Islands and reefs, calling for more support to safeguard the international law and the legal interest of China.

Chinese overseas scholars should help to have more voices from China heard on the international arena for a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes, said Wang Qi, doctoral candidate for law at the Free University of Berlin, who is also an organizer of the seminar.
Steve Harvey knows how to own a mistake. The comedian took to Twitter on Sunday -- after Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber was crowned the new Miss USA -- to poke fun at his own Miss Universe blunder back in December.

"Soooooooo - I was a few months early with my announcement and forgot "District of," Harvey tweeted, referring to his infamous mistake of incorrectly naming Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, the new Miss Universe, before having to admit that he'd misspoken and the real winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach.

Soooooooo - I was a few months early with my announcement and forgot "District of".   Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) June 6, 2016

WATCH: Steve Harvey Explains How He Mistakenly Announced the Wrong Winner of Miss Universe

After that, Harvey earnestly congratulated Barber on her victory, retweeting the announcement from the Miss USA organization.

Harvey's embarrassing mistake, which was referenced several times throughout Sunday's pageant by hosts Julianne Hough and Terrence J, was also the focus of a sketch at the start of the show.

WATCH: Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber Crowned Miss USA 2016!

In the short bit, Harvey is helping Terrence prep for his hosting gig by handing him a card with the words "and the winner is Miss Colombia," which Harvey smacks out of his hands immediately.

"What did I just tell you?" Harvey scolds Terrence. "I said, 'Don't say Miss Colombia.' I don't care if they hand you a card-- they handed me the card. I said it. When they hand you the card, don't say, 'Miss Colombia.'"

Story continues

WATCH: Niecy Nash Applauds Steve Harvey for Owning Up to Miss Universe Blunder

Luckily, Terrence J and Hough had no screw-ups when they announced Barber as the winner, while Miss Hawaii, Chelsea Hardin, and Miss Georgia, Emanii Davis, came in as the first and second runners-up.

For more on Barber's impressive win at this year's Miss USA, check out the video below.

Related Articles
From Cosmopolitan

The BBC reports that the couple who was given the wrong baby at an El Salvador hospital has finally been allowed to return to the United States.

In May of 2015, Mercy Casanellas, an Salvadoran woman who lives in Texas with her British husband, Richard Cushworth, returned to her native country to give birth. Her son was born prematurely, so he had to spend the night at the specialist ward. However, The Washington Post reports that before the boy was taken away for the night, Mercy was able to kiss him and see his face.

The next day she was given a child who looked nothing like the baby she kissed the night before. She alerted the hospital staff but they waved away her concerns. She and her husband returned to Texas but couldn't shake the feeling that their boy wasn't their biological son. When the boy was four months old, they had a DNA test and were proven right. Casanellas and Cushworth were devastated.

"I fell on the floor," Casanellas told WFAA. And then she wondered: "Where's my baby?"

It turns out, their son was given to an Salvadoran family. They flew back to El Salvador and exchanged children in September.

"We were rushed in and we had to go really quickly and we barely had time to say goodbye. I got all his clothes and we handed him in. That was the most difficult part of all the situation," Casanellas told the BBC.

They were further held up in the country while waiting for over eight months for a birth certificate. They have finally returned to the United States and say it feels "wonderful" to be back but still have no idea how the swap happened.

There were initially charges against the doctor who delivered the baby but they have since been dropped.

Follow Laura on Twitter.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for Me Before You and Million Dollar Baby.]

Warner Bros. and MGM's new drama Me Before You, like the 2012 best-seller on which it's based, is a romantic tearjerker. But among members of the disabled community, the film is eliciting passionate emotions of a very different kind.

In the film, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) plays Louisa, a young woman hired by a wealthy family to serve as caregiver for their adult son Will (The Hunger Games' Sam Claflin), who sustained a severe spinal cord injury and is now a quadriplegic. Over the course of six months, Louisa's quirky charm and bubbly personality gradually thaw the embittered Will, and the two eventually fall in love.

Read More: 'Me Before You': Film Review

Claflin's casting has raised objections for being another instance of an able-bodied actor portraying a disabled character - a phenomenon that some have taken to wryly calling "cripface." But Me Before You's storyline has added another layer of controversy: Will has decided to seek assisted suicide and, despite the attempts of his mother and Louisa to dissuade him, remains resolute in his goal. The film ends with Louisa following Will's last wishes for her, using the money he left her to travel and, as the movie's tagline states, to "live boldly." A small but vocal segment of the public are protesting the movie on Twitter with the hashtag #MeBeforeEuthanasia.

"The message of this movie is that it's better for this person to die in order to be of service to her than for him to live," says actor Zack Weinstein, who suffered a spinal cord injury similar to Will's in 2005 and now is a quadriplegic. "Are you using [Will's disability] to be emotionally manipulative? That has its place, but it's very difficult to watch the facts of my life being used as the vehicle for that." Adds actor Grant Albrecht, a stage and television veteran (CSI: NY, ER) whose spinal myelopathy is a progressive condition that is gradually taking away his ability to walk: "To romanticize cowardice is indeed perpetuating a stereotype for the sake of forsaking actual people with disabilities who are struggling to maintain their sanity and livelihood and aren't given opportunities in Hollywood."

Story continues

Read More: 'Me Before You' Team on Understanding Will's "Extreme" Decision

Weinstein and Albrecht's agent Gail Williamson, who oversees a roster of about 120 actors with disabilities in the Diversity Department of boutique agency KMR & Associates, agrees that Me Before You's portrayal of the disabled experience is troubling. "Usually all I worry about is why they didn't cast someone in a wheelchair, but this is a much bigger issue," says Williamson, who saw the movie on opening night. "The film is beautiful and the quirky love story is adorable, and I believe the public can be drawn in and not even realize the message the film is giving. How many people who see this film will leave with a new perception that people with spinal cord injuries are not of value?"

Filmmaker Jenni Gold, who directed the 2013 documentary CinemAbility and uses a wheelchair because of muscular dystrophy, says that Hollywood all too often depicts severe physical impairment as the ultimate tragedy. "Why always show disability as the worst thing? In Million Dollar Baby, you had a character who is a boxer, who fights and overcomes her lack of money and her awful family, but the one thing that is unsurmountable is a physical disability to the point that she is helped to kill herself," Gold says. "What does that do to the girl who is on top of the pyramid on Friday night at a pep rally and falls and breaks her back? Does it help her to get on to be the most productive she can be? To be a part of society?"

Read More: Rapid Round: 'Me Before You' Director Weighs In on Film's Controversy, Defends Friend Keira Knightley

Weinstein, who guest starred on Glee and now is a series regular on YouTube Red's Sing It, says that as an artist he respects the right of author and screenwriter Jojo Moyes to tell a story of her choosing, and in fact he is not opposed to assisted suicide in certain situations. "What rubs me the wrong way as an actor and as somebody with a disability living in the real world is not that this story is being told," Weinstein says. "It's that so frequently this is the only story of disability that is told."

Moyes has said that her novel was inspired by a news story about an injured rugby player who chose to end his life with the help of Dignitas, the real-life Swiss-based assisted-dying organization that is featured in Me Before You. "What I felt about creating a story like this is you have one man whose decision you might not agree with but it would be very hard once you know who he is to judge him for the decision that he makes," she has said in response to the criticism. "We're a very judgmental society and you never know really what goes on in someone's mind or what experiences they've had to make that decision."

Comedy writer Janis Hirsch, who uses walking aids as a result of a childhood battle with polio, counters that involving a person with disability makes a difference when it comes to creating a story. "If you have a real disabled person, things change," she says, adding that when she wrote for the Fox comedy Brothers, having her and star Daryl "Chill" Mitchell (who was paralyzed in a 2001 accident) on set gave the show the ability to make certain jokes. "You get to go to somebody and go, 'Would you do this or this?' You get to draw on their lives."

Actor and BMX pro athlete Kurt Yaeger, whose left leg was amputated following a motorcycle crash, urges producers and studios to seek the input of those living with disability. "Bring someone like me in to consult, completely off the record, so that they can ask questions freely without being judged," says Yaeger, a member of SAG-AFTRA's Performers with Disabilities committee who recurred on Sons of Anarchy and will be a series regular on Cinemax's upcoming Quarry. "Hollywood shouldn't take this criticism as a negative slap in the face. They should see [diverse and accurate stories about disability] as a void where nothing exists, and they can be the first ones to do it and reap the gold dust of success."
- By Holmes Osborne, CFA





Sun Hung Kai Properties (SUHJY) has a series of bonds that yield 4.56% and mature May 31, 2021. They outyield comparable Treasurys by 330.35 basis points. They are a great bond for the right investor but probably not retail.

The bonds trade at 100.808, have a 4.75 coupon, and the cusip is G85705ac8. There is no rating and the bond must be bought in a minimum of 200. Definitely not for the retail investor. The offering is new and part of a swap from a bond due in 2017 that had a coupon of 6.375. Good idea on managementas part to refi.





Sun Hung has HK$24.1 billion ($3.21 billion) in cash, HK$312 billion ($40 billion) in investment properties and HK$161 billion ($20.8 billion) in properties for sale. Short-term debt is HK$14.5 billion ($1.93 billion) and long term debt is $HK66.1 billion ($8.8 billion). Though the bonds do not seem to be rated (according to my trader), the company is A+ rated by Standard & Poor's and A1 rated by Moodyas.

Sun Hung has 23.4 million feet of land under construction, 28.8 million completed and 30 million feet of agriculture. It owns hotels, ports, office buildings, condos, malls, mobile services and insurance services. Most of its properties are in Hong Kong or China. Rental income in the latest six months was HK$7.943 billion ($1.1 billion). HK$9.49 billion ($1.22 billion) of property was sold in the last six months.

The hotel portfolio is top notch. Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, W and Crowne Plaza Hong Kong are four properties worth a fortune. However, sales have been down with the rest of the industry. The agricultural land will be worth a lot when China decides to spread into the New Territories. This area is between Hong Kong and China.

It seems that there is an abundance of residential property available in Hong Kong. This could portend a tougher real estate climate for Sun Hung. Itas a blue chip stock. Sun Hung is the largest developer in Hong Kong. Itas just that most Americans have never heard of it. Thatas probably why the bonds yield so much.

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A major shareholder, the Third Avenue Real Estate Fund, describes Sun Hung as "a Hong Kong-based REOC that is pound for pound one of the highest quality real estate companies globally." This came from the transcript of a recent shareholder conference call.

We would buy these bonds if we could. We work with retail investors so itas not for us. The risk is that the Asian economy goes south, which it could. Sun Hung would probably liquidate assets if things got bad enough. There is an extremely good chance that the bonds are safe.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... the casting announcement everyone has been waiting for: Superman is coming to Supergirl.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the former CBS series will introduce the iconic DC Comics superhero when it moves to The CW in the fall. Superman will first be seen visiting his cousin Kara (Melissa Benoist) in National City at the beginning of the series' second season. The role is currently being cast.

Read More: 'Supergirl' Boss on Renewal Chances, Pod Mystery and Exploring Superman

"Greg [Berlanti], Ali [Adler] and I are beyond thrilled to welcome Clark Kent and his slightly-more-famous alter ego to the world of Supergirl," said executive producer Andrew Kreisberg. "Superman will be appearing in the first two episodes of the new season, and we cannot wait to see who next dons the red cape!"

A young Kal-El, played by Daniel DiMaggio, was already seen in season one in flashbacks to Kara's life on Krypton, but this version will be the grown man the world already knows as Superman.

The casting will bring Superman back to The CW following the WB Network's former Tom Welling drama Smallville.

Who do you want to see take on the iconic role? Hit the comments below with your dream casting ideas.

Supergirl returns for season two on Mondays this fall at 8 p.m. on The CW.
DC Comics

Muhammad Ali fought all of the greatest boxers of his generation over the course of his 21-year career inside the ring, but in 1978, he fought his greatest opponent yet on the pages of DC Comics: Superman.

Legendary comic artist Neal Adams was the man tasked with putting the greatest boxer of all-time onto the pages against The Man of Steel himself. In the story, Superman and Ali both step up when the leader of the alien Scrubb race, RatLar, calls upon the greatest champion on Earth to take on the top Scrubb fighter. When they cant agree on who is the truly the greatest, RatLar pits them against one another and Ali eventually takes down Superman (who was fighting without his powers) with a knockout.

I09 took a deeper dive into the legendary comic after Alis death on Friday evening, and they note that the idea originally came from DC editor Julius Schwartz.

Neal Adams noted that the idea came from Julius Schwartz at DC comics, who thought that teaming up the two would be a great idea. Everyone laughed at first, but the companys publisher decided to go forward with it. They contacted Ali and went through lengthy negotiations to get approval to use his image.

The cover famously features many real life celebrities who traveled to the planet Bodace to see the epic fight. However, since some of those celebrities didnt give DC permission to use their likeness, Adams had to get creative.

Adams took over the cover, making some major changes. The same framing and format remained, but he populated the crowd with a number of cameos that included real celebrities such as Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Ron Howard and Andy Warhol (and many more). Adams also included DC employees such as Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel and fictional characters such as Barry Allen, Batman, Lois Lane, Lex Luther, Diane Prince. (Heres a complete list) Several people, including John Wayne, didnt give approval to use their likenesses, so rather than redrawing the faces completely, Adams opted to add moustaches to faces.

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Perhaps the most fascinating tidbit revealed was that not only was Ali rumored to have written his own dialogue, he also only agreed to have his likeness used if his character got to find out Supermans secret identity.

I guess even in comic books, it pays to be the Champ.

(Via IO9)
Amman (AFP) - A suspect has been arrested for allegedly carrying out a gun attack Monday that killed five Jordanian intelligence agents at their office at a Palestinian refugee camp, an official said.

Government spokesman Mohammed Momani announced the arrest without identifying the accused, adding: "Investigations are under way but early indications are that this was an isolated act."

The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in what Momani called a "terrorist attack".

A security source told AFP the suspect was arrested at a mosque in the Salt region north of Amman.

The suspect was armed and resisted arrest, the source said, adding that a police officer had been injured in the swoop.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks.

The Baqaa camp is 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Amman and is the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

Baqaa houses about 220,000 people, including more than 100,000 of the two million Palestinian refugees who live in Jordan.
(Reuters) - A man accused of running over and killing a Memphis police officer while fleeing authorities has been charged with first-degree murder, a spokeswoman for the police department said on Sunday.

Officer Verdell Smith, 46, died shortly after being hit by the suspect's vehicle around 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Memphis Police Department. He was killed while police responded to reports of three shootings in two locations. The suspect had fled by car.

The suspect, 21-year-old Justin Welch, was apprehended soon after the incident. On Sunday, police said he had been charged with multiple crimes including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and evading arrest.

Jail records did not indicate whether he had an attorney.

The victims of the shootings had been hospitalized, with two remaining in critical condition Sunday night. The third was treated and released, Memphis police said.

"I am angry this morning - angry at the senseless loss of a dedicated public servant, and angry at the absolutely unacceptable level of violence in our city," Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement posted on social media. "We must not accept this as our norm."

Smith worked for Memphis police for 18 years, the department said.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Florida; Editing by Peter Cooney and Mary Milliken)
BEIJING, June 6 -- Three officials from China's Hunan and Hebei provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have been arrested on suspicion of corruption, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Monday.

They include Bi Hua, formerly the Communist Party of China (CPC) secretary and deputy head of Hunan's provincial association for science and technology, Hou Fengqi, former Party secretary of Wuhai City in Inner Mongolia, and Zhang Hao, formerly deputy head of the standing committee of Baoding municipal people's congress in Hebei.

All three are suspected of taking bribes, and the SPP said investigation into the trio is currently under way.

In addition, it said prosecutors have indicted Xie Haisheng, head of Xiamen City's environmental protection bureau in Fujian Province, for taking bribes and abuse of power.

Xie was charged with "taking advantage of his position to seek benefits for other people, illegally accepting huge sums of cash and goods from others, and power abuse which led to serious losses to national interests," according to the indictment.
The number of terrorist attacks across the world dropped last year, the first dip since 2012, the State Department reported in its annual terrorism survey released last week. The drop, which translated to 14 percent fewer terrorism-related deaths, was attributed to fewer attacks and deaths in Iraq, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Underlying the positive news, though, were some still-disturbing trends. ISIS continues to be a significant threat. Iran remains the foremost state sponsor of terrorism. And several countries saw increases in attacks and deaths, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, Syria and Turkey.

Related: Trump Wants to Add to the War on Terrors $4 Trillion Price Tag

Overall, 11,774 terrorist attacks took place worldwide last year, up from 423 in 2000 and 11,53 in 2005. Last years attacks caused 28,300 deaths and 35,300 injuries.

The terrorist threat is becoming increasingly decentralized, the report said, and non-state groups such as ISIS have been filling the void in areas where weak governance is the norm.

While the Taliban was responsible for more attacks in 2015, ISIS remains the group responsible for the greatest number of deaths, as you can see in the chart below. ISIS maintains strength in Iraq and Syria, and allied groups are active in west Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Though ISIS was responsible for 31 percent fewer terrorist attacks in Iraq, the number of attacks the group carried out in Syria actually increased by 39 percent.

Related: Heres How the US Has Been Using Vietnam-Era Warplanes in Iraq

Terrorist groups continued to exploit an absence of credible and effective state institutions, the report said.

While Irans ranking as the top terrorism sponsor was expected, it may prompt some renewed calls for explanations in light of the Obama administrations moves, including the landmark nuclear deal, to bring Iran back into the fold of the international community.

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Related: The Top 15 Military Spenders in the World

The State Department also identified Sudan and Syria as sponsors of terrorism. North Korea was not included on the list, though, despite calls from lawmakers to have the country relisted. The report also highlighted the need for Saudi Arabia to modernize its educational curriculum, and for Pakistan to take further action against terror groups operating inside its territory. Cuba did not appear on the list for the first time since 1982 after having been removed last May as part of the Obama administrations effort to normalize relations between the U.S. and Havana.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The Leadership Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today's answer to the question "How do you encourage creative thinking within your organization" is by Ratmir Timashev, CEO of Veeam.

In the neighborhood where I grew up in Ufa, in Russia's Ural mountains, the environment was very competitive. Those who had big dreams needed to stand out, to fight for the limited space at the best schools. My father, an aircraft design engineer, taught me to be ambitious, always saying, "It does not matter who you want to be (a scientist, musician, engineer or a sportsman) - you must be the first." It was not enough to be good or even great, one often needed to be the best to move on. While it may have been a bit tougher there than other places, it encouraged people to think creatively about solutions. It not only defined who I am, but enabled me to be open to alternative approaches to business problems.

Creativity requires a certain comfort with taking an unfamiliar route and staying open to learning along the way. It's something I've always done myself and encourage in the people around me and in the key people I hire.

Related: Here's What You Need to Do in Order to Be a Great Leader

Personally, I've never had a job that wasn't entrepreneurial. I founded my first company right out of college, sold that and founded my present one. But I had to learn to be a CEO by doing it, by experimenting with what worked and what didn't. An optimist by nature, I generally see the potential for things to work, so I've always tried creative approaches when "practical" ones fail.

It's the same attitude I expect from my team, so I empower them to work autonomously and try different things themselves. I do this by setting very specific goals for what the company wants to have happen, while giving them the freedom to decide how it should happen. For example, I may call on the sales department to grow revenue 30 percent without increasing marketing spending by more than 20 percent. I trust the teams I have put in place to accomplish this and know that they can develop and implement a solution that will work. And the results are astonishing. Employees thrive when they know that they have trust from leadership and are in a politics-free environment where ideas can be shared freely and openly.

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The creative process isn't something that can be captured, though, and innovation isn't a process that can be reproduced and scaled. Instead, creativity must be nurtured and coaxed. And it must be exercised with an end goal of serving the customer.

Related: What the Greatest Entrepreneurs Get Right About Leading Teams

At Veeam, our core values - the traits we ask current employees to emulate and look for in future employees - are all complementary to creativity. Our culture focuses on self-starters who take initiative and show passion, enthusiasm, and a competitive drive. We want people with common sense and good judgment, but who are also inclusive of the rest of the team and don't consider lack of experience to be a negative thing. Of course, we're also optimists who believe in ourselves and we have an intrinsic need to achieve.

Still, we don't just let people go completely crazy with their ideas. They must always focus on the core customer and look for untraditional but elegant ways to solve their problems.

By making it our business to know what's important to our customers and focusing our creative energy on addressing their needs, we'll always win.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com


Credit: Time Inc. Studios

Color, cut, clarity--these are just a few of the qualities that determine a stone's worth. Here's what to look for when investing in the classics (and a few lesser-known varieties, gleaming with next-big-thing potential).

RUBY

Hue is the most important attribute in a ruby (it's also the only thing that sets it apart from its chemically identical relative, the sapphire). The best are a true, vivid red, often called "pigeon's blood," which can fetch higher prices than any other colored gem.

EMERALD

First mined in ancient Egypt, the most valuable emeralds today come from Colombia and are highly transparent and pure green. Because the stones are naturally brittle and full of fissures, the rectangular-shaped (and aptly named) emerald cut is favored.

Related: 13 Non-Traditional Celebrity Engagement Rings

SAPPHIRE

Distinguished by their hardness, sapphires come in a spectrum of colors, including pink, yellow, green, and salmon (called padparadscha). The most precious are from Kashmir, rendered in a rich violet blue that appears ultra-bright even in evening light.

Related: The Engagement Rings of IRL Princess Brides

CRYSTAL QUARTZ

Often referred to as "rock crystal," this clear, colorless variety of quartz was used to create the shimmering chandeliers at the Palace of Versailles. While large, flawless pieces are rare, smaller varieties cost less than $100.

TOURMALINE

Available in an unparalleled range of hues, they often feature two or more in a single cut. The rarest are neon blue or blue green Brazilian Paraiba tourmalines, which can command $10,000 per carat. But green and pink "watermelon" combos are currently having a fashion moment.

Related: These Soaps Look Like Gems for Your Bathroom

DIAMOND

The "king of gemstones" is the most widely desired and generally the most expensive stone on the market. Clear white diamonds are prized, but red, green, pink, purple, and blue are rarer, and can sell for more than a million dollars per carat.

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OPAL

Hailing almost exclusively from Australia, these distinctively patterned stones can be found in a wide variety of hues, but black opals with a bright "play-of-color" (that is, the way its colors change as it's rotated) are the most valuable, sometimes netting $10,000 a carat.

PEARL

Once obtained only by professional divers, the vast majority of the shiny orbs--which come in colors ranging from white to peacock green--are now cultured in controlled environments, making them much more affordable and widely available.

Now sure how to tell if your gems are conflict-free?

For many, precious stones are a symbol of love. For others, however, they are a by-product of violence, labor exploitation, and environmental harm, as some gems have been mined in part to finance civil wars and repressive regimes around the globe. Unfortunately, because the supply chain is so incredibly long, the only way to guarantee what you're buying is conflict-free is to opt for a rock grown in a lab (for diamonds, California-based Diamond Foundry is a sound option). That said, many companies are doing their utmost to ensure their goods are on the up-and-up. Go with a dealer you trust, and be sure to ask for detailed information about where each stone was mined, as some countries have better records than others. Diamonds from Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Russia, and South Africa are safer bets, as are sapphires from Australia, Malawi, and Sri Lanka, emeralds from Colombia and Zambia, and rubies from Malawi and Tanzania.

And.....81 Billion is the amount (in U.S. dollars) spent on diamond jewelry worldwide in 2014 (Source: De Beers Group)
U.S. troops storm Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944

U.S. troops storm Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944

On June 6, 1944, about 150,000 troops stormed the beaches of France in the epic D-Day invasion that proved pivotal to the Allied war effort. But how did the idea originate and how did the Allies pull off such a huge task?

The numbers involved in the Normandy landings are still staggering today, and unlikely to be seen again in a modern age of combat. Here are a few of the numbers, and some fascinating facts about this historic event.

1. What does D-Day mean anyway? That remains a topic of debate today, since the operation was cloaked in secrecy. One prominent theory is that the word D-Day originated in a World War I tradition of assigning generic words like D-Day and H-Hour to events with unassigned dates. Another is that the D stands for the word departed, as in departed date.

2. The invading force by sea and air was staggering. The D-Day attack consisted or more than 150,000 personnel coming across the English Channel by sea and air, and about 100,000 troops were involved in the invasion on June 6.

3. The cost of the invasion was high. Of the 100,000 or so fighters in the invading force, about 9,000 were killed or wounded on June 6, 1944.

4. How rare is a major amphibious attack? Throughout history, attacks over water were a feature of many wars and campaigns, but not on the scale of the D-Day invasion. The Spanish Armada in 1588 that failed to invade England had about 130 ships and a potential 55,000 fighters. The D-Day force had about 5,000 vessels involved in various roles.

5. Was D-Day the biggest marine invasion ever? Again, that is another debate topic. Many people believe the Normandy invasion was the largest such operation during World War II, but others can make an argument for the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa in the Pacific. The 1943 Allied landing in Sicily was also a very large and complicated operation.

6. There were live broadcasts of the invasion on radio. After a German news agency scooped the Western press by confirming the invasion in a wire report, press coverage began in the Allied nations. One CBS reporter broadcasted live from a ship within the invading force. In all, more than 700,000 words recounting the events of June 6, 1944 were relayed back to the public.

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7. How did the Allies fool the Germans? The grand plan included the construction of a dummy invasion force across from the Pas de Calais near Dover. Rubber ships and plywood tanks were part of the fake invasion force.

8. How did D-Day happen on June 6th? Since everyone knew an invasion of some type was imminent, so weather and timing played prominent roles. General Dwight Eisenhower picked June 5, 1944 as the date for the invasion, but bad weather forced a postponement. After meteorologists told Eisenhower that the weather would clear the next day, the invasion was on. In reality, the weather was nearly as bad on June 6.

9. Where did the name Operation Overlord come from? Winston Churchill is believed to be the person who assigned the codename to the D-Day invasion, since he had a very high interest in selecting code names. The Germans actually pioneered the use of code names in World War I.

10. What was Eisenhowers message to the troops? Ikes Orders of the Day told the force, The eyes of the world are upon you.

Related Stories on Constitution Daily

Read General Eisenhowers official orders for the D-Day invasion

D-Day and the words of war

10 fascinating facts on President Dwight D. Eisenhowers birthday
Baqaa (Jordan) (AFP) - Jordanian authorities have arrested a suspect accused of gunning down five intelligence agents on Monday in their office at a Palestinian refugee camp.

"Investigations are under way but early indications are that this was an isolated and individual act," said government spokesman Mohammed Momani, announcing the arrest without identifying the suspect.

The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday -- the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- in what Momani called a "terrorist attack".

The suspect fled the scene after the killings.

A security source told AFP he was arrested later at a mosque in the Salt region north of Amman.

The suspect was armed and resisted arrest, the source said, adding that a police officer had been injured in the swoop.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks.

- 'Midst of a cyclone' -

The five agents, who had been starting their shift, were buried later in the day in their home towns, with hundreds of members of the security services in attendance.

Security forces blocked road to the camp, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Amman, to keep journalists away, an AFP correspondent said.

The Baqaa camp is the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

Home to about 220,000 people, including more than 100,000 of the two million Palestinian refugees who live in Jordan, its residents suffer chronic poverty and unemployment.

It was unclear whether the gunman was a resident of the camp or an outsider, a security source said earlier Monday, adding that experts were examining CCTV footage for clues.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

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Former member of parliament Mahmud al-Kharabsha said what happened at Baqaa had been "expected".

"This camp was chosen for an attack in order to sow sedition (between Palestinians and Jordanians) in the country," Kharabsha said.

"What happened was expected. Jordan is in the midst of a cyclone and shares long borders with Syria and Iraq," he told AFP.

- Sowing divisions -

One Baqaa resident who identified himself as Yussef called the attack "unacceptable", coming on the first day of Ramadan.

"It is an attempt to create divisions in the country," he said.

Baqaa was one of six camps set up in 1968 to house Palestinians fleeing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War during which Israel seized the Palestinian territories, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Baqaa was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member taking part in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.
By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A rural Texas county has reached a deal to remove cross image decals from their police cars and ban "political, religious, commercial or personal" phrases or signs on county-owned property, a group that challenged the county said on Monday.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nationwide group that promotes the separation of church and state, and two of its members sued this year to remove the decals they said amounted to unconstitutional local government promotion of Christianity.

The Brewster County Clerk's office said its Commissioners' Court had agreed to the settlement.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, had stood behind the sheriff's department for displaying a cross with a horizontal thin blue line on their patrol vehicles. Abbott said the cross is part of U.S. historical practices.

"In addition to its religious significance, the cross has a long history in America and elsewhere as a symbol of service and sacrifice," Abbott wrote before the lawsuit. He added, in his opinion, the display does not violate U.S. constitutional provisions preventing the establishment of religion.

Abbott's office was not immediately available for comment.

At the end of last year, the Brewster County sheriff asked state officials if his deputies in the sprawling and sparsely populated west Texas county could keep the cross decals displayed on the rear windows of their patrol vehicles.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson wanted the crosses for "God's protection over his deputies," his office said in December.

FFRF said it reached the deal with the county a few days ago that included having the county pay it about $20,000 in legal and court fees. Dodson did not respond to a request to comment.

"This was totally avoidable. This was such an egregious and obvious violation," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, said in a phone interview.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Who says Donald Trump isnt a uniter?

For years, decades even, political watchers have noted, and generally lamented, the growing nationalization of U.S. electionsthe tendency of, say, voters in rural Ohio to back a House candidate based less on the individual running than on what national party he belongs to. Straight-ticket voting (going with the same team for every office) and a focus on national versus local issues has become the American way. And as polarization has increased, parties have been happy to exploit this ideological sortingespecially the team not controlling the White House. In the Obama era, this has meant down-ballot Republicans from New Hampshire to North Carolina to Nevada running not so much against their Democratic opponents as against the Democratic commander-in-chief. (Repeal Obamacare, anyone?)

Then came Trump. And just like that, the GOP decided en masse that maybe nationalization wasnt such a hot idea this time around. Indeed, not in modern memory has a presidential candidate brought together so many of his own partys strategists, aides, elected officials, fundraisers, and major donors in the belief that the best only way to salvage this cycle is for every other Republican on the ballot to run screaming from the top of the ticket.

OK. Maybe not screaming. Overt rejection would alienate Trump fans, who have a tendency to express their pique not only at the polls but also through whimsical social-media riffs rife with death threats and vows to sexually violate and/or dismember the family members of those who disrespect the Donald.

Recommended: Here's What Hillary Clinton Sounded Like in 1969

In talking with Republican Party players, however, a theme of subtle separation keeps popping up: that House, Senate, and other down-ballot candidatesparticularly those in not-so-red statesshould distance themselves from the presidential circus and go local.

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Across the board, our senators are running very localized campaigns, said Andrea Bozek, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In New Hampshire, for examplea blue state where Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte is in a tough reelection fight against Democratic Governor Maggie Hassanthey are talking a lot about the heroin epidemic. Its a smart strategy.

Sue Zoldak, a vice chair of the conservative RightNow Women PAC, reported of the House and Senate candidates her group is backing: Theyre very focused on their local constituents. I think thats what everyone is doing.

Sure, tying ones Democratic opponent to the specter of a President Hillary Clinton has its temptations, but, considering the, um, volatility of the GOP standard-bearer, why risk wading into that particular mud fight? So whether its spotlighting heroin in New Hampshire, EPA water regulations in Wisconsin, or energy issues in Ohio, Republican congressional contenders are laboring to denationalize this election, wrapping themselves in legendary House Speaker Tip ONeills pet aphorism: All politics is local.

To which congressional expert Thomas Mann says: Good luck!

Recommended: The Seven Broken Guardrails of Democracy

First of all, it isnt the party strategies that have nationalized or denationalized elections; its broad changes in our politics, says Mann, a senior fellow with the nonpartisan Brookings Institution. Since the 1960s, polarization has been shrinking the number of Americans who split their votes between candidates of different parties, said Mann. (Things really picked up speed in the 1980s, he noted.) And I dont think Republicans saying, Oh, Im going to really go local, means they can have any material influence on the reality of the fact that most partisans nowincluding leaning independentsvote a straight party ticket.

The level of split-ticket voting between the presidential race and races in the House and Senate is down to about 5 percent at this point, said Richard Pildes, a law professor at NYU who has written on the nationalization of U.S. elections. Getting that number up much higher, predicted Pildes, will be like pushing a boulder up a hill.

Its not as if this is a big change in strategy, said Mann. Even in recent years, members in competitive districts have tried to do whatever they can to enhance their local reputations. You always do that, even while youre aware that most of the action has been nationalized.

Its always the case that when the party candidate at the top of the ticket is unpopular in your district or state, you try to run away from them and run a much more locally focused campaign, agreed Pildes. Its just gotten much harder to do that successfully with the intense polarization of parties and voters.

Ask any of the 2014 red-state Senate Democrats how it went when they localized their racesbut youll have a hard time reaching them, because theyre no longer in office.

To emphasize how much harder, multiple people pointed to the 2014 midterms. Ask any of the 2014 red-state Democrats from the Senate how it went when they localized their racesbut youll have a hard time reaching them, because theyre no longer in office, quipped a Democratic campaign operative who requested anonymity to avoid offending colleagues. With the electorate feeling sour about President Obama that year, Dems tried to go local, recalled the operative. But we still came up short. As the quants over at FiveThirtyEight declared in the wake of the vote, The 2014 Senate Elections Were the Most Nationalized in Decades.

Presidential cycles are even tougher to denationalize, explained Mann: For those Republicans running in blue or purple constituencies, they can try to focus attention on local issues, but many of those will be in states that are targeted for the presidential race. So there will be overwhelming communications there [by the presidential campaigns]. In other words, the more purple/competitive your state, the more likely it is that your voters will be subjected to a total-saturation level of presidential campaigning relentless enough to give them nightmares and nosebleeds. Good luck competing withmuch less escapingthat as a mere Senate or House candidate.

Recommended: The Odious Essentialism of Attacking a Judge for His Ethnicity

Like it or not, White House contenders drive the race. Whats important is who is at the top of the ticket and what are the relative turnout levels of the partisan bases, said Mann. Because when voters dislike their partys presidential choice, noted Pildes, their typical response come Election Day isnt to leave that box blank or vote for the other team or write in a different candidate altogether. Its to stay home. Period.

Then, of course, there are the Democrats, who (like the Republicans in 2014) will be busting their humps to nationalize the heck out of this cycle. For months now, theyve been slapping GOP senators for refusing to consider Obamas Supreme Court nominee. They have shown that they have absolutely no independence from their party, said Sadie Weiner, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Trumps ascendance takes things to a whole new level. Were obviously going to be making sure that Republican senators and candidates are held accountable for their support of Donald Trump, Weiner told me. Especially as he continues to insult women, African-Americans, Hispanicspick a category.

Disassociating oneself from Trump in a competitive district or state is not rocket science. Its survival, said Mann. But as electoral strategies go, he stressed, its not much.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
BEIJING, June 6 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China from June 12 to 14 and co-chair a bilateral intergovernmental consultation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here on Monday.

It will be Merkel's ninth visit to China since she took office, Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing.

In Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet with Merkel. She will also visit Shenyang, capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province, Hong said.

He said the consultation, established in 2011, is a dialogue mechanism aimed at coordinating and enhancing cooperation between the two countries. More than 20 ministers and vice ministers from both sides will be present at this edition.

In recent years, the China-Germany relationship has witnessed a rapid development with frequent high-level exchanges, the spokesperson said. In March, German President Joachim Gauck visited China, strengthening political mutual trust.

Hong suggested China and Germany, the host country of the Group of 20 summit in 2016 and 2017 respectively, maintain closer coordination in global and regional affairs.

It serves the fundamental interests of both countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Hong said, adding it will benefit the China-EU relations and promote peace and prosperity in the world at large.

China attaches great importance to the development of ties with Germany, and stands ready to take the consultation as an opportunity to advance bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, he added.
Teacher ShaRee Castlebury came up with a creative way to remember her graduating first-grade students. (Photo: Facebook/ShaRee Castlebury)

ShaRee Castlebury is one creative teacher. As a special project, Castlebury, a first-grade teacher at Pat Henry Elementary School in Lawton, Okla., came up with the original idea of turning a dress into a sentimental piece of artwork.

Castlebury brought a plain white dress to her classroom a few days before school ended. She handed her students fabric markers so they could decorate the dress, covering it with doodles of hearts, flowers, kites, bugs, and rainbows. All of the students then signed the back of the dress, which Castlebury wore on the last day of school.

The teacher posted photos of the finished dress on her Facebook page  the post has now been shared more than 55,000 times  with the caption: My first idea that is original!! This is all artwork courtesy of MY first grade class! Who am I wearing? Room 219. Happy last day of school with my precious Picassos!

A close-up of the dress decorated with the students artwork. (Photo: Facebook/ShaRee Castlebury)

In a separate post, Castlebury wrote about how lucky she feels to be a teacher to her students: So blessed to be a teacher. I hope each year my kids always know how loved and cherished they are by methey become part of my family without even realizing how much they touch me on an hourly basis.

The dress was such a hit that Castlebury has decided to make the wearable art project an annual tradition for each of her graduating classes.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombians turned out en masse on Sunday and shed their inhibitions along with their clothes for American photographer Spencer Tunick's nude photo art project in Bogota's Bolivar Plaza. It was the latest event staged by Tunick, who has done nude photo shoots in cities around the globe. In 2007 in Mexico City 18,000 people stripped off in the heart of the city's Zocalo Square. Volunteers have also posed naked in freezing temperatures on a Swiss glacier. "The body for me represents purity and unity and a positive notion of life," Tunick explained. "So bringing the body into a space of government and tradition just brightens the whole place up for me." Ivonne Morales said she wanted to take part in the event because Tunick's projects are works of art. "This performance really attracted me because it is a crazy thing that someone does once in their lifetime. It is something different, beautiful," she said. The models posed au naturel in the square in Bogota's historic area where the city's cathedral and other monuments are located. The photographs will be displayed in Bogota's Museum of Modern Art later this year. All of the participants will also receive a limited edition print taken by Tunick. (Reporting by Reuters Television; editing by Patricia Reaney and Richard Chang)
Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse (Belgium) (AFP) - Investigators on Monday sifted through the wreckage of a high-speed train crash in Belgium that killed three people and injured nine others with indications bad weather could have been the cause.

The collision occurred late on Sunday when the fast-moving passenger train slammed into the back of a slow freight train which was travelling on the same track for unknown reasons. The crash happened at Hermalle-sous-Huy, near the eastern town of Liege.

Authorities said lightning and flood damage caused by the heavy storms that have affected western Europe over the past week were being explored as a possible cause of the crash.

King Philippe of Belgium and Prime Minister Charles Michel both visited the scene to inspect the recovery work and offer their condolences, according to AFP reporters at the site.

"All my condolences for the families of the victims... and a fast recovery to the injured," Michel said on Twitter.

Although investigators were hard at work, finding the cause "would be difficult", warned a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Liege.

"The passenger train is really in a bad way, it's stunning," said Francis Dejon, mayor of the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, where the crash took place.

"The front carriage is scrunched back up on itself. We were very lucky not to have more victims," he told the Belgian news agency Belga.

There were roughly 40 passengers on board the train that was travelling at about 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour at the moment of the collision on the Namur-Liege line at 11pm (2100 GMT) on Sunday.

Investigators believe the freight train was travelling at about 10-15kph at the time, said Brigitte Leroy, a spokeswoman from the prosecutor's office.

The crash killed the driver of the passenger train, authorities said. Of the nine injured, some were in critical condition, they added.

- 'Very violent' -

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"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the Infrabel railway infrastructure company and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

Witnesses told Belga news agency the collision had been "very violent," with rescuers having to extract several passengers from the wreckage.

Infrabel spokesman Frederic Sacre said investigators would look carefully at a report of lightning on the tracks some 90 minutes before the crash.

On Sunday evening, SNCB said lightning had caused signal problems near the site, but that the incident was over.

"The investigation will tell us if there is a link with the recent storms," said Leroy, of the prosecutors office. "There was a lot of rain yesterday (Sunday), other train lines were completely flooded," she said.

In 2008, there was crash at almost the exact same location in which 42 people were injured. That incident was later blamed on human error and a power failure.

In February 2010, 18 people were killed and 95 injured when two trains collided in a Brussels suburb in one of Europe's deadliest railway accidents of the past decade.

More recently, one person was killed and nearly 50 injured when a train carrying highly-toxic chemicals derailed and exploded near the city of Ghent in May 2013.
Paris (AFP) - Would Sir and Madam care for red or white with their meal to appeal to their exacting, traditionalist palates? After all, pink is surely plonk -- or is it?

France's winemakers are waging a low-level war to strike down such traditional snobbery in the face of intense global competition for market share.

The industry has been on the back-foot since Italy leapfrogged France to regain top spot in the global production rankings last year, according to latest data from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

But the French have a powerful weapon in their armoury. Rose.

Worldwide sales of French blush wine have grown by nearly a third in ten years, driven by an explosion in demand from the USA where imports of rose from the Provence region increased 58 percent last year, according to the Provence Wine Council (CIVP).

Worldwide rose production grew just 15 percent between 2002 and 2013 while French winegrowers spotted the trend, boosting their output by 31 percent in the same period, according to the CIVP.

Though France remains the world's foremost consumer of rose, pulling corks on some eight million hectolitres (176 million gallons) in 2015 alone, its booming popularity in the US has been a major boon for French winegrowers.

"Americans have totally integrated rose into the wine family," said Olivier Brun, who along with his three brothers runs a family vineyard at Chateau Brigue, at Le Luc-en-Provence in the southeastern Var region.

- Hamptons, Brangelina, Pink Floyd -

"It's easily accessible and there's no need to be an expert to enjoy it," he said.

Some 70 percent of the Brun family's sales are exports -- half of them to the United States -- "our top market," where Florida, California, New York and, latterly, Chicago lead the way.

"Over there, rose is drunk in all seasons even in colder cities," said Brun. "And it flows all summer long in the chic Hamptons," the Long Island retreat of wealthy New Yorkers.

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"Rose sales to the United States began to take off a decade ago thanks to (marketing) efforts by large estates such as Ott and Chateau de Peyrassol, a small pioneer," says Brun.

This year is already on track to be record breaking. Brun's January through April sales topped those for the whole of 2015 -- "200,000 crates, and 70 percent to the United States".

French roses are strongly associated with the southern Provence region where the climate, grapes and soils are just right for rose which makes up the majority of the region's overall viticulture.

Provence is home to 600 producers who hold 39 percent of coveted "registered designation of origin" (AOC) certificates.

Provence and its produce have had their global profile raised markedly by British writer Peter Mayle's best-seller "A Year in Provence" that describes life in the region's lavender-scented countryside.

Provencal rose has also been lifted by the "Jolie-Pitt" effect following Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's purchase of the Chateau de Miraval, complete with a vineyard capable of producing a fine and balanced nectar -- including a light, flinty and highly-acclaimed "Pink Floyd" rose.

The English rock band of the same name notably recorded part of their iconic album "The Wall" in a studio at Miraval.

- 'Much less intimidating' -

Dufavet says that producing a top rose is an art-form requiring the utmost precision, so much so that in 1999 a rose research centre was opened at Vidaudan in the Var in order to seek out wine of "optimal quality".

Their work has borne fruit, according to Dufavet, in the form of "pale, elegant colours much cherished on the American market which we have managed to control without affecting its aromatic and taste qualities".

Roses are made when red grape varieties are harvested via a short maceration (soaking) period, while the technique of direct pressing may also be used once grape skins have been stripped or punctured before the juice is sent for fermentation.

The saignee or "bled" method sees juice bled off from nascent reds and placed in a separate vat.

"You have to be able to get up at the dead of night (to check on the brew's progress) -- it's a little like the ultra-precise cooking of a grand chef," said Philippe Faure-Brac, voted the world's best sommelier in 1992.

Faure-Brac says technical mastery and a seductive image will continue to fuel the booming appeal of roses which are "much less intimidating than whites or reds".
By Busani Bafana HARARE (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Faced with severe drought and tinder-dry forests and fields, Zimbabwe is seeking jail terms to deter the setting of fires that last year scorched over a million hectares of land and property. Until now, those convicted of setting fires  often to clear land, burn waste, construct fire breaks or force out animals to poach  generally have faced fines or suspended sentences, authorities said. But after 16 people died in 2,464 grass fires in Zimbabwe last year, and as the country faces continuing drought, that needs to change, they said. We are seeking tougher penalties for fire offenders, Steady Kangata, education manager for Zimbabwes Environmental Management Agency (EMA), told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. We have engaged the office of the Attorney General to review current fines for offenders so courts can impose mandatory jail terms, because fire offenders get away with suspended sentences and fines. But we lose a lot in a destroyed environment, which has an impact on food security for Zimbabwe, he said. We are hopeful higher fines will help curb the problem of fires, even though we will not stop them totally, he said. To bring that about will take a change in mindset and I cannot say that will happen overnight. LOW FINES According to EMA, 1.5 million hectares of land were destroyed by fires last year, slightly down from the 1.6 million hectares burned in 2014. But over the last five years, grass and forest fires have resulted in more than 70 deaths and destruction of infrastructure worth more than $1.6 million, the agency noted. About 90 percent of such fires recorded in Zimbabwe are a result of arson, land clearing, illegal mining, smoking out bees, poaching, burning of waste, firebreak construction or carelessly discarded cigarette butts, according to EMA. Natural causes account for only a small minority of fires. Those convicted of setting fires currently face fines of between $5 and $5,000, the maximum EMA can impose. But as Zimbabwe faces longer droughts and more heat waves, grass fires threaten to undermine food security and efforts to protect and replant forests. We need to be vigilant and discourage people who start fires willy nilly, Kangata said. Under the Forestry Act and general environmental policy, Zimbabwe bans the setting of any grass fires between July 1 and October 31 each year, with burning allowed to begin again at the start of the rainy season. The restriction, however, has been widely ignored, officials said. Last year, grass fires destroyed more than 400 hectares of tree plantation, worth millions of dollars, in the Taka Forest in Chimanimani, 400 km east of Harare. That comes despite the national Forestry Commission campaigning each year to educate communities living in and around forest areas about the dangers of setting fires. Some of the highest temperatures seen in 60 years  reaching as high as 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the country last November, according to the Meteorological Services Department  have added to fire risks. HOW TO CURB FIRES Burning grassland and savannah areas  known as veld in southern Africa  can help maintain the health of those ecosystems, but unmanaged or too frequent fires lead to land degradation, which affects farming and grazing, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) noted in a 2008 report. The United National Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says uncontrolled vegetation fires contribute to global warming, air pollution, desertification and loss of biodiversity. A 2013 study by researchers at Bindura University of Science Education and the University of Zimbabwe suggests that to manage wildfires in Zimbabwe the public, officials, farmers and others need to work together, and the country needs to combine modern techniques such as remote sensing of fires with indigenous knowledge on fire control. Under the countrys National Fire Strategy, Zimbabwe aims to reduce fire incidents by at least 90 percent from the average of more than 2,000 a year over the past five years. Its a goal Kangata believes is achievable through coordinated action on measures such as construction and maintenance of firebreaks But so far statistics are moving the opposite direction, with Zimbabwe suffering 2,575 fires in 2014. Veld fires are destroying our livelihoods, Kangata told Thomson Reuters Foundation. Zimbabwe has to manage the fires and save the environment and we are convinced we now need the strong hand of the law to help stop those who set off fires for the fun of it. (Reporting by Busani Bafana; editing by Jumana Farouky and Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
Donald Trump made headlines this weekend after expressing doubt that a U.S. Muslim judge could be unbiased in some court decisions. One of his newest supporters, longtime Republican donor Foster Friess, echoed Trump's skepticism.

"They have a different kind of worldview, and I believe, if I understand Islam correctly, they would prefer to have the Quran be the dominant guiding force for our country versus the Constitution," Friess, founder of Friess Associates, told CNBC's " Squawk on the Street " on Monday. "So that does make it difficult."

Trump appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday following his criticism of Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, a U.S. judge who Trump said has a "conflict of interest" in a California case against Trump University. Because of the judge's heritage and the Republican candidate's proposed border wall with Mexico, Trump said, he might not deliver an unbiased decision.

When asked if a Muslim judge might carry a similar bias because of Trump's call for a ban on Muslim immigrants, Trump responded with, "It's possible, yes."

Friess called Trump's proposed ban on Muslim immigrants a "significant" strategy.

"I think that's a very strong policy of vetting these people properly," Friess said, highlighting the difficulty in identifying dangerous personnel coming into the country. "Let's give President Obama a great big bowl of M&M's and tell him there's only 10 poisonous M&M's in it, and he can help himself."

The main reason Friess said he and others are joining on the Trump bandwagon comes down to the Supreme Court.

"I believe the donations are going to come in because people will realize the dramatic significance of allowing Hillary Clinton to appoint three Supreme Court justices," Friess said. "That overrides about every other issue."

Trump also brings an ability to leverage media coverage that Friess said other Republicans don't hold a candle to.

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"The Republicans don't do a good job of marketing," Friess said. "Donald Trump has already reflected his ability to excite people, and to get the people to make our country work."

He said Trump can be intentionally controversial, in the same way that wrestlers are in the World Wrestling Federation. "How do you get people all geared up to watch the thing when they pretty well know it's a fake?" Friess said, going on to describe men with oversize belts "trash-mouthing" their opponents.

"That has got him a lot of earned media, and I think that's part of his strategy," Friess said. "He's a very, very savvy guy when it comes to marketing."

Friess pointed to Trump's stance on minimum wage, which the Republican candidate has said should be left to the states. Other policies can be tweaked, Friess said. He urged other GOP members to remember that, and to remember the Democratic alternative.

"I believe some of [his policies] can be revised and tweaked, and we're gonna be in a lot better shape with Donald Trump as president than Hillary Clinton," Friess said.





More From CNBC


File photo shows the victim student Li Yangjie [Photo: weibo.com]

The Chinese embassy in Germany has called for an impartial investigation into the death of a Chinese student last month, and to deliver the result as soon as possible.

Chinese diplomat Zhou Anping has urged police in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, to accelerate the investigation and bring the suspects to trial, while taking effective measures to ensure the safety and property of Chinese travelers and students living in Germany.

Zhou made the call during a meeting with Tamara Zieschang, interior department representative of Saxony-Anhalt, who sent her condolences to the victim and promised to work closely with local prosecutors to conduct an impartial investigation into the case.

The victim has been identified as Li Yangjie, a Chinese student who was studying Architecture at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in the eastern German region of Dessau.

Li failed to return after jogging on the evening of May 11. Her body was found two days later in bushes.

According to an autopsy, the 25-year-old Chinese woman had died of serious injuries to the head and face.

German investigators later arrested a couple in connection with the death. Prosecutors accused them of a sexual offence followed by murder.

But in a twist, investigators excused themselves from the case, claiming a conflict of interest, as one of the suspects is said to have close ties with local police.

As a result, authorities from another German city are being brought in to handle the investigation.

The Chinese Embassy in Germany has issued an emergency safety notice to remind Chinese students studying in Germany to pay close attention to safety.
By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday rejected a barrage of criticism from his own party over his allegations of bias against a Hispanic judge, insisting his concerns were valid. "All I want to do is figure out why I'm being treated unfairly by a judge. And a lot of people agree with it," Trump said on Fox News. Trump has been on the defensive since his comments last week about Mexican-American U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing fraud lawsuits against Trump University, the New York businessman's defunct real estate school. Trump told campaign supporters in a conference call they should stand by him in his attacks on the judge, Bloomberg Politics reported. It said during the call Trump distanced himself from a memo his campaign sent supporters on Sunday that urged them to avoid the issue. Asked for comment, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: "It was a very positive call to discuss overall messaging." Trump has suggested that Curiel's heritage is influencing the judge's opinion about the case because of Trump's campaign rhetoric about illegal immigration. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election, has pledged to seal the U.S.-Mexico border with a wall, and has said Mexico is sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States. Former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, joined the chorus of criticism. In an interview with Orlando's WFTV, Rubio called Trump's comments wrong and said he had to stop. "I ran for president and I warned this was going to happen," Rubio said. Trump has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail and has frequently dismayed Republican establishment leaders. His view of an ethnically biased judiciary has drawn a fresh wave of criticism, including concern in his own party. On Sunday he was asked if - by the same token - he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. "It's possible. Yes," Trump said on CBS' "Face the Nation." Republican leaders including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have distanced themselves from Trump's comments, saying they are worried the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc. 'BIG TROUBLE' "If this doesn't change we're in for big trouble," Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said on MSNBC on Monday. "I hope to be able to support the nominee. I certainly can't now," said Flake, whose state has a large percentage of Hispanics. A former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich, called on Trump to apologize to Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents. "Attacking judges based on their race (and/or) religion is another tactic that divides our country," Kasich wrote on Twitter. "More importantly, it is flat out wrong." It was unclear what, if any, effect the latest furor would have on Trump's unorthodox candidacy. States with significant Hispanic populations including California, New Mexico and New Jersey hold nominating contests on Tuesday. On Monday, the global internet media company BuzzFeed pulled out of a million-dollar advertising agreement with the Republican National Committee over objections to Trump's rhetoric. "The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs," BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti wrote to employees. Hillary Clinton, who is hoping to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination in Tuesday's contests, seized on the Curiel controversy to point out once again where Republicans disagreed with their standard bearer. "@realDonaldTrump's bigoted comments about a Latino judge are so disgusting, even other Republicans are offended," she said in a Twitter post. Trump fought back against his Republican critics on Monday, with especially sharp words for Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker. Gingrich, mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, on Sunday called Trump's comments inexcusable. "I was surprised at Newt," Trump told the "Fox & Friends" program. "I thought it was inappropriate what he said." (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Megan Cassella and Steve Holland in Washington, Angela Moon in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry and Howard Goller)
From Esquire

This weekend, Donald Trump has made racial remarks that would have been career ending for any other politician but, for Trump, it's business as usual.

On Friday, Donald Trump tried to prove he doesn't have a problem with race. Just look! He has one black friend! "Look at my African American over here," Trump told the gathered crowd in Redding, California on Friday, pointing at Gregory Cheadle, an African American supporter.

Trump then told the story of another African American supporter who punched a protester wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood at a rally in March. Two supporters out of 41.7 million black people in America. Surely that's evidence that Trump hasn't alienated everyone but white voters.

"Yes, it was odd, but since he went on to tell the story, it's OK," Cheadle told NBC News. "I know some are saying it was demeaning, objectifying or possessory. But that's not the conclusion I came to."

Trump continued his weekend of race gaffes by pointing out in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper that it's not his fault that the Trump University case hasn't been resolved yet. It's the judge, who is of Mexican heritage, who is biased against Trump because he wants to build a wall at the Mexican border. Any other judge would have dismissed the case by now, he claimed.

Jake Tapper pointed out that Hillary Clinton called his remarks about the judge a "racist attack." Trump avoided directly answering the question, prompting Tapper to folllow-up an astounding 23 times. But still, Trump survived by weaving a confusing web of accusations about Hillary, the "Mexican" judge (who, actually, is an American, born in Indiana), and the plaintiffs in the case who, he said, were satisfied customers.

Next up on Trump's campaign of gaffes that are not gaffes because he's Donald Trump: Muslims. On Face the Nation Sunday, when asked if a Muslim judge would treat him unfairly, Tump responded: "It's possible, yes."

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But that's not his fault! It's that the Mexicans and the Muslims who are biased against him when he is just speaking the truth by calling them rapists and proposing a ban on Muslims entering America.

Is this real life?
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Redding, Calif., on Friday. (Photo: Stephen Lam/Reuters)

Donald Trumps refusal to back down from his attack on a U.S. judge is drawing fire from all sides as the presumptive Republican nominee looks to unify the party ahead of the GOP convention.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Monday that Trump should apologize for insisting that U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, an American citizen who was born in Indiana, should not be allowed to preside over a lawsuit involving Trump University because hes the son of Mexican immigrants.

Attacking judges based on their race [and/or] religion is another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong, Kasich, Trumps former GOP primary rival, tweeted.

Attacking judges based on their race &/or religion is another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong.(1of2)  John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 6, 2016

.@RealDonaldTrump should apologize to Judge Curiel & try to unite this country. #TwoPaths (2of2)  John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 6, 2016

Trump should apologize to Judge Curiel [and] try to unite this country, Kasich added.

The Hillary Clinton campaign released an ad on Monday highlighting the Republican backlash after Trump brought up Curiels heritage. The Web video opens with a clip from Trumps interview with CNNs Jake Tapper on Friday, when he was repeatedly asked if his comments about the judge were racist.

.@realdonaldtrump's bigoted comments about a Latino judge are so disgusting, even other Republicans are offended.https://t.co/3CEBq2jsDh  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 6, 2016

Trump wouldnt back down and insisted that the judge should recuse himself.

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Im building a wall, Trump said in the interview, which aired in full Sunday. Hes a Mexican.

A wide range of the Republican establishment has since condemned Trumps argument about Curiels supposed conflict of interest.

I completely disagree with the thinking behind that, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday, a day after formally endorsing Trumps candidacy.

I couldnt disagree more with a statement like that, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Erick Erickson, a popular conservative talk radio host and Trump critic, slammed the media for not more bluntly describing Trumps Curiel attack line as racist.

This was racism plain and simple, Erickson wrote in a Saturday blog post. The Party of Lincoln intends to circle the wagons around a racist. Damn them for that.

On Fox News Sunday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a prominent Trump supporter, called Trumps comments inexcusable.

I think this is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made, Gingrich said. That judge is not a Mexican. Hes an American.

On Monday, Trump said he was caught off guard by Gingrichs criticism.

I was surprised at Newt, Trump said on Fox & Friends. I thought it was inappropriate what he said.

Meanwhile, on MSNBCs Morning Joe Monday, a panel  including the Rev. Al Sharpton  was asked if the comments were racist.

Its completely racist, co-host Joe Scarborough said. Here you have a guy that is from Indiana  from Indiana. I think his family, if Im not mistaken, had been in the country longer than Trumps grandmother.

This is the guy the Republican Party says should be in charge of the government of the United States and the armed services, to appoint judges, Supreme Court judges, Sharpton said.  While the Mexican judge, who is not Mexican, hes Indianan.

Hes a Hoosier, for Gods sake! Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, interjected. Hes a Hoosier!

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales argued that Trump has a right to ask if Judge Gonzalo Curiel is fair.

As a private citizen, Trump has a right to his opinions, regardless of whether others agree with them, or whether others consider them wise, foolish or even dangerous, Gonzales wrote. Trump, of course, is more than a private citizen; as the likely nominee for president of a major political party, he speaks with a voice that carries much weight and, if successful in November, will influence millions of people.

Because of this, some commentators have condemned Trumps suggestion that Curiel step down from the case, he continued. These voices have, quite rightly, emphasized the importance of upholding our independent judiciary from baseless attacks by high-level persons from other branches of government. An independent judiciary is extremely important. But that value is not the only one in play here. Equally important, if not more important from my perspective as a former judge and U.S. attorney general, is a litigants right to a fair trial.

In a subsequent interview with CNN, Gonzales said he didnt pen the op-ed in support of Trumps comments.

I didnt write what I wrote in support of the notion that the judge should be recused solely on his race, he said. I wrote to say that Donald Trump, like every litigant in the United States, has the right to a fair trial before an impartial judge, and if there are any questions relating to that impartiality, even the appearance of impropriety is enough to cause a judge to recuse himself, then there should be a recusal, because this is not about the judge. This is about a litigate getting a fair trial before an impartial judge, and thats the reason that I wrote the piece.

Rep. Filemon Vela, a Democratic congressman from Texas, was slightly less sympathetic.

Mr. Trump, youre a racist, Vela wrote in an open letter to the presumptive Republican nominee, and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass.
Lillah McCarthy, a 12-year veteran of TNT and TBS, has joined Allison Shearmur Productions as head of its television operations under the companys first-look deal with Lionsgate Television.

Allison Shearmur Prods, in association with Lionsgate Television, is executive producing the three-hour ABC event musical Dirty Dancing, an adaptation of the 1987 hit romantic drama.

McCarthy most recently served as SVP Original Programming for TNT until departing in August, several months after the network and TBS programming teams were reorganized by Kevin Reilly, with Sarah Aubrey and Brett Weitz at the helm of TNT and TBS, respectively. During her tenure at TNT and TBS, McCarthy developed such series as TNTs The Closer, Falling Skies, Leverage Rizzoli & Isles, and The Last Ship. Her scripted and unscripted development for TBS included comedy My Boys, sitcoms Men at Work and Sullivan & Son and reality series King of the Nerds and Deal With It.

Lillah is one of the most successful development and programming executives in our industry, said Shearmur. She has great taste, experience and a phenomenal touch with the material she champions, and she is respected and admired by talent, programming executives, agents and writers. I have known Lillah for many years and am thrilled and excited to partner with her as we expand our footprint in television.

Prior to her years at TBS and TNT, McCarthy was the executive producer of the CBS series Early Edition. Before producing, McCarthy held executive positions at two networks: ABC, as a current executive, and at Fox, as SVP Series Programming.

On the feature film side, Shearmur is producing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and executive producing Power Rangers, Lionsgates adaptation of the long-running television franchise. She also is producing the forthcoming thriller Nerve, starring Dave Franco and Emma Roberts.

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Lionsgate TV Developing Series About The Creation Of Twitter

ABC Present-Day Drama Project Set In America That Lost Revolutionary War
A U.S. photojournalist for National Public Radio (NPR) and an Afghan journalist were killed Sunday on assignment in southern Afghanistan.

A statement said David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna were part of an NPR crew traveling with an Afghan army unit near to Marjah, Helmand province, when their convoy came under fire.

Their vehicle was struck by shellfire, the statement says. Gilkey was traveling on assignment with Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva. They are unharmed.

Gilkey covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, and worked on NPRs Peabody Award-winning coverage of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, it adds.

Freelance journalist Tamanna worked regularly for NPR, as well as Chinas Xinhua news agency and Turkeys Anadolu News Agency, the Associated Press reports.

In a tribute to Gilkey, NPRs senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, says the photographer, was devoted to helping the public see these wars and the people caught up in them.

He died pursuing that commitment, Oreskes adds in the statement. As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes.
By Joseph Ax

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday heard nearly two hours of argument on whether to release publicly a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the "Bridgegate" criminal case involving allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The three-judge panel at the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia did not immediately rule, and a rapid-fire volley of skeptical questions aimed at lawyers for both sides made it difficult to predict how the court was leaning.

A lawyer representing an individual on the list, identified only as "John Doe," urged the court to throw out a lower judge's decision to release the information sought by a group of media companies.

"It's not about what they would like to know," said Doe's attorney, Jenny Parker. "It's about what they are legally entitled to know."

But Bruce Rosen, a lawyer for the media, argued the public's right to know was paramount.

"This is an extremely important issue that goes to how deeply this conspiracy went into the government," he said.

The list could shed light on the extent of the scheme to shut down access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in 2013 in what prosecutors claim was an act of political revenge against a local mayor.

Christie, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination this year, has denied any knowledge of the plot, but the scandal has remained a source of embarrassment.

The list includes individuals that prosecutors believe were part of the conspiracy but are not facing criminal charges. Prosecutors have given defense lawyers the information as part of pretrial proceedings.

Monday's argument largely focused on a technical issue: whether the list was a "bill of particulars," a document that can be subject to public release, or an informal discovery letter that would normally stay sealed.

Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, argued in support of Doe's position, saying prosecutors should be allowed to hand over such information to defendants without fear it will be revealed.

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As an alternative, the court is considering whether to release all the names but that of John Doe, an option both Doe and the government oppose.

Three people have been charged in the case. William Baroni, a former official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, are scheduled to face trial in September.

David Wildstein, also a former official at the Port Authority, has pleaded guilty and is cooperating.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Tom Brown and David Gregorio)
ABOARD USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (Reuters) - U.S. Navy fighter jets flying from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea bombed 16 new Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday. Now in their fourth day, the strikes from the Mediterranean have opened a new front in the U.S. air campaign against the militant group. "We're getting the job done," Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder, commander of the USS Harry S. Truman strike group, told reporters on the ship as the strikes were being conducted. He said carrier-based F/A-18 fighter jets had released 10 to 20 naval munitions on targets in Iraq and Syria since Friday, when the Truman moved to the Mediterranean from the Persian Gulf to resume bombing militant targets in both countries. Navy officials gave no details about what targets were hit and destroyed, but said they were largely the same as in previous strikes from the Gulf, with a focus on destroying and eroding Islamic State's financial base. Shifting the Truman to the Mediterranean was intended to demonstrate that the U.S. Navy is ready to respond to threats and hit targets from anywhere in the world, Batchelder said. If needed, the ship's 72 fighter jets and other aircraft also could be used to hit targets in Libya, where Islamic State militants are making big inroads, but that is not why the ship was redeployed to the Mediterranean, Batchelder said. Batchelder said the fight against Islamic State is starting to bear fruit, with estimates showing the U.S. military and coalition partners in 64 countries have retaken about 45 percent of the land formerly controlled by the militant group. Islamic State's oil and gas revenues have fallen to $250 million, he said. In February, State Department spokesman John Kirby used the same estimate to describe the decline in the group's oil income since last summer, before the U.S. began targeting its oilfields and supply routes in Syria. Batchelder said the Truman also would participate in several military exercises with allies in the Mediterranean before returning to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia in mid-July. Those exercises would include an air defense exercise with the French military, and a simpler exercise with Morocco. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Richard Chang)
By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A West Virginia man on Monday pleaded guilty to making a hoax threat to blow up the Statue of Liberty last year, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of tourists from Liberty Island in New York harbor.

Jason Paul Smith, 42, admitted to one count of conveying false and misleading information and hoaxes before U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in Manhattan. The defendant said he was currently in mental health treatment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zhou said the government agreed under a plea deal to recommend a sentence of three years' supervised release, though the judge is not bound by that recommendation.

Smith faces a maximum five-year prison term at his scheduled Sept. 6 sentencing. Jennifer Willis, a federal public defender representing Smith, said after the hearing that her client was satisfied with the deal.

The defendant, from Harts, West Virginia, was accused of making the hoax threat in an April 2015 call in which he identified himself as an "ISI terrorist" named Abdul Yasin, and said "we" were planning to "blow up" the Statute of Liberty.

More than 3,200 people were evacuated from Liberty Island after officials learned of a bomb scare at around 11 a.m. Officials sounded an all-clear about four hours later.

Authorities suspect a fugitive named Abdul Rahman Yasin of involvement in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

Smith made the threat by placing a call from his iPad to New York City's emergency 911 system, using a service for the hearing-impaired, authorities said.

He has attended a school for the deaf and blind, authorities said, citing his Facebook page, and he used a sign language interpreter in court on Monday.

Authorities said the iPad registered in Smith's name was also used to make two 911 calls in May 2015, when a user identified as "isis allah Bomb maker" threatened to attack Times Square and kill police officers at the Brooklyn Bridge.

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The defendant was arrested in Texas in August and released on bail the following month, according to court records.

ISIS is short for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a group also known as the Islamic State and ISIL.

The case is USA v. Smith, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-cr-00128.
(Global Times) 11:06, June 06, 2016

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Overseas industrial zones are nothing new. As early as the 1990s, China's pioneer enterprises built industrial zones in Egypt and Cuba. In 2007, the Ministry of Commerceof China called for bids for industrial parks across the globe. In the end, 19 were chosen in countries like Ethiopia, Cambodia and Nigeria. At the time, the expansion of Chinese enterprises was at its initial stage, so development in industrial zones was slow and on a smaller scale.

Since China launched the "Belt and Road" initiative and the State Council issued guiding opinions on promoting international cooperation on industrial development, the Chinese government has placed enormous importance on the construction of overseas industrial zones.

Industrial zones have become a tool that enterprises utilize to expand to foreign countries as part of the national initiative to encourage overseas expansion. Many Chinese companies that specialize in manufacturing are operating in development zones or special economic zones where they enjoy favorable conditions and are familiar with the production patterns involved.

At the global level, industrial zones are not exclusive to China. Since the 1950s, Ireland, Singapore and other countries have set up modern industrial zones for companies. African countries also had similar projects since the 1970s. But it is China that has made the most successful model in this regard.

During China's reform and opening-up, special economic zones, development zones and hundreds of industrial zones served as the driving force. After seeing China's achievements in economic zones, countries in Africa and Southeast Asia followed suit.

Industrial zones have already been set up in Botswana and South Africa. Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania also made similar attempts. Industrial parks, despite their small-scale investment, can quickly gather resources and provide a favorable platform for the production of foreign firms. As industrialization advances, industrial parks can collect resources from both upstream and downstream on the industrial chain.

These industrial zones can also become the main driving force of urbanization. Mega cities such as Shanghai (Pudong) and Shenzhen were developed from industrial parks which later evolved into modern metropolises.

From initial development to industrialization and modernization, the pattern of industrial parks holds huge potential. But investment in industrial parks in Africa is at a very initial stage. This is a slow investment process with huge output and delayed returns, given the continent's weak industrial base.

Coordination among Chinese developers, enterprises and African governments poses another challenge. Industrial parks are long-term investment projects. Issues such as land property rights, leasing rights, what industries the parks plan to develop and future objectives require careful research.

The author is a professor of Tsinghua University and deputy director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. The article is an excerpt of his speech at the Jiangsu-Southern African Development Community Forum of Investment and Development recently held in Nanjing. [email protected]
The U.S. Navy on Monday announced it is temporarily banning sailors stationed in Japan from drinking alcohol on or off base following the arrest of one of its sailors who was allegedly drunk driving when she caused a car crash that injured two people.

The commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Japan said a recent trend of alcohol-related incidents were detrimental to the alliance between the U.S. and Japan. These measures are not taken lightly, Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, commander of U.S. naval forces in Japan, said in a statement.

For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan, Carter added. It is imperative that each Sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship, and the U.S.-Japan Alliance as a whole.

The ban is effective immediately and will be in place until further notice from top officials. It also includes restrictions on off-base libertyor time off from the daily work routine until face-to-face trainings with unit leaders are conducted.

On Sunday, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, 21, was arrested after driving the wrong way on a freeway on the southern island of Okinawa and crashing into two vehicles, police spokesman Takashi Shirado told the Associated Press.

There are 18,600 U.S. sailors stationed in Japan, according to Reuters.
TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy slapped a drinking ban on sailors stationed in Japan on Monday and halted off base liberty after police arrested a U.S. sailor on the southern island of Okinawa on suspicion of drunk driving following a car crash that injured two people. "For decades we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship and the U.S. Japan alliance as a whole," Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, commander of U.S. naval forces in Japan said in a press release on Monday. The United States has 18,600 sailors stationed in Japan. The latest incident came as the U.S. military observes a 30-day mourning period at bases on Okinawa after an American civilian working for the U.S. military there was arrested on suspicion of dumping the body of a 20-year-old Japanese woman. Renewed anger among residents in Okinawa at the U.S. military presence threatens a plan to relocate the U.S. Marines' Futenma air base to a less populous part of Okinawa, which was agreed in 1995 after the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by U.S. military personnel sparked huge anti-base demonstrations. Okinawa's governor and many residents want the marines off the island. All U.S. Navy sailors in Japan will be kept on base and banned from drinking until "all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior on the U.S.-Japan alliance," the press release said. "Sailors living off base will be allowed to travel to and from base and conduct only "essential activities." The restrictions do not apply to family members and civilian U.S. contractors, which brings the total number of people to 35,000, but they are being encouraged to observe the rules "in a spirit of solidarity," a spokesman for the U.S. Navy said. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
By Suzanne Barlyn (Reuters) - The potential for abuse is growing in financial industries such as online lending, where technology is replacing traditional safeguards, the top lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice's criminal unit said. In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Leslie Caldwell, the assistant attorney general who leads the unit, said the Justice Department "has an eye on" the online lending industry. Her concern: the loans are backed by investors, not deposits and other "infrastructure" that is common among more traditional lenders, Caldwell said. The online finance, or "peer-to-peer" lending industry, has boomed in recent years, promoting alternative sources of funding for consumers and small businesses. Technology has made it easy for companies such as LendingClub Corp, Prosper Marketplace Inc and On Deck Capital Inc, to set up marketplaces that pair borrowers with investors willing to lend money. "There are a lot more of these peer-to-peer lenders, kind of mom and pop lenders," Caldwell said. "It's hard to say what those loans are worth and hard to predict the performance of those loans." What's more, many online lenders then package and sell the loans, as residential mortgage-backed securities were sold in the run-up to the 2007-2009 financial crisis, Caldwell said. The U.S. housing market plummeted as high-risk borrowers defaulted on those loans, beginning a downward spiral that would trigger a global liquidity crisis. Caldwell said that online lending is a "sliver" of overall lending markets and that there is "nothing wrong" with the industry. "I'm not saying ... that we've uncovered a massive fraud, but just that there's a potential for things to go awry, like when underperforming loans were being sold in residential mortgage-backed securities," Caldwell said. The market for online lending is a fraction of the market for mortgage-backed securities before the financial crisis. The U.S. Treasury estimates that loan origination by online lenders could reach $90 billion by 2020. Wall Street banks sold $854.6 billion worth of U.S. residential mortgage backed securities at the peak of issuance in 2006, according to Thomson Reuters data. Caldwell's remarks come as the Justice Department is investigating LendingClub about events leading up to the company's ouster of its founder and chief executive, Renaud Laplanche, after an internal probe found the company had falsified documentation when selling a package of loans. Last week, New York state's financial regulator launched an inquiry into online lenders' business dealings in the state. Virtual currency is another technology-driven financial industry the Justice Department is following, Caldwell said. "We see virtual currency as another example of something that there's inherently nothing wrong with, but there's a lot of potential for abuses," she said. CULTURE AND CONSEQUENCES U.S. and foreign banks, meanwhile, have significantly boosted their regulatory compliance resources in the wake of the financial crisis, in part, to avoid the public relations inferno that follows when abuses come to light, Caldwell said. While top executives understand the importance of cultural change, it "still has a way to go" among lower-ranking employees, where a major focus on compensation incentives continues to drive behavior, Caldwell said. Companies facing enforcement cases typically try to rouse sympathy from the Justice Department through presentations about the "collateral damage" such an action could spur, such as employees losing their jobs and harm to customers. Caldwell's critics have pointed to those very types of outcomes in the 2002 collapse of Arthur Andersen, which followed a conviction in a prosecution that Caldwell oversaw as head the Justice Department's Enron Task Force from 2002 to 2004. Arthur Andersen was accused of destroying documents tied to its work as the auditor of energy company Enron Corp, which collapsed in 2001. Its conviction was later overturned. Caldwell has said that Andersen was charged only after turning down a deferred prosecution agreement. The Justice Department takes concerns about collateral consequences "very seriously," said Caldwell, who returned to the Justice Department in 2014 after more than ten years in private practice. "Our goal is not to put companies out of business but to stop bad behavior and punish bad criminal behavior," Caldwell said. But some companies go too far, she said. One bank, several years ago, created a mock newspaper article describing "all the horrible things" that would supposedly happen if the Justice Department fined the company, Caldwell said. The perceived consequences included the company's bankruptcy and the economic collapse of a country. "Things like that are not particularly persuasive," Caldwell said. BY THE NUMBERS Some things, such as accounting fraud, never change, Caldwell said. The Justice Department is reviewing a "fair number" of cases that involve a tactic known as "smoothing earnings," in which companies jigger their accounting to level fluctuations in income from one period to another. The maneuver can spark more interest in a company's stock from investors, who are often willing to pay more for shares in a company whose income is not erratic. "There are always companies that are looking to make their numbers this quarter and they're willing to cannibalize next quarter and there's always a bit of a slippery slope when you go down that path," Caldwell said. (Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a $96 million international arbitration award issued in 2011 in favor of energy company Chevron Corp (CVX.N) in a dispute over the development of oil fields in Ecuador.

The justices declined to hear the South American country's challenge to an August 2015 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholding the award in Chevrons favor issued by The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands.

With interest, the arbitration award stands at approximately $106 million, Chevron said. Chevron spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said in a statement the company was pleased that the Supreme Court rejected the appeal and that Ecuador "will be held accountable."

The dispute stems from a 1973 deal that called for Texaco Petroleum Co, later acquired by Chevron, to develop oil fields in exchange for selling oil to Ecuador's government at below-market rates. Texaco filed several lawsuits in the 1990s accusing Ecuador of violating the contract.

Chevron initiated an arbitration proceeding at The Hague in 2006, claiming Ecuador's courts failed to resolve the lawsuits in a timely manner, violating a treaty between Ecuador and the United States. A panel awarded Chevron $96 million plus interest, which was subsequently upheld by the Dutch court system.

Chevron then filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, seeking a judgment confirming the panel's decision in order to collect the award. After a federal judge affirmed the award in 2013, Ecuador appealed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Ecuador said the arbitration tribunal has no jurisdiction in the case because the bilateral trade agreement took effect five years after Texaco ended operations in Ecuador in 1992.

The case is not part of a separate legal battle brought by a group of Ecuadorean villagers who claim Texaco caused billions of dollars in pollution damage when it began exploring oil deposits in the 1960s.

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Chevron continues to fight claims from the villagers, who have filed lawsuits in Canada, Brazil and Argentina seeking to enforce a $9 billion judgment rendered in Ecuador against Chevron.

In 2014, a U.S. judge in New York issued a scathing ruling finding that the villagers' American lawyer, Steven Donziger, committed fraud in securing that judgment. Donziger, who denies any wrongdoing, has appealed.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear GlaxoSmithKline Plc's bid to throw out lawsuits by union health and welfare funds that said the company's misrepresentation of heart-related risks of its diabetes medication Avandia caused them to pay too much for the drug for insured patients. The court left in place an October 2015 ruling by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against London-based GlaxoSmithKline that allowed the class action lawsuits to proceed. The suits were filed by three labor union funds that provide medical coverage, including the cost of prescription medications, to union members and their families. In lawsuits filed between 2007 and 2010, Allied Services Division Welfare Fund, UFCW Local 1776 and Participating Employers Health and Welfare Fund, and United Benefit Fund allege that GSK violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, by fraudulently concealing the risk of cardiovascular injury. The RICO law is used to target illegal conspiracies including organized crime. Avandia was introduced in the United States in 1999, but the Food and Drug Administration required new warning labels in 2007 and sharply restricted its use between 2010 and 2013 after studies linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack. GSK has since settled claims by 46 U.S. states and thousands of users, without admitting any wrongdoing. The health and welfare benefit funds, known as "third-party payors" or TPPs, contend they were tricked into paying for more Avandia prescriptions, and at a higher rate, than they would have done had they known the health risks posed by the drug. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Barbara Grzincic; Editing by Will Dunham)
(Reuters) - A group of UK-based public sector pension funds urged its members to vote against WPP Plc's remuneration report at the advertising company's annual meeting, citing excessive pay offered to Chief Executive Martin Sorrell. Sorrell's pay has come under scrutiny, with some shareholder advisory groups asking investors to reject his compensation at the company's annual general meeting on June 8. Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) said Sorrell's pay rose by 56 pct over the past five years to 70.4 million pounds ($101.4 million), which is twice the year-on-year average increase in the company's total shareholder return over the same period. Sorrell's total variable pay is more than 58 times his 1.15 million-pound salary, the group said, adding that he was among the top 10 highly paid CEOs of the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> companies. LAPFF represents 70 pension funds. "Martin Sorrell's remuneration is derived from the formulaic application of long-term co-investment scheme approved by an 83 percent vote in favour by shareholders in 2009," a WPP spokesman told Reuters. The company does not comment on individual shareholder advisory bodies' recommendations, he said. Campaign group ShareAction also disapproved Sorrell's pay on Monday, while PIRC, an advisory firm and LAPFF's research partner, asked WPP shareholders last week to oppose it. However, proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) asked shareholders last month to vote in favour of the remuneration report. A number of big British companies are facing opposition from shareholders to executive pay packages this year in a resurgence of investor activism against excessive boardroom salaries. In April, BP shareholders voted against Chief Executive Bob Dudley's $20 million pay deal for 2015 after the company made a record annual loss. WPP's stock was up 0.44 percent at 1588 pence at 1326 GMT (1426 BT) on Monday on the London Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Parikshit Mishra, Rahul B and Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
London (AFP) - British trade unions representing six million workers on Monday urged their members to vote to stay in the European Union, warning that a Brexit would threaten workers' rights.

The general secretaries of Unite, Unison and the GMB were among 10 union leaders who wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper claiming that parental leave and holiday rights would be under threat without EU protection.

"Maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full-time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave -- continue to underpin and protect working rights for British people," read the letter.

"If Britain leaves the EU, we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat. The Tories would negotiate our exit and, we believe, would negotiate away our rights," it said.

Len McCluskey, boss of Unite -- Britain's biggest union -- has not always been a vocal supporter of the EU, and threatened to call for a vote to leave if Prime Minister David Cameron diluted worker rights when renegotiating Britain's EU membership.

Cameron is set to join left-wing adversaries including former Labour interim leader Harriet Harman and Green Party leader Natalie Bennett later Monday to push for a remain vote in the June 23 referendum.

Recent polls have shown the "Leave" camp closing the gap, but bookmakers still believe that the "Remain" camp is strong favourite.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations on Monday backtracked on its plan to move ahead with airdrops of humanitarian aid to Syria, saying it was focusing for now on securing access for land convoys.

UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council last week that a formal request for Syrian permission to begin airdrops and air bridges would be delivered to Damascus on Sunday.

But no such request was made, with UN officials instead presenting a letter seeking Syrian approval for ground convoys to deliver food and medicine to 34 areas including 17 besieged towns.

"Our main focus is on land delivery, given the challenges in terms of safety and logistics of air deliveries," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"If at some point, we decide that the land access will not be granted, we will look more at the airdrop option."

Syria last week agreed to grant access for the month of June to 23 of the 34 areas on the UN list for delivery, including 12 besieged towns, but the United Nations said this was insufficient.

It gave Syria until June 10 to respond to the request for land access, said Linda Tom, a spokeswoman for the UN office of humanitarian affairs in Damascus.

If no overland approvals are granted by then, "the UN will request approval for access by air wherever this is feasible to reach people in need, as a measure of last resort," she added.

At least 592,000 people live under siege in Syria -- the majority surrounded by regime forces -- and another four million live in hard-to-reach areas, according to the United Nations.

World powers decided last month that if aid continued to be blocked, the United Nations would begin airdrops on June 1, although such an operation would have required Syrian approval and presented high risks.

Russia, Syria's ally, said it was prepared to support the request, but stressed that delivery by land was the most effective and safest way to reach those in need.

The United Nations has said that helicopters would have to be used for air bridges to 15 besieged areas because they are densely populated.

"The amount of supplies you can do in one cargo plane is the equivalent of one truck, so obviously we would rather, even if we have to wait a few days, go through the land routes than take the risks of the airdrops," said Dujarric.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations has removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a blacklist of child rights violators after Riyadh angrily protested the decision.

Saudi Arabia had demanded that a UN report be "corrected" after it concluded that the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children killed in Yemen last year.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to a Saudi proposal to review the facts and cases cited in the report jointly with the coalition, his spokesman Stephan Dujarric said.

"Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the secretary-general removes the listing of the coalition in the report's annex," he added.

Saudi Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi told reporters that the coalition felt "vindicated," declaring that the removal of the coalition from the list was "final and unconditional."

The ambassador had earlier said he was "deeply disappointed" by the report, describing the number of child deaths blamed on the coalition as "wildly exaggerated."

Mouallimi met with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson at UN headquarters to discuss the listing.

The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many parts of the country.

The war has left some 6,400 people dead, with more than 80 percent of the population in desperate need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

The report was released Thursday as the United Nations sought progress in talks held in Kuwait to try to end the war.

Mouallimi had warned that adding the coalition to the UN blacklist would be "counterproductive for the purposes of the peace negotiations on Yemen."

The ambassador acknowledged that "there were some collateral damages from time to time" but that the coalition had played a "positive role" in restoring Yemen's legitimate government and providing humanitarian aid.

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Dujarric earlier defended the report, saying some adjustments would be made even though the list would remain intact.

But just a few hours later, the spokesman issued a statement announcing that the coalition would be removed from the list pending the review.

Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the heavy civilian toll from the Saudi-led campaign.

Human Rights Watch charged that Ban had capitulated to Saudi pressure, noting that the United Nations itself had extensively documented the coalition's airstrikes on schools and hospitals in Yemen.

"As this list gives way to political manipulation, it loses its credibility and taints the secretary-general's legacy on human rights," Human Rights Watch deputy director Philippe Bolopion said.
Xinjiang's Party chief delivers greetings to Muslims for Ramadan

URUMQI, June 5 -- Muslims in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will welcome the holy month of Ramadan in the coming days.

Zhang Chunxian, secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Shohrat Zakir, chairman of Xinjiang regional government, visited teachers and students at Xinjiang Islamic Institute on Sunday.

Zhang extended greetings to Muslims of different ethnic groups at the event.

Ramadan is a holy, auspicious month for Muslims during which they can reflect and spend time with their family and friends, Zhang said.

Zhang hoped that people would take the time to remember their social responsibilities, help the less fortunate to uphold righteousness and tolerance and support harmony in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, Zhang also hoped all the religious people to become model of integrity and fight against extremism.

Ramadan is a season of fasting and spiritual reflection, during which Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise to dusk. It is widely observed by Xinjiang's ethnic minorities including Hui, Uygur, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz.

Xinjiang Islamic Institute has a history of nearly 30 years. The language of instruction at the institute is Uygur.
A diver dressed as Santa Claus feeds fish during Christmas festivities at Underwater World Singapore. (Photo: Reuters)



Tourist attraction Underwater World Singapore (UWS) will cease operations on 26 June, its operator Haw Par said in a statement on Monday (6 June).

The pink dolphins, fur seals and otters have already been moved to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom (COK), an oceanarium in Zhuhai, China.

Haw Par said UWS lease in Sentosa is due to expire in less than two years. As such, it made finding suitable homes early for our animals is a priority, especially for endangered species like the pink dolphins.

It said it made the choice of the Chinese site after nearly a year of reviewing facilities, adding that COK had one of the finest facilities in the world and a strong staff with expertise in marine mammal veterinary and husbandry care, as well as an active breeding and conservation programme.

The transfer was approved by the authorities in Singapore and China and the animals were relocated last week, Haw Par said.

In 2014, the otters and the pink dolphins were at the centre of a 30-page report critical of the animals welfare.

Written by the Wildlife Watchers (Singapore) in collaboration with the Sea Shepard Conservation Soceity (SCSS), the report raised concerns over the conditions and health of the animals. Pictures from the report showed a dolphin with a visible infection and a wound on her bottom jaw.

UWS responded saying that the dolphin mentioned in the report had been diagnosed with a form of non-contagious skin cancer, but that its trainers had minimised the animals appearance at the main pool.
By Jeffrey Dastin

June 6 (Reuters) - United Continental Holdings Inc and its flight attendants have agreed to extend mediated contract talks this month after scheduled discussions ended last week without a deal for unified work rules and benefits, they said on Monday.

U.S. federal mediators directed the parties to resolve contract language issues next week ahead of a new final mediation session during the week of June 20, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in an online notice. United said in a separate online bulletin that it was "committed to bringing this negotiation to a successful close."

Flight attendants from United and Continental Airlines, which merged in 2010, still staff separate flights and operate under different work rules. Furloughs by the merged company's previous management strained labor relations, and the parties entered federal mediation in November 2015.

A single contract for all flight attendants would mark an achievement for new Chief Executive Oscar Munoz. His appointment in September led to a "marked improvement" at the negotiating table, the union said. He has stressed that employees are integral to improving customer satisfaction scores that have lagged those of its peers.

The union has called on members to picket United's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday in Chicago, the latest monthly protest to draw attention to their contract.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)
From Town & Country

Several years ago, I came across a photograph of young Ernest Hemingway sitting at a cafe table with a group of people, including one beguiling, fashionable lady. There was something about the way she gazed at the camera; she managed to be both demure and coquettish. I soon learned that her name was Lady Duff Twysden, and that she had been the real-life inspiration for Lady Brett Ashley, Hemingway's iconic femme fatale in his debut novel, The Sun Also Rises.

I was astonished at first; I have long been a Lost Generation obsessive, but I hadn't realized that Brett was drawn from real life, and I wanted to learn more about her. I started looking for a compelling account of the full, real-life story behind The Sun Also Rises, and found nothing. I decided to write that book myself-Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises-and spent many subsequent months in Lady Duff's company.

She was a tricky person to reconstruct. When she died, she left no known diaries, few surviving letters, no self-aggrandizing memoir-which was rather unusual within her coterie of publicity-seeking expats. Anyone and everyone who ever had a Hemingway connection seems to have turned it into a book at one point or another. Very few photos exist of Duff; I've only seen three from the 1920s, when she was allegedly at the peak of her allure.

Much of what is known about Duff has been pieced together through the testimonies and writings of her contemporaries. When Hemingway met her in 1925, she was in her mid-thirties. A Brit, she had acquired her title by marriage, but was soon to lose it: she had come to Paris to weather a nasty divorce. Her aristocratic husband had remained back in the U.K. Though a notoriously hard drinker, she handled her liquor admirably for such a stylishly lithe creature.

"We were all in love with her," recalled writer Donald Ogden Stewart. "It was hard not to be. She played her cards so well."

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Everywhere Lady Duff went, a flock of men sat at her feet, "listening to her every word, loving her looks and her wit and her artistic sensitivity," as one former expat put it. "We were all in love with her," recalled writer Donald Ogden Stewart. "It was hard not to be. She played her cards so well." She treated her many admirers with a democratic flippancy, calling each of them "darling," possibly because she couldn't remember any of their names.

A few writers in the expat colony in Paris were already eyeing her as a muse for their writings, and it was perhaps only a matter of time before someone translated her on paper as a character in a novel.

Hemingway got there first. Even though he was married to his first wife, Hadley, when he met Duff, he reportedly became "infatuated" with her, according to one of his former Paris friends. The timing of Duff's entrance into his life was auspicious: Hemingway was, at that moment, trying to stage a professional breakthrough and desperately needed material to create the all-important debut novel.

Lady Duff would soon provide the basis for the perfect anti-heroine. That summer, when Hemingway took an entourage to Pamplona, Spain, to take part in the San Fermin bullfighting festival there, Lady Duff came along, with two of her lovers in tow, no less.

As one might reasonably expect, the voyage was not a harmonious one. The outing quickly devolved into a Bacchanalian morass of sexual jealousy and gory spectacle. Hemingway nearly came to fisticuffs with one of Duff's suitors, Harold Loeb; Duff herself materialized at lunch one day with a black eye and bruised forehead, possibly earned in a late-night scrap with her other lover, Pat Guthrie. Despite the war wound and atmosphere she was creating, Twysden reportedly glowed throughout the fiesta. The drama became her.

It also became Hemingway, but in a different way. Seeing Twysden there amidst all of that decadence triggered something in him. He realized that he finally had the basis for an incendiary story. The moment he and Hadley left Pamplona to watch bullfights throughout the region, he began transcribing the entire spectacle onto paper.

Suddenly every illicit exchange, insult, and bit of unrequited longing that had happened within his entourage during the fiesta had a serious literary currency. The story became a novel-eventually titled The Sun Also Rises-which he finished in just six weeks.

In the end, The Sun Also Rises was a (barely) fictionalized account of the events that had gone down in Pamplona. Donald Stewart, who appeared in the book's pages as "Bill Gorton," was astonished that Hemingway was even passing it off as fiction: it was, in Stewart's opinion, "nothing but a report on what happened  [it was] journalism."

The first draft of the manuscript even contained the names of the real-life people up until the very last page. Lady Duff would not become Lady Brett until Hemingway revised the book. (He considered and rejected various names for her character, including "Lady Doris.") Yet little about Lady Brett Ashley was fictional: in a later-omitted introduction to the book, Hemingway laid out Lady Duff's background in excruciating detail, from her failed marriage to her drinking habits to her physicality, including her sleek, boy-short haircut, then known as an Eton crop.

When the book was released a year later, Brett Ashley became something of a lifestyle icon to girls who reveled in her dissolute glamour. "Young women of good families took a succession of lovers in the same heartbroken fashion as the heroine," recalled expat writer Malcolm Cowley.

But Lady Duff was reportedly aghast by the portrait. In the years that followed, she was said to call the novel "cruel" and added that Hemingway had played a nasty trick on her and the others. In her opinion, it was nothing more than an example of "cheap reporting." For her and the other people whose lives and misfortunes had been co-opted the book, life could now be divided into two categories: "B.S." (Before Sun.) and "A.S." (After Sun).

In the years that followed, she was said to call the novel "cruel" and added that Hemingway had played a nasty trick on her.

Readers of The Sun Also Rises likely suspect that the character Lady Brett Ashley was not destined for happiness. After all, as Hemingway wrote in Sun, she and the others belonged to a Lost Generation: without hope, beyond redemption.

Lady Duff Twysden did not fare badly, on the other hand, although she died tragically a little over a decade after Sun was released. After her divorce came through, she married Clinton King, a young Texan artist and heir to a candy fortune. This might have given Duff some security at last, but his family, displeased by their union, cut him off following their wedding. The couple stayed together anyway, and were reportedly happy. They returned to North America for a decade "A.S.", drifting from New York City to Mexico to Santa Fe.

The Kings elicited mixed reactions there "on account of their drinking and lewdness," noted Santa Fe-based poet Witter Bynner. (Duff was apparently virtuosic in the art of swearing and had a repertoire of indecent music hall songs.) That said, Bynner conceded that Duff was "witty and hearty on the uptake and a swell yelper over puns," and added that she had remained "lankly handsome." It was known in the Santa Fe community that Hemingway had based Lady Brett Ashley on Duff; her neighbors occasionally referred to her as "Brett" or even "the Duff-Brett woman."

Duff would spend her final days in the city. In 1938, while in Texas, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The Kings returned to Santa Fe, where Duff was placed in a sanatorium. "She looks as frail as a dried sea horse but maintains the gallant sparkle," Bynner reported to a friend. He predicted that the disease would keep her hospitalized for a year and might even kill her.

She died just 22 days after this prediction was made, on June 27, 1938, at the age of 46. While Lady Brett Ashley would forever live on as the model of unconventional glamour, "Mrs. Duff Stirling King" was listed as a "housewife" on her death certificate.

News of her death filtered back to Hemingway, who once again could not resist taking liberties with her life narrative. "Brett died in New Mexico," he told his friend A. E. Hotchner years later. "Call her Lady Duff Twysden, if you like, but I can only think of her as Brett."

All of "Brett's" pallbearers had been her former lovers, he went on; one of these gentlemen slipped while holding the coffin, which then crashed to the ground and cracked open. (In reality, Duff had been cremated, and no funeral was held.) When Hotchner repeated the ghoulish story in his 1966 book Papa Hemingway, it created a minor sensation and added another ignoble chapter to the already notorious fictionalized life story of Lady Duff Twysden.

Clinton King outlived Duff by more than 40 years, and when I was researching Everybody Behaves Badly, I worked hard to track down remnants from his estate. I hoped for photos of Duff, letters, paintings by her (she was a supposedly a passable artist)-anything.

After Duff's death, King had married again, this time to Chicago meat-packing heiress Narcissa Swift. Swift's niece told me that she had been jealous of Duff and likely made Clinton dispose of any memorabilia pertaining to his former wife, news that made my heart sink. It seemed I would have little luck in finding any tangible remainders from her life.

Then, one afternoon, I received an email from a Santa Fe gentleman who had been charged with handling items from Ms. Swift King's estate, which contained remnants of Clinton's papers and effects as well. Most of those materials had been sold or "liquidated" before I had contacted him. However, this fellow still had a few boxes of materials in a basement, and had kindly combed through them for me-and came across an astonishing image.

"[Here is] Lady Duff is sitting on a mule during an adventure up in Northern New Mexico, probably enjoying the services of a dude ranch," he informed me. He speculated that the photo was taken in Bandelier, a national park with over 30,000 acres of canyon and mesa country.

The image is undated, but it may be the last surviving photograph of Lady Duff Twysden, and this is the first time it has been published. It was poignant to behold her there in that desert, a world away from the raucous cafes and bals musettes of Montparnasse. Even though free at last from fleets of suitors, she still seemed to have a commanding presence-and the aloofness that intoxicated men on two continents. This seems appropriate. After all, so few people have been so effectively immortalized yet remained so mysterious at the same time.

Blume is the author of Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises, from which this article is partially adapted.
Tokyo (AFP) - The US Navy said Monday it had imposed an alcohol ban on its personnel in Japan, as the Tokyo government condemned a military drunk driving case which fuelled growing opposition to US bases on Okinawa.

The United States has come under renewed pressure to rein in bad behaviour after a base employee was arrested last month for allegedly abandoning the body of a 20-year-old Okinawan woman whom police suspect was raped and murdered.

Crimes by US personnel have long sparked protests on the crowded strategic island and have been an irritant in relations between the allies.

US President Barack Obama last month vowed measures to prevent crime by Americans and the military imposed restrictions including a curfew.

But a 21-year-old US sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, was arrested at the weekend after allegedly driving the wrong way down a street while intoxicated and injuring two people, one seriously, according to Okinawan police.

US sailors stationed in Japan are indefinitely banned from drinking, both on and off base, and will also face other restrictions, US Naval Forces Japan said in a statement.

"For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan," wrote Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, the naval commander in Japan.

"It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship, and the US-Japan alliance as a whole."

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the drunk driving case "is extremely deplorable... as it happened right after (the US) said they would make efforts to strengthen discipline", Jiji Press reported.

Top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga called it "egregious".

The latest incident is especially galling for Pentagon chief Ashton Carter, who met with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Singapore on Saturday and delivered a carefully choreographed apology for the abandoned body case.

The White House and the Pentagon said the military will work with the Japanese to prevent additional incidents.

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"The Department of Defense deeply regrets that this accident took place and our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and their families," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

The latest incident came as Okinawans voted Sunday in elections for the local legislature, showing overwhelming support for incumbent governor Takeshi Onaga who wants a key US base in a crowded city removed from the island.

But Suga shrugged off the vote's impact on a Japan-US agreement to relocate the installation to another part of Okinawa, reiterating the government's position that it is the "only solution".

Okinawans are planning a major rally later this month in protest at the bases, as well as the behaviour of US personnel.

More than half the 47,000 American troops in Japan under a decades-long security alliance are stationed on Okinawa, the site of a major World War II battle that was followed by a 27-year US occupation of the island.
Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon is not coordinating militarily with Russia in northern Syria, even though US- and Moscow-backed forces are drawing closer together as they make gains against the Islamic State group, a US official said Monday.

Syrian regime forces supported by Russian air power and a US-backed, Kurdish-led alliance are conducting separate offensives against the IS group across a broad area to the west of Raqa, the jihadists' de facto Syria capital.

"In terms of direct coordination of activities on the ground, that is not happening," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

Russian and US military officials speak regularly to ensure their warplanes are not at risk of bumping into each other over Syria, but that is the extent of communications in the war-torn country, Cook added.

"We don't see (coordination) as an issue right now. And if it becomes one, it's certainly something we'll be prepared to address," Cook said.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russian-backed government fighters are now within 24 kilometers (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the key reservoir in the Euphrates Valley contained by the Tabqa Dam, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Raqa.

At the same time, members of a Kurdish-led alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are now about 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Raqa, though their immediate focus is on another city called Manbij that is viewed as a key transit point for IS fighters.

Syria's conflict has evolved into a complex war involving foreign powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Russia entered the war in support of President Bashar al-Assad last fall.

Peace talks to end the five-year conflict -- which has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions -- have stalled and a related ceasefire is in tatters.
Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court said Monday it would hear a potentially groundbreaking death penalty case on whether Texas violates the constitution in how it determines who is mentally fit to be executed.

In hearing and ruling on the case in the US state that executes more inmates than any other, the court could inch closer to a decision on the constitutionality of the death penalty as a whole.

Bobby James Moore was sentenced to death for shooting and killing a grocery store employee during a botched robbery in 1980 in Houston, and has been behind bars ever since.

A Texas court used current medical standards to determine that Moore is intellectually disabled and thus cannot be executed under the US Constitution.

But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned that decision, using instead a decades-old definition for intellectual disability that found Moore was not, in fact, disabled.

Moore's lead attorney Clifford Sloan slammed that decision as "startling."

"Abdicating its obligation to enforce the Eighth Amendment to bar the execution of intellectually disabled prisoners, Texas's highest criminal court has decided that Texas courts must continue to apply a 1992 standard of intellectual disability unless and until the state's legislature sees fit to enact a statute," he wrote in a court petition.

"The applicable medical standards for diagnosing intellectual disability have changed since that time."

Texas has executed 537 people since 1976, nearly five times more than any other US state.

The justices will not take up a second question raised by the Moore case -- on whether executing a prisoner after decades on death row violates the Eight Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

An earlier list of Supreme Court orders had mistakenly indicated the justices would take up both questions, and was subsequently corrected.

- Racism at play? -

The high court will however take up a second Texas death penalty case, deciding whether an inmate can appeal his sentence because his own original trial attorney allowed testimony asserting that he was more likely to be violent in the future because he was black.

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A jury sentenced Duane Buck to death in 1997 for the double shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend Debra Gardner and her friend.

"Trial counsel's knowing reliance on false, inflammatory and deeply prejudicial evidence explicitly linking Mr Buck's race to his likelihood of future dangerousness is plainly extraordinary," his current team of attorneys wrote in a statement.

"The Supreme Court's decision to accept Mr Buck's appeal is an important step toward restoring public confidence in the integrity of the courts."

The court has historically been sharply divided on capital punishment cases.

It is likely to take up the Texas cases in the fall, after beginning a new term in October.

The court is likely to still be short-handed, with only eight justices instead of nine, as Republicans have vowed to block President Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late justice Antonin Scalia. Obama leaves office in January.

Last year, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer called for re-examining the constitutionality of the death penalty itself.

"Rather than try to patch up the death penalty's legal wounds one at a time, I would ask for full briefing on a more basic question: whether the death penalty violates the Constitution," he wrote in a June 2015 dissent in a lethal injection case.

- Brumfield wins reprieve -

In a third case, the high court denied Louisiana's appeal to rehear its case against death row inmate Kevan Brumfield.

The decision means Brumfield, who was convicted over the fatal shooting of an off-duty police officer, will not be executed.

In 2015, a deeply divided court had sided with Brumfeld in ruling that the US Constitution prohibits the execution of mentally disabled inmates.

The state had argued that Brumfield was not, in fact, intellectually disabled.
Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court announced Monday it would determine whether a plan by Virginia's legislature to redraw the state's voting maps dilutes the impact of African American voters in order to increase the Republican Party's chances.

Last year, a three-judge panel found the legislative redistricting plan's challengers failed to prove racial gerrymandering was at play.

The dissenting judge in the 2-1 decision, Barbara Milano Keenan, said Virginia had applied a "one-size-fits-all quota" to 12 districts that were distinctly different.

Democrats are seeking to have the lines redrawn because the current plan concentrates African Americans into those districts, increasing Republican chances in neighboring districts.
Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court has rejected Ecuador's appeal against a $96 million award it has been ordered to pay Chevron in a dispute over the development of oil fields in exchange for cheap domestic crude.

The eight justices sitting on the short-handed bench let stand a lower court ruling denying the South American country's challenge to a 2011 award by an international arbitration panel based in The Hague.

At issue were seven breach-of-contract cases that Texaco Petroleum -- which Chevron bought in 2001 -- filed against Ecuador in the early 1990s, saying the country had "overstated its domestic oil-consumption needs, and appropriated more crude oil than it was entitled to acquire at the reduced price," a court petition read.

Chevron claimed that Ecuador had violated the 1993 US-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty, which entered into force in 1997, because it was allowing the case to languish in courts too long.

Chevron welcomed the Supreme Court's move at a time the California-based company faces losses and a decline in its credit rating due to the continued drop in oil prices.

The oil firm is "pleased" that the high court rejected the appeal, and that "Ecuador will be held accountable," spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said, noting that the country actually owes Chevron $106 million after interest.

In Washington's decision in favor of Chevron, the US Court of Appeals had upheld a previous ruling from a federal district judge and validated the findings of the three-member arbitration tribunal in The Hague.

- Battle over? -

The high court's decision should end a battle that has lasted more than two decades.

Still, Ecuador said it would not make the payment, pointing to an order by a judge in the country freezing Chevron's assets during separate litigation over environmental damage in the Amazon.

"This fact makes it impossible for Ecuador to make any payment in the case," the Ecuadoran Embassy in Washington said in a statement.

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In the environmental damage case -- brought by the indigenous people of Ecuador's Lago Agrio region to win compensation for the mass dumping of oilfield waste between the 1970s and 1990s -- an Ecuadoran court ordered Chevron to pay $9.5 billion in damages.

The environmental destruction was allegedly carried out by Texaco, which Chevron bought in 2001.

However, a US court found that the plaintiffs' legal team conspired to win the case by "egregious fraud," including bribing a judge, writing the court's verdict themselves and secretly paying the authors of an ostensibly independent report.
Shares of The Valspar Corporation VAL scaled a new 52-week high of $108.35 last Friday before retracing to end the day at $108.20.

The Minneapolis, MN-based paint maker, with a market cap of roughly $8.58 billion, has delivered a year-to-date return of about 31.24%, higher than the S&P 500s corresponding return of around 3.71%. Average volume of shares traded over the last three months is roughly 1,116K.

Valspar reported 10% higher year-on-year adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.22 for second-quarter fiscal 2016 (ended Apr 29, 2016). Net sales for the quarter decreased 2% to $1.06 billion mainly due to a 3% foreign exchange headwind.

Valspar is focused on expanding its business through acquisitions that will position the company well for the future and help offset lower demand in core markets. New businesses contributed 5% to net sales and 3% to sales volume in the last reported quarter. The Quest acquisition boosted sales as well as adjusted EBIT in the companys Paint segment. Valspar also bought Canada-based coatings maker, Madison Chemical Industries, which will allow it to broaden its coatings portfolio in the water infrastructure and wastewater management markets. The recent acquisition of ISVA Vernici further expanded the companys sales and manufacturing capabilities in the European coil market.

Valspar is expected to perform well in the long term. The company gains from its diversified product portfolio. It expanded its non-BPA product portfolio by double digits in the previous fiscal year. Moreover, a recovering U.S. housing market and a large housing market in China, the targeted end markets for the companys products, are expected to be highly beneficial. Valspar is also set on expanding its collaboration with Lowes LOW by reaching more of its retail locations and introducing new lines of paint in 2016.

Additionally, Valspar entered into a definitive merger agreement with Sherwin-Williams SHW in Mar 2016. Per the deal, Sherwin-Williams will buy Valspar for roughly $11.3 billion or $113 cash per share. If the proposed merger is approved by Valspars shareholders and regulatory bodies, the deal will likely conclude by the first quarter of calendar year 2017.

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Valspar is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock.

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Rescuers search for missing people in Bailong Lake of Guangyuan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 5, 2016. A leisure boat carrying 18 people capsized on the Lake due to strong gales Saturday afternoon. One child died and 14 people remain missing. [Photo: Xinhua]

Authorities on Sunday launched an investigation into a deadly boat accident in southwest Chinese province of Sichuan on Saturday, as 14 people including at least six children remained missing.

Rescuers are still searching for the 14 missing passengers. The tourist boat "Shuanglong" with 18 people on board capsized during strong winds on Bailong Lake in the city of Guangyuan, minutes before it would have reached its destination.

4 people were rescued immediately, though a child among them was later pronounced dead after emergency treatment failed.

The other 3 remain under observation at a local hospital.

The capsized boat has been found about 65 meters under the water. However, no sign of life was detected.

Underwater robots will be sent to assist the salvage of the boat on Monday.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the accident.

All tour boats and ship operations in Guangyuan have been suspended for safety checks.

China's State Administration of Work Safety has sent a work team to the accident site.

The accident took place just three days after the 1st anniversary of the sinking of the Eastern Star.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Sunday's episode of Veep, "Congressional Ball."]

There has been no shortage of surprises this season on HBO's Veep, and the latest came in the form of a White House sex scene Sunday night. The Green Room romp occurred between Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Tom James (Hugh Laurie) after the President uncovered the true, snake-like intentions of her running mate-turned-financial czar.

"In terms of the discovery, the argument and yes, the sex, it was aggressive in all different ways," showrunner David Mandel tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Tom James is trying to torpedo Selina's chances in the House of Representatives by getting people to abstain in the vote so that it goes to the Senate and he is elected vice president. Then, because there is no president, he would become the president. It's an absolute betrayal."

Only in the world of Veep would such deception crank up the heat between Meyer and James: "It is perhaps the ultimate hate-f - ," Mandel says.

Read More: 'Veep' Star on the First Daughter's Coming Out and the President's Surprising Reaction

But for fans blindsided by the two getting together, Mandel says the writing has been on the wall.

When Meyer initially approaches James to read him the riot act, she mentions a story Veep-watchers heard her tell last season: that night in the cab with the green shoes when, according to her, they almost slept together. "Just admit it, you wanted to f - me that night!" Meyer yells at a defensive James, who finally agrees before the two wildly embrace (fittingly, in the Green Room).

"Even though it's a slight mention, that always stuck with me as a fan of the show," says Mandel, who took over the showrunner reins from creator Armando Iannucci this season. "This is something that, to me, has been building for two years. Obviously, how it happens is a little crazy, but I think it's all there if you want to track the pieces."

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The signs that Mandel recalls are James' too-strong dislike for Meyer's new boyfriend Charlie Baird (John Slattery) and a brief but touching scene from MeeMaw's funeral: "When he says to Selina, 'I hated my father, too' - that's an incredibly intimate moment," says Mandel.

Read More: 'Veep' Boss Talks "Cgate," Jonahs Campaign and Catherines Big Reveal

Still, no one is quite as shocked as Meyer's handler, Gary Walsh (Tony Hale), who, much to his dismay, walked in on the pair mid-scene.

"His reaction just stuns him," says Mandel of Hale's full-bodied response. "It's like the upright version of a faint, he loses muscle control. For Gary, I think it's like walking in on his mother, in a weird way, or his wife - some weird combination for Gary of mother, wife and sister."

Mandel says they toyed with the idea of Gary vomiting into the awful purse he was carrying for Meyer, but decided it was "a little too much." Ultimately, he says filming the moment was a fun one.

"You have Julia, who's willing to do anything, and Hugh, who was very just polite and uncomfortable in a great way," Mandel says. "Only Julia Louis-Dreyfus can grab his hands and put them where she thinks they should go, which I think was really funny for the Selina of it all as well."

As for what this means for the future, Mandel says this wasn't "sex for sex sake" and anyone who thinks Meyer and James will be living happily ever after are missing the bigger picture.

Read More: 'Veep' Takes Out Ad for Jonah Ryan in New Hampshire Newspaper

"At the end of the day, I don't think there can be a relationship," he says. "He wants her presidency and she wants to destroy him at this point and I'm not sure anything has changed. They have different energies in the aftermath of it, in a way that maybe says some things about them as characters and also a little bit about men and women."

Sunday night already saw Meyer playing hardball with the different congressmen and women, offering a rare peek into the politician who's actually worthy of her job (she did fight her way to both the vice presidency and the presidency). "We are heading to Congress one way or another," Mandel says about the journey ahead. "Whether [political aide Jonah Ryan, played by Timothy Simmons] wins [his Congressional bid] or not will be very important, obviously, as we go."

Read More: Inside 'Veep's' Elaborate Social Media Campaign

Another key moment of the episode followed up last week's big announcement from Catherine (Sarah Sutherland) that she has fallen in love with her mother's Secret Service detail Marjorie (Clea DuVall). After struggling over how to handle the first daughter's "lesbianism," Meyer was prepared to obey her daughter's wishes and keep their relationship a secret, until the moment she could use it to her advantage during the Congressional Ball.

"That's just Selina being Selina - certain things never change," Mandel says. "We had a line and we never quite figured out how to use it, but it was the notion that, maybe if Catherine had come out a couple months sooner that would have helped with the election. I think that's where somebody like Selina's head goes. Yes, she's a mother and yes, it's her daughter, but it's like: 'How does it affect me? And how does it affect my presidency?'"

Veep airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

Photo: HBO/Lacey Terrell
This years election stories have been riddled with outlandish plot twists and Machiavellian protagonists who often act more like antagonists. And thats not even including whats happening on the scripted TV series that are supposed to be making this stuff up.

On Veep, were trying to find something that stretches reality to its edge, but could happen. And then, seven months later, these candidates are doing something like this, says David Mandel, who this year took over as showrunner of the Emmy-winning HBO comedy about vice president-turned president Selina Meyer (played by Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her staff. I think were tapping into a certain amount of D.C. hypocrisy and sometimes headlines happen and it can be a wonderful or  if youre an American citizen  horrible coincidence that politicians are doing things just like what we came up with on Veep.

Veep has covered everything from the economic crisis to abortion, with a large portion of this season devoted to cleaning up last seasons cliffhanger: Selinas reign may be temporary as it appears the election that would secure her seat in the Oval Office has ended in a tie.

The cliffhanger was one of the more attractive things about the job when it was offered to me. It was just this delightful prison that I would have to escape from and the writer in me just sort of loved the challenge, Mandel says. I have to say, I would have probably just hate to be doing things that are similar to whats going on in the real world. Im glad Im not doing debates in our season. Im glad Im not doing caucuses and endorsements and the people behind the candidate. Because that is exactly what is going on in the real world. Veep is about the world of D.C. politics in general.

Other series have chosen to hit the election head-on. Robert and Michelle Kings The Good Wife, which ended its term on CBS in May, chose to have the ethically challenged politico Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) campaign against real-life politicians like Hillary Clinton in a futile bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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The specter of Hillary Clinton running for president was certainly in the ether as Scandal developed. TONY GOLDWYN

Netflixs House of Cards and ABCs Scandal deliver all the surprise twists, meme-worthy soundbites and backdoor dealings audiences expect, but also carefully craft fast-approaching presidential races that would mean big changes for their lead characters. Scandal even brought back frequent foe Hollis Doyle (Gregg Henry), its favorite outspoken buffoon of a Texas lobbyist stereotype, to assume a Donald Trump-like presence this season.

I think Shonda has her nose to the zeitgeist, says Scandal star and frequent director Tony Goldwyn, of the impeccable timing and meta storytelling of series creator Shonda Rhimes. She very much tends to anticipate whats going on.

Goldwyn plays Fitzgerald Grant on the show, a lame-duck president who also happens to be watching his ex-wife, Mellie (Bellamy Young), run for the Republican nomination.

The specter of Hillary Clinton running for president was certainly in the ether as Scandal developed, he says. As Mellies character started to take shape in the second and third seasons, I think Shonda started to realize that this was something worth exploring. As it all evolved, shes very adaptive to everything in the world.

Even series not set in the nations capital, such as Showtimes Shameless, have offered passing jabs at the presidential race. But NBC comedy The Carmichael Show centered its entire second-season finale around it. Co-written by series star Jerrod Carmichael and Nicholas Stoller, the episode is called President Trump, but is non-partisan when it comes to jokes at the candidates expense.

We as a writing staff, as the country has been, are fascinated by what is happening with the election and Trump, says Carmichael showrunner Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. Were interested in the fighting thats going on right now within the country and interested in politics as a topic. Im sure weve all been at a dinner table and thats the one [topic] that shuts it down. People get so angry about politics. Trump seems like a great way to tell a story about why do we get so worked up about politics? Why is that the hot-button thing? You dont have to go further than Facebook to see how annoying it gets, no matter what side you take  pro or against whatever. Its an interesting topic in an election year to explore and Trump gave us the hottest of hot buttons to pursue with our characters.

Talking Heads: ABC hit Scandal found inspiration in current events as characters gear up for a big election.

But the actual timing of current events have rarely been on the side of scripted television. While Foxs The Simpsons was quickly able to pull together a promo parodying Trumps escalator ride to candidacy last year, the Carmichael writers had to debate whether to keep in a Ted Cruz joke even though the senator had dropped out of the Republican presidential race after their episode had filmed. Also, says Sanchez-Witzel, we definitely had to be careful even discussing [Democratic candidates] Bernie [Sanders] and Hillary, no matter whether they will both make it to the [convention].

Politicos themselves have also gotten creative this year. Trump, Sanders and Clinton all caused fanfare when they appeared on episodes of NBCs Saturday Night Live. Clinton also cameoed on an episode of Comedy Centrals Broad City, a series executive produced by Amy Poehler, who famously portrayed her on SNL.

There is also the issue of accuracy, particularly with the intricacies of a political nomination and the voting process.

Were professional actors and writers, so we do our homework, Goldwyn says. But absolute faithfulness to those kinds of details are not [an issue]. Shondas a very knowledgeable woman. When shes departing from accuracy, thats a deliberate choice. Its not sloppy.

Hollywood, by its nature, is also a place where people have a platform to voice their opinions and these views often seep through into scripts.

I find everything that is going on in politics these days absurd, so I think it lends itself to comedy, says Veeps Mandel. Whats going on is nutso right now. Whats been going on in the last eight years is nutso. While we are a comedy and thats nice, we have a very specific take on the pulse of Washington and what the people are like in Washington. Its not about positions on issues. Its about people who worry about taking the right position so that other people think theyre taking the position. Comedy or drama, I think our coverage of Washington is frighteningly realistic. Thats what makes our show fun to write.

Hopefully Veep is more realistic than BrainDead. The new series from the Good Wife creators launches this summer on CBS and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as a congressional staffer who learns aliens have been making meals out of the brains in Washington. Those jokes almost write themselves.

Rob Owen contributed to this report.

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Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's opposition held new protests Monday, seeking to convert widespread anger over food shortages and economic havoc into pressure for a referendum on removing embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Clad in the red, yellow and blue of the Venezuelan flag, hundreds of opposition supporters rallied on a square in eastern Caracas, brandishing messages aimed at the allegedly pro-Maduro National Electoral Board (CNE): "Recall referendum now" and "My signature counts."

An economic crisis triggered by the collapse in the price of oil, the country's main export, has made daily life increasingly hard for Venezuelans, who face long lines at depleted supermarkets, hyperinflation, violent crime and daily power cuts.

"We're tired of shortages. We're not eating properly at my house. There's not enough money for anything," 41-year-old Morella Briceno said at the rally.

The opposition has submitted a petition with 1.8 million signatures in favor of a recall referendum and wants electoral authorities to move on to the next step: verifying at least 200,000 of those signatures with fingerprint scans.

The opposition would then need to submit a second petition with four million more signatures.

The opposition warns Venezuela risks erupting into unrest if electoral authorities do not let them call a referendum this year.

But their fractious coalition, the center-right National Unity Roundtable (MUD), has struggled to rally large numbers of protesters.

Monday's demo drew just a few hundred people in the capital.

- Deadly looting incident -

Many Venezuelans may be too busy waiting in lines to protest, too afraid of the security forces or haunted by violence that killed 43 people during pro- and anti-government demonstrations in 2014.

But spontaneous protests against food shortages have broken out in neighborhoods once seen as bastions for Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

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Like scores of looting sprees that have erupted since the start of the year across Venezuela, these tend to be forcefully stamped out by heavily armed police and soldiers.

Riots broke out Sunday outside a supermarket on the Caribbean island of Margarita off the Venezuelan coast, local media said. At least eight people were reportedly arrested.

And a woman died Monday after being shot by police when looters tried to pillage a warehouse in the western city of San Cristobal, her family said.

Jenny Ortiz, 42, was hit by a stray bullet Sunday night, said family spokesman Larry Mogollon Acevedo, calling it "an abuse of authority."

Amnesty International's director for the Americas, Erika Guevara-Rosas, warned the group was increasingly seeing "grave violations" of human rights in Venezuela, including the right to food and basic medicine.

Many Venezuelans are fed up with both Maduro's camp and the opposition, which won control of congress in legislative elections last December but has struggled to wield power in the face of a hostile Supreme Court.

"I've already dealt with two lines today to buy rice and sugar. Instead of squabbling they should fill the supermarkets," said Eneuris Cantillo, 46, who was waiting in line outside a store in the capital.

- Key ruling rescheduled -

Maduro's opponents accuse the authorities of dragging their feet so any referendum will not be held until after January 10 -- four years into the leftist leader's six-year term -- when a successful recall vote would simply pass power to the vice president rather than trigger new elections.

The opposition reacted furiously Thursday when electoral authorities canceled a key meeting where they were due to tell MUD leaders whether they would be allowed to go ahead with calling a referendum.

The meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday.

He vowed new protests Tuesday outside the CNE, in defiance of a court order to keep demos away from the electoral board.

International mediators led by Spain's former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero have met with both the government and opposition camps in the Dominican Republic to seek a solution to the crisis.

But both sides appear ambivalent. The opposition postponed a new meeting Monday, saying it was waiting to hear back from electoral authorities about the recall process first.
(Rewrites, adds changes that affect Paramount sale, Viacom reaction)

By Jessica Toonkel

June 6 (Reuters) - Sumner Redstone's National Amusements Inc amended the bylaws of Viacom Inc to require unanimous approval from Viacom's board for any deal related to Paramount Pictures, creating a new hurdle for Chief Executive Philippe Dauman's plan to sell a stake in the movie studio.

The change, effective immediately, was made "to protect long-term interests of stockholders," National Amusements, a privately held movie theater company that owns 80 percent of Viacom's voting stock, said in a news release on Monday.

Dauman is trying to sell a minority stake in Paramount, and has said he expects to announce a deal in June. Sumner Redstone, who sits on Viacom's board, has voiced concern about the idea, according to recent statements issued by a spokesman.

National Amusements "is not opposed to a transaction that would unlock value at Paramount," the company's statement said. But it added that any proposed transaction "should be thoroughly vetted and approved by Viacom's full board, and the rationale for such a transaction should be clearly articulated to Viacom's stockholders in advance."

The move is the latest turn in a power struggle between Redstone's family and company executives over control of the 93-year-old media mogul's business empire amid questions about his mental competence.

Dauman is suing over his removal last month from the Sumner Redstone trust that will eventually control Viacom and CBS Corp as well as the National Amusements board.

A Viacom spokesman said the bylaw change was "completely at odds with good corporate governance."

"These illegitimate actions stem directly from the invalid changes made to the National Amusements Inc board," the spokesman said.

In a court filing on Monday, Dauman said a judge should expedite his lawsuit because Redstone is in ill health and may soon not be able to provide needed evidence.

The filing in Massachusetts state court describes Redstone as unable to "speak, stand, walk, eat, write or read."

Story continues

A spokesman for Redstone did not have an immediate comment.

The outcome of the Massachusetts case and a similar one in California, and who ends up controlling the trust and the National Amusements board, will have wide-ranging implications for Viacom and CBS and could result in changes at the top of both companies, possibly through mergers and acquisitions.

A judge is expected to hear arguments on Tuesday on Dauman's request to expedite discovery and hold a trial by the end of September.

Dauman's lawsuit - brought with another Viacom board member George Abrams, whom Redstone also removed from his trust - questions Redstone's mental competence and argues that Redstone is being manipulated by his daughter, Shari Redstone. She has called that charge "absurd" and said her father makes his own decisions.

(Reporting by Anna Driver and Jessica Toonkel in New York and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Bill Rigby)
New York (AFP) - The daughter of Sumner Redstone appeared to strengthen her control over media giant Viacom on Monday amid continued court skirmishes over the 93-year-old tycoon's mental competence.

Redstone's vehicle for his 80 percent control of Viacom, National Amusements Inc., announced that it was changing Viacom's bylaws to prevent the company from selling its valuable film unit Paramount Pictures without unanimous board support.

That gave Redstone's daughter Shari Redstone, who is vice chair of Viacom and has opposed other board members and Viacom's management on selling Paramount, the power to block the deal.

Through an official spokesman, Sumner Redstone has previously objected to the Paramount sale, which is aimed at strengthening Viacom's finances.

But Viacom's management led by chief executive Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams have alleged in court that Shari Redstone effectively controls her ailing father and is using that control to grab power of his $40 billion media empire, which also includes CBS television.

In announcing the changes to the bylaws, National Amusements took aim at Dauman, Abrams and Viacom independent director Frederic Salerno as not acting in the best interests of stockholders.

The Redstone vehicle suggested that the actions of the three "indicate that the principal focus of the independent directors is on preserving their own positions and those of Viacom's management team."

In a brief emailed statement, Viacom slammed National Amusements's moves as "illegitimate actions" that conflict with good corporate governance.

"They are clearly intended to impede the ability of the Viacom Board of Directors to fulfill its obligations to all stockholders, including the public non-controlling stockholders who own 90 percent of the equity of Viacom," a Viacom spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Dauman and Abrams sought in a Massachusetts court to speed up their battle against being dismissed as trustees of Redstone's National Amusements Trust, which controls National Amusements Inc.

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They asked the court to move quickly to order a medical examination of Sumner Redstone, alleging he is not mentally competent to make decisions over his businesses and that his daughter is manipulating his wishes and is behind their dismissal.

"He is a 93-year-old man suffering from overwhelming physical ailments, including an inability to speak, stand, walk, eat, write or read," they alleged.

"He suffers from a progressive neurological disease characterized by dementia... Under these circumstances, there is an obvious need to proceed with speed."
The trust that control's Sumner Redstone's controlling interest in Viacom on Monday moved to block any sale of Paramount Studios without unanimous approval by the media giant's board of directors.

National Amusements Trust, which controls 80 percent of the company's voting stock, said it has "amended Viacom's corporate bylaws  in order to protect the long-term interests of all Viacom shareholders." The changes take effect immediately, according to a statement released by the trust.

The changes effectively put an end to chief executive Philippe Dauman's plan to sell a stake in the fabled movie studio. Requiring a unanimous vote would make it next to impossible for Dauman to achieve since both Sumner Redstone and daughter Shari - who both oppose any dealmaking - are both directors.

"National Amusements has one objective with regard to Viacom and that is to create long-term value for the company's stockholders," according to the statement. "While National Amusements is not opposed to a transaction that would unlock value at Paramount, it firmly believes that any proposed transaction should be thoroughly vetted and approved by Viacom's full Board, and the rationale for such a transaction should be clearly articulated to Viacom's stockholders in advance."

Dauman announced plans in February to sell off a stake in Paramount to a strategic investor as a way to juice up Viacom's ailing stock price. Analysts had pegged an outright sale of the studio by up to $5.5 billion - a big drop from the $9.8 billion Viacom paid for it in 1994. Shari Redstone and Dauman have often been at odds in recent years, especially as Viacom's stock has lost more than 30 percent of its value during the past year.

"These illegitimate actions stem directly from the invalid changes made to the National Amusements, Inc. board and are completely at odds with good corporate governance," a Viacom spokesman said in a statement. "They are clearly intended to impede the ability of the Viacom Board of Directors to fulfill its obligations to all stockholders, including the public non-controlling stockholders who own 90% of the equity of Viacom."

Story continues

Dauman said that he visited Redstone at his home in Beverly Park and briefed the 93-year-old mogul on the plan to sell a part of the studio, and that Redstone approved. However, Redstone's camp has subsequently said he never backed the sale and has since stated his opposition to it in court documents.

The latest legal maneuvering by Redstone comes after the trust threw Dauman and another associate off its board. Dauman also has asked for a medical examination of Redstone in his own claims against the trust in which he hopes to declare the mogul not competent to manage his affairs.

A hearing will be held on that case Tuesday morning.
By Katie Arnold FALAM, CHIN STATE, Myanmar (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Van Biak had only been away from her family in Leilet in north west Myanmar for two weeks, but her mother was in tears as they embraced on the veranda. Biak and her older sister Van Hnem left to find work as maids in Singapore with few job opportunities in their remote village in Chin State, the poorest region of Myanmar where 73 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Biak and Hnem were aware of the risks. Another maid from Leilet has been working in Saudi Arabia for six years without pay or hope of return - and this was not isolated case. A number of high profile cases of worker abuse prompted the government in September 2014 to put a temporary ban on women going abroad to find work as maids. But with few economic opportunities at home, the number of women leaving to get jobs abroad as domestic workers has not abated and more do so illegally, prompting calls for the newly appointed government of Aung San Suu Kyi to lift the ban. "I'm ready to work hard and face difficulties abroad in order to help my family," said Biak, who, at age 15, was too young to get a passport and so returned home. Hnem, who is 18, made it to Singapore with six other girls from Leilet, lured by the chance to make up to US$370 (S500) a month compared to Myanmar's mininum wage of about US$67. "I am so scared they will be used as slave labor," said her mother, a fear echoed by all parents whose daughters are now working abroad illegally. For the ban has not only failed to stop women from Myanmar going abroad to work, but it has led to a black market that puts the women at greater risk of exploitation and slavery, according to the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), set up to protect migrant workers' rights in Singapore. IN DEBT FOR THE JOB Since the ban was implemented, the fee paid by workers to secure a job abroad has increased in order to facilitate the bribes required to circumvent the ban. Workers do not start to see any money themselves until this debt is paid off. Moreover, since these workers often leave their country as a tourist, they are not protected by labor or migration laws. Jolovan Wham, executive director of HOME, said the number of Myanmar maids in Singapore grew 50 percent between 2013 and 2015 with over 30,000 there now which was evidence that the ban was not effective. "Unfortunately, a lot of Singaporean employers request Myanmar maids because they are more affordable and generally more compliant," Wham told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Sian Men Mawi legally worked as a maid in Singapore before moving to China, lured by the promise of a lucrative employment contract. She arrived in Guangzhou on a tourist visa. Sian Men, 26, said she was enslaved by her agent who locked a number of Myanmar girls in separate houses and rotated them through different jobs, holding their wages and never letting them pay off their debts. "We didn't know the agent would exploit another human being like that," Sian Men said from her mother's home in the Chin village of Zawgnte. Sian Men managed to escape and returned to Myanmar by bus, evading the police who manned checkpoints along the route. "We get into difficulty because of the agents but we can't do anything about it because we don't have legal passports or work permits. We have to do what the agency says," she said. The Thomson Reuters Foundation managed to get hold of Melody, Sian Men's agent in Guangzhou, who admitted to enforcing a six month debt bondage period but denied exploiting her employees. "If their employer is unhappy then I have to replace them [before they pay off their bondage debts]," she said repeatedly, without giving her full name. The Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) said it has become harder for the authorities to police the movement of domestic workers across Myanmar's borders because large employment agencies have been replaced by individual traffickers, often from within the victim's social circles. "It is particularly difficult to track the trafficking of girls from Chin and Kayin state because their church is often involved," said Win Tun, vice chairman of MOEAF. There were 130 official cases of trafficking in Myanmar last year, with a total of 641 victims. Chin State was the only region of Myanmar not to have recorded any official cases. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Police Division does not have a branch in Chin State. The Thomson Reuters Foundation contacted the nearest office on Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region, but they were unable to comment on the presence of trafficking in their neighboring state. In 2015, MOEAF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 12 employment agencies in Hong Kong who agreed to treat Myanmar staff according to the federation's employment standards and it wants to see similar deals in other countries. "These agreements would make it less dangerous for girls because we can ensure their labor rights are protected in their host countries, hold information about who is abroad and offer assistance to anyone that gets into trouble," said Win Tun. "But the last government didn't want to know anything about them." MOEAF have met with members of the new government twice since it took over in April. The Department for Labour declined to comment to the Thomson Reuters Foundation but a parliamentary committee is now considering whether to lift the ban. "We are just waiting for permission from the new government, we are ready to sign MOUs with countries we know will offer good salaries and working conditions including Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Japan," said Win Tun. But until they do, campaigners fears thousands of women in Chin State - and across Myanmar - will continue to seek employment as domestic workers through illegal channels, putting themselves at risk of slavery, trafficking and exploitation. "When I am the right age, I will go again," said Biak. (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Three years ago, Carlsberg's head brewer, Erik Lund, was walking through the halls of his research lab when he saw a group of his colleagues huddled in an office. They were standing around a bottle of beer. That wouldn't be so unusual, given the location. But this brown glass bottle was more than 100 years old.

Construction had been going on just outside the lab on the site of the historic brewery, and three dusty beer bottles still corked, full of liquid, and bearing their old-school Carlsberg labels had been discovered in a forgotten beer cellar. Some of the beer experts at the lab decided to uncork one and taste its contents. They saved a sip for Lund.

"I was amazed because I have tasted old beers before and this was surprisingly good," Lund told Live Science. But after such a long time, the liquid didn't exactly taste like lager. [See Images from Carlsberg's Lager Revival]

"It had a kind of sherry or port wine flavor very interesting and not unpleasant at all," said Birgitte Skadeshauge, vice president of Carlsberg Group R&D.

To get a sense of what that lager might have actually tasted like, Carlsberg scientists reconstructed the 19th century brew and invited journalists to a tasting ceremony here on May 18.

Lager brought back to life

"I'm relieved," Bjarke Bundgaard, a beer history expert for Carlsberg, told Live Science after the cask was tapped. "We were very afraid of unwanted microorganisms visiting in the barrel. But basically the beer fulfills what I would expect: rich, malty, higher levels of residual sugars. I think it's quite authentic, so I'm satisfied."

The lager was darker in color, sweeter and less fizzy than the familiar green-bottled Carlsberg pilsner of today, and it had 5.7 percent alcohol content (just short of their goal of 5.8 percent). Bundgaard said the historic lager was not as flavorful as the craft beers of today because "this was an everyday-life beer it was something that people were drinking for lunch or even for their breakfast."

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Brewers at Carlsberg had no description of how the beer should have tasted in the late 19th century and they lacked information about the varieties of malt and hops that were used. So instead, they had to rely on old brewing books, old beer recipes and data about the salinity of the local water sources at the time to get the batch right. Crucially, the unpasteurized beer in those bottles also had a nice thick layer of precipitate toward the bottom, Skadeshauge said. From this, Carlsberg brewers said they managed to cultivate live yeast from the old beer for a new batch.

"I have never heard, so far, of the ability to isolate and grow a yeast that is so old," said Duccio Cavalieri, a professor of microbiology at the University of Florence. Cavalieri wasn't involved in Carlsberg's project, but he has studied the wild origins of brewer's yeast and has analyzed non-living yeast residues from ancient vessels, such as a 5,000-year old Egyptian wine jar recovered in the tomb of King Scorpion I.

Yeast is the fungus responsible for fermentation in beer. It's rare for scientists and brewers to be able to grow a living yeast that's decades old because not many uncontaminated samples are still around today, according to Jurgen Wendland, Carlsberg's former yeast biologist who was not involved in the new project. [Raise Your Glass: 10 Intoxicating Beer Facts]

"Carlsberg is one of the few places that could have these samples," Wendland said, because they have a collection of thousands of bottles that are still sealed and filled with their original contents. Using samples from Carlsberg's historic collection, Wendland and his colleagues were able to sequence the genome of the lager yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) that Carlsberg has been using for decades. This strain of yeast was first cultivated in 1883 by Emil Christian Hansen, a Danish mycologist famous for developing the first method for purifying yeast.

Vintage booze

In the last couple of decades, the study of historic and ancient beer has taken off. With new chemical analysis techniques, archaeologists and other scientists who study the past are now able to detect ephemeral traces of ancient life: residues from dyes, fats and, of course, beer and wine.

"Most of what we are as humans is organic our food, our beverages, our medicine, our clothes," said Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, who worked with Cavalieri on the Egyptian wine study. "Now we have some tools to put some flesh on the bones."

McGovern sometimes gets called a "beer archaeologist." Not only has he identified some of the oldest traces of booze on ancient artifacts (including a Nordic grog), but he's also worked with the Delaware-based brewing company Dogfish Head to reconstruct ancient beers. Though they were never able to use a living yeast culture like the brewers at Carlsberg, McGovern and his collaborators sometimes went to extreme measures to capture wild yeast cells that may approximate ancient varieties. For instance, to create Dogfish Head's Ta Henket Egyptian beer, McGovern said they went to a Egyptian date farm near the Giza pyramids to capture wild airborne yeast cells in petri dishes.

Reconstructing the booze of our long-lost ancestors indulges a curiosity about the past. But, these projects often have some loftier goals, too.

"It has been really interesting to see how the yeast has developed over time from a genetic point of view," Skadeshauge said. "Having the sequence and all this information, you also start to understand which parts of the genes are really important for the beer-brewing process."

Indeed, when Wendland and his colleagues analyzed modern Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and compared it with historic samples, they found some slight differences. Identifying the function of certain genes in brewer's yeast could lead to more targeted yeast breeding, allowing beer makers to develop more interesting varieties of craft beers, Wendland said.

Editor's Note: This story was generated in part during a press trip paid for by Carlsberg.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The green signal from the European Commission clears all road blocks in Visa Inc.s V acquisition of Visa Europe. The deal, which will close this month, is valued at 21.2 billion.



London-based Visa Europe is a cooperative entity comprising over 3,700 European banks and a payments leader in the region.



Previously a subsidiary of Visa, Visa Europe has been operating as an independent entity since 2007, before Visa went for its initial public offering in Mar 2008.



Visa considers reuniting with Visa Europe as a crucial long-term growth strategy. The company stands to gain a competitive edge from Visa Europes strong business model. Already the leading card processor, the addition of Visa Europe will further boost Visas position in a market that is also dominated by the likes of MasterCard Inc. MA, American Express Co. AXP and Discover Financial Services DFS.



Visa will get direct access to the attractive European payments market, which was an early adopter of the mobile payments system. The region is expected to see further growth in mobile payments given the widespread availability of the Near Field Communication technology. Moreover, a number of new mobile payment partnerships, platforms and products launched by Visa in recent years should increase mobile payments in Europe.



For Visa Europe, the deal will add a new dimension to its services as a result of Visas vast scale and resources across the globe.



Visa expects the transaction to be dilutive to its fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings per share in the low single-digit percentage point range. This dilutive effect will be due to preference share issuance and debt issuance related to the financing of the deal. In 2017, the acquisition will accrue to adjusted earnings per share in the low single-digit percentage point range before one-time integration costs. However, upon complete integration, the transaction is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the high single-digit percentage point range by fiscal full-year 2020.



Currently, Visa carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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Beijing will not accept South China Sea issue descending into chaos, forum told

Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission

Beijing will not sit by and see several countries throwing the South China Sea into chaos, the head of China's delegation to a high-profile intergovernmental security forum said on Sunday.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, speaking in a raised voice, made the comments at a plenary session of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, attended by defense chiefs and experts from around the world.

But Sun, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission, spoke in a lower voice to say he believes that other parties involved have "wisdom and patience"  like China  in charting "a path of peaceful negotiation".

Elaborating on this, Sun said, "Countries that are not involved are not expected to act out of selfish interests and deliberately damage this path."

The different tones used by Sun reflect China's attitudes toward players in the South China Sea issue, where tensions have increased after recent claims by the United States over "freedom of navigation" and an arbitration case brought by Manila against Beijing.

"The world today is undergoing historic changes as never before and the Asia-Pacific countries share good times and bad times together," Sun said in his speech.

During his stay in Singapore from Friday to Sunday, Sun held 17 bilateral meetings on the sidelines with senior defense officials, including seven from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was the second year that he had represented China at the dialogue.
* Skoda says has filed trademarks with U.S. authorities

* Move by Czech-based carmaker reflects decentralization at VW

* Analysts sceptical about U.S. prospects

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's Czech division Skoda is considering selling cars in the United States, where its embattled parent is trying to recoup sales lost in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal.

Europe's biggest automaker will next week unveil a new business roadmap aimed at improving accountability and decentralising product planning and sales operations, with greater investment in electric cars and mobility services.

As part of Volkswagen's (VW) so-called strategy 2025, mass-market brand Skoda is assessing the potential of regions where it does not yet sell cars, including North America, a spokesman at Skoda said on Monday, adding that a decision on the matter is not expected any time soon.

German business daily Handelsblatt reported on Skoda's plans earlier on Monday.

The move reflects VW's growing optimism that a series of new products and a campaign to enhance the brand's image will repair the damage done in the United States, where its rigging of emissions tests came to light almost nine months ago.

Over the past eight months U.S. sales of VW-branded cars have plunged more than 10 percent year on year to 207,800 vehicles, VW records show.

Analysts are sceptical about Skoda's prospects for success in the United States. Previously positioned as VW's budget alternative for eastern Europe and Asia, Skoda has been slow to enter the market for crossover and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) that are so popular with U.S. consumers.

NordLB analyst Frank Schwope, who rates Skoda shares a "hold", said that the carmaker would have to fight tooth and nail in the United States, citing the country's saturated market for passenger cars.

"Skoda would do better to get engaged in emerging markets like India or South America," he said in comments echoed by other analysts contacted by Reuters.

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But Skoda, which increased first-quarter profitability to 9.3 percent from 7.6 percent a year earlier by virtue of cost cuts and improved sales of higher-margin models, appears serious about its U.S. ambitions.

It has touted an SUV offensive since launching the concept VisionS model in March and will unveil a new large SUV at the Paris auto show in September, to be followed by other models in the next few years.

The brand has also filed several trademarks with U.S. authorities to protect the names of models such as Superb, Octavia and Yeti, the spokesman said, in a move that could be a precursor to market entry.

A foray into the United States would not be Skoda's first, however.

In the late 1950s, long before VW fully acquired the company in 2000, the Czech brand started exporting its Felicia compact to North America before taking it off the market a few years later because of poor sales.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz; Editing by David Goodman)
MONTREAL, June 6 (Reuters) - Madrid's Anti-Doping Laboratory was suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday after failing to comply with international standards. WADA said in a statement that the decision was a direct result of the WADA Foundation Board's March 19 decision to declare the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency (AEPSAD) non-compliant. The suspension, which takes effect immediately, prohibits the laboratory from carrying out any WADA-related anti-doping activities including all analyses of urine and blood samples. However, WADA said that Spain's other laboratory in Barcelona (Fundacio Institut Mar D'Investigacions Mediques - IMIM) has maintained its accreditation. The Madrid laboratory has 21 days to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (Editing by Ken Ferris)
In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, the reptilian heroes are the result of a crazy science experiment. In reality, the complex computer animation that creates the turtles involves spandex motion-capture suits, face cameras, human-sized turtle shells, and four versatile actors. Take a look at the side-by-side before and after performances of Leonardo (Pete Ploszek), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), and Donatello (Jeremy Howard) in Yahoo Movies exclusive behind-the-scenes video from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (in theaters now).

Related: What Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Star Elias Koteas Told Us About Playing Casey Jones Back in 1990

Outfitted with complex mo-cap suits, the actors playing the turtles in Out of the Shadows shot their scenes on location in New York City, side-by-side with human characters played by Megan Fox, Will Arnett, and Stephen Amell. The detailed animation captured both their body motions and tiny facial expressions  though as Howard, who plays Donatello, explains in the video, I know that if Ive got my mouth hanging wide open or make this kind of a face, its going to look weird on the CG turtle. Its kind of a fine line between what youre feeling as an actor and whats going to transfer well onto that CG face. Fox, who plays reporter April ONeil, says that she stopped seeing the mo-cap suits two days into the first movie [2014s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles] because the actors personalities shine through so strongly. In a separate interview with Yahoo Movies, she also mentioned a fringe benefit of working with motion-capture actors. Theyre super hot guys, Fox told us. So I dont see those dots or those suits. Theyre Spandex suits, by the way. So it aint a bad situation.

Watch Fox talk about her blonde wig in Out of the Shadows:
From Woman's Day

While most water births are successful, they can also be risky, according to American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists-a fact that one Oregon mom can certainly attest to after tragedy struck during her own water birth in December 2011.

Amy Benton was told by midwives at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, OR, that she was an ideal candidate for a water birth. In fact, Rich Rogers, the attorney who represents the Benton family, told Oregon Live that Amy was advised "that [a water birth] is just as safe and even more safe [than traditional vaginal or C-section births]."

But according to court documents, Amy was not a good candidate for a water birth, because her pregnancy wasn'tconsidered low risk. Despite the fact that her child's fetal heart rate was abnormal when she was admitted to the hospital, the midwives proceeded with the birthing plan, submerging Amy in the tub and failing to continuously monitor the fetal heart rate or consult obstetricians, according to Rogers. The Benton family's lawyers maintain that if the midwives had regularly monitored the baby with a waterproof device like a Sonicaid, they would have realized sooner that there was a problem with the fetus' heart rate and that mom needed to deliver via C-section immediately - not push. Instead, Amy's son, Luca, was delivered vaginally and deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes.

"The baby they pulled out appeared for all intents and purposes, dead," Rogers told Oregon Live.

All that time under water with no vital checks caused severe brain damage-now 4 years old, Luca lives with birth-induced cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk. Luca's parents were awarded $13 million after initially seeking damages upwards of $36 million; the settlement is reportedly the largest in at least a decade for a hospital malpractice case.

In response to this sad story, the American College of Nurse Midwives and the American Association of Birth Centers issued a joint statement saying that they believe water births are a safe alternative for expectant mothers, according to Oregon Live.

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"Yes, a water birth can be a safe option for some women, but a woman should be an ideal candidate and [it seems Amy Benton] was not cleared as low risk," Dr. Lindsay Appel, an OB/GYN at Mercy Medical Center tells WomansDay.com. "Water births should not be performed for women with any complications in pregnancy." And while some women opt for water births at home, Dr. Appel is not on board. "Labor courses can be unpredictable and fetal distress can occur rapidly in certain situations, even in women who have uncomplicated pregnancies," she says. "Having access to an anesthesiologist, an operating room, and postpartum medications is of utmost importance. It is possible for a patient to have a natural labor with minimal interventions while in the hospital, but if the need for intervention arises the patient is safest in a hospital setting."

In a 2014 statement, the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists said that there are currently no known benefits to delivering a baby in water.

(h/t Fit Pregnancy)
Berlin (AFP) - Weakness in China and Germany's other export partners have prompted the biggest drop in industrial orders in Europe's top economy in more than a decade, official data showed Monday.

German industrial orders, a key measure of demand for goods, dropped sharply in April as foreign demand slumped, according to data released by statistics office Destatis.

The drop of two percent in comparison with March was far worse than the 0.7-percent decline forecasted by analysts polled by financial services provider Factset.

German industrial orders had not shown such a deep slump since July 2005, Destatis said.

"The weakness seen in the beginning of the second trimester stems mainly from strongly fluctuating orders from manufacturers of investment goods outside the eurozone," said the economy ministry in a separate statement.

Such orders fell 13.3 percent in April compared to March, when they had risen 11.0 percent, the ministry said.

Overall, domestic orders rose 1.3 percent in April while foreign demand fell 4.3 percent, dragged down by poor uptake from outside the eurozone. Within the bloc, orders were up 2.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Destatis also revised its March industrial orders figures upwards to 2.6 percent from the previously announced 1.9 percent.

Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at ING Bank, said the decline illustrated "weakness in China and other global export partners".

"Some might even see a Brexit element in this decline," he said, adding that "looking ahead, there is little reason to see a quick brightening of the outlook for German industry."
There is no magic formula to craft the perfect personal statement for your law school application. However, incorporating school-specific research is one way to strengthen your essay.

Learn as much as you can about each law school on your list. Investigate online course listings, faculty, clinics, journals, externship opportunities and student organizations.

If possible, visit schools to experience campus culture and talk with current students about why they chose to enroll. Then craft a customized paragraph within your essay to explain why such programming appeals to you.

While tailoring your personal statement requires additional effort, here are three advantages that make school-specific research worthwhile.

[Learn the[do's and don'ts for building a law school application list.]

1. Impress the admissions committee: By tailoring your personal statement to each particular school, you demonstrate to the admissions committee not simply why you want to attend law school but also why you want to attend their school. Admissions committees are more likely to extend an acceptance offer if they believe an applicant will enroll.

Including school-specific research also helps distinguish you from other applicants, who may not have put forth this additional work. Moreover, you show the admissions committee that you are both serious about their program and know how to conduct meaningful research -- a skill that will serve you well in the practice of law.

However, be sure to do more than simply insert a laundry list of programs into your personal statement. Law schools already know what they have to offer applicants generally.

Too often applicants explain the obvious. For example, " Georgetown University's location in the District of Columbia puts it at the epicenter of where laws are made." "The University of Virginia's Innocence Project is renowned." "At Fordham University, I could concentrate my studies on intellectual property and information law."

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None of the above research is in-depth enough to grab the admissions committee's attention. Integrating school-specific programming requires you go beyond stating information that is on the school's website.

[Seethree common reasons law school applications get rejected.]

2. Clarify your career goals: To make your school- specific research essential to your essay, explain what you hope to gain by participating in a particular program or course. In other words, connect the school to you. What are your career goals and how will this school best position you to achieve them?

For example, I had the chance to work with an applicant who was interested in fashion law. In her personal statement, she discussed how Fordham's Fashion Law Institute would give her opportunities to build upon her degree in design as well as experiences in business that no other law school could.

After referencing a counterfeit shoes lawsuit to illustrate her desire to protect a designer's creative innovations, she explained how courses like fashion licensing would give her legal insight into branding and marketing. She went on to identify previous events that the i nstitute hosted that inspired her to pursue this practice area.

[Assesscareer goals before becoming a law student.]

No other applicant, even one interested in fashion law, could have written about Fordham in the same way because the applicant so closely intertwined her unique experiences and objectives with the law school's programming.

3. Identify why you are applying: Ultimately, school- specific research is inherently valuable, irrespective of your personal statement. Remember, your enrollment is a valuable investment of time and money. It is important for you to know why you are applying to law school.

What does each school have to offer you? What excites you about the prospect of attending? How will you make the most of your legal studies?

You cannot answer these questions without conducting school-specific research so that you are in a position to make an informed decision on whether to apply.

What kinds of school specific programming appeals to you? You can reach me at lawadmissionslowdown@usnews.com.
Writers at E21 have generally been critical of regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I argued that the Clean Power Plan, an EPA scheme to reduce carbon emissions, placed unjustifiably disparate burdens on different states. Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth showed that the EPA used dubious methodology, including double- and triple-counting of benefits, in its cost-benefit analysis of the emissions regulations. However, in the case of the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) currently moving through Congress, new powers granted to EPA are warranted.

The bill, passed by the House and awaiting final approval from the Senate, is sponsored by Illinois Congressman John Shimkus, a Republican. It authorizes the EPA to conduct testing of toxic chemicals used in common household products and determine whether they pose an unreasonable risk to public safety. If this determination is made, or if the EPA decides there is insufficient information to render a determination, the agency is authorized to regulate or prohibit manufacture of the chemical.

Related: Crazy Federal Rules Cost Business $1.75T a Year

These are sweeping new powers, and advocates of limited government intervention are right to be skeptical of them. However, since the EPA is currently not authorized to regulate these chemicals, individual states have taken the lead. Since 2003, states have passed a grand total of 167 statutes regulating toxic chemicals, according to Safer States, an advocacy group. Over a hundred more bills pertaining to chemical regulation are currently working their way through state legislatures. California alone has 23 recent laws on the books pertaining to chemical regulation, with six more in the pipeline. And this does not even take into account the countless regulations issued by state agencies under the laws.

Number of Laws Regulating Toxic Chemicals by State, 2003-Present



Darker colors represent more laws. States in white have passed no recent chemical laws.

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This creates an inconsistent patchwork of regulations that manufacturers must deal with individually. It is far easier for businesses to deal with a single regulation from the EPA than with up to 50 different regulations from the states. Under the TSCA reform bill, states cannot prohibit or restrict a chemical that the EPA has determined to be safe (with exceptions for grandfathered regulations).

While it does mean an expansion of federal power, the bill will reduce the cost, time, and uncertainty associated with bringing a chemical to market by largely superseding state requirements. This will lower costs for consumers and enable faster development of new wares. A company that can sell in every state, rather than just a handful, will be more inclined to invest in innovative products.

Related: Trump on North Korea, Wall Street Regulation, Tech Stocks

Currently, some states can shape the product market in others. When only a handful of states ban a product, such as dishwashing detergents containing phosphates, manufacturers just may take it off the market entirely.

The bill might appear to be a defeat for federalism. But the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce, and with good reason: so the United States can function as a single market rather than fifty. Congress absolutely has the power to fix the fragmented, state-driven regulatory regime for chemicals currently in place.

One area of potential improvement is a course of action for when the EPA is unable to determine whether a particular chemical poses an unreasonable risk. In these cases, the EPA must issue a regulation that could prohibit manufacture of the chemical if it will be produced in substantial quantities or if it poses a risk to a susceptible subpopulation.

However, what exactly these terms mean is left to the EPAs discretion, meaning the agency will have wide latitude to ban harmless chemicals based on unsubstantiated risks. This is the precautionary principle of regulation, or the idea that new innovations are guilty until proven innocent instead of the other way around. This not only inhibits innovation; it might actually harm public safety if newer, safer chemicals that might replace older, less safe ones in the market are held up during the approval process. Congress should consider amending the bill to more clearly delineate the EPAs powers in such ambiguous cases.

Despite the bills flaws, it is certainly preferable to the patchwork system the country practices now. However, Congress and the public must remain vigilant to ensure the EPA does not overstep the bounds of its new authority. As the burden of federal regulations continues to grow, adding trillions in economic costs, the danger of too much regulation must be considered in concert with the danger of too little.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
China and the United States are expected to discuss a range of issues during the eighth round of a bilateral Economic Dialogue.

Just a day before the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, U.S Treasury Secretary Jack Lew paid a visit to Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He talked with students about some issues between the world's top two economies.

Among the topics of discussion were China's negative list and the bilateral investment treaty.

The visiting U.S Treasury Secretary said that the U.S. is waiting for the list and expecting constructive outcomes out of the BIT negotiations, before the end of President Barack Obama's term in office.

"I think that the remaining months of this administration are really very good time to double down and try, and make progress and get it, if not across the finish line, closer to the finish line, where if the BIT is in a well-developed place, it's much more likely to go forward."

Li Daokui, director of Tsinghua University's Center for China in the World Economy, says the United States and China need an agreement to remove trade protectionism in order to give investors the most preferential terms.

"China has made a lot of efforts in regards to this issue. For example, we have made a negative list, and it is quite a long one and needs to be downsized in a gradual fashion. So this round of dialogue could lead to substantial progresses for China-U.S. BIT talks."

He also expected certain principles can be identified at this year's dialogue for the new US administration to follow up.

"It's possible that the new U.S. president would have not formed a full-member administration in the same time period next year. So this dialogue will focus on issues in the longer run rather than the short-term ones. I hope that certain principles can be made out of this dialogue for the new administration to follow up. The incumbent administration can fix some principles, which will prevent the new administration from derailing from current path."

Li suggests the dialogue will also focus on the pending transition of U.S. monetary policy.

"The policy makers must take into consideration the impact the transition will have on the global economy, including China's economy, and how China's affected economy will come back to impact the U.S. economy. So we must stress repeatedly that the Federal Reserve must thoroughly consider the transition's impact on the world's economy before pushing for it, and the transition should go along only one direction."

The dialogue is scheduled to start on Monday in Beijing.

The two-day session will be co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

The dialogue is being held not long after the US imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on a wide-range of Chinese steel products.

China has criticized these duties as irrational and harmful to diplomatic ties.

Still, academics and officials from both sides are expecting the dialogue to give a substantial boost to bilateral economic ties.
In the years when I was visiting and learning about factories in China, my dominant emotion was, I cant wait to tell people about this! Of course everyone knew, in general terms, about the rise of Chinese manufacturing and the countrys role as workshop-to-the-world. But the experience of seeing the factories that turned out computers and smart phones and everything else was so different from hearing about low-wage Chinese sweatshops that I thought, people really have no idea.

Sure, low wages and lax-to-nonexistent regulatory and environmental standards were big advantages. But it was mainly the speed of the industrial ecosystem in places like Shenzhen that was so amazing. And the density of all elements of the supply chain  if you needed a certain kind of keyboard or connector, there were five suppliers to choose from within an hours drive.

And one more underappreciated element was essential: the new tools of connectivity and logistics that allowed a customer in Chicago to shop online for a smartphone, and have the customized specs conveyed instantly to a production line in China, where the order would be put together and then taken to the airport in Hong Kong for airfreight back to the U.S. These new tools really mattered: China had had low wages for a very long time (and they were beginning to rise fast in these factory zones); it had abused the environment for years (and was trying to clean up). But it was only the knitting-together of information and logistics that allowed Chinese factories to be so directly incorporated into the world production-and-marketing system. Thats the story I told nine years ago in China Makes, The World Takes, centered on a company that had pioneered this kind of connection.

I have had a similar feeling in recent years as Ive seen outposts of the Maker Movement across the United States: This matters! People should pay attention! In this and the next few dispatches Ill explain why I think so, and give illustrations from Kentucky, Oregon, South Carolina, California, and elsewhere.

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I imagine that many readers might have heard of this movement or seen one of its Maker Faires. But my guess is that most people who arent directly involved think of it as fringe and hobby-minded, artsy-and-craftsy and hip rather than a serious economic, technological, and city-development force. Ive come to disagree, and let me lay out some of the reasons why.

The Background

First, the lay of the landscape: You can see information about the national Maker Faire cycle here, for information about shows and displays. The next big event on the calendar is the National Maker Faire, in DC two weeks from now. You can read here about MakerCon, which Ive been to and enjoyed, and go here for Make: magazine, to which I subscribe. In two weeks the White House will have events for the National Week of Making, with more information here. Make: had a story on the Maker City Initiative here; Peter Hirschberg has a speech explaining the concept here; and the Institute for the Future had an early report here.

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Now, what this movement is and why it matters. Everyone who has heard a recent political speech, listened to a talk show, or looked at the Made in China labels in retail stores is familiar with the idea that America doesnt make things any more. There are obvious reasons, and some less obvious ones, why people feel this way. A certain kind of high-volume production certainly has shifted from the rest of the world to China (and elsewhere) in the past generation. As economies get richer, the relative share of manufacturing in their output and their workforce inevitably goes down (as it does for farmingeven as absolute output in both categories keeps going up), because service sectors are growing faster. This is true even of economies which much more aggressive pro-manufacturing industrial government policies and corporate practices, like Germany and Japan:

And as manufacturing efficiency grows up, the share of manufacturing jobs goes down even faster than the output share. Everyones grandfather worked in a factory; each generation, fewer do.

So there is a real changefewer Americans have jobs in manufacturingthat seems even larger than it is, because of the kinds of things America still makes. Consumers naturally mainly see consumer goods: TVs, electronics, gadgets, clothes. Those are the fields in which production has disproportionately shifted overseas. Walk into a WalMart or Costco, and just about everything seems to come from China. The higher-end capital goods or scientific equipment from U.S. manufacturers rarely comes before our eyes. (The main exception is Boeing airplanes, with GE or Pratt & Whitney engines.) We see the assembled in China labels on Apple computers and phones and over-interpret what that means. The labels conceal the reality that the most valuable parts of a Mac or iPhone come not from China but from richer countries like Japan, Germany, South Korea, and very significantly from the United States.

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To wrap this up for now: yes, manufacturing is in relative decline across the developed world, although most Americans think the situation is worse than it really is. And yes, the decline of high-wage, mass-employment manufacturing is part of the worsening pressure on median-income earners, also around the world. So anything that can spur new manufacturing is a pluswith an emphasis on the new, given the repeated findings by the Kauffman Foundation that essentially all net job creation in the United States is from companies in their first few years of existence. (Explanation here. Short version: Older companies, in aggregate, gradually reduce their total workforce over time, as some go out of business and some get streamlined. Thus, the net job growth is from newly-formed companies.)

What might the maker movement have to do with that? It has made it surprisingly easier for new companies, in manufacturing, to start. Why? It has to do with tools.

New Tools, New Firms

Heres how I finally understood the difference that a new generation of production tools has made: by comparing it to my own business, writing and publishing.

Everyone in journalism knows the line attributed to A.J. Liebling, in The New Yorker: Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one. Liebling wrote that in 1960. As more-or-less recently as that in historical terms, if you wanted to disseminate your thoughts to people outside your household, you simply could not do it yourself. You had no option but to work through a limited number of powerful, capital-intensive enterprises. You had to convince a newspaper or magazine to publish your writingsbecause only they controlled the printing presses, delivery networks, and newsstands. (I remember the olden days of wanting to react to something in the news, and then making phone calls or sending letters!!!, yes, real letters in the mail on paper !!!to the handful of gatekeepers who ran op-ed pages, hoping you could get their interest.) You had to attract the attention of TV or radio reporters, since only they could get you on the air. If you had a longer story to tell, you had to convince a publishing house to put out your book. Short of going door-to-door with flyers, there was no way to avoid the middleman in this industry. And the people who served as middlementhe publishers, the broadcasterswere buttressed by the very expensive printing and transmitting equipment they controlled.

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Wave after wave of disruption in publishing have been bad for everyone who used to hold that middleman role. (The Atlantic is doing very well right nowso thanks for reading and subscribing!) But the new tools fostered an unprecedented outpouring of expression. Blogs, Tweets, YouTube videos, Instagrammed photos, podcasts, Reddit and Facebook communities, billions upon billions of daily texts messages  One by one many of these might be trivial and some of them destructive. But taken together they produced a totally different form of communication and knowledge, and countless millions of new business operations, all because an advance in production tools.

Theres a similar tools-driven change whose effects are so profound that we never even think about them any more. In the early days of computer use and word-processing, if you wanted to write something electronically, you had to wrestle with a lot of the details of electronic life. The first computer I ever used, in the late 1970s, was one I bought from a peanut-processing warehouse in Ohio; I had to reprogram it to be able to use a writing program called The Electric Pencil. Now people may grumble about Word, Pages, and other programs, but using them requires about as much forethought as picking up a real pencil. In the early days of web design, to put anything online you had to know a lot about layout code. Including pictures, charts, videos, or sounds was so hard you generally didnt bother. Now you copy an embed code, you click Share or Send or Upload, and the job is done. Tools that were unknown a generation ago are now ubiquitous and have changed everything about communication and expression.

Tools for Making

Something similar is fostering the maker movement. Since the dawn of the capitalist heavy-industrial era, to succeed in manufacturing you needed capital. You needed money for giant production equipment. Blast furnaces if you were making steel, assembly lines if you were making cars, machine tools if you were making engines, coordinated supply chains if you were assembling complex devices. Then you needed distribution arrangements with stores, and lots of inventory for them to keep in the warehouse, and other impediments that collectively made it hard, expensive, high-stakes, and high-risk for newcomers to enter a business.

This is the equation that the tools revolution of the past few years is also changing for manufacturing. A combination of 3D printing (which allows people to make and revise prototypes onsite, and produce certain high-value, low-volume items themselves, rather than going to a factory); much less expensive laser cutters, milling machines, and other sophisticated machine tools; the evolution of Arduino controls, which allow designers to add sophisticated electronic functions without doing all the coding themselves. You could think of this last function as being similar to simple Embed functions for images or videos online.

In parallel with these technological advances have been organizational changes. For instance, the rise of maker-spaces and shared-work site where people can use advanced machinery for free or at very low cost; and the rise of collaborations among universities, community colleges, established companies, and local financiers in fostering hardware entrepreneurs. One of the most ambitions of those collaborative spaces is Highway 1 in San Francisco. I wrote about its origins in the magazine back in 2012; you can read a report about its latest Demo Day, at which maker groups show off their products, in a TechCrunch story here and see a video here. This video from Highway 1 is obviously promotional, but it demonstrates the changes I am talking about and rings true to what I have seen and heard from entrepreneurs there (I have met and interviewed some of the people you see here).

***

What It Means in Practice

This would not have been possible ten years ago, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, the CEO of a unique and famous maker space called FirstBuild, told me in Louisville earlier this year. FirstBuild is unique because it was created by GE, as a subsidiary of its appliance division and as a deliberate effort to bring the nimble maker spirit to its design process.

What has changed is that the maker movement has figured out a group of technologies and tools which enable us to manufacture in low volume, Venkat (as he is known) said. Big manufacturers like GE built their business on high-volume, factory-scale, very high-stakes production, where each new product means a bet of tens of millions of dollars. FirstBuild is mean to explore smaller, faster, more customizable options.

Now you can get a circuit board mill for $8,000. If you are looking for a circuit board for an appliance, earlier the only chance of getting it was from China. Today I can make boards here and ship them out quickly. Similarly with laser cuttersnot big ones but small ones, where I can cut metal right here. Its a huge advantage, and these things did not exist ten years ago. In those days you couldnt hack the kind of creative solutions we are seeing now.

Tomorrow FirstBuild and its parent GE Appliances division are expected to complete a long-announced deal that will transfer ownership to the giant Chinese appliance maker Haier. (GE had previously planned to sell to the Swedish firm Electrolux, which has a much bigger presence in the U.S. market than Haier does, but it called off the deal last year after resistance from U.S. anti-trust regulators.) Both GE and Haier have said that that all factories and facilities will stay where they are (Electrolux had planned a move to its existing sites in North Carolina); that the GE Appliance and FirstBuild management will be unchanged; and that the FirstBuild start-up mission will continue too.

Thats the high-level corporate news. In the next installment, more details on exactly what FirstBuild has underway, how that parallels efforts in other parts of the country, and what this Maker energy might mean for the countrys ability to foster new companies and create better jobs.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Now might be a good time to scoot your desk away from the office slacker. If the boss complains, just show them this study.

In April, the Psychonomic Bulletin and Review published a study which found that sitting next to someone who is concentrating on a task can positively influence a person's own concentration. Think of your desk-mate or the buddy from your writing group who joins you for coffee and work sessions.

"The presence of another person can influence task performance," researchers noted after having 38 volunteers perform a task in tandem. When one person on the team had to work harder, they grew more focused. In return, the other person, who had a less arduous task, also appeared more focused.

The caveat is that it's still unclear whether or not a person's performance benefits from the interaction. In other words, your budding novel may not be any better because you're writing it across from someone glued to their laptop; you will just be able to focus more on it. That's not nothing, though.

"These results provide a first compelling demonstration that the exertion of effort is contagious," the Belgian research team said.

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Per a recent Crains Chicago Business report, Oak Brook, IL-based McDonald's Corp. MCD will start offering voluntary buyouts to several employees at its corporate headquarters, beginning late July.



Out of the companys total workforce of 2,000, over 400 employees at the director level and above will likely be entitled to buyouts, wherein workers will be offered severance packages on the basis of their salary and span of service.



Employees attended departmental meetings last week, to talk over the buyout packages. However, it remains to be seen that how many of those eligible actually agree to the package.



Rationale Behind the Move



Last May, the companys CEO, Steve Easterbrook announced a turnaround plan related to restructuring of its worldwide operation and certain other financial updates. The initiative came on the heels of the companys dismal performance in 2014 in terms of revenues, profit and customer traffic.



In Nov 2015, the company raised its net annual general and administrative (G&A) expense savings target to $500 million, from $300 million announced in May 2015. The company expects to realize a majority of these savings by the end of 2017 on the back of its refranchising efforts, in addition to streamlining across corporate, segment and market organizations, and greater efficiencies in its Global Business Services platform.



Thus, since the announcement of this plan, the company has been engaged in a series of buyouts and layoffs in order to streamline operations and increase operational efficiency.



Keeping with this, in 2015, the company reportedly reduced its headcount by over 400 workers via layoffs and by soliciting some employees to reapply for fresh positions. Moreover, McDonalds announced that it will cut 70 jobs at a Columbus, OH office during the rest of this year.



The lay-offs may also be due to the companys efforts on reducing its workforce to fit in its new corporate headquarters at Chicago.



Our Take



The turnaround plan seems to be paying off given the companys better-than-expected results in first-quarter 2016. Also, McDonalds recorded positive comps growth on the back of solid comps across all its segments.



Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



McDonald's currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks worth considering in this sector include Papa John's International Inc. PZZA, BJ's Restaurants, Inc. BJRI and The Wendy's Company WEN. All the three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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Why Renee Zellweger took a six-year break from Hollywood

Why Renee Zellweger took a six-year break from Hollywood

Since she began acting in 1992, Renee Zellweger starred in at least one project every year until 2010. At that point, the iconic actress performed a disappearing act when she decided to completely separate herself from Hollywood. This lasted for a total of six years and, during that time, Renee worked to find herself as she relished in truly experiencing life away from the cameras lens.

I found anonymity, so I could have exchanges with people on a human level and be seen and heard, not be defined by this image that precedes me when I walk into a room, Zellweger told British Vogue, for their July cover interview. You cannot be a good storyteller if you dont have life experiences, and you cant relate to people.

Renee Zellweger is @britishvogue's July 2016 cover star, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier. Read more at Vogue.co.uk/news A photo posted by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Jun 4, 2016 at 12:34am PDT

Considering that Renee was an in-demand celeb before she decided to take a break, we imagine that her transition out of the limelight was a difficult one  especially since movie roles continued to be offered to her. As a creative person, saying no to that wonderful once-in-a-lifetime project is hard. But I was fatigued and wasnt taking the time I needed to recover between projects, and it caught up with me, Renee explained. She added that she was sick of hearing her own voice and wanted to take the time to grow as a human being.

The post Why Renee Zellweger took a six-year break from Hollywood appeared first on HelloGiggles.
It was bedlam in the streets on Manhattans Lower East Side after Kanye West canceled a pop-up concert early Monday morning.

Read: Kanye Threatens to Sue Bodyguard, Fired for 'Flirting With Kim,' for $30 Million

Kanye West was reportedly set to perform at 2 a.m. inside New York Citys Webster Hall but the concert was canceled at the last minute.

Neighbors of the venue woke up to dented cars, debris in the streets and their windshields shattered after fans rioted in protest to the cancellation of the concert.

West tweeted that the show was sold-out, but fans continued to line up around the block to get in.

Show at 2am SOLD OUT  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) June 6, 2016

People outside tweeted the venue tweeted about the absolute madness in the streets.

Absolute madness at Webster Hall. 1:30 AM. Kanye West "secret" show. pic.twitter.com/oc8WOAYLtF  Andrew (@ndrewdonnelly) June 6, 2016

Crowd at Webster Hall after hearing the Kanye show is shut down. pic.twitter.com/DqqdnGdMc7  MrLXC (@MrLXC) June 6, 2016

Line just collapsed. Straight up bedlam. Rumors he's going to have the show outside. pic.twitter.com/n5O74av5EU  Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) June 6, 2016

One fan tweeted: The scene at Kanye's Webster Hall show is a full blown riot, complete with pepper spray. So wild!

At 1:45 a.m., the venue tweeted that there would be no late night concert.

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West did greet fans when he drove down 3rd Avenue near the club, and hung out of his sunroof to greet the crowd.

Read: Taylor Swift Takes Shot at Kanye During Speech: 'People Will Try to Take Credit For Your Fame'

When the Famous rapper and his wife, Kim Kardashian, returned to their hotel room, they apologized to fans for canceling the concert.

There is no late show at Webster Hall tonight. Please get home safely.  Webster Hall (@WebsterHall) June 6, 2016

The show, which was a make-up performance after the Power rapper was supposed to perform Sunday night at the Governors Ball music festival, but the concert was scrapped due to inclement weather in the New York area.

West did make an appearance in New Jersey at the annual Summer Jam music festival and then word got out a tiny club concert would happen in the early hours of Monday morning.

Watch: Leaked Tapes Reveal Kanye's Epic Backstage Meltdown at 'SNL'

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From Good Housekeeping

When I got a letter in the mail from The People's Court, I thought it was a joke. I didn't know the show was still on - or who even watches it. And how did they get my address in the first place?

But then I received a call from a producer, who briefed me on the details: As the "complainant," I could appear on the show to "try" the case I'd filed against a former roommate. If he agreed to show up, we could have a court date as soon as the next day.

My other option was to wait until my actual court date, tentatively slated for April 2016 - nine months after I'd first filed the suit. It had been so long since I paid my $15 filing fee at the courthouse that I'd almost forgotten about it. Apparently, the show's staff closely monitors cases and contacts impatient people like me who are trying to sue.

The producer explained that the show operates off of a $500 pot, with the winner getting the amount requested plus a bonus, and the loser getting the remainder of the pot. In my case, I was suing for $250, the cost of a few unpaid bills. If I won, I'd get $375, and he would get $125. If the awardee gets more than $500, the person who loses walks away with $50. After the show, the legal matter would be considered resolved. We both would lose the right to try the case in Brooklyn court.

The Case Against Him

I have to admit, I got excited. The producer said I had a great chance of winning, and we would both come away with money. Plus, it would make for a great story to tell my friends! I had so many questions: Did the judge really pound the gavel really hard every time, or did they use old footage? Who did they hire to play the bailiff? Would they even air a case for $250? I didn't think much about what would happen if I lost.

I had a pretty solid case. A few years ago, I moved into a four-bedroom apartment with three roommates - one longtime friend, a college acquaintance, and another person we found online. We agreed to split the cost of our $3,200 rent evenly. I work as a graphic designer, so I thought it would be great to live in a bustling Brooklyn neighborhood with a lot of artists and fun people.

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During the first few months everything went smoothly, until my friend needed to move out and we had to start looking for a new roommate on Craigslist. In New York, that can mean a parade of random, often crazy, people. One guy we brought in was on a major bender. We had to hunt for his family on social media and contact them because he started stealing our things. He only lasted four days!

At a Memorial Day barbecue, he drunkenly hit on my friends  then told my parents that there was a naked woman in his bedroom that he "couldn't wait to bang."

But the worst was Palermo.

A 25-year-old freelancer, he moved in in March 2015. The problems started almost immediately. He drank and constantly left weed and ashes all over my white kitchen table. At a Memorial Day barbecue, he drunkenly hit on my friends  then told my parents that there was a naked woman in his bedroom that he "couldn't wait to bang."

By then, it was me and three male roommates, and the environment in our house was crazy - and expensive. They often brought over women to stay the night. Each guy had a 32-inch TV in his bedroom, along with the 36-inch one in the living room. They played video games at least 12 hours a day. But when the bill came, they would complain that it was too high, especially Palermo.

The final straw came when I found 10 of my expensive drinking glasses in our yard full of rainwater, berries, and dirt from being left outside for weeks. I gave Palermo 45 days to leave. From then on, he stopped paying his part of the gas, electricity, and cleaning bill. I had to use his deposit for his last month of rent in July. Even after he moved out, he said the only way he would pay me the utilities is if a court made him do it. So I sued him for $250, the amount he owed.

The producers loved the details of the case and thought I would come out strong, so I started practicing, waiting to see if they would hear back from Palermo. A few months passed, and he agreed to appear on a day in January. Then I got a call. Palermo would be countersuing me for $3,300. I had charged him $900 a month in rent, but he argued that he deserved more due to "poor conditions." The producer agreed with me and said, "You will probably win this case. Don't worry about the amount he's suing for."

I felt confident. I was ready to take him on.

My Day in Court

On court day, I wore a blue and black blouse with a black blazer. (Patterns aren't good on TV.) They sent a car and a paper with the synopsis. You're supposed to read key lines from it when you introduce yourself. Waiting backstage to get my makeup done, the other contestants looked like they were about to walk out on Jerry Springer. I tried not to to be nervous.

The courtroom is a set with cameras, and it looked a lot smaller in person. The audience looked like a bunch of giggling teenagers. There were bright lights and two podiums. Then someone coolly announced that you're being sued in real time!

I took the stand and told Judge Marilyn Milian (who is technically just an arbitrator, despite having been a judge in Miami) exactly what had happened. In the beginning, she seemed like a real judge. She asked to see the utility bill. I overhead someone in production say she needed more paper, so after ruffling through the papers she asked again, this time saying she wanted to see the "actual bill." I gave her another copy. Soon she had the original bill and the proof of payment in her hand and a few other papers she crumpled together.

"Show me the actual bill!" she yelled. I didn't understand what she meant, so I pulled up an online statement on my phone, and showed it to her. She acted like she discovered something.

"You've been telling him one amount, and taking another!" she said.

"We split the bill," I explained.

She pretended she didn't hear me as she shuffled the papers. Again, she gathered the papers and asked me to see the bill. After another round of shuffling, she screamed that I was "wasting her time."

Do not interrupt me," she said. "Talking over me won't help you win."

Then, Palermo made his argument. He said that because I had used Airbnb to rent out my room, he shouldn't have to pay the same amount. I showed her a contract that we had signed showing that we had all agreed to split our living costs, the rent, and cleaning fees - and that Airbnb was okay. "How much of this split did you agree was for his rent?" she asked. It was around $900.

"That's not on here," she said, "You're smart to have this, but you didn't write an amount!" The amount was written there, clearly. I told her that.

"Do not interrupt me," she said. "Talking over me won't help you win."

I fell silent while he told her I had brought in guests from Airbnb without asking, and that he had to tolerate the guests and pay for cleaning up after them even though he didn't agree to them being there.

She asked him for evidence of his claims. He had none. Then she told me, "You made him tiptoe around your Airbnb guests."

It was so unfair. I thought, What about me paying all the bills upfront and waiting for up to 30 days for you to even pay me back? What about your revolving door of Tinder matches? What about that text you sent saying you would do anything you could to get me evicted? But every time I tried to give my side of the story she would interrupt, to show that I was "stuttering."

Then it was over. Because I had "disturbed his living space," she said, pausing, shuffling the papers yet again, "he would be awarded $700." Palermo had not paid his utility bills and admitted to not paying his rent for the last month, either. But she decided that a deposit couldn't go to rent.

I would be the loser after all, making only $50 for my appearance on the show.

The Aftermath

I started working as a video editor recently, and as I wait for the show to air, I think about how they will edit everything, especially the shuffling of the papers. I knew she repeated things to make me look unprepared.

The final shock came when I went back to the stand to retrieve my phone, which I'd left by accident. As I grabbed it and my papers from her desk, I saw that they were all blank, and not what I had handed her. She set me up.

The papers were all blank, and not what I had handed her. She set me up."

During the infamous exit interview, I couldn't help myself. I said, "The judge needs to learn to read a utility bill." I'm sure they're going to edit it and make me say "Airbnb is so great." Or something like that. The truth is, I do like Airbnb. I don't have roommates anymore, and I only rent the apartment's extra rooms to guests from the service now. But my ex-roommates and I had all agreed to use the service, and I know they're not going to show that.

Online, a lot of other people said they feel like they've been screwed on The People's Court. I only did it because I thought it was guaranteed money and a faster process, because the person who sues doesn't have to pay. Now, I wish I would have just tried my luck with a real judge.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday urged China and the United States to deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually-beneficial cooperation at a bilateral high-level dialogue.

Addressing the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), Xi said all countries share intertwined interests against the backdrop of world multi-polarization, economic globalization and social informatization.

Thus, China and the United States should strengthen their mutual trust by regular communication in order to avoid strategic misjudgment, he said.

The Chinese president also called on the two sides to expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, uphold the win-win principle, and raise the level of bilateral cooperation.

He urged both countries to strengthen coordination on their macroeconomic polices, jointly strive for achieving positive outcomes at the G20 Hangzhou summit with all parties concerned, and reach a reciprocal bilateral investment treaty at an early date.

China and the United States should also deepen cooperation in the areas of climate change, development, Internet, nonproliferation, military and law enforcement, and enhance communication and coordination on major global and regional issues, Xi added.

The S&ED is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday and Tuesday, while Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chairs the CPE with Kerry.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) - A woman who helped her bookkeeper husband steal $234,500 from former Saturday Night Live castmember Joe Piscopo has been spared a prison term.

Jennifer Larocca instead was sentenced Friday to three years' probation. That came one week after her husband received a three-year state prison term.

The New Jersey woman had pleaded guilty in February to theft.

Prosecutors say Piscopo hired Frank Larocca to pay the comedian's bills and manage his bank account. The thefts occurred between February 2010 and March 2014.

Authorities say the husband and wife were dealing with serious financial problems and used the money for personal expenses. They say the couple has agreed to make full restitution and have already paid back nearly $64,000.

Piscopo's run on SNL lasted from 1980-1984.

Read More: Bookkeeper Sentenced for Stealing $234K From Ex-'SNL' Actor Joe Piscopo
Today, the issue of sexual assault on campuses has hit the mainstream. In the 21st century, we talk about enthusiastic consent, navigating grey spaces, and social relationships that may complicate a sexual assault. We know that the vast majority of rapes are committed by someone who knows their victim.

But 20 years ago, that idea was baffling. The BBC has an interview with Katie Koestner, who, in 1990, launched the term date rape into the public lexicon when she went public with her story of sexual assault by a date who appeared to be her Prince Charming.

In her first week at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, Koestner, then 18, met another student who asked her out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. She was impressed and attracted to him. After dinner, she invited him back to her dorm room in a women-only residence. He raped her in her dorm.

In the aftermath, no one believed it was rape. The other student thought that it was the beginning of a relationship; he left her voicemails saying he loved her. Koestner's father told her that it wouldnt have happened if she hadnt let him into her room and hung up on her. Even though she pursued a sexual misconduct hearing through the school and the other student was found guilty, the dean of the university told Koestner that they made a nice couple and she should consider getting back together with him.

In 1990, rape was still stranger rape, Koestner wrote. It was not about people you liked or you were dating. People said you could be raped by someone off the street, they said, Park where it's well lit, don't walk alone. I knew all those things. My dad gave me pepper spray when I went to college. I didn't wear it around my neck on a date, though.

One comment from her story is still familiar today. The presumption was men who committed rape could never be well-educated, affluent, or talented at sports, she wrote.

Its a bias that's still common for many. High-profile cases have accused schools of protecting alleged accusers at the expense of victims and more than 100 colleges are being investigated by federal authorities for their handling of sexual assault cases. In the legal court system, the sentencing of a Stanford University student convicted of sexual assault drew public outrage when he was sentenced to only six months in jail out of a possible 14 years. His victim spoke publicly about seeing his swim times listed in a story about the assault.

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In the aftermath of her assault, Koestner wrote a public letter about her experience, which she sent to a local newspaper. That letter got picked up by other media and her story went nationwide. She ended up on the cover of Time magazine and the nation began a new discussion about rape and consent. After her assault, Koestner began advocating for better awareness of rape and rape victims. Today, she still advocates with the Take Back The Night Foundation and on social media.

You can read the full interview with Koestner at the BBCs website.

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Hillary Clinton Is The Presumptive Democratic Nominee

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Update: Three Women Claim To Have Thwarted A Rapist In Viral Facebook Post
Janet Yellen isn't biting on any predictions about Donald Trump .

Asked about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee after she delivered remarks in Philadelphia on Monday, the Federal Reserve chair said she and her colleagues weren't making predictions about the effects of a Trump White House.

"I'm sorry, I've got nothing for you on that," she said when asked about the chances of a global "economic crash" following a Trump victory.

"We're very focused on doing our jobs, and we'll just  we'll see what happens," she added amid others' clapping and laughter in the room.

Trump has previously said he would be inclined to replace Yellen as the Fed chair. Last year he alleged the Fed had kept rates low to help President Barack Obama's administration.

"They are not raising them because Obama has asked them not to raise them," Trump said in November . "In my opinion he wants to get out of office because we are in a bubble and when those rates are raised, a lot of bad things are gonna happen."







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Kuwait City (AFP) - Yemen's warring parties have pledged to free all child prisoners but have failed to reach agreement on a wider release for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the UN envoy said on Monday.

"In the prisoners committee, an agreement was made on the unconditional release of children," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

There was no immediate word on how many children are held prisoner by the Saudi-backed government or by Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies.

The UN envoy had been trying to push the two sides to agree to release half of all their prisoners before Ramadan, which began on Monday.

After almost seven weeks of negotiations, the two sides have failed to make progress on any of the core issues in the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait.

The rebels and their allies have held out against demands contained in a UN Security Council resolution for their surrender of heavy weaponry and withdrawal from areas, including the capital, which they have seized since 2014.

The government has resisted proposals for a unity administration with the rebels, fearing it would undermine the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

The UN envoy said that despite the lack of progress, both sides remained engaged in the talks, which would continue through Ramadan, when Muslims observe a daytime fast.

In the past few days, the talks have been overshadowed by rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in third city Taez, which killed 11 civilians.

The UN envoy condemned the bombardment and urged both sides to respect a ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

"The attack against a crowded market in Taez is unethical. We condemn the bloody incidents in Taez despite the cessation of hostilities," he said.

There have been no face-to-face meetings between the two sides over the past week. The UN envoy has met with the delegations separately in an effort to come up with bridging proposals.
By Princy James

In the last point, I dont even remember what happened. It was really one of those thingsmoments where you just try to be there. Its like my spirit has left my body and I was just observing my body.

Novak Djokovic used the aforementioned words to sum up his historic triumph in Roland Garros, something he called one of the most beautiful moments in his life, as he vanquished Andy Murray  the first Brit since Fred Perry in 1935 to reach the finals of the French Open  3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4, for the fifth time in a Grand Slam final.

Djokovic now has won all the four Majors consecutively, and has completed a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam, a feat neither Roger Federer, nor Rafael Nadal, could pull off.

The benevolent rain gods didnt disappoint the crowd gathered at Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, who chorused for their beloved Nole, once again prophesing their love for the man who had won their hearts with his relentless quest for that one trophy that had been eluding him all these years.

It was an oddity, for Djokovics score had always been way below to that of Federer or Nadal when it comes to popularity section.

If anyone could empathise with what poor Murray had to go through in Roland Garros yesterday  battling not just his opponent, but the crowd as well  that would be the Serbian.



The World No:1 had been waiting for that moment to happen, to finally kiss The Musketeers Trophy that had been playing hard to get for so long.

Frankly speaking, him being called a bionic man or ultimate machine shouldnt be confused with a paen laced with love; its a compliment alloted to him because his stats got too impressive to be ignored. The Serbians place never belong with the revered ones  Federer and Nadal, who have always been the darlings of the crowd from the start.

But things will change, because what Djokovic has achieved, is something nobody could in long time, ever since the days of legendary Rod Laver.

Judging from his form, it is reasonable to conclude that a Calender Year Grand Slam isnt that hard for Djokovic to emulate, and if that happens, he can equal the record of Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal this season itself. What then remains will be Federers 17, which is no longer perceieved unattainable, given the lonegvity of the players today.

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I really think everything is achievable in life, said a jubilant Djokovic,who seems to have already set his eyes on the next target.



It has been 47 years since Rod Laver completed a Calender Year Grand Slam in 1969; that explains the magnitude of Djokovics feat. Its no less acheivement, considering that his career had to coincide with two of the greatest players of all-time. It was a long wait for Djokovic to find acceptance, but now he has made sure no one will forget him, ever.

Image credit: AP
From Good Housekeeping

Even if you cash in on the many hidden perks, there's one Amazon secret you probably don't know about: The website doesn't showcase the lowest price every time.

In fact, a new study by Northeastern University revealed the online marketplace will often hide the cheapest deals from what's called the "buy box," or where you add a product to your cart. Since dozens of retailers can sell the exact same item on Amazon, a complicated algorithm determines which one takes that featured spot. And the best deal isn't an overriding factor.

For example, check out one of Amazon's best-selling kitchen products: a tupperware set. You could buy the collection from the manufacturer for $15.98. But if you read the fine print below, there are 49 other offers for the same product, including one for $13.85. Clicking on that link will reveal every available price, and a possibly a cheaper option.

Just remember to factor in additional shipping costs; a couple dollars of savings won't cancel out a huge delivery fee. But for big-ticket items like electronics and appliances, a little extra research could save you some serious cash.

[h/t Motherboard]
Mmm, fresh human meat..

There are some new additions to the menu for Season 2 of CBS Zoo (premiering Tuesday, June 28 at 9/8c), and TVLine has your first look at two of em.

RELATEDCBS Zoo Adds Warehouse 13 Alum Joanne Kelly

In Season 2 of the summertime drama (based on the novel by James Patterson), the danger escalates as the animal mutation moves to Phase 2 and they begin attacking infrastructure and creating deadly environmental phenomena in an effort to make the planet uninhabitable. Meanwhile, the team discovers a shocking mutation that threatens the life of one of their own.

Among those joining the fight, in the above photo you see Josh Salatin (The Carrie Diaries, Show Me a Hero) as Logan, a stranger Jamie (played by Kristen Connolly) encounters who might be holding a dangerous secret from her. Says James Wolk, whos back as Jackson Oz, The audience wont be sure where Logan stands  is he with the team or is he against us?

RELATEDSummer TV Schedule: 110+ Dates to Save in June and July

Meanwhile, Alyssa Diaz (Ray Donovan, Army Wives), seen below, plays Dariela, a member of a military unit that encounters a strange and troubling new development in the animal mutation. She comes in and joins us in our mission, Wolk previews.

Also new to the mix, as first reported by TVLine, is Warehouse 13 alum Joanne Kelly as Allison Shaw, the Deputy Secretary of Defense who is actively seeking a solution to the animal crisis  and who is related to one of our characters, Wolk teases.

My favorite part of television is characters, watching people interact, Wolk shared with TVLine Monday at a CBS summer press event. And this year we have three new great characters that are entirely different and add to the show.

Want more scoop on Zoo, or for any other show? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matts Inside Line.

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Horrific parenting: A dad trying to educate his naughty daughter accidentally threw a pair of scissors into her temple. The 10-year-old girl with the scissors stuck in her head was rushed to hospital in Shanghai on June 3. After hours of surgery, the surgeon removed the 15 centimeters' long scissors from her head. The girl's father said he was just "trying to scare his daughter because she was playing with her little brother while doing her homework".

The little girl is awake from the surgery now, but needs further treatment.
After beating one of the smartest Go players in the world, Googles DeepMind AlphaGo artificial intelligence is about to take on an even better player. This time around, the number one Go player in the world is going to try to beat Google's AI at whats regarded at the toughest game in the world for computers.

Whats even more amazing about the whole thing is that Ke Jie, the Chinese Go prodigy in question, is just 18 years old.

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AlphaGo beat Lee Se-dol in March, winning four out of the five games that took place. In fact, AlphaGo won three straight games in a row against the human, settling the dispute long before the fifth match. However, as Ars Technica points out, Lee was the worlds top-rated Go Player between 2007 and 2011 and was ranked fourth when he faced AlphaGo.

At the time, Ke made fun of AlphaGo on social networks, refusing a potential game against Googles AI.

I dont want to compete with AlphaGo because judging from its matches with Lee, AlphaGo is weaker than me. I dont want AlphaGo to copy my style, he wrote on Weibo, defying AlphaGo. Even if AlphaGo can defeat Lee Se-dol, it cant beat me."

He changed tune soon after AlphaGo won the third game. AlphaGo was perfect and made no mistake. If the conditions are the same, it is highly likely that I can lose, he said.

Since then, it appears that Ke changed his mind, and he wants to try to beat the computer. The historic game will take place at some point this year, although theres no firm date for this exciting face off. Both sides are inclined to make it happen, Ars says. Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that International Go Federation executive member Yang Junan announced on Sunday that Ke will play AlphaGo by the end of the year.

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This article was originally published on BGR.com
Getty/Shutterstock

Youd think Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook and one of the tech industrys current leaders, would have secure passwords. Hes been on the receiving end of hacks for a while now, so of course his personal passwords are some randomized collection of characters jumbled together by an algorithm, right? Nope, and that speaks to a deeper problem with security on the internet.

How Mark Zuckerberg Got Hacked

A hacking collective calling itself OurMine Team managed to get into Zuckerbergs Twitter and Pinterest accounts. That would be embarrassing enough, but how they got in is even worse. First of all, Zuckerbergs password was dadada. While we can respect any man who puts his love of German synthpop band Trio front and center, thats far from the most secure of passwords. For a password to be theoretically secure, it needs to be at least eight characters long, contain uppercase, lowercase, and symbols, and cant contain any identifying information. Musical preferences aside, this is pretty embarrassing for a man who runs a company that collects data on roughly a seventh of the worlds population.

Worse, though, is how the collective got the password. It appears that Zuckerberg is the most visible target of the historical mega breaches, enormous hacks of passwords and usernames from websites that remain unreleased for months or years, only to turn up later and make users lives a misery. The collective got Zuckerbergs password from the notorious LinkedIn breach of 2011, and hed just never bothered to change it. Or, perhaps, he didnt even realize he was using the same password for all his social media accounts.

The good news is that his Facebook, and the depths of Facebooks code, remain uncompromised. This is just Zuckerbergs personal accounts. But if were being fair to Zuckerberg, the problem isnt just with human nature; its with how passwords themselves are designed.

How To Build A Better Password

The irony is theres nobody who hates passwords more than the people who build password login pages. Microsoft recently created a blacklist of stupid passwords as a security measure for Windows. MasterCard is ditching passwords and PIN numbers altogether in favor of making you take a selfie. Yes, duck face is a better security tool than a strong password.

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The issue goes beyond the fact that Password1 is technically a strong password. The passwords were told to build are increasingly easy for computers to solve through brute force, because theyre usually short and thus have a limited number of iterations. But theyre complex enough that theyre difficult for us to remember. That reduces security on two fronts: One, it means breaches will become increasingly common as more computer power can be thrown at guessing passwords, and two, it means were more likely to fall victim to what hackers call social engineering.

Social engineering is pretty simple, really: Just use human frailty to figure out passwords and other data. If youve ever gotten a robocall from Rachel from Card Services or an email claiming your Facebook password needs to be changed from yolo420belieber@hotmail.com, youve been on the receiving end of social engineering attempts. And theyre crude because it doesnt take all that much effort, sheer volume will often do the trick. Back in 2003, security researchers got most of an office to cough up their passwords in exchange for a pen, and things have not improved since.

How We Can Be Safer

For now, its mostly up to us to keep our passwords secure and our data safe. With your passwords, the best thing to do is to stick to the rules and use longer, more complicated passwords where you can and where it really matters. Also make a point of using different passwords for crucial material like bank accounts, financial documents, and social media.

As for counteracting social engineering, keep hanging up on Rachel and deleting the Belieber, but more importantly, dont blithely accept that people are who they say they are. If you get a phone call from a human being claiming an issue with your credit card, for example, thank the caller for their concern, tell them youll call back, and then dial the 800 number on the back of your card to confirm the issue. If somebody calls your office claiming to be the IT guy, tell them thanks for the tip and youll put the IT guy in your building right on it. When it comes to your data, if you dont have any proof the person youre talking to is legit, dont assume that they are.

In possibly just a few years, passwords will be just one part of a larger continuum of security measures that include chip-and-PIN tools on your credit card, iris scans, facial recognition, and much more. Until then, the responsibility of protecting our data falls to us.
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower court's decision to allow a class action lawsuit against Google Inc to proceed regarding claims that the company deceived California advertisers about the placement of Internet ads through its Adwords service. The court decided not to hear Google's appeal of a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last September that the litigation could move forward as a class action representing advertisers who used the service between 2004 and 2008. Google is part of Alphabet Inc. A Google spokesman said the company does not comment on pending litigation. The 2008 lawsuit accused Google of violating California fair advertising laws because it misled advertisers about where the ads would be placed. The Adwords service was primarily aimed at placing ads next to relevant Google Internet search results. But the plaintiffs said Google should have disclosed that ads would also appear in undesirable places such as error pages and undeveloped websites known as parked domains. A federal district court judge in 2012 ruled that the case could not move forward as a class action in part because each advertiser would receive different damages. Each advertiser would have paid a different sum for the ads in question, the judge said. The appeals court reversed the district court, prompting Google to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Under a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court precedent involving claims brought by employees against Wal-Mart Stores Inc, class actions can move forward only if each plaintiff has a similar claim and that claim can be resolved on a class-wide basis. The Supreme Court has shied away from taking new class action cases since the death in February of Justice Antonin Scalia, who had authored the 2011 Wal-Mart ruling. Scalia had been a leader of the court's moves in recent years to curb class action litigation, although that trend was not borne out in three class action cases decided during its current term. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
Through Oscars, breakups, and Jimmy Kimmel feuds, Ben Affleck and Matt Damons friendship has passed the test of time  and now they have the award to prove it.

The Boston natives bromance was in full effect Saturday night, as the longtime pals accepted the Guys of the Decade award at the 10th Spike TV Guys Choice Awards in Culver City, California.

WATCH: Matt Damon Pops Out of Ben Afflecks Coat, Crashes Jimmy Kimmels Post-Oscars Special

While they didnt walk the carpet together, the veteran actors stole the show on stage with an epic acceptance speech.

I think it goes without saying that this is an award Matt and I have been dreaming about since we were little boys, Affleck began, joking of the pairs childhood growing up in Massachusetts. I did Gigli and Matt did that Liberace movie, and all of a sudden, it all seemed out of reach. Then I did [Batman v Superman] and all of a sudden, it was back in reach again.

Now were thecoveted Dudes of the Decadethe Guys of the Dheads? the father-of-three continued as the audience erupted in laughter.

No, the Dheads of the Decade Award. What is it called? Damon asked before finally getting it right. Its the Guys of the Decade.

NEWS: Gigi Hadid Steals the Spotlight In a Sexy LBD at Guys Choice Awards  See her Stunning Look!

Although not a soul would dare question the authenticity of the Affleck/Damon friendship, what acceptance speech would be complete without a little smack talk about their other famous pals? We will cherish this, and we want to recognize some of the other nominees, The Martian star stated. Some of the dudes who werent quite as decade-worthy: George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Fk you guys! Affleck quipped.

Shade thrown!

The pair went on to mention several other dynamic duos, calling out James Franco and Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith, and Ben and Jerry.

Were honored to share this fake award with all of you, Damon declared. And after decades and decades of friendship, I want to thank my ultimate man of the decade

Story continues

Thank you, Affleck interrupted.

I wasnt talking to you, Damon snapped back, inciting one last roar from the crowd.

The Oscar winners concluded their time on the stage with a heartfelt thank you to the troops, who they also made time for during the event. An eyewitness tells ET that the actors were surrounded by service men and women throughout the night. Damon and Affleck sat by the troops during the show and were seen taking pictures and selfies during a commercial break.

NEWS: Chrissy Teigen Sports a Sexy, Plunging Tuxedo at Guys Choice Awards  Less Than Two Months After Daughters Birth!

The 2016 Guys Choice Awards will air on Thursday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV.

Almost 20 years after Affleck and Damon brought their bromance to the big screen in Good Will Hunting, Damon returned to MIT as commencement speaker for the class of 2016. Hear what he had to say in the video below.

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Sister Wives star Maddie Brown is officially a married woman!

The 20-year-old reality star said "I do" to Caleb Brush in an outdoor ceremony in Bozeman, Montana, on Saturday according to Us Weekly. Brown's mother, Janelle, also confirmed the news on Twitter.

WATCH: 'Sister Wives' Star Maddie Brown Engaged!

The blushing bride wore a strapless white gown and opted for a half-up, half-down 'do for the intimate outdoor ceremony, while Brush, 28, donned khakis and a light gray vest over a white dress shirt.

The whole family was reportedly there to celebrate the couple's milestone. Brown's father, Krody, even officiated the bohemian-themed ceremony.

Leading up to the ceremony, Brown took to Instagram to share pics of how she and her beau were gearing up for the big day.

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same," she captioned a selfie with Brush, which was posted four days before their nuptials.

PHOTOS: Beautiful Brides: The Best Celebrity Wedding Dresses

She also shared a sweet black-and-white pic of the two mid-lip lock, captioning it, "And anyone who saw how she looked at him knew she was hooked."

As ET previously reported, Brush popped the question in September with a blue sparkler while the two were out riding ATVs. "We would just like to say thank you to everyone for the love and support we have received!" she later wrote on Instagram. "Loving all the positivity!!"

NEWS: Taylor Swift Surprises Fan With Performance at His Wedding

Congrats to the happy couple!

Relive their adorable engagement in the video below.

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The Hubble telescope. (File photo)

Along with the construction of a space station, China also plans to launch an independent optical facility in the coming years, the function of which will be similar to the Hubble telescope. The field of view of the optical cabin will be 300 times as large as that of the Hubble, and the cabin will be connected with the space station, said Gu Yidong, technology consultant of China's manned space flight project and academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

"Currently, China has planned a series of scientific research platforms and facilities for the space station. The optical cabin is the biggest confirmed project so far," Gu Yidong explained. The caliber of the telescope is about 2 meters, and its resolution is near that of the Hubble. The optical cabin will conduct heterochromatic photometry and slitless spectroscopy sky surveys.

According to Gu, the optical cabin will boast an unprecedented observational depth and resolution. The cabin will stay in orbit with the space station, and will connect to the station when it needs maintenance or upgrades.

Chinas space station is expected to be completed in 2020. It will be used for a wide variety of scientific research.
The military relationship between China and the U.S. dominated discussion during the 15th Shangri-la Dialogue, which kicked off last Friday in Singapore.

During the three-day summit, about 600 military chiefs and officials, as well as experts and scholars from around 30 different countries, gathered in Singapore to discuss regional security and other related topics.

In a keynote speech delivered on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said China could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation. His remarks were received by many people as a nod to the Cold War mentality.

As a senior U.S. official, Carters mindset is doing no favors for the productive development of China-U.S. relations. A healthy and stable military relationship plays a big role in bilateral ties, so this type of Cold War thinking is not helpful as the two sides strive to improve their relations.

Since Chinese and American heads of state met at the Annenberg Estate three years ago, bilateral military relations have had decent momentum. For example, the two countries established a mutual report mechanism for major military actions, and formulated the Rules of Behavior for Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters. These measures represent a historic step forward in the development of mutual trust.

In 2014, the Chinese navy was invited to join the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval drill, which is organized by the U.S. navy, for the first time. Five Chinese navy fleets will join RIMPAC again this year. Nevertheless, a lack of mutual trust still hinders the development of a stable military relationship, and the U.S. is the party at fault.

First of all, the U.S. is still skeptical of routine Chinese military developments. In addition, the U.S. does not respect China's core interests and concerns. U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, close monitoring by U.S. aircraft and vessels, and discriminatory laws against China have all long hindered China-U.S. relations.

Instead of solving those problems, the U.S. has taken counterproductive measures. For instance, the recent "freedom of navigation operation" launched by the U.S. near Chinas Nansha and Xisha Islands has severely affected mutual military trust. Moreover, some individuals in the U.S. government, military and think tanks are still aiming to contain China. Many of these people are single-mindedly focused on alliance-based containment policies that hark back to the Cold War.

As the largest developing and developed countries, China and the U.S. both shoulder responsibility for peace, stability and prosperity around the world. A sound military relationship is not only in the best interest of the two peoples, it is also important to many other countries. During the three-day Shangri-la Dialogue, a number of leaders expressed dissatisfaction with current relations between China and the U.S., and few were willing to take sides.

China and the U.S. should not be blinded by self-interest. Instead, they should seek common ground and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. The Pacific Ocean is large enough to accommodate both China and the U.S. As the heads of state of both nations agreed, China and the U.S. should deal with disputes in the spirit of "respect, mutual trust, equality and reciprocity."

Doing so will help to build a sound and stable bilateral military relationship, which will greatly benefit regional and global security.

(The author is a researcher with China's Naval Research Institute.)

Thus article was edited and translated from (), Source: People's Daily
The 94-year-old Wu Mengchao is revered as the father of hepatobiliary surgery in China.

Wu is the President of the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, the third auxiliary hospital of the Second Military Medical University. In spite of his great age, Wu still does many complex hepatobiliary surgeries every week. Furthermore, he manages the daily work of the hepatobiliary department and trains postgraduates and doctors.

Wu was born in a poor famer's home in southeast China's Fujian province in August 1922. When he was five years old, Wu went to Malaysia with his mother and rejoined his father who made a living there. He helped his father tap rubber trees after school.

The Guanghua School which Wu studied in was founded by overseas Chinese.

According to local customs, a middle school and students' parents should arrange a meal for all the graduates from a middle school. When enough money had been raised for the graduates at the Guanghua School, Wu as the class monitor recommended that it would be better to donate the money to the officers and soldiers who fought against Japanese invaders during WWII. Wu's proposal received unanimous support from all his classmates.

With the help of Chen Jiageng, a patriotic overseas Chinese, all their money went to the Eighth Route Army in Yan'an of northwest China's Shaanxi province. During the graduation ceremony, the school received a telegram written in the name of Mao Zedong and Zhu De from the headquarters of Eighth Route Army. In this telegram, the Eighth Route Army expressed their gratitude.

In 1940, the 18-year-old Wu Mengchao went back to China and decided to contribute his efforts in the fight against the Japanese invaders. After landing in southwest China's Yunnan province, he could not find his way to Yan'an for a while. Therefore, he continued his study in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. Later, he learned from Qiu Fazu, the father of modern Chinese surgery.

In 1949, Wu Mengchao, a graduate from Tongji University in Shanghai, became a resident in the People's Medical College of the East China Military Commanding Region, which was called the Second Military Medical University later. From that moment, Wu has been applying for the membership of the Chinese Communist Party. In 1956, Wu joined the Communist Party of China and became a chief doctor.

"It is already a great suffering for a patient to endure the afflictions and pains brought by illnesses and diseases. Furthermore, they might spend all their savings or even become overburdened with debts. As a doctor, we should put ourselves in their shoes and reduce treatment cost for them," said Wu. These are the most frequently mentioned words during Wu's talk with young doctors.

Wu emphasizes once and again that a doctor should prescribe the cheapest one among all the medicines should they have the same medical efficacy on a patient.

Wu said that he might not be able to realize a cure for liver cancers during this life and hopes to cultivate more talents in the fight against cancers. Wu has trained more than 70 doctors and postdoctoral research fellows specializing in hepatobiliary surgery.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:

The European Union supports the launch of negotiations on a comprehensive settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, says Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for the EU high representative.

Speaking to Trend on the issue June 6, she added that the EU fully backs the ongoing work of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairs.

"The Vienna meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents on May 16 was a necessary step in order to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," she noted.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 with participation of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

"The reiterated commitments made by the two presidents to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict are of utmost importance," Kocijancic further said.

She noted that the agreements reached on measures aimed at the reduction of violence, strengthening the ceasefire, humanitarian issues, and on the resumption of high-level negotiations on a comprehensive settlement in June are also encouraging.

"Such a meeting should take further steps towards the commitments achieved in Vienna," added Kocijancic.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Baku Network expert council discussed the results of escalation of the conflict in early April on the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontline.

Elkhan Alasgarov, head of the Baku Network expert council, US Azeris Network (USAN) Director General Adil Baghirov, USAN co-director Jeyhun Mollazade and USAN member Bedir Mammadli participated in the discussions.

The experts stressed that Armenian provocation led to the escalation over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

It was noted that Azerbaijani army was able to liberate some of its lands, and therefore tactically it was a major success by the Azerbaijani army, which was also acknowledged by Armenian government.

Experts also talked about their expectations on the negotiations process, which has been trigerred and the efforts that international community should make to push forward a solution of the Karabakh conflict.

During the discussions it was stressed that Azerbaijan has send a message to the international community that the country still hopes to find a solution to the conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and that the country will never accept Armenia-initiated status quo.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The European Union hopes that the next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will become a concrete step in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's settlement, Malena Mard, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, told Trend June 6.

"As you know, the OSCE Minsk Group is working on the issue [the conflict's settlement]," said Mard. "Of course, we support this process and hope that the next meeting, if it takes place in June, can become a concrete step towards the conflict's settlement."

She went on to add that this is also an important issue in the EU's agenda.

Earlier, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick told Trend that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs met with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Brussels May 31 to follow up on the outcomes of the Vienna meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents held May 16, and prepare for the presidents' next meeting.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 with participation of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Although there is no date set for the next presidential meeting, the OSCE MG expects it to take place in June, added Warlick.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

Trend:

Azerbaijan's Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Ethiopia Elman Abdullayev has presented his credentials to Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Azerbaijan's embassy in Addis Ababa told Trend June 6.

During the meeting, the ambassador conveyed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's greetings and best wishes to Djibouti's president.

Abdullayev noted that there is a great potential to develop the relations between Azerbaijan and Djibouti which is one of the important countries in the African continent.

Djibouti's president asked the ambassador to convey his greetings and regards to Azerbaijan's president and noted that his country attaches great importance to the development of relations with Azerbaijan.

Ismail Omar Guelleh wished success to Azerbaijan's ambassador in his future activities.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in various spheres.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Friedrich Ischinger in Berlin.

They pointed to good cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Munich Security Conference. Azerbaijan`s active involvement in the organization`s work was underscored. The country`s contribution to ensuring global security was hailed during the meeting.

They broadly discussed the Armenian armed forces` provocation committed on the line of troops` contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in early April, as well as settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

Trend:

Amendments made to a number of documents on obtaining e-visa in Azerbaijan have entered into force June 6, 2016, the press service of Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers told Trend.

The amendments concern the "Procedure for filling visa form", "Visa application form" sample and the decision "On approval of "Request of party, which invited foreigner or person without citizenship to Azerbaijan" sample."

In accordance with the amendments, the procedure for obtaining an e-visa by foreigners at the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has been defined, and the sample of application form to obtain this visa on the territory of Azerbaijan has been confirmed.

These changes came following the recent decree by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, who on June 1 signed a decree on simplification of e-visas issuance procedure and the creation of the ASAN Viza system.



The decree was signed in order to simplify procedure for issuing visas to foreigners and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan, as well as creation of an e-visa system ensuring transparency and efficiency with the use of modern information technologies.

Foreigners, who are willing to visit Azerbaijan, will be able to get visas online, after Azerbaijan launches its "ASAN Visa" system.



Visas will be issued through a single online portal online within three days without applying to state organizations. Foreign citizens, tourists can use the services of the ASAN Viza portal to arrive in Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

Trend:

Bakcell, The First Mobile Operator and Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan is pleased to announce that "Kvotter" and "Flapus" projects, being the participants of "AppLab" program took 1st and 2nd place respectively, during the "Yeni Fikir 2016" (New Idea) competition, held by Qafqaz University (QU Technopark).

The aim of the "Yeni Fikir" competition is to support the development of innovative entrepreneurship. It stimulates entrepreneurship among youth, which leads to the quality improvement at scientific researches, as well as personnel training. "Yeni Fikir" plays a bridge role between enterprising youth and business world.

"We are glad to witness every successful step made by AppLab members. Being a national mobile operator, we proudly support young talents who are laying down the foundation of fast-developing future of ICT sector in Azerbaijan", says Fedja Hadzic, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of Bakcell. "Every single project selected to be a part of AppLab family has the same chances, tools and opportunities provided by Bakcell and its partners. This in fact is another ground for them to be able to compete and grow at the same time." adds Mr. Hadzic.

The aim of AppLab's Kvotter project is to create a social network that will allow its users to share quotes they liked from books, magazines, websites and even digital devices. Using an ordinary camera, by texting or scanning photos, users can simply share the said information with their friends.

Flapus - AppLab's another qualifier project, is an organizer for smartphones that allows users to send reminders to each other, as simple as texting messages. This program makes it easy for users to create tasks for themselves and send tasks to others to ensure that the recipient is reminded of the task at the appropriate time or location. Rather than expecting someone to put something on their to-do list, Flapus allows users to directly create tasks for others and to choose when or where to remind them about it.

AppLab is an accelerated execution framework to support selected developers to drive execution of ideas, mobile apps and technologies from proof of concept to launch at a regional level. Apart from supporting the developers by providing space and tools to develop and distribute mobile applications, Bakcell, in partnership with Wayra UK, provides the local developers an opportunity to present their ideas and receive investments.

Bakcell, The First Mobile Operator and the Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, offers a variety of products for modern mobile communications customers. Bakcell provides class leading 3G mobile internet experience in the country under the Su[email protected] brand name.

As one of the largest national non-oil investors, Bakcell today continues making large investments in the economy of Azerbaijan through its investments in state-of-the-art telecommunication technology and its people who service our customers.

Bakcell's network covers more than 99% of the population and 93% of the land area of the country (excluding occupied territories). Bakcell is a leader in innovation and it focuses on bringing the best of the mobile internet to Azerbaijanis through new partnerships and its Su[email protected] services.

For more information about Bakcell products and services, please visit www.bakcell.com or call 555.For press releases please see www.bakcell.com/az/news (or www.bakcell.com/en/news for press releases in English).

If you are not a Bakcell subscriber, but wish to find out about Bakcell and its services, please call 055 000 05 55.

Qafqaz University began an innovation through QU Technopark that was set up in accordance with international principles. QU Technopark is well known for driving innovation across many levels of the education sector in Azerbaijan. At present, QUTechnopark is located on a dedicated area of nearly 1,000 m2 within Qafqaz University consisting of 20 different offices.

Along with the Incubation Center, there are office premises in the QUTechnopark allocated to 11 companies, 5 of which work here for a long time already. At present, works are underway for the construction of a new building of technopark.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The office term of the World Bank (WB) country manager for Azerbaijan, Larisa Leshchenko, will expire in late June 2016, the WB Baku office told Trend June 6.

For the present, it is unknown who will lead the WB Baku office.

Currently, the WB management is selecting candidates for that position, said the WB office.

World Bank's country manager is usually appointed for three years, but this term can be extended for another year. Leshchenko was appointed the WB country manager for Azerbaijan in September 2012.

Azerbaijan became a WB member in 1992.

The World Bank has allocated nearly $3.786 billion worth loans to Azerbaijan as of Feb. 1, 2016. Those funds were directed to finance over 60 projects.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

"The French Agency for Development has already affected 112.5 M euros for transport. But it could spend the same amount and even more for agriculture support in the framework of the program "rural development and agro industry support" if projects in this field justify it " said Aurelia Bouchez, France's ambassador to Azerbaijan.

This is the largest amount of funds allocated by the AFD in the South Caucasus, she said at the 3rd Donors' Coordination Meeting in Baku June 6.

Bouchez also noted that an AFD mission will visit Baku in autumn to discuss the cooperation in the sector of agriculture.

Currently, Azerbaijan and France are cooperating in the livestock breeding, artificial insemination, viticulture and others, she added.

Bouchez also said France is sharing its experience with Azerbaijan in agriculture, especially for modernizing the veterinary and epidemiological service.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The European Union is one of the largest creditors of Azerbaijan's agriculture sector, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, Malena Mard told reporters June 6 in Baku.

She said the EU is implementing a number of projects in this sphere, in particular, a joint project worth 40 million euros with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Moreover, she noted, the EU works with Azerbaijan's Ministry of Agriculture for the development of an electronic agriculture system and a land information system.

Mard said that another important issue is education, adding that the EU works jointly with the Agriculture Ministry and the ADA University to improve the training level of the agriculture specialists.

She went on to add that the EU is also implementing a twinning project aimed at developing the veterinary service in Azerbaijan.

Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Aurelia Bouchez, in turn, said the project is being implemented jointly with France and Spain.

France wants to bring the highest standards of veterinary medicine to Azerbaijan, noted Bouchez.

She added that France also helps Azerbaijan with financial support mechanisms.

France has already allocated more than 100 million euros to Azerbaijan and wants to expand the financing of the agriculture sector, added the ambassador.

Bouchez noted that under the current economic conditions, when the role of agriculture in Azerbaijan's economy is increasing, France is interested in expanding its cooperation in this area.

France is ready to share its experience with Azerbaijan in the animal husbandry, artificial insemination, seed growing and wine-growing, added the envoy.

Meanwhile, said Bouchez, France is interested in establishing cooperation between the French Academy of Agriculture and Azerbaijan's specialized educational institutions, and plans to organize a visit of a delegation of French professors to the country and start the exchange of experience between the two countries' students.

She noted that France intends to become one of Azerbaijan's main partners in the development of agriculture.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

OPEC is close to its upper limit in terms of output, with only limited gains expected from Iran and Iraq this year, analysts of the US JP Morgan bank said in their weekly Oil Market report, obtained by Trend.

OPEC spare capacity remains largely concentrated in heavy crude offshore Saudi Arabia and its direct neighbours, analysts stressed.

They also said that the lack of an agreement at the latest OPEC meeting has the hallmarks of the difference of opinion between Iran and Saudi Arabia that was evident in Doha in April and may be still simmering.

Iran's output is currently assessed at 3.8 million barrels per day in June.

Analysts mentioned that ahead of the meeting, Iran's oil minister stressed the need for country-level quotas, without which a collective target or ceiling would effectively be meaningless.

While there was hope that this would enable an agreement to be reached, Iran's apparent desire to see the appropriate cap for Iranian output would be 14.5 percent of OPEC production - excluding Iraq (and presumably Indonesian volumes), may have proved too divisive for the Conference to accept. We estimate that this would be above 4.0 mbd and would require other producers to have shouldered cuts," analysts said.

Thus the structural flaw at the heart of OPEC's current structure remains unresolved, they added.

Earlier Iran said the country targets producing 4.8 million barrels per day of crude oil in the next five years.

On June 2 OPEC failed to agree on output policy and set a new ceiling.

The next OPEC meeting will be held Nov. 30 in Vienna.

Total OPEC oil production in April averaged 32.44 million barrels per day, an increase of 188,000 barrels per day over the previous month, according to OPEC latest Oil Market Report.

Saudi Arabia's oil production in April averaged 10.125 million barrels per day compared 10.133 million barrels per day in March.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR increased the number of its filling stations in Romania to 34, said the company in a message June 6.

SOCAR commissioned a filling station under its brand name in Romanian city of Pitesti.

Currently, the company operates filling stations in 17 regions of Romania.

SOCAR is the sole producer of oil products in Azerbaijan. It has filling stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland.

The company exported 1.23 million tons of oil products in 2015, as compared to 1.2 million tons in 2014.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

The drive towards balancing the market hinges on rising demand growth and the reduced supply from non-OPEC producers not least in the North America, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, speaking to Trend June 6.

OPEC produced an estimated 33.2 million barrels per day during April, some 1.7 million more than last year, he said.

"The 169th meeting of OPEC came and went without the usual disagreements that we have grown used to," added Hansen. "Talks prior to the meeting of a new production ceiling being introduced failed to materialize. But with the market already well on the way to balance, the need for new initiatives at this meeting was unnecessary."

"Instead we saw the new Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih embark on a highly successful public relations exercise," he said. "This helped to win over several under pressure producers looking for new initiatives to boost the price even further. With the re-balancing process well underway, courtesy of mostly involuntary supply disruptions and slowing production from high cost producers outside OPEC, this was not the time to rock the boat."

The Saudis can rightfully claim that "the pump and dump strategy" has been successful in the sense that market shares have been restored, said Hansen, adding that billion dollars worth of capex reductions from oil majors across the world will help support the price of oil return to a higher, longer-term and more sustainable level over the coming years.

"However, before we get that far, the overhang of more than one billion barrels of global supplies and the expected resumption of supply from Canada and Nigeria will make it difficult for oil [prices] to rally much further in the short term," he said.

"Increased hedging activity from high cost (shale) producers in the US does indicate that an oil price rally much above $50 could be counterproductive towards the efforts of creating balance in the market," said Hansen.

As for Iran, Hansen said, the country has a long-term target of producing 4.6 million barrels per day compared to 3.5 million barrels per day in April and just 2.8 million barrels during the years of sanctions.

"Such a statement [of Iran] could have at previous meetings triggered threats of like-for-like increases from Saudi Arabia, but not this time around," he said. "Al-Khalid even promised not to shock the oil markets. This is probably in the knowledge that the new found unity could break as fast as it emerged if the price of oil reverts to lower levels."

"In the short term, we see both WTI and Brent crude maintain the established trading range between $45 and $50," he said. "This leaves the risk in the short-term skewed to the downside with stabilizing production in the US and the return of oil from the mentioned supply disruptions risk triggering reductions in speculative bets held by hedge funds and other speculative traders."

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Follow the author on Twitter: @AygunBadalova
Following the attacks on arms shops and a military unit in the Kazakh northern city of Aktobe the police killed four criminals and detained seven others during an anti-terrorist operation, the spokesman for Kazakh Interior Ministry Almas Sadubayev said Sunday.



Sadubayev said that law enforcement services are currently working on tracking and detaining the rest of the attackers, Sputnik reported.

"During the anti-terrorist operation in Aktobe four criminals were killed and seven others were detained, including two injured. A set of operational and investigative measures to detain the rest of criminals is underway," Sadubayev told RIA Novosti.

Earlier in the day, a group of criminals attacked Pallada arms shop in Aktobe and killed a salesman and a security guard and injured three police officers. During the attack on Panther arms shop the criminals killed one customer and injured another one. The policemen, who arrived at the scene of events, killed three criminals and detained one.



According to Sadubayev, during the attack on the military unit, the criminals killed three servicemen and injured six others. The criminals used a captured shuttle bus to enter the unit.

"The guard on duty used the weapon and foiled the criminals' attempt to further penetrate into the unit's territory. With the help of the police one criminal was killed and another one was wounded and detained," Sadubayev said.

Earlier in the day, Sadubayev said that the attackers allegedly were radical followers of non-conventional religious movements.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 6

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Germany's SAP SE corporation has put forward concrete proposals on providing Turkmenistan's Turkmenbashi sea port with the latest electronic systems, read a message from Turkmenistan's government June 6.

The presentation was held during the joint forum "Turkmenistan - Germany: Day of innovative technologies" held in Germany's Walldorf city with participation of 30 largest German companies and a delegation from Turkmenistan.

German companies emphasized their interest in boosting the cooperation with Turkmenistan, said the message.

During the forum, SAP presented innovative solutions for the effective management of the port infrastructure.

Export and import and transit cargo, as well as the oil and oil products, industrial and construction equipment is transported via the Turkmenbashi international sea port.

The shortest routes linking the Central Asia with European countries, India and Pakistan, as well as the states of the Indian Ocean run through the Caspian Sea.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5

By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

Stock brokers have expressed contrary opinions on the possible outcome of a recent decision by Iranian government on exemption of some financial services from paying value added tax (VAT).

While Iranian capital market has been down over the past two months, a group of market observers have expressed hope that the government's recent decision would help the market to climb out of the recession.

However, there are some other brokers who believe the decision on tax exemption is unlikely to have a positive impact on the market's current situation.

The Iranian capital market slipped into recession after it demonstrated a positive reaction to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Jan. 16, resulting in the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic's key energy and financial sectors.

The Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) released a directive June 1 announcing a list of financial services which are exempt from VAT.

Exemptions unlikely to help market

A financial manager in Tehran has told Trend that that there is no relation between the directive on exemptions and current recession on Iranian capital market.

"Tax exemptions will not have any impacts on the downward trend on the capital market as the directive is not anything new. The brokerage companies have been entitled to the exemptions over the past three years," Hossein Khezli Kharazi, CEO of Iran's Bank Keshavarzi Securities Company, said in an interview with Trend June 5.

Although the directive has been recently announced, financial services have been enjoying its advantages over the past three years as the regulation on tax exemption was earlier passed, the CEO explained.

There were some differences between the Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO) and Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) over the implementation of the regulation which are now resolved with the official announcement, he noted.

Exemptions to remove ambiguities

Ali Eslami Bidgoli, a board member of Iranian Society of institutional investors, has expressed a conflicting opinion.

Eslami Bidgoli believes that the new directive will help reducing ambiguities on the Iranian capital market which will eventually lead to the growth of capital market.

He suggested that reducing the tax rates on the capital market will also contribute to increasing the number of trades on stock markets, Iran's Securities & Exchange News Agency (SANA) reported.

The recent directive will help increasing the public trust on the capital market, he stated.

INTA directive on tax exemptions

Under the recent directive, the fees which brokerage firms, stock exchanges, over-the-counter (OTC) market, Central Securities Depository of Iran, and Tehran Securities Exchange Technology Management Company receive on transactions of securities will be exempt from VAT.

The directive also exempts the Securities and Exchange Organization from paying VAT for the fees that it receives as its right to monitor the securities transaction in stock exchanges and OTC.

The fees that companies have to pay to be allowed to sell their shares or their goods in stock exchanges are also free of VAT.

Meanwhile, membership fees received by exchanges, OTC and other financial entities are free of VAT.

The financial entities registered with the Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO) will be free of paying VAT for the fees they receive for offering advice and consultation, portfolio management, underwriting commitment, and for guaranteeing securities.

All investment banks registered with the SEO will not either need to pay VAT for the fees they receive for offering services.

The fees on Murabaha, an Islamic Financial Instrument, and other Islamic bonds are also free of VAT.

The fees which Central Securities Depository of Iran receives for offering services to help traders transfer or clear securities are also exempt from VAT.

Farhad Daneshvar is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @Farhad_Danesh
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5

By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

Iranian private sector companies have agreed on $3billion worth of deals during Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent European tour.

An Iranian commerce official has said that the business delegation accompanying Zarif during the tour has signed a number of documents on cooperation with companies from Poland, Finland Latvia and Sweden, Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported.

Mohammad Reza Ansari, the vice-president of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture, said the deals have been signed in the form of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and further discussions are required in order to finalize them.

Minister Zarif led an economic and political delegation during his recent tour kicked off May 29 aimed at promoting trade and economic opportunities.

It was earlier announced that the business delegation signed documents on cooperation with Polish and Finnish companies worth up to $1.2 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

The total volume of oil products loaded and unloaded at Iranian ports over the past five months has increased by 24 percent year-on-year.

According to the country's Ports and Maritime Organization, in the mentioned period 71.2 million tons of oil products were loaded and unloaded at the ports across Iran.

The figure for the loaded oil products in the mentioned period was 60.6 million tons.

Meanwhile, the country unloaded 10.6 million tons.

According to the Ports and Maritime Organization, Iran loaded and unloaded 57.5 million tons of oil products at its ports in the same period of the last year.

The consumption of gas and oil products in Iran was 4.428 million barrels (per day) of oil equivalent between March 2014 and March 2015. The figure increased by 197,000 barrels of oil equivalent (per day) year-on-year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran plans to construct a pipeline to Iraq to export oil products there, says Abbas Kazemi, Iran's deputy oil minister.

Creating a pipeline between Iran and Iraq will reduce the tankers' traffic between the two countries, which is more economic, and will reduce the environmental impact and security risks as well, Kazemi said, Mehr news agency reported June 6.

He elaborated that based on the talks with the Iraqi officials, the pipeline is planned to transport the oil products from the Iranian city of Abadan to the Iraqi province of Basra.

No significant progress has been made so far in the pipeline's construction due to the domestic problems in Iraq, added Kazemi.

Iran also plans to make some changes in the configuration of its oil pipelines for the Iraqi oil tankers to enter the country less, he said.

Kazemi added that the construction of pipelines for exporting oil products will also decrease the volume of fuel smuggling from Iran into the neighboring countries.

Iran has already stretched a pipeline to its Naftshahr city on the border with Iraq to supply natural gas to its neighbor.

Iran is yet to complete the 6th cross-country pipeline, which is to have 110 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of gas transiting capacity, linking its South Pars gas field to Iraq's borders.

After the border, the pipeline will run in two routes. The first route is meant to transit 25 mcm/d of gas to Iraq's capital, Baghdad, and the second route is planned to deliver the same amount of gas to Basra.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran has called on the Japanese company Mitsui to resume its activities in the Iranian petrochemical sector.

Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia, in a meeting with Atsushi Kume, the Mitsui chief operating officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, called for cooperation in Iranian upstream and downstream oil and gas projects, as well as petrochemical sector, SHANA news agency reported June 6.

"Giving the Mitsui's brilliant experience in petrochemical industry, the company can take part actively in Iran's petrochemical projects," Zamaninia said.

He added that Iran plans to attract some $80 billion of investment in its petrochemical industry within the next 10 years, expressing hope for return of the Japanese company to Iran's petrochemical industry.

Kume for his part lauded the key role of Iran in the region, noting that cooperation with the Islamic Republic is important for Mitsui.

Mitsui's office in Tehran rejected to provide further details regarding the talks and the company's future plans for cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Iran's petrochemical output capacity currently stands at 61 million tons. The Islamic Republic hopes to bring this capacity to 120 million tons by 2020 and 180 million tons by 2025.

Petrochemical plants in Iran had to work below the actual production capacity due to the shortage of natural gas as feedstock, old production units, and the sanctions, which caused a decline in exports.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Iran has called on international companies to invest in the projects aimed at developing the country's transport infrastructure.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Ali Nourzad said several companies from countries such as India, Japan, China and South Korea have had cooperation with Iran on developing the Islamic Republic's transport sector, Mehr news agency reported June 6.

He made the remarks addressing the 7th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum.

The official added that the involvement of domestic and foreign private sectors in Iran's development projects will increase those projects' efficiency.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed Iran's readiness to implement a project to link the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea through Armenia.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Armenia's Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan in Tehran, Fars news agency reported.

In line with boosting Tehran and Yerevan cooperation in transport and goods transit sector, Tehran is ready to provide Armenia with technical and engineering services to connect the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf through the country, Rouhani said.

He further said that Tehran and Armenia share joint viewpoints regarding the regional and global issues, reiterating Iran's call for peace and stability in the region.

Rouhani said that Tehran is in favor of peaceful settling the regional conflicts, underlining that Iran will spare no help to the regional countries in this regard.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 2

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has instructed the country's Foreign Ministry to implement the legislation, passed by the parliament, committing the government to claim compensation from the US over its alleged crimes against the Islamic Republic, IRNA news agency reported June 2.

Iranian parliamentarians passed the legislation May 15, urging the government to claim compensation from the US over a range of issues, including the 1953 Iranian coup that overthrew the Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh's government.

The legislation also accuses the US of backing the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq's war with Iran in 1980s, the report added.

Aside from that, the legislation commits 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 after a US court ruled on April 20 that $2 billion of Iranian assets frozen in a US 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.
Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Seraj said his government will not agree to take back migrants setting sail from Libya in an attempt to reach Europe, in an interview with a German newspaper, Sputnik reported.



This comes after 117 bodies of people believed to be African migrants whose boats capsized in the Mediterranean were washed up Friday on a Libyan beach. Libya serves as a springboard into Europe for hundreds of refugees from across the continent.



"We will not accept EU sending migrants back to us. Europe must find ways to bring them back to their countries of origin. They cannot stay with us," Seraj, the head of the Government of National Accord, told Die Welt newspaper on Sunday.



"The situation with migrants coming to us from the south is totally different from that in Turkey. They cannot be compared," Seraj maintained, adding Libya was instead discussing EU lending it boats and training its coast guards.



The European Union already has an agreement with Turkey which requires Ankara to take back migrants making a crossing into Europe in exchange for a resettlement program and political concessions.


The UN nuclear watchdog expressed concern as Pyongyang's isolated regime escalates what many claim to be preparations for a full-scale nuclear war, Sputnik reported.

Surveillance imagery suggests that North Korea has reactivated a plutonium processing plant used for developing nuclear weapons, reported the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday, echoing recent claims by US-based think tanks.

"The indications that we have obtained are of activities related to the five-megawatt reactor, expansion of enrichment facilities and activities related to plutonium reprocessing," said IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, during a press conference in Vienna.

"However, as we do not have inspectors on the ground we are only observing through satellite imagery. We cannot say for sure, but we have indications of certain activities through the satellite imagery," he noted.

Specifically, the satellite imagery details vehicle movement, steam discharge, and materials transport consistent with the plutonium enrichment process. The type of plutonium used for nuclear bombs needs to be extracted from spent nuclear reactor fuel which requires substantial amounts of water to cool the radioactive fuel rods.

The development means that North Korea may be closer to stockpiling nuclear weapons than international analysts originally believed. The Yongbyon reactor was deactivated in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament agreement, but the truculent regime of Kim Jong Un moved to renovate the plant after its third nuclear test in 2013. The regime carried out a fourth test on January 6.

Director of US National Intelligence, James Clapper, warned several months ago that North Korea could recover weapons-grade plutonium from the reactor's spent fuel in "a matter of weeks to months" once the facility is placed back online.

Pyongyang has faced universal condemnation in recent months after accelerating development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems capable of reaching as far as the US mainland. In May, North Korea claimed it had successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads, a necessary step to allow a weapon to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Western analysts say that North Korea lacks the ability to place a warhead on the US coast, and questions the precision of their short and mid-range missiles for use against South Korea and Japan.

However, some weapons experts believe that Pyongyang may have more advanced weapons-delivery systems than conventional pundits suggest, citing the fact that North Korea's ballistic missile tests have focused on specific components of the delivery system, in an effort by the regime to maintain the secrecy of their weapons capabilities.

Pyongyang's recent violent rhetoric and nuclear systems advances correspond with an expansion of joint US-South Korean war games and activities near the North Korean border. Kim Jong Un has called the military exercises a dress rehearsal for a full scale invasion, a sentiment exacerbated by frequent flyovers by US nuclear armed B-2 and B-52 bombers.
President Xi Jinping on Monday attended an opening ceremony of a China-US high-level dialogue, calling on the two nations to properly manage differences and sensitive issues, Xinhua reported.



Differences between China and the United States are quite normal, Xi told the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.



So long as the two sides tackle differences and sensitive issues in the principle of mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relations can avoid major disturbance, Xi said, adding that China and the United States should strengthen communication and cooperation on Asia-Pacific affairs.



The broad Pacific Ocean, Xi said, should not become an arena for rivalry, but a big platform for inclusive cooperation.


The total amount of Russia's two loans to Iran will be about 2.5 billion euros, Russia's Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak told reporters, TASS news agency reported.

"The total sum of two loans (to Iran) is about 2.5 billion euros," he said. "The first one is slightly bigger, the second one is a bit smaller."

Storchak said that usually parties set the highest and the lowest sums of a loan.

"We fix an upper limit on the potential costs of the Russian budget to fund the loan," deputy finance minister said. "How the loan drawing will take place depends on the contracts, as they often change in the course of their implementation."

He added that the contracts are very complicated and complex.

"Not all risks can be calculated on the development stage," he said. "For example, the risks related to railway, tunneling work. In the mountainous area their cost can increase or decrease. Loan drawing depends on the contract and annexes to the contract, which are often signed."

In April, Storchak said that the legal disagreements on Russia's loan to Iran had been removed and domestic agreements between different agencies in Russia would be reached quickly.

Earlier, he said that three issues regarding the two loans to Iran (to finance rail and power generation projects) are still open. He added that these two loans are considered as pilot and are not linked to the loan of $5 billion that was announced earlier.

In late 2015, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that the initial amount of public loan from Russia to Iran for the implementation of these projects is $2.2 billion while the total credit line would be $5 billion.

Russia's Finance Ministry expects to get the cabinet's permission on granting loans to Iran in two weeks.

"The intrastate procedures concerning the two loans to Iran are about to be completed, we will finish them soon," Storchak said. "This is probably the matter of two weeks. As far as I know, the head of the Iranian delegation had the authority [to sign the agreement] from the very start. Simply they (Iran) have a different order of taking administrative decisions. I am authorized to hold talks but I don't have the authorities to sign."

He said that his ministry will receive a permission to sign the agreement from the government in the next two weeks.

"We will find out when the colleagues from Iran's Ministry of Finance are ready, as always, at the right time and in the right place," the official said. "I don't know how they would like to sign it. It may also be by correspondence. This also happens."
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

Trend:

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the decision of the Bundestag (German Parliament) resolution recognizing the events of 1915 as the so-called "Armenian genocide", Anadolu agency reported.

The organization also said that it will take a needed diplomatic initiative for the right study of the historical realities by young people of Europe, as well as of the member countries of the OIC.

The German parliament adopted June 2 a resolution recognizing the 1915 events as the "Armenian genocide".



Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed the so-called genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.



While strengthening the propaganda of "genocide" in the world, Armenians achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Germany's access to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base in Adana province may be limited by the country in response to the Bundestag's (the German parliament's) resolution to recognize the 1915 events as "Armenian genocide", the Haber7 newspaper reported June 6 citing diplomatic sources.

It is expected that the Turkish government will discuss the issue this week.

Earlier, Berlin demanded from Ankara to grant Germany additional opportunities for its air forces on Turkish territory within the framework of talks between Germany and Turkey launched in February 2016, the details of which were not disclosed.

On June 2, Bundestag adopted a resolution recognizing the 1915 events as the "Armenian genocide".

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed the so-called genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

While strengthening the propaganda of "genocide" in the world, Armenians achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 6

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

If Turkey was an enemy of Armenians, Ankara would have deported illegal Armenian immigrants from the country long ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, TRT Haber TV channel reported June 6.

He was commenting on the Bundestag's (the German parliament's) adoption of a resolution on recognizing the 1915 events as "Armenian genocide".

Erdogan reminded that more than 100,000 Armenians currently live in Turkey, some of which are illegal immigrants from Armenia.

"We have always urged archaeologists and historians from around the world to begin studies [on this issue], excavations," the president said. "But for some reason this call remains unanswered."

Let those who claim that the so-called genocide was committed in Turkey against the Armenians in 1915 prove this, Erdogan said.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed the so-called genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

While strengthening the propaganda of "genocide" in the world, Armenians achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
Turkey has not suspended its readmission agreement with the European Union, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.

"We have no plans on our agenda to suspend the readmission agreement now," Kurtulmus told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

"Turkey has sincerely done its part. Turkey is continuing the EU negotiation [process] resolutely. We want to get results," he added.

A readmission process between the EU and Turkey, entered into in October 2014, makes it possible to return undocumented migrants who enter Europe via Turkey and vice versa.

Full implementation of the readmission agreement is also required in order to implement a visa-liberation process for Turkish citizens visiting the EU's Schengen zone.

Talks over visa freedom for nearly 80 million Turks soured when the EU requested that Turkey complete the five remaining necessary benchmarks, out of an initial 72, including one on terrorism. Turkey, which is currently fighting terrorist groups such as Daesh and the PKK, has refused to alter its anti-terrorism laws.

Kurtulmus said he hoped the EU will act "clearly and transparently" and keep its promises to Turkey.

"With the implementation of these [readmission and visa-liberation measures], the European Union would be the main winner, not Turkey," Kurtulmus said.

He added that since these are not "domestic political issues" for either Turkey or the EU, they should not be made into domestic political fodder.

Previously, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned there would be no readmission agreement with the EU unless talks on visa freedom for Turks are "fruitful".
Chinese vessels are seen around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. (Photo : Reuters)

China signalled that it is open to holding bilateral talks with the Philippines as the two nations hold their claims over the disputed South China Sea, Reuters reported.



The incoming Philippine government revealed that carrying bilateral talks is now on the table in a bid to resolve the long-standing island and maritime conflicts between the two countries.



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China is claiming the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, while the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia hold overlapping claims.



China and the Philippines have a pending arbitration case in an international court in The Hague.



While a ruling is expected within a few months, representatives of the two countries "have conducted face-to-face meetings and have released bilateral political documents to resolve the dispute," Manila-based news website Philstar.com wrote.



"Such agreement was also the solemn commitment in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea jointly signed by the two sides in 2002," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the press. "Based on the aforementioned consensus, China and the Philippines have effectively controlled the South China Sea dispute through dialogue and consultation."



"It is hoped that the new government of the Philippines will abide by the relevant consensus and commitment, return to the track of bilateral dialogue, work with China to properly deal with the relevant differences and strive for the sound and steady development of bilateral relations," Hua added.



Incoming foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said that conducting bilateral talks with China is a "necessary" move in resolving the sea row conflict.



"I don't think that there is another way of resolving this dispute except talking to each other," Yasay was quoted as saying by local news portal GMA News Online.



"It is my understanding that there are some reasons why bilaterals with China have been suspended for one reason or another," Yasay said. "I do not know the reasons but we certainly would like to make sure that we are be able to resume bilateral talks because these are necessary."



China remains hopeful that the new Philippine government, led by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, will finally resolve the dispute through bilateral talks.



Duterte recently called China's Xi Jinping "a great president" after the latter sent the incoming Philippine leader congratulatory remarks for winning the presidential race, giving hints that the ties between the two nations could be warming up.


2010 CeBIT Technology Fair (Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Given the pace of how technology is changing and developing these days, what can only be considered as science fiction in the past could become a reality in the next decade.



The artificial intelligence or AI is projected to balloon to a $70 billion industry by 2020, according to an IDC research, cited by the Bank of America as reported by Fortune. That is a significant milestone coming from the $8.2 billion industry value in 2013.



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AI is already being used in data analytics and web search systems, and driverless cars and service robots are also under development. With that, the future where AI will be changing people's everyday life doesn't seem that distant.



Speaking to a crowd of tech leaders at a conference hosted last week by Recode, an online publication, Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that AI and machines have the potential to be so sophisticated that humans may need to be injected with "neural laces" that would link them to the computers so they could keep up with them. Tesla has been heavily investing in artificial intelligence research. In December last year, it is one of the companies that donated $1 billion to OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence research center.



Alphabet's Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai likewise believes in the "huge potential" of AI, the publication also reported. Google was the first to develop voice recognition software using the concept of "deep neural networks" in technology. Its driverless car is currently undergoing series of tests.



Meanwhile, AIs should not take over everything from humans. Humans should still be in control. For one, things could get out of control and that would spell big trouble to the human race. This is why some researchers want something like a "big red button" that would interrupt AI programs should things get awry, The Verge reported.



"If such an agent is operating in real-time under human supervision, now and then it may be necessary for a human operator to press the big red button to prevent the agent from continuing a harmful sequence of actions - harmful either for the agent or for the environment - and lead the agent into a safer situation," reads the study by Google-owned AI lab DeepMind and the University of Oxford in 2014.






The concert was scheduled to take place at the Nile Country Club, but was later moved to a villa in Sheikh Zayed

Police forces stopped a heavy metal concert featuring popular Brazilian band Sepultura that was planned for Saturday 4 June in Sheikh Zayed.

General Ahmed Hegazy, head of the Giza Security Directorate, told Ahram Online that police forces stormed into the villa and physically stopped the concert after necessary permissions for the show were not provided.

Hegazy added that security personnel negotiated with the organisers and asked the audience to leave the vicinity of the villa.

The concert was slated to take place on Saturday at the Nile Country Club, but was later moved to a villa in Sheikh Zayed on the outskirts of Cairo.

The organisers posted on social media shortly before the concert that it would still be taking place but would be hosted in a different venue.

A Nile Country Club representative, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that incomplete permits were the cause of police action.

He told Ahram Online that the Nile Country Club asked the concert organiser, Nader Sadek, to submit a list of official permissions from several official bodies, including one from the National Security Agency, a few days prior to the event.

The representative added that that the organisers only delivered the permission of the Musicians Syndicate.

"We are a touristic location and we always have to receive several permissions. Other locations might not need all this paperwork," the Nile Country Club representative continued.

With the Nile Country Club declining to host the event, the organisers searched for another location in a private villa in Sheikh Zayed, which was announced to the audience shortly before the concert.

According to eye witnesses and assistants to Nader Sadek, shortly prior to the concert, police entered the private villa where the concert was supposed to be held and asked for the permissions.

When the organisers failed to provide the necessary documents, police asked the bands and the crew to leave and remove their equipment. Assistants to the organiser confirmed to Ahram Online that the audience left upon request of the police.

Nader Sadek and the owner of the villa were not available for immediate comment. Some eyewitnesses have claimed that the two were arrested and are currently being interrogated.

General Hegazy noted that a detailed statement will be published by the Interior Ministry's media office.

Privately owned newspaper Al-Watan reported that the Giza Investigation Bureau acquired information that the concert was going to take place in Sheikh Zayed. The report, titled "Police thwart Satanists concert", mentioned that three were arrested, including two of the organisers.

The article and the event's cancellation received wide criticism by metal fans who were eager to see live the international band's first performance in Egypt.

After the concert was cancelled, unconfirmed posts on social media claimed that the band took their gear and performed in a cafe in Maadi. Ahram Online could not confirm the authenticity of these posts.

Several assistants to the organisers, who planned bus trips and helped bring food to the concert, told Ahram Online that they fear persecution as the matter now is investigated by Egyptian National Security.

Sepultura held a press conference on Saturday and affirmed their excitement to play for the first time in Egypt.

The band told Ahram Online that they are happy to share with Egyptian metal fans their struggle and effort to hold concerts.

The concert was also supposed to include local heavy metal musicians Nader Sadek as well as bands Gorynov and Perpetual Ferocity.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Five Jordanian intelligence agents were killed in a "terrorist attack" on their office in a Palestinian refugee camp north of the capital Amman on Monday, the government said.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria and has been the target of jihadist attacks in the past.

"The intelligence agency office in the Baqaa camp was the target of a cowardly attack shortly before 7:00 am (0400 GMT) today that left five agents dead," government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.

Momani said security forces were investigating who was responsible for the "terrorist attack" on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor Al-Qaeda in Iraq killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

The Baqaa camp, where Monday's attack took place, is 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the centre of Amman and the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

It hosts around 100,000 of Jordan's 2 million Palestinian refugees, most of whom fled from the West Bank and Gaza Strip after Israel's capture of the territory's during the Six-Day War of 1967.

Baqaa suffers from chronic poverty and high unemployment.

It was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp, a court official said at the time.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member participating in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition taking part in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.

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The Egyptian man who was attacked by a shark last Saturday is accused of violating beach rules; experts explain how rare such an incident is

An Egyptian man whose leg was amputated after he was attacked by a shark in Ain Sokhna in the Red Sea was accused by a tourism ministry official of violating beach rules and of possibly provoking the shark, with experts arguing such attacks are particularly rare.

Abdel-Fattah El-Assi, head of the tourism ministry's sector responsible for monitoring hotels and resorts, told Ahram Arabic on Sunday the young man was on a fishing trip with his friends 10 kilometers from the shore, which "violates the rules of shore control."

The environment ministry formed on Sunday a team of experts who are now surveying the site of the attack to determine why it occurred.

Practically speaking, the sea is open for everyone to fish or swim, experts agreed.

Some beaches have barriers, but this does not stop swimmers from going beyond them or sea life from crossing them towards the shore.

Sharks are present everywhere, near the shore or in the deep sea, "with different kinds being present in different places and at different times," environmental expert Ahmed Al-Droubi told Ahram Online.

A rare incident

Requiem sharks, which pose a threat to humans due to their size , are deep dwellers and aren't likely to get close to a beach, Selim Kafafy, a marine biologist, told Ahram Online.

"The probability of death from a shark attack is less likely than someone dying from a coconut falling on their head," Al-Droubi said.

Scientists have agreed that sharks have two types of bites: a feeding bite, and a testing bite.

The latter type is what happened with the Ain Sokhna attack, Kafafy explained.

Humans changed sharks' behavior

Shark behavior has been changing over the past few years due to overfishing, Kafafy said.

Overfishing decreases the amount of fish in the deep sea, prompting wild life to approach the shore in search of food.

"Ships also tend to throw dead sheep in the sea, which attracts sharks," said the head of the Rescue and Environmental Protection Society Hassan El-Tayyeb.

He added that the presence of big sharks near the shore is a new phenomenon.

Can someone provoke sharks?

The injured man might have provoked the shark, prompting it to attack him, the tourism ministry official said.

However, El-Tayyeb disagreed with such an assessment.

"There is no such thing as provoking sharks. It is not in the sharks' nature to attack people. It's the sharks' territory and any swimmer can possibly be attacked," El-Tayyeb explained.

However, whether it counts as provoking or not, fish left over in the sea attracts sharks, especially at this time of the year, which is fishing season.

"Chumming by fishing boats attracts sharks who come after the smell," said Kafafy.

It is also common that tourist boats try to let tourists see sharks on their diving journey by throwing fish or food to attract sharks, which causes attacks, Al-Droubi said.

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The prosecution ordered the detention of 12 education ministry officials for 15 days pending investigations into the leaking of exams online

A Cairo prosecution ordered on Monday the detention of 12 officials from the education ministry for 15 days pending investigations into the leaking of the end-of-year Thanaweya Aama exams.

The 12 officials that have been ordered detained are reported to be employees in the printing houses that the education ministry assigned to print the exams or the examinations centre for the ministry.

On Sunday Bashir Hassan, the education ministry spokesperson, stated that the leaking of the general secondary certificate's Arabic exam online came from inside the ministry.

Both the prosecution and the internet department in the interior ministry are currently investigating how the general secondary certificate exams were leaked online for the fourth year in a row.

The prosecution on Sunday started an investigation into the leakage of the exams, known in Arabic as Thanaweya Amma, following the arrest of the administrators of the popular Facebook page "Chao Ming cheats" that used to leak exams.

Despite the arrest of the administrators, "The Chao Ming" Facebook pages are still operating and active on Facebook.

The leak continues

An alleged copy of the English exam of Egypt's general secondary certificate was leaked online earlier on Monday, 24 hours prior to the test on Tuesday.

The new leak comes less than 24 hours after the leaking of the Arabic and religion exams and their model answers on social media networks.

An unnamed source in the education ministry told Ahram Arabic website that the English exam leaked online was actually last year's exam.

The Ministry of Education warned last week against anyone leaking the secondary certificate exam, noting that the perpetrators of any leak would be fined EGP 50,000.

This year marks the fourth consecutive year in which the general secondary exams have been leaked, with the prevalence of social media and smart phones facilitating the process.

The Thanaweya Aama exams are a do-or-die for Egyptian high school students since its outcome dictates who goes to what college if any.

More than 500,000 students are sitting for this year's tests.

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Egypt's navy saved 31 migrants earlier on Monday and transported them to Alexandria after their boat capsised in the Mediterranean, Ahram Arabic News website reported.

The 31 people, including 26 Egyptians, were handed over to an Alexandria police station in order for legal procedures to be undertaken.

A fishing boat carrying approximately 600 migrants capsised 420 km away from Alexandria and 160 km away from Greece.

Nine decomposed bodies were also retrieved from the sea where one body was identified as an Egyptian woman while the rest of the bodies are suspected to be for African migrants.

According to the UN, between 700-900 people died in the Mediterranean in their attempt to reach Europe in the last week in May, making it one of the worst and deadly weeks in the current migrant crisis.

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The deputy head of the Damietta Security Directorate was seriously injured in the shootout

Two alleged militants were killed and four policemen were seriously injured in a shootout in Damietta, East of Nile Delta, on Monday, head of the Damietta Security Directorate Faisal Doweidar told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

The injured policemen included the deputy head of the Damietta Security Directorate.

Police were deployed after the Damietta Security Directorate received information that the militants were hiding out at a villa in Ras El-Bar.

According to Doweidar, heavy gunfire was heard as soon as forces arrived at the scene.

The militants, reportedly part of a Helwan-based terrorist group, were suspected of killing eight policemen in Helwan, South of Cairo, in May.

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Syrian government forces on Monday captured more ground in their push toward the northern city of Raqqa, the Islamic State (IS) group's de facto capital, and are approaching a military base that fell to IS group when the militants routed the army from the province two years ago, state media and an activist group said.

IS group has been fighting on several fronts in Syria and Iraq over the past weeks and the extremists are coming under more pressure after losing areas they had controlled since they declared a self-style caliphate two years ago.

The Syrian government push Monday came two days after the troops first reached the edge of the northern province of Raqqa.

The Syrian government has had no presence in the province since August 2014, when IS captured the Tabqa military air base and killed scores of government soldiers. The provincial capital, Raqqa, became the militant group's first conquered city and later the seat of its self-styled caliphate.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops and Special Forces known as "Desert Hawks" are getting close to the Tabqa base.

The SANA news agency said troops are advancing under the cover of airstrikes by the Syrian air force and "Russian friends"  a reference to Russian airstrikes. The report said troops now control the Zakiya area, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Tabqa, which is southwest of the city of Raqqa.

SANA posted a video taken by its crew in Raqqa province showing Syrian tanks, multiple rocket launchers and artillery in action. The video also shows airstrikes targeting areas in the desert near where the province of Hama, Aleppo and Raqqa meet.

The Lebanese Hezbollah group's Al-Manar TV reported that Syrian government forces repelled a counter attack by IS near the town of Ethraya, the main point from where the government offensive was launched. Hezbollah is fighting on the side of resident Bashar Assad's forces in the Syrian civil war.

The Observatory said that since government forces began their offensive toward Raqqa last Wednesday, 70 IS group fighters and nine troops have been killed.

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Suspected militants attacked the airport in Yemen's government-held second city Aden on Monday sparking a firefight in which at least one civilian was killed, a security source said.

Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow militant of Western origin who was detained late last month.

Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute gun battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.

The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained militant, a Western national of Algerian origin.

The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.

Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-rabbo Mansour Hadi as the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by Shiite rebels.

In the neighbouring province of Abyan, a gunman on the back of a motorbike killed the commander of a loyalist army brigade late on Sunday, a security official said.

Colonel Mohammed Salem al-Abbadi was one of the founders of the pro-government militias that drove Al-Qaeda out of the Abyan in 2012.

Riyadh led a military intervention against Iran-backed rebels in March last year and the ensuing conflict has been exploited by IS and rival militants of Al-Qaeda to expand their presence in the impoverished Arab nation.

In recent months, Saudi-led forces have taken action against the militants with US support, driving them out of several southern cities they had overrun.

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Eight civilians including five members of one family were killed in 24 hours of shelling by Iran-backed rebels on residential parts of Yemen's third city Taez, local officials said Monday.

Three children were among those killed in clashes that have continued despite a ceasefire and peace talks in Kuwait between Houthi rebel and loyalist delegates, the sources said.

Another 13 civilians were wounded, the sources added, accusing the rebels of firing mortar and artillery rounds into the residential areas.

Rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in Taez killed 11 civilians on Saturday, drawing condemnation from UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He has urged both sides to respect the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

However, the government sources in Taez said nine loyalist fighters were killed and 26 wounded in 24 hours of clashes in the city's eastern districts.

Military sources told AFP that 12 rebels were also killed.

Witnesses said fighting continued on Monday across several residential neighbourhoods of the southwestern city.

Separately, suspected militants attacked the airport in the government-held second city Aden, sparking a firefight that killed at least one civilian, a security source said.

Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow militant of Western origin who was detained late last month.

Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.

The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained militant, a Western national of Algerian origin.

The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.

Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi since the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by the Shia Houthi rebels and their allies.

In the neighbouring province of Abyan, a gunman on the back of a motorbike killed the commander of a loyalist army brigade late on Sunday, a security official said.

Colonel Mohammed Salem al-Abbadi was one of the founders of the pro-government militias that drove Al-Qaeda out of Abyan in 2012.

Saudi Arabia led a military intervention against the rebels in Yemen in March last year, and the ensuing conflict has been exploited by IS and rival Al-Qaeda militants to expand their presence in the impoverished Arab nation.

In recent months, Saudi-led forces have taken action against the militants with US support, driving them out of several southern cities they had overrun.

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The European Union on Monday proposed expanding a United Nations Security Council mandate for a European naval operation to allow it to crack down on arms smuggling in the high seas off war-torn Libya, though Russia voiced concerns about the idea.

Britain circulated a draft resolution to approve the measure to the 15-member council. A copy of the draft, seen by Reuters, expressed concern that smuggled arms "may be used by terrorist groups operating in Libya, including by ISIL (Islamic State)." In October, the council authorized the European naval operation to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers.

"Now once again, we are asking this council to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told the council.

"I can only hope that this council will once again do the right thing and help us make the Mediterranean a safer place for everyone," she said.

Council diplomats said they hoped to vote on the draft resolution, which will likely be revised, by the end of the month.

The U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Libya in 2011 when former leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Libya's government is allowed to import arms with approval of the council's sanctions committee.

Veto-wielding council member Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that Moscow was not opposed to allowing the European naval operation to search vessels for illicit weapons but that "we need to be very careful about it."

"Everything must be done in a way which does not create any suspicions among any of the Libyan parties," Churkin told reporters.

The fall of Gaddafi in 2011 sparked chaos with two competing governments backed by militias scrambling for control of the oil-producing country. A power vacuum has allowed Islamic State militants to gain a foothold.

A U.N.-backed unity government formed earlier this year is seen by western states as the best hope for uniting Libya's many political factions.

Churkin said he valued the work done by the EU's Operation Sophia to save the lives of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, but noted that this year more people had drowned than in the same period last year.

This year nearly 50,000 migrants have arrived in Italy from North Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration, while some 2,000 have died trying.

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Saudi Arabia asked United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday to remove the Riyadh-led military coalition in Yemen from a U.N. report that blacklisted it for killing and maiming children, describing the figures as "wildly exaggerated."

The coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, according to Ban's report last Thursday, which also said the coalition carried out half the attacks on schools and hospitals.

"We are asking that this report be corrected immediately so it does not reflect the accusations that have been made against the coalition and Saudi Arabia in particular," Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told reporters.

"If there are any casualties from the coalition side, they would be far, far lower," he said, adding that "the most up-to-date equipment in precision targeting" is used.

Al-Mouallimi spoke after meeting with Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson to discuss the report.

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said in a statement sent to Reuters late on Sunday that the U.N. had not based enough of its report on information supplied by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing Iran-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the country.

The Houthis, Yemen government forces and pro-government militia have been on the U.N. blacklist for at least five years and are considered "persistent perpetrators." Also appearing again on the list is Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Last year, the United Nations left Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas off the blacklist, after they had been included in an earlier draft, but criticized Israel over its 2014 military deadly offensive.

"The Secretary-General saw in his reason last year to eliminate Israel's name from the report, we fail to see why has he not exercised the same wisdom in this report this year," said Mouallimi, adding that Saudi Arabia had not been consulted prior to the publication of this year's report.

Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Secretary-General "is not going to always make everybody happy."

When asked about the addition of Saudi Arabia and not Israel, Dujarric said: "The report ... speaks for itself. It's out ... the result is the report as it stands."

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German President Joachim Gauck is to give a statement at 1000 GMT Monday, his office said, in which he is widely expected to announce that he will not stand for a second term.

The popular Gauck, 76, who has held the largely ceremonial post of head of state since 2012, will reportedly step down due to health concerns and his age.

Gauck, a Protestant pastor, rose to prominence as a human rights activist in communist East Germany and was instrumental in the movement which helped topple the Berlin Wall in 1989.

His decision not to run for a second mandate creates a political headache for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will have to fill the job just as campaigning for the general election, expected to be held in September 2017, kicks off.

Parliament would elect Gauck's successor in February 2017, with conservatives mentioning Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Bavarian MP Gerda Hasselfeldt, who would be Germany's first female president, as possible candidates.

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The father of a seven-year-old Japanese boy found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a bear-inhabited forest as punishment said that his son has forgiven him, as details emerged of the boy's ordeal.

Japan has been mesmerised by young Yamato Tanooka, who survived six nights alone in northern Japan after his angry parents abandoned him by the side of a mountain road on the island of Hokkaido on May 28.

Searchers, including soldiers, scoured the mountain for days but could find no clues to the missing boy. He was discovered Friday morning sheltering in a hut on a military base some 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) from where he had been left.

Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father, has said that he, his wife and daughter returned to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car several minutes later, but there was no sight of the boy.

"I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'," the elder Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in footage aired Monday.

"And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you'," Tanooka added, choking up.

Yamato was taken to hospital immediately after being found by a soldier from the base and will be discharged on Tuesday, a hospital official told AFP, refraining from giving further details.

Immediately after being abandoned, the crying boy had attempted to chase his parents' car but ended up getting disoriented and going the opposite way, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported, citing sources close to the family.

Yamato also said that because he was afraid of the forest he walked about five hours in the dark along a path until he came to the hut on a military drill field, the report added.

Other reports said the boy saw no one until the soldier found him on Friday but he believed his family must be looking for him.

Yamato's parents have been severely criticised for forcing him out of their car to teach him a lesson for throwing stones at cars and people.

The elder Tanooka said he was angry because the boy had recently been scolded at school for hitting cars with a wooden stick.

"So I tried to show him that I can be scary if seriously angry," he said, citing what he described as a "father's dignity".

The contrite 44-year-old father bowed and apologised in front of reporters on Friday after being reunited with Yamato for what he admitted were his "excessive" actions.

The parents originally told police their son got lost while on a family outing to gather wild vegetables. Tanooka said they lied at first because they feared the reaction of society and possibly being questioned by police as abusive parents.

Local police have reported the case to a child welfare centre as possible mental abuse, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and other reports said Monday.

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Italy's anti-establishment Five Star movement fired a warning shot across Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's bow Monday with a landmark victory in the first round of Rome's mayoral race.

Five Star (M5S) candidate Virginia Raggi looks likely to become the capital's first female mayor after easily taking the lead over Roberto Giachetti of Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), tapping into anger over corruption scandals in the Eternal City.

The movement also celebrated gains in other cities, mirroring the rise of populist and anti-establishment parties across Europe.

"A historic result. #Let's change everything", a jubilant M5S tweeted.

Lawyer Raggi, 37, who snapped up nearly 36 percent of the vote according to the provisional official tally, will face Giachetti, who took 24 percent, in a run-off on June 19.

Losing control of Rome would not augur well for Renzi four months before a referendum on constitutional reforms designed to end decades of gridlock in parliament.

The 41-year-old premier has vowed to resign if voters reject the reforms.

"Unless there is a startling and dramatic turn in events, the capital is going to have a 'Grillino' mayor," political commentator Stefano Folli said in the Repubblica daily, using a nickname for the movement's members.

"The optimism and hope in the future needed if voters are to back the ruling party proved too weak. This should worry the prime minister, considering the challenges of the coming months," he said.

The Italian capital has been without an elected leader since last October, when Ignazio Marino, a member of PD, was forced to quit over an expenses scandal.

The city is also still dealing with the fallout from Mafia Capitale, a scandal that erupted in 2014 when dozens of businessmen, politicians and officials were arrested on suspicion of having conspired for years to siphon off city funds through rigged tenders and other scams.

In a further blow to the PD, the 55-year-old Giachetti had to fight hard in Rome to beat Giorgia Meloni, a candidate put up by one of several small groups that emerged from Italy's neo-fascist movement.

In Turin, the party also failed to clinch an all-out victory, and will have to face off against the M5S candidate, while in Milan, the PD appeared to have won against the right only by the skin of its teeth.

"(Renzi's) party is in a terrible state, it is at risk all over the place, even in the cities it considered in the bag," commentator Marco Travaglio said in the left-wing Il Fatto Quotidiano daily.

A Five Star win in Rome would boost the populist movement -- founded in 2009 by wild-eyed and outspoken comedian Beppe Grillo -- as it seeks to cement its status as a mainstream party.

"Romans are sending a clear message. We are witnessing a historic moment," Raggi said in a nighttime victory address.

The "Grillini" will be hoping victory will give them the platform they need to transform themselves into Italy's principal opposition in the runup to national elections due by June 2018 at the latest.

But experts have warned it could be the movement's undoing, landing a politically inexperienced team with a city not only plagued with corruption, refuse and transport problems but notoriously difficult to administer.

"Winning in Rome would land them with a hot potato. I hope for their sake they do not," Piergiorgio Corbetta, research director at the Cattaneo di Bologna institute, told AFP.

Overall, more than 13 million people nationwide were asked to cast their ballots to choose members of 1,300 municipal councils in a two-round ballot.

Renzi, who played little part in most of the elections, played down their significance ahead of the vote, saying they were "about mayors, the people whose job it is to repair the streets, not the government of the country".

But on Monday he told a press conference that while Giachetti had "performed a minor miracle" by coming second in Rome after the problems with the outgoing mayor, "we are not happy".

And in Naples, where Renzi had personally rolled up his sleeves for a PD victory, the ruling party failed to make it even to the second round.

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Chancellor Angela Merkel's office hit back Monday at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a blistering row over a German parliamentary vote declaring the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians.

Erdogan has angrily condemned last week's vote on the World War I massacres, charging that the 11 German MPs with Turkish roots who backed it supported "terrorism" by the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), and demanding "blood tests" to see "what kind of Turks they are".

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert on Monday said that while Berlin also considers the PKK a terrorist group, "to associate individual members of parliament with terrorism is utterly incomprehensible to us".

"The resolution was a political initiative that emerged from the midst of the Bundestag, which is a democratically elected, independent organ under our constitution," Seibert told a regular press conference.

"The Bundestag reached a sovereign decision. That must be respected," Seibert said, adding that this was the message Merkel had given to the Turkish president.

Erdogan -- in a bitter reaction to the vote to recognise the 1915-1916 killings as genocide -- singled out German Greens party co-leader Cem Ozdemir, one of the instigators of the resolution passed on June 2.

Ozdemir has been placed under police protection after receiving anonymous death threats.

The vote in the German parliament added yet another bone of contention to Turkey's troubled relationship with the European Union, and comes as the 28-nation bloc is banking on Turkey to block the flow of migrants into Europe.

The Turkish community in Germany -- which broadly opposes the 'genocide' vote -- nonetheless criticised Erdogan Monday for the pressure his government and its supporters had placed on German lawmakers of Turkish origin.

"We find death threats and demands for blood tests abhorrent," its chairman Gokay Sofuoglu told national news agency DPA.

"I think the era when people were defined by their blood ended in 1945. This is absolutely out of place."

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US President Barack Obama will head to Poland on July 7-9 for his last summit with NATO leaders, and then head to Spain for his first visit there since taking office in 2009, the White House announced Monday.

It will be Obama's fifth NATO summit, a White House statement said

Obama will also hold bilateral talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda to "reaffirm the American commitment to Poland's security, and exchange views on the broader security environment in Europe," it said.

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Following a cancelation of the much-awaited Heavy Metal concert by Brazilian band Sepultura last Saturday, the band announced it has left the country. Ahram Online spoke to Sepultura hours prior to the scheduled concert

After police stopped the Sepultura heavy metal concert last Saturday, the band announced it has left the country as the concerts organiser got arrested.

Sepulturas manager Tom Gill told Ahram Online that band members felt sorry for the cancellation because they've been dreaming to play in Egypt for a while.

Last Saturday, a security force including riot police and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) stormed the villa where the concert was set to take place and stopped the event, citing a lack of necessary permits.

What we have heard about the cancellation is that it was related to some missing permit payments, but we could not confirm it because we couldn't speak with Nader Sadek, the organiser, Gill said. They told us that he has been taken by the police.

Sadek has been detained along with two others and remains in custody, according to friends, though Ahram Online could not independently verify this information.

The bands manager told Ahram Online that after the cancelation, several fans apologised to the band members and expressed regret over the incident.

Sepultura wrote on their Facebook page that they are deeply sorry for the fans that were anxiously waiting for the concert, but these are legal issues that are beyond the control of any artist.

Hours before the scheduled concert, Ahram Online sat down with the band where they expressed their excitement over playing for Egyptian fans, and their willingness to share their passion with metalheads.

They also talked about their approach when it comes to writing lyrics tackling oppression, propaganda and police brutality; themes that can be understood internationally.

AO: Here in Egypt, Heavy Metal is still an underground scene, where musicians and organisers often have difficulties with society, government institutions and sometimes the police.

In the 1990s, several metalheads were arrested and accused of Satanism. An ongoing struggle has been taking place in the scene since then.

So for you to come and play here, you are now part of that movement and struggle, which is growing and recovering from past blows. How do you feel about this?

Sepultura (Andreas Kisser): It is great to have the possibility to come to a place like Egypt. It has been 32 years in our career. Egypt is the 76th country that we visited, with all its history, which is a beautiful mark for us.

We played in several other places regardless of the political situation or religion or any other aspect. We played in Muslim and Catholic countries; we played in dictatorships, democracies and monarchies.

We played in every type of country. It is really great to see that Egypt has really opened the door and laid down those barriers and always felt like pioneers in that regard. It is not easy to come to Egypt and put on a Heavy Metal show, as you know [laughs]. We know also. We brought a crew to make the best effort to present the show, as we did everywhere in the world.

Hopefully, this Sepultura show will help people open more doors and make people understand that we are making art and music. We have interests in different kinds of music in the world, and we talk about everything in our lyrics, about society and different experiences in nations. We touch on different kinds of subjects and it's great.

AO: In Brazil, when you started off in the 1980s, Metal was probably new. How difficult was it to be presented there, and do you feel it is comparable with the underground situation in Egypt?

Sepl (Andreas Casagrande): Of course in Brazil, in the 1985, we were coming out of a military dictatorship. At the same time, we had The Rock in Rio, which was the beautiful musical revolution that happened there and opened the door for international bands and for Brazilian music to be part of such a big festival.

Religion is something that made it difficult for people in Brazil to understand what we were saying at first. But slowly, by showing our way of playing and the lyrics we talk about, we opened the doors step by step.

And now Brazil is one of the biggest Metal nations in the world. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica as well as other big names come to perform there in big stadiums for thousands of people. Plus the local scene is very strong.

Metal was only in English. That is why we follow the English language as well. It is better for us musically, and helps us in international touring.

AO: You say that most of your songs are in English, as it is considered an international language understood by people from different countries and cultures.

I saw Egyptian heavy metal fans during the 25 January Revolution sharing your song Refuse/Resist as a way to relate to what was happening at the time. How do you see this?

Sepl (Andreas): It's great. It shows that music is really powerful and it shows that our music has a real message. Because like I said before, we had this kind of stuff before in Brazil. Refuse/Resist is a really powerful song from Chaos A.D, which was one of the most powerful albums in our career.

In the video we used images from China and South America and conflicts that we unfortunately see every day. Nothing has really improved since then, but it's great to hear that the band have the effect of expression without violence, where you can say your point of view and your wish for change.

For the scene in Egypt, I think Nader [Sadek, the concerts organiser] is doing really amazing things in terms of creating means of enjoyment and expressing your frustration. People go to the show and scream in the moshpit. But people are respectful in the moshpits. It is not a violent dance. It is very exposing and very healthy.

You can have a two-and-a-half-hour show and leave with a feeling of relief. I think that is the main purpose, to have fun together with the crowd where you share the energy.

The Egyptian scene is very similar to that of the Brazilian. We are very excited to play the show. Finally we are here. We know how much effort was spent by Nader.

It is amazing that he is doing everything he can possibly do. We are here to help him make it happen. Nader reaches out to different musicians around the world, and he has formed different bands, albums and projects. It is very interesting how he works.

AO: A question for Eloy, the bands new drummer, is how you manage to survive with a band that has been playing and changing its style for more than 30 years. Since its creation the band has changed its approach from Black Metal, to Nu Metal, to Thrash Metal, and to including traditional percussions.

Sepl (Eloy): Before I joined the band I was already a fan. In Brazil, I used to listen to their albums, and when they called me for an audition I knew some of the songs. I try to respect the main lines of the songs and their structure. I respect both drummers who played before me, but of course I try to put my own style in the drumming.

For the last two albums I had full freedom to do what I want. We also have no interference from the record company or anyone else, and as you said, Sepultura has different kinds of Metal subgenres, plus the Brazilian style.

AO: A question for Derrick about the 2001 album Nation, which you heavily participated in writing. The album carried several political messages about war, nation states, humanity and revolution. How were you inspired to write the lyrics?

Sepl (Derrick Green): In Nation, what we really wanted to do was write an album that is extremely positive. It was very easy for alternative bands to complain and write negative things, which can be powerful and explain the emotions that people go through.

But we specifically wanted to write an album geared towards positive thinking, while creating the Utopia Nation that we had in our mind. We had ideas of how to make that nation.

It was great to write in that way; the idea of a powerful and united nation and respecting different people in the nation, which is the most important thing. All civilisations need to respect each other, need to be able to solve certain problems without physical violence.

The artwork for the album helped the idea, with a cover similar to a communist propaganda poster. But we wanted to take a positive side of this.

AO: How do you find Egypt so far?

Sepl (Derrick): Coming here and seeing everything in person as much as possible in the short period that we were here has been great. We found a tour guide who speaks Portuguese and he managed to explain everything, including the history of the sites.

It was an advantage coming here with a person who studied this in university, and who knows a bit about the history. And for us to be able to see everything in person was really fascinating. It was a dream come true.

Sepl (Andreas): It is great. We had time to see the pyramids and the museum; unfortunately we will not have time to go to Luxor and other places.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The cedar timbers of the captains shrine of King Khufus second solar boat was unearthed from its pit neighbouring the great pyramid

Restorers working on the second solar boat of King Khufu (26th century BC) stumbled upon the timbers of the boat captains shrine during restoration works.

Although the cedar beams were in poor condition, the team was able to successfully remove them from the pit where preliminary restoration work was being carried out.

The Khufu boats were discovered inside two pits in 1954 when Egyptian archaeologists Kamal El-Mallakh and Zaki Nour were carrying out routine cleaning on the southern side of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Eissa Zidan, director-general of the GEMs restoration department, told Ahram Online that Khufus boats had two shrines; one for the king located at the end of the boat and the other for the captain at the front.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enani told Ahram Online that the beams were cleaned and consolidated in an attempt to reduce the level of humidity.

The beams, he continued, will be transported to the labs of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) for complete restoration.

Zidan said the team confirmed that the timbers belong to the boat captains shrine after comparing them with the one on the kings first solar boat, now on display at Khufus Solar Boat Museum on the Giza Plateau.

The team solicited the help of experts specialised in boat construction in order to determine the purpose of every piece of the boat.

The shrine was documented and photographed with a 3D laser scanner.

Both boats will be put on display at the GEM.

Zidan explains after its initial discovery, the first boat was removed piece by piece under the supervision of restoration expert Ahmed Youssef, who spent more than 20 years restoring and reassembling the boat.

The second boat remained sealed in the neighbouring pit until 1987 when it was examined by the American National Geographic Society in association with the Egyptian Office for Historical Monuments.

In 2009, a Japanese scientific and archaeological team from Waseda University headed by Sakuji Yoshimura offered to remove the boat from the pit, restore and reassemble it and put it on show to the public.

The team cleaned the pit of insects and inserted a camera through a hole in the chambers limestone ceiling in order to examine the boats condition and determine appropriate methods of restoration.

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Social media users in the country have criticised the statement, saying that the edict infringes on personal freedoms

Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta, the official authority responsible for issuing religious edicts (or fatwas) for Muslims in the country, described the act of "openly violating the fast" as "chaotic and an assault on the sanctity of Islam."

Monday in Egypt marks the first day of the Holy month of Ramadan, where able-bodied, observant Muslims refrain from eating, drinking or smoking during daylight hours.

Dar Al-Ifta, whose Facebook page responds to users' inquiries about Islam, said in public post that "to publicly violate the fast in Ramadan is a sin, as it is a violation of etiquette in Muslim countries."

Social media users in the country have criticised the statement, saying that the edict infringes on personal freedoms.

This is not the first time Dar Al-Ifta has released such a statement, as it echoes edicts on fasting made by the authority in recent years.

Edicts issued by Dar Al-Ifta are not legally binding, and violators would not face any legal sanctions.

While there is no law in Egypt prohibiting citizens from breaking the fast, it was reported in the past years that police shut down cafes that operated during fasting hours and arrested pedestrians for violating fast during daylight hours.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith and must be observed by all able-bodied adult followers.

However, followers are not required to commit to the fast under certain circumstances, including travelling long distances, pregnancy, war, illness or old age.

Those who do not fast for any mitigating reason must make up for lost days during the rest of the year. Those who cannot fast at all, for example due to a medical condition, can instead feed a poor person for one month.

Public eating and drinking in daylight hours during Ramadan has been a recurrent subject of media debate over the past years.

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(Beijing)  An online-only bank is waiting for regulatory approval to sell stocks to investors including its major shareholder Tencent Holdings Ltd. to raise capital, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Shenzhen Qianhai WeBank, the country's first non-brick-and-mortar bank, plans to raise 1.2 billion yuan from six investors, the sources told Caixin. Among the investors are Tencent, which currently owns 30 percent of the bank and is planning to buy another 365 million yuan worth of the shares if the regulator gives the green light, they said.

The latest round of fundraising comes as the bank scrambles to turn a profit in the online-only finance sector amidst strict regulations and stiff competition from traditional banks. The sources said WeBank lost money in 2015, its first year in operation, but did not reveal how big the loss was.

However, investors still have faith in the business because executives at the bank estimated that it will become profitable this year, a person close to the online bank said.

WeBank was among the first six institutions to receive a license from the banking regulator to operate an Internet-only bank in 2014, as part of the government's pilot program to expand access to finance for individuals and small business owners. At its launch ceremony in January 2015, Premier Li Keqiang said that "WeBank's one small step is one giant step for financial reform."

Several companies, including Tencent's biggest rivals Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc., have also started similar services since then.

But regulatory uncertainty has put these new banks in limbo. For now, anyone who wants to use their financial services must link their account from an online-only bank to another account at a traditional bank because regulators have not allowed Internet-only banks to conduct business with customers remotely using identity-verification technologies such as face recognition.

But major banks have refused to cooperate. China Merchants Bank turned down WeBank's request to let its customers link their bank accounts to WeBank's mobile application in late 2015, citing security concerns. However, according to an executive at a major state bank who asked not to be named, the real reason for this was that Merchants Bank did not want "to lose customers to WeBank."

As of May 15, WeBank had given out more than 40 billion yuan worth of loans through traditional banks  most of them small, local banks, Wan Jun, the bank's CEO said. WeBank offered 72 percent of the interest on loans to its partners and kept the rest to itself, the source close to the online bank said.

(Rewritten by Chen Na)
It's been 15 years since China joined the World Trade Organization and yet China is still waiting for the WTO to grant market economy status. During this period, some Chinese businesses have expanded overseas while others have been accused of flouting international anti-dumping rules.

Chinese leaders have been lobbying major trading partners in a bid to secure market economy recognition. And during the second round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in 2010 in Beijing, the two sides agreed to work together toward this goal.

In 2011, then-Premier Wen Jiabao called on China's trade allies to support the quest for full market economy status at a forum celebrating the 10th anniversary of China's WTO accession. Last October, Premier Li Keqiang reportedly in a telephone call urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel to help China win European Union support. Merkel at the time said she favored granting China this status.

To date, 81 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Russia have recognized China's as a market economy. But its largest trading partners including the United States, Canada and Japan  countries responsible for most of the anti-dumping charges brought against Chinese companies  have yet to decide where they stand.

On May 12, European Commission lawmakers passed a resolution opposing market economy status for China. But there are major disagreements on this issue among members of the EU, China's second-largest trading partner. Some countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and most countries in northern Europe have expressed they support recognizing China as a full-market economy. But Italy, Spain, France and a host of others have been more reluctant.

In late 2015, Washington warned Brussels not to support China's bid for market economy status, saying lower tariffs and other concessions that come with the proposed change could hamper future efforts aimed at preventing Chinese companies from flooding American and European markets with cheap goods backed by unfair state subsidies.

The debate centers on a dispute over terms of the agreement under which China joined the WTO in 2001. According to the agreement, the country's lack of market economy status means that during an anti-dumping investigation against China, Chinese product costs are calculated based on market prices in a "substitute country." Production costs in these substitute countries are often much higher than in China. This puts Chinese companies in a more vulnerable position.

The WTO agreement will expire December 11, meaning a substitute country afterward can no longer be used for calculating China's production costs. But this does not mean China will automatically receive market economy status.

Questions have been raised over how Chinese companies should be dealt with during an anti-dumping investigation if the country fails to get market economy status as hoped by the end of this year. Nothing in the WTO rulebook addresses this contingency.

Thus, Beijing is pushing to secure full market status before the December deadline to avoid uncertainties in trade relations. But the recent negative vote by the EU, as well as silence on this crucial issue in Japan, the United States, and other countries, are disappointing signals.

Tao Jingzhou is a lawyer in Beijing and Asian Managing Partner for the U.S. law firm Dechert LLP
Under the proposal, which was put forward by an independent citizens' group, adults would receive about $2,500 from the government every month and children about a quarter of that amount. Foreigners who have been legal residents for at least five years, as well as all Swiss citizens would have been eligible for the stipend.

Swiss television affirms what opinion polls had predicted -- that the "unconditional basic income" initiative has been massively defeated.

Swiss voters have rejected a plan that would have guaranteed a basic monthly income to the whole population whether people work or not. The controversial referendum was rejected by nearly 77 percent of the voters.

 Pros and Cons

Supporters claimed the plan would eradicate poverty. They say it would not cost as much as opponents fear because existing welfare payments would be cut. But the initiative garnered little or no support from most of the political parties, the government and population.

Ralph Kundig, president of the Swiss chapter of the Basic Income Earth Network and a leading proponent of the plan, said it would act as a stimulant to the economy, because people would be less afraid to take risks and more open to entrepreneurship.

But opponents said the measure would have crippled the national budget. They also said people should work for their money and not be given a handout, while warning a guaranteed monthly income would act as a magnet to attract millions of economic migrants to Switzerland.

 Big Budget Dent

Switzerland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but also one of the priciest to live in. Swiss officials estimated it would take $25.6 billion to cover the annual costs of the proposal, leading to deep spending cuts or significant tax increases.

The initiative garnered little or no support from most of the political parties or the government, which urged voters to reject it.

Following the referendum, Interior Minister Alain Berset said the vote showed Swiss voters supported the economic and social system in place "and that this system works well."

But Liza Mazzone, a member of the Greens Party, the only party to back the referendum, said it has succeeded in opening up a vigorous public debate on employment problems facing people today and in the future. She added that this debate will continue.

Some material for this report came from AFP, AP and Reuters.
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China's Haier goes to Russia with big plan Updated: 2016-06-06 07:37 By Fan Feifei(China Daily)

Local officials and businesspeople visit Haier's new refrigerator plant in Kamsky Industrial Park, Russia. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Haier Group, China's biggest maker of household appliances, has opened a new refrigerator factory in Russia in response to increasing demand from the European market. The new plant is the first joint Sino-Russian business project in a non-energy field.

The new site, spanning 24,500 square meters, is located in Kamsky Industrial Park, Naberezhnye Chelny, an important industrial city in the Russian province of Tatarstan.

It will entail up to $55 million in investment, of which $39 million have been invested already to set up the plant. The rest will be invested this month to buy components and towards production.

The factory is a crucial step for Haier to localize its Russia operations. Haier has also started establishing an R&D center and a TV assembly unit in Russia.

Annual output of the Tatarstan plant will reach 500,000 refrigerators in 2020. Production capacity in the first stage will be 250,000 units, which will swell to 500,000 units by the end of the second and final stage. The target markets include Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and some parts of Europe.

By 2017, Haier plans to employ 500 professionals at this factory, and another 1,200 jobs will be created by outsourcing business. At present, there are already 248 staff in Naberezhnye Chelny.

Liang Haishan, the rotating president of Haier Group, said, "Innovation and cutting-edge technologies are the genes of Haier's global strategy. Tatarstan is one of the most prospective Russian regions in terms of economic development, technologies, and innovations."

He said Tatarstan has a supportive investment environment, highly qualified administrators, fully developed industrial clusters, and good prospects for logistics development. The future development of the plant augurs well for the company, he said.

Rustam Minnihanov, president of the Tatarstan Republic, said, "We are very proud that we managed to create all the necessary conditions in the region to attract such hi-tech companies as Haier."

Minnihanov said Haier's factory signals a good beginning towards mutual benefits. As Chinese investors come into the region, Russian enterprises, encouraged by the Russian government, are expanding in China.

Founded in 1984, the Qingdao-headquartered Haier Group is one of the world's leading home appliances manufacturer. It had a 9.8 percent share in global market in 2015, London-based market-research firm Euromonitor International data showed.

In January, the company agreed to buy General Electric's home appliances business for $5.4 billion in cash.

"Haier's strategy is to localize its production in Russia as fast as possible. Over the next two to three years, up to 70 percent of production in Russia is planned to be localized," said Mikhail Babich, Russian presidential plenipotentiary in the Volga Federal District.

In addition to financial investment, Haier is introducing a unique production model and innovative technology to Russia.

It implements special flaw-minimizing technologies at all production stages from manufacturing to assembly and packaging. It has built two laboratories in Naberezhye Chelny, one to check the quality of the products and the other to develop innovative technologies.
NEEQ's tighter listing norms spook PE firms Updated: 2016-06-06 11:06 By Cai Xiao(China Daily)

Listing applications of 33 PE and VC firms are waiting for the NEEQ's approval. But only a few of them, such as Legend Capital, CITIC Capital and Sense Gain Asset Management, meet the new minimum assets requirement. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China's securities regulator last week lifted its January ban on private equity firms from raising funds on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, but the latter's new listing requirements could mean not many may be able to list on it.

The new listing norms of the NEEQ, also known as the New Third Board, could mean very few of the PE funds seeking to list would meet the new minimum assets requirement.

The norm stipulates that PE funds should have had assets worth 5 billion yuan ($760 million) under management for the last three years on average. Similarly, venture capital firms should have had assets worth 2 billion yuan under management for the last three years on average.

As for the fund firms already listed on the NEEQ, at least 80 percent of their revenue needs to be in the form of fees for managing their clients' assets. Stated differently, 80 percentage their declared income for listing purposes cannot include capital gains.

They have one year grace time to comply with this regulation. Non-compliance would lead to delisting.

The NEEQ is China's third national equity exchange. It is popular among micro-, small- and medium-sized companies. As on Friday, 7,464 companies are listed on it.

Listing applications of 33 PE and VC firms are waiting for the NEEQ's approval. But only a few of them, such as Legend Capital, CITIC Capital and Sense Gain Asset Management, meet the new minimum assets requirement.

"Many PE and VC companies can't meet the requirement because funds from their investors always come in stages," said Yi Jigang, president of the Beijing-based private-equity firm Orient Jiyi Investment.

More than 20 PE firms are already listed on the NEEQ. Of them, only Shenzhen Cowin Venture Capital Investments Ltd meets the 80-percent-revenue-from-fee requirement. It earned 90 percent of its income from fund management fee, according to its annual report for 2015.

Fund management fee of PE firm China Science & Merchants Investment Management Group accounted for only 55 percent of its total income. For JD Capital, the corresponding figure was nearly 61 percent. They are among the largest NEEQ-listed PE firms.

An industry expert said on condition of anonymity that the new requirements are so strict that fewer than 50 PE and VC firms in China would meet them.

The securities regulator's ban in January came in response to concerns that PE and VC firms misuse funds raised on the NEEQ for speculative trading in the main stock markets, instead of sticking to their stated objective of investing them in high-growth small and medium-sized firms.

For its part, the NEEQ stipulated that funds raised from its market cannot be used to trade in stocks on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses, except for shares in invested companies that go public in the A-share market.

Zhang Xiaojun, a spokesman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said the NEEQ shall strictly regulate all financial institutions, including PE and VC firms, already listed on it, and shall issue different disclosure norms for each class of companies.

"The CSRC will ensure that the New Third Board is a market serving the real economy, and crack down on illegal activities to protect the interests of investors for the steady development of the market," said Zhang.

In China, real economy refers to products and services, and the businesses that produce or offer them, and excludes firms focused only on capital gains.

Zheng Lichang, an analyst at JT Asset Management, said the CSRC and NEEQ offer PE firms healthy opportunities for listing and fund-raising, and the strict requirements will help prevent speculative trading in stocks.
Chinese outbound investment should be feared or embraced? Updated: 2016-06-06 17:24 (Xinihua)

BEIJING - The Chinese are coming!

The subject has been hitting the headlines of world media over recent years. "Chinese are taking over the world," the Guardian exclaimed in 2011; In 2015, Forbes reported about "Hungry dragon" buying America; and in 2016, the Daily Telegraph warned that Chinese buyers were "targeting Australia."

These headlines mirror the complex feelings about Chinese investment, which have been oscillating between welcome and suspicion, coupled with prejudice, misunderstanding and fear.

Some experts have pointed out that the West's "over-sensitivity" toward China is mainly due to differences in values and ideology, a lingering Cold War mindset and uneasiness over China's rapid growth.

Scapegoating Chinese

With house prices soaring lately in some major cities of countries such as Canada, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, rhetoric about "Chinese invasion" is growing louder. Media overemphasis on Chinese buyers over other ethnic groups has fuelled public concerns that they are pricing local buyers out of the housing market.

Many surveys and media reports have found that more and more people now believe that offshore buyers, mainly those from China, are to blame for rising house prices.

In New Zealand, the opposition Labor Party sparked a political storm last year with claims that Chinese property investors were fuelling the housing bubble in Auckland.

The accusation has been refuted by new data collected by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), which shows that only less than 1 percent of homes in the country were sold to offshore Chinese buyers in the first three months of 2016.

It is the first-ever official figures on overseas buyers of New Zealand homes, and right after the figure was released in mid-May, National Party list MP Jian Yang demanded apologies from the Labor Party for scapegoating offshore Chinese property buyers for the country's soaring house prices.

In Australia, speculation that Chinese investors have caused the country's high property prices was buried after sales data collected by Australian university analysts in late 2015 show that Chinese investments made up only 2 percent of the 270-billion-dollar residential market in Australia.

According to analysts from the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney, the housing shortage in Australia and hungry local demand have been pushing prices up long before the recent pouring in of Chinese and Asian investments.

Who's the real culprit?

Data analysis and statistics have shown that fears and angst over Chinese buyers are often unjustified. Some leading economists and property experts pointed out the real culprit for the housing unaffordability in some countries is domestic fundamentals, and blaming foreign buyers "amounts to barking up the wrong tree."

According to chief economist of the National Bank of Canada, Stefane Marion, the soaring prices in Vancouver and Toronto reflect the rapid growth of employment in both cities and the fact that the population of young people aged 20-44 is growing.

"It's wrong to think the rapidly rising housing prices in these two markets are the result of speculation," he said in a new report, cited by the CBC News in a recent article.

Marion's view was echoed by other experts, including Bank of Montreal senior economist Robert Kavcic.

"It's easy to blame the foreign-buyer boogeymen for the home price gains in Vancouver and Toronto," Kavcic said.

However, "what we do know is that the fundamentals right here at home are strong enough on their own to drive big price gains," said the economist.

Kavcic said rapid population and employment growth in Vancouver and Toronto, lack of developable space and low mortgage rates are the true "culprits" behind the unconscionable rise in house prices.

Beyond housing

The "fear of China" is felt well beyond the field of real estate. Driven by rapid economic growth, China in recent years has become a significant source of outbound investment and its companies are now making more and more acquisitions abroad.

However, despite their contribution to local employment, just like what the offshore Chinese property buyers have done, these companies sometimes find themselves facing strong misgivings in the West.

"The expansion of China's outbound foreign direct investment is often seen as a threat. A 'fear of China' is prevalent in the West," said Jiang Shixue, a professor and deputy director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Taking the European Union (EU) for example, Jiang said that "some Chinese investment projects have been blocked because they might allegedly give China a 'strategic foothold'."

Actually, Chinese outbound investment benefits both sides, Jiang noted.

For the EU, Chinese capital plays a positive role in a number of ways, including making up for the shortfall in some European countries' capital and investment needs, promoting the development of productivity in the host country and helping European firms to increase their market share in the world, he said.

Such effects are also quite obvious in the United States, where Chinese investment in acquisitions, new operations and expansions is set to reach 30 billion US dollars this year, following a record high of over 15 billion dollars in 2015.

According to a recent study, Chinese investment in US businesses is expected to reach 200 billion dollars by the end of this decade.

A win-win game

Thanks to Chinese investors, more local jobs have been sustained and created in the United States, and many dying US enterprises have been reborn, experts and economists said.

For example, Greenfield Industries in South Carolina, which held a leadership role in the cutting tools industry, was acquired for 20 million dollars by China-based TDC Cutting Tools in 2009, when the US company was dying and had only 116 employees.

At first, "we were concerned, listening to different things on TV about Chinese how they were trying to buy everything. We were all concerned that they would bring their group of people and exclude us from what was going on, but it hasn't happened," employee Sherrie Carter recalled.

"It's like a family atmosphere and it has just been amazing," Carter added.

Now, the Greenfield Industries has been brought back to life and has at least 350 employees on its payroll.

The Greenfield Industries is typical of a spate of success stories of Chinese investment in the United States. Statistics released by China's Ministry of Commerce shows that Chinese investments now support about 80,000 full-time US jobs, a five-fold increase in the past five years.

And creating jobs and helping dying US enterprises survive are not the only boons brought by the takeovers.

As economists have pointed out, the tie-up of abundant Chinese funds and distribution channels with advanced US technology and management expertise has also sharpened the competitiveness of the merged groups, generating an effect of one plus one being bigger than two.

Wan Long, chairman of Shuanghui, China's largest pork producer that purchased its US counterpart Smithfield Foods in 2013, has said the acquisition enabled Smithfield to access the huge Chinese market through Shuanghui's distribution network while Shuanghui gained access to high-quality, competitively-priced and safe US products, as well as Smithfield's best practices and operational expertise.
Maotanchang High School students in Maotanchang township, Liu'an city of East China's Anhui province heading to the national college entrance exam (or gaokao) sites in urban areas of the city as their parents and locals wave goodbye and wish them luck, June 5, 2016. The school has earned a reputation as a "gaokao mill" having produced a large number of students to pass the national exam, known as gaokao.[Photo/IC]
Abe's blame game reveals his policies failing to get results Updated: 2016-06-06 08:04 By Cai Hong(China Daily)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, January 28, 2016. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday he wants the new economy minister, Nobuteru Ishihara, to continue the government's efforts to push through structural reforms. [Photo/Agencies]

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has once again postponed the country's consumption tax hike.

Japan was originally scheduled to increase the tax from 8 percent to 10 percent in October 2015, but it was postponed until April 2017, with the promise of no more delay. But on June 1, Abe ate his words by putting the hike off again to October 2019.

Abe highlighted economic weakness in China and a slowdown in emerging markets as his reason for the second postponement, asserting that "Abenomics is steadily producing positive results".

But Abe's decision has been questioned by foreign and Japanese media.

The New York Times said it amounted to an admission that the country's economy remained "worryingly fragile".

Japan's media is also worried. The Mainichi Shimbun said the delay raises questions about the future of Japan's economy. The newspaper criticized Abe for his explanation that Japan needs to "prepare for a new crisis involving the world economy".
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jun 6, 2016) - Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:AVU)(8AM.F) is pleased to report progress on its exploration projects available for joint venture in southern Portugal. The Company is currently directing its efforts to form new exploration JV's on these projects, all of which have drill-ready targets:

Alvito - This license contains a large iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) target in the Ossa Morena Zone, the mineral district sandwiched between the Iberian Pyrite Belt to the south and the Montemor orogenic gold district to the north.

Marateca - The license covers at least 12 copper- and zinc-bearing massive sulfide targets in the Pyrite Belt on the northerly extensions of the same trends that host the giant Neves Corvo and Aljustrel mines in Portugal and the Rio Tinto, Aguas Tenidas, and Las Cruces mines in Spain.

Mertola - This license contains copper- and zinc-bearing Sao Domingos massive sulfide deposit mined in the 19th and 20th centuries in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal.

Alvito

The main target on the Alvito license is the Alcacovas iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) prospect. Soil sampling, geological mapping, prospecting at and around old workings, and short-hole drilling (in lieu of trenching) have delineated an initial IOCG footprint of 2 x 4 kilometers in size. Further groundwork in the area is likely to increase the size of the target area, though the present size of the known IOCG alteration and mineralization footprint at Alcacovas is already similar to that of the Candelaria deposit in Chile, presently being mined by TSX-listed Lundin Mining.

To view Figure 1, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure1603.pdf

To view Figure 2, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure2603.pdf

There are other targets on the Alvito license. Recent follow-up soil sampling at the Romeira gossan target, located 18 km east of Alcacovas, shows a developing copper-lead-zinc target, presently over 500 meters long, 100 meters wide, and open on both ends. Soil sampling is continuing in order to better develop the target. Outcropping limonitic gossan is present, and is apparently the source of the soil anomalism.

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In addition, soil sampling at the Agua de Peixe carbonate-hosted massive sulfide target, located 2 km southwest of Romeira, has shown an open-ended zone of possible lead-zinc-silver mineralization over 350 meters in strike length. Historic scout drilling in the area suggests the presence of base metal and silver mineralization. There is also potential for nearby precious metal-bearing vein mineralization in the Agua de Peixe district. Two sub-parallel quartz veins, up to 10-15 meters wide, and outcropping over 2 kilometers in length, have been investigated, to date, only in a preliminary manner.

Marateca

The Pego do Altar gossan zone in the southeast corner of the license is a drill-ready target located in the Sao Domingos mineral trend of the Portuguese Pyrite Belt, and approximately 50 kilometers north of the Sesmarias massive sulfide discovery. The host rocks at Pego do Altar are similar to those at Sesmarias, and Avrupa's geological targeting vectors indicate strong drill target possibilities. The gossan zone outcrops over a length of one kilometer, carries elevated copper, lead, and zinc rock sample anomalism, as well as leached rock textures, suggesting potential for mineralization down dip from the surface exposures.

To view Figure 3, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure3603.pdf

Previously, in 2011-12, the Company drilled a series of exploratory holes in the Serrinha target area, located 15 kilometers northwest of Pego do Altar. Best results at Serrinha hill, itself, included +30 meter intercepts of strongly altered volcanic rocks in the same package of rocks that hosts mineralization in the other Pyrite Belt deposits. The Company sampled the sequence of altered rocks, and sludge samples in zones of poor recovery from twinned Serrinha hill drill holes ran 263 ppm silver over 11.3 meters in SE-011 and 17.7 ppm silver over 33 meters in SE-011A (first reported August 23, 2011). It is likely the Serrinha holes intersected a strong zone of stockwork quartz-pyrite mineralization hosted by strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks.

Two other holes were drilled in 2011-12 at the Sao Martinho and Volta targets on the west and south flanks, respectively, of Serrinha hill. Drilling problems caused abandonment of both holes short of geophysical and geological targets.

In addition to re-working the targets at Serrinha, first-pass geological mapping, anomalous soil geochemistry, and basic mineral prospecting have highlighted obvious geological targets at other exposures of Pyrite Belt VS rocks within the Marateca license area. The three main mineral trends in the Pyrite Belt of Portugal cross through the Marateca license, allowing for over 50 kilometers total length of exploration potential.

To view Figure 4, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure4603.pdf

Mertola

The Mertola license is the least explored by Avrupa geologists. Even so, commencement of re-logging of historic core from the Chanca prospect, located in the northeast corner of the license immediately adjacent to the border with Spain, has already brought to light one potential drilling target between historic copper-zinc mineralized drill holes. Both drill holes, spaced over 1,000 meters apart, contain visible stockwork and semi-massive sulfide mineralization over intercept lengths of 30-40 meters. Re-interpretation of the geology in these holes and others in the same area indicates that previous drilling, for the most part, appears not to have reached the proper target rocks, leaving significant space between the mineralized holes for more massive sulfide potential.

The historic Sao Domingos Mine, located just six kilometers southwest of the Chanca prospect, has been mined intermittently since Roman times. Modern summary reports, though not 43-101 compliant, estimate that previous operators mined approximately 25 million tonnes of massive sulfide averaging in excess of 1% from only one lens. Subsequent exploration did not uncover further mineralization, even though it is usual to find multiple sulfide lenses at a single mine in the Pyrite Belt. Further re-interpretation of the geology and structure, as the Company has done in other parts of the Pyrite Belt, via field mapping, re-logging of historic drill core, and review of all the other available historic data is expected to lead to new drill targets in the Sao Domingos-Chanca areas.

Most of the rest of the license has only be reviewed in a cursory, first-pass manner, but Avrupa geologists have already identified a number of obvious target areas where altered and weakly mineralized VS rocks outcrop.

To view Figure 5, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure5603.pdf

More detailed technical information concerning these licenses can be found on the Avrupa website at the following link: http://www.avrupaminerals.com/available_for_jv/.

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and development company focused on discovery, using a prospect generator model, of valuable mineral deposits in politically stable and prospective regions of Europe, including Portugal, Kosovo, and Germany.

The Company currently holds nine exploration licenses in three European countries, including six in Portugal covering 3,821 km2, two in Kosovo covering 47 km2, and one in Germany covering 307 km2. Avrupa has three joint ventures, two in Portugal and one in Kosovo:

The Alvalade JV, with Colt Resources, covering one license in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal, for Cu-rich massive sulfide deposits;

The Covas JV, with Blackheath Resources, covering one license in northern Portugal, for intrusion-related W deposits; and

Avrupa's partner at the Slivovo Gold Project in Kosovo is presently advancing the Project by funding and operating a pre-feasibility study.

Avrupa is currently upgrading precious and base metal targets to JV-ready status in a variety of districts on their other licenses, with the idea of attracting potential partners to project-specific and/or regional exploration programs.

On behalf of the Board,

Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director

This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content. Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a Licensed Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society of Mining Engineers, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has reviewed the technical disclosure in this release. Mr. Kuhn, the QP, has not only reviewed, but prepared and supervised the preparation or approval of the scientific and technical content in the news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture NExchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
By Peter Maushagen FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Shanghai Yiqian Trading Company is to buy Hahn airport in Germany to secure a base for food exports as well as passengers heading to and from Asia, a deal highlighting China's increasing appetite for overseas infrastructure assets. The planned purchase of an 82.5 percent stake in Hahn from federal state owners for a low double-digit million euro amount shows China's aim of recreating Silk Road trade links between Europe and Asia that have already led to some big-ticket transactions. In April, China Everbright Group, a state-backed financial firm, bought into Albania's international airport while China Cosco Shipping Corporation purchased a 67 percent stake in Greece's Piraeus Port. China's HNA Group has also been on an aviation acquisition spree. Last week it agreed to buy a stake in Virgin Australia, and is in talks for a stake in Air France-KLM catering unit Servair to add to its planned purchase of Gategroup. Yu Tao Chou, chairman of Shanghai Yiqian Trading, explaining the rationale for the deal, said increased air freight links from Germany would help to meet the growing demand in China for Western products such as meat, which local producers are struggling to keep up with. "When it comes to freight, we expect good business from the transportation of food products to Asia," he said. Hahn, a former military base near Frankfurt, has struggled to turn a profit but the new owners said on Monday they wanted to change that by boosting passenger and freight links with Asia. The airport is used mainly by budget airline Ryanair, but the Irish carrier has been cutting back on services from Hahn at its flies to more primary airports. Passenger numbers at Hahn, 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Frankfurt, dropped to 2.7 million last year from almost 4 million 10 years ago. Unlike Frankfurt, Germany's largest airport, Hahn has a 24-hour permit, making it useful for freight flights. The current majority owner, the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, will provide around 70 million euros in subsidies for the airport over the next decade, the interior ministry said. Such subsidies must be approved by the European Commission and preliminary talks have already taken place. The new owners will be expected to bear at least 50 percent of the investment costs, the ministry also said. Chou said Shanghai Yiqian Trading also planned to buy the remaining 17.5 percent stake held by the state of Hesse. Chinese investors have tried before to transform loss-making German airports. Luebeck airport was bought in 2014 with the aim of attracting medical tourists, but a year later the airport was bankrupt. To avoid a similar scenario, Shanghai Yiqian Trading and Rhineland-Palatinate enlisted the help of KPMG to review the business plans, they said. (Additional reporting by Ashutosh Pandey; Writing by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - German President Joachim Gauck said on Monday he would not serve a second five-year term, a decision that could trigger a battle between the parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition over who should succeed him. Although the position of president is largely ceremonial in Germany, the selection of the last two heads of state has caused problems for Merkel and it risks dividing her government in the run-up to the next federal election in 2017. Merkel initially opposed the appointment of Gauck, a 76-year-old Lutheran pastor who played an important role in the peaceful protests in communist East Germany that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But she was forced to accept him when other parties, including her coalition partner at the time, the Free Democrats (FDP), came together and backed him. Her previous choice for the post, conservative politician Christian Wulff, was forced to resign in 2012 in a financial favors scandal. There was broad cross-party support for Gauck to serve a second term, but he said on Monday that his age had been a factor in the decision, which he described as "not easy." "I'm thankful that I'm well but at the same time I'm aware that the period between the 77th and 82nd year of one's life is different to the one in which I find myself now," he said, speaking at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin. "I don't want to presume an energy and vitality for another five years that I can't guarantee," he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had wished Gauck would serve another term as president, adding that her Christian Democrats (CDU) would hold talks with Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) as well as others to decide on a candidate. Paul Nolte, a history professor at Berlin's Free University, said the search for a candidate would add to Merkel's problems, which already include dealing with the migrant crisis and souring relations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. "(Gauck's) decision means that things are a bit more difficult for Ms Merkel and she now has even more on her to-do list, namely to find a candidate. But the search must not endanger the grand coalition before the federal election in 2017," he said. The president is not directly elected by the people, but rather by the Federal Convention, an assembly of members of the German parliament and the same number of delegates sent from state parliaments. That means that Merkel must win the support of at least one other big party for her nominee. Any party can propose a candidate for president. Among the people whose names have been mentioned as possible successors to Gauck are Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 73, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 60, although both might struggle to win cross-party support. The appointment of either would necessitate a reshuffle of Merkel's cabinet. Norbert Lammert, 67, who is president of the Bundestag lower house of parliament, is seen as another possible candidate. There has also been talk in the German media that a woman could be appointed for the first time. Gauck's term expires in March 2017, roughly half a year before Germany holds a parliamentary election. Merkel, 61, is widely expected to run for a fourth term as chancellor, although her popularity has dipped following her decision last year to open German borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees. Agreeing a joint candidate for the ruling conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) could signal to voters that Merkel's 'grand coalition' - traditionally a partnership of last resort in German politics - could continue after the general election. But the SPD, which has sunk to post-reunification lows in opinion polls, may be reluctant to send such a signal. And agreeing a candidate between the CDU and the CSU could also be difficult given the Bavarian party's withering criticism of Merkel's migrant policy. German presidents serve five-year terms and can only be re-elected once. They are considered a moral authority and represent the country at official gatherings and on issues of international law. They can also dissolve the parliament. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Noah Barkin and Tom Heneghan)
The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company's headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Monday two units of Anglo-Swiss mining company Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) must face a private antitrust lawsuit accusing them of trying to monopolize the market for special high grade zinc, driving up its price.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said zinc purchasers alleged "a plausible story of market control" by the Glencore units, Glencore Ltd and Pacorini Metals USA Inc, that violated the Sherman Act, a U.S. antitrust law.

In a 62-page decision, the judge also dismissed the purchasers' claim that Glencore's 2010 purchase of Pacorini was an illegal merger because its effect was to reduce competition.

Forrest had in January dismissed an earlier version of the proposed class-action lawsuit, which also named Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) as defendants. She said at the time that the plaintiffs could replead some claims against the Glencore units.

The lawsuit is among several in Manhattan in which investors and businesses accused banks and other defendants of conspiring to rig prices in financial and commodities markets.

Glencore Plc declined to comment, as did a lawyer for Glencore Ltd. A lawyer for Pacorini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Christopher Lovell, a lawyer for the purchasers, said his clients were gratified by the decision and looked forward to pursuing their case.

Zinc purchasers accused the Glencore units of having conspired since September 2010 to ensure long queues for the metal at warehouses licensed by the London Metal Exchange.

They said this enabled the defendants to receive increased storage fees and command increased premiums when selling zinc they owned, as part of a plan to artificially inflate prices.

Zinc is used to coat steel to protect against corrosion and is also used in batteries, castings and alloys such as brass.

It is according to the U.S. Geological Survey the world's fourth most widely produced metal by weight, trailing iron, aluminium and copper. http://on.doi.gov/1UCOMNy

The case is In re: Zinc Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-03728.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Richard Chang)
By Manoj Kumar NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday that state bankers would propose a mechanism to reach "commercially prudent" loan settlements, as the government and lenders met to discuss how to tackle the country's bad loan problem. The proposal is to create a steering committee of the five banks with the greatest loan exposure that would analyse problem loans and recommend steps such as replacing management and deep loan restructuring at indebted firms, according to a document seen by Reuters. The creation of a special panel to handle tough loan decisions has been well flagged, and would give cover for banks to take a "haircut" on irretrievable loans without having to face a political and popular backlash. "The government is fully committed to supporting the banks in this regard," Jaitley told a news conference in New Delhi. It would "empower" banks to take decisions while providing legal protection and support for recovery of debt, Jaitley added. India's banks are saddled with about $120 billion in stressed loans, or 11.5 percent of the total, with 27 public sector banks accounting for the lion's share. Fixing the state banks, which account for 70 percent of total sector assets, is vital for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to revive weak credit and investment growth and put India's economic recovery on a firmer footing. Asia's No.3 economy clocked up growth of 7.9 percent in the March quarter, making it the world's fastest-growing. But that figure was lifted by government and consumer spending, raising concerns growth could end up fizzling out in a burst of inflation. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holds its bi-monthly policy review on Tuesday, with Governor Raghuram Rajan expected by nearly all economists polled by Reuters to hold rates after a recent uptick in inflation. PROCESS FLOW The one-page document set out the "process flow" of the five-bank steering committee that would examine bad loans and then recommend appropriate action. If a forensic audit commissioned by the panel delivers adverse findings, then a change of management would be initiated and a search launched for a bidder for the business. If no viable buyer can be found, and the forensic audit finds no wrongdoing, then a deep restructuring would be pursued with the existing promoter, according to the document, based on consultations between the financial services department of the finance ministry and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA). It was not immediately clear whether this proposal was final but bankers said its goal was to provide a level of legal protection for them in deciding whether to take major haircuts on loans that have gone sour. "The situation is very grim," said one senior banker who attended the meeting, adding that the main issue was "who will take, and how much, haircut". The IBA is also considering a proposal to set up two funds to buy equity in companies under debt stress and provide them with working capital, another banker said, confirming a recent newspaper report. The Economic Times reported at the weekend that the RBI had proposed a Stressed Assets Equity Fund (SAEF) that could be backed by the government, insurers and local and foreign investors. The government contribution would come through the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. The other proposed entity, the Stressed Assets Lending Fund (SALF), would provide "last mile" finance to keep troubled businesses ticking over while their debt woes were resolved. Separately, Jaitley reiterated that the government was ready to provide more capital to the state-run banks if needed. It has earmarked about $3.7 billion for bank recapitalisation in its 2016/17 budget. (Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Writing by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Kim Coghill)
By Ari Rabinovitch

JERUSALEM, June 5 (Reuters) - The partners in Israel's Leviathan natural gas field on Sunday shrugged off a lower estimate of its size from the country's Energy Ministry, which said the field could be 20 percent smaller than the companies have predicted.

The ministry included the estimate in its approval on Thursday of the development plan for the field. This was 17.6 trillion cubic feet (tcf), lower than the companies' 21.9 tcf estimate.

The ministry also said this could change after it receives more drilling data on one of the project's wells, Leviathan 5.

The companies are sticking with their assessment and are pushing ahead with plans to bring the field online by the end of 2019.

"The partnership clarifies that there has been no change in the resource estimate," the Israeli partners said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Found in 2010, Leviathan was one of the world's largest offshore discoveries of the decade, expected to bring Israel a major cash windfall and export deals which are waiting to be signed with countries like Egypt, Jordan and possibly Turkey.

Israeli conglomerate Delek Group, through subsidiaries Delek Drilling and Avner Oil, holds a 45.34 percent stake in Leviathan. Texas-based Noble Energy has a 39.66 percent share, and Israel's Ratio Oil has the remaining 15 percent.

The issue has had little impact on the companies' shares in Tel Aviv, which were mostly flat in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Yossi Abu, chief executive of Delek Drilling and Avner Oil, told Reuters they were satisfied with the Energy Ministry's approval, which he said included a production capacity of 21 billion cubic meters a year.

"The reserves are enough to meet domestic demand and exporting contracts with neighboring countries as we plan, according to the approved development plan," he said.

Both the companies and the ministry used outside energy consultants to come up with their estimates.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)
(Adds quote)

RIYADH, June 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Council for Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) has approved the national transformation plan overseen by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and will pass it to the cabinet on Monday for approval, a senior Saudi source said.

"The Council of Economic and Develpoment Affairs (CEDA) has approved the final draft of the National Transformation Plan, which is one of the plans adopted and part of the 2030 vision which was launched and adopted by the Saudi deputy crown prince, president of CEDA," the source said.

"The National Transformation Plan will be presented to the cabinet on Monday for its endorsement and adoption," the source added.

"The final draft of the National Transformation Plan, which is one of the programmes adopted as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 has been launched by the Deputy Crown Prince and president of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs," the senior source said.

Details of the plan, a programme of wide-ranging economic reforms, will be revealed in daily news conferences with government ministers starting from Monday evening, the senior source said.

The plan is expected to further flesh out sweeping reforms called "Vision 2030" announced by Prince Mohammed in late April to radically overhaul an economy that relies on volatile oil revenue.

The wider reforms are expected to include subsidy cuts, tax rises, sales of state assets, a government efficiency drive and efforts to spur private sector investment. Last month the International Monetary Fund said the plans were "appropriately bold and far reaching".

Riyadh has been cutting spending and trying to raise fresh revenues as it grapples with its budget deficit, which totalled $98 billion in 2015.

The IMF predicted the deficit would stay very large this year, at about 14 percent of gross domestic product compared to 16 percent last year.

(Reporting By Samia Nakhoul and Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean)
Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)

Baqaa (Jordan) (AFP) - Jordanian authorities have arrested a suspect accused of gunning down five intelligence agents on Monday in their office at a Palestinian refugee camp.

"Investigations are under way but early indications are that this was an isolated and individual act," said government spokesman Mohammed Momani, announcing the arrest without identifying the suspect.

The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday -- the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- in what Momani called a "terrorist attack".

The suspect fled the scene after the killings.

A security source told AFP he was arrested later at a mosque in the Salt region north of Amman.

The suspect was armed and resisted arrest, the source said, adding that a police officer had been injured in the swoop.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks.

- 'Midst of a cyclone' -

The five agents, who had been starting their shift, were buried later in the day in their home towns, with hundreds of members of the security services in attendance.

Security forces blocked road to the camp, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Amman, to keep journalists away, an AFP correspondent said.

The Baqaa camp is the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

Home to about 220,000 people, including more than 100,000 of the two million Palestinian refugees who live in Jordan, its residents suffer chronic poverty and unemployment.

It was unclear whether the gunman was a resident of the camp or an outsider, a security source said earlier Monday, adding that experts were examining CCTV footage for clues.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

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Former member of parliament Mahmud al-Kharabsha said what happened at Baqaa had been "expected".

"This camp was chosen for an attack in order to sow sedition (between Palestinians and Jordanians) in the country," Kharabsha said.

"What happened was expected. Jordan is in the midst of a cyclone and shares long borders with Syria and Iraq," he told AFP.

- Sowing divisions -

One Baqaa resident who identified himself as Yussef called the attack "unacceptable", coming on the first day of Ramadan.

"It is an attempt to create divisions in the country," he said.

Baqaa was one of six camps set up in 1968 to house Palestinians fleeing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War during which Israel seized the Palestinian territories, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Baqaa was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member taking part in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.
A woman holds her smart phone which displays the Google home page, in this picture illustration taken February 24, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Illustration/File Photo

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower court's decision to allow a class action lawsuit against Google Inc to proceed regarding claims that the company deceived California advertisers about the placement of Internet ads through its Adwords service.

The court decided not to hear Google's appeal of a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last September that the litigation could move forward as a class action representing advertisers who used the service between 2004 and 2008. Google is part of Alphabet Inc.(GOOGL.O)

A Google spokesman said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

The 2008 lawsuit accused Google of violating California fair advertising laws because it misled advertisers about where the ads would be placed.

The Adwords service was primarily aimed at placing ads next to relevant Google Internet search results. But the plaintiffs said Google should have disclosed that ads would also appear in undesirable places such as error pages and undeveloped websites known as parked domains.

A federal district court judge in 2012 ruled that the case could not move forward as a class action in part because each advertiser would receive different damages. Each advertiser would have paid a different sum for the ads in question, the judge said. The appeals court reversed the district court, prompting Google to ask the Supreme Court to intervene.

Under a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court precedent involving claims brought by employees against Wal-Mart Stores Inc, class actions can move forward only if each plaintiff has a similar claim and that claim can be resolved on a class-wide basis.

The Supreme Court has shied away from taking new class action cases since the death in February of Justice Antonin Scalia, who had authored the 2011 Wal-Mart ruling. Scalia had been a leader of the court's moves in recent years to curb class action litigation, although that trend was not borne out in three class action cases decided during its current term. [nL2N18D1WA]
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Taipei, June 6 (CNA) A teenager who was among six people swept away in a flash flood during a river tracing trip in New Taipei on Sunday survived the accident by clinging to piece of driftwood and she showed up at the home of a resident early Monday asking for help, police said.
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Sweden officially the 'goodest' country in the world, study says

Sweden has topped a poll as the best  or goodest  country when it comes to serving the interests of its people while avoiding damaging impacts to other nations and the environment.The country has outranked 162 others to take pole position in the Good Country Index , a league table based on 35 separate indicators from sources including the United Nations and the World Bank.Sweden scores highest for positive lifestyle contributions including prosperity, equality, health and wellbeing, while also performing well culturally.Iceland tops the list for its overall contribution to the planet and climate protection, including low CO2 emissions and minimal production of hazardous material, while the UK performs less well in this area, sitting down in 22nd place.The UK, however, is top of the table when it comes to science and technology, which takes into account scientific publications and study, Nobel prizes and patents.The index suggests that Sweden, relative to the size of its economy, does more "good" and less harm than any other country. Smaller countries such as Ireland, Kenya, Iceland and Costa Rica have all dropped in the rankings  this is partly because events around the world make a bigger impact on smaller countries.The report, which weighs up a country's contributions to the planet and the human race relative to its size  measured in GDP  is the brainchild of leading policy advisor Simon Anholt, whose aim is "to find ways of encouraging countries to collaborate and co-operate a lot more, and compete a bit less"."A good country is one that successfully contributes to the good of humanity. Of course it must serve the interests of its own people, but never at the expense of other populations or their natural resources: this is the new law of human survival," he said.He added that the UK must collaborate and cooperate more with other countries: "It [Britain] isnt just an island unconnected to the rest of Europe or to the rest of the world. Just like every other country on earth, it is part of one system. If it fails, we all fail."Despite the addition of 38 countries since the first edition of the index, Libya has once again ranked last.
Dramatic footage captures three mystery EXPLOSIONS and a flash of light that rocked houses and woke residents in Essex last night as they question if it was a meteorite, fighter jet... or even a UFO

By Jake Polden For Mailonline 6 June 2016This mysterious footage captures the series of loud explosions and flashes of bright light that were reported across South East England last night.The strange noises were heard in Essex and parts of East London and many concerned locals took to social media to look for answers.One man in Ilford, north east London, filmed the sky at around 11pm and spotted the eerie flashes of light before capturing the loud bangs, which he said shook his house: Go here to see the footage - Video sees three mystery EXPLOSIONS and a flash of light that woke residents in Essex | Daily Mail Online 'I have a theory that it was a meteorite,' said the video maker. 'If it had been a land-based explosion there would be damage somewhere but so far no damage.''It was too loud to be a firework that's for sure and fireworks don't shake houses. I don't think it's a supersonic aircraft as a sonic boom does not give off light.'I think it was a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere. This would give off light and cause a sonic boom.'The Royal Observatory at the Royal Museum of Greenwich discredited this notion, however.A spokesman told MailOnline: 'This doesn't have the character of a meteor, since such a blast would only occur after a sustained bright light during atmospheric entry - not a quick flash as shown in the video.'It's also somewhat unlikely that three blasts would be heard. It looks and sounds a little bit more like a firework.'An object would only be classed as a meteorite if it actually reached the ground - something up in the air like this would be a meteor.'Our understanding of large meteors and fireballs is that, although they can produce sonic booms and/or loud bangs (in the latter case when they fragment violently), they are more likely to produce a sustained glow for several seconds (which may vary in brightness) as they move across the sky, rather than a single, momentary flash.'A number of Twitter users living in the area took to social media to comment on the explosions and to suggest other possible causes.The majority claimed it could be a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, while others even suggested a UFO may have visited the area.One person wrote: 'Hoping the explosion sounds heard in East London/Essex aren't anything serious.'While another said: 'Just heard three loud booms, like an explosion here in East London. Anyone know anything?'A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said that it was 'not aware' of the noises but would be looking into it to see if it was caused by a jet.While a Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that the force had received calls reporting the loud noises but that they would not be looking into it.Last month panicked people in the Midlands took to social media after two huge explosions were heard around Northampton and Brackley.It was later reported that the booms were caused by Typhoon jets, which had been scrambled from an RAF base in Lincolnshire to identify an unresponsive aircraft.Commenting at the time, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft were launched today from RAF Coningsby to identify an unresponsive civilian aircraft.'Communications were re-established and the aircraft has been safely escorted to Cardiff airport.'
Moving forward with continued efforts for transparency, officials from Costco Wholesale, Lincoln Premium Poultry, the Greater Fremont Development Council and the City of Fremont slated a series of open public meetings to address applications for annexation and zoning of land situated south of Fremont, known as Hills Farm. In the near future, the site may serve as the location for the proposed poultry processing operation that Costco hopes to bring to the Fremont area.

Cecilia Harry, executive director of the GFDC, informed that Costco desires to help the community prepare for, and engage in, the process as it moves forward, pointing out that plans for the public hearing process always existed as part of that engagement. She explained, for a development project like the one Costco proposes, some levels of public approval must always occur.

The plan is that they will give an overview of the project and speak to the items on the agenda, said Harry. (Costco) has heard loud and clear that there is a group of the community that wants to have a public discussion.

The meetings have been scheduled for Monday, June 20 at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 21st at 6:45 p.m., Monday, June 27 at 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday June 28 at 6:45 p.m. Official business in regards to annexation and zoning changes, such as the official readings of the ordinances and public discussion will take place at those meetings. Representatives from Costco, Lincoln Premium Poultry, the Greater Fremont Development Council and the Fremont City Council and Planning Commission will be present to conduct official business and hear public comment.

This is the opportunity to let elected officials know that you support the project  ask any questions and express any concerns, Harry said. Were excited that Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry are still interested in coming to the area. And weve been looking forward to this part of the process.

In anticipation of a large community turnout  due to the strong public interest over issues related to the Costco operations economic impact, environmental impact, job creation and the pros and cons of such a facility  Mayor Scott Getzschman plans to hold all meetings at Christensen Field.

Getzschman explained that typically, the council chambers holds about 120 people, the maximum capacity as stipulated by the city fire marshal.

Based on prior attendance at city meetings that addressed matters of the Costco proposal, Getzschman felt it necessary, and in the public interest, to move the meetings to a larger venue, ensuring the opportunity exists for all interested parties and community members to attend and participate in the discussion.

Its the public process that were in, Getzschman said. Its an opportunity for both sides to continue to hear, listen and learn.

It was a proactive move on the mayors part, to make sure people were comfortable and had a chance to be in the room, Harry said.

Director of Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Development for Costco Johnathan Luz, who also serves as the project lead for the proposed facility, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming meetings. Luz and other Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry officials will be present at the meetings.

Luz stressed that Costco officials want to support the Fremont city council and address any questions or clarifications.

Luz also articulated some of the attraction the Fremont area holds for Costco. He praised the community support and the work ethic of the Fremont area people who, he said, understand the importance of agriculture and doing things the right way.

Were there to support the process, Luz stated. Weve felt overwhelming support from the community, community leaders  including the farming community.

A series of internal and external consent processes still need to occur prior the official sanction of the proposal, Luz informed. He explained that Costco maintains an experienced real estate team that continues to work through various construction and real estate estimates for the proposed site. Understanding the location environment, topography and feasibility, as well as the continued vetting of the initial project cost projections and several other decisions, will all continue to occur as the plan moves forward.

Our company hasnt formally approved the facility, Luz added. Theyve approved the due diligence, but those results need to be matched against Costcos estimates  once costs are vetted and hurdles cleared, well make a decision.

Harry also noted that the process of bringing Costco to the area continues to remain competitive; but she remains optimistic.

Costco has made it very clear for a long time that this is where they prefer to go  and want to go, Harry said. (The upcoming meetings) are a very healthy sign that (Fremont) is where they want to be.

The Hills Farm land in question sits in an agricultural setting south of Fremont on four large parcels bounded to the east by South Main Street, to the west and north by Old Highway 275 and to the south by Hills Farm road. The four parcels consist of 414 acres that Costco has petitioned to the City of Fremont for annexation and rezoning.

Still, not everyone supports the facility coming to Fremont, citing risks of environmental impact and opposition to vertical integration and contract farming. The grassroots entity known as Nebraska Communities United, with support from Jane Kleeb of Nebraska Bold, continue to tout their opposition to Costco.

Weve been asking for transparency since March, said Randy Ruppert, spokesman for Nebraska Communities United. And we feel the only reason they are demonstrating transparency now is because of the growing opposition to the project, and Costcos secrecy.

Ruppert expressed his certainty that Costco and the City of Fremont wanted the project to be a done deal before they brought it into public discussion.

However, Mayor Getzschman contended that idea.
PLATTSMOUTH  A Nebraska woman was sentenced Monday morning for carrying a baggie of cocaine with her to Cass County Jails reception office earlier this year.

Brownville resident Latasha M. Thessen, 30, appeared in Cass County District Court for plea and sentencing hearings on one Class I misdemeanor count. Thessen pled guilty to attempted possession of cocaine. She requested to be immediately sentenced after the plea hearing was completed.

Deputy County Attorney Richard Fedde told the court Nemaha County had an arrest warrant out for Thessen in early January. Thessen walked into Cass County Jails reception office Jan. 4 and surrendered herself on the warrant.

Cass County Sheriffs Office employees searched Thessen during the booking procedure at the jail. Employees found Thessen was carrying a baggie that contained .166 grams of a white powdery substance. Fedde said the state crime lab later identified the substance as cocaine.

Fedde asked the court to impose a jail sentence during the sentencing hearing. He said Thessen had accumulated numerous criminal charges over the past eight years. Her criminal record includes charges of theft by deception, intimidation by phone call, theft by receiving, selling tobacco to a minor, disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension.

Judge Jeffrey Funke ordered Thessen to serve 180 days in Cass County Jail. She will receive credit for 63 days she has already served.
The city of Plattsmouth signed off on upgrades made to its Water Treatment Plant last Friday after a series of test runs on the new driver engine.

The project began with construction of a new clarifying engine at a cost of $85,000. A drive had to be fabricated because they dont make this unit anymore. It was ordered in September and delivered in December, said City Administrator Erv Portis.

Work on the project began in April with a tentative end date of the first week in June. Judd Brothers was awarded the $126,000 bid for the project and Olmstead and Perry Engineering Inc. of Omaha engineered the project Despite the threat of the Missouri River flooding and putting a halt to the project, all steps were completed and approved by June 3.

A hole had to be cut in the plants wall to take the old drive out and put the new one in. Other aspects of the upgrades included sandblasting the basin walls and troughs, repainting them and cleaning up. Some of the tie rods and turn buckles were also replaced.

They used 80 tons of sand to sandblast the area, Portis said. Because the sand was so wet after the process was completed, it had to be hauled up and out by bucket using a block and tackle system.

Jim Olmstead, P.E. of Olmstead and Perry Engineering Inc., was at the plant last Friday to certify installation of the new drive was completed according to the manufacturers standards.

Once he was satisfied, city crews began filling the basin with water. It holds 375,000 gallons of water. It will take over three hours to fill it, Olmstead said.

They also restarted the lime treatments, which had been suspended during the two-month process and caused the water to be harder than normal. The lime softens the water and cuts down on the manganese and iron levels present in Plattsmouths water supply.

Plattsmouth has higher levels of iron and manganese and the best way to deal with it is lime, Olmstead said.

By mid Monday afternoon, water hardness at the plant had been reduced from 28 (very hard) to 8.6 (hard). Portis said Plattsmouth residents should be pleased with their water back to normal in seven to 10 days.

Olmstead added the new clarifier engine should last over 20 years.

At Mondays council meeting, Portis extended a thank you to all water system users. I would also ask for a round of applause for (Public Works director) Gary Hellwig. He and his crew worked hours upon hours on the project during very difficult circumstances.

Plattsmouth Mayor Paul Lambert added that Hellwig and his crew worked Saturdays and Sundays to ensure Plattsmouths water system was working well and meeting all potable water regulations.

Portis said the system uses four sand and acetate filters. Usually, they back wash those once a day. During this project, they were all washed four times a day, Portis said.

Despite the new clarifying engine, Plattsmouths water worries wont necessarily be over. In the next several years ahead, we will need to figure out what to do about the future of this plant, Portis said.
Authorized by Congress and the President, and on behalf of the nation, we have the opportunity to do what should have been done 50 years ago: welcome our Vietnam veterans with honor and thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice, wrote Judy Martin Ekeler, honorary state regent of the Nebraska Society Daughters of the American Revolution in a letter to the Fremont Tribune.

The Lewis-Clark Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the Vietnam War Commemoration Program, will honor Vietnam era veterans who served between Nov. 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975 at this years John C. Fremont Days celebration.

During a July 9 program at the Chautauqua Tent, veterans will be introduced and presented with a certificate and lapel pin in recognition of their service.

Presently, 75 veterans signed up to participate and the Ekeler hopes to attract many more Vietnam veterans.

For those interested, or who know someone who is interested, in participating, registration forms can be obtained at the Disabled American Veterans office, 137 N. D Street in Fremont, or by contacting Pam Hancock at pamretired@msn.com, or Judy Ekeler at jkekeler@aol.com.

Forms must be returned by June 15th to allow sufficient time for registration verifications and to have the certificates printed. All veterans registered will receive verification by mail detailing the time and arrangement of the event.

The commemoration endeavors to offer thanks to the millions of Vietnam era veterans living today.
AMHERST  A painting crew working inside a vacant unit at Alpine Commons in Amherst saw flames coming out of a heating vent  the first sign of the fire that quickly destroyed an entire building at the apartment complex Saturday.

No one was injured in the fire, after tenants who were unaware of it were told to flee.

Route 9 was closed at 1:30 p.m. from Stanley Street to Colonial Village.

Fire crews from around the region helped the Amherst Fire Department at the scene of the 133 Belchertown Road blaze, which broke out after noon and quickly engulfed Building 1.

Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson said Sunday that he is sure the building will be a total loss, but the official determination will come from the towns building department within the next few days.

You dont repair something like that, he said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Sunday night.

Sixteen tenants were living in the unit this summer and five were home at the time of the fire, according to Gary Rinker, the maintenance manager.

Rinker said that after the painting crew observed flames, he alerted tenants, who had been unaware of the danger.

We didnt smell anything and didnt see any flames, said Jay Selvan, 23, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who was living in Apt. 3. There was nothing.

All our stuff was in there, she added.

The complex, owned by Aspen Square Management, has provided local hotels for the residents to stay in for the short term, according to Nelson.

Two ladder trucks deployed, pouring water down on the structure. At around 2:30 the roof collapsed inward as the sound of breaking glass came from within. The gaping hole at the roofline grew larger as the afternoon progressed.

The state Department of Fire Services Special Operations Rehab Unit arrived on the scene after 3 p.m. to provide aid to firefighters working in the heat.

As of 4 p.m., the scene was still considered an active fire, as crews extinguished hot spots.

Later in the afternoon, with the fire quelled, there were concerns about the integrity of one of the structures walls. Pieces of the buildings roof could be seen falling in at different points.

Assistant Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren said no estimate was yet available on the value of the damage.

The Amherst Fire Department received mutual aid from Pelham, Hadley and Northampton fire crews as well as a Belchertown ambulance team.

Afternoon temperatures reached 83 degrees with high humidity, and firefighters fought back heat exhaustion in addition to the blaze.

Firefighters took breaks from the heat by rotating in crews from surrounding towns, but at least one firefighter was treated intravenously for heat exhaustion and dehydration while another, from the Hadley Fire Department, was transported to the hospital at around 5:30 p.m. for the same symptoms.

Officials taped off the west side of the building and gave that corner of the building a wide berth because of concerns it could collapse.

Stromgren said the fire claimed the trusses of the building, and without those, theres not much holding up the walls.

The fire, officials said, started either inside a vacant apartment or in the attic above it.

We think it started in the attic, said Stromgren, based on preliminary findings. But we have to investigate before we know that for sure.

Based on the age of the building and the damage Id say its a total loss, Stromgren said.

I dont know what caused the fire, said Rinker, who went door to door at the apartments in Building 1, banging on all of them to be sure neither tenants nor workers were inside. Well take care of everyone. Weve had fires before.

The building was constructed in the 1970s, officials said, with a largely wooden frame.

Rich Lemon, owner of Practical Painting Services, who was working upstairs when it started, said the wooden structure ignited quickly.

I always wondered, with all the wood in these buildings, what theyd be like to put out, Lemon said.

Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.
Geekologie has shut down.

Thank you to everybody.

Now go be happy.
DES MOINES | The closure of a vacant 15-bed mental health unit at the state psychiatric hospital in Independence was months in the making, Gov. Terry Branstad insisted Monday.

Democratic state lawmakers and labor leaders have expressed their disappointment with the closure of the Psychiatric Medical Institution for Children unit at the Independence Mental Health Institute, announced late last week.

Branstad said Monday that the closure was made based on a recommendation by an advisory board within the states Department of Human Services.

The Human Services Council recommended there was not a need to continue this unit. And the Legislature did not provide any funding for it. So this was something to be expected, Branstad said Monday during his weekly meeting with Iowa reporters.

No patients had been served in the unit since July, and the state department did not request funding for the unit this year, a department spokesman said.

The unit had been funded by a mixture of state and federal dollars.

There are more than 475 psychiatric beds for similar treatment, the department said.

(The advisory boards) recommendation was theres not a need to continue to fund this because there are 400 beds in the nonprofit and private sector that provide these same services, Branstad said. When this unit was started  we didnt have those private-sector beds, those nonprofit beds. What we do today, (mental health patients) are closer to home. We believe that (private and nonprofit providers) can better provide the service.

In a statement issued by statehouse Democrats, Brian Schoenjahn, a Democrat who represents Independence in the Iowa Senate, said he was surprised and disappointed by the closure of the unit. Schoenjahn alleged in the statement that the unit was vacant only because the state in recent months stopped admitting patients.

Because of Gov. Branstads unilateral decision to close this unit of the Independence Mental Health Institute, Iowa children and their families will suffer, Schoenjahns statement said. There will be fewer options and fewer Iowa caregivers for Iowa children in need of mental health care.

Branstad disputed the characterization of the closure as a unilateral decision, noting lawmakers did not designate funding for the unit.

He said the decision is consistent with his administrations goal of providing mental health care in private and community-based settings instead of state-run institutions. In 2015, Branstad closed state-run mental health institutions in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda.

Its part of the overall change thats going on in a way we deliver mental health, Branstad said Monday. With the mental health redesign, were providing these services closer to home and in more settings at companies like Four Oaks and Tanager Place (both in Cedar Rapids) that do provide these services (and keeping patients) much closer to home than having to go to Independence to get this service.
DES MOINES | Iowa public health officials worked Monday to create some buzz about mosquito-borne illnesses with the onset of warmer weather and summertime outdoor activities.

While the threat of Zika virus gets a lot of attention, Gerd Clabaugh, director of the state Department of Public Health, said Iowans are much more at risk of contracting the sometimes-deadly West Nile virus that being exposed to Zika-related problems occurring in southern climes.

Clabaugh and Dr. Ann Garvey, deputy state epidemiologist, joined Gov. Terry Branstad at his weekly news conference Monday to urge Iowans to remember to protect themselves against mosquito bites this summer.

"The greatest risk to Iowans for Zika virus is when (Iowans) travel to areas of the world where Zika transmission is ongoing -- for example, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America," Garvey noted. "It is especially important for pregnant women with plans to travel to these areas to reconsider their plans or take protective action while there."

Zika causes certain birth defects in babies, which is why pregnant women should reconsider travel to Zika-affected areas, Garvey added. Also, since Zika can be sexually transmitted, women who are pregnant or who are considering pregnancy should take appropriate precautions and be aware if their partner has traveled to a Zika-affected area, she said.

Since mosquitoes known to transmit Zika are not native to Iowa, Clabaugh said, the risk of transmission in Iowa is extremely low. Since surveillance began early this year, seven cases -- four women and three men -- of Zika virus have been confirmed in the nearly 200 Iowans who have been tested and all of the cases involved travel to areas outside the United States where Zika transmission is occurring.

Contracting West Nile virus is a different story in Iowa, however, health officials said, with between five and 44 reported cases occurring in Iowa annually since 2005. West Nile first appeared in Iowa in 2002. The virus since has been found in all 99 counties, either in humans, horses or birds, the health department said.

About 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have mild to moderate symptoms including fever, headache, body aches and vomiting, officials said.

Less than 1 percent of people infected become seriously ill. The last death in Iowa attributed to West Nile virus occurred in 2010, health officials said Monday.

The best way to prevent West Nile, according to health officials, is to eliminate mosquito breeding areas, including standing water in buckets, cans and pool covers, and to use insect repellent when outdoors.

Using an insect repellent containing DEET provides protection against mosquitoes and ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, Garvey said. Iowans also are advised to wear long sleeves and long pants when possible when outdoors and to avoid being outside around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes bite.
CLEAR LAKE -- The Clear Lake Fire Department extinguished a car fire on Sunday at Pilot Travel Center, 2411 Highway 18 East.

Firefighters received the call at 4 p.m. Upon arrival they found a Dodge Durango was full of smoke and extinguished the blaze.

No injuries were reported. The truck received what was described as "significant engine damage."

Firefighters were assisted by Clear Lake police and the Iowa State Patrol.
CHARLES CITY  A mistrial due to a hung jury has been declared for a Charles City man accused of raping a woman.

A new trial date will be set for Eric M. Hill, 31.

Hills second-degree sexual abuse trial began Wednesday in Floyd County District Court.

The case was submitted to the jury at 3:45 p.m. Friday. Jurors went home for the weekend at 5:30 p.m.

Deliberations resumed at 9 a.m. Monday. Jurors sent a note to Judge Rustin Davenport at 11:30 a.m. stating they were not in agreement. Davenport told them to continue deliberating.

The jurors indicated after 1 p.m. that they were unable to reach a verdict. Davenport called in the jury forewoman to question her in person, and she said they would not be able to reach a verdict if they took a short break or a break until Tuesday morning.

The jurors were not polled.

Im glad the jurors put in the time and effort, Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey told the Globe Gazette.

The prosecution says Hill entered a womans Charles City home on Aug. 15, 2008, held a cold, metal object to her throat and forced her to go upstairs where he held her down on a bed and raped her.

The defense contends the sexual encounter was consensual and the alleged victim offered to have sex with Hill for $25 as a way to raise bail money for her husband, who was in jail at the time.

Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
MASON CITY  The Mason City Aquatic Center will not open unless the projected temperature for the day is 78 degrees.

Thats a new policy instituted this year by Superintendent of Recreation Brian Pauly as a way to save money.

Pauly said the key is projected temperature. For instance, on Sunday the pool was open when the temperature was 74 degrees but was projected to be higher later in the day.

He was asked earlier this year to cut $14,000 from his budget or produce $14,000 in additional revenue. He decided to try to the new plan with the pool.

He said he didnt do this haphazardly.

I studied attendance figures and temperatures for the past six years before I came up with this, said Pauly.

Pauly said when temperatures are cooler, attendance is lower but his staffing costs are the same. On those days, the pool has lost money.

The pool opened for the season on June 3.

Park Board member Troy Levenhagen said Monday he has heard complaints from constituents who dont like the new policy.

Im going to bring it up for discussion at the next Park Board meeting on June 14, he said. Im not looking for a vote on it. I just think it needs to be discussed.

Pauly said, People might complain but theyre also not showing up.

He said hes always willing to take direction from the Park Board or City Council.

If they dont like this, I have some other ideas in mind, he said.
Helen L. Budd, Osage

OSAGE  Helen L. Budd, age 98, of Osage, died Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the St. Johns Lutheran Home in Albert Lea, MN.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 9, 2016, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Osage with Pastor Alan Schulz and Dr. Stanley Olson officiating. Burial will be in the Osage Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday prior to service at Our Saviors Lutheran.

Helen Budd was born November 12, 1917, on a farm near Eagle Grove, Iowa, the daughter of Lester and Severina (Roseland) Olson. Helen graduated from Lutheran Deaconess School of Nursing, Chicago, IL, in 1941, and started her nursing career in the delivery room at Cook County Hospital.

In 1943, she married Jim and returned to Iowa where she balanced raising a family with her nursing career. In Osage, she worked in the Emergency Room, Obstetrics and as night nursing supervisor for almost 30 years.

She was a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Sons of Norway, and her church circle. She enjoyed working on family history, traveling to Norway, keeping in touch with her family and friends, and using her nursing skills to care for anyone who needed assistance.

Within Helen burned an indomitable work ethic and endless energy, all sustained by her Christian faith. She demonstrated her strong faith through her commitment to helping others. Family, friends and strangers were beneficiaries of her boundless caring nature. The strength of her love will remain with all she touched throughout her life. And to her family, she will always be lovingly remembered as our Mamma Mia.

Helen is survived by her 4 sons and daughters-in-law, Mark and Gita, Washington DC; Paul and Val, Albert Lea, MN; Steve and Patti Kral, Mundelein, IL; and Erik, Osage. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, who provided special joys in her final years.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim; and three siblings and spouses, Ray and Helen Olson, Thousand Oaks, CA, Norris and Joyce Olson, Eagle Grove, IA and Ruth and John Kist, Downers Grove, IL.

Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.com.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, 641-732-3706.
LAKE MILLS  A woman who stole money from a Lake Mills preschool and day care while working as its director was given a five-year suspended prison sentence for theft Friday.

Brenda Ranae Steinman, 42, of Northwood, also was given a 180-day jail sentence, with all but 30 days suspended, for tampering with records.

She was ordered to pay $1,931 restitution to Lake Mills Community Preschool & Daycare.

She was accused of spending $7,371 belonging to Lake Mills Community Preschool & Daycare on her own expenses.

The money was taken on or around Jan. 15, 2015, while Steinman was employed as the preschools director, according to court documents. She no longer works for the day care.

Winnebago County Attorney Adam Sauer said insurance covered the amount of money taken that was not included in the restitution order.

Steinman was put on probation for three years for second-degree theft, a Class D felony, and ordered to pay a $750 fine.

A $625 fine on the misdemeanor tampering with records charge was suspended.

Steinman pleaded guilty in March.

 Mary Pieper
Which presidential candidate said this: The economy is rigged in favor of those at the top. Or this: The banking system is rigged ... and thats why a lot of you havent had an effective wage increase in 20 years.

It wasnt Bernie Sanders. The first quote is from Hillary Clinton; the second is from Donald Trump.

This campaign has turned into the Year of the Populist  or, at least, of candidates who want to sound like populists. Its not hard to see why.

After decades of stagnant incomes for workers and bonuses for Wall Street financiers, people have concluded that the deck is stacked (another quote from Clinton). A Pew poll last year found that two-thirds of Americans, including most Republicans, believe the economic system unfairly favors powerful interests.

Who says politicians arent responsive to the people they hope to serve?

But simply calling all the candidates populists, a catchall term for politicians who champion the common people against a privileged elite, doesnt explain much. Sanders, Trump and Clinton are offering three distinct brands of populism  democratic revolution, conservative and liberal populism.

Sanders variety is the easiest to define. Its old-fashioned economic progressivism, driven by anger at Clinton and the Democratic Party for their Faustian bargain with Wall Street donors.

The business model of Wall Street is fraud, Sanders says.

He wins high marks for clarity and passion  but he still isnt going to win the Democratic nomination.

Trumps conservative populism is strikingly different: one part nationalism, one part nativism, one part protectionism, all wrapped in a promise to make America rich again.

Like Sanders, Trump says hes fighting for the common people against a moneyed elite that doesnt have their interests at heart. He rejects the GOP orthodoxy of seeking cuts for Social Security and Medicare to help balance the federal budget.

In a remarkable interview published last week by Bloomberg Business Week, he even said he wants to transform the GOP into a workers party.

Five, 10 years from now: different party, he said. Youre going to have a workers party. A party of people that havent had a real wage increase in 18 years, that are angry.

But on close examination, Trumps commitment to the proletariat looks pretty thin. He has proposed a big tax cut for the wealthy. He opposes an increase in the federal minimum wage. (Our wages are too high, he said in January.) He wants to repeal the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law.

Trump is also raising millions in campaign donations from Wall Street  or, at least, trying to. His chief fundraiser, Steven Mnuchin, is a second-generation financier, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose father was a Goldman Sachs partner.

So theres not much common ground between Trump and Sanders, despite the shared label of populism. A Bernie Bro who switches to Trump must be very angry indeed.

That brings us to Clinton, the overlooked populist in the race.

Like Sanders, shes proposed tougher Wall Street regulations, more spending on infrastructure, a higher minimum wage and tax increases on the rich.

Her proposals are wonky, complex and often incremental. Her minimum wage target is $12 an hour, not Sanders $15.

She has proposed tax incentives for companies that share profits with employees, and a clawback plan to take back tax incentives from companies that send jobs overseas.

She can sound plenty populist when she wants to. Asked where shed get the money to pay for new programs, she said: Were going to get it from the wealthy ... from the people whove done very well in this economy, even during the Great Recession.

Clinton didnt always sound that zealous. When she launched her campaign last June, she talked about an inclusive economy, about sharing profits between managers and employees. She didnt use the word rigged until February, after Sanders beat her in New Hampshire.

She may not be offering enough populism for the most fervent Sanderistas, but shes offering far more substance  and more progressivism  than Trump.

Unless Sanders can pull off a miracle, were heading for a general election between two distinct versions of populism: Republican and Democratic, nativist and technocratic, visceral and wonky.

Can Trump make his populist promises make sense  and will they sound convincing if he takes Wall Street money and offers tax cuts for the rich?

Can Clinton persuade voters to take her soft populism seriously while she seeks Wall Street money as well? Will she find that her proposals are too timid for the left but too tough for moderate voters?

Whatever happens, at least these are important issues, the right focus for a serious debate, unlike, say, the size of Trumps hands.
Silly me.

I am reminded these days of the late Roger Broers, the rosy-cheeked, amiable school teacher and farmer from Rockwell who served in the Legislature and on the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors. He taught me many lessons over the years.

Be cautious, he said. Never kick a cow patty on a warm day.

His health began to fail when he was in the Legislature. When redistricting added several counties to his territory, he decided to retire. Too many parades, he said.

Perhaps thats a signal to all of us. When we get tired of the parades in our lives, its probably time to bow out.

Broers said the secret to good government is to convince the public you are trying to do something for them  not to them.

That was probably true in the days of Washington and Lincoln and comes to mind in light of recent events involving the proposed pork processing plant in Mason City.

Aside from the public concerns about the environment and quality of life, many of the objectors felt like the project was being rushed through too fast, which is the polite way of putting it. Another way to look at it: They felt it was being crammed down their throats without them having a chance to speak their mind.

In other words, their perception was government was doing something to them, not for them, and it was a stigma that stuck.

In the aftermath of all of this, my advice to the Chamber of Commerce and the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corp.: Continue to do your jobs. Be on the lookout for good business prospects and bring them to the table.

Youre going to win some and lose some, and some of the losses are going to be more gut-wrenching than others. But keep those proposals coming. Please. We support you.

To the City Council: You also continue to do your jobs. We dont hear much talk anymore about a rubber stamp council, do we? You agree to disagree from time to time. Its healthy and appreciated.

A Theodore Roosevelt quote from a 1910 speech comes to mind:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.

But who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.

To the citizens who rose up to try to right something they thought was wrong: Stay vigilant and civil and continue to be the watchdog of government. To some you can be irritating at times but you are an essential part of democracy.

To me: Always remember what a reader advised a long time ago and is perhaps the best journalism lesson I ever received. Information, he said, is never the enemy.

To all of us: Lets move on, help each other heal and ask each other, How can I help you today?

Hopefully thats not a pipe dream.

Silly me.
Hillary Clintons presidential bid faces a make-or-break moment following the scathing report by the State Departments inspector general. And, as of now, Clintons campaign has chosen continued obfuscation and double-speak instead of an honest, candid conversation with the country.

Clintons dishonesty about her illicit use of a private email server while secretary of state could anoint Donald Trump president. Its in the countrys interest for Clinton to come clean.

Clinton simply isnt trusted, polls show. Decades of Republican probes into the private dealings of her and her husband, Bill, have fostered much of the skepticism. But Clintons patented circle-the-wagons style lacks authenticity and basic humanity. It feeds the mistrust and doubts held by millions of would-be voters. And, now, the facts about her email use will incubate the suspicions through November.

Whether Clinton likes it or not, this issue isnt going away.

For once in her political life, Clinton must ditch the focus groups and legalese. She must speak candidly and openly. She must show her humanity and confess her sins.

Clinton was downright dishonest in a January meeting with the Quad-City Times editorial board, the inspector general report proves.

The private server was convenient and permitted, she said. Her predecessors had done it, too, she said. The only mistake was in the fact that it caused such an uproar and put so many of her friends under the microscope, she said.

Put plainly, its bull.

From 2005 to 2011, State repeatedly revised its record-keeping and security policies, the 83-page report says. Numerous memoranda were issued specifically discussing the obligation to use Department systems in most circumstances and identifying the risks of not doing so.

So yes, Clinton was told that her server wasnt appropriate and secure, or at least, her subordinates were. She was notified of the conflict created with the Freedom of Information Act, the backbone of the nations transparency laws. And never before, be it Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice, had a modern U.S. secretary of State done so much to dodge FOIA.

And thats what the private server was all about. It wasnt about covering up some tragedy in Libya. It wasnt about undermining national security. Ducking transparency requirements was the goal here.

Its a disheartening statement about the echo chamber within which Clinton exists. It calls into question her character and commitment to the law. It feeds the narrative that she cant be trusted. Its red meat for the likes of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

It was clear in January that Clinton didnt see the problem with her server. Questions about it annoyed her. And, to this day, its clear that she doesnt understand how the black-and-white evidence of her disregard for the rules  and willingness to lie about her actions  damages her image.

Trump is a legitimate threat to the nation. Self-prescribed ignorance is the foundation of his campaign. Aimless anger is its fuel. Trump tells bald-faced lies when faced with contradictory policy statements. He demonizes the media when it dares challenge his dishonesty and incoherence. He lacks the basic curiosity to grapple with the problems of a complex, interconnected planet. Clintons attacks on the firebrand are correct but useless in the post-Trump politic. This election will be about Hillary Clintons character or lack thereof. Trump misogynism and racism are established. But his backers like it. The GOP is uniting around him.

Trump is dangerous.

Its a race Clinton should win, but only if millions of skeptical voters hold their noses and check the box beside her name.

Its to those voters  independents, waffling Republicans and Bernie Sanders supporters  to whom Clinton must speak. She must stand up and admit that she considered herself above the rules. She must promise it will never happen again. She must state her commitment to transparency.

Clinton must assume the mantel of flawed human being and ask for forgiveness before its too late.

 By the Quad-City Times, another Lee Enterprises newspaper
We were disappointed but certainly not shocked by Prestage Foods announcement late Thursday that it is no longer interested in building a state-of-the-art pork processing plant in Mason City.

Over the past weeks we listened and heard time and again the pros and cons, and in the end, we felt  and still do feel  that Mason City, North Iowa and Iowa would be able to handle all the challenges brought on by a $240 million project with the payoff of nearly 2,000 jobs.

So many facts had been distorted along the way, and thats why we had hope that a meeting Thursday morning could set the record straight and get the Prestage movement started again. But even with as little hope as we had after the surprise 3-3 City Council vote on May 3 dashed the project, we could have read a lot into the absence of Prestage officials at Thursdays meeting.

The confirming email came Thursday night.

Local officials thought as late as Thursday morning the deal could be salvaged, but the damage done  due in large part to misinformed acrimony  was too much to fix.

Prestage addressed the campaign against it Thursday night. Chief Operating Officer Jere Null said while the company appreciated the outpouring of support and efforts made on our behalf to secure support for our project, it is our belief that additional efforts are counterproductive to our company as well as Mason City.

It is clear to us that this project exposed deep divisions among the citizens of Mason City, he wrote.

Then, concerning the turmoil, Null said, Obviously, we did not adequately address the misinformation campaign that our opponents effectively used to influence public opinion. We will learn from this experience; we hope that Mason City will do the same.

We have little doubt Prestage will recover from this turn of events far faster than Mason City. Other communities began contacting the company almost as soon as the Mason City Council voted down the project.

Mason City, on the other hand, may feel this one for a long time.

The Prestage announcement followed comments by Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham who gave some clues about the challenges ahead for the region.

While the state, she said, will continue to direct firms to Mason City, the site selectors (mediators who help firms relocate) wont be as willing to forget.

Were not certain the Branstad administration wont hold a least a little bit of a grudge for how this played out, but we agree that the perception is poor at best. And were at the mercy of changing that perception.

Development officials were frank, for the first time, about ripple projects that were ready to follow Prestage to Mason City. They included natural gas, trucking and refrigeration companies to the tune of an additional $100 million.

Thats all gone now.

Before we reiterate what we still have to offer, here is a recap of our challenge:

School enrollment is declining, reducing the amount of state education funding coming to the district. On top of that the rate of increase in per-pupil funding from the state isnt keeping up with costs.

Unlike Iowas other metro areas, Cerro Gordo County hasnt recovered the jobs lost during the Great Recession. Total employment for the region has declined by the thousands.

The work force that remains is aging, and a significant portion will retire over the next 10 years.

If the trend continues, residents can expect tax hikes to maintain the status quo. In other words, Band-aids instead of beautification, survival instead of progress.

As we did after the May 3 vote, we reiterate that its essential to move ahead together.

Mason City remains an attractive site for industrial development. Were ideally located with easy access to outstanding highway and rail systems. We have industrial property ready or nearly ready for a variety of uses. Utilities shouldnt be a problem, either.

We have a downtown project in the works that will sparkle when, if all comes to fruition, a new ice arena/multipurpose center is built and busy, and the new Courtyard by Marriott joins the areas other fine motels and hotels along with the fabulous Park Inn Hotel across beautiful Central Park. We will have more and better retail opportunities. And we have quality-of-life attractions that continue to improve.

Altogether, the potential for Mason City and its neighbors in all directions remains high.

Our biggest challenge, then, is to do everything to prevent the perception that were closed for business.

It wont be easy. Negative talk will circulate in business circles, and only with vigorous recruitment efforts supported by entities throughout North Iowa can such talk be overcome.

The Prestage decision leaves many challenges and questions to be answered by community leaders. Frankly, we hope those leaders are willing to move ahead with unity and enthusiasm given the shellacking some of them took from some quarters. Because they will be the ones who must lead the movement forward to land other projects, big and small.

It can be done, as difficult as it may seem now. As much as we believed our community could handle the challenges of Prestage, we believe we can meet the next challenges that face us. It will take a unified effort by those who spoke passionately on both sides of the issue and who offered ideas for alternatives to the pork plant.

Now more than ever, their time and energy are needed and welcome.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., June 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Nexcess, a leading provider of performance-optimized Magento eCommerce hosting, has announced its attendance at two major European eCommerce retail conferences.

Magento Live UK -- sponsored by Nexcess -- is the UK's leading gathering of eCommerce retailers, Magento users and developers, and eCommerce service providers. Magento Live UK takes place on June 2021 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London. MLUK is a great opportunity to hear talks from the leaders of the Magento community, including Magento CEO Mark Lavelle and Magento CPO Steve Yankovich.

The eTail Europe conference will bring together eCommerce retailers and multi-channel retail innovators from across the UK and Europe on 2123 June at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Center in London. eTail Europe features speakers from many leading European retailers, including Amazon Retail, House of Fraser, and Marks and Spencer, among many others.

"We always look forward to visiting the UK and meeting with British and European eCommerce retailers and Magento community members," commented Chris Wells, President and CEO of Nexcess, "It's a great opportunity for us to learn from the community, and introduce them to the benefits our performance-optimized Magento hosting platforms can bring to their retail businesses both in Europe and internationally."

In recent years, Nexcess has rapidly expanded its European Magento hosting operations, including the addition of a new facility in Amsterdam. This facility augments the company's existing UK infrastructure, enabling Nexcess to offer unbeatable low-latency Magento eCommerce hosting across Europe.

Members of the Nexcess team will be at both conferences to meet members of the Magento community and the wider eCommerce world. Nexcess' Magento experts are particularly excited to discuss the company's new OroCRM hostin g platform, which offers powerful customer relationship management tools with deep Magento integration.

About Nexcess

Nexcess is a Southfield, Michigan-based managed Magento hosting company founded in 2000, with data centers throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. Nexcess offers a variety of Magento hosting services ranging from entry-level packages to custom clustered/complex hosting configurations, with an emphasis on achieving maximum performance for high-profile stores. For more information, visit http://www.nexcess.co.uk.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/06/prweb13452662.htm
24-Month Superiority Trial vs. Fabrazyme for a United States Filing



At 12 Months, Interim Analysis of the Superiority Trial Data will be Performed to Test for Non-Inferiority Compared to Fabrazyme for an EMA Filing

Additional 12-Month Switch-Over Study from Replagal to be Initiated to Provide Supportive Data for United States and EMA Filings

CARMIEL, Israel, June 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT:PLX) (TASE:PLX), announced today that based on guidance and feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Company initiated its phase III clinical trial of PRX-102 for the treatment of Fabry disease. Guidance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been incorporated into the development plan to support an EMA filing as well.

We are excited to initiate our global phase III clinical trial. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) process has been completed, including study protocol approval, and the first leading, United States-based clinical center for the first study has opened, said Moshe Manor, Protalixs President and Chief Executive Officer. Patient enrollment is expected to commence shortly in centers throughout the United States and Europe.

The phase III efficacy and safety clinical trial, or, the BALANCE Study, is a 24-month multi-center, randomized, double-blind, active control study of PRX-102 in Fabry patients with impaired renal function. Seventy-eight patients previously treated with Fabrazyme (agalsidase beta) for approximately one year, and with a stable dose for at least six months, will be enrolled and then randomized to continue treatment with 1 mg/kg with either Fabrazyme or PRX-102, at a 2:1 ratio of PRX-102 to Fabrazyme, respectively. Patients are to be treated via intravenous (IV) infusions every two weeks.

The primary efficacy parameter is the comparison of the mean annualized change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between treatment groups. The secondary endpoints include Left Ventricular Mass Index (g/m2) by MRI, Plasma Lyso-Gb3, Plasma Gb3, Urine Lyso-Gb3, Exercise Tolerance (Stress Test), Short Form Brief Pain Inventory and Mainz Severity Score Index and Quality of Life. In addition, immunogenicity and safety parameters will be measured.

At 12 months, the Company intends to conduct an interim analysis to test for non-inferiority to support an anticipated regulatory filing with the EMA. Patients enrolled in the study will continue to be treated for a total of 24 months, at which point the data will be analyzed to test for superiority to support an FDA filing. To demonstrate superiority, during the SPA process, the FDA indicated that a 30% improvement in the rate of decline in eGFR relative to the active comparator arm is acceptable.

The key endpoints for evaluation in the BALANCE Study are the same endpoints we analyzed in our phase I/II clinical trial of PRX-102. These endpoints demonstrated strong positive results in the phase I/II study with an annualized rate of eGFR change of only -0.32. According to a published report, an annualized rate of eGFR change of -1.89 was observed in a study of the effect of Fabrazyme in a similar patient population. Based on the above and given PRX-102s significantly longer half-life compared to other approved treatments, and its increased stability resulting from the molecule being covalently bound, we believe PRX-102 will achieve superiority, commented Einat Brill Almon, Ph.D., Protalixs Senior Vice President of Product Development.

The Company also intends to initiate the BRIDGE Study, a single-arm, switch-over study from Replagal, to provide supportive data for anticipated filings in the United States and the European Union. This trial is designed to enroll 22 Fabry patients, currently treated with Replagal (alpha-galactosidase), who are to be switched to 1 mg/kg of PRX-102 for 12 months. The primary endpoint of the BRIDGE Study is safety; additional exploratory efficacy parameters include Left Ventricular Mass Index (g/m2) by MRI, Plasma Lyso-Gb3, Plasma Gb3, Urine Lyso-Gb3, Exercise Tolerance (Stress Test), Short Form Brief Pain Inventory, Mainz Severity Score Index and Quality of Life.

During the Companys interaction with the FDA, including the SPA process, the Company received and implemented the FDAs recommendations for the BALANCE study design. In the interest of time, and based on the FDAs written guidance that an SPA is not a requirement for proceeding with the Companys clinical development program, the Company initiated the BALANCE Study without completing the full SPA process. Written guidance from the FDA has stated that the BALANCE Study is adequate to support a filing.

Additionally, through the SPA process, it became clear to the Company that a trial evaluating gastro-intestinal symptoms, which the Company had previously contemplated as part of the PRX-102 clinical development program, is not necessary for the Companys planned regulatory filings.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx(R). Protalix's unique expression system presents a proprietary method for developing recombinant proteins in a cost-effective, industrial-scale manner. Protalix's first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalix's development pipeline includes the following product candidates: PRX-102, a pegylated version of a recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; PRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; PRX-110, a chemically modified DNase I for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others.

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, plan and intend and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical and clinical trials which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and lack of sufficient funding to finance clinical trials; the risk that the analysis of data from the clinical trials of our product candidates will not achieve desired results; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support our claims of safety or efficacy, that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; delays in our preparation and filing of applications for regulatory approval; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, and other risks relating to the review process; risks related to the acceptance and use of our product candidates, if approved, by physicians, patients and third-party payors; the risk of significant delays in the commercial introduction of our product candidates, if and when approved; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information.
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A recently-released book, The Transformation of Academic Health Centers: Meeting the Challenges of Healthcare's Changing Landscape, frames the possibilities, challenges, and best practices for these important institutions in the new healthcare era. Designed to guide and inform leadership, policymakers, researchers, and educators, the book highlights critical actions and visionary measures that must be taken to advance healthcare in the 21st Century.

"Academic health centers are essential engines of the healthcare system, given their critical roles in health professions education, research, and patient care; this volume provides forward-thinking and thought-provoking perspectives that set the stage for the evolving role of these institutions as they seek to advance knowledge to improve health and well-being," said the book's editor and chapter author, AAHC President and CEO Dr. Steven A. Wartman. Published by Elsevier, the book's chapters are authored by established senior leaders and policymakers representing academic health centers in the United States and worldwide.

The book is divided into five sections: The Evolution of the Academic Health Center; Educating the Future Health Workforce; The Challenge of Discovery; Preparing for Health System Change; and a concluding piece on Future Shock or Future Success. Each chapter provides case studies as appropriate, lessons learned, and recommendations to challenge both current and future leaders.

Since its publication, the book has earned positive reviews:

From Doody's Review:

"Common threads that run throughout the book are collaboration, integration, interdisciplinary approaches, and, of course, transformation...an excellent reference for academic health centers seeking to learn from the experiences of other academic health centers."

From the Spring 2016 issue of The Pharos:

". . . a very worthwhile volume  a timely, insightful, and hard look at the present state of academic medical centers. The book should be of interest to all people in academic medicineeven if they are not involved in administrationif only to understand the changes in their own institutions in the context of fast moving national trends. One can only hope it will also be read by a broader audience so that they may understand the profound changes taking place in these essentially unique  institutions the public has long held in high esteem."

"Neither an academic 'ivory tower' nor a pure business, academic health centers are a unique hybrid of both. Blending traditional academic values with the business of patient care requires exceptional leadership. As this book amply demonstrates, academic health centers are in the process of transforming themselves to meet the societal needs and priorities for 21st century healthcare," said Wartman, adding "While they are responding to numerous public, scientific, and economic forces, academic health centers also lead the way in educating a new generation of health professionals, making scientific breakthroughs that offer new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and providing cutting-edge patient careall with the goal of improving health and well-being."

The Transformation of Academic Health Centers offers a one-stop reference and should be of interest to all stakeholders in the social, professional, and economic role of academic health centers. The book is available in both print and electronic formats, can be ordered through Amazon or other major publication outlets, or purchased directly from the Association of Academic Health Centers website or by contacting the association directly: 202-265-9600.

The Association of Academic Health Centers is a non-profit association dedicated to advancing health and well-being through the vigorous leadership of academic health centers.
SAN ANTONIO, June 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) today announced that members of company management will attend the Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. Hotter N Hell Energy Conference on Thursday, June 16.



About Valero

Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries, is an international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products and power. Valero subsidiaries employ approximately 10,000 people, and its assets include 15 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.0 million barrels per day, 11 ethanol plants with a combined production capacity of 1.4 billion gallons per year, a 50-megawatt wind farm, and renewable diesel production from a joint venture. Through subsidiaries, Valero owns the general partner of Valero Energy Partners LP (NYSE:VLP), a midstream master limited partnership. Approximately 7,500 outlets carry the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, and Beacon brands in the United States and the Caribbean; Ultramar in Canada; and Texaco in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Valero is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio. Please visit www.valero.com for more information.

Valero Contacts

Investors:

John Locke, Vice President  Investor Relations, 210-345-3077

Karen Ngo, Manager  Investor Relations, 210-345-4574

Media:

Lillian Riojas, Director  Media Relations and Communications, 210-345-5002
"Benchmarking" is a way to judge the performance of a company by comparing it with other companies.

Notice the word "One" in the first sentence; benchmarking is just ONE way to judge the performance of a company. Benchmarking is not the ONLY way to judge the performance of a company.

Benchmarking permits the manager of a company to discover better industrial practices.

Benchmarking can provide a justification for the adoption of good practices.

Quote:

(A) Comparisons with competitors are most likely to focus on practices that the manager making the comparisons already employs

Quote:

(B) Getting "inside" information about the unique practices of competitors is particularly difficult

Quote:

(C) Since companies that compete with each other are likely to have comparable levels of efficiency, only benchmarking against noncompetitors is likely to reveal practices that would aid in beating competitors

Quote:

(D) Managers are generally more receptive to new ideas that they find outside their own industry

Quote:

(E) Much of the success of good companies is due to their adoption of practices that take advantage of the special circumstances of their products or markets

We need to find and eliminate the four answer choices that are VALID reasons "for benchmarking the performance of a company against companies with which it is not in competition rather that against competitors." Before diving into the answer choices, let's make sure we are clear about the given information:From the question stem, we can infer that there are valid reasons for benchmarking the performance of a company against its competitors, but what might be a valid reason for benchmarking the performance of a company against noncompetitors rather than against competitors? Any valid for reason for doing so must be eliminated:This suggests that benchmarking against competitors probably will not help a company discover better industrial practices. If such an analysis only reveals practices that the company already employs, what's the point? Choice (A) seems to suggest that benchmarking against noncompetitors, on the other hand, might focus on practices that managers don't already employ and thus be more useful.You might be thinking, "Well, we can't say for sure that benchmarking against noncompetitors doesn't have the same disadvantage." That might be true, but at the very least choice (A) gives us no reason to believe that benchmarking against noncompetitors has the same disadvantage. In that case, choice (A) is neutral towards benchmarking against noncompetitors and negative towards benchmarking against competitors. This is a valid reason for benchmarking against noncompetitors instead of competitors, so (A) should be eliminated.We know that benchmarking permits the manager of a company to discover better industrial practices. But what if competitors are intent on hiding such industrial practices from its competitors? In that case, it might be difficult to discover better industrial practices from competitors. If it's easier to get "inside" information about the unique practices of noncompetitors, then it would be easier to discover better industrial practices from those companies. (B) is a valid reason for benchmarking against noncompetitors instead of competitors, so it should be eliminated.If companies that compete with each other are likely to have comparable levels of efficiency, it is unlikely that studying the practices of a competitor would help make your company any more efficient than your competitors. In other words, at best, you might end up learning some new practices that make your company about as efficient as it was to begin with. Studying noncompetitors, on the other hand, is likely to reveal practices that would aid in beating competitors. This is clearly a valid reason for benchmarking against noncompetitors instead of competitors, so choice (C) can be eliminated.Let's say your company benchmarks against its competitors (within the same industry) and discovers some new practices that might be useful to adopt. However, if the managers at your company are not very receptive to those ideas and are unwilling to implement them, then the analysis would be of little value. Choice (D) tells us that managers are generally more receptive to new ideas from outside their own industry and thus more likely to adopt practices discovered from noncompetitors. This is a valid reason for benchmarking against noncompetitors instead of competitors, so (D) should be eliminated.Consider the special circumstances of a company's products or markets. Competitors will likely have some of the same circumstances. Since noncompetitors will likely not have those same circumstances, benchmarking against noncompetitors probably won't help the company discover practices that take advantage of those special circumstances. Because choice (E) describes a disadvantage of benchmarking against noncompetitors, it should not be eliminated.Choice (E) is the best answer._________________
Chick-fil-A may have delicious chicken sandwiches and waffles fries, but its history of funding anti-gay organizations means that New Yorkers are caught between supporting LGBT rights and being able to Instagram their tasty lunch. Luckily, now we have chef-turned-raconteur Anthony Bourdain to help ease the troubled consciences of Chick-fil-A fans who are not homophobes.

AdWeek interviewed Bourdain (at Hop Kee in Chinatown), and asked him, "How about government getting involved in where and how we eat? Mayor Bill de Blasio called on New Yorkers to boycott Chick-fil-A given the owner's anti-LGBT views."

Bourdain replied:

Are we looking for nice people to run our companies? We're going to be looking pretty hard. I'm not going to go eat at that restaurant or I'm not going to patronize that business because I don't like what they institutionally supportI don't like the chairman of the board, I don't like who created the company, whatever. There's a whole lot of reasons to just make a personal decision and not go eat at a business and give them your money. I come from a restaurant business where you're lucky if the guy working next to you isn't like an armed robber. I support your inalienable right to say really stupid, offensive shit and believe really stupid, offensive shit that I don't agree with. I support that, and I might even eat your chicken sandwich.

To be fair, Mayor de Blasio never called on a Chick-fil-A boycott; he said, "What the ownership of Chick-fil-A has said is wrong. I'm certainly not going to patronize them and I wouldn't urge any other New Yorker to patronize them. But they do have a legal right" to be in business.

Bourdain probably prefers the Shake Shack Chicken Sandwich anywayShake Shack is "one of his top five NYC restaurants.
Residents in the northwestern part of Astoria have long been forced to endure stenches of varying intensity, thanks to the all-important Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. But their long, olfactory nightmare may be over at last, now that the Department of Environmental Protection has finally added covers to its four sludge tanks. What will they think of next?

The DEP and City Council Member Costa Constantinides announced today that the $3 million project to install "aluminum covers and odor control units" has been completed. A press release explains that "the $3 million project ensures that nuisance odors emanating from the wastewater treatment plant are captured by the new aluminum covers and removed through an activated carbon filtration process. Work on the project began in 2015 and was completed by Memorial Day."

DEP Acting Commissioner Steven Lawitts said, "Wastewater treatment is a vital process that safeguards the environment and protects public health, and we also work hard to ensure that we are good neighbors to those who live and work in the neighborhoods that surround our plants,. The completed odor control upgrades at the Bowery Bay facility will directly benefit the residents of northern Queens and I want to thank Council Member Costa Constantinides for the time, energy and efforts he and his staff devoted to partnering with DEP on addressing this important environmental concern."

Constantinides said, "As lifetime residents of the neighborhood, my family and I have too much experience with the odor from the Bowery Bay Plant. The new aluminum tank covers and odor control units will help improve the quality of life for all families in the area. Eliminating most of the odor that comes from the plant is a major benefit for our community. I thank DEP for partnering together with us on this $3 million upgrade project and working to complete it on time."

NYC has 14 wastewater treatment plants across the city, and the DEP explains that it "works to limit their impact on the surrounding neighborhoods."

At the Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, there are four holding tanks that have the capacity to store a combined 550,000 cubic feet of sludge. The aluminum covers, which are up to 85 feet wide, capture any nuisance odor and each dual-bed carbon canister filter cleanses up to 21,742 cubic feet of air per minute. The carbon filters capture and absorb the odorous hydrogen sulfide gas molecules produced during the wastewater treatment and sludge digestion process. The City College of New York will work with DEP to document the performance of the carbon filters.

The Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, which went into operation in 1939, treats 150 million gallons of wastewater every day and serves 850,000 residents in northwestern Queens.
When police pulled over local aristocrat Liridona Selimaj on the Henry Hudson Parkway on June 2nd, they claimed it was because she was too drunk to safely operate her Range Rover. But Selimaj, 28, knew what was really going oncops were targeting her just like they always target the city's wealthy upper crust people. "Youre picking on me because I was driving an expensive car," Selimaj reportedly told the officers who pulled her over. "You make no money, and youre poor  youre picking on rich people." Driving While Richalmost as risky as Drinking While White.

Officer Ronald Jurain pulled Selimaj over after observing her allegedly erratic and affluent driving between West 125th Street & West 158th Street. According to the criminal complaint, Jurain observed that Selimaj had "watery and bloodshot eyes, had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath, slurred her speech, was unsteady on her feet, and had a flushed face." There is nothing in the criminal complaint about the foul odor of privilege emanating from the Range Rover, but it's there if you read between the lines.

Selimaj, who was, perfectly, formerly a real estate broker for Douglas Elliman, refused to take a breath test at the scene, instead telling cops, "How can you say I was swerving? Im not drunk. I wasnt doing anything you were saying I was doing. I was swerving because it was a new car." Unfortunately for Selimaj, cops hate new cars and the rich bastards who drive them.
Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

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A 59-year-old man wearing traditional Islamic clothing was brutally beaten by multiple assailants in Queens last week, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations wants the police to investigate whether the assault was a hate crime.

According to CAIR, Mohamed Rasheed Khan was approached by "three young men Wednesday night as he was leaving the Center for Islamic Studies on Jamaica Avenue." He was apparently knocked off his bicycle and punched. From CAIR:

Khan, who is an American citizen of Guyanese heritage, was wearing traditional Islamic attire at the time of the attack.

The alleged assailants did not steal the victim's wallet, watch or bicycle, and were reportedly seen laughing as they left the scene of the attack.

Khan suffered multiple broken bones in his face, fractured ribs and a concussion. He remains unable to speak or open his eyes, and is scheduled for surgery tomorrow at Jamaica Hospital Center.

CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said, "Because of the location of the attack outside a mosque, the Islamic attire of the victim, and because nothing was stolen by the alleged attackers, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this troubling incident. We urge the NYPD to step up patrols in the area of the mosque, particularly during activities associated with the upcoming fast of Ramadan."

Khan's niece spoke to WABC 7, saying, "My uncle is an American citizen, and did not deserve this, and he is very humble and he doesn't bother anybody. He believes in Islamic wayshe was coming to pray, and Islam is all about love and caring for others. The criminals that did this, they don't identify with that."


(Scott Heins/Gothamist)

Chilean street artist Nelson Rivas, aka Cekis, is finished with his massive new mural under the BQE overpass at Atlantic Avenue. The piece, entitled "Into the Wild, Brooklyn," is a tangle of bright metal beams and organic plant lifea mix of the city's man-made and untamed features. Covering the entire southern wall of the overpass, Cekis's mural emulates the pier structure of the nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park. "Those metal beams are like a skeleton. In between them there's a lot of other things that I use in my paintings, like chain link fences. I use fences to create my overall compositions. They're never a primary subject, but more of a texture," the artist told Gothamist last month, as he was tracing his first few lines.

"I noticed at first, when people passed by and saw the white wall with the drawing, they didn't understand anything and they kept going. But then, after days and weeks of work with the colors, it's been quite awesome to see how attitudes toward the wall changed in a very positive way," Cekis said of the piece Friday.



(Scott Heins/Gothamist)

The mural was commissioned by the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District, the Department of Transportation, and Brooklyn Bridge Park, as part of the DOT's Arterventions program to liven up areas near the borough's waterfront. "We often hear New York described as an urban jungle. What Nelson Rivas has done is capture some of that 'wildness' while creating a little oasis under the BQE," AABID Executive Director Josef Szende said.

Cekis, a Santiago native, has been making street art on a mostly-legal basis for 25 years and has called New York City home since 2004. His murals can be seen in Bushwick, Washington Heights, Sunset Park, and, now, a little space beneath the BQE.
Minutes before the East Village descended into a Kanye-powered chaos, rock/rap supergroup Prophets of Rage took to the stage in Greenpoint Sunday night, delivering an incendiary set that more than made up for the fact that day three of Governors Ball was cancelled due to torrential rains that never materialized. A combination of Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk along with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Cypress Hill MC B-Real, the band performed classic tracks from all three groups' catalogs at what was only their third show ever.

The band entered the room at Warsaw to deafening cheers and launched into a cover of the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." From there it was nothing but the classics: "Testify," "Bring the Noise," "Bulls on Parade," and "Insane in the Brain. The still-fledgling band was in full command of their powers and seemed to revel in the fact that, with the day's music festival cancelled, they were able play a little longer and a whole lot meaner. Chuck D and B-Real took multiple shots at the government and police between songs, and while Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zac De La Rocha's iconic, raspy vocals were indeed missed, the two legendary MCs more than held it down and then some from start to finish.

Having already announced plans to shake up the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July, Prophets of Rage also unveiled nationwide tour dates Monday, which includes and August 27th date at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. "Our country is on the brink of chaos," Morello told the LA Times, "And I'm a person who's always trying to have a political impact through my vocation, which is music. So we believe we can no longer stand on the sidelines of history. It's time to make America rage again."

In case the vehemently anti-establishment (and anti-Trump) message wasn't already clear enough last night, Morello sported a "Make America Rage Again" hat for the entire set. If Donald Trump is, in fact, the candidate this country deserves, then Prophets of Rage may be the band it needs the most.

Watch videos from the show below.
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Now that the weekend's stormy weather is (mostly) over, it's safe to step outside and explore the city's various food happenings. Three neighborhood-centric fairs give you the chance to sample local fare, so put down the takeout menu, delete all delivery apps, and find something delicious IRL.



via Facebook

Somewhere between the slow-walking tourists and rabid Hamilton lines, Times Square does indeed have a food scene. On Monday the annual Taste of Times Square festival will take over the neighborhood, with over 50 restaurants serving up small bites of all varieties. Attendees can purchase "Taste" tickets for $1 each, which can then be redeemed for small dishes that run from $1 to $6 at each restaurant's booth. In the mix will be Junior's Pizza, La Pulperia, and Times Square mainstay John's Pizzeria, guaranteeing you the chance to nibble on top-notch Latin American fusion and, of course, pizza.

This week's warm weather calls for cold beerand cold cider. On Tuesday, the Washington-based Snowdrift Cider Company, will be taking over Wassail in the Lower East Side, giving you the opportunity to sample their artisanal Cornice, Perry, and Red Crab ciders while meeting Snowdrift Cidermaker Tim Larsen. Pair your cider with some of Wassail's menu offerings including spring pasta with smoked almonds, cold smoked duck breast, or crispy red rice for a perfect food and drink combo.



Shea Communications

Wednesday offers two more neighborhood-centric food events. In the early afternoon, head to Liberty Plaza for the fifteenth annual Dine Around Downtown festival, where more than 40 neighborhood spots including EATALY, Adrienne's Pizzabar, and Cowgirl Sea-Horse will be serving up the best fare lower Manhattan has to offer. Stroll around while listening to live music by the National Jazz Museum Harlem All-Stars and nosh on all the food your stomach can handle.



via Facebook

Save some room for some of Harlem's finest eats, which will be served up at the fifth annual Food & Drink Boulevard food fair on Wednesday evening. A $10 ticket guarantees access to plates from restaurants including Chocolat, LoLo's Seafood Shack, and Billie's Black (try the mac & cheese). There will also be games, namely a scavenger hunt-style Booze Clues contest, with prizes including hotel stays, gift certificates to Harlem restaurants, and Uber gift card. Purchase tickets here or at the door.



via Facebook

Wrap up the week with yakitori and sake at Teisui, which will be hosting a five-course dinner with two Thursday night seatings (7 p.m. and 9 p.m.). Highlights from the menu include uni royal (a sea urchin and foie gras mash-up), braised rabbit niyaki, and Japanese-style paella. Hoyo Brewing Company, the oldest brewery in Japan's Miyagi district, will be serving up rare and premium sake pairings with each course, including Manamusume and Kura no Hana. Purchase tickets here.
BILLINGS -- When Grace Johnson was writing a 25-page paper this year, Google wasnt going to cut it as a research resource for the recent West High graduate.

A lot of teachers wont allow you to use sources that arent from EBSCO and JSTOR, she said, referencing databases of scholarly articles.

But as revenue directed to Montana libraries from the states coal severance tax loses steam, public and school libraries will lose access to EBSCO, a collection of databases. Billings high school librarians strongly oppose the move.

In January, the Montana State Library found out it would be losing $46,000 in expected tax revenue for the current 2015-17 budget. In mid-May, another $166,000 was cut.

The state library had about $943,000 in coal severance tax revenue budgeted for 2016-17 financial years. The agencys full two-year budget is almost $12 million. But the database funding is specifically assigned to the tax revenue, State Librarian Jennie Stapp said.

A recent state library task force identified a database package paid for by the state and used by libraries across Montana as most opportune for decreasing investment. Thirteen task force members said the state could decrease investment in state databases in a ranking exercise of library resources; only one person said that investment should remain the same, and no one voted for an increase.

The Montana State Library Commission also previously voted to reduce database funding in April.

Combined with the fact that database funds rely on the funding stream being slashed, it made the most sense to cut databases, Stapp said.

A letter sent out to libraries May 25 says "given the extreme circumstances we face, we believe we are making the best choices available to us that will allow us to continue to serve libraries and Montanans in every corner of our state."

Students at West High who use the databases disagree.

Senior Brenna Hoffman said that students would be more likely to use unreliable information, falling into traps like well, this one says .org. I think its OK.

EBSCO includes thousands of scholarly, peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals, which are spread out over several databases, with information on topics from literary analysis to automotive updates.

Its very much like working with a cable company  to get the one database you want you have to buy all of them, said Stapp. The state re-negotiated its roughly $350,000 contract with EBSCO down to about $250,000 in 2013, but EBSCO made it clear they werent willing to go lower, Stapp said.

Billings school libraries are exploring the possibility of purchasing more narrow access to the databases, which is cheaper overall but offers less bang for their buck. That would require the use of existing funding.

It means were going to be able to get fewer books, and do less programs, get less technology, West librarian Brittany Alberson said.

West High already subscribes to JSTOR, LexisNexis and CQ Press using about $4,500 in funds brought in by SD2's technology levy.

Hoffman uses the database for college courses  shes taking a full course load this year through a state program.

They expect you to know how to use it there, she said.

Johnson used several sources from international journals for one project that you cant get here at any of the libraries in Billings.

Sophomores Kyler Hodik and Reagan Linde both used the database to craft arguments for speech and debate events.

When youre in speech and debate, you have to have a reliable source, Linde said.

Cash sources

Revenue from the coal tax peaked in the early 1980s. But cuts to the tax rate and production have hacked away at revenue over the years. In fiscal year 2015, the tax brought in about $61.8 million.

The coal severance tax trust fund receives half of all coal severance taxes in Montana. The other half is directed into the general fund and other programs; a small slice is set aside for the library commission. While the tax generated robust revenue in 2015, commodity markets are often volatile. Montana coal production has tumbled in 2016, and economic experts have issued bleak projections for the industry, at least for the short-term.

A letter sent by SD2 high school librarians to the state commission notes the significance of the cuts and that the commission is responsible for serving a wide array of libraries, but it blasts the decision.

It is imperative that our students have equitable access to databases in order for them to be competitive with other 21st century learners and researchers, it reads. The loss of access to these databases will severely impact their research education and could hinder their college and career readiness.

Alberson said returns from a survey sent to other school libraries about the database cut show an "overwhelming" response. Access to EBSCO is slated to end Aug. 31.
Nothing calls our cant-win parenting culture into sharper focus than the outrage aimed at the parents of a 3-year-old boy who entered a gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo recently.

They should have shot the mother instead, popped up on my Twitter feed shortly after word spread that zoo officials shot and killed Harambe, the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla who dragged the boy through a moat. Similar sentiments have followed ever since.

More than 400,000 have signed a Change.org petition calling for the zoo, Child Protective Services and the Cincinnati Police Department to hold the childs parents responsible for Harambes death.

Strange, coming from the same culture that shames and pillories parents for helicoptering.

Modern parents and our hovering, smothering, hyperwatchful ways have been blamed for saddling kids with anxiety and depression, robbing them of their childhoods, sabotaging their self-reliance and sapping them of future leadership skills.

Ease up, were told. Cut the apron strings. Lengthen the leash. Theres even an annual Take Our Children to the Park  and Leave Them There Day.

The world is not perfect  it never was  but we used to trust our children in it, and they learned to be resourceful, free-range parenting founder Lenore Skenazy once told The New York Times. The message these anxious parents are giving to their children is I love you, but I dont believe in you. I dont believe youre as competent as I am.

Shame on you, helicopters. Until, that is, your child is perceived as a little too free-range. Then, shame on you for that.

Now, the boy from the zoo is 3  an age at which few people would advocate hands-off parenting. But we certainly encourage parents of children that young to allow their kids to explore the world around them within reason. And within reason means the mothers eyes may have left her son for a minute  enough time for him to dart from her grasp and her sight.

The mother was standing next to a zoo exhibit and lost track of her child for perhaps a minute or so, Ohio State University criminal law professor Ric Simmons told reporters.

I wasnt there, and neither were most of the people tossing out furious judgments, signing petitions and otherwise passing themselves off as experts in parenting other peoples children. So we dont truly know the extent to which the child was allowed to roam free.

Police are investigating the events that led to the boy falling into the gorilla enclosure, and if the parents are found to be negligent, well no doubt hear about it. As we should  particularly as a cautionary tale for other parents and caregivers who take young children to zoos.

But we dont yet know what happened, and its premature and cruel to lash out at the parents.

Parents look away. Parents get overwhelmed. Parents make mistakes. These are not crimes punishable by death. (They should have shot the mother instead. Seriously?)

They shouldnt even be crimes punishable by social medias shame tribunal, especially when that same tribunal delights in pointing out all the ways modern parents screw up our kids with our fussy, eternal (literal and metaphorical) hand-holding.

The gorillas death is a tragedy, without question. But the little boys death would have been also. And so would the mothers.

Its hard to believe that bears repeating, but it does: So. Would. The. Mothers.

Moral outrage at a living beings untimely demise loses credibility when its used to call for the demise of another living beings.

Especially because, as author Bunmi Laditan (The Honest Toddler: A Childs Guide to Parenting) noted on her Facebook page, we arent exactly universal in our embrace of animal rights.

Unless youre a card-carrying vegan, how is the death of an animal shaking you to the core? Laditan wrote. You eat ribs, no? That too is animal. Burgers. Chicken fingers. Wings. All animals. Is it because gorillas are considered closer to people? Like pets? Or because the gorilla wasnt killed for a TGIFridays appetizer platter?

I think people are upset that the gorilla was killed to save a child of parents that they perceive to be negligent, Laditan continued, not because they care about the gorilla who, just so you know, wasnt exactly living his best life in a zoo.

Thats an excellent point. The world is not perfect, as Skenazy rightly noted.

We ought to stop insisting that parents should be.

Heidi Stevens is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Readers may email her at hstevens@tribpub.com.
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Over the next month, the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on cases involving some of the major issues before the court and the country -- abortion, affirmative action and immigration. All three cases remain undecided.



The court still has 24 opinions left to release before it recesses for the year in late June. While its still traditionally early for the biggest decisions, the eight-member court, which has been eager to issue narrow rulings, could announce big decisions earlier than expected.



The next round of opinions is expected Monday, June 6.



Here are the three major cases we are watching:



Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (abortion)



Background:



This has the potential to be the most important abortion case in nearly 25 years. In 2013, Texas passed a law containing: 1) a requirement that abortion providers have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital; and 2) a requirement that abortion facilities comply with the requirements for ambulatory surgical centers.



The plaintiffs in the case are clinics, including Whole Womans Health, and doctors that provide abortion services.



Arguments:



Dr. John Hellerstedt, the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services -- the agency that enforces the challenged law - argues that Texas is trying to ensure patient safety and improve standards of care. He also argues that its the job of legislatures, not courts, to decide whether laws like these are medically necessary.



The plaintiffs argue that there's no evidence that the law promotes health, and that it is actually aimed at impeding womens access to abortion. If the law goes into effect, they claim, the number of clinics in Texas will drop to 10 or fewer (the law is largely on hold at the moment, while the Supreme Court considers the case).



Possible outcomes:



Justice Anthony Kennedy holds the key vote in this case. If Kennedy thinks the regulations have gone too far, he will likely join the liberal justices in striking them down 5-3. However, if he concludes that the Texas laws are permissible, the Court will likely divide 4-4, affirming the lower court opinion and leaving the regulations in effect, but without setting a precedent for rest of the country outside of the Fifth Circuit.



Theres also the possibility of a procedural decision. The Court could conclude that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence about the capacity of the clinics that would remain in operation if the law went into full effect - so the Court could send the case back to the trial court for the introduction of more evidence on that question.



Fisher v. University of Texas (affirmative action)



Background:



This case is the second trip to the Supreme Court for Abigail Fisher, a white woman who was denied admission to the University of Texas (UT), and filed a lawsuit challenging the universitys use of race in admissions.



In Fishers first case, the Supreme Court ruled that the lower courts were too deferential to school administrators, and were required to look more closely at the evidence. The lower court took another look and stood by its earlier decision, and the case ended up back before the Justices.



Texas has a unique admissions program, which first takes approximately the top 10 percent of graduating seniors in the state, and then uses race as part of a holistic analysis (which also includes things like community service, leadership, and family circumstances) in filling the remaining spots.



Arguments:



Fishers attorneys argue that the implementation of the top 10 percent program is sufficient to increase minority enrollment, so that there is no need to take race into account when filling the remaining spots.



Fisher attorney Bert Rein said during oral arguments that UT needed to prove that use of race in its admissions process was a necessary last resort in pursuing diversity, taking into account reasonably available non-racial alternatives.



On behalf of the university, Gregory Garre argued that UTs holistic plan is necessary to complement its other admissions process and that it has a meaningful impact on diversity.



Now is not the time and this is not the case to roll back student diversity in America, he said.



Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who recently stepped down from his position, also argued in support of UT on behalf of the United States.



Possible outcomes:



Justice Elena Kagan is recused in this case, since she worked on it when she was the Solicitor General. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia leaves only seven Justices deciding this case.



A majority of four could still decide the case, but some legal scholars believe there are legitimate concerns about making major constitutional decisions with less than a majority of the full Court.



Given that, theres a good chance the Court will make a modest decision in this case.



The Court could send the case back yet again, finding that they dont have enough evidence because the lower court did not hold a full trial on the case.



The justices could also find that the Texas program is unconstitutional because of the existence of the top 10 percent plan, which is a race-neutral approach to diversifying the student body (residential segregation makes that inevitable).



Or the Court could affirm the lower court and find that the Texas plan is perfectly constitutional.



United States v. Texas (immigration)



Background:



Texas and a number of other states challenged President Obamas executive action on immigration, which would provide deferred action - essentially temporary relief from deportation - to millions of undocumented immigrants. Obamas plan would primarily impact the parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, but also certain individuals who came to this country as children.



The lower court struck the action down as unlawful and issued a nationwide injunction, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed the injunction. The Supreme Court accelerated its review of the case in order to hear it this term.



Arguments:



The case presents two major questions - first, whether Texas has standing to challenge the presidents action; and second, whether the presidents action was lawful.



Texas and the other states say the plan conflicts with existing immigration statutes by unilaterally granting status to individuals who are in the U.S. illegally.



They also argue that the plan is unconstitutional; that by crafting this plan the president has failed to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.



The administration argues that recipients of deferred action dont receive lawful immigration status, but are rather notified that theyre not a deportation priority. This would allow them to come out of the shadows and apply for work authorization, according to the White House.



At oral arguments, the Court appeared divided 4-4 both on whether the program was lawful and whether Texas had the ability to challenge it at all.



Possible outcomes:



A 4-4 tie here would leave the lower court opinion in place, preventing the presidents executive action from going into effect, at least in the short term. If one of the conservatives crosses over to join the liberal justices, the White House could begin rolling out the program, which has been on hold while the courts consider it.



The case is unlikely to be decided before the end of June, since it is very complex and was argued very late in the term.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Approximately 50 forensic patients have been moved to a new, partially remodeled facility at Galen. Although the method for doing this may be in question, the end result is that there is less crowding at the State Hospital.

There may also more beds available at the State Hospital to offer psychiatric stabilization for individuals in our communities. There is monumental shortage of acute crisis beds in our nation, state and communities.

Every week we have families in crisis call us asking how they can get their family members the treatment they deserve. Maybe if our family members would receive timely, appropriate treatment they would not become involved in the criminal justice system. We must remember that probably all of the residents in the Forensic Facility have committed a felony. We can also hope that while incarcerated they will receive the necessary and appropriate treatment to recover a life.
If American Indian candidates win all 11 of the seats in the Montana Legislature they are running for this fall, the percentage of Natives in the session would for the first time be representative of the population in the state.

American Indians make up 7.4 percent of Montanans but have historically been under-represented in the Legislature. In the 2015 session, there were eight American Indian legislators, three in the Senate and five in the House, for 5.3 percent of the 150 members.

If Natives win all the seats they're running for this year, that would come to 8 percent, including a state senator whose seat isnt up for election this year, to make 12 total.

Natives are guaranteed at least eight seats in 2017, including holdover state Sen. Lea Whitford, D-Browning.

In the House, incumbent Native Democrat George Kipp III, HD15, is running unopposed. The same is true for Native Democrats incumbent Susan Webber in HD 16, Jonathan Windy Boy in HD 32, incumbent Rae Peppers in HD 41 and Sharon Stewart Peregoy in HD 42.

Senate District 21 will go to a Native, as Democrat Carolyn Pease-Lopez is running against Republican Jason Small.

In Senate District 16, three Native Democrats, LeAnn Montes, Frank Smith, Bobbi Favel, are squaring off in the primary, and whoever wins will face Native Republican G. Bruce Meyers.

Native Democrats Joey Jayne, SD 47, and Shane Morigeau, HD 95, are in contested primaries, while Garrett Lankford, HD 25, is in an uncontested primary.

Having a proportional percentage of Natives in the Legislature matters because Indian Country needs a voice when state laws are made, candidates say.

Part of a representative democracy is everyone brings a different background to the table, said Lankford, who is an enrolled in the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. When you have 150 backgrounds you have 150 ways of seeing things.

While most candidates have constituencies that lie on reservation land, Lankford and Morigeau are running for seats that represent Montanas urban centers.

The geography and demographics of their campaigns creates a unique situation, they say. As candidates they talk about advocating for Native issues but also dont want to be defined strictly by the color of their skin.

I dont think it matters what my race is, whether Im living in Missoula and an Indian, said Morigeau, who grew up on the Flathead Reservation and is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Im just someone who is interested in making the district better, that should really be the important thing.

But he added having a strong Native voice in the Legislature ensures that lawmakers talk about issues specific to Indian Country.

In a lot of places in Montana its kind of out of sight, out of mind. You dont see Indians and you dont live their issues and understand them. Often people stereotype.

Morigeau, who is a lawyer for the tribes, worked in two previous sessions as a lobbyist advocating tribal issues. That included the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Water Compact, but also education and Medicaid expansion.

Those are issues that  often were very similar to issues that were affecting a lot of Montanans, Morigeau said. They are similar issues that correlated with what I think a majority of Montanans felt.

Improving access to a quality education and health care are at the top of his platform and an issue that illustrates where reservations and the rest of the state have more in common than they do differences. He also wants

"Its a good policy for all Montanans to improve the health of Montanans, he said. Whether you live in Missoula or live on a reservation, I think we all deserve the right to health care.

He emphasized it isnt a one-or-the-other situation. A lawmaker can be informed by his Native background, but also serve the people who live in his or her district whether it lies on a reservation or not.

Im proud of my heritage and my family and my ancestors, Morigeau said. I entered into this race in part to carry out the legacy of protecting our home.

Lankford wants to make sure Natives arent pigeonholed into only talking about whats going on on the reservation.

When Native people are asked to speak, they are always asked to speak as a Native person. They are never asked to speak as a banker, as a lawyer, as a student. We have so much more to offer the state of Montana.

Successful outreach

The state didn't track American Indian legislators until 1989, and that year there was only one Native who served in the House. The first American Indian state senator was elected in 2001.

Between 1999 and 2001, the number of Native lawmakers jumped from two to five, then seven in 2003 and eight in 2005. It peaked at 10 in 2007. Representation is better in Montana than neighboring states; in 2014, only one Native served in Wyoming's legislature.

Many trace the increase in Native legislators to former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who during his two terms from 2005-2013 reached out to tribes like never before.

In a 86-page report from 2012, Schweitzer wrote that he appointed more than 250 American Indians to boards, councils and commissions, which he said was more than the total of all 22 previous governors combined.

The increase in Native legislators also correlates with increased voter registration and turnout on Montanas reservations. That has continued to grow as groups like Montana Native Vote work to register voters.

Natives couldn't universally vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and even after that access to polling places often meant long trips to county seats. In 2013, 12 Natives sued the Secretary of State and election officials in three counties over access to polling places. As a part of a settlement in that case, satellite voting offices opened the following year on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Fort Belknap reservations.

On Tuesdays primary, there will be 13 satellite offices open across Montanas seven reservations.

Local results show that Native voter turnout can be high when theres access to a polling place and Natives typically vote for Democrats.

In 2012, for example, Democrat Lea Whitford won House District 16 with 67 percent of the vote to Republican Lila Evans 33 percent. Those numbers are more telling broken down by county. In Toole County, which lies off the reservation, Evans actually won 65 percent of the vote to Whitfords 34 percent. But in Glacier County, which includes the Blackfeet Reservation, Whitford took 71 percent of the vote to Evans 28 percent.

Numbers like that show why the Montana Democratic Party works hard to recruit Native candidates. Amanda Frickle, director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the party takes an active role in urban centers, but doesnt get involved with picking candidates on reservations.

In Indian majority districts we try to preserve the autonomy of the tribes involved, so the Democrats take more of a consulting role and come step in to work with candidates after theyve been identified she said.

High turnout

The party has plans to hire a coordinator to work with the states American Indian population and wants organizers in place on all seven reservations to help support candidates.

We always talk about whats good for Indian Country, but nobody knows whats better for Indian Country than the folks that live there, so having strong representation and having that engagement is going to make us more accountable, Frickle said.

She expects high voter turnout this year because of excitement around Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneaus bid for U.S. House. Juneau, if elected, would be the first American Indian woman to serve in Congress. She is opposing Republican incumbent Ryan Zinke.

When you see someone who looks like you and comes from your home on the top of the ticket, that is reason enough to get excited about this election, Frickle said.

Republican G. Bruce Meyers, a freshman state representative in House District 32 last session who is running for Senate District 16 this year, calls himself as rare as a white buffalo.

Meyers, who lives in Box Elder on the Rocky Boy's Reservation, was the only American Indian Republican in the 2015 Legislature. He could have company this year if he wins his seat and is joined by Jason Small, who is running as a Republican in House District 21.

White buffalo or not, Meyers said more Native Americans would identify as Republican if they looked at what the Republican Party of today stands for. He pointed to a state legislator in Arizona, Carlyle Begay, who switched from the Democratic to Republican Party last year, saying he identified more with GOP values.

To me it feels like a very good fit because Native Americans are basically conservative, Meyers said. We share respect for family, respect for the sanctity of all life, responsible use of resources.

Native values align with the Republican platform, but Meyers believes many American Indians started voting for Democrats because that party champions social welfare programs he says many who live on reservations rely on.

Republicans represent a shift away from that dependence on government through an emphasis on developing natural resources, something Meyers says is a path to wean tribes off "the federal dole," something he said he became critically aware of when a shutdown of the federal government in 2013 cut off all money coming into his reservation.

Theres a tremendous economic and business development potential that exist in Indian Country because of the large reserves of resources and large reserves of manpower, he said. He pointed to economic development projects like Plain Green, an online lender operated by the Chippewa Cree Business Committee, as an example of what can happen when the tribe taps its own to build the economy.

The Republican Party hasnt always been a place hed feel at home, Meyers admits, and some still members need to be educated about the meaning of historical treaties between the tribes and federal government.

The relationship between Republicans and Natives isn't always rosy, as highlighted last year when state Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, defended herself against what she called false accusations she is racist because she spoke at an event hosted by an anti-Indian group. Several American Indians protested the event, and last November a group of tribal representatives came to an interim legislative meeting to demand Fielder explain her actions.

But just as Republicans would benefit from a history lesson, Meyers said Democrats need to learn about responsible natural resource development, and he sees as a way out of poverty and toward economic prosperity for the tribes.

I feel right at home, Meyers said. I feel very comfortable in the Republican Party because they espouse conservative values.

Meyers said he wants to see more Republicans move out of their comfort zone and see what potential there is on the reservation. He cited a trip to Rocky Boys by Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte, who Meyers said went door to door to learn about life on Rocky Boy's. Trips like that build momentum for the party and can lead to more Natives, as he puts it, "coming out of the closet" as Republicans.

I feel like I was put on the scene now to talk to the Republicans and tell them to come out of their comfort zone. When you talk to Native American on an individual basis, you can engage in conversations about who they really are.

Meyers first decided to ran because he realized many of the people he knew were conservative and wanted a voice in state politics.

The people that I hung around with asked me to consider running as a Republican and I remember thinking Are you kidding me? because when I grew up all we heard from the elders and other people was Dont trust anything rich, white or Republican. And we never questioned it, but as I got more mature I realized that thinking was flawed.

We have to recognize how much we need each other, Meyers said. How much the state needs tribes and how much the tribes need the state.
PITTSBURGH  Whether its a summer job or a career launch, job search specialist Cheryl Hyatt has a word of caution for aspiring candidates: Dont get tripped up by small stuff or, more specifically, small talk.

Hyatt has heard some doozies about too-nervous interviewees. Theres the applicant who inquired about the companys policy regarding employee theft, or the one who sought a $90,000 salary so he could finance his new Camaro.

Most people have common sense and would not ask those questions, said the co-founder, CEO and partner at Hyatt-Fennell Executive Search, located outside Pittsburgh.

But even savvy and experienced candidates can get tripped up by little things, she said.

First, she says, job candidates should assume the evaluation process begins the minute they drive into the parking lot. Be professional with everyone from the security guard to the executive assistant who rides with you on the elevator up to the c-suite.

You think arriving 20 minutes early will impress the interviewing committee? Think again. They wont know what to do with you. Her suggestion: Arrive five minutes or so before the scheduled time unless youve been told there will be application forms to fill out beforehand.

Also, get familiar with the companys culture. If its a workplace where everyone wears jeans and polo shirts, You need to come in one step above what you think the company policy is. In this case, a shirt and tie with khakis would work for men, a pantsuit, skirt or dress for women  whatever feels most comfortable.

Once that preparation is done, youve come to an often-overlooked phase: Those first few minutes of small talk after introducing yourself to the interviewing committee.

Even if the topic is weather (and hopefully not religion or the current election cycle), remember that youre making a first impression. If they offer a beverage, Hyatt said, The best answer is, If you have water, that would be great.

Touch lightly on the personal, if at all. Its OK to say you have relatives in the area but telling them you want the job so you can move closer to family will not help your chances. Watch for unknowing tics, such as talking with your hands or dropping ums into every sentence.

Once the formal interview begins, she said the best responses fall in the 2-4 minute range, touching on how you would handle the situation and drawing on a related personal experience.

If you dont understand a question, dont fake it. Just say, Im not sure exactly what youre looking for. Not every answer will be a winner, she said. You just continue to smile.

If youve been invited to interview, the company has probably already decided you have the technical skills for the job so they want to find out if you are you are the right fit for us, she said.

The objective of the small talk phase is to avoid giving them reason to choose someone else.

You want to make them like you for who you are and what you can bring to the institution.
WASHINGTON  If you look at the polls, it is clear who's winning in the 2016 presidential contest: Barack Obama.

There remains the technical impediment that the president is constitutionally barred from a third term. But the longer the campaign goes on, the higher Obama's approval rating rises. This should be bad for Donald Trump and good for the eventual Democratic nominee, almost certainly Hillary Clinton. But it is even better for Obama's legacy.

According to Gallup, which has been charting the nation's assessment of its presidents longer than anyone else, Obama's approval stands at 52 percent, compared with 44 percent disapproval. That may not look impressive but it is actually quite good for a president nearing the end of his second term; Ronald Reagan, by comparison, had 49 percent approval at this point in his tenure.

For most of last year, Obama's numbers were upside-down. More Americans disapproved than approved. So there are two obvious questions: What airport is going to be renamed Obama International? And why the turnaround?

I believe the increasingly warm feelings about the president must have something to do with the contrast between him and his potential successors. Trump and Clinton may be the most widely disliked major-party contenders ever (though Trump is arguably in a class of his own, with nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they would never, under any circumstances, vote for him as president).

The speculation about when Trump will shift tactics and begin acting "presidential" is laughable. It should be clear by now that Trump is not only unwilling to change but incapable of doing so. Look at the way he continues to lash out at anyone he perceives as having slighted him. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, for example, a potentially valuable ally whom Trump is determined to make into an enemy. Look at the news conference Tuesday at which he lashed out at a reporter, calling him a "sleaze," for having questioned Trump's record of charitable giving.

Then look at Obama. Whatever you think of his policies, not for a minute has he failed to comport himself with the dignity and gravitas required to serve as president. Never has he given the impression of acting out of pique rather than calculation. Never does he seem a threat to put ego-gratification above what he believes to be the best interests of the nation.

I'm setting a low bar here. The fact that Trump does not clear it has to engender a degree of fondness for Obama, and has to help Clinton, who does the gravitas thing just fine.

Another factor in Obama's rising approval has to be the realization that despite Republican proclamations of doom and gloom, on balance things are going pretty well. Slow but steady economic expansion has not only reduced unemployment to 5 percent but also perhaps begun to move the needle slightly on incomes. Consumer confidence, an important indicator, is up. The effect of the recovery hardly feels like a boom but is nothing like the total bust that Trump and other Republicans describe.

The president has been increasingly forthright in showcasing his administration's record. His remarks in Indiana on the economy this week sounded almost like a vintage Obama campaign speech. He has also demonstrated his intention to do everything he can to ensure that his successor is a Democrat who seeks to build on his achievements, not dismantle them.

Like many presidents in their final months, Obama is spending considerable time and effort on foreign affairs. Here, too, we see contrast and legacy. He has fundamentally changed the U.S.-Cuba relationship in ways that will be hard for anyone to reverse. He has continued to act with extreme caution in the Middle East, resisting calls for substantial deployment of U.S. combat forces. He made a bold statement against nuclear proliferation by visiting Hiroshima and hugging a survivor of the atomic bombing that turned the city into a smoldering wasteland  confronting the past without apology but with sober reflection.

Trump, on the other hand, believes it would be fine if Japan and South Korea got nuclear weapons of their own.

We tend to appreciate presidents more after they leave office. The inevitable reassessment of the Obama years seems to be starting early, perhaps in apprehension of the years to come. Even Obama's harshest critics have to admit he was a steady hand in the White House. Reflection upon this fact can only increase Clinton's chances against a man who prides himself on being combative, capricious and cocksure.
Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian flew to Tehran on an official visit and was received by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Rouhani told Nalbandian with the lifting of international sanctions against Iran, a great opportunity had been created to further develop economic and commercial ties between the two countries and that practical steps in this direction need to be taken.

Nalbandian, in turn, said that Armenia was ready to forge and implement even more ambitious projects with Iran that would not only benefit the two countries but also the region.

The Armenian foreign minister also brief Rouhani regarding steps to implement the cessation of hostilities agreement along the NKR-Azerbaijani Line of Contact. Rouhani, in turn, reiterated that Iran has always supported a peaceful resolution of the conflict based on international rights principles.

Rouhani stated that he is planning to visit Armenia in the near future.

While in Tehran, Nalbandian also met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The two ministers signed a visa liberalization memo that would allow citizens of Iran and Armenia to enter, transit, stay and leave the territory of the other contracting party for a maximum period of 90 days within 180 days without a visa.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today appointed Armen Gevorgyan, a former minister of territorial administration, as secretary of the National Security Council.

This is the second time that Gevorgyan will be serving as the councils secretary. He held the post from June 2007 to April 2008.

Since October 2015, Gevorgyan was running the Development Initiatives of Armenia charitable foundation.
Judith Faulkner, CEO of Epic Systems, during the 2010 UW Commencement at the Kohl Center. Forbes has estimated her net worth to be $2.4 billion.
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BELMONT - William C. "Booker" Moody, 74, of Belmont, Wis., died on Friday, June 3, 2016, at Southwest Health Center Hospital, Platteville.

Bill was born on Jan. 3, 1942 in Platteville, Wis., son of Clyde and Lula (Mills) Moody. Bill was united in marriage to Karen Olson-Oleson on March 27, 1989, at the Little Brown Church, Nashua, Iowa. He graduated from Belmont High School in 1960 and went to MATC, Madison, where he got his associates degree in accounting. After he graduated he worked at the University of Wisconsin, Madison until he was drafted in 1962. Bill served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, where he was honorably discharged in 1970. After serving in the United States Army he worked at Interstate Power, Dubuque, Iowa for 34 years as an accountant.

Bill owned and operated Moody's Concessions for 50 years. He served as a volunteer for the Belmont EMS and as fireman for the Village of Belmont for 49 years. He was very active in serving Belmont and Lafayette County. He served on the Belmont Village Board, School Board and School Fair Board; he also served on the Lafayette County Board of Directors, County Fair Board, and as the Lafayette county hospital chairman. He enjoyed flea markets, antiquing, and following his grandsons in their high school activities. Bill was an avid Badgers fan and always enjoyed following the Belmont High School girls softball team.

Bill is survived by his wife, Karen of Belmont; stepson, Craig (Kathryn) Oleson of LaCrosse, Wis.; grandsons, Tanner and Tyler Oleson of LaCrosse; and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; step-father, Clarence Buss; father and mother-in-law, Wilbur and Vera Olson; and aunt, Elva Mill.

Memorial services will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at the MELBY FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY, Platteville. Burial will be at the Belmont Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded. Memorials may be made to the Belmont Volunteer Fire Department or Belmont Volunteer EMS. The Melby Funeral Home & Crematory, Platteville, is serving the family. Online condolences can be made at www.melbyfh.com.
Craft trends may come and go, but Lynns of Madison has been a steady presence in Madison for over 35 years.

Originally opened as Lynns Craft Shop in 1980, the business has shifted away from traditional crafts to focus on high-end needlework, art supplies and framing.

Owner Lynn Halmes passion in life is art  whether it is making it, looking at it, or facilitating others to create their own. She paints and sculpts and has a degree in fine arts from UW-Madison. Opening her own art/craft store was not in her plans; it was something she fell into.

While her husband, Harry, was attending graduate school in Madison, Halme was waitressing at a restaurant in Westgate mall. The owners of an American Handicrafts franchise next to the restaurant were frequent customers of Halmes. They asked her to work for them and she accepted. Eventually, she became manager and took over running the Westgate store when the owners bought a second store near Hilldale.

By the time American Handicrafts closed all their stores nationally, Halme had built up a good client base. With her experience in store operations having gone very well and the owners of the defunct store giving her all their store fixtures and tables for $100, Halme thought, Why not open a store?

Lynns of Madison, located at 5928 Odana Road, is the longest running store of its type in the area. Macrame and decoupage were the craft trends when Halme first opened her store. Now, business is equal parts framing supplies and services, stitchery supplies and art supplies.

The framing part of the business is fed by the stitchery side. Often when customers finish a stitchery piece, they will bring it back to be matted and framed. Lynns of Madison also mats and frames an assortment of art, including photographs, canvases and art prints.

Lynns of Madison has supplies for stitchery such as needlepoint, embroidery and counted cross stitch, but does not stock many pre-made counted cross stitch kits.

The stores walls are adorned with samples of work and thousands of charts are in stock. Lynns staff can assist stitchers customize the pattern they choose to their own skill level  from the type of fabric to the type of embroidery floss/yarn to the scale of chart to use. The staff will even sit down with customers to get them started.

Artists will find a variety of mediums at Lynns of Madison including water colors, acrylics, oil paints, pastels, colored pencils, markers, fabric dyes and pens. Lynns is well-stocked with brushes, tools, easels and canvas/papers, as well.

Halme hires experienced teachers for art and stitchery classes held three to four times a week. Class topics in May included Copic markers, Zentangle, Pebeo mixed media and Gelli Plate printing. Lynns also hosts a casual Paint-In from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. most Thursdays; a Stitch-In from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the middle Saturday of each month, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month; and a Stitchers Club held 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Check out lynnsofmadison.com for more details about each event.

Customers travel from as far away as Milwaukee, Dubuque, Iowa, and Chicago to purchase supplies at Lynns of Madison as many small stitchery supply stores have had to close, Halme said. Shopping online for fibers and fabric is a gamble as colors and dye lots vary greatly, she said.

[We have] really high quality supplies. We try to be as competitive as we can be, and thats saying quite a bit, especially with art supplies, Halme said. We will purchase things with the idea that we can be competitive with online because a lot of people do buy art supplies online. We are definitely competitive so people dont have to feel like they are spending more by coming here.
A man spotted rifling through a BMW early Saturday morning was arrested by police later on, with the man allegedly found to be carrying a handgun in one pocket and a knife in another.

Anthony Williams, 18, Madison, was tentatively charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, reckless endangering safety with a dangerous weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, Madison police said.

Police said:

A concerned citizen spotted Williams, a T-shirt pulled over his face, checking car doors in a parking lot near the 600 block of West Wilson Street at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday.

"The witness called 911 after seeing him get into a BMW and start rummaging around," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

An officer saw Williams walking on South Bedford Street a few minutes after the 911 call.

Williams allegedly had a .357 Magnum handgun in his possession when arrested. He also was wearing rubber gloves, police said.

Williams was arrested in the summer of 2015 following a string of crimes Downtown.
A burning kayak on Lake Monona that produced flames 20 feet high early Monday left firefighters in the dark, since there was nothing to suggest a kayaker was missing.

The kayak was about 75 feet off of Schluter Park in Monona, and was reported on fire at about 1:10 a.m. The Monona Fire Department responded to the scene and called the Madison Fire Department to send out the lake rescue team.

"The team found a green plastic kayak still floating, though it was burned and melted," said spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster.

The rescue team loaded what remained of the kayak onto its boat, and took it to Schulter Park so the Monona Fire Department could conduct an investigation.

"Concerned there might be a missing kayaker in the vicinity of the kayak, the team used lights, radar, sonar and infrared detectors to search the area," Schuster said. "No other debris or anything else was found that would suggest the need for underwater search operations."
The man, whose name is being withheld by the Dane County Sheriff's Office until the investigation is complete, was riding his 1995 Harley Davidson motorcycle and traveling a high speed around 12:53 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 51 in the Town of Burke when he collided with another vehicle also traveling northbound in the same lane.
A raid by drug agents at a residence in Green Lake County on Friday netted a methamphetamine lab and two suspected of making the drug.

A search warrant was executed at about 1:30 p.m. Friday at a residence on West Lakeview Drive in the town of Marquette, the Sheriff's Office said.

A 49-year-old man from Markesan and a 33-year-old man from Princeton were arrested on tentative drug-related charges, and a 25-year-old Berlin woman was taken into custody on an unrelated arrest warrant.

"Within an earlier and ongoing investigation, information gathered previously by law enforcement led to the search warrant, based on a belief an active meth lab was at the residence," said Chief Deputy Mark Putzke.

Numerous items related to making meth were seized, including chemicals, supplies and paraphernalia.

Because of the hazardous nature of the chemicals used in making methamphetamine, special units were called to the scene to help clean the site, a process that took hours.

Agencies assisting the Sheriff's Office included the Division of Criminal Investigation Clandestine Lab Entry Team, Green Lake County Public Health and Social Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Markesan Police Department and the Kingston Fire Department.
A man who allegedly fired a shot during a robbery attempt on the East Side on Sunday was arrested by Madison police.

DeAnthony Miggins, 21, was taken into custody on tentative charges of armed robbery, four counts of recklessly endangering safety and bail jumping, police said.

Miggins allegedly fired the shot inside a vehicle in the 4400 block of East Buckeye Road at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday.

Police said the incident might be drug related, and it was not a random act.

Nobody was injured.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi wants to continue sitting in the office for another four years.

Parisi announced his bid for re-election on Monday to a second full term as head of county government, at a news conference at the Madison Labor Temple.

"Serving Dane County has been a great honor," Parisi said. "I hope to have the opportunity to continue our work addressing our community's most pressing challenges."

Parisi was elected county executive in a special election in 2011 to replace Kathleen Falk, and was elected to a full four-year term in 2013.

Prior to serving as county executive, Parisi was the 48th District representative in the State Assembly, first elected in 2004 and re-elected three times, in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Parisi also was elected Dane County clerk in 1996, and served in that capacity until he ran for the State Assembly in 2004.

The election isn't until spring of 2017, but Parisi already has picked up endorsements from unions, Realtors and Planned Parenthood, according to his re-election campaign.
As students and their families filled more than 30 round tables festooned with centerpieces of miniature mortar boards and covered by tablecloths wishing graduates well, 17-year-old Yumna Junaid took a seat at one and thought of children who werent anywhere close to graduating.

Junaid was one of more than 50 middle school, high school and college students invited by the UW-Madison Muslim Student Association and three Madison-area mosques to a community-wide, honorary graduation ceremony for Muslim students on Sunday in Verona  the first of its kind in Dane County.

The Sun Prairie High School senior said Sunday evenings event, while specifically intended to recognize her 3.8 grade-point average and the academic success of students like her, was also a chance to provide Muslim youth a way to feel more confident in the face of bullying and ignorance about their religion. She said both have become bigger problems under the candidacy of Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has expressed suspicions of Muslims during his campaign.

Being a Muslim in the United States  its not easy, said Junaid. So to celebrate that weve overcome this stuff  we have gone through the education system, we have overcome a lot of challenges  I think a moment to celebrate that right before the holy month of Ramadan is really important.

Junaid said her family moved to the United States from Pakistan when she was a few months old and only in recent months has she felt and feared more bullying because of comments Trump has made regarding Muslims, including one that addresses terrorism by calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on.

She said an event like Sundays graduation ceremony can show young students just now entering middle school that the bullying they may fear can be withstood.

For me, its personal, said Junaid. My entire family  weve lived here for a really long time. To me, I dont think Im just Pakistani. Im a Pakistani-American. For him to be saying this stuff  its sort of like hes taking that away from me. Ive grown up here. Ive grown up with this culture. I dont think of it as just another country Im staying in. This is my country for me.

Junaids father agreed, noting the graduation ceremony hopefully would promote inclusion.

For our community, its really important to show that the kids ... have this positive attitude, said Junaid Azam, 44. They have goals and they just want to achieve their goals. Their dream is not different than any other kids dreams. Its important to show they are just like any other American, and that they feel included.

UW System vice president Jim Henderson urged the students to consider higher education as their next step.

I think the key to a successful career, in so many cases, is a college education, he said. It not only prepares you for a single career, it prepares you to be adaptable.

The students belonging to the UW-Madison Muslim Student Association organized the event to work toward unifying the communities of the areas mosques, said the associations vice president Najeeha Khan, 20. The honorary event supplemented traditional graduation ceremonies the students attended at their own schools.

We just really wanted to do something to have different mosques communities come together and to show our youth that we have their backs and are proud of them, Khan said.
Before Peter Streicher of Madison killed himself with a gun in November 2013, it seemed like therapy and medications were keeping his depression in check, his brother said.

But you dont know whether its really in control or not, Todd Streicher said. It was a complete shock. It was the worst thing thats ever happened in my life.

Peter Streicher, 44, died by suicide in his condo.

None of this is anyones fault and theres nothing anyone could have done to stop it, Peter Streicher wrote in an email timed to be sent to family and friends minutes after he took his life.

All of you gave me the ultimate gift  your love  and its the only thing thats kept me here this long.

In a 42-page treatise attached to the email, peppered with poems from famous poets and titled, Farewell my sweet juggernaut, Peter Streicher said he was so utterly exhausted and tired of fighting that I just cant do it anymore.

Todd Streicher, 51, of Madison, said he welcomes efforts such as the Zero Suicide initiative implemented by UnityPoint Health-Meriter and supported by Safe Communities Madison-Dane County.

But he said there should be a way for doctors or therapists who see signs of suicide in their patients to notify loved ones, though he acknowledged that patient confidentiality is a hurdle.

He said he hopes awareness of depression and efforts to find better medications to treat it will continue. It is a disease, not a choice, he said.

Peter Streicher was Todd Streichers only full sibling, but he has a half-brother and half-sister.

From 1988 to 1992, Peter Streicher attended UW-Madison, where he studied art education and creative writing. He was married for 10 years before divorcing in 2005, but he remained close to his ex-wife.

He worked as a graphic designer at several Madison companies. In the years just before his death, he worked at 5Nines, an information technology consulting firm in Madison where Todd Streicher is president and CEO.

Peter Streicher was pessimistic even as a child, worrying during family trips if the car would run out of gas, Todd Streicher said.

But he was also generous, irreverent and creative, playing in a band and writing prolifically.

He had support from family and many friends, Todd Streicher said.

He couldnt see his own self value, even though it was all around, the love everybody had for him, his brother said.

In his treatise, Peter Streicher wrote, Of course! there were good things  all of you are a gigantic example!

He asked for a hat party, if anything, to honor his life, which family and friends had. He suggested what they could focus on as they celebrated.

Enjoy feeling lucky to be alive, he wrote. Be thankful for feeling something I couldnt.

[Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the email Peter Streicher sent to family and friends was written before he died but timed to go out after his death.]
Purdue comes to town to face the Badgers for their homecoming game on Saturday. Hopefully the Badgers can get back on track.
In the weeks since the tragic passing of visionary musician Prince, many speculate his death may have been linked to drug abuse. We now know his death resulted from an overdose of the opiate medication Fentanyl.

Princes hits were all over the radio when I was in my 20s and 30s. He was a truly gifted artist, and he will be missed by many fans. Out of his death, his fans and everyone noting his passing should take away two very important lessons.

First, we as a society must work harder to reduce the stigma that surrounds substance addiction. As people speculated about the cause of Princes death, what judgments were they forming, perhaps even just subconsciously? Did they think he must be weak or of low moral character?

Too often, society attaches labels such as those to people who are suffering from addiction. The truth is that addiction is a disease. We would not view people with leukemia or diabetes as deserving to suffer or die because they have the misfortune of being struck with a disease. What do we think, though, when we hear a news story about a person who died from a drug overdose?

About 10 percent of Americans suffer from substance addiction. Addiction knows no socio-economic, gender, geographic or racial boundaries. For many people struggling with addiction and their families, it is kept secret because they fear the judgments they will face from others. As a result, they dont seek help when they should.

Prince seemed to have some quirks that go with being a celebrity, but I have never seen anything that suggests he was weak or a person of bad character. It is time to start looking at others who struggle with addiction compassionately and supportively. The odds are high that someone you care about suffers from this disease, and perhaps that person hasnt sought help and is afraid of what you will think. It is time to change that.

Second, I hope the passing of this music legend teaches us that no one is immune to the dangers that come with the abuse of prescription painkillers. They are highly addictive and can be deadly when abused. As a multi-millionaire, Prince had resources far beyond anything available to most of us. He could have afforded the best treatment available. Still, it took his life.

This is probably not the first time opiates caused Prince serious health dangers. He had cancelled a concert due to a health concern prior to his fatal overdose. I dont know whether that was opiate-related, but Fentanyl is an extraordinarily strong opiate. It is many times more powerful than heroin that can be purchased on the street.

Data shows most people do not start off abusing the strongest painkiller. More likely, Prince progressed to abusing such a strong drug after his body built up a higher tolerance for less potent prescription medications. Here is a frightening fact: 80 percent of those who abuse heroin started by abusing prescription pain pills such as Oxycontin, Percoset or Vicodin. Once their tolerance builds, they seek ever higher doses or more powerful opiates. They become helplessly trapped.

Opiates took Princes life despite his virtually unlimited resources and network of supporters. If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us. Once addicted, the power of these drugs can be stronger than even the fear of death. And far too often, addiction comes quickly.

As a society, we need to make treatment more readily available to those who are addicted. We absolutely need to lock up those who prey on our society by trafficking deadly drugs, especially to young people, but we will not incarcerate our way out of this public health crisis.

Ultimately, our best chance to stem the nationwide opiate and heroin crisis is prevention.

We must alter our view of opiates. More people now die in Wisconsin from drug overdoses than car crashes. Prescription opiates, not heroin, are the top killer in our state. In fact, more die from prescription painkillers than from heroin and cocaine combined.

Opiates are appropriately prescribed in some circumstances, but they must only be used in exactly the way they are prescribed by a doctor.

About 70 percent of the time, when a person begins abusing opiates, they do not get them from a doctor. They acquire them improperly from a family member or a friend. So we all have a role in solving this epidemic by securely storing painkillers in our homes and by properly disposing them.

I was sad to learn about Princes death. I am even more saddened, though, about the 850 or so of my fellow citizens in our state who die from drug overdoses every year.

Lets not let any of them die in vain. Lets do something to put an end to this tragic public health crisis. Please go to doseofrealitywi.gov to learn more about how we can make our state safer and healthier.
I was elected to put the needs of Illinois ahead of partisan politics, said Senator Kirk. "Independent, rational voices in the United states Senate must prevail to produce results. The bipartisan coalitions are where cooler heads prevail to move the country forward."

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) was recognized by Constellation Brands Beer Division for his bipartisanship Award during a ceremony Monday.

"Cooperation, the ability to find common ground, and compromise are core to effective business and government," said Paul Hetterich, President of Constellation Brands Beer Division. "This is why Constellation is proud to honor U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, who reflects the spirit, the tenacity, and dedication to work in a bipartisan manner for the good of the State of Illinois, and our Country. We appreciate his continued support of the beer industry and those whose livelihoods are supported by the beer industry."

Constellation Brands honored Senator Kirk for his consistent efforts to work across the aisle and promote bipartisanship in the Senate, including co-sponsoring the Fair BEER Act, bipartisan legislation which lowers the federal excise tax for brewers.

In 2015, Senator Kirk was named the third most bipartisan Senator by the Lugar Center and Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policy. Only Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Donnelly of Indiana ranked higher in working across the aisle.

The Conservative Review gave Senator Kirk an F - a 19% ranking in 2016.
The bill protects the rights of law-abiding gun owners, while taking aim at individuals without a valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Card, who purchase guns and/or ammunition in other states and bring those items into Illinois to be sold, traded or transferred.

Legislation that provides law enforcement with an important new tool in the fight against gun violence and illegally-obtained firearms is on its way to the Governor. I am a Chief Co-Sponsor of HB 6303 , which amends the Criminal Code by creating the offense of firearms trafficking.

Those who violate the provisions of the bill would be charged with a Class I felony which would carry sentence of between four and twenty years for a first offense. Repeat offenders would be charged with a Class X felony.

Research from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tells us that at least 60% of the guns used in crimes in Illinois come from other states. This bill puts real teeth into our laws as they relate to the illegal trafficking of guns and ammunition into Illinois.

Interestingly, most of the out-of-state guns used in Illinois crimes come from Indiana, Mississippi and Wisconsin. Today it is too easy for these guns to get into the hands of criminals in Illinois, and this legislation should serve as an effective deterrent for the straw purchasers who wish to provide these illegal guns to unlawful citizens of our state. The law will take effect immediately upon its signing by the Governor.

State Rep. Ron Sandack represents Illinois' 81st State House District.
With the current roll-out of semi-autonomous functions, Honda says it differs from rivals, whose self-driving efforts have centered on their luxury models.

An autonomous version of Acura's RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD is pictured during a media tour of carmaker Honda's testing grounds at the GoMentum Station autonomous vehicle test facility in Concord, California. (Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: Honda Motor Co gave a sneak preview of its self-driving prototypes on Wednesday, saying it was already on its way to offering semi-autonomous safety functions to the mass market.

The Japanese automaker has been less vocal about its plans for self-driving cars than larger rivals like Toyota and General Motors, which in recent months have shown off major research and development projects and big-ticket acquisitions.

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ALSO READ: 5 fun things you'll be able to do in driverless cars

But under the radar, Honda has been building semi-autonomous functionality, including forward-collision warning, lane- departure warning and lane-keeping assist. These features are already being rolled out in Honda's Acuras and the Civic model year 2016, which costs about $22,000.

"We under-promise and over-deliver as a promise, as a company. There are a lot of promises talked about by a lot of companies," said Jim Keller, chief engineer for Honda Research and Development Americas, referring to the pervasive industry hype.

With the current roll-out of semi-autonomous functions, which it says will pave the way for full autonomy on highways by 2020, Honda says it differs from rivals, whose self-driving efforts have centered on their luxury models.

ALSO READ: Can Google shape the rules of the driverless road?

"This is a unique differentiator for Honda ... who is committed to the concept of safety for everyone," said Keller. "Unless we democratize it across our line-up it will be just a niche."

Honda showed off two prototypes it has used in testing at the GoMentum Station, a 5,000-acre former naval munitions zone that features 20 miles of paved roadway, tunnels and other infrastructure ideal for testing.

On Wednesday, reporters saw the cars accelerate, stop and cede the way for pedestrians, and turn in autonomous mode.

The site in Concord, California, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, hopes to lure other carmakers to test autonomous cars there. Besides Honda, the French maker of driverless shuttles, Easy Mile, also tests there.

ALSO READ: Honda, General Motors to jointly develop driverless cars

The auto industry has been marked by a series of high-profile investments and acquisitions related to autonomous driving in recent months.

General Motors in January bought autonomous vehicle technology start-up Cruise Automation for a reported $1 billion, while Toyota has committed to spending $1 billion over five years to develop technologies behind the self-driving car.



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Major car makers like Hyundai and Honda are re-working their strategy to meet the demand for more petrol vehicles.

Total passenger vehicle sales in India stood at 27,89,678 units in 2015-16 and in April this year, it stood at 2,42,060 units.

By India Today Web Desk: Car buyers seem to have begun lapping up petrol variants in a big way with the diesel vehicles facing wrath of the courts on pollution concerns, prompting automakers to recalibrate their production strategy.

Major car makers like Hyundai and Honda are re-working their strategy to meet the demand for more petrol vehicles. Even in the fancy SUV segment, hitherto a stronghold for diesel versions, sales of diesel-powered cars is on a decline.

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ALSO READ: Kerala High Court stays NGT's ban on diesel vehicles in Kerala for 2 months

In the luxury segment too, market leader Mercedes Benz has predicted that there could be "a tide turning" in India in favour of petrol versions although the company hasn't witnessed a strong shift so far.

"In the last few months, there has been an accelerated change in demand in favour of petrol vehicles. This is mainly due to the government policy on diesel vehicles (higher excise duty) and cases surrounding diesel vehicles, including NGT order to ban those over 10 years," Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), R S Kalsi, told PTI.

He said that between 2013-14 and 2015-16, there was a gradual shift from petrol towards diesel vehicles but the trend has now reversed.

ALSO READ: Mercedes-Benz India puts investments on hold due to SC diesel ban



Expressing similar sentiments, Hyundai Motor India Ltd's (HMIL) Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Rakesh Srivastava said, "The sales of diesel passenger vehicles have come down to 40 per cent of total sales for the industry, from 46 per cent earlier."

Total passenger vehicle sales in India stood at 27,89,678 units in 2015-16 and in April this year, it stood at 2,42,060 units.

One major factor favouring diesel cars in India in the past has been lower price of this fuel, in comparison to petrol.

Singling out diesel vehicles consequent to the pollution problems in the capital, the government decided to impose a 2.5 per cent cess on diesel vehicles of length not exceeding 4 metres and engine capacity not exceeding 1,500 cc, while higher engine capacity and SUVs and bigger sedans were slapped a cess of four per cent on the value of the car.

ALSO READ: Confidence has taken a big knock since SC diesel ban, says Toyota India

These are over and above a cess of one per cent on petrol/LPG/CNG driven vehicles of length not exceeding four metres and engine capacity not exceeding 1,200 cc.

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The government also proposed "to collect tax at source at the rate of one per cent on purchase of luxury cars exceeding value of Rs 10 lakh".

Last December, the Supreme Court banned registration of diesel cars and SUVs with engines above 2,000 cc in Delhi-NCR which has now been extended till further hearing, expected in July.

"The limited ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR has added to the uncertainty, thereby affecting demand and leading to a shift in preference for petrol over diesel vehicles," Srivastava said.

ALSO READ: Toyota, Mercedes-Benz to re-consider investment plans in India

He further said, "This shift is even more visible in SUVs, which traditionally had higher percentage of demand for diesel engines. It has seen a pronounced shift towards petrol with diesel demand coming down to 80 per cent from 90 per cent earlier."

Echoing his views, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) Senior Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) Jnaneswar Sen said: "Even for our new model B-RV in the SUV segment, where there is normally more demand for diesel, we are seeing even sales of diesel and petrol."

Sen said there has been a distinct shift in demand from diesel to petrol in Honda Cars India's (HCIL) models, including the City sedan, which have both diesel and petrol options.

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Srivastava said a major reason for consumers preferring petrol vehicles is the reducing gap in the prices of petrol and diesel from Rs 14 a litre to Rs 11.67.

"It substantially increased the cost of ownership of diesel vehicles and played a big role in the shift," he said.

ALSO READ: Ban on registration of diesel cars above 2000cc to continue

In the luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger said: "We haven't yet seen such a strong shift towards petrol versions, but that wouldn't mean that there could not be a tide turning."

He said there could be a clarity in the next three months on where it could drift since people are not sure at the moment on the implications of the ban imposed by the Supreme Court in diesel SUVs and cars with engines above 2,000 cc.

When asked if HMIL has adjusted its production according to demand for petrol vehicles, Srivastava said, "We have a flexible engine manufacturing unit which is able to adjust to the shift in demand along with the support of our vendor partners and work to meet the increased requirement for petrol engines."

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Similarly, Sen said: "We have adjusted our production but we can't do it overnight as it takes time. That has been reflected in our May sales figures as it took a bit of time to supply more petrol engines."

ALSO READ: US judge sets April 21 deadline for VW diesel fix

HCIL's overall diesel car production came down to 3,194 units in May, from 7,643 units in April. Petrol car production also came down to 7,376 units, from 9,388 units in April this year.

The company's overall production was down in May due to block closure of plants for maintenance.



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Scientists from MIT and NIH, USA, have found out a method to customise RNA: scroll down to know more.

By India Today Web Desk: Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Institutes of Health, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology have made a groundbreaking discovery.

A study published in 'Science' journal reveals that the team of researchers has characterised a new Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR, pronounced crisper) system, which targets RNA, rather than DNA.

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The scientists will now be able to customise RNA, which will have temporary effects on subjects.

Feng Zhang of the Broad and MIT and Eugene Koonin of the NIH have revealed that C2c2, the first spontaneous CRISPR system that targets only RNA, helps in protecting the bacteria against viral infection. They showed that the C2c2 can be modified to split RNA sequences in bacterial cells.

The RNA-specific customisation will help us to better understand, treat and prevent diseases.

RNA and DNA are two very different things. Together, they build fundamentals of life. Here is the difference between RNA and DNA:







Courtesy: www.diffen.com

Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section

To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail toeducation.intoday@gmail.com

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By India Today Web Desk: The Gujarat government on Sunday, June 5, announced the 'IT and electronics set-up policy' for the first time. The idea focuses on encouraging new ventures and provision of various subsidies and incentives for the same.

The policy will only be applicable to IT and electronic related start-ups, which was announced by Anandiben Patel, Gujarat CM.

(Read: You can soon listen to IIT lectures live: HRD Ministry plans to stream lectures through DTH channels )



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Anandiben Patel explains the need of this policy:



"Under the policy, the state government would develop 50 incubators to mentor and guide 2,000 start-ups in the next five years," said Anandiben Patel to ET.

"Our aim is to attract an investment of Rs 7,000 crore through this policy for start-ups. The Gujarat government will allot around 10 lakh sq feet of land for development of 50 incubators, which will provide guidance to budding innovators in setting up their start-up units," she further added.



"For better results, we will involve industries as well as education institutes under this policy. During August, we will organise a workshop to spread awareness about this policy. We will also invite experts to evaluate the viability of new start-ups," said the Chief Minister.

About the IT and electronics set-up policy:

Gujarat government will be providing fifty per cent of its investment for an incubator, but with a limit of 50 lakh

Each incubator will be offered up to 5 lakh per year for mentoring assistance at these start-ups

Also, about Rs. 1 crore will be offered for procurement of software to these incubators

The start-ups will be provided with 100 per cent reimbursement of stamp duties

(Read: West Bengal WBJEE 2016 result declared: Yashvardhan Didwania tops the exam )



A number of incentives will be provided by the government:



The companies will get a subsidy of 9 per cent per annum, at a limit of Rs. 2 lakh every year

They will be further provided with marketing assistance of 1 lakh

Lease rental subsidy of Rs. 15 per square feet per month

The government will give away Rs. 2 lakh as assistance for domestic registration, and Rs. 5 lakh for international patent registration

Click here for more updates from India Today Education

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Boys dominate the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) claiming top 10 positions, the results of which was declared on Sunday, nineteen days after the WBJEE was held.

By India Today Web Desk: Boys dominate the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) claiming top 10 positions, the result of which was declared on Sunday, nineteen days after the WBJEE was held.



Meet the toppers:

Yashvardhan Didwania from Delhi Public School, Rajarhat, topped the exam followed by Abhishek Datta and Arpan Konar. Piyali Manna, a student of BGKV in Salt Lake, is the only girl student who holds her position in the top 100, her rank is 91.

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WBJEE Chairman Sajal Dasgupta said the board would issue rank cards to every student who had made it to the merit list.



1,27,196 students appeared for the WBJEE, which was conducted on May 17 across 323 centres, including four in Tripura and one in Assam.



Important dates for JEE:

The WBJEE will start e-counselling sessions from June 15 to fill seats in engineering and pharmacy colleges in the state

The admission process will be end on July 19

The JEE for the medical stream will be held on July 20, across various centres in the state



Congratulatory message from West Bengal Chief Minister:

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee greeted all the successful candidates of WBJEE saying, "Congratulations to all the future engineers who succeeded in WBJEE. You are the future of this country. Make India and Bengal proud."



Read: West Bengal WBJEE 2016 result declared: Yashvardhan Didwania tops the exam

Read: 'Will end my life if re-examined': Bihar Science 'topper' Saurabh Shrestha

Click here for more education related news.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 6 (PTI) The special NIA court today rejected the bail plea of four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Special NIA judge V V Patil rejected the bail applications of Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma.

The four accused had urged for liberty after the court discharged eight Muslim co-accused in the case in April.

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The four accused in the bail plea said that they were falsely implicated in the 2006 Malegaon blast case and there was no evidence against them.

The defence lawyers argued that many things which the NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market.

However, the prosecution argued that there was ample evidence against the accused and the case is very serious in nature. Hence, they should not be given bail.

An explosion had taken place in a bicycle after Friday prayers near Hamidia Mosque near Bada Kabrastan in Malegaon in 2006, killing 37 persons.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, which first probed the case, had arrested eight Muslim men on the basis of alleged links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Later CBI endorsed it. However, the NIA took over the investigation after Assemanand made revelations in his confession in another case about alleged involvement of Hindu right wing groups in the Malegoan blast case. PTI VI NRB SVS DV RDS

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Say hola!

June 24-July 3

Discover Spain through a gastronomic journey. The tongue-tickling menu comprises specialties from various regions including Duelosy Quebrantos, Chipirones fritos, Atun Bonito, Empanada de Carne, Pallea marinera and Trucha a la Navarra as well as mouthwatering desserts like Leache frita, Almendrados and Tarta de manzana. Come and savour the authentic experiences and gastronomic highlights of Spain.

MEAL FOR TWO Rs 2,300 plus taxes

AT Kitchen@95, Hyatt Regency, Ludhiana

TEL 0161 4071222

Mango magic

Till June 30

The king of fruits is here to rule your heart. The month-long mango festival has a delectable array of mango based cakes and pastries such as Fresh Mango Cake, Mango Tart, Mango Cheesecake and lots more.It's time to Go Mangoes!

AT Pinjore Gardens. Kalka Shimla Rd, Pinjaur, Panchkula, Haryana

TEL 01733 231 877

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Wine 'n dine

Till June 30

Love long wine evenings? Well, this one is perfect for you. Canape and Wine festival promises to take you on a delectable food journey, offering a myriad of flavours in a bite size form.

ATThe Lounge Bar, Hyatt Amritsar

TEL 0183 287 1234

Fashion Forward

February 28

The sixth store of H&M, the international retailer, known for fashion and quality, opened at the North Country Mall in Mohali last month. It happens to be the first H&M store in Punjab's tri-city area, and is spread over 27,000 sq ft, with dedicated sections for ladies, men, children and teenagers. The store's crisp and bright interiors are the perfect backdrop to this selection, offering the hottest trends as well as timeless classics for the fashionconscious customer.

AT North Country Mall

PRICE Rs 699 onwards for clothes

Duras' diary

June 7

A story of war and resistance by Maud Andrieux. The story will be told using the life and books of Marguerite Duras, one of Frances most distinguished writers. ATCafTheatre, Alliance Franaise de Chandigarh TIMINGS 7:00p.m.

Dance of llife

June 12

Alliance Francaise of Chandigarh will present a dance performance La Foret Ebouriffee based on the book La foret de Racine by Melusine Thiry.

TICKETS Entry free

AT Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh

TIMINGS 6:30 p.m

Father's day out

June 19

It's time to show dad how much he means to you. Come with your family and treat the man to a special Father's Day Buffet. The spread will include delicacies like Shawarma rolls, teppanyaki counter, roasted chicken and Mango cake. The live Pasta counter is bound to leave him asking for more. Dad gets a free meal

AT Kitchen@95 Hyatt Regency, Ludhiana

TEL 0161 4071222

Duras' diary

June 8 to 17

If you have been looking for an opportunity to learn to bake the perfect cake from a scratch, this workshop is just for you. From basic butter cake to delicate Genoise, you will bake different base cakes, decorate them and create classic chocolate desserts.

AT Black and Tan Chocolatiers, 1154, Sector 36C, Chandigarh

Tel 9041777026

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Educatus expo

June 11 to 12

Yet to figure out what to do in life? Well, a visit to the Educatus Expo could be worth it. The event aims to provide students details of prospects in management, engineering and the medical stream.

AT Hotel Shivalik, Chandigarh

TEL 01722700001

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By PTI: Bundi (Raj), Jun 6 (PTI) In a special drive, excise department teams conducted raids at different locations in the district and seized 97 bottles of illicit liquour.

After the raids conducted yesterday jointly by excise teams from Kota and Bundi districts one person was arrested and seven others booked under Excise Act.

The raids were carried out in Kalpuriya Mal, Gadhegal, Kankariya Doli, Dhola ki Jhopadiya, and Pili ki Khan villages, in the district, excise officer Shiv Singh said.

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The raids were conducted as part of an ongoing special two-month zero tolerance campaign towards illicit liquour, Singh said.

The campaign will continue till July 31, he said. PTI COR TIR DV TIR

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Pastor Ekitah Bertin came to Delhi from the Democratic Republic of Congo eight years ago. He always told his flock at the Assemblies of God Mission in South Extension that while their skin is black, the colour of their blood was the same as anyone else's, and maybe those who throw stones don't understand, and one can only wish for a change of heart.

In 2012, the pastor had helped a young Congolese compatriot, Masonga Kitanda Olivier, to come to Delhi to study Information Technology after his family had approached the church in his homeland. "He was a sweet boy. Didn't smoke, didn't drink, and it was his birthday the day they killed him," he says. Olivier was killed in a brutal assault by three men when he objected to them commandeering an autorickshaw he had hailed. The police have since arrested the attackers and say one of them has a criminal record, as does the third assailant who is absconding. No wonder the pastor preaches the virtues of meekness. "Even if they charge you Rs 50 instead of Rs 30, don't argue. Give it, and understand that God watches everything," he says. "God wanted us to come here. Else, we wouldn't get visas. It is His will."

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At the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country plagued by civil wars and conflict for decades, Pastor Bertin and others are trying to arrange for the return of his body. For days, it has lain in a morgue in the city, mourned by those that knew him. For days, they have struggled with other bloody memories too.

Nigerian in Nawada, Uttam Nagar. Photo: Chandradeep Kumar

Racism and prejudice are never distant for the small but growing communities of African nationals in India. In January this year, a 21-year-old Tanzanian woman was paraded naked in Bengaluru. Authorities have made arrests in the most recent case in Delhi, but had dismissed an earlier assault in Rajpur Khurd as a "minor scuffle". "We still maintain it had nothing to do with racism," says Rajan Bhagat, the Delhi Police Public Relations Officer, of the recent killing. He demurs with a "no comment" when asked about other instances of racist attacks, but promises that the authorities are coordinating meetings between African representatives and the RWAs of localities that have seen such tensions.

The "ghettoisation" many Africans describe is also an established fact of life. They have set up their own places of worship, and the pastor says the one where he led the prayer services in South Extension was shut down by the MCD in March. He has been scouting for a new address, but it's difficult, he says. There are two other churches in the city that cater to some 2,500 Congolese in Delhi. There are also several Nigerian churches in the city. Most of the Africans are in Delhi to study or run businesses, and according to the state government, are the largest expatriate community in the capital. It's telling perhaps-this casual presumption that the people of one particular continent are equivalent to other national communities. In fact, for all the furore, it's hard to come by any reliable statistic for the number of Africans in India-we're talking about more than 50 nationalities after all. The number of African students in the country-everywhere from Phagwara to Pune-is commonly estimated at between 25,000 and 30,000. But for all their diversity, Africans in India are all too aware of the crude stereotypes and prejudice that stalk them here.

***

Sonny Eluwa spends most of his evenings at a church in the basement of a building next to a park in Sant Nagar. A nondescript door leads to a staircase, which in turn leads one to a congregation hall with a stage carpeted in red, and decorated with plastic foliage. A place of nostalgia: the walls are covered with pictures of many homelands with hills and huts and clouds, and on most evenings a choir sings songs dedicated to God and his mercies. As Sonny sat in a chair, a man was beating his head against the stage asking for hope. A priest blessed him, and Sonny spoke of a life in a city that would never accept black people for who they are.

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The church caters to a diverse expat community, of Nigerians, Congolese and Sudanese, and in this distant corner where they feel they can be invisible, they feel safer confessing their fears.

Sonny came to Delhi in 2013 to do business. But the loss of dignity hurts, he says. "They say we eat humans, sell drugs," he whispers. "We're human too. We've come here with hopes, dreams."

In March last year, Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti allegedly pulled a group of foreigners out of their flats at midnight in Khirki Extension, home to Nigerians, Congolese and Ugandans. Four Ugandan women complained of being groped. "It's like you must live in spite of yourself, and maybe God has willed it for you. Maybe there is hope. Maybe there is no hope. But you must keep your gaze down," a Congolese man says. He refuses to give his name.

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***

At her salon Above Blessings in south Delhi's Arjun Nagar locality, Blessing sits braiding her hair, and says she'd rather not give her full name. She has been here only a year, and knows the only way to live in this country is to ignore everything. "They laugh at you, look at you in a way that is embarrassing and threatening. They shout 'Abisi'," she says. "What does it mean?" Habshi is an ancient racist imprecation that has found new life on the streets of the capital.

***

Birender Yadav is Joint Secretary (West Africa) in the external affairs ministry. It fell to him to meet Olivier's uncle and cousin on their arrival on Monday. "India's assured them a speedy trial," he says. Beneath the diplomatic reassurance, on can sense a certain panic. The Indian government hopes to rival China as a trading partner with the resource-rich African continent. The trade is presently pegged at some $70 billion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa in July. Stories of racist attacks on Africans in India must be contained. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj met with African envoys on Tuesday and assured that "India is the land of Gandhi and Buddha...we can never have a racist mindset".

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That's not something Olivier's former roomate Cyrille finds easy to accept. Racism is entrenched in Indian society, he says. When he first came to India for a master's in information technology at the Mahatma Gandhi University in Delhi, he had been excited to make new friends. But when he invited them over for a meal, they refused, saying their parents wouldn't approve. They never invited him over either. It's understandable, he says. After all, Indians discriminate even against their own people.

***

Olivier's father isn't a rich man. For a man to not have the resources to get his son's body home is sad, the pastor says.

He had spent all his savings to fund his son's education in India. Olivier was working as a French teacher and supporting his family back home. He had been in India since 2012. His friends hoped he'd return someday.

The government has now promised they would help, says the pastor. "We can only hope."

It will be a long journey home. One that began in hope but has already ended with such brutal finality for Olivier. For thousands of others the Indian journey continues with quiet dread. At Many's Square, a restaurant in Arjun Nagar, two Burmese chefs are serving rice with pork. A black man sits at a table, having lunch. "Come to Nigeria. I take you there," he says. "We like India people."

"Don't you feel scared?"

"Sometimes. But what can we do? We're unlearning our identity here," he says. "We are learning to keep quiet." Racism isn't always about words. It works with silences too.

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The Aravalli mountain range is under severe threat from rampant mining and encroachment in forest areas.

By Ajay Kumar: More than a hundred volunteers of an NGO and environmentalists of Gurugram and Faridabad started the Chipko movement in Pali area to save eco fragility of the Aravalli mountain range on Sunday.

The Aravalli mountain range is considered the oldest mountain range in the world but its existence is under severe threat due to rampant mining and encroachment in forest areas.

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PROTECTING ARAVALLI

The volunteers and environmentalists were also supported by residents of the fifteen adjoining villages and district forest officials. By hugging the trees, volunteers gave the message to encroachers to refrain from chopping trees in Aravalli.

"Our demand is to protect the oldest mountain range in the world which has been destroyed beyond recognition.

The area falling under Haryana should be declared wild life sanctuary and all mining activities should be stopped, illegal encroachment should be removed from the vicinity," said Jitendar Bhadana, a member of NGO Save Aravalli.



LUNGS OF DELHI

Over the years, Aravallis, especially in Gurugram and Faridabad, is used as a waste dump yard leading to a threat to the forest ecosystem. The dense forest cover of Aravallis work as lungs of Delhi and other NCR cities. Besides, it has been the natural habitat for many wildlife species such as leopards, jackal, wild pig, hyena, rabbits and different varity of snakes.

Colonel (Retd) Sarva Daman Oberoi, an environmentalist and legal activist, lambasted the district administration and forest department for not making proper efforts to protect Aravallis.

"Aravalli should not be used to dump the waste. The state government should pass a new law as the existing section 4/5 of 1992 forest land Act has failed to secure the forest land from encroachers", he said.

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By PTI: floodplains

New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Art of Living (AOL) today refuted the allegations that its three day mega event had damaged Yamuna floodplains and hinted that it may approach the Supreme Court against the National Green Tribunals order which asked it to pay Rs 5 crore as compensation.

AOL claimed that there has been no scientific assessment of pre and post situation of the floodplains till now.

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Stating that they were "sensitive" towards environment and can never cause any irreversible damage to the floodplain, AOLs legal and environmental experts also displayed satellite images and photographs to claim that no environmental damage was done.

"Our legal team is studying the NGT order. Supreme Court is on vacation. We will soon take an appropriate step," AOL spokesman Kedar Desai told reporters here.

Noting that the matter was still subjudice with the NGT, AOL experts said that they are yet to present their evidence to the tribunal that there was no ecological damage done to the Yamuna floodplains.

"There is no scientific assessment of the pre and post situation at Yamuna floodplains where World Cultural Festival was held. The judicial process in on and if we win, the money (Rs 5 crore) will be returned to us," Desai said.

Environment consultant Prabhakar Rao also showed a 1986 Survey of India map and claimed that the allegation of damage to wetland along Yamuna was "wrong" since no such wetland existed there.

He also refuted other allegations of change of land form at Yamuna floodplains and damage to local biodiversity showing satellite images and site photographs of flora and fauna.

"The charge of damage to Yamuna floodplain is not correct since the World Cultural Festivals core venue was spread over just 24.44 acres," he said claiming that no harm was done to local flora and fauna during WCF.

AOL expressed disappointment over controversy surrounding WCF which was held at Yamuna floodplains on March 11-13, saying even foreign countries were interested in hosting the event.

"Even while WCF was going on here, we were invited by three countries including Australia to hold such event there. It feels bad, as a country we should have felt proud over the event which was participated by people from 155 countries," Desai said. PTI VIT TDS RG

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By PTI: Washington, Jun 6 (PTI) Due to changing climate, Arctic regions of North America are getting greener, with almost a third of the land cover looking more like landscapes found in warmer ecosystems, according to a new NASA study.

With 87,000 images taken from Landsat satellites, converted into data that reflects the amount of healthy vegetation on the ground, the researchers found that western Alaska, Quebec and other regions became greener between 1984 and 2012.

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The new Landsat study further supports previous work that has shown changing vegetation in Arctic and boreal North America.

Landsat is a programme that provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earths land vegetation in existence.

"It shows the climate impact on vegetation in the high latitudes," said Jeffrey Masek, scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Centre in the US.

Temperatures are warming faster in the Arctic than elsewhere, which has led to longer seasons for plants to grow in and changes to the soils.

Scientists have observed grassy tundras changing to shrublands, and shrubs growing bigger and denser - changes that could have impacts on regional water, energy and carbon cycles.

With Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 data, researchers found that there was extensive greening in the tundra of western Alaska, the northern coast of Canada, and the tundra of Quebec and Labrador.

While northern forests greened in Canada, they tended to decline in Alaska. Overall, the scientists found that 29.4 per cent of the region greened up, especially in shrublands and sparsely vegetated areas, while 2.9 per cent showed vegetation decline.

Landsat, like other satellite missions, can use the amount of visible and near-infrared light reflected by the green, leafy vegetation of grasses, shrubs and trees to characterise the vegetation.

Then, with computer programmes that track each individual pixel of data over time, researchers can see if an area is greening - if more vegetation is growing, or if individual plants are getting larger and leafier.

If the vegetation becomes sparser, the scientists would classify that area as browning.

With finer-resolution and better calibrated data from Landsat, the researchers were able to mask out areas that burned, or are covered in water, to focus on vegetation changes.

"The resolution with Landsat is drastically improved, it lets you look at the local effects of things like topography, such as in areas where you might have small woodlands or open areas," Masek said.

The study was published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment. PTI MHN SAR SAR

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet President Barack Obama in Washington tomorrow, their seventh meeting in the last two years.

In this 2015 file photo, US President Barack Obama (right) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi clasp hands while meeting at the climate change summit in Paris. Reuters

By Indo-Asian News Service: As US President Barack Obama gets ready to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House for the second time in as many years, a New York Times report describes the bond between the two as an "unlikely friendship".

"There are few relationships between Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Modi," the New York Times editorial said ahead of what will be the seventh meeting between Modi and the US president.

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COMMON CAUSE

The report said the two largest democracies in the world have "compelling reasons" to find common cause. For example, the US is encouraging India's rise as a regional giant for Obama's so-called "pivot to Asia" policy and counter China's global economic and military superpower ambitions.

For India, the US bond, according to the Times, is needed to "accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies". But the relationship between Modi and Obama is still "unlikely".

The Times said Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life because he believes that "criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy".

"But Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organisation that campaigns forcefully for India's Hindu majority," it said, recalling the Gujarat religious riots that saw some 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, killed in 2002 when Modi was the chief minister of the western Indian state.

GUJARAT 2002 HAUNTS MODI

The 2002 Gujarat carnage is again in the spotlight because a court only last week convicted 24 people for massacring 69 Muslims in mayhem at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Housing society neighbourhood.

The Times, citing a Human Rights Watch report, said the BJP government in India has "increasingly used the country's broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent".

The newspaper also raised the issue of shutting down non-governmental organisations, such as Greenpeace -- a global aid group that has offices in over 40 countries.

On a personal front, the Times said, both leaders "avoid the socializing common in their capitals".

"Obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends... Modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships."



SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO

The newspaper, however, drew some "similarities that extend beyond political beliefs" between the two. Both men rose from modest circumstances, had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected.

"Modi's humble origins, largely corruption-free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor," it said. "And parts of Modi's political operation, in particular its effective use of social media, were based on Obama's model."

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Ashley J Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Times that both men "are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters".

Raymond E Vickery, a former United States assistant secretary of commerce, said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness. "Modi is a really down-to-earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesn't just go to talking points," Vickery said.

ALSO READ: Thank you, says PM Modi as Switzerland backs India's bid for NSG



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By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 6 (PTI) A special NIA court here today rejected the bail plea of four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case, who had sought liberty after eight Muslim men accused in the case were discharged in April.

Special NIA judge V V Patil rejected the bail applications of Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma who said in their plea that they were falsely implicated in the case and there was no evidence against them.

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The defence lawyers argued that many things NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market.

The prosecution, however, held that there was ample evidence against the accused in the case, which is very serious in nature and so they should not be granted bail.

In his order, the judge said "at this stage it appears to me that prima facie the evidence collected by NIA show that the accused along with absconding accused prepared bombs and planted it and in its explosion more than 31 people died and 312 innocent persons were injured."

Bearing in mind the nature of the crime and the charges levelled against the accused persons, they do not deserve bail", the judge said.

The bomb blast took place near Hamidia Mosque at Malegaon, near Nashik, on September 8.

Bombs were kept on bicycles and they went off after Friday prayers at the Mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.

Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad, which had first probed the case, arrested nine Muslim men on the basis of alleged links with banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was confirmed by CBI later. One of them died while the case was pending. Four others, including a Pakistani national, are absconding.

However, NIA took over the investigation after Swamy Assemanand said in his confession in anther case about alleged involvement of Hindu right wing groups in the Malegoan blast case.

Thereafter, NIA told the court that it had no evidence against the nine accused in the case.

The special court in April dropped charges against eight Muslim men in the case due to lack of evidence against them. PTI VI SVS NRB NM PAL

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Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Mohan Prakash and Vivek Tankha arrived by a special flight on Monday evening and addressed the meeting at the state Congress headquarters where 52 of the 57 Congress MLAs in the 230 member MP assembly were present.

By Rahul Noronha: Top Congress leaders including former union minister Kamal Nath, party general secretary Digvijaya Singh and general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh Mohan Prakash accompanied Congress Rajya Sabha nominee and senior lawyer Vivek Tankha to Bhopal on Monday where they addressed a meeting of the Congress legislature party (CLP) ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls slated for June 11.

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The meeting and visit by top leaders comes amidst a contest between the Congress candidate and an independent fielded by the BJP for the 3rd seat of the Rajya Sabha from the state.

HORSE TRADING



Even though the BSP has pledged support of its 4 MLAs to the Congress candidate in the polls, the Congress is 'concerned' about possible attempts at horse trading as after the pledging of BSP votes, that is the only way the BJP can now win the 3rd seat. A total of 58 votes are required to win a seat in the Rajya Sabha polls. With the support of the BSP, the Congress now has 61 votes but is still worried, mainly due to what senior party leaders described as recent attempts to dislodge Congress governments by the BJP across the country.

ALSO READ: BSP announces support for Congress candidate in RS polls in Madhya Pradesh



The senior leaders arrived by a special flight on Monday evening and addressed the meeting at the state Congress headquarters where 52 of the 57 Congress MLAs in the 230 member MP assembly were present. Senior leaders told the MLAs that the party was in a comfortable position to win but asked them to stay alert to attempts of horse trading. In case MLAs are called by BJP leaders, they have been asked to record the conversations on the phone.

The entourage of senior leaders that also included state president Arun Yadav and former union minister Kantilal Bhuria left on Monday evening itself.

CONGRESS FILES PETITION



Meanwhile, the Congress party on Monday filed a petition through their counsel Shashank Shekhar in the MP High Court demanding that 2 party MLAs, leader of opposition Satyadev Katare and Barwani MLA Ramesh Patel be allowed to vote through postal ballot. While Satyadev Katare is admitted at a hospital in Mumbai, Patel is in jail on criminal charges.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had informed the Congress party that there was no provision for a postal ballot in the Rajya Sabha polls. The Congress has appealed against the decision of the ECI at the High Court. Since the lawyer of the ECI was not in present in court, the HC has fixed June 9 as next date of hearing.

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ALSO READ:

Jogi jolt: After losing tribal face, Congress faces test of strength in Chhattisgarh



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A few weeks ago, when Arvind Singh collapsed in the middle of his farmland at Lohagir, his panic-stricken family dialled every one of the dozen-odd unlicensed medical practitioners in the village. By the time village 'doctor' Laxmi Sahni got there, the 52-year-old farmer was writhing in pain, clutching at his stomach, shaking involuntarily and cursing with frustration. Unflustered by all this and seemingly without reflection, Sahni fished out a syringe, found a vein and quickly injected first a painkiller and then an antibiotic. In this case, it even worked-the pain subsided and Singh was rushed to a city hospital in Samastipur, 19 km from Lohagir, for further attention.

Sahni, 47, carries a stethoscope, syringes and an assortment of antibiotics, painkillers and anti-allergic and digestive tablets along with vials of different injectables and saline bottles in the grey bag that remains strapped to his Honda motorcycle.

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A doctor on the move? Well, almost. Except that Sahni is an arts graduate with no qualification whatsoever in medicine. Yet he has been practising medicine for over two decades. After all, no one asks for your degree in villages where something is better than nothing.

Unlicensed medical practitioners are a fact of life in Bihar. Rough estimates put their number at some four lakh, practising a deadly hit-and-miss style of medicine in the state's 40,000-plus villages.

"The patients seldom complain, there are never any legal issues," says one, requesting anonymity. "But, deep down, we know we have no mandate to do what we are doing. A police vehicle always scares us. Life is like one long air-raid drill. We are tired of living like this."

Munnabhai MBBS?

As if on cue, the Bihar government will start a one-year diploma course to educate 'untrained health activists' this July. The State Health Society (SHS), under the Bihar Health Department, stitched up an agreement with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in June last year to run the programme. Matriculates with a minimum of three years of experience were eligible to apply. The course fee was fixed at Rs 5,000. "We have already received 22,000 applications," says Sanjay Kumar Sinha, regional director, NIOS.

Laxmi Sahni attends to a patient. Photo: Ranjan Rahi

"The quacks will get a diploma after completing 400 hours of training," says Dr L.B. Singh approvingly. Chairman of the 10-member state advisory committee overseeing the implementation of the programme, Singh seems at peace with the certification of these ersatz doctors. "They'll be trained at 149 first referral units (FRUs) and 533 primary health centres. The NIOS will engage health department employees and doctors for the training." The students will be assessed after a year, with 40 per cent marks assigned to theory, 60 per cent to practical examinations.

Why quacks thrive in Bihar

As BJP leader and former health minister Nand Kishore Yadav puts it, "The quacks are not the real problem, the healthcare vacuum is." Bihar is fifth among states with the highest shortfall of primary health centres in rural areas. Against the required strength of 3,099 such centres in 2015, the state had only 1,883, or 1,216 centres less than required for its 92.3 million people at the time.

While the private healthcare business is booming in the state, aided by the growing middle class willing to pay for costly treatment, the rural healthcare infrastructure remains skeletal. Bihar has only one government doctor for every 30,000 people. The World Health Organization specifies a ratio of one doctor to every 1,000 people in low-income countries. There are privately employed or self-employed doctors; but like pizza parlours, they don't open shop in villages. Government-run clinics are either too far away or have unending queues.

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A necessary evil?

Several NGOs find it useful to enlist these quacks in initiatives such as the pulse-polio immunisation programme. Singh is convinced their programme is a path-breaking initiative. "Quacks are already part of the healthcare system," he says. "Training them would enhance their skills, minimise risk and help people with minor ailments. They can also refer emergency cases to MBBS doctors."

The course is 'comprehensive', covering everything from lessons on high-risk pregnancy, resuscitation of a new-born, maternal and child healthcare to communicable diseases, internal haemorrhage, even cancer.

Course of 'action'

Sinha insists the programme will at the very outset tell the 'medical practitioners' "what not to do". But as an SHS officer admits, "The government just cannot monitor these unlicensed medical practitioners. The NIOS certification may give them the status of a community health worker. But these 'doctors', many of whom already have a thriving practice, are unlikely to scale down their activities just because the certificate does not allow them to, say, prescribe a medicine."

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Sahni, for instance, is delighted at the stamp of legitimacy the course will give him, even if it means dropping the doctor prefix before his name. "We are already doctors," he says, "the diploma will only legitimise what we do." And therein lies the biggest threat.

"We have seen several instances where these rural medicine men have turned acute cases into chronic ones," says Dr Ajay Kumar, chairman, IMA Academy of Medical Specialities, Bihar, citing examples of quacks who misdiagnose, prescribe strong, unnecessary medication, and buy cheap, out-of-date antibiotics. "If the rural population of Bihar has developed high drug resistance, it is only because of these medical imposters," he says. "More than 80 per cent of Bihar's people live in its villages. Are they second-grade citizens that they deserve inferior medical care by a brigade of 'qualified' quacks?"

Only last month, Phoolwanti Devi, wife of a labourer in Amanabad in Patna district, lost her four-year-old son Anshu after a local quack, Dhaneshar Choudhary, injected him with something unknown. Seemingly unperturbed by this, the man continues to practise medicine, some 35 km from Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav's residence.

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"The government," says Dr Ranjit Kumar, general secretary of the Bihar Health Service Association, "should first take note of why qualified doctors are migrating from Bihar." Medicine, he adds, is a highly specialised practice, unlicensed practitioners cannot take it up on whim. "Can you allow air hostesses to fly planes because you do not have enough pilots?" he asks. Yet, this is exactly what is happening. Ram Bharose, 36, who has a degree in commerce, and is now contesting the Bihar panchayat elections, has been practising medicine in Lohagir in Samastipur district for the past 10 years.

The solution, according to Nand Kishore Yadav, is in meeting the National Rural Health Management (NRHM) criteria of having one subcentre per 5,000 people in 'general' areas and another per 3,000 people in 'difficult' areas. Until then, Bihar will continue to be at the mercy of its newly legitimised quacks.

Follow the writer on Twitter @Amitabh1975

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A buffalo herd is seen chasing away a lioness in the video. Whatever happened to the law of the jungle?

By India Today Web Desk: A lioness might consider herself the queen of the jungle, but there are a few mates who don't really care. Tourists were out on a jeep safari in Gujarat's Gir forest and were elated to spot a lioness.

The lioness, rather unperturbed by the presence of humans, is seen walking past the jeeps. People had the time of their lives, clicking photos and making videos of the big cat that came so close to their jeeps.

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But within seconds, the lioness ran into the wild, scared to death. Why?

An unassuming buffalo herd coming from the opposite side charged at the lioness without any provocation. Some old tiff, maybe! The dramatic visual was caught on camera. Watch here:

#WACTH Law of the jungle turns - dramatic visuals of a buffalo chasing a lioness into the wild in Gir Forest (Guj)https://t.co/JuKJnQPG4X ANI (@ANI_news) June 5, 2016

In the past, we have shared the story of a mongoose that chased away three lioness all by itself. Here's the video:



In another similar instance, we showed you how a tiny goat took a bull five times its size, and won! You can watch that video here:

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By PTI: Beijing, Jun 6 (PTI) China plans to launch an independent optical facility, which will function like the Hubble Space Telescope, along with the construction of a space station in the coming years, scientists say.

The field of view of the optical cabin will be 300 times as large as that of the Hubble, and the cabin will be connected with the space station, said Gu Yidong, technology consultant of Chinas manned space flight project and academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

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The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), built by the NASA and the European Space Agency, orbits just outside the Earths atmosphere, taking extremely high-resolution images of deep space. It was launched in 1990.

"Currently, China has planned a series of scientific research platforms and facilities for the space station. The optical cabin is the biggest confirmed project so far," Yidong said.

The calibre of the telescope is about two metres, and its resolution is near that of the Hubble. The optical cabin will conduct heterochromatic photometry and slitless spectroscopy sky surveys, the Peoples Daily reported.

According to Yidong, the cabin will stay in orbit with the space station, and will connect to the station when it needs maintenance or upgrades.

Chinas space station is expected to be completed in 2020. PTI MHN SAR SAR

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By PTI: Los Angeles, Jun 6 (PTI) Hillary Clinton was poised to clinch the Democratic party nomination that will make her the first ever woman presidential nominee of a major party in the US after she convincingly defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in two primaries ahead of a crucial one in California.

The former secretary of state posted strong wins over Sanders in the island territory of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

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Clinton will have enough delegates by tomorrow when a multi-state primary vote will take place in six states including California, her close aide said.

"We think were going to come out of Tuesday night with the delegates we need for her to be the first woman nominee on a major party ticket in the United States. So, were looking forward to that," John Podesta, chairman of the Hillary Clinton Campaign, told Fox News.

Clinton now has 2,354 delegates - 28 short of the 2,382 she needs to bag the Democratic partys nomination.

A win in delegate-rich California is crucial for the 68-year-old former first lady in her fight against Vermont Senator Sanders, who has 1,565 delegates. California has 546 delegates to be secured.

The other states where primaries will be held are - Montana (27 delegates), New Jersey (142), North Dakota (23), New Mexico (43), and South Dakota (25)

"What were saying is that she will have the delegates to be the nominee. Were going to do everything we can to reach out to appeal to his supporters, to appeal to his (Sanders) campaign and to him directly. We want to bring this party together because the country faces a major threat in Donald Trump. We hope that he will join us," Podesta said.

He exuded confidence that Clinton would be way ahead of Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, during the general elections.

"He (Trump) has consolidated the Republicans. Thats led to something of a tightening of a pulse. But this has really just begun. Thats why Hillary Clinton on Thursday of this week went to San Diego and really laid out a strong case about why hes unfit, why he does not meet the commander-in-chief test," he said.

"And what did she use to prove that point? Really his own words, the things he said in this campaign from being in favour of expanding and proliferating weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons to pulling out of NATO to offending our allies and supporting dictators around the world," Podesta said.

He argued that over the long term people are going to come to see Trump as not having the temperament to serve as president and commander-in-chief.

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"The card were going to play against Trump is that he has always been for himself. Hes a self-aggrandiser at the expense of literally thousands of people," the top Clinton aide said. PTI KUN AKJ KUN

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Visitors to the Kandlur church near Basrur in Kundapura on Monday morning found the statue of St. Anthony destroyed.

By Mail Today: Tension prevails in coastal Karnataka districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada after miscreants vandalised a church yesterday night in Kundapura town, 440 kms from Bengaluru.

STATUE OF ST. ANTHONY VANDALISED

Visitors to the Kandlur church near Basrur in Kundapura on Monday morning found the statue of St. Anthony destroyed. The miscreants have also broken the glass enclosure in which the statue was kept.

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As the news of the church desecration spread, a crowd gathered and demanded action against the unidentified people.

Soon the police arrived at the spot and pacified the protesters. The police conducted a preliminary inquiry in the neighbourhood and came to a conclusion that the church was vandalised during the wee hours of Monday. They are looking for CCTV footage of the locality to identify the culprits.

This is the second such incident in the last 15 days in coastal Karnataka and it has led to unrest in the region. The police have assured quick action to apprehend the culprits.

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By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) An alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, accused of facilitating infiltration of terrorists in India through Indo-Nepal border, has been discharged by a court here noting that there was no "admissible evidence" against him.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh granted the relief to Uttar Predesh resident Irfan Ahmed, who was alleged to be a close aide of LeTs alleged bomb maker Abdul Karim Tunda.

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The court passed the order after noting that the special cell of Delhi police only had disclosure statements of some other accused arrested in a separate case of arms and explosives against Ahmed, which was not admissible in law.

"In the absence of any admissible evidence qua Irfan Ahmed, there is no material brought by the prosecution to substantiate the charge of criminal conspiracy on the basis of which any charge charge can be framed against him.

"For the reasons recorded above, the accused Irfan Ahmed is discharged," the court said.

51-year-old Irfan has been accused in several cases and was held guilty in 1999 by a Delhi court in one such case.

Irfan was arrested when he had reached his native place last year after escaping from a Nepal jail where he was lodged.

The agency had claimed that in 2001, the accused had jumped parole in the serial train blast cases of 1993 and fled to Nepal and set up his base there for providing logistics to the LeT terrorists as a transit camp between India and Pakistan and used to route the funds of the outfit.

The agency had also alleged that he had planted bomb in Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express on December 6, 1993.

Besides, the accused was held guilty a trial court in a separate terror case in which a huge consignment of explosive materials was recovered from south-Delhi in 1994.

In its charge sheet filed against Irfan in the present case, the Special Cell of Delhi police had claimed that the accused was involved in infiltration of terrorists in India through he Indo-Nepal border.

In FIR filed in 2006, the Special Cell of Delhi police had sought the prosecution of Irfan for the offences committed under several sections of IPC and under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act. PTI UK ARC

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Manorama Devi's release was imminent after a recent high court judgement where the latter had ruled that possessing liquor was not illegal in the state.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Patna High Court today granted bail to JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi in a case pertaining to six Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) bottles found at her residence in Bihar's Gaya.

The Special Investigation Team was carrying out searches at her residence in connection with Aditya Sachdeva's murder case.

The police searches were carried while they were hunting for her son Rocky Yadav who allegedly shot a teenager in a road rage incident.

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HIGH COURT RULES IN FAVOUR



Manorama Devi's release was imminent after a recent High Court judgement where the latter had ruled that possessing liquor was not illegal in the state.

It may be noted that Patna High Court had said that possession of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) is not illegal and had ordered the Bihar government to unseal the house where a former liquor trader had stored IMFL bottles after the state came under total prohibition in April this year.

High Court had also directed the state govt not to pursue the case towards seizing the house of the liquor trader where 140 bottles of liquor was found.

The court had ruled that Sec 19(4) of the new Bihar Excise Amendment Act 2016 had made liquor trade and it consumption illegal but was silent over possession of liquor.

The said judgement was passed in the Court of acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari on 26th May while hearing the petition of the liquor trader from Aurangabad.

LIQUOR NOT ILLEGAL IN BIHAR?



The ruling came as a boon for Manorama Devi who had applied for bail in the case in the High Court after it was rejected in the lower court.

Manorama Devi was absconding after an FIR was registered against her in connection with liquor being found at her house. She had later surrendered before the CJM court after police had failed to trace her.

Manorama Devi's son Rocky and husband Bindi Yadav are also lodged in Gaya jail in connection with Aditya Sachseva's killing.

Also read:

Gaya road rage: Rocky's mother MLC Manorama Devi wanted for hoarding banned liquor

Aditya Sachdeva murder: Rocky's mother Manorama Devi surrenders, sent to 14-day judicial custody



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The meeting, called by the kin of those accused of killing Akhlaq, has given the district administration 20 days to file the FIR in the case.

By India Today Web Desk: Defying prohibitory orders and a massive police presence, a large number of residents in Dadri's Bishada village held a meeting today to demand the registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter, nine months after he was lynched over rumour that his family had eaten beef.

Dadri lynching: It wasn't beef at Akhlaq's house



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The meeting, called by the kin of those accused of killing Akhlaq, has given the district administration 20 days to file the FIR, failing which they have threatened to hold a 'mahapanchayat' in the restive village.



The meeting was attended by leaders from the Shiv Sena, despite the Gautam Buddha Nagar administration imposing Section 144 in the village, barely 40 km from New Delhi. The rule prohibits the gathering of five or more persons in a public place.

Last week, a forensic lab in Mathura submitted its report in a court, saying the beef found in Akhlaq's freezer was beef, and not mutton as stated by a preliminary lab test done by the Uttar Pradesh veterinary department.



POLITICS OVER DADRI

BJP leader Vinay Katiyar has supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere. "Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," PL Punia said.

WHAT HAPPENED IN DADRI?

52-year-old Akhlaq and his son Danish were dragged out of their home on September 28, 2015 and brutally assaulted by a mob, following rumours that they had slaughtered a cow. Akhlaq later succumbed to his injuries and the incident has sparked off a major political row.

Beef eating is not a crime in Uttar Pradesh, only cow slaughter is. The Dadri attack had sparked a nationwide debate over intolerance and beef politics and unleashed a chain of protests across the country, with prominent writers, filmmakers and scientists returning their state awards.

Nearly three months after the lynching, police filed a chargesheet on December 23 against 15 people, including a minor, but there was no mention of beef in it. A local BJP leader's son is among those named in the chargesheet.

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Also Read:

Fearing riots, Dadri's Hindu-Muslim couple refused marriage registration



After Dadri meat is found to be beef, villagers to file complaint against Akhlaq's family



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By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 6 (PTI) Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has been named the ambassador for Swachh Bharat Missions youth-based Swachh Saathi (student internship) programme.

The "Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein" star will take forward the message of the governments Swachh Saathi programme, which she hails as the most important part to realise the dream of a clean country.

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"Swachh Bharat is among the most important initiatives taken up by the government and I believe that the Swachh Saathi programme will be an extremely important part of our dream to realise a clean, healthy and environmentally conscious youth and country," Dia, 34, said in a statement.

Under the Swachh Saathi programme, more than 2,000 interns would be enrolled, who would coordinate with around 10,000 schools across the country and ensure that all students in these schools take the pledge for Clean India, the statement read.

"Dia is a youth icon and has been an active campaigner for Swachh Bharat. We felt that she would be the best person to help us reach out to more youngsters. Our aim is to make it a viral youth led movement," Swachh Bharat mission director Praveen Prakash said.

As the ambassador, the actress would interact with school and college students from across the country through awareness sessions, community cleaning activities and motivational videos.

"Over the years I have tried to engage as many minds as possible to understand that our planet and our country need the immediate involvement of all its citizens, so that we can take responsibility and make our world a better place to live in," Dia said. PTI JUR GK JCH RYS

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By PTI: norms

New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Delhi University teachers who have been agitating for over two weeks against the new UGC criteria to ascertain their academic performance today threatened to boycott the ongoing admission process if their demands are not considered by the HRD ministry.

Alleging that the consultations with UGC officials did not yield any results, the Delhi University teachers Association (DUTA) has called for a General Body meeting tomorrow to decided the future course of action.

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JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar also joined the agitation outside the UGC office while the consultations with representatives of teachers associations from across the country were underway.

DU teachers have been boycotting the evaluation of undergraduate exams for last eleven days against amendments to UGC regulations that, they argue, will lead to job-cuts to the tune of 50 per cent and drastically increase pupil-teacher ratio in higher education.

"Though the consultations went on for more than 5 hours, it is extremely unfortunate that the UGC Chairperson was not willing to concede anything more than what the MHRD had already stated that tutorials and practical would be part of the direct teaching hours. The UGC Chairperson was also unwilling to give any assurance on the API, requesting for time to give a reply," a DUTA statement said.

"We will decide the future course of action in tomorrows GBM. Given the current scenario of inaction and non-committal responses from the government, the teachers anger is surging and the DUTA may be forced to consider drastic measures like the boycott of the admissions process," it added.

The new gazette notification has increased the workload for assistant professors from 16 hours of "direct teaching" per week (including tutorials) to 18 hours, plus another six of tutorials, bringing the total up to 24 hours. Similarly the work hours of associate professors have been increased from 14 to 22.

While the HRD Ministry had last week defended the new UGC criteria for Academic Performance Indicators for college and university teachers, saying it provides "more flexibility" even as it ruled out any possibility of reduction in number of teaching jobs, it has instructed the UGC to review the same following which the commission had called all stakeholders today for consultation. PTI GJS DEY AMS RG AMS

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Eknath Khadse is the latest to have embroiled in a controversy while being an occupant of the lavish sea facing property.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: With Eknath Khadse's unceremonious exit from Ramtek - his official residence, the theory of this plush bungalow being jinxed has got more credence. Believe it or not, the latest exit from this bungalow has created a fear among ministers.

Eknath Khadse is the latest to have embroiled in a controversy while being an occupant of the lavish sea facing property. Eknath Khadse had to quit from the State Cabinet following a series of allegations of land grab that India Today had reported first.

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PEOPLE WHO EARLIER STAYED IN THE BUNGALOW

Prior to Khadse, the bungalow was occupied by NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal who is in jail since 3 months in connection with money laundering charges related with the Maharashtra Sadan scam. Bhujbal has been the longest occupant of the bungalow for 15 years. The Maharashtra Sadan scam is not the only low point of his political career that he witnessed at Ramtek. The OBC leader had to resign from his post of Home Minister following allegations of his involvement in the multi-crore fake stamp papers or Telgi scam.

Before Bhujbal, Gopinath Munde occupied this bungalow as the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of Maharashtra. Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare had launched a series of embarrassing allegations against Munde, which not only impacted his political life but also shook his personal life. However, Munde was lucky to survive the bad patch. The controversy still remains attached to Munde's name.

Another strong leader from Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh stayed at the Ramtek bungalow before Gopinath Munde. Vilasrao as the occupant of the Bungalow in 1995 faced the most devastating loss of his political career. He lost from his bastion Latur by a huge margin to a political minnow. Vilasrao's political career saw a further dip when his attempt to make a comeback through Upper House too got jolted after his defeat in the Legislative Council Polls. Vilasrao though made a comeback in the following 1999 polls, but not as an occupant of Ramtek.

Not very long ago, Devednra Fadnavis government was scrambling for this 8,857-sqm sprawling house that has always been the most sought-after accommodation after Varsha, the chief minister's official residence. There were many senior BJP ministers including Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Education Minister Vinod Tawade and Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde vying for Ramtek.

Pankaja Munde had sought the house, saying she has fond memories of childhood there during her father's tenure as the Deputy CM of the state during the Shiv Sena-BJP rule. But in the tug of war for Ramtek, Khadse being the senior-most leader in the cabinet was lucky to get Ramtek. But, for Khadse the joy of staying at Ramtek became short lived.

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MANY BELIEVE THIS BUNGALOW IS JINXED

Once the most sought after official residence, buzz is that no one now wants to shift to the sprawling bungalow. Many now believe, this bungalow, that is in fact bigger than the CM's official residence is jinxed.

Khadse is yet to vacate the bungalow, but even before that, there are no takers for Ramtek. For now no one is willing to come on record with their fear about the jinx but with back to back examples, no one is willing to take a chance.

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A 10-year-old girl miraculously survived a near fatal accident when a pair of scissors almost pierced through her brain. The scissors was thrown at her by her angry father.

By India Today Web Desk: Peaceful homes turn battlegrounds when children open their books to study or to do their homework. All the more if there is math involved and an angry parent.

A 10-year-old from China would now be thanking her stars that she made it alive after a pair of scissors pierced her brain.



How did this accident happen?

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The girl's father, enraged at the child's lack of focus on her homework, threw the pair of scissors at her. The girl was playing with her little brother while doing her homework. The scissors pierced her right temple and she was rushed to Shanghai Xinhua Hospital where she underwent an immediate surgery.

"I don't remember what happened to me before being sent to the hospital," is what the girl said to a reporter. "I only remember that I was doing my homework last night." The incident happened last Friday and the girl regained consciousness on Saturday.

The girl's mother said that her husband has a bad-temper and who often threw things at their kids whenever he got angry.

Whether the man will be charged by the police or face any form of punishment is unclear as of now.

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The survivor, on the last day of her India trip, was walking back to her Paharganj hotel around 4 pm when a group of 8-9 men robbed her at knifepoint and took turns to rape her near New Delhi Railway Station.

By India Today Web Desk: A court here on Monday convicted five men on charges of robbing and raping a Danish woman tourist in 2014.

Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar, holding the five guilty, and set June 9 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.

Arjun, Raju alias Chhakka, Mohammad Raja, Mahendra alias Ganja and Raju alias Bajji were held guilty for the offences of gangrape, dacoity, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and common intention of the Indian Penal Code.

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Mahendra was also convicted under the Arms Act.

Shyam Lal died in February in the Tihar Jail here and proceedings against him were quashed.

Three minors are facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board in the case.

What Happened That Day

The survivor, on the last day of her India trip, was walking back to her Paharganj hotel around 4 pm She lost her way and entered the Railway Officers Club near New Delhi Railway Station There she was pushed into a small garden where she encountered some men drinking liquor Here, she was robbed at knifepoint by a group of 8-9 men described by police as vagabonds and drug-addicts The woman said the men then took turns to rape her, three of them allegedly raping her twice Around 7.30pm, the accused helped her scale the club wall, after which she reached her hotel and told the manager about the incident She refused to undergo a medical test and took a flight back to Copenhagen on Wednesday morning

ALSO READ: CCTV shows abduction of minor girl in Delhi before she was raped



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Baqaa camp is the largest in Jordan, where a large percentage of the country's over seven million population are descendents of Palestinian refugees.

By Reuters: Three Jordanian intelligence officers and two other security personnel were killed in an attack on a security office in a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital, a government official said today.

Jordanian television, quoting a government spokesman, described it as a terrorist attack that took place at 7 am local time, giving no further details.

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Baqaa camp is the largest camp in Jordan, where a large percentage of the country's over seven million population are descendents of Palestinian refugees who fled in the aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948.

Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said the attack targeted the intelligence department's local office in the camp that houses over 70,000 refugees. Alongside the three officers, a guard and a telephone exchange operator at the office were killed.

Earlier this year a large security operation was mounted in the northern city of Irbid in which several Islamic State sympathizers were killed in a shoot out.

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By PTI: Srinagar, June 6 (PTI) Five security force personnel were today injured in a blast inside a CRPF vehicle in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

"Two CRPF jawans and three police personnel were injured in a blast inside the CRPF vehicle near the bus stand in Pulwama," a police official said.

He said preliminary investigations suggest that the cause of the blast was explosion of a tear smoke shell inside the vehicle.

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"The incident is being investigated," he added.PTI MIJ DV

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The 'Calculator' app helps terrorists stay in touch with their handlers in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

By Shuja-ul-Haq : As the Indian Army keeps up the pressure on Pakistan-backed terrorists amid fresh infiltrations in the Valley, the militants have resorted to using new technology in a bid to confound the security forces.

In a recent encounter near Baramulla, security forces recovered a smart phone from the body of infiltrator which had an app called 'Calculator' installed.

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TERROR APP

This app took the agencies by surprise as it was no ordinary calculator. The app helps terrorists stay in touch with their handlers in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) without being detected.

The Army's signal unit relies mainly on technical intercepts of wireless communication and mobile phones to track terrorists. This unit, along with the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), cracked this new mechanism used by terrorists.

"There are attempts being made to infiltrate from across LoC. We are aware of it and are ensuring they don't succeed," said a top Army official.

INCREASE IN ATTACKS

In last one week three attacks have taken place in the Valley. All attacks seemed to be aimed at the security forces. In two attacks in Anantnag, five security force personnel were killed while another unsuccessful attempt was made in Srinagar last night.

The month of May in Srinagar city saw two bloody attacks after a period of three years resulting in the death of three policemen. Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the killings and warned of more attacks in the future.

NEW TACTICS

The militants are also using new tactics. They are attacking policemen in crowded civilian areas. This has prompted the police to advise its men to be careful and not to lower their guard.

From pushing more men, to giving them untraceable mobile applications to increasing the number of attacks in Kashmir - the summer is witnessing a major terror Push in the Valley and alarm bells have started ringing within the security establishment.



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24 of the 66 accused, including a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, have been convicted in the Gulberg Society massacre, in which 69 people, including former Congress MP Eshan Jafri, were brutally killed.

In the Gulberg Society massacre, 69 people including husband of Zakia Jafri were killed.

By India Today Web Desk: A special SIT court, which had on June 2 convicted 24 accused in the 2002 post-Godhra Gulberg society massacre case, today deferred to June 9 the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence in the case.The prosecution sought capital punishment for the 11 convicted of murder, while the lawyer of the victims pleaded the court for life imprisonment for them.

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On June 2, Special Court Judge PB Desai had convicted 24 of the 66 accused, including a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, in the Gulberg Society massacre, in which 69 people, including former Congress MP Eshan Jafri, were brutally killed.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW



Of the 66 accused, six had died during the trial. Of the 24 convicted, 11 have been charged with murder, while 13 others, including VHP leader Atul Vaidya, have been convicted for lesser offences. While pronouncing the judgment, the court had said that there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy in the case and dropped relevant charges. Those acquitted included sitting BJP corporator Bipin Patel, the then police inspector of the area under which the Gulberg Society was located, KG Erda, and former Congress corporator Meghsinh Chaudhari. The Gulberg Society is one of the nine cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team. The incident had taken place a day after S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was burnt near Godhra train station on February 27, 2002 during which 58 'karsevaks' were killed. Ehsan Jafri's wife Zakia had expressed disappointment over the verdict, calling it "half-justice". She said she will move a higher court. "My hope of getting full justice has not been realised. My struggle would go on. I will fight the case till my last breath," Jafri said. "We along with Teesta Setalvad and a renowned lawyer from Delhi will continue to fight this case," 77-year-old Jafri, who has been pursuing the case with Teesta Setalvad, said. Zakia also said the Congress as a party never interfered in the case and they have been at a receiving end of the political vendetta. "We along with Teesta Setalvad and a renowned lawyer from Delhi will continue to fight this case," said Jafri when asked about the options left with her.

ALSO READ | Gulberg Society massacre verdict unfortunate, will move higher court: Zakia



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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jun 6 (PTI) Pakistan is "not desperate" to resume peace talks with India which has never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with it, Pakistans Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said.

"It is a very strange thing to say as it was decided here on December 9 that the dialogue will resume but then the Pathankot incident occurred and everything vanished into thin air," Aziz told Geo TV yesterday.

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His remarks came in response to Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikars statement that the window for dialogue with Pakistan was "slowly closing".

Aziz said that if India continues to repeat the old allegation of terrorism when it comes to the negotiating table, they must remember that terrorism is a part of the composite dialogue that Pakistan proposes, Dawn reported.

"They say that they will talk if we (Pakistan) make some progress on terrorism, but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues including Kashmir," Aziz said.

Aziz also said that Pakistan was "not desperate for talks and there is no restlessness on the Pakistani side for dialogue."

"The whole world agrees that India and Pakistan should have composite dialogue," Aziz said, adding that if the region has to see peace, it has to see co-ordination first.

Replying to a question, Aziz said Pakistan was not unaware of Indian efforts to integrate Kashmir and change its demography as "such efforts by India would not succeed."

Pakistan is supporting the Kashmiri people "morally and diplomatically" and will raise the issue with the UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council and also with permanent members of UN Security Council, he said. PTI SH MRJ AKJ MRJ

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Addressing a joint press conference with President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann, Modi said he aims to create "2 or 3 Switzerlands" within India.

PM Modi addressing a joint press conference with President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann (Photo tweeted by @MEAIndia)

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today thanked Switzerland for backing India's bid for entry into the elite 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG.

"We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Swiss Federation President Johan Schneider-Ammann said.

Modi thanked the Swiss leader for Switzerland's "understanding and support". India formally applied for the membership of the NSG on May 12.

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Addressing a joint press conference with President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann in Geneva, Modi said he aims to create "2 or 3 Switzerlands" within India.

HERE'S WHAT MODI SAID:

We are keen to welcome larger number of Swiss visitors to India, and have opened facility of e-Tourist Visa for this. Combating the menace of "black money" and tax evasion is also our shared priority. We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UNSC. I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG. President and I agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs. We see a perfect connect between our development needs and Swiss strengths. I invite Swiss companies to partner India's economic growth. The economic links between our two countries are strong and vibrant. India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. I feel the weight of history in this truly international city, a city with a humanitarian heart. Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense.

MODI INVITES SWISS BUSINESSES

Modi also pitched India's economic growth story to attract investments from Switzerland. "I invite Swiss companies to be a key partner in India's economic growth," Modi said.

India's NSG membership is not about arms, US tells Pakistan



"The economic links between our two countries are strong and vibrant," he said, adding on a lighter note, ""Successful Indo-Swiss collaborations include Martina Hingis partnering with our Sania Mirza and Leander Paes."

Both Switzerland and Mexico, the country Modi is scheduled to visit in his ongoing 5-nation tour, are already members of the NSG. After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US on Monday, and on Wednesday to Mexico.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trading partner. The European country is also the 11th largest foreign investor in India.

Also Read:

PM Modi in Switzerland: NSG membership, black money on the agenda

World is appreciating our economic strategy, says PM Modi in Doha

NSG row: Exception shouldn't be made for India, says China



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The agitation for Jat reservation will begin in western UP, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan from June 8.

Tight security arrangements are in place in the view of Jat agitation in Sonipat on Sunday.

By Ajay Kumar: In a bid to make a bigger impact with the second Jat agitation, leaders of the community are planning to take the stir beyond the boundaries of Haryana.

Speaking exclusively to MAIL TODAY, president of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Yashpal Malik said the protests had resumed in Haryana on Sunday and it would begin in Jat-dominated areas of Delhi from Monday. The agitation will begin in western UP, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan from June 8, he added.

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STIR BEYOND BOUNDARIES

"The representatives of the Jat community from Narela, Nangloi, Najafgarh and western UP assembled at the Jat dharamshala in Nangloi on Sunday and decided to participate actively in the fresh stir to express solidarity with the community members from Haryana," Malik said.

The Jat leader said that members will protest peacefully in their respective regions and simultaneously approach court over the issue. "We will also keep a tab on the policies of the Haryana government.

Our strategy may change in future if the Manohar Lal Khattar government does not proceed as per expectations in court," he added. Meanwhile, the situation in eight districts of Haryana remained peaceful on the first day of the fresh agitation. The districts had witnessed widespread violence during the first edition of the stir in February.

The Jind police arrested a youth Amit Kumar of Fatehgarh village for posting inflammatory messages on social networking app WhatsApp.

NO SCOPE OF NEGOTIATIONS

Besides, Dalal Khap in Mandoli village under Bahadurgarh police station in Jhajjar district has decided to boycott the government and not allow negotiations on the matter. The decision was taken in a panchayat on Sunday. The khap has also accused the state government of holding double standards on the issue.

Following the large-scale violence in February, the Haryana government made special arrangements this time to prevent untoward incidents. A total of 55 companies of paramilitary forces like the CRPF, BSF, RAF and ITBP have been deployed in the eight vulnerable districts of Haryana.

Seven companies of paramilitary forces were deployed on the Munak canal, which supplies Delhi with 60 per cent of its water requirement. Violent protesters on February 20 had destroyed the canal at Gadhi Bidrauli village leading to disruption in supply to the Capital. It had taken 11 days to repair the canal.

"We have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in eight districts - Rohtak, Sonipat, Jind, Kaithal, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bhiwani and Kurukshetra. The section will also be applicable on one km of all national highways and railway lines across in the state," said Ram Niwas, additional chief secretary of Haryana.

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He added that the state government intercepted some inflammatory massages uploaded on WhatsApp and Facebook. The processes of identification of the culprits has started and separate FIRs will be registered against them soon.

ALSO READ:

Jat quota agitation fails to take off

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With the departure of Ajit Jogi, the Congress is destined to lose the adivasi vote in the state. But many Congress leaders feel, at least, there is clarity and sabotage will not happen.

By Ashhar Khan: It's finally curtains for the Congress strongman Ajit Jogi. On Tuesday the Chhattisgarh strongman finally decided to bid adieu to his relationship with the Congress. He announced his decision to move on as the rain was falling over the gathering.

JOGI FACES PROBE



The relationship between Ajit Jogi and the Congress has been tumultuous to say the least. His case of sabotaging the Congress is still pending with the AK Antony-led Disciplinary Committee of the Congress. Many in the Congress have levelled allegations against Ajit Jogi and his son for being against the party.

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SABOTAGE ALLEGATION



In January this year, an alleged audio tape emerged in which Amit Jogi was negotiating for making the Congress candidate step out from the election. The congress candidate did step down and it was a walkover for the BJP candidate. The state Congress President Bhupesh Bhagel has already suspended Amit Jogi from the party. Not only this but recommendations against Ajit Jogi have also been sent to the party high command.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, "I was instrumental in bringing him to the Congress. When the report came that he took seven crore rupees to make the Congress candidate back off then I want him to leave. "Strong words from somebody who was the state Congress president when Ajit Jogi resigned from the Indian Administrative Service as Collector and District Magistrate of Indore and joined the Congress.

The moving away of Ajit Jogi has ensured a three corner fight for the Congress in Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh was one of the few states where the Congress and the BJP were pitted against one another. The inclusion of BK Hariprasad as general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh saw major fights between the two. Hariprasad ensured that both the leader of the legislature party and the state president were not men of Ajit Jogi. This was something which Ajit Jogi used to take for granted.

SILENCE THERAPEUTIC



As the alienation between the Ajit Jogi camp and Congress increase so did the problems for the party in the state. Several complaints were sent to the Congress high command but no action was taken against either Ajit Jogi or the Congress establishment in the state. Perhaps the Congress high command wanted to tire both camps to submission by keeping things in a limbo.

AMIT JOGI: THE TROUBLEMAKER



The biggest problem for Ajit Jogi has been his son Amit. His reputation for being a brash and undemocratic person with a colourful past. There were allegations against him for murdering NCP leader Ramavatar Jaggi in 2003 he was hoped for about ten months but was later acquitted. Another case was filed against him by the CBI as he was accused of planning a sting against the late Dilip Singh Judeo.

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THE TRIBAL FACE



Otherwise, Ajit Jogi has a personal fan following. He is able to draw crowds in his rallies and programs. As he was the chief minister of the state, he emerged as the tallest Adivasi leader for the Congress in the state. The other adivasi leader Congress relied on is Mahendra Karma who was killed in an ambush in May 2013. His son Deepak now is the Advasi face.

With the departure of Ajit Jogi the Congress is destined to lose the adivasi vote in the state. But many Congress leaders feel at least there is clarity and sabotage will not happen. Clearly, it is a choice which Ajit Jogi made for the Congress rather the other way round.

ALSO READ: Ajit Jogi's new party in Chhattisgarh: A threat to Congress and BJP?



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By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has said that judiciary intervenes only when the executive fails in its constitutional duties.

"The courts only fulfill their constitutional duty and need would not arise if government do their job," the CJI was quoted as saying in an interview to ETV News Network.

Amidst the tug of war between the executive and the judiciary, the CJI has said that if there is neglect and failure on part of government agencies, judiciary will "definitely" play its role, the network said in a release.

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"We only fulfill our positional duties as laid down by the Constitution. If the governments do their job better, any need of interference would not arise," Thakur said when asked about a recent statement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding alleged judicial interference in executive functions.

The CJI also said "the government should do their job instead of hurling the accusations and the people turn to the courts only after they are let down by the executive."

Dealing with the huge vacancies in judiciary, Justice Thakur said "I have requested the Prime Minister on several occasions and am sending a report on the same issue to the Centre too." PTI PKS SJK ARC

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THE FARMER CONNECT

Jivabhumi

Imagine a day when you get all your food supplies delivered to your doorstep from a farmer near you. And you actually know his name, the region and the method he uses to cultivate the rice you eat.

Laxminarayan Srinivasaiah (left) and Anil Nadig of Jivabhumi. Photo: Sandesh Ravikumar

To make this dream a reality is the purpose behind Jivabhumi, a social-impact driven e-commerce startup in the city. In its early stages currently, Jivabhumi deals in dry groceries, oils and spices and has a large network of 1,200 farmers. Set up only six months back by IT professionals Anil Nadig, 39 and Laxminarayan Srinivasaiah, 40, Jivabhumi currently finds it suppliers in small farmers with land holding of less than five acres and farmer's collectives. All of them use either natural or organic farming methods and quality control is according to the standards set by Participatory Guarantee System of India (PGS).

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Jivabhumi follows a fortnightly cycle where produce is procured from the farmer based on orders and then shipped. "In the future, we are looking to introduce fresh produce and a subscription model to ensure a farmer working with us receives an assured monthly income," says Nadig. Website jivabhumi.com

DIY FURNITURE

Ubyld

Pradeep Nair, 40, Denzil D'Souza, 36 and Shobha Nair, 36, were Do-It-Yourself (DIY) urban gardeners who were on a quest for planters, when this business idea struck them. Ubyld, their year-old e-commerce start-up delivers affordable, upcycled wooden furniture that can be put together using a comprehensive instruction manual and tools provided in a kit that accompanies the furniture.

Shobha Nair, Pradeep Nair (middle) and Denzil D'Souza of Ubyld. Photo: Nilotpal Baruah

D' Souza and Shobha take care of furniture design while Pradeep handles the front-end of the business. They have an experience centre in Thanisandra where they invite those looking for custom furniture for homes and offices to assemble them. From as few as 12 furniture items on their website when they first began, Ubyld now has a 100. "We want people to know that upcycled wood can be used to make great furniture too. Why cut trees then?" says Pradeep adding that the pine wood used in their furniture comes from Sweden as packaging material for heavy machinery.

"It is kiln-dried, heat treated, chemical-free and has already been transported in water. In countries like the USA, people use it to build houses, it is only here that we don't value upcycled wood as much," he adds. Recently, Ubyld has also started a new section called Vbyld for those who want upcycled furniture without going through the hassle of assembling it on their own. This service is currently available only in Bangalore. Future plans include furniture packages for homes that include over 50 pieces of furniture and curios. "Basically, you can furnish an entire home in under 3 lakh," says Pradeep. They also plan to make the Vbyld range available in other cities. Website ubyld.com

SECOND-HAND GUARANTEE

Zefog

This is the typical Bangalore startup story of four IITians coming together to solve a problem through an e-commerce venture. What sets them apart however, is their product. Zefo, less than a year old, brings you the experience of shopping second-hand furniture and appliances online, but minimises the risks you would face while doing so directly.

(Left to Right) Karan Gupta, Himesh Joshi, Arjit Gupta and Rohit Ramasubramaniam. Photo: Sandesh Ravikumar (Left to Right) Karan Gupta, Himesh Joshi, Arjit Gupta and Rohit Ramasubramaniam. Photo: Sandesh Ravikumar

"So far, there have been only pure discovery platforms like OLX and Quikr that do not solve the problem of trust deficit. In a low-trust country like India, we want to be the trust platform where we deal directly with customers," says Rohit Ramasubramaniam, 26, who previously worked with Helion Ventures. Zefo, a user-friendly web platform lists second-hand furniture and appliances with markers of their true condition, does light refurbishment and even disinfects items before delivery. So now, a second-hand piece of furniture is delivered in record time, installed and can even be returned.

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"Customer experience is very critical for us. We do stringent quality control, photograph the items on our own and provide specific dimensions, so you get exactly what is listed online", explains Ramasubramaniam. From their launch in August last year and five orders a day, Zefo is now doing over 70 deliveries every day. A Delhi launch is on the cards and the start-up with over 40 employees has already raised a round of seed funding. Website gozefo.com

KEEP IT FRESH

Foodtribe

Diksha Jain, 31 and Sowmya Parthasarathy, 31, first met in college and discovered that they had many things in common, including households that believed in cooking every meal with freshly ground spices.

Sowmya Parthasarathy (left) and Diksha Jain. Photo: Nilotpal Baruah

"There was no concept of packaged food, in fact we wouldn't even use the kneaded dough for the next meal," explains Jain. Their love for all things fresh resulted in Foodtribe, a single-destination e-commerce platform for chemicalfree food. The focus is on providing chemical-free ingredients that would help one create a meal from scratch. Overwhelmed by the response and logistical challenges that came with the model, Foodtribe is currently working on its new model.

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It is now planning to launch a supply of homemade masalas and handmade soaps in the next quarter. "Some of these will be made using recipes handed down through generations," explains Jain. "We want to cater to people who want to eat fresh food and don't always have the time to head to the flour mill to have their flour and spices ground," she adds. The shift towards non-perishable food is mainly due to the lack of economical logistics partners, they say. Websitefacebook.com/FoodTribe/

HOT PORTAL

Lovetreats

A happy coincidence brought together a German and an Indian to start Bangalore's hottest new online pleasure shop. Bala TV, 34, and Ute Weimer, 25, met at a party when he was working with a video games company and she was in the country working with Fairtrade India.

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Ute Weimer (left) and Bala TV of Lovetreats. Photo: Nilotpal Baruah

Bala TV had visited adult toy shops in Amsterdam on his various tours and hoped to start something like that in India. Incidentally, Weimer too had a similar dream. They got talking, became friends and Lovetreats was born in October 2015. "The idea was to create a space that felt safe and non-judgemental. In a country where sex education is low, even something as basic as buying condoms can be a chore. I knew I wouldn't start this alone and was looking for a woman co-founder.

Then Ute came along," says Bala TV. The website features a host of sleek sex toys, bath and body products, massage candles and more. Rising from a 150 product inventory to a whopping 1000, the core of the venture remains to stay sex-positive and at the same time be women friendly. Websitelovetreats.in

GREEN MEALS

Nuts Over Salads

What happens when a chef and gym owner get together for a friendly chat? They talk about healthy food options in the city and find that there is no service that provides Bangaloreans with a nutritious, post-gym meal option. For the past 10 months, chef Aditya Rao, 32, has been preparing healthy salads and delivering them across the city through his e-commerce venture, Nuts Over Salads.

Aditya (left) and Abhijeet Rao of Nuts Over Salad. Photo: Nilotpal Baruah

"There was no business plan; we started out with a home-kitchen. For the first three months, I was doing most of the deliveries myself," he says. Aditya, who studied hospitality and worked with city-based restaurants, has now partnered with his brother, Abhijeet Rao, 27, who gave up professional scuba diving in the Andamans to handle the front end of Nuts Over Salads. Besides delivering a salad meal to health-conscious Bangaloreans, the outfit also provides subscription models and has paired up with Fresh Pressery to add cold-pressed juices to the meals. "We were the first in the country to start the subscription models that vary from weeks to months," says Aditya.

From a modest entry, Nuts Over Salads is now a fullfledged business venture delivering as many as 400 salads a day around town. The next step, they say, is a chain of takeaway retail outlets with the first one opening in a month's time on the centrally located Residency Road. "Currently, we only deliver lunch and hence want our customers to have the option of picking up snacks and dinner. We are also coming up with several product additions like our own cold-pressed juices, nutrition bars, marinades and dressings. We want to create a one-stop-shop for healthy food options," he explains. Websitenutoversalads.com

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Soothing massages, picnics on the beach and a treasure trove of palaces and temples, dig into the colonial past of the Portuguese, Dutch and British, all while you merrily cruise through the backwaters.

By India Today Web Desk: I often wondered why Kerala is called God's own country? After my most recent travels there, I am not confused anymore. From the moment I stepped off the plane into the muggy air of Thiruvananthapuram, to the time I left from Kochi, I had fallen in love with this heavenly state.

My first stop on this magical Kerala trails, is the Niraamaya Surya Samudra, a beautiful coastal retreat near the village of Pulinkudi, about 10 km south of Kovalam. After half an hour and a whole new world opens up. I feel like I've stepped into another dimension. The retreat is on the edge of a bluff overlooking the Arabian Sea, and I am mesmerised by the deep azure of the water as I watch the waves crashing on to the sandy beach below.

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On a tour of the property, Director of Operations, Rejeesh tells us the fascinating story that adds to the romance of this property. It all began in 1982 when Klaus Schleusener, a German professor at the IIT Madras, discovered this barren hill and decided to make it his winter home. There was no looking back after that. Every one of the 31 cottages is built in the traditional Kerala architectural design and unique in style. Each has its own name; the original cottage is called the 'Octagon House'. I am put up in Mosque View- named for its direct sight of two mosques and with a panoramic view of the sea. I love the four-poster bed that dominates the wooden cottage and the open-air bathroom-a wonderful feature of all the cottages. So you can really feel at one with nature as you listen to the sea whispering.

Divine, the wine lounge has a wonderful ambience. Picture courtesy: India Today Archives

The Surya Samudra is one of the latest to join the Relais & Chateaux family. This is an association of hundreds of the "world's finest hoteliers, chefs and restaurateurs that set a standard for excellence in hospitality by emphasising holistic experiences? taking them on a sensual journey and introducing them to a deeper, truer understanding of the Art of Living"- according to its website. And I have no argument with that.

Let your senses loose and take in every sight, sound and taste while here. The cuisine, under the brilliant Chef Prakash Nayak, stimulates all the taste buds. Lunch is a Kerala thali at the Caf Samsara and I particularly enjoy the Kerala Fish Curry and the Kanava Pepper (fried squid). One mention that I love raw fish and Chef Nayak treats me to a Tuna Ceviche starter at dinner in Essence. I also recommend the chocolate samosas. All the food is made from local organic vegetables, herbs and fish. Wash it all down with wine of your choice or have a special cocktail or mocktail to order. My next treat is one of the many relaxing ayurvedic massages available at the spa. I opt for the Abhyanga Snana and lie back to enjoy the experience. Massage treatments, an infinity pool that stretches the mind, tea at sunrise on the beach and a variety of cultural shows, are more than enough to entertain you while you are here.

Shop for antiques at the, rather rare to find, Jew town. Picture courtesy: India Today Archives Shop for antiques at the, rather rare to find, Jew town. Picture courtesy: India Today Archives

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If you can tear yourself away from the heady joys of the resort, there is plenty more to experience outside. A backwater cruise down the Poovar River is a magical way to see many species of birds in the mangroves, after which you can take a picnic on the Golden Sand Beach, a stretch where the backwaters meet the Arabian Sea.

While here also take some time to absorb the colourful culture that is Kerala. Especially one of the richest temples in the world, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. This ancient Hindu temple is the most dominating feature of Thiruvananthapuram, and has been in the news for one of the richest treasure troves ever found-over One Trillion US Dollars' worth of gold and gems in just one of seven vaults inside! There's also the Kuthiramalika Palace with its fascinating 122-carved wooden horses and Sri Utharam Thirunal Palace.

From the coastal pleasures we move to the historical world of Fort Kochi and Malabar House, which was the first property in India to be welcomed into the Relais & Chateaux family. Here the charm is the personalised care and experiences given by the owners Joerg and Txuku. After a six-hour drive up from Kovalam and a quick appreciation of the serene interiors of my room, I immediately head out to explore the tree-lined streets, bylanes and history of this wonderful place.

The Octagon Houses' interiors are dominated by lovely four-poster beds that overlook the sea; a yoga session with breathtaking views; the courtyard at Malabar house. Picture courtesy: India Today Archives

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A walk through Fort Kochi is the best way to discover all its treasures. The once obscure fishing village along the River Cochin went on to become the first European township in India and today is one of the greatest harbours. During my walk I absorbed the colonial past of the Portuguese, Dutch and British in the houses, churches and other structures that date back to the 15th century.

But before any of those countries left their imprint on this coast, it was the Chinese who came in the 1300s and installed their Chinese nets-a legacy that exists today and a huge attraction. The best place to watch these nets in action is the Vasco da Gama Square. So as the day draws to an end I make my way to the harbour to see these famous nets as the sunsets. An experience heightened as a pod of dolphins swim by, delighting the crowds that are gathered.

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Check out the Basilica, Vasco House, Bishop's House, St Francis Church and to top it all Jew Town. The lanes of Jew town are a shopper's paradise as I spy local gifts, spices, arts and crafts and a plethora of antiques. Don't forget to step back in time in the Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest living synagogue in the Commonwealth.

All these sights are easily accessible from Malabar House, which is in the heart of Fort Kochi. It dates back to 1755, when a Dutch man, Jan Herman Clausing, bought the property. Subsequently owned by spice traders, tea traders and bankers, in 1996 it became Fort Kochi's first boutique heritage hotel after it was bought by German Joerg Drechsel and his Spanish wife Txuku Iriarte. It is their personal touch that makes the stay in Malabar House and Purity, my next stop, so special. The young Chef Manoj puts on a wonderful array of food during my stay at Malabar House. The hosts join us for dinner in the open courtyard in the centre of the hotel as local musicians entertain us. A burst of flavours, all from local products, as is the norm for these hotels, invades my senses at dinner. Definitely try the Tiger Prawns in Mango Moily and Pork Kerala style. Delicious! I am impressed by the dcor of the hotel. Magnificent genuine art pieces hang on every wall and the enlarged old photographs in Divine, the wine lounge, are fascinating.

Tiger Prawns are an absolute must-try. Picture courtesy: India Today Archives

The next day after a quick and tasty set lunch prepared by Chef Manoj, with more fish and other delights, it is time for the final destination of my Kerala Trails. Purity on Lake Vembanad is a short one-hour drive south of Fort Kochi. This is a beautiful and amazing property on the largest lake in Kerala.

Purity is where I unwind and relax my body and soul before I return to the rat race that is my life in Delhi. It's so easy to let go of all my worries and forget the world as I sit and look out over the vast expanse of water. Vembanad is so huge, you cannot see the other side. My room is one of 14 very unique, individually designed personally by Joerg.

As I walk through every room I notice that the size, layout, furniture, floor tiles and artwork are all different. No two rooms are the same and this is what makes this resort so special. What amazes me most are the bathrooms, which are unusually spacious for the purpose. The mystery is lifted as Joerg explains customers can avail of private massages, so the space allows for massage tables to be placed in them. A brilliant idea, especially for those loving honeymooners who seek privacy.

Along the river I see more of the Chinese nets reaching for the skies as they wait for their daily catch. A canoe ride on the lake has been arranged and I love the peace and calm of the water as I chat with the boatman, who is a local fisherman. Dinner is served right on the lake as the fireflies come out and I can hear the sounds of nature as the night comes alive. The dessert of mango crme brulee topped with mint and mango salsa is to die for. I am also pleasantly delighted to be able to have a salad, with delicious avocados that are locally grown, a rare treat.

An early morning yoga session starts off my last day, followed by a delicious breakfast of my favourite sausage and eggs. I then walk over to the Pure spa to have, what little tensions I have left, massaged out of my body. There are two treatment rooms. This time I choose the Patra Pinda Sweda, which is a massage with hot poultices made of fresh herbs that soothe my muscles. As I lie on the table, my mind wanders off to a peaceful place, from which I never want to return. I can only describe it as perfect bliss.

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Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the committee will probe whether there were procedural lapses on the part of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.

By India Today Web Desk: The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government today set up a five-member panel to investigate the kidney racket busted at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and asked it to submit its report within 15 days.

APOLLO HOSPITAL UNDER SCANNER



Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the committee will probe whether there were procedural lapses on the part of the multi-specialty hospital.

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The probe panel, headed by Dr D K Tampe, dean of Maulana Azad Medical College, has been asked to submit an interim report within one week.

"Special panel will investigate whether laid down approval protocols were followed by the hospital. It will also re-examine the documentation and interview process by the authorisation committee of the hospital concerned," said a senior government official.

The minister said that the committee will also give suggestions on updating a list of guiding principles and best practices in the area of organ donation.

"The committee is directed to submit an interim report regarding the five cases of organ sale detected so far within one week and a detailed report within a fortnight," said an order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department.

LURED THE POOR WITH MONEY

With the arrest of five persons, including the personal secretaries of a neurologist in Apollo Hospital, police have unearthed a kidney trading racket last week. The racket used to lure poor people from several states to sell their kidney.

They allegedly forged documents to establish relationship between the donors and the recipients in order to adhere to the law.

In a statement, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, "We are cooperating and providing to them all information required to help them in their investigation. This matter is of grave concern and our teams are extending all support to the police."

ALSO READ: Cops bust kidney racket, tracing money trail to nab kingpin



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By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Delhi Police today said it came across the name of another senior nephrologist in connection with the kidney racket busted in Apollo Hospital here last week.

It is suspected that a few kidney transplants, which were facilitated by the racketeers, were done by the doctor. However, so far there is no evidence to prove his intent but the roles of his personal secretaries are under scanner, an official privy to the investigation said.

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During investigation, it has also emerged that some of the recipients who procured kidney from the racket had used forged documents to hide their addresses.

The police has short-listed the names of three senior doctors from the hospitals in-house assessment committee for verifying documents related to transplants, the official said.

The three of them are likely to be questioned first as they had cleared the papers in connection with the surgeries under police scanner.

Meanwhile, two particular donors associated with the racket are likely to be arrested, the official said.

Also, the teams which were sent across cities to nab the rackets kingpin, Rajukumar Rao, who is believed to be associated with similar rackets in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, are likely to return by tomorrow.

Suspecting the involvement of some senior staffers and even doctors in the racket, Delhi Police has served notices under CrPC sections 90 and 160 to the higher authorities of Apollo Hospital asking them to join probe and provide documents pertaining to kidney transplants carried out in the hospital in the past few months.

They will be scrutinised by a 25-member special team set up to crack the entire nexus, the senior official said.

Two more prominent private hospitals in the city have come under the police scanner.

With the arrest of five persons, including the personal secretaries of a senior nephrologist in Apollo Hospital, police had unearthed the kidney trading racket.

The racket used to lure poor people across several states to sell their kidney off and also hound for people desperately looking out for kidney for transplant.

They allegedly forged documents to establish relationship between the donors and the recipients in order to adhere to the law.

Police has so far come across five cases of kidney transplants conducted in the city through this racket and during interrogation the accused disclosed about 10-15 more transplants conducted at Jalandhar and Coimbatore in the past two years, an official said.

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They used to charge Rs 40-50 lakh from the recipients, of which not even 10 per cent reached the donors.

Earlier, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals had said, "We are cooperating and providing to them all information required to help them in their investigation. This matter is of grave concern and our teams are extending all support to the police." PTI DEY RCJ ZMN RCJ

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Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiren Bedi has banned use of sirens in cars of VIPs, which would also be applicable in escort and pilot vehicles of Governor House.

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiren Bedi has banned use of sirens in cars of VIPs, which would also be applicable in escort and pilot vehicles of Governor House.

LG Bedi announced that her prime vision would be to make Puducherry a beautiful tourist destination and a clean place too.

Her first ordeal was to ban erecting posters and banners culture. Then came her announcement of introducing '1031' complaint line to complain about corruption, eve-teasing and domestic violence. "The reputation of Puducherry as a peaceful Union Territory deserves to be made better," the former Delhi top cop said.

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And now, Lieutenant Governor Kiren Bedi has announced that sirens shall be banned in cars of VIPs and their escorts in Puducherry. Only ambulance and fire brigade vehicles will be allowed to use sirens.

Such actions of the LG has created a lot of tension within the Congress camp in Puducherry.

Narayanasamy, the Congress leader and the new CM Puducherry had only to say that, Kiren Bedi should act according to the constitutional powers vested upon her.

Political analysts from Tamil Nadu predict that the fun has just begun. They believe that Kiren Bedi was made the Governor by the BJP all for a reason to impress the people of Tamil Nadu by her governance.

Also Read:

Kiran Bedi takes oath as Puducherry Governor

Kiran Bedi says mega yoga event brought rains in Delhi



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A private airline is all set to launch flights that will act as crucial entry points for tourists headed to Manali and Kangra regions.

By India Today Web Desk: Mountain lovers understand what an exciting proposition it is to travel to Himachal Pradesh. After all, for them it's one of the best feelings in the world to be one with the valleys, the trees, the rivers, the snow-capped peaks and so on. But travelling to this hill state is not always possible, because it's far and there are only a handful of flights

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But that's going to change very soon, thanks to new flights from Chandigarh to Kullu. Yes, you read that right! A private airline will soon start flights between the two cities.

Himachal Holidays Pvt Ltd, Kullu has started the operations as a non-scheduled airline in collaboration with Hyderabad-based IIC Technology Ltd.

And guess what, the airline will also start flights between Kullu and Dharamsala.

Two of these flights will provide crucial entry points and easy access to the Manali and Kangra regions respectively. This in turn will give a significant boost to Himachal Pradesh's tourism.

The airline is currently conducting a test flight from Kullu to Dharamsala and also to Chandigarh and likely to start commercial flights soon, said Vijay Singh Mankotia, Vice chairman of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board.

(With inputs from PTI)

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By PTI: Hyderabad, Jun 6 (PTI) Maximum temperatures saw a marked fall at different places in Telangana with some of them receiving rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said here today.

"Marked fall in maximum temperatures (was witnessed) at a few places over Telangana. They were markedly below normal at one or two places over Telangana. The highest maximum temperature of 41 degrees Celsius was recorded at Hanmakonda (in Warangal district)," the IMD said in its weather report.

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Gandhari in Nizamabad district received 9 cms of rainfall, followed by Aswaraopeta in Khammam district which received seven cms.

Several other places in the state also received rains. PTI SJR NP PVI SRE

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By PTI: Panaji, Jun 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been regularly monitoring the work on the proposed International Airport at Mopa village in the state, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said today.

"We have plans to lay the foundation stone for Mopa International airport in the first week of September along with the Electronic City at Tuem (in North Goa) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Parsekar told PTI.

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The Chief Minister said Modi is monitoring, every month, the development with regard to construction of the proposed airport.

"Our (Mopa) Greenfield international airport is one of the flagship projects of his (Modi). He is continuously monitoring it (the project)," Parsekar said.

He further said his government has reached the fag end of the bidding process and successful bidder would be announced soon.

"The work on Mopa airport will be on schedule. The first phase will be commissioned exactly after three years of laying the foundation stone. If we lay the foundation stone in 2016, the first plane will land here in 2019," Parsekar added.

The International airport at Mopa would be the second such facility in the coastal state after existing Dabolim airport, which is located in South Goa, around 40 kms from here. PTI COR NRB SUK BAS

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Narendra Modi is meeting US president Obama in the US on Tuesday, in his fourth visit to the country since he became prime minister. We recap his visits to the land of the free.

By Vishakha Saxena: Come June, Narendra Modi will make his fourth visit to the United States - already his most visited country in two-years as prime minister. Right from the first one, the PM's visits to the US have received a lot of media attention - both in India and the host country. His trips in September 2014 and 2015 were to attend United Nations General Assembly, but he visited the White House in 2014 for a post-UNGA state visit.

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The two state leaders are reportedly quite close, and have forged an 'unlikely friendship' as the New York Times put it in a recent article. The fact that they've gotten on first-name basis does add merit to these reports.

Speaking to a journalist, US ambassador to India Richard Verma had last year stressed on how the closeness between the two was very 'real'. "I think they both have a real understanding of each other, of our histories and the limitations of the democratic systems we work in, and what is top of mind for each other," he said.

When they meet on Tuesday, it will be the seventh time the two leaders will be together. We take a look at PM Modi's visits to the land of the free:

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Senior journalist and founding editor of thewire.in Siddharth Varadarajan pointed out that China's intent has been clear that it will not let India enter the group.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today succeeded in securing Switzerland's support for India's candidature for the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG.

"I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG," Modi said in Geneva in a joint statement after Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the elite group.

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However, India still needs support from Mexico, a few other small countries and most importantly China to be included in the NSG. And what will make all the difference is the quality of help PM Modi gets from President Obama during his upcoming Washington visit.

Visit No. 4: All about Modi's American sojourn



Does India stand a chance of making it to the influential list of nuclear trading countries? Experts differ over the issue.

10 BIG QUESTIONS



Modi's trip crucial for India's NSG bid? What can PM say to over some concerns on NSG? How likely is PM to persuade Mexicans? Breaking Chinese bloc key to winning NSG bid? Will Obama's stand be similar to Bush on India? Will friendship with Obama help when it matters? Sealing big deals a possibility or reality? Is there more focus under Modi than Manmohan? High-profiled meets with NRIs for TV ratings? Meeting NRIs has enhanced PM's profile?

Speaking to Karan Thapar on his show To The Point, India's former Ambassador to Afghanistan and France and a leading disarmament expert Rakesh Sood said that the Swiss acknowledgement of India's credentials has come without any caveats and without any reservations.

"I would expect a similar kind of a green light coming in from Mexico," Sood said.

CHINA A BIG OBSTACLE

Senior journalist and founding editor of thewire.in Siddharth Varadarajan pointed out that China's intent has been clear that it will not let India enter the group.

"It's a question of how deftly India manages to counter diplomatic challenges. This will require deliberations at the highest levels," Varadarajan said.

India's former Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar, underlined that US-China in 2016 is not what it used to be in 2008.

Shankar said that it will interesting to see whether President Obama's own ambivalence over the nuclear issue allows to take an interventionist role or not.

"We have to marshal all our resources," she added.

OBAMA WILL DO HIS BEST TO HELP INDIA

Executive director of the think tank Gateway House, Manjeet Kripalani, was of the view that President Obama will do his best to help India in its bid to secure a seat among the nuclear trading countries.

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"I think a majority of countries will find it suitable to side with India on the issue because... China is a big trading partner but this is really not something that they would want to get on the wrong side of India for we are a country with a 7.5 per cent GDP growth," Kripalani said.

"If we don't get into nuclear suppliers group it is okay... what we really need is uranium for power. We have the technology to built nuclear power plants but we need uranium," she added.



Also read:

Thank you, says PM Modi as Switzerland backs India's bid for NSG



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SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh will be replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar while District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar will be replaced by Nitin Chandra Shukla, an official release said.

By India Today Web Desk: Uttar Pradesh government today transferred the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura following the violence in the district that left 29 dead even as a probe is on into the clashes.

"#UPCM@yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar and SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh were transferred days after violence broke out when police tried to evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh park in Mathura.

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SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh will be replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar while District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar will be replaced by Nitin Chandra Shukla, an official release said.



Questions are being raised on why the police and administration continued to ignore the assembly of over 3000 armed civilians in the Jawaharbagh compound since the past 30 months, a negligence which resulted in such a disaster.

Talking to India Today on this matter, UP Director General of Police Javeed Ahmed said that 22 rioters died in the violence apart from the Station House Officer of Farah and Superintendant of Police Mathura City. Out of the 22, 11 died in the fire that the rioters had set to their own shacks built inside the compound, while 11 died in the police lathicharge subsequent to a blatant attack on the police force by the rioters from all sides.

He said that the rioters had accumulated massive volume of arms, ammunition and other types of bladed weapons and a tunnel inside the compound still contained a large number of bombs and grenades so that section of the compound has been cordoned off by the police as attempts are being made to defuse the bombs.

UP Principal Secretary (Home) Debashish Panda said that the inquiry of the incident has been deputed to the Agra divisional commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar.

Spread in 280 acres of horticulture department land, the Jawaharbagh incident could easily become the nail in the coffin for the Samajwadi Party as local BJP leaders are alleging that Ramvriksh Yadav, the leader of this ragtag army of rioters had close association with a senior Samajwadi Party leader and UP Cabinet minister and it was the ministers protection that allowed the so-called Satyagrahis to capture valuable horticultural land and squat on it for almost three years and no action was taken on them.

Sources indicated that the compound also acted as a shelter for several naxalites who had disappeared over the past couple of years in Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar and they had provided training to the rioters for combating the police force effectively. Several of the so-called Satyagrahis have dozens of criminal cases registered against them.

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ALSO READ:

Mathura violence: 11 rioters died in fire set to their own shacks



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A flush-out operation at one of India's holiest shrines, and the aftermath, calls for a read. Here are 5 options.

By Ashna Kumar: Thirty two years ago, on this date, Golden Temple was turned into an arsenal. On orders from the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Indian Army had undertaken the task to cleanse it and rid it of its unholy occupants.



What ensued is no secret--Operation Blue Star was a success only on paper. But what really happened during the exercise? Choose from these bestsellers and amp up your knowledge.



1. Operation Blue Star: The True Story by LT.General. Kuldip Singh Brar

This book does not give you the series of events that led to the ill-fated day, instead is a minute-to-minute account of military operations on ground for those long gruesome 24 hours.



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Tully and Jacob offer a bird's-eye view from the very beginning of the Khalistan movement till when a part of the Golden Temple was reduced to rubble. It throws light on the political sabotage by Congress with their once friend- Bhindranwale and his subsequent terror siege.



A spine-chilling narrative of both the carnage that followed a day after Indira Gandhi's assassination and the lapse of organizational structure thereafter fuelled by Congress is what makes it an ideal read.



A journalist's memoir of days, when justice was murdered in cold blood; Suri has not minced his words when bringing the state-complicit picture to the front. He recounts with poise how judicial enquiries of the bloodbath in the aftermath were marred by the Gandhi family.



This heart-swelling read is a compilation of victims' painful tales of the genocide in the capital. It chronicles how hope vanished amidst daylight murders and mass rapes, a detailed chapter of a time that was wounded.



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While the police is trying to prosecute as many rioters as possible, the injured squatters are not willing to let go of their ridiculous demands of bringing back Subhash Chandra Bose as the country's leader and the formation of Azad Hind Bank.

By Siraj Qureshi: Barely a couple of days after the devastating blow it was dealt by rioters in Jawaharbagh of Mathura, the Uttar Pradesh police has again become lax in the manner it is conducting the followup after the incident.

While about 15 squatters from Jawaharbagh have reportedly slipped away from the SN Medical College in Agra despite a supposedly strong police presence in the hospital, the forensic investigation of the crime scene is yet to reveal any significant fact that could answer the questions being raised about the way this entire operation was conducted.

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According to the junior doctors who are on duty in the SN Medical College wards where the injured squatters have been admitted, fifteen squatters slipped away one by one in the past two days, as soon as they received primary treatment at the hospital. Several others, who were much badly injured, are still undergoing treatment. The injuries are primarily of two types, one being burn injuries and the other being gunshot wounds and the treatment is progressing according to the injuries.



THE FAUX PAS



When India Today contacted the Agra administration about the escaped detainees, Agra divisional commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar claimed that those Jawaharbagh squatters who left the hospital after treatment had not been arrested by the police and had voluntarily arrived at the hospital for medical aid. He said that all the arrested rioters were still in police custody and undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The commissioner said that the administration was pursuing a comprehensive approach towards ensuring a peaceful end of this regrettable situation and those who were involved in the violence at Jawaharbagh will also face its consequences.

When India Today talked to the forensic team engaged in recreating the crime scene on site, a field unit member said that there is a broken wall about 1 km away from the main gate and it is most probably from here, that the Jawaharbagh squatters escaped, when the police launched a frontal assault. He said that some of the squatters had fired from the trees and the forensic team has obtained several finger prints from the trees that could be used to ascertain how many squatters occupied the trees and from which angle were they firing.

He said that the bullets found from the deadbodies were being analysed at the forensic science laboratory in Agra to find out what type of weapons were used in the firing and this would determine what firearm killed SHO Farah Santosh Yadav.



RIDICULOUS DEMANDS



However, while the police is trying to prosecute as many rioters as possible for the brutal assault on the police and administrative team at Jawaharbagh, the injured squatters are not willing to let go of their ridiculous demands of bringing back Subhash Chandra Bose as the country's leader and the formation of Azad Hind Bank that could protect the country's economy and not give in to the vested interests of the industrialists.

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Vijay Pal, a resident of Rampur said that Bose will return and take charge of this country, with his own bank and his own flag. He said that the police has fired upon the 'Satyagrahis' to form a cross case on them. He said that as soon as he got well enough, he will return to Jawaharbagh and resume his satyagrah from there.

Mintu, a resident of Bareilly said that we do not need elections, we need Azad Hind government and currency, which will end the economic disparity in the country.

Meanwhile the SSP and District Magistrate of Mathura have finally been suspended and attached to the headquarters, while the investigation of the incident has been taken from the Agra divisional commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar and given to Aligarh divisional commissioner Chandrakant. Babloo Kumar has been appointed as the new SSP and Nikhil Shukla is the new Mathura DM.

Talking to India Today, Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman Sami Agai said that it was very surprising that the inquiry of the incident has been given to Aligarh Commissioner, when the Agra Commissioner was better acquainted by the facts of the matter and should have been kept in the loop. To remove him entirely from the investigation reeked of a possible coverup.

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ALSO READ: Inside Mathura violence mastermind Ramvriksh Yadav's kingdom



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jun 6 (PTI) Pakistan will not allow consular access to alleged Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav who was arrested for his involvement in "subversive activities", Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan said today.

"The Indian spy Kulbhushan entered Pakistan with a special purpose. Hence, it has been decided that consular access will not been given to him," Khan told reporters here.

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The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)."

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

"The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry had said in a statement.

India had sought consular access to Jadhav. PTI SH PMS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jun 6 (PTI) Pakistan has rejected Indias request for consular access to alleged spy Kulbushan Jadhav who was arrested for his involvement in "subversive activities", Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan said today.

"The Indian spy Kulbhushan entered Pakistan with a special purpose. Hence, it has been decided that consular access will not been given to him," Khan told reporters here.

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Pakistan claimed its security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)."

It accused Jadhav of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

"The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry had said in a statement.

India had sought consular access to Jadhav. PTI SH PMS ZH AKJ ZH

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By PTI: Geneva, Jun 6 (PTI) Seeking to build 2-3 Switzerlands within India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought Swiss investment to upgrade infrastructure like railways, build metro train in 50 cities and five crore affordable homes.

At a roundtable with chief executives of leading Swiss firms, Modi spoke about the steps his government has taken to make it easier to do business in India and went on to list his targets including generating 175 giga watts of solar energy.

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For India to develop, it needs upgradation of infrastructure at a massive scale. "We need to build metro train services in 50 cities, have to construct 50 million affordable houses, railway network has to be expanded and upgraded and technology has to improve," he said.

Keeping the climate change agenda in mind, India is targeting building of 175 GW of solar energy. "The experience of past two years has shown that we can complete it within time," he said.

Prime Minister, however, wanted solar equipment manufacturers to also come to India and innovate.

Inviting Swiss business to investment in India, Modi said he stood committed to GST and European Free Trade Association.

Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging talks with prominent business leaders from Switzerland including officials of ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter and Roche.

He told the Swiss watch industry that the diamonds on their watches come from Gujarat and "so I am fully sensitive to your concerns."

"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," he told the business leaders. "We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us."

India, he said, is not just a market of 1.25 billion. "We have skills and a government open to business."

"We have stressed on good governance. Legislations are being improved following global benchmarks," he said, adding that India has rapid improved on the World Banks Ease of Doing Business ranking.

Modi said the target before him were to boost Make in India as well as human resource development.

"I want to improve skills of our workforce which can not just meet needs of India but also of the world," he said, adding India has 800 million people below the age of 35 years.

Switzerland, he said, has experience in both the areas and the two nations can collaborate on it.

The BJP government, he said, wants to improve the quality of life of common man by providing electricity, water, road, healthcare, education and affordable housing.

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Low cost input for agriculture, irrigation infrastructure and use of solar pumps to power farm output were important areas, he said.

The Prime Minister said India is committed to the G20 resolution on transparency and real time information exchange on banking sector.

His discussion with the business leaders focused on ways to enhance trade cooperation between the two countries.

Modi urged the Swiss business leaders to explore the investment opportunities in India. PTI BKS ANZ ZH AKJ ZH

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PM Modi is expected to seek the European country's support for India's membership to the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group.

By India Today Web Desk: In the third leg of his five-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Switzerland this morning, where he is expected to seek the European country's support for India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

The issue of black money stashed in Swiss banks, the recovery of which figures prominently in the BJP's agenda, is also expected to be discussed between PM Modi and the Swiss leadership.

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HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS:



Modi is likely to seek support of Switzerland and Mexico for India's membership of the 48-member NSG as both these countries are key members of the elite group. The issue is also likely to figure during Modi's meeting with Obama in Washington later this week. In a pre-departure media briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had said Switzerland was an important member of the NSG and he definitely expected the issue of India's membership to come up during the discussions. India formally applied for the membership of the elite 48-member NSG on May 12. In Switzerland, PM Modi is also likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks. During his visit to Switzerland, Modi will hold talks with President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann on various issues of mutual interest. Switzerland is India's fifth largest trading partner. The European country is also the 11th largest foreign investor in India. Monday's discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in. After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US on Monday, and on Wednesday to Mexico. Modi started his five-nation tour on Friday with Afghanistan. He reached Qatar on Saturday for a two-day tour from where he left for Switzerland on Sunday night.

ALSO READ | World is appreciating our economic strategy, says PM Modi in Doha



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: June 12

New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) President Pranab Mukherjee will embark on a four-day visit to Ghana and Ivory Coast beginning June 12 with an aim to boost Indias ties with the two African nations in areas of trade and investment.

Mukherjee will first head to Ghana where he will have talks with President John Dramani Mahama on a range of bilateral as well as global issues.

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"A number of agreements are under process for signing including setting up of a joint commission between India and Ghana and renewal of Cultural Exchange Programme," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

Mukherjee will be received on his arrival by Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Vice-President of Ghana, it said.

His engagements in Ghana include an address to the Joint Business Forum at the University of Ghana and interaction with the Indian community.

Mukherjee will unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and also plant a sapling at Ghanaian Presidential Complex, an iconic building built with Indian assistance through a Line of credit.

He will also visit the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of ICT Excellence in Accra, set up with Indian assistance of USD 2.86 million.

Bilateral trade and investments between Ghana and India have been steadily growing. Indias cumulative investments in Ghana till date have exceeded USD 1 billion and bilateral trade crossed US USD 3 billion mark in 2015-16.

President Mahama will also host a State Banquet in honour of Mukherjee.

Mukherjee will depart for Ivory Coast on June 14.

This will be the first high-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

India and Ivory Coast enjoy warm and friendly relations sharing common values of democracy, development and secularism.

Bilateral trade between India and Ivory Coast grew from USD 344.99 million in 2010-11 to US USD 841.85 million in 2014-15.

India has extended lines of credit amounting to USD 156.3 million to the Government of Ivory Coast for developmental projects in diverse fields such as public transportation, rural electrification, rice self-sufficiency, cashew nut processing, vegetable oil processing, coconut fibre processing, fisheries processing etc.

Mukherjee would be received by Alassane Ouattara, President of Republic of Ivory Coast. Both the Presidents will have one-to-one meeting followed by delegation level talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

Mukherjee would be conferred the National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast, the highest honour of the country.

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The President would address a Joint Business Forum and also interact with the Indian Community.

The visit comes days after incidents of attacks on African nationals here that had triggered outrage among the community. PTI TDS MPB SK

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By PTI: Greater Noida, Jun 6 (PTI) Prohibitory orders have been clamped and security stepped up in Bishada village in the wake of a proposed mahapanchyat today over demand for registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaqs family for alleged cow slaughter nine months after he was lynched over rumour that his family had eaten beef.

District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh has clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after Bishada villagers in Dadri announced panchayat for today and additional security personnel have been deployed in the village, officials said.

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Residents of Bishada village, include kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, yesterday met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaqs family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a maha panchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaqs family.

"A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaqs house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard," he said.

"The villagers have decided to hold a maha panchayat as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it," he claimed.

VHP leader Surindera Jain had yesterday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaqs family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

"Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," P L Punia said. PTI Corr RB RT

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By India Today Web Desk:

With the release of the Telugu film Okka Ammayi Thappa round the corner, director Rajasimha Tadinada has expressed his gratitude for cinematographer Chota K Naidu.

"There's no Okka Ammayi Thappa without Chota sir. This is a very complicated script to make and it had already been rejected 13 times by several producers. Had it not been for his vision and support, we could have failed miserably," Rajasimha told IANS.

"Honestly, we didn't have the budget to lavishly spend on visual effects. We needed someone who could shoot the film under a tight budget and still deliver quality visuals. Chota sir ensured that he gave me the kind of output nobody could've given me on this budget," he added.



The film's story is believed to have been inspired from the director's own experience as 60% of the film unfolds on a flyover.



"A few years ago, I got stuck on a flyover for two hours. It inspired me to write a story and in the film, the hero and the heroine meet on the flyover and fall in love. They get stuck for eight hours and what happens during that interim, forms the story," he said. He also assured a surprise angle to the story.

Speaking about the cast, the director said the film was destined to be made with Sundeep.



"Sundeep fought for this film. He believed in it blindly and we had planned to work on this film twice earlier. The project got started and got shelved due to financial reasons. He told me that whenever I make the film, he'd come and work," he said.



Starring Sundeep Kishan and Nithya Menon, the film is slated for a release on June 10.

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This move by the Election Commission follows on the back of the India Today investigation #OperationRajyaSabha which showed how MLAs in Karnataka were willing to sell their votes in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

By India Today Web Desk: The Election Commission is gearing up to write to the government to be granted powers to countermand elections whenever there is adequate proof of money power being used to influence elections.

This move by the poll watch dog follows on the back of the India Today investigation #OperationRajyaSabha which showed how MLAs in Karnataka were willing to sell their votes in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

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The India Today expose had captured four MLAs asking for between Rs 5 to Rs 10 crores to secure their votes for the elections which will be held on June 11.



EC CANCELS ELECTIONS IN 2 TAMIL NADU CONSTITUENCIES

Recently, the Election Commission had cancelled voting in two assembly seats in Tamil Nadu but that had been done by invoking Article 324 of the constitution, which deals with extraordinary powers.

The Election Commission now wants the Law Ministry to amend Sectin 58 A of the Representation of People's Act, 1951. Currently, this section allows the Election Commission to cancel elections in case of booth capturing. However, EC sources feel with the increasing presence of paramilitary forces, booth capturing is no longer as rampant as it was in the 1980's and 1990's. The EC feels with the increasing use of cash to buy votes, there is an urgent need for the Representation of People's Act to be amended.

Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka is expected to submit his report to the Election Commission in Delhi on the India Today investigation #OperationRajyaSabha. Many past Election Commissioners have already demanded that the forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls be countermanded.

ALSO READ | India Today impact: JD(S) general secretary demands cancellation of Rajya Sabha polls

#RajyaSabhaBazaar: How democratic is the Rajya Sabha?



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By PTI: Ex-SIT chief

New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The former chief of SIT tasked to probe the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast case by the Haryana government, Vikash Narain Rai, today said his team did not get any support from the Madhya Pradesh police after their probe led them to Indore.

Rai said he too initially believed that the blast, which ripped through the only train between India and Pakistan, was the handiwork of a Pakistani terror outfit aided by the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

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However, detailed study of the explosive used by the perpetrators of the crime showed the material was not similar to those used by the terror groups like Lashker-e-Taiba or SIMI. Further probe led them to Hindu right wing suspects.

"Our investigations led us to Indore from where the suitcase (used in the explosion) was purchased. On detailed survey of the market, we found that other material was also purchased from the same place.

"The sad part is that the kind of support we wanted from the local police was missing and this took us a little time in solving the entire mystery behind the case," he said.

"As we were zeroing on Sunil Joshi, we received a news that he has been murdered by two of his close associates -- Ram Chandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange (both are named as RSS workers by the NIA in its charge sheet in the 2008 Malegaon blast case)," he said, adding his assassination was an attempt to cover up the case.

Further investigations led the SIT to conclude that Hindu hardliners were involved in the case.

"The signatures were the same in Malegaon 2008 and Mecca Masjid blast. I had detailed talks with the slain Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare which corroborated many things of our case.

"Like we benefited by recovering a suitcase with an unexploded explosive device, Karkare was benefited by recovering the motorcycle (that was used in Malegaon blast). Investigations in both the cases hinted towards Joshi and his team," he said. PTI SKL CHT SK SK

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By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court today agreed to hear tomorrow a plea seeking direction to Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government to recommend a CBI probe into the horrific violence in Mathura killing two police officers including the Superintendent of Police and over two dozens squatters.

A vacation bench of justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy listed the matter, filed by lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, for tomorrow after it was mentioned for urgent hearing.

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Advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for Upadhyay, said "the evidences at the site are being destroyed after the violence. As per media reports, over 200 vehicles have been burnt".

She sought an urgent hearing saying CBI probe is necessary, looking at the gravity of the violence. The plea was acceded to by the bench.

29 people, including Mathura SP Mukul Dwivedi and SHO Santosh Kumar Yadav were killed in the clash between the police and encroachers that broke out in the city on June 2 when police tried to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Allahabad High Court orders.

Upadhyay in his plea said the court may also take suo motu cognizance of the matter and direct the CBI enquiry, as "it is necessary to find out the truth, root cause of the incident and nexus among executive, legislature and the said group".

He also sought a direction to the state and Centre for framing of a uniform policy for compensation for families of the deceased in such cases.

Referring to the extent of the loss of lives and damages, the plea said, "the police recovered 47 guns, 6 rifles and 179 hand grenades from the camp. By June 3, they had arrested 368 people, 120 of whom were charged with creating disturbances.

"This included 196 preventive arrests, including those of 116 women. CBI inquiry is necessary to find out the root cause of the Mathura incident and nexus among the Executive, Legislatures and the extremist group...".

The plea also claimed the union government was ready for a CBI inquiry into the incident but Uttar Pradesh government was developing cold feet in recommending CBI probe. PTI MNL SJK ARC

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By PTI: From Sathish Anand

Moscow, Jun 6 (PTI) Certain technological parameters have been enhanced at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu to increase its safety standards following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, a senior Russian official has said.

Vladimir A Angelov, Director for Projects in India, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, said although these were "serious modifications, the price of the contract remains unchanged."

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Speaking to select Indian journalists on the sidelines of the world nuclear conference ATOMEXPO 2016 here recently, while discussing about a range of issues relating to KNPP, he said the atomic power plant in south India was "Generation 3 plus which takes into account the Fukushima event."

"We have enhanced certain technological parameters in units 3 and 4 taking into account Fukushima lessons, specifically the seismic parameters. Although these are quite serious modifications the price of the contract remains unchanged," he said.

While the Indian side had requested the Russian experts to review the possibility of enhancing certain parameters, "we also undertook the effort of analysing and enhancing them," he said.

"So power units 3 and 4 are designed for a higher seismic climatic and technical impact," he said.

Asked if units 1 and 2 were post-Fukushima compliant, he said "this is one NPP and one design".

It is "one protection for whole NPP. So the protection of the first and second power units will also be improved taking into account the improvements done at power units 3 and 4."

"And we have started the designing of units 5 and 6 also taking into account the new events. For example, the hydraulic structures of power units 3 and 4 are designed taking into account the design of future power units 5 and 6 and the new requirements," he said.

However, units 1 and 2 were fully compliant with the post-Fukushima "lessons", he said.

Japans Fukushima nuclear power station located in the Pacific Ocean coast received huge damage by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

As regards operations at KNPP, there were about 10 shift supervisors with relevant experience in the first unit and "it is going to be the same in power units 2,3 and 4", he said.

The Indian side approves operators after checking their qualification and such persons have "high qualification" of 30 years of having worked with the VVER design, being used in KNPP, he said. PTI SA PMS AKJ PMS

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The says that she could not have committed suicide. That it was tough to hold a piece of glass in her hands. Else, she would not have petitioned the President of India for euthanasia in 2007. "We wouldn't be talking either," she smiles. Meekly. Seema Sood no longer looks like her profile picture on Facebook. The one in which she has long never-ending thick hair and a radiant face like most Himachali girls.

An almost studio-like setting picture with green trees in the background. She is not wearing thick spectacles in that either. She weighs less than 40 kg now. She is 47 and has been walking with a stick since she was 28. Bed-ridden since 1994, she has two degrees from BITS Pilani, MSc in Engineering Technology and Masters in Engineering, where she scored 90 per cent and 98 per cent respectively.



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"I have always been a gold medallist," she says, quite matter of fact. Before she graduated from BITS in 1991, she started feeling the pain. It started with her toes. It was the year 1988. The doctors thought it was arthritis. But actually it was Rheumatoid arthritis; an autoimmune disorder that results in swollen and painful joints affects joints.

It may result in low red blood cell count, inflammation around the lungs and the heart. Her actual condition was diagnosed in 2014. When in 2005, her condition worsened and she reached Fortis, Mohali where she was advised joint and hip replacement surgeries at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, Sood, whose father had passed away in the year 2000 and mother, who is now 81, went quiet.

"I did not know what to say hearing the cost of surgery. I think that was the moment I knew that dying made sense, much more sense." The mother-daughter duo went back to Palampur. After the Himachal Pradesh government heard of Sood's euthanasia petition to the President in 2007, they promised to take care of her medical expenses of the surgery, which was conducted in 2008.

Sood went back to her native place. And she also slowly went back to pain and discomfort. She is a bit tired now. "Tired, also of telling my story." We ask her what she misses the most and she says, "I have never seen a shopping mall in my life. I have seen it on TV." If she didn't have this disease, she could have gone far. "I would have been a CEO of a top company. That was far for me."

In touch with batch mates? Do they know you are here, for a disease with such complex spellings? Smiles. "I never told them. I did not want any pity. But one day in 2014, the silver jubilee year of our batch, a friend messaged, asking if I would be attending. I could not stop myself from telling her. She didn't say much. The next day, another batchmate, who now lives in Jammu drove all the way to my house in Palampur. He just said, "We won't let you die. My house runs because of my batchmates scattered across the world--US, Middle East, UK."

She is also painting nowadays. "I have even made a painting for my mother. She doesn't know it. It is going to be a surprise for her. My first painting was of a red rose. I bought colours for Rs 10 and painted it. You must not leave before seeing all my chart papers." She feels her doctor is the best thing to have happened to her.

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"We keep in touch through WhatsApp. He keeps telling me that I must not give up," she says. Anil Abrol, 36, is the good doctor, the kind of man who wears an ironed shirt and formal trousers. And smiles often. He says that when the hospital authorities wanted to reexamine Sood, he could not help but be excited about being part of the team.

He remembers that the first time she came, Sood had to be carried by two people. "I have always been in touch with her--talking to her, messaging her. I have one goal --she has to be made independent, no matter what." Why are you doing all this? "Is a doctor not supposed to?" Why are you doing all this? "Because somewhere medical science is still not just about money."

Why does she want to live now, we ask Seema? "I have hope."

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By PTI: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Jun 6 (PTI) A top Chinese military official today arrived here on a four-day visit during which he will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Nepal Army chief Rajendra Kshetri.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, of Joint Staff Department, Central Military Commission of China, was accorded a warm welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport here.

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Sun will call on Rawal, also the Minister for Defence, and meet Nepal Army chief Kshetri, said a statement issued by the army.

It said such high-level exchanges between the Nepal Army and the Peoples Liberation Army will help in strengthening existing friendly relations between the two armies. PTI SBP ABH

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The accident came just hours after reported lightning strikes and a signal disruption on the line.

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train is seen after it crashed in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium. Photo: AP

By AP: A late-night passenger train slammed at high speed into a slow-moving freight train in eastern Belgium, killing three people and sending nine others to the hospital, authorities said today. The accident came just hours after reported lightning strikes and a signal disruption on the line.

Two cars from the passenger train derailed when it rear-ended the freight train around 11 p.m. Sunday in Hermalle-Sous-Huy, a hamlet on the Meuse River. Belgian prosecutor Brigitte Leroy said the passenger train was traveling around 60 mph (100 kph), and the freight 6-9 mph (10-15 kph) at the time of the crash. Earlier reports had said the freight train was stopped.

Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash. Photo: AP

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Nine people were hospitalized, some in critical condition, and the death toll could rise, said Francis Dejon, mayor of St. Georges-sur-Meuse. Twenty-seven other passengers were treated at the scene.

Dejon told a news conference that the passenger train's first car was so badly damaged "it was curled back on itself." The second of the six cars also derailed and came to a stop listing to the side.

Belgian railway police and state prosecutors were investigating the cause of the accident.

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train is seen after it crashed. Photo: AP

State broadcaster RTBF said the dead included two passengers and the train's driver. RTBF TV reported many of the passengers were students in their early 20s returning to school after the weekend.

Belgium's King Philippe and Prime Minister Charles Michel were expected to visit the crash site later Monday.

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train. Photo: AP

It took rescuers three hours to free people from the wreckage of the train, which carried around 40 people when it crashed 17 miles (27 kilometers) southwest of the city of Liege while traveling from Mouscron to Liers.

The wheels and axle of one train car were knocked loose by the impact. A large chunk of wreckage jutted up from the freight train of around 20 cars.

Investigators stand near the wreckage of a train after it crashed. Photo: AP

Belgium's national railway operation, SNCB, reported on its Twitter account Sunday that there was "a signals disruption" on the rail line about an hour and a half before the wreck occurred, but said the problem had been solved.

A spokesman for Infrabel, a separate company that oversees Belgium's rail infrastructure, said installations where the wreck occurred "were hit by lightning" earlier Sunday.

"It's an element we're going to have to look at, but it's premature to see this as the cause of the accident," spokesman Frederic Sacre said.

The wreckage of a train crash. Photo: AP

The wreck halted train service between Namur and Liege, two of Belgium's largest cities, and an SNCB spokeswoman said it could take several days to clear the tracks.

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Leroy, the prosecutor, said it may be months before the crash investigation is complete.

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Ramkumar (15) and Solomon (15) were returning back from a playground when the accident.

By Promod Madhav: Two teens were killed in an accident in Chennai after their scooter hit a police van.

Ramkumar (15) and his friend Solomon (15) were returning from a playground when the accident happened near Pananthope railway ground, Ayanavaram yesterday afternoon.

An eye witness said that Solomon was driving the scooter and they rammed into the police vehicle head-on when Solomon leaped over an unexpected speed bump. Losing balance, the scooter skidded and unfortunately the van's front wheel ran over Ramkumar.

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The teens were rushed to Stanley hospital where Ramkumar was declared brought dead while Solomon succumbed to injuries later.

An official later explained that, the reason for the accident is bad roads combined with rash driving.

Solomon did not have a license to drive the scooter as he was a minor and both were not wearing helmets. Many citizens around Perambur and Ayanavaram complain about teens causing public disturbance through rash driving.



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Professor Ajit Mal said Sarkar was quiet and reserved and would not even greet him when the two men passed each other, which the professor found somewhat odd since both hail from West Bengal and speak the same language.

By Press Trust of India: An Indian-American professor has said Mainak Sarkar, who was behind the UCLA murder-suicide, left little impression as a student in his class and never used to greet him when they passed each other despite both hailing from West Bengal.

Professor Ajit Mal was in his University of California, Los Angeles, office getting ready to teach his engineering class when IIT-Kharagpur alumni Mainak Sarkar shot and killed 39-year-old professor William Klug, who he had accused of stealing his computer code and giving it to someone else.

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Mal praised another UCLA professor Christopher Lynch for his quick action that kept the 38-year-old UCLA gunman from escaping and potentially shooting more people.

Both Mal and Lynch were quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that Sarkar's allegation that Klug had stolen his computer code was groundless.

Lynch said all UCLA employees and graduate students sign over any intellectual property developed there to the university and, if it is subsequently licensed, enter royalty agreements to share in the profits.

SARKAR WAS MEDIOCRE



Both men said that Sarkar had enrolled in their classes several years earlier but left little impression.

Mal said Sarkar was quiet and reserved and would not even greet him when the two men passed each other, which the professor found somewhat odd since both hail from West Bengal and speak the same language.

He also said it was likely that Klug never knew of Sarkar's animosity toward him. If he had, Mal said, Klug would probably have consulted him for his Indian cultural insights and years of experience. The two men were close as Mal had headed the search committee that hired Klug in 2003.

"This whole thing is so incredible and bizarre because Bill is the least likely to have some conflict with students. He was so very caring," Mal said.

'IF HE HAD STEPPED OUT, WE'D ALL BE IN TROUBLE'



Recounting the horrific incident, Mal said after hearing odd sounds, he came out of his fourth-floor office in the Engineering 4 building as did Lynch.

At that time, neither Mal nor Lynch, both professors of mechanical and aerospace engineering, knew what had happened. However, Lynch did know that Klug would never take his own life. He figured a shooter was inside. And he knew that more than a dozen faculty and staff members were on the floor at the time.

So he went to Klug's office and held the door shut. "If he had stepped out. We'd all be in trouble," Lynch said of the shooter.

After that, Lynch heard a third shot inside and then silence. Lynch assumed the shooter had killed himself. Within minutes, the professors said, police converged and cleared out the floor. Lynch gave the door key to police without looking inside and left.

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Besides holding the door shut, Mal said, Lynch also shouted at him and other colleagues to return to their offices and close their doors, thereby saving lives.

Also read:



UCLA murder-suicide gunman Mainak Sarkar had planned a third killing

UCLA shooting: Gunman who killed professor, self, identified as Indian origin student



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By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Malcolm Grant, chairman of UKs largest healthcare system National Health Service (NHS), today held discussions with senior officials of the Health Ministry on issues related to the sector.

Grant, who is leading a high-powered trade mission to India comprising representatives of 23 British companies and NHS Trusts, was accompanied by Jane Grady, Deputy Director of Trade and Investments (UKTI) and Deborah Kobewka, managing director of Healthcare UK.

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The UK delegations visit is part an agreement between both the countries to increase investment and co-operation in health and related sectors and to develop 11 joint health institutes.

Sources said that during the meeting, the UK sought the support of Indian government on medicities.

Senior Health Ministry officials said that there are many areas where the two countries can partner and learn from each other.

"We discussed on various topics including that of setting up of 11 health institutes. The process has started and various discussions were held on that. They are also keen on setting up the institute in Amravati," a Health Ministry source said.

Earlier in the day, Grant said the United Kingdom can play a "significant" role in helping India work out the best healthcare solutions for its proposed smart cities.

The delegation, which was at the inauguration of the Smart Healthcare Demonstrator exhibition here today, will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru. PTI TDS RCJ PAL RCJ

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By PTI: Utsav

Rourkela, Jun 6 (PTI) Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today failed to turn up at the much-hyped Vikas Utsav of BJP in this steel city, organised to commemorate two years of NDA government at the Centre.

Apart from the Union Steel and Mines Minister, Union MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar was also unable to attend the event, making it lacklustre even as the state BJP was in a fix over the partys Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray keeping away from the programme.

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The MLA left for Kolkata after voicing displeasure over delay in setting up of a medical college and upgradation of Ispat General Hospital into a super-speciality hospital in Rourkela despite promises made by the Centre.

The only consolation for the party was the presence of local MP and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.

Addressing the event, Oram said, "We have achieved many notable things in the last two years," and listed different programmes, like Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and other such initiatives of the Narendra Modi government.

On foreign policy, he claimed, "Today Indias image in the international arena has changed drastically and this is due to the untiring efforts of Modiji."

"Corruption, as promised by Modiji during the last Lok Sabha election, is nowhere to be seen today and this I shall say is one of our biggest achievements," Oram said. PTI CORR SKN DKB NSD KKB

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Deepika Padukone is playing the role of a hunter named Serena in the upcoming Hollywood film.

Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel in a still from XXX The Return Of Xander Cage

By India Today Web Desk: A new still of Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel from the upcoming Hollywood film XXX The Return Of Xander Cage has taken the internet by storm.

ALSO READ: Anushka Sharma to replace Deepika Padukone in Aanand L Rai's fil m?

ALSO READ: Deepika Padukone to make her Telugu debut in Chiranjeevi's next?

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Vin Diesel took to Instagram to share the new still from the film. The chemistry between the Hollywood star and Deepika is smoking hot and the still has now raised the fans' expectation level further.

Destiny.... #thereturnofxandercage A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Jun 5, 2016 at 7:15am PDT

Deepika Padukone is making her Hollywood debut in this much-anticipated film, which is directed by DJ Caruso. The Bajirao Mastani actor will play the role of a hunter named Serena in the XXX sequel.



XXX The Return of Xander Cage, a sequel to the 2002 film XXX and 2005 film XXX State of the Union, also stars Vin Diesel, Samuel L Jackson, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa.

The film is all set to hit the screens on January 20, 2017.

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Yamato Tanooka went missing in a forest in China after his angry parents left him there as a punishment for 'bad behaviour'. He survived without food and water for 6 days and was found on June 3.

By India Today Web Desk: On May 31, a Chinese couple hit the headlines for a rather cruel act of abandoning their 7-year-old son in a mountain forest as a punishment for bad behaviour. The boy went missing in the woods and couldn't be found despite extensive search operations.

People around the world criticized the couple for being insensitive to the child. On June 3, after 6 days since the boy went missing, Yamato Tanooka was found. Alive.

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Yamato Tanooka was found sheltering in a hut on a military drill field some 5.5 kilometres from where he had been abandoned.

On one hand nation rejoiced the boy's discovery and on the other the whole incident sparked a debate on parenting and the degree of punishment meted out on a child.

Local reports state that his parents are now faced with the charge of possible mental abuse.



Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father said to a local news broadcaster TBS, "I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry."

"And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you," Tanooka added choking up.

Father's dignity

Yamato's parents faced scathing online criticism for their harsh action of forcing him out the car to teach him a lesson.

His father told the local media that he was already miffed because Yamato had been scolded at school for hitting cars with a wooden stick.

"So I tried to show him that I can be scary if seriously angry," he said, citing what he described as a "father's dignity".

After being reunited with his son last week, Mr Tanooka broke down and admitted that his actions had been "excessive".

"I deeply apologise to people at his school, people in the rescue operation, and everybody for causing them trouble." he said.

The police in Hokkaido have registered a written notification about possible case of abuse against the parents, to a child welfare centre in the city of Hakodate, reports the Guardian.



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The women were put in iron cages and burnt to death in Iraq's Mosul city after they refused to have sex with ISIS fighters.

By India Today Web Desk: Nineteen Yazidi women were burnt alive by ISIS militants in the Iraqi city of Mosul after they refused to have sex with the extremists. The incident took place last week.

According to the Kurdish ARA News agency, the women were put in iron cages and burnt to death as hundreds of people watched in horror.

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"They were punished for refusing to have sex with ISIS militants," the news agency quoted Abdullah al-Malla, a local media activist, as saying.

THOUSANDS OF YAZIDIS RAPED, KILLED

Islamic State militants have killed, raped and enslaved thousands of Yazidis since 2014, forcing over 400,000 of the religious minority group to flee their homes in northern Iraq, accusing them of being devil worshippers.

ISIS executes 250 women for refusing to become sex slaves

According to the United Nations, the Sunni militants enslaved about 7,000 women and girls in 2014, mainly Yazidis whose faith blends elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam, and is still holding 3,500, some as sex slaves.

Islamic State militants have exploited the five-year civil war in Syria to seize areas in that country and in neighbouring Iraq, taking control of swathes of territory with an eye toward establishing jihadism in the heart of the Arab world.

WATCH:The ISIS sex slave racket



The United States began air strikes against militant targets in Iraq in August 2014 in part to save the Yazidis and in March this year declared the attacks on Yazidis and other religious groups amounted to genocide.

IRAQI ARMY'S FINAL ASSAULT IN FALLUJA

The Iraqi government forces, in May, started what they describe as the "final assault" to take back control over Falluja, the second largest Iraqi city after Mosul to remain under Islamic State control. It is the first Iraqi city that the terror group captured in January 2014.

As Islamic State's income drops 30 per cent, crazy fines imposed

Falluja is a historic bastion of the insurgency against both the US occupation of Iraq and the Shiia-led authorities who took over after Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni, was overthrown.

(With Reuters inputs)

WATCH: ISIS puts Jordanian pilot in cage, burns him alive

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The revised policy is applicable on categories like mobile phones, electronics and books, which are also the top-selling categories on Flipkart.

By Manish Sain: Flipkart, which is arguably India's biggest e-retailer, has revised its return policy for popular products. The policy, which earlier allowed customers to return a product in within 30 days of purchase, will now give only a 10-day window to consumers.

Along with a the new return policy, website has also hiked the commission that sellers have to pay to the site. The new rates for sellers will come into effect from June 20.

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The revised policy is applicable on categories like mobile phones, electronics and books, which are also the top-selling categories on Flipkart. However, the old 30-days policy will still be applicable for footwear, eyewear, jewellery, clothing, watches, fashion accessories, and large appliances.

A report by The Economic Times said that the company has also told sellers to pay higher commissions from June 20. This change can lead to an increase in prices of products by up to 9 per cent.

"The impact of this change should come into effect from July," the company said in a communication to sellers.

Flipkart, which is still India's biggest success story in e-commerce, has lost its mojo in the last few months. The company's valuation, depending on who you ask, has taken a hit and it is reportedly finding difficult to raise the kind of money that it was raising from investors earlier. It is also facing tough competition from companies Like Amazon and Snapdeal.

The revised return policy is probably an attempt by Flipkart to reduce its cost. The generous return policy, which although regular in more mature markets like the US, was unique in India when it was introduced by Flipkart. However, it was probably abused by buyers, leading to increase in costs for Flipkart and its sellers.

The shortened period to replace a product would possibly help sellers using Flipkart deal with fraudulent replacement claims in a better way.

"The revised structure across shipping, commission and returns will enable sellers to have predictability and better manage their online business," said a Flipkart spokesperson, according to the ET report.

Recently, Amazon had also revised its return and refund policy on popular products like mobile phones. The revised Amazon policy also requires a user to replace the product within 10 days, if necessary.

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It's every bit as 'built to take a beating' as its predecessor phone, the Galaxy S6 Active.

By Saurabh Singh: Samsung's rough and tough take on its all glass and metal flagship Galaxy S7 phone, aka the Galaxy S7 Active is now official. And it's every bit as 'built to take a beating' as its predecessor phone, the Galaxy S6 Active. Only this time round, Samsung seems to be eyeing two relatively distinct target audiences -- consumers and enterprises -- in one shot: audiences looking for a phone that is every bit as secure as it is tough.

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The Galaxy S7 Active replaces the glass and metal build of the Galaxy S7 with more durable plastic and metal, that for obvious reasons, also adds to the phone's height and girth. The Active variant is at least 2mm thicker than the standard Galaxy S7. The Active variant, in addition, houses an extra protective polycarbonate layer on top of the screen which is said to increase the phone's shatter resistance. The phone is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.

If that wasn't enough, the Galaxy S7 Active is claimed to have passed the US Military Standard (MIL-STD) 810G tests for ruggedness. The phone can withstand exposure to high and low temperatures, salt, humidity, and shock, according to the company.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge launched in India, price starts at Rs 48,900

For enterprises, it comes with a touch-based fingerprint sensor (much like in the Galaxy S7), Knox security suite and other security-focused features.

As for specifications, the Galaxy S7 Active retains much of the hardware features of the original Galaxy S7, save a bigger 4,000mAh battery (still non-removable) and a single 32GB memory variant with support for expandable storage.

The Galaxy S7 Active comes with a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB RAM.

Just like the outgoing Galaxy S6 Active, the Galaxy S7 Active will be an AT&T exclusive in the US.



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The company has been revamping its product line-up in India considering the increasing competition from older firms like Bose, Sony as well as from new entrants like RHA, Audeze, and Audio Technica.

By Manish Sain: German audio company Sennheiser has launched its latest over-the-ear closed HD 630VB headphones in India at a price of Rs 39,990. The headphones will be available on the company's official website.

One of the big features of the HD 630VB is its customisable bass. The HD 630VB has a rotary dial on the left ear cup, which can be adjusted to set the amount of bass you want in your music. The right ear cup houses music controls and a microphone.

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The headphone weighs 400 grams and carries a collapsible design, which makes it easier to carry around.

The HD 630VB can also deliver high-resolution audio output. Unlike most high-end headphones, which are built for iPhones, the HD 630VB is compatible with Android and iPhone both.

Also Read: u-Jays headphone review: Great looks, good sound

The company claims that the HD 630VB can achieve precise reproduction of voices and instruments in the mid-ranges and brilliant trebles, thanks to a coil wire made from pure aluminium.

Commenting on the launch Mr. Kapil Gulati, director, consumer segment, Sennheiser, said, "We have always worked towards offering the most perfect audio experience and with HD 630VB we have translated our long-standing experience in the field of high-end audio into a closed-back design. These audiophile headphones are meant to redefine audiophile listening for years to come."

Also Read: Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear review: Not everyone's cup of tea

Last month the company had added three more headphones to its famous HD400 series. It had launched HD 451 for Rs 5,000, HD 461 for Rs 5,990, and HD 471 for Rs 7,990 in India.

The company has been revamping its product line-up in India considering the increasing competition from older firms like Bose, Sony as well as from new entrants like RHA , Audeze, and Audio Technica.

Sony has also been adding new headphones almost every month. The company recently upgraded its h.ear line-up with MDR-100ABN headphones and also made addition to its Extreme Bass series with MDR-XB650BT headphones.

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By India Today Web Desk: OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has taken to social media to show off the first OnePlus 3 camera samples with the world. Although it's not clear whether these have been taken with an actual retail unit, their level of detail certainly ups the excitement around the soon-to-be-launched smartphone.

Taken by Pete Lau himself, the camera samples reaffirm the fact that the OnePlus 3 will indeed have a 16-megapixel camera on the rear. Reports suggest that it will sport an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

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OnePlus has made three phones till now and a fourth one is coming come June 14. Normally one would be curious to ask what lies ahead. A smartwatch perhaps? Well, OnePlus thought so as well, only it scrapped the plan at the very last moment. In an interview withthe Wall Street Journal, Pete Lau has confirmed that a OnePlus smartwatch was indeed in the making. It could have been launched alongside the OnePlus 3, but the company eventually realised that launching a smartwatch -- at this point of time -- wasn't a very good idea.

According to Pete Lau, in an overcrowded Chinese market, staying hyperfocused was the key to surviving. OnePlus would rather compete in a segment where it already enjoys a firm hand, rather than push for something that is yet to mature and lose focus.

"We had completed the design (for the smartwatch) but we still decided to scrap it. We have to be focused," Pete Lau was quoted as saying.

Adding one more smartwatch in an overcrowded market would in turn weaken the company's otherwise strong lineup.

"There is no bottom line at all. To use a Chinese saying, it's like Chinese smartphone makers are competing to see who can take their pants off first," Lau was further quoted as saying.



Also Read: OnePlus 3 with Snapdragon 820, 4GB/6GB RAM listed online ahead of launch

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a package of stories in the JG-TC series, "Dopesick: The Heroin Epidemic." The term "dopesick" is what users say when they are looking for heroin.

DECATUR -- Eric Buntain described the feeling of injecting heroin into his vein as warm, euphoric, comfortable and relaxing: It feels great.

About 30 seconds after injecting heroin, theres a surge of warmth coming from the low spinal area, a rush of sensation and an overriding sense of well-being.

Its like nothing else Ive ever felt, Buntain said. It just washes over you.

Buntain never wants that feeling again.

Thats because after five to 10 days of use, the urge to use the drug switches from a desire to feel good to a need to keep from feeling bad.

You get addicted quickly, and you build a tolerance, said Troy Pulliam, a former heroin addict and current Heritage Behavioral Health Center Drug Court recovery specialist. After that, the high is pretty much gone, and youre only using it so you dont get sick.

Users call it being drug sick, with symptoms of sleeplessness, excessive tearing of the eyes, yawning, muscle aches, joint pain, spasms, goosebumps, stomach cramps, hyperventilation, hypothermia, excessive pupil dilation, inability to focus, vomiting, diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, anxiety and hostile behavior. Withdrawal symptoms are the flu multiplied by 10.

To describe that  you almost just have to experience it yourself, said Buntain, whos now in long-term recovery. Its the worst feeling in the world. Your legs feel like theres something crawling inside them, you cant lay still, youre sick to your stomach, one minute youre sweating and the next minute youre freezing and your brain will not stop. All you can think is, Get me well. Get me well, and you know all it will take is one shot to do that instantly.

-- -- --

It's likely anyone reading this sentence has heard of heroin. It conjures up various images: needles and spoons; a disheveled man in dirty clothes nodding off; plunging a needle in Uma Thurmans heart in Pulp Fiction.

Heroin has been in the United States since 1898, 24 years after it was invented by British chemist C.R. Alder Wright. Its popularity has ebbed and flowed but has recently hit an all-time high.

According to statistics released by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, the number of past-year heroin users increased from 373,000 in 2007 to 914,000 in 2014. The same report estimates the amount of pure heroin produced in Mexico went up to 70 metric tons in 2015, a 67 percent increase over 2014, and a 169 percent increase over 2013. Nearly all Mexican heroin is targeted at the U.S., and most of the heroin in the U.S. comes from Mexico.

Because of East Central Illinois' close proximity to St. Louis and Chicago, its been hit particularly hard, said Michael Reeves, a counselor at HSHS St. Marys Behavioral Health in Decatur.

Weve seen a big jump in it here the last five years and especially the last two or three years," Reeves said.

-- -- --

When heroin came to the U.S., it was a legal and sold over-the-counter in drugstores.

According to the book Heroin: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment, by Humberto Fendandez and Dr. Therissa A. Libby, heroin was first produced and sold in the U.S. by Bayer, the same company that later struck it rich with aspirin.

Diacetylmorphine, a substance made by boiling morphine with acetic anhydride, was marketed under the trademark name Heroin. It was sold as a nonaddictive cough suppressant that also was effective in treating chest pain, pneumonia and tuberculosis. It was available in liquid or powder form and was thought to be especially effective for children.

By 1913, as addiction and overdoses began to pile up, Bayer got out of the heroin business. The next year, the Harrison Act was passed, requiring doctors and pharmacists who prescribed narcotics to register and pay a tax. In 1924, the Heroin Act made the manufacture and possession of heroin illegal.

Heroin, like all opiates, is derived from the seed bulbs of opium poppy plants. Cultures have been using opium as far back as the Sumerians in 3300 BC. Today, there are natural opiates, such as codeine and morphine, semisynthetic opioids such as heroin and oxycodone, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Thats just a sample. There are hundreds of types of opioids.

But heroin, unlike the majority of available opioids, is much cheaper because its not made by prescription drug companies.

Grown on remote mountain hillsides in Colombia, Myanmar, Mexico, Thailand, Laos, Afghanistan and Pakistan, poppy plants are harvested twice a year. Sap from the seed bulb is scraped and collected in burlap bags, which are taken to clandestine chemical processing plants, where, under the supervision of a chemist, the raw opium is transformed to pure morphine, then heroin.

-- -- --

After becoming illegal, heroin emerged on the black market in 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition. Needing a way to make up for lost revenue, organized crime turned to heroin. Prior to that, heroin was more of a middle-class housewifes addiction. As it flooded the streets, lower-class men of all races became hooked.

Responding to the growing problem, President Herbert Hoover created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. During Harry Anslingers 32 years as director of that organization, the addict population in the U.S. dropped from more than 200,000 at its peak to 20,000 in 1945. Increased port security during the war also helped curtail importation.

Heroin use in the U.S. remained low for the next couple of decades, but during the Vietnam conflict, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, high-quality heroin from the Golden Triangle (the area where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have common borders) began making its way to American and Australian soldiers in South Vietnam. After the U.S. withdrew, the Golden Triangle labs began exporting directly to the U.S.

Since then, use in the U.S. has been cyclical, rising then waning in favor of other drugs such as crack cocaine, crystal meth, MDMA and, more recently, prescription opioids.

A crackdown on prescription painkillers has led to the heroin boom in the U.S. in the past decade, but the movement toward legal and decriminalized marijuana possession and growth also has played a role.

According to a Jan. 11, 2015, story in the Washington Post, the higher-quality marijuana being grown in the western part of the U.S. is displacing the cheap, seedy, hard-packed version harvested in Mexicos Sierra Madre mountains. In turn, Mexican drug farmers have planted more opium poppies, and the heroin they produce is channeled by the Mexican drug cartel's traffickers -- the infrastructure is already there -- into the U.S., offering addicts a much cheaper alternative to suddenly expensive oxycodone.

-- -- --

Until recently, the heroin from Mexico was called black tar heroin, considered substandard to heroin produced in Afghanistan, still the largest producer in the world. But thats changed. Now Mexican heroin is pure, up to eight times more pure than it was up until a decade ago.

It used to be some people would snort it, but most would use a needle, said Bruce Angleman, Heritage division manager for addictions and criminal justice services. And for a lot of people, there was this line people wouldnt cross -- 'I wont inject because Im not a junkie.'

But now, with the potency so strong, people who are snorting it can get pretty high and get a habit pretty quick. And once they have a habit, its usually just a matter of time before they start injecting it.

And while the heroin made now is more potent, the price hasnt gone up. A novice can get high for $10 to $20.

Its super cheap, its easy to find because there's so much of it out there, and its pure, Reeves said.

It used to be that heroin would be cut, meaning it was mixed with a variety of ingredients including sugar, starch, powdered milk and talcum powder, to increase quantity. Manufacturers still cut it, but now are often using black market fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, to boost the strength because of the competitiveness of the market. Thats leading to more overdoses. According to the American Association of Medicine, there were 10,574 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2014.

It also used to be that heroin was associated with poor black communities, but according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its use is rising fastest in white suburban communities.

It cuts across all demographics, St. Marys Behavioral Health counselor David Vail said. Its everybody and its everywhere.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of six stories in the JG-TC series, "Dopesick: The Heroin Epidemic." The term "dopesick" is what users say when they are looking for heroin.

MATTOON -- Heroin's a big city drug, so that's why local police say the number of cases of it they handle is far less than that of other narcotics.

But while methamphetamine leads the way in prevalence, heroin's presence and the harsh reality of its effects make it a concern, and a growing one at that.

"It can certainly wreck lives," Mattoon police Deputy Chief Jason Taylor said of methamphetamine. "But heroin can kill you the first time you use it."

The Mattoon-based East Central Illinois Task Force drug investigation unit made 14 heroin-related arrests during 2015, according to statistics the agency provided. Methamphetamine arrests by the task force totaled 97 last year.

Still, heroin users can, and do, make the short drive to Champaign or other large cities in the area to get the drug, police say.

"That scenario plays out daily," said Ryan Starrick, the task force's commander.

He said that's why local police usually end up finding "user amounts" when they do catch someone with heroin. Heroin can be used in doses as small as a tenth of a gram, or about three one hundredths of an ounce, he explained.

"It's difficult to detect," Starrick said. "The amounts a user can have are so small."

While the task force conducts more in-depth drug investigations, city police and ambulance crews are the ones who respond to emergency situations, such as someone who's overdosed on drugs.

So, the number of arrests doesn't really tell the tale of how much heroin is around, they say.

"In the last couple of years, we have seen a spike in heroin overdoses," Charleston fire Chief Steve Bennett said.

Bennett added that heroin is frequently mixed with other drugs and it's more potent than it was when it was more commonly used decades ago.

"Heroin is a lot different than it used to be," he said. "It's a lot more dangerous. It takes less to overdose."

He said the fire department's paramedics have responded to about a dozen overdoses in the last two years, one that was fatal. Other patients were "on the brink" but paramedics were able to revive them, he added.

That was possible because ambulances throughout the area are equipped with a drug called naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan. It can restore breathing for someone with the respiratory failure that a heroin overdose causes.

"We use it more because of heroin ODs," said paramedic Mike Ueleke of the Mattoon Fire Department.

Naloxone has been on ambulances for at least 20 years, but until more recently paramedics were called to use it mostly for accidental overdoses of drugs for which a person had a prescription, Mattoon fire Assistant Chief Sean Junge said.

"We're definitely seeing an increase in recreational drugs," he said.

The larger presence of heroin began about six years ago for a variety of reasons, and that's when Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center began seeing more overdose patients, physician John Lauer said.

Lauer is the medical director of the hospital's behavioral medicine department, an inpatient psychiatric center with cases including substance abuse.

Doctors over-prescribing painkillers eventually led to patients building a tolerance and turning to heroin that's now available in nearby locations and otherwise easier to obtain, he said.

"Heroin's cheaper," Lauer said. "It's a lot more prevalent."

He also said there was a transition to heroin after state laws made it more difficult to get ingredients to make methamphetamine, and it also increased when new public housing opened and drew some Chicago-area residents to Coles County.

Charleston police Deputy Chief Chad Reed said city officers and paramedics have responded to several overdoses in the last four years or so. It's good that the paramedics and the naloxone are nearby, he said.

"Without those guys being trained in that we'd have dozens of heroin deaths," Reed said.

He said Charleston's most prevalent drug is marijuana, especially with the Eastern Illinois University student community, but heroin causes the most problems because it drains more public resources.

"Not too many people overdose on marijuana," Reed said.

Taylor said Mattoon officers have responded to an average of one fatal overdose each year for the last five years, and about twice that many non-fatal overdoses.

Coles County Coroner Ed Schniers said his office's records show there was one fatal heroin overdose in the county in 2013, one in 2014 and two last year.

He said there's been one fatal overdose from heroin combined with another drug so far this year, adding that the records don't reflect any deaths at hospitals in other counties after overdose patients were taken there from Coles County.

Two separate deaths from heroin overdoses in Mattoon in the last two years resulted in what were apparently the first times Coles County authorities charged the alleged suppliers with drug-induced homicide.

In both those cases, police accounts and records say the person who overdosed or the people who provided the heroin to the person who overdosed traveled to Champaign to get it.

Some suspects that officers with the drug task force interview said they make several trips a day to get heroin in Champaign or another nearby larger city, ECITF Inspector Matt McCormick said.

"They say, 'If I could get heroin here, I wouldn't go to Champaign,' " he said.

The task force officers agreed that the possibility of fatal overdoses make it different than other drugs but still said "it's not the biggest problem" in the immediate area, Starrick said.

While other locations are sources for heroin, the Coles County area is "its own little market" for methamphetamine and people often come here to buy that drug, Starrick said.
CHARLESTON -- Two Arizona residents arrested in Mattoon earlier this year on suspicion of money laundering failed to appear at a scheduled court hearing Monday.

New arrest warrants were issued for Carmen-Lorenda Nistor, 30, and Catalin Nistor, 35, who were allowed to return to their home state after an agreed-to bond reduction in their cases about three weeks after their arrests.

The bond agreement included a requirement that the two suspects sign extradition waivers. The waivers meant they wouldn't contest authorities' attempts to return them to Illinois to face the charges if they didn't appear voluntarily.

The two Phoenix residents were arrested on April 8 after police said they found about 40 gift and debit cards and just more than $25,000 in cash in their van.

The investigation revealed that the cards had been altered in a way "consistent with money laundering and narcotic trafficking," according to records in their cases.

In addition to charging the Nistors with money laundering offenses, the Coles County State's Attorney's Office has also filed a forfeiture case against them.

It claims the money that was found and the Nistors' van should be forfeited because they were used in connection with criminal activity. That case is separate from the criminal proceedings and no hearings are set in that matter.

On Monday, Circuit Judge Teresa Righter scheduled a hearing for July 11 to review the criminal case and decide if the earlier $1,000 bond each of the Nistors posted should be revoked.

Righter granted the request from Assistant State's Attorney Rob Scales to issue the new arrest warrant and set an additional $2,500 bond for each suspect. Attorney Sean Britton, who represents both Nistors, objected.

The original bond amount for the suspects was $100,000 each.

When the earlier bond reduction was granted, Scales said he agreed to that move because of the amount of time it's expected to take to investigate the case.

He mentioned that criminal suspects in custody have to go to trial within four months of their arrests unless they agree to a delay. The time needed for the Nistors' case could take longer than that, Scales said.

Also at that time, Britton said he thought the Nistors would return to Illinois for their court hearings and their arrest was largely a result of language barriers and cultural differences.

According to the cases' records, the search of the Nistors' van came after police responded to a report of a man, later identified at Catalin Nistor, panhandling for money in the parking lot the Mattoon Wal-Mart.

Catalin Nistor told police that Carmen-Loredana Nistor, his wife, was waiting for him in their van, which was parked nearby in the parking lot of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, according to the records.

Police then asked for and received permission to search the van after they smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from it, the records also say.

The search of the Nistors' van also located a business card from a business in Des Moines, Iowa, the records also say. When local police contacted authorities in that city, they were told that the business is suspected of being a front for drug trafficking, they say.

The money laundering charges are the only charges on file against the Nistors so far. Money laundering is a felony offense that can result in a prison sentence of three to seven years with a conviction.
Nebraskas Ag Department on Monday released the first draft of new guidelines intended to offer a standardized approach to locating and approving large livestock operations.

Construction of large livestock facilities can become contentious with neighbors concerned about smell, the impact on quality of life, pollution, roads and other issues. Designers of the Nebraska Livestock Siting Assessment Matrix intended it to be a science-based tool to balance farm growth with protecting neighbors and natural resources.

Its a tool that has been designed to site livestock regardless of who owns them, said Mark McHargue, a pork producer and vice president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, who served on an advisory committee.

This was designed to be a third-party analysis of the siting process.

The matrix is only a suggested guideline. It will be up to local and county officials whether they follow it. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture will accept comments on it through July 31. The committee will review and consider submitted comments prior to final publication of the assessment matrix in August.

It could soon be put to the test, McHargue said.

Costco Wholesale Corp. is looking to build a massive chicken processing facility south of Fremont and is looking to sign up farmers to raise the poultry.

To support the facilitys need for chickens -- it would process nearly 350,000 birds daily -- the company plans to create a network of 330 barns.

Farmers could sign up to host as many as 12 barns. Each barn would house up to 43,000 chickens and produce about 300 tons of litter a year, which is used or sold for fertilizer.

Costco scrapped its first choice for the plant south of Nickerson earlier this year after the village board voted against a rezoning proposal. The decision came in the wake of local outcry against it, with opponents citing concerns about potential impact on area schools, housing and roads.

The Greater Fremont Development Council has said the plant would create 1,100 jobs and give the economy a $1.2 billion annual boost.

Nebraska legislators this year also passed a contentious measure to lift the states ban on meatpackers owning swine. Proponents of the move say itll make Nebraska more competitive with neighboring states and allow new pig farmers to enter the business without assuming the financial risks of ownership.

The Nebraska Legislature called for the creation of the matrix last year with the passage of LB106, which was only approved after removing language from the bill that would have made abiding by the siting regulations mandatory for elected county officials.

The matrix can be viewed at nda.nebraska.gov. Comments can be emailed to agr.webmaster@nebraska.gov, or sent by mail to Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Attn. Steve Roth, 301 Centennial Mall South, Fourth Floor, Lincoln, NE 68509.
A Canadian company has announced plans for a turkey hatchery in Beatrice.

Hybrid Turkeys announced Monday that it will invest $6 million to build a stateoftheart parent stock hatchery in the northwest corner of the Gage County Industrial Park.

Hybrid Turkeys, which is based in Kitchener, Ontario, said it spent months evaluating potential sites for the hatchery before choosing the Beatrice site.

The company said in a news release that its site selection team was impressed with the collaborative and innovative approach that both the city of Beatrice and the state of Nebraska presented to our team.

Walker Zulkoski, executive director of NGage, said Beatrice was one of five communities in three states considered, and this will be the companys first Nebraska location.

We have a fabulous industrial park; that was by far the best thing that worked for them, he said. One thing you cant change is your location. Finding some place thats a shovel-ready site in an industrial park ... this is the area they needed. To be away from traffic but have utilities was a driver.

Hybrid Turkeys said it expects to have the operation up and running by July 2017. It will be approximately 30,000 square feet and will have 25 full-time employees.

Hybrid Turkeys is owned by Hendrix Genetics, a Dutch animal breeding company that in January announced plans for a chicken hatchery in Grand Island. Work on that facility began in last month, and it is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2017.
The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission has fined Sen. Al Davis $500 for not reporting a conflict of interest when he withdrew a bill he introduced during the 2015 legislative session.

The commission leveled the fine on Friday, and dismissed a complaint by Common Cause Nebraska that Davis also had a conflict of interest he failed to reveal when he introduced the bill in the first place.

The agreement by the commission on the civil penalty for his failure to prepare and file a written conflict of interest on the withdrawal of the bill was unanimous.

Jack Gould, Common Cause Nebraska issues chairman, filed the complaint 13 months ago alleging Davis failed to disclose a conflict of interest when he introduced the bill (LB201) that would have imposed a severance tax on companies mining minerals in Nebraska. Davis withdrew the bill later in the session.

At the time, he held stock with NioCorp Developments Ltd., which was planning to start mining niobium in the Elk Creek area.

Davis has said it didn't cross his mind that he needed to file a conflict of interest statement because the bill would not have benefited the company.

Prior to introducing it, he was a member of a water task force that brainstormed a list of products that could be taxed to raise money for the state. He said he had an idea before Niocorp was up and running that the Legislature could put a severance tax on removal of minerals in Nebraska.

But after talking to former Sen. Tony Fulton, who was a Niocorp board member, and getting a letter from the company, Davis withdrew the bill. He said the letter from the company assured him Niocorp would not be opposed to a reasonable severance tax once its operation was in place.

State law requires a senator to file a conflict of interest statement when he or she would be required to vote or make any decision that could cause financial benefit or detriment to the senator, an immediate family member or a business with which he or she is associated.

A listing on Davis financial disclosure form that covers the month of December 2015 shows two listings of Niocorp stock of 100,000 shares each, each set of shares worth about $40,000 at the time.

Niocorp has estimated the mine will have a pretax net value of $3 billion over its operating life of at least 32 years. According to the company, the Elk Creek project has the highest grade niobium in North America, as well as being the largest prospective producer of scandium in the world.

Gould said the decision by the commission to fine Davis focuses attention on the conflict-of-interest filings, something that does not seem to be a priority at the Capitol.

Theres kind of a long history of people with conflicts of interest who have not declared them, and who have been involved in voting and discussing, and the public isnt aware of their involvement, Gould said.

The niobium question was particularly sensitive because about eight senators held stock in Niocorp, he said. In Davis case, there were two instances in which people should have known he had a conflict, the second one  pulling the bill -- more serious, he said.

Its a good example of why its important that senators file conflict of interest statements, Gould said. And he hopes they learn from it.

Gould had also filed a complaint against now-state Tax Commissioner Fulton for failing to register as a lobbyist on behalf of Niocorp. At the time, Fulton was a member of Niocorp's board and a shareholder but said he was not representing the company when he spoke to Davis about the bill.

That complaint was dismissed a year ago, with the commission finding no probable cause to believe a violation had occurred.
Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion signaled Monday that he'll push for a property and income tax reduction package next year and wants to do so as chairman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee.

After two years as chairman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, Smith has informed colleagues he'll seek the revenue chairmanship that will be vacated by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island when he leaves the Legislature at the end of the year.

Smith has been a member of that committee for two years.

"As evidence of my commitment to tax reform," Smith wrote his fellow senators, "I introduced the Strong Roots Nebraska plan (during the 2015 legislative session) that would have combined both income and property tax relief.

"I believe now, as I believed then, that the path forward for tax relief must be comprehensive and that to achieve a broad and critical coalition, it must include both property tax and income tax," he said.

Focusing on income tax reduction, Smith said that "by addressing the high income tax burdens on our state's families and businesses, we can in turn reduce our dependence on business incentives for creating jobs and expanding our economy."

Smith's comprehensive tax reduction bill was held by the Revenue Committee as it focused on rural property tax relief this year.

The 2016 Legislature provided targeted local property tax relief for farm and ranch landowners by increasing the state's property tax credit fund.
Anne Reinhard Edholm died June 3, 2016. She was born on Oct. 24,1925, in the south of Siam in the village of Singora. This was before the country was re-named Thailand in 1939. Her brother, John William Reinhard was also born in Siam, but in the northern village of Chiang Mai, on Dec. 5, 1926. Their father, Otto Andrew George Reinhard, was a physician with the Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Reinhard was sent, along with several other doctors to Siam to set up health services in the country. Their mother, Louise Gertrude Bierhaus Reinhard liked to tell us that Anne was born in the jungle on the back of an elephant; sometimes, it was in a cave on the back of an elephant! The Reinhard's lived in Siam for three years.

On the way home, they met Louise's parents, John Simon and Anna Itaska Bierhaus in Vienna to help with the children while their father took a course in a medical school there.

They returned to Lincoln by way of Vincennes, Ind. where the grandparents lived. Their father had been accepted at the Lincoln Medical Clinic as their internal medical physician. Her sister Mary Louise (Reinhard) Griffin was born there on May 21, 1930. Anne attended Lincoln schools through high school, followed by a year she spent at McMurrey College for Girls. She completed her higher education at the University of NebraskaLincoln in 1948.

During those years, she enjoyed traveling on vacations with her family to the national parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Giant Redwoods and Yosemite, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, as well as visiting various family friends and relatives throughout the west. She also enjoyed going to camp with her cousins, Katy and Betty Bierhaus in the late 30s. She also worked a couple of summers at Haps Hamburger Cafe in Grand Lake, Colo., during the 40s. She married Charles Edholm in the winter of 1947at 2833 Sheridan Blvd., the family home. They built their home on Calvert Street.

Anne was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Reinhard Griffin. She is survived by her brother, J. William Reinhard of Tucson, Ariz.; her son, Michael Edholm of Lincoln; and her daughter, Dr. Susan Edholm-Wenz of Steinbauch, Germany.

A graveside funeral and remembrance will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 8, at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, 6700 S. 14th Street, Gate 2.
Although the District 6 race for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents wasnt included on more than 700 ballots, the results from the May 10 primary election will stand.

Primary winner Paul Kenney of Amherst, who collected 51 percent of the vote in the three-person, nonpartisan race, and runner-up Marsha Fangmeyer of Gibbon, will advance to the November general election to represent central Nebraska on the universitys governing board.

The Board of State Canvassers certified the results Monday.

Third-place finisher Mary George of Kearney finished 168 votes behind Fangmeyer with more than 35,000 ballots cast. She waived an automatic recount.

Under state law, election results decided by a margin of less than 1 percent of voters can trigger an automatic recount unless the losing candidate files a written waiver with the Secretary of State, election commissioner or county clerk.

Deputy Secretary of State Neal Erickson said George waived a recount in a phone conversation on June 1 and followed up with an email about 20 minutes later.

The state canvassing board -- Gov. Pete Ricketts, State Treasurer Don Stenberg, Secretary of State John Gale, State Auditor Charlie Janssen and Attorney General Doug Peterson -- said Georges waiver also addressed the race being omitted from the November ballot.

No rule requires a second election in counties where a race is left off the ballot, although the canvassing board has authority to advance candidates in close or disputed races.

Previous canvassing boards have advanced as many as five candidates to the general election, as members did in 1998 when Natural Resources District races were left off the primary election ballot in several counties.

Similarly in 2014, all three candidates running for a spot on the Upper Big Blue NRD Board were placed on the general election ballot when the race was left off of primary ballots in York County.

Ricketts pushed to advance only the top two regents candidates to the general election, noting no changes occurred between the primary and general elections in previous races in which more ballots were missed and the results were closer.

Gale said while there is no way to predict how the Webster County votes would have affected the outcome in the primary, based on the results in neighboring counties where George trailed Fangmeyer, there was not enough of a spread to reasonably conclude George could have overtaken Fangmeyer for second place.

Peterson noted that the email from George appeared to indicate she was stepping away from the race."

George did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Webster County Clerk Deb Klingenberger wrote a letter to the canvassing board apologizing for the mistake and accepting full responsibility. Gale called the situation a very unfortunate circumstance.

District 6 covers a wide swath of central Nebraska stretching from the Kansas to South Dakota borders.

Regents Chairman Kent Schroeder will step down at the end of the 2016 after representing District 6 for 18 years.

In other business, the canvassing board approved a recount in the District 5 race for Republicans seeking a spot on the Nebraska Public Service Commission.

Mary Ridder of Callaway defeated incumbent Jerry Vap of McCook by 36 votes out of nearly 45,000 votes cast in the district covering 47 of the state's 93 counties.

The recount is set for Wednesday. The winner will be unopposed in November; no Democrat filed in District 5.
For more than three decades, the Malone Community Center has hosted a Juneteenth celebration to commemorate the anniversary of the end of slavery in America.

This year's will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 18 in Trago Park, 22nd and U streets.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free -- 2 years after President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation.

The party in Lincoln this year will include family-friendly fun, live music, free lunch, kids activities and inflatables, and a health and human services resource fair 11 a.m.-3 p.m. during which agencies will offer health assessments and information on making healthier choices.

Music will include DJ XL Montana, Omaha Marching Dragons, Mesonjixx and Phipp Phippa. Preston Harris of Men with Dreams will emcee.

Proceeds go to the Malone Community Center.
Billy Williams homecoming after more than a year spent in Vietnam did not include balloons or banners.

In October 1970, the young Nebraskan stepped off the plane at San Francisco International Airport to crowds of protestors.

There were people with signs, yelling and spitting at us, acting like we were the bad guys, the 67-year-old Arnold man said.

It was the height of anti-war protests, and many Americans blamed military men and women for the killing of innocent civilians in Vietnam.

It was a big shock, Williams said. I thought I was just doing my duty and proud to do that.

Williams, and 500 of his fellow Vietnam War veterans, finally got the homecoming they deserved Sunday night when dignitaries from across Nebraska held a reception for them in La Vista. The dinner and reception was the opening event for the Vietnam Combat Veterans Flight, which takes place Monday.

The flight will take 500 Vietnam combat veterans from Omaha to Washington, D.C., where they will visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and other war monuments. Husband and wife Bill and Evonne Williams of Patriotic Productions organized the event.

Bill Williams said the flight represents the largest group of Veterans from a single state to ever visit the Vietnam Memorial.

This isnt about us, he said. Its about those of you in red, white and blue, our veterans. Its time to say thank you and welcome home.

Three American Airlines jets will take the veterans to Washington, D.C., where they will visit memorials to the Korean War, President Abraham Lincoln and World War II, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Nearly 3,000 people are expected at a welcome home ceremony Monday night at Eppley Airfield in Omaha.

At Sunday nights event, organizers honored family of soldiers whove died during recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two daughters of one slain soldier, Army Capt. Robert Yllescas of Lincoln, sang This is Still the land of the Free.

Greg Drum of Columbus said he looks forward to visiting the Vietnam Memorial again, and seeing the names of the six friends he left in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago.

I think what Mr. and Mrs. Williams are doing is incredible, he said.
Shane Claiborne, Christian social activist and bestselling author, will be in Nebraska Tuesday to speak out against the death penalty.

His presentations at Lincoln's South Gate United Methodist Church and Omaha's Faith-Westwood United Methodist Church are sponsored by Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Retain a Just Nebraska.

Claiborne worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of people committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said."

His newest book, Executing Grace: How the death penalty killed Jesus and why it's killing us," is being released nationally on Tuesday.

Claiborne's presentation at South Gate, 3500 Pioneers Blvd., begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday. He'll speak at 8 p.m. in Omaha. Both presentations are open to the public.
Dear Snoop Dogg:

You could have been honest about it. If you had, Id still think you wrong as two left shoes, but at least I could give you points for guts.

As it is, I can only shake my head in appalled wonder at your entirely gutless Instagram attack on the remake of Roots that aired last week on the A&E Networks. You called for a boycott, saying, They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. . . . When you all going to make a (expletive) series about the success that black folks is having? The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years a Slave?

Thus spoke the star of Soul Plane. And it raises a simple question: Negro, are you out your d--n mind?

Allow me to share some Wikipedia research. No, thats not a definitive source, but the results were still persuasive. Know how many productions  TV, feature film and documentaries  about the 246-year epoch of American slavery I was able to identify? Forty-six. Thats since Birth of a Nation in 1915. By contrast, I found 136 American productions about the 12 years of the Holocaust, which ended in 1945.

Somehow, I have never once heard the complaint that there are too many Holocaust movies being made. And it is simply inconceivable to me that a Jewish entertainer would say something so asinine.

Yet, here you are complaining about too many slave films. Not that youre alone. Every time some film or TV program dares recount this grim history, I hear some white people argue that telling these stories is divisive and even racist. Roots is depressing, writes columnist Cal Thomas.

Well, boo-hoo.

Few people ever really tell the truth, ever admit the real reason they say such things. People like Thomas do not admit they fear feeling blame and guilt at seeing what ancestors did. People like you do not admit they fear feeling shame and fury at seeing what ancestors suffered.

I learned long ago that white guilt is about the most useless emotion there is. Anything that makes you feel guilty, you will eventually resent and react against. So I dont need or want white peoples guilt. Id be happy to make do with their acknowledgment of historical and present-day reality and maybe a little simple human compassion.

As to black folks shame and fury, well, I cant imagine its a barrel of laughs for a Jew to watch Schindlers List, either. Admittedly, a Jew doesnt walk out of that movie and rub shoulders with the heirs of Nazi Germany while you and I do live side by side with the heirs of antebellum (and Jim Crow) America. In that sense, at least, ours is the heavier emotional burden.

Still, I think Jews, by and large, understand something that escapes people like you and Thomas: History is not obliged to make you feel good. Its job is to tell you who you are and where you came from so you can pass that down to your children, and maybe anchor them in identity  and purpose  beyond that imparted to them by the video channel.

I suspect Jews also understand that if you dont tell your story, others will, and in the end, you wont recognize it. A docent on a Southern plantation recently wrote of white visitors asking if slaves got paid for their work, signed up for jobs they wanted, or appreciated how well cared-for they were. Its safe to say none of them were ever depressed by Roots.

Its a funny thing, Snoop. Back when rappers like you were being condemned for your profane tales of street life, you defended yourselves by arguing that you were simply reporting the truth of urban America. This was real, you said, and you challenged critics to deal with it.

So its ironic, a quarter-century later, to find you whining about Roots. You want real? Brother, this is as real as it gets. And it turns out the one who cant deal with it is you.
Someone needs to remind Donald Trump that his family changed its name from Drumpf so that they would sound more assimilated into their country of choice, America. Nearly every single American came from somewhere else, many several generations ago, some as recently as one generation ago but, according to Trump, if we were all judges, we would all have to be be recused if we were presiding over a case in which he was the defendant ("Trumps attacks on judge spark concerns," June 4). I kind of like the old family name; it seems to suit him better. Like Trump emphasizing President Obama's full name, we should return Trump to the glory and heritage of his family name too while referring to him in the press so that we can make our own conclusions about his German family's contributions to Germany's distinct history.
The national news media have made a fiasco out of the selection process for the current president of the United States of America. Both deep and shallow thinking citizens of our country in the past were proud and able to cast their votes for a leader of stature, class, intellect and personality to lead our country and the free world. Now that the news media has decided to select and project only the verbal and images that best serve those that purchase advertising and reverberates best with the mentality of lite thinkers, we have lost our ability and will to once again cast our votes for the best man or women to carry out our once held tradition with the ability to do so.
Unyielding in his determination to oppose Donald Trump, his party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. Ben Sasse said Sunday he expects to cast a presidential vote in November, but not for Trump or likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Sasse said he and his wife, Melissa, have "decided to sit down in October and deliberate, pray and think" before they determine how to cast their presidential ballots.

Asked whether he would consider a vote for Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, Sasse said he "hadn't really looked closely at it yet."

But, he said, "the Libertarian Party is something I would certainly consider in the long term."

Sasse spoke during a brief interview outside Kimball Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus following an address to about 400 high school juniors at the opening session of this year's Boys State.

Nebraskans who have visited with him at a flurry of events during the current Senate recess overwhelmingly agree with his deep concerns about Trump, the senator said.

"People, perhaps 10 to 1, are saying thanks for saying what we believe," he said.

"But definitely there are some frustrated people who say they are anti-Clinton" and argue that is reason enough to support Trump, the senator said.

Sasse is the only Republican senator who has declared his opposition to his party's presidential nominee. Nebraska's first-term senator began campaigning against Trump in Iowa at the beginning of this year's series of presidential caucuses and primaries in an effort to derail him from reaching for the GOP nomination.

Although Sasse focused on big-picture issues like national security, foreign policy and the changing economy during an address that launched this year's session of Boys State, the first question he encountered from a Boys Stater centered on his opposition to Trump.

"That was the question I was most trying to avoid," Sasse told him with a smile.

Sasse reminded the youths that he is one of the most conservative members of the Senate, a constitutional conservative and "happily a member of the party of Abraham Lincoln."

But the presidential choice for Americans in November will be between "the two most unpopular nominees" in polling history, he said.

"Both sides are not doing a very good job of explaining what they are for," he said. Both are engaged in "creative destruction," he said.

Sasse said that among the vast changes that lie ahead for today's high school students is the possibility of a reordering of the traditional two-party system.

"Don't be so sure the two-party political system continues long-term," he said.

"Both parties are exhausted," he said. "They probably don't have the big ideas for the change that is coming."
CRAWFORD -- The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has issued a partial ruling in the renewal of Crow Butte Mines operating license, and while the board ruled in favor of those opposing the renewal on two issues, it declined to revoke the facilitys license.

The ruling issued May 26 addresses the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions attempts to consult with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Consolidated Intervenors to identify sites of historic and cultural significance within the mines license area.

Crow Buttes operational license expired several years ago, and the facility has been operating on a temporary license since 2007 pending the renewal process. The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Consolidated Intervenors filed requests to intervene in 2008. Last fall, after the NRC had granted a 10-year license renewal to Crow Butte, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board heard conducted hearings to address ongoing concerns from the tribe and the Intervenors.

In the initial protest, the board admitted for review four environmental contentions brought forth by the opposing parties; the board admitted five more contentions last year regarding the NRCs analysis for the environmental assessment (EA). The partial ruling addressed only Contention 1 relating to the NRCs consultation with the tribe and the identification of tribal cultural properties.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled on four separate matters regarding Contention 1, issuing a split decision on those matters - two in favor of the NRC and two in favor of the intervenors.

This decision relates to the NRC and tribes working together to identify potential cultural sites. We are still reviewing the decision but it does not put our license at risk or affect our ability to operate, said Cameco spokesman Ken Vaughn in an email.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled that the NRC staff made a genuine effort to consult with the Oglala Sioux Tribe, meeting its consultation obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act. The board also ruled that while the NRCs environmental analysis was deficient in explaining how it met those obligations, a review of the evidence in its entirety cures those deficiencies.

The board ruled in favor of the tribe, however, in finding that the NRCs survey of the license area for historical and cultural sites did not meet the identification obligations under the Preservation Act and that the environmental analysis is deficient under National Environmental Policy Act because the NRC failed to take a hard look at potential sites significant to the tribe and analyze the objections the tribe had to the site survey approach.

The record before the Board presents a close call as to whether the NRC Staff provided a meaningful opportunity for the Indian tribes to consult on the Crow Butte license renewal. We find that the NRC Staffs consultation process suffered from years of inaction and delay, a confusing multi-site approach, and for most of the process an absence of sincere respect for the government-to-government relationship that exists between Indian tribes and the United States. Nonetheless, in 2013, the NRC Staff attempted to rectify its mistakes by endeavoring to consult meaningfully with affected Indian tribes. Sadly, at that time, the Oglala Sioux Tribe also took steps that undermined the process.

While the NRC could have done many things differently, the board said there is no evidence that the OST has a genuine interest in further consultation efforts.

The report finds that the NRC delayed the consultation with the tribes for four years after Crow Butte filed its renewal application.

Once the NRC initiated communication, it created further problems by attempting to consolidate communications for the Crow Butte renewal license, the facilitys three expansion licenses, and the Powertech license in South Dakota, resulting in confusion on the part of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

The NRC did not separate the consultation on Crow Butte from Powertech until October 2012.

Other attempts at communication with the tribes included teleconference calls and a three-day trip in 2011 to Crow Butte allowed tribes to see the site, in which they were not able to exit the bus and there was no attempt to identify culturally significant sites.

That meeting, the rulings say, only served to initiate the consultation process.

To argue otherwise is to treat the entire consultation process as a checklist, without examining the substance of the dialogue among the parties.

The NRC also failed to give the Oglala Sioux Tribe the respect required in a government-to-government relationship. A meeting in February 2012, for example, was attended by the president of OST but the NRC sent no one holding a similar level of authority.

This example again reflects the NRC Staffs prioritization of form over substance  The government-to-government relationship is not benefited, and if anything harmed, if the focus does not remain on substantive consultations between equivalent levels of NRC Staff management and Tribal executives, the ruling says.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board found that the NRC eventually corrected that mistake by sending a deputy division director to meet with the tribe, but OST representatives did not attend the meeting. The NRC also made the mistake of sending a draft copy of the EA to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality but failed to send the document to OST. NRC staff never offered a satisfactory reason for the oversight, the ruling says.

It is worrisome that the NRC Staff could not admit that this was a simple mistake, and instead defended its failure to send the draft EA to the Tribe by asserting that theres no NRC regulatory requirement.

The OST, however, was not blameless in the lack of communication, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board said. The tribe failed to discuss their misgivings and instead disengaged, making no effort to work with the NRC staff.
The voice that warns weather radio listeners of hail, high winds and even tornadoes is gradually becoming a little less robotic.

Mike Moritz, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Hastings, said a new software update being rolled out across the country will provide listeners in the central part of the state with a new voice beginning Wednesday.

The technology for the old voice is 15 years old, or more, Moritz said. Sometimes its just time to put something else out there that sounds better.

Moritz described the new male voice as easier on the ears.

I dont think anyones going to mistake it for a wonderful human voice, but it does sound better than the previous voice, he said. Its a little smoother and more real person-like. We also will have a little better control of speed of speech.

The software, which allows meteorologists to monitor forecasts and weather alerts within the same system, rather than two separate areas of the office, has slowly been integrated into National Weather Service offices across the country. The Valley office, which monitors the Lincoln and Omaha area, was upgraded several months ago, Moritz said.

The upgrade does make the job easier. Now we dont have to go to another spot in the office to adjust radio warnings, Moritz said. Now you can have all your systems right in front of you.

Although the voice may be changing, Moritz said the content of the alerts is staying the same.

However with the new system comes the likelihood of some mispronunciations and grammatical errors, for which corrections are made by entering phonetic spellings. Staff encourage listeners to report any mistakes they hear by contact the National Weather Service in Hastings by social media or by calling their office at 402-462-2127.
Mike Foley made his first visit as lieutenant governor for the State of Nebraska to the Lincoln Executive Club and his message rang clear in a similar vein to the days he visited the club as the State Auditor.

We used to uncover problems in the auditors office, but we had no authority to fix things. Now, we can fix it. Pete Ricketts is a business-oriented person, Foley said in reference to the Nebraska governor.

Foley said his duties as lieutenant governor include presiding over the Unicameral Legislature which recently adjourned after a 60-day session. It was a short year, but it sure felt like a long year, said Foley, a former state senator prior to his eight-year stint as Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts (2007-15). I think there were more filibusters than ever this year.

He added, Part of our governing mantra would be to grow Nebraska, Foley said, referring to the Ricketts administration. Foley said with the base of Nebraskas economy being agriculture, the governor is focusing on growing the states exports. Foley referred to the governor and his trip to Japan leading a trade delegation last September.

Japan is a country of 120 million people and a $1 billion importer of Nebraska goods, enthused Foley. Heres a country that used to eat primarily fish. Now, they are consuming a lot of Nebraska beef. Foley said the U.S. Meat Export Federation is helping the cause by advertising Nebraska beef products.

In terms of tax relief for the citizens of the Nebraska, Foley said its going to take time. Property taxes are our Achilles heel, Foley said. He said the state does not have levying rules, but that it could change. And, part of what the state can do is through the Property Tax Credit Program.

Foley also addressed reform in terms of Nebraskas prison system, a problem he said they have inherited. For example, he expressed that the State Penitentiary is designed for 700 and that it currently has over 1,300 inmates. He said some determinations may need to be made as to who really needs to be in a maximum-strength facility. He also pointed to a possible $26 million being spent on expanding prison capacity.
CALEDONIA  Future development in the village will be guided by a large, metropolitan plan created largely by outsiders, much to the chagrin of some village residents who created a localized land-use strategy 10 years ago.

The Caledonia Plan Commission last week heard from nearly a dozen residents who wanted the village to keep a neighborhood-specific land use plan devised by residents from 2003 to 2006.

Instead, the village will use a plan created by Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, dubbed the 2035 plan.

SEWRPC is the official metropolitan planning organization and regional planning commission for seven counties in southeastern Wisconsin, including Racine and Kenosha.

The commission was created in 1960 to provide basic information and planning services to solve problems which transcend local units of government, according to the SEWRPC website.

The two plans vary in some areas, and residents told the village Plan Commission they want the 2006 plan, which formulated specific land uses and green space requirements for individual neighborhoods, to take precedent.

I think its a little disturbing that the work we did gets put aside, said Susan Greenfield, a former Caledonia town chairman who worked on the 2006 plan.

Greenfield suggested forming a citizen group to review the two plans. I think you should hear what we thought should be there, Greenfield said. This is our village. I think the recommendations we made back then were good ones.

Similarities, differences

The 2006 plan and the 2035 plan are alike, said resident Diane Lesjak, but there are enough differences that the complexion of the village could be altered under the 2035 plan. We want to make sure nothing slips through the cracks, Lesjak said.

For example, a large commercial development  like Wal-Mart, which unsuccessfully tried to locate in the village in 2011 and 2012  could be acceptable under the 2035 plan, but not the 2006 plan.

In all, eight residents spoke at a public hearing Tuesday night on the proposed change.

The commission voted 6-1 to delete references to the 2006 plan in various sections of the village code. Commission member Karen Fawcett cast the lone dissenting vote.

I want to make sure the neighborhoods are not forgotten, Fawcett said.

SEWRPC will soon start to update the 2035 plan to create a 2050 plan. Village residents are more than welcome to provide input on that plan, Village President Bob Bradley told residents at the hearing.
ROCHESTER  Place, especially the rural pockets of America, plays a big role in the novels of Jane Hamilton.

In her latest novel The Excellent Lombards the author has turned her gaze toward a subject and a place with she is intimately familiar  life on a family apple orchard in Wisconsin.

Published this April, the novel focuses on life at the orchard, and the questions each character faces, as the time comes to determine the future of the family business with regard to the next generation.

Raised in the historic and well-heeled Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill., Hamilton may have the upbringing of an urbanite, but she has spent the bulk of her adult life in Rochester.

She first came to the area, and to the Ela Orchard she now calls home, in 1979 after visiting the farm with a friend from college. It was during that trip that she met Robert Willard, now her now husband who runs the farm and the roughly 20-acre orchard with his cousin, Edwin Ela. Both families live on the farm and orchard, which has been in the family for three generations.

Having set other novels on other types of farms, Hamilton said she wanted to use a family apple orchard for the setting of her latest tale because its what she knows, and also what she loves.

I could have set it on a blueberry orchard in Maine or on an avocado orchard in California, so maybe it is just a little bit of laziness? Its just terrain that I am so familiar with. But really I think that I wanted to set it in a place that is very dear to me, Hamilton said. For me, the book is part love song, and part elegy and part celebration.

Hamilton was drawn to writing about succession on a farm, not simply because it is something her family must face as the years pass, she said, but because the subject itself is a fruitful one for writers.

There are always so many rich questions and impossible answers in the matter of succession: Who gets to stay? Who cant stay? Who stays but isnt equipped to stay? Who comes from the outside and is forever considered the outsider? Who wields power over that outsider? That could be three novels. Thats an epic, she said.

Watching the phenomenon of succession unfold on her familys orchard helped pique that fascination.

It has just been an interesting problem that we have had to consider for years now, and now we are coming up to it. So I think I wrote the book to see myself through those questions, she said.

Hamilton and Willard have children, but she said it remains to be seen just who in the family will take on the operation of the orchard and farm going forward.

It is not exactly like taking religious orders, but in a certain way it is, she said.
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RACINE  Although 18-year-old Sierra Sexton has seen the culmination of much of her hard work at Park High School this year  being captain of Parks swim team despite an injury and more recently being named valedictorian of her graduating class  she acknowledges that she didnt do it alone.

Throughout the tough classes and enduring medical issues in her back, she has been sustained by her friends and family, particularly her parents, who have comforted her and drove her to success.

Before graduating with her peers Sunday and heading off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study biomedical engineering, Sexton took time to answer questions about her high school experience and what the future holds for her.

Becoming valedictorian is a significant accomplishment, how did you do it?

Through the help of my councilor, Mr. Wilkins, I was able to create a schedule that worked in my favor and kept me engaged. I also relied on the support of my friends and family to push me to succeed in and out of the classroom.

What are your hobbies in and out of school?

In school my hobbies include swimming and ceramics. Out of school my hobbies include spending time with friends, arts and crafts, and reading.

What was the most difficult class for you and why?

My most difficult class was Senior English with Mr. Landry. I am not the best writer to begin with and this year we had to work with poems. I had some troubles with the poems. Even though the class was tough, I have learned a lot from him and I am very grateful.

What is the biggest hurdle you overcame in high school?

The biggest hurdle I overcame was the issues with my health. I have had back problems all four years of high school. Many doctor visits and two surgeries later I am on my way to recovery.

Which adult in your life has had the biggest influence on you? How so?

My mother has the biggest influence in my life. She works extremely hard without ever complaining to come home in pain and still be a doting mother.

What is the best advice youve ever received?

The best advice I have ever received was from my dad who told me its okay to not be perfect all the time and that flaws only make you more human.

What was your favorite aspect of high school and why?

My favorite aspect of high school was the school assemblies and games. This years seniors at Park have amazing school spirit and energy that rubs off on you.

What excites you most about life after high school?

The independence that I will have excites me the most about after high school. It allows me to find out what excites me and where I want to go in life.

What advice would you offer to incoming freshmen?

Advice Id give to incoming freshmen is for them to just be themselves. These next four years are all about having fun and figuring out your next steps. You dont need to be worrying about fitting into the norm.

If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I would love to be able to meet Eleanor Roosevelt. She handled herself with confidence and poise and I look up to her as a role model. One day, I hope to make an impact on our country like she has.
Campaigners demand healthy environment

In a symbolic protest on the World Environment day, more than 200 activists, students, environmental campaigners, cyclists and pedestrians laid dead on the ground on Sunday, demanding that the government take urgent action to ensure constitutional right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
Connecting a nation

Launched towards the end of the first decade at the turn of the century when countless brands were popping up across the world, Colors Mobile became the first Nepali brand to launch its own range of products including their smartphone
Deuba questions govts intention to hold elections

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed doubt about the incumbent governments intention to hold local and provincial elections.
Funds shortage stalls housing programme

Hopes were high in the impoverished Musahar community of Babhangama Katti-3 in Saptari district when the government announced Peoples Housing Programme (Janata Awas Karyakram) three years ago.
Implementation of gentlemans agreement after budget endorsement

CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the gentlemans agreement reached between his party and UML will be implemented after the endorsement of budget.
Importers face hassles at Rasuwagadhi border point

Traders have been facing hassles while importing goods through the Rasuwagadhi-Keyirong border point as China does not issue one-day entry permits to people from outside Rasuwa to take delivery of imported goods.
India court convicts five over Danish woman's rape in Delhi

A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has found five men guilty for the 2014 gang rape of a Danish woman.
Man arrested for pedophilia

The police here has arrested a man on the charge of pedophilia.
Nepal-US Tifa Council meet slated for June 9-10

The second joint council meeting of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (Tifa) between Nepal and the US is scheduled to be held on June 9-10 in the US. The bilateral meeting has been pending since 2012.
New names spring up in govt talks

Efforts to replace the eight-month-old coalition government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has seen twists and turns with new candidates being explored for the top job.
One year later

If an historic disaster failed to drive progress in fundamental areas, one is bound to wonder if there will ever be hope for Nepal
Resumption of meetings indicate thaw in relation

Nepal and India are set to resume meetings of several bilateral mechanisms indicating a thaw in relation between the two neighbours that remained strained since Nepal promulgated new constitution in September last year.
UML dismisses media reports on PMs remarks

The ruling CPN-UML has said that the current government is cooperating with all friendly countries, including neighbours, to seek their broader support for implementing the constitution and achieving the target of economic prosperity.
US journalist and translator killed in Afghan ambush

A veteran US photojournalist and a translator have been killed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.
Veteran musician Amber Gurung critical but stable

Veteran musician Amber Gurung has been put on ventilator and is undergoing treatment at Grande International Hospital. The national anthem music composer is reportedly in critical but stable condition.
We should hold all three elections simultaneously under a unity govt

With last weeks budget presentation, there is renewed discussion about a change in government.
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?

No, the signs in place are fine

No, it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars

Vote

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Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has outlined his plan for his five year term.

In his six point plan, Lukwago promises to prioritize corporate governance and rule of law, social justice, proper planning and sustainable development, transparency and accountability.

Speaking shortly after he was sworn in this afternoon, Lukwago also promised to promote Kampala and a key tourism hub.

Meanwhile a group of opposition MPs has walked out after Mary Karooro Okurut was introduced as the minister for security.

Led by Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, the MPs argued that since there is no functional cabinet, it is wrong for anyone to claim to be a minister.

She says Lukwago was denied access to his office before being sworn in so it is fair for the ministers to conduct official business being taking oath.

Story By Damali Mukhaye
Korea should rebalance foreign policies



By Kim Jae-kyoung





SINGAPORE  On May 26, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited heads of seven Southeast Asian nations, including Laos and Vietnam, to hold a meeting with G7 leaders in Japan. He stressed the need to invest in building infrastructure in the ASEAN region.

On May 23, U.S. President Barak Obama visited Vietnam and announced that the United States would fully lift a decades-long ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam to normalize relations with the former enemy.

On May 19 and 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral meetings with leaders of 10 ASEAN member states in Russia, the first ASEAN-Russia summit on Russian soil, since they established bilateral relations two decades ago.

These are a series of developments made by leaders of three world powers just in the last one month.

If you take a look at these series of events separately, it does not mean much. They should be taken as normal diplomatic activities that the leaders conducted to strengthen bilateral ties in the increasingly borderless world.

But if you put things together and think about what's happening behind the scenes, they suggest a lot. They indicate that leaders of the U.S., Russia, Japan and China are becoming more active in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN.

These moves suggest that they are gearing up to get the upper hand in both the political and economic arena in the 10-member bloc, an indication that the competition in this region will heat up down the road.

In other words, they want to benefit from long-term growth opportunities created by the launch of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015. With a combined GDP of $2.6 trillion, the ASEAN economy is the seventh largest in the world and its population is the third largest in the world with 622 million people.

Also, they seek to have greater sway over ASEAN nations to use their influence as leverage to deal with various tricky issues in the region, such as conflicts over the South China Sea.

At a news conference in Hanoi alongside Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, U.S. President Obama said that the full removal of an arms embargo was not based on considerations concerning China.

However, China has been alert to U.S. moves.

China Daily, the Communist Party newspaper, said that the U.S. and Vietnam must not spark a "regional tinderbox," saying, "This, if true, bodes ill for regional peace and stability."

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry dismissed such concerns, saying that the lifting of the ban was not about China but about promoting a "rules-based order" in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.

For Russia, Putin is seemingly pursuing a rebalance in diplomatic policies toward Asia by strengthening the relationship with ASEAN after his country's relations with the West deteriorated due to the Ukraine crisis.

In order to rehabilitate the moribund Russian economy, Putin has sought to diversify his nation's economic and political relations with ASEAN. He may also consider using relations when negotiating with other countries, including China

Japan's Prime Minister Abe has continually shown his commitment to the ASEAN market. He has made state visits to all 10 member nations since he took office. The island nation has two clear goals in ASEAN policies.

First, it is seeking to keep ahead of other countries in business opportunities there. Second, it is building strategic relations with ASEAN countries to tip the balance in favor of Japan over China in maritime territorial disputes.

Four global powers  the U.S., China, Japan and Russia  are all looking at ASEAN to strengthen their footholds in the region and create opportunities for the future. Korea is now focusing on the four world powers to maintain the status quo.

Uncertainties over the world's political and economic landscape are greater than ever. History shows that there is no permanent ally and foe. It is time for Korea to come up with forward-looking strategies and rebalance foreign policies beyond the four superpowers for a better future.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Periods of rain. Low 52F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 52F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The La Crescent Community Foundations annual Evening at the Vineyard is Thursday, June 16, at Riverview Vineyard and Winery on County Road 1 outside La Crescent. The event, which is from 5 to 7:30 p.m., raises scholarship money for La Crescent-area high school students and other community programs. Tickets are $25 per person and include wine tasting, hors doeuvres and music from Ryan Howe.

The La Crescent Community Foundation has given more than $60,000 in scholarships to area students, and most recently, a $5,000 scholarship to Nayelli Guererro and a $3,500 scholarship to Carley Bruemmer, both La Crescent High School graduates this year. The foundation is also involved in helping facilitate dreams through fundraising and grants, including the land purchase in conjunction with the city that became Old Hickory Park, founding and contributing sponsorship for the La Crescent High School FIRST Robotics program, the Gazebo in Vetsch Park, and a variety of other community projects.
Free Agent Quotient: 102.3

2015-16 Salary: $981,348

Whiteside, who's earned less than $1 million in each of his first two seasons, is ready to cash in and sign a max contract this summer. If it's going to be with Miami, the Heat will likely have to ask Dwyane Wade to take a pay cut and wave goodbye to most of their other veterans. Whiteside is worth the investment.

2016-17 Team Prediction: Miami Heat
BLACK RIVER FALLS  Terry Helle, 68, of Black River Falls died Saturday, June 4, 2016, at his home. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Upper Beaver Creek Lutheran Church, with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery, both in rural Taylor. Visitation will be one hour prior at the church. Buswell Funeral Home in Black River Falls, is assisting the family.
DEAR AMY: My sister-in-law was working in the marijuana industry before it was legal (now it is legal here). She was earning thousands of dollars under the table, while at the same time seeking subsidies from the government.

I was very uncomfortable with this and after many months of agonizing about what to do, I called her up and told her that I thought that her behavior was unethical. She defended it by saying that the industry was in transition (which it was) and that she would write down her income, but that she didn't have any records.

She has since stopped working there. Now, she is earning money by working under the table doing various odd jobs (which she doesn't report as income). She also has some other income, which she does report.

I would like to address her unreported income, but am reluctant because I am her in-law.

I am also worried that I will damage our relationship (which was very good before this whole episode). I wish that her (blood) family would address it, but they don't. They don't see it as a big deal. I also feel like a "goody two shoes" who is being holier than thou, but at the same time I think what she is doing is unethical and inconsistent, even with her own statements.

Should I talk with her again, or should I keep my mouth shut?  In-law Ethics

DEAR IN-LAW: I notice that your in-law's work "in the marijuana industry" seems to have bothered you more from an economic standpoint than from the fact that she was (I presume) engaged in an activity that was illegal  until your state laws changed.

At the same time, unless you are her accountant, it is really not your job to watch, police or examine her tax return. I'm assuming that she isn't really the sharpest tool in the family shed if she chooses to share this financial information with you in the first place.

If she is working various odd jobs and taking cash under the table and just scraping by, then she may fall under the category of working poor  along with millions of other Americans. According to a recent widely quoted national study by the University of California, more than half of front-line fast food workers, 48 percent of home-care workers and 25 percent of part-time college faculty receive government assistance.

Unless she is applying for and fraudulently receiving subsidies (currently), you should butt out. If you continue to be deeply offended by her behavior, tell her. But yes, you will come off as a "goody-two-shoes" (do you care?), and no  you shouldn't expect her to thank you for poking around in her business and then judging her for her choices.

DEAR AMY: My sister-in-law insists on sharing every meal we have together when eating out. This might not be a problem in our hometown diner when we are having soup and a sandwich, but it is very annoying when I have a lovely meal in front of me at a nice restaurant.

It has become a family joke, but I am embarrassed by it. How do I handle this?  Perplexed in Michigan

DEAR PERPLEXED: Someone else's embarrassing behavior should not embarrass you. If you let this dynamic take hold, you'll be forever guarding your plate against your marauding in-law.

Perhaps your sister-in-law possesses one of those telescoping forks, whereby she can reach across the table and snatch your food off of your plate. If not, the most logical defense is a good offense - choose to sit as far away from her as possible.

I (personally) hate to share food. I don't want yours and I don't want to part with mine. If sharing seems to be on the horizon, you need to say  respectfully  "Um, no. I'm not sharing my meal. You should order what you want for yourself, because what's on my plate is staying on my plate."

If this "no sharing" stance causes family members to shame or embarrass you, hold your head high  and your leftovers close.

DEAR AMY: "Carol" described herself as a "Luddite," who doesn't like to see babies and young children with screens pressed to their faces. She asked your permission to educate these parents on how harmful it is.

Thank you for discouraging her from lecturing strangers on how to raise their children.  A Parent

DEAR PARENT: Exactly. "Carol" shouldn't lecture strangers on the hazards of screen use and offer recommendations on how to raise their children (...that's MY job).
A man was injured Sunday evening in a motorcycle crash in Houston County.

Craig T. Slusher, 28, of Black River Falls was westbound on Hwy. 76 near Holty Ridge Drive shortly after 5:30 p.m. when he lost control of his Kawasaki motorcycle and struck a guardrail, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Slusher was thrown over the guardrail and suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, the patrol said. He was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

The Caledonia Police Department and Houston County Sheriffs Office assisted at the scene.
A judge Monday sentenced a La Crosse woman tied to a sophisticated methamphetamine trafficking enterprise to three years on probation based on her involvement in the case.

Brynn Panek, 35, is one of 17 people involved in the ring that operated between the Twin Cities and the La Crosse area for a decade before authorities interrupted it in October. Authorities say several co-defendants brought pounds of meth manufactured by Mexican drug cartels each week into the area, where Panek and others distributed it to surrounding counties.

Panek is a user turned dealer who played a lesser role in the conspiracy and cooperated with law enforcement, La Crosse County Deputy District Attorney Brian Barton said. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deliver more than 50 grams of meth and agreed to testify against her co-defendants.

Attorneys jointly recommended she serve probation. Panek, who has a minor criminal history, did not make a statement to the court.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Scott Horne also sentenced Panek to four months on electronic monitoring with credit for 76 days and 200 hours of community service. While on probation, Panek must continue drug treatment and cannot have contact with drug users and dealers.
I can remember, as a kid, helping the neighbor make small, rectangular bales of hay.

He made the first cutting about the Fourth of July. It was always hot. The hay was a blend of grasses, clover and alfalfa. The hay was so mature it was almost dry before he cut it with his 7-foot sickle mower. It took more than a week to put up all 16 acres.

My job was to stand on the flat rack and stack the bales as they came out of the baler. With experience, my legs adjusted to the moving wagon, knees absorbing the bumpy ride across the field. My responsibility was to stack the bales well enough so they would stay on the wagon when we pulled out onto the road and returned to the barn.

Boy, things have changed.

We hire a local custom harvester to harvest our hay. Haylage on our farm is alfalfa or a combination of alfalfa and tall fescue grass, harvested at about 50 percent moisture. On May 21, we harvested first crop  300 acres cut and chopped in 52 hours, start to finish. We packed haylage in two drive-over feed piles. Its unusual to get many consecutive days of sun in the latter part of May. We usually fit this harvest into a small dry weather window.

There are several advantage in hiring a custom harvester. Ours has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment to harvest hay as quickly and effectively as possible. His investment in equipment can be spread over the number of customers he serves. Having big enough harvesting equipment allows him to harvest our hay crop quickly, and that translates into quality and consistency of the forage as fed. In order to maximize milk production and keep our cows healthy, we need uniform high-quality forage to feed.

When we think we have a three-day weather window without rain, we cut the hay down to wilt as quickly as we can. Our custom harvester can cut 175 acres a day with a self-propelled haybine. The haybine cuts a 15-foot swath. Weather and volume of hay dictate how wide we lay the swath of hay to dry. For haylage (fermented hay) our target is 50 percent moisture at chopping time. If it is sunny, warm and windy, we narrow up the swath of hay coming out of the haybine to keep the hay from drying too much. If it is not good drying weather, we spread that cut swath out wider on the ground.

Typically, 24 hours after the hay is cut, we start to prepare the long rows of cut hay lying on the ground for the chopper. Five 15-foot swaths of hay are merged together in one big windrow; in other words, a 75-foot width of cutting is gathered into one windrow. The merger picks up and inverts the hay in a gentle way, so as to prevent leaf loss. On the grass/alfalfa acres, we often start chopping 24 to 30 hours after cutting, the alfalfa usually takes 48 hours .

A self-propelled chopper with a 10-foot hay head chops the hay to a selected length, directly into trucks that drive alongside the chopper. (We inoculate the haylage as it is chopped, with a bacterial innoculant that will facilitate rapid fermentation of the forage in the drive-over pile.) When a truck is full, it heads back to the feed storage area, and another truck pulls in to run beside the chopper. The distance of the hayfields from the feed storage area determines how many trucks are needed in the process. The trucks in use on our farm hold 12 to 15 tons of fresh chopped hay. A walking floor allows the trucker to unload in a couple minutes at the feed pile.

A four-wheel-drive pack tractor with a dozer blade is in constant motion at the feed area. The driver is spreading, sculpting and packing the fresh chopped forage, making a large pile. His work is an art form, integral to successful fermentation throughout the pile and a superior end product feed.

We cover our haylage piles with a clear plastic oxygen barrier, then a second layer of black-on-white plastic. We use tires to secure the plastic in place. This is when the manual labor comes in these days  instead of stacking bales on hay racks and in hay mows, we lift and place tires, one by one.

Our custom harvester is intent on getting us an excellent product. Running a haybine, a merger, a chopper, trucks and a pack tractor is expensive. What makes his work cost-effective for us is the sheer volume of high-quality hay he can harvest in a timely, short period of time, without rain damage. We do not need to invest in harvest equipment, nor in the labor to operate it. Harvest cost per ton of feed, and subsequent feed quality, are the values we use to justify the cost of custom harvesting.

When I was a kid, my neighbor made two cuttings of hay per year. Now, we usually make four, sometimes five. Yields are probably 2 to 3 times greater per acre now than 50 years ago, and quality is much better, so we produce significantly more milk per acre. We use much less physical labor.

Things have really changed, for the better, in haymaking. Well chop more haylage in June, then bale and wrap the other cuttings in July and August.
State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, a darling among Wisconsin progressives who mounted a brief run for governor in 2014, spent much of this weekends Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention chatting up delegates, asking if they thought she should run again in 2018.

The answer, said Vinehout, D-Alma, was clear.

Pretty unanimously around here, they want me to run, she told the Wisconsin State Journal.

But Vinehout said its too early to say if shell join the race. Shell decide in early 2017, she said.

Im still doing my research, Vinehout said.

Vinehouts 2014 bid ended prematurely when she sustained serious injuries in a car accident, causing her to bow out.

Her populist tone and electoral success in her western Wisconsin district have caused some Democrats to view Vinehout as a candidate who can compete in areas outside of Madison and Milwaukee  much of which is swing territory in a statewide election.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker has hinted hes leaning toward seeking a third term in 2018.

Vinehout said Saturday that Walkers plans wont influence her own.

At this early stage, Vinehout is one of many Democrats thinking about a possible run for governor.

Other Democrats cited by party operatives as possible candidates include state Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha, Exact Sciences CEO Kevin Conroy, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse, Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser, state Rep. Cory Mason of Racine, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, state Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse and state Rep. Dana Wachs of Eau Claire.
During the past several weeks, the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin hosted six community discussions about local transportation concerns throughout the state.

We held sessions in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Janesville and Wausau.

Businesses, farmers, health-care providers and local government officials across the state showed up and had stories to tell and perspectives to share about how transportation affects their regions.

While each part of Wisconsin has its own characteristics, economic drivers and set of issues, what we heard was remarkably consistent:

Reliability of the system is key to businesses competitiveness.

It is not an either-or. Wisconsins transportation system is a network  each component is essential.

Our transportation infrastructure is in disrepair.

Local governments are forced to do work-arounds, which are not ideal, due to insufficient state funding.

It may be intuitive that transportation affects businesses bottom line, but hearing specific examples from company representatives brought the point home. Kwik Trip has had to implement shorter intervals between maintenance on their vehicles due to road problems. The Interstate-39/90 corridor was called Van Galder Bus lines lifeline. Frito Lays sales are jeopardized if they fail to hit a one-hour window with their deliveries. And a representative from Blaines Farm & Fleet said the safety of his drivers keeps him up at night.

Farmers repeatedly shared stories of having their routes increased significantly due to bridges and roads that are now weight restricted. Timber producers are facing similar challenges.

Story after story confirmed what we learned in a recent report from TRIP, a national transportation research group that found Wisconsin roads are in tough shape. Its also why the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance gave our roads a D  the lowest grade on their 2015 report card.

From local government officials we heard an all too consistent story as well: Due to a lack of state funding, many have increased their reliance on bonding to simply try and keep up. If it wasnt increasing bonding, it was increasing the property tax or in some cases a local wheel tax. A city of Marshfield official discussed an upcoming referendum to exceed the property tax limit and increase property taxes by more than 10 percent to try and address several specific road projects. A town of Lisbon official in Waukesha County shared a story about how residents showed up at the annual meeting and voted for the most aggressive option, which included bonding for $8 million in road repairs over the next two years. That $8 million is approximately twice the towns $4.5 million operating budget.

The other theme that was consistent was frustration. We heard business leaders and local government officials say, It shouldnt be this hard.

Other states have come to agreement on a solution to their transportation challenges. More than 20 states in the last several years have passed sustainable statewide transportation packages. Our neighbors in Michigan and Iowa are two of the more recent examples.

Listening to stories of Wisconsin businesses hampered because of deteriorating transportation infrastructure was difficult. Hearing local officials talk about the piecemeal solutions they are forced to come up with wasnt any better.

In Wisconsin, we pay significantly less in our transportation user fees  meaning our combined vehicle registration fees and gas taxes  than any of our neighboring states. After listening to the effects on our business community and our citizens, the old adage of penny wise and pound foolish comes to mind.

Its time to Just Fix It Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Open Records Law has long held that the public interest in disclosure  the right of the people of Wisconsin to know what their government is doing  is a strong presumption for every record.  Dane County Judge Amy Smith.

Gov. Scott Walker is really good at sending sunshine our way.

If only he cared about allowing sunshine to brighten the workings of his government  our government, actually.

On March 11  the eve of Sunshine Week, which celebrates openness in government  the governor announced a variety of reforms aimed at openness.

Heres his statement: Today, we are thrilled to highlight some of the great initiatives we have put in place to ensure public access to government across all state agencies. We continue to look for ways to better serve the people of Wisconsin. By implementing these new initiatives, our citizens will have access to government services and processes far beyond what any previous administration has offered.

But Walker wasnt interested in being open about his plans to change the Wisconsin Idea  the long-held public service mission of the University of Wisconsin  and replace it with wording about meeting the states workforce needs.

When those changes came to light, the governor called it a drafting error.

But, it wasnt a drafting error.

We know that now because, on the eve of the Memorial Day holiday, Judge Smith ordered Walker to turn over 82 pages of documents that he had withheld related to the deliberations that went into his plans to change the Wisconsin Idea as part of his budget initiatives.

So much for a drafting error  and so much for sunshine.

The laws of Wisconsin  our state statutes  are quite clear on the topic of openness:

In recognition of the fact that a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the public policy of this state that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.

The governor had argued that he shouldnt have to turn over the records because they were part of his deliberative process.

But Judge Smith countered that theres no such exemption  and creating one would be in contravention of the letter and the spirit of Wisconsins Open Records Law.

Republicans tried to decimate that law on their way out of the Capitol for the July 4 weekend last summer. And, you can bet youll be hearing more about creating an exemption for a deliberative process in the future.

Walkers Sunshine Week declaration pointed out that his office has released more than 6,090,000 pages of records and received 841 public records requests, compared to only 360 public records requests received by Governor Doyles office at the same point in his term. With a records request increase of 230 percent over the previous administration and over six million pages of records released, Governor Walkers office leads the way on transparent and open government.

While a little sunshine goes a long way, governor, a lot of sunshine leads to truth and accountability in government. We remain concerned that some lawmakers havent given up on plans to put a huge loophole in Wisconsin open records law.

As Judge Smith wrote in her opinion: Wisconsin places great importance on the role of open records disclosure informing the people of Wisconsin on the affairs of government. That policy directly informs, and gives great weight to, the public interest component of the balance test.

When the law is followed, the public wins.
Philippine president-elect urges public to kill drug dealers  MANILA, Philippines  The Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods. In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded.

Veteran NPR journalist, translator killed in Afghanistan  WASHINGTON  David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara says in a statement that Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck. Two other NPR journalists traveling with them were unharmed.

Many Muslims to begin fasting for month of Ramadan  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Millions of Muslims around the world will mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Monday, a time marked by intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. Saudi Arabias state TV announced the new moon of Ramadan was spotted Sunday evening. Local media in Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim country, also said Muslims there would begin fasting Monday.

Reports of violence as 12 Mexican states vote for governors  VERACRUZ, Mexico  Government and political leaders reported scattered incidents of election-related violence in Mexico on Sunday as 12 states voted for new governors. In Veracruz, a two-party alliance backing an opposition candidate complained of attacks against party members in seven municipalities, including vehicles being burned and gasoline bombs thrown at a party office in the state capital of Xalapa.

Austria suggests interning migrants on Greek islands  BERLIN  Austrias foreign minister is proposing interning migrants on Greek islands. In a newspaper interview, Sebastian Kurz says Europe could copy Australias model of intercepting migrant boats offshore  either sending them back or keeping them in island camps until their asylum claims have been processed. Human rights groups have criticized the practice.

Turkeys president: work no reason to skip motherhood  ISTANBUL  Turkeys president says work is no reason for women to decline motherhood. Speaking Sunday at a womens association in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a woman who abstains from motherhood saying I am working means she is in fact rejecting motherhood. Earlier this week, he spoke out against birth control saying it was incompatible with Muslim traditions.

Israelis hold annual march through a tense Jerusalem  JERUSALEM  Thousands of Israelis marched through Jerusalems Old City amid high tensions on Sunday to commemorate the capture of the citys eastern sector in the 1967 Mideast war. The event comes amid a nearly nine month-long wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The march snaked through the heart of the Old Citys Muslim Quarter, where revelers danced and blew horns.
Onalaska United Methodist Church has childrens church for children ages 4 and up during the summer. Each Sunday will feature a different cereal theme. There will be stories, scriptures, projects, games and snacks. During June, it will be held during the 8:30 a.m. Sunday service, and in July, it will be during the 10:30 a.m. service. For more information, call the church office at 783-3380.
Jolene A. Betcher, 64, of Tomah died Saturday, June 4, 2016, at her home.

She was born to Joe and Elizabeth Betty (Peth) Reinart Oct. 16, 1951. She was a member of the Tomah High School graduating class of 1969. Jolene was united in marriage to Keith Betcher Oct. 20, 1972, at Queen of the Apostles at St. Marys Catholic Church. Jolene earned her degree from the Milwaukee School of Nursing. Jolene was a very proud and caring nurse. She worked at the Tomah Memorial Hospital to start. In 1974, she started at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Tomah, and worked there until her retirement in 2006. While at the V.A. she was a valued employee and started many programs to help veterans with mental and physical health issues. She invented and patented a game for the Alzheimer patients, and she worked as a diabetic educator.

She belonged to Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church, and was a former member of the PCCW. She and her sister were graduates of the Tomah Citizens Police Academy. Jolene and Keith traveled the world together. They took trips to Tahiti, across the U.S., they had a seasonal camp spot at Lake Arbutus, and wintered in Rockport, Texas, for 10 years. Jolene had many hobbies and enjoyed painting ceramics, making and collecting jewelry, watching her soaps, taking walks with her children, shopping, coffee clutching with her family and friends, and sparkles on everything. She had a vivacious personality and would start up a conversation with anyone. Christmas was her favorite time of year and loved to shop for her children and grandchildren. She will always be remembered for movies and popcorn at grandmas and being a fun grandma. She was a devoted wife and a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend.

She is survived by her husband of 43.5 years, Keith of Tomah; a son, Troy (Erin) of Eau Claire, wis.; a daughter, Amy (Ryan) Burkhalter of Sparta; six grandchildren, Luke, Emily and Elise Betcher, Kyle, Kim and Aden Burkhalter; two great-grandchildren, Dawson and Lilly; three sisters, Diane (Glen) Pergande, Linda (Bob) Martens, Connie Ripp, all of Tomah; two brothers, David Reinart and Steve Reinart; three brothers-in-law, Kurt Betcher of Los Gatos, Calif., Randy Luther of Sparta, and Randy Ripp of Tomah; nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and a sister, Patricia Patty.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 9, at Queen of the Apostles Parish at St. Marys Church, 315 W. Monroe St. Monsignor Richard Gilles will officiate. Burial will be in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

Relatives and friends are invited for a time of visitation from 4 until 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau St., Tomah, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service Thursday, at the church.

On Wednesday at 8 p.m. there will be a small service to share memories of Jolenes life.

Online condolences may be given www.sonnenburgfamilyfh.com
The Westby Police Department reported a two-vehicle accident, with minor injuries.

At approximately 5 p.m., on Thursday, June 2, at the intersection of USH 14/61/27 and West Tri-State Rd, a vehicle operated by Carol Bluske, age 80 of Chaseburg, struck a vehicle operated by Hollie Hoffland, age 40 of Cashton.

The Bluske vehicle pulled out from W. Tri-State Rd. traveling east toward Old Town Road. Bluske did not see the second vehicle traveling north on USH 14/61/27 and struck the Hoffland automobile in the drivers door, causing the Hoffland vehicle to land in the eastbound ditch.

Hoffland was transported by private vehicle to Vernon Memorial Healthcare with minor injuries. All parties were wearing seat belts. Also assisting at the scene were the Vernon County Sheriffs Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Westby-Christiana Fire Department, Westby First Responders and Tri-State Ambulance Service.
Its now all but certain that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the major party candidates in the November presidential election  an astonishing feat, since polls suggest neither candidate is all that well-liked by voters.

As a result, theres talk that this may be the year a third-party candidate could break through  from the Libertarian Party, say, or possibly an independent run backed by Bill Kristol, the longtime Republican and editor of the conservative Weekly Standard.

Could it really happen? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk debate the issue.

Joel Mathis

Certain fans of The Simpsons  middle-aged folks who grew up with the show during its early 1990s heyday  will remember a classic election-oriented episode in which Homer Simpson unmasks the two presidential candidates, a Democrat and a Republican, to be hideous space reptiles in disguise.

The revelation means little: Its true! one of the aliens announces. But what are you going to do about it? Its a two-party system! You have to vote for one of us!

A citizen in the crowd pipes up: Well, I believe Ill vote for a third-party candidate!

Go ahead! Throw your vote away! the alien replies, laughing maniacally.

Sad to say, the alien was correct in his assessment of our politics.

Despise Donald? Hate Hillary? Its absolutely your right to vote for a candidate who makes a better appeal to your sensibilities. The Libertarians and the Green Party, among others, are always out there seeking your vote  and Never Trump Republicans may offer their own alternative candidate this year. Just dont expect any of them to win, or even come close  not even in this extraordinary political year.

Maybe its time to change the rules.

The best option? A wholesale turn to instant runoff voting, a system in which a voter ranks candidates in order of preference. If a candidate captures more than half the first-preference votes, he or she wins, and the election is over. Otherwise, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and the ballots are retabulated. If your first-choice candidate was eliminated, your second-choice preference will get the vote instead. Repeat the process until one candidate gains a clear majority.

Its slightly complicated but also a bit brilliant. It lets voters demonstrate their preferences without worrying that they are, in fact, throwing their votes away. Want to vote for the Libertarian candidate? Go ahead. If hes eliminated, your support can immediately and automatically shift to a candidate who has a better chance of winning.

It seems increasingly clear that this election will provide satisfaction to few voters. But its also clear the system isnt necessarily designed to provide that satisfaction. Want to make a change? Start with the rules that discourage third-party votes in the first place.

Ben Boychuk

Americans love third-party outsiders, mavericks and independents. Just ask former presidents Eugene V. Debs, George Wallace, John Anderson, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader  as soon as you find your way into the weird parallel universe where those guys were elected.

In our world, the enthusiasm for third-party presidential candidates never quite translates into electoral majorities. Historically, third-party candidates dont win presidential elections; they spoil them. More often than not, they dont even crack double digits in the popular vote.

Perot was an exceptional case in 1992. The Texas multimillionaire ran a campaign similar to Trumps, focusing on the economy and the ill effects of free trade. He was even the front-runner for a time, until a series of bizarre missteps drove him from the race in July.

For a few months, anyway. Perot re-entered the contest in October and ended up winning just under 19 percent of the popular vote  nowhere near enough to win, obviously, but enough to deny Republican President George H.W. Bush a second term.

What makes a third party more appealing than appalling this time is the dismal popularity of the parties presumptive nominees. More than half of voters say they dislike Clinton and Trump  and dislike is putting it charitably. Many voters hate them in the worst way. Thats unprecedented.

Yet, once again, most of those same voters appear unenthusiastic or simply uninterested in the meager alternatives on offer. The Libertarian ticket might break 10 percent this year.

A new Quinnipiac University poll found that Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump among registered voters, 45 percent to 41 percent. When third-party candidates are added to the mix, however, Clintons lead contracts to 40 percent over Trumps 38 percent. Big whoop. (Bear in mind, polls of registered voters arent nearly as predictive as polls of likely voters who have a track record of showing up on election day.)

But as useful as history can be, it really hasnt been much of a guide this year, has it? Trumps campaign was never supposed to survive 2015. He was never supposed to win the Republican nomination. And he has no chance whatsoever of beating Clinton in November. Right?
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

On a cold December day in 2014, the body of a newborn baby girl was recovered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The body was found off a snowy path in a public park.

A medical examiner later ruled that the girl was born healthy. She died, Fox News reported, from being left in the cold and from animal bites to her arms and legs.

The girl now has a name -- Amelia Grace Hope. Linda Znachko named the baby. She is with Safe Haven, a religious organization that buries abandoned children.

Znachko believes Amelia Grace did not have to die. She says that the mother could have felt she had no other choice.



"And it was really just two miles away from a fire station. And you know, if that mother -- maybe an under-resourced, desperate mom who was terribly afraid -- would have been able to just find her way just two miles down the road, she may have been able to surrender that baby, and the baby could be alive today."



That is because there was a safe place not far from where Amelia Grace was found.

Since 2008, legal guardians throughout the United States may surrender babies 45 days or younger to any emergency medical service provider. They can do this without fear of being charged with a crime. Yet, across the country, about 150 babies each year are left in waterways, along roadsides, and in waste cans.

Many, many years ago, a woman named Monica Kelsey was abandoned as a baby. Now, Kelsey works as a firefighter. She said she felt she had to do something. She found the answer while visiting a church in South Africa, which had a baby safe.



"It was for mothers who didn't want to be identified ..."



Keeping the mothers name private has led to safe child surrenders in many countries, including South Korea, China and Canada. It did not take long for Kelsey to launch Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the U.S.



The baby boxes are made of metal, but have soft padding on the inside. Each has a climate-controlled thermostat. This device changes the temperature inside the box, based on the weather conditions outside.

When a baby is placed in the box, it activates an infrared light and series of silent alarms. These alarms notify emergency personnel within a minute.



Monica Kelsey met Linda Znacho because of the case of baby Amelia. Together the women worked to try to persuade Indianas state legislature to change the Safe Haven law. They wanted to protect people who use the boxes and those dropping off babies in person.



The Indiana Department of Health opposed the plan. In a report to the legislature, it warned against using a system with no policies to protect the newborn left inside the box.

Znachko disputed the departments warning. She explained what really happens when an abandoned baby dies.



"I offered them the reality that I've seen the autopsy results that are written about the conditions of these babies when they are found. It's so tragic. It's so hard to read. That even if a baby were to die in the baby box, it would be an attempted rescue on their life."



Safe Haven Baby Boxes made its program stronger by adding an automatic lock to the outside of the boxes. This ensures that only emergency personnel could remove the newborns from the interior door. The legislature unanimously amended the law.

Monica Kelseys husband, Joe, is the mayor of Woodburn, Indiana. He approved a plan for setting up the first baby box at the local fire station.

"I'm very proud that Woodburn is the first city to have Safe Haven Baby Boxes and if one life is saved during the whole term that I'm mayor, it will be the best thing."



Each box costs about $2,000. A civic organization, the Knights of Columbus, paid for the first 100 boxes.

Kelsey gets emails every day from people asking for a box in their hometown. The next three locations have already been chosen. They are in high abandonment areas in Indiana.



"Our goal is 10 percent of these babies that are being abandoned [will be left in the boxes]. That's where we're going to start. I think through the years, though, that number is going to grow. And eventually, hopefully save 100 percent of the babies that are being illegally abandoned."



The baby boxes came too late to save Amelia Grace Hope, but she left her mark in her own small way. Her footprint is used in signs for the program.

Im Anna Matteo.

Erika Celeste reported this story for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Would this work where you live? Do mothers have many options? Please leave us a Comment, and post on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

abandon  v. to give up with the intent of never again claiming a right or interest in

under-resourced  adj. provided with insufficient resources.

desperate  adj. giving little reason to hope

climate-controlled thermostat -- n. a device that keeps the temperature average, not too warm and not too cold

tragic  adj. causing strong feelings of sadness usually because someone has died in a way that seems very shocking, unfair, etc.

unanimously  adv. agreed to by everyone
Democratic Party presidential candidates are working to gain the support of Hispanic voters before the primary election in California on Tuesday.

About one-third of adults in California are Hispanic. The campaigns of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have been competing for their support.

Trump criticized

Volunteers have been working to convince Hispanics to register to vote. They also have been calling registered Democrats on the phone.

The volunteers say they do not agree with many statements made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. He has said Mexico is sending criminals into the United States.

Trump says he is only criticizing those who do not obey the law. He notes some Hispanics support him. Maria Aguila, who lives near San Francisco, is one of his supporters. She says she does so because we need change. We need real change this time.

Maria Alvarado Marquez is a Democrat. She supports and is a volunteer worker for Hillary Clinton. She lives near Los Angeles. She says she is insulted by Trumps statements. She says Muslims and people coming from Latin America to the U.S. are looking for a better life.

These are all people who want freedom -- religious freedom, economic freedoms, she said. She says both groups have been insulted by Trump. She says this is probably the most important election of my life.

Proposed wall is seen as a dividing issue

Public opinion studies show that most Hispanics are worried about Trumps promise to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Stephanie Sandoval is a teacher. She says learning about her students families has changed some of her political beliefs.

Ive been kind of moderate, sometimes conservative on some issues, but seeing how those issues affect some people, you know, for example with Donald Trump and building the wall 

Her concerns caused her to hold a campaign sign in public. It is the first time she has become politically active.

Hispanic age groups support different Democratic candidates

Hillary Clinton has more support among Hispanics than Bernie Sanders. But younger Hispanics support Sanders in much greater numbers than they support Clinton.

Public opinion studies show Hispanics are most worried about economic issues and education. Political messages from both candidates talk about those issues.

But Republican Donald Trump appears to be the strongest motivator for Hispanics to vote in Tuesdays Democratic primary.



Hispanics in neighboring states

Raphael Sonenshein is with the Pat Brown Institute at California State University, Los Angeles. He says if many Hispanics vote in the South and Southwest, they could have an effect on the election.

He said, It could matter, not in California, which is just going to go Democratic no matter what, but in Arizona (and) in Florida, which is one of the most competitive states in the country, which not only has Cuban-Americans, but a large number of people who have moved from Puerto Rico in this last year.

He says large numbers of Hispanic voters could affect state and congressional races in places like Arizona, which is almost one-third Hispanic.

Im Mario Ritter.

VOA Correspondent Mike OSullivan reported this story from Los Angeles. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

convince -- v. to persuade someone to believe firmly in something

motivator  n. a person or a reason that causes people to do something


Even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is not safe from cyber attackers.

Zuckerbergs Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest profiles were briefly hacked over the weekend. His Facebook and Instagram accounts were not involved, Facebook officials said.

A group calling itself OurMine Team said it attacked the three accounts on Sunday, according to the website TechCrunch. The accounts were quickly restored.

Twitter says a Twitter account used by the hackers to post messages was suspended. A website called Engadget captured messages posted by the hackers to Zuckerbergs personal Twitter account.

We are just testing your security, said one message posted by the hackers to the billionaires Twitter profile. Zuckerberg had not posted anything to his Twitter account since 2012.

Business networking site LinkedIn confirmed Monday that the Facebook founders data was compromised, The New York Times reported. The company said the hackers attempted to create a false profile for Zuckerberg.

We were alerted of this takeover attempt and have taken action to remove the false profile on LinkedIn, said a statement, the newspaper reported.

The hackers also posted what they claimed was the password used for Zuckerbergs LinkedIn account.

But LinkedIn did not say if the attacks on Zuckerbergs social media accounts were part of a large data breach at the company in 2012. That leak, of emails and passwords, affected more than 100 million LinkedIn accounts.

Internet security experts suggest that users change their passwords often to keep accounts safe. They also warn users not to use the same passwords for different social media accounts.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English. Additional information came from Associated Press, the New York Times, TechCrunch and Engadget. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Do you think more can be done to prevent internet hacking? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cyber  adj. relating to computers or the internet

hack  v. gain access to a computer or network illegally

restore  v. bring something back

mogul  n. an important, successful person

networking  v. interacting with other people to exchange information and develop contacts

password  n. a secret work needed to gain access to something

breach  n. violation of a law or standard


Muslims began observing the holy month of Ramadan Monday with the first sighting of the new moon.

For most Muslims, Ramadan is taking place this year from June 6 to July 5. During this period, Muslims are supposed to eat just two meals a day. One is called suhoor, which is the meal before sunrise. The other meal is iftar. That is the meal at sunset.

For countries in the northern half of the world, the longest day of the year falls during Ramadan. As a result, some Muslims will be avoiding meals for up to 17 hours a day during the month.

What is the main advice for the millions of people who have begun this fasting period? Use reason and common sense when eating meals at night.

No feasting while non-fasting

Razeen Mahroof is a medical specialist from the British city of Oxford. He warns against eating too much during the non-fasting hours.

He told the NHS Choices website that the underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control."

He said the early morning meal should include foods that are filling yet provide energy for many hours. He suggests eating slow-digesting foods, such as pita bread, salad, cereal and toast.

Health experts and health websites urge those who are fasting to avoid foods high in fat and sugar, as well as fried foods, especially during the night-time meal.

Sleep and hydration

Lovely Ranganath works as senior nutritionist at the Dubai World Trade Center. She told Gulf News that sleeping and drinking plenty of fluids at night are also key to staying healthy during Ramadan.

"Waking up for suhoor becomes difficult as the digestion of fried foods interferes with our sleep cycle," Ranganath told Gulf News.

She said a lack of fluids can cause not only dehydration but stomach problems, as well.

There are more than 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country. More than 196 million Indonesians are Muslim.

More than 3.3 million Muslims live in the United States.

Many Muslims end their fast by eating a date and having a drink of water. The Prophet Muhammad started that tradition nearly 1,400 years ago.

The staff at VOA News wrote this story. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and post your thoughts on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

fast  n. a period of time when you do not eat any food

Ramadan  n. the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset

digest  v. to change eaten food by a biological process into simpler forms that can be used by the body

fried  adj. cooked in hot oil

dehydration - n. to suffer from the loss of too much water from one's body


Islamist extremists in Iraq are shooting and killing civilians as they attempt to flee the city of Fallujah, a rights group says.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the civilians are hoping to escape from fighting between Islamic State militants and Iraqi government forces.

The council said its information came from families that were in contact with the NRC.

Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety, said the groups director in Iraq, Nasr Muflahi. This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives.

Fallujah has been under Islamic State control since 2014. Iraqi forces have been battling against the militants for several weeks in an effort to retake the city.

The latest offensive has led to Iraqi forces surrounding the city on three sides. The only area not yet captured is along the western bank of the Euphrates River.

The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates about 3,000 families escaped Fallujah during the early days of the military offensive, which began on May 21. But since then, the group said, only a few families have been able to flee.

United Nations officials estimate that about 50,000 civilians are trapped in Fallujah. Some people have tried to cross the 300 meter-wide Euphrates in an effort to escape. But the U.N. said several people, including children, drowned while crossing the river.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Joshua Fatzick reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bank  n. the land on the side of a river or lake
Rights groups are calling on the United States to release details about its secretive drone attacks around the world.

A recent U.S. drone strike in Pakistan led to the calls for more transparency. The leader of Afghanistans Taliban was killed in that attack.

In the past, U.S. drone aircraft have hit terrorist targets in Yemen and Somalia.

Rita Siemion is with the group Human Rights First. She says the U.S. government should establish clear policies and provide real numbers on all its drone attacks.

And, Just trust us. We have high standards. We are doing the best that we can, really isnt enough.

The administration of President Barack Obama has promised to provide this kind of information in a report soon.

The report is expected to list the number of combatants and civilians killed in U.S. drone strikes since 2009. It will not have information from active battle areas like Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

President Obamas spokesman, Josh Earnest, told reporters in March the report represents a big step forward for transparency.

We wouldn't even acknowledge publicly that these things were taking place. So the fact that were now in a position on a regular, routinized basis to publish the results and to quantify the totals about the impact of these operations -- I do think represents substantial progress in the direction of transparency.

But Human Rights First and other critics of the drone policy believe it is not enough to just list the number of deaths and injuries. They say administration officials should also explain how they collected the data and how they define terms used in the report.

John Hannah worked as an adviser to two U.S. presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He says the drone program is not the best way to deal with terrorists.

The Obama administration has almost completely foregone an effort to capture and detain and get intelligence from these terrorists. Instead, it has universally decided its going to be the judge, jury and executioner.

Hannah does believe drone strikes can be effective in some areas. He noted countries such as Yemen and Pakistan, where the governments have not aggressively fought terrorists.

Hannah also said drone attacks do reduce the number of civilian casualties compared to conventional military conflict. The answer, he said, is to create safeguards for accountability, while balancing national security, transparency, and the rule of law.

Ensure that we are doing everything possible to find the right balance that ensures American security, and yet at the same time, ensures that we are not crossing that line into becoming a lawless nation.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Aru Pande reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Do you think the United States should release more information about its drone attacks around the world? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drone  n. unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control

transparency  n. the state of being transparent

combatant  n. person or nation engaged in fighting during war

quantify  v. calculate the quantity of something

data  n. facts or information

forgo  v. to give up

conventional  adj. used and accepted by most people

accountable  adj. required to explain actions or decisions

ensure  v. make certain that something will happen
Many Americans are criticizing a six-month jail sentence given to a former Stanford University student for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

Aaron Persky is a judge with the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in California. He sentenced 20-year-old Brock Turner to six months in a county jail and three years of probation under the courts supervision.

Turner also will have to complete a sex-offender management program and register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of his life.

Government lawyers had asked for a six-year state prison sentence.

The victim read an emotional statement in court before the sentencing. She described the painful details of being examined by medical workers after the attack.

The woman also described how the sexual assault hurt her emotionally.

My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition, she said. Along with other emotions, she said, she became closed off, angry, tired and empty.

News media are not identifying the victim, which is their general policy in sexual assault cases.

Turner was a swimmer at Stanford, one of the nations top universities.

Brock Turners father, Dan A. Turner, also wrote to the court before the sentencing last week. The Washington Post reports that Dan Turner wrote a letter saying his son should receive probation, not jail time.

"That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life, the father wrote. He will never be his happy go-lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile, he added.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen criticized the letter for calling the sexual assault 20 minutes of action. He also criticized Turner for not accepting responsibility for the crime.

To this day, the defendant denies what he did, Rosen told The Washington Post. He added that Brock Turner preyed upon the woman and displayed violence.

After the sentencing last Thursday, Rosen released a statement, according to The Associated Press. "The punishment does not fit the crime," he said. "The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victim's ongoing trauma. Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape."

Last March, Turner was found guilty of three felony sexual assault counts for the attack. It happened in January 2015. Two graduate students found Turner assaulting the unconscious woman. She was behind a trash container with only some of her clothes on.

Turner tried to flee, but the students grabbed him and held him down until police arrived and arrested him.

Both the victim and Turner had blood-alcohol levels above the legal limits, according to The San Jose Mercury News.

The victim remembered drinking alcohol, but not the attack. She writes that she remembered waking up at a hospital in San Jose. A police deputy told her she may have been a victim of a sexual assault.

I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don't want my body anymore. I was terrified of it," the woman wrote in her letter to Turner and Judge Persky that she read in the courtroom during the sentencing.

She said she wanted to take off her body, and leave it at the hospital.

In an editorial, The San Jose Mercury News called the six-month county jail sentence a slap on the wrist.

Im Caty Weaver.

This report was based on reports from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and The San Jose Mercury News. Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What do you think about the punishment for the crime? What do you think of the victim's statement, and the father's response? Write to us in the Comments section and visit us on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

unconscious - adj. not aware of what is happening, not conscious

probation - n. supervision by a law enforcement official to make sure the person is obeying the law

convicted - adj. been found guilty of a crime

distort - v. to change something in bad way

prey - v. to hunt and hurt someone

steep - adj. very high

trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

felony - n. a serious crime

slap on the wrist - phrase. very light punishment


U.S. and Chinese officials Monday called for more diplomacy to ease tension over Chinas claims to the South China Sea.

But experts say the dispute will continue.

Key leaders from both countries met in Beijing Monday for the eighth Strategic & Economic Dialogue. It is a yearly meeting designed to build cooperation between Chinese and U.S. leaders.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opened Mondays meeting. He said the United States has not taken a position on Chinas claims over the South China Sea.

The only position weve taken is lets not resolve this by unilateral action. Let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, Kerry said.

China has accused the United States of taking sides against Chinas South China Seas claims. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China and the U.S. need to increase communication and cooperation over Asia-Pacific affairs.

China already has said it will not accept a ruling from a United Nations panel over its claims to almost all of the South China Sea.

The sea covers about 3.5-million square kilometers from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan. It is one of the worlds most important waterways.

In recent years, Chinese crews have developed artificial islands, complete with airstrips. There are competing claims to the Sea by Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

In recent months, there has been conflict between the U.S. and China over the South China Sea.

One of the most tense occurred last month when Chinese warplanes came close to a U.S. Navy patrol plane flying over the South China Sea.

During a visit last month to Vietnam, President Barack Obama drew cheers when he said: Big nations should not bully smaller ones. The China Daily, which shares the view of the Chinese government, said Obama and Vietnam risk turning the region into a tinderbox of conflicts.

Bonnie Glaser is director of the China Power Project for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She said the UN ruling, expected soon, will probably not slow Chinas activities along the South China Sea.

But she said it is possible China will accept parts of the UN panels ruling, even as it officially rejects it. That might include stopping its interference with fishing along the South China Sea, Glaser said.

The South China Sea wasnt the only issue brought up during Mondays U.S.-China meeting in Beijing.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew asked China to cut steel production. Lew said too much Chinese steel is flooding markets and hurting producers, including from the United States.

President Xi promised steps to reduce Chinese steel production, but announced no new steps.

I'm Bruce Alpert.

Nike Ching reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

tension  n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other

unilateral  adj. involving only one group or country

bully  v. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people

tinderbox  n. a place or situation that could suddenly become very violent

centrally  adv. controlled by a central figure or government

adopt  v. to begin a policy
The United States Navy says it has banned its work force in Japan from drinking alcohol and limited most of their activities to Navy bases.

The announcement came after a U.S. sailor on the Japanese island of Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Okinawa residents have demanded the removal of U.S. bases after several incidents involving armed forces members in recent months.

The latest incident happened Sunday night. Japanese police arrested Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia after she reportedly drove on the wrong side of a road. She crashed her car into two vehicles, injuring two people, a police spokesman said.

Mejia was not hurt, the Associated Press reported.

Following the incident, U.S. sailors throughout Japan have been banned from drinking alcohol indefinitely, the Navy said in a statement.

These [incidents] are not taken lightly, said Rear Admiral Matthew Carter. For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan.

The U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, offered her regrets to the family of those injured in the accident.

The U.S. Navy had already ordered all sailors to return to their bases by midnight, local time. The Navy also banned all off-base drinking after a former U.S. Marine, who worked on an American military base in Japan, was arrested last month. That Marine was suspected of involvement in the disappearance of a Japanese woman. Police believe that she was raped and murdered.

In March, a U.S. sailor was arrested on charges of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa. Three U.S. servicemen were found guilty in the rape of a schoolgirl in 1995. That case angered many Japanese.

Im Jonathan Evans.

This story was published on VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and post on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

petty officer  n. an officer with a low rank, or grade, in the US Navy or Coast Guard

resident  n. someone who lives in a place, usually for a long period

decade  n. a period of 10 years
Elephant ears, games, rides and more! Lots of fun to be had by all at the Strawberry Festival Carnival.
Karthik Subbaraj (33) is a trendsetting director in Tamil cinema. He made a sensational debut with that delicious Pizza (2012), a thriller made on a shoe string budget that became a sleeper hit. Two years later his gangster story Jigarthanda (title derived from a sweet beverage available in Madurai), got rave reviews and he was called the Quentin Tarantino of Kollywood on social media. The film, an average grosser, took over two years to produce, went over budget and Karthik had a bitter fall out with its producer Kathiresan.

Last Friday Karthik Subbarajs ambitious multi-starrer Iraivi (Goddess) released, with critics going ga-ga over it. Noted critic Bardwaj Rangan of The Hindu wrote, Iraivi is an unusual feminist film, in the sense that its seen entirely through the prism of sympathetic male characters. Your men arent monsters who drink or cheat on their wives or subject them to torture. They do these things, yes, but differently.

The Times Of India critic M Suganth said in his review, Iraivi signifies the transition of Karthik Subbaraj from a whiz kid who delivered visually dazzling works to a major filmmaker who merits serious discussion. If Pizza and Jigarthanda showed his directing flair, Iraivi is a showcase of his writing prowess. That doesn't mean the film is visually a lesser experience. In fact, it is equally impressive. The film is certainly the most interesting 'drama' we have seen in Tamil cinema in a while.

Iraivi is getting polarised views on social media. Bollywood director Bejoy Nambiar tweeted : Iraivi is a bold film with a very unpredictable &unique story @karthiksubbaraj grabs u by the collar & just doesn't let go. A MUST WATCH.

#Iraivi is a bold film with a very unpredictable &unique story @karthiksubbaraj grabs u by the collar & just doesn't let go. A MUST WATCH  Bejoy Nambiar (@nambiarbejoy) June 6, 2016

But down south, Tamil director and actor Lakshmi Ramakrishnan tweeted: For me Iraivi did not come across as a film with strong female characters, too much violence, and twist was horrible.

FOR ME #Iraivi , did not come across as a film with strong female characters, too much violence, twist was horrible...  Lakshmy Ramakrishnan (@LakshmyRamki) June 6, 2016

However, trouble started for Iraivi after the first-day-first-show when the powerful Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) members saw red after watching the film. In the film, Karthik depicts a character, a film producer, as the root cause of the hero's (a film director turned alcoholic) film is stuck in the cans. In the film, there is a violent scene where one of the heros associate and close friend clubs the producer to death using a hammer. The buzz in trade circles was that Karthik through that gory scene had shown his anger towards his Jigarthanda producer Kathiresan. Now a section within TFPC wants action to be taken against Karthik Subbaraj.

Meanwhile, one of the presenters of Iraivi , leading producer KE Gnanavelraja, felt peeved about the whole issue which by the weekend had blown into a major controversy. In a sensational Whatsapp audio, Gnanavel said that he deeply regret his association with Iraivi. The peeved producer said, Unlike others, Karthik Subbaraj doesnt know the pain of becoming a director as he never worked as an assistant to anyone. CV Kumar has introduced Karthik in Pizza and now with Iraivi, the director has not only overshot the budget and put the producer in an insecure state.

The buzz in trade circles is that Iraivi starring mid-level stars like SJ Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simhaa, Anjali, Kamaleene Mukerjee, cost around Rs 13.5 crore including print and publicity. Karthik had promised to complete it for Rs 7 crore. The producer of the film CV Kumar had to release it on a deficit, and at the box-office the film is being liked only by critics and multiplex audiences and is not doing well in B and C centres.
Osaka - Amid 10 state-run lenders suffering losses of over Rs 15,000 crore during the January-March quarter, finance minister Arun Jaitley has promised greater capital support to banks, while warning that defaulters will not be allowed to sleep well.

You cannot indefinitely have a situation where people who owe money sleep well and bankers have to worry. I think the people who owe these monies will also have to act, the finance minister said.

Asserting that all non-performing assets (NPAs)  loans that do not yield returns  are not frauds, he said there may be some improper loans, but there were a large volume of loans resulting from business losses, or on account of sectoral losses.

The loans were rightly given, sectors havent done well. So to say that these are all skeletons stumbling out (is not correct). A business loss is not a skeleton. A skeleton is something, which is done as a scam or a scandal, and therefore we must be careful to distinguish between chalk and cheese as far as banking NPAs are concerned, he said.

The finance minister, who is on a six-day visit to Japan to attract investment, said the losses stemmed from provisioning for bad debts, and most banks, including State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, reported profits at operational level.

Look at the balance sheets of these banks. PNB operationally had a good profit, SBI had a good profit.

Stating that NPAs have always been there, Jaitley said: Whether you keep it below the carpet or you bring it into the balance sheet... I think a transparent balance sheet is the best way of doing business and thats what banks are doing today.

The bankruptcy law and the strategic debt restructuring mechanism of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are also there to empower banks, he added.
Geneva: Seeking to create two or three Switzerlands within India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today courted Swiss business leaders to boost domestic manufacturing and skill development.

Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging talks with prominent business leaders from Switzerland including

officials of ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter and Roche. Addressing a business-roundtable here, he told the Swiss watch industry that the diamonds on their watches come from Gujarat and "so I am fully sensitive to your concerns."

"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," he told the business leaders. "We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us." India, he said, is not just a market of 1.25 billion. "We have skills and a government open to business."

Their discussion focused on ways to enhance trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also talked about government's commitment towards easing business environment in the country.

The Prime Minister urged the Swiss business leaders to explore the Investment opportunities in India.
New Delhi - Interpol has sought some "clarifications" from the ED before it issues a global arrest warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya, wanted by the probe agency in a money laundering case emerging from a Rs 900 crore alleged bank loan fraud.

Officials said the global police body had asked agency sleuths to provide to it certain detailed information on the legal processes undertaken by ED in the case before it can notify a red corner notice (RCN) against Mallya, sought by the investigating officer of the case to make the beleaguered businessman join probe in the alleged loan fraud of IDBI Bank, also being probed by CBI.

"Interpol has sought certain clarifications that are in the nature of providing additional details of the money laundering case against Mallya. The global police has not said it is denying the ED request to get an arrest warrant against him issued.The clarifications are being responded to," agency sources said.

They said such seeking of information is done in many cases, like in the Lalit Modi case, and the agency was hopeful that it will be able to satisfy Interpol on these issues.

The agency had first sought the RCN against Mallya last month in order to make him join investigations in the case personally.

Mallya had left India on 2 March using his diplomatic passport and is believed to be in the UK.

An RCN is issued "to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action" in a criminal case probe.

Once the said notice is issued, the Interpol seeks to arrest the person concerned in any part of the world and notifies that country to take his or her custody for further action at their end.

Mallya and others are being probed by the ED in the over Rs 900 crore IDBI loan fraud case in which it registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) early this year.

Britain had recently made it clear that Mallya cannot be deported and asked India to seek his extradition instead and the agency is mulling invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) existing between the two countries to get this job done.

The British government said it acknowledges "the seriousness of allegations" against Mallya and was "keen to assist" the Indian government in this case.

The ED is also mulling attaching domestic assets and shares worth about Rs 1,400 crore owned by Mallya in the first go.
Biharsharif: A district court on Monday framed charges against suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav and other accused persons in connection with the rape case of a minor girl in February last.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (I) Shashi Bhushan Prasad Singh framed charges against Yadav under various sections of IPC that includes 376 for raping a girl besides Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012, Special Public Prosecutor Shyameshwar Dayal said.

Charges have also been framed against the other five accused persons under Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.

The other five accused persons are Sulekha Devi, Radha Devi, Tusi Devi, Chhoti Kumari and Sandeep.

Sulekha Devi and her kin, named in the charge sheet, were accused of supplying girls to the RJD MLA and were arrested.

The Nalanda Police had on 22 April filed a charge sheet against the suspended RJD MLA and other accused in the case.

The 205-page charge sheet was filed by women's police station in-charge Mridula Kumari in the court of additional district judge Rashmi Shikha with the RJD MLA listed as the main accused.

Police said they have appealed to the court for speedy trial.

The RJD MLA had surrendered before a local court on 10 March fearing confiscation of his properties at several places in the state as he was evading arrest for about a month after registration of FIR against him for allegedly raping the minor girl at his residence in Biharsharif on 6 February.

Yadav, who won from Nawada seat on RJD ticket in 2015 Assembly polls and a former minister in the RJD government, was suspended by the party on 14 February after the rape charge.
Patna: Bihar government on Monday dissolved a committee constituted by Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) to probe into the alleged irregularities in evaluation of marks in this year's 10+2 examination.

The decision to dissolve the committee was taken after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with Education minister Ashok Choudhary, Principal Secretary (Education) DS Gangwar and BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

"The government has dissolved the committee," Choudhary told reporters after the meeting and said it was decided to go for direct action into irregularities without any further delay by registering an FIR against education mafias.

"It was discussed that the committee constituted by the Board would have taken time and arrived on a conclusion that irregularities have been committed, which prima facie has already been established. There is no point delaying action and hence, the state government decided to go for direct action by registering an FIR and initiating action against the culprits," the minister said.

Later, an official statement said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the education department to lodge an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in Vaishali in intermediate exam for the current year.

The chief minister ordered that the entire matter be probed by the police and stern action be initiated against those found guilty, the statement said. He also instructed to make arrangements for continuous assessment of students in higher school levels, it added.

Kumar had on Sunday asserted that no one would be spared and action would be taken after fixing responsibility.

The BSEB had on Sunday constituted a four-member committee headed by Patna High Court Judge Justice (retd) Ghanshyam Prasad to probe the irregularities in the evaluation of marks for 10+2 intermediate exam.

The BSEB had on 4 June decided to cancel the results of topper Saurabh Shrestha and third topper in science stream Rahul Kumar after they were found not up to mark during a re-test conducted by a team of experts on 13 toppers in arts and science streams of intermediate level in the current year.

Arts topper Ruby Rai, in an interview to media, had called political science as "prodigal science", which according to her was about cooking, and has been directed to face experts on 11 June.
Greater Noida: Prohibitory orders have been clamped and security stepped up in Bishada village in the wake of a proposed mahapanchyat on Monday over demand for registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter nine months after he was lynched over rumour that his family had eaten beef.

District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh has clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after Bishada villagers in Dadri announced panchayat for Monday and additional security personnel have been deployed in the village, officials said.

Residents of Bishada village, include kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, on Sunday met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a maha panchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq's family.

"A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaq's house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard," he said. "The villagers have decided to hold a maha panchayat as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it," he claimed.

VHP leader Surindera Jain had on Sunday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated. Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere. "Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," PL Punia said.
Lucknow: The administration and police in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh has been put in a state of high alert as a 'panchayat' has been called on Monday afternoon in Bisahada village, an official said.

This is the village where a Muslim named Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on 28 September last year on the charge that he and his family consumed cow's meat.

A government forensic lab in Mathura said in its report released last week that the meat in question was of "cow or its progeny".

The report has revived the controversy over the legal and moral issues surrounding the lynching.

An official, however, informed IANS that the accused would be produced before a fast-track court on Monday where charges would be fixed on them. A juvenile has already been granted bail by the high court.

The jawans of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary have been patrolling the village since Sunday evening.

Security has been increased following announcement by some Hindu frontal organisations  Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini  that they will participate in the panchayat, said officials.

Residents of Bishada village, including the kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, on Sunday, met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

A DNA report stated that SSP Dharmendra Yadav has said that a case will be filed against Akhlaq's family only if charges of beef possession are found true.

The report also said that VHP leader Surindera Jain visited the village on Sunday and claimed that that the accused have falsely been implicated.

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a mahapanchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq's family.

BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

"Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," PL Punia said.

With inputs from IANS and PTI
New Delhi: A court in New Delhi convicted five men on charges of raping a Danish woman in 2014 on Monday.

Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar held the five guilty and set 9 June for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.

Arjun, Raju alias Chhakka, Mohammad Raja, Mahendra alias Ganja, Raju alias Bajji and Shyam Lal were accused of robbing and raping the Danish woman at knife point near the New Delhi railway station in January 2014 after she sought directions to her hotel in Paharganj area.

Shyam Lal died in February in the Tihar Jail here and proceedings against him were quashed.

Three minors are facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board in the case.

Police said the accused were vagabonds who took the woman to an isolated spot near the Divisional Railway Officers' Club, snatched her belongings and raped her.
Ahmedabad: The prosecution in 2002 Gulbarg housing society massacre case on Monday sought death penalty or life imprisonment till death for all the 24 convicts, calling the attack "barbaric and inhuman" even as a special court deferred further hearing on sentencing to 9 June.

Pleading for maximum punishment, the prosecution said capital punishment could be considered by the court or the convicts be sent to jail and ordered to remain there till their last breath.

As arguments over the quantum of sentence that lasted for over two-and-a-half hours remained inconclusive, the special SIT court judge PB Desai adjourned further hearing in the case to Thursday.

The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons including former Congress MP Eshan Jafri in Gulberg housing society on 29 February, 2002 in post-Godhra riots when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.

The massacre shook the nation when a mob of 400 people set about attacking the housing society in the heart of Ahmedabad and killed the residents. It was one of the nine cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT.

Out of the total 66 accused, six died during the trial. Of the 24 convicted, 11 have been charged with murder, while 13 others including VHP leader Atul Vaidya have been convicted for lesser offences. Public prosecutor representing the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), RC Kodekar in his arguments before the court said as per section 149 IPC all those who are convicted should be given maximum punishment which is capital punishment "If capital punishment is not considered, they should be sent to jail till they live," he said.

Section 149 of the IPC reads, "If an offence is committed by any member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly, or such as the members of that assembly knew to be likely to be committed in prosecution of that object, every person who, at the time of the committing of that offence, is a member of the same assembly, is guilty of that offence."

"The manner of crime was cruel, barbaric and inhuman. Victims' bodies were roasted alive, in the crime for which there was no provocation, much less in case of women and children who were defenceless," Kodekar told the court. "Out of those 39 bodies recovered after crime, 20 were women and six children. Most families of Gulbarg Society lost their kith and kin while three families lost all members," Kodekar said.

"Out of 30 missing, 14 were women and eight children," Kodekar said, adding that women and children were defenseless and unarmed. After the Gulbarg Society incident, 39 bodies were recovered, while 30 others were declared dead as they were not traceable after seven years, taking the death toll to 69.

A lawyer for the victims SM Vora also sought maximum punishment for the accused and argued that sentencing for each offence should not run concurrently so that they spend their entire life in jail. A lawyer for the accused, however, rejected the demand of capital punishment or maximum punishment in his arguments, saying the incident was spontaneous and there were enough provocations for it.
New Delhi: Rejecting Modi government's charge of judicial overreach, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur has said that judiciary intervenes only when the executive fails in its constitutional duties.

The CJI also said, "the government should do its job instead of hurling accusations and that the people turn to the courts only after they are let down by the executive."

"The courts only fulfil their constitutional duty and the need would not arise if governments do their job," the CJI was quoted as saying in an interview to ETV News Network.

Amidst the tug of war between the executive and the judiciary, the CJI has said that if there is neglect and failure on part of government agencies, judiciary will "definitely" play its role, the network said in a release.

"We only fulfil our duties as laid down by the Constitution. If the governments do their job better, any need of interference would not arise," Thakur said when asked about a recent statement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding alleged judicial interference in executive functions.

Dealing with the huge vacancies in judiciary, Justice Thakur said, "I have requested the Prime Minister on several occasions and am sending a report on the same issue to the Centre too."
Kochi: A senior judge of the Kerala High Court on Monday said in open court that he was offered Rs 25 lakh bribe in a COFEPOSA case involving members of a major gold smuggling racket, following which a division bench recused from hearing the case.

As the case came up for hearing, Justice K T Sankaran said he was offered Rs 25 lakh bribe in the COFEPOSA case by the accused.

The bench comprising Justice Sankaran and Justice A Hariprasad then recused from hearing the case because of "reasons beyond our control".

The judge announced the decision while the Division Bench was considering a batch of petition challenging the preventive detention order issued against the accused under the COFEPOSA Act.

In January this year, the COFEPOSA advisory board had confirmed preventive detention of eight accused in the major gold smuggling case.

Provisions of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) were invoked against nine accused in the Nedumbassery gold smuggling case in which about 2,000 kg of gold was smuggled through Cochin International Airport for a base at Muvattupuzha with the help of airport staff,including an ex-immigration officer.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, New Delhi has issued detention order against nine accused Noushad P A, Faisal P A, Salim M M, Fazil K B, Yasir Ibnu Muhammed, Syfudheen M S, Jabin K Basheer, Bibin Scaria and Shinoy Mohandas.

Except Faisal, who is still absconding, all others were detained and imprisoned in the Central prison, Thiruvananthapuram in October last year.

The racket was busted in May last year after the Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch of Customs seized 13 kg gold hidden under the seats of a bus ferrying passengers from the aircraft to the terminal.

The accused had allegedly smuggled around 2,000 kg gold worth hundreds of crores of rupees through the Cochin international airport in a period less than two years.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to accord an urgent hearing to a plea seeking CBI probe into the Jawahar Bagh violence in Mathura in which 29 people, including two policemen, lost their lives.

A vacation bench of justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy listed the matter for Tuesday after the plea was mentioned for urgent hearing by advocate Kamini Jaiswal.

Jaiswal, appearing for petitioner lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, said that the evidences are being destroyed since the very start of the incident and around 200 vehicles have already been burnt.

She sought an urgent hearing, saying CBI probe is necessary looking at the gravity of the violence. 29 people, including an SP and an SHO, have been killed in the massive clash between police and encroachers that broke out in Mathura on 2 June when police were trying to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Allahabad High Court orders.
Geneva: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on the third leg of his five-nation tour with the issues of black money and India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) high on agenda.

On Monday, Modi will hold talks with President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Amman during which the issues of black money and India's membership in the NSG are likely to figure.

In a pre-departure media briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said Switzerland was an important member of the NSG and he definitely expected the issue of India's membership to come up during the discussions.

India has already formally applied for membership of the group.

On the black money issue, Jaishankar said India has already been in touch with the Swiss government under the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) mandate and added that India hoped "to engage as early as possible in the automatic exchange of information with Switzerland".

Monday's discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US later on Monday and on Wednesday to Mexico.

Modi had arrived in Qatar on Saturday from Afghanistan.
Mumbai: A special NIA court on Monday rejected the bail plea of four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case, who had sought liberty after eight Muslim men accused in the case were discharged in April.

Special NIA judge V V Patil rejected the bail applications of Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma who said in their plea that they were falsely implicated in the case and there was no evidence against them.

The defence lawyers argued that many things NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market.

The prosecution, however, held that there was ample evidence against the accused in the case, which is very serious in nature, and so they should not be granted bail.

In his order, the judge said "at this stage it appears to me that prima facie the evidence collected by NIA shows that the accused along with the absconding accused prepared bombs and planted it and in its explosion more than 31 people died and 312 innocent persons were injured."

Bearing in mind the nature of the crime and the charges leveled against the accused persons, they do not deserve bail", the judge said.

The bomb blast took place near Hamidia Mosque at Malegaon, near Nashik, on 8 September.

Bombs were kept on bicycles and they went off after Friday prayers at the mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, which had first probed the case, arrested nine Muslim men on the basis of alleged links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was confirmed by CBI later. One of them died while the case was pending. Four others, including a Pakistani national, are absconding.

However, NIA took over the investigation after Swamy Assemanand said in his confession in anther case about alleged involvement of Hindu right wing groups in the Malegoan blast case.

Thereafter, NIA told the court that it had no evidence against the nine accused in the case.

The special court in April dropped charges against eight Muslim men in the case due to lack of evidence against them.
Lahore: Pakistan on Monday handed over 18 Indian fishermen to India at Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completing their sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan's territorial waters.

Punjab Rangers handed over the 18 Indian fishermen, who were released on Sunday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force at Wagah Border, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said.

The fishermen were allowed to cross over the border after verification of their documents, he added.

The fishermen had been in the Malir Jail for the past few years for violating the territorial waters of the country.

The Edhi Foundation, which paid for the arrangement for the fishermen's return to their home, said each fisherman was given Rs 5,000 and gifts  clothes of themselves and their family members in India - before their departure.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons.
Mumbai: Congress on Monday asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to book senior BJP leader and former Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse under stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The party also termed as "mild" the decision of Fadnavis to order a probe by a retired high court judge into the allegations against Khadse.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations including the demand for a hefty bribe made by his PA in a land matter and purchasing a reserved land near Pune in name of his kin for a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.

"It has been proved that Khadse has underworld links so MCOCA should be applied in this case," Mumbai unit Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said, referring to alleged calls made from Dawood's residence in Karachi to the former minister's mobile.

"Merely dismissing Khadse from the Cabinet won't suffice. He should be charged under the MCOCA," Nirupam said in a letter to Fadnavis.

"It is alright that after dilly-dallying for two months, you made Khadse quit. However, announcing a probe headed by a retired High Court judge won't be enough. This decision is mild and raises questions about the intentions of the Fadnavis

government," the Congress leader said.

Nirupam said the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act should be applied as Khadse misused his official powers to get the MIDC plot for his wife and son-in-law. "This move of Khadse violated provision of sections 13 (C, D and E) of this Act. BJP always talks of morals and values but in the Khadse case, not enough action has been taken," Nirupam said.

Khadse had already denied the allegations that he had any links with Dawood after his mobile number purportedly figured in the call list of Dawood's Karachi residence, acquired by an ethical hacker.

Though Mumbai police had given the minister a clean chit in the matter, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad was directed to probe the charges.

The senior BJP leader was also put in a spot over the purchase of a three-acre Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land near Pune allegedly at a low price of around Rs 3.75 crore from its original owner in the name of his wife and son-in-law. The market value of the land is reportedly Rs 40 crore.
New Delhi: Congress on Monday kept up its attack on Modi government on the Eknath Khadse issue wondering why criminal charges have not been framed against the former Maharashtra minister who was forced to resign last week.

Seeking to puncture Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion of "zero tolerance against corruption," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said it took three months for BJP to act against Khadse.

"Have criminal charges been framed against Shri Khadse? Modiji said he was going to fight corruption but it took three months to act against Shri Khadse and that only after many protests," Singhvi told reporters.

In Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress demanded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis book the former Revenue Minister under stringent provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam also termed as "mild" Fadnavis' decision to order a probe by a retired High Court judge into the allegations against Khadse.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations of graft in a land issue and purchase of a reserved land near Pune in the name of his kin at a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.
There is this sauce for the goose, as they say, which can be served up to the gander as well.

Eknath Khadse has, by his logic, demonstrated that it does not always work that way. In his present endeavour to come out unscathed from a medley of allegation, he has implied that the sauce for the goose is not the sauce for the gander.

While quitting his powerful ministries in Maharashtra, he made out a case for himself, and with comfortable ease. While he was consistent with his stand which was a demand that documentary proof be advanced, not make mere allegations and drive up a media trial, he goofed on one point.

It was about dipping into Pakistan for information.

And here is how:

He called the ethical hackers, Manish Bhangale and Manish Shah who had hacked into the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limiteds database to ferret out, according to them, about four telephone numbers at Dawood Ibrahims residence, registered in his wife, Mehjabin Shaikh, chor.

Hacking is chori, he asserted at the press conference. The duo had hacked into something that was not supposed to be accessible to others. And that to, of computers of a company in Pakistan, which to the by then former minister, was an anti-national act. How dare, he implied, Indians stretch out into a country like Pakistan?

Of course, we still are not sure if Pakistan is an enemy country, or a troublesome neighbour, uncooperative on containing terror from within its border. India also holds talks, sometimes goes into a sulk, on occasions calls talks off, and even the prime minister drops in on his counterpart, Nawaz Sharifs birthday.

He was at once putting them on par with Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. The former had revealed sensitive diplomatic and secret military documents to the world to Julius Assange-led Wikileaks, leading to 35 years in his countrys prison. Snowden had copied and shared with public classified stuff from the National Security Agency, and had to seek shelter in Russia, not that Russia is an open society and supported his action.

That is the sauce for the goose.

During what he calls is the media trial, he had served for himself a difference sauce.

Go back to his conversation with the Indian Express published in its May 27 editions. It reported that he had already given some information dug out by his sources in Pakistan to the Mumbai Police. Who were the sources? The newspaper said, they were BJP leader Gurmukh Jagwanis kin based in Karachi. Jagwani is a BJP MLC.

Khadse told the Indian Express, and I have not read or heard about him denying the contents or parts of it so far, Gurmukh Jagwani hails from Karachi his father and other relatives are still there, Khadse said. His father (in fact) was a three-time elected member from Pakistan Peoples Party and was elected to Pakistan Parliament twice. He is well connected in the political circles (there). So, I sought his help to get to the facts on calls from Dawood.

Khadse said he had enough massive collection of information which had started pouring in, to help nail those out to get him. He ascertained the information, obviously, not from direct official channels, buy via the use of politically influential people, a politician in Pakistan.

The question is simple: if ethical hacking was stealing, is getting, if he already has as he claimed, using informal, influential route with the help of people there, any different? Probably this is a question of nuance, but politicians sometimes do show the slip. Their glibness can get them into trouble.

But when it suits them, double standards are alright.
Male: Former Maldives vice-president Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 10 years on a terrorism charge, his lawyer said on Monday, weeks after ex-leader Mohamed Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain.

With Ahmed Adeeb's sentencing, almost all of President Abdulla Yameen's key rivals are either in jail or living in exile.

The tiny nation of 3,40,000 Sunni Muslims has been gripped by political turmoil since Nasheed  its first democratically-elected president  was toppled four years ago in what he claimed was a coup led by mutinous police and troops.

Nasheed  whose legal team includes high-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney  was sentenced to 13 years on controversial terrorism charges last year but was allowed to travel to Britain for surgery last month and was granted political asylum.

Adeeb's lawyer Moosa Siraj told reporters that his client was convicted on Sunday night following a closed-door trial based on witness testimony that Adeeb brandished a handgun at an opposition rally in May last year.

"It is an unfair trial and we will appeal against the verdict at the High Court," Siraj told reporters in Male.

A court official said the case record will not be released to the public as it was considered a matter affecting national security.

Ahmed Adeeb, 34, once a close confidant of Yameen, had enjoyed a meteoric rise until he was dramatically impeached in November after being accused of trying to assassinate his boss by blowing up his speedboat.

Yameen was unhurt in the explosion last September, but his wife and two others were injured. A trial related to those allegations is yet to conclude.

Nearly four months ago, Yameen secured the jailing of another dissident, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, leader of the opposition Islamist Adhaalath Party.

He was jailed for 12 years after being tried under a controversial 1990 anti-terrorism law for allegedly inciting unrest during an anti-government rally in May 2015 on the capital island.

Imran's party had joined the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last year at a mass rally to protest the jailing of dissidents, including Nasheed.

Yameen  who defeated Nasheed in a controversial election run-off in November 2013  has resisted international pressure to free the former president and has refused to accept a UN panel ruling that his jailing last year was illegal.

Yameen has invited opposition parties for talks to resolve their differences, but they have ended in failure.
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday urged the Election Commission not to postpone the June 11 biennial elections for four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka.

A Congress delegation, led by party general secretary Digvijaya Singh, met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and submitted a representation on the issue.

Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Revanna earlier urged the commission to countermand the Rajya Sabha polls and demanded a CBI probe into a sting operation in which certain lawmakers were allegedly seen demanding cash for votes.

"The cancellation of the entire (election) process is neither called for nor is it a viable remedy given the facts and circumstances of the matter. Such an extreme step would rather deprive the candidates and the political parties of what is legitimately their due," said the Congress representation.

"We have noticed media reports about a political party's representative demanding countermanding of the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka. Some TV channels are also running stories in support of cancellation of the process in entirety, quoting the commission's decision of 2012 in Jharkhand," read the representation.

"The case of the Karnataka assembly is totally distinguishable from the Jharkhand case. The facts and circumstances are different. The commission may take all steps necessary to hold fair and proper polls," the Congress representation added.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday hit out at the opposition and the media for playing up sensitive issues like setting up a separate enclave for army personnel to "paint Kashmir in a bad light".

"I do not know what these newspapers want. Do they want to set the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story," Mufti said in the state assembly.

The chief minister's angry outburst came after Independent legislator Engineer Rashid rushed to the speaker's podium waving a copy of a newspaper which had carried a frontpage report with a photograph that the government was building a separate township on the outskirts of Srinagar for soldiers who retire after serving in the troubled state.

She said the newspaper had "misreported" the facts to gain popularity and showed a Sainik colony under construction.

The chief minister sought to clarify that the photograph in the daily was that of residential quarters being made for spouses of married serving army personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment.

She warned that anyone trying to "disrupt peace" would be dealt with "sternly".

Mehbooba also lashed out at the opposition National Conference and the Congress during the stormy Question Hour and said they were raking up non-issues.

At the centre of her attack was her political bete noire Omar Abdullah, former chief minister and president of the National Conference.

"Omar Abdullah attended four meetings of the Sainik board and in all those four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of an enclave."

"Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet," she said in a jibe at Abdullah's frequent use of the microblogging site Twitter.

Abdullah denied the allegation that he had ordered land to be identfied for a separate soldiers' colony. "If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefitted."

He said it was in fact the chief minister who was putting the state on fire. "I think when the chief minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me."

"My small tweets prick you. Your mood gets spoiled. If I make you accountable by tweeting, I will continue it. I won't stop and I won't apologise for it."

The Congress members also took objection to the chief minister's remarks.

"Did the Anantnag attack happen due to the media," asked Congress leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, referring to the killing of two policemen by terrorists in the south Kashmir town on Saturday.
Brussels: At least three people were killed and 40 injured in a collision between a goods train and a passenger train in Belgium, the Belga news agency reported.

The accident occurred yesterday on the line linking Namur and Liege in the east of the country, close to the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, with Belga quoting the mayor of the commune.

The passenger train slammed into the back of the goods train on the same track at high speed, Frederic Sacre, spokesman for Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel, told AFP.

Around 40 passengers were on board, Infrabel and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the statement said.

The front carriage was completely turned on its side, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Belga reported that the collision had been "very violent," adding that fire and police services had been sent from Liege to the scene, with several passengers having to be extracted from the wreckage.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear, with questions remaining over whether the passenger train was able to brake before the crash.

"The priority is to care for the victims," Infrabel and SNCB said, but added that information was already being analysed to determine how the crash took place.

A crisis centre was set up at the scene of the accident.
London: British paedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday for abusing 23 Malaysian and Cambodian babies and children over almost a decade.

Huckle, 30, stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes against impoverished victims aged 6 months to 11 years.

"It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this," said judge Peter Rook.

As Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman sitting in the public gallery shouted: "a thousand deaths is too good for you".

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2014.

He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia, where the authorities have been criticized for failing to properly tackle sex crimes against children.

The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just.

"For doing this to the children, this is the correct (decision). Wherever the crime happened. I'm happy about the verdict," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu.

Vadivelu said Huckle often visited the community, which is a settlement for poor families displaced by construction projects in the city.

Malaysian police have said they are seeking details on the victims from their British counterparts while the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information.

But a rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg.

"Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children.

Prolonged campaign of rape

The London court heard Huckle abused his victims over a period of nine years between March 2006 and December 2014. All the crimes took place in Malaysia, apart from the first incident which involved the abuse of a 2-year-old child during a visit to Cambodia.

"Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young - pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," the judge told him.

"This was a prolonged campaign of rape of the children from a small community."

The judge said one of the most aggravating features of the case was that Huckle targeted and groomed impoverished children and their families, seeking to impress them with his relative wealth and status as a Westerner.

"Your offending behaviour became entrenched in your everyday life," he added. "Your life revolved around your sexual activities with young children. Your distorted beliefs in respect of children are deep-seated. Your self-delusion knows no bounds."

Huckle boasted of his crimes online and had written a 60-page manual advising other paedophiles on how to abuse children.

The judge said this was a "truly evil document proselytising paedophilia" and that Huckle had intended this to become a commercial enterprise.
LOS ANGELES Hillary Clinton called for party unity on Monday, suggesting it was time for Bernie Sanders to abandon his hard-fought challenge, as six states hold nominating contests on Tuesday when she expects to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton told reporters in California that Tuesday marked eight years from the day she withdrew from the 2008 White House race, endorsing Barack Obama after a bitter rivalry. Her supporters have said Sanders should look at that as a road map for his own exit from this year's race.

After staying above the campaign fray for months, Obama could endorse his former secretary of state as early as this week, the New York Times and CNN reported. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the president was waiting for New Jersey and California to vote on Tuesday before weighing in.

Tuesday's voting is expected to clinch the Democratic nomination for Clinton, 68, which would make her the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.

Her campaign hopes an expected victory in New Jersey will give her enough delegates to effectively lock up the nomination early in the evening, before the results come in from California, the biggest electoral prize and likely the last to report results on Tuesday.

Although she has won more votes and earned the support of more delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July, she has shied away from calling on Sanders to drop out of the contest. On Monday, she pointed to her 2008 decision to unite the party and said Democrats needed to do the same to take on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"I believed it was the right thing to do. No matter what differences we had in our long campaign, they paled in comparison to the differences we had with the Republicans, and that is actually even more true today," Clinton said.

"Anyone who has supported me, anyone who has supported Senator Sanders has a lot at stake in this election in preventing Donald Trump from being our president," she said.

Clinton has long been the front-runner to be the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 8 election but has faced an unexpectedly tough fight against Sanders, 74, a U.S. senator from Vermont, and his attacks on her from the left.

An Obama endorsement would come as a welcome boost to Clinton and to Democrats concerned the party needs to turn its attention to campaigning against Trump. While he has made remarks indicating a preference for Clinton, Obama has so far avoided a clear endorsement.

Obama remains popular with many voters. His job approval was over 50 percent in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll and has been on the rise in 2016.

Still, although Sanders lags well behind in delegates needed to win the nomination, he said on Monday he would make his case to so-called superdelegates who are not required to vote for a particular candidate at the convention.

"Our goal is to get as many delegates as we possibly can and to make the case to superdelegates that, I believe, the evidence is fairly strong that I am the strongest candidate," he said. Superdelegates largely consist of party leaders and elected senators, members of Congress and governors.

CALIFORNIA VOTES

Clinton has 2,357 delegates going into Tuesday's contests, just 26 short of the 2,383 she needs to clinch the nomination at next month's convention in Philadelphia.

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Mexico also hold nominating contests on Tuesday, but most attention will focus on California. Clinton once held a sizable lead there over Sanders, but opinion polls in recent days showed them in a dead heat.

While Clinton expects to become the presumptive nominee regardless of the California result, a Sanders victory could embolden his supporters to urge him to wage a fractious convention fight. It could also help Trump, 69, who clinched the Republican nomination last month, argue that she is a weak candidate.

"It's going to make her ability to seal the deal with disaffected Democrats all that much harder, which is unfortunate given the fact that the Republicans for better or for worse already have their candidate," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who supports Clinton. "The only one benefiting from this is Donald Trump."

Sanders' campaign appeared to burn through cash to get to the final nominating contests, ending April with just $5.8 million on hand, compared with Clinton's $30 million. The senator has not released his May fundraising figures. Spokesman Michael Briggs said in an email the campaign was "doing fine."

Clinton heads into Tuesday's contests after a victory over the weekend in Puerto Rico's primary. She is also expected to win in Washington, D.C., which holds the final primary of the year on June 14.

Trump, a real estate developer, has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail. In recent days, his comments about a judge he believes to be biased against him because he is Mexican-American have drawn criticism.

On Monday, Trump insisted his concerns were valid.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll showed Clinton with an 11-percentage-point edge over Trump, 46 percent to 35 percent, a marked change from just 10 days ago, when fewer than 4 points separated the two.

(Additional reporting by Grant Smith; Ginger Gibson, Amanda Becker, Emily Stephenson, Timothy Gardner and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Frances Kerry and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
LOS ANGELES Firefighters managed to tame a fast-moving brush fire in the hills outside Los Angeles on Sunday after it burned more than 500 acres and threatened homes in the affluent city of Calabasas, authorities said.

After some 5,000 people were forced to evacuate the area on Saturday, fire officials lifted mandatory evacuations on Sunday in Calabasas, a small city of rugged hills 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Los Angeles that several celebrities call home.

The fire has burned 516 acres and was 80 percent contained by Sunday afternoon, said John Tripp, deputy chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

A commercial building was destroyed in the fire, which started when a vehicle hit a utility pole and brought down a power line, but no homes were damaged. Aerial TV images showed the burned area abutting backyards.

Evacuation orders were set to be lifted Sunday evening in the hills in Topanga Canyon, a rustic stretch famous for its resident artists and musicians that rolls down to the Pacific Ocean.

Tripp said air crews dropped fire retardant "so the fire did not escape and get down into Topanga Canyon."

The fire was one of several burning in Southern California, where days of high temperatures dried out brush and produced what Tripp called "extremely stressed vegetation."

(Reporting by Frank McGurty and Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Mary Milliken)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Berlin: German President Joachim Gauck said on Monday that he would not stand for a second term, creating a political headache for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of an election year.

The popular Gauck, 76, who has held the largely ceremonial post of head of state since 2012, made the announcement at Berlin's Bellevue Palace, citing his advanced age.

"I'm grateful to be doing fine," he said, after speculation about health concerns. "At the same time, I am aware that the life phase between 77 and 82 is a different one than the one I am in now. I cannot guarantee that I would have the same energy and vitality for another five-year term."

Gauck, a charismatic Protestant pastor, rose to prominence as a human rights activist in communist East Germany and was instrumental in the movement that helped topple the Berlin Wall in 1989.

His decision not to run for a second mandate complicates the political equation for Merkel, who will have to fill the job just as campaigning for the general election, expected to be held in September 2017, kicks off.

"The search for a successor will start the general election campaign more than 15 months before the poll  a conflict that the chancellor would have preferred to avoid," news website Spiegel Online said.

Even before Gauck's announcement, speculation about who would replace him was fervent, although commentators expressed regret about the exit of a towering figure of German postwar history.

"Seldom have we seen someone with his personality in politics. His departure also heralds the end of a generation that shaped Europe's identity," the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said. It added, however, that Germany would do well to seek diversity in its choice for the president, who serves as a kind of moral arbiter for the nation.

"With that in mind, those considering Gauck's successor would do well to look beyond the traditional Christian, ageing grandfatherly types. The office of federal president would emerge the winner if greater consideration were given to the next head of state's gender, religious beliefs or age."

Parliament would elect Gauck's successor in February 2017, with conservatives mentioning Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert, and Bavarian MP Gerda Hasselfeldt, a close Merkel ally who would be Germany's first female president, as possible candidates.

Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper said the horsetrading that is expected in backing a candidate for president was "sure to send a signal" about likely coalitions after the general election.

It said that if Merkel's Christian Democrats had to seek the backing of the opposition Greens to win a majority for their pick, it could lay a foundation for an unprecedented coalition between the parties at the national level.

Merkel, who has been in power since 2006, has not yet announced whether she herself will stand for a fourth term.
Tokyo: The father of a seven-year-old Japanese boy found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a dense forest as punishment said his son has forgiven him, as details emerged of the boy's ordeal.

Japan has been mesmerised by young Yamato Tanooka, who survived six nights alone after his angry parents abandoned him by the side of a mountain road on the northern island of Hokkaido on 28 May.

Searchers, including soldiers, spent days scouring the mountainous forest which is home to brown bears, but could find no clues to the missing boy.

He was discovered on Friday morning sheltering in a hut on a military drill field some 5.5 kilometres from where he had been left.

Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father, has said he, his wife and daughter returned several minutes later to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car, but there was no sign of him.

"I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'," the elder Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in footage aired on Monday. "And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you'," Tanooka added, choking up.

Yamato, who was taken to hospital by helicopter immediately after being found in the hut by a soldier, will be discharged tomorrow, a hospital official told AFP, refraining from giving further details.

Local reports said he had suffered slight dehydration and minor scars on his arms and legs. His weight, originally about 22 kilograms, was down about two kilograms.

His father said Yamato was recovering quickly, finishing each meal served, drawing in a notebook and playing cards with his family, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported.

Local police have reported the case to a child welfare centre as possible mental abuse, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and other reports said.
Jersey City: Donald Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Muammar Gaddafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

"Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Trump said in an interview with CBS 'Face the Nation.' "He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay. He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there, and it became sort of a big joke," Trump said.

The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gaddafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.

Gaddafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.

At one point, the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally and was then re-erected, to the town's chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land. Representatives of Gaddafi loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had "no idea" that Gaddafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told AP at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates.

"We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.
New Delhi: Seeking to strengthen military ties, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday met Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, with whom he reviewed strategic partnership and new initiatives undertaken to further nourish

cooperation in the military sector.

Parrikar also met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his counterpart Gen Ngo Xuan Lich and held high level bilateral talks on key military issues including possible sale of supersonic missile Brahmos to the Southeast Asian country and reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation initiatives.

During the interaction, Ngo emphasised on the significance of closer ties between Vietnam and India due to common threats and challenges.

The contentious South China Sea was also believed to have been discussed by the two Defence ministers, official sources said.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, Parrikar and Ngo emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of data in the maritime domain. The two sides also focused on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

The meeting gained significance as both countries are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership, with defence sector being the major sector contributing towards this partnership.

Parrikar, who reached Hanoi on Sunday, attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries.

The highlight of the meeting was the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Limited. India has recently provided Vietnam with a US$100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by Vietnam for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

Speaking on the occasion, he desired Indian private sector to lead the initiative and explore and actively participate in Vietnamese modernisation of defence forces.

This will not just strengthen the diplomatic and military bond between both the nations but also open the doors of strategic exports, he said.

Parrikar also assured the Indian private sector of full support of Ministry of Defence, DRDO and DPSU to realise the aspiration of exports of defence items to friendly nations at competitive price.

The major areas identified for working together are for upgrade of Soviet legacy systems, upgradation of Thermal Sights and Fire Control Systems for - BMP, T 54 and T 55 Tanks, upgarade of MI 17 / Mi 8 Helicopters, Shipbuilding Programmes, Missile Systems from India and Software Defined Radios from Vietnam.
Switzerland has promised to support Indias application for its entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Switzerland welcomes an Indian contribution to the non-proliferation of nuclear arms, said the President of the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-Ammann.

We promised India support in its efforts to become a member of this group, the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The process has started and we will certainly contribute actively, he added.

However, the Swiss President in a later exclusive press meet, parried a question on whether Switzerland would insist on India signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) before gaining entry into the nuclear suppliers' club. Switzerland hopes all countries sign the NPT, he said in German.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that Switzerland and India will support each others bid for non-permanent membership at the UN Security Council.

Modi called the issue of tax evasion and black money a shared priority for the Indians and the Swiss.

India and Switzerland have been fighting against tax fraud and tax evasion, Ammann said.

We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect, Modi said.

The other big item on the agenda was the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EFTA states  Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and India that has been stuck since 2008.

India has affirmed it's readiness to resume FTA talks with EFTA, Modi said.

The Swiss President confirmed that towards the end of this week it will send a high-level delegation led by MarieGabrielle IneichenFleisch, Head of the World Trade Division at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as the chief negotiator to re-launch discussions on a possible trade deal.

In 2015, exports to India increased by 6.6% compared to last year, while imports fell by around 10%. Switzerland is one of the 10 largest investors in India.

High levels of ambition on intellectual property by Swiss companies was one of the main sticking points for the EFTA trade deal with India. Ammann later said that the levels of ambition for Swiss companies are the same  these are issues that will be discussed by the negotiating team when in India.

Apart from the meeting between the governments that lasted for about an hour, the Indian Prime Minister also attended an economic round table with Swiss businessmen, that included representatives from the Swiss watch-making industry and Novartis.

Energy policies and financial aspects were also discussed by the governments.

Its (Indias) 500 million plus youth is skilled and ready to meet the global needs of manpower. President and I agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs, Modi said.

The Prime Minister also met about 15 scientists from CERN of Indian origin.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival in Washington.

"This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in US-India ties. Over the last seven years, the United States and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order," a senior administration official told PTI.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital on Tuesday afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office.

The President will host a lunch for the Prime Minister after the meeting.

"The Prime Minister's visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage," the official said.

"From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the United States and India lead together," the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile two leading US dailies  the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal  have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders "have each invested in developing a close relationship", Benjamin J Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is China's growing footprint in India's traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, WSJ reported.

Since their first meeting at the White House in September 2014, after Modi came to power in May that year, the two leaders have met six times.

Obama was the first foreign leader to congratulate Modi over the phone after his historic victory.

"The hours they've spent together have allowed them to have a good understanding of their respective worldviews and domestic circumstances, and made it possible to deepen defence ties, advance our civil nuclear cooperation and achieve a breakthrough on climate change," he said.

"It is also an indication of how important President Obama thinks our relationship is with India, as the world's largest democracy and an increasingly important partner," Rhodes said. "For each country, the other country has really emerged as an incredibly important and vital partner," an administration official was quoted as saying by WSJ.

"India has global interests, and it's looking to protect those interests, but it lacks sufficient capability to do that. So India is looking to make a big bet on the United States to help it gain that capacity. And we are very comfortable with helping India do that," the daily reported.

"India made a big shift under Prime Minister Modi," the official was quoted as saying by WSJ according to which Obama sees a gradual change in India's role in the world as one of his major achievements.

"I think it's really hard to overestimate the rapid pace of progress in our defence relationship," the official said.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington on Monday all set to galvanise the US relationship that had begun stagnating in the UPAs second term. It will blend pageantry with politics; the White House is looking to institutionalise defense and economic cooperation and cement ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president.

During his three-day visit (6 to 8 June), Modi will press the White House to deliver on New Delhis bid to become a member of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which would help India access nuclear fuel and technology. Chinese opposition to Indias membership into the elite club has an unambiguous Pakistan angle. Days after India made a formal application to be a part of the NSG, Pakistan pulled a copycat move. Modi's ongoing five-nation visit includes three NSG member countries  US, Switzerland and Mexico. These stops are aimed at winning support for Indias application.

Modi is meeting heads of powerful Washington think-tanks on Monday to lobby support for India's NSG bid and calm American nuclear hawks.

The Americans are pleased that Modi has resolved the rift over India's nuclear liability legislation and progress has made in negotiations with Westinghouse for the supply of nuclear reactors. Getting us into the NSG would help facilitate nuclear trade with us, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said bluntly at a news conference, while pressing the US to use its diplomatic muscle to help.

Countries that feel what we are doing is the right thing and if they take it upon themselves to articulate their positions and talk to others, then this is what friends do for each other, added Jaishankar.

India's full court press to become a member of the NSG, also hinges on first becoming a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), another elite club of 34 countries that control trade in missile and space technology.

"There has been a rapid pace of progress... It's possible we could get an announcement regarding India's MTCR bid during the prime minister's visit to Washington," said a senior Indian administration official.

MTCR membership will help India export hi-tech missiles to other countries and buy Predator drones from the US.

Modi will address a joint meeting of the US Congress on 8 June. He was denied this opportunity in September 2014. The address comes at a crucial time when the India-US Defence Technology and Partnership bill is moving through Congress. Since the US and India are not treaty allies, the US Senate and House of Representatives have both introduced legislation to institutionalise the India-US security partnership.

"Today, the Congress is very much at the heart of our relationship with the United States," Jaishankar said, adding, "It has been very supportive of India."

The legislation seeks to elevate India to the same status as American allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, as well as its other major treaty partners like Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Israel, for the purpose of arms-sales notifications. Both China and Pakistan have taken note of the move as many countries have sought and been denied this status.

The Indian military is considering purchasing major weapons systems from American companies. The countries are also holding talks on the supply of F-16 and F/A-18 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

After attending a lunch and reception at the US Congress followed by an Indian community reception, Modi will travel to Mexico on Wednesday afternoon before returning to India on Thursday. He will meet Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Mexico in three decades. Rajiv Gandhi had visited Mexico in 1986.

Make no mistake, there's huge US support for India, but human rights issues continue to torment Modi. A congressional commission is set to examine Indias record during Modi's trip, a move that is bound to embarrass the government.

Normally in India we would want to not embarrass somebody when hes our guest  but I guess each society is different, Indian Ambassador to the US Arun Singh said last week in Washington.

We dont believe any society has the right to preach to another society about what it should and should not do.

Modi has sidestepped the brouhaha linked to his decade-long US visa ban to score a straight-A in striking up a strong relationship with President Barack Obama, whose eight-year term ends in January. Since Modi was elected in May 2014, the two have met six times  an unusually high tally for an Indian prime minister and US president whose countries are not formal allies. The two will have a working lunch at the White House on Tuesday to focus on trade, energy and global security.

Later on Tuesday, Modi will address the 41st Annual Leadership Summit in Washington organised by the US India Business Council (USIBC). Modis track record in Gujarat for stimulating investment and slashing through cumbersome regulations has raised high expectations among US investors. USIBC has identified over $41 billion dollars slated for investment from its members over the next three years.

Foreign direct investment from the US into India dropped in the year ending 31 March, 2014 to $800 million from a peak of $1.9 billion four years earlier on the back of slow growth and the Congress governments willful inertia.

However, building a stronger relationship with the US will test India's diplomatic skills because of the constant US pressure to open up India's economy. US business leaders will tune into Modi's speech listening for clues about big-bang reforms. They want India to make regulatory changes, introduce legal structures that suit US corporate interests and tighten intellectual property provisions especially in the pharmaceutical sphere.

On Tuesday evening, Modi will meet a delegation of American business leaders, including Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon.com, with trade and investment in India on the agenda.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday officially turned down India's request for consular access to alleged RAW agent Kulbushan Jadhav now under its arrest, a media report said.

"Jadhav will not be granted consular access," Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said, alleging that Jadhav had entered the Pakistan territory for some special objectives, Geo TV reported.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

Earlier, India's External Affairs Ministry had said that Jadhav formerly worked for the Indian Navy and said its high commission in Islamabad was seeking consular access to him.
London: Firefighters in London are called out about four times a day to rescue children who are stuck in potties, toilet seats and railings, costing nearly 5,00,000 pounds to the service.

London Fire Brigade said that in 2015 there were 1,499 incidents of under-18s getting stuck in things and put the cost to the service at 4,88,675 pounds.

Some of the incidents have also included a toy train being stuck on a finger and a hand stuck in a door.

It was also called out to a 13-year-old stuck on a baby swing in a park.

Mark Hazelton, community safety group manager said: "I'm a father so I know it's impossible to watch your children every second of the day but with a bit of extra forethought and careful supervision it's far better to prevent youngsters getting in a tight spot in the first place.

"Many of the incidents we get called to could be avoided with a little bit of common sense," Hazelton was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"I would ask parents to keep an eye on their children and only call 999 if it is a real emergency."

The service released the figures ahead of Child Safety Week, the report said.
BEIRUT Syrian and Russian warplanes killed at least 17 people in an air raid on a market in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.

The strikes hit the town of Ashara, about 60 km (40 miles) southeast of the provincial capital, Deir al-Zor city. Eight children were among those killed and the toll was expected to rise because of the high number of serious injuries, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Warplanes bombed other areas of Deir al-Zor province, which is mostly under the control of Islamic State. The group has laid siege since March last year to the remaining government-held areas in Deir al-Zor city.

Syrian government forces launched an offensive against IS last week starting from Hama province further west, pressing towards the jihadists' stronghold in Raqqa province, which borders Deir al-Zor.

Deir al-Zor province links Raqqa with Iraq, where the group also controls territory.

A Syrian military source said the army had captured a crossroads in its latest offensive from which it could advance towards Raqqa, Deir al-Zor or eastern Aleppo.

(Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Toby Chopra)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Taipei: On Monday, Taiwan's new defence minister said his government would not recognise any air defence identification zone (ADIZ) which Beijing may proclaim in the disputed South China Sea.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper has cited Chinese army sources as saying Beijing was considering declaring a zone.

Any such move, said US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, would be "a provocative and destabilising act".

China unilaterally established an ADIZ in the East China Sea in December 2013, demanding all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei.

That move angered the United States, Japan and South Korea as well as Taiwan.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea despite competing partial claims by several Southeast Asian neighbours as well as Taiwan. It has built artificial islands in the area suitable for military use.

Taiwan's Defence Minister Feng Shih-kuan told parliament his ministry would not recognise any ADIZ in the South China Sea should Beijing proclaim one.

"We'll take a concrete step to show that it is unacceptable," Feng said without giving details.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have turned frosty since Tsai Ing-wen took office as the island's president. Beijing distrusts her Democratic Progressive Party, which has traditionally favoured formal independence for the island.

China still insists Taiwan is part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two have been ruled separately since 1949.
Kabul: An Afghan official says a Taliban ambush has killed at least 7 people, including a district intelligence chief and his deputy.

Zabi Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the attack took place in Sangcharak district in northern Sari Pul province early on Monday morning and that the intelligence chief and his deputy were the targets.

Amani says three army intelligence officers and two civilians, including a small child, were also killed in the attack.

He says the Taliban are known to be active the area. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The insurgents have become increasingly active in Afghanistan's northern provinces since the US-led international combat mission pulled out at the end of 2014, leaving a training and assistance mission behind.
UNITED NATIONS The United Nations said on Monday it had removed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases of child deaths and injuries.

The U.N. report on children and armed conflict - released last Thursday - said the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, and half the attacks on schools and hospitals.





(Reporting by Michelle Nichols)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
It has been touted by the mainstream media and the pundits that Bernie Sanders is a gun-nut, out of step with the Democratic base. In addition, the Hillary Clinton campaign has alleged that he is in the pocket of the National Rifle Association (NRA). A closer look, however, shows us that both these charges are not only false, but that Sanders would be the candidate most gun-reform minded voters should vote for.

Hillarys own website shows that on most grounds, Clinton and Sanders mostly agree on gun violence and its prevention. Both want to close the Charleston and gun show loopholes. Both want to Keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, other violent criminals, and the severely mentally ill. They both now agree on repealing the blanket legal immunity provided to gun manufacturers including on equipment malfunctions, though Sanders maintains that a manufacturer should not be held responsible for the actions of a gun buyer who legally purchased that weapon.

This, it appears that the only time Secretary Clinton has been to the left of Sanders on guns has been the Brady Bill, which Sanders voted against because while it introduced background checks, he had promised his constituents in rural Vermont that he would not vote for background checks unless they were instant  something the bill did not carry and Sanders pleaded for. The charge the Sanders voted against the Brady Bill five times tells us less of Sanders proximity to the gun lobby than it does of the unwillingness of party leaderships to incorporate that provision  and push for meaningful legislative change and go forward. Sanders did not vote against background checks, as much as for instant background checks, insisting that be included. It turns out that Secretary Clinton is willing to go no further than Sanders on gun regulation. Barring holding a referendum to repeal the Second Amendment, there is no way to be to the left of Sanders in any concrete and legal way other than simply speculatively.

In addition, some aspects of the Sanders platform show a path forward through the swamp of a Congressional stranglehold the NRA has  proving him to be potentially far more likely and capable of meaningful gun reform:

1. Sanders NRA rating has most recently been D minus. His history as a politician shows out of 9 scores, five have been F - the remainder a D plus, a D, a C minus, and a D minus. Clinton has only one score, from 2006, an F. However, the Clinton couples record in Arkansas involves hardly any push for gun regulation.

2. He's never taken money from the NRA and its lobbyists. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has directly taken money from the NRA, as well as been at fundraisers organized and attended by major NRA lobbyists and donors.

3. Sanders has stood consistently on his stance towards guns: instant background checks, assault weapons bans, legislation for safety locks and a ban on armor piercing bullets. Especially considering the lack of NRA monetary influence on Sanders, he is more likely to stick to his stance on guns than the Secretary. Hillary has been on both the left and right on all this  most notably when she postured herself to the right of then-Senator Obama, prompting him to brand her as Annie Oakley. There is no reason to trust her current more-left-than-Bernie stance.

4. He has always been against US global arms dealing and the regular policies of the military-industrial complex-led State dept. We can find him railing against the military-industrial complex and echoing President Eisenhower even backing in the 1980s when he was a mayor in Vermont. The Clinton foundation and State Department-brokered arms deals have paid off well for the gun lobby  especially companies such as Remington and Boeing. It turns out that nearly every beneficiary of an arms deal with the US during Hillary Clintons tenure as Secretary of State donated millions to the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative during the same period.

5. Sanders will ban corporate lobbyists and corporate contributions to politicians, Congress, Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. He has indicated that the gun lobby can't have it both ways  legal immunity as well as lobbying politicians in an unfettered manner. This change itself will be a monumental shift in the policy of the American state  something no other politician including Clinton is offering.

6. Sanders is the only candidate who has the potential to split the NRA base, especially rural, with his common-sense gun proposals, in which he protects guns for hunting purposes  while also tackling urban and suburban gun violence, including campus shootings and police shootings of unarmed African American men (why shouldnt we include these cases in gun violence too?).

Hillary Clinton is only offering short-term promises she knows she won't pass. Clintonian policy has historically been one of political opportunism, consolidating their rule rather than being agents of change. Gun legislation passing or not passing would make no difference to the Clinton as long as theyre on top. Hillary has been highlighting guns as her handlers are of the opinion that it would prove to be Sanders Achilles heel.

Common sense gun legislation, however, WILL pass if contributions and lobbying by the NRA, corporations and Super PACs are banned. Sanders is offering a government run for the interests of the people, adhering to the popular will of the people and not billionaires on the issues.

The author is a research scholar in modern history at Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
The PNG government will suspend new medical licences for International SOS staff working on Manus Island amid an investigation into the death of an asylum seeker.

Leaked letters reveal PNG health minister Michael Malabag has accused the company of deliberately avoiding correspondence and refusing to assist investigations.

The PNG health minister has demanded answers from Manus Island contractors after the death of an asylum seeker.

ISOS, contracted by the Australian government to manage health services at the Manus Island detention centre, was publicly criticised after the death of 24-year-old Iranian Hamid Khazaei.

Mr Khazaei presented to medical staff with a skin infection on his leg in August 2014. He had suffered three heart attacks and brain damage by the time he died in a Brisbane hospital 13 days later.
The NSW upper house MP whose boast that he had shot and eaten an elephant brought him global attention has admitted he's done so eight times.

Robert Borsak MLC, who represents the Shooters and Fishers party in the NSW parliament, last week admitted in parliament he had eaten the dead elephant he was pictured standing alongside in a notorious trophy photo taken a decade ago. "It's very tasty," he said.

The brief back-and-forth with a Greens antagonist last week led to global media coverage of a late Tuesday sitting of the NSW Legislative Council. The Times of London and many other UK newspapers followed the story. So too did the Washington Post, CNN and African media.

On Monday the Herald called Mr Borsak with a follow-up question: how many elephants had he shot?
Jaysh al-Islam is one of the most power factions within the Syrian opposition. Moscow and Damascus have repeatedly opposed the participation of Jaysh al-Islam members in the negotiations.

The group has been accused of attacking the Syrian Army and government facilities as well as of using terrorist tactics. It has been part of the so-called pro-Western Syrian opposition, backed by the US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Ahrar ash-Sham is a coalition of multiple Islamist units fighting against the government of Bashar Assad. It is one of the largest Syrian rebel groups. The group, along with Jaysh al-Islam, is one of the main rebel groups supported by Ankara and Riyadh. It is also openly allied with al-Nusra Front.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is urging China and its Asia-Pacific neighbors to "find a diplomatic solution" to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the opening of the eighth annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, Kerry stressed Washington's neutrality on the issue.

We have taken no position on any of the claims of any claimant. The only position weve taken is - lets not resolve this by unilateral action; lets resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation. And we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution, rooted in international standards and rule of law, Kerry said.

China has long accused the U.S. of taking sides and Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more mutual trust.

"China and the U.S. need to increase communication and cooperation over Asia-Pacific affairs, the vast Pacific should be a stage for inclusive cooperation, not an arena for competition, Xi said.

Kerry's comments referred to anxieties growing in the region over China's aggressive buildup of military installations on unoccupied islands and reefs in the South China Sea, many of which are also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia.

About $5 trillion of annual trade passes through the South China Sea, which is also believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.

Air defense zone

Angry over U.S. surveillance flights over in the airspace over the region, Beijing is reportedly considering establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone over portions of the South China Sea, which would require all incoming aircraft to register with Chinese authorities to fly in the air route.

During a stopover in Mongolia Sunday, Kerry said such an action would be "a provocative and destabilizing act."

Kerry also used his opening remarks to highlight "new milestones in cooperation" between Beijing and Washington on a number of issues, including climate change, global health emergencies and curbing nuclear proliferation, including the recent tightening of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

"It is imperative to keep the pressure on North Korea to halt any and all actions that threaten its neighbors and the threaten peace and security of the region," Kerry said.

Manage differences

In his opening remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was vital for the two nations to manage their differences in a "pragmatic and constructive fashion."

As Kerry and President Xi focused on foreign policy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew called on Beijing to cut its excess industrial capacity, especially steel and aluminum, saying it "has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets."

In his prepared remarks, Lew also praised the two countries "robust cooperation" in combating climate change.

Among the many diplomatic and economic issues the two sides will discuss during the two-day forum is cyber security.

Xi signed an agreement with U.S. President Barack Obama last year that neither government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled espionage on behalf of their domestic-based companies.

A study conducted last year by the Ponemon Institute measured the effects of cyber crimes on more than 250 organizations, and found that the average annual cost of dealing with cyber crime is over $7 million.
Afghanistan's mineral wealth is helping fuel the war that has long ravaged the country, with armed anti-government groups, including the Taliban, earning up to $20 million a year from illegal mining of lapis lazuli, a London-based corruption watchdog said on Monday.



The group, Global Witness, appealed in its new report to have lapis lazuli, a blue stone almost unique to Afghanistan, classified as a "conflict mineral.''



The lapis lazuli mines are mostly concentrated in northern Badakhshan province where the stone has been mined for centuries for use in jewelry and ornaments, prized for its bright blue hues. The province has been "deeply destabilized'' by violent competition for control of the mines between local strongmen, law makers and the Taliban, Global Witness said.



Badakhshan is also a microcosm of what is happening across the country, as mining has become the Taliban's second biggest source of income, after drugs. The Taliban, who have been fighting to overthrow the Kabul administration for 15 years, control the production of opium poppies, mostly in the southern province of Helmand, the raw material for most of the world's heroin. The drugs trade is worth up to $3 billion a year, experts have said.



Afghanistan's mineral and petrochemical assets are believed to be worth billions of dollars, but the government does not have the money or expertise to develop them, and international firms are deterred by the deteriorating security situation.



Global Witness said that if properly developed, these assets could earn the government $2 billion in annual revenue. The report says the government lost at least $17.5 million in revenue from lapis lazuli alone in 2014, and $10 million in 2015.



The total earned by armed groups in 2014 was $19.9 million, the group added, noting that a local strongman identified as Abdul Malek had paid $750,000 in protection money to the Taliban out of proceeds from the illegal lapis lazuli mining. Last year, Malek paid the Taliban $4 million, the report says.



The classification of a stone or gem as a "conflict mineral'' is meant to show that its sale helps fund war and fuels human rights abuses in the countries where it's produced. Probably the best known are the "blood diamonds'' mined in African countries, including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia, which were used to fund war in those countries. A U.N. resolution recognized the issue in 1988, proposing measures that could trace diamonds from their origin to point of sale.



Should Afghanistan's lapis lazuli be classified as a conflict mineral, it would oblige Kabul to regulate the mines and possibly set up a central bourse to ensure accountability and transparency for each stone, a proposal made by Afghanistan's former minister of mines, Daud Saba, who resigned earlier this year.



Without government regulation or control, mining assets have been slipping out of Kabul's control. Global Witness said the Badakhshan lapis lazuli mines have also become a "strategic priority'' for Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate, which emerged over the past year mostly in the country's east, along the border with Pakistan.



"Unless the Afghan government acts rapidly to regain control, the battle for the lapis mines is set to intensify and further destabilize the country, as well as fund extremism,'' Global Witness said.



The government banned lapis lazuli mining in early 2015 as the mines could not be secured, Afghan officials have told The Associated Press. But the mining continued with impunity, with local police and politicians reportedly benefiting from the illegal extraction and export of the stone.



Much of the illegal lapis lazuli exports go to China, "where it is prized as jewelry,'' Global Witness says. "The fact that Chinese lapis sales are funding the Taliban comes in contrast to the Chinese government's official position as peace-broker on Afghanistan in regional security talks.''



Beijing is part of four-country consultations with Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States, aimed at bringing the Taliban into a peace dialogue to end the war.



The Taliban are expected to step up violence this year as their new leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, moves to consolidate his position after his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan last month.



If Kabul cannot secure the nation's vast mineral assets, which also include coal, iron ore, copper, gold, chromite, lithium, onyx, marble, rubies and emeralds, there are fears they will fall into the hands of armed groups with cross-border connections to ensure enormous profits.



In a report last year, the U.S. government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said Afghanistan's minerals and hydrocarbons sector had the potential to "provide the Afghan government with billions in much needed funds in the coming decades.''



But SIGAR also questioned Kabul's ability to develop the sector in a sustainable and coordinated way, noting that the $488 million that the U.S. government has invested to help develop Afghanistan's extractive industries "could be wasted.''
Shenzhen is planning to build three new airports to service its main city and the Pearl River Delta region, as it assumes a larger role in Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative.

The three airports  which will specialize in serving commercial airlines, seaplanes and helicopters, respectively  will transform Shenzhen into southern Chinas transport hub.

Shenzhen will build the One Belt, One Road transportation hub in southern China and study the plausibility of building an airport on water in the east, as well as starting to plan a second airport in the east as soon as possible, the Shenzhen governments Eastward Shift Strategic Action Plan for 2016  2020 states, as cited in the South China Morning Post.

The airports, part of the RMB1.4 trillion (MOP1.7 trillion) strategy to shift the citys development eastward, may lead to further market saturation in a region that already houses numerous transport facilities.

In addition to Shenzhen Baoan International Airport  the citys current hub for air travel  many airlines also operate out of airports in nearby Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai.

According to Shenzhen Baoan representatives, international traffic at the airport is expected to nearly double by 2020. However, both Macau and Zhuhai airports remain underutilized, though the former is now undergoing an expansion.

However, the construction of additional airports could ease some of the delays experienced at major airports in the Pearl River Delta region which are according to SCMP, caused by complicated airspace control.

CK Law, an associate director of the Chinese University of Hong Kongs Aviation Policy and Research Centre, warned that inter-airport cooperation in the region is an unlikely prospect for the future, as local governments are wont to prevent their own airports becoming secondary to others in the region.

Pearl River Delta airport coordination is just a myth, CK Law told SCMP. If it could be done, it would have been done long ago.

Shenzhens local government previously proposed a rail connection between the Shenzhen and Hong Kong airports, which would enable the two institutions to work as one. Under the proposal, Hong Kong would handle international traffic, while Shenzhen would handle domestic flights. However, the idea was rejected by Hong Kong authorities.

The Times approached the Macau Aviation Authority for comment on the proposal, but an MAA representative indicated that she was unaware of plans to construct additional airports in the region. The organization did not provide a further response by press time. DB
Jack Ma, founder of Internet giant Alibaba, visited Macau yesterday. The new phase of globalization belongs to young people and to small and medium enterprises [SMEs], the entrepreneur said, after meeting the Chief Executive (CE) yesterday at Santa Sancha Palace.

Ma met with high-ranking officials and participated in a lecture at the University of Macau (UM). He was visiting the territory in his capacity as chairman of the Zhejiang General Businessmen Association, which was hosting its inauguration ceremony.

The Chinese tycoon advised local youth to seize opportunities here in the MSAR: No such place in the world is like Macau which enjoys the advantages under the One Country, Two Systems policy. [] Opportunities are everywhere especially with Macaus own geographic location linking between mainland China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and more importantly, everyone has the opportunity to succeed as we are all living in an internet era, he said.

Besides the dominant role played in the region by the gaming industry, Ma expressed confidence in Macaus service industry and acknowledged that there is an urgent need for the city to focus on helping and diversifying the small and medium sized firms.

We must now create opportunities for Macau young people and to encourage them to do business via the internet, Alibabas CEO remarked.

At his meeting with Chui Sai On, Ma also accepted the position of consultant in both the Economic Development and the Science and Technology Committees of the MSAR.

asias richest man

Jack Ma recently overtook Dalian Wanda Group Co.s Wang Jianlin as Asias richest man, after the e-commerce giants financial affiliate raised a record amount in its latest round of fundraising. Bloomberg estimates that Mas wealth reached around USD33.3 billion, according to the Billionaires Index, putting him ahead of Wangs $32.7 billion and Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shings $29.5 billion.
Six former U.K. Labour Party leaders including former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown on Saturday urged the British to vote in favor of remaining in the European Union in the June 23 referendum.

U.K. membership in the EU has provided job protection, lower prices and significant benefits for working people, the leaders said Saturday in a joint statement. The six, which also included Neil Kinnock, Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband, spoke as the party began a drive to register people before tomorrows deadline.

Europe protects people at work, stimulates jobs and innovation, keeps prices lower, leads global action against climate change, makes us safer against terrorism, and magnifies Britains voice and values, the leaders said. We understand our partys value and its people. Each are strengthened by Britain being in Europe.

Polls have suggested the battle is tightening ahead of the vote on a so-called Brexit, and that warnings by the government, led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, about the threat to the economy arent having an impact. While the Remain side has concentrated on saying jobs will be lost if Britain exits, the Leave side has fought on immigration.

If Labour [voters] stay at home, Britain leaves, the leaders said. And a vote to leave is a vote for a profound and permanent loss the whole country would feel, whether through lost jobs or lost generations.

U.K. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon on Saturday said the prospect of withdrawing from the EU is causing concerns among his counterparts in Asia, where he was taking part in the 12-nation Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Ive yet to meet with a fellow defense minister who isnt concerned at the possibility of a Brexit and who doesnt understand that that would weaken our collective security, Fallon told reporters on the sidelines of the security forum.

It would be a very odd thing for Britain to start walking out of international organizations, he said. On the contrary, I think many countries still look to Britain to lead, or behind the scenes to steer, many of these groupings.

A leader of the Leave campaign, Justice Secretary Michael Gove, defended the groups assertions about the costs of membership as he was accused of running Project Lies.

Appearing on a Sky News television special on Friday night, Gove was challenged repeatedly about Vote Leaves statement that the U.K. sends 350 million pounds (USD500 million) a week to the EU, with the first questioner from the audience using the phrase Project Lies frequently. The figure has been called misleading by the U.K. Statistics Authority and absurd by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

We give more than 350 million pounds to Brussels, Gove said. Now we do get some of that money back. Its important to acknowledge that. But the truth is that we cannot count on that rebate. I fear that if we vote to remain, that rebate will only be reduced further. Bloomberg

Denmark should never follow UK out of EU

Denmark will always belong inside the European Union no matter what the outcome of Britains June 23 referendum on its EU membership, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said.

Im not blind to the fact that the EU makes mistakes, Rasmussen said according to the text of a speech delivered yesterday. Decision making can be too slow and theres too much, or the wrong kind of, regulation. None of this prompts me to ask whether Denmark belongs in the EU. We do. Now and in the future.

The Danish premier also said a British decision to remain in the EU can become a motor to drive needed reforms in the bloc. These ought to include ensuring that the EU focuses on the most important things and stays out of far more policy areas, he said.
The Forum on Cultural Industries and the 9th International Conference on Cultural and Creative Industries Seminar took place yesterday at the Macau Science Center.

The mainlands One Belt, One Road initiative was widely discussed during the event, as well as opportunities for Macaus cultural industries.

The forum is in its second edition, having launched last year. The event results from the cooperation between the Chinese Cultural Exchange Association and the Institute for Cultural Industries of Peking University.

Lei Pui Lam, president of the Chinese Cultural Exchange Association, believes that Macaus cultural and creative industries are still in the early stages of development. However, Lam is confident in the future of the industry.

Macau is an important point of the Silk Road. It has a deep historical and cultural value, along with geographical advantages, said Lam, adding that the governments support and strong tourism sector, as well as investors and passionate young people, are assets to the industries.

Eusebi Nomen, strategic advisor of the Barcelona Centre de Disseny (BCD), considers water to be the key advantage for Macau, as this is a specifically sensitive area [for China].

Nomen added that if the city can improve its innovation indexes, better water management will be a reality. In return, Macau will receive great opportunities both economically and socially.

Carolina Quintana, coordinator of the Creative Economy Programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), also believes that Macau, as the platform of collaboration of the neighboring area, will be a real asset [to the One Belt, One Road strategy]. She believes that Macau can provide more job opportunities through its connection with Asia.

Eleven innovation and cultural experts, who hailed mainly from Macau, were invited to speak at the forum, which attracted over 200 participants. Staff reporter
Tang Kaijian, a history professor at the University of Macau (UM), recently published his book Macaology, A Touch of Alienation in the Celestial Empire: Western Civilization in Macau, 16th-19th Centuries.

The book consists of two volumes and presents Tangs conclusions from his multi-year research project and 20-year study of the region. According to a statement from UM, it is considered by the institution to be the most pioneering work of Macaology ever published. The work draws on a variety of sourced materials, including first-hand historical data in Chinese and Portuguese, as well as data in French, Spanish, German, Russian, Latin, Dutch, Japanese and English.

During a presentation held at UM last week, the author expressed the hope that his book can become a business card for Macau. Tang further emphasized that the golden content of Macaus history and culture cannot be matched by any ordinary city.

He explained that civilization in Macau is a product mainly of Western influence, whereas Chinese civilization [can be seen] everywhere across the mainland. Moreover, he remarked that, with respect to China, Macau is the only region with Western civilization as the norm. The culture is therefore something special and can be used as a permanent, unbeatable visiting card.

Tang stated that his goal is to somehow improve this card lobbying for local associations and the local government not to neglect Macaus outstanding value. He questioned: Isnt it a good thing that Western civilization came to an Eastern country and is still being preserved?

Published in Chinese, Tangs book is a two-volume tome consisting of nearly two million words. According to the author, the books length is due to the diversity of its source material, which includes first-hand historical data. Sixty percent of the references that I used were in Portuguese, mainly documents from the Macau government, acknowledged Tang.

The history professor also noted that a group of around 20 people should be considered the books backbone. They are students of UM, majoring in Portuguese, who contributed to the translation work of the Portuguese references. Tang also noted that there should be a dedicated translation team in the city in order to perform deeper research into the history of Macau.

When referring to what makes his book special, Tang said that he covers Western literature, which has never before been mentioned in a Chinese book describing the history of Macau. When did the first Don Quixote novel come to Macau? When did the first work of Shakespeare come to Macau? And when was the telescope first brought to Macau? These are among the topics that had not been mentioned in other Chinese books discussing Macau. Staff reporter
The International Ladies Club of Macau (ILCM) gathered for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday and re-elected Sophie Lei as head of the non-profit organization for another mandate.

After the meeting, the association gathered its members and friends for the monthly social event that took place at the China Rouge lounge at the Galaxy Macau.

On the sidelines, the Times spoke to the newly re-elected president who said, Im happy to be elected once more. Ive been in the organization since 2007 working as corporate relations, sponsorship officer, vice president and president and this time Im very excited to continue in these duties.

As for events, the already traditional Melbourne Cup (in November) and the Charity Bazar (close to Christmas time) are to remain in the calendar but the new president does not rule out the possibility of adding others. Firstly we will continue with all the traditional events. As for others, Ill need to meet the committee first and have a brainstorm to see if we can bring some new ideas in the future and work with new partners and different activity sectors of Macau, Lei concluded.

The ILCM has been running for 32 years thanks to the exclusive work of volunteers, with the purpose of bringing together English speakers of different nationalities, backgrounds and interests residing temporarily or permanently in the territory.

According to the latest figures, the association raises over MOP1.3 million annually, and the funds are used to support over 20 charity organizations as well as supporting research and providing scholarships.
The Islamic State group has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the nearly two-week battle between Iraqi government forces and IS militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, an international aid organization and Iraqi military say. On Sunday, the militants shot and killed seven civilians and seven IS defectors inside Fallujah as they attempted to flee, Iraqi Maj. Ali Hanoon said. Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, yesterday put the number of civilians killed by IS since the operation started at dozens but declined to be more specific, saying the information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete. Iraqi officials say the total is likely higher.

Spain | Italian, Russian found dead on yacht moored in resort

Police say they are investigating the deaths of an Italian man and a Russian woman found inside a motorized yacht moored in the Spanish resort town of Roses. An official with Catalonias regional police says there was no indication of foul play but that autopsies were being conducted yesterday to determine the cause of death. The official says the man was 46 and the woman was 28 but that authorities were releasing no more information about the two because their deaths were not considered suspicious.

Turkey | 14 people killed in school trip bus crash

A bus carrying school children, teachers and parents has plunged into an irrigation canal in southern Turkey, killing 14 people  six of them children, officials and reports said yesterday. Twenty-six other people were injured in the accident which occurred late Sunday as the bus was returning from a school trip to a national park and museum in the southern province of Osmaniye, Gov. Kerem Al said. Security camera video of the accident showed the bus driving into oncoming traffic at an intersection, being slammed by a car and rolling into the canal. By-passers and residents jumped into the canal to try and rescue people trapped inside the bus, Hurriyet newspaper reported. Most of the bodies were recovered by divers.
The project that aimed to revamp the old Hotel Estoril will no longer be awarded directly to the Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, has announced.

The secretary, who was speaking to journalists on the sidelines at the inauguration of the Nam Van Lake, added that the decision was political and was made personally by him.

According to Tam, the governments new idea is to open a public tender allowing local architects to present projects for the venue. The high official told Radio Macau that the previous architect was already informed in a general way of the change and will be invited to compete with local architects.

The secretary added that he received much advice and many suggestions and concluded that by applying the public tender procedure to this project, the process will also be more transparent and local architects would be very pleased [with the idea].

This decision comes about one year after the Secretary announced the choice of the world-famous Portuguese architect to lead the project, which aims to transform the venue into a center for creativity and a space for activities of local youth.

Two months ago and right after the decision made by the Cultural Heritage Council of the building having no architectural value worth preserving, Secretary Tams office announced that Siza Vieira would be in the territory between June and July this year to evaluate in loco the conditions of the project.
A Celebration Walk was held yesterday, with the participation of approximately 100 people, including a small number of children, praising the latest domestic violence law that was recently approved by the government.

The march was organized by the Good Shepherd Centre. The participants departed from Jardim de Vasco da Gama in the afternoon and made their way to the government headquarters. In order not to disturb public order, the group decided not to vocalize their slogans.

Sister Juliana Devoy, director of the Good Shepherd Centre, voiced her opinion on the passage of the law. We thank the government for having listened to the hearts of all Macau residents, especially those who have fallen victim to domestic violence, expressed Devoy, adding that, although there are still problems [in this new law], it marks significant progress. She expects to see amendments and improvements to the law within three years following its implementation. The government has announced that a review of the law will take place once it has been in effect for three years.

Participants also expressed their belief that the new law represents a great step for Macau society as domestic violence is now defined as a public crime. They also hope that further amendments can be made in the future. Everyone deserves the right to live protected [from violence], said one participant, surnamed Lee.

Last month, the bill, which aims to establish a new milestone in the prevention of and fight against domestic violence, was finally approved in the Legislative Assembly, with 28 votes in favor and one absentee. The law will come into force 120 days after its publication in the governments official gazette.

The bill excludes same-sex couples and also cohabiting couples.

After the law was approved, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam commented: the work of the government doesnt end in the approval of the law.

Last week, Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) President Vong Yim Mui, said that the IAS received 82 assistance requests relating to cases of domestic violence last year. In the first four months of this year the number of cases has already reached 58. Staff reporter
David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the network says.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the networks spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack that killed Gilkey and Tamanna a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, calling it cowardly and completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws.

In a statement issued by the presidential palace yesterday, Ghani was quoted as saying the Taliban ignored the differences between military, civilians and journalists, killing Gilkey and Tamanna as they prepared their reports on the war.

Ghani yesterday visited Helmand province, where the fatal attack on Gilkey and Tamannas their vehicle took place, offering his condolences to their families.

The deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Afghanistans southern Helmand province, Maj. Abdul Qader, told The Associated Press that the vehicle Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling in came under sustained Taliban attack not far from the main army base in Marjah. He said their Humvee was only 300 to 400 meters from the army base when suddenly they came under attack.

The Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, he said. A total of five people were in the Humvee at the time  Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof of the vehicle, as well as an Afghan army soldier and driver.

Along with Gilkey and Tamanna, the driver and the machine gunner were also killed, Qader said.

The attack lasted 30 to 40 minutes, he said, during which time army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command, he said. Later Gilkey and Tamannas bodies were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of the U.S. Marines.

The U.S.-NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said the bodies had been flown to Kabul, and were awaiting repatriation being organized by the embassy.

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPRs senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes, Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, taking pictures for Chinas Xinhua news agency and writing for Turkeys Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president, to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him a great colleague.

He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country, Reeves said in a statement. He clearly loved his family.

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPRs website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJs website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic, Gilkey once said of his work. But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort.

Gilkeys first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007. Michele Salcedo, Washington, AP
I have no doubts that the next Chief Executive is going to be the president of the AL [Legislative Assembly], said lawmaker Pereira Coutinho during an interview with Radio Macau that was aired on Saturday. The lawmaker stated that he has no doubts on this matter since, in his opinion, the only two other candidates (secretaries Lionel Leong and Alexis Tam) have derailed from their course and with that, jeopardized their chances of reaching Macaus government highest position. Regarding the possibilities for the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, Coutinho places him as a reserve option in case some problem arises.

Second spotting of corpse

A second case of a corpse spotted ashore in Coloane occurred yesterday, after the body of a woman was discovered on Hac Sa beach in the afternoon. Authorities first received reports of the corpse at around 3 p.m. yesterday, according to TDM. A preliminary investigation has found that the woman was around the age of 30 at the time of her death, though the cause remains unclear. The Judiciary Police say that no suspicious wounds have been found on the victim. The corpse may be the same one that swimmers claimed to have seen floating near Hac Sa beach on Saturday, however this could not yet be verified.

Shanghai Disney Resort could drive away tourists

Shanghai Disney Resort might steer away 30 percent of mainland tourists from Macau casinos starting June 16, says a study conducted by the American Financial services company Morgan Stanley. The company cites an in-house survey conducted of 1,000 mainland Chinese gamblers, which shows that around one-third of these tourists admit that they might visit Macau less often once Shanghais Disney Resort opens. The report of Morgan Stanley justifies the findings with the fact that Chinese gamblers are much younger than other nationalities, ranging between 21 and 49 years old.
The Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods.

In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao celebrating last months presidential victory that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded.

Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun  you have my support, Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the countrys police.

If a drug dealer resists arrest or refuses to be brought to a police station and threatens a citizen with a gun or a knife, you can kill him, Duterte said. Shoot him and Ill give you a medal.

The 71-year-old Duterte won the May 9 presidential election on a bold promise to end crime and corruption within six months of his presidency. That vow resonated among crime-weary Filipinos, though police officials considered it campaign rhetoric that was impossible to accomplish.

Human rights watchdogs have expressed alarm that his anti-crime drive may lead to widespread rights violations.

Duterte has been suspected of playing a role in many killings of suspected criminals in his city by motorcycle-riding assassins known as the Davao death squads, but human rights watchdogs say he has not been criminally charged because nobody has dared to testify against him in court

In his speech on Saturday, Duterte also asked three police generals based in the main national police camp in the capital to resign for involvement in crimes that he did not specify. He threatened to humiliate them in public if they did not quit and said he would order a review of dismissed criminal cases of active policemen, suggesting some may have bribed their way back onto the force.

They go back again crucifying the Filipino, he said. I wont agree to that.

If youre still into drugs, I will kill you, dont take this as a joke. Im not trying to make you laugh, son of a bitch, I will really kill you, he said to loud jeers and applause.

The foul-mouthed long-time Davao mayor and former government prosecutor said crimes were committed by law enforcers because of extreme greed and extreme need. He said that he would provide a small amount to an officer who was tempted because his wife has cancer or a mother died, but that those who would break the law because of extreme greed will also be dealt with by me. Ill have you killed.

Duterte, who starts his six-year presidential term on June 30, repeated a plan to offer huge bounties to those who can turn in drug lords, dead or alive.

While it remains to be seen what will happen to his threats when he takes office, some policemen have heeded his call for a tougher anti-crime approach.

In suburban Las Pinas city in the Manila metropolis, police have apprehended more than 100 minors who defied a night curfew, and men who were either having drinking sprees in public or roaming around shirtless in violation of a local ordinance. The crackdown was dubbed Oplan Rody  after Dutertes nickname  or Rid the Streets of Drinkers and Youth. Jim Gomez, AP
Thailands junta leader on Friday defended his governments increasing crackdown on social media dissidents, while promising to restore democracy which he suspended in a coup two years ago.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand is in a transition toward a strong and sustainable democracy.

Anything that cannot be completed during this administration will be handed over to the next, he said in a speech at the start of a three-day security conference in Singapore attended by defense ministers from several Asia-Pacific nations, including U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Prayuth seized power in a military coup in May 2014, saying he needed to end political confrontations that had wracked Thailand for years. He has promised to hold elections next year after several postponements, and wants to hold a referendum on Aug. 7 on the draft of a new constitution that has been criticized as undemocratic and designed to keep power in the hands of the military and its allies in the countrys traditional elite.

His government has banned most public discussion of the referendum, which will be the first electoral barometer of public opinion about the junta.

Campaigning for or against the draft is subject to nebulous rules that could land activists in prison for up to 10 years. Even the sale of a Vote No T-shirt is considered against the law.

In May, authorities arrested eight people on charges of sedition and violation of the Computer Crime Act for material posted on Facebook that mocked Prayuth. The arrests attracted widespread criticism from local activists as well as international human rights groups.

There has been an abuse [of] social media to engage in libel and a distortion of facts, so it is necessary for the military to take control for a while, Prayuth said, speaking in Thai. His comments were translated into English by an interpreter.

We have enforced the law only when the law is broken so taking action is not in violation of human rights, he said. In creating a new equilibrium for Thailand, many issues need to be addressed.

Prayuth said he imposed military rule because of increasing demands for unlimited freedom in Thailand.

There was no other way but to interfere and restore peace, he said.

The annual international security conference, known as the Shangri-la Dialogue, includes a session on Saturday chaired by Carter on meeting Asias security challenges.

While the region upholds a general image of peaceful coexistence, the influence of extremists, tensions on the Korean Peninsula and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, principally between China and several Southeast Asian nations, threaten to disrupt the peace.

An international arbitration court in The Hague will soon rule in case brought by the Philippines challenging the legal basis of Chinas sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

Countries should look at sovereignty in less traditional terms, Prayuth said. Compromises must be made for the common interest, for common security. If there are opportunities for dialogues, we must engage in dialogues.

Growing tensions in the South China Sea will drive up defense spending in the Asia-Pacific region by almost 23 percent by the end of the decade, consultancy IHS Janes said in a report on Thursday.

Combined regional defense budgets will grow from USD435 billion last year to $533 billion in 2020, furthering a shift in global military spending away from Western Europe and North America toward emerging markets, especially in Asia, the report said.

In recent years, China has been increasingly asserting its claims in the region and has built up atolls and islands to be large enough to hold military facilities. The region is of major economic and geopolitical significance, with vital commercial shipping lanes, rich fisheries and potential natural gas and oil deposits. Vijay Joshi, Annabelle Liang, AP
CHINA-US Washington envoys press China to cut excess steel production that is flooding global markets and to reach a diplomatic settlement to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, as the two sides open a high-level dialogue.

SPACE Astronauts opened the worlds first inflatable space habitat yesterday and floated inside. NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams swung open the door to the newly expanded chamber yesterday and was the first to enter. The room  called the Bigelow Activity Activity Module, or BEAM  arrived at the International Space Station in April, packed in the trunk of a capsule loaded with supplies. It was inflated just over a week ago.

THAILANDFour men who brutally attacked a British family vacationing in Thailand have been sentenced to two years in prison for the assault, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media.

MEXICOs ruling party seemed headed for stinging defeats in some of 12 governorships up for grabs in state elections, according to preliminary vote counts yesterday. Hobbled by corruption scandals, violence and a weak economy, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party lost four states it has never lost before, including the northern border state of Tamaulipas, across the border from Texas.

USA Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg briefly found his Twitter account hijacked, as were at least two of his other social media accounts. Zuckerbergs Facebook account and password were not compromised, the company said in a statement; his account on Facebook-owned Instagram was also unaffected.

ITALY An anti-establishment candidate in Rome has comfortably clinched a runoff mayoral election slot, as Romans disgusted by corruption scandals and deteriorating city services largely turned away from traditional left and right parties which governed the Italian capital for decades.

ROMANIAs Social Democrats came out on top in Sundays local elections, held months before the European Unions second-poorest member votes for a new parliament. Ex-Prime Minister Victor Pontas Social Democrats won the Bucharest mayors office and all of the capitals six districts, the first such victory for a single party since the fall of communism, preliminary results show.

SOUTH SUDAN The first of 379 British troops have arrived in South Sudans capital, Juba, to serve in a United Nations peacekeeping mission. A five-person advance team landed Friday while the rest will begin arriving in the coming weeks, joining 11,990 peacekeepers from other nations, said Ariane Quentier, spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in South Sudan.
IDAHO FALLS (AP)  An Idaho woman was fined by the Bureau of Land Management after attempting to rescue an emaciated wild horse.

The agency fined Cynthia Stoetzer of Driggs $275 for moving the animal she encountered while riding her horse in Utah in April, reported The Post Register.

Stoetzer said she saw the horse near an informal campground at the Justesen Flats and tried to contact Bureau of Land Management officials. She had cellphone service issues, however, and couldnt reach anyone.

I had to follow my heart instead of the letter of the law, Stoetzer said. It was just slowly suffering in front of my eyes.

So she returned two days later, loaded the mustang into her horse trailer and took it to the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab. Bureau officials took the horse back to its ranch the next day.

Typically we try to keep the animal in its natural environment, said Chris Robbins, wild horse and burro lead for the Idaho Bureau of Land Management.

When someone reports an unhealthy horse, the agency will send someone to examine it as soon as possible, Robbins said. What happens next depends on the horses behavior, condition and relation to its herd.

If its naturally emaciated, if theres poor hope for prognosis for health for the horse, well usually euthanize it out on the range, Robbins said. If it has a good prognosis well keep monitoring it. We definitely dont allow the horse to suffer if it is indeed suffering.

He said the bureau has policies against private citizens removing animals from the land because it is dangerous and can interfere with the ecosystem. It also drains bureau resources to rehabilitate and care for animals that would have died naturally in the wild.

Robbins had no involvement with Stoetzers fine.

Stoetzer maintains that she did the right thing and would do it again.

I think theyre being pretty harsh on me, considering I really did do my best, she told the Post-Register. I wouldnt try to save all wild horses in the West, but when youre faced with one individual in front of you, I cant imagine any horse-lover wouldnt do the same thing.
Almost half of Idahoans say they would vote for Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup with likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to the latest poll released by Idaho Politics Weekly.

The poll of 603 adults, taken from May 18 to June 4, shows 49 percent support for Trump, compared to 32 percent for Clinton, with 18 percent still undecided.

If Bernie Sanders becomes the Democratic nominee, however, the poll shows a much closer race, within the 4 percent margin of error  46 percent for Trump, 43 for Sanders, 11 undecided. This poll shows little movement from one released more than a month ago, before Trump had the Republican nomination sewed up, which showed Trump beating Clinton 49-32  the same margin as this latest poll  but beating Sanders just 45-43.

Clinton is likely going to be the Democratic nominee, barring either a huge Sanders upset in the remaining primaries tomorrow and/or hundreds of superdelegates switching sides. Sanders' polling numbers in Idaho, though, do stand out for a state that has given the Republican presidential candidate more than 60 percent of the vote in most elections since 1972. (Gerald Ford finished a hair under 60 in 1976, and in 1992 and 1996 you had a third-party candidate, Ross Perot, who got a substantial share.) The last Democratic presidential candidate to win in Idaho was Lyndon Johnson, who carried the state by about 2 percent of the vote the year he beat Barry Goldwater in a 44-state blowout.

Going by the primary/caucus results, neither Trump nor Clinton is the first choice of their parties' voters in Idaho  Ted Cruz beat Trump by almost 20 percent in the GOP primary, with a particularly weak showing in the heavily Mormon southeastern corner of the state, while Sanders beat Clinton almost 4-1 in the Democratic caucus. Clinton had a good deal of support from Idaho Democratic politicians before the primary, but Trump had very little declared support from Idaho politicians on his side until Cruz dropped out, making his nomination a virtual certainty.

Many of the speakers at the Idaho Republican Convention, which was held from last Thursday through Saturday in Nampa, talked about the need to support Trump to prevent Clinton from getting into the White House, often focusing on the Supreme Court vacancy and that Trump, unlike Clinton, will likely appoint a conservative judge to the bench.

The poll also showed that in Idaho, just like around the country, there is a big gap in Trump support between men and women. Fifty-one percent of men said they plan to vote for Trump, but just 32 percent of women. Twenty-nine percent of women say they will vote Democratic, while 17 percent said they would vote for someone else, 5 percent said they wouldn't vote at all, 8 percent said they would vote, but not on the presidential line, and 8 percent said they don't know.

In a news release announcing the results, the pollsters said this is "a huge gap that is not normally seen among genders in almost any question Jones has asked over 40 years of polling." It is consistent, though, with the gender gap in Trump support seen in other states and nationally  a national poll in late May showed a 22-point difference between men and women when it comes to Trump.

Trump is also lagging among independents, with only 34 percent saying now that they will vote for him. Unaffiliated voters  although a majority of them generally vote Republican, going on election results  have historically been the biggest share of the Idaho electorate, but earlier this year registered Republicans pulled ahead for the first time, likely driven by people affiliating to vote in the closed presidential primary.

Dan Jones and Associates, based in Salt Lake City, did the polling.
TWIN FALLS  Good spring growing conditions so far have put small grain fields in good shape to weather a period of above normal temperatures.

Cereal grain crops appear to be a little bit ahead of normal development, area University of Idaho extension educators say. Most of the winter wheat fields Steve Hines has observed driving in Twin Falls and Jerome counties are headed out, with a lot of spring grain close behind.

The major concern with heat right now is pollination, said Hines, UI Extension educator in Jerome County. Heat stress at this time, especially if there hasnt been adequate irrigation, could affect pollination and grain fill.

Maintaining the soil at 50 percent available moisture from tillering to flowering if critical, said Chris Rogers, UI barley agronomist based in Aberdeen. If you have drought stress at this time, you will see decreased yield and quality.

A study done at the UI Kimberly Research and Extension Center last year showed yield decreased by as much as 46 percent when irrigation water was cut off at the late boot stage. Grain protein, test weights and percent plumps also were negatively impacted.

But, on the flip side, irrigating past the soft dough stage did not result in any additional yield nor improve quality specifications for barley. Kernels that are rapidly growing and storing starch are characterized by a white semi-solid consistency known as soft dough. When the kernels become hard and lose their green color, that is the stage known as hard dough.

It can be tempting for growers to pull water off small grain at this time of year to make sure other crops such as corn and beans get watered, Hines said, but everything needs water right now. Maintaining the soil moisture profile at 50 percent is critical for meeting yield and quality goals.

Hot, dry temperatures will reduce the risk of stripe rust, a fungal disease that has been found in fields from Preston to Twin Falls, to Parma and Ontario, Ore.

Hines has even found stripe rust on crested wheatgrass in the desert. That indicates the environmental conditions are just right and its around, but it seems to be more spotty here.

He has not seen any stripe rust in either his winter or spring grain trials at Kimberly, and has only had one call about it. Although the sample that grower brought in for him to look at was the worst stripe rust infection hed ever seen.

Juliet Marshall, UI grain pathologist, has seen positive samples in both irrigated and dry land winter wheat and even some barley, which is usually less susceptible to stripe rust.

Marshall has been encouraging growers to spray susceptible spring wheat varieties especially at herbicide timing. That may have reduced the spore load for growers who took her advice, but many growers are hesitant to incur any additional costs for a crop that is not worth much now.

But if the hot weather reduces one pest problem, it could also spark a population explosion for another. Aphid populations tend to surge after a period of wet weather followed by hot temperatures, explained Carlo Moreno, UI Extension educator in Minidoka County.
TWIN FALLS  While analysts believe the national economy is slowing down, Idaho appeared to be holding steady leading up to May.

U.S. hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month. While nearly a half million jobless Americans stopped looking for work, employers added the fewest number of jobs in five years.

But in south-central Idaho, a growing number of manufacturing jobs seems to be creating more competition between employers.

Were seeing with new companies coming on board with food manufacturing, kind of a churn effect, Idaho Department of Labor Regional Economist Jan Roeser said.

Manufacturing jobs in April were estimated up 5.7 percent from the previous year in Twin Falls and Jerome counties, according to an employer survey issued by the Idaho Department of Labor. Food processing jobs grew 6.6 percent year-over-year. Statewide, manufacturing jobs grew 3.9 percent in April.

Last month, Chobani announced plans to hire another 100 people in the first half of this year. And just over a year from breaking ground on its new bakery, Clif Bar had hired 170 workers with plans to hire 40 more, the company said in April.

Movement between employers has had an impact on manufacturing wages in the region, Roeser said. Positions that may have paid between $40,000 and $50,000 a few years ago, are now paying nearly $60,000 for experienced workers, she estimated. Typically the employers that pay the lowest wages see the highest turnover.

Over the last year, workers in manufacturing jobs such as industrial machinery and maintenance, have been moving toward the newer companies, Roeser said.

When theres new job opportunities, people feel more confident about leaving, she said.

Newer companies frequently bring in state-of-the-art equipment, which require a higher skill set such as electrical, mechanical troubleshooting and computer programming. In the dairy industry, employers are seeking programmers for their robotics.

They need to go out and basically poach from one another, Roeser said.

Statewide, data suggests the rate of people leaving jobs is increasing, the Department of Labor reported, but it may be a good economic sign because workers are taking other positions.

Industries that havent seen a high separation rate include health care, education and banking. Construction workers, however, arent generally as loyal to a company because of the project-based nature of the work, she said.

On Friday, there were 1,675 job openings in Twin Falls County among 17 different industries, according to research group The Conference Boards Help Wanted Online job posting data.

While national unemployment slid to 4.7 percent last month, the lowest since November 2007, the reason was because of a large number of people no longer looking for jobs.

Idaho, on the other hand, has had a consistent labor force participation rate as of April. Aprils unemployment rate, the most current data available for the state, was 3.7 percent.

The state has also led the nation in the percentage growth of non-farm jobs over the previous year. The fastest-growing service providing industries included construction, accommodation and food services and educational services.
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP)  A federal wolf expert has retired, and the federal Fish and Wildlife Service says it is not planning to fill the position because the agency doesnt expect to be in charge of wolves after legal steps have been made to take wolves out of the hands of federal managers.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife coordinator Mike Jimenez worked as the Northern Rockies wolf management and science coordinator and Wyoming recovery program manager.

Mike Thabault, Fish and Wildlifes assistant regional director for ecological services, said the agency is going to manage wolves in a way that helps local residents, the Jackson Hole News and Guide reported.

The agency says routine wolf management will continue, including working with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Services on livestock issues.

Mike, he was a unique guy, Thabault said. He really kept a lid on wolf stuff in Wyoming, for sure.

But because legislation has been drafted and lawsuits filed to take wolves out of the hands of federal managers, were not quite sure U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to be in the wolf business long term, Thabault said.

Were going to be doing the work that wed do with a federally managed species in the state of Wyoming, Thabault said. Were tracking, to the extent that we can track wolves, on the landscape.

Wolves in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon are managed by those states. But in Wyoming, the wolves are managed by the federal government because of a 2014 federal judges ruling that found fault with Wyomings plan to deal with minimum wolf numbers.

The state now investigates livestock issues, and if problems are attributed to wolves, they are turned over to the federal government.

Jimenez was an advocate for wolves, and he said previously that he had a special relationship with the animals.

I usually talk to them and tell them to stay away from livestock  stick to elk and deer, Jimenez said. We have a kind of man-to-man talk before we let them go.
SHOSHONE  Twin Falls police have arrested the fourth and final suspect in a January execution-style shooting in the desert southwest of Shoshone.

Antonio Buji Jacob Gallegos, 21, of Twin Falls, was wanted on a $1 million warrant since the Jan. 23 shooting of Francisco Javier Bravo-Martinez, 29, who was shot in the stomach, leg and head and left for dead.

Police say Bravo-Martinezs girlfriend orchestrated the attempted killing and Gallegos was the one who shot him in the stomach and leg before another man shot him execution-style in the head.

Acting on an anonymous tip Sunday night, Twin Falls police set up surveillance around several areas where they believed Gallegos could be, Lincoln County Sheriffs Sgt. Scott Denning said.

At one of those locations, Gallegos came out the back door and ran right into the police, Denning said.

Gallegos was arrested about 7:30 p.m. in an alley near Mias Place, 717 Main Ave. W., said Joshua Palmer, spokesman for the Twin Falls Police Department.

He was taken into custody at gun point, Palmer said. But he was arrested without incident.

Gallegos had been described as dangerous and possibly armed in calls that went out over police radio earlier this year.

Were quite happy hes off the streets and in custody, Denning said. We were concerned for public safety. He was one of the key suspects in the shooting itself, and we didnt want any further issues.

Denning, the lead investigator from the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, said Gallegos was gone, but decided he wanted to come back. He couldnt elaborate further on where Gallegos went, but he praised the work of his office and other Magic Valley and federal agencies in helping to track him down.

Gallegos was afforded an opportunity to talk Sunday night but requested an attorney, Denning said.

But we already have pretty much everything we need, the sergeant said.

Thats because Bravo-Martinez, the shooting victim, survived and told police much of what happened. But one of the key details he didnt tell police was the identity of the man who he says shot him in the stomach and leg.

That left Gallegos identity a mystery until Feb. 9 when Twin Falls police arrested 24-year-old David Gonzales Ceballos of Jerome in the parking lot of McDonalds on Blue Lakes Boulevard North.

After his arrest, Ceballos informed police of Gallegos involvement in the shooting and told how Bravo-Martinezs girlfriend, 30-year-old Maritzabell Murillo, of Filer, asked him to kill Bravo-Martinez.

Gallegos is in custody in the Twin Falls County Jail and was expected to be arraigned in Lincoln County Magistrate Court on Monday via video. Hes charged with attempted murder and felony criminal conspiracy.

Others charged in the case are Ceballos, charged with attempted murder and two counts of second-degree kidnapping; Murillo, charged with felony solicitation and conspiracy to commit murder; and Erik Lopez, 23, of Wendell, charged with robbery, intimidating a witness and two counts of second-degree kidnapping.

Prosecutors say Murillo told Ceballos she was done with Bravo-Martinez and she wanted him taken care of. Ceballos told police it was clear they werent being asked to just rough him up, but they were supposed to kill him.

Court documents pieced together from several different cases tell what happened next:

Ceballos, Gallegos, Lopez and Murillo all met at Bravo-Martinezs house in Jerome early in the morning Jan. 23. The five of them later drove in several separate vehicles into the desert north of Jerome to party and smoke methamphetamine.

Ceballos said he was armed with a .22-caliber pistol, Lopez had a .38-caliber revolver and Gallegos was armed with a .45-caliber pistol.

While driving into the desert, Bravo-Martinez got out of his vehicle to check on a problem with one of his headlights. While outside his vehicle, Bravo-Martinez heard someone yell hey. When he turned around, Gallegos shot him in the stomach. When he tried to run away, he was shot in the leg and fell.

Ceballos said that he heard Bravo-Martinez screaming and then saw him on the ground bleeding, Denning wrote in a sworn affidavit. Ceballos said that Murillo ran toward Bravo-Martinez and he grabbed her and pushed her away. Ceballos told me that Gallegos came to him and said that he was out of ammunition.

Thats when Ceballos tried executing the bleeding, wounded man.

After he fell down on to the ground, Bravo-Martinez said that Ceballos walked to where he lay, pointed a pistol at his head, said bye, bye ass and then fired approximately three times before he was struck in the head, Denning wrote in an affidavit.

After his arrest, Ceballos told deputies the same story, admitting to shooting Bravo-Martinez in the head from point-blank range.

The three assailants then grabbed everything from Bravo-Martinezs car, put Murillo in Lopezs truck and drove to Wendell to get gas, court documents said. The only reason they didnt steal Bravo-Martinezs car was because it wouldnt start.

Lopez was arrested the day after the shooting, while Murillo was arrested the same day as Ceballos after he told police of her involvement.

All three are in custody awaiting a June 24 preliminary hearing.
TWIN FALLS  The city manager will update City Council members during Mondays meeting on the Twin Falls YMCA.

The local YMCA, which manages the city pool, is on probation with its national parent organization following years of mismanagement and misappropriation of donations. The organization is under a contract with the city and receives a monthly management fee for operating the pool.

In his report, City Manager Travis Rothweiler will discuss relevant parts of the contract and steps the Council could take that could be important as the city moves forward.

Its certainly an issue of community concern, he said, referring to the pool as a city asset. The city needs to be assured its going to continue to be maintained and operated in a manner in accordance with the contract.

City staff recently met with the YMCA board, and Rothweiler said he would provide the Council with an update on that meeting, as well as options it may have.

We want to make sure we can answer the Councils questions to make sure the Council and the community know the members of the city staff are following the issue closely, he said.

The city is also preparing for its annual road maintenance. The City Council will review bids chip seal and slurry seal projects, which will comprise the majority of the $900,000 budget for the annual road seal maintenance.

This years road work will focus mainly in the areas bordered by Falls Avenue West and Addison Avenue, Grandview Drive North and Blue Lakes Boulevard North.

We have been increasing how much we put into road maintenance year-over-year, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said.

Emery Inc. of Filer was the sole bidder for the 2016 chip seal, with a bid of about $548,601. Morgan Pavement Maintenance of Clearfield, Utah, was the lowest of two bidders for the slurry seal project, with a bid of about $260,004.

The city plans to use the remaining $91,395 for crack sealing, purchasing tabs to preserve the locations of existing pavement markings, purchasing new thermoplastic pavement markings, and towing costs during the projects.

City staff recommends both bids be awarded.

Also at the meeting, Vice Mayor Suzanne Hawkins will administer the oath of office to officers Anthony Summers and Salko Lilic during a swearing-in ceremony for the Twin Falls Police Department.

The Council is also being asked to consider approving the purchase of lab equipment and electronic plan review software and hardware for engineering staff.

Two public hearings are scheduled to take place starting at 6 p.m., including a request to vacate a right-of-way along the 100-block Hansen Street East; and a request to vacate an irrigation easement on the north side of 3600 North Road, west of Harrison Street South.

The Council will then adjourn into executive session to hear an employee issue and to communicate with legal council on pending litigation.
TWIN FALLS  Sitting beside the front doors of Bickel Elementary is a repurposed newspaper box painted in two shades of blue, with the words Bickel Bobcats adorning the see-through panel. Beneath that in large grey letters are the words Free Library, and inside sits a variety of books: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Stuart Little by E.B. White and Superfudge by Judy Blume.

The project was a labor of love and drew from local Twin Falls businesses. First Rick Box received the old newspaper box from the Times-News and began to strip off all the old paint, lettering and dirt that had accumulated. He also had to remove the shelving inside and clean out the coin box.

Once he painted over the box in Bickels school colors, he reached out to a friend who does vinyl lettering to help create all the decorations. Finally, he went to the local ReStore to find a shelf he could properly fit to hold the books that would go into the free library.

In the coming weeks, Box, a stay-at-home dad, will likely have to restock the library many times, something he has already done time and time again since its introduction in early May. Students are welcome to take a book out of the box  or leave one for someone else to discover  but they dont have to bring it back.

The countless filling of the library is anything but a frustration for Box, because it means it is being used and appreciated exactly how he hoped it would be. More than that, its a consistent reminder of the generosity of one local boy who unknowingly helped the library come to life.

Several months before the PTA meeting that sparked a conversation about creative ways to distribute books, and before Box saw a picture of a free library on his Facebook page, Ian Quast had come up with an incredibly generous Eagle Scout project.

He decided he wanted to do a book drive to help benefit Bickel Elementary School.

Ian is an eighth grader at OLeary Middle School, and is a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 3 in Twin Falls. (In full disclosure: Ian is also the son of Times-News Publisher Travis Quast.) The idea came naturally to him, as he loves to read and wants others to enjoy reading too.

Reading was such a big part of my elementary school years, it helped me learn to read text and understand it, Ian explained. So if there were people who werent able to do that or (didnt) have books at home, I thought that was something I needed to help with.

Ians hope was to get donations for childrens books so that he could directly donate to the growing population of kids who are learning English at the elementary school.

I knew there was a high population of English language learners at (Bickel), so I decided that I would try to raise as many beginner books as I could to try and help them out a little, Ian said.

What started as a goal to get 20 to 30 donated books quickly turned into 950 books. Thats when Ian made the decision to make the donation to the entire school.

Overwhelmed by the number of books the school now had in its possession, Kelli Schroeder, principal of Bickel Elementary, announced at a PTA meeting that they needed a creative way to distribute the books.

That is when Box suggested creating the free library. He also noted how it could also be useful for the Summer Lunch Program, a free meal program for children.

Wouldnt it be great for the summertime if they can come get their lunch with their family or whoever they come with, and grab a book and take it home with them and not worry about returning it, Box said. They could just sit on the grass, eat their lunch and read.

It was then that the free library was created. With creativity on his side, Box got to work on converting an old newspaper box. He turned it into something that the entire community would come to enjoy, and the final product was something Box was truly proud of.

I was more than pleased when I saw how it came together. Anytime you start a new project, youre thinking, This is going to look terrible! Especially Pinterest. I am not Pinterest-friendly, Box said with a laugh.

Box created this library for one reason: to help children find a passion for reading without the hassle of worrying about returning it to a library or keeping it too long.

I can guarantee you there is a child in the last week that has found their new favorite book, said Box. The great thing is that if a child really loves this book, they can keep it, but if they want to share it, they can read it and put it back.

It wasnt until he met Ian that Box truly realized how meaningful the free library was, and the impact it had on the community.

Its so good to see someone his age not only (have) a love in reading, but a love for the community to know the other kids need help too. What a better way to learn English than a childrens book? Box said. It is so great to see Ians love for reading and (how) he turned it around to do something great for the community.

Without the donation of the books, Box would never have been able to turn his creative idea into a fully functioning asset of the Bickel Elementary reading program. Without the initial spark from the picture on Facebook, the idea never would have been able to taken form.

It is something that Box is continually grateful for, and hopes that this unplanned but perfectly orchestrated generosity will inspire others to start a ripple amongst the community.

Anything is possible now. If his raising the books started a free library, who has the next step? Someone out there will go, This is a great idea, Im going to do this. And it goes from there, and thats what Im hoping for now, Box said. If this has inspired you in anyway, get out there and do something. Something small can make something bigger. It will snowball, it will create a movement. Challenge yourself, dont give up.

Theres a quote from Mother Teresa that says, I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.

The free library project was created from several stones being cast into the water, and reaching several people who had good in their hearts. From Ians generosity, to the picture, all the way until the first book was placed into Boxs free library, the ripples are far from reaching the shore.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Twelve of 19 defendants want separate trials in the federal criminal case in Las Vegas involving southern Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy stemming from an armed standoff near his Bunkerville ranch.

The 70-year-old state sovereignty figure and three of his adult sons are among those whose attorneys have filed documents in recent weeks seeking to sever their cases from the rest.

All 19 have pleaded not guilty to various conspiracy, obstruction, weapon, threat and assault charges stemming from a gunpoint standoff that stopped government agents from rounding up cattle on public land. Theyre charged together in a single 63-page indictment.

Bundy attorney Joel Hansen argues in a May 27 filing that a group trial could confuse a jury into finding defendants guilty by association.

Cliven Bundy didnt carry a gun, didnt threaten government agents, wasnt at the scene of the standoff and was not in control or in charge of anything, Hansen said. It is extraordinarily difficult for a jury to follow admonishing instructions and to keep separate evidence that is relevant only to co-defendants.

Attorney Chris Rasmussen, representing Peter Santilli, said in a document filed May 25 that Santilli had a First Amendment right to cover the events at the Bundy ranch for an internet talk show he hosts. The lawyer calls Santilli a new breed of journalist that offers an alternative news channel to the public.

No shots were fired, and no one was injured in the April 2014 confrontation. All 19 defendants were arrested and remain jailed pending trial next February in U.S. District Court.

Seven defendants in the Las Vegas case are among 25 defendants facing trial in September in Portland, Oregon, on federal conspiracy, weapon, theft and damaging government property charges stemming from a 41-day occupation of a national wildlife refuge early this year.

One defendant in that case pleaded guilty last month to a conspiracy charge.
Seniors Wellness

The Twin Falls Senior Center will hold a presentation for senior citizens at 12:15 p.m. Monday at 530 Shoshone St. W.

Connie Campbell of Syringa Place will discuss Avoiding the Hidden Traps of Food Labels.

Free; 208-734-5084.

Hepatitis C Support

Hepatitis C Support Group, 6 p.m. Monday at Magic Valley Fellowship Hall, 801 Second Ave. N., Twin Falls.

The meeting offers support for those who have been diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus. A medical professional will speak about HCV and options for treatment.

Information: Cathy Shaddy, 208-410-2768.

Bariatric Support

Magic Valley Bariatric Support Group, 7 p.m. Monday in the Oak Rooms on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Meetings are held the first Monday of each month.

Information: 208-381-3641

Victims Support

Support group for victims of domestic violence, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Mini-Cassia Shelter Haven of Hope, 323 First St., Rupert.

Information: Rachel, 208-312-7021.

Laughter Exercise

Laughter Therapy class, 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone St. W., with Mary Martinat, a retired physical education instructor.

Learn how laughing can relieve stress and improve your breathing.

Free. 208-734-5084.

Alzheimers Support

Alzheimers Association, Greater Idaho Chapters Caregiver Support Group meeting, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at DeSano Place Suites, 545 Nevada St., Gooding.

The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays every month.

Information: 208-934-4623.

Grief Support

Visions of Hope meeting, 5 p.m. every Thursday at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls.

This grief support group is open to everyone in the community.

Information: 208-735-0121.

Happy Babies

Happiest Baby on the Block class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Oak Room on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Learn a step-by-step approach to soothing your baby, and receive a parenting kit to use at home. The class can be taken before or after delivery.

Cost is $15; pre-registration is required: 208-814-0402.

Mental Health Support

Mental Health Support Group, 5:30 p.m. every Thursday at Family Health Services/Behavioral Health building, 1102 Eastland Drive N., Twin Falls.

The free support group is open to Magic Valley residents.

Information: 208-734-1281.

Anxiety Support

Anxiety Support Group, 6 p.m. every Thursday at Magic Valley Fellowship Hall, 801 Second Ave. N., Twin Falls.

Support for those who experience anxiety, panic attacks or depression. Learn about the signs, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and coping skills.

Information: Cathy Shaddy, 208-410-2768.

CPR

St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR and AED class, 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday in Oak Room 4 on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using an automated external defibrillator.

Cost is $44. Pre-registration is required: 208-814-9050.

CPR, First Aid

St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR, First Aid and AED class, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Oak Rooms 5-6 on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid and using an automated external defibrillator.

Cost is $50 and pre-registration is required, 208-814-9050.

Breastfeeding

Free Breastfeeding 101 class, 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, in the Oak Room on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topic: Breastfeeding basics for new and expectant mothers. Babies are welcome.

Free; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Joint Replacement

Free class on total joint replacement, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at BridgeView Estates, 1828 Bridgeview Blvd., Twin Falls. Meet in the lobby.

Topics: Preparing for joint-replacement surgery, amount of pain, recovery time, insurance coverage, care after surgery, discharge planning and long-term rehabilitation.

Tours of the BridgeView rehabilitation facility are available.

Pre-registration is required, Amy at 208-280-0047 or Sarah at 208-280-0045.

Childbirth

St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Centers prepared childbirth classes, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, June 14 through July 12, in the Oak Room on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topics: Wellness during pregnancy; labor and delivery process with relaxation and breathing techniques; caesarean birth; postpartum care for mother and newborn; infant CPR; car seat and home safety; and a tour of the maternal and child units. Bring a labor-support person if possible.

Cost is $25 for a five-week session. Pre-registration is required: 208-814-0402.

Infant Safety, CPR

Infant safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, in the Oak Rooms on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

New parents, grandparents and caregivers learn CPR and what to do if a baby chokes. The class isnt a certification course.

Free; no registration required. 208-814-0402.
TWIN FALLS  A woman and child were found safe Sunday afternoon after they fell off an inflated tube, sending them into the Snake River during a family outing, officials say.

Jerome County Sheriff Doug McFall said a local family had tied some tubes to a bridge near the Auger Falls area at about 4 p.m. on the Jerome County side when the accident happened. The woman was able to keep hold of the toddler and made her way to shore on the Twin Falls County side about  to  mile downstream.

Both mother and child were wearing flotation devices and were uninjured, McFall said.

A Jerome County deputy who lives near the canyon rim helped direct rescuers to the woman with the aid of a spotting scope. The rescue operation took about 1 hours, McFall said.

The parents apologized to law enforcement officers, McFall said. The husband said he just didnt realize the power of the river, he said.

Rescuers from Jerome and Twin Falls county sheriffs offices, Twin Falls City and Magic Valley Paramedics responded to the incident.
Idaho voters over the years have had a hand in reshaping or founding several important state agencies, from the Department of Water Resources to the reapportionment commission. But the Department of Fish & Game may be the most voter-impacted of all.

The dispute ongoing now, involving two Fish & Game commissioners  Mark Doerr of Kimberly and Will Naillon of Challis  who were not reappointed by Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, makes for a direct reflection on some of that.

Idaho has had fishing and hunting rules since its early territorial days; the first were set in 1864, banning big game hunting for a period from February to July. But those rules were on the honor system. No one enforced fish or game law until after statehood, when in 1899 the Fish & Game Department was first created and a game warden was hired. (Maybe theres an indicator here: Idaho is among the states referring to game in its agency name, while most other nearby states, such as Washington, Oregon, California, Montana and Utah, refer to wildlife.)

That early agency was under direct political control, meaning that governors appointed the executives and oversaw the staff, and legislatures directly set much of the policy. Not many years passed before complaints began to surface. As early as 1911 the state game warden, Frank Kendall, advised placing the fish and game department of Idaho on a scientific basis and in order to do so we must have men who have made this a study and are familiar with the needs and requirement of this line of work, regardless of political affiliations, and to this end I would recommend  we place the men who are directly in the fish and game department under a civil service ruling and retain them as long as they do good work.

Sportsmens groups started calling for the same thing, pressing the legislature to upgrade the state fish and game efforts. Lobbying over a span of 25 years by Idahos many hunters and fishers got them nowhere.

In 1938 they mobilized to place on the ballot their proposal, placing fish and game under control of a commission and requiring that officers hold and keep their jobs based on merit. At a time when suspicion of government expansion was not so different from now across much of Idaho, the initiative passed with 76 percent of the vote. That measure set the framework for the Department of Fish & Game still in place today.

Nothing in government can ever truly be taken out of politics, and in the broad sense shouldnt be  that would mean the public has no input, no control. And theres often some tension between what various people in the public, and sometimes their elected officials, want and what the fish and game department and commission do. But the measure of independence usually has been seen as a plus.

In 1995, new Gov. Phil Batt asked for letters of resignation of the commissioners; he had wanted the departure of the then-director, Jerry Conley, and a number of policy changes. A statewide eruption ensued, and Batt dropped his request for the resignations.

He later told Idaho Public Television, I found out that was a mistake, I apologized for it, and since that time I have never tried to influence any decision of the Fish and Game Commission. I dont think that I should. I do think that we all have to work together for the good of the state of Idaho, Ive impressed that on them many a time, but Ive never tried to tell them what they have to do or what they cant do.

The tension is always there. Doerr and Naillon could tell you about that.
Libyas UN backed Prime Minister-designate has ruled out international military intervention in the anti-IS campaign taking place in the North African country.

Faiez Serraj in an interview with French paper Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday said despite the international rally behind his Government of National Accord (GNA,) they dont need any foreign boots but rather need technical and logistical support.

Its true that we need help from the international community in our fight against terrorism and its true that this is something we have already received, he said in the interview.

But we are not talking about international intervention, Sarraj said.

Rather we need satellite images, intelligence, technical help not bombardments.

Last month, around 25 countries vowed their support for the GNA and accepted to ease arm embargo imposed on the country since 2011 so that forces loyal to the unity administration purchases equipment needed to flash out IS out of Libya.

UK and other western countries recently indicated that they were ready to set foot in Libya to combat IS if Serraj requests it.

Loyal forces to the GNA have been tightening their grip around Sirte; hometown of the former ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The town has since 2014 become commandment center for the terrorist group which has been able to conquer swathes of the Libyan territory, mainly coastal regions where the group also operates migrant smuggling activities.

The GNA has established the operations rooms coordinating the fight. The forces made significant gains including takeover of al-Gordabiya air base, nine miles south of Sirte, the New Arab reports.

Serraj also told the French media, that win over the terrorist group is at hand even though he admitted it will take long.

(We hope) that this war against terrorism will be able to unite Libya. But it will be long. And the international community knows that, he said.

UNSMIL Chief Martin Kobler last week urged all forces and militias combating IS to unite as the UN fears competition between GNAs loyal forces and the Libyan National Army of Gen. Khalifa Haftar also thrusting at IS, plays in favor of the militant group.

The GNA now established in Tripoli has been struggling to assert its authority across the country also partly controlled by rival government in the East, answering to the House of Representatives known as Libyas sole legitimate parliament.
Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is increasing in incidence in the United States, and infection with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes about 50 percent of cases. However, it can be difficult to identify who is most likely to develop this cancer. Although earlier research had discovered molecular signatures associated with HBV-driven liver cancer, new research from Thomas Jefferson University has proven that this panel of microRNAs can also predict the patients at high risk for developing the disease before the cancer develops, via a blood test.

The researchers, led by Hushan Yang, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology and researcher at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson studied a large cohort of HBV-infected patients, some of whom eventually developed liver cancer, and analyzed their molecular signature from blood samples. Of the 373 HBV patients who were originally cancer free, 40 developed cancer over a median follow up of 4.5 years. The researchers analyzed a panel of 24 microRNAssmall molecules that regulate gene activityand showed that 15 of these microRNAs had changed their normal gene expression pattern before patients developed cancer, suggesting these molecules could be used to predict patients with a high likelihood of developing cancer. The study was published in the journal Oncotarget.

Earlier studies had identified the 24 microRNAs that Dr. Yang and colleagues studied. However, it was unclear whether those microRNAs caused the cancer, or were a result of already occurring cancerous processes. By following this cohort of patients prospectively, and using blood samples taken at least one year before liver cancer diagnosis, the researchers were able to answer that question for the first time. In addition, prior studies analyzed samples taken from patient biopsies, which require invasive procedures, whereas the current study showed that microRNAs circulating in the blood could predict disease.

"This research confirms previous work on microRNAs and liver cancer and goes further to show that these microRNAs may be able to predict the development of liver cancer through a non-invasive blood test," says first author Chun Wang, a visiting scholar in the Department of Medical Oncology.

The current non-invasive test for determining cancer risk among HBV patients is a diagnostic for the molecule alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). It is also associated with Hepatitis C infections, but it isn't always a good predictor of disease. In fact, the Jefferson researchers identified 15 out of 16 patients, or 94 percent of patients who were misclassified as cancer-free by AFP. Likewise, in the 57 patients who were deemed at high risk of developing liver cancer by AFP, the microRNA testing correctly reclassified 33, or 58 percent, as low risk.

Although the panel of 15 microRNAs was useful, it wasn't perfect. "We need to find more microRNAs that may predict liver cancer in order to sharpen this tool for identifying high risk patients," says Dr. Yang. "Through collaboration with Dr. Hann in the Department of Medicine at Jefferson, we continue to work on improving this diagnostic method."

The work was supported by a Tobacco Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, National Cancer Institute Grant CA159047, American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant 123741-RSG-13-003-01-CCE, and a V Scholar Grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Explore further Risk of liver cancer from hepatitis B persists even after clearing the virus

More information: Chun Wang et al. Prospective evidence of a circulating microRNA signature as a non-invasive marker of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV patients, Oncotarget (2014). Journal information: Oncotarget Chun Wang et al. Prospective evidence of a circulating microRNA signature as a non-invasive marker of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV patients,(2014). DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9429
Credit: CDC

Malaria parasites cause hundreds of millions of infections, and kills hundreds of thousands of people annually, mostly in Africa. And in recent years the most dangerous malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has become increasingly resistant to the main anti-malarial drugs. Now, an international team of researchers shows that some members of a class of compounds called oxaboroles, which contain the element, boron, have potent activity against malaria parasites. The research is published ahead of print June 6 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"We demonstrated that certain oxaboroles, selected from a large library produced by collaborating chemists, had potent activity both against cultured malaria parasites, and in an animal model of malaria," said Philip Rosenthal, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, the University of California, San Francisco.

Additionally, the researchers gained insight into the mechanism of action of the compounds, knowledge that could be important for refining new antimalarial drugs based on oxaboroles, said Rosenthal. "New antimalarial drugs, ideally directed against novel targets, are greatly needed."

To that end, the investigators demonstrated that the mechanism of action likely involved an enzyme that is required for protein synthesis. They accomplished this by growing the malaria parasites in the laboratory and treating them with the oxaboroles, over generations. With time and generations, the parasites became increasingly resistant to the oxaboroles.

The investigators then performed whole genome sequencing, both on the resistant parasites, and on the original non-resistant P. falciparum, which had been stored for this comparison. They used the sequences to look for mutations in the resistant parasites that were absent from the non-resistant ones. "We consistently found them in this one gene," said Rosenthal. That gene, for the aforementioned enzyme that is involved in protein synthesis, is called the leucyl tRNA-synthetase (LeuRS) gene.

Thus, the interaction between the oxaboroles and the LeuRS enzyme is presumably what inhibits that enzyme, killing P. falciparum, said Rosenthal. Ultimately, Rosenthal's collaborators at Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, may study that interaction, so that they can tweak oxaboroles to improve their properties, said Rosenthal.

As for the resistance to oxaboroles that developed in the lab, Rosenthal said did not mean that resistance would develop under clinical conditions. "You can select for just about anything in the lab," said Rosenthal. Furthermore, in malaria, as in the case of other dangerous diseases, such as HIV infection and tuberculosis, usually more than one drug is given to patients, which makes it much harder for the pathogen to develop resistance.

Although the research is an important first step, the investigators noted in their paper that developing antimalarials is particularly challenging. "In addition to obvious requirements for safety and effectiveness, antimalarial drug candidates should meet additional criteria, including rapid clinical response, requirement for no more than three days of treatment (and ideally single-dose treatment), oral bioavailability, low tendency to select for drug resistance, lack of cross resistance with existing antimalarials, safety in children and pregnancy, and low cost of production."

Oxaboroles appear promising on all counts. Among other things, safety of the general class has been demonstrated even in human trials of class members, though for purposes other than as antimalarials. Oxaboroles are also not difficult to synthesize, which would make them relatively inexpensive.

Nonetheless, no drug is ever a sure bet at this stage of development, and in the best case, a number of years will pass between the present, and approval of a new drug for malaria. But the potential prize is mitigation of untold misery.

Explore further New strategy emerges for fighting drug-resistant malaria
Credit: Jourden C/public domain

New research into the ringing-ear condition known as tinnitus indicates an alarming level of early, permanent hearing damage in young people who are exposed to loud music, prompting a warning from a leading Canadian researcher in the field.

"It's a growing problem and I think it's going to get worse," says Larry Roberts of McMaster's Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, the only Canadian author of a paper published this week in the journal Scientific Reports. "My personal view is that there is a major public health challenge coming down the road in terms of difficulties with hearing."

The researchers interviewed and performed detailed hearing tests on a group of 170 students between 11 and 17 years old, learning that almost all of them engage in "risky listening habits" - at parties, clubs and on personal listening devices - and that more than a quarter of them are already experiencing chronic, persistent tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ears that more typically affects people over 50.

Further testing of the same subjects - all students at the same school in Sao Paulo, Brazil - showed that even though they could still hear as well as their peers, those experiencing tinnitus were more likely to have a significantly reduced tolerance for loud noise, which is considered a sign of hidden permanent damage to the nerves that are used in processing sound, damage that can foretell serious hearing impairment later in life.

Roberts explained that when the auditory nerves are damaged, brain cells increase their sensitivity to their remaining inputs, which can make ordinary sounds seem louder. Increased loudness perception is an indication of nerve injury that cannot be detected by the audiogram, the standard clinical test for hearing ability. Neuroscience research indicates that such "hidden hearing loss" caused by exposure to loud sounds in the early years deepens over the life span, worsening one's hearing ability later in life.

"The levels of sound exposure that are quite commonplace in our environment, particularly among youth, appear to be sufficient to produce hidden cochlear injuries." says Roberts. "The message is, 'Protect your ears.'"

Roberts worked closely with Brazilian researcher Tanit Ganz Sanchez - who led the study -  and her colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine. The data they gathered was especially rich and detailed, Roberts said, creating a more complete picture of what's happening to young people who may not be aware that they are hurting themselves when they listen to loud music.

It's common after listening to loud music to experience a ringing in the ears for the next day or so, Roberts said. More than half the students in the study said it had happened to them. This brief tinnitus is an early warning sign, according to Roberts. Testing showed that 28 per cent of the study participants had already developed persistent tinnitus.

The 28 per cent of participants with persistent tinnitus also showed heightened sensitivity to loud sounds, indicating that the neurons that transmit sounds to the brain may have been damaged, said Roberts. While some other forms of hearing loss can be repaired, such nerve damage cannot be undone. The only solution, he says, is prevention.

Roberts, a veteran researcher and advocate, compares the evolving campaign against loud

More information: Scientific Reports www.nature.com/articles/srep27109 Journal information: Scientific Reports
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new cause of Parkinson's diseasemutations in a gene called TMEM230. This appears to be the third gene definitively linked to confirmed cases of the common movement disorder.

In a study published in Nature Genetics, the scientists provided evidence of TMEM230 mutations in patients with Parkinson's disease from both North America and Asia. They also demonstrated that the gene is responsible for producing a protein involved in packaging the neurotransmitter dopamine in neurons. Loss of dopamine-producing neurons is a defining characteristic of Parkinson's disease.

Taken together, the study's findings provide new clues to explain how Parkinson's disease develops in the brain. Those clues may inform future therapies for the disorder, which currently has no cure and few known causes.

"Previous research has associated Parkinson's disease with various factors in the environment, but the only direct causes that are known are genetic," said principal investigator Dr. Teepu Siddique, the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Foundation Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Many genes have been claimed to cause Parkinson's disease, but they haven't been validated. We show that mutations in this new gene lead to pathologically and clinically proven cases of the disease."

About 15 percent of Parkinson's disease cases are thought to be caused by genetics, primarily by mutations in two genes called SNCA and LRRK2. Siddique said that other genes have only been associated with features of parkinsonism, a general term for neurological disorders with motor symptoms.

The Northwestern Medicine team's proof that mutations in TMEM230 lead to Parkinson's disease is the result of 20 years of research conducted with collaborators around the world.

How they uncovered the gene

The project began in 1996, when Siddique and study first author Dr. Han-Xiang Deng, began investigating a family with 15 members who had typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Using DNA samples provided by co-author Dr. Ali Rajput, from the University of Saskatchewan, Siddique and Deng performed genome-wide analysis on 65 of the family's members, including 13 with the disease, in hopes of finding a common mutation that could explain the prevalence.

They were able to narrow the search down to a small region of DNA on chromosome 20 that contained 141 known genes. Using whole exome sequencing technology, they then compared DNA variationsgenetic differencesin one healthy family member to those in four family members with the disease. The scientists found more than 90,000 variants before eventually identifying TMEM230 as the gene with disease-causing mutation.

"This was a totally new gene. We didn't know its function," Deng explained. "So we did a series of studies to find out where the protein encoded by this gene is located and what it does."

The scientists discovered that TMEM230 encodes a protein that extends across the membrane of tiny sacks inside neurons called synaptic vesicles, which store neurotransmitters before they're released from one cell to another.

"Current symptomatic treatments for Parkinson's disease increase the neurotransmitter dopamine that is released by these synaptic vesicles to cells that project into different parts of the brain controlling motor activity, mood and many other organ systems affected by the disease," Siddique said.

The scientists hypothesize that the protein is involved in the movement of these vesicles.

"We believe that vesicle trafficking defects are a key mechanism of Parkinson's disease, not just for cases with this mutation, but a common pathway for the majority of cases. All three of the authenticated genes are concentrated on synaptic vesicles," Deng said. "Our new findings suggest that normalizing synaptic vesicle trafficking may be a strategy for future therapeutic development. We can develop drugs to promote this critical pathway."

Verifying the gene across populations

Importantly, the research team also found mutations in the TMEM230 gene in cases of Parkinson's disease in additional families in North America and as far away as China. They verified that these patients had both clinical characteristics of the disease (symptoms like tremors, slow movement and stiffness) as well as pathological evidence in the brain (loss of dopamine neurons and abnormal accumulations of proteins inside surviving neurons).

"This particular gene causing Parkinson's disease is not just limited to one population in North America," Siddique said. "It's worldwide, found in very different ethnic and environmental conditions. These mutations are that strong."

In future research, Siddique and Deng plan to explore how TMEM230 mutations cause disease using mouse models.

Siddique is a professor of neurology and of cell and molecular biology at Feinberg. Deng is a research professor of neurology.

Explore further First mouse model for ALS dementia

More information: Identification of TMEM230 mutations in familial Parkinson's disease, Nature Genetics, DOI: 10.1038/ng.3589 Journal information: Nature Genetics Identification of TMEM230 mutations in familial Parkinson's disease,
(HealthDay)The United States pays the highest prices in the world for generic and brand-name cancer drugs, a new study has found.

However, as the world's wealthiest nation, the United States is better able to pay for those pricey drugs than poorer countries with somewhat lower medication prices, added study lead author Dr. Daniel Goldstein.

People in China and India are much less able to afford cancer drugs than Americans, he said, even though U.S. monthly drug prices are about three to six times higher in the United States.

That doesn't mean America came out on top in overall drug affordability, however. Developed nations such as Australia, England and Israel had the "best deal" in the world on cancer drugs, thanks to government programs that regulate drug pricing, the study found.

"America is the wealthiest nation, but its drug prices are significantly higherso much so that cancer medications are less affordable in the U.S. than developed countries like England or Australia," said Goldstein, who's a senior medical oncologist at Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tkvah, Israel.

Goldstein was scheduled to present the findings Monday at the American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting, in Chicago. Research presented at medical meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

For the study, Goldstein's group compared the prices for 23 cancer drugs in seven countries: Australia, China, England, India, Israel, South Africa and the United States.

The analysis included 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of different cancers.

Drugs included in the analysis included the leukemia drug Sprycel (dasatinib), which can cost around $12,000 a month in the United States; the lung and pancreatic cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib), which costs around $7,700 a month; and the breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab), which costs more than $5,300 a month, the researchers said.

On average, the study found that Americans pay the most per month for both brand-name drugs ($8,694) and generics ($654).

India had the lowest average brand-name cost per month ($1,515), while South Africa had the lowest average generic price per month ($120).

However, drug prices are only one factor in determining affordability, the study authors noted. Some countries have distinct economic advantages, which make their citizens better able to pay for medications, Goldstein explained.

So, to do a more "apples-to-apples" comparison of drug affordability, the researchers employed a global economic measurement called "GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity," or GDPcapPPP.

The International Monetary Fund supplied each country's GDPcapPPPa measure of national wealth that factors in citizens' cost of living.

Under that statistical filter, the average monthly price of brand-name drugs amounted to 192 percent of the United States' GDPcapPPP.

By comparison, India's brand-name drug prices were 313 percent of GDPcapPPP, while China's prices were 288 percent of GDPcapPPPmeaning people in those countries have to stretch much farther to pay their drug costs.

"Even though the prices are lower, the GDP per capita is a lot lower in those poorer countries," Goldstein said.

Meanwhile, average monthly brand-name drug prices in England were 78 percent of that nation's GCPcapPPP, and 71 percent of the GDPcapPPP in Australia.

In some developed nationslike Australia and Englandthe government has stepped in to regulate drug prices, resulting in a better value for their citizens, Goldstein said.

"In the United States, the system is lacking any assessment of value," he said. "The FDA approves a drug based on safety and efficacy, but there's no consideration for cost or value."

Cancer expert Dr. Sharon Giordano reviewed the new findings. She said she's worried that "we may eventually hit some kind of breaking point" when it comes to cancer drug prices in the United States.

"The cost of drugs for cancer care has been increasing substantially faster than the cost of the rest of medical care in the United States," said Giordano, a breast medical oncologist and chair of health services and health disparities research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"While right now we are able to sustain ourselves, there's a lot of concern that in future years we won't be able to," Giordano continued. "Then the U.S. will be forced to confront really difficult questions about how we're going to afford to pay for cancer care."

Countries like England and Australia have been able to control drug prices without significantly affecting cancer treatment, Giordano said.

"You may not have access in those countries to every single drug that the United States has access to, but I think they've reached more of a compromise," she said.

Explore further Value of cancer drugs in nine countries

More information: For more on cancer drug prices, visit the For more on cancer drug prices, visit the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Copyright  2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Immunotherapy doubles overall survival and improves quality of life, with fewer side effects, in a treatment-resistant and rapidly progressing form of head and neck carcinoma, reports a large, randomized international trial co-led by investigators at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). The new trial was considered so successful that it was stopped early to allow patients in the comparison group to receive the new drug.

Findings from the international CheckMate-141 phase III clinical trial were presented today at the 52nd annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. A subset of the results were previously presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in April of this year.

"These exciting results indicate that there is a new standard of care option for a population of head and neck cancer patients with no other treatment options," said the trial's international co-chair Robert Ferris, M.D., Ph.D., UPMC Endowed Professor, and chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery and co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at UPCI.

The new drug, nivolumab, which belongs to a class of drugs known as immunotherapeutics, enables the body's immune system to destroy cancer cells. It currently is approved to treat certain types of cancers, including melanoma and lung cancer.

The trial enrolled 361 patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who had not responded to platinum-based chemotherapy, a rapidly progressing form of the disease with an especially poor prognosis, said Dr. Ferris. Patients were randomized to receive either nivolumab or a single type of standard chemotherapy until tumor progression was observed.

The nivolumab group achieved better outcomes than the standard chemotherapy group by all accounts. After 12 months, 36 percent of the nivolumab group was alive, compared to just 17 percent of the standard chemotherapy group.

Nivolumab treatment also doubled the number of patients whose tumors shrunk, and the number whose disease had not progressed after six months of treatment. Importantly, these benefits were achieved with just one-third the rate of serious adverse events reported in the standard chemotherapy group.

In addition, on average, patients receiving nivolumab reported that their quality of life remained stable or improved throughout the study, while those in the chemotherapy group reported a decline.

While nivolumab improved survival rates in the overall study population, it appeared to be most successful in patients whose tumors were positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV). This is important because the fraction of head and neck cancers attributable to HPV infection has increased by 250 percent over the past several decades, Dr. Ferris explained.

"Unfortunately, most patients in this trial still experienced a progression of their cancer, demonstrating that we still have a lot of work to do. But, the future appears brighter than ever before because there is a new class of agents, immunotherapies, which we now know can prolong survival and improve quality of life, with few side effects, in head and neck cancer," said Dr. Ferris.

The research team currently is working to identify new biomarkers that will allow them to develop a better understanding of how drug resistance develops, and how to best design effective combinations of medications that may improve patient responses.

The trial's other co-chair is Maura Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., from Ohio State University. Additional U.S. institutions that participated in the trial include University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Stanford Cancer Institute, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. International collaborators are located at Centre Leon Berard, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, and Institut Gustave Roussy, all in France; Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, in Italy; The Institute of Cancer Research, in the United Kingdom; University Hospital Essen, in Germany; and National Cancer Center Hospital East and Kobe University Hospital, both in Japan.

The trial was funded by the drug manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, who is now seeking FDA approval for the use of nivolumab in head and neck carcinoma.

Explore further Immunotherapy is first to show survival benefit in head and neck cancer
Marco Rubio has yet to bow to pressure to reconsider his decision against seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate. But he is pushing back hard against the suggestion that he didnt like his job in the upper house of Congress.

"Flashback to another article quoting a longtime friend saying I hate Senate. Words I have NEVER said to anyone," Rubio tweeted on May 16, 2016.

The tweet linked to a Washington Post article put online on Oct. 25, 2015, that quoted an anonymous Floridian friend of Rubios as saying the gridlock in the Senate had worn out the freshman senator. "He hates it," the source said.

"I dont know that hate is the right word," Rubio told the newspaper at the time. "Im frustrated."

Rubio described in the story the plodding pace of the Senate after he was elected in 2010. He said he was forced to "slow-dance and wait" for the Senate to gain a majority in 2012 and 2014 in order to accomplish anything. He said he was then told in 2015 that, "We gotta wait to elect the president" to get any bills passed. The story said that was when Rubio essentially gave up on being a senator.

But was Rubio correct in tweeting months later that he had never said he hated the Senate?

See what Joshua Gillin of PolitiFact Florida found.
@ByKristenMClark

Today is the first day in which U.S. House and U.S. Senate hopefuls in Florida can start to officially qualify for the 2016 elections.

Not wanting to waste any time, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy filed his paperwork -- and a $10,440 check for the filing fee -- in person this morning with the Florida Division of Elections.

Murphy technically "pre-qualified," as the official filing period for all candidates is June 20-24. He was the second U.S. Senate candidate to submit paperwork in person on Monday. Tony Khoury, an independent candidate from Miami, filed about 10 minutes before Murphy.

Morning from #Tallahassee! I am the first to qualify for the #FLSen race to represent the great citizens of #Florida pic.twitter.com/kY20nGg381  khoury4florida (@Khoury4Florida) June 6, 2016

Murphy was joined this morning by Andrew Gillum, the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee, and state Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, who are supporting him in the Aug. 30 primary.

Murphy, a congressman from Jupiter, is running against fellow Democrats U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson and Miami labor attorney and former naval officer Pam Keith. The primary will decide which of them will be the Democratic candidate in the general election.

Murphy is viewed as a front-runner in the race, buoyed by favorable polling numbers, strong fundraising and the support of the Democratic Party establishment.

In fundraising emails over the weekend, Murphy's campaign pushed for more dollars from donors -- hoping to send a message to Republican Marco Rubio, should he change his mind and seek re-election to the seat he planned to vacate when he launched his unsuccessful bid for the presidency.

"Patricks not wasting any time getting on the ballot," a Sunday fundraising email from his campaign said. "Rubio has until the 24th to make up his mind -- but he could file as early as tomorrow morning! This is our chance to show him how hard were willing to fight against him if he does."

Rubio has said in recent interviews he isn't changing his mind, and he has unofficially endorsed Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera as his successor. But Republican leaders -- including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- are pressuring Rubio to run, as none of the five Republican contenders, including Lopez Cantera, have been able to break out from the crowded field after months on the campaign trail.

The other Republicans running in the Aug. 30 primary are: U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis of Ponte Vedra Beach, U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Indian Shores, Orlando businessman Todd Wilcox and Manatee County home-builder Carlos Beruff.

Photo credit: Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, center, joins Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy as Murphy files his paperwork for the 2016 elections at the Florida Division of Elections in Tallahassee on Monday, June 6, 2016. Kristen M. Clark / Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau.
@ByKristenMClark

Did Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy also overstate the time he spent working as a certified public accountant?

That's what Politico reports this morning, on the heels of Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times reports that revealed both an exaggeration and a contradiction in Murphy's resume.

His experience as a CPA has been a big resume booster for Murphy, a two-term congressman from Jupiter who entered politics five years ago. But Politico highlights a discrepancy in Murphy's selling point: He's previously said that he "spent several years as a certified public accountant working for Deloitte & Touche" but he had the CPA license for less than a year while working for the firm.

In a profile of Murphy published Friday, the Herald/Times reported how Murphy took a break from working at his family's Coastal Construction company to gain experience at a private accounting firm. He worked for Deloitte & Touche in Miami as an auditor from September 2007 to May 2010. A Deloitte spokeswoman confirmed Murphy's employment but couldn't specify what positions he held during that time.

Murphy got his CPA license through Colorado in September 2009 -- eight months before leaving Deloitte to return to Coastal as vice president of its environmental services division.

Murphy told both the Herald/Times and Politico that he got licensed in Colorado because it has more flexible requirements to sit for the CPA exam than Murphy's home state of Florida, where he's lived, been educated and worked his entire life. Politico reported Murphy actually took the test in Vermont, though.

I was excited to get my license and to start my career, Murphy told the Herald/Times.

Read Politico's full report here.

Resume misstatements have dogged Murphy for the past few weeks, at a critical time 90 days before the Aug. 30 Democratic primary -- when he'll face fellow U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando and Miami labor attorney and former naval officer Pam Keith.

Last month, the Herald/Times reported that Murphy exaggerated his academic credentials in recent years by saying he had "dual degrees" from the University of Miami, when he actually earned a single bachelor's degree with two majors. (His U.S. Senate campaign called the discrepancy an "inadvertent error.")

The Tampa Bay Times also reported that Murphy's claim to have spent six months in the Gulf of Mexico leading cleanup efforts" after the 2010 BP oil spill contradicts with a timeline Murphy's Senate campaign provided to account for those months.

One Republican political group, funded by "dark money," says Murphy should resign for "lying" about his educational and job credentials.
An information meeting for the Zootown to Zapatista Educational Exchange 2017 is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday at the Missoula Public Library.

The exchange will bring a group of 10-20 students to Chiapas, Mexico, for four to five weeks. This trip is geared toward the high school graduates in the class of 2017 and 2018, but is open to any curious individuals.

The first four weeks will consist of language classes in the Oventic caracol, where the group will be staying and interacting with other international students during the week. During the weekends the group will stay in the Mexico Solidarity Network center in San Cristobal and enjoy all that the city has to offer.

Afterwards, as an optional addition, the group will spend one week traveling around the state of Chiapas with guide Julio Cesar Ortega. Possibilities for this week include spending time in small Zapatista villages, visiting Mayan ruins and much more!

All participants in the four-week program through Mexico Solidarity Network will receive the six college credits. These are through the Mexico Solidarity Network, which says that The Program is accredited by the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. The program is also formally recognized by the State University of New York (SUNY) system, American University, DePauw University, Guilford College  and 95+ other institutions have accepted the credits in full.

***

In an effort to raise $4,600 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Jade Thomas is organizing a footrace on the new Grant Creek Trail. The race will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 19, at the the Grant Creek Trail, but the event will be staged out of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation parking lot. Races include a 5-mile, 3-mile and 1-mile event.

The goal is for this event to serve as a big fundraiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute while also serving as an introduction to the new Grant Creek trail system for the Missoula community. Instead of registration fees, runners enter on a donation-only basis.

Register 9 a.m. the day of the race or visit sweat.positivetracks.org/missoula/events/grant-creek-foot-race/e82203.

***

The Superior Lions Club is seeking applications for the 2016 Junior Rodeo Princess. The Junior Rodeo Princess will serve alongside Queen Mary Grace Donally and Princess Jonna Rae Warnken. The Go for the Gold Rodeo will be held during the 2016 Mineral County Fair scheduled for Aug. 5-6.

The competition for Junior Rodeo Princess is open to all young women between the ages of 13 and 20 who have been a resident of Mineral County for at least six months. Applicants must show evidence of involvement in community service and will be tested on horsemanship skills and knowledge.

The winning candidate will receive $50 cash and a $50 gift certificate to Mountain West Co-Op (Cenex) to help defray the cost of her outfit. The 2016 Junior Rodeo Princes will also receive a custom-made sash from world-renowned sash maker Wendy Russ. The winner in the Junior Rodeo Princess competition will advance to princess next year and queen the year following.

The deadline to apply for Superior Lions Rodeo Junior Princess 2016 is June 22. Applications can be picked up at Alberton Feed & Supply, 203 Railroad, Alberton (phone 722-1200); Castles Market, Superior or Tricon Timber, 126 Highway 135, St. Regis (phone 649-2485, ext. 210).

For more information, call Shawn Heyer at 406-822-4553 or 239-2751.
THOMPSON FALLS  Its a mystery no one will ever completely solve, the human skull and bones found embedded in mud in the Clark Fork River near Noxon last year.

That didnt stop Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel from trying.

Ten months after authorities recovered the remains in 18 inches of water, Rummel has answers to some of his questions, thanks to the University of Montana Anthropology Department.

Other unknowns  like who, exactly, this dead person was  the sheriff will likely never find out.

But how this anonymous person wound up in a riverbed, Rummel believed he knew from the start, thanks to several nails also recovered near the skull and bones.

The information from UM backed up his theory. The theory is only 10 months old.

The mystery itself now officially dates back a century or more.

***

It was last August that an employee of Avista, the energy company that operates eight hydroelectric developments on the Spokane and Clark Fork rivers, was walking on the west side of the Clark Fork, about a quarter of a mile above the Noxon Bridge.

He looked down, and saw something that looked awfully odd in the river, Rummel says. He reached down, and pulled the top of a human skull up out of the mud.

That, the sheriff says, started a series of phone calls. Rummel summoned a Sanders County Search and Rescue team, and was there as its members probed in the rocks and mud below 18 inches of water.

They discovered the jaw bone, which had detached from the skull, first.

Then they found upper body bones, the clavicle, the vertebrae, Rummel says. Then arm bones, the pelvis.

As they worked, the search and rescue crew also found several nails in the mud. It was the type of nails that first gave Rummel hope he was not looking at a crime scene.

***

They were square nails, also known as cut nails, and they havent been in use much since the early 1900s.

It was a relief to me when they started coming up with square nails, Rummell says. They havent really been around since the turn of the century. If you were going to build a pine box for someone who had died back then  and in this part of the country, undertakers were few and far between  youd have used square nails.

The other part of Rummels theory is a little larger than a nail: Its called Cabinet Gorge Dam.

Built in the early 1950s, the dam created Cabinet Gorge Reservoir.

At one point in time, there was a graveyard above the point where the skull and bones were found, Rummel says. I think when they built Cabinet Gorge Dam, it backed water up and flooded that area. Eventually, I think a pine casket washed loose from along the bank.

There was what Rummel calls a root wad  exposed tree roots along the rivers bank  near where the remains were discovered, and he thinks the casket got caught up there, largely if not completely hidden. Over time, the pine box fell apart and was washed away, leaving the skull, bones and some square nails to sink into the mud.

***

The remains were first sent to the Montana State Crime Lab, which ruled out foul play.

They later landed at UMs Anthropology Department, which determined that the skull and bones date to the late 1800s or early 1900s, and were not from a Native American, news Rummel received this week.

The skull and bones will be returned to Sanders County. Rummel says he has asked officials at the Old Jail Museum in Thompson Falls if they are interested in them.

They are a part of Sanders County history, he says.

Otherwise, theyll likely be reburied in a grave that will have to remain free of facts.

Who the person is, when they were born and when they died are mysteries the discovery of square nails cant solve.
Gary Gillett's going to keep making music. He jokes that his day will no longer be divided up by the ringing of bells in high school hallways.
Some 119 years of institutional knowledge will be out the door during the next few months at the University of Montana, according to an estimate from President Royce Engstrom.

In addition to other departures, the upcoming leadership changes amount to an overturn of some 30 percent in the president's cabinet with a series of retirements he says came about without his influence.

Provost Perry Brown retires after 22 years at UM.

Bill Johnston retires as head of the Alumni Association after 36 years with UM.

Teresa Branch, vice president for student affairs, retires after 13 years at UM; in the announcement about her departure, Engstrom noted her job would shift to include enrollment.

Peggy Kuhr, vice president for integrated communications, leaves after nine years at UM, her alma mater.

"They have committed a great deal to this institution, each in their own way," Engstrom said in an interview this week. "And I'm very grateful for what they've done."

A couple new deans are coming on board in the next school year as well. In at least two cases, for provost and director of Alumni Relations, UM will appoint interim leaders as it searches for permanent hires.

The turnover in leadership takes place less than a year after the president announced UM needed to make major faculty and staff cuts  to contribute to an estimated $12 million shortfall  to align its spending with an ongoing drop in enrollment.

Last month, the College of Humanities and Sciences experienced another budget squeeze worth "several million dollars."

The major transition in leadership comes at a time of change at the University of Montana.

"It's a very important time in the life of the university," Engstrom said. "We do have an opportunity here to move forward on many fronts."

In the year ahead, some imperatives are in order for UM, for its leadership, and even for the community.

For the university, the priority will be enrollment, Engstrom said.

For its leadership, honest and transparent communication is a must, according to a faculty leader and an organizational expert.

For the community, patience is key, according to the workplace specialist.

Karen McNenny, an expert in the field of organizational psychology and leadership development, said institutional crisis brings opportunity, and stakeholders in the community should know that transformation comes with growing pains.

McNenny, who spoke about organizations in general and not about the university specifically, said society is not always gracious in its expectations of its leaders.

"We're very demanding of our leaders," she said. "People often want to know all the answers immediately."

She suggested another approach, though. Missoula residents as well as UM employees and students could see themselves as partners in the transformation.

"Corporate evolution, in my opinion, also never rests on the shoulders of one person," McNenny said.

***

Engstrom said the changes in leadership came about after deep conversations between himself and those who are retiring. He declined to share the nature of the conversations or whether he told any of his cabinet members the university needed fresh insight at this juncture.

The departing cabinet members announced different reasons for retiring, and Engstrom stressed that he has been pleased with their contributions to UM.

"This isn't a wholesale change-out of administrators. It's individuals coming to a decision about their career, their life," he said.

In 2012, UM was in a similar situation, with Engstrom needing to hire four new vice presidents in the midst of federal investigations into how the school handled rape reports. At the time, he revamped a cabinet post to emphasize communications in order to improve discourse with the public.

This year, UM hired Tom Crady as the vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, and he'll start in early July. Beverly Edmond will serve as interim provost for a year, and the president will select an interim head of Alumni Relations as well.

The communications position is changing again.

To fill Kuhr's departure, the president promoted Mario Schulzke as associate vice president for integrated communications and chief marketing officer, overseeing the communications sector; he also created a director of communications position, who will report directly to him and serve as a lobbyist to the Montana Legislature, a role previously filled by the head of Alumni Relations.

A search for the communications director is under way, and both communications officers will serve on the cabinet.

Overall, Engstrom said, the number of administrators at UM remains the same, and it may "save a little money" by having one fewer vice president.

Engstrom anticipates the new leaders will sign onto his priorities for UM and also help shape a strategic plan with their own ideas.

"Whenever you have change of any leadership position, and particularly when several at a time occur like now, that does create an opportunity to bring in new ideas, new experiences," Engstrom said.

***

Now that the planned budget cuts are being implemented, the top goal for the new team is to push enrollment, the president said.

"That will be priority No. 1. I don't think there's any two ways about that," Engstrom said. "At the same time, we will continue to focus on providing an exceptional experience for our students."

Last year, faculty made important recommendations about the academic portfolio UM offers, he said, and his team will work to implement the ideas. For example, a report on academic innovation noted UM's Big Data program should grow.

"We will move as aggressively as possible to adjust that portfolio to make it as attractive as we can to today's students," Engstrom said, speaking in general about the report.

The president also wants to ensure the new team comes together.

While the loss of institutional experience is great, Engstrom said he was taking time this week to visit with retiring leaders to "download" their ideas, challenges and concerns. Also, he said, many more people with history at UM are staying than leaving, so the university won't be devoid of administrators familiar with its practices.

At the same time, it will have some fresh eyes looking at the campus.

"I want to convey the sense of excitement and opportunity that these new people will bring," he said.

The president doesn't anticipate budget cuts next year, but he said UM's budget is tied to enrollment, like every other system school in the state.

"So this isn't fundamentally a budget issue. This is an enrollment challenge for us," he said.

***

In times of change, strong communication is essential from a leader for employees and affiliates of the organization, said McNenny, who is based in Missoula but works throughout the country. Those looking for direction need a safe environment, and communication creates that security.

"I think one of the most essential duties of a leader during what you've just described (significant budget cuts and leadership turnover) is transparent communication," McNenny said.

Typically, she said, when leaders are silent, others believe those in charge are keeping secrets, and they begin to feel unsafe. The other thing that happens is people start to create their own stories, which don't always fit the facts.

"What I have found with other clients and other industries is that what people make up tends to be more drama-driven, wrong and misguided than actually what the truth may be," she said.

The challenge for the leader is that people want answers right away, even when the answers take time to develop, she said. But change at a large institution doesn't happen overnight, and it's complex.

"It's a renovation, and renovation always takes longer and costs more than you think," she said.

***

John DeBoer, chair of the Faculty Senate, said he's looking for leadership for the long term. If the president told him he had a plan to get past the crises at UM in one year, he wouldn't believe it.

"Large crises sometimes need long-term solutions," DeBoer said. "So what I'm looking for is a strategic plan to move us forward in a logical way that allows us to fulfill our mission in the present but also allows us to fulfill our mission 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and when all of us are long dead and gone."

He sees a solid mix of institutional memory and fresh energy on the cabinet. DeBoer was involved in the new hires to varying degrees, and he said Engstrom and vice president of finance Mike Reid will ensure institutional memory continues.

"There's going to be enough consistency to move forward while also bringing in new energy and new ideas, we hope," DeBoer said.

One message he's hoping to convey from the Faculty Senate is the need to move past the sadness people on campus experienced after the president announced the faculty and staff cuts last year.

"We really want to change the tone on campus and get us through the sorrow of the last six months," he said.

At this point in UM's history, he's also interested in honest communication from its administrators.

"I don't want them to protect us from bad news," he said. "If enrollment is going to drop, and they tell us, we need to hear that, even if it's hard."

***

A recent change the president made to his cabinet will bring about more transparency, DeBoer said. Last year, in response to feedback from the campus community, the president augmented his cabinet to include chairs of the faculty, staff and student senates.

"That doesn't mean everything that gets learned in cabinet is public information that I can share with my constituents right away, but that we're not caught off guard," DeBoer said.

It also means a faculty representative  and representatives for staff and students  will share with administrators the way decisions from Main Hall impact teachers and students and other employees.

DeBoer declined to comment on whether he believes Engstrom has the skills to take UM all the way through the storm, saying he needs to wait and see. In general, though, he said he's going into the year with an open mind and remains optimistic about the institution.

"I as a faculty member remain hopeful, but that's part of my job, to be critical and hopeful at the same time as I head into the cabinet," DeBoer said.
Some criminals are sent to jail for selling drugs, theft or myriad other intentional acts of lawbreaking. Many of them are driven to commit these crimes in no small part by addiction or mental illness, and often both. Many are good candidates for treatment programs and support services designed to keep them from re-offending.

And then there are the criminals whose violent acts cause the kind of harm that can never be healed. They are murderers, rapists and child predators. They present a clear danger to the community, and they belong behind bars.

Lance Matthew Ring, 33, is the latter kind of criminal. An admitted child rapist, he should have been in jail instead of at large in the community. Yet for some inexplicable reason, this Lolo resident was released after posting a mere $100,000 in bonds.

He was released while awaiting sentencing for raping a 6-year-old girl, knowing that he would soon be going to prison with a recommended sentence of 25 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, as arranged per a plea agreement.

He remained on release despite the fact that District Court Judge Karen Townsend was informed that Ring had likely violated a condition of his release by continuing to have contact with minors. In fact, prosecutors had alleged that Ring violated his pretrial conditions - and requested that his release be revoked - no fewer than four times in the past year. Townsend herself warned Ring that additional violations would land him back in custody; she apparently did not follow through on that promise.

Within weeks of his release, Ring was arrested again and charged with raping a woman in a parking lot.

This infuriating failure of the justice system is only the most recent example of a judge treating a dangerous sexual offender with alarming laxity.

Just last month, District Court Judge James Manley of Lake County declined to sentence a child molester to any prison time at all. This despite the fact that Vayeeleng Moua, who was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, held a position of trust as a former Missoula County Youth Court officer, and violated that trust in the worst possible way when he committed a felony sexual assault on a minor.

Yet Manley felt such a crime doesnt warrant a single day in prison.

Nothing I do to punish Mr. Moua will be as much as he will punish himself, Manley said by way of explaining his decision to give Moua a six-year deferral, a sentence lower even than the mandatory minimum for his crime.

This editorial board is well aware that the local jail is overcrowded and the state prison system crammed with people who really should be in some sort of treatment program, getting the help they need to overcome their problems and a second chance to become productive citizens.

Prison should be a measure of last resort, the place where we keep people who cannot be trusted to remain safe in the community. The kind of people who have badly hurt other people. And especially those who prey on children; such predators have notoriously high rates of re-offending and pose a direct threat to public safety.

Our judges should have no qualms about sending such people to jail to ensure they are kept far away from future potential victims. No second chances. Treatment? Maybe  in prison.

How utterly frustrating and discouraging it must be for our detectives, officers and prosecutors to have to keep processing the same offenders for the same crimes. How frightening it should be for the public, to know that violent sex offenders are still allowed to move about freely in our community.

How utterly unjust to the victims that these judges allow their rapists to go unpunished.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission are two different critters. Our FWP department presents wildlife management proposals to five governor-appointed fish and wildlife commissioners. Commission meeting minutes regarding wolves, 2007 through 2015, are available, 406-444-7826. Get a copy; its interesting history.

At the July 14, 2011, commission meeting, Gov. Brian Schweitzer appointee Bob Ream moved and Ron Moody seconded, establishing a three-wolf quota north of Yellowstone National Park. On July 9, 2015, Gov. Steve Bullock appointee Gary Wolfe moved and Richard Stuker seconded reducing their quota to two wolves. Yellowstone Buffer Zone wolf quotas were instituted by fish and wildlife commissioners at final season-setting meetings. They were not proposed by the FWP department or sent out for comment.

On May 12, department biologists proposed a six-wolf quota and a Montana trapping quota of seven fisher. Commissioners rejected the departments proposal and put out two wolf and zero fisher quotas. Department biologists made no Yellowstone wolf quota proposals before their six-wolf quota that was shot down by a commission majority.

Do wolf advocacy groups and their "green decoys" masquerading as sportsmen try to influence Montana politicians? Could Montana hunters and trappers be "sold down the river" to placate national wolf advocacy outfits who couldnt care less about Montanas hunting heritage? Are environmental activists seeking more federal control over Montana resources, pouring political action cash (PAC money) into our governors re-election campaign? Does wolf predation impact Montanas ungulate populations?

You decide!

Edwin Johnson,

Gardiner
Ask anyone in the orchestra and theyll tell you: You just cant be shy while playing the trumpet. The trumpet wants to be heard.

And for John Driscoll, playing that particular instrument since the summer before he went into the fifth grade way back in elementary school in Butte may have been useful preparation for the work he does now  as executive director of the Missoula Symphony Association.

I teach trumpet, too, and it is something that my less extroverted students really need to learn, to become extroverted as trumpet players. They may not be in their personal lives, but when the trumpets up, youve got to become a different person, says Driscoll. Youve got to have a lot of fire in the belly and be very much an extrovert in terms of how you play.

It was a useful lesson to have already mastered when he was hired as executive director of the Missoula Symphony Association in 1999. Driscoll was playing trumpet with the orchestra at the time and he remained principal trumpet player in the orchestra for about 11 or 12 years after becoming executive director.

The byproduct, not just the musical side, of playing trumpet probably helped. One has to be a people person and certainly not shy about putting yourself out there as a public speaker, as an asker of money  all those different sorts of things, he said.

He doesnt play trumpet for the orchestra anymore. But he still blows the orchestras horn in his catch-all position that involves marketing, fundraising, board development, human resources and developing a shared vision for the orchestra.

Two times the fun

You cant be shy, either, about trying something new, as the Missoula Symphony Orchestra started doing in about the mid-1990s. It was selling out its one-evening concerts and so its board decided to move to a format of two concerts, adding a Sunday matinee.

When Driscoll came on board a few years later, the soul-searching over that decision was continuing. Some board members even wanted to go back to a single performance for each concert because although the concerts had been selling out with one performance, the hall was now only half full for each. Driscoll remembers that he begged board members to stay with the two-evening schedule long enough for him to figure it out.

Something I knew is that the Saturday and Sunday audiences were very different people, Driscoll said.

He was convinced the Sunday matinee concert was drawing more senior citizens and more people from places such as the Bitterroot who had a bit of a drive  easier to do by daylight.

Fortunately, Missoula audiences started taking to that two-performance schedule in about 2004, when the Missoula Symphony Orchestra  founded in 1954  celebrated its 50th year.

The audience has steadily grown over the years since then, Driscoll said  partly through the musicianship that Music Director and Conductor Darko Butorac has cultivated since being hired in 2007. In one memorable season four or five years ago, the symphonys concerts were sold out for all but the opening concert.

Thats a tough thing to sustain but since that year, weve been seeing 80 percent capacity on a regular basis, which is amazing, Driscoll said. When I first started working here, we were playing two performances of every concert like we are right now, Saturday night, Sunday matinee, and we were barely doing one house worth of audience between two days. Between the two shows we were probably seeing 1,100 or 1,200 people. Now, a standard weekend for us is 1,800. A sold-out weekend is 2,200.

Thats partly due to good musicianship but it may be also the influence of demographics that insulated smaller community orchestras from some of what classical music experienced in some major metropolitan areas, Driscoll suggests.

Its turning around now. But I think 10 or so years ago, when orchestras of the larger size were starting to fail in fairly significant numbers, the community orchestras kept going and were maybe not always thriving, but certainly holding our own through really tough times.

Driscoll believes its because an orchestra such as the Missoula Symphony can do better at staying in touch with its community, providing great music for ordinary citizens who appreciate what they hear  and who know that the quality-of-life surge they get from the arts has a cost.

From a contribution standpoint, the majority of our contributions come from folks of relatively modest means, Driscoll said.

And in a fun, outdoorsy community such as Missoula, classical music is for audiences from a mix of backgrounds who want to experience it, not for an elite.

I think there was a period there where classical music got inside its own head way too much and composers were writing for fellow composers, they werent writing for audiences. The art form needs to progress, no question  symphony orchestras wont survive if were just 1800s cover bands, Driscoll said. But thats not to say that tonality shouldnt be a part of it. The reason music is important to me is that its a visceral experience  however I am feeling, or however I need to feel, I can find it in music.

Roots in Butte

Driscoll knows something about Montanas sense of community from growing up in Butte, home of the states oldest symphony orchestra. The Butte Symphony Orchestra began in 1950, four years before Missoulas symphony orchestra got its start.

Butte during its heyday was a very culturally advanced community. It always had a very strong, strong element of rough-and-toughness to it just by nature of the working class, the miners and folks that populated Butte. But there was also so much wealth in Butte, unlike anywhere else in the state at the time, even when my folks were coming up in the 30s and 40s. They used to say that the uniform for Montana was cowboy boots and a cowboy hat; the uniform for Butte was a three-piece suit. I mean, there are photos of my grandpa working on re-roofing his house in a three-piece flannel suit. Thats how Butte was  a lot of culture and money was present in Butte. And that culture of culture remained. So when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, there was still this great core of adults in Butte who fiercely promoted Butte as an arts community. The Butte Community Concert Series was absolutely responsible  in addition to my father  for my love and knowledge of classical music.

"Amazing, incredible world-class acts came to Butte while I was growing up, of all stripes. I fell in love with jazz, big bands, when I saw Woody Herman live in Butte. But I think what really set me on fire is when I heard the Empire Brass Quintet.

A few great teachers

John Driscoll also learned from his father, Jim Driscoll.

My dad was a huge classical music lover. He doesnt read music well but he can play anything by ear in the key of C, F or G. So wed go to a movie, and my dad would come home and sit down at the piano and play the soundtrack, instantly. An amazing ear. He had thousands and thousands of albums  ever since he was a kid he started collecting opera and symphonic recordings and jazz, everything. I was always surrounded by great music  the greatest of the great.

Driscoll also learned from his first piano teacher, Helen LaVelle  she gave him lessons starting at age 5 and later from piano teacher Ruth Rotondi, who first taught him what it meant for a musician to be an artist.

She pushed me to interpret music  that the music isnt the black dots on the page, its what you do with them, Driscoll recalled.

Hal Estlick, a retired Navy musician who owned a music store in Butte, taught him the joy of playing the trumpet. Later, Bill Pfund, his trumpet teacher at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, taught him to appreciate sound  to listen to every other instrument and also to appreciate singing.

But Montana taught him something, too  that you can go home again, and should.

It was while John Driscoll was playing in the Knoxville symphony orchestra in Tennessee that his wife, Kathrin, got a job offer in Missoula. It was all they needed to move back to Montana, where, about a year and a half later, John Driscoll applied for, and got, the post as executive director for the Missoula Symphony Association.

The lessons John Driscoll learned growing up in Butte still play well in Missoula.

I really feel strongly that regardless of the size of the community that you live in, every town deserves great art. Every resident, young and old, in every town in America deserves to hear the greatest music that can possibly be presented to them, Driscoll said. If this is where we were going to stay, I wanted to have some hand in helping to further that.
BILLINGS  A Wyoming teenager charged with slaying a couple and wounding their daughter after the family stopped to help him on the Crow India
Butte Police Reports

PARTNER ASSAULT

Garland Yazzie, 37, of Tuba City, Arizona, was arrested Saturday for misdemeanor partner assault after police say he struck the face of a 35-year-old woman, also of Tuba City, with his fist. The victim, who suffered swelling to her face, reported he was intoxicated. Four children, ages 6 to 11, witnessed the alleged assault at the Motel 6, 220 N. Wyoming St.

MAN ATTEMPTS TO BITE BOUNCER

Thomas Philp, 30, of Butte faces a misdemeanor assault charge for allegedly attempting to strike and bite a bouncer Saturday night at The Butte Depot, 818 S. Arizona St. Police say he had earlier attempted to fight patrons.

THEFT OF $2,000

A Butte man, 48, reported $2,000 cash went missing from his apartment on the 3400 block of Hill Avenue between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday. He came home to find his front door ajar. Police have no suspects.

TALL TALES

Police received several reports Monday about a man acting strangely, entering businesses and saying he was with the FBI and CIA. Larry White, 45, of Butte was arrested after he was found in the middle of Dewey Boulevard. He faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

White told police he was allowed to have methamphetamine because it helps him stay awake at night and fend off people trying to kill him. He also faces a felony charge of criminal possession of meth after he was found with the drug.

FISTICUFFS

Timothy Erdley, 50, and Daniel Norris, 37, both of Butte were arrested about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Police found them fighting in the hallway outside Erdleys apartment on the 200 block of West Silver Street. Norris had tried to retrieve his property and pushed his way into the residence, police said.

They each face a misdemeanor assault charge. A small container of methamphetamine was found on Erdley; he also faces felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

UNRULY BLUES

Police say Kenneth Studey, 49, of Butte yelled, screamed and was highly agitated Sunday at the Lincoln Hotel, 207 W. Park St. He allegedly pushed his landlord and was arrested on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and assault.
A 23-year-old Butte man accused of aiming a rifle at the occupants of a car Friday night has been charged with felony assault with a weapon.

At an initial appearance before Butte justice court Judge Debra Williams on Monday, Jade Hendrickson was formally charged. He is being held on $25,000 bond at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center. A hearing is slated for July 7.

Hendrickson was a passenger in a blue 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe, according to the driver Evan Parini, 22, of Butte, who initially denied anything happened about midnight.

Butte-Silver Bow Undersheriff George Skuletich said the two men were not acquainted with the three male teens in a 1996 Honda Accord. He added that the incident between the drivers and passengers in both vehicles was in connection with tailgating.

A police report stated Hendrickson pointed a .22-caliber rifle at the teens while both cars were traveling in the area of Platinum and Montana streets.

Police found Parinis Tahoe on the 1200 block of East Second Street. He consented to a search, saying nothing happened, the undersheriff said. The rifle, a magazine and bullets were discovered. A marijuana pipe and 8.2 grams of pot also were found by police.

Parini faces misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of pot and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia in Butte city court. He was released Saturday from the county jail on $1,170 bond and is required to make a court appearance by Friday.

According to the police report, Parini admitted Hendrickson was a passenger in his SUV earlier that night and had pointed the weapon.

Hendrickson was later arrested at his residence on the 600 block of South Dakota Street and booked into the county jail about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
The high-profile campaign finance trial against state Representative Art Wittich confirmed my worst fears about the use of state power in the hands of the current Commissioner of Political Practices, Jon Motl. His aggressive conduct during this case confirmed for me that he is transforming his office and abusing his power. The current enforcement emphasis is a fearful factor in any Montanans decision to seek public office.

The Commissioner is asking Judge Ray Dayton to fine Mr. Wittich more than $144,000 and remove him from office as a penalty for the jurys finding that Mr. Wittich received and did not report corporate contributions during his 2010 state senate primary race. Commissioner Motl has also asked the court to award his office more than $30,000 in court costs to cover the prosecution of Wittich. To my mind this is extreme! I fear a chilling effect on Montana free speech in our elections. This $30,000 in court costs if awarded to a litigation fund under the control of the Commissioner further enhances his ability to pursue these seemingly selective, aggressive prosecutions without regard to legislative control of the purse strings.

Public statements against Mr. Wittich by Mr. Motl created media reports portraying him as being involved in some kind of pay-to-play corruption scheme. Mr. Wittich is not corrupt. Thats why Commissioner Motl never charged him with corruption and his attorneys refused to let the jury consider a corruption charge. He was afraid of what a Montana jury would say about his evidence of corruption. Just recently Motl took the issue of corruption away from Judge Dayton as well, explicitly abandoning the claim altogether and saying that corruption has no bearing on the case against Mr. Wittich.

The real reason for this corruption smear is simple, Motls office was defending the state in a federal lawsuit to strike down Montana campaign contribution limits, and he stated publicly a finding of corruption would help his defense. Notably, Motls best evidence of corruption by conservative legislators was just roundly rejected recently by Federal Judge Lovell. Nonetheless Mr. Wittichs reputation is now collateral damage.

In a related backdrop to all of this, it was recently reported that campaign staffers for the re-election campaign of Governor Bullock are being paid by special interest dark  money dollars funneled through the Montana Democratic Party. This allows candidates to avoid contribution limits and receive unlimited financial resources from special interests. Commissioner Motl sees this as a party void in the law and appears to have no problem with this, but yet in Mr. Wittichs case, hes disturbed by what he sees as the specter of corporate-sponsored candidates, which creates general corruption of the public trust. Its funny how the perception game changes when your friends job is at stake.

When I served as Commissioner of Political Practices, it was clear to me that many candidates were confused by the language of statutes and rules governing their campaign activities. My staff and I made it our mission to work to ensure they understood the rules. Sure, there were instances where a few bad apples intentionally tried to game the system. In these cases, our investigations, decisions and subsequent fines were issued with an even, non-partisan hand.

I hope Third District Judge Ray Dayton keeps all of this in mind when, on June 17, he decides not only Wittichs fate, but ultimately whether or not the Office of the Commissioner should be able to continue to be used as a political weapon against hard-working legislators that try to do right for the people of Montana.

-- Ed Argenbright, a retired educator living in Helena, served as Montanas Commissioner of Political Practices from 1993 to 1999 and two terms as State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Gov. Steve Bullock joined other partisans Sunday to open a campaign office for Montana Democrats in the heart of Uptown Butte, a city he won in 2012 by more votes than his margin of victory statewide.

He opened other "coordinated campaign offices" for Democrats in Bozeman on Friday and Great Falls and Billings on Saturday. Another will be started in Helena on Monday, and the party plans similar operations in Kalispell and Missoula.

"Its the work thats done in this office that will make a difference between now and 155 days from now," Bullock told about 30 people crammed in a small, empty brick office space at 63 W. Broadway St.

The walls were covered with campaign signs for Bullock and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, a 1972 graduate of Butte High School, as well as placards for Denise Juneau, who has been state superintendent of public instruction for two terms and is now running for the U.S. House.

Bullock is expected to win Tuesdays primary for governor on the Democratic side while high-tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte is considered a heavy favorite to win the Republican primary against Terry Nelson of Hamilton.

Juneau, who also was at the office opening in Butte on Sunday, is hoping to unseat first-term Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke as Montanas lone U.S. House member this November.

Bullock shook hands with virtually everyone in the small office, thanking them for their enthusiasm and volunteer efforts. There were dozens of Bullock/Cooney yard signs with wire stakes attached ready for the taking as well as stickers for clothes or cars.

Cooney recalled that he was only 21 when he was first elected to the Montana House from Butte in 1976.

"The governor was 10 years old at that time," Cooney said, drawing laughs from onlookers.

He and Bullock stressed the importance of grassroots campaigning, especially in Montana.

"We knock on doors, we make phone calls, we talk to friends and neighbors," Cooney said. "We are not going to outspend our opponent in the governors race. We are not going to be able to do that."

He and Bullock have tried to portray Gianforte as an out-of-touch millionaire who hopes to win the election "with a credit card."

Gianforte, who sold his business, RightNow Technologies, to Oracle in 2011 for a reported $1.5 billion, has campaigned mostly on the economy, saying Montana's wages are woefully low and the state needs to focus more on tech jobs.

Gianforte visited several communities in Montana over the past few days with his running mate, Phillips County commissioner and Hi-Line rancher Lesley Robinson, said campaign spokesman Ron Catlett.

Gianforte planned to cap off the five-day swing with stops in Great Falls and Helena on Monday. As to Bullocks suggestions that Gianforte is trying to buy the election, Catlett said, "Greg is not taking any PAC money, and he has challenged the governor to make the same promise."

Butte, as it has been to most Democrats for decades, was good to Bullock in 2012.

He won Butte-Silver Bow County by 7,858 votes  more than his statewide margin of victory of 7,571 votes over Republican Rick Hill that year.

"When you walk in the door of this building, you see a sign that says Butte is Bullock country," the governor said. "I have a long history in this town. My father is buried in this town, and that was his choice.

"It is important that every single individual votes," he said. "Some folks say, 'Well, you wont win this part of the state,' or whatever. I dont take anything for granted. I need to get every single person out to vote."
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill is inviting the public to its June meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 11 at the mill in Wildcat Den State Park.

Anyone interested in the history, restoration or interpretation of this historic 1848 mill should come. It is believed to be the oldest working grain mill between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. The group is also rebuilding an 1850's log cabin next to the park.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Today is primary election day in the state of Iowa. Polls in Muscatine and Louisa counties are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

On the Democratic side, the ere are contested races for Muscatine County Sheriff and State Representative District 91. Two Republican candidates are squaring off in the race for Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Muscatine was selected as the last stop on the 2016 Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa this spring. Riders will dip their tires in the Mississippi River along the Muscatine riverfront. Information about the dip site, as well as other details about the thousands of riders and support team members who will be in Muscatine will be provided at the meeting.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Iowa  Farmers and retailers are encouraged to attend the second annual Weeds Week program on July 18 at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville. This one-day, educational program, hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will focus on herbicide resistance and weed management.

Our goal is to help farmers develop effective weed management plans, said Virgil Schmitt, field agronomist at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Sessions have been developed to provide tools that help farmers and agribusinesses work together to develop long-term weed management plans that identify sites of action, promote timely application of herbicides and avoid the expenses of dealing with herbicide resistance.

ISU Extension Field Agronomists Virgil Schmitt, Rebecca Vittetoe and Meaghan Anderson will host the event in Crawfordsville. Each session will include presentations, hands-on weed management planning, small group discussion and plot tours presented by extension field agronomists. Attendees will learn how to select herbicides from the herbicide effectiveness table, identify which herbicides to apply and develop their four-year weed management plans for their operation or for customers.

The Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm is located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Road. Check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. The program will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m., with lunch served at noon. The pre-registration deadline for the Crawfordsville location is July 14 at midnight. Attendees are asked to pre-register to assist with facility and meal planning. The $25 registration fee includes lunch, refreshments, and course materials and publications.

To register online, visit www.aep.iastate.edu/weeds. For more information, contact field agronomist hosts Virgil Schmitt 563-263-5701, vschmitt@iastate.edu; Rebecca Vittetoe 319-653-4811, rka8@iastate.edu; or Meaghan Anderson 319-337-2145, mjanders@iastate.edu.
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 []
MyBroadband set out to find the best televisions available to South African consumers, and had a simple strategy: ask the manufacturers.

LG, Hisense, and Samsung told us which of their models available in South Africa are the best, and the answers will surprise some.

The companies did not select their biggest or most expensive TVs. Rather, it was the most advanced TVs which were picked.

Here are the best TVs in South Africa, based on the feedback from the manufacturers.

LG  65-inch EG960 4K OLED TV  R80,000

The EG960 is LGs top Ultra HD 4K OLED TV in South Africa, and it incorporates the latest OLED and HD developments, the most recent version of webOS, and a new magic remote.

Hisense  55-inch 55T910 ULED 2.0 Curved TV  R24,999

The Hisense 55T910 ULED 2.0 Curved TV offers a colourful, high-contrast picture in 4K resolution, with 144-zone local dimming, an extra-wide colour gamut, and backlight scan for super-smooth images.

Behind the screen is ULED 2.0 (Ultra LED) display technology, a Hisense development that is based on LCD displays with LED backlights.

Samsung  65-inch KS9500 SUHD Curved TV  R64,999

This new SUHD TV from Samsung features cadmium-free 10-bit Quantum Dot Displays, with a quality standard of 1,000-nit HDR.

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On 6 June 1996, five Internet Industry representatives  David Frankel, Mark Todes, Jon Oliver, Steve Corkin, and Ant Brooks  met at the offices of the The Internet Solution to form the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA).

When the formation of ISPA was announced to the press a few days later, nine of South Africas then fledgling ISPs were identified as the founder members:

The Internet Solution (IS)

UUNet Internet Africa

Global One, PIX

Global Internet Access(GIA)

LeClub Internet Access (LIA)

Interlink

Planet Pinnacle

GEM Internet Company

Of these companies, only two exist today.

The Internet Solution is now known as Internet Solutions, following a name change in the late 1990s, and is a division of Dimension Data.

However, the networks of many of the other founding Internet Service Providers may still exist in some form.

UUNet Internet Africa, for example, had numerous shareholder and name changes and eventually became MTN Business.

PIX, LIA and GEM were all acquired by MWeb, part of which was in turn later acquired by Internet Solutions.

ISPAs initial reason for existence was to combat the threat then posed by Telkoms entry into the Internet services market.

Independent ISPs accused Telkom of anticompetitive practices which threatened a vibrant and growing Internet industry.

These accusations were eventually borne out by a 2013 settlement between Telkom and the Competition Authority, in which Telkom agreed to pay a R449m fine for abusing its dominance.

Today, partly in response to this settlement, Telkom operates a separate wholesale division in Openserve and provides competitive services to many ISPs.

ISPA has championed a fair Internet industry for two decades and many of the improvements in the sector can be directly linked to ISPAs efforts.

By 2006, ISPAs membership had grown to 113. In the ten years since then, it has continued to climb, and now stands at 176.

It has become more challenging for companies to qualify for membership in recent years. In 2009, ISPA was recognised as an Industry Representative Body by the then Minister of Communications.

This recognition gives ISPAs members special legal protections for third party traffic passing over their network.

To qualify for this recognition, ISPAs members are required to comply with a strict Code of Conduct including a commitment to fair business practices.

In 2015, ISPA handled 164 complaints from consumers, and all allegations of breaches of the Code are investigated, and if necessary reviewed by an independent adjudicator. A further 236 take-down notices were lodged with ISPA.

The take-down notice process is a mechanism for illegal content to be reported to ISPs for expeditious attention.

So far in 2016, the take-down notice process has been used to remove nearly fifty phishing sites from the Internet, which helps reduce potential harm to consumers.

Although there is a direct benefit to ISPAs members who are covered by the take-down notice process, all ISPs have also benefitted from ISPAs regulatory activism and efforts to shape communications legislation in South Africa.

ISPA has consistently lobbied for transparency towards consumers, open competition, respect for the privacy of Internet users, and a legislative framework that is consistent with the open standards and collaboration that underpins the global Internet.

ISPA has, through the operation of some of South Africas most important Internet exchanges, also supported the development of local infrastructure. Internet exchanges encourage local traffic to remain local, and provide a more responsive experience to Internet users.

Founded in December 1996, the Johannesburg Internet exchange (JINX) has remained operational for almost two decades with no unscheduled downtime.

Now run under the auspices of INX-ZA, the Johannesburg exchange extends to three sites, and is accompanied by exchanges in Cape Town and Durban. The latter was the first South African city to receive a multisite Internet exchange point.

Every year for the last fifteen years, ISPA, together with many partner organisations in the Internet industry, has operated the iWeek conference.

This free conference is open to the public, and brings together industry, civil society representatives, government representatives and industry experts to debate industry developments, governance of the global Internet and new technologies.

iWeek XV takes place from 19-23 September 2016, and registrations are now open at http://www.iweek.org.za/.

ISPA is looking forward to celebrating its twenty-year anniversary and the fifteenth iWeek conference with the many Internet professionals who have helped build the South African Internet industry.

We also hope to welcome to the event the entrepreneurs and Internet visionaries who will be building networks for the next twenty years.

By ISPA

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Internet ride-sharing app Uber is raising its South African fares back to their old rates just two months after the company initiated its winter price cuts.

On April 7 this year, the smartphone app cut fares on its cheaper UberX option in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban by up to 20% for the quieter winter period.

At the time, Uber said its price cuts were designed to boost demand and the company promised to implement minimum payment guarantees for its driver-partners.

But on the evening of April 6, at least 50 Uber partner drivers headed to the companys Green Point office in Cape Town to raise their concerns about the move.

Upon activation of the price cut, several Uber driver-partners also wrote to Fin24 to tell of lower earnings and longer hours. One driver told Fin24 that his earnings dropped about 20% while his costs remained the same.

And Uber  which has grown to 4 000 driver-partners in South Africa since launching locally in 2013  has now admitted that its price cuts didnt work out for its driver-partners.

In April we cut prices to encourage more riders to use Uber. At the time we promised that if those price cuts didnt work out for drivers  because they werent busy enough and therefore earning more  fares would go back up, an Uber spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Today we are keeping that promise and raising prices back to the original fares. We believe drivers will earn more as a result of these changes, the company added.

Price reversal was inevitable

The internet ride-sharing apps reversal of its price cut was inevitable, said Arthur Goldstuck who is managing director of local technology research firm World Wide Worx.

The intention behind the price reduction was always purely promotional, and Uber telegraphed long in advance that it would revisit pricing when the promotional period ended, Goldstuck told Fin24.

The reality is that lower prices didnt result in a surge of bookings, meaning that both Uber and the drivers would have been disappointed. Less well known is that Uber underwrote the losses the drivers suffered, so ultimately it didnt affect drivers as much as a straight price reduction would have.

The return to normal pricing could also suggest that, for now, Uber has saturated the local market, Goldstuck said.

However, it is also commonly accepted that most South Africans using Uber regularly are not habitual taxi users, meaning Uber has created a new market in this country. This market is likely to continue growing steadily, on the back of convenience and utility rather than pricing, Goldstuck added.

US price cut reversals

Uber has previously reversed similar winter price cuts in several US cities, according to a blog post from the company in January 2016 .

Of course, it doesnt always work as we had hoped, wrote the company in January.

Last year, for example, earnings fell in some cities and we changed back. In Charlotte, for example, we pulled a 40% price cut back to 29%, and earnings for drivers grew by nearly 20% in 2015.

And in two cities, including Seattle, we ended up reversing the price cuts entirely when it became obvious that prices were already low enough. Earnings have remained stable since, said Uber.

Fin24

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The British government on Monday issued an alert warning its citizens of a high terror threat in South Africa.

This comes after the US issued a similar warning on Saturday after it said it had received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where US citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

On Monday, the UK government said in a statement: There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners, such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

There was considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria, Britains foreign office said.

State Security Minister David Mahlobo earlier on Monday downplayed the US governments terror alert, giving assurances that his department was doing all it could to keep South Africa safe against attacks.

News24

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A corporate group representing five malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town says theyve stepped up security after the United States, British, and Australian embassies put South Africa on terror alert.

In a statement, CEO for JHI Retail Nomzamo Radebe said the group had taken note of the security alert.

All five shopping centres in the Liberty Property Portfolio are on high alert and additional security measures have been implemented in line with the Liberty Group policy. We are also working closely with SAPS.

The malls are:

Sandton City

Nelson Mandela Square

Eastgate

Liberty Midlands Mall

Liberty Promenade

Spokesperson for the V&A Waterfront Carla White said earlier that security teams at the mall met regularly and co-operated with SAPS and national and regional intelligence.

In response to the notification of this threat, SAPS has increased their presence and vigilance at the V&A Waterfront, and similarly we have also implemented actions accordingly.

Speaking to News24, Mall of Africa Grand Manager Vanessa Fourie said the newly-built shopping centre was fully aware of the terror alert and had taken steps to increase security.

We have a security company on board and additional steps have been taken to ensure safety. We are also reliant on our relationship with the police and are keeping those channels opened.

Call for attacks during Ramadan

In an alert issued on Saturday, the US government said it had received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where US citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levants public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan.

The British and Australian embassies soon followed with both entities saying their governments had revised their travel alert to South Africa following the US warning at the weekend.

Clarifying earlier reports that the UK had issued a new alert, the British embassys Isabel Potgieter told News24 that their government issued an alert on May 20 but had revised it at the weekend following the US alert.

Potgieter said the UK government was not advising its citizens against travel to South Africa.

Australias government said,The US government issued a terrorism alert to its citizens in South Africa on June 4, 2016.

The warning notes that the government has received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where US citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Be particularly vigilant in areas frequented by foreigners at this time. The level of this advice has not changed. We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in South Africa.

SA government downplays alert

The Department of Home Affairs said on Monday that South Africans should not panic following the travel warning by the British High Commission.

Spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said travel warnings were precautions taken by countries to protect their citizens, it is not for us to panic.

Whatever they are warning their citizens about, it doesnt necessarily mean it is going to happen or it is a fact. Ebola is an example of something that [we were warned about] but never happened on our shores, Tshwete said.

State Security Minister David Mahlobo downplayed the US governments terror alert on Monday, giving assurances that his department was doing all it could to keep South Africa safe against attacks.

It was part of the United States governments standard precautionary recommendation to its residents, he said in a statement.

We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger posed by the alert.

News24

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Telkom has released its financial results for the year ended 31 March 2016, which show the biggest annual fixed-line subscriber decline since the company listed in 2003.

Telkom now has 3,217,000 fixed-line subscribers, down from 3,439,000 a year ago. The decline represents the biggest annual loss since 2001.

The decline was prevalent on all fixed-line segments: Post-paid (3.8% decline), ISDN channels (4.6% decline), Pre-paid (22.6% decline), Payphones (40% decline).

Telkoms fixed-line penetration rate, based on the 2015 Stats SA mid-term population statistics, dropped from 6.6% to 5.8%.

Total fixed-line traffic also showed a drastic decline  from 16.3 billion minutes per year to 14.9 billion minutes per year.

Telkom has lost fixed-line subscribers since 2001

Telkom has battled to hold onto its fixed-line users since 2000, when its subscriber numbers peaked at 5,493,000.

The steady decline over the last 16 years happened despite an economic boom from 2003 to 2007 and the launch of ADSL in 2002.

Telkom previously said the decline was caused by many factors, including competition from mobile services, copper theft, and tough economic conditions.

The table below provides an overview of Telkoms fixed-line growth and decline since 1993.

Telkom fixed lines Date Fixed-line subscribers YoY change 6 months change 1993 3,458,000   1994 3,594,000 136,000  1995 3,773,000 179,000  1996 3,926,000 153,000  1997 4,259,000 333,000  1998 4,645,000 386,000  1999 5,075,000 430,000  2000 5,493,000 418,000  2001 4,962,000 -531,000  Mar-02 4,924,000 -38,000  Mar-03 4,844,000 -80,000  Sep-03 4,812,000  -32,000 Mar-04 4,821,000 -23,000 9,000 Sep-04 4,870,000 58,000 49,000 Mar-05 4,726,000 -95,000 -144,000 Sep-05 4,730,000 -140,000 4,000 Mar-06 4,708,000 -18,000 -22,000 Sep-06 4,675,000 -55,000 -33,000 Mar-07 4,642,000 -66,000 -33,000 Sep-07 4,621,000 -54,000 -21,000 Mar-08 4,532,000 -110,000 -89,000 Sep-08 4,504,000 -117,000 -28,000 Mar-09 4,451,000 -81,000 -53,000 Sep-09 4,398,000 -106,000 -53,000 Mar-10 4,273,000 -178,000 -125,000 Sep-10 4,234,000 -164,000 -39,000 Mar-11 4,152,000 -121,000 -82,000 Sep-11 4,073,000 -161,000 -79,000 Mar-12 3,995,000 -157,000 -78,000 Sep-12 3,894,000 -179,000 -101,000 Mar-13 3,800,000 -195,000 -94,000 Sep-13 3,713,000 -181,000 -87,000 Mar-14 3,618,000 -182,000 -95,000 Sep-14 3,531,000 -182,000 -87,000 Mar-15 3,439,000 -179,000 -92,000 Sep-15 3,323,000 -208,000 -116,000 Mar-16 3,217,000 -222,000 -106,000

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Next on Ezekiel Mutuas chopping board is Citizen TVs Bi. Mswafari.

The firebrand Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO has vowed to crack down on the prime time marriage counselor, as well as Maina Kageni and others who discuss sexual topics outside the specified times.

In a quickly edited Facebook post, this is what Mr. Mutua wrote.

So Muhamnad Ali, Ezekiel Mutua and KFCB are trending on twitter. Reason? I have announced that Wedding Show Programmes, Marriage Counsellors like Bi Msafari ( Citizen TV ) and those who host such programmes, Maina & Kingangi ( Classic 105 ) will be required to take their adult sexual topics out of the watershed period. Anyone thinking we are kidding will be in for a rude awakening. I will walk to the studio with police and have the said Bi. Msafari, Maina & Kingangi arrested if they defy these guidelines. We must ensure that content meant for adults is not aired during the watershed period. This is not negotiable



Well, he has been barking for a while now, so I cant say Im holding my breath.
British National and former Wananchi Group CEO Richard Alden is being treated as the prime suspect in the death of a woman at his apartment on Saturday.

Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, 42, died of a gunshot wound at Mr Aldens house in Karen, Nairobi on Saturday in unclear circumstances.

The 53 year old Ex-CEO told the police that Ms Kinyanjui shot herself, something that was not supported by preliminary investigations. Two of her fingers were fractured, and her back had fresh, deep wounds.

Karen OCPD Eshiphan Gichohi said that it was Mr Alden who rushed Grace to Karen Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police recovered spent cartridges at his house and confiscated his licensed pistol with 34 bullets.

Richard Alden, who is married, told police that Ms Kinyanjui was just a friend. He will be arraigned in court on Monday to face charges of murder.

Police are also holding his gatekeeper and house help for questioning.
Former TV anchor Louis Otieno on Friday shocked the courtroom when he said that Ms Careen Chepchumba was sexually abused by her father.

Louis was testifying at the inquest into the death of the 26 year old.

She told me she had been a victim of sexual abuse by a person she thought was her biological father. She intimated to me how she lived a difficult life with her parents, especially that she was not living with her biological father. She said she would perform duties that are supposed to be done by her mother, he said.

Louis also denied claims that he extorted money from Ms Chepchumba.

I earned an income through consultancy services. It was not true she financed my lifestyle, I had an insurance policy that covered my medical bills, he said.

The former media personality admitted that Ms Chepchumba ran errands for him and paid some of his bills, but denied having sex with her.

I did not have sex with Careen, we were just good friends. Thats why I agreed to a DNA test and after the results police told me they had no business with me, he said.

He added that on the day Careen was found dead, he was in Magadi and not Nairobi.

Who do you believe? The parents who say Louis killed her, or Louis Otieno?


CHICAGO  Violent crimes  from homicides and rapes to robberies  have been on the rise in many major U.S. cities, yet experts cant point to a single reason why and the jump isnt enough to suggest theres a trend.

Still, it is stumping law enforcement officials, who are seeking a way to combat the problem.

Its being reported on at local levels, but in my view, its not getting the attention at the national level it deserves, FBI Director James Comey said recently. I dont know what the answer is, but holy cow, do we have a problem.

Americans have grown accustomed to low crime rates since a peak in the 1990s. But law enforcement started seeing a spike last year that has continued unabated. Whats unusual, however, is that its not happening everywhere. Chicago and Los Angeles are seeing homicides on the rise, but other places like Miami and Oakland are not.

Chicago, a city long associated with violent crime that plagues its poorer neighborhoods, saw six people fatally shot over the Memorial Day weekend and 56 wounded, ending a bloody month in a bloody year. Mays 66 homicides  19 more than May 2015 and 25 more than May 2014  raised the total number for the year past the 240 mark. Thats more than 50 percent higher than last year, and puts the city on a pace to easily surpass the 500 homicides it saw in 2012.

Perhaps more significant is the number of people who are being shot; well over 1,200 as of Tuesday, which far surpasses the 800 by this time last year.

All of it has left the city on edge.

Our kids are afraid to go out of the house, said the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Catholic priest and activist on the citys South Side. You have children asking teachers to pray for them before they go home.

Some say the splintering of gangs has created deadly rivalries, others say the disbanding of specialized police units has helped embolden gangs. Guns are pouring into the city  with police saying theyve seized more guns this year (3,500) than any city police department in the United States  but courts also have overturned or gutted the citys once-tough gun laws.

Add to that concerns, expressed publicly by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and privately by officers, that videos like the one of a white officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was black, are making officers reluctant to combat crime. That video, which led to murder charges against the officer, exposed and deepened the rift between the community and the police force that many say has made the public less likely to offer the kind of cooperation that the department needs to prevent and solve crimes.

Quite frankly, trust has broken down between the community and police, new police superintendent Eddie Johnson said.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association, a nonprofit that works with police chiefs in the 50 largest cities in the U.S. as well as the seven largest cities in Canada, began hearing last year that violent crimes were increasing, executive director Darrell Stephens said. In response, the group began collecting data to better document crimes, data that showed an increase in violent crimes in 2015 over 2014.

Already, the first quarter of this year showed across-the-board increases in homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults and non-fatal shootings compared to 2015.

The reasons vary, Stephens said: Chicago and Los Angeles attribute much of it to gang-related violence, while others chalk it up to significant drug problems that lead to violent crime.

Some in law enforcement have speculated that a climate after the 2014 fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, has made officers reticent about taking the steps needed to stop crime, but Stephens says that tough scrutiny on policing has always been part of the job, even if its more visible, more strident now.

And even with violent crime outpacing past years, its a far cry from the more notorious early 1990s when there were about 25,000 homicides each year. Were nowhere near that level, he said.

Plus, other cities are seeing a decrease in crimes, including Miami, where there were 25 homicides in the first three months of 2015 but 12 during that same time frame this year, and Oakland, California, where the number of homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults were down in the first three months of this year compared to the same period a year ago.

Still, the crime spike has raised alarms among national law enforcement officials, notably the FBI director.

Sometimes people say to me, well, the increases are off of historic lows. How does that many of us feel any better? Comey said. A whole lot more people are dying this year than last year, and last year than the year before. And I dont know why for sure.

In Indianapolis, which saw a record 144 homicides last year, the police department launched a new crime-fighting approach last month. Officers now patrol 19 new beats in crime-plagued neighborhoods where 45 percent of last years homicides occurred. Those neighborhoods were chosen with help from the capitol citys new crime-fighting technology center, which pinpoints areas where beat patrols could have the greatest impact.

Police spokesman Sgt. Kendale Adams said last years record homicides and the continued rise in killings this year is being driven by a multitude of factors, including the proliferation of guns, disputes over drugs and fights that escalate into gunfire.

People want a reason, right? Theres got to be a reason, but when we look at the data its disturbances, its drugs, its even simple disputes on Facebook. Its very lifestyle-oriented, thats what the data is telling us, he said Wednesday. Disputes that normally would have been settled through fighting are being settled through lethal means.
WASHINGTON  A pair of powerful Senate Republicans on Sunday warned Donald Trump to drop his attacks on a Latino judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, joining the widespread rejection of their presumptive presidential nominees treatment of the federal jurist. A third prominent Republican who also supports Trump urged the candidate to start acting like a potential leader of the United States.

Were all behind him now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned, adding that its time for unifying the party, not settling scores and grudges. I hope hell change his direction.

So far, Trump has refused, reiterating in interviews broadcast Sunday that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiels Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial involving a billionaire who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trumps view, a hater of Donald Trump.

I couldnt disagree more with Trumps central argument, McConnell said on NBCs Meet the Press.

I dont condone the comments, added Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on ABCs This Week.

And Newt Gingrich, who became speaker of the House promising to open the GOP more to minorities, delivered the harshest warning of all.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think its inexcusable, Gingrich, a former presidential contender, said on Fox News Sunday.

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom theyve made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The GOP pushback against Trump comes two days before presidential primaries in California, home to more Latinos than whites. Its the final major battleground between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Far ahead of Sanders in the delegate race, Clinton is poised to clinch her partys nomination in the next few days.

Trump has no more competition for the GOP nomination, but he does have significant issues with the most senior elected members of the party he hopes to lead.

On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan tepidly endorsed Trump  but 24 hours later disavowed the billionaires remarks about Curiel.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied. Trumps legal team has not sought to have Curiel removed.

Trump already has rejected calls for him adjust his approach.

Im not changing, he said Tuesday at a fiery news conference at Trump Tower.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on the idea. Asked on CBS whether a Muslim judge would be unfair given Trumps plan to ban Muslims from the U.S, Trump responded: Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.

For a party that in 2012 explicitly pinned its survival on drawing support from Hispanics, Trumps words create an ugly series of headaches.

Asked three times whether Trumps attack on Curiel was racist, McConnell thrice refused to respond directly and repeated a statement about disagreeing.

I think its a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans, said McConnell, R-Ky.

Gingrich answered: I think that it was a mistake ... I hope it was sloppiness. (Trump) says on other occasions that he has many Mexican friends, et cetera, but thats irrelevant. This judge is not Mexican. This judge is an American citizen.

Corker, R-Tenn., expressed the same discomfort many other Republicans in Congress have complained about when theyre asked to respond to, or justify, Trumps remarks. I thought this interview was going to be more about the foreign policy arena, Corker said on ABC.

Like Ryan, all three Republicans have endorsed Trump. But their comments carried the implicit caveat that their support depends at least in part on Trump dropping his criticism of Curiel. All three also suggested ways Trump could move beyond his legal issues.

Corker, who recently met with Trump in New York, said Trump has a tremendous opportunity to build out his foreign policy agenda.

Gingrich urged Trump to become more of a statesman.

Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level, he said. This is no longer the primaries. Hes no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States and hes got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.

McConnells advice was blunt.

This is a good time, it seems to me, to begin to try to unify the party and you unify the party by not settling scores and grudges against people youve been competing with, he said. Id like to see him reach out and pull us all together and give us a real shot at winning this November.
Napa Sanitation District could play a role in promoting more affordable housing in Napa, but the legal obstacles are considerable.

The city wants to make it easier for people to build second units  sometimes called granny units  on their properties. Some see potential barriers in the local, one-time $8,950 sewer connection fee and the $482 annual sewer service fee, the same as for a house.

On Wednesday, the Napa Sanitation District board of directors took on the issue. Napa Mayor Jill Techel  who serves as board chairwoman  predicted a discussion that would be exciting and interesting.

But it proved to be indecisive. Such twists as the legal requirement for consistent fee structures and the need for the district to raise enough money to pay for growth-related expansions proved too much to tackle in a single evening.

One idea favored by some board members is to lower fees for any new unit 700 square feet or less  second unit or apartment  to 60 percent of that for a home. That would leave the connection fee at $5,370 and the annual service fee at $289.

Techel and City Councilman Peter Mott talked about the value of making it easier for people to build second units.

I think our big interest is affordable workforce housing, Techel said.

Most of the action so far has been at city meetings. The City Council on April 19 loosened the laws governing setbacks and designs for second units.

More city red-tape-busting rule changes could be coming. Mott mentioned the possibility of having preapproved designs for second units and perhaps tying reduced city fees to commitments by the builders to make the second units affordable.

Napa resident Suzanne Shiff built a 364-square-foot second unit in 2005 that she rents to students, teachers and seniors. She pays for two sewer hookups, even though the second unit has only one toilet and her main house has only two bathrooms. A large house with far more bathrooms has only one sewer hookup, she said.

That means Shiff pays double the $482 annual sewer service fee, which is set to rise 53 percent over five years.

The sewer hookup is ridiculous, she told the City Council on April 19.

But the city cant lower the sewer connection fee or the annual service fee for second units. Only the Napa Sanitation District can make that move.

Money is one issue. The idea behind connection fees is that growth should pay for expansions to the sewer system and sewage treatment plant that are needed because of growth. Lower fees mean less income for the district.

Legal requirements are another. Attorney John Bakker, who provides legal advice to the district, was cautious about options that might treat second units with deed restrictions for affordability differently than other units.

Proposition 218 says that an agency cannot charge a fee on a property that exceeds the proportional cost of providing the service to the property. If one property isnt paying its full costs, that raises the question of how the district would make up the difference.

County Supervisor Keith Caldwell suggested that the county and city use affordable housing funds to pay down the Napa Sanitation District connection fees for affordable second units.

All of this isnt simply a local discussion. California is looking for ways to remove barriers to second unit housing construction, with Senate Bill 1069 among the possible vehicles.

Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, is the author of SB 1069. Among other things, it states that second units cant be considered as new homes when calculating utility fees, including sewer connnection fees.

Expanding the supply of these secondary units is not a panacea for our housing shortage, but it is an important step and will allow people to stay in the communities they were raised in, Wieckowski said in a news release.

Opposing the bill is the California State Association of Counties. In a letter, the association said that prohibiting sewer connection fees for second units would create unfunded capital costs.

These new costs may not even be able to be passed on to ratepayers as a whole given the restrictions of Proposition 218, the letter said.

The League of California Cities also has concerns.

The cumulative impact of thousands of new units on a water or sewer system could create financial strains for utility agencies resulting in rate hikes on existing customers who have already paid their fair share to be part of that system, said a letter to Wieckowski on the leagues website.

All of this means that the second housing unit debate will be going on at several fronts in coming months, with Napa Sanitation District being only one potential player.
Ask anyone what the Napa Valley is famous for, and a likely answer is wine. Less well known is the vital role that our soil plays in helping address one of farmings biggest challenges, the impacts of a changing climate.

Scientists predict that in the years to come, as temperatures fluctuate, California will experience more weather extremes  droughts, heat waves, wildfires and floods that will put a huge strain on our community and on agriculture. In many cases, farmers and ranchers are among the first to experience the effects of climate change, including erratic weather that affects bud break, pasture quality, pest pressure, water availability and timing, crop quality and yields, and worker safety due to heat waves.

Californias farms and ranches contribute about 8 percent of the states greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. The agricultural industry produces two potent greenhouse gases, methane (mainly from livestock) and nitrous oxide (from fertilizers), as well as the ubiquitous carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-powered equipment and pumps. Farmers can reduce emissions in a number of ways: reduce tractor passes and tillage, decrease or eliminate the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, improve water use efficiency so less energy is required to pump it, produce on-farm renewable energy, compost manure, and more.

Theres more good news: land management practices on farms and rangelands that build soil health can draw carbon dioxide from the air, where it causes climate change, and store it in soil, vines and trees, where carbon is needed as a building block of life.

Compost, cover crops, reduced tillage and crop rotations can all build soil's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Grazing management strategies also can improve soil health and forage quantity. Conservation planting of hedgerows and other buffers adjacent to rivers and streams stores carbon in the woody plants. Many of these practices also provide additional environmental and health benefits both on and off the farm, such as improved air quality, habitat for pollinators and wildlife, water quality and flood control.

The Napa County Resource Conservation District implements several programs related to increasing local resiliency to the effects of changing climate. We are working with leading experts from UC Davis to explore a variety of vineyard floor management practices to build soil health and sequester carbon. We are working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to build tools to quantify carbon sequestration that results from conservation and restoration practices. We are engaging our entire community in an initiative to plant 5,000 oaks in a three-year period. We are offering technical assistance and conservation planning in conjunction with NRCS and other RCDs in our region through the LandSmart program.

The state of California has several funding programs to encourage the use of agricultural climate solutions to help growers implement better practices, including the states Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with yet-to-be-determined allocations for about $3 billion in cap-and-trade auction revenues in the coming year. These funds, by law, must fund voluntary projects that reduce emissions and/or sequester carbon. If funded, a new program called the Healthy Soils Initiative could be an important source of financial and technical incentives for producers interested in soil building.

Climate change is a topic that is often gloomy and overwhelming. However, provided with adequate resources, farmers in Napa County and all across California have powerful solutions to offer, along with the opportunity to make a lasting contribution to our agricultural heritage.

Leigh Sharp, Executive Director

Napa County Resource Conservation District
India fines Google for $113 million

Biden says Russia would make 'serious mistake' if it deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Romania plans to intensify talks on Black Sea and military purchases

Karekin II and Aram I refuse to participate in World Armenian Forum

IMF Director: Ukraine's need for external financing could reach $5 billion month

Turkey continues to beat out gas discount from Russia and payment deferral from Gazprom

Alen Simonyan refuses to participate in fifth meeting of Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club

UN Security Council to meet at Russia's request over accusations that Iran is supplying drones to Russia

Leading Wall Street bankers warn of recession in US and Europe

Armenian FM tells Vatican secretary of state about Azerbaijani aggression

Secretary of Armenian Security Council holds telephone conversation with Biden's aide

IEA head: World still needs Russian oil to flow into the market

Norwegian police arrest man on suspicion of spying for Russia

Ambassador-at-Large meets with Personal Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office

EU to offer banks to offer mandatory instant payments in euros

Ambassador: Active efforts of Armenian authorities are registering regress in Armenian-Russian relations

Saudi minister: Saudi Arabia and US will overcome unjustified spat

Zatulin: My ban on entering Armenia coincides with trilateral meeting planned in Russia

Rishi Sunak vows to fix 'mistakes' of Liz Truss

MFA comments on information about meeting of special envoys of Armenia and Turkey

Daily Sabah: Armenian, Turkish special representatives next meeting planned in Turkey

The Telegraph: US President Biden mispronounces Rishi Sunak's name

Zelenskyy proposes creating platforms for the 'de-occupation' of Transnistria and Abkhazia

'Armenia' bloc deputy: Nikol Pashinyan and Suren Papikyan are lying

Dollar falls, euro rises

Stanislav Zass discusses with Lavrov situation in CSTO zone of responsibility

New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife are richer than royalty

Klaar: EU actively engaged in Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process at all levels

Nissan reveals updated Juke crossover

FM briefs Sovereign Order of Malta Grand Chancellor on Armenia position on normalizing relations with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan prepares for peace with Armenia but dramatically increases military budget

North Korea completes preparations for nuclear test

Azerbaijan manipulates facts, creates information pretext to encroach on Lachin corridor

Azerbaijan military aggression against Armenia is discussed at Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly conference (PHOTOS)

Peskov says details of gas hub with Turkey were being worked out

Konstantin Zatulin on ban on his entry into Armenia: I see it as insulting move

Putin's spokesman says building wall on Russian-EU borders is nonsense

Turkey begins its part of work on gas hub agreement with Russia

Kremlin responds to Macron's appeal to Pope to negotiate with Putin

Millliyet: Turkish and Finnish delegations hold talks on NATO membership in Ankara

Zelenskiy: Ukraine receives not 'a single cent' on $17 billion rapid recovery plan

Rishi Sunak takes office as Prime Minister of Great Britain

Indonesian armed woman tries to break into presidential palace

Pashinyan's family newspaper writes that Konstantin Zatulin is forbidden to enter Armenia from now on

President Raisi accuses U.S. of information terrorism, organizing riots in Iran

AraratBank and 4090 Charity Foundation team up for the education of war participants

Ursula von der Leyen: EU to provide Kyiv with 1 billion for urgent restoration of energy supply

World Bank to provide Armenia with EUR 22.6 million of additional credit funds

Macron asks Pope to call Putin to solve Ukraine crisis

PM: Azerbaijan hinders search of Armenian soldiers' bodies in occupied territories

German president assures Ukraine of his full support

Armenia ruling force MP: Major powers have told us You should sign that agreement by the end of the year

WSJ: Saudi Prince Bin Salman mocks Biden in private talks

OSCE needs assessment mission is briefed on situation in Armenias Jermuk after Azerbaijan military aggression (PHOTOS)

Armenias Pashinyan to Kazakhstans Tokayev: Mutually beneficial cooperation corresponds to our countries interests

Driver, 41, dies in hospital 2 days after Armenia car accident

US: Former student opens fire at school

Turkish Finance Minister says he would seek gas discount from Gazprom

US State Dept.: We are interested in seeing stable Caucasus where we work both with Armenia and Azerbaijan

US plans to allocate $25M to project to strengthen Armenia economy

Copper prices decline

Armenia premier: Italy is friendly country, important partner for us

Pashinyan to Xi: We will succeed in qualitatively raising Armenian-Chinese political dialogue to new level

World Bank allocates Ukraine additional $500 million

Zelenskyy: If Moscow says Ukraine is making dirty bomb, then Russia made it

Newspaper: Anti-CSTO consolidation initiative group of Armenia sends petition to parliament speaker

World oil prices going up

Newspaper: Armenia PM forbids political teammates to say anything about Karabakh

Azerbaijan opens fire at Armenia positions

Largest cruise liner in world 'Icon of the Seas' presented

U.S. police officers mistake pet cat for mountain lion

Joe Biden gets another Covid-19 booster shot

US imposes sanctions on Nicaragua's gold mining industry

Kremlin says Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents prepare to meet

Leading Party Sponsor: Conservative Party is not fit to run Britain

'From Old Memory': Drivers can't see road signs on section of North-South highway under construction in Yerevan

Russian MFA: We are sure that attempts of external forces to split Moscow and Yerevan will not succeed

Yair Lapid: Israel is deeply concerned over Russia and Iran's military ties

Another school shooting in U.S.: 3 dead, including shooter

Azerbaijani Armed Forces shell Armenian positions
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani plans to visit Armenia in the near future, the president himself said during his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Sunday.

President Rouhani described relationship between Armenia and Iran as strong and stable and added that lifting of sanctions had created good opportunities for development of trade and economic ties in all areas.

Minister Nalbandian extended greetings and the message from President Serzh Sargsyan.

President Rouhani and Minister Nalbandian discussed agreements reached between the leaders of the two states and touched upon implementation of bilateral economic projects.

The Iranian leader noted progress in bilateral collaboration in different areas but pointed to the existing potential for cooperation. The officials agreed that lifting of visa requirements will intensify business ties and development of tourism.

Minister Nalbandian stressed Armenias readiness to design and implement new projects.

The Armenian official briefed President Rouhani on the moves targeted at overcoming results of the Azerbaijans aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in early April as well as the efforts on implementing arrangements reached during the meeting in Vienna.

In this context, President Rouhani said that Iran has always supported the regional security, stability and peace as well as the peaceful settlement of the existing problems, and reiterated his countrys support to exclusively peaceful solution to Karabakh conflict based on the principles of international law.

Minister Nalbandian highly appreciated Iran's balanced position on Karabakh conflict settlement.
The German politician Cem Ozdemir received numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists. The reason of the threats is the adoption of the resolution by the Bundestag on June 2 that condemns the Armenian Genocide.

The number of threats against the chairman of the Greens has reached such a level that the Federal Criminal Office had to take measures to ensure the security of the politician, writes Welt am Sonntag . "We keep in close touch with the security services . We used to receive insults, but we have not come across such a large number of death threats , said spokesman of Ozdemir Mark Bertolde.

"Unfortunately , there exists not only German but also Turkish Pegida ( anti-Islamic extreme right-wing movement) . There are also right-wing groups in Turkey and among the Germany Turks, " said Ozdemir, commenting on the threats addressed to him.

Cem Ozdemir was an initiator of the resolution that condemns the Armenian Genocide. After the adoption of the resolution, Ankara recalled its ambassador from Germany, and Ozdemir became the target of criticism and insults in the Turkish press , reports the DW.
The unity of Europe, even if it might only be an appearance, as well as the unwillingness to yield to the Russian President Vladimir Putin are two reasons , which explain the possible outcome of the extension of the anti-Russian sanctions by the end of June , reported Le Monde.

According to the newspaper , Hungary , Greece, and Italy have recently criticized the sanctions to still be preserved in the same form, whereas the Eastern European countries require to follow the tough political line against Moscow.

According to an expert , the EU will have to make minor modifications not to tense the internal disagreements and escalate already tense relations with Russia today. Unlike previous cases, when sanctions were adopted at the level of ambassadors and were of technical nature , it will be the leaders of the European countries who will discuss the issue in June.

The newspaper writes that it is not the only concession to the countries who are in favor of sanctions removing . Thus, the option of extending the sanctions for three months, rather than for six months, is being discussed today. Another possible scenario is that the sanctions will still be extended for six months , but they will be gradually removed.
YEREVAN.  France and Germany expect continuation of Karabakh peace talks, French and German diplomats said during a press conference on Monday.

Charge d'Affaires at the French embassy Nicholas Fai recalled that the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan had recently met at the imitative of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

The topic of the meeting was to prepare the next summit, of course, at the same time trying to ensure the implementation of the Vienna meeting arrangements, primarily confidence building measures, Nicholas Fai said.

According to him, it refers to the creation of mechanisms for investigating incidents and extension of the office of ambassador Kasprzyk.

In turn, German Ambassador Matthias Kiesler noted that Germany, joining the OSCE chairmanship in January, emphasized the importance of maintaining stability at the line of contact. This also applies to the extension of the office of Ambassador Kasprzyk.

Following the Vienna meeting on May 16, German presidency directs efforts to implement the arrangements. The ambassador added that relative calm maintains at the line of contact after the meeting.

According to the Ambassador, the 1994-95 agreements must be fulfilled in full, and there is a need to start peace talks immediately.

The most important thing is that there must be a stable and sustainable truce, Ambassador added.
The Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian who is on an official visit in Tehran held a meeting with the Iranian Vice President, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, on Monday.

Welcoming Minister Nalbandian, Salehi emphasized that he is always glad to see a good friend, Foreign Minister of Armenia, with whom he was working closely when he headed the Foreign Ministry of Iran, Armenian News - NEWS.am reported quoting the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry

The interlocutors discussed issues related to development of bilateral relations and exchanged views on international issues.

Ali Akbar Salekhi briefed Minister Nalbandian on implementation of arrangements on the Iranian nuclear program.

The Foreign Minister met Secretary of Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani on the same day.

Steps in the direction of deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation, process of implementation of the agreements reached at the high level were discussed at a meeting.

Armenian Foreign Minister presented the interlocutor the efforts to overcome the consequences of large-scale military action unleashed by Azerbaijan in the beginning of April. The interlocutors agreed that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

The parties discussed international and regional issues.
YEREVAN.  We can develop our independent air defense system, said Edmon Marukyan, head of the "Bright Armenia" party, an independent MP of the Armenian parliament.

I voted against that agreement, mostly because Russia supplies arms to Azerbaijan. We raised that issue with a sharp criticism, and now everything fell into its place. In fact , they can supply arms again, Marukyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am referring to the joint air defense agreement signed between Armenia and Russia.

He noted that the agreement does not instill confidence in him.

"I do not believe in this kind of cooperation. I think that we can develop our independent air defense forces, and we have to develop them. This agreement was concluded after Azerbaijan had crashed an Armenian helicopter. There is nothing new. I do not exclude a version that this step could have been initiated by the Armenian side, as for allegedly protection of our airspace, he said.

It should be noted that on 3 June of 2015 the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly discussed Armenia-Russia agreement on the creation of a united regional air defense system in the Caucasus signed in December. The agreement was included in the agenda of the National Assembly for ratification receiving a positive assessment. It provoked a reaction in certain political and civic circles who criticize Armenian for yielding even its airspace to Russia.
YEREVAN.  Armenian opposition ANC bloc issued a statement on the resolution adopted on June 4 by the European Party of Liberals and Democrats Union (ALDE), calling on Azerbaijan to suspend the right to vote in PACE.

As noted in a statement, the ALDE meeting was attended by ANC representative Vladimir Karapetyan.

The participants approved membership of new parties  Spains Ciudadano, Polands Nowoszesna and Ukraines Civic Position

The meeting also adopted political six political resolutions with three of them referring to the South Caucasus.

In particular, the resolution on Promotion of Civil Society in Azerbaijan: an Appeal to European Institutions condemns Aliyev's dictatorship. The resolution calls to suspend Azerbaijani delegations right to vote in PACE. The delegates also urged ALDE faction in the European Parliament to offer adoption of sanctions against Azerbaijan.
YEREVAN.  The American dollars (USD) exchange rate against the Armenian dram (AMD) comprised AMD 478.30/$1 in Armenia on Friday; this is up by AMD 0.24 from Friday, informed the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia.

The exchange rate for one euro was AMD 542.58 (up by AMD 9.93), that of one British pound was AMD 688.61 (down by AMD 0.13), and the rate of one Russian ruble was AMD 7.29 (up by AMD 0.15).

In addition, one gram of silver, gold and platinum amounted to AMD 247.58, AMD 19,076.04 and AMD 15,054.77, respectively.
Resolution on the Armenian Genocide was a political initiative that emerged from the midst of the Bundestag, spokesman for Angela Merkel said on Monday in response to criticism by Turkish President Erdogan.

Steffen Seibert recalled that Bundestag is a democratically elected and independent body, AFP reported.

"The Bundestag reached a sovereign decision. That must be respected," Seibert said, adding that this was the message Merkel had given to the Turkish president.

Earlier Erdogan said the German MPs of Turkish origin who supported the resolution also backed terrorism of the Kurdish Workers' Party. He demanded blood tests to see what kind of Turks they are.

In response, Seibert said although Berlin considers PKK a terrorist group, to associate individual members of parliament with terrorism is utterly incomprehensible to us.
The treatment of the Armenian serviceman Ruben Arakelyan, wounded during the April war in Karabakh, is planned to start at the German University Clinic of Bonn on June 13, Rubens relatives told Armenian News  NEWS.am.

Thanks to the efforts of Armenias Defense and Health Ministries, the necessary 40,000 euro amount has already been transferred to the German clinic. Now Rubens relatives are looking for an airline company which could organize his transportation to Germany, where the specialists are waiting for him and have even appointed the dates for the first procedures.

19-year-old Ruben got a serious spine injury; his limbs are actually paralyzed now. But the German doctors, who got familiarized with his medical files, said that it will most probably be possible to partially recover his mobility and help him become more independent.

In the relatives words, personally Ruben pins great hopes on Germany and is looking forward to the day when he will start his treatment there.
How is it that people living in rural, poor areas of the globe can report being happier than those who live in the relative affluence of the United States?

Emory anthropologist Peter Little and philosopher Mark Risjord aim to answer that question as part of a team that has been awarded a Happiness and Well-Being grant. Funded by the John Templeton Foundation and St. Louis University, their work is part of a larger research program in the growing field of well-being.

The idea is to compare the subjective meaning of the good life and see if that affects the relationship between material well-being and reports of happiness and overall well-being, says Little, the projects principal investigator.

The Emory teams project, which includes economist Workneh Negatu of Addis Ababa University, will study two specific low-income communities: South Wollo, Ethiopia, and Baringo, Kenya.

Little has long studied the politics, economy and ecology of eastern Africa. When he was completing his dissertation in 1983, there was only one college graduate in the Chamus Maasai community of Baringo, Kenya, where he studied. Since then, there have been significant social changes and there are now dozens of college graduates among the Maasai-related pastoralists population, he says.

That makes that area in Kenya a good place to understand relative well-being and poverty where, as in the U.S., people are poor relative to their neighbors. South Wollo, by contrast, remains populated by those in absolute poverty. A bad harvest there, or lost jobs, still can lead to dire hardships and even starvation.

The United Nations annual World Happiness Report this year ranked Ethiopia a dismal 115 out of 147 countries according to citizens happiness levels. The United States ranked 13th in the analysis, which looked at factors such as life expectancy, health and freedom from corruption in government and business.

Yet Ethiopia ranked 94th on the 2012 Happiness Index, the most recent available from the New Economics Foundation. The United States ranked 105th in that study, which included a factor called life satisfaction.

Kenya, likewise, ranked poorly in the U.N. report, at 122nd, but also bested the United States with a rank of 98 on the Happiness Index.

This is huge for public policy, Little says. Kenyas therapy industry is starting to emerge, because peoples expectations of what the good life is have changed drastically, and theyre not meeting those expectations.

Philosophical concepts of well-being

Risjords role will be to help provide a philosophical framework for the qualitative study. In his section of the project proposal, Risjord wrote that past study of well-being seems to take sides on longstanding philosophical disputes on whether it is a universal sense or different in different contexts.

Risjord, who is teaching philosophy of science in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southern India as part of the Emory-Tibet Sciences Initiative, says his role will be to understand how the feeling varies with context based on historical, cultural and economic data gathered in both Ethiopia and Kenya.

The philosophical contribution of this project will be to develop a more robust and articulate conception of how human well-being varies with social, economic and environmental context, Risjord writes in his proposal section.

The study will become part of the larger Happiness and Well-Being project at St. Louis University, which is designed to promote dialogue and collaboration among well-being researchers across a broad range of disciplines.

Little, whose proposal was one of just 21 funded from a pool of 300, says he hopes to begin travel under the $248,000 grant by August.

He will build upon that work back in Atlanta, too. Long-term, he plans to get students to look at the Ethiopian diaspora here, to gauge if their sense of well-being changes when they arrive in the U.S.

To me, its really exciting to do cultural interpretations of well-being and poverty, Little says. Its a fascinating way to look at culture.
When Edie Murphree first stepped into the role of assistant vice president of finance and controller at Emory nearly 30 years ago, she was entering a tumultuous world that was very much in transition.

Emory had just converted to a new, fully automated mainframe accounting system  called FAS  and the changeover did not come without growing pains.

A year into the transition, much of the Universitys financial accounting system still wasnt completely automated  some departments were recording entries by hand on green ledger paper. Reconciling monthly accounts could be a struggle.

To complicate matters, the controllers office had seen nearly 100 percent turnover. Murphree would be starting out with an all-new staff, who would literally queue up outside her office door every day with nuts-and-bolts questions about working with the new system.

Fortunately, Murphree possessed both a working knowledge of FAS from her previous role as director of financial accounting and reporting at the University of Alabama and the appetite for a challenge.

She quickly pinpointed aspects of the system that werent fully realized, and with an IT specialist in tow spent months knocking on doors across campus, meeting with departmental administrators and staff to help ease concerns.

Looking back, Mike Mandl, executive vice president for business and administration and senior strategist for business initiatives, says that ability to roll up her sleeves, jump in the trenches and collaboratively solve problems are key qualities Murphree would demonstrate throughout her time at Emory.

As Murphree prepares to retire this month, having spent 11 years as vice president for finance and the last 18 months helping smooth the transition for her successor, Mandl leads a chorus of colleagues who commend the wisdom, energy and integrity she brought to the job, as well as her stabilizing leadership over the years.

Edie has always exhibited a deep integrity, an unwavering commitment to Emory, and a sense of doing the right thing for the University, explains Mandl. When it comes to problem-solving, shes tenacious about getting the right answer, relentless about producing high-quality work, and devoted to treating those she works around with great respect.

I think the world of her, he adds. And Im certainly grateful to have had her as a longstanding member of my leadership team.

Appetite for learning

When Murphree arrived to lead the controller's office, Gary Teal was working in accounts payable and payroll, dealing firsthand with the challenges of integrating the Universitys new accounting system.

We really bonded personally and professionally, recalls Teal, now chief administrative officer in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. She knew the system well and was the right person at the right time for Emory. It was a big change, and not everyone had faith in it. Edie was absolutely crucial to instilling confidence among administrators.

She stepped into a situation that was daunting, to say the least, he says. But nothing scares her. I believe if confronted with a 400-pound bear, she would take it on. She gets things done.

In the late 1980s, Teal and Murphree began working on their MBAs at the same time, taking night classes at Georgia State University and sharing encouragement. There, he saw anew her curiosity, dedication and appetite for learning.

Her energy level and work ethic are just unbelievable, he says. She comes early, stays late, and never backs off from a challenge. Shes got that unique ability to work very hard and very smart.

Im kind of in denial, he adds. I cant imagine Emory without her.

Passion for higher education

From her office in the 1599 building, Murphree reflects upon the arc of her Emory career  a path that always followed where the work led. Its far beyond what she imagined, growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where her father taught statistics and computer science at the University of Alabama and nurtured her interest in numbers.

As a child, she always loved the logic of math. But her father discouraged her from majoring in mathematics, suggesting there was more to life than memorizing formulas.

At the University of Alabama, Murphree would instead major in accounting, a degree that took her to Houston, Texas, to work for a company on the cutting technological edge of preparing online financial statements.

Murphree enjoyed the mix of accounting and technology. Working with a $25,000 computer the size of a tabletop, she led efforts to handle the companys payroll online  somewhat revolutionary in the mid-'70s.

After a few years, she returned to Tuscaloosa, married and began working for an accounting firm. It was a bad fit. Murphree hated the narrow focus of her work, yearning to grapple with a bigger picture. A brief stint with a savings-and-loan was enjoyable, but she soon grew tired of the daily routine work.

In time, Murphree applied for an opening at the University of Alabama, serving first as a senior accountant, then assistant director of financial accounting and reporting, and eventually as the director of financial accounting and reporting, responsible for the overall recording and maintenance of the Universitys financial records.

Blending the worlds of finance and higher education, Murphree was hooked.

The reason I loved it  and still to this day love it  is because of the variety and complexities of the nonprofit world and the number of businesses you get to work with in one place, she explains.

Youve got research, endowments, student tuition and fees, and auxiliaries (such as housing), debt management, cash management, accounts payable and receivable  the whole university environment, which is fun.

Its not like being in a corporation where you have one business making or selling a product. Youre involved in six or seven different kinds of work, she adds. Ive been here 29 years and Im still learning.

Smoothing the way for the future

Murphrees retirement is part of a larger transition for Emorys finance team, which also includes the retirement of Charlotte Johnson, former senior vice provost for administration at Emory, and the upcoming retirement of Ronnie Jowers, vice president for health affairs and chief financial officer for the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Together, the three share over 90 years of experience at Emory.

In fact, Murphree and her colleagues were instrumental in crafting a transition plan for their successors, an aspect of which Mandl believes is enabling the successful transition of much knowledge, wisdom and experience in as smooth a way as possible.

A key attribute of the plan was that Edie agreed to stay on and clean up some things that she was best positioned to handle, taking on a variety of roles, he says. She cares so much and was so willing and gracious about doing what was needed.

Its not often that a predecessor remains for 18 months to help smooth a transition, but for Carol Kissal, Emorys new vice president of finance and chief financial officer, Murphree has been a tremendous resource.

Edie was invaluable, Kissal says. She stuck to the plan, exhibited extraordinary insights to me, and completed a major grant management project that will serve Emory well going forward.

When Kissal asked colleagues to share thoughts about Murphrees contributions to Emory, the flood of praise that came back could have come straight from a leadership handbook.

A few highlights:

A very gifted teacher who cares deeply that others also gain the knowledge to make good decisions and conduct the University business in the best way possible. She encourages and teaches those around her so that all have the critical and necessary information to grow in their positions"

Edie always put Emorys needs above her own. She would always ask us what is best for Emory when we were working through a decision. She had zero selfishness as a leader  it was never about her

Edie was never too busy to listen. When you talked with her, you had 100 percent of her focus

She has made her career all about improving Emory. Every endeavor she embarked on was not about recognition or accolades. It was about moving Emory forward in the world of higher education

Kissal sees her predecessor offering a good example of the type of behavior executives should exhibit  welcoming, collaborative, curious and the ability to treat people with respect, no matter who they are.

Its a leadership goal that Kissal shares: I look at myself as carrying the ball forward for her, continuing that tradition.

Edie left things in great order, she adds. I view it like a canvas. Shes painted a lot of fundamental things on the canvas, and Im filling it in. Thats a really great position to be in.

Looking back, Murphree believes three things kept her at Emory: the variety of the work, the quality and commitment of the people shes worked with, and the essential importance of the work.

Educating young people and doing research for the good of the world is so important, she insists. The people that are attracted to work in that environment tend to share that.

In higher education, its not all about making money, she says. Its really about the mission.
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20:25

United States Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday warned China against attempts to resolve the South China Sea dispute through "unilateral actions" while Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries must properly manage their differences avoiding "major disturbance" in ties.

"The US will make it clear that we are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute -- the disputes of the South China Sea," Kerry said speaking here at the opening ceremony of the two-day strategic and economic dialogue between the world's two biggest economies.

"We are not a claimant. We have taken no position on any of the claims of any claimant. The only position we've taken is let's not resolve this by unilateral action; let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation," he said.

He urged all nations to find a diplomatic solution, rooted in international standards and rule of law, countering Chinese criticism of US interferences in the SCS dispute.

The SCS dispute has become flash point between the two countries as the US backed the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan to counter China's claims of almost all the SCS.

China also declined to take part in the international tribunal which is currently hearing the Philippines' petition under the United Nation Convention on Law of Seas.

Beijing accuses Washington of trying to expand its influence in the region taking advantage of the SCS dispute.

Kicking off the talks, billed as the most important annual dialogue between the two countries, Xi said differences between China and the US are quite normal.

"So long as the two sides tackle differences and sensitive issues in the principle of mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relations can avoid major disturbance," Xi said, adding that China and the US should strengthen communication and cooperation on Asia-Pacific affairs.
16:28

BJP has never said that RBI governor Raghuram Rajan should be removed. If someone has said so, then its the person's personal view, says party president Amit Shah.





Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan took a dig at the media for speculating whether he will continue at the central bank after his present term expires in September.





"I have a prepared statement for that. As far as the question of my continuing with this position after September 4 goes, it will be cruel to spoil the fun that the press is having with all its speculation,' he said during the post-monetary policy press meet on Tuesday.





"I am, personally, intrigued by all the letters that I have written. Seriously, in all such cases a decision is reached after discussion with the government and the incumbent. I am sure you will know when there is news. I cannot do better than point you to the statement of the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister. That's all I have to say," he said.





BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who was recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha, had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him not to extend Mr. Rajan's term. Modi has remained silent so far on the issue, except saying in an interview to the Wall Street Journal that the matter is an administrative one and should not be a subject of media speculation.
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LONDON: Robots carry out their tasks more safely if they are controlled by another technology making them more suitable for use in the care sector, a study has revealed.

The study conducted at the Robotics and Mechatronics department at the University of Twente in Netherlands, said that soon the use of assistive robotics will become ever more important due to the increased ageing of the population and the steadily rising costs of care.

Researcher Stefan Groothuis noted in his study that the existing robots are not ideal for a care-support function because they carry out repetitive tasks in industry.

"These robots generally behave as rigid and less safe systems: the system that controls the electromotors (actuators) lacks the flexibility that is required in an unfamiliar domestic environment," the study explained.

Adding a kind of elastic spring to the actuator can make the robot, or the robot arm, much safer, as shown by research carried out by the Robotics and Mechatronics department.

This spring ensures that the robot behaves in a more elastic way: it yields when it collides with an obstacle. This technology (known as the variable stiffness actuator) has never before been used in assistive robotics.

"We believe this can form the basis of a new generation of robots in the care sector: robots that can carry out more everyday tasks in a safer way, while simultaneously remaining extremely precise," Groothuis said.

The material of the story was provided by University of Twente.

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SIU to host Cooperative Youth Conference

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale this week will host the 2016 Southern Illinois Cooperative Youth Conference, an event for area high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to learn about the cooperative business model.

The conference is June 9-10, and typically draws 50-75 area high school students. The College of Agricultural Sciences and SIUs Collegiate FFA chapter coordinate this event with the Illinois Cooperative Council.

Media Advisory

Members of the media may cover events and interview students or presenters at this conference. For help coordinating interviews or for a complete schedule including field trips, contact Peter Dirks, coordinator of student transition and success, at 618/453-3080 or at pdirks@siu.edu.

Students learn the principles of Illinois cooperative businesses, including history, operating principles and benefits to the community. Guest speakers focus on the seven cooperative principles and how they apply. Students will hear from representatives of the Mid America Cooperative Council, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, Co-Bank, Growmark, Illinois Cooperative Development Center, Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, Farm Credit Illinois and others.

The conference also includes field trips to area cooperatives. It concludes with presentations by student teams and a quiz bowl competition. Most activities take place in the Agriculture Building on campus.

The conference has been part of the College of Agricultural Sciences for more than 20 years.
Children who spend an extra week in the womb have higher school test scores, risk disability

Researchers have found that spending a week longer in the womb may give babies a tiny leg up on cognitive ability. The trade-off, however, seems to be a slight increase in the chance of having a physical disability.

A group including University of Florida Health researcher Jeffrey Roth, Ph.D., found that babies born at late term  41 weeks gestation  are slightly more likely to be classified as gifted and have higher standardized test scores than babies born at full term, or at 40 weeks gestation. However, babies born at 41 weeks also showed a slightly higher chance of having a physical disability than babies born at 40 weeks. The groups findings are published online today (June 6) in JAMA Pediatrics.

What our findings suggest is that while 40 weeks remains the safest time for most babies to be delivered, in uncomplicated pregnancies, going another week seems to have beneficial effects on later performance in school, said Roth, a research professor in department of pediatrics division of neonatology, within the UF College of Medicine.

Children born at the 41st week were found to score somewhat better on tests given at third through eighth grade  enough to move some of them to a higher level on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Late-term infants were 2.8 percent more likely to be classified as gifted and 3.1 percent less likely to have poor cognitive outcomes compared with full-term infants. This shift in cognitive outcomes is approximately the equivalent of 10 extra points on each section of the SAT, said David Figlio, Ph.D., director of the Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research and lead author of the study. Late-term infants were also 2.1 percent more likely to be classified as having a physical disability that requires special classroom accommodation. These physical disabilities most commonly include speech pathologies as well as sensory disorders and orthopedic conditions, and can include children being homebound or hospitalized.

These results are modest, but still meaningful, Figlio said. While late-term gestation is associated with somewhat higher rates for physical problems, its also associated with better cognitive outcomes.

The children of women with low education levels  defined as not having completed high school  demonstrated the largest advantage of spending another week in the womb. Compared with children born full term, children born to low-education mothers at 41 weeks are 7.6 percent more likely to be gifted and 4.2 percent less likely to have poor cognitive outcomes. The differences in physical disability rates  5.1 percent higher than children born at 40 weeks  are also larger for the low-education group.

These children, Roth said, may have benefited from the extra week of uninterrupted brain maturation.

The researchers drew their results from 1.5 million Florida birth records between 1994 and 2002. They linked birth certificate information to public school records from 1998 to 2013. The linking was able to locate 80 percent of infants born in Florida hospitals to students in Florida schools.

Florida is an appropriate state to conduct this kind of research, Roth said. Both the Florida Departments of Education and Health have been strong supporters of long-term follow-up of early life events.

Roth said that though many events that occur between birth and entrance into school affect childrens cognitive performance, the study sample was large enough to illustrate the clear connection between weeks of gestation and school test scores and assignment to exceptional student education classes.

Did parents separate? Did the kids move around a lot? Did a relative win the lottery? Roth said. Theres so much that goes on unobserved that could be contributing to these trends  but because this data set is so large, positive and negative events that affect these outcomes basically cancel each other out.

The researchers say the study is not intended to be used for medical decision-making, but simply to provide additional information to physicians and families who are considering whether to induce delivery at full term or wait another week until late term.
Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan has managed to keep the mystery surrounding Salman Khan's next alive, but according to the latest buzz, he may be sharing the screen with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the film, titled 'Jugalbandi.' According to a leading magazine, Bollywood's Shehanshah will be seen as a 'guru' and the 34-year-old actor will play his 'shishya' in the movie, which revolves around this relationship, with music as its backdrop. While the Khan banner has given thumbs up to the duo, the hunt for its leading lady and a director is still on. Earlier, Fawad made the headlines when the rumour mill went into overdrive with suggestions that he is replacing Saif Ali Khan in the home production of Salman, but on being asked, the Pakistani heartthrob had a different story to tell. During an event, the 'Khoobsurat' actor told ANI "Well there's a lot of news going around. I am not going to revalidate anything because we are not yet confirmed of anything." (ANI)
Lung cancer patients can breathe a sigh of relief as a new study has suggested that they can get their radiotherapy over with more quickly without affecting their survival. Having radiotherapy once a day for six and a half weeks or twice a day for three weeks, when combined with chemotherapy, is equally good at treating small cell lung cancer that hasn't spread. These results from a Cancer Research UK-funded clinical trial, presented at the ASCO cancer conference, mean patients and doctors can choose together which treatment suits them best. The CONVERT clinical trial also found that small cell lung cancer patients live longer and with fewer side effects than previous studies suggested which is likely to be because of the modern radiotherapy techniques used. Around 550 patients from around the world were split into two groups - one receiving radiotherapy twice a day over three weeks and the other once a day at a higher dose over six and a half weeks. All patients also had chemotherapy. Scientists from the University of Manchester and the Christie Hospital with others in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Canada found that survival in both groups was similar with 56 per cent of patients who had radiotherapy twice a day surviving for two years compared with 51 per cent of those given it once a day. Importantly, the majority of side effects from radiotherapy were similar in both groups, apart from neutropenia, weakening of the immune system, which happened more often in twice daily treatment group (in 74 per cent of the patients who had twice daily radiotherapy compared with 65 per cent of the once daily group). The trial results support the use of either once daily or twice daily radiotherapy with chemotherapy as standard treatment for small cell lung cancer that hasn't spread. This means that individual patients' treatment can be planned with their doctor according to what works best for them and their hospital. (ANI)
: A police constable attached to District ArmedReserve (DAR) in this district of Karnataka, who stood alone against the allegedharassment by higher officials, even as yesterday's policeconstabulary appraisal was put down, was today dismissed from the service. The DAR constable N Ramakrishna today alleged that he was notallowed to speak upon the harassment by higher officials andbraved to protest with a sit-in-strike in this town yesterday. Talking to newspersons here, Mr Ramakrishna said, ''But my appeals and presentations went unheard and the Superintendent of Police has issued orders to dismiss me fromservices. I will live another day to fight this arbitrary decision.'' While the disgruntled constabulary of Karnataka had threatened tostrike work yesterday, the government had convinced them, usingdifferent methods to keep away from strike, which proved to be a failure. Mr Ramakrishna, who had been serving in the department for thepast 13 years, had staged a flash protest outside the DAR officehere yesterday, urging the higher-officials to address the ventilatedgrievances of the DAR personnel. He displayed placards for some minutes and demanded the policedepartment to address the woes of DAR constables. However, he wasimmediately taken into the police custody for interrogation. After an inquiry, C H Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Superintendent ofPolice, has issued an order of dismissing the APC from the serviceunder certain Article of the Constitution of India 1949. According to the order of dismissal, Mr Ramakrishna was foundguilty of the charges levelled against him. He tried to provoke the police constables in the district tostage a protest and also attempted to halt the police system, theorder stated. Meanwhile, the dismissed APC said that he would launch a legalbattle against Mr. Reddy's order. UNI BSP RS KVV AK 1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-770791.Xml
Nine men, including three juveniles are accused of raping the 52-year-old Danish woman in central Delhi.

Additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar earlier on May 26 fixed the matter for judgement after he concluded hearing final arguments of both the Delhi Police and the defence counsel.

While the prosecution submitted that all evidence nails the accused, the defence counsel claimed his clients are innocent.

Arjun, Raju alias Chhakka, Mohammad Raja, Mahendra alias Ganja, Raju alias Bajji and Shyam Lal were accused of robbing and raping the Danish woman at knife-point near New Delhi railway station in January 2014 after she sought directions to her hotel in Paharganj area.

Shyam Lal died in February in the Tihar jail here and proceedings against him in the case were abated.

The three minors are also facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board in the case. (ANI)
Hitting back at Amit Shah for claiming that Uttar Pradesh PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav was responsible for the violence in Mathura, the Samajwadi Party on Monday said the allegations leveled by the BJP national president were completely baseless and foul. "The allegation leveled by Amit Shah is completely foul. They (BJP) should first investigate before making such allegations. Shivpal Singh ji has no hand in this incident. So why he should resign?" SP leader Naresh Agarwal told ANI. "Going by his logic, there are many BJP leaders which should be asked for their resignation," he added. The BJP president has asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother Shivpal Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the Mathura violence. "If even a little bit of self-respect is left in Netaji (Mulayam), he should get minister Shivpal Yadav to resign immediately," Shah said in Kanpur. Addressing a booth-level in-charge meet of Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions, he said: "An SP is killed in broad daylight. An SHO is killed. More than 200 people opened fire on police. But a minister (Shivpal) sitting in the secretariat patronises them and does not allow police to retaliate." Shivpal, however, hit back at the BJP president and suggested him to follow positive, ideological and development oriented politics instead of misleading the people of the state. "He has become short of issues due to better working of SP government and, therefore, he is giving baseless statements," he said. Meanwhile, the combing operation by police is still going on at Jawahar Bagh, which witnessed the deadly clash between police and a cult group on June 2 rendering 25 dead and hundreds other injured. (ANI)
Business and other activities remained paralysed in parts of the summer capital, Srinagar, where people are protesting against the arrest of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yassin Malik in a 26-year-old case. However, traffic was plying normally on all city routes, including the affected areas. Shops and business establishments remained closed in Maisuma, Gaw Kadal, Madina chowk, Red Cross road, Budshah Chowk and Haji Masjid road. However, business activities were normal in historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city and elsewhere in the summer capital. Malik, who was arrested on May 25 from Abi Guzar, headquarters of the front and lodged in police station Kothibagh, was shifted to central jail on May 29, JKLF spokesperson said and alleged that Malik was not produced before any magistrate. However, he was released on June 3 evening and later a police party raided his house later during the night. However, due to resistance from the residents, he could not be arrested. Police later arrested him on June 4 and booked him in a case registered against him in 1987 for organising a rally.UNI BAS SV SB1125 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-771229.Xml
A passenger train crashed into the back of a freight train in the eastern Belgian municipality of Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse, killing three people and injuring 40, Belgian officials said."A train... carrying around 40 passengers crashed into the back of a freight train on the same track," Belgian railways SNCB said in a statement yesterday. "The collision derailed two of the six carriages."Franis Dejon, the mayor of the Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse district told Belga news agency three people were dead and 40 injured in the crash, according to a preliminary estimate.Local emergency services and reinforcements from the nearest city of Liege were at the site of the crash.The crash took place around one hour before midnight yesterday, the Belgian railways statement said. REUTERS DS PM0613 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0139-771081.Xml
Taiwan's new defence minister said today the island would not recognise any air defence zone declared by China over the South China Sea, as the island's top security agency warned such a move could usher in a wave of regional tension.US officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare an air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which 5 trillion dollar in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims, as well as close military ties with Washington."We will not recognise any ADIZ by China," Taiwan defence minister Feng Shih-kuan told lawmakers in a parliamentary session.The comments come after Taiwan's new government of President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning ruling party, was sworn into power last month. Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party overturned eight-years of China-friendly Nationalist rule on the island.China drew condemnation from Japan and the United States when it imposed its ADIZ, in which aircraft are supposed to identify themselves to Chinese authorities, above the East China Sea.China has neither confirmed nor denied it plans such a zone for the South China Sea, saying that a decision would be based on the threat level and that it had every right to set one up."In the future, we don't rule out China designating an ADIZ. If China is on track to announce this, it could usher in a new wave of tension in the region," Taiwan's National Security Bureau said in a report presented to parliament.'INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS'US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that the United States would consider any Chinese establishment of an air defence zone over the South China Sea "provocative and destabilising".Speaking at the beginning of a high-level strategic dialogue in Beijing today, Kerry said he would make it clear the United States is looking for a peaceful resolution to disputes in the South China Sea."The only position we've taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action, let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation, and we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution rooted in international standards and rule of law," he said.China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, said China "resolutely makes it own contribution to peace, stability and development".China has been angered by what it views as provocative US military patrols close to islands China controls in the South China Sea. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation.Taiwan's defence ministry said in its own report it would strengthen its defences on Pratas Island, in the north of the South China Sea, and on Itu Aba in the Spratly Islands.The ministry said China is building up of its military presence in the South China Sea with deployments of anti-missile systems, drones and fast missile ships in the area.Last month, Beijing demanded an end to US surveillance near China after two Chinese fighter jets carried out what the Pentagon said was an "unsafe" intercept of a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea. REUTERS SDR PR0918 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-771126.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is today holding formal talks with President of Switzerland Johann Schnieder-Ammann during which he is expected to seek the country's support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), and also its cooperation in tracking the black money stashed in Swiss banks. In a pre-departure media briefing, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had said India had received support from Swiss authorities on exchange of information on tax data between the two countries. On the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) issue, he had said that ''We are engaging all NSG members regarding this issue, and obviously Switzerland is a very important member and definitely I would expect it to come up.'' Renewable energy sector on which the Prime Minister is focused on and in which Switzerland is much ahead of India was also expected to figure in the discussions. Besides these, regional and multilateral issues would also be taken up by the two leaders. The Prime Minister, who had flown in here from Qatar last night on the third leg of his visit, will also participate in a business event. He will also address Indian Researchers working at CERN. The Prime Minister will leave for the US on the fourth leg of his visit today itself.UNI XC NAZ SV 1106 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-771231.Xml
CHENGDU, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Authorities on Sunday launched an investigation into a deadly boat accident in southwest Chinese province of Sichuan on Saturday, as 14 people including at least six children remained missing.

The tourist boat, the Shuanglong, was carrying 18 people on a three-hour tour at Bailong Lake in the city of Guangyuan Saturday noon. The boat capsized at about 2:40 p.m, minutes before it was about to reach its destination, Xinhua reporters learnt.

Three adult men survived, and one rescued child was announced dead after emergency treatment failed. A total of 14 people, mostly young parents with their children, were missing.

The tragedy befell on five families who were enjoying a weekend excursion on the lake, a popular tourist site. Boat operator Zhou Piqiang, his wife and four-year-old son are also among the missing.

A spokesperson of Blue Sky rescue team said on Sunday noon that they found the capsized boat about 65 meters under the water with the help of underwater video cameras, but no sign of life was detected.

The State Administration of Work Safety has sent a work team to the site of the accident.

SUDDEN DEVASTATION

Wang Mingxing, 30, was the only passenger who was travelling alone.

"It was sunny when we boarded the ship. My friends decided not to wear life jackets and they also helped their children take off the jackets, as it turned quite hot on the boat," he recalled at a hospital in Guangyuan.

Photos shared by one of the passengers on WeChat showed the adults and children on the boat did not wear life jackets.

"It started to rain when we were close to the destination and the parents took the children to the lower deck for shelter. I stayed on the upper deck, and before I knew it, I was thrown into the air. The wind was very strong and the boat started to sink," Wang told Xinhua.

"I grabbed a life jacket before the boat sunk. It happened too fast. I saw just two or three men in water, and soon they disappeared," Wang said.

The boat, designed to carry 40 people, is owned by the city ship company, according to maritime department of Lizhou District, where the accident occurred.

Staff with the scenic area said they received a thunder and gale warning at 2 p.m. on Saturday and suspended boat tours. But for the Shuanglong, the warning came too late.

"The weather in the lake area is very changeful and unpredictable," said Lyu Shenghuai, a boat operator.

Extreme weather condition was partly blamed for the sinking of the Eastern Star, a cruise ship which capsized on the Yangtze River and led to 442 deaths on June 1 last year.

Following the accident, the operation of all tour boats and ships in Guangyuan city has been suspended.

About 320 rescuers, divers and doctors were engaged in the search mission on Sunday. Motorboats combed an area of ten kilometers long and 500 meters wide on the lake.

Li Xiang, a rescuer with Blue Sky Rescue, said underwater robots will be sent to assist the salvage of the boat on Monday.

The State Administration of Work Safety has demanded authorities in Sichuan Province to launch water transport safety inspections, improve the management of sightseeing boats, and prevent accidents.
UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called for more world efforts to stop illegal trade in wildlife in order to save lives of species of wild animals and plants, such as elephants, pangolins, sea turtles and rosewood.

In his message to mark World Environment Day, which is observed annually on June 5, the secretary-general said that this year's observance "shines a much-needed spotlight on the illegal trade in wildlife. There is grave cause for alarm."

"Elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory, rhinos for their horns, and pangolins for their scales," Ban said. "From sea turtles to tigers to rosewood, thousands of species of wild animals and plants are being driven ever closer to extinction."

"The businesses and individuals involved are motivated solely by short-term gain at the expense of long-term benefit to communities and habitats," he said. "In many instances, they act in collusion with transnational organized crime networks and groups actively involved in destabilizing nations."

The United Nations and its many partners have resolved to tackle this illicit trade, including by setting clear targets to put an end to poaching in the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in September last year by all 193 member states, he said.

Last month, at the second United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, the world body launched a UN "Wild For Life" global campaign, led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Convention on the International Trade in Wild Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

"The campaign asks everyone to pledge to end the illegal trade in wildlife, from ordinary citizens, who can ensure they do not buy prohibited products, to governments, who can pursue change though implementing effective policies to protect species and ecosystems," the secretary-general said.

Angola, which is this year's World Environment Day global host, has served notice that it will no longer tolerate the sale of illegal wildlife products, and is strengthening legislation and increasing border controls as part of efforts to restore elephant populations that were devastated by the country's civil war, he noted.

"Such action sends a strong message that wild species of plants and animals are a precious commodity that must be sustainably managed and protected from illegal trade," Ban said.

"On this World Environment Day, I urge people and governments everywhere to overcome indifference, combat greed and act to preserve our natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations," he added.

World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by UNEP.

World environment day was first established to be celebrated every year by running some effective campaigns by the UN General Assembly and UNEP in the conference on human environment began on June 5-16 at United Nations in 1972. It was first celebrated in 1973 with the particular theme "Only one Earth." Since 1974, the celebration campaign of World Environment Day is hosted in different cities of the world.

It is a big annual celebration started by the United Nations General Assembly to engage millions of people from different countries across the globe as well as draw attention of political and health organizations to implement some effective actions.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves as he gives a speech on Iran's late leader Khomeini's death anniversary, in Tehran, IranJune 3, 2016. (Xinhua file photo)

TEHRAN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday echoed his recent fiery remarks against the U.S., saying that Washington's policies and its threats against Iran remain constant even after the nuclear deal reached with Tehran in July 2015.

On Friday, Khamenei said that U.S. is the "enemy" of the Islamic revolution of Iran and should not be trusted.

"The Americans, whether the government, Congress or presidential candidates, continue to make excessive demands and threats," Khamenei said, adding that "their stance and threats haven't changed."

"The enemy calculates reactions and if it senses any passivity or acquiescence from the opposing side, it increases its demands," he said.

Under such circumstances, "we cannot remain silent when insulted by insolent enemies. We must to be present in the international arena in order to silence them with a strong response," Kamenei said during a meeting with new Iranian legislators.

He said Friday that "the experience from the nuclear talks has shown that the U.S. will not quit its destructive measures" against Iran.

In the nuclear negotiations, Iran sat with the representatives of the P5+1 (namely Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany) and even separately with U.S. to reach a common ground, he said, adding that however, "the U.S. backed out and did not implement its commitments."

"If any political trend trusts the U.S., it will commit a grave mistake," Khamenei made the remarks in a ceremony held on Friday to commemorate the 27th death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

"The U.S. is the enemy of Iranian Islamic revolution, and this is in the nature of the U.S. that requires enmity, since their interests are in contradiction with Iran," he said.

The Iranian supreme leader reiterated his insistence on relying the domestic potentials to improve the economy of the country, and criticized the views which call for Iran's integration with the global economy.

Iran and the world powers reached a nuclear agreement on the former's disputed nuclear program in July last year, which was implemented in January to lift some western sanctions against Iran in return for significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran has incessantly said that fear from the U.S. pressures have stopped the international companies as well as the monetary institutions to cooperate with Iran in the aftermath of the nuclear implementation, hence no gain for Iran from the deal.

The U.S. still imposes sanctions against Iran, over alleged human rights violations and supporting terrorism, claims all denied by Iran.

Furthermore, Washington recently blacklisted several Iranian and foreign entities owing to their involvement in Iran's missile program.

These restrictions bar U.S. companies as well as international companies from undertaking business transactions with Iran's government.

On Saturday, the U.S. administration issued its annual State Department report in which it designated the Islamic republic of Iran as a leading sponsor of global terrorism, a claim which was rejected by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Iranian senior officials said they would assist regional countries and resistance movements facing the continued occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel as well as the spreading of regional extremism.

On Sunday, Khamenei referred to Iran's "important" role in the Middle East's political direction, stating that Iran is the only obstacle preventing the triumph of Washington's strategy for the volatile Middle East region.

They were planing for a "new Middle East," a "greater Middle East," several years ago, but their plans for Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, have failed due to Iran's defiance, Khamenei said according to Press TV.

"There is a need to stand up to hegemonic policies and unmask their arrogant stance," added the Iranian leader.
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- In an "unprecedented" clinical trial, U.S. researchers have successfully reversed the long-term debilitating effects in some of the stroke patients by injecting stem cells directly into their brains.

"This wasn't just, 'They couldn't move their thumb, and now they can,'" lead author Gary Steinberg, professor and chair of neurosurgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a statement.

"Patients who were in wheelchairs are walking now," said Steinberg, who led the 18-patient trial and conducted 12 of the procedures himself.

The small study, published this week in the U.S. journal Stroke, was designed primarily to test the procedure's safety, but the promising results set the stage for an expanded trial now getting underway.

The therapy involved drilling a small hole into the patients' skulls to allow for the injection of stem cells, accomplished with a syringe, into a number of spots at the periphery of the stroke-damaged area, which varied from patient to patient.

The stem cells, called SB623, are derived from the bone marrow of adult donors and modified to beneficially alter the cells' ability to restore neurologic function.

The patients, whose average age was 61, remained conscious under light anesthesia throughout the procedure, and the next day they all went home.

All the patients had suffered their first and only stroke between six months and three years before receiving the injections.

In each case, the stroke had taken place beneath the brain's outermost layer, or cortex, and had severely affected motor function. For example, some patients couldn't walk and others couldn't move their arm.

The results showed that all these patients showed significant recovery by a number of measures within a month's time, and they continued improving for several months afterward, sustaining these improvements at six and 12 months after surgery.

No relevant blood abnormalities were observed. Some patients experienced transient nausea and vomiting, and 78 percent had temporary headaches related to the transplant procedure.

"Patients improved by several standard measures, and their improvement was not only statistically significant, but clinically meaningful," Steinberg said.

"Their ability to move around has recovered visibly. That's unprecedented. At six months out from a stroke, you don't expect to see any further recovery."

Interestingly, the study showed that the implanted stem cells begin to disappear about one month after the procedure and are gone by two months.

That meant something secreted by these cells during their early postoperative presence near the stroke site stimulates lasting regeneration or reactivation of nearby nervous tissue.

The study also revealed that the stroke patients' postoperative improvement was independent of their age or their condition's severity at the onset of the trial.

"Older people tend not to respond to treatment as well," Steinberg said. "But here we see 70-year-olds recovering substantially."

The researchers also called for new thinking regarding the permanence of brain damage.

"The notion was that once the brain is injured, it doesn't recover -- you're stuck with it," Steinberg said. "But if we can figure out how to jump-start these damaged brain circuits, we can change the whole effect."

Some 800,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States alone, with about 85 percent of these strokes being ischemic in nature.

Although approved therapies for ischemic stroke exist, to be effective they must be applied within a few hours of the event -- a time frame that often is exceeded by the amount of time it takes for a stroke patient to arrive at a treatment center.
DUBAI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Dubai Business Internships (DBI) Class of 2016 celebrated Sunday a total of 35 DBI graduates from the prestigious initiative run under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

A total of 35 young interns, twenty from China, along with graduates from Kazakhstan, Russia and the United States, graduated from the 10-month fully-funded course facilitated by Falcon and Associates, the strategic advisory company for the Dubai government.

The internships as part of the second annual DBI scheme, featured work placements with Dubai's leading commercial and government entities, academic training, as well as a focus on cultural understanding.

"We are very proud to see our second year of interns make their mark in Dubai and graduate ready for the workplace," said James Maughan, Director of Dubai Business Internships at Falcon and Associates, at the ceremony held at Dubai International Financial Centre Conference Centre (DIFC).

Kathryn, a Chinese women from Shanghai did her internship with Falcon herself and told Xinhua that she even worked for the UAE Prime Minister's office.

"My main role to work as a program manager to help realising the world's first 3D office which was set up in the DIFC and as a consultant for Falcon," said Ms. Kathryn who will return back to her home city Shanghai to start a career in investment banking.

The world's first functional 3D printed building, which was inaugurated on May 23 in Dubai, is an office space covering up to 250 square metres, with its exterior design reflecting "the most innovative forms of the future workplace," according to Dubai government. Most of the material to realize the project was delivered from Shanghai.

Raymond, a DBI graduate from Xi'an, capital of China's Shaanxi Province, told Xinhua he worked in project management in the authority of the free zone Dubai Silicon Oasis and that he is looking now for a job in Dubai.

"The sheikhdom is a booming hub in the Middle East and I feel can learn much more in Dubai and add value to companies with my knowledge in finance," he said.

Ms. Xu who has a diploma in architecture worked during her DBI months at Emaar Properties, the biggest developer of the UAE.

"I was proud to be part of the team which designed a new hotel which is in the pipeline of Emaar's real estate portfolio," she said, adding that she liked most of the management seminars which are part of the DBI program.

Speaking at the ceremony as a representative of the DBI Placement Partners, Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO, Asset Management with the UAE's biggest lender Emirates NBD, said the interns have been invaluable, helping the bank gain cultural insights to engage more effectively with key international markets.

"Organizations across Dubai are always looking for exceptional talent and we look forward to more future business leaders joining us again next year," said Bin Hendi, a member of the influential Emirati Bin Hendi clan.

All graduates plan to meet for a reunion in 2020 when Dubai will host the six-month lasting World Expo 2020.

DBI program director Maughan said "We look forward to staying in touch with the interns through our alumni network and it is encouraging to already see them adopting the role of cultural ambassadors for Dubai."
TEHRAN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sunday that the U.S. charges against Iran as world's leading sponsor of terrorism is ridiculous.

U.S. cannot accuse other nations of sponsoring terrorism by shirking its own responsibilities, Hossein Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency.

The Iranian spokesman made the remarks reacting to the recent U.S. administration's annual State Department report, in which it designated the Islamic republic of Iran as a leading sponsor of global terrorism.

The Iranian official called Israel as "the greatest symbol of occupation, state terrorism, violation of humanitarian law and human rights, and imposition of policies of murder, repression and denial of the existence of the Palestinian people."

Iran's support of "legitimate struggles of Palestinian people under occupation to achieve freedom and independence is not an example of terrorism," he was quoted as saying.

"The hypocritical, propagandist, and double approach of the U.S. government toward terrorism is one of the main reasons for the spread of terrorist activities in the region and throughout the world," he said.

The foreign ministry spokesman urged U.S. to end what he called its politicized and selective approach toward terrorism.
OTTAWA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- An Air China flight with 291 people aboard made an emergency landing in Winnipeg, Canada because of engine problem Saturday night, according to Canada TV Sunday.

The Boeing 777 of Air China, which was en route to Beijing from Washington, noticed a problem with one of the engines and landed in Winnipeg safely around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

The 291 people including passengers and crew were put up in area hotels and Air China is expected to send in a new aircraft to get the passengers and crew to Beijing, likely by Sunday evening.
KABUL, June 5 (Xinhua) -- An Afghan lawmaker was killed and 11 other people were wounded in a bomb attack in Kabul on Sunday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"A member of the Lower House of Afghanistan's parliament, Shir Wali Wardak, martyred as a result of an explosion in Kabul this evening," spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted.

The blast occurred near Wardak's house in Qambar Square, west of Kabul.

An investigation was launched and more information will be released later, Sediqqi said.

Among the injured were security force members and body guards of Wardak, unofficial sources said.

The killed parliamentarian was the brother of Farooq Wardak, a former minister of education and well-known politician.

Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since early April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different areas of the country.

About 600 civilians were killed and more than 1,340 others wounded in conflict-related violence and Taliban-led attacks in the first quarter of the year, according to UN mission in the country.
ANKARA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 7 students were killed and many others injured in a bus accident in southeastern Turkish province of Osmaniye on Sunday, Dogan News Agency reported.

The bus, carrying students returning from a trip, overturned after the driver lost control of the vehicle. At least 7 students died on the spot, and some of the injured were in critical condition.

Fire trucks and ambulances were sent to the site of the accident immediately.
by Larry Neild

LONDON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major warned Sunday of chaos if Britain votes on June 23 to leave the European Union.

In what was described as his most outspoken intervention so far in the referendum debate, Major accused Brexit campaigners of "misleading people to an extraordinary extent," saying they were running a campaign "verging on the squalid."

The EU debate dominated all of Sunday's traditional political programs on British television, with both sides eager to score points as the campaigning starts its home run ahead of the referendum vote.

Major said he feared people would vote to leave on the basis of information "known to be incorrect," a claim immediately denounced by former London mayor and Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson.

Denouncing Brexit's announcement that money saved by leaving the EU would be handed to the National Health Service (NHS), Major claimed the NHS would be about as safe in the hands of Johnson and his allies "as a pet hamster would be with a hungry python."

Johnson responded by insisting Vote Leave was setting out "an agenda for the government to take back control" after leaving the EU.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne warned of higher mortgages for householders if Britain leaves the EU.

In a joint statement the neighbors who live at 10 and 11 Downing Street warned leaving the EU could see mortgages rise, rocketing for some by nearly 1,000 pounds (1,451 U.S. dollars) a year, rising to 1,500 pounds (2,177 U.S. dollars) in a worse case scenario.

Cameron said quitting the EU would create a clear and present danger of rocketing mortgages for householders.

Osborne branded those who did not accept the economic risks as "conspiracy theorists who are telling us we faked the moon landings, or concealed the true location of the Loch Ness monster".

In an attack on Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), Osborne told The Sunday Times: "This is a battle between Farage's mean vision of Britain and the outward-facing, generous Britain that the mainstream of this country celebrates. I say: we don't want Farage's Britain."

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LUANDA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Angolan Vice President Manuel Vicente said here on Sunday that the Angolan government has always taken concrete steps to preserve the country's bio-diversity with special measures taken to protect species of flora and fauna mostly threatened with extinction, particularly the Giant Sable Antelope, a species that only had its habitat in Angola.

Vicente was speaking on behalf of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos at a forum to mark the June 5 World Environment Day, which was also attended by the Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) Achim Stainer.

The vice president said his country had in recent years doubled its territory for the parks and natural reserves to protect species of flora and fauna mostly threatened with extinction, including the Giant Sable Antelopes, a species that only has its habitat in Angola.

He said Angola was also engaged in four initiatives with neighboring countries to promote the preservation of ecosystems, the improvement of living conditions of populations and eco-tourism.

He called for more regional cooperation and a global perspective to combat the criminal actions that undermine the wildlife as the entire world was facing serious challenges in the fight for the preservation of the natural heritage and bio-diversity, seriously affected by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.
GENEVA, June 5, 2016 (Xinhua) -- People prepare to vote at a polling station in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 5, 2016. Swiss people voted on Sunday on whether to give every adult citizen a basic guaranteed monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,560). (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A proposal to implement unconditional basic income in Switzerland was shunned by 76.9 percent of voters in a federal referendum on Sunday, with only 23.1 percent backing the plan.

The confederation is the first country in the world to hold such a plebiscite, though results show that efforts to grant basic income to individuals regardless of their working status failed to secure the 50 percent required to constitutionally cement the initiative.

Advocates have suggested that adults, whether employed or not, would receive a basic income of 2,500 CHF per month, with 625 CHF granted to children and adolescents.

Proponents argued that this would increase equality while ensuring that everybody enjoys both a dignified and financially secure existence.

Opponents, including the Swiss government, deemed the project too costly. It also believed that it would weaken the Swiss economy, challenge the ethical value of work as well as attract foreign migrants.

"The Federal Council welcomes the discussion about value and future shape of the work...however, it considers the introduction of a basic income a too risky experiment," the Swiss government indicated in a pamphlet on the matter.

"It would endanger the economic success and social achievements of Switzerland," it added.

Sunday's plebiscite was one of five nationwide issues being decided upon by Swiss voters.
KHARTOUM, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed deep resentment over the U.S. for keeping Sudan's name on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

"Sudan's name has been kept on this despite its great cooperation with the international community, including the U.S., in the field of combating terrorism," said the ministry in a statement.

It rejected the allegations and claims cited by the U.S. administration, and further reiterated Sudan's awareness in the necessity to combat international terrorism.

The U.S. has been putting Sudan on the list since 1993 and imposing sanctions on the country since 1997.

Sanctions were never lifted due to the continuing war in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions, and the dispute over oil-rich area of Abyei.

Sudan's losses due to the sanctions amounted to over 4 billion U.S. dollars annually and the development of important industries in the country suffer stagnation, according to economic reports.

Meanwhile, the secession of South Sudan in 2011 has also affected the country's economy as it lost around 70 percent of its oil revenues.
ISTANBUL, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Berlin on Sunday to answer for the holocausts committed by Germans.

This was the president's angry response to Germany's passing of a resolution acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's murder of Armenians as a "genocide."

"Germany, one more I repeat: You should answer for the Holocaust first," Erdogan said in Istanbul, referring to the massacre of Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.

"How could you exterminate over hundreds of thousands of Namibians?" he also asked during a commencement address given at the Sabahattin Zaim University, "You'll need to answer for this too," he added.

The massacre of the Herero and Nama population by the German Empire in German South-West Africa, which is modern-day Namibia, between 1904 and 1907 during the Herero Wars, is considered the 20th century's first genocide.

Germany's resolution concerning the Armenian murders was passed on Thursday by the country's lower house of parliament, immediately sparking an outrage in Turkey.

Armenia and Turkey disagree over the Armenian events during World War I, during which 1.5 million Armenians were allegedly killed at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915.

Turkey rejects all allegations that it was a bloody massacre.

Over 20 world countries officially recognize the murders as a genocide.

In response, Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Berlin, and both Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have joined others in criticizing the German bill.

During a speech on Sunday, Erdogan said Germany is the last country eligible to vote on a "genocide."

Once more, Erdogan invited German historians, legislators and archaeologists into Turkey for further investigation, stressing that Turkey is brave enough to embrace its past in the event it's proven that the Armenian murders was a genocide.

Erdogan restated during several speeches a day earlier in Istanbul that Turkey will never accept the accusation of "genocide" against Armenians, claiming the issue is used to "blackmail" Ankara.
JERUSALEM, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Israel is attend a march to mark Israel's 1967 capture of East Jerusalem at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, on June 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of Israelis marched Sunday through Jerusalem's predominantly Palestinian Old City amid high tensions to mark Israel's 1967 capture of East Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)

Click for more photos >>

JERUSALEM, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of Israelis marched Sunday through Jerusalem's predominantly Palestinian Old City amid high tensions to mark Israel's 1967 capture of East Jerusalem.

The marchers, mainly ultranationalist religious Jewish youths, waved Israeli flags and blew horns as they passed through the Old City's Muslim Quarter en route to the Western Wall.

Above the Western Wall is the city's most sensitive site, a hilltop compound where the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site to Muslims, resides. The site is both sacred to Muslims, who know it as the "Noble Sanctuary," and to Jews, who know it as the "Temple Mount."

The parade came amidst an eight-month-long surge of violent Palestinian uprising, including knife, car-ramming, and shooting attacks. The unrest began in the wake of a campaign by Jewish ultranationalists who press for prayer rights at the flashpoint site.

A few hours before the march, Israel's Supreme Court ordered to limit the duration of the parade to "cause minimum friction with Muslim residents."

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that more than 2,000 police officers were deployed across the route of the march in case of any frictions.

Samri said that two Jewish minors were arrested after they were caught shouting anti-Arab slogans.

The parade is the main event of the "Jerusalem Day," an annual commemoration of the "reunification" of Jerusalem.

Israel seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War, along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It later annexed East Jerusalem and declared it as part of its "eternal and indivisible capital," in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

Palestinians, who makes up more than third of the city's overall population, consider East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Later on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a commemoration service for fallen soldiers in the battle on Jerusalem, saying that "the State of Israel wants peace."

Netanyahu said he wishes to restart the stalled peace process with the Palestinians, but "only through direct negotiations."

He said that international attempts to pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians will only "harden the Palestinian's stance" and will harm the prospects of peace.

He was referring to the French bid to revive the peace talks, which Israel rejected upfront. On Friday, more than 20 foreign ministers, including U.S. State Secretary John Kerry, met in Paris in preparation for a full conference later this year.
MEXICO CITY, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Photo provided by Mexico's Presidency shows Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto casting his vote at a polling station in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on June 5, 2016. Mexicans around the country go to the polls on Sunday to vote in key regional elections considered to be a bellwether for the 2018 presidential race. (Xinhua/Mexico's Presidency)

MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Mexicans around the country go to the polls on Sunday to vote in key regional elections considered to be a bellwether for the 2018 presidential race.

Observers feel that if Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) does well in Sunday's elections for 12 state governors, as well as local posts and a special election in the capital Mexico City, then it will go into the presidential race with a strong hand.

In Mexico City, voters were called to elect 60 members of a new constitutional assembly to draft the city's first ever constitution.

In all, nearly 1,500 seats are up for election, though the gubernatorial races are the most closely watched.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto cast his vote in Mexico City's elections, and called on the country's 37.4 million eligible voters to go to the polls in "an atmosphere of great civility, tranquility and social harmony."

Voting was progressing "normally," he said, adding "there have been only very isolated incidents. I haven't received any reports of any major events, and I hope that the rest of the day's voting unfolds in the same way."

The 12 states with gubernatorial races include Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Zacatecas, and the PRI currently governs in nine of those states.

The most contested races are in Aguascalientes, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala and especially Veracruz, where the PRI has never lost a gubernatorial race.

Lorenzo Cordova, president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), acknowledged that several incidents were reported, mainly in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca.

Observers are also looking to see how Mexico's fledgling left-leaning National Regeneration Movement (Morena) will fare in Sunday's contests.

The party was founded two years ago by former presidential candidate and Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who plans to run again in 2018.

International observers were stationed in different parts of the country, as well as at INE's offices, to ensure the legitimacy of the process.

"The status of the political parties is in play in every position, they may slide or lose ground to rivals or new alliances," Rodian Rangel Rivera, a professor of political science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), told Xinhua in an interview.

As the seat of the federal government, Mexico City was officially called the Federal District until earlier this year, when that designation was dropped. In a bid to grant the city state-like status, a new constitutional assembly is to draw up a constitution by the end of the year.
Liquefaction in an subduction zone earthquake could cause entire buildings to sink, as in this picture, if happened in Japan. (courtesy of OSU)

SAN FRANCISCO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have created an online tool for homeowners and businesses to better identify the risks they face from a major earthquake anticipated on the Cascadia subduction zone in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Known as the Oregon Hazard Explorer for Lifeline Program, or OHELP, the program provides basic information about risks from landslides, ground shaking and liquefaction at specific sites during a subduction zone earthquake, which researchers say could be a massive, regional event that may reach magnitude 9 at some point in the future.

Out from the Cascadia Lifelines Program, launched three years ago and operated by OSU as part of long term preparation against a catastrophic disaster, the program is free to any individual, homeowner, agency, business or industry that wishes to use it.

OHELP can be found online at the web site of the Cascadia Lifelines Program.

"The expected earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone is going to be the single largest natural disaster ever to face the United States," said Scott Ashford, dean of the OSU College of Engineering and director of the Cascadia Lifelines Program. "This event will likely be so severe, causing billions of dollars in damage, that it's more than just a state or regional concern. It's one we should be preparing for on a national level."

The last earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone occurred in January 1700. Researchers believe a magnitude 8.0 to 9.0 earthquake happens in this region about every 200 to 500 years.

A collaborative effort of OSU and the state of Oregon and U.S. federal government agencies, OHELP can be used with four different scenarios of earthquake magnitude to predict localized impacts, and could help homeowners, hospitals and utility companies to evaluate the threats posed to structures, roads, pipelines, bridges or anything else at risk.

"The good news is that Oregon's state government is now moving in the right direction," Ashford said. "We're starting to retrofit schools, and the awareness of the issue is growing. There's just so much that needs to be done. This is a commitment that will take decades."

About the Cascadia Lifelines Program, he noted that "this has been an exceptionally successful program, and a great example of academia, government and private industry joining forces to tackle a major threat. Many of our stakeholders face common risks, and we're trying to develop joint solutions that can be widely used."

Ashford saw growing involvement of state and federal agencies to build public awareness and response to earthquake risks, such as the Cascadia Rising 2016 drill being organized by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, to be June 7-10.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders delivers a speech during a campaign rally on the eve of the New York primary, in Long Island City, New York, the United States, April 18, 2016. New York will hold its primary on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. mainstream media were about to call the race for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on next Tuesday, Bernie Sanders, Clinton's rival in the nomination race, said otherwise.

"The media is in error when they lump superdelegates with pledged delegates," said Sanders at a press conference on Saturday in Los Angeles, California. "Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the Democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14."

Vowing to continue his fight for nomination beyond the primary season, Sanders predicted that the Democratic National Convention "will be a contested convention."

As of Saturday, Clinton led Sanders in pledged delegates count with 1,769 to 1,501, according to the latest New York Times tally.

To win the party nomination, any candidate needs 2,383 delegates in total.

While Clinton was widely viewed as unlikely to expand her pledged delegates over the threshold of 2,383 next Tuesday, when six of the remaining seven Democratic nomination races will be held, U.S. cable news, such as CNN, had already predicted that she would clinch the nomination soon with the help of unpledged delegates, or superdelegates.

In an earlier TV program broadcasted in late May, MSNBC host Chris Matthews also revealed that major U.S. TV networks were planning to call the Democratic primary for Clinton on June 7, hours before the close of polls in California.

"I'm told by the experts on numbers around here are NBC and elsewhere that come June... that at 8 o'clock that night, Eastern time, the networks will be prepared, including this one, to announce that Hillary Clinton had now gotten over the top, that she will have won the nomination in number, it's done," said Matthews then to Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver.

However, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), had for long urged the U.S. mainstream media not to count superdelegates in there reports.

"Combining them (pledged delegates earned in state-by-state race and superdelegates) at each phase of this contest is not an accurate picture of how this works," said Wasserman Schultz in an interview with MSNBC in February.

In the Democratic field this election cycle, the 714 superdelegates, unpledged Democratic Party leaders who are free to support any candidate, can make their final decision at the national convention in July. So far, an overwhelming majority had declared support to Clinton.

"The way the media is reporting this is incorrect," said Wasserman Schultz.

Though admitting that it was uphill battle, Sanders had repeatedly argued that he would be able to persuade some superdelegates to switch allegiance.

Apart from leading Sanders in the number of pledged delegates and superdelegates, Clinton also leads the race in the number of votes cast. However, Sanders' one advantage over Clinton is hard to ignore.

According to PolitiFact.com, a project dedicated to "fact-check" of statements of politicians and the federal government, Sanders fared better against Trump than Clinton did in all polls over the last six weeks.

On Sunday, a new poll released by CBS News also found that while Clinton leads Trump in a hypothetical matchup with 48 to 33 percent in California and 49 to 34 percent in New Jersey, Sanders leads Trump by larger margins of 23 and 18 percent in the two states respectively.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanderssalutes the crowd at a GOTV concert and campaign rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on June 4, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. ( AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN ALCORN)

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. mainstream media were about to call the race for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on next Tuesday, Bernie Sanders, Clinton's rival in the nomination race, said otherwise.

"The media is in error when they lump superdelegates with pledged delegates," said Sanders at a press conference on Saturday in Los Angeles, California. "Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the Democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14."

Vowing to continue his fight for nomination beyond the primary season, Sanders predicted that the Democratic National Convention "will be a contested convention."

As of Saturday, Clinton led Sanders in pledged delegates count with 1,769 to 1,501, according to the latest New York Times tally.

To win the party nomination, any candidate needs 2,383 delegates in total.

While Clinton was widely viewed as unlikely to expand her pledged delegates over the threshold of 2,383 next Tuesday, when six of the remaining seven Democratic nomination races will be held, U.S. cable news, such as CNN, had already predicted that she would clinch the nomination soon with the help of unpledged delegates, or superdelegates.

In an earlier TV program broadcasted in late May, MSNBC host Chris Matthews also revealed that major U.S. TV networks were planning to call the Democratic primary for Clinton on June 7, hours before the close of polls in California.

"I'm told by the experts on numbers around here are NBC and elsewhere that come June... that at 8 o'clock that night, Eastern time, the networks will be prepared, including this one, to announce that Hillary Clinton had now gotten over the top, that she will have won the nomination in number, it's done," said Matthews then to Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver.

However, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), had for long urged the U.S. mainstream media not to count superdelegates in there reports.

"Combining them (pledged delegates earned in state-by-state race and superdelegates) at each phase of this contest is not an accurate picture of how this works," said Wasserman Schultz in an interview with MSNBC in February.

In the Democratic field this election cycle, the 714 superdelegates, unpledged Democratic Party leaders who are free to support any candidate, can make their final decision at the national convention in July. So far, an overwhelming majority had declared support to Clinton.

"The way the media is reporting this is incorrect," said Wasserman Schultz.

Though admitting that it was uphill battle, Sanders had repeatedly argued that he would be able to persuade some superdelegates to switch allegiance.

Apart from leading Sanders in the number of pledged delegates and superdelegates, Clinton also leads the race in the number of votes cast. However, Sanders' one advantage over Clinton is hard to ignore.

According to PolitiFact.com, a project dedicated to "fact-check" of statements of politicians and the federal government, Sanders fared better against Trump than Clinton did in all polls over the last six weeks.

On Sunday, a new poll released by CBS News also found that while Clinton leads Trump in a hypothetical matchup with 48 to 33 percent in California and 49 to 34 percent in New Jersey, Sanders leads Trump by larger margins of 23 and 18 percent in the two states respectively.
COLOMBO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A soldier was killed and two others sustained injuries Sunday in an army camp fire just outside the capital Colombo, according to local media.

Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, an army spokesman, said the fire started at an armoury and spread in the camp, resulting in multiple explosions and forcing police to evacuate nearby villagers.

He said personnel from air force and navy were sent to help dousing the fire apart from the Colombo Fire brigade.

The government has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to conduct an investigation into the fire.

The army is also expected to carry out a probe to determine the cause of the explosions.
Melbourne, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Tasmania and Victoria have been issued major flood warnings as the storms that battered Queensland and New South Wales over the weekend are moving south.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued warnings on Monday of flash flooding risks on Tasmania's central north, northeast, east, southeast and northwest coast's as well as the state's central plateau and midlands.

Emergency services say that Launceston, Tasmania's second biggest city, is facing its most significant flood threat since the 1929 Tasmanian floods which killed 22 people.

Some residents of St Leonards, only a few kms southeast of Launceston, were evacuated from their homes early on Monday morning with more expected to follow as the rainfall continues.

Mhairi Revie, a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service (SES), said some rivers in Australia's southernmost state will reach unparalleled levels.

"Levels in the North Esk (river) are potentially going to exceed the 1929 flood," she said.

Experts warned that the Mersey River which runs through Devonport, a town of 25,000 people in the central north of the state, is most at risk of major flooding as levels will continue to rise for the next 12 hours.

More than 100 roads across Tasmania are closed in order to prevent civilians from driving into potentially dangerous high waters.

The authorities in Victoria are also on high alert with heavy rain and flash flooding expected to hit East Gippsland.

"Stream rises are the main concern, not necessarily flooding with large volumes of rain in a small period of time," John Parker from Victoria's SES told the Nine Network on Monday.

East Gippsland is expecting between 50 and 100 millimeters of rain on Monday.

The low-pressure weather system wreaked havoc on coastal Queensland and New South Wales over the weekend, leaving homes destroyed and emergency services inundated with 9,000 calls in New South Wales alone.
Justin Gatlin of the United States celebrates after Men's 100m race at 2016 IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai, China on May 14, 2016. Justin Gatlin claimed the title with 9.94 seconds. (Xinhua file photo)

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Justin Gatlin said he hoped to be a part of the fastest ever 100m sprint at this year's Olympic Games after winning an exhibition event in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

The 2004 Olympic champion cruised to victory in the Mano a Mano challenge, clocking 10.23 seconds on a temporary floating track at the Quinta da Boa Vista lake in Rio's west.

Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson was second in 10.29 seconds and Brazil's Vitor Hugo dos Santos third in 10.42 seconds.

Despite heavy rain, a large crowd turned out to watch the US sprinter as he fine-tuned his preparations for a much-anticipated showdown with six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt at the Rio 2016 Games in August.

"We have the utmost respect for each other when it comes to competition and I just want to go out with a bang," Gatlin said after the race.

"I want it to be one of the most exciting races in track and field history. I want fans around the world to stand still for nine seconds and watch the fastest race ever."

"The track today was really good, despite the rain. The event was incredible. I was impressed by the big crowd given the weather. I've never run on water before."

Gatlin said he was not deterred by concerns about violence and pollution in Rio.

"The fact that me and other foreigners are here shows that Brazil is safe and a great place to come to," he said.

"You only get to live the Olympic dream once every four years and you never know if you're going to have another opportunity. That's why it's important to make the dream last as long as possible."

Despite having turned 34 in February, Gatlin is adamant that he is better now than when he won the 100m gold medal at the Athens 2004 Games.

"At the Olympics there are many distractions, like the glamor of the event and the excitement that surrounds it, especially in a place like Brazil. Experience helps you to stay focused."
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Participants pose for a group photo after the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attended the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.

High-ranking officials from the two countries will discuss issues including advancing bilateral relations, deepening pragmatic cooperation, and managing differences and sensitive issues within the two-day dialogues and consultations.

Related:

Spotlight: China, U.S. to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, tackle investment, trade issues at high-level dialogue

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday in Beijing to kick off the eighth Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), the last for the Obama administration, to discuss a wide range of economic issues from macroeconomic policy, investment treaty to industrial overcapacity and trade disputes.

The annual high-level dialogue also coincides this year with China hosting the Group of 20 (G20) summit and the United States holding presidential elections. While it's too early to tell what specific outcomes the two sides could get from the two-day dialogue, past experiences suggest that maintaining regular dialogues and continued engagement between the world's two largest economies is increasingly crucial to both countries and the global economy. Full Story

Commentary: 2016 China-U.S. dialogue is of "quintet" significance

NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday and Tuesday in Beijing for an annual high-level dialogue that involves the most agencies and covers the widest range of issues under the bilateral relationship.
HO CHI MINH CITY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese customs have recently detected four cases of importing Khat leaves which contains cathinone, classified by Vietnam as a narcotic drug, from Africa via southern Tan Son Nhat international airport, local media reported Monday.

The customs at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City have confiscated over 1.2 tons of Khat leaves recently, including 336 kg on Sunday, newspaper Hai Quan (Customs) reported.

If the 1.2 tons of Khat leaves had been re-exported to the United States or some European countries, their owners would have gained estimated 2.2 million U.S. dollars, said the local newspaper.

Khat (Catha edulis) is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Among communities from these areas, khat chewing has a history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.

Khat contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.

In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a drug of abuse that can produce mild-to-moderate psychological dependence, although WHO does not consider khat to be seriously addictive.

It is illegal or a controlled substance in many countries, while its production, sale, and consumption are legal in some African nations.
YANGON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw has called for action to protect resources and the ecosystem to ensure sustainable development for future generations, according to an official report Monday.

Marking the World Environment Day in Nay Pyi Taw under the theme "Zero Tolerance for Illegal Wildlife Trade," U Htin Kyaw also urged at a function investment in alternative technologies to save the environment and biodiversity.

Environmental issues must be considered in the country's development policy, he said, adding Myanmar will formulate a national environmental policy and strategic framework and a master plan in collaboration the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

He appealed to people to understand the damage illicit business is doing to the environment, communities and people's livelihood.

According to statistics, 36 wildlife sanctuaries have been set up on 5.6 percent of the country's land area by 2015, and more such sanctuaries are to be established in the country which has seven ASEAN heritage parks.

Myanmar has also taken action against 189 cases of illicit wildlife trade during the six-year period from 2010 to 2016. Enditem
CANBERRA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Australians in areas affected by raging floodwaters have been urged not to cross rivers or enter floodwaters after the body of a 37-year-old man was recovered near Canberra on Monday.

The man is the first person to have been announced as a casualty of the floods, which intensified after storms lashed the east coast of Australia overnight.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Police's Station Sergeant Harry Hains told the media the man had attempted to cross the Cotter River near Canberra but became stuck in his car.

While awaiting emergency services support, the man was washed away from his car and his body was found some time later.

"During the course of the (rescue) events a male was located in his vehicle, stuck in raging flood waters in the middle of the Cotter River," Hains told the press on Monday.

"While trying to ascertain a safe method to extract him, the vehicle has shifted and the male has disappeared from view along with his vehicle."

"A search was then undertaken and a short time later, police located what we believe to be a body stuck in raging floodwaters in an island in the middle of the river," he said.

"Police and emergency services declared it was not safe to recover the body last night, this morning, emergency services reconvened and retrieved the body of a 37-year-old male."

Hains, as well as the ACT State Emergency Service (SES), has asked residents not to take unnecessary risks in times of floods as they are unpredictable and help might not always be available.

"What I would like to say is that these types of weather conditions, extreme weather conditions we've experienced, do lead adventure-seeking type people to seek mud with their four-wheel drives," Hains said.

"There is no risk worth taking to cross a flooded river. If a river looks too deep to cross, it's too deep to cross."

The SES's Conrad Barr said floodwaters carried unseen risks, such as stronger currents, felled trees and logs as well as other, fast-moving debris which could displace cars from the road.

"I can't stress more highly, please don't try to drive through floodwaters, and steer clear of things like storm-water drains and all those sorts of things. I know it might look spectacular but it's far safer being inside, out of the rain," he told the press.

The storms have caused nationwide power and service outages, with flood warnings extending from Queensland, down through Sydney, Canberra, eastern Victoria and Tasmania. Many areas, including the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, have experienced rainfalls of more than half a meter over the weekend.
(Xinhuanet file photo)

by Xinhua Writer Fei Liena

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- As China and the United States start their annual high-level dialogue here Monday, Washington needs to join China in focusing on the big picture of bilateral cooperation and preventing the South China Sea issue from jeopardizing their overall ties.

The eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which will be held alongside the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), is expected to cover a wide range of topics, including the South China Sea situation.

As Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang has said, the two sides will exchange "candid, in-depth views on important and sensitive issues of shared concern," which indicates China's readiness to discuss hot and sensitive matters with the United States as well as its resolve to control and manage differences through dialogue.

Yet as hot as it is, the South China Sea issue does not have the United States as a directly involved party and should not be allowed to derail the largest and most promising dialogue mechanism between the world's top two economies.

As Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has pointed out, China-U.S. relations are just "too important" to be "hijacked" by the South China Sea issue, and the region should not become a "competing ground" for China and the United States.

"We may have major differences, but we also share important interests, including maintaining regional peace and stability, supporting freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, and resolving disputes through peaceful negotiations and diplomatic dialogue," Cui said.

The annual high-level bilateral dialogue has played an important and unique role in promoting strategic mutual trust, exploring mutually beneficial cooperation and deepening friendship between China and the United States.

This year's edition, which includes dozens of important topics in the strategic, economic and cultural fields, is no exception. Not only will the dialogue serve as a de-stressing platform for the two sides to constructively resolve problems and contain differences, but it will also help promote healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations in the interest of both countries.

As the world's two major countries, China and the United States share a broad range of common interests, though with differences emerging now and then. However, the common interests weigh much more than the differences, and the depth and width of bilateral cooperation far exceed those of frictions.

As problems between China and the United States are just small streams from the big river of China-U.S. relations, one should not fix attention only on the streams while neglecting the forward running torrent.

History has proven that as long as the two countries focus on the big picture by expanding common ground and reserving differences, they will be able to overcome temporary difficulties and further advance bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both and all.

Related:

Spotlight: China, U.S. to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, tackle investment, trade issues at high-level dialogue

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday in Beijing to kick off the eighth Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), the last for the Obama administration, to discuss a wide range of economic issues from macroeconomic policy, investment treaty to industrial overcapacity and trade disputes.

The annual high-level dialogue also coincides this year with China hosting the Group of 20 (G20) summit and the United States holding presidential elections. While it's too early to tell what specific outcomes the two sides could get from the two-day dialogue, past experiences suggest that maintaining regular dialogues and continued engagement between the world's two largest economies is increasingly crucial to both countries and the global economy. Full Story

Commentary: 2016 China-U.S. dialogue is of "quintet" significance

NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday and Tuesday in Beijing for an annual high-level dialogue that involves the most agencies and covers the widest range of issues under the bilateral relationship.
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/Zhao Yingquan)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Experts of Asian nations Sunday refuted China's "self-isolation" claims by U.S. Pentagon chief Ashton Carter.

In his speech during the ongoing 15th Shangri-La Dialogue, which focuses on the security of the Asia-Pacific, Carter said Saturday that China could end up "erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation."

"Carter's remarks will not help build bridges between countries. What's important to do at present is to have a collaborative approach, rather than harsh comments," said Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, a visiting lecturer in International Political Economy for University of London in Sri Lanka Royal Institute of Colombo, on the sidelines of the dialogue.

"The remarks came with the U.S. pivot to Asia ... the U.S. wants more presence here," Asanga said, adding that "if you look at the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance facilities that the United States built in this area, you can see a serious increase of U.S. presence."

Speaking of China, Asanga said other regional partners and China "share similar culture, it's one community," adding that China has never been isolated in history, nor will be in the future.

Wu Xinbo, executive dean of China's Institute of International Studies at prestigious Fudan University, said that Carter's remarks aimed to sell to Asian nations the U.S. idea to establish a NATO-like security network in the region that is underpinned by the U.S.-favored principles and its regional allies.

Wu also said that Carter's comment seems more like "a self amusement" due to U.S. frustration over China's increasing security exchanges with Asian countries.

China cannot be farther than "being isolated" in the region, Wu said. "Years of U.S. pressure have proved futile, and China is doing what it thinks necessary, so the U.S. has nothing else to do but saying 'look, you are isolated.'"

Tea Banh, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, also said Saturday that he doesn't think Carter's claims are correct, since "the best way to solve disputes is through peaceful means and let related parties achieve mutual understanding via dialogue."

Huang Jing, professor at the National University of Singapore, said that as China develops, Asia-Pacific countries had built close relations with not only the United States but also China, which proves Carter's claims are "exaggerated."

These claims are "misinterpreting China's policies, and are not in line with the two countries' consensus on forging a new pattern of relationship," said Colonel Lu Yin, associate researcher from the Institute of Strategic Studies of China's National Defense University.

The colonel noted that Carter's remarks revealed logical paradoxes in the U.S. rebalance strategy in the Asia-Pacific.

"I don't see it possible that without efforts from China, the United States can realize its rebalance strategy in the Asia-Pacific region as well as achieve common prosperity as envisioned," said Lu.
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday attended an opening ceremony of a China-U.S. high-level dialogue, calling on the two nations to properly manage differences and sensitive issues.

Differences between China and the United States are quite normal, Xi told the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.

So long as the two sides tackle differences and sensitive issues in the principle of mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relations can avoid major disturbance, Xi said, adding that China and the United States should strengthen communication and cooperation on Asia-Pacific affairs.

The broad Pacific Ocean, Xi said, should not become an arena for rivalry, but a big platform for inclusive cooperation.

Related:

Commentary: China-U.S. common interests transcend South China Sea disputes

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- As China and the United States start their annual high-level dialogue here Monday, Washington needs to join China in focusing on the big picture of bilateral cooperation and preventing the South China Sea issue from jeopardizing their overall ties. Full story

Commentary: 2016 China-U.S. dialogue is of "quintet" significance

NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday and Tuesday in Beijing for an annual high-level dialogue that involves the most agencies and covers the widest range of issues under the bilateral relationship.

The eighth Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which will be held in parallel with the seventh High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), is of "quintet" significance as it takes place in a crucial year in which the United States is holding presidential elections and China is to host the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Full story

U.S. hails annual high-level China-U.S. dialogue as effective, important mechanism

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government hailed Friday the annual high-level China-U.S. strategic and economic dialogue as an effective and important mechanism to address a wide range of important issues.
Photo taken on June 5, 2016 shows a crashed bus at the accident site on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, near Navi Mumbai, India. (Xinhua/Stringer)

NEW DELHI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people were killed and more than 40 others injured after a private bus crashed into two cars before plunging into a 20-feet deep ditch on Mumbai-Pune Expressway inIndia Sunday morning, a senior police official said.

"The accident took place around 5:30 a.m. (local time) when the speeding bus rammed into a car that had stopped on the side of the high-speed corridor to help the driver of another car that had also stopped to replace a flat tyre," he said, on condition of anonymity.

What followed was a disaster. The bus did not come to a halt after hitting the first stationery car and it went on to hit the other vehicle that had a deflated tyre, before careening into the 20-feet deep ditch on the left side of the expressway.

People try to hang up the crashed bus with a crane at the accident site on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, near Navi Mumbai, India, on June 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Stringer)

"While 17 people, including a six-month-old infant died on the spot, those injured have been admitted to local hospitals where the condition of a few are said to be serious. The victims were mostly passengers of the ill-fated bus," the police official said.

Local TV channels showed footage of the mangled remains of the three vehicles and reported, quoting eye-witnesses, that the bus bus driver may have failed to see the tail-lights of the cars owing to a cloudy morning.

However, a probe has been ordered into the incident, the official added.

India records the highest number of road accidents in the world, with WHO figures indicating that over 200,000 people get killed every year.
by Muhammad Tahir

ISLAMABAD, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan enforced a new mechanism on one of its busiest border crossing points with Afghanistan last week that requires every Afghan to carry legal travel documents for entering the country.

People living near the border areas on both sides could have previously crossed the border without any documents. Pakistani officials, however, argue that the unchecked cross-border movement has created a serious security threat as militants are mingling with the locals to cross the border for "terrorist activities."

As the cross-border movement by the militants had always been a major irritant to bilateral relations, there was an urgent need for a better border control system to stop the movement of the militants. Observers maintain however that there is a need for both countries to develop and reach a consensus on the issue, as both countries face the threat of terrorism.

The Afghan ambassador to Islamabad, Omar Zakhilwal, has said Afghanistan "is as yet not confident about the new measures with respect to the visa requirements for all travelers trough Torkham and other crossing points from Afghanistan."

For his part, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nafees Zikriya has defended the decision and said "effective border management is part of our counter-terrorism efforts, which is in the interest of both countries."

He told reporters last week that border management was "vital for checking infiltrations across the long and porous Pakistan-Afghanistan border."

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,600 km common border, mostly porous, and the militants take advantage of the unchecked and undocumented cross-border movement.

Pakistan embassy spokesman in Kabul Akhtar Munir told Xinhua recently that the embassy and four Pakistani consulates in Afghanistan issue between 1,800 to 2,000 visas daily to Afghan nationals but 20,000 to 25,000 people daily enter Pakistan through Torkham alone, the majority without any travel documents.

He said investigations have suggested that the militants, who carried out major attacks in Pakistan, including the Bach Khan University in January this year, an assault on an air force base near Peshawar last year, and the deadliest terrorist attack on the army public school in December 2014, crossed the Torkham border to enter Pakistan.

The spokesman's remarks reflect the growing sensitivity of the issue that requires the attention of both terrorist-hit countries to agree on such a mechanism to address the issue of illegal border crossing.

Whatever the gravity of the situation might have been, any decision should be made bilaterally as both countries have been badly affected by violent extremism and terrorism.

Some developments including a lack of progress on the peace process have caused tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, so the issue of border management should not cause more differences as bilateral cooperation is essential now, more than ever, to deal with common challenges, political watchers have said.

Border monitoring mechanisms are also essential to stop the crossing into Afghanistan of miscreants from the Pakistani side of the border.

Afghanistan has long-been complaining about the entry of the militants from this side of the border.

Independent political commentators have also advised both the neighboring countries to focus on some sort of a border control mechanism to effectively address the issue of illegal crossings, as this is seen as vital to strengthening mutual security.

A former Pakistani military officer, Syed Nazeer, is not averse to a border management system, but is calling for such an approach to be gradually introduced.

"I think Pakistan should not impose abrupt restrictions unilaterally. Any decision should be bilateral as both sides have the responsibility to secure their common border," Nazeer, a retired Pakistan army brigadier, told Xinhua on Sunday. He suggested travel incentives for those who are settled in the border areas on both sides.

Former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand, tracing the history of the border agreement also known as the "DurandLine," said people living within 8 km on both sides of the border, should not require any documents to cross the border.

Mohmand, however, said that any country has the right to secure its border and introduce such a system to ensure that no unscrupulous elements exploit the laxness in security.
CARACAS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelans marched en masse against the Organization of American States (OAS) over the weekend, after OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro attempted to sanction Venezuela for allegedly violating human rights laws.

Labor groups, women's groups, indigenous groups and youth activists from the northwest state of Anzoategui to northeast Portuguesa gathered at the city's Plaza Bolivar and demonstrated their support for the ruling socialist party.

The protests coincided with showing a support of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) from the 25 member countries, which wrapped up its seventh summit in Havana, Cuba on Saturday.

The summit issued a special declaration expressing solidarity with the Venezuelan government.

The protesters described the ACS declaration is a "victory" for "new regionalism" movement.

The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela has come under increasing pressure from its political rivals since President Nicolas Maduro came to power in 2013 with a slight win over the Democratic Unity Roundtable, a candidate of the right-wing coalition.

The ACS urged Venezuela's opposing political camps to hold dialogue in order to ease the growing tension.

"Governments of the Caribbean and Latin America have told Almagro that Venezuela must be respected, that Venezuela's problems are resolved by Venezuelans," Jorge Arreaza, minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, said during a demonstration in Caracas.

"What the summit of the ACS achieved is a credible demonstration that Latin America today is different," Selene Estrach of the Venezuelan Ecologist Movement told Xinhua.

The level of integration achieved "cannot be broken easily." Such statements in defense of the sovereignty of other states by blocs such as the ACS have been made possible by the growing unity and integration of regional countries in the past decade and a half, noted Estrach.

Ronmer Canizalez, a member of the PSUV's youth groups, believes the OAS head's criticism against Venezuela is part of a larger push "orchestrated by the United States" against the socialist party and regional progressive governments.

Protests were also organized by the country's seven federations of transport workers.

However, Jesus Blanco Gonzalez, president of the National Association of Transport Workers, said that strikes were not a solution to Venezuela's political and economic crises.

"The solution is to keep working and to invest in the sector. We will contribute to resolving the country's economic situation," said Blanco.
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday urged China and the United States to deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually-beneficial cooperation at a bilateral high-level dialogue.

Addressing the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), Xi said all countries share intertwined interests against the backdrop of world multi-polarization, economic globalization and social informatization.

Thus, China and the United States should strengthen their mutual trust by regular communication in order to avoid strategic misjudgment, he said.

The Chinese president also called on the two sides to expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, uphold the win-win principle, and raise the level of bilateral cooperation.

He urged both countries to strengthen coordination on their macroeconomic polices, jointly strive for achieving positive outcomes at the G20 Hangzhou summit with all parties concerned, and reach a reciprocal bilateral investment treaty at an early date.

China and the United States should also deepen cooperation in the areas of climate change, development, Internet, nonproliferation, military and law enforcement, and enhance communication and coordination on major global and regional issues, Xi added.

The S&ED is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday and Tuesday, while Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chairs the CPE with Kerry.

Related:

President Xi eyes deeper China-U.S. cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for deepening communication and cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs between China and the United States. Full story

President Xi calls on China, U.S. to properly manage differences

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday attended an opening ceremony of a China-U.S. high-level dialogue, calling on the two nations to properly manage differences and sensitive issues. Full story

Commentary: China-U.S. common interests transcend South China Sea disputes

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- As China and the United States start their annual high-level dialogue here Monday, Washington needs to join China in focusing on the big picture of bilateral cooperation and preventing the South China Sea issue from jeopardizing their overall ties. Full story

Commentary: 2016 China-U.S. dialogue is of "quintet" significance

NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will gather on Monday and Tuesday in Beijing for an annual high-level dialogue that involves the most agencies and covers the widest range of issues under the bilateral relationship.

The eighth Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which will be held in parallel with the seventh High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), is of "quintet" significance as it takes place in a crucial year in which the United States is holding presidential elections and China is to host the Group of 20 (G20) summit. Full story

U.S. hails annual high-level China-U.S. dialogue as effective, important mechanism

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government hailed Friday the annual high-level China-U.S. strategic and economic dialogue as an effective and important mechanism to address a wide range of important issues.
COLOMBO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 47 people received treatment after a major fire at an army camp in Kosgama, just outside Colombo while one soldier was killed, officials said on Monday.

The Health Ministry said most of those who sought treatment in hospital suffered from various ailments and were discharged after receiving medical care.

The military said that the fire which broke out on Sunday evening had been brought under control by early Monday morning.

Residents living over 1 km from the army camp were allowed to return to their homes after being evacuated last night.

The fire resulted in multiple explosions, forcing the police to evacuate nearby residents.

Army spokesman, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said that the fire erupted at an armoury and spread in the camp.

He said that the air force and navy assisted in attempts to douse the flames while the Colombo Fire brigade had also been deployed.

Army Commander Chrishantha de Silva inspected the camp on Monday and an investigation had also been launched.
by Jon Day

TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga has received a huge boost to his tireless campaign to block the transfer of a highly-controversial U.S. military base within Japan's southernmost prefecture, following candidates also opposing the relocation plan gaining a majority in the prefectural assembly election there on Sunday as anti-U.S. sentiment continues to rise on the island.

Candidates in the election who specifically backed Onaga comprised a majority and gained 27 seats, whereas four others also won their races, bringing the total seat holders in the prefectural assembly opposed to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, from the crowed area of Ginowan to the coastal Nago region also on the island, to 31 out of 48 seats.

The winning bloc now includes politicians from the Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party of Japan.

Onaga told local reporters that the victory had huge implications for the future of U.S. bases hosted in Okinawa and said that the victory would give his campaign to block the relocation of the Futenma base within the island, increased momentum and add gravitas to the relevance of his dispute on the issue with the central government and the United States.

"It is a big victory and our position to block the base's relocation within Okinawa has won great support," Onaga told local media, adding, "We will continue to address the issue in the current manner."

He said that the outcome incontrovertibly proved that the people of Okinawa are united in their support for U.S. bases being moved off the island and the prefecture's decades of post-war base-hosting burdens be significantly reduced if not lifted entirely.

While the election campaign was based around the notion of how to reduce the U.S.'s military footprint on the tiny sub-tropical island, whose land accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan's total land mass, yet hosts some 75 percent of U.S. bases in Japan, anti-U.S. sentiment has been rapidly heating up on the island following a spate of recent crimes committed by U.S. base-linked personnel.

On the very day of the vote, a U.S. Navy sailor was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and injuring at least two people in a traffic accident on the island, with the arrest coming on the heels of an internationally-condemned murder by a base-linked worker on May 19, which involved a former U.S. Marine admitting that he had kidnapped, raped, strangled and bludgeoned a young girl to death before dumping her body in a forested area on the island, in what he also admitted was premeditated attack.

Such was the anger at this heinous crime, that Onaga demanded to speak with U.S. President Barack Obama directly and voice his harsh condemnation of the attack, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, although himself a proponent of relocating the base, voiced his fury with the American leader while he was in Japan recently for a Group of Seven leaders' summit, which Abe was hosting.

Prior to this, and also fanning the flames of growing discontent in Okinawa at the presence of the U.S. military, a U.S. Navy sailor was arrested in March after raping a woman in a hotel in Naha City, the capital of Okinawa.

The latest murder and previous attacks have led to strong vilification from the people of Okinawa towards the United States, and saw some 4,000 people rally against having to forcibly host the U.S. bases recently, with local officials, including Onaga, stating that the rising trend of crime by U.S. base-linked personnel against locals is directly attributable to the disproportionately high base-hosting obligations of the tiny prefecture.

Anti-U.S. sentiment has been steadily rising on the island, and spiked in 1995, when an elementary schoolgirl was savagely gang-raped by three U.S. servicemen and despite the anti-Onaga camp during the recent elections trying to focus the race on local economic policies, the island's base-hosting-linked traumas remained the predominant front-and-center issue of the campaign, with voter turnout rising to 53.31 percent from the previous election.
HAIKOU, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Aerial photo shows rescuers setting up relief tents at Xiapo village struck by a tornado in Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province, June 6, 2016. One person was killed and 11 others injured after a tornado hit Wenchang City on Sunday afternoon, local authorities said Monday. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

HAIKOU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and 11 others injured after a tornado hit Wenchang City in south China's Hainan on Sunday afternoon, local authorities said Monday.

The tornado struck the townships of Jinshan and Fengpo on the island province, cutting off power supply, uprooting trees and ripping roofs off houses, according to the city's emergency office.

The tornado has affected 749 people from the two towns. Four of the 11 injured suffered serious injuries. They are receiving treatment at the People's Hospital of Hainan Province.

A total of 178 homes were damaged in the tornado.

The rescue work continues.
KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. journalist and his Afghan translator, were killed as militants attacked an Afghan army convoy in the southern Helmand province on Sunday, an Afghan military official confirmed early Monday.

"David Gilkey of U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) and his translator Zabihullah Tamana were embedded a convoy of Afghan national army when the militants fired an 82 mm caliber gun and it unfortunately struck the military vehicle Humvee where the ill-fated journalists were in," Major General Mohammad Moheen Faqir, commander of army Corps 215 Maiwand, told Xinhua.

"Taliban are suspected to carry out this attack since the militant group are active in that area," he added. However, neither group nor individual has claimed responsibility.

"Both the journalists were killed on the spot in the unfortunate incident which occurred in Marja district at around 02:30 p.m. local time," the official added.

The late journalists were covering the clashes between security forces and militants as well as the security situation in the restive Helmand province when the gruesome incident happened, the official said, adding Tamana had served as translator for Gilkey in the mission.

An army soldier who was driving the Humvee used by the ill-fated journalists was also killed in the attack, the official asserted.

Two more NPR reporters were travelling in a separate vehicle escaped unharmed, Faqir said.

Zabihullah Tamana, 38, had served as photojournalist for Xinhua News Agency Kabul bureau from 2003 to 2010.

Around 50 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan over the past one and half decade, six of them since 2015, according to Nai, an agency supporting media in Afghanistan.
SYDNEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian authorities have sent a strong message to companies for underpaying interns.

The Fair Work Ombudsman issued a 281,010 Australian dollar fine to media company AIMG BQ Pty Ltd, for the exploitation of a Chinese international student through an unpaid internship.

The company operates Chinese-language websites and publications targeted at Australia's Chinese community.

It was alleged the 24-year-old international student was studying a Master of Event Management at University of Technology Sydney and required to do 180 hours of unpaid casual work over a four-month period before the company would begin paying her wages.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Employment Principal Giri Sivaraman told Xinhua on Monday businesses needed to be aware that using "internships" to circumvent worker protections under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) could possibly expose them to liability.

"Businesses are officially on notice that exploiting the labor of vulnerable workers will simply not be tolerated," Sivaraman said.

"Interns are susceptible to exploitation for a number of legal and social reasons."

He noted the legal meaning of "internship" was unclear.

"Businesses target migrant workers with no knowledge of Australia's industrial law framework, making them unlikely to question their poor employment conditions."
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/Zhao Yingquan)

BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Philippines' assertion concerning the South China Sea (SCS) abused the international law and the United States' interference is only a show of hegemony that does no good to anybody, Chinese overseas scholars said Sunday at a seminar in Berlin.

The seminar, themed "The South China Sea Issue: China's Stance, International Voice", gathered several Chinese overseas scholars in Germany, The Netherlands and other European countries.

It was also attended by more than 50 representatives of Chinese students studying in Berlin, Chinese enterprises and overseas Chinese living in Germany.

Noting the SCS case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in 2013, Qiu Rungen, visiting scholar at Berlin's Humboldt University and an expert on international economic law, said that such an arbitration, though deliberately wrapped up, actually violates the legislative purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its juridical logic.

In fact, China and the Philippines have agreed in bilaterally-signed documents to settle SCS disputes through dialogues and negotiations. Additionally, China made a declaration in 2006 that excluded a compulsory arbitration under Article 298 of the UNCLS.

Given these facts, Qiu said that China's assertion of neither accepting nor participating in the SCS arbitration is not only fully in line with the UNCLOS but also meets the basic legal principle of international laws.

It's evident that the Philippines has abused the legal procedure to initiate the unilateral arbitration and the international tribunal's jurisdiction over the case was marred with nomological bias, said Luo Gang, a doctoral student specialized in international law in Germany.

The SCS international arbitration tribunal in The Hague announced its jurisdiction over the case in October 2015, and prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months. However, the combination of the tribunal and its judging process are questioned by a number of Chinese and international scholars.

The U.S. role messing up the SCS was also discussed by the Chinese scholars.

The United States has made a series of harsh rhetoric on the SCS issue, mostly accusing China of threatening the freedom of navigation, while it itself exercised several military operations by closely flying or sailing past South China Sea islands, violating China's sovereign rights and adding tension to the region.

The arbitration case shows that the United States can not tolerate the rise of China and has fancied China's development a challenge to the America-dominated international order, Humboldt University Law doctoral student Li Ke pointed out.

U.S. words and deeds expose once again that the American hegemony is accustomed to use so-called "rules" to pursue power politics, Li added.

The Chinese scholars attending the seminar all agreed that the "disputed" Nansha Islands have long been part of the Chinese territory, which is not only supported by numerous historical evidence since ancient times, but also by the many international treaties from modern times.

They voiced opposition to the Philippines' illegal seizure of China's Nansha Islands and reefs, calling for more support to safeguard the international law and the legal interest of China.

Chinese overseas scholars should help to have more voices from China heard on the international arena for a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes, said Wang Qi, doctoral candidate for law at the Free University of Berlin, who is also an organizer of the seminar.

Related:

Chinese Society of the Law of the Sea issues statement on South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines

BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Society of the Law of the Sea has issued a statement on the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines. Following is the English version of the statement: Full story

Spotlight: China will not fall into trap of South China Sea arbitration: Chinese ambassador

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Xinhua) -- China will not give certain countries the satisfaction of tricking it into the trap of the South China Sea arbitration, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Tian Xuejun, said on Thursday.

In an article carried by Independent Media's nationwide newspaper The Star, Tian reveals the fallacy of the arbitration and reiterates the legitimacy of China's decision of neither participating in nor accepting the arbitration. Full story

Old map shows the Philippines' claim over South China Sea islands groundless

NEW YORK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- An old map published in 1899 by geographer J. Martin Miller shows that islands in the South China Sea have never been Philippine territory, Zeng Yingjing, the owner of the map, has told Xinhua.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday published eight typical cases solved during a special campaign to crack down on piracy and online pornography to ensure the healthy development of young people.

The National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications in February launched a campaign against production, sale and distribution of illegal publications and online content that could affect juveniles.

In one of the eight typical cases, police in east China's Zhejiang Province found 27 suspects, some of whom were minors, were using online chat groups to spread pornography for profit. The groups on chat service QQ had more than 600 members, the majority of whom were minors, according to the office's statement.

In another case, police uncovered suspects selling obscene videos via cloud storage services. The primary suspect in the case was a juvenile.

In other cases, police busted the illegal printing and sale of pirated books for children. Production and storage sites and illegal bookstores were closed.
URUMQI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Muslims across China began observing Ramadan on Monday, which lasts from June 6 to July 6 this year.

During the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual reflection, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and dusk. It is widely observed by ethnic minorities in China, including the Hui, Uygur, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz.

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with some 24,000 mosques, is home to more than 13 million Muslims. Senior leaders of the Xinjiang regional government visited teachers and students at Xinjiang Islamic Institute on Sunday.

Zhang Chunxian, secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), extended greetings to Muslims of different ethnic groups.

China has about 20 million Muslims. Ramadan is also observed in other autonomous regions, provinces and cities including Gansu, Ningxia and Beijing.

"Muslims here fast and attend religious services just as usual," said Zhang Heng, an imam in Lanzhou City, capital of Gansu Province.

Xiao Yuchun of the Gansu Provincial Religious Affairs Bureau said the freedom to fast in the province is fully guaranteed, adding the bureau also sends officials to visit religious personnel and believers during Ramadan.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A training course for officers with the UN peacekeeping forces began in China on Monday.

The course, held jointly by the UN peacekeeping department and the Ministry of National Defense, is being held in the country for the first time.

A total of 26 senior peacekeeping experts from 17 countries will give lectures to peacekeeping commanders and soldiers.

The training will last until June 17, covering 23 subjects such as peacekeeping leadership, peacekeeping legal framework, civilian protection and logistical support.

During the opening ceremony, trainees stood in silent tribute to soldiers killed in past peacekeeping missions.

Herve Ladsous, head of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, spoke highly of Chinese peacekeeping soldiers at the ceremony. He also voiced his condolences to the departed and injured peacekeepers.

China has taken part in more than 24 UN peacekeeping missions in the past 26 years. More than 31,000 Chinese soldiers have served in operations, ranking first among all five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
File photo provided by National Public Radio (NPR) shows Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna (L), and NPR journalist David Gilkey, who were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on June 5, 2016. (NPR via AP)

KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. journalist and his Afghan translator, were killed as militants attacked an Afghan army convoy in the southern Helmand province on Sunday, an Afghan military official confirmed early Monday.

"David Gilkey of U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) and his translator Zabihullah Tamana were embedded a convoy of Afghan national army when the militants fired an 82 mm caliber gun and it unfortunately struck the military vehicle Humvee where the ill-fated journalists were in," Major General Mohammad Moheen Faqir, commander of army Corps 215 Maiwand, told Xinhua.

"Taliban are suspected to carry out this attack since the militant group are active in that area," he added. However, neither group nor individual has claimed responsibility.

"Both the journalists were killed on the spot in the unfortunate incident which occurred in Marja district at around 02:30 p.m. local time," the official added.

The late journalists were covering the clashes between security forces and militants as well as the security situation in the restive Helmand province when the gruesome incident happened, the official said, adding Tamana had served as translator for Gilkey in the mission.

An army soldier who was driving the Humvee used by the ill-fated journalists was also killed in the attack, the official asserted.

Two more NPR reporters were travelling in a separate vehicle escaped unharmed, Faqir said.

Photo taken on May 15, 2015 shows Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna (L) as he prepares to broadcast live on the roof of a house at Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul. (AFP Photo)

Zabihullah Tamana, 38, had served as photojournalist for Xinhua News Agency Kabul bureau from 2003 to 2010.

Around 50 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan over the past one and half decade, six of them since 2015, according to Nai, an agency supporting media in Afghanistan.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese are coming!

The subject has been hitting the headlines of world media over recent years. "Chinese are taking over the world," the Guardian exclaimed in 2011; In 2015, Forbes reported about "Hungry dragon" buying America; and in 2016, the Daily Telegraph warned that Chinese buyers were "targeting Australia."

These headlines mirror the complex feelings about Chinese investment, which have been oscillating between welcome and suspicion, coupled with prejudice, misunderstanding and fear.

Some experts have pointed out that the West's "over-sensitivity" toward China is mainly due to differences in values and ideology, a lingering Cold War mindset and uneasiness over China's rapid growth.

SCAPEGOATING CHINESE

With house prices soaring lately in some major cities of countries such as Canada, Australia, the United States and New Zealand, rhetoric about "Chinese invasion" is growing louder. Media overemphasis on Chinese buyers over other ethnic groups has fuelled public concerns that they are pricing local buyers out of the housing market.

Many surveys and media reports have found that more and more people now believe that offshore buyers, mainly those from China, are to blame for rising house prices.

In New Zealand, the opposition Labor Party sparked a political storm last year with claims that Chinese property investors were fuelling the housing bubble in Auckland.

The accusation has been refuted by new data collected by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), which shows that only less than 1 percent of homes in the country were sold to offshore Chinese buyers in the first three months of 2016.

It is the first-ever official figures on overseas buyers of New Zealand homes, and right after the figure was released in mid-May, National Party list MP Jian Yang demanded apologies from the Labor Party for scapegoating offshore Chinese property buyers for the country's soaring house prices.

In Australia, speculation that Chinese investors have caused the country's high property prices was buried after sales data collected by Australian university analysts in late 2015 show that Chinese investments made up only 2 percent of the 270-billion-dollar residential market in Australia.

According to analysts from the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney, the housing shortage in Australia and hungry local demand have been pushing prices up long before the recent pouring in of Chinese and Asian investments.

WHO'S THE REAL CULPRIT?

Data analysis and statistics have shown that fears and angst over Chinese buyers are often unjustified. Some leading economists and property experts pointed out the real culprit for the housing unaffordability in some countries is domestic fundamentals, and blaming foreign buyers "amounts to barking up the wrong tree."

According to chief economist of the National Bank of Canada, Stefane Marion, the soaring prices in Vancouver and Toronto reflect the rapid growth of employment in both cities and the fact that the population of young people aged 20-44 is growing.

"It's wrong to think the rapidly rising housing prices in these two markets are the result of speculation," he said in a new report, cited by the CBC News in a recent article.

Marion's view was echoed by other experts, including Bank of Montreal senior economist Robert Kavcic.

"It's easy to blame the foreign-buyer boogeymen for the home price gains in Vancouver and Toronto," Kavcic said.

However, "what we do know is that the fundamentals right here at home are strong enough on their own to drive big price gains," said the economist.

Kavcic said rapid population and employment growth in Vancouver and Toronto, lack of developable space and low mortgage rates are the true "culprits" behind the unconscionable rise in house prices.

BEYOND HOUSING

The "fear of China" is felt well beyond the field of real estate. Driven by rapid economic growth, China in recent years has become a significant source of outbound investment and its companies are now making more and more acquisitions abroad.

However, despite their contribution to local employment, just like what the offshore Chinese property buyers have done, these companies sometimes find themselves facing strong misgivings in the West.

"The expansion of China's outbound foreign direct investment is often seen as a threat. A 'fear of China' is prevalent in the West," said Jiang Shixue, a professor and deputy director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Taking the European Union (EU) for example, Jiang said that "some Chinese investment projects have been blocked because they might allegedly give China a 'strategic foothold'."

Actually, Chinese outbound investment benefits both sides, Jiang noted.

For the EU, Chinese capital plays a positive role in a number of ways, including making up for the shortfall in some European countries' capital and investment needs, promoting the development of productivity in the host country and helping European firms to increase their market share in the world, he said.

Such effects are also quite obvious in the United States, where Chinese investment in acquisitions, new operations and expansions is set to reach 30 billion U.S. dollars this year, following a record high of over 15 billion dollars in 2015.

According to a recent study, Chinese investment in U.S. businesses is expected to reach 200 billion dollars by the end of this decade.

A WIN-WIN GAME

Thanks to Chinese investors, more local jobs have been sustained and created in the United States, and many dying U.S. enterprises have been reborn, experts and economists said.

For example, Greenfield Industries in South Carolina, which held a leadership role in the cutting tools industry, was acquired for 20 million dollars by China-based TDC Cutting Tools in 2009, when the U.S. company was dying and had only 116 employees.

At first, "we were concerned, listening to different things on TV about Chinese how they were trying to buy everything. We were all concerned that they would bring their group of people and exclude us from what was going on, but it hasn't happened," employee Sherrie Carter recalled.

"It's like a family atmosphere and it has just been amazing," Carter added.

Now, the Greenfield Industries has been brought back to life and has at least 350 employees on its payroll.

The Greenfield Industries is typical of a spate of success stories of Chinese investment in the United States. Statistics released by China's Ministry of Commerce shows that Chinese investments now support about 80,000 full-time U.S.jobs, a five-fold increase in the past five years.

And creating jobs and helping dying U.S. enterprises survive are not the only boons brought by the takeovers.

As economists have pointed out, the tie-up of abundant Chinese funds and distribution channels with advanced U.S. technology and management expertise has also sharpened the competitiveness of the merged groups, generating an effect of one plus one being bigger than two.

Wan Long, chairman of Shuanghui, China's largest pork producer that purchased its U.S. counterpart Smithfield Foods in 2013, has said the acquisition enabled Smithfield to access the huge Chinese market through Shuanghui's distribution network while Shuanghui gained access to high-quality, competitively-priced and safe U.S. products, as well as Smithfield's best practices and operational expertise.

"The combination creates a company with an unmatched set of assets, products and geographic reach," Wan added.
PHNOM PENH, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong (R) meets with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin (L) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 6, 2016. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said Monday that the territorial claims in the South China Sea should be resolved through negotiations by parties directly concerned. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said Monday that the territorial claims in the South China Sea should be resolved through negotiations by parties directly concerned.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, Hor Namhong said, "I had informed the Chinese side that the territorial claims in the South China Sea should be resolved through negotiations by parties directly concerned."

Commenting on the Philippines' unilateral attempt at arbitration over South China Sea, Hor Namhong said China has sufficient legal base to neither accept nor participate in the arbitration.

"The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has not specifically stated the territorial claims in the South China Sea," he said, noting that the UNCLOS has stated general sea law only.

He further said the UNCLOS allows a state party to made statements that it does not accept compulsory arbitration with respect to disputes concerning maritime delimitation.

Hor Namhong highly valued China's grant aid and concessional loan to Cambodia, saying that China's assistance was essential for socio-economic development.

He also admired Chinese enterprises for having invested in Cambodia, particularly in hydropower plants, which have greatly contributed to lowering electricity prices in Cambodia.

According to the deputy prime minister, Chinese investors have invested more than 2 billion U.S. dollars in building seven hydropower plants in the Southeast Asian country and so far, six of them have been operational.
ANKARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in Syria on Sunday in a joint operation by Turkey and a U.S.-led coalition, Dogan news agency reported on Monday.

Turkish artillery and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes targeted IS positions in northern Syria after the Turkish military detected IS militants preparing for attacks, Dogan quoted military sources as saying.

Rocket attacks from IS-controlled Syrian districts have killed 21 people and injured over 80 others this year in the Turkish border city of Kilis.

Also on Monday, three IS suspects were detained by local police in Nizip, a town in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep.
Chinese peacekeepers patrol in Gao, Mali, Feb. 2, 2014. (Xinhua/Yang Huawen)

BAMAKO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Mali's former Prime Minister Moussa Mara said Chinese peacekeepers under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were more than bringing peace to the West African country.

"Chinese peacekeepers are not only a force of peace, they are also a force of development. They understand that maintaining peace not only means weaponry and sending soldiers, but also means improving the livelihoods of locals, winning their hearts," Mara said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

"China not only provides military and defense assistance to Mali, it extends help to the hearts of Malians," Mara said.

In his eyes, China is good friend of Mali and a country that helps Mali the most.

His remarks came after the MINUSMA camp in Gao, northern Mali came under a terrorist attack on Tuesday, which killed a Chinese peacekeeper and injured five others.

Mara said he deeply regretted the casualties suffered by the Chinese peacekeepers and offered his condolences to the Chinese contingent, wishing the injured speedy recovery.

"The terrorist attack did not target China. It targeted peace. The purpose of the terrorists was to depress those who help Mali and return the country to crisis," Mara said.

Chinese peacekeepers of UN Mali Mission take part in an exercise against emergency in Gao, Mali, Oct. 20, 2014.(Xinhua/Jin Guo)

Mara also recalled his trip in May 2014 to Gao when he was prime minister and shared his impression of the Chinese peacekeepers.

According to him, what impressed him the most were the strict discipline of the Chinese peacekeepers, and their contributions in various areas such as logistics, engineering, sanitation and health services as well as urban construction in Mali.

He said that the Chinese military have established mutual trust and cooperation with the locals.

"The people in Gao quickly learned that Chinese peacekeepers are dear to them. The Chinese peacekeepers, through their actions, demonstrated that they were not imperialists who pressed the Malian people. Instead, their mission in the country was to relieve their pains and help them get rid of the crisis," Mara said.

The former prime minister said that maintaining peace would remain the top task for the Malian government over the next five years.

He hoped that the Chinese government will continue to provide help to Mali and maintain its peacekeepers in the country.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali is the world body's deadliest active mission. More than 60 of its personnel have died on active service since it was set up in 2013 following a rebellion in the country by ethnic Tuareg fighters alongside armed groups.

China started contributing its peacekeepers to MINUSMA in 2013. Currently, nearly 400 Chinese peacekeepers are based in Gao, carrying out security, engineering and medical work.
BAGHDAD, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces found a mass grave containing some 400 decomposed bodies in a newly-freed town northwest of Islamic State (IS) stronghold Fallujah, a provincial official and a security source said on Monday.

During a mine clearing operation on Sunday in Shuhadaa, a district in the town of Saqlawiyah, security forces discovered the burial site that was believed to contain the bodies of both security members and civilians, Jasim l-Mohammadi, the mayor of Saqlawiyah, told reporters.

"Most of the bodies have been shot in the head, apparently by IS extremist militants," Mohammadi said.

A security source from Anbar province told Xinhua the area was the site of massive IS attacks on military bases in late 2014 through early 2015.

"Many civilians were also executed by the terrorist militants over various charges, including spying for the benefit of the security forces or breaking the religious rules of the extremist group," the source said.

Two days ago, security forces and allied paramilitary Shiite and Sunni units, known as Hashd Shaabi, entered Saqlawiyah near Fallujah, some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and raised Iraqi flag on the government building after several days of fierce clashes.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on May 23 the launch of a major offensive to retake Fallujah and surrounding towns and areas.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months to reclaim key cities and towns in Anbar from IS militants, who attempted to advance toward Baghdad after seizing most of Anbar province.

Iraq is currently witnessing a fresh wave of violence since the IS wrought control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups such as the IS on the United States, which invaded Iraq in March 2003 under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country. The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but no WMD was found.

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FALLUJAH, Iraq, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Saturday liberated the town of Saqlawiyah from Islamic State (IS) militants near the IS-held city of Fallujah in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.

Around noon, the forces and allied paramilitary Shiite and Sunni units, known as Hashd Shaabi, entered Saqlawiyah in northwest of Fallujah, which itself is located some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and recaptured the central part of it, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Full story

Turkish warplanes hits PKK targets in Turkey, Iraq

ANKARA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish warplanes hit the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq, military sources said Sunday.
File photo shows police units of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) standing in position after concluding training in the Somali capital Mogadishu. (Xinhua)

MOGADISHU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has opened a new military training facility for the soldiers as part of efforts to stabilize the Horn of Africa nation.

Francisco Madeira, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, said the facility will be used to train the Somali National Army (SNA) on urban warfare in Mogadishu.

"The facility, whose construction began in December last year, consists of a collection of buildings that mimic an urban or a built-up fighting area," Madeira said in a statement released by AMISOM in Mogadishu on Wednesday.

Madeira who toured the training centre said he was impressed by the ongoing progress of construction works, aimed at expanding the centre.

He said training of Somali military personnel is a key part of AMISOM's mandate and is essential in helping achieve the exit strategy for African Union troops.

The AU envoy also hailed the European Union and United Nations for supporting military training programmes in Jazeera.

"Without trained Somali soldiers and officers, we will have a lot of difficulties to leave you without an army that will be capable of securing the Government, the administration, the population and the infrastructure," Madeiera said.

File photo shows the Somali government soldiers patrolling newly retaken area as the Somali government forces backed by African Union (AU) troops push deeper into Al-Shabaab held areas outside Mogadishu. (Xinhua)

"So, that puts a dilemma on us. You need to train well and train quickly and be motivated to continue the work that we have been able to do," he added.

AMISOM Acting Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammedesha Zeyinu, said fighting in built-up areas is peculiar and requires specialised training.

"Such kind of training facility is very important to train and build our soldiers physically, mentally, and psychologically in order to enable them to overcome different manmade and natural obstacles that they may find in built-up areas," Zeyinu said.

The officials say Al-Shabaab militants have been going for soft targets in urban areas and both AMISOM and the Somali government have vowed to work together to defeat to the asymmetrical warfare adopted by Al- Shabaab.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- An international center for engineering education under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was established Monday.

The center was unveiled following the signing of an agreement on the matter by Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, and Zhou Ji, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

The center will become a high-level educational base for engineers to benefit developing countries through broad cooperation, according to the CAE.

The CAE said the center's missions include nurturing talent in engineering technology and promoting quality and fairness in engineering education.

According to the CAE, the secretariat is located at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, said engineering education is facing challenges, including how to attract more youth to engineering majors and how to train skilled engineers in developing nations.

Zhou said, "The CAE will work with Tsinghua University to fulfill the tasks entrusted by the UNESCO to contribute to global engineering education."
BUJUMBURA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Burundi police over the weekend seized about 200 kg of cannabis in Ngagara commune, north of the capital Bujumbura.

The cannabis which was hidden in three large sacs, is suspected to have come from the country's western region of Gatumba.

"Police had information on the name of a driver of the vehicle transporting the drug called Habonimana Fidele. After being asked to stop, the driver refused and police launched a chase," the Spokesman for the Security Ministry, Pierre Nkurikiye, said.

He said the driver who was driving at a high speed, hit a tree near a police camp.

Nkurikiye said the driver was seriously injured and he was first rushed to hospital for medical attention.

"After a search in the vehicle, police found the 200 kg of cannabis. We are waiting for the driver to recover so that he can tell us the origin and destination of the cannabis," Nkurikiye told the media.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Three officials from China's Hunan and Hebei provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have been arrested on suspicion of corruption, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Monday.

They include Bi Hua, formerly the Communist Party of China (CPC) secretary and deputy head of Hunan's provincial association for science and technology, Hou Fengqi, former Party secretary of Wuhai City in Inner Mongolia, and Zhang Hao, formerly deputy head of the standing committee of Baoding municipal people's congress in Hebei.

All three are suspected of taking bribes, and the SPP said investigation into the trio is currently under way.

In addition, it said prosecutors have indicted Xie Haisheng, head of Xiamen City's environmental protection bureau in Fujian Province, for taking bribes and abuse of power.

Xie was charged with "taking advantage of his position to seek benefits for other people, illegally accepting huge sums of cash and goods from others, and power abuse which led to serious losses to national interests," according to the indictment.
KUNMING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A rare bird species typically found in India and Southeast Asia has been spotted in southwest China, providing valuable material for research of the endangered animal.

A beautiful nuthatch was pictured among a group of other bird species during a field inspection in Yunnan's Daweishan National Nature Reserve from April to May, Mo Mingzhong, a wildlife official in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, said on Monday.

"The beautiful nuthatch is extremely rare and was barely found in China before, so it is quite significant to even have taken a picture of the bird," Mo said.

Chinese scientists obtained a specimen of the species for the first time in 1972, but there has been no systematic research since then, said Wu Fei, an ornithologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He Yongming, deputy head of Daweishan National Nature Reserve, said that park staff will enhance protection for the birds.

The beautiful nuthatch is listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
MOGADISHU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen shot dead a female journalist working for Somalia's state-run radio and television on Sunday evening in the capital, Mogadishu.

Sagal Salad Osman, a producer for Radio Mogadishu was killed when armed men approached her outside a university and opened fire in Hodan district.

The gunmen then fled immediately before police came, while the journalist died in a hospital in the city. Investigations are underway.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Somali Independent Media Houses Association (SIMHA) on Monday condemned the killing.

"SIMHA calls upon relevant authorities to speed up the investigation process and bring to book those responsible before justice," the union said in a statement.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the killing but Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab has targeted Somalia's state media staff in the past.

Radio Mogadishu has lost several staff members in the hands of Al-Shabaab.

President Mohamud condemned the murder of Osman, saying his government would work hard to "find perpetrators of this crime to face justice."

"Those who harm the innocent people should be held accountable and will be brought to justice as it happened before," Mohamud said.

Osman is the second female journalist to be killed in Somalia in the last six months.

In December 2015, Hinda Haji Mohamed, who was also a female journalist for Radio Mogadishu, was killed in a car bombing in Mogadishu in an attack claimed by Al-Shabaab.
DHAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has banned motorcyclists from carrying more than one passenger for preventing militant attacks.

A day after spouse of a top Bangladeshi police officer was shot dead by suspected militants in the country's seaport city Chittagong, some 242 km southeast of capital Dhaka, Bangladesh's Ministry of Home Affairs Monday imposed the ban.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Iqbal Bahar Sunday said that three assailants riding a motorcycle committed the murder.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday at a press briefing in Dhaka made the announcement on the the government's decision.

He said the decision has been taken for public safety in view of motorcycles being used to carry out terror attacks.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has been facing a surge in violent attacks in recent years. A number of secularist writers, bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh have been killed or seriously injured in attacks perpetrated by extremists since 2013.

In most of the cases, it was noticed that the attacks were carried out by motorcycle-borne assailants.

After murdering two persons including editor of a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) magazine in April this year by unidentified assailants in capital Dhaka, CCTV footage showed killers fled the scene by motorcycles.
AMMAN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Five Jordanian intelligence personnel were killed on Monday in a terror attack north of the capital of Amman, a government spokesman said.

The attack targeted an intelligence office at the Palestinian refugee camp of Al Baqaa, the government spokesman, Mohamed Momani, was quoted as saying by official Petra news agency.

The victims are three officers, a guard and a staff member at the office, Momani added.

Investigation is underway and a manhunt was launched to arrest the perpetrators, he said, adding that the details of the attack will be announced later.

No information was available yet on the weapons used in the attack nor on the number of the attackers. No one has claimed responsibility for the assault.

Jordan, a key U.S. ally, succeeded in preventing several attempts by militants to infiltrate into the kingdom and foiled several terror plots.
SHANGHAI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- 2016 FINA Women's Water Polo World League Super Final is to be held from June 7- 12 in Shanghai with eight strong teams contesting in the six-day meet.

After the conclusion of the six rounds of preliminary games in Europe, Italy, Russia and Spain have qualified for the decisive phase of this year's World League, while the Intercontinental Tournament selected the other teams for the Super Final as Australia, Brazil, Canada, USA, and the hosts Team China.

As the highest-level Water Polo competition worldwide, and also the last international event before Rio Olympic Games, Team China hopes to gain more experience and improve technical skills.

According to Lei Ming, team manager of the Chinese team, the average age of the players are about 23-years-old and need more competition experience.

"We are lack of experience. We were formed as a team since the end of 2013. Most of our players have never competed in the Olympic Games except three veterans. We wish to learn more from the world powerhouses in the Super Final," Lei Ming said.
KHARTOUM, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and South Sudan late on Sunday signed a package of security agreements related to the re-deployment of joint military forces along the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone, and approved a plan to stop supporting and harboring rebels and open border crossings.

The joint Political and Security Committee between Sudan and South Sudan convened in Khartoum on Sunday in the presence of the foreign, defense and oil ministers of the two countries.

"The committee agreed to implement the joint agreements related to the demilitarized zone," local media quoted Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour as saying on Monday.

The two sides also agreed to stop supporting rebel groups in the two countries, he said, noting that the concerned security authorities in both countries would adopt specific measures in this regard.

South Sudan's Defense Minister Kuol Manyang, meanwhile, was reported to have said that the two sides agreed to carry out the joint cooperation agreements, and immediately embark on implementing the decisions reached during the meeting.

The South Sudanese minister admitted the presence of rebel groups in the two countries, saying "the rebel movements are a reality and their problem must be solved so that peace will prevail between the two countries."

The committee also agreed to gradually open the border crossings, and a joint border committee is to meet in Juba within two weeks to agree on dates and procedures for opening the 10 border crossings between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to ask the African Union to support the safe buffer zone and provide the two parties with the necessary technical teams, besides establishment of three consulates in the cities in the safe demilitarized border area.

The meeting also agreed to task a joint committee headed by the directors of intelligence services to address issues related to the disputed areas.

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation agreement in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the patronage of the African Union.

The agreement included a package of understandings related to security, citizens' status and border and economic issues. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

The border issue represents one of the biggest obstacles hindering the settlement of differences between Sudan and South Sudan, revolving around five border areas -- Abyei, Dabatal-Fakhar, Jabel Al-Migainis, Samaha and Kafia Kanji.
JOHANNESBURG, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Several people were injured during violent protests in South Africa's eastern city of Durban, authorities said on Monday.

Scenes at several areas in the city were chaotic as shots were fired, witnessed said. It remained unknown who fired the shots.

Dozens of vehicles have been burned down and public properties damaged, according to police.

Reports about the motives of protests were conflicting. Some protesters said they took to the streets to protest against poor service delivery.

But the municipality said in a statement that investigations revealed that the protest was of a political nature, and was not related to service delivery.

In the run-up to the local elections, scheduled for August 3, violence linked to political struggles has flared up in parts of the country.

Minister of Police Nkosinathi Nhleko has expressed his serious concern at the rising number of killings.

"We have noted with serious concern the incidents of killings particularly where political figures are victims or where the killings are being linked to the upcoming local government elections," he said.

To counter this, a multi-disciplinary task team has been set up to investigate the killings and to prevent the killings from happening, the minister said without divulging the number of people that have been killed.
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew co-chair a conference on climate change as part of the Eighth Round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues in Beijing, China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials on Monday expressed willingness to address climate change together during a conference on climate change as part of the Eighth Round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues that kicked off here on Monday.

Breakthroughs in negotiating the historic Paris agreement on climate change, adopted without objection in December, are attributable to effective China-U.S. cooperation, according to Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

Cooperation between China and the United States on climate change demonstrated that the two countries can make major achievements to benefit both themselves and the whole world, he said.

The vice premier reiterated that both sides should follow the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in climate change cooperation.

China has set its peak carbon emissions target for around 2030. The country also pledged 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) to establish a fund for developing countries to jointly tackle climate change.

Wang said he hoped developed countries will honor their commitments to give 100 billion U.S. dollars to developing countries annually before 2020,realize emission reduction targets, and transfer environmentally friendly technology to developing countries.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi hailed climate change cooperation as a bright spot in the establishment of a "new type of major power relationship" between China and the United States.

The two countries should expand cooperation on energy conservation and emissions reductions, clean energy, smart power grids, green ports and low-carbon cities, said Yang.

He urged China and the United States to push for the implementation of the Paris agreement and participate in further negotiations in a constructive way.

The United States and China should make joint efforts to push the Paris agreement to become effective as early as possible, according to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry said he expected stronger leadership from the two countries in shifting away from intensive, high-polluting energy consumption.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said both sides should encourage enterprises to operate in a low-carbon way and promote the use of green financing.

The two countries need to create jobs, innovate in technology and drive economic growth in the fight against climate change, according to Lew.
KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the killing of a U.S. journalist and his Afghan translator in the country's southern Helmand province, the Presidential Palace said on Monday.

"President Ghani condemned killing of Afghan journalist Zabiullah Tamana and (U.S.) photographer David Gilkey in strongest terms possible," the palace said in a statement.

On Sunday, Gilkey of U.S. National Public Radio and his translator Tamana were embedded a convoy of Afghan national army. The army Hamvee vehicle they were aboard was struck by 82 mm caliber gun fired by militants in Marja district of Helmand.

"By indiscriminately targeting journalists the Taliban show their increased atrocity against harmless civilians. Tamana and Gilkey, who were on the front line to report about the truth, themselves became victims of Taliban brutality," the statement reads.

"History will remember the two journalists as fighters for freedom of information and expression. And those who committed the heinous crime will be remembered as forces of hatred," it said.

The president also offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Tamana, 38, served as photojournalist for Xinhua News Agency Kabul Bureau from 2003 to 2010.

Xinhua reporters, who worked with him, recalled his professionalism and personality, saying Tamana was a capable photojournalist and a very good colleague to work with.

Several journalists voluntarily gathered in front of Tamana's apartment in Kabul Monday morning to express sympathies and condolences to his family.

Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold.

Around 50 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan over the past one and half decade, six of them since 2015, according to Nai, an agency supporting media in Afghanistan.
(Caption: File photo taken on Sept. 30, 2011 shows a customer walk past the gate of a Wal-Mart store in Chongqing Municipality. Xinhua/Li Jian)



BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Fondling the fish at the supermarket is not the convention in home markets in the United States, but Chinese consumers can freely sift through piles of fish at Wal-Mart, after the world's biggest retailer learned to adapt over the years from missteps in China.



Shoppers in more than 400 Wal-Mart stores in China can check on the fish's freshness before they decide to buy, as in other stores operated by local and overseas retailers. Food business is crucial for Wal-Mart, as shoppers buy groceries more often than anything else. If Wal-Mart can get them in the door to buy food regularly, perhaps they will visit more frequently for items like pajamas and coffee makers.



This is only one example of how the Arkansas-based company win over Chinese consumers in a bid to seek overseas success. China is not America, and the U.S. company has to shed some of its American ways and cater to very different customs and conventions in local markets, given that the U.S. market is suffering from intense competition and the retailer is depending more on operations overseas.



China is the answer to Wal-Mart's many problems. The Chinese grocery market, valued at 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars a year, already the world's largest, could grow to 1.5 trillion dollars in just the next four years, according to IGD, a global consumer product research firm.



"China remains a strategic market for our future," Doug McMillon, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has told investors.

A woman chooses vegetables inside a supermarket in Baoding City, north China's Hebei Province, April 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)



In terms of cutting supplier costs, Wal-Mart is also trying the Chinese way.



In America, Wal-Mart has much power to force supplier to cut costs, as it accounts for a staggering 25 percent of the U.S. grocery business. The suppliers in return enjoy steady demand from Wal-Mart.



In China, however, things are much tougher. Wal-Mart accounts for a mere 2.3 percent of the grocery market, with 95 percent of all products supplied by local companies.



In addition, the local supply chain is known for inefficiency. Instead of facing directly with suppliers, retailers work mostly through a labyrinth of middlemen.



Over the years, Wal-Mart has managed to eliminate the go-betweens and negotiate directly with suppliers, knocking down costs as much as 10 percent. The change also gives the retailer more control over the quality of the food.
DHAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Huawei, the world's second largest Android Smartphone brand, launched its much anticipated flagship device Huawei P9 in Bangladesh on Monday.

High profile Bangladeshi photographers GMB Akash, Iresh Zaker, and Bassbaba Sumon have collaborated with Huawei by shooting a collection of images with the P9, inspired by and to showcase the ground-breaking new capabilities of the smartphone.

"We believe the P9 is a game-changer for smartphone photography. Huawei and Leica share the same passion to look beyond what is possible, and the partnership between the two equally famed companies have forever changed the way we take photos and see the world," said Ingmar Wang, Director of Device Business, Huawei (Bangladesh) Limited.

"The P9 is a piece of art which has seen a relentless drive to push the boundaries of innovation. Our latest flagship product launch signifies our commitment towards the Bangladeshi market, which is very important for us," he said.

Robi, the leading telecom operator in Bangladesh, came together with Huawei to launch the handset, according to a Huawei statement.

Robi users will get 9 GB data and 999 minutes talk time per month for three months, said the statement.

Robi's Head of Business Operation Jean-Michel Arnaud Chanut said P9 is the first smartphone with Leica camera, which is regarded to be the Mercedes Benz in photography.

"So, don't worry if you are not a pro. Just click away. We will provide superfast internet to help consumers enjoy it in the digital space. Robi is indeed proud to partner with Huawei in bringing P9 for our subscribers," he said.

The Huawei P9 is the latest in its P Series of premium smartphones with the best-in-class hardware, never-seen-before camera, smarter fingerprint ID technology, superb connectivity and an extraordinary 5.2 inch screen, with a state-of-the-art design, said the statement.

Along with the superior technology specification, it said the device's attractive price proposition of 47,990 taka (about 610 U.S. dollars) is expected to attract the sophisticated smartphone users in the country.

Created in collaboration with world-famous brand Leica Camera AG, P9 brings a new dimension in smartphone photography, it said, adding that its brilliant image engineering will allow users to capture photographs in both vivid colors and striking monochrome.

Each P9 device is a perfect construct of superior-grade 2.5D glass and an aerospace-class aluminum, with diamond-cut edges rounded out by carefully balanced curvatures, it said.
ROME, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Populist, anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) was leading the first round of mayoral elections in the Italian capital on Sunday, ahead of ruling Democratic Party (PD), exit polls showed early on Monday.

The M5S candidate, Virginia Raggi, was credited with 37.3 percent of the vote, according to exit polls by Ipr-Piepoli Institute broadcasted by Rai state television.

Center-left PD's contender Roberto Giachetti followed with 22.6 percent, and center-right Giorgia Meloni with 21.8 percent.

Overall, some 13.4 million Italians were eligible to vote to elect new mayors and municipal councils in 1,342 cities and towns across Italy on Sunday. Yet, all eyes were on the country's largest cities, namely Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, and Naples.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Monday said he was confident the outcome of Sunday's local elections, which will not have an impact on the October referendum on his government's Constitutional reform to overhaul Italy's political machinery.

"They are two profoundly different matches," Renzi told a news conference. "There was a protest vote today. But I think that (these voters) will not be able to vote anything but yes in the referendum."

Actually, the mayoral race in the Italian capital was seen as particularly relevant, since a victory of opposition M5S here could easily reverberate at national level, and send a blow to Renzi's Democratic Party and his center-left cabinet overall.

M5S Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer, had already come out as leading all opinion polls in Rome's campaign, clearly ahead of Roberto Giachetti, a professional politician openly supported by Renzi.

The Five Star Movement capitalized on the growing disaffection Roman citizens showed due to recent corruption scandals, lasting poor administration, and inefficient public services.

A victory in Rome would bolster the ambition of M5S to become Italy' s main opposition force. On the other hand, an overall poor result of PD and its allies in these local polls would be a critical signal for the cabinet, which comes only a few months ahead of a more crucial constitutional reform referendum on which Renzi has bet his political career.

According to the Ipr-Piepoli pollsters, however, the PD candidates were leading the mayoral race in other main cities. In Milan, Italy's main economic hub, Giuseppe Sala was ahead with 42.8 percent of the vote, followed by center-right candidate Stefano Parisi with 37.7 percent.

Center-left incumbent mayor Piero Fassino took the lead in Turin with 40.9 percent, ahead of M5S candidate Chiara Appendino with 36 percent.

In the traditional leftist city of Bologna, central Italy, the exit polls credited PD candidate Virginio Merola with 37.7 percent of the votes against center-right Lucia Borgonzoni with 19.1 percent.

Whereas no mayoral candidate exceeds 50 percent of the votes in this first round, a run off will be held on June 19.
HONG KONG, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said on Monday that all poultry at Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market will be culled on June 7.

The health chief made the announcement after a special meeting following a fecal sample taken from a Tuen Mun retail market tested positive for H7N9 avian flu virus. Live poultry trade has been suspended in Hong Kong.

Ko told media that the government has inspected nine local poultry farms, with all samples tested negative to the virus.

He said that there are 4,500 live poultry at the Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market, the only poultry wholesale market in Hong Kong. All the 270 samples collected there are also negative.

The government will inspect and take samples from the remaining 20 local chicken farms, Ko said, hoping that the results could come out before the Dragon Boat Festive, a Chinese traditional festival, when chickens are in high demand in Hong Kong.

He said the supply of live poultry could be resumed if all samples tested negative. Meanwhile, health authorities will try to trace the origin of the virus.
YANGON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is planning to open seven new border trade camps under the second short-term five-year National Comprehensive Development Plan which spans from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.

The seven camps will be located in Maese, Htantalan, Paletwa, Mongla, Pansan (Wa), Ponpakyin (BP1) and Phayathonzu. At present, 16 border trade camps are operating, linking to China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh. China is the largest border trade partner to Myanmar, followed by Thailand.

The Kyainglat trade camp has been temporarily opened at the Myanmar-Laos border.

Myanmar authorities planned to continue to open new trade camps at the borders with China, Thailand and India to boost trading of industrial products, raw materials and agriculture products.

The country's border trade value reached 819 million U.S. dollars from April 1 to May 27 this year. Enditem
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, June 6 (Xinhua) -- There is a Chinese saying that goes like "the villain brings suit against his victim before he himself is prosecuted."

This is true in the Beijing-Manila South China Sea dispute.

The Philippines, which began illegally occupying some of China's islands and reefs in the 1970s, unilaterally filed the case with the arbitral tribunal in The Hague in 2013.

But the arbitration is but a political provocation under the cloak of the law, with some Western powers behind it. By filing the case, Manila violated the basic principles of international law and undermines the integrity and authority of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In essence, the Philippines' requests are about territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation.

But territorial issues are subject to general international law, not UNCLOS. Meanwhile, China also made a declaration on optional exceptions in 2006 in accordance with UNCLOS, which excluded disputes concerning maritime delimitation from dispute settlement procedures provided in the convention.

The arbitral tribunal has violated UNCLOS and abused its power by hearing the case and exercising jurisdiction where it has none.

The move by the tribunal has worsened tensions between China and the Philippines, affected regional stability and international maritime order, and contradicted its purpose of peaceful dispute settlement.

Moreover, by unilaterally initiating the arbitration, the Philippines not only abandoned the "Pacta sunt servanda" principle in international law, which means "agreements must be kept."

The two countries issued a statement in 2011 pledging to resolve disputes in the South China Sea through negotiations and consultations. The Philippines, however, unexpectedly brought the case to the Hague without informing China in advance. It even went as far as telling lies to the international community by saying bilateral means had been exhausted while in practice, it refused to handle the disputes as agreed with China.

According a spokesperson with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Before unilaterally initiating arbitration, the Philippines did not hold any consultations or negotiations with China on relevant items.

The Philippines' actions showed no good will nor any intention to peacefully solve the South China Sea issue, but only an attempt to ramp up political pressure on China.

It intends to use the arbitration to deny China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and seek support for its own invasion and illegal occupation.

Historically, the Philippine territories were defined by a series of treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington between the United States and Spain, and a 1930 convention between the U.S. and Britain.

All the treaties clearly indicate that the west boundary of the Philippine territory was 118 degrees east longitude.

However, the Philippines violated these treaties and pursued territorial expansion by invading and occupying eight islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands since the 1970s.

The arbitration is a political farce and a provocation under the pretext of the law. China will not accept nor recognize the "award," whatever it might be.

China's position to neither participate in nor accept the results of the arbitration does not mean the country disobeys international law. On the contrary, it demonstrates its commitment to it.

Related:

Chinese Society of the Law of the Sea issues statement on South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines

BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Society of the Law of the Sea has issued a statement on the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines. Following is the English version of the statement: Full story

Spotlight: China will not fall into trap of South China Sea arbitration: Chinese ambassador

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Xinhua) -- China will not give certain countries the satisfaction of tricking it into the trap of the South China Sea arbitration, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Tian Xuejun, said on Thursday.

In an article carried by Independent Media's nationwide newspaper The Star, Tian reveals the fallacy of the arbitration and reiterates the legitimacy of China's decision of neither participating in nor accepting the arbitration. Full story

Old map shows the Philippines' claim over South China Sea islands groundless

NEW YORK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- An old map published in 1899 by geographer J. Martin Miller shows that islands in the South China Sea have never been Philippine territory, Zeng Yingjing, the owner of the map, has told Xinhua.
HANOI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities on Monday filed a criminal case of a boat capsizal which claims three deaths in Vietnam's central Da Nang city on Saturday night.

Tran Muu, deputy chief of Da Nang Police, was quoted by local VNExpress online newspaper that the case will be investigated against violation of regulations on driving waterway transport vehicles.

"In addition to responsibility of the boat owner and boat driver, we will examine other related individuals and organizations with perspective of drastic handling," said Muu.

On Monday, while chairing a meeting with relevant agencies on the boat accident, Da Nang Municipal People's Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho suspended work of director of Da Nang Port Authority (DPA) and head of DPA's terminal management team.

On Tuesday, Da Nang Police will establish a working group for scene examination. After being taken initial testimonies by border guards, boat owner and boat driver will be transferred to police, reported VNExpress.

The tourist boat with 56 people on board capsized in Han River in Da Nang city on Saturday night. There were 56 people on board the boat when the accident happened. As many as 53 were rescued while three others were killed.

Da Nang is a famous tourism destination in Vietnam, located at some 600 km south of capital Hanoi.
DUBAI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 300 representatives of tour operators from 12 African countries on Monday concluded a six-day trip here hosted by Dubai's tourism authority.

The tour, which included site visits and workshops, was the latest effort by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) to attract more tourists from Africa.

Dubai Tourism, in an emailed statement, described the group as the largest ever of travel trade professionals from the African continent.

The more than 300 senior management executives came from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mauritius, Uganda, Tanzania and Cote d'Ivoire.

"This African mega familiarisation trip has the dual objective of showcasing Dubai as the destination of choice for families and travellers from one of the world's largest continents, and also that the city is truly a year-round travel consideration," said Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO Issam Kazim.

Earlier in the year, Dubai Tourism said the emirate, famous for the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa, at 828 meters, the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel, and its beaches and shopping malls, received over 14.2 million tourists in 2015, a 7.5 percent increase over 2014.

As part of efforts to meet Dubai's Tourism Vision of attracting over 20 million visitors by 2020, "we continue to work closely with our stakeholders and partners to encourage more visitors from African source markets," Kazim said.
MANILA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Senate and House of Representatives adjourned sine die on Monday, signaling the close of the 16th Congress.

About 30 major laws, covering the economy, justice, agriculture, workers' welfare, health, and education, were approved during the three-year 16th Congress, Senate President Franklin Drilon said.

"Our collective efforts yielded a harvest of laws that will strengthen the economy, promote social justice and transform our country into one of the strongest and fastest growing economies in the world," he said in a speech.

Through the laws enacted by the 16th Congress, he said they are giving the next Congress and the administration of incoming President Rodrigo Duterte "our present for the future."

Among the major and controversial bills that were pending for a long time and only passed in the current Congress include the Philippine Competition Act, amendment to 50-year old Cabotage Law, full entry of foreign banks in the country, Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and creation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Despite the strong lobby of the Catholic Church and tobacco firms, the present Congress also passed the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law and the Sin Tax Reform Law, respectively.

"The 16th Congress may not be perfect," said Drilon, adding, "However, the challenge that we must face head on is to protect our gains, and ensure the continuity of reforms, so that their fruits will be enjoyed not only by this generation, but also by the generations yet unborn."

Drilon will continue to serve in the Senate as he has been reelected as a senator for another six-year term during the May 9 elections.

However, it is not sure if he could continue to remain as the Senate president when the 17th Congress opens in July.

On the other hand, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, who has been reelected also as a congressman in Quezon City, Metro Manila, is likely not to retain the speakership in the next Congress as Duterte has given his support to Representative-elect Pantaleon Alvarez of southern Philippine province of Davao del Norte.
Tourists take speedboats to Yinyu Island of Xisha Islands, south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 3, 2014. (Xinhua)

BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Philippines' assertion concerning the South China Sea (SCS) abused the international law and the United States' interference is only a show of hegemony that does no good to anybody, Chinese overseas scholars said Sunday at a seminar in Berlin.

The seminar, themed "The South China Sea Issue: China's Stance, International Voice", gathered several Chinese overseas scholars in Germany, The Netherlands and other European countries.

It was also attended by more than 50 representatives of Chinese students studying in Berlin, Chinese enterprises and overseas Chinese living in Germany.

Noting the SCS case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in 2013, Qiu Rungen, visiting scholar at Berlin's Humboldt University and an expert on international economic law, said that such an arbitration, though deliberately wrapped up, actually violates the legislative purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its juridical logic.

In fact, China and the Philippines have agreed in bilaterally-signed documents to settle SCS disputes through dialogues and negotiations. Additionally, China made a declaration in 2006 that excluded a compulsory arbitration under Article 298 of the UNCLS.

Given these facts, Qiu said that China's assertion of neither accepting nor participating in the SCS arbitration is not only fully in line with the UNCLOS but also meets the basic legal principle of international laws.

It's evident that the Philippines has abused the legal procedure to initiate the unilateral arbitration and the international tribunal's jurisdiction over the case was marred with nomological bias, said Luo Gang, a doctoral student specialized in international law in Germany.

The SCS international arbitration tribunal in The Hague announced its jurisdiction over the case in October 2015, and prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months. However, the combination of the tribunal and its judging process are questioned by a number of Chinese and international scholars.

The U.S. role messing up the SCS was also discussed by the Chinese scholars.

The United States has made a series of harsh rhetoric on the SCS issue, mostly accusing China of threatening the freedom of navigation, while it itself exercised several military operations by closely flying or sailing past South China Sea islands, violating China's sovereign rights and adding tension to the region.

The arbitration case shows that the United States can not tolerate the rise of China and has fancied China's development a challenge to the America-dominated international order, Humboldt University Law doctoral student Li Ke pointed out.

U.S. words and deeds expose once again that the American hegemony is accustomed to use so-called "rules" to pursue power politics, Li added.

The Chinese scholars attending the seminar all agreed that the "disputed" Nansha Islands have long been part of the Chinese territory, which is not only supported by numerous historical evidence since ancient times, but also by the many international treaties from modern times.

They voiced opposition to the Philippines' illegal seizure of China's Nansha Islands and reefs, calling for more support to safeguard the international law and the legal interest of China.

Chinese overseas scholars should help to have more voices from China heard on the international arena for a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes, said Wang Qi, doctoral candidate for law at the Free University of Berlin, who is also an organizer of the seminar.
KATHMANDU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) has applied for conducting a feasibility study of proposed Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi railway which is expected to connect the Chinese railway network in the near future, Nepal's Department of Railway said on Monday.

Ananta Acharya, director general of Department of Railway told Xinhua that the CRCC submitted an application about two weeks ago showing willingness to conduct feasibility study of Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi section of proposed railway.

Nepal's new budget for next fiscal year 2016-17 has announced conducting a detailed feasibility study of proposed Rasuwgadhi-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini railway line within the next two years as a part of enhancing connectivity with China.

The proposed Kathmandu-Rasuwgadhi railway network has been planned to be extended to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, in southern Nepal through the Himalayan country's tourism city Pokhara in western Nepal.

The Chinese company's application came after Nepalese side requested China's support for conducting feasibility study and preparing detailed project report of both sections -- Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi and Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini of the proposed railway when Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's visited China in March.

Nepal aims to connect with Chinese railway so that the Himalayan country could also use Chinese railway not only for the bilateral trade but also as a transit center for the third country trade.
ADEN, Yemen, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were killed when scores of gunmen with suspected links to extremist groups tried to break into the international airport in Yemen's temporary capital of Aden early on Monday, a security official told Xinhua.

The gunmen stormed military checkpoints positioned around the airport in Aden's district of KhorMaksar, sparking fierce gun battles with security forces, leaving two civilians killed, the source said on condition of anonymity.

According to the source, the attackers were trying to liberate a fellow jihadist of Western origin who was in May captured by security authorities in Aden, but failed.

An army officer of the Aden-based Emergency Forces said security forces successfully foiled the attack and that several terrorists were arrested.

Witnesses said that helicopters of the Saudi-led coalition forces operating in Aden participated in protecting the airport.

In May, Aden's security authorities announced that a terror cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) group was busted and seven terrorists were arrested, including a Westerner.

Yemeni sources said that a French national, who was leading the IS terror cell and suspected of being the mastermind of several attacks in Yemen's Aden, was among the arrested.

The detained terrorists were in touch with a number of individuals involved in the latest deadly suicide attacks that struck Yemen's Aden and other provinces, according to local sources.

Over the last two months, Yemeni government forces have launched anti-terror offensives and driven out scores of gunmen linked to al-Qaida and the Yemen-based affiliate of the IS from key neighborhoods and government compounds in Lahj and Abyan provinces.

Pro-government forces, backed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) helicopters, made significant gains and recaptured key areas from al-Qaida militants in the country's southern provinces during the past weeks.

However, Yemen's temporary capital of Aden and other provinces controlled by the internationally recognized government are still witnessing a state of chaos and lawlessness that resulted in the assassinations of several high-ranking security and military officials.

The complicated security situation in Aden and neighboring southern provinces of Lahj and Abyan is one of the biggest challenges for the Saudi-led Arab coalition forces operating in Aden.

The coalition has dispatched thousands of soldiers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Sudan and Bahrain into five anti-Houthi southern provinces to support and train local Yemeni security forces there.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East and the affiliate of the IS.

The fragile security situation in the country has deteriorated since March 2015 when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China from June 12 to 14 and co-chair a bilateral intergovernmental consultation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here on Monday.

It will be Merkel's ninth visit to China since she took office, Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing.

In Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will meet with Merkel. She will also visit Shenyang, capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province, Hong said.

He said the consultation, established in 2011, is a dialogue mechanism aimed at coordinating and enhancing cooperation between the two countries. More than 20 ministers and vice ministers from both sides will be present at this edition.

In recent years, the China-Germany relationship has witnessed a rapid development with frequent high-level exchanges, the spokesperson said. In March, German President Joachim Gauck visited China, strengthening political mutual trust.

Hong suggested China and Germany, the host country of the Group of 20 summit in 2016 and 2017 respectively, maintain closer coordination in global and regional affairs.

It serves the fundamental interests of both countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Hong said, adding it will benefit the China-EU relations and promote peace and prosperity in the world at large.

China attaches great importance to the development of ties with Germany, and stands ready to take the consultation as an opportunity to advance bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, he added.
DAMASCUS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian military continued to advance into the northern province of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group, just days after crossing the administrative borders of that troublesome area under Russian air support.

Government forces are now only 40 km from the key airbase of al-Tabaqa in a town under the same name in the southern countryside of al-Raqqa, according to the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV.

The military has been trying to cut the IS supply route between al-Raqqa and the northern province of Aleppo, and al-Tabaqa and its airbase are one of the primary goals for that effort.

The latest military offensive started last week from the town of Athraya in the countryside of the central province of Hama.

In a bid to slow down the military advance, the IS started a counter offensive near Athraya on Monday, but their attack was rendered flat and huge losses were inflicted upon them, a military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The IS militant group has become in the eye of the tornado recently, with the Syrian army closing in from the south of al-Raqqa, while the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led rebel alliance, is advancing in the northern countryside of al-Raqqa, and closing in on the city of Manbej, another IS stronghold on the Turkish borders.

Analysts in Syria believe that there is an undeclared understanding between Washington and Moscow to quell the momentum of the terror group and isolate it, especially when the group is suffering in neighboring Iraq, under the broad offensive of the Iraqi forces on the Iraqi city of Falluja.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said intense battles are still raging near Manbej, as part of the SDF effort to storm the city from three directions, after capturing over 48 villages and farmlands in the city's countryside.

The seven-day battles near Manbej have so far killed 107 people, including 25 civilians, and the rest is divided between the IS and the SDF fighters, said the London-based watchdog group.

It added that SDF forces are now 4 km from the southern gates of the city, 7-10 km from its east, and 10-15 km from its north.

The advance of the Kurdish forces in northern Syria near the Turkish borders have apparently raised the ire of Turkey, which deems any strong Kurdish presence near its borders as a threat.

The Turkish leadership has repeatedly warned against the advance of Kurdish forces in northern Syria, but at the same time, it didn't want to involve in a military offensive directly against the Kurds, who are largely backed by the U.S., one of Ankara's key allies.

On Monday, the Observatory said Turkish forces infiltrated the borders with Syria into the town of Jatel, starting to build a wall in that area to separate the borders, in what appeared to be a precautionary Turkish step to protect its borders from the violence next door.

Related:

Over 40 killed in continuous rebels shelling in Syria's Aleppo

DAMASCUS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Over 40 people were killed Saturday by continuous rebel shelling against a Kurdish-dominated district in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's national TV said, citing a Russian monitoring base.

The shelling of the rebels, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, targeted the district of Sheikh Maksud, a predominantly-Kurdish district in Aleppo,which is controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units, otherwise known as YPG. Full story

7 IS militants killed in coalition attack in Syria

ANKARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in Syria on Sunday in a joint operation by Turkey and a U.S.-led coalition, Dogan news agency reported on Monday.
JERUSALEM, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left here on Monday for Moscow for another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Syria is reportedly on the agenda.

It is the fourth time for Netanyahu to meet with Putin within a year, and comes as the two countries mark the 25th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations.

A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu would discuss with Putin "the implementation of the understandings that were achieved during his visit to Moscow this past April."

They would also discuss "regional issues, including the global fight against terrorism, the situation in and around Syria and the diplomatic horizon between Israel and the Palestinians," the statement read.

Over the past months, Israel and Russia have enhanced their military coordination to prevent accidental collisions in the wake of air operations that the two countries have carried out in war-torn Syria.

Russian forces fight alongside Syrian government forces under President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel objects al-Assad's government but avoids getting involved directly in the conflict. However, in April, Netanyahu said Israel had launched "dozens" of airstrikes in Syria in the past years to prevent the transfer of weapons to the Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon.

It was the first time that Israeli officials acknowledged Israel's involvement in such attacks.
ANKARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkish warplanes on early Monday conducted air operations against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, Dogan News Agency reported.

The Turkish jets hit the PKK positions in the Gara region of northern Iraq, according to the report.

A total of 1,000 PKK militants were killed in operations in Turkey's southeastern provinces of Mardin and Sirnak, which started on March 14 and ended on Friday, the Turkish General Staff said on Monday.

The anti-PKK operations by Turkish security forces are still ongoing in Diyarbakir, Tunceli and some other southeastern Turkish provinces.

Following the collapse of a de-facto cease-fire last July, the PKK resumed attacks on Turkish security forces particularly in the country's Kurdish southeast.

Over 500 members of the security forces have since lost their lives, while over 4,000 PKK militants were killed, according to official statements.
Kurdish mourners cry and react as they carry coffins on May 17, 2016 in the area of Sarikamis, on the outskirts of the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, after a massive explosion hit the area. (Xinhua/AFP)

ANKARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkish warplanes on early Monday conducted air operations against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, Dogan News Agency reported.

The Turkish jets hit the PKK positions in the Gara region of northern Iraq, according to the report.

A total of 1,000 PKK militants were killed in operations in Turkey's southeastern provinces of Mardin and Sirnak, which started on March 14 and ended on Friday, the Turkish General Staff said on Monday.

The anti-PKK operations by Turkish security forces are still ongoing in Diyarbakir, Tunceli and some other southeastern Turkish provinces.

Following the collapse of a de-facto cease-fire last July, the PKK resumed attacks on Turkish security forces particularly in the country's Kurdish southeast.

Over 500 members of the security forces have since lost their lives, while over 4,000 PKK militants were killed, according to official statements.
A Syrian man reacts following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bustan al-Qasr on June 5, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP)

DAMASCUS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed on Monday when airstrikes targeted a marketplace in the country's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a monitor group reported.

The airstrikes targeted a marketplace in al-Shara, a town in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Right.

It said the bazaar is one of the busiest markets in that area, and that the death toll could likely rise due to the number of critically wounded people.

The London-based Observatory stopped short of identifying the warplanes that had carried out the strikes.

Meanwhile, the opposition group, Qasioun, alleged that the airstrikes were carried out by Russian warplanes on the Islamic State (IS)-held town. It put the death toll at 23.

Much of Deir al-Zour, an oil-rich province bordering Iraq, fell to the IS group, except the city center and some areas in the countryside, which remained under government control.
TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Japan issued over 4 million visas to foreign visitors last year, recording the largest number ever, with China ranked as the top recipients of Japanese visas, showed statistics released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

The total number of visas issued at the diplomatic missions of Japan abroad in 2015 was 4.77 million, up 66 percent from a year earlier.

Ranked by nationalities and regions, the top three recipients of Japanese visas were China, Philippines and Indonesia, which accounted for around 90 percent of the total number of visas issued.

The number of visas issued to Chinese nationals in 2015 was 3.78 million, which accounted for around 80 percent of the total number of visas issued and exceeded the total number of visas issued to all nationals in 2014 (approximately 2.87 million).

Of the diplomatic missions of Japan abroad that issued visas, Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai, Embassy of Japan in China, Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou were top three issuing missions. "7 missions out of the top 10 are those in China," said the ministry.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of foreign visitors exceeded 19.74 million last year, sharply up 47 percent from the previous year.

"Along with this, the total number of visas issued marked a record high," said the foreign ministry.

Japanese government and private sectors have made joint efforts to promote Japan as a tourism-oriented country, including relaxation of visa requirements, continuous inbound travel promotion, expansion of the consumption tax exemption program, and expansion of low-cost carrier (LCC) routes, said the ministry.
AMMAN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday commended efforts by the Iraqi army to fight the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), the state-run Petra news agency reported.

The King made the remarks at a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jafari, in which he said Jordan supports Iraq's efforts in fighting terror.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh also voiced support to Iraq and its efforts to restore stability and security when discussing ties with his Iraqi counterpart on Monday.

Judeh called for intensified international efforts to uproot terrorism, stressing that Jordan will continue to be at the forefront in fighting terrorism.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua ) -- China's 9.4 million students preparing to sit the national college entrance examination were cheered on Monday by a good-luck message from legendary British physicist Stephen Hawking.

"As many of you prepare to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, I want to wish you, the next generation of scientific minds, success in your academic endeavors," said Hawking via social media.

The test is set to start on Tuesday and lasts for two or three days in different regions.

Called "gaokao" in Chinese, the examination is a make-or-break challenge for Chinese high school students, especially those from poor families.

Across Chinese society, organizations have taken it upon themselves to ensure a good environment for examinees to achieve their best results.

Beijing police have assigned at least eight officers to each of the city's 96 exam venues. Patrols around the sites have been tightened up.

The municipal traffic department has taken measures to control traffic and crowds.

During exam hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Beijing Bus Group has ordered the rerouting of 16 bus routes on which buses would otherwise pass exam venues. It said it will add 200 bus trips to cater to the transport needs of students and their parents.

Hotels within easy reach of the exam venues are all booked out, as parents hope to buy their children more rest time.

In rural China, the road to sit the exam is much more arduous.

In Hulun Buir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a charter train on Monday took some 700 high students to Ali River Town 135 km away to sit the exam.

Since the local railway department started running the gaokao charter train in 2003, over 20,000 students have taken it for the exam. It is a rare means of transport out of the mountains.

Gaokao is considered a fair platform for young generations to seek a promising future. High schools with a good reputation for students getting high scores are very popular.

The exam has turned some Chinese high schools into factories churning out students capable of getting high marks by memorizing facts and figures.

The Liu'an Maotanchang High School in east China's Anhui Province is such a super school. It has 30,000 students on campus, two thirds of whom have parents renting apartments nearby.

"Our daily life is dull. But I am very willing to live such a simple life if my son can enter a reputed college," said Chu Zhaojun, a stay-at-home mother to one of Liu'an Maotanchang High School's students.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to cut excess production capacity, but will rely on market forces, not government-set targets, to do so, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on Monday, as an annual high-level dialogue between China and United States kicked off.

Speaking at a press briefing, Lou said China has attached great importance to cutting industrial overcapacity, and that measures have been taken to eliminate 90 million tonnes of steel production capacity.

But he ruled out the possibility of working out a quantitative target initiated by the government.

"China has bid farewell to the planned economy, so the government can not dictate to industries on this. More than half of the country's steel makers are privately owned," Lou said.

While stressing market forces, the minister said the government will also strengthen supervision on environmental protection, energy saving and ensure high quality and security.

The government will also provide fiscal support to aid laid-off workers, he added.

The eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue comes at a time when excess steel capacity has become an acute global challenge.

U.S. steel producers are increasingly resorting to trade remedies and tariff protection to ride out a sluggish steel market, a practice strongly opposed by Chinese exporters.
NAIROBI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has said it will continue to strengthen cooperation with China in wildlife protection.

The remarks were made after a delegation from China's State Forestry Administration held talks on Monday with KWS officials.

Speaking to Xinhua after the meeting with the Chinese delegation, the acting KWS deputy director in charge of strategy and change, Edwin Wanyonyi, said the visit was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen Sino-Kenya cooperation in wildlife conservation.

"Today's visit by Chinese officials is part of our continuous engagement with Beijing on issues that promote conservation of wildlife species. We sought to deepen this cooperation in today's discussion with Chinese colleagues," said Wanyonyi.

KWS in 2013 signed a memorandum of understanding with China's State Forestry Administration and since then delegations from both sides have been meeting under an exchange program.

In April 2015, senior KWS officials visited China and held discussions with Chinese officials over the strengthening of collaboration in areas of mutual interests.

"At our meeting last year with Chinese officials, we agreed to enhance sharing of best practices on wildlife conservation," Wanyonyi said, adding China has been successful in Panda conservation and the experience can be applied in conservation of African flagship species.

Kenya has recorded an 80 percent reduction in poaching for the last three years thanks to robust partnership with countries like China in fields such as enhanced surveillance at the parks and ports of entry. Enditem
A Bulgarian lady throw fresh roses to welcome guests during the Rose Festival in the Kazanlak city, the center of Bulgaria's Rose Valley, June 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhan Xiaoyi)

SOFIA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 113th Rose Festival, the biggest event dedicated to the aromatic plant in Bulgaria, was held on Sunday in the town of Kazanlak in the heart of the Valley of Roses.

More than 7,000 students, athletes, musicians, dancers and actors participated in the festive activities, which were attended by high Bulgarian officials, many diplomats, and tourists from around the world.

Traditionally, the festival began with a rose-picking ritual at a rose farm on the town's outskirts.

Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova said over 220,000 tourists visited the Rose Valley last year, and she hoped that this year the number would be even larger.

Angelkova added that according to overseas marketing surveys, Rose is the symbol mostly associated with Bulgaria. That is why, she has sought to promote the Rose Festival and the attractions that the region can offer to foreign tourists, she said.

The country's Minister of Agriculture and Food Desislava Taneva, who also attended the event, called it "a feast of the beauty."

Taneva said she was proud to announce that Bulgaria is a world leader in the production of rose oil, and this year the country reported 2,500-decare increase in the areas planted with oil-bearing rose.

Just after the rose-picking ritual, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov specially came to cut the ribbon of the new home of the Museum of the Rose in Kazanlak, which presents Bulgarian tradition, innovation and success in growing roses and rose oil production.

While addressing the ceremony, Borissov said the museum would show the Bulgarians and the thousands of tourists that "rose oil is the most glorious thing in the world."

Later on, a festive parade involving from folklore groups to majorettes to children passed through the streets of the town, with a "Rose Queen" playing a central role.

This year's Rose Queen, Joanna Shishkova, was traditionally selected from among high school graduates, whose youth and natural beauty are associated with the uniqueness of Kazanlak rose oil.

Industry professionals also attended the festival.

Mihail Mihaylov, CEO of Bulgarian Organiroze Ltd., told Xinhua that last year it established a joint venture with a company from Guangdong province, China. The joint venture owns about 1,000-decare rose plantations, rose oil and rosewater distillery, and is currently building a factory for the production of Bulgarian rose facial masks.

He said he believes that the joint venture would have a bright future by selling its products not only to European but also to Chinese markets.

Liang Hongli, his Chinese partner, said in turn she expects the joint venture would deliver good rosewater and facial masks to the Chinese market.
JERUSALEM, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli B'Tselem Human Rights organization said on Monday that a second Palestinian was executed by an Israeli soldier following a stabbing attack in Hebron on March, which sent shockwaves throughout Israel.

The incident, in which an Israeli soldier shot an incapacitated Palestinian after a stabbing attack, divided the country. Now, the organization claims a second Palestinian was also "executed" by another Israeli soldier.

Two 21-year-old Palestinians, Abdel al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasarwi, attacked Israeli soldiers in a stabbing attack at the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the West Bank town of Hebron on March 24, wounding one soldier lightly.

The two Palestinians were shot by soldiers at the scene and seriously injured and, according to footage taken by a volunteer of B'Tselem, an organization advocating human rights in the West Bank, an Israeli soldier, 19-year-old Elor Azaria, approached incapacitated al-Sharif and shot him at point-blank.

Azaria is currently on military trial facing manslaughter charges.

The case has been in the Israeli media headlines since March, coming to be known by the public as "the shooting soldier affair", and divided the country, between those who condemned his actions and those who supported them. It also drew vast international media coverage.

The Israeli army said following the incident that the second Palestinian attacker, al-Qasarwi, died following gunshots fired by a soldier during the attack. However, B'Tselem on Monday announced it has gathered testimonies from Palestinians charging that's not the case.

B'Tselem said that according to the testimonies, al-Qasarwi was only wounded from the shots fired at him after the stabbing attack, and that another soldier "shot him in the head or neck twice on point-blank."

The organization also explained the delay in the appearance of the information is the result of an ongoing closure imposed by the Israeli army on the Palestinian Tel-Rumeida neighborhood in Hebron, where the incident took place.

The Israeli military said in response that the accounts "do not match the findings of our operational investigation," adding that the shots fired at al-Qasarawi were necessary "to remove the threat while he was attacking the soldiers."

The incident is part of an ongoing wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians which started in October, claiming the lives of 28 Israelis and 205 Palestinians.

The Israeli victims died in stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians.

Some of the Palestinian victims were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces during protests in the West Bank, while others were gunned down by security forces or vigilante citizens after allegedly carrying, or trying to carry out, attacks against Israelis.

Israeli left-wing groups and Palestinians charged Israel uses excessive force in its response to Palestinian attacks, shooting and killing Palestinian attackers although they no longer posed a threat to any lives.

The criticism was also delivered by Swedish Foreign Minister Margret Wallstrom, to the ire of the Israeli leadership, as well as by a group of U.S. democratic senators, who penned a report on the matter earlier this year.

Israeli leaders charge the wave of violence was prompted by the Palestinian Authority's "incitement to violence," whereas the Palestinians charge it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories, where they wish to establish a Palestinian state.
BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Projects from Indonesia and Zimbabwe were honored with the Prize for Girls' and Women's Education of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) here on Monday.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, gave the prize to Ella Yulaelawati, director of the Directorate of Early Childhood Education from Indonesia, and Evernice Munando, director of the Female Students Network Trust from Zimbabwe, respectively.

The Directorate of Early Childhood Education is awarded for its project that improves access and quality of girl's education through community-based early childhood education and early-year gender mainstreaming, according to the UNESCO.

The project targets girls in their early age, early childhood education female teachers, mothers and education administrators in five provinces of Indonesia.

The Female Students Network Trust is awarded for its initiative focusing on tertiary education for female students through leadership development and mentorship programs.

The program is aimed at creating more favorable learning environment for girls and women and establishing policies against sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.

Addressing the awarding ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Bokova thanked China for funding the prize and spoke highly of the importance China attached to education, teachers, and the right of access to education.

She said the prize will promote the cooperation between UNESCO and China as well as the empowerment of girls and women across the world.

Peng, also special envoy of the UNESCO for the promotion of girls' and women's education, said she will commit herself to the mission of ensuring women's right to receive education.

The prize was initiated and funded by the Chinese government, which is also the first one of the UNESCO in such area.
MANILA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 5-day joint military exercise between the Philippines and the United States opened Monday in Subic Bay in northern part of the country.

Rear Admiral Charles Williams, Task Force 73 commander, said the 22nd Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise enables U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to develop strong relationships with the Philippine Navy and Marine partners.

"Through persistent presence and relationships, we continue to make steady progress in increasing the complexity of our training and enhancing cooperation between our navies," he said in a statement.

Rear Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, Armed Forces of the Philippines Philippine Fleet commander, said they look forward to working along-side with their U.S. Navy partners during CARAT 2016.

"CARAT strengthens the strong and enduring relationships between the U.S. and Philippine navies," he said.

Aside from Subic Bay, the exercise would also take place in the waters off Palawan province in western Philippines and at the vicinity of Sulu Sea in southern part of the country.

CARAT Philippines is part of a broader exercise series the U.S. Navy conducts with nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia to address shared maritime security priorities, strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance interoperability among participating forces.

The Philippines has participated in the exercises since the series began in 1995.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier attend a joint press conference after their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2014. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang)

MOSCOW, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia is preparing an "adequate" response to the expansion of NATO toward its borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

"We do not hide that we have a negative attitude toward the NATO policy of expanding its military infrastructure toward our borders," Lavrov said at a press conference with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini.

Russia has announced the deployment of three new divisions near its western borders as one of its measures in response to NATO's building missile defense systems in Romania and Poland and the signing of an accession protocol with Montenegro.

Lavrov said that NATO used the Ukraine crisis and Russia's reaction to Kiev's attempts to discriminate against ethnic Russians in the east of the country "to invent a new pretext for the existence of the alliance."

The diplomat ruled out the possibility of Russia's attacking any NATO member states, which he said was an excuse used by the United States to deploy more troops and weapons to maintain its control over Europe.

Russia also disapproved of the NATO policy of involving other states in its military activities, Lavrov said, commenting on NATO BALTOPS 2016 military exercises, which started in Finland earlier on Monday.

Soini, for his part, said the exercises, which Finland has participated in since 1993, have the goal of strengthening Finland's defense capacity and were not aimed against anybody.

Related:

Russia, NATO to carry out mutual observation flights

MOSCOW, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia and some of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states will carry out mutual observation flights as part of their confidence-building efforts, a senior Russian defense official has said.

Russian experts will carry out the observation flights over the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while inspectors from Britain and Romania will fly over Russia under the Open Skies Treaty, Russian news agency Sputnik quoted Sergei Ryzhkov, head of Russian Defense Ministry's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, as saying on Sunday. Full story

Russia blasts NATO for Cold War mentality

MOSCOW, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin on Monday slammed recent remarks by the NATO leadership, saying they are similar to those in the time of the Cold War.
SOFIA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgaria-United States joint exercise Thracian Eagle 2016, involving eight F-15 jets from the Massachusetts Air National Guard, kicked off at Graf Ignatievo Air Base, officials said Monday.

The U.S. fighters will train together with Bulgarian MiG-29, Su-25, L-39ZA and C-27J Spartan aircraft, as well as helicopters AS 532 AL Cougar, Mi-24 and Mi-17, and anti-aircraft missile units, Bulgarian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The drill will continue until June 30, according to the Bulgarian Air Force training plan for 2016.

In 2015, military units of the Bulgarian army participated in 82 joint trainings and drills with the U.S. Army, the ministry said.

Bulgaria, a NATO member since 2004, signed a defense cooperation agreement with the United States in 2006.
VIENNA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The world's watchdog for nuclear security on Monday here urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fully comply with its obligations under the United Nations (UN) resolutions.

Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at a press meeting in Austria's capital of Vienna that the agency has been keeping a close eye on the DPRK, even though no IAEA inspectors have access to the country's nuclear facilities since the DPRK decided to end all cooperation with the agency in April 2009.

The IAEA now resorts to satellite images to observe some of the country's nuclear activities.

"It is deeply regrettable that the DPRK has shown no indication that it is willing to comply with the Security Council resolution adopted in response to its nuclear test earlier this year," Amano said.

"I call upon the DPRK to comply fully with its obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate promptly with the agency in implementing its NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Safeguards Agreement, and to resolve all outstanding issues," he said.

However, the nuclear agency refuses to evaluate the DPRK's capability of producing nuclear weapons, saying that it is not its job.

"The agency remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue by resuming its verification activities once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned," Amano said.

The DPRK claimed it successfully carried out four nuclear weapon tests in the past 10 years or so.
URUMQI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Muslims around China have finished their first day of Ramadan after a long day without food and drink on Monday.

For many in Kashgar, China's westmost city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it is customary after a day's fasting to have a glass of "doc," a milk drink mixed with yogurt, honey and ice.

"Nothing is better than doc for breaking fast. Both thirst and fatigue disappear after a glass," said Abdokrim Ismail, a resident of Kashgar's old town.

This year's Ramadan, which lasts from Monday to July 6, coincides with the hottest part of the year in Kashgar. Going without drinking in temperatures consistently over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) is quite a challenge.

"Ramadan is an occasion for us to experience starvation and learn endurance. No matter how hard it is, I will keep fasting for the holy month," Abdokrim said.

Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and dusk during the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual reflection. The practice is widely observed by ethnic minorities in China, including Uygur, Hui, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz.

China has about 20 million Muslims living in almost all provinces.

But for Mayis Hagei, a Muslim hotcake cook from Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, work continues.

Mayis Hagei, his wife and daughter got up at about 4 a.m. as usual. After morning prayer, the family began a busy working day.

"Ramadan is good for us Muslims to purify the heart, strengthen the mind and contemplate over doctrine," he said. "But non-Muslim residents of the neighborhood also need our cakes and service."

"I have sworn to stick it out until the Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking of the fast)," he added.

While Mayis Hagei was making cakes for his customers, Eprhan Abdokadhre, a housewife in Kashgar, was also busy preparing food before the sunrise: mutton, lamb pilaf, fruits, desserts, bread, milk, tea and honey -- plentiful enough for the whole family to endure the day.

"We believe in a light supper and a heavy breakfast," Eprhan said.

After grabbing a bite in the dusk, the men in her home went to a nearby mosque for the fourth prayer of the day, and women performed the ritual at home.

According to Hamit Aisha, assistant general manager of Xinjiang Arman halal food company, sales usually double during Ramadan, as demand for finished and semi-finished food soars.

Hermit Parati runs a carpet factory in Artux City of Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture. He is thinking of shortening working hours by three to four hours per day for Muslim employees.
BANGKOK, June 6 (Xinhua)-- An oil tanker Monday caught fire near the Laem Chabang port in east Thailand, seriously injuring one,local media reported.

The accident occurred at around 3:40 p.m. local time when the 20,000-ton oil tanker was pulling in to shore. One 24-year-old Thai worker was seriously injured, suffering from a burn covering 80 percent of his body. He was hospitalized.

Police has cordoned off the area. Four fire fighters were sent to put out the fire. Water and firefighter foam were used to handle with the blaze.

The fire is extinguished now. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Laem Chabang is home to Thailand's largest port, about 25 kilometers north of eastern Thailand's famous tourism destination Pattaya. The port occupies 2,572 acres and is capable of handling huge vessels.
WARSAW, June 6 (Xinhua) -- An inauguration of Anakonda 2016, a major military exercise aimed at verifying NATO forces' ability to protect its eastern flank, was held here on Monday.

The U.S. Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley said European countries and the United States shared common values which should be protected for further generations.

He also reminded that the U.S. government had decided to increase the country's military presence in Europe, putting more heavy equipment in the region, improving military infrastructure, and organizing more exercises together with their allies.

Therefore, "no one should have any doubts concerning the U.S. engagement in Europe's peace and security," said Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army Europe commander.

It is the sixth edition of the biggest military exercise in Poland since 1989. Around 31,000 NATO soldiers are to participate, representing 18 NATO countries, including 12,000 Polish forces, as well as partner countries' forces. They will be equipped with 3,000 vehicles, 105 aircraft and 12 ships.

The Anakonda military exercise has been held every two years since 2006. This year's edition marks an exercise focused on creating security in a transparent manner. The exercise also aims to check the multidimensional efficiency, including non-military elements, as well as cooperation with the territorial defense subdivisions.

The exercises are to last until June 17.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini were at a joint press conference in Mosocw, Russia, June 6, 2016. (Russia Foreign Ministry Photo)

MOSCOW, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia is preparing an "adequate" response to the expansion of NATO toward its borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

"We do not hide that we have a negative attitude toward the NATO policy of expanding its military infrastructure toward our borders," Lavrov said at a press conference with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini.

Russia has announced the deployment of three new divisions near its western borders as one of its measures in response to NATO's building missile defense systems in Romania and Poland and the signing of an accession protocol with Montenegro.

Lavrov said that NATO used the Ukraine crisis and Russia's reaction to Kiev's attempts to discriminate against ethnic Russians in the east of the country "to invent a new pretext for the existence of the alliance."

The diplomat ruled out the possibility of Russia's attacking any NATO member states, which he said was an excuse used by the United States to deploy more troops and weapons to maintain its control over Europe.

Russia also disapproved of the NATO policy of involving other states in its military activities, Lavrov said, commenting on NATO BALTOPS 2016 military exercises, which started in Finland earlier on Monday.

Soini, for his part, said the exercises, which Finland has participated in since 1993, have the goal of strengthening Finland's defense capacity and were not aimed against anybody.
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew co-chair the Economic Dialogue of the Eighth Round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues in Beijing, China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese and U.S. officials on Monday expressed willingness to address climate change together during a conference on climate change as part of the Eighth Round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues.

Breakthroughs in negotiating the historic Paris agreement on climate change, adopted without objection in December, are attributable to effective China-U.S. cooperation, according to Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

Cooperation between China and the United States on climate change demonstrated that the two countries can make major achievements to benefit both themselves and the whole world, he said.

The vice premier reiterated that both sides should follow the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in climate change cooperation.

China has set its peak carbon emissions target for around 2030. The country also pledged 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) to establish a fund for developing countries to jointly tackle climate change.

Wang said he hoped developed countries will honor their commitments to give 100 billion U.S. dollars to developing countries annually before 2020,realize emission reduction targets, and transfer environmentally friendly technology to developing countries.

Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change, said the two countries agreed to use opportunities such as the Group of 20 summit to deepen cooperation in the areas of new energy, energy revolution, carbon emissions reduction and energy conservation, in a bid to push the Paris agreement to become effective at an early date.

He told a press briefing after the conference that China-U.S. climate change cooperation demands actions from local governments, enterprises, research institutions and social groups from both countries.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also said the United States and China should make joint efforts to push the Paris agreement to become effective as early as possible.

Kerry said he expected stronger leadership from the two countries in shifting away from intensive, high-polluting energy consumption.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said both sides should encourage enterprises to operate in a low-carbon way and promote the use of green financing.

The two countries need to create jobs, innovate in technology and drive economic growth in the fight against climate change, according to Lew.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi hailed climate change cooperation as a bright spot in the establishment of a "new type of major power relationship" between China and the United States.

The two countries should expand cooperation on energy conservation and emissions reductions, clean energy, smart power grids, green ports and low-carbon cities, said Yang.

He urged China and the United States to push for the implementation of the Paris agreement and participate in further negotiations in a constructive way.
URUMQI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Muslims around China have finished their first day of Ramadan after a long day without food and drink on Monday.

For many in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it is customary after a day's fasting to have a glass of "doc," a milk drink mixed with yogurt, honey and ice.

"Nothing is better than doc for breaking fast. Both thirst and fatigue disappear after a glass," said Abdokrim Ismail, a resident of Kashgar's old town.

This year's Ramadan, which lasts from Monday to July 6, coincides with the hottest part of the year in Kashgar. Going without drinking in temperatures consistently over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) is quite a challenge.

"Ramadan is an occasion for us to experience starvation and learn endurance. No matter how hard it is, I will keep fasting for the holy month," Abdokrim said.

Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and dusk during the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual reflection. The practice is widely observed by ethnic minorities in China, including Uygur, Hui, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz.

But for Mayis Hagei, a Muslim hotcake cook from Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, work continues.

Mayis Hagei, his wife and daughter got up at about 4 a.m. as usual. After morning prayer, the family began a busy working day.

"Ramadan is good for us Muslims to purify the heart, strengthen the mind and contemplate over doctrine," he said. "But non-Muslim residents of the neighborhood also need our cakes and service."

"I have sworn to stick it out until the Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking of the fast)," he added.

While Mayis Hagei was making cakes for his customers, Eprhan Abdokadhre, a housewife in Kashgar, was also busy preparing food before the sunrise: mutton, lamb pilaf, fruits, desserts, bread, milk, tea and honey -- plentiful enough for the whole family to endure the day.

"We believe in a light supper and a heavy breakfast," Eprhan said.

After grabbing a bite in the dusk, the men in her home went to a nearby mosque for the fourth prayer of the day, and women performed the ritual at home.

According to Hamit Aisha, assistant general manager of Xinjiang Arman halal food company, sales usually double during Ramadan, as demand for finished and semi-finished food soars.

Hermit Parati runs a carpet factory in Artux City of Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture. He is thinking of shortening working hours by three to four hours per day for Muslim employees.

On Monday, about 20,000 people visited Dongguan Mosque in Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, almost double the usual number. Qinghai is home to more than a million Muslims, or about one fifth of the province's total population.

Wang Shaofeng, an imam at the mosque, leads tours for visitors. "Not drinking water for the whole day is quite a challenge for people like me, who talk a lot, but many people are quite considerate, and they did not ask many questions today," he said.

After sunset, young girls distributed dates at the gate of the mosque and some believers brought milk tea and melons to share.

Ma Jian, a middle-aged Muslim, left the mosque after he finished his prayer sessions for the day. "My family have prepared noodles and desserts for the night. After a day of fasting, the delicacies are a great joy," he said.

China has about 20 million Muslims living in almost all provinces.
by Robert Manyara, Chris Mgidu and Omar Chrispinus

NAIROBI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- At least one protester was killed and more than 20 others injured during opposition protests which turned violent in the western Kenyan city of Kisumu on Monday, witnesses have said.

The protests hitting several cities and towns in Kenya are the sixth held on Monday in the past weeks. The opposition is demanding the country's electoral body running next year's general elections be dissolved.

Witnesses said the man was shot dead as protesters were marching towards the electoral body's offices in Kisumu. There were running battles in the city between the protesters and anti-riot police.

A senior administrator at a local hospital said the deceased had a gunshot wound in the chest while five others were critically injured.

The demonstrators blocked key roads and set fire on tyres during the weekly protests against the election commission, which they allege is corrupt and biased in favor of the government.

Local police commanders have denied receiving death reports. No further information from the police is immediately known.

Police sources said they were forced to intervene when some protesters threw stones at two major supermarkets, shattering glass.

Witnesses said the protesters then moved in to loot property at one supermarket while at another supermarket they were repulsed by police.

Scuffle erupted when a rowdy group joined peaceful opposition protesters and tried to gain entry into the electoral body's offices.

Calm was however reported in many other parts of the country including Mombasa, where Muslim opposition supporters started observing the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The city center of the capital Nairobi remained largely peaceful with heavy police presence. But in Nairobi's Kibera and Mathare slums, where some slum protesters threw stones at vehicles, forcing motorists to look for alternative routes.

The High Court earlier declined to stop the protests but asked police to provide security and ensure public safety.

In Nairobi, opposition leaders and their supporters held a peaceful demonstration in the city center.

The protesters formed a human shield at Anniversary Towers, the head office of the electoral commission, to prevent anyone from moving in as directed by the court.

Former Lands Minister and a member of the opposition coalition, James Orengo, said similar protests will be held in two weeks if the government declined to hold talks on the composition of the electoral body but added the opposition supporters will maintain peace.

The police have used teargas and high-powered water cannon at protesters in protests in the past weeks. There has been criticism of police brutality as four protesters had been killed in previous protests in Siaya and Kisumu in western Kenya.

The protests had also seen looting and destruction of property, a situation that forced may businesses to close for fear of further violence.
KATHMANDU, June 6 (Xinhua)-- Deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission Sun Jianguo and Nepal's Defense Minister Bhim Rawal pledged to enhance defense cooperation between the two countries here on Monday, a senior government official said.

"The two sides exchanged views on various matters relating to strengthen defense cooperation," Secretary at the ministry Mahesh Dahal told media.

During the meeting held at the Nepal's Defense Ministry in Kathmandu, Admiral Sun said that China wants to see political stability and economic prosperity in Nepal, according to Secretary Dahal. He also praised Nepal's adherence to the one-China policy.

Defense Minister Rawal expressed gratitude for China's incessant support to Nepal, stressing on the implementation of the agreements reached between the two governments during Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli's visit to China in March.

"China has remained our friendly neighbor. Our relationship with China has remained trouble-free all the time. The minister reiterated Nepal's one-China policy and said we will not allow any anti-Chinese activities inside our territory," the defense secretary said.

Stating that Nepal has marched toward a new era after promulgation of the new Constitution in September last year, the minister expected China's continual support in the days to come, particularly in socio-economic development of the country.

On the occasion, the Nepalese defence minister thanked the Chinese People's Liberation Army's extensive support in rescue and relief operation in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that jolted Nepal on April 25 last year, which left around 9,000 people killed.

"We would like to express gratitude to the people and government of China for their enormous support and goodwill to us in the aftermath of the earthquake and the post-earthquake reconstruction process," the minister said.

Sun arrived here Monday for a four-day official visit. During his stay, he will also call on Nepalese Chief of the Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri.
BEIJING, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei speaks at a press briefing on the sidelines of the eighth round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) and the seventh round of China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing, China, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to cut excess production capacity, but will rely on market forces, not government-set targets, to do so, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on Monday, as an annual high-level dialogue between China and United States kicked off.

Speaking at a press briefing, Lou said China has attached great importance to cutting industrial overcapacity, and that measures have been taken to eliminate 90 million tonnes of steel production capacity.

But he ruled out the possibility of working out a quantitative target initiated by the government.

"China has bid farewell to the planned economy, so the government can not dictate to industries on this. More than half of the country's steel makers are privately owned," Lou said.

While stressing market forces, the minister said the government will strengthen supervision on environmental protection and energy saving, and ensure high quality and security.

The government will also provide fiscal support to aid laid-off workers, he added.

The eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue comes at a time when excess steel capacity has become an acute global challenge.

U.S. steel producers are increasingly resorting to trade remedies and tariff protection to ride out a sluggish steel market, a practice strongly opposed by Chinese exporters.

STRUCTURAL REFORM CRUCIAL

As the global economy grapples with a weak recovery, macro-policy coordination is high on the dialogue's agenda.

Although the U.S. economy is seeing stronger recovery momentum, its investment engine remains weak and trade and fiscal deficits are high. Meanwhile, the Chinese economy is operating stably, but its fundamental problems have not been sorted out, Lou said, reaffirming the need for both countries to implement structural reforms.

He said China is willing to work alongside the international community to strengthen policy coordination and boost growth potential through structural reform and technology innovation.

"China will adhere to a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy to provide a stable environment for structural reform," he added.

While the Chinese side pledged persistent policy making, the U.S. government vowed greater transparency and to make policy-setting more forward-looking to lessen the negative spillover to other countries.

The United States also agreed to take actions to boost productivity and investment, raise saving rates as well as labor participation rates, and achieve sustainable fiscal discipline in the medium-term.
ABUJA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Interior ministers of countries in the Lake Chad Basin on Monday converged on the Nigerian capital Abuja to declare open a regional summit aimed at protecting victims of Boko Haram's insurgency since 2009.

Minister of Interior Abdulrahaman Dambazzau told reporters here at the commencement of the three-day summit that participants from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, which made up the Lake Chad Basin, were present at the meeting.

The primary objective of the summit is to identify the protection risks of the population affected and adopt concrete measures to support refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, the official said, adding emphasis would be on the vulnerable groups such as children, women, and the elderly.

A multinational military joint task force has recently decimated the ranks of Boko Haram, retaking most of the areas previously under Boko Haram's control, especially in Nigeria.

The ruthless Boko Haram group had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of thousands of people and killing of thousands more within the Lake Chad region.

Dambazzau said nations participating in the summit would have the opportunity to decide on common solutions to the problems of those affected by the violence.

The summit, put together in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), will also address the adverse effects of insurgency on the population of Lake Chad Basin, he added.

Curtains will fall on the summit on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Poland for this year's NATO summit from July 7 to 9 and visit Spain from July 9 to 11, the White House said Monday.

The NATO Summit, Obama's fifth and final Summit with NATO leaders, will afford an opportunity to underscore Alliance solidarity, to advance efforts to bolster security to NATO's east and south, and to project stability through new partnerships beyond the North Atlantic area, the White House said in a statement.

While in the Polish capital Warsaw, Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss bilateral relations, reaffirm the U.S. commitment to Poland's security, and exchange views on the broader security environment in Europe, according to the statement.

In Warsaw, Obama will also meet the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission to discuss U.S.-EU cooperation across a range of shared priorities, including countering terrorism, fostering economic growth and prosperity, and addressing the global refugee crisis.

Obama's visit to Spain, an important NATO ally, will highlight robust security cooperation, a strong political and economic relationship, and longstanding people-to-people ties, said the statement.
BISHKEK, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan and Russia signed a series of cooperation agreements after talks between the visiting Russian prime minister and his Kyrgyz counterpart here on Monday, announced the Kyrgyz government press service.

According to the press service, the two countries signed five cooperation agreements in the energy, labor, investment and other areas, including Agreement between the Governments of Kyrgyzstan and Russia on cooperation in the sphere of oil and oil products, Agreement on cooperation in the social and labor sphere between the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of the Kyrgyz Republic and so on.

Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbai Zheenbekov, appraising the outcome of talks with his Russian counterpart, saying that the talks were intense.

According to Zheenbekov, the two sides discussed issues of bilateral and international agenda, strengthening ties taking into account Kyrgyzstan's participation in the Eurasian Economic Union.

"Kyrgyzstan values the relations of strategic partnership with Russia. We value the relationship with the neighbor, who also did much to strengthen them. We agreed to intensify cooperation in terms of export of agricultural products, building direct investment and tourism," Zheenbekov said.

From his part, Dmitry Medvedev highlighted Russia's role in the trade and economic sphere of Kyrgyzstan and called to deepen cooperation.

"We're really close friends and partners with Kyrgyzstan. You mentioned that at the moment both of us have economic difficulties. This is true. It's better to overcome difficulties together," Medvedev said.

Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Monday morning for official visit and plan to take part in the meeting of CIS Heads of Government Council, which will take place on June 7 in Bishkek under the chairmanship of Kyrgyzstan. Enditem
The site of train crash is seen in the town of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse in the province of Liege, Belgium, June 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

BRUSSELS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and nine injured in a crash between a passenger train and a freight train at about 11 p.m. on Sunday local time in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, a town in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, near the city of Liege.

"A passenger train struck a freight train on the same track in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse. Three people were killed in the accident and nine wounded people were taken to hospital," Frederic Sacre, a spokesman for the Belgian rail infrastructure operator Infrabel, told Xinhua.

The passenger train, travelling from Mouscron to Liers with about 40 passengers on board, caught up with a preceding goods train on the same track and hit it from behind, the spokesman added.

The train with passengers on board rammed the back of the stationary goods train "at a relatively high speed," said Francis Dejon, mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse at a press conference.

"The passenger train is in a terrible state, it's quite a sight. The first carriage has folded up on itself," Dejon added.

In the shock of the crash, two of the six carriages derailed and ended up on their sides, a Xinhua reporter noted on the scene.

On Monday afternoon, the identity of one of the three deceased had been made public by Belgian rail operator SNCB. The passenger train driver, 47-year-old Marc De Geyter, died in the crash. The other two deceased are passengers.

At midday on Monday, only one injured passenger remained in a critical condition in hospital, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported.

The Belgian prosecutor and investigators are on the scene to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding the accident. A helicopter has been photographing the scene of the accident from above.

Infrabel spokesman Frederic Sacre told Xinhua that nothing had been ruled out but the crash appeared to be an accident linked to an earlier lightning strike on the line.

The SNCB on Twitter said at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday -- an hour and a half before the crash -- that there were signalling problems on line 125 between Amay and Engis, which was subsequently fixed with rail traffic returning to normal that evening.

On July 3, 2008, a similar accident occurred at the same location in similar circumstances: a passenger train struck a goods train, injuring 40 people. In that case, a court found the driver of the passenger train to have been at fault.
NIAMEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Boko Haram has retaken the Nigerien city of Bosso, which is close to Nigeria, after a Sunday night attack, according to a military source.

Boko Haram retook the city less than 72 hours after the first attack on Friday when 30 Nigerien and two Nigerian soldiers were killed and 70 others were injured.

On Friday night, hundreds of Boko Haram fighters assaulted the military camp, forcing soldiers to retreat after hours of fighting.

A counterattack led Nigerien troops on Saturday morning succeeded in recapturing all lost positions.

But the troops lost control of Bosso city again on Sunday night, said a military source who did not wish to be named.

Headquartered across the border in northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram seeks to carve out an emirate and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

It has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced families mostly in northeastern Nigeria since it launched its campaign of violence in 2009.
by Xinhua writer Wang Qiang

CAIRO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Paris is now working hard to sell to the international community its initiatives to end the stalemate in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, yet its efforts may not fare well in the face of plain rejection by the rival parties.

On Friday, an international meeting of foreign ministers was convened in Paris to over the peace impasse. Top diplomats from dozens of nations, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, attended the meeting, while the two "leading actors" -- Israel and the Palestinians -- were not invited.

Actually, Israel had said on Thursday the initiatives aimed at reviving the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians are "doomed to fail."

"The only way to get a stable regional arrangement that will allow us to create true peace is if parties in the Middle East come to understandings between them," Israel's head of the Foreign Ministry Dore Gold said on the eve of the meeting of foreign ministers in Paris to set up the groundwork for a international peace conference later this year.

"We believe the Arab states would give backing to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," he added.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the French efforts to organize a peace summit, saying peace is not achieved with international conferences.

"The way to peace does not go through international conferences that seek to impose agreements, make the Palestinians' demands more extreme and thereby make peace more remote," Netanyahu said, according to a statement issued by his office.

Following the half-day meeting in Paris, a statement released on Friday by the Israeli Foreign Ministry once again blasted the peace summit as "missed opportunity," accusing the international community of "yielding" to the demands of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Instead of urging Abbas to respond to calls from Prime Minister (Netanyahu) to start direct negotiations immediately and without preconditions, the international community responded to Abbas' demand, allowing him to keep avoiding direct bilateral negotiations without preconditions," the ministry said.

"It will go down in history that the conference in Paris simply resulted in hardened Palestinian positions and distant peace," the ministry charged.

On the other hand, although the Palestinian National Authority and President Abbas supported the initiatives, the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, announced Monday that it opposes the current French initiatives.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman, slammed Abbas for supporting it, adding "Abbas' decision to support the initiatives never represent the Palestinian people and doesn't enjoy a full Palestinian consensus."

Ismail Haneya, Hamas deputy chief, vowed Sunday in Gaza that his movement and other Palestinian factions would resist the initiatives aimed at settling a peace treaty with Israel.

He predicted that all these initiatives "carry the seeds of failure" in a rally in Gaza on the 49th anniversary of the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The Islamic movement has been ruling the Gaza Strip since it violently took control of the coastal enclave in the summer of 2007, and it said Israel pulled out from Gaza due to armed resistance, not due to peace treaties.

Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories in the 1967 Middle East War.

The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians took place between July 2013 and April 2014 with the mediation of the U.S., but ended abruptly without results.

International calls to restart peace talks came amid an ongoing wave of violence which started in October and claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and 205 Palestinians.
LONDON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Women are almost twice as likely to experience anxiety as men, according to an international study released Monday by the University of Cambridge.

Aside from women, young people, who are under the age of 35, are disproportionately affected by such mental health problems, the study shows.

Anxiety disorders, which often manifest as excessive worry, fear, and a tendency to avoid potentially stressful situations including social gatherings, are some of the most common mental health problems in the Western world.

There have been many studies looking at the number of people affected by anxiety disorders. In an attempt to synthesize the various studies, a team led by researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted a global review of systematic reviews. Out of over 1,200 reviews, the researchers identified 48 that matched their criteria for inclusion.

The team found that the overall proportion of people affected remained largely unchanged, with around four out of every 100 experiencing anxiety. The highest proportion of people with anxiety is in North America, where almost eight out of every 100 people are affected; the proportion is lowest in East Asia, where less than three in 100 people have this mental health problem.

People with other health conditions are also far more likely to experience such symptoms, according to the study. For example, around one in ten adults with cardiovascular disease and living in Western countries are affected by generalized anxiety disorder, with women showing higher anxiety levels than men.

"Anxiety disorders can make life extremely difficult for some people and it is important for our health services to understand how common they are and which groups of people are at greatest risk," said Olivia Remes from the University of Cambridge, one of the authors of the study.

However, the analysis also showed that data on some populations was lacking or of poor quality. "Although many groups have examined this important topic, significant gaps in research remain," said Louise Lafortune, senior research associate at the Cambridge Institute of Public Health.
UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the appointment of Omar Abdi of Canada as the deputy executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Mr. Abdi will succeed Geeta Rao Gupta whom the secretary-general would like to thank for her exceptional service and commitment to UNICEF," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

The secretary-general also appointed Shanelle Hall of the United States as the deputy executive director (Field Results) as well as Maria Calivis of Italy as the deputy executive director (Programmes) of UNICEF, he added.

UNICEF was created in 1946 to provide emergency food and health care to children in countries that had been ravaged by World War II. The Fund provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

It has evolved from an emergency fund to a development agency, committed to protecting the rights of every child to survival, protection and development. Enditem
LIMA, June 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Presidential candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of the Peruvians for Change (PPK) party waves to his supporters at the end of the second round of the presidential elections in the district of San Isidro, Lima Province, Peru, on June 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Luis Camacho)

LIMA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski maintained a slight lead over his rival Keiko Fujimori, the country's electoral official said on Monday.

Kuczynski had 50.32 percent of the vote against 49.68 percent for Fujimori, with 92.55 percent of votes counted, National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) director Mariano Cuchos said.

With less than one percentage point between the two candidates, the election is the tightest in Peru in 25 years, according to Peruvian daily El Comercio.

Both sides are anxious to get a final result. However, Cucho said, both candidates should remain calm until all votes are fully tallied.

The tight race was likely due to a lack of ideological differences between the two candidates. Kuczynski and Fujimori could name the same Minister of Economy and nobody would be surprised, political analyst Arturo Maldonado told local media.

The winner will assume presidency on July 28 with a mandate of five years.

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LIMA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Peru's presidential contenders were in a dead heat, according to exit polls following runoff elections on Sunday.
LAGOS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The bombings of major oil installations by the Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group could worsen the operations of oil companies in Nigeria, a top official with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) said Monday.

The development would negatively affect the efforts of the government to increase power generation in the country, Azubuike Okafor, a regional chairman of the association told reporter in southern city of Awka.

He said that though manufacturers were pleased with efforts being made by the government to tackle the country's electricity challenges, such efforts were being hindered by the militants.

According to him, the actions of the militants has caused the closure of many industries because of the non-availability of diesel to power industries.

He told reporters that the militants were disrupting efforts being made by government to improve and sustain electricity generation and increase oil production.

Okafor advised the government to dialogue with the militants and persuade them to support its effort.

Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group, has been claiming responsibility for a string of attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta.

The group has launched several attacks on oil and gas infrastructure since February 2016, demanding a sovereign nation of the Niger Delta people.

Recent attacks on oil and gas facilities have harmed Nigeria's oil production, bringing it down to 1.4 million barrels per day. Enditem
LAGOS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Monday assured operators of domestic airlines in the country of its determination to address their challenge of lack foreign exchange (FOREX).

Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, gave the assurance when members of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) led by their chairman, Nogie Meggison visited him in Abuja, the nation's capital city.

Sirika said he had visited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance on the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari with the view to resolving the issue.

He dismissed the allegation made by operators of domestic airlines that preference was being given to operators of foreign airlines in sourcing foreign exchange.

He promised that the government would create level playing field for all airline operators in the country, irrespective of their origin by ensuring that their plights were ameliorated.

On the issue of JET A1 known as aviation fuel, Sirika said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had assured of its readiness to re-position the country's refineries to produce the product.

He said the issue of the price of fuel was beyond his purview, adding that availability of the product was his priority at the moment.

The minister said his ministry was discussing with the Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to ensure that waivers on aircraft and its parts were sustained.

Sirika said the federal government would review some of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) it signed with different countries to ensure that they were beneficial to Nigeria. Enditem
BRUSSELS, Feb. 19, 2016 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron addresses a press conference at the end of an extraordinary two-day EU summit at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, Feb.19, 2016. (Xinhua file photo/Ye Pingfan)

by Larry Neild

LONDON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne Monday travelled to the only part of Britain with a land border leading to another EU country as part of the Remain campaign.

Osborne stood at a crossing between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, saying it would become a new EU frontier if Britons vote to leave on June 23, according to the campaign headquarters in London.

Osborne also warned Northern Ireland farmers would be badly hit if Brexit wins the vote, saying the Westminster government would not be able to match the billions of dollars Northern Ireland receives in subsidies from Brussels.

The Chancellor told media gathered at the border: "I'm here at Warrenpoint and it's a very practical demonstration that Northern Ireland has the only land border with an EU country."

"If we quit the EU, this is going to be Britain's border with the EU. There would have to be a hardening of the border imposed by the British Government or indeed by the Irish Government and that would have an impact on business," he said.

In a media interview later, Member of Parliament Sammy Wilson from Northern Ireland's largest political party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said Osborne's comments did not stand up to scrutiny.

Wilson said: "There's a land border between Norway and Sweden and you don't have those kind of checks and those border posts. There's a land border between France and Switzerland and you don't have sealing of the border, so why would Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland be any different?"

Long before the Britain and the Irish Republic both joined the EU, there was free movement for British and Irish residents across the border under a Common Travel Area agreement.

Meanwhile, in London, the Leave campaign claimed the EU will demand even more money from Britain if it stays in the EU.

A statement Monday from their camp said: "We will be paying for the next Eurozone bailouts. We will be paying for a higher EU budget and new figures uncovered by the Vote Leave campaign show we will be paying a 2.4 billion pounds (3.47 billion U.S. dollars) extra bill soon after the referendum."

"David Cameron's deal did nothing to protect us from these three dangers. The European Court will be in charge of deciding any disputes over our bills and over Cameron's deal," it said.

Brexit campaigner, former London mayor Boris Johnson said: "The risks of remain are massive. Not only do we hand over more than 350 million pounds (5.06 billion U.S. dollars) a week to the EU, but if we vote to stay the British people will be on the hook for even more cash. It is a triple whammy of woe: the eurozone is being strangled by stagnation, unemployment and a lack of growth, it could explode at any time and we will be forced to bail it out."

In another move Monday, seven of Britain's most senior former police chiefs warned leaving Europe would make Britain "less safe."

Two former Scotland Yard chiefs who headed London's Metropolitan Police were among the seven who have written an open letter, which says membership of the EU makes Britain more secure.

Leaving the EU would be "a gamble with our security," they warn, saying it would make harder to tackle terrorism and organized crime.

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LONDON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The British economy has slowed down noticeably as the country moves toward the European Union (EU) membership referendum on June 23.

The uncertainty that shrouds the outcome is claiming a toll on the economy. The rate of growth fell in the first quarter of this year to 0.4 percent from 0.6 percent in the last quarter of 2015, according to statistics released Thursday. Full Story

No escape from EU debate as major British chain backs Brexit with pub message

LONDON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- It might be known as flaming June, but the arrival Tuesday of Britain's first summer month has sent temperatures soaring for a different reason, namely, the referendum on continued European Union (EU) membership.
LAGOS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday dismissed insinuation that his trip abroad might cause tension in the country, saying is there anybody that doesn't fall sick.

The Nigerian leader told reporters at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly before his departure to London, that the National Assembly (NASS) was formally notified of his vacation as required by law.

Earlier, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, dismissed media reports that Buhari was ill.

The presidential aide said Buhari was going to London to spend part of his annual leave.

According to him, the president would use the opportunity of his vacation to see an ENT specialist for a persistent ear infection.

Adesina told reporters that the president has been effectively performing his presidential duties until the time he left Nigeria for London on Monday.

"Till the very last minute that he is traveling, the president performed the duties and functions of his office as president," he added.

"So, illness is not the issue, but as a human being, yes he can rest. He has been President for one full year, you know that in February he took 5 days leave; he is taking another 10 days now that means 15 days leave in one year," the president spokesperson said.

Local media reports earlier suggested that the president was recently prevented from making scheduled trips within Nigeria and outside the country due to the "ear infection." Enditem
File photo: Syrian refugees wait to cross to a camp at the Jordanian side of the Jordan-Syria border near Royashed Town in Jordan on May 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

CAIRO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China's special envoy for the Syrian issue Xie Xiaoyan said here on Monday that Beijing is ready play an even greater role in helping end the Syrian crisis.

He made the remarks while attending a press conference at the headquarters of the Arab League (AL) following a meeting with Nabil al-Araby, the secretary general of AL.

Xie said the Syrian crisis has now arrived at a very critical stage, while all concerned parties and the international community should work even harder toward a political solution, and take effective steps.

"China believes that cease-fire must be implemented thoroughly and comprehensively," he said, adding that "urgent measures should be put in place to ensure that relief aid reach those affected."

The Chinese envoy arrived in Cairo on Sunday. It is his first visit to Egypt since he landed on the job in March.

Also on Monday, he held a meeting with senior Egyptian diplomats on the Syrian issue.

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Enhanced efforts needed for promoting political process of Syria issue: China's envoy

VIENNA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China calls for enhanced international efforts to ensure further positive achievements in promoting the political process of the Syria issue, China's envoy said here Tuesday after attending a meeting on Syria.

Co-chaired by the United States and Russia, the fifth International Syria Support Group (ISSG) ministerial meeting was held on Tuesday in Vienna, Austria, to discuss key issues of the Syria conflict, including the enhancement of nationwide cessation of hostilities and humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged country. Full story

China's envoy calls for joint efforts to achieve real ceasefire in Syria

VIENNA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China hopes all sides could work together to achieve a real ceasefire in Syria at the upcoming International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting, China's envoy said here Tuesday.
KHARTOUM, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Liberation Movement (SLM), has renewed its rejection to join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) as a base for negotiation, reported Sudan's Tribune.

The influential rebel group in Sudan's Darfur said "The movement's position is fixed, and it rejects signing the DDPD as a base for negotiation," Minni Arko Minnawi, SLM leader, was quoted as saying.

"The consultations, recently held in Doha with Qatari mediation, began with a question about the possibility of opening the DDPD for negotiations or not, and the sessions ended with this question unanswered," he noted.

He went on to say that "We explained that our conditions are merely procedural, represented in these questions: is the Doha deal subject to a reopening for negotiations or not? And can Doha become a member of the African Union mediation?"

According to the report, Minnawi considered continuing consultations with the Qatari mediator as impractical if mediators insisted on the DDPD as a base for negotiation.

"If this is their sole stance then consultations can no longer continue," said Minnawi.

Last May 30 and 31, Qatar's mediator consulted in Doha with the leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Jibril Ibrahim as well as SLM leader Minni Minnawi regarding joining the Darfur peace deal.

The rebel JEM, SLM/Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction as well as the SLM/Minni Minnawi faction all rejected the DDPD, claiming it did not meet the demands of Darfur's population.

The rebel JEM and SLM have previously asked Qatar to play a more prominent role with respect to mediation with the Sudanese government.

They wanted the Sudanese government to join the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), led by Thabo Mbeki, to bridge the differences between rivals.

However, the Sudanese government rejected the armed groups' proposal.

The DDPD was finally signed as a Darfur peace document in July 2011 in Qatar's capital city, Doha, between the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), led by Tijani Sese, following an entire year of negotiations. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday met with Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, and the two discussed various issues of mutual interest.

"They discussed various issues of mutual interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian question, Syria, Libya, Yemen, migration, Afghanistan, and the situation in various parts of Africa," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "The secretary-general thanked the European Union for its active engagement and its strong support for United Nations efforts in those areas."

Mogherini was at UN Headquarters in New York to attend an open debate at the UN Security Council on the UN-EU cooperation, at which she asked the 15-nation council to authorize EU's naval forces in the Mediterranean to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya.

She asked the most powerful UN body to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia, the EU mission set up to stem migrant trafficking from Libya, to enforce the arms embargo on the high seas, off the coast of Libya.

"This is the course of action that our European Union has chosen: constant coordination with the United Nations, to best serve our collective interests," said Mogherini.

She told reporters here after she spoke to the Security Council that the EU is ready to work with the United Nations and relevant countries to make the Mediterranean and Libyan waters a safe place after more than 1,000 people migrating from North Africa to Europe became victims of a series of shipwrecks last week.

In 2015, the EU launched the naval operation to reduce migrant and refugee smuggling across the Mediterranean.

In October last year, the Security Council adopted a resolution to authorize member states, including the European Union, to take actions on vessels that are used for people smuggling from Libya. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, have welcomed an agreement by the Yemeni parties to release all children who are prisoners, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

"The special envoy said that the unconditional release of children was agreed by the parties and the mechanics of the release of detainees in the coming days was addressed," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

The Houthi group and Yemen's government in exile reached a peace agreement in negotiations aimed at ending the war that has killed at least 6,200 people and caused a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

It remains unknown how many child prisoners are being held, but reports said that the Houthis and the government submitted in late May a list of almost 7,000 names of prisoners they say are being held by the other side.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 900 children have been killed and 1,300 wounded during the conflict in 2015.

The fragile security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when a civil war broke between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said an estimated 40,000 people were displaced in one of its deadliest offensives by Boko Haram in Niger, a UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

Boko Haram attacked a military position in Niger's Diffa region last Friday killing and wounding soldiers, after a string of attacks, including in the town of Yebi, on May 31, UN spokesman Spokesman Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"It is estimated that the attacks in Yebi and Bosso displaced some 40,000 people, although no official figures are yet available," he said. "Initial reports indicate that the displaced people urgently need food, shelter, psychosocial support, health care, household items, water and sanitation. "

Around 30 humanitarian organizations operate in Bosso, a city near Niger's border with Nigeria, and are mobilizing existing relief stocks to the affected areas, Dujarric said. "An inter-agency assessment mission is planned for today."

At least 30 soldiers from Niger and two from Nigeria were killed on Friday in the wake of Boko Haram's attack on the two neighboring countries' border near the city of Bosso, reports said.

The town of Bosso is part of the Diffa region, where many refugees and internally displaced people have sought shelter from Boko Haram violence elsewhere. The region has been targeted numerous times in attacks blamed on Boko Haram fighters.

The eastern part of Niger, close to the border with Nigeria, has witnessed since February 2015 repeated attacks launched by Boko Haram, who has claimed the lives of hundreds of Nigerien civilians and soldiers, the group has also displaced thousands of Nigerians as well as Nigeriens. Enditem
LONDON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- British bookmakers have seen a sudden surge in bets on a Brexit -- the UK quitting the European Union (EU) -- a leading gambling firm said on Monday.

The EU referendum is on June 23 and Sporting Index said that it had received 20 times more bets in the past three days on the referendum than it did on the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

A majority of those bets have backed Brexit, leading the firm to predict a voter share of 47.5 percent for the Leave camp.

However, according to Sporting Index, this is still behind the Remain camp which it predicts has 52.5 percent of the vote.

Ed Fulton, political spokesman for Sporting Index, said: "The volume of bets we've taken on the EU referendum in the past 72 hours is incredible considering we are still over two weeks away from polling day. If this frenzy of activity continues, the EU referendum will likely turnout to be a bigger political betting event than the last few general elections put together."

"The weight of money is starting to really build up behind a vote for Brexit, narrowing the gap between the two outcomes to just five percentage points on our markets at this early stage," Fulton added.

However, according to Sporting Index's markets, Britain is expected to still be a member of the EU after the crucial vote with "Remain" winning 52.5 per cent of the vote.

Bets on Leave winning the referendum had outnumbered bets on Remain by nearly two to one, but Fulton said that with TV debates coming up and 17 days to go, "it's still very much all to play for." Enditem
MINSK, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus is interested in deepening cooperation with the European Union, the press-service of the head of state said Monday.

"This year has brought a positive change in the normalization of our relations with the European Union. Indeed, we are interested in the maximal deepening of contacts with the EU and in the fostering of upward dynamics of our cooperation," the president told foreign ambassadors in Minsk on Monday.

The president named as a key objective of the economic policy of Belarus the consistent diversification of exports and even distribution of trade ties in three major directions - the Eurasian Economic Union, the European Union and partners in Asia, Africa and America. By 2020, Belarus plans to reach a proportionate correlation between these directions, the president stressed.

The restrictive measures imposed by the EU on Belarusian individuals and entities after the Belarusian presidential elections in 2010 were due to expire on Oct. 31, 2015. On Oct. 29, the European Union Council extended those measures until Feb. 29, 2016, and suspended them for 170 individuals, including Lukashenko.

The EU's Foreign Affairs Council decided to lift the sanctions against those individuals on February 15. Brussels explained the decision with the Belarusian authorities' release of political prisoners. Enditem
BRASILIA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Minister of the Presidency Eliseu Padilha, who is in charge of liaising between government officials, announced Monday that any officials being investigated by Operation Lava Jato will have to step down.

In an interview with the daily newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, Padilha said this decision had been taken by interim President Michel Temer to prevent new revelations from destabilizing his government.

Operation Lava Jato, also known as Operation Car Wash, investigates corruption at the country's oil giant Petrobras.

"If any person within the government appears within Lava Jato, the president's position is that this person must step aside," he said.

In the last weeks, two Temer ministers have already left the government due to being targeted by Lava Jato, and others may follow in the next few weeks.

Brazil's prosecutor general Rodrigo Janot lodged a case at the Supreme Court (STF) last week, accusing Tourism Minister Henrique Alves of having received funds embezzled from Petrobras through the intermediary of the suspended president of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha.

Padilha also told the newspaper that Temer is planning to release a package of "impactful measures" soon to stimulate the economy, currently mired in a deep recession.

Initiative thoughts likely to be part of this package include the loosening of exploitation rules for underwater, pre-salt oilfields, the complete opening-up of the aviation sector and of land purchases to foreign capital.
Magistrate hits faulty police database system

Magistrate Natalie Diop had no choice but to disregard the court record which showed that Andrews, of Embacadere, was convicted last July, of a similar charge. The magistrate erred on the side of caution and adhered to the outdated police record, that the same case is still pending.

Magistrate Diop told Court Prosecutor Sgt Raymond Dhookoo, that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is under a duty and responsibility by law, to provide a registry of convicted offenders.

She added the service also needs to update its registry so the court, in passing sentence, could consider all aggravating circumstances, as well as mitigating circumstances.

Andrews, 53, pleaded guilty to driving in a dangerous manner and failing to give Police Constable Sujeet Ramcharan, a sample of his breath for a breathalyser test. When Andrews pleaded guilty in February, before Diop, she heard that PC Ramcharan was on patrol at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando, when he saw a white Nissan B14 car swerving along the road.

When the police flashed their lights and sounded their siren horn, the driver sped off.

The police gave chase, but the driver almost slammed into it, Prosecutor Dhookoo said.

The vehicle was followed to Embacadere where the driver exited, ran into a house and shouted, I want peanut butter! Bring some peanut butter for me! As the matter was heard on Thursday last, Magistrate Diop was handed an electronically- generated record by the prosecutor which showed that Andrews had a DUI charge pending in the Couva Magistrates court.

But the court clerk sitting next to the magistrate presented the computer data indicating that Andrews was in fact convicted in the Couva Magistrates court for the charge, for which he paid a fine.

In fact, Andrews acknowledged he had been convicted in the Couva Magistrates court.

Despite this, the Magistrate stated that the court must operate on the basis of official police records, since the onus is on the police to prove the case against the accused and not for the accused to prosecute himself.

She said, An accused in court tries to present a good picture of himself. The duty is for the police to prove. It is regrettable.

People must be treated fairly and judicial time is being wasted.

You all have a lot of money.

Use the money so people can be treated fairly. The prosecutor told the magistrate that the police electronic data base system had not been functioning properly for sometime now.

A second time offender can be jailed and his drivers permit suspended, upon a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Magistrate Diop fined Andrews $3,000 or four months in jail and $4,000 for dangerous driving or six months in jail.

She disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
Suspected drug dealers caught

Officers also issued several fixed penalty notices in an exercise on the Priority Bus Route.

According to reports a party of officers under ACP Surujdeen Persad and including Snr Supt Rajkumar, Supt Hendron Moses, Insp Mark Maharaj and others went to the Arouca home of a man who is a known drug dealer. The officers allegedly seized US$60,000 and other foreign currency. Although no drugs were found, officers of the FIB (Finance Investigations Bureau) were called in to assist in this investigation.

The officers also went to another drug pushers home in the St Joseph district, where the offices also held another drug dealer for breach of the PBR. Persons arrested in this exercise are to appear before a Tunapuna Magistrate today.
8 guns, ammo, ski masks, army clothing seized

The exercise which began on Friday morning lasted for 24 hours and saw officers on enquiries in areas of Moruga, Pleasantville, Marabella, Gasparillo, Cocoyea, La Romaine and Princes Town.

Eighty-four persons were arrested for offences ranging from robberies to sexual offences, possession of firearms and ammunition and burglaries.

The firearms seized included two pistols, three revolvers and three homemade guns. This latest find brings to 72 the number of illegal firearms seized by Southern Division police since the year began. Police said some 38 drug blocks were searched and persons of interests were targetted.

Special surveillance was also carried out at Kings Wharf, San Fernando where within recent times boat loads of Venezuelans have been coming illegally into the country.

However, police said they have received information that Venezuelans are also using another port of entry to illegally enter the country.

During the exercise police also issued 56 warrants, executed 42 traffic tickets and conducted 101 stop and search exercises. The exercise was led by Snr Supt Hackshaw, Supts Gafar and Pragg and supervised by Insp Don Gajadhar, Sgts Ramlogan, Ramroop, Commissiong, Joseph and Ifill and also included Cpl Khan, WPC James, PCs Pagoo, Stout, Noel and Emrith.

Several of the arrested persons are expected in various magistrates courts today.
Body found along Icacos mangrove

According to police reports, at about 6 am on Friday, resident Videsh Ramjewan was walking along the beach in Icacos when he detected a foul smell and came across the badly decomposed corpse tangled among the exposed roots of mangrove trees. Police officers of the Cedros Police Station were contacted.

The district medical officer was called in and ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre, St James.

Investigators said the body was in such an advanced stage of decomposition that injuries which could have led to the mans death could not be determined visually.

Once formal identification is made an autopsy will be done to officially ascertain cause of death. Investigations are continuing.
Books of memories

Writing is my creative outlet, I always had it in my heart to be a writer. I did a course online and joined the Writers Union and started writing short stories.

It was then I was told I should write a novel, Salazar said.

The country girl as she refers to herself, moved to Belmont when she was seven-years-old.

She found out what a mermaid was from her grandfather who told her stories about the Ferry River at the end of Las Cuevas that runs into the sea. He said long ago ferries passed through the river to transport cocoa and people claimed that they had seen mermaids there.

At age six or seven I was fascinated with mermaids and liked the concept. I think I watched every mermaid movie that was ever made! she says gleefully.

The book which is a mythical tale of merfolk (collective noun for mermaids and mermen) took three years to write. Salazar says she will stick to fiction and write more books in the series. I believe in writing what you know and writing what you like. I write stories, I always liked fantasy. I want to write stories that I would have liked to read as a child. To create an entire world in your head and put it down on paper and for someone to be able to follow it, I think is quite amazing! Salazar has had several highs since her book launch last year.

One that stood out was when she was invited to be guest speaker at the Moruga RC School graduation.

I thought they would have wanted someone more recognised so I was really humbled and honoured. It was an amazing experience. Working with her sponsor Marios Pizzeria has also been an incredible experience. The company has journeyed with her since before her book launch and together they launched a short story contest at the St Augustine branch on May 19. The winners will be announced on June 10.

I want to do more. The children have a lot of fun, but I think I have more fun than them. Its really rewarding to see people enjoy what you worked so hard for. Salalzar was further encouraged when a parent told her on social media that everyone in her household read her book and couldnt wait to get the next one whenever its written.

Of her greatest wish, Salazar declares: Just as how my grandfathers story stayed with me throughout my life, if I was a child again I would want to read a book that I would remember my entire live and I think Selima and the Merfolk is a book like this. I want to create lasting memories through my books. Selima and the Merfolk is available on the authors website www.pouipublishingandproductions.

com For more info: pouipublishingandproductions@ gmail.com
The philosophy of life

With imagery that speaks she details our affinity, our oneness with nature. If only we knew.

Sinanan writes with fluidity, reassurance, and authenticity.

She is literal and figurative; reflective and prophetic; sanguine and forcefully compelling. Her catechism is unveiled in My El Dorado where she intones, Your heart bears the treasure, The pleasure you seek, Your hearts El Dorado, The Gold you behold, The shrine is the soul, Enlivened with love. At the outset, Sinanan celebrates the dawn and dusk of existence. The magnanimity of Nature beckons in Morning with Him. ..the hills belong to me, to seek each morn, His presence there To see the stirring of the birds, To hear their sweet beguiling calls, My souls heart feels His healing touch, My unrestrained desire inflamed To hold his healing hands, A gentle balm my spirit feels A presence at my Side, And now I am whole, so wholly whole She explores a range of metaphysical subjects including the most pressing of all: What is the purpose of life? Her response is instructive, replete with Taoist principles. There is a cosmic rhythm, an ebb and flow that is never forced nor interrupted.

Life is never burdensome. In serving others we are liberated from the seeming travails of living. Here, Sinanan is at her provocative best. I have never worked, not a single day in my life, she pens in In Service. Ive learnt, Ive taught, Ive loved and cared, Rewards exchanged for Rights to live, For what is work  But love displayed, Creating thoughts, Constructing dreams, Realising hopes, Fulfilling destinies, And this I crave This message reverberates that much louder in Harvest. All that I givewas never mine, Of wealth or worth or time, My hands assigned to pass them on, The gifts to give, Gods own. Before dispensing this inexorable truth, Sinanan must explore the magic, the wonderment of creation. No easy feat. But she is undaunted, and unveils its mystery with artful, aesthetical clarity. Today saw a cocoon open, a butterfly emerge, I wondered hard, I wondered long, she writes in Birth. What pain, what pride the cocoon feel? Such freedom to the air is borne. Tomorrow expects a newborn cry Arising from the womb, Ill wonder hard, Ill wonder long, is it joy or fear, smiles or tears? Such offering to the Universe is bred. She challenges us to adjust our spiritual bearings. God is within us. We need not look far and wide. Happiness, too, is only transient when we seek to satisfy the senses. The proverbial Elixir of Life cannot be experienced when we are mired in clutter, desires, and self-centeredness.

We learn that silence is golden, indeed. Only then are lifes mysteries decoded; only then can we absorb the whispers, the teachings of the soul. This is Sinanans redemption.

But she is ever mindful of evil and will not sanitise an inhumane world. Her sentiments are raw in I laugh no more: There is no need to laugh for everywhere are sad complaints, disdains and pain. No sunshine glows upon their face, bereft of hope, bereft of light I pine with them, I laugh no more. Anger, we learn, pierces the heart, sickens the blood, defiles he body [and] crushes, mangles the soul, in a poem that bears the title of this fiery emotion.

And in the haunting echoes of Lost Children, we read, I seek them, lost children, Amidst the ruins of family structures ashamed, tight-lipped, contained, Fear stricken, ensnared, used, abused, blamed, silenced. Child of the Dump follows suit.

But Sinanan refuses to labour on pestilence. We have lived on a prayer before, and succeeded.

She delivers an ode to faith in America Rises. Katrinas watery tombs, Sandys wet and windy rage, 9-11s fiery graves, evoke painful memories. She reminds us of that countrys forbearance.

Your banners fly with pride... Never may the forces that rock your dignity and sovereignty conquer your indomitable spirit. Survivors you are! And she refreshingly bucks the trend, speaking glowingly of fathers, the majority of whom are fulfilling their duties. Fathers, house builders, home creators, toiler, providers, guardians, counsellors, ours to cherish Amid global strife and uncertainty, Sinanan teaches courage, resilience, and compassion. And in the vein of the greatest of prophets, seemingly born out of due time, she merges with the Divine through service and gratitude.

Her enduring work invites us to respond.

Feedback: glenvilleashby@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby
POISON FOR GRANNY

When the woman collapsed, she was taken to a health centre where she was treated and survived.

Police sources said the Form One student remained in police custody yesterday and has been crying and saying he was sorry for hurting his grandmother. Officers added that according to Chapt 11:08 of the Offence Against the Persons Act, the 12-year-old boy could possibly face a charge of administering a toxic substance with intent to endanger life.

The boy, who is considered a troubled child, has been suspended five times from classes and is expected to undergo counselling by officials from the Child Protection Unit (CPU) who have been alerted. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is also expected to be consulted on the matter once investigations are completed.

According to reports, at about four oclock on Saturday afternoon, the boy was with his grandmother at their Rio Claro home when he allegedly mixed the termite poison into a meal of macaroni, cheese and eggs which he later gave to the 58-year-old woman.

Minutes later, the elderly woman began complaining of feeling unwell and started vomiting.

She was rushed to the Rio Claro Health Facility an hour later where she was attended to and had the contents of her stomach pumped by doctors. She was discharged and was resting comfortably at home yesterday. Doctors on carrying out tests on the food content on Saturday, determined she had consumed a poisonous substance.

The boys mother who is an employee at a Regional Health Authority was contacted and the boy was detained by Rio Claro police. He is alleged to have told police that he was fed-up of being smothered by his grandmother who never allowed him to do the fun things he wanted to do, hence the reason for committing the act.

The boy told officers that he was frustrated.

Newsday understands that the boys grandmother has since forgiven him and is keen on having him receive the necessary counselling.

Yesterday, as he remained in police custody, the boy was visited by his mother and other relatives.

Police sources told Newsday that this is an extremely bizarre case and prior to sending the file to the DPP, they will consulting with the legal department of the TT Police Service.

However, sources said that based on the boys own admission, criminal intent may very well have been established, and after investigators consult with the TTPS Legal Department, the case file could be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to determine if investigators can and should proceed with a criminal charge
Last journey today for the Arima Kid

Betaudier passed away two Sundays ago at the ripe old age of 91 at his Diego Martin home.

Joining the national chorus of condolences for the man who was instrumental behind the Scouting for Talent television series which started off the careers of many of todays wellknown local performing artistes, was the Congress of the People (COP) which in a press release said the nation has lost a truly good citizen.

The COP praised Betaudier for his tremendous contribution to the development of local culture, the preservation of many artforms and indigenous patois language in a long and distinguished career spanning over 70 years.

Dr Anirudh Mahabir, Ag Political Leader of the COP stated: It was indeed difficult to find anyone who can rival Holly as a citizen who did as much to promote and encourage our talented people in their cultural pursuits.

He was an indefatigable cultural activist who both unearthed new talent and worked to safeguard important aspects of our performing arts. As a radio and TV broadcaster, show host and producer a huge number of our renowned artists owe their exposure to his Scouting for Talent and other shows. Through Parang Bandwagon and Toute Bagai and other shows he kept ballroom dance, traditional parang and language alive. The funeral service will take place at 10 am at the Santa Rose RC Church thence to the nearby public RC cemetery for interment.

Betaudier leaves to mourn his wife Valerie Betaudier, children Barbara Mc Leggon, Anthony Young, Jennifer Harold, Larry Betaudier (deceased) and Holly Betaudier Jr; grandchildren Candice, Shay, Ariel, Jay, Ricardo and Kiron; six great grandchildren; siblings Bernadette (deceased), Louise, June (deceased) and Leroy. He was also a close friend of the Lopez, Marcano, Camacho, Aleong, Ammon, Charlerie, Hislop, Charles, Neal and Pierre families
People studying pan in America

He was speaking on Saturday at the Opening of the Music Room at the MIC Institute of Technology OMeara Technology Centre.

He said that it takes 10 years to become a master pan tuner and there needs to have pan tuning in programmes with accreditation locally before somebody in the US, Canada or England do that.

He reported that he has been speaking to the MIC board about a degree in pan tuning. He suggested that they should start in schools and pan tuning is getting bigger and bigger and there is money in the skill. He reported that in the United States there are 500 schools with pan programmes and six schools in the United Kingdom.

We cannot afford to continue with road we going, he stressed.

Diaz said he will be approaching the University of the West Indies and the University of Trinidad and Tobago about a masters degree programme for steelpan. He pointed out that the University of Chicago has had a pan programme for more than 10 years now and people from Caribbean countries go there to study it and do not come to Trinidad because there is none in Trinidad and Tobago. But this is the land of the steelpan. He said there was steelbands in Dubai and Germany was also developing pan. He also reported that in St Thomas some people charged were being sent to learn the steelpan instead of going to prison. Diaz said that former Education Minister Hazel Manning decided to have pan introduced in schools and the previous Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh continued it. He told current Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who was present at the event, I want you to do better than both of them.

Diaz said that it may be difficult and Garcia would be closely watching his allocation of funding.

He stressed however that what is being pit in place was for the future generations of the country. He said that learning pan assists with opening the brain and children get better passes and are more disciplined.

He added that there were some principals who did not want the programme but Garcia as a stern leader could deal with that.

He also reported that he had been approached about pan programmes for children with autism and hearing impaired children.

Diaz commended MIC and the new board and recalled that prior to current MIC chairman Professor Clement Imbert he had meetings with the MIC to do things but it was difficult.

Imbert in his remarks he said that he expects to engage neighbouring communities in sport and in culture. He pointed out that MIC deals with youths mainly and he wants them to get involved in the healthy activities of music and sport.?
HYPE students to help with school repairs

Garcia reported that the music room is an offshoot of the HYPE programme which was the brainchild of University of Trinidad and Tobago chairman Professor Kenneth Julien. The HYPE programme offers training in building construction technology for persons between the ages 16-25 years and the core courses are carpentry, plumbing, masonry, electrical installation, welding and fabrication.

The music room was built with the assistance of 14 HYPE trainees and graduates.

Garcia said that the HYPE programme must remain and grow and it is poised to assist in the school system with the repair of schools. He pointed out that the July/August vacation period was approaching and members of HYPE will be in the repair initiative.

He said that music plays a great part in the development of young people and, during his long association with steelpan, he has seen many young men and women go from liming on the streets to achieving a great deal.

He reported that Arima has the largest number of single pan bands at 22 but unfortunately many of them are defunct or not as active as they used to be. He said MIC can play a great role in resuscitating these. He expressed his commitment to work with Diaz and the MIC so the pan fraternity in Arima can spring to life.

Garcia also reported that he attended this years Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations. He said it was his first time and it was an eye opener and reminded him of what Carnival was like long ago.
Fire at Carib brewery

Up to press time yesterday, fire officers were still cooling molten glass which oozed from fissures in the multi-million dollar furnace, in an attempt to avoid the spread of flames. Fire service officials said there was a real danger of flames rapidly spreading to others parts of the Carib brewery compound in Champs Fleurs.

According to Acting Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Siewnarine Ramsaran who was at the scene yesterday, fire officers received a call at about 9.30 am from officials at the brewery who reported a leak at Furnace #1 at the Carib Glass factory, located on the Carib Brewery compound off the Priority Bus Route (PBR).

Officers from the San Juan Fire Station were the first to respond, but within minutes, appliances from Wrightson Road Fire Headquarters and Chaguaramas also joined in the effort to contain the leaking super-heated molten glass.

The fire officers were using hand lines to cool the area around the furnace, in the hope of cooling the molten glass enough to seal the hole in the furnace.

Ramsaran said the furnace itself would have to cool on its own, which would take weeks, but added that that workers at Carib Glass have shut off gas lines and shut down the affected furnace. Sources told Newsday yesterday that the furnace in question cost about $160 million to construct. Newsday also understands that a new furnace will be officially commissioned on Wednesday.

Firemen at the scene said there was an issue with fire hydrants in and around the brewery which did not have a strong enough pressure to assist the firemen. However, there was a quick reaction by WASA with water trucks arriving to augment the water supply available to firemen
Rowley to go to Jamaica

In light of recent reports of TT goods being boycotted in Jamaica in protest at TTs refusal of entry to some Jamaicans deemed unable to account for themselves, Dr Rowley used the ACS meeting as a chance to discuss the matter with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Dr Rowley said while TTs position is being accepted at the political level in Jamaica, at the ground level, there exists a sentiment of a lack of welcome to Jamaicans in TT.

I will speak to Jamaicans on the ground. I have agreed to visit Jamaica. Saying certain persons prosper by fanning the flames (of such divisiveness), Rowley said he has no intention to allow the situation to fester.

He hopes to head off a negative reaction by Jamaicans. The truth of the situation is not before the Jamaican people, and that needs to be done, he explained.

There are 50 Jamaicans in TT who have been detained for one reason or another, mainly for overstaying their time...It is being put across in Jamaica - not that these people are in breach of the Immigration Act of Trinidad and Tobago or that there were administrative impediments in TT - but it is being put across by persons that it is some sentiment in Trinidad and Tobago against Jamaica.

That has to be addressed if our trade is not to be affected, and I intend to address it frontally. He added, I gave the Jamaican Prime Minister the assurance that to the extent that there is any holding up of the processing of Jamaicans who are detained in TT, that it is an administrative issue and we will deal with it administratively.

To the extent that the Jamaicans who come to our country and the few of them who find themselves being denied entry, it is because they dont meet the minimum conditions for entry. Of course, if they are to be detained in any way while they are repatriated we will ensure they are treated in the most humane manner.

The problem we are facing is that we have had information being put to Jamaicans from some quarters is that TT has taken it as an idea of policy to ill-treat Jamaicans.

We have to debunk that. Asked his strategy to address the Jamaican public, he vowed to cross that bridge when we come to it.

He said that on Saturday night the TT and Jamaican teams had held very useful discussions on energy, including whither goest Jamaica regarding its regasification plant.

We got answers to some questions which are interesting to us. Jamaica confirmed that their regasification plant is an American investment.

They also confirmed that their power plant will remain bi-fuel, meaning that they can use fuel-oil or natural gas, and that they will buy depending on the price of the product. So thats where were at. It is possible that Jamaican fuel can be obtained outside of TTs supply, and TT in the face of LNG in Jamaica can also continue to supply fuel-oil if thats the best price for the Jamaicans. He expected all parties to act in their own interests.

Newsday asked about the overcrowding of the Immigration Detention Centre by persons sleeping on bare concrete including Spanish-speaking women? Dr Rowley reiterated that all detainees will be treated humanely, but added that the Counter Trafficking Unit will move aggressively against persons involved in human-trafficking and the exploitation
Suruj calls for probe into Tobago Jazz flop

In a media statement, Rambachan observed that at the last Joint Select Committee Meeting of Parliament, the THA offered callous indifferent and lackadaisical series of responses when questioned about its spending practices.

To hear that an average of $151 million was spent annually in marketing but there appears to be no targeted approach to marketing Tobago and further that the room occupancy rate remains abysmally low by Caribbean standards speaks of mismanagement, ineffective and bad decision making as well as wastage, Rambachan said.

He said this was further evidenced by the ad hoc manner in which it recently decided to spend 0.45 million dollars to fund a party on a cruise emanating out of the Bahamas.

All of this comes in the train of several projects which have been badly mismanaged by the THA including the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, the Financial Complex m, the Scarborough Library and the Scarborough Hospital. In the case of the Shaw Park Cultural Complex the price escalated from 194 million to a reported 552 million.

The Scarborough Library from $19M to a reported $86M, the Hospital from $130M to over $700M and the Financial Complex from $22M to a reported $106 million, he observed.

Rambachan noted that the THA had reportedly bought two hotel properties at a cost of $32 million with plans to spend $68 million to renovate the properties.

The THA cannot continue to be a runaway financial horse while the people of Tobago continue to be short-changed and the Treasury burns, he said, and noted that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, also seemed to have become disillusioned with Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe, as he has now assumed the Tourism portfolio in Tobago. It is noted with immense interest that the Prime Minister has taken charge of the Tourism portfolio in Tobago. The current we are in charge Minister has apart from firing a Tourism chairman has made no visible impact on tourism. Without firing her, the PM has sent a clear message of his disenchantment with her, Rambachan claimed.
UNC chairman alleges Govt suppression

Events stemming from policy direction to legislation as well as the provision of key services to the population have been undertaken in a manner so as to suppress the rights, welfare, growth and standard of living of our national population. Lee said youngsters face a curb of the school text book program, possible curbs of GATE, total removal of the laptop program plus incompletely-built schools. The Pointe-a- Pierre MP urged help for people finding it hard to make ends meet. Across the globe falling energy prices have made the domestic and regional economic situation bleak, however the current Government has implemented measures which have not sought to cushion these effects but rather enhance the negative repercussions of tough economic times to the detriment of the working class, said Lee.

Testament to this fact has been the persistent haemorrhage of workers, the non-payment to contractors coupled with many state institutions being under funded. Lee said the Governments policy has hurt TTs social fabric by halting many programs aimed at assisting the most vulnerable in our society.

At present over 11,000 food card users are without this essential service while thousands are paying more for food items caused by the change to the VAT regime. He said weekly patients and elderly persons complain about medication shortages at our hospitals.

Lee hit the Governments handling of the economy, including a prolonged foreign exchange shortage, two hikes in fuel prices within eight months, economic contraction and no plans for diversification or to weather the economic storm despite the appointment of bodies such as the Economic Advisory Board and National Tripartite Committee.

He accused the Government of suppression by way of making the payment of back-pay to the protective services being made to look like a favour from the Government when in fact it is due to these members.

It is quite bewildering how a nation that was moving forward due to a rapid rate of people centered development has plummeted into a zone of stagnation in only eight months, hit Lee. Citizens are now being told statements such as they have no right to privacy while legislation which violates some of their constitutional rights are being forced upon them. He said past progress has now been transformed a scenario which mirrors States where democracy is a dream but not a reality.

One must therefore question these actions of suppression by the present administration, Lee said. Is this a political ploy to stifle and break the social fabric of the country and subsequently repair it to appear as political heroes or is this simply a lack of vision, determination and goodwill on the part of the Government
Canada raids marijuana dispensaries across Toronto

In a raid named Project Claudia, the Toronto Police Department raided dispensaries across the city, seizing marijuana infused products such as chocolate, cookies and other edibles, as well as dried marijuana, resin, hash and pills. This comes at a time when there is huge support in Canada for medical marijuana, and full legalization for cannabis is under discussion.

Around ninety people were arrested and 186 faced charges after 43 cannabis shops were searched. How do Canadians feel about this? Mostly with anger, denouncing the move as a waste of money, especially with full legalization and regulation on the cards.

The rationale behind the move was apparently to keep pot out of the hands of children and deny criminals the profits of illicit dealing.

This is what some Canadians tweeted about the raid:

Thanks Toronto, for keeping us safe from plants

Someone, please explain how Project Claudia ISNT a huge waste of police resources. Serious problems in Toronto and this isnt one of them

Look at these proud heroes. Keeping our city safe from plants

Project Claudia is a waste of taxpayers money

A big leap backwards

I guess Ill just go back to buying my weed on the streets, then

Please, yes, shut down the places that are helping so many people with chronic pain. What fun

We elect a government in November 2015 who will legalize pot, then arrest people for it in May 2016?

Canadas Liberal Party government will introduce a law next year to legalize recreational marijuana. However, Canadas Health Minister, Jane Philpott did not detail who would be allowed to grow or distribute cannabis products.

The current law in Canada prohibits the selling of marijuana for recreational purposes, but it is legal to do so for medical reasons. Only patients with prescriptions can get medical marijuana and it can only be supplied by a small number of companies authorized to do so, and it has to be mailed or delivered by courier to the patients concerned.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ProjectClaudia

//torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/34909

//www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/ottawa-is-to-blame-for-canadians-confusion-over-marijuana/article30193023/

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China and Russia arent the only nations building carrier-killers

(NationalSecurity.news) In recent years there has been much made of Chinese and Russian carrier killer ballistic missiles  weapons designed solely for the targeting and destruction of U.S. aircraft carriers, seagoing behemoths that carry enough firepower to destroy entire cities.

Turns out that Moscow and Beijing arent the only countries building such weapons. So is the United States, The National Interest reports.

The Russian navy isnt focused much on carriers these days and there are reasons for that: One, the Russians simply dont possess the technological capability or the financial resources to match the U.S. carrier for carrier, so instead Russia is developing asymmetrical weapons  mostly technologically advanced submarines  to counter U.S. carriers and their escorts.

China is attempting to become a carrier navy. After purchasing an old but unfinished 1990s-era Soviet carrier, the Chinese have now laid the keel for a domestically-built carrier, with more being planned. They, too, wont have the technological prowess of U.S. carriers, but for regional operations, a carrier-heavy Chinese navy will certainly be a major power, given that other countries in the neighborhood, with the exception of India, dont have carriers and arent planning to buy or build any.

But as TNI notes, the fact that China is committed to becoming a carrier-centric naval power means the United States Navy has to rise to meet the challenge, and that is under way:

By 2020, moreover, promising antiship weaponry may have matured and joined the U.S. arsenal. At present the surface navys main antiship armament is the elderly Harpoon cruise missile, a bird of 1970s vintage with a range exceeding 60 miles. That pales in comparison with the latest PLA Navy birdsmost notably the YJ-18, which boasts a range of 290 nautical miles.

Currently, U.S. defense contractors are working a breakneck pace to fix the U.S. Navys distance disadvantage. Harpoon maker Boeing, for one, is working on doubling the Harpoons range. Also, the Pentagons Strategic Capabilities Officer recently repurposed the SM-6 surface to air missile for antiship missions, which doubles and even triples the surface fleets striking range against carrier or other enemy surface-action groups. And it goes on from there.

As TNI notes further, last year the Navy tested an antiship variant of the Tomahawk cruise missile, which essentially reinvented a very, very long-range capability that existed late in the Cold War. Also, a brand-new long-range antiship missile is in development.

Just how the Navy deploys the new weapons as they enter service is just about as important as fielding the weapons. Under a concept known as distributed lethality, Navy brass wants to disperse firepower throughout the fleet while keeping the ability to concentrate firepower on-target. What that means in practical terms is arming more ships with antiship missiles, supplemented by gee-whiz technologies like electromagnetic railguns and shipboard lasers should they fulfill their promise, TNI reported.

That means the Navy wont deploy just a single carrier killer, but many. Couple that with submarine warfare and naval aviation, these weapons in combination will put the U.S. Navy in good stead for blue-water engagements, if it comes to that, by 2020.

That said, open-water engagement is the least-likely scenario for conflict between Washingtons and Beijings naval forces. What is the most likely?

Read the rest of TNIs report here.

More:

NationalSecurity.news is part of the USA Features Media network. Check out our daily headlines here.

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In a war between the US and Russia, America would be obliterated

June 02, 2016 Information Clearing House  ClubOrlov  We, the undersigned, are Russians living and working in the USA. We have been watching with increasing anxiety as the current US and NATO policies have set us on an extremely dangerous collision course with the Russian Federation, as well as with China. Many respected, patriotic Americans, such as Paul Craig Roberts, Stephen Cohen, Philip Giraldi, Ray McGovern and many others have been issuing warnings of a looming Third World War. But their voices have been all but lost among the din of a mass media that is full of deceptive and inaccurate stories that characterize the Russian economy as being in shambles and the Russian military as weakall based on no evidence. But we-knowing both Russian history and the current state of Russian society and the Russian militarycannot swallow these lies. We now feel that it is our duty, as Russians living in the US, to warn the American people that they are being lied to, and to tell them the truth. And the truth is simply this:

If there is going to be a war with Russia, then the United States

will most certainly be destroyed, and most of us will end up dead.

(Article by Dmitry Orlov, The Saker, Victor Katsap and Evgenia Gurevich, republished from //www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/06/03/41522/)

Let us take a step back and put what is happening in a historical context. Russia has suffered a great deal at the hands of foreign invaders, losing 22 million people in World War II. Most of the dead were civilians, because the country was invaded, and the Russians have vowed to never let such a disaster happen again. Each time Russia had been invaded, she emerged victorious. In 1812 Nepoleon invaded Russia; in 1814 Russian cavalry rode into Paris. On June 22, 1941, Hitlers Luftwaffe bombed Kiev; On May 8, 1945, Soviet troops rolled into Berlin.

But times have changed since then. If Hitler were to attack Russia today, he would be dead 20 to 30 minutes later, his bunker reduced to glowing rubble by a strike from a Kalibr supersonic cruise missile launched from a small Russian navy ship somewhere in the Baltic Sea. The operational abilities of the new Russian military have been most persuasively demonstrated during the recent action against ISIS, Al Nusra and other foreign-funded terrorist groups operating in Syria. A long time ago Russia had to respond to provocations by fighting land battles on her own territory, then launching a counter-invasion; but this is no longer necessary. Russias new weapons make retaliation instant, undetectable, unstoppable and perfectly lethal.

Thus, if tomorrow a war were to break out between the US and Russia, it is guaranteed that the US would be obliterated. At a minimum, there would no longer be an electric grid, no internet, no oil and gas pipelines, no interstate highway system, no air transportation or GPS-based navigation. Financial centers would lie in ruins. Government at every level would cease to function. US armed forces, stationed all around the globe, would no longer be resupplied. At a maximum, the entire landmass of the US would be covered by a layer of radioactive ash. We tell you this not to be alarmist, but because, based on everything we know, we are ourselves alarmed. If attacked, Russia will not back down; she will retaliate, and she will utterly annihilate the United States.

The US leadership has done everything it could to push the situation to the brink of disaster. First, its anti-Russian policies have convinced the Russian leadership that making concessions or negotiating with the West is futile. It has become apparent that the West will always support any individual, movement or government that is anti-Russian, be it tax-cheating Russian oligarchs, convicted Ukrainian war criminals, Saudi-supported Wahhabi terrorists in Chechnya or cathedral-desecrating punks in Moscow. Now that NATO, in violation of its previous promises, has expanded right up to the Russian border, with US forces deployed in the Baltic states, within artillery range of St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city, the Russians have nowhere left to retreat. They will not attack; nor will they back down or surrender. The Russian leadership enjoys over 80% of popular support; the remaining 20% seems to feel that it is being too soft in opposing Western encroachment. But Russia will retaliate, and a provocation or a simple mistake could trigger a sequence of events that will end with millions of Americans dead and the US in ruins.

Unlike many Americans, who see war as an exciting, victorious foreign adventure, the Russians hate and fear war. But they are also ready for it, and they have been preparing for war for several years now. Their preparations have been most effective. Unlike the US, which squanders untold billions on dubious overpriced arms programs such as the F-35 joint task fighter, the Russians are extremely stingy with their defense rubles, getting as much as 10 times the bang for the buck compared to the bloated US defense industry. While it is true that the Russian economy has suffered from low energy prices, it is far from being in shambles, and a return to growth is expected as early as next year. Senator John McCain once called Russia A gas station masquerading as a country. Well, he lied. Yes, Russia is the worlds largest oil producer and second-largest oil exporter, but it is also worlds largest exporter of grain and nuclear power technology. It is as advanced and sophisticated a society as the United States. Russias armed forces, both conventional and nuclear, are now ready to fight, and they are more than a match for the US and NATO, especially if a war erupts anywhere near the Russian border.

But such a fight would be suicidal for all sides. We strongly believe that a conventional war in Europe runs a strong chance of turning nuclear very rapidly, and that any US/NATO nuclear strike on Russian forces or territory will automatically trigger a retaliatory Russian nuclear strike on the continental US. Contrary to irresponsible statements made by some American propagandists, American antiballistic missile systems are incapable of shielding the American people from a Russian nuclear strike. Russia has the means to strike at targets in the USA with long-range nuclear as well as conventional weapons.

The sole reason why the USA and Russia have found themselves on a collision course, instead of defusing tensions and cooperating on a wide range of international problems, is the stubborn refusal by the US leadership to accept Russia as an equal partner: Washington is dead set on being the world leader and the indispensable nation, even as its influence steadily dwindles in the wake of a string of foreign policy and military disasters such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and the Ukraine. Continued American global leadership is something that neither Russia, nor China, nor most of the other countries are willing to accept. This gradual but apparent loss of power and influence has caused the US leadership to become hysterical; and it is but a small step from hysterical to suicidal. Americas political leaders need to be placed under suicide watch.

First and foremost, we are appealing to the commanders of the US Armed Forces to follow the example of Admiral William Fallon, who, when asked about a war with Iran, reportedly replied not on my watch. We know that you are not suicidal, and that you do not wish to die for the sake of out-of-touch imperial hubris. If possible, please tell your staff, colleagues and, especially, your civilian superiors that a war with Russia will not happen on your watch. At the very least, take that pledge yourselves, and, should the day ever come when the suicidal order is issued, refuse to execute it on the grounds that it is criminal. Remember that according to the Nuremberg Tribunal To initiate a war of aggression is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole. Since Nuremberg, I was just following orders is no longer a valid defense; please dont be war criminals.

We also appeal to the American people to take peaceful but forceful action to oppose any politician or party that engages in irresponsible, provocative Russia-baiting, and that condones and supports a policy of needless confrontation with a nuclear superpower that is capable of destroying America in about an hour. Speak up, break through the barrier of mass media propaganda, and make your fellow Americans aware of the immense danger of a confrontation between Russia and the US.

There is no objective reason why US and Russia should consider each other adversaries. The current confrontation is entirely the result of the extremist views of the neoconservative cult, whose members were allowed to infiltrate the US Federal government under President Bill Clinton, and who consider any country that refuses to obey their dictates as an enemy to be crushed. Thanks to their tireless efforts, over a million innocent people have already died in the former Yugoslavia, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, the Ukraine, Yemen, Somalia and in many other countriesall because of their maniacal insistence that the USA must be a world empire, not a just a regular, normal country, and that every national leader must either bow down before them, or be overthrown. In Russia, this irresistible force has finally encountered an immovable object. They must be forced to back down before they destroy us all.

We are absolutely and categorically certain that Russia will never attack the US, nor any EU member state, that Russia is not at all interested in recreating the USSR, and that there is no Russian threat or Russian aggression. Much of Russias recent economic success has a lot to do with the shedding of former Soviet dependencies, allowing her to pursue a Russia first policy. But we are just as certain that if Russia is attacked, or even threatened with attack, she will not back down, and that the Russian leadership will not blink. With great sadness and a heavy heart they will do their sworn duty and unleash a nuclear barrage from which the United States will never recover. Even if the entire Russian leadership is killed in a first strike, the so-called Dead Hand (the Perimetr system) will automatically launch enough nukes to wipe the USA off the political map. We feel that it is our duty to do all we can to prevent such a catastrophe.

Evgenia Gurevich, Ph.D.

//thesaker.ru

Victor Katsap, PhD, Sr. Scientist

NuFlare Technology America, Inc.

Dmitry Orlov http

//cluborlov.blogspot.com

The Saker (A. Raevsky)

//thesaker.is

Read more at: //www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/06/03/41522/

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Indonesia approves chemical castration for child sex offenders

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has signed a decree authorising chemical castration for convicted child sex offenders and requiring those released on bail to wear electronic monitoring devices.

(Article by Joe Cochrane, republished from //www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-approves-chemical-castration-for-child-sex-offenders-1.2661989)

The new punishment comes in response to the brutal gang rape and murder in April of a 14-year-old girl on her way home on the island of Sumatra. Seven teenage boys were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime, which prompted national outrage and revived previous calls for chemical castration as a punishment against child sex offenders.

Mr Joko told a news conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, that he had signed a decree amending the countrys 2002 law on child protection to enable judges to hand down the punishment at their discretion.

The inclusion of such an amendment will provide space for the judge to decide severe punishments as a deterrent effect on perpetrators, Mr Joko said. These crimes have undermined the development of children, and these crimes have disturbed our sense of peace, security and public order. So, we will handle it in an extraordinary way.

Mr Joko said that sexual violence against children has increased significantly in Indonesia, although his government has not provided data to back his assertions. He also increased the jail sentences for child sex offenders to a maximum of 20 years from 10 years.

Last year, Mr Joko, claiming Indonesia was facing a drugs crisis, removed an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment by executing 13 convicted drug traffickers by firing squad, all but one of them foreigners, prompting international condemnation. A second Indonesian was also executed for murder.

Sexual violence

The local news media has cited the countrys National Commission on Violence Against Women as saying that about 35 Indonesian women a day are victims of sexual violence. Through chemical castration, drugs are used to reduce a persons sex drive. A number of countries have employed the punishment for convicted sex offenders and paedophiles, in many cases in exchange for more lenient prison sentences. They include Australia, Russia,South Korea and the United States.

However, there are many sceptics of the procedure, which was first performed in the 1940s. Chemical castration risks offering a false solution, and a simple one, to what is inevitably a complex and difficult problem, said Heather Barr, a senior researcher on womens rights with Human Rights Watch.

Protecting children from sexual abuse requires a complex and carefully calibrated set of responses, she said, including an effective social services system, school-based efforts to prevent and detect abuse, treatment services for people at risk of abusing children and criminal justice measures that focus on prevention.

Chemical castration on its own addresses none of these needs, Ms Barr continued, and medical interventions should be used, if at all, only as part of a skilled treatment programme, not as a punishment.

Read more at: //www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-approves-chemical-castration-for-child-sex-offenders-1.2661989

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Maharashtra Board SSC 10th Results 2016 declared: Check now

Maharashtra, Mon, 06 Jun 2016 NI Wire

Maharashtra Board SSC 10th Results 2016 has been declared by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) today on June 6 at1 p.m.

The Maharashtra Board 10th results 2016 is now available on the official website of Maharashtra Board at mahresult.nic.in/ and mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in/Candidates seeking their Maharashtra Board Metric Results 2016 would require to enter their seat number of Metric exam to check their results.

Maharashtra SSC examination was conducted by The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education(MSBSHSE), Pune. March in which around 17 lakhs students appeared are were waiting for their results eagerly as Class 10th results of CBSE as well as many other states have already been declared. but the wait for Maharashtra Board SSC 10th Results 2016 is over now.

Maharashtra Board appeared 17 lakh students had given the exam which was held in the month of March across all nine divisions under the umbrella of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education. Established in 1965, the board is responsible for conducting exams, preparing detailed syllabus, approving and sanctioning books and performance observation of divisions.Maharashtra nine Divisional Boards include Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nasik, Kolhapur, Amravati, Latur, Nagpur and Ratnagiri.

The declaration of Maharashtra Board Metric Results 2016 is considered very important as it will open the gates for the candidates to take admission for pursuing higher education as per their choice.

How to check the results?

1. Visit the official result website at Check MSBSHSE SSC Board Class 10th their results

2. Enter the roll number/hall ticker number and Mother's First Name other details

3. Press the 'Submit' button

4. If all the entered data is correct the website will display your result.

5. You can take the print out of the result.

Newstrackindia.com team wishes all the candidates 'ALL THE BEST' for their Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2016.
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CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY

The government is serious about cutting the country's overcapacity, yet seldom do people consider how difficult it is for China to press ahead with supply-side reform at a time when the global economy is recovering slowly.

Even though China is determined to press ahead with painful reforms, some people in Western countries blame China's overcapacity in the steel industry for slumping steel prices and attribute the loss in the steel industries in European countries and the United States to China's dumping of steel products.

But this is unfair. Imbalances, in terms of the value of labor, occur between countries and are particularly apparent when we only focus on a single product category, say, steel products.

In the past years, China did produce more products than needed in some industries, but that is mainly the result of developed countries shifting these industries to developing countries, including China, with the intention of giving up low-end manufacturing and transferring it to less-developed countries.

At the same time, some developed countries failed to make improvements on the demand side while transferring production to developing countries. For instance, the United States badly needs to upgrade its infrastructure, but any proposal by President Barack Obama about investing in domestic infrastructure projects can hardly gain the approval of Congress. How can the developed countries revive their steel industry if there is little demand for steel?

Further, the EU's imports of steel from China are also a result of the withering steel industry in the EU. The EU steel industry can't shirk its own responsibility and place all the blame on China.

What is more, developed countries' demand for steel and other raw materials might increase if the global economy recovers. Any trade protectionism measures would be short-sighted. Supply side reform is not only China's economic restructuring, but also rebalancing its supply to better meet the changing demand in the global market.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said steel overcapacity in China equals almost twice of that in Europe. But what is the exact level of China's overcapacity? Data from mysteel.com, a steel information website, shows that China was able to produce 1 billion tons of steel in 2014. But in fact only 800 million tons of steel was produced in 2015, with 700 million tons for domestic use and about 100 million tons for export. That means, overcapacity is a relative term. Should the possible overcapacity of 100 million to 150 million tons of capacity be cut, hundreds of thousands of workers in the domestic steel industry would have to find new jobs, which would be a much more acute challenge than the European steel industry faces. So it will take time to resolve this issue.

The steel industry, which is not profitable now, flourished because of China's massive infrastructure projects and housing boom in past years. While the Chinese government is determined to push supply-side reform and cut overcapacity, it will take time for the effects to be seen.

The developed countries should avoid trade protectionism and have more talks with China under World Trade Organization rules. It doesn't help if they politicize China's steel overcapacity and even deny China's market economy status.

Despite the suspicions of outsiders, China is ready to shoulder its responsibilities and press ahead with supply-side reform.

The author is former senior economist with Agricultural Bank of China.
Three former Skydive Kauai pilots said they were concerned about the airworthiness of the plane that crashed Monday just after takeoff, killing all five people on board. The fifth, an adult male, was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The National Transportation Safety Board told ABC News that it will be investigating the crash.

In a separate incident a few hours later Monday, a single engine airplane crashed in the water off the island of Oahu. One person was transported to a hospital where he later died.

Five people died Monday after a skydiving plane crashed on take off from a small airport in Kauai, Hawaii.

The third said he left Skydive Kauai in 2012 when he asked to see the plane's maintenance logs and was sacked. The company is listed in state documents as a trade name for D&J Air Adventures, the registered owner of the Cessna 182H, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. But he said he offers his condolences to the families of those killed.

The second crash occurred under more unclear circumstances, but with less grim results. He said it seemed to sputter and then cut out, and the plane appeared to turn back to the airport, but the engine caught fire.

Hawaii Department of Health epidemiologist Daniel Galanis said aircraft crashes are a "fairly rare" cause of death among visitors, especially skydiving.

The plane was carrying four skydivers and the pilot.
Qatar Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani will also host a dinner for PM Modi. Our growth rate is high.

Modi, who was repeatedly cheered by the Indian community members, said efforts to ensure financial transparency, discipline and efficiency have started yielding good results.

"Global agencies are in agreement that is there is a fastest growing economy, it is India".

"World's economy is in doldrums and the best of the countries are also facing an economic downturn".

The two countries also issued a joint statement in which both sides agreed to address the menace of global terrorism through a comprehensive approach to stop flow of foreign terrorists, dismantle terrorist infrastructures and counter-terror propaganda through internet, among other things.

In a conference call with reporters, Richard Rossow, senior fellow and Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the only major headline that he could envision would probably be the signing of a Logistics Exchange Memorandum and the announcement of Westinghouse moving ahead in the civil nuclear sector.

"Khwaja Moiunuddin Chishti, the first of the Chishti saints in India, said that human beings must have the affection of the sun, the generosity of the river and the hospitality of the earth".

According to Swarup, they also said that India and Qatar should complement each other and India is closest and nearest to them.

Modi added: "Even when you go to faraway Mongolia, an Indian there also feels that times have changed (in India)". Yet, despite this India is growing, the PM, who is now visiting the country, elaborated. PM Modi pointed out. Modi said 1.62 crore fake ration cards have been detected and crores saved through subsidised wheat, rice, kerosene and LPG.

The Prime Minister told them that his government will continue to work for easing the norms and rules further to make it more easier to do business in India.

Prime Minister further said he will free India from corruption saying it has made our country hollow, eating into its vitals like termite.

India and Qatar on Sunday signed seven agreements, including on investment and tourism promotion, as the two sides discussed ways to take bilateral ties beyond the current normal trading relationship.

With the two countries being among the top trading partners for each other, both sides agreed upon the need to further strengthen trade ties, particularly through diversifying the trade basket. "We are determined to move forward despite the challenges and difficulties".
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Thursday the United States is stronger and safer thanks to the "power of allies", warning that her Republican rival, Donald Trump, would significantly weaken the relationships.

"As you can see, CNN wrote a fact-checking "(He did)" next to the caption that included his insistence that he never said that Japan should have nukes.

This led to the suggestion that Korea and Japan should develop their own nuclear arsenals - obviously a big change from current American foreign policy, which tries to discourage the spread of nuclear weapons. Japan has a problem with that. "Maybe they would in fact better off if they defend themselves from North Korea... including with nukes, yes, including with nukes" he said recently on Fox News Sunday. "I made that point long before Donald Trump came on to the scene and a number of them have increased their defense spending".

TRUMP: Including with nukes, yes, including with nukes.

"Can I be honest with you?"

Trump has a habit of insisting he didn't say things that he has very clearly and that we have very reliable proof of, but what good does that knowledge do when his speeches and denials are being broadcast live with no context? "It's going to happen anyway. They're going to start having them or we have to get rid of them entirely".

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not immediately respond to questions about his position.
Police in Kazakhstan were hunting for up to seven gunmen on Monday after a series of "terror" attacks that killed six people, the interior ministry said. He added that some of the suspected attackers remained at large. During the attack on Panther arms shop the criminals killed one customer and injured another one. The attackers also killed three soldiers as they tried to enter the military base.

Another group of attackers stole a bus and rammed it into the gate at a national-guard base, where they shot three servicemen dead before security officers killed one of the attackers, the ministry added. A curfew was imposed in the city and authorities shut down the public transportation and leisure facilities. The phrase is usually used to describe Islamist militants.

Erlan Karin, director of Kazakhstan's Institute of Strategic Studies and an authority on regional security matters, said the attack may have been organised by a local radical sleeper cell whose members could have been inspired by ISIS internet videos.

Aktobe, a city near the Russian border, was the site of one of Kazakhstan's first terrorist attacks, where a suicide bomber set off an explosive device in the headquarters of the Kazakh security services in 2011.

However, the plunge in the price of oil, Kazakhstan's main export, has threatened political and social stability in the former Soviet republic of 18 million people.

Thousands of Kazakhs took part in street protests across the country in April and May which were triggered by a planned land reform but quickly became an expression of general discontent with the government of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, in power since 1989.
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Tunisian security forces last week nabbed six terrorists at Monastir international airport as they were traveling on fake Libyan passports.

Tunisia has been struggling with militancy since the 2011 revolution which ousted former President Ben Ali.

The North African country was hit last year by three major terrorist attacks perpetrated by Islamic State fighters who, according to authorities, were trained in lawless Libya.

The six men were reportedly traveling on fake documents. Some of them have been on authorities black list.

The latest arrest comes as Tunisian authorities announced resumption of air traffic with Libya after closure following suspicions that terrorists based in Libya were to mount a terror attack against Tunis-Carthage airport last year.

Tunisian authorities have decided to open Tunis-Carthage, Monastir, Enfidha and Sfax airports to Libyan planes. The traffic is expected to resume this week, reports say.

Announcing the resumption of flights, Transport Minister Anis Guedira Sunday said they were waiting for the Libyan side to produce its flight plan route.
The Mauritanian leader last week indicated he never planned to change the constitution to be able to run again for elections at the end of his current mandate coming to end in 2019.

Tension has risen since March between the opposition and the ruling party after some ministers and lawmakers suggested constitutional amendments so that President Ould Abdel Aziz runs again for the presidential elections in 2019.

Speaking in an interview with some international media, President Aziz denied he was harboring any such a wish.

I have never at any moment said that I would modify the constitution to run again. I took two oaths to respect it. They are stronger than what I will say in the future, he said.

His remarks come at the time the ruling party and the opposition want to restart dialogue in a bid to end the political standoff

The ruling party says after the Presidents comments, there is no way the opposition refuses to participate in the dialogue.

The opposition has accused the regime of autocracy and violation of the democratic values gained since independence.

Former army general Ould Abdel Aziz came to power following a military coup in 2008 which toppled former President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

He won elections and became President in 2009 after heading the High Council of State which he established after deposing President Abdallahi. He was re-elected in August 2014 for another five-year term.
What are we fighting for? Photo: Getty Images

As recently as late April, it looked like California would have the rare occasion to play a significant role in a presidential-nominating contest  the Republican contest, that is. The GOPs winner take most rules for the Golden State made it potentially the clincher for that irresistible force, Donald Trump, or the immovable object that made a contested convention likely. With Hillary Clinton drifting towards a majority of pledged delegates, it wasnt so clear California would matter that much to Democrats.

But now, on the eve of the June 7 primary, the Republican fight is long over, and although Clinton is still almost certain to win the nomination, Bernie Sanders has made California his closing argument for claiming the future of the Democratic Party (if not for his 74-year-old self, then for progressive successors) and some influence over its current platform and general-election campaign.

Thats more than a bit of a surprise. In a nomination fight where nonwhite voters have been Clintons ace-in-the-hole, youd figure this majority-minority state  where she handily defeated Barack Obama in 2008  would be a stronghold. Moreover, Californias size and many expensive media markets make it  for all its reputation for political eccentricity  an interest-group-dominated state, where labor still walks tall and primary turnout is usually very low. And indeed, Clinton has led every single public poll taken in the state, 19 in all.

But its been getting closer, with four late, credible polls (including the revered Field Poll) showing Clintons lead among likely voters down to two points. A big spring spike in new Democratic voter registrations has made observers wonder if the Bern is responsible, and if turnout may not be as low as expected.

Most astonishingly, if Field and PPIC surveys are accurate, Clintons regular advantage among nonwhite voters has vanished in California. Field has her leading among Latinos, far and away the states leading minority group, by a spare 46/42 margin. Her lead among African-Americans  the third largest minority group in the state  is a robust but not overwhelming 56/37. And shes losing to Sanders among Asian-Americans  an estimated 11 percent of the primary electorate  by 13 points.

At the same time, the two candidates are tied among white voters  normally a Sanders constituency.

The explanation? Its all about age: Sanderss 75/15 (according to Field) lead among under-30 voters and Clintons 56/28 lead among over-65 voters have overwhelmed the usual racial gaps in their bases of support.

And so, the precise outcome of this close primary is hard to predict, and could depend on some unusual dynamics. California is a heavy voting-by-mail state; in 2014, 69 percent of the primary ballots were cast by mail, and Field showed Clinton with a nine-point lead among those who had voted by mail early. Registered independents are being allowed to vote in the Democratic (but not the Republican) primary this year, but they have to know to ask for a Democratic ballot (either by mail or when they appear at the polls on June 7) or they will be presented with a blank presidential field. Since independents are, as usual, an important Sanders constituency, his campaigns competence in educating voters is crucial. And to an extent Californians havent seen in a generation, Clinton and Sanders have spent a lot of time barnstorming the state.

Regionally, Sanders will try to run up the score in the San Francisco area and the Central Coast, while Clinton is expected to win Los Angeles County and the Central Valley. Most assessments of the campaign have ceded late momentum and overall enthusiasm to Sanders, but Clinton has won some key endorsements, including that of both leading Democratic Senate candidates and Gov. Jerry Brown.

But the thing to remember is this: A narrow Sanders win will be mainly of psychological value. Of the 475 pledged delegates awarded by California, 158 are split proportionately according to the statewide vote, and the other 317 are split proportionately at the congressional-district level, with the states 53 districts receiving somewhere between five and nine delegates, depending on past Democratic performance. A big net-delegate harvest for Sanders will require a big popular-vote victory, and the polls just dont show that as remotely likely  barring some really strange pro-Bernie turnout dynamics. So the current din of hype over who will win California is largely a shuck. Who will win California? Who cares?

Still, if moral victories are the only ones available, winning the biggest state  and the one with an intermittently justified reputation as a political and cultural bellwether  is as good as it gets. If Sanders indeed runs even with Clinton among nonwhite voters, he can claim that he  and his kind of politics  eventually transcended the bleached wine-track limitations it was initially assigned.

If Clinton hangs on to win California, however, voices will quickly be raised demanding that Sanders get out of the race post-haste. At some point, the great future-oriented potential of the movement Bernie helped create has to be actualized or pushed off until after Clintons or Trumps first term as president. A California win for Sanders would delay that realization just a bit longer.

And so the widely shared media perspective that Sanders has nothing to lose and everything to gain in California is not quite right. It could be the end of his remarkable campaign if he fails to finish first. If he does edge Clinton, the show may go on for another month or so before its inevitable closing.



An earlier version of this post stated that Bernie Sanders is 75. He is 74.
Bill Kristol was wrong again.

When Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol announced last weekend that an independent candidate  an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance would come forward to snatch the election from Trumps clutches, anti-Trump conservatives (or at least the ones who still took Kristol at his word) sensed a momentary glimmer of hope. Kristols mysterious independent turned out to be David French, a lawyer and a blogger for National Review online. But whatever hope mightve emerged with Kristols pronouncement was crushed Sunday night when French announced that, after much thought and prayer, he would not, in fact, run for president.

After much thought and prayer: Im Not Running for President https://t.co/lqWQtPL5Q5  David French (@DavidAFrench) June 6, 2016

He did so in a column for the National Review in which he first expressed his disdain both for Hillary Clinton and Trump. Never before have both parties failed so spectacularly, producing two dishonest, deceitful candidates who should be disqualified from running for town council, much less leader of the free world, he wrote. And he went on to express his belief that an independent candidate could still totally come galloping in on a white horse to save the day:

Given this reality, it would be tempting to say that when it comes to confronting this national moment, somebody stepping up is better than nobody. But somebody is not always better than nobody. Im on record saying that Mitt Romney could win. I believe others could run and win, and would make excellent presidents. Indeed, the path is there. I spent the last several days with some of the best minds in politics. I learned that the ballot-access challenge can be met with modest effort (by an existing network ready to activate), that the polling for a true outsider independent was better than most people know, and that there are many, many Americans  including outstanding political talents  who are willing to quit their jobs  today  to help provide the American people with an alternative.

However, French writes, the candidate most likely to succeed as an independent is a person who either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent. And he, sadly, is neither.
A band of three men apparently jumped and viciously attacked a 59-year-old Muslim man outside a mosque in Jamaica, Queens, last week. A witness saw the group tail the victim, Mohamed Rasheed Khan, after Khan left the mosque and hopped on his bicycle. The men reportedly approached Khan around the corner and punched him over and over in the face and body. They broke the victims ribs and bones in his face. Khan also suffered a concussion. He is bleeding internally and was unable to speak, says CBS2.

CAIR asking NYPD to investigate attack on Mohamed Rasheed Khan as poss hate crime. 3 suspects broke nose, face, ribs pic.twitter.com/sYYhCumAut  CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) June 6, 2016

The witness saw the trio, some of whom were laughing, leave the scene. He went around the corner to see why, and found the victim  whom he knew from the mosque  lying in the street. The attackers did not steal anything from Khan, who was wearing traditional Islamic attire, reports WABC.

The NYPD is investigating the case but has not yet identified the suspects or classified this as a hate crime, though its getting pressure from groups to do so. Last December, in the wake of the San Bernardino attacks, a man was charged in the beating of a Muslim store owner in Astoria. In January, two Bronx teens were arrested for a hate-crime assault after shouting ISIS and punching and kicking a man wearing a shalwar kameez, a traditional South Asian dress, while the victim was walking his 9-year-old niece home from school.
Former U.S. Marine Mike Whiter smokes marijuana before he starts editing a video project at his home in Philadelphia. Photo: Mel Evans/AP

One of the many problems with having a federal marijuana policy thats premised on the paranoid politics of a bygone era  as opposed to the current consensus of medical science  is that many veterans who could benefit from medicinal cannabis are unable to access it. Even in the 23 states where medicinal marijuana is legal, a federal directive prohibits Veterans Administration doctors from prescribing weed to their patients  or even sharing their professional opinion about its potential utility. Thats because marijuana is still a Schedule 1 substance under federal law, a category reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no known medical purpose.

This irrational policy forces many veterans with chronic pain to resort to more addictive opiate-based palliatives, while those with post-traumatic stress disorder are left without access to one of the most effective treatments for their condition.

A new Quinnipiac poll finds that virtually everyone in America objects to this state of affairs. The universitys latest survey on the issue shows that American voters believe the VA should allow its doctors to prescribe marijuana to veterans with PTSD by a margin of 87 to 9 percent. On the broader question of whether all adults should be allowed to use medical marijuana if prescribed by a doctor, U.S. voters support access 89 to 9 percent. The poll finds that a majority of voters support blanket legalization of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes by a margin of 54 to 41.

The DEA is reportedly considering removing marijuana from Schedule 1. If it doesnt follow through, Hillary Clinton would be wise to endorse Bernie Sanderss bill to reschedule the drug. Its the right position both politically and on the merits.
Photo: Getty Images

New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives  with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a 32-year-old project manager who keeps a butt plug in Bay Ridge. 32, straight, open relationship, Queens.

DAY ONE

Noon Leaving work early to fly to New Orleans tonight for my best friends bachelorette weekend when I see a text from Dan, my boyfriend of nine months. I met him on Tinder. I was the first girl he met on the app after his divorce. Id say he got pretty lucky  he had none of the crazy dates most of us have endured. The text says hes getting out of work early to take me to the airport and hell meet me at home at 3:30.

3:00 p.m. I figure Dan will be at least an hour later than predicted getting home. I decide I have time for a blowout and style so I will be ready to party as soon as I touch down in Nola.

4:30 p.m. I get home, and Dan is there waiting for meno mention of how long hes been waiting, but he wants to fuck before I leave. He notices my hair (good call) and asks me how I want to be fucked. We only have 30 minutes before we have to leave for the airport. He says he wants to get me off before I leave so Im not horny all weekend. I tell him to accomplish that, he will have to go down on me. He gets to it without hesitation.

5:00 p.m. I still havent come. Im starting to feel sorry for Dan, whos working so hard hes started to pant. I dont know if its the time constraint, but I cant relax. He asks if I want to smoke a bowl and try again, so I dosmoking is almost always guaranteed to help me get off. But the weed is old and we havent bothered to buy more and I dont get very high. Dan gets back to going down on me, and I still cant come. We try a new vibrator I just bought, but that doesnt seem to work either. Were getting down to the wire here, so I tell him to just fuck me and forget it. I can tell hes disappointed, so I say, Okay, fuck me with the butt plug in, thats for sure going to work. He seems excited; he gets the glass piece but then starts pussyfooting around putting it in. I say, Just stick it in and fuck me already, we have to go! He does, and I come hard and fast. He does too, not so many seconds later.

5:30 p.m. We jump up to clean offwere a mess of come and lube, and now were late. He asks me if I faked the orgasm to please him. I tell him I absolutely did not and that I would never do that, because it only promotes crappy sex. He agrees, and we rush to the airport via A train.

6:30 p.m. Halfway there, I get a text that my flight is delayed by 30 minutes. I heave a sigh of relief, thankful that my need to come didnt affect my girls weekend. I can just picture me telling them why I missed the plane. I tell Dan that his beard smells like pussy, and he says, Good, I like it that way, as we walk hand in hand into the airport.

DAY TWO

1:00 a.m. I arrive in New Orleans after midnight and meet the other girls for drinks. Half of them are ready to fall asleep, but the other half are ready to party. We head out on Bourbon Street looking for trouble.

2:00 a.m. We end up in a karaoke bar with overpriced beers and start talking to a bachelor party. One guy named Zach is pretty cute, and we talk for a while before he offers to buy me a drink. I tell him I have my own money and I dont want to feel like I owe him anything. He insists. He asks my name and I tell him but he doesnt believe me so I show him my ID. He looks at my birthday and remarks, Whoa! Youre 31? Youre so old. I inform him actually I will be 32 in a few days and how the fuck old is he anyway? Hes 26. Fabulous. Theres no use fucking around with a guy who is 26. I say all this knowing full well that Im not going to fuck him  and not just because of Dan. We have an open relationship. We decided on an open relationship because I have cheated on every person Ive ever dated and I came to realize that monogamy is just not something I can commit to. Our rules are (1) only on vacations (check), (2) we have to discuss it before it happens, and (3) condoms are nonnegotiable. This guy is not worth No. 2, and hell probably complain about No. 3.

3:00 a.m. One of Zachs bachelor-party buddies comes over. Hes much cuter and definitely older. He says to me, I love being dominant, I want to take you home and tie you down. I look at him blankly: He completely skipped hello and went straight to sex. I like this guys style, so I say, Okay, that sounds amazing. Zach, who hears every word of this says, Holy shit, is that all you have to say? Ive been talking to you for an hour! Zachs hot friend and I laugh. I look at him and say, You must be older than 26.

3:30 a.m. The girls are ready to leave and eat late-night-bad-idea pizza, so I bid Zach adieu. He takes a page from his hot friends book and asks me to come back to his hotel room. I politely decline, and he looks affronted. I can tell he thinks he deserves this after all the clever chitchat wed had until this moment. I look at him coyly and say, Its been a pleasure, Zach. Next time you meet a woman in her 30s, try not to call her old.

11:00 a.m. The girls and I are nursing our hangovers and lounging by the pool. Im having major stomach cramps and end up getting my period. Is there anything worse than the period hangover? I resolve that there wont be any sex with strangers tonight.

3:00 p.m. I talk to Dan on the phone and tell him about the adventures with the dumb 20-somethings. He laughs and says, Bring that old pussy home to me!

11:00 p.m. We get all get dressed up in black dresses and wear masks, which was a great idea until we realized how hot and humid it is underneath the masks. We run into drunken bachelor parties at every bar. No more incidents with 26-year-olds.

DAY THREE

11:00 a.m. Poolside and feeling bloated, not at all sexy. Im basking in the sun until we have to fly home.

4:00 p.m. Flight time. I decide to wear my most comfortable pair of pants and a hoodie with my hair up in a knot  I cant muster anything more than that.

9:00 p.m. I make it home and manage a shower. Dan is antsy for me to come to bed. I am exhausted and not at all in the mood for sex. Besides that, I just wrestled the period cup back in and I dont feel like taking it out again. I lie down and we cuddle. Whats poking me? I ask. My dick, Dan replies. Its been waiting for you to come home. I laugh, Okay, do you think you can come from a hand job? Im exhausted. He says maybe, and I know that wont happen. I havent gotten a guy to come from a hand job since the eighth grade. I start rubbing my hand up and down on his dick and realize Im definitely going to have to venture into blow-job territory or Ill never get any sleep. I start to go down on him as he holds my hair up. I laugh internally at a conversation the girls had this weekend about how no matter how big or small the guy is, you always get a cramp in your jaw like minute one of any blow job. I try to relax my jaw and tell him to let me know when hes close. He does, and when he comes, I swallow it easilybarely anything came out. How many times did you masturbate today? I ask. Twice, why? He responds.

DAY FOUR

7:30 a.m. Its my 32nd birthday. Dan wakes me with a kiss. Happy, happy birthday! he says and nuzzles my neck. I tell him I called in sick and he should, too, so we can spend all day doing nothing, lying in bed. He says he cant, things are too crazy at work right now. I join him in the shower just because I want to be naked with him before he leaves. We dont have time for sex, and he rushes out to work.

10:00 a.m. I go to yoga to sweat out all the alcohol I drank this weekend, but all I can think about is what kind of sex I want to have later. Since its my birthday, I know he will let me choose my own adventure. Anal? Nah, thats for his birthday. Lingerie? Hmm, also may be more of a gift for him than for me. But what do I want?

Noon When I get home from yoga, I hop in the shower immediately, but not before grabbing the brand-new waterproof vibrator that I bought as a birthday gift to myself. I come easily. Im not usually a big fan of vibrators, but I spent the extra money for the premium brand and it definitely paid off.

6:00 p.m. Dan comes home, and were off to dinner. I dont know what to expect  this is the first birthday weve spent together as a couple. Hes holding a gift bag. Im very excited because Ive always gotten crappy gifts from my exes: One year, I got pots and pans; another, a vacuum cleaner. This bag is pretty small, so I know it cant be kitchen items. And Im in luck! Its a pair of beautiful gold earrings. Theyre just my style. Hes a keeper, this one. When we get to the restaurant, hes arranged for them to put roses on the table. We have a fabulous three-hour meal, and I really want him to finger me under the tableuntil I suddenly remembered the period situation.

9:00 p.m. Were were both in a food coma when we get home, but I slip in the closet and grab a top that makes my tits look amazing, a sexy pair of panties that tie on both sides, a pair of lace-top thigh-highs, and a pair of heels that I havent worn since my early 20s, when I apparently had no feeling in my feet. I come out to see Dan in bed but not yet asleep. He takes one look and gets back out of bed to kiss me, then pushes me backward over the end of the bed and starts untying the panties. My hips are tipped up over the footboard of the bed, and my feet are throbbing in the too-small heels, but I tried to ignore the feeling as he starts going down on me. Then I ask him to stand up and take me from behind. Im bent over the end of the bed as he enters me  I love this position, and wearing the lingerie and heels made me feel sexy. We finish on the bed in another favorite position, with him on his side and me on my back so I can use my hand. We both come and fall promptly to sleep.

DAY FIVE

7:00 p.m. Nothing exciting happening today. I am home alone as Dan is hanging out with some friends. I decide to masturbate in the shower after my yoga class using the new vibrator. I really love this thing.

9:30 p.m. Dan comes home, and we go to bed early.

DAY SIX

6:00 p.m. Were brewing beer tonight, which takes about four hours, so it basically takes up the whole night. However, about halfway through, theres a brief period of time when we could slip off to the bedroom for sex. I wait patiently for this time to arrive 

8:30 p.m. The time comes, and we head into the bedroom. We have 20 minutes before we have to check on the beer. We get naked quickly, and I get him hard with my hand. He loves it when I tug gently on his balls while I do this. It never takes him very long to get hard. I am very thankful for this. We start fucking with me on my back and my legs up on his shoulders. This is one of the best positions for me to come because he hits my G-spot perfectly. He is hitting me so hard I know he is going to come soon and I dont have a lot of time to get myself there. I start thinking about things that tend to make me come quicker. I close my eyes. He tries to suck on my right big toe. This throws me off and out of the fantasy I have going in my head, so I just tell him not to do that. Hes not that big into sucking on toes, but I know he was thinking it would help me come faster, because he wasnt going to last much longer. The sex itself feels so good that I come hard and fast with only a second to spare before he does. We wash up and return to beer-making just as the timer is going off.

9:00 p.m. He asks me, Would you have been able to come harder if I couldve lasted longer, or were you done? I answer, Nah, I was good, because I dont want to make him feel bad but also because I really was done.

DAY SEVEN

6:30 a.m. Our alarms go off, and he has morning wood, which was much more common early in the relationship but has recently become infrequent. I start stroking him with my hand. He is so hard its almost throbbing. He fingers me as I stroke him. I turn over so were cuddling; Im still pretty sleepy. He enters me from behind and thrusts until he comes. I know I wont come in this position, so I just let him have this one. Afterward, I get up and get ready for work.

5:00 p.m. Work is over, and Im headed for the airport again  Im traveling for work this time. I tell Dan, I cant wait to get back and I havent even left.

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself.
Photo: Courtesy of the City of New York/NYCCHR

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has launched the Be You campaign, which features ads on subway cars, phone booths, and bus stations that promote New Yorkers right to use restrooms in accordance with their gender identity, rather than their sex assigned at birth.

Photo: Courtesy of the City of New York/NYCCHR

The campaign, which features actual transgender NYC residents, is the nations first city-government-led campaign to affirm transgender bathroom rights.

Last month, 11 states sued the Obama administration over guidelines protecting the bathroom rights of transgender students. Many opponents of bathroom rights feel that allowing people to choose a bathroom in accordance with their gender identity would foster an unsafe environment. However, it has been proven that transgender people themselves are highly likely to face harassment and assault when using a bathroom that conflicts with their gender identity.

In response to skeptics, the NYCCHR has released a Myth vs. Fact sheet on gender identity and expression, in addition to the campaign.


Please do not tell me he can walk by the end of the film?

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If they haven't changed what the ending of the book is (which I don't think the movie has), no, it is not that at all. But let's just say that I understand why ableism activists would at least be concerned by the message the ending is sending.

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saw a Bollywood film like this a few years back.

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Guzaarish

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yep. took my mom with me, it was her first Bollywood movie

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yeah and that was already a remake of a spanish film, so the director's message is a little OTT. these boundaries have been pushed before.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oopiri



I feel like I have no place to say whether representation was better or not. Obviously the actor chosen was able-bodied, but the message was good and definitely not as negative. There was a recent Tollywood film that I feel handled someone who is disabled a lot better and more positively? It's super feel-good, but I enjoyed it. It was called Oopiri!I feel like I have no place to say whether representation was better or not. Obviously the actor chosen was able-bodied, but the message was good and definitely not as negative.

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omg this beautiful rendition of eyebrow acting at its finest.

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lmfaoo

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I will never understand this obsession with eyebrows. They're eyebrows, not nuclear weapons. I prefer to see an actress who can make expressions with her face/eyes/eyebrows/forehead, etc., over one who always looks the same and has almost no facial movement, but maybe that's just me.



I've also seen people say they're frightened of so-and-so actor because they're afraid of his eyebrows. Seriously? Eyebrows frighten you? Get a grip.





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lol irl

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lmao this emma watson realness

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lol

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her lips/teeth are so hollywoody -- i've never seen people who look like this in real life

but the exact shape of her lips/teeth are everywhere in movies



it drives me nuttttttts

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she was legitimately horrendous in this. just truly distractingly, garishly bad. at one pt her character is having a mental breakdown and she scrunches her face up into this terrifying look that's just all scrunch and eyebrows and i just turned to my friend and went "omg"

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daaaamn

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The reviewer was not joking about her eyebrows. They're so distracting.





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Yeah, I saw it, and I think they should have made it clearer how much pain he was in every single day. There were a few scenes that showed a little of it, and he talked about it briefly, but I think it should have been shown more clearly.



I haven't read the book, maybe it's portrayed better there?

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I actually said eaux when I saw the trailer for this. I never really had plans to watch it, but after reading a lot of the criticism I really don't think I will.



Side note I saw one of those whisper facebook posts thingy that had the picture of Emilia Clarke lying in bed next to Jenna Coleman and the post said something like "Ever love someone so much, you'll settle for bestfriends just to have them in your life?" And I was really confused, why use that picture? Is there something gay about this movie? Then again a lot of the pictures they use in those posts don't make sense.

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OKAY SO WTF WAS THAT PICTURE USED??? People sometimes I swear.

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Is whisper facebook something like post secret? Because then it was probably just used because it was 2 and the poster was a girl who settled for best friend position. Maybe they didnt even see the movie

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I mean, I like the message that love isn't a magical cure all and your love can't FIX someone, it's really offensive to have that kind of message especially regarding disabled people, but again it must be depressing af to see someone with a life situation similar to yours decide "welp this life isn't worth living".



I'm sure the Sea Inside did that storyline better anyways, considering that it was about a real quadriplegic man instead of written by an author who's never even met a quadriplegic person.

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definitely not going to see this because I hate these types of movies as is. But I had to work a press event for this movie with Emilia Clarke & the author and honestly Emilia's adorable personality kinda made me want to see it a liiiiiiittle bit (but I still def wont lol)

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deets

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she was seriously the sweetest ever! It was for a junket and she was just super pleasant and I have nothing but nice things to say about her! I've worked a lot of junkets with celebs and she has def been the nicest! She just seems like a dork and I love her now even though I've never watched a thing she has been in lol

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I know what you mean. I'm a big GoT fan, but I honestly have avoided trying to follow any of the actors as a fan. I just want to watch the show and not have to be conflicted over something stupid any of them have said or done.



But I've seen a lot of her on talk shows promoting this movie, and she's adorable. So funny, is great with accents, not pretentious at all, able to make fun of herself, improvise at a moment's notice, and she seems like she'd be a lot of fun on a girls night out.

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lol I absolutely agree I'd love for her to be my bff

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I saw her in an interview once and she was really endearing/charismatic. then I saw a performance of hers and was like .... ? it doesn't translate which is a shame lol

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Sam Claflin's fugliness coupled with Emilia Clarke's godawful acting chops. Sounds like a winner to me.

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i saw him in stills in a movie where he was supposed to be a teenager (this is from last year) and i was so confused and distressed.

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I watched it but only because it was free. The reason why I didn't want to watch it is because I thought it was gonna be a Fault In Our Stars type of film and I hate those but it was actually a lot better than what I had expected - but still not great. I can finally understand tho why people call Sam Claflin bae

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I still need to watch The Riot Club! I've been meaning to for ages. I need more Douglas Booth in my life

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i really need to see that movie asap

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ia. the riot club was trash tbh but he was great in it

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Have you seen love, rosie? he was actually cute in it

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Oh please. You are cashing in on a popular book, don't act as though you are trying to push boundaries

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Is it even legal for a hired carer to get involved with the person they care for?

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Probably not illegal but definitely not ethical or professional.

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ya, from what I know of the film the only thing that made me uncomfortable was that she was his carer and he was her patient...and that is NAGL.



EDIT: was also bugged me was that she was his carer and he was the patient, instead of the woman being disabled and the man being the able bodied one. because there's no way this movie would have been made if it was reversed because society is still like "ew a good looking dude could never go for a disabled woman" and thats fucking annoying.



Edited at 2016-06-06 05:25 pm (UTC)

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Louisa's personal backstory being erased from the film was dodgy



[ Spoiler (click to open) ] are you referring to her getting raped when she was younger? Because as much as I did not like the book, I do think that was a pretty important part of her character, in terms of motivation.

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I think Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke would make a cute couple but I have no desire to see the movie. The book was only so-so

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or maybe your movie just sucks

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I havent read the book or seen the film, but I know the ending, so I don't know all the details but I have read the ending and just based on the ending alone, I don't find an issue with it.



Everybody has to decide for themselves what they can live with and what they cant, and showing one of those choices isnt painting the issue with a wide paintbrush. When I read what the ending is I was like "then whats the point? didnt he just fall in love and she feels the same about him?"...but im not handicapped in that way, I couldn't possibly say what I'd want or what I'd do, and there are many things in this world I couldn't live with happening to me (when others easily could) and vice versa. the power of choice is a really important moral to tell in a story like this IMO.



in regards to having an able bodied actor instead of disabled one...its a summer release movie, they need an actor people know very well and want to go see (NGL I was like "I dont really wanna see this but sam claflin so maybe"). if there was a disabled actor of a similar popularity and they chose to cast an able bodied one instead I'd be peeved...but I can't think of one so idk. I hope that's not dismissive, I just get it.





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spoil it for me, please? i don't think i will watch or read this

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I would put under a cut but people have said repeatedly in this post what happens so lol.



apparently in the beginning of the film he wants to go the assisted suicide route before she shows up as his carer, and even though they end up falling in love, in the end he still chooses assisted suicide despite his family and her basically begging him not to.

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I don't think your last argument holds up well. Neither of these people are big stars and saying that only further keeps people with disabilities out of roles. They will never have the chance to be popular if no one ever cast them in movies people will see

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its a summer release movie, they need an actor people know very well and want to go see



do people know Sam Claflin or Emilia Clarke well though? I had to IMDB him because I've never heard his name before and I can't see many GoT fans wanting to see this movie just for her.

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Well, the author has also never met or talked to a quadriplegic, so you probably share her ignorance, which is part of the reason disabled people have a problem with it.

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But he last part is the same excuse as people say as usual about whitewashing tho, Sam Cafflin isn't even a household name, same with Emilia Clarke, she has flopped in everything she has done besides GoT, and Sam Cafflin has been in what, THG saga? It is still a shitty situation, with that thiking then they would never hire a disabled actor because there isn't any actor who is big or who has many roles and there aren't because Hollywood doesn't hire them, not even for roles when the dissability is a big part of the movie, like this one.

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in regards to having an able bodied actor instead of disabled one...its a summer release movie, they need an actor people know very well and want to go see (NGL I was like "I dont really wanna see this but sam claflin so maybe").



I've never even heard of the actor they chose before this movie. I know he's in the Hunger Games movies but if someone had even said to me, "Hey, you know who Sam Claflin is?" I would've said no.



if there was a disabled actor of a similar popularity and they chose to cast an able bodied one instead I'd be peeved...but I can't think of one so idk.



RJ Mitte. He has cerebral palsy and a lot of people know of him because of Breaking Bad.

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I get you bb and I'm sorry you got piled on.



I also think people are being obtuse if they don't think it's easier to get funding/studio backing for a film starring these two vs. two unknowns. No, they aren't household names but they are known quantities.

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Sam Claflin tho sis? really??

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Piers Morgan is such a raging bag of dicks, Jesus.

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He is a fucking troll, imo

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Piers Morgan seems like the type of troll that loves to go into posts about race relations and argue "but black people can be racist too?" " it's "alllivesmatter!", oh "but what about black on black crime and discrimination against white people?" I just can't with these ignorant people.



Edited at 2016-06-07 12:45 am (UTC)

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Wtf. I thought Trump said every dumb/racist/awful existing thing alrealdy. But no, it never ends. How can people vote for him ? I'm curious, really.

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bc they're as racist, misogynistic and xenophobic as he is

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This. Its way past time to stop pretending theres another reason people continue to support him.





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Yep

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Yeah i got that...

I'm french that's why i don't get it well. We have in france our own racist piece of sh*t aka Marine Lepen but she'd never said this level of violent words. She is actually trying to distance herself from her very racist father although people know very well she is pretty much the same.

I don't know this is crazy to me, Trump's racism is beyond scary. And when i read his supporters' comments to defend him, i'm losing neurones, really.

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Yeeeeep

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Unfortunately he is just one of way too many people who are able to be vocal about their racist, ignorant and hateful thoughts.

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Because they're just like he is. Sad, scary fact.

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Because my country is full of racist flops.

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They're just as bad as him. He fuels their fire.

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Funny you should ask--I'm a server at a restaurant in the North shore in Illinois (very rich, very white) and had a table of elderly women discussing trump. One of them said that she likes that he doesn't pussyfoot around and he tells the truth (the words "80% of the blacks ARE in jail!" left her mouth) and when the other women pointed out the groups of people he's said offensive things about, she just waved her hand and said it didn't offend her and people shouldn't be angry about a few tactless remarks especially when Hilary is a crook.



So, as the other poster said, like calls to like.

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My brother in law has a nice house, collects retirement, has another income, has healthy, children with bright futures, and still manages to be mad about every fucking thing in the world.



He wants for nothing, and is still angry about people who earn less than him, have less than him, etc..



To be blunt, he hates poor people, even though he himself once upon a time took advantage of WIC.



Oh, and he supports Trump.



I would offer that people who are hateful assholes who do not recognize their own flawed human status love Donald Trump.

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1) they ARE dumb & racist



2) teabaggers who have just now realize their candidates would never stand a chance in the general election so he's their next best thing since trump is above all else, an opportunist, and they realize they can mold a perfect candidate out of them



3) hates liberal/hilary/women and just don't care



4) became disillusion would rather vote for "fringe" candidates (ie. why people who choose trump as their first choice would pick bernie as their second even if they are at the opposite ends of the political spectrum)



5) people are selfish & self serving, they don't care as long as he gives them what they want. as in, while they themselves might not be "actively" racist but they definitely would not have a problem throwing poc/anyone under the bus if they get their lil tax break

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A huge part is that the voters are racist, but the biggest reason is because he's the only one out of the 16+ republican candidates who people are familiar with. It's the same reason why Clinton, arguably one of the most hated people in modern American politics, easily swept in so many states.

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because he's authoritarian, and there is a certain (large) voter demographic that is reactionary and paranoid about change that values "decisive" politicians and being told what to do irrespective of whether or not it's actually in their best interests (or anybody else's)

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Because they are the xenophobic reactionaries who have never had an official spokesperson on so large a scale until now.

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Because he's campaigning on fear.

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Not according to his spokeswoman. Apparently his "logic" only applies if the matter at hand is an official campaign policy like the wall.

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.@piersmorgan you could test us by announcing your retirement.  John Legend (@johnlegend) June 5, 2016





@johnlegend from what? trolling isn't a job (I've tried)  christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 5, 2016





Edited at 2016-06-06 09:45 pm (UTC) Piers Morgan really is a horrible human being who should've never had a career at all - but as soon as the doctored photos at NOTW happened that should have been it. And there's no way he had no idea phones were being hacked to get stories when he was editor either. He's so full of shit. Then he flopped at CNN. Now he uses black people for clicks and attention. He really is the poster child for while male mediocrity. He's just an all around flop at life.

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LOL idgaf, I love John and Chrissy.

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I love chrissy

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LMAO Chrissy's tweet is killing me

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Nnnnnn

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lmao, drag the racist!!

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hahaha chrissy

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he's saying don't sugar coat it, which means don't make it sound all pleasant & sweet

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LOL. Go in!

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lol i love chrissy

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lmao

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lmaooo chrissy's tweet is killing me

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Well Susan Serandon ain't shit. The way she was yelling at Dolores Huerta (Presidential Medal of Freedom) just like a white woman would talk to her maid just because Dolores supports Hillary and not bernie





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yikes Susan...I was rooting for you

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oh look, a politically dogmatic person

how horrid

ia

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Why are you pretending you care about mexicans and latinos in general tho? we all know you are a racist sexist troll, don't neet to pretend otherwhise.

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"Look at my African-American over there!"

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that was so unintentionally funny to me. the whitest possible way to say "look at my nigga. he the shit"

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I feel like it was like "look at my African-American over there! I wanna bring back slavery and own you!"

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Omg that moment was so fucked up ugh. So many more months of this

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he's a walking caricature of himself

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Oh man and when he said something along the lines of that African American 'behaving,' like that was an anomaly (because apparently men of color behaving is out of the norm for their demographic or some shit).



I just want him to be taken out of the running so bad.

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I would say god help us all if he wins but seeing as I don't believe in god, if he wins this country is going to be more doomed and fucked up than it currently is which is a pretty terrifying thing to have to think about.



Edited at 2016-06-06 09:46 pm (UTC)

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lol yea if he wins I think I'd consider quitting my job and traveling for a couple of years.

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Can England please take back Piers Morgan? You can drop him into the ocean on the way back. That's fine. Just come fucking get him.

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Can you keep him?

in dungeon, preferably

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They don't want him either.

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I cannot

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Fuck Donald Trump.

Chrissy Tiegen and John Legend did one of the most flawlessly executed draggings of Piers I have ever seen. I'm sick of these professional trump apologists pretending he isn't trash.

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Fuck off, Piers Morgan. You too, Donald Trump.

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holy fuck Piers Morgan never misses an opportunity to be garbage right?

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stop! giving! piers! morgan! attention! is2g the only thing keeping him relevant is his twitter trolling. ENOUGH, let him fade into further obscurity.

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is trump university an actual thing? I thought it was a joke, rip

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i.e.



Ugh. #TrumpUniversity- find out if they are a single-=parent of 3 who needs money for food, use that to close. pic.twitter.com/wvagkFET1p  Steven D'Amico (@stevenjldamico) May 31, 2016

His con artist employees really preyed on vulnerable people and if you read their all too common techniques in the court documents it's really sad.i.e.

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Unfortunately it's very real and a horrible for profit school that is really just real estate seminars for 35,000. He's such a fucking con artist

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nah it was a big campaign issue a few months ago for him, it seems like a suuuper shady business



hopefully it comes back in the general to shove him back to hell tbh

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In a sign that demand continues to rise and oil markets are moving closer to balance, Saudi Arabia increased its prices for crude heading to Asia and the United States.

Saudi Aramco hiked prices on Arab Light destined for Asia for the second month in a row, according to Bloomberg, the first time that has occurred in more than a year. Aramco increased Arab Light prices by 35 cents per barrel, trading at a 60-cent premium to the regional benchmark. Saudi Arabias pricing strategy tends to move the market, as other Middle East oil exporters usually adjust prices following Saudi actions. Related: Eagle Ford Halts Decline As Texas Oil Production Spikes

India has emerged as one of the largest drivers of oil demand growth, surpassing China in terms of the pace of growth. China, despite a somewhat slowing rate of demand, still has a large degree of influence over global demand. The prices increases are a sign that Saudi Aramco is getting more bullish on demand, according to Robin Mills of the Brookings Institution in Doha, who spoke with Bloomberg by phone. Related: Colombian Oil Patch Needs $70 Billion To Survive

While Saudi Arabia is hiking prices to Asia and the U.S., it also cut prices on June 5 for oil heading to Europe. Aramco slashed prices by 35 cents per barrel to northwest Europe and by 10 cents per barrel for oil destined for the Mediterranean.

On its face, the price reduction might suggest that the markets are still well supplied. Indeed Europe is well supplied, but much of that has to do with the intense competition for customers between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the removal of sanctions and Irans success at ramping up production since the start of the year, Europe has become a hotly contested area for the two OPEC rivals. Iran used to export more than 1 million barrels per day to Europe and is now fighting to reclaim some of that lost market share. The WSJ reports that Irans oil exports to Europe have climbed to 400,000 barrels per day, and after securing deals with refiners in Greece, Italy and France, exports should rise to 700,000 barrels per day in the next few months.

That stiff competition has Saudi Arabia cutting prices to hold onto its market. Aramco exports 800,000 barrels per day to Europe.

By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Eni has written down the value of the Goliat oil field in the Arctic by $807 million, according to Norwegian media reports.

The online newspaper EDGAR.NO reported that the Italian oil and gas company made the decision to lower the value of its assets as the effects of the two-year oil and gas crisis continue to impact the firms bottom line. Eni (NYSE:E) owns a 65 percent share in the venture, while the local company Statoil (NYSE: STO) owns the rest.

The main reason is the low price of oil. We expect lower earnings from the field than we have previously assumed and therefore, we have written it down, Andreas Wulff, head of Enis Norwegian communications said, according to the report.



Related: U.S. Crude Exports Hit 96 Year High

Goliat has faced several legal and financial obstacles in the past, which caused the oilfields construction to be delayed by three years.

After approving an application for Eni to start Goliats production by the end of February 2016, the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) said it had to postpone the oilfields start further until the violations found in previous audits had been rectified.

The report mandated that Eni declare and enforce a strict deadline in order to implement the corrective measures necessary as determined by the PSA.



Related: Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Prices to Asia But Cuts Prices to Europe

In March 2016, the fieldwhich the operator claims is the largest of its kind and makes use of the most advanced cylindrical floating production storage offloading vessel (FPSO)started production just after oil prices took a plunge a short two months before.

Goliat is also the first field to produce oil from the Barents Sea, which could hold up to 180 million barrels of oil. The ice-free region that hosts the 100,000-barrel-per-day operation sits 53 miles northwest of the city of Hammerfest.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:


Preet Bharara

(Image by US Department of Justice) Details DMCA



The Honorable Preet Bharara

United States Attorney's Office

1 St. Andrew's Plaza

New York City, NY 10007

Re: Petition calls on NY Attorney General to request federal court order for a new New York Primary, citing civil rights violations of 200,000+ voters

Dear Mr. Bharara,

On May 2nd, we sent a moveon.org petition to New York Attorney General,

Eric Schneiderman, signed by over 6,300 individuals, calling for a new completely redone New York Primary. Here is the petition:

A full month later, Mr. Schneiderman's relative lack of response and relative inaction have now lead us to consider other means of formal request for a Federal Court order for a redone primary, complete with safeguards, monitors, forensic computer experts, and observers.

We are now asking you to take on that responsibility with or without the Attorney General's office in Albany, and possibly other plaintiffs to be determined.

The strongest grounds for such an order derive from 200,000+ violations

of Federal Civil Rights and Election Law statutes.

We strongly support you in your efforts to go into Federal Court for an order for a redo of the NY primary, based strictly on these civil rights violations. These 200,000+ voters disenfranchised are very strong grounds for granting this relief, starting with a federal order for the

decertification of the prior election results as incomplete and

fraudulent.

When you and your staff take the time to go to the petition website, you

will read many comments by New Yorkers detailing their own personal experiences of not being able to vote and their willingness to testify.

Much of what I have read about your ethics and statements online, such

as, "There is no prosecutors office in the state that takes more

seriously the responsibility to root out public corruption in Albany and anywhere else that we might find it, and I think our record speaks for itself," offers hope to those working at the grassroots.

Thank you for your reply. The nation is watching and all eyes are on New

York. We have faith that you will do the right thing, let the press know as soon as your decision is made, and that we can move forward to a partial restoration of what is left of America's Democracy. Thank you for everything you and your office can do to bring this about.

Sincerely,

Lisa Canar Seattle Washington

>>>>

To The Honorable Preet Bharara,

June 6, 2016

I zealously support your efforts to ask a Federal Court for an order for a redo of the New York Primary. I am a tenured sociology professor employed by Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey. However, I am a New York City resident and voter. I don't believe that I am being hyperbolic when I claim that I'm terrified by the level of fraud displayed in the current election cycle. Bloomfield College is a PBI and it is quite challenging to convince students to become engaged and combat alienation when such actions do not lead to consequences. I submit that there still remain some politicians in this world who are worthy of the public's trust. I believe that you are one of them. And so, I entrust you with my faith.



Please feel free to contact me at any of the following:

Dr. Claudia Kowalchyk

>>>>

The Honorable Preet Bharara

United States Attorney's Office

1 St. Andrew's Plaza

New York City, NY 10007

Dear Mr. Bharara:

I am writing to support your eventual efforts to bring about a new New York primary, with all the mistakes and voter purges prevented in the redone primary. We ask that your efforts be vocal and come soon.

Over 126,000 voters were dropped from the rolls without their knowledge or consent. Some people found that their party affiliation was changed as well, barring them from voting in the Democratic primary. That was just in one borough alone (Brooklyn). This level of election rigging is unprecedented in American history, and cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged; otherwise, the presidency and our democracy will be stained and impugned forever.

Furthermore, it is my understanding some but not all of the provisional ballots issued to voters were counted. Moreover, some voters were turned away without provisional ballots by uninformed poll workers. In other places, voting machines were not functional or polling places were closed altogether.

A recount would not be sufficient to remedy these problems. That would miss the point entirely. These are civil rights violations, and as such, would constitute superb grounds in Federal Court as immediately actionable to first decertify the results in that ripoff of a first primary.

We need a brand new primary with all these issues cleaned up. Thank you for your efforts to make this happen. Your leadership and guidance are at this point indispensable and we hope you prove to be as incorruptible as you have thus far seemed to be, thus warranting this request to you now.

Sincerely,

Celeste Leibowitz

Brooklyn, New York

Honorable Preet Bharara U.S. Attorney

Southern District of New York

One St. Andrew's Plaza

New York, New York 10007

212.637.2200 RE: Please redo New York Primary Dear Mr. Bharara, I am a Bernie delegate for Washington state, and I have seen the fraud perpetuated all over the nation in this primary. From reduced polling places, to delegates being scrubbed, this election has been stolen. There has to be a better and more humane way to participate in this important process. I am asking today that you please lead the effort in Federal Court for the NY primary to be recertified with the proper safeguards put into place this time. I have seen your record in prosecuting high profile cases, and I have no doubt that you can successfully prosecute those responsible for the massive election fraud that has occurred in New York. That is later, however, after using the civil rights violations of those purged as the chief grounds for a Federal judge to grant a new primary. Decertifying the former NY election, then having a new one, with safeguards in place, would set a precedent for other states all over the country. NY could be the leader in the movement of making our elections truly free and fair, all because of your leadership, sir. Thanks for your consideration in advance, Sarah Stephens, LD Delegate for Bernie Sanders New Media Journalism and Communications >>>> Honorable Preet Bharara: In 2008. I was a poll worker in your state, for which I have a great affinity. After closing, the Working Families Party's column was completely unreadable from the tabulator. In the 2016 NY primary, things got significantly worse. Voting locations and hours were cut and changed without notice. The poll workers were ill informed and many voters were unable to have their votes counted. The basic right of a citizen is to caste their one vote. If that right is violated, as it clearly was, with so many cases of documented fraud and purging emerging all over our nation. One person one vote has been violated. Request this basic right be upheld. Please ask the Federal Court to order a redo of the primary.

Respectfully,

Emmy Koponen Santa Fe, New Mexico



(Article changed on June 6, 2016 at 16:52)
See original here

By *Peter Van Buren





These are facts. You can look at the source documents yourself. This is not opinion, conjecture, or rumor. Hillary Clinton transmitted the names of American intelligence officials via her unclassified email.

From a series of Clinton emails, numerous names were redacted in the State Department releases with the classification code "B3 CIA PERS/ORG," a highly specialized classification that means the information, if released, would violate the Central Intelligence Act of 1949 by exposing the names of CIA officials.

The Freedom of information Act (FOIA) requires the government to release all, or all parts of a document, that do not fall under a specific set of allowed exemptions. If information cannot be excluded, it must be released. If some part of a document can be redacted to allow the rest of the document to be released, then that is what must be done. Each redaction must be justified by citing a specific reason for exclusion.

But don't believe me. Instead, look at page two of this State Department document which lists the exemptions.

Note specifically the different types of "(b)(3)" redactions, including "CIA PERS/ORG." As common sense would dictate, the government will not release the names of CIA employees via the FOIA process. It would -- literally -- be against the law. What law? Depending on the nature of the individual's job at CIA, National Security Act of 1947, the CIA Act of 1949, various laws that govern undercover/clandestine CIA officers and, potentially, the Espionage Act of 1917.

Yet Hillary's emails contain at least three separate, specific instances where she mentioned in an unclassified email transmitted across the open Internet and wirelessly to her Blackberry the names of CIA personnel. Here they are. Look for the term "(b)(3) CIA PERS/ORG" Click on the links and see for yourself: CIA One; CIA Two; CIA Three.

There are also numerous instances of exposure of the names and/or email addresses of NSA employees ("B3 NSA"); see page 23 inside this longer PDF document.

Why It Matters

-- These redactions point directly to violations of specific laws. It is not a "mistake" or minor rule-breaking.

-- These redactions strongly suggest that the Espionage Act's standard of mishandling national defense information through "gross negligence" may have been met by Clinton.

-- There is no ambiguity in this information, no possible claims to faux-retroactive classification, not knowing, information not being labeled, etc. Clinton and her staff know that one cannot mention CIA names in open communications. It is one of the most basic tenets taught and exercised inside the government. One protects one's colleagues.

-- Exposing these names can directly endanger the lives of the officials. It can endanger the lives of the foreigners they interacted with after a foreign government learns one of their citizens was talking with the CIA. It can blow covers and ruin sensitive clandestine operations. It can reveal to anyone listening in on this unclassified communication sources and methods. Here is a specific example of how Clinton likely compromised security.

-- These redactions show complete contempt on Clinton's part for the security process.

BONUS: There is clear precedent for others going to jail for exposing CIA names. Read the story of John Kiriakou. A Personal Aside: I just remain incredulous about these revelations seeming to mean nothing to the world. They're treated in the media as almost gossip.
Reprinted from Truthdig

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee for president, appears to have committed a very serious violation of some of the country's most important laws governing the use and misuse of classified information: She revealed the names of undercover CIA officers by using her unclassified and unprotected personal email server. That may be a violation both of the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Intelligence Identities Act of 1982 (IIPA). That Clinton used an unclassified system for classified information is not conjecture. That's the same email server that Romanian hacker Guccifer said was so easy to hack that it was "like an open orchid on the internet."

That Clinton had such highly classified information on an unclassified system is a fact. The question now is: What is the Obama administration going to do about it? And the answer is, probably, nothing.

From the passage of the Espionage Act in 1917 until Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009, only three Americans were charged with espionage for revealing classified information publicly. But under Obama, eight Americans have been charged with espionage, including me. All of us were accused of providing classified information to the press, most of us as whistleblowers. None of us was ever accused of giving information to a foreign country.

The Obama Justice Department didn't care in our cases that many of us had gone to the press with evidence of governmental waste, fraud, abuse and illegality. We all faced long prison sentences -- long enough that we could have died in prison. Indeed, NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake faced 35 years for blowing the whistle on the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program. The case against him fell apart in the end, and all felony charges were dropped. I faced 45 years after blowing the whistle on the CIA's torture program. I took a plea to violating the IIPA and served 23 months in a federal prison. Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for providing WikiLeaks with evidence of U.S. war crimes in Iraq.

Most senior Democrats -- all of whom were silent as the Obama administration waged war on whistleblowers -- have sought either to defend Clinton or downplay the importance of what she did. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright even made a ridiculous statement to CNN last week, saying that "n]obody is going to die as a result of anything that was in (Clinton's) emails." That is utterly irrelevant. Just the fact that some of Clinton's emails had to be redacted before release, classified after the fact or withheld in their entirety means that the Justice Department, if it is to be at all consistent, ought to be considering at least espionage charges for her.

All I did was to confirm the name of a former CIA colleague to a reporter. The reporter never made the name public, and there was no harm to the national security. But I still faced up to 10 years in prison just for that revelation. So why should the criterion for Clinton be that nobody died?

The judge in my case was clear about a number of issues. First, the very definition of "espionage" is incredibly broad. Espionage is the act of "providing national defense information to any person not entitled to receive it." Period. My judge also said that there did not have to be mens rea, or criminal intent, for there to be guilt in an espionage case. And the concept of "harm to the national security" was irrelevant.

The IIPA also ought to be in play here. Clinton revealed the names of perhaps dozens of undercover CIA officers in her unclassified emails. Was Clinton lackey Sidney Blumenthal cleared for those names? Were Clinton's other hangers-on? Did they have a need to know? If not, IIPA charges also should be filed.

There is, of course, a solution to all of this. If the current administration is not going to charge Clinton with espionage or with violating the IIPA, it ought to issue pardons for the whistleblowers it has targeted over the past 7-1/2 years. Either the country has a policy of filing felony charges against people who reveal classified information or it doesn't. We should all be prosecuted or none of us should be.

President Obama should be consistent. If the Justice Department is not going to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime, the president should pardon us whistleblowers. Thomas Drake, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and I would appreciate it. And it's only fair.


Hillary

(Image by djpop) Details DMCA



Here's a question.

Let's assume Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee in 2016 and subsequently wins the White House in November. A year into her first term, what do you suppose the people who supported her will say? The media elites, the Hollywood big shots, the political insiders, some of whom used their highly respected organizations to push her candidacy? How will they defend their actions, one year later?

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers? You made a big deal out of AFT's decision to support Hillary's campaign . The rank and file didn't much care for it -- imagine, a union working to elect an anti-union candidate! What will you say when President Hillary puts her corporate handlers in charge of education and, a year on, they have continued to privatize public schools ? What will you say to teachers then? You thought she would keep her word ?

Director Rob Reiner? You make a living selling fantasy. Who knows why anyone would ask you anything political. But when anti-abortion extremist Joe Scarborough queried as to why you were encouraging people to vote for Hillary, you actually said, "she's the most qualified." Talk about making sh*t up. It's a line regularly tossed out by Hillary surrogates. But anyone who's taken the time to look at her record knows it ain't true. Not by a country mile.

Qualified?

The former-Secretary of State surges toward the presidency on a wave of death and destruction that rivals her hero and fellow war-crimes profiteer, Henry the K . The vote to invade Iraq? The bombing of Libya? The military coup in Honduras ? Regime change in Ukraine ? Threatening war with Syria and Russia and practically everyone else, including Palestinians ? Each one of these policy-positions sprang from the neoliberal head of Hillary the Hawk, each one was put into play by her and her associates, and each one was a complete disaster. Libya is a bloody war zone, Honduras is considered the most dangerous country in the world, Ukraine is ruled by Neo-Nazis and the citizens of Gaza are slowly being exterminated.

Qualified?

She came, she laughed , they died.

As for Iraq, it's not hard to understand why Ms Weingarten and Mr Reiner would rather not hear from gadflies like Medea Benjamin or Paul Buchhiet or Ted Rall. But hey, if you've got celebrity status, and a gazillion fans, and you're willing to go on national teevee and peddle big-time falsehoods, then you have to expect to get called on it. So pay attention. It could come in handy.

The reason it's important to remember Hillary's Iraq vote is not just because she led the rush to war based on "cherry picked" intelligence, which in itself shows incredibly bad judgment. Her vote is important because, as a member of the Senate's Intelligence Committee, she was one of the few people who had access to the National Intelligence Estimate before the invasion. She might have seen the discrepancies in the sources. She might have noticed the opaque lines of dispute between agencies, the differences in methodology and interpretation. She might have walked away with questions, doubts. She might have even tried to prevent the US from blundering into the worst foreign policy debacle in its history. She might have -- except she didn't read the report.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Senator Clinton was tasked specifically with making sure the intelligence communities got it right. The Bush gang was talking full scale war . WMD's and mushroom clouds and all that. You'd think Senator Clinton would be concerned. You'd think she'd want to gather as much information as possible from as many sources as possible in order to make an informed decision. Instead, she did the opposite. She voted to take this country to war without even bothering to read the government's case for doing so. How's that for qualified?

Cecile Richards ? Markos Moulitsas ? Gloria Steinem ? Robert Reich ? Dolores Huerta ? Cheerleaders and apologists all. How about the editorial board of The New York Times ? Or The Washington Post ?

A year into Hillary's presidency, what will you say to the families of the women and children killed or exiled as a result of her policies? What words will spin enough cerement to wrap the bodies of the innocent? You were confused? You thought you were doing the right thing? You were misled ?

Predictably, when it comes to framing the election in Hillary-friendly terms, not all the players are as obvious as, say, Madeline Albright , who is surely the answer to the question, "can women in positions of authority be as evil as men?"

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Reprinted from Truthdig

On July 25, opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Cheri Honkala, leader of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, denied a permit to march by city authorities, will rally with thousands of protesters outside City Hall. Defying the police, they will march up Broad Street to the convention.

We will recapture our democracy in the streets of cities such as Philadelphia, not in convention halls such as the aptly named Wells Fargo Center, where the Democratic Party elites intend to celebrate the results of the rigged primary elections and the continuity of corporate power.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, other activists and I will march with Honkala. It is not as if we have a choice. No one invited us into the center or to the lavish corporate-sponsored receptions. No one anointed us to be Clinton superdelegates -- a privilege that went to corporate lobbyists, rich people and party hacks. No one in the Democratic establishment gives a damn what we think.

The convention is not our party. It is their party. It costs a lot of money to attend. Donate $100,000 and you become an "empire" donor, with perks such as "VIP credentials for all convention proceedings," along with tickets to lavish corporate and Party receptions, photo ops with politicians at the convention podium, four rooms at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and a suite at a Yankees game, where a "special guest" will be present. Short of $100,000? You can become a "gold" donor for $50,000, a "silver" donor for $25,000 or a "bronze" donor for $10,000.

We have the best democracy money can buy. The Wells Fargo Center and the fancy hotels in Philadelphia will be swarming with corporate representatives and lobbyists from Comcast, Xerox, Google and dozens of other companies that manage our political theater.

Honkala, who was once homeless -- she lived for a while out of cars, in abandoned houses and under bridges -- and who was the Green Party's vice presidential candidate in 2012, has long defied the elites on behalf of the marginalized and the poor. She led a protest at the 2000 Republican National Convention, (after being denied a permit for that as well), which saw 30,000 people shut down Philadelphia's center over issues such as racial discrimination, police violence and poverty. She has fought for the homeless, the unemployed and the underemployed for three decades, through acts of civil disobedience -- marches, the construction of tent cities and homeless encampments, and sit-ins -- that often ended in arrests. She has been arrested more than 200 times.

She will be on the south side of Philadelphia's City Hall at 3 p.m. on July 25, with or without a permit. And thousands for whom the Democratic Party is another face of the corporate enemy will be there with her. (Contacts for the march are (215) 869-4753 or cherihonkalappehrc@gmail.com.)

"Philadelphia has a poverty rate of 26 percent," she said when I reached her by phone. "It has the highest number of people who die from drug overdoses in the country. The city has not housed anyone within the homeless population within 10 months. It has lost its state certification for the Department of Human Services child protection agency because of gross negligence and substandard conditions for children. Foster kids are stuck in an abusive system. Hundreds are not being placed. And at the same time, the city will spend $43 million on security for the convention. It will spend upwards of $60 million to house millionaires and billionaires while it ignores the vulnerable and attempts, by denying us a permit to march, to render them invisible."

She said that the difference between the march she led in 2000 and the one planned for July is that "things are four times worse." She spoke about her north Philadelphia neighborhood, Kensington, the poorest district in the state. It has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation. It has a large homeless population. It has a poverty rate of 46.9 percent. The food bank is protected by barbed wire.

"Back then, someone could work three or even four jobs and barely survive," she said. "I live in a neighborhood now of the permanently unemployed. There is an underground economy. We have to collectively keep each other alive. There are hundreds of young men who are not just attempting to live on a dollar a day, but go a couple of weeks with nothing. We try to figure out how to find food and housing. We try to figure out how to keep alive."

The loss of faith in the political system and neoliberal ideology is widespread. The corporate elites are pouring $5 billion into the carnival of presidential electoral politics in a desperate bid to keep us mesmerized and controlled. Democracy is endlessly invoked on the airwaves to legitimize the corporate and political forces that have destroyed it. Congress has an approval rating of 11 percent. Half of qualified voters are not registered to vote, and half of registered voters do not go to the polls. A little more than half of 25 percent -- no more than 15 percent -- of the electorate determines who becomes president. And this is the way the elites want it.

In our system of inverted totalitarianism, the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin pointed out, the object is to demobilize the citizenry, to render it apathetic, to convince the citizen that all political activity that does not take place within the narrow boundaries defined by the corporate state is futile. This is a message hammered into public consciousness by the corporate media, which serve as highly paid courtiers to the corporate elites. It is championed by the two parties that offer up fear of the other as their primary political platform.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold the highest candidate disapproval ratings in American history -- in that order. These two candidates, the system insists, are the only "rational" options. Step outside the system and you are disappeared or ridiculed. Acceptable political opinions, as Wolin wrote, are "measurable responses to questions predesigned to elicit them."

We vote, in the end, for skillfully manufactured personalities. Neither Trump nor Clinton in office will hinder corporate hegemony. Nothing will change until we revolt, until we defy the corporate system, until we wake from our civic stupor. The goal of the elites is to keep us pacified.

"The crucial element that sets off inverted totalitarianism from Nazism is that while the latter imposed a regime of mobilization upon its citizenry, inverted totalitarianism works to depoliticize its citizens, thus paying a left-handed compliment to the prior experience of democratization," Wolin wrote in "Politics and Vision." "Where the Nazis strove to give the masses a sense of collective power and confidence, Kraft durch Freude (or 'strength through joy'), the inverted regime promotes a sense of weakness, collective futility that culminates in the erosion of the democratic faith, in political apathy and the privatization of the self. Where the Nazis wanted a continuously mobilized society that would support its masters without complaint and enthusiastically vote 'yes' at the managed plebiscites, the elite of inverted totalitarianism wants a politically demobilized society that hardly votes at all."
Reprinted from Empire Burlesque

My latest column from the CounterPunch print magazine:

The tangled tropes of Trump are many and various. Most have at least a tincture of veracity in them -- although the phenomenon of his candidacy is so vast and gaseous it's not surprising that some discharge from it would fall, like mist, or a wet clump of coagulate matter, on scattered bits of the truth here and there.

One trope says we've been here before, with the political triumph of a gleefully ignorant, blustering, bigoted faux populist made famous by show biz: Ronald Reagan. Although he was more closely handled, Reagan's off-hand idiocies and nasty nativism were very much in the Trumpian vein. Then there's Dubya Bush, a certified chowderhead riding to power spouting gooberish nonsense and simplistic slogans while, like Reagan, acting as cover for a rapacious agenda of corporatism and militarism.

In this view, Trump is just one more in an inglorious line of dimbulb hucksters whose success confirms, yet again, H.L. Mencken's bleak view of the knuckle-dragging American electorate, whose intelligence can never be underestimated. (Or even misunderestimated.)

Another view sees Trump as a welcome -- if inadvertent -- heightener of contradictions, exposing the unsustainable hypocrisies of the system and bringing the rancid impostume of our militarized hyper-capitalism to the bursting point. The poisons that ooze from this opened carbuncle -- the racism, aggression, nativism, hatred and vulgarity that pour from Trump's mouth in a gangrenous stream -- will provoke a movement that will -- eventually, after much struggle and suffering -- cleanse the body politic at last. ("The worse, the better" is a stance with a long history in political warfare; Lenin was an adept of the principle, as are the Senate Republicans.)

Others take heart from some of Trump's sporadic sputterings that seem to echo fragments of a Ron Paul-like desire to rein in the bipartisan imperial project. They point to the fact that Trump declared -- in a GOP debate, no less -- that Dubya and his cronies should be put on trial for the Iraq War: something no other figure in either major party has ever done. He has also made noises about a more rational policy toward Russia (as opposed to the endless provocations and Cold War chest-beating of the Peace Prize Prez). He even once mentioned in a speech that we should take cognizance of the millions of foreigners who've been killed in the War on Terror: again, something that no other Dem/GOP politician has ever dared mention. (Not even Bernie Sanders, whose "radical" stance is that the Saudis should take over some of the killing for us.) Such statements have been seized upon by some who hope that a Trump presidency will break the bipartisan consensus on America's deadly and sinister foreign policy.

Other tropes view Trump as an unprecedented catastrophe for American politics, a fascist (or fascist-like) figure whose like has never been seen before in our Republic. Or as the undertaker of the Republican Party, which, some savants say, will now go the way of the Whigs. Still others see Trump as a lightning rod for the disaffections of the white working and middle classes whose security and prosperity have been destroyed by globalization and corporate greed; Trump provides them with racist and xenophobic scapegoats for their suffering, while obscuring the true culprits: he and his fellow gorgers in the financial elite (and the politicians whom, he freely admits, the elite buy with their contributions).

This hardly exhausts the meanings that have been attached to Trump's ascendancy. And as noted, there's some truth in most of them. (Although I do think the reports of the GOP's death are greatly exaggerated.) We have had shallow fools in charge of the country before. It is true that the irreconcilable contradictions of the system are coming to a head. Trump has uttered some truths about U.S. imperialism that we never hear from our politicians. He is more openly like a quasi-fascist authoritarian than we've seen before. He is tapping into the justified frustrations of millions of Americans at the depredations of the bipartisan neoliberal project.

But almost all of these tropes have been contradicted by Trump himself. Yes, he occasionally critiques American imperialism -- then makes bellicose statements about augmenting it, including the possibility of using nukes in the Middle East. (To be fair, he stole that from Hillary's 2008 campaign). Yes, he speaks to working class loss -- then touts economic policies that will exacerbate it, such as lifting the few remaining feeble restraints on Wall Street. Yes, he talks of breaking the militaristic foreign policy paradigm -- then promises to put the military in charge of foreign policy, expand the use of torture, "go after" the families of terrorist suspects, and so on.

Despite some garish trappings -- such as the continual disgorgement of his id on Twitter -- if Trump attains the White House, he will no doubt perpetuate the current system in its essential form. As will Clinton, of course; indeed, that perpetuation is the raison d'etre of her whole campaign. In either case, the Deep State -- that unfathomably vast network of contracts and covert ops, surveillance and subversion, corruption and corporatism that constitutes the genuine substance of the American government -- will carry on.
Reprinted from Capitol Hill Blue

Since his unpredictable rise to the top of the once-crowded field of Republican Presidential wannabes, those who shake their head in despair have frequently predicted his political demise, buried under the collapsing house of cards that illustrates his carefully crafted "brand."

Each prediction, to date, has proved wrong as gullible Trumpites flock around in the latest celebrity-driven orgy of greed and lust.

But Trump's pursuit of a Presidency he neither deserves or should achieve is coming apart as more and more details of his questionable business antics and fraudulent activities emerge.

Disclosures this week of the flagrant drive to bury people who can't afford it into thousands of dollars in debt through his illegal, immoral and outright con called Trump University show Trump, the flashy "billionaire" may be a man who is barely hanging on in a con game of a debt-ridden, failed businessman who is one-step away from losing it all.

Daniel W. Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, says the past week alone shows Trump is a desperate man who is trying to manipulate his presidential run into a last-gap for financial survival.

Some people who have real money have been whispering for months that Trump is nowhere as rich as he claims and is debt up to his ass, paying overdue bills with money raised in fraudulent schemes like "Trump University" and by turning a run for President into an endless "infomercial" to hawk his "brand" by even using campaign press conferences to promote his wine, his steaks, water and even playing cards.

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, described by Drezner as "a real billionaire," told WABC radio in New York this week that he doubts Trump is worth anywhere near what he claims and may not even be a billionaire. Cuban is not alone. Forbes Magazine, which keeps track of who earns what among the high-dollar types, puts Trump's net worth far below what he claims.

Cuban says Trump's branding stunts is "more a reflection of desperation" by a bad businessman in need of money fast.

"I asked, 'What the hell are you doing?' Are you that desperate for money?'" Cuban said.

In close examination of Trump's filings with the FEC, Cuban said:

"Before all the Trumpians jump on me on who has more money, the reason I know is when you file your federal election campaign reports, you have to list all your cash and liquid securities and bonds. You have to list them one by one. So we know without any question that as of May 27, Donald doesn't have more than $165 million in cash and securities and bonds. I've got a lot of more than that in cash, securities, and bonds, And so you know, I'm willing to bet dimes against dollars that that's pretty much what he's got."

Drezner suggests Trump is failing in so many areas of his business "empire" that he has turned to running for President as a last gasp.

"Yes, it is sad. Trump is using his presidential campaign to try to counteract reversals he might be suffering in the business world," Drezner wrote Thursday in The Washington Post. "But anyone who thinks that Trump would not use the vast powers of the presidency to advance his own business interests is delusional. Trump's behavior over the past few days raises a disturbing scenario; that he intends to use the power of the presidency to arrest any slide in his business enterprises."

He concludes his observations with:


a child of the universe

(Image by Seth Capitulo) Details DMCA



Ah yes! Cosmos



what's it, but

churning of That!

owing to which

changing! yet no

all's this 'n that!

"Our science - Greek science - is based on objectification... But I do believe that this is precisely the point where our present way of thinking does need to be amended, perhaps by a bit of blood transfusion from Eastern thought." ~Erwin Schrodinger[Nobel prize in Physics]



From a metaphysical point of view, the cosmic expansion and the dissolution of it is but a happening un-happening! And therefore, this creation-expansion-dissol ution is a nothing within the "no thing" .

Confusing, is not it? So, let us simplify this cosmic tinkering, and this confounding thing called cosmic existence. And ask ourselves, "What is the Cosmos?"

The Oxford University dictionary description of it as "the universe seen as well-ordered whole". The Cambridge University dictionary describes the cosmos as "the universe considered as a system with an order and pattern."

Assuming it is so, one may ask the following about the cosmos:

how is it and why is so, as it is ?

? Why does it exist ? Who created it ?

? ? Does it expanding, die? What does it expand into?

And after this dissolution , is there a rebirth, another creation ?

, ? Or is it endless? Alternatively, has it always existed, and never dies?

In short, the question arises as to what the hell is this universe that some call the cosmos or this world, taken as a whole.

First of all, the idea of most self-styled, all-knowing pundits, especially of some theoretical physicists, that the cosmos is approximately 13.8 billion years old, and is born of a Big Bang, is at best a conjecture.

The Nobel prize-winning physicist Hannes Alfven puts the vexed controversy at rest, by outing it on public record:

"I was there when Abbe Georges Lemaitre first proposed this [Big Bang] theory... There is no rational reason to doubt that the universe has existed indefinitely, for an infinite time... It is only myth that attempts to say how the universe came to be, either four thousand or twenty billion years ago."

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The atmosphere at the Reverend Ernest Bruce Memorial Methodist Church at Adabraka was sombre as people thronged the mission to mark the first anniversary of the June 3, 2015 twin disaster.



The victims of the fire and flood disasters saw various dignitaries including President John Dramani Mahama and Ministers of State as well as survivors of the disaster and relatives of the deceased in attendance.



Traders and residents of the area also filled the church and the streets.



Mr Alfred Okoh Vanderpuije, Chief Executive Officer of Accra Metropolitan Assembly encouraged Ghanaians to turn to God in their time of grief as they remember those who lost their lives on the night of June 3, 2015.



We must resolve to work together to prevent a recurrence of such a disaster, he said.



He noted that Ghana had learnt a lot of lessons from the disaster and had undertaken a number initiatives since June 3.



He explained that government had so far been able to identify 108 of the victims and had paid compensation to their families.



However there are still bodies of some victim who are yet to be identified and called on families whose relatives had not been found since the fateful night to come and help identify the remaining bodies.



Government, he noted, had also paid the medical bills of survivors who were injured and paid about 15 of them so far.



About 420,000 metric tonnes of silt had also been dredged from the Korle Lagoon and Odaw River, constituting about 45 per cent of the work to be done on the project.



Mr Vanderpuije said clean-up exercises would continue to be done around the circle, Abossey Okai and Kaneshie areas to dispose of the refuse generated, while drains across the city would be desilted to ensure the tragedy did not recur.



Right Reverend Samuel Kofi Osabutey, Bishop of the Accra Archdiocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, who gave the sermon entreated Ghanaians to be morally responsible and to act responsibly towards the environment and towards each other.



Development without moral responsibility is irresponsibility that can lead to the destruction of our common humanity, he stated.



Rt Rev Osabutey noted that it is important in such disasters to turn to God for help, look up to scripture, offer praises to God and learn lessons from the incident.



He said the disaster should make us recognise Gods ownership of the land and to recognise that we were only stewards.



President John Dramani Mahama and others, after the memorial service, laid wreaths at the site of the former GOIL Filling Station where the twin fire and flood disaster claimed 160 lives and left several others injured at a short ceremony on the theme: Never Again-June 3rd Disaster; Focus on Health and Safety.



President Mahama laid a wreath on behalf of the people and the government, Greater Accra Regional Minister Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, laid one on behalf of the Region, Mr Vanderpuije, on behalf of the city of Accra and Mr Moses Asaga, Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority on behalf of the Oil Marketing Companies.



Madam Faustina Asare, a relative of one of the deceased also laid a wreath on behalf of the bereaved families.



Nii Duodu Nsarkie III, Acting President of the Ga Traditional Council and Nii Armah Ashitey, Member of Parliament for the Korle Klottey were also at the scene of the disaster.



Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service interacting with the media said it is a collective national responsibility to ensure that such an event did not happen again.



He said during such incidents, emergency services like the Ghana National Fire Service also suffer as their lives were in danger, thus the body had taken the responsibility to continue to educate the public on fire safety, prevention, precaution and protection.



We would need the cooperation of the public to ensure fire safety, that is the only way we can ensure adequate fire safety in this country, he said.



Madam Sarah Asare Quao, mother of one of the victims-Millicent Tagoe who lost her life at 45, said coping with the loss of her daughter had been very difficult for the family, especially as she was a single mother with three children.



Razak Abdul, a survivor, who sustained serious burns on his face, which has left him scared bemoaned the stigmatisation that he had to endure as a result of his burns.



He said life after the incident had been mostly hard for him although there were some good days.



He said some people are afraid to come near him and run away at the sight of his scars, while others sometimes sympathise with him.



People sometimes get scared of you and even run away. That is where if you dont encourage yourself, you cannot live, he said.



Other activities lined up to mark the anniversary of the disaster include a choral night at the Rev Ernest Bruce Memorial Methodist Church on Friday night, a service at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Saturday; June 4, and final remembrance services in churches across the nation on Sunday.

Source: GNA









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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NPPs Maxwell Kofi Jumah who resigned as the Chairman of the partys Election Committee in the Manhyia North constituency has noted that his main focus now is to see Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo elected as Ghanas next president.



He pledged to work diligently for the NPP flagbearer ahead of the 2016 presidential polls.



I want to focus on Nana Addo, and my main focus is to see Nana Addo elected as Ghanas president to salvage Ghanaians from the unbearable hardship the NDC government has left for citizens, he said in an interview on NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie'.



The former KMA Boss who has resigned from his post in his constituency admitted that although there are issues to be resolved in the Manhyia North constituency  he is very optimistic such problems will be resolved amicably.



The problem in the constituency will be solved soon but my worry now is how Ghanaians are suffering. That is why I want to focus on the person who can work things out for Ghanaians to smile again, he said.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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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Professor David Stupples, City's Professor of Electronic and Radio Systems, says the time has come for the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit data recorder (CDR) - the black box found on aircraft - to be stored in the cloud. The usually orange-coloured flight recorder is an electronic recording device used in the event of an aviation accident (or incident) investigation.

Professor Stupples' recommendation comes in the wake of recent commercial airline accidents at sea where the recovery of the aircraft's black box from considerable sea depths is frequently long and arduous.

He suggests that following the disappearances of Air France 447 over the South Atlantic, Malaysian MH370 over the Southern Indian Ocean and recently EgyptAir MS804 over the Mediterranean, the aviation industry should reconsider the safe recording of flight data and flight-deck voice communications (the so-called 'black boxes') on a cloud facility, remote from the aircraft where it is instantaneously accessible:

"In the Air France incident it took two years to recover the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder in order to discover the cause of the crash leading to better training for pilots. With Malaysian MH370, it has been over two years since the disappearance with search teams no closer to finding the black boxes. Relatives of the lost crew and passengers are still awaiting closure and the world still needs knowledge of the cause of the loss."

Credit: City University London

Professor Stupples says the solution to black box storage "is very simple" and all that is needed is for the "required monitoring data to be streamed via satellite - Inmarsat for example - to a safe cloud storage facility".

He believes that due to the cost of implementing this solution and airline pilots not wanting their casual conversations recorded for extended periods of time, the aviation industry may be slow to respond:

"The cost factor comes down to retrofitting airliners with the required communications equipment and charges for using satellite communications to stream the required data. The technology could be prepared for very little additional cost."

Credit: City University London

Professor Stupples adds:

"Perhaps some arrangement should be negotiated with airline pilots whereby their conversations would remain confidential and only stored for a limited period of time to maintain personal privacy. This is not 'rocket science' and the authorities should begin considering public safety rather that constantly considering the 'purse strings."

Credit: City University London

Explore further Airlines slow to adopt safety technologies after MH370
The original excavation of Mungo Man, found near Lake Mungo in southwestern New South Wales, Australia. Credit: Wilfred Shawcross.

Griffith University researchers have found evidence that demonstrates Aboriginal people were the first to inhabit Australia, as reported in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal this week.

The work refutes an earlier landmark study that claimed to recover DNA sequences from the oldest known Australian, Mungo Man.

This earlier study was interpreted as evidence that Aboriginal people were not the first Australians, and that Mungo Man represented an extinct lineage of modern humans that occupied the continent before Aboriginal Australians.

Scientists from Griffith University's Research Centre for Human Evolution (RCHE), recently used new DNA sequencing methods to re-analyse the remains of Mungo Man from the World Heritage listed landscape of the Willandra Lakes region, in far western New South Wales.

Professor Lambert, from RCHE, said it was clear that incorrect conclusions had been drawn in relation to Mungo Man in the original study.

"The sample from Mungo Man which we retested contained sequences from five different European people suggesting that these all represent contamination," he said.

"At the same time we re-analysed more than 20 of the other ancient people from Willandra. We were successful in recovering the genomic sequence of one of the early inhabitants of Lake Mungo, a man buried very close to the location where Mungo Man was originally interred.

Lake Mungo World Heritage Site. Credit: Sherene Lambert (St Augustine's College, Ipswich, Australia).

"By going back and reanalysing the samples with more advanced technology, we have found compelling support for the argument that Aboriginal Australians were the first inhabitants of Australia."

Professor Lambert explained that the results proved that the more advanced genomic technology was capable of unlocking further secrets from Australia's human past.

"We now know that meaningful genetic information can be recovered from ancient Aboriginal Australian remains," he said.

"This represents the first time researchers have recovered an ancient mitochondrial genome sequence from an Aboriginal person who lived before the arrival of the Europeans."

The research, which has just been published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, was planned and conducted with the support of the Barkindjii, Ngiyampaa and Muthi Muthi indigenous people.

There has been considerable debate in Australia and around the world about the origins of the first Australians since the publication in 1863 of Thomas Henry Huxley's Man's Place in Nature.

Explore further Genetics reveal 50,000 years of independent history of aboriginal Australian people

More information: Ancient mtDNA sequences from the First Australians revisited, PNAS, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1521066113 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ancient mtDNA sequences from the First Australians revisited,
Geo-engineering applications of a modified zeolite product called "Aqual-P" at Lake Okaro, New Zealand. Image courtesy of Andy Bruere, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, New Zealand.

Phosphorus is the biggest cause of water quality degradation worldwide, causing 'dead zones', toxic algal blooms, a loss of biodiversity and increased health risks for the plants, animals and humans that come in contact with polluted waters. This threatens the loss of economic and social benefits from freshwaters upon which society relies. In a series of studies published in a special issue of Water Research, leading scientists assess how geo-engineering in lakes can control phosphorus pollution.

After decades of run-off from agriculture, human sewage and industrial practices, phosphorus has been stock piled at an alarming rate in our lake bed sediments. The scale of the problem is daunting, and humans are still pumping about 10 million tonnes of extra phosphorus into our freshwaters every year. Long-term monitoring activities following the control of phosphorus sources to lakes show that plants and animals don't recover for many years. This is because phosphorus stored in bed sediments is released back to the water column. Society then has to make a decision  either speed up recovery using geo-engineering to cap sediment phosphorus stores, or do nothing, and accept poor quality freshwaters for decades to come. Geo-engineering is contentious, costly, and the side effects are not well known. This special issue brings together 60 authors from 12 countries to present evidence on this approach.

Miquel Lurling, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, explains that "The scale of this problem has driven the development of a vibrant green economy sector. Our special issue uncovered an alarming number of emerging materials being proposed for use in lakes. The potential for unintended side effects when using novel untested materials is high. A common conclusion of a number of papers was that it is essential to conduct comprehensive assessments of candidate lakes prior to any treatments. We reviewed these considerations in our editorial paper and stress the need to ensure the safe and effective use of this approach."

With the recent introduction of water quality targets and deadlines for standing waters including the EU Water Framework Directive and the Clean Water Act in the USA, the need for approaches like geo-engineering is growing. About 40% of lakes in Europe are failing current water quality targets and combined economic losses in the USA associated with high phosphorus levels in freshwaters is estimated at $2.2 billion annually. There is a need to develop approaches that effectively control phosphorus pollution in freshwaters. This special issue draws on a wide range of laboratory and field scale experiments to produce the most comprehensive analysis of this approach for phosphorus management to date.

Bryan Spears, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK, commented: "Our papers assessed the ecological and chemical responses across over 100 lake treatments from around the world. It's safe to say the approach is widespread and global. Most case studies used either aluminum salts or lanthanum modified bentonite additions to control phosphorus. The responses were highly variable across the lakes. In some cases dramatic and sudden improvements were reported in chemical and ecological quality, in others nothing really happened, or the responses were short lived. To improve confidence in the use of the approach a series of papers presented models to predict responses in candidate lakes. One key conclusion is that although this mitigation approach is promising when used correctly and in combination with catchment management, it should not simply be used to off-set the effects of poor environmental behavior."

Geo-engineering in lakes is also being targeted at other environmental problems. Emerging approaches include the control of greenhouse gas emissions from lakes and the control of toxic cyanobacteria for human health. For example, geo-engineering approaches were utilized in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and have been proposed for use in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games to ensure acceptable levels of health risk to athletes during open water events.

Explore further Study pinpoints nutrient behind fresh water algae blooms

More information: Miquel Lurling et al. Editorial  A critical perspective on geo-engineering for eutrophication management in lakes, Water Research (2016). Miquel Lurling et al. Editorial  A critical perspective on geo-engineering for eutrophication management in lakes,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.03.035 Bryan M. Spears et al. A meta-analysis of water quality and aquatic macrophyte responses in 18 lakes treated with lanthanum modified bentonite (Phoslock), Water Research (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.08.020 Brian J. Huser et al. Longevity and effectiveness of aluminum addition to reduce sediment phosphorus release and restore lake water quality, Water Research (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.06.051
One oft the research areas: Beech forest in the National park Hainich-Dun, Germany. Credit: Dr. Anett Richter, UFZ/iDiv

Small animals that decompose fallen leaves in the forest form complex food webs and are essential to a functioning ecosystem. A study comprising over 80 forests in Germany and on Sumatra (Indonesia) has now shown that two factors particularly influence this function when examined over larger landscapes: the number of animals and their species diversity. In previous studies, the connection between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning had been investigated mostly in small test areas.

In these small areas, the number of species can be accurately controlled; however species numbers tend to be relatively low and the food webs therefore not very complex. In a new study, researchers have now investigated to which extent the results from such experiments translate to real landscapes. To this end, they collected all of the leaves from an area of ground measuring one square metre in 80 forests in Germany and on Sumatra (Indonesia) in order to examine the animals living there: primarily insects, spiders and snails; a total of over 12,000 individuals from almost 1,200 species. Using this data, they calculated the energy that flows through the food web in the leaf litter. This, in turn, served to gauge the decomposition of the leaves on the forest floor.

The food webs in which the energy stored in the leaves is transformed are highly complex. For example, springtails eat the fallen leaves; they are then eaten by mites, which in turn are hunted by predators such as spiders. By decomposing the fallen leaves in this way, the soil animals (together with fungi and bacteria) play an important role in the forest ecosystem. Without them, the leaves would pile up metres high over just a few years. "The decomposers have the same function in the forest as the waste collection service in our cities," explains study director Ulrich Brose, head of the research group Theory in Biodiversity Science at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Professor at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany).

More is better: a rule for forests in Germany and Indonesia

The study found that the flow of food energy through the leaf litter is especially high if the decomposer community in question is rich in species and individuals. The researchers mainly found these types of communities in near-natural forests with a low degree of management  both in Germany and on Sumatra. "Our findings show that the functioning of natural and complex ecosystems is ultimately determined by simple relationships: the higher the number of individual animals and the higher the species richness, the better the system functions." By contrast, the composition of the animal community and the characteristics of individual species played a subordinate role in the study. These factors had often demonstrated a strong impact on ecosystem functioning in previous experiments. "If fewer species are present on the whole, as tends to be the case in controlled test areas, the impact of individual species is high. In large species communities, however, individual species appear to carry less weight and the simple rule 'more is better' holds true," says Brose. "It was certainly surprising to see that this appears to apply both to forests in Germany and Indonesia," adds the lead author of the study, Andrew Barnes. This, says Barnes, was unexpected as not only the forests themselves but also the management methods in the two regions are very different. Barnes conducted the study at the University of Goettingen, however he has since also moved to the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). The researchers have published their findings in a special issue of the renowned journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, which is dedicated to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes.

The forest areas where researchers collected samples lay up to 90 kilometres apart on Sumatra and up to 630 kilometres apart in Germany. They differed further in the degree to which they were used and influenced by humans. The areas investigated on Sumatra ranged from pristine forest regions through to oil-palm monocultures, and in Germany from unmanaged beech forests to heavily exploited conifer forests. The German areas were located in the biosphere reserve Schorfheide-Chorin (Brandenburg), the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve (Baden-Wuerttemberg) and the Hainich-Dun region (Thuringia), part of which is a national park. They all form part of the "Biodiversity Exploratories" research platform. The samples from Indonesia were taken within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre "Ecological and Socio-economic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems" (University of Gottingen).

Explore further Researchers find dissimilar forests are vital for delivery of ecosystem services

More information: Andrew D. Barnes et al. Species richness and biomass explain spatial turnover in ecosystem functioning across tropical and temperate ecosystems, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2016). Journal information: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Andrew D. Barnes et al. Species richness and biomass explain spatial turnover in ecosystem functioning across tropical and temperate ecosystems,(2016). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0279
Dysprosium. Credit: SPL/Science Source

The next gold rush could be in outer space, but the treasures luring modern-day prospectors won't adorn lavish jewelry.

They are rare earths, a group of 17 chemical elements with tongue-tying names such as yttrium and thulium that are used in televisions, cell phones, laptops, cars, cancer treatment drugs, nuclear reactor shielding, aircraft engines, and weapons. Coveted for their magnetic and conductive properties, they make technologies faster, stronger, lighter, and more efficient.

"Without rare earths and the miniaturization capabilities they provide, computers would be the size of classrooms instead of the size of smartphones," says Julie Michelle Klinger, an assistant professor of international relations at Boston University's Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and an expert in the politics of development, environment, and security in Latin America and China.

In recent years, fears that the earth's reserves of these elements will someday be exhausted have helped fuel a race to harvest them, particularly among countries such as the United States, China, and Brazil. Experts point to Bayan Obo, a mining district in Inner Mongolia dubbed "the rare-earth capital of the world," which could be mined out in 50 years, and they are eyeing untapped sources like the Amazon, and even the asteroids in our solar system.

Klinger, whose research on rare earths and the geopolitics surrounding them will be published in the forthcoming book Rare Earth Frontiers, is less concerned. For one thing, she says, rare earths are not rare. While the elements were believed to be scarce when they were discovered in Sweden in the 18th century, they are in fact "remarkably well distributed in the Earth's crust. We could go dig along the banks of the Charles River in Boston and probably find some traces of them," she says.

According to Klinger, rare earths make up almost one-fifth of naturally occurring elements, and are more than twice as abundant as copper in the Earth's crust. And we don't gobble them nearly as quickly as we have with copper. That's because rare earths are to technology what baking soda is to chocolate chip cookies: a little goes a long way. According to a report from Adamas Intelligence, which publishes research on metals and mining, global consumption of rare earths was just over 120,000 metric tons in 2014, compared to copper at nearly 22 million metric tons.

What does concern Klinger is a "structural scarcity" of rare earths. Only one countryChinaproduces the vast majority of the elements, and while China's resources are abundant, they're not limitless, as concerns over Bayan Obo's supply show. Klinger says the space race, in part attributed to the quest for rare earths, is really driven by political agendasa chance for countries and companies to stake a claim to previously protected territories, gaining wealth and power in the process. Her research has uncovered many historical examples of countries engaging in high-stakes brinkmanship involving rare earths, and she says some global players may be gearing up to do the same again. Such posturing is unnecessary, says Klinger. A better way to keep our computers portable without sabotaging international relations or strip-mining asteroids would be to change the way we currently harvest rare earths. Another may be to stop calling them rare.

Explosive Discoveries

Almost as soon as scientists figured out what to do with rare earths, the elements became essential to daily lifeand to warfare. In the 1880s, cerium was used to help create the first gas mantle lantern and later the "flint stone," which sparks when struck and is still used in cigarette lighters, cars, and weapons. Klinger's research shows that as technological progress called for more and different rare earths, they became enmeshed in politics and even war. When Scandinavia's supply could no longer sate the appetites of resource-hungry European powers, imperial masters began digging up colonial lands in the hunt for more. Finding and dominating access to rare earths became even more important as, by World War I, cerium was essential in the manufacture of fuses and explosives. In the 1920s, Klinger notes in a paper for The Extractive Industries and Society, Imperial Japan "organized local puppet governments, engaged in prospecting activities and took over heavy industry and munitions factories" in China to gain control of the country's natural resources, including rare earths. In the mid-20th century, rare earths were being used in more sophisticated weapons: neodymium in intercontinental ballistic missiles and laser weapons; samarium in nuclear reactors. The race to control rare earth production was on. In 1948, Klinger notes that India stopped exporting monazitea mineral rich in rare earths and thorium, an atomic energy source. The United States tried to bargain with grain to relieve the country's famine, hoping to gain a Cold War ally. India refused, crushing US hopes that a deal would help stem Soviet influence in India.

US worries about supply were eased in 1949 with the discovery of a mine in Mountain Pass, California, and from the 1960s to 1990s, America was the dominant rare earth producer.

But it would soon be overtaken by China.

In the 1950s, when China and the Soviet Union were working to build their military, Bayan Obo "received so much Soviet investment, planning, and expertise, and that laid the groundwork for the place to eventually emerge as the rare earth capital of the world," says Klinger. Globalization also played a role in the ascendance of Bayan Obo; in the 1980s, companies around the world began subcontracting aspects of rare earth mining to China to save moneyand to avoid the environmental regulations of their home countries. Mining rare earth deposits, which tend to form alongside those of radioactive elements, is difficult and messy work. Pipes used to divert the radioactive waste from processing sites are at risk of burstingdumping acids, cancer-causing elements, and other harmful materials into soil and groundwater. At Mountain Pass, which Klinger says was using a structurally unsound and unusually long pipeline to divert wastewater containing radioactive salts, there were roughly 60 reported spills between 1984 and 1998.

In 2000, Mountain Pass, plagued by environmental violations and competition from China, shut down. The closure handed market dominance to China, which at the time was mining more than 95 percent of the rare earths used worldwide; it imposed export quotas, which rankled top importers such as the United States and Japan. A decade later, it halted rare earth exports to Japan in retaliation for a maritime border clash, which helped send prices up as high as 2,000 percent.

"The world woke up to its dependence on China," says Klinger. "This unleashed a flood of speculation and prospecting" in locations such as Greenland, Texas, Canada, and Brazil.

Today, with tensions between the United States and China running high over information hacking and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Klinger says a clash over rare earths could help tip the countries into an outright confrontation.

"We're at a very critical moment with respect to political and geopolitical relations between the US and China," she says. "There are actors on either side who are intent on engaging in saber-rattling discourses and pointing to one reason or another why conflict between the US and China is either inevitable or necessary. Reliance on China for rare earth elements simply adds more fuel to those fires."

Wealth and Power

The global prospecting sparked by China's export restrictions isn't purely about national securityor even keeping the world's cell phones and x-ray machines switched onaccording to Klinger. It's about power. Setting up large-scale mining in the Amazon, for example, would allow the Brazilian government greater control over land currently managed by a federation of 28 indigenous ethnic groups. The federation's powereven the military has to ask permission to cross their land, says Klingeris "seen as an affront to Brazil's sovereignty because there's a perception among some, including in the Brazilian federal government and in the Senate, that indigenous people are the puppets of foreign governments because so much funding from northern nongovernmental organizations has gone to supporting these indigenous people and their causes."

The interstellar gold rush is little different. In November 2015, Congress passed the SPACE Act of 2015, granting citizens the right to mine and sell material from outer space. The legislation was cause for rejoicing among asteroid mining companies that stand to make a fortune plumbing space for water, industrial metals, and rare earths. These companies have already taken the first step toward mining: In July 2015, Planetary Resources launched a spacecraft to test control systems and other technologies necessary for asteroid prospecting. Klinger attended a 2015 space mining conference where private space industry representatives were "invoking the rarity of rare earth elements, and the fact that we're running out of them here on Earth."

As Klinger sees it, the SPACE Act of 2015 is largely an attempt to place outer space under US jurisdiction. "And if you can cut through all of the fluff about outer space and the great frontier in the transcripts discussing this bill," she says, "what you see is actually this directly undermines" the 1967 Outer Space Treaty signed by the United States, Russia, and other countries. That treaty "enshrines outer space as belonging to all of humankind," she says, and "was explicitly organized to minimize conflict in respect to outer space." She adds, "One of the rather potent and persuasive debates in the US surrounding the promotion and ultimate passage of this law was fear that China would 'colonize' the moon if we didn't get there first." Klinger hopes other countries won't take the SPACE Act seriously, because their doing so could lead to a global conflict.

Undoing the Damage

Klinger believes there are better ways to maintain a steady production of rare earths than cutting down rainforest or launching heavy machinery into space. First, she says, China's efforts to reduce production should be supportedthat would broaden the market and relieve the country's environmental burden. After the 2010 panic sparked by China's export restrictions, the World Trade Organization ruled against China's rare earth export quotas, further cementing the country's near monopoly and, says Klinger, contributing to "highly uneven global production done in a way that's devastating" to the environmentand people. She has seen the effects firsthand at Bayan Obo. "The heavy metals, fluorine, and arsenic accumulated in the town's soil and water from decades of mining have slowly poisoned nearby residents and their livestock," Klinger wrote in the Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies in 2013. "Some true locals are tragically recognizable by their blistered skin and discolored teeth."

That doesn't mean Klinger wants to spread the health problems around. "We don't need to dig new holes in the ground," she says. She would like the industry to "change the paradigm of how we get resources" by following the example of the Brazilian firm CBMM, which has a global monopoly in niobium, an element used mainly in steel and other alloys. That company developed technology to extract rare earths from existing mining waste. Klinger says that, with research, the technology could work in other sitessuch as silver or phosphate mineswhose waste includes rare earths. That would require publicity and investment, along with public pressure and tax incentives to encourage major buyers to pay a premium for greener rare earths, but it could nudge more companies to adopt more innovative and sustainable methods.

"Given how important rare earth elements are to everyone," Klinger says, "developing an environmentally and socially responsible means of producing them is something that we should really be working on together. And "if we find ourselves in a situation where we're having conflicts over rare earth resources that look anything like the conflicts we've been involved in related to oil resources in the Middle East, it will have been absolutely and entirely avoidableand absolutely and entirely of our own making."

A first step to reevaluating the world's approach to rare earths might be to simply stop calling them rare. "Looking at the different ways that rare earths have been used as a bargaining chip in international relationssay, between the US and India during the Cold War, the US and China in the US fight against Communismcalling these things 'rare' imbues them with this political charge," Klinger says. Acknowledging that it's just not necessary to drill the Milky Way to power our cell phones could help keep space exploration focused not on supplying Earth, but seeking worlds beyond it.

Explore further The challenge of mining rare-earth materials outside China

More information: Julie Michelle Klinger. A historical geography of rare earth elements: From discovery to the atomic age, The Extractive Industries and Society (2015). Julie Michelle Klinger. A historical geography of rare earth elements: From discovery to the atomic age,(2015). DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2015.05.006
One third of cold-pressed rapeseed press cake consists of nutritionally valuable protein that could have many other uses besides animal feed. For her doctoral dissertation, Katariina Rommi, Research Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., developed enzyme-aided methods for rapeseed protein enrichment. Her study also provides estimates of the costs of different protein extraction schemes.

The purpose of Katariina Rommi's doctoral dissertation was to develop simple, water-saving methods for turning vegetable oil industry co-streams into protein ingredients suitable for food or cosmetic products and thus help to satisfy the increasing global demand for protein.

Globally, around 34 million tonnes of rapeseed press cake is produced annually as rapeseed oil by-product. At present, it is primarily used as feed for production animals. In Finland, the majority of oil mills use cold pressing in rapeseed oil production. The by-product of this method, rapeseed press cake, contains between 32 and 36% of nutritionally valuable protein. The marketing of rapeseed press cake as novel food was approved by the EU in 2014.

Several technologies based on alkaline or saline extraction have been developed for enrichment of rapeseed protein, but high energy and water consumption due to dilute conditions and multiple processing steps limit their profitability.

As part of the work done for her doctoral dissertation, Katariina Rommi developed enzyme-assisted methods for the enrichment of rapeseed protein and studied the factors influencing protein extractability and the properties of the obtained protein-rich fragments. An enzyme that breaks down pectin was shown to be particularly effective in facilitating protein extraction at reduced water content and without chemicals such as alkali or salt.

A techno-economic evaluation of different extraction schemes also suggested substantial reduction of energy costs when the extraction was carried out at 20% solid content. The results indicate that enzyme-aided methods are well suited to rapeseed enrichment and may offer a techno-economically feasible alternative to alkaline or saline extraction. The results may be applied to the manufacturing of rapeseed-based protein ingredients in food, feed and other industries. In the study, bioactive rapeseed peptide fragments were also extracted from rapeseed press cake by proteolytic enzyme treatment; these fractions have novel application potential in skin care products.

Explore further New method efficiently separates proteins from agrobiomass by-products

More information: The dissertation is available online at The dissertation is available online at www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/science/2016/S130.pdf
As Congress considers Guantanamo-related provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2017 (NDAA), the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, the Center for Victims of Torture, and Physicians for Human Rights sent a letter to the U.S. Senate calling for an end to indefinite detention without charge or trial. We urge Congress to discontinue indefinite detention and ensure that Guantanamo detainees are safely repatriated, resettled in third countries, or transferred to the United States for prosecution before Article III courts, in accordance with due process and humane treatment standards under domestic and international law.

Read the full letter here.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, January 28, 2016. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday he wants the new economy minister, Nobuteru Ishihara, to continue the government's efforts to push through structural reforms. [Photo/Agencies]

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has once again postponed the country's consumption tax hike.

Japan was originally scheduled to increase the tax from 8 percent to 10 percent in October 2015, but it was postponed until April 2017, with the promise of no more delay. But on June 1, Abe ate his words by putting the hike off again to October 2019.

Abe highlighted economic weakness in China and a slowdown in emerging markets as his reason for the second postponement, asserting that "Abenomics is steadily producing positive results".

But Abe's decision has been questioned by foreign and Japanese media.

The New York Times said it amounted to an admission that the country's economy remained "worryingly fragile".

Japan's media is also worried. The Mainichi Shimbun said the delay raises questions about the future of Japan's economy. The newspaper criticized Abe for his explanation that Japan needs to "prepare for a new crisis involving the world economy".
A new report released by the think tank Third Way criticized the high percentage of students at New Yorks private college and universities who are dropping out.

The report found that 46 schools out of 79 graduate less than two-thirds of their students. About a third of students on average from private nonprofit colleges earn salaries of less than $25,000 annually six years later, which they said is the expected earnings of someone with only a high school diploma.

The average price to attend these institutions for families who earn less than $48,000 per year is about $18,000.

Nationwide, students who start at a four-year nonprofit college have a one in two chance of graduating and nearly 40 percent dont earn more than the average worker who has only a high school degree, according to a news release.

Schools in the Capital Region were singled out as doing a good job in graduating students were the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, which it says that more than 91 percent of students earn more than $25,000 six years after graduation. Also, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is one of the top 10 schools in the country for repayment rate at 91 percent. Also, it takes an above-average number of Pell students at nearly 45 percent.

Third Way Fresh Thinking describes itself as a moderate think tank that tries to come up with solutions to policy issues.
This is the latest is a series of posts about the 1916 presidential election between Democratic incumbent Woodrow Wilson and Republican challenger Charles Evans Hughes, a Glens Falls native.

There was excitement over the nomination of Charles Evans Hughes for president at a June 14 meeting of The Baptist Ministers Association in Philadelphia, according to a report published June 15, 1916 in The Monroe County Mail.

Thank God, our next president will be a Baptist! shouted the Rev. L. Newkirk, pastor of Wayne Avenue Baptist Church.

Hughes was the son of the Rev. Donald Hughes, a Baptist pastor.

The stream of applause that followed made the session seem like a political convention after the nominee has been picked, stated the report, which can be viewed at NewYorkHistoricNewspaper.org. The pastors cheered, many rose from their seats and applauded, and all clapped their hands. The ovation continued for three minutes.

The group planned to send Hughes a telegram of congratulations.

Come November, Hughes narrowly lost the election, and the son of a Presbyterian pastor stayed in office for four more years.

In politics, there are no false prophets -- just over optimistic pundits.

Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.
As the Uber driver pulled up, my 10-year-old nephew grabbed my arm.

Its the devils car, he said, with a look that was more amused than alarmed.

I was wondering what was headed our way myself. On the side of the silver Ford Explorer was a decal from the TV series Sons of Anarchy, with a prominent grim reaper taking up a good portion of each front door.

There were seven of us waiting in front of the hotel for a ride. As the driver -- who sported tattoos, body piercings and certainly looked the part of a One Percenter  got out of the vehicle to greet us, a set of brass knuckles fell to the ground. (He quickly grabbed the weapon, which is apparently legal in Florida as long as its not carried in a concealed way, and threw it back into the vehicle.)

This was Friday, and it is how my first experience with Uber began.

I was in Florida for a destination wedding, and many of the guests  including several of the groomsmen I was traveling with on that first ride -- were devoted Uber customers. Most had flown to the beachside city from all over the country.

Over the course of the four-day visit, I was treated to many more Uber rides  all called for by relatives or guests who knew what they were doing with the service.

Apparently, you just open the app, click a few buttons to ask for a ride, then choose from among Uber drivers in your area who can get you where you want to go.

Waiting for me when I got back to the office on Monday was a press release about upstate taxi and livery companies launching a new coalition aimed at hindering the expansion of Uber  and a similar company, Lyft  in New York.

I understand taxi and livery drivers arguments: Both Uber and Lyft are successful, in part, because they dont have to follow the same rules (with the same cost overhead) as taxis, allowing them to be more aggressive on pricing.

Many of those rules are aimed at the safety of consumers.

The man who provided me my first Uber ride  I got to ride shotgun  kept his Explorer clean and, apparently, well maintained. It had an additional row of seating in it, so it was pretty comfortable.

He said he was a veteran who had driven under combat conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, so there was no need to worry about other drivers erratic maneuvers. He offered Jolly Ranchers to my nephew and bottled water to all passengers, most of whom gratefully accepted.

He shared his advice about fun local places to visit or enjoy a beachside beverage. It was a great experience. We tipped well, and it was all completely convenient.

After that and several subsequent Uber rides, each with a different driver  I think one said hed only just arrived in the country  I understand why taxi companies are nervous.

Uber and Lyft, even if required to observe the same rules, regulations and costs taxi companies face, will still be popular, even with the higher prices that would ensue. And in a world where employment remains a challenge, there are going to be LOTS of Uber drivers competing for customers everywhere it makes sense to do business, even if thorough background checks become the norm.

While everyone at the weekend event had a smartphone with the ability to look up contact information for local cab companies, they defaulted to what was easy and familiar.

Debates about safety continue, but as is the case with any service that requires you to put your life in the hands of a stranger, such debates are only useful to a point. Whether its your chef, airline pilot, surgeon, taxi driver or even just the fellow motorist passing a few feet from you on a two-lane road, the quest for complete safety will remain just that.

As it has done with so many industries, including newspapers (thanks, Craigslist), technology continues to challenge established business models.

Is it good? Is it bad? Is it just evolution? Yep.

I guess it wasnt the devil, my nephew said, with a Jolly Rancher smile, as we walked away from the silver Explorer.
The written report on the state investigation of last year's prison escape at Clinton Correctional Facility was released Monday, the one-year anniversary of the breakout. It makes for fascinating reading.

It's 154 pages, so it will take some time to get through it, but there are some interesting details in it.

Here is a copy:

State Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, whose district includes Clinton County, issued the following statement about the report later Monday:

STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO INSPECTOR GENERAL PRISON ESCAPE REPORT

Last years prison escape would not have happened without the essential, and very unfortunate, help of Ms. Mitchell. Few would have imagined a scenario of her aiding the prisoners in the way she did and their gaining access to areas of the prison that enabled their escape. But it happened and changes should be made to ensure it doesnt happen again.

The prison escape was a terrible thing for the North Country to endure. The communities were magnificent throughout the weeks of uncertainty and fear, and their support for law enforcement was truly outstanding.

Changes have already been made to strengthen our correctional system and more will come. The Inspector General has conducted a lengthy and thorough review. I havent had a chance to review the report in detail, but finding fault and making recommendations is the anticipated outcome given the level of scrutiny.

I have had, and have heard from officers, concerns about cutbacks and closures and their impact on the day-to-day operation of our facilities. My hope is this report will lead to positive changes that will be in the best interests of the dedicated men and women who work hard to maintain order in a stressful environment many us will fortunately never know.

-- Don Lehman
BALLSTON SPA -- Testimony could begin Monday in Saratoga County Court in the case of a Corinth man who is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing two children over a period of years.

Jury selection is expected to wrap up Monday in the case of Arthur A. Gannon, 48, who faces a 12-count indictment that alleges he sexually assaulted the girl numerous times and photographed some of the abuse.

He faces felony charges of predatory sexual assault against a child, sexual abuse, use of child in a sexual performance and promoting a sexual performance by a child.

Gannon and his wife, Heidi L. Gannon, 39, were arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office in July for alleged repeated sexual abuse of two girls with whom they were acquainted. Charges are still pending against Mrs. Gannon, and her trial will be held separately from her husband's.

Mr. Gannon faces up to 25-years-to-life in state prison if convicted of predatory sexual assault against a child.
The roar of motorcycle engines will be reverberating around the region this week as two local bike rallies get underway.

Americade in Lake George opened Monday and will run through Saturday, and the Warrensburg Motorcycle Rally at the Warren County Fairgrounds began Friday and will run through Sunday.

This year marks the 16th year of the Warrensburg rally, which was founded by Ed Zibro as a response to what he described as the high prices vendors are required to pay for space at the TourExpo in Lake George.

Americade is beginning its 34th year.

Zibro said this years rally has around 50 vendors. The lower prices for vendors are what bring a lot of them to his event, he said.

Our rates are a lot less than Americade and (vendors) can make some money without being scalped before they even open, he said.

For years, Zibro said, he rode at different bike rallies around the region, but became frustrated by the fees riders had to pay. He said he would get especially frustrated when events charged bikers to enter areas where vendors were selling their goods.

I hated to go somewhere and have to pay to go in and see if I wanted to pay for something, Zibro said.

Jim Walter, a distributor for Cycle Extras, said he used to attend Americade as a vendor, but for the last four years, he has set up at the Warrensburg rally because of the lower cost.

Its easier, the people are friendly, it doesnt cost the customer and its just a much nicer atmosphere, Walter said.

Its nice for us because we get to park our trailer right next to the tent, said Chet Ciembroniewicz, also of Cycle Extras.

Vendor Max Labossiere of Rhineland Cutlery said he will be at both rallies, because there are things Americade can offer that Warrensburg cannot.

It is a lot more expensive, but there are a lot more people there, Labossiere said.

Ed Linville, a spokesman for Americade, said Americade offers a higher quality experience.

The age-old response is you get what you pay for, Linville said. The merchandise is higher quality because we have the higher class vendors.

Some of the vendors at Americade this year include Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Suzuki and Can-Am.

Linville said the Warrensburg rally came into being after certain individuals saw there was money to be made from the Americade model.

They saw an open market and we are not happy because they are a parasite, Linville said.

Zibro said his rally has a positive effect on the local community, bringing patrons into Warrensburg businesses.

Americade has long been an important event for Lake George businesses, according to the executive director of the Lake George Chamber of Commerce, Michael Consuelo.

It has a great deal of an effect; all positive, Consuelo said.

The full economic impact is difficult to calculate, but Consuelo said estimates in past years have come in at about $45 million. In recent years, numbers have dropped slightly as some riders get older and are riding less.

Thats why they have to maybe refocus and add a little more programming for the younger generation, Consuelo said.

Even with the slight decline in attendance, the event is estimated to generate $35 to $40 million, Consuelo said. TourExpo is a large part of what draws people in, he said.

I think that is a highlight of the event, to see what is new in the world of motorcycle merchandise, Consuelo said.

Other Americade events, like country musician Craig Morgan, scheduled to perform on Saturday, are expected to be popular.

Thats going to be a big draw, Consuelo said.
At 1:30 p.m. June 10, 1916, a score of factory whistles in Glens Falls blasted to celebrate the selection, one hour and 10 minutes earlier in Chicago, of native son Charles Evans Hughes as the Republican nominee for president.

Glens Falls First Candidate for Presidency of the United States, proclaimed a headline in The Glens Falls Times and Messenger, the citys afternoon daily newspaper.

Glens Falls Chamber of Commerce was organizing an impromptu monstrous parade at 8:30 p.m. to celebrate.

Hughes would narrowly lose the November election to incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson in one of the closest presidential contests in history, but there was plenty of hometown pride then, and there still is today.

Exactly how monstrous the parade was is open to interpretation.

The nomination of Justice Hughes for the presidency was the cause of so much rejoicing in Glens Falls, the place of his birth, that it led to a celebration Saturday evening, the Ticonderoga Sentinel weekly newspaper reported June 15. A band headed the parade through the streets and there was plenty of red fire.

The Post-Star, a Democratic-affiliated paper at the time, downplayed the level of enthusiasm.

The Italian band, a few automobiles and a few men participated, and there was some red fire, the citys morning daily newspaper reported June 12.

Hughes, a U.S. Supreme Court justice and former New York governor, was nominated on the third ballot, one of 20 candidates who received votes during the process.

It was an unusual process.

Hughes did not campaign for the nomination, had no formal campaign organization and did not authorize his name to be placed in nomination.

He directed that his name be removed from primary ballots in states where supporters put his name on the ballot without his permission.

In Oregon, where election officials refused to remove his name from the ballot, Hughes overwhelming won the GOP primary.

In Vermont, he was not on the primary ballot, but enough supporters wrote in his name that he won handily.

Charles Evans Hughes ... was chosen by the convention not only without his consent, but against his wishes, Robert Fuller wrote in a campaign biography published in the official convention proceedings. It was the first time that a candidate for the presidency had been so chosen. Not a delegate in the convention knew when he was nominated whether he would accept or not.

Apparently even Hughes son, who was in National Guard training in Plattsburgh at the time, was uncertain.

When the news of his fathers nomination came, he (Charles Evans Hughes Jr.) was immediately made the center of many friends, the Ticonderoga Sentinel reported on June 15. The young man received the news very calmly. His first question was, Has father accepted?

The nomination on June 10 came after a peace committee of representatives of the Republican and Progressive conventions, both meeting in Chicago, had recommended Hughes as the candidate most likely to be acceptable to both parties.

Theodore Roosevelt, after losing the Republican nomination in 1912, split off from the GOP and formed the Progressive Party.

Newspaper editorial writers in 1916 suggested the Supreme Court bench may have been the only place to find a prominent Republican who had been neutral in 1912.

Once Hughes was nominated at 2:20 p.m. June 10, delegates, and the nation, waited to find out if he would accept.

Possibly Hughes had not yet received the telegraph from party leaders when reporters came to his home in Washington, D.C., in the early afternoon.

I dont know anything about it except what you newspapermen tell me, Hughes said. If it is true, I shall have a statement to make at three oclock.

At 3 p.m., he announced he had resigned from the Supreme Court and accepted the nomination, in time for the news to be published in the Glens Falls afternoon paper.

If the news had not come in before deadline, many Glens Falls residents would not have learned of it until Monday morning, as neither The Post-Star nor Times and Messenger published on Sundays at the time.

I have not desired the nomination. I have wished to remain on the bench, Hughes wrote in his letter of acceptance. But at this critical period in our national history, I recognize that it is your right to summon me and my paramount duty to respond.

Familiar issues

As the campaign unfolded, major issues would be remarkably similar with contemporary politics: international security, global trade and relations with Mexico.

There even was discussion of building a stout fence along the nations southern border.

Automaker Henry Ford, after losing the Republican nomination, personally funded a national independent expenditure advertising campaign in support of Wilson, who pledged to keep the United States out of World War I, according to the 1944 memoirs of Josephus Daniels, a Wilson campaign adviser and secretary of the Navy in the Wilson administration.

As history shows, that was a pledge he could not keep.

Hughes said the United States military should be prepared to enter the war as a last resort.

Women social activists formed The Hughsettes, an independent womens campaign team that traveled coast-to-coast by train holding rallies in support of Hughes, who personally endorsed an amendment to the Constitution to provide national suffrage.

Hughes went beyond the Republican platform that encouraged individual states to allow women to vote.

Wilson adhered to the Democratic platform that encouraged individual states to allow women to vote, despite lobbying from his daughter for national suffrage.

Loyal to their native son

Republicans in Warren and Washington counties would remain steadfast behind Hughes, as they had been for months.

The Times and Messenger, a Republican-affiliated paper, published a full-page endorsement of Hughes on Jan. 15.

On April 13, the Warren County Republican Committee unanimously endorsed Hughes.

Harmony reigned supreme as the committee, meeting in Warrensburg, urged Hughes to accept his patriotic duty.

His country has the same right to his services in time of peace that it has of the larger number of patriotic sons in time of war, and we earnestly urge him to consider the matter not from a personal inclination, or from the tradition of the bench, but from a patriotic duty, the committee implored.

In early May, William Hobbs of Greenwich met with Gov. Charles Whitman, a leading Hughes proponent, in Albany to assure Whitman that Washington County Republicans supported Hughes.

Washington County looks on Hughes as a native son, almost, and when his name was brought to the fore as possible presidential timber, it was not surprising that declarations in his favor followed, Hobbs said.

Democrats in Warren and Washington counties would remain civil toward Hughes, even as they criticized the Republican Party.

A June 12 Post-Star editorial lambasted the Republican platform without mentioning Hughes.

The only direct reference to Hughes was in Editorial Pen Points, a forerunner of the modern Post-Star Don Coyote feature.

Again we have the Animated Feather Duster, a nickname Hughes was called as governor because of his thick whiskers.
LAKE GEORGE  Alexander Mitchell lowered his voice and shared a secret that the best Elvis Presley tribute artists know.

You need to impress the judges, sure, but really youre performing for the fans, he said Sunday before the finals of Elvis Fest at Lake George Forum. Thats what Elvis was all about  the fans.

Mitchell, who is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was competing in Lake George for the first time, was clearly very good at both Sunday, winning the nonprofessional competition for performance artists portraying Elvis in the 1970s, and claiming the fans choice award as well.

This is my first time here, and this whole week has been amazing, Mitchell said. Its absolutely well run, everything is top-notch, and the fans were great.

Joe Ramsey of Queensbury, a 2008 champion and a three-time fans choice award winner, has been performing in Elvis Fest here for more than a decade, and he said Lake George is a special enticement to the fans.

Its the beauty of the surroundings, said Ramsey, who was third among the professionals in the 1970s division. You see new faces every year, then they want to come back, because they like it so much.

Valorie Moury of St. Johnsville said she attends the shows because of the performers and the other fans.

Its because of the atmosphere, she said. Everyone gets along, and its just great.

Raquel Chase and Jen Manning were part of three generations of family that came from Amsterdam, towing three small girls.

Were here to celebrate Elvis, Manning said. We want the girls to share in this. I asked one of them when she will be too old for Elvis, and she said she will never be too old.

For Autumn Lefebvre, who lives near Plattsburgh and has been attending Elvis Fest for 11 years, the highlight of the week came during Saturdays show when Elvis performance artist Dean Z jumped on her table and started singing.

I am never going to forget that, she said. This whole week has been amazing. I love Elvis, and I love this area.

For Sundays final rounds, every table and seat in the Forum was filled, and a separate screen was showing the performers for those who were not close to the stage.

Promoter Jason Sherry, who has been bringing Elvis Fest to Lake George for 13 years, said he felt this years attendance was a little better than he expected.

Next year is the 40th anniversary of Elvis death, and usually you get a dip the year before an anniversary, but I would say we were on a par, if not above, what we did last year, Sherry said Sunday. Last-minute sales were really up this year.

One of the highlights of the five-day event, beyond the three days of competition, was Thursdays Elvis 56 show, which featured Cody Ray Slaughter.

The audience was enraptured, said Sherry, whose company debuted the show last year in Memphis, then toured in western Canada earlier this year. I was afraid it was going to be a small show in a big room, because we have done it for 400 to 500 in the past, and we had 2,000 here. But it really went well.

For his part, Mitchell was impressed.

There were times when it really seemed like Cody had become Elvis, he said. It was amazing.

Other winners included Jim Barone, the 2012 champion, among professionals performing Elvis from the 1950s, and Jim Hendry, second last year, in the professional 1970s competition. Brenen Katolinsky, a former youth winner here, was first in the nonprofessional 1950s division, and Spencer Boyce, second last year, won the youth division.

Even with the Elvis performers and fans leaving, Lake George will not be quiet this week.

Americade opens Monday and gets into full swing Tuesday through Saturday. The vendor area, which opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday, was in full set-up mode Sunday at Million Dollar Beach, and during the breaks in Sundays rain, motorcycles were a common sight on Route 9.
QUEENSBURY  A local developer is negotiating with Pyramid Management Group, owner of Aviation Mall, to put up a hotel next to the mall, behind Ambrosia Diner, said Queensbury Supervisor John Strough.

Its early on in discussions, Strough said.

Strough said he and the developer, whom Strough would not identify, recently met with representatives of Pyramid Management Group to discuss a traffic infrastructure agreement that was part of the site plan approval for Ambrosia Diner in 2010.

Pyramid, at the time, agreed to put in a right-hand turning lane off Aviation Road by the diner and a connector road between the parcel and the Aviation Mall parking lot if the land behind the diner is redeveloped.

They (Pyramid representatives) were aware of it. They agreed to it, Strough said. The potential (hotel) owner was there. So he was glad to hear the connector would be part of that agreement.

Strough said he would not identify the developer, because the developer has not yet reached an agreement with Pyramid to buy the property.

Its somebody that is a developer in the area, he said.

Aviation Mall General Manager Danielle Kiendzior would not comment about the project.

Because of who the developer is and the nature of the deal, its just not something I can speak about just yet, she said.

The hotel would be built at the site of a former Howard Johnsons Motor Lodge off Northway Exit 19 that closed in 1998 and was demolished in 2010.

Strough, who has been supervisor for four years, said this is the first time a developer has spoken directly with him about redeveloping the site.

I think they would only come to me when something got pretty serious, he said.

Strough said the developer has not yet determined the number of rooms and whether it would be a chain hotel.

They havent gotten that far, he said. He would like to put a hotel there. He thought it would be a good place for a hotel.

EDC Warren County President Edward Bartholomew said he would not comment on the project because of the agencys confidentiality policy.

If the project materializes, it would be the fourth new hotel in Queensbury.

Developer Bhavik Jariwala plans to construct a Hilton Homes2Suites on the south side of Corinth Road, west of Exit 18.

Developer Jerry Nudi plans to build a Holiday Inn Express on the north side of Corinth Road, next to the Exit 18 McDonalds restaurant.

Developer Ed Moore and Spruce Hospitality Group plan to build a Fairfield Inn and Suites on the east side of Big Boom Road, behind Carl Rs restaurant, near Exit 18.

Moore also recently bought The Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls.

Tyler Herrick of Spruce Hospitality Group said the group is not involved in the Exit 19 project.

That has nothing to do with us. .. Weve got enough on our plate, he said.
Warren County leaders are looking into creating a consortium of rescue squads in the county to help the squads counter staffing problems that result in response delays to some calls.

The problem of daytime staffing has plagued squads around the region and state in recent years, as volunteerism wanes. At least one squad in northern Warren County has had to temporarily stop offering services in recent years, and others have had problems staffing calls.

Brian LaFlure, the countys director of emergency services, said one rescue squad had to provide mutual aid to a neighboring squad six times in one day in recent months.

The program would be modeled after one started several years ago in Columbia County, where squads were brought together to share some services like billing, scheduling and other administrative tasks, as well as manpower, while still maintaining their own identities.

Most squads have had to bring in paid staff to replace volunteers, particularly in the daytime when people are working. A number of the bigger squads subsist mostly on paid staff.

There just isnt enough of these people (volunteers) in our area, LaFlure said. We cant keep continuing to ignore the fact its getting worse. We are squeaking by.

LaFlure discussed the situation with county supervisors last week, briefing them on a proposal to bring squads together to discuss how they can work together. Not all would be required to participate, only those that want to, LaFlure said.

While rescue squads in Queensbury and Glens Falls are able to find the manpower they need, others in the more rural parts of the county struggle, LaFlure said.

Its definitely a problem for us in a small town like Hague, Hague Supervisor Edna Frasier said.

The need for paid staff members to replace volunteers has resulted in rising costs as well.

To help it deal with the need for full-time administration, Johnsburg Emergency Medical Services more than tripled its town funding request, from $65,000 to $208,000, between 2014 and 2015.

Kelly Nessle, chairman of the Johnsburg squads board and former squad captain, said the funding was needed to pay administrators to run the squad, a job she had been doing as a volunteer.

She said many squads already work together to share manpower and provide mutual aid for one another, so some elements of a sharing program are in place already.

We already cover each other quite a bit up here, she said.

Essex County increased the hours of a staff member in its emergency services office so the person, who is a certified EMT, can respond to ambulance calls if there is difficulty getting a squad out during the day. Other counties have begun offering that service as well to bridge coverage gaps.

LaFlure said an emergency medical technician training program at SUNY Adirondack was helpful, but it was discontinued. Glens Falls 4th Ward Supervisor Jim Brock said he planned to look into whether it could be revived.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

Read more
His comments come after AgloGold Ashanti dragged Ghana to the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes over inadequate security at its Obuasi mines.

AngloGold Ashanti said in a statement that the decision to place a request before the ICSID was necessitated by the continuous invasion of its concessions by some small scale miners.

The ICSID is an international arbitration institution headquartered in Washington DC, which facilitates dispute resolution between international investors and host states. The statement said Ghanas Attorney General and other authorities have been duly notified about the commencement of proceedings of the ICSID.

Speaking at the 88 annual general meeting of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mills said government is concerned about the invasion of mines by illegal miners also known as galamseyers.

I can assure you that we as a government are concerned. We are concerned, we are looking at ways to try and address the situation and we have not given up because I know all of you are concerned and we would like to have every mine operator given total security and for you to feel that your investment are safe.

A clash between galamsey operators and staff of AGA in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region led to the death of the companys top official in February.

The company subsequently requested for troops protection to protect its investment.

The government withdrew the military from the mine on Tuesday, 2 February, after an initial incursion on 30 and 31 January 2016 by illegal miners.

No reason was given for the redrawal.

"The onus for ensuring safety and security of individuals and property in any country, and therefore restoring safety and security to the site, lies with the authorities," AGA said in a press statement.

Mines in Ghana are protected by the military following a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ghana Army and the Chamber of Mines, on behalf of its members.
The High Court slapped a charge of Contempt on Kweku Bedu-Addo and the West Africa Head of HR of Standard Chartered Bank for disobeying the courts order that they refrain from laying off workers until dispute over a severance package is addressed.

READ MORE: Contempt of Court Standard Chartered bank CEO cited for contempt over redundancy exercise

The Presiding Judge on the case Justice Kwaku Arkaah-Boafo declared that the two individuals had purged themselves of contempt, though the lawyer of the employees maintains that the Bank has not fully purged itself of the charges because it is yet to fully reinstate his clients.
GUTA last week complained about the Ghana Revenue Authoritys reluctance to implement a purported 3% flat rate policy that GUTA claims the Ministry of Finance has sanctioned.

Head of Tax Policy Unit at the Ministry of Finance, Anthony Dzadra says government has not sanctioned a 3% flat rate.

Taxes are sanctioned by parliament. And once parliament has not approved it, we cannot say the Ministry of Finance has sanctioned any 3% flat rate for VAT.

Mr. Dzadra however revealed that the Ministry had agreed tentatively with GUTA about considering the flat 3% rate.

 We however, made it clear to them that we have to get approval from parliament before we can implement, he added
Lawrence Bush, was referred to as a White Pig after his comment on DKBs tweet did not go down well with the comedian.

DKB could not fathom why people believe in occultism and other satanic acts but strongly do not believe the existence of God.

He was unhappy that Bush told him to get a life. He subsequently hit back at Bush referring to him as a White Pig
The group has been campaigning for months to force government to abandon its proposal to increase the countrys power production capacity with a coal plant in the Central Region.

The Volta River Authority and Shenzhen Energy Group have plans to start the construction of a 2x350 megawatt coal fired power plant in April 2017. The construction was initially scheduled to begin in August 2016.

The group believes the plan will generate about 5 million tonnes of ash waste (per annum) that will lead to air pollution from poisonous and hazardous gases that are injurious to health, threats to turtle breeding grounds close to the site and the destruction of the natural environment.

According to the group, the assertion from government that the plant will be running on clean coal technology is a myth perpetuated by the coal industry to save a resource that is increasingly losing popularity and are rather calling for the utilisation of alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power.

They cited recent examples in Germany and Portugal where both countries run completely on renewable energy for days.

A petition was received by the EPA and the group says it will continue to urge the EPA to be firm on its mandate and responsibility to protect the environment without compromising on the health of the people of Ghana and the integrity of our ecosystems.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is a Pan African prize that celebrates debut African writers of published fiction. Previous winners include Zimbabwes NoViolet Bulawayo (2013), South Africas Songeziwe Mahlangu (2014) and Democratic Republic of Congos Fiston Mwanza Mujila (2015). The winner for the 2015 edition, Fistons Mwanza Mujila, was announced a few months ago. The writer won the prize with his first novel, Tram 83.The winner receives a cash prize of 15,000 in addition to a fellowship at the prestigious University of East Anglia, U.K. under the mentorship of Professor Giles Foden, the award-winning author of The Last King of England.The Etisalat Prize also incorporates an award for Flash Fiction; an online-based competition for non-published African writers of short stories. In a press release made available to Pulse.com.gh, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, who made this disclosure on Wednesday at a press briefing in Lagos, also announced the Judging Panel for the 2016 Etisalat Prize. The panel comprises Nigerian novelist and poet, Helon Habila, as the Chair of Judges, South African writer and activist Elinor Sisulu and Ivorian writer, Edwige Rene Dro as members. The Chair of judges was present at the briefing as well as two of the Prize Patrons: renowned literary icon, Prof. Kole Omotoso and awards-winning author, Dele Olojede.Mr. Willsher, while speaking about the uniqueness of the Etisalat Prize, said it is designed to serve as a leading platform for the discovery and encouraging of creative writing talents as well as the celebration of literary arts by African writers.We are delighted to champion the cause for celebrating the richness and strength of African literature. Etisalat Prize for Literature is about discovering and bringing to the world stage the many creative talent Africa boasts of. The Etisalat Prize is about creativity, excellence, empowerment and reward; it is about celebrating our African diversity in very innovative ways through various forms of art, literature being one of them, he said.Willsher added that only books by debutant writers published not later than 24 months before submission, will qualify for entry. They must also be by registered publishing houses not less than six years as incorporated publishers with registered ISBN Number or the equivalent, and who must have published a minimum of six authors. All entries should be accompanied by seven copies of the book entered along with an acceptance of our publicity terms.
Deputy General Secretary of the Public Utility Workers Union, Michael Nyantakyi, says the attack has been intense following a confirmation of the anomalies by the Public Utility Regulation Commission.

The people come direct to the office, they talk, they abuse the staff and there are two instances like that, he said on Joy FM.

Nyantakyi said in the Kade area, they [community members] chased our people, some with even machete and then recently at Adjei Kojo in Ashaiman, our people where physically assaulted.

According to him, people make direct references to PURCs statement which said consumers of electricity are being overbilled.

The PURC last month directed the Electricity Company of Ghana to suspend the implementation of the current billing software until further notice.

According to a statement from the PURC and copied to Pulse.com.gh, the directive has been "necessitated by Complaints which it has received from consumers of Electricity regarding issues of overbilling."

Customers who use the post-paid meters say they are being overcharged after the new tariff implementation.

"The Commission after a thorough investigation into the matter through our Monitoring Exercise which culminated into visits to specific areas and also interrogation of bills which were presented to consumers by the Electricity Company of Ghana, came to the conclusion that there was an anomaly in the initial implementation of the new billing software," a statement signed by Nana Yaa Jantuah, director of Public Relations and External Affairs of PURC added.

However, PURCs directed was described as hypocritical by the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA).

The Director of Research at CPA, Nana Prempeh Agyeman told Pulse.com.gh that the directive is unfortunate considering the fact that the ECG was not consulted first hand on the matter.

He believed the issue of high tariffs has nothing to do with the software, adding that the PURC should channel its energy into ensuring that the taxes on the tariffs are reduced.

PURC is aware of this software. PURC was part of the piloting project of this software before the implementation of the new tariff in 2015 December.

And if the software is running and you have directed some faults or anomalies, the first point of call is ECG which is the service provider. This should have been done in house, before even you come to do it public. Once you do it in house, then you come up with a joint statement between PURC and ECG, and therefore consumers will be satisfied, he said.
According to a statement from the PURC and copied to Pulse.com.gh, the directive has been "necessitated by Complaints which it has received from consumers of Electricity regarding issues of overbilling."

Customers who use the post-paid meters say they are being overcharged after the new tariff implementation.

But addressing a press conference on Monday, the General Secretary of the Public Utility Workers Union Bondzie Quaye said they are giving the PURC a 7-day ultimatum to withdraw the directive.

According to the workers, there is nothing wrong with the software.
Corporal Frank Essel,who was with a driver with the SWAT Unit at the Ashanti Regional police headquarters, was shot dead after the armed robbers stormed a hotel at Dichemmuoso in Kumasi on May 19, 2016.

Addressing the media on Monday, the Deputy Ashanti Police Commander, ACP Ampofo Duku, said the suspect, a 28-year-old Abena Serwaa contracted the robbers to rob some occupants at the hotel on the day of the incident.

ACP Duku said the suspect had in her possession an amount of GHC1, 487, marijuana and some medical supplies when she was arrested on Monday.
His comments come on the back of controversy surrounding new tax proposals announced recently by finance minister Seth Terkper.

Addressing a packed town hall meeting in Modena, Italy on Saturday on day-2 of his visit to that country, the NPP flagbearer said Mismanagement, corruption and incompetence have brought us to where we are today. When the word incompetent is used to describe his government, the President gets very upset. But this week we have seen another example.

The Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, told us that he is preparing to tax pensions and allowances. And his President, two days later, stated that they were not going to do anything like that. If this is not confusion in his government, then I dont know what it is; and if this is not a sign of incompetence, then you would have to tell me what incompetence means, Nana Addo said.

The NPP flagbearer therefore called on party members to work hard and unseat the Mahama government.

We have to change these statistics. We cannot continue, whilst other people are prospering, to go down the hill. We need to have a change in Ghana. John Mahama cannot help us, he said.
I extend fraternal greetings to Muslims in Ghana and across the world as they prepare to start the fast of Ramadan.Ramadan is a period of intense devotion and reflection- a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Quran over the course of the month. The rigours undertaken by devout Muslims inspire respect for Islam among people of all faiths and this can bring hope of greater understanding for good will.Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may ward off evil so states the Quran. It is therefore my prayer that Muslims will use this holy month of Ramadan to pray for Allah to ward off the evils that plague our society and draw us back- corruption, nepotism, ethnicity, unprincipled politics, poverty, ignorance and disease. Ramadan should unite us and instil in us fellow-feeling, so that we can create a society where Allah is truly our anchor against the storms of life.Fasting is also a celebration of commitment and obedience to God and also of Gods mercy and provision for all of us. It is a time of family, community and charity.I therefore believe in the possibility of the overflow of old boundaries when wholehearted devotion to ones own faith is matched with a devout respect for the faith of others and I call on all our Muslim brothers and sisters to demonstrate continually this sense of unity and oneness in the years ahead.I pray, particularly, for my running mate, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and his wife, Hajia Samira Bawumia, as they commemorate the first anniversary of their pilgrimage to the Holy Places of Mecca.Once again, I wish all Moslems Allahs guidance and peace as you observe this truly unique month of blessing. Salamu Alaikum!......signed......Nana Akufo-Addo2016 NPP Presidential Candidate
Announcing this on Ghana Television, the Chief Imam, Sheik Osman Sharubutu urged Muslims to take the fasting serious and pray fervently for themselves and the country.

It is also a religious obligation and as atonement for sins.

Muslims are also obliged to abstain from food, eschew bad habits and indulgences like smoking and sex.

According to Abu Mohammed Abuddul Nasir Biyey, an Islamic cleric, fasting has three benefits: medical, social and religious.

He told pulse.com.gh that research has established that fasting has not only spiritual benefits but some physical implications too.

Having taken some types of food for a year, you have to clean the system. And today, science has proven that after the 30 days fasting, the human system is well cleaned, particularly those who normally take only fruits during this 30 days, Biyey said.

On the social benefits, he explained that people who do not do good before Ramadan change from their bad ways.

They change their attitude, they show kindness to other people, he added.

Touching on the spiritual benefits, he explained fasting is Allahs.

Biyey said: For fasting, Allah is the only witness because people can fast , hide and eat. And no one will see them. So Allah said fasting is his. He is going to reward the fasting. So it has a huge blessing in the sight of Allah.

Biyey noted that fasting has some regulations. Fasting is such a way that you dont speak nonsense, you dont insult, you dont talk rubbish, and you dont say unnecessary things.
Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by "anti-balaka" Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south.

Having held successful elections aimed at drawing a line under the violence, new President Faustin-Archange Touadera is seeking to revive the shattered economy.

"Very quickly we'll be working on other zones. As you know, we must follow certain conditions imposed by the Kimberley Process," he said. "We must separate the so-called 'blood diamonds' from those that aren't."

The Kimberley Process, which implemented the export ban, is a grouping of producer countries, consumer nations, industry representatives and civil society organisations formed to prevent the sale of diamonds from funding conflicts.

Last year, it agreed to allow the government to resume rough diamond exports on the condition that it implemented a programme to ensure the traceability of its stones.

In September, a U.N. panel of experts said the illicit trade in diamonds was still funding major players in Central African Republic's conflict and increasingly involved neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Chad.

"As you know, today security has returned to Berberati. The government is today able to ensure traceability there," Mboli Fatrane said.

According to Kimberley Process data, Central African Republic officially exported 371,917 carats of diamonds, worth over $62 million, in 2012, the year before the ban was put in place.
Jaywon, real name, James Oluwajuwonlo Edahi, was born June 6.

He grew up in Kogi and Kwara States and studied at the Federal Polytechnic Bida for his National Diploma before proceeding to Lagos enroute Abuja -where he completed his industrial training.

The 'This year' singer broke into the music industry with a hit track 'File be'.

A singer/song writer, Jaywon is the self-tiltled The Royal Prince Of Afro Hiphop.

Born June 6, 1984, and a graduate of the Creative Arts Department, in the University of Lagos, Adewole Ojo's started acting at a tender age with his career as a professional actor starting at the age of nine.

In the 90's he featured in children's series;"Kidivision 101" and hit family sitcom "One Big Family" both which aired on NTA. This two engagements spanned across a period of six years.

He has also featured in a few television series which include; "The Maze", "Everyday People", "One Love", "This Life and Haven".

His debut stage performance (at age 11) was in commemoration of a children's day celebration at the NIIA (Nigerian Institute of International Affairs), sponsored by UNICEF.
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On his Instagram, actor, Saidi Balogun, has expressed his sadness concerning the passing of the actress, who is recognised as one of the early faces in the Nigerian movie industry.

Balogun, on June 6, 2016 wrote, "We just lost one of us. The wife of a veteran actor and our colleague, Herrienta Kosoko. we pray that Almighty God will give her eternal rest. RIP".

The late actress who was battling with diabetes, slumped at her residence and was rushed down to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

According to reports, she died a week after celebrating her 53rd birthday.
Jean-Louis, in a chat with Hip TV, said he considers Nigeria more advanced than any other African country. That has influenced his choice in connecting with the West African country.

He said, "For me, I have always felt the urge to connect with Africa, and if I have to connect with Africa, the leading country in Africa for me is Nigeria."

"Thats the country that has the most potential, power... and thats the one I chose for the past ten years to connect with.

"And moreso, being from Haita, I also have some strong roots, link with Nigeria. Most of the Haitians come from Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon. They came from that side.

"So as far as the culture, tradition... we still carry a lot of the Nigerian tradition with us. So that makes me very close to Nigeria.

"I think my grandparents were actually from here, so there is a natural connection thats here, and I believe in a whole, African cinema should have a better representation.

The actor was recently casted in Kunle Afolayan's"The CEO" movie, which is set to hit the cinemas on July 15, 2016.
The show which was meant to hold at Webster Hall in Manhattan, New York City, was sold out within an hour after the rapper made the announcement via his Twitter account.

However, there were still thousands of fans outside the venue in desperate anticipation to see the rapper which almost turn into a near riot scene.

US Weekly reports, West, was forced by the police to abandon the gig because of the scary, and dangerous condition outside the night club.

Thousands of fans who didnt have access inside the venue were ready to party outside all night.

It was further gathered that though the rapper couldnt perform at his surprise show, it took hours before his convoy could get him through the excited crowd.
This year show is rolling out an impressive show lineup including five (5) Catwalk Shows, fifty (50) Designers, Fashion Gala & Awards Night as well panel discussions aimed at promoting Nigeria as a production hub.

Fashion brands within and outside the shores of Nigeria/Africa will present their latest never-been-seen works at the AFWN 2016 set to play host to style enthusiasts from all over the world.

Details:

Date - 1st-3rd July 2016.

Venue -The Eko Hotel & Suites

Friday 1st July 2016

Conference - 9am.Positioning Nigeria As a Production Hub  FREE ENTRY

Saturday 2nd July 2016

Exhibition - 12 noon - FREE ENTRY

1st show- 1PM  N3000 entry

2nd show- 4PM  N3000 entry

3rd show- 8PM  N3000 entry

ALSO READ:Register to attend The Textile and Garment Manufacturing Conference

Sunday 3rd July

1st Show  Nigerias Next Top Designer Grand Finale -1 pm - FREE ENTRY

2nd Show  AFWN Fashion Gala Night  6 pm - VIP TICKETS & VIP TABLES ONLY

Contact: Info@africafashionweeknigeria.com for purchase/registration details.

About Rikaoto by Me

is the proudly Nigerian, proudly African brand owned by stupendously gorgeous, ex-beauty queen from Kebbi State by name, Mariam Elisha. The former Miss Valentine 2007, had always been fascinated by fashion and style since she was a precocious little girl growing up.

As a little girl growing up, her dolls were always wearing the most colorful outfits around as she always wanted to make them stand out.

What began as a fascination then, later blossomed into a passion while she was at the University of Lagos, where she studied English Language. The need to always stand out, further pushed her to continue with her passion, making clothes for herself and a few friends. It was while at school that she participated in and won the pageant- Miss Valentine.

Winning the beauty contest further pushed her into the limelight and by extension her craft. During her reign she always needed to represent herself and the brand well, so she always made sure to make stand out outfits for herself which got loads and loads of commendations. So not only was she beautiful, she was also skillful to back it up. So it was a good combination of beauty and brain.

The brand's design ethos is based on the belief in clean lines and unapologetic femininity. "We believe that the female form is a work of art-beautiful and structured that must be well accentuated". A good designer would help hide the wearer's multitude of sins, and at the same time help show off the wearer's best features.

"We work using the best of fabrics and materials to create wearable works of art".

About Rois & Reine

is a clothing company specialized in all kinds of men's wear ranging from corporate, corporate trads, traditional wears, smart casuals, urban and high street, we also do bespoke tailoring.

Our vision is to be a world class fashion company that uses trending innovative ideas with an African appeal to create our customers desires.

Our designs are simple yet classy, we pay attention to details clean cut to near perfection with excellent fitting on the client. We infuse western influences on our pieces that gives them the overall professional finishing but comes out with an African appeal, our aim is to create an afropolitan man. We sometimes get inspired by the old safari suits and northern kaftan and make them trendier. A well tailored outfit from us must consist of the 3 Fs: "Finesse, Fitting and Functionality"

Our clientele ranges from successful business mogul, bank executives, high net worth individuals, professional, spiritual leaders,corporate institutions and most recently celebrities.

ALSO READ:Pulse fans to win tickets to the anticipated fashion event of the year

In summary Our Clothes are made for men that would want their style to speak the language onlooker would understand. Simple with sense and style.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Libyan Red Crescent workers put bodies into body bags, after migrants who died when a boat sank off the coastal town of Zuwara west of Tripoli,in Libya June 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

TRIPOLI - Bodies of at least 117 migrants were washed ashore in the western Libyan city of Zwarah after their boat sank on the way to Europe, Libyan navy spokesman revealed on Friday.



Ayob Qasem said that the number is likely to increase, as the boats that carry illegal immigrants to Europe usually carry 125 people.



In a statement on Thursday, Zwarah's municipality council condemned "leniency and inaction of the state institutions and international organizations" towards the migrant crisis in the city.



"The municipality of Zwarah holds the officials of the Libya institutions and international organization responsible for the failure to provide assistance to fight this phenomenon."



According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, at least 880 migrants died on the way to Europe this week.



Smugglers take advantage of the state of chaos and insecurity in Libya to send thousands of migrants to Europe.



Thousands of migrants chose to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe from Libya, many of whom died on the way.
My husband would not give me and my child money for food. Instead, he would be stealing my money and whenever I asked him to return my stolen money, he would resort to beating me.

On one of such occasions, one of my neighbours called my parents when he was beating me mercilessly. When my parents came and asked him what he wanted, he said I should leave his house because he does not love me anymore. That is why I am seeking for divorce, Idayat told the court.

But in denying the allegation in the divorcecase instituted by his wife, Olayiwola of Kabelo Street, Otaefun, Osogbo, described the allegation of stealing levelled against him by his wife as untrue, but admitted that he told her parents that she should leave his house because he does not love her again.

I agree to the divorce because she has married another man and bore a child for him.
It was gathered that the man, an artisan who resides at Berger Camp in Phase 2, Site 1, area of Kubwa, and the lady who claimed to live in another part of the city, met on the social media platform and they started dating online, and after a while, he invited the woman over.

It was gathered that when the woman went to visit the man, she had with her a handbag containing some items including a wrap of couscous, a sort of meal made from semolina wheat using water to blend it.

A source close to the man narrated that after the man and the lady had exhausted themselves with several rounds of sex, the woman prepared the couscous which she had brought and immediately the man took it, he became unconscious.

As soon as the man became dizzy, the woman took his laptop, phones and all his cash and left the house, the source said.

It was learnt that when the man regained consciousness, he discovered that his Facebook over had taken his properties and left the house and when he tried to connect with her online, her accounts had been deleted.
The suspect, a resident of Tasha Gwagwa area of Abuja, according to the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, Wilson Inalegwu, had caught the two kids engaging in the unholy act and in a bid to punish Victor, Solomon reportedly beat the boy till he gave up the ghost.

Recounting the sad episode in his cell at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Command, Solomon said he is cursing the evil spirit that led his late son into the grievous error of committing incest with his sister which led to the sad occurrence.

Narrating how it all happened, the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, native said he had come one day in April, 2016, and saw his young son engaging in the sexual act with his younger sister right in his bedroom.

Victor was my son, an 11-year-old boy. I had been receiving bad reports about him. The height of it was that he started sleeping with his sister, who is eight-years-old.

I had been receiving several reports about the ugly incident. Around 4.00 pm, I came back from work and met Victor sleeping with his sister in my bedroom. The stepmother was not at home."

Solomon continued that in his anger and a bid to punish the boy, he picked up a stick beat him severely and in the process, the boy began convulsing and then lost consciousness the next day.

He was rushed to the Gwarinpa General Hospital by the neighbours where he died soon after he got to the hospital.

Solomon who had gone out the day the boy lost consciousness, was summoned to the hospital by phone and when he got to the hospital, he was told his son had died from internal bleeding as a result of the severe beating he had given him the previous day.

He was detained by the doctor who called in the police from the Gwarinpa police station, and the suspect was arrested.
The Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

``Many of our members cannot read or interpret the signs on tyres to know when they were produced and when they will expire. So, they need more enlightenment.

``How many of the drivers can read and interpret production and expiration dates on tyres? Our members need to know this to run away from purchasing expired tyres in the markets.

``However, we have to continue to inform our members on the dangers inherent in using expired tyres as a way of collaborating with the FRSC but the corps needs to simplify it.

``Tyres are very important to the safety of our lives and that of our passengers, so, the role of government in this matter is very vital, Agbede said.

The NURTW boss urged the government to block every avenue for the proliferation of substandard tyres in the markets for the safety of Nigerians.

Agbede added: ``While we are not against the enforcement embarked upon by FRSC on expired tyres, it should not be money making venture.

``The officers should enforce the regulation with a human face.
Wabba also called on the Federal Government to use the recovered loot for the construction of roads, power infrastructure and other developmental projects.

He said the startling amounts recovered, is proof that some corrupt people are determined to frustrate the progress of the nation.

The NLC President also called on the Federal Government to continue with the drive to recover the looted funds.

Wabba said We believe for the war against corruption to endure. As a people, we must be firm and resolute in our support for good governance and fight against corruption. We must entrench the culture of accountability, ensuring that public officers are accountable even out of office.

Also, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed that the funds that were recovered will be used to better the lives of Nigerians.

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, also revealed that a special account has been set up for the recovered looted funds.
Vanguard reports that the sect members engaged a combined military team of soldiers from Niger and Nigeria in a fierce gun battle.

According to reports, the Mayor of Bosso told newsmen that the incident occurred today, Monday, June 7, 2016.

This is coming on the heels of an attack on the international military team on Friday, June 3, 2018, that left 32 soldiers dead.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has also issued a warning, saying the Boko Haram sect is plotting to carry out large scale bombings during Ramadan.

Also, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Sunday, June 5, 2016, urged Muslims in Borno state to be vigilant and wary of beggars around Mosques during the fasting month of Ramadan to prevent suspected attacks from Boko Haram members.
Presidential aide, Femi Adesina, earlier said the President was hale and hearty, adding that Buhari was as fit as a fiddle.

Adesina in another statement also announced that Mr. President will commence on a 10-day vacation, starting on Monday, June 7, 2016.

Adesina also revealed that Buhari will see an E.N.T Specialist for a persistent ear infection.

Punch reports that while the President was departing for London, at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport- Abuja, he said Is there anybody that doesnt fall sick?

President Buhari announced that the Federal Government will no longer fund foreign medical treatment for its officials.

Prof. Isaac Adewole communicated the Presidents directive at the opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference and Delegates meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which held in Sokoto on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.
Speaking to Punch Newspapers, Adesina reportedly said the citizenry can be assured of transparency in the spending of the recovered loot.

In his words, The President said it sometimes ago in Kaduna that recovered money would be spent on the development of infrastructure. The infrastructure includes roads and railways among others."

ALSO READ: Sagay says FG has opened special account for recovered loot

Continuing, Adesina said, 'Nigerians can be assured that the money would be spent transparently and judiciously. They have nothing to fear.

The Federal Governments target is to recover N386bn of looted fund according to the 2016 Appropriation Act, which has been signed into law by Buhari.

The money, it was stated in the document, would be used to finance budget deficit.
Mallam Garba Shehu, the presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said the president Buhari stated this on Sunday in a condolence message to the family, government and people of Imo.

The President said that the late monarch was an outspoken traditional ruler who was not afraid of ``telling the truth to power despite the risks involved, especially when it concerned matters of public interests and the wellbeing of ordinary people.

According to him, as an outstanding pharmacist with a public service career that flourished till he ascended the throne of his ancestors in 1989, Eze Njemanze knew the appropriate use of power and the meaning of public office.

``This was why he did not hesitate to condemn the abuse of public trust and highhandedness by political office holders whether during the military or the civilian administration whenever it occurred.

President added that, "the Nigerian nation knew the contributions of the late royal father to the peace that is common in the city of Owerri and the support and cooperation that were mutual between Eze Njemanze and his people of Owerri in particular and Imo State in general.

``That enabled them to restore the dignity of Owerri as a land of decency and character when fraudsters violated it and attempted to turn it into a land of ritual killers and dubious men in the mid 1990s.

President Buhari said that the late monarch was a man of peace whom it pleased God to reward with a long and fruitful life.
She made the call in Enugu on Sunday at a mentorship conference tagged ``The Meeting'', organised by an NGO, Ace Foundation in collaboration with Today's Woman magazine.

Alakija, who advised women to equip themselves with genuine skills and trade in the face of the current economic downturn, added that ``there are businesses that require small capital to start. It must not be something big.

``You have to start from little and then grow to a conglomerate. It is one step at a time and while doing this, do not forget your responsibilities to your spouse, children and God.''

She also encouraged them to learn from other people who made it in their various businesses to avoid making unnecessary mistakes in their careers.

She added that ``my success was not achieved in one day. I faced many challenges and learnt the hard way but today, I give God the glory.''

In a paper entitled ``Business and Financial Planning'', businesswoman, Mrs Ononuju Irukwu, urged women to invest in meaningful ventures.

Irukwu, who is the Managing Director of Chapel Hill Investment Company, stressed the need for women to educate themselves about money.

She said ``you need to know what is happening in the financial world, protect your assets through insurance and get into investments that will protect you.''

She listed investments women could go into to include equities, money market, Federal Government treasury bills and bonds, cooperatives and `Isusu.

In her remarks, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, a professor of Radiology at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), urged women to always embark on medical checks while doing business.

Earlier, Mrs Chinwe Ejiofobiri, the President of Ace Foundation, organiser of the conference, said the event was designed to bring women from all walks of life to mentor and be mentored.

Ejioforbiri urged women to form strong, vibrant networks that would culminate into remarkable growth and successes in faith, family and business.

Some of the participants who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) including Mrs Ada Okeke and Ify Ben-Okorie expressed satisfaction with the conference.
Bloomberg TV reports that he also said Nigeria might revisit the gay marriage law which was banned in 2014, during his administration.

GEJ said When it comes to equality, we must all have the same rights as Nigerian citizens.

In the light of deepening debates for all Nigerians and other citizens of the world to be treated equally and without discrimination, and with the clear knowledge that the issue of sexual orientation is still evolving, the nation may at the appropriate time revisit the law.

The former President also said President Buhari was not telling the truth when he announced to Nigerians that he met an empty treasury.

President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill criminalising same-sex relationships in January 2014.

Femi Fani-Kayode also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of planning to legalise homosexuality in Nigeria.
The workers joined their counterparts in 15 other local government areas in the state to press home their demand.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that directive for the sit-at-home emanated from the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

NAN recalls that the workers had earlier in the year downed tools on the same issue but had to resume work following intervention of some eminent personalities in the state.

Some of the workers who reported for duty on Monday found out that the gate to the secretariat of the council in Omu-Aran was under lock and key.

The workers were seen outside the council secretariat discussing the development in groups when NAN visited.

Some of the workers, who preferred anonymity, expressed sadness with the governments failure to fulfil its promise to clear the outstanding salary arrears.

"We are tired of working without pay; we have our families to cater for. This is no more acceptable to us as patriotic citizens.

"We demand the immediate payment of our outstanding salaries, one of them said.

Mr Femi Oladipo, the NULGE Chairman, Irepodun Local Government chapter, said the sit-at-home would be indefinite as directed by the state headquarters.

Oladipo said that the NULGE headquarters had, in a memo to the government on Friday, expressed its desire to embark on an indefinite strike if their demands were not met.

"The government had been notified of the sit-at-home last Friday by NULGE headquarters in Ilorin.
A family aide, Mr Paul Awode, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Ijebu-ode that Oshin, alongside her teenage daughter went missing since on Thursday in Ijebu-Ode.

Oshin was allegedly kidnapped around 6 p.m. at Molipa Area, Ijebu-Ode in her black Kia Sorento jeep with registration number Ogun JGB 456 AA.

The aide said the kidnappers had made contact with the family, demanding N150 million ransom.

Dr Tokunbo Oshin, the husband and father of the abducted persons, who was worried about the condition his wife and daughter were in, declined to speak with NAN.

Oshin's jeep was said to have been recovered after it was abandoned at Idowa Area in Ijebu-Ode on the same day.

The family aide added that the police had since been informed about the incident and they were investigating the case to determine the Oshins' whereabouts.

DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ogun, told NAN through phone that the kidnappers had opened a line of communication.
Leadership reports that the workers decided to embark on an indefinite strike to protest the Oyo state governments alleged attempt to privatise primary schools in the state.

The state government reportedly ordered the arrest of leaders of the Oyo state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) while they were protesting over the governments plan to privatise the schhols.

The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba also condemned the governments action, adding that the decision to privatise the public schools is unjust.

Wabba also said the children of the poor will not have access to education if the plan falls through.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana also condemned the arrest and detention of the Labour leaders.

Falana said the action of the police was a gross violation of the labour leaders rights.

However, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, on Friday, June 3, 2016, announced that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) policy on education in the state is not designed to sell secondary schools in the state.
Ms Liz Ahua, the Regional Representative for West Africa and Coordinator for Nigeria, said this on Monday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the Lake Chad Regional Protection Dialogue.

Ahua said that the persistent threat from Boko Haram, presence of mines and absence of basic services posed acute humanitarian and protection risks for the affected population.

She said that the situation was not only peculiar to Nigerians but all border countries in the Lake Chad Basin. She explained that the regional meeting was meant to adopt a working blueprint on regional protection of the Lake Chad basin and safe return of refugees and IDPs.

This meeting is meant to exploit how we can better ensure IDPs physical safety, access to asylum and protection, including protection from forced expulsions.

Many refugees and IDPs have experience high levels of violence, many suffer from trauma, and are in need of support in what practically and systemic ways can we help them."

She said that over 2.7million people in the region had been displaced, while 20million people had been negatively impacted by the insurgency in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The lake Chad today faces fundamental protection crises here in Nigeria and across the neighbouring boarding countries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three days Regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin has senior government officials from Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad in attendance.

Also present are representatives of national, regional and international organisations (including UN agencies), donor countries, academia and civil society.
In a statement issued on Monday, June 6, 2016 and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jibrilla Gadzama, the northern group said the gruesome killing of the woman over her alleged blasphemy was unfortunate.

This is a barbaric act undertaken out of wickedness and ignorance, the group said.

This unfortunate act is uncalled for especially at this crucial period of our national existence when inter and intra personal relationships between Nigerians from all regions remain increasingly fragile thereby negatively affecting the peaceful coexistence of citizens in various parts of the country.

Islamically, if any Muslim or non-Muslim commits such an offense, it is not the prerogative of any person or group of persons to take laws into their hands but to direct to the custodians of the law to ensure that the rule of law takes its course.

On the 7 day ultimatum given by Niger Delta Avengers to attack places in the northern part of Nigeria, NCM said, Northerners are not cowards and no amount of baseless threats and the brutal or unnecessary killings of our people will deter us from protecting the interests of Northern Nigeria.
An account has been set up for it and at an appropriate time, what is going to be done with the money will be made public. The amount that is available in that account will be announced and what will be done with the money will be publicly announced, Sagay said on Sunday, June 5, 2016.

Regarding the funds frozen under the interim forfeiture, the Federal Government cant touch it for now because certain cases have not been concluded and the forfeiture is interim because technically, the court can order the release to the owners if the occasion demands it but if it goes the other way, there will be a permanent forfeiture order and that is when the properties would accrue to the government and would therefore be used for the benefit of Nigerians.

On the legal side, I dont see the problem that is being talked about because once a person is going to be charged to court for corruption or illegally acquiring resources, there is no liability in announcing it.

After all, we have been seeing the names of all those accused and charged. So, the main reason is to encourage others, who are still hiding their loot and speculating what to do, to come out and hand over the loot so that the country can recover more of what has been stolen.

There are some people who actually received those assets and money without knowing that it was stolen or whose knowledge of the source would be very difficult to establish.

So, if you are in a situation, where you thought your political party had raised money legitimately and you were given an amount for the purpose of campaign, then you may have a strong case against any criminal charge like the newspapers, who have received money, but you may be willing to return the money having found out that it was illegitimately acquired, he added.
The Federal Government had launched a military operation in the oil rich region to stop the bombing of offshore facilities belonging to oil companies in the region.

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have also claimed responsibility for several bombings in the Niger-Delta.

The militants also vowed to continue the bombing of offshore facilities until the Federal Government meets their demands.

Punch reports that the Senior Executive Partner, Rescue Mission, Sokari Afiesimama, said Yes, the additional platforms, comprising fighter aircraft, helicopter gunship and surveillance aircraft, capable of enhancing adequate security to undertake offensive air operations and intelligence gathering in support of the surfaces forces remain the only remedy.

Its timely and highly welcome that today government has taken decisive measure in taking sole responsibility to protect lives and property, to end long sufferings and pains attributed to lawlessness in the region.

Niger Delta Activist, Chief Ayiri Emami has urged the federal government not to negotiate with new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), calling them a bunch of criminals.
The Daily Sun reports that the group said its targets are: the police headquarters, defence headquarters, NNPC towers, CBN headquarters, national assembly, and military formations in the country.

JNDLF, who also warned the Nigerian Airforce to leave the Niger Delta region, issued a statement saying:

"The occupants of these buildings should as a matter of urgency vacate in them immediately IN THEIR OWN INTEREST to save their lives because our fight is not for ANY HUMAN BLOOD but to destroy all those infrastructures that were built with our oil and gas monies in this country. We will make federal government and oil companies to suffer as they have made the people of Niger Delta region suffer over the years.

"We shall fire these Missiles simultaneously at the night, as this will enable every Nigerians to see the movement of the MISSILES and equally to believe us of our seriousness attached to the final breakup as predicted by the United States of America (USA).

"We equally advise the diplomatic community to be neutral on this issue as wrong comments against us will be seen as saboteurs. Where they are staying presently will not be affected which is not part of our targeted areas of destruction in the country.

"We shall embarrass the self acclaimed Nigerian Air Force with their recent deployment of fighter aircraft, helicopter gunship and surveillance aircraft when at this digital age, countries are talking about missile development, and they still condescend so low of their present obsolete equipment, they said.

"Note, we are going to destroy the ones they have deployed to Escravos, Forcados in Delta State; Bonga oil field, Agbami offshore and Brass in Bayelsa; Bony in Rivers; Qua Iboe Terminal in Akwa Ibom State, and Opuekeba in Ondo State if they fails to remove them before time. Our crack team has taken inventory of their equipments. Even the present suffering from a rare ear disease known as Menieres disease by President Muhammadu Buhari will not win any sympathy to save our action against the federal government. The name Nigeria as a country will come to an end this week."

The All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the People's Democratic Party (PDP) of sponsoring the Niger Delta Avengers.
Osinbajo said this at the 49th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Dakar, Senegal, a statement issued by the Vice Presidential Spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, said on Sunday.

According to him there are ongoing negotiations on it and government is discussing with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and some other key economic players about it.

The vice president, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the Summit, noted that ``we understand some of the terms of this agreement are capable of restricting manufacturers trading activities and we will not want this to happen."

He noted that Nigeria had yet to fully endorse the agreement because of those concerns.

While a number of West African nations had endorsed the deal, some, including Nigeria, raised issues regarding the implications of the deal in their commercial activities.

EPA is a free trade deal initialed by EU and ECOWAS negotiators, covering trade in goods and development cooperation.

He added that the Federal Government could not be committed to such an agreement without wide consultations.

He, however, restated Nigeria's commitment and obligations to the regional body, having recently paid its dues.

This is coming against the background of worries that some of the member-states had not fulfilled their financial obligations.

``We are also very committed to ECOWAS; as the largest economy in the region, we have constantly fulfilled our obligations and we intend to continue to do this," the Vice President declared.

Presidents, prime ministers and top officials from the 16 ECOWAS-member states gathered in Dakar over the weekend to deliberate on important issues.

The summit, which ended on Saturday, witnessed the inauguration of the new ECOWAS Commission President, Mr Marcel de Souza.

The ECOWAS leaders commended President Muhammadu Buhari, and the nation on the progress recorded against the Boko Haram insurgents.

At the summit, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was chosen as the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, taking over from her Senegalese counterpart, Mr Macky Sall.

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This is part of the police forces rules for enlistment, according to Mr Ebere Amaraizu, the spokesman of the Enugu command.

Leadership reports that Amaraizu said The present recruitment is for degree holders and will last for three weeks and after that, the selected ones will proceed for the written interview.

Over aged people, tattooed persons, falsified results, statement of results over five years and people with some physical impediments will be disqualified from the exercise.

All I know is that 10,000 people will be recruited nationwide but I do not know the number of those that will be recruited in Enugu zone.

We have started and you can see that it is going on peacefully.

The exercise is done in batches to avoid any form of rush or stampede.

This command will screen the applicants thoroughly to ensure that the best get the Job.

The chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC),undefinedfor recruitment screening.
According to a report by Vanguard Newspaper, the armed robbers who were fully armed assaulted the octogenarian by using iron rods and some dangerous weapons on him.

The hoodlums reportedly stormed the one-storey building located on Adebayo Mukuolu Street at about 1.30 am in a Toyota car. They parked their vehicle close to the gate with one of the gang members inside, while others scaled the high walls of the publishers expansive compound, the report said.

Continuing, 'They cut the burglary roof of one of the windows with chisel, from where they gained access into one of the sitting rooms when they could not open the entrance door leading to his bedroom, they broke the ceiling and succeeded in getting in.

'Two of them were armed with pistols, while the rest had iron rods, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons,' a witness was quoted as saying.

The sad occurrence happened ahead of the publishers trip to South Africa, it was further gathered.
Unknown persons broke into the safe in the Administrative Office and stole the N12m. The incident had since been reported to the police and the Kwara State Police Command is investigating the matter with a view to nailing the culprits, Sarakis aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said via a statement.

There is therefore no truth in the claim by SaharaReporters that the money ran into hundreds of millions; that it was in foreign currency or that the incident happened in Dr. Sarakis room. The amount was simply in naira and the money has nothing to do with the Kwara State Government, he added.

Olaniyonu also justified Sarakis stashing of such a large sum of money in an alternative home by saying that the Senate President is not a poor man.
Adamu is a final year undergraduate student in the department of Electrical Engineering, ABU Zaria.

The group also said that another member, Abdul Hadi is at risk of dying in the Kaduna prison.

In a statement issued on Sunday, May 5, 2016 and signed by the sect spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, the group said Aliyu Adamu had a serious brain injury that has made him to have multiple convulsions without respite in prison following trauma he suffered earlier during attack on IMN members.

That injury is clearly aggravated by the brutal Zaria massacre, and made worse by refusal of authorities to allow him access to proper medical care. He is now at risk of dying in custody or suffering a permanent neurological damage if the government doesn't act fast to save him, the statement said.
Considered as one of the greatest annual events, the day aims at raising awareness about the leading issue of environmental sustainability.

Despite efforts by both the federal government and state ministries of environment, some states in Nigeria have remained dirty.

In no particular order, here are the five dirties states in Nigeria;

1. Ekiti state: A recent survey conducted by the Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) ranked Ekiti as the state with the highest number of persons who openly defecate in Nigeria. About 1.8 million residents of the state out of a total population of 2.7 million is believed to engage in the menace.

With heaps of waste along the New Ilawe Road (Few kilometres from the state House of Assembly), Ajilosun, Bank road, Oja Oba (Yoruba word meaning "King's market") and other locations in the state, Ekiti is sure one of the dirtiest states in Nigeria.

2. Lagos state: Often referred to as the Nigeria's commercial nerve centre, Lagos state is one of the most populated states in Nigeria, a situation which has stretched its infrastructures such as housing, health care, roads and waste management system beyond limits. The resultant effects is the development of suburbs, slums and ghettos with the poorest environmental conditions within the state.

The Dustbin Estate located in Awodiora, Ajeromi Ifelodun Area which is an expansive shack settlement erected on a heap of refuse located beside a canal, which drains waste, and floodwater out of Ajegunle is a good example.

Despite the activities of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), residents still dump waste in drainages and canals in the state which leads to obstruction of the waterway.

3. Benue state: Also called the "Food basket of the nation," Benue is one of the states with the poorest environmental condition. Makurdi, lacks the features of a modern day state capital. Despite the existence of the popular River Benue, 80 per cent of the city lack potable drinking water. From North Bank, Wurukum, Wadata residents dump waste in drainages, uncompleted buildings and roads.

4. Oyo state: The ancient city of Ibadan is the third most populated city in Nigeria. Like Lagos, its huge population is the major reason for this.
According to reports, the actress slumped at home, and was rushed to the hospital where she died. They has been no official statement from her family.

Henrietta was popular for "Omolade," "Eleda Teju," "Boya Lemo" among others.

Check out six things you probably do not know about late actress.

1. Henrietta Kosoko was a native of Delta State. Her native name was Emumejiakpo.

2. The actress came into limelight in 1995 following her lead role in the movie Omolade," which she was popularly known for.

3. Henrietta was the second wife of Nollywood veteran and former President of Association of Theatre Practitioners of Nigeria (ANTP), Jide Kosoko.

4. The late actress who grew up in Mushin, started her acting career in the area, and met her husband while on the job.

5. Before she became an actress in 1995, Henrietta was a professional caterer.
Buhari also told the journalists that the National Assembly has also been formally notified of his 10 day vacation to London.

The Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had earlier denied reports that the Buhari was ill.

Adesina in a statement issued to newsmen, asked for Nigerians to pray for the President, adding that matters of sickness and death are in the hands of God.

Adesina said We need to underscore that. Rather than going into frenzy, I will urge Nigerians to show goodwill and patriotism; they should pray for him and wish him well.

Things about health, life and death are in the hands of God, but I believe that all is well. God will take care of him and take care of the country.

The President reportedly has a disorder of the inner ear, known as Meniere Disease.

Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes episodes in which you feel as if you're spinning (vertigo), and you have fluctuating hearing loss with a progressive, ultimately permanent loss of hearing, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear.
Omokri made the claim in an article titled President Buhari's dissonance problem.

Read it below:

How can two walk together except they agree? Now if two people cannot walk together except they agree how much more three, four or a hundred?

For any government, company, family or association to succeed, there must first be unity of purpose. This unity of purpose does not mean that everybody must agree, but it means that behind closed doors the groups meet to harmonize.

Now that word, harmonize, is a much misunderstood word. Harmony does not mean that everybody has the same purpose, but it means that everybody's purposes are brought together and through a process of give and take, a common thread is woven that encapsulates everybody's agenda and when this is presented it produces an effect that is pleasing to the group and those it wants to serve.

Both Christians and Muslims agree that God created the entire world with His words. It is something we can all agree on and in agreeing to this, we agree that words are creative. They created the atmosphere of the world and they will create the atmosphere of our individual worlds.

This being the case, we have to be careful, very careful, about the words we speak because if we agree that information is power, then the management of information is power and its mismanagement is weakness.

So often, many of us do not realize that the words that emanate from a leader and his surrogates must have credibility because those words affect everything within the domain of that leader. Every word that emanates from a leader is a promise.

Don't believe me? Try to get the British Currency. On every British Pound note you will find this promise 'I Promise to Pay the Bearer the sum of' 5, 10, 20 or 50.

The promise on the British Pound is made by the Queen of England who happens to be the Head of State of the United Kingdom.

There is nothing inherently valuable about the paper the British Pound is printed upon. It has no intrinsic value. If you eat the British Pound you will get sick. If you dye it so that the promise made by Queen Elizabeth II is no longer legible, it will lose its value.

The value of the British Pound is tied to the promise made by The Queen. The reason the British Pound is one of the most valuable currencies in the world is because people trust the promise made by the Queen.

All over the world, currencies are only as valuable as the person of the sovereign or head of state making the promise.

So for instance, if it becomes known today that the Queen says one thing about Britain and the British Prime Minister says something different, that credibility crisis will have an immediate effect on the value of the British Pound and the total capitalization of the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100 index.

Now, the current occupants of the seat of power in Nigeria do not seem to understand this dynamic.

Since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as President of Nigeria, there has been a remarkable dissonance within this government. The President says one thing, his spokesmen say another and other high officials give a completely different take. What is going on?

Let us take the issue of Boko Haram. It was not too long ago that a perplexed nation woke up to read headlines which screamed that the President pontificated that Fulani herdsmen came from Libya!

Well, if that is your story, then absurd as it is, you must stick to it. But hardly had we gotten over the statement by the President before we were regaled with another claim, this time by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who said "some of these herdsmen that are attacking communities across the country may have some affiliation with the Boko Haram terrorists."

That sent shock waves down the length and breadth of the nation. What are we dealing with here? Herdsmen or Boko Haram, we really do not know!

And then, to cap our confusion, the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, amazingly told us "herdsmen move from everywhere, from Mauritius or anywhere. You can't stop them"! This all happened within a space of two weeks! Alhaji Lai Mohammed and current World 100 and 200 meter champion, Usain Bolt, actually make me believe that people's names actually affect their destiny!

I have been to Mauritius. I was there this past February. This is a tiny Island nation more than 1000 miles from the African coast. A herdsman and his cows would literally have to swim for years before they got to Mozambique from Mauritius. Then from Mozambique, it would take them months by land to get to Nigeria! But that is not even the point. The point is the inconsistency and dissonance coming from the highest levels of our nation's government.

And like I said, it is a pattern. When British Prime Minister, David Cameron flippantly said to the Queen that Nigeria and Pakistan were 'fantastically corrupt' nations, Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, rightly issued a statement condemning Cameron's callousness and the world's media including Newsweek and Al Jazeera reported his statement stating that Nigeria and President Buhari were 'embarrassed' and 'shocked' by Cameron's words and denied that we were a fantastically corrupt nation. This was on the 10th of May, 2016.

Now you can imagine the trepidation of Nigerians when Buhari himself who had been reported as being 'shocked' by his spokesman recovered from his shock and decided to pass it on to us by agreeing with Prime Minister Cameron on camera that Nigeria was indeed fantastically corrupt! Perhaps that was the shock Garba Shehu was really talking about.

Even if President Buhari believed we are all fantastically corrupt (I am NOT) then he should have pretended to agree with his own spokesman for credibility's sake. But he completely made a fool of Shehu to the world and I can assure my readers and Shehu (a specimen of a gentleman and the star in the President's media team) that both Newsweek and Al-Jazeera would not be quoting him in future, except they have some form of corroboration from President Buhari himself.

And then this confusion affects everything. Like millions of Nigerians, I was so ecstatic about the fact that two of the Chibok girls had been rescued that I tweeted congratulations to the President. But then it turns out that what the State House said was not true. Not only was it not true, but it differed with the news coming out of Borno and reported by the world. One of the girls was not really a 'Chibok' girl and the one who was really a Chibok girl was not rescued as the government had claimed but had escaped from her captors.

And it goes on and on. On the 13th of May, 2016, Vice President Osinbajo tells us that fuel subsidy has not been removed and we believe him because, well because he is a pastor! Then three days later the minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, tells us that if subsidy had not been removed we would be paying marketers 16.4 billion a month!

What is going on here? Is it or isn't it subsidy? Has it or hasn't it been removed? Our heads are spinning with the spin! Who is right between Osinbajo and Kachikwu? The President goes to China and his spokesmen let slip that he is going there to sign a $2 billion loan agreement. Then he lands in China and we are told that it is no longer $2 billion it is now $6 billion and then we are told that Nigeria has signed a deal to make our economy a clearing house for the Chinese Yuan. No, we are not going to be a clearing house, we are having a currency swap.

I put it to Nigerians that from the President himself to his minister of Finance, no one is actually sure what went on as regards Nigeria's economy in China! And it goes on and on. Today the President is going to announce names of looters and then again he is not. It will be published by Lai Mohammed's ministry of information at some later date.

Doesn't this administration know that if a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand? This is the hidden reason why our economy is not standing. Foreign Investors have been waiting to get a concrete sense of the policy direction of this administration and this same tendency of approbation and reprobation has overshadowed the economy where you have the President saying one thing, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria saying another and ministers saying something else.
The former President said this during an interview at the Bloomberg studios in London, today, Monday, June 6, 2016.

He also said That is not true, there's no way he would have inherited empty treasury and at the same time, give a bail-out to the states.

It is not possible.

Nigeria is a fairly robust economy, But sometimes, we over politicise certain issues and make it look so bad, but it was not that bad. No! Not at all.

Buhari, on Monday, June 22, 2015, during a meeting with members of the State House Press Corps, said he inherited a virtually empty treasury from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, on Thursday. May 5, 2016, while being interviewed on a Channels Television program, Sunrise Daily, also said the Buhari administration inherited an empty treasury.

The former Minister/Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC), Abubakar Suleiman, howeverdebunked President Buharis claim.

Suleiman, in a statement released on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, said Jonathans administration left behind $30 billion, as at May 29, when he handed over to Buhari.
Jonathan said: I cannot say that the country since the beginning of our Independence, that there was no corruption. Yes, there has been corruption.

I did very well also to curtail corruption. My approach to corruption was: dont make money available for anybody to touch.

The former president noted that his effort to sanitize the oil sector failed as his government was frustrated by some group of people.

We made sure that the area of fertilizer subsidies was cleaned up. The whole corruption there was removed. I wanted to do the same thing in the oil sector but the very people that have been accusing us of corruption are the very people that frustrated it. Its unfortunate," he said.
The tribunal, today, June 6, dismissed an application filed by James Faleke, the running mate to former All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Abubakar Audu, seeking to unseat Bello.

Bellos comments are contained in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Kingsley Fanwo.

It reads:

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has hailed the judgement of the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, which in a unanimous decision today, upheld his victory at the poll.

He said the decision of the Bench Lords has further justified his election as the Governor of Kogi State, saying the victory belongs to the people of Kogi State, our party APC and lovers of democracy across the nation.

The Governor said the victory does not call for wild jubilation by his supporters, but offers a golden opportunity for his opponents to join the New Direction Initiative of his administration, which is built on the podiums of development, fairness, justice, freedom and shared prosperity from the confluence of opportunities which abound in the state.

Governor Bello said he holds no grudge against any party, who had approached the temple of justice to seek redress, saying as a democrat, he will always respect the rights of the citizens. He said his administration is currently putting in place, tested and sustainable structures to revolutionize education, healthcare, agro-business, industrialization and conscious efforts at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed in the state.

The Governor said his administration has already begun the modernization of the State Capital from the shambles of the past to a destination for tourism and infrastructural development, assuring the people of the state that they will be proud of his achievements.

He denied being distracted by the litigation surrounding his emergence as Governor, saying he has delivered solid democracy dividends to the people in his first four months in office.

He said his administration will continue to ensure development, ethnic integration and and security of lives and property, warning against criminality and corruption.

In his words:

To those who wants to make Kogi a criminal hotspot, we will defeat you. My government will spare nothing at ensuring lives and properties are safe within our shores.

We have taken practical steps in this direction and our Local Government Administrators are also on the same page with us. This administration will not condone corruption. The New Direction is that of transparency and accountability.

We won't spare any government official found wanting in our anti-corruption drive just as we would legally ensure that every dime stolen from our coffers in time past is recovered and used for infrastructural and social development. We are on the right path.

He thanked the people of the state for their prayers and solidarity, assuring them of his readiness to repay their trust and confidence in him.

The Governor also urged the Muslims to use the Holy Month of Ramadan to pray for the development of the state and peaceful coexistence among the people.

Bello was chosen by the APC to replace Audu following the latters sudden death on November 22, 2015, the day of the election.
Buru said for some years, his ministry has been visiting prisons, securing bail for some inmates of Islamic faith.

The intention is for these Muslim brothers and sisters to do their fasting at home with friends, family and relations. We usually join Muslims scholars in the breaking of the fast every evening and also attend their Tafsir to learn together, Pastor Buru said.

He called on Muslims to pray for Nigeria and pray for the President for rapid development in all sectors.

During our holy month of Easter, many Muslims clerics always wish us success for our 40 days fasting. So, we are also here to wish them same as brothers. We are from one family of Adam and Eve, worshiping one God. We all believe in paradise and hell as well as believe on the day of resurrection, he said.
This is coming as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced that it will embark on a strike action On Tuesday, June 7, 2016.

The state government said it is shutting down the schools to save lives and properties and also to forestall violence.

It also stated again, that there are adding that the NLC strike is illegal, because there are no existing labour dispute.

The labour unions strike action, is in protest of the Oyo governments alleged plan to privatise primary schools in the state.

The Oyo state government also issued a statement saying: "Members of the Public will recall that members of the two bodies (NLC and NUT) and their hired collaborators last week disrupted the stakeholders forum organized by the government on the proposed participatory management of some public secondary schools.

"Rather, the intention of the government is to partner willing stakeholders in the participatory management of a negligible number of the public secondary schools, which may not be more than 10 per cent of the existing 631 schools in the end.

"Discussions are still ongoing with stakeholders on the matter and this informed the invitation extended to those concerned, including labour, NUT and other members of the public to come and contribute to the discourse before a final decision is taken by the government.

"The reality of today is that the government alone cannot solve the myriads of challenges confronting education and other critical sectors in the state.

"The unpatriotic role being played by the disgruntled labour leaders and their external collaborators will not proffer solution to the dilapidated state of infrastructure, poor performance of students in public examinations, low morale of teachers and unconducive teaching-learning environment.

"Government will like to remind them that the era of brigandage and wanton destruction of public property has become history in the state and we will resist any attempt by any person or group, no matter their status, to draw us back into the dark era.

"Meanwhile, the forceful co-option of innocent school children to partake in todays baseless streets protest anchored on outright falsehood and rumour is rather unwarranted, shameless and evil.

"We want to use this medium to again advise parents to warn their children and wards not to allow themselves to be used for any unlawful gathering or protest, because law enforcement agents have been placed on red alert to disperse any unlawful assembly.

"Workers who have been directed to embark on strike over a matter that is still in the conception stage should have a rethink and report at their duty posts, while the government intensifies efforts to clear arrears of salary."

The Oyo state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has come under fire for allegedly harassing and intimidating leaders of the Oyo state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
He described the directive as a calamitous mistake, which poses danger and irreversible adverse effect on quality of education in Nigeria."

Babalola also expressed his concern that this decision was taken without considering how the concept of the post-UTME came into being.

He explained that the concept of the Post-UTME test came into being in 2003 when it was discovered that many of the students admitted into Nigerian universities through JAMB were not only academically deficient, but couldnt justify the high marks they scored at JAMB examinations.

He spoke of cases where JAMB examination papers were being openly sold to students at examination centres while some examination centres dubbed miracle centres were openly but unofficially designed to guarantee high marks for some candidates.

According to him, the most pathetic aspect of the saga was that it was later discovered that most of these students with such high marks were unable to cope academically upon their being admitted to the universities.

ALSO READ:

Babalola said: It was at this point of this national embarrassment that the Committee of Pro Chancellors of Nigerian Universities under my chairmanship, met in Abuja, x-rayed the cankerworm and recommended to former President Olusegun Obasanjo that JAMB should be scrapped because the integrity of its examinations has been called to question.

The Post-UTME had proved to be a veritable quality control measure, which I believed had been working and working well. For example, the first Post-UTME we conducted at the University of Lagos, where I was then the pro chancellor and chairman of council, yielded positive dividends.

"As a result of the introduction of the Post-UTME, the quantum of students who were asked to withdraw because they could neither defend the high marks they are parading nor cope academically upon admission, dropped considerably.
The Student Union Government of the institution gave the directive for students to boycott lectures and other academic activities.

The protest, which began on Monday, June 6, is coming as the students prepares for the 2015/2016 second semester academic session examinations.

According to Leadership, the lecture halls on campus were locked at around 6:00am with the signs: "SUG UNEC, No Light, No Lectures, Keep Off!!!" on the doors.

ALSO READ:

On Sunday, June 5, the student union president, Emmanuel Ebuka Nwankwo had urged students to comply with the directive to draw managements attention to their plight.

Nwankwo said the outcome of the meeting between the the executive council, speaker and principal officers of the House of Representatives, the principal officers of the Senate, the DSP, the chief judge and all the judges, all faculty and departmental presidents, fellowship presidents, hall governors, class representative and indeed all the student stakeholders has led us to arrive at the conclusion that it is time to revive the aluta spirit.

He lamented that the union was tired of managements nonchalant attitude to the issue even after several dialogues.

With exams drawing closer and the seeming continuing non-chalance of the university management the SUG in collaboration with university stakeholders is declaring a one week sit at home protest, Nwankwo said in the statement.

ALSO READ:

According him, We have been quiet for far too long. It is time we take our fate into our hands. There would be no lectures, no exams, no posting, nothing until we get power.
Adeeb, 34, once seen as the successor to President Abdulla Yameen, was arrested on Oct. 24 in a probe into an explosion on Yameen's speedboat and was accused of possessing firearms.

Parliament impeached Adeeb on Nov. 5 over his alleged role in the explosion.

Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges after a trial in 2015 that was widely denounced as politically motivated.

He was given permission to travel to Britain for medical treatment and was last month granted refugee status by the British authorities.

A broad crackdown against political dissent belies the popular image of the Maldives, an island chain with a population of 400,000, as a holiday paradise, with radicalised youth enlisting in significant numbers to fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Moosa Siraj, Adeeb's lawyer, said his sentence was based on three witnesses who said his client possessed two firearms.

"It was not a fair trial. Adeeb did not get a chance to speak and explain his side," Siraj told Reuters.

Government officials were not immediately available for comments.

The newly formed Maldives United Opposition said the process was flawed.
Two attackers opened fire at an appeals court in Pul-e Alam in Logar province, just south of the Afghan capital city of Kabul, according to the province's deputy police chief Nesar Ahmad Abdul Rahimzai.

The gunmen injured at least 19 other people before being killed by security forces, he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying it was in response to the government's execution of six Taliban prisoners in early May.
Hadi al-Amiri's comments, in an interview with Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday, make him the second Shi'ite militia leader to voice dismay at efforts launched on May 23 by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to dislodge the ultra-hardline Sunni militants from Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of the Iraqi capital.

"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, the leader of the Badr Organisation, the largest component of the Popular Mobilization, a coalition of Shi'ite militias that came together two years ago to fight Islamic State with support from Iran.

On Friday, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Talabawi, said the operations had come to a near standstill and asked Abadi to order the resumption of attacks.

Abadi said on June 1 the army had slowed its offensive over fears for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city with limited access to water, food and healthcare.

But Amiri accused the authorities of moving military assets away from Falluja, to the frontlines of Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital in northern Iraq.

Several calls to the Iraqi military spokesman since Sunday evening went unanswered. A government spokesman declined to comment. Under the Iraqi Constitution, Abadi is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

"I believe that sending a large part of armoured vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of Mosuls battle, is a betrayal to the battle of Falluja," Amiri said, referring to a region in northern Iraq.

"Today the military planning and American pressure are aiming to have this major operation conducted in parallel with the operation of liberating Mosul.

"We say to them, 'Whether you helped us or not, we will win the battle of Falluja,'" he added. A spokesman of the U.S.-led coalition did not reply to an email seeking comment and could not be reached by telephone. The coalition said two weeks ago it was providing air support to Iraqi government forces only.

Abadi ordered the offensive on Falluja after a series of bombings claimed by Islamic State hit Shi'ite districts of Baghdad, causing the worst death toll this year.

Falluja would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after former dictator Saddam Hussein's home town Tikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western province of Anbar.
Explosions at the army camp at Salawa, 33 km (20 miles) east of the capital Colombo, continued for more than five hours and were heard more than 12 km away, local residents said.

Local television stations showed rocket propelled grenade (RPG) shells and shrapnel that had landed in the middle of a road.

"The fire started in a small arms store and spread. There were heavy weapons such as artillery shells stored in the proximity but the damage is still unknown," Sagala Ratnayake, minister of law and order, told media.

One soldier was killed and one injured in the blasts, an army spokesman said.

Sources from two nearby hospitals said at least five people were being treated for injuries. The soldier died on admission due to loss of blood, they said.

Pradeep Koddipily, spokesman for Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre, said residents living in a 5 km radius had been asked to evacuate immediately. Thousands of people have already been evacuated fearing explosions.

Rohitha Fernando, chief operating officer at Colombo Fire Brigade, said firefighters could not reach the site due to the intensity of the explosions.

"None of the trucks has entered the camp as it's not safe to go inside. We have not handled this magnitude of armoury fire," he told Reuters.

Since the end of a 26-year war against Tamil separatist guerrillas seven years ago, Sri Lanka's military has stored its weapons in a few armouries around the country. Army spokesman Jayanath Jayaweera said the Salawa armoury was one of the largest in the island nation.
A presidential decree carried on Angolan state media last week said Isabel dos Santos, ranked as Africa's richest woman by Forbes, would become chief executive after the firing of Sonangol's board.

"The government has acted. It is clear the direction they want to go. I am always optimistic. I certainly support the direction Sonangol is taking," John Baltz said at a conference of the U.S. Angola Chamber of Commerce when asked for comment.

Angola, currently Africa's top oil producer because of supply outages caused by militant attacks in Nigeria's Niger Delta, said in April it would restructure Sonangol to increase efficiency and profitability.

Analysts were divided about the merit of Isabel dos Santos' appointment last Friday, with some noting that, while she was not necessarily an energy expert, she had a track record of getting deals done.
Less than a week after announcing plans to close its Quad-Cities Generating Station and Clinton Power Plant, Exelon Corp. already is asking workers about their future employment plans.

Management at the two Illinois nuclear plants began holding one-on-one meetings Monday with all the plant's employees to discuss their career aspirations for after the plants close. Last week, Exelon said it will close the Cordova plant in 2018, one year after it will close the Clinton, Ill., plant.

"We certainly want the legislation to pass," Bill Stoermer, spokesman for the Cordova nuclear plant, said Monday in reference to the Next Generation Energy Plan. The Illinois Legislature failed to approve the proposed bill before ending its regular spring session a week ago. "But we want to understand where people want to go, where would they like to be placed. Do they want to make a career change?"

He said supervisors will meet with every employee in their direct report "to find out do they want a different job, a different plant, a different geography after the plants close. This will set the stage for what do we need to do to get them there."

According to Stoermer, some employees may need additional training in order to advance to a new position. Others may be interested in relocating.

"We are not in any hurry to rush them out, but we want to know what they want to do, so as opportunities open up at other facilities, they can be released to go there," Stoermer said.

In addition to individual meetings, Exelon will offer transition and change seminars for employees. The company's Management Organizational Development specialists will offer six group seminars this week, covering all the work shifts. The unit traditionally works with employees on career paths.

Likewise, plant supervisors will attend managing transition and change seminars to get advice on how to help their workers get through the changes.

"We have said we want to ensure every employee has an opportunity at Exelon if they so choose it," Stoermer said. Across the company's fleet, every job opening is being looked at to determine "if there is someone we can release (for a transfer), so we can hire internally rather than hiring externally."

In fact, the company has imposed a hiring freeze to ensure there are job openings for the displaced workers. Exelon has a combined 1,500 Exelon workers at the two plants, including 800 at the Quad-Cities plant.

Stoermer said the Quad-Cities plant will need to remain at nearly full staff until the planned closing on June 1, 2018.

"Our focus today and everyday is the safe and reliable operation of this plant, and until we shut it off, we need all our employees focused on the plant," he said.

He estimated the local plant's workforce would drop in half to about 400 after the 2018 closing. But workers still would be needed to unload nuclear fuel from the reactor, prepare the plant for dismantlement as well as provide ongoing security.

"When we shut down in 2018, over the next 18 months, the staff will go down to 200 until the plant is decommissioned," he said, adding those who remain will include fuel handlers, other operators and security.

While the plant will release some employees as jobs become available, he said enough must stay on to safely run the plant until the closing.

"If a job opened tomorrow (at another plant) and we can allow that person to be released from Quad-Cities, we would do that," he said. "We'll look at each of those jobs individually."

He estimated that the fleet of Exelon plants each hire 60 to 100 employees annually because of normal attrition.
"Thank you for this question. We deployed a traffic technician as soon as we received this request and the issue has been resolved. Vehicles were not being detected there because the video detection interface card needed to be reset. The problem could have been caused by either a power interruption or a spike in power. Many times, issues such as this go unreported because a citizen may not pass by more than once and assume it is a traffic accident or another isolated problem instead of a traffic light concern. We would like to encourage all citizens that see any critical issue to call Public Works; this is the fastest way for the City to respond. The Public Works number is 563-326-7923."
When Eastern Iowa Community Colleges announced plans in August 2014 to construct an urban campus in downtown Davenport, Restoration St. Louis was identified as the developer and hopes were that classrooms could open as early as this fall.

The campus is pegged for the 3rd Street block between Brady and Main streets, north of the City Square redevelopment under way by Restoration St. Louis, using two former financial buildings on either corner, with a connector building in between.

Almost two years later, the $28 million project is still very much alive but has been delayed.

And it is no longer a given that Restoration St. Louis, owned by Amrit and Amy Gill, the forces behind the renovation of the Hotel Blackhawk, the Forrest Block and the Renwick Building, in addition to City Square, will be the developer.

Although information on the colleges' website states that the company "will be the full service developer for the project," a letter of intent between the two has expired, and a contract with a developer won't be executed until later this year, Eastern Iowa Chancellor Don Doucette said.

In the months since the project's announcement, the nine-member Eastern Iowa board of trustees and Doucette concluded that financing for the project would be more favorable if the college district  not Restoration St. Louis  owned the former First Federal Savings and Loan, sometimes known as the Social Security building because the agency was housed there for many years, and First Midwest Bank.

Ownership would provide "a better way to finance the overall package," Robert Gallagher Sr., board president, said in an interview. "You don't pay extra expenses with owning the building."

The decision reached by a unanimous vote of the trustees in December required a six-month period of due diligence.

Those reports, dealing with proposed financing, the feasibility of that financing and the how the project would be structured legally, were presented to the board last week in a 2-hour working session. All were all on the positive side.

The Urban Campus timeline at present is to close on financing by Aug. 31 and to begin construction in September with opening of classrooms a year later, Doucette said.

Although the district really wants the 2017 opening, it may consider a delay if that would mean more favorable financing, Doucette said.

Reports come in positive

The financing package was presented to the trustees by Sam Estep, a former senior vice president of development for Restoration St. Louis who worked on the project for that company.

He left to start his own firm and was hired by the district as an independent, third-party consultant to do the project's financial due diligence. Restoration St. Louis wasn't asked because, being party to the sales/purchase contract, it is not a third party, Doucette said.

Dick Davidson of the Davenport law firm of Lane & Waterman and Terry Kilburg, a certified public accountant with his own consulting firm and former chief financial officer for Von Maur, delivered assessments of the legal and financial feasibility of the project, respectively.

Several times during the discussion, Davidson said the Urban Campus project would operate under the same model as was used for the recent restoration of the Adler Theatre, Davenport.

"It's the exact same model as the Adler," he said.

With the Adler, the city of Davenport turned the theater over to a nonprofit group that then created various subsidiaries, including a for-profit entity, that processed the historic and New Market tax credits used in financing. When finished, the theater was sold back to the city and the various subsidiaries were folded.

With the Urban Campus, the buildings would be conferred to a nonprofit foundation that would create various subsidiaries, including a for-profit limited liability company, to process the credits. A for-profit is required because tax credits are awarded only to entities that pay taxes. When the tax credits expire, the campus would be sold back to the college (for the amount of the remaining debt) and the subsidiaries would be "unwound," Davidson said.

The only risk would be if the college did not finish the project or failed to operate the campus for at least seven years, Davidson said.

Financing: Banks are in

The project anticipates receiving $2.5 million in federal historic tax credits and $3.3 million of state historic tax credits, Estep said. Combined, this accounts for 45 percent of the project's qualified reimbursable expenses, or the "hard" costs of construction, not the "soft costs" of developer, legal or architect fees, he said.

The construction cost estimates, which came in under budget, were from Estes Construction, Davenport, Estep said.

The project qualifies for state historic credits because the First Federal building has been designated a local landmark by the city of Davenport.

"No matter what, we will get state credits," Estep said, although he added that approval may not come until after Jan. 1.

The project would qualify for federal credits if First Federal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a nomination seeking that status has been filed. Estep said he is confident of approval.

Also requested will be $4 million in New Market tax credits, available under a federal program to help economically distressed communities attract private investment capital by providing investors with a federal tax credit. Investments are to breathe new life into neglected, under-served communities.

Again, Estep is confident. The Urban Campus project meets all the aims of the program, including jobs and education, and the area is in a "severely distressed Census tract," which is another factor considered in scoring projects for approval, he said.

"Our project is what this program is all about," he told the trustees.

Overall, the only question is the timing of the New Market credits, a factor that could move a decision on the project back to October or November, Doucette said. That would mean the district "likely would not be able to move into the new campus until spring 2018," he said.

Securing a permanent loan of $6.5 million should be no problem, Estep said. The project already has commitments from four banks, including three in Iowa, competing to be the lender. The loan would be secured by the college's 20-year lease of the buildings. The lease will range from $650,000 to $1.3 million, depending on the lender that is chosen, Doucette said. The debt service would be paid from cost savings in the new efficiencies and from the lease, estimated at $250,000 annually, from its second floor center in the Ground Transportation Center.

The $8.2 million is the total investment of the college and foundation, including buildings.

Finally, the district already has raised $3.5 million of a $5 million capital campaign, securing commitments from the Harold R. Bechtel Charitable, John Deere, Roy J. Carver, Hubbell Waterman, Alcoa and Bob and Blenda Ontiveros trusts/foundations and the Scott County Regional Authority and the Riverboat Development Authority, now called the Regional Development Authority.

At one point, the colleges considered issuing general obligation bonds as a source of financing, but that is no longer the case.

Do the numbers work?

Kilburg, hired to crunch the numbers, began his presentation by saying, "I think this is a good project."

He examined the financial feasibility of the Urban Campus separate from any future project regarding the Kahl Building, now home to Eastern Iowa downtown classrooms, and found it doable.

When the Urban Campus project was first announced two years ago, renovation of the Kahl into 80 apartments and refurbishment of the Capitol Theatre was described as Phase II of an overall project.

Restoration St. Louis was described as the would-be developer and revenue from the apartments was going to be used to meet the majority of the annual debt service.

But now, it appears that rents are not necessary.

"You could do the Urban Campus and decide not to do the Kahl and the Urban Campus would be fine," Kilburg said. "You could sell the Kahl."

His main concern about the Urban Campus is that the college needs a tax increment financing district for the campus from the city of Davenport. If a district is not created, the district's for-profit subsidiary set up to receive tax credits would be liable for taxes on the $20 million in improvements.

"The taxes could potentially be $900,000, a high-risk obligation because it (the project) is being done not by the college (tax-exempt) but by a for-profit entity," Kilburg said. "You have to get this exemption from the city of Davenport."

Davidson commented, "I can't imagine in my wildest dreams that we wouldn't get a TIF from the city."

The developer question

Board members are scheduled to consider a purchase agreement for $3.2 million on June 20. The money would come from reserves in the colleges' capital improvement budget, Doucette said.

The price represents the amount Restoration St. Louis invested in the properties  $2,559,415 for purchase and $670,505 for development work, including architectural services, legal services, facilities repairs, environmental mitigation, financing and carrying costs for the properties, he said.

The "impetus for the district to purchase the two bank buildings was to improve the financial feasibility of the project and to solve a structural problem in the use of funds  (it) was never about changing developers, as we were never dissatisfied with the relationship, nor had EICC and RSL (Restoration St. Louis) ever entered into a development contract," Doucette wrote in an email.

The Times could not reach Amy Gill for comment last week, although she said in a March 30 email that she didn't think "much had changed" about the Urban Campus project.

"RSL and EICC have been partners in the development of the SCC Urban Campus since its conceptualization, when RSL proposed the project to solve an EICC need," she wrote. "We think this is a huge project for Davenport and support it whole-heartedly."
A bar and grill is being considered for a Davenport-owned marina where a former operator had skipped out owing the city $18,000 in rent.

On Wednesday, the Davenport Levee Improvement Commission will hear a proposal from Gerald and Troy Welvaert of Riverdale, who intend to reopen the marina at 935 E. River Drive and build an additional structure to accommodate the bar and grill at their expense.

Levee Improvement Commission director Steve Ahrens said Monday that commissioners will "consider a non-binding intent to lease letter, which would direct staff to begin an extensive due diligence process, ultimately culminating with consideration and approval of a lease agreement."

A draft of the letter from Mel Foster Co. Commercial Real Estate Services was filed with the agenda for the Levee Improvement Commission's 2 p.m. Wednesday meeting in City Hall.

According to the letter, the Welvaerts are requesting to rent the 4,522 square feet of existing buildings and 114,060 square feet of land for $2,500 per month beginning in September. The term of the agreement will be for three years, and the tenants want to have the option to renew the lease agreement for 10 additional three-year periods.

The tenants will use the space as a "dry stack" marina with fuel and will seek a liquor license for the future bar and grill, the letter states.

The tenants will pay all building operating expenses, including real estate taxes, building insurance, general maintenance, utilities, trash and snow removal and lawn care. A security deposit equal to the first month's base and first month's rent will be delivered to the city at the start of the lease, the letter states.

The Welvaerts could not be reached for comment.

Thomas Jacobson, who has paid the city $500 a month to lease the property on a temporary basis since the fall, heard a deal was in the works. He said he has been caretaker of the property, keeping up with maintenance and keeping away "vandals" if need be.

"If they want me, I offered to help out as a retired person, but not necessarily full time," Jacobson said. "If I could stay on site, it would be an advantage having somebody on the property."

Jacobson said he has been told to vacate the property and have his belongings removed by July 1. July 1 is when the new lease with the Welvaerts is supposed to be executed, the letter states.

Jacobson, a longtime member of the Lake Davenport Sailing Club and a sailing instructor, stepped in to occupy the property two months after Tom Wakeen skipped out, owing the city $18,000.

Wakeen had operated Top Shelf Marine and Repair at the site for 15 years and was paying $2,000 a month before he got behind. He attended a Levee Improvement Commission meeting last summer, promising to pay "every penny" he owes.

As of last year, Top Shelf was one of 19 businesses that leased riverfront land from the city. The Levee Improvement Commission has control of the funds that are generated from rents and uses the money to supervise improvements along the waterfront. Most of the commission's $300,000 annual budget is funded by the rents.

Commissioners have said their budget has taken a hit because of the missing rent money from Wakeen.

Ahrens said Monday that he has not heard from Davenport legal staff if their efforts in locating Wakeen have been successful. City Attorney Tom Warner could not be reached for comment.
Tuesday, voters in six states will cast ballots in presidential contests across the country, effectively drawing to a close one of the most rollicking primary cycles in history.

Most of the nation will be watching to see how states such as California and New Jersey vote.

As for the state that started it all  Iowa  well, it, too, holds a primary Tuesday.

Only relatively few people outside the state will care about the result. And relatively few voters in the state will actually vote.

In fact, if recent history holds, only about 1 in 14 registered Scott County voters will go to the polls Tuesday.

"My expectation is for a 6 to 9 percent turnout," Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz said Monday.

The upper end of that scale would be a good year. Two years ago, even with a competitive Republican U.S. Senate primary, only 6.6 percent of registered voters turned out to vote in Scott County

Two years earlier, it was barely better, at 7.4 percent. Absentee ballots are running about even with what they were two years ago, Moritz said.

This year, the marquee race is another U.S. Senate primary, a four-way race to see which Democrat will square off against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

In addition, there are contests for the Scott County board and county sheriff. Each boasts a sizable field.

Thirteen people  seven Republicans and six Democrats  are on the ballot for the two seats up for grabs on the Scott County Board of Supervisors. The parties will select two candidates each to move on to the fall election.

Meanwhile, there are five candidates  three Republicans and two Democrats  seeking their party's nomination to run for sheriff in November.

Low primary turnouts aren't terribly surprising. A big chunk of Iowa's voting public isn't registered with either party and generally isn't interested in signing up to take part in a primary. And when there isn't a presidential race on the ballot (Iowa had its shot at that during the Feb. 1 caucuses), many who are registered Republicans and Democrats tend not to bother, either.

That leaves local races suffering for attention.

"They tend to be low information races," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

Voters who do show up will have plenty of time to cast ballots. Polls open in the county's 63 precincts at 7 a.m. and stay open until 9 p.m.

Local party leaders say they see pockets of interest. Thom Hart, chair of the Scott County Democrats, said he sees interest in the local and Senate races and thinks turnout could be higher than normal.

Scott County Republican Chair Judy Davidson said Republican activists she talks with will go to the polls. She was less sure about the wider circle of voters.

In fact, the unknown that Davidson may be most concerned about  as will many of the supervisor and sheriff's candidates  is whether the candidates meet the minimum threshold to win the nomination outright.

Iowa law requires a candidate to get at least 35 percent of the primary vote to move on to the general election. If that number isn't reached, then a county convention is called to pick a nominee.

The conventions are made up of delegates picked at the Feb. 1 caucuses. Local party leaders have said they are prepared for the possibility, although they would prefer the selection be made on Primary Day.

Davidson said the candidates on the GOP ticket are working hard to turn out their supporters in the hopes of avoiding a convention.

"They don't want to have that convention as much as I dont," she said.
DAVENPORT  Mary J. Jefferson, 95, a resident of Senior Star in Davenport, died Saturday, June 4, 2016, at Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport. Funeral services in celebration of her life will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island.

Memorials may be made to the Disabled American Veterans.

Mary was born in 1921 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a daughter of Salvatore and Jospehine Ruseitti. She was united in marriage to Raymond Jefferson in Milwaukee on Aug. 10, 1946. They moved to Bettendorf in 1953.

She was the first female computer operator on the Rock Island Arsenal where she later became a supervisor in the computer room, retiring in 1983.

Mary was an avid bingo and card player and enjoyed the penny slot machines on the riverboat whenever possible. She gave up driving her car about 15 years ago, which saved many light poles and mailboxes. While she enjoyed many things in her life, time spent with her family was certainly the most important and cherished.

She is lovingly remembered by her son and daughter-in- law, Tom and Lou Jefferson of Blue Grass; her granddaughters, Cindy (John) Woodford of Moline, Jennifer (Mike) Butler of Coal Valley; and five great-grandchildren, Tyler (Darla) Ryckeghem, Nick Ryckeghem, Emily Woodford, Michael Butler and Samuel Butler. She was eagerly awaiting the birth of her first great-great-grandchild, due in September. Her sister, Flora Magestro of Milwaukee, also survives.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond, in 1986 and several brothers and sisters.

Remembrances and condolences may be expressed to Marys family by visiting her obituary at www.WeertsFH.com.
LECLAIRE  William F. Paxston, 80, a resident of LeClaire, died peacefully at his home on June 4, 2016. Funeral services will be held at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, at 10 a.m. Visitation will be held Tuesday, June 7 from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery in LeClaire following the service. Memorials in Bills name may be made to Genesis Hospice.

Bill was born Aug. 10, 1935, in Centerville, Iowa, the son of Versal and Dessie (Roe) Paxston. He was united in marriage to Judith A. Thornton in LeClaire on Oct. 20, 1956. They were blessed with three sons. She preceded him in death in 2012.

Bill worked for the Alcoa Company, retiring as a Unit Supervisor in 1993 after 30 years of employment. He enjoyed his time camping, especially in Brownsville, Texas, woodworking, and fishing. He was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and a hard worker who got a bit stubborn at times. One of his greatest joys was telling old Indian stories and making everyone he met laugh.

Those left to honor his memory include his sons, Jeffrey (Nancy) of Atkinson, Illinois, Timothy (Becky), and Brian of LeClaire; grandchildren, Nathan, Jason, Julie, Sara, Jeremy, Auston, Shaine, Dakota, Samantha, Colton, Savanna, and Hope; 10 great-grandchildren; brothers-in-law, Tony Thornton of Princeton, Ed Stineman of Rock Island, and Jim Collier of LeClaire; sister-in-law, Joan Taber of LeClaire; and many friends.

In addition to his wife, Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Norma Stineman, Joanne Beatle, and Colleen Collier.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Bills obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.
A good Thursday to all. Another very warm day is on tap for the Quad-Cities. And no doubt, the bugs will be out in full force as they have bee
She sat at the kitchen table the other day, looking at an album. He peered over her shoulder and held her hand as she stared at a photograph.

That photograph.

In it, she is the happy, young and beautiful bride. He is the serious, skinny groom, looking stunned, like some hoofed forest creature staring helplessly into oncoming lights.

"You're so serious," she laughed. "You're so scared."

"Overwhelmed," he said.

Overwhelmed that this beautiful Sicilian girl with the big brown eyes and the angel's heart would love him and promise to grow old with him.

A few hours before that photograph was taken, they'd been in a Greek Orthodox church, with the ancient crowns on their heads, the priest chanting, as they took their first steps together as man and wife.

Then on to the banquet hall in Bridgeview. They danced to Sinatra and cut the cake. It wasn't a fancy downtown hotel, but the food was nicer and the bar would stay open almost until dawn, with no hotel boss pushing them to leave early.

All those who mattered to them were there. All the family, all the cousins, all the friends, a big fat Greek-Italian wedding, everyone dancing in circles, kids and old people, the mountain clarinets pounding, the groomsmen straight-backed in the warrior dance of the Peloponnesus, then downing shots of ouzo.

The grandmothers at the sweets table, the uncles talking business at the bar, those young girls in their new dresses staring awkwardly at boys in new suits, the courting rituals beginning anew.

It was a great wedding.

And it only took him a day to ruin the honeymoon.

Why didn't he think he needed sunscreen on the backs of his legs while snorkeling under the hot Caribbean sun?

Because he was a moron, that's why.

"You're going to need this," she said. "Put some on."

But morons don't heed advice. And that night, his legs blistered. Think of a bowlegged lobster that can't move.

"Why didn't you use sunscreen!" she said.

"I DON'T KNOW," he said.

He hobbled outside and spied a native plant and calmly explained -- in the rational voice of morons everywhere -- that he had things under control.

He pointed to a thorny desert plant.

"That's aloe," he said. "I'm just going to cut some and you'll put it on me and I'll be good."

He peeled the plant to reveal the white, pulpy, healing goodness inside. Then he asked his young wife to rub the aloe pulp behind his knees where the blisters had popped.

His screams were bad. Worse was the whining that came after.

"What happened to the man I married?" asked the bride as she applied more aloe. "Honey, please don't be such a big baby."

She began to cry and he became angry and at least one of them -- perhaps both -- figured this marriage thing was going to crash and burn.

The next morning his legs were worse. Again he told her to put on the aloe.

"Aieeeee," he screamed.

She left the room, crying again. Later she returned, not with a divorce lawyer but a hotel clerk.

"He said this is aloe," explained the bride.

"That's not aloe," said the clerk, laughing. "It's cactus."

She gave her husband a tiny smack on the back of his head.

"Ouch, honey," he said.

The clerk walked outside their door, reached down, cut some aloe, peeled it, put it on a silver platter (yeah, really) and brought it to them.

"Ahhh," said the husband. THAT'S aloe.

So what if the clerk snickered? He didn't care. His legs were fine. The marriage was saved.

When they returned home, many were ready with advice to help them stay married. And there was an advice industry full of media experts. Much of it came in the form of rules.

Some said to him: You must go to Vegas with the boys. Others said to her: Go to Vegas with the girls. It wasn't always Vegas. Vegas was just an idea, the idea that they'd need some time apart.

But they wanted to be together. And together they waited for the children. Yet that took years and years and years.

Get a dog, some said.

"No dog yet," she said.

That was the most difficult time, the waiting. And the long nights and those long talks until dawn. But finally, another blessing, and the children were born.

And through all these years, they learned something about marriage. Not that they're experts or anything, but they learned a little bit.

What hurts marriage are the betrayals. Not the great dramatic betrayals you hear about after a divorce, but the small betrayals you never hear about, the ones that grow out of selfishness, or fear.

We all make mistakes. But consideration for each other stops the small betrayals from growing into something more. As does kindness, and love of course, and patience and luck. And above all, God, in a family's life.

My wife and I stared at that young couple in the photograph for a long time.

Betty is still that beautiful. I'm no longer that skinny.

We know how lucky we've been, how blessed, and we remind ourselves constantly of this. I love her. She loves me. It's been a great 30 years.
DES MOINES  Chanting protesters gathered at the state Capitol grounds Monday to oppose plans to begin construction of an underground oil pipeline through Iowa, pledging to risk arrest in nonviolent acts of civil disobedience if need be to block a project they say poses environmental dangers.

"We are here today to vow that oil will never flow through this pipeline," said Adam Mason of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, or CCI, one of the organizers of a "broken heartland" rally. Protesters predicted a summer of resistance that would include chaining themselves to construction equipment, laying in the paths of bulldozers or other acts of defiance after a state board decision Monday to allow building to proceed along parts of the proposed route not currently in dispute.

"We're going to use every tactic we can to stop it," he said. "Iowans are mad about this, and they're willing to take action."

Dozens of pipeline opponents waved placards and chanted slogans such as "No oil in our soil" and "We're talkin' no Bakken." They're fighting Texas-based Dakota Access' plan to build an interstate crude oil pipeline along a 1,168-mile path from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields, through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution hub in Illinois. Dakota Access officials plan to complete the $3.8 billion pipeline by the end of the year.

"We are here to say no. We will not stop resisting," said Peter Clay, who expressed concern to a crowd that unfurled a broken heartland quilt across a concrete map of Iowa west of the state Capitol that "our elected officials have secretly agreed to this." He said legal tactics do not make actions lawful or right.

Rally attendees responded with chants of "Can't you hear the people talkin'? We don't want your dirty Bakken." They're hoping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refuses to grant river crossings for the pipeline. There also are pending lawsuits seek to block construction by challenging the company's use of eminent domain to acquire easements from resisting landowners or erecting other legal hurdles.

Although a divided Iowa Utilities Board voted 2-1 to allow construction to begin in areas where Iowa landowners have signed voluntary easements, Mason said "this is not a done deal by any means. There are five pending lawsuits against the IUB questioning whether or not they have authority to grant eminent domain for those landowners that are still holding out."

Former state Rep. Ed Fallon, a Des Moines Democrat with Bold Iowa who once ran for governor, said he would be willing to risk arrest to block the pipeline from going forward, and he expected others who were signing nonviolent civil disobedience pledges to take similar stands.

"I've never met so many people who have never even been to jail for a speeding ticket or anything else who are ready to stand in front of a bulldozer if it comes to that," Fallon said. "It may not come to that, but if a thousand people say, 'Yeah, we're willing to go to jail if we have to to stop this, to protect our land, our water, our property rights,' if 1,000 people do that, that sends a huge message to Dakota Access and to the political establishment of this state."
Mike Judge has never been one for sentimentality, exactly, but his works have all had key moments stressing the importance of friendship. Peter from "Office Space" had Michael and Samir, Hank Hill had his family and the neighborhood dudes, even Beavis had Butt-Head to snicker at MTV videos with. His celebration of individualism also recognizes its limits (and idiocies) and sees how someone else being there makes things...well, maybe not easier, but at least a lot more interesting. That's central in "To Build a Better Beta," last night's terrific episode of "Silicon Valley," in which several of the least warm-and-fuzzy characters get a moment to see what they have, even if they reject it.

It starts, hilariously, with the choice to send the beta version of Pied Piper to a select handful of friends, with Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) disclosing that, by choice, he doesn't have any friends and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) discovering, after mocking his co-worker and bitter rival, that he doesn't really have any friends, either. Richard (Thomas Middleditch) is initially reluctant, answering Jared's (Zach Woods) opinion that they'll have released too late if they're not mortally embarrassed by the beta version with "I am mortally embarrassed." The team does send it out to glowing reception from everyone but Monica (Amanda Crew), who avoids saying anything about it all while Dinesh sends a code to Richard's friend...actually Gavin (Matt Ross) and his new security guy posing as Richard's old pal and trying to get a look at what Pied Piper has cooked up. Erlich (T.J. Miller), meanwhile, has bankrupted Bachmanity and Bighead (Josh Brener), and sees a possible way out of responsibility for paying people they owe when Jared notices that Bighead's business manager ripped them off.

Gilfoyle's admission that he doesn't have friends isn't terribly shocking, nor is his attempt to then shove it in Dinesh's face when he makes a new friend (even hugging him at the door!) in a day. Gilfoyle only ever seems truly happy when Dinesh is miserable, either when he realizes he'll have to keep making fun of his dumb gold chain or, in this case, as he shoots a joyful look over his new pal's shoulder as Dinesh struggles to think of one close friend, pathetically telling Richard that he can "squeeze in" a few of his boss' friends onto his ten-person list of beta testers. Richard lets the positive feedback from those testers get to his head, leaning back in his chair arrogantly (c'mon, man, don't you remember how you fell out of it a few episodes ago?) as Monica walks in to tell him not to let feedback "get to your head" ("go to my head," he corrects). For someone who worries as much as he does, he sure does let his perceived successes spackle over his insecurities without much thought, and without noticing his friend's crossed arms or halting body language as she lies, claiming she hasn't tried the beta yet.

Erlich, meanwhile, is at least pretending to be a good friend to Bighead (the guy he once called "more useless than a bag of d---- without a handle," as we're reminded in the Previously On montage), taking his usual bravado to meetings and pushing to get the money he thinks they deserve back. It's funny watching Miller and Brener play off of each other, one leaning back while he shouts baseless threats, the other leaning forward as he apologizes for asking for the money that was stolen from him, then apologizes to the former after he yells at him for apologizing. The two take it to the DA, but she's uninterested, pointing out that they could pay back all of the money they owe if Erlich sells his shares in Pied Piper, the potential billion-dollar company that he's been with from the beginning. Fat chance, even if she's threatening to expose him as an entitled white boy who doesn't pay the people he owes (caterers, people who rented Alcatraz to him, a tiki-head owner whose head is not lost, Erlich stresses, but at the bottom of the bay, and why isn't he Coast Guard helping find it?).

Dinesh is exposed quickly, but it does at least it does lead to the discovery of Gavin, who's spying on them and on his own employees, reading their emails illegally on his personal computer (justifying it by saying that the employees broke the spirit of trust by not telling him Pied Piper was in beta..."It makes you wonder if the word 'Hooli' has any meaning for these people whatsoever"). As Gavin arrogantly tells his workers that "Here at Hooli we make the impossible possible" when they tell him they can't rebuild their platform and beat Pied Piper to market, he finds a problem with Pied Piper...or rather, his version. Gilfoyle drops a zip bomb (complete with "s--- emojis") that infects his personal computer and phone, causing him to panic that it could get in all of Hooli's computers (through his spying on their emails, I presume?) and shuts down everything. His engineers quit, pointing out that they were the same people he fired weeks ago and that he didn't notice. "I invited you to my wedding," one notes. "Why?!"

The IP check also reveals that Monica lied, pushing Richard to track her down at a hookah bar (she starts coughing up a storm when he bursts in on her) and tell her that he can handle one negative review. "I don't like it," she says, to his immediate objection and arrogant head-shaking. If there's a problem I have with the scene, it's that Monica immediately concludes that she's wrong (she turned down Slack in the past) and soothes Richard's ego, something that the show uses her to do too often. Her quote of Peter Gregory to "invest in people" instead of products, followed by her admission that "I invested in you," doesn't mean as much if she's rarely used as much more than a way to remind Richard that he shouldn't worry, he's actually great.

It's certainly less moving than the gesture of friendship that comes from a much less likely source: Erlich, who does the single most selfless thing he's done on the show (if not in his whole life) after he watches Bighead take the only thing he was able to keep from his house (two cannonballs) into his friend's place, dragging them pathetically against the lawn as the former millionaire goes to sleep on a couch. Erlich has never been one for sympathy, but between Bighead's sweet stupidity ("You're cool with me taking both cannonballs? Thanks partner") and his refusal to blame his very bad friend for their misery, something snaps. In a move that prompts a hysterically quizzical look on Laurie's face, he sells his shares of Pied Piper, not to keep his name from being dragged by the same blog he just bought, but because he did, in one way or another, invest in Bighead. He's not just his failed "meal ticket," as Erlich whines, but a friend.

Not that "Silicon Valley" is going to go soft on us. As Pied Piper gets ready to launch, Gilfoyle talks to his server system in the garage as he shuts it down, treating it with far more warmth than he's ever shown a human. "You've served me well, old friend," he says, to Dinesh's mocking assertion that he'd rather have a bunch of fakefriends than be besties with a computer. Jared, who's witnessed a lot of trash-talk and ill will between the two, sees through it. "Can't you two see? You're each other's best friends." In unison: "F--- you, Jared" ("Jinx, you two owe each other a friendship"). Still, we're not totally without warm and fuzzies as Richard tells Erlich (without knowing he's sold his Pied Piper shares) that they've done it together and fulfilled their Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak dynamic on a revolutionary platform. The show cuts to black as they click for a launch. There's sure to be bumpy patches ahead, but for now, friendship brings as much triumph as trash talk.

Stray thoughts:

-Best bit of direction from Jamie Babbitt this week: the close-up on Jared's hand as Dinesh watches him writing down all of the friends he'll send the beta to, cut to a close-up of Dinesh phantom writing as he realizes that Jared has more friends than him. It's almost as funny as his horror last week after learning that Jared also has more sex than he does.

-That horror, of course, isn't baseless. Jared is Creepy, Part I: He doesn't want to count his chickens before they hatch "because three percent of hatchlings are born mutated or dead."

-Jared is Creepy, Part II: He recognizes the impulse to have imaginary friends because he was imaginary friends with Harriet Tubman. "We were planning an imaginary escape."

-Gilfoyle illustrates his no-friend, lack of trust in humanity worldview by concluding that people like to lie for no reason. "The history of humanity is a book written in blood. We're all just animals in a pit." Jared: "Now I feel very sad."
CHEYENNE, Wyo. | Wildlife officials hope to restore a population of black-footed ferrets to a pair of Wyoming ranches where the species was rediscovered in the wild 35 years ago.

The 35 ferrets will be among as many as 220 captive-bred ferrets released in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Kansas this year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service breeds the ferrets at a facility in northern Colorado.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department plans to release ferrets on the adjoining Pitchfork and Lazy BV ranches in western Wyoming in late July. Biologists had thought the black-footed ferret was extinct until a dog on the Lazy BV brought one home in 1981.

Scientists captured the remaining ferrets to begin a captive-breeding program that has released hundreds of ferrets into the wild since the early 1990s.
At 44, Dr. Steven Stack is the youngest president of the American Medical Association in 160 years, and he's already taking strides to improve the American health care system.

Last month, Stack published an open letter to America's physicians on the opioid crisis facing the nation. Though the epidemic gained new attention after the death of musician Prince was revealed last week as an accidental opioid overdose, it's no new fact that nearly 80 people die each day from opioid misuse and abuse.

Stack is currently traveling the nation (including an appearance in South Dakota) to promote steps physicians can take to help their patients and save lives. He spoke to the Rapid City Journal about his plan:

Why did you decide to visit South Dakota, and what do you hope to accomplish here?

As the president of the AMA, part of my role is to travel the nation to interact with physicians on the front line of caring for patients. I had the opportunity to come out here and meet with the South Dakota Medical Association, and it's been a nice visit so far. Getting out to physicians in the nation and hearing their concerns, hearing how they make sure people have better, healthier lives and finding ways to better support them in their work is helpful to me.

What prompted you to write an open letter to the medical profession, and how has it been received?

We are in the midst of a nationwide opioid epidemic that results in about 30,000 deaths per year. It's something we need to face as a nation, and by that I mean physicians, patients, policymakers, payers of health care  we all have to come together to end this epidemic. It's created by well-intended people trying to alleviate human pain and suffering and help people whose lives are impaired by pain, but opioid medications are used too commonly and it's resulted in harming people. The response has been overwhelmingly positive because physicians are deeply committed to caring for patients. Few things torment us more than finding our sincere efforts to help them have resulted in harm. We're eager to do our part, but we need insurance companies, both government and private, to treat patients suffering from dependency and pay for people with chronic pain to get physical therapy, counseling, things that help pain without the same dangers.

How big is the problem with opioid use disorder, and how is it manifesting itself?

Aside from the 30,000 people who die each year, about 2 million or so more are dependent on medications. Another statistic that the CDC often uses is that though we only have 5 percent of the world's population, we consume more than 95 percent of the most commonly prescribed opioid medication. We as a nation have overused opioids and have to bring that into better control.

How can doctors find a balance between treating patients effectively and not feeding into opioid use and addiction?

It's difficult. It's very difficult. We know which treatments work better, but physical therapy for pain costs more money and requires patients to go to treatments and therapies that often aren't covered by insurance companies very well. Patients will say that they can't afford it, that insurance won't cover it, that they don't have the time to miss work to go to sessions. Some treatments that are more effective simply are not realistically possible for many patients, so it's going to be difficult to try to find more ways to treat patients with pain. We're committed to treat patients with as much compassion as possible while also trying to protect them from the ravages of opioid dependency.

Aside from opioid use, what would you say are the three biggest issues facing doctors and the health care profession?

One would be the burden of chronic illness in the United States, things like diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, hypertension ... chronic behaviors or conditions that are affecting millions of Americans. Another is the incredible pace of change in the health care system. Private insurance, government insurance and health care systems are constantly changing. Some of it is good, but not all of it is, and it's straining the physicians' ability to spend time with patients and results in too much regulatory interference. Physician burnout is also an enormous problem, where the strain of regulatory burden and complexity of the system and limited time making connections with patients strains them. If we want healthy, happy patients, we need to have healthy, happy physicians working with them.
Unlike many Americans, Rapid City native Christopher Zimmer is tremendously excited to spend nearly a year in a country experiencing an economic meltdown.

Fortunately, the recent graduate of the University of South Dakota will have a little help, courtesy of the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

A history and political science major, Zimmer will leave for Greece in early September, where he will teach English at a high school in Athens. He said he would return to the U.S. in mid-July 2017, when his grant expires.

I am still coming to terms with it, said the 2011 graduate of Central High School. Its kind of exciting and scary all at the same time.

Zimmer is one of two USD graduates, and more than 1,900 U.S. citizens, who will teach, conduct research and provide expertise abroad for the 2016-2017 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

Having visited Greece on a four-week USD study abroad trip in 2014, Zimmer said he is keenly aware of the countrys ongoing economic issues, yet excited to return.

I absolutely fell in love with Greece, he said. I thought this was a great opportunity to go and immerse myself in the greatest geopolitical crisis that there is in our world today. Hopefully, I can make the most of my 12 months there.

Although hes still awaiting a comprehensive description of his teaching duties, the 23-year-old son of Steve and Sheri Zimmer said in addition to teaching English, he likely will be incorporating American history and political science into his instruction of students grades seven through 12. Zimmer hopes he can help educate students who one day may be charged with helping fix the economic challenges facing Greece.

Ive always wanted to be an educator, Zimmer said recently, shortly after returning to Rapid City from student teaching duties in Sioux Falls. The whole setup with the Fulbright makes me safe and sound with a steady income.

"I just hope to break out of my shell, establish relationships, get out and experience things, hear the personal stories, and make a difference.
SIOUX FALLS  Drug-related crime in Sioux Falls is on the rise and increasingly violent, according to a top local law enforcement official.

At a recent media briefing, Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead described a proliferation of drugs and violent criminals as a growing threat to his deputies and the public.

"I'm more concerned today than I've ever been in my career," Milstead later told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Milstead made the comments a day after his department apprehended a burglary suspect who was considered dangerous. It ended peacefully, but Milstead said he fears for the lives of his officers when they interact with that type of suspect.

"It could have gone a completely different way," Milstead said.

Milstead said the community is seeing more crime involving drugs and guns, and increasingly they're combined. As drug-related robberies have become more common, drug dealers and purchasers are arming themselves for protection. In one recent case, police suspect both a buyer and seller planned to rob each other during a drug deal that ended in a stabbing last month.

"It's a culture change," Milstead said. "If their fear now is that they're going to get ripped off, they're going to arm themselves."

The Sioux Falls Police Department investigated a record 2,409 narcotics cases in 2015, up from 1,897 in the previous year and a nearly 70 percent increase from the beginning of the decade.

Meanwhile, crimes involving firearms also have increased, jumping to 152 in 2015 from 99 in 2014. The trend has continued this year, with gun crime on pace to rival last year's totals.

Sioux Falls Police Chief Matt Burns said crime numbers tend to be cyclical, but as the city grows it's experiencing a concerning rise in drug-related and violent crime.

"We're seeing more narcotics cases, but we also see desensitization toward violence," Burns said. "There's always been a certain level of violence in drug culture and drug trafficking, but it's my personal observation that ... persons engaged in that are more willing to have a gun ... and not only brandish it, but also use it."

The department has reassigned officers to specific areas of town that have seen more activity, including the Pettigrew Heights and Cathedral neighborhoods and areas south of there, Burns said.

This increase in drug and gun use is not only concerning for those involved, but also for innocent bystanders or officers who may get caught in the crossfire.

Earlier this year, a string of home shootings likely tied to narcotics nearly injured an innocent man when a stray bullet grazed his head.

"We believe that every one of those instances had a nexus to drugs," Burns said.

Milstead criticized the idea that drug offenders are "low-risk" criminals. Recent criminal justice reforms in South Dakota have sought to lock up fewer nonviolent offenders.

"The reality of it is that people who are using these drugs like methamphetamine and heroin ... are dangerous," Milstead said.

Despite the increase in drug-related crime, Milstead stressed that Sioux Falls is still a lot safer than other communities of its size.

"It's a great place to live and raise your family, but there is a dark side," he said. "The first thing you've got to do to tackle a problem like this is admit that we have one."

All Saints Neighborhood Association President Katrina Lehr-McKinney said she tries to stay abreast of crime in her neighborhood, just south of downtown.

"Over the past couple of months there have been a few things that have come up ... but nothing violent or drug-related," Lehr-McKinney said. "We're hoping people are reaching out when they see something."

Milstead said he spoke to the media in part to encourage citizens to stay vigilant about crime in their area.

"If the community doesn't recognize those problems when we need their help, they're not going to report suspicious activity," Milstead said. "They're not going to report it because they're all going to think they live in Mayberry. Well, it isn't Mayberry anymore, and we need to be able to have citizens be willing to say, 'You know, I'm going to take a stand, I'm going to report suspicious activity, I'm going to use Crime Stoppers or call my local policeman.'"
WASHINGTON | Part of Bernie Sanders' charm is that for all of his arm-waving jeremiads, he appears unthreatening. He's the weird old uncle in the attic, Larry David's crazy Bernie. It's almost a matter of style. Who can be afraid of a candidate so irascible, grumpy, old-fashioned and unfashionable?

After all, he's not going to win the nomination, so what harm can he do? A major address at the party convention? A say in the vice presidential selection? And who reads party platforms anyway?

Well, platforms may not immediately affect a particular campaign. But they do express, quite literally, the party line, a written record of its ideological trajectory.

Which is why two of Sanders' appointments to the 15-member platform committee are so stunning. Professor Cornel West not only has called the Israeli prime minister a war criminal but openly supports the BDS movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions), the most important attempt in the world to ostracize and delegitimize Israel.

West is joined on the committee by the longtime pro-Palestinian activist James Zogby. Together, reported The New York Times, they "vowed to upend what they see as the party's lopsided support of Israel."

This seems a gratuitous provocation. Sanders hardly made Israel central to his campaign. He did call Israel's response in the 2014 Gaza war "disproportionate" and said "we cannot continue to be one-sided." But now Sanders seeks to permanently alter  i.e. weaken  the relationship between the Democratic Party and Israel, which has been close and supportive since Harry Truman recognized the world's only Jewish state when it declared independence in May 1948.

West doesn't even pretend, as do some left-wing "peace" groups, to be opposing Israeli policy in order to save it from itself. He makes the simpler case that occupation is unconscionable oppression and that until Israel abandons it, Israel deserves to be treated like apartheid South Africa  anathematized, cut off, made to bleed morally and economically. The Sanders appointees wish to bend the Democratic platform to encourage such diminishment unless Israel redeems itself by liberating Palestine.

This is an unusual argument for a Democratic platform committee, largely because it is logically and morally perverse. Israel did in fact follow such high-minded advice in 2005: It terminated its occupation and evacuated Gaza. That earned it (temporary) praise from the West. And from the Palestinians? Not peace, not reconciliation, not normal relations but a decade of unrelenting terrorism and war.

Israel is now being asked  pressured  to repeat that same disaster on the West Bank. That would bring the terror war, quite fatally, to the very heart of Israel  Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport. Israel is now excoriated for declining that invitation to national suicide.

It is ironic that the most successful Jewish presidential candidate ever should be pushing the anti-Israel case. But perhaps not surprising considering Sanders' ideological roots. He is old left  not the post-1960s, countercultural New Left. Why, the man honeymooned in the Soviet Union  not such fashionably cool communist paradises as Sandinista Nicaragua where Bill de Blasio went to work for the cause or Castro's Cuba where de Blasio honeymooned. (Do lefties all use the same wedding planner?)

For the old left, Israel was simply an outpost of Western imperialism, Middle East division. To this day, the leftist consensus, most powerful in Europe (which remains Sanders' ideological lodestar), holds that Israeli perfidy demands purification by Western chastisement.

Chastisement there will be at the Democratic platform committee. To be sure, Sanders didn't create the Democrats' drift away from Israel. It was already visible at the 2012 convention with the loud resistance to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. But Sanders is consciously abetting it.

The millennials who worship him and pack his rallies haven't lived through and don't know the history of Israel's half-century of peace offers. They don't know of the multiple times Israel has offered to divide the land with an independent Palestinian state and been rebuffed.

Sanders hasn't lifted a finger to tell them. The lovable old guy with the big crowds and no chance at the nomination is hardly taken seriously (except by Hillary Clinton, whose inability to put him away reveals daily her profound political weakness). But when he makes platform appointees that show he does take certain things quite seriously, like undermining the U.S.-Israeli relationship, you might want to reconsider your equanimity about the magical mystery tour. It looks like Woodstock, but there is steel inside the psychedelic glove.
Detention of student accused of justifying terrorism upheld

Context Military court to review case against student accused of justifying terrorism

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court has upheld the lawfulness of extended detention of a medical student standing charged with justifying terrorism, Timur Aliev, the defendants lawyer told RAPSI on Monday.

Patimat Gadzhieva is accused of public calls for support of terrorism and national strife; she is facing a prison term.

Earlier, the Moscow City Court has returned the case to the Prosecutors Office in order to clearly determine the appropriate jurisdiction. Initially, the case was to be reviewed by the Solntsevsky District Court of Moscow; however, the judge decided that it should be subject to a military court as a case over terrorism. Since the indictment had been signed by the District Prosecutor and due to the fact that it was submitted to a higher court, it should be signed by the City Prosecutor. After this technicality is resolved, the case will be reviewed by the Moscow District Military Court.

According to the lawyer, the student posted an image to a social network depicting representative of ISIS terror organization prohibited in Russia and a scene of execution. A copy of text in Russian was copied by Gadzhieva in the form of a prayer. She deleted the image after 13 days, but Russian authorities found the posting in Vkontaktes archive and launched a criminal case against Gadzhieva in November 2015.
Moscow court to rule on detention of Russian real estate tycoon

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court will make its decision on extended detention of real estate tycoon Sergei Polonsky, who stands charged with large scale fraud, on June 7, RAPSI learnt in the court on Monday.

According to the judge in the lawsuit, the court will consider investigators petition to extend the detention of the defendant until August 12.

The lawyers of Polonsky asked the court to release the businessman on bail or place him under house arrest.

Polonsky is the founder of Potok (formerly Mirax Group), a diversified corporation that has been involved in several large development projects including Federation Tower in the Moscow International Business Center, office buildings Mirax Plaza, Poklonnaya 11 and Admiral, condominium developments Fort Kutuzov, Kutuzovskaya Riviera, Rublyovskaya Riviera, Mirax Park, Golden Keys 1 and 2, and the Well House.

He ceded operational control of the company in 2012. Potok announced in October 2012 that businessman Alexei Alyakin signed a framework agreement to buy 100 percent of the companys stock from Polonsky. However, in February 2013 Polonsky, who was in prison in Cambodia at the time, sent an order to Potok to dismiss Alyakin from his position in the company.

In May 2015, the Cambodian authorities, where Polonsky had been avoiding Russian prosecution, extradited him to Russia. He is currently in detention in Moscow and facing fraud charges on the theft of 5.7 bln rubles ($85.3 mln) from Kutuzovskaya Mile interest holders.

If convicted, Polonsky could face up to ten years in prison. Polonsky has pleaded not guilty.
Russian student convicted of rehabilitation of Nazism

Context Putin criminalizes rehabilitation of Nazism

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI)  A court in the Kemerovo Region has found a 20-year old student guilty of rehabilitating Nazism and sentenced him to 300 hours of compulsory community service, RIA Novosti reported on Monday citing the regional prosecutors office.

According to prosecution, the young man posted texts containing denial of facts established by International Military Tribunal on his VKontakte social networks page in November 2014 and June 2015.

The student denied the criminal essence of National Socialism and whitewashed crimes committed by Nazi leaders.

Publications were available to unlimited range of persons on the Internet, the statement reads.




Russia refuses to extradite Ukrainian ex-president Yanukovych

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI)  Russia has declined to extradite former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, the Prosecutor Generals Offices spokesman Alexander Kurennoy told journalists on Monday.

The motion for provisional arrest and detention of Yanukovych filed by Ukraine has been considered and dismissed in accordance with Article 3 (Political offences) of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, Kurennoy said. Ukrainian authorities have been informed about this decision, he added.

In early 2015, it was reported that the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office brought charges against Yanukovych in absentia and addressed Russia with a request to extradite the former president. Yanukovych is suspected of organizing a criminal group, abuse of power, embezzling state property and other offenses. The Russian Minister of Justice then claimed he had not received any documents on extraditing Yanukovych to Kiev.

Viktor Yanukovych was elected president of Ukraine on February 25, 2010, for a five-year term. Following a coup on February 22, 2014, Yanukovych was forced to leave the country. The Ukrainian parliament impeached him, amended the Constitution and scheduled early presidential elections for May, when Petro Poroshenko was elected president. The new Kiev authorities launched criminal proceedings against several former officials.




Members of the Chinese military team arrive at the airport in Bamako, Mali, June 3, 2016. A specialist medical team sent by Chinese military arrived in Mali on June 3 to join Chinese peacekeepers there and help deal with casualties from a Tuesday terrorist attack. [Photo/Xinhua]

BAMAKO -- Mali's former prime minister Moussa Mara said Chinese peacekeepers under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were more than bringing peace to the West African country.

"Chinese peacekeepers are not only a force of peace, they are also a force of development. They understand that maintaining peace not only means weaponry and sending soldiers, but also means improving the livelihoods of locals, winning their hearts," Mara said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

"China not only provides military and defense assistance to Mali, it extends help to the hearts of Malians," Mara said.

In his eyes, China is good friend of Mali and a country that helps Mali the most.

His remarks came after the MINUSMA camp in Gao, northern Mali came under a terrorist attack on Tuesday, which killed a Chinese peacekeeper and injured five others.

Mara said he deeply regretted the casualties suffered by the Chinese peacekeepers and offered his condolences to the Chinese contingent, wishing the injured speedy recovery.

"The terrorist attack did not target China. It targeted peace. The purpose of the terrorists was to depress those who help Mali and return the country to crisis," Mara said.

Mara also recalled his trip in May 2014 to Gao when he was prime minister and shared his impression of the Chinese peacekeepers.

According to him, what impressed him the most were the strict discipline of the Chinese peacekeepers, and their contributions in various areas such as logistics, engineering, sanitation and health services as well as urban construction in Mali.
Pokhara, Nepal: CPN Maoist Center chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his hope that the nine point deal signed with the CPN UML chairman and Prime Minister KP Oli would come into implantation.

Speaking at a program on Monday, Dahal said that the deal to handover the leadership of the government would come into implementation after implementation of the new constitution.

The gentlemen agreement on a change in the government will come into effect after endorsement of the budget, Dahal said.
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuab

BHAKTAPUR, June 6: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that local bodies' election was necessary for the implementation of the new constitution.

The NC President said so while addressing the fourth anniversary function of Martyr Radheshyam Jonchhe Memorial Foundation here on Monday.

He said, "Implementation of the new constitution is not easy. Local bodies' election should be held for its implementation. The new constitution will be successfully implemented only if parliament and Upper House election is held."

The NC President charged that the Oli-led government was apathetic towards the implementation of the new constitution.

Stating that responsibility for the implementation of the new constitution has come on the shoulders of the NC in its capacity of being the largest party, Deuba said, "The incumbent government has not shown interest in implementation of the new constitution. The NC is ready to take leadership for its implementation."

Similarly, NC central committee member Bimalendra Nidhi said that the budget brought by the government was suicidal and policies and programs were ridiculous.

Another NC member Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, lawmaker Rameshwor Dhungel, NC Bhaktapur President Durlav Thapa said that the NC should be active o take leadership of the government.

On the occasion, Deuba provided scholarship of Rs 10,000 to Anu Nayaba, 10th grader at Medha Secondary School, scholarship of Rs 9,000 to Krishna Dhoju, eighth grader at the same school.

Similarly, scholarship of Rs 5,000 was provided to Srijana Ngakhusi of Bageshwori Higher Secondary School and Rupesh Dulal of Deuja Village Lower Secondary School.

Likewise, cash prize was provided to winner of oratory competition. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: With the aim to readjustment to the judiciary as per the existing federal structures of the country, the government is going to replace the existing 16 appellate courts with seven high courts.

The government has registered a bill at the Parliament Secretariat according to the provisions of the new Constitution. It is said that Bill would be presented at the parliament today for the endorsement.

The Bill is registered proposing to transform seven of the 16 existing appellate courts into high courts, which mean there will be one high court in each of the seven federal provinces. Likewise, remaining nine appellate courts will be converted into benches of the high court of the provinces concerned.

The government has made the proposal as part of implementing the newly promulgated constitution of Nepal. The new Constitution has made mandatory provision to replace the appellate courts structure within one year of commencement of the new Constitution.
Kakadvitta, Nepal: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa has reiterated that his party would not end struggle until and unless the Hindu state reinstate.

Speaking at the program in Birtamod of Jhapa on Monday, Thapa, who is also the chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, said his party aimed to declare the country as the Hindu state.

As the constitution is amendable Hindu State would be reinstate, he said.
Hireling bombing kills many people in Taiz





SANA'A, June 04 (Saba) - Many people were killed by Riyadh's hirelings bombing in Taiz province, a military official said Saturday.



The hirelings bombed with artillery and mortar shells on the Military hospital in al-Jahmalia neighborhood and al-Abab al-Kaber Souk in al-Jomlah neighborhood in Taiz downtown causing dozens of killed and wounded civilians.



A farmer was also killed and five others injured due to exploding a bomblet of cluster bombs dropped by the Saudi aggression on Taiz, the official added.



The army and popular committees repulsed an attempt of the hirelings to advance towards Tha'abat and al-Jahmalia areas in Taiz. The hirelings have kidnapped citizens from their houses at al-Khayateen and Althawra School neighborhoods, the official said.



In Sana'a province, the hirelings struck, using medium weapons and missiles, areas of Mabda'a, Bani Bariq, al-Hawl, Wadi Malh and al-Tabah al-Hamra'a in Nihm district.



The Saudi warplanes waged two air raids on Usailan district of Shabwa province, however the army and popular committees destroyed a tank belong to the hirelings in al-Safra area in the same district.



In Jawf province, the Saudi warplanes waged an air raid on al-Ghail district, while the hirelings targeted houses in al-Moton district with artillery shells.



The hirelings in Mareb province pounded al-Makhdra area in Serwah district with Katyusha rockets.



According to the official, the Saudi war jets waged an air raid on Hodeida city, five raids on Mandaba area in Baqem district of Sa'ada province and two raids on al-Shurfa area in Najran province.



HA/AF

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KWU's Pioneer Hall set for National Historic place nomination

Pioneer Hall, the centerpiece of the Kansas Wesleyan University campus in Salina, is a step closer to being nominated as a national historic site.
More information on the facilities of the Roman fort Tibiscum in Romania

Without conducting excavations, Polish archaeologists in collaboration with the Romanian and Hungarian researchers discovered hitherto unknown buildings and ancient roads near the Roman fort Tibiscum in western Romania.

The research project of archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw (IA UW) involves using a large number of non-invasive methods that do not involve mechanically disrupting the ground. Its aim is to try to survey the facilities of two thousand years old Roman fort. So far, intensive research covered an area of about 5 sq. km around the fort, which enabled the preliminary determination of the locations of structures associated with the Roman presence in the area.

"We have located previously unknown structures in the immediate vicinity of the fort - behind its northern walls, and spotted part of a road from the western gate, towards Lederata" - told PAP project initiator Micha Pisz, graduate student at IA UW, who carries out the Tibiscum project under the Diamond Grant obtained from the Ministry of Science.

Ancient structures have been detected using magnetic, electrical resistivity and GPR method. During the previous season, also successfully, other appliances were used, such as a drone that allowed to capture infrared images.

This summer scientists are planning to conduct, in collaboration with Romanian researchers, a series of spot excavations which will allow to confirm their speculations regarding the identification of the structures detected with non-invasive methods.

Tibiscum was founded in the beginning of the second century by order of Emperor Trajan. It was one of the most important cities in the Roman province Dacia. Its name comes from the Thracian or Dacian and meant a bog, probably due to its location on the river Timis. The fort was active in the second and third centuries.

Until recent years, researchers did not carry out research around Roman forts - they focused on their interior. The new approach is associated with an increasingly popular trend in archaeology -landscape archaeology and studying historical monuments in a broader geographical context. Similar studies are carried out by the mission led by Dr. Agnieszka Tomas from the University of Warsaw around the legion camp in Novae near the town of Svishtov, and the sister project of studies of the Roman archaeological landscape in the municipality of Ljubuski, led by doctoral student from the IA UW, Tomasz Dziurdzik.

The project "Tibiscum (Romania) and its rural territory in the Roman period" is funded by the Ministry of Science from the budget for science in 2014-2016. The project received technical support from the company Mexstal. Last season work took place in March and April 2016.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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Male hikers are being told to be on the alert for a group of men who may be responsible for two separate incidents of sexual assault on hiking trails in Santa Rosa. As KRON 4 reports, the first victim reported being held at knife point on the Paulin Creek Trail in mid-May and was then sexually assaulted by three men.

A second man was assaulted, possibly by the same three suspects, days later on May 24, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The second incident, in which the suspects were apparently unarmed, happened on the Joe Rodota Trail between Hampton Way and Stony Point Road.

Both incidents happened during evening hours, between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. according to Santa Rosa police. It's unclear if the victims in these cases were cruising for sex at the time of their assaults, or if these are known cruising areas, though a quick scan of Craigslist m4m and Casual Encounters ads shows no mentions of either location.

The Joe Rodota Trail was the site of a stabbing earlier this year in which a 43-year-old man was stabbed, allegedly following a fight over a bicycle with another man, as the Press-Democrat reported.

The 8.5-mile trail is paved and runs from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol along an abandoned railroad line, and is popular with bicyclists and equestrians in the daytime.

The Santa Rosa Police Departments Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit is seeking information about these incidents, and they can be reached at 707-543-3595. A $2,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of these assailants.
For over a century, movies have captured our imaginations, immersing us in the narratives of distant wars, the wild west, and political intrigue. And so it is with the works of Thomas Hart Benton. Inspired by Hollywood cinema and human nature, this quintessentially American artist applied the techniques of early moviemaking to depict compelling stories in each of his vibrant, larger-than-life paintings.

Born in Neosho, Missouri to an influential political family, Benton was groomed from an early age to continue his familys legacy. At 16, his father sent him to the Western Military Academy with the intent of grooming him towards this end, but Benton was more inclined to pursue an interest in art. With the support of his mother, he enrolled in The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1907. This was soon followed by a stint at the Academe Julian in Paris, where he met and was inspired by other North American artists such as Diego Rivera and Stanton Macdonald-Wright.

Moving back to the United States in 1912, Benton further developed his talent doing portraits and production work, including time as a set painter in New Jersey's budding, pre-Hollywood film-industry. His combined experiences between Paris and the cinema had a lasting impact on Benton's artistic style, which combined old European mastery with Hollywoods larger-than-life, cinematic vibrance. His paintings captured epic narratives, with the illusion of three-dimensional space and a sense of motion and theatrical lighting. When crafting his paintings, Benton even adopted several movie-making techniques, including the use of clay models to study shadows, and the use of storyboards to plan his murals.

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In the early 1920s, Benton moved to New York and declared himself an enemy of modernism, favoring naturalistic and representative work. Relatively unknown to this point, he captured national attention when he won a commission to paint murals of Indiana life for the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. He focused his cinematic style on everyday people and their activitiesnot all of it positive. Depictions of Ku Klux Klan members in full regalia ruffled more than a few feathers, and set the course for a controversial career in which he held fast to a desire to paint life as it was, and not simply as we might wish it to be.

American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and Hollywood, sponsored by Bank of America, features approximately 100 of Benton's striking works, and will be on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum from June 10th through September 5th, 2016. Organized by the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (NAMA) and the Amon Carter Museum of America, Fort Worth, Texas (ACMAA), it is the first major exhibition on Thomas Hart Benton in more than 25 years. To learn more, visit www.mam.org/american-epics
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City Rotary Club presented its 2016 Key Way award Monday to Dirk Lohry.

Since 1986, the club has annually given the award to a local leader who has contributed to the health and prosperity of the area through business and community involvement.

Lohry is a chemical engineer and community leader who retired as president of Nutra Flo in 2013 after a 35-year career with his family's agribusiness, which specialized in liquid fertilizers and feed minerals.

Nutra Flo was purchased by The Andersons last year and is now known as Kay Flo.

Lohry's grandfather, A.W. Lohry, started the Kay Dee Feed Company in 1928, and his father, Bill Lohry, started the fertilizer business in 1953. Dirk Lohry began working for his family-owned-and-operated fertilizer company while attending Central High School.

He studied chemical engineering at Iowa State University, where he met his wife, Bonnie. He returned to Iowa State to complete a masters degree in chemical engineering before returning to the family business.

Over the years, he worked in all phases of the company. He was responsible for the production operations at each of Nutra Flos manufacturing facilities, and invented and patented a process for manufacturing Zinc Diamine Chloride. He also developed new micronutrient and phosphate fertilizer and feed products, a major contributor to the company's success today.

Lohry has served on numerous local business, civic and government boards and committees. Currently, he chairs the Industrial Round Table of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, which brings in speakers on local manufacturing businesses.
SIOUX CITY | No one passed out bubble gum cigars or champagne flutes when a baby girl was born. Im sorries replaced smiles. All celebrations ceased because Sawyer had Down syndrome.

Ryan Allen looked into his daughters slightly slanted eyes and thought she was beautiful, but at the same time, the diagnosis was devastating.

Healing began on a yoga mat.

His wife, Meghan Nelson, a physical therapist, has been bending, breathing and bonding with Sawyer on the mat since she was 3 weeks old. At first, it was all about getting her into a low-impact exercise routine for toning and strengthening, but it became so much more.

A month before Sawyers first birthday last fall, they started Lumin Therapy to provide yoga-based community workshops and private in-home sessions for individuals and families with special needs.

Theyre already expanding and reaching out to other underserved populations.

What helped was receiving $4,000 from Dream Big Grow Here, a statewide grant competition for Iowa entrepreneurs, and $5,000 from finishing first in Innovation Market, a social think-tank put on by the Sioux City Growth Organization.

The fifth grade class at Clark Elementary School also raised $350 for the startup. Allen and Nelson were presented with a novelty check in the form of an 11-by-14-inch sheet of paper decorated with rainbows and a unicorn.

The grant money will help pay for equipment marketing, research and training.

In the spring, Allen went to Kansas City for a three-day intensive workshop, focused on mindful resilience for trauma recovery, hosted by the Veterans Yoga Project. On Memorial Day, he led a donation-based class at {be} Yoga Studio, 1101 Fourth St., to introduce trauma-sensitive yoga to the community.

Bringing yoga to every body, Allen, an associate professor of English at Briar Cliff University, teaches a kids yoga class on Saturdays, and Nelson teaches yoga for special abilities on Sundays, plus a regular vinyasa flow class on Tuesdays, all at Evolve Yoga & Wellness, 411 Pearl St.

Theyve also been doing an all-ages yoga class at Gigis Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center, on the second Thursday of every month.

For now, Lumin Therapy operates as a mobile business and thats how it will continue for the next couple years.

We want to do it right, he said. We want to meet the needs and meet them very effectively. If it organically grows from there, great. Thats where well go. If it doesnt, then were doing our little small piece of the pie to help our community be a better place to live.

As for Sawyer, its hard to tell how much shes benefited from yoga because shes being doing it her whole life. Shes 18 months old now. Her development is delayed, a symptom of Down syndrome, but she scoots around on the floor and gets into everything that shes not supposed to touch, just like any other toddler.

Shes not walking at this point, but shell do this all on her own time, Nelson said. Shes not saying as many words as the boys were at this age, but she says momma and dadda and her other first word was book.

That makes the professor proud.

If her next word is yoga, then Ill know weve done our job, he said. Books and yoga, thats all we need. Thats my recipe for being happy.
Authorities had been called to an apartment building to check on the welfare of Champion, who is accused of threatening to shoot them when they opened the door. A standoff ensued for more than five hours and ended when Champion opened the door and fired a shot at the officers. Crawford County Deputy Lt. Corey Utech then shot Champion twice in the torso. Utech was later cleared of wrongdoing.
SIOUX CITY | A Nebraska man has pleaded not guilty to attempting to rob people at gunpoint.

Dacota Stabler, 25, of Macy, Nebraska, entered his written plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court to two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of second-degree burglary. His trial was set for Aug. 16.

According to court documents, on May 19 Stabler approached a motorist in the 200 block of Bluff Street and pointed a BB or pellet gun at her, pulled her out of her vehicle and got in himself. He then exited the vehicle without taking anything.

Stabler also approached a man in the same vicinity, pointed the gun at him and took his cellphone, court documents said.

Court documents said that Stabler also entered a home in the 100 block of Bluff Street and threatened the resident and demanded cigarettes from him before leaving the house.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was placed on probation Monday for having sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl.

Isidro Dominguez, 19, pleaded guilty in April in Woodbury County District Court to one count of lascivious acts with a child.

As part of a plea agreement, the charge was amended from third-degree sexual abuse. Two other counts of third-degree sexual abuse were dismissed.

Sentencing Dominguez according to terms of the agreement, District Judge Mary Jane Sokolovske suspended a 10-year prison sentence and placed Dominguez on probation for two years.

Dominguez must register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry and will serve a special sex offender sentence, in which he will be on lifetime parole after successfully completing his probation. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be sent to prison.

According to court documents, Dominguez provided alcohol to the girl and had sex with her in December 2014 in a hotel room at 3440 Gordon Drive. The girl was 13 years old at the time.
DES MOINES | Iowa regulators in a split vote on Monday gave a Texas oil company the green light to begin construction of an interstate crude oil pipeline on Iowa land where the company has all the necessary permissions.

The Iowa Utilities Board ruling covers the vast majority of the 346 miles of pipeline route through 18 Iowa counties from northwest to southeast, and company officials said work will begin immediately after receiving a signed order. The ruling will be official and pipeline developer Dakota Access can begin construction when the board signs the order, which is expected by Tuesday.

We will begin construction in the appropriate areas immediately upon receiving the signed order from the Iowa Utilities Board, Dakota Access spokeswoman Lisa Dillinger said, noting her company has secured voluntary easement agreements on 89 percent of the Iowa properties.

The company plans to have the pipeline in service by the end of the year. The company declined to provide the schedule of construction sites but noted several sites will be on going at the same time across the route.

One hurdle for Dakota Access could be a parcel along the pipeline route in the Big Sioux River Wildlife Management Area in Lyon County. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a stop work order after issuing a permit in March conditional on authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service revoked authorization after learning the land may contain human remains in sacred tribal burial grounds.

The Iowa State Archaeologist John Doershuk visited the site on Friday with state, federal and tribal officials and followed up by email on Saturday stating the site should not be disturbed. He said it has significant cultural and historical importance to the Upper Sioux Community, Standing Rock, and other Sioux.

The Office of the State Archaeologist recommends that 13LO335 (parcel number) be considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under at least criterion D and also protected under the Iowa Code sections protecting ancient human remains, Doershuk wrote. The site is to be avoided and protected in place.

Dakota Access sought special permission to begin construction in Iowa because the March 10 Iowa Utilities Board order granting a hazardous liquid pipeline permit required all permits must be in hand before construction begins. The Army Corps of Engineers still is reviewing some parcels under its jurisdiction.

The intent (of the Iowa Utilities Board permit) is satisfied and I would grant a motion to commence construction in areas where Dakota Access has all other authorizations, Iowa Utilities Board Commissioner Nick Wagner said before the board voted.

Wagner and Libby Jacobs voted to support the construction request, while board chairwoman Geri Huser voted against. At an earlier meeting Huser questioned whether the Iowa Utilities Board had jurisdiction and whether its process would be jeopardized.

The 1,168-mile, $3.8 billion pipeline will carry up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day from northwest North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, to Illinois. Construction has already begun in the other states. About 4,000 trade workers per state are expected to be put to work.

After the meeting, about 50 or 60 critics of the project assembled on the state capitol grounds nearby to the Iowa Utilities Board office to protest the vote. Several lawsuits have been filed to block the pipeline, including a lawsuit filed by nine landowners and another by the Sierra Club.
An entrepreneurs scarcest resource is her time. There is never enough of it for everything a founder needs to do  develop products, sell to customers, hire employees, and so on.

Nowhere is this problem more apparent than when an entrepreneur needs to raise money. Time spent fundraising has a huge opportunity cost. Every moment spent looking for capital is a moment not spent creating a product, selling a customer, hiring an employee, or otherwise building a business.

Fundraising Time Problem

So how can a business founder best minimize the fundraising time problem? My experience as an angel and as an entrepreneurship researcher suggests five things:

Understand Bootstrappings True Value

Most entrepreneurs think about fundraising in terms of the trade-off of equity for capital, which is why a lot of them choose to bootstrap. However, the hidden  but very real  value of bootstrapping is time savings. Every moment that an entrepreneur spends pitching investors could be spent pitching customers. But time spent bringing in revenue is better than time spent bringing in capital because ultimately the founder will have to spend time bringing in revenue. So entrepreneurs need to ask themselves, will the time spent bringing in capital reduce the future time spent bringing in revenue? If it wont then bootstrapping is probably the way to go.

Think About the Time/Money Trade-off in Fundraising

Successful entrepreneurs think of raising capital in terms of the trade-off of time for money. Heres why. Once a lead investor is on board, the money-for-equity ratio has already been established by the companys valuation. However, the time-for-money ratio has not been set yet. Successful entrepreneurs recognize this and compare the amount of money investors can provide with the amount of time they will take to persuade. Qualifying investors and going after only those who provide a high ratio of money provided to time spent is a good approach.

Avoid Investors Who Dont Get It

There is a lot of uncertainty involved in investing in startups. Notice the word uncertainty here, not risk. As the great classical economist Frank Knight explained back in the 1920s, risk and uncertainty are very different things. Outcomes are risky when their probability is low. Outcomes are uncertain when you cant know their probabilities. Because its impossible to know the odds of success of a brand new company that has not yet built a product, sold to customers, competed against incumbents or built an organization, all investors can hope to figure out from their evaluation is whether the founder has any path to success and, if so, how big the potential return will be if success is achieved.

Entrepreneurs should simply avoid investors who take months to make decisions or who need to ask pages of questions and see reams of documents before taking the plunge. Searching for more information when information is unknowable doesnt improve investors chances. Diversifying a portfolio and focusing on only very high potential businesses are the only answers. Entrepreneurs should skip investors who try to know the unknowable.

Reduce Your Valuation and Your Ask

Successful entrepreneurs often choose to raise smaller amounts of money at a discount to market valuations, rather than large amounts at above market valuations. Consider the following scenario: The market valuation of a company like yours at your stage of development is $1.5 million. Hit a key milestone (completion of a team or a first sale, for example) and your market value will rise to $3 million. Instead of trying to raise $500,000 at $1.5 million, try raising $400,000 at $1.25 million. Valuing your company at a discount will speed fundraising. The time saved will allow you to hit your milestone for less capital because you will be spending time achieving the milestone rather than talking to investors unsuccessfully. You come out ahead from the slightly smaller raise at the slightly lower valuation.

Have Your Investors Help You Raise Money

Raising money from strangers to fund an early stage company is very hard to do. Its easier to get money for uncertain new companies from people you know. After all, people want to know that someone they trust is behind the company.

Most entrepreneurs have an intuition about this, which is why they raise money from friends and family before going to angels. But the same principle can be applied to raising money from angels. If your early angels tap their networks to help you raise money from other angels, it will help avoid the fundraising time problem and take you much less time to raise money than if you go after strangers.
For many, online marketing is a tool to drive online sales, improve customer engagement and boost brand equity. But what many small business owners may not realize is that online marketing can play a significant role in driving in-store sales too.

French clothing brand Petit Bateau discovered more about just how customer online interaction drive its customers in-store purchases by combining in-store data with information from Google Analytics.

In a recent case study shared on the Google Analytics Solutions blog, the Google Analytics team explains:

Petit Bateau customers in France can shop in 153 physical stores as well as on Petit-bateau.fr. Users log into the website which makes it possible to later match the traffic of logged-in users with subsequent in-store transactions made with a loyalty card.

How Online Marketing Drives In-store Sales

By comparing the data, the company found 44 percent of in-store buyers had visited the site within seven days before making their purchases. About 9 percent of in-store buyers had visited the site on the same day as their purchase in the physical shop.

Further data analysis revealed the online-to-offline effect was particularly strong on mobile. To give an example, mobile visitors converted within stores at an 11 percent higher rate than desktop visitors.

Moreover, mobile visitors in-store spend was 8 percent greater than desktop visitors.

What Businesses Can Learn from Petit Bateau

Using Google Analytics to measure online-to-offline purchase behavior paid off for Petit Bateau as it could better understand the impact of online marketing on in-store sales and target customers who research products online. The company was able to use the data to reassess AdWords return on ad spend, which proved to be six times greater with in-store sales incorporated.

A deeper understanding of its in-store transactions is enabling the company to optimize its digital marketing programs and make more informed decisions about its media budget allocation.

For small businesses, understanding how to make the right decisions on marketing budget allocation is an important lesson to be learned. It becomes all the more important for them because they dont have a lot to spend.

What Petit Bateau has also done really well is shifting budgets from offline to online marketing, with a significant focus on driving new customers through generic search terms. The company has increased its investment on Google Search by 60 percent year-over-year.

Small businesses can take a page from Petit Bateaus book and learn how focusing on online marketing drives in-store sales and lead to desired results.

Whats more mobile bids have gone up by 20 percent, and mobiles share of search budget has reached 43 percent, above the current share of mobile traffic. Meanwhile internal communications is now helping store teams to understand digitals role in the customer journey and to appreciate the growing importance of promoting browsing, digital shopping, buying and comparing.

Petit Bateau is a French fashion house famous for creating high quality, stylish clothing and undergarments. Founded in 1893, the company operates an online store and an international network of 400 shops.
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
Pictured l to r, PHS students Will Gotsch and John Freeman, and teacher Jimmy Yurko. (Submitted photo)

SOLOMONS, Md.

(June 6, 2016)The Calvert Marine Museum (CMM) recently donated a 3D printer to the Science Department at Patuxent High School (PHS). This was made possible by the MakerBot Buy Two, Give One Promotion.It all began last fall when CMM received a Museum for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the purchase of Avizo 3D Software and a MakerBot Replicator Z-18 3D printer. This equipment allows the museum paleontology staff to digitally scan the fossil collection and to print images and create life-size plastic replicas. These can be used for educational programming, public exhibits, conferences, and peerreviewed journals. Upon purchase of the equipment, MakerBot graciously donated another MakerBot printer and what better place to put this machine to use, but at the nearest high schoolPatuxent Senior High School."The printer has generated a lot of interest and excitement for the students and we are happy to integrate this into our program," said Jimmy Yurko, Science Teacher at PHS. Will Gotsch, PHS student said the printer was needed and it was great to have something they could use and easily understand. He will look forward to using it for robotics.The MakerBot printer is a great asset and supports Patuxent's "Project Lead the Way" program. Project Lead the Way supplies STEM curricula to schools. It is a nationally grant funded program that advances students' ability to innovate, think critically and collaborate to solve problems.
Thomas Caleb Getscher, a U.S. Marine critically wounded from a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2012.

HOLLYWOOD, Md.

(June 2, 2016)Thomas Caleb Getscher, a U.S. Marine critically wounded from a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2012 that left him a triple amputee, will be moving into a custom built home designed specifically for him to get back to living a more normal life.The new home on Juniors Court in Leonardtown is a spacious, single-level house with state of the art appliances and amenities designed to give Getscher freedom of movement and ease of access to all parts of the house."It's awesome that I'm getting this house in just six days," Getscher told The County Times. "I'm super stoked about the things I'm going to be able to do once I'm in there. "It's a great place for a new family."The new home is situated close to Benjamin Banneker Elementary School, which Getscher said is one of the best reasons for living there."My daughter is going to school right behind the house," he said. "You can't get any better than that."I'm extremely grateful and blessed to be living there. There are a lot of good people who made this happen, the just give and give."The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation , named for a New York firefighter killed in the 9/11 attacks, is responsible for the funding behind Getscher's new home."There's a real need for these homes," said John Hodge, spokesman for the foundation. "We have over 200 people on our list."It's all about donations and fundraising at this point."Getscher's is one of 15 homes that the foundation builds every year for wounded war veterans, Hodge said.The entire home is being given to Getscher at no cost to him."He's getting the house, he's getting the furniture, he's getting the electronics," said John Ponte, foundation COO overseeing the construction of the so-called "smart home."The amenities include motorized doors, music-on-command that can be played throughout the home, temperature and lighting that can be controlled by an iPhone, fully automated toilets.Also included are lowered cabinets and countertops to allow access from Getscher's wheelchair as well as a room-to-room intercom.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme.

(June 6, 2016)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of May 31 through June 5, deputies responded to 1,115 calls for service throughout the community.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-31010: On June 2, 2016, Deputy T. Mohler conducted a traffic stop at 4:00pm in the area of South Main Street, Prince Frederick. The driver,, was found to be in possession of several prescription bottles. She was charged and arrested for CDS Possession with Intent to Distribute (Oxycontin) and for CDS Prescription/Remove Label.DISORDERLY CONDUCT CASE #16-31437: On June 4, 2016, at approximately 11:00pm, Deputy C. Fox, was flagged down by a citizen who advised there was a large crowd fighting at the Mexico Restaurant on Bay Avenue, in North Beach. Deputy Fox was able to diffuse the situation but one individual,, would not comply with commands to discontinue his loud and aggressive actions. He was transported to the Detention Center and charged with Failure to Obey Reasonable/Lawful Order and Disorderly Conduct.DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY CASE #16-30849: On June 1, 2016, Deputy C. Callison was dispatched to Sark Court, in Prince Frederick, for the report of a destruction of property. An unknown person(s) damaged the victim's vehicle by puncturing several tires with nails. It is unknown when this crime took place.DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY/POSSIBLE BURGLARY CASE #16-30598: On May 31, 2016, Deputy M. Velasquez responded to H.G. Truman Road, in Lusby, for the report of a destruction of property to a home. Sometime between 12:00 noon on May 26 and 2:30pm on May 31, someone entered a home which had been boarded up due to a fire which took place the previous week. The window of a rear door was broken out and a board securing a window was removed. At this time, it does not appear any property was stolen.THEFT CASE #16- 31040: On June 2, 2016, Deputy D. Naughton responded to Pine Boulevard, in Lusby, for a reported theft from vehicle. The victim advised someone had rummaged through an unlocked vehicle and stole an Apple IPhone charger and money. This crime took place sometime between 6:00pm on June 1 and 6:00am on June 2nd.THEFT CASE #16-30836: On June 1, 2016, Deputy J. Denton made contact with a victim who arrived at the Calvert County Sheriff's Office to report a theft. Sometime between April 1 and June 1st, an unknown person(s) entered their home on Overlook Drive, in St. Leonard, and stole a ring. The investigation is continuing.THEFT CASE #16-30760: On June 1, 2016, Deputy V. O'Donnell responded to Cross Road, in Lusby, for the report of a theft. The victim stated sometime between 7:00pm on May 31 and 7:00am this morning, June 1st, someone entered their vehicle and stole lottery scratch-off tickets and bank deposit slips. There are no suspects at this time.THEFT CASE #16-30688: On May 31, 2016, Deputy A. Ostazeski responded to San Jose Lane, in Lusby, for the report of a theft. The victim reported a Cona acoustic/electric guitar was stolen off of the back porch of their home between 7:00pm and 8:00pm that day.
Kalmar Nyckel is a faithful re-creation of the Dutch-built armed merchant ship that brought Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to what has become Wilmington, Delaware.

Dr. Olivier Lambert pictured with Megalodon.

SMECO and Southern Maryland Crane Rental assisted with removing the Dee's mast. (Photo compliments Robert Hurry)

In association with the Calvert Marine Museum, the Kalmar Nyckel will continue her 2016 public sailing season in Solomons Island from June 17th through June 19th, offering day sails and deck tours.Kalmar Nyckel is a faithful re-creation of the Dutch-built armed merchant ship that brought Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to what has become Wilmington, Delaware. Measuring 141 feet long with a 25 foot beam, she will travel roughly 3,000 nautical miles this season.The ship will be docked at Watermans Wharf, located at the end of Williams Street in Solomons. In addition to guided tours of the ship, passengers of "day sails" are afforded the option to work alongside the crew, hauling lines and raising sails, as well as simply enjoy the views. Spirited "Pirate Sails" are also available, where the ship is transformed into a pirate vessel, complete with costumes, scavenger hunts and pirate tales.For tickets and more information about specific times and events, visit www.kalmarnyckel.org or contact the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation office at (302) 429-7447. Online tickets can be purchased by visiting www.kalmarnyckel.org/BookASail.asp.On Thursday, June 16, children are invited to climb aboard the Kalmar Nyckel and experience what life on a tall ship was like in 1638. Tours are at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person and available by calling 302-429-7447.The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation is appreciative of the support of the Calvert Marine Museum and the Calvert County Waterman's Association, and are looking forward to working with them again.Dr. Olivier Lambert, a well-known Vertebrate Paleontologist, visited the Calvert Marine Museum to collaborate with CMM staff paleontologist Dr. Stephen Godfrey on several fossil dolphin-related research projects, in addition to sharing his fossil-collecting expedition experiences in the Peruvian desert.Dr. Lambert, currently at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, Belgium is an expert in the evolution of marine mammals. He studies their adaptations to aquatic life, past diversity, and geographic distribution. His research focuses on toothed, beaked, and baleen whales, along with several species of dolphins from the North Sea, southeastern Pacific, both coasts of the United States, Central Paratethys, and South Africa.He works closely with American, Dutch, French, Italian, and Peruvian colleagues. The collaboration with Dr. Godfrey began in 2002 when they first met at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Drs. Lambert and Godfrey are presently describing a fossilized dolphin skull from Calvert Cliffs of an ancient relative of the modern-day Ganges River Dolphin (presently found in freshwater rivers in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal). They are also studying an even older skull (on loan from the Smithsonian) from the State of Oregon that is ancestral to the squid-eating and very deep-diving beaked whales.Dr. Lambert's work on many new kinds of extinct dolphins from Peru is an asset when comparing the extinct kinds of dolphins found along Calvert Cliffs with those from other fossil-rich locality around the world.The Dee of St. Mary's mast was re-stepped (re-installed) thanks to the collective teamwork of many people and local businesses. Because a large crane was necessary to lift the 76-foot-mast, the Calvert Marine Museum reached out to SMECO for help. SMECO enlisted the assistance of Southern Maryland Crane Rental, Inc. and their contribution made this re-stepping possible. Hours of tender loving care from the Patuxent Small Craft Guild, Dee captains, and crew members over the winter have this historic skipjack another step closer to raising sail for the 2016 season.While safety compliant Coast Guard inspections are conducted yearly, pulling the Dee's mast out for a physical inspection is only done every 10 years. Work began back in November when SMECO and Southern Maryland Crane Rental assisted with removing the Dee's mast. The Patuxent Small Craft Guild members, Dee of St. Mary's captains and crew members worked diligently over the winter to clean and refinish the wood, and replace most of the rigging and the hardware. Their work also included repair and refinishing of the boom.The Dee of St. Mary's was commissioned and built in 1979 in Piney Point, Maryland. Originally used as a commercial oyster fishing boat for 10 years, she is now a floating classroom educating children about the history of the Chesapeake Bay. Public sails aboard the Dee begin in May and will go throughout the summer; public charters are available.
Booking photos via SMCSO.

LEONARDTOWN, Md.

Booking photos via SMCSO.

Booking photos via SMCSO.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme.

(June 6, 2016)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.5/19/2016 POSSESSION OF A FIREARM: Deputy C. Ball responded to the 22000 block of Valley Lee Estates in Lexington Park for the report of a disturbance. The suspect,, attempted to elude Deputy Ball by running away on foot. He was apprehended, and a search revealed suspected crack cocaine in his possession. Deputy Ball also located a firearm on the path where Elliot attempted to flee. Further investigation revealed, Wright had a warrant for his arrest and was prohibited from possessing firearms or related ammunition. Wright was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and charged with Two Counts of Possession of a Regulated Firearm, Wearing a Handgun on Their Person, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance: Cocaine, and Possession of Ammunition. CASE# 25881-165/19/2016 CURRENCY COUNTERFEIT: Deputy J. Davis responded to the St. Mary's County Detention Center for the report of counterfeit currency. The suspect,, failed to notify correctional officers the bill in his possession during intake was fake. Mason was charged with Currency Counterfeit. CASE# 25982-165/26/2016 POSSESSION: Deputy J. Bare responded to the 30000 block of Three Notch Road in Charlotte Hall to assist a Charles County officer with a suspicious individual. Deputy Bare made contact with the suspect,, who had been loitering on the property. He refused to comply with several requests from the deputies to leave the property. Subsequently, he was placed in handcuffs and searched; deputies discovered two syringes and suspected heroin. Buckler was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and charged with CDS Possession: Not Marijuana, CDS Possession: Paraphernalia, and Resist/Interfere with Arrest. CASE# 27307-165/25/2016 ASSAULT: Deputy B. Gaskill responded to the 17000 block of Piney Point Road in Piney Point for a reported theft. The suspect,, exited a store without paying for an item. During the investigation, Bivens repeatedly refused to give deputies his name, and as a result, he was placed under arrest for further investigation. As deputies attempted to place Bivens in handcuffs, he became very combative by pushing, kicking, and attempting to punch officers. He was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. Bivens was charged with Two Counts of Second Degree Assault, Two Counts of Resisting/Interfering with Arrest, and Theft Less than $100. CASE# 27066-165/27/2016 ASSAULT: Deputy R. Roszell responded to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital for the report of a possible assault. The victim alleged the suspect,, struck the victim in the head with a bat. The victim displayed injuries consistent with the allegations. The suspect was located and placed under arrest. Bailey was charged with First Degree Assault. CASE# 27512-165/28/2016 BURGLARY: Victims allege the suspect,, entered their residence and stole several firearms and then pawned them in Charles County. McLaren was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center, where he was charged with First Degree Burglary, Theft Over $100, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, and Conspiracy to Commit Theft. CASE# 27724-165/29/2016 ASSAULT: Corporal D. Snyder responded to Fred's Liquors in Charlotte Hall for the report of an assault with a knife. The victim alleged the suspect,, exited a vehicle and walked towards the victim with a knife. Clark followed the victim into a field and then punched the victim in the face and head. Clark was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. He was charged with First and Second Degree Assault. CASE# 27885-165/26/2016 POSSESSION: Deputy Molitor observed the suspect,, walking down Hollywood Road in Hollywood. Further investigation confirmed Garner had an open warrant, subsequently, she was placed under arrest. A search revealed several plastic baggies containing suspected heroin, along with two syringes and a metal spoon. She was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and charged with CDS Possession - Not Marijuana and CDS Possession Paraphernalia, in addition to being served a bench warrant. CASE# 27228-166/4/2016 POSSESSION: Sgt. Moritz stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area of Great Mills Road and Three Notch Road. The passenger in the motor vehicle,, was in possession of numerous prescription pills. As Tippett exited the vehicle, numerous pills fell from her lap to the ground. An additional search revealed, hypodermic needles with suspected heroin residue, metal spoons with suspected heroin residue, small plastic bags, and a medicine bottle containing suspected phencyclidine (PCP). Tippet was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. She was charged with Possession: Not Marijuana: Heroin, Possession: Not Marijuana: Oxycodone, Possession: Not Marijuana: Phencyclidine (PCP), and Two Counts of Possession With the Intent to Use Paranerphnalia. CASE#28894-166/5/2016 ASSAULT: Deputy J. Bare responded to the 21000 block of Erin Road in Lexington Park for the report of a domestic assault. The victim alleged the suspect,, punched the victim in the face during an argument. The victim further advised, Escobar scratched the victim's neck and pinched the victim's stomach. The victim displayed visible signs of injury. Escobar was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center, where she was charged with Second Degree Assault. CASE# 29136-166/4/2016 ASSAULT: Deputy G. Mushchette responded to the 21000 block of Eric Road in Lexington Park for the report of a disturbance. The victim alleged the suspect,, struck the victim in the face multiple times with a closed fist causing visible signs of injury. Mundell was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center, where he was charged with Second Degree Assault. CASE# 29047-16VANDALISM: Unknown suspect(s) damaged a glass panel of a building at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station Museum. Deputy Holdsworth is investigating the case. CASE# 28724-16COUNTERFEIT COMPLAIN: Unknown suspect(s) passed a counterfeit bill at the Mcdonalds in California. Deputy Siciliano is investigating the case. CASE# 28861-16BREAKING AND ENTERING: Unknown suspect(s) entered a motor vehicle and stole a handicap placard in the 45000 block of Foxchase Drive in Great Mills. Deputy McClure is investigating the case. CASE# 28793-16BURGLARY: Unknown suspect(s) entered a shed and stole property in the 21000 block of Cedar Hill Lane Road in Leonardtown. DFC Gaskill is investigating the case. CASE# 29166-16
Jeremy Jordan of the series "Supergirl" placed an appeal to his fans to help him raise money to get his lesbian cousin out of a Texas Christian boarding school aimed to "cure" her of her homosexuality.

"Meet my cousin Sarah. At 17, her future looks bright. She is in the top 10% of her class, runs cross-country and belongs to the National Honor Society and the debate team. She is also gay," Jordan wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help raise money for legal fees to emancipate his cousin. "Like any high school kids in a relationship, Sarah and her girlfriend wanted to go to prom together. But when they did that, Sarah's parents, who believe that homosexuality is a sin and abnormal, sent Sarah away against her will to an East Texas Christian boarding facility for troubled teens to 'pray away the gay.'"



According to Jordan, instead of competing in the state debate tournament of preparing for college, his cousin is "doing forced labor every day and enduring Bible-based 'therapy' for her 'disease.'" Jordan further says she is not allowed visitors and has no access to the phone or any form of computer communication.



"Sarah's extended family and close friends are trying to win her release through the legal system, but it's not cheap," Jordan writes. "Attorney's fees in the first few weeks have already exceeded $20,000, and they are continuing to mount, with a full hearing set for July. Sarah needs your help. But this is about more than just one gay kid - if we free Sarah we can help show that it's not okay to try to make gay teens straight by sending them away and using the threat of God against them."



Jordan's appeal is getting some support from the Broadway community, most notably from "Hairspray" composer Marc Shaiman who wrote:



"Hard to believe this kind of thing still exists in America, but lately it's become clear just how much of a bubble I live in. Please check out this GoFundMe that the sweet, (hot), and talented beyond words Jeremy Jordan sent out to his friends about his cousin. This is legit...and beyond comprehension."



Jordan, who also hails from Texas, plays Winslow "Winn" Schott, Jr. on the series "Supergirl," which aired on CBS but recently found a new home on the CW. His work in the stage version of the Disney musical "Newsies" earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a musical in 2012.
To kick off LGBT Pride Month this June, corporations are stepping in and celebrating pride with their fans.

AT&T has been celebrating Pride Month for the past four years. This time around, they are launching a Live Proud campaign, where members of the LGBT community and their allies are encouraged to help spread awareness and pride through a sweepstakes.

In this sweepstakes, which runs from June 1 to Aug 14, participants will visit http://att.com/liveproud and take a quiz to determine what color represents them during Pride Month.

Once their color is chosen, participants will be added to a user-generated art piece, according to their website.

Once entered in the sweepstakes, participants will have a chance to win a trip for two to Palm Springs, CA for three days between Nov 4 and 7.

AT&T isn't the only corporation celebrating pride this month. Joining it is Macy's with their Pride + Joy campsign, which features participation in over 20 Pride parades, in-store events and more.

Macy's will continue to partner with The Trevor Project, which is an organization "crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13 to 24," according to a press release.

The company will continue to provide financial support to The Trevor Project, and will sponsor the Los Angeles and New York City galas, known as TrevorLIVE.

Macys is proud to continue our support for the LGBTQ community through our annual Pride + Joy campaign, William Hawthorne, Macys senior vice president of Diversity Strategies and Inclusion, said in a press release. Whether its through events, our practices or via partnerships with LGBTQ organizations like the Trevor Project and the Human Rights Campaign, among other organizations; we are steadfast in our commitment to being an inclusive company as we support our employees, customers and the communities in which we do business.
(EDGE) Goodluck Jonathan, the former Nigerian president who in 2014 signed a bill criminalizing same-sex relationships, gay groups and public displays of affection by gay and lesbian citizens in the African nation, says his country is showing signs of making an about-face on the the anti-LGBT law, Bloomberg reports.

Speaking a forum at Bloomberg's European headquarters in London Monday, Jonathan surprisingly spoke about equality for all citizens in his nation.



"In the light of deepening debates for all Nigerians and other citizens of the world to be treated equally and without discrimination, and with the clear knowledge that the issue of sexual orientation is still evolving, the nation may at the appropriate time revisit the law," he said.



Jonathan's comments are in stark contrast to the "Jail the Gays" bill he signed into law in 2014 that contained penalties up to 14 years in prison for those found guilty of involvement in gay marriage or civil union.



In 2015, International Business Times reported that the US put pressure on Nigeria to scrap the draconian law.



"As a policy, we will continue to press the government of Nigeria, as well as other governments that have provided legislation that discriminate against the LGBT community," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Thomas-Greenfield's comments were made the day before Nigeria's then president Mhammadu Buhari was set to visit Washington, D.C..



Jonathan served as president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, he contested and lost his bid for re-election to Buhari.
(EDGE) Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told the Boston Globe Tuesday he plans on signing a transgender equality bill if he comes across his desk.

His revelation comes months after coming under fire from LGBT activists for not being clear on whether or not he'd sign the measure into law.



"We've certainly listened to a variety of points of view from many sides and have said, from the beginning, that we don't want people to be discriminated against," the Republican governor told the newspaper. "If the House bill were to pass in its current form, yeah, I would sign it."



The measure, which was approved by the Senate and is set to be passed by the House Wednesday, would allow people to use public facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. The legislation would also protect trans people from discrimination in places like barber shops, malls, libraries, restaurants and other public accommodations, the Boston Globe notes.



The bill is similar to other legislations that have been nixed across the country, most notably in North Carolina and Mississippi. Those against these measures claim it will allow predators to pose as a trans person and enter bathrooms to attack women.



The Boston Globe writes: "The House version, unlike the Senate's, would require the attorney general to issue guidance on when and how action can be taken against people who assert gender identity for 'an improper purpose.' That's partly to address safety worries from opponents, House leaders say. But it's also seen as an overture to Baker and to state representatives from socially conservative districts hesitant to embrace the bill."



Baker told the newspaper he is in favor of the House bill as it's written now.



"I support the House version, which, I believe, supplies the right amount of clarity with respect to the public safety questions that other people have raised," Baker said.



For months Baker avoided taking a clear stance on the measure, though made it clear he was against discrimination against anyone.
The Tunisian side stressed that all the necessary security measures were taken in the areas identified as possible targets for terrorist attacks in the reports of the competent authorities, a press release published by Rosturism on its website said.

In turn, Safonov noted that Tunisia was not closed for Russians and welcomed the high security measures. "Tunisia has entered the top five popular Russian holiday destinations this summer," Safonov said.

According to him, the safety of Russian visitors is the most important task.

"We are in close contact with the Tunisian authorities who have expressed willingness to maintain a high level of protection for holidaymakers in the resorts," he said.

On Thursday, Rosturism said that Daesh, banned in Russia and many other countries, was preparing a series of attacks against tourists as the numbers of tourists are increasing in the high season, referring to the information provided by the competent authorities.
Al Mayadeen TV Chairman Ghassan Ben Jeddou also said, The agreement between Sputnik news agency and radio and Al Mayadeen, an Arab media network, is the first step along a strategic path that we are forging with confidence and with a view on the long run. We will strive to enhance our professional cooperation in the media space.

Al Mayadeen TV (http://www.almayadeen.net/) is a pan-Arabist TV network headquartered in Beirut broadcasting in Arabic and Spanish languages; it also includes a documentary film studio and a news agency offering newswires in Arabic and Spanish.

SANA (http://sana.sy) is a state-owned Syrian news agency headquartered in Damascus. Established in 1965, is has offices in all 14 Syrian provinces, as well as in Beirut, Paris, Moscow, Amman, Teheran, Kuwait, Cairo, Tripoli, Rome and Ankara with 43 reporters working outside Syria in Arab countries and elsewhere. The agency produces over 500 news items per day in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Russian and Turkish languages.

Sputnik (sputniknews.com) is a news agency and radio network with multimedia news hubs in dozens of countries. Sputnik broadcasts through its websites in over 30 languages, as well as analog and digital radio, mobile apps and social media. Sputnik newswires, available by subscription, run around the clock in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.
In recent months, the US has expanded military spending along the Russian border to prevent a threat for which there is no evidence; that Moscow will invade NATO members along its eastern border, a charge that Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently denied.

"I think that only an insane person, and only in a dream, can imagine that Russia would suddenly attack NATO. I think some countries are simply taking advantage of peoples fears with regard to Russia. They just want to play the role of front-line countries that should receive some supplementary military, economic, financial or some other aid," said President Putin one year ago, amidst renewed rumblings by the American military establishment of the specter of 'Russian aggression.'
TOKYO (Sputnik)  At least 27 of the 48 assembly seats at stake are predicted to go to those unhappy about the US military presence in the island prefecture, according to the Japan Times newspaper.

The outcome of Sundays vote will strengthen the mandate of Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga who has been trying to stop the construction of a new base in the Henoko coastal area of Nago city. In August 2014, Onaga succeeded in halting the construction.
Islamist militants active in the region are responsible for the blasts, a police spokesperson said, as cited by the channel.

The blasts come after on Sunday, a group of unidentified persons opened fire in the street of Patanis Ban Mae Kung village. Five people were reportedly injured in the attack, including a police officer. Later that day, another attack occurred at a local transformer station.
ALMATY (Sputnik)  On Sunday, extremists attacked arms shops to get weapons before reportedly taking hostages near a military unit and attacking a local police department.

"Another five criminals were eliminated by police officers when resisting arrest and two more were detained," the ministry's press service said in a statement.

Earlier, the ministry said that four people had been killed by security forces in Aktobe after attacks on an arms shop and a military unit.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  According to the text of the order, the US personnel is forbidden to drink alcohol both on the territory of the military bases and outside them. The movement of US sailors who live outside bases will now be limited to traveling to and from work, transportation of children, trips to the grocery stores, gas stations and gyms, the order, published on the US Naval Forces Japan website said.

"These measures are not taken lightly. For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan. It is imperative that each Sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship, and the US-Japan Alliance as a whole," Rear Adm. Matthew Carter said as quoted on the website.

The restriction of movement will remain in place until all personnel goes through extra training, while the ban on alcohol consumption will not be lifted until officials "are comfortable that all personnel understand the impact of responsible behavior," the order said.
The Indian government claimed that using these chat apps, Daesh handlers based in Syria, Iraq, Australia, Philippines, Argentina, Sudan, Kenya have attracted and lured youths to join Daesh.

Teen's Chat Log Reveals Islamic State Ordered Police Stabbing https://t.co/t6fSS4G58g pic.twitter.com/wQjnSguCWp  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 1, 2016

"Indian youths are still vulnerable to ISIS [Daesh] ideologies so ISIS is trying to lure Indian youths to join in their fold. Ever since the Indian government put pressure on the ISIS sympathizers and arrested several of them, ISIS has been trying to find other means to recruit Indians and now they doing through these chat apps.' The Indian government should counter these designs of ISIS digitally. Further, government should also create its own app so as to sensitize the vulnerable youths," Qamar Aga, an expert on Middle East affairs told Sputnik.

The most widely used chat apps, Whatsapp and Telegram, both use end to end user encryption, meaning that no government can surveillance on any one using those systems. Whether the Indian government will use their newly acquired powers to target those other than Daesh remains unanswered.
A new Netflix series, based on the crime novel Sacred Games' by Indian author Vikram Chandra, will be produced in partnership with Phantom Films, one of India's leading film production companies. Netflix hasn't revealed any dates yet, but said that the series are will be shot in India in both English and Hindi and will be streamed globally afterwards.

"Sacred Games reinforces our commitment to bring the authenticity of local stories to Netflix members across 190 countries worldwide," Erik Barmack, Netflix's Vice President of Independent and Local Content said in an official statement.

We're excited to announce our first original series from India in partnership with @FuhSePhantom based on Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games!  Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) 6  2016 .

Published in 2006, Chandra's epic thriller describes lives of its two main characters, a Hindu gangster and a Sikh policeman. Money, corruption, violence and terrorism form a golden thread that runs through the novel.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The incident occurred early in the day, when the the head of the NDS for Sancharak was returning home from funerals.

"NDS head of Sancharak and an employee of the department, four soldiers and a child were killed," security official Enayatullah Habibi said as quoted by TOLO news.

Taliban itself has not claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Cleveland then confirmed that, regrettably, the ANDSF uses unguided bombs that threaten civilians.

"At this point, they are not using precision-guided munitions," he said, "but that certainly is in the forecast and we expect to see that in the coming months."

The spokesman claimed that he couldnt be sure, precisely, how many sorties the Afghan military has conducted since receiving the A-29s.

"I would characterize it as they are conducting multiple strikes a week," he said.

"When I say multiple, were not talking double digits, but they are certainly conducting two, three, four strikes at this point every week, maybe even more."
In the meanwhile, the country ramped up prices for exports to the United States, as Washington has not yet lifted the ban on oil imports from Iran. The exports to the United States have reportedly increased by 10 cents per barrel.

In January, the European Union, the United Nations, and partially the United States lifted their sanctions against the Islamic republic after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified Tehrans compliance with a nuclear agreement reached last July. The lifting of sanctions allowed Iranian oil producers to re-enter the global market.
This is the first Russian airliner to be offered on the global market in many years, Yelenev said as he praised the planes specifications and performance. The plane outperforms rivals like the Embraer 190, the Bombardier Q400 and the Antonov An-148 in some respects. Yelenev singled out the planes impressive aerodynamic performance, which is based on a design by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and the Professor Zhukovsky Central Aero Hydro Dynamic Institute (TSAGI). He believes that the SSJ 100 outperforms the others in terms of specific wing loads that are adapted to various flight modes.

The planes improved fuel efficiency is due to superior aerodynamics and a new engine. To be honest, earlier Russian planes were inferior to their foreign equivalents in this respect, he noted. Quite possibly, the Irish airline was influenced by this and other criteria, he added.
According to the agreement, Russia will not impose export duties on oil and petroleum products supplied for the domestic consumption, its volume to be decided before the year-end. Standard Eurasian Economic Union's (EEU) duties will be paid on all the supplies over the agreed volume. Re-export to the third countries will be prohibited as well, including on those goods imported to Kyrgyzstan from other EEU members.

According to the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Russia is the largest Kyrgyzstan's import partner, accounting for 35 percent of its imports. Oil and petroleum products constitute 51.9 percent of Kyrgyz imports from Russia.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  He also noted that Russian tourists made an important part of Finnish tourism industry.

"Russia is an important trade partner, and despite the fall in the trade turnover, we are taking the measures to restore it," Soini said after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov told reporters after the meeting with his Finnish counterpart that Moscow hopes that the decisions aimed at addressing the disturbing downward trend in the Russia-Finland trade turnover would be made during the intergovernmental meeting this fall.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The 2016 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is being held under the auspices of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is due to take place on June 16-18. The forum is organized annually and attended by business representatives and officials from dozens of countries.

"Minister Rehn will participate in the economic forum in St. Petersburg," Soini stated at a press conference in Moscow.

Earlier in the day, the Finnish foreign minister announced his country expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit the country in early July.
Thus, the organization violates Article 2 of its Statute saying that OPEC shall devise ways and means of ensuring the stabilization of prices in the global oil market. This is what quotas are for. However, OPEC members have long ignored quotas, opting to increase output.

OPEC never officially announced the end of using quotas. But the words by the Saudi minister were the first signal. His announcement could mean that Riyadh is going to seriously change the role of OPEC in the crude market.

For many years, Saudi Arabia regulated the market almost single-handedly. It had sufficient production capabilities and caul balance the market.

Usually, the policy was successful. But during the 1980s oil crisis, when the market was oversupplied with crude, in a bid to stabilize prices Riyadh decreased output threefold, from 10 million barrels a day in 1980 to three million in 1985.
Three people died and around 40 were injured late Sunday after a passenger train collided with a freight train west of Liege in Belgium, local media reported.

The passenger train crashed into the freight train. The investigation into the reasons of the accident is underway, Frederick Sakr, a spokesperson for the state-run railway company Infrabel said.

The trains collided near Hermalle-sous-Huy on the border between the municipalities of municipality Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse and Engis, the Belgian news agency Belga cited town mayor Francis Dejon as saying.
MADRID (Sputnik)  The vote was initiated by Gure Esku Dago (It's in our hands) group, the organizers told RIA Novosti. Around 37,000 voted in the poll that was conducted in 34 municipalities. The regions total population is over 2 million.

Slightly over 95 percent of those sampled said "yes" to whether they wanted to be citizens of a sovereign/ independent Basque Country.

Basque Country: a people in motion to become owners of our destiny! pic.twitter.com/xbVA5VzGJC  urko aiartza (@uaiartza) 5  2016 .

The groups leaders, Angel Oiarbide and Zelai Nikolas, praised the vote as "historic," saying it was "the first step to a referendum."
MADRID (Sputnik)  Russia's Consulate General in Barcelona is clarifying reports of the Spanish media on the death of a Russian woman in Catalonia, a diplomatic source told RIA Novosti on Monday.

"The Russian Consulate General is in touch with the Spanish law enforcement agencies. We are clarifying the information," the source said.

Earlier, the Spanish media reported that the bodies of a Russian woman and an Italian man were found on a yacht in Girona, Catalonia on Sunday. According to the reports, poisoning is believed to be a cause for the death.
During a recent closed-door meeting with MPs, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere complained about a huge spike in the number of burglaries carried out by migrants as eastern bloc crime gangs are apparently using the migrant crisis to send thieves into Europe.

Criminal gangs from Georgia are of special concern to German law enforcement and politicians who note that organized crime has become a very serious problem in the former Soviet republic.

As a result, Germany, backed by France, has proposed to the European Commission a special amendment that would contain some form of safeguard enabling EU countries to reinstate visas for some of their fellow members.
According to Guillou, this question is much easier to answer: the aftermath would be ruined foreign trade and a de facto state of war between Russia and the EU.

"Not a single Liberal could explain why on earth Russia would commit such an economic and political suicide, yet they continued with their saber-rattling as vigorously as before: Sweden should join NATO to fence off the Russian attack that would inevitably ensue if it continued outside NATO," Jan Guillou wrote.

Of late, Sweden's military bosses have come up with an "updated" and more nuanced threat. Now, Putin is supposedly intending to limit himself with capturing "only" the strategic island of Gotland, which lies some 100 kilometers off mainland Sweden's coast. This scenario is part of the following theory: at some point, Russia is inevitably bound to conquer one or several Baltic states (which according to Western think-tanks is manageable in only 60 hours).

A column in the tabloid newspaper Expressen, which is one of NATO's most keen supporters in Sweden went even on to threaten the poor islanders with Russian nuclear arms. As usual, however, the author refrained from disclosing what joy Russia would get from nuking Gotland, which is quite typical of NATO agitators.
When terrorists were taking away lives in our region [the West] didnt think it was not something worth of worrying about, but when faced with the same thing in its own home it now calls this an attack on the entire human race, Oguz emphasized.

Terrorism, caused by tensions between the haves and have-nots over the misbalance caused by the global crisis is now out there in the streets of Paris.

Just where else this European Spring may spill over to is hard to say, but at a time when affluence and poverty are a single spark apart, the aftermath of this European Spring may prove even more tragic, the author warned.

"The flowers of evil are now blooming even in Germany, our brother in arms who is still trying to stab us in the back in Spain, Poland and Greece. The European Spring will be different. Whether it comes this summer or in winter remains to be seen, Seref Oguz wrote in conclusion.

Meanwhile, France, the second-largest economy of the European Union, has been plunged into social unrest in the second week of mass protest against his reforms of existing labor laws as the whole rail transport system is hit by strikes.

On May 31 rail workers began a series of open-ended walkouts as part of ongoing mass strikes across France over controversial reforms to the highly codified French labor laws.

The labor reforms were largely directed at making companies take on more workers on permanent contracts, rather than temporary ones, to bring down the unemployment rate from ten percent.

The proposals would give employers more scope to lay-off workers and cut costs and allow some employees to work longer hours.

Other reforms include a cap on severance pay for workers dismissed by a company.

The current uncertain cost of laying-off workers mean that companies are risk-averse to doing so, leaving them less flexible and  in some cases  less productive. Opponents say the reforms would undermine workers' rights on pay, overtime and breaks.
Was it just a diplomatic nicety, as Stalin was finalizing his own preparations for what became arguably the single most successful military achievement of the entire war?

Two weeks after the D-Day landings, while the Allied troops were still pinned down by German fire to the Normandy beaches, the Red Army began Operation Bagration, named after a Russian-Georgian hero of the 1812 war against Napoleon. Within a month it annihilated the Army Group Centre, the engine of the German war machine on the Eastern Front, which controlled the shortest route through Belorussia and Poland to Berlin.

Forgotten Heroes

But while almost everybody in the West knows about the D-Day landings, very few people have heard anything about Operation Bagration. And with the current efforts in the West, and especially in Eastern and Central Europe, to rewrite the history of WWII, fewer still are likely to ever learn about it. All they will know is that liberation of Europe started with the D-Day landings.

152 mm howitzer battery fires during Operation Bagration, 1944 #history pic.twitter.com/fYr6xjZ9Pc  Historical Photos (@HiztoryPhotos) June 2, 2016

However, leading British and American historians of WWII agree that the sheer size of Bagration dwarfs that of D-Day.

Professor Geoffrey Wawro, Director of the Military History Center, University of North Texas said:

"You had ten times as many Russians fighting in Bagration as you had Anglo/American/Canadian troops landing on the Normandy beaches. And you had three times as many Germans in action fighting trying to hold up the Russian advance as you had defending the Atlantic Wall [German defenses in Normandy]."

On the Eastern Front Germany and her allies (Finland, Hungary, Romania) had about 228 divisions, compared with 58 divisions in the West, only 15 of which were engaged in the Normandy battle in its initial stages.

Despite this disparity in numbers the two Allied offensives had some striking similarities. Both involved sophisticated deception of the enemy, and ingenuity in crossing extremely difficult terrain under heavy fire.

"When D-Day and Bagration jumped off, the allied armies in Normandy and the Russian armies on the Eastern Front were equidistant from Berlin, and in the German view they were sort of equal threats," said Professor Wawro.

However, Richard Overy, Professor of history at the University of Exeter disagrees:

"The German Army was well aware of the greater threat. There was no major movement of manpower westward to cope with the invasion of France. The Allied bridgehead in Normandy was contained, though not eliminated, with the troops already there."

Unreliable Rabble

And the quality of German troops facing the Western Allies left a lot to be desired, said Professor Overy.

"Many of these divisions were largely made up of older soldiers  a quarter of the German army was over 34 by 1944  and some of the units manning the defenses, composed of wounded [soldiers] from the eastern front and men of poorer physical condition, had low combat effectiveness.

"One whole division on the Normandy sector was made up of men with stomach complaints; other units were refuges for men with lung or ear conditions. Most of the combat divisions had been reduced to eleven thousand men from the conventional 17,200 of the early campaigns," Overy said.

"To keep up numbers large contingents of volunteer battalions from the occupied part of the Soviet Union  Tatars, Cossacks, Georgians  were drafted in. By the time of the invasion the German 7th army deployed in Normandy had a sixth of its numbers recruited from such units."

Sir Max Hastings, who has written extensively about WWII, testifies: "the perpetual bleeding of manpower from west to east had crippled every division.

"The bulk of the [German] army was made up of the over-age and medically unfit convalescents from the east, and an entirely unreliable rabble of Polish, Russian and Italian defectors and forced laborers."

Yet, "it remains astounding," Sir Max Hastings said, "that Germany could still produce and equip and army in the west capable of causing the gravest difficulties to the best that Britain and America could throw into the war".

Slogging Through Normandy

The timeline of the two parallel operations is quite illuminating.

The Allies landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944, the Russians started operation Bagration on 23 June.

Within two weeks the Army Group Centre, in the words of Chief of General Staff colonel-general Heinz Guderian, "has now ceased to exist."

By 25 July, the first Russian units were approaching Warsaw. That same day the Western Allies managed to break out of the Normandy beach-head.

#DDay "When you go home, Tell Them of us & say, For your tomorrow we gave our today" Their sacrifice never forgotten pic.twitter.com/3Zy0oKi6rJ  John Nichol (@JohnNicholRAF) June 6, 2016

After Operation Bagration, said Professor Wawro, the Russians "are at the very gates of Berlin while we're still slogging our way through Normandy and towards Paris."

Professor Overy believes "Stalin must have gained a special satisfaction from the fact that while the Red Army had swept everything before it in two weeks, the Western Allies remained mired in a narrow bridgehead."

False Promise?

So astounding was the success of Operation Bagration that Stalin pondered the possibility for the Soviet Union to finish off Nazi Germany all by itself.

"In the Soviet Union the constant disappointments about the second front had produced a widespread cynicism about Western intentions," said Professor Overy.

"The tone was set by Stalin himself, who on the very eve of Overlord still doubted Western resolve: 'What if they meet up with some Germans! Maybe there won't be a landing then, but just promises as usual.' "
In an interview with newspaper Politiken , Russia's ambassador Mikhail Vanin lashed out against Denmark's belligerent anti-Russian rhetoric, as well as the country's contribution to NATO's Baltic buildup, which hardly helps easing the tension between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty.

In the ensuing week, more anti-Russian opinions followed, none of which, however, managed to explain the importance of the hostile measures intended. Denmark still plans to contribute with 150 troops to NATO's buildup in the Baltic Sea in order to parry an imaginary Russian threat.

In contrast to the obvious falling out with Russia, Denmark keeps talking nicely to Turkey, while continuing sending money to President Recep Erdogan, as well as supporting visa freedom with Turkey and Ankara's EU membership prospects, Jesper Larsen of the newspaper Politiken argued.
"I think it smacks of desperation that he's willing to share platforms with people who have far left opinions, way beyond what the Conservative party has ever endorsed."

Cameron himself however, wasn't lying down though, releasing a joint-statement with the other party leaders accusing senior Leave officials Boris Johnson and Michael Gove of being "reckless and undemocratic" by failing to outline an economic plan if Britain leaves the EU.

Cameron: Vote Leave are being undemocratic and reckless #StrongerIn pic.twitter.com/doG87mTfNa  Elliot Chapman-Jones (@ElliotCJ) June 6, 2016

"They are perpetuating an economic contrick on the British people, and we're calling time on it," the joint statement read.

'Court Jester' and a 'Vengeful Man'

The attacks between opposing Conservative Party figures continued, with former Prime Minister Sir John Major describing Leave campaigner Boris Johnson as a "court jester," while accusing the Euroskeptics of running a "squalid" campaign.

"On the subject that they have veered towards, having lost the economic argument, of immigration, I think their campaign is verging on the squalid," he told the BBC.

I hope Johnson is squirming as he should be listening to John Major. Squalid. Deceitful. Misleading. Dishonest. #Marr  Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) June 5, 2016

While Johnson himself warned that there has been "too much of this blue on blue action" in regards to attacks within the Conservative Party, fellow Euroskeptic Jacob Rees-Mogg launched a scathing attack on Sir John for his comments.

John Major says the Leave Campaign has been pretty squalid. Obviously hasn't checked out the Remain Campaign #bothguilty  Carol Hall (@pollypreston) June 5, 2016

"What we've had today are the bitter ramblings of a vengeful man. I'm going to sling the mud straight back at Sir John Major, a knight of the garter who ought to know how to behave better. It's all to do with his bitterness over his failings that came from the Exchange Rate Mechanism that tarnished his whole prime ministership," he told BBC Radio 4.

Support for Brexit Rising

The bitter fallout within the Conservative Party comes as two new polls suggest support for leaving the EU is rising.

A YouGov poll showed the Leave campaign leading with 45 percent, ahead of Remain on 41 percent, while there were 14 percent of respondents who were undecided.

The YouGov Brexit polls over the last years. A majority is now in favour of leaving.https://t.co/FfFrBbnzWi pic.twitter.com/vxCjEPftEK  Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) June 6, 2016

Meanwhile, a separate TNS survey found the Leave vote ahead of remain by 43 percent to 41 percent.
Spokesperson Brynjar Stordal of the Joint Headquarters confirmed the submarine had the so-called administrative assignment of swapping crews and carrying out a number of tasks before going out to sea, yet refused to specify the type of the submarine. No further indication was given, except for the fact that it was American and had Norfolk as its homeport.

"I will not say exactly how common this is, but from time to time US submarines do come into Norwegian territorial waters with such calls, upon which they are granted permission from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, Stordal told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

According to press officer Ivan Moen of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, all necessary agencies, such as the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, the county governor and the police, have been warned in advance in connection with the submarine visit.
Its recent deal with Turkey condemned by human rights groups, charities and NGOs is clearly not working with refugees resorting to hunger strikes and violence in detention centers on Greek islands.

Potentially striking a deal with African nations similar to the EU-Turkey deal has also led to concerns that the countries could capitalize on the migration crisis to blackmail money from the EU and that migration policy should not be linked with development aid programs.

Amid moves by the EU to shift its foreign policies to fit the migration crisis, Kenya has announced it will close the world's biggest refugee camp.

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery says the Dadaab camp, which is home to more than 300,000 Somalis, will close in November 2016.

My statement on decision to shut Daadab R. camp will not change bcs it has become hosting ground for terrorists https://t.co/WZkJwRuASG  Joseph Nkaisserry (@GenNkaisserry) May 11, 2016

The camp was set up in 1991 to house families feeling the conflict in Somalia, but Kenya says it has become increasingly concerned over the security of the camp, amid claims terrorist attacks have been planned there by al-Shabaab militants.

Raila Odinga, leader of Kenya's rival political group, Cord said: "You cannot bundle fellow human beings who ran away from their country because of insecurity into trucks and dump them in a country where lawlessness is still prevalent.

"If our own soldiers were massacred by al-Shabaab in El Adde, what will happen to civilians? They will be slaughtered like animals."

Farah Maalim, former deputiy speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya said the government is closing the camp because, "it is not happy with the UN's withdrawal of funding which used to be channeled through the state."

The details of the communication issued by the EU executive involving potential deals with African and Middle Eastern countries to stem the flow of migrants to Europe will be revealed on Tuesday 7 June.

More than 205,000 migrants have arrived in Europe so far this year, according to the United Nations refugee Agency (UNHCR). More than 2,500 have died trying.
The Lourdes of the UK

Archaeologists Geoffrey Wainwright and Timothy Darvill claimed in 2008 that there was evidence to suggest that Stonehenge had healing properties.

The scientists claimed that the ancient chipping of the rocks was the equivalent of Lourdes, a French commune that allegedly possesses healing powers.

Stonehenge was a place of healing. An ancient Lourdes. A place where people came on a pilgrimage to be cured. A http://t.co/BOv0xKkySL  Mira Kelley (@MiraKelley) May 7, 2013

Both Wainwright and Darvill also stated that skeletons had been recovered from the area around Stonehenge which showed that many people who visited the site in ancient times were extremely unwell.

Sex Symbol

Anthony Perks, a researcher at the University of British Colombia claimed in 2003 that in fact the ancient site was a sex symbol, which had been constructed to look like the female sexual organs.

"Stonehenge could represent the opening by which Earth Mother gave birth to the plants and animals," Perks said in an interview.

Burial Site

Earlier this year, archaeologists found that Stonehenge could have been a graveyard for a community of elite families.

More than 200 people are buried at Stonehenge, making it the largest Neolithic burial site in Britain. pic.twitter.com/QeCQ7BZhUG  HISTORY (@HISTORY) August 14, 2015

The British team analyzed the ancient remains of 63 bodies buried around Stonehenge, discovering that the first monument was originally a graveyard for a community of elite families, whose remains were brought to Stonehenge and buried over a period of more than 200 years. However, the team also discovered that the earliest burials predate the monument in its current form.

Team Building Exercise

The University College London also come up with a strange theory in 2012. They thought that Stonehenge had in fact been used for team building.

Scientists believed that construction coincided with a time of increased unity among the Neolithic people of Britain.

This was perhaps inspired by the natural flow of the landscape, which seems to connect the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. It is believed that these ancient people may have got together to build the monument.

Ancient Aliens

In 1968 in the book, 'Chariots of the Gods' by Erich von Daniken, it was claimed that the technologies as well as religions of ancient civilizations had been given to them by extraterrestrial beings, which had also influenced the building of Stonehenge.

Ever wonder if the Aliens put the #Stonehenge up so we could have a nice place to view the #sunset? https://t.co/RP7OGVGi6z  Pam's Adventures (@PamsAdventures) May 30, 2016

Because the stones weigh around 50 tons, it is thought that help may have been required to lift them.

After seeing Stonehenge I declare that aliens are real  Preston Johnston (@SquidHatSalmon) June 5, 2016

This, claims von Daniken, could only have come from outer space.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed with 298 people on board on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine after being shot down while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam. Kiev and pro-independence militia in Ukraine's southeast have blamed each other for the downing of the plane.

The JIT brings together the Public Prosecution Service, Police of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine.

"An important question for the criminal investigation is whether a missile can be launched unintentionally. Did anyone accidentally push a button which caused the missile to be launched? Or can this only be done by means of a conscious act? And how exactly does the weapon system select its target," the prosecutors said in an online magazine.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Friday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he would participate in the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, where he plans to present Ukraine's Strategic Defense Bulletin adopted as part of reforms required for NATO accession.

"Regarding Ukraine, submission to the NATO power seriously undermines the credibility of this country already mired in corruption. It is also a first step towards membership. It would be a historic mistake for Europe. Therefore, I oppose with force to the accession of Ukraine to NATO," Ferrand, who is also a member of the French National Front party, said.

Ukraine dropped its non-aligned status in 2014, opening the way for NATO membership and drawing criticism from Russia and many other states.
Finland's input was the 160-strong infantry company of the Uusimaa Brigade, as well as the minelayer Uusimaa, whereas Sweden contributed one corvette and one submarine, six Gripen fighter jets and marine troops, as well as provided the Stockholm archipelago as a training ground. Meanwhile, Swedish soldiers and trucks are on their way from the country's southernmost province of Scania to this year's biggest NATO exercise, Anakonda, in Poland, encompassing no less than 25,000 men. Remarkably, both exercises aim openly at containing "aggressive" Russia. Many believe this is by far too committal for a "neutral" country.

"I think this is deeply unfortunate. We contribute actively to military activities and the spiraling arms race in our neighborhood. We know from experience that this happens to encourage corresponding signals from our counterpart as well. Therefore, the risk of incidents and accidents increases all the time, Stig Henriksson, the Left Party's defense council told Swedish Radio.

There is no doubt that the exercises are deeply provoking and may have unexpected and far-reaching consequences, retired brigade general and historian Michael H. Clemmesen argued in an opinion piece in Danish newspaper Berlingske. Clemmesen went so far as to draw frightening parallels with WWI and the Cuban crisis in 1962, citing unforeseen and unpredictable developments in both cases.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Most of the British newspapers are likely to encourage public to stay in the European Union on the day of the referendum, June 23, Liam Halligan, an economics commentator for Telegraph Media Group, told Sputnik on Monday.

"I think most newspapers on the day, on June 23, will say: we really think that you should remain in the EU. Most of them will say that. But there has also been a pretty muscular and vibrant debate in the UK, and there is still time to go," Halligan said.

"There has been a lot of media coverage on Brexit in the UK that has been pro-remaining in the EU, but I think there has been a pretty vibrant fight back as well," Halligan added.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee took evidence from both sides in the campaign and came to the conclusion that "whatever the outcome, there will be a clearer path for the United Kingdom to follow."

The committee said that if the UK left the EU, then negotiating a bespoke free trade agreement would be a likely path to follow. They also said the Government should recognize the probability of no mutual interest deal being concluded within the two-year notice period, as outlined in Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which determines how member states exit the union.

Have you seen our report on the #EURef? Take a look at our balanced analysis: https://t.co/pVzjmtojsZ pic.twitter.com/sU1EetgIrL  Foreign Affairs Ctte (@CommonsForeign) 4 May 2016

"If no deal could be concluded within the two-year notice period, the UK would move to standard World Trade Organization relationship terms and would then need to decide which of the 6,987 directly-applicable EU Regulations would need to be replaced by UK law. Mutual economic interests should result in a comprehensive free trade agreement over time," the report said.
The main reason is deepening concerns that when a visa-free regime is imposed with Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo the situation with security in Europe would aggravate, according to the article.

Now, on the pretext of Georgia and Ukraine EU countries may have the right to suspend at their own discretion visa-free travel with their fellow members.

The amendment has been proposed to the European Commission by Paris and Berlin.
ROSTOV-ON-DON (Sputnik)  The number of refugees expected to arrive in Switzerland may come to some 80,000, he added, praising the Rostov regional government's efforts at accommodating Ukrainian refugees.

"Since Switzerland has no organizations like the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, all matters will be dealt with by the Swiss Army, which has mobilized some 2,000 personnel currently undergoing special training to deal with such a number of refugees," Schaller said, as quoted by a Rostov Region government statement.
What will happen to the archipelago with Europe's second largest economy and 65 million inhabitants is yet unknown, but the Norwegian model, formally independent, but with shared benefits such as a free trade agreement, is by many regarded as a welcome option for the future. A number of prominent campaigners for the no-side, such as the head of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage, have referred to the Norwegian example. Norway gets free access to the European market, yet must still comply with a number of EU directives and contribute financially to use the privilege.

However, Norway's glossy image could have crumbled for the British if they were privy to the ongoing debate in Norway.

"It's a terribly bad idea for Great Britain to exit. If Brits take a conscious decision to relinquish their say in the EU, it will be a strange choice indeed," Director of the World Economic Forum and former Labor Party leader Espen Eide told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik)  The European Commission (EC) will present in June a regular report on the progress in the implementation of a EU-Turkey migrant-for-refugee swap deal, including on the prospects for visa liberalization, European Commission spokeswoman for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Tove Ernst said Monday.

"Regarding progress made on the remaining benchmarks of the visa-liberalization dialogues, what we have informed you here previously, [is] that Turkey has over the past weeks signed two additional legislation related to these benchmarks notably on the EU-Turkey readmission agreement and also a law related to the benchmark on data protection and we will in the coming weeks of June take stock of the state of play on the implementation of EU-Turkey statement in a report which will be presented during the course of the month of June," Ernst said during a press briefing.

Ankara and Brussels are currently in talks on visa liberalization. The European Union has put forward 72 requirements for Turkey to comply with. Most of the requirements have already been fulfilled by Ankara, though some problematic criteria remain, including the revision of Turkeys national anti-terrorism laws, freedom of the press, measures on combating corruption, judicial cooperation with all European Union member countries.
VILNIUS (Sputnik)  Grybauskaite and Hodges discussed the upcoming NATO summit, the press release added.

"The President stressed that it was necessary to maintain a continuous rotation of US troops in Lithuania and conduct intensive military exercises based on real threat scenarios. It is essential to continuously improve interoperability between Lithuanian and US military units," the press release of the president's office said.

International military drills Iron Wolf 2016 that are a part of larger NATO maneuver Saber Strike 2016, started in Lithuania earlier on Monday. The maneuver will last till June, 16. More than 5,000 troops from Denmark, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the United States will participate in the drills.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In February 2014, violent clashes with law enforcement broke out in Kiev, spreading across the country and leading to a government coup. The protest forced Yanukovych , the Ukrainian president at the time, to flee the country.

"In line with Article 3 of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, the request by the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office to temporarily arrest Viktor Yanukovych has been rejected. The Ukrainian side has been informed of the decision," spokesman Alexander Kurennoy told reporters in Moscow.

Yanukovych said earlier that he plans to return to Ukraine and necessary legal preparations will be made soon.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Sunday, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, speaking to national daily newspaper Die Presse, suggested that Austria may partially follow the Australian immigration policy model and keep migrants in island camps until their asylum claims have been processed.

We have a clear understanding that we need to stop migrants getting on those boats and trying to get to Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. It is an open discussion, and the main aim is to stop people entering the boats, Karl-Heinz Grundbock said, when asked to elaborate on possible further plans in this regard.

"We do have political discussions on national and European levels what would be the best concept," he added.
According to India's Ministry of Defense, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Chief of the Air Staff, will be visiting a flying base of the Swedish Air Force and the production facilities of SAAB at Linkoping where Gripen aircraft are manufactured. SAAB has offered to develop, manufacture and undertake the final assembly of its Gripen fighter jet in India with actual Transfer of Technology under the Make in India project.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha is on an official visit to Sweden from June 7. During his stay in Sweden he will be calling on the Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with the Supreme Commander of Swedish Armed Forces and the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Indian Air Force chief ACM Arup Raha visits Sweden June 7-11, will stop by at @Saab's Gripen facility in Linkoping. pic.twitter.com/a7EjepJDqq  Livefist (@livefist) 6  2016 .

The visit carries great significance as it is taking place after Swedish PM Stefan Lofvens visit to India earlier this year in February to attend the Defense Expo-2016 held in Goa in southern India. Both India and Sweden identified defense as one of the key areas of cooperation during the visit.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkeys far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) called on Ankara on June 2 to end the migrant deal with Brussels after Berlins decision to label the 1915 Armenian massacre as genocide.

"Now it is time for the European Union to fulfill its obligations. I believe that it will act in accordance with this agreement, as Turkey has done much to implement it. The cancellation of the agreement is not on the agenda, and we will continue to do our part to achieve success," Kurtulmus said.

In March, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a deal under which Turkey vowed to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis. In return, the bloc pledged to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and the Schengen Area.
The cruel execution took place Thursday on one of the squares of Mosul, the Iraqi stronghold of Daesh, in front of hundreds of residents. On the site, Daesh terrorists reportedly locked the women in an iron cage and burned them alive.

"They were punished for refusing to have sex with Daesh militants," local activist Abdulla al-Malla told the Kurdish news agency ARA News. "Nobody could save them from the savage execution."

Radical Islamists seized the north of Iraq in 2014. Around 400,000 residents managed to flee the territory, but tens of thousands of the local Yazidi population couldn't escape. In recent years, many representatives of the religious minority have been murdered, abducted and raped.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The militants fired mortar rounds and rockets at the Burayj ar Rih neighborhood in northern Aleppo, killing and wounding civilians, Russias Syrian reconciliation center said early Monday.

"Nusra Front Militants fired mortars and multiple rocket launchers at the Burayj ar Rih district north of Aleppo," a member of the Russian Defense Ministrys center in Hmeimim said.

"The shells fired by terrorist groups at residential quarters destroyed a shopping mall, homes and administrative buildings, private buildings, killing and wounding civilians," the military official said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  This comes after 117 bodies of people believed to be African migrants whose boats capsized in the Mediterranean were washed up Friday on a Libyan beach. Libya serves as a springboard into Europe for hundreds of refugees from across the continent.

"We will not accept EU sending migrants back to us. Europe must find ways to bring them back to their countries of origin. They cannot stay with us," Seraj, the head of the Government of National Accord, told Die Welt newspaper on Sunday.
"The [Iraqi] forces managed to liberate the Fallujah gas refinery located in the Al Shuhdaa district in the southern part of the city," a military source told Alsumaria TV channel.

The source added that the Iraqi army is continuing its offensive and the militants are suffering significant losses.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United Kingdom's special forces are fighting alongside rebels in Syria to defeat Daesh terrorist organization, British media reported Monday, citing rebel commanders.

The British troops based in Jordan reportedly cross the border to assist the New Syrian Army (NSA), comprised of former Syrian special forces, when it defends village of Tanf in Syria'a southeast.

"They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe," NSA 1st Lt. Mahmoud Saleh told The Times newspaper.
VILNIUS (Sputnik)  International military drills Iron Wolf 2016 that are a part of larger NATO maneuver Saber Strike 2016 started on Monday in Lithuania, the countrys Defense Ministry said.

"Troops from various allied states that will carry out different military operations with us and, if necessary, effectively react on different security challenges, will participate in the drills," the ministry's statement read.

The maneuver will last until June, 16. More than 5,000 troops from Denmark, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the United States will participate in the drills.
Local residents told RT about the rules the terrorists have imposed in Manjib.

SDF fighters rescued thousands of refugees from the Daesh-seized surroundings of Manbij and Mascana. They are hiding in the village of Tal-Arsh.

"We were rescued by the Syrian Democratic Forces. I hope we will never meet terrorists again. They did not let us leave the town, they killed people. Smoking was prohibited. The terrorists forced us to grow beards," a refugee said.

Among the refugees in Tal-Arsh are women, children and the elderly. Their goal is to save their lives from the terrorists.

Syrian Army liberates Abu al-Ala village from Daesh militants

"Civilians are suffering from Daeshs atrocities. Look whats happening out there! Daesh is to blame for this! Its ideology has nothing to do with Islam. People are suffering. They left their homes and have to live without water. The terrorists did this. But well liberate Syria from them," a fighter from the Manbij military committee said.
However, UK Minister for Defense Procurement Philip Dunne rejected the findings, telling parliament on May 24 that the BL-755 cluster bomb may have been used in an earlier conflict.

Dunne told the House of Commons:

"It is unclear from the evidence provided thus far that the munitions came from the current conflict," adding that "we assess that no UK-supplied cluster weapons have been used."

Last time UK produced cluster bombs for sale was 1989 says Def Min Philip Dunne. Now banned #Yemen  Jonathan Beale (@bealejonathan) May 24, 2016

Defense Minister Fallon said the UK was "aware that Saudi Arabia has used cluster munitions in the current conflict in Yemen, as the Saudis have themselves publicly confirmed."

UK Gov't Response Shocking'

Cluster weapons are now banned by the UK and more than 100 other countries, with accusations the alleged use of the British-made cluster munitions by Saudi forces, or the UK's failure to ensure they aren't being used, could leave London complicit in any breach of international law committed in the conflict.

Amnesty International UK's spokesperson Allan Hogarth said the UK government's response to the evidence was "shocking."

The UK must end arms sales to Saudi Arabia now. https://t.co/69aEOqyVfc #StopArmingSaudi  neil hanman (@neilhanman) June 4, 2016 "It's shocking that the Saudi coalition has dropped a British cluster bomb on villagers in Yemen, and no less shocking that ministers are doing so little about it. Instead of immediately halting all sales of arms to a Saudi coalition that obviously cares little for civilian life in Yemen, ministers have hidden behind a smokescreen of wildly implausible claims."

"Ministers are behaving disgracefully and Yemeni villagers have been killed or maimed in the meantime.

"It's an absolute scandal and it all goes back to the fact that UK Government just won't stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia and other rich countries in the Gulf."
DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  At the moment, the Syrian Army is carrying out an offensive on the city of Raqqa, Daesh terrorists' stronghold. At the moment, the troops are moving toward the city of Tabqa in Raqqa's suburbs.

The source noted that Daesh terrorists had tried to gain control over a strategic road near the city of Asriya, however, the Syrian army had repelled the attempt and had killed some of the terrorists.

Raqqa has been under control of Daesh, a designated terror group outlawed in the United States and Russia among many other countries, since 2013.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On May 30, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the United States began an offensive on Manbij located along the Turkish border.

The forces have already secured the western lodgments of the Euphrates river, extending the defense line forward over 100 sq. km., according to CENTCOM.

"As a result of rapid gains and intensified aerial activity, civilians from Menbij town and nearby villages have moved mostly towards northern towns in Menbij sub district, the Jarablous border crossing point, west towards NSAG held territories, and to a lesser extent  further south to villages dotted along the Euphrates River. According to informed sources, up to 20,000 people may have already [been] displaced," the report said.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US-led coalition against the Daesh conducted 22 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday destroying the terrorist groups positions and infrastructure, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release.

"In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL [Daesh] targets," the release stated on Monday. "Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL [Daesh] targets."

The coalition airstrikes in Syria took place near the cities of Shadaddi, Raqqa and Mara, with particular focus on Manbij, where the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, have begun an offensive against the terrorists.
Shingal (Sinjar) is a Kurdish Yezidi city that was controlled by Daesh until August 2014. In a successful offensive, Peshmerga forces liberated the city from terrorists on November 14, 2015.

In the video it can be seen how the Peshmerga engineering team defuses makeshift explosive devices (IEDs) in a 50 meter-long tunnel dug by Daesh inside Shingal.

Before they begin to defuse the bombs a group of armed Peshmerga forces discusses how to proceed with the defusion and they are told that they can make only one mistake. That mistake will cost them their life.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Cook explained that there is a memorandum of understanding that allows for coordination between the United States and Russia to ensure the safety of aircraft operating in Syria.

"In terms of direct coordination of activities on the ground, that is not happening," Cook told reporters when about Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskovs comment that Moscow and Washington exchange information twice daily on the situation in the city of Raqqa.

Furthermore, the US State Department is in touch with its Russian counterparts on the cessation of hostilities agreement, and the Defense Department is advising some of those talks, Cook said.
"The governments harassment of the settlers  demolishing their homes, exposing them to lawsuits and portraying them as lawless  is unjustified. The bill proposes solutions that were implemented by the government in the past under similar circumstances."

While the bill seeks to prevent Israeli homeowners from having their homes demolished, it shows little concern for Palestinians who suffer the same fate. According to the bill, Palestinians would receive money and be provided with other, less-desirable tracts of land, but would not be able to legally oppose the governments decision.

Similar to previous attempts, the bill is unlikely to pass, but could be seen as a sign that the Jewish Home party is preparing to break with the governing coalition led by Netanyahus Likud party. Last week, Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett warned of leaving the coalition if a Palestinian state were to be created.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On April 11, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia had made the first contracted delivery of the S-300 systems as scheduled.

"The deal is being implemented as planned. We expect to receive the remaining systems and hope for the deal to be fully implemented by the end of the year," ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said.
Several other sites in rural areas are also being considered, according to other sources cited by the media outlet.

The United States has been in discussions with South Korea for several months over the proposed deployment of the THAAD system amid increased tensions on the peninsula over North Korea's nuclear program.
BAKU (Sputnik)  The joint exercises kicked off earlier in the day.

The Joint Multinational Special Forces drills, involving participants from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and Turkey, will last through June 12, the ministry said in a statement.

On June 2, over 1,200 Azerbaijani and Turkish servicemen held live-fire training in the Turkish northeastern city of Kars in compliance with the bilateral agreement on military cooperation.
The type of plane, in his opinion, does not affect how efficient, spectacular or tough a particular maneuver is, but Russian aerobatics teams are still better than their US counterparts. For instance, Russian pilots are the only ones capable of performing the bell, a variation of the tailslide maneuver.

Yet, Rusanov, who served as the Swifts' deputy commander, maintained that military equipment is the only real factor that prevents some from performing the most challenging tricks. "We can perform a lot of maneuvers that Americans cannot due to the technical characteristics of our planes. They wuld love to, but they can't. Their military hardware is the limitation."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Reuters reported earlier on Monday, citing the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, that at least 17 people had been killed in an airstrike by Syrian and Russian warplanes on the town of Ashara, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the provincial capital, Deir ez-Zor.

"The aircraft from the Russian air group in Syria did not carry out combat missions in the vicinity of Ashara in the Deir ez-Zor province," ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

"It is simply another round of rumors whose dissemination may only harm the business reputation of the respectable British news agency," Konashenkov emphasized.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The deployment is part of an operation named Atlantic Resolve.

"The ships operations in the Black Sea are meant to enhance maritime security and stability, readiness, and naval capability with our allies and partners," the release explained.

All Department of Defense efforts in support of our NATO allies in Eastern Europe fall under the umbrella of Atlantic Resolve, the Navy added.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Syrian opposition groups have had "more than enough time "to leave the territory controlled by terrorist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and the Daesh.

"We have called on the [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime to carefully distinguish between terrorists and parties to the cessation of hostilities, Russia as well," Trudeau told reporters.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Beginning in 2014, NATO initiated a reassurance program intended to deter the alliance from alleged Russian aggression. Since focusing on the alleged threat emanating from Russia, a majority of NATO countries have previous defense spending cuts, and the United States is likely to contribute $3.4 billion in 2017 to European defense.

"We have a very full NATO plate, so I wouldnt expect that," Rhodes said on Monday of possible revisions to NATOs nuclear posture.

Rhodes acknowledged Russias concerns about "the intersection between conventional capabilities and strategic stability," commenting on Moscows repeated warning that an increase in NATO forces along Russias border could upset regional and global stability.
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The United Nations called for all countries to ban solitary confinement in 2011 saying that the practice amounts to torture. Segregation, isolation, separation, cellular, lockdown, Supermax, the hole, Secure Housing Unit whatever the name, solitary confinement should be banned by States as a punishment or extortion technique, said UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Mendez that year.

Bey is serving a 262-year sentence for crimes including robbing and tying up two elderly Madison women in their homes in 1984, and a 1987 escape in which he shot a sheriffs deputy and another was injured, wrote the Post-Crescent.

A spokesperson for the DOC, Tristan Cook, told the Post-Crescent that they are aware of the prisoners plan to hunger strike and will continue to evaluate and monitor the situation to ensure the health and safety of inmates.
BISHKEK (Sputnik)  The Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional organization created after the break-up of the Soviet Union, will discuss cooperation on trade, economy, investment, energy, and culture.

During his two-day trip to the Central Asian nation, Dmitry Medvedev will meet for talks with Kyrgyzstans President Almazbek Atambayev and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbai Zheenbekov. He also plans to sign bilateral and multilateral agreements with nations attending the Council.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said earlier it hoped to strike deals with Russia on oil trade, intellectual property protections and labor migration. It will ask Moscow to remove thousands of Kyrgyz workers from its blacklist of those denied entry to Russia after violating migration rules.
"[We] should hold regular dialogues, cooperation, cope with various challenges and work hard to cultivate a mutual, instead of an exclusive, circle of friends between the two countries," Xi said.

He emphasized that Beijing favored a "dual-track approach" to territorial rows in the South China Sea, meaning nations that are involved in a dispute should talk directly to each other.

"Based on the principle of the dual-track approach, the South China Sea disputes can be properly resolved," the Chinese leader noted.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said at the opening ceremony that disputes over South China Sea territories should be handled in line with international laws.

"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute in the South China Sea and oppose any country resolving claims through unilateral action," he was quoted by the media as saying.

The 6th US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue started in Beijing on Monday amid rising tensions over the South China Sea. The United States criticizes China for building islands to claim vast areas of the sea, which are also contested by Chinas neighbors.

The talks also tackled strategic security issues, such as maritime security and North Koreas nuclear and missile program, according to the US Department of State.
"Subconsciously, the Europeans are fully opposed to Washington's belligerence," he said, adding that Russia should be patient. Moscow "should appeal to their conscience, remind them of the joint efforts in the fight against fascism, and engage more actively with European societies."

Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Alexei Pushkov also highlighted Washington's role in Germany naming its long-term partner, Russia, as an opponent. This U-turn, he added, does not seem to reflect the attitude of ordinary people.

"The German government decided to name Russia as Germany's 'rival,' pointing to the fact that Merkel brought the country under the control of the Obama administration, but the move does not reflect the real state of affairs," he tweeted.

 -    ""        . ,     .    (@Alexey_Pushkov) 5  2016 .

Defense analyst Konstantin Sivkov, the president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, believes that Russia's independent foreign policy is the key reason why Berlin decided to view Moscow as an adversary.

"A similar document released in 2006 named Russia as a partner, but it was hypocrisy. They called us partners at a time when we were ready to abandon our interests and give them our resources, as well as scientific and technological achievements," he noted.
Russia is a global power and our relations are getting closer. I worked on this rapprochement and today it is serving us, our national security, preventing unneeded and dangerous clashes at our northern border, he said as quoted by the press service on Sunday.

According to the press service of the Israeli prime minister, during the visit he is going to discuss with the Russian leadership implementation of the earlier achieved agreements, global fight against terrorism, bilateral economic and trade relations, the situation in Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This process is already underway. In fact, the radical group that still controls some parts of Syria and Iraq has been retreating for more than a year.

"I think that Daesh militants are really on the run. The areas they control" have shrank "quite rapidly and the Syrian Army has really consolidated with the help of the Russians, Iran and Hezbollah, of course. It is gaining and reclaiming territory," the analyst noted.

Daesh, in her view, has become a shadow of its former self.

"You have now a suffocated terror group which has been reduced from an army" and a government-like organization to a "rat pack militia group," Shakdam observed. This comes in sharp contrast to how powerful the terrorist group was a year or two ago when it launched a blitz offensive on Iraq, capturing a third of its territories.

This success, she added, could partially be attributed to the fact that the Syrian Arab Army "has managed to cut off all aid to Daesh militants coming from Turkey." In fact, Daesh and other radical groups have been able to regroup and resupply precisely because the border region was not secured.

Turkey's 'asymmetrical weapon of war'

The latest reports from the Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides in the Syrian Arab Republic show that al-Nusra Front militants still cross the border to transport recruits, weapons and supplies to the battlefield. On Friday, as many as 200 al-Nusra Front fighters crossed into Syria from Turkey near Beisun and launched an attack on the government forces.

Daesh and other radical groups, who have tried to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, would have been destroyed sooner if they did not receive help from the outside. Countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia have enabled terrorists, using them as a means to advance their own geopolitical agenda, the analyst pointed out.

"The problem is that we have had states like Turkey that have used terrorism as an asymmetrical weapon of war. They have tried to use it as a form of new imperialism," she said. "Turkey has tried to turn Syria into another province of the empire that Erdogan is trying to build."
RAMALLAH (Sputnik)  Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told Sputnik that his visit to Moscow is unrelated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the Russian capital around the same time.

"We discussed several possible dates for the visit and agreed on this one, which coincidentally coincides with the Israeli prime minister's stay in Moscow. This shows that Russia can have good relations with Palestine and maintain the same relations with Israel. Our presence in one place at one time means nothing more. Our task is to discuss relations with Russia, not with Israel," al-Maliki told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Dawa said that reports about Syria by TV channels like al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya usually "were not accurate."

"Some channels like al-Jazeera or al-Arabiya immediately began to invent problems that existed in my country, most of reports were not accurate All of a sudden [since the war in Syria began], many journalists from other countries came to Syria and started spreading information about the events that never happened SANA information agency faced a lot of problems. It was a pre-planned campaign. It was an information war against the people of Syria," Dawa stressed.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Sunday, it was reported that Germany's new White Paper on security policy will include Russia in the list of 10 major threats for the country.

The 80-paper document, which is in the final stage of preparation, will include Moscow in the list of factors posing threat to Berlin, among international terrorism, hacker attacks, migration crisis and climate change.

"If the information about the new version of the [German] White Paper is correct, this causes both concern and regret. It causes regret because  if this is true  it shows a clear lack of understanding of the essence of Russia's stance, which is well known, which is consistent and not aimed at confrontation, but rather at creating an atmosphere of interaction and mutually beneficial cooperation on the European continent," Peskov told reporters.
RAMALLAH (Sputnik)  The international community should punish Israel if it tries to disrupt the French initiative on the Israel-Palestine conflict settlement, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki told Sputnik on Monday.

"If Israel decides to stay on the sidelines and try to go against the initiative of a wide range of countries, including the participants of the Quartet, the UN Security Council members, the European countries, the Arab Group if Israel tries to disrupt it [the initiative], the international community will have to ask the UN Security Council for resolution on that issue or go further, as France promised, to recognize Palestine as state," Maliki said in an interview.

The French capital hosted last week a conference aimed at the resumption of the stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The conference's participants assessed the situation that involved possible risks for the Israeli-Palestinian concept.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Intensive political interaction between Russia and Europe despite Western sanctions can be explained by a large number of mutual interests as well as trade and economic ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

"At present, in recent months, the schedule is rather busy, it will remain busy in the foreseeable future. This can be explained by a number of mutual interests, by the need to coordinate actions on bilateral relations meaning trade and economic ties that despite all the sanctions costs are nevertheless being implemented rather intensively as well as by the exchange of opinions on current regional and global issues," Peskov told journalists.

The Russian-EU relations deteriorated after the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and Crimea's reunification with Russia, which resulted in introduction of anti-Russian sanctions by the United States, the European Union and some other states. Russia responded with imposing its own sanctions against these states.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The international media forum is taking place in Russia's capital on June 6-7. It is hosted by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency and is part of the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Information Bureau. Media experts from over 30 countries of the world take part in the forum.

"Journalism is becoming increasingly fractured, and outstanding individuals now are developing their own grounds beyond the mainstream TV and newspapers. Quite soon it will be a badge of honor for the very best journalists to have their own brands beyond the big media organizations and big channels and principals," Halligan stated at the New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media forum.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini hailed good ties with Russia on Monday, stressing the importance of a dialogue between the two countries on a number of international issues.

"We are neighboring states with good and practical ties," Soini said at the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"It is good ghat we can discuss bilateral and international issues today," he added.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On June 3, UN Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani claimed there had been "credible" reports of servicemen from Russia coming into and out of Ukrainian territory.

"We know that during last years, at the various levels, these statements have been repeatedly made. This was reinforced by some additional accusations of Russian troops crossing [of Ukrainian border] However, the claims of this kind are nothing but groundless accusations as long as they are not supported by at least some evidence. It has never been done before," Peskov said.

Since the Ukrainian crisis has erupted in 2014, Russia's military forces have been repeatedly accused of crossing the Ukrainian boarder, however, the evidence of such actions has never been provided.
In 2014, relations between Moscow and Brussels soured due to the situation in Ukraine, after Crimea decided by public vote to secede from Kiev and rejoin Russia. After Brussels imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, Moscow struck back, banning food exports from the countries that backed anti-Russian policy.

In order to settle Europes internal difficulties and not to fuel tensions with Russia, the existing sanctions should be "dressed up," the article read.

This time, the decision on sanctions will not be made on a "technical diplomatic level" but will be discussed by national leaders of the bloc.

However, this is not the only concession Brussels is ready to make to those who oppose the sanctions, according to the author.

First, the EU is considering prolonging the sanctions for only three months, instead of six. Second, the sanctions may be prolonged for six months, but with the possibility of gradual removal. Such proposals would also send a signal to Kiev that they are not making progress settling the Ukrainian crisis.
In 2015, Fosun International Ltd. Bought French holiday company Club Med, while Synutra International Inc. invested 100 million euros to make dairy products at a new factory in the French region of Brittany. The list can go on.

Last year, China invested a total of $23 billion in all EU countries. There is also a $43 billion deal that will see China National Chemical Corp., also known as ChemChina, acquire Swiss agrochemical and seed supplier Syngenta AG. Compare this to the $15 billion Chinese companies brought to the US in 2015.

"Relations between China and the US are developing in terms of competition and distrust, rather than cooperation. This is one of the reasons behind China's interest in Europe," Le Corre, a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, observed.

This interest is long-term. Take China's other major initiative  the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Germany, France and the UK are members of the new development bank despite Washington's repeated calls not to join.

Despite these efforts, China's investment charm offensive on Europe has not been a walk in the park. Last month, the European Parliament refused to grant the Asian giant the long-coveted status of market economy status in the World Trade Organization despite Beijing's extensive lobbying.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik)  Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one under Turkey's flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, resulting in the deaths of eight Turkish citizens.

"There is progress, but it is a long way to go to the finish line. In any case, Israel is not consoling itself with the hope of establishing some especially closerelations with Turkey. Turkey behaves in a very unstable manner toward Israel. Therefore, if we would be able to normalize the situation, it would be good, but we do not expect any particularly close relations," Elkin said.

The interview comes ahead of Elkin's visit to Moscow, where he will be accompanying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 7.
DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  Abbas represents the country's eastern Deir ez-Zor province.

Syria held parliamentary elections on April 15 with over 3,500 candidates contesting the 250 seats in Syria's parliament. Ballot stations were set up in 12 of Syria's 14 provinces, as the northern province of Raqqa was still under the control of Daesh terrorist group and the northwestern Idlib province was controlled by al-Nusra Front.

The newly-elected parliament held its first session on Monday.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik)  Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman urged the Middle East countries to consider proposed amendments to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. According to the Israeli politicians, the document could become the basis for the resumption of the Israel-Palestine peace negotiations if the amendments are adopted.

"This element of regional dialogue, it is positive. On the other hand, it includes details which Israel clearly cannot accept <> This is all that relates to the section on Jerusalem and retreating to the 1967 borders," Elkin said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Over the past two years, NATO has carried out a number of large-scale military exercises along the Alliance's eastern flank, bordering Russia.

Russia has warned against NATOs increased military buildup along its border, stating that it is provocative and threatens regional and global stability.

We do not hide the fact that we feel negatively about NATOs trend to move its military infrastructure toward our borders, to involve other countries in the blocs military activities. The Russian sovereign right to ensure its security in the way which correspond to todays risks will enter into force, Lavrov said after talks with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Syrian opposition's actions carried out with the support of Turkey are unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

"Over the last week I've spoken to [US Secretary of State] John Kerry three times, I think, strongly drawing his attention to the unacceptability of actions carried out by the [Syrian] opposition with the direct support of Turkey," Lavrov told reporters.

Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Zakharova noted that journalists should avoid manipulating public opinion by using images of children.

"It is scary when a life of a child is taken as an advertisement slogan, and absolutely heartlessly, mindlessly, although no, not mindlessly, used for profiteering, political purposes This issue requires a special attention of the professional community, in particular, the exploitation of child image, children's fates and stories during journalistic investigations, during some journalistic or information campaigns," Zakharova said at the "New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream" international media forum in Moscow.

"There are children not only in Syria, there are children who are suffering on each side of the conflict For example, what about the children before and after the intervention in Iraq?" she said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia and the US exchange information twice a day on cooperation in Syria.

"We will decide on how our aerospace forces will operate based on our assessment of the situation. We share this assessment with the Americans daily during video conferences between the Hmeymim base and the US command in Amman, Jordan. Therefore, there will be no surprises for the Americans here," Lavrov told reporters.

Russia has warned the United States in advance that it would support the Syrian governments military actions against extremists in Aleppo, he said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On May 27, Poroshenko announced on his website the appointment of Rasmussen as his personal adviser. The ex-NATO head pledged to boost Ukraines ties with the bloc, among other measures.

"The appointment of [former NATO head Anders Fogh] Rasmussen masks a disturbing submission project. Reflecting its policy towards the European Union, the Ukrainian government continues its headlong rush to integrate even more into supranational structures," Ferrand, who is also a member of the National Front party, said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Minsk accords were signed in February 2015 by Kiev and eastern Ukraine militia after it had been worked out by leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine. The agreement presupposes certain constitutional changes, withdrawal of weapons from the line of contact, as well as prisoner swaps.

"We believe Minsk accords are the only roadmap, it is the only way forward. But what was implemented and what was not  the opinions differ. But I believe we will find the way out because the only goal is peace," Soini said.

The minister said he was concerned about the increase of violence in Ukraine's east and that there could be no progress on the issue if the fire did not cease.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia and Iran need intellectual centers of scientific thought to match currently existing political thought centers, he added, noting that these must be more active in planning the direction of regional cooperation between the two countries.

"Bilateral relations between Russia and Iran are developing in multiple directions. And today, the scientific and philosophical basis for Russian-Iranian relations must be developed for more successful cooperation in the areas of economy, politics, security and regional cooperation. This can be a good supporting pillar for our relations," Sanaei said at an international conference at the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences.
The three military drills include the US-led Baltops 2016 maritime exercise that was launched last week and will last until June 26. Meanwhile Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are taking part in the US-led Saber Strike drills scheduled for May 27  June 22. The Anakonda 2016 exercise will run in Poland on June 7-17.

Baltops 2016 is taking place in the area, where "no Russian military buildup is happening," Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told the Vzglyad newspaper. "They are screaming about the Iskander [mobile short-range ballistic missile systems], etc. At the moment our missile brigade in the Kaliningrad Region has only Soviet-era Tochka-U [tactical ballistic missile systems]."

Approximately 6,100 troops from 17 countries along with 45 submarines and warships, including the USS Mount Whitney, and over 60 aircraft are taking part in one of the largest drills in northern Europe. The Baltops 2016 annual war-games have been held for more than four decades.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  He said that the United States asked to postpone anti-terror airstrikes in Syria because the positions of terrorists and opposition members were intermixed.

"We believe that normal opposition had more than enough time to leave the territories controlled by al-Nusra Front and Daesh since this February. We think that those who failed to leave the terrorists can now only blame themselves," Lavrov said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Moscow has shared concerns about NATO's increased activity in the region and about the advance of the alliance's infrastructure closer to the Russian borders, the Russian minister noted.

"We have paid great attention to security issues in the Baltic Sea area. We are convinced that there are no threats that would justify militarization in this part of the world," Lavrov said at a press conference.

"We are confident that all the issues of cooperation in the Baltic Sea are and the north in general can and should be resolved within the framework of existing multilateral formats in the Baltic Sea, the Barents Sea and the Arctic region," Lavrov stressed.
However the question still remains as to why the Pentagon and the CIA have failed to separate "moderate" Syrian rebels from al-Qaeda's affiliate al-Nusra Front.

"Americans have not implemented their February 2016 promise to divide the patriotic opposition from Jabhat al-Nusra on the ground," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said May 26 in an official statement.

#Lavrov: Americans have not implemented their February 2016 promise to divide the patriotic opposition from Jabhat al-Nusra on the ground  MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 26  2016 .

It seems especially sinister in light of the fact that three years ago Ahrar ash-Sham along with Daesh (then known as Islamic State of Iraq and Sham), al-Nusra Front, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and Suquor al-Izz took part in all-out punitive operations aimed against Syrian civilians back in 2013.

"The investigation found that at least 20 distinct armed opposition groups participated in the operation they termed the 'Campaign of the Descendants of Aisha the Mother of Believers,' the 'Barouda Offensive,' or the 'Operation to Liberate the Coast,' which lasted from August 4-18," Human Rights Watch (HWR) reported on October 10, 2013.

According to HWR, the aforementioned five factions were "the key fundraisers, organizers, planners, and executors of the attacks."

It is well-documented that Ahrar ash-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, al-Nusra Front, Daesh and their numerous followers on the ground are birds of a feather.

Meanwhile, the so-called "moderates" continue to make every effort to break the ceasefire agreement and drag the country into yet another round of bloodshed.
KIEV (Sputnik)  The Ukrainian Mirotvorets website published in May private details of 4,000 journalists working for CNN, Reuters, AFP, BBC, and Al Jazeera, among other outlets, in the breakaway Ukrainian provinces. Some of them received threats, according to the EU delegation in Ukraine.

"Firstly, I believe that it is inexpedient to publish such lists. Those journalists who are in the counterterrorist operation zone, objectively cover what is happening there, support and show that we are not fighting with the separatists and that it is not an internal Ukrainian conflict," Hrytsak told journalists. "We have no right to interfere with activities of journalists."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said the online leak is a mistake. The Ukrainian prosecutors office said last month it had launched a criminal inquiry into the publications. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, said reporters should not be harassed for doing their job and urged Kiev on Thursday to speed up the probe.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  More cooperation is necessary in the currently fragmented security environment, he added, stressing that the United Kingdom should play a key role both in Europe and in transatlantic cooperation.

"I strongly believe that a strong United Kingdom in a strong Europe is good both for the United Kingdom, it is good for Europe, but it is also good for NATO," Stoltenberg said at a Playbook Cocktails meeting organized by the Politico.

UK nationals are set to vote on June 23 in a referendum on the country's EU membership.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the statement published on the ministry's website, the third round of dialogue was held in Beijing, with the Russian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Chinese delegation by Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou. The two delegations included experts from the diplomatic and defense departments of the two countries.

"The parties have exchanged views on the political-military aspects of security in Northeast Asia in the objective and confidential manner, focusing on the possible modalities of detente on the Korean Peninsula. A mutual concern regarding the lack of positive shifts in the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and the disproportionately high level of military activity in the sub-region was voiced," the statement said.

On Sunday, Russias Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov called for "positive pressure" on North Korea in the issues of nuclear, as well as missile non-proliferation. He also said that other countries should refrain from provocative and "emotional" actions near the borders of North Korea, because it could worsen the situation in the region.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  He added that the uncompromising stance of the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC) remained the main obstacle for the political settlement.

"It should be clearly understood that the pressure on Damascus would not achieve the desired effect. You need to apply pressure on those who continue to support terrorists, including the infamous al-Nusra [Front]. The flexibility in the negotiations must be showed by all the parties," Churkin said at a UN-EU cooperation meeting.

The latest round of the Syrian peace talks took place in Geneva on April 13-27. The HNC walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.
According to Mikhail Alexandrov, Senior expert at the Center for military and political studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), the German leadership is f ollowing in the US' footsteps

"The US 2015 National Security Strategy, adopted in February 2015, named Russia as one of the major threats [to the American security]; much in a similar way the Russian Federation is portrayed in NATO's documents. So, Germans are merely acting within the same framework," Alexandrov told Svobodnaya Pressa.

The academic reminded that NATO's treacherous military expansion, kicked off despite special agreements between Washington and Moscow, became a trigger to growing tensions in Europe.

Firstly, the Alliance engaged the countries of the former Warsaw Pact in its fold and then it brought some former Soviet republics under its control swinging the balance of power in Eastern Europe in its own favor. Now NATO is developing its military infrastructure on Russia's doorstep.

Alexandrov narrated that following the adoption of the US military doctrine in 2015, Moscow released its own strategy calling NATO's expansion towards the Russian border a threat to the country's national security.

However, the academic noted that it is highly unlikely that NATO will use Germany as its "battering ram" against Russia. According to Alexandrov, currently Germany does not pose a military threat to Russia.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik)  Stoltenberg served as prime minister of Norway in two mandates, from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2013. During his political career, he has always supported the Norwegian membership of the European Union.

"I have a personal relationship to the European Union, because Norway is the only country in the world that has negotiated an accession treaty with the EU, and then voted it down  not just once, but twice, and I have been campaigning in favor both times, so I am an expert in losing referendums. So I have nothing to tell David Cameron about winning the referendum, he will have to do it himself," Stoltenberg said at an event in Brussels.

Cameron advocates the necessity to remain in the European Union after he and the leaders of the other 27 EU member states agreed in February to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  The Herero and Namaqua Genocide was a campaign of racial extermination and collective punishment that the German Empire's colonial troops carried out in German South-West Africa, which is modern-day Namibia. The move took place to suppress the local Herero and Nama popular uprising. In 2004, Germany recognized the genocide in Namibia.

"The Nama and Herero were the victims of the Germans' colonial approach. The bill, which I have proposed, will offer the parliament to recognize the Germans' action in Namibia [against] Herero and Nama as genocide," Metin Kulunk was quoted as saying by the Haberturk newspaper.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to Grushko, instead of trying to convince Kiev to follow the Minsk agreements, "NATO continues to assist [Kiev] in five trust funds."

"But we are no less concerned about the bilateral programs that are implemented by individual NATO countries. In particular, they continue to train Ukrainian special forces and the Ukrainian armed forces. And we see that these trained units are moving closer to the safety zone, the zone of conflict, and that is very dangerous in the military sense because it is fueling the escalation and Kiev's revanchist mood," Grushko said on the TV channel Rossiya 24.
The host Brian Becker is joined for the full hour by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, the former Chief of Staff to then Secretary of State Colin Powell; Dilip Hiro, author of Apocalyptic Realm: Jihadists in South Asia, and Kathy Kelly, peace activist and co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

Nearly fifteen years after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, war continues to rage on in the country and nearly 10,000 U.S. troops remain. We talk about the human costs of endless war, shifting geo-strategic calculations of the U.S., what really drives US foreign policy, drones and air strikes, including the recent killing of the Talibans leader Mullah Mansoor in Pakistan, and the unintended consequences of a U.S. foreign policy based on militarism, endless war, corporate profiteering and hubris.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Pimanova was arrested at the Chicago airport upon arrival in the United States on May 20, allegedly for taking her daughter out of the country two years ago. She is currently under house arrest in the United States. The next court hearings are scheduled for Monday.

"Together with the Russian Foreign Ministry, we are helping the mother and her daughter. We consider the arrest of a Russian mother and demands to return her daughter to the United States to be illegal," Astakhov wrote on his Twitter account.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The president will congratulate journalists on the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Information Bureau (Sovinformburo) which eventually evolved into RIA Novosti and Rossiya Segodnya.

"On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the headquarters of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency and will congratulate the journalists and the participants of the New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media forum on the 75-year anniversary [of the Soviet Information Bureau]," the Kremlin's press service said in a statement.
The internet gives you the possibility to campaign as a pressure group in every way, so how do you differentiate between how newsworthy a report is or not? So we have to leave aside our attitudes to deal with the internet as our new competitor and I think at the end good journalists will become better journalists, Spiel told Sputnik.

He further spoke about how mass media is responsible for misunderstandings and tensions that have arisen as a result of the migrant crisis.

To report about foreign countries is very often purely dominated by pure action. So, something is happening in this region, you go and report there and then go to another place, to another war. This is one of the biggest mistakes as we do not report constantly from areas of crisis.

He further said that journalists instrumentalize politicians and vice versa because both deal with the public. Journalists are usually too near to establishment politics, a problem at times because it is important to reflect on the role of journalists.

Spiel then spoke about his interview with Edward Snowden and how much impact his work has had on the modern world and how information flows in society.

Without him we wouldnt know about this incredible net of spying, about the technical possibilities and the reality of watching people. He opened our eyes and it is on us now to define political borders in our own society to limit this kind of spying and promote right to privacy, Spiel said.
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Sixteenth and seventeenth century wooden pavement remains found during extensive roadwork on Tverskaya Street will become a part of the open-air museum in the center of Moscow. The pavement is made of logs 15 centimeters in diameter, which were put in several layers. According to the city's official website, the head of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage, Alexey Emelyanov, said that the pavement samples will undergo an accurate examination for dendrochronological dating.

A fence fragment of the female Strastnoy Monastery was also discovered not far from the pavement remains. Archaeologists found out that the fence of the Monastery, which was set up in 1654 and demolished in 1937 during the reconstruction of the street, runs along Pushkin Square for about 90 meters.

Archaeologists have also found a number of other interesting relics: stove tiles, pottery fragments, coins and crucifixes that will also appear in window cases at the open-air museum.
"Every morning [before dawn] 5,000 people will get breakfast meals, and every evening 20,000 people will be offered hot dinner meals," the post reads.

Meals will be provided at mosques, schools, and hospitals, as well as refugee camps. The effort will include 200 volunteers, to help distribute the meals prepared by as many as 30 cooks.

"The action is of paramount importance as it takes place amid a civil war [in Syria], the help will be given to the deprived."

The Syrian conflict has raged for about half a decade, killing nearly half a million people and displacing over 12 million Syrians, making it the most dire humanitarian crisis in the world today.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) habitat on board the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement on Monday.

"Along with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, [US astronaut Jeff] Williams entered BEAM for the first time to collect an air sample and begin downloading data from sensors on the dynamics of BEAMs expansion," NASA stated.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Media experts from 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India, China, Armenia, Egypt, Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, take part in the event hosted by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency. The forum has opened with the session calledwhere Russian and foreign experts are expected to analyze media market trends and to discuss the features of the so-called post-mainstream age, trying to reveal regularities of its development.

Among those who will speak during the first day of the forum are Dmitry Kiselev (Russia), Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group Director General; Alexei Volin (Russia), Russia's Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media; Ghassan Ben Jeddou (Lebanon), Chairman of Board of Directors of Al Mayadeen TV; Eva Golinger (the United States), journalist; Ahmad Dawa (Syria), Director General and Editor-In-Chief of the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA); Konstantin Dolgov (Russia), Russian Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Ambassador-at-Large; Frank La Rue (France), Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Communication and Information; and Liam Halligan (the United Kingdom), Economics Commentator, The Telegraph Media Group.

A number of cooperation agreements between leading international media are expected to be signed on the sidelines of the forum.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik)  The document is set to be signed during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Russia dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. The prime minister is visiting Russia between Monday and Wednesday.

"Today, those who have retained Russian citizenship receive pensions anyway. However, those who, at one point during the Soviet period, were more or less forced to renounce citizenship, cannot use their right to a pension, and this agreement will allow them to do this We estimate that some 30,000 Israelis are receiving Russian pensions, and another 30,000 should start receiving one as a result of this agreement," Elkin said in an interview.

The agreement makes provisions for those who worked in the Russian Federation, or its predecessor, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, to receive Russian state pensions regardless of whether they have retained their citizenship.
"This has made many political leaders very much afraid There is more and more reaction against investigative journalism today. That is why we find more cases of arbitrary detention and use of crime of information against journalism," La Rue said.

Modern Media Need to Diversify Ideas, Move Away From Commercial Reporting

Modern media need to move away from prioritizing commercial reporting and diversify ideas and positions, Frank La Rue told Sputnik.

"The problem [with the modern media today] is the massive concentration of media on sort of huge monopolies that are growing in the world, and reporting with an emphasis on commercial element, and not on the informational or professional element," La Rue said.

He added that the purpose of informing the public is being pushed to the sidelines.

"It is bad, because sometimes what sells is not the most important. Very often news of violence sells or some with dramatic elements sells, when you really need a better analysis. The alternative to this is to defend the plurality and diversity. Plurality of ideas and positions and principles, and the diversity of the media," La Rue said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  He added that "events today are not just covered, they are generated, created. This is exactly what multimedia holdings are doing, including Rossiya Segodnya that has essentially become a trendsetter in the current Russian information space."

"Despite the multitude of the media market players, only large companies are able to create professional and competitive content and therefore the new media only help to spread and multiply the product, but are not the source of information themselves," Volin said at the New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media forum.

The international media forum is taking place in Russia's capital on June 6-7. It is hosted by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency and is part of the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Information Bureau. Media experts from over 30 countries of the world take part in the forum.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Last month, the Ukrainian website Mirotvorets disclosed personal data of more than 4,000 journalists accredited by the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk authorities to cover developments in the conflict zone. The leak contained names of representatives of such prominent media outlets as CNN, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the BBC, the New York Times, Vice News, Al Jazeera, among others.

"Another leak of personal data of journalists from different countries has been published recently on the notorious Mirotvorets website, sponsored by Ukrainian politicians. This is a flagrant violation of all legal norms and rules, as well as direct and obvious threat to the lives of journalists Where is the reaction of Washington and Brussels? Why do we have to force it out? If one stands for freedom, he should stand for it everywhere, and not just where he chooses," Dolgov said at the New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media forum in Moscow.

He reminded that nobody had been punished for the murder of Ukrainian opposition journalist Oles Buzina and Russian journalists, who had been killed in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Pimanova was arrested at the Chicago airport upon arrival in the United States on May 20, allegedly for taking her daughter out of the country two years ago. She is currently under house arrest in the United States. The next court hearings are scheduled for Monday.

On Friday, the Russian Embassy in Washington told Sputnik that according to preliminary information, the United States had no grounds for her detention, and the embassy had requested official information from the US authorities regarding her arrest.

"Olga will be released from her house arrest, the bracelet will be removed from her," Kozlov stated on Monday. "She is now on the way home, where the bracelet will be removed."
Kozlov noted that the main judge was not present at Mondays hearing because of illness, and added that they are now awaiting the next court hearing, which will take place when the main judge recovers.

"We insist that the decision of the court, unlawful in our opinion and made during her absence when she was in Russia, to be canceled. She was detained based on that courts ruling when crossing the border," Kozlov stated. "So, if this decision is overturned, then Olga can definitely leave the United States. If not, its hard to predict future development as the main claim of her ex-husband is the return of her daughter from Russia to the United States."

Pimanova's ex-husband claimed that Olga had taken their daughter out of the United States without his consent, which might be considered a case of kidnapping under the law. However, Pimanova claims she is legally a single mother.

Pimanova's daughter was born in Russia and has Russian citizenship, Russian Children's Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said, adding that her return to Russia was conducted legally.
According to WSJ, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work wrote a letter to one of the congressmen, to express the growing concerns of the US military.

Work noted that the US Air Force does not have sufficient budget capabilities to replace an abrupt ending of the use of RD-180 engines and replace them with more expensive analogues.

He warned that additional spending between $1.5 billion and $5 billion would "crowd out other important national-security investments."

Other documents submitted by the deputy defense secretary reveal that if the US ends the use of the Russian engines a number of crucial space launches for the Pentagon will be delayed for two years.
Buzzfeed has adopted policies with regard to their politics in the past. After the July 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, the site featured rainbow colors to express support for the LGBTQ community. Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said at the time, "We firmly believe that for a number of issues, including civil rights, womens rights, anti-racism, and LGBT equality, there are not two sides." In 2012 the site blacked out its logos and buttons in protest of the Stop Online Privacy Act. Smith said in a statement, "BuzzFeed isnt in the advocacy business. Dont expect us to weigh in on political or policy issues again any time soon. But like most news organizations, we have core values, which we think are obvious, and this seems as good a time as any to state them: Were in favor of free people and free information, against private or state-sponsored discrimination or censorship."
There were three other people in his vehicle, who were released and allowed to leave in a taxi.

No stranger to trouble, Roger Clintons last DUI took place in 2001 in Hermosa Beach, and was also pardoned for a 1985 cocaine distribution conviction by his big brother shortly before the latter left the White House.

The younger Clinton currently lives in Torrance and used to be in a rock band. He now does small acting gigs.

All eyes have been on the California primary, as it is the largest in the nation, with 548 delegates on the table. A win by the younger Clintons sister-in-law, Hillary Clinton, over her opponent Bernie Sanders, will all but secure the nomination for the Democratic Party.

Roger Clinton was still in custody and being held on $15,000 bail on Monday, but was released late in the morning.
Similar legislation to record and document free speech and peaceful protest is making it through the New York legislature and the state Senate, but Cuomo flexed his executive muscles, and, declaring that passing legislation can often be a tedious affair, sought immediate action.

And its very simple. If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you. Period, said Cuomo on Sunday, just before a Celebrate Israel Parade in the city.

Cuomo described the protest movement as an economic attack on Israel. Many consider the governors statements to be hypocritical, as he previously called for a boycott of North Carolina over their discriminatory bathroom laws.
The US, South Korea and Japan earlier announced that they had agreed to step up pressure on North Korea.

"The source of pressure that the US, Japan and South Korea are talking about tends to focus on economic measures. And economic sanctions, whether it's done by the United Nations in general or by individual states depends upon the participation and enforcement by China, also Russia to a certain extent," said Smith, the author of the new book "North Korea: Markets and Military Rule".

The importance of China's decision can be explained with its long 1500 km land border with North Korea, which influences the country's trade. In practice, this means that the US, Japan and South Korea would seek China's consent to focus on tightening up the enforcement of UN resolutions, and expanding the limits of its own sanctions towards North Korea, smith said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  There is a great need for alternative media globally, as the mainstream news outlets have become superficial, US journalist and attorney Eva Golinger told Sputnik on Monday.

I think theres a great need [for alternative media] in demand, and there has been for some time, Golinger said on the sidelines of the the New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media forum in Moscow.

According to the journalist, mainstream media have become superficial, scandalist, based on just headlines and selling for profit but still try to control the information agenda while most alternative sources lack professional approach and factual evidence in their stories.
India's bid for the membership in the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group is likely to get a boost as it has received the support of Switzerland, a member of NSG.

Here's the link to the Press Statement by PM @narendramodi during his Switzerland visithttps://t.co/y4Udp5N6B2 pic.twitter.com/sBuB8iHwRh  Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) June 6, 2016

"India and Switzerland also share a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities. We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. I am also thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the Nuclear Supplier Group," Indian Prime Minister Modi said during the joint press statement after the his talks with Swiss President Johann Niklaus Schneider-Ammann.

Swiss President: We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG pic.twitter.com/AjJrtBPZTk  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

India is trying to garner support from all NSG member countries and the support of Switzerland is crucial for India.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, Elkin told Sputnik that the proposed Russian-Israeli agreement on providing Israelis formerly possessing Russian citizenship with Russian state pensions would double the number of Russian pension recipients to 60,000.

"As you know, the agreement [on pensions] is reached. We have left nothing unattended. I think this is a very important agreement between Russia and Israel, which restores social justice and reaffirms the special nature of Russian-Israeli relations," Valentina Matvienko said at a meeting with Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin.

The deal is set to be signed during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Russia dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. The prime minister is visiting Russia between Monday and Wednesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the official, Russia is fully capable of finding adequate response to the alliances activities on its eastern flank.

"I would not say that this [NATOs activity near Russias borders] is a direct threat to Russia, yet we see that it creates serious risks, because in reality we see that a completely new military reality is unfolding along our borders, and this is a result of NATO planning," Grushko.
In an interview with Sputnik, Iranian political analyst and expert on the Middle East Reza Moghaddasi shared what is behind the claims by the US State Department.

"The US accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism is the same old story," he said. According to the analyst, there are several reasons behind Washingtons stance on Tehran.

First, the Iranian government has long opposed the idea of US global dominance.

Moreover, by labeling Iran as a sponsor of terrorism, Washington is trying to justify its "perfidy" over the final nuclear agreement between Tehran and the West, Moghaddasi said.

"Its been six months since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action came into effect. However, the US has achieved no results. It is also trying to prevent Iran from restoring its rights in accordance with the agreement.

"The US needs to justify its unfair policy towards Iran. The recent allegations about sponsoring terrorism are the best way for this," the analyst pointed out.

Finally, another possible reason is advances of government forces backed by Iran against terrorists in Syria and Iraq, especially Daesh. Recently, major advances against Daesh have been made in Fallujah and Raqqa.

"The terrorists sponsored by the US are losing the war. Washington doesnt want to take responsibility for the ineffectiveness of a US-led international anti-terrorist coalition. This is why Washington is accusing Tehran of sponsoring terrorism," the expert said.

He underscored that despite any allegations the Iranian government will keep its independent political course and economy, countering US attempts to dominate in the region.

US-Iran relations have been strained for decades, following the triumph of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the US-backed Iranian shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was ousted, and Shia cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became the nation's leader.
In a speech to the Turkeys Womens and Democracy Association (KADEM), the increasingly dictatorial president claimed that he supports women having careers, and that Turkey has taken "important steps" toward supporting working women. Erdogan stated, however, that a womans career must not be an "obstacle" to her executing what he suggested were her maternal duties. The deputy chair of the Turkish womens advocacy group is a man, Erdogans son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar.

"The fact that a woman is attached to her professional life should not prevent her from being a motherI absolutely don't accept making (a woman's) business life an alternative to motherhood." he said.
The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) announced the winning name from the 2016 'Name That Foal' contest on Sunday, June 5 at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.

The contest, sponsored by Meridian Farms, included categories for Best Name, Best Letter and Best Drawing, with age groups separating entrants as 'Ages 8 & Under' and 'Ages 9 to 16.'

The overall winning name selected from 88 submissions from across the country for the contest's foal, a beautiful bay filly by Riverboat King out of Mrs Red Pop, is Lollipop Yacht. The name was submitted by Sadie from the 'Ages 9 to 16' category.

The finalists and their families enjoyed a great day at the track with their submissions showcased on the big screen and announced by "The Voice of Century Downs," Murray Slough.

All of the contest winners are listed below.

Ages 9 to 16:

Best Name & Overall Winner - Lollipop Yacht - Sadie

Honourable Mention for Best Name - Red River Rebel - Paxton

Best Letter - Carla

Ages 8 & Under:

Best Name - Jelly Bean - Seth

Best Letter - Brooke

Best Drawing - Maia

ASHA would like to thank everyone who sent in a submission for the 'Name That Foal' contest, as well as Meridian Farms, Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, OnTrack Media, and track announcer Murray Slough for their efforts in making this year's contest a huge success.

(With files from ASHA)
It isnt every day that a 15-year-old reinsman drives against older foes. Although, it is even rarer when the 15-year-old goes out and defeats those older pilots.

Fifteen-year-old alumnus Justin Irvine put an exclamation point on the Harness Horse Youth Foundations 40th Anniversary celebration on Sunday (June 5), as he won the Open Pace Matinee at Goshen Historic Track.

Irvines win came aboard Cruzing Hill and the margin of victory was massive. Irvine and Cruzing Hill won by 25 lengths. The track was rated sloppy for the contest and the duo raced under the wire in 2:01.2. The race was Irvines first career charted drive.

Irvine pulled his Mark Ford-trained mount from second as the horses headed to the three-quarters pole. Needless to say, they drew off easily after that. Cruzing Hill is owned by George and Rose Bonomo of Illinois.

Earlier, over 100 attendees celebrated HHYF with brunch at the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. They witnessed a program that featured a cavalcade of guests, with Bob Hollywood Heyden serving as emcee. Chris Wittstruck received his Service to Youth Award from HHYF and he made a passionate plea for the industry to support HHYFs efforts. The assembled also heard from Service to Youth winner and former HHYF President Callie Davies-Gooch, former scholarship recipient and equine vet Dr. Patty Hogan, alum and Little Brown Jug winning driver Montrell Teague, current President Marlys Pinske, and future camper Wyatt Beaver, who will be attending camp at Gaitway Farms this summer. The group then had time to tour the museum prior to the start of the matinee card at the Historic Track.

(HHYF)
Officials from Northside Downs and the Cape Breton Horsemens Association are concerned that the future of racing at the track could be in jeopardy if issues surrounding taxation are not addressed.

An article by The Cape Breton Post explains that a resolution was recently passed by Cape Breton Regional Council instructing administration staff to pen a formal letter to the ministry in an attempt to have a special tax rate implemented.

The article states that the special tax rate would allow Northside Downs to operate for the rest if this year and the long term. According to the piece, the two groups have taken the position that Cape Breton racing is essentially a seasonal enterprise, yet the taxes that are being paid are quite substantial.

The Cape Breton Regional Councils resolution was that the letters be directed to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture and the Property Valuation Services Corporation.

The article has quoted District 1 Coun. Clarence Prince as saying, This is a seasonal business with only 28 [race dates] a year and the taxes are quite substantial.

Prince went on to say, We dont want these additional costs to result in the possible elimination of jobs and events at the local track. The track is on the Northside, but we have horsemen from across the CBRM who utilize this facility.

We are pleased that the CBRM has appealed to the various agencies on our behalf, Harness Racing Cape Breton Chair John Ratchford was quoted as saying. The track is good for the island economy. Also, when the stake races start we have people coming from P.E.I., New Brunswick and the mainland who stay in motels and eat in restaurants  there is money spent. We are being hit with a significant tax burden for something that only operates seasonally.

(With files from The Cape Breton Post)
The entry box for the 2016 Pepsi North America Cup eliminations closes tomorrow (Tuesday, June 7). Here's how the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings eligible for Canadian harness racing biggest prize are coming into Saturday's eliminations.

For the past several years, Trot Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book has served as an initial barometer for the colts and geldings that may be in the running for the sophomore pacing set's single biggest payday.

This year's edition of the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup will be contested on Saturday, June 18 at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario.

Listed by the Spring Book odds as featured in the April 2016 edition of Trot Magazine, here are the 39 horses that are still Cup-eligible as of the May 15 sustaining payment and have raced or are in-to-go as of June 5, 2016.

 Control The Moment / 3-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second, individually timed in 1:49

 Boston Red Rocks / 5-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:50.3

 Betting Line / 8-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first, timed in 1:50.1

 Big Top Hanover / 10-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished second, individually timed in 1:50.2

 Nvestment Bluechip / 14-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:51.3

 Racing Hill / 15-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second, individually timed in 1:50.2

 American Passport / 16-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second, individually timed in 1:50.1

 Katies Rocker / 20-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished first, timed in 1:50.3

 Ideal Rocky / 22-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished third, individually timed in 1:50.4

 Nocturnal Bluechip / 24-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished third, individually timed in 1:49.2

 Voracity / 25-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished 10th, individually timed in 1:53.2

 Im Some Graduate / 30-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:50.2

 Pretty Boy Hill / 30-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:51

 Check Six / 32-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished second, individually timed in 1:50

 All The Cookies / 35-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:51.2

 Rollaroundtheworld / 38-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished first, timed in 1:50.1

 JDs Chancey Design / 40-1 -- raced on June 4 at Northville Downs, finished eighth after making a break

 Magnum J / 42-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:51.2

 The Catamount Kid / 45-1 -- raced on May 22 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:53

 Mindtrip / 48-1 -- last raced on May 14 at The Meadowlands, finished first, timed in 1:52

 Tom Hill / 50-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadowlands, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:52.2

 Manhattan Beach / 50-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished third, individually timed in 1:50.3

 Arsenic / 50-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:51.2

 New Talent / 50-1 -- raced on May 23 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:52.3; entered to race on June 6 at Mohawk

 Highlandbeachycove / 55-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished ninth, individually timed in 1:51.4

 Michaels Victory / 60-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished third, individually timed in 1:51

 Tap Into Power / 60-1 -- raced on May 28 at Yonkers Raceway, finished eighth after making a break

 Dreamfair Mesa / 60-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished eighth, individually timed in 1:52.1

 Bettor Memories / 65-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:51.1

 Stonebridge Beach / 65-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished ninth, individually timed in 1:53.1

 Good Living / 65-1 -- raced on June 4 at The Meadows, finished first, timed in 1:51.1

 Dr J Hanover / 70-1 -- raced on May 23 at Yonkers Raceway, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:57

 Lyons Snyder / 70-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first, timed in 1:49

 Some Gold / 70-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:51.3

 Max Is Back / 70-1 -- raced on May 30 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:54.1

 Rock Power / 75-1 -- raced on May 28 at The Meadowlands, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:53.2

 Major Hill / 75-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, timed in 1:50

 Beast Mode / 100-1 -- raced on June 2 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second, individually timed in 1:50.3

 Brookdale Sonny / 100-1 -- raced on June 4 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:50.3
June 7th Rally Urges Passage of Pennsylvania's Ban on Late-Term Abortions

Contact: Mike McMonagle, President, Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania, 215-393-3610, 484-680-8914 mobileLANSDALE, June 6, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- The Pro-Life Coalition of Pa., with its affiliated groups, is holding a Rally in the Pa. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon. A promotional flyer for this rally can be viewed here This Rally urges the Pa. General Assembly to pass H.B.1948. This legislation extends Pa.'s ban on abortions from six months to five months gestation and bans abortions by dismemberment with the same exceptions as Pa.'s current Abortion Control Act.FEATURED SPEAKERSThe rally flyer explains the background of Monique Ruberu, M.D., Kurt Kondrich and his daughter, Chloe, and former Rep. Steve Freind.Also speaking will be Rev. Paul Schenck - Director of the Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Harrisburg; Pastor Bill Devlin - a veteran leader in the pro-life movement and an international human rights activist from Montgomery County, Pa.; and Antone Raymundo, M.D. - an obstetrical anesthesiologist, who, with his wife, met the challenge of a poor pre-natal diagnosis of one of their children in a pro-life manner.LEGISLATORSThe leaders of the Pa. House and Senate Pro-Life Caucus, i.e., Rep. Kathy Rapp and Sen. John Eichelberger, will also address this Rally and introduce their colleagues.INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIESAll of these speakers and legislators will be available for interviews.STATUS OF LEGISLATIONH.B.1948 passed the Pa. House on Second Consideration, without any weakening amendments, on April 6, 2016 by a 114-73 vote. However, Pa. House Leaders abruptly cancelled a scheduled Final Passage vote on April 11, 2016. This cancellation came two hours after Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood, visited our State Capitol and demanded this action.OUR MESSAGEThe current Speaker of the Pa. House, Rep. Mike Turzai, has previously served as the leader of the Pro-Life Caucus in the Pa. House. Our goal is to urge him to schedule H.B.1948 for a Final Passage vote as soon as possible and, thereby, provide sufficient time for the Pa. Senate to pass this life-saving legislation.In summary, our message is, "Mr. Speaker, run this bill."For additional information, contact Mike McMonagle, the President of the Pro-Life Coalition of Pa., at O:215-393-3610 or C:484-680-8914
Kathie Lee Gifford Inspires at Jerusalem Banquet

Contact: Stephen Jenks, Eagles' Wings, 716-759-1058, office@eagleswings.to

NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Eagles' Wings held its tenth annual Jerusalem Banquet at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park on June 2, 2016. The room was packed to capacity with dignitaries, celebrities, business leaders, and religious leaders from both the Jewish and Christian community. The high energy evening included an address from Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni. Prominent leaders of the evening included Jon Loew, Bishop David Thomas, Dr. Charlotte Frank, Irwin Hochberg, Pastor Juan Rivera, and Kathie Lee Gifford.



Event chair Rev. Robert Stearns spoke to the crowd, enthusiastically sharing, "Tonight we are standing together as Jews and Christians united in our love and support for Israel and the Jewish people. Tonight in this room we can change history."



The event centered around celebrating the legacy of amazing leaders in the Jewish and Christian communities, and equipping the next generation to be strong voices in support of Israel and the Jewish people. Dr. Charlotte Frank, Vice President of McGraw Hill Education and Chair of the Executive Committee of America-Israel Friendship League, was honored for her life of impact in education, advocacy and strengthening ties between Israel and America. Bishop David Thomas, senior leader of the 5,000-member Victory Christian Center, whose ministry has touched many tens of thousands around the world, was honored for his years of faithful leadership and his steadfast support for Israel.



One of the highlights of the evening was hearing passionate speeches from young Israel Experience Scholars. The Israel Experience which has been dubbed the "Christian Birthright" trains the best and brightest Christian college and university students to be informed ambassadors for Israel in the midst of a rising tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on university campuses.



Catherine Gunsalus, 2012 Israel Experience Alumnus shared, "I was able to take what I had learned in the program and help to draft legislation that was passed by the Kansas and Arizona state government, affirming their commitment to stand with Israel."



Another alumnus, Rebekah Gordon talked about how her participation in the 2013 program has led to her working closely with the Jewish leadership on her Touro University law school campus to educate the student population on the importance of Israel.



Joshua Nangle, a 2016 Israel Experience scholar and a Master of Divinity student from Regent University said, "I believe it is time for 'replacement theology' [the belief that God has forsaken his covenant and replaced Israel with the Church] to be replaced with something a little more scriptural, and I am excited to go to Israel this week and be equipped as a friend of Zion."



Ryan Mauro, 2009 Israel Experience Alumnus and leading national security analyst, featured regularly on major media outlets said, "In the midst of the many serious challenges we face in the Middle East, there is hope, we can see good prevail and the Israel Experience is a key to seeing that become a reality."



Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni also addressed the gathering saying, "Our friendship and partnership with Eagles' Wings is a tremendous support to the State of Israel, and I believe it is just beginning of the historic impact Robert Stearns and Eagles' Wings will have."



The evening of honor and celebration included special musical selections, including joyous traditional songs which brought the room to their feet singing and clapping.



Culminating the gathering, Consul General Ido Aharoni presented Mrs. Kathie Lee Gifford the Ha Tikvah Award in honor of her strong support for Israel. Mrs. Gifford author, recording artist and Emmy-award-winning television host of the Today Show recently traveled to Israel and did a series of segments helping her audience see the beauty of Israel and its people.



Mrs. Gifford in her comments summed up the evening by saying, "We read in Genesis that the spirit of God, which is translated in Hebrew as 'shalom,' hovered over chaos before creation. Each of us has the opportunity to bring shalom to the chaos of our world. Thank you Rev. Stearns for this honor and the great work you are doing to bring shalom."



Support was raised from the evening to strengthen Eagles' Wings work around the world, including the Israel Experience Program, a study tour which gives tomorrow's leaders an educated heart for Israel. Each year students are educated first hand on the realities in Israel. Students have participated from over 113 American Universities. For more information, visit: www.jerusalembanquet.org or call 1-800-519-4647.
By Olivia Rose

VIOLENT crime is increasing at an alarming rate in the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA).





The party in a media release this week said crime is escalating daily in numbers and violent intensity across the country.





Leader of the PDA Oswald Skippings said: "A robbery just last week of a Chalk Sound resident in Providenciales left the victim lying unconscious on his door step.





"He has since been flown to Jamaica and to date his condition has not improved.





Skippings said the prevalence of crime is having a devastating impact in communities nationwide.





"No one who has penetrated the depressed communities, interacted with the armies of unemployed and abandoned youth and see and feel their unfortunate plight, can dispute or deny the fact that there is an inextricable synergy between escalating crime and the masses of unemployed youth throughout this country.





"This unprecedented level of despair and hopelessness among the unemployed is a recipe for social disaster as the number of unemployed is constantly growing.





"Unfortunately, the country is on the brink of hundreds of more high school graduates joining the swelling ranks of the unemployed in a matter of weeks as high school graduations take place.





Skippings said that while the minister of finance boasts of yet another surplus totalling over $10,000,000, absolutely no initiatives are being taken to implement work programmes to assist in alleviating this serious unemployment and crime problem.





"I implore the Government to seriously consider the distressful plight of our people, especially our youth and put in place a comprehensive relief employment programme until such time as government shows some prudence, patriotism and intestinal fortitude and replaces some current work permit holders with suitably qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders.





The party leader said that this initiative will go a long way towards solving the unemployment problem.

"Other effective step that may be taken is for government to cease the indiscriminate issuance of further work permits without first insuring that capable locals Turks and Caicos Islanders are awarded some of these jobs.





Coupled with this Skippings contended that the Government should attract some new development to the Islands which would create new jobs and ultimately alleviate crime.





"This is an accomplishment which this PNP government has not been able to pull off in almost four years in office, an anomaly that has never happened in the history of ministerial government in the Turks and Caicos Islands.




SIPT corruption trial of former government officials and others resumed on Tuesday (May 31) after its one week break with Lillian Misick and Shabaan Hoza retaking the witness stand for further cross examination by the defence lawyers.





Misick, a former executive member of TCInvest, had previously testified on May 12 about the functions of the invest agency prior to its dismantling.





As was the case the last time she was on the stand, the former head teacher got very cantankerous with a defence lawyer, at one point raising her voice very loudly at an exasperated Jerome Lynch QC - lawyer for McAllister Hanchell.





Throughout his questioning of her, Lynch had repeatedly questioned Misicks credibility.





The issue arose when Lynch was questioning Misick about a report produced just prior to the closure of TCInvest and how she came into possession of it.





The report outlined obvious mismanagement and other issues which led to the dismantling of the agency.





But Misick refused to answer the lawyers question, prompting him to ask her who she is protecting, to which she responded no one, adding that she is choosing not to answer his question about who gave it to her.





At that point Judge Paul Harrison intervened asking her why she was not prepared to disclose who gave her the report.





Misick responded that it was given to her in confidence, and she is not prepared to disclose the name of that person.





She was then excused from the witness box for the lawyer to raise his objections with the judge.





Lynch told the court that he does not consider Misick to be a witness of truth, that her credibility is an issue and that it was not up to her whether she will or will not disclose a name.





When she was brought back on the stand, Judge Harrison asked her why she will not say who gave her the report, she reiterated that it was given to her in confidence and she will not betray that confidence.





As such, Harrison did not compel her to disclose the identity of the person.





Under further tense questioning about the agencys failure and subsequent closure, Misick said she was not personally bothered when the investment agency was disbanded, but that others may have been affected.





Lynch later put to the witness issues of management and who may have been responsible for the mismanagement of TCInvest, but he got no further than he did before, as the witness refused to give a clear and precise answer to the questions, stating only that she takes no responsibility for its failure.





He finally asked her who was responsible for the management of the agency, Misick replied - the chief executive officer.





The CEO referenced is the late Conrad Higgs.





The tense atmosphere continued when Lynch tried to get the witness to admit that with a new government the mandate of the agency would be changed and aligned with that government.





The lawyer was drawing attention to the newly installed government of 2003 and their mandate of encouraging inward investment into the country.





Misick finally responded after repeated prodding that she may have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear at that time.





Further attempting to discredit the witness, Lynch then turned his attention to a letter which Misick had sent to then Governor Ric Todd on the closure of the agency.





The letter, which was entered into evidence, was leaked to a news website Turks Journal and published on January 12, 2012.





Lynch asked her how the news site got hold of the letter, and if she gave it to them.





Misick would only reply that she did not recall.





Following her examination, chief valuation officer Shabaan Hoza was recalled to the stand.





Attorney-at-law Adrian Kane, appearing for Michael Misick, led the cross examination.





Hoza had first appeared in court on May 5, but the cross examination had been postponed due to some difficulties with documents being submitted during the trial.





During his questioning Kane attempted to bore holes in Hozas application of land valuation principles to real life situations.





At one point Kane put to Hoza that he had difficulty applying valuation principles in practice, and further seeking to establish that Hoza was incompetent in his role, the lawyer asked him why is it he relied on outside valuations to give him a general idea of what land in the Turks and Caicos Islands should cost, even as he had already valued the land.





Hozas testimony in chief, which he was taken through with SIPT Prosecutor Andrew Mitchell, was one of the strongest to date for the prosecution.





In his examination in chief earlier in May, Hoza had spoken about the valuations he produced under the Michael Misick government, and the problems they sparked with Cabinet members alleged refusal to accept such high values, particularly for high profile developments.





The developments named during his examination were Joe Grant Cay, Water Cay, Juniper Hole, Beaches, Salt Cay, North West Point, South Caicos and West Caicos.




By Olivia Rose

LOCAL taxi drivers say they will not relent until some intervention is made to restore a level playing field in the transportation sector.





Several taxi drivers recently protested in front of Beaches Turks and Caicos in Grace Bay, Providenciales, after a small selection of drivers were given contracts by hotels to pick up and drop off guests.





Speaking to the Weekly News during an exclusive interview, president of the Turks and Caicos Taxi Union (TCTU) Earle Barranco said the taxi drivers are seeking an amicable solution that will benefit all drivers.





Barranco said since their protest there has been no further communication from the Government quarters or Beaches.





"There has been no communication between the Premier and myself or the executive body TCTU, or the Minister of Transportation.





He noted that some drivers are still working despite the ongoing feud which has resulted in some drivers being able to make more money than others.





Barranco revealed that currently the union is strategizing: "We cant go back there and do the same thing, we will try and sensitise the public about our plight.





"Beaches has no respect for us and we will make sure that they respect our organisation, they are breaking the law.





Barranco said the recent statements released by Unique Taxi and Beaches executives on the matter is undermining the services and work ethics of drivers in the industry.





He said: "We are group of intelligent hardworking individuals in the tourism industry who have our guests best interests at heart.





"These accusations that they have published are pure lies and smear tactics trying to discredit TCTU drivers because we called them out for undermining and breaking the laws of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Road Traffic Ordinance to be accurate.





"Everyone must abide by the laws of the land, if not we will all end up in the depths of anarchy.





Barranco, who spoke on behalf of the group, said that before getting involved in the taxi industry members of the union were businessmen, managers, supervisors and top staff officials in the hospitality sector.





"Were not Beaches employees; were businessmen and want to be treated with utmost respect, the same that is afforded to Butch Stewart and his organisation.





"Were local businessmen and we want to be treated fairly here in our country.





The union president called on Beaches to stop the public campaign, since, he said, it is casting taxi drivers in a bad light.





"TCTU is fighting for fairness in the system, were protesting to protect all taxi drivers that our government saw fit to place on that taxi line.





"We are fighting to end all contracts in the taxi industry so that all can make a living and take care of their families.





"Contacts are wrong and must stop now; there are laws in the books that prohibit resorts or hotels and taxi drivers from entering into any contractual agreement.





Barranco explained that these contracts have a devastating impact on the taxi industry since they deprive 80 percent of taxi drivers from making a living.





The union believes that the contractual agreement between Beaches and some taxi drivers is depriving them of a decent life.





"This is the same as not paying TCIG minimum wage; its all about greed, plain and simple.





"Greed on Beaches part and greed on the part of the drivers who engage in this nefarious act.





The taxi drivers union is calling on the Governments swift intervention to address the issues and to take immediate action against those who disrespect the laws of the Turks and Caicos Islands.




ON MONDAY (May 30) the Turks and Caicos Islands celebrated national heroes with several activities to commemorate the life and achievements of the countrys first Chief Minister, James Alexander George Smith McCartney.





Governor Peter Beckingham and other officials in the Government and the Opposition attended the annual commemorative ceremony in Grand Turk.





Highlighting the vision of JAGS McCartney, the Governor encouraged politicians to look beyond the short term.





"Last year I emphasised our national heros extraordinary energy and achievements in such a short life span, and wondered what he could have achieved were he still alive today.





"This year Id like to single out his vision for TCI. He was not a politician concerned only with the short term, but looked beyond the immediate to the longer term future of our country, the Governor said.





He continued: "He looked for the long term improvement of labour policy and the employment rights of workers.





"He also had a vision of an independent Turks and Caicos Islands, loosening its historic, traditional ties with the United Kingdom.





He stated that with the general election imminent, the people of the country should encourage politicians, other leaders in the church, public service and education to look beyond the short term and articulate their vision for the country.





"It is easy to focus on the immediate, the quick road fix, or the next tourism development.





"But what we need is a long term vision for Turks and Caicos, its place in the region, its relationship with the UK, its approach to citizenship.





"These are all issues that JAGS McCartney did, and would have continued, to emphasise, Beckingham said.





Leader of the Opposition, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson in her remarks to mark the occasion called on citizens to be agents of change, while calling on all to remember the man that JAGS was, not as a superhero, but as a fighter.





"Our hero did not wait for external sources to move him, he responded in love for country, understanding that citizens have a responsibility to country but also a power that could change what they did not like and this was not achieved by sitting and complaining.





She added that today JAGS would be disappointed for many reasons, chief among them being the divisiveness in the country.





"But I believe even above that he would be most disappointed about the fact that we have become professional complainers who refuse to use our powers to change what we do not like.





"The truth is our hero taught that we are the agents of change: the people are and will always be the change that they wish to see.





She added that in coming together, the nation does not necessarily need huge numbers to effect change; change can be effected with just a few men, as McCartney showed.





Leader of the Progressive Democratic Alliance, Oswald Skippings also paid tribute to the late founding father of the party he once led  the PDM.





Skippings took to his Facebook page to sound the message that JAGSs dream lives on, and that in fact it never died.





"Who is this man they called JAGS? How did he set us free? Questions from the mouths of those who are ill informed or blind and cannot see.





"One ingredient of the makeup of the man called JAGS is that he had a will and a way to deliver his people from poverty and rags, so that our minds would no longer be in bondage and enslaved.





He added that JAGS insisted on higher education and if people were not qualified then they would be trained, and that he did not stop until better job opportunities for his people were obtained.





"Hear these words of wisdom that I dare to tell, while in tribute you bade JAGS farewell, dont ever let his fertile and potent dream of hope to die and never bade his impregnated, visionary dream goodbye, but lets join hands across denominational and party lines, blacks, whites and people of all races and lets unite in love and not in pseudo infatuation and build our country into one progressive and prosperous nation.





The PDA leader added that this was the essence of the right excellent James Alexander George Smiths determination.




By Olivia Rose

THE DEPARTMENT of Mental Health and Substance Dependence is advocating for residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands to abstain from all forms of smoking and other uses of tobacco products as the global community marks World No Tobacco Day.





The Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence in the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services joined the rest of the world in celebrating World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday (May 31).





Department director Dr Alicia Malcom told the Weekly News that the department is increasing its sensitisation campaign in an effort to make both smokers and non-smokers aware of the life threatening consequences of tobacco use.





She said : "Every year since 1987, May 31 is set aside for this observance, the primary focus is to bring awareness to the fact that the use of tobacco and tobacco products has resulted in a world-wide health epidemic that is impacting most, if not all modern day societies.





According to the latest report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), about six million preventable deaths occur around the world annually from smoking and the use of tobacco products, and from exposure to second-hand smoke of tobacco products.





The majority of these preventable deaths are caused by cancer of the lungs, throat and mouth, emphysema and other respiratory diseases, all attributable to smoking and other uses of tobacco products.





The report warns that if the present trend in tobacco use continues, the number of people dying annually could increase to eight million by 2030.





Dr Malcom said being cognisant of this, the Ministry of Health Agriculture and Human Services developed a Tobacco Control Ordinance which came into effect on April 1.





She said: "This new law provides for stringent guidelines for the manufacture, sale, promotion, advertising and sponsorship of tobacco and tobacco products and was designed specifically for the preservation and the protection of the lives of our people from the ill-effects associated with the use of tobacco.





On World No Tobacco Day and the days leading up to it, the department engaged in a number of activities to increase awareness about the dangers of tobacco.





These included; airing of smoking quit tips via television and radio shows, special appearances on the popular local show Health Matters, and the distribution of smoking quit kits in recognition of this day.





Quit kits are available for free in the lobby of the hospitals as well as all Government operated clinics.





Tobacco use affects all human organs and is responsible for the development of several chronic non-communicable diseases.





Although data on the burden of chronic non-communicable disease in the Turks and Caicos Islands has been limited, it is clear that they are the leading cause of premature death in Latin America and the Caribbean.





In this region they account for half of all deaths in people less than 70-years-old and two thirds of all deaths in general.





The Turks and Caicos Islands national policy for 100 percent smoke free environments is guided by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which was signed on June 16, 2003, and ratified on December 16, 2004, by the United Kingdom.




THE DOWNTOWN ball park in Providenciales was a hive of activity on Monday (May 30) as people came out in their numbers to celebrate the life of the late James Alexander George Smith (JAGS) McCartney.





Many people turned out at the annual motorcade and family fun day that was put on by the Turks and Caicos Islands Taxi Union wearing their Turks and Caicos Islands colours and showing national pride, while cars and other vehicles were decked out in the national flags.





The motorcade moved along Leeward Highway and all vehicles ended up at the ball park where families mixed and mingled from as early as 4pm.





Later in the evening the crowd was entertained by stage performances by several influential ladies in local society, all of whom were decked out in their national dresses, as well as the younger generation, who celebrated with dance and song.





Other patrons were treated to a night of elegance and art at The Palms under the patronage of Premier Dr Rufus Ewing in honour of the late national hero.





Held under the theme Canvassing his legacy, participants were invited to artistically portray the late JAGS in art.





Director of Culture Ludwina Fulford, who spearheaded the event, said that entrants included students, adults and even inmates from Her Majestys Prison, with one inmate winning in his category.





An eye catching piece at the exhibit was that of a papier-mache sculpture of JAGS with human hair follicles done by Dasharnia Gardiner.





Gardiner, a student of the Hubert James Primary School, won in her category  JAGS the man himself.




tech2 News Staff

Amazon was once again on the receiving end of the ire of social media users after a controversy brewed when users found that the US version of the website was offering door mats with faces of Hindu Gods and Goddesses printed, online. This prompted the users to take to social media to express their displeasure on the insensitivity shown by the e-commerce platform on allowing the listings to be put up as reported by newscrunch.in.

#BoycottAmazon

No Party No Organization Suppourts Hindus till date=FACT Dats Y Amazoncan proudly insult Hindus pic.twitter.com/JgH3vxVTFo  GAGAN SKY (@blue21sky) June 4, 2016

On further checking the product catalogue, people found that the website also offered doormats with Islamic teachings and figures printed on them in addition to the prints of Jesus Christ. This further infuriated people who went on to call for boycott of the e-commerce giant with the #BoycottAmazon on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

In response Amazon removed all the material that it got complaints for and the products were not accessible or visible on Amazon.com search.

Despite the take down of the products, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed after thanking Amazon for understanding the concerns of the community, called for an official apology from Amazon. This is not the first time that a prominent brand has been the centre of a controversy on religious grounds, back in January, Fortune Magazine had to apologize for depicting Bezos as Lord Vishnu on cover of it's magazine.
tech2 News Staff

Tony Fadell stepped down as the CEO of Nest. Now, didn't we see this coming? In the past few months, Alphabet's pet project, Nest, has been marred with not-so-great reports accusing the chief, Fadell of being a tyrant. The founder of Dropcam, the company acquired by Nest, Greg Duffy, called the selling of Dropcam a big mistake and clearly stated the not-so-friendly conditions created by Fadell. It was Fadell's blame-game remarks that compelled the ex-Dropcam chief to come out in support of his ex-employees.

Looks like he may have been right, at least a new case that has come to light says so. According to Business Insider, a former Nest employee has approached to the National Labor Relations Board and filed a complaint not only against Nest Labs but also Google. Filed on May 17, he puts forth allegations that Nest coerced the employee and then fired him for posting critical memes in a private Facebook group. "If the employee is successful, the NLRB could force Nest to rehire him and pay him back wages, and force Google to change its policies going forward," the report adds.

This piece of news comes at a time when Nest is trying to ward off all the bad press it has been getting. From its inability to build a new product to trashing good ideas, there have been a string of reports pointing fingers at Fadell. In fact, Fadell is also believed to have met the big bosses immediately to defend Nest, but ultimately he stepped down.

The employee who has been fired was a Project Manager at Nest and his lawyer now states that despite being one of the greatest places to work at, Google still has a lot more work to do. He also calls Fadell a bad leader who created an environment that was a total mess.

Here's what he wrote in a statement:

Silicon Valleys richest and most powerful companies either do not know, or do not care, that employees have rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

Employees have the right to discuss their working conditions. Employees have the right to effectuate change by talking with co-workers, former co-workers, bosses, and even reporters about their working conditions. Employees have the right to use social media for these purposes. It is illegal to harass or fire employees for exercising rights guaranteed them by the United States Government.

It is important that employees know and understand these rights and are comfortable exercising them. For everyone's benefit, employees must hold a company accountable when it violates the federal right to mutual aid and protection.

Tony Fadell, the current CEO of Nest, is a bad leader. He has created a work environment that is a total mess. Nest employees want their work environment to be better. They desire a work environment as good as or even better than the Google work environment.

But even with Google regularly being identified as a great place to work, it still has work to do. Google must be a leader when it comes to recognizing and protecting the rights of employees working at its companies, and particularly at Nest.

Right now, under Fadells apparent direction, Nest employees are being mistreated or fired for exercising their protected rights to social sites like Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.

Google must revise its confidentiality policies to make clear that employees have the right to discuss their working conditions with whomever they wish. Google must revise its code of conduct to make clear that complaining about their working conditions is not forbidden. Google, and especially Nest, must stop the witch hunt for employees who exercise their legal right to try and improve Nests working environment.
tech2 News Staff

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the biggest and most popular social network Facebook, ensures he has presence on some other social networks such as Twitter and Pinterest. However, looks like, he follows weak security practices or at least the hacked accounts claim so. According to VentureBeat, Zuckerberg's Twitter and Pinterest accounts were compromised over the weekend.

OurMine team is said to be responsible for this hack, and says it was possible due to the LinkedIn password dump. However, OurMine's Twitter account now states suspended. It is highly speculated that Zuck maybe reusing the same password on both accounts. "It's not certain that they have his personal email address, but that would make sense if it's a common thread between the accounts. It's alternately possible that LinkedIn's 2012 password breach is at fault," points out Engadget.

And, as expected, the Twitter was quick to react.

https://twitter.com/Ben_Hall/status/739534393585340417

It was just last month that breach of LinkedIn, Adobe and Ashley Madison accounts became public. It was discovered in May that an additional 100 million LinkedIn email databases and hashed passwords were available online. As corrective action, LinkedIn invalidated those account passwords. This prompted LinkedIn to alert its 400 million users to stay alert and maintain reasonable passwords.
tech2 News Staff

Netflix has unveiled plans for a new Netflix original TV series. The series will be based on Vikram Chandras award winning novel, Sacred Games. The novel is based on Indias underworld and revolves around the cat and mouse game between a cop and a gangster.

The intrigues, conspiracies and intricacies of Mumbais underworld caught Netflix attention. The series will be set in Mumbai and shot there as well. Netflix is working with local studio, Phantom Films, to bring the series to life.

We are delighted to partner with creative powerhouse, Phantom Films, to bring Vikram Chandras epic novel to life with the best Indian and global film talent available today, said Erik Barmack, vice president of international original series at Netflix. Sacred Games reinforces our commitment to bring the authenticity of local stories to Netflix members across 190 countries worldwide.

The series will begin shooting the series soon, but theres no word on a release date yet. Netflix does promise that once the series is ready, it will be made available to their global audience.

Netflix claims to have a subscriber base of 81 million users, 16 million of them outside the US. They offer streaming services in around 190 countries.

Phantom films is a well-known studio thats worked on the likes of Queen, Lootera and Bombay Velvet. It was founded by Vikas Bahl, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena.
hidden

By Muqbil Ahmar

Climate change and global warming are no more speculations now. They are hard realities facing mankind. According to NASA figures, global temperatures have risen by more than 1 degree since 1880, while 9 of the 10 warmest years ever recorded have occurred since 2000. In 2012, Arctic ice shrank to its lowest ever level. Global sea levels are rising at 3.4 mm per year. It is just a matter of time before large swathes of human habitat would get submerged in ocean water.

It is now or never. Remedial measures have to be put in place before the crisis spirals out of control. While governments continue to host seminars and international conferences over the issue, each one of us has to pitch in to reduce our carbon footprint and save the planet by arresting the tide of planetary degradations.

In a bid to make their own contribution to making the Earth a less dangerous place to live, enterprises, especially the small and medium ones, have been going in for innovations and adopting clean technologies. Several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have come up with novel solutions, using renewable sources of energy and least polluting resources.

A number of such enterprises have also been recognized by the government for their efforts in promoting clean technology. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has identified several such innovators, recognized their contribution, and has put them in incubator programs to nurture and develop their creations. The Ministry has featured the innovators in an e-Book titled Cleanovators.

Out-of-the box approach to help reduce carbon footprint

Who doesnt want to get rid of plasticsso much an integral part of our livesin a way that it doesnt clog drains and cause deep-seated pollution. Kolkata-based Neogi Technologies converts waste plastic into fuel oil! While the innovation removes harmful plastics from the environment, it also results in a pollution-free method of producing fuel oilresources that are depleting fast.

We have realized that plastic bags are a necessity today. No amount of sanctions or restrictions can limit their use. We can however recycle them or use them in some way that does not harm our environment. We have succeeded in producing diesel from plastics that has 10,000 calorific value, very close to the diesel obtained from petroleum, said Samir Kumar Neogi, Managing Director, Neogi Technologies.

Apart from introducing innovative technologies, we are also looking at other ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We are introducing mobile diesel dispensers which will bring down pollution by taking diesel to big units and doing away with all fuel loss during commutation to and from gas stations, added Neogi.

When asked how else he proposes to reduce carbon footprint, he replied: We as an organization are concerned about the environment and we have adopted a number of measures to keep our environment clean. As much as 90% of our employees use the bicycles to come to work. By the end of this year we plan to be 100% solar operated. We also have a water harvesting mechanism for our daily needs, he concluded.

We have all gone through frequent power cuts during Board exam preparations? Patna-based enterprise Astric Computers attempts to solve just this very problem. It helps thousands of students across the state of Bihar to continue their IT education, in spite of power cutsa major constraint in the stateby using renewable energy resources and utilizing shared computing. The enterprise has assisted the Government of Bihar in implementing the technology in approximately 2,000 schools. The innovative idea has been able to help achieve more than 50% energy savings and Zero Carbon Footprint through its computer labs.

We are basically trying to bridge the gap between technology and governance. We have succeeded to a great extent but a lot more needs to be done. We are also focusing on innovations involving solar energy, which is plentiful in the state. This will help us reduce our carbon footprint, said Prabhat Kumar Sinha, founder, Astric Computers .

We are particularly targeting rural areas as they dont have access to new technologies. Besides, we are also focusing on computer-learning settings which are energy intensive. Through our technologies, we have been able to reduce energy consumption by as much as 50%, he added.

Who is not troubled by the ever increasing power bills resulting from fuel-guzzling ACs? Similarly, Fabonix Technologies has developed a viable temperature control equipment that produces a refrigerating effect inside houses and shops and other buildings using solar and wind energy accessible at the roof top. The Bhuvaneshwar-based start-up, which was founded in 2013, is a design and innovation company that designs, develops and sells products of social and societal values.

We try to blend technology, creativity, engineering and innovations to solve problems from industries to households, claimed Dhiraj Choudhary, CEO and Managing Director of Fabonix Technologies.

There are also industries and businesses contributing to reducing carbon footprint and a cleaner environment in an indirect wayby helping SMEs adopt green technologies. For example, Deskera, a business software developer in the Asia-Pacific region, helps SMEs by creating applications that remove the necessity of paper-based conventional modes of accounting; thus helping the planet go green. Such ventures should also get the support of the establishment and big capital.

Now, you dont have to do manual accounting or customer relationship management. All such processes are highly energy-intensive, leaving a large carbon footprint. We have automated a lot of those processes that are part of the natural life cycle of a company. With proper nurturing and support from the government and the private sector, ventures like ours have the potential to turn the tables, said Shashank Dixit, CEO, Deskera.

Economic feasibility of green innovations

There has been criticism that clean technologies are unaffordable for the man on the street. Reacting to such criticism, Sinha said: It is true that initial capital investment may be on the higher side, but that is true for all industries and that is where the role of the government and other policy-making bodies comes into the picture. We are pushing for the government to subsidize clean technologies and provide at least 80% subsidy on innovations initially, till the products become stable.

Are the governments initiatives enough to promote clean technology?

The Central Government recently announced that all 26 million micro, small and medium enterprises in India would adopt clean technology measures by 2025. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises made the ambitious announcement through an e-Book launched on its website recently.

We believe that solutions do exist and can be enacted with the right combination of political, social and financial will. Agencies, governments, investors and business need to proactively collaborate as forces facilitating this transition towards a sustainable energy future on a global level. Technology start-ups provide one of the most important vehicles to meet these challenges, said Surendra Nath Tripathi, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME.

While many experts have welcomed the Government announcement, many also expressed their reservations. They are skeptical of the implementation of the policy. They feel that the scale and magnitude of the task is too daunting as the MSME sector is highly amorphous and widely diverse.

Asked as to whether Sinha is satisfied with the governments efforts at promoting such technologies, he replied in the negative.

There are a lot of new technologies out there that are clean but the problem is that people and enterprises are not aware of them. The Government has been taking initiatives but they are not enough. More needs to be done to reach out to the people and convince them to impart momentum to clean technologies and make them a part of every citizens household, asserted Sinha.

The government on its part claims that it is doing all it can to promote and nurture clean technologies.

It is important to assess the depth, breadth and quality of Cleantech innovations in the Indian SME sector. I hope, it will catalyze our development sector professionals, policy makers, and researchers to understand, create and support many more valuable innovations with clean technologies in the Indian landscape, said Kalraj Mishra, the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

In the hope of a clean and pollution-free future

Astric, Fabonix, and Neogi are among a growing number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dedicatedly developing and using clean technology innovations by harnessing energy resources as diverse as solar power, wind energy and sea waves.

Well, several innovators in the small and medium enterprise sector have solved these seemingly insurmountable hurdles through solutions that are not only novel but also green. Such efforts are commendable and it is hoped that the governments, civil society groups and citizens at large would come together to tackle the biggest problem ever faced by mankind.

With over 10 years of experience in the field of journalism, the author is a Senior Editor at Deskera, a business software company.
tech2 News Staff

Islamic State militants (ISIS) have been relying on social media and a slew of in-house apps to spread word of their work. The apps also serve as recruitment posters of sorts, attempting to bring a greater number of converts to their fold. Their official apps and social media accounts were also meant to be reliable sources of information of ISIS fight and their ongoing struggle.

Social media activism and the work of vigilantes like Anonymous has severely crippled the Islamic States social platform. Its now come to light that Islamic State militants are worried about hacked Android apps spying on them.

An investigation by Motherboard reveals that Amaq, the Islamic States in-house news agency has discovered that a duplicate version of at least one of its apps (of at least 6) has been published. Amaq has apparently advised its faithful to keep downloading the Amaq app, but only via official channels, and to verify with the officially published checksums before installation.

Other "official" Islamic State apps have also come under the scanner of the Islamic State's app developers as they scramble to get the situation under control.

Motherboard suggests that the Islamic States choice of Android as their recommended platform is a direct result of the ability to side-load apps on Android devices. Apple and Google have strict policies regarding content and publishing an official app on the Play store or App store would result in a very swift ban.

Fake or duplicate apps are a big problem when youre side-loading, because theyre not verified by official sources and the onus is on the user, in this case an Islamic State militant, to remain alert to these fake apps.

The attack on India's Pathankot air-force base by Pakistan-based militants was facilitated by an Android app called SmeshApp, speaking volumes of the dangers that malicious apps can pose. This time however, the shoe is on the other foot.
tech2 News Staff

Tor browser changed the way we accessed the Internet. Mainly, by giving us access to a whole new side of the web popularly known as the dark web. Now, Tor is in the news after one of its prominent developers stepped down, following allegations of sexual mistreatment. While this may come across surprising to many, the employees at Tor are apparently not surprised. A statement made on an official blog post on 4 June states, "These types of allegations were not entirely new to everybody at Tor; they were consistent with rumors some of us had been hearing for some time."

The vaguely worded statement goes on to explain that the most recent allegations are more serious than any rumour they might have heard in the past. They also went a step further, encouraging people with information to step forward. They promise that the matter would be treated seriously and with sensitivity; but this leaves the lingering question in one's mind.

Just how seriously do we take women in tech?

This comes to light while the case of Reddit's former CEO Ellen Pao is still fresh in our memory. In a case of gender discrimination filed by Pao against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, her story was taken apart, piece by piece. Recode reports that the defense responded by presenting contradictions in Paos story from when she filed the lawsuit in 2012 and now, and putting Pao through an uncomfortable retelling of her relationship with Ajit Nazre, her co-worker at the time, and when exactly a consensual relationship turned non-consensual. This is nowhere close to the level of sensitivity that the jury members should have displayed while taking into account, the consideration that at the time of this trial, that one of the firm's venture capitalists John Doerr did nothing with a list of concerns from women at Kleiner Perkins.

Going a step further, Fortune.com, earlier this year, came up with an article about a Silicon Valley survey that was prompted by this trial titled The Elephant in the Valley. Some of the findings of this survey were quite surprising. The survey includes just over 200 womenmost of whom have at least 10 years of tech experiencesourced from the networks of the authors of the survey. The vast majority of respondents now work in the Bay Area of San Francisco and more than 70 percent have kids and are at least 40 years old. Their workplaces vary from startups to the tech giants like Apple and Google.

The report of the survey covers a range of topics, from sexual harassment to unconscious bias to gender-based exclusion. It was found that a whopping 60 percent of the women who participated reported experiencing unwanted sexual advances. Of those, 65 percent said that at least one advance came from a superior.

88 percent of the respondents have claimed that theyve watched a client or co-worker ask a male colleague a question that should have been addressed to them. More than 80 percent said that theyve dealt with demeaning comments from male colleagues. 75 percent were asked about family life, marital status and children in interviews and 40 percent felt the need to speak less about their family to be taken more seriously.

The report also had a section that invited women to contribute firsthand reports of harassment that they faced. Though the veracity of these stories is yet to be proved, it seems clear that gender equality in tech is something that seriously needs to be relooked at.
Supreme Court releases full verdict on Mir Quasem Ali`s death sentence for 1971 war crimes

The Appellate Division has released its full verdict that upheld death sentence for Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former al-Badr commander Mir Quasem Ali for war crimes. Personal Secretary to the Chief Justice Md Anisur Rahman told bdnews24.com that the 244-page verdict has been published after the judges signed it on Monday. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in November 2014 had sentenced him to death for atrocities against Bengalis committed during the War of Independence from Pakistan in 1971. Mir Quasem had challenged the verdict and in March this year the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty awarded to him. The Supreme Court will now send the copy of the full verdict to the ICT, which subsequently will issue the death warrant. After the warrant reaches him, Mir Quasem will have 15 days, starting from the day of the verdicts publication, to file a petition to have the judgment reviewed. Once the review petition is resolved and if the death sentence is upheld, the war crimes convict will have the opportunity to seek mercy from the president and meet family members. If the Jamaat leader declines to seek a review or if he is denied pardon, the government then will order the jail authorities to hang him. Mir Quasem was the al-Badrs third most important functionary after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid. Bangladesh has executed both Nizami and Mujahid for 1971 war crimes. Mir Quasem, the wartime terror of Chittagong had gradually left mark of his shrewdness in both politics and business. The 63-year old media tycoon pumped billions into the Jamaat since the mid-1980s to put it on a firm financial footing in Bangladesh. --bdnews24.com
Ban on three riders on a motorcycle, says Home Minister Kamal

Police will ensure that three persons are not riding a motorcycle together, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. The announcement on Monday came a day after three men, riding a motorcycle, stabbed and shot dead a senior police officers wife in Chittagong. Three riders on a motorcycle will be not allowed anymore, he told the media at the Secretariat. Mahmuda Aktar, who was married to Superintendent Babul Aktar, was murdered in a suspected militant attack just a few hundred yards from her home in the port city. Chittagong metro police claimed finding the motorcycle the assailants used late on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Kamal said that the killing was aimed to dent the confidence of the police officers. We are looking into the matter of security for their families. Babul Aktar, as additional deputy commissioner with the DB in Chittagong, had played a key role in nabbing top militants and led raids in the past two years, busting their hideouts in the southern coastal district. The police officer was promoted in April and transferred to Police Headquarters in Dhaka. But his wife, son and 4-year-old daughter lived in Chittagong. Babul reported for duty in the capital last Thursday. The pattern of the killing in the port city  assailants on a motorcycle armed with sharp weapons and guns  resembles the murders in the last two years, for which police have blamed Islamist radicals. Chittagong metro police Commissioner Iqbal Bahar said on Monday that their investigation was look at the link of militants to the murder. But we are looking into other aspects as well, he told bdnews24.com. Police has started a case on Sunday, which accuses unidentified men for the killing. The Detective Branch will investigate the matter with help of other police departments, said Commissioner Bahar. bdnews24.com
Taiwan wont recognize any Chinese air defense zone over South China Sea

Reuters, Taipei :Taiwan's new defense minister said on Monday the island would not recognize any air defense zone declared by China over the South China Sea, as the island's top security agency warned such a move could usher in a wave of regional tension.U.S. officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims, as well as close military ties with Washington."We will not recognize any ADIZ by China," Taiwan Defence Minister Feng Shih-kuan told lawmakers in parliament.The comments came after Taiwan's new government of President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, was sworn in last month. Tsai's election victory overturned eight-years of China-friendly Nationalist rule on the self-ruled island.China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, drew condemnation from Japan and the United States when it imposed its ADIZ, in which aircraft are supposed to identify themselves to Chinese authorities, above the East China Sea.China has neither confirmed nor denied it plans such a zone for the South China Sea, saying that a decision would be based on the threat level and that it had every right to set one up."In the future, we don't rule out China designating an ADIZ. If China is on track to announce this, it could usher in a new wave of tension in the region," Taiwan's National Security Bureau said in a report presented to parliament.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked whether China would set up an ADIZ for the South China Sea, said many factors needed consideration, especially the level of threat faced in the air."Many countries have set up ADIZs. This has nothing to do with various countries' territorial or maritime rights issues," he told a daily news briefing, without elaborating.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday the United States would consider a Chinese air defense zone over the South China Sea "provocative and destabilizing".Speaking at the beginning of a high-level strategic dialogue in Beijing on Monday, Kerry said he would make it clear the United States was looking for a peaceful resolution to disputes in the South China Sea."The only position we've taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action, let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation, and we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution rooted in international standards and rule of law," he said.China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, said China "resolutely makes it own contribution to peace, stability and development".China has been angered by what it views as provocative U.S. military patrols close to islands China controls in the South China Sea. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation.Taiwan's defense ministry said in its own report it would strengthen its defenses on Pratas Island, in the north of the South China Sea, and on Itu Aba in the disputed Spratly Islands.Feng told lawmakers Taiwan would send additional ammunition to Itu Aba for its anti-aircraft guns in the next month. The move is largely symbolic as the guns are not considered advanced weaponry.The ministry said China was building up its military presence in the South China Sea with deployments of anti-missile systems, drones and fast missile ships in the area.
Varsity student drowns in Bandarban lake

UNB, Bandarban :

A private university student drowned in Boga lake while taking bath there in Ruma upazila of Bandarban district on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Fayed Iqbal, 25, a first year student of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and son of Ali Ikram of Lalbagh in the capital.

Victim's friend Anik said Iqal along eight students of the university went to take their bath in 'Boga' lake around 3:30pm. At one stage, he drowned. Later, the rescuers recovered the body.
Missing college student found dead in Barisal

UNB, Barisal :

A college student was found dead in the Arial Khan river adjacent to Nandibazar area in Muladi upazila on Monday morning two days after his going missing.

The deceased was identified as Mithu Khan, 17, son of Monayem Khan, a resident of Laxmipur village, and an HSC student of local Charkalekha Adarsha College. Locals spotted an unidentified body in the river around 10am and informed police, said Babul Khan, member of Charkalekha union parishad.

Later police recovered the body. Being informed, Mithu's family members identified the body to be his. The family said Mithu had gone missing two days back.
Double murder in Jessore

Jessore Correspondent :

The manager and a college student were killed inside a filling station while an unidentified robbery suspect was 'lynched' at a place on Jessore- Magura Road. Both the incidents took place at dead of night, police and locals said.

The two who were stabbed to death inside the filling station were identified as Obaidur Rahman, 30, manager of Abdul Bari Filling Station at Charabhita under Bagharpara Upazila and son of Abdur Rahman of Dashpukuria and Lizon Ahmed Apu, 24, student of masters at Jessore MM College and son of Sadar Uddin Khan of Panchbaria under Bagharpara upazila.

Sairuddin Ahmed, Officer in-charge, Bagharpara police station told that the two were killed following feud over previous rivalry. 'The miscreants did not kill the two for robbery purposes', he added.

Golam Rasul Biswas, maternal uncle of Obaidur told that he and other members of the family of the dead came to know the information in the morning.

He also said Apu came to the filling station only to sleep there as his residence was being constructed.

Police and locals told that Sirajul Islam, an employee of the filling station went on hiding soon after the incident. The police were inquiring into his involvement in the killing.

Masud Ahmed, owner of the filling station told that the miscreants did not take any money from the station.

Biplob Hossain, Sub-Inspector, Kotwali police station told that passengers of public transports beaten to death an unidentified robber, 30, while a gang of robbers were committing robbery at Panchbaria under Kotwali police station at around 2am.

The robbery suspect died at Jessore Medical College Hospital at around 4am after he was rushed there by the police being informed by the locals.

Post-mortem of the dead were made at Jessore Medical College Hospital on Monday.


Mir Quasem's death warrant sent to jail

Staff Reporter :The death warrant for condemned convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former Al-Badr commander Mir Quasem Ali for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 reached the Dhaka Central Jail on Monday.The Jail Super received a copy of the death warrant in the evening, said International Crimes Tribunal registrar Shahidul Alam Jhinuk. Besides, two copies of the death warrant were sent to the Home Ministry and Dhaka District Magistrate, he said. Now, the death warrant will be read out to the war crimes convict, Jhinuk said.A three-member bench of the tribunal, led by Justice Anwarul Haq, signed the death warrant in the afternoon. The other members of the tribunal are Justice Shahinur Islam and Justice Mohammad Suhrawardi. Earlier in the day, the Appellate Division of Supreme Court has released its full verdict upholding the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former Al-Badr commander Mir Quasem Ali for ear crimes. A five-member bench, led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, delivered the verdict confirming death for Mir Quasem on March 8 this year. The four other members of the bench were Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Mohammad Bazlur Rahman. With the release of the full text of the verdict, Mir Quasem Ali, the chief financier of Jamaat-e-Islami has only option to seek a review of the apex court's verdict within 15 days. On November 2, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 had sentenced him death penalty on two charges and jails on different terms on eight other charges. He later challenged the verdict at the Supreme Court. The apex court upheld his death penalty on March 8 this year. The decision of the top court came after the 16 months the ICT-2 had delivered the verdict on a number of charges, including mass killing and tortures, at port city of Chittagong during the War of Independence in 1971.Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said that the verdict would reach the prison authorities in due process through the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which had originally handed down the death penalty.Mir Quasem Ali, central executive member of Jamaat-e-Islami was convicted for running Al-Badr, an auxiliary militia force that had collaborated the killing of people at torture cell at Dalim Hotel in Chittagong. Apart from Dalim Hotel, the Al-Badr, under his leadership, had set camps for torture till death at Dost Mohammad Panjabee building -- a leather depot at Asadganj, Dewan Hotel in Dewanhat area and Salma Manjil at Panchlaish. Mir Quasem Ali, the founding president of the Islami Chhatra Shibir was the president of Chittagong town unit of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, student wing of Jamaat, till November 6, 1971. He was then made general secretary of the East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha. He went into hiding after Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators surrendered on December 16, 1971 and reemerged as a Jamaat-e-Islami leader. Police arrested Mir Quasem on June 17, 2013, from Naya Diganta newspaper office less than two hours after the tribunal had issued arrest warrant. He was indicted on September 5, 2014 and found guilty. The tribunal had sentenced him to death for the killing of young freedom fighter Jasim Uddin Ahmed and eight others and 72 years in prison for abduction and torture. The copy of the 244-pages full verdict was released after signing of all five members of the Appellate Division bench, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha. The Appellate Division started hearing the appeal on February 9, 2016.
Bangladesh Home Minister suggests Israel behind spate of killings

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has suggested an Israeli link to the recent killings of secular bloggers and minorities.

He said an opposition MP had met an Israeli intelligence agent and there was evidence of an "international conspiracy" against Bangladesh. He gave no more evidence. Israel says the claim is nonsense.

Critics say the government is in denial about the killings, most of which have been blamed on or claimed by Islamists. Mr Khan's comments come a day after the wife of a senior police officer investigating the deaths was shot dead. The governing Awami League has sought in the past to link the opposition to the attacks. Relations with the opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) remain fraught following the disputed 2014 general election. Muslim-majority but officially secular Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel and supports the Palestinians. "Bangladesh has become the target of an international conspiracy. And a foreign intelligence agency has joined the conspiracy," Mr Khan said. When asked to elaborate, he said: "You must have noticed that an Israeli intelligence agent had a meeting with a politician, it does not need to be verified further, all Bangladeshi know about it." Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told the BBC the suggestion of Israeli involvement was "utter drivel". Opposition MP Aslam Chowdhury was recently arrested and charged with sedition after he was pictured meeting Israeli government adviser Mendi Safadi in India.

Mr Chowdhury described his visit to India as a business trip and has denied meeting an Israeli intelligence agent. The latest violence was in the southern port city of Chittagong, where Mahmuda Aktar was stabbed and shot in the head on Sunday in front of her six-year-old son. Her husband, Supt Babul Aktar, is investigating the banned Islamist Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh group (JMB). Also on Sunday, a Christian grocer was hacked to death in the north-western village of Bonpara. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the murder of Sunil Gomes. At least 30 people have been killed in the wave of attacks on those seen by extremists as offensive to Islam. The government insists that IS does not have a presence in Bangladesh and has tended to blame the opposition and local militant groups.

Critics have accused the government of failing to properly address the violence in Bangladesh.

The grim list of those who have fallen victim to attacks by Islamist militants in Bangladesh is growing ever diverse. Secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, and members of religious minorities including Shia, Sufi and Ahmadi Muslims, Christians and Hindus have all been killed, many of them hacked to death.

When a university professor whose family said believed in God was murdered in April, it suggested the list of those at risk had widened further. Who exactly is behind the attacks remains murky. Bangladesh has myriad extremist groups and there have been few convictions over the attacks. Bangladesh has disputed claims by so-called Islamic State or al-Qaeda-linked groups for the attacks, instead often blaming opposition parties or local Islamist groups.

But until the killings stop the government itself will face accusations of not doing enough to protect minorities in the Sunni-dominated nation.
Militants used motorcycles in last 35 attacks

3 riders on a bike banned as security steps

Sagar Biswas :

Motorcycle and its riders have of late become the talk of the country posing a big security threat to Bangladesh as trained militants, especially the operators of Islamist outfits like Jama'atul Mujahedin Bangladesh, are using this vehicle for target killings and quickly fleeing the spot. Latest reports say the law enforcers have already seized the motorcycle used by the three killers of Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, wife of Babul Akhtar, Superintendent of Police on Monday on the basis of information gathered from CCTV video footage.

According to police, the militants have so far used motorcycles in most of the 35 killing operations since last February in different parts of the country.

Apart from the killing, the motorcycles are very much popular among underworld criminals for snatching, robbery and other hardcore crimes, such as hurling cocktails or fire-bombs, the police sources said.

In the latest spate of killings, Mahmuda Khanam, 33, wife of Police Super Babul Akhter and grocer Sunil Gomes, 60, were killed in pre-planned attacks by suspected motorcycle riders in Chittagong and Natore on Sunday.

In this backdrop, the government has imposed ban on three persons riding a motorcycle after video-footage showed three motorbike riders involved in killing Police Super Babul Akhter's wife in Chittagong, the first incident of militant attack on a top cop's family member.

"Three persons won't be allowed on a motorbike anymore, under any circumstances. From today, a motorcyclist will not be allowed to carry even his spouse and child," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said on Monday.

He said: "We will only permit two people to ride a motorcycle. Directive has already been given to law enforcement agencies in this regard. . The targeted killings are carried out by motorbike riders in the country."

Interestingly, the government had imposed a similar ban a few more times in the past but failed to implement the decision. The restriction [under Section 88 of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance for Public Safety] was imposed on January 22 last year after two foreigners were shot dead by three masked motorcycle riders.

Of them, Italian citizen and charity worker Cesare Tavella was gunned down by three motorcycle-riding assailants at Dhaka's Diplomatic Zone Gulshan on September 28 last year. In another incident, Japanese citizen Hoshi Kunio was killed by three masked assailants riding a motor bike at Mahiganj in Rangpur district on October 6 last year.

Meanwhile, expressing determination to implement the decision, Road Communication and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said that riding of three persons on motorbikes must be banned.

"No three persons on a motorbike. Besides, the rider and passengers must be wear helmets. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA] will start a massive crackdown to implement the directive," the Minister said.

It is to be noted that, the concerned departments had tried to 'Check and Control' the suspected motorcycle riders when hurling fire-bombs and cocktails became rampant during non-stop blockade programme of opposition BNP and its allies.

But they failed. Even, the Police Department could not implement the law regarding compulsory wearing of helmets till the date. On the contrary, unregistered and fake-registration holding motorcycles flood the city streets due to relaxed mood of BRTA and Traffic Department of Police, it is alleged.


4 held, case filed, motorbike seized

Staff Reporter :A case has been filed in connection with the murder of a police official's wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu in Chittagong on Monday. Superintendent of Police (Dhaka Police Headquarters) Babul Aktar, husband of slain Mitu, filed the case against three anonymous people with Panchlaish Police Station. Meanwhile, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) in an overnight drive detained four persons from different places of the Port City and recovered a motorbike that was used for murdering the police official's wife.Police have CCTV footages and spotted three bike-riding suspects with one carrying pistol.Mahmuda Khanam Mitu was stabbed and shot dead by unidentified assailants at the city's GEC intersection on her way to put her son into a school bus around 6.45am on Sunday.Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, while briefing reporters at his office yesterday said, "It's a part of local and international conspiracies as we've got information that some local politicians and some other people are involved in the killing.""It was a targeted killing," Kamal said, adding: "Targeted killings are being carried out everywhere in the world, no one is being able to stop them."The Home Minister said "It is the work of militants. Combined efforts have been launched to ensure the security of the families of the law enforcers."It is being suspected that the murder was carried out to settle a score with Babul - who had a successful run in clamping down militancy in Chittagong with an iron fist, he said.Members of different law enforcing agencies continued to conduct massive combing operations in Chittagong city and its adjacent places since Sunday night in order to net the criminals, police said. Our Chittagong Bureau adds, a team of Panchlaish thana police seized the motorcycle used in murdering wife of SP Babul Aktar from beside the Sattar Mansion of Boro Garage area at 12.30 on Sunday night, Raju Ahmed, second officer of Panchlaish thana said.The motorbike was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of CMP, he added.DB sources said, they have been able to spot the suspected killers of SP's wife searching close circuit camera footages of the surrounding area.There were three people riding on the motorbike, involved in the murder, police believe after cross-matching camera footages of adjacent area, the sources said.Meanwhile, the government has banned on riding motorcycles by three persons across the country. This time, a motorcyclist will not be allowed to carry even his spouse and child, the Home Minister to the reporters.He said a directive has already been given to law enforcement agencies in this regard. "We hope we'll unearth the motive behind the killings of the Police officer's wife and the Christian grocer soon. Our law enforcement agencies were working to dig out the reasons," he said.
Khaleda, 104 others chargesheeted

Court Correspondent :

Police on Monday submitted separate charge sheets against 105 people, including BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, in four cases filed last year with Darussalam Police Station under the Special Powers Act.

Mohammad Raihanuzzaman, a Sub-Inspector of the police station, who is also the Investigation Officer of three cases, and Zubaiyer Hossain, IO of the other case, submitted the charge sheets to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Monday.

The cases were filed for torching vehicles during the BNP-led 20-party alliance's hartal (Shutdown) and blockade programme in February, last year. The court fixed June 21 and July 17 for taking next action in the cases.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was named as the mastermind in the four cases while BNP leader Amanullah Aman was made one of the accused persons. Meanwhile, Aman secured bail in all the cases while Khaleda Zia has been shown fugitive in the cases.

On February 2, 2015, the 20-party activists set 'New Pallabi Express' bus on fire in front of Apex Showroom in the city's Darus Salam area. Abdur Razzak, Sub-Inspector of Darussalam Police Station, filed one of the cases against 29 people, including BNP leader Amanullah Aman.The IO pressed charges against 33 people, including Khaleda Zia and Amanullah Aman, in the case.

Besides, SI Kamrul Hasan filed a case against 16 people for torching a bus of 'New Dhaka Link' at Diabari under Darussalam Police Station on February 20, 2015. IO Raihanuzzaman pressed charges against 21 people, including Khaleda, in the case.

Meanwhile, a case was filed against 22 people in connection with arson attack on a bus of 'Itihash Paribahan' on February 23, 2015. Police submitted charge sheet against 24 people, including the BNP chief, in the case.

On February 29, 2015, miscreants set a bus of 'Projapoti Paribahan' afire near Mukti Plaza in the city's Mirpur area. Anwar Hossain, Sub-Inspector of Darussalam Police Station, filed case against 25 people in this connection while Zubaiyer Hossain, Investigation Officer of the case, pressed charges against 27 people, including Khaleda Zia.
KSA to recruit 5 lakh BD workers

UNB, Jeddah :

Saudi Arabia has expressed its willingness to recruit some 5 lakh additional manpower from Bangladesh to meet its demand for workers in various sectors.

"We want to recruit 5 lakh more workforce from Bangladesh," Saudi Minister for Labour Dr Mofarrej Al-Hoqubani said when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Royal Conference Palace here on Sunday night.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Sheikh Hasina is now in Saudi Arabia on a five-day official visit to the oil-rich country at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The Saudi Minister said, the Bangladeshis are working here with a good reputation while there are also some 42,000 female domestic helps working in the KSA. Bangladeshi workers started working in Saudi Arabia in 1976 and the KSA has now over 2 million Bangladeshis, making it the largest Bangladeshi Diaspora.

Bangladesh is one of the largest labour suppliers to Saudi Arabia with it obtaining the biggest share in 2007 -- 23.50 percent of the 1.5 million Saudi Arabia visas for its workers issued in the year.

Both the Prime Minister and the Saudi Labour Minister agreed to stamp out the influence of middlemen in recruiting manpower to cut the recruitment cost. Dr Mofarrej Al-Hoqubani said, "Apart from recruiting workers, our goal is to open recruitment of doctors, teachers and engineers from Bangladesh."

About sending female domestic helps from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia, Hasina said her government has organised a short-term training course for this house helps and this training would be turned into a long-term one. She mentioned that the government has also introduced online registration of workers to make the recruitment process easier.

The Prime Minister requested the Saudi Labour Minister to be strict in manpower recruitment process, saying, "Please, don't allow middlemen to exploit." In response, Dr Mofarrej said, "It's our responsibility to protect the workers."

Meanwhile, Royal Court Adviser Yasir Al Rumayyan called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also at the same venue. During the meeting, the Prime Minister hoped that more investment would come from the KSA in various sectors of Bangladesh. "Saudi Arabia can invest in Bangladesh in coal-based power generation projects alongside improving the circular road, rail and waterways around the capital," she said. She also suggested making more effective the Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia Joint Economic Commission (JEC) for the mutual benefits of the two countries.

Highly appreciating Saudi King Salman's pragmatic steps to counter terrorism, Sheikh Hasina said Islam is a religion of peace. "If there' s any problem among the Muslim countries, this can be resolved through dialogue."

Referring to the Vision-2030 of Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister said her government had also earlier set the Vision-2021 and has been working tirelessly to materialise the goal.

In response, the Saudi Royal Court Adviser said although the KSA used to make its 95 percent investment within the country, it is now working on a new strategy to expand investment internationally.

Earlier, Saudi Assistant Minister for Defence Md Abdullah Alayser called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Royal Conference Palace. During the meeting, the Saudi assistant minister underscored the need for strengthening cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh in the defence sector.


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.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
PINCKNEYVILLE  Plans are under way for an annual ride that honors a 26-year-old Pinckneyville man who was killed in 2005 while on military duty in Iraq.

Saturday, June 11, is the day of the eighth annual PFC Wyatt D. Eisenhauer Memorial Ride and Dinner in Pinckneyville. This year's ride pays special honor to Purple Heart recipients.

Eisenhauer was a U.S. Army Private First Class who was in a Humvee on an escort mission when an explosive device detonated a bridge in Iraq. He died May 19, 2005, according to the Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom memorial website.

The day's events will begin with registration from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus in Pinckneyville. The opening ceremonies begin at 10 a.m.

The organizers say all street-legal vehicles are welcome to participate in the ride. Those on the ride will be visiting and conducting small ceremonies at veterans' memorials throughout Southern Illinois, making stops in Buckner, Benton, West Frankfort and Johnston City.

An all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Pinckneyville. There will also be a 50/50 drawing, silent and live auctions and a raffle; the proceeds will benefit a memorial scholarship fund in honor of Eisenhauer.

For more information, call the Knights of Columbus at 618-357-6626.
A Herrin woman was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after stealing money from a church choir member during practice, Williamson County States Attorney Brandon Zanotti announced on Monday.

Devin Switzer, 37, pleaded guilty to felony theft. She was also found to be on probation from a 2013 theft case, and that probation was revoked.

On. Nov. 8, 2015, Switzer entered the First Church of God in Herrin during its choir practice and stole money from the purse of one of the members. She was noticed by other church members doing so.

Zanotti said Switzer will also have to pay restitution to the victims.

 The Southern
A New York man will serve four years in prison after being involved in identity theft and possession of a counterfeit debit card, Jackson County States Attorney Michael Carr announced Monday.

Jonathan Gonzalez, 29, of New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit identity theft and possession of a counterfeit debit card.

On Jan. 8, officers with the Carbondale Police Department were sent to Verizon on East Main Street for reported suspicious activity. Detectives learned that a co-defendant, Brian Paul Rivera, 24, of Bronx, New York, entered the store and bought about $1,700 worth of merchandise. The items were charged to a Verizon account owned by a person living in Arizona.

Rivera presented an Arizona ID card with his photo, but the name and address of the victim in Arizona. When the victim was called, he confirmed the purchase was fraudulent and that this identification had been stolen.

Shortly after Rivera left the store, Gonzalez walked in and attempted to buy items on an account from a person in Connecticut. He had the states ID card with the name and address of the Connecticut victim.

Officers reached Rivera in a vehicle in the parking lot and recovered the fake ID card and items. When the police searched the vehicle, they found other stolen identities, including name and social security numbers for other victims.

Gonzalez was taken into custody as he exited the store.

During a search of Riveras phone, detectives found information implicating Rivera and Gonzalez as being a part of a large conspiracy involving identity theft. It was found that the two men have been traveling from New York on Jan. 2, and they were in contact with at least three other people involved in the conspiracy.

A number of stolen identities were sent to Rivera for the purpose of targeting Verizon locations and using those identities to fraudulently make purchases on the victims account. The items would be later sold for cash and the proceeds would be distributed to the people within the conspiracy.

Detectives found ID cards, addresses and social security numbers from about 22 victims, including some from Illinois. A large number of those victims confirmed fraudulent activity on their Verizon accounts.

On March 22, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to both charges, and was sentenced on June 1. Rivera was sentenced to four years on March 23 for conspiracy to commit identity theft, a Class 3 felony.
CHICAGO  Questions about education funding and schools opening on time were focal points Monday in Illinois' ongoing budget gridlock, with superintendents accusing Gov. Bruce Rauner of playing politics and the Republican pushing a funding plan while intensifying his critique of Chicago schools.

More than a dozen school superintendents signed a letter to Rauner saying Illinois' much-maligned funding formula needs an overhaul and Republican-led proposals to fund schools continue the "failed status quo."

"We expect the Governor of the entire state to rise above political games to put all of our children's futures before politics," read the letter from 15 school leaders including from Chicago, Peoria and East Moline. They said many schools won't open their doors in the fall without funding and the complex system Illinois has used to distribute money to schools since 1997 is the most "regressive" in the U.S.

Download the letter here:

Harrisburg CUSD 3 Superintendent Mike Gauch is one of the leaders who signed the letter. He said the formula for K-12 education needs more than a Band-Aid, it needs to be completely fixed.

There needs to be help to fix formula and I mean enact systemic, long-term changes to the program, he said.

Gauchs main issues is that he believes there are a lot of games happening in Springfield that are putting the children in the middle of a political issue.

There are political issues that revolve more about November elections than doing is what better for the children, he said. That is really the bottom line.

He encouraged the governor and legislators to lead a change for fixing what he called a broken system.

Rauner agreed the formula is unfair, but said two GOP school funding plans will allow time to negotiate a balanced budget and for schools to open as planned, something he's "very concerned" about.

The first-term governor and Democrats running the Legislature haven't agreed on a state spending approach since Rauner took office last year. Democrats want him to sign off on new taxes, but Rauner first wants pro-business and union-weakening reforms, ideas Democrats say hurt the middle class.

Though Illinois has operated without a budget for nearly a year, schools have remained largely unaffected. That's because last year Rauner rejected everything in the out-of-balance spending plan Democrats sent him except for K-12 spending. This year, Democrats didn't agree on a budget to send Rauner. Republicans proposed the school funding bills, which Democrats have said they'd consider. Lawmakers plan to keep meeting over the summer.

The possibility of public schools not opening this fall hinges on how long the impasse continues and puts pressure on lawmakers to negotiate a deal. Poorer districts without cash reserves or sufficient local property tax money have worried about being unable to pay teachers.

Several plans to revamp the funding formula, a complex system factoring in local property tax revenues, also linger in the Legislature.

Rauner, whose Monday schedule included Illinois stops in Oregon, Ottawa and Chicago, accused the state's largest school district of seeking a bailout when its finances have been mismanaged for years. He likened some Chicago schools to "almost crumbling prisons," prompting Chicago Public Schools officials to call for an apology.

He also stepped up criticism of Emanuel, with whom he's vacationed, for not supporting his agenda and lining up behind the governor's main political rival in the budget standoff, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

"If I have one major disappointment in the last 18 months it's with the mayor," Rauner said. "We're friends. We're always going to be friends. You can separate friendship from what's good public policy."

Emanuel, who touted city test scores and graduation rates Monday, shot back by taking his comparison of Rauner to presumptive GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump a step further.

"Now it sounds like he's auditioning to be Donald Trump's running mate," Emanuel said. "And I would just say to him that this is not about right-wing ideology, it's about results."
At 12:38 a.m. on Monday, Illinois State Police responded to a single vehicle crash that left the driver of a black 2012 Chevrolet with major injuries, according to a news release from ISP.

State police said the driver's vehicle was traveling southbound on the Interstate 57, near milepost 58 in Williamson county, when it drifted off of the roadway, went down a steep embankment and struck a tree head on.

The 20-year-old male from Steeleville, whose name is being withheld, suffered major injuries, and was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion and airlifted to a St. Louis hospital.

The vehicle, which sustained major damage, was towed from the scene.

 The Southern
DUNCAN  When youre dealing with something as invaluable as water, its good to hope for the best but plan for the worst.

An ongoing collaborative effort involving Clemson University, two state agencies and one private company aims to do just that by conducting a surface water availability assessment that will eventually become a key component of a long-term, multifaceted state water plan for the rivers of South Carolina.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, initiated the program to develop surface-water models for each of the states eight major river basins: Saluda, Edisto, Broad, Pee Dee, Catawba, Santee, Savannah and Salkehatchie.

In 2014, the state hired CDM Smith, a private consulting and engineering firm, to develop hydrologic models of the states river systems. Clemson University was brought on board to facilitate a statewide stakeholder engagement process aimed at involving the public in the development of the models, as well as building awareness of the effort.

Two stakeholder meetings have been planned for each of the eight basins. Stakeholders are defined as anyone who lives in or near the basins and uses water, including individuals, businesses, institutions and government entities. The initial stakeholder meeting, which focused on the Saluda Basin, was held last year in Greenville.

The 10th and latest meeting, which targeted the Broad Basin, was held May 18 at Spartanburg Community Colleges Tyger River Campus. Six meetings remain: one each for Catawba and Santee and two each for Savannah and Salkehatchie. These should be concluded by the end of this year.

We have been asking stakeholders, How important do you feel the surface water availability assessment is for water resources management?and most folks have said that it is very important. said Jeffery Allen, director of the S.C. Water Resources Center at Clemson University. Our team obviously agrees with that. So we will keep moving forward with the goal of putting South Carolina in a good position to manage its water resources in the future.

Surface water quantity models are computer programs that simulate water systems using mathematical equations to approximate the behavior of water in those systems. CDM Smiths Simplified Water Allocation Model will be capable of accounting for all the inflows and outflows in the eight basins.

A simplified water allocation model is a water accounting tool. Its kind of like your checkbook only its accounting for water instead of money, and this is all based on U.S. Geological Survey flow records from 1983-2013, said John Boyer, project manager for CDM Smith. Were doing our best to match what went on over that historical record to build baseline models that we can then use to conduct what-if scenarios. Ultimately, this will support the overall state water plan.

CDM Smith engineers Kirk Westphal and Nina Caraway presented specific examples of how the CDM models simulate streamflow conditions by accounting for inflows and outflows, water withdrawals and discharges, and even climactic patterns. Both emphasized the importance of stakeholder involvement in the ever-evolving computational operation.

This is an opportunity for you to participate and provide some feedback to us. Calibrating is an ongoing process, and as you see things that you question or have questions about, please pass them along and well try to address them, Westphal said to the audience. When we start to do predictive runs as part of the statewide planning process, well have confidence that the hydrology in the operations is correctly represented.

Rob Devlin, a manager in DHECs Bureau of Water, stressed the importance of developing a wide-ranging state water plan that is backed by scientifically accurate estimations of surface water quantity and location.

For a long time, everybody thought that the South was rich in water, which we were, unlike the arid Southwest, Devlin said. But our population increased. And industry and agriculture increased. And more people were using more water. And then the drought of 2002 came, which got the state Legislature thinking that we really  for the long-term viability of our water resources  need to look at some regulatory capabilities and some planning.

Hydrologist Joe Gellici, who represented the Department of Natural Resources, said he hoped the models would help to resolve water disputes and also support the development of drought-management plans.

Were particularly interested in those low-flow periods when waters scarce and well be using the models to predict when and where water shortages will occur, Gellici said. Well be doing water-demand forecasting, plugging those water demands into the model and finding out if there will be deficits in the future, when those deficits will occur, where they will occur and for how long. And if there are deficits, we can use these models to test alternative water-management strategies.
Tropical Storm Colin formed in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, speeding toward the East Coast. The storm isnt expected to have much of a local impact except for bringing rain.

The T&D Region is forecast to be on the back side of the storm as it moves past the coast.

The storm is expected to be in southeast Georgia by 2 a.m. Tuesday and southeast of Charleston by 8 a.m. By 2 p.m., the fast-moving storm could be east of Wilmington.

Colin could bring gusting winds and perhaps heavy rain to The T&D Region, according to National Weather Service Forecaster Chris Liscinsky.

The area could see an inch to an inch-and-a-half of rain.

A large portion of Floridas western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning Sunday when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm. The center said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

It is the latest in a series of severe whether events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nations capital and mid-Atlantic region.

The storm was moving at a speed of about 12 mph and was expected to pick up the pace later Sunday.

Its going to impact most of the state in some way, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a phone interview. Hopefully we wont have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornadoes and some flooding.

Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph and 73 mph.

Tropical Storm Colin was likely to bring dangerous rainfall levels, and Florida residents were warned about possible flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Rain began falling in the Tampa Bay area just past noon Sunday.

Scott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

The National Weather Service in Mobile issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power outages.

The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.

Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

Were surrounded on three sides by water, said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sand bags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared.

We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County, Guthrie said in an email.
Seventy-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, Allied troops waded ashore on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. The night before, on June 5, American airborne forces had landed on the western flank of the invasion area near Sainte-Mere-Eglise, while British airborne forces secured the eastern flank and Pegasus Bridge. They jumped out of C-47 Dakota transport planes, through darkness and into glory. Some arrived by glider. Private John Steele of the 82nd Airborne landed on the steeple of the church at Sainte-Mere-Eglise. He managed to survive by playing dead.

Today a visitor to Sainte-Mere-Eglise can observe a mannequin representing Steele hanging from the church tower. Inside the church is a stained glass window of the Virgin Mary surrounded by American paratroopers.

On Utah Beach  all of the landing sites had code names  56-year-old Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (the oldest son of former president Teddy Roosevelt) landed about a mile away from his intended target. When asked whether to re-embark the 4th Infantry Division, he simply said, Well start the war from right here!

Prior to the landing, Omaha Beach, also known as Bloody Omaha, had received an abbreviated naval bombardment from ships such as the battleship Texas lasting only 35 minutes. The bare stretches of beach offered no cover for the American invaders as German machine guns from fortified gun emplacements swept the beaches.

The U.S. Rangers, who had trained earlier on the cliffs of Dorset, scaled the sheer cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc while being shot at by German soldiers. Their mission was to destroy artillery pieces targeted on the landing zones. Their commander was Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder.

Unknown to Rudders Rangers, most of the artillery had already been moved by the Germans. They held their position for two days in the face of fierce counterattacks by the Germans 916th Grenadiers. At the Ranger memorial at Pointe du Hoc, one can still see massive craters created by the Allied naval bombardment.

The Canadians stormed ashore on Juno Beach. James Doohan, who later played Scotty on Star Trek, was among the Canadian soldiers that day. Sword and Gold Beaches were reserved for the British forces. A small contingent of French commandos joined the British on Sword and helped capture Ouistreham, destroying the casino there. One French officer who had previously lost at the tables was not sorry to see the casino in ruins that day.

With the D-Day landing, the Allies, in spite of the vast size of their armada and the relative openness of their societies, achieved a remarkable strategic surprise over the Germans. On June 6, Rommel was in Germany celebrating his wifes 50th birthday. Hitler was persisting in the mistaken belief that the Normandy invasion was a feint and that the real blow would be struck at Pas de Calais.

Eisenhower planned the invasion from his offices at 20 Grosvenor Square in London. Number 1 Grosvenor Square was the wartime location of the American embassy. Averell Harriman presided over lend-lease aid from 3 Grosvenor Square, helping to fund our wartime Allies. The OSS (Office of Strategic Services), forerunner of the CIA, had its offices at 70 Grosvenor Square. Small wonder that this neighborhood was known as Little America at the time. Some wags even referred to Grosvenor Square as Eisenhowerplatz.

Imagine if an operation like the Normandy landing were to occur today in 2016, in the age of social media. Interactive polls would ask: Which beach do you prefer, Normandy or Pas de Calais? Could all the members of the 101st Screaming Eagles, painted in Indian war paint with Mohawk haircuts, be counted upon not to post their pictures on Facebook? That seems doubtful.

This June 6, raise a glass and toast the heroism of all those young men who fought to liberate Americas oldest ally from Nazi occupation. Without their service and sacrifice, our world might be a darker place. General Patton may have summed it up best when he said, It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.

Christopher Kelly is the co-author of America Invades: How Weve Invaded or Been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth and Italy Invades: How Italians Conquered the World.
DENMARK  Three men from Bamberg County were among the 97 U.S. military veterans (96 men and one woman) aboard the final Honor Flight of South Carolina from Columbia to Washington, D.C., last month taking veterans to see the memorials built to honor them. Harold Ness and Sam Neeley of Denmark and Sam Rigby of Bamberg say they were treated like royalty on this trip of a lifetime.

The trio shared their thoughts about the Honor Flight and about their military service as the country prepared to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of D-Day on Monday, June 6, in memory of the Normandy landings in France in which American soldiers and other Allied forces fought to end World War II in Europe.

Ness, who is 93, served with the 8th Airborne, 384th Bombardment Group during World War II.

This trip to Washington, D.C., was an eye-opening experience for me. I have never been to places like that, and it was just outstanding, he said. It was a wonderful thing for them to do to send us to those memorials, and they acted like we were heroes everywhere we went. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Ness said the loss of troops during the war was heartbreaking.

We would send out 10 planes and only five would come back and sometimes only three would come back. It would just break our hearts to see that, and it happened on every flight, Ness recalled. My squadron commander, Robert Longlois, was on his last mission and he was one of them we sent out, and the last we heard of him was someone saw his parachute open up and we never heard from him again.

There were 10 men per plane, and we almost never got them all back. It was heartbreaking and still breaks my heart to talk about it today.

Neeley, the 90-year-old patriarch of Neeley Appliances and former mayor of Denmark, joined the Navy at the tender age 18.

I was aboard a Navy Amphibious Ship LST (which was en route to Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki). Later when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, at least 100,000 people were killed, Neeley said.

His ship was loaded with tanks, he said.

The ship was 355 feet long and 50 feet wide, and it would go in the water and had doors on the bow and had a ramp so they could drive the tanks out onto the beach. It was in the shipyard in San Francisco, California and had previously done three invasions and had come back to the States to be re-outfitted into a hospital evacuation ship to be used in the invasion of Japan, Neeley said.

They got it re-outfitted, loaded up with me and other young soldiers on board and (it) was at sea for three days when Japan surrendered, he said. This was in 1945, and the ship was on the way to the staging area for the invasion of Japan when word came the war was over and Japan had surrendered.

Neeley smiled and added, I have always wondered why the Japanese quit so suddenly when they did and I dont know if it was because of the bomb that was dropped or because they had gotten word that I was on the way.

On a serious note, he said, Please be crystal clear as to my involvement in military service during WWII. I enlisted in the Navy when I was 18 years old so due to my young age, there are many older Allied men and women who fought and won the war while I was en route to get there. I want to make sure they get the due praise for what they accomplished.

On the Honor Flight trip to the nations capital, he said his favorite landmark was the World War II Memorial, adding that the Korean War Memorial was very impressive as well.

Sam Rigby, 84, a Korean War veteran and one of the youngest vets making the trip, said the Korean War Memorial was the highlight for him. He said its design struck him as being unique in the way it is laid out, resembling a large rice paddy with soldiers trudging through the rice paddy.

Its eerie how lifelike the stone statues of the soldiers are, Rigby said. While the memorial has only 18 soldiers, their reflections in the Pool of Remembrance makes it appear there are 36 there, he said. More than 36,000 America soldiers were killed in action in the Korean War.

The Korean War Memorial was outstanding because it showed exactly what the soldiers went through out there. It was the way it was made that was so unusual because the men were designed on a certain scale that was bigger than life, Rigby said.

He said he was in the Aviation Department of the Navy while serving in the Korean War and served aboard the USS Kenneth Whiting, a ship that tended seaplanes.

Rigby said he served in the Korean War for 3 years, 10 months, 9 days and 6-1/2 hours, his tour of duty burned into his memory.

I am certainly no hero, but was just under 18 years old when I enlisted, Rigby said.

Of his experience on the Honor Flight trip, he said, It was a very, very nice trip, and we were treated royally ... . We got more attention on that trip at the airport (Columbia) when we came home than we ever got when we came home from the war.

According to its website, Honor Flight of South Carolina, a link in the nationwide Honor Flight Network, was founded by Bill Dukes of Chapin in July 2008. Earl Morse of Ohio founded the Honor Flight Network in 2004. The first flight for World War ll veterans from South Carolina was in 2007.

Honor Flight, one of South Carolinas most prominent outreach efforts for members of The Greatest Generation, made its final flight on May 11 of this year after organizers were unable to locate more vets who were ready, willing and able to make the trip.
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/By Azernews/

By Nigar Abbasova

A certain number of commercial banks operating in the country have resumed lending in national currency. The process of consumer credit issuance in national currency has recently been subjected to certain changes and restrictions.

Among the banks which currently issue consumer credits in national currency are Rabitabank, Accessbank AFB Bank, Kapital Bank, Azer-Turk Bank, Atabank, Bank of Baku, Bank Respublika, Pasha Bank, Unibank, Bank Avrasiya, Demirbank, Parabank, International bank of Azerbaijan, Nikoil Bank, Caspian Development Bank.

Rabitabank and Parabank also implement lending upon the security of deposits as well as collateral loans in national currency and USD.

Azerbaycan Senaye Bank? and Yap? Kredi Bank do not provide crediting in the manats but offer credit cards to their customers. Ziraat Bank currently issues only business loans. Bank Avrasiya and Nikoil Bank offer USD credits to those customers, who get their incomes in the foreign currency.

Xalq Bank implements lending only through the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support of the Ministry of Economic Development and the State Fund for Development of Information Technologies.

After repeated devaluation of the national currency, which took place on December 21, 2015, the majority of Azerbaijani banks ceased lending process.

In accordance with the law in effect banks are eligible to determine the currency of the issued credit and free to choose in which currency to lend. Vulnerability in the currency market caused certain problems and prevented banks to issue the manat loans.

The Financial Market Supervisory Body has suspended issuing consumer loans in foreign currency.

Currently, 37 banks and more than 700 bank branches operate in Azerbaijan. Six banks of the country were closed since early 2016.

The official exchange rate of the US dollar and euro to Azerbaijani manat was set at 1.4994 manats on June 6.
By Claudia Hammond

The older we get the fewer hours we need to sleep, seems to be the accepted wisdom. But there might be other reasons for waking up earlier in the morning.





Its common for older people to say they have trouble sleeping. As many as half report some kind of sleep disturbance, with between a quarter to a third experiencing insomnia.





There seem to be two main difficulties: falling asleep at the start of the night and then waking up too early in the morning  yet finding it impossible to get back to sleep. In some cases, the discomfort caused by a medical condition exacerbates sleep difficulties, but many find that even without the disturbance of physical symptoms, sleep still eludes them for at least part of the night.





A lack of sleep can have a long-term impact on the immune system and on many other aspects of health, includingwellbeing, as well as leading to daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of accidents. But maybe people simply dont need as much sleep when theyre older and neednt worry about it.





It is harder than it sounds to establish how much sleep people of different ages need. You can, of course, measure how many hours of sleep people actually get and if you do this you find that on average older people sleep for a shorter time than their younger friends, but that only tells you that they get less sleep, not that they need less sleep.





Sometimes people will say that the reason older people cant sleep at night is theyve spent part of the day napping. But, others argue that feeling excessively sleepy during the daytime should not be accepted as an inevitable aspect of ageing.





Insomnia in the retired is not always taken seriously by doctors. In one study, 69% of older people reported a sleep problem, but in 81% of cases the problem was not noted on the patients chart.





So if we imagine for a moment that older people do need the same amount of sleep, why then do they sleep for fewer hours? One hypothesis is that the aging process disrupts their circadian rhythms, causing them to wake earlier than they should. Studies have demonstrated the clock does seem to shift, leading people to wake earlier in the morning and go to bedearlier at night. They might still need the sleep, but they cant get it and when they do fall into a slumber, the quality of sleep is not as good as when they were younger.





In a new study from Russia, 130 people went to a laboratory one morning and then stayed there all day and overnight. Staff kept them awake for the entire time, regularly asking them to assess how sleepy they felt. These feelings of sleepiness vary throughout the day and night and in sleep deprivation experiments such as this, they are taken to reflect processes related to the body clock such as changes in body temperature at different times of day and the release of the hormone melatonin in the evening.





The slow-wave activity in the volunteers brains was also measured several times during the day and night. Then all this data was analysed in relation to a sleep diary the people had kept for the previous week, in order to see how the pattern of sleepiness and slow brainwaves varied according to propensity to be morning or evening types. They found that, once again, the older people felt sleepy at different times from the younger people and had different timings of slow-wave activity in the brain.





The studys author, Arcady Putilov, suggests that two mechanisms might be responsible for the decrease in sleep time. He believes that in middle age the processes underlying the oscillations of slow-wave sleep weaken, making it harder to stay asleep, and on top of that, in older age the stronger circadian rhythms weaken because changes in body temperature and the release of the hormone melatonin weaken.





Support for a role for the impact of circadian rhythms on the disruption of sleep in older people, comes from brand new data obtained using a smartphone app called Entrain, developed by the researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to help people adjust their light levels at different times of day in the hope of combatting jet lag.





Users of the app are asked about their typical sleep patterns and canchoose whether to share that data the researchers. Five thousand people from around the world did, which has provided a snapshot of global sleeping habits of people of different ages. Among the young people there was a range of early risers and night owls, but the older group was more homogenous.





Most woke early and went to bed relatively early. In this study it was the men in their 40s who seemed to get the least sleep, which is unusual. But the finding that older people sleep at more specific times suggests that there is a narrower range of times in which people past retirement age are able to get to sleep and stay asleep.





So changes in the body clock stop older people getting to sleep and keep older people awake, maybe, then, it is a myth that they need less sleep. Its simply that they have a narrower window in which to sleep. Perhaps the daytime napping isnt preventing sleep at night. Instead the lack of sleep in the night is causing sleepiness in the daytime, hence the need for a nap to make up for the lost sleep.





But the debate doesnt end there. In a 2008 study, a study conducted at Brigham Womens Hospital in the US , gave people the chance to sleep for 16 hours a day for several days. The 60-to-72-year-olds slept for an average of 7.5 hours each day, while the 18-to-32-years-olds managed almost nine hours. You could interpret this as meaning that they needed more sleep than the older people, but there is also the possibility that they were more tired out with a greater sleep debt in the first place because theyd been going to bed late. This study doesnt rule out the idea that the body clocks of the older people were preventing them sleeping during the day, even if they needed it. But the next study, conducted by some of the same researchers, this time at the University of Surrey , added an extra twist.





This time people were asked to try to nap at various times of day. Once again the older adults found it harder, implying that either their body clocks were keeping them awake or they hadnt built up as much of a sleep debt as the young people. So this time the technicians made sure they were lacking in sleep. They monitored their brain activity all night and every time they detected slow-wave activity, they blasted the room with a noise, to disturb them. The followed day, tired out, the older people found it just as easy to snooze as the young people. So this suggests that when they really need the sleep they can get it and that, just maybe, the rest of the time theyre not sleep-deprived.





After examining the findings of 320 studies an expert panel convened by the National Sleep Foundation in the US recommends seven-to-nine-hours sleep a night for adults up to the age of 64 and seven-to-eight hours for the over 65s.





Yet the idea of changes in the processes underlying circadian rhythms as we age, also seems compelling. So this is one where its not yet possible to say whether its a myth that older people need less sleep. What we do know is that trying to sleep on long, lonely dark mornings, and finding yourself awake, but unrefreshed, is miserable and should be taken seriously.





A Cochrane review of cognitive behavioural interventions for sleep problems in adults over the age of 60 looked at the very best trials and found that in some cases it can be effective and is worth consideration by doctors as an alternative to sleeping pills.





/By BBC/
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the decision of the Bundestag (German Parliament) resolution recognizing the events of 1915 as the so-called "Armenian genocide", Anadolu agency reported.

The organization also said that it will take a needed diplomatic initiative for the right study of the historical realities by young people of Europe, as well as of the member countries of the OIC.

The German parliament adopted June 2 a resolution recognizing the 1915 events as the "Armenian genocide".



Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, committed the so-called genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.



While strengthening the propaganda of "genocide" in the world, Armenians achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries.
The Abraaj Group, a leading investor operating in global growth markets, today announced the acquisition, through one of its funds, of a minority stake in Fibabanka AS, one of the most prominent banks in Turkey.



The investment from Abraaj will be used by Fibabanka to expand its franchise and support its growth.



The bank was acquired in 2010 by the Fiba Group, led by pioneer Turkish banker Husnu Ozyegin. Fiba Group is a conglomerate operating mainly in financial services, retail, energy, healthcare and real estate with total assets of over $17 billion and annual revenues of $1.2 billion.



Under Fiba Groups ownership, Fibabanka has demonstrated an impressive track record, nearly quadrupling its branch network and growing its assets and loans by more than 12 times in a five-year period.



The bank currently has 70 branches across 18 cities in Turkey, total assets of $4.3 billion and a loan book of $3.2 billion at the end of Q1 2016. It has a strong focus on commercial, corporate and SME customer segments which has contributed to its solid growth and high profitability in the last few years.



Commenting on the transaction, Arif Naqvi, founder and group chief executive of The Abraaj Group, said: Abraajs partnership with Fibabanka marks our eighth global investment in the banking sector and our ninth in Turkey. It represents a compelling opportunity to tap into the underpenetrated banking sector in Turkey where 40 percent of the population remains unbanked and household leverage ratios are low as compared to Europe.



Husnu Ozyegin has built Fiba Group into one of the leading conglomerates in Turkey, and established Fibabanka as one of the most robust financial institutions in the country. We look forward to working together on the next stage of the banks growth story, added Naqvi.



Husnu Ozyegin, chairman of Fibabanka and Fiba Group, said: We are delighted to announce our new partnership with The Abraaj Group and have them join our board. This is an exciting period of growth for Fibabanka and we are confident that Abraajs investment and longstanding experience in the financial services sector will take our business to the next level, in terms of institutionalisation, selectively expanding our branch network, and supporting further growth of the bank.



Selcuk Yorgancoglu, partner and regional head of Turkey and Central Asia at The Abraaj Group, added: The Turkish banking sector loan book has increased tenfold in the last decade, yet Turkey remains an under-leveraged market with a household debt to GDP ratio that is approximately a third of the Eurozone average. The countrys young and rising middle class continues to fuel demand for loan products and Fibabanka is well-positioned to expand in the market. We are very pleased to partner with Husnu Ozyegin and his management team to grow Fibabanka into a leading Turkish bank.



Abraaj has a strong track record of investing in financial services firms globally, including Acibadem Insurance, a leading Turkish insurance company specialising in the health segment, and Network International, the leading payment solutions provider in Middle East and Africa. Following its investment in Fibabanka, Abraaj will have deployed $900 million of capital in Turkey since 2007.



The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to conclude in the third quarter of 2016. - TradeArabia News Service
The World Islamic Banking Conference, the most definitive platform for Islamic banking and finance worldwide, has announced Bahrain-based Al Salam Bank as a partner for the 23rd edition of the conference.



The conference will be held in strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain, at the Gulf Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, from December 5 to 7.



Al Salam Bank-Bahrain, one of the leading Sharia-compliant banks in Bahrain, is well-known for its focus on diversified Islamic banking and efficient financial services. It adopts internationally recognised standards and best practices in corporate governance and operates with the highest levels of integrity, transparency and trust, said a statement.



Yousif Taqi, director and group CEO of Al Salam Bank, said: As one of the pioneering Shari'a-compliant banks in Bahrain, we are proud to support the upcoming 23rd World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) as a Silver Partner. I believe that the WIBC is a major player in developing and strengthening the Islamic financial industry worldwide whilst enhancing the Kingdoms reputation as a hub of Islamic banking. - TradeArabia News Service


The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has partnered with New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) to develop the financial technology (FinTech) ecosystem in Abu Dhabi.

The new partnership provides a framework for FSRA and NYUAD to harness each others expertise and knowledge to build and introduce shared initiatives that strategically support the development and growth of the FinTech ecosystem in ADGM, Abu Dhabi and beyond, said a joint press release.

This follows closely on the recent announcement of ADGMs proposed Regulatory Laboratory (RegLab), a tailored framework that allows firms deploying innovative technology in the financial services sector (FinTech participants) to conduct their activities in a controlled and cost-effective environment.

The proposed RegLab is the first such initiative in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, the press release added.

From ADGM, the FSRA team will provide domain knowledge, expertise on matters of FinTech to NYUAD community entrepreneurs interested in FinTech. Among others, FSRA will assist FinTech entrepreneurs and participants on understanding and navigating any commercial or regulatory requirements in relation to their business activities.

Through the partnership, NYUAD aims to offer access to entrepreneurship training and skills development to participants that are part of the ADGMs RegLab platform. NYUAD will also contribute towards the design and organisation of ADGM-FinTech related activities, discussions and engagements.

Richard Teng, chief executive of FSRA, said: NYUAD has been a very supportive stakeholder and keen to develop globally-recognised and locally-tailored programmes and initiatives that will support the FinTech community and its participants. We look forward to working closely with NUYAD and more partners to establish a vibrant and enduring Fintech eco-system in Abu Dhabi.

NYUAD vice provost for entrepreneurship and innovation Ramesh Jagannathan, said: "NYUAD is committed to developing a globally competitive, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. In this context, we are thrilled to partner with The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in pioneering the FinTech ecosystem. The mission of NYUAD IDEA Lab, an entrepreneurship platform focused on democratizing innovations and accelerating start-ups, is vastly strengthened by ADGMs innovative Regulatory lab (RegLab) framework. Working together, we will develop FinTech strategies, programmes and initiatives that will jump start FinTech startups in the region.

Under the proposed RegLab initiative, FinTech participants enjoy a two-year period to develop, test and launch their products and services in a controlled environment. The proposal supports FSRAs objective in developing a stable and sustainable financial services sector in Abu Dhabi, while fostering innovation within scoped parameters buffered by risk-proportionate regulatory safeguards. TradeArabia News Service
US-based FiberFix, a leading manufacturer of household and professional repair products, recently unveiled its repair wrap, a repair tape that is stronger than steel, in the Middle East region.



FiberFix products were launched at the recently concluded Hardware + Tools Middle East, the regions dedicated trade show for hardware, tools, materials and machinery, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai, UAE.



The repair wrap which is activated by water is sand and paint resistant, and can also survive the extremes of the regional weather. It is suitable for permanently repairing leaking joints, broken pipes, indoor and outdoor fittings and a several other uses, said a statement from the company.



The wrap can easily seal off leaks in hoses and pipes, repair breaks in tent poles, fishing rods and hand tools and similar objects, it said.



Osama Bastaki, CEO of Osama Bastaki International Group, said: We have chosen Hardware + Tools Middle East as our launch platform, because of the large number of regional traders and buyers who attend the show.



The Middle East region is an important market for global manufacturers of tools and machinery thanks to its high growth rates, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Every person in Bahrain will be covered by health insurance in the next three years, as part of a national scheme under discussion, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.






Iran Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation (IMIDRO), a major state-run holding company involved in the mining sector, and Germany-based Aurubis, a leading integrated copper group, have announced plans to cooperate in the copper industry.



A team from Aurubis is set to visit Iran in the near future to discuss cooperation between the two companies, Mehdi Karbassian, managing director, IMIDRO, was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily News report.



Pointing to his recent trip to Germany and a visit to Aurubis headquarters in Hamburg, he said that the officials from the German company indicated their readiness to cooperate with Iran and invest in its copper industry.



Karbassian noted that Aurubis, which is the largest copper producer in Europe and the biggest copper recycler in the world, revealed its intention to dispatch a team to Tehran in the near future for further discussions.



Iran wants to increase its copper production ten-fold by 2025 as part of its long-term economic plan, added the report.


Toyota Motor Corp on Friday said it has suspended production at three plants affected by an explosion earlier this week at a supplier factory, adding that it expected production to fully resume by the beginning of next week.



The blast on Monday was at a factory of Aisin Advics Co, a major maker of breaking systems majority owned by Toyota group supplier Aisin Seiki Co.



Toyota said it would cancel one of two production shifts on two lines at a plant operated by group company Hino Motors Ltd. Earlier in the day, it scrapped shifts on a line at its Toyota East Japan plant and at a plant operated by group company Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd.



The suspensions would be the third this year. They follow supply-chain disruption caused by earthquake damage to a factory operated by an Aisin Seiki subsidiary, and a fire at a steel plant owned by supplier Aichi Steel Corp.



"We will continue to monitor the parts supply status and decide on how to proceed with operations on each line as necessary," a Toyota spokeswoman said.



"We expect a full-scale recovery on June 6."



Toyota did not disclose the estimated impact of the suspensions. - Reuters


Dubai Investments, a leading, diversified investments conglomerate listed on the Dubai Financial Market, revealed that its Green Race initiative has helped in saving 20,000 kWh electricity and over 93,000 imperial gallons of water in a period of one year.



The Green Race, organised between April 2015 and March 2016, involved company employees who were encouraged to conserve water and electricity through installation of energy-saving devices at their residences. The energy consumption across all the households were monitored on a monthly basis, said a statement from the company.



During the period under review, there was an 8 per cent drop in collective electricity consumption in the 20 households, leading to an overall reduction of 10 metric tonnes of carbon emission, it added.



The collective water consumption also reduced by 8 per cent during the period. The winners of Dubai Investments Green Race were announced on World Environment Day, marked globally on June 5, it said.



The Green Race was part of Dubai Investments ongoing commitment to reduce the overall carbon footprint and safeguarding the environment for the present and future generations, not just for a day but every day of the year, added the statement.



The UAEs gross domestic electricity consumption has more than doubled in the past 10 years and is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years in view of the surging population. A total of 80 per cent of electricity in the UAE is consumed by buildings. Investing in energy-efficient technologies in existing buildings can reduce a units energy bills by 20-30 per cent, statistics reveal.



To mark the World Environment Day, Dubai Investments also hosted activities for employees to promote ecological awareness. These included an activity to create art out of waste with recycled materials; as also creating sculptures and installations with recycled goods, making upcycled art collage and mosaic with ceramic and glass, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Germany-based Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a global market leader in sealing technology, has established a new plant with an investment of 10 million ($11.34 million) in Bursa, Turkey.



A broad product portfolio of innovative sealing solutions will be manufactured on a 14,000-sq-m property in the HOYAB industrial centre for a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, agricultural, energy and mobile machinery industries, said a statement from the company.



More than 200 international guests from the business and political worlds attended the formal opening ceremony, it said.



The facility meets the most modern safety and environmental protection requirements and is equipped with special earthquake protection measures since the region is seismically active, it added.



Turkeys growth at an annual rate of about 10 per cent offers good investment opportunities, and is an important market for the company, said a statement.



In 2003, the company set up a small facility into operation in Bursa whose production facilities are now integrated into the new factory. Currently about 220 employees produce a range of products which includes encoders, bearing seals, radial shaft seal rings and cassette seals that are used in engines and transmissions. More than 100 additional positions are expected to result by 2017 with appropriate business growth, it added.



The company's Freudenberg Xpress service also offers machined seals made of the original materials and original profiles from Freudenberg series production. It offers efficient solutions for economically produced short production runs, prototypes or made-to-order individual items to meet the need for replacement parts. And products from the Corteco subsidiary (serving the independent automotive replacement parts market) and Dichtomatik (technical seals) are distributed from a newly constructed logistics centre at the location. In addition, the company operates a service centre in Istanbul, it said.



Freudenberg Sealing Technologies chief executive officer Claus Mohlenkamp, said: We have created one of the most advanced plants in our global production network and nearly doubled our capacity locally.



"We are going to supply many of our European customers from here and sustainably expand our business activities in Turkey and the Middle East, he said.



"Turkey is a geographically interesting interface between East and West and is thus appealing for the development of our business with the Middle East," he added.



The company also sees growth in target markets such as energy production, mining, metal-processing, machine-building and the construction industry, it stated.



Erdi Ceyhan, president of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies Turkey, said: With our new, large facility here in Bursa, we can serve our customers in the region more quickly and directly with the outstanding, high-quality products that are typical of us and our capacity to innovate.



"Production, administration, sales, logistics and warehousing are now located here in Bursa. In this way, potential synergies can be fully exploited. Response times are shortened for even better customer service. We are thus making a noticeable positive contribution to the companys business development, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Japanese automobile maker Nissan recently unveiled the 2017 GT-R Nismo at the Nurburgring race course in Germany, known as one of the longest and most challenging race tracks in the world.

Like the standard model, the GT-R Nismos front end features a freshened face thats highlighted by a new bumper. To help cool the cars high-output engine, the dark chrome V-motion grille has been enlarged to collect more air, without diminishing the cars aerodynamic performance, the company said.

A new significantly reinforced hood avoids deformation at extremely high speeds, allowing it to keep its aerodynamic shape at all times. Unlike the standard model, the front bumpers of the GT-R Nismo are made of carbon-fibre, crafted with Takumi-like precision where layers of carbon-fibre sheets are carefully overlapped to achieve the ideal amount of stiffness.

The canards have been designed to improve airflow around the vehicle and generate a high level of downforce, while at the same time, direct air around the wheelhouse to improve the aerodynamics. Overall, the cars new shape generates more downforce than any other Nissan production car to date, which in turn results in exceptional high-speed stability, the company revealed.

The interiors have also been upgraded in the 2017 model. The redesigned dashboard, steering wheel and centre armrest are covered with high-quality Alcantara leather. The centre dash layout has been improved and simplified via integrated navigation and audio controls (reducing the number of switches from 27 in the previous model to only 11) and features an enlarged 8-inch touch-panel monitor with large icons on the display screen.

A new display command control on the carbon-fibre centre console allows easy operation without having to touch the monitor; a feature that comes in handy when traveling at high speed. Unique to the GT-R Nismo are the leather-appointed Recaro carbon bucket seats with red Alcantara inserts.

The performance of the all-wheel-drive GT-R NISMO has also been upgraded, thanks in part to the standard models significantly reinforced body. The stiffened body structure allowed the engineers to further refine of the GT-R Nismos shock absorbers, springs and stabilizers, all of which, when combined with the cars added downforce, result in a better handling car than the previous model.

This is evidenced by the cars improved slalom times and superior cornering performance (both up by nearly 2 per cent from the past model). The GT-Rs special Bilstein DampTronic driver-adjustable systemwhich utilizes multiple vehicle information systems to provide appropriate damping forces and high level of control for a variety of driving situationsfeatures a special Nismo-tuned shock absorber that more effectively transfers the power of twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6, which still produces 441kW (600PS), to the road surface.

Dubbed the VR38DETT, the GT-R Nismos engine is the result of the expertise that Nismo has gained from participating in motorsports events around the globe. Mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox, it features a pair of high-flow, large diameter turbochargers used in GT3 competition. As with the standard model, each GT-R Nismo engine is hand-assembled from beginning to end in a special clean room by meticulously trained technicians, with an aluminium plate added to the front of each engine showing the name of the Takumi engine craftsman.

Hiroshi Tamura, the chief product specialist of the GT-R Nismo and the standard GT-R, commented: The GT-R Nismo emphasizes the R in its nomenclature. Its direct ties with racing makes it at home on any racetrack, providing the highest levels of excitement and exhilaration for the driver. With the 2017 GT-R as a starting point, the new Nismo version has become a more well-balanced machine, with not just increased performance, but a heightened premium feel overall. It is the result of our relentless pursuit of ultimate driving pleasure.

The 2017 Nissan GT-R Nismo is available in five different exterior colours. It is assembled in Tochigi, Japan, with the engines hand-assembled in Yokohama, Japan. TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Duty Free (DDF) has won the highly contested Travel Retail Operator of the Year award for the second time at the annual Drinks Business Awards held during the London Wine Fair in London.



The airport retailer was shortlisted against some of the industrys most influential representatives to win the top prize, said a statement.



Now in its 14th year, the Drinks Business Awards are designed to reward top performers across the international drinks industry including retailers and importers, in areas such as logistics, design, marketing campaigns and launches.



Dubai Duty Free was recognised for defining excellence in drinks retailing in 2015 with the judges praising the operator for its quality of service, excellent merchandising and an unparalleled selection of wines and spirits.

Alcohol sales at DDF reached $293 million in 2015, which places the category in second place just behind the No. 1 category, Perfumes.



Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman and chief executive officer Colm McLoughlin said: We are delighted to win the Drinks Business Travel Retail Operator of the Year award for the second time which marks a great achievement for Dubai Duty Free competing against some of the worlds leading travel retail operators. Congratulations to our Purchasing team who work hard in building up this category and to our shopfloor staff who are both knowledgeable and passionate about our business. - TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways has launched its first commercial flight to Atlanta, with daily, non-stop services between Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) and Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha.



The Gulf carrier marked the occasion by operating the inaugural flights with one of the airlines super jumbo Airbus A380 aircraft.



Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Our vision for Qatar Airways and Hamad International has always been as a global hub, seamlessly spanning continents and facilitating world travel.



The world becomes far more accessible with this kind of global network, and we at Qatar Airways want to take the journey with you, and make the travel as rewarding and memorable as the destination, he added.



The introduction of daily wide-body Boeing 777 passenger flights provides additional belly-hold capacity to the cargo carriers existing four-times weekly freighter services between Doha and Atlanta. The carrier now offers a combined 744 tonnes of capacity per week on its Doha-Atlanta-Doha route, meeting the robust demand of the destination.



Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines in aviation history, taking on average one new aircraft every 11 days. To help support this growth, Qatar Airways will host a recruitment drive for their award-winning and iconic cabin crew in Atlanta starting in July. Dates will be announced shortly. - TradeArabia News Service


Staff from the Jumeira Rotana, Rihab Rotana and Villa Rotana took part in an ocean clean up drive as part of World Oceans Day celebrations.



Working in partnership with Dubai Municipality, Emirates Marine Environmental Group and the Filipino Scuba Divers in Dubai, about 26 colleagues from the three hotels and 15 professional divers organised underwater clean-up at the Jebel Ali Marine Sanctuary on June 3 from 8:30 to 11:30 am.



On the same day, around 20 rehabilitated baby turtles were released by the Emirates Marine Environmental Group.



Ulrich Hoffmeister, general manager of Jumeira Rotana, said: We as a company are committed to the protection of our environment and are delighted that we as hotel teams could take part in this cause. It is great to see that this spirit runs throughout our teams and yielded such great participation.



World Oceans Day is an annual observation to honour, help protect, appreciate and conserve the worlds oceans. By working together we can support a healthy environment as well as healthy oceans that are able to sustainably provide a habitat for billions of humans, plants and animals that depend on it every day.



Mitch Cantillana, president of Filipino Scuba Divers Club, said: We as a group always dive for a good cause. It was another great experience doing such an initiative and to be part of Rotana Hotels initiative of taking care of the environment and creatures under the sea.



The hotel colleagues collected a total of 23 bags of mixed trash from under the sea at Jebel Ali Marine Sanctuary beach. - TradeArabia News Service
There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of reclaiming land in one place to compensate for loss of habitat in another would have left Wyoming energy producers in a huff.

Today, they are working toward just that end. The shift is largely the result of the state's sage grouse policy, which seeks to direct development away from prime nesting areas, and comes just as federal regulators implement a new approach to land management. The Obama administration last year announced it would institute a no net habitat loss standard for development on public lands.

Efforts in Wyoming have won plaudits from some environmental groups, who say the approach minimizes the impacts of development. Others are more critical, saying conservation measures don't go far enough.

But it is a tenuous alliance. Coordination remains in its early days and many details of how mitigation would be carried out have yet to be finalized. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is not expected to release a final mitigation plan until the fall. Read the full story here:

Uranium production nears historic lows

We hear a lot about the dramatic downturns in oil, gas and coal. But there is another industry that has suffered even more.

American uranium production is now near historic lows, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Production in Texas and Utah came to a halt last year, leaving Nebraska and Wyoming as the only uranium producing states in the nation.

U.S. production of U308, the yellowcake uranium used to in power production, is on pace to hit 2.5 million pounds this year, or slightly more than the all-time low of 2 million pounds recorded in 2003.

Uranium miners have been in a funk since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011. Demand has failed to rebound in the years since. Spot prices averaged below $30 a pound in 2015, according to the EIA, a far cry from the $100 a pound U308 achieved in 2003.

Matters have been compounded by large uranium stockpiles at U.S. nuclear plants. The 121 million pounds at power plants nationwide could last two years at present production levels.

Meanwhile, employment is on the decline. The industry employed 1,500 people in 2003 at its height. Last year, the number was 625.

Energy employment

Speaking of declining employment, the website Morning Consult combed over the national energy employment figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In May, the coal sector lost 1,600 positions. Some 12,500 coal mining jobs have been lost in the last 12-months alone.

Oil and gas lost 1,700 positions in May. Its 12-month job loss total is 19,300.

Stock ticker

Last week, we reported that the Wyoming oilfield has shown some early signs of life. Thats not the only positive for the local oil patch. The states largest publicly traded producers have seen their shares rebound since sustaining early year lows.

EOG, Wyomings most prolific driller, has seen its stock price rebound from a low of $60.24 a share in January to $79.71 on Friday. Devon Energy has nearly doubled its value since hitting a low of $18.65 in February. Devon shares closed the week at $35.93. Anadarko has increased from $30.54 to $51.45.

Even Chesapeake, a company struggling with substantial debt and followed by persistent bankruptcy rumors, has recovered some. The Oklahoma City-based firm saw its shares reach a low of $1.59 in February. They were worth $4.07 a share on Friday.

Price Checker

It was hot back East over Memorial Day. Why do you care? Warm temperatures are the tonic to natural gas present supply woes. Inventories remained 35 percent above their five-year average for the week ending May 27. In fact, natural gas storage nationwide increased, for the seventh straight week, this time by 82 billion cubic feet to a total of 2.9 trillion cubic feet.

There are two things that can bring those inventories down. One is supply, and that appears to be of little help right now. U.S. natural gas production has been relatively flat for much of the last two years.

The second factor, then, is demand. And that is where temperature comes in. When the mercury rises, people switch on their air conditioners and demand for electricity climbs.

Natural gas prices rose accordingly last week, though they still remain at a level where Wyoming producers will find it difficult to make a buck. Henry Hub, the national benchmark, averaged $2.1 per million British Thermal Units last week. By comparison, that average was $1.8 and $1.9 per mmBTUs in the weeks prior. Opal, which has averaged roughly $1.7 mmBTUs over the last two weeks, rose slightly to almost $2 per mmBTU last week. Wyoming pool was $1.9 per mmBTUs, up from around $1.6 in previous weeks.

Those are small increases, to be sure, and theyll have to continue if activity is going to pick up. But for an industry that has seen prices stuck in the mud for much of the last 12-months, any sign of upward progress is welcome indeed.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the idea of reclaiming land in one place to compensate for loss of habitat in another would have left Wyoming energy producers in a huff.

Today, they are working toward just that end. The shift is largely the result of the states sage grouse policy, which seeks to direct development away from prime nesting areas, and comes just as federal regulators implement a new approach to land management. The Obama administration last year announced it would institute a no net habitat loss standard for development on public lands.

Efforts in Wyoming have won plaudits from some environmental groups, who say the approach minimizes the impacts of development. Others are more critical, saying conservation measures dont go far enough.

But it is a tenuous alliance. Coordination remains in its early days and many details of how mitigation would be carried out have yet to be finalized. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is not expected to release a final mitigation plan until the fall.

Its going to be both a hurdle and also potentially an opportunity, said Paul Ulrich, the regulatory director at Jonah Energy, a natural gas company, who also serves on the board of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. And that is going to depend how they are going to apply it.

Dan Helig, senior conservation advocate at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, echoed that point, saying Im almost ready to call it a game changer.

A recently completed federal environmental analysis of a proposed 8,950-well natural gas development in southwestern Wyoming offers a first glimpse of how the new federal mitigation policy might work.

In the event one of the 18 companies involved in the Continental Divide Creston project cannot avoid or minimize their impacts, the BLM will calculate the potential damage of development and how many mitigation credits are needed elsewhere to compensate. They call this compensatory mitigation.

The specifics of how compensatory mitigation might be implemented in Continental Divide Creston remain unknown, however, because companies have largely stopped drilling in response to a steep downturn in natural gas prices. The BLM wont start a mitigation analysis until companies begin filling permits to drill.

The governments analysis of the development nevertheless lays out a plan for moving forward, said Jennifer Morton, a wildlife biologist who heads up the BLMs sage grouse conservation efforts in Wyoming.

The planning, she said, will help federal land managers take a broader view of the resources they manage.

Federal officials will also have to evaluate potential mitigation sites, comparing the quality of the habitat in the restored area to that in a proposed development. Four formal applications are being reviewed at present.

The Sweetwater Ranches Conservancy, a 600,000-acre ranch southwest of Casper, is the only mitigation site to be approved in the state to date. The ranch has tried to position itself in recent years as an option for companies seeking mitigation credits.

There is an opportunity to support conservation and at the same time pave the way for development and business in Wyoming, said Christine Anderson, the director of communications at Sammons Enterprises, the ranchs parent firm.

Oil and gas interests have faced off with regulators and environmentalists across the West over sage grouse conservation efforts. The federal government unveiled a sweeping strategy in 2015 to stem the birds demise and keep it off the endangered species list.

But much of that conflict has been avoided in Wyoming, where energy companies, conservationists and state officials have developed a core-area strategy to limit develop in nesting and breeding areas. BLMs sage grouse plan in Wyoming mirrored large parts of what the state had previously adopted.

Sage grouse is the most prominent but hardly the only species encompassed by Washingtons new mitigation effort. However, sage grouse planning has eased conversations for other species, environmentalist and industry representatives say.

Both sides nevertheless have concerns. Industry wants to ensure companies receive credit for avoiding sensitive habitat.

If we can properly avoid and minimize our disturbance, the need for compensatory mitigation isnt there, Ulrich said. If youre doing a good job on planning and you can effectively avoid the need for off-site mitigation.

The other concern is timing. The analysis of Continental Divide Creston began in 2006 and was finalized this year. Lengthy permitting delays leave Wyoming companies at a disadvantage to their peers in other states, where development is often on private and state land.

Environmentalists have their own worries. Avoiding a disturbance is the simplest and best way to conserve habitat. If companies ultimately conclude it is more cost-effective to pay for mitigation elsewhere and give up efforts to prevent disturbances than the idea might be for naught.

Still, the early signs are encouraging.

Were no longer viewing public lands as providing resources at an infinite level without consequence, Helig said.

For now, it seems most everyone else agrees.
Grownup Stuff

Fun things for adults.

Free Wednesday lectures at fort

Fort Caspar Museum is pleased to announce its annual free summer lecture series for 2016. The lectures will be held on seven consecutive Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm, from June 8 to July 20. Each presentation will focus on a different Impression on Wyoming, from past to present and from east to west. These free programs are funded in part by the Fort Caspar Museum Association and the Wyoming Humanities Council.

Each lecture will take place in the Multi-Use Room at Fort Caspar Museum. The programs are adult focused and will last approximately 60 minutes, including the lecture and a discussion opportunity. Most of the talks will feature a PowerPoint presentation, and if the speaker has published on a relevant topic, the lecture will conclude with a book signing.

The first lecture on June 8 will be Lonely Hearts and Lofty Ladies: A Short History of Aircraft Nose Art with Matthew Burchette, curator at Denvers Wings Over the Rockies Museum. The term nose art refers to the unofficial, personal decoration of military aircraft with names, slogans, or images. It saw its greatest use during the Second World War with the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).

Here are the dates, speakers, and their topics for the other six free summer lectures: June 15, Jessica Robinson will discuss Women and Horror: Wyoming Movies and Beyond; June 22, Miss V will present Amelia Earhart: Angel of Flight; June 29, Ray Maple will delve into the complex biography Tom ODay; July 6, Tom Rea will talk about Wyoming Bone Wars; July 13, Phil Roberts will explore Wyoming Prohibition; and finally, July 20, John Farr will present Wyoming: Sheepherders State.

For more information, contact the museum at 235-8462 or check the Fort Caspar Museum website, www.fortcasparwyoming.com. Fort Caspar Museum is located at 4001 Fort Caspar Road.

New displays at senior center

What is Zentangle? Zentangle is a fun, relaxing ,easy method of drawing that creates structured images.

Visit the Senior Center at 1831 E. 4th St. to view this fascinating display of amazing drawings by local artists. Also featured is a collection of Japanese collectibles including pottery, clothing, dishes and more.

For more information, call 265-4678.

Veteran Cigar Night

Every Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., all veterans are invited to Veteran Cigar Night at the Casper Cigar Company, 4717 W. Yellowstone Highway, sponsored by Casper Cigar Company. There is no cost to attend.

This is a time and place for our community's combat veterans to relax and share their stories with other combat veterans while enjoying a good cigar. Veterans receive 20 percent off cigars. For more information, call Josh Cruse at 307-337-4400 or josh@caspercigar.com

Franscell sets book signing

Kelly Walsh, Casper College and University of Wyoming graduate Ron Franscell will return to Casper on Saturday, June 11, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Wind City Books to sign his newest book, "Morgue: A Life in Death," (St. Martin's Press). The nonfiction work explores some of the most historic, infamous, and heartbreaking cases of Dr. Vincent Di Maio, M.D., son of a famous New York City medical examiner and one of the lions of forensic science in his own right.

Franscell is the bestselling crime author of "The Darkest Night," and "Delivered from Evil." A lifelong journalist, he worked for newspapers in Wyoming, New Mexico and Californias Bay Area before hitting the road in one of American journalisms best beats, covering the evolution of the American West as a senior writer for the Denver Post. Shortly after 9/11, he was dispatched by the Post to cover the Middle East during the first few months of the Afghan war. In 2004, he became the managing editor for the Beaumont, Texas, Enterprise, where he covered the devastation of Hurricane Rita from inside the storm. He now lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Taylor Scott Band June 17

The Wyoming Blues and Jazz Society presents the Taylor Scott Band on June 17, 2016 at the Attic above the World Famous Wonder Bar. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.Tickets are $12 for WBJS members, and $15 for non-members and can be purchased through the web site at www.wyobluesandjazz.org or at the door the night of the concert. Taylor, originally from Cheyenne, now lives in Denver. His music is influenced by soul, funk, blues, jazz, and rock and roll. His first band, Another Kind Of Magick, represented Wyoming in the International Blues Challenge in 2012.
Free writing

workshop June 13

The Natrona County Library will sponsor a free writing workshop, All the Water in Wyoming, by Lori Howe at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, June 13, in the Crawford Room. Join Wyoming landscape poet, Lori Howe, in writing on the meanings of water in Wyoming. Whether via poetry or personal essay, your knowledge, memories, and thoughts are the ink on the page in this workshop, which features a dedicated issue of Clerestory: Poems of the Mountain West.

Lori Howe is the author of Cloudshade: Poems of the High Plains and Voices at Twilight: A Poets Guide to Wyoming Ghost Towns. She has taught English and creative writing workshops for the last decade at the University of Wyoming and Laramie County Community College (Laramie and Cheyenne campuses). She holds a Bachelors degree in English and Spanish, a Masters degree in English, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from UW, and is a doctoral candidate in Literacy Studies at UW, with a focus on critical thinking skills and creativity for struggling writers.

Community educator training

In conjunction with the Wyoming Center on Aging, the Wyoming chapter of the Alzheimers Association is presenting a class to train volunteers to take information about Alzheimers disease back to their communities.

After attending Training the Trainer: Alzheimers Instruction for Volunteer Community Educators, attendees will be able to present classes like The Basics of Alzheimers and Know the Ten Signs in their own communities.

The Training the Trainer program will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at the Agriculture Resources and Learning Center, 2011 Fairgrounds Road in Casper. The free class runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided and scholarships may be available to help defray travel costs.

No prior experience is required to attend, although participants are asked to take what they learn back to their communities and present programs provided by the Alzheimers Association. The Association programs include PowerPoint presentations, class handouts and teaching guides. Community Educators from more rural areas are especially encouraged to attend.

Space is limited, so those interested should register soon at http://www.uwyo.edu/wycoa

Those with questions can also call 307.766.2829 or 307.316.2892

Tips from a tech guru

The Library will offer a Tips from a Tech Guru class on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Tech Center. Come to learn some of the tips and shortcuts that make your computer work for you. This class will discuss password management, data backup, security settings, and more. Come learn how to use keyboard shortcuts, how to make the most of your mouse, and when to use cloud storage. Call 577-READ ext. 2 for more information. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Prayer Walk June 11

Casper Vital Network hosts a Prayer Walk on June 11, 2016, at the Crossroads Park Gazebo. All activity levels are accommodated. Walk as you are able. Take a sack lunch and join the fellowship after the walk.

Buddhist teaching June 11

American Buddhist Monk, Gen Kelsang Rinzin, returns to Casper from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Saturday, June 11, at the Healthy Life Yoga Studio in the Sunrise Shopping Center, 4200 South Poplar St. to teach on Buddhist Tantra; Creating a Pure World. Tantra is the graduate level of Buddhist practice. This introductory lesson will not make us expert practitioners, but it is designed to introduce us to and spark our interest in this centuries old practice of creating a Pure World. Everyone of any religion or no religion is welcome. The class includes a guided meditation, the teaching and a Q & A period. A $15 donation is requested. No pre-registration required. Just come join us. Questions? Call Joe at 315-1987.

Family continues suicide support

Good Grief, Support will continue at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott, by request of attendees. The family of J.R. Hunter, who died from suicide in June 2015 began the support before the especially tough holiday season. Anyone who is grieving a suicide, death, or considering suicide is encouraged to attend. Attendance at the meeting, as well as the content, will be strictly confidential. The Fresh Start Cafe will be open, and you can eat during the meetings. This meeting place was offered by Dan Cantine of the 12-24 Club. You need not be a member to attend.

Plaster workshop at Art 321

We have great workshops lined up this June at ART 321/ Casper Artists Guild.

The first of two workshops, Plaster and Found Objects, will be presented by Linda Ryan. Linda is well known for her art and also as Casper College art instructor. This workshop will be held on Friday, June 10, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at ART 321/ Casper Artists Guild, 321 West Midwest Avenue. The fee is $65 for members/ $85 for non-members, plus a $15 supply fee. Open to all levels. Sign up by phone, in person, or on-line on our website: art321.org

Handgun/self

defense class offered

Randy Cain is offering Handgun 101 at the Stuckenoffs Shooting Complex June 11 to 13. Cost is $600 each. Randy Cain is a world renowned self defense instructor and one of the last disciples of Jeff Cooper and the original Gunsite Academy. Handgun 101 is designed to drill down to the very basics of firearm safety, manipulation and marksmanship. It is suitable for the complete novice up through expert. A second follow-on class, Close Quarter Tactics, is offered June 17 to 19. CQT focuses on what really happens if a weapon is drawn. The class focuses on avoiding dangerous situations, but if Murphy has his way, then deflecting the initial attack, re-positioning and meeting the threat. Randy combines his lifetime of martial arts and firearms training to give his students the best chance for survival. Information and registration www.guntactics.com. Local contact Joe MacGuire 307-333-3653. Class enrollment is limited.

Portrait workshop at Art 321

Another great June workshop offered at ART 321: Drawing the Portrait in Pan Pastel and Charcoal. What a great opportunity to take this workshop by Justin Hayward, well known artist and art instructor at Casper College.

This workshop is offered on Saturday, June 25, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., ART321/ Casper Artists Guild, 321 West Midwest Ave. The fee for this workshop is $65 for members, $85 for non-members. Open to all levels. Goedickes will have a list of needed supplies for this class.

Parkinsons monthly support

Join us at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500, Casper. The support group is open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. Upcoming meetings will be June 14 and July 12.

Parkinsons exercise

Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons exercise program. Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons.

Thursdays class is tailored for the individual with more advanced Parkinsons and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Dog manners

obedience class

Dog Manners Obedience Classes/STAR Puppy Classes will be held at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds, sponsored by the Central Wyoming Kennel Club. Cost ranges from $40 to $100.

The Central Wyo Kennel Club is hosting classes for puppies and adult dogs focusing on Socialization, Training and Responsible Dog Ownership.

For more information go to centralwyomingkennelclub.org or call Charlene at 473-1614.

Celebrate Recovery every Friday

Looking for a nontraditional approach to recovery from your hurts, habits and hangups? Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., theres either a lesson from Celebrate Recoverys planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073.

Self-transformation class set

Conscious Co-Creation/Self-Transformation & Healing, taught by Cathy Hazel Adams, is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26, at the Agricultural Resource Learning Center, 2011 Fairgrounds Rd. Adams is an Intuitive Quantum Transformation & Energy Healing Practitioner and Certified Matrix Energetics Practitioner. The class is also offered live via webinar. For more information, go to www.cathyhazeladams.com or call 797-9677.

Saturday morning watercolor

Art 321, Casper Artists Guild Saturday morning watercolor classes are 10 a.m. to noon, with the following lineup of classes: June 11, practice session; June 18, Holly Bryson, including figures in your paintings; June 25, practice session. For more information, please call Ellen Black at 265-6783.

Here and Now: Dementia-focused monthly art class

Classes are every third Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. There is no charge. Here and Now is a program made possible through a collaboration between Wyoming Dementia Care and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. It is designed to provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and Alzheimers and their loved ones.

To register, contact Dani with Wyoming Dementia Care 265-4678, ext. 106, or at wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or Zhanna Gallegos at 235-5247 or at zgallegos@thenic.org
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho  The Bureau of Land Management has fined an Idaho woman who attempted to rescue an emaciated wild horse.

The Post Register reports the BLM fined Cynthia Stoetzer $275 for attempting to move the animal she encountered while riding her horse in Utah in April.

Stoetzer says she felt compelled to follow her heart, so she loaded the mustang into her horse trailer and took it to the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab. BLM took the horse back the next day and brought it to its ranch in Axtell, Utah.

Idaho BLM wild horse and burro lead Chris Robbins says the agency typically sends a veterinarian to examine a sick animal in its natural environment. He said removing an animal is dangerous and could interfere with the ecosystem.
BAGHDAD  In March, a senior commander with the Islamic State group was driving through northern Syria on orders to lead militants in the fighting there when a drone blasted his vehicle to oblivion.

The killing of Abu Hayjaa al-Tunsi, a Tunisian jihadi, sparked a panicked hunt within the groups ranks for spies who could have tipped off the U.S-led coalition about his closely guarded movements. By the time it was over, the group would kill 38 of its own members on suspicion of acting as informants.

They were among dozens of IS members killed by their own leadership in recent months in a vicious purge after a string of airstrikes killed prominent figures. Others have disappeared into prisons and still more have fled, fearing they could be next as the jihadi group turns on itself in the hunt for moles, according to Syrian opposition activists, Kurdish militia commanders, several Iraqi intelligence officials and an informant for the Iraqi government who worked within IS ranks.

The fear of informants has fueled paranoia among the militants ranks. A mobile phone or internet connection can raise suspicions. As a warning to others, IS has displayed the bodies of some suspected spies in public  or used particularly gruesome methods.

IS commanders dont dare come from Iraq to Syria because they are being liquidated by airstrikes, said Bebars al-Talawy, an opposition activist in Syria who monitors the jihadi group.

Over the past months, American officials have said that the U.S. has killed a string of top commanders from the group, including its minister of war Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Haji Iman, Abu Alaa al-Afari and Abu Ali Al-Anbari.

In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the biggest city held by IS across its caliphate stretching across Syria and Iraq, a succession of militants who held the post of wali, or governor, in the province have died in airstrikes.

As a result, those appointed to governor posts have asked not to be identified and they limit their movements, the Iraqi informant told The Associated Press. Iraqi intelligence officials allowed the AP to speak by phone with the informant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his life.

The purge comes as IS has lost ground in both Syria and Iraq. An Iraqi government offensive recaptured the western city of Ramadi from IS earlier this year, and another mission is underway to retake the nearby city of Fallujah.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said some IS fighters began feeding information to the coalition about targets and movements of the groups officials because they needed money after the extremist group sharply reduced salaries in the wake of coalition and Russian airstrikes on IS-held oil facilities earlier this year.

They have executed dozens of fighters on charges of giving information to the coalition or putting (GPS) chips in order for the aircraft to strike at a specific area, said Abdurrahman, referring to IS in Syria.

The militants have responded with methods of their own for rooting out spies, said the informant. For example, they have fed false information to a suspect member about the movements of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and if an airstrike follows on the alleged location, they know the suspect is a spy, he said.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico  Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Ricos Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, putting her within striking distance of capturing her partys nomination.

After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria! tweeted Clinton. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage on Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the islands local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Ricos former Democratic National Committeeman.

As the results from Puerto Rico trickled in, Clinton maintained a steady 2-to-1 lead over Sanders.

While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in the general election, the islands politics could reverberate into the fall campaign. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign. Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, she rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with nearly 68 percent of the vote.

Im for Hillary, girl, said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. I cant wait for a female president. Shes one of us. She wears the pants. If we dont look out for our own interests, who will?

Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the five states voting on Tuesday. Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd at Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Oakland the country is getting indifferent to the great toll of gun violence, while Sanders made a series of stops in Los Angeles before an evening rally in San Diego.

Sorry to disturb your brunch, Sanders said at Hamburger Marys, taking the microphone during their drag brunch as disco lights swirled inside. I just wanted to say that on Tuesday as you all know there is a very important Democratic primary here in California. And my hope is that everyone will stand up and make clear it is too late for establishment politics.

While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.

Both Sanders and Clinton had pledged to help as the islands government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.

This is one of the most important political moments for Puerto Rico, said Emanuel Rosado, a 29-year-old Clinton supporter. Im taking action as a result of the economic crisis.

Two weeks before the primary, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territorys $70 billion debt would make a terrible situation even worse.

He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island. Campaigning on the island last month, Sanders promised to fight against vulture funds on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.

That bill is anti-democratic and its not in the best interest of Puerto Rico, said Jorge Gaskins, a 67-year-old farmer who supports Sanders and opposes a control board.

Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the boards powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer.

Clinton has 1,807 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,516. When including superdelegates, her lead over Sanders is substantial  2,355 to 1,562.

All seven of Puerto Ricos superdelegates have pledged their support for Clinton.
WASHINGTON  A pair of powerful Senate Republicans on Sunday warned Donald Trump to drop his attacks on a Latino judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, joining the widespread rejection of their presumptive presidential nominees treatment of the federal jurist.

A third prominent Republican who also supports Trump urged the candidate to start acting like a potential leader of the United States.

Were all behind him now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned, adding that its time for unifying the party, not settling scores and grudges.

So far, Trump has refused, reiterating in interviews broadcast Sunday that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiels Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial involving a billionaire who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trumps view, a hater of Donald Trump.

I couldnt disagree more with Trumps central argument, McConnell said on NBCs Meet the Press.

I dont condone the comments, added Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on ABCs This Week.

And Newt Gingrich, who became speaker of the House promising to open the GOP more to minorities, delivered the harshest warning of all.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think its inexcusable, Gingrich, a former presidential contender, said on Fox News Sunday.

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom theyve made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The GOP pushback against Trump comes two days before presidential primaries in California, home to more Latinos than whites. Its the final major battleground between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Trump has no more competition for the GOP nomination, but he does have significant issues with the most senior elected members of the party he hopes to lead.

On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan tepidly endorsed Trump  but 24 hours later disavowed the billionaires remarks about Curiel.

For a party that in 2012 explicitly pinned its survival on drawing support from Hispanics, Trumps words create an ugly series of headaches.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  If I could tell you one last thing .

"I would say anything just to hear you laugh ."

"I love you."

"I miss you."

"I'm sorry."

Last words to a loved one.

What started as a project for youth attending Mourning Hope Grief Center's summer camp, Camp Erin, has transformed into a community-wide public art project, the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1TY8WS2 ) reported.

A project where anyone who has ever lost someone they loved can share the words they never got a chance to say on a community graffiti board.

Ten boards  blank canvases  were placed in public locations throughout the community earlier this spring.

On July 15, all 10 will go on display at Lincoln's Rocketship Gallery, 941 O St. The boards will remain on exhibit through July 28. As space allows, visitors will have an opportunity to add their own final words to the art, said Carly Runestad, Mourning Hope Grief Center executive director.

***

I will always love and miss you. Cancer sucks! I miss you so much. Hope Johnny Cash is giving you a concert Grandma.

5-30-15

***

Art projects often play an instrumental role in the healing process -- especially with children, Runestad said.

"While their hands are busy, they talk," she said.

At Camp Erin, kids ages 6 to 13, not only focused on their words but on their style, "tagged" the board with their last words.

"The board provided another opportunity for kids to tell their stories and share their emotions," Runestad said. "For some kids it works through physical actions, for some it's through music and for some it is through dialogue."

For a group of middle school-aged boys at last summer's camp it was graffiti art, introduced by Schoo Middle School art specialist Adam Schwaninger.

"They really connected with Adam and the project," Runestad said, recalling how some kids spent upward of 90 minutes crafting their tags.

"It offered another option to express their grief," she said.

Some wrote simple words.

"I'm sorry." The words of a young girl to her father.

The girl's last spoken words to her father had been much more hurtful: "I hate you." Her father died in a head-on collision later that day, Runestad recalled.

Powerful emotions.

"Hope I'm doing good dad. I miss you."

"I hope you're proud of me."

Struck by the power of the boards, Runestad decided to make "If I could tell you one last thing ." a public art project. Ten giant boards were posted at Bryan Health, South Street Temple, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, First-Plymouth and Southwood Lutheran churches, HoriSun and Aseracare hospices, Mourning Hope, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Lincoln Southeast.

***

I just didn't know how fast you would go. Love you til I die . see you at the other side.

-- Mom

***

Gretchen Baker, social worker at Lincoln Southeast High School, wasn't really sure how the students in her school's Mourning Hope group would respond to the project.

For many, the loss was new  and raw.

"I didn't know what I was getting into," she said.

And with the board measuring 4-feet-wide and 8-feet-tall  it was a really big canvas to fill, Baker said.

But the group had formed a unique bond over the past few months  they helped one another compose their thoughts, they encouraged each other to be honest with their feelings.

"I love you! Sleep with the angels and have sweet dreams about whatever you want.

Reach for the stars Mama.

This is NOT goodbye, this is just a goodnight!"

After her current Mourning Hope students wrote their thoughts, previous group members were invited to post. Then the board was opened to the entire school.

"The board got full rather quickly," Baker said.

A sobering reminder that far too many people are grieving the death of a loved one -- be it a grandparent, parent, uncle or aunt, friend, sibling or child.

Taken by illness, accidents and tragic decisions.

***

You taught me to never take anything for granted. I wish we could have made each other more of a priority ...

***

There is no formula for mourning. No timeline. No degree -- distinguishing what deaths are harder to cope with than others.

"Every loss is important, no matter the relationship," said Southeast student Ell Kinsey, 16. "If it is important to you -- it is important."

She was extremely close to her grandfather, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this past September.

She recalled how the family gathered around his bedside to say goodbye, while his favorite polka music played on the stereo.

Her grandfather's final understandable words to his granddaughter were a familiar invitation: Do you want to dance?

"And I never answered him," Kinsey said through sobs.

If I could tell you one last thing  gave her the opportunity to take away her biggest regret. She wrote: "Yes, I want to dance."

Allana Blakeman, 18, and Aubrie Howard, 16, have grief in common.

Both lost their mothers unexpectedly on Nov. 7, 2015. Blakeman's mother died of a blood clot in her brain. Howard's mother took her own life.

"After you lose someone you shut people out," Howard said.

It's hard to talk about and even harder to watch everyone around you living their life and not knowing your pain.

"Well-meaning people say I feel your pain," Blakeman said. "But you have no idea."

And when it comes to suicide  they really have no idea, said Alex Hughes, 17, whose uncle killed himself. If Hughes could say one last thing to her uncle it would be: "Thank you for being there."

"I should have said it more," Hughes said. "My uncle treated me like a daughter. He was there for me a lot."

When it came time to write on the board, Howard wrote straight from the heart.

"I could have filled that whole board," Howard said. "The last time I saw (my mother), I didn't know it would be the last time. I would have looked at her more if I had known that would be the last time."

Her message: "Mother: Someone who will love you unconditionally 'til her last breath. 11-7-15. Love you Mom, Aubrie.

Like many teens, Blakeman and her mom had disagreements. Unfortunately, one of their last times together was tension filled.

Blakeman wrote on the board: "I love you to the moon and back."

"That was something she would always say to me," Blakeman explained.

"The last time we were fighting and I wouldn't say it back. I wanted her to know that I do love her to the moon and back," she said.

Ove three months last fall Madisyn Swenson, 15, lost her grandfather, an aunt and an uncle.

Her 80-year-old grandfather died of pneumonia in October. As family from across the country gathered to say goodbye, Swenson could not hide her growing anger. Many of these people she had never met before. Why had they been absent for so long, when all her grandfather ever wanted was his family to be together?

She wrote on the board: "I love you and you will never be forgotten."

He worried about being forgotten, Swenson said.

The boards offer another way to talk about the person who has died. A way to remember, smile, celebrate or even say what you never would have told them to their face.

***

I wish you would have been smarter. But in the end you will always be loved.

-- Mom

***

Talking encourages healing. Shared memories acknowledge the value of that life.

Dana Clements lost her grandmother to Alzheimer's this past December. She wrote on the board: "Thank you for showing me the way. I will never forget your words."

Her grandmother was full of wisdom and encouragement Clements recalled. She often told her 15-year-old granddaughter: "Your life is what you make it."

"In the weeks after her death, I thought about what she told me a lot," Clements said. "It kept me going."

The boards not only helped family members, but caregivers, said Becca Henry, provider relations coordinator at HoriSun Hospice.

They too feel the loss when someone dies, Henry said.

The board is good grief work for them, said Nicole Ramsey, HoriSun bereavement coordinator.

"It gives them time to reflect," she said.

Putting thoughts to paper or canvas offers a permanency that is lost with the spoken word, Ramsey said.

"You can say things as many times as you want, but until you put it down . it's nice to see," she said.

(asterisk) (asterisk) (asterisk)

Grandpa,

Mom is taking good care of grandma. You don't have to worry about her! We miss and talk about you often, sometimes with laughter and sometimes with tears.

___

Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com

An AP Member Exchange shared by the Lincoln Journal Star.
Dear Amy: My sister-in-law was working in the marijuana industry before it was legal (now it is legal here). She was earning thousands of dollars under the table, while at the same time seeking subsidies from the government.

I was very uncomfortable with this and after many months of agonizing about what to do, I called her up and told her that I thought that her behavior was unethical. She defended it by saying that the industry was in transition (which it was) and that she would write down her income, but that she didnt have any records.

She has since stopped working there. Now, she is earning money by working under the table doing various odd jobs (which she doesnt report as income). She also has some other income, which she does report.

I would like to address her unreported income, but am reluctant because I am her in-law.

I am also worried that I will damage our relationship (which was very good before this whole episode). I wish that her (blood) family would address it, but they dont. They dont see it as a big deal. I also feel like a goody two-shoes who is being holier than thou, but at the same time I think what she is doing is unethical and inconsistent, even with her own statements.

Should I talk with her again, or should I keep my mouth shut?  In-law Ethics

Dear In-law: I notice that your in-laws work in the marijuana industry seems to have bothered you more from an economic standpoint than from the fact that she was (I presume) engaged in an activity that was illegal, until your state laws changed.

At the same time, unless you are her accountant, it is really not your job to watch, police or examine her tax return. Im assuming that she isnt really the sharpest tool in the family shed if she chooses to share this financial information with you in the first place.

If she is working various odd jobs and taking cash under the table and just scraping by, then she may fall under the category of working poor along with millions of other Americans.

According to a recent widely quoted national study by the University of California, more than half of front-line fast food workers, 48 percent of home-care workers and 25 percent of part-time college faculty receive government assistance.

Unless she is applying for and fraudulently receiving subsidies (currently), you should butt out. If you continue to be deeply offended by her behavior, tell her.

But yes, you will come off as a goody two-shoes (do you care?), and no, you shouldnt expect her to thank you for poking around in her business and then judging her for her choices.

Dear Amy: My sister-in-law insists on sharing every meal we have together when eating out. This might not be a problem in our hometown diner when we are having soup and a sandwich, but it is very annoying when I have a lovely meal in front of me at a nice restaurant.

It has become a family joke, but I am embarrassed by it. How do I handle this?  Perplexed in Michigan

Dear Perplexed: Someone elses embarrassing behavior should not embarrass you. If you let this dynamic take hold, youll be forever guarding your plate against your marauding in-law.

Perhaps your sister-in-law possesses one of those telescoping forks, whereby she can reach across the table and snatch your food off of your plate. If not, the most logical defense is a good offense, choose to sit as far away from her as possible.

I (personally) hate to share food. I dont want yours and I dont want to part with mine. If sharing seems to be on the horizon, you need to say, respectfully, Um, no. Im not sharing my meal. You should order what you want for yourself, because whats on my plate is staying on my plate.

If this no sharing stance causes family members to shame or embarrass you, hold your head high, and your leftovers close.

Dear Amy: Carol described herself as a Luddite who doesnt like to see babies and young children with screens pressed to their faces. She asked your permission to educate these parents on how harmful it is.

Thank you for discouraging her from lecturing strangers on how to raise their children.  A Parent

Dear Parent: Exactly. Carol shouldnt lecture strangers on the hazards of using electronic devices and offer recommendations on how to raise their children (...thats MY job).
The Germans said the landing extended between Le Havre and Cherbourg along the south side of the bay of the Seine and along the northern Normandy coast.

Parachute troops descended in Normandy, Berlin said.

Berlin Announcement

Berlin first announced the landings in a series of flashes that began about 6:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. mountain war time).

The Allied communique was read over a trans-Atlantic hookup direct from General Eisenhower's headquarters at 1:32 MWT designated "Communique No. 1."

A second announcement by SHAEF said that "It is announced that Gen. B. L. Montgomery is in command of the army group carrying out the assault. This army group includes British, Canadian, and U.S. forces."

The Allied bulletin did not say exactly where the invasion was taking place, but Berlin earlier gave these details:

Warship Bombardment

Allied naval forces, including heavy warships, are shelling Le Havre. "It is a terrific bombardment," Berlin said.

Allied parachute troops floating down along the Normandy coast were landing and being engaged by German shock troops.

Other Allied units were streaming ashore onto Normandy from landing barges.

In a special order of the day issued to all soldiers, sailors and airmen under his command, Gen. Eisenhower said:

"We will accept nothing except full victory."
Tucson-area students won accolades in the world finals of a creative-problem-solving competition.

Students from the Oro Valley Rotary Club, Manzanita Elementary, Magee Middle, Canyon del Oro High, Prince Elementary, Mesa Verde Elementary, Cross Middle, Coronado K-8 and Ironwood Ridge High schools traveled to the Iowa State University in late May to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. There were also teams from South Korea, Mexico and around the United States.

Manzanita and Magees teams won trophies for third-place finishes in the competition.

Walden Grove student takes 3rd in essay contest

A Walden Grove High student won third place in the essay division of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals civics contest.

Caroline Frieders, a senior, won $500 for her work. The contest is part of the federal courts public outreach effort. More than 700 students entered.

Sunnyside district names two new principals

Sunnyside Unified School District has hired two new principals.

Michael Marcos, an educator with 16 years experience who has held several teaching and administrative jobs in California, will be the new principal of Sunnyside High School.

Marcos spent the past three years overseas, working in Qatar and Thailand. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership.

Thom Luedemann joined the Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School. He formerly served at Sierra Linda and Agua Fria high schools, and has 13 years of experience as an educator.

Luedemann served as a clinical supervisor at Western Governors University for the past three years. He has a masters degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Vail principal honored

The leader of Vail Academy and High School has been named Arizona Secondary School Principal of the Year.

Dennis Barger was honored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for providing high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession.

Of the 50 state winners, three will be named finalists in July for a chance to be named the National Principal of the Year.

NASSP works to connect and engage school leaders through advocacy, research, education and student programs.
Mining activity in the Painted Rocks Mountains, about 28 miles northwest of Gila Bend, became prevalent in the early 1900s.

Rowley Mine, located about 800 feet up the west slope of a mountain within the Painted Rock Mining District, is best known for its spectacular wulfenite specimens.

Geologic history consists of andesite and rhyolite flows dating back to the Tertiary Period more than 30 million years ago, since overlain by basalt. Old assays revealed the property was first mined for copper, lead and gold.

A small mining camp with a bunk house, boarding house, cottages, tents and power houses was erected on site that was operated by the Rowley Copper Mines Co., which was incorporated in 1909.

Water from below the surface proved challenging. Cornish pumps operating 16 hours a day and raising 200 gallons of water per minute were required to prevent the workings from being flooded.

By 1922, the Reliance Copper Co. assumed control of the mine. Its tenure was brief, as mining operations were suspended and the property foreclosed. Diamond drilling the following year showed no improvement in ore values at a depth of 360 feet, other than core samples revealing copper staining. A second drill hole at 290 feet revealed no improved ore grade.

Though sometimes referred to as the Rawley Mine, the Rowley Mine was named for Charles A. Rowley, who acquired the property as majority owner in 1927. As president of Rowley Mines, Inc., Rowley was very protective of his mine. He employed a night watchman at the site and also sealed off the area with a 6-foot barbed-wire fence embedded in the ground with concrete.

By 1933, the Rowley Mine comprised more than 1,462 feet of workings, including one 225-foot inclined shaft and another reaching 150 feet. A vertical shaft at 280 feet deep included several hundred feet of drifts and crosscuts at the 160-foot level. That year, a recorded $10,000 worth of ore was shipped to market. Increased flooding by groundwater seepage hindered further expansion.

During the 1950s, the underground workings were extensively mapped and the geology observed.

A 1971 report stated that a fire started by vandals destroyed the timbering in the incline shaft, making underground mineral collecting even more formidable.

In 1983, mineral dealer Dave Shannon, who had an interest in optioning the mine, reported foot-thick slabs of galena composed of 45 ounces of silver per ton as barred down from a hanging wall of the Rowley Mine.

Wulfenite, a lead molybdate, is perhaps the best-known mineral found at the Rowley Mine.

Early crystals were described as being deep orange with brilliant luster. Some took on the appearance of the dark red crystals similar to those at the Red Cloud Mine, while others had characteristics of symmetric octagonal crystals and square reddish crystals, which have diamond-shaped patterns inscribed on their faces.

Atop the crystals are blood-red balls of crystallized mimetite, a lead chlorarsenate thats also a favorite among mineral collectors.

Flooding has now made the lower levels of the mine inaccessible, causing the older collected specimens to sell at a high price.

Many mineral specimens from the mine have a barite matrix. Barite has the appearance of gray-to-white blades, and is the dominant gangue material heavily stained with iron oxide.

The ore body at the Rowley Mine consists of fractured barite, which historically caused instability for underground miners, even when the timbers were first erected. This has been a reason for extreme caution among miners and mineral collectors that have worked or collected at the mine in the past.

Other lead-copper minerals, some rare, have been found at the Rowley Mine. Those include diaboleite, minium, leadhillite, linarite caledonite and phosgenite. One stope at the Rowley Mine was christened the blue room because of its chrysocolla lined walls.

Mineral collecting on the surface dumps of the Rowley Mine, with permission of the lease holders, has yielded micromount specimens with some thumbnail-sized crystallizations.
Even though special master Ken Feinberg, who was in charge of the first federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, distributed $6 billion to the estates of those killed on 9/11  an average of more than $2 million to the nearly 3,000 victims  the House of Representatives passed its new Fairness for 9/11 Families Act to allow additional claims for the deaths inflicted by the terrorists and set aside $2.7 billion for them.
PHOENIX  A Phoenix woman accused of stabbing her three young sons to death and wounding herself is behind bars after leaving a hospital.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says 29-year-old Octavia Renee Rogers was booked into a jail Sunday on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder.

Police say officers found the bodies of her sons, ages 2 months and 5 and 8 years, in a closet Thursday. Rogers' brother had called 911 after she locked herself in a room and stabbed herself in the abdomen and neck.

It's not immediately known if Rogers has an attorney who could comment on the allegations. She's being held in lieu of $1 million bond.

Older sister Voniticia Nickerson has called Rogers a devoted mother and said she saw no signs Rogers was troubled.
Help India!

New Delhi : The bodies of a two women and a 12-year-old girl were found dead on Sunday in a building here, police said.

The incident was reported from the New Usmanpur area in east Delhi.

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The dead have been identified them as Shaira (50), Nisha (25) and Shabnam (12)  all belonging to the same family. All have cut marks on the throats.

DCP, Northeast Delhi, Ajit Kumar said that police received a call in the evening after foul smell spread in the two-storey building and a team reached the spot to check, and found the bodies.

Police is trying to get in touch with other family members. Bodies of Nisha and Shabnam were found on the first floor, while the body of the mother (Shaira) was found on the second floor. Police is probing all angles into the matter, Ajit Kumar told IANS.

Police said they could not rule out loot, property dispute or personal enmity in the case and further investigations were on.

According to police, the landlord of the house died around two-and-half years beck.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
Help India!

By Dr Kouser Fathima for TwoCircles.net

Many Muslim women are against the Triple Talaq , Around 50 thousand women have signed a petition asking for legal ban against Triple Talaq . According to survey by Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) more than 90% women want an end to this practice. The campaign by these women is commendable but what is noticeable is the silence of most Muslim men on the topic of Triple Talaq . Many men do ascertain that the practice is unislamic, bad for the Muslim society but are not very vocal about their thoughts.

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The discussions on Triple Talaq is usually muffled , in close circles but even men who strongly disagree are seldom vocal about it in public. The Men may not support the practice but their silence is taken as a indirect endorsement of the Triple Talaq . The silence of Muslim men is creating a vacuum which is used by so called Muslim reformers  who use the situation to attack Muslims.

No reform is possible until both the genders actively work for it, the struggle of women can be made easier only if the men actively campaign against the practice .

Sati and child marriage were identified by educated Hindu Men as social evils, they were the ones who first spoke against it, campaigned against it. Sadly similar attitude among Muslim men is lacking.

The common reasons given are we dont endorse or practice it, such incidents are few and are only hyped by the media, or Doesnt happen in our family or social circles.

These are lame excuses which indirectly empower the actual Muslim men who use Triple Talaq. No denying that women are the main victims but the fact is whole family gets affected by it, children been the worst victims . Shahryar Banu and Afreen s cases are some of the few cases that are highlighted by the media but there are lot more cases which are unreported. Most cases of Triple Talaq cases are accompanied with domestic violence and abuse , and the voices of Victims is either unheard or stifled. Very few cases make it to the media and the so called Muslim reformers  grab the opportunity to further their agenda .

When women of your community are victims and are struggling how can the men remain mere spectators ?? Dont they have responsibility towards them and their issues ?? What makes them turn blind to the sufferings of their sisters and daughters ??

Except for for few many turn into apologist and worst are those who further justify the practice, try to discredit the women. Few men who speak against it are called names and silenced. If only the men would stand with their Muslim sisters in their struggle, it would be a different story. Ironically many men jump to defend Polygamy as personal right even if they dont practice but are silent on the issue of Triple Talaq .

Merely saying Triple Talaq is unislamic wont solve the issue, strong-worded condemnation of the practice is need of the hour .

Muslim men repeatedly needs to reminded that the Triple Talaq is unislamic, they need to abandon the practice, respect and protect womens right. Issuing Talaq is one go or saying it on phone are not only unislamic but also shameful practices that need to be discontinued. The role of men in the reforms will be new benchmark for future generations, reforms within the society are the best answer to the propoganda of portraying Muslim women as slaves and victims. If you can protest against these comments you also need to speak against the practice and stand with the women in their struggle against Triple Talaq .



Dr Kouser Fathima is a Bengaluru based writer. She can be reached at twitter @drkf_18
Key Safety thrives in auto market Updated: 2016-06-06 11:20 By Paul Welitzkin in New York(China Daily USA)

When asked to describe the culture of his auto supply company, Jason Luo, president and CEO of Key Safety Systems Inc, speaks on a global scale.

"Our company's culture isn't Chinese or American. We are truly a global company with over 12,000 employees, operations in 15 countries and technical centers and manufacturing facilities globally," he said in an interview.

Luo said the company got started in the US in the early part of the 20th century. "We supplied steering wheels for the Model T," he said of the car that was created and produced by Henry Ford and his Ford Motor Company in Detroit from 1908 until 1927.

Based in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights, Michigan, where it employs about 400 at its headquarters, Key Safety Systems (or KSS), is about to embark on another ownership journey.

In early 2016, Chinese auto conglomerate Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp said it would acquire KSS in a deal valued at about $920 million, according to Automotive News. The transaction, expected to be completed later this year, will create a supplier generating revenue of approximately $3 billion worldwide, Luo said.

He said the deal will make KSS a public company since Joyson is already listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. "This fulfills our goal of transitioning into a public company," said Luo. He said that KSS will gain access to more funding sources "that will enable us to employ increased flexibility for our balance sheet and also help us to accelerate our growth plans."

The company was owned by Hong Kong-based private-equity firm FountainVest Partners, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, New York-based private equity firm Crestview Partners and some KSS senior managers. At one time KSS was a part of AlliedSignal, a US conglomerate that acquired Honeywell in 1999 and adopted its name.

Luo said KSS is made up of three divisions: active safety, passive safety and specialty products. The passive safety unit produces airbags, steering wheels and seat belts for many automotive manufacturers, active safety makes advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) products, which includes surround-view cameras and lane departure warning systems. The specialty products division makes steering wheels for luxury car producers such as Ferrari and Maserati and safety products like helmets for operators of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.

KSS is seeing its business improve because of problems at Japanese air-bag manufacturer Takata Corp.

In May the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that Takata would recall 35 million to 40 million air bags in addition to the nearly 29 million that have already been recalled. Some 11 deaths and hundreds of injuries have been blamed on air bags with inflators that can spew metal and plastic shrapnel when they deploy. KSS has unveiled plans to accelerate production of airbag inflators at plants in Florida and China.

Luo has led the business transformation and global expansion of KSS since 2007, and he is ready for whatever the future may present.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com

Key Safety Systems Sterling Heights, Michigan, headquarters. provided to china daily

(China Daily USA 06/06/2016 page2)
Top leaders emphasize tech growth Updated: 2016-06-04 07:06 By Li Xiaokun(China Daily)

President Xi Jinping visits an exhibition on China's science and technology achievements during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) in Beijing on Friday. He urged Chinese scientists to make China a vanguard of innovation-driven development. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi and other State officials visit exhibition that displays nation's scientific achievements

China's top leadership showed on Friday its determination to encourage national technological development by appearing as a group at a major exhibition.

Four days previously, President Xi Jinping set a national target for the development of science and technology at the National Technology and Innovation Conference in Beijing.

On Friday, while inspecting the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) Technology and Innovation Achievements Exhibition in Beijing, Xi demanded that all S&T workers in China do their utmost to help restore the Chinese nation to its former glory.

The president spent the whole morning at the exhibition, looking through many booths, such as the displays of a smart-plant factory, robot for orthopedic surgery, and super computer, as well as new energy vehicles.

Six of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee went to the exhibition on FridayVice-Premier Zhang Gaoli was on a foreign trip.

The exhibition, which opened on Wednesday, runs through Thursday at the Beijing Exhibition Center.

An official at Aviation Industry Corporation of China who declined to be named said AVIC briefed Xi on the latest developments China's large aircraft project.

"He was pleased to hear that we conducted independent research and development in the process," he said.

Du Xiaoli, vice-president of Lenovo Corporate Research & Development, told the leaders that the use of Chinese-made computer technology made a great leap forward in the past five years.

"We are confident that by the end of the decade, 90 percent of desktop computers in government offices will be self-developed ones," he said.

Du said the leaders' group visit provided "great encouragement" to people working in technology.

Xi said on Monday that China should establish itself as an innovative country by 2020, as a leading innovator by 2030 and ultimately a world S&T power by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2049.

The president stressed the role of S&T as the bedrock upon which "the country relies for its power, enterprises rely for success, and people rely for a better life".

Xi also warned that China faces a major S&T bottleneck and a large gap in innovation capacity.

"The situationin which our country is under the control of others in core technologies in key fieldshas not fundamentally changed, and China's S&T foundation remains weak," Xi said at the conference.

"Currently, the State needs the strategic support of science and technology more urgently than at any other time in the past."

Academies study selection reforms

The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are looking into reforming the method of appointing members, a senior science official has said.

The academies have gathered suggestions to nominate candidate academicians on recommendations from existing members, said Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at a plenary meeting of the Academician Conference in Beijing, which concluded on Friday.

"Many academicians have long urged us to do this, and they say they hope to see a unified approach adopted during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20)," said Bai, also executive chairman of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' academic division, which serves as an advanced think tank for the government on science and technology issues.

"We think it's a good idea and will create conditions to make it happen step by step."

Bai said there are currently more than 100 channels through which academicians are recommended and selected.

A reason put forward for using member recommendations is the thought that the nominations would be motivated by academic criteria. At the plenary session on Wednesday, Bai said the academy will work on building itself into a more advanced national think tank by making use of high-level resources both domestically and abroad.

"We will focus on important science and technology issues and grasping development trends in science and technology worldwide," he said.
Rescuers seek 14 after fatal boating accident Updated: 2016-06-06 02:37 By HUANG ZHILING(China Daily)

Rescuers use sonar radar and an underwater camera in the search for survivors in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, on Sunday. Gao zhinong/for China Daily

Rescuers were still searching on Sunday for 14 passengers missing after a fatal boating accident in Sichuan province.

The accident happened on Saturday afternoon when a leisure boat capsized in gales on White Dragon Lake in the Lizhou district of Guangyuan, the northernmost city in the province.

One child died in a hospital. Three survivors are under observation at Lizhou District No 2 People's Hospital, said Zeng Jia, a doctor.

Li Jijun, an information officer with the Lizhou district committee of the Communist Party of China, said, "Rescuers worked day and night and have found the sunken boat."

The local weather bureau said the boat sank in extreme weather conditions, when a wind speed of 17.5 meters per second was recorded.

The boat, designed to carry 40 passengers, had 18 people on board when it capsized, including Zhou Piqiang, the 49-year-old owner of the vessel, his wife Wang Xingju, 43, and son Zhou Lin, 4. All three are among those missing.

Of the 15 passengers, five are young women and another five are children.

Rescuers were divided into two groups. One group tried to find the sunken boat, while the other cruised the scene of the accident and areas 10 km away from the site on the upper and lower shores of the lake.

As the water depth at the accident scene was beyond the reach of divers, rescuers relied on sonar and images taken underwater to identify the boat.

Li Xiang, a member of the civilian group Blue Sky Rescue, said the boat sank in waters more than 65 meters deep.

On Sunday, a robotic device was being transported from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to Guangyuan, and was expected to arrive within 24 hours. It would be used to recover the lost boat, Li said.

All tour boat operations have been suspended in Guangyuan for safety checks, said Yang Mingguang, deputy chief of the city government's information office.

huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn
Tough talking expected after friendly prelude Updated: 2016-06-06 02:58 By An Baijie in Beijing and Chen Weihua in Washington(China Daily)

Vice-Premier Wang Yang and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew were due to showcase Sino-US friendship on Sunday.

They were scheduled to make a boat trip at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Lew arrived in Beijing a day before the annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, being held in the Chinese capital.

However, this friendly prelude came ahead of probable fierce arguments between the world's two largest economies over key strategic and economic issues, including the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, analysts said.

A 400-plus United States delegation, including more than 10 ministers, arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend the two-day dialogue.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will co-chair the strategic part of the dialogue with State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Monday. Launched in 2009, the dialogue has become an important platform for communication between the two countries.

Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, said the main issues at the dialogue are likely to be nuclear security on the Korean Peninsula, preserving and enhancing the global trading system, and the South China Sea.

"Looming in the background are specific issues such as North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the rise of trade protectionist sentiment in the US  even as China's economy shows increasing vulnerability  and the Obama administration's policy of heightened US involvement in the South China Sea," he said.

Wang Fan, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University, said strategic competition between China and the US is increasing even though the two countries have made progress on military and people-to-people exchanges.
Xinjiang chief sends a message of peace ahead of Ramadan Updated: 2016-06-06 07:18 By CUI JIA(China Daily)

The top official in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region wished the area's Muslims a happy Ramadan, the holy month that started on Monday, during a visit to an Islamic center over the weekend.

"Ramadan is about peace and self-reflection, as well as dedication and self-discipline. It also makes people advocate good deeds and lend a helping hand to those less fortunate," said Zhang Chunxian, the region's top official.

He made the comments on Sunday while meeting with teachers and students at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, the only one of its kind in China that teaches in the Uygur language. Xinjiang is home to about 51 percent of China's Muslim population.

Ramadan is observed by Muslims around the world who fast for a month to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, according to Islamic beliefs. This year, the holy month runs from Monday until July 5.

While at the institute, Zhang said he hoped Muslims from Xinjiang will promote faith righteously and preach peace and tolerance so that families, neighborhoods and society can be harmonious. He also urged Islamic leaders to stand against religious extremism by setting good examples.

Last year, Zhang ate a meal with Muslims in Urumqi, the regional capital, to mark the end of Ramadan.

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food and drinking liquids. "To accommodate fasting, the 300 students at the institute will only have classes in the mornings during Ramadan," Abudulrekep Tumniaz, the institute director, said on Sunday.

A spokesman for Arman, a Halal food producer based in Urumqi, said the company expects sales of its ready meals to double during the holy month as people stock up so they can eat at home as soon as fasting is over for the day.

In southern Xinjiang's Kashgar city, Akbar Memet said he will continue to drive his taxi as usual during fasting. "The month of Ramadan is also when tourism in Kashgar begins to pick up," the 22-year-old said. "I won't miss the opportunity to make more money."

Kurbanjan Turhong, who makes traditional Uygur pottery, bought a sheep and big bag of rice a week before Ramadan. "Fasting actually can make me more concentrated when I make the pots because I won't be disturbed by lunch breaks," said the 39-year-old from Akto county, Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.
No time could be merrier than seeing two of my favorite cities - Hong Kong and San Francisco - vowing to work more closely together. The marriage of the two gateways, as they are inclined to call themselves, should enhance the China-US relationship as a whole.

A speaker's luncheon on June 3, which featured visiting Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam, was full of insight and optimism for advancing the existing mutually-beneficial Hong Kong-US ties to new highs.

In its Hong Kong Policy Report 2015, the US State Department told Congress: "Hong Kong's strong traditions of rule of law, low levels of corruption and high levels of public safety make it a preferred choice for American businesses in the region."

That preference for Hong Kong as a base for American businesses to oversee regional operations speaks loud and clear, and in many languages, of the confidence US companies and global business have in Hong Kong's enduring advantages, said Lam.

Those enduring advantages, Lam said, include a level playing field for all companies, easy access, a spirit of free enterprise, a simple and low tax system, globalized service standards and capital formation, among others.

"Hong Kong has just regained her position as the world's No 1 in terms of economic competitiveness as evaluated by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development in its World Competitiveness Yearbook 2016," Lam added.

The first stop of her nine-day US visit, Lam said San Francisco differentiates itself from Washington and New York with the many similarities it has in common with Hong Kong.

"Our two cities, after all, have much in common, from technology, housing and cultural matters to our shared delight in seafood and dim sum. Many Chinese Americans in San Francisco are actually decedents of Chinese migrants including those from Hong Kong," said Lam, adding that she had paid a courtesy call on San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee earlier in the day.

Also paying a visit to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on Friday morning and sharing thoughts with its director, Neal Benezra, Lam said Hong Kong is constructing the West Kowloon Cultural District project, which will include a park, a wide range of performing arts venues and a museum of contemporary art called M+ and will emerge as one of the world's largest art and cultural developments.

"With the opening scheduled for 2019, I am naturally interested in exploring collaboration with similar museums around the world," s

aid Lam.

American presence in Hong Kong is strong. According to the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, some 90,000 American citizens are living in Hong Kong. Nearly 1,400 American companies work out of Hong Kong. And the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, with some 1,700 members, is the largest international chamber in the city and one of the largest American chambers outside of the US.

The bilateral business relationship is also strong: America is Hong Kong's second-largest trading partner and Hong Kong is America's ninth-largest export market.

"Last year, Hong Kong bought $37 billion worth of goods made in America. In 2015, Hong Kong was the United States' seventh-largest market for agricultural products and fifth-largest market for beef and veal exports," Lam said.

California oranges and wine have long been dominating dining tables of Hong Kong citizens. "It comes as no surprise that Sunkist has long been the alternative name we have in Hong Kong for oranges," said Lam.

Since Hong Kong removed all wine duties in 2008, the total value of its US wine imports has almost tripled to around $1.4 billion last year. "American wineries continue to have a significant presence in major wine fairs in Hong Kong, namely the Vinexpo, the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair and the Wine and Dine Festival," Lam added.

"We are also a magnet of foreign capital," said Lam, adding Hong Kong was the world's second-largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2014. The US ranked sixth among top sources of investment into Hong Kong with a total of nearly $50 billion in 2014.

Inviting US companies to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative by taking advantage of Hong Kong's strengths as an international intermediary, Lam said Hong Kong brings people and business from the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world together and will do much the same for the Belt and Road, its projects and programs, as a slam-dunk.

"In our long, strong, and growing, friendship with the United States of America, I can see a rewarding future," she added.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.

(China Daily USA 06/06/2016 page2)
Behaving better beyond borders Updated: 2016-06-06 07:23 By Yang feiyue(China Daily)

Xu Tieren, who has traveled to more than 50 countries, urges Chinese travelers to behave well. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu Tieren has a compulsion.

Every time the Beijing resident uses the washroom on a plane, he cleans it if the previous user leaves a mess.

"I'm afraid people after me would think it's my doing," he says.

Xu's sensitivity towards uncivil travel behavior had developed after his own encounters with those who behave badly.

He was once at the receiving end of abusive words from jaywalking Chinese tourists when he politely suggested that they follow traffic rules in downtown Tokyo in 2007.

But an insignificant civilized move produced unexpected results. When he stuffed his cigarette butt into his portable ashtray at a Taipei restaurant, a surprised guest asked him if he came from Japan.

When Xu said he came from Beijing, the guest replied that Beijing must be a very civilized city.

World traveler

The actor trained at the Central Academy of Drama hosts a TV travel program and has visited over 50 countries.

His Sina Weibo micro blog features his travel accounts and his sense of each destination. It has received 80 million visits.

His 2012 book Traveling Around the Earth revealed details of local people's lives in various countries, such as a Canadian cleaner's happy life and a European wedding ritual.

Xu wanted the book to show his readers the world as it is.

"The meaning of travel is to feel other people's lives at close quarters, and hold dearer one's own life after coming back," Xu says.

As a veteran traveler, Xu has had his fair share of bad behavior by tourists. Some of that, he says, results from cultural differences and ignorance about subtle details.

In a supermarket in France's Nice in 2008, Xu saw four Chinese college students give a checkout clerk the cold shoulder after the worker greeted them warmly.

"I really wanted to call this to their attention, but ultimately failed to open my mouth since we didn't know each other," Xu says.

But after experiencing many bad incidents, he mustered the courage to speak out.

"At first I thought I need only to behave myself, but then I realized it's necessary to advocate for civilized travel. Travelers' conduct could affect the country's image, so I began to do it in my blog and my coffeehouse in Xidan and to people around me," he says.

Xu Tieren, who has traveled to more than 50 countries, urges Chinese travelers to behave well. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu confronted Chinese students, who spoke loudly on the phone at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Another time, he urged Chinese tourists to avoid jumping the line at buffets.

His efforts have recently earned him the honor of being named a travel ambassador by the National Tourism Administration. Xu was one of 1,000 chosen to encourage more tourists to conduct themselves courteously during their travels.

Chinese tourists made 120 million trips abroad in 2015, the NTA reports. And bad behavior by some Chinese travelers has frequently made news headlines.

The civil-ambassador campaign seeks to ensure that every tourist speaks and acts in ways that reflect the country's image and civilization.

"I felt sad every time I saw news reports about Chinese tourists' behavior," Xu says.

Leaving no trace

He has initiated a "traceless" campaign after recently seeing his Chinese compatriots obliviously video-chatting in a train carriage in Japan.

"Their bursts of laughter attracted disapproving sidelong glances from the Japanese," Xu says.

To put it simply, traceless travel means you tour a place but leave it like you've never been there, Xu explains. Good tourists leave no tracesno litter, no graffiti and no irritated locals.

The first level involves following traffic rules and not spitting, littering or leaving graffitiexpectations Xu says most Chinese respect.

The second level is not making loud noises and not smoking in public indoor spaces, including museums, trains and restaurants.

The third level, he admits, is more demanding: Cleaning a public washroom after use; sorting out garbage at a hotel; leaving a buffet table neat; staying out of the way in narrow spaces; not photographing strangers; and not disturbing an art performance by eating food or applauding at inappropriate times. Tourists should carry trash bags with them and smokers should have a portable ashtray.

"I hope more Chinese can live up to traceless travel, no matter domestically or abroad, and all the bad behavior by tourists can eventually be history," Xu says.

Xu has held sharing sessions at his coffeehouse, where people can exchange travel experiences.

The initial purpose was helping guests understand the culture of countries that they were planning to visit, but now he kicks off the sessions with a few dos and don'ts.

"I found some guests would actually clean my washroom after the session," he says with pride.

One of his pen pals told Xu that he stopped piling food on his plate at buffets ever since he read on Xu's blog that food should be taken gracefully.

One time, he heard a young girl reminding her mother to keep a certain distance when the old lady followed closely behind Xu in a customs line.

"I turned back and we both smiled at each other," Xu says.

He has strong faith that one day Chinese tourists will catch up and behave themselves.

"Japanese tourists were criticized for their uncivilized conduct by the European media 30 years ago, but now they have become some of the most civilized travelers," he says.

"I believe Chinese tourists will eventually be recognized in the same measure after our unremitting efforts."

Related:

Elegant toilet culture to boost tourism
As mainstream media to call the nomination race, Sanders demurs Updated: 2016-06-06 09:50 (Xinhua)

Democratic US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally in Cloverdale, California, US June 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - As US mainstream media were about to call the race for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on next Tuesday, Bernie Sanders, Clinton's rival in the nomination race, said otherwise.

"The media is in error when they lump superdelegates with pledged delegates," said Sanders at a press conference on Saturday in Los Angeles, California. "Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the Democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14."

Vowing to continue his fight for nomination beyond the primary season, Sanders predicted that the Democratic National Convention "will be a contested convention."

As of Saturday, Clinton led Sanders in pledged delegates count with 1,769 to 1,501, according to the latest New York Times tally.

To win the party nomination, any candidate needs 2,383 delegates in total.

While Clinton was widely viewed as unlikely to expand her pledged delegates over the threshold of 2,383 next Tuesday, when six of the remaining seven Democratic nomination races will be held, US cable news, such as CNN, had already predicted that she would clinch the nomination soon with the help of unpledged delegates, or superdelegates.

In an earlier TV program broadcasted in late May, MSNBC host Chris Matthews also revealed that major US TV networks were planning to call the Democratic primary for Clinton on June 7, hours before the close of polls in California.

"I'm told by the experts on numbers around here are NBC and elsewhere that come June... that at 8 o'clock that night, Eastern time, the networks will be prepared, including this one, to announce that Hillary Clinton had now gotten over the top, that she will have won the nomination in number, it's done," said Matthews then to Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver.
China gains consensus with ASEAN members on S China Sea Updated: 2016-06-06 14:58 By AN BAIJIE(chinadaily.com.cn)

State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Monday that China has reached consensus with several ASEAN countries during preparation work for signing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the eighth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues, Yang said that the code, an implementation of the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea (DOC), is being discussed between China and ASEAN countries.

In 2002, China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the DOC, which rules that the relevant parties should resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue and negotiation, he said.

The senior diplomat called on both China and the US to respect each other's core interests and important concerns.

"China will firmly safeguard the national sovereignty, security, esteem and territory," he said, adding that China is a firm supporter of peaceful and stable development of Asia and the Pacific region.

Contact the writer at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn.
China, US ready for climate change cooperation Updated: 2016-06-06 18:30 (Xinhua)

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BEIJING -- Senior Chinese and US officials on Monday expressed willingness to address climate change together.



The remarks were made in a special joint conference on climate change as part of the Eighth Round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues that kicked off here Monday.



Breakthroughs in negotiations of the historic Paris agreement on climate change, adopted without objection in December, were attributed to effective China-US cooperation, according to Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.



Successful cooperation between China and the United States on climate change demonstrated that the two countries can win major achievements to benefit both themselves and the whole world, said Wang.



China has set its peak carbon emissions target for around 2030. The country also pledged 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion US dollars) to establish a fund for developing countries to jointly tackle climate change.



Wang said he hopes developed countries will honor their commitments to give 100 billion US dollars to developing countries annually before 2020,realize emission reduction targets, and transfer environmentally friendly technology to developing countries.



China and the United States should expand cooperation on energy conservation and emissions reductions, clean energy, smart power grids, green ports and low-carbon cities, said Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.



The United States and China should make joint efforts to push the Paris agreement to become effective as early as possible, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry said he expects stronger leadership from the two countries in shifting away from intensive, high-polluting energy consumption.
Merkel starts China visit on Sunday Updated: 2016-06-06 19:46 By Wang Qingyun(chinadaily.com.cn)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China on Sunday for a round of consultations between the two countries' governments, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei announced on Monday.

Merkel, on an official visit until June 14, will co-host with Premier Li Keqiang the fourth round of the China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations, Hong said.

More than 20 ministerial-level or deputy-ministerial level officials from both countries will take part in the consultations to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields for the next phase, the spokesman said.

Merkel will meet in Beijing with President Xi Jinping and National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang. She will also visit Shenyang, the capital city of Northeast China's Liaoning province.

This will be the ninth visit to China by Merkel as chancellor, after German President Joachim Gauck visited China in March.

The China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations were first held in Berlin in 2011, co-hosted by Merkel and the then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. There have been three rounds of such consultations.

Hong, the spokesman, said the intergovernmental consultations are "the most important platform" to plan, push forward and coordinate bilateral cooperation.

While China is this year's G20 president, Germany will be the president of the group for the next year.

Hong said the two countries have been keeping in close communication and cooperating well with each other, and are coordinating and cooperating more closely in international and regional affairs.

"Strengthen bilateral cooperation is in line with the two countries' fundamental interests as well as helpful to the development of China-EU relations," he said, adding that China will take the consultations as an opportunity to promote new development in bilateral pragmatic cooperation.
Four more African nations, AU's top official back China's stance Updated: 2016-06-06 19:50 By Wang Qingyun(chinadaily.com.cn)

Another four African countries together with deputy chairperson of the African Union (AU) voiced their support to China's stance on the South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The latest support came from Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Comoros as well as the African Union's deputy chairperson, whose expressions are "in line with the fact of the South China Sea issue" and "represent fair and just voices of the international community", according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Hong said China "highly appreciates" such expressions.

The South China Sea issue has been a hot topic as the arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines over its disputes with China in the region is expected to have a ruling soon.

"More and more countries expressed their understanding and support to China's stance on the South China Sea issue, and support China and relevant countries in solving the South China Sea disputes according to bilateral agreements and regional consensus and through negotiation and consultation," Hong said.

Hong also urged relevant countries to abide by such agreements and consensus and "come back to the right path of solving the South China Sea issue through negotiation and consultation".
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HA NOI  Ha Noi is calling on colossal investment of about VN2.6 quadrillion (US$115.5 billion) over the next five years as the first step in transforming itself into the second Singapore, announced top officials.

The figure was made public in the first and biggest conference on the citys investment and development vision held on Saturday. The conference attracted some 600 participants including Government officials, domestic and foreign enterprise representatives as well as heads of international organisations and economic experts.

The conference was held barely three months after new top leaders in Ha Noi came into office.

Such a large figure of investment will largely depend on the private and the FDI sectors  as much as 80 per cent  while the city budget will only focus on frame infrastructure projects or projects in fields that are exclusively under State control like security or national defence, said Ha Noi Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen uc Chung.

The city especially appreciates and calls on investment from the private sector under multiple models, Chung said.

Infrastructure  one of the 1000-year-old capitals key investment directions  will get a gigantic amount of money poured into various fields ranging from roads and the drainage network to the power grid and telecommunications in the next five years and is expected to continue on at least until 2050, according to the Ha Noi urban master plan.

Ha Noi, for the first time, has had its most detailed urban master plan to 2030 with a vision stretching to 2050, in which a city centre and five satellite towns will be fully connected and provide support to each other for collective growth and development.

The city has so far listed 52 projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model calling out for investment in the next five years and another 43 projects to be funded by the private sector. They were estimated at VN338.7 trillion ($15 billion) and VN372.2 trillion ($16.5 billion) respectively.

There have been 70 investors lined up to invest in those projects, Chung said.

Financial hub

Ha Noi is setting its eyes on transforming itself into a global financial hub like Hong Kong and Singapore after 2030, said Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at the conference.

Dung also predicted the capital to become a mega city in less than 20 years due to the current high urbanisation speed and a constant increase of the city population.

The number of city inhabitants was projected to hit about nine million by 2030, a 40 per cent increase from 6.5 million back in 2009.

Such urban population density has forced Ha Noi to divert its development focus from the city centre to its edges in order to reduce traffic jams and alleviate pressures on the centres infrastructure, he said.

Edge-oriented development with five satellite towns will also open the door for investors in infrastructure, transport and real estate sectors, he said.

Yet the minister called on the capital to act more on administrative and investment reforms so that it could pump the financial blood to Ha Nois enterprises as well as the whole country.

We have to make Ha Noi a financial hub shoulder-to-shoulder with Hong Kong and Singapore, he said.

Challenges

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc supported the rising role of the private sector in the market, showing more determination in minimising the State-owned enterprises economic involvement.

What the market does better, let the market do, he said at the conference.

The Government instead should focus more on building institutions and restrict intervention into the economic activities by administrative means.

As Viet Nam approaches the status of a middle-income country, its access to grants and official development assistance (ODA) loans are gradually declining, said the ADB Country Director for Viet Nam Eric Sidgwick.

Borrowing pressures have begun to mount and public debt has been approaching the limits of sustainability, he said.

The public debt issue has triggered heated debates in the country when it climbed to 62.2 per cent of GDP last year. Though yet to cross the red line of 65 per cent set by the National Assembly, Viet Nams public debt still tops other ASEAN nations and will likely be the only country in the bloc to reach 68 per cent by 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In times of such funding difficulties, Sidgwick said that the private sectors investment should be a solution, especially the PPP model.

However, a clear and transparent procurement process for investor selection is needed to give investors confidence and opportunities to reduce the costs and associated risks, he said.

United States Embassy to Viet Nam Charge dAffaires ad interim Susan M. Sutton, meanwhile, pointed out that doing business in Ha Noi can be difficult.

Transparency issues; long and convoluted licensing procedures; and confusing and constantly changing regulations raise the pain level too high for US investors, she said.

Ha Noi Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Assciation Chairman o Quang Hien also complained about the hurdles one has to face just to register for a business.

The residents have to queue up to get a number from 6am and all the numbers will have run out by 8 or 9, he said.

Ha Noi should open more registration places or start e-registration to meet the rising demands of more and more enterprises setting up in the future, Hien said, especially when the city itself is aiming to have more than 200,000 new enterprises by 2020.  VNS
HA NOI  A solo exhibition entitled Mong ao  Lac buoc giua hai the gioi (Dreams: Dancing between Two Worlds) of visual, graphic artist Tran Quynh will be held in Ha Noi.

In this latest exhibition, to be held at Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza, 28 Tran Binh Street, My inh urban zone 2, from June 12 to 30, Quynh will introduce large imprinted copy made in the form of her graphic paintings and space arrangement.

The printed copies are made with different techniques and manipulations such as painting, mono-printing, wood craving, and screen printing on big size pieces of paper.

The modern technology of colour overlapping used in her printing has allowed her the ability to generalise the objects and stories formed via timeline and big landscape.

Quynhs artistic works are inspired by the collision of her private psychological state in real life, mostly created by the time she has resided and travelled between Viet Nam and the United States. They are also, according to her, two spaces, times, and two completely different cultures and social structures.

My works turn vague, indescribable experiences into the art of visuals. As a Vietnamese woman who is living and working in the US, I am always trying to affirm my ego, while harmonising the difference of cultures between these two societies. I frequently feel that I am in the mood between two different places, and my mind travels in two worlds, Quynh said.

During the time of exhibition, Quynh will introduce a workshop of phoi chat (collagraph) printing, a technique used on the surface of hard material, make use of adhesive material to connect various kinds of objects such as plastic, paper, silk, metal in order to create overlapping, hidden and rising layers of pattern.

Quynh is a visual, graphic and communication artist who comes from Nevada, the US. She has earned her B.F.A (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Printmaking & Bachelor of Arts in Advertising at the University of North Texas and is pursuing her Master of Fines Art (M.F.A) in Studio Arts  Concentration in Printmaking & Book Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Being active as a professional artist since 2012, Quynh has taken part in many exhibitions and artistic display at Texas, Nevada, Wisconsin and Iowa. Her works are kept in many collections of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Tennessee, Portland, and Pacific Northwest.

She has received sponsors and awards from Nevada, North Texas Institute of Arts for her productions and lecturing activities. She has also received the award for foreign students, bestowed by University of Nevada in 2015, and is a member of organisations such as College Book Art Association, Southern Graphics Council International and Ink Head UNR Printmaking Club.  VNS
HA NOI -- A new book featuring Viet Nams 75 most outstanding contemporary artists will be published in November, as part of AIA Vietnam Eye, a celebration of Vietnamese contemporary art.

The book is expected to be an encyclopedia of Vietnamese contemporary art.

Alongside information on each artist, it will include essays on Vietnamese contemporary art, offering an in-depth look at the countrys artists.

Two local advisors - Tran Luong and Vi Kien Thanh, director of the Department for Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition of the Ministry of Culture, will assist the curators in this project.

The book will be edited by Serenella Ciclitira, co-founder of the non-profit organisation Parallel Contemporary Art. Ciclitira has is an art history graduate from Trinity College, Dublin and has worked with artists and galleries throughout the world.

AIA Vietnam Eye will also feature a two-month exhibition of Vietnamese artists contemporary work in Ha Noi from November 2016 to January 2017, along with educational forums and workshops featuring artist presentations in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Following the exhibition in Ha Noi, 23 selected contemporary artists will exhibit at one of Londons most prestigious spotlights on emerging artists and new art scenes, START art fair at Saatchi Gallery in September 2017.

In the very complex cultural & political Vietnamese environment, artists are exploring issues of identity, of personal and collective memories, of socio-political and cultural changes relying on the power of visual art to communicate locally and we hope through AIA Vietnam Eye also with a wider global audience, said Ciclitira.

AIA Vietnam Eye is the eighth project in the Global Eye Programme. This programme was established in 2009 by David and Serenella Ciclitira in order to nurture artistic talents across Asias emerging art scenes.

Viet Nam has developed rapidly in the last ten years with a new generation of contemporary artists who balance cultural and social issues with a contemporary outlook.

It is a nice coincidence that AIA Vietnam Eye happens at the same time as the country celebrates 30 years of renewal (oi moi). The art of Viet Nam has undergone a difficult but no less interesting journey through those 30 years as the country integrates to the world.

Learning has never been easy, and it is worth looking back as much as looking forward as generations of artists in and from this land evolve, said Minh o, founder of SOI (Viet Nams pioneering information portal focusing on fine arts), one of the curators of the exhibition.

The book and the exhibition are expected to offer an overview of one of the newest and most exciting scenes in the global art world.

The event is organised by the non-profit organization Parallel Contemporary Art in collaboration with AIA Viet Nam Life Insurance Co Ltd (member of AIA group).

The initiative is supported by the British Council, the British Ambassador to Viet Nam Gilles Lever and the Italian Ambassador to Viet Nam Cecilia Piccioni. -- VNS
BAGHDAD  Iraqi forces discovered a mass grave on Sunday after retaking an area from the Islamic State group near Fallujah, where the jihadists are using thousands of civilians as human shields.

Growing numbers of families reaching camps south of Fallujah told horrific accounts of how IS shot at them as they fled, but there was still no escape for the tens of thousands believed trapped in the city centre.

In Saqlawiya, northwest of Fallujah, Iraqi forces found a burial site thought to contain the bodies of around 400 people, most of them soldiers executed by IS in 2014 and 2015.

"The security forces of the federal police, the army and the Hashed al-Shaabi found a mass grave in the Shuhada neighbourhood during a mine clearing operation," a police colonel said.

He said most of the victims, whose remains were being transferred for identification, appeared to have been shot in the head.

"The mass grave also includes civilians executed by Daesh (IS) on various charges such as spying or breaking the organisations rules," said Rajeh Barakat, a member of the provincial council of Anbar, where Fallujah is located.

Iraqi forces launched a vast operation on May 22-23 to retake Fallujah, which lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of the jihadists most emblematic bastions.

The first phase of the operation was aimed at sealing the siege on the city by cutting the jihadist groups supply lines in outlying areas, including in Saqlawiya.  AFP
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with ethnic residents in Trong uc Distict, Central Highlands Lam ong Province yesterday.  Photo nhandan.com.vn

LAM ONG  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday presented Decision 1528/Q-TTg, that provides some specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Central Highlands Lam ong Province, especially a Lat city, to the provincial administration.

Under the PMs decision, the province will be permitted to apply some special mechanisms and policies for developing various aspects of a Lat city and its vicinity, such as real estate business, satellite cities, public transport, tourism sites, a biotechnology and hi-tech agriculture zone, and a concentrated IT zone.

Accordingly, the Lam ong Peoples Committee can allow property investors (except for those in ecological and leisure tourism projects) who have completed infrastructure construction, to transfer their projects to other investors for building housing or other structures approved by authorised agencies.

The Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee can ask the PM to decide on exempting the land rent for projects on building a national tourism site and a key tourism site in a Lat.

Taxes on imported materials and equipment for building hi-tech greenhouses and net houses serving vegetable and flower production can also be exempted for five years if those materials and equipment cannot be sourced domestically. Lam ong province is also permitted to build a green village on a trial basis in a Lat city. The green village will include a hi-tech agricultural production area along with housing and public facilities. Agritourism will be developed there. The village will be designed to preserve biodiversity, natural landscapes and local culture while reducing greenhouse gas emission and using renewable energy.

At the decision announcement ceremony in a Lat, PM Phuc said the decision aims to create optimal conditions for Lam ong to capitalise on its natural potential, especially in tourism and agriculture. He told local authorities to prioritise tourism and hi-tech agriculture, adding that brands should be built for each hotel and tourism site, along with hi-tech farm products to boost exports.

While the provinces administration needs to overhaul its apparatus and business climate, businesses must comply with laws during their operations there to help a Lat and Lam ong grow.

Later the same day, the Government leader visited the a Lat Ground Force Academy and some policy beneficiaries.

On Saturday, PM Phuc had a working session with provincial officials to assess local socio-economic development. In the context of the countrys deeper global integration, he urged the province to be more active in building and implementing socio-economic development measures.

He suggested that the province support business development and improve the business environment, striving to make Lam ong one of the main business development centres in the country.

He instructed the province to continue speeding up the restructuring process and equitisation of State-owned businesses and handle social issues.

On the occasion, the leader also visited ethnic minority people in NThol Ha Commune, uc Trong District.

Lam ong has a population of nearly 1.3 million from 43 ethnic groups. It welcomed five million tourists in 2015. The province has posted an annual per capita GDP of VN45.5 million (over US$2,000) during the last five years, almost equalling the national average. It expects the figure to be between VN70 million73 million ($3,100  3,200) in 2020 and low-income households reduced by 1.5  2 per cent annually.  VNS
The southern province of Tay Ninh needs good strategies to fully tap its potential for socio-economic development, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said during his two-day working trip to the locality which ended yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

TAY NINH  The southern province of Tay Ninh needs good strategies to fully tap its potential for socio-economic development, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said during his two-day working trip to the locality which ended yesterday.

With 240km of border with Cambodia and Moc Bai and Xa Mat international border gates, Tay Ninh holds a strategic position for the national economy, defence-security and diplomacy, he stressed.

The favourable topography and transport network enable Tay Ninh to develop agriculture, industry, services, tourism and external economy, he said, urging the province to focus on these sectors.

As a gateway to the south-western part of the country, Tay Ninh should promote external affairs and maintain security in the border areas as well as build border lines of peace, friendship and co-operation, take good care of Vietnamese returning from Cambodia, and create optimal conditions for Vietnamese firms in Cambodia.

The province needs to raise the efficiency of mass mobilisation work, he said.

Equally important is developing high-quality human resources, the Party chief said, highlighting this as one of three strategic breakthroughs in addition to improving institutions and mordernising socio-economic infrastructure.

He hailed Tay Ninh for realising the Resolution adopted at the 11th Central Committees fourth plenum on Party-building.

He also agreed on local proposals to create stronger regional connectivity, improve transport infrastructure and facilitate business operation.

Tay Ninh recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 11.1 per cent in the first five months of 2016 and collected more than VN2.8 trillion (US$126 million) for the State budget, a year-on-year rise of 10.9 per cent.

The per capita average income is estimated at $2,600. The ratio of impoverished households was reduced to 4.32 per cent in comparison to the countrys average level  6.75 per cent.  VNS
Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh called on nations to increase cooperation to settle differences and prevent conflicts while delivering a speech at the fourth plenary session of the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue concluded in Singapore yesterday. Photo thanhnien.vn

SINGAPORE  Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh called on nations to increase cooperation to settle differences and prevent conflicts while delivering a speech at the fourth plenary session of the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue concluded in Singapore yesterday.

He said the regional security is threatened by terrorism, nuclear proliferation, territorial and border disputes, marine security, and other growing non-traditional security challenges. In that context, it is necessary to enhance multinational collaboration, build mutual trust, respect for legitimate rights, and achieve common viewpoints and interests to jointly address disputes, he said.

According to Senior Lieutenant General Vinh, either cooperation or competition, the involved parties must respect the principle of equality and international law, regarding them as the standards to peacefully resolve disputes and minimise the escalation of conflict, without use forces or threat to use forces.

The Shangri-La Dialogue as well as other important security forums offers a brilliant opportunity for countries to seek measures to settle disputes to maintain peace, stability in the region and the world, he said, highlighting the central role of ASEAN in the field.

Regarding tensions in the South China Sea (call East Sea by Viet Nam), Gen Vinh reiterated Viet Nams standpoint to resolutely defend the countrys independence and sovereignty. The countrys core principle is maximising cooperation and competition for development as well as dispute settlement, he said.

He added that Viet Nam has the policy to strengthen cooperation with China and other countries to build and consolidate trust while constructively engaging in frank debates to search for common strategic interests.

A senior Chinese defence official yesterday slammed the United States for double standards and irresponsible behaviour on the South China Sea dispute and scolded the Philippines for taking the spat to an UN arbitration court, saying that China "does not fear trouble" when it comes to upholding its sovereignty.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of Chinas Central Military Commission, told some 600 delegates including defence ministers, scholars and business executives gathered in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum.

"China will not bear with the [UN] arbitration award nor allow any infringements of [its] sovereignty and security interests or stay indifferent to the irresponsible behaviour of some countries in or around the South China Sea," he added, without naming any country.

The US military has conducted several freedom of navigation operations in which it sends a ship or plane to pass by a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea as a way of showing it rejects Beijings claims of sovereignty.

Admiral Suns comments came a day after US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who is also participating in the three-day forum, urged China to join a "principled security network" in the Asia-Pacific region and stop erecting a "Great Wall of self-isolation" in the South China Sea.

Tension is rising over Chinas reclamation works on disputed reefs in the South China Sea. China claims some 80 per cent of the waterway, which hosts a vital global shipping route, while the Philippines, Viet Nam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims.

Manila has taken Chinas claim to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague but Beijing has said repeatedly it will not participate in the process nor recognise the ruling.

On Saturday, Carter had signalled that the US will stand with the Philippines as well as Viet Nam to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

The US military has conducted several freedom of navigation operations in which the ship or plane passed by a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea, much to Beijings displeasure.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the European Union had a stake in maintaining freedom of shipping and navigation in the South China Sea, and said he would speak to his counterparts on the issue.

He said the South China Sea issue "directly concerns" France and other EU members not only because of their economic interest in maintaining freedom of navigation, but also because of their belief in "firmness when the rule of law is violated".

Japan is increasingly concerned about Chinas unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the South China Sea, Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said on Saturday, stating no country can be an "outsider" when it comes to regional stability.

It was the Japanese governments clearest criticism of Chinas actions in the South China Sea, and came despite some recent improvements in the often-testy bilateral relationship.

In his speech at Asias annual premier security forum, Nakatani said he was "deeply concerned" over massive and rapid reclamation works, as well as the construction of outposts used for military purposes in some parts of the disputed sea.

"Such unilateral attempts to alter the status quo and consolidate such changes as faits accomplis considerably deviate from the maritime order based on the principles of the international community," he said.

Nakatani said those actions represent a "challenge" to the current rule-based global order.

"The peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region underpin the prosperity of the whole international community, not just that of the region," he said. "Therefore, no country can be an outsider on the issue."

Cooperation to fight ISIS

Calling the fight against ISIS one of our greatest challenges today, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein noted that the terror outfit cannot be defeated using a piecemeal approach or knee-jerk reactions.

Southeast Asian defence ministers on Saturday called for greater cooperation and action among countries to dismantle the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) terrorist group and the persistent threat it poses to global security.

Calling the fight against ISIS one of our greatest challenges today, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein noted that the terror outfit cannot be defeated using a piecemeal approach or knee-jerk reactions.

We need a different strategy, a more tailored approach that moves past outmoded forms of conventional warfare, Hishammuddin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called on countries in the region to make a more serious and concerted effort to defeat ISIS.

Military operations to destroy the groups logistic and financial strength is a right action to weaken the central gravity of ISIS, but that alone is not enough, said Ryacudu.

We can draw a conclusion that we face not only terrorism on the huge, international scale, but also that formed by... individuals and small groups from many countries, said Ryacudu.  Agencies

Japan, Britain to help ASEAN upgrade maritime capabilities

SINGAPORE - Japan and Britain agreed yesterday to launch talks between their senior defence officials on programmes aimed at helping Southeast Asian countries upgrade their maritime capabilities.

The agreement to start the consultations by the end of this month in London was reached between Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart Michael Fallon on the sidelines of a major security forum in Singapore.

The support they have in mind for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is measures to upgrade their capacity in the areas of security and disaster response, according to Japanese officials.

Nakatani and Fallon agreed that the two countries will keep sharing views on the situation in the South China Sea, where tensions have remained high for several years as China becomes more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims, the officials said.  KYODO
The government of HCM City on Friday signed a US$450-million contract with a private company for a project to prevent tidal flooding in a 570-sq km area of the city. Photo chinhphu.vn

HCM CITY  The government of HCM City on Friday signed a US$450-million contract with a private company for a project to prevent tidal flooding in a 570-sq km area of the city.

The aim is to prevent flooding in an area where 6.5 million people live in the inner city and along the bank of the Sai Gon River.

With the first phase of the Build  Operate project, Trung Nam Group will focus on building six large sluice gates as well as embankments, drains and three pumping stations.

The developer will handle construction work at its own expense in exchange for rights to the land for its other projects.

The targeted districts are 1, 4, 7, 8, Nha Be and Binh Chanh.

The sluice gates are also expected to regulate the water level in canals to improve drainage capacity, taking into account climate-change factors, according to the company.

The project will build a dyke section along the Sai Gon River from the Vam Thuat River to the Kinh River, and 25 small sluices from the Vam Thuat River to the Muong Chuoi River.

The project will ensure the normal operation of boats.

The project, funded by the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) and invested under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, will be implemented late this month and completed in 36 months.

At a meeting early this year, the municipal authority announced that it would earmark more than VN156 trillion ($6.85 billion) for anti-flooding projects over the next five years.  VNS
A NANG  The corpses of three missing people, including two children, from a boat that capsized in the Han River in the central city of a Nang on Saturday were found at about 5pm yesterday.

Pham Tan Cuong, 46, from the northern province of Binh inh, was found on Nguyen Tat Thanh coastal street, 8km from where the boat sank, in Thanh Khe District, chairman of the municipal peoples committee, Huynh uc Tho confirmed.

Rescue forces found the corpse of 4-year-old Trinh Huy Hoang near a coastal street in Thanh Khe District, around 8km from the Han River, and his sister, 7-year-old Trinh Thi Phuong, was found 800m from the accident site. Both children were from northern Thai Nguyen Province.

More than 1,000 rescue workers, soldiers, divers and fishermen assisted in the search for the missing passengers from Saturday night.

A report issued yesterday morning said 53 tourists, as well as a seaman on the boat, were rescued. Six victims have since been released following treatment from hospital, but 16 victims  including 11 children between 3 and 11 years old  are still being treated at the citys general hospital and Obstetrics and Pediatrics hospital.

Speaking at the Han River port yesterday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised the efforts of the central citys Peoples Committee, rescue forces and local fishermen, in their efforts to rescue and search for victims.

The Prime Minister described the accident as the most serious violation of waterway traffic, resulting in injuries and property losses.

He asked the city to provide support for the victims families and do more in its investigation to determine the cause of the accident and then to prosecute the case.

Its a very serious accident and violation of waterway traffic. The boat was operating without permission, and the owner intentionally carried double the number of passengers and overloaded its capacity, Phuc said.

He asked for strict control and management in waterway transport and cruises throughout the country to assure safe conditions for boat services and rescue equipment aboard cruise ships.

The local authorites banned all cruise trips on the Han River from yesterday.

The boat, which carried 56 passengers, capsized 15 minutes after leaving the Han River Port for a night cruise around 8.30pm on Saturday.

According to the citys report, the boat did not have permission to offer tours on the Han River. Also, most passengers were not wearing life-jackets aboard the boat. It also left the port without receiving permission from the citys port authority, the report added.

The boat, which was modified from a fishing vessel to a cruise boat, intentionally transported 50 passengers, while it was registered to carry only 28, said officials.

According to the citys transport department, the boat was allowed 12 tourists on its upper deck and 25 on the lower deck. However, nearly 50 tourists, mostly from the northern provinces and Ha Noi, crowded the upper deck when the boat left the port.

Meanwhile, Le Cong Chi, the boats pilot, was arrested on Saturday by the citys Border Guard Force, pending further investigation.

Chairman of the citys Peoples Committee Huynh uc Tho described the capsizing as the worst seaway accident in the citys history.

Also, Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Khuat Viet Hung, praised the efforts of rescue forces and the city in saving victims of the boat accident.

He said the search and rescue activities were well organised among rescue forces and included special military forces, traffic police, border guards, the port service agency and fishermen.

Their efforts resulted in saving the lives of 53 people.

The city has since released an official list of the tourists onboard the boat.  VNS
HCM Citys Party Committee Secretary inh La Thang has asked the privately owned Hoa Sen University to meet regulations to become a non-profit, private university and submit official documentation to the Ministry of Education and Training.  Photo giaoduc.net.vn

HCM CITY  HCM Citys Party Committee Secretary inh La Thang has asked the privately owned Hoa Sen University to meet regulations to become a non-profit, private university and submit official documentation to the Ministry of Education and Training.

In a working meeting with the university leadership on May 25, Thang said that official non-profit status would have to be approved by the ministry and the Prime Minister.

Thang met with university leaders to discuss the issue with Hoa Sen rector Bui Tran Phuong and the schools shareholders and board of directors.

Thang, who supports non-profit status for the university, praised the school for its training of high-quality human resources for the city.

The university has been operating with a non-profit orientation since it was set up in 2006, when the Prime Minister officially established Hoa Sen as a private university.

In October 2015, the Ministry of Education and Training, following a request by the HCM Citys Department of Education and Training about Hoa Sen Universitys status, affirmed that the university was a private education institution.

To convert to a non-profit, private university, the ministry said that it must comply with procedures required under a regulation about universities issued by the Prime Minister in December 2014.

Thang said that relevant agencies would offer advice to the citys Peoples Committee about the universitys new board of directors, which have not been approved by the citys Department of Education and Training.

In late May, the department told the Peoples Committee that it had not accepted the universitys board members for various reasons, including disputes about the universitys shareholders and their stake in the school.  VNS
Serbia's defeated Britain's Andy Murray in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros to win his 13th Grand slam. With this victory, Djokovic won his maiden Roland Garros crown and also completed his career Grand slam dream.
Prime Minister arrived here today on the third leg of his five-nation tour during which he will hold talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Modi, who visited Afghanistan on Saturday, arrived here after his two-day visit to Qatar during which he held talks with the leadership there on a host of issues.

"Bon Soir Geneve! A late night arrival in the picturesque Swiss city marks beginning of third leg of PM's journey," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.

"I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he had said.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said India has already been in touch with the Swiss government under the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) mandate and added that India hoped "to engage as early as possible in the automatic exchange of information with Switzerland".

Modi is also likely to seek Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping.

The discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in.

From here, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico before returning to India.
After holding bilateral talks with Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann, Prime Minister on Monday left for the US on the fourth leg of his five-nation tour.

"Au Revoir Geneve! In under half a day, PM completes visit and emplanes for Washington DC," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Modi and Schneider-Ammann headed delegation level talks during which the issues of black money and India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) figured.

Switzerland extended support for India's membership in the group.

Modi also held a meeting with Swiss business leaders and invited them to invest in India.

Modi is going to the US at an invitation of the President Barack Obama.

On Monday, after reaching Washington, Modi will visit the Arlington National Cemetery and lay a wreath.

He will also attend a meeting of heads of US think tanks and a function at which some rare Indian artefacts will be repatriated.

On Tuesday, Obama will host Modi for a lunch at the White House after which the Prime Minister will attend a meeting of US business leaders and address the US-India Business Council.

The highlight of Modi's visit will be his address to a joint sitting of the US Congress on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, he will leave for Mexico on the fifth and final leg of his five-nation tour.

Prior to Switzerland, Prime Minister Modi visited Afghanistan and Qatar.
In a step forward, Cyprus has said it is very close to revising the bilateral tax treaty with India as the island nation has accepted in principle proposals made by the Indian side on taxing capital gains.

Cyprus, a source of significant foreign fund flows into the country, said rising importance of India, both as the largest emerging economy and a major security player in the new geopolitical chess game, necessitated a serious re-appraisal and upgrading of the bilateral relationship.

As part of larger efforts to curb illicit fund flows, Indian government has been working on revising tax treaties with various countries, including Cyprus and Singapore. Last month, India announced revising taxation agreement with Mauritius  a major source of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)  that would allow levy of capital gains tax on investments coming from that nation.

Cyprus and India are very close to concluding a revised Double Taxation Agreement. The Cyprus authorities have expressed their readiness to the Indian authorities to finalise the revised agreement. After final and formal approval by both sides, the new agreement will be ready for finalisation, signing and entry into force, a Cyprus government official told PTI.

Responding to a query on whether both sides have been able to resolve pending issues related to taxation, the official said, the Cyprus authorities have accepted the main proposals submitted by the Indian side, as an indication of good faith.

The few pending issues, including on source-based taxation of capital gains from alienation of shares, have been accepted by both sides, in principle. Therefore, they are expected to be formally agreed upon soon, the Cyprus foreign ministry official said in e-mailed responses.

Expressing hope on finalising amendments to the tax treaty with India in the next few months, the official also said bilateral ties have been on a new and ambitious trajectory since the new government came to power at the Centre in May 2014.

Last month, a senior Indian government official said India hopes to revise tax treaty with Cyprus in line with Mauritius by the year-end.

From April 2000 till March 2016, India received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) worth Rs 42,680.76 crore from Cyprus, as per latest data available with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

According to the Cyprus official, the island nation has sent to the Indian authorities their acceptance regarding Article 13.

Under the double taxation convention between the two countries, Article 13 pertains to technical fee -- payments made to any person who is not an employee of the entity making the payments.

"Conclusion and finalisation of those amendments should be achieved in the next few months, at the latest, with a view to signing the revised double taxation agreement," the official noted.

The official noted that new partnerships in economic sectors, energy and renewables, agriculture as well as defence cooperation, "including maritime security, intelligence exchange and counter-terrorism, are in the order - all of which have significant economic benefits, over and above the political and security advantages for each side".

In this regard, the Joint Economic Committee would be meeting on June 8 in order to elevate the relationship to a modern economic plateau, actively pursuing partnerships and promoting mutually beneficial investments, the official added.

India and Cyprus have long standing ties dating back to the 1950s.

Noting that India has been a reliable and consistent partner of Cyprus, the official said co-operation on issues of common interest is ongoing in the context of international organisations, notably at the United Nations and the Commonwealth.

"Third, in bilateral relations, there is much at stake through the conclusion of a number of important bilateral agreements (Air Services, Merchant Shipping, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Social Security, Transfer of Prisoners, Cooperation in Legal Matters), not least because of the significant economic benefits for both sides," the official said.
Oilmeals exports have declined 94 per cent to 7,737 tonnes in May, due to lower availability of oilseeds and higher prices in the domestic market.

India had exported 121,000 tonnes of oil meal in the same period last year, industry body Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) said.

"The overall export of oilmeals during April -May 2016 is reported at 97,779 tonnes compared to 3,03,977 tonnes during the same period of last year, down by 68 per cent due to lesser availability of oilseeds for crushing and continuous disparity in exporting oilmeals in the international market," SEA said.

South Korea, Iran and Thailand are the major importers of oilmeal from India.

Oilmeal export to South Korea has declined by 74 per cent to 47,202 tonnes in the first two months of the current financial year from 1.79 lakh tonnes in the year ago period.

Oil meal is mainly used as feed for the livestock.
Whats the point? Taylor reveals budgets two obvious broken promises The Shadow treasurer called Labor's federal budget as Jim Chalmers' "vanity project", arguing it did nothing to offer cost of living relief to struggling Australian families.

Albanese dismisses failing on key election promise The Prime Minister refused to admit his government may have failed a key election promise after Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down a grim energy price outlook in Labors first budget in office.

Revealed: Biggest winners and losers from Labors budget Major economic pressures and soaring inflation have underlined Labor's first federal budget in a decade, with the government delivering on several pre-election promises. SEE HOW YOU FARE.

Labors budget to make Australia more influential in congested world The Albanese Government will increase its aid to the Pacific region in a bid to form closer ties to island nations where China has grown its influence in recent years.
IOWA CITY (AP)  A man convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman in a Coralville mall has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

A judge on Monday handed over the sentence for 23-year Alexander Kozak.

A jury in April found Kozak guilty of killing 20-year-old Andrea Farrington at the Coral Ridge Mall on June 12, 2015.

Prosecutors said Farrington was shot in the back three times while working at an Iowa Children's Museum information kiosk. Police say Kozak, who worked as a mall security guard, told officers he "snapped" after Farrington texted him to say she was breaking off their relationship.

The defense didn't dispute that Kozak killed Farrington but argued his level of responsibility was diminished.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man who said he should have been granted an interpreter wont receive a new trial for killing a Minnesota man in a nightclub parking lot in 2014.

Rodolfo Gonzalez Pena, 37, was convicted of first-degree murder during a May 2015 trial in connection with the death of Celio Posada outside the El Senior Tequila.

Authorities said Gonzalez shot Posada once in the chest and then followed him to where Posada slumped beside a parked vehicle before delivering an execution-style shot to his head at close range. Gonzalez claimed he acted in self-defense after Posada threatened him with a knife.

Following his conviction, Gonzalez, a citizen of Mexico living in the United States since 2004, said he should have been given a Spanish interpreter at trial  despite telling his defense attorney and the prosecutor in open court he didnt need one and then taking the stand and testifying in his own defense.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Kellyann Lekar denied Gonzalezs motion for a new trial, saying he had sufficient English skills to go to trial without an interpreter. She noted videos of Gonzalezs interviews with police investigators, audiotapes of conversations with acquaintances and written letters show he can communicate in English.

Lekar also turned down Gonzalezs argument his defense attorney was ineffective because he didnt deliver an opening statement at the beginning of the trial. The attorneys decision was a strategic one to avoid telegraphing to prosecutors how the defense planned to proceed.

The case will proceed to sentencing at a later date, and Gonzalez faces a mandatory life prison sentence.
DES MOINES  The closure of a vacant 15-bed mental health unit at the state psychiatric hospital in Independence was months in the making, Gov. Terry Branstad insisted Monday.

Democratic state lawmakers and labor leaders have expressed their disappointment with the closure of the Psychiatric Medical Institution for Children unit at the Independence Mental Health Institute, announced late last week.

Branstad said Monday the closure was made based on a recommendation by an advisory board within the states Department of Human Services.

The Human Services Council recommended there was not a need to continue this unit. And the Legislature did not provide any funding for it. So this was something to be expected, Branstad said during his weekly meeting with Iowa reporters.

No patients had been served in the unit since July, and the state department did not request funding for the unit this year, a department spokesman said.

The unit had been funded by a mixture of state and federal dollars.

There are more than 475 psychiatric beds for similar treatment, the department said.

(The advisory boards) recommendation was theres not a need to continue to fund this because there are 400 beds in the nonprofit and private sector that provide these same services, Branstad said. When this unit was started  we didnt have those private-sector beds, those nonprofit beds. What we do today, (mental health patients) are closer to home. We believe that (private and nonprofit providers) can better provide the service.

In a statement issued by Statehouse Democrats, Brian Schoenjahn, a Democrat who represents Independence in the Iowa Senate, said he was surprised and disappointed by the closure of the unit. Schoenjahn alleged in the statement the unit was vacant only because the state in recent months stopped admitting patients.

Because of Gov. Branstads unilateral decision to close this unit of the Independence Mental Health Institute, Iowa children and their families will suffer, Schoenjahns statement said. There will be fewer options and fewer Iowa caregivers for Iowa children in need of mental health care.

Branstad disputed the characterization of the closure as a unilateral decision, noting lawmakers did not designate funding for the unit.

He said the decision is consistent with his administrations goal of providing mental health care in private and community-based settings instead of state-run institutions. In 2015, Branstad closed state-run mental health institutions in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda.

Its part of the overall change thats going on in a way we deliver mental health, Branstad said Monday. With the mental health redesign, were providing these services closer to home and in more settings at companies like Four Oaks and Tanager Place (both in Cedar Rapids) that do provide these services (keeping patients) much closer to home than having to go to Independence to get this service.
INDEPENDENCE  The primary election is mere days away, but Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Patty Judge made clear shes already eyeing November.

We feel very good about the wind up of this primary, and we are firmly focused on the November election, Judge said in a pre-primary campaign stop in Independence. Im in the race because of the November election, not because of the one next week.

Judge is in a four-way primary election, going against Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg, of Cedar Rapids; veterans advocate Bob Krause; and bankruptcy attorney Tom Fiegen. The primary election is Tuesday.

Judge told about a dozen people gathered at a Pizza Ranch on Sunday afternoon she got in the race due to her frustration with incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

After the death of (Supreme Court Justice Antonin) Scalia, his almost immediate reaction that he would not have any hearings to replace a justice on the Supreme Court, I just, I said, Thats enough, Judge said. He cannot have a pass on this. This is not OK.

The only references Judge made to Tuesdays primary was to note Saturdays Iowa Poll results showed her 17 percentage points ahead of Hogg, her closest primary opponent, and to urge those in attendance to vote in the election.

Instead, she took aim at Grassley  his 42 years in Congress, his close relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his unwillingness as Senate Judiciary chair to hold a hearing on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

Judge also noted her support for campaign finance reform, pointing to Grassleys about $5 million head start on fundraising over her.

This is a huge and difficult task, and I know that. You do not inform the chairman of the Senate Judiciary that youre after him and not expect a fight. And I expect a fight, Judge said.

Aside from taking aim at her potential general election opponent, Judge spent her time talking about ways she would like to see Congress work again.

Judge  who said she spent a summer at the Independence Mental Health Institute as a student nurse  stressed the work that needs to be done to improve mental health services.

She also focused on economic issues, including raising the minimum wage and securing Social Security, as well as improving the Affordable Care Act and making higher education more affordable.

There is no reason that you have to wait until you have an election to talk about how you make education affordable. This is the job of Congress, the job of the Senate to be addressing these issues, and they are not getting that done, and so I decided, by gosh, Ill just go do it myself, Judge said.

Thank God you did, attendee John Mann, of Fairbank, said in response.

Mann, whos active in the county Democratic Party, told Judge hed already voted for her. He said after the event he supports Judge for the issues she talked about during her 20-minute speech, particularly making prescription drugs more affordable.

I like the way she puts it, and shes been doing it. Its long term. Its not just new to her, Mann said.
DES MOINES  Iowa public health officials worked Monday to create some buzz about mosquito-borne illnesses with the onset of warmer weather and summertime outdoor activities.

While the threat of Zika virus gets a lot of attention, Gerd Clabaugh, director of the state Department of Public Health, said Iowans are much more at risk of contracting the sometimes-deadly West Nile virus than being exposed to Zika-related problems occurring in southern climes.

Clabaugh and Dr. Ann Garvey, deputy state epidemiologist, joined Gov. Terry Branstad at his weekly news conference Monday to urge Iowans to remember to protect themselves against mosquito bites this summer.

The greatest risk to Iowans for Zika virus is when (Iowans) travel to areas of the world where Zika transmission is ongoing  for example, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America, Garvey noted. It is especially important for pregnant women with plans to travel to these areas to reconsider their plans or take protective action while there.

Zika causes birth defects in babies, which is why pregnant women should reconsider travel to Zika-affected areas, Garvey added. Also, since Zika can be sexually transmitted, women who are pregnant or who are considering pregnancy should take appropriate precautions and be aware if their partner has traveled to a Zika-affected area, she said.

Since mosquitoes known to transmit Zika are not native to Iowa, Clabaugh said, the risk of transmission in Iowa is extremely low. Since surveillance began early this year, seven cases Zika virus have been confirmed in the nearly 200 Iowans who have been tested and all of the cases involved travel to areas outside the United States where Zika transmission is occurring.

Contracting West Nile virus is a different story in Iowa, however, health officials said, with between five and 44 reported cases occurring in Iowa annually since 2005. West Nile first appeared in Iowa in 2002. The virus since has been found in all 99 counties, either in humans, horses or birds, the health department said.

About 20 percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have mild to moderate symptoms including fever, headache, body aches and vomiting, officials said. Less than 1 percent of people infected become seriously ill.

The best way to prevent West Nile, according to health officials, is to eliminate mosquito breeding areas, including standing water in buckets, cans and pool covers, and to use insect repellent when outdoors.

Using an insect repellent containing DEET provides protection against mosquitoes and ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, Garvey said. Iowans also are advised to wear long sleeves and long pants when possible when outdoors and to avoid being outside around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes bite.

For more information about Zika virus, go to https://idph.iowa.gov/ehi/zika; to learn about West Nile virus, see https://idph.iowa.gov/cade/disease-information/west-nile-virus.
DES MOINES - Chanting protesters gathered at the state Capitol grounds Monday to oppose plans to begin construction of an underground oil pipeline through Iowa, pledging to risk arrest in nonviolent acts of civil disobedience if need be to block a project they say poses environmental dangers.

"We are here today to vow that oil will never flow through this pipeline," said Adam Mason of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), one of the organizers of a "broken heartland" rally.

Protesters predicted a summer or resistance that would include chaining themselves to construction equipment, laying in the paths of bulldozers or other acts of defiance following a state board decision Monday to allow building proceed along parts of the proposed route not currently in dispute.

"We're going to use every tactic we can to stop it," he added. "Iowans are mad about this and they're willing to take action."

Dozens of pipeline opponents waved placards and chanted slogans like "No oil in our soil" and "We're talkin' no Bakken" in defiance of Texas-based Dakota Access' plan to build an interstate crude oil pipeline along a 1,168-mile path from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields, through South Dakota and Iowa, to a distribution hub in Illinois.

Dakota Access officials plan to complete the $3.8 billion pipeline by the end of the year.

"We are here to say no. We will not stop resisting," said Peter Clay, who expressed concern to a crowd that unfurled a broken heartland quilt across a concrete map of Iowa west of the state Capitol that "our elected officials have secretly agreed to this." He said legal tactics do not make actions lawful or right.

Rally attendees responded with chants of "Can't you hear the people talkin'? We don't want your dirty Bakken." They're hoping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refuses to grant river crossings for the pipeline. There also are pending lawsuits seek to block construction by challenging the company's use of eminent domain to acquire easements from resisting landowners or erecting other legal hurdles.

Just because a divided Iowa Utilities Board voted 2-1 to allow construction to begin in areas where Iowa landowners have signed voluntary easements, Mason said "this is not a done deal by any means. There are five pending lawsuits against the IUB questioning whether or not they have authority to grant eminent domain for those landowners that are still holding out."

Former state Rep. Ed Fallon, a Des Moines Democrat with Bold Iowa who once ran for governor, said he would be willing to risk arrest if need be to block the pipeline from going forward and he expected others who were signing nonviolent civil disobedience pledges to take similar stands.

"I've never met so many people who have never even been to jail for a speeding ticket or anything else who are ready to stand in front of a bulldozer if it comes to that," Fallon said. "It may not come to that, but if a thousand people say, 'yeah we're willing to go to jail if we have to to stop this, to protect our land, our water, our property rights,' if 1,000 people do that, that sends a huge message to Dakota Access and to the political establishment of this state."
WATERLOO  If there was any doubt in Democrats minds about Monica Vernons party loyalty, the 1st District congressional candidate has tried hard to alleviate it.

Her latest and loudly touted political action committee endorsements include the pro-choice Planned Parenthood and Emilys List, the campaign finance reform group End Citizens United, the nuclear disarmament group Council for a Liveable World and a dozen labor unions.

Vernon also invited U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsins second district, to join her at Sundays rally. Pocan serves as the first vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and made history in 2013 as the first member of Congress to obtain a congressional spouses ID for his husband.

With campaign ads hammering away at Vernons former GOP affiliation (she switched to Democrat in 2009), it was clear Sunday she was hammering back.

Im so thrilled that, with Marks help, I was endorsed by the Progressive Caucus, Vernon told a crowd of a couple dozen gathered in her downtown Waterloo office.

Pocan told the crowd Iowas 1st District was one of the most competitive districts in the country in the 2016 elections. Democrats need about 30 seats in the House of Representatives to gain the political majority.

If you look at taking back the House, it starts here, Pocan said.

His optimism, he said, comes from what he called the Trump Bump, or an increase in enthusiastic Democratic voters worried that not voting will mean electing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in November.

This could help us pick up those 30 seats we need to reclaim the majority, Pocan said.

Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican, won the seat in 2014 after eight years of Democratic control.

But Vernon, currently on the Cedar Rapids City Council, must first get through her partys primary, slated for Tuesday  and that means besting Pat Murphy, a former member of the Iowa House who beat her in 2014 in a five-way race.

We feel like we have a lot of support, but its crucial we get out the votes, Vernon said. Im not taking anything for granted at all.
WATERLOO  They sat in the front two rows, apart from the congregation. They were in uniform instead of their Sunday best.

When the all-black choir and majority-black parishioners began singing, clapping and dancing, the white law enforcement personnel and their families sat stoically or clapped politely.

But when the Rev. Franz Whitfield called everyone at Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church to the altar for prayers, the church members reached out, grabbing the hands of the officers, pulling them together in a mass of people.

We come today, oh God, to join hands as a unified body, Whitfield prayed over the group.

Whitfield admitted, during Mt. Carmels second-annual Law Enforcement Sunday, thats easier said than done.

When it comes to the relationship between our community and the police department, there is a great disconnect, he said.

But that moment connected with Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson.

As we were standing there holding hands, I thought, Wow, I wish I could just live in this moment, he said.

But Thompson and the other officers dont get many of those moments.

LaTanya Graves, speaking later to the congregation, acknowledged people and the police dont always trust one another  and violence continues to happen as a result.

Its not Waterloo people. Its selfish individuals, she said. They have the street code: If you tell, youre snitching. But if someone in my family was shot, I would want you to tell me, and I would want them to be prosecuted.

Graves encouraged the several dozen in attendance to write down license plates and pass that information along to her, if they werent comfortable breaking that code.

Or go visit (Waterloo Police Chief) Dan (Trelka)  Ive known Dan a long time, Graves said.

Trelka himself appealed to the congregation, describing himself as a sinner who found Christianity in the military.

You wouldnt believe how many times some of these (Waterloo officers) have come into my office and prayed with me, he said.

Mayor Quentin Hart said people incorrectly assume police officers dont need help solving crimes or preventing violence.

It takes people like you in the community talking to people, trying to encourage them, Hart said. Come down, sit and talk ... City Hall is your hall.

Whitfield said he hoped holding Law Enforcement Sunday would spark conversation and change.

With all the violence taking place in our city and nationwide, I want the world to see that Waterloo is a leader in what real togetherness looks like, he said.

He gathered the law enforcement in attendance with several children in the congregation at the front to be prayed over again.

We ask God to cover law enforcement, and our young people as well, he said. The police and sheriff have a hard task. They do things our eyes cannot see.

We know Gods out there, watching over us, said the Rev. Wyvan Jackson. But he put someone else out there to watch over us.
Donald Trump is on his way to being an authority figure. Some feel he's already there. When nominated, he will have the mantle of authority that comes from being the standard-bearer of one of America's two major political parties.

Ironically, Trump will have captured the Republican nomination by winning only 12 million votes, or about five percent of the voting population's 225 million registered voters.

The same holds true for Hillary Clinton, who will have won north of 13 million votes, or about 5.7 percent of the total voters. For all the reforms in politics that have wrested deciding nominees from "smoke-filled back rooms," a tiny minority still hands the majority our only choices.

The voting public is none too happy with the selections. The polls all agree Trump and Clinton are both mining unexplored depths in terms of unfavorable ratings. An ABC poll found Clinton and Trump to be "the most disliked nominees in decades." Trump beat Clinton hands-down in the "thumbs-down" category with a 60 percent unfavorable rating to her 53 percent.

But Trump isn't just setting records for unfavorable ratings and winning with tiny percentages of the total voters. He is winning -- almost without resistance from the public, including America's mothers -- the unchallenged authority to wipe away our families' and country's core values.

Back on the campaign trail, Clinton warned, "I do not want Americans ... to start to believe that (Trump's) is a normal candidacy." Her warning may be too late. Americans already know Trump has violated almost all national ethics and household beliefs that we have, and yet many have concluded he is somehow above the law.

We all know Trump refuses to debate policy. He deflects every criticism of his proposals with nasty, crude personal attacks on his opponents -- their looks, their height, the way they talk.

Trump has made his political career one of character assassinations, so much so I'm tempted to call him "the Manchurian candidate," though I won't do that.

Notice what I just did there.

I did the Donald Trump soft-shoe, two-step. Trump's trick is to say something outrageous, and then soften the blow by saying he didn't say it. I've never seen a candidate avoid responsibility for what comes out of his mouth the way Trump does. Maybe it's because Trump has produced a reality show and voters figure it's all part of the act.

Our sacred American values, virtually engraved on the hearthstone of every American home, are being wiped out.

It's one thing for Trump to dig up quarter-century-old charges on Bill Clinton's infidelity and claim Hillary was responsible. (Aside: Whaaaaat? Trump's doing poorly among white women and he thinks this dusty gossip and slander will win them over?)

It's altogether another thing when Trump starts messing with our national morals, including the belief we are a nation of equals. Trump is not the first candidate to assault the Declaration of Independence. Stephen Douglas belittled "All men are created equal" with some success when running against Abraham Lincoln. Trump assaults the Declaration by his constant attacks on all minority groups (though he does reserve some ire for women of all colors and for a white reporter who is handicapped).

We have standards against questioning the loyalty of people just because they vote differently. But Trump goes after every opponent with an eye to destroy them for daring to stand up to him. Trump even attacked Pope Francis when His Holiness had the temerity to worry out loud about the "humanitarian crisis" of Hispanic children refugees.

Trump has proudly quoted his wife about his temperament: "'You're too nice too long and then when you go bad, then you're too bad.' Then she said, 'You get too vicious and you never forgive. ... You're too nice, and then you flip, it's too long, too nasty, too horrible.'"

I should be trembling, I guess, to repeat Trump's own words. Megyn Kelly did, as have others, and Trump was ugly in his response, infamously claiming Kelly had blood seeping from her every orifice. (That's another thing: We tire of finding ourselves having to quote this potty-mouth in order to stand up for simple decency.)

We have values (and laws) against killing women and children, even in war, but Trump wants to do that. We have morals against stereotyping. Spurring our national character, Trump called Latinos "rapists" and "criminals" even in the face of surveys that find immigrants have a lower incidence of criminal activity than the general public. So reports the Republican-leaning Wall Street Journal.

We still have a free press. While many distrust the media, they also like it when the press reveals things to keep politicians in check. But Trump has put us on notice he will pass laws to allow him, as a president, to sue them into silence. When Trump says, "Believe me," he's really saying, "believe only me."

Now that he's an "authority figure" ... beware.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted a summer outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika plague, Congress predictably took no action on funding before embarking on its Memorial Day break.

Brazil alone has had 2,844 cases of the Zika virus carried by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which is blamed for severe microcephaly in newborns  smaller heads, learning disabilities and vision and hearing problems.

With summer ending in the Southern Hemisphere and arriving north of the equator, the CDC believes 27 states  primarily in the South, along the Mexican border and in Hawaii  are most vulnerable to a potential epidemic. Money is urgently needed on the local level for personnel, trucks, equipment and chemicals

Funding also is required to pursue a possible vaccine, testing and to study birth defects. No cure currently exists. The CDC has stated 279 women  157 in the 50 states and others in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin islands and U.S. territories  have tested positive for the virus.

Based on estimates from public health officials, the Obama administration sought $1.9 billion in funding. The Senate approved $1.1 billion, while the House passed a $622 million bill using money previously set aside for fighting the Ebola virus it suddenly abated in Africa.

Senate Republicans included the funding in a transportation bill that would relax rest rules for truck drivers imposed by the Obama administration as a safety measure. House Republicans have included the funding in what was the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, easing Clean Water Act rules on pesticide spraying.

As a stopgap measure, the administration redirected $500 million from Ebola funding to be used to fight the disease in the future. The CDC has allocated $38 million to expand lab testing capacity and surveillance of Zika, mostly in poor communities along the Gulf of Mexico.

From 2004-12, Congress cut 60 percent of the funds for local surveillance of mosquito-borne illnesses. Now many U.S. programs, which had been aimed at combating mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus with spraying at night, will have to be expanded to deal with the aedes aegypti mosquito, a daytime pest.

Congressional Republicans want offsets in federal programs to fund the program.

The big disagreement that we have and the difficulty we deal with is should every time a billion-dollar or a $2 billion project comes along, do we just borrow the money? asked Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

They also question the accountability of the Obama administration concerning the $2.7 billion spent on Ebola, which quickly took thousands of lives in Africa amid fears it would spread to the United States and Europe.

Some Republicans may break ranks, recognizing the inevitable political fallout if stories begin appearing about babies born with severe microcephaly. In Brazil, it also intensified the hot-button political debate over abortion.

The CDC is saying were less than a month away from a mosquito (epidemic) in the U.S., said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. I mean I take that seriously. These are not politicians. These are scientists and doctors that are looking at this issue and telling us youve got a real problem on your hands.

Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., is worried that if we dont get something done we are culpable for not acting on this.

As Ron Klain, who directed the Ebola effort, wrote in the Washington Post, For years to come, these children will be a visible, human reminder of the cost of absurd wrangling in Washington, of preventable suffering, of a failure of our political system to respond to the threat that infectious diseases pose.

Meanwhile, the Smithsonian magazine has raised ethical questions about possibly wiping out mosquitos entirely with recent scientific advances to mutate DNA.

The mosquito is the deadliest creature on the planet, responsible for 400,000 fatal cases of malaria in Africa alone in 2015.

Scientists believe its possible to alter the genetic code in male mosquitos, eventually making the offspring of their female mates sterile. In the 1950s, the screwworm, an agricultural pest, was eliminated through a sterile insect technique, which also has been used on the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Other options include eliminating the ability of mosquitos to carry deadly parasites or to confine their demise to certain areas or specific species.

The unknowns include the unintended consequences of playing God, and whether another insect will fill the parasitic void.

It is an appealing scenario, albeit with science fiction possibilities.

More immediately, though, as Congress dithers while debating offsets  and eliminating tax breaks again is off the table  it is contributing to potential horror stories this summer at its political peril when quick action is essential for the public good.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jun. 04, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 04, 2016 | 10:37 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Someone was caught on video breaking in to a local business early Thursday morning, and police are hoping the public can help identify him.



Paducah Police say they responded just before 1:00 am Thursday to Plato's Closet on James Sanders Boulevard because an alarm was activated. A surveillance video showed a man enter the store through a door, search the cash register, and leave. Police described him as white, bald and wearing a goatee.



Anyone who can identify the man in the image, or has information about this crime should contact Paducah Police at 270-444-8550 or call Crime Stoppers at 270-443-TELL. Tipsters also may text their tips to CRIMES (274637) by entering KyTips followed by their information, or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website at westkycrimestoppers.info. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000.
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By Jim Waters

Jun. 05, 2016 | LEXINGTON, KY

By Jim Waters Jun. 05, 2016 | 11:34 AM | LEXINGTON, KY

Are Washington's policies these days regarding everything from bathrooms to broadband intentionally designed to systematically trash the constitutionally protected power of states, local governments and even the people themselves?



Maybe. Maybe not.



Intentions aside, those are the results.



Where, for example, does the U.S. Constitution even remotely allow a president enthroned in Washington to dictate the bathroom policies for transgender students in a school district 800 miles away in McCracken County, Kentucky?



That issue is at the crux of Gov. Matt Bevin's decision that Kentucky should become the 12th state to join a federal lawsuit against Obama's bathroom guidelines, which include threats to withhold federal funding from school districts that prohibit transgender students from using the bathrooms, locker rooms and other facilities of the biologically opposite sex, and which fail to address transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns.



Whatever your personal beliefs regarding specific issues, you should think long and hard about supporting this kind of federal intrusion into policies best decided by school boards or, at the very least, by individual states.



Such federal overreach blatantly ignores the Tenth Amendment, which clearly places power for most decisions in the hands of states and their individual citizens, not the federal government and its bureaucracy.



Today it's transgender bathroom policy; tomorrow could bring an unwelcome intrusion by Washington into an area for which you're on the other side of the field.



Today, you may be giddy about withholding funding for school officials who don't address transgender students by their preferred names or pronouns.



But what happens in January if a newly inaugurated Trump administration hands down "Guidelines for Protecting American Business" threatening to withhold federal financial aid for any student caught speaking against corporations while sipping his favorite white chocolate mocha Frappuccino in the local coffee house?



Will you then still be supportive of Washington and its growing brand of intrusion?



One's goose is another's gander, and the sauce poured over all is the same.



Washington's sauce these days is mostly about control and ideology.



For instance, instead of proposing a compromise that protects females in vulnerable environments while also ensuring access to bathroom facilities for all kids, why didn't the administration guide school districts to construct single occupancy bathrooms allowing transgender students to lock the door and use?



Because it's not really about civil rights or protecting a minority  a very minority  group of people from discrimination while trampling almost everyone else's rights to privacy and expectations of simple decency and safety.



It's about advancing a goose-stepping ideology that controls as much of American life as possible.



It's also a clue as to why the federal government is becoming obsessed with cutting into the private sector's marketplace when it comes to policies regarding Internet access.



Some enterprising reporter should ask Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler when he's in Pikeville next week to justify his agency's recent attempts to overturn state laws in Tennessee and North Carolina limiting the intrusion and failure of costly government-owned broadband networks?



Where does the U.S. Constitution even remotely allow an unelected FCC bureaucrat enthroned in Washington to overturn laws passed by elected legislators while mandating those same states must allow projects like the already colossal failure known as KentuckyWired?



Such projects have gone bankrupt in other states while placing private Internet providers at huge competitive disadvantages. They also cannot be properly maintained in light of government's slowness and technology's speed.



Applying this same principle at the state level, when Frankfort's politicians were offered less than $30 million in federal funding to barely subsidize KentuckyWired, a duplicative and costly proposal that purports to build a statewide 3,400-mile broadband network that would cost at least 10 times that amount, how much thought did they give to whether the project is something government at any level should be doing?



Apparently not nearly enough.



Jim Waters is president of the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Reach him at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com. Read previously published columns at www.bipps.org.
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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.
CHICAGO, IL, June 06, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade celebrates 83 years of holiday tradition with giant helium balloons, magnificent marching bands, majestic equestrian units and marvelous performance groups representing the best talent in Chicago and across the country. The parade is the second largest Thanksgiving parade in the nation with hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the streets of Chicago to see the spectacle in person. The parade is broadcast live for three hours nationally on WGN America and locally on WGN 9 Chicago. The 2016 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade takes place LIVE on State Street between Congress Parkway and Randolph Street in downtown Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24 from 8 to 11 a.m. (CST).



Originally called the Christmas Caravan in the 1930s, the Parade was created in 1934 to help lift the spirits of residents suffering though the Great Depression. Since then, it has developed into a full-scale spectacle celebrating the holiday season. What once started out as an attempt to boost Chicago's economy has evolved into a cherished tradition for Chicagoans and Americans alike. The Parade includes performers and special guests representing every part of the country as well as representing many cultures from around the world. Over 20 different cultures were represented in the 2015 parade.



The parade's line-up includes over 100 diverse units, including Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald, the parade's loveable mascot, Teddy Turkey, the Harlem Globetrotters and of course, Santa Claus. This year's parade will feature performances from the world-renowned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey , the exhilarating Black Ensemble Theater, the pitch-perfect Apollo Chorus of Chicago, an intense performance by Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament and a show stopping performance by the Texas State University Strutters. Crowd favorites such as the Jesse White Tumblers, The Barefoot Hawaiian and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project will make this a show one not to be missed!



McDonald's Owner/Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, the title sponsor of the parade, will also present the McDonald's Community Fire Truck, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile in partnership with Advocate Children's Hospital, and Ronald McDonald and his Big Red Shoe. Sheraton Grand Chicago is the official hotel of the parade. Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, will be presenting live cooking segments during the parade broadcast. Other sponsors include Chicago Blackhawks, Mercedes-Benz of Chicago, and RE/MAX.



Additional information about the 2016 line-up and special guests will be announced after Labor Day. For more information, visit our website at www.chicagofestivals.org. Find us on social media with our Twitter and Instagram handle, @TeddyTurkey, and on our Facebook page, McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade.



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U.S. Marines in Italy have a new commander following a ceremony at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, April 25, 2016.



Combat Logistics Battalion 2, led by their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Randall Jones, took control of the logistical combat duties for the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa from CLB-6 during the ceremony.



We have a lot of hard work ahead, and I expect each Marine and sailor to work to their fullest potential to reach our shared objectives. I am excited to be a part of the MAGTF team and I know that by working together, we will have a tremendous impact both in the Italian community, as well as with our regional partners in Africa.



Major General Niel Nelson, Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, made it clear he felt SPMAGTF-CR-AF LCE was in good hands.



The Marines and sailors with us here put in countless hours preparing themselves for this deployment and I have full confidence they are up to the challenge, said Nelson.



The battalion will serve as the logistics combat element for SPMAGTF-CR-AF, as well as coordinate and execute theater security cooperation missions in Africa. As the LCE, CLB-2 provides logistical support to the entire SPMAGTF-CR-AF, whose posture allows for response across a broad range of military operations in the AFRICOM region. By maintaining the ability to act in permissive and uncertain environments, the crisis response force is able to protect U.S. personnel, property and interests in Europe and Africa.



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Jun 6, 2016 | By Benedict

Boulanger, a French supplier of home appliances and multimedia, has, in collaboration with Cults 3D, launched an online platform for 3D printable spare parts. The platform, called Happy 3D, currently lists spare parts for products made by two exclusive Boulanger brands, Listo and Essentiel B.

For some time now, 3D printing has been earmarked as a potentially game-changing solution to the problems associated with buying and selling spare parts. Currently, manufacturers tend to keep a supply of spare parts for when a customer needs something fixed. If a product breaks, the customer can order an appropriate spare part from the manufacturer or distributor, fixing the product themselves or with the help of a professional. It sounds sensible enough, but there are limits on how effective this system can be.

Since manufacturers cant be totally sure which of their components will need replacing five or ten years down the line, its often a guessing game as to how many spare parts they should retain. Get this guess wrong, and the costs could be significant: if supply outstrips demand, the company will have a huge pile of obsolete gaskets, screws, and wires serving no particular purpose except to waste money and warehouse space; if demand outstrips supply, the company then has to explain to the customer that there are no more spare partspotentially damaging their reputation in the processor go back and make another smaller and potentially much more costly run of those parts.

3D printing and digital spare part repositories could soon change the whole system of spare and replacement parts, benefiting both the manufacturer and consumer. By storing components in digital form, rather than keeping a large supply of physical parts, manufacturers could 3D print those parts on-demand, never making too many or too few, or could simply offer the digital parts for customers to 3D print themselves. Theoretically, digitally rendered spare parts for decades-old equipment could even be created by reverse-engineering products with the help of 3D scanning technology.

Boulanger, a major French supplier of home appliances and multimedia, has just become one of the first major retailers in the world to adopt this 3D printing system. With the help of Cults 3D, the 3D printing marketplace, Boulanger has launched Happy 3D, an online database of free 3D printable spare parts for Boulanger products, including remote control covers, refrigerator feet, and appliance dials and buttons. Boulanger has already published 120 spare part templates, along with recommended printer settings, and has promised further uploads in the near future. The company has also set up an online forum to help customers with the 3D printing process, and has even integrated the service with 3D Hubs, enabling customers without a 3D printer to find their nearest machine and print the part they need with the help of a third party.

To slow product obsolescence, customers must be able to repair their own high-tech devices and household appliances, said Gaele Wuilmet, Director of Boulanger Services & Innovation. Its in this spirt that Boulanger decided to launch the worlds first spare parts open source hub called the Happy 3D platform. This is the first time ever that a company has published the blueprints of its own exclusive brands for the general public. In doing so, Boulanger hopes that other major brands will soon follow our lead.

To coincide with the launch of Happy 3D, Boulangers BDom personal services offshoot has created a special training session, two and a half hours long, called My 3D Printer & Me. The session, which takes the form of an in-home visit, teaches beginners how to install, configure, and use a 3D printer. The course, which is currently only available in Paris, costs 229, 50% of which is tax deductible. Boulanger also sells 21 models of 3D printer, with prices starting at 300.

By uploading 3D printable spare parts for its Listo and Essential B products, Boulanger is essentially cutting out a hugeand potentially redundantarea of its after-sales experience. Since the digital files it has published are free to download, the company will make no money from those parts, but it will save money on storage, staffing, and manufacturing costs. While this model would not suit all businesssome, of course, make a healthy profit from spare part salesthe launch of Happy 3D could prove to be an important milestone in the gradual shift towards digital spare part repositories.

Posted in 3D Design

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Jun 6, 2016 | By Alec

Remember the Freeform Home Design Challenge? At the beginning of the year, the Chattanooga, Tennessee based startup Branch Technology challenged everyone, from architectural firms to individuals, to design a single 3D printable family home. It was a fantastic initiative which showcased the incredible making power of their Cellular Fabrication (C-Fab) 3D printing technique, which creates freeform structures that can be perfectly combined with other construction materials. In April, WATG Chicagos Curve Appeal was picked as the winner, and Branch Technology has just revealed that construction will begin in 2017.

WATG Chicago itself is one of the worlds leading integrated design firms, and has received numerous accolades for previous hotel designs. Their work can be found in 160 countries all over the world, and the company was ranked as 2nd in the world among hotel architectural firms. Though the big-name winner of this Branch competition was known for some time, Branch Technology still had to receive some certifications for its breakthrough making technology, as well as pass a few safety standard tests. Over the past few weeks, the company has also been looking for supply partners to make the innovative 3D printed house a reality.

These obstacles doubtlessly had something to do with the remarkable C-Fab 3D printing technology, which is different from any other 3D printing construction method weve written about in the past. Essentially, the Cellular Fabrication technique uses a customized industrial robotic arm (the Kuka KR 90), which extrudes a carbon fiber reinforced ABS plastic material into complex, large-scale structures up to 8,772 cubic feet in size.

What sets these structures apart from other concrete additive manufacturing processes, is that they only actually make up the inner framework of the building structure. This completely sets their technology apart from slow, layer-by-layer 3D printing, the company argues. [Our] algorithm creates both the geometry and robotic motion to construct complex geometries in open space, without the use of support materials or highly controlled build environments, they said. Once 3D printed, that framework can be sprayed with traditional low-cost building materials like foam insulation and concrete to make a strong, hybrid structure.

While it sounds great on paper and looked fantastic in initial projects, the technologys real test thus wont begin for a couple of months. And the Curve Appeal design is certainly challenging enough. Of course, some of these challenging aspects were packed into the competitions requirements. Branch Technology asked for entries that showcased a 600-800-square-foot single-family home that would rethink traditional architectural aesthetics, ergonomics, construction, building systems, and structure from the ground up.

Curve Appeal does all that, packaged in a fantastic futuristic and light design. Envisioned as a bubble-like structure with undulating slopes and a space-age style, it fuses nature with practical living. All the making power of efficient building technologies should create a home that sustainably serves both the occupants and the surrounding environment. And that is, says Branch Technology founder Platt Boyd, what convinced them to go for WATGs design. Curve Appeal is a very thoughtful approach to the design of our first house, he said. It responds well to the site conditions, magnifies the possibilities of cellular fabrication and pushes the envelope of what is possible while still utilizing more economical methods for conventional building systems integration.

Specifically, WATGs freeform house design consists of a marriage of two parts: an interior core and an exterior skin. But all walls are distinctly transparent, creating very light interior that still completely protects the occupants from the elements. The lightness is only further enhanced by a very open floor plan, its designers say. The exterior skin itself consists of rolling archways that should create an organic appearance that symbolically connects the home and its occupants with the outside world.

This remarkable house will be built at Branch Technologys lab in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it will serve as a test case for the company remarkable 3D printing technology. The houses planning phase is expected to start soon, with the first 3D printed components expected to be realized in 2017.

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G Pello wrote at 4/28/2017 12:05:43 AM:i think the house is insane.meaning great. have u built houses for sale and how much are they. can u build them out of the U.S




Jun 6, 2016 | By Alec

It looks like Japanese schoolchildren are slowly being exposed to more and more 3D printing opportunities. The Japanese government has been promoting educational 3D printing for some time, while Microsoft Japan and Kabuku recently launched an educational Minecraft-based coding and 3D printing program to get kids addicted to making. The Suginami Elementary School in Tokyo is now adding fuel to that fire by sending two classes of sixth-year students to the new Qremo IT x Creative Classroom for a special 3D printing course.

Of course Japan isnt the only country that recognizes the educational potential of 3D printing. Educators and legislators across the world see 3D printing not only as an opportunity to stimulate kids to explore the world around them through a trial and error process, but also as way of preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists. As a result, about a 1,000 elementary schools across the US are already installing 3D printers in their science classes. Just last month, a British government report surfaced that called for 3D printers in all schools across Britain.

Japan, however, has been lagging behind a bit in this regard. Very few schools have already adopted 3D printers for educational purposes, in part due to a lack of centralized educational programs that provide funds for the adoption of new technologies. Theres also a relative shortage of experts with knowledge of educational digital production techniques.

In an attempt to change that, social aid providers from Litalico have been exploring 3D printing themselves. Started in 2005 as an organization that, among others, tackles unemployment and disability issues, they have since branched out into educational challenges as well. Among others, they provide educational assistance to students with learning disabilities and run 63 locations in the Tokyo area. In 2014, they launched the Qremo project in Shibuya, Toyko to promote thinking, making, communicating skills through educational digital technology platforms.

Its a very ambitious program that seeks to provide services to students from infancy to the end of high school, and it touches a wide range of technologies, courses and learning experiences. Among others, they are seeking to get children out from behind the school desks and give them hands-on experience in programming, robotics, digital design and 3D printing. Eventually, they hope to be integrated into the regular school curriculum, as a means of drawing out creative impulses. Over 1,000 children are already taking their courses, with the Suginami Elementary School being the fifth school to participate.

The Suginami Elementary School in Tokyo was very eager to join the Qremo Digital Fabrication course, as they are known for being at the forefront of educational technology adoption. Among others, their students already work with digital blackboards and electronic textbooks, and the school is looking into adopting other fairly inexpensive industrial tools, such as laser cutters, as well.

For now, however, the 3D printing course is quite limited in its scope. The two classes of sixth-year students will receive the special course during their art lessons on 10 June, under the theme of What would sea creatures look like if they evolved?. They will receive a 3D printing demonstration, and will be allowed to use a software to design their own imaginative sea creatures. After 30 minutes of modelling practice and a lecture on 3D printing, they will be allowed to work on 3D printable models for a further 40 minutes. The course organizers hope that it will teach the children that 3D printers can offer very simple and accessible ways of expressing ideas and creativity.

While thus a bit modest in its setup, the Qremo 3D printing course is certainly a fantastic start. It will also serve as an important test case that could contribute to significant changes in Japans educational sector. Among others, legislators are looking at making programming classes a compulsory part of elementary education starting in 2020. If Qremo becomes a success, it could thus strongly promote the use of digital making tools in Japanese schools.

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 'You may call it nonsense if you like  but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!'

The Red Queen in Through the Looking-Glass

by Richard King

When Seymour Hersh published his 10,000-word essay The Killing of Osama bin Laden' last May he entered a strange and murky realm of information and counter-information in which nothing and no one is quite the real deal  a through-the-looking-glass world (to use one of his own tropes) in which black is white and up is down and four is not always divisible by two. No, not the shadowy world of intelligence' in which his sources and their opposite numbers move, though the dissimulation and disinformation that characterise that milieu had their parts to play; I mean the brave new world of online media and instantaneous analysis', of truth subordinated to tribe and identity, of epistemic closure and flat-out confusion. An intervention in, and challenge to, the official version of the war on terror, The Killing of Osama bin Laden' became a (small) battle in the reality wars.

I am certainly not the first to notice how the reaction to Hersh's article  which was published in the London Review of Books and alleged, inter alia, that the CIA had lied about the provenance of the information that led the Navy SEALs to Abbottabad; that Pakistan's military leaders had secretly agreed to the murder/execution of Osama bin Laden; that a frail and unarmed bin Laden was killed, not at the end of a chaotic shoot-out, but at close range and with high-calibre rifles; and that his mangled body was thrown, bit by bit, from a helicopter over the Hindu Kush  displayed a lack of journalistic rigour. A few days after the story broke, Trevor Timm published an essay in the Columbia Journalism Review anatomising the media's response to the piece. Noting that the online magazine Slate had run no less than five hit-jobs on Hersh's story in the space of just thirty-six hours, and noting as well the collective deaf ear turned to the many documented falsehoods offered by the CIA to the US government and by the US government to the US citizenry, Timm described that reaction as disgraceful'. This was the kind of press, he implied, of which most governments can only dream. No wonder the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest looked so relaxed when he fronted the media in order to rebut Hersh's version of events.

The principal allegation levelled against Hersh (who has recently published the essay in book form) is that his story is a conspiracy theory'  a fantasy concocted on the back of sources too scarce and too anonymous to be trusted. This is a charge to which Hersh's record of breaking big stories is apparently no impediment, though anyone making it feels called upon to pay the grizzled old muckraker his due, noting in particular his sterling work on the My Lai massacre (for which he won a Pulitzer) and his key role in breaking the Abu Ghraib story.

Indeed, it is obligatory, it seems, to set out one's criticisms of Hersh's thesis in the register of more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger, to tip the hat while shaking the head. The story simply does not hold up to scrutiny', wrote Max Fisher in the online magazine Vox, and, sadly, is in line with Hersh's recent turn away from the investigative reporting that made him famous into unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.' Sadly', yes, though how much scrutiny' Fisher was able to apply to Hersh's essay in the hours between its publication online (on May 10, 2015) and filing his own story (on May 11, 2015) is an open question 

Why were some journalists so eager to dismiss The Killing of Osama bin Laden'? Yes, the story is thinly sourced and elements of it don't ring true. But Hersh's version of the events in Abbottabad is scarcely less remarkable or eyebrow-raising than the official version, which invites us to believe that Osama bin Laden was hiding under the noses of the Pakistani military and that photographs of his burial at sea were withheld from the public for security reasons. At the very least, one would think that journalists would embrace the opportunity to revisit that official version and reflect on the black spots in and around it. Surely it is incumbent on journalists accusing a colleague of a lack of journalistic rigour to exhibit a bit of rigour themselves.

Well, you'd think so; but these are strange times, times in which the question of what counts as evidence is fraught with doubt and controversy. Certainly a respectable journalist would not wish to be accused of formulating, or even of giving credence to, a conspiracy theory: to be tarred with that brush would be professional death. Never mind that for Hersh's story to check out no Elders of Zion or secret cabals or holograms or controlled detonations are required (save, of course, for the controlled detonation that got the SEALs into bin Laden's compound). It is best, in these circumstances, to be on the safe side and to put as much distance as possible between oneself and the gibbering paranoid cranks who believe 9/11 was an inside job' and that alien reptiles are pulling the strings. Better to be wrong with Scully than right with Mulder.

In one sense this is understandable; for the cranks are out in force at the moment, their tinfoil headgear glinting in the sun. For them, the problem with Hersh's piece is not that it is a conspiracy theory but that it isn't the right kind of conspiracy theory; the problem with it is that it is incompatible with conspiracy theories already in play. To move from the articles on Hersh's essay to the conversation threads unravelling beneath them is to move from a world in which there are at least some agreed-upon standards of evidence to one in which frenzied imaginations and anti-state paranoia run riot. Thus Hersh's version can't be true because it assumes that bin Laden was the guy who attacked New York and Washington and not the convenient bogeyman of the New World Order ushered in in the wake of that (self-inflicted) wound. Alternatively, Hersh's version can't be true because bin Laden was never killed in 2011: when the story broke he'd been dead for a decade! Paul Craig Roberts, who as former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy lends a veneer of respectability to this theory, has suggested that Hersh was being played, not by Pakistani intelligence, but by US operatives eager to bolster the story that the SEAL team killed bin Laden. This dovetails nicely with the bogeyman theory and assumes that the announcement of bin Laden's death in 2011 was politically expedient  aimed, no doubt, at boosting the popularity (then in rather low water) of President Obama, the CIA stooge/secret Muslim currently cluttering up the White House.

To lump together The Killing of Osama bin Laden' with such paranoid fairy tales would be to do Hersh a great injustice, and few are the journalists who went that far. And yet my sense is that the reaction to that article was born, in part, of a desire to avoid derision by association. Conspiracy theories are now so ubiquitous that the journalist who wants to be taken seriously had better be very careful indeed about what she passes on to her readers. Moreover, it is probably more respectable' to be duped by power than by its critics, given the massive resources at its disposal. Who is the more derided figure: the journalist who toed the official line on the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1990s, or the journalist who maintains that the Iraq War was initiated by Halliburton in order to secure a new market for its services? One doesn't have to buy into the second conspiracy in order to be struck by the easy ride given to the hacks that fell for the first one.

The fact is that, increasingly, the purveyors of conspiracy and apologists for power need each other in order to thrive, that they are separate but related manifestations of the same deep crisis of truth and trust  a crisis in which conspiracy thinking (and the accusation of conspiracy thinking) is commingled with various forms of denialism and shot through with what Stephen Colbert calls truthiness': the sense that the truth is what we feel it to be or what our ideology demands it is. Conspiracies happen, and happen frequently  this much is undeniable; but the conspiracy theorist sees them everywhere and the fact that he does so allows those in power, and their apologists in an increasingly cash-strapped media, to dismiss legitimate analysis and honest doubt as the ramblings of a paranoid minority. Thus bad logic and bad faith combine and scepticism becomes a byword for cynicism (except where global warming is concerned, in which case it's employed as a synonym for scientific illiteracy). The result? A shouting match of the deaf in which the truly sceptical voice is barely audible.

To a greater extent than is commonly acknowledged, conspiracy theories emanate from the mind's need for a plausible explanation in the face of official dissimulation and untruth. So it counts as something of an irony that political elites should benefit so directly from the very epistemic confusion they themselves have helped to sow (and indeed to manure) with their shady behaviour. For the tragedy now is that those elites can not only point to any version of events that doesn't accord with the official one and describe it as a conspiracy theory' but that they can also rely on a large section of the press to put the case for them before they open their mouths. That is what happened in the case of Hersh. Dismissing a well-founded distrust as paranoia, and craving the kind of respectability that only such a dismissal can get you, many commentators simply rolled their eyes and parroted the official line. I only wish I could be so confident about which side of the looking glass I'm on.

NOTE: The Killing of Osama bin Laden by Seymour M. Hersh is published by Verso.

ALSO NOTE: Richard King's website is The Bloody Crossroads.
by Thomas R. Wells

How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? John Kerry challenged Congress about the Vietnam war in 1971. There in a nutshell is the standard test by which democratic republics assess their military adventures: Is this cause worth dying for?

The idea of such a test is a good one. War is a question of politics, indeed the oldest question of political power: Who's in charge here?' Specifically, governments contest each other's sovereignty  their ability to get their own way  by employing or threatening the means of extraordinary violence. Since war is defined by its terrible means, it can only be justified by some extraordinary purpose. Ordinary political goals will not do. Hence the need to find some measure that will be immune from the merely personal or factional interests of politicians or their hubris.

Nevertheless, Kerry's test is not quite right. The most ethically significant thing about war is not that our soldiers are ordered to risk their lives to further the interests of our state  or perhaps just our politicians  but that they are ordered to kill for it. The real ethical test of a war is whether our cause is worth killing for. If that is not satisfied then our soldiers are mere murderers and we are the ones who made them so.

This test turns out to be much harder to meet.

I

Soldiers kill people. That is the whole point of them. Somehow we mostly manage to pass over this simple fact. Soldiers are organised into an army, an intricate killing machine dedicated to applying ruthless and devastating force against the people who stand in the way of their government's will.

Soldiers also get killed. This is sad, but it is not the most ethically significant thing about soldiers or war. Anything worth killing for must also be worth dying for. But the converse is not true.

There is a fundamental asymmetry between the ethics of dying for and the ethics of killing for. There are lots of causes that people are prepared to die for, but very few that are worth killing for. The difference is to whom justification is required. Your life is yours to risk for your own subjectively valued reasons. But other people's lives are not yours to risk on this basis. Their lives are their own, not construction materials out of which to build your life.

A democracy may be able to legitimately determine a national interest, such as defending national honour or geostrategic interests, that would be worth asking its soldiers to risk death for. Perhaps, on a Republican account of democracy that made much of the general will, this would even justify conscripting soldiers to do their duty whether or not they recognised it. But even then, one cannot reasonably expect the soldiers on the other side to accept that our national interest also justifies their deaths. Only a universal, non-nationalistic reason could do that. One that would make sense no matter which side you were on.

II

That reason is human rights. Most importantly, preventing the core crimes against humanity identified in international law since Nuremburg: the systematic infliction of atrocities like genocide, rape, and torture upon a population by a government or by its consent.

There is no true conflict between human rights and national sovereignty because they are merely different levels of the same moral system. Human rights are the universal moral concern that justify and limit the traditional rights of sovereignty, such as the exclusion of foreign interference from a territory and the government's monopoly of legitimate force.

Parenthood is not a model for sovereignty but it may serve as a limited metaphor. On the one hand parental rights personalise responsibility for children's rights to specific individuals and provide them with the powers and exclusivity required for them to fulfil those responsibilities. Likewise, sovereignty, the right of a government to get its own way in its territory and over its people, delegates responsibility for a population's human rights to that government so that it can best fulfil that responsibility.

On the other hand delegated rights may be reviewed or removed. A parent who abuses their children should be held accountable for their failures and their parental rights subjected to external interference or even complete removal. Likewise, a government that tortures its own people forfeits its rights to sovereignty, and may legitimately be inspected and coerced by other governments, or even replaced by a new regime. Moreover, although governments have a specific responsibility for protecting and advancing the human rights of their own peoples, they have a general responsibility to prevent crimes against humanity anywhere else in the world (as acknowledged in the Responsibility to Protect principle.)

III

Merely recognising that the protection of human rights is the only just cause for going to war does not mean that it is enough by itself. The very sensible other standard tests of just war theory still apply: proportionality, last resort, and having a reasonable chance of success. Human rights are not an open license to attack North Korea, let alone China.

Nevertheless, a human rights approach changes things. The interests of states and their jealousies about those interests are pushed back into their proper limits. Instead of reflecting rivalrous competition between states, just wars turn out to be limited to policing actions upon objectively misbehaving states. Of particular significance is the new commitment to impartiality, that all lives are of equal value in our considerations, no matter whether they be our citizens or theirs, military or civilian.

A further implication returns us to the asymmetry between dying for something and being killed for something. Human rights provides the universal reason that dissolves that asymmetry, but it introduces a new one. If our soldiers are fighting for human rights then they are fighting for something that even the soldiers against them should agree is worth dying for. It is thus permissible for our soldiers to try to kill enemy soldiers that get in their way. But the opposite is not the case. The soldiers defending a regime guilty of crimes against humanity are not fighting for a cause that is worth killing for. If they fight back, even in direct self-defence, their actions amount to murder, further crimes to be added to those of the regime they defend.

This moral responsibility may not be legally judicable, as involvement in war crimes is. Nevertheless it reintroduces an obvious point that has been left out of the legal and ethical conventions of modern warfare. In a war only one side  at most  can be just. As a soldier, it matters whether you are fighting for that side or not, and this is not something you can outsource to the people who give the orders. As a civilian, it matters whether the ends justify the means or whether your government is simply sending soldiers to murder in your name.

Acknowledgement
by Carl Pierer

German foreign policy often talks about a particular historical German responsibility, some special status that Germans have inherited after World War II[i]. Even left commentators, usually internationalist in outlook, seem to accept such a notion uncritically[ii]. But what role does the concept of nation' play in this context?

Ernest Renan writes in  Qu'est-ce que une nation ? :

Or, l'essence d'une nation est que tous les individus aient beaucoup des choses en commun et aussi que tous aient oublie bien des choses. () Tout citoyen francais doit avoir oublie la Saint-Barthelemy, les massacres du Midi au XIIIe siecle.[iii]

At first, a seemingly straight-forward cynical remark. But in the revised edition of his hugely influential Imagined Communities[iv], Benedict Anderson realises that Renan takes la Saint-Barthelemy' and les massacres du Midi' as being understood, without the need for further explication. Anderson rightly asks: Yet, who but Frenchmen', () would have at once understood that la Saint-Barthelemy' referred to the ferocious anti-Huguenot pogrom launched on 24 August 1572 by the Valois dynast Charles IX and his Florentine mother ()[v]? Secondly, as Anderson points out, there is something paradoxical to the demand that every French citizen must already have forgotten these atrocities, which immediately afterwards are supposed to be known.

Anderson's ingenious insight is that this particular way of talking about historical events supports the idea of an ancient community, which was always there and finds only now its political manifestation in the nation'. In this way, it is not that these atrocities were inflicted by one community against another, but are to be understood as fratricidal' episodes of a common family history: Having to have already forgotten' tragedies of which one needs unceasingly to be reminded' turns out to be a characteristic device in the later construction of national genealogies.[vi] Of course, as Anderson does not fail to point out, this idea is fittingly illustrated by the US-American civil war': presented as a war between brothers' always to be re-united into the sovereign nation that is the USA, and not as a war between two sovereign states, it seems only fair to suppose that this narrative would be wholly different had the South not lost the war[vii].

If Anderson is right in this respect, it casts some scepticism on the notions of national' guilt or national' tragedy. From a point of view that claims to transcend the concept of nation, it becomes very suspicious to talk about a particularly German'[viii] historical responsibility, for  analogously to Anderson's analysis  such an idea would inadvertently deliver support for the imagined community of Germans. It would give substance to the idea that there is a community of Germans who, collectively, have committed certain historical crimes and furthermore that there is a continuity to a present German community, which takes up their ancestors deeds as their history. But a certain sense of continuity, a notion of historic responsibility, seems desirable  if only to overcome the naive attitude to historic remembrance: look at what these barbarians did to each other back then, lucky us living in more civilised times.

*

In today's more-than-ever mobile society, should integration into a society not demand identification with this society's history? If so, the nasty episodes should not be exempt. An absurd thought that someone should work and consume, live in a certain society, perhaps even participate in its democratic' political system and so willingly adopt this society; yet not identify' with, as it were, or accept that society's skeletons in the cupboard? The expat, who pretends to have severed all ties to her country of origin' and instead becomes an ardent advocate of her newly found home yet refuses to accept the society's disturbing heritage, is always haunted by the spectre of hypocrisy. Conversely, in a time where it seems more and more consensual that we do not accept as given the most intimate aspects of our identity (our sexuality, our gender, etc.), why should the arbitrary fetters of birth bind us to some location's historic guilt?

How, then, is it possible to account for the continuing relevance of these skeletons in a middle way, without either making them a national' heritage, or denying their contemporary weight?

Of course, they are a memorial to all of humanity to the atrocities humankind has inflicted on itself through its history. Yet, to understand them merely as such makes them devoid of their meaning for they get abstracted from their particular historical setting. The Holocaust as a general horror, abstract and ahistorical, becomes banal. It seems that on such an understanding, a complete list of the most horrific crimes against humanity, maybe even ranked according to the absolute number of people killed, would be the heritage of humankind as such[ix].

Perhaps an alternative way is to understand these crimes as essentially located. This should not be misunderstood as some esoteric understanding of the place we live in'. Rather, it is the material presence that grounds the abstract horror, thus contextualising it. Rendering oneself in the place where a historical event took place adds a very different dimension to one's understanding; isn't the haunting aspect of visiting a concentration camp is the realization that the theoretically known terrors took place here, amongst these very stones?

Because the house, the town in which these crimes have been committed are tangibly there, they give a sense of reality to these events[x]. Now, since we choose which historical place we inhabit, we thereby also choose this place's historical heritage. Furthermore, if it is no longer the society, the imagined community of the nation', which inherits the history but instead the geographical place, the activity of remembering can no longer be abused in a national' discourse. [xi]

*

So perhaps the international left should cease talking about the Germans having a particular historic responsibility as Germans, but instead about people individually, who chose to live in a place where horrific crimes were committed.
by Libby Bishop

Descending tetrachord? Neither one of us had a clue. The descending tetrachord is one of many musical mysteries my husband and I have faced as we have listened and watched Professor Craig Wright's course, Listening to Classical Music, on YouTube from Yale University. Professor Wright is a self-described old white guy, talking about dead (mostly) white guys, to (mostly) rich kids, about a (supposedly) dead musical genre. It should be as exciting as watching gravy congeal. But instead, it is intelligent, instructive, entertaining, funny, and moving.

Much of the success of the course can be attributed to Professor Wright, an exceptional teacher, with knowledge that is broad and deep, yet with no perceptible arrogance from that knowledge, and a passion for his subject and the pleasure of sharing it with others. But equally important is his approach to studying music. From the first lecture, he challenges the dualism of knowing and feeling in which knowing more means feeling less. We can learn about music  its history, forms, structure, and compositionwithout diminishing our emotional response to it. In fact, understanding may enhance feeling, and vice versa.

Like too much of the rest of my education, my knowledge of music is uneven: the best parts were excellent, but far too many gaps remain. As a child, I learned from my mother and sister, both good pianists, guitar players and vocalists. After attempts at violin and piano, I settled on flute, which I played for several years, barely reaching middling mediocrity. But I do recall the great satisfaction I felt the moment I blew my first full, true note.

Learning music and learning about music is to learn two languages. First, obviouslyor rather aurallyis the language of sound. It demands refining one's hearing to distinguish separate voices or instruments. It is like trying to separate the words when listening to rapidly spoken French. I can make out the individual words if they are spoken slowly, but in normal conversation, the words blur into indistinguishable phrases. I can hear it, but I cannot differentiate the words to get their meaning. Similarly with music, I can hear, but far too often, I cannot differentiate: bass from melody, oboe from clarinet.

But there is a second language of music: its vocabulary of composition and performance. This language seems less formidable, perhaps because I have too little musical knowledge and too little confidence in my ability, to hear, let alone perform. Anxiety about chanting at the end of my yoga class can undo an hour of stretching. I am drawn to the lexicon of music because, for me, words are familiar territory. Or so I thought.

Listening to the early lectures by Professor Wright, I knew the words he used, or most of them: melody, chord, polyphony. As the lectures progressed, there were words I recognised (sort of) but could not quite define: tonic, chromatic, arpeggio. Then totally unfamiliar terms came prestisimo : ostinato, ternary form, fugato, and eventually, the descending tetrachord.

Wright introduced the tetrachord with a work by Henry Purcell (English composer b.1659-d.1695). Purcell used the tetrachord in his opera, Dido and Aeneas, with the libretto based on The Aeneid by Virgil. Dido is the Queen of Carthage and was loved then abandoned by Aeneas. In the opera, she sings her sorrow in the aria, When I am laid in earth before she dies from grief. (In Virgil's poem, Dido stabs herself with Aeneas' sword.) These descending notes express lament, and continue to do so in much contemporary and popular music.

But what exactly is a tetrachord? In his portrait of Bach (Music in the Castle of Heaven*), John Eliot Gardiner defines the tetrachord as (from Gk, tetrachordon, four-stringed instrument'): Four descending notes contained within a perfect fourth interval, indicating where the semitone can lie. A definition having two words (three if you count the Greek) that I didn't know was less helpful than I preferred. I can, and did, chase down definitions for perfect forth, and semitone, but I needed something a bit more accessible to get started. The Oxford English Dictionary delivered: four notes, in a scale, or half of an octave. This pattern of four descending notes is also called a lament bass, and was used by Monteverdi, Bach, and many other composers.

Purcell composed this music, creating a passage that comes to embody the absolute notion of sorrow, woe and heartache. Ellen Rosand described it as an emblem of lament. It is the ur-lament. But how? There are some technical explanations. The music descends down the scale, suggesting decline, possibly even the descent toward death. Purcell's version is chromatic, using adjacent semitones (half-notes) on the scale, and this adds tension to already sombre music. But for me, it remains a marvellous mystery that so few notes evoke such profound melancholy.

With my courage boosted after completing all 23 of Wright's lectures, and my long-standing love of Bach's music, I have persevered with reading Gardiner's Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. In it, he refers to the famous lament sung by his Queen of Carthage. Gardiner does not name either the queen or the opera, but I was delighted to be able to recognise this as Dido's aria. One small gap was filled.

Although my repertoire is spotty at best, there is no doubt I am drawn to solemn, some would say dismal, music. I have become curious about some of my other favourite pieces of music. Am I drawn to descending tetrachords? One such piece is Dowland's Lachrimae. I have never studied or analysed it, I just listen and savour its magnificent melancholy. After more Google sleuthing, I end up in the (for me) very unlikely site of Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology. There, in her article, Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares by John Dowland: Tears of Lost Innocence, Rebecca Shaw has most helpfully circled some of the many descending tetrachords found in the Lachrimae.

If I needed any more convincing, about the only the only genre of modern music to which I am repeatedly drawn is the blues. Only the Oxford English Dictionary could come up with a definition of the blues that manages to be nearly bloodless: A melancholic style of music, typically centring on a twelve-bar sequence based around a standard harmonic progression, and having any of a number of distinguishing characteristics intended to express the performer's melancholy, such as the use of blue notes; a vocal style featuring rasping, growling, or the bending or sliding of notes; and certain recurring lyrical themes and structures.

In contrast to the definition, blues music is raw emotion. Simple in its chords, lyrics, and melody, it is yet deeply evocative. And I have not been surprised to find that the lament basswith its descending tetrachordfeatures in many blues songs, including one of my favourites, Robert Johnson's Walkin' Blues.

Has my newly found technical understanding of music weakened its power to move me? At first I was disappointed by some things I learned. For example, there can be great incongruity between the banal motivations of composers and the sublime emotions their music engenders in its listeners. Purcell wrote Dido and Aeneas not for any grand, romantic performance in the royal court, but to be performed by schoolgirls at a private boarding school in Chelsea, a suburb of London. And Dowland may have written the Lachrimae partly in response to his lifelong disappointment about not securing a post as a court lute player. But after some reflection, I actually felt reassured to know that such transcendent beauty could emerge from such quotidian experience.

Where has the tetrachord taken me? I have followed emotion to a place of deeper understanding. That deepened understanding does not diminish, but rather enhances feelings. In a world where facts and understandingand indeed even reason itselfare all being tarred with epithets of elitism or worse, I am comforted to learn that my short journey with the tetrachord shows it is possible, even desirable, for emotion and feelings to be tempered with understanding and rationality.

* Gardiner, John Eliot. (2014) Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. London: Penguin.

Photo credit: La mort de Didon. By Augustin Cayot (1667-1722)  Marie-Lan Nguyen (2011), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=777459
by Ali Minai

The Arab conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries CE were arguably among the most cataclysmic and consequential events in world history, creating a completely new and long-lasting civilization from India and Central Asia to the Western edge of North Africa. And, while this civilization has ramified and fragmented considerably over the subsequent thirteen centuries, its imprint still shapes the history of these regions today to a decisive degree. An especially important manifestation of this influence is the widespread sentiment among the Muslims of this region for some sort of return to that idealized earlier period of glory and purity  a sentiment that has fueled revivalist movements ranging from political ones such as the Muslim Brotherhood to violent ones like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. However, this revivalist impulse goes far beyond these visible movements, and pervades Muslim societies from South Asia to Morocco, entering every aspect of social, cultural and political life in myriad ways. In a sense, this can be seen as the natural impulse of people attempting to repossess their past after a period of colonization, but what makes such a desire compellingly possible is the fact that so little is truly known about the early period of Islam.

Ernest Renan famously said that Islam  unlike other great world religions  was born in the full light of history. However, this view has been challenged vigorously in the last century by Western scholars seeking to apply modern historical methods to the origins of Islam. To be sure, some of this near-revisionism is motivated by skepticism about the religion itself, but the problem is real enough. Most Muslims have implicit faith in the received reports and traditions about the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, but the fact is that the first biographical reports of the Prophet  by Ibn Ishaq and Malik b. Anas  were not written down until more than a century after his death, and the earliest comprehensive histories of Islam  by Ibn Sa'd, Al-Waqidi, Al-Tabari, al-Baladhuri, et al.  date from the late 8th to early 9th century. A century or two may not seem long in the context of history, but the rise of Islam was so rapid that its truly formative period was basically over by the mid-8th century when the Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Umayyad caliphate, replacing that most Arab of dynasties with one rooted in a more cosmopolitan ethos. Also, because of the way it had acquired power, the Abbasid dynasty had a strong incentive to promote a specific version of early Islamic history and doctrine. Thus, it is especially important to look at contemporary evidence to obtain an accurate picture of Islam's earliest period.

In searching for the roots of Islamic society in the period between the Prophet's death c. 632 CE and the fall of the Umayyads in 750 CE, historians have very few truly contemporary sources to rely on. Remarkably, one of these sources is the Qur'an  the Islamic scripture  some partially preserved copies of which have recently been dated to within the Prophet's lifetime or soon after. The fact that these original copies of the Qur'an are virtually identical to the text used today supports the Muslim belief of scriptural integrity, and enhances confidence that the theological content of the original Islam can reasonably be obtained from the Qur'an itself. However, this still leaves large parts of cultural, political and socioeconomic history uncertain. The contemporary sources that provide information about these are: 1) Direct or incidental statements by contemporary non-Muslim writers referring to Muslims; 2) A growing (and as yet mostly un-studied) corpus of papyrus texts describing administrative and financial transactions; 3) a few rock inscriptions; 4) The ruined palaces and other archeological sites from the Umayyad period; 5) The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, constructed by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik b. Marwan c. 691 CE; and 6) An immense and varied body of coins. The rest of this article looks at the last of these, and considers what this coinage may tell us about the policies and attitudes of the early Islamic state.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF EARLY ISLAMIC COINAGE

Money in the form of coins is such a fundamental part of human society that it is easy to lose sight of how relatively recent an invention it is. For about half of the five thousand year period that may be considered recorded history, there was no known use of coinage. To be sure, metals such as gold and silver were considered valuable, and were probably used in barter arrangements or the payment of tax and tribute. However, according to both Herodotus and archaeological evidence, the first known coinage was introduced in the kingdom of Lydia in modern-day Turkey in the 6th or 7th century BCE  possibly by King Croesus (595-546 BCE), whose name became a symbol of wealth. The Lydian coins were made from a mixture of gold and silver called electrum, and though made into pieces with various denominations, they were actually used by weight  a practice that continued for centuries thereafter until the advent of precisely controlled mechanized minting. Once invented, coinage spread rapidly to other Greek states, and to the Persians, whose emperor Cyrus the Great defeated and killed Croesus in 546. Something similar to coinage also arose in India around the same time in the form of punch-marked pieces of silver called puranas or karshapanas. These were to become more widespread and elaborate during the great Mauryan Empire in the period after c. 320 BCE (Figure 1). By then, the Greeks  including the Greek states Alexander left behind in Western India, Iran and the Middle East  were issuing much more sophisticated coins with recognizable portraits and elaborate inscriptions. In particular, the Greeks introduced a silver coin whose name was to become ubiquitous throughout the region from India to Spain  the drachma. Variants of this name  drachm, dram, dirham, dam, damma  have been used for coinage by states ranging from the Parthian and Sassanian empires in Iran to the modern states of Morocco, Armenia and, until recently, Greece!



Figure 1: Punch-marked silver coins of the Mauryan Emperor, Samprati (r. 224-215 BCE). Author's Collection.

For more than seven centuries after Arab armies burst forth from Arabia to conquer an empire spanning three continents, the coinage of most of the Muslim world was to consist of three types of coins: The gold dinar, named after the Byzantine Denarius Aureus; the silver dirham, and the lowly copper or bronze fals. But this system took some time to emerge. What happened during the transitional period offers interesting insights into the early Muslim state and poses several tricky questions. In particular, the coins of Islam's earliest period represent possibly the most concrete basis of archaeological and historical reconstruction for a period where evidence of other kinds is remarkably thin.

Like much of the early history of Islam, the origin of Islamic coinage is shrouded in mystery, but it is possible to reach a few broad conclusions based on the available corpus of coins. This article looks at the Islamic coinage of the period from the beginnings of Islam to about 700 CE, when the Umayyad dynasty was well-established at the top of the Muslim state. One goal in doing this is to obtain insight into the policies and attitudes of the society that produced this coinage, and possibly to infer the motivations of its leaders.

From a numismatic viewpoint, this duration can be divided into six distinct periods, with transitions often corresponding to major historic events. As with any division of historical time, this periodization is somewhat arbitrary, but useful nevertheless.

I. The Early Period: From Inception to 651 CE

The Arabs at the advent of Islam in c. 610 CE appear to have had no coinage of their own, and presumably used Roman (Byzantine) and Sassanian coinage. Rather conveniently, the Byzantines minted gold and copper coins while the Sassanians minted mainly silver. One can speculate that a trade-based economy such as that of Western Arabia's oasis towns might have used currencies from both sources in a standard gold-silver-copper configuration.

The Arab conquests began in the earnest around 634 CE, two years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. The Sassanian Empire fell after losses at Qadisiyya in 636 and Nahavand in 642, leaving the Arabs in almost complete control of the empire. Syria, Palestine and Egypt had also all been wrested away from the Byzantine Empire by 642, though the empire endured to the north of Syria in most of Anatolia and into Europe. Thus, within a remarkably short period of eight years, the Muslim state had come to hold sway over a vast region that had previously encompassed most of two great empires, with major cities, active commerce and highly productive agricultural lands in Mesopotamia, Palestine and Egypt. Yet, through most of this period, the Caliphate based in Medina still did not issue any coinage, and continued to use Byzantine and Persian coins as before. The coinage in use seems to have been the Byzantine gold solidus and copper follis, and the Sassanian silver drahm. The latter typically weighed about 4 grams and had a design that had largely been unchanged for 400 years, with the portrait of the Shahanshah (emperor) on the obverse side and a Zoroastrian sacred fire altar with two attendants on the reverse side, which also carried the date and mint name (see Figure 2).

After the loss of his capital at Ctesiphon (near modern Baghdad) in 636 CE, the last Sassanian emperor, Yazdegerd III (r. 632  651 CE), fled with his court, first to eastern parts of Iran in the Kerman region, and then eventually into Central Asia, where he was assassinated in 651 CE. Throughout this period, silver drahms were minted in his name in areas still under his nominal control. Presumably, these coins also found their way into the rest of the region and comprised the primary silver coinage of the early Islamic Caliphate. The Arabs called this coin the dirham, and the word remained in use for centuries thereafter.

Figure 2: Top: Silver drahm of the first Sassanian emperor, Ardeshir I (r. 222-242 CE). Bottom: Silver drahm of the last Sassanian emperor, Yezdegerd III (r. 632-651 CE). The coins show how the same general pattern was followed in coins throughout the Sassanian period, with the emperor's profile on the obverse and a fire altar on the reverse. For most of this period, the fire-altar was flanked by two attendants, which is the design that the Muslim state inherited and used. Author's Collection.

The copper coinage of the early period is rather confusing and poorly understood. Stefan Heidemann (2010) has indicated that the Arabs continued to import standard Byzantine copper coins in large quantities for use in the conquered areas, probably with the acquiescence of the Byzantine state which still regarded these regions as part of its jurisdiction and the Arab conquerors as temporary occupiers. However, the Arabs also appear to have started minting their own copper coinage around 636 CE (Heidemann, 2010), comprising imitations of the Byzantine coins with the Emperor's portrait and Greek inscriptions.

A remarkable fact about the coins used in the Islamic Caliphate until about 651 CE is that they bore no Islamic text or symbolism at all. Instead, they had the portraits of the Byzantine and Sassanian emperors and explicitly religious Zoroastrian and Christian symbols  the fire altar and the cross! Thus, paradoxically, the coins used during Islam's most sacred period violate what came to be regarded as one its strictest edicts  the proscription of figural images and un-Islamic symbols. These coins depicting non-Muslim emperors and symbols must have filled the bayt-al-mal (treasury) of the most doctrinally iconoclastic state in history, and the earliest believers whose faith taught them to abhor such images must freely have used these coins in ordinary commerce. Or perhaps these were pragmatic people, and not quite as rigid and doctrinaire in these matters as later generations would make them appear.

II. The Islamic Imprint: 651 CE  660 CE

Interestingly, the first coins with an explicitly Islamic imprimatur appeared around 651 CE  exactly the time when Yazdegerd III was assassinated. It is impossible to know why this was the case, but informed speculation is possible. At this point in history, coins were the most visible symbol of sovereignty and derived their value both from the metal they contained and the certification of the ruler in whose name they were issued. To be acceptable, a coin needed the backing of a recognized authority, much as currency today needs the backing of a central bank. It was as though, up until Yazdegerd's death, the Muslim state had been content to borrow the sovereignty of the defeated Persian emperor for the credibility of its silver coinage. This may have been a purely political choice, given that almost the entire population of the conquered regions was still non-Muslim and probably more emotionally attached to their former ruler. However, once he was dead, an urgent need was felt to replace his authority with the visible symbol of a new one: Islam.



Figure 3: A silver dirham that is generally considered to be the first Islamic coin. Probably issued during the period of the third rightly-guided caliph, Uthman b. Affan (r. 644-656 CE). The coin uses the same dies as contemporary Sassanian coins, with bismillah added in Arabic in the obverse margin. Author's Collection.

The solution that was adopted at this point was also rather instructive. Instead of moving to a radically different coinage, Sassanian silver dirhams were Islamized by adding a small piece of Arabic text in the margin on the obverse side, leaving the emperor's portrait, the fire altars and the Pahlavi inscriptions (including the emperor's name) in place! The text added varied, but the classic Muslim invocation bismillah (In the name of Allah) was the most common (see Figure 3). Others included jayyid (good/valid) and lillah-il-hamd (praise is for Allah alone), as well as a few rarer inscriptions. Apparently, local governors had wide latitude in which of these they wished to put on their coins. One other interesting device was also adopted for these coins. Sassanian coins carried the date of their minting by stating the regnal year of the emperor whose portrait they bore. The last coins issued by Yazdegerd thus carried the date Year 20, indicating their issuance in the 20th year after his enthronement in 632 CE. For the subsequent coins issued with the Arabic inscriptions, this date was frozen at this value, so that coins issued in the period 651 to 660 CE often carried the nominal date Year 20, making it very difficult to date the coins more precisely. This may have been done simply out of convenience, so that the dies used to make the final coins of the Sassanian era could be reused with the added Arabic inscription.

After 650 CE, there is evidence of a drop-off in imported Byzantine copper coins  presumably as the Byzantine state came to terms with the permanence of the Arab conquest  and the establishment of Arab mints in Syria. However, these mints continued to produce coins using the Byzantine template, with the image of the Emperor, occasionally with the added Arabic words tayyib (pure) or ja'iz (authorized), or the word KALON (good) in Greek (Heidemann, 2010). In later copper coinage from about 670 CE onwards, the cross is often replaced with a non-Christian shape such as a staff or a globe, though coins with the cross continued to be minted even into the 690s (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Umayyad copper fals minted in Emises/Hims (modern Homs) c. 685 -697 CE. Note the stylized portrait of the Emperor with crosses on the crown and on the globe he is holding. The Arabic word tayyib and the Greek work KALON (both meaning good) indicate the validity of the coin. Author's Collection.

III. Early Umayyad Period: 660 CE  680 CE

Islamic coinage for the period between 660 CE and 700 CE provides a series of interesting details with potential insights into the social and political events of this critical period  and possibly even into the evolution of Islamic doctrine. However, in the absence of strictly contemporary writings or records, it is difficult to interpret these details with certainty.

The year 660 is of special significance in Islamic history. It represents the transition of the Caliphate from the first four rashidun (rightly-guided) caliphs to the first ruler of the Umayyad dynasty, Muawiya b. Abi Sufiyan, who moved the capital to his power base in Damascus. The 21 years of his rule saw the consolidation of the Muslim state, and the establishment of a more typical administrative structure derived from the Sassanian and Byzantine models. This may be the reason that changes with more overtly political significance begin appearing in coins minted during this period.

One notable change in the silver coinage was that dirhams bearing the portrait of the defeated Yazdegerd III were replaced by those bearing the portrait of Khusrau II (r. 590-628 CE)  known as Parviz  the last truly powerful Sassianan emperor. The tradition of marking the coins as Islamic by adding an Arabic inscription in the obverse margin was continued. The reason for the change of portraits is not known with certainty, but informed speculation suggests that, even three decades after his death, Khusrau Parviz commanded greater awe among the former Sassanian populace than the hapless Yazdegerd, and the use of Khusrau's portrait may indicate that the new Umayyad rulers felt a greater need for pro-active methods to win the loyalty of their subjects in Iraq and Persia. Coins with the portrait of Yazdegerd did continue to be minted, though the dates based on Yazdegerd's accession began to be updated as well. Eventually, this led to a coin dated Year 1 of Yazid (Mochiri, 1982)  the first coin dated with reference to a Muslim ruler, Yazid b. Muawiya.

Another interesting change that occurred in this period was that the name of the Sasanian emperor on the coins was often replaced by the name of the Arab governor under whose authority the coin was being issued, but in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) script rather than Arabic (Foss, 2002). Thus, one has the paradoxical situation of coins with Zoroastrian religious symbology, the face of a dead Sassanian emperor labeled by the name of a Muslim governor in Pahlavi script, and an Arabic religious inscription in the margin! This chimeric design remained the standard silver coinage of the Muslim state for almost four decades. A similar pattern is apparent in the copper coinage, where the portrait of the Byzantine emperor (and sometimes several emperors or an emperor and his queen) coexisted with Greek and Arabic inscriptions, occasionally accompanied by the Christian symbol of the cross (Figure 4).

Figure 5: Silver dirham c. 673 CE issued in the name of the Caliph Muawiya b. Abi Sufyan. The coin depicts Sassanian Emperor Khusrau II, with the Pahlavi inscription maawia amir-i wurrishnikan in front of the emperor's face. The Arabic inscription in the obverse margin reads bismillah (in the name of Allah). Author's Collection.

A very important milestone in this period was the issuing of coins explicitly in the name of the Caliph himself, with the inscription maawia amir-i wurrishnikan  Muawiya, Commander of the Believers (Foss, 2002). The term for believers comes from the Pehlavi verb, wurroyistan, which means to believe. These silver dirhams, minted around 673-674 CE (52-54 AH), represent the first instance when the all-important title was used on a coin (Figure 5), and it is truly remarkable that the title appeared in Pahlavi rather than Arabic form (amir- al-mu'minin). The Arabic form does, however, appear around the same time in several rock inscriptions.

IV: The Second Fitnah: 680 CE  692 CE

The death of Muawiya in 680 CE precipitated a twelve-year period of exceptional turbulence and trauma for the Muslim community. This is termed the Second Fitnah (civil strife) of the three such episodes of civil war recognized in early Islamic history (the first followed the assassination of the third Caliph, Uthman b. Affan, and the third was the Abbasid overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty). While the history of this period was only written down later from oral reports, coins provide direct, if often cryptic, contemporary documentation of the events. As such, the numismatic record of this period is of incalculable historical value.

The Second Fitnah arose from the refusal of large sections of the Muslim community to recognize the successors of Muawiya  notably his son, Yazid I  as Caliph. Of these rebellions, the one that lasted the longest and became most problematic for the Umayyads was the declaration of a rival caliphate in Hejaz by Abdullah b. al-Zubayr  usually known as Ibn Zubayr. Initial Umayyad attempts to quell this rebellion failed. Eventually, Ibn Zubayr controlled almost half of the territory of the Muslim state, including the Arabian peninsula and parts of Iraq and Persia. He became the second individual to issue coins declaring himself Commander of the Believers (see Figure 6). Ibn Zubayr, who ruled from Mecca, was ultimately defeated in 692 CE by an Umayyad army under Hajjaj b. Yusuf, but only after a siege that resulted in the virtual destruction of the Ka'ba in Mecca and the Great Mosque in Medina.

Figure 6: Silver dirham issued by Ibn Zubayr c. 682 in Istakhr (Iran). The Pahlavi inscription in front of the face of Emperor Khusrau II reads apdwla-i zubiran amir-i -wurrishnikan (Abdullah bin Zubayr, Commander of the Believers). The Arabic inscription in the obverse margin reads bismillah (in the name of Allah). Author's collection.

The period of the Second Fitnah was also marked by the ascendancy of several ultra-fundamentalist  or khariji  Muslim groups. One group called the Azraqites, led by Qatari b. al-Fujaa, issued coins with the declaration la hukmu illa lillah (There is no dominion except for Allah) c. 694 CE, while another led by Atiya b. Aswad inscribed the somewhat less categorical phrase bismillah wali-al-amr (in the name of Allah, Master of affairs) on his coins issued around 691 CE. The Islamic phraseology of these coins indicates the presence of the same literalist and inflexible attitude that imbues the extremists jihadi groups of today, who are the doctrinal descendants of these early khariji rebels.

Three very important milestones occurred on coins in this period:

Figure 7: Silver dirham of Abd al-Malik b. Abdullah, issued c. 685 CE (66 AH), and bearing the Arabic inscription bismillah / Muhammad rasulallah (In the name of Allah / Muhammad [is] Allah's messenger). Author's Collection.

V. Umayyad Consolidation: 692 CE  696 CE

The Umayyad rearguard against Ibn Zubayr's revolt was led by Marwan b. al-Hakam, a cousin of both Uthman and Muawiya. In 685 CE, his son, Abd al-Malik b. Marwan, was declared the Umayyad caliph in Damascus, truly inaugurating the so-called Marwanid period of the Umayyad dynasty. After defeating Ibn Zubayr in Mecca (c. 692 CE) as well as the various khariji rebel caliphs in Iraq and Persia, Abd al-Malik consolidated Umayyad authority and, some have suggested, laid the practical groundwork for much of what has since been recognized as the Islamic ethos. In terms of coinage, Abd al-Malik's reign saw a remarkable set of experiments, culminating in a standardization that became the model for Islamic coinage for centuries thereafter.

Perhaps the boldest and most important innovation in coinage by Abd al-Malik was the attempt to introduce explicitly Muslim figural elements. Until this point, the human figures in the coinage had been those of Sassanian and Byzantine emperors, though clearly the implication was to have these figures confer authority upon the Muslim ruler. Around 691-92 CE, Abd al-Malik introduced a gold coin where the three imperial figures were given decidedly Arab costume (rather than Byzantine), and the complete shahada  la ilaha illallah wahdahu / muhammad rasulallah (there is no god but Allah, the One, [and] Muhammad [is] Allah's messenger) was inscribed on the coin. This is generally regarded as the first official instance of the complete shahada in any Islamic artifact, followed soon by its inscription in the Dome of the Rock c. 692 CE. Around the same period, Abd al-Malik's brother, Bishr b. Marwan, who was governor of Basra, issued Sassanian-style silver dirhams with a three figure motif replacing the fire-altar and attendants, and the same complete shahada as the gold coins.

There has been much debate about whom the three figures might represent, with the general assumption that the central figure in both the gold and silver coinage is probably meant to be the caliph himself. It is interesting that, in the silver coinage, this figure has his hands raised to his ears, which is interpreted as an oratorical position, i.e., the caliph is depicted giving a sermon  or perhaps praying. The surrounding figures may represent governors or sons. In any case, there is little doubt that these coins represented a significant step towards the Umayyads taking complete ownership of their coinage.

Another remarkable series of coins minted in this period were the so-called Mihrab and Anaza silver dirhams (Treadwell, 2005), where the Sassanian emperor's portrait was surrounded by the shahada and modified to suggest that it represented an image of the caliph (e.g., holding a sword). On the reverse side of these coins, the Sassanian fire altar was replaced by an arch with a spear standing upright in it. Most notably, the inscriptions on either side of the arch read amir al-mu'minin (Commander of the Believers) and khalifatullah (Deputy of Allah)  though the latter has also been read as khalaftullah (I act in the name of Allah). The spear is flanked by the words nasr Allah (succor from Allah).

This approach culminated in the issuance around 694 CE of a famous series of gold and copper coins known as the Standing Caliph series. These coins depicted a standing figure, clad in Arab robes and head-dress, and holding what looks like a sword (though some have termed it a staff). There is near-consensus that this figure is meant to represent the caliph himself, much as Sassanian and Byzantine coins had depicted emperors. Notably, some scholars such as Foss (2001) and Hoyland (2007) have suggested that in some cases, the figure depicts the Prophet himself, but this is unlikely (Schulze and Schulze, 2010). The gold coin also carried the complete shahada and, for the first time, an explicit declaration in Arabic of the year the coin was minted. Both these features were to become permanent in subsequent gold and silver coinage. The copper coinage with the standing caliph motif was more varied (see Figure 8).



Figure 8: Two types of Umayyad copper coins with the Standing Caliph motif. The coin on the left has the complete shahada and the name of the caliph with the title amir al-mu'minin, whereas the one on the right only has Muhammad rasulallah and the name of the mint, iliya / filistin (Jerusalem, Palestine). The inscription and the distinctive posture of the figure has led some to suggest that the latter coin might depict the Prophet Muhammad himself, but this is extremely unlikely. Author's Collection.

The Standing Caliph series lasted only for a few years (Bates, 1987), and it is hypothesized that it failed because of objections to its figural content from the Muslim community. If so, this indicates that, by this point, some degree of iconoclastic feeling had pervaded the Muslim polity. Another indication of such sentiment comes from the response to a set of coins issued by Hajjaj b. Yusuf, the governor of Basra around 694 CE. These Sassanian-style coins had the emperor's portrait, surrounded by the complete shahada in one of two different styles (see Figure 9 for one style). Notably, the name of the governor on these coins was inscribed in Arabic rather than Pahlavi. Apparently, the more pious members of the community raised some sort of objection on these coins as well  perhaps to the conjunction of the shahada and the emperor's portrait  and the coins stopped being minted.

Figure 9: Silver dirham issued by Hajjaj b. Yusuf c. 694 CE, with the full shahada and the governor's name in Arabic. Author's Collection.

VI. The Reform Coinage: 696 CE onwards

Finally, in 696-97 CE, Abd al-Malik implemented a sweeping reform of all coinage, moving away from all figural depictions and non-Arabic scripts, and switching to purely aniconic designs with Arabic inscriptions. First, a gold dinar was issued in 696 CE. On the obverse, it had the central inscription la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharikalah (there is no god but Allah, the One, He has no associates), and along the circumference the inscription Muhammad rasulallah arsalahu bi-l-huda wa din al-haqq liyudhhiru ala al-dini kullihi (Muhammad [is] the messenger of Allah, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of Truth that He might proclaim it over all religions). The part after Muhammad rasulallah quotes from the Qur'an 61:9. The reverse had a central field inscribed with part of chapter 112 from the Qur'an  Allahu ahad Allahu al-samad lam yalid wa-lam yulad (Allah is one. Allah is eternal. He did not beget and was not begotten), with the inscription around the circumference explicitly stating the mint and year of minting in Hijri calendar.

The silver coinage, issued a year later, followed exactly the same pattern, with two minor changes. In the quote from Qur'an 61:9 on the obverse, a part omitted in the gold coins was included, so that the inscription read Muhammad rasulallah arsalahu bi-l-huda wa din al-haqq liyudhhiru ala al-dini kullihi wa-law karih-al-mushrikun (Muhammad [is] the messenger of Allah, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth that He might proclaim it over all religions even if the associators are averse). On the reverse, the central inscription now quoted the complete text of chapter 112: Allahu ahad Allahu al-samad lam yalid wa-lam yulad wa-lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad (Allah is one. Allah is eternal. He did not beget and was not begotten. And there is none like unto Him). An early example is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Umayyad post-reform silver dirham following the standard pattern, except the inclusion of the mint name, Marw, in Pahlavi script at the bottom of the central field on the obverse. Author's Collection.

Once implemented, the pattern of the gold and silver coinage was followed without any change until the end of the Umayyad dynasty in 750 CE, and continued with minor changes in the first two centuries of the Abbasid dynasty (Figure 11). Indeed, broadly similar designs with textual and stylistic variations were to be used for gold and silver coins through most of the Islamic world for many centuries thereafter, and with rare exceptions, the use of figural motifs in coinage was abandoned completely until modern times.

Figure 11: Gold dinar issued by the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Note the continuity of the general pattern from the Umayyad reform coinage (Figure 10). Author's collection.

Interestingly, the early use of the shahada and Qur'anic texts on fundamentally commercial artifacts such as coins indicates that currently held popular ideas about the use and handling of such texts are a recent invention. Today, many Muslims have come to regard even the damaging of paper with Qur'anic text or the handling of such texts by non-Muslims as disrespectful, or even blasphemous. But such texts were used on coins from Spain to India for a thousand years. These coins were mishandled, hammered, gouged, cut and re-melted. They were used by people of all creeds, and even copied (poorly) by many Christian states for use as their currency (see Figure 12). They found their way to all parts of the known world, so that some of the biggest hordes of early Islamic coins have been discovered in places such as Sweden. All these things show that early Muslims had a much more relaxed attitude towards the sanctity and appropriate use of religious texts than many imagine today.



Figure 12: A gold Bezant of the Crusader State of Jerusalem, c. 12th-13th cent. CE. The coin imitates Fatimid dinars, including the inscriptions of the shahada and other religious declarations. Author's collection.

INTERPRETING THE NUMISMATIC DATA



Coins are remarkably informative archaeological artifacts, referring explicitly to persons, dates and places, and often providing additional information through their inscriptions, their physical attributes, and the location of their discovery. However, this richness also makes it difficult to interpret their information precisely  especially in the absence of other sources. The numismatic corpus from the early Islamic period is especially difficult in this sense. Looking back at it with modern eyes  and with the cultural and religious history of the last thirteen centuries in mind  several questions arise naturally: Why did it take so long for the Arab conquerors to settle on an Islamic design for coinage? Why did they rely on chimeric designs with obviously un-Islamic symbology and attributes for an extended period? Why were sacred inscriptions so often in Pehlavi rather than Arabic? What motivated the choice of designs and inscriptions as the coinage evolved? What sort of state was it that produced this evolving coinage?

Some of these questions have been addressed indirectly in the discussion above, but this section will consider them more explicitly to explore what the coinage in question might say about the social, cultural economic, political and religious milieu that produced it.

Two issues, in particular, deserve special attention:

The use of chimeric coins over an extended period lasting at least until 692 CE.

The sudden proliferation of overtly Islamic statements on coins and in other texts after about 690 CE, leading to the issuing of reformed coinage in 696 CE.

Both provide uniquely significant insight into the likely nature, orientation and evolution of the early Muslim state.

The Use of Chimeric Coinage

To the person unfamiliar with early Islamic coinage, its most striking and surprising feature is the use of Byzantine and Sassanian designs, including the portraits of emperors and depictions of non-Muslim religious symbols. This remarkable fact has elicited much interest, and some highly questionable revisionist theories about the origins of Islam (see Grodzky (2014) for a good summary). However, much more plausible and historically justifiable explanations can be found based on existing evidence and minimal speculation.

Most people  especially Muslims  have been conditioned to believe that Islam is an exclusivist, iconoclastic faith that forbids images and execrates the symbols of other faiths. Yet, in the very period idealized today by Muslims everywhere  including the time of the Prophet himself  Muslims seem to have used Byzantine and Sassanian coinage without objection. Even more astonishingly, when Islamic features did begin to appear on coins, the most significant features of the non-Islamic design  emperors' portraits, fire altars and crosses, Pahlavi and Greek scripts  were still retained. Indeed, the first dated expressions of the Muslim creed (the shahada and the formal affirmation of the Prophet Muhammad's status), as well as the first reference to a named caliph as Commander of the Believers on a coin, all occur in Pahlavi, not Arabic! From the date of its first major conquests, the Muslim state took more than 60 years to arrive at a coinage design that reflected what would today be recognized as a strictly Islamic form.

One common misunderstanding must be dispelled at this point. The chimeric coins of early Islam were not existing Byzantine or Persian coins stamped over with Arabic inscriptions. The coins with the mixture of symbologies and inscriptions were minted explicitly by the Muslim state  often using new dies prepared wholly within the period of Muslim rule. Thus, it is not the case that Muslim administrators could not have initiated a more overtly Islamic coinage at a much earlier date. Rather, they chose not to do so  or at least saw no need for it  and it is interesting to ask why that might have been the case.

To answer this question, one must consider the early Islamic state in the context of its time rather than through the lens of subsequent centuries. In retrospect, the Arab conquests look like the beginning of an entirely new civilizational turn in the areas ruled by the Persian and Byzantine empires, but things probably looked very different to those who actually accomplished the conquests, and the choices they made  including those about coinage  were necessarily driven by their conceptions in real time.

In view of what followed, perhaps the most easily overlooked aspect of the Arab conquest is its relatively mundane nature. To be sure, the Arabs were extremely unlikely conquerors, but conquest itself was a commonplace affair for most of the region in question. The two great empires  and their predecessor empires  had been over-running each other's territories regularly for almost a thousand years before the Arabs appeared. This was especially true in the areas comprising modern Syria and Iraq. Each of these conquests involved the transfer of sovereignty over large populations from one ruler and one religion to another. And though the conquerors often indulged in massacre, enslavement, and desecration of sacred places, most of the populace was allowed to go about its affairs without the imposition of grand societal transformations. The authority of the conquerors was generally maintained through a relatively small occupying force and a local bureaucracy co-opted by force. The Arabs were no exception. Indeed, they needed this model more than prior conquerors because of their smaller numbers and a lack of governing experience or infrastructure.

As documented, among others, by Hodgson and Hoyland using Muslim sources such as al-Tabari and al-Baladhuri, the early Arab conquerors had little interest in creating a new civilization, or in converting the conquered populations to Islam. Rather, they saw these populations mainly as a source of labor, goods, and revenue, which was consistent with the practices of the time. The Arab soldiery  which included Christians as well as Muslims  lived in separate garrison towns and had limited contact with the local populace. People of all faiths in the conquered regions  including Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and later Hindus  were recognized as People of the Book so that they could be subject to the poll tax (jizya), which formed a critical part of the Muslim state's tax base. Indeed, when the locals did begin to convert under social and financial pressures, it became something of a fiscal crisis for the Muslim state, prompting drastic changes in tax law to ensure that conversion could occur without loss of revenue. Even so, non-Arab converts typically needed to find an Arab Muslim patron before they could fully join the Muslim community. It took well over three centuries for most of the Middle East and Persia to become Muslim majority regions. All these things indicate that the original Muslim state's conception of itself was very different than that promoted by later revisionist thinking, and was more along the lines of traditional control over conquered peoples rather than the creation of a radically new egalitarian polity. This is reflected in the fact that the poll tax was often imposed on all adults in the conquered lands, implying that they were considered a single class regardless of their religious affiliation. A polity rooted in an Islamic identity only emerged as non-Arab Muslims acquired greater power and sought to erase the memory of their subservient status.

Given this situation, it was natural that the decisions of the early Muslim state would be concerned more with maintaining control rather than a zeal for Islamization. This was especially important because the Arab forces comprised a tiny, relatively isolated minority in the lands they had conquered. Continuity would clearly have been more useful in this context than wholesale disruption of societal patterns, and the decision to keep using existing coinage with minor changes may have been driven by this consideration. The still largely Zoroastrian or Christian populations were more likely to feel secure with fire altars, crosses and familiar images of their old rulers on the coins they used every day (Donner, 1986). And yet, like all conquerors, the Arabs must also have felt the need to stamp their authority in some way, especially as the conquest took hold. One way they did so was by introducing explicitly Islamic inscriptions on coins. But here too, it must have been important to make sure that the message got through. Thus, in Persia which had no familiarity with Arabic, the Muslim state used Pehlavi to make its religious statements, but felt freer to use Arabic in Syria and Egypt, where the language may have had somewhat greater penetration already.

Another important likely factor was the necessarily asymmetric relationship between the Muslim state and its two predecessor empires. Unlike the Sassanian Empire, which was overthrown completely and its last ruler killed in exile, the Byzantine Empire remained a strong force even after losing Syria, and held on to its legendary capital, Constantinople. Thus, Zoroastrian symbols and the Pehalvi language represented no real threat to the conquerors, whereas Christianity and Roman civilization remained potent adversaries. This may explain why removing the Christian cross from coins was given a much higher priority than removing the Zoroastrian fire altar  though the cross continued to appear sporadically until 692 CE.

The long-lasting use of chimeric coins, and especially Abd al-Malik's initial experiments with putting his own image on coins, also suggests that early Islam was far less dogmatic about figural representations than is seen later in history. At the same time, it is also clear from the failure of Abd al-Malik's figural coinage that, by the mid-690s, Muslim opinion-makers had come to frown upon the practice of depiction. Hodgson (1975) has called the choice of a non-figural coin design a stroke of genius that symbolized the Muslim faith in compelling fashion.

The Proliferation of Official Religious Statements Post-690 CE

Prior to the accession of Abd al-Malik b. Marwan to the caliphate in 685 CE, there is very little overt assertion of religious doctrine in the historic record, but this changes rather abruptly after about 690 CE  on coins as well as in written texts and architectural decoration. This has led several revisionist historians to suggest that the currently accepted religion of Islam was largely created during the period of Abd al-Malik and his successors, building upon a more rudimentary earlier cult. Another implication derived from the evidence is that the Muslim state prior to 690 CE was relatively weak and not based explicitly on a religious vision. However, as Hodgson, Donner, Hoyland and others have argued persuasively, there is little reason to accept the first assertion, and the second one must be understood in proper historical context. An increasing amount of evidence from early papyrus inscriptions indicates that the Muslim state was administratively quite sophisticated as early as the period of the second Caliph, Umar b. al-Khattab (583-644 CE), and certainly by the caliphate of Muawiya b. Abi Sufyan (660-680 CE). Numerous rock and papyrus inscriptions from the pre-690 CE period also show that Islamic religious sentiment and Qur'anic expression at the personal level had become well-established among Muslims by that time. Why, then, the sudden emergence of official religious statements?

The answer may lie in political calculation.

Hoyland  following Crone and others  has speculated that, until the eruption of the second fitnah, the expanding Arabs saw themselves as an army of believers (mu'minin) rather than an army of Muslims (muslimin) alone. Thus, the amir al-mu'minin (Commander of the Believers) saw himself as a leader of Christians and Jews as well as Muslims, and the practice of Islam per se was regarded as a private matter within this larger milieu  hence the lack of official religious proclamations by the state. There is indeed indirect evidence that the Prophet Muhammad initially saw Christians and Jews as members of his larger community  a principle embodied in the Compact of Medina signed after the Prophet's migration to that city. It is also true that the conquering Arab armies included Christian Arabs in addition to Muslims, and that these people were treated as equal members of the community, in contrast to the conquered peoples. However, it is far from clear if this situation held as late as 690 CE, by which time large populations of Christians and Jews in Iraq, Syria and Egypt were paying the poll-tax (jizya) as protected minorities. So why did the official usage of Islamic expressions by the state only begin after 690? To answer this question, it is useful to look at the situation at the time from the Umayyad perspective. Abd al-Malik was facing two major challenges: The civil strife of the Second Fitnah, and the perpetual conflict with the Byzantines. Both were likely factors in the decision to adopt a more overtly Islamic official discourse.

On the home front, opposition came from three directions: The ultra-orthodox regime of Ibn Zubayr; the various puritanical khariji groups; and the supporters of the fourth Caliph, Ali, who would later become the Shi'a branch of Islam. The notable thing is that all three opponents based their claims on religious rectitude, asserting that they  and not the Umayyads in Damascus  were the true practitioners of Islam in its purest form. In the case of the Shi'a, this assertion was accompanied by belief in a divinely sanctioned leadership role for the Prophet's family. Of the three opposition movements, the Shi'a revolt was ultimately to prove the most effective and lead to the end of the Umayyad dynasty, but during Abd al-Malik's time, it was the least powerful of the three. The other two acquired real, if transient, power, and proclaimed it explicitly through strong religious statements. As discussed earlier, Muslim coinage prior to 685 is either devoid of any Islamic inscription, or carries minimal ones such as bismillah or the designation of the Caliph as Commander of the Believers. The first explicit statement of Muhammad is Allah's messenger appears in 685 CE on coins issued by Abd al-Malik b. Abdullah in Bishapur (in southern Iran), and the full creed (shahada) appears first in 691 CE on a coin minted by Abd al-Aziz b. Abdullah in Sistan (Eastern Iran). Notably, both were regional governors appointed by Ibn Zubayr's ultra-orthodox regime in Medina, not by the Umayyad caliph in Damascus (Johns, 2003). The khariji groups also put vociferous religious inscriptions such as la hukmu illa lillah (there is no dominion except for Allah) on coins  and presumably using them in their discourse. The Umayyads spent the period from 683 to 692 CE fighting these movements, and gradually defeated them all. It is precisely towards the end of this period that the highly specific religious statements introduced by their more puritanical foes began appearing on official Umayyad coinage, and the walls of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem were adorned with passages from the Qur'an. And, to cap it all, once the rebel groups had been vanquished, the Umayyads introduced a reformed coinage with the full shahada and two long quotes from the Qur'an. This pattern suggests strongly that the move towards the official use of religious statements reflected a political decision to co-opt the narrative of the rebels to dissipate the widespread sympathy they enjoyed in a populace already growing more puritanical under their influence. A somewhat parallel phenomenon can be seen today, where the emergence of extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS has had the effect of increasing religious fervor even among Muslims who do not support these groups politically, in turn forcing governments to adopt more puritanical postures on issues such as blasphemy and shari'a law.

The struggle against puritanical Islam, however, is only a part of the explanation for the adoption of overtly religious discourse by the state after 690 CE. Some of the credit must go also to the state's emerging relationship with the Byzantine Empire. Initially, the Muslim state had been monetarily dependent on the Byzantines, and the latter seem to have regarded the Muslims as temporary occupiers of their lands in the Levant. However, as Arab hold over Syria and Egypt became more complete, the two states adopted a posture of mutual hostility, symbolized most clearly by the repeated military expeditions sent by the Umayyads against Constantinople  all of them fruitless. And, given that the Byzantine Empire presented itself as the guardian of Christian supremacy, it was natural that the Arabs responded by adopting a similar position in the name of Islam. Thus, when Abd al-Malik did finally introduce a reformed Islamic coinage, the Qur'anic texts placed on them appeared to be directed squarely at Christian beliefs. The focus of Chapter 112 (Al-Ikhlas) is on the oneness of Allah, and on the key statement, He did not beget and was not begotten  a direct challenge to the divinity of Jesus. The challenge is even clearer in the choice of Qur'an 61:9  Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth that he might proclaim it over all religions even if the associators are averse. There can be little doubt that the term associators here referred to the dominant faith in the Levant and its association of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with the Divine. Indeed, this text, among others, was also inscribed on the walls of Abd al-Malik's new Dome of the Rock. Thus, the post-fitna period beginning in 692 CE can be seen as the beginning of a transformation in the Muslim state, taking it from yet another occupier to a new civilizational force with Islamic orthodoxy at its core. The aggressive statement of Qur'an 61:9 on coins was a fittingly supremacist declaration of Islam's new intentions, and the basis of solidarity against the Christian empire.

The picture of the early Muslim state that emerges from this is one highlighting the practical aspects of its evolution rather than the ideological form imputed to it by later generations. Once can imagine a young, energetic and rapidly expanding state run by people with little experience of statecraft relying on their instinctive administrative genius  which was considerable in some cases  and on the principles of their new faith. It is natural that they would be less pre-occupied with doctrinal issues such as the prohibition of images or explicit statements of creed, and more with the practical considerations of governing diverse populations, collecting taxes, and keeping the soldiery in shape. Indeed, history suggests that, ultimately, it was this focus on the worldly affairs of state that elicited the puritanical revolts of Ibn Zubayr, the Kharijites, and even some Shi'a groups. This, in turn, forced the state to adopt a posture of more overt religiosity, essentially using a protector of the faith argument to solidify its political control  especially in opposition to the overtly Christian Byzantine state. It is not surprising, then, that the intellectual basis as well as the bureaucratic framework of Islamic law begins to flourish in this period, though it did not find full fruition until after the fall of the Umayyads. In a real sense, the idea of a state based on Islamic laws rather than Islamic rule was a creation of Abd al-Malik and his successors  including the Abbasids  and driven by the agenda of their puritanical opponents.

This viewpoint has interesting implications. Among other things, it suggests that the second fitnah was a critical event in Islamic history, and changed its course for all future time. Many of the features that orthodox Muslims associate today with the notion of an Islamic state arose at this time, and probably for purely political reasons. This also means that, rather than separating the period of the first four rightly-guided caliphs from the rest, it is more useful to see the reign of Mu'awiya as a continuation of this period, with the real break coming after his death.

An important consequence of the Islamization instituted by Abd al-Malik would have been to finally turn Christians, Jews and other non-Muslims irrevocably into outsiders, reversing the early practice of regarding Arab Christians and Jews as part of the community of believers and reserving outsider status only for conquered people. After Abd al-Malik's consolidation of the state, Islam became the core of its identity. Even so, the state did not force non-Muslims to convert  indeed, actively discouraged them in many cases  and allowed them to maintain their communities, albeit in a subservient status. This was the model that Muslim rulers from Spain to India were to follow for the next thousand years, and even follow today in certain ways. It is a self-consciously supremacist and exclusionary model  very much of its time and clearly unsuited to the 21st century  but it is nothing like the fantasy that excites groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The society it created was  like all others in its time  manifestly illiberal, but it was also intellectually vigorous, multi-faceted, diverse, creative and dynamic. It produced writers, poets, philosophers, scientists, historians, and, yes, warriors and tyrants. It was full of argument and passion, but also capable of thoughtful analysis. In a word, it was complex, not the stark, simplistic, static and joyless caricature that today's revivalists seem to have in mind.

Above all, the varied coinage of the early Islamic period presents a very human picture of the evolving Muslim state, laying bare the challenges it faced, hinting at motivations, suggesting calculations and choices made. It shows energetic leaders coping with problems far exceeding their control, and finding strategies to muddle through. The fact that some of these pragmatic strategies have since ossified into religious orthodoxy is a large part of the problems the world faces today. Muslim societies in particular should look more deeply into their history and learn to appreciate its complexities rather than seeking simple answers in the mythology of received truths. It's worth remembering that societies that forget their past truly have no future!

References

M.L. Bates (1987) The Coinage of Syria Under the Umayyads, 692-750 A.D., IVth International Conference on Bilad al-Sham During the Umayyad Period: Proceedings of the Third Symposium, pp. 195-228.

P. Crone (2014) The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran: Rural Revolt and Local Zoroastrianism. Cambridge University Press.

D.C. Dennett (2000) Conversion and the Poll Tax in Early Islam. Harvard University Press.

F.M. Donner (1986) The Formation of the Islamic State, Journal of the American Oriental Society 106, pp. 283-296

C. Foss (2001) Anomalous Arab-Byzantine coins  some problems and suggestions, Oriental Numismatic Society Newletter 166, pp. 512.

C. Foss (2002) A Syrian Coinage of Mu'awiya ?, Revue Numismatique 158, pp. 353  365 (http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/numi.2002.1451)

M. Grodzki (2014) Christian-Muslim Symbolism on Coins of the Early Arab Empire, Asian and African Studies 23, pp. 255-273.

M.G.S. Hodgson (1975) The Venture of Islam, Volume 1: The Classical Age of Islam, University of Chicago Press.

R.G. Hoyland (1997) Seeing Islam as Others Saw it: A Survey and Evaluation of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian Writings on Early Islam, The Darwin Press, Princeton, NJ.

R.G. Hoyland (2006) New documentary texts and the early Islamic state, Bulletin of SOAS 69, pp. 395416.

R.G. Hoyland (2007) Writing the biography of the prophet Muhammad: problems and solutions, History Compass 5/2, pp. 581- 602.

R.G. Hoyland (2015) In God's Path: The Arab Conquest and the Creation of an Islamic Empire, Oxford University Press (See also video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly46AjPDptw )

J. Johns (2003) Archaeology and the History Of Early Islam: The First Seventy Years, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 426-427.

D.N. MacLean (1989) Religion and Society in Arab Sind. Brill.

M.I. Mochiri (1981) A Pahlavi Forerunner of the Umayyad Reformed Coinage, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, pp. 168-72.

M.I. Mochiri (1982) A Sasanian-Style Coin Of Yazid B. Muawiya, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. 1, pp. 137-141, Plate I.

Sotheby's Auction Catalog, 2011, Important Coins of the Islamic World.

L. Treadwell (2005)  Mihrab and 'Anaza or Sacrum and Spear? A Reconsideration of an Early Marwanid Silver Drachm, in Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, XXII, 1-28.

I. Schulze and W. Schulze (2010) The Standing Caliph Coins of al-Jazira: some problems and suggestions, The Numismatic Chronicle 170, pp. 331  353.
Have blue-chip taste in art but can't afford a Chagall or find time to peruse the galleries? Now you can view works by the mastersthink Pablo Picasso and French surrealist artist Yves Tanguyright from the gallery walls...in your own space, on your own time.





Weinstein Gallery, the multidisciplinary gallery in San Francisco's SoMa that specializes in non-objective and surrealist art, is now the first private art gallery to utilize Beam Smart Presence technology so we can take virtual and interactive tours of Weinstein's collection via remote video connection through your computer. (The Beam System has also been used by the de Young Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Kennedy Center.





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How it works: First, you'll need to get to know Weinstein's gallery director, Kendy Genovese, who will send you an invitation via email to download Beam's software. You'll also need a mouse. Once the program is installed, you can schedule a time to go inside the gallery and explore it in real-time and have a "face to face" conversation with gallerists who can answer all your burning questions about its artists and their works. On the gallery end of things, you will appear on a monitor on the BeamPro robot; with the click of your mouse, you can move forward, backward, and zoom in for closeups as your webcam streams live paintings, sculptures, and installations.





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As real-world interactions continue to blur with the virtual world, this type of technology is only becoming more prevalenteven President Obama enjoyed the BeamPro in July of 2015 when, from the White House's East Room, he talked to Alice Wong, founder and project coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act.





"We work with many European art collectors, and this is a great way to be in touch and communicate with them," says Genovese, "and it is a good way to bring in more people" to the gallery. Currently on view is the exhibition "Chance Meeting on Dissection Table," featuring a hanging mobile by Alexander Calder, trippy oil paintings by American surrealist Enrico Donati, and "Man with Hoops," a sculpture by David Hare.








The Bay Area is celebrating Negroni Week from June 6 through June 12, and you'd be hard pressed to find a local bar without a Negroni special or event this week.





And just in case you frogot, the classic Negroni consists of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and campari, served up or on the rocks, with orange peel. Cheers!

EVENTS

Whitechapel will be hosting a happy hour fundraiser for SF-Marin Food Bank on the second day of Negroni Week, Tuesday, June 7 from 6 to 9pm. Head to the Gin Palace in the back, where you'll find a special menu of classic and creative Negronis, including the Flower Power Negroni, made with Campari, Bulldog Gin, Sweet Vermouth, rose water, orange flower water, and patchouli. Be sure to try the Campari Key Lime Pie. // 600 Polk St. (Tenderloin), whitechapelsf.com









Tropical Negroni Punch at Holy Mountain (photo by Wes Rowe)





Holy Mountain, the rum obsessed bar above Hawker Fare on Valencia Street, has a summer tradition of creating inventive punch bowls made out of fruit that resemble animals, monsters, people and buildings. On Wednesday, June 8 from 6pm to 9pm, they'll be serving tropical Negronis out of coconuts, pineapples, watermelons, and oranges  all in support of La Cocina. A special tropical DIY photo station will be set up inside for guests who want to get fruit loopy with their cocktail for Instagram.





The "bold hatmakers" in North Beach, Goorin Bros., are hosting a Negroni cocktail hour on Thursday, June 9 from 6pm to 9pm, featuring snacks, Negronis sips, and a live reading by Duggan McDonnell, author of Drinking the Devil's Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails. During Negroni Week, Gooring Bros. will donate a percentage of all red feather and fedora sales to the American Red Cross. RSVP required: rsvp@goorin.com // 1612 Stockton St. (North Beach), goorin.com





Lazy Bear is offering 3 negroni-inspired drinks paired with Lazy Bear snacks in the upstairs mezzanine at 9:45pm on June 10 and 11 for $75/person. Proceeds benefit Creativity Explored, a Mission arts charity that gives artists with developmental disabilities the means to create, exhibit, and sell their art. // 3416 19th St. (Mission), Tickets are available online.





Alamo Drafthouse will be screening the Fellini classic, La Dolce Vita, on Saturday, June 11 at 4pm. Perhaps no other film captures the luxurious decadence associated with Campari. During the movie, Alamo will be serving Negronis and Boulevardiers from the tap, as well as Malted Chocolate Negronis, Frozen Tropical Negronis and, of course, the Dolce Vida Negroni. Stick around for the after party, which starts at 6pm. Proceeds benefit Tipping Point. // 2550 Mission St. (Mission), drafthouse.com/sf





Close out Negroni week on Sunday, June 12th from 11am to 3pm with a celebratory bartenders brunch hosted by ABV for industry friends, family and Negroni Week supporters. A benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the closing brunch for Negroni Week will feature a special menu of ABV favorites, classic Negronis and variations, and a couple of surprises, such as the Lamborghroni, made with Campari, Old Raj 110 Proof, and Matthiasson Napa Valley Sweet Vermouth ($20), and the Negroni Petit Four: gin and vanilla cookies with Campari mousse, sweet vermouth caramel, and garnished with candied orange peel ($7). // 3174 16th St. (Mission), abvsf.com





The Dulce Negroni at Alamo Drafthouse (photo by Wes Rowe)





DRINK SPECIALS

San Francisco





Elixir is launching a one-week only Negroni menu featuring five $11 versions: Classic, Basil, Barrel-aged Basil, White, and Sherry-finished Boulevardier. For each Negroni sold, Elixir will donate $4 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. // 3200 16th St. (Mission); elixirsf.com





Blackbird is offering a four-course Negroni Tasting menu. Go for mini flight of all four for $15, or go big with full-size cocktails for $12 each. // 2124 Market St. (Castro), blackbirdbar.com





One Market Restaurant will be serving two different Negroni cocktails this week: a classic preparation and a bottled version, just in case you need one for the road. For each Negroni sold, CUESA will receive a $1 donation. // 1 Market St. (FiDi), onemarket.com





E&O Kitchen and Bar will offer a unique tea-inspired Negroni for Negroni Week. The Chaiwalla Negroni is made with Red Rooibos and Chai tea-infused gin, Carpano Antica and Campari. The drink gets its name from the "Chaiwallas" who tend the Chai tea stalls lining the streets of India. E&O will donate $1 to Heifer International for each Negroni purchased. // 314 Sutter St. (Tenderloin), eosanfrancisco.com





Gaspar Brasserie has created the Bolv'r for Negroni Week, made with equal parts Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, and Campari, all barrel-aged since March. The cocktail is $12 and $1 of every cocktail sold will be donated to CUESA . // 185 Sutter Street (Tenderloin), gasparbrasserie.com





In addition to four special Negroni cocktails - the Old Tom Cat Negroni, Apple Brandy Negroni, Tequila Negroni Sour, and Negroni Spritz - Perbacco will be serving Negroni Caramel Corn with gin-spiced sea salt. A dollar of each cocktail sold will benefit Meals on Wheels. // 230 California St. (FiDi), perbaccosf.com





Maven is featuring a liberal twist on the Negroni called Dusk Till Dawn ($12): a three-part combination of applejack brandy, cumin oleo-saccharum, and Campari topped with a Zinfandel float, resulting in a beautifully layered and dangerously drinkable libation. Dusk Till Dawn will be on the menu throughout Negroni Week. // 598 Haight St. (Lower Haight), maven-sf.com





Presidio Social Club is offering two versions of their bottle-aged negronis, including one with Citadel Gin and Cynar and one with Gordon's Gin. Drink them on-site, or buy a bottle to take home. // 563 Ruger St. (Presidio), presidiosocialclub.com





Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen is serving a Bulldog Cucumber Negroni, made with Bulldog Gin, Cucumbers and Campari. // 401 Taylor St. (Tenderloin), jasperscornertap.com





You'll find three Negroni variations at Wildhawk: the Breakfast Negroni, the Red Light, and Negroni by the Bay. // 3464 19th St. (Mission), wildhawksf.com





1760 will be serving several variations on the Negroni, including a classic Negroni, Negroni Sbagliato, Negroni 17, Sage Negroni, Cacao Negroni, and Ants on a Logroni, made with Campari, Rutte Celery Gin, Peanut-infused Cinzano 1757, and Scotch-poached golden raisin garnish. // 1760 Polk St. (Tenderloin), 1760sf.com





Horsefeather is featuring the Foamy Negroni ($12), made with Campari, Bulldog Gin, Cinzano 1757, and Stieg Radler Foam. // 528 Divisadero (Lower Haight), horsefeatherbar.com





Tosca's Negroni Week contribution is the Hard Bargain ($12), made with Campari, Plymouth Navy Strength Gin, Cocchi Torino Vermouth, Small Hands Orgeat, Lemon, Coriander Flower ($12). Proceeds support North Beach Citizens. // 242 Columbus Ave. (North Beach), toscacafesf.com





Burritt Room + Tavern will be serving Smoke and Pearls ($13), made with with Campari, Hendricks Gin, Silencio Mezcal, Dolin Rouge, charred watermelon juice, carbonated water, salt, and paprika. Proceeds benefit The Culinary Institute of America. // 417 Stockton Street in the Mystic Hotel (Chinatown), charliepalmer.com/burritt-room-and-tavern/





Turnkey at Cantina is supporting Rocket Dog Rescue with Bar Star Kevin Diedrich's Negroni Gives You Wings ($13), made with Campari, Tanqueray Gin, Cinzano 1757, and Cold Drip Coffee Negroni Concentrate. // 580 Sutter St. (Union Square), cantinasf.com





In addition to the traditional Negroni, MKT will be featuring a trio of variations on the classic cocktail, including the Smokin' Negroni made with Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal, the barrel-aged Tomaso Negroni made with Hayman's Old Tom Gin, and the barrel-aged Boulevardier, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon. // 757 Market St., Four Seasons Hotel, 5th Floor (Tenderloin), mktrestaurantandbar.com





Negroni Gives You Wings at Turnkey (Grace Sager Photography)





East Bay





Bocanova bartender John McKenna has created the BocaNegroni made withSt. George Botanivore Gin, Campari, Carpano Antica, Dolin Sweet Vermouth and a pinch of salt to bring out a touch of sweetness. Proceeds from the special cocktail benefit local Oakland charity, Youth Alive. // 55 Webster, Oakland (Jack London Square), bocanova.com





A16 Rockridge pizzeria will be featuring aperitivo classics and custom Negroni variations all week, with proceeds benefiting the Alameda County Community Food Bank. // 5356 College Ave. Oakland (Rockridge), a16pizza.com





Cafe Eugene is serving the Negronivit ($12), made with Krogstad Aquavit, Campari, Gran Classico, House Meyer Limoncello, and garnished with a flamed orange peel. Albany SchoolCARE will receive 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this cocktail. // 1175 Solano Ave. (Albany), cafeeugene.com

South Bay

Locanda Positano in San Carlos will be offering both classic Negronis and Negroni Sbagliatos ("Wrong" Negronis) for $7 each. // 617 Laurel St. (San Carlos), locanda-positano.com

Sausalito
I went to Hollywood to pursue acting. Then I was asked to train Jessica Alba in gymnastics for Dark Angel  and that was the start of my fitness career. Halle Berry often uses my 3-2-1 workout, which includes three cardio segments, two circuit-training segments and one core segment.

I'm a total gym rat, but I also love taking my clients outdoors. Changing your environment helps keep you motivated. But you don't need a trainer to get moving. Here are a few quick exercises to try on the next sunny day.

Aquatic abs

At the swimming pool, throw in a little abdominal work. Support yourself with the pool's edge and crunch your legs toward your chest.

Step up your health

When climbing stairs, boost your stamina  by taking two or three at a time. On a hill, stretch your strides.
Not heading to Hawaii this summer?

Robert Punya will bring a little slice of the islands to you instead.

Punya has put the poke bowl  a raw fish-based dish

commonly associated with Hawaii  at the center of his new Albuquerque restaurant, Poki Poki Cevicheria. In some ways, it resembles the poke eateries sprouting up around the country in that patrons pick and choose the ingredients they want in their bowls. The five-step customization process allows them to select a base (rice, salad or chips), fish, sauce, toppings and dressing.

Hawaiian transplants seeking a taste of home have flocked to the eatery since it opened last month near the University of New Mexico, Punya says, but his place has its own twist: an Asian-Latin fusion theme.

Punya says he noticed poke riding a wave of popularity while living in Southern California with a sea of related restaurants, but theyre pretty much all Japanese-infused, he says. He decided his Albuquerque version should have a Latin element and has consulted with Elvis Bencomo of Albuquerques Pasion Latin Fusion restaurant, who continues to make a few of the sauces.

We try to as much as possible infuse Latin, Hawaiian, Japanese (flavors), Punya says.

Fish options include ceviche, raw salmon and tuna, cooked octopus and steamed shrimp. The seven-sauce lineup includes roasted jalapeno, red pepper and passion fruit versions. The toppings, meanwhile, run the gamut from plantain chips and pineapple mango salsa to seaweed and edamame.

Bowls range in price based on size. A regular with 3 ounces of fish costs $8.95, while the ultimate with a 7-ounce fish portion costs $14.95.

Most people who walk into the 1,500-square-foot restaurant have never tried poke before, Punya says, so the crew does a lot of explaining and hands out samples of the sauces.

I would say one in 10 people knows what the concept is but, for the most part, a lot of people come in and say, Ive never been here and dont know what it is,' Punya says.

For the newbies reluctant to freewheel their way through the ordering process, Poki Poki also offers a small selection of tried-and-true bowl combinations.

A lot of first-timers will go (with those) and build up their confidence, general manager Jonathan Vallez says.

Poki Poki Cevicheria also sells bubble teas (starting at $3), and stocks a handful of Japanese and Mexican snacks and candies.

Punya says he plans to add beer and wine in the future.

Poki Poki is located at 2300 Central SE, at Harvard. It is open 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily. The phone number is 503-1077.

New sushi source

A year ago, Ayako Morooka moved from Japan to the United States.

A month ago, she moved from aspiring restaurateur to actual restaurateur.

Morooka opened Ayas New Asian restaurant last month in Albuquerques Northeast Heights, realizing a dream she says she had to set aside for decades as she raised her children and ran her own home health care agency in her native Japan.

But, after a recent relocation to Albuquerque, the Osaka native decided to give it a go, redesigning the former Tokyo Kitchen in spring-worthy colors and rolling out a menu of what she calls homestyle Japanese food. Ayas offers curry rice plates, noodle dishes, sushi, tempura and even Japanese sandwiches (whether filled with chicken or whipped cream and fruit).

Sushi rolls start at $3.50, while a beef teriyaki platter (with fried rice, salad, soup and another side) runs $13.95.

The career transition suits Morooka, who beams while noting that her weeks-old restaurant already has established a small cast of regulars.

Im so happy, she says.

Ayas is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The address is 8019 Menaul NE, west of Wyoming. The phone number is 323-5441.

Nexus branches out

Nexus Brewery is entering new territory  literally and figuratively.

The 5-year-old Albuquerque craft brewery will finally open its first off-site taproom this week, joining a list of fellow local beer producers with multiple locations. And owner Ken Carson picked what he considered an under-served area for the expansion, a strip center on Coors, just north of Interstate 40.

Carson says he looked for a location outside the citys primary beer centers  like Downtown and the industry-leaning Brewery District  where he could establish more of a neighborhood hangout vibe.

Im looking forward to it, he says. It should be a lot of fun.

Nexus Silver, a onetime pizzeria remodeled by AIC General Contractor, can seat about 100 people, including the patio. It will have 18 taps, including about 10 devoted to Nexus own brews and the rest to some other local choices.

Nexus Silver will not, however, serve the New Mexican-inspired soul food that has become equally popular at its mothership site. Instead, Carson says customers can order from Pizza 9 or visit the nearby Wingstop.

He is contemplating another restaurant, but probably not until late 2017 and probably not until hes opened at least one other taproom that further solidifies Nexus foundation.

I know when you come back with the second restaurant, it puts a lot of stress on the organization, he says. I want to be as strong as I can so we can provide the best service and food that we can.

Nexus Silver is located at 2641 Coors NW. It is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday. Its hours will be 4-10 p.m. weeknights and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends.

From Special Forces to Fiesta Flea

Albuquerques flea market scene is getting some new blood.

Jimmy Aloisi  a combat veteran from the U.S. Army Special Forces  is making a move into what he calls the civilian world by launching a new indoor flea market near Central and San Pedro. After retiring from the Army, he spent some time as a military contractor, but says he sought a wholesale career change. When some friends he made in Albuquerque approached him with the idea to start Fiesta Flea, he seized it.

As I got older, I wanted to segue into the civilian world and this was an opportunity presented to me and I jumped on it, he says.

Aloisi expects to begin welcoming shoppers next month at Fiesta Flea, but says his doors are open Tuesdays through Sundays during June to vendors who want to visit and sign up for booths.

The recently renovated property at 5915 Central NE can accommodate as many as 65 vendors at full capacity. He says hed like to focus on collectibles, but will strive for overall variety.

Im trying to make it so Im not going to have redundant booths, he says.

Aloisi, who did combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, says he wants to make Fiesta Flea stand out from the crowd with secured parking, video surveillance and weekly advertising pushes.

He expects to hold a grand opening on July 2.

Kudos 

Insert hand-clap emoji here: Two metro-area restaurants have earned a place on OpenTables list of the 100 Best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America for 2016. The wow-worthy patios can be found at Farm & Table (8917 Fourth NW) and Indigo Crow (4515 Corrales in Corrales). OpenTable.com says it analyzed 5 million diner reviews of 20,000-plus restaurants to create the list of eateries that offer stunning views, regional cuisines and, above all, fabulous outdoor dining experiences.

If you have retail news to share, contact me at jdyer@abqjournal.com or 823-3864. For more regular updates on Albuquerque shopping and restaurant news, visit my blog at ABQjournal.com or follow @abqdyer on Twitter.
BAGHDAD  A mass grave containing the remains of about 400 people was found near the Islamic State-controlled city of Fallujah where government forces are pressing on with an offensive to retake it from the extremist militia, military sources said Sunday.

Iraqi forces uncovered the grave in Fallujahs northwestern suburb of Saqalawiya Sunday, a day after the government said it recaptured the largely agricultural area from Islamic State.

Most of the remains belonged to military personnel who were detained and killed by the organization, a military official said, referring to Islamic State.

There was no government confirmation.

Saqalawiya and Fallujah were among the first areas seized by Islamic State in western Iraq in early 2014.

Six months later, the radical Sunni group stormed through northern Iraq, taking the countrys second-largest city, Mosul.

Two weeks ago, government troops, backed by allied Shiite militiamen and a U.S.-led air alliance, started an onslaught to retake Fallujah, about 30 miles west of Baghdad.

The forces Sunday drove Islamic State fighters from several southern suburbs of Fallujah, boosting their advance on the city, said Yasser Khalaf, an army commander.
An Albuquerque man was arrested on dozens of charges after deputies found in his vehicle checks and paperwork belonging to 26 people, according to court documents.

Jonathan Lueras, 30, was stopped near Blake and Isleta on Friday night when a deputy noticed that he failed to use a turn signal and that his North Dakota license plate was hanging on by only one screw, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

During a search of his car, deputies found two temporary New Mexico drivers licenses along with a folder containing checks and other documents belonging to 26 people.

Lueras told deputies that his friend made the temporary licenses, which a deputy reported were clearly altered so that they could get free play from the Downs casino, according to the complaint.

Many of the checks deputies found were attached to bills.

Deputies contacted one man whose $98 check was reportedly found in Lueras vehicle. The man said that hed written the check to the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, and dropped it off in a mail box outside of the post office on San Antonio.

A woman whose checkbook was found in the vehicle told deputies that she didnt realize it had been stolen, but confirmed that someone had cashed a $400 check.

Lueras faces 26 counts of identity theft and two counts of forging a license. He was being held in jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Already the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton pressed for victory in California and five other states Tuesday, while Bernie Sanders hoped a strong showing would raise doubts about her historic achievement and spur superdelegates to rally around him instead.

The Democratic race was coming to an end amid new turmoil in the Republican Party. GOP leaders recoiled at Donald Trump's comments about a Hispanic judge, with one senator even pulling his endorsement of the presumptive GOP nominee. Trump insisted his words had been misconstrued as an attack on people of Mexican heritage.

Clinton secured the 2,383 delegates she needed for the nomination on the eve of Tuesday's voting, according to an Associated Press tally. Her total is comprised of pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates  the party officials and officeholders who can back a candidate of their choosing.

We are at the brink of a historic, historic unprecedented moment, she said during a rally in California on Monday.

Both Democratic candidates campaigned vigorously in California, each eager to capture the primary's biggest prize. If the primary turned out to be close, the results might not be known Tuesday night; more than half of Californians vote by mail, and the deadline for returned ballots isn't until Friday, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

Clinton, a former New York senator, was favored in the night's other big contest in neighboring New Jersey, where vote counting was underway as polls closed. Elections were also being held in Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Clinton was waiting until most of the voting was complete before fully reveling in becoming the first woman nominated by a major U.S. political party. She was to address supporters at a victory party in Brooklyn, where her campaign planned to run a gauzy video highlighting the achievements of women who helped clear a path.

Still, she was wasting no time moving toward the general election. Her campaign announced that she would make stops next week in Ohio and Pennsylvania, states that will be pivotal in November.

Sanders hoped a victory would help in his so-far-unsuccessful bid to get Clinton superdelegates to switch their support. Asked on NBC whether he was continuing that effort, he said, We are. We're on the phone right now.

The superdelegates who were counted in Clinton's total told the AP they were unequivocally supporting her.

Trump, after vanquishing his last opponents about a month ago, has continued to make controversial statements, frustrating party leaders.

The latest cause for GOP concern was his insistence that a judge handling a legal case involving the businessman was being unfair in his rulings. Trump has said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel can't be impartial because the jurist's parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall along the border.

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, who is locked in a close re-election fight, became the first lawmaker to pull his endorsement of Trump. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the businessman's assertion was the textbook definition of a racist comment but he would continue to support Trump.

Trump released a statement saying he does not feel one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial. But he still questioned whether he was receiving fair treatment in the case involving the now-defunct Trump University.

If some Republicans harbored hopes of edging Trump off the Republican ticket at the party convention, that was likely to be dashed in Tuesday's uncontested GOP primaries. Trump should end the night with enough delegates who are required by party rules to vote for him, whatever their personal views.

His shaky support among Republicans stands in stark contrast to the Democratic leaders mobilizing behind Clinton.

The former secretary of state, first lady and senator secured support Tuesday from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who represents a California district. And Clinton will soon have help on the campaign trail from President Barack Obama. Her 2008 foe is to endorse her as early as this week, a move meant to signal to Sanders and his supporters that it's time to unify behind her.

Obama and Sanders spoke by phone Sunday. While the content of the call is unknown, Sanders' campaign has appeared to slightly soften its rhetoric since the call.

Dianne Feinstein of California said Sanders and Clinton should march on to a general election together, and any Sanders plan to keep fighting until the Democratic National Convention is going to make that much more difficult.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said that for Sanders I think the math is unforgiving.

Sanders' achievements have been remarkable for a candidate who was unknown to most Americans before the campaign. He has drawn massive crowds to rallies around the country and built a fundraising juggernaut based largely on small donations online. The Vermont senator has been particularly popular with young voters, an important piece of the Democratic coalition.

Still, Clinton's victory has been broadly decisive. She leads Sanders by more than 3 million cast votes, by 291 pledged delegates and by 523 superdelegates. She won 29 caucuses and primaries in states and U.S. territories to his 21 victories.

Heading into Tuesday's voting, Clinton had 1,812 pledged delegates and the support of 571 of the 714 superdelegates, according to the AP count. The AP surveyed the superdelegates repeatedly in the past seven months.

Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Compton, California, and Hope Yen, Stephen Ohlemacher, Lisa Lerer and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow Julie Pace and Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and http://twitter.com/KThomasDC

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
(SIGNAL) CHANGE IS HARD:

Take for example the new flashing yellow left-turn arrows on Alameda Boulevard.

Last month Bernalillo County officials and state Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque, held a public meeting to explain the new signal system. Because only 15 residents showed up, heres the lowdown.

In short, the county is continuing to update the signals on Alameda so they adapt to traffic conditions, alleviating backups as they occur. The flashing arrows allow drivers to turn as traffic permits without having to wait for the dedicated green turn arrow.

David Mitchell of the countys Operations and Maintenance department says the flashing yellow arrows have been in use in Rio Rancho and Santa Fe for a number of years now. They are relatively new to ABQ metro but are going to become more common all across the country as they are part of the new national standard in the ubiquitous Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  Although not required, we also placed supplemental signage yield on flashing arrow at Second and Fourth before turning them on.

A PRIMER ON BICYCLE RULES: Jim S. would like one, and Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Tanner Tixier has it.

First, Jim asks in his email can riders be cited for traffic violations? Tixier says yes.

OK, if cited, do points go on their drivers license? Tixier says no, you dont need a drivers license to ride a bicycle.

So Jim asks if they take actions to avoid police can they be cited for eluding? (And) if they strike a vehicle, structure, or person and keep going can they be cited for leaving the scene? Tixier says yes on the eluding, no on leaving the scene, but (a cyclist) can be cited for criminal damage if appropriate.

What about vehicles making right turns? Jim asks if drivers should check for approaching bikes and, if clear, move into the bike lane and proceed to execute the turn. Is this correct? Tixier says No, the bike lane is for bicycles. You need to make your right-hand turn from the furthest right traffic lane, after clearing the bike lane.

And finally, Jim wants to know is it legal for motor vehicles to park in a bike lane  I see this all the time. Tixier says yes.

LITTLE SCOOTER, NO PLATE? Tim asks via email whats the story on all these little scooters being ridden on Albuquerque streets without licence plates?

Tixier says per state statute, any scooter under 850 ccs does not need to be registered.

THANKS FROM INDIAN SCHOOL/CHELWOOD: Those come from Joe Donahue, who emails Bravo, kudos  to (the) city road crew that recently completed Indian School/Chelwood intersection design and roadwork. Great improvement after 45 years in this neighborhood, with several high-speed accidents by careless/racing drivers leaving us all wondering when the next idiot would zoom through and hit another house! The city did GREAT work in planning and implementing a good design. Makes you proud!

AN OLD SIGN: Banoll emails two questions. No. 1, Why is the Heather Wilson for Congress still on the marquee just north of Constitution on Carlisle? Who is responsible for taking it down?

Bernadette Bell, public relations officer for the New Mexico Department of Transportations District Three office, says the marquee location is not within our jurisdiction. If it is on private property, its the responsibility of the sign owner. They have the right to keep it up as long as they want. If it is not on private property, then I would suggest (looking) at the sign company that put it up, which is usually located on the bottom of the billboard.

AND AN OLD CAMPGROUND: And No. 2, On Old Route 66 east of Albuquerque there used to be what was called Little Beaver Campground. Little Beaver, of course, was the Navajo boy sidekick of Red Ryder in comics and movies. The creator and artist of Red Ryder was Fred Harman, a resident of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. If you look in old comics of this western hero, you will see mesas and landscapes of New Mexico. Can you find what might remain of the Little Beaver Campground?

Bell says Nobody that Ive checked with knows about Little Beaver Campground.

Readers?

Assistant editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
A full-time head of household, working at New Mexicos minimum wage, would have to clock 86 hours per week to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to the just released Out of Reach 2016 study.

The study was conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy organization, and the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness.

Every year, Out of Reach reports on the housing wage for states, counties and metropolitan areas throughout the country. The report highlights the gap between what renters earn and what it costs to afford quality housing at fair market value, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD defines affordable housing as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a person or a familys monthly income.

Fair market rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment that meets HUD housing quality standards averages $835 a month for New Mexico and $941 a month for Bernalillo County, said Hank Hughes, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness.

What the study tells us is that there is no county anywhere in New Mexico where a 40-hour-a-week minimum wage job gets you any kind of decent housing, he said.

A 2015 report from New Mexico Voices for Children showed that there were 95,180 people in New Mexico who were over the age of 20 and in the minimum wage workforce. Most were heads or co-heads of their household, and about a third of them have one or more children.

A typical renter in New Mexico would have to earn on average $16 an hour to afford decent housing at fair market price, according to HUD standards, and a renter in Albuquerque would need to earn $18 an hour.

Working at the states minimum wage of $7.50  which is 25 cents an hour greater than the federal minimum wage  a family wishing to live in a modest two-bedroom apartment in New Mexico must have 2.1 wage earners each working 40 hours a week, or one full-time earner working 86 hours per week, the Out of Reach study said. In Albuquerque, it would require 2.4 wage earners working full time, or one full-time earner working 96 hours.

Obviously the minimum wage needs to be higher, probably at least $15 an hour, which gets us close, but we also need more subsidized housing for people who live on fixed incomes and people with disabilities, because a raise in the minimum wage doesnt really help them because theyre usually not working, Hughes said.

Studies done in communities across the country have consistently found it is less expensive to put the most medically fragile and chronically homeless into subsidized housing, rather than leave them out on the streets, where they often get caught up in the criminal justice system, generate a large portion of calls for emergency first responders, and use expensive hospital emergency room services when they become ill, Hughes said.

Statewide, it is estimated there are 8,000 people experiencing homelessness.

But theres another group in the middle who pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent, but still somehow manage to make it work by sacrificing somewhere else, Hughes said.

These people are on the edge of becoming homeless if they experience job loss or a medical emergency, he said.
The four Border Patrol agents who made it through week one of horse patrol training trotted their charges around and around an arena under a hot sun, stirring dust clouds from the dirt track.

They, at least, could say they had made it this far: Six fellow agents had already dropped out.

The six-week horse patrol training course is considered among the most challenging the Border Patrol has to offer, and along New Mexicos rural border, its graduates are among the most in demand.

The grueling training puts agents on horseback  many for the first time  eight hours a day, five days a week, for four weeks in an arena and two weeks in the field among the sharp-toothed mountain ranges of the Bootheel region.

Border Patrol agents are outfitted with top-notch equipment and technology, including long-range thermal-image cameras, ground sensors, trucks and SUVs specially outfitted with Kevlar tires and all-terrain vehicles.

But in the rugged, rural region that characterizes New Mexicos Bootheel, many agents  and the ranchers who live out there  say old-fashioned horse patrol is just as indispensable.

We spend most of our time in the mountains, said Agent Gerald Hancock, who runs the horse patrol program at the Lordsburg station. We go where no one wants to go.

Border Patrol shifted about a dozen horses to the Lordsburg station in recent weeks to bring the stable to 30 quarter horses and mustangs.

The shift came after an outcry earlier this year by local ranchers over border security. One of their demands was to see more agents on horseback  considered a more effective and environmentally friendly manner of patrolling an area with sensitive ecosystems and few passable roads.

Were working on expanding the barn, said Agent Jose Gardea, the Lordsburg stations patrol agent in charge.

An ideal number of horses would be 40, he said. The terrain is so rough that the horses cant be ridden day in and day out, nights, too; they must rest.

Meanwhile, Lordsburg has 30 certified riders, both men and women, and a waiting list of agents who want to train to ride, he said.

A lot of guys who put in for this training have never been on a horse, he said.

On training Day 8, when the Journal paid a visit to the class, four agents had their horses trot around the Lordsburg fairgrounds arena in unison, learning formations, reining and leg control.

The first week is always the toughest, said Agent Gilbert Molina, the lead trainer, from atop his caramel-colored horse, Buttercup. Thats when they figure out if they want it. About 35 percent get through.

Agent Cole Potts tied up his horse, Outlaw, as the training day wound down. He put in for horse patrol mainly for the challenge, he said.

It takes physical fitness and mental grit to have the mindset, Im going to make it through this course,  he said. Everybody is hurting. You just drive through the pain.

One more agent would drop out before the training ended. Just three agents  Potts, Dwayne Wilkinson and Gregory Webb  graduated horse patrol training last month.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Journal writer Lauren Villagan can be reached at lvillagran@abqjournal.com.
THIS IS REGARDING the article in the May 19 Journal about the U.S. returning a stolen, historic 1493 letter to Italy.

Christopher Columbus apparently sent this eight-page letter in 1493 to Spains Queen Isabel describing his impressions about the people, flora and fauna of the Americas. She was his benefactress.

Why would this original letter sent to the financier of the expedition to the new world ever have been in an Italian library?

By what subterfuge or not did Florence, Italys Riccardiana Library acquire the original letter in the first place? I believe the Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini should clearly explain from whom and under what circumstances they acquired some other countrys mail they now claim as their own.

Who is the mysterious rare book collector in Switzerland? How did he get his hands on this historical letter? Christies auction house should reveal who claimed ownership of the letter, possible chain of title and what an appraisal revealed before they agreed to sell a historical document and making a profit on the transaction. Does Christies trade in unsupported ownership goods? Like a criminal fence operation? Just asking.

I find it incredible that Italian officials claim a letter not addressed to them, do not reveal where the country got it, or under what circumstances they acquired it, and now want back what they say was stolen from them.

Can they prove they legally owned it? Doesnt the letter belong to Spain?

After apparently some additional not publicly recorded transfers, the letter is now in the possession of the Library of Congress. Is the U.S. complicit in what could be the theft of Spains rightful historical property by giving it to Italy? Should the U.S. now just keep it, as possession is ownership even if you cannot prove you legitimately obtained it? Just asking.

JACQUELINE DE LA PORTE

Albuquerque
On Veterans Day last year, 27 retired U.S. generals, 105 members of Congress and 15 senators signed a letter demanding that the Pentagon lift the ban prohibiting American Sikhs from serving in the military. But the ban persists.

Their arguments, like all the other arguments in favor of lifting the ban, are based on the American ideals of inclusion, diversity and religious tolerance. While I am in favor of diversity, inclusion and religious tolerance, I would like to make the argument from another perspective  that of concern about the credibility of the American narrative.

It is in the strategic and pragmatic best interests of the United States to allow observant Sikhs to serve in the military while bearded and turbaned.

Sikhs served in the U.S. military from WWI until 1981 when new regulations requiring uniformity of facial hair and headgear forced them to decide between violating their faith or serving their country  a very un-American choice to have to make.

The ostensible reason behind the military restrictions against beards and turbans is that both restrict the use of helmets and gas masks in case of a chemical attack. But the new Canadian Minister of National Defense, a veteran of three deployments to Afghanistan while bearded and turbaned, developed and patented a gas mask that can be worn over a beard and turban. That was 10 years ago.

So what is the real reason behind the ban? I suggest that it is the lack of visual conformity that Sikhs represent.

The beard and turban are not matters of personal style but part of five articles of faith which originated during Mughal rule in India (1526-1707) when there was a price on the head of every Sikh including women and children.

In a show of force and resolve in defiance of the Mughal charter to convert to Islam or die, Sikhs distinguished themselves with their appearance, by growing their hair, as though to say Here we are, come and get us if you dare.

The second association of the beard and turban is with Sava, or Service. Sikhs are obliged to help those in need and defend the defenseless, irrespective of religion. Again, the appearance is intended to make Sikhs stand out, as people who can be approached for help.

Warrior/saint ethos is what Sikhs bring wherever they go; military service is embedded in the culture.

Described as a martial race they have been actively recruited by the British military. Sikhs remain the backbone of the Indian military; the Sikh regiment is the most decorated in the Indian military. Almost half the Indian Armys brigadier generals and half the major generals are Sikhs.

There are almost 500,000 Sikhs in the United States and many of them they want to serve their country, just as they did, primarily in combat roles, in WWII when over 80,000 Sikh soldiers gave their lives serving with allied forces.

The Pentagons stance on this issue runs counter to what our armed forces are designed to protect.

How must this blatant inconsistency look to other nations? How can we have the moral authority to encourage ethnic cohesion among those we are trying to influence when we resist doing it on our own soil?

Our diplomatic and influence operations are not augmented by the appearance of not walking our talk.

It is in our strategic best interests to demonstrate that our policies are consistent with the ideals we promote. We need to maintain whatever credibility we have and shore it up where it has been damaged. We are sending operators into conflict zones to influence populations while saddling them with the burden of eroded credibility that policies like this create.

When this policy is overturned, and it will be, it ought to be done very publicly. Doing so will feed into the American narrative  a narrative that is in desperate need of nourishment.

I am not promoting allowing Sikhs to serve. I am advocating welcoming them to do so and letting the visible symbols of the warrior/saint ethos work in our favor.

We ought to get this policy out of the way and let our values take the lead.

Ajit Maan is president of Narrative Strategies.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque Public Schools will roll out ethnic studies courses at all 13 of its high schools in August 2017, joining a nationwide movement to make education more inclusive for minority students.

The planning process began last week with a three-day workshop that brought about 40 teachers and community members together to brainstorm curriculum possibilities.

Attendees discussed concepts like unconscious bias, as well as books and movies that present Hispanic, African-American, Native American and Asian culture, throwing out titles like The Karma of Brown Folks, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Reservation Blues. One suggestion even featured a little-known Scandinavian minority. The course will be designed to cover a broad array of racial and ethnic groups.

Currently, Albuquerque, Del Norte and Highland are the only high schools with courses focused on minority experiences  Chicano studies and Mexican-American literature at Albuquerque and Highland; Native American studies at Del Norte.

Under the new plan, every high school will offer ethnic studies as an elective option for juniors and seniors. Most of the classes will be taught by social studies or English teachers, though the curriculum could also be incorporated into art or drama.

Travis McKenzie, a member of the local community activism group Families United for Education, said the planning process has been powerful.

Ethnic studies for me represents a catalyst for bringing voices that arent traditionally heard in our mainstream education, he said. It is transformative. It is a safe space to be able to express who you are and question your own identity and the identity that is given to you.

McKenzie and a few dozen other FUE members began a campaign for districtwide ethnic studies classes in December during public forum at two Board of Education meetings.

Katarina Sandoval, APS chief academic officer and the workshop organizer, said the timing was right for the district to embrace ethnic studies because it aligns with the priorities in a new five-year academic master plan drafted this spring.

One of the goals laid out in the plan is developing the whole child, which translates to an emphasis on physical and mental health along with traditional reading, writing and arithmetic. Another, high-performing community responsive schools, reflects a desire to make education accessible to all groups.

The new classes are expected to cost roughly $30,000, she said, which includes training, books and materials.

Sandoval will concentrate on those goals in a newly created administrative position, associate superintendent for equity and access, that she will step into this summer.

She called the planned ethnic studies classes a nice intersection of curriculum and equity with clear benefits, particularly for minority students.

They have access to a curriculum where they learn about their own histories, they learn more about their own language and culture, and see themselves reflected in literature they are reading, she said. It really engages them in a way that traditional curriculum has not been able to for certain students.

APS is struggling with a graduation rate below 62 percent, one of the lowest in the nation.

Sandoval had not heard of any other New Mexico districts with broad ethnic studies program. A spokeswoman for Rio Rancho Public Schools confirmed that the districts two high school do not offer it.

Transformative force

A recent study from the Stanford Graduate School of Education gives ammunition to the view that ethnic studies is a transformative force.

The data, published in January 2016, found that at-risk students in a San Francisco Unified School District ethnic studies pilot program made significant strides compared to a control group with similar makeup.

Whats so unique about this program is the degree to which it helped the students who took it, said Emily Penner, co-author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at the GSE, in a Stanford news release.

Schools have tried a number of approaches to support struggling students, and few have been this effective. Its a novel approach that suggests that making school relevant and engaging to struggling students can really pay off.

Penner and Stanford GSE professor Thomas S. Dee gathered data from 1,405 ninth-graders who attended three San Francisco high schools from 2010 to 2014 and found that students who took ethnic studies had better GPAs and school attendance, as well as larger class loads.

Robert Frausto, the Chicano studies teacher at Highland High in Albuquerque, said he has seen similar effects among his students during the two years the course has been offered.

Their response is, It is good to hear this  I am more committed to stay in school and get my education,  he said.

APS board president Dave Peercy also supports classes that reflect more diverse voices.

We have a lot of interesting cultures here that I think really need to be part of our history, he said. That is the interesting part of history.

The seven board members have backed ethnic studies during a number of public meetings this year, though they do not vote on curriculum issues.

APS administration has also been supportive as the ethnic studies plan has been formalized over the last few months, according to Tony Padilla, an FUE member and social studies teacher at New Futures Alternative High School.

I know all of Families United appreciates the willingness APS has shown to be very open to our input and incorporate that, he said.

Not all on board

In other communities, ethnic studies has been a tougher sell.

Arizona statute bans classes that promote the overthrow of the United States government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity rather than the treatment of pupils as individuals.

The regulations have pitted state officials against Tucson Unified School District students and teachers who are fighting to reinstate a Mexican-American studies program.

The issue has gone to federal court, with the plaintiffs arguing that the law itself was unconstitutional, overly broad and vague, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Stanford researchers Dee and Penner report that a number of California school districts  including Los Angeles, Pico Rivera and Oakland  require ethnic studies or are moving in that direction.

San Francisco also voted to expand ethnic studies to its 19 high schools as an elective credit after the studys positive result.
BEIJING  U.S. envoys pressed China on Monday to cut excess steel production that is flooding global markets and to reach a diplomatic settlement to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, as the two sides opened a high-level dialogue.

The annual meeting of Cabinet-level foreign affairs, trade and other officials from both sides is meant to head off conflict. Officials acknowledged differences on an array of issues but repeatedly stressed their interest in amicable cooperation, and pledged to work together to see the Paris agreement on curbing emissions of climate-changing gases ratified by the worlds governments.

The U.S. agenda includes pressing Beijing to move faster with plans to shrink bloated industries including steel, which its trading partners complain is flooding their markets with unfairly cheap exports, hurting their producers and threatening jobs. Washington has responded by imposing anti-dumping tariffs on steel, and European officials say they have launched a trade investigation.

Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets, said U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew at the opening of the two-day event. Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of international markets.

The annual Strategic & Economic Dialogue rarely produces agreements on major issues, but provides what officials on both sides say is a valuable setting to air disputes, clear up misunderstandings and share experiences.

This years event is led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Lew on the U.S. side and Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the Chinese side.

Beijing announced plans this year to slash the size of its state-owned steel and coal industries at a cost of millions of jobs. But plans for other bloated sectors, including aluminum, glass and solar panels, have yet to be announced.

Speaking at the events opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised action on reducing overcapacity but announced no new initiatives.

China will redouble efforts, said Xi, who also is leader of the ruling Communist Party.

The Chinese finance minister defended Beijings response, saying China needs time to allow market forces to reduce surplus production capacity.

China is no longer a centrally planed economy. We cant instruct businesses to do something, Lou Jiwei said at a news conference. We will reduce excess capacity through market forces.

Washington also wants China to move faster to reduce a rising burden of corporate debt that financial analysts worry could hamper economic growth.

U.S. officials also are pressing Beijing to ease market access for financial and other services, an area where foreign business groups complain that China is trying to shield its companies in violation of free trade commitments.

On the environment, envoys from both sides pledged to ensure the Paris agreement is ratified and to persuade other governments to put it into action.

Kerry described climate cooperation as one of the strongest pillars of our relationship. He expressed hope the same spirit of compromise could be infused into disagreements over maritime security and human rights.

North Koreas missile and nuclear provocations and how to respond to them are another irritant in the relationship. Kerry said the two countries must stand together in relation to North Korea as they did in clinching last years nuclear accord with Iran.

It is absolutely vital to use this meeting  to work constructively on those differences, Kerry said. He called the dialogue an opportunity to seek creative ways to narrow them, or eliminate them altogether.

Amid deepening U.S. concern that China is militarizing the South China Sea, Kerry said he would make it clear that we are looking for a peaceful resolution to the disputes.

China and neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines have conflicting claims to portions of the sea and possible oil and gas resources. Chinas military is building outposts on man-made islands to bolster its claims.

Beijing said over the weekend that it would ignore an upcoming international arbitration decision in a dispute with the Philippines. China also has conflicting claims with Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia. Further complicating matters are reports that the Chinese may soon establish an air defense zone over part of the sea, which the U.S. opposes.

We have taken no position on any of the claims, Kerry said. The only position we have taken is, lets not resolve this by unilateral action. Lets resolve this by rule of law, by negotiation, by diplomacy.

Xi warned against allowing diplomatic tensions to disrupt mutually beneficial trade and other relations. He acknowledged differences are hardly unavoidable, but called on Washington to help manage them in a pragmatic and constructive fashion.

What is important is to refrain from taking differences as excuses for confrontation, Xi said.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A political merchandise company says it lost thousands of dollars during an anti-Donald Trump protest that turned violent in the Albuquerque.

Greg Richards of The Political Mint told KRQE-TV in Albuquerque (http://goo.gl/khUvml ) this week that more than $2,000 in merchandise was stolen then burned during the riot last month.

He says after protesters broke through police barricades set up at the Albuquerque Convention Center, vendors merchandise stands were ransacked.

Richards says those who stole items should be prosecuted.

The city of Albuquerque announced last week that businesses have donated $12,000 in reward money to arrest those involved in the anti-Trump protest that turned violent.

Albuquerque police made three arrests last week and authorities say more are coming.

___

Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com
LEWISVILLE, Texas  Police say an 8-year-old boy running from wasps was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle in North Texas.

Lewisville police say the boy was playing with friends Sunday afternoon in a mobile home park when they disturbed a wasp nest. They ran away to avoid being stung.

A 20-year-old woman driving the SUV hit the boy when he ran across her path.

No charges have been filed and the incident is under investigation.

Police say intoxication and excessive speed are not factors in the death.

Lewisville is about 25 miles northwest of Dallas.
During Thursdays regular meeting, the Clovis City Commission passed a voter ID requirement for municipal elections by a vote of 7-1, with the lone dissenting vote cast by Commissioner Robert Sandoval.

The voter ID ordinance was introduced during the May 5 meeting, following the March municipal election in which 72.7 percent of Clovis voters favored creation of the ordinance.

As approved, city code 1.06.010 was a mixture of similar voter ID regulations from Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Hobbs. Sandoval said voters taking a stance against the voter ID initiative were not heard by the commission, hence his decision to be the sole dissenter.

I invited about 50 people to a meeting on Nov. 30, he said. They were very eloquent in expressing their displeasure with the voter picture ID proposal. The commission paid absolutely no attention to them and one of the commissioners chewed (out) one of the taxpayers who had a difference of opinion. You dont talk to your constituents that way and I still feel they were owed an apology. I voted the way I did as a matter of principle. All of the people I brought were completely ignored and that is why I voted the way I did.

Clovis Mayor David Lansford extended kudos to the commission members who crafted the finer points of the ordinance in the form of Commissioners Ladona Clayton, Sandra Taylor-Sawyer, Chris Bryant and Sandoval.

I think this has been reviewed by a number of people and even reviewed against other cities that have an ordinance similar to this, Clovis Mayor David Lansford said. I appreciate the committee. Thanks to all of you for getting this done expeditiously.

The ordinance reads, in part:

* A voter who approaches the polling place must identify himself or herself audibly. The clerk for that site will then locate the name and ask for one current identification card with the voters name and photograph.

* Acceptable identification includes any card issued by a government agency, a passport, drivers license, student identification card, state-issued identification card, insurance card, union card, professional association card or a voter identification card issued by the city clerk, so long as it includes a photograph of the voter.

* Voters unable to provide photo identification shall vote on a conditional ballot. They must affirm in writing, under penalty of perjury, their identification and provide either their birthdate or last four digits of their Social Security number. Conditional ballots must be checked during canvassing to make sure no person voted multiple times.

* City-issued voter identification cards will be available without charge to any voter who provides two documents that show the voters name and address. Acceptable documents include paychecks, utility bills and bank statements.

* The voter identification requirement only applies to municipal elections.

In other meeting actions:

* The commission voted unanimously to promote Claire Burroughes and Vicki Reyes and add some responsibilities for LeighAnn Melancon, following the May retirement of Budget and Internal Operations Director Don Clifton.

Burroughes is now the assistant city manager  the first since Joe Thomas, who was promoted to city manager in 2004. Her former position was legislative and community development director.

Burroughes annual salary increases from $78,686.40 ($96,595.40 with benefits) to $94,460 ($116,156.10 with benefits).

Reyes remains an administrative assistant but takes over Burroughes responsibilities and title as assistant city clerk. She receives a raise from $29,120 ($43,488.03 with benefits) to $31,116.80 ($45,936.31 with benefits)

Melancons salary increases from $92,227.20 ($120,863.77 with benefits) to $93,600 ($122,46.96 with benefits).

With the elimination of Cliftons salary of $100,924.40 ($131,549.48 with benefits), the city will see annual savings of $107,857.30, officials said.

Specific job duties are yet to be finalized.

* On behalf of the City Commission, Lansford presented keys to the city to Miss Rodeo America Katherine Merck, Miss Rodeo New Mexico Staci Trehern and Miss Rodeo Arizona Alanna Hamilton in recognition of the Miss Rodeo New Mexico Pageant.



2016 the Clovis News Journal (Clovis, N.M.)

Visit the Clovis News Journal (Clovis, N.M.) at www.cnjonline.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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BAGHDAD  The Islamic State group has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the nearly two-week battle between Iraqi government forces and IS militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, an international aid organization and Iraqi military say.

On Sunday, the militants shot and killed seven civilians and seven IS defectors inside Fallujah as they attempted to flee, Iraqi Maj. Ali Hanoon said.

Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, on Monday put the number of civilians killed by IS since the operation started at dozens but declined to be more specific, saying the information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete. Iraqi officials say the total is likely higher.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the IS-held city of Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance the militants have put up and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city. On Sunday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah, a largely agricultural area.

They know that if they trap the civilians, it will slow our progress, Hanoon said.

Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, killing two people and wounded three, according to police.

From Baghdad, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, said late Sunday that a number of fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River. Iraqi officials had no immediate information on the river incident.

The NRC cited interviews with some of those who fled the city,

Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety, said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC Country Director in Iraq. This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives.

The NRC put the total number of families who managed to flee from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the Iraqi offensive, which started May 21, at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC added.

The Fallujah operation in Iraq coincides with a twin offensive on IS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an IS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants de facto capital.

At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.

__

Associated Press writer Susannah George in Camp Tariq near Fallujah contributed to this report.
Gov. Susana Martinez is in Chicago this week for a three-day trip focused on trying to pitch New Mexico to out-of-state business leaders.

The two-term Republican governor left New Mexico yesterday evening, and will remain in the Chicago area through Wednesday, according to the Governors Office.

She is being joined on the trip by her chief of staff Keith Gardner, Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela and several Albuquerque-area economic development executives.

New Mexicos job creation rate has lagged behind the rates of neighboring states in recent years, despite tax cuts and other initiatives aimed at increasing the states economic competitiveness.

Martinez, who has traveled out of state extensively in recent months, also participated in a similar economic fishing trip to California in March.

The travel costs for this weeks trip are being covered by the New Mexico Partnership, the marketing arm of the Economic Development Department, a Martinez spokesman said.

Per the state Constitution, Lt. Gov. John Sanchez serves as acting governor while Martinez is traveling outside New Mexico.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  Investigators are launching a new effort next month to retrieve the black box of a freighter that sank last October with 33 crew members on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday said NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel will depart in early July for the site near the Bahamas where the El Faro sank. Theyll be accompanied by engineers from a private company that specializes in underwater projects.

The ships voyage data recorder couldnt be retrieved when it was located in April because of obstructions that require specialized equipment.

The 790-foot freighter sank in 15,000 feet of water after losing propulsion between Jacksonville, Florida, and Puerto Rico, during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 crewmembers died.

The recorder may hold audio from the ships bridge that can shed light on its final moments.
ACAs library of educational tools help members improve their business practices. ACA also holds the most popular industry conferences and offers credentialing for collectors, attorneys, and more. ACAs Training Zone subscription gives agencies access to almost all of our education for one low cost.
(Bloomberg) Oracle Corp. and its top executives were sued by an investor who blames his stock losses on allegations by a former finance executive that the cloud computing giant doctored its quarterly results.

Shares fell the most in almost three years last Thursday to as low as $38.08, the day after the ex-employee filed her lawsuit alleging she was terminated after complaining to supervisors about accounting irregularities.

In a federal securities complaint in San Francisco, an investor said the stock decline was a response to the companys misleading statements about its cloud-computing revenue. Shareholder Grover Klarfeld is seeking class-action status on behalf of other investors who bought stock during the 10-month period ending June 1.

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison is quoted in Klarfelds complaint touting Oracle in March as the top company in the world by new cloud-computing revenue.

Svetlana Blackburn, the former senior finance manager who sued last Wednesday, said in her complaint that the company pushed her to fit square data into round holes to inflate results.

Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said in a statement last Wednesday that the company is confident that its cloud accounting is proper and correct and that Blackburn was terminated for poor performance.

Hellinger didnt immediately respond to a phone call Thursday seeking comment on the securities complaint.

Oracle closed Thursday at $38.66, down 4 percent in New York trading.

The case is Klarfeld v. Oracle Corp., 3:16-cv-02966, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
India Post released the My Stamp with Amazon India today, to signify 3 years of its relationship and celebrate the ecommerce marketplaces third anniversary in the country.



Smt. Usha Chandrashekar, Chief Post Master General, Karnataka Circle, Department of India Post handed over the Amazon India My Stamp to Amit Agarwal, Vice President and Country Manager, Amazon India.

India Post is one of the prime carriers that Amazon India uses as a delivery channel. Using the extensive network of India Post, Amazon.in services customers in over 19,000 pin-codes through 155,000 post-offices which includes a majority of outlets in rural areas across all 35 states and union territories in India. The collaboration has ensured fast, convenient and reliable deliveries to customers across the country.

Releasing the stamp Smt. Usha Chandrashekar, Chief Post Master General, Bangalore, Karnataka Circle said, This is the first time that the Department of Post has released My Stamp to commemorate a milestone with an ecommerce marketplace. The launch reinforces the Amazon and India Post relationship. We wish Amazon all the best as it celebrates its third anniversary and would like to say that it is a step to the fulfillment of the aspirations of the people in rural India.







Amit Agarwal, Vice President and Country Manager, Amazon India said, We are very excited and humbled that India Post has released the Amazon India My Stamp, commemorating our deep partnership. Over the last three years we have relentlessly focused on providing customers with massive selection, fast and reliable delivery, and a trustworthy shopping experience. India Post has been a valuable partner to us and we look forward to our continued association as we endeavor to transform the way India buys and sells.
The three wins for Dainik Bhaskar have come for -No Negative Monday in the category of Best New Corporate Innovation Initiative, Ek Ped Ek Zindagi in the category of Best Execution of Print Advertising, Annadaan for drought affected Marathwada farmers in the category of Best New Concept to Incubate Products or Ideas.

2016 edition of INMA Global Media awards had 699 entries from 264 news brands of 40 countries. The awards were presented at the closing dinner of the 86th Annual INMA World Congress at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It was an amazing spectacle to behold  the worlds top media industry innovation initiatives presented amid the splendor of the worlds leading museum of art and design said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. The International News Media Association (INMA) is a global community of market-leading news media companies reinventing how they engage audiences and grow revenue in a multi-media environment.

Vinay Maheshwari, Senior Vice President-Sales and Market Development and Brand Marketing commented about the win It gives us immense pleasure to be recognized amongst the worlds top media industry innovation initiatives. It is a matter of pride and will provide impetus to our efforts towards delivering differentiated content for our readers sustainably.

Dainik Bhaskars No Negative Monday initiative is first of its kind initiative which has never been witnessed in the history of media anywhere in the world. In this initiative, Positive news is published every Monday in its 62 editions in 14 states. This initiative has been extended to the lives of readers through No Negative Life initiative.

Under Ek Ped Ek Zindagi initiative, 2.5 million saplings were planted during the plantation drives in 411 schools and 370 Police stations across 34 cities in 14 states. 28 kms of Grafiti wall was created in 22 cities. Annadaan initiative witnessed distribution of 300 tons of food grains among 15,000 farmers and their families in 125 drought affected villages of Marathwada region in Maharashtra.





Vikas Singh, Associate Vice President-Brand Marketing, said We are more than happy to see our reader-centric initiatives not only getting appreciated by our readers but also win recognition at forums like INMA.

With 21 wins, No Negative Monday becomes the most awarded campaign of the year.
At the third Kyoorius Creative Awards for the best advertising agencies in multiple categories, Ogilvy Indias flag was seen flying high. The awards were held in Mumbai on the evening of June 3, 2016, at the NSCI dome.

The awards were given in Advertising, Digital and Media categories, the latter being this years addition. The most sought after award being the prestigious Black Elephant awards for outstanding work.

Ogilvy won 15 Elephants including one Black Elephant.

Ogilvy and Mather bagged the Black Elephant for its short film 'Beauty tips by Reshma' which urged people to push for a ban on the sale of acid.

Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar are the creative talent behind the Beauty tips by Reshma campaign.

Kainaz Karmakar, ECD, Ogilvy Mumbai: Every award that this campaign gets is special, because every time this campaign is recognised, the cause is recognised. I am especially proud of Harshik and Geetanjali, our team that dedicated themselves to this cause at every step of the way. And hats off to Reshma and her bravery to stand by us through the campaign.

Harshad Rajadhyaksha, ECD, Ogilvy Mumbai: It takes a brave client to do a brave campaign. A big thank you to Ria Sharma, our partner at Make Love Not Scars. The work they are doing is truly stupendous and deserves all the support it can get. I am happy that we could play a small part in the big change they strive to achieve.

The specialist juries, selected from around the world, together with D&AD, gathered together in India to review, discuss and elect the best of the best over three intensive days. Voting is private and not by a show of hands.

The Advertising jury comprised R Balki (Jury Foreman), Agnello Dias, Nima Namchu, Tista Sen, Ajay Gahlaut, Scott McClelland, David Comar, Scott Dungate, Marco Besana.

The Digital Jury comprised Ralph Barnett (Jury Foreman), Corey Cruz, Cary Steele, Gauri Joshi, Karl Gomes, Debashish Ghosh, Shormistha Mukherjee.

The Media jury comprised Mike Florence (Jury Foreman), Steven Kalifowitz, Steven Li, Swati Bhattacharya, Pat Law, Shripad Kulkarni, Kartik Sharma.

Interestingly Kyoorius invites industry professionals from across advertising, media and the community as a whole to witness the jury session as it happens. You can walk in and watch the jury debate the entries.

Rajiv Rao, National Creative Director, Ogilvy India: I am happy and equally proud that we won most of the elephants at the 2016 Kyoorius Creative Awards. The jury consists of very high profile talent from India and around the world. The judging process and the scale of the event is also impressive. I am especially happy that #EndAcidSale# which is the Reshma story for our client Make Love Not Scars, won the most awards. Acid is easily accessible in India, so the solution is very simple - end the sale of acid. This issue has been neglected for too long. We appealed to the Government of India to make this happen. The campaign has received phenomenal response.

Unlike any other awards in India, the Creative Kyoorius Awards have no winning tier structure of gold, silver & bronze  all the best work is awarded a Blue Elephant.

The judging is based on three criteria, reviewing if the entry is 

 an original and inspiring idea

 well-executed

 relevant to its context

In the categories relating to craft, work is judged first on the strength of the craft, then on how it contributes to the success of the idea.

The Kyoorius entry fee provides invaluable funding for its annual educational programme, Kyoorius FYIday that helps in developing future generations of creative talent.

Beauty Tips by Reshma

https://youtu.be/-MhbULUd-KE

https://youtu.be/kdCL2FUToWA

https://youtu.be/1arcR1fU4hY

List:
Swiggy, Indias largest online food ordering and delivery platform, has tied up with Indias largest mobile wallet Mobikwik, to enable a seamless, secure cashless payment option for its customers to enhance their online food delivery experience. MobiKwik has over 30 million users, nationally and is expected to cater to 70 million users by the end of 2017.



In addition to existing payment options of credit/debit cards, net banking and cash on delivery (COD), Swiggy now offers its users the added convenience of paying for their orders through Mobikwik. The Mobikwik payment option is already available for Android users on the latest version of the Swiggy app and will be launched for iOS and web users in the near future.



On collaborating with Mobikwik, Nandan Reddy, Co-Founder, Swiggy said, We are delighted to be associated with Mobikwik, a front-runner in mobile wallet applications in India. With mobile wallets becoming increasingly popular, we are giving our customers an additional option of payment through Mobikwik, which is also hassle free, secure and reliable. We hope to see this partnership adding to our customer base as well.



Mrinal Sinha, Chief Operating Officer at MobiKwik commented, At MobiKwik, it is our mission to ensure seamless digital payments for all and we are excited to join Swiggy in their endeavor to extend our value offerings to their customers.



Swiggy and Mobikwik will run various cross offers like discounts, cashback and promotions for customers. As a part of the launch campaign, Mobikwik will be running a 15% cashback for all users for two orders per user.
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301st performs historic deployment, launch during airshow

Launching more than 15 F-16 Fighting Falcons during an airshow here was similar to trying to clear a pathway through the mall parking lot during a Thanksgiving Black Friday sale, said a 301st Fighter Wing security team member.



The aircraft from the 301st and 482nd Fighter Wing, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., departed Carswell Field late April making it one of the smoothest and largest deployment launches in wing history.



This record-setting launch, a first for the Air Force Reserve, set the stage for a successful combat deployment, said Col. John Breazeale, 301st Fighter Wing commander.



With more than 120,000 spectators watching the U.S Navys Blue Angels perform in the base Air Expo, deploying aircraft and personnel while maintaining operational security proved to be tricky.



Amid the chaos of people and 35,000 cars all attempting to depart simultaneously, we had to clear and control an area sufficient for an F-16 to taxi, said Malone Smith, 301 FW antiterrorism officer. From a security perspective, it was picture perfect. Control crowd. Check. Establish security zone. Check. Aircraft launch. Check.



Mike Anderson, a member of the installations DOD police, and his combined Security Forces team immediately moved to dominate the battlespace by taking control and establishing the security zone quickly, Smith continued.



The deployment of Fighting Falcons can be a challenging task in any environment.



Launching multiple aircraft in multiple days is not rare, said Col. Michael Egbalic, 301st Maintenance Group commander. However, doing so flawlessly and so smoothly without any aircraft discrepancies was unprecedented.



Breazeale echoed Egablics sentiment.



This is the first deployment that I recall having so few issues during the launch, said Breazeale. The fact that we launched more than 15 jets with zero maintenance issues is amazing and a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Carswell and Homestead maintenance teams.



This deployment aviation package was the largest Air Force Reserve-centric fighter tasking to date. Many units played a role  301 FW, 482 FW, 926th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 355th Fighter Squadron, and the 944th Fighter Wing.



There were multiple and dynamic factors for both the aircraft and our personnel that had to be considered and balanced throughout this planning process leading up to the launch, Egbalic explained. Some of those factors included ensuring we trained and deployed combat-ready Airmen, managing the logistics of an aging aircraft fleet, replacing scheduled parts and completing inspections early to minimize aircraft downtime while deployed, upgrading aircraft with the latest combat modifications, and vetting the force deployment rotation.



This occurred all while maintainers participated in multiple training exercises and still accomplishing daily flying requirements.



Prior to the aircraft launch, more than 300 pilots and maintainers deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedoms Sentinel, which aims to maintain security and stability in the area. Sentinel followed Operation Enduring Freedom, which officially concluded in 2014.



The wings mission is to train and deploy combat-ready Airmenand they executed it.



It couldn't have been done without the hard work, long hours, expertise and dedication to the mission from all involved. It is very fulfilling to be able to do our part in the defense of our nation and interests. We must now focus on a successful deployment and their safe return, Egbalic said.


The fire which erupted at Pulgaon claimed the lives of 20 jawans and caused damage to property. After this incident, questions are being raised about the alleged safety violations at defence establishments in the country. Three nearby villages were evacuated. People from other villages are also being taken to a safe distance. The central ammunition depot at Pulgaon, 110 km from Nagpur, is one Indias biggest ammunition depots and houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country. The reason behind the blaze is yet to be ascertained. Eyewitnesses and military officials said loud explosions followed a massive fireball at one of the sheds at the depot where ammunition with expired shelf life is also disposed. The depot recently won an award for using solar energy to dispose of expired ammunition.

Fire prevention technology is sufficiently developed now therefore officials must take precautions to avoid the recurrence of such mishaps in future. During the month of May when temperatures are high, more physical patrolling is necessary to avert fire accidents. The authorities can seek the assistance of professionals from National Fire Service College located at Nagpur.

Today citizens are more interested in show off instead of concentrating on work at the ground level which again is a disturbing trend. Regular safety audits should be undertaken and it should be seen if any recommendation from last audit was pending. Legislators have wasted too much time in discussing Augusta Westland deal in the recently concluded parliament session.

Look at the big cruise liners plying safely and we should learn from them. I am tired of writing and pleading that we must have one decent sized passenger ship. If we acquire a couple of these, then it will give a boost to the nations tourism.

Ahead of the elections in 2017, BJP president president Amit Shah on had meal with a Dalit family in one of the villages in Sevapuri Assembly segment. This assembly segment falls under Prime Minister Narendra Modi Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. On his way to Allahabad from the Varanasi Airport Shah made a small halt at Jogiyapur village in Sevapuri Assembly segment to share a meal with a Dalit family. It is better to learn modern methods of working and improving governance instead of eating with Dalit family. The government must impart training to Dalit youth so that they will become employable. The content aired on most of the Indian news channels is mediocre. Channels must improve content and invite professionals possessing experience for indulging in debates, instead of interacting with spokespersons of political party alone.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Priya Dutt says that she will remain loyal to the Congress party until the end of her political career.

Former Congress MP Priya Dutt clarified that she doesnt have any intention to join Shiv Sena. Ms Dutt also added that she will continue to remain associated with the Congress until the end of her political career. Earlier speculations were rife about Priya quitting Congress and shifting loyalties towards Shiv Sena after she had paid a surprise visit to the party president Uddhav Thackerays residence at Matoshree in Bandra last month. This is her second meeting with Uddhav in last six months which triggered speculations about whether she will join Sena.

There were also reports in media about Ms Dutt being unhappy with senior Congress party leaders for sidelining her in the aftermath of Lok Sabha poll debacle. The morale of the Congress party workers too has hit an all time low after its loss in the recently concluded assembly polls held in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam. The road ahead looks tough for Congress as it is keen to revive itself ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly polls to be held next year. There were reports about whether Priya Dutt will quit Congress to join Sena before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election in 2017.

Priya Dutt termed the rumours about her joining Shiv Sena as baseless. She said, I will remain loyal to the Congress party until the end of my political career. Even my father had worked for the development of Congress party until his last breath. There was nothing political in my meeting with Uddhav Thackeray. I met him owing to personal relations, said Priya Dutt.

My intention is to collect maximum funds for celebrating the anniversary of Nargis Dutt Foundation. For this purpose, I had met Mr Uddhav to seek his permission for using his photographs and he has already given his nod for the same, she added.

When Priya had met Uddhav last month, the Congress said there was nothing wrong in individuals meeting in a personal capacity.

I am not aware of the meeting. However, people have a right to meet anyone in personal capacity, said Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam.

The Dutts and Thackerays stay in the same suburb of Bandra and share a healthy relationship because of the support the Thackerays extended during the incarceration of Sanjay Dutt in a 1993 bomb blast case.

Bal Thackeray, the then supremo of the Shiv Sena, had gone out of his way to help the actor who is Priyas elder brother.
In a major boost to its diplomatic push for NSG membership, India on Monday managed to win crucial support of Switzerland ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc even as the two countries agreed to step up cooperation in unearthing black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his countrys support to Indias membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral and global issues.

Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support to Indias bid for membership of the elite grouping was seen as crucial in the backdrop of China harping on the need for consensus as India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG, Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction with Modi.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister thanked the Swiss President for Switzerlands understanding and support for Indias membership of the NSG. He also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was shared priority for both the countries.

The US and many other NSG member countries have supported Indias inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record.

The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one countrys vote against India will scuttle its bid.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12 which will be taken up for consideration in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. Its membership will help India significantly expand its atomic energy sector.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue with the leadership of Mexico, another key member of the NSG.
Two days back, I met Ravish Kumar, a famous anchor in Ghaziabad, with one of my writer friend who gave me this surprise. We were casually discussing about the book Ishq Mein Shahar Hona authored by Mr. Kumar himself. The book is about the unification of different romances that goes on in every corner of the busy Delhi. After reading this book, you will entirely see the different picture of the national capital. Very emotional yet gives space for reasoning, and that is what Ravish Kumar is all about. He compels people to think, to react and to change monotonous perceptions. I am his one of the greatest fans, read his posts religiously, and never miss his anchored show Prime Time. The ease that he deals with every subject fascinates me the most.

On that day my friend said, We are meeting Ravish Kumar, believe me my happiness knew no boundaries. I dressed well, covered all my tattoos, tried to be decent and matured. We were supposed to meet him at a mall. When we reached the spot what I saw, a casual man in casual outfits and in simple slippers, a book in hand which was supposed to be reviewed by him, no attitude, behaving just like you and me. He gave us quality time. We spoke on various subjects from politics to a social crime. I had so many pre-set notions about him but overwhelmed to see a brutally honest person with unbiased approach to every aspect. He had volumes to talk good about Narendra Modi at the same time he had his own observations about Sangh  BJP and other political parties. He holds no bias or pre-conception for anyone. Rather, I being little out spoken and criticized many politicians and parties, but he was silently listening to me. He was trying to understand my anger. I was expressing my anguish as a journalist but he was giving ear and strength to my words. I wonder from where, he gathers so much of patience.

I posted a photo with him on Twitter and on Facebook, traumatized to read remarks by some followers. Comments like Does he chew gutka? Did he ask you your caste before meeting? Many people have notion that he is an AAPs supporter, he is caste prejudice. Some even think that he is against the upper caste Hindus, but believe me he is not like that. He is open to every thought, every aspect and every subject that journalists of today need to look at. He is a great thinker yet modest enough to express. He cant scream or overpower his guests but gives space to people for reasons. Yes his long pauses and silence bothers because he leaves that vacuum for you to decide. On the other hand, many tweepals expressed their love for him; they all want him to be back on social media. One guy gave special message in Hindi which translates as Ask him to come back on twitter; there is no fun without him. Leaving the haters apart, he has mass following and fans too.

He is one of the rarest journalists those who covers topics concerning to politics and society. Observed mostly for his offbeat approach in explaining the current plight of society, he is one of the few writers who began writing micro fiction stories. He has been praised for conducting interviews and debates in an unbiased and neutral fashion. He recently created buzz all over social media through his episode of nationalist v/s anti-nationalist saga which is dividing the nation on ideological lines. Ravish did not shy away from slamming prime time news anchors Deepak Chaurasia and Arnab Goswami for blatantly taking the far-right stand. The entire episode was largely a 41-minute monologue, soiled with sound clips of personalities, organizations and political parties associated with JNU row. These personalities also include the TRP drawing faces of 9 PM news shows and news hours of various channels, where the anchors shout their lungs out to suppress the voices. In such era, Ravish delivered beautiful presentation with facts and figures on JNU saga, no noises, no panelists and no melodrama, just a dark screen and captions with darkest facts. Probably this is the reason the propagandists opened attack on Ravish Kumar. Many politicos avoid going on his show because they feared to get exposed. He is one of the few Hindi news reporters who doesnt insult the intelligence of his viewers and doesnt make a tamasha out of the news. One should never miss his first six minutes on Prime Time. Ravish Kumars calm presence, hard-hitting stories; changes syntax of present media.

Irony is that, people allege media by giving various adjectives like Bazaroo, bikau, paid media, presstitutes. They pretend to be craving for honest journalists and journalism; however honest journalists are often attacked because they dont buy their logics and ideology. There are many hate agents promoting biased opinions through their so called media platforms by doing 24/7 bootlicking to one political party, their reporters literally turned to be PR agents. Such hate mongers in media are respected because they have mortgaged their ethics and integrity to leaders and government. They never dare to evaluate government or their ministers. Anyway, let me stop here; the more I will write about bonded journalism the more I would be frustrated.

Coming back to my topic, Ravish Kumar is the best journalist, who chose sensible issues for debate. He does not yell at the top of his voice. You will definitely fall in love with his way of talking. His simplicity and serenity in language will make you his fan. Politeness while conducting debate and sense of humour literally kills. His topics for debates are interesting and at the end, he concludes it very well. He is the one who recently gave message that without any guest, he can carry on debates and provoke the thoughts of viewers. We need more anchors and journalists like him, to fight the odds in the society and in the 4th estate collectively. You hate him or love him, he is unique and most promising media persona but living in this era with honest journalism is the most difficult task.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)








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Date: June, 2006.

Place: Sentosa Island, Singapore.

According to an anonymous report published on UFO specialised website MUFON.com on 30 June 2016, a South African tourist who was spending his holidays in Singapore in June 2006 spotted with his camera what he described as a cylindrical object of a matte dull grey colour, which seemed to be emitting a beam upward.

The object (to me) resembles the same shape as a Lego man's head, the witness declared. There is a shadow beneath it (cast from the light of the sun above) showing that is three dimensional, he added.

He seems to be surprised by this finding. I have absolutely no idea what this could be, he expressed.

Draw your own conclusions

For further information: http://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=view_long_desc&id=76768&rnd=

Long Description of Sighting Report

Whilst on holiday (predominantly in South Africa) we had a 2 day short stopover in Singapore in June of 2006 before heading back home to Australia.

On top of the Merlion at Sentosa Island, Singapore I tried to capture the Tiger Sky Tower revolving restaurant before it disappeared from view behind trees....I took two quick shots (burst) on a new Nikon D50 in RAW format.

Upon viewing the pictures on the D50's tiny screen to see if I had caught the restaurant I noticed a dot which I thought may be a speck on the lens but there was nothing visible on the lens to note of when I checked it.

About a week later when viewing all the photos from our trip I froze when I saw the two pictures of the restaurant.

In each image there is a cylindrical object of a matte dull grey colour which looks to be a emitting a beam upward.

The photos taken a 10th of a second apart shows that the object had traveled a (unknown) distance from one frame to the next.

The object (to me) resembles the same shape as a Lego man's head. There is a shadow beneath it (cast from the light of the sun above) showing that is three dimensional.

I have absolutely no idea what this could be.

I did not actually witness anything in the sky (probably because looking through the D50's view finder) and I didn't notice anything odd through the view finder either.

Being new to the camera (and photography in general) I was shooting everything in RAW format (for the whole trip) which luckily records a lot of data about each photo to do with the camera.

I'm hoping by submitting these photos I may get some answer perhaps(?).

The photos I am submitting are 'lower quality' JPEGS taken from the original Nikon NEF/RAW format...which I am happy to forward for analysis.
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2016 - Milk producers and snack food makers seek to keep the pressure on Congress this week to preempt state GMO labeling laws, while House Speaker Paul Ryan begins an effort to shape the GOP campaign agenda by rolling out proposals to overhaul anti-poverty programs.

Both the House and Senate are returning from a week-long Memorial Day recess for an abbreviated summer schedule ahead of the Republican and Democratic conventions in July.

The Senate has less than four weeks before Vermonts GMO labeling law takes effect July 1. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, expressed some pessimism last week about chances for a deal after discussions with colleagues. It appears to be very difficult to get a compromise, Grassley told reporters.

But representatives of the National Milk Producers Federation and SNAC International, formerly the Snack Foods Association, will be pressing senators to agree on a preemption bill that would set national disclosure standards for biotech ingredients.

About 100 dairy farmers and executives of dairy cooperatives will be lobbying senators to make sure the bill clearly exempts animal products from having to be labeled as GMO, said spokesman Chris Galen.

David Walsh, director of government affairs for the snack food group, said its member companies will raise the message of urgency with which our industry needs a solution.

SNAC International has members both large and small  and none do business in just one state. For that reason, we need a national standard for GMO labeling in place, and one that does not stigmatize a safe and proven technology, he said.

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton looks to wrap up the Democratic presidential nomination with primaries in California, New Jersey and three other states, plus caucuses in North Dakota. The only voting left after Tuesday is in the District of Columbia on June 14.

According to RealClear Politics, Clinton had locked up at least 2,323 delegates heading into Sunday's Puerto Rico primary, including 547 super delegates. Some 2,382 delegates are needed to win to the Democratic nomination. There are 548 delegates at stake in California alone on Tuesday, and they will be divided proportionally to the vote results.

Ryan on Tuesday will unveil the first of a series of policy proposals, called A Better Way, that he hopes Republicans will run on this fall. Hell announce his anti-poverty program at an addiction treatment facility, House of Help City of Hope, in Washingtons Anacostia neighborhood on Tuesday. Ryan has kept the details under wraps but he included federal nutrition programs among those he wanted to overhaul in ways that push recipients into jobs.

Like what you see here? Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





Ryan said in a weekend address that the war on poverty is a stalemate at best. So we can keep doing the same things and getting the same results. Or, instead of trapping people in poverty, we can get them on the ladder of opportunityreward workopen our economy so everyone can make the most of their lives.

The House will vote this week on a bill, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016, that would weaken an EPA rule that tightens limits for ozone. Sponsors say the bill (HR 4775) would give states more time and flexibility to implement the standards.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council and the Fertilizer Institute joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a variety of chemical and petroleum groups in signing an April 18 letter supporting the bill.

Heres a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere:

Monday, June 6

Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse travels to Hartford, Connecticut, to talk about USDA assistance to new and beginning farmers, during a roundtable with members of the states congressional delegation.

Noon - Heritage Foundation forum, Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE.

1 p.m. - American Agri-Women symposium, Rippling Effects of Aquifer Depletion, 101 Constitution Ave., NW

4 p.m. - USDA releases Crop Progress report.

Tuesday, June 7

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Education Secretary John King visit a school in Petersburg, Virginia, to highlight the beginning of USDAs annual Summer Food Service Program.

10:30 a.m. - Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee markup of fiscal 2017 bill, 138 Dirksen.

2:30 p.m. - Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee hearing, Oversight of EPA Unfunded Mandates on State, Local, and Tribal Governments, 406 Dirksen.

4:30 p.m. - American Agri-Women congressional reception, 1300 Longworth.

Wednesday, June 8

Scuse travels to Lithuania to promote the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and discuss bilateral trade issues.

2:30 p.m. - Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on implementation of the 2015 surface transportation bill, with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, 253 Russell.

2:30 p.m. - Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the H-2B temporary foreign worker program, 226 Dirksen.

6:45 p.m. - Food Research and Action Center benefit dinner honoring Vilsack and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Capital Hilton.

Thursday, June 9

8:30 a.m. - USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.

9:30 a.m. - Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on implications of the Supreme Court stay of EPAs Clean Power Plan, 406 Dirksen.

10:30 a.m. - Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the FY17 Labor-HHS bill, 106 Dirksen.

10:45 a.m. - Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs subcommittee hearing, Revisiting the Appropriate Use of Agency Regulatory Guidance, 342 Dirksen.

2 p.m. - House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, 2154 Rayburn.

Friday, June 10

In Lithuania, Scuse holds press conference with Agriculture Minister Virginija Baltraitiene.

#30
UCLA Library to Offer Digital Images of Rare Ancient Manuscripts in Egypt

The fathers of St. Catherine's Monastery have been careful stewards of the oldest continually operating library in the world for centuries. More than 1,000 of its rare manuscripts will be available digitally through the UCLA Library. ( UCLA Library) St. Catherine's Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site that's located on rugged terrain at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt, houses the oldest continually operating library in the world, containing ancient and medieval manuscripts second only to those held by the Vatican Library.

These remarkable manuscripts, which delve into subjects ranging from history and philosophy to medicine and spirituality, were never easily accessed by scholars and students, who had to travel to this desert region, considered sacred to three world religions -- Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Today, access is even more problematic given security concerns in the Middle East.

That will all be changing, thanks to a major grant from the Ahmanson Foundation to the UCLA Library. The grant will fund key aspects of the Sinai Library Digitization Project to create digital copies of some 1,100 rare and unique Syriac and Arabic manuscripts dating from the fourth to the 17th centuries. The three-year project is being initiated by the fathers of St. Catherine's Monastery.

It's being made possible through the participation of the UCLA Library and the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library (EMEL), a nonprofit research and service organization based in Southern California that uses digital technologies to make manuscripts and other historical source materials accessible to scholars and the public. It specializes in the design of systems to support fragile manuscripts during digitization and in the recovery of text from damaged, deteriorated or erased manuscripts.

"The manuscripts at St. Catherine's are critical to our understanding of the history of the Middle East, and every effort must be made to digitally preserve them in this time of volatility," said UCLA University Librarian Ginny Steel. "The Ahmanson Foundation's visionary support honors the careful stewardship of St. Catherine's Monastery over the centuries and ensures that these invaluable documents are not only accessible, but preserved in digital copies."

"St. Catherine's Monastery proposed a program to digitize its unparalleled manuscript collection, and an international team was assembled to help digitally preserve the ancient pages," said Michael Phelps, EMEL director. "EMEL is collaborating with the monastery to install world-class digitization systems, and the UCLA Library will host the images online on behalf of the monastery."

Among the monastery's most important Syriac and Arabic manuscripts are a fifth century copy of the Gospels in Syriac, a literary language based on an eastern Aramaic dialect; a Syriac copy of the "Lives of Women Saints," dated 779 A.D.; the Syriac version of the "Apology of Aristides," of which the Greek original has been lost; and numerous Arabic manuscripts from the ninth and 10th centuries, when Middle Eastern Christians first began to use Arabic as a literary language.

Just as the 19th-century discovery at St. Catherine's of the Codex Sinaiticus -- the oldest complete Bible (345 A.D.) -- spurred new theological scholarship, this project will enable scholars to gain new insights and pose new lines of inquiry, project leaders said.

"We are deeply grateful to the Ahmanson Foundation for its generous investment in this important project, and for its longstanding partnership with the UCLA Library," Steel concluded.

As one of the world's leading research libraries, the UCLA Library maintains a research collection of record, making its materials accessible to a broad audience of students, scholars, researchers, and the public. Last year, more than 20 million people accessed UCLA Library's digital and online resources. By preserving global cultural heritage, the UCLA Library fuels the transfer of knowledge across generations and across the world.
Founded in 1977, Norwegian Air Ambulance (NLA AS) has provided emergency services for almost 40 years now. As of 2015, the company operates 10 helicopters out of 9 bases all over Norway on a state financed contract as a part of the Norwegian health care system.

The company also runs 3 state funded bases in Denmark as part of the Danish health care system. On their rescue missions, the service has relied on the advantages of Airbus Helicopters twin-engine lightweight rotorcraft of the H135 family since the very beginning.



Strong crosswinds, lashing rain and steep transitions of altitude in difficult terrain are common features of the Norwegian landscape and a daily challenge for pilots. It was in june 2015 that NLA AS carried out a flight test campaign just outside of Oslo at one of its bases, engaging in in-depth experiments with the new H135 to get a feeling for the increased power of the helicopter. We wanted to experience the advancements of the latest model in comparison to our current EC135 P2+ helicopters under live conditions in Norway says Erik Normann, Chief Pilot at the Norsk Luftambulanse.



Normann has flown helicopters since the early 90s and looks back on 15 years of flying medical emergency missions in Norway. During these years he came to appreciate the helicopters of the H135 family for their compact size, yet spacious cabins, their maneuverability, power, reliability and availability. For the purpose of the flight test campaign, the H135 was loaded with 180kg more than the EC135 P2+ before both rotorcraft embarked on simulated missions in the Norwegian mountains. The overall result showed that the H135 provided clear operational advantages  even with the excess weight and in harsh weather  and is capable of carrying out medical evacuation and hoisting with great precision and high levels of safety. The improvements in the latest H135 really made an impression on us, concludes Normann.

The foundation currently operates 14 helicopters of the H135 family in total in Norway and Denmark and 2 H145s. With mission tasks that continuously increase in their demand towards the aircrews and the machines, as well as the 24-hour-availability of the services, the requirements towards the helicopters are constantly growing. As a consequence to the high frequency of the missions, the empty weight of the helicopters has gradually gone up over the last decade as the aircraft are required to load plenty of additional medical and operational equipment, as Normann explains.





Anyone can read a flight manual. We wanted to experience the new H135 under live conditions and the aircraft really exceeded our expectations". - Erik Normann, Chief Pilot at the Norwegian Air Ambulance, about the Flight Test Campaign in June 2015.



Helicopters of the H135 family, the reference helicopter for EMS missions, have always been the machine of choice for the Norwegian operator. NLA AS currently holds a fleet of 14 units of the EC135 P2+ in medical services. The increased tail rotor authority and the removal of its endplates really made the difference during the test campaign in the mountains, in the city and on the Norwegian countryside, especially in dangerous crosswind conditions, Normann adds. We are always in need of higher performance".

Medias:
June 6, 2016

The Caravan, a play based on testimonies of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, will begin touring the Bekaa Valley, then western Lebanon and the rest of the country, starting June 21. The play is an initiative by Beirut DC, an organization that supports independent Arab filmmaking, in partnership with Sawa for Development and Aid, the collective Clown Me In and the Theatre Temoin. The European Union program Drama, Diversity and Development, the Goethe Institute and UNICEF have provided funding.

The idea for The Caravan was born from Sabine Choucair's work with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Choucair, a social therapist, uses storytelling and theater workshops in her work with Syrian refugees of all ages and both genders in need of morale support. According to therapist and educator Johanna Slivinske, storytelling is a vital component of the assessment and intervention process.

At the end of January 2016, I was working with groups of 20 to 25 people doing social therapy, Choucair told Al-Monitor. I always started with them telling personal stories. Then I took the ones I felt were important to tell and recorded them in a tent with a sound artist. It took a lot of time, because a lot of people didn't know how to read or write, and we had to record while a lot of people, curious to know what was going on, kept interrupting the recordings. We then edited everything.

Choucair posted 20 of the 250 stories she recorded online for people around the world to hear. From among the 20, she selected 8 to be performed in a touring play, The Caravan.

At the end of April, auditions were held to find actors from among the refugee community in Bar Elias, from where most of the testimonies are taken. Eight teenagers, between the ages of 13 and 20, were chosen to help develop the show. Al-Monitor met with Dergham, Hanan, Ahmed, Sayyed, Ali, Aboudi, Yousuf and Mohammed while they were in the process of identifying visual ways to interpret the stories, under the direction and help of Choucair and her colleague Ailin Conant, from Theatre Temoin, who traveled from London to participate in the creative development of the project.

We didn't change any of the testimonies, Choucair explained. The whole idea is to get the stories out and have people listen to them. We changed just the names, because the refugees were worried even though they trust us. The connection between the actors and the stories is amazing. They really like these testimonies. They feel they're important, and they always have a lot to offer because it relates to their own personal experiences.

The only girl in the group, Hanan, is 15 years old and arrived three years ago from Homs. Her mother's story is one of the 20 testimonies online.

Acting is a hobby for me, Hanan told Al-Monitor. I saw no girls were coming to the casting, so I decided to represent women. Many girls are opposed to me [doing this]. They ask me why do I go there with all those men, but I always answer it is very important for us to be with men. They are not alien creatures! My mother supports me in this project, and my little brother Dergham joined the cast as well. Hanan sees involvement in The Caravan as a chance to start acting, be famous and meet many people.

Among the stories performed by the young Syrian actors, some address personal issues, such as the one from a woman whose father wanted her to study, but she wanted to get married instead, like her cousins. After her wedding, she ended up in her husband's family home with no privacy, before the civil war pushed the family to seek refuge in Lebanon, where she must care for her children in a tent and still has no privacy for herself and her husband. Another story focuses on having nothing but remaining open and generous to others, which, in the play, is brought to life by the actors inviting audience members to join them in their tent.

The Caravan will soon be traveling Lebanese roads to spread the Syrian refugees messages to different communities, but some issues will inevitably arise and require addressing. For instance, two of the actors might be leaving soon for Sweden. We will find a plan if it happens, Choucair reassured Al-Monitor. Other actors are constrained by the Lebanese bureaucracy: They don't have visas and therefore cannot leave the Bekaa Valley. Beirut DC, therefore, organized a casting call in Beirut for Syrian professional actors with legal resident status. They are already rehearsing the play their peers developed in May. After the tour in Bekaa, the second cast will tour the rest of Lebanon, bringing the same solidarity and commitment to the project as the first crew.
June 6, 2016

Since December 2015, Sabratha city in western Libya has been hit by a wave of terror attacks, many orchestrated by the Islamic State (IS). The city made headlines when in February, the United States bombed what it claimed to be a training camp run by IS, killing over 40 people. In late 2015, Sabratha was mentioned many times in the Libyan local media as being an IS stronghold, while in 2014 residents told Al-Monitor that the city harbored many IS fighters in the woods scattered around the area.

The Phoenicians built Sabratha around 500 B.C. as a port for commerce and trading in African hinterland products that included ivory and animal skins. It was one of the three cities of Roman Tripoli, which included Tripoli and Leptis Magna, or modern-day Lebda 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of where Tripoli is situated today. In the second century, Romans took over Sabratha and extended their reach to Leptis Magna but kept Sabratha as the trading center connecting Africa in the south and the centers of Roman civilization including ancient Rome across the Mediterranean Sea. However, in the third century Sabratha as a trading port lost its role to other cities such as Tripoli, and Leptis Magna reduced in size and became a village.

Much of Sabrathas ruins that are located right on the shoreline were damaged mainly due to the soft soil that continuously eroded because of the seawaters.

In the second wave of major violence that hit the country in 2014  sometimes referred to as the second civil war  Mizran Mosque, which is over 100 years old and Tripoli's oldest mosque, was damaged. In March 2016, a bomb exploded inside the mosque destroying a large section of its fragile structure.

The state's collapse and lack of security have made historical sites vulnerable to looting and vandalism across the country. For instance, Ghirza ruins, southwest of Bani Walid, about 300 kilometers south of Tripoli, have been seriously damaged because of illegal artifacts trade and vandalism. In a phone interview, Sufian Adbeeb, Bani Walids director of heritage sites, told Al-Monitor that the towns museum was vandalized and looted after Misrata-based militias invaded the city in October 2011. In 2012, many of the city's homes and businesses were looted and destroyed by these militias.

The same has been happening all over Libya with unrest leading to a lack of security and little attention paid to cultural heritage sites. While IS in Syria and Iraq has deliberately destroyed important historical sites, such as Palmyra in Syria, Libyans accuse the Salafists of the destruction of the country's cultural heritage.

Based on their twisted interpretation of Islam, the Salafists believe that holy shrines and Sufi sites are non-Islamic and should not exist in Muslim countries. In Zliten on the western Libyan coast, less than 200 kilometers west of Tripoli, the government at the time accused the Salafists of blowing up in late August 2012 one of the oldest shrines in that part of Libya. Along with it, they destroyed large parts of the nearby library and mosque, which were well cared for under Moammar Gadhafis regime. Human Rights Watch, in a statement shortly after the destruction took place, urged the Libyan authorities to protect religious and historical sites.

On Nov. 4, 2014, Tripoli residents woke up to the news that the Gazelle statue, believed to be an Italian-era work that sat in a square named after it near Tripolis seafront since then, had disappeared. It appeared that residents themselves had moved the statue to prevent it from being destroyed. During a visit to Libya earlier this year, Al-Monitor was told by a Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that his colleagues had moved the famous statue in order to return it to its original place when its secure enough to do so. Al-Monitor was not able to verify this claim.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova had called in November 2014 on all parties in the Libyan conflict to respect and protect cultural heritage sites in Libya. Historical sites are the expression of a shared memory of the country, and its respect represents a cornerstone for long-lasting national reconciliation, she said. But in a country lacking effective central government it is hard to see how such a call could be implemented.

However, in many instances it is the locals who can protect and safeguard  and even restore  religious and cultural heritage sites, as has been the case in Alrozkh village, west of Bani Walid. In February, Al-Monitor was taken to the newly restored local mosque. The old structure that was believed to date back to the 1880s had collapsed due to many years of negligence.

The local youth got together and drew a map of the original structure based on memories of the elderly in the village and the few remaining documents of the building; they then decided to restore the mosque. According to Bashir Mahfuz, one of the religious men of the village, restoring the mosque took over one month and all materials used were locally produced. Project costs were kept low because the village youth volunteered their time to work on the reconstruction.

As a lack of security persists due to the absence of a strong central government, Libya's historical sites will remain vulnerable. UNESCO adopted in May an action plan in an attempt to protect the historical sites in the conflict-torn country. However, the unstable circumstances remain a major hurdle in this effort. Libya's successive governments since 2011 have done little to secure and preserve the country's heritage. In the same vein, there have been few civil society initiatives on a national level to protect historical sites across the country. The responsibility falls on the locals at the city level to preserve or restore their historical religious and cultural sites.
June 5, 2016

Russia may be preparing to back a renewed assault by Syrian government forces to retake Aleppo, and perhaps even Raqqa, from Jabhat al-Nusra and allied groups in the coming weeks.

Mohammad Ballout wrote, in Al-Monitor's partner publication As-Safir, The Russians will put their Sukhoi fighter jets to the test and bet on direct ground offensives to weaken rather than defeat Syrian armed factions. It should be noted that isolating Jabhat al-Nusra from other armed factions, which is a difficult and complicated objective, would strike a painful blow to those factions since Jabhat al-Nusras military and ideological might form the backbone around which those factions unite.

Officials in Moscow have made no secret of their intention to target Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, as well as those groups that have sought to make tactical alliance with it, such as Ahrar al-Sham. Russia has offered a pause in its bombing campaign for groups such as Ahrar al-Sham to distance themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra, but it seems so far to no avail, as Ahrar al-Sham, in particular, has continued its collaboration with Jabhat al-Nusra.

The United States has found itself conflicted between, on the one hand, its partnership with Russia, which has led to an unprecedented  if fragile  cessation of hostilities and renewed  if tentative  intra-Syrian talks, and on the other hand its regional partners, which are loath to rein in their proxies with President Bashar al-Assad still in power, even if those proxies run with Jabhat al-Nusra.

This column supported the United States taking up the Russian offer to coordinate its military attacks on Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS), while sorting out those groups that should be spared from the seemingly imminent Russian and Syrian offensive. Our view is that such an agreement would be a blow to those terrorist groups, and a way of putting Russia on notice regarding its targeting of opposition groups backed by the United States.

But Russia's patience has appeared to wear thin, and its next move might include Raqqa as well as Aleppo, according to Ballout. Vitaly Naumkin writes, The United States is also hoping to avoid a situation in which Raqqa would be freed by the Syrian army with the help of Shiite militants from Arab countries, along with Russian air support. Russia knows that it would be unacceptable for its American partners in combat against IS if Damascus established its control over the territories freed from IS. In other words, Americans prefer the Kurds (as well as Assyrians, Arab groups, Armenians and Turkmens) over the Syrian army. However, as an anonymous senior source from the Kurdish People's Protection Units told Al-Monitor, that part of the Kurdish movement is not going to abandon its objective of unifying the three Kurdish cantons for the sake of capturing Raqqa. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, 'Moscow is willing to coordinate its efforts with the US-led coalition and Kurdish militia in Syria for the purpose of freeing Raqqa.'

As we reported last week, the United States has struggled to appease Turkey's alarm about the disproportionate role of the People's Protection Units (YPG) in the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), despite the YPG, and by extension the SDF, being the most effective ground force in Syria battling IS. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition groups have suffered a series of recent setbacks against IS. Semih Idiz writes this week that the ultimate dilemma for Turkey, however, is the fact that it has ended up in what appears to be an ineffectual situation in Syria, even though it is one of the countries bearing the biggest brunt from this crisis.

There is an obtuse argument in some Washington circles that the collaboration of some of these groups with al-Qaeda requires the United States to make an even more substantial commitment to back opposition forces. According to this rationale, those groups on the fence in aligning with Jabhat al-Nusra would not do so if only the United States would display an even more substantial commitment to toppling Assad. Those proposing this giant step on the slippery slope of escalation suggest that a heightened US commitment would somehow make everything better, rather than scuttling the fragile gains of the US-Russia collaboration and prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, which seems to us a more likely outcome.

Such argumentation reflects a long-standing misunderstanding about Syria, including an unnerving sectarian bias and agenda. We do not feel the need to fill the page reminding our readers of the record and intentions of al-Qaeda, and how Jabhat al-Nusra is helping the terrorist organization regain its footing as a center of international jihad. We have warned since December 2013 that the mainstreaming of Salafi and jihadi groups among the armed Syrian opposition would be a disaster for Syria. Their heavy role among the armed groups is the result of foreign interests seeking to keep a sectarian edge to a conflict that began five years ago as a popular demand for secular and democratic reform, not Islamic rule. The Syrian uprising of 2011 is not served by making a place for jihadis and Salafists who can easily slide in and out of alliance with al-Qaeda. And to sharpen the point, these groups run with al-Qaeda not because the United States has not done enough to show its mettle in the Syrian sectarian crusade against Assad, but because they are cut from the same cloth  a commitment to Sharia rule, sectarian governance and hatred and persecution of minorities  as their al-Qaeda brothers-in-jihad.

On that score, some in the mainstream media reported the resignation of chief opposition negotiator Mohammed Alloush from the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition with little or no mention that Alloush represents Jaish al-Islam, which is among the most notorious and radical jihadi movements. We refer you here to the definitive piece by Ali Mamouri on the ideology of the late Jaish al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush, who was killed in an airstrike in Syria on Dec. 25, 2015. This column reported in April on the UN investigation into the alleged use of chlorine or chemical weapons by Jaish al-Islam against Kurdish groups in Aleppo in April, in addition to our ongoing coverage of violations of the cessation of hostilities by Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam and other armed groups, sometimes in coordination with Jabhat al-Nusra. In the past week, the Russian Ministry of Defense has documented repeated cease-fire violations by Jaish al-Islam, and that Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham have again collaborated in attacks on Sheikh Maksoud in northern Aleppo. The Institute for the Study of War reported that Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and other armed groups attacked Dirkhabiyah on May 26.

This column has focused since November 2015 on the battle of Aleppo as possibly the beginning of the end in the Syria war. In January, we wrote, The give and take over which opposition parties and individuals are represented in the peace talks may in the end be a sideshow for the real trend in Syria, which is the progress of the Syrian army, backed by Russia and Iran, in retaking territory from the Islamic State (IS), Jabhat al-Nusra and other armed groups.  A Syrian government victory in Aleppo could be the beginning of the end of the sectarian mindset that would have been alien to the city prior to 2011.

The United States should coordinate its military operations with Russia to bring about an endgame in Aleppo and throughout Syria; avoid sectarian biases and entanglements that have ripped Syria apart; and discard, for good, confused arguments and advocacy that call for accommodation with al-Qaeda fellow travelers.
June 6, 2016

The exact start of Ramadan, which is a lunar month, and the Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows the fast have long been an issue of conflict in the Islamic world. For Muslims in Turkey, Central Asia and the Balkans, Ramadan fasting starts after the crescent of the new moon is sighted with a naked eye. Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, take as a basis the moons state of alignment with the Earth. Because of sectarian differences, various communities in the same country are also often at odds, starting the fast and Eid on different dates.

On the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, Leman Memisoglu, an 88-year-old Turkish woman, recalls how her mother, a resident of the Black Sea city of Trabzon, recounted the arrival of Ramadan a century ago. To know the beginning of the [new] lunar month, the people of Trabzon would watch the sky only. As a small girl, my mother would even compete with her peers to be the first to spot the crescent in the sky. Once the crescent was sighted, they would beat tins and rush to cook and clean, excited that the fasting begins the following day, Memisoglu told Al-Monitor. And in my childhood, they would beat drums. We would also let our relatives in Sweden know that the Ramadan was starting, she added.

An academic friend of mine, meanwhile, recounted his experience in Lebanon, a country whose diverse religious and sectarian diversity makes the controversies on the Hijri calendar even more pronounced. Its a never-ending issue here. If the Saudis say the Eid starts today, the Shiites would say tomorrow. The Eid is announced only the evening before, he said. Those who say the Eid is tomorrow take to the streets for shopping, even if it is midnight. And those who disagree watch with a bit of envy that we Turks know the Eid a year in advance, he added, tongue-in-cheek.

In a bid to resolve the discord, religious representatives from about 50 Muslim countries convened in Istanbul May 28-30 for an International Hijri Calendar Unity Congress. At the end of the congress, a vote was held in which the participants were asked to back the application of either a single or a dual calendar or stay undecided. The majority voted for a single calendar. In his closing remarks, the head of Turkeys Religious Affairs Directorate (RAF), Mehmet Gormez, expressed hope the meeting will end a 60-year conflict in the Islamic world.

The final communique of the congress said, The basic rule to determine the start of the lunar month is the sighting of the crescent, whether this is done by the naked eye or through modern methods of astronomy.  If the crescent is sighted in one place it will be accepted as having been seen everywhere.

It was an effort to find a middle way, taking into account the basic criteria in which Turks, Arabs and those of various sects believe. Yet practices on the ground will show whether it works. Some countries may again raise objections that the crescent has not been sighted with a naked eye or that the state of alignment has not happened.

According to the final communique, the common calendar will offer important solutions to certain problems faced by Muslims and especially by Muslim minorities. One outcome is the fact that Muslims around the world will start fasting and celebrate special occasions like the Eids at the same time. Also, it is a decision aimed at ending the discord between Muslims, which has gone beyond legitimate and reasonable limits. In fact, this has created awkward situations where different Muslim minority groups living in a country have celebrated Eid and have started fasting on two or even three separate days.

The congress tasked RAF to prepare a calendar for 10 years. Once drawn up, the calendar will be submitted to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will have it distributed. Religious authorities in Muslim countries will be then expected to embrace the calendar and work to ensure unity on the start of Ramadan.

The discord, however, is not so simple as to be quickly overcome with a vote. Since the first congress on a unified Hijri calendar in 1966, similar decisions have been adopted at five international meetings, but diverging practices have continued.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, Turkeys former RAF head, kept his expectations low, pointing to past failures. Hopefully, unity will be achieved this time. Other congresses were held in the past. All Islamic countries signed [joint decisions], only to back down from them later. Unity was never achieved, he said. The Arabs start fasting and observe Eid al-Fitr sometimes one day ahead of us and sometimes one day later. Depending on the state of the moon, there have been cases when weve started on the same day.

Commenting on the reasons of the discord, he said, We take as a basis the sighting of the crescent with a naked eye, while they take into account the crescents alignment with Earth, which is sighted through astronomical observations. Sighting the crescent with a naked eye is the essential thing. What does the Prophet say? Start fasting when you see the crescent [of Ramadan].

Noting that the crescent is first observed in Alaska, Yilmaz added, It can be seen with telescopes, but not with a naked eye. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries take this state of alignment as a basis.  Yet for the moon to be sighted with a naked eye, the Earth has to make an angle of 10-15 degrees. We take this angle as a basis to start fasting. Our way is the correct one, for the prophets words are clear. In the state of alignment, the moon, the Earth and the sun are on the same plane, and the light of the sun prevails, in which case sighting the moon with a naked eye becomes impossible. An angle is needed for it to be seen, which takes 24 hours. So this is what we are waiting for.

Sighting the crescent with a naked eye is not that easy. Moreover, the sighting of a single person is not sufficient. The fasting starts once the sighting is proven with witnesses. In some countries, those who are the first to spot the crescent are being awarded. Years ago, I was reading Al-Ahram newspaper in Egypt. It caught my eye that they were promising awards to those who sight the crescent, Yilmaz said.

For individuals, the award is conditioned on sighting the crescent with a naked eye. And for Islamic countries, agreeing on a joint calendar could be the big award. Yet the countries that purport to have reached a compromise are not putting their agreement into practice this Ramadan, fueling pessimism. In Turkey, Ramadan started June 6.
June 6, 2016

Turkey's not seeing red anymore. Well, at least not as much.

The current operation launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at Manbij in Syria, spearheaded by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), helped fade Turkeys red lines in the region. Until a short time ago, Turkeys stance against the Kurds was truly hawkish. The pro-government daily Sabah used this headline Oct. 26 for its report of the YPG crossing to the west shore of the Euphrates, YPG learned its lesson for crossing the red line.

Then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu followed later with, We have informed both the United States and Russia. We told them the PYD [Democratic Union Party] will not cross  and we hit the PYD twice.

But on June 3, photographs circulated of the YPG crossing the river with not only fighters, but with tanks and military vehicles at Karakozak, which was once considered Turkish territory and housed the tomb of Suleiman Shah. But this time the Ankara government acted as if it had come to terms with the YPG crossing the Euphrates under the SDF banner and launching an operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans remarks after his telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama suggested that Erdogan has softened his opposition. Nowadays, there are about 450 YPG militants in the SDF. They have about 2,500 Arabs in that force. That means about 3,000 people are involved in this operation. We were told that the YPG will basically be a logistics element at Manbij and the real force will be made up of Arabs, Erdogan said.

Reports say Obama had told Erdogan that the number of YPG forces in the SDF would be limited and assured him that after the expulsion of the Islamic State (IS) from Manbij, the YPG would be withdrawn.

Since then there has been speculation that Turkey  badly in need of appearing to be a country combating IS  had not only agreed with the operation but actually supported it. Turkey, however, still publicly maintains it will not support a force that includes the YPG. The dilemma is that Turkeys action in Syria is limited to artillery fire from its border. Turkey doesn't want to use its air force and risk retaliation for downing a Russian military jet in November 2015. In other words, Turkeys effectiveness in Syria reaches only as far as the range of its howitzers  in this case, 40 kilometers (25 miles). Manbij is about 25 miles south of Turkeys border.

Turkeys priority is to protect the supply line to the opposition forces it supports in northern Syria (though Turkey targets Kurdish-held areas more than it targets IS).

It was actually the IS attacks against the Azaz-Marea line that forced Turkey to support the Manbij operation. To prevent the Kurds from entering the Azaz-Marea or Jarablus-Manbij lines, Turkey had offered the United States the option of using Turkish-supported opposition groups to keep IS away from the border. These groups, supported by Turkish artillery fire, actually captured Al Rai but held it for only four days before retreating.

IS not only recovered the territory it had lost, but pressed hard on the Azaz-Marea line and severed that corridor. This unexpected victory by IS panicked the Turkish government and muted objections to US joint operations with the SDF. Blows against Turkish-supported armed groups by IS offered a trump card to the Kurds. These Turkish-backed groups need SDF permission to exit the siege they are under. The SDFs condition for opening a corridor from Marea to Aleppo is for the Turkish-supported armed groups to halt attacks against the Kurdish Sheikh Maksoud district of Aleppo. There is speculation that some of those groups might soon join the SDF. At the moment, at least two Turkmen units are cooperating with the YPG, showing that the Turkmen card is not entirely in Turkeys hands.

While the United States is trying to conduct surgical operations without angering Turkey, Kurds have their own calculations. For one thing, the Kurds, in harmony with the US policy of appeasing Turkey, behave as if there are no Kurds involved in the Manbij operation. Kurds are as adept as Americans when it comes to soothing Turkey. Pro-PYD media persistently report that the operation is commanded by the Manbij Military Council with the SDF providing logistical support.

There is no mention of the YPG anywhere. As it happened at Tell Abyad and Shadadi, where IS was defeated, the Kurds are assuming a protection and structuring role by setting up a local assembly and administration structure compatible with ethnic realities.

PYD officials told Al-Monitor the same road map will be followed at Manbij. A field reality that must not be forgotten: There are 134 Kurdish villages in this region that offer the YPG a natural terrain in which to operate. Kurds here dont have to fly the YPG banner.

PYD sources briefed Al-Monitor on negotiation talks of an open-ended strategy to open a corridor from west of the Euphrates all the way to Afrin and Turkmen Mountain. Their strategy is for the SDF to advance with two prongs from Tishrin Dam to Manbij, defeat IS and then wait. The situation will be assessed after security and civilian rule are achieved in Manbij, as it could take longer to control the area depending on how much territory is captured. After Manbij, if the shade of Turkeys red lines is suitable, an operation could be launched toward Jarablus. Or, if Turkey uses artillery fire to keep the Kurds from approaching the border, an operation could be launched against al-Bab instead. Securing al-Bab would mean opening a corridor south of Afrin. Also, remember, there is the Syrian national army south of al-Bab; its entry to al-Bab before the Kurds could upend this game plan.

Regarding the US attitude toward al-Bab and Jarablus, a Kurdish source said, The United States will not help with the Jarablus operation because of Turkey. But will the United States block such an operation? No, it wont," he replied.

"In a way they are telling us, You do it on your own and accept the consequences. If a new situation rises after Manbij, plans can change. In the Middle East everything changes overnight. For example, if IS launches a surprise raid and captures Azaz and turns toward Afrin, nobody can stop us. We wont listen to anyones red lines.  At that point, both Russia and the US will support us.

Developments signal a hot summer, and Kurdish designs are shaped by available opportunities. Ankara, with unpredictable moves, is still trying to discern whom to set up partnerships with in Syria. Then there are the changing fortunes of IS operations in Iraq and Syria. Russia is preparing to return to Syria with more effective combat forces, including ground elements. The Syrian army plans new attacks supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah toward Idlib, Raqqa and Aleppo.

All of these situations make it difficult to guess what tomorrow will bring in the Middle East.
Avondale Brewing is embracing its funkier beers with a tasting room dedicated to them.

The brewery is aiming to open its Sour Room on August 1 - a tasting room entirely dedicated to the unique beers, like barrel aged saisons, sour beers and Brett beers, which are beers made with the Brettanomyces yeast, creating a funky flavor.

"There's not really a whole lot of places around, especially in Alabama, that do these kinds of beers," Brewer Nate Darnell said. "It's just really unique and interesting, working with a lot of wild organisms."

Avondale is aiming to have eight to 10 taps in the Sour Room at a time. About half would be sour, Darnell said.

Darnell said Avondale drew a lot of inspiration from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina, which opened its own satellite tasting room devoted to sours in 2014 called the Funkatorium.

The Sour Room will be at 4022 Third Avenue South, the same building as Wasabi Juan's. It'll have an outdoor patio with Bocce. You'll be able to get to it from Avondale's backyard, but it'll be its own space.

The craft brewing industry is still relatively new to Alabama, and sours are even newer in popularity. Darnell said he's unsure how the reception to the concept will go over, but that he's looking forward to educating consumers about sours and other funky beers.

"We're seeing people trending toward these beers, but we're doing it because these are the kinds of beers we love to make," Darnell said. "We're hoping that we make it a little more approachable to people."
More Kashi products are under recall because they may contain Listeria.

The company has expanded its previous recall to include two Kashi brand snack bars and two varieties of Bear Naked granola. The snacks feature sunflower seed-based ingredients from SunOpta, the supplier behind many recent Listeria-related recalls in the U.S. and Canada.

"People who have purchased affected product should discard it and contact Kashi for a full refund," Kashi said on the FDA website.

For a list of recalled Kashi products, click here. There have been no confirmed reports of illness so far.

Listeria can cause health issues in young children, frail or elderly people, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women. Short-term symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

U.S. and Puerto Rican customers can call 1-877-747-2467 for information or contact Kashia via

.
Muslims in Alabama and 1.2 billion more worldwide began a month of daytime fasting today to observe their holy month of Ramadan.

The Birmingham Islamic Society has announced that it will welcome tour groups by appointment for evening fast-breaking meals at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center throughout the month.

There are an estimated 10,000 Muslims living in Alabama, about half of them in the Birmingham metropolitan area.

"This is a special month where we want to meet our neighbors, introduce ourselves," said Ashfaq Taufique, president of the Birmingham Islamic Society. "As American Muslims, we have common goals and common values with other Americans."

Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. They focus on spirituality, increased prayer, good deeds and charity. Observance of Ramadan is one of the five pillars, or main practices, of Islam.

Ramadan begins about 11 days earlier each year because of the lunar calendar, so it falls this year at a time when longer days make daytime fasting more challenging.

Ramadan commemorates when the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.

Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic lunar calendar. Fasting is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God's commandments.

At sunset each day, Muslims will break the fast with a community meal at area mosques.

For visiting group reservations, which include a brief presentation on Islam and a question and answer session preceding the dinner, call 205-879-4247, extension 2, or email: rita.taufique@bisweb.org."
Eufaula native Peyton Brown made the top 5 in Sunday night's Miss USA Pageant. She was one of 52 contestants competing for the crown in the 65th annual competition held in Las Vegas.

She joined Georgia, Hawaii, California, and Washington D.C. in the finals. Army officer Deshauna Barber from DC went on to win Miss USA 2016.

The 22-year-old is a senior at the University of Alabama studying Communication Studies. As a child, Brown lost her father to Melanoma which is why she is passionate about educating people about taking care of their skin, according to her Miss USA bio.
On May 18, 2009, Colombo declared the end of the 26-year civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers.

It was presented as the beginning of a new era of peace, national reconciliation and development.

But for many of those in the north and east of the country, where the worst of the war was experienced, that harmony cannot materialise when so many scars of war remain.

Thaya Malars son disappeared without a trace after the war. During the last battle, the LTTE was desperate and forced all the men in the village to fight with them, she recalls. Our 16-year-old son had to leave with them but managed to escape.

When the war ended, the teenager returned home. But his mother says he disappeared one night. She is convinced that the Sri Lankan army had something to do with his disappearance. That night, we saw military patrols, and two people told us that they saw him at a soldiers camp, she says.

In January 2013, she wrote a letter to the then president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, pleading for information, but says she received no response.

Human Rights Watch has called on the Sri Lankan government to investigate alleged abuses, including enforced disappearances, committed by both sides during the war.

Elango* is a Tamil activist who believes that members of the Tigers were heroes who died for the freedom of the Tamils, but that the group also made many mistakes. During the final battle, the LTTE required each Tamil family to provide at least one man to fight, he says. In the last days of the war, they even used civilians as human shields, something that many will never forget. If we are to succeed, we need to enact a system that is fair and humane.

*Not his real name.
The resolution showed that politicising history for the sake of accomplishing short-term goals does more harm than good.

Ibrahim Kalin is the spokesperson for the Turkish presidency.

On June 2, the German Parliament adopted a controversial resolution declaring the tragic events of 1915 a genocide. This politically motivated decision is unlawful, misguided and ultimately harmful to the prospect of reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.

First of all, it is important to note that the Bundestags decision has no legal basis.

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 to make sure that Germanys atrocities against ethnic and religious minorities, in particular the Holocaust, would not happen again in the future (PDF).

Turkey adopted the convention in 1950  four years before Germany. The convention was enforced for the first time in 1998, when the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda sentenced Jean-Paul Akayesu, a Republican Democratic Movement politician, to life imprisonment.

Nine years later, the International Court of Justice invoked the Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro. Designating the 1915 events as genocide inherently violates the core legal principle that there can be no penalty without law  nulla poena sine lege.

Historical mistake

The German parliaments decision, furthermore, violates European law. In Perincek v. Switzerland, the European Court of Human Rights concluded that it had no authority to determine the status of the 1915 events as genocide under international law (PDF). The Court, moreover, announced that the issue was open to discussion and a matter of debate.

Turkeys assertion that the resolution has no legal standing was also shared by Bettina Kudla, a Christian Democrat Union politician from Leipzig, who voted against the bill on Thursday.

Its not the duty of the Federal Parliament to evaluate historical events that took place in other countries, she argued after the vote.

On June 2, the German parliament not only violated the law but also made a short-sighted and misguided choice.

Turkeys efforts

By recognising the 1915 events as genocide, the German parliament ignored Turkeys tireless and unprecedented efforts under President Recep Tayyip Erdogans leadership to bring closure through dialogue to Turks and Armenians, whose relations remain poisoned by the tragedy.

The first step was taken in April 2005, when President Erdogan sent a letter to Robert Kocharyan, then president of Armenia, to propose the formation of a joint history commission to shed light on the 1915 events.

The commission, comprising Turkish and Armenian historians along with experts from third countries, would study the archives of Turkey, Armenia and other countries and share their findings with the international community.

Needless to say, the resolution seriously damaged the Turkish community's relations with the government of Germany. by

Although Turkey raised the issue several times over the past 11 years, the Armenian government refuses to cooperate.

As a sign of their commitment to working more closely with the government of Armenia, Turkey initiated talks with Yerevan in 2007.

Two years later, the delegations finalised protocols to restore diplomatic ties and strengthen bilateral relations.

Even though the Turkish government immediately submitted the documents to parliament for approval, Armenian leaders have been reluctant to follow suit.

In April 2010, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced on live television that he had unilaterally suspended the approval process. Unfortunately, Yerevan remains unwilling to take a giant step forward.

READ MORE: Erdogan  Armenia genocide used to blackmail Turkey

Finally, President Erdogan became the first politician in Turkeys history to publicly acknowledge the pain Ottoman Armenians had suffered during World War I, and offered his condolences to their children and grandchildren.

The statement was issued in multiple languages, including Armenian, and published on the Turkish prime ministrys official website. Similar statements were made in 2015 and 2016, but Erdogans reconciliatory declarations were flatly rejected by the Armenian government.

Straining the ties

Under the pretext of promoting peace between Turks and Armenians, the German Parliament on June 2 conveniently ignored Yerevans uncompromising stance and unjustly targeted Turkey, whose leaders proved time and again their commitment to rapprochement.

By rewarding Armenias lack of interest in meaningful progress, Germany made the Caucasus a more dangerous place.

OPINION: Turks, Armenians and the two memories of April 24

The controversial decision, furthermore, places Germanys relations with Turkey at risk. As a NATO ally, prospective European Union member and a key member of the international counter-ISIL coalition, the Turkish government believes cooperation with Germany could be key to address pressing problems.

In recent months, Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged as a European leader to broker a deal with Turkey, which put in place a mechanism for the legal resettlement of Syrian refugees in Europe and effectively ended the arrival of illegal immigrants in Greek islands.

Unfortunately, the German parliament failed to assume a similar role in the debate about the 1915 events.

Finally, the German parliaments decision raises questions about Berlins commitment to integration and diversity.

OPINION: Why this is so difficult for Turkey

On June 2, millions of ethnic Turks, who make valuable contributions to Germanys political, economic and cultural life, have been unjustly criminalised by politicians claiming to be their representatives.

Needless to say, the resolution seriously damaged the Turkish communitys relations with the government of Germany.

The controversial resolution adopted by the German parliament showed yet again that politicising history for the sake of accomplishing short-term goals does more harm than good. But there is still hope if the international community unites behind Turkeys plan.

Without further delay, the government of Armenia should accept Turkeys 2005 offer to form a joint history commission and unfreeze the approval process of bilateral protocols signed eight years ago.

The children and grandchildren of Ottoman Armenians need Yerevan to start taking concrete steps to get closure and move forward.

Instead of making false claims about Turkey, the international community, including Germany, must put pressure on Armenia to proceed with efforts to resolve a frozen conflict in the Caucasus and redeem themselves.

We have no time for the blame game. Millions of people are praying for lasting peace.

Ibrahim Kalin is the spokesperson for the Turkish presidency.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Mahmoud Abbas certainly has every reason to be depressed about the current state of affairs.

These days even the hint of a renewal of diplomacy on Palestine is enough to set tongues wagging. In recent months, France has led what remains an inchoate effort to fill the diplomatic vacuum created by the Obama administrations decision two years ago to close its book on Palestine.

Pride of place, however, was recently claimed by Cairo. On May 17 in Asyut, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi placed himself at the centre of a new initiative, declaring that Egypt was prepared to create a real opportunity for direct talks between the PLO and Israel.

I say we will achieve a warmer peace if we resolve the issue of our Palestinian brothers  and give hope to the Palestinians of the establishment of a state, Sisi said.





Egypt has long been absent as the engine of Israel-Arab diplomacy. Sisi himself is an unlikely champion of Palestinian interests. Egyptian restrictions on Gaza are popular among Egyptians even if they are more draconian than those imposed by Israel.

Public support for the Palestinians, long suffered by the Mubarak regime, has been decimated by the ongoing insurgency in Sinai, which the government insists Hamas supports.

Relations with Israel

If relations between the rulers in Gaza and the Sisi government are cold at best, Ramallah also has concerns about Cairo, where the high profile of Mohammad Dahlan, a vocal opponent of PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, fuels suspicions.

ALSO READ: On Netanyahu, peace and the West

In contrast, Egypts relations with Israel have never been better. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to shred onerous restrictions on Egypts military deployment in Sinai and effectively lobbied for Egyptian interests in Washington.

If Sisi wants to deal with Israel, Bibi is the address. by

Netanyahu has also opened the door to a Saudi role in maritime security by blessing the restoration of Saudi sovereignty in the strategic straits of Tiran.

On the domestic front, Netanyahus recent political moves have placed his tenure as Israels longest-serving prime minister on a more solid foundation. If Sisi wants to deal with Israel, Bibi is the address.

Obstacles to large-scale bilateral economic cooperation on energy have also been removed. The day after Sisis initiative was launched, Bloomberg News reported progress on an almost $1bn deal on compensation to Israel for disrupted contracted gas supplies from Egypt.

The agreement opens the road to a wide-ranging economic partnership, with natural gas at the centre of both Egyptian and Israeli national economic development plans. Adding a diplomatic veneer on Palestine to this partnership helps both Bibi and Sisi.

It is in this context that Netanyahu is making news with his wink in the direction of the Arab Peace Initiative.

In these troubled times, Arab support for recognition of Israel in return for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state  the key elements of the 2002 declaration  is virtually the only issue on which there is an Arab-Muslim consensus.

Historic offer

For many years after its creation, Israeli prime minsters didnt think the historic offer important enough to read.

ALSO READ: Israeli rejectionism as policy

Now even newly minted Israeli defense minister Avigdore Lieberman, not known as a fan of Egypt, the Palestinians, or the Arabs for that matter, wants to be at the party.

Lieberman, who is playing a long game in pursuit of the premiership, sang according to Netanyahus script, adding his supportive remarks endorsing two states for two peoples to Netanyahus.

Just dont ask either of them to draw a map.

For more than a year Israeli leaders at every turn have been touting their interest in expanding ties  economic, security and otherwise  with the nations of the Gulf.

The API is now viewed by Netanyahu as a potentially valuable instrument in this strategy. But his support comes at a price. Netanyahu has simply turned the API on its head, placing Arab recognition of and normalisation with Israel rather than an end to occupation as the strategic objective.

The conventional wisdom for the last few decades has been that a solution to the Palestinian issues will result in improved ties between Israel and the Arab world, explained Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold on June 1. But there is a serious basis for thinking that, actually, the sequence is exactly the opposite  that by improving ties with the Arab states, we set the stage for a future breakthrough with the Palestinians.

Turkey is another critical stop in Netanyahus pursuit of a regional policy of zero problems with its neighbours. The sixth anniversary of Mavi Marmarra maritime debacle has just passed. Once again the anniversary is being used as an opportunity to hint that a deal, long in the works, that includes a loosening of the siege on Gaza, is about to be finalised.

A Turkish rapprochement with Israel on Gaza, occurring parallel to a consolidation of relations with Egypt, featuring a renewed, reinvigorated diplomatic push for the Arab Peace Initiative at its centre, may prove to be yet another mirage on the endless road to a solution of the Palestine problem.

Abbas certainly has every reason to be depressed about the current state of affairs.

He knows that Netanyahu is not going to make a peace deal and he knows that it is too late to have a viable Palestinian state given the extent of Israeli settlements, explained a knowledgeable Palestinian. He is in a very tough position, which is why he is willing to give any candid initiative, like that of President Sisi, a try.

Indeed soothing words  if not deeds  on Palestine may be all that the parties, each fixed on their own priorities, require.

Geoffrey Aronson writes about Middle Eastern affairs. He consults with a variety of public and private institutions dealing with regional political, security, and development issues.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
An Arabic version of the ShareTheMeal app aims to feed 1,400 refugee children in Beirut for a full year.

Beirut  A new Arabic version of the award-winning app ShareTheMeal has been launched to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. The app allows users to feed a Syrian refugee child for a day at the touch of a button.

The World Food Programme (WFP) app invites users to donate as little as 50 cents at a time, to help feed hungry communities around the world.

The English and German versions of the app were launched last November, and thus far 5.5 million meals have been donated by some 500,000 users.

The current campaign is aimed at feeding 1,400 Syrian refugee children between the ages of three and four in Beirut for a full year. Earlier campaigns have fed schoolchildren in Lesotho, refugee children in Jordan and breastfeeding and expectant mothers in Homs, Syria.

INTERACTIVE: The Syrian refugee giving back to Germany

Currently, poor nutrition accounts for 45 percent of deaths in children under the age of five around the world, according to the WFP. The need for an Arabic version of the app was a practical decision, Sebastian Stricker, founder of the app, told Al Jazeera.

If we want to use this tool for people to do good, we need to see that people really can and like to use the app. And language is obviously one of the most important things here.

Poor nutrition accounts for 45 percent of deaths in children under the age of five around the world, according to the WFP.

Ramadan, which begins on Monday, was the perfect time to launch the new app, he said, as it is a time when many Muslims choose to donate to charity, zakat being one of the five pillars of Islam.

When you give zakat you are obeying what God ordered us to do, explained Sheikh Mohammad Arwadi, a member of Lebanons Higher Islamic Council. You can do it whenever, but most people do it during Ramadan, because it is a month of praying to God and doing good things and helping others, he added.

Aside from zakat, which is obligatory and calculated as a percentage of capital, Muslims can also donate whenever else they choose  sadaqah.

There are some one million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but the real number is far higher  around 1.5 million, according to the WFP. Per capita, Lebanon has the highest number of [Syrian] refugees in the world.

This is the highest density of refugees per hosting population, Dominik Heinrich, WFPs Lebanon country representative, told Al Jazeera. Its not unfair to say that Lebanon is doing a marvellous job.

READ MORE: Nearly 400,000 Syrians starving in besieged areas

WFP in Lebanon supports 700,000 of the most vulnerable of these refugees, as well as 20,000 impoverished Lebanese, Heinrich said, figures chosen based on the agencys evaluations.

Lebanon was picked for the current campaign due to a combination of factors, Stricker said. We wanted to go where there is a significant need, and we wanted to make sure that these are programmes which are executed well, and where the money is being put to good use.

Each time a user donates a meal (or several meals at a time), paid via debit or credit card, or by PayPal, this goes toward electronic vouchers for Syrian refugee families in Lebanon.





These can then be used at certain shops across the country, and the minimum donation, 50 cents, is enough to feed a child for a full day, Heinrich said.

Individuals supported receive $27 a month, which is most commonly spent on oil, rice, pulses and some fresh vegetables, Heinrich added. Only once or twice a month families can afford to buy chicken or meat  They are living in subsistence mode.

Having looked at when users currently click the donate button, What we like is that people really share the meal during lunchtime or dinner time, Stricker said.

With the launch of the new app, he is intrigued to see if it will happen during Ramadan at sunset, when followers break their fast with an iftar meal.

Earlier this year, ShareTheMeal won the Webby Awards 2016 Peoples Voice and a SXSW Interactive Innovation 2016 award and has received support from musician Sami Yusuf, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry and Jordanian performer Amal Dabbas.

Stricker, who used to research hunger for WFP, believes that a world without hunger is possible. Its something we feel really strongly about, and we totally believe that a zero-hunger future is possible, he said.

He added, however, that while it might be possible to combat chronic hunger, unforeseen events such as violence and natural disasters will mean acute hunger is unavoidable.

The beautiful thing is that you and I are likely to see a world without chronic hunger, if you just look at the last couple of years, Stricker added, explaining that in 1990 one in five people in the world were hungry, but by 2015 this had fallen to one in nine.

If you extrapolate the data, Stricker said, zero-hunger will happen somewhere around the middle of the century, so if you dont want to wait until 2050, you have to invest now.

The ShareTheMeal app is available for download on Google here and on Apple here.
At least 26 killed in regime air strike in the eastern province held by ISIL group, monitoring group says.

At least 26 people have been killed in regime air strikes in Syrias Deir Az Zor province, activists and a monitoring group has said.





Women and children are among those killed in the air raids that targeted a busy market in the suburbs of Deir Az Zor city, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday.

The observatory said that the death toll is expected to rise.

The market, which is located in Shaara town, is considered one of the main markets in the area and provides resources to several other towns in the suburbs.

Meanwhile, government forces have clashed with the fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) near Deir Az Zor airport, the observatory added.

Government advance in Raqqa

The attack comes as the Syrian army crossed the boundary of Raqqa province after advancing in a major Russian-backed offensive against ISIL, the observatory reported on Saturday.

Heavy Russian air strikes hit ISIL-held territory in eastern areas of Hama province, near the boundary of Raqqa, on Friday to help the Syrian armys advance.

The UK-based Observatory said at least 26 ISIL fighters and nine Syrian government and allied troops were killed in the fighting.

It was the first time that government troops had entered Raqqa province since they were expelled by ISIL fighters in August 2014.

WATCH: Is there still a political way out of Syrias crisis?

ISIL has imposed strict rule in Raqqa  home to more than 220,000 people before the Syrian conflict  and committed atrocities against the civilian population since its takeover of the city more than two years ago.

Syrias conflict started with mostly unarmed demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011.

It has since evolved into a full-on civil war that has killed at least 270,000 people, according to the observatory.
In near simultaneous attacks, gunmen have killed six people at a national guard base and two stores selling firearms in Kazakhstans industrial city of Aktobe, the interior ministry said.

Four of the assailants were killed and seven detained on Sunday by police in a counterterrorist operation, ministry spokesman Almas Sadubayev said. Some remained at large, he said.

Sadubayev said police suspected the attackers were followers of radical, non-traditional religious movements.

Gunmen killed a clerk and a guard at one firearms store and then wounded three policemen who arrived at the site. At another firearms store, they killed a visitor before police came and killed three attackers.

Will Kazakh autocrats daughter succeed him?

A third group hijacked a bus and used it to ram the gate at the national guard base, where they killed three servicemen before guards and police killed one attacker.

Sadubayev did not say how many people were involved in the three attacks.



Kazakhstan convicts two men over Facebook posts

A resident of Aktobe  who asked to be identified only by his first name, Valery  told Reuters by telephone he had seen armed police from his balcony and heard gunshots.

They were telling children playing outside to run to their homes, Valery said, adding he had also seen low-flying helicopters.

Valery received a text message saying a 10pm curfew was being imposed in the city.

Aktobe, 100km from the Russian border, was the site of Kazakhstans first suicide bombing in 2011 when a local man detonated an explosive device inside the building of the state security service.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstans security service on Monday accused a detained businessman with Russian ties of financing recent anti-government protests as part of a plot to seize power.

Tokhtar Tuleshov, best known as the chief executive of one of the Central Asian nations largest breweries, has been imprisoned since January, but authorities had not up to now given details of any charges.

His plan included destabilising the situation in the country by creating flashpoints, organising protests and mass unrest, National Security Committee (KNB) spokesman Ruslan Karasev told reporters on Monday.

We have proof that protests against the so-called land reform that took place in Atyrau, Astana, Almaty, Uralsk, Kyzylorda had been instigated and financed by Tuleshov.
Fighters battling to retake Fallujah from ISIL say they have secured its southern edge and have almost encircled it.

Iraqi civilians fleeing the city of Fallujah have been shot at by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters who are holed up in the besieged city, an international aid group told Al Jazeera.

Nasr Muflahi, country director of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), confirmed several such incidents based on testimonies from civilians who were directly targeted by ISIL gunmen on Sunday.

Civilians who manage to leave the central city are received in camps set up by the government and the UN, where they get basic medical care, Muflahi said.

Fighters battling to retake Fallujah from ISIL say they have secured its southern edge and have almost completely encircled the city.

A leader of the Iran-backed Shia coalition taking part in the offensive said on Sunday the only side of Fallujah that remained to be secured by pro-Baghdad forces was part of the western bank of the Euphrates.

READ MORE: Iraqi forces secure southern edge of Fallujah

We are now at the gates of Fallujah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy leader of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, told a news conference broadcast on state TV.

Fleeing Fallujah

People fleeing Fallujah have been using anything that floats to help them get across the river, which is about 250 to 300 metres wide at the crossing point in farmland just south of the city.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed that several people, including children, have drowned while trying cross the river.

About 50,000 civilians live in Fallujah, 50km from Baghdad, with limited access to water, food and healthcare, according to a UN estimate.

Meanwhile, sources told Al Jazeera that scores of Iraqi men from Fallujah were arrested by security forces and Iranian-backed militias, who subjected them to abuse.



Iraqi forces surround Fallujah as they push to drive out ISIL

A video surfaced online showing members of the militias hitting the men lying on the ground, taunting and verbally abusing them.

Caroline Gluck, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, said Iraqi and Iranian-backed militias have been detaining men for screening, but said many of those arrested have returned to rejoin their families.

Civilians in dire need

Becky Abdulla, a spokeswoman for the NRC, told Al Jazeera that people fleeing the area are desperate and in dire need of help.

So far about 18,000 people have fled from towns and villages around Fallujah, according to the NRC.

Many of those fleeing are families with young children, who are often traumatised by the fighting, Abdulla said.

We are only providing them with the bare minimum because we are stretched, she said, adding that some of the displaced havent had proper meals in months.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on June 1 the offensive on Fallujah had been slowed down in order to protect civilians.

Fallujah is a historic bastion of the fight against the US occupation of Iraq and the Shia-led authorities who took over after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, in 2003.
Last Friday, France hosted a foreign ministers meeting to put Israel-Palestinian peace talks back on the international agenda and to bring the two sides back to direct talks by the end of the year. However, according to analysts, nothing emerged from the meeting as the French initiative appeared to have been emptied of all substance owing to US indifference and Israeli hostility.

Osama Hamdan, the Lebanon-based foreign policy chief of Hamas, speaks to Al Jazeera about the current French drive to revive the peace talks with Israel, Hamas position on engaging in direct peace talks with Israel, and reconciliation efforts with Fatah, as well as the possibility of a prisoner swap deal with Israel.

Al Jazeera: The French government has put forth a proposal to revive the peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. What is Hamas position on it?

Palestinians are the ones being attacked, and Palestinians are the weaker side, so when Israel demands that the weaker side be stripped of its capability to defend itself in any case, it means that Israel intends to continue to behave in the same manner it does now; a controlling military and economic overlord over our lives.

Osama Hamdan: We did not think there was anything new in the French initiative. However, it looks like it was meant to help Israel more than anything else after it became clear that Israel is blocking every effort to resolve the conflict.

The initiative is also designed to fill the vacuum that the Americans left after they became totally disengaged from making any effort to strike a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

The most dangerous element about the French proposal, however, is that it establishes new parameters to deal with the refugees problem when it proposes monetary compensation in exchange for abandoning the right of return.

Palestinians must not only reject this approach to the refugees issue, but also insist on the right of return and the right for compensation for the years spent in forced exile.

Al Jazeera: Is Hamas, as a matter of principle, willing to negotiate peace with Israel?

Hamdan: Palestinians have been engaged in peace talks with Israel since 1992, and until today, we got nowhere despite all the promises of otherwise. Moreover, it was Israel that has always blocked the peace from taking place. Oslo Accord was signed in 1993 and it was supposed to result in a Palestinian state. But seven years after Oslo, the Palestinians discovered that there was no Israeli commitment to agree on the formation of a viable Palestinian state.

Al Jazeera: But Hamas was accused at the time of derailing the peace process with a series of violent attacks against Israelis?

Hamdan: This is not true; Hamas exercised acts of resistance against the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. During the same period, Israel never stopped its attacks and aggression against us.

Al Jazeera: But why would you engage in acts of resistance during peace talks that were supposed to give you what you want?

Hamdan: Israel, too, was engaged in attacks against us during this period of the peace process. I want to remind you that whenever Israel stopped its attacks against us, we, too, stopped our counter-attacks. Our attacks in 1996 were in response to Israels targeted assassinations of many leaders of the resistance such as Yahya Ayyash.

In other words, Israel has no right to say that there is a peace process while at the same time engaging in aggression and attacks against us and demanding that the Palestinians not respond to such attacks, just because there is or there was a peace process going on.

Al Jazeera: Are there captured Israeli prisoners held by Hamas?

Hamdan: There is a clear announcement from al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas military wing] that there are Israeli soldiers who were captured during the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza. Al-Qassam did not announce any details about this as part of its own strategy in dealing with the prisoners issue.

Al Jazeera: What about their numbers? Are they alive or dead, and is there any secret talks to strike a prisoners swap deal?

Hamdan: There is no information at this point as to whether those Israelis are dead or alive. Until this point, we cannot say that there are negotiations over the issue. Hamas had been approached by several intermediaries; however, this did not reach the level of actual negotiations. This is, of course, because negotiations require an agreement from both sides.

Right now, we are not even sure if the Israelis have authorised anyone to negotiate on their behalf over this subject. At the same time, the Israelis have not announced yet that they are interested in negotiation to have their prisoners released.

We in Hamas, however, assured all the intermediaries that we welcome their efforts and we are ready to negotiate with Israel over this issue, but only after we make sure that they are authorised to represent the Israeli government. We still dont have that commitment yet.

Al Jazeera: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his newly appointed Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said last week that they support the two-state solution as a principle for solving the conflict. What do you say to that?

Hamdan: Up until this point the Israeli leadership has made no real or concrete steps that show how serious they are about the two-state solution. Israels attempts to change facts on the ground in Jerusalem are killing the two-state solution because the Palestinians would never accept a state without Jerusalem as its capital.

More, the building of more illegal settlements on Palestinian lands has increased since the signing of the Oslo agreement taking over 40 percent of the West Bank and thus effectively ending the idea of having Palestinian state.

Also imposing economic hardship on the Palestinians in addition to the siege on Gaza does not send any positive signals to the Palestinians that the Israelis have agreed with the formation of a Palestinian state.

In my opinion, the Israelis were actually buying time in order to change facts on the ground to torpedo any solution that would give the Palestinians a state.

Al Jazeera: But would you then negotiate over those new facts?

Hamdan: Why would we negotiate over the removal of illegal settlements? According to international law, Israel built its settlements on occupied Palestinian territories illegally. Also there are several UN resolutions that demand Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Thus, what is needed, realistically, is for Israel to declare that it wants to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders, proving to the Palestinians that it is serious about having peace with the Palestinians. In theory, it would have made sense in 1993, but for Palestinians, after 23 years of failed negotiations with Israel that got us from bad to worse, I dont think we are ready to repeat the same experience with Israel, at least under the same conditions.

INTERACTIVE: Inside al-Aqsa mosque

Al Jazeera: What prevents Fatah and Hamas from reconciliation and forming a national unity government?

Hamdan: I dont think one group can negate or cross the other out. The Palestinian society  as a whole  has diverse political views and preferences that would prevent one group from dominating or negating the other.

This [political] diversity should be a source of strength, not weakness. At this stage of our political struggle, what we need is a democratic partnership where power is transferred from one political group to another.

Al Jazeera: What then prevents both Fatah and Hamas from forming the long-awaited national unity government?

Hamdan: Hamas has signed a written agreement with Fatah committing to all the points, including the formation of a national unity government, having one national authority to represent all Palestinians. We also agreed that Palestinian presidential guards take control of the crossing points with Egypt and with Israel.

I think Mahmoud Abbas [the Palestinian president] is not really interested in forming a unity government with Hamas, partly because he believes that Hamas will win in any future elections, while Fatah has been weakened by internal rivalries.

Moreover, it appears that Abbas does not believe in the principle of partnership or power sharing. Because he knows that once there is partnership, and power sharing, decisions will no longer be made arbitrarily or by one man as is the case today.

Al Jazeera: What would be Hamas position if Israel accepted to negotiate a peace agreement based on its withdrawal from the 1967 borders on the condition that the future Palestinian state must be a demilitarised entity?

Hamdan: We have a firm belief that Palestinians have the right to self-determination. Once statehood is achieved, Palestinians will decide the nature of that state. But when the Israelis dictate that the Palestinian state must be un-armed or demilitarised, it makes us worry.

Palestinians are the ones being attacked, and Palestinians are the weaker side, so when Israel [the stronger party] demands that the weaker side be stripped of its capability to defend itself in any case, it means that Israel intends to continue to behave in the same manner it does now; a controlling military and economic overlord over our lives.

And when the Israelis, or others, speak of security guarantees, in reality it is we, the Palestinians, who are in need of such guarantees, not the other way around. And if Israel says it really wants peace with us and in the region, then it does not need the huge military arsenal it has now.

We believe that when Israel say that we must be unarmed, we believe Israel is just not serious about peace with the Palestinians.

Follow Ali Younes on twitter @ali_reports
Attack on security office near Al Baqaa refugee camp kills three officers and two employees of intelligence department.

Five Jordanian intelligence officers have been killed in an attack on a security office outside a Palestinian refugee camp close to Amman, a government official told national media.

Jordanian television quoted government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani on Monday as saying the assault on the office near the Al Baqaa refugee camp on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital was a terrorist attack.

Security forces have arrested a suspect in the attack at the intelligence departments local office near the camp that houses more than 70,000 refugees, Jordanian TV reported.

Also read: Jordan changes constitution to give King more power

As well as the three officers, a guard and a telephone exchange operator at the office were killed. The official said that the incident took place just outside the sprawling camp at 7am, but gave no further details.

This terrorist attack is a clear example of the criminal behaviour of these individuals. Security agencies have launched an investigation and are now pursuing the killers, he said.

Baqaa camp is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, where a large percentage of the countrys seven million-plus population are descendants of refugees who fled in the aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948.

Husam Abdallat, a former senior government official, told Al Jazeera that the intelligence office is located on the main street leading up to the camp.

He added that its proximity to the Palestinian refugee camp might trigger discontent between Jordanians and Jordanians of Palestinian origin.

We hope this is not the case, because Jordanians must stay united, especially in times like this, Abdallat said.

Fight against ISIL

Earlier this year a large security operation was mounted in the northern city of Irbid in which several Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) sympathisers were killed.

Jordan has been carrying out air strikes against ISIL in both Iraq and Syria.

One of its pilots was captured by fighters when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. ISIL later released gruesome footage of him being burned alive.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the United States-led coalition taking part in the war against ISIL.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced that they had foiled an ISIL plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven fighters.
Unlike its Central Asian neighbours, oil-rich nation of 18 million has rarely seen attacks by religious hardliners.

At least 17 people, including 11 extremists, were killed during a series of attacks in oil-rich Kazakhstan, an increasingly authoritarian ex-Soviet nation that has largely avoided violence by religious zealots, officials said Monday.

Groups of gunmen attacked two arms shops to seize weapons and rammed a minibus through the doors of a national guard base in the northwestern Kazakh city of Aktobe on Sunday, Interior Ministry spokesman Almas Sadubayev said in televised remarks.

He said the attackers killed three civilians and three security officers and wounded scores more, but were repelled in a counterterrorism operation. Eleven assailants were killed and seven more captured.

Sadubayev said the attackers followed radical, non-traditional religious movements, a euphemism used in Kazakhstan to refer to hardline Muslim fighters.



Oil price slump hits Kazakhstan hard

However, one analyst expressed doubt over the official version, saying law enforcement agencies often imitate counterterrorism operations by accusing average criminals of siding with religious fighters.

Kazakhstan is actively fighting the so-called religious extremism, but these cases are not covered by mass media and are not studied by human rights activists, a Central Asia analyst, Maria Yanovskaya, told Al Jazeera. Sometimes they arrest a group [of people] for robbing a shop and accuse them of financing terrorism.

Unlike Russia and Kazakhstans other ex-Soviet neighbours in Central Asia, the oil-rich nation of 18 million has rarely seen attacks instigated by religious hardliners.

But Aktobe, a city of 400,000 near the Russian border, was the site of the first suicide bombing in Kazakhstans history in 2011.

Another assailant carried out an attack in 2011 in the southern city of Taraz.

The attacker followed a scenario similar to Sundays violence in Aktobe  he seized weapons at a gun shop, killed several police officers, and attacked a local security service office, where he fired several grenades and then blew himself up.

Gunmen launch series of deadly Kazakhstan attacks

Dozens of Kazakh nationals have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), officials say.

In January 2015, a child soldier who claimed to have come from Kazakhstan was seen executing two alleged Russian spies in a video released by ISIL.

In other videos and statements, ISIL members from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states called Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev a kafir, or infidel, and vowed to turn the nation he has ruled since 1989 into an ISIL province.

Nazarbayev is widely praised for turning Kazakhstan into one of the most prosperous former Soviet states. But his rule has been growing increasingly heavy-handed, with political opponents jailed and marginalised. Some have even been murdered.

In recent weeks, Kazakhstan has been roiled by a series of massive protests against legislation that allows foreigners to buy land. Dozens of protesters, several businessmen and officials have been arrested during and after the protests and accused of planning a coup.

Did climate change kill over 200,000 Kazakh antelopes?

The political problems of Kazakhstan are echoed throughout Central Asia, a strategic region that borders Russia, China and Afghanistan, where secular leaders often rule for decades and see the post-Soviet revival of Muslim traditions and the emergence of violent groups as the biggest threat to their own political future.

The governments of Central Asian republics either hide the true scope of Islamist threat, or accuse peaceful Muslims of carrying out terrorist attacks or planning to topple their secular regimes, Moscow-based analyst Daniil Kislov told Al Jazeera.
Gardabiya Air Base 30km southwest of Sirte captured after four weeks of heavy fighting, Libyan officials say.

Forces loyal to Libyas UN-backed unity government have captured a military base near the city of Sirte from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, officials said.

The capture of Gardabiya Air Base on Saturday is part of an ongoing military campaign to drive the armed group out of its stronghold of Sirte.

Heavy fire and the determination of our young people have caused the gunmen to run away  but they have left behind mines and booby-trapped cars, Abdul-Atti Mseimer of the Forces of al-Buniyan al-Marsous said.

READ MORE: How serious is the ISIL threat in Libya?

Government forces are closing in on the city, the birthplace of the countrys former leader Muammar Gaddafi, after four weeks of fighting.

Ziad Hadia, Sirte representative in the parliament based in eastern Libya, said more than 2,000 ISIL fighters are thought to be holed up in the city.

Foreign fighters, mostly from Tunisia and sub-Saharan Africans, account for more than 85 percent of the fighters, he added.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, in comments published by French newspaper Journal du Dimanche, said his government needs international intelligence and technical assistance to defeat ISIL, not air strikes.
Up to 5,000 people march from Macedonian Special Prosecutors office to government offices in central Skopje on Monday.

Skopje, Macedonia  Thousands of Macedonians have marched through the capital, even as President Gjorge Ivanov rescinded pardons of 34 politicians under criminal investigation in an effort to quell nearly two months of protests in the former Yugoslav country.

Up to 5,000 people marched from the Macedonian Special Prosecutors office on Monday evening to government offices in central Skopje.

Heavily armed riot police tried to block routes, but demonstrators passed their barricades after brief clashes.

Mondays march also marked the five-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Martin Neskoski, who was beaten to death by police during post-election celebrations in 2011.

Outside the government offices, activists called on the government, including the president, to resign.

We call on the government to stop the prosecution of the protesters, 30-year-old Simona Spirovska told the crowd, referring to dozens of activists who were dealt criminal charges related to damaging government buildings and historical monuments.

Starting in early April, the 55 days of nationwide protests have been dubbed the colourful revolution due to activists use of paint to cover government buildings and government-funded statues across the country, particularly in Skopje and Bitola, the second largest city.

In Skopje, activists used makeshift slingshots to pelt the government offices with paint-filled balloons on Monday before marching to the city centre and covering much of the ground in red paint.

WATCH: Macedonia: Behind the Facade

Having already withdrawn 22 pardons late last month, President Gjorge Ivanov on Monday revoked the remaining 34 pardons he had granted to officials under investigation for their alleged involvement in a wire-tapping scandal in which more than 20,000 people were monitored.

Among those under investigation is former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and several of his close associates.

Many of those who had been pardoned belong to President Ivanovs ruling conservative party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation  Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE).

Protests to continue

Speaking to Al Jazeera outside the government offices, 26-year-old protester Jakov Spasev said revoking the pardons is not enough. We want these criminals in jail.

As he spoke, several young men used a slingshot to catapult paint balloons at the government building, accidentally hitting the police officers from time to time. There is so much security here because they are afraid of [the protests].

Zoran Zaev, leader of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), the countrys largest opposition party, said revoking the pardons was a precondition and that protests will continue.

This has opened the door for the negotiation process to continue, he told Al Jazeera.

Ivo Kotevski, director of the VMRO-DPMNEs communications department, accused protesters of being puppets for foreign-funded NGOs and the primary opposition party.

During the last several years, crisis is practically the middle name of the opposition and these NGOs. They dont know how to function without the crisis, he told Al Jazeera by telephone. They have practically no support from the general public.

Record for Macedonia

The ongoing unrest in Macedonia has threatened to cause a rift between Macedonia and the EU and NATO, both of which the country hopes to join.

In mid-May, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had urged President Ivanov to revoke the presidential pardons and address problems on the rule of law.

Just days later, the United Kingdom warned Macedonia that the ongoing political crisis could damage its chances of membership in the EU and NATO.

Zdravko Saveski, a member of the 11-person presidential committee in the left-wing Levica party, says the I Protest movement has reached a critical moment.

Fifty-five days of protest is a record for Macedonia, he told Al Jazeera on Monday afternoon at his home, where he has been under house arrest for more than 40 days for his alleged involvement in the ransacking of the presidential office in early April.

We have had some successes so far, Saveski said, explaining that activists plan to expand their forms of protest by shutting down throughways and carrying out direct actions until their demands are met.

There is huge anger and rage against the regime.

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_
Decision by the Criminal Court made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge.

A Maldives court has convicted the countrys former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The decision by the Criminal Court on Sunday made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge since President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected in 2013.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, the former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and the head of a leading political party, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, are the others to get lengthy prison terms. Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.

The cases have been criticised for a lack of due process.

Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Gayoom, after an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.

Gayoom made his trusted protege Adeeb vice president last July after sacking his running mate in the 2013 election.

However, Adeeb was arrested only days after the September blast on Gayooms speedboat. The presidents wife, an aide and a bodyguard were injured in the explosion.

Later, authorities charged Adeeb with possessing firearms prohibited under the countrys terrorism law, and with corruption.

Assassination attempt

The government says the mysterious blast was an assassination attempt, even though FBI investigators said that they found no evidence of a bomb explosion.

Human rights groups have criticised Gayoom for jailing opponents and potential challengers in order to tighten his grip on power.

Maldives has a long history of being ruled by autocratic leaders.

Gayooms half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the country from 1978 to 2008 until he lost to Nasheed in the countrys first multi-party election. Nasheed resigned in 2012 after weeks of public protests for his role in jailing a sitting judge.

He left for Britain in January on medical leave, apparently for back surgery, and was later given asylum.
Partial results give former banker a narrow lead over his rival Keiko Fujimori in presidential elections.

Perus presidential election headed for a tight finish late on Sunday, with first results giving ex-banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a lead over his rival Keiko Fujimori, daughter of a jailed former president.

Kuczynski had 50.59 percent of the vote against 49.41 percent for Fujimori, with 52 percent of votes counted.

The economist, also known as PPK, earlier urged his supporters to wait for the full official results, but was confident of victory.

We are hoping to have a government of consensus. No more fighting and confrontation, he said late on Sunday.

Fujimori also urged her supporters to sit tight for what looked like a long vote-counting process.

We are going to wait cautiously because the results will be coming in all night from the regions, from overseas, and the rural vote from deepest Peru. For that reason we are optimistic, she said.

We have seen the vitality of Peruvian democracy and that fills me with pride.

Kuczynski, a former prime minister and investment banker, portrayed himself as an honest and experienced leader and has promised to clean up corruption and revive sluggish economic growth.

We take this preliminary verdict with optimism, but with modesty, a grinning Kuczynski, 77, told cheering supporters from a balcony at his Lima campaign headquarters.

Fujimori, 41, a former congresswoman, had a big lead in the first round of voting in April and was ahead in most opinion polls a week ago. But her lead melted away in the final days of campaigning in Perus fourth democratic election since the end of her father Alberto Fujimoris decade-long rule in 2000.

Fujimori, who narrowly lost her first presidential bid against left-leaning Ollanta Humala in 2011, said in an upbeat speech on Sunday evening that rural votes from deep Peru still needed to be counted.

This is a tight vote without a doubt  what were seeing is the vitality of democracy in our country, and that fills me with pride, Fujimori said in front of her orange-clad supporters at her campaign headquarters in Lima.

Seeking to be the South American countrys first female president, she has spent the past five years trying to broaden her appeal beyond loyalists to her controversial father.

Alberto Fujimori was credited with defeating violent Shining Path guerrillas and building schools and hospitals in rural areas but his authoritarian style divided Peru and he is serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and human rights abuses.
At least two dead in police firing in Kisumu city as opposition supporters protest against electoral body.

At least two demonstrators were killed in police firing on Monday, as opposition supporters in Kenya blocked key roads and set fire to tyres in a Day of Rage protests aimed at overhauling the countrys election commission.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) alliance, which alleges that the electoral body is biased towards the president, has been staging weekly protests every Monday.

Protests took place in several towns but in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya, police opened fire before using tear gas and water cannon to quell the protests.

Watch: Kenya  Democracy on trial?

Word of the shootings fuelled heavy clashes in the centre of Kisumu and the working class district of Kondele. There were widespread scenes of looting and two supermarkets were destroyed.

A bullet wound was visible on one corpse, laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters who said he was hit by police fire.

Six protesters were taken to Kisumus main hospital suffering from gunshot wounds, the Red Cross said.

Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga led peaceful demonstrations in the capital, Nairobi.





At least three people died in similar protests in western Kenya on May 23, two of them when anti-riot police opened fire in Siaya, while a third fatality, according to police, resulted from a fall while fleeing from tear gas in Kisumu.

The protesters, many of them supporters of Odinga, had blocked roads in Migori early on Monday, setting the scene for potential confrontation with government forces.

This is not fair. We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights. This man has been shot dead while protesting, Michael Omondi, a demonstrator, told the AFP news agency.

According to images posted on Twitter, businesses and schools were also shut and transport along the busy Sirare-Kisii highway  linking Kenya with neighbouring Tanzania  had been blocked.

Many Kenyans elsewhere took to Twitter to protest against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) with the hashtag #IEBCMustGo trending in the country.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Nairobi, said hundreds of protesters were also amassing in the capitals Freedom Square and were planning to advance on the electoral commission building.

Kenya is to hold general elections in 15 months and the main opposition leaders have threatened to boycott them if the IEBC is not reformed.

On Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta reiterated his call for CORD to end the protests, saying parliaments legal committee was ready to start hearing public views on how to reform the electoral authority.

We want dialogue like yesterday but it must be held within the confines of the law. Dialogue is not about going to the streets or meeting in tea rooms, Kenyattas office quoted him saying.

CORD wants the electoral commission scrapped. Its electronic vote results transmission system collapsed during the 2013 election that brought Kenyatta to power, beating Odinga, a result disputed by the opposition.

There are fears of a repeat of violence that erupted after the 2007 elections. About 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 forced to flee their homes.

Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, were on opposing sides in 2007 but, in 2013, they united in a coalition.

They were both charged by the Geneva-based International Criminal Court with fomenting the post-election violence.

Both denied the charges, which were later dropped by the court.
Campaigners say first-ever global treaty to stop illegal fishing is a welcome step, but not enough.

The first global treaty aimed at stamping out illegal fishing has come into force, making tighter controls at fishing ports central in efforts to detecting illegal fishing and stopping ill-caught fish from being offloaded and sold.

Illegal fishing is estimated to siphon up to $20bn annually from the global economy, damage marine habitats and make fishing harder for law-abiding fishing boats.

Seven years after it was first agreed, the treaty has now been ratified by 29 countries and the European Union.

We hail those countries that have already signed on to the agreement and who will begin implementing it, the UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation Director General Graziano da Silva said in a statement.

We invite governments who have yet to do so, to join the collective push to stamp out illegal fishing and safeguard the future of our ocean resources.

The treaty requires foreign fishing vessels to request permission in advance before visiting ports and forces them to provide detailed information on their identities, activities, and the fish they have onboard.

It also stops the ships from unloading their fish at ports where are no inspectors.

Not enough

Activists have welcomed the new treaty but say It doesnt go far enough.

Alongside the better port controls the treaty will bring, many flag states need to get better at monitoring and controlling vessels that fly their flags and coastal states need more transparent and sustainable licensing regimes to control access to their waters, Max Schmid, deputy director of the Environmental Justice Foundation told Al Jazeera.

Under the treaty, ships suspected of being involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing can be denied entry into ports.

Countries are also required to share information on these vessels globally.

To help make the global seafood industry more transparent, there is also a need for a Global Record that would allow governments and industry to see the history of a vessel before they license it or source fish from it, says Schmid.

Insurance industry

Despite efforts by international watchdogs to name rogue fishing vessels, new research from the University of British Columbia has revealed that many of the ships are still able to get insurance.

Restricting access to insurance could play a major role in ending illegal fishing, and right now, its a largely overlooked method, said lead author Dana Miller.

Miller says insurance companies should be required to check lists of known illegal vessels before issuing insurance and that refusing it would have a significant impact on the number of illegal vessels.

These lists include vessels identified by regional fisheries organisations and those INTERPOL is seeking information on.

Activists say although significant port states such as the US, EU, South Korea and Thailand have signed the treaty, more nations need to do so.

States that suffer from high levels of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in regions such as the West and Central Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean or Africa would greatly benefit from tighter controls over the activities of fishing fleets, Sebastian Losada, senior Ocean Political Adviser at Greenpeace International, told Al Jazeera.
Crowdsourcing Data to Tackle Pollution

Exactly five years ago this month, an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico leaking an estimated 134 million gallons of crude oil and four million pounds of natural gas into surrounding marine habitat. The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster as it was later known, was the largest oil spill of its kind, killing and injuring countless marine animals, shorebirds, sea turtles and other wildlife.

At the time of the oil spill, locals accused BP of information blackout and were concerned that they were not able to document the true impact of the incident on their environment.

People would come across residues on the beach or dead fish and animals, explains Jeff Warren who witnessed the aftermath of the oil spill. So we were literally googling how do you identify (polluting) oil, he adds.

In response, a small group of mapping enthusiasts got together and started using low-cost balloon and kites to take aerial images of the spill and also to test samples using DIY spectrometers. And so Public Lab was born.

Holding up a sample collected at the oil spill site in Louisiana, Jeff Warren, a founding member of Public Lab explains that the idea was to come up with a cheap and quick technique to analyse this without having to rely on expensive testing or a laboratory.

Today, Public Lab has grown into a global movement that is creating and fine-tuning a series of inexpensive tools that can be used to monitor and assess environmental hazards. It had even helped gather evidence used to bring polluters to justice.

Join Juliana Schatz in New Orleans, Louisiana to see how open-source and DIY technology is helping locals fight back again polluters.

Saving Rare Species in the Seychelles

We are losing species across all parts of our ecosystem at a thousand times the natural rate.

Within this loss of biodiversity are species that are often extremely unusual in the way they look, live and behave, and that represent a significant amount of unique evolutionary history.

The Zoological Society of London has set up the EDGE of Existence programme,which highlights and conserves one-of-a-kind organisms that are on the verge of extinction.

From frogs that give birth through their skin to mammals that are immune to cyanide  they are species unfamiliar to most of us and in urgent need of conservation attention.

Ndoni Khanyile travels to the Seychelles to help EDGE researchers track down some of the worlds most unique species and look at what is being done to help protect their habitats.
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The Delegation of the European Union to Sudan and the Embassy of the United States of America organized a series of events to celebrate the 2016 World Press Freedom day. The events brought together pro-government and independent journalists, as well as representatives from the Sudanese Press and Publications Council. During the course of this month, []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...




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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]
WASHINGTON  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen faced tough questions from lawmakers on Wednesday covering a range of issues, including small bank burden, executive compensation, and living wills at a hearing focused solely on banking regulation.

But perhaps the most important was one she couldn't answer: why was she appearing to discuss these issues rather than a Fed vice chairman of banking supervision, a position the Obama administration has yet to fill? Yellen testified in place of the still vacant spot before the House Financial Services Committee, but nobody, including her, seemed particularly happy about it.

"President Obama has been either unwilling or unable to follow the law and appoint a vice chair," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the chairman of the panel. "We can no longer wait for the president to do his job so that we can be allowed to do ours."

When asked repeatedly about why the administration has not filled the position, Yellen said lawmakers "would really have to ask the White House."

"Congress created that position and I would welcome having it filled," she said.

Still, Yellen defended Fed Gov. Daniel Tarullo, who has been effectively filling that role on a de facto business, saying he has "done an outstanding job of leading our work in this area."

Overall, Yellen faced less hostile questions than she does when she testifies on monetary policy, but she encountered skeptical lawmakers on both sides of the aisle with regard to some of the Fed's most recent actions. Following are three other takeaways from the hearing:

Congress is still worried about the impact of Dodd-Frank on regional and community banks.

Both Democrats and Republicans hammered Yellen on what she intended to do to reduce the burden the Dodd-Frank Act is putting on small and mid-sized banks, particularly with respect to the stress testing and resolution planning requirements.

Rep. Robert Hurt, R-Va., argued that though the Fed says it intends to issue its rules in a way that focuses on the largest and riskiest banks, "despite these efforts, community banks have been disproportionately affected."

Yellen defended the Fed's work to tailor its rules to apply as little a burden as possible on banks that pose little systemic risk. But she said that there are some provisions baked directly into Dodd-Frank  requiring stress testing for banks with more than $10 billion in assets, for example  for which the central bank does not get to choose whether or not to pursue.

"We don't have as much ability with respect to stress tests to tailor as I think would be ideal," Yellen said. "That is an area we've been focused on, where we're tailoring as best we can, but some legislative change to reduce the burden on smaller institutions" might be necessary.

But when it comes to raising the $50 billion threshold for banks to face higher standards, Yellen was more coy. Tarullo has said in the past that a threshold of $100 billion might be a greater target, but Yellen said only that a "modest" increase would be sufficient.

"We have said modest increase, not a large increase," Yellen said. "And while I think there would be some benefits to the smaller banking organizations that are over that $50 billion threshold and could save some supervisory resources, this isn't a must-have."

The banking regulators are still nowhere close on the executive pay final rule.

Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., asked Yellen about when the Fed, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency are going to complete their rule setting out guidelines for executive compensation  one of the last incomplete requirements in Dodd-Frank.

Yellen balked at the question, offering little in the way of explanation as to why it has taken the agencies so long to complete the rule.

"Who do I have to kick to get this done?" Capuano asked.

"I can't give you a good answer for that," Yellen replied.

Comptroller Thomas Curry said earlier this summer that the agencies were going to re-propose the rule, rather than finalize the previous proposal that has been in limbo since 2011. But Yellen's testimony offered no real insights into what is holding that up.

Banks' "living wills" are far more detailed than previous versions, and responses are likely to be published in early 2016.

Yellen said that regulators' response to the largest banks' resolution plans  known as "living wills"  will likely be published "in the coming months," potentially setting their release to sometime early next year. Yellen also added that the banks whose living wills were deemed "not credible" by the FDIC last year are much more detailed in their 2015 iterations, suggesting regulators have at least seen some improvement.

"We have very detailed living wills, they are much more detailed than previous versions," Yellen said. "They have responded to instructions we carefully gave out, we are carefully evaluating them and we will be making decisions in the coming months."
Have the Obama White House, the U.S. State Department, and part of the Washington media, press, and TV been engaged in a vast left-wing conspiracy to lie to and deceive the American public about the nuclear deal with Iran? One might think so, since no U.S. official or politician has been held responsible for the tangle of lies, attempt at censorship, and linguistic equivocations on the issue.

The great Machiavelli observed that "occasionally, words must veil the facts. But let this happen in a way that no one become aware of it." This seems to have been the objective of Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser in the White House. Finally, he revealed that in his role as spin doctor, he had deliberately misled the media, the Washington foreign policy establishment that he called "The Blob," and the country as a whole, over the nature of U.S. negotiations with Iran over the nuclear deal.

Rhodes co-opted part of the willing press corps and created what he called an "echo chamber" of journalists to convey a narrative that the U.S. had opened negotiations because a more moderate Iranian government had come into office after the seemingly moderate Hassan Rouhani was elected president of Iran in 2013.

But in fact, he lied. Secret negotiations had started more than two years earlier in 2011 in Muscat, Oman, when the extreme anti-American Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still president of Iran. The talks were attended by then-senator John Kerry, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi with the knowledge, if not perhaps the approval, of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameinei.

It was not the U.S., but Salehi who broke the story of the meeting, saying he became aware in 2011 of President Barack Obama's desire to meet bilaterally with Iran. This meeting was followed by another one comprising lower-level preparatory talks on July 7, 2012 in Iran that was attended by Jake Sullivan, deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Not coincidentally, the MIT-educated Salehi became president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and was the Iranian party to the nuclear deal.

Connected with this issue is the shameful story concerning the attitude of the U.S. State Department toward the Fox journalist James Rosen and its evasions of the truth. Rosen at a press conference in December 2013 had asked the State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki a straightforward question: "is it the policy of the State Department, where the preservation or the secrecy of secret negotiations is concerned, to lie in order the achieve that goal?" He asked the question because of the statement made earlier in February 2013, by State Department then-spokesperson Victoria Nuland, that there were no secret direct talks with Iran at the time on a government-to-government level. Salehi's information directly contradicts Nuland's statement.

Psaki replied to Rosen, "I think there are times where diplomacy needs privacy in order to progress. This is a good example of that." Some time later, Fox News found that the exchange, about eight minutes, between Psaki and Rosen had been deleted from the State Department's official website.

At first, in May 2016, the erasure of the exchange was explained by Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the State Department press office, as a "glitch." A few days later, on June 1, 2016, the current spokesperson, Rear Admiral John Kirby, admitted that it was not a glitch, but that the video had been censored and deliberately erased. He did not know by whom, but he did know that an official in the State Department public affairs office had made a special request to a technician to remove the eight minutes. It is hard to believe that no one in the White House or the State Department recalls who ordered the deletion.

Interestingly, Admiral Kirby thanked James Rosen, and by implication Fox News, for bringing the whole matter to his attention. Equally interesting, the parties involved have been not reprimanded, but promoted. For herself, Jen Psaki, who stated she had no knowledge, nor would she have approved of any form of editing or cutting any briefing transcript on any subject while at the State Department, is now White House communications director.

Victoria Nuland, former ambassador to NATO, is presently assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

Ben Rhodes told at least part of the truth when he finally confessed that there were discreet channels of communications established between the U.S. and Iran in 2012. But Rhodes is still at the White House, spinning the fable that the Iran nuclear deal was beneficial for the United States. In view of the now revealed censorship, lies, and misleading statements concerning the Iran nuclear deal, it is important to inquire into two issues: the exact concessions made by the U.S. in reaching the deal and the nature of the spinning by the "echo chamber" on other issues.
This being the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, I thought some military metaphors might best describe the California primary that will be held tomorrow.

Simply put, the California primary is Bernie Sanders's last stand. If he loses, there is no reason that will be accepted by Democrats for him to continue with his campaign. The calls for him to withdraw will be universal.

As for Hillary Clinton, she must win to convince skeptical Democrats that she has what it takes to win in November.

The impact of a Sanders victory would reverberate across the country and might even change the dynamic of the convention.

Politico:

By winning the most delegates on the final day of the primaries (not counting the June 14 District of Columbia primary), Sanders would feel emboldened to defy the calls from establishment Dems to drop out. He would be more inclined to follow through on his pledge to contest the nomination at the convention. He would likely fight harder and concede less regarding the platform and presidential nomination rules. And because he would have close to a majority of pledged delegates (he already has 46 percent), he would be tempted to take more disputes to the convention floor in hopes of winning battles outright instead of settling for watered down language. All of the above would make for, in Sanders words, a messy convention, not the stage-managed show of unity to which weve become accustomed. That could make for an even messier general election than we already expect. And a much weaker Hillary Clinton.

The Clinton campaign is already spinning a loss as no big deal.

Washington Times:

The Clinton campaign on Sunday expressed confidence heading into California, where the former first lady won in 2008 over Barack Obama. But the campaign is also downplaying the contest and stressing that Mrs. Clinton already is the Democratic Partys presumptive nominee despite a tougher-than-expected challenge from Sen. Bernard Sanders. Well, I think if you look at the popular vote, if you look at the majority of pledged delegates, I should have captured those by Tuesday, but Im going to keep fighting hard here in California and in the other states that are voting on Tuesday because I want to get as strong a vote as I possibly can, Mrs. Clinton said during an interview on ABCs This Week program. But I think given where we are in this race, that I will have not only more than a 3 million-vote margin, but I will have a significant majority of pledged delegates by the close of voting on Tuesday.

But this is whistling past the graveyard  especially since the latest polls show the race coming down to the wire:

For now, several late polls have pegged California to be a two-point race, including the widely respected Field poll, though others like the Los Angeles Times poll give Clinton a double-digit lead. Pollsters may be underestimating the Sanders vote, since nearly 2 million Californians have joined the voter rolls since January, mostly voters who are eligible to vote in the Democratic primary. And nearly two-thirds of them are under the age of 35, the Sanders sweet spot. Much of the primary has settled along predictable lines. Sanders has won nearly of the activist-heavy caucus states, while Clinton cleans up partisan-heavy closed primary states. Sanders commands the youth vote and the independent vote, but Clintons big spread with older voters and moderates has made the difference in key states. While Clinton has been able to encroach on his turf  picking off liberal Massachusetts and blue-collar Ohio  Sanders has yet to turn the tables. California finally presents with him an opportunity to break from the script.

Even if Clinton loses California, she will still, almost certainly, be the nominee. But precious weeks will pass with the Democratic Party still divided and Donald Trump turning to the general election. There will be barely four months between the Philadelphia convention and election day  four months for Clinton to unify the party, raise half a billion dollars, and build a nationwide campaign.

In short, a Sanders win will threaten her chances to win in November. A Clinton win ends Sanders's campaign. High stakes in a high-profile race.
Looks as if, in the wake of the devastating federal election loss last October that brought Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party to majority power, Canadian conservatives are realizing that their Conservative Party under Stephen Harper was not even close to conservative. Indeed, the most vicious and determined opponents of true conservatives in the Great White North over the past decade came not from members of the left-wing Liberal and New Democratic Parties, but from among their own midst.

On Friday, conservative commentator Ezra Levant, who runs the Canadian website TheRebel.media, debated Mark Cameron, a former policy director for former "conservative" Prime Minister Harper, about whether conservatives should support carbon taxation. Cameron is currently the executive director of Canadians for Clean Prosperity, a pro-carbon tax advocacy group, and he is apparently also "on the advisory board of the Pembina Institute and the steering committee of Sustainable Prosperity," both left-wing environmental activist organizations.

Following his debate with Cameron, Levant came to the conclusion that "there are rich, secretive people pushing carbon taxes onto the Conservative Party":

The arguments are so unconservative. Listening to U.N. politics posing as climate science. That's not conservative. Listening to arguments about why we need more taxes, and how other taxes will be cut, pinky swear, I'm sorry I don't buy it. Listening to how this is a political winner for conservatives, I don't buy that for sure. I spent a lot of time asking him [Mark Cameron] about his funding and lobbying, maybe too much time, maybe I wasn't fair to Mark, but I did give him the last word and equal time. I let him make a rebuttal. But here's the thing. The more he wouldn't answer, the more I was curious why. The more he was shy to say who the tycoons are who are funding him, the more I thought, you know, I bet that's probably pretty important. And I bet they're not conservative. Mark did not convince me of the wisdom of a carbon tax, but he convinced me there are some very rich people, very secretive people, paying him to inject the carbon tax into the Conservative Party.

Just a cursory review of Cameron's social media presence seems to support Levant's concerns.

Cameron appears to be a strong supporter of the panel chair for the far-left New Democratic Party's carbon tax report in Alberta, which led to the implementation of Alberta's carbon pricing scheme, and whose own views toward taxpayers appear rather controversial for any conservatives to be supporting:

It also seems odd that Cameron, a self-proclaimed Tory, is strongly supportive of current Liberal Party minister of foreign affairs Stefane Dion (who, supported by his dog Kyoto [Protocol], was also Liberal Party leader during the 2008 federal election), who was recently criticized for not protecting freedom of the press when China's foreign minister attacked a Canadian journalist, and whose views on climate change impacts are bizarrely alarmist and wrong.

When interviewed about the appointment of Catherine McKenna, the Liberal Party minister of the environment and climate change, Cameron said "he's 'thrilled' by her appointment[.] ... [H]e and McKenna worked together at the Banff Forum. 'I consider her a friend'." Cameron also tweeted that McKenna and her Liberal Party chief of staff Marlo Raynolds will "make a great team."

Writing at Troy Media soon after Raynolds's appointment, Michelle Stirling-Anosh from the Friends of Science Society had the following to say:

The elevation of failed Liberal candidate and former Pembina Institute Executive Director Marlo Raynolds to chief of staff to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna raised a lot of eyebrows in Alberta. It should in the rest of Canada, too. It was, after all, Raynold who co-authored a June 4, 2008 op-ed entitled "Canada's Reputation Tarnished by Tar Sands," which launched the derogatory but inaccurate term "dirty oil."

Stirling-Anosh goes on to detail a number of other equally problematic positions and linkages held by Cameron's friend Raynolds.

With friends like these influencing, and in many ways controlling, the Conservative Party, who needs enemies? In fact, as the months go by after the October 2015 election, it looks more and more as if the supposedly anti-Liberal components of the Conservative Party doth protest too much, and that these two parties may be  at least partially  joined at the hip.

To a lesser extent, we've seen the same problems in the United States, what with Republican Hank Paulson's "Risky Business Project," co-chaired with Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer.

Troubled times ahead if these are the voices of conservatism.
Stop the presses! David French is not running for president, despite all the excitement curiosity generated by Bill Kristol suggesting him as an alternative to Trump; Hillary; and, of course, Gary Johnson. A brave, devout, intelligent, and highly moral man, French writes in National Review:

Here is a sentence I never thought Id type: After days of prayer, reflection, and serious study of the possibilities, I am not going to run as an independent candidate for president of the United States. I gave it serious thought  as a pretty darn obscure lawyer, writer, and veteran  only because we live in historic times. Never before have both parties failed so spectacularly, producing two dishonest, deceitful candidates who should be disqualified from running for town council, much less leader of the free world.

He avers that while he may not be the right person, there may be someone else who could overcome the ballot access issue (Texas access is already closed):

I spent the last several days with some of the best minds in politics. I learned that the ballot-access challenge can be met with modest effort (by an existing network ready to activate), that the polling for a true outsider independent was better than most people know, and that there are many, many Americans  including outstanding political talents  who are willing to quit their jobs  today  to help provide the American people with an alternative. But given the timing, the best chance for success goes to a person who either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent. Im grateful for the opportunity to serve my country, and I thank God for the successes Ive had as a lawyer and a writer, but it is plain to me that Im not the right person for this effort.

Hmmaccess to extraordinary wealth and transformational political talent seem to describe Trump, but French rules him out on familiar grounds, and  insult of insults  likens him to Hillary. But he holds out hope that the choice at hand can be changed:

And the fight is not over. Men such as my friend and colleague, Boston filmmaker and philanthropist John Kingston, stand ready to continue the effort  with substantial resources behind them.

So we will just have to see who, if anyone, steps forward to throw the race to Hillary. The notion that an upstart could win, especially without Texas, seems an utter fantasy. And even more fanciful is the idea that the Electoral College would not reach a majority and that the House of Representatives would choose someone more to Frenchs, Kristols, Kingtsons, and National Reviews liking.

A good man has spared himself and his family, and his nation an ordeal.
The Government Accountability Office released a report showing that $136 billion in improper payments were made by government.

An improper payment occurs "when funds go to the wrong recipient, when a recipient receives too little or too much money, when payment documentation is not available, or when 'the recipient uses federal funds in an improper manner,'" according to the government's Payment Accuracy website.

The GAO was careful to point out that the actual amount of improper payments is probably much higher.

Washington Free Beacon:

Using GAOs estimate of $136.7 billion in improper payments at a 4.8 percent error rate, approximately $2.85 trillion in federal spending was reported. But the federal budget in fiscal 2015was $3.69 trillionnearly one-third more than the $2.85 trillion reported for analysis. Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, praised the GAO for being transparent about the limitations of its analysis but criticized the incomplete nature of the federal governments auditing and accountability for its spending. The GAO only looks at improper payments as defined by the 2002 law and subsequent 2010 and 2012 laws, de Rugy said. She pointed to the expansion of eligibility for food stamps as an example of how low standards for eligibility mean money is being wasted, while not being counted as improper payments. The current definition of improper payments doesnt tell you anything about the legitimacy of the part thats not improperly paid. Its so incredibly ridiculous, said de Rugy, who last month charted out the programs with the greatest losses of taxpayer money. It tells you a lot about why Medicare is in a position to act about it has actually very low administrative costs, de Rugy said. Its easy to have low administrative costs when you dont try to prevent improper payments, waste, fraud, and abuse.

And that's the bottom line. In the private sector, due diligence is performed to make sure company money goes to the proper vendor in the proper amount.

But there is no incentive to perform due diligence in government. The bureaucrat is paid whether the payment is proper or not. There is no chance a careless government worker will lose his job.

And, as de Rugy points out, the government agency itself is slipshod because stopping improper payments is not a priority.

A July 2015 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation projected that Medicares spending totalled $527 billion in 2015 and $560 billion in 2016. Beryl Davis, the GAO Director of Financial Management and Assurance, highlighted that more than three-quarters of improper payments come from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The $12 billion increase in improper payments from 2014 to 2015 was mostly attributable to Medicaid, Davis told the Free Beacon.

Medicaid is run by the states, but the federal government reimburses states for much of the cost of the program. The problem is, the states are even more lax about improper payments than the feds. An audit in 2013 of the Illinois Medicaid rolls found that more than half of the 2.7 million enrollees were ineligible to recieve benefits. Another $12 billion went to the dead.

And that's just one state.

Until the culture of the bureaucracy undergoes a massive reformation, these overpayments will likely grow, wasting taxpayer money while making the deficit far higher than it has to be.
Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act, the Justice Department congratulates itself on success.

I missed it, and maybe you did, too, but Sunshine Week 2016 was held March 13 to 19, 2016, where the government celebrated their success in opening records to the public. The Department of Justice is the lead agency for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and its agents are proud of their accomplishments. You can watch a slick 12-minute video commemorating the 50th anniversary of FOIA, where Justice officials pat themselves on their backs. (I rate the video a 9 out of 10 on the laugh meter: I would have awarded a 10, but they seem to actually believe what they say.)

The video starts with Acting Associate Attorney General Stewart Delery praising Obama:

President Obama has emphasized the importance of FOIA throughout his administration.

The video then cuts to Obama in 2009 stating:

The way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable. The way to make it accountable is to make it transparent so the American people can know exactly what decisions are being made, how they are being made and whether their interests are being well served. The Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent.

I probably missed this celebration of transparency, since I was likely reading about the efforts of Judicial Watch to pry Hillary's emails out of the stonewalling State Department by filing a lawsuit. Or I might have been studying the efforts of Tea Party groups to obtain emails from the IRS over their profiling of conservative groups and denying them due process. Or perhaps I was too busy contemplating the sheer arrogance of the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Justice over their claim of executive privilege in the Fast and Furious case. Then there is the host of other federal agencies like the EPA who are anything but transparent. Yes, I have been too busy to have noticed the tremendous strides our federal bureaucracy has made in transparency.

Perhaps American Thinker readers have some personal stories to tell about how the U.S. government has truly fulfilled Obamas promise of making sure their interests are being well served.
Hillary Clinton made an appearance on ABC's This Week yesterday, and host George Stephanopoulos teed one up for her to hit out of the park.

Washington Free Beacon:

Republican rival Donald Trump has charged that Clinton wants to abolish the amendment. While Stephanopoulos said he knew that wasnt true, he pressed her on her gun views that have increasingly gone to the left.

Do you believe that an individuals right to bear arms is a constitutional right, that its not linked to service in a militia? he asked.

I think that for most of our history, there was a nuanced reading of the Second Amendment until the decision by the late Justice Scalia, and there was no argument until then that localities and states and the federal government had a right, as we do with every amendment, to impose reasonable regulations, she said. So I believe we can have common-sense gun safety measures consistent with the Second Amendment.

Clinton then went into her gun control platform, but Stephanopoulos hit her for dodging his question, noting the D.C. vs. Heller decision that protected an individuals right to have a firearm for lawful purposes.

And the Heller decision also does say there can be some restrictions, but thats not what I asked, he said. I said, do you believe that their conclusion that an individuals right to bear arms is a constitutional right?

If it is a constitutional right, then it, like every other constitutional right, is subject to reasonable regulations, and what people have done with that decision is to take it as far as they possibly can and reject what has been our history from the very beginning of the republic, where some of the earliest laws that were passed were about firearms, Clinton said.

She added it was important to recognize that responsible gun-owners have a right, but the rest of the American public has a right to require certain kinds of regulatory, responsible actions to protect everyone else.
In my last post, I mentioned that hating Trump is the only thing that the left, center, and right in Mexico agree on.

Mexico is facing a huge political crisis. We read about the teachers union blocking streets and access to the airport. The middle class feels a lot like those Tea Party marchers of 2009, or overwhelmed by a state that does not listen to it. Many Mexicans are also worried that their country is changing, such as the legalization of abortion and talk of same-sex marriage.

What happens when a country is polarized and divided over issues? Then the screaming starts  even if the candidates are from the same family. See this article from on the New York Times:

Arguably, the most contentious race this year has been for governor in Veracruz, a state wracked by corruption and violence. The front-runners are two cousins who, despite their family ties, have lobbed accusations and insults at each other. Hector Yunes Landa, the candidate for the incumbent Institutional Revolutionary Party, has accused his opponent, Miguel Angel Yunes Linares, the candidate of a coalition between the Democratic Revolution Party and the National Action Party, of being a pedophile, warning voters to take care of the safety of your children, according to local news media. Mr. Yunes Linares, who is trying to break the rival partys 87-year hold on the states governorship, has denied the charges. Officials in Mr. Yunes Linaress campaign have accused his cousin of vote buying and of underreporting his wealth in a public declaration of his assets. Mr. Yunes Linaress chances may have improved in light of a recent investigation by the news site Animal Politico, which found that the states current administration funneled about $35 million to ghost companies. The governor, Javier Duarte, has denied any wrongdoing.

And that's just Veracruz, a place known to many of our AT readers for its marvelous "danzon," a very romantic dance that our parents and grandparents also danced in Cuba.

In Tamaulipas, on the Texas border, both sides are claiming that the other guy has links to drug cartels.

It's exciting in Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, and Sinaloa, the home of "El Chapo," currently sitting in jail, likely headed for the U.S.

Again, Mexicans are angry and very angry!

Once upon a time, Mexican elections were boring and rather predictable. The PRI would always win, and lots of people would stay home on election day. Can you blame some Mexicans who yearn for those days of yesteryear, when election day was just another day to watch futbol or cook some carnitas in the backyard?

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
They have a serious drug problem in the Philippines, and the next president of the country has a plan. Jim Gomez of the Associated Press reports:

The Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighbourhoods.

In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded.

Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun  you have my support, Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the countrys police.

If a drug dealer resists arrest or refuses to be brought to a police station and threatens a citizen with a gun or a knife, you can kill him, Duterte said. Shoot him and Ill give you a medal.

The 71-year-old Duterte won the May 9 presidential election on a bold promise to end crime and corruption within six months of the start of his presidency. That vow resonated among crime-weary Filipinos, though police officials considered it campaign rhetoric that was impossible to accomplish.
In the first few weeks of June, visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, United States, are treated to a rare natural spectacle  thousands of fireflies blinking in unison like strings of Christmas lights hanging in the night air. The species responsible for the performance is Photinus carolinus, one of the few in the world that is known to synchronize their flash patterns, within a tenth of a second of each other.

Fireflies are actually winged beetles that use bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates. The light is produced in their lower abdomen where the insects combine the chemical luciferin with the enzyme luciferase in the presence of magnesium ions and oxygen to produce light. Fireflies are extremely efficient at what they do. Nearly hundred percent of the energy produced in the chemical reaction is converted to light. For comparison, an incandescent light bulb converts only 10% of the energy into light with the rest 90% given off as heat. Because of the absence of heat, the light produced by fireflies are called cold light.

Photo credit: Ryan Atkins/Flickr

Originally it was thought that fireflies use light flashes to warn other members of the presence of predators and other dangers. But its now known that fireflies glow to communicate with mates during courtships. In some species, the males fly around flashing a very specific pattern requesting for dates, while the females remain stationary on the ground or on bushes and trees searching among the flashing males for a potential partner. When she likes what she sees, the female responds with her own unique flash.

For most fireflies, its all chaotic with each male flashing on and off at different times, each one trying his best to impress. With synchronous fireflies, such as Photinus carolinus, the courtship ritual is more organized. All males seems to have made an agreement to flash their unique pattern in unison. For Photinus carolinus, the pattern is a series of five to eight flashes of yellow light, followed by a period of darkness of eight to ten seconds.

Researchers believe the fireflies synchronize their flashing to enable the females to clearly spot the males patterns. It also enables the male to search for females, who uses the synchronized dark period between flashes to respond. Synchronized flashing thus cuts down on the visual clutter helping both the females and the males to find each other.

"It's like being in a giant stadium," explains Marc Branham, a biologist at the University of Florida. "If everybody is yelling the same exact sentence randomly, it doesn't make any sense. But if everyone synchronizes, you can tell who's closer and who's farther away."

The mechanics of the synchronization is, however, still a mystery.

A hundred years ago, scientists didnt even believe synchronizing flashes were possible. They doubted when travellers to Southeast Asia reported seeing synchronized flashing. Indeed, synchronous fireflies are quite common along river banks in the Southeast Asian jungles of Malaysia and Philippines, where they mate year-round. In the western hemisphere, in the Great Smoky Mountains, the mating period is very brief and lasts only about two weeks each year.

Synchronous fireflies can also be seen at Congaree National Park in South Carolina, Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area in Tennessee, and Cajon Bonito, in Arizona.

Photo credit: Ryan Atkins/Flickr

Photo credit: Ryan Atkins/Flickr

Photo credit: Ryan Atkins/Flickr

Photo credit: Ryan Atkins/Flickr

Sources: NPS.gov / www.firefly.org / Wikipedia / www.insidescience.org
Samsung is one of the largest tech companies in the world. This company is well-known not only for their smartphones, but also for their TVs, microwaves, fitness bands, smartwatches, etc. Samsung dabbles in pretty much everything tech-related, tablets included. This company has introduced a number of tablets thus far, and the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 are still Samsungs flagship tablet offerings. These two devices were announced back in July last year, and the company is expected to release their successors soon enough.

That being said, the Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 has been certified by the FCC back in March, and that very same device also popped up on TENAA (Chinas equivalent to the FCC) last month. Based on the info provided by TENAA (both specs and images), the Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 will resemble its predecessors quite a bit. It seems like Samsung is planning to make this device an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0, but well see. Having that in mind, new Galaxy Tab S3 renders have surfaced online, courtesy of @evleask aka Evan Blass. The source doesnt really specify if this is the Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 or 9.7, but the two devices will be basically identical in terms of the design, except for their size, of course. Anyhow, if you take at the provided image, youll basically get to see three Galaxy Tab S3 renders put into a single image, and youll probably also notice that the back button is oddly positioned here. The back button should be proportional to the overview (multitasking) button, and its instead too close to the physical home key. We presume this is some sort of an image editing fail or something of the sort, we doubt Samsung would opt to do something like this, besides, the image on TENAA shows off a rather regular looking tablet with the properly positioned buttons. Aside for the back button, this is the very same device that was certified by TENAA last month, though you get to see it in two color options here.

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Based on TENAAs info, the Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 will sport an 8-inch 2048 x 1536 AMOLED display, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable internal storage. Qualcomms Snapdragon 652 64-bit octa-core processor will probably fuel this tablet, and a 4,000mAh battery will also be a part of this package. The 8-megapixel snapper will be available on the back of the Galaxy Tab S3 8.0, and a 2-megapixel camera will be located up front. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will ship out of the box here, with Samsungs custom UI, of course. The device will measure 198.6 x 134.8 x 5.6mm, while it will weigh 272 grams.
Microsoft has recently been doing quite a lot in order to improve both the Android user base and general experience of its intelligent virtual assistant Cortana. Shortly after releasing an update which enables Cortana to track notifications on multiple Android devices, the company has also extended the support of the Microsoft Band version of Cortana to Android devices.

The Microsoft Band smartwatch and fitness tracker originally launched in late 2014 with native Cortana support. The wearable was succeeded by the significantly improved Microsoft Band 2 in October of last year but up until now, the Cortana versions on both gadgets were only able to communicate with Windows Phone devices. Well, thats officially in the past as of a few days ago as the latest Microsoft Health app update on the Play Store reveals that all of its Cortana-related functionality is now also available on Android smartphones. For the uninitiated, Microsoft Health is an activity-tracking piece of mobile software specifically designed for usage and syncing with Microsoft Band wearables. Naturally, the fact that the latest version of this app adds Cortana integration for Android users also means youll need Cortana installed on your phone in order to take advantage of this newly added support.

As for what that integration actually means, Microsoft revealed that Band users with Android phones will now be able to utilize pretty much all of the usual Cortana features in order to communicate with their Android phones. That includes but isnt limited to regular stuff like receiving notifications, replying to text messages, and giving out voice commands. Unfortunately, the Cortana integration for Android is currently only available in the United States, though its expected that Microsoft will soon roll out support for other territories which already have their own version of Cortana.

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In case youre interested in giving Microsoft Band Cortana integration for Android devices a go, you can do that by installing the Microsoft Health app from the Google Play Store Of course, make sure you also have the latest version of Cortana installed on your mobile device of choice. Its also worth noting that this update doesnt mark the debut of Microsoft Band 2 support for Android devices and only adds Cortana-related features to the app as the said wearable was released as a cross-platform device already.
Last year, OnePlus decided to hold a few pop-up events in different cities around the world where users could get their hands on the OnePlus 2 and see what it is all about before they buy it. The company just announced a similar plan following the OnePlus 3 announcement on June 14th. The company will be heading to 7 cities (dates, times and locations have not been announced for Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore). On June 15th, OnePlus will be in New York, Paris, London, and Berlin. All of the details are at the source link below.

These pop-up events will allow customers to come and check out the OnePlus 3 first-hand, but youll also be able to purchase the new smartphone, and get some exclusive swag from OnePlus. The company urges everyone that is in the area of these pop-up events to come on out and check out their new smartphone. Theres no signing up necessary, and everyone is welcome to stop by.

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The OnePlus 3 is going to be announced on June 14th, and the company is doing it in a virtual reality setting once again. However they are taking things a step further and allowing you to purchase the new device in virtual reality, which is something we havent seen before. The OnePlus 3s specs arent actually confirmed just yet, but it looks like they are sticking with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, along with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor powering it. We also have four variants this time around. Two of which sport 4GB of RAM, further broken down with 32GB of storage and 64GB of storage for each variant. The other two sport 6GB of RAM, with 32GB or 64GB of storage as well. The leaked pricing stated that the OnePlus 3 would start as low as $349, making it a pretty attractive smartphone to pick up, especially seeing as the invite system is gone this year.

Well find out all of the details on the OnePlus 3 when the device goes official on June 14th. It may not be getting as much hype as the previous two flagships got, but the fact that theres no invite system this year should really help them sell more than they did in the previous two years.
Motorola released the original generation Moto G smartphone in 2013 and showed the worlds Android manufacturers and customers that a low end, inexpensive device did not need to offer a sluggish interface, poor quality, low resolution screen, and be ignored when it came to software updates. The original Moto G offered a near-Nexus software experience, including fast software updates, a 4.6-inch, 720p resolution display, a quad-core processor and a respectable battery. Where it was not so brilliant was in the camera stakes nor did it offer 4G LTE, but the Moto G was a great handset offered at a great price. Motorola followed the Moto G with the even cheaper, but less well specified, Moto E. The original Moto E offered customers a smaller, lower resolution 960 by 540 pixel screen, a dual-core processor rather than the Moto Gs quad-core, a lesser camera but at an even cheaper price.

The original generation Moto E has been followed by newer models, including those with onboard LTE and a more powerful chipset. Motorola, once owned by Google and now sold on to Lenovo, is rumored to be preparing a new generation Moto E device. We have recently seen a few benchmark results going through GFXBench that appear to show such a new device with a model designation is XT1700 and XT1706: low end models in the Motorola portfolio. These handsets sported an entry level, 1.0 GHz, 64-bit, quad-core MediaTek System-on-Chip, 2 GB of RAM and a 5.0-inch, 720p resolution display. They also come with 16 GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slow, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Whilst GFXBench results can be faked, it is tougher to fake Bluetooth certification and today the model XT1700 (a Lenovo branded device) and XT1706 (Motorola branded) have passed their Bluetooth 4.0 certification process, running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

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Lenovo promised that they would not cancel the Moto E and Moto G families and weve already seen a newer generation Moto G device being launched. It seems that the new Moto E is in the final stages of preparation and will be launched soon, but unfortunately there is little information on the price or likely market availability. Although, it does stand to reason that further information will be coming through soon enough.
Dallas-born Terence Nance has totally captured my spirit this morning, channelling voices deep in Ethiopias Omo Valley and Kenya. I wonder if he knows where his people came from in Africa.

Terence Nance is an artist born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He comes from a family of artists, telling Filmmaker.com that his mother was an actress, father a photographer and uncle a jazz musician. The artist is a Northeastern undergrad and NYU grad, where he studied visual art, incorporating installation, performance, music and moving images into his artistic framework.

Terence makes music under the nameTerence Etc. The music draws on influences like Stevie Wonder, Kronos Quartet, Dilla, Leadbelly, and Thelonius Monk. His first feature film, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, is an IFP Narrative lab alumnus and premiered in the New Frontier section of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The album of the same title was released with the film in 2013. The film garnered Terence recognition from Filmmaker magazine, where he was selected as one of the 25 new faces of independent film. Oversimplification also won the 2012 Gotham Award for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.

In addition to his personal work, Terence is also an accomplished music video director having collaborated on short films and music videos with Blitz the Ambassador, Cody ChesnuTT, and Pharoahe Monch to name a few. Terence currently resides in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn  along with the rest of The Swarm and is currently developing his sophomore feature, THE LOBBYIST.

The artist createdThe Triptych a profile of artists Sanford Biggers, Wangechi Mutu and Barron Claiborne. AOC/GlamTribaleprofiled Kenya-born Mutu in January 2014.

Wangechi Mutu - The Triptych
Jame Vardys agent asked Arsenal for transfer

Jamie Vardy to Arsenal is one of the Suns lead stories. The back page has Olivier Giroud, the Arsenal striker, saying how much Vardy wants to join Arsenal.

Readers learn that Vardy, 29, will tell Arsenal if he wants to join them before 11:30am today, when England board the plane to France. Will he accept a four-year, 120,000-a-week deal to play for the Gunners?

The Mirror says Leicester will make a last bid to keep Vardy. If that fails the Foxes will move to buy Watfords Troy Deeney. Deeny had best call his agent. The Mirror says it was Vardys reps who made contact with Arsenal a month ago. Arsenal mulled it over and now want the player.

But will Vardy work well for Arsenal?

Writing in the Express, Matthew Dun says Vardy at Arsenal is mismatch. He says for Vardy to perform well at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger will have to rip up his two-decade -old playbook or Vardy would have about three weeks after the Euros for a crash course in the Arsenal way. Dunn reasons that whereas Leicester play long balls to Vardy to run on to, Arsenal play short passes around the oppositions box. He cant see Vardy being a hit at The Emirates.

Tony Cascarino disagrees. In the Times he says Vardy to Arsenal makes complete sense. It is the perfect fit for player and club. Cascarino says Vardy can have the same impact Robin Van Persie had on Manchester United. Alex Ferguson paid Arsenal 24m for the 29-year-old Dutchman. United duly won the Premier League title. If Vardy had been at Arsenal last season, says Cascarino, they would have won the league.

Cascarino lists Vardys benefits to Arsenal. Vardy works hard, harder than Giroud; Mesut Ozil is the perfect player to thread chances through to him  the German will love having a player like Vardy in front of him; and Wenger know Vardy will fight for everything.

He will. Vardy is a battler. Would Arsenal fans pick him or Theo Walcott for drag the team across the finish line. No contest. Vardy is a proven winner.

Anorak

Posted: 6th, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Euro 2016: England are well located for trips to dogging site

Its Euro 2016 and the newspapers are full of fear. Todays Fear Story is in the Sun, where we learn that the Englands team hotel is next to a dogging site. The Sun says people have had sex in the grounds near the five-star Auberge du Jeu de Paume in Chantilly.

The Sun has seen racy photos posted on a French dogging site. One shows a woman sat by a wall at the Chateau de Chantilly. She is topless. Art-loving England manager Roy Hodgson is expected to encourage his squad to visit the chateau which houses masterpieces by Raphael, Delacroix and Poussin. Some are nudes, maybe.

Roy might care to rouse the troops on Wednesday and Fridays, when, as the Sun says, the doggers convene. The paper even produces a map of the area and adds a picture of former England player and now TalkSport commentator Stan Collymore asking, What time is kick off? In 2004, Collymore, reportedly, confessed to having sex with strangers in car parks  an underground practice known as dogging.

But dogging can occur in both underground and overground car parks. Dogs go free.

Anorak

Posted: 6th, June 2016 | In: Reviews, Sports, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Arsenal transfer balls: desperate Wenger buys Leicester glory

Anyone want to play for Leicester City? As news of Jamie Vardys apparently imminent departure to Arsenal fills the news media, the Sun says the Gunners are also keen on Leicesters Riyad Mahrez.

Vardy has taken his medical at Arsenal, and, one assumes, passed it. Its not known what the Arsenal medical involves but given their annual injury crisis, it could amount to a man in a white jacket asking he player, Hows things? as he rubber stamps the health insurance certificates.

The Suns exclusive contains not a single source, quote nor fact to support it.

Over at ESPN, the news is that Mahrez is not an Arsenal priority. The headline states:

Arsenal prioritise Henrikh Mkhitaryan over Riyad Mahrez

Readers are told that signing Borussia Dortmunds Henrikh Mkhitaryan is Araenalks priority this summer. Again, readers get no facts.

Meanwhile, Anorak readers can recalls the Suns report from February 2016. The headline ran: Arsene Wenger reveals he rejected chance to bring Riyad Mahrez to Arsenal because he thought Leicester sensation was too CHEAP. Mahrez joined Leicester for 400,000.

We live in a strange society. If I sign a player for 400,000 before he plays people will say, What is that, that is not serious for Arsenal. If you say we signed a player for 40million they will think he is really good.

As Wenger treats fans as fools unable to know a good player when they see one, we remind him that Lionel Messi cost Barcelona nothing in transfer fees. And the Barcelona fans are largely happy with his efforts. Every player was cheaper at one point in their careers and looking for a big break. The difference now is that with Wenger towards the end of his career, hes desperate to win the title and will pay to do so.

Anorak

Posted: 6th, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
TUNIS - Muslims all over the world begun the holy month of Ramadan on Monday with day-time fasting until July 5. Children, the elderly and pregnant women are exempt from the obligation to fast. Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam but also a time of celebration for families.

Each year the holy month is accompanied by debate over what is and isn't allowed, particularly in a country with a strong secular identity such as Tunisia. Here, the Civic Coalition for Individual Freedoms, a collective of 24 civil society associations, has called on the Tunisian authorities to respect rights and freedoms of all individuals without distinction during the month of Ramadan, as enshrined in the country's new constitution. There is also expectation surrounding the numerous fiction TV series broadcast after the end of fasting that are hugely popular with families and are often a chance to represent reality.



Meanwhile, Tunisian security forces are on alert against possible terrorist attacks, which are considered more likely during the month of fasting. But the Interior minister Hedi Majdoub stated that security forces and staff in the hotels have been prepared to prevent any danger during the touristic season in the country
BRUSSELS - The European Commission is preparing to approve a series of measures on migration including additional funding of 500 million euros for the 1.8 billion euro Trust Fund for Africa set up at the end of last year to tackle the root causes of migration to Europe.



However, approval of the plan comes amid controversy over the recent proposal from Austria to block migrants travelling to Europe on islands and to deny asylum to those arriving in Europe illegally. Following adoption by the European Commission the measures will be presented immediately to the European Parliament in view of the EU Summit on June 28-29.



The new plan is said to contain a package of short, medium and long-term measures aimed at going beyond an emergency response to migration and helping countries of origin and transit along the lines of the existing agreement with Turkey.



The objective is to boost opportunities for prospective migrants in their countries of origin by supporting development there and also to reduce the movement of people across Africa by combating human trafficking. The basic idea is to create a fund along the lines of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that has mobilised 100 billion euros in its first year.



It will not be easy for all 28 member states to reach an agreement, as shown by the words of Autsrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz. "It is no accident that the US took migrants to Ellis Island before deciding who would be allowed to reach the mainland," Kurz said in an interview with Die Presse.



"Those arriving illegally in Europe should lose the right to request asylum. Being rescued at sea mustn't be a ticket for central Europe," he said.

FT, Brussels plans for 60 bn in private investment. Europe to allocate 8 bln from existing funds

The European Commission is hoping to pull together 60 billion euros in private investment to fund projects tackling the root-causes of migration in source countries, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Beneficiary countries reportedly include Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, Niger and Ethiopia.

In the first instance the commission intends to reallocate eight billion euros of existing funds before setting up a special fund to raise 60 billion euros. The plan is due to be presented on Tuesday.

EU asks UN for extension on Operation Sophia. To save human lives and pursue traffickers

NEW YORK - The EU's High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Monday asked the UN Security Council for a new resolution authorising an enlargement of Operation Sophia along the lines decided upon in Brussels on May 21. "Last spring, the Security Council was united in making way for the naval operation that has allowed for saving dozens of human lives, seizing hundreds of assets and bringing human traffickers to justice," Mogherini said.
Migrants: FT, Brussels plans for 60 bn in private investment Europe to allocate 8 bn from existing funds

(ANSAmed) - Brussels, June 6 - The European Commission is hoping to pull together 60 billion euros in private investment to fund projects tackling the root-causes of migration in source countries, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Beneficiary countries reportedly include Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, Niger and Ethiopia. In the first instance the commission intends to reallocate eight billion euros of existing funds before setting up a special fund to raise 60 billion euros. The plan is due to be presented on Tuesday.(ANSAmed).




Netanyahu meets with Putin on regional issues in Moscow Syria, security on agenda of 4th meeting in under a year

(ANSAmed) - Tel Aviv, June 6 - Israeli Premier Benyamin Netanyahu travelled to Moscow on Monday on the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries to discuss urgent regional matters including the situation in Syria, the fight against terrorism and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.



It is the fourth meeting of the two leaders in less than a year. Netanyahu met with Putin in the Russian capital in September 2015 and April 2016 and the leaders also met during the international climate conference in Paris in November 2015. On Sunday Netanyahu said closer ties with Russia contributed to the security of Israel and that they had recently helped avert "superfluous and dangerous clashes" on its northern border. Two ministers travelling with the premier will sign bilateral cooperation agreements on agriculture and the payment of Russian pensions to tens of thousands of Jews who emigrated to Israel from the 1970s onwards. (ANSAmed).




WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama took a veiled swipe at Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump in a message to Muslims for the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday.

"I stand firmly with Muslim American communities in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights," Obama said in his annual greeting. "I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance. I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all," he continued.



Trump has angered the Muslim community by repeatedly suggesting banning Muslim travel to the US as part of his inflammatory campaign.
Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group, is to become the chairman of the IATA Board of Governors effective immediately, succeeding Andres Conesa.

Alexandre de Juniac, chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, will succeed Tony Tyler as director general and CEO, effective 1 September.

Im honoured to serve in this important role at such a critical time. Our top priority is getting governments agreement on a global market-based measure to manage aviations carbon emissions at the 39th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization later this year, said Walsh.

I thank my industry colleagues for their confidence in confirming me as IATAs next Director General and CEO. Aviation is a vitally important industryconnecting economies, facilitating business, creating jobs and linking people. I have big shoes to fill as Tony Tyler has done an excellent job over the last five years, said de Juniac.

I am fully committed to my duties until September when I hand over to Alexandre the responsibility of supporting our members to be profitable businesses that are a force for good in our world, said current director general and CEO, Tony Tyler.
The carrier already operated its own check-in, baggage and boarding services, but will now have baggage loading and unloading, transfers between the terminal and aircraft, interior and exterior aircraft cleaning, cargo, de-icing, chute and all related services directly operated by its own staff.

As part of the project, we have created 1000 new jobs. With the addition of our new personnel Pegasus now has 5378 employees as of the end of the first quarter of 2016. We have selected the newest and most advanced technological equipment to run our ground service operations meticulously and have invested 20 million Euros in doing so, said CEO Mehmet T. Nane.

The majority of the carriers operations are run from Sabiha Gokcen Airport, and it operates 200 take-offs and landings at its hub.
The codeshare will be applied to Qatar Airways thrice daily flights to Colombo, and SriLankan Airlines daily flight to Doha.

Through the codeshare, passengers will be offered more connectivity, with passengers flying to Colombo being able to continue to Male in the Maldives, and passengers flying to Doha being able to continue to around 20 further destinations.

Passengers will also benefit from collecting frequent flyer miles, and Oneworld alliance privileges such as spacious lounges, extra baggage allowances and priority check-in and boarding.

This new partnership will allow passengers to enjoy the seamless connectivity that Qatar Airways offers via Doha to our wide network across the globe, said Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.
Listen to John Reid, author of our cover feature Bullets, ballistas and Burnswark, discuss his research at Burnswark Hill on Radio 4s Today (2 June 2016).



The hill in Dumfriesshire is home to a 17-acre native hillfort held in a vice-like grip by two Roman camps. This configuration of Roman camps straddling a hillfort is unique in Britain, and attempts to understand its significance have provoked considerable controversy for over half a century.

John Reid, Chairman of the Trimontium Trust, reveals the results of the first detailed survey of a Roman battlefield in Britain in CA issue 316.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. The NKR Defense Ministry informs that overnight June 5-6 Azerbaijan fired sniper rifles in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line.

The NKR Defense Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight June 5-6 relative calm was maintained in the line of contact between Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing forces.

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire agreement by firing various caliber weapons and in some parts sniper rifles.

The Defense Army forces adhered to the ceasefire agreement and continued confidently carrying out their military duties.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Mekhak Apresyan, Head of the Tourism Department of the Economy Ministry says the Armenia-Iran visa-free regime will significantly boost tourism.

Let me start by saying that the visa-free regime will have positive impact not only on tourism. It is also important for the cooperation and strengthening of economic and intercultural ties. As far as tourism is concerned, the priority issue is boosting Armenia-Iran mutual tourist visits. And this is important not only economically speaking, but also for strengthening intercultural ties between two friendly countries, Apresyan said.

Apresyan said more Iranian tourists are visiting Armenia than vice versa.

According to him, foreign tourists will be able to acquire special tour packages for visiting both Armenia and Iran during one visit.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan appointed Armen Gevorgyan as Secretary of National Security Council on June 6.

The President introduced A. Gevorgyan to the Councils senior staff, congratulated him and wished success.

President Sargsyan mentioned Gevorgyans great experience will allow him to carry out the difficult responsibilities of the Secretary.

 I am confident he will once again show to the public and the state, that the National Security Council is an important circle in the state management system, President Sargsyan said.

Armen Gevorgyan thanked the President for the confidence, and said :  I am sure, by joint efforts we will justify all expectations of this structure.

Gevorgyan has previously held high ranking posts.

In 2008, he was appointed Minister of Territorial Administration/Vice-Prime Minister.
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I would say based on the thousands of stories we sift through every day at ArtsJournal, diversity and cultural equity (along with funding) are right now probably the biggest issues being talked about in the arts community. And rightly so.

Its astonishing to see article after article documenting inequalities in gender, race, sexual orientation and age in our cultural industries. The numbers are stark in a sector that has preached inclusivity over many decades but has clearly failed to become equitable. In this context, Americans for the Arts has released a Statement on Cultural Equity after an extensive year-long organization-wide process. You can read it here.

If Im being honest though, this obviously well-meaning, painstakingly-crafted, and very earnest Americans for the Arts statement is disappointing. Not because I disagree with it, but for all the intentions  perhaps because of them, even  this product of a year of debate and study seems, in the end, an exercise in missed opportunity.

Id be inclined to read it and move on. But Americans for the Arts asked a number of people, including me, to respond, and in the couple of weeks since its release, there have been a number of thoughtful blog posts. Rather than strap on my best Canadian Polite and offer vague approval for the good intentions, Id like to show respect by judging this effort more rigorously (or at least my version of it).

Of course the usual caveats. As an older white male who has been extraordinarily lucky to be able to pursue the things that interest me, I speak from a position of privilege. So take my response in that context.

My main problem is that for all the effort I dont think this adds something new or helpful. For example:

To support a full creative life for all, Americans for the Arts commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.

Of course. No ones going to argue with that. But okay, a place to start.

Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all peopleincluding but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religionare represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.

Again, nothing to argue with here as a statement of principle. But heres where cracks start to appear: if resources for supporting the arts were unlimited, then ensuring that all people are represented and have access to the fair distribution of resources would mean something. But because resources are scarce and decisions are hard, the issue is how you devise a system that is more fair, more equitable. Recognizing that it should be fair and equitable is by now a platitude. Explaining how it should be different or at least a pathway for how you believe will make it so is where it starts to get meaningful.

And here, it seems to me, the statement gets into trouble:

In the United States, there are systems of power that grant privilege and access unequally such that inequity and injustice result, and that must be continuously addressed and changed.

Of course, and not just in the United States. But in any system of allocation of attention and resources (what gets privileged) there will be winners and losers. To observe that a system is unequal and unjust is easy. Its not meaningful unless you suggest how to get to a more equitable system and what that system might look like.

We must all hold ourselves accountable, because acknowledging and challenging our inequities and working in partnership is how we will make change happen.

So if my version of culture and your version are different, how are the inequities going to be adjudicated and by whom? If we all hold ourselves accountable but my accountable is different from yours, how are we going to reconcile the judgment of others over something we might deeply believe in? Isnt diversity the very essence of difference? Moreover  if were all supposed to hold ourselves accountable, shouldnt this be the place that Americans for the Arts holds itself accountable if its going to address the issue?

Everyone deserves equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society.

Again hard to argue with the sentiment. But does everyone really deserve access? Equal access? If my participation will impinge on yours do I still deserve access? If my full, vibrant creative life conflicts with yours do I deserve equal access? And this might be heresy, but isnt it possible we devalue what we do when we dont dont ask people to earn our attention in some way? Or they ours?

The prominent presence of artists challenges inequities and encourages alternatives

Not always. What about boring artists with little to say or work that affirms stereotypes? Sooo much art supports the status quo and not alternatives.

At this point the statement moves on to talk about what Americans for the Arts will do to pursue equity:

To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, we strive to

Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization through substantive learning and formal, transparent policies.

Good. But heres a place where this exercise could have been a lot more meaningful. Formal transparent policies? Again, applaud the sentiment, but transparent can mean whatever you want it to mean. What transparency are you choosing, and what do those choices mean? And if youre going to make a statement about equity and if youre going to say youre going to be transparent, dont you pretty much have to be transparent about your own equity record? How? Heres a great post by Vox Media about its own diversity and what its trying accomplish. The post includes a scorecard that details their progress and articulates real goals.

Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and report organization progress.

At the risk of being annoying, what does acknowledge and dismantle any inequities mean? Everyone gets to be CEO and get paid the same? Like any organization, Americans for the Arts has hierarchies and these arent necessarily bad. There are inequities in programs, policies, systems and services for all sorts of reasons, good and bad. Simply dismantling any inequities doesnt mean much, and inequalities in equity (sorry) are not only inevitable but are not necessarily bad or wrong either. The challenge is of course fairness, and fairness means making decisions that are just. How youre going to be just is the challenge.

Americans for the Arts is a heroic organization, working hard to further the cause of the arts. It employs smart people doing the kinds of nuts-and-bolts advocacy that the field really needs, and it could and should be a leader in championing equity, fairness and diversity. As such it seems odd to be criticizing this. But if youre going to make a meaningful and important policy statement, shouldnt it really say something bold and meaningful? Like Attorney General Loretta Lynchs simple but powerful statement to North Carolinas LGBT community a few weeks ago, which left no doubt as to the Justice Departments support.

Far too many organizations are clueless or blind to the power of diversity. They dont see it and they dont understand it. Others perpetuate a power structure because its entrenched and keeps them in power. Still others are lazy or unwilling to make efforts to reach outside of their personal cultural experience. There are many reasons cultural institutions are inequitable. So whats the Statement on Equity that helps change things?

Its great that discussions about equity are happening, but weve been talking about multiculturalism and diversity for decades, and to what end, if you believe the statistics and demographic counts in our creative industries? Wasnt acknowledging inequities supposed to be yesterdays conversation? If cultural equity is critical to the long-term viability of the arts sector as this statement says, (and I absolutely believe that it is) then wed best do a better job of articulating the whys and the hows rather than the should-bes. Even more important than the viability of the arts sector, in the age of rising intolerance and nativism as personified by Donald Trump, the viability of the country is at stake. And herein maybe some opportunities?
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Bhupen Khakhar: You Cant Please All

Tate Modern until 6 November 2016

Tate Modern is holding the first international retrospective of the interesting Indian artist Bhupen Khakhar (1934-2003). Their publicity says something that is obviously true, that this painter played a central role in modern Indian art, but also makes the larger claims that Khakhar was also a key international figure in 20th century painting. Is this correct? The Observers critic thinks not, in a review that castigates the installation (badly edited); and her fellow critic on the sister paper, the Guardian, is positively rude. Jonathan Jones isnt responsible for the heading, Mumbais Answer to Beryl Cook, but the sentiment of the sub-heading certainly reflects his review: Why is Tate Modern exhibiting an old-fashioned, second-rate artist whose art recalls the kind of British painters it would never let through its doors?

Khakhars vibrant palette, use of saturated colours  with the paint sometimes so thinly applied that it has the flatness, immediacy, luminosity and urgency of watercolour  is his own, and instantly recognisable, which is one aspect that led the Guardians man to make the risible, but nasty comparison with Beryl Cook. However, Khakhar is a primitive more in the Douanier Rousseau, or even Italian Primitive frame. He studied and loved 14th century Sienese painting, as Timothy Hyman explains in his essay in the handsome exhibition catalogue, and as Julian Bell noticed in 2007. The Guardian is particularly obtuse about the subversive nature of most of Khakhars output.

Besides being a radical artist, Bhupen (I knew him slightly) was a social pioneer, being openly gay in India (coming out after the death of his mother), and having a devoted relationship for over twenty years. His house in Baroda was a sort of continuous salon-cum-party, where he presided with wit and a sense of mischief and fun. He called the 1981 painting from which the Tate exhibition takes its title his coming out statement. It contains a nude self-portrait with his buttocks, prominent and facing the viewer, as he leans over a balcony that conceals his nakedness from the busy people below  someone is mending a car, theres a house being built, another figure is harvesting mangos by knocking them off a tree with a stick, On the left of the large canvas are three scenes of an Aesop fable about a father and son and their donkey. Its typical of his paintings, in having a bravely empty, large colour field inn the centre of the picture plane.

Bhupens introduction to Britain came via Howard Hodgkin, whom he met in 1972, and stayed with in 1976, and again in 1979, when he stayed with Howard in Wiltshire, teaching for six months at the Bath Academy. (It was around this time that my wife and I bought the two watercolours, above, by Bhupen.)

The Tate show does not pull its punches. It has an entire room with Bhupens aggressive paintings done when he had prostate cancer, and there are angry pictures such as the gold-tinged Idiot (2003), which is full of rage, yet has irony and perhaps a touch of humour, as one person laughs at the others expression of pain  and the sufferer is mysteriously peeing into his shoe.

The best work in the show, I think, is in the room with his early paintings showing ordinary tradesmen at work, especially The De-Lux Tailors (1972), Janata Watch-Repairing (1972) and Barbers Shop (1973). There are several paintings with the explicit theme of gay love, some, touchingly, depicting elderly gents, and a few with puzzling multiple penises. Bhupen had plenty of honours and recognition in his lifetime  including a Prince Claus award in 2000, and a commission from the National Portrait Gallery to paint Salman Rushdie. The writer repaid the compliment, in The Moors Last Sigh (1995), where the character of Accountant, the painter and homosexual lover of Great-Uncle Aires, says the catalogue, stands as a barely veiled portrait of Khakhar.
by Victoria Ma

Before the gathering in Victoria Park, the retired bishop led a moment of prayer for those killed in Tiananmen Square. The June 4 incident has not passed, he said. History has to be passed onto the younger generations. Until today, many people in mainland China still suffer from suppression, forced disappearance or forced suicide. Pictures from the vigil.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Hundreds of Catholics gathered at the music pavilion in Victoria Park before the candlelight vigil last Saturday evening (June 4). Speaking at the event, Mgr Joseph Zen, Hong Kongs cardinal emeritus, told those present, Do not to forget the victims of the June 4 incident and their families; it is important to remember history and keep the memory alive.

A group of Hong Kong people, including Catholics, also protested today outside the China Liaison Office, to demand justice and truth over the fate of Li Wangyang, a dissident who, according to Chinese authorities, committed suicide on June 6, 2012 after 22 years in prison for his participation in the June 4 pro-democracy movement.

The June 4 incident has not passed, Card Zen said. History has to be passed onto the younger generations. Until today, many people in mainland China still suffer from suppression, forced disappearance or forced suicide.

The cardinal, who had a fever that evening, said many Hong Kong people consider it futile to remember the June 4 event, but people should not neglect China, though many do not want to identify with the mainlanders. It is all the fault of a China-controlled system, and the mainlanders are victims of the system too.

We, Hong Kong Chinese, should not forget those who built Hong Kong for us and must cherish the universal values left with us, he said.

The 84-year-old prelate said he insisted to attend the vigils because he wanted to mourn and demand justice for those who were massacred and pray for those who are alive and still suffering from oppression.

Contrary to criticisms against the organizers of the Victoria Park vigils, the Hong Kong Alliance In support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Card Zen thanked the Alliance for helping local people to keep alive the memory of the June 4 incident. We have to live as a people with dignity, he noted.

Without the Alliance to organize commemorations every year for the past 27 years, many young people in Hong Kong might have become Red Guards, he said. Events like the Tiananmen massacre or the Cultural Revolution could happen again.

On the effectiveness of the candlelight vigils, Cardinal Zen wondered whether we need any immediate effect. He said God created the universe long before the existence of the Chinese people.

As we still have freedom of speech in Hong Kong, we cannot stay quiet, he said. Let us pray that Hong Kong be a reunited society again, he concluded.
Joo Choun-ki is one of South Koreas leading ophthalmologists. Dean of the University of Korea College of Medicine, he studied cataracts for decades. After the archbishop of Seoul died, he transplanted his corneas to restore sight in others. This gesture of love changed my life." Now he is helping children in Kenya, China, Haiti and Nepal.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  Joo Choun-ki is one of South Koreas leading ophthalmologists, and dean of the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine in Seoul. He has studied cataracts for decades. Now his life is dedicated to the less fortunate.

"I never wanted to be an excellent doctor, just a good doctor, he said, but the death and spiritual testament of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan "opened my eyes. I transplanted the late archbishops corneas, in accordance with his last will, and that gesture of love changed my life. "

Scores of children in Kenya, mainland China and Haiti can testify to that. The doctor began to volunteer once a year, but what was a marginal commitment has become the centerpiece of his life.

"Card Kims death was the most powerful message I could get, he explained. He was one of the most prominent spiritual leaders of the country, and he left behind his corneas and a rosary. I started to think about what is really important in life. "

For Joo, something the archbishop said was a kind of crossroads. "He often said that, had he not become a priest, he would have liked to be a doctor to brighten the world. I thought a lot about that, and I realised several things."

In late 2009, when Kim died, Joo went to Kenya. "Children living in shelters in that country are all suffering from eye problems, caused by the ashes of indoor fires. Not being able to help everyone broke my heart." Still, thanks to his work, 18 children at Kericho Hospital re-opened their eyes.

"Seeing their joy and their mothers gratitude made me realise what's really worth in life." Cataracts are the cause of 51 per cent of all cases of blindness in the world.

About 20 million people no longer see because of this problem, which in developed countries is very easy to solve. In the Third World, it represents a life sentence with chance of appeal.

After Kenya, Joo volunteered in mainland China and Haiti. He is now planning a trip to Nepal.

"I am almost 60 years old, and from now on I want to do what is really important. At the same time, I want to do something that gives me so much joy. Life is too short to sacrifice it in the search for something that I could never reach."
Islams holy month of fasting and prayer begins today. King Saudi Salman Saudi mentions the "suffering" in the world because of "terrorism." In Amman Caritas restaurant of mercy provides free iftar meals. Chaldean Patriarch issues a message of peace and reconciliation to our "Muslim brothers and sisters". Doctors and nutritionist warn of obesity and eating disorders.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  Ramadan began today. During Islams holy month of fasting and prayer, Muslims are required to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk.

In line with the Sharia rule that says that the sighting of the crescent moon of the holy month of Ramadan in a certain country applies to the rest of the countries, [. . .] we accordingly verify that tomorrow, Monday is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, said Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan in a statement yesterday.

Earlier in the day, religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Yemen, Kuwait and Iraq had also confirmed that Ramadan begins on Monday. However, the formal start of Ramadan has sparked a discussion over the fact that for some it has become more of "formal act of faith" rather than opportunity "to show mercy and compassion."

According to tradition, this is the month in which God revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. During this period, Muslims can eat before dawn (Suhoor), and then take their main meal after dusk (Iftar). The feast of Eid al-Fitr marks its end with celebrations and sumptuous banquets.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman addressed the Saudi people, reminding them that this is a time of mercy, and that they should remember that the whole world is suffering from the disease of terrorism.

Islam is the religion of mercy, compassion, love, and moderation. It calls for peace, justice, and renounces violence and extremism, the king added.

On the occasion of Ramadan even the Chaldean Patriarchate, in Iraq, released a message of peace by joining "Muslim brothers and sisters", to whom he expresses "solidarity and sincere feelings" at this particular period of "fasting, prayer, repentance and change of mentality".

In his "Letter to Muslims", Mar Louis Raphael Sako notes that this time is an "opportunity" to practice "compassion and love".

In such harsh and worrying circumstances that have troubled the country (Iraq), leaving thousands killed and wounded; millions of displaced people and huge destruction, I urge you to make this month an exceptional Ramadan by renouncing sectarianism and fundamentalism, building a culture of reconciliation, promoting shared values of tolerance, neighbourhood and friendship, and endorsing peaceful coexistence, dialogue and mutual respect. At such a time, the prelate hopes to see all Islamic State held territory freed.

In Jordan, Caritas will mark Ramadan by handing out free Iftar meals as part of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In Amman this will involve the Restaurant of Mercy, which the Catholic charity set up as part of the Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Francis.

The restaurant will prepare food that will be handed out after dusk. Local Caritas volunteers, scouts and parishioners will serve the meals.

During this month, Caritas Jordan will also offer five iftar banquets to Jordanians at the hall of the Bisharat Church in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development and other local civic organisations.

It will also provide humanitarian assistance to 2,000 Jordanian families with food packages and hygiene items.

In recent years, food rather than faith has come to play a larger role in the holy month, most notably with respect to health and business.

Advertising and infomercials about food, drinks, and recipes for breaking the fast have led to overconsumption at a time when people tend to slow down as a result of fasting and high temperatures.

Many doctors and nutritionists have already sounded the alarm. Paradoxically, people tend to gain weight rather than lose it during the month of fasting.

Increasingly, people tend to break their fast by eating foot rich in fats and sugars. The sudden surge of such components tends to be harmful for the human body.

In view of the risks, health care specialists have urged people to eat better and maintain a certain level of activity.
by Eugenia Zhang

After someone broke into three tabernacles and desecrated the Eucharist, the bishop launched a novena of prayer. Police and public security stopped it, possibly for fear of the 4 June anniversary. The village where the incident occurred was surrounded and priests told not to leave home.

Handan (AsiaNews)  Police and the Religious Affairs Bureau in Handan (Hebei) banned local Catholics from gathering today for a day of prayer and fasting that the bishop had called as an act of reparation for the desecration of the Eucharist.

Police said that the diocese did not have permission to rally the faithful from different districts and surrounded the village where the desecration took place, holding back anyone coming from elsewhere. Some priests were placed under surveillance and told not to leave home.

Bishop Stephen Yang Xiangtai was forced to cancel the prayer rally, deemed "illegal" by the Religious Affairs Bureau.

Everything began on 27 May when parishioners in the village of Di Xiao Di Ba found that the church tabernacle had been burglarised and the hosts thrown to the ground outside the holy building. Two other tabernacles had been violated on 26 and 27 May.

On 3 June, the diocese launched a novena of prayer and penance with the Eucharistic adoration as a sign of the sacraments high honour. The goal was to ask for forgiveness for not watching over the churches and preserving their dignity. Today a gathering with prayer and fasting was scheduled to take place at the church in Xiao Di Ba.

Called in to deal with the theft, police found themselves facing a community hurt in its feelings and eager to gather. Fearing possible riots, public security was called in, and the rally was banned. The thief, a certain Chen Jing En, 19, has been apprehended.

Mgr Yang, who was thus forced to cancel all public gatherings, asked the faithful to pray and do penance at home.

"That the police and Public Safety are afraid of a gathering for prayer and penance is really laughable, a local Catholic said.

It is true that we're in the period around 4 June (anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre), but the police neuroses always result in an attack against religious freedom."
by Sumon Corraya

Sunil Gomez was 71 years old and lived in the village of Bonpara, in the diocese of Rajshahi. Mahmuda Mitu Khanam was the wife of the superintendent of Chittangong police. In recent months, Islamic extremists have claimed responsibility for numerous murders of activists, Christians, blogger. An interfaith candlelight vigil to demand justice.

Natore (AsiaNews) - Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the murder of 71 year old Catholic Sunil Gomez, slain yesterday morning in his Bonpara shop, a village of Natore, in the diocese of Rajshahi. The man had just returned from Sunday Mass, when some unknown persons attacked and left him in a pool of blood. A few hours earlier, in Chittangong (in southeast Bangladesh) Islamic extremists shot dead Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, the wife of a well-known superintendent of police involved in the fight against Islamic terrorism, killing her in front of her child.

Tensions remains high in the whole country after months of successive murders claimed by Islamic extremists. Activists, bloggers, writers, members of the LGBT community are being targeted for their liberal ideas.

Sunil ran a fruit and vegetable shop and was respected among villagers. He had served the Catholic church of Bonpara and his brother is Fr. Proshanto Gomes, a priest in the diocese of Dinajpur. Speaking to AsiaNews he says: "I am shocked, saddened. My brother had no enemies. We ask what motivated his murder. "



Benedict Gomes, vice president of the Catholic community of Bonpara, adds that "the faithful of the village live in brotherhood with the people of other religions. Why did they attack us? ".



The Catholic leader calls for exemplary punishment to the extremists, who in the past have escaped justice. "Two months ago, an elderly Catholic couple - he said - was attacked in Bonpara, but the police did not arrest anyone."



Fr. Bikash Rebeiro, parish priest, says: "This murder is really painful because a Catholic was killed in broad daylight. I demand authorities find the culprits. "



The local Christian community, he adds, "now lives in fear." The Church of Bonpara has about 4 thousand faithful, of which 75 reside in the village. To draw government attention and ask for protection, yesterday afternoon the members of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad organized a human chain and imposed a seven-day ultimatum for the capture of the killers.
Local witnesses speak of people "shot dead" by militiamen while "trying to cross the river." In recent weeks three thousand people have found shelter in a refugee camp on the outskirts of town. The government army continues its offensive. The militiamen hold the west bank of the Euphrates

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Civilians fleeing from Fallujah, a the Islamic State stronghold in Iraq (IS) currently under a government army siege, are being taken out by militia snipers as they attempt to escape the fighting.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has interviewed several families who fled the city, who speak of "civilians being shot dead" by jihadists, while "trying to cross the Euphrates".

According to NRC experts who run a refugee camp on the outskirts of Fallujah there are still tens of thousands of people being held hostage by Daesh [Arabic acronym for IS]. In the last three weeks at least 3 thousand people have reached the camp.

On 30 May the army offensive to regain Iraqi Fallujah began. The city in the Anbar governorate is about 50 km west of the capital and has been under IS control for two. There are at least 50 thousand civilians trapped inside the city; so far only a few hundred families (around 5 thousand people) have managed to escape to safety.

Shakir al-Essawi, head of the Fallujah regional council, said civilians are trying to cross the river inside of refrigerators, cupboards and barrels, to escape the jihadist militants snipers. Our "worst nightmare," adds Nasr Muflahi, NRC director in Iraq, has been "confirmed." "Men, women and children are being targeted," he adds, that "people who had to leave everything behind in an attempt to save his life ".



Meanwhile, on the front line of fighting the Iraqi army has surrounded the city; only the western bank of the Euphrates River is not yet under direct military control of Baghdad. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the offensive has slowed to allow civilians to leave the area of the fighting.

In recent days in Saqlawiyah, a town north of Fallijah, a mass grave was discovered containing the bodies of 400 people: They were government soldiers killed by jihadists between 2014 and 2015.

Together with Mosul, the other jihadist stronghold in Iraq, Fallujah is one of the most important cities to have ended up under IS control in 2014, at the beginning of the jihadist offensive. Before the rise of Daesh 300 thousand people lived in the city and, in the past, it was one of the "symbols" of Sunni "resistance" against the invasion of the US military following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, it is known as the "city of mosques" for the more than 200 places of worship.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Students cannot be forced to wear the Islamic veil, Indonesia respects all religions and is not obliged to follow the letter of the Koran, says Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama. He was addressing 1700 principals from the citys schools who, under pressure from Muslim fundamentalist groups, want to make the use of hijab mandatory in the school facilities.



The governor, Christian and ethnic Chinese, explained that he took the same position when he was head of East Belitung district (province of Bangka-Belitung): "That district is predominantly Muslim, about 93%. When there was a mass request to force female students to wear the hijab, I opposed it". Ahok explained that "if you (as a Muslim) believe that this special garment represents your faith, then you are free to wear it. But you cannot demand everyone wear it if they do not want to".



Speaking to the media, the governor asked them not to make an issue over the matter, ensuring that he respects the Islamic faith: "I will not argue theology with all the factions, but your children have to agree with you if encouraged to study the Koran by heart since childhood". He added that the hijab is not a garment to be associated automatically with Islam either: "The Jews and some Christian communities in the Middle East wear the same garment."



The issue of forcing girls to wear the hijab has been a contentious issue for over a decade. The first to criticize the practice was former education minister Daud Joesoef. When Muslim communities began to press for even Catholic institutions to make it mandatory, the politician rejected the demands saying that schools should choose their own uniforms.



In March 2015, the extremist Islamic front applauded the police chief's decision to allow female officers to wear the hijab.



Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama is one of the few Indonesian political leaders to publically defend freedom of conscience. Last July the Jakarta governor promoted a fight for civil rights of the Ahmadi minority, considered heretical by the majority Sunni Muslims.



Indonesia is the worlds most populous Muslim nation (over 200 million) but has a secular constitution that protects all faiths.
by Papa Francesco

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Mission today "is more in need of mysticism than organization", because even if perfect "organization generates an NGO and not mission", said Pope Francis as he received the Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies on the centenary of the founding of the Pontifical Union in audience on 4 June. May the intuition of Blessed Paolo Manna "reignite the missionary world today", which concerns everyone " the faithful and pastors, married and consecrated virgins, the universal Church and the particular Churches. May the young Churches "pass on to the already established Churches, sometimes burdened by their history and a little 'tired, the ardor of young faith, the witness of Christian hope, supported by the admirable courage of martyrdom". Below the full text of the speech.



Your Eminence, Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, dear brothers and sisters,



We welcome all of you, National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies and collaborators of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. I thank Cardinal Fernando Filoni for the words addressed to me, and all of you for your valuable service to the Church's mission which is to bring the Gospel "to every creature" (Mark 16:15).



This year our meeting is taking place in the centenary of the founding of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU). The work is inspired by the Blessed Paolo Manna, a missionary priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. Backed by St. Guido Maria Conforti, it was approved by Pope Benedict XV October 31, 1916; and forty years later the Venerable Pius XII qualified it as "Pontifical". Through the intuition of Blessed Paolo Manna and the mediation of the Apostolic See, the Holy Spirit has led the Church to have a greater awareness of her missionary nature, then brought to fruition by the Second Vatican Council.



Blessed Paolo Manna understood very well that forming and educating IN the mystery of the Church and its inherent missionary vocation is a purpose that concerns the entire holy People of God, in various states of life and ministries. "Of the tasks Missionary Union some are of a cultural nature, more of a spiritual nature, others finally, practical and organizational. The Missionary Union has the duty to enlighten, to inflame, to act organizing the priests, and for them all the faithful for the missions, as the founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union expressed himself in 1936 in his historic speech, made at the second International PMU Congress.



However, forming bishops and priests for mission did not mean reducing the Pontifical Missionary Union to a simply clerical reality, but supporting the hierarchy in its service to the missionary nature of the Church, which is proper to everyone, in their own way: the faithful and pastors, married and consecrated virgins, the universal Church and Churches details. By implementing this service with their own charity, Pastors maintain the Church always and everywhere in a state of mission, which is always ultimately the work of God, and belongs, through Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, to all believers.



Dear National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, mission makes the Church and keeps her faithful to the salvific will of God. For this reason, while it is important to worry about the collection and distribution of economic aid that is diligently administered in favor of the many churches and many needy Christians, a service for which I thank you, I urge you to not just limit yourself to that. Mystique is necessary. We need to grow in evangelical passion. I fear - I confess - that your work remains very organizational, organized perfectly, but lacking passion. This it can also make an NGO, but you are not an NGO! Your Union without passion is not needed; without the "mystical" element it is not needed. And if we have to sacrifice something, let us sacrifice the organization, and move forward with the mystique of the Saints.



Today, your missionary Union needs this: the mystique of Saints and Martyrs. And this is the generous work of ongoing formation in the mission that you have to do; which is not only an intellectual course, but inserted within this wave of missionary passion, the witness of martyrs. The recently founded Churches, served by you for their missionary formation, can transmit to the already established Churches, sometimes burdened by their history and a little 'tired, the ardor of young faith, the witness of Christian hope, sustained by the admirable courage of martyrdom. I encourage you to serve with great love the Churches in which, thanks to their martyrs, we witness how the Gospel makes us participants in the life of God, and how they do this by attraction and not by proselytizing.



In this Holy Year of Mercy, the missionary zeal that consumed the Blessed Paolo Manna, and from which sprang the Pontifical Missionary Union, still continues today to inflame, excite, renew, rethink and reform the service that this work is called to offer to the whole Church. Your Union must not be the same next year as this year it has to change in this direction, it must convert with this missionary passion.



While we thank the Lord for his one hundred years, I hope that the passion for God and for the mission of the Church lead the Pontifical Missionary Union to also rethink its docility to the Holy Spirit for a proper reform of its methods - appropriate reform, that is conversion and reform - and implementation of an authentic renewal for the sake of ongoing formation in the mission of all the Churches. To the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Missions, to the saints Peter and Paul, to St. Guido Maria Conforti and Blessed Paolo Manna we entrust your service with gratitude. I cordially bless you and ask you to please pray for me, so I do not slip into a "blissful tranquility"; so I always have the missionary zeal to move forward.



And now let us pray the Angelus together.
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Army Reserve Officer Wins 2016 Miss USA Pageant

Trending News: Miss USA 2016 Is About As American As You Can Get

Why Is This Important?

Because if we're going to have these kinds of things, the right people may as well win them.

Long Story Short

The 2016 Miss USA pageant was held last night, and Deshauna Barber became just the third Miss District of Columbia to win the title. She also happens to be an officer in the US Army Reserves.

Long Story

Last night was the 2016 Miss USA pageant, and without Steve Harvey there to screw things up, it went off without any shenanigans or subsequent pornography offers. But that doesn't mean it wasn't significant: Deshauna Barber became just the third Miss District of Columbia to win the title, and (to my knowledge) the first and only military officer to do so.

Barber grew up in a military family, with her father and brother both serving. She became (and remains) an IT analyst for the Department of Commerce following her graduation from Virginia State University, but didn't want to break with tradition. As such, in 2011 she was commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in the US Army Reserves, and is currently a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland. I'm assuming she's a reserve officer, at least. No other news outlets are clear on that, but I've never heard of someone being both full time active duty and having a civilian career as well.

According to the Washington Post, Barber's military service (as well as her thoughts on women in combat) played a large role in earning her the win.

As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate to every branch of the military. We are just as tough as men, she said to lots of cheers from the crowd. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated. And it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army.

Perhaps more pointedly, in a pre-show interview, she also talked about the stereotypes facing both pageant contestants and women in the military. Pageant contestants come across as almost Stepford Wive-esque, incredibly beautiful and insanely accomplished, but devoid of anything approaching a personality. And of course, no one really joins the military to meet women. But just because we believe those things to be true, it doesn't meant they are true.

Im being able to say that no one pageant girl does the same thing or has the same background, and Im also saying that no one soldier has the same background and does the same thing, Barber said. We can be feminine, we can be in beauty contests, we can be models. So theres stereotypes on both sides that I feel like Im breaking by even being here and being able to compete for Miss USA.

Barber's platform as Miss USA is focused on providing aid to returning veterans with PTSD, a natural fit. These beauty pageants may be silly anachronisms at this point, but if we're going to have them, the title may as well go to a woman who can balance her career with service to her country.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

How much longer will these pageants be relevant?

Disrupt Your Feed

I can't think of a Miss Universe contestant who better represents America.

Drop This Fact

Miss USA has gone on to win Miss Universe 8 times, most recently in 2012.
Wanting to be like the greats: Ally McBeal, Sandy Cohen and Alan Shore. I wanted to be like Uncle Phil in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air too but the thought of having to live with Will Smith took the magic out of that dream.I worked at Freehills for three years in Perth, Herbert Smith for 2  years in London, then Herbert Smith Freehills since the merger in Sydney and Hong Kong  all up almost 9 years. What brought me to this position? An inability to stay in one place for an extended period of time and a nerdish love of law.A matter where the temperament of sea lions was a relevant issue. Sea lion jurisprudence is very niche.I still havent worked out whats going on at the end of Inception, so I guess Christopher Nolan would be one. Steven Spielberg, so he could talk me through how Han Solo survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a fridge in Indiana Jones 4. And maybe a third person to take notes and send follow-up questions. I am a stickler for detail.Mr Crackles on Oxford Street. Because sometimes after a long day you just need a big container of pork and nothing else.Theres a jerk at every party and if you cant find them, youre it.I hike, run, learn Spanish, watch films and have recently started doing reformer pilates  because handling a serious commercial dispute requires good core strength.A screen writer, a tech entrepreneur or whatever profession may have featured prominently in the last few movies I watched. I just watched Sicario so Ive been thinking maybe an idealistic FBI agent enlisted by a government task force to fight the war against drugs at the border between the U.S. and Mexico.Probably also broke.For big firms and large institutions its an ongoing issue: efficiency; doing more with less. The disaggregation and demystification of legal services will continue to change the way commercial law is practiced.If I was Malcolm Turnbull for a day I would insist everyone call me the bull and hope it catches on. If I just had his job I would probably call for a Royal Commission into how I managed to become Prime Minister for a day. I would then appoint myself as Royal Commissioner.Being able to work (and laugh) with very bright colleagues and clients on solving difficult, interesting problems. I also love the diversity of working at global firm like Herbert Smith Freehills  I get to work with people from different places, cultures and backgrounds which makes the day much more interesting on a personal level.I think introducing feats of strength as an ADR mechanism would mean less desk time. That would be a plus.
By Jodie McVernon, Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology, University of Melbourne

Shutterstock/Maridav

The latest in our Computing turns 60 series, to mark the 60th anniversary of the first computer in an Australian university, looks at the technologys use in tracking infectious disease.

Millions of people suffer each year from infectious diseases which are responsible for about a quarter of all deaths worldwide. But tracking the cause of such illness and trying to avoid their spread is always a challenge.

For example, more than 15,000 Indigenous Australian children suffer from skin sores (impetigo) at any one time.

The majority of these infections are caused by a bug called Group A streptococcus (GAS). This can trigger abnormal immune reactions that result in chronic heart and kidney disease.

Penicillin is a highly effective treatment for this condition, but the number of children infected hasnt changed in 20 years. To find solutions to this apparently intractable problem, we clearly need a fresh approach.

Crunch the data

This is where computers can help. With funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council, we aim to revisit 20 years worth of study data generated by the Menzies Research Institute, in Darwin.

Using mathematical models, we hope to develop a better understanding of the drivers of high skin sore rates.

We also need to collect detailed data on the rich social connections within and between remote communities in the Northern Territory that could spread infection. We will develop computer simulation models that represent these linkages and their likely contribution to infection risk.

The findings of these models will hopefully inform consultation with communities about prevention and treatment approaches to keep children healthy.

So why hasnt this approach been used before?

Better computing power

Mathematical and computational models of infection are not new. But their capacity to deal with multiple data sources, and represent detailed human interactions and differences, has dramatically increased in recent years due to advances in technology.

Increased computing power lets us combine diverse and complementary information to provide a richness that is difficult to capture with a single study. We can combine data from disease surveillance systems, observational studies and clinical trials.

With such data from many countries and regions we can then estimate the global number of infections and associated deaths.

This process is particularly helpful for diseases of poverty, such as skin sores, as the greatest burden is usually experienced in settings where resources are constrained and health information systems are often limited.

Using computer models we can fill the gaps in incomplete, uncertain and variable data. We can also reflect data uncertainty through best-case and worst-case estimates.

On the move

New methods for collecting data on human movements, and the social interactions responsible for the spread of infections, have led to fresh opportunities for incorporating behavioural aspects into models. Mobile phone data allows for high-resolution patterns of social behaviour and mobility.

Wearable sensor devices that monitor movement, closeness to others and speech patterns can be used to collect data on short and long-range social connections, even in remote and hard to reach areas.

Insights into attitudes that underpin health-related behaviours, such as choosing whether to immunise, may be studied using social media. But given the vast amounts of data available through these sources, separating signal from noise remains a significant challenge.

Faced with such diverse sources of information, the next step is to make sense of it all.

Simulations of disease spread

Computers have made it possible to simulate populations and the disease transmission process in very fine levels of detail.

Individual-based models (IBMs, not to be confused with the computer tech company IBM) can explicitly represent each member of a population, and their demographic and health characteristics (think of The Sims computer game, but with more sneezing). We can then simulate how interactions between people lead to the spread of disease.

Prior to the advent of modern computing, the calculations required for this type of model would have been prohibitive. IBMs were first used to model disease transmission in the 1970s to simulate the spread of influenza in a population of 1,000 people. Each person was represented by a single punch card!

Distributed computing now makes it possible to simulate populations containing millions of people.

IBMs are an important tool for understanding how complex patterns of geographic distribution, transport and mobility and social behaviour underlie the emergence and spread of epidemic diseases such as pandemic influenza and Ebola.

Obviously, the behaviour of individuals and their impact on disease transmission, cannot be determined exactly. But, once again, advances in computing have allowed us to accommodate this variability by incorporating an element of chance in models.

Rather than running a single what if scenario, we can produce millions of alternatives, representing many possible pathways of infection spread.

These simulations help us understand the variation observed in patterns of disease in different populations, and explore the full range of outcomes that might be witnessed in the future.

This process helps assess risks and develop locally applicable public health management plans for efficient and effective disease prevention and control.

Optimising intervention strategies in this way is particularly useful when health sector resources are thinly stretched.

We wont eradicate infectious diseases, but computers provide us with new tools and approaches to reduce health inequalities and their associated long-term disease burden.

Jodie McVernon receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

Joshua Ross receives funding from the ARC, NHMRC and the D2D CRC.

Kathryn Glass receives funding from the NHMRC and (via consultancies) from the Commonwealth Department of Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and the New South Wales Food Authority.

Lewis Mitchell receives funding from D2D CRC.

Nicholas Geard receives funding from the ARC and the NHMRC.

Rob Moss does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Originally published in The Conversation.
It has recently been revealed that foreign workers have become increasingly subject to wage fraud in Australia where employers exploit their position to pay less than the going rate.Now with a general election set for next month the Coalition has promised to crack down further on such exploitation and any underpayment of workers, thus giving workers on short term visas more protection.Concerns have been voiced that overseas workers, including students and backpackers who work part time, can end up being paid less than the minimum wage.This came to light in a recent scandal involving the franchise chain of convenience stores 7-Eleven with a widespread wage fraud uncovered including a systemic underpayment of workers.The Fair Work Ombudsman has taken eight 7-Eleven franchisees to court since 2009 and one store has been given a record $214,200 fine for the underpayment of two overseas employees and falsifying records.Now Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has released a new set of policies, sending a warning to employers that intentionally exploit workers."We will strengthen existing workplace laws to ensure better protections for workers and to stamp out exploitation by unscrupulous employers. The Coalition's focus on jobs and growth will be complemented by increased safeguards for vulnerable workers who have been let down in recent times as a result of blatant non-compliance with workplace laws by employers across a number of industries and in many cases, multinational corporations who ignore their obligations under Australian laws," said Cash.If it is re-elected the Government has promised stronger protections for vulnerable workers will be delivered by increasing the penalties that apply to employers who underpay workers and who fail to keep proper employment records. A new higher penalty category of "serious contraventions" will be introduced, and will apply to any employer that has intentionally ripped off workers, regardless of the employer's sizeSome $20 million funding will be used to increase for the capabilities and workforce of the Fair Work Ombudsman and its powers strengthened so that it can more effectively deal with employers who intentionally exploit workers by compelling them to produce information and answer questions.There will also be a new Migrant Workers Taskforce in the Fair Work Ombudsman that will target employers who exploit migrant workers and stronger and more effective laws to help prevent a recurrence of the shocking stories of exploitation that have recently surfaced."The widespread non-compliance within the 7-Eleven chain is perhaps the most well-known example, however unfortunately is by no means the only one," Cash explained.
Hello everyone



I'm from Poland. In February I completed an engineer's degree in Food Technology and Human Nutrition. I don't have any experience in my profession. Recently my husband received visa 476 to Australia (his profession is different from mine). The document we received states that I've also been granted 476 visa, although I'm not sure if I have all the privileges he has.



I'm applying for a laboratory internship in a drug factory in Poland. As a wife of a man who was granted 476 visa, do I have a chance to get a job in Australia as a food production engineer or to work in labs? Would I need to complete some kind of courses or would I get this kind of job right away - or maybe is it forbidden?



Because if it is forbidden or very hard and complicated (or time-consuming) I can still change my profession. I'm asking this question, because taking that internship would be a huge waste of time if working in a lab is forbidden to foreigners. I could spend that time for example taking an accounting course or whatever.



tl;dr

How hard is it for an immigrant to get a job in Australia as an engineer / in laboratory / in food production?
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I got in touch with a consultant who told me outright that I will never make it to Australia. She gave me the following reason:



I have an engineering diploma + engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunication. After my engineering, I worked with Accenture as a Software Engineering Analyst for 34 months.



Because my field of study doesn't match my IT work experience, my work experience won't be counted in the visa process.



Is it true? Please help
The rendering featured above comes courtesy of Best Car magazine . The RX-influenced front fascia design is fine and all, but then again, do bear in mind that no one knows how the car will look life in production-ready form. The peeps at Kurumagt point out that the second-gen Lexus CT 200h may make its debut in January 2017, most probably at the Tokyo Auto Salon.Nothing much is known about the 2017 Lexus CT 200h at the time of writing, but its safe to assume that the new kid on the block will be the first Lexus to adopt the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform. Indeed, its the same chassis used by the fourth generation of the Toyota Prius, the hybrid that can return 52 miles per gallon (4.52 l/100 km) in real-world driving conditions, as tested by Consumer Reports.The entry-level model in the Lexus lineup , therefore, is expected to be lighter, better to drive, and much more fuel efficient than the current CT 200h. Based on what common sense dictates, the 2017 Lexus CT 200h will borrow the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and the electric motor of its Toyota-branded cousin.A plug-in hybrid variant based on the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime could also be on the cards as long as the bean counters are ok with it. The next-gen hybrid compact in the Lexus range is bound to go on sale in Q2 of 2017 in its domestic market, after which Lexus will bring the all-new CT 200h in Europe and North America.
Using the same amount of wrap that would have been enough to cover three conventional cars, the Phantom replacement has been spotted doing the usual chores of driving in the dry or on snow , but nobody was able to get close enough to the car to get a glimpse of its interior. And considering how predictably massive the exterior is, it's really the inside that should get us more excited about the new model.Rolls-Royce is the kind of brand that looks change in the face and laughs at it, and that can best be seen in the car's exterior design. It's been the same theme for decades, only slightly adapted to each of the eras that have passed since the first Phantom was introduced.The Rolls-Royce is one of the few brands whose cars anybody could easily identify based solely on their silhouettes or the tiniest of details. And that's probably precisely the reason why the company is so conservative when it comes to design.Well, it would appear that somebody else has taken over the job on the interior, though, as this last set of spy photographs reveal a completely new dashboard layout centered around two large wide-screen displays. Think Mercedes-Benz S-Class and you'd be very close to what the new Rolls-Royce Phantom dashboard looks like.If the current model looks more like a 1980's hi-fi audio system with all the wood veneer and the chromed rotary buttons, the new ones appears a bit more hi-tech. It's hard to tell since most of the console is still well under covers, but a few things are clear.For one thing, the instrument cluster will lose the analog dials for a wide LCD screen mirrored to its side by one located in the center of the dashboard. The air vents will be moved to a lower layer (S-Class-style, as we've said before) while the actual controls for the air conditioning appear to remain largely where they were.The multimedia controls (let's call it iDrive, shall we?) are still connected to the armrest and separated from the dashboard, but the main dial is at least twice as large as it will now incorporate a touchpad as well. This will undoubtedly clear the dashboard of buttons, making room for that big display. Well, we keep saying "big," but nothing is really that large when compared to the car itself.It may be quite large, but the new Phantom will also be significantly lighter thanks to a new platform that makes use of aluminum and other lightweight materials. The car will undoubtedly still come with a V12 engine so, together with that magical suspension, it will continue to offer that "riding on soft clouds" sensation that its owners appreciate so much. Some of them will also be happy to know there's going to be a long wheelbase version as well, providing even more legroom for the back seats. As long as it's all covered in that soft carpet, we can see nothing wrong with it.
While the measure has not been announced or confirmed on official channels, a company insider claims the report is accurate.We are writing about the Jiangling Land Wind X7 SUV , which is a Chinese knock-off of the Range Rover Evoque. You do not need a degree in design to see that the car is a copycat, but a previous allegation from last year was dismissed by Chinese authorities.This time, Land Rover has filed a complaint about intellectual property theft against Jiangling Motor. As the Australians at Car Advice report, a court in China has served the local corporation on the legal actions, which target both unfair competition and copyright issues.Just last year, the Chinese company was banned from exporting the Land Wind X7 SUV to Brazil, after it managed to secure an interested importer in the country.Most likely, this clone of the Evoque will never reach the European or U.S. markets, but it still exists in China and is on sale like there is nothing wrong with it. Jaguar Land Rover is not the first automaker to suffer from Chinese copycats, but most corporations have not pursued severe legal actions against these companies, except for when they attempted exporting the cars out of their domestic market.Some analysts explain that automakers did not fight their copycats to the last man standing because of fear that they will get backlash from customers of the clones, and possibly their own, as the lawsuits might have been seen as an attempt to pressure local automakers in China.We do not have to explain the severity of these copycats, as the clones of the Western models will never perform like the originals, despite mimicking some of their design elements. The only way this dark part of the industry will die is through proper customer education, which should make everyone understand that a small price and a similar design is not a bargain.
EV

In the six-year business plan christened Track22, McLaren makes it clear that it plans to launch 15 cars by 2022. One of the first will be the McLaren 688HS , a limited edition of the 650S that packs more punch and more visual drama than the already bonkers 675LT. In addition to the McLaren 688HS, the British automaker is developing a fully-electric hypercar that will slot in the Ultimate Series range of models.As per a report from Autocar , the replacement of the 650S is due to arrive 2017, most probably at the Geneva Motor Show. Internally referred to as the P14, the yet-unnamed model will pack serious firepower from the tried-and-tested 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 developed and manufactured by McLaren.Speaking to the British publication, chief executive officer Mike Flewitt mumbled something about making the P14 as investment-efficient and engineering-efficient as possible. Dont boo and hiss, though, because the new kid on the block will be much more than the sum of its parts. Frank Stephenson, the McLaren head of design, assures us that the all-new supercar is unpredictable. It will raise eyebrows. Its got a lot of things that just havent been done in car design before.Some of the things to look forward to from the yet-to-be-christened McLaren P14 are ultra-powerful LED lights, front-end graphic unlike anything weve been accustomed to, and a thoroughly different cabin.In related news, McLaren will bring a turbocharged six-cylinder engine to market in the near future.Flewitt wouldnt put his money where his mouth is, yet he told Auto Express the following: Eventually cylinder count will come down, but thats beyond the end of this development cycle. Our powertrain engineers vision is that we go from a big, powerful engine to, eventually, an, and on the journey there youve got a period of hybridization, minimal at first but eventually turning the combustion engine into a minority partner.A twin-turbo V6 isn't a bad proposition when you think that the 2017 Ford GT uses the same architecture.
The report came last Friday, from Norways Dagens Nringsliv (DN), a paper that writes in Norwegian. The news story gained traction on Twitter and social media, and even Teslas Elon Musk had a few kind words to say about the measure. He said Norway is an amazingly awesome country.Several media outlets, including autoevolution, picked up the story and took the measures for granted. Unfortunately, the story from Norways DN quoted an insider from the Government, and the coalition along with the two support parties did not reach the deal they expected, so they had to make a press release and announce the article is not correct, and misleading.Instead, the Liberal spokesperson Ola Elvestuen decided to clarify his initial statement that was quoted by DN, and said that the Government has no plan of banning the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles in 2025, but to set target numbers for reducing emissions in Norway by 2025." These new targets will be presented next year, and they will include goals for the sale of electric vehicles and low-emission cars.The representatives of the Norwegian Government still want a low-emission society, but banning the sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2025 is not the solution they are looking for. This measure would have been impressive, to say the least, and not just from the perspective of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla.Instead, Norways alleged ban on selling new fossil fuel cars would have made the country an example around the Globe. In spite of this example, the Norwegian car market only accounts for less than one percent of sales on a European level. That does not stop the country being the global leader of zero-emission vehicles in market share. Statistics show that 17.1 percent of new cars sold last year in Norway were zero-emissions ones, as The Local reports.
EV

With a population of about two-thirds of that of New York City, Norway has one of the lowest population densities of all European countries, but that didn't keep it from becoming the continent's leader in electric vehicle penetration on the market. The percentage of EVs out of the total number of new cars sold in Norway is at a staggering 24%, which is the highest everywhere else in the world. In fact, in most places, it barely struggles to reach the one percent mark, so nearing one-quarter is hard to imagine for some.We keep hearing talk about government incentives for buying electric, but apart from some tax exemptions and discounts from the initial asking price, not much has been done anywhere else. The Norwegian authorities, however, plan to make their support for EVs a lot more palpable by banning any new cars using internal combustion engines from selling on the Norwegian market.That may sound a little cruel right now (having to say "bye-bye" to a host of nice cars like Porsches and BMW Ms), but just imagine what themarket will look like nine years from now. Almost all important manufacturers have plans to include various electric cars by 2020 in their lineups, and new companies building this kind of vehicles are showing up everywhere like mushrooms after a heavy rain. By 2025, we might actually be spoilt for choice, so there's no need to pity the Norwegians.In fact, it you need to pity somebody, how about the rest of the world? Norway is one of the world's leading oil exporters, but the country is smart (evil?) enough to realize that it's better to make money off of it by selling the stuff to be burned somewhere else, while using as much clean energy as possible at home.Norway is not the only country to think seriously about such a decision, but it looks like it's going to be the first one actually to do it. Local newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv reports that all four parties have agreed in principle to a new energy policy that includes this ban, but it hasn't been officially approved yet.That didn't stop Tesla's Elon Musk from congratulating Norway already, calling it an "amazingly awesome country" and telling Norwegians "you guys rock!!" I would too if I heard a whole country was going to find my products even more interesting come 2025.
A Notam (PDF) is warning operators of all aircraft relying on GPS of widespread GPS outages starting Tuesday throughout the Southwest and especially southern California. Although the FAA doesnt go into detail, it seems the military is testing something that can disrupt GPS over a huge area, centered on China Lake, California, home of the Navys China Lake Naval Weapons Center. On Tuesday, June 7, the FAA is warning that GPS signals down to 50 feet AGL could be unreliable or unavailable between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time over a radius of 253 nautical miles, which includes the L.A. Basin, Bay area and Las Vegas. There will be further outages of similar potential duration June 9, 21,23, 28 and 30. The circles expand with altitude and at 40,000 feet the interference will affect a circular area of the Southwest 950 nautical miles across, reaching central Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico.

The tests will potentially knock out all GPS-reliant services including WAAS, GBAS and, notably, ADS-B. The FAA also doesnt want a lot of radio chatter about the outages and is urging pilots to report them if they need help from ATC. Operators of Embraer Phenom 300 business jets are being urged to avoid the area entirely. Due to GPS Interference impacts potentially affecting Embraer 300 aircraft flight stability controls, FAA recommends EMB Phenom pilots avoid the  testing area and closely monitor flight control systems, the Notam reads.
At one time in this country, government problem-solving consisted of throwing money at whatever obstacle seemed to be impeding progress. Sometimes it even worked. Of late, the philosophy has shifted to cutting taxes, driving deficits and acute budgetary paralysis. Im not sure where the FAAs decisionapparentlyto help fund installation of ADS-B systems fits, exactly.

As is supposed to be revealed Monday, the agency is considering a $500 rebate to owners who equip their aircraft with ADS-B and thus become members in good standing of the NextGen system. Will this stimulate what everyone agrees is lagging equipage on the part of owners who are persistently and consistently unimpressed with the benefits of ADS-B? One can, for the sake of the agencys plans, only hope.

Because there are now so many ADS-B offerings out there, its hard to put a price point on the average or typical cost of an ADS-B Out installation. At the bottom of the spectrum are non-TSOd boxes suitable for experimental aircraft for about $1300. The lowest conceivable priceall-infor a certified aircraft is probably around $4000 or a little less. But with at least 34 different products to choose fromyou read that rightyou can spend as much as $15,000 on an ADS-B upgrade if you have money to burn. And some owners actually can afford that. Id estimate that the average budget ADS-B install will cost around $5000 to $5500.

So does a $500 pot sweetener make much of a difference? Id guess no. When I ran the rebate idea by our inhouse avionics guru, Larry Anglisano, he snortled a snortle that implied thats your best offer? Still, both of us agreed that some owners will take the offer. If I needed to install ADS-B in the Cub, which I dont, I certainly would. Why not?

Well probably never know, but I wonder why FAA/DOT reached the point of actually funding even a token percentage of the installations. Certainly, one reason is that owners arent accepting ADS-B at nearly the pace the FAA hoped and what will be necessary to meet the 2020 mandate without end-game chaos. So far, the FAA says about 18,000 GA airplanes and 500 or so commercial aircraft have equipped. The total number of aircraft that will need to equip is rubbery. Ive seen numbers as low as 160,000 and as high as 199,000 from GAMA. Even at the lower end of the estimate, that means as many as 150,000 airplanes remain to equip in the remaining 42 months before the mandate kicks in. That works out to about 900 systems a week. Thats a lot of avionics work and Im beginning to believe those who said the industry wont have the capacity and well see a huge logjam a year from now.

I also wonder if someone in DOT didnt run some numbers and figure out that system safety will actually diminish if equipage doesnt reach some critical mass by a certain date and that it would be a more economical tradeoff to just buy the systems for those recalcitrant owners. As a point of public policy, I like that kind of thinking. But to work, the carrot would have to be a lot bigger. Maybe half the cost of the lowest-priced systems, say about $2000. That would be a much bigger investment, of coursemaybe about $350 million to $400 millionbut NextGen is a $40 billion system, so its no more than 1 percent of the total. Could that deliver a big payback in improved safety? It could, considering many of those aircraft would then have onboard weather and traffic where they dont have it now. And those already equipped would be able to see them in adjacent airspace.

If the FAA wanted to get really creative, they could put the same team on ADS-B as jollied along the approvals for Dynon avionics in certified airframes announced at Sun n Fun in April. That might knock another grand off low-end installation costs.

While I understand why people are resistant to installing this equipment, the least valid reason to me is anger at regulation and government mandates funded by the individual. For better or worse, the government has decided that ADS-B is the cornerstone of future air traffic control. Refusing to play based on principle is like moving to Canada because you dont like election results. (This year, I may make an exception)

So, once again, owners have to decide whether to equip now, later or at all. If you dont need to fly in mandated airspace, as is the case for me, you dont need to bother. If you can mostly avoid it, you can probably wait, but I dont think waiting is going to yield either substantially less expensive or more capable systems. Meanwhile, you miss the benefits of having ADS-B and everyone who has paid for the upgrade tells us its worth it and theyre satisfied with the investment.

Anyone who owns an airplane for serious travel shouldnt wait much longer, in my view. Like not even a year because whether the people who say the shops will get slammed are right or not, having an airplane that you really need grounded for lack of ADS-B would be kind of silly. Take the 500 bucks and be happy. I wouldnt wait around for a better offer.

Tuesday addition: In yesterdays press conference, SecDOT Anthony Foxx said the FAA wanted to put its money where its mouth was with regard to ADS-B equipage, hence the rebate program. The agency is paying for this efforta total of $10 million, by my countout of its ADS-B budget. In other words, it scraped up the money. To be fair, if it had wanted a larger program, a congressional appropriation would have been necessary and the likelihood of getting that through the House is exactly zero, in my estimation.

Having said that, I dont see that this rebate program is going to help much, but I can see some negatives. One of them came pixeling into the inbox more or less immediately. Wrote one reader, TheFAA $500 ADS-B rebate is a slap in the face for every law abiding proactive citizen who equipped his/her airplane already. First we pay higher prices due to less competition, then we have the additional hassles due to necessary updates while the system gets ready for prime time. Thats all ok, it was our choice. But then, the $500 is not FAAs money. It is the money we as taxpayers pay to the government. So now in addition to the activities to get ADS-B going, the proactive have to pay additional money to the procrastinators. No wonder the political climate is slowly changing for worse, wroteGerd Pfeifle, ofVero Beach, Florida.

That comment goes to the argument that the requirement to equip with ADS-B is either a tax, a toll or a user fee. Take your pick of those; its either one of them or all of them. The FAA is clearly financing its expensive new system on the backs of users. In that context, as I said above, I would have preferred a much larger program, like half the cost of a budget install as a basic investment in the safety of transportation infrastructure. Foxx crowed about the U.S. system being the safest in the world and we got it that way by investing in it. I thought that undercut his argument that DOT was putting its money where its mouth is.

What will be viewed, I think, as a trivial assistance to owners, issymptomatic of a larger malaise inflicting the U.S. As part of a general conviction that the government is incompetent, weve come to a knee-jerk aversion to investment in basic transportationinfrastructure and were paying the price for it in $6000 avionics invoices.
6 June 2016 13:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Muslim-majority Azerbaijan is gearing up for the holy month of Ramadan which starts at midnight tonight.

Ramadan or as it is also called The Sultan of Eleven Months is an incredibly sacred time for Muslims, who believe that during this month the holy book Koran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

Ramadan comes at a different time every year because it is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a date-keeping system based on lunar cycles, unlike the Gregorian. The date also changes from one country to another one (with one day difference) because the moon can't be seen in some countries if it's cloudy.

Ramadan teaches the faithful to love Allah, and of huge importance across the Islamic world to test their will and patience, and to be wiser and more honest.

The history of fasting in Ramadan starts when the Prophet Muhammad determined the holy month in Medina during the second year of pilgrimage.

Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the Islamic religion and one of its main practices. The resulting hunger is seen as a means of developing sympathy for the less fortunate, while learning to be humble and appreciate all of God's bounties.

Muslims worldwide fast in the daylight hours during Ramadan. For 30 days, during fasting hours from the dawn until the sunset they do not eat, drink, smoke, or engage in sexual intercourse, testing their patience and ability to overcome temptations.

In Islam, fasting is obligatory for all the faithful with the exception of minors, the elderly and ill, mentally ill, pregnant women and nursing mothers, travelers, and soldiers.

The holy Koran says, "As morning comes and white thread distinguishes from black thread, you may eat and drink and then complete your fast till the night."

It is desirable to break fast with pure water, milk, or something sweet as the Prophet Muhammad had done.

It is better to invite those who have fasted to your iftar table, according to the hadith. It says that the one who feeds a person who fasted will receive the same reward as the one who fasted.

The month is intended to improve morality and character, so there are more regular mosque visits alongside a personal attempt to work on positive traits and thoughts.

Fasting is completed with holiday of 'Eid al-Fitr.' On this day, it is required that all wealthy Muslims aid the less fortunate.

Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a few days holiday called Eid al-Fitr, during which Muslims giving thanks to Allah for the strength to practice self-restraint over the month.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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6 June 2016 16:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Djibouti is one of the significant countries of the African continent, said Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ethiopia Elman Abdullayev, as he presented his credentials to President of Djibouti.

Abdullayev conveyed greetings and best wishes of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

The ambassador hailed great potential for the development of bilateral relations between the Azerbaijan and Djibouti, which he described as one of the important countries of the African continent.

Pointing to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ambassador noted that the decisions and resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Parliament and other organizations condemning the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan had not been implemented so far.



He said that Armenia still continues the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and as a result of the aggression more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons.

President Guelleh, in turn, asked the ambassador to extend his greetings to President Aliyev.

He said his country attached great importance to developing relations with Azerbaijan, noting that the two countries support each other within all international organizations.

Eastern African country Djibouti always called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of respect for the principles of territorial integrity of states and inviolability of internationally recognized borders.

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6 June 2016 17:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry announced that the Special Forces of Azerbaijan take part in joint multinational exercises in Turkey.

The joint multinational training of Special Forces will run in Turkey from June 6 to 12, the ministry reported. Besides the representatives of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the servicemen of Bulgaria, Georgia and Turkey are also involved in the exercises.

The exercises aim to exchange experience and develop the possibilities of reciprocal actions.

Overall, Azerbaijan and Turkey have recently implemented a great number of exercises both on Turkish and Azerbaijani territories.

On June 2, Armed Forces of Turkey and Azerbaijan, in accordance with the agreement on military cooperation between the two countries, held their joint exercises in the city of Kars. Georgian Armed Forces representatives joined the exercises as observers for their first time.

The main purpose of tactical exercises with combat shooting, held with the involvement of more than 1,200 servicemen, was the development of the relationship between the Armed Forces, check of the staffs joint planned activities, and achieving coherence of military units with the increase in their level of willingness and ability to operations.

In March 2016, an Air Force military team from Azerbaijan to joined exercises Falcons TURAZ - 2016 at an airbase in the Turkish Konya. Three Azerbaijani MIG-29 fight aircrafts, three SU-25 attack aircrafts and IL-76 military transport aircrafts were tested in the exercises.

The Ministry further announced that representatives of Azerbaijani Armed Forces are participating in "NATO Information and psychological operations" Course for main liaison officers of mobile training team, as well as introductory courses in the area of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) for the European Union (EU) Eastern Partnership Countries in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The Azerbaijani servicemen will also attend the international exercises Saber Guardian 2016" in Kansas City, US, Combat Readiness Evaluation Course in Oberammergau, Germany and Tactical Standard Operating course in Karachi, Pakistan

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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6 June 2016 17:44 (UTC+04:00)

Relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are very good, and Avigdor Lieberman's taking the post of the country's defense minister will only strengthen them, Lev Spivak, director general of the International Association "Israel-Azerbaijan", said in an interview with Trend.

"The main topic of Israel's domestic policy is, of course, Avigdor Lieberman's appointment to the post of defense minister," Spivak said.

Avigdor Lieberman accepted the offer of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the post of defense minister in the new coalition government with the participation of the "Israel our Home" party, Israel's cursorinfo.co.il news agency reported earlier.

Spivak went on to add that Lieberman, firstly, is well educated person from a historical point of view, which is very important for a politician. Secondly, he is rational.

"Lieberman was at the forefront of good relations between Israel and Azerbaijan," Spivak noted.

He added that the countries cooperate in the field of energy, as well as military and technical issues.

Azerbaijan and Israel have healthy economic relations, Spivak said, adding that the people of the two countries have a lot in common psychologically as well.

The fact that Lieberman gave his first and only interview to Trend news agency before officially taking up his duties shows his attitude not only to Trend as a serious agency, but also to Azerbaijan in general, he added.

With Lieberman's taking up his duties as the defense minister, Israel will have a political course, Spivak said, adding that several previous ministers of the country really didn't have their own views about the problem of terrorism.

"Lieberman has a clear understanding and program about what should be done," he said. "I believe that Lieberman has enough political power and reputation among the people for pursuing his policy."

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7 June 2016 16:04 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is on a working visit to Germany, met with Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel in Berlin on June 7, Azertac reported.

The sides hailed Azerbaijani-German bilateral ties, and noted that there were good prospects for the economic cooperation between the two countries.

They exchanged views over the implementation of large economic projects, and cooperation opportunities in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceutics, education, transport, energy, water management, soil remediation and space industry.

Earlier on June 6, President Aliyev met with Vice President of the Airbus Group Jean-Pierre Talamoni in Berlin.

They praised cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Airbus Group as fruitful.

They also discussed the expansion of cooperation in different spheres, especially between Azerbaijan Airlines and Airbus Group, as well as in the field of space industry.

The President also met with chairman of the Board of the German-Azerbaijani Forum Hanns-Eberhard Schleyer and its members in Berlin.

The sides hailed the current state of relations between Azerbaijan and Germany, and exchanged views over the prospects of the ties.

President Aliyev informed the members of the Board of the German-Azerbaijani Forum about provocations committed by the Armenian armed forces on the frontline in the Nagorno-Karabakh early April.

They discussed the course of the negotiations to settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The head of state briefed the members of the Board of the German-Azerbaijani Forum on the negotiations.

President Aliyev also met with chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Friedrich Ischinger in Berlin.

They pointed to good cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Munich Security Conference. Azerbaijan`s active involvement in the organization`s work was underscored. The country`s contribution to ensuring global security was hailed during the meeting.

They broadly discussed the Armenian armed forces` provocation committed on the line of troops` contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in early April, as well as settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

--

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6 June 2016 16:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

A certain number of commercial banks operating in the country have resumed lending in national currency. The process of consumer credit issuance in national currency has recently been subjected to certain changes and restrictions.

Among the banks which currently issue consumer credits in national currency are Rabitabank, Accessbank AFB Bank, Kapital Bank, Azer-Turk Bank, Atabank, Bank of Baku, Bank Respublika, Pasha Bank, Unibank, Bank Avrasiya, Demirbank, Parabank, International bank of Azerbaijan, Nikoil Bank, Caspian Development Bank.

Rabitabank and Parabank also implement lending upon the security of deposits as well as collateral loans in national currency and USD.

Azerbaycan Senaye Bank and Yap Kredi Bank do not provide crediting in the manats but offer credit cards to their customers. Ziraat Bank currently issues only business loans. Bank Avrasiya and Nikoil Bank offer USD credits to those customers, who get their incomes in the foreign currency.

Xalq Bank implements lending only through the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support of the Ministry of Economic Development and the State Fund for Development of Information Technologies.

After repeated devaluation of the national currency, which took place on December 21, 2015, the majority of Azerbaijani banks ceased lending process.

In accordance with the law in effect banks are eligible to determine the currency of the issued credit and free to choose in which currency to lend. Vulnerability in the currency market caused certain problems and prevented banks to issue the manat loans.

The Financial Market Supervisory Body has suspended issuing consumer loans in foreign currency.

Currently, 37 banks and more than 700 bank branches operate in Azerbaijan. Six banks of the country were closed since early 2016.

The official exchange rate of the US dollar and euro to Azerbaijani manat was set at 1.4994 manats on June 6.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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6 June 2016 20:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The International Mugham Center in Baku hosted a literary-musical evening dedicated to the Day of Poets, Trend Life reported.

The event was organized by the Union of Azerbaijani Writers, Association of young poets with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan, Professional Organization of Authors of Scientific and Literary Works (ILESAM) and the World Association of Young Turkic Writers.

This year the event was dedicated to the famous writer-playwright, screenwriter, honored art worker of Azerbaijan, people's poet, holder of the order "Shohrat", "Sharaf" and "Istiglal", Vagif Samadoglu.

The event was attended by prominent public figures, guests from Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Ukraine, Iran, Russia, USA and Israel.

The ceremony began with presentation of book "Vagif Samadoglu. Poems from the chest" published in the framework of the project "AYBkitab".

Speaking about the publication, Spokesman for Azerbaijan Writers Union Khayal Rza noted that the book includes previously unreleased poems by the author.

The compiler and editor of the book Nushaba Babayeva-Vakilova spoke in detail about the book and its content.

Then the guests were shown a documentary about the life and creativity of national poet.

Following this, Khayal Rza informed the audience that the Day is marked on June 5 - the birthday of another outstanding Azerbaijani poet Mikayil Mushfig.

People's poet Nariman Hasanzade, the general director of Professional Organization of Authors of Scientific and Literary Works (ILESAM) and other speakers stressed the importance of holding the Day of Poets.

This year's awards named after Mikail Mushfig were given to Nariman Hasanzade, Mehmet Nuri Parmaksiz, Rashid Fahrali, Ariel Gutu (Israel), Robert Evdaev (USA) and others.

Vagif Samadoglu is prominent Azerbaijani poet, writer, playwright. He is the son of national poet Samad Vurgun.

The first literary collection of poet was published in the early 1960s. In 2000-2005 he was elected a Deputy of Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament).

Currently, V. Samadoglu is a member of the Pardon Commission and the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to PACE

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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6 June 2016 12:33 (UTC+04:00)

Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen say they are both excited to try Azerbaijan's Baku City Circuit, which hosts the European Grand Prix later this month.

Azerbaijan will host its maiden F1 event from June 17-19, on a six-kilometre, 20-turn track incorporating Azadliq Square and the Old City, as part of a back-to-back with Canada.



"I'm excited to go [to Baku] because it's a new track so it's going to be a challenge for everyone, but the fact that it's a street circuit is really cool," Ricciardo commented.



"I'm pretty optimistic that the city itself will be quite good fun. I've seen some pictures of the city and it looks cool  it sort of reminds me of [Hungarian Grand Prix venue] Budapest a little bit, so let's see, I'm pretty excited to go there."



Verstappen's father, Jos, previously contested a GT event in Baku.



"My dad has raced there back in 2012, and I've watched the races online and some parts of the track are pretty similar," explained Verstappen, as he talked about his knowledge of the circuit.



"He was pretty positive about the whole city, saying it's a nice place to go, so I'm looking forward to it.



"It has such a long straight for a street circuit which will be difficult for the wing setting because on a street circuit you want lots of downforce but with such a long straight you have to find a good compromise.



"You start from zero and it's always good to discover new countries and new tracks."

--

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6 June 2016 12:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

The contracts worth over $13 billion have been signed so far within the second phase of the development of Shah Deniz gas and condensate field of Azerbaijan, Gordon Birrell, the BP regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, told reporters on June 5.

Birrell noted that half of these contracts were awarded to local companies, or joint ventures with the participation of local companies.

Roughly 22,000 people work within the Shah Deniz 2 project and the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline in Azerbaijan, and more than 3,000 people work in Georgia, he said.

Birrell further added that the construction of a gas compressor station in Georgia, which is part of the South Caucasus Pipeline's expansion is ready by 42 percent.

BP is satisfied with the work on these projects and is confident that the Azerbaijani gas will reach Turkey via the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) in 2018, said BPs regional president.

As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and finalizing the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

The Southern Gas Pipeline (SGC) network will stretch from the Caspian Sea to the southeastern Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

With a 25.5% share, BP is the operator of the Shah Deniz gas field, which production was commissioned in 2006.

The companys office was opened in Baku in 1992. Since then, the company participates in a series of the upstream project in Azerbaijan.

BP is the major shareholder in Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields (35.78 percent) where the Azeri Light oil is being produced.

Additionally, BP operates the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline which passes through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to transport Caspian oil to the Mediterranean coast.

The company also signed a PSA agreement with SOCAR to explore and develop Shafag-Asiman structure in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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6 June 2016 12:51 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will consider the possibility to allocate loan worth $1.505 billion for the second phase of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz gas and condensate field's development on September 27, 2016, ADB reported on June 3.

The bank was earlier expected to approve the allocation on August 22, 2016.

The proposed investment plan will support the Azerbaijani government's efforts to finance Shah Deniz-2 project, and is aimed at improving the country's fiscal position by increasing revenues from natural gas exports from the expanded Shah Deniz field and creating additional jobs.

The plan will provide a partial credit guarantee (PCG) in the amount of 16.67 percent of the project's cost in order to support commercial bank financing of government shares.

If the loan is allocated, it will be used by Southern Gas Corridor CJSC.

Within the framework of Shah Deniz 2 project realization, the annual output of the natural gas will increase from 9 billion cubic meters (first phase) to 16 billion cubic meters (second phase).

The gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz field's development will be exported to Turkey and to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) pipeline network.

Within the framework of the project, the existing infrastructures will be upgraded and a chain of new pipelines will be developed.

Shah Deniz gas will be supplied to Turkey in 2018, and after the completion of the TANAP pipeline, the Azerbaijani gas  so called Caspian gas - will be transported to Europe roughly at the beginning of 2020.

The SGC is one of the biggest construction projects of our times with a value of $40 billion.

Earlier in mid-May, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said that the bank considers allocating up to 1.5 billion for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in a record loan.

The World Bank also will allocate $1 billion for the construction of the TANAP gas pipeline.

In the meantime, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is also expected to allocate $1.07 billion for the project on long-term basis and perhaps, under the state guarantee.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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6 June 2016 18:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

Oil prices experience slight fluctuations these days standing at around $50 per barrel.

Cost of July futures of WTI crude in New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) increased by 0.93 percent to $49.07 per barrel on June 6. Prices of August futures of Brent benchmark went up to $50.10 per barrel in London ICE which is 0.93 percent increase compared to the previous day as well, according to Bloomberg Energy.

Meanwhile, price of the Azeri LT CIF produced at the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil and gas fields stood at $49.83 per barrel on June 4, Azertac reported.

A day after Vienna meeting, OPECs oil basket cost $45.73 on June 3 which was $0.15 increase, according the organizations official website.

The recent recovery in oil prices is due to supply disruptions in some oil producing countries like Nigeria, Canada and Venezuela, which also offset Irans growing oil exports.

The price of oil in the near future will depend on how much oil comes back to the market, experts say.

Meanwhile, a number of oil rigs return to work in the U.S as oil prices surged to $50, which also raises concerns about recovery of the market.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts the U.S. shale production to average 8.6 million barrels a day in 2016 compared to 9.4 million a day in 2015.

In May, IEA increased its forecasts for global oil demand by 100,000 barrels a day to 95.9 million barrels a day. The supply will exceed demand by an average of 1.3 million barrels a day in the first half of this year, according to the IEA.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabias state oil company cut oil prices for Europe on June 5, as competition gets fiercer after OPEC's Vienna meeting failed to set a production ceiling on the oil output, and Irans oil exports keep ramping up, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Iran, which resumed oil exports to Europe in February, was able to bring its production level up to 400,000 barrels a day to the old continent.

Price of Saudi oil declined 35 cents per barrel for north-western Europe, whilst 10 cents for the Mediterranean region.

However, Saudis lifted price of Arab Light crude for the U.S. by 10 cents a barrel, and for the Far East by 35 cents.

Wall Street Journal expects that oil prices will go up during the second half of the current year.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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6 June 2016 13:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Export of energy resources to European countries is among the issues of top priority for the Turkmen state. The country continuously studies the opportunities for entering the European market.

Talking to reporters, Former UK energy minister and ex- trade envoy to Azerbaijan Charles Hendry mentioned that the European Union (EU) may render its assistance in the talks between Baku and Ashgabat on the issue of gas transit through the planned Trans Caspian gas pipeline.

He underlined that the attention is concentrated upon the issue of whether Turkmen gas will be delivered through Iran and Turkey or the Caspian Sea (through Trans Caspian pipeline) and further through TANAP and TAP. The EU may help the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to reach an agreement on the issue, he added.

Currently a vast majority of [Turkmen] gas is directed to China. Talks are currently underway on the issue of gas transportation to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India through the TAPI pipeline. Europe is also highly interested in the Turkmenistans gas reserves, he said.

Turkmenistan has already widened its cooperation with European countries in the sphere of energy. The country is currently engaged in mending relations with the leading oil and gas companies as well as authoritative financial structures.

Azerbaijan repeatedly voiced its readiness for the allocation of its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for the implementation of the project on construction of Trans Caspian pipeline, the length of which is expected to reach 300 km.

With its main objective of bringing Turkmen gas to Europe, the TCP project, which is considered to be a subsea pipeline, is regarded as a contribution to creating international energy cooperation.

Among the Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan has the largest natural gas reserves and the worlds fourth largest reserves that amount to 13.7 tcm.

Given the country's huge reserves in energy resources and plans to diversify routes, Turkmenistan has been consistently promoting the Western direction of energy partnership. The country is considering the European market as one of the most promising areas of gas supply.

Currently the Turkmen state is engaged in boosting its export capacity. The country now considers construction of pipeline in the West European direction which is considered to be one of the most promising.

The construction of the pipeline in the western direction is expected to provide the global strategic balance in the energy sector related to reducing the share of nuclear power in the energy supply.

Turkmenistan also expects that the East West gas pipeline, which was put into commission in December 2015, will give a further impetus for handling issues in the spheres of industrialization, diversification and increase of export potential of the countrys economy by means of full-scale use of abundant hydrocarbon resources.

The main objective of the 773-kilometer gas pipeline with the cost of approximately $2.5 billion and the capacity to transfer 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year is unification of resource rich production fields in Central and Eastern regions of the country.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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6 June 2016 11:46 (UTC+04:00)

Iranian private sector companies have agreed on $3billion worth of deals during Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent European tour.

An Iranian commerce official has said that the business delegation accompanying Zarif during the tour has signed a number of documents on cooperation with companies from Poland, Finland Latvia and Sweden, Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported.

Mohammad Reza Ansari, the vice-president of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture, said the deals have been signed in the form of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and further discussions are required in order to finalize them.

Minister Zarif led an economic and political delegation during his recent tour kicked off May 29 aimed at promoting trade and economic opportunities.

It was earlier announced that the business delegation signed documents on cooperation with Polish and Finnish companies worth up to $1.2 billion.

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6 June 2016 14:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The growth rate of Turkmenistan's gross domestic product exceeded the level of 6 percent from January to May 2016.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made the remark during the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, further mentioning that despite the observed growth of the global economy the process is going on very slowly and subjected to risks.

Turkmenistan also recorded growth in the economic spheres that are not related to the fuel and energy, the increase accounted to 2.2 percent as compared to the same period in 2015.

GDP in Turkmenistan slowed to 6.5 percent in 2015 compared to 10.3 percent in 2014 due to declining natural gas export and lower public investment. Russia bought just 4 billion cubic meters of gas in 2015 compared to 40 billion cubic meters in 2008. The county stopped importing gas from Turkmenistan in 2016.

Turkmenistan is currently engaged in the increase of the export volume of locally-manufactured products.

The European Bank for Reconstruction of Development (EBRD) forecasts that Turkmenistan's GDP growth will reach the rates of 6.5 percent and 7.1 percent in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The country seeks to achieve the diversification of national economy and has already taken steps for the promotion of such industries as textile, petrochemicals and building materials.

Turkmenistan has abundant reserves in the energy resources and plans to diversify the routes of gas deliverance. Being the forth in the world in terms of the volume of natural gas reserve the country is considering the European market as one of the most promising areas of gas supply. Being the richest country on natural gas in Central Asia, Turkmenistan currently exports a large amount of gas to China, and the figures range between 30-45 bcm.

Turkmenistans exports also include gas, oil, cotton, polymers, textiles and vegetable products. The countrys two largest crops are cotton, most of which is produced for export, and wheat, which is domestically consumed. Although agriculture accounts for roughly 7% of GDPand employs nearly half of the country's workforce.

The top export destinations of Turkmenistan are China, Turkey, Italy, the UK and Germany. The top import origins are Turkey, Russia, China, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The Governments National Socio-Economic Development Program for 20112030 and the National Rural Development Program are focused on the sustainable economic growth while preserving economic independence, modernizing the countrys infrastructure, and promoting foreign direct investment.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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6 June 2016 14:46 (UTC+04:00)

The total amount of Russia's two loans to Iran will be about 2.5 billion euros, Russia's Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak told reporters, TASS news agency reported.

"The total sum of two loans (to Iran) is about 2.5 billion euros," he said. "The first one is slightly bigger, the second one is a bit smaller."

Storchak said that usually parties set the highest and the lowest sums of a loan.

"We fix an upper limit on the potential costs of the Russian budget to fund the loan," deputy finance minister said. "How the loan drawing will take place depends on the contracts, as they often change in the course of their implementation."

He added that the contracts are very complicated and complex.

"Not all risks can be calculated on the development stage," he said. "For example, the risks related to railway, tunneling work. In the mountainous area their cost can increase or decrease. Loan drawing depends on the contract and annexes to the contract, which are often signed."

In April, Storchak said that the legal disagreements on Russia's loan to Iran had been removed and domestic agreements between different agencies in Russia would be reached quickly.

Earlier, he said that three issues regarding the two loans to Iran (to finance rail and power generation projects) are still open. He added that these two loans are considered as pilot and are not linked to the loan of $5 billion that was announced earlier.

In late 2015, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that the initial amount of public loan from Russia to Iran for the implementation of these projects is $2.2 billion while the total credit line would be $5 billion.

Russia's Finance Ministry expects to get the cabinet's permission on granting loans to Iran in two weeks.

"The intrastate procedures concerning the two loans to Iran are about to be completed, we will finish them soon," Storchak said. "This is probably the matter of two weeks. As far as I know, the head of the Iranian delegation had the authority [to sign the agreement] from the very start. Simply they (Iran) have a different order of taking administrative decisions. I am authorized to hold talks but I don't have the authorities to sign."

He said that his ministry will receive a permission to sign the agreement from the government in the next two weeks.

"We will find out when the colleagues from Iran's Ministry of Finance are ready, as always, at the right time and in the right place," the official said. "I don't know how they would like to sign it. It may also be by correspondence. This also happens."

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
6 June 2016 17:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Turkmenistan has allocated the first tranche for the implementation of Turkmenistan  Afghanistan  Pakistan  India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov has signed a decree on the allocation of funds in the amount of $45 million for the financing of construction of TAPI, which is also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline.

The document was adopted in accordance with the investment treaty signed between the Turkmengas state concern, Gail Limited (India), Interstate gas systems Limited (Pakistan), Afghan Gas Enterprise, TAPI Pipeline Company Limited and Galkynysh Pipeline Company.

TAPI will make it possible to deliver gas from Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world on biggest gas reserves, to large and promising markets of South and Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, the Turkmen side reported that the Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Fund for development as well as the Japanese governments have expressed interest and intention to participate in the financing of the project.

The government currently considers three main participation directions of potential foreign investors which include trade, financing and investment. The trade direction envisages provision of the tubular as well as gas facilities while the direction of financing stipulates the allocation of credit proceeds. The investment direction is considered for the perspective of investors participation in the development of Galkynish, which is considered to be the world's second-largest gas field, as well as participation in the TAPI consortium.

The implementation of the TAPI project with the expected total length of 1,735 kilometers began in December 2015. Some 214 kilometers will pass through the territory of Turkmenistan, 735 kilometers  Afghanistan, 800 kilometers  Pakistan up to Fazilka settlement on the border with India.

The pipeline that begins from a gas field Galkynysh in Turkmenistan will pass through the Afghan cities Herat and Kandahar, Pakistani cities Quetta and Multan and will reach the settlement of Fazilk on border of India and Pakistan.

The pipeline is expected to transport 33 bcm of gas annually. The completion of the construction process and putting all TAPI pipeline into operation is scheduled for late 2019.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
6 June 2016 20:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

A Russian-Kyrgyz intergovernmental agreement on supply of oil and oil products was signed during Russian Prime Ministers official visit to Kyrgyzstan.

The document was inked by Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev and Kyrgyz PM Sooronbay Jeenbekov at the Ala-Archa state residence of Kyrgyzstan on June 6, reported RIA Novosti.

The agreement provides the continuation of the two countries cooperation on hydrocarbon supplies.

Currently, Kyrgyzstan acquires Russian oil and oil products on a duty-free basis.

Document states that each year until 31 December, the competent authorities of two sides agree on the volume and list of Kyrgyzstans domestic demand for oil and oil products for the next year and confirm indicative balance according to this.

By 1 November of the each year, the Kyrgyz side submits information to the Russian Federation on the fulfillment of the indicative balance for 9 months of the ongoing year, as well as, estimates on supply for the formation of the indicative balance of the next year.

In addition, an agreement on cooperation in the social and labor sphere was concluded between the Kyrgyz Ministry of Labor and Social Development and Russian Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in the presence of the heads of governments.

Moreover, the program on cooperation in foreign policy between state agencies of two countries was clinched. Foreign Ministries of Russia and Kyrgyzstan will continue revising bilateral legal base, according to the program.

An issue about Kyrgyz students furthering education in diplomatic universities of Russia was also addressed.

Kyrgyz and Russian governments also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the State Service of Intellectual Property and Innovation under the Government of Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property.

Russia is among top export destinations and top import sources for Kyrgyzstan. Oil and petroleum products compose 51.9 percent of Kyrgyz imports from Russia.

Generally, Kyrgyz economy is highly dependent on Russia and easily affected by the developments in the Russian economy.

---

Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire has secured national recognition for its Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking.

The specialist awarding body, FDQ, awarded the accreditation to the Nottingham school in recognition of the quality and integrity of the course. The award will open up funding opportunities for student loans.

Sheila Russell, director of studies at The School of Artisan Food, said: Weve been running the advanced diploma course for six years and in that time weve had graduates set up their own successful bakeries, artisan food businesses and work within other leading food companies in the UK and worldwide.

Having this official recognition from FDQ gives the diploma even more kudos and endorses the high quality teaching and course content.

diploma students

Advanced diploma students come from a wide range of age groups, backgrounds and ability and are taught by some of the top professionals in the UK, including internationally-recognised baker Wayne Caddy.

Bursary applications are now being taken for the next course, which begins in September 2016.

Last month Nottingham-based baker Butt Foods marked its 25th anniversary with a new brand, called Baked Earth.
The Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce joins others in expressing support for the Tampa Bay Express Project, calling it an economic development opportunity for the entire Tampa Bay region.

Tampa Bay Express Project involves adding express toll lanes to I-4, I-275, I-75 and replacing the Howard Frankland Bridge

Right now, much of the project is in the study phase of development

Its the number one thing that people are talking about when they are trying to move a business, is the transportation. That and education, explained the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce President Cory Skeates. Anytime you can take congestion off of major interstates like I-4 , thats going to help with our distribution and logistics businesses that weve been bringing to the area and it will also encourage new businesses to come here."

The Tampa Bay Express Project is a $3 billion endeavor. That long-term endeavor involves adding express toll lanes to I-4, I-275, I-75 and replacing the Howard Frankland Bridge. Drivers would be given the choice to use the toll lanes to avoid congestion while paying a toll with a SunPass.

I would do it because I would be able to get home to my kids. Spend time with my kids more, said Marianna Rivas, who commutes between Plant City and Tampa daily.

I dont like that because people live paycheck to paycheck. Not everybody is going to be able to afford to take a road that you have to pay on so theyre going to continue to sit in the congestion on the interstate, added Angela Schell, of Lakeland.

Folks living in neighborhoods near the interstate also expressed opposition.



Right now, much of the project is in the study phase of development. For it to move forward, it will need the support of the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which is set to vote on the proposal June 22, during a public hearing. The public hearing will be held in the Board of County Commission Chambers, on the second floor, which is located at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd, in Tampa.

If the MPO votes against adding the project to its Transportation Improvement Plan, the project could lose its funding and the $3billion could be directed toward another part of the state, said Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Kristen Carson.
Puerto Ricans frustrated by the island's economic crisis voted Sunday in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary and local elections.

Frontrunner Hillary Clinton won the primary, bringing her closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's White House nomination.

60 pledged delegates at stake in the Puerto Rico Democratic primary

Clinton has 1,776 pledged delegates; Sanders has 1,501 pledged delegates

Major primary day Tuesday

Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count that factors in superdelegates.



"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" tweeted Clinton. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage on Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman.

As the results from Puerto Rico trickled in, Clinton maintained a steady 2-to-1 lead over Sanders.

While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in the general election, the island's politics could reverberate into the fall campaign. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign. Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, she rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with nearly 68 percent of the vote.

"I'm for Hillary, girl," said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. "I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?"

Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the five states voting on Tuesday. Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd at Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Oakland the country is "getting indifferent to the great toll of gun violence," while Sanders made a series of stops in Los Angeles before an evening rally in San Diego.

"Sorry to disturb your brunch," Sanders said at Hamburger Mary's, taking the microphone during their "drag brunch" as disco lights swirled inside. "I just wanted to say that on Tuesday as you all know there is a very important Democratic primary here in California. And my hope is that everyone will stand up and make clear it is too late for establishment politics."

While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.

Both Sanders and Clinton had pledged to help as the island's government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.

"This is one of the most important political moments for Puerto Rico," said Emanuel Rosado, a 29-year-old Clinton supporter. "I'm taking action as a result of the economic crisis."

Two weeks before the primary, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory's $70 billion debt would make "a terrible situation even worse."

He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island. Campaigning on the island last month, Sanders promised to fight against "vulture funds" on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.

"That bill is anti-democratic and it's not in the best interest of Puerto Rico," said Jorge Gaskins, a 67-year-old farmer who supports Sanders and opposes a control board.

Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the board's powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or "too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer."

Among those voting Sunday was Democratic Party superdelegate Andres Lopez, one of the party insiders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention. He had remained uncommitted, but said Sunday he will support Clinton.

Clinton has 1,807 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,516. When including superdelegates, her lead over Sanders is substantial  2,355 to 1,562.

With Lopez's endorsement, all seven of Puerto Rico's superdelegates have pledged their support for Clinton.

"It is time to focus on squashing 'El Trumpo,'" he said, referring to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

___

Associated Press writer Lisa Lerer in Washington contributed to this report.
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With an upcoming dry week forecast for Southeast Texas, residents affected by flooding might finally find some relief.

But what they will find once the land dries up is the second half of the demoralizing cycle - washed-out vehicles and damage to homes and property.

A cluster of storms from the Gulf of Mexico left more than 30 Texas counties reeling this week, including Hardin, Tyler and Jasper counties north of Beaumont.

By Friday evening, some of the heaviest rainfall was shifting northeast toward Louisiana and Southeast Texas' trademark humidity made its return.

But another round of thunderstorms today and scattered showers Sunday will begin the week, KBMT 12News meteorologist Jeff Gerber said.

Some residents will be left picking up pieces from nearly eight days of constant rainfall, which gorged rivers and creeks surrounding area neighborhoods.

"The loss has been devastating," said Tyler County resident Glenn Kenny. "The people here are hurting."

Kenny lives just north of Wolf Creek Village, where family members evacuated to his home on higher ground.

Wolf Creek Village had been under mandatory evacuation, but the order was lifted earlier this week.

Kenny said this week's flood was different because of how quickly the water moved.

Usually when it rains, residents expect to have seven or eight hours before water comes from Lake Amanda, northeast of Colmesneil.

This time, Lake Amanda breached quickly, spilling into its surrounding communities.

"There was no time," Kenny said. "It was maybe 30 minutes from the time the creek started coming out until (the water) was 3 feet deep and got higher."

On Friday, the Neches River gauge near Barlow Lake Estates, a community with about 80 homes in Woodville, was at 75.6 feet.

Water there, about a mile south of Dam B, went over the banks when the Neches reached 74 feet and was expected to crest at 75.8 feet, Tyler County Emergency Management Coordinator Dale Freeman said.

The U.S. Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam, began opening gates Thursday by one foot every 10 minutes until the lake stopped rising.

The dam was releasing close to 23,000 cubic square feet per second as of Friday.

"We're still holding hope that we can just keep our heads above water," Freeman said. "All we can do is watch and hope this is all of it."

Rainfall in Beaumont led to Magnolia Cemetery officials moving four infant coffins as a precaution.

Tom Broussard, president of the cemetery board, said three of the graves moved overnight between Monday and Tuesday, but they were not exposed or compromised.

Another coffin nearby was then moved along with the other three about 20 feet from their original space, said Broussard, who compared the conditions near the infants' graves to a mudslide.

"This rain is all around us and this is just how it affected the cemetery this time," he said.

Flooding caused road closures throughout Southeast Texas, from Beaumont to Hardin and Liberty counties.

Areas in Hardin County most heavily affected this week include newly developed homes off Wheeler Road in Lumberton, Bevil Oaks and Pinewood Estates farther west toward Sour Lake.

Glenn Hallin left his Wolf Creek Village home May 1 to vacation in northern Minnesota. He's spent the past month fishing about 50 miles away from the Canada border.

His neighbors, now staying with Kenny, informed him this week that his 2000 Buick LeSabre washed up in the flood.

"It was a good car that I got from an old lady who only went to church with it and only had 70,000 miles on it," Hallin said. "They've told me there's no use in coming back because you can't get in there anyway."

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
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A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was living in a transitional housing center has been arrested and charged with murder in the brutal killing of 11-year-old Josue Flores, who was stabbed to death last month while walking home from school in north Houston.

Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., 27, was charged Friday after being questioned by police about the May 17 attack. According to Jackson's Facebook page, he is a 2006 graduate of Port Arthur Memorial High School. He is being held in the Harris County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Officials said Saturday there appears to be no connection between Josue and Jackson.

Police arrested a different man the day following the killing, but he was released two days later after providing a solid alibi.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Saturday that Houston Police Department officials are confident with this arrest and commended the Near Northside residents for their patience and understanding during the investigation.

"We believe we have the person who is responsible for the death of Josue Flores," the mayor said during a morning news conference at HPD headquarters. "From the beginning, the call has been for justice for Josue. ... We cannot bring him back, but I hope today's announcement can perhaps bring a little bit of comfort to those who loved him. I hope it will also ease the fears of the community."

Court records list Jackson's address as 7329 Fannin, which houses the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans.

Jackson was arrested at The Salvation Army, 2407 N. Main, where he had maintained a room since mid-April, according to HPD Homicide Lt. John McGalin.

Police believe Jackson is the man shown running in a surveillance video taken within one minute of the stabbing, a source told the Houston Chronicle. Tips began pouring in on Thursday after HPD released the footage and a still image from the video.

Josue's relatives, who did not attend the news conference, were comforted to learn that the man believed to be the killer had been arrested.

"They are relieved that this person is off the street and thankful that this person is off the street," HPD Homicide Sgt. Tommy Ruland said.

Jackson is the right person and a killer is no longer on the loose, authorities said.

"After hearing the evidence that they've collected over the last couple of weeks, I feel confident that we can secure a conviction in this case. We feel like we have the right guy," Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said.

A murder conviction in Texas carries a penalty of five years to 99 years or life in prison.

Anderson said the charge could be upgraded to capital murder, which carries the death penalty as a punishment, "if there becomes some evidence that capital murder is a more appropriate charge."

McGalin also emphasized that this arrest was solid.

"We conducted an extensive investigation. We have video of him in the area," the lieutenant said. "He provided a statement that corroborated a lot of things that we knew to be true and led us to believe we have the right guy."

Jackson did not provide an alibi and investigators have no motive or reason why the killer attacked Josue.

A knife found Wednesday in a sewer near the crime scene is not believed to be connected to the stabbing. McGalin declined to reveal whether authorities have a murder weapon.

Video footage in various forms helped investigators track the suspect's movements from the murder scene.

"What we basically had to do is go back and track, from the scene of the crime, the path that we believe the suspect took. We had to go to each individual resident and each individual business to see if they had video," McGalin said. "People didn't know what they had until we went and knocked on their door. ... That took a lot of time. We had to build as part of our probable cause."

RELATED: Police release surveillance video of man running near stabbing scene

At 5'11" and 155 pounds, Jackson fits the general description of a tall, slender man provided by witnesses. He also has a goatee as described by witnesses. Video surveillance showed him wearing a distinctive jacket.

"We verified that he had a room at the Salvation Army. We went in and found him and arrested him at the Salvation Army. We conducted a search of his residence. He was taken into custody without incident," McGalin said, adding authorities recovered the jacket and that there was no indication that he had been trying to hide or evade arrest in the last 2 weeks.

The investigation by police and prosecutors continues and there is potential reward money to be distributed.

"We still have a lot of work to be done as far as witness statements. Our DNA stuff still has to be processed. Everything that we collected from the crime scene, everything we collected at the search warrant scene  all of that still has to be processed," McGalin said.

Josue wanted to become a physician. The sixth-grader was walking the seven blocks home from Marshall Middle School on May 17  after staying a little late for a Science Club party  when witnesses said he was accosted by a man who stabbed him repeatedly, then fled on foot.

"It was senseless, it was brutal, it was cold blooded and someone needs to pay the price for it so justice can be rendered," the mayor said on Saturday.

The video released Thursday shows a man running down a street near the shooting, wearing the same type of clothes that witnesses said the killer wore.

On Wednesday, Crime Stoppers of Houston increased the reward in the case to $45,000 for information leading to an arrest.

HPD officials are providing information to help the crime-prevention organization determine how to distribute that reward money.

"It's obviously going to have to go in front of the board of Crime Stoppers to determine who gets paid and who does not get paid," McGalin said. "We will be making recommendations to Crime Stoppers as to what we think should happen and who should be paid."

RELATED: Police recover knife near site where boy was killed

Jackson, who was discharged from the military in 2011, has been arrested twice before in Harris County. Both were misdemeanor offenses.

On March 4, 2016, he was apprehended on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. He reached a plea bargain with prosecutors to admit to the crime. He was sentenced to eight days in the Harris County Jail and given credit for four days served.

Last year, on May 2, 2015, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon  a handgun. He reached another plea bargain and was sentenced to 15 days in the Harris County Jail.

Court records indicate he was born in California.

Worried Near Northside neighbors have expressed concerns that a new light rail line that opened in the area in December 2013 brought homeless people and drug users into the community.

Turner emphasized that Jackson "is the individual who we believe committed the crime" and warned against "generalizing" about potential crime beyond him.

Acting HPD Chief Martha Montalvo said Saturday that her agency is working with law enforcement authorities who overlap in the area to provide more "visibility" and have made arrests. She added that Houston Independent School District police will be providing heightened security at Marshall Middle during summer school.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said she is committed to working with the Northside and agencies like the Salvation Army to find better ways to protect the community.

"This vile act where a child was killed innocently coming home from school should never have happened and should never happen again," she said in a prepared statement. "The Houston community will always come together to insure that our innocent children are not murdered in the streets."
Here are seven updates:

St. Elizabeth Healthcare to testify against Christ Hospital's $24M ASC

Edgewood, Ky.-based St. Elizabeth Healthcare CEO Garren Colvin said the provider is filing a state hearing with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to fight Cincinnati-based Christ Hospital's plan to build a $24 million ambulatory surgery center. With nine ASCs already serving North Kentucky residents, Mr. Colvin said there is no need for an additional center and argues it will only "add to the cost of the healthcare system." Vic Dipilla, Christ Hospital's chief business development officer, said marketplace competition would lower healthcare costs while spurring innovation and enhanced clinical outcomes.

UnitedHealth to leave California ACA exchange; will offer plans in 6 states

Earlier this week, California officials stated UnitedHealth was leaving the state marketplace, leaving 1,200 Californians to find new policies. UnitedHealth Group reported it filed paperwork to offer insurance plans in merely six state Affordable Care Act marketplaces in 2017. In its filing, the company said it plans to offer On-Exchange products in Nevada, New York and Nevada next year. Harken Health, UnitedHealth Group's subsidiary, will sell plans in Florida, Illinois and Georgia on a "limited basis."

Former surgical tech tests HIV positive; compromises 1.5k patients

A former surgical technician who allegedly stole painkiller syringes tested positive for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, putting nearly 1,500 patients who underwent surgery at risk. Officials are concerned Mr. Allen had replaced needles he already used with needles intended for patients undergoing surgery. There are currently no reports of patients becoming infected due to Mr. Allen.

Forbes: Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes now worth nothing, company worth $800M

Forbes revised its estimated net worth of Theranos Founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, to $0 from $4.5 billion, removing her from the No. 1 spot on its list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women." Theranos is facing investigations and lawsuits, with insider information revealing Theranos revenues are less than $100 million. Forbes lowered Theranos' estimated net worth to $800 million from $9 billion.

Patient claims self defense in choking, death of roommate at Mount Sinai in Miami Beach

Police found 55-year-old Alejandro Ortega dead in the bathroom of his room at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Fla., on Saturday. Around the corner from the room is a TV lounge, where police said they found Mr. Ortega's roommate, 23-year-old Andre Brown. When Mr. Brown saw the officers, police said he put his hands behind his back and said, "It was self defense. I had to do it." Police arrested Mr. Brown and charged him with second-degree murder. Police found Mr. Brown had an outstanding warrant on drug charges.

BCBS of Texas requests 60% price hike

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas submitted a filing to federal regulators, seeking increases between 57.3 percent and 59.4 percent for its individual market plans. In 2014, the payer said it lost $416 million, with that figure increasing to $592 million the next year.

Autopsy reveals Prince accidentally overdosed on opioids

An autopsy revealed musician Prince died from an accidental opioid overdose on April 21. The autopsy found Prince died from overdosing on the painkiller, fentanyl. The report notes he administered the drug, himself, but that it is unclear when Prince took the drug.

More healthcare news:

18 statistics on ASC revenue per case for orthopedics

Former surgical tech tests HIV positive; compromises 1.5k patients: 5 key points

4 business principles physicians can integrate into practice
A dispute over a $20 million loan Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System made to Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., continues, as Erlanger has rejected a $1.3 million settlement offer in the case.

In 2011, Erlanger and Hutcheson entered into a management agreement, and Erlanger made the loan to the financially troubled hospital. Catoosa and Walker County officials guaranteed the loan, promising each county would pay Erlanger $10 million if Hutcheson didn't have the funds to repay the loan. Hutcheson Medical Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2014. Without enough cash flow to support itself, the hospital closed Dec. 4. However, after securing a buyer, the facility was able to reopen just three weeks later under a new name.

After the hospital was sold, Erlanger filed a lawsuit claiming Catoosa County officials are cooperating with Erlanger to pay back the money, but Walker County officials are not. To settle the suit, Walker County officials recently offered to pay Erlanger $1.3 million, but Erlanger rejected the deal, according to the Times Free Press.

Erlanger is also involved in pending litigation with Hutcheson board members. In February 2014, Erlanger sued the board for the $20 million. Hutcheson countersued, claiming Erlanger's leaders were responsible for Hutcheson's collapse. In late April, a federal judge granted Erlanger's motion for partial summary judgment, and awarded the system $20 million, plus interest and late fees, according to the report.

Erlanger likely will not be able to collect the full amount awarded by the judge from Hutcheson, since the hospital no longer exists. However, Hutcheson's board, which only meets to oversee the end of this litigation, has been negotiating a settlement with Erlanger.

More articles on healthcare finance:



Tennessee hospital on the brink of closure receives $250k in emergency funding

Novant Health sees operating income jump 115.2%

Pioneer Health issues notice to close hospital after filing for bankruptcy
To prevent steep declines in Medicare payments to Massachusetts hospitals, Partners HealthCare is urging CMS to use corrected data the Boston-based system submitted for 19-bed Nantucket (Mass.) Cottage Hospital.

Under hospital payment rules, Medicare is required to reimburse employee wages at urban hospitals at the baseline set at rural hospitals in the state. Nantucket Cottage Hospital typically sets the floor for wages at hospitals across Massachusetts because it is the only rural hospital in the state. However, that isn't the case this year.

Consultants hired by Partners made several errors in the data Nantucket Cottage Hospital submitted to Medicare. The errors reduced the hourly wage rate by overestimating hours and failing to include enough overtime pay and high-paid physician hours. Due to the mistakes, Massachusetts hospitals could lose a total of $160 million in Medicare funding next year.

Tim Gens, executive vice president and general counsel at the Massachusetts Hospital Association, told The Republican that the potential funding reductions are "dire." Partners' reimbursement would drop by $18 million, while Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health and Burlington, Mass.-based Lahey Health stand to lose $35 million and $25 million, respectively.

Partners submitted the incorrect data to Medicare in September. The system identified the errors in mid- to late March, and sent corrected numbers April 5, almost two months after the deadline for submitting corrections.

Partners spokesman Rich Copp told The Republican that the system is working with the Massachusetts Hospital Association and the entire congressional delegation in an effort to have CMS use the corrected wage data.

In a May 25 meeting hosted by U.S Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the Massachusetts congressional delegation discussed the issue with CMS. State representatives believe the federal government has the authority to use the corrected data. Earlier this year, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) told the Boston Globe that Medicare has allowed other states to amend data after the correction deadline, and he believes it should give Massachusetts the same opportunity.

Although Mr. Gens from the MHA declined to provide The Republican with estimates for numbers of potential job losses, saying there are too many variables to make an accurate prediction, an analysis from the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals estimates the payment reductions could force up to 2,100 layoffs combined at hospitals across the state.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Tennessee hospital on the brink of closure receives $250k in emergency funding

Novant Health sees operating income jump 115.2%

Pioneer Health issues notice to close hospital after filing for bankruptcy
More than 2,800 patients at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque received notification of a data breach after a technical issue with hospital billing systems caused medical information to be mailed to incorrect addresses.

Thirty-three invoice documents were mistakenly mailed to 18 addresses between Dec. 22 and April 2, the hospital reports. In total, 2,827 patient names were compromised.

Potentially exposed information includes patient names, provider names, service dates and a description of medical services. No financial information, health insurance information, treatment information, birth dates, Social Security numbers or medical record numbers were included in the documents, according to the hospital.

"UNMHospital is committed to protecting the privacy and confidential health information of all of our patients, and we take this incident very seriously," said Sarah Morrow, chief privacy officer at the UNM Health Sciences Center, in a statement. "We have thoroughly investigated and identified the technical issues that [led] to the erroneous mailings, and we are monitoring the system to ensure this does not happen again."

More articles on data breaches:

Unhealthy rise in healthcare privacy breaches: 5 tips to stay ahead of patient privacy threats

Vendor misconfiguration breaches Children's National Health System patient data

Florida Medical Clinic notifies 1,000 patient of data breach after Greenway Health mistake
Culture. Productivity. Strategy. Execution. These ideas will never go out of style for hospital and health system leaders.

The following leadership articles were published by Becker's Hospital Review in the last week.

1. 3 ways leaders can let go without giving up control

In an ideal world, each member of an organization can work autonomously and effectively, while still maintaining alignment with the company's overall mission and values. However, achieving this level of independence while still preserving organizational cohesion is challenging for many leaders.

2. 3 smart habits to foster continuous learning

One common trait among successful people is the habit and the desire for continuous learning. They devote real time and energy into learning, reflection, goal-setting and guidance from mentors to ensure continued success, according to Entrepreneur magazine.

3. 5 situations in which saying 'no' is the best tactic

Saying "no" is an important leadership duty, but it is easier in some situations than others. In circumstances in which the right answer is not crystal clear, voicing concerns can be uncomfortable and asking too many questions can feel politically risky.

4. Is CEO pay increasing or decreasing? It depends

Two reports on CEO pay have recently surfaced. One, from The Associated Press, claims compensation among 341 S&P 500 CEOs grew 4.5 percent last year. The other, from The New York Times, found compensation among 200 top CEOs decreased 15 percent between 2014 and 2016.

5. Can 'front-stabbing' cultivate a culture of happiness at work?

A happy workplace is a pleasant workplace, and it is also one in which employees are more productive, engaged and committed to the organization. And while it is generally agreed upon that dissent and criticism are critical factors of change and improvement, some question whether a policy of radical frankness will actually create a happier workforce.

6. From a truck repair garage to the hospital C-suite: 5 CEOs reflect on their first jobs

Graduation season is a time of celebration and excitement, but for many people, it is also a time of trepidation. As newly minted college graduates prepare for their inevitable launch into the surly real world, guidance and words of wisdom from professionals who have demonstrated exceptional career success are extremely valuable.

7. These are the top 7 mistakes CEOs make on Facebook

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James Weinstein, DO, president and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system in Lebanon, N.H., has released a new book that discusses healthcare challenges and how to overcome them, The Portsmouth Herald reports.

The book, "Unraveled, Prescriptions to Repair a Broken Health Care System," was written by Dr. Weinstein and William B. Weeks, MD, PhD.

The book outlines healthcare challenges through various vignettes, stories of real people dealing with their illnesses, the ways their treatment may have been flawed, and Dr. Weinstein's offerings of how it can be improved, according to the report.

Dr. Weinstein said he has multiple views of healthcare, as a successful spine surgeon, as a person in charge of running a major medical center and as a father who lost a child to cancer.

"Seeing this system through the eyes of a parent of a very vulnerable child opened my eyes to so much that I had never seen as a healthcare provider," Dr. Weinstein wrote in the book's introduction, according to the report. "As the treatments began, we realized how much healthcare including healthcare decisions would be out of our control."

Overall, The Portsmouth Herald reports, the book tries to look at the whole patient experience, from the initial appointment through the final billing process.

Dr. Weinstein said the model of healthcare today is not sustainable, and he wants to help create a system that will be sustainable, according to the report.

"We need to look at everything and create a 20- to 30-year plan," Dr. Weinstein said, according to the report. "The system is not going to change overnight but with incremental changes in how we do things, we will create a better healthcare system. If we try to change it all at once, we will fail."

Specifically, he said, having the physician and the patient work together to keep patients in good health will reduce costs, according to the report. He also discusses unnecessary medical tests in the book.

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What happens when a retired banker takes a position as CEO of a financially struggling health system? In Carlos Migoya's case, he completely turns it around.

Before taking the top executive position at Miami-based Jackson Health System, Mr. Migoya was as a banker for more than 35 years and served as Miami's city manager during a time of major financial crisis. When he became CEO in May 2011, he put his nose to the grindstone and took immediate action to improve Jackson, which was expected to lose $400 million in fiscal year 2012. He reduced Jackson's workforce by 1,000 and promised that if the layoffs saved money, he'd donate his hefty bonus to the Jackson Health Foundation  which he ultimately did. In August 2012, Becker's Hospital Review spoke with Mr. Migoya about his background and the decisions he implemented at Jackson.

Five years later, we've checked in with him for an update. Below, he discusses why his bonus went to fund improvements at Jackson Women's Hospital, why every business is a people business and the only type of infection he wants at Jackson.

Question: Which other CEOs do you admire and why?

Carlos Migoya: As far as hospital CEOs, the one I've admired is Frank Sacco, who just retired as CEO of Hollywood, Fla.-based South Broward Hospital District [Memorial Healthcare System]. He's been able to do with public hospitals what we all want to do  make them the hospitals of choice in the region, partially by creating less reliance on taxes and more reliance on patients. He's done that extremely well over the past 20 years, and he deserves his retirement.

Outside the realm of healthcare, I admire a gentleman that just passed away  a senior banker named Bill Allen. Bill was my mentor in many ways, and he was the ultimate people person. He always said that no matter what we're doing, it's all about the people  we work for people and serve people.

Q: In 2013, you donated your $160,000 bonus to the Jackson Health Foundation to renovate Jackson Women's Hospital. Could you talk about your pledge to do so and what the benefits of it have been?

CM: There were two parts to that decision. The first is that there were a lot of questions about my motivation for being CEO. Some were saying I was only doing it for the money. But I was doing it from a calling perspective and making sure the people of south Florida have a successful public hospital and academic center. For that reason, I said I was going to donate my bonus that year.

The second part of my decision was why it was specifically for [renovations to] Jackson Women's Hospital. My son weighed a pound and a quarter when he was born there in 1978. At that time, few babies his size survived. But he did survive, and 38 years later, we still have him. Since that time, I've also donated money to our transplant department because in 1982, my mother donated a kidney to my aunt at Jackson. Even though it's not under my name, it's under the honor of my mother and my aunt.

As far as renovations go, we are not 100 percent done. We still have a few more floors to do, but we've done many of the floors, including half of the maternity floors, which has made a big difference because there has been a risk with the majority of deliveries we've done. The Miami Heat was also a big sponsor in developing one of the floors, and that section of the hospital is called the Miami Heat Floor.

Q: Jackson was struggling financially when you became CEO. But you brought the system into the black and it's still doing well. In fact, according to the Miami Herald, Jackson most recently had the largest budget surplus to date: $62 million. What else have you done or implemented that's helped Jackson record a surplus year after year?

CM: I've been here a little over five years, and what we've been saying is that the first five years were the financial turnaround. We've been able to have successful years back to back in spite of challenges, including a major reduction in federal supplements at a faster pace than much of the country.

We are now in the stage of working on the next five years. We're working on our $1.4 billion capital campaign, and the surpluses generated over the past five years will go toward that. More importantly, we're working on the cultural transformation of Jackson. We're already seeing huge improvements in quality and safety surveys and HCAHPS scores. Even though it's early on, we're seeing indications of what the future will bring. As we gain beautiful new buildings and modernized facilities, we'll also have a patient experience that will be among the top in the country.

Q: Anything else on where you envision Jackson five years down the road?

CM: We want to make sure Jackson has the top facilities and patient care. Ultimately, we want to be regarded as one of the top public and teaching hospitals  and the hospital of choice  for many south Florida residents and people around the country.

Q: What do you consider your greatest talent or skill outside the C-suite?

CM: People talk about my financial acumen and business acumen, but the skill that goes back the farthest is my ability to keep it about people. To me, any business is a people job, and that includes both employees and patients. At Jackson, we have over 11,000 employees. If we get the right focus from the employees, it's a great way to get patient experience where it needs to be. The only infection we want at Jackson is the infection of having the top patient experience anywhere.
As a new law that allows terminally ill patients in California to take medications to end their lives, many physicians are wondering if they would ever actually write such a prescription, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"We have always, up till now, been able to say we will never hasten a death," said Neil Wenger, MD, an internal medicine physician and director of the UCLA Health Ethics Center, according to the report. "Suddenly, that bright line is not so bright."

Dr. Wenger added that the Hippocratic Oath does not only say physicians shouldn't harm patients, but it specifically forbids them from providing the means to kill someone. His stance on the matter is common within the medical community in California. While Dr. Wenger accepts that physician-aided death is now legal, he said he is unlikely to participate himself.

Medical experts predict the practice of prescribing life-ending drugs for terminally ill patients will be a marginalized practice, with few patients requesting such medications and few physicians prescribing them.

"For most of us this may be a once or twice in a lifetime, or in a career, situation," Jay Lee, MD, head of the California Academy of Family Physicians, told the Los Angeles Times.

When the End of Life Option Act officially becomes law Thursday, California will be the fifth state in the U.S. to allow physicians to furnish end-of-life drugs for patients with less than six months to live, according to the report.
A Brooklyn, New York-based emergency room physician is taking a stand against gun violence in America's cities.

Robert Gore, MD, launched an initiative in New York in 2011 called Kings Against Violence, NewsOne reported. Through this initiative, Dr. Gore is working with at-risk youth to give them alternatives to acting out violently. Kings Against Violence hosts workshops and activities in schools, hospitals and other community centers, according to the report.

The workshops focus on topics like crisis management, identity exploration, critical thinking, mediation and conflict resolution, according to the report.

"When you see things over and over again, there are a couple of things that can happen  one you can become numb to the situation, or you can see what else is there  there has to be a different way," Dr. Gore told NewsOne.

Check out the full interview here.

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Barbara Sadler, the 63-year-old owner of Extraordinary Care Network, a Baton Rouge, La.-area attendant care services company, has been sentenced to 44 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud the Louisiana Medicaid program of more than $1 million, according to the Department of Justice.

The company's CFO Sedric C. Blakes, 42, has been ordered to spend three years behind bars for his role in the scheme.

Ms. Sadler admitted that her and others submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid, which falsely represented that one-on-one services had been provided by ECN. Mr. Blakes admitted that he would fabricate progress notes and forge signatures of other employees in support of the false claims, according to the DOJ.

In addition to their prison terms, Mr. Blakes and Ms. Sadler were ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

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Finnebrogues chairman Denis Lynn and First Minister Arlene Foster officially open the new Finnebrogue processing facility in Downpatrick by cutting a ribbon of sausages

Meat producer Finnebrogue in Co Down has opened a new 25m processing facility to bring more automation to its processes.

The company, based at Downpatrick, invited First Minister Arlene Foster to unveil the new operation.

It's benefited from funding from Invest NI in recent years to support job creation and marketing, as well as a capital grant towards the new premises.

Finnebrogue, which employs 245 people, was first known for its venison products but started making pork, lamb and beef sausages, and is now the second largest sausage producer in the UK.

Company founder and chairman Denis Lynn said: "It was always my plan within the new build to automate wherever possible, to remove people from mundane tasks so we could invest heavily in people in roles that truly make a difference to the product quality to support our phenomenal growth."

The new development also includes a cafe, a food development centre and a 'creative kitchen'.

First Minister Arlene Foster said: "I am delighted to be here today to endorse Finnebrogue Artisan's well-deserved and long-standing reputation for quality and innovation. Their dedication to excellence has ensured that they are now a very highly respected major player in the UK food industry."

Ms Foster added: "This new 25m state-of-the-art facility will give Finnebrogue additional capacity to build upon its success in terms of new product development and sales outside Northern Ireland."
New Dutch Tubs along The River Maine at Galgorm Resort & Spas Thermal Village.

Paul Smyth and Lauren McAteer and Brendan Dowdall from First Trust Bank with the award for best hotel from the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards 2016.

Galgorm won the prestigious Hotel of the Year award at the recent Northern Ireland Tourism Awards 2016.

The very cream of Northern Ireland's hospitality sector attended the glittering gala ceremony at St Columbs Hall Derry Londonderry with Tourism NI Chairman Terence Brannigan in attendance, presenting 14 different categories including two special awards.

Galgorm resort is set within 163 acres of lush parkland near Northern Ireland's most renowned scenic attractions and just 30 minutes from Belfast is also celebrating its 25th anniversary year.

Staff and management were delighted to take home the Hotel of the Year award, especially given the stiff competition.

General Manager of Galgorm Colin Johnston said: "We are extremely honoured to win Hotel of the Year.

"It is down to the hard work and dedication of our team that we have won this award. It is great to be congratulated as one of our industrys finest and we strive to continue this success.

"Wed also like to thank our loyal customers for making this happen, it is especially poignant to win this award as 2016 is our 25th anniversary year and a cause for real celebration of all weve achieved over the last 25 years.

"Galgorm Resort and Spa's commitment to providing an unrivalled customer experience and to enhancing the tourism infrastructure in Northern Ireland continues to be paramount."

Tourism NI Chairman, Terence Brannigan, added: "Theres no doubt these awards are the biggest night of the tourism industry calendar and both the award winners and this city have done Northern Ireland proud.

"I am confident that the best practice, the innovation and the creativity demonstrated tonight will underpin Tourism NI's efforts to help move the industry on and indeed strengthen the local economy."

Galgorm launched its new thermal spa village to huge success last year. Located on the banks of the River Maine, guests enjoy the serenity of the natural landscape and experience relaxation with an extensive selection of water-based treatments and facilities including riverside hot tubs, indoor and outdoor heated pools, steam rooms and Celtic sauna and the unique snow cabin.
The firm is looking to expand into glamping lodges and caravans

The UK's biggest holiday park firm has seen bookings race ahead after it extended its holiday season by investing in more glamping lodges and caravans.

Parkdean Resorts said moves to upgrade its sites with better restaurants and indoor facilities had also helped bookings to step up 11% in 2016.

It said the boost was partly driven by people ditching a lengthy summer holiday in favour of taking shorter breaks more often, stretching the holiday season into the Spring.

But the wider industry trend suggests travellers are also opting for "safer" holiday destinations at home or in the Mediterranean following a spate of terror attacks overseas.

Parkdean Resorts was created last September following a 960 million merger between Parkdean and Park Resorts, creating a business with 72 holiday parks and 35,600 pitches.

Chief executive John Waterworth said the firm invested 36 million in 2015 and would drive 40 million into the business this year.

"Capital investment in new facilities, refurbishment and park enhancement and expansion is reaping reward, as is investment in our people and extending the holiday season.

"In 2015 we sold almost half a million holidays, demonstrating that our marketplace is growing. The scale of the merger has brought national sales capability for the first time and merger synergies will flow through in the current year and beyond. 2016 has begun strongly."

He said the company was keen to keep expanding through acquisition, but had no deals in the pipeline.

He added: "There are about 4,000 holiday parks in the UK, and some of these are quite small, but we would be looking for parks with more than 150 pitches."

Despite the "strong start" to the year, the firm is understood to be no closer to selling or floating the business, despite speculation that its private equity backers might be eyeing the exit door.

Industry sources said the company was talking to advisers, but had not appointed anyone to start the process of selling the firm or launching a stock market floatation.

The company, which is part owned by Alchemy Partners and Electra Private Equity , said its combined pro-forma revenues for last year reached 400.7 million, up 8% from 370.7 million in 2014.

Underlying earnings also rose to 106.6 million in 2015, up 15.7% from 92.1 million the year before.

It said holiday sales, caravan and lodge sales, spending on its sites and owner income all recorded growth last year.

Holiday hire revenues also climbed 11.5% in 2015. The group sold 492,000 holidays and had two million customers.

The firm's current investment drive will help bolster its retail facilities, add 240 holiday home pitches and bring 400 replacement and upgraded caravans and lodges to its sites.

It said it will also look to capitalise on the extended holiday season by buying more double glazed centrally heated caravans and lodges.
HSBC has pressed ahead with a restructure of its global banking division to make it "more agile" and save tens of millions of dollars in costs.

The banking giant told staff in a memo on Monday that it would bring together its sector bankers and its product bankers into one area of the business.

The shake-up will lead to the creation of the Corporate, Financials and Multinationals Banking group.

The bank announced at the end of February that it would merge capital financing and banking to create a single global banking division.

The restructure is reported to contribute tens of millions of dollars to a 1.1 billion dollars (762 million) global savings programme in the global banking and markets business.

It is understood the move may also lead to a few dozen job losses.

The memo stated: "Our new structure will deliver the best outcome for our clients by bringing our country, sector and product teams closer together - and improve returns for our shareholders by improving our profitability and generating efficiencies."

Europe's biggest bank announced in June last year that it would cut between 22,000 and 25,000 jobs globally including a reported 8,000 in the UK as part of an overhaul to slash costs and reshape the business.

It came as the bank sought to deliver annual cost savings of around 4.5 billion US dollars (2.9 billion) to five billion US dollars (3.3 billion) by the end of 2017.

In May, HSBC posted a sharp drop in profits for the first three months of the year after it was hit by ''extreme levels of volatility'' in financial markets in January and February.

The banking giant reported an 18% fall in underlying pre-tax profits to 5.43 billion US dollars (3.7 billion) for the first quarter.

On a bottom-line basis, profits fell 14% to 6.11 billion US dollars (4.2 billion).

The bank said it was a ''resilient'' performance in difficult market conditions, with the entire investment banking sector suffering after stock markets tumbled at the start of 2016 amid an oil price rout.
Recruitment company Cpl has opened a new office in Belfast after taking on 10 new consultants.

Chief executive Aine Brolly said the business had grown over the last year, leading to the creation of 10 new jobs.

It now employs 30 people in total in Northern Ireland. It's also established Ardlinn, a new international executive search company.

"This is a significant day for Cpl as it not only reflects our ambition, growth and commitment to the local marketplace but it is also an indication of the considerable opportunities that we believe exists within the Northern Ireland economy."

The new offices are at Royal Buildings in Arthur Street.

Co-founder Anne Hearty said: "Cpl is a growing company and in Northern Ireland Aine and the team have worked hard to oversee our recruitment, talent and outsourcing needs as well as our brand development."
Financial experts believe a "perfect storm" of currency shifts and tax changes could lead to an influx of Republic-registered cars into shopping centre car parks from Londonderry to Newry again as bargain hunters bid to get more for their euros

Predictions of a surge of shoppers from the South crossing the border into Northern Ireland have been welcomed as prices continue to fall here.

Financial experts believe a "perfect storm" of currency shifts and tax changes could lead to an influx of Republic-registered cars into shopping centre car parks from Londonderry to Newry again as bargain hunters bid to get more for their euros.

A new price survey from Irish Revenue and Customs chiefs indicates the cost of alcohol and tobacco has climbed in the South over the past year, while the price of identical products in Northern Ireland has fallen.

The official survey priced 15 products - including beers, wines, spirits, motor and home heating fuels - in both jurisdictions and found they were all cheaper north of the border compared with 12 months previously.

All but one of the 11 alcohol and tobacco items surveyed in the Republic had increased over the same period. The cost of petrol, diesel and home heating fuel had declined significantly on both sides of the border following the collapse of oil prices on international markets.

Over the past year the price of a bottle of vodka in Dublin was unchanged at 20 (15.66), while in Newry it fell from 13.48 to 13.03.

The only change in excise or duty over the past year was a 50% increase on a pack of 20 cigarettes in the Republic, so the price changes identified are largely attributable to fluctuations in the euro and sterling exchange rate.

Last night Gillian Fitzpatrick, the SDLP chairwoman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, welcomed the potential for an influx of shoppers from the South - but said there was no strong evidence of it happening yet.

She said: "We do have a regular amount of southern vehicles but the car parks have not been full to the brim, there has been no queueing into them.

"I have not seen a massive increase, but we would be absolutely delighted if that turns out to be the case. It would be fantastic - but they should be coming here because we offer so much."

However, there was worry across the border.

The Irish Times reported Thomas Burke of Retail Ireland as saying: "It is always a concern to see the price gap widening. What we would be concerned about is a perfect storm which would see price gaps widen because of currency shifts and tax changes."

Mr Burke said there had been no indications from retailers suggesting people had started travelling North in big numbers, but he expressed concern that shoppers would start to think there "are greater bargains to be had in Northern Ireland".

The research revealed that most alcohol products as well as home heating fuels were cheaper in Northern Ireland, while tobacco and motor fuels cost less in the Republic.

It also showed that prices for goods in which Northern Ireland already had an advantage over the Republic had dropped even more in the past year.

In addition, the gap in prices between the jurisdictions where the Republic held the advantage, such as cigarettes and auto diesel, had narrowed.
Senior business people from the US state of Georgia are investigating trade links with Northern Ireland during a visit here this week, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

And prominent Northern Ireland businessman Ronnie Foreman is leading the five visitors from Berrien County on their tour of the country.

They'll be visiting key companies with a view to developing trade links with Georgia, one of the US's fastest-growing States.

The visitors include Ed Perry, the owner of Horse Creek Winery in Nashville, Georgia, as well as director of Berrien County economic development authority, Chrissy Staley, and Nick Lacey, chairman of the authority.

They're joined by Commissioner Robert Griner, president of Citizens Bank, and Norman Lovein III, chair of Berrien County Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Foreman, who operates Foreman Consultants in Crawfordsburn, Co Down, with business partner Gary Jamison, said Georgia's economy was strong and the potential existed to do business with Northern Ireland.

"Its state capital of Atlanta has been growing at an enormous rate, attracting businesses from all over the world.

"It has also become stronger in automobiles, like many of the southern states. It's a major producer of cotton and nuts like pecan and peanuts, as well as major timber products.

"It's also the home of Chaparal, which is the world's biggest maker of leisure boats."

Mr Foreman ran an electrical products company, Alpha Controls, which he sold to an American business.

He then developed a specialism of helping companies develop their business on the other side of the Atlantic.

That has included helping US firms establish operations in Northern Ireland, and vice versa.

Among those he's helped set up here are Fortune 500 companies, including an operator in the insurance industry. "I've also served on the boards of many of these companies and I've usually remained chairman for eight or 10 years, always during their growth phase."

In recent years, he's led four business delegations into the US, and helped a major American construction firm to set up in the Republic.

His links with Georgia go back to around 1981, when he met Nick Lacey, who was then serving in the US Air Force.

"He eventually became the president of the economic development authority for Berrien County, and asked me for ideas about economic development of their part of the world," said Mr Foreman. "We've developed an action plan for their county with a number of elements, including the idea of looking overseas to find partner companies. We'd hope that they might find some partner companies or a place to sell or set up their enterprise."

The group's itinerary for much of the week is kept under wraps due to commercial sensitivity but they will start today with a briefing on doing business in Northern Ireland.

"They'll then meet all sorts of companies who manufacture and who are interested in setting up out there," added Mr Foreman.

"Similarly, some of the Northern Ireland companies they'll be visiting are very, very eager to perhaps look at joint venture companies to take Northern Irish products into America."

Mr Foreman is also chairman of Actavo in Northern Ireland - formerly Siteserv - which carries out broadband installations in private homes. He also served as a Belfast Harbour Commissioner from 2005 to 2012.
Christian fundamentalist schools are teaching children creationism is fact, that gay people are unnatural and that girls must submit to men, according to a series of claims.

Former pupils and whistle-blowers have told The Independent that the schools, which originated in the US but are now dotted around the UK and registered as independent or private schools, teach children at isolated desks separated by dividers from other students. It is thought more than a thousand children are being taught at dozens of schools, although little is known about them.

No one outside the schools knows about what happens inside them, thats why theyve been able to go on like this for so long," a former pupil said.

More than a decade after leaving, she says she is now horrified at the education she received.

Called Accelerated Christian Education schools (ACE), the schools originate from an education system developed in southern Baptist states in the US which has developed off-shoots around the world including in Britain. Between 20 and 60 pupils aged between four and 18 attend each one.

The Independent can reveal a number of serious concerns have been raised about the schools, including allegations that children are given no formal educational qualifications beyond "Christian certificates", thereby failing to equip them for opportunities and employment beyond the Church.

Former pupils claim a key aspect of the schools ethos comes from a belief in individualistic self-salvation, whereby people must actively accept God's salvation to enter heaven.

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By extension, it is believed that children must teach themselves in order to get closer to God. Children are therefore expected to spend the first half of each school day teaching themselves by reading textbooks in silence, while facing the classroom walls in specially designed booths, which mean they cannot see children around them or interact with them. In the second half of the school day, children are taught in groups.

Dr Matthew Pocock, who attended an ACE school in Witney, Oxfordshire, as a child, told The Independent: We sat at our desks which were arranged around the outside of the room, with boards that slid in called dividers that sectioned us off from the pupil either side. We were not allowed to talk or interact with each other.

To interact with staff, we had two flags. We would raise one flag for run-of-the-mill queries like asking for help with a question or a toilet break, and other one to signal that we were ready to take a test or needed input from the class teacher. If we put our flags up too often we would be told off.

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Photos inside the schools are rare but one former pupil showed The Independent photos of classroom booths in a Canadian school in the 1980s that are reportedly the same kind used in the UK schools still today.

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Former pupils say this self-teaching format resulted in poor education standards, with pupils who have learning difficulties such as dyslexia often particularly struggling. A number said they felt socially isolated by the segregated booths and failed to develop social skills by interacting with peers.

One former pupil said: By the time I left the school, I hadnt really learnt anything that was of any relevance. I was taught facts and figures from reading the books, but there was no social learning in terms of interaction.

The textbooks used by the schools have also been criticised for providing allegedly inappropriate material. A number of textbooks seen by The Independent and which are reportedly used in schools appear to include worrying content about gay people, womens rights and also appear to teach creationism as fact.

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One textbook says: Homosexual, adjective: having unnatural sexual feelings towards one of the same sex Homosexual activity is another of mans corruptions of Gods plan.

The Bible records that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexual activity. Some people mistakenly believe that an individual is born a homosexual and his attraction to those of the same sex is normal.

Textbooks say of the role of women and girls and society: God has given both the husband and the wife certain areas of responsibility in the home. The husband is to be the leader of the home, loving his wife even as Christ loved the church The wife is to obey, respect and submit to the leadership of her husband, serving as a helper to him She is available all times day or night.

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A section titled Testimony of a Homemaker in one textbook reads: God desires for me to submit to my husband, train up my children, see that my house is properly supplied, pray without ceasing, teach other women to love their husbands and children, and be discreet, pure and a keeper of my home.

Former pupil Cheryl Povey who attended an ACE school in Bath, said: I came across a lot of sexism. I remember as a girl finding it quite shocking. We were taught that if youre a woman, you should be subservient to men; your husband, your pastor and other male figures.

There was a strong culture of men being revered and women being dangerously sexual and having to cover up. It made me self-conscious of being a woman.

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Dr Pocock said attitudes towards women and ethnic minorities in the ACE curriculum also worried him. He said: It taught me men were superior to, and should be in charge of, weak women, that the various different ethnic and social groups were ordained by God to have different roles and positions.

Another textbook warns that anyone who has sex outside marriage "will someday face God's judgement".

Other textbooks seen by The Independent, and which the former pupils claim were widely used as part of the curriculum during their time at ACE schools, appear to state creationism as fact and describe evolution as absurd.

One biology textbook states: Although mans characteristics are unique, evolutionists still insist that man descended from apes. Even from a strictly scientific standpoint, the theory of evolution is absurd.

From as little as a tooth, evolutionists have fabricated entire groups of transitional fossils that bridge the gap between men and apes!.. Evolutionists, who refuse to believe the simple truth of Gods divine Creation, will continue to struggle and search in vain for answers to the question of mans origin unless they turn to Gods Word, the Bible.

Another textbook states as scientific fact that the sun is six thousand years old and the world was created in six days.

Former pupil Peter* (name changed to protect identity) said: A huge amount of time and effort was given over to arguing against evolution and for creation, its a fundamental building block of the curriculum. The curriculum is stuck in the past like the rest of the fundamentalist southern Baptist churches it was born out of.

Another concern raised about the schools is that the children are allegedly not entered for formal education qualifications such as GCSEs or A-levels.

Former pupils say they are instead taught towards an ICCE- an International Certificate of Christian Education. The ICCE is not an officially recognised qualification meaning those who hold it can struggle to find employment or to be accepted into higher education such as university. Former pupilssay this disadvantages children and deprives them of opportunities later, unless they retrain as adults to gain additional, mainstream qualifications as well as the ICCE.

Jonny Scaramanga is a writer and campaigner who has extensively researched the ACE school system. He is a former pupil of an ACE school in England and recently completed a PHD thesis about ACE at the UCL Institute of Education, which included analysis of the ACE textbooks illustrated throughout this article.

He told The Independent: I have read numerous Ofsted reports in the course of my research, and the issues most commonly raised by former ACE students are almost never mentioned, let alone satisfactorily addressed. In allowing ACE schools' failings to go unchecked for decades, the government has failed in its duty of care to students in ACE schools. In future, inspectors should be specially briefed on the issues frequently found in ACE schools.

He added that he is concerned by the 'Christian certificates' children sit instead of official qualifications, telling The Independent: Since 2014, the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld three complaints against ACE schools for exaggerating the acceptability of the certificates [International Certificate of Christian Education] they offer.

"I have met numerous former ACE students who have had to return to college as adults to gain qualifications that they would have earned as a matter of course in mainstream schools. All English secondary schools should be required by law to prepare and enter students for qualifications recognised by Ofqual, the exam watchdog.

When The Independent contacted forty UK universities to ask whether they have or would accept pupils on the basis of ICCE awards, none of them said they officially accept the qualification other than in exceptional circumstances or if a student had other additional qualifications such as GCSEs or A levels to support their application.

Despite this, the qualification is listed in UCAS' online publication 'UK qualifications for entry to university or college in 2015' and given the following description: ICCE Advanced Certificate is accepted by many universities for undergraduate entry. A UK NAIRC assessment in 2011 carried out in both school and homeschool environments stated that the General Certificate can be considered comparable to Cambridge International Examinations O levels and the Advanced Certificate can be considered comparable to the CIE A level.

When asked why the qualification was included in the publication despite not being recognised by Ofqual and universities denying they accept it, a spokesperson for UCAS said the publication was not intended to give approval to any qualifications it included. They added that the description in UCAS' brochure had not been written by UCAS staff but by ICCE staff.

Although state schools in the UK must follow a standardised curriculum, the same regulation does not apply to private schools, which ACE schools are registered as. When contacted by The Independent, Christian Education Europe, which runs ACE schools in the UK, would not confirm or deny if the textbooks illustrated here are used or respond to allegations from former pupils about the content of the curriculum they say they received. A spokesperson says the schools meet all Department for Education guidelines and their curriculum is broad, fair and balanced.

In response to the issues raised, a Christian Education Europe spokesperson said: All the schools we serve are inspected by the government inspectorate, Ofsted, and we prepare them to meet the criteria laid down by the Common Inspection Framework. It is a Government requirement that all schools have a child protection policy and designated child protection or safeguarding officer, staff DBS checks and receive child protection training. We satisfy these arrangements and many more besides.

All the schools provide Citizenship on the timetable and we embrace British values as part of the school culture. Life with students is experienced beyond the textbook and carried into an understanding that is suitable for modern day Britain.

They also referred The Independent to a document on their website regarding sex and relationship education which states: Our Sex and Relationship Education concerns lifelong learning of physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care.

"It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality, and sexual health. We will not promote sexual orientation or sexual activity, as this would be inappropriate teaching. Whilst we understand that the Government has redefined marriage, we will actively promote exclusive heterosexual marriage and celibate singleness as Gods gift and design; and as such the best way toward human happiness and fulfilment, but will discourage intolerance.

A spokesperson for Ofsted said: The Department for Education is the registration authority for all independent schools. It has laid down a set of standards that independent schools, including faith schools, are required to meet. Ofsted inspects these schools against these standards, at the request of the DfE. Schools must comply with the standards in order to continue as a registered independent school.

Independent schools are not required to follow the national curriculum, but they are required to teach a curriculum that encourages respect for other people.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: All schools must promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for different faiths and beliefs. This is a vital part of providing educational excellence everywhere. They must also encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Equality Act.

ACE schools, like all other independent schools, are inspected against the new, tougher Independent School Standards, and where there are concerns a school is failing to meet these standards we will not hesitate to take action.

Independent
Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Belfast , UK - June 05, Pictured is The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

The Chancellor George Osborne at the Belfast Harbour as he meets with local campaigners as he warns of Impact on leaving the EU for Northern Ireland on June 05 2016 in Belfast , Northern Ireland ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye)

Chancellor George Osborne meets workers during a visit to Warrenpoint Harbour in Co Down, where he warned that Brexit would trigger a "profound economic shock" in Northern Ireland and result in an inevitable hardening of the Irish border. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Chancellor George Osborne has warned of a return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the event of a Brexit, while Northern Ireland's biggest trade union has confirmed it is backing a leave vote.

And Mr Osborne also warned that farmers would be among the worst hit if the UK left the EU, and it's unlikely Westminster would be able to match the billions Northern Ireland receives in subsidies from Europe.

"Close to 90% of farming incomes here come from EU support payments," he said.

"What would happen if we left? The whole country would have less money.

"A Chancellor of the Exchequer would have to make choices. The Budget shrinking, and where are the cuts going to be felt.

"I can't see why farming would be excluded from those cuts."

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Speaking to media during a sunny tour of the busy Warrenpoint Harbour in Co Down, he also reinforced his warnings of a return to a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the event of a Brexit.

"I'm here at Warrenpoint and it's a very practical demonstration of the fact that Northern Ireland has the only land border with an EU country.

"If we were to quit the EU then jobs would be lost...I think Northern Ireland would be particularly hard hit. You would have a hardening of the border.

"You only have to listen to the businesses at the port here telling us that jobs would be lost and their futures would be uncertain.

"We've come a long from the mess the country was in seven or eight years ago. We don't want to go back to square one."

"If we quit the EU, this is going to be the border with the EU.

"There would have to be a hardening of the border imposed by the British Government or indeed by the Irish Government and that would have an impact on business."

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Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's biggest trade union NIPSA has confirmed it is backing a leave vote.

Patrick Mulholland from the union told the BBC's Stephen Nolan Show: "We had a full and healthy discussion and came to the decision we would back a 'left exit' from Europe.

"We in no way stand on the same ground with the leave campaign which frankly has been jingoistic, racist and full of misinformation and fear - it is no different from the remain campaign.

"Both are led by Tory ministers who want the same thing. Either a Tory government in or out of Europe.

"We are talking about something entirely different."

He continued: "We want to do is develop a real discussion among ordinary people on the facts of the case and really discuss the economic alternative is for this country.

"There are a number of factors for our decision.

"The EU is a union of austerity and for big business and bosses and that doesn't work for us. It has a proven track record for imposing austerity.

"Not for one second are we suggesting that there is Tory paradise in the European Union and that things on the outside will be much better under a Tory government on the outside.

"We want out of the EU and use the opportunity to change the economy in Britain that we all live under."
The 34-year-old life prisoner's campaign to clear his name has received the support of former First Minister Peter Robinson.

A man jailed for the murder of a hospital porter bludgeoned to death in an east Belfast flat has launched a legal bid to have his appeal against conviction reopened.

Mark Kincaid is to seek exceptional leave for a fresh hearing as he bids to overturn a guilty verdict returned against him for killing David Hamilton in 2004.

The 34-year-old life prisoner's campaign to clear his name has received the support of former First Minister Peter Robinson.

Kincaid is set to argue that flawed trial directions on the issue of joint enterprise renders his conviction unsafe. His lawyers are set to focus on a landmark Supreme Court verdict that the law which allowed people to be convicted of murder even if they did not inflict the fatal blow has been wrongly applied for more than 30 years.

Mr Hamilton, 44, was battered about the head with blunt objects at his flat in the Ballybeen estate. He lay dying for hours following what the trial judge described as "an exceptionally brutal and prolonged attack".

No motive for the killing was ever established. Kincaid was one of three men found guilty of the murder, and ordered to serve at least 16 years in prison.

He has continued to protest his innocence, despite a fingerprint on piece of broken glass linking him to the scene. During the trial he admitted being at the victim's flat and having lied to police about his presence.

He claimed to have panicked and tried to distance himself from the scene. In 2009 the Court of Appeal rejected his first bid to have the murder conviction quashed.

But some continue to believe the guilty verdict is unsafe. Last year, Mr Robinson wrote to Kincaid pledging his support and saying he believes the prisoner is innocent. Now lawyers will seek to persuade senior judges that the case should be re-examined. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan has agreed to list the application for a further hearing in September.

Outside court Kincaid's lawyer, Gerard McNamara of KRW Law, confirmed the focus will be on the Supreme Court ruling on the issue of jointenterprise. He stressed that the conviction had been based on adverse inferences drawn from a single strand of disputed evidence.

Mr McNamara said: "The issues identified in this application raise real concerns about this conviction, and it is felt that the conviction is undermined by a full appraisal of it and in particular the joint enterprise basis."
Her coffin was carried by members of the Pride of Shankill FB

The street is packed with family, friends and nursing colleagues for the funeral of 25-year-old Vikki McKeown

Hundreds of mourners paid their respects at the funeral of a Belfast bride-to-be whose life was tragically cut short by a brain tumour.

Vikki McKeown, just 25, was engaged to be married to fiance James Wright.

But she died last Tuesday, just weeks after receiving her diagnosis.

A funeral service was held in Ballysillan on Saturday before a piper led her to her final resting place at Carnmoney Cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Her uncle Dougie McKeown spoke at the funeral service at Vikki's home in Carrs Glen Park, and afterwards members of the Pride of Shankill Flute Band, which she had belonged to, helped carry her coffin.

Ms McKeown is survived by her bus driver father Gary, mum Sharon, sister Reah and fiance.

Just days before Vikki passed away the Shankill band gave an impromptu performance outside her home in a bid to lift her spirits.

And they played a key role at her funeral.

On Saturday the band said on Facebook: "Such a great turnout today for our Vikki, great respect shown.

"Some band members attended in full uniform, with our wreaths.

"It's not goodbye, just goodnight. Until we meet again."

Vikki, a final year occupational therapy student, was planning her wedding to James when she began suffering from what GPs thought were panic attacks.

But following a seizure in April she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and had surgery less than a week later.

Her family was told that if Vikki had waited another 24 hours before the procedure she would have likely died.

The family raised thousands of pounds for an alkaline water pump to try and slow the growth of cancer cells in her body.

In a post on her fundraising page, Reah had described her younger sibling as a "good and caring person". "When told by doctors that it was a grade four (the worst), that it would come back and that she would have to go through a lot of treatment, her question to them was: 'Will I ever be able to give blood again?'" Reah wrote.

"They told her they didn't think so, and also (she needed) to be slightly selfish and that she needed her own blood at the minute.

"To me that was the most selfless question, still caring about others.

"But from a child Vikki has always been like that - a strong and caring person.

"She holds us together."

Donations in lieu of flowers at Vikki's funeral were to Brainwaves NI.

It is a charity that is dedicated to providing support and information to all those affected by brain tumours - patients, their families, friends and carers.
Veteran loyalist Winston 'Winkie' Rea has been charged with the sectarian murders of two Catholic men in Belfast over 25 years ago.

The 65-year-old is due to appear at Laganside Magistrates Court today charged with a number of offences including two counts of murder.

The charges relate to the murders of John Benedict Devine (37) in Fallswater Street, west Belfast, on July 23, 1989, and John Joseph Gerard O'Hara (41) at Dunluce Avenue, south Belfast, on April 17, 1991.

Rea was arrested in Belfast on Tuesday.

Police re-opened investigations last year into the two sectarian murders in Belfast during the 1980s and 1990s.

Mr Devine was shot dead in front of his 13-year-old at his home.

Gunmen, who forced their way into his property, escaped in a blue Vauxhall Cavalier taxi.

John Joseph Gerard O'Hara was shot at Dunluce Avenue in south Belfast on April 17, 1991.

The 41-year-old was working as a temporary taxi driver and had gone to collect a passenger when he was targeted by two masked men. They fled on foot.

A PSNI spokesman said last week: "Detectives from Legacy Investigation Branch have arrested a 65-year-old man in relation to two murders and other serious crimes in Belfast in the late '80s and early '90s.

"The man was arrested in Belfast this afternoon and is currently helping police with their enquiries."

Detective Inspector Neil McGuinness said last September: "Both these men were innocent Catholics who were murdered for no other reason than their religion."
Police appealed for witnesses after a shooting incident in Cookstown

A 35-year-old man is in a stable condition in hospital after being shot in both legs in Cookstown.

Two men wearing balaclavas and camouflage jackets entered a house in Drumcree at about 5.40pm on Sunday.

The intruders, one of whom was armed with a handgun, threatened the occupants before shooting the man once in the leg.

A woman in her 30s and another man, also in his 30s, were not injured.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Detective Inspector Will Tate said: "Incredibly, this incident occurred in a busy residential area during daylight hours.

"We believe those responsible may well have been spotted by local people both as they approached the property and as they made their escape from the area on foot."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101.
Seapark, Holywood, Co Down. Temperatures have hit the glorious 20s in Northern Ireland. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye 

Seapark, Holywood, Co Down. Temperatures have hit the glorious 20s in Northern Ireland. Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye

Seapark, Holywood, Co Down. Temperatures have hit the glorious 20s in Northern Ireland. Picture: Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye

Seapark, Holywood, Co Down. Temperatures have hit the glorious 20s in Northern Ireland. Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye

Belfast Telegraph 01-05-2017 In the sunshine at the Waterworks North Belfast. Aisling Denny Siberian huskies Nanook, nando and shadow. Picture Colm O'Reilly 01-05-2017

Belfast Telegraph 01-05-2017 In the sunshine at the Waterworks North Belfast. Leah, Rebecca and Hannah McMurray. Picture Colm O'Reilly 01-05-2017

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan William Crawshaw and Becky Holdich from Leeds visiting Belfast for the weekend enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern Irelands premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine is Eden John Robinson from Antrim. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern Irelands premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine are P5s Philip and James with Mr Thompson from Kilbroney IPS. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern IrelandOs premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine is Alice Smyth from Ballymena. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern IrelandOs premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine is Finlay Smyth from Ballymena. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern IrelandOs premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine is Finlay Smyth from Ballymena. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

5 May 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye. The glorious May weather continues today (Fri 5th May) as the gates open to Northern IrelandOs premier gardening event - Allianz Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. Promising a fabulous Festival of Flowers, Food and Fun, the three day Show is set to welcome a bumper crowd to the stunning Antrim setting over the weekend. Enjoying the sunshine is Alice Smyth from Ballymena. The Allianz Garden Show Ireland will run from 5th - 7th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking in town centre car parks and at The Junction with a shuttle bus running. Adults tickets cost 10 (concession 8), the event is FREE for children under 16 and there is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan (L-R) Sarah McGarry from Belfast and Catherine laverty from Birmingham enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan William Crawshaw and Becky Holdich from Leeds visiting Belfast for the weekend enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan Tom Clarke from Wexford enjoys the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan Tom Clarke from Wexford enjoys the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan Clare Miller, Sion Mills, Emma Arkinson, Killyclougher Roisin Campbell, Dungannon and Cathy O'Neill Dungannon, enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Helen's Bay Beach in Co Down , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Helen's Bay Beach in Co Down , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Belfast City Hall , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Belfast City Hall , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Belfast City Hall , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Helen's Bay Beach in Co Down , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Belfast City Hall , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Helen's Bay Beach in Co Down , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 7/5/2017 Enjoying the sunshine at Helen's Bay Beach in Co Down , during the warm weather across Northern Ireland on Sunday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan William Crawshaw and Becky Holdich from Leeds visiting Belfast for the weekend enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan William Crawshaw and Becky Holdich from Leeds visiting Belfast for the weekend enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan (L-R) Sarah McGarry from Belfast and Catherine laverty from Birmingham enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan William Crawshaw and Becky Holdich from Leeds visiting Belfast for the weekend enjoy the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan Tom Clarke from Wexford enjoys the sunshine in Botanic Gardens.

Press Eye - Weather Pictures - 7th May 2017 Photograph By Declan Roughan Sunshine in Botanic Gardens Belfast getting some ice cream

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 17th July 2017 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather at Seamark outside Holywood in Co. Down. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 17th July 2017 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather at Seamark outside Holywood in Co. Down. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 17th July 2017 People enjoy the sunny and warm weather at Seamark outside Holywood in Co. Down. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

The glorious sun of the past week is set to end - albeit briefly - as the Met Office warns of a possible heavy rainfall to take its place.

Northern Ireland has been basking in Mediterranean-esque conditions for the past week.

But from lunchtime on Monday until around 9pm, the Met Office is warning of heavy rain across Northern Ireland.

Forecasters have in place a yellow warning, meaning to be aware and plan ahead for possible disruption.

During the afternoon some sharp, thundery, showers will develop, mostly confined to southern hills in Fermanagh, Armagh and Down at first before drifting north during the late afternoon.

Maximum temperatures should hit around 25 degrees.

The afternoon showers mostly dying out early evening, but returning from late evening and lingering overnight. Winds light and variable with lows of 9C.

The Met Office has also issued another yellow warning for rain on Tuesday, again between 1pm and 9pm.

Temperatures will gradually cool throughout the day with afternoon showers heavy and thundery.

The week should be mostly dry with less sunshine and only isolated showers. Friday will be cloudy with occasional heavy rain coming in from the west.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A man stands in the flooded street in underwear as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016.AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People stand next to flooded railway tracks on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A fence bearing a sign reading ' closed street, flood' is pictured in a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages.KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images City employees walk in a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People chat in a flooded street in Nemours on June 1, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People walk next to a pneumatic in a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People paddle in a boat in a flooded street in Nemours on June 1, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Picture taken on June 1, 2016 in Saint-Denis-en-Val, central France, shows a flooded street after heavy rains. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images The flooded Vert Galant park is pictured from the Pont Neuf bridge after the banks of the river Seine became flooded following heavy rainfalls on June 1, 2016 in Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOTFRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images The flooded expressway by the river Seine is pictured near the Pont Neuf bridge (Rear) after its banks became flooded following heavy rainfalls on June 1, 2016 in Paris. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A man walks in a flooded street on June 1, 2016, in Saint-Denis-en-Val, central France, after heavy rains. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Submerged cars are pictured in a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGETDOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People access a tourist crusing barge on Quai de Conti using a small boat, after the banks of the river Seine became flooded following heavy rainfalls on June 1, 2016 in Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOTFRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People paddle in a craft in a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages.KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Women cross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGETDOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - A man pulls a small boat transporting inhabitants in a flooded street of Nemours, on June 1, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A rescuer is lifted down from a helicopter of the Securite Civile, France's civil defence agency, to reach stranded residents following floods on June 1, 2016 in Nemours, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A man pulls a dinghy as he evacuates residents accross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Rescuers evacuate residents onto a dinghy accross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A rescuer evacuates a boy accross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Chickens wait to be evacuated onto a dinghy accross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A rescuer is lifted back into a helicopter of the Securite Civile, France's civil defence agency, after assisting stranded residents following floods on June 1, 2016 in Nemours, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGETDOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Rescuers evacuate residents onto a dinghy through a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images This handout picture released by the Domaine national de Chambord shows flooded gardens at the Chateau de Chambord (the Castle of Chambord) on June 1, 2016 in Chambord as torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany. In Paris, the river Seine burst over walkways, while in northern and central France, homes and cars were wrecked as flooding left several towns and villages under a metre or more of water. More than 80 roads across France had to be closed. / AFP PHOTO / Domaine national de Chambord / A. Leboutey / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / DOMAINE NATIONAL DE CHAMBORD / A. LEBOUTEY" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS A. LEBOUTEY/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images This handout picture released by the Domaine national de Chambord shows a flooded area in front of the Chateau de Chambord (the Castle of Chambord) on June 1, 2016 in Chambord as torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firefighters help a woman to disembark a boat as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firefighters rescue inhabitants on their boat as they search for people as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firefighters stand by their boat as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Residents with the help of rescueworkers cross a flooded street in Nemours, southeast of Paris, on June 1, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGETDOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images People stand next to flooded railway tracks on June 1, 2016 in Souppes-sur-Loing, southeast of Paris. Getty Images AFP/Getty Images This picture taken on June 1, 2016 shows a flooded street due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A man stands in the flooded street as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images This picture taken on June 1, 2016 shows a flooded street due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firefighters set up their vehicule as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. / AFP PHOTO / GUILLAUME SOUVANTGUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - A resident walks accross a flooded street on June 1, 2016 in Nemours, southeast of Paris. Torrential downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days, leaving four dead in Germany, breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGETDOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A man stands in the flooded street in underwear as the city is flooded due to heavy rainfalls at Montargis, central France, on June 01, 2016.AFP/Getty Images

In southern areas of the UK there has been heavy rain over the past week and in France many parts of Paris have been flooded.
The Children Of The Troubles protest rally, held at the front of Belfast City Hall, attracted only a small crowd

Organisers of a protest against paramilitary shootings say they fear that society has turned a blind eye to "mob rule" after only 20 people turned up to the rally.

Just hours later a 19-year-old man in north Belfast - the third victim in a week - was cut in the neck by a gang of men wearing hooded tops and with their faces covered.

Police said the men, one of which had a gun, entered the man's property on Kinnaird Street just before midnight on Saturday.

The victim's emotional mother Donna Foster said she was now considering moving home.

"I thought my son was going to get killed or shot. I didn't know what to do," she told the BBC.

"I just heard all of the shouting, my son running into the kitchen and those two running in after him.

"They had him in the corner kicking the head off him and punching him and they lifted stuff out of the kitchen and started throwing it at him."

Children Of The Troubles, which formed a year ago, demonstrated outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday to raise awareness of paramilitary 'punishment' attacks.

One of the group's founder members, Bernie O'Rawe, said that, in terms of vigilantism, she feared that "Belfast is starting to slide the way Dublin has".

"We were very happy with the turnout," she said.

"It's not so much about the amount of people who turned up, but more so the raising of awareness of so-called punishment beatings and recognising that as a society we have to do something about it.

"Times have changed now from 30 years ago when people in west Belfast would have been reluctant to go into a police station for fear of being called a tout, but now people can; people have moved on.

"What is wrong is these people thinking it is OK to pump bullets into another human being?

"They sneak about and plot and scheme about who they can target next - usually unsuspecting working-class kids from broken homes under the label that they are anti-social and taking drugs, burgling houses and stealing handbags.

"All crime is wrong, but beating, shooting, exiling and assassinating people is a lot more anti-social - in fact it's the worst kind of anti-social behaviour.

"Society has turned a blind eye to it, but we all have a responsibility in making society a better place.

"We have a police force and a criminal justice system. If someone is behaving in a criminal way let the police and courts deal with it.

"There is no excuse for mob rule, vigilantism and capital punishment by these so called 'moral custodians'."

Earlier this week two men were targeted in separate attacks in north and west Belfast within the space of an hour.

In April Michael McGibbon, a 33-year-old taxi driver, was left to bleed to death after being shot in an alleyway in Ardoyne.

"These are wild west tactics," added Ms O'Rawe.

"They're bully boys, thugs with hoods, and too many of these attacks have happened in our society. There's too many people walking about with guns.

"They exclude, ostracise and stamp the victims and it's a stamp they'll walk about with for the rest of their lives while their families are expected to say nothing.

"People age out of crime, but the victims are never offered a chance to explain themselves, they're just attacked and left with physical and mental health problems that drains the health service - that's if they're not shot dead.

"What a petty place we live in that we think this is acceptable or justice. God help our society."
Calls for a manufacturing strategy to re-industrialise Northern Ireland have been rejected by the Stormont Assembly.

MLAs turned down the motion following the first official Opposition debate at Parliament Buildings since 1972.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: "I am not convinced that a stand-alone manufacturing strategy is the right thing for Northern Ireland."

The sector has been badly hit in recent years with the closure of some of the region's biggest employers such as the JTI Gallaher cigarette factory and Michelin tyre plant in Co Antrim as well as the loss of hundreds of jobs at Bombardier aerospace in Belfast and Seagate in Londonderry.

But Mr Hamilton said the perception the industry was in the "doldrums" did not fit with analysis of performance adding: "Whether it is jobs, sales, exports or output, our manufacturing sector is performing very well."

Manufacturing should be included in an overall economic strategy, he said.

"In essence, for those looking for a strategy, we already have one," said the DUP Minister.

"It is called the economic strategy, and it will be refreshed and refocused in line with the new Programme for Government."

Earlier, in his maiden speech South Antrim Ulster Unionist Stephen Aiken, claimed manufacturing generates annual sales approaching 20 billion, employs 85,000 and supports 214,000 in the wider supply chain.

Tens of thousands more jobs could be created if strategic policies were put in place, he noted in his maiden speech.

The former Royal Navy commander, said his motion for a specific strategy had the backing of business leaders and trade unions.

" W e need to change the mindset: manufacturing is not in a sunset period," he said.

"Our 3,820 manufacturers, at any scale, can drive our future.

"Achieving a 20% manufacturing sector and generating an additional 100,000 jobs is achievable, but only if we put it at the centre of making Northern Ireland work.

"For that, we need vision, strategy and willingness from us all."

Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy, chairman of the committee for the economy, said serious consideration should be given before any specific policies were developed.

He said: " It would be unwise to engage in a hastily developed strategy simply to respond to the large-scale job losses that we have had."

Meanwhile, SDLP MLA Sinead Bradly, who was also speaking for the first time, said the debate had the potential to represent a pivotal moment in the future direction of manufacturing.

She said: "At a time when Europe openly seeks to re-industrialise, members have yet to grasp the significance of needing a specific manufacturing strategy.

"I find it regrettable that, through my maiden speech, I have to try to convince others that a real need for a dedicated manufacturing strategy exists. I would have much preferred my contribution to have focused on the ambitions of that strategy."

An amendment to include the development of the manufacturing sector as part of the Executive's new economic strategy was tabled by DUP MLA Gordon Lyons.

He said: "We are focusing on a new and refocused economic strategy to deliver growth for the whole economy. Manufacturing should be at the centre of that, and we hope that it will be."

Afterwards, Davy Thompson, regional coordinator with the union Unite said the Assembly had missed an opportunity.

He said: "The decision to vote down proposals for a dedicated, stand-alone strategy for its future development casts a shadow over the sector at a time when unions and employers are collaborating closely to secure investment and growth.

"Unite believes only a dedicated Manufacturing strategy will bring the focus and oversight necessary to ensure real action to meet these challenges and secure a positive future. Having manufacturing only one element of an economic strategy risks facilitating continued inaction and the threat of further job-losses in this sector."
Mark Lindsay is the chairman of the PFNI

Politicians have been told to stop interfering in policing by a senior PSNI representative, who claims parading disputes are being fuelled by "unhelpful" statements.

Mark Lindsay, who chairs the Police Federation, urged MLAs to be aware of the consequences of what they say.

He said attempting to pick battles with the PSNI was undermining policing in Northern Ireland.

His comments come on the eve of the marching season, which in recent years has seen simmering tensions boil over.

Earlier this year some unionists accused the PSNI of two-tier policing after officers used CS spray in an incident on the Ormeau Road in Belfast.

Mr Lindsay, whose organisation represents rank-and-file officers, says such comments are not helpful.

"Recently we saw comments made surrounding the incident on the Ormeau Road. Everyone is entitled to a view, but around that time there were comments which were unhelpful towards policing," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"While I appreciate it was coming up to an election, I think politicians need to be aware that there are statutory routes - through the Ombudsman or the Policing Board - where issues around policing can be raised and properly addressed.

"It does no one any good to pick, if you like, public and political battles with police officers who are simply trying to do their jobs. That can be seen to undermine policing."

Mr Lindsay has chaired the Police Federation since February 2015.

Before that he was a front line officer.
James Brokenshire says the UK won greater control over the deportation of foreign criminals in its EU renegotiation

Dozens of foreign criminals including killers and sex offenders have been allowed to remain in the UK because of European Union laws, Brexit campaigners have claimed.

Brexit-backing justice minister Dominic Raab said British families were being put at risk as a consequence of EU membership.

Vote Leave published a dossier of 50 criminals - including Learco Chindamo, who was convicted of the 1995 murder of headmaster Philip Lawrence - that the UK has been unable to deport.

The dossier also highlighted the case of a Lithuanian rapist identified in court papers as MS, who the upper immigration tribunal ruled could not be deported "simply on the basis of his previous criminal conviction even of such a serious nature".

The hearing in January last year heard there was a low risk of reoffending and noted: "The legal regime for removing or deporting EU criminals is more restrictive than it is for other 'foreign national' criminals and the public interest required to justify deportation in EU cases is significantly narrower than in cases involving the deportation of non-EU nationals."

The dossier includes six offenders convicted of homicides including murder, manslaughter and death by dangerous driving.

It includes the case of Chindamo, who was 15 when he murdered Mr Lawrence outside the head teacher's school in Maida Vale, north-west London, in 1995. He came to the UK aged six from his native Italy and won a battle against being sent back to the EU state.

Vote Leave warned that EU free movement rules prioritise the rights of criminals over public safety by preventing deportation.

The group claimed the problem would get worse as the European Court of Justice uses the Charter of Fundamental Rights to entrench the right of offenders to stay in the UK.

Mr Raab said: "This is yet more evidence of how EU membership makes us less safe.

"Free movement of people allows unelected judges in the rogue European Court to decide who we can and can't deport. This puts British families at risk. It squanders UK taxpayers' money on keeping them in prison - and that's on top of the 50 million we send to the EU every day.

"Outside the EU, we can take back control of our borders, deport more dangerous criminals, and strengthen public protection. That's why the safer choice is to vote Leave on 23 June."

But immigration minister James Brokenshire said: "The UK sought greater control over the deportation of foreign criminals in its EU renegotiation - and that's precisely what the Prime Minister's deal delivered.

"The International Law Decision we secured means our ability to deport foreign criminals is strengthened, and it is now clear that the UK can take into account the full background of a criminal in a decision over whether to deport.

"The bigger picture is that our access to the European Arrest Warrant has allowed us to deport 6,500 European criminals since 2010. That's 130 times the number of criminals Vote Leave have identified.

"If we left the EU, we could no longer use the European Arrest Warrant. That's just one of the reasons we are safer inside the EU, where we can co-operate to deal far more effectively with crime and security."
The rival EU referendum camps have clashed over the economy, after David Cameron said Brexit would "put a bomb" under the UK's prospects.

The Prime Minister accused the Leave campaign of an "undemocratic and reckless" failure to explain to voters how they see Britain's economic future in the case of a Brexit vote in the June 23 referendum.

But Boris Johnson said it was a "delusion" to think Britain could boost its prosperity by "bartering away our freedom and democracy".

He warned of a "triple whammy" of economic woe if the UK remains in the EU, claiming that Brussels was waiting until the referendum is out of the way to seek an increase in budget contributions as well as extra cash to fill a 20 billion black hole in unpaid bills.

Mr Cameron joined senior figures from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens to launch a dossier detailing 23 alternative trade models which they claimed had been espoused at various times by Leave campaigners - each of which they said would have "a profound and damaging effect on our economy".

They said Leave spokesmen had made unfunded spending commitments that would create a 153.6 billion black hole in the public finances, along with floating plans to scrap workers' rights and environmental protections.

Mr Cameron said he was "proud" to stand alongside Labour's Harriet Harman, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron and Green leader Natalie Bennett at The Oval in south London in "an unprecedented show of cross-party unity" in support of continued UK membership of the EU.

He warned that Brexit would plunge the UK into recession, with businesses going bust, unemployment rising and sterling falling - followed by a "decade of uncertainty" as Britain attempts to negotiate new trade arrangements with the rest of the world.

"Add those things together - the shock impact, the uncertainty impact, the trade impact - and you put a bomb under our economy," he said. " And the worst thing is we'd have lit the fuse ourselves."

Mr Cameron was speaking as the pound hit a three-week low against the dollar amid City jitters sparked by an apparent swing to Leave in opinion polls.

Ms Harman accused the Leave camp of "speaking in code" about wanting to scrap EU regulations, which she said would mean cuts to parental leave and protections for part-time and temporary staff.

Mr Farron accused Leave of running "a campaign based on lies" and joked that they had floated enough different countries as post-Brexit models to fill a Euro 2016 football sticker book.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage dismissed Mr Cameron's "bomb" comment as "hysterical", adding: "The Prime Minister is clearly convinced he is losing the argument."

And Mr Johnson said pro-EU campaigners were rattled and losing the debate. Voters can expect "fantastic success for this country" in the long term if Britain leaves the EU, he insisted.

Visiting a beauty product distribution centre in Stratford-upon-Avon, the former London mayor said that the Remain campaign had effectively accepted that the Brexit camp were winning the argument on democracy, and were hoping to convince voters that the sacrifice of sovereignty was justified by the economic gain.

But he insisted: "That argument is morally and practically and completely wrong, and that democracy is in fact the vital ingredient of economic success.

"It is irreplaceable and we need to restore it because it is the absence of democratic control that is having all sorts of disastrous consequences for Britain and for the whole of the EU."
Pope Francis has established new legal procedures to remove bishops who botch the handling of sex abuse cases, saying they can be kicked out of office if the Vatican finds they were negligent in doing their jobs.

In a law published at the weekend, Francis answered a long-running demand by victims of abuse and their advocates to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect their flocks from paedophiles.

Victims have long accused bishops of covering up for abuse, moving rapists from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police.

The Church was criticised strongly in Ireland for the practice over the years - it moved the notorious Belfast paedophile Brendan Smyth between parishes, dioceses and even countries where he would prey on victims as young as eight.

It allowed Smyth to abuse hundreds of children before he was finally caught.

In the new regulation, Francis acknowledged that the Church's canon law already allowed for a bishop to be removed for negligence. But he said he wanted to be more precise in defining the "grave reasons" that can cost him his job.

Bishops "must undertake a particular diligence in protecting those who are the weakest among their flock", Francis wrote in the law, called a motu proprio.

The statute alters the original proposal approved by Francis last year to establish a tribunal inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to hear negligence cases.

Francis's sex abuse advisory board had recommended that the Congregation prosecute negligent bishops as it is already responsible for overseeing actual sex abuse cases against clergy.

But amid a host of legal and bureaucratic questions posed by that original proposal, Francis decided to streamline the procedure and task the Vatican offices that are already in charge of handling bishop issues to investigate and punish negligence cases.

In the law, Francis said a bishop can be removed if his actions or omissions cause "grave harm", either physical, moral, spiritual or financial, to individuals or communities.

The bishop himself does not need to be morally guilty, it is enough if he is purely lacking in the diligence required of his office. When the cases concern abuse, it is enough that the negligence is "serious", the law says.

The procedures call for the Vatican to start an investigation when "serious evidence" is provided that a bishop was negligent. The bishop will be informed and allowed to defend himself. At the end of the investigation, the Vatican can prepare a decree removing the bishop or ask him to resign within 15 days.

If he does not, the Vatican can go ahead with issuing a resignation decree.

Any decision to remove the bishop must first be approved by the pope, who will be assisted by a group of legal advisers, the law says.
Supporters wave signs as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at West High School on March 21, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Republican and Democratic caucus will be held in Utah on Tuesday, March 22. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally at St. Mary's Park, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally at St. Mary's Park, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at St. Mary's Park in the Bronx borough March 31, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

A supporter of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders displays a placard during a rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 31: Attendees wait in line prior to a rally for Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders at St. Mary's Park on March 31, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City . Sanders and opponent Hillary Clinton are campaigning ahead of the April 5 primary in New York. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

A supporter of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrives to attend a rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Supporters of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrive to attend a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in the Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 31: Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at an overflow of a rally at St. Mary's Park in the Bronx borough of New York City on March 3, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally at St. Mary's Park, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Democratic presidential candidate US Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks to supporters at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on March 31, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sanders and opponent Hillary Clinton are campaigning ahead of the April 26 primary in Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally at St. Mary's Park, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

US actress Rosario Dawson greets Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's supporters during a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York, on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Attendees wait in line prior to a rally for Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders at St. Mary's Park on March 31, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

A supporter of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders displays a placard during a rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 31: Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at St. Mary's Park in the Bronx borough March 31, 2016 in New York City. Sanders and opponent Hillary Clinton are campaigning ahead of the April 5 primary in New York. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

A supporter of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrives to attend a rally at the Saint Mary's Park in Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Supporters of US democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrive to attend a campaign rally at the Saint Mary's Park in the Bronx, New York,on March 31, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at an overflow of a rally at St. Mary's Park in the Bronx borough of New York City on March 3, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during an event named as a "victory rally for $15 minimum wage and paid family leave" at the Javitz Center in New York on April 4,2016. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both support an increase, differing only on the scale and timing of such a move. / AFP PHOTO / KENA BETANCURKENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the crowd with his wife, Jane Sanders, by his side during a campaign rally Tuesday evening in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium at the University of Wyoming campus on April 5, 2016, in Laramie, Wyo. Sanders won the Democratic presidential primary in Wisconsin Tuesday. (Blaine McCartney/The Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP)

Marlow Mittelstaedt holds a sign and cheers while waiting for the arrival of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., before a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyo., Tuesday, April 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves as he arrives on stage for the CNN Democratic Presidential Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 14, 2016, in New York. AFP/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, gestures towards Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at the start of a break during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Thursday, April 14, 2016 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Democratic presidential candidate US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a press conference on health care on May 31, 2016 in Emeryville, California. Bernie Sanders is campaigning in Northern California ahead of the State's presidential primary on June 7th. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders and his supporters have warned the media from announcing that Hillary Clinton has clinched the democratic nomination due to her lead on the number of super delegates before they have even voted at the convention.

Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14th, said Mr Sanders at a rally on the West Coast.

When I hear media talking about, well, 'were going to announce it at 8 oclock Eastern Standard Time that its all over', well, youre wrong, he added, referring to the closing of the polls of the New Jersey primary.

Cenk Uygur, host of online news show "The Young Turks", said in an interview with CNN that the media is not portraying the facts and is placing too much emphasis on super delegates ahead of the remaining primaries and the convention.

I mean CNN and all of the establishment press totally tilted the playing field from day one, he said.

Pledged delegates are bound by the vote of the people to choose a particular candidate, whereas super delegates are nothing to do with the state primaries.

CNN host Brian Stelter responded that the super delegates are "all establishment" democrats therefore nothing is likely to change their minds and make them vote for Mr Sanders.

Mr Uygur said that it was journalistic malpractice to count super delegates in the official tally towards a candidate when super delegates can vote for who they like at the convention, even if they have expressed preference for another candidate beforehand.

If they are not at the convention, their vote does not count.

Hillary Clinton had a lead of around 100 super delegates in 2008, which Mr Uygur said totally vanished as they switched to Barack Obama.

In 2016, he said there are extraordinary circumstances in which super delegates could change their allegiance, including if Ms Clinton is indicted for the misuse of her personal email account.

You guys keep assuming she will not be indicted, said Mr Uygur.

Hillary Clinton needs 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination, which is unlikely to happen in the primary in California on 7 June.

She has 1776 pledged delegates, and 554 super delegates have indicated they will vote for her at the convention in late July.

Bernie Sanders has 1501 pledged delegates and 46 super delegates.

Independent
Polish Army and US Army soldiers attend the opening ceremony of the Anaconda-16 military exercise, in Warsaw (AP)

Nato members and partners have launched their biggest ever joint exercise in Poland at a time when central and eastern European nations are seeking strong security guarantees amid concerns about Russia.

Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz and US Ambassador Paul W Jones opened the Anaconda-16 exercise during a ceremony in Warsaw.

The exercise will involve some 31,000 troops from Poland, the US and 17 other Nato member nations and from five partner nations, according to Poland's military Operational Command that is organising and coordinating the exercise.

Some 12,000 of the troops are from Poland, almost 14,000 from the US and 1,000 from Britain, the Anaconda-16 press office said.

Russia says that any presence of Nato troops close to its borders is a threat to its security.

"We do not hide that we have a negative attitude toward the Nato line of moving its military infrastructure to our borders, drawing other countries into military unit activities," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow.

"This will activate the Russian sovereign right to provide its own safety with methods that are adequate for today's risks," he said.

Russia's military has talked about stationing its state-of-the art Iskander missiles in Russia's westernmost Baltic outpost of Kaliningrad, which borders Poland and Lithuania.

Poland, Lithuania and other nations in the region, as well as Nato leaders, are stressing that any military presence or exercises are purely defensive and deterrent measures focused on threats from the Middle East.

The drill is part of Nato's exercise programme and is being held just weeks before Nato holds a crucial summit in Warsaw expected to decide that significant numbers of Nato troops and equipment will be based in Poland and in the Baltic states.

Those countries are particularly concerned about the armed conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow supports the separatists, but other countries in the region, including Romania and Bulgaria, are concerned about Russia's activity and have also contributed troops to the exercise.

Anaconda-16 runs through to June 16 on test ranges across Poland and will be formally closed by officials at a ceremony in Warsaw on June 17. It will train, exercise and integrate Polish command and troops with those of other allied nations in responding to military, chemical and cyber threats on land, sea and in the air.

Involved will be some 3,000 vehicles, 105 airplanes and helicopters, along with 12 Navy ships, the Operational Command said.

Preparations started on Monday for an airborne operation the following day involving some 2,000 US, British and Polish paratroopers that will be the first action exercise on Anaconda-16's schedule. The next day, a multinational engineering battalion will build a temporary bridge across the Vistula River that some 300 vehicles are to cross on June 15.

The Anaconda exercise was initiated by Poland in 2006 and has gradually grown to include many other Nato members.
There was a poor attendance for Saturday's rally at the City Hall in Belfast to protest against the spate of 'punishment' attacks which continue to disfigure our society.

To judge by the pictures, there were hardly more than a dozen people present despite the efforts of the organisers to attract support.

Maybe this was due to the good weather or other pressing events, or people wanting to carry out their Saturday shopping.

Perhaps on a sunny afternoon they didn't want to think of such dark subjects as so-called punishment attacks.

This is especially true of people who do not live in the terrorised danger areas, and would be unlikely to experience an attack personally or on one of their family.

Sadly, it could be a question of protest rally fatigue. Whatever the reason, it is dispiriting to discover such a lack of support so soon after the murder of the Belfast taxi driver Michael McGibbon, who bled to death after being shot in an alleyway, and also so soon after last week's attacks in north and west Belfast.

The organisers of Saturday's rally nevertheless deserve great praise for trying to focus our attention on such lawlessness. The Children Of The Troubles group, and the long-time campaigner Professor Liam Kennedy, produced hard-hitting posters, and it is all the more sad that people could not spare even a half-hour on Saturday to back them up.

The low attendance was worrying because these attacks are continuing, and yet we almost seem to take them for granted. In any other society these would be major news stories, with calls for the perpetrators to be hunted down and punished.

This continued violence, which also affects teenagers, is a form a paramilitary child abuse, and it remains a stain on all of us. Who are these ghouls who can impose their barbarism without judge or jury?

While this continues, we are not a truly peaceful society. Do we want to see our children and grandchildren grow up in a society where this is regarded as routine?

We may all have had other plans on Saturday, and we may not have wanted to be reminded of the dark side to life in Northern Ireland.

However, enough is enough, and there is a moral imperative upon us all to care about these things and try to prevent them happening.
The transformation in your opinion of Professor Patrick Johnston over a 48-hour period is really quite remarkable.

After treating him as some kind of latter-day saint last Monday, a greater sense of realism was evident on Wednesday, when you became aware of the degree of antagonism that had arisen from both staff and students alike regarding his offensive remarks about the "21-year-old sixth-century historian".

Although he has been so embarrassed by the adverse publicity that he was forced to issue a grovelling apology, many Belfast Telegraph readers may have overlooked another topic in his interview, which has so far escaped comment.

While 250,000 may well be the going rate for the annual salary of a vice-chancellor, it is very conceited for him to claim that he could achieve a multiple of this huge salary if he left the university.

If this true, then cancer research - the field in which he has established his reputation - must be extremely well-paid.

Most of the public are sufficiently naive to believe that the majority of those involved in cancer research do so for altruistic motives, rather than for personal enrichment.

Even if Professor Johnston's claims are true (which I very much doubt), he displays an unbelievable arrogance in making them in such a manner.

Personally, I think that you should advise this man that he should stay out of the media spotlight and avoid self-promotion for the foreseeable future.

His tenure at Queen's University is truly remarkable in his unique ability to antagonise both staff and students.

PETE MARTIN

By email
The "fury" over the remarks by Jude Collins about the Boys' Brigade reminded me of an incident some years ago in Crumlin, Co Antrim, where I was minister.

The Antrim and District Battalion held its service in Crumlin, with the usual parade to the church. Some people objected following the parade and made representations to the Parades Commission, along with their solicitor.

The grounds for their complaint was that the parade was illegal as it was not notified, that it was a paramilitary parade and that they carried paramilitary flags. All these allegations were false and the Parades Commission took no action.

The real concern I have is twofold. First, the total ignorance displayed by those who formally objected in the past and, more recently, Jude Collins. Second, the serious damage vocalising such ignorance - which is often seen as sectarian - does to community relations throughout Northern Ireland.

I wonder does Jude Collins realise the damage he has done?

REV BRIAN KENNAWAY

By email
When he launched his leadership campaign in October 2015 Colum Eastwood told his supporters: "The election results in the last couple of elections have been very, very poor for the SDLP and I think it's time that we stood up and took notice. I'm fed up losing. I think I can begin to turn things around in what will be a long process, but I am ready and able for the work."

It was a solid, confident pitch for a young man, aimed squarely at those who believed that recovery could only begin when Alasdair McDonnell - more than 30 years older than Eastwood - was removed as leader.

Eastwood won comfortably, albeit not overwhelmingly, at the party's annual conference on November 14, 2015 and assured the audience: "Be in no doubt the relevance of our voice remains. It simply needs to become more audible. We must demonstrate that the SDLP is again capable of showing that high politics, at its best, is of intimate value to people. We must show that politics is again capable of creating the change we all want to see. We've got to show ourselves to be good enough and competent enough to earn that trust."

Yet, just over a month ago, the SDLP recorded its worst ever Assembly result: down to just a 12% share, 83,364 votes (the second-lowest number in the party's history) and a loss of almost 100,000 votes since the 1998 Assembly election - when the SDLP actually topped the poll with 22% and 177,963 votes.

Eastwood had talked about the need for the party to be "audible". Yet these results suggest that either it wasn't, or it was but not enough people liked what they were hearing.

In fairness to Eastwood he had just six months to prepare for his first election. No one is waiting in the wings to throw down a challenge anytime soon.

Reversing a downward spiral of losses - which began under Mark Durkan and continued under Margaret Ritchie and Alasdair McDonnell - was always going to be difficult for someone barely into the job.

And with three years until the next elections, he does have some breathing space to make a mark and raise his profile.

During the leadership campaign last November I talked to an SDLP veteran about the impact Eastwood would have on the SDLP if he won.

He cited Mike Nesbitt: "Let's face it, Nesbitt was a last, almost desperate throw of the dice for the UUP. He was completely different. Most pundits wrote him off. But he has calmed the party and given it a confidence it hasn't had for a decade or more. And they're actually going into an Assembly election with their tails up. I think that's what Eastwood can do. McDonnell already has the smell of defeat on him."

That argument made sense six months ago. But with the UUP recording its worst-ever election result last month and failing to make even the modest progress that Nesbitt had predicted, the argument looks a lot shakier today.

The SDLP is playing down the outcome - some arguing that an internal report had hinted at a potential loss of five seats, rather than the two it sustained - but it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the electorate's verdict on the party and Eastwood was brutal.

Eastwood joined the SDLP as a teenager in 1998, citing the "Good Friday Agreement and John Hume's leadership" as his inspiration. Ironically, that year was also the highpoint of the SDLP's electoral success and of Hume's reputation.

Hume had bent over backwards to get Sinn Fein and the IRA into politics and around the negotiating table, but within five years of the Agreement Sinn Fein was eclipsing it at the polls - the SDLP lost over 60,000 votes at the second Assembly election in 2003.

And since Hume stepped down as leader in 2001, the party hasn't had a leader (and it's now on its fourth one since then) who even comes close to wielding that sort of clout in Dublin, London, Washington, or Brussels.

Eastwood has an enormous task. How does he make the SDLP look like a credible and relevant alternative to Sinn Fein; and how, along with the UUP, does he build a similarly credible and relevant alternative to the DUP/Sinn Fein axis?

He addressed the first question shortly after he became leader: "What is unavoidably true, as shown by the recent polls, is that the unity visions contained in the manifestos of Irish nationalism, including our own, have thus far not inspired the buy-in or confidence needed.

"We shouldn't be afraid to admit that. We need to do better. Our prospects for reunification will live and die on whether they are seen and believed to be credible.

"Gaining that credibility means putting flesh on the bones of what we imagine that New Ireland to be, how it will work and how we'll all be welcomed into it."

What he seems to want to do is outflank Sinn Fein on Irish unity, but unless he gets the same sort of electoral foothold in the Republic I don't see how that will be possible.

In political/electoral terms, Sinn Fein is a genuine all-Ireland party, something the SDLP never was. At this stage it still looks as if Eastwood prefers Hume's fondness for rhetoric rather than machinery.

Given that he is now in Opposition with the UUP, it is worth recalling his comments from November: "Yes, we diverge on reunification, but, paradoxically, we now hold more common ground with unionism than perhaps ever before. Our mantra and mission of making Northern Ireland work is that common ground. We need willing partners in unionism to make it happen.

"I firmly believe that those relationships can be formed. I firmly believe that there are many in unionism who will respond positively to that invitation. That's a healthy common ground to hold for today and tomorrow."

Well, he's already at the "tomorrow" stage. The SDLP and UUP need each other. Nesbitt and Eastwood need each other. They both built their Assembly campaigns on the need to repair and replace the "dysfunctionalism" of the DUP/Sinn Fein relationship. They cannot hope to do that separately, not least because they don't have the resources and MLA numbers to do it separately.

They have three years to get their act together. That means the SDLP stepping back from the unity project for now (it's not a priority at this point, anyway) and the UUP stepping back from pacts, nods and winks with the DUP and other unionists.

There is no guarantee that either the SDLP or UUP will survive - particularly when MLA numbers are reduced to 90 or 85. So, they can either go their own ways, or prepare for defections, mergers, being swallowed whole and oblivion; or they can work together and become the change and difference that politics always needs.

It's a difficult call for both men. But at this stage, I don't see a better one.
Officials observe the position of the moon on the western horizon to determine the first day of Ramadan from the roof top of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Jakarta, June 5, 2016.

Tens of millions of Muslims in Indonesia, the worlds largest Islamic nation, and neighboring Malaysia began their Ramadan fast on Monday, while their religious brethren in Bangladesh, India and Thailand eagerly anticipated the holy month to start the following day.

Mutual respect is important. We must show the world that Muslims are strong and more tolerant. Do not let a civil war happen like some countries in the Middle East, Said Aqil Siradj, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, one of Indonesias most influential Islamic organizations, told BenarNews.

Fasting is one of the five mandatory duties of all Muslims. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.

The basic lesson of Ramadan is to make people practice restraint. A hungry Muslim will not eat until Allah gives him permission through the Maghrib azaan (prayer call), Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, an Islamic scholar in Bangladesh, told BenarNews.

Fasting also gives rich people a sense of pain of hunger, he said.

Just practicing restraint, we the human being can get rid of many evils and problems. Ramadan helps people develop the culture of tolerance, Masud added.

In Bangladesh, the moon was in the right spot on Monday, heralding the start of Ramadan the next day.

The moon has been seen, so the holy month of Ramadan starts Tuesday, Bangladesh Religious Affairs Minister Motior Rahman told BenarNews.

Leaders give Ramadan blessings

Across Southeast Asia, national leaders including Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha sent well wishes for Ramadan to their Muslim constituents.

Najib urged Malaysian Muslims to enhance their contributions and services to those who need help during the holy month.

Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the population is Muslim, will have a slight change in its observance of Ramadan this year, with parliamentary by-elections set for June 18.

Voters in Sungai Besar, Selangor state, and in Kuala Kangsar, Perak state, then will be casting votes to replace two MPs representing those constituencies who were killed in a helicopter crash in Sarawak last month.

Prayuth, a Buddhist, offered praise to Thailands small Muslim minority.

During Ramadan where Muslims fast, may you all be successful in traditional merit-making, the same way Buddhists practice their belief, in order to bless the families, society and social contribution, the head of the Thai junta said.

However, the eve of Ramadan was marred by reports that at least six people in Thailands predominantly Muslim and insurgency-stricken Deep South were injured in a separate shootings and bombings in Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.

Solidarity with fasters

In India, whose Muslim population is the second largest in the world next to Indonesias, common people from across the religious spectrum were looking forward to the start of Ramadan.

I am a Hindu, but all my workers are Muslim, Anil Jain, a cloth merchant who operates his business near a mosque in the old part of Delhi, told BenarNews.

From tomorrow onward, my workers will fast, and I will also fast with them on as many days as possible. In the evenings, I like to give them time off, or encourage them to break their fast here at the shop. This is a tradition we have followed for many years.
A Briton who sexually abused Malaysian infants and children while volunteering in impoverished Christian communities in Kuala Lumpur over an eight-year period on Monday was sentenced in London to 22 concurrent life sentences, reports said.

Judge Peter Rook of the Central Criminal Court ordered Richard Huckle to serve a minimum of 25 years after the defendant pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child-sex offenses involving victims aged between 6 months and 12 years, Agence France-Presse reported.

Huckle, 30, who is believed to have abused up to 200 children, admitted to committing 71 offenses against 23 girls and boys from 2006 to 2014, AFP said.

The sentence handed to Huckle was too lenient, suggested Malek Ahmad, an official with Malaysian NGO Yayasan Amir.

I just feel it is not equivalent to what he has done to the poor kids, he told BenarNews. But it is a lesson to all Malaysian NGOs and other related agencies. We need to quickly establish some sort of a guideline for social workers handling kids.

Huckle took advantage of a lack of such proper safeguards in Malaysia, and as a result 23 children in Malaysia and Cambodia are scarred forever, Malek said.

Did Huckle commit other crimes?

According to Malaysian officials, most of Huckles 22 victims were from impoverished Christian communities in Kuala Lumpur, where he had worked as an English teacher and Christian charity worker, and that the 23rd victim was Cambodian.

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh said officers had identified two locations in the Malaysian capital that Huckle frequented during visits to the country from 2005 to 2014.

Huckle was arrested by British police at Londons Gatwick Airport in December 2014, as he was returning home from Southeast Asia to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Statements were taken from locals in the area were also taken. We are also tracking down people who know him for information on his activities in finding these victims, Amar told BenarNews.

Police were also investigating whether Huckle may have committed other crimes against minors in other states that he visited during his trips to Malaysia, including Negari, Sembilan and Perak, Amar said.

Ong Chin Lan, the assistant head of the Royal Malaysia Police division that investigates sex-based crimes against children and women, on Friday told the state news agency Bernama that police had requested information about Huckle from Britains National Crime Agency (NCA).

The victims have not been identified and the NCA only informed us about the incident about one month ago, she said, adding that no information about victims had been released because the case had not been adjudicated in Malaysia.

We have asked for the information repeatedly and will continue to press them for more information for follow-up action, she added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development last week set up a hotline for Malaysians to report information on Huckle.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia called for immediate action to pass robust and specific national laws to protect children from all forms of sexual violence, according to Bernama.

A handout picture released by Britains National Crime Agency shows Richard Huckle in custody. [AFP/National Crime Agency]

Deeply remorseful

Huckles sentencing was expected on Friday but the judge at Londons Old Bailey pushed the date back to Monday in order to consider mitigating factors submitted by his lawyers.

That day they read out a statement from Huckle in which he confessed to the true scale of damage his acts had created in the Malaysian community.

I had hoped to escape this mundane life of solitude in the U.K., yet was overwhelmed by the attention I received in Malaysia. I completely misjudged the affections I received from these children. My low self-esteem and lack of confidence with women was no excuse for me to use these children as an outlet, his statement read, according to news reports.

I am deeply remorseful and regretful of what had happened and will do all I can in being proactive towards rehabilitating myself, Huckle added.

British investigators pointed to a 60-page manual written by Huckle and which was titled Pedophiles and Poverty: Child Love Guide. The manual explained how to select deprived children and avoid detection by authorities.

Investigators found the document encrypted on Huckles laptop
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The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information.

These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community.

They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth.

In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind!


For Immediate Release, June 6, 2016 Contact: Miyoko Sakashita, (510) 844-7108, miyoko@biologicaldiversity.org

Kimiko Martinez, (310) 434-2344, kmartinez@nrdc.org

Colleen Weiler, (810) 813-1653, colleen.weiler@whales.org

Kathleen Cogan, (281) 615-2495, kcogan@endangered.org Immediate Habitat Protection Sought for Killer Whales Along West Coast 100,000 Sign Petition Seeking Critical Habitat Protections Beyond Puget Sound SEATTLE Conservation groups and more than 100,000 people today called on the Obama administration to immediately expand protected critical habitat for Southern Resident killer whales along the West Coast. The population remains critically endangered with just 83 individuals left. The National Marine Fisheries Service last year announced plans to expand orcas habitat protections to 9,000 miles along the West Coast (some 2,500 miles in Washingtons Puget Sound and Salish Sea are already protected). The new habitat designation would protect key foraging and migration areas for the whales off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. However, the agency said it wouldnt make that decision until the end of 2017, with final implementation not until at least 2018. Today the Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered Species Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation submitted to the Fisheries Service more 105,947 petitions calling for quicker action to protect these endangered marine mammals. The evidence is clear these killer whales need more protection to avoid spiraling toward extinction. The Fisheries Service has the data it needs to make this decision now and it should, said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director for the Center. Scientists and the general public both say waiting to take action could have disastrous consequences. Responding to an Endangered Species Act petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups, the Fisheries Service determined in 2005 that Southern Residents faced extinction and warranted protection. While spending their summers in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, where they are popular with tourists and local residents, these orcas travel extensively along the West Coast during the winter and early spring, regularly congregating near coastal rivers to feed on migrating salmon. The Center petitioned in 2014 to protect areas off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California as critical habitat (see map). The whales need year-round protection, said Giulia Good Stefani, staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. We know these last 83 whales  each one has unique markings, a name, and place they fit in the pod hierarchy  and we know they spend the spring and winter months searching for salmon off the coast. Protection of the whales winter range is years overdue. The group Whale and Dolphin Conservation, with support from the Center and the Endangered Species Coalition, this year led a public education campaign (#MaydayMonday) about the Southern Residents that generated more 100,000 people signing online petitions to better protect them. People around the world are invested in the future of these orcas and want to see them protected. Losing the Southern Residents would not only impact their immediate ecosystem, it would be the loss of a well-loved group of orcas known across the globe, said Colleen Weiler, WDCs Rekos Fellow for Orca Conservation. Its time for the NMFS to take action to protect the vital habitat that these orcas need for hunting and mating, said Kathleen Cogan, California field representative with the Endangered Species Coalition. Human activities in and near coastal waters threaten these killer whales by reducing salmon numbers, generating toxic pollution and increasing ocean noise, which disrupts the orcas ability to communicate and locate prey. Critical habitat designations prevent the federal government from undertaking or approving activities that reduce an areas ability to support an endangered species. Studies show that species with designated critical habitat are more than twice as likely to be recovering as those without it. 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. Endangered Species Coalition is a national network of conservation, scientific, education, religious, sporting, outdoor recreation, business, and community organizations, and more than 150,000 individual activists and supporters. We work to safeguard and strengthen the Endangered Species Act, a law that enables every citizen to act on behalf of threatened and endangered wildlife  animals, fish, plants, and insects  and the wild places they call home. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) works to safeguard the earth  its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than two million members and online activists with the expertise of some 500 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild. Whale and Dolphin Conservation is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins, and their habitats. Our goal is to create a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.


For Immediate Release, June 6, 2016 Contact: Michael Robinson, (575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org Endangered Fish, Zuni Bluehead Sucker, Gains 35 Miles of Protected Critical Habitat in New Mexico SILVER CITY, N.M. In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today protected nearly 35 miles of critical habitat for the Zuni bluehead sucker, an 8-inch fish with a torpedo-shaped body, in the headwaters of the Zuni River in northwestern New Mexico. The designation ensures that federally permitted actions such as logging, mining and livestock-grazing, dont degrade streams where this fish lives. The protected habitat is in McKinley and Cibola counties. One-third of the designation is on the Cibola National Forest, and two-thirds are on state and private lands. Photo courtesy USFWS. Photos are available for media use. Through its very existence, the Zuni bluehead sucker distinguishes these unassuming streams from innumerable other waterways in the Southwest, said Michael Robinson of the Center. Now, thanks to the Endangered Species Act, this beautiful fish has a fighting chance to continue to swim in its little corner of New Mexico even as our planet gets more crowded and hot. The Zuni bluehead sucker was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2014, 10 years after the Center filed a scientific petition to protect the species. The fish was first identified as needing protection in 1985. Its protection two years ago, and todays critical habitat designation, came about as a result of an agreement between the Center and the Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate, and make decisions on, whether to protect a total of 757 species that had long been identified as needing protection. Due to the agreement, thus far 144 species have been protected, and an additional 34 have been proposed for protection. Background

Over the past century, the Zuni bluehead sucker lost habitat to water withdrawals, logging, livestock grazing, development, and more recently drought from global climate change. It survives in about two-thirds of the areas designated as critical habitat and is expected to be able to reoccupy about a third of that habitat from which it has been extirpated, in Cebolla Creek. The sucker also lives in additional stream reaches on the Navajo and Zuni Indian reservations, where tribal governments are working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve its habitat. Zuni bluehead suckers feed on algae and aquatic invertebrates, require unpolluted, cool and clear water, and are unable to reproduce in places where silt covers and suffocates their eggs. 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.
PAMRO (Pan African Media Research Organisation) has put out a call for papers from researchers wanting to present at the 17th PAMRO meeting and All Africa Media Research Conference. This will take place from 21-24 August 2016 at the Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The theme for this years conference is Africa Media Research in a Globally Connected World. Presentations will address a wide range of subjects, such as television audience research methodologies, as well as the measurement/status of radio, print, internet and outdoor research in Africa.

This year market segmentation will also be a focal point of the conference.

Individuals or institutions interested in presenting findings from media audience research activities from all parts of Africa and the rest of the world, are invited to contact PAMRO at: by the 15 June 2016.

PAMRO would also like to invite businesses and institutions active in Africa and worldwide to present relevant case studies regarding media audience research in Africa.

PAMROs objectives are to create a forum for industry organisations, media research providers, media owners, marketers and advertising agencies in different African countries to exchange knowledge and to learn from one-anothers successes and failures.

It also aims to ensure the highest quality and to harmonise research methodologies, so that eventually a continental media research database will exist. The latter will make Africa the world leader in providing a research database for the growing number of global media owners, marketers and agencies.

PAMRO includes the Indian Ocean Islands in all its activities and underwrites the rules of market research bodies such as those of the World Organization for Research Professionals (ESOMAR).
The two-day conference, Business of Design, returns to Johannesburg and Cape Town in August with more lessons and inspiration from the country's top business experts and industry professionals. It will be held in Johannesburg on 17-18 August at The Forum, Bryanston and in Cape Town on 23-24 August at the Inner City Ideas Cartel, 71 Waterkant Street.

Now in its third year, the conference welcomes a new lineup of speakers who aim to guide delegates in ways to work smarter, offering tools for growth and insights into the latest industry trends and brand movements. Topics cover a diverse range of interests that are relevant to various sectors of the industry  from social media case studies and top tips when preparing for international trade shows, to ways to use design thinking to affect change, and insider strategies for brand activations.

What started off as a conference for design businesses, has grown to welcome delegates from marketing, architecture, retail, advertising and even financial backgrounds, says Business of Design co-founder, Laurence Brick, MD of Platform Creative Agency and creative director for 100% Design South Africa.

It has become a must-attend event for anyone wanting to progress in their business, think differently about the way they work, and network with industry peers on a level they would not normally be afforded the opportunity to do.

Business of Design has, over the course of three conferences  one in 2014 and two in 2015  hosted more than 750 delegates, with 90 of South Africas top designers, business experts and industry consultants now forming part of its growing network of alumni speakers.

Says Business of Design co-founder, Trevyn McGowan of Source and Southern Guild, It has been extremely rewarding to witness the results that have come out of these conferences, including creative collaborations sparked during our networking drinks sessions, and business growth that we have seen when delegates apply lessons learned. Even our own company, which has been going for more than 12 years, has gained valuable new strategies from these talks.

The two full days include over 16 talks, with each day ending in a two-hour networking drinks session from 5-7pm, where delegates and speakers are afforded the opportunity to exchange ideas and business cards over a few drinks. That is one of the great appeals of Business of Design, says McGowan. It is not a stuffy, formal conference, but rather a friendly, welcoming environment where long-term relationship-building is as important as business growth.

Speakers

See the website for each citys speakers

Robbie Brozin and Tracy Lynch / Nandos - The Designer Link



Stefan Antoni / SAOTA, ARRCC, OKHA Interiors - Local Goes Global



Luke Dale-Roberts / The Test Kitchen, Pot Luck Club - Staying at the Forefront



Ian Fuhr / Sorbet Group - Building Brand Loyalty



Emilie Gambade / ELLE - The Rise of African Fashion



Mike Abel and Robert Grace / M&C Saatchi Abel - The Power of the Idea



Trevyn McGowan / Source, Southern Guild, GUILD Working the Business of Design



Heather Moore / Skinny laMinx - Social Media Case Study



Sean Mahoney / StudioMAS - Designing for the Environment



Andile Dyalvane / Imiso Ceramics - Becoming an Icon



Andrea Kleinloog / Anatomy Design - Partnerships: Finding the Right Fit



Conn Bertish / Cancer Dojo - Using Design Thinking to Affect Change



Cathy OClery / Platform Creative Agency, 100% Design South Africa - State of the Nations: Africas Design Pull



Eitan Stern / Legalese - The Changing Nature of Business Relationships



Kate Schrire / The Creamery - The Neighbourhood Success Story



Paul Ballen / Pauls Homemade Ice-Cream - Keys to Success: A Story of Authenticity



Paul Dalton / Leapfrog Projects - Business Strategy: A Process of Design



Anthea Poulos, Andrew Berry, Nicholas Christowitz and Katlego Maponyane / The Bread Case Study: Activating Your Brand



Rex Bowden / Catalyze - International Trade Shows: The Prep Work



Trevor Wolfe / delvv.io - Feedback 2.0  Redefining the Creative Review Process and its Impact on Creative Output

The cost is R3,300, as an early bird discount until 30 June, moving to R3,950 after 1 July; R3,000 for Business of Design alumni and R2,500 for students. SACAP and IID member discounts and CPD credits apply. Group discounts for five or more. For more information, go to www.businessofdesign.co.za.
Laura Rawden, the new chairperson of the Southern African Freelancers' Association (Safrea) has pledged to spearhead a campaign to ensure freelancers earn fair rates of pay.

The association publishes a regular schedule of recommended freelancer rates, but these are not legally binding and serve mainly as a starting point for rates negotiations between freelancers and clients.

Meanwhile media freelancers battle to earn a living at rates often around R2.50 per word for writers or around R1,000 for an eight-hour sub-editing shift.

Growing numbers of media workers are moving into freelancing by choice or necessity, says Rawden. They have the right to earn a decent living, so we will be working to publicise our recommended rates and to build industry relations, so we can better serve our members and help businesses find the freelance services they require.

Rawden heads the incoming executive committee of Safrea, an established body promoting the interests of freelance media workers. Members include writers, photographers, editors, developers, proof-readers, graphic designers, illustrators, researchers, translators, digital media and social-media specialists and other communications experts.

Founded in 1999, Safrea promotes the interests of freelancers, working to raise their professional standing and to make working as a freelancer more rewarding.

Rawden has a background in science, journalism and international media, with a current focus on communications and social media. She is co-owner of the Locomedia.co.za communications company.

Rawden has made advocacy and industry relations priorities for her term at Safrea and will personally handle these portfolios. Were looking to build stronger relations with media companies and agencies that use freelancers. Well also continue representing the interests of freelance media workers by lobbying for our recommended freelance rates and other issues important to our industry.

Hagen Engler, an established South African writer with experience in print, TV and digital, is the Safrea deputy chair. He is on the media relations and marketing subcommittee.

Other Safrea Exco members and portfolios are Bruce Cooper (administrator and webmaster), Yvette Wilsenach (treasurer), Nalene de Klerk (membership), Amanda Mathe (students), Bazil Raubach (professional development) and Clive Lotter (strategic development).

The new Oversight Committee, comprising senior members and senior media professionals with deep media experience and understanding of Safrea, is headed up by Marina Pearson and includes Lyse Comins, Arthur Goldstuck, Madi Hanekom, Lynne Smit, Christopher Szabo and Gwen Watkins.

In recent months Safrea has made detailed submissions to parliament on the Copyright Act Amendment, spoken out on the killing of journalists, slammed exploitative magazine internships, and demonstrated how low pay is killing journalism. For more information, go to www.safrea.co.za.
Google's decision to change their desktop Search Engine Results Page (SERPs) has had less impact on advertisers than originally anticipated, but companies, particularly smaller companies, should remain vigilant over coming months.

In February, Google announced that it would be significantly shifting its SERP for desktop. Users would no longer see ads on the right of the desktop search results; in some instances four ads would appear above organic search instead of three; ad positions five through seven would appear at the bottom of the page and; ads eight through 11 would be dropped to page two of the results.

Utkarsh Vaidya via 123RF

The rationale for this (as described by Google) was to allow for a similar experience on desktop as one would have on a mobile device. This is not an entirely surprising move. Since October 2015, more than half of Googles searches take place on a mobile device.

At the time of the announcement, the digital marketing space was abuzz with speculation as to what the effect of the move might be.

According to Merkle/RKG, there was an initial uptick in Costs per Click (CPCs), of around 5%, but this has levelled off.

As expected, keywords in positions below 4.5 have seen a fairly large drop in traffic due to impressions dropping off. CPCs in these positions also initially increased 15%, but this may have been skewed by the cheaper CPC positions of 8-11 disappearing from the SERPs.

What is of interest, though, is the click through rate (CTR). Ad positions one and two actually saw a drop in CTR. This has been attributed to the prominence of ads in position three and four, which enjoyed a healthy spike in click throughs. Position three saw a CTR rise of 15% making it the best performing position on the page.

Bottom of page ads (five to seven) are also seeing more traffic than we anticipated which has countered the fear that top page ads would hog all the traffic and would therefore see a spike in CPC. The counterbalance of these two phenomena have ensured a more stable CPC over the past months than the industry feared.

Looking at the Clicks2Customers clients we are seeing some trends, which should be noted, particularly for the smaller companies and SEO professionals.

The fourth ad is now technically in the position of the first organic listing and this obviously pushes organic listings further down the page. Added to this, on smaller desktop displays, the second organic listing has now been pushed below the fold.

The impact in general has not been overtly negative for organic search, as we have noticed that users are now scrolling further down the page and spending more time on the first page before making a decision on where to click. However, the major impact for SEO is that it is now more important to drive a wide array of keyword permutations to the first page and, more importantly, the top five, since users now have more choice on the first page and will have less need to click to the second page.

So what does this mean to the average company making use of paid search?

We believe the smaller advertisers may struggle to compete if CPCs do rise over time, which they may still do. This may bring an end to campaigns that solely rely and focus on simple keywords and text ads.

Smaller brands will have to be more creative. They will have to test and use more Adwords features to stay competitive, which could be a challenge for under-capacitated teams.

We also believe Google might give more preference to local results on the desktop. While this has obviously been a significant factor to mobile, until now localisation on desktop has been fairly broad.

Running a hands-off campaign will not deliver as it did before. Google will always look to pace your spend. Companies need to be monitoring their performance, watching their conversion rates, and not simply how much they are paying, ensuring the money they spend is as effective as possible.

One of Googles stated strategies is that it will continue to make changes as it tries to provide a better user experience. Nothing this company does is without a well thought-out strategy behind it.

There is no doubt that companies will need to be more focused on monitoring their paid versus organic performance if they want to identify opportunities to capitalise on. Most importantly, companies will need to make sure their focus is on performance, rather than simply working with agencies who are billing on percentage of spend.
WASHINGTON - Walmart announced plans Friday to team up with Uber and Lyft on a pilot grocery delivery program, in a fresh challenge by the US retail giant to Amazon.

The big retailer said it would test the "last-mile" delivery with the two ridesharing groups as well as the delivery startup Deliv in San Jose, California, and Denver, Colorado.

"We're thrilled about the possibility of delivering new convenient options to our customers, and about working with some transformative companies in this test," Walmart said in a statement.

"We'll start small and let our customers guide us, but testing new things like last-mile delivery allows us to better evaluate the various ways we can best serve our customers how, when and where they need us."

The new program ramps up Walmart's efforts to counter Amazon, which is offering same-day grocery and merchandise delivery in a number of cities. It also boosts the efforts of Uber and Lyft to expand beyond idesharing to delivery of goods.

Walmart said it expects to start the test program within two weeks, and noted that it already offers a similar service through its Sam's Club stores with Deliv for business members in Miami.

Customers will pay $7 to $10 extra for the delivery, which will be added to the online shopping bill, with no payment to the driver.

"It's all seamless to the customer," the statement said. "We'll also let them know their order is being delivered by a driver from Uber or Lyft."

The move comes amid an expansion of the AmazonFresh service by the US online giant, which partners with grocers for same-day delivery in some areas of California and New York as well as its hometown of Seattle, Washington.
The Occupational Lung Disease Working (OLD) Group, made up of African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye Gold, confirms that the companies have filed individual applications to appeal against the class certification judgment handed down by the South Gauteng High Court on 13 May 2016.

The judgment addresses a number of highly complex and important issues, including a far-reaching amendment of the common law, that have not previously been considered by other courts in South Africa.

The court itself found that the scope and magnitude of the proposed claims is unprecedented in South Africa and that the class action would address novel and complex issues of fact and law. The companies are applying for leave to appeal because they believe that the courts ruling on some of these issues is incorrect and that another court may come to a different decision.

The judgment in respect of certification of the class action - and the appeals - do not deal with the merits of the claims made against the companies.

The working group does not believe that the legal processes should delay the attempts to expeditiously achieve a comprehensive settlement which is both fair to past, present and future employees, and sustainable for the sector.

While the companies deny liability for the claims, it is nonetheless the working groups view that a fair and sustainable settlement is preferable to long and protracted litigation. It is with this in mind that discussions, which have been proceeding for more than a year, are continuing with claimants representatives.

In March, Bizcommunity.com reported that Anglo Gold Ashanti and Anglo American South Africa agreed to place R484m in a trust to be used to compensate miners and their families affected by silicosis.
Sernick Bonsmara, part of Sernick Group, hosted their 38th annual Production Auction and Nick Serfontein, chairman of the Sernick Group says the auction exceeded all expectation. The 2015/2016 season has been tough, but the auction results have shown that buyers see a bright future for the red meat industry in South Africa.

Nick Serfontein

The bull that fetched the highest price at auction was lot 6 and sold for a hefty R200,000. The average across the 34 bulls on offer was R66,800, in comparison to R42,000 in 2015 and R38,000 in 2014.

Lot 6 bull

Three in one cows sold at an average of R17,000 with the highest price at R18,000. Cows and heifers that are heavily pregnant or with small calves sold at an average of R16,220 with the highest price at R18,800. Cows three to five months pregnant sold at an average of R13,800  with the highest price at R16,500. Non-pregnant heifers sold at an average of R6,800 with the highest price at R7,600.

Johan van der Nest acted as auctioneer for the 33rd time. The auction was widely attended, from as far as the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga as well as representatives from Namibia. Nick Serfontein personally invited all Bonsmara breeders to sell their Bonsmara weaners to the Sernick Feedlot in support of the recently established Certified Sernick Bonsmara Beef brand. Sernick Bonsmara was also announced as the Free State herd of the year by The Agricultural Research Council and will now compete nationally.
A greener approach to housing has seen two innovative answers to the housing problem lay foundations in the Western Cape.

These have been developed alongside innovative financial models to facilitate home ownership. The Empower Shack 2.0 and the Umnyama Ikhaya container pod home are prototypes aimed at slightly different income groups and both are on their way to gaining official approval as alternative housing types.

A Memorandum of Understanding is under review between the City of Cape Town, Ikhayalami and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology regarding the further development of Empower Shack 2.0s, and the Umnyama Ikhaya container pod home is on its way to gaining Agrement certification.

Umnyama Ikhaya, the company behind the container pod home built from up-cycled shipping containers, has signed an agreement with GreenFin to assist future home-owners pay for the units, and facilitate green technology. We offer 99-month unsecured loans with no deposit, says Umnyama Ikhaya CEO John Venter. We will also offer 20-year mortgages very soon. It will include pods and land, with the location of the land to be decided in the third quarter of 2016. Families will then qualify on single or joint income under R12,000 a month. Two- and four-sleeper pods fully kitted will sell, land inclusive, for between R450,000 and R600,000. They can be fitted for off-grid living, scaled up and custom designs created.

Read the full article on www.earthworksmagazine.co.za.
Premier Hotels & Resorts' Mpongo Private Game Reserve is undergoing refurbishment to the tune of R18 million. The need to expand its facilities comes from its growing popularity as a conference venue.

This Eastern Cape escape will receive renovations to the restaurant, enhancements to the Edu-Centre, new administration offices, additional rooms and two more lodges. Whats more, the lions in the reserve will be moved to a specially allocated area to assist in furthering the resorts conservation objectives.

The Huberta Restaurant, where the dining experience is complimented by views of hippos frolicking in the surrounding waterhole, will be expanded and remodelled with a wildlife theme that also echoes the look and feel of a lodge whilst encompassing conservation principles. This motif will be extended to the Edu-Centre to which primary schools are invited to learn about nature and the environment.

In addition to the construction of two dormitories capable of accommodating 32 guests, two lodges are being built. The one will be a five-star lodge, equipped with six rooms decorated with an African/colonial feel. The other will be a four-star lodge kitted out with 25 deluxe rooms to accommodate conference delegates, wedding attendees, team building groups and the like.

The work, executed by a crew of over 100 workers from Dewing Construction, is being done in phases to prevent any impact on guests. In addition, the construction and refurbishment have been of great benefit to the 50 families in the surrounding communities of Mpundu Village and Newlands with the provision of temporary employment to residents.

The projects completion is scheduled for mid-2016, with an official launch on the 1 September 2016.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has reached its year-end target of R60 million to support 3,500 academically deserving 'Missing Middle' students in just three months. Launched in February 2016, the 'Missing Middle' campaign aims to support students who are "too rich" to qualify for government support, but "too poor" to afford tuition fees and qualify for commercial loans.

stevepb via pixabay

The #feesmustfall campaign in 2015 highlighted the funding challenges facing all South African universities. However, we are acutely aware as a major national university located in the countrys economic heartland, that we have a particular duty to thousands of our students who no longer qualify for government support via NSFAS, but whose families cannot afford to put them through university, says Prof Ihron Rensburg, vice-chancellor and principal, UJ.

The University working with the UJ Student Representative Council (UJSRC) has assisted 3,500 students by paying their registration fees and minimum initial payments for the 2016 academic year. However, these students still require support for the balance of their fees and other needs. The average cost of funding a UJ student for a year currently stands at R85,000. This includes tuition, accommodation, books and other living allowances.

I am deeply grateful to our Council, alumni and convocation, the UJ Student Advisory Council (UJSAC) and UJSRC, University Executives and Senior University Leaders, staff, students, business and industry, and the public sector for their timely response and extremely generous contributions that have helped us reach this milestone. I do, though, still appeal for further contributions to this honorable cause for it is in this manner that we demonstrate our commitment to human solidarity and shared human progress. By giving generously to the Missing Middle campaign we are also concretely contributing to shaping and empowering the country's future leaders," Prof Rensburg said.

Prof Rensburg concludes: Every year, as we are doing right now at our June our graduation ceremonies where we are graduating a further 2,222 students following the 9,046 who graduated in March/April, UJ is proud to graduate more than 6,000 first-generation university students who will go on to make immeasurable differences in their families, in their communities, in our nation and in our world.
As of July, trucks carrying cargo destined for export markets would not be allowed to enter South African ports without the correct verified gross mass information, Transnet National Port Authority said on Friday. This came in the wake of a new directive from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) prompted by the misdeclaration of container weights that resulted in vessels tipping over, among numerous accidents that have put the lives of ship crew in danger.

Last week, the authority, Transnet Freight Rail and Transnet Port Terminals met with shippers and exporters in Durban for a briefing on the safety of life at sea, concluding that ports should not be congested on July 1, when the regulations come into effect.

Shippers, packing houses and exporters should ensure their cargo weight includes the container and load. Shippers now provide gross mass that is not verified and often misdeclare the weight. "We have had instances where the container documents indicate less weight than what is loaded in the vessels. This has created havoc in the sea, where vessels have tipped because of heavy weight or the containers themselves end up at sea," said Zeph Ndlovu, the authority's GM.

Two methods

The regulation would stop this. According to a circular by the IMO, there are two methods by which shippers can obtain the verified gross mass of a packed container.

The first allows the shipper to obtain the mass at the end of the packaging and when the container has been sealed. The second requires the shipper to get a certified verification company to weigh all items including the container contents, securing materials, and container straps. Upon verifying the gross mass, the company will provide a certificate that the exporter can use each time they enter the port with such a load.

Kirsty Goodwin, an occupational health and safety executive at the South African Maritime Safety Authority, told export industry members there would be no extension beyond July 1. "Whether exporters use method one or two, they should make sure that the weighing equipment meets the applicable accuracy standards."

Peter Besnard, CE of the South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents, said teething problems were expected and cheating would be costly.

Source: Business Day
Last week was quite an eventful one in the world of wine and we are happy to bring you some good news from around the globe. Finland has relaxed its restrictive alcohol laws, the French delighted the wine-drinking community by opening a theme park dedicated to everybody's favourite ambrosial tipple, and you can now buy a bottle of wine worth R18,000 right here on our shores if you feel so inclined.

You are now able to buy a round in Finland

The gist of it: Finland's centre-right government has agreed to free up the country's notoriously strict rules on the sale and advertising of alcohol, including the right to buy a round of drinks in most establishments. The biggest changes affect bars and restaurants. Drinkers will be able to buy more than one portion of alcohol at a time, order drinks to take home, and pay with Finnish credit cards (at the moment only credit cards issued abroad can be used). Bars and clubs will also be able to stay open until 4am without a special permit, and a ban on advertising happy hours will be lifted. Additionally, the Alko chain of state-owned off-licences will lose its monopoly on selling drinks stronger that 4.7% alcohol per volume, as the limit for corner shops will be raised to 5.5%. Read more here.

Bonus factoid: Finland may have been quite strict about the sale and marketing of alcohol within its borders, but there are other countries that take it to a further extreme. Heres a list of 13 countries where youll have a hard time drinking a toast.

The French have opened a wine theme park!

The gist of it: It turns out that dreams do come true! The French have gone and done it again  the world now has a city of wine. The equivalent of an adult theme park that trades Mickey for Merlots and many, many other wines, La Cite du Vin opened in Bordeaux wine country on 1 June. Located just an hour's flight from Paris, this amusement park wants to teach you about the history and importance of wine. It boasts 20 themed areas and exhibits that interactively explain the culture and history of wine, a 250-seat auditorium for screenings and classes, a simulator boat ride that shows what it was like to be a maritime merchant sailing across the globe, and expert-led tasting sessions. Read more here.

Bonus factoid: As though the idea of a wine theme park wasn't awe-worthy enough, the architecture of the park itself demands a second glance. Created by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres of XTU Architects, the park's design includes symbols of knotted vine stocks, wine turning in a glass, and the nearby Garonne River. The park's building spans 10 levels and is meant to appear as though it's flowing uninterrupted between its exterior and interior.

The list of South Africas most expensive wines has been updated

The gist of it: The most expensive bottle of wine you can currently buy in South Africa is Mont Destin's Destiny Shiraz at R18,000. True, you pay for the half-carat diamond set on the bottle in decorative wax, but without it the wine still goes for a cool R558 per bottle. The Destiny Diamond Collection features a 2006 Destiny Shiraz with half a carat diamond set in platinum and packaged in a special presentation case. Only six sets of these exceptional collectors items are available. Other wineries on the list include 2016 Juliet Cullinan Standard Bank Wine Festival exhibitors Alto Estate and Bouchard Finlayson with, respectively, MPHS (a Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon blend) at R700 and Galpin Peak Pinot Noir Tete de Cuvee 2009 at R742. Read more here.

Bonus factoid: The most expensive bottle of wine sold to date went for a whopping $225,000. Read more here.

This weeks Weekly Wine Wrap-Up was brought to you by Juliet Cullinan Wines. The 26th annual Juliet Cullinan Standard Bank Wine Festival will be hosted on 12 and 13 July 2016 at Summer Place, Hyde Park. Tickets are available at Webtickets.

Webtickets | Email | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
So, South Africa's most brilliant export, Elon Musk, just 'blew up' the interwebs with his hypothesis that our world may be an elaborate computer simulation initiated by our more brilliant future selves. Musk was being interviewed at San Francisco's Code Conference last week.

In fact, he says its a one in a billion chance that we are NOT a computer simulation. Because otherwise it means that mankind wiped itself out in a catastrophic event sometime in the future. Happy days.

This is what Musk said, according to the UKs Telegraph: Given that we're clearly on a trajectory to have games that are indistinguishable from reality, and those games could be played on any set-top box or on a PC or whatever, and there would probably be billions of such computers or set-top boxes, it would seem to follow that the odds that we're in base reality is one in billions.

Arguably we should hope that that's true, he continued, because if civilization stops advancing, that may be due to some calamitous event that erases civilization. So maybe we should be hopeful this is a simulation, because otherwise we are going to create simulations indistinguishable from reality or civilization ceases to exist. We're unlikely to go into some multimillion-year stasis, Musk postulated.

Various scientists have debated this Matrix-theory before. The New Scientist actually debates whether Musk is right or not.

Its quite a bit to get your head around. And given our utter disregard for the planet that sustains us, our petty wars and brutality, as well as Donald Trump, it is quite conceivable that mankind will wipe itself out pretty soon.

In fact, less likely, given the current gene pool (especially Donald Trump), is the scenario that we have somehow evolved enough to create a massive world simulation with conscious beings playing out their mediocre lives for the amusement of superior beings or for sophisticated inter-planetary scenario planning.

Of course, those of us who saw the seminal movies, The Matrix trilogy, featuring the equally enigmatic Keanu Reeves, have always wondered if our reality is true. Gamers who build in SIMS also know what is possible. And apparently almost all of Silicon Valley thinks its a credible theory.

Naturally, there are sceptics.

@elonmusk start talking about the reptile people from space  Roberto Baldwin (@strngwys) June 4, 2016

@elonmusk if a simulation generates the current presidential candidates then they need to improve the coding  James Howe (@james_howe) June 4, 2016

@elonmusk You could give us the cheat code to this game  Ham (@HamTornado) June 4, 2016

Playing games

Although given that Musk is considered a rocket scientist, serious media are actually debating the theory. Mashable reports that Musks theory is wrong and dangerous, with senior journalist Chris Taylor writing that this simulation notion is of a piece with that detestable nihilist hashtag, #LOLnothingmatters. It's shruggie culture, where we expend a lot of emoji-related effort to show how little we care.

Vox asks, Elon Musk thinks we all live in a video game. So what if we do? If the answer cannot matter, the question must be meaningless They take the theory all the way back to the philosopher Descartes, who wrote about feeling as if he was being controlled. Because we can't rule out the possibility of such deception, we can't know for certain that our world is the real world. We could all just be suckers, Vox reports.

And Hollywood actor Matt Damon asks the important question: If the world is a computer simulation, why are we stuck in the one with Trump?

Some sites went with the obvious parody route attached to this theory, listing all the crazy reasons in the world that this is definitely true  because how could this actually be our reality? We must be a computer simulation, because, well Donald Trump. Mashable came up with a list of 21 things so crazy that there is no doubt we must be in a computer game. There is some truth in that.

At this point, I'm really running out of crazy things to say. Any suggestions?https://t.co/dGVJBcSZn2  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2016

Thank goodness for that, it was turning into a Tom Cruise couch-jumping moment for a second there.

And I must admit, while I was writing this story, my computer screen went dark without warning and part of me, that teeny tiny doubting part, did wonder whether my personal computer simulation was being reset And then I made a note to call my computer guy, because clearly, my laptop needs to be defragged or something needs updating!

But if we are just bots, then who do I WhatsApp to change my programme and tweak it here and there for some more personal software and hardware upgrades?
FEPE International president, Antonio Vincenti, announced the winners of this year's global OOH association's awards at the FEPE Congress in Barcelona on 2 June 2016. Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, and John Ellery, executive director of FEPE were joint winners of FEPE Lifetime Achievement Award.

Women's Aid Westfield

A jury of FEPE board directors and former presidents, all senior representatives from the worldwide OOH industry, chose the award winners.

Winner of the Creative Award was a campaign for UK charity Women's Aid from Ocean Outdoor and London advertising agency WCRS. This was a high impact digital campaign tackling the issue of domestic violence in a dramatic and compelling way. The campaign for International Women's Day 2015 used gaze-tracking technology to trigger changes on the screen, so the woman victim's bruises heal as more people respond to the challenge: Look At Me.

The FEPE Leadership Award went to Annie Rickard, Global CEO of Posterscope, for her work in transforming a UK poster specialist into a major global force in all aspects of OOH. Dentsu Aegis now own Posterscope.

The FEPE Technical Award went jointly to Portuguese OOH company MOP and technology company TOMI Worldwide for their network of groundbreaking digital screens in Lisbon, bringing the latest news, information and brand messages to people in the Portuguese capital.

Vincenti said, All the awards illustrate the way the OOH industry worldwide is becoming even more dynamic in the ever changing digital age. The Creative Award to Ocean and WCRS shows the power of digital creativity to do good in the world. The Technical Award to MOP/TOMI World shows how digital technology can help transform an urban landscape.

Annie Rickard's leadership at Posterscope has been a remarkable achievement while Nancy Fletcher and John Ellery have played key roles in developing this global industry and helping to steer it into an exciting and prosperous future.

Nancy has contributed massively in building the OAAA into a formidable force in the US. John also played a leading role in establishing and managing important international networks at Poster Publicity and then Portland. Whilst with FEPE, John, the ultimate global networker, has done much to bring together our industry, allowing it to navigate its way towards an exciting and prosperous future.

FEPE today, representing global as well local OOH owners, agencies and a vast and growing number of technology suppliers worldwide, was almost unimaginable ten years ago. Nancy and John's Lifetime Achievement Awards are a fitting way to mark their huge roles in this transformation, he concluded.
#YouthMonth Newsmaker: Chanelle Carawan from Student Brands

Chanelle Carawan is only 23 years old and has been appointed operations director at online student portal, Student Brands South Africa.

Carawan started out as an intern and was soon promoted to operations manager. Three years later she has the term director in her title and is one of the youngest to be calling the shots. Student Brands aims to help students make informed decisions with the necessary resources while studying. In her position and at her age, Carawan is able to speak the language of the youth and bring brands closer to the next generation. What will be your first order of business? What will be your first order of business?

Carawan: When becoming director the first order of business was to get to know my staff on a deeper level and to find out what their current and actual potential is, and to get them to a place where they are confident enough to know that the sky is the limit.

How does Student Brands stand out from the rest? How does Student Brands stand out from the rest?

Carawan: The one thing that really sets us apart is that everyone at Student Brands including our MD Daryl, is under the age of 35. This therefore puts us in a position that allows us to think, act and communicate in a youthful manner to the youth. For the youth, by the youth.

How can brands successfully connect with the youth today? How can brands successfully connect with the youth today?

Carawan: Challenge us with a brief and we can tell you. :)

What is your main business challenge? What is your main business challenge?

Carawan: The new found responsibility. It is now part of my responsibility to make sure that the business stays afloat, that clients and staff are happy and that is certainly a challenge.

What is the biggest trend you've noticed in youth marketing? What is the biggest trend you've noticed in youth marketing?

Carawan: That social media still plays a huge role in the life of our students. They are using social media for a lot more now than just communicating to others.

What inspires you? What inspires you?

Carawan: Making money is one of my biggest inspirations. Its the thrill of closing that deal, the thrill of executing campaigns, giving my clients the best service that I possibly can that keeps me going each day.

Tell us something about yourself not generally known? Tell us something about yourself not generally known?

Carawan: I am under the age of 25 and I am the ops director for one of the two biggest youth marketing companies in SA.

What's at the top of your bucket list? What's at the top of your bucket list?

Carawan: I would really love to visit Jamaica.
Executives from Droga5, Getty Images, IDEO, Squarespace, Unilever and Warby Parker have been selected as D&AD Impact jury presidents, along with the judges who will play an integral role in this distinctive, new global award show.

Open for entries until the end of July 2016, D&AD Impact will shine a light on the power of creativity to affect the way the world works - in business, in society, in culture and in the environment.

The diverse selection of jurors - a mix of creatives, designers, marketers, C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, journalists and thought leaders - will be looking to award a D&AD Pencil based on three criteria: an original and innovative idea at its core; clear and measurable impact in its chosen category area; and relevance to the business commercial needs.

Impact is ultimately the only meaningful measure of good design. As one of the leading promoters of creativity in business, D&AD is perfectly positioned to reinforce this positive message and I am delighted to help shape the conversation this year, said Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO and author of Change By Design (Urban Living Jury president).

Jury presidents

The first eight jury presidents are:

Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO, Warby Parker, will lead Responsible Production & Consumption



Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO, will lead Urban Living



Anthony Casalena, founder and CEO, Squarespace, will lead Industry Evolution



David Droga, founder of Droga5, will lead Communication & Interaction



Jamie Oliver, world renowned celebrity chef, will lead Health & Wellness



Lord David Puttnam, CBE, film producer, educator, will lead Education



Aline Santos Farhat, SVP, global Marketing, Unilever, will lead Environmental Sustainability



Susan Smith Ellis, CMO, Getty Images, will lead Humanitarian Aid

Jury members

The first jury members are:

Communication & Interaction:



Susie Arons, managing director, Rubenstein



Frank Cooper, CMO, BuzzFeed



Gina Garrubbo, president and CEO, National Public Media, NPR



Balakrishnan Balki Rajagopalan, filmmaker, screenwriter and chairman & CCO, Lowe Lintas



Matthew Quint, director, Columbia University Center on global Brand Leadership



Paul Woolmington, CEO, Canvas Worldwide

Education:



Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Ph. D., Chief Girl Expert, Girl Scouts America



Steven Anderson, co-founder, #EdChat



Charles Best, founder and CEO, DonorsChoose.org



Cristin Frodella, head of global Education Marketing, Google



Brett Kopf, CEO and co-founder, Remind



Ravi Naidoo, founder and managing director, Interactive Africa



Kate Robertson, founder, One Young World

Environmental Sustainability:



David Guerrero, chairman and CCO, BBDO Guerrero



Naresh Ramchandani, partner, Pentagram



Stephen Rutterford, ECD, partner, The Brooklyn Brothers



Freya Williams, CEO North America, Futerra

Health & Wellness:



Andrea Alvares, marketing & innovation VP, Natura



Roisin Donnelly, brand director, P&G



Jimmy Smith, CEO, Amusement Park Entertainment



Mark Tutssel, global CCO, Leo Burnett Worldwide

Humanitarian Aid:



Aria Finger, CEO, Do Something



Yuya Furukawa, global ECD, Dentsu



Lisa Sherman, president & CEO, Ad Council

Industry Evolution:



Eric Alt, Editor, CoCreate, Fast Company



Janet Balis, partner, Strategy Practice for Media and Entertainment, EY



Ethan Eismann, director of Product Experience, Uber



Joy Howard, CMO, Sonos



Paul Kemp-Robertson, co-founder, Contagious



Nick Law, global CCO, R/GA

Responsible Production & Consumption:



Bevan Bloemendaal, VP global Environments & Creative Services, Timberland



Soraya Darabi, co-founder, ZADY



Piers Fawkes, founder and editor-in-chief, PSFK



Ty Montague, founder, Co: Collective

Urban Living:



Dan Barasch, founder, thelowline.org



Christian Davies, ECD, FITCH



Alessandra Lariu, ECD, Frog



Catarina Midby, sustainability manager, H&M



Leon Rost, associate and senior designer, BIG Architects

The final roster of presidents and jury members will be released later this month.

Making its debut in New York City as a part of Advertising Week XIII, the organisers have also confirmed Times Squares PlayStation Theatre will host the inaugural awards show on Tuesday, 27 September 2016.

D&AD Impact is open for submissions, for more information, go to http://dandadimpact.com.
U Tin Maung, an admin officer of the Udaung village, is discriminating and harassing the Rohingya villagers live in his inspecting areas. He also harassed some educated persons who complained to the concerned authority against the Admin officer, extorting money from villagers earlier, he added.

The village Admin officer, U Tin Maung called some educated persons - Monzur (35), Hashim (40), Ayub (35) and Fayazu (40), all from Udaung village - to his office with the help of Burma Border Guard Police (BGP). He wanted to arrest them as they made complaints to relevant authority against the village admin officer because of forcefully extorting money from villagers, Jomir Uddin, a resident of the village said.

As a result, the said four villagers have run away from the village avoiding detention of BGP and Admin officer after they were summoned to the village admin office, said Salauddin, an elder of the village said.

However, they have been hiding for a week in different localities fearing of custody. The Admin officer also ordered to the villagers to arrest them anywhere and hand over to him or BGP, Somad, another resident of the village said.

It is clear that the authorities will not accept any complaints against the government service men; and if anyone tries to make complaint, that person will be punished, Lala, a village elder said.
On May 27, the BGP arrested present village Admin officer Abul Kalam (48), and his younger brother Hafez Noor Mohamed (25), son of Abul Boshor, Maung-Nama village of Maungdaw Township. The detainees were alleged that they had involved in the murder of ex-village chairman Khobir Ahmed, Zabar added.

Similarly, the BGP also arrested another five villagers from Nari Bill village of Maungdaw north, on the same day. Of them, four are identified as Hafez Ahmed (40) son of Shori Hussain, Nasir Ahmed (27), son of Abdu Rashid, son of Du Du Meah, and Kala (55) son of Mohamed Shorif. Present village Admin officer of Nari Bill village is from Rakhine community, Hasu, a local trader said.

The BGPs are also trying to arrest many villagers from Powet-Chaung village. As a result, many villagers run away from the village to avoid capture by the BGP, a village elder Hakin Sadar said.

On May 24, at around 10 :00 am, two unknown miscreants with shotguns wearing water proof, masks and hats, speaking fluently in Burmese as disguise of police, riding motor bike, entered the village Admin office and shot to death the victim ex-Chairman Khobir Ahmed. In the meeting, there were 16 villagers including two women were present in the room and they were discussing about the village road building, which is connecting to Rakhine-Powet-Chaung and Rohingya-Powet-Chaung village, said Hamidul Rahaman, a trader from the village.

The Rakhine village (Powet Chaung) is only 100 yards away from the Admin office, in which the ex- village Chairman was killed, Hamidul Rahaman said.

After shooting the ex-village Chairman, the miscreants immediately ran away with motorbike from the scene, according to Rahaman.

Many villagers said that Khobir Ahmed was a good man and during his tenure he did not give any trouble to any local villager, accordingly no enemy to kill him. But, the local BGP accused local villagers of killing him and trying to arrest local residents.
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Have These Healthy Foods To Avoid Constipation During Ramzan Wellness oi-Luna

The holy month of Ramzan is here. Fasting all through the month, during the day, has been one of the customs that has been followed since the ancient times by the Muslim community.

However, with its beginning, many of them often get to face severe constipation-related issues. The change in the routine food and lifestyle with reduced intake of fluids, water and fibres are the chief reasons leading to constipation.

As per the belief of the community, the fast is observed to bring them closer to God and also to remind them of the suffering of those who are less fortunate.

Also Read: Significance Of Fasting During Ramzan

During this time, people from the Muslim community can often be seen donating to charities and feeding them.

It is also a month of prayers. Early morning that is pre-dawn, they eat one meal which is called 'suhoor'.

Then throughout the day, they do not eat nor drink water. All through the day, they pray about five times. Then again in the evening, after sunset, they have one meal that is popularly known as 'iftar', which in most cases comprises of rich food.

Also Read: Rituals And Customs Of Ramzan

Due to this change in the food habit, many of them tend to get a constipated feeling. If not taken care of, it might lead to piles end in the person having a bloated feeling.

To avoid this type of a constipation condition and indigestion during the holy Ramzan month, Boldsky brings to you a list of foods that should be included, especially for the 'suhoor' and 'iftar'. Have a look:

1. Include Lots Of Vegetables: Vegetables contain a lot of fibre that is healthy. Vegetables like beans, peas and chickpeas need to be included in the meals during the fasting period of Ramzan.This helps to make the stool soft and easy to pass. 2. Plenty Of Juicy Fruits: Fruits like apples, bananas, papayas, passion fruit, figs, avocados, etc, that are rich in fibres should be included during the pre-dawn meal. This helps in providing the needed hydration. 3. Include Whole Grains And Legumes: Slow-digesting foods like whole grains such as oats, pulses, wheat, lentils, flax seeds, etc, should be included in the meals taken during the fasting period of Ramzan. This helps prevent constipation. 4.Low-fat Products: Skinless chicken, fish, etc, contain low fats but at the same time are a rich source of protein. This helps in building up the immune system during the fasting period of ramzan. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water before and after the fasting period to keep constipation at bay. 5. Include Probiotics: Probiotics like yougurt helps in preventing constipation that is caused by an intake of low-calorie foods, which happens during the time of Ramzan. Make sure to include more of this. 6. Include Lots Of Juice And Water: Apart from water, including fresh fruit juices can also help prevent dehydration and constipation during the Ramzan fasting. Include tender coconut water, watermelon juice, orange juice, pineapple juice and grape juice to keep dehydration at bay. 7. Include Dates: Dates should be included in the diet during the fasting period of Ramzan. Dates are a good source of fibre, carbohydrates, potassium, magnesium and also sugar. This helps in keeping the sugar level in control and prevents dizziness. 8. Include Almonds: Of all the dry fruits, almonds are considered to be one of the best foods to be consumed during the fasting period of Ramzan. Almonds are rich in protein and fibres and contain less amount of fats.




NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday held bilateral talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich, where the two discussed key military issues including possible sale of supersonic cruise missile BRAHMOS to the Southeast Asian country.



The contentious South China Sea was also believed to have been discussed by the two Defence ministers.



Parrikar, who arrived in Hanoi city on Sunday, also placed wreath at Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. He is on a two-day visit to Vietnam, official sources said.



The visit assumes significance amid the raging South China Sea issue in the region.



India had on Saturday called for a regional framework for security management to peacefully resolve disputes, threat and use of force in the Indo-Pacific region, amid China flexing its muscles in the area to advance its maritime claims against its Asian neighbours.



"Regional framework for security management must enshrine a commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes, the threat or use of force," Parrikar had said in his address at the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue.



Last year, India and Vietnam had decided to enhance their bilateral defence cooperation and signed a joint vision statement for five years.



Vietnam, which is building a naval deterrent to China with Russian-made Kilo-class submarines, is keen on India training its submarine personnel. It also has expressed interest to acquire the BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system, a deal for which India is open to.



Vietnam may become the first country to be supplied the 290 km-range BRAHMOS weapon system, a joint venture of India and Russia.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandonites fishing off the dock at Dinsdale Park on Saturday crossed paths with a long-distance paddler and his faithful pooch.

Mike Ranta is part-way through his canoe trip from Vancouver, B.C., to Cape Breton, N.S., to raise awareness for veterans issues.

This is the second time the modern voyageur has done the 7,500-kilometre cross-country trek  in 2014 he had to stop 150 km short of his destination when winter set in.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Mike Ranta paddles the Assiniboine River with his dog Spitzii, Saturday afternoon in Dinsdale Park. Ranta is paddling from Vancouver to Cape Breton to raise awareness and support for veterans issues.

Im on schedule here now and everythings going great, Ranta said, adding he knows hes going to complete the Pacific-to-Atlantic trip this season.

Ranta and his faithful travel companion, Spitzii, arrived in Brandon late Friday night and camped out under the 18th Street bridge. On Saturday morning, friends from Brandon met the team at Dinsdale Park, where he assessed the rapids just before the First Street bridge.

Theyre no worse than anything Ive gone over accidentally, Ranta joked.

Spitzii  an aptly named eight-year-old purebred Finnish Spitz  sits calmly at the bow of the Rantas canoe and warns the paddler of any upcoming obstructions or wildlife.

Hes been on every one of my adventures so far  were a great team and hands down hes my best friend, he said.

The canoeist travels through many remote river systems and says he has gone five days without seeing another person on this trip; however, he does make time to chat with people he does meet along the way.

One of my rules is: if somebody asks me to stop for a cup of coffee or a beer, I pull over and stop, he said.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Mike Ranta gets ready to paddle the Assiniboine River with his dog Spitzii, Saturday afternoon in Dinsdale Park. Ranta is paddling from Vancouver to Cape Breton to raise awareness and support for veterans issues.

Ranta has made a point of visiting local legions whenever he can to talk to veterans and get them to sign his canoe.

Its been rather emotional for me talking to veterans, he said. We need to revere our warriors a little more. These people are amazing. They dont do it for the money, they do it for the love of their country.

One of Rantas main inspirations throughout the journey is his brother, Kevin, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the military.

Theres a lot of veterans coming back from these war conflict areas and theyre not getting the help they deserve, he said.

In addition to raising awareness, Ranta is collecting donations that will be split between the legion in his hometown of Atikokan, Ont., and the local youth centre.

Ranta started paddling up the Fraser River on April 1 and hopes to arrive in Cape Breton on Sept. 29.

That will be my 45th birthday and I cant think of a more fitting place to celebrate  Cape Breton (residents) really know how to carry on, he said.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Mike Ranta gets ready to paddle the Assiniboine River with his dog Spitzii, Saturday afternoon in Dinsdale Park. Ranta is paddling from Vancouver to Cape Breton to raise awareness and support for veterans issues.

Visit mikeranta.ca to follow along with Rantas journey.

 ewasney@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @evawasney
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Disturbing allegations in which a man is accused of sexually assaulting his passed out niece while three teenage girls were in the home, came to light last week during a bail hearing.

Two of the girls are the accuseds granddaughters, and one of them says she entered the room to find her grandpa lying beside her half-naked auntie who was passed out from drinking.

Crown attorney Marnie Evans read part of the girls statement to police. Evans said the girl stated: Auntie was passed out and Grandpa was beside her.

The accused, who The Brandon Sun isnt naming to protect the identity of the complainant, applied for bail in Brandon provincial court on Thursday.

Evans said the alleged assault happened at a Brandon address in the early morning of May 28.

Both the alleged victim and accused had been drinking, Evans said.

Evans said that the accuseds granddaughter walked into a room to find her naked grandfather lying next to her passed out and nude aunt. The grandfather grabbed a blanket and covered himself up.

The girl left the room and after five minutes noticed that the rooms lights were turned off. She could hear noises, moaning, and her aunt telling her grandfather to get off of her.

The girl entered the room again about half an hour later to find her aunt and grandpa asleep, and they were both still naked. The girl grabbed a blanket and covered up her aunt.

Defence lawyer Ryan Fawcett noted that the complainant, who is in her 30s, has no memory of the incident and she and witnesses indicate she had been drinking and used morphine.

It was the girl who had walked into the room that informed her auntie of what happened later in the day following the incident. The aunt then made a report to police.

The suspect had left the home, and police tracked him down at a city address three days later.

Fawcett said the accused denies the assault.

Judge John Combs agreed to release the 36-year-old accused, who will appear in court again on June 13.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
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This article was published 06/06/2016 (2332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Syncrude has lost its court battle against federal rules on renewable diesel in a case that some suggest could have handcuffed national efforts to fight climate change.

The oilsands company, of which Suncor owns the majority, had argued that it was unconstitutional for Ottawa to require that at least two per cent of diesel fuel be from renewable sources such as ethanol.

That demand interfered with provincial jurisdiction over resources by changing markets for non-renewables, Syncrude argued.

The company also argued the government was wrong to use criminal law to enact the regulations. The production and consumption of petroleum fuels is not inherently dangerous, it said.

A decision released last week from the Federal Court of Appeal found that fighting climate change is a legitimate federal goal.

Protection of the environment is, unequivocally, a legitimate use of the criminal law purpose, wrote Justice Donald Rennie.

Federal Court documents say Syncrude uses about 351 million litres of diesel in its operations. It produces about 204 million litres itself for the companys own use.

The company argued the regulation, passed in 2011, will actually increase Syncrudes greenhouse gas emissions by forcing it to transport biodiesel to its northern Alberta operations.

Rennie wrote that environmental protection is legitimate whether or not it affects markets under provincial jurisdiction.

The environment and economy are intimately connected, he wrote. Indeed, it is practically impossible to disassociate the two.

The existence of the economic incentives and government investments  do not detract from the dominant purpose of what the (rules) do and why they do it.

The court also noted Syncrudes admission that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change was inconsistent with its argument those gases couldnt be regulated through criminal law.

Syncrudes position is problematic, Rennie wrote.

Syncrude spokesman Will Gibson said the company is reviewing the decision.

Syncrude has complied with the regulations since they were enacted and will continue to do so, he said.

Greenpeace spokesman Keith Stewart said environmentalists are relieved.

If (Syncrude) had won, it would have set back action on climate change for years, he said. That would have had huge impacts on everything else the federal government does.

Stewart said the Syncrude decision should strengthen Ottawas hand in negotiating with the provinces over climate change and clears the decks for action.

This would have been the last vestige of any argument as to why you would delay action, he said. The court has clearly said, OK, government, you can do this.

The only thing left for the government to do is act on climate.

 By Bob Weber in Edmonton. Follow him on Twitter at @row1960
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VICTORIA  British Columbias government and provincial doctors say they are working together to fill a regulatory vacuum left by the federal government over medically-assisted deaths.

Monday is the deadline given by the Supreme Court of Canada for assisted dying legislation, making it legal to provide medical help in dying for a competent adult who has a grievous or irremediable medical condition.

But federal legislation hasnt been passed by Parliament, so the provincial government has given legal weight to a set of standards created by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons to help make sure safeguards are in place to protect patients.

Price Carter, son of Lee Carter (in photo in foreground) pauses for a moment during a news conference at British Columbia Civil Liberties in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, June, 6, 2016. Price and his sister Kay Carter were speaking on the Supreme Court of Canada's death with dignity ruling. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Like all of the colleges professional standards, this is akin to policy reflecting what is expected of physicians, both ethically and professionally, said Dr. Heidi Oetter, CEO of the college.

It actually outlines, very specifically, what is expected of physicians.

The standards were developed using the criteria for medically assisted death set out by the Supreme Court of Canada decision, Oetter said, adding the standards could change when the federal governments new law comes into effect.

We are following (the legislation) very closely and were making sure that we have a parallel document that were developing in concert, something that will match whatever the eventual law becomes, she said.

B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake issued a statement saying hes hopeful the law currently before the Senate will pass quickly to allow for a consistent approach to the service across the country.

Lake said his government has also directed each provincial health authority to appoint a co-ordinator for medical assistance in dying.

As this new service evolves, we will continue to strive towards providing those seeking medical assistance in dying with the same appropriate, accessible, patient-focused care British Columbians have come to expect from all health care services in this province, he said.

Under the colleges standards, physicians who do not want to provide medically-assisted deaths will still be required to provide their patients with enough information to make an educated decision, including that the procedure is legally available.

Doctors who do not follow the college standards can have a complaint filed against them, which would prompt an investigation and possibly discipline, Oetter said.

While the colleges standards legally protect doctors who assist with medical deaths, they do not cover pharmacists and nurses who Oetter said are imperative in the process.

It is a potential barrier and its one that we continue to work with our provincial partner to see how we can address those legitimate concerns, she said.

Oetter noted that the college requires pharmacists to dispense drugs used in medically-assisted deaths to a physician instead of a patient.

Weve put that in specifically as an essential work around to perhaps give pharmacists more comfort that they are assisting the physicians, who are clearly exempted from the criminal code provision, as opposed to themselves, she said.
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OTTAWA  The Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons in every province and one of three territories have issued guidelines that doctors must follow in providing medical assistance in dying.

These rules are a stopgap while the federal governments replacement legislation on assisted death makes its way through Parliament.

With the exception of Quebec, they all rely heavily on the eligibility criteria set out by the Supreme Court of Canada last year in a landmark ruling which concluded that medically assisted death should be available to clearly consenting adults with grievous and irremediable medical conditions who are enduring suffering that they find intolerable.

Some offer interpretations or definitions of the terms used by the court.

Beyond that, the guidelines spell out varying conditions in which assisted death can be provided in each province:

Alberta

 Two doctors must independently agree the patient meets all criteria set out by the Supreme Court.

 Patient must be competent throughout the process. No advance requests.

 The college notes that legal precedent recognizes mature minors as adults in their ability to consent, but recommends a careful and conservative approach to mature minors.

 Doctors may refuse to provide an assisted death but have an obligation to provide patients with timely referrals to doctors who will perform the service.

 Requests must be in writing, signed by the patient and two witnesses, at least one of whom can not be related to the patient, entitled to any portion of the patients estate or involved in treatment of the patient.

 Where capacity is unclear, or where a person is suffering from depression or other mental illness, a psychiatric or psychological consult is required.

 A period of reflection of 14 days from initial request to final consent is recommended.

British Columbia

 Two independent physicians must agree a patient meets the criteria set out by the Supreme Court.

 The patient must be eligible for publicly funded health care, and able to give free and informed consent throughout the process.

 No advance requests.

 The patient must consistently express a desire for an assisted death over a reasonable period of time  15 days in most cases, but dependent on each patients condition and circumstances.

 Formal written request required, signed by the patient and one witness who is not related, entitled to a portion of the patients estate, or involved in treatment.

 Physicians may refuse to provide assisted death but they must provide an effective transfer of care.

 Health Minister Terry Lakes government has also directed each provincial health authority to appoint a co-ordinator for medical assistance in dying.

Manitoba

 At least two physicians must independently agree the patient meets the Supreme Courts criteria. Adult is defined as 18 years of age.

 Independent psychiatric assessment required where a patient does not have a terminal illness (prognosis of less than six months) or is not suffering from a catastrophic and irreversible physical injury or intractable physical pain or an advanced state of irreversible, significantly impaired function or imminent decline to that state. The assessment must rule out a treatable psychiatric disorder that is impairing patients ability to tolerate suffering or assess treatment options.

 Each doctor must meet at least once with the patient to ensure that the patient is competent, fully informed and that the decision to terminate life a clear and settled choice, without undue coercion or influence.

 No advance requests.

 A waiting period of at least seven days, except for those whose death is imminent.

 Written consent, signed by the patient.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death or to refer a patient to another doctor but must provide timely access to a resource that will provide the necessary information.

New Brunswick

 Patient must meet criteria set out by the Supreme Court, which is further defined as suffering from a grievous illness for which there is no cure and which will eventually cause death.

 The college notes that an assisted death could theoretically be available to any patient who can legally consent. In N.B., the age of legal consent is 16.

 Patients with progressive illnesses who are also suffering from intractable depression are not automatically ineligible but doctors should proceed with extraordinary caution in such cases.

 Physicians may refuse to provide medical help in dying or to make a direct referral but must provide patients with information on accessing an assisted death.

_Doctor must be satisfied that patients wish is persistent, consistent and unshakable, documenting patients request for an assisted death at least twice, two weeks apart, and again just before administering an assisted death.

 No advance requests.

 Administering physician should obtain additional medical opinions as deemed appropriate to confirm prognosis, alternative options, and patients capacity to make a free, fully informed choice.

Newfoundland and Labrador

 Two doctors must agree a patient meets the criteria set out by the Supreme Court. Adult is defined as at least 19 years of age.

 No advance requests.

 Written request required, signed by patient and one independent witness.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death, but should provide timely access to another doctor or information resource that is available and accessible to the patient.

Nova Scotia

 Two doctors must agree a patient meets criteria set out by the Supreme Court. Adult is defined as at least 19 years of age.

 No advance requests.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death for reasons of conscience, but college recommends they provide an effective referral to another doctor.

Ontario

Two doctors must agree the patient meets criteria set out by the Supreme Court. College recommends that only patients in Canada, covered by publicly funded health care, be eligible. It notes that the court did not define the term adult.

 No advance requests.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death, but must make an effective referral of the patient to an available, accessible physician or agency that will.

 Premier Kathleen Wynne says the province will set up a referral service so physicians unwilling or unable to provide medically assisted dying can connect patients with those who are willing.

 An unspecified waiting period is required, length depending on the patients condition.

 A formal written request is required, signed by the patient, the attending physician and an independent witness.

 Health Minister Eric Hoskins says the province will also ensure that drugs for medically assisted dying will be available at no cost.

Prince Edward Island

 Two doctors must agree the patient meets the criteria set out by the Supreme Court. Must have a current provincial health care card and the capacity to freely and repeatedly consent throughout the process, up to the time of dying. Adult is defined as at least 18 years of age.

 Request must be in writing, witnessed by two independent persons with no connection to the patient.

 Doctor must ensure patient has repeatedly expressed a desire for an assisted death over a reasonable period of time, which may vary depending on patients condition.

 No advance requests.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death but must provide, or arrange to be provided, the patients chart to other physicians.

Quebec

Quebec is the only province that has enacted a law governing assisted dying. The law, drafted before the Supreme Court ruling, requires that:

 A patient must be covered by provincial health care, be of full age and capable of giving consent, be at the end of life, suffering from a serious and incurable illness, in an advanced state of irreversible decline and experiencing constant and unbearable physical or psychological suffering which cant be relieved in a manner acceptable to the patient.

 Two doctors must agree patient meets the criteria for a medically assisted death.

 Request must be made in writing.

 No advance requests.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death but must immediately notify authorities who will take steps to find another doctor.

Saskatchewan

 Two doctors must agree the patient meets the criteria set out by the Supreme Court. Adult is defined as at least 18 years of age.

 Patient must repeatedly give free, informed consent throughout the process, up to the time of dying.

 No advance requests.

 Attending doctor must ensure the patient has consistently expressed a desire for an assisted death over a reasonable period of time, the length of which is dependent on the patients condition.

 Physicians may refuse to provide an assisted death but must arrange timely access to another doctor or resource.

 Patient must fill out a prescribed form confirming informed consent to receive an assisted death.

Yukon

 Two doctors must agree the patient meets criteria set out by the Supreme Court. The Yukon Medical Council notes that it is uncertain if a medically assisted death could be legally available to minors.

 Patient must maintain decision-making capacity throughout the process, up to time of dying.

 No advance requests.

 Written request for assisted death required, signed by patient and two witnesses, one of whom is not related, entitled to any benefit from the patients estate or involved in the provision of treatment.

 If a physician believes the patient suffers from psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression that could impair capacity to make an informed choice, the patient must be referred for assessment.

 A waiting period of 14 days is recommended.

 Physicians may refuse to provide assisted death but must arrange timely access to another doctor or resource.
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There are few surprises in the Brandon Universitys budget for the 2016-17 academic year, but the schools administration is still waiting to hear from the provincial government about support for some of their capital plans.

BUs Board of Governors approved next years budget in late May, which includes the government-mandated 1.2 per cent increase to tuition and assumes a four per cent spike in enrolment.

This years planning process was aided by the governments announcement of a 2.5 per cent operating grant increase in January, made several months earlier than previous years.

That was great, we went ahead and finalized our operating budget, balancing things as best we could with that in mind. But then, of course, it went up in the air again with the change in government, said Steve Robinson, BUs provost and vice-president, academic.

The new government, elected this spring, committed to the same increase to grants, allowing those plans carry on.

That allows us to keep on a steady course with the planning we had done.

About 87 per cent of the $49.3-million operating budget is salaries and benefits.

Thanks to a healthy enrolment forecast, a tuition revenue increase of about $414,000 is expected.Robinson said that while registrations are up by about eight per cent over this time last year, they arent something hes willing to bank on yet.

Its hard to extrapolate from those initial numbers because its a dynamic situation.From year to year, the application numbers go up or down but that doesnt always translate to the same number in enrolments. The number that really matters is how many people get their bums in seats.

The budget also proposes that about $1.5 million of the budgeted cost increase be addressed by the use of surplus funds. The university has scaled back on its use of surplus funds to balance the budget in recent years. Last year, about $700,000 in surplus funds were used.

The use of unused funds from previous years is thought to be less injurious at this point to a budget unit and its services than would be removing further funds from the budget of the 2016-17 year, wrote BUs vice-president, finance Scott Lamont in a memo.

BUs plans got a thumbs-up from the students union.

The budget looks fine to us, said Brandon University Students Union president Nick Brown, who sits on the board of governors.

He noted he was happy not to see a dramatic escalation in most fees, and that the prices for meal plans will remain static.

We were expecting to have to push for things like the meal plan not to be increased, he said.

Robinson said while its nice to have the 2.5 per cent increase, nothing is guaranteed beyond this year, and outstanding promises made by the previous government remain in flux.

We have no doubt about the governments commitment to education. However, that doesnt necessarily translate into the same amount of dollars that might have come from the previous government, and its a continuously evolving economic situation for the province as well, he said.

One question mark is a pledge of $12 million, made in January, to a $13.5-million affordable housing complex.

The project has been in the works since 2011 and hoping to break ground as soon as this summer.

We would say that its government making the commitment and consequently, we would start on the project on the basis that we have government commitment to get the project going. BU president Gervan Fearon said at the time of the funding announcement.

But on Friday, Robinson saidshovels wont hit the dirt until the new government has reaffirmed their support.

We wont be able to do that until we hear more from them, he said.

 tbateman@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @tombatemann
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A man who instigated a three-on-one robbery outside the victims foster home has been sentenced to jail.

Court heard that Jordan Peter James Pompana gets into trouble when he drinks.

Its obvious that when youre drinking, youre not a lot of fun, Judge John Combs said during sentencing on Thursday.

On March 26, police responded to a panic alarm at a group foster home in the city.

They learned that 22-year-old Pompana had lured the victim outside, where Pompana and two co-accused surrounded the victim.

Pompana demanded the victims cellphone and, when the victim asked why, he punched him twice in the face. The victim fell and was hit by one or both of the accomplices.

Pompana then ordered the victim to unlock the phone and turn off the passcode. He threatened the victim that if he told anyone, they would return and beat him again.

Another co-accused gave the victim another punch before he managed to flee inside the home, where he notified staff of what happened.

An hour later, Pompana and one of the co-accused returned and surrounded the home.

Thats when staff called police, who arrested Pompana nearby as he rummaged through a vehicle.

He had a cellphone on him that he claimed to be his, which police proved to be a lie when they found hundreds of photos of the victim on it.

Officers also dialed the phones number, as provided by the victim, and it rang. The device also displayed the number police had called from.

Pompana pleaded guilty to robbery with violence, trespassing at night, and to breaching a prior release order by drinking and being out past his curfew.

He was on release after randomly punching and breaking the side mirror of a vehicle on Feb. 21, for which he pleaded guilty to mischief.

He had also broken that release order on March 19. Police went to do a curfew check at his supposed home, but learned he didnt live there.

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said alcohol was behind his clients offending. Pompana doesnt remember much about the robbery, Harrison said.

Pompana has been in custody since the robbery, and was given credit for remand time, which covered his breaches and trespass charges.

In total, he received 180 days in jail for the robbery, for which he received 57 days credit, leaving 123 days left to serve.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
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TORONTO  The unsolved murder of a Toronto business tycoon continues to irk retired detective Ray Zarb even though its been almost 18 years since that summer morning when he first arrived at the bloody crime scene.

It was 7:24 a.m. on Aug. 13, 1998 when Zarb and his partner responded to a report of a shooting at an industrial parking lot.

When they arrived, the body of Frank Roberts  the millionaire inventor of the Obus Forme backrest  lay on the ground next to his Mercedes Benz SL 500 with one bullet hole to the head and two to the chest.

Retired Toronto Det. Sgt. Ray Zarb poses for a photograph at a cemetery in Burlington, Ont., on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Zarb spent many years of his career on the cold case squad and as a homicide detective with the Toronto Police Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

I know who did it, says Zarb, who investigated the killing first as a fresh murder and then as an unsolved crime when he transferred to the Toronto police cold case squad years later.

He wont get into the details of the case, but Zarb says he had two huge tips, both leading him down a trail to organized crime. He believes there was a wheelman, a triggerman and someone who ordered the hit.

But the evidence gathered by detectives wasnt strong enough for prosecutors, he says, and the case remains unsolved.

It irks me, it bugs me, Zarb says at his home in southern Ontario. Police officers dont forget. Ill never forget. And well catch the guys. Well get them.

Now hes pushing the leader of the cold case squad, Det. Sgt. Stacy Gallant, to look into the case again.

Its one of more than 500 cold cases Gallants small team of dedicated investigators have on file  all of them featured on a recently launched Toronto police website.

Vancouver police launched a similar website in 2014 featuring 13 cold cases, among more than 300 unsolved homicides over the past four decades in the city.

We havent solved a case since the site launched, but its generated plenty of tips were following up on, said Sgt. Randy Fincham of the Vancouver police.

He said each member of their homicide squad  18 detectives and three sergeants  is assigned several cold cases that they work on when theyre not investigating fresh homicides.

Canadian police forces handle cold cases differently. Police in Montreal and Ottawa do not have dedicated cold case teams, while Ontarios York Regional Police has two detectives working full-time on long-unsolved murders.

In British Columbias lower mainland, the RCMPs Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has five detectives who look into cold cases dating back to 2003.

There is no national cold case database and no known national data exists, according to multiple forces interviewed by The Canadian Press.

In 2014, Brian Borg, who ran Torontos cold case unit until December 2014, wrote a report about overhauling the squad, parts of which Gallant is now implementing.

Since launching the website in February, Gallant says tips have started to come in  exactly what an old case needs to spur a new investigation, he says.

The oldest cold case on the site  that of 12-year-old Patricia Lupton  dates back to March 9, 1959. She was last seen leaving home around 5:30 p.m. after receiving a call from a man who was responding to her babysitting ad. She was found strangled on a snowbank less than two hours later.

Once a homicide case sits for about three years with no new leads, the case is considered cold and is transferred to Gallants unit, where investigators sift through the evidence looking for anything that could help solve the case using new technology.

Despite the inherent difficulties of working cold cases, no one is forgotten, says Gallant.

This is incredibly important to us, to me and especially to the families. If youve killed someone, you are stressed. You are looking over your shoulder wondering when were coming. And were coming for them.

Gallants goal is to bring the unit from the dark ages of case management to the standards of modern-day policing.

On the sixth floor of police headquarters in downtown Toronto, his team continues to pore over thousands of bankers boxes filled with details of old homicide cases as they hunt for evidence and scan documents to create electronic files, just as they do with current cases.

Gallant says the number of cases the unit has solved in the last 10 years would likely be in the range of five to eight, adding that solving one cold case a year would be huge for his team.

Canada is a uniquely difficult place for cold case detectives, according to both academics and investigators.

They point the finger at stringent privacy laws that limit the effectiveness of a DNA data bank combined with bureaucratic court processes and limited forensic and financial resources  all of which leave Canadas resolution rate lagging behind those in countries that include the United States and the United Kingdom.

Regardless of the challenges, Gallant says his team continues to delve deep into old cases, re-examining every piece of evidence  with the help of scientists at the Centre of Forensic Sciences  and are very close to solving about a dozen cases.

The detective needs help from the public, he says. An anonymous phone call with a name is all thats needed, Gallant says, then he and his team and the magical scientists at the lab will do the rest.

The unit has already had its first prospect of success since Gallant took over in January 2015  Rupert Richards, 61, of Toronto, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Surinder Singh Parmar, who was fatally stabbed while working at a gas station in the citys east end on Nov. 19, 1990.

Gallant says his team found evidence  both DNA and fingerprints  that they ran in the databank, and they believe they got a hit. Just three months after dusting off the old bankers box of evidence, they had a suspect in cuffs. A plea hasnt been entered yet, but Richards lawyer, Paul Genua, says his client intends to plead not guilty to the murder charge.

One of the original detectives will gladly testify if needed, Gallant says.

When you solve a case after 25 years and you walk up to a guy and you tell him hes under arrest for a murder from 25 years ago and you see that look on their face, you cant really put words to that, Gallant says.

For the families of victims, cold cases mean struggling for years  even decades  with questions about who killed their loved ones and why. The pain doesnt retreat, but for some families, resolution helps, although closure never truly comes.

Zarb says he needs some closure, too, which he hopes will come if the Frank Roberts case is solved.

Whatever I can do, Ill do it, he says. Ill gladly go back in and help.
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EDMONTON  The former governor of the Bank of Canada says Alberta is on the right track by tying its energy policy to its environmental plan.

Mark Carney says the two need to go hand in hand as the global economy adapts to carbon reduction measures.

The two work together in reinforcing fashion in a way that uses the market to achieve results, Carney told reporters at the legislature Monday.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney speak to media after their meeting in Edmonton on Monday, June 6, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Carney is the governor of the Bank of England and the chairman of the Financial Stability Board, which is an international body tasked with monitoring and making recommendations on global economic policy.

He was in Edmonton to accept an honourary degree from the University of Alberta, and also met with Premier Rachel Notley.

Notley expects to pass this week the first components of a climate change strategy.

Alberta is implementing a broad-based carbon tax and will also cap oilsands emissions and phase out coal-fired electricity.
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Five stories in the news today from The Canadian Press:

NO LAW IN CANADA TO REGULATE MEDICALLY ASSISTED DYING

Canada no longer has a law in place governing medically assisted dying. The Supreme Court gave the government until today to pass a new law to replace the ban on medically assisted dying that it struck down last year. But the Trudeau governments Bill C-14 is still in the Senate and isnt expected to be put to a vote there before the end of the week. The top court directed that assisted dying should be available to consenting adults with grievous and irremediable medical conditions who are enduring intolerable suffering. The governments proposed law, however, is more restrictive than what the court set out.

Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, speaks to reporters after delivering a speech at the HealthCareCAN and the Canadian College of Health Leaders' National Health Leadership Conference in Ottawa on Monday, June 6, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick



GOVERNMENTS SOCIAL FINANCING DREAMS RUN INTO TURBULENCE

A concept championed by the former Harper government and taken on by the Liberals appears to be struggling. Social financing  government programs financed through arrangements with the private sector  was touted as a way for governments to cut costs, put more money into social programming and improve the essential skills of Canadian workers. But government documents suggest the investors who would provide the funding are showing only limited interest and that government red tape is also slowing the process.



JURY SELECTION STARTS IN QUEBEC ELECTION NIGHT SHOOTING TRIAL

Jury selection finally begins today for the trial of the man charged in connection with the fatal 2012 shooting at the Parti Quebecois election headquarters. Richard Henry Bain is charged with first degree murder, attempted murder and several weapons related offences. Lighting technician Denis Blanchette was fatally shot outside the P-Q headquarters where then-Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois was toasting her partys election win.



COLD CASE UNITS ACROSS CANADA TRY TO CRACK UNSOLVED CRIMES

Toronto police are overhauling their cold case unit by bringing stacks of old documents into the new digital millennium. Squad leader Stacy Gallant says his team of seven detectives has been poring over boxes of unsolved homicide cases as they digitize the documents they contain. The digging led to success last fall when the unit charged a man with first-degree murder in a case dating back 25 years. And Gallant says his team is close to solving about a dozen other cold cases.



CERTIFICATION NEEDED TO PASS THE BATON TO QUEBEC SECURITY OFFICERS

Quebecs public security officers need to take time off to ensure they remain certified to use their steel batons. If the officers arent properly certified, they risk exposing themselves and the cities that employ them to massive lawsuits should they injure someone with the batons in the line of duty. The public security officers take part in annual one-day training courses on how to use the batons as well as hand-to-hand combat and the use of handcuffs. Other large Canadian cities such as Toronto or Vancouver dont have public security officers. They have police enforce the law.


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OTTAWA  Canada is considering reversing another controversial Conservative foreign policy decision by rejoining a UN convention that fights droughts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

The Harper government withdrew Canada from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 2013, making it the only country in the 190-plus member UN that was not a party to the 1995 treaty.

The Conservatives called the decision a cost-saving measure that would spare Canada from participating in what it saw as a useless talkfest.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 6, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

But many countries saw it as snub of the multilateral system.

Trudeau told the House of Commons on Monday the government will have more to say about the convention on or before June 17, an international day to recognize the need to combat desertification.

We recognize not just the link between land degradation and climate change but also the risks that desertification poses to realizing sustainable development goals, said Trudeau, referring to the UNs new 15-year plan to eradicate poverty.

We are co-ordinating with our international partners to implement the 2030 agenda and its ambitious objective to eradicate poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change. We recognize the important work done by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and look forward to updating this House soon, possibly on June 17.

Trudeau was responding to a question by Green party Leader Elizabeth May, who called it shameful of the Conservatives to take Canada out of the treaty.

It is a key instrument, not just for developing countries, but for dealing with increasing trials here within Canada, May said.

This is an area where Canada was once extremely helpful.

A dry spring contributed to the massive wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., while droughts in India, Indonesia and parts of Africa have sowed mayhem.

A drought in Syria, which drove farmers into cities, is seen as a contributing factor in the unrest that sparked a 2011 uprising which, in turn, led to the catastrophic civil war that has left millions homeless and hundreds of thousands dead.

The Bonn-based secretariat that administered the convention called Canadas decision to withdraw regrettable.

Canadas withdrawal came the encroachment of deserts onto usable farmland was becoming an urgent issue. The year before Canada left the treaty, renewed droughts plunged millions into poverty in Africas Sahel belt and in East Africa.

Canada plans to run in 2020 for a temporary two-year seat on the Security Council; being the only country outside a UN treaty would not be a vote-getter.

The Liberals have also said they will make Canada a signatory to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, which the Conservatives also refused to sign.
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TORONTO  Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday that critically ill people in the province can seek a doctors help to end their life even before the federal government comes up with new legislation on assisted dying.

The province worked with the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons so protocols would be in place, and will wait for the federal legislation to see if those protocols need to be updated, added Wynne.

It is possible for people to get this procedure, Wynne said.

They would have to work through their doctor, but will no longer have to go to Superior Court to get medically assisted death service.

However, Ontarios health minister and attorney general both advised families and doctors to seek court approval for assisted death until the federal government passes new legislation.

We recommend that in the absence of any specific federal legislation that the family and health care provider pursue and gain the assistance of the court system, said Health Minister Eric Hoskins.

Added Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur: To make sure they are in compliance with the Supreme Court, the health professional will be advised by their association to go to Superior Court. The doctor has to show the court that the capacity of the individual is in compliance with the criteria set up by the Supreme Court.

Meilleur couldnt say how long it would take someone seeking a medically assisted death to get approval through the courts, but said anyone who applied in the past six months found it was dealt with efficiently and in a timely manner.

Ontario set up a referral service so physicians unwilling or unable to provide medically assisted dying can connect patients with those who are willing.

We have an obligation to our professional health-care workers with regards to striking that balance, said Hoskins.

The province will also ensure that patients seeking medically assisted death wont have to pay for the medications they need.

Effective today well be making those drugs available at no cost to Ontarians, added Hoskins.

Monday marked the Supreme Court of Canada deadline for the federal government to come up with a new law on medically assisted dying, but the legislation from the Liberal government remained before the Senate.

The Supreme Court last year struck down the ban on assisted dying as a violation of the Charter right to life, liberty and security of the person.

Hoskins urged the federal government to pass legislation on assisted dying as quickly as possible so a national framework could be established on the practice, and contacted Senators from Ontario Monday to encourage them to vote in favour of the bill.

There are amendments that will have to go back through the House of Commons, through the parliamentary process as well, he said. Its important that that legislation, federally, be in place so we have that systemacross the country.

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown said he hopes the country isnt in a grey period too long before new federal legislation is passed into law and questioned public support in Ontario for the idea of medically assisted dying.

Im worried were not ready, but you know there is a democratic debate happening, and its important that debate takes place, especially on an issue that is as important and personal as this, said Brown.

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CALGARY  A British Columbia physician says the parents of a starved teen refused to accept a diabetes diagnosis when the boy was initially admitted to hospital 13 years before his death.

Dr. Laura Stewart, a pediatric endocrinologist, testified Monday that the husband and wife were reluctant to give their son insulin after he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the childrens hospital in Vancouver in 2000.

Emil Radita, 59, and his wife Rodica Radita, 53, are charged with first-degree murder in the 2013 death of 15-year-old Alexandru. The boy, who was one of eight children, weighed less than 37 pounds and died of complications due to untreated diabetes and starvation.

Alex Radita is shown in a photo from his 15th birthday party, three months before his death. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Alberta MANDATORY CREDIT

The judge, who is hearing the case without a jury, has yet to decide if the evidence from B.C. will be admitted at trial.

Stewart said Alexandru tested at the severe end of diabetic ketoacidosis, which occurs when the blood becomes acidic and can result in muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and in some cases organ failure. A lack of insulin causes the body to break down muscle and fat cells.

Although their son reacted well to treatment, the parents werent allowed to take him home until they had proven they were capable of administering insulin and checking his blood sugar.

What I remember is the mother still not accepting the diagnosis of diabetes and initially did not want to learn how to manage it. Eventually she did comply on how, to get the child home, but never did acknowledge the diagnosis.

Alexandru gained weight and appeared to be a healthy child when he came for an outpatient checkup a few months later in February 2001 just after his third birthday. She said his height was just over three feet and he weighed about 35 pounds, which was normal for his age.

Stewart said she saw Alexandru again in October 2003 when he was readmitted after presenting as very ill at a hospital in Surrey, B.C.

Alexandru was so severely malnourished at the time of admission it was felt by the attending staff at the time that he was not safe to be in the care of his family.

Stewart said childrens services in British Columbia was notified and Alexandru was apprehended from his parents care while he was still in hospital.

Dr. Paul Korn, an expert in pediatric emergency medicine works at the hospital. He was called to consult on the case by B.C.s Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Korn said he talked to the parents and was told that Alexandru had been fine two weeks earlier.

I was already aware that Alex was a very sick boy. It was hard for me to really understand how a child could be totally well and fine and, over the next two weeks, deteriorate to the point where he is going into hypotensive shock, Korn said.

Hypotensive shock occurs when not enough blood and oxygen flow to the bodys major organs, including the brain.

Korn said the child was profoundly malnourished, with a swollen abdomen and fluid in the lining of the lungs and around his heart.

I have never seen a patient as malnourished as this in my career. Ive certainly read about these cases and seen this all on television in terms of countries that have famine.

Alexandru was put into foster care when he was discharged from hospital.

The Raditas moved from B.C. to Alberta in 2009.

The medical examiner in the case said Alexandru was skeletal in appearance when he died, had very little body fat and was severely underweight. His body was covered with ulcers and his teeth had rotted down to the root.

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ST. JOHNS, N.L.  There is one thing the elderly man most remembers about living at the Mount Cashel orphanage more than 60 years ago: fear.

They had complete control over you, he said of the Irish Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic order that ran the once-iconic institution in St. Johns, N.L. You were beaten continually.

Theyd come to your bed at night, said the man, now in his 70s, who cant be identified under a court-ordered publication ban.

Theyd masturbate you and lie on top of you, rub you and kiss you and all of that. I used to try and say a prayer and, you know, it didnt work.

He was in court Monday as a civil trial resumed in provincial Supreme Court involving about 60 claimants. Theyre arguing the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. Johns should compensate victims for alleged abuse dating back to the 1940s.

They are among former residents who came forward when Mount Cashel horrors at last became a public scandal with criminal convictions and an inquiry starting in 1989. It examined over 156 days how complaints to police and social service officials were for so long downplayed or ignored.

I didnt tell anybody until the Hughes Commission, the former resident said Monday outside court. What those kids went through, I went through.

It would be meaningful to me that the church would finally own up to the negligence toward the responsibility that they had for the most vulnerable members of society. They just protect themselves.

The Archdiocese of St. Johns says it was never responsible for the operations of the orphanage or school, though it sympathizes with those who suffered.

The archdiocese remains focused on our daily work and service giving generously in the community, and promoting social justice, it said in an emailed statement.

Lawyer Geoff Budden, representing about 60 claimants, says the archdiocese knew or ought to have known about sexual and physical abuse but didnt stop it. The statement of claim, which has not been proven in court, says the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. Johns had direct authority over Mount Cashel because it was a pastoral work within the geographic territory of the corporation.

About 20 more men represented by other law firms could be affected by a decision expected later this year or early next year.

Mount Cashel was closed in 1990 and torn down two years later.

The civil trial heard Monday that three boys separately told the same priest during confession they were being abused by Christian Brothers.

The boys lived at the orphanage in the 1950s and also cant be named under the publication ban. Sometimes children became wards of the state because their parents had both died, other times because a single parent struggled to raise them.

The agreed statements of fact were entered Monday as part of the lawsuit.

One of them refers to physical abuse by one Christian Brother, and sexual abuse by another described as sodomy.

Other than some general remarks to his mother that Mount Cashel was a rough place and that Brothers were beating the boys, he told nobody else about the abuse, it says.

The statement also says the former resident had expected the priest  while respecting the confidentiality of the confessional  would speak to at least one of the Christian Brothers about what was happening.

Watching in court Monday was Gemma Hickey. She founded The Pathways Foundation in St. Johns in 2013, which offers support to survivors of religious institutional abuse.

Hickey, 39, reached a confidential agreement out of court several years ago for abuse at the hands of a Roman Catholic priest when she was young, she said in an interview.

I think there was another way forward, she said of the Mount Cashel lawsuit. I encouraged the bishop  to settle.

The lawsuit and related media coverage force survivors to re-live that pain, Hickey said.

It triggers us, and it also re-traumatizes us as a province.

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MONTREAL  TransCanada says a draft impact study for its Energy East pipeline project has been submitted as requested by the Quebec government.

The 10-chapter document wasnt released publicly, but an analysis of technological risks will be added once it is completed, the company said Monday.

The Calgary-based company said the submission meets the requirements of the provincial department of sustainable development, environment and the fight against climate change.

Quebec government officials wouldnt say when the study would be released.

Environmental groups have already denounced the short, six-week time period to prepare the study, saying it suggests Quebecs bias in favour of the project. They argue that a smaller scale pipeline project needed 15 months to produce an environmental impact study.

TransCanada (TSX:TRP) said government experts may request additional information as part of the analysis.

In April, Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel said TransCanada would comply with the Environment Quality Act (EQA) in Quebec by filing a notice and a draft impact study by Monday.

According to department documents sent to TransCanada, public environmental hearings could resume in October. The first hearings wrapped up in March with citizens from across the province grilling TransCanada executives on the risks and costs associated with the pipeline.

Energy East would bring 1.1 million barrels of oil a day 4,600 kilometres from Alberta and Saskatchewan through Quebec and into New Brunswick for overseas shipping.

The $15.7-billion project has run into stiff opposition in Quebec, with politicians, citizens and environmentalists questioning whether the ecological risks outweigh the economic rewards.
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EDMONTON  Albertas Opposition Wildrose party has apologized for suggesting the enforced starvation of millions Ukrainian farmers in the 1930s happened because they lacked incentive to work and grow food.

Wildrose member Dave Hanson said Monday he is proud of his Ukrainian heritage and criticized a blog post from last week that he and eight other members of the Wildrose caucus signed.

This was wrong and I speak for all members involved (that) we apologize unreservedly for this post, Hanson told the legislature.

For any political party to try and push an agenda or at attack using the tragedy of the Ukrainian people and the Holodomor is deplorable.

The other parties also made statements in the house and didnt spare the criticism.

To suggest the Holodomor was somehow the fault of the victims is shocking in its inaccuracy and disrespect, said Richard Starke of the Progressive Conservatives.

To make that suggestion for political gain is heinous.

Erin Babcock of the NDP said the sad episode is a reminder to all of us of the impact of what we say or write.

Babcock said the sincerity of the Wildrose apology will be judged on their future actions and whether they have learned anything from putting such bizarre, hurtful, and simply wrong comments on the public record.

Wildrose house leader Nathan Cooper, asked by reporters about vetting for blog posts, said: We always have appropriate checks and balances in place.

He declined to say how the Holodomor post got through or whether party leader Brian Jean signed off on it.

The blog post was intended as criticism of Albertas proposed carbon tax. Its to take effect Jan. 1 and will increase the cost of gasoline along with home and business heating bills as an incentive to reduce peoples carbon footprint.

More than 60 per cent of Albertans  those in middle- and lower-income brackets  are to receive a partial or full rebate. That has prompted questions about the plans effectiveness.

The blog post attacked the carbon tax by questioning incentives generally under a socialist system. To underscore their point, the nine Wildrose members pointed to the Holodomor in the 1930s and suggested the enforced collectivization of farms removed the incentive for millions of Ukrainian farmers to feed themselves and their families.

History has shown us that the socialist collectivist mentality has failed over and over again, said the blog.

That lack of incentive in Ukraine, it noted, resulted in the starvation of nearly six million people that lived on some of the most fertile land on the planet.

In fact, the Holodomor was genocide perpetrated by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin as a way to bring a resistant Ukraine to heel as he moved to collectivize Ukrainian farms to sell wheat for tools and machines necessary to modernize the economy.

There are an estimated 300,000 Albertans of Ukrainian descent.

The carbon levy bill is the last piece of legislation that needs to be approved before the house rises.

Opposition members are putting up multiple amendments, saying there needs to be more clarity and transparency on how the tax will be implemented and how the revenue is to be spent.
Opinion

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U.S. President Barack Obama, in Japan recently for the G7 meetings, took time to visit Hiroshima and speak to the Japanese people about the nuclear bombing of that city and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War. In 1945, the atomic scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project which produced those first nuclear weapons, created the Doomsday Clock, as they said that they could not ignore the consequences of their work.

At the time, the clock was used as a lobbying tool to press for an end to the arms race and the threat of nuclear destruction of the Earth. Since 1945, the clock has been moved back and forth on an annual basis in relation to the fear this group of scientists endure as the world has careened through a long Cold War between Western allies and a Communist Empire which lasted from the 1940s through to 1990 and now what some call Cold War II, since Russias invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

At the end of January, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a highly respected publication, announced that the clock would remain at three minutes to midnight as the threat of war and climate change remain high despite ongoing efforts such as a nuclear treaty with Iran and a climate accord in Paris. The clock was first set at 11.57 p.m. the previous January and remains the closest to midnight the 16 Nobel Laureates have set it since 1983 at the height of the Cold War.

Global tensions around current migration from the Middle East to Europe, ongoing instability, terrorism and regional conflict in Western Asia, and an impasse between Russia and the U.S. over territorial expansion fuel the louder ticking of the Doomsday Clock. But with greater understanding of our climate challenges compared to the clocks inception 70 years ago, the scientists have added global warming as a factor in setting the Doomsday Deadline.

In their press release this year, the scientists pointed out that 2015 was again Earths warmest year, something that now occurs regularly. We are now on average more than a degree Celsius warmer than we were in pre-industrial times, which makes a seemingly small but actually devastating difference to the planet.

At no time in our history have we dealt with extreme weather as we are now forced to  storms, floods, droughts on a scale that were of-the-century, then of-the-decade and now everyday happenings.

While the scientists see glimmers of hope in Canada and Australia re-engaging in climate discussions, they are discouraged that the British government is headed in the opposite direction, and that the U.S. Republican Party now stands alone in failing to acknowledge that human-caused climate change is even a problem.

On the positive side, they recognize the value of the Papal Encyclical on Climate Change and the creation of new, greener technologies and investments by the private sector.

Echoing the concerns of the architects of the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals announced at the start of this year, when it comes to climate change, voluntary and incremental measure just arent enough! There needs to be fundamental change to turn the tide of global warming. Fear around U.S.-Russian relations and North Korean nuclear initiatives lead the scientists to say that only a few bright spots kept the clock from being moved even closer to midnight.

World leaders are called upon to dramatically reduce spending on their nuclear weapons modernization programs (something many of us dont know about!) and to follow up with action immediately on the Paris Climate Accords.

Say the keepers of the Doomsday Clock: The Clock ticks. Global danger looms. Wise leaders should act  immediately.

 Zack Gross is a former executive director of the Marquis Project, Brandon-Westmans international development organization. Currently, he is outreach co-ordinator for Fair Trade Manitoba.
Opinion

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The federal government has begun its review of Canada Post, including the possible restoration of home delivery, which was being phased out by the previous Conservative regime.

Before the process had even begun, however, the Liberals had learned a valuable lesson: namely, the perils of imprudent campaign promises. Its a predicament most parties experience after being elected to govern.

During the 2015 campaign, the Liberals vowed to stop the Conservative governments plan to end home delivery, which was already underway. Canada Post, a Crown corporation, put an immediate halt to the program while it waited for orders from the Liberals following the election. By that time, fewer than one million of a planned five million addresses had been converted to community mailboxes.

About two-thirds of the country already uses community mailboxes, and a majority is satisfied with the service. Of the one-third who still receive home delivery, a majority (73 per cent) is opposed to losing it.

More than 20,000 homes in Winnipeg have been converted to community mailboxes without much opposition. Members of Parliament have reported their constituents seem content with the switch, including those who were previously opposed.

Under these circumstances, the Liberal government probably wishes it had merely promised a review to make sure the Conservative plan was sound.

The Liberals were clear during the campaign they intended to restore home delivery. It was unclear if it was going to be restored for the two-thirds who dont receive it, but there was no doubt the service would continue for the one-third who receive it now.

We will save home delivery, the official Liberal platform stated.

Unfortunately for the Liberals and for those who want mail delivered to their door, the model is broken and out of date. We have come a long way from the days when mail was delivered twice a day and once on Saturday.

The digital revolution has made the old-fashioned post office irrelevant for millions of Canadians and businesses. It delivered 1.2 billion fewer pieces of mail in 2013 than it did in 2006. Some futurists even believe the age of paper mail could end in 20 years.

It has left Canada Post with a business model that doesnt work and one that could eventually drive it into bankruptcy unless significant changes are made.

And thats why the Liberal review may not be a complete waste of time.

The Crown corporation could be facing annual losses of $1 billion a year by 2020, in addition to a pension shortfall in the billions of dollars, according to various forecasts.

The Liberal review should consider reducing service to four days a week, or even on alternate days since few people actually receive daily mail.

The task force should also consider the potential for drones as a parcel-delivery service, particularly since the use of such technology is moving away from science fiction and into the realm of reality. Drones might soon be able to deliver parcels to remote and rural areas of Canada.

As for parcels, they are the future of the delivery business, as is e-commerce.

Of course, the Liberal review will also have to deal with its unfortunate promise to restore home delivery for letters. The Liberals will simply have to take their lumps, much the way they did when they failed to eliminate the GST under Jean Chretien.

Voters will forgive governments that break some promises, providing they acknowledge their transgression and make a good argument for moving in a different direction.

The Liberals have an opportunity to conduct a review that offers a vision of postal service in the next 25 years. They should not make the mistake of trying to keep a foolish promise that should never have been offered in the first place.

 Winnipeg Free Press
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SAN FRANCISCO  Hillary Clinton has apparently broken a historic barrier, winning enough delegates to guarantee that she will become the first woman to lead a major American political party into a presidential election.

A tally by the Associated Press finds that the former first lady, senator and secretary of state has gathered enough elected and unelected superdelates to guarantee the Democratic nomination.

The news came a day early.

Supports of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., cheer during a campaign rally at the Cubberley Community Center on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, in Palo Alto, Calif. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Noah Berger

Clintons mathematical stranglehold on the nomination was expected to become crystallized Tuesday when six states vote in the last major set of primaries.

She wouldnt claim the title yet.

Im obviously really excited about that. But Im not letting myself focus on that yet, Clinton said Monday, when asked about her apparent lock on the nomination.

Its been an incredible journey. And I will have a lot to say about it (later).

The White House also suggested that President Barack Obama was awaiting Tuesdays results to endorse her candidacy. His backing now would offer a touch of historical symmetry.

Eight years ago this week, Obama received an endorsement from his then-rival, Clinton; she suspended her campaign and urged supporters to back the young senator vying to become the first African-American president.

Clinton now seems mathematically assured to clinch her own place in history. She holds a lead of eight per cent among elected delegates, and barring a spectacular collapse in California, New Jersey and other states Tuesday, followed by a mass-defection of so-called superdelegates who back her, shes won the nomination.

Her next challenge: Unify the party.

Clintons general-election poll numbers have slipped recently, thanks partly to resistance from progressive voters. Most tell pollsters theyd rally behind her; one-quarter say they wouldnt.

In longer interviews, many Bernie Sanders supporters say theyre grappling with a dilemma. As their senators social-democratic Cinderella story approaches its political midnight, his fans seem torn.

Greg Elsten is an artist who used graphic images to illustrate his quandary. In cringe-inducing corporal terms, he described his feelings about being forced to choose between Clinton and Donald Trump.

Its either a slap in the face or the kick in the crotch, he says. The silver lining here for Clinton? Elsten views her as the lesser of the two: She would be the slap in the face.

If absolutely forced to, he says hed be willing to endure the facial sting of voting for someone he finds as cynical and shifty as Clinton. Maybe if he lived in a swing state like Ohio, and believed his vote necessary to shield America from a kick in the unmentionables in the form of President Donald Trump.

But he lives in solidly Democratic California. So he figures he can afford to write Sanders name into the ballot in protest  like hes decorated the Uber car he drives with a Sanders sticker and button, and filled the back seat with pamphlets for passengers to read during their rides.

Sanders has indicated he plans to keep fighting.

Clinton will still need some superdelegate votes at the convention, unless she massively outperforms expectations Tuesday. The Vermont senator suggests he might seek to convince those party officials to back him at next months convention  even though shes won more votes, more states, and more delegates.

Sanders supporters say something else might change between now and the July convention. Something like criminal charges being laid against their opponent.

The FBI is still investigating Clintons use of a home email server for work. Some are apparently holding out for police intervention: Were yet to hear the last of that, I hope, said Kate Tanaka at a Sanders rally last week in Oakland.

Tanaka hasnt voted Democrat in a quarter-century, not since Bill Clinton. Shes more recently supported either Ralph Nader or the Green party. Like actress-activist Susan Sarandon, shes in the so-called Bernie-Or-Bust camp.

She wouldnt vote for Clinton.

Never, never, Tanaka said. I will go back to what I was doing before Bernie came along. Id vote for (the Green party) I dont want Donald Trump, but I dont want Hillary Clinton. I think she poses some really serious threats (too), she said, referring to her hawkish military positions.

Others sound ready to hop aboard the Clinton bandwagon.

As much as shes not the person in the primary that I voted for, I have no problem voting for her as the party candidate, said Timothy Egan of New Hampshire.

I think a lot of (Sanders fans) will support her. Because the alternative is dont vote, or vote for Donald Trump. And I think theyre too passionate to not vote, and theyre too intelligent to vote for Donald Trump.

He predicted Sanders would ultimately back her too, because thats the best way to retain some political influence and keep pushing the causes he cares about.

At a Sanders rally in California, Yelda Bartlett was unequivocal when asked whether shed be able to switch to Clinton: Definitely, she said.

Im an immigrant. Im Muslim. My familys Muslim. I cant vote for a demagogue (like Trump). Its scary to me.

Others are somewhere in the middle. Some Sanders supporters say they expect Clinton to adopt some of his policies  or add his name to the ticket.

Bernie for vice-president? said one Sanders supporter, Jeanne Andrews.

(Then) Im in. Im all in.
BuzzFeed said Donald Trump's rhetoric has caused it to terminate a deal with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to run political ads on the site this autumn.

In an email sent to BuzzFeed employees, chief executive Jonah Peretti said BuzzFeed told the RNC on Monday morning that it would not accept Trump ads.
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A Canberra psychologist has been disciplined for claiming in a report that his client's children suffered from "parental alienation syndrome", a condition not formally recognised by psychology bodies.

A tribunal was also critical in its assessment of the psychologist's report, saying that it went beyond opinion or reasonable inference and "attributes fault and deliberately dishonourable behaviour factually to the [ex-wife]".

"It uses emotive, extreme and exaggerated language. It does not purport to give an objective assessment or opinion of the situation."

The psychologist wrote the medical report for his client, who needed it to complete a Centrelink form relating to an application for his disability support.

"In 2009 (the client's) wife destroyed him and took everything he had including turning his children against him  this is the worst nasty divorce I have encountered  he is shattered by it," the psychologist's report read.
Capital Metro was forced to pulp "myth buster" tram postcards after Electoral Commissioner Phillip Green intervened, judging they were not properly authorised.

But despite the postcards being destroyed in September, some remained in circulation and were handed out at a Tuggeranong Community Council meeting last month.

An artist's impression of the proposed light rail.

It is unclear who provided the postcards for the May meeting, but Capital Metro head Emma Thomas has told Mr Green they were obtained by a third party before the bulk were pulped last year.

The myth buster postcards come in six versions, with statements such as "city to Gungahlin is the wrong route, the population isn't dense enough", and the responding "fact": "Nine of the 10 most densely populated suburbs in Canberra are within two kilometres of the light rail route. Braddon is the most densely populated suburb with 4022 people per square kilometre".
The ACT government is introducing a free "city loop" bus service, starting July 4, and connecting the city with New Acton, the Australian National University and Braddon.

The loop travels up Northbourne Avenue as far as Haig Park and down Mort Street, around the city, through London Circuit to Marcus Clarke Street, and up to Barry Drive.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris on the new "city loop" bus service. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The free buses will run every 15 minutes, 7am to 7pm, and will connect with buses into the Parliamentary Triangle.

Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris announced the bus loop as part of $17 million in bus funding in Tuesday's budget.
Drawing an analogy to the original development of the global telephone industry, he said he would prefer the industry to put in place their own protocols rather than having regulators insist upon them. Mr Medcraft also revealed global regulators want to ensure that investors and markets fully understand the risks that blockchain pose, including the potential for bugs and errors. The regulated entities using blockchains would need to stand behind the technology to ensure that consumers were not harmed in the case of failures, he said. "Somebody will need to stand behind and guarantee performance for the market. Someone is going to have to guarantee that the thing works." IOSCO's research and risk department is currently preparing a report on the regulatory issues for blockchain that will be completed by the end of 2016. IOSCO may then issue guidance on the appropriate risk framework for regulated entities to have in place when using blockchains.

The IOSCO board was briefed in February by Blythe Masters, the chief executive of New York-based blockchain startup Digital Asset Holdings, which is working to build blockchains for the clearing and settlement of equities for the Australian Securities Exchange and Deutsche Borse, and representatives of the US Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. Despite the risks, Mr Medcraft, who was replaced as IOSCO chair in May by Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission CEO Ashley Alder, said global regulators wanted to encourage the development of blockchain technology because it promised to reduce overall risk in the financial system and would provide regulators with more transparency into markets . "We have been watching it extremely closely. I think it is going to happen much faster than people expect," he said. There are two types of blockchain systems: 'permissionless' blockchains, such as bitcoin, which are open to the public and operated by all users of the network; and 'permissioned' systems, where direct access to the blockchain is restricted to pre-defined users whose identities are known. R3, Ripple and Digital Asset Holdings are all developing 'permissioned' systems.

"Probably the way this will evolve to start with will be in permissioned networks, where they are known parties, rather than anonymous networks. Permissioned networks also give you more comfort dealing with cyber security," Mr Medcraft said. As lawyers begin to consider how 'smart contracts' or computer code which facilitates a set of business rules, can be programmed onto blockchains such as Ethereum, Mr Medcraft said: "If you are going to have a smart contract on your blockchain and you are a regulated entity, we would want to make sure you have appropriate risk management systems in place. These would probably include testing, to make sure they work properly." He pointed to the regulation of high frequency trading and robo-advisers as a precedent; ASIC requires both to test algorithms. Furthermore, ASIC requires high frequency traders to have a "kill switch" that stops the computers executing the trades. Mr Medcraft suggested global regulators might require regulated institutions using smart contracts to use similar devices. "Maybe that is something they might want to look at," he said.
CBD was intrigued to see that former APN News and Media boss, Brett Chenoweth, has gone counter-cyclical and made a play for West African gold explorer, Noble Mineral Resources.

It can't be any worse than going counter-cyclical on media we guess.

Chenoweth is one of a cadre of bizoids who snuck onto the board Christmas Eve last year to revive the comatose miner which had entered voluntary administration in 2013.

Chenoweth backed a capital raising along with his fellow directors who collectively now own 25 per cent of the share register.
New property owners will pay 25 per cent extra for application fees to register land and property as the NSW government prepares the public asset for sale.

NSW Labor said the price increase would provide a windfall of up to $27 million to whoever buys the Land and Property Information Service which generates more than $60 million in a year.

The new application fees for title registrations and the determination of title boundaries will rise from $109.50 to $136.30.

Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian recently confirmed the government's in-house land agency would be privatised.

Labor's spokesman for Finance, Services and Property Clayton Barr said new application fees for title registrations and the determination of title boundaries will rise from $109.50 to $136.30 for each transaction  an increase of almost $27. He said the price increase was released in a government circular but not highlighted by the government.
The Russians normally don't care what foreigners watch on TV, but the Kremlin has taken grave exception to a box set drama from Norway named Occupied. Its premise: Arab civil wars shut down oil exports and Norwegians elect a Green government to close down North Sea oil as well. Panic ensues, and the Russians invade Oslo - not with tanks, but with a cell of masked men in unmarked uniforms who make the prime minister an offer he can't refuse. He accepts "assistance" from Russia, while he pumps out the oil they want. And the European Union? It meekly backs the Kremlin.

It's clear why the real-life Russians are so angry: all this is far too close to the bone. The Scandinavians have been feeling the chill from Moscow for a while now. Vladimir Putin has been testing their defences, sending fighters into their airspace and watching the reaction. He annexed Crimea by soldiers in unmarked uniforms and having a pliable politician ask for Russian help. No wonder the Baltic states are anxious, or that previously-neutral Swedes and Finns are suddenly talking about joining Nato. The Russian bear is on the prowl.

The Norwegian drama should have been called "a world without America", because that, really, is what it depicts. Who keeps peace in the Persian Gulf? The Fifth Fleet of the US Navy, at the annual cost of some $50 billion. But when the US achieves energy self-sufficiency, which it will at the end of the next decade thanks to its fracking revolution, it won't need imports from the Gulf - or anywhere else. So why should Uncle Sam spend so much protecting the Saudis? The main check on Russian expansionism is Nato, a defence alliance which shields Europe under America's nuclear umbrella. It's now seen by a growing number of Americans as a scam, abused by freeloading Europeans.

Such Americans now have a hero, in the form of Donald J Trump. A few weeks ago, he explained his foreign policy - rambling, of course, and contradictory. But it deserves to be taken seriously, given his rising chances of victory (about 2/1, according to the bookmakers). Trump has exhumed a slogan used by Charles Lindbergh and the isolationists of the Thirties: America First. It means using the military when directly threatened, but worrying a lot less if other countries are attacked. And leaving Europeans to fend for themselves if they won't pay for themselves.
Gender dominates our mailbag. Here's two from each side. "Leave all the sex out of it, the Americanism of Guys came over with the Yanks in WWII , and stayed," says Doug Cameron, of Normanhurst. "Our original word was Bloke. Really passionate Australians still respond to being addressed as "you blokes ", very unifying. However the term Sheila fell into disrepute once the grog usurped our everyday wisdom and we lost a part of our language."

"In light of all the rabbiting on about PC and gender specific words, could you tell me how the following words, together with many more, managed to sneak past the thought police?" asks Colin Hadden, of Emu Plains. "Each of the words includes letters forming words normally applied to the male sex. Person, human, manifold, manual, cheer. And so on. I'm astonished that at least some of the more rabid feminists, etc haven't tried to have these words expunged from the English language."

"I am certainly not one to be offended by the gender-neutral term of "guys", says Pam Janes, of Killcare. "However if Middle Aged Men in Lycra can be MAMILS, I think that female cyclists deserve their own acronym. OWIL, Older Woman in Lycra (singular, or perhaps as a collective noun a Parliament of OWILS)." She is expecting her humble thoughts to go viral! We'll see.

Last word on this to Jenny Archbold, of Bellingen. "Thank you Richard Stewart (Column 8, Friday) and welcome to my world. I have been on the warpath with "Guys" (shudder cringe) for months. Every time I have that word hurled in my direction I inform the offender that I am definitely not one now and never will be."

Last month saw the introduction of new swimming pool safety fencing laws in NSW," says David Rose, of North Narrabeen. "One section relates to the maximum distance allowed between the vertical balusters being 100mm.Whilst I was recently visiting Circular Quay I noticed the beautiful metal baluster fencing which surrounds Sydney Harbour from the Opera House to the Bridge has a repeat pattern with spaces of 110mm, certainly large enough for a toddler to squeeze through. I wouldn't like to see it changed in any way but why is Sydney's busy tourist spot not complying to the law imposed so strictly on the rest of us?" Any other offenders out there?
Convenience, efficiency, affordability and reliability: it's the public transport gold standard to which all governments and oppositions aspire, particularly those about to face the electorate. So when Transport Minster Meegan Fitzharris announced bus services across Canberra will receive a $17 million boost in Tuesday's budget, the optimism and good cheer in her media statement was manifest. The investment (which will enable the acquisition of 20 new ACTION buses, the construction of a new park and ride facility at Wanniassa, the implementation of new services to Weston Creek and Molonglo, and an electric bus trial) would "allow people to get from one part of our city to another in a really convenient way  [and constitute] a genuine alternative to driving".

The Barr government's light rail proposal has overshadowed other aspects of Labor's public transport policies, and Ms Fitzharris's announcement may been seen as an attempt to reassure voters outside of Gungahlin and the inner north that they're not at the back of the transport infrastructure investment pipeline. This it manages admirably.

The new Molonglo and Weston Creek services recognise the rapid growth of Canberra's western suburbs, and the reality that many of its inhabitants are over-reliant on expensive private motor vehicles  a transport alternative that's not as appealing to younger people as it once was. The electric bus trial, too, is a smart and pragmatic initiative that demonstrates the government's receptiveness to new technologies.

The government's initiatives will inevitably be compared to those proposed by the Canberra Liberals in April  and almost inevitably found wanting. Having disowned light rail for political reasons, the Liberals had virtually no choice but to demonstrate to voters they could engineer significant and measurable improvements in ACTION's services, not just for commuters but for late-night, weekend and other occasional users.
These are the women Australia abandoned. No, it's not just our government that abandoned them. It's the rest of us. We are all responsible. These women come from two groups: those granted refugee status; and those who are detainees.

And we heard the first of these terrible reports from the victims themselves, the women who were medically evacuated to Australia to deal with the horror of the assaults.

We know that because for at least a year now, we have had accounts from Nauru which detail what a new report calls a pattern of systemic assault and rape.

We know already that refugee women on Nauru are exposed to violence, other kinds of trauma and terrible discrimination. No matter how little our government wants to tell us, no matter how little the Nauruan government wants to tell us, we know that women on Nauru are being violated every single day.

In some cases, there is further violence visited upon the women by the Nauruan government itself. Last year, in a devastating breach of the privacy of women refugees, that government sent out a press release, detailing investigations of the rape of a young Somali woman. It cast doubts on the veracity of the victim's claims. It published explicit details of the woman's state of health, including a description of the woman's genitals. Those terrible revelations came amid claims by respected health workers that the state of healthcare on Nauru is catastrophic. We send women to a country where are no safeguards in place to protect them and then with very little medical help.

Last year a group of activists decided they wanted to go and see what was happening for themselves and Australian Women in Support of Women on Nauru was born in order to investigate exactly what was going on. The money for the investigation was raised in an instant. The hopes of the activists were dashed much more quickly than that  when the Nauruan government responded to the campaign by saying that no Australian journalists would be permitted on to the island, with the exception of The Australian's Chris Kenny.

Now AWSWN has released its report, after nine months of research and investigation. The group is committed to bringing the story of Australia's treatment of women on Nauru to public attention  in direct opposition to the government which, as the report says, "is determined to place the plight of asylum seekers beyond the reach of the international media and civil society, and therefore as invisible as possible".

This report makes the invisible visible. Here is some of what they found. Women and children regularly exposed to sexual humiliation and harassment. They are subject to intrusive body searches. They have been raped, bashed, burnt, as they hasten from their demountable cabins to the local markets for food.

We already know about the shocking case of Abyan, the young woman who was raped and then became pregnant. The utterly careless way in which she was treated when she sought a termination should make all of us feel ashamed. Louise Newman, the professor of women's health at the University of Melbourne, said at the time: "The treatment of a 23-year-old pregnant rape survivor ... highlights the profound lack of understanding of the psychological impact of rape and trauma. Blaming the victim ... does nothing to help us understand her trauma."
On the right, Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek were sympathetic. On the left Martin Luther King was a supporter and, in today's America, a prominent union leader, Andy Stern, formerly head of the Service Employees International Union, has written a book promoting the idea. The Dutch city of Utrecht and 19 other municipalities are running pilots, Finland is planning to launch a small-scale test run in January and a US seed capital firm, Y Combinator, is planning its own pilot in Oakland, California. And in Australia? The idea was recommended by a federal government commission in the 1970s, the Henderson inquiry into poverty, commissioned by the McMahon Liberal government. The old Liberal Democratic Party, before the advent of the current libertarian Senator David Leyonhjelm, also put forward its own idea. What's the attraction of a universal basic income? The concept is that, rather than pay a whole range of different pensions and allowances and subsidies, all payments from the state are consolidated and simplified into a single payment. For simplicity and fairness, the payment goes to all citizens, homeless people and billionaires alike. The recipient can decide how best to spend it. After these fundamentals, every proposal for a universal basic income varies tremendously in the detail.

The Swiss idea had no detail; a proposal by Charles Murray in the weekend's Wall Street Journal suggested $US13,000 ($18,000) a year for every US adult but with the abolition of all other payments and health programs and pensions and the abolition of the federal infrastructure that administers such programs. A drastic shrinkage in the size of the state, in other words, which is the aim of the right in supporting this concept. Australia's Henderson inquiry suggested a two-tier plan, immediately undercutting one of the main arguments in favour: that it should be a single, simple payment to all. Henderson envisaged a basic universal payment the equivalent in today's dollars of about $8000 a year, says the director of the Social Policy Institute at ANU, Professor Peter Whiteford, supplemented by an extra payment for those on low incomes. For low-income people, this would bring the total up to the equivalent today of about $13,000 a year, broadly equivalent to the Newstart allowance. Today, for anyone on a pension or disability allowance, this would imply a savage cut. The starting point for such a proposal today would have to be about the size of age pension, about $20,000 a year, Whiteford suggests. Paid to all 18 million Australian adults, that comes to $360 billion a year. Abolishing all other social welfare payments would save about $150 billion, so the net extra cost would be of the order of $210 billion a year.

"It's enough to frighten the horses," Whiteford concludes. How to pay for it? Tax rates would have to soar to collect this sum. If you increased the GST, you'd put a disproportionate burden on the poor, defeating the purpose of the exercise. Relying on higher incomes taxes would push the top personal tax rate to something like 70 or 80 per cent from today's 50per cent, Whiteford estimates, which is politically implausible. The Fraser Liberal government dismissed Henderson's 1975 proposal for a guaranteed minimum income. "Fraser rejected it because of the cost of the proposed changes," Whiteford says, "and because they were committed to cutting back social welfare," not increasing it. Another question: if everyone were given money for nothing, what would happen to the incentive to work?

Four pilot programs in the US in the late 1960s and early '70s tried to measure this. They found that the primary breadwinner cut his work hours by between 1 per cent and 7 per cent when given a basic unconditional income, and the second earner cut back by between 17 and 31 per cent. These are the reasons why, in the long history of the idea, no government has ever introduced a universal basic income. It's impractical. So why is it in vogue? The idea has been revived by the rising panic over the future of work. If robotics and technology wipe out whole employment categories, how will people survive? The answer, however, isn't a universal payment. The answer is for governments to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, so disappearing jobs are replaced by new ones. And this is exactly what has happened after every other similar jobs panic since the dawn of the industrial revolution.
When I heard Nick Xenophon announce that he would name his political party after himself, I thought of Clive Palmer.

When I heard that Xenophon would ruthlessly use his balance of power in the Senate, it made me wonder how much Senate dysfunction the Australian public will put up with. And when I now hear he wants to overturn Australia's recent trade deals in our Asian region, the fact is he has gone one step too far. He has highlighted how these small parties are full of all care and no responsibility.

The chances are that Xenophon will do very little for Australia, if anything. More importantly, he will be another player in a dysfunctional Senate that is determined to disrupt an elected government.

Many people have been saying that voters are not engaged yet because the election is still weeks away. But another reason for not engaging is the sense that many think the dysfunction will continue.
"We see reports today the Prime Minister is looking for a national debate that's live and interactive with questions from Australian citizens and social media," Jones said.

Over to you, Malcolm Turnbull. Say yes, and let's make it a double act - because when Q&A fires as it did on Monday night, it is an election debate stage the nation can embrace. The program went bush, and as good as it was it prompted the thought: if only Turnbull and Shorten had tagged along for the ride.

New England independent candidate Tony Windsor faced tough questions on Q&A. Credit:ABC Q&A

In this Q&A campaign outing - a riveting affair hosted in a packed Tamworth Town Hall - we saw what a great leaders' debate might be. It was frank and fearless and full of the kind of moments that were entirely lacking in the one formal election debate held so far, and indeed have been missing from the campaign in general.

It was real people asking raw and heartfelt questions, most of them thrown pointedly at the panel's two chief adversaries - the Nationals leader and deputy PM Barnaby Joyce, pitted against his rival for the seat of New England Tony Windsor. They were not the only guests, but they might as well have been - Windsor, independent renegade from the previous parliament, versus Joyce, who abandoned his senate seat to replace Windsor as local member at the last election.

This was a pairing to be savoured, but it was clear from the start on Monday night that the stars of this show were not going to be the famous pollies on the panel. The stars were the Tamworth locals, from whose ranks Q&A delivered us eight compelling inquisitors. They had come to challenge and confront - and challenge and confront they did.
1. Stormageddon - no understatement

Emergency services have rescued trapped residents from the roofs of their flooded homes in Picton and across Wollondilly, and coastal properties at Narrabeen and Collaroy on Sydney's northern beaches have been damaged overnight.

It's been a massive night for the SES, which has carried out 50 flood rescues in Picton and Wollondilly alone.

As daylight breaks, much of NSW is going to be in a sorry state. Late last night, police issued evacuation orders for low lying parts of Woronora, Milperra, Picton and other parts of Wollondilly. Residents in some areas of Sydney's northern beaches were on standby to leave. The East Coast Low has moved south after drenching parts of Sydney with 380mm of rain in two days. Police issued flooding warnings for the Nepean, Hawkesbury, Moruya, Georges and Bega rivers.
Coal seam gas miner Santos has renewed plans to explore a remote part of NSW where Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce owns nearly 1000 hectares of grazing land.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show Santos has kept alive its drilling ambitions around Gwabegar, a community in the heart of the Pilliga Scrub, about 130 kilometres from its operating CSG plant at Narrabri.

As revealed by Fairfax Media on Monday, Santos has submitted new plans with the NSW Government to explore for CSG in "PEL 1", its "petroleum exploration licence" area centred on the Liverpool Plains in Mr Joyce's electorate of New England.
A war of words has broken out over women's role in childcare, with government figures accusing Opposition Leader Bill Shorten of espousing "unfortunate" and "prehistoric" views.

Announcing a major tranche of Labor's childcare policy on Sunday, Mr Shorten said: "Men in Australia rely on the women in Australia to do the childcare and to organise the childcare".

Describing childcare as "much more than a women's issue", the Opposition Leader nonetheless focused his rhetoric on working mothers. "Where you've got mums working part-time or full-time, it's the second job in the family, and frankly they're doing a lot of the unpaid work, they've got to try to work out the childcare bills," he said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has remembered his childhood struggles and the influence of his father in a new ad released at the start of week five of the election campaign.

After weeks of being labelled out of touch by Labor, the new ad focuses on Mr Turnbull's relationship with father Bruce Turnbull, who raised the future prime minister as a single parent after his wife left the family.

Mr Turnbull, who is campaigning in Melbourne on Monday, posted the ad on his Facebook page overnight, describing Bruce Turnbull as a hardworking man of modest means.
Former Greens leader Bob Brown is embarking on a campaign unlike any he has been involved with before. He wants backing for a 100-kilometre development through pristine wilderness  in order to save it.

The man most synonymous with Australia's environmental movement is calling for cross-party support for a walking track in north-west Tasmania's Tarkine region, through the country's largest temperate rainforest.

Bob Brown and Jenny Weber, of the Bob Brown Foundation, in the Tarkine.

The Bob Brown Foundation is banking on agreement that a $20 million eco-tourism project across the Norfolk Range highlands to the coast offers more chance of prosperity to the state's north-west than mining or forestry.

"It is a very unusual proposal coming from the environment movement, but we've done our homework," Dr Brown told Fairfax Media. "It fits into the ideas of the bigger parties that a place like the Tarkine needs to have economic and employment opportunities for the region.
Former Labor leader and onetime defence minister Kim Beazley has cautioned that dramatic changes in military technology over the next decade could have an impact on Australia's $50 billion submarine replacement program, given the rapid development of unmanned submersible platforms that are better able to detect conventional submarines.

Mr Beazley told Fairfax Media he was not arguing for the abandonment of the plan to acquire 12 new submarines, which was the centrepiece of the government's recently-released defence white paper.

A design based on France's Shortfin Barracuda has been chosen as the replacement for Australia's Collins Class submarine fleet. Credit:DCNS Group

But he said: "Technologies in the military sphere are about to change dramatically, and the comfort that we have with [contemporary capabilities]  could very well become an obsolete one, well short of the time limitation they have permitted themselves in the white paper."

Mr Beazley, a recent Ambassador to Washington, was speaking from Singapore where he was attending the Shangri-La regional defence summit. He said the key questions around defence equipment were "not so much will the money be there, but will the technologies be right  it's a warning flag [on the submarines] and just about everything else we do".
1. Melbourne has substance

Barri Whittaker, a 37-year-old American, settled in Melbourne permanently after single spells in London, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Her reason: the singles scene. "I can say with authority that this is the best city to be a single female," she says. "If you're dating, it is just so easy to have game here."

Melbourne beats Sydney hands down when it comes to opportunities for dating. Credit:Stocksy

While statistics show Melbourne's male-female ratio to be almost identical to Sydney's, it's the quality that shines, says Whittaker. "There is more of a willingness from men to strike up conversation with you in a companionable, authentic way rather than just trying a pick-up line," she says. "Here, I tend to experience more meaningful connections on a more mature level, which means that even if it doesn't work out romantically, we often stay friends. Talking to local guys, it feels as if there's more going on than just a mating ritual."

2. Melbourne's not afraid of the dark
A car has erupted into flames on the side of a road at the Gold Coast, setting fire to surrounding shrubs.

Emergency services were called to George Street East at Burleigh Heads just after 1pm following reports a small vehicle had caught fire.

The hatchback caught fire just after 1pm. Credit:Ashley Bacon/Twitter

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said one person had been checked by paramedics however no injuries were reported.

The car was parked halfway along the footpath.
Three bushwalkers have been rescued from the Gold Coast hinterland after risking a hike in wild weather.

Authorities launched a search for two men and a woman about 7.30pm on Sunday, after reports they'd failed to return from a bush walk at Springbrook.

Three hikers were found late Sunday night at Springbrook. Credit:Blazej Lyjak

All three were found and rescued from bushland about three hours later. They were assessed by paramedics but didn't need hospital treatment.

AAP
There is a prevalent sense in some areas that one should be able to brush off comments that come your way and dish out equally as much. It is seen as part of a group dynamic and is more often than not at the expense of someone else. If something is to be said, it is usually disregarded as oversensitivity.

Furthermore, in male-dominated industries, the banter seems to be a large part of asserting one's masculinity, particularly in front of the group.

However, although banter and political incorrectness is all well and good in the correct situation, there comes a point when things are no longer funny. It is important to also ensure that our banter isn't an mask for racist, sexist or any other discriminatory mindset.

It is no longer funny when it becomes personally defeating, demoralising and has been taken a step 'too far'. Banter is one thing, but to have fun at the expense of others - no matter how funny you may find it - is still in essence a type of bullying.

That's not being forced to be politically correct, it's being forced to be civilised and respectful of one another. We generally are, but let's make sure our language reflects that. Right, crackers?
A man has a fractured skull and cuts to his face after an attack on Palm Island, off Townsville.

Police who were called to a disturbance on Clump Point Road on Sunday night found the 40-year-old unconscious.

A man was found unconscious after disturbance on Palm Island. Credit:Tom Threadingham

He was taken to Townsville Hospital while police searched for his attacker.

AAP
A man has died in hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a light pole at Deception Bay in south-east Queensland.

Police say the 23-year-old died after the crash on Bayview Terrace at around 4pm on Monday.

A man who hit a light pole at Deception Bay has died in hospital. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

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Australians have been called upon to donate their DNA and help establish the country's first historical DNA database, providing researchers with a crucial tool for solving wartime mysteries - some which date back 100 years.

To be managed by the Centre for Ancient DNA at Adelaide University, the database will provide scientists and historians with a snapshot of the genetic makeup of the Australian population in the early 1900s. Currently, nothing like it exists.

Jeremy Austin, director at the Centre for Ancient DNA at Adelaide University. Credit:David Mariuz

The DNA database would prove a vital tool for any number of projects, including identifying unrecovered war dead and even solving decades-old missing person cases. It will paint a picture of Australia before post-war immigration dramatically altered the genetic composition of the population.

The March discovery of a World War II mass grave in Papua New Guinea containing the bodies of up to eight Australians and the discovery of a second mass grave nearby in May highlights the need for such a database.
Severe weather in Sydney appears to have been to blame for Sunday evening's nationwide outage of websites and online services.

From around 4pm users had issues accessing services including Menulog, Dominos and Go Get, as well as many websites including those belonging to Fairfax Media. Several streaming services were also down, including Stan and Foxtel Play.

At the same time, many customers of Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and ME Bank reported widespread interruptions to their EFTPOS service, making their bank cards temporarily useless.

"[I] got stuck at the service station unable to pay for fuel by card and no cash", reads one complaint of many on the ME Bank Facebook page. "Very embarrassing".
The man faced an out-of-sessions hearing on Monday night and was remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Best friends Bozica Nikolic (left), 57, and Subha Deumic, 62, were killed in the crash. Armina could not bring herself to talk about the crash on Monday afternoon. It was "too hard" to recall, she said. Speaking to Fairfax Media in the family's Westmeadows home, Armina said she could barely comprehend that her mother was gone. The red Toyota at the scene. Credit:Courtesy of @abcnewsMelb, via Twitter

"She was my everything. She was my rock," she said. "When I felt down, she picked me up. Everything she did was positive. We loved her so much." The engine of the Toyota was thrown 70 metres from the car. Credit:Courtesy of @ChristineAhern, viaTwitter The small unit was filled with grieving family and friends, and their gifts of flowers and food. Subha's cherished possessions also remained - stark reminders of a life taken so suddenly. "She loved beautiful things," Armina said of her mother who moved to Australia from Bosnia in her late teens.

Subha Deumic with her son Ermin, 32. "She had many friends, she loved music. I'm going to miss her laugh, her cooking. Everything is empty now. I feel lonely. I just want to hug her." In a heartbreaking coincidence, Armina's father, Hankija, died of cancer 10 years ago to the day on Monday. Armina said her life and the lives of her younger brother and sister had been changed in an instant. "Not just for us, but for her best friend and her family," she said. "It's not fair."

Ms Nikolic leaves behind three daughters and a son. One daughter, Marina Nikolic, posted a moving tribute to her mother on Facebook on Monday. "I love you mum, and I'll miss you so much," she wrote. "Thank you for being the best version of you and being the best mum in the world. Thank you for raising me to become who I am today. Thank you for supporting me through life and always helping me stay positive. You have taught me how to love, care and most of all be happy. "Rest in paradise my beautiful mother I can't believe you're gone I'm in my own world dreaming of you." Detective Sergeant Mark Amos said the crash was a "true tragedy".

"The word is used all too often in these situations, but it really is a tragedy. There's no other way to describe it," he said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to watch your parents' car get cleaned-up right in front of your eyes. I cannot get my head around it." Nearby resident Andrew Hufer said he heard a "loud boom" followed by the sound of screeching metal as one car "tore" through another. Mr Hufer ran out his front door to find the wrecked red Toyota, which he said looked as if it had been sheared in half. "As soon as I heard it I thought 'that's a big one', it woke everyone in the house up," the aircraft maintenance worker said.

As other witnesses milled about, Mr Hufer said his first aid training kicked in and he started performing CPR on the driver of the Toyota. By then it was already too late for the passenger who died at the scene, he said. "I don't know how long I did CPR for, it was only when I stopped and looked around that I realised what had happened and another car was involved," he said. As Mr Hufer recounted the horror of what happened outside his front door, he waved his daughter goodbye as she went to school. "I just feel numb, so numb," he said. He said learning that the daughter of one of the women in the Toyota was following closely behind when the crash happened was "just horrible".
It seemed only appropriate that Safe Schools founder Roz Ward was flanked by rows of flags as she returned to work.

Just days earlier, La Trobe University suspended the controversial academic after she called the Australian flag "racist" on her private Facebook page and jokingly said it should be replaced with a red flag.

But the flags that fluttered in the icy wind on Monday morning were purple and stamped with the National Tertiary Education Union's logo.
Victoria's cosmetic surgery crackdown Australia's health watchdog has swooped on a Docklands apartment where an unregistered person was believed to be performing cosmetic medical procedures. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency executed a search warrant on the property about 9am on Monday. An unregistered person was believed to be performing cosmetic medical procedures at the Docklands apartment. A spokeswoman said the regulator had seized "evidence" but could not comment further so as not to risk the investigation, which was ongoing.

AHPRA has no record of the person at the address ever having been a registered health practitioner in Australia. AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher encouraged anyone with more information about the case to contact them. People with concerns about their health following a procedure undertaken by an unregistered person should go to their GP or nearest hospital for treatment, he said. "Anyone receiving medical treatment from an unregistered person is a cause for concern and we want to hear from them," Mr Fletcher said. "If you see someone who is not registered, you just don't know what you're getting.
That's it for Melbourne Express for today.

At midday check out senior AFL writer Rohan Connolly's blog where he will answer all your footy questions.

We will be back again tomorrow but keep up to date with the news via www.theage.com.au or for a Melbourne Express take on the news try us on Facebook.

Tom Cowie has the full coverage of the horror crash in Melbourne's north overnight.

Keep safe, and check back in tomorrow.
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CBA-owned stockbroker acknowledges court decision relating to systemic compliance failures A total remediation of $6.5 million has been paid to affected customers

Brisbanes inner city apartment market is in the middle of a perfect storm with more than just the number of new dwellings in the area to worry about.While oversupply concerns have been a common talking point for the inner city market in the Queensland capital, the style of apartments being built in the area is also likely to cause some serious headaches in the near future.As the number of new apartments in the area impact prices, developers have resorted to increasing the number of dwellings in each project in an attempt to shore up profits, but Zoran Solano, senior buyers agent at Hot Property Buyers Agency, said that is likely to exacerbate problems.Were seeing the end product value really stagnate and thats reduced developers profit margins, so what theyve needed to do is fit more on the site to achieve the yield theyre after, Solano told Australian Broker's sister publication, Your Investment Property.That reduces the sizes of units and were seeing that now. Unfortunately developers are probably going to be stuck with undesirable stock that they thought would sell or lease easily, he said,There are already mounting signs that demand for apartments in the inner Brisbane area has faltered, with research from Place Advisory showing sales have dropped dramatically to start the year.According to Place Advisorys latest Inner Brisbane Apartment Market Report, the March quarter saw 828 unconditional sales in the inner Brisbane apartment market, a 36% fall on the 1,293 sales in the December 2015 quarter.While Places figures show a significant fall in sales, Solano said he believes the market may be even weaker than that.I would even suggest that [decline] could be a very conservative number. Interest levels for property in Brisbane are very strong, but the shift has definitely occurred away from units, away from large complexes and high rises, he said.Ive got developer clients, who we assisted buy sites for their projects, theyre only doing 20-unit complexes and theyre starting to find it quite difficult to get sales away.I dont think weve seen the bottom of that either.While sales may be declining, Place Advisory director and report author Lachlan Walker said there may be some hope for the market as it attracts more owner occupier attention.The Brisbane off the plan apartment market has benefited from the high levels of demand in recent years, however the market is definitely changing and must adjust to the next property cycle, Walker told Your Investment Property.We have already witnessed a defined shift from what has been an investor driven market back towards the owner occupier market, he said.Solano agreed that there has been an increasing in interest from owner occupiers recently, but he said the fact that so many small apartments have been built recently could jeopardise that.There is a bit of interest from owner occupiers at both ends of the spectrum, first home buyer as well the downsizer demographic.Having said that, the downsizer demographic is very fussy. Theyre coming from a large property and going to a unit is a very dramatic change in size for themThe owner occupiers were seeing in that area are being very, very selective and are avoiding small units and were seeing that across all of Brisbane.According to the Place report for the March quarter, the weighted average sale price for an inner city apartment was $602,415, a 2% drop compared to the December quarter.While prices and sales are down, Solano said they are unlikely to be the only falls for the market as he hold concerns about the viability of the rental market going forward.A lot of these properties were sold to investors and its going to start eroding rental yields.People who thought they were going to get $500 week are probably going to have to settle for $450 a week and were already seeing investors and property managers highly incentivising tenants to take up leases.Were seeing rent free periods, were seeing gym memberships thrown in with 12-month leases, iPads thrown in, free internet, a whole range of things. When you start seeing those things it really starts to be concerning about just how viable that market is.
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October 3, 2022

Dee Gambit

Hundreds  if not thousands  of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month  your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
South Jersey fans revel in Phillies' trip to World Series

The wild ride continues for Phillies fans in South Jersey as team's improbable run lands them in first World Series since 2009.
Mike Feerick was working as an assistant to Irish American multi-billionaire and philanthropist Chuck (Charles) Feeney when he realised that you cannot address the need for education globally through philanthropy and charity alone  you need a business model that is sustainable and profitably addresses the problem.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday issued a Rs 1,200-crore notice on the alleged wrongful gains made by private firm Devas Multimedia, due to a move by Antrix, the commercial arm of Isro.EDs special director (southern region) issued a showcause notice under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, against the Indian investors, the persons responsible in Devas, including the directors and also the foreign investors and initiated the adjudication process.In case the alleged contravention is proved in the adjudication proceedings, the noticees are liable for penalty under FEMA, 1999, which may be imposed up to thrice the sum involved in such contravention, the ED order said. The ED has initiated investigation against the suspected contraventions of the provisions of the FEMA Act in the foreign direct investment (FDI) received by Devas from various overseas investors, including C C Devas Mauritius, Telecom Devas Mauritius, Deutsche Telekom Asia and Devas Employees Mauritius.The Indian company received investments between May 2006 and June 2010 totalling $131.4 million (Rs 578.5 crore). The Foreign Investment Promotion Board had granted approval for FDI subject to various conditions such as the agreement between the Indian company and the foreign investors would be subject to the India laws.However, the share subscription agreements contained clauses relating to the settlement of disputes at courts other than India and applicability of laws other than Indian laws in case of dispute. Thus, the FDI received by Devas were contravening the provisions of FEMA, 1999. According to the ED, the extent of contravention on the said count is Rs 578.5 crore. The Indian company also assured the foreign investor an annual eight per cent priority dividend (in addition to other dividends and distributions) on a cumulative basis. Such assured dividends are not the nature of any equity instrument and contrary to the provisions of FDI regulations under FEMA, 1999.The investment received by the Indian company with such assured returns is Rs 571.7 crore. The Indian company for one particular tranche of receipt, issued a security in the nature akin to an ECB as per the extant regulations and promised return highern that the ceiling fixed by the RBI which is also in contravention to the provisions of FEMA. The extent of contravention on this count is Rs 67.50 crore.

In 2005, Antrix had signed an agreement with Devas to enable it to secure access to technology to beam high-speed video content on mobile devices on the S-band platform.



The deal came under scrutiny around the time a telecom spectrum auction scandal broke out under the United Progressive Alliance government. On the back foot and pushed by a bitter personal battle between then Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan and its former head, Madhavan Nair, the Cabinet Committee on Security cancelled the deal in February 2011.
Ford Motor of America announced Nigel Harris, president and managing director of its India arm, would be moving to a new position as president of Changan Ford, the parent company's joint venture in Chongqing, China. Harris' successor would be announced later, it said. In the interim, Anurag Mehrotra, executive director for marketing, sales and service, will officiate in addition to his current job.
Mumbai-based property developer is in the final leg of talks to sell two land parcels outside Mumbai that could garner around Rs 750 crore, said a source in the know.
The FT report said the existence, size and investments of the highly profitable internal trading fund, which was set up three decades ago, have until now remained largely unknown outside a circle of former and current insiders



The Financial Times has reported that consulting firm has built a $5-billion internal investment arm, Investment Office Partners (MIO), to manage past and present partners' wealth, raising questions over possible conflicts of interest.
A week-long hunger strike of seafarers with the of India ended on Friday after the country's largest shipping company assured implementation of new revised wages and payment of arrears by July.
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The Andhra Pradesh High Court recently lifted a stay on the capacity expansion of Prag Distillery, a subsidiary of liquor major Tilaknagar Industries. This will allow Prag Distillery to increase capacity from 50,000 cases a month to about 200,000 cases a month in the near future.
The parched climes of region in Uttar Pradesh could well transform into avenues of sustained economic development in the future if roadmaps drawn on tables get implemented on the ground.
Delhi Chief Minister on Monday said that there is "complete jungle raj" in the capital, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung of "failing to control deteriorating law and order".

Referring to the case of murder of a 50-year-old woman and her two daughters at their residence in North-East Delhi's Brahmapuri area on Sunday, he urged both the PM and the LG to do "something (to control crime)", saying that "(see) what is happening in Delhi".

"Complete jungle raj in Del. LG/Modi ji failed miserably. What hv they done to control deteriorating law n order? (sic)," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

"This is 2 years of Modi raj," he said, referring to the murder case.

Complete jungle raj in Del. LG/Modi ji failed miserably. What hv they done to control deteriorating law n order? https://t.co/7L8USZvwzQ  (@ArvindKejriwal) June 6, 2016

In another tweet, he said, "LG sahib/ Modi ji, pl do something. Ye delhi mein kya ho raha hai (what is happening in Delhi)."AAP has been demanding that the control over Delhi Police which directly reports to the Union Home Ministry, be handed over to the Delhi government.

Last month, the Delhi government had released a draft bill on full statehood to Delhi, seeking to bring police, land, municipal corporations and bureaucracy under its control, and invited suggestions from the public.

Kejriwal had slammed Delhi Police following the murder of 19-year-old Meenakshi who was stabbed to death in Central Delhi's Anand Prabat area in July last year.

"The law and order situation is deteriorating in Delhi every day. Delhi Police comes under the Prime Minister. Either he should do something or Delhi Police should be handed over to the Delhi government," he had said after meeting Meenakshi's family members.

He had also said, "If the police is not answerable to the Delhi government then how will it be held accountable? Right now, Delhi Police is a law unto itself.
Inviting a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India, Prime Minister said here on Monday that India needs to create an economy of the order of "two or three Switzerlands," which provides a massive opportunity for partnerships.

"Within my country, I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," Modi told a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis and Nestle, according to a tweet by Vikas Swarup, the spokesman of the ministry of external affairs.

"We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence, Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us," the prime minister said.

"India is not just a market of 1.25 billion. We have skills and a government open to business," Modi added, according to another tweet.

"ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who's who of Swiss business at Round Table with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Swarup said in another tweet.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Prior to his departure from New Delhi, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent business persons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," the prime minister had said.

CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor. Most Swiss multinationals like Nestle, ABB, Novartis, Roche UBS and Credit Suisse have operations in India.

About 100 Indian companies invested $1.2 billion between 2012 and 2014 in Switzerland, placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top-10 places globally for Indian investors.

Bilateral trade nearly tripled from $1.6 billion in 2004 to $4.5 billion in 2011. India's merchandise exports to Switzerland have more than doubled from the year 2009 to 2014.

According to Swiss customs data, bilateral trade was at Swiss Franc 3357.4 million in 2014 showing a decline of 5% over 2013, with Swiss exports to India showing a decline of 13%.

Switzerland is an important member of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

During Modi's visit India is expected to seek Switzerland's support in becoming a member of the NSG.
Terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief claimed that soon after the Kandahar swap of 1999, the then Indian government had offered money to Taliban for re-arresting him, according to a report in The Indian Express.
Ram Vriksh Yadav, the chief of the violent encroachers in Jawahar Bagh, was among those killed in the clashes, police said on Saturday.
The Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a panel to inspect the Betwa river bank in Jalaun and Hamirpur districts of Uttar Pradesh and probe the allegations of rampant illegal sand mining in the area.

A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi, which appointed retired forest official Anmol Kumar and advocate Sharad Chauhan as court commissioners, directed them to inspect every site where the sand mining "appears to have been carried out and also collect particulars of the land in terms of its description, khasra no. etc."



"Contact the holders of the said land in property and collect name as to who had carried out the sand mining operations. Collect particulars regarding the environmental clearances, if any, obtained for such sand mining,



"Visit toll nakas on the approach roads leading to the highways from the site visited and collect particulars of the trucks carrying the sand therefrom," the bench directed the panel.

It also asked the committee to file a report giving all conclusions drawn by them on illegal sand mining along with particulars of the persons who were involved in the activity.

The green panel also directed the District Magistrates of Jalaun and Hamirpur to provide assistance to the court commissioners "as and when required".

"We direct the District Superintendent of Police of Jalaun and Hamirpur to give necessary security cover to both the members of the commission, during the process of investigation.

Any lapse on the part of both the District Magistrate and SP in compliance with these directions will be viewed seriously and they will be held personally liable for such lapse," the bench said.

The matter is now listed for next hearing on July 19.

The tribunal had earlier directed authorities to immediately stop illegal sand mining in the area and issued notices to Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Uttar Pradesh government, state pollution control board.

The direction came during the hearing of a plea by NGO Jan Sashaktikaran, represented through advocate Rahul Choudhary, seeking action against the alleged sand mining on river Betwa being carried out in violation of the law.
Defence expert PK Sehgal on Monday dubbed India's desire to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as 'critically vital', saying the membership will enhance the supply of latest and advanced machinery to the nation.

"India's desire to become a member of the is critically vital for us. At present, we have got 30 nuclear power plants already in existence in the country, 10 are under construction and 20 more are planned to be put in place in the next 10-15 years primarily to promote clean energy, renewable energy and take on the critical energy deficiency of India," Sehgal told ANI.

"This grouping of 48 nations' controls transfer of trade and technology. You need nuclear fuel to run these plants and it is these people who control them. And hence, India is absolutely desirous of getting this nuclear fuel from these countries," he said.

Sehgal further said India is presently in a very advanced stage as far as nuclear technology is concerned and it will be allowed to sell its technology to other nations primarily for peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the field of industry, agriculture medicine, biotechnology, etc.

"India also wants to seek a membership of the 34 nation Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) because missiles are needed to deliver the nuclear weapon. India's record, once again, in this regard has been absolutely clean and impeccable. And India wants to become a member of this. This membership is likely to come India's way during the current visit of the Prime Minister to Washington and if it comes through it will almost amount to a back door entry to NSG," he added.

Rolling out America, New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Mexico as the main opposition to India's membership, the defence expert pointed out at the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to win over the support from each of these nations.

India's biggest hurdle at the upcoming meeting on June 9 will be to overcome China's two-faced policy of opposing New Delhi's application to join the group on one hand while violating terms by supplying banned nuclear materials to Pakistan on the other.

With US President Barack Obama backing India's entry into the NSG, New Delhi is looking to Washington to help overcome resistance from China and several other nations.

Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to the US assumes significance in this regard.
India on Monday received the backing of Switzerland in its bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), ahead of the elite group's crucial meeting, even as the two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and black money.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the 48-member grouping after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

Agreeing to expand cooperation in tackling the problem of Indians stashing black money in Swiss banks was one of the key focus areas of the talks between the two leaders besides stepping up ties in areas of trade, investment and vocational training.

We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12. The grouping will take up India's application in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

"I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG," Modi said.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its membership will help India expand its atomic energy sector.

Modi also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was "shared priority" for both the countries.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the agreement on the automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect," Modi said.

On his part, the Swiss President said both the countries are making considerable progress in fighting tax fraud and evasion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not seem to be too happy with the performance of . While chairing a high-level meeting with the rail ministrys top officials last Monday, the PM asked them to substantially raise their levels of ambition on key projects, including redevelopment of 400 stations.
The Indian Army is now directly engaging with industry after the defence ministry revised the procurement procedure to encourage indigenous players to take up contracts.
Lack of ease of doing business had hurt Assams industry badly in past few years. According to industry estimates, the state lost investments to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in past three years due to absence of ease of doing business, unavailability of land, poor power scenario and suspension of the Centre-sponsored North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP).
Last week, came out with a Vision Document which set a target of Rs 500-crore revenues over the next 10 years from the automotive sector. The first of its kind document has come out with various initiatives and schemes. But with the huge gap between road and train freight rates, lack of infrastructure, lack of rakes, the question is whether it is achievable?
Kerala Pradesh Committee (KPCC) today decided to constitute fact finding committees for four zones of the state to look into the reasons for party-led United Democratic Front's (UDF's) poor performance in the May 16 Assembly polls.

KPCC President V M Sudheeran said that several complaints had been received from various quarters on the party's poor performance in the election.

"So KPCC decided to constitute fact finding committees for four zones of the state," he said after conclusion of a special two-day camp at Neyar, about 50 kilometres from here.

The committees have been asked to submit reports within three weeks, Sudheeran said.

There would be a total revamp in the organisational set up, from the booth to KPCC level, he said.

With a view to strengthen the rejuvenate the party, it was decided to prepare a vision document, Sudheeran said, adding that legislator V D Sateeshan has been appointed as convener of the sub-committee to prepare the document.

Stating that everyone was responsible for the defeat, he said that the party would go forward unitedly and rectification would be carried out wherever necessary.

To a question, he said that there would not be any reconsideration in the UDF's liquor policy.

The two-day camp also witnessed leaders criticising the leadership for the poll debacle.

Congress, lead partner in the UDF, got 22 seats, while its second largest partner, Indian Union Muslim League, won 18. Additionally, Kerala Congress (M) won six seats and Kerala Congress (J) one seat in the May 16 polls.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday assured public sector banks (PSBs) of protection if they settle non-performing assets (NPAs) in a commercially prudent way. Jaitley also told lenders they would be further empowered to settle bad debts this way.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh laid the Foundation Stone of a Hostel exclusively for Northeast girl students in Bengaluru today. .

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The hostel, which is the first of its kind in Bangalore University, will have a capacity to accommodate 269 students and will be constructed at a cost of around Rs. 14 crore. .

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Speaking on the occasion after laying the foundation stone, Dr Jitendra Singh said, soon after taking over the Ministry of DoNER about one and a half year back, he had realized the importance of having hostels for Northeast students in different Universities where they are undergoing studies in particularly high numbers. Considering the fact that Bangalore University attracts students from Northeast in huge numbers, many of whom find it difficult to afford accommodation, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he had decided to make a beginning from the Bangalore University and that too for the girl scholars. .

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Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that the next hostel project will shortly be started in the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, where land has already been acquired by the North Eastern Council (NEC). Since JNU has a larger number of students from the eight North Eastern States compared to several other States of India, it was found appropriate to raise the facility there, he said. .

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Meanwhile, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that negotiations are going on with Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, Prof. Yogesh K Tyagi for suitable land to have a hostel for Northeast students in the South Campus. Following up this initiative, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he is now looking for land in other student hub towns like Pune as well. .

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For students looking for quality education in some of the best institutions of the country, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the DoNER Ministry has taken upon itself the responsibility of enabling the youngsters from Northeast to achieve highest form of academic qualification as per their potential. .

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Among those present on the occasion were Shri T. B. Jayachandra, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University Prof. B. Thimme Gowda, Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka Shri Bharat Lal Meena, Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC) Dr. Ram Muivah and senior officers of the Union Ministry of DoNER. .

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Nearly 250 journalists from 30 States/UTs to participate in the first ever All India Women Journalists Workshop tomorrow .

Around 250 journalists from 30 States/UTs across the country, representing 120 media organizations will come together on a single platform at the first ever All India Women Journalists Workshop organized by Ministry of Women and Child Development in association with Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in New Delhi tomorrow. The women journalists represent print, electronic and online media across the country including small regional media organizations. .

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This Conference will be a unique gathering of women journalists, who specialize in social sector reporting, coming together to understand, discuss and deliberate on issues concerning women and children. The WCD Minister Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi will herself make a presentation to showcase the achievements of the Ministry during the last two years and also obtain a feedback on a number of issues concerning women and children especially on the recently released Draft National Policy for Women, Draft Anti Trafficking Bill, Draft Regulations under JJ Act. The Ministry is also looking forward to new ideas/ areas concerning women and children which could be taken up in the coming months. .

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In the post lunch session, the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman will make a presentation on the achievements and new initiatives of the entire government during the last two years. .

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The participants have shown great enthusiasm towards this initiative of the WCD Ministry. .

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The WCD Ministry will also be putting up an exhibition of two of its large initiatives namely Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and Childrens Helpline-Childline. .

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NB/UD
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed and interacted with the Indian Community in Doha, shortly before leaving for Geneva on Sunday evening. .

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Addressing an enthusiastic gathering, he told the Indian community in Qatar that they are never disconnected from India. He said India's image has been enhanced globally, and there is tremendous enthusiasm towards India across the world. He added that this change is due to the 125 crore people of India. .

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Global agencies are in agreement that India is today the worlds fastest growing major economy, the Prime Minister said, adding that 7.9 per cent GDP growth has been achieved in the last quarter, despite the global slowdown. .

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The Prime Minister said corruption has troubled India for long, and his Government is determined to eliminate it. .

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He said that his Qatar visit witnessed fruitful and comprehensive deliberations that will usher in a new era of strong friendship between the two nations. He expressed gratitude to the people and Government of Qatar for their exceptional warmth and hospitality during this visit. .

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In a move to encourage and motivate Railway employees, a special felicitation programme was organized onat State Entry Railway Club, New Delhi. The program has been organised jointly by RWWCO, Delhi Railway Division and Northern Railway Headquarter. Chief Guestpresented souvenirs to various categories of Railwaymen. President Northern Railway Womens Welfare Organisation Mrs. Madhuri Puthia & President NRWWO, Delhi Division Mrs. Madhu Arora were also present on this occasion. In Delhi area, 145 railway employees with at least 25 years of service and also with unblemished service record were chosen for the felicitation. .

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This unique initiative of felicitating Railway employees was taken by RWWCO which is the apex body of the chain of womens welfare organizations spread over all Indian Railways engaged in the task of welfare of Railwaymen and their families through various need-based socio-welfare activities. .

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Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh today reviewed the issues related to coastal security with the officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) and Registrar General of India. .

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Shri Susheel Kumar, Secretary (Border Management) briefed about the status of coastal security and measures being taken in this regard. Department of Border Management made a detailed presentation about coastal security issues, which included coastal policing, patrolling in territorial waters, contiguous zone and Exclusive Economic Zone, empowerment of coastal police stations to investigate crimes committed in EEZ, training of coastal police, setting up of Marine Police Training Institute in Gujarat, security of 26 single-point moorings, security of 12 major ports and 203 non-major ports in the coastal States/UTs. .

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During the meeting, safety and security of fishermen, issue of cards to them and colour coding of fishing vessels were also reviewed under the Phase - I of Coastal Security Scheme (2005 - 11) and Phase - II of CSS (2011-16) with a financial outlay of Rs. 1,580 crore. The Home Minister was also informed about the status of 131 coastal police stations sanctioned under CSS Phase - II, out of which 108 coastal security police stations were already operationlized. .

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The issues of coastal mapping of coastal police stations, local police stations, fishing landing points, ports, customs and immigration check posts on the coastal area map of the States / UTs were also discussed in details. The matters relating to tracking of vessels / boats and holistic development of 20 islands identified out of a total of 1382 offshore islands were also discussed. .

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Ms. Naini Jayaseelan, Secretary, ISCS explained that during the meetings of Zonal Councils, some of the coastal states had raised the issues of cards being issued to the fishermen and the card readers used by the coastal police. The representative of RGI explained that the operational issues were being sorted out and very shortly the time-lines for removing difficulties and the use of cards and the card readers will be finalized. The Home Minister directed that all the issues related to biometric cards and card readers should be sorted out immediately in consultation with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), PSUs manufacturing these cards/card readers, concerned Ministries/ Departments of the Union Government and 13 coastal States /UTs. The Union Home Minister also directed that a definite time-frame for issuing the remaining cards to all the fishermen should be fixed. .

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The Home Minister mentioned that the issues relating to coastal security discussed during the Consultative Committee of MHA at Goa meeting and items in this regard pointed out by the Standing Committee of Parliament should be addressed at the earliest and the Action Taken Report be submitted immediately. He further mentioned that these issues will be discussed with the concerned states in a meeting on June 16, 2016 at Mumbai, therefore all necessary actions should be completed during this week. .

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Shri Kiren Rijiju, MoS (Home), Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Home Secretary, Shri Susheel Kumar, Secretary (BM), Ms Naini Jayaseelan, Secretary (ISCS) and senior officers of MHA attended the meeting. .

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The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar arrived in Hanoi on 05 June 2016 on an official visit to Vietnam. After his arrival the Defence Minister met the National Defence Minister of Vietnam, Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich. During their meeting, both Ministers reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation initiatives between the two countries and focussed on measures to further strengthen their bilateral defence relations. Shri Parrikar is the first guest of the National Defence Minister of Vietnam since his appointment in April 2016. .

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The two Ministers welcomed the efforts made by the Armed Forces of the two countries to further extend collaboration in new fields. Shri Parrikar complimented Vietnam on their successful participation in the International Fleet Review held in India in February 2016. He also visited the elite 308 Division and complimented the efforts of the Vietnam Peoples Army soldiers on their contribution in the past. .

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The Defence Minister also visited the Research and Development facilities of Viettel Group of industries and both leaders emphasised the need for greater defence industry cooperation. Shri Parrikar attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries. The meeting focussed on enhancing the defence industry networking, information sharing and exploration of possibilities for partnerships and collaborations between the two countries. The highlight of the meeting was the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Limited. India has recently provided Vietnam with a US$100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by Vietnam for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards. .

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On the mechanism of exchange of information, both leaders emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of information in the maritime domain. The two sides also focussed on enhancing hydrographic cooperation. .

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Shri Parrikar called on the President of Vietnam Mr. Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, today. The leaders reviewed the Strategic Partnership and the new initiatives undertaken to further strengthen it. They reiterated the resolve to continue high-level contacts between the leaders of both countries. .

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The visit by the Defence Minister underlines the strategic importance of the defence relationship and the personal priority that the leaders of both countries place on their strong bilateral relationship. Shri Parrikar extended an invitation to the Minister of National Defence of Vietnam to visit India at an early date and the invitation was accepted. .

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NW/RAJ
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Chairman COSC & CAS is on an official visit to Sweden from 07 Jun to 11 Jun 16. The visit is intended to take the existing defence cooperation between the Armed Forces of the two countries to the next level. .

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During his stay at Sweden the Chief of the Air Staff will be calling on the Swedish Defence Minister Mr Peter Hultqvist and is scheduled to hold bilateral discussion with the Supreme Commander of Swedish Armed Forces and the Chiefs of Staff of Army, Navy and Air Force. The challenges faced by the Defence Forces of both the countries in the current world scenario, is expected to be discussed during these meetings. The CAS will also be visiting a flying base of the Swedish Air Force and the production facilities of SAAB at Linkoping where Gripen aircraft are manufactured. .

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The visit assumes greater significance as it is taking place after the Swedish PM Stefan Lofvens Feb 20106 visit to India to attend the Def Expo-2016 held at Goa. The Prime Ministers of both India and Sweden had also identified Defence as one of the key areas of cooperation between the two countries during the visit. .

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The Iraqi government will investigate allegations of abuses by the security forces in the course of the operation to retake the jihadist-held city of Fallujah, a spokesman said.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered the creation of a human rights committee to examine "any violation to the instructions on the protection of civilians", Saad al-Hadithi said in a televised briefing.

He said Abadi had issued 'strict orders' for prosecutions to take place in the event of any abuses.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shiite cleric in Iraq, has issued guidelines intended as a form of code of conduct for forces fighting the Islamic State group and aimed at curbing abuses.

Officials including Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi have expressed concern over reports of abuses committed by the forces involved in the operation to recapture Fallujah.

Juburi spoke on Thursday of "information indicating that some violations were carried out by some members of the federal police and some volunteers against civilians".

The statement did not provide details on the alleged abuses, but urged Abadi to "look into these acts and deal with them in a strict and expeditious way".

Fallujah is a Sunni city that lies only 50 kilometres west of Baghdad and is one of IS's most emblematic bastions.

The Hashed al-Shaabi taking part in the Fallujah operation is an umbrella organisation that includes Sunni tribal fighters but is dominated by powerful Tehran-backed Shiite militias.

It is nominally under Abadi's authority but some of its most powerful groups answer directly to Iran.

Those groups have been repeatedly accused of fuelling sectarianism and their involvement in the Fallujah battle was seen as potentially explosive.
Japan's Line Corp is headed for what could be the biggest initial public offering for a technology company this year, including a major pitch to American investors. The company behind one of Asia's most popular messaging apps plans to go public in Tokyo and New York in mid-to-late July, with a goal of raising between $1 billion and $2 billion at a valuation of $5 billion to $6 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Tokyo-based company aims to get about half the money from US investors as it plots a long-term expansion there after pushing further into Southeast ...
Lotte Group's hotel unit is facing delays with its initial public offering after the South Korean company and a member of its founding family became embroiled in a bribery probe, people familiar with the matter said, in the latest setback for what may be the world's biggest IPO this year. Hotel Lotte Co, which had planned to begin meeting with potential overseas investors on June 6, is pushing back the roadshow with no new timetable in sight, the people said on Saturday, asking not to be identified because the information is private. A Lotte Group spokesman confirmed the schedule is ...
says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Muammar Gaddafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

"Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Trump said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" that aired on Sunday.

"He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay."



"He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there," Trump said. "And it became sort of a big joke."



The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gaddafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.

Gaddafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.

At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally and was then re-erected, to the town's chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land.

Representatives of Gaddafi loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had "no idea" that Gaddafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the UAE.

"We have business partners and associates all over the world.The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokesperson Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.
has touched its new lifetime high of Rs 735 on the BSE after the company and global pharma major Mylan Inc have confirmed the efficacy and safety of MYL-1401O, a proposed biosimilar trastuzumab co-developed by the firms, in comparison to a branded cancer drug.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has recommended a forensic audit of brokerage houses whose clients lost significant amounts of money in the Rs 5,574-crore National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) scam.
India is steadily running out of the $70-billion market due to lack of seeds for crushing and emergence of alternative supply sources.Seed crushing mills have sought relaxation in government policies for India to regain its place in the global oilseed market.
has rallied 6% to Rs 374 on the BSE in an early morning trade after the company on Friday announced that it has received final approval from the US health regulator for generic Levetiracetam injection, used for treatment of epilepsy, in the American market.
continue to trade in a rangebound manner with participants watching out for the performance review meeting of PSU banks today. Also, caution continues to envelop the street ahead of the RBI's bi-monthly monetary policy review due tomorrow.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Monday warned unlisted companies and their directors who fraudulently raised money and asked investors not to be lured by their schemes.
Several quality issues, such as adulteration in jeera and chilli, have been raised during the past two years by countries importing spices from India. As a result, Indian trade has taken a huge hit and the and spice industry has suffered losses. In order to tackle these problems within the industry and to make a strong case before the government, spice traders and exporters have come together to form a new body called 'Seed and Spice Stakeholder Association' (SSSA).

With over 300 trader- and exporter-members, the new association will talk with state and union governments to solve policy-level issues and discuss the difficulties the industry is facing in international trade.
Shares of companies were trading higher by 17% on the BSE in an otherwise range bound market after the rating firm ICRA said the profitability trend for domestic mills is likely to be better during the crushing season 2015-16 on supply correction.
A special Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday rejected the bail plea of four accused namely Manohar Nawaria, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case.

The four accused had applied for bail in February earlier this year.

The 2006 comprised of two sets of accused.

The investigation in the case has been carried out by three agencies - the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Investigation Agency (NIA) - over the years.

The NIA is currently probing the case.

The case was handed over to the NIA in 2011 after Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the Ajmer Sharif and Mecca Masjid blasts, in his statement told the magistrate in 2010 that RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi and his men were the master minds in the 2006 Malegaon blasts.

The court had in April this year discharged nine Muslim men, who had been chargesheeted by the ATS and the CBI.
The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Monday released the full text of its judgment that upheld the death sentence of war criminal Mir Quasem Ali, who is also known as the moneyman of the Jamaat-e-Islami.

With the release of the full text of the verdict, Ali now has only one option - that is to seek a review of the apex court's verdict within 15 days.

The text of the final verdict is being forwarded to the International Crimes Tribunal, the Daily Star quoted Sabbir Foyez, Additional Registrar of the High Court, as saying.

The tribunal is expected to issue a death warrant against Ali as soon as it receives a copy of the Supreme Court's final verdict, the paper added.

Ali , 63, will be the fifth Jamaat-e-Islami leader to be sent to the gallows for their notorious roles in the 1971 Liberation War.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced him to death on two charges and different jail terms on eight other charges. He later challenged the verdict at the apex court. On March 8 this year, the Supreme Court upheld his death penalty.
The murder of Sunil Gomez, a Christian grocer living in the Baraigram upazila of Natore, has been handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh Police for further investigation.

According to the Daily Star, Abdul Hye, officer-in-charge of Natore DB police, has been appointed as investigation officer in the case.

Sixty-year-old Sunil Gomez was killed when he was alone in his shop at Bonpara Christian Palli in the upazila. Investigating officers had said the killing bore similarity to previous militant killings.

The global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the killing, according to SITE Intelligence Group that monitors terrorist activities.
The Congress on Monday downplayed the rebellion of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, who floated a new party quitting the grand old party, saying the latter has support of only one MLA.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh told media, "I congratulate him on his decision. But I would like to tell you that leaving his wife and daughter only one Congress MLA has supported him. This proves that the rest of the congress inmates are united."

Jogi earlier today floated a new party meanwhile, asking people to suggest a name.

Jogi last week hinted that he might float a new party saying that he had no choice but to quit the Congress to improve the state's condition as the grand old party is presently working like 'Team-B' for Raman Singh-led state government.

Jogi told ANI he is under a lot of pressure to revive the state as the present state government is not letting Chhattisgarh develop.

"I have been meeting a lot of people. As of now, I have personally met at least thousand supporters and they all have mounted pressure on me saying if we want to free Chhattisgarh from the rule of Raman Singh then I have to quit Congress, which is acting as the 'B-Team' for Raman Singh or otherwise he might win for the fourth time too," said Jogi.
Every picture is destined to be special, if it has Deepika Padukone in it.

The 30-year-old actor managed to set our screens on fire when Vin Diesel posted a snap with her on his Instagram account, captioning it "Destiny....#thereturnofxandercage."

Deepika's oh-so-hot look, red lips and Diesel's inked physique are the thing to ogle at in the snap.

The 'Bajirao Mastani' actress will mark her Hollywood debut with 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,' which also stars Diesel, Nina Dobrev, Samuel L. Jackson, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa.

The film is set to release on January 17, next year.
With China determined to block India from becoming a Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) member at the upcoming meeting on June 9, Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at a top American think-tank Heritage Foundation, on Monday, said it now remains to be seen how the United States uses its influence over Beijing to convince that India belongs 'inside the Nuclear non-proliferation tent' and not outside.

Citing China's move to block the ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar in the United Nations, Curtis said Beijing is not on the same page on several issues concerning India.

"US will come out in strong support of India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). It is something India has been pushing for many many years," she told ANI here.

"China is trying to block India's membership at the NSG. And it is linking India's membership with Pakistan's member ship. Will the US use its influence with China to convince them to allow India to join NSG and that it is important to have India inside the Nuclear non-proliferation tent and not outside," she added.

India's biggest hurdle at the upcoming NSG meeting on June 9 will be to overcome China's two-faced policy of opposing New Delhi's application to join the group on one hand while violating terms by supplying banned nuclear materials to Pakistan on the other.

With US President Barack Obama backing India's entry into the NSG, New Delhi is looking to Washington to help overcome resistance from China and several other nations.

Analysts in the United States believe that India's NSG application is in a precarious position for several reasons, chief among them being China's assertion that if the NSG countries make an exception for India, they should do the same for Pakistan, even though Islamabad has been caught selling nuclear weapons secrets to Libya and was named and shamed globally.

China's objection to India's membership to the NSG is by no means a principled stand given its own proliferation history. It is no secret that Beijing's continued assistance to Pakistan for the latter's civil and military nuclear program is in flagrant violation of the obligations and commitments it made as a member of the NSG.
John Abraham, who was recently voted as the "sexiest actor in India," has revealed that his idea of sexiness is "being healthy."

The 43-year-old actor, who has flaunted his sculpted physique in his upcoming flick 'Dishoom,' said at the GQ Best Dressed party, "Being sexy to me is being fit, being healthy and having a strong body," reports the Dawn.

The 'Rocky Handsome' actor added that fashion to him is being comfortable "in your own skin, own clothes" and "wearing something that makes you feel good as opposed to others."

On the work front, the actor is busy with the promotions of 'Dhishoom,' which is slated to release on July 29.

John also has the sequel to his 2011-movie 'Force' and 'Mumbai Saga' in the pipeline.
Tagging 'lust for money and illegal political cloud' as the reason behind the recent Mathura violence, IPS officer Amitabh Thakur on Monday launched a tirade against Uttar Pradesh PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and alleged that he had given illegal protection to the culprits and had put an improper pressure on the local administration.

"To me, Mathura is an incident resulted only because of lust for money and illegal political cloud," Mathur told ANI.

"I personally believe that Shivpal Singh Yadav is individually and personally responsible for the entire episode because if he had not given illegal protection to the culprits and had not put an improper pressure on the local administration, this incident would have never happened," he added.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the .

"If even a little bit of self-respect is left in Netaji (Mulayam), he should get minister Shivpal Yadav to resign immediately," Shah said in Kanpur.

Addressing a booth-level in-charge meet of Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions, he said: "An SP is killed in broad daylight. An SHO is killed. More than 200 people opened fire on police. But a minister (Shivpal) sitting in the secretariat patronises them and does not allow police to retaliate."

Shivpal, however, hit back at the BJP president and suggested him to follow positive, ideological and development oriented politics instead of misleading the people of the state.

"He has become short of issues due to better working of SP government and, therefore, he is giving baseless statements," he said.

Violence had erupted in Mathura on June 2 during an operation to evict members of a religious group, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from government land.

The deadly clash between police and a cult group had claimed 25 lives and left hundreds other injured.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to have an urgent hearing on the plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Mathura violence.

The matter will be heard tomorrow.

Speaking at a rally in Amroha yesterday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh dared the Uttar Pradesh Government to call for a CBI investigation into the incident.

"It seems like there is more to it than meets the eye. And such things should be brought into the open," said Rajnath at the rally.

"If the Uttar Pradesh Government wants to get to the bottom of this, they should ask for a CBI inquiry into the violence. If they ask, the Centre will surely agree. This is not a small incident," he added.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah had earlier held Uttar Pradesh Minister Shivpal Yadav responsible for the Mathura violence and sought his resignation.

The Samajwadi Party, however, countered his assertion and dared the BJP president to either produce evidence in support of his allegations or tender a public apology.

A large amount of explosives were found during the search operation yesterday at the Jawahar Bagh where 25 people, including two cops, were killed following a clash between the police personnel and encroachers.

Facing flak from all corners for offering a compensation of only Rs. twenty lakh to the kin of policemen killed in Mathura violence, the state government reportedly swung into damage control and increased the amount of compensation from Rs. 20 lakh to 50 lakh earlier on Saturday.

It also announced that that the kin of the deceased security men will also be provided with extra ordinary pension.
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate in the 2016 U.S. elections Donald Trump has said that Muslim judges would be biased against him and would treat him unfairly if the latter were to preside over his cases.

Trump believed that the Muslim judge would be biased because of his controversial proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the United States.

"It is possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely," Trump said during the Face the Nation show of CBS, while replying to host John Dickerson questions.

"Isn't there sort of a tradition though in America that we don't judge people by who their parents were and where they came from?" host John Dickerson asked.

"I'm not talking about tradition. I'm talking about common sense, okay? He's somebody, he's proud of his heritage. And I think that's great that he's proud of his heritage," Trump replied.

The New York businessman also stood by comments he made against US District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the judge presiding over a Trump University lawsuit, saying that Curiel's Mexican heritage prevented him from acting fairly on the bench, the Dawn reports.

"He is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine. But I say he's got bias. I want to build a wall. I'm going to build a wall. I'm doing very well with the Latinos, with the Hispanics, with the Mexicans. I'm doing very well with them in my opinion," Trump said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held delegation-level talks with Switzerland President Johann Schneider Ammann in Geneva.

"A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

"Towards a new synergy between Swiss possibilities & Indian opportunities. PM at a business roundtable in Geneva," he said in a series of tweets.

Both sides are expected to have discussed issues of mutual interests, including trade investments, energy and infra structure sectors, besides India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and black money during the talks.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi and the Swiss President had restricted talks to further elevate the bilateral ties between the two sides to the next level.

The Prime Minister is also expected to interact with the Swiss business leaders to enhance investments in India under several schemes including the 'Make in India' initiative.

India and Switzerland have had cordial and friendly relations since India's independence. Exchange of high-level visits in the recent past has provided an impetus to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

With growing bilateral trade and foreign investment, India and Switzerland enjoy strong economic ties.

Swiss-India bilateral trade nearly tripled from USD 1.6 billion in 2004 to USD 4.5 billion in 2011 even as the balance of trade has remained in favour of Switzerland.

From April 2000 to September 2015, Switzerland invested as FDI approximately USD 3.18 billion in India, thus becoming the 11th largest investor and accounting for about 1.2 percent of total FDI in India during this period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left from Geneva to Washington for the fourth leg of his five-nation trip to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, United States and Mexico.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Geneva from Doha this morning after a day-long Qatar-visit on Sunday.

Prime Minister Modi held delegation-level talks with Switzerland President Johann Schneider Ammann in Geneva earlier.

Both sides are expected to have discussed issues of mutual interests, including trade investments, energy and infra structure sectors, besides India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and black money during the talks.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi and the Swiss President had restricted talks to further elevate the bilateral ties between the two sides to the next level.

He also held meetings with top Swiss business leaders and highlighted the strong economic ties between the two countries.

"Held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs. Glad that economic linkages between our nations are strong & vibrant," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi also told the business leaders that Switzerland can play a vital role in India's development.

Before leaving for the US, Prime Minister Modi also met Indian students and scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Geneva.

India and Switzerland have had cordial and friendly relations since India's independence. Exchange of high-level visits in the recent past has provided an impetus to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

With growing bilateral trade and foreign investment, India and Switzerland enjoy strong economic ties.

Swiss-India bilateral trade nearly tripled from USD 1.6 billion in 2004 to USD 4.5 billion in 2011 even as the balance of trade has remained in favour of Switzerland.

From April 2000 to September 2015, Switzerland invested as FDI approximately USD 3.18 billion in India, thus becoming the 11th largest investor and accounting for about 1.2 percent of total FDI in India during this period.
Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code (unlawful assembling of people) has been imposed in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district in wake of the deteriorating law and order situation due to in the region.

Betul's District Magistrate Gyaneshwar Patil ordered the imposition of Section 144, which prohibits unlawful assembly of five or more persons at a place.

All construction works, whether government or private, has been restricted at the moment in this region.

An order was issued earlier to probe usage of water for personal and government related works.

Madhya Pradesh is facing a drought like situation for the second consecutive year with water scarcity being reported in over 40 districts across the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier on May 10 chaired a high-level meeting with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on drought and water scarcity in the state.

The duo discussed strategies to increase awareness about water conservation and storage besides steps for tree plantation and protection in the catchment area of the Narmada river.
The Congress Party on Monday called on the Akhilesh Yadav led-Uttar Pradesh Government to form a special team under the supervision of the High Court and run a fair trial in the recent Mathura violence, saying the CBI does not need to intervene right now as it will only delay the investigation.

Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari told ANI that the Samajwadi Party led state government should ask for a CBI probe only if they are not satisfied with the investigation of the special team.

"I believe the Mathura incident is a heart wrenching and painful episode where two of our vigorous soldiers have been killed. There should be a fair investigation .the culprits must be punished," he said.

"A special team can be formed in Uttar Pradesh itself. And I believe it will be much better if this is coordinated under the supervision of the High Court," he added.

Taking potshots at Chief Minister Akhikesh Yadav and his family, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Centre was ready for a CBI probe into the matter provided the Uttar Pradesh Government demands the same in writing.

The Home Minister said it seems there is something hidden in the entire episode.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother and state PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the .

Violence had erupted in Mathura on June 2 during an operation to evict members of a religious group, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from government land.

The deadly clash between police and a cult group had claimed 25 lives and left hundreds other injured.
The 'Student of the Year' Varun Dhawan, who has always given his fans an insight into his life through his social media, recently garnered a family of four million Instagram followers.

The 29-year-old actor, who landed in Bangkok this morning, took to his Insta account to share a selfie video, thanking his fans for their love and respect.

"#4freaking million thank you," he wrote alongside.

On the work front, the 'ABCD 2' actor will next be seen in 'Dishoom,' which is slated to release on July 29.

He has also wrapped up the first schedule shoot of Karan Johar's 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania,' a sequel to the 2014 hit film 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.'

This movie will also mark the reunion of Varun and Alia Bhatt on the silver screen after a gap of two years.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed an agreement for $200 million new loan to upgrade 176 Kilometers of State roads in State of Jharkhand. The financing for the Jharkhand State roads II Project will upgrade existing sections of four State roads to two lane standard and will also support improvements in the design, safety and maintenance of the network.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Raj Kumar. Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, who signed the agreement on behalf of Government of India said that for achieving faster growth, Jharkhand needs to improve mobility through better roads. Besides upgrading 176 km of roads, the project will help the State develop an international standard road safety master plan for promoting road safety in Jharkhand, he added. He further said that this will enhance the State's ability to systematically identify, analyze, develop and prioritize critical road safety measures, which will benefit all road users.

Ms M.

Teresa Kho, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed the agreement on behalf of ADB, said that ADB has been supporting the State's goals of improving its road connectivity by providing an initial loan for upgrading 311 km of State Roads in 2009. She said that the new assistance will continue the ongoing physical upgrades as well as increasing the institutional capacity of the State Highways Authority of Jharkhand (SHAJ) as an autonomous road development agency. Together, the two projects are rehabilitating 487 km of state highways, she concluded.

Ms. Raj Bala Verma, Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand also attended the Loan ceremony and spoke about the importance of the project for the State.

Several safety and environmentally friendly features included in the project design, include over 60 bus stop shelters; 50 km of raised sidewalks in urban areas; 4 km of dedicated bicycle lanes; and solar-powered street lights. The project will also generate employment opportunities for residents of the adjoining areas, including for women, who will get a share of a least 20% of jobs for afforestation work alongside the upgraded roads.

The total cost of the project, due to be completed by December 2019, is $306.25 million. In addition to ADB's loan, the State Government of Jharkhand will provide counterpart assistance equivalent to $106.25 million.

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The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare agreed to evolve a new National Policy on Cold Chain to provide direction for the long term approach for holistic infrastructure creation in both agri and horticulture products.

Making the aforesaid announcement at a National Conclave on Strengthening of Farm-to-Consumer Cold-Chain Infrastructure under aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Mission Director, MIDH, Dr. Shakil Ahammed also added that the proposed policy would be evolved in due course of time in necessary consultations with all concerned stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce such as PHD Chamber.

In Addition the Joint Secretary also declared saying that the Centre has decided to expand the capacities of storages facilities for onion in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and even Karnataka to ensure minimum wastages on onion in view of its recent production in which farmers had to virtually throw away their onion produce in the absence of storage facilities in certain pockets of Maharashtra and even Karnataka.

Dr. Ahammed informed that capacity expansion for storages facilities in the State of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra would be respectively done to an extent of 38,000 tonnes, 6,800 tonnes and 12,000 tonnes although, he gave no time limit for the job.

Elaborating on the new National Policy on Cold Chain for agri and horticulture products, Dr.

Ahammed indicated that the focus of the government of the day would be productivity and quality of the produce of both agri and horti products and that the policy for storing the agri and horti items would be designed keeping in view the two aspects of agri and horti produce so that the farmers do not loose on their produce and the consumer gets the best of the price in the entire supply value chain of the marketing of agri and horti produce.

The report highlights that as per latest estimates 1219 cold stores are either permanently closed or not available and the total number of functional cold stores is 5367, amount to a total storage size of 26.85 million tonnes. Therefore, a new National Policy on Cold Chain is called for accompanying host of incentives and tax holiday schemes so that investors flock in to create such infrastructure as is required to plug wastage in agri and horti products. It adds that seamless cold chain infrastructure is essential for doubling the incomes of farmers by 2022 as enunciated by Prime Minister Modi.

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Bharat Forge lost 0.89% to Rs 744.45 at 12:54 IST on BSE on reports that a foreign brokerage has retained its reduce rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 636.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 13.50 points or 0.05% at 26,829.53.

On BSE, so far 29,000 shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 76,297 shares in the past one quarter. The stock was volatile. The stock lost as much as 1.88% at the day's low of Rs 737 so far during the day. The stock rose as much as 0.31% at the day's high of Rs 753.50 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 705 on 24 May 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,292.50 on 20 August 2015. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 3 June 2016, sliding 5.63% compared with Sensex's 6.39% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one quarter, declining 9.14% as against Sensex's 9.09% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 46.56 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

The target price of Rs 636 for the Bharat Forge stock set by the foreign brokerage is substantially lower than the ruling market price of Rs 744.45.

Bharat Forge's net profit fell 19% to Rs 164.52 crore on 17.4% decline in net sales to Rs 987.07 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

Bharat Forge is the flagship company of Kalyani Group. It is a global provider of high performance, innovative, safety & critical components and solutions to various industrial sectors including automotive, oil & gas, power, construction & mining, aerospace and rail & marine.

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Housing Development Finance Corporation lost 0.31% to Rs 1,252.95 at 10:01 IST on BSE, with the stock sliding amid volatility after the company's announcement of acquisition of 100% stake in L&T General Insurance Company.

The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016.

Shares of L&T were up 0.44% at Rs 1,467.50.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 20.88 points or 0.08% at 26,822.15.

On BSE, so far 13,000 shares of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) exchanged hands in the counter compared with average daily volume of 1.78 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock was volatile. The stock lost as much as 0.55% at the day's low of Rs 1,248 so far during the day. The stock rose as much as 0.79% at the day's high of Rs 1,265 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,370.80 on 16 July 2015. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,012 on 25 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 3 June 2016, advancing 14.19% compared with Sensex's 6.39% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 11.74% as against Sensex's 9.09% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 316.08 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

HDFC said that the board of directors of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company (HDFC ERGO), a non listed subsidiary of the company, has approved the acquisition of a 100% stake in L&T General Insurance Company (LTGI) for an aggregate consideration of Rs 551 crore. The board of HDFC ERGO also approved the plan to merge the two companies subject to all regulatory approvals. The acquisition would help HDFC ERGO improve its market position. HDFC ERGO expects significant cost synergies arising out of business, technology optimization and rationalization of offices.

HDFC ERGO, a 51:49 joint venture between housing major HDFC and ERGO International, Germany (part of Munich Re Group), is the 4th largest private sector general insurer in India and offers all lines of general insurance products including motor, health, personal accident, home, fire, marine, aviation, liability, crop insurance etc.

The transaction is subject to various approvals, including approval of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India and the Bombay High Court.

Upon closing, the L&T Group would exit from the general insurance and health insurance business.

LTGI gross earned premium income during the year 2015-2016 was Rs 483 crore, constituting around 0.5% of the company's consolidated revenue for the year 2015-2016 and reported a net worth of Rs 142 crore as on 31 March 2016. The share sale is part of L&T's strategy of exiting from its non-core activity.

On consolidated basis, HDFC's net profit rose 30.8% to Rs 3460.46 crore on 15.5% growth in total income to Rs 17027.21 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

HDFC is India's first retail housing finance company and is currently one of the largest originators of housing loans in the country.

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Indiabulls Real Estate rose 1.91% to Rs 98.85 at 10:42 IST on BSE after a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company entered into a joint development agreement with Oricon Properties for development of a 7,810 square meters plot at Worli in Mumbai.

Shares of Oricon Enterprises were down 1.37% at Rs 64.60. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 17.91 points or 0.07% at 26,860.94.

On BSE, so far 4.73 lakh shares were traded in the Indiabulls Real Estate counter as against average daily volume of 18.81 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 100.20 and a low of Rs 96.65 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 105.25 on 30 May 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 41 on 18 June 2015. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 3 June 2016, advancing 39.07% compared with Sensex's 6.39% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 89.27% as against Sensex's 9.09% rise.

The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 101.13 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

Oricon Properties is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oricon Enterprises.

On consolidated basis, Indiabulls Real Estate's net profit fell 36.7% to Rs 58.91 crore on 4.5% growth in net sales to Rs 617.69 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

Indiabulls Real Estate is one of the largest real estate development companies in India with development projects spread across high-end office and commercial complexes, premium residential developments, mega townships, retail spaces, hotel and resorts, special economic zones and infrastructure development.

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Mahindra & Mahindra rose 1.7% to Rs 1,376.50 at 12:12 IST on BSE, with the stock extending gains registered during the previous trading session triggered by the weather office retaining its forecast of above normal rains for the 2016 monsoon season.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 30.17 points or 0.11% at 26,812.86.

On BSE, so far 40,000 shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 92,950 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 1,386.40 and a low of Rs 1,358 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 1,441.45 on 7 August 2015. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,092 on 12 February 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 3 June 2016, advancing 2.08% compared with Sensex's 6.39% rise. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 11.36% as against Sensex's 9.09% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 310.55 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

Shares of M&M had risen 1.55% to settle at Rs 1,353.45 during the previous trading session on Friday, 3 June 2016, after India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained its previous forecast of above normal rains for the 2016 southwest monsoon season (June to September). Good rains may boost demand for tractors. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is the largest tractor maker in India in terms of market share.

Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be 106% of the long period average (LPA) with a model error of plus/minus 4%, the IMD said after trading hours on 2 June 2016. In its first stage forecast issued on 12 April 2016, the IMD had forecast rainfall to be 106% of the LPA with a model error of plus/minus 5%.

IMD today, 6 June 2016, said that conditions continue to remain favorable for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala during next 2-3 days. There has been delay in the onset of the monsoon rains in Kerala this year from the normal onset date which is 1 June. The arrival of the rains at the Kerala coast marks the onset of the June-September southwest monsoon season in India.

M&M's net profit rose 6% to Rs 583.73 crore on 14.8% growth in net sales to Rs 10666.43 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

The Mahindra Group enjoys a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two-wheeler industries.

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Reliance Industries after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016, announced that it has restarted its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants, and is ramping up production to full capacity at Dahej. The PTA plants had been shut for a brief period owing to increased water salinity. RIL said it ensured PTA supplies to downstream customers from its Hazira and Patalganga plants during the brief shutdown at Dahej. Now, the customers will be getting PTA from all three locations, RIL said.

Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) announced after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016, that the board of directors of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company (HDFC ERGO), a non listed subsidiary of the company, has approved the acquisition of a 100% stake in L&T General Insurance Company for an aggregate consideration of Rs 551 crore.

The board of HDFC ERGO also approved the plan to merge the two companies subject to all regulatory approvals. The acquisition would help HDFC ERGO improve its market position. HDFC ERGO expects significant cost synergies arising out of business, technology optimization and rationalization of offices.

HDFC ERGO, a 51:49 joint venture between housing major HDFC and ERGO International, Germany (part of Munich Re Group), is the 4th largest private sector general insurer in India and offers all lines of general insurance products including motor, health, personal accident, home, fire, marine, aviation, liability, crop insurance etc.

In a separate announcement after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016, L&T said that it entered into a share sale and purchase agreement with HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company (HDFC ERGO) for sale of its entire stake in L&T General Insurance Company (LTGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of L&T, for a total consideration of Rs 551 crore.

The transaction envisages share sale by the Company to HDFC ERGO and subsequent merger of HDFC ERGO and LTGI.

The transaction is subject to various approvals, including approval of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India and the Bombay High Court.

Upon closing, the L&T Group would exit from the general insurance and health insurance business. LTGI gross earned premium income during the year 2015-2016 was Rs 483 crore, constituting around 0.5% of the company's consolidated revenue for the year 2015-2016 and reported a net worth of Rs 142 crore as on 31 March 2016. The share sale is part of the company's strategy of exiting from its non-core activity.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) announced that as a part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into an agreement with Frontida BioPharm, Inc (Frontida) for divestment of its two oral solid dosage manufacturing facilities located at Philadelphia, PA, and Aurora, IL both in the US, along with 15 related pharmaceutical products. In connection with the transaction, Frontida has agreed to continue manufacturing certain products for Sun Pharma at these facilities on a contract basis for a predetermined period. It has also agreed to offer employment to all production, quality and administrative personnel at the sites. During the divestment process, Sun Pharma was cognizant about ensuring the continued supply of quality products to patients and protecting the interests of its employees working in these units, the company said. The impact of this development on Sun Pharma's consolidated financials and operations is not material, the company said. Sun Pharma did not disclose other details of the transaction. The announcement was made on Saturday, 4 June 2016.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016 reported a 1.57% growth in its total production at 1.29 lakh units in May 2016 over May 2015.

Cadila Healthcare announced on Saturday, 4 June 2016, that the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved the company's plan to initiate a phase 2 clinical trial of Saroglitazar in patients with non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) of the liver. This randomized, double-blind phase 2 trial will evaluate Saroglitazar 1mg, 2mg and 4mg Vs. Placebo. Commenting on the development, Pankaj Patel, Chairman and Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare said that NASH is an area of unmet healthcare need as there are currently no drugs approved for the treatment of NASH. Saroglitazar has significant and differentiated effect on hepatic steatosis, while it shows all other beneficial effects on reducing inflammation and fibrosis in the liver in NASH models, Patel said. With a phase III trial in biopsy proven NASH patients ongoing in India and a phase II trial in NASH patients planned in USA, Cadila is committed towards developing this drug for millions of patients suffering from NASH, Patel said.

Jubilant Life Sciences announced after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016, that it has received Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) final approval for Levetiracetam Injection USP, 500 mg/5 mL (100 mg/mL), the generic version of Keppra Injection 500mg/5mL (100mg/mL) of UCB, which is used for the treatment of epilepsy. As on 31 March 2016, Jubilant Life Sciences had a total of 739 filings for formulations of which 517 have been approved in various regions globally. This includes 72 ANDAs filed in the US, of which 44 have been approved and 46 Dossier filings in Europe.

Indiabulls Real Estate announced after market hours on Friday, 3 June 2016, that its 100% subsidiary, Tapir Realty Developers, has entered into a joint development agreement with Oricon Properties, a subsidiary of Oricon Enterprises, for development of 7,810 square meters plot situated at Worli in Mumbai.

Chembond Chemicals' board of directors at its meeting held on 4 June 2016, approved 2-for-1 stock split proposal. The announcement was made on Saturday, 4 June 2016.

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To Frontida BioPharm

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced that as a part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into an agreement with Frontida BioPharm, Inc. for divestment of its two oral solid dosage manufacturing facilities located at Philadelphia, PA and Aurora, IL both in the US, along with 15 related pharmaceutical products.

In connection with the transaction, Frontida has agreed to continue manufacturing certain products for Sun Pharma at these facilities on a contract basis for a predetermined period. It has also agreed to offer employment to all production, quality and administrative personnel at the sites. During the divestment process, Sun Pharma was cognizant about ensuring the continued supply of quality products to patients and protecting the interests of its employees working in these units.

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Five people working for a Jordanian intelligence agency were killed in an attack in a Palestinian refugee camp near Amman.

"The intelligence agency office in the Baqa'a camp was the target of a cowardly attack shortly before 7.00 a.m. on Monday that left five agents dead," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Momani was quoted by RT online.

The Baqa'a camp is the largest facility hosting Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

The killings on Monday morning were described as a "terrorist attack" by the Jordanian media, but no details were immediately provided.

Jordan currently hosts an estimated three million Palestinian refugees, most of whom live in 10 refugee camps throughout the country.

--IANS

ahm/bg
At least seven persons, including a district intelligence chief, were killed in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan's Sari Pul province on Monday, a local official said.

"Sharraf Uddin, intelligence chief of Sangcharak district, was killed along with his deputy and three security force members following a militants' attack on Monday afternoon," an official told Xinhua.

A local leader, accompanying the targeted officials, and a child were also killed in the gun firing, he added.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the incident.

--IANS

lok/dg
At least 16 people were killed in air strikes targetted at a marketplace in Syria's Deir al-Zour province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The London-based Observatory did not identify the warplanes that had carried out the strikes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the opposition group, Qasioun, alleged that the air strikes were carried out by Russian warplanes on the Islamic State (IS)-held town. It put the death toll at 23.

--IANS

lok/dg
An American photojournalist and his Afghan translator were killed in an attack in Helmand province of Afghanistan.

They were travelling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in on Sunday, their employer, National Public Radio, has announced.

Two other journalists travelling with American photojournalist David Gilkey and his translator Zabiullah Tamana were unharmed as their vehicle was struck by shellfire near the town of Marjah, Khamaa Press reported.

"David has been covering war and conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11," said an NPR official.

US Secretary of State John Kerry praising the "gifted storyteller", said: "This attack is a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defence and security forces to securing their country and of the courage of intrepid journalists."

Gilkey received an Emmy award in 2007 for the video series Band of Brothers, about Michigan marines in Iraq, while his role in an NPR investigation on veteran medical care helped the outlet earn a 2010 George Polk Award.

Last year, Gilkey was honoured with the Edward R Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

--IANS

py/vm
German Chancellor will arrive in Beijing on Sunday to preside over the fourth round of inter-governmental dialogue between China and Germany, officials said on Monday.

This will be Merkel's ninth visit to the country as Chancellor, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei at a press conference.

Merkel, on the visit from June 12 to 14, will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang, said Hong.

Merkel will visit Beijing and Shenyang, which signed a cooperation agreement with German multinational engineering and electronics conglomerate Siemens for the construction of an industrial production site last year.

Dozens of ministers and vice ministers of both countries will attend the fourth Chinese-German dialogue in Beijing, said Hong.

The spokesperson also stressed that both partners have been in close communication for the G20 Summit, which will be held in China in September and in Germany in 2017.
A special court here on on Monday rejected the bail applications of four accused in the Malegaon 2006 serial bomb blasts case.

The four - Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma - had filed the bail plea after eight Muslims accused in the same case were discharged and all the charges against them dropped in April.

Special NIA-MCOCA court Judge V. V. Patil rejected the bail pleas of the four who claimed that there was no evidence against them and they had been falsely implicated in the case.

Their lawyers argued that many of the things the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it had recovered from them are easily available in the market.

Opposing the bail pleas, the prosecution rejected the defence arguments and said there was sufficient evidence available against them which was of a serious nature.

"At this stage, it appears that prima facie the evidence collected by NIA shows that the accused, along with absconding accused, prepared bombs and planted them, and in the explosion more than 31 people died and another 312 innocent people were injured," the judge noted.

Bearing in mind the nature of the crime and the charges levelled against them, the accused did not deserve bail, he added.

Two powerful bombs which were placed on bicycles exploded near the Hamidia Mosque in Malegaon on September 8, 2006 after the Friday afternoon prayers on the occasion of the solemn 'Shab-E-Barat' when special prayers are offered for the departed souls.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had probed the case first and arrested nine Muslim youth, some of whom were allegedly linked to the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India.

They were Noor-ul Huda Samsudha, Raees Ahmed Rajabali Mansuri, Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi, Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam, Asif Bashir Khan, M. Zahid Abdul Majid Ansari and Abrar Ahmed Ghulam Ahmed and had all spent minimum five years in jail after they were arrested, said advocate Shahid Nadeem Ansari who represented some of the accused.

While one accused - Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah - died during the pendency of the trial, four others - including a Pakistani national - were declared as absconders, Ansari said.

The NI) stepped into the picture after Swami Aseemananda confessed in another case about the alleged involvement of Hindu right-wing groups in the Malegaon 2006 blast case.

Last April, the NIA informed the Special Designated Court that it had no evidences against the nine Muslim accused and thereafter the charges against them were dropped by the court.

Subseqeuntly, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (Arshad Madni group) demanded action against officials of the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for "falsely implicating" innocent Muslim youths in various terror cases.

Malegaon, a sensitive Muslim-dominated town around 300 km northeast of Mumbai, was rocked by another blast on September 29, 2008, allegedly masterminded by certain Hindu fundamentalist groups.

--IANS

qn/vd
The Patna High Court on Monday granted bail to JD-U legislator Manorama Devi, who was arrested after liquor bottles were recovered from her residence in now liquor-free Bihar.

Justice A. Amanullah granted Manorama Devi bail on the ground that mere possession of foreign liquor was not unlawful as per the new state excise law, her lawyer Y.Y. Giri said.

Manorama Devi, a Bihar legislative council member (MLC), filed a bail plea last week after her bail petition was rejected twice by the Gaya district court in May.

She evaded arrest for several days before surrendering on May 17 in the Gaya court which remanded her in 14-day judicial custody.

She is currently lodged in the Gaya Central Jail along with her son Rocky Yadav, who allegedly shot dead student Aditya Sachdeva on May 7 for overtaking his vehicle, and her husband Bindi Yadav, a well known criminal-politician who is also accused of helping Rocky avoid arrest after the murder.

Following a public outcry over Aditya's murder, the JD-U suspended Manorama Devi's membership of the party.

The couple's arms licences have also been cancelled.

--IANS

ik/ksk/dg
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said to combat the issue of black money and tax evasion was an important issue for India and Switzerland.

"Combating menace of black money and tax evasion is a key issue for our countries," Modi said here during a joint news conference with Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann.

Earlier the two leaders met after Modi landed in the Swiss city from the Qatar capital of Doha. The Indian prime minister is on a five-nation tour that has already taken him to Afghanistan and Qatar.

He will be in the US on Tuesday, during which he will meet President Barack Obama in the White House.

--IANS

ruwa/sar/vt
Apart from promising a fight against corruption, drugs, prostitution and casinos, the AAP on Monday promised to provide affordable fish in Goa, a state known for its seafood.

Launching a Goa Dialogues Programme, Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan, vice chairman of the Delhi Dialogues Commission, also said that preserving Goa's heritage and identity, improving sanitation, creating jobs and upping its public infrastructure were some of the key issues which would be a part of the agenda of the Goa Dialogue.

Providing "affordable fish" to Goans is one of the 25 issues which have been listed by Khetan among the 25 promises to Goa's electorate which will be deliberated by the Goa Dialogues.

"Goa is sick and tired of the of betrayal. Goans are sick and tired of politicians who have done u-turns on every major issue of Goa. Goa is tired of the political party which promised action against those mining companies which had looted Goa to the tune of Rs.35,000 crore but after coming into power joined hands with them," Khetan said.

He made the comments while unveiling the Goa Dialogues programme.

"For the first time, Goans will draw up their own manifesto and agenda of governance," he said.

"To achieve this, the AAP will have a dialogue with every section, every locality and every region of Goa.

"Through Goa Dialogues, Goans will conceive a Goa of their aspiration and dreams," Khetan said.

--IANS

maya/mr
US Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton was projected to win the Puerto Rico caucuses on Sunday night, leaving the former State of Secretary very close to secure her party's presidential nomination.

Clinton is not expected to win all 60 delegates that were at stake on Sunday, which would have put her over the top in the nomination battle against rival Bernie Sanders. She remains shy of the 2,383 she needs to win the Democratic nomination, CNN reported.

Clinton is closing in on a historic nomination as the first female presidential nominee with one more round of states -- California, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Montana -- set to vote on Tuesday.

Her nomination would become official during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

She will become the first-ever female nominee of a major political party.

Her total delegate haul includes superdelegates, party officials who are unbound and can switch their support at any time.

Those superdelegates have overwhelmingly supported Clinton over Sanders, but could technically change their position.

Sanders has repeatedly said he will lobby them to do just that.

He said on Saturday that the Democratic convention would be contested. Asked by reporters on Sunday if that was still his position, he simply responded: "Absolutely."

Sanders even elevated his attacks on Clinton on CNN's "State of the Union," saying he is bothered by the potential conflict-of-interest of the Clinton Foundation's acceptance of gifts from foreign governments during her tenure as secretary of state.

He also cast Clinton as too hawkish, criticising her push to intervene in Libya, create a no-fly zone in Syria and vote to go to war in Iraq.

"I worry about that, yeah, I do. I think her support for the war in Iraq was not just an aberration," Sanders said.

For her part, Clinton is making a push for party unity -- and saying she expects Sanders to follow suit.

"After Tuesday, I'm going to do everything I can to reach out, to try to unify the Democratic Party, and I expect Sanders to do the same," Clinton said on Sunday.

"And we will come together and be prepared to go to the convention in a unified way, to make our case, to leave the convention, to go into the general election to defeat Donald Trump," Clinton said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman on Monday led delegation level talks here with the focus on black money and India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Ahead of the talks, Modi and Schneider-Amman held a restricted meeting.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and India is expected to seek its support for membership in the group.

On the black money issue, India has been in touch with the Swiss government under the mandate of the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) and is waiting for early operationalisation of automatic exchange of information with Switzerland.

Monday's discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in.

Modi will also meet with business leaders and interact with Indian researchers on Monday.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US later on Monday and on Wednesday to Mexico.

--IANS

ab/vm
A court in Thailand sentenced four men to two years in prison for a vicious assault on a British couple in their 60s and their 43-year-old son that left them unconscious.

Lewis and Rosemary Owen, aged 68 and 65, were visiting the beachside resort town of Hua Hin with their son, Lewis, for Thai New Year celebrations when several men attacked them on April 13, the Guardian reported on Monday.

Hua Hin provincial court sentenced the Thai men on Sunday to four years in prison but reduced the jail term by two years after the accused confessed.

The assault was largely unreported until CCTV footage was released to the public in late April, focusing international attention on Thailand.

The video showed a brutal assault as the family are set upon, with their attackers repeatedly punching the trio and kicking them in the face even after they were knocked to the ground.

The son and father both received stitches and Rosemary spent several days in hospital after undergoing surgery when doctors found brain swelling.

--IANS

ksk/bg
Four paramilitary troopers and three policemen were injured on Monday in an explosion in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The explosion occurred in Pulwama town inside a vehicle in which four troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and three local policemen were travelling, the police said.

While initial reports said the explosion had been caused by a grenade hurled at the vehicle by separatist guerrillas, top police officials now say that a tear smoke shell exploded accidentally inside the vehicle.

The injured have been taken to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a gunfight started on Monday between a group of heavily armed guerrillas and the security forces in the Rajwar forests of Kupwara district of the state.

--IANS

sq/kb/bg
As President Obama gets ready to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House for the second time in as many years, a New York Times report describes the bond between the two as an "unlikely friendship".

"There are few relationships between Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Modi," The New York Times said ahead of what will be the seventh meeting between the Indian prime minister and the US president.

The report said the two largest democracies in the world have "compelling reasons" to find common cause.

For example, the US is encouraging India's rise as a regional giant for Obama's so-called "pivot to Asia" policy and counter China's global economic and military superpower ambitions.

For India, the US bond, according to the Times, is needed to "accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies".

But the relationship between Modi and Obama is still "unlikely".

The Times said Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life because he believes that "criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy".

"But Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organization that campaigns forcefully for India's Hindu majority," it said, recalling the Gujarat religious riots that saw some 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, killed in 2002 when Modi was the chief minister of the western Indian state.

The 2002 Gujarat carnage is again in the spotlight because a court only last week convicted 24 people for massacring 69 Muslims in mayhem at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Housing society neighbourhood.

The Times, citing a Human Rights Watch report, said the BJP government in India has "increasingly used the country's broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent".

The newspaper also raised the issue of shutting down non-governmental organisations, such as Greenpeace -- a global aid group that has offices in over 40 countries.

On a personal front, the Times said, both leaders "avoid the socializing common in their capitals".

"Obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends...Modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships."

The newspaper, however, drew some "similarities that extend beyond political beliefs" between the two.

Both men rose from modest circumstances, had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected.

"Modi's humble origins, largely corruption-free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor," it said.

"And parts of Modi's political operation, in particular its effective use of social media, were based on Obama's model."

Ashley J. Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Times that both men "are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters".

Raymond E. Vickery, a former United States assistant secretary of commerce, said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness.

"Modi is a really down-to-earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesn't just go to talking points," Vickery said.

--IANS

sar/hs/vt
Prime Minister Narendra India on Monday thanked Switzerland for its understanding and support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) following delegation level talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann.

"India and Switzerland also share a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities," Modi said at a joint press statement with Schneider-Amman after the talks.

"We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council," Modi said.

"I am also thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group."

On his part, Schneider-Ammann said that Switzerland was "interested" in India's membership.

"Switzerland welcomes India's contributions to nuclear non-proliferation," he said.

"Switzerland is interested in India's membership in NSG," he added.

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and its support is crucial for India's membership in the 48-member group.

The issue of black money also figured in Modi's bilateral talks.

"Combating the menace of 'black money' and tax evasion is also our shared priority," Modi said.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders," he said.

"An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect."

The Swiss strong suits of vocational education and renewable energy too figured in the talks.

Modi said India's 500 million-plus youth were skilled and ready to meet the global needs of manpower.

"President and I agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs," he said.

He also referred to the World Environment Day observed on Sunday and said that India would remain friendly to the planet and the environment.

"Reliance on renewable energy, rather than on fossil fuels would be our guiding motto," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister sought investments, saying that India becoming the fastest growing economy was not enough.

"I want the Indian economy to be driven by smart and sustainable cities, robust farm sector, vibrant manufacturing and dynamic service sector," he said.

"And, its engines to run on world class network of rail, roads, airports and digital connectivity."

Modi said there was a perfect connect between India's development needs and Swiss strengths.

"I, therefore, invite the Swiss companies to avail of this great opportunity to be a key partner in India's economic growth," he said.

"Ultimately, the economic prosperity of 1.25 billion plus would also benefit the entire world," he added.

--IANS

ab/vt
A suspended home ministry official, Anand Joshi, arrested in a graft case, on Monday sought bail from a court here.

The matter will come up for further hearing on Tuesday as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Vinod Kumar asked the probe agency to file its reply to the bail plea of Joshi.

Joshi, an under-secretary in the home ministry when he was suspended, was arrested by the CBI on May 15 here on charge of "obtaining illegal gratification" from various non-governmental organisations after issuing notices to them under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

The CBI is reported to have found files relating to activist Teesta Setalvad's NGO Sabrang Trust in his possession.

Joshi had gone "missing" from his residence in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh after summons were issued to him by the CBI.

Earlier, home ministry sources said Joshi, posted in the Foreigners Division, had access to files related to the FCRA and was under the scanner for several months.

Joshi had denied the charge of receiving bribes from the NGOs.

--IANS

akk/tsb/vt
Switzerland on Monday pledged its support to India's entry into the elite 48-member nuclear trading nations' club called Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Switzerland President Johan Schneider-Ammann said after a meeting with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

India has been lobbying hard for years to get the membership in the club. However, India has been kept out of the group so far because of China's opposition on the ground that India has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty even as the country developed its own nuclear technology.

With the Switzerland support, Modi has scored a big diplomatic victory.

Thanking the Swiss president for the pledged support, Modi said India and Switzerland shared "a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities".

"We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. I am also thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group," Modi said at a joint press conference with the Swiss President.

--IANS

sar/vt
Inviting a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India needs to create an economy of the order of "two or three Switzerlands," which provides a massive opportunity for partnerships.

"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," Modi told a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis and Nestle, according to a tweet by Vikas Swarup, the spokesman of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Modi said that India wanted to "have manufacturing of global standards" and hence the Swiss model of skill development is "very relevant for us".

"I invite Swiss companies to partner India's economic growth," he said in a joint press statement with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman after their talks.

"India is not just a market of 1.25 billion. We have skills and a government open to business," Modi said, according to another tweet by Swarup.

"ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who's who of Swiss business at Round Table with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the spokesman said in a separate tweet.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Prior to his departure from India, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent business persons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he had said.

CERN is the French acronym for the European Organisation for Nuclear Research that operates the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor. Most Swiss multinationals like Nestle, ABB, Novartis, Roche UBS and Credit Suisse have operations in India.

About 100 Indian companies invested $1.2 billion between 2012 and 2014 in Switzerland, placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top-10 places globally for Indian investors.

Bilateral trade nearly tripled from $1.6 billion in 2004 to $4.5 billion in 2011. India's merchandise exports to Switzerland have more than doubled from 2009 to 2014.

Following his delegation-level talks with President Schneider-Amman, Modi also received Switzerland's support for India's bid for membership of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), of which Switzerland is an important member.

The issue of black money also figured in the talks.

--IANS

bc/vd
In a strong boost to its bid, India on Monday secured the support of Switzerland for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"Switzerland welcomes India's contributions to non-proliferation of nuclear arms," Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann said at a joint address to the media with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following delegation level talks between the two sides.

"We promised India support in its efforts to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group," Schneider-Ammann said.

Stating that Switzerland was interested in India's membership of the NSG, he said that the "process has started and we will share and contribute actively".

On his part, Modi said he was "thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group".

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and its support is crucial for India's membership in the 48-member group.

India has already formally applied for membership in the group.

The US, Russia and Britain have extended support to India's membership.

However, China has maintained that, to be a member of the NSG, the country should be a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Modi, who arrived here from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour, said that India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

"We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council," he said.

As was expected, the issue of black money also figured in Monday's bilateral talks.

"Combating the menace of 'black money' and tax evasion is also our shared priority," Modi said.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders," he said.

"An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect."

The Swiss strong suits of vocational education and renewable energy too figured in the talks.

"President and I agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs," the Prime Minister said.

Schneider-Ammann said that the two sides discussed clean technology, energy security, clean air and sustainable development.

Ahead of the delegation level talks, Modi and Schneider-Ammann had a restricted meeting.

After the talks, Modi attended a business meeting in which he invited a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India.

"Within my country I need to create two or three Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," Modi told a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis and Nestle.

"We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence, Swiss model of skill development is very relevant for us," the prime minister said.

"India is not just a market of 1.25 billion. We have skills and a government open to business," he added.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

Later, Modi also interacted with a group of Indian students and scientists from CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Concluding his engagements in this Swiss city, Prime Minister Modi on Monday departed for the US on the fourth leg of his foreign tour that will also take him to Mexico.

Prior to Switzerland, he visited Afghanistan and Qatar.

--IANS

ab/vt
India and Vietnam are looking at deepening defence cooperation, an official statement said on Monday after Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his counterpart here.

Parrikar, who arrived here on an official visit on Sunday, and met Vietnamese National Defence Minister, Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich, and they reviewed the "entire spectrum" of defence cooperation initiatives and focussed on measures to further strengthen their bilateral defence relations, the statement said.

The two ministers welcomed the efforts made by their armed forces to further extend collaboration in new fields.

Parrikar complimented Vietnam on their successful participation in the International Fleet Review held in India in February 2016. Visiting the elite 308 Division, he complimented the efforts of the Vietnam People's Army soldiers on their contribution in the past.

He also visited the Research and Development facilities of Viettel Group of industries even as both ministers emphasised the need for greater defence industry cooperation.

Parrikar also attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries with the focus on enhancing defence industry networking, information sharing and exploration of possibilities for partnerships and collaborations between the two countries.

It also saw the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Ltd. India had recently provided Vietnam with a $100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by it for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, both leaders emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of information in the maritime domain. The two sides also focussed on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

Parrikar also extended an invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart to visit India at an early date and the invitation was accepted.

He also called on Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday.

"The leaders reviewed the Strategic Partnership and the new initiatives undertaken to further strengthen it. They reiterated the resolve to continue high-level contacts between the leaders of both countries," the statement said.

--IANS

ao/vd
A motorcycle expedition of four Indian women bikers in support of the girl child was flagged off from the Indian embassy here on Monday by Ambassador Ranjit Rae.

During their more than 10,000-km odyssey in 36 days, the women bikers will traverse through Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore to propagate the message of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate girl child).

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Rae said it was an extremely praiseworthy initiative and will help motivate others also to support the cause.

"The society needs to change and give equal treatment to both male and female child," he said.

The bikers' team leader Sarika Mehta, a psychologist by profession, said that they will meet members of different non-governmental organisations active in the field during their travel through the 10 south and south-east Asian nations.

"Many feel women are a burden. We want to demolish the myth. We want to send out the message that women in this part of the world are already empowered; we want to show that women are not a burden on society," she said at a press meet held at the embassy.

On Sunday, the Indian women bikers met Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari who extended her best wishes for their campaign.

--IANS

giri/tsb/vt
A motorcycle expedition of four Indian women bikers in support of the girl child was flagged off from the Indian embassy here on Monday by Ambassador Ranjit Rae.

During their more than 10,000-km odyssey in 36 days, the women bikers will traverse through Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore to propagate the message of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (save girl child, educate girl child).

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Rae said it was an extremely praiseworthy initiative and will help motivate others also to support the cause.

"The society needs to change and give equal treatment to both male and female child," he said.

The bikers' team leader Sarika Mehta, a psychologist by profession, said that they will meet members of different non-governmental organisations active in the field during their travel through the 10 south and south-east Asian nations.

The other members of the team are Yugma Desai, Khyati N. Desai and Durriya M. Tapia. The four members of the Surat-based club Biking Queens were earlier flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel from the Gujarat town on June 4.

"Many feel women are a burden. We want to demolish the myth. We want to send out the message that women in this part of the world are already empowered; we want to show that women are not a burden on society," she said at a press meet held at the embassy.

On Sunday, the Indian women bikers met Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari who extended her best wishes for their campaign.

--IANS

giri/tsb/vt
The coast guards of India and South Korea will hold a joint exercise 'Sshyog-Hyeoblyeog-2016' in Bay of Bengal off Chennai from June 8 to 11, said an official statement on Monday.

In a statement issued here, the Indian defence ministry said: "The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the working level relationship between the two coast guards and further refine the joint operating procedures."

Korea Coast Guard ship 3009 will participate in the exercise, whose highlights encompass an anti piracy scenario wherein the hijacked vessel is subsequently rescued in a combined operation of both coast guards, the interdiction of the pirate vessel, a joint boarding operation and other exercises.

In addition, the Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft will be demonstrating their prowess before the Korean delegation.

The exercise would be jointly witnessed by the Indian Coast Guard's Director General Rajendra Singh, and his counterpart, Korea Coast Guard's Commissioner General Hong Ik-tae.

During their stay, the South Korean delegation would be calling on important dignitaries in Chennai.

In addition, a friendly volleyball match between the coast guards will be organised on June 9.

Consequent upon the Indian government's approval to conduct combined exercises between the coast guards of the two nations, an MoU was signed between the coastal security agencies in 2004.

Last year Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarang visited South Korea and now Korean Coast Guard Ship 3009 is visiting India.

--IANS

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Iraqi forces found a mass grave containing about 400 decomposed bodies in a newly-freed town northwest of Islamic State (IS) stronghold Fallujah, a source said on Monday.

During a mine clearing operation on Sunday in Shuhadaa district, security forces discovered the burial site believed to contain the bodies of both security members and civilians, Xinhua quoted the source as saying.

"Most of the bodies have been shot in the head, apparently by IS extremist militants," he said.

A security source from Anbar province said the area was the site of massive IS attacks on military bases in late 2014 through early 2015.

"Many civilians were also executed by the terrorist militants over various charges, including spying for the security forces or breaking the religious rules of the extremist group," the source said.

Two days ago, security forces and allied paramilitary Shia and Sunni units, known as Hashd Shaabi, entered Saqlawiyah near Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, and raised the Iraqi flag on the government building after several days of fierce clashes.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on May 23 announced the launch of a major offensive to retake Fallujah and surrounding towns and areas.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months to reclaim key cities and towns in Anbar from IS militants, who attempted to advance toward Baghdad after seizing most of Anbar province.

Iraq is currently witnessing a fresh wave of violence since the IS wrested control of parts of the country's northern and western regions in June 2014.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups such as the IS on the US, which invaded Iraq in March 2003 under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country.

The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but no WMD was found.

--IANS

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The Maharashtra government will make efforts to secure a place for the imposing Raigad Fort, the erstwhile capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhonsle, in the UNESCO world heritage list, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced here on Monday.

He said it is a matter of concern that the historic fort atop a steep hill does not figure on the world heritage sites and the state would not rest till the site secured its rightful place in the Unesco list.

"There are several forts in Maharashtra... but none of these figure in the Unesco. We will ensure that this (Raigad fort) gets recognition internationally," said Fadnavis, to thunderous applause, in his address at the 343rd commemoration ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation which took place here on June 6, 1674.

In this context, he said that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, a descendent of the great warrior king, had discussed the issue with him as well as plans to develop and conserve the fort as well as its surroundings for future generations.

For this, the state government has approved a Rs 5 billion development plan, including development of 21 villages within a seven km radius of the fort, to boost tourism in the region.

Fadnavis became the first chief minister ever to attend the solemn ceremony and took part in the coronation rituals performed on Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue by Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje.

A 100-page coffee table book "Rajdhani Raigad" giving rare historical insights into Raigad accompanied by an aerial picture of the fort clicked by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, was released by Fadnavis on the occasion.

The book, the first-ever coffee-table presentation by the state government, is the culmination of joint efforts of Aniruddha Ashtaputre, Vilas Kane, Sadashiv Tetvilkar, Dilip Balsekar with inputs from Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Mandal.

Thousands of people from all over Maharashtra had started for the gruelling 1,737-step climb to the hilltop fort, 2,700 feet above sea level, from Sunday onwards for Monday's ceremony.

The historic fort, mostly in ruins and now accessible even by an aerial tramway within 20 minutes, was a witness to a glorious era of Maratha history which started with Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation, and it was from here he laid foundation of the 'Hindavi Swarajya'.

Presently, Maharashtra has four world heritage sites - the Elephanta Caves off Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, the Ajanta-Ellora Caves in Aurangabad and the Western Ghats.

--IANS

qn/vd
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here from Portugal on Sunday, on the second leg of his three-nation tour, that will also take him to the Netherlands.

"Touchdown! Wait is over, Celebrations begin! PM @narendramodi on US soil," the Indian Embassy in the US tweeted.

"Look forward to welcoming India's PM Modi to @WhiteHouse on Monday. Important strategic issues to discuss with a true friend!" US President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday.

Talks between Modi and Trump in what would be their first face-to-face meeting would focus on ongoing cooperation, including counter-terrorism and defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, besides trade and law enforcement, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said.

Spicer said that talks between the two leaders on Monday would be "robust".

"... The President and the Prime Minister will discuss ongoing cooperation, including counterterrorism, defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, global cooperation, burden-sharing, trade, law enforcement, and energy. I think it's going to be a very robust discussion," he said at his regular briefing on Friday.

Modi left New Delhi on Saturday on a three-nation tour that took him first to Portugal. He reached Portugal on Saturday ahead of his visit to the US and will visit the Netherlands on June 27 on the way back home.

Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar flew into Washington ahead of Modi's visit to meet senior officials in the Trump administration and to lay the groundwork for the Modi-Trump meeting.

On Friday, Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and both sides focused on areas of convergence.

Indian envoy to the US Navtej Sarna has termed Modi's visit a "great opportunity for the two leaders to know each other". He said Modi will meet the top 20 CEOs of the US during the visit.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched India's economic growth story to attract investments from Switzerland.

"I invite Swiss companies to be a key partner in India's economic growth," Modi said at a joint press conference with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann.

"The economic links between our two countries are strong and vibrant."

Earlier, the Indian prime minister met the Swiss president as the two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Modi arrived in Geneva early Monday from Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour that will also take him to the US and Mexico.

--IANS

sar/vm
Myanmar is planning to open seven new border trade camps under the second short-term five-year National Comprehensive Development Plan which spans from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021.

The seven camps will be located in Maese, Htantalan, Paletwa, Mongla, Pansan (Wa), Ponpakyin (BP1) and Phayathonzu, Xinhua news agency reported.

At present, 16 border trade camps are operating, linking to China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh. China is the largest border trade partner of Myanmar, followed by Thailand.

The Kyainglat trade camp has been temporarily opened at the Myanmar-Laos border.

Myanmar authorities planned to continue to open new trade camps along the borders with China, Thailand and India to boost trading of industrial products, raw materials and agriculture products.

The country's border trade value reached $819 million from April 1 to May 27 this year.

--IANS

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First-time director Rajasimha Tadinada says forthcoming Telugu release "Okka Ammayi Thappa" would not have been possible without the support of his cinematographer Chhota K. Naidu.

"There's no 'Okka Ammayi Thappa' without Chhota sir. This is a very complicated script to make and it had already been rejected 13 times by several producers. Had it not been for his vision and support, we could have failed miserably," Rajasimha told IANS.

Starring Sundeep Kishan and Nithya Menen, nearly 60 per cent of the film unfolds on a flyover.

"Honestly, we didn't have the budget to lavishly spend on visual effects. We needed someone who could shoot the film under a tight budget and still deliver quality visuals. Chhota sir delivered us exactly that," he said.

"If you're planning a birthday party, you can order food for Rs 5,000. However, when you make it at home, you end up spending much less and you make sure it tastes well. Chhota sir ensured that he gave me the kind of output nobody could've given me on this budget," he added.

Explaining in detail about Chhota K. Naidu's contribution, he said: "To shoot on the flyover, we needed 1,000 junior artistes. They were required to shoot with the lead pair. Had we missed a call sheet, we could have ended up spending nearly a lakh more on the junior artistes.

"Chhota sir ensure he shot all the important sequences with the junior artistes first and then added scenes he shot with the lead pair."

The story was inspired from an incident from the director's own life.

"A few years ago, I got stuck on a flyover for two hours. It inspired me to write a story and in the film, the hero and the heroine meet on the flyover and fall in love. They get stuck for eight hours and what happens during that interim, forms the story," he said and added that there is also a suspense angle to the story.

The director said the film was destined to be made with Sundeep.

"Sundeep fought for this film. He believed in it blindly and we had planned to work on this film twice earlier. The project got started and got shelved due to financial reasons. He told me that whenever I make the film, he'd come and work," he said.

Produced by Anji Reddy, the film is slated for release in cinemas on Friday.

--IANS

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Prayers were offered at the Golden Temple complex on Monday morning as the 32nd anniversary of Indian Army's 'Operation Bluestar' passed off peacefully.

Except for a few pro-Khalistan and anti-government slogans by a small group of Sikh hardliners, the event passed off peacefully in front of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion located inside the temple complex.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members and police personnel in plainclothes kept a close watch on the hardliners trying to hijack the ceremony.

The task force members did not allow the hardliners to take control of the function.

Akal Takht Jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh read out his address to the Sikh community.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said scores of people attended the ceremony.

Security agencies were on alert in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, ahead of the Bluestar anniversary.

Paramilitary forces and Punjab Police personnel kept a close watch in different parts of the city, especially around the Golden Temple complex.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had appealed to all sections to exercise restraint and observe the anniversary peacefully.

The appeal came due to apprehension of clashes between Sikh hardliners and moderates.

In the last three-four years, pro-Khalistan slogans have been raised by hardliners during the anniversary function. Clashes also took place in the last two years.

The Punjab Police detained several radical Sikh leaders ahead of the anniversary as a preventive measure.

Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa has called for an "Amritsar Bandh" on Monday.

Several people, including security personnel, were killed in 'Operation Bluestar', the Army's action on Amritsar's Golden Temple complex in June 1984 to flush out armed extremists led by separatist Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

--IANS

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Rome, June 6 (IANS/AKI) A court in southern Italy on Monday sentenced a Calabrian priest to four years in jail for paying for sex with minors.

The court in Reggio Calabria found Father Antonello Tropea, 44, guilty of paying 20 euros for sex in his car and of possessing child pornography.

Tropea was arrested in December after highway police spotted him parked in his car with an under-age boy.

The boy said he had met Tropea on a gay online chat room and the priest had paid him 20 euros for sex.

--IANS/AKI

mr/
President Pranab Mukherjee will pay official visits to the West African countries of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire from June 12.

Mukherjee will leave New Delhi for the Ghanaian capital Accra on June 12, an official statement said here on Monday.

He will be accompanied by a Minister of State, four members of Parliament, senior officials and a business and media delegation.

The president is scheduled to have one-on-one meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama.

A number of agreements, including one on setting up of a joint commission, are also to be signed during his visit to Ghana, it said.

On June 14, Mukherjee will leave Ghana for a two-day visit to the Cote d'Ivoire.

Mukherjee will be conferred the National Order of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, the highest order of the West African country.

He will meet his Cote d'Ivoire counterpart Alassane Ouattara during the visit.

This will be the first high-level visit from India since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the statement said.

India and Cote d'Ivoire enjoy warm and friendly relations based on the common values of democracy, development and secularism, the statement said.

--IANS

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Author Ashwin Sanghi, who self-published his first book a decade ago, says things have become "far better" in the publishing world since then but observes a lot needs to be done to motivate new authors and encourage fresh storytelling formats.

"Things have become far better, but we still need a lot more to happen... publishers need to encourage younger and newer authors to come in and encourage newer formats of storytelling," Sanghi, a best-selling author in the fiction-thriller genre, told IANS in an interview.

Expanding on this, Sanghi recounted his journey of rejection by 47 literary agents and publishers before he could push out his maiden book "The Rozabal Line" for readers.

While scouting for a publisher in 2005, the Mumbai-based author discovered there were only a couple of literary agents - and self-publishing was yet to catch on.

"When I started out in 2005, looking for a publisher, self-publishing was very limited. Self-publishing per se as an option didn't exist. It's only in 2007 when I had become absolutely fed up and by then the initial starting point of self-publishing had kicked off, I got my first book out as a self-publisher," he said.

"Today you have 20 to 30 self-publishing platforms," he remarked.

The businessman-turned-writer self-published "The Rozabal Line" under the pseudonym Shawn Haigins, an anagram of his name.

Referring to the 'cell phone novel' style that originated in Japan, Sanghi made his pitch for incorporating latest trends.

"The publishing world currently still works through traditional ways and, as a result, a large number of manuscripts still do not get read. Through self-publishing, you could actually create a platform where the best of works automatically start moving upward," he explained here during the launch of "The Sialkot Saga".

"The Sialkot Saga", Sanghi's fourth, is a tale of two men hailing from different backgrounds whose pasts are connected by an ancient secret. Beginning with post-partition events, the book swings from Pataliputra during the reign of Asoka - where the secret lies - and then enters the lives of the protagonists.

But after three best-selling novels ("The Rozabal Line", "Chanakya's Chant" and "The Krishna Key"), as well as his continuing collaboration with American author James Patterson on a thriller series, doesn't Sanghi long to transition to the world of films through movie adaptations of his books, like some of his contemporaries?

"Currently, 'The Krishna Key' is with a producer and if all goes well it might become a movie in a couple of years from now. But 'Chanakya's Chant', I don't think it lends itself to a movie... at one point of time it was with a producer but telling an entire story in a matter of two hours is a very difficult thing to do. It's more suited for a digital series or a TV series.

"I am not bothered, either way, because at the end of the day I want to tell a story and after I am done with it, then I move on to my next one. Then, along the way, if someone comes up and says this is great for a movie, or a series or illustrated comic book, then sure, be my guest. But as far as I am concerned I have my next story to tell."

For the time being, Sanghi is working on the next book in his collaboration with Patterson ("Private India") and also with young authors for the non-fiction "13 Steps" series.

"He understands the process of collaboration because he does it so often and, most importantly, he understands the craft of writing thrillers very beautifully," Sanghi commented.

Hailed as the Indian Dan Brown for "The Rozabal Line" and "The Krishna Key", Sanghi professes to using gadgets (such as iPhone for jotting ideas and reading on Kindle app (on iPad) "all the time" for his reading and writing. Banking on the market penetration, Sanghi estimates e-book sales of his books should double up in a couple of years.

"Currently Kindle is not at a level which compares with paperbacks. Around five to seven percent sales is e-book sales. So the numbers are still small but the growth rate in those numbers is very high. So I would say the figure of seven percent now would probably hit a figure of 15 percent in two years."

Despite all the technological advancements, Sanghi still advises wannabe writers to carry on their day job and test the waters.

"I would suggest carry on your 9-to-5 job and write in the time you have over the weekends or at night, to feel the waters. You have to remain at it for several years before your royalties or your other income will ever be able to support you."

But, most importantly, he stresses on persistence.

"In any creative profession, you have to keep at it, be thick-skinned, in spite of the bunch of things people tell you. That persistence factor seems to be missing in a lot of youngsters these days and if you want to be a writer you have to persistent," Sanghi quipped.

(Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in)

--IANS

sgh/ssp/vm
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed coastal security and other issues during a meeting with officials of various government agencies.

The minister said that issues relating to coastal security, discussed during the meeting of parliament's consultative committee on home ministry in Goa earlier, and points raised in this regard by a parliamentary standing committee should be addressed at the earliest and an action-taken report submitted immediately.

Issues of biometric cards to fishermen and colour coding of fishing vessels were also discussed in the meeting, attended by officials of the home ministry, Inter-State Council Secretariat and the Registrar General of India, an official statement said.

The issues of mapping of coastal police stations, local police stations, fishing landing points, ports, customs and immigration checkposts in coastal areas of states and union territories were also discussed in detail, the statement added.

Singh told the officials that since these issues will be discussed with the states concerned on June 16 at Mumbai, all necessary actions should be taken this week itself.

The minister was told about the status of 131 coastal police stations sanctioned under Coastal Security Scheme Phase II, of which 108 stations have been already operationlised.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi also attendd the meeting.

--IANS

sk/tsb/vt
A young social activist, whose efforts helped in the rescue of as many as 111 child labourers, was assaulted by two unidentified persons when she was on her way to Morbi town in Gujarat's Saurashtra region.

Police said Jharna Joshi, in her early twenties, has been admitted in a local hospital for injuries on her forehead, arms and legs after she was attacked on Sunday night.

Joshi, who is from Ahmedabad, had joined the Sonaki Ceramics firm to expose the use of child labour there and conducted a sting operation for nearly two months.

She was attacked near Halvad town when she was on her way to Morbi on her scooter by two unidentified persons riding a motorcycle.

"They halted me by crossing my way and asked if I was Jharna the girl who rescued child labourers. Just as I said 'yes', they attacked me," Joshi told Gujarati channel Sandesh News.

According to Morbi's Deputy Superintendent of Police G.M. Malek, Joshi had been receiving threats ever since she got the child labourers freed from the ceramics factory. He said she had suspected that the threats were being issued at the behest of Sonaki Ceramics owner Jignesh Patel who was livid following the sting operation, and had warned her.

Malek said the police have registered an FIR about the attack on Joshi and launched investigations to nab the assailants.

--IANS

desai/bim/bg
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea for bail by former union minister Matang Sinh - one of the accused in Saradha chit fund scam - so that he could go for treatment of his liver that was transplanted in 2004 and has now developed complications.

The vacation bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy refused to interfere with the matter already pending before the Calcutta High Court, and told senior counsel Amit Sibal, appearing for Matang Sinh, that he could move the high court, which has started functioning from Monday after the summer break.

"We are not making any comment as matter is pending before the high court. When the high court is open today, pursue your remedies there," it said, dismissing the plea as withdrawn.

Sibal told the bench that his client had undergone liver transplant in 2004 and the same had the life expectation of of ten years and afterwards, it develops compications.

Pointing out that the condition of Matang Sinh was already critical and has further got complicated, Sibal said that Sinh required specialised treatment for his liver ailment.

Telling the court that Matang Sinh was in medical emergency, the court was told that he was arrested on January 31, 2015 and has already spent 480 days behind the bars.

Arresting the former minister, the Central Bureau of Investigation had charged him with criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds.

--IANS

pk/vd
A special sessions court, which was to pronounce the quantum of sentence for those convicted of the massacre of 69 people at the Gulberg Housing Society in 2002, on Monday put off its decision to June 9 with the arguments still continuing in the case.

Among those killed was septuagenarian former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri.

Special Sessions Court Judge P.B. Desai in his verdict, 14 years after the massacre, on Thursday convicted 24 people, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Atul Vaidya but rejected the charge of conspiracy. Thirty six persons, including ruling Bharatiya Janata Party municipal corporator Bipin Patel, were acquitted.

The killings took place on February 28, 2002.

The special SIT court opened on Monday afternoon to arguments from the counsel for the victims, the defence lawyers and the prosecution ahead of the pronouncement of the punishment by the judge.

S.M. Vora, advocate of the victims, pressed for the maximum punishment to the guilty arguing that it was a mass murder committed in cold blood and the case should be considered as rarest of rare.

Vora also argued that in such cases the families of the victims and the survivors of the attack should be given compensation for their suffering.

Prosecution lawyer R.C. Kodekar argued that the convicts should be awarded life imprisonment till death if not capital punishment. During the argument, the court asked the prosecution to justify and explain why the punishment in the case should be more than 14 years.

Appearing for the convicts, Abhay Bhardwaj said the punishment should be according to the various sections of the Indian Penal Code invoked on the accused.

He argued that crime could not be said to be committed in cold blood since the attack on the Gulberg Society began only after former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri resorted to firing.

He admitted the atmosphere was tense outside the housing society where mobs had gathered, angry over the killing of 58 people in the Sabarmati Express train at Godhra on February 27, 2002.

Bhardwaj contended that Jafri, against whom an offence under the Arms Act was registered in the case, opened fire in such a tense situation and this provoked the crowd, leading to the attack on the residents of the Gulberg Society. He said 15 people were injured in the firing by Jafri.

He also wanted the court to consider the fact that the convicts had committed the crime for the first time in their lives and were not hardened criminals with any previous record. And also that they did not commit any offence during their bail period. The lawyer also pointed out that the court had thrown out the charge of conspiracy in the case.

Of the 24, the court had adjudged 11 guilty of murder and 13 guilty of lesser crime. Atul Vaidya has been convicted for lesser crime under Section 436, among others, for attacking and burning shops and houses.

The court declared 36 of the 66 accused not guilty for want of evidence and ordered their acquittal.

Besides BJP corporator Bipin Patel, police Inspector K.G. Erda was also set free by the court. Erda had lodged the first information report in the incident but was later included among the accused persons.
A woman has been chosen as Syria's new parliament speaker on Monday for the very first time, in a historic move for the war-torn country.

Hadiyeh al-Abbas secured an uncontested victory during the first session of the People's Assembly.

Abbas, 58, previously served as a member of parliament from 2003 to 2007. Prior to that, she served as part of the governing body of the regional branch of the ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party for a decade, from 1988 to 1998.

The female politician, according to RT online, holds a PhD in agricultural engineering and was a professor at al-Furat University in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. She has also worked with the National Union of Syrian Students.

The move was a historic one for Syria. Although the country's parliamentary history dates back to 1919, women only gained the right to vote and run for parliament under the constitution in 1953.

The seat was won by Abbas at the first session of the People's Assembly, which was elected in April.

Najdat Anzour, a well-known producer and director in Syria, was also chosen as deputy parliament speaker on Monday. He is a staunch supporter of President Bashar Assad.

Although Abbas was the first woman to hold the position of parliament speaker, female politician Bouthaina Shaaban has been the political and media adviser to Assad since 2008.

Syria has elected two parliaments since the beginning of the 2011 uprising, which has led to a civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 12 million, according to UN figures.

--IANS

ahm/dg
After months of an anti-constitution movement and economic blockade, the Madhes-based political parties from the Terai region -- and, in a historical first, the hill-indigenous (Janajati) groups too -- have resumed the stir against the exclusionary statute of Nepal promulgated last year.

The renewed stir, coordinated by the Federal Alliance, now involves 29 political groups from the Terai and the hills, including the United Democratic Madhes Front which had imposed an economic blockade in the country for 135 days.

It is for the first time in Nepal's history that the Madhesis and hill-Janajati groups have joined hands in a bid to oppose the government on the constitutional issue.

In the 26-point demands submitted to Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, the Federal Alliance has asked the government to redraw the boundaries of proposed states, ensure proportional representation in the state mechanism, reconstruct houses for the victims of the April 25, 2015, earthquake and, most importantly, rewrite contentious chapters of the constitution.

To pressurise the government into addressing their grievances, the agitating groups first of all organised a massive rally in Kathmandu on May 14, followed by two-day picketing of Singha Durbar - the country's administrative complex -- and one-day of picketing of the Prime Minister's official residence at Baluwatar.

This was followed by massive rallies in different corners of Kathmandu Valley along with similar protests in Birgunj in the Terai and Pokhara in the western hills.

So far, the Kathmandu-centric agitation of the Federal Alliance has been peaceful. Except some minor scuffles between the protesters and the police, there have not been any major incidents.

And, despite efforts made by the government to obstruct the agitating groups from entering the Kathmandu Valley, people's participation in the rallies has been overwhelming.

Initially, the government strongly criticised the protests of the Federal Alliance and called these "pointless" and a mere "drama". But later, on realising the strength of the Alliance, the government invited different individual agitating groups for dialogue, which the latter flatly rejected. They have a feeling that the government has not been able to create a proper environment for dialogue.

During the Madhes movement between August 2015 and February 2016, the Madhesi and Tharu leaders held 36 rounds of talk with the government -- but the government was least sensitive towards the issues of the historically oppressed communities.

And the amendment that the government unilaterally made in the constitution proved a mockery for its failure to meet the aspirations of the agitating groups.

Hence, the Federal Alliance this time has placed certain conditions for resumption of talks with the government. These include declaring all 58 people killed during the Madhes movement as martyrs, paying due compensation to all those injured and releasing the political workers put behind bars on trumped up charges.

Since the government did not show any flexibility in its stand with the agitating groups, the stand-off between the government and the Federal Alliance continues. It is likely that the Alliance groups would now declare a fresh list of protest programmes in their fight against the discriminatory provisions of the constitution more effectively.

The way the agitating groups have adopted peaceful means in their protests against the government and the constitution shows that they are integrationists rather than secessionists. Yet, the government has not taken the movement by the Madhesis and the Federal Alliance positively.

Giving rightful place to traditionally deprived communities like the Madhesis, Tharus, Janajatis, Dalits and the women in the constitution would create peace and stability and open new opportunities for development in the country.

But instead of doing so, the hill elite wants to perpetuate the historical discrimination and give continuity to the 250-year-old feudal system in which only the minority group of Arya-Khas Bahun-Chhetri castes of people have dominated each sector of state mechanism.

Ever since the time of King Prithvi Narayan Shah in the 18th century, the Madhesis and Janajati groups have been excluded in each sector of state mechanism.

The hill-Janajati groups have been made subject of humiliation and were openly called "Matawalis" or the wine-consumers.

However, of the two dominant groups of the Madhesis and Janajatis who together form over two-thirds of Nepal's 27.8 million population, the situation of the Madhesis has been worse.

Unlike the hill Janajatis, the Madhesis and Tharus of the Terai face an identity crisis in the country as they are treated as foreigners in their own land.

With changing times, the Madhesis and hill-Janajati groups are no longer in a mood to accept the rule of the minority groups of hill elites. Therefore, the sooner the government addresses the grievances of the Madhesis, Tharus, hill Janajati groups, Dalits and women by rewriting the constitution, the better it is for the peace and prosperity of the country.

But the inability of the government to do so could only strengthen the hands of the radical forces and further complicate the issue.

(06.06.16 - Dr. Hari Bansh Jha is Executive Director of the Centre for Economic and Technical Studies in Kathmandu, Nepal. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at <dr.hbjha@gmail.com>)

--IANS

jha/dg/tb
Filmmaker Raam Reddy's acclaimed Kannada film "Thithi" stands a chance to win in three categories -- Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay -- at the Asia New Talent Awards of the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival.

The forthcoming film festival is to be held in China from June 11-19.

Other films nominated in the Best Film Category are "One Night Only", "Hana's Miso Soup", "Land of the Little People" and "Detective Chinatown".

"Thithi" is the only film from India that has been selected and will be screened on June 15, 18 and 19.

Reddy, who is excited about the nomination, said in a statement: "'Thithi' continues to surprise me with its traction in different countries and cultures and I am very excited to see how a Chinese audience respond to the film."

Produced by Pratap Reddy and Sunmin Park, "Thithi" has already been screened in over 12 international and national film festivals and won 13 awards.

Reddy's directorial bagged two top awards -- Pardo d'oro Cineasti Del Presente Premio Nescens"(Golden Leopard, Filmmakers of the Present Competition) and Swatch First Feature Award for the Best Debut Feature at the Locarno International Film Festival where it had its international premiere in 2015.

The film made its Asia premiere at Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2015 and won the Jury Grand Prize in the international competition.

"Thithi" recently won the 2016 National Award for Best Feature film in Kannada and also won three awards at the Karnataka State Film Awards 2016 - Best Film, Best Dialogues and Best Supporting Actress. The film was also selected for 2016 New Directors/New Films.

The film's journey began at the prestigious Work-in-Progress Lab (WIP) at the NFDC Film Bazaar 2014, where it was declared the Best WIP Fiction Feature.

Written by Ere Gowda and co-written by Reddy, "Thithi" is a dramatic comedy about how three generations of sons react to the death of the oldest in their clan, a man named Century Gowda -- a locally renowned, highly cantankerous 101-year-old man. Set in a small village in Karnataka, the three storylines intertwine before converging at Century Gowda's 'Thithi' - the final funeral celebration, 11 days after a death.

--IANS

dc/rb/bg
Abu Dhabi, June 6 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Consulate General in Barcelona has launched an iftar project, funded by UAE charities to support underprivileged Muslims in the Catalonia region during the fasting month of Ramadan.

The project, the largest in the region, is supported by Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Emirates Red Crescent, Human Appeal International, Dubai Charity Association and Sharjah Charity International.

The aim is to distribute 62 tonnes of food to some 5,000 Muslim families at mosques and Islamic centres in the region's four cities.

The Catalonia region's 540,000 Muslims account for 7 per cent of Spain's Muslim population.

The UAE Consul General in Barcelona, Salim Rashid Al Owais, oversaw preparations for the project.

During the distribution of aid, he joined representatives of the region's Muslim community.

--IANS/WAM

ksk/bg
The on Monday banned its sailors stationed in Japan from drinking in response to the arrest of an American sailor in Okinawa on a suspected driving under the influence (DUI) charge.

According to officials, the indefinite ban applies to all sailors based in Japan or transiting through, the Japan Times reported.

"We have recognised a problem, we're owning it, and we're doing everything we can to ensure that every one of our sailors understands how important our behaviour is to the alliance and to our relationship to the people of Japan," said Ronald Flanders, spokesman for Naval Forces Japan.

All sailors will be confined to their bases unless they are billeted to in-town accommodation.

Those who live off base will be allowed to travel to and from work, schools, gas stations, grocery stores and the gym. Other activities were prohibited by the order and subject to military law.

The restrictions are some of the most sweeping affecting off-duty behaviour by US sailors in Japan in recent years.

On Saturday, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, who is assigned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, was arrested after allegedly driving a car on the wrong side of the road, hitting two cars and injuring two people.

She is being held by Japanese police on suspicion of drunken driving.

In March, an American sailor was arrested following the suspected rape of a Japanese tourist at a hotel in Okinawa. He pleaded guilty.
Filmmaker Venkat Prabhu and actor Simbu might join hands for the reboot of Tamil actioner "Billa". The film was earlier twice made with superstar Rajinikanth and Ajith Kumar.

"Billa" was the Tamil remake of Amitabh Bachchan-starrer "Don".

During a periscope session with his fans on Sunday, Simbu revealed that he plans to work on a script along the lines of "Billa".

Later, during a Twitter conversation with director Venkat Prabhu, he said he can't wait to work on "Billa 2018".

Following their chat, fans went gaga over the announcement and even trended the "Billa 2018" hashtag.

Currently awaiting the release of Tamil romantic-thriller "Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada", Simbu is shooting for Adhik Ravichandran-directed Tamil actioner "Anbaanavan, Asaraathavan, Adangaathavan".

--IANS

hp/nv/vm
Pakistan on Monday officially turned down India's request for consular access to alleged RAW agent Kulbushan Jadhav now under its arrest, a media report said.

"Jadhav will not be granted consular access," Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said, alleging that Jadhav had entered the Pakistan territory for some "special objectives", Geo TV reported.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)."

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

Earlier, India's External Affairs Ministry had said that Jadhav formerly worked for the Indian Navy and said its high commission in Islamabad was seeking consular access to him.

--IANS

ahm/vt
With the issues of black money and India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) high on the agenda, Prime Minister on Monday held a meeting with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman.

"The meetings in Switzerland begin... President Schneider-Amman and PM hold talks in Geneva," The Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Switzerland is an important member of the NSG and India is expected seek its support for membership in the group.

On the black money issue, India has been in touch with the Swiss government under the mandate of the double taxation avoidance agreement.

Monday's discussions may also veer around renewable energy and vocational education, sectors Switzerland is strong in.

Modi will also hold a meeting with business leaders and interact with Indian researchers in this Swiss city on Monday.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor.

After his engagements in Switzerland, the Prime Minister will proceed to the US later on Monday and on Wednesday to Mexico.
A female journalist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

Sagal Salad Osman, a producer for state-run Radio Mogadishu, was killed on Sunday night when the armed men approached her outside a university and opened fire, Xinhua news agency reported.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Somali Independent Media Houses Association (SIMHA) condemned the killing on Monday.

"SIMHA calls upon relevant authorities to speed up the investigation process and bring to book those responsible before justice," the union said in a statement.

President Mohamud condemned the murder of Osman, saying his government would work hard to "find perpetrators of this crime to face justice."

"Those who harm the innocent people should be held accountable and will be brought to justice as it happened before," Mohamud said.

Osman is the second woman journalist to be killed in Somalia in the last six months.

In December 2015, Hinda Haji Mohamed, also a journalist for Radio Mogadishu, was killed in a car bombing in Mogadishu claimed by Islamist extremist group, Al-Shabaab.

--IANS

ksk/bg
On Saturday, in the lead-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's on-going visit to the United States, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar spoke out in measured terms against China's aggressive unilateralism in the South China Sea. Addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Mr Parrikar abandoned the timidity with which Indian officials speak about China, and called for "the parties to these disputes [in the South China Sea] to renounce the threat or use of force against other states."



American observers often misread the studied distance New Delhi maintains from US actions and comments on the South China Sea, to conclude that India does not have the stomach to stand up for regional rights. Mr Parrikar himself has rebutted over-enthusiastic comments from senior American officials - including the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) chief, Admiral Harry Harris Jr, and the US envoy to India, Richard Verma - about joint patrolling by the US and Indian navies. Yet, even at this moment, an Indian flotilla with three frontline warships is sailing the South China and East China seas, visiting ports in Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Russia and Malaysia.
The centrepiece of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Afghanistan last Saturday was the inauguration of a dam in Afghanistan's Herat province which has been built with Indian assistance. Planning for the Salma Dam began in the mid-1970s, but because of years of political instability, work only began on it in earnest over a decade ago. Building it was difficult, as material from India had to be routed through Iran in order to avoid Pakistan; this significantly increased the costs and the time to completion. However, now that it is done, it is expected to produce 40-plus megawatts of power from next year, raising Afghanistan's total power capacity by as much as 10 per cent, and helping it move towards self-sufficiency in electricity generation. In addition, about 80,000 additional hectares of land will come under irrigation facilities. This is the latest achievement in India's series of investments in Afghanistan since the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime was toppled after 9/11 - the total sum invested is near $2 billion, and includes the money spent to build the country's parliament building in Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that this was the end of the "first generation" of India's large projects in Afghanistan, and hoped for a "second generation of such large and sustainable projects". Already, a series of 12 dams on the Kabul river are being planned.
With reference to "Indradhanush set to get bigger, better" (June 6), amid the elevated bad assets and losses incurred by many public sector banks, the government's likely plan to move forward with Indradhanush-II is a welcome step. Its plan to focus on areas like NPA (non-performing assets) resolution, risk management, credit growth, expansion of digital banking, financial inclusion and creation of a holding company will go a long way in removing the stress of public sector banks.
Congress on Monday asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to book senior BJP leader and former Revenue Minister under stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The party also termed as "mild" the decision of Fadnavis to order a probe by a retired High Court judge into the allegations against Khadse.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations including the demand for a hefty bribe made by his PA in a land matter and purchasing a reserved land near Pune in name of his kin for a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.

"It has been proved that Khadse has underworld links so MCOCA should be applied in this case," Mumbai unit Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said, referring to alleged calls made from Dawood's residence in Karachi to the former minister's mobile.

"Merely dismissing Khadse from the cabinet won't suffice. He should be charged under the MCOCA," Nirupam said in a letter to Fadnavis.

"It is alright that after dilly-dallying for two months, you made Khadse quit. However, announcing a probe headed by a retired High Court judge won't be enough. This decision is mild and raises questions about the intentions of the Fadnavis government," the Congress leader said.

Nirupam said the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act should be applied as Khadse misused his official powers to get the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) plot for his wife and son-in-law.

"This move of Khadse violated provision of sections 13 (C, D and E) of this Act. BJP always talks of morals and values but in the Khadse case, not enough action has been taken," Nirupam said.

Khadse had already denied the allegations that he had any links with Dawood after his mobile number purportedly figured in the call list of Dawood's Karachi residence, acquired by an ethical hacker.

Though Mumbai police had given the minister a clean chit in the matter, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad was directed to probe the charges.

The seniormost BJP leader was also in a spot over the purchase of a three-acre MIDC land near Pune allegedly at a low price of around Rs 3.75 crore from its original owner in the name of his wife and son-in-law. The market value of the land is reportedly Rs 40 crore.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhis birthday on June 19 is the latest date floated by his supporters for his elevation as party president. Gandhi will turn 46 this year.
Former Union Minister and senior leader of All India Congress Committee (AICC) V Narayanasamy took over as Puducherry's new Chief Minister. Five Congress legislators were also sworn in as Ministers.

He was administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy by Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi at a function at Gandhi Statue on Beach Road in Puducherry.
One person was killed and 11 others injured after a tornado hit Wenchang City in south China's Hainan province.

The tornado struck the townships of Jinshan and Fengpo on the island province, cutting off power supply, uprooting trees and ripping roofs off houses, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The tornado has affected 749 people in the two towns.

Four of the 11 injured suffered serious injuries.

They are receiving treatment at the People's Hospital of Hainan Province.

A total of 178 homes were damaged in the tornado.
A major fire triggered a series of explosions at one of Sri Lanka's largest military ammunition dumps, killing one soldier and forcing thousands of people to flee as debris fell into populated areas damaging neary homes.

In the worst ammunition depot fire in Lanka's history, the ammunition dump at Salawa area in Avissawella, 30 kms east of Colombo, caught fire at around 5 PM (local time) yesterday, setting off huge explosions that went on through the night.

Rocket-propelled grenade shells and shrapnel triggered by the explosions destroyed a hospital and hundreds of nearby homes, creating panic among thousands of people who rushed for cover, officials said.

"A soldier has been killed and the military has entered the premises," military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said, adding that soldiers have doused the fire.

More than 40 people were injured in the incident.

Firefighters had to struggle for more than 12 hours to douse the blaze at the Salawa military complex.

Thousands of people living close to the site were asked to vacate their homes and move to schools, temples and other places for cover as intermittent blasts were still erupting.

The incident is termed as the worst ammunition depot fire in Sri Lanka's history. The armoury is one of the largest ammunition storage of the Sri Lankan Army.

The cause behind the incident was not immediately known.

Residents said loud explosions were heard with raging fire within the complex which houses weapons ranging from T56 rifles to mortar bombs.

All residents within a five kms radius of the complex were evacuated last night to prevent people from inhaling fumes emanating from the fire.

Residents said the fire could be seen even this morning, more than 12 hours after the first explosions were heard.

President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered police's Crime Investigation Department to probe the incident.
Seventeen child labourers were today rescued from a factory in Jafrabad area of Shahdara here in a joint action by a team of police and a non-government orgnaisation.

Acting on a tip off, the NGO approached the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shahdara and along with a team of police from Welcome police station raided the factory and rescued the children.

The children were allegedly trafficked victims of child labour and aged between 6 to 15 years. While one child belonged to Nepal, one each hailed from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and remaining were from Bihar, NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan said.

"Among those rescued, the youngest child is six years of age and has been working in an acid-making factory. Some boys have been working for the last eight months, while some have been here for almost a year," Arshad Mehdi said speaking for the NGO.

He said the children at present have been lodged at Mukti Ashram, a centre for rescued bonded labourers in Burari.

A police complaint has been lodged against owners of the factory, he added.
Two Hindus were among three persons shot dead when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at a licensed liquor shop in this Pakistani port city.

Three men, including the two Hindus, were at the 'Super Wine shop' in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area here yesterday when the gunmen opened fire, killing them on the spot.

The owner of the shop, Taru Mal, escaped unhurt.

"Apparently Taru Mal had been receiving calls from a Dubai number for extortion money and he refused to pay," Senior police official Rao Anwar said.

He said security had been increased at the two wine shops Mal owned after he got the threatening call following a shootout warning him he would be the next target.

Among the three killed, one person's identity could not be ascertained.

In Pakistan, where alcohol consumption is banned for Muslims, the government issues licenses for wine shops run by its excise department where only non-Muslims and foreigners can purchase liquor.

Most of these wine shops are run by Christians or Hindus in Karachi.
The special NIA court today rejected the bail plea of four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Special NIA judge V V Patil rejected the bail applications of Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma.

The four accused had urged for liberty after the court discharged eight Muslim co-accused in the case in April.

The four accused in the bail plea said that they were falsely implicated in the 2006 and there was no evidence against them.

The defence lawyers argued that many things which the NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market.

However, the prosecution argued that there was ample evidence against the accused and the case is very serious in nature. Hence, they should not be given bail.

An explosion had taken place in a bicycle after Friday prayers near Hamidia Mosque near Bada Kabrastan in Malegaon in 2006, killing 37 persons.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, which first probed the case, had arrested eight Muslim men on the basis of alleged links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Later CBI endorsed it. However, the NIA took over the investigation after Assemanand made revelations in his confession in another case about alleged involvement of Hindu right wing groups in the Malegoan blast case.
Three operatives of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) were today arrested from near the border of Hazaribagh and Chatra districts after an encounter, the police said.

The three were caught after the encounter in the forests of Mohania on the Katkumdag police station of Hazaribagh and Simaria police station, Superintendent of Police Bhimsen Tuti said.

The SP said the police have seized one rifle, one country-made carbine, two other firearms, 177 rounds of live ammunitions including 7.62 cartridges and SLR cartridges, ten mobile phone sets and Rs 62,250 in cash, besides diaries and magazines and receipt books and other incriminating documents.

The SP said the police had received a tip off after a complaint of demand of levy was lodged by a road contractor, Sanjay Upadhya.

On the basis of the complaint, the SP said the police arrested dreaded JPC activist Md Bilal alias Bablu of Simaria after getting a secret information.

Following the interrogation, Bilal gave information about a plot to realise heavy amount of levy from contractors.

Tuti said Bilal also gave information about the whereabouts of JPC supremo Dashrath and his gang, who was camping in the Mohania forests.

The SP said on the basis of this information, the police constituted a team and surrounded Mohania forest.

Sensing the police team's presence in the jungle, the JPC activists opened fire leading to the encounter, the SP said adding, there was no casualty on any side.
Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by members of a radical Sikh group on the premises of Golden Temple here today as the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar was observed amidst tight security.

No untoward incident was reported from on and around the Temple premises, where policemen in civil dress were deployed along with SGPC's task force to thwart any attempt to disturb law and order.

Over 8,000 security personnel, including from paramilitary forces, have been deployed in Amritsar.

Supporters of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by its president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann raised slogans of 'Khalisthan Zindabad' and 'Punjab Sarkar Murdabad'.

Addressing the gathering from the ground floor of Akal Takht, Mann accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs and those of SGPC, the apex religious body of the community.

Mann asked SGPC to reinstate Sikh priest Balbir Singh who denied 'Siropa' (robe of honour) to the Chief Minister at the Golden Temple recently.

Addressing the gathering, Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh lashed out at the then Union Government and said, "Sikh community will all over the world remember the unhealed wounds of Operation Bluestar".

Memorial dedicated to those killed during 1984 Army action on the Golden Temple witnessed sizeable footfall today.

A bandh was also observed in the holy city on the call given by radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa.

Tight security arrangements were made by the Punjab police to prevent any untoward incident.
Four labourers on Monday were injured in an explosion near an underconstruction bridge in Sonamarg area of central Kashmir Ganderbal district, police said.

The site is located close to the signal centre of Army's High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in the area.

"An explosion occurred near an under-construction bridge in Sonamarg area this morning. Four labourers working on the project sustained minor injuries in their legs," a police official said.

He said the work on the bridge was being carried out by Border Roads Organisation's Beacon unit.

The official said the cause and nature of the explosion is being investigated.
Kerala government today decided to impose a 47-day trawling ban in the coastal belt from June 15.

A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting convened by Fisheries Minister Mercykutty Amma.

The trawling ban would be in force from June 15 to July 31, an official release said here today.

The meeting also resolved to take a decision on the 61 day ban imposed by the Centre on trawling during the monsoon period, it said.

The minister requested the fishermen community to co-operate with the government on the trawling ban with a view to preserve and conserve ocean resources.

The relief extended to fishermen due to the ban would be distributed in June itself, the release said.
AAP today demanded CBI probe into the clash between police and the encroachers of Jawahar Bag in Mathura, in which 29 people including two police officials were killed.

The party also alleged that the encroachers had patronage of a minister from the Uttar Pradesh government.

Senior AAP leader and party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Sanjay Singh today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and put forward the party's demand.

"We met the family of the deceased policemen and they have demanded a CBI probe into the matter. We met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and have made this demand," Singh said.

"There were arms and ammunition at the site since last two years and how is it possible that it went unnoticed. The miscreants had support from a minister of the UP government," Singh said.

On Saturday, Singh visited Mathura along with party MLAs and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also spoken to the family of slain policemen and assured them all possible help.
A woman, kidnapped by five persons



for allegedly not repaying a Rs five lakh loan, has been rescued and a lawyer arrested by police in connection with the case.

The woman, who runs an NGO at nearby Othakadai, had allegedly borrowed the amount from another woman from the same locality. But as the money was not returned on time, the other woman lodged a complaint with police and also requested a lawyer to help her recover it.

The victim reportedly refused the lawyer's request to repay the loan amount, following which he and his five accomplices kidnapped her.

Acting on a tip off, police rescued the woman from Anna Nagar area here last night and arrested the lawyer.

However, the others escaped from the spot.
Nearly one lakh persons have been given skill training in Jharkhand under the ' Mission'.

An official release said the ' Mission' yielded great dividends for Jharkhand with nearly one lakh enrolment recorded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) Rajiv Pratap Rudy applauded the achievement, the release said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has convened a meeting of BJP ministers to discuss the strategy in the wake of the resignation of senior minister Eknath Khadse on charges of impropriety.

The meeting, to be held in a day or two at Sahyadri state guest house here, is also likely to discuss much-awaited expansion of Cabinet.

According to sources, BJP ministers are tense following resignation of Khadse, the senior-most cabinet member and Revenue Minister.

"Monday is a day when usually most ministers come to Mantralaya and meet people. But after Khadse's resignation and after being asked to keep mum over the issue, not a single minister has visited the state Secretariat," a senior minister said here today.

He said the period after Khadse's resignation is the biggest challenge for BJP.

"After the media trial against him, the CM has called a meeting of all ministers where the cabinet expansion is expected to be discussed," the minister said.

He further said there are also chances of redistribution of portfolios that Khadse had held and a strategy will have to be decided for the upcoming monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature.

Meanwhile, a Kalyan-based outfit 'Khandesh Heet Sangh' held a brief demonstration outside state BJP head office near Mantralaya this afternoon.

The protesters raised slogans and demanded justice for Khadse who in turn has urged partymen from Jalgaon not to resort to any demonstrations.

In the afternoon, BJP deputed another senior minister from Jalgaon, Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan to meet agitated party cadres who were coming to the party office.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations including the demand for a hefty bribe made by his PA in a land matter and purchasing a reserved land near Pune in name of his kin for a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.
The Islamic State group has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the nearly two-week battle between Iraqi government forces and IS militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, said an international aid organisation and Iraqi military.

Yesterday, the militants shot and killed seven civilians and seven IS defectors inside Fallujah as they attempted to flee, Iraqi Maj Ali Hanoon said.

Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, today put the number of civilians killed by IS since the operation started at "dozens" but declined to be more specific, saying the information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete.

Iraqi officials say the total is likely higher.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the IS-held city of Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance the militants have put up and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city.

Yesterday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah, a largely agricultural area.

"They know that if they trap the civilians, it will slow our progress," Hanoon said.

Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, killing two people and wounded three, according to police.

From Baghdad, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, said late Sunday that a number of fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River.

Iraqi officials had no immediate information on the river incident.

The NRC cited interviews with some of those who fled the city.

"Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety," said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC Country Director in Iraq. "This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives."



The NRC put the total number of families who managed to flee from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the Iraqi offensive, which started May 21, at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC added.

The Fallujah operation in Iraq coincides with a twin offensive on IS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an IS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants' de facto capital.

At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.
British playwright Peter Shaffer, who won an Oscar for his film adaptation of "Amadeus", one of his most celebrated stage dramas, died today aged 90, his agent said.

"It is with great sorrow that we must announce the death of our friend and client, Sir Peter Shaffer CBE whilst on a visit to Ireland with friends and family," Rupert Lord said on his agency's website.

Shaffer died at 5:30 am (0430 GMT) at a hospital outside Cork in southern Ireland following a short illness, Lord said.

"Peter was one of the true greats of British theatre as well as a wonderful friend, wickedly funny man and sparkling raconteur whose lifelong passion for his own art was matched by his love for music, painting and architecture," said Lord.

Shaffer won the Oscar in 1985 for the adaptation of "Amadeus", his drama about composer Antonio Salieri's jealous fixation with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was one of eight Oscars which the film won that year.

He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1978 for the screenplay of "Equus", his 1973 stage play about a psychiatrist treating a young man fascinated by horses.

His other plays include "Lettice and Lovage" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun".

"He had been struggling with his health for some time but was both determined and delighted to have been able to celebrate his 90th birthday in Ireland last month with close family and friends," said Lord.

Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in Liverpool, northwest England, and educated in London before studying history at the University of Cambridge.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today accused Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of "using" the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department against him and his family, and "challenged" him to prove the allegations leveled against his son.

The ED has summoned Amarinder's son Raninder, in connection with its probe against him for alleged forex contraventions and holding of untaxed foreign assets.

"Just because Jaitley's agencies accuse somebody with baseless charges does not mean the person is guilty. I challenge him to prove all allegations leveled against my son in the court of law," he said.

"He (Jaitley) has the ED, Income Tax department under his ministry and is using those against me and my family members to avenge his defeat (in Amristar Lok Sabha seat)," Amarinder alleged, adding the repeated allegations only "corroborate his intentions and mindset that he has not forgotten the defeat".

"Earlier it was my wife, now my son. Tomorrow it can be even me that they will level allegations against as it is the election season. This will build up till (Punjab) polls. This is happening because polls are round the corner," he said.

"But we have the rule of the law in the country and we have full faith in our judicial system. All these allegations will eventually fall flat," Amarinder said.

"I also got a notice from the Income Tax department when I was in the USA. I have replied to that. They can call the ED, the Income Tax...We will come out clean," he said, adding, "There is no illegality and no breaking of Indian law at all."



The Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar said that even probe agencies did not find anything wrong against him and his family when the issue came up in 2005, adding even Narendra Modi had spoken against him in Barmer during Lok Sabha polls in 2014 to help Jaitley win in Amritsar.

"When BJP formed the government, Jaitley asked a very senior officer to register a case against me within two months. The officer after few months even told him that there was nothing wrong against me," he claimed.

"He (Jaitley) is a petty man. They have done this with P Chidambaram, Virbhadra Singh," Amarinder alleged.

On Congress leader Jagdish Tytler's alleged role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the ex-Punjab CM clarified that he had never given clean chit to anyone or to Tytler.

Amarinder reiterated that he had only said that when he had met the victims of the anti-Sikh riots, nobody mentioned Tytler's name to him as the accused. The names mentioned were that of Sajjan Kumar, H K L Bhagat, Dharamdas Shastri, Lalit Maken and Arjan Das.

"Tytler's name appeared when he fought in election against Madan Lal Khurana in Delhi after a few months. If his name comes up during probe, then hang him," Amarinder said.

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On the issue of pro-Khalistan slogans raised in the Golden Temple today on the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar, Amarinder said people now do not care about such slogans.

He also criticised SAD(Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann for raising such slogans in the Golden Temple and accused SAD of raking up the issue of Operation Bluestar as and when elections come near.

He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already expressed regret with regard to Operation Bluestar.

Earlier in the day, he allocated duties to party general secretaries and vice presidents for various districts and assembly segments.

While there will be one general secretary in-charge of each assembly segment, for each district there will be one vice president.

Addressing the office bearers, Amarinder asked them to get into the battle gear as elections in Punjab can be preponed and may be held in month of December.

The state Congress chief also announced a 45-day public interaction programme during which he will cover all the 117 assembly segments. It will start on June 24 and will conclude on August 8.

During the campaign, people will be made aware about the "failures of the Central and Punjab governments" on various issues including law-and-order, rising debt, farmer suicides.

Senior Congress leader Laal Singh said the party will hold three dharnas over various issues including the "deteriorating" law-and-order situation in Punjab.

The first dharna will be held at Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur on June 8 against the alleged non-payment of Rs 250 crore to farmers, another one in Jalandhar on June 13 against the "deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state, while the third one will be held in Lambi on June 18 against the alleged recruitment scam, he said.
The Gujarat High Court today issued notice to the state government over a yet another petition challenging an ordinance providing ten per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to members of economically weaker sections (EWS).

Dulari Basarge, an aspirant seeking admission to a medical college, filed the petition through her lawyer V D Nanavati, challenging the ordinance stating that it is "arbitrary and breach of the fundamental structure of the Constitution of India" as it violates Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.

A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi kept the matter for hearing on June 22 by tagging it along with the other petition that was filed by one Jayantbhai Manani on May 31.

Manani's petition also challenged the ordinance on the ground that it was "contrary to fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution".

In the second petition, the petitioner challenged it as she thought that added reservation of ten per cent reduces her chance to get admission in medical colleges.

"The petitioner submits that provisions for excluding the rest of the society for seeking admission by limiting the opportunity to 41 per cent of the seats is arbitrary and violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India," the petitioner stated.

Article 14 of the Constitution governs the state policy and action for employment and education within the state while Article 15(1) prohibits discrimination on the ground of race and caste.

Article 16 prescribes equality of opportunity for all matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the state.

"Provisions for additional reservation of 10 per cent of seats for unreserved category of economically weaker section of the society has become arbitrary, unjust in view of the quantum of reservation exceeding 50 per cent," she said.

"The rest of the community of students have to compete



for admission to the professional courses on merit as against providing assured seats on the basis of separate merit list of the reserved category of students," the petitioner stated.

"The state is not justified in denying the students for being considered on the basis of merit only because of his parents' income is more than Rs 6 lakh. There is no rational criteria or object to be achieved by dividing students on the basis of parents' income while providing admission to the educational institutions," she said.

On May 1, the state government had issued an ordinance providing 10 per cent reservation to persons from unreserved category from economically weaker sections of the society other than SC, ST and SEBC for admissions in educational institutions and government jobs.

The reservation is applicable to persons with annual family income cap of Rs 6 lakh.
Government has imposed anti- dumping duty of USD 122.14-279.78 per tonne on import of a chemical, used in pharmaceutical and fragrance sectors, from China and Russia to protect domestic manufacturers.

The levy on the import of 'Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride)' will remain in place for a period of five years from December 2015, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said through a notification.

In December last year, a provisional anti-dumping was imposed on such imports.

The definitive duty follows a recommendation for the same by Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD).

CBEC said the DGAD in its final findings had concluded that the Methylene Chloride has been exported to India from the two countries has been below normal values and the domestic industry suffered "material injury" by the dumped imports.

The DGAD had made the case for definitive anti-dumping duty on the imports to remove injury to the domestic industry.

Acting on complaint of Chemplast Sanmar and Gujarat Fluorochemicals, the DGAD had initiated a probe in April last year to ascertain if the chemical was being dumped into India at below normal value.

Methylene Chloride is used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate and phenolic resins, rayon yarn, pharmaceuticals, agro and fragrance. It is also used as an extractant for edible fats, cocoa, butter and essences.

WTO member countries are allowed to apply anti-dumping measures on imports of a product if the exporting company ships the product at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its home market and the dumped imports cause or threaten to cause injury to the domestic industry.
The anti-establishment Five Star party's Virginia Raggi easily took the lead in the first round of the Rome mayoral race, exit polls showed, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's ruling party.

Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer whose campaign tapped into simmering discontent over a string of corruption scandals in the Italian capital, won between 33 and 38 percent of the vote, according to exit polls by public broadcaster RAI and La7 television.

She was trailed by Roberto Giachetti of Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), who secured 20 to 26 percent of the vote.

A second round run-off is to take place on June 19.

Rome was considered the main prize in a battle for municipal seats across the country yesterday, in local polls widely seen as a test for Renzi.

Eyes were also trained on the mayoral election in Milan, where centre-left candidate Giuseppe Sala took the lead with 38 to 42 percent, in line with pre-poll expectations, according to La7.

He was closely followed by the centre-right's Stefano Parisi.

Overall, more than 13 million people nationwide were asked to cast their ballots to choose members of 1,300 municipal councils in a two-round ballot.

The Italian capital has been without an elected leader since last October, when Ignazio Marino, a member of PD, was forced to quit over an expenses scandal.

That episode and a much bigger, unrelated scandal over organised crime's infiltration of City Hall have bolstered Raggi's bid to become the first female mayor of the Eternal City.

Even if Raggi doesn't win, her strong showing is likely to boost the populist Five Star movement, led by comedian Beppe Grillo, as it seeks to cement its status as a mainstream party.
Art of Living (AOL) today refuted the allegations that its three day mega event had damaged Yamuna floodplains and hinted that it may approach the Supreme Court against the National Green Tribunal's order which asked it to pay Rs 5 crore as compensation.

AOL claimed that there has been no scientific assessment of pre and post situation of the floodplains till now.

Stating that they were "sensitive" towards environment and can never cause any irreversible damage to the floodplain, AOL's legal and environmental experts also displayed satellite images and photographs to claim that no environmental damage was done.

"Our legal team is studying the NGT order. Supreme Court is on vacation. We will soon take an appropriate step," AOL spokesman Kedar Desai told reporters here.

Noting that the matter was still subjudice with the NGT, AOL experts said that they are yet to present their evidence to the tribunal that there was no ecological damage done to the Yamuna floodplains.

"There is no scientific assessment of the pre and post situation at Yamuna floodplains where World Cultural Festival was held. The judicial process in on and if we win, the money (Rs 5 crore) will be returned to us," Desai said.

Environment consultant Prabhakar Rao also showed a 1986 Survey of India map and claimed that the allegation of damage to wetland along Yamuna was "wrong" since no such wetland existed there.

He also refuted other allegations of change of land form at Yamuna floodplains and damage to local biodiversity showing satellite images and site photographs of flora and fauna.

"The charge of damage to Yamuna floodplain is not correct since the World Cultural Festival's core venue was spread over just 24.44 acres," he said claiming that no harm was done to local flora and fauna during WCF.

AOL expressed disappointment over controversy surrounding WCF which was held at Yamuna floodplains on March 11-13, saying even foreign countries were interested in hosting the event.

"Even while WCF was going on here, we were invited by three countries including Australia to hold such event there. It feels bad, as a country we should have felt proud over the event which was participated by people from 155 countries," Desai said.

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AOL foundation has deposited Rs 4.75 crore "environment compensation" with Delhi Development Authority as directed by the NGT for damaging Yamuna's biodiversity during WCF in March.

The allegations of damage to land form through construction of roads and ramps and leveling of floodplains were also dismissed by Rao.

"The area where the event was held was under cultivation of vegetables since at least a decade. So it was already leveled and we did not undertake much leveling.

"It was also alleged that we constructed road and ramps but a 2007 image showed that those were constructed during an event organised by a media house in that year," he claimed showing a 2005 satellite image.

The much talked about mega stage constructed over 7 acre of land was also designed so as to cause minimum compaction on the floodplains even it incurred higher cost, he claimed.

"We have been accused of building a huge stage whose weight and compaction could hamper water percolation and charging of underground aquifer. But, the floating stage was designed with use of lakhs of pillars to cause maximum compaction although it was costly."



The Art of Living is always sensitive to the environment and it can never cause any irreversible damage to the floodplain as has been alleged, he said.

The spokespersons of AOL said that the Yamuna floodplain was chosen as venue for the WCF considering "ease" of large number of people to commute to the location surrounded by roads and Metro rail.
Due to changing climate, Arctic regions of North America are getting greener, with almost a third of the land cover looking more like landscapes found in warmer ecosystems, according to a new NASA study.

With 87,000 images taken from Landsat satellites, converted into data that reflects the amount of healthy vegetation on the ground, the researchers found that western Alaska, Quebec and other regions became greener between 1984 and 2012.

The new Landsat study further supports previous work that has shown changing vegetation in Arctic and boreal North America.

Landsat is a programme that provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth's land vegetation in existence.

"It shows the climate impact on vegetation in the high latitudes," said Jeffrey Masek, scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in the US.

Temperatures are warming faster in the Arctic than elsewhere, which has led to longer seasons for plants to grow in and changes to the soils.

Scientists have observed grassy tundras changing to shrublands, and shrubs growing bigger and denser - changes that could have impacts on regional water, energy and carbon cycles.

With Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 data, researchers found that there was extensive greening in the tundra of western Alaska, the northern coast of Canada, and the tundra of Quebec and Labrador.

While northern forests greened in Canada, they tended to decline in Alaska. Overall, the scientists found that 29.4 per cent of the region greened up, especially in shrublands and sparsely vegetated areas, while 2.9 per cent showed vegetation decline.

Landsat, like other satellite missions, can use the amount of visible and near-infrared light reflected by the green, leafy vegetation of grasses, shrubs and trees to characterise the vegetation.

Then, with computer programmes that track each individual pixel of data over time, researchers can see if an area is greening - if more vegetation is growing, or if individual plants are getting larger and leafier.

If the vegetation becomes sparser, the scientists would classify that area as browning.

With finer-resolution and better calibrated data from Landsat, the researchers were able to mask out areas that burned, or are covered in water, to focus on vegetation changes.

"The resolution with Landsat is drastically improved, it lets you look at the local effects of things like topography, such as in areas where you might have small woodlands or open areas," Masek said.

The study was published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.
Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary Neiba Kronu today said Article 371(A) of the Constitution is a blessing for the Nagas and is yet to be utilised properly.

The Article gives right to the Naga people over the land and resources of an individual. People in the state are landowners and not the government, he said.

Article 371(A) should not become a stumbling block in carrying forward development, Kronu said while launching a social media platform for soliciting views from all sections of the society for incorporation in the 'Vision 2030 document' of the Government of Nagaland here.

Pointing out that landownership issue has hindered development activities in the past, including major projects like medical college, he said the state government has decided to "outright purchase" land so that the landownership issue does not arise in future.

Kronu said the state government has decided to bring out the Vision Document by July 31 for the purpose of guiding the planning and development processes of the state



"The Vision Document will be an inclusive document involving people and not based on only views of government departments," he said.

He said the vision document should not be a dream, but a statement of action, which would be translated into reality.

The Parliamentary Secretary also urged intellectuals, youngsters, Hohos, NGOs and civil societies to give opinion and participate in the preparation of the Document.

A website - nagalandvision20130.In, facebook account and whatsapp number 8415856752 and email account Nagaland vision2030@gmail.Com were launched by the Parliamentary Secretary in presence Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar and Convener of Expert Group for the Document, Alemtemshi Jamir.
Australian tax authorities, on Monday, slashed the claim of $190 million unpaid tax bill to just $32 million for an Indian billionaire couple who has filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against the ANZ bank.

Pankaj and Radhika Oswal are fighting the legal battle against ANZ for allegedly undervaluing shares of their fertiliser company to recoup millions in debts.

The couple, who returned from Dubai in April this year, was barred from leaving after a Departure Prohibition Order was issued due to Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) $190 million claim.

ATO, on Monday, reduced its claim against Radhika Oswal to just $32 million, 'Herald Sun' reported, adding that it was not yet clear if that order would now be lifted.

The Oswals had argued the claim against them could only be for $32 million and maintained they owe nothing to ATO.

Responding to recent revelations about alleged "racist remarks" by the ANZ top officials in 2009 emails, Radhika said that despite the emails, she has never considered a racist country.

"Australians have been very friendly to us. It is only the banks, the receivers and there business friends who have caused us trouble," she said, adding the family would even consider a permanent return here.

ANZ bank's senior officials had described the Indian couple as "two very unsavoury characters" with "no moral compass".

"We have to get through this trial first. Everything depends on that. Our daughters grew up in Perth so they have a strong connection," Radhika said.

"My husband believes the Australian resources and energy sector is one of the greatest opportunistic areas worldwide. I'm sure he would love to invest in more downstream industries here, if we are able to get justice for the wrongs that have been previously inflicted upon us," she said.

Pankaj had earlier said that the was prepared to spend a long time in and was eager to "seek justice in court".

The Oswals have sued ANZ bank for 1.5 billion after it allegedly seized and sold their Western Australian fertiliser company for $560 million which the family claim was worth $1.385 billion.

The bank has denied the claims and said the Oswals misappropriated $150 million from their Burrup Fertilisers for personal use.
A special NIA court here today rejected the bail plea of four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case, who had sought liberty after eight Muslim men accused in the case were discharged in April.

Special NIA judge V V Patil rejected the bail applications of Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma who said in their plea that they were falsely implicated in the case and there was no evidence against them.

The defence lawyers argued that many things NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market.

The prosecution, however, held that there was ample evidence against the accused in the case, which is very serious in nature and so they should not be granted bail.

In his order, the judge said "at this stage it appears to me that prima facie the evidence collected by NIA show that the accused along with absconding accused prepared bombs and planted it and in its explosion more than 31 people died and 312 innocent persons were injured."



Bearing in mind the nature of the crime and the charges levelled against the accused persons, they do not deserve bail", the judge said.

The bomb blast took place near Hamidia Mosque at Malegaon, near Nashik, on September 8.

Bombs were kept on bicycles and they went off after Friday prayers at the Mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.

Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad, which had first probed the case, arrested nine Muslim men on the basis of alleged links with banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was confirmed by CBI later. One of them died while the case was pending. Four others, including a Pakistani national, are absconding.

However, NIA took over the investigation after Swamy Assemanand said in his confession in anther case about alleged involvement of Hindu right wing groups in the Malegoan blast case.

Thereafter, NIA told the court that it had no evidence against the nine accused in the case.

The special court in April dropped charges against eight Muslim men in the case due to lack of evidence against them.
Investigators today sifted through the wreckage of a high-speed train crash in Belgium that killed three people and injured nine others with indications bad weather could have been the cause.

The collision occurred late yesterday when the fast-moving passenger train slammed into the back of a slow freight train which was travelling on the same track for unknown reasons. The crash happened at Hermalle-sous-Huy, near the eastern town of Liege.

Authorities said lightning and flood damage caused by the heavy storms that have affected western Europe over the past week were being explored as a possible cause of the crash.

King Philippe of Belgium and Prime Minister Charles Michel both visited the scene to inspect the recovery work and offer their condolences, according to AFP reporters at the site.

"All my condolences for the families of the victims... and a fast recovery to the injured," Michel said on Twitter.

Although investigators were hard at work, finding the cause "would be difficult", warned a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Liege.

"The passenger train is really in a bad way, it's stunning," said Francis Dejon, mayor of the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, where the crash took place.

"The front carriage is scrunched back up on itself. We were very lucky not to have more victims," he told the Belgian agency Belga.

There were roughly 40 passengers on board the train that was travelling at about 100 kilometres an hour at the moment of the collision on the Namur-Liege line at 11pm (2100 GMT) yesterday.

Investigators believe the freight train was travelling at about 10-15kph at the time, said Brigitte Leroy, a spokeswoman from the prosecutor's office.

The crash killed the driver of the passenger train, authorities said. Of the nine injured, some were in critical condition, they added.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the Infrabel railway infrastructure company and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

Witnesses told Belga agency the collision had been "very violent," with rescuers having to extract several passengers from the wreckage.

Infrabel spokesman Frederic Sacre said investigators would look carefully at a report of lightning on the tracks some 90 minutes before the crash.

Yesterday evening, SNCB said lightning had caused signal problems near the site, but that the incident was over.

In 2008, there was crash at almost the exact same location in which 42 people were injured. That incident was later blamed on human error and a power failure.
A Delhi court today dismissed a criminal complaint seeking registration of FIR against actors Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by entering the sets of a temple wearing shoes while shooting for reality show 'Bigg Boss 9'.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vandana Jain, however, allowed the complainant advocate's plea to record pre-summoning evidence in support of his complaint.

The court had on June 1 reserved its order after hearing arguments of the complainant who had questioned the action taken report (ATR) filed by the Delhi Police in which the megastars were given a clean chit.

In the ATR, police had earlier said that Shah Rukh and Salman were shooting at a makeshift temple which was part of the sets in a studio for the reality show and had no intention to hurt religious sentiments.

The report was filed following court order on the plea of advocate Gaurav Gulati who had sought registration of an FIR against the two actors, Colors channel and director and producer of 'Bigg Boss 9' for alleged offences under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 298(uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

The complainant had also sought to record pre-summoning evidence in support of his allegations against the actors.

He had alleged that in a video being circulated, Shah Rukh and Salman were seen wearing shoes on the sets of the temple while shooting for an episode of 'Bigg Boss 9' where the idol can be seen in the background.

"It is a disrespect to the Hindu religion and its belief as it is strictly prohibited to come in the temple with shoes and also they were showing their back to the idol which is also deemed to be an insult to the Hindu goddess... (sic)," it had alleged and claimed that it seemed to be a "well-planned malicious act to outrage Hindu feelings".

However, the report forwarded by SHO of Roop Nagar Police Station in February, had said "No cognisable offence is made out. The promo was not shot to disturb the sanctity of a religious place or disturb or hurt the religious sentiments of any individual, group, community or section of the society."



It its report, police had also mentioned that a similar complaint was filed in a Meerut court which had dismissed it.

"As they (actors) had met after a long time, the director thought of an idea of showing them reuniting on the sets of 'Kali Mandir' in a similar manner as they had reunited in the movie 'Karan Arjun' in such a temple after their 're-birth' in the film.

"This idea was not motivated by any intention of hurting any religious sentiments of any religious group and shooting of the promo was done in a studio and the incident never took place," police had said, citing the channel's reply.
Amid a debate on law and order situation in Bihar following the Gaya road rage incident and the killing of a scribe, state police chief today rubbished charges of spurt in crime and pitched figures to prove that it had instead declined.

"What you (journalists) are saying is not corroborated by crime figures. There is no basis for such perception. Some sensational incidents have taken place but police have taken quick and stern action in those cases," Director General of Police (DGP) P K Thakur told reporters here.

Thakur was replying to a question on Opposition's charge that Bihar has witnessed a spurt in crimes ever since the Grand Secular Alliance government took over the reins of the state in November last year.

Citing crime figures gathered by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the past two months, Thakur said cognisable offence has witnessed a drop of 14.63 per cent in April and May in comparison to the corresponding period last year.

In April and May, cases of murder have decreased by 32.35 per cent, daocity by 45.5 per cent, loot by 16.49 per cent, minor riot by 21.05 per cent, kidnapping for marriage and missing reports of children by 10.8 per cent.

Kidnapping for ransom saw the biggest slide in figures by 77.8 per cent, rape by 36.41 per cent, atrocities against SC and ST by 30.74 per cent and atrocities against women by 17.12 per cent, he said.

Asked if 'Ram Raaj' prevailed in Bihar, Thakur retorted by saying, "Who told you that there is Ram Raaj in Bihar. Incidents of crime used to take place even in Ram Raaj."



"Howsoever good law and order situation may be, can people in any part of India be able to sleep without locking their doors? We are taking steps to ensure that crime remains under check. The situation is comparatively better," he said.

To another query on increase in criminal incidents on the directives of some persons in jails, the DGP said such incidents had been noticed earlier also but strict action including inspection of jails was being carried out to check it.

Thakur introduced Ramesh Kedia, brother of Nepal-based businessman Suresh Kedia who was rescued in East Champaran district on May 29, to mediapersons and said the Bihar police does not have any information with regard to demand for ransom to release the abducted businessman.

Ramesh Kedia was here to thank Bihar police for rescuing his brother, police said.
Over 40 iconic images of India taken nearly 150 years ago by celebrated British photography pioneers, who gracefully combined artistic composition with commercial enterprise in the analogue era, are part of an exhibition here that seeks to reintroduce the legendary duo to a contemporary audience.

From the picturesque Taj Mahal in the north to pristine Ooty in the south, and from detailed architectural studies to vivid portraits of people, Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd not only skillfully captured the vintage 19th century India, they visually reintroduced the country to the western world.

Titled 'Figures in Time: Bourne & Shepherd', the display hosted by Bangalore-based Tasveer Arts, is currently playing at Exhibit 320 art gallery in south Delhi after travelling through four cities -- Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi, in that order.

Out of 41 photographs on display sourced from Bangalore based Museum of Art and Photography, 17 are original images while rest are "digitally blown-up versions" that "magnify" the details of the smaller analogue pictures while "matching" its original tone.

"While the original photographs were very small, they contained a lot of details and information as they were shot on a large plate camera. This really lent them to being blown up. It took us six months to put it together, with two months spent on retouching the images.

"We made high-resolution scans and retouched the images to reveal all the hidden details, and printed the enlarged prints to match the tones of 19th century photographs," a team member from Tasveer told PTI.

So, while a viewer can enjoy the original prints of Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and a heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway train doing its famous loop, a cathedral in Calcutta (now Kolkata) or Audrey House in Ooty, one can also visually feast on the digitally magnified and faithfully reproduced images of the ruins of the Lucknow Residency, Hooghly shipping yard, ghats of Varanasi, Safdarjung Tomb of Delhi and the opulent Taj Mahal.

Other digitally enhanced photographs include Cawnpore Memorial Well (now Kanpur), Kolkata's Clive Street view and its Government House, Secunderabad, Esplanade in Bombay (now Mumbai), aerial view of the city from atop Jama Masjid, Paigah Tomb, all taken during the period of 1860-1880.

"The juxtaposition of vintage photographs and modern reprints in this exhibition also reflects the development of photographic technology in the last 150 years. Our present-day ability to produce images with such rapid ease, in many ways, serves to accentuate the difficult physical circumstances under (and despite) which these photographs were originally produced," she said.

A former clerk in a Nottingham bank, Bourne arrived in



India in 1863 and abandoned his position in favour of a photographic career in the country.

Initially partnering with William Howard, Bourne set up the Howard & Bourne studio in Shimla. They were joined by Charles Shepherd, and with the leaving of William Howard, the studio dropped his name to become Bourne & Shepherd.

In 1866, in alignment with a growing culture of studio-photography, the Bourne & Shepherd establishment set up a branch in Calcutta, where it soon became one of the most prestigious studios of its time.

"Part of the idea behind the exhibition was to reintroduce 'Bourne and Shepherd' to a contemporary audience. Photography is such a ubiquitous medium today, but few people actually stop to think who the pioneers of the medium were, or its significance in the history of visual culture of the country.

"As well as providing historical documents and records relating to the topographical spectrum of India in the 19th century, Bourne and Shepherd's significance is also to do with how they combined the artistic side of the medium, with commercial enterprise - creating a photographic brand and legacy," the Tasveer team member said.

She said the photographs also act as a reminder of how much the country of has changed with the passage of time.

"If one considers the context in which these photographs were taken (of a colonised country), and the context now (of an independent country), that's a huge gap - and India, and the world, has changed so much.

"On the other hand, what's also interesting is that actually, some of these scenes could still exist today; the views of the ghats in Varanasi, for example. It goes to show how much history does in fact exist in the present in India, and how despite moving forward, there remain lingering traces of the past," she said.

But, some places like Clive Street in Calcutta has changed



dramatically, the streetscape bearing a drastically changed look as many buildings disappeared over time.

Before the advent of photography, the idea of India in the west was largely made through paintings and sketches, the noted among them being the famous Daniell uncle-son duo, Sir Charles D'Oyly and various native artists who practiced what came to be dubbed as 'Company School of Painting' like Seeta Ram.

Bourne and Shepherd, Felice Beato, Raja Deen Dayal are considered among the pioneers of photography in India and works of these artists are either prized possession of galleries and archives around the world or collector's items.

"The Museum of Art & Photography has an extensive photographic collection that includes roughly over 100 historical photographs by Bourne and Shepherd. The selected images present the wide range of subjects that were captured by Bourne, Shepherd and their studio - whether topographical landscapes, architectural studies, event documentation or posed portraits.

"Another aspect in the selection process was identifying those images with hidden details that would be particularly interesting when magnified, for the enlarged reproductions," she said.

The exhibition comes with a catalogue that was published with its first edition. It carries an original essay by Hugh Ashley Rayner, prolific British author and scholar of early Indian photography, on the life and works of Bourne, she said, adding, 12 prints have been chosen for a special collector's box set.

The exhibition, celebrating ten years of Tasveer, will next travel to Vadodara at Laxmivilas Palace and Jodhpur at Mehrangarh Fort in 2017.
In a fresh development in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, the CBI today told a special court here that it has no objection in making key accused Indrani Mukerjea's former driver Shyamvar Rai an approver in the case.

Rai had expressed his readiness to "disclose all truths" regarding the crime.

"We have filed our reply and have said that we don't have any objection in making Rai an approver provided that he reveals all the truth in connection with the case," said a CBI official.

Rai, one of the accused in the case, had last month told the court that he wanted to turn an approver.

Special CBI prosecutor Kavita Patil, on May 17, had sought more time to file its reply on the desire expressed by Rai, following which special Judge H S Majahan adjourned the case till June 6.

Expressing his desire to turn approver, Rai had said he wanted to "disclose all truths" as he had taken part in Sheena's killing by strangulation and was present at the time of the murder in 2012.

Recording his statement before a special CBI court then, Rai said he was under "no pressure, threat or coercion" to reveal the facts in the case and was "repentant" about his act.

The turn in the case came after Rai wrote a two-page letter to the court last month seeking pardon in the case while stating that he wants to tell all.

Rai was the first to be arrested in the case in August 2015, taking the lid off the murder, after he was picked up in connection with an arms case.

Rai last year had recorded his confessional statement before the magistrate under the provisions of section 164, which unlike the police statement, is admissible in the trial.

Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and Rai had allegedly strangled Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, inside a car in April 2012.

Sheena's body was found in a forest in Raigad. The crime, which came to light in August last year, is allegedly linked to certain financial dealings.

The trio were arrested in August last year while Indrani's husband and former media baron Peter Mukerjea was arrested in November. According to CBI, Peter was part of the murder conspiracy.

While Peter and Khanna are lodged in Arthur Road prison, Indrani (43) is in Byculla womens' jail in Mumbai.

(Reopens BOM 4)



Meanwhile, the defence lawyers told the court that they wish to file their replies on CBI's application, in which the investigative agency has said it does not have any objection in Rai becoming an approver.

The court then directed the defence lawyers to file their replies on June 9 and also said it would decide on whether to make Rai approver in the case on that day.

The court also extended the judicial custody of four of the accused (Indrani, Khanna, Peter and Rai) till June 20.
CBI will question Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat tomorrow for the second time in connection with a preliminary inquiry into a sting operation to get information on some specific issues on which it said his responses were not satisfactory.

CBI sources said he has been asked to come tomorrow in connection with the inquiry.

Sources in the agency had claimed after his first round of question that Rawat could not "furnish full and complete details" on many issues for which he has been called again. Rawat had countered it saying he fully cooperated with CBI.

The sources, however, failed to elaborate on what specific points Rawat did not furnish details.

After coming out from the session, Rawat said he cannot reveal the questions asked by the probe team.

"I need not produce any evidence. I have neither done any horse trading nor given any money to anyone. I never said I want MLAs. People of electronic media reach anywhere. I accorded that journalist respect and he blackmailed me. Media needs to ponder over this," he said.

The agency has registered a preliminary enquiry in connection with the alleged sting operation on April 29 purportedly showing Rawat offering bribes to rebel Congress lawmakers to support him during a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly.

It was registered on the reference received from the state government (during President's rule) and subsequent notification from BJP-led central government.

The PE is the first step during which the agency verifies the facts in the complaint received by it. During a PE, the agency can only "request" a person "to join the probe" and cannot summon him, carry out searches or make any arrests.

If verification of facts shows need of further probe, it may register an FIR or else close the PE.
China plans to launch an independent optical facility, which will function like the Hubble Space Telescope, along with the construction of a space station in the coming years, scientists say.

The field of view of the optical cabin will be 300 times as large as that of the Hubble, and the cabin will be connected with the space station, said Gu Yidong, technology consultant of China's manned space flight project and academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), built by the NASA and the European Space Agency, orbits just outside the Earth's atmosphere, taking extremely high-resolution images of deep space. It was launched in 1990.

"Currently, China has planned a series of scientific research platforms and facilities for the space station. The optical cabin is the biggest confirmed project so far," Yidong said.

The calibre of the telescope is about two metres, and its resolution is near that of the Hubble. The optical cabin will conduct heterochromatic photometry and slitless spectroscopy sky surveys, the 'People's Daily' reported.

According to Yidong, the cabin will stay in orbit with the space station, and will connect to the station when it needs maintenance or upgrades.

China's space station is expected to be completed in 2020.
"Captain America" star Chris Evans has backed actress Brie Larson, who is the frontrunner to take up the mantle of superhero Carol Danvers - aka Captain Marvel.

Evans, who co-starred with the Oscar-winner in 2009 film "Scott Pilgrim vs The World", described Larson as "phenomenal", reported Digital Spy.

"I just heard about that," he revealed during a panel at Wizard World Philadelphia. I really hope that happens! I love Brie Larson. We did a movie together back in '09, Scott Pilgrim vs The World," Evans said.

"I cannot say enough about Brie Larson. I think she's phenomenal, and I really hope that happens."



Larson, who won the Best Actress Academy Award for "Room" earlier this year, is the first choice to play the role in the upcoming film "Captain Marvel."



No director is on board for "Captain Marvel" yet, although Elizabeth Wood is rumoured to be involved.

"Inside Out" writer Meg LeFauve and Guardians of the Galaxy co-author Nicole Perlman are working on the script, with Marvel's Kevin Feige producing.
Several Christian "fundamentalist" schools in the UK have been teaching extreme ideology to students like telling girls that they must obey men, a media report said today.

Called Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) schools, these institutions originate from an education system developed in southern Baptist states in the US which has developed off-shoots around the world including in Britain. Between 20 and 60 pupils aged between four and 18 attend each one.

These "fundamentalist" schools are teaching children creationism over evolution, that gay people are "unnatural" and that girls must submit to men, the Independent reported quoting some former students.

The paper claimed that a number of textbooks which are reportedly used in schools appear to include "worrying content about gay people, women's rights and also appear to teach creationism as fact."



The former pupils and whistle-blowers said the schools, which are registered as independent or private schools, teach children at isolated desks separated by "dividers" from other students.

"No one outside the schools knows about what happens inside them, that's why they've been able to go on like this for so long," a former student said.

According to the report, a number of serious concerns have been raised about the schools, including allegations that children are given no formal educational qualifications beyond "Christian certificates", thereby failing to equip them for opportunities and employment beyond the Church.

Former pupils say this self-teaching format resulted in poor education standards. Many of them said they felt socially isolated by the segregated booths and failed to develop social skills by interacting with peers.

"By the time I left the school, I hadn't really learnt anything that was of any relevance. I was taught facts and figures from reading the books, but there was no social learning in terms of interaction," a former student said.

Christian Education Europe, which runs ACE schools in the UK, said their schools meet all the guidelines of Department for Education and their curriculum is broad, fair and balanced.

"All the schools provide citizenship on the timetable and we embrace British values as part of the school culture. Life with students is experienced beyond the textbook and carried into an understanding that is suitable for modern day Britain," a spokesperson said.

The UK's Department for Education said all schools will be inspected against new, tougher conditions to ensure UK-wide standards are being met.

"All schools must promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for different faiths and beliefs. This is a vital part of providing educational excellence everywhere.

"ACE schools, like all other independent schools, are inspected against the new, tougher Independent School Standards, and where there are concerns a school is failing to meet these standards we will not hesitate to take action," a spokesperson said.
Hillary Clinton was poised to clinch the Democratic party nomination that will make her the first ever woman presidential nominee of a major party in the US after she convincingly defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in two primaries ahead of a crucial one in California.

The former secretary of state posted strong wins over Sanders in the island territory of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Clinton will have enough delegates by tomorrow when a multi-state primary vote will take place in six states including California, her close aide said.

"We think we're going to come out of Tuesday night with the delegates we need for her to be the first woman nominee on a major party ticket in the United States. So, we're looking forward to that," John Podesta, chairman of the Hillary Clinton Campaign, told Fox .

Clinton now has 2,354 delegates - 28 short of the 2,382 she needs to bag the Democratic party's nomination.

A win in delegate-rich California is crucial for the 68-year-old former first lady in her fight against Vermont Senator Sanders, who has 1,565 delegates. California has 546 delegates to be secured.

The other states where primaries will be held are - Montana (27 delegates), New Jersey (142), North Dakota (23), New Mexico (43), and South Dakota (25)



"What we're saying is that she will have the delegates to be the nominee. We're going to do everything we can to reach out to appeal to his supporters, to appeal to his (Sanders) campaign and to him directly. We want to bring this party together because the country faces a major threat in Donald Trump. We hope that he will join us," Podesta said.

He exuded confidence that Clinton would be way ahead of Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, during the general elections.

"He (Trump) has consolidated the Republicans. That's led to something of a tightening of a pulse. But this has really just begun. That's why Hillary Clinton on Thursday of this week went to San Diego and really laid out a strong case about why he's unfit, why he does not meet the commander-in-chief test," he said.

"And what did she use to prove that point? Really his own words, the things he said in this campaign from being in favour of expanding and proliferating weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons to pulling out of NATO to offending our allies and supporting dictators around the world," Podesta said.

He argued that over the long term people are going to come to see Trump as not having the temperament to serve as president and commander-in-chief.

"The card we're going to play against Trump is that he has always been for himself. He's a self-aggrandiser at the expense of literally thousands of people," the top Clinton aide said.
Congress today held a meeting here to chalk out its strategy for ensuring victory of its nominee Vivek Tankha in the June 11 biennial Rajya Sabha polls from Madhya Pradesh as it criticised the ruling BJP for forcing a contest for the third seat in the state.

Besides a majority of Congress MLAs, who will be voting in the polls, and Tankha, the meeting was attended by leaders like Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath, Mohan Prakash Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav, a party source said.

They met to hammer out a strategy for winning the election, the source said.

Three Rajya Sabha seats have fallen vacant in MP.

Though BSP president Mayawati has announced support of her party, which has four MLAs, to the Congress nominee, the latter, which is short of just one legislator to see its candidate through, is not taking any chances.

Of the total 57 Congress MLAs, 52 were present in the meeting. The five MLAs who did not attend the gathering due to health or personal reasons were Satyadev Katare (Leader of Opposition), Govardhan Upadhyaya, Ramesh Patel, Dinesh Ahirwar and Yadvendra Singh, the source said.

BJP has officially fielded two candidates -- noted journalist M J Akbar and party strategist Anil Madhav Dave. In order to wrest the third seat from Congress, the saffron outfit has backed the candidature of senior leader Vinod Gotia who has filed his papers as an Independent.

The BJP is sure to win two seats on the basis of its strength in the Assembly and will be left with 50 surplus votes. To win a seat in the Upper House of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh, a candidate needs 58 votes.

Nath criticised the BJP for forcing a contest and accused it of practising a politics which is bereft of morality. "They talk of democratic values, but where is morality in their conduct?" he told PTI after coming out of the conclave.

"BJP is exposed with this action (forcing contest in MP). They did a similar thing in Uttar Pradesh by fielding Preeti Mahapatra (an Independent) despite not having required votes," the former Union Minister said and claimed that BJP would indulge in "horse trading".
Opposition Congress in Tripura, facing defection over the party's alliance with Left Front in West Bengal, suffered yet another blow today with its senior leader Jiten Sarkar resigning as MLA without assigning any reason.

He submitted his resignation to Speaker Ramendra Debnath and later told reporters that he had resigned as MLA but refused to tell the reason.

"The decision is personal. I will not say anything more," Sarkar, also a former Speaker, said.

Sarkar had yesterday said that he was asked by "some influential" Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders of the state to join their party but he had declined.

He had also asked police to enhance his security following which it was done at his official residence here.

With Sarkar's resignation, the Congress' strength in Tripura Assembly has been reduced to nine from 10 in the 60-member House where the strength of ruling Left Front is 50.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sudip Roy Burman, who had resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition over the issue of Congress-Left alliance, is likely to write to the Speaker tomorrow that he, along with five other MLAs, had joined TMC, sources close to him told PTI.

The dissident group led by Roy Burman now needs altogether six legislators to evade the provisions of anti-defection law.

Earlier, Roy Burman had met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and expressed his desire to join the party. TMC All-India General Secretary Mukul Roy had arrived here from Kolkata on Friday last and held meeting with the dissident Congress MLAs led by Roy Barman so that they could leave the party with adequate numbers to protect their membership.
A Delhi court, on Monday, convicted five persons for gang-raping, robbing and kidnapping a 52-year-old Danish woman in 2014.

After pronouncing the order, Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar II fixed June 9 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence in the case.

"All accused are held guilty for all offences," the judge said.

The judge convicted them for the offences under sections 376 (D) (gang rape), 395 (dacoity), 366 (kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

The convicts  Mahendra alias Ganja (27), Mohd Raja (23), Raju (24), Arjun (22), Raju Chakka (23)  were present in the court.

According to the prosecution, the five, all vagabonds, had robbed and gang-raped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near New Delhi Railway Station.

During the hearing, the court was informed that the defence counsel had challenged its previous order dismissing a plea seeking to examine some doctors as witnesses on the potency issue of the sixth accused, 56-year-old Shyam Lal who died in February this year.

The court, however, said nowhere in the application it was mentioned that the proceedings of this court had been stayed by the Delhi High Court.

"Hence, this court is not barred from passing the order," the judge said.

Three other accused in the case are juveniles and the enquiry against them is in progress before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The prosecution had examined 27 witnesses in support of its case while the convicts had opted not to lead any evidence.

The convicts had claimed that a day prior to the incident on January 14, 2014, they had hired a prostitute and had physical relations with her while rejecting the charges levelled against them.
A special court today asked CBI to file its response by tomorrow on the bail plea of a Home Ministry official, arrested for allegedly issuing FCRA notices arbitrarily to several NGOs for financial gains.

Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar put up the matter for hearing tomorrow and extended the judicial custody of accused Anand Joshi, an under secretary in the Home Ministry, till June 17.

The accused, who was produced before the court from his judicial custody, moved the bail application on the ground that his custody was not required in the case and should be granted the relief.

Earlier, the court had sent Joshi, who was arrested from west Delhi on May 15, to jail after the CBI submitted that his further custodial interrogation was not required in the case.

CBI had earlier claimed that files relating to several NGOs had gone missing from Home Ministry and they were recovered from his house although he was not supposed to take them away.

It had alleged that Joshi had been issuing notices dishonestly to a large number of NGOs/societies registered under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) 2010, which have been receiving significant amount of foreign contributions, in an arbitrary manner.

CBI had said some of these organisations were Care India, Snehalya Charitable Trust, Indian HIV/AIDS Alliance and All India Primary Teachers Federation and alleged that representatives of some of these organisations were called and Joshi had demanded and obtained illegal gratification.

Joshi was arrested on May 15 after he allegedly gave unconvincing answers to the questions posed by a team of Special Crime division of the CBI, including those related to disappearance of files on Sabrang Trust of activist Teesta Setalvad.

Joshi, who had disappeared from his home in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi and taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning. Subsequently, he was arrested by the agency.

Joshi has rejected the charge and instead accused his



seniors of pressuring him to give 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.

CBI had alleged that Joshi laundered ill-gotten earnings in various immovable assets and certain private firms floated by him and that his wife was one of the directors in them.

It alleged that even after his transfer from FCRA division, he continued to indulge in corrupt activities on the basis of documents in his unauthorised possession.

The agency claimed that during the search conducted at Joshi's house, one file pertaining to FCRA about private NGO Care India Solutions for Sustainable Development has been seized and his interrogation was needed to know as to how the official files made way to his house and what was his intention in bringing them.

The matter came to light after files pertaining to alleged FCRA violations by two NGOs run by Setalvad went missing from the Ministry. The files were traced and restored to the FCRA division but CBI was asked to probe 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 had said.
A court here sentenced three persons, including a woman, to life imprisonment today in connection with the kidnapping for ransom of a businessman about five years ago.

Additinal District and Sessions Judge (VIII) Ravindra Nath Tripathi sentenced to life imprisonment Guddu Yadav alias Guddu Singh alias Ram Narayan Singh, Ram Pyare Bind and the woman Soni Rai alias Shila Rai.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of them.

Nawal Kishore Sah, a resident of Begusarai, who used to run a small business from a shop located at Exhibition Road in the city, was kidnapped by the trio on September 12, 2011 and the abductors demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakh from him.

The police rescued Sah on September 23, 2011.
A Dalit youth was allegedly assaulted by seven persons in Sikri village here following which a case was registered against the accused, police said.

Rajender (26) was thrashed by the accused yesterday over some old enmity in Bhopa Police Station area. He was admitted to the hospital, SHO P P Singh said.

A case was registered against the attackers, he said.

Tension prevailed in the village after the incident. Police said that security has been stepped up.
Five men, who along with four others were accused of kidnapping and gangraping a 52-year-old Danish woman at knife-point near the New Delhi railway station two years ago, were held guilty by a city court today.

While pronouncing the judgement, Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar II said "All (five) accused are held guilty for all offences."



The court fixed June 9 for hearing arguments on quantum of sentence in the case in which, under the new law, the offence of gang rape entails a minimum jail term of 20 years and a maximum of imprisonment till remainder of natural life.

The judge convicted Mahender alias Ganja (27), Mohd Raja (23), Raju (24), Arjun (22) and Raju Chakka (23) who all were present in the court.

They were held guilty for the offences under sections 376 (D) (gang rape), 395 (dacoity), 366(kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

The sixth accused, 56-year-old Shyam Lal had died in February this year and proceedings against him were abated. Three other accused in the case are juveniles and the inquiry against them is in progress before the Juvenile Justice Board.

According to the prosecution, the five men, all vagabonds, had robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near the Railway Station.

The woman had come to India on January 1, 2014, and stayed in Delhi for a couple of days before leaving for Agra. After visiting several places, she returned to the national capital on January 13, 2014, and stayed in a hotel in Paharganj near the rail station.

On the next day when she was returning to her hotel, she lost her way and asked one of the accused for directions when the men waylaid and gangraped her.

The verdict was welcomed by Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava who said that with today's decision, a good message would be sent to the society.

"It is a good message for the whole society especially for people who are abroad that if anything wrong happens to them in India, law is there to protect and do justice to them," he said.

Legal aid counsel Dinesh Sharma, who represented all the accused, said he would file an appeal against the judgement before the Delhi High Court.

During the hearing, the court was informed that the



defence counsel had challenged its previous order dismissing a plea seeking to examine some doctors as witnesses on the potency issue of Shyam Lal.

The court, however, said nowhere in the application it was mentioned that the proceedings of this court had been stayed by the Delhi High Court.

"Hence, this court is not barred from passing the order," the judge said.

Later in the day, the high court dismissed the petition of the accused after it was informed that they have been convicted by the trial court.

The prosecution had examined 27 witnesses in support of its case while the convicts had opted not to lead any evidence.

During the trial, the accused had claimed innocence and said that a day prior to the incident on January 14, 2014, they had hired a prostitute.
The death toll in a boat capsize incident in China's southwest region rose to two with the recovery of another body from the lake, two days after a child was killed while 13 others remained missing.

The 40-seater leisure boat carrying 18 people capsized in Bailong Lake amid strong gales in Guangyuan City of Sichuan Province.

Three survivors are receiving treatment at a local hospital and are in a stable condition.

The boat 'Shuanglong' is owned by a local ship company, according to Lizhou District maritime department, where the accident occurred.

Yesterday, Blue Sky Rescue a civilian group made up of outdoors experts, found the capsized boat which had sunk to a depth of 65.1 meters from a locating device and underwater cameras, however, there were no sign of life.

Authorities had ordered an investigation into the incident yesterday.
Donald Trump's criticism of a Latino judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University shows that the presumptive Republican nominee for president is a racist, a Democratic congressman said today, and he told Trump to take his proposed border wall and "shove it up your ass."



Rep Filemon Vela of Texas said in an open letter that Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on the judge "are just plain despicable."



Vela, who represents a district in southern Texas along the US-Mexico border, called Trump a racist, adding, "You can take your border wall and shove it up your ass."



In the Senate, top Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada lobbed a blistering fusillade at Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, for failing to denounce Trump's attacks on the federal judge presiding in a lawsuit in which Trump is the defendant.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach them secrets of success in real estate, an allegation Trump has denied.

US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is presiding over the San Diego suit, and Trump has said Curiel's Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial for Trump, who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents making him, in Trump's words, "a hater of .
Delhi University teachers who have been agitating for over two weeks against the new UGC criteria to ascertain their academic performance today threatened to boycott the ongoing admission process if their demands are not considered by the HRD ministry.

Alleging that the consultations with UGC officials did not yield any results, the Delhi University teachers Association (DUTA) has called for a General Body meeting tomorrow to decided the future course of action.

JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar also joined the agitation outside the UGC office while the consultations with representatives of teachers' associations from across the country were underway.

DU teachers have been boycotting the evaluation of undergraduate exams for last eleven days against amendments to UGC regulations that, they argue, will lead to job-cuts to the tune of 50 per cent and drastically increase pupil-teacher ratio in higher education.

"Though the consultations went on for more than 5 hours, it is extremely unfortunate that the UGC Chairperson was not willing to concede anything more than what the MHRD had already stated that tutorials and practical would be part of the direct teaching hours. The UGC Chairperson was also unwilling to give any assurance on the API, requesting for time to give a reply," a DUTA statement said.

"We will decide the future course of action in tomorrow's GBM. Given the current scenario of inaction and non-committal responses from the government, the teachers' anger is surging and the DUTA may be forced to consider drastic measures like the boycott of the admissions process," it added.

The new gazette notification has increased the workload for assistant professors from 16 hours of "direct teaching" per week (including tutorials) to 18 hours, plus another six of tutorials, bringing the total up to 24 hours. Similarly the work hours of associate professors have been increased from 14 to 22.

While the HRD Ministry had last week defended the new UGC criteria for Academic Performance Indicators for college and university teachers, saying it provides "more flexibility" even as it ruled out any possibility of reduction in number of teaching jobs, it has instructed the UGC to review the same following which the commission had called all stakeholders today for consultation.
PMK today alleged Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the Indian election system were not fool-proof and insisted that the country go back to the paper ballot system.

"The method of electing representatives for the biggest democracy in the world should be fool-proof. The electronic voting method does not assure this and has given space for a lot of manipulation," PMK Youth Wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said.

In a memorandum submitted with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the "urgent need to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951", he said many parties have levelled allegations against EVMs "as the possibility of manipulation is high."



"It is a proven fact that EVMs are not tamper-proof and can be hacked both before and after elections. Apart from manipulating EVM software and hardware, it can be hacked in many ways," he said, adding only three countries in the world, including India, had opted for this method of voting.

The use of EVMs did not "respect the fundamental right' of the citizens to know whether the votes cast by them were recorded and counted, he said.

"Considering the high levels of manipulation showcased, it is high time we go back to use ballot papers to ensure that citizens' basic human right is upheld," Anbumani, a sitting MP from Dharmapuri, said.

Since 2009, his party had been of the opinion that EVMs can be tampered with, he said.

Among other electoral reforms sought by the party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) urged for a ban on freebies in the form of products and opinion polls from the day of poll notification.

S Ramadoss-led PMK, which had faced the May 16 polls in Tamil Nadu on its own, failed to return a single MLA to the 234-member state Assembly even as Anbumani himself lost to DMK's PNP Inbasekaran at Pennagaram.
Ex-banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held the lead over his controversial rival Keiko Fujimori in the tight race to be Peru's new president as the final results trickled today.

A near-complete count showed Kuczynski, 77, had 50.3 percent of the vote to 49.7 percent for Fujimori, the daughter of a jailed former president, but the result remained too close to call.

Both have vowed to heal divisions dating to the violent period of rule by Fujimori's father Alberto in the 1990s. He is in prison for corruption and for massacring alleged terrorists.

With nearly 93 percent of ballots counted, just over 100,000 voters separated the two candidates, the national elections office said.

Kuczynski, best known by his initials PPK, urged his supporters to wait for the definitive results, but was confident of victory.

"We are hoping to have a government of consensus. No more fighting and confrontation," he said late Sunday, waving from a balcony.

Fujimori, 41, also urged her supporters to sit tight.

"We are going to wait cautiously because the results will be coming in all night from the regions, from overseas, and the rural vote from deepest Peru. For that reason we are optimistic," she said.

"We have seen the vitality of Peruvian democracy and that fills me with pride."



Both candidates are right-leaning, US-educated politicians.

They vowed to fight crime and create jobs in the nation of 31 million people, a major source of minerals and cocaine.
US auto major Ford today announced top leadership change in its Indian operations, with President and Managing Director Nigel Harris slated to move to China to head the company's joint venture there.

In the interim, starting July 1, Ford India Executive Director (marketing, sales and service) Anurag Mehrotra will oversee the responsibilities of managing director, in addition to his current job, the company said in a statement.

"Nigel's successor will be the subject of a future announcement," the company said, adding that Ford India CFO David Schock will take on additional responsibilities for operational matters.

Harris, who took over as Managing Director and President of Ford India in February 2014, will be moving to a new position as President of Changan Ford, Ford's joint venture in Chongqing, China.

Commenting on the change, Ford Asia Pacific President Dave Schoch said: "Our commitment to building a strong business in India and the Asia-Pacific remains steadfast, and so does our commitment for our people to grow. We have an experienced leadership team in India, and we are confident that we will continue to drive the company forward during this transition."



Although Harris' tenure in India is slated to come to an end later this year, Ford said given his "extensive global experience and in-depth understanding of the Chinese automotive market, Ford leadership and our partners at Changan believe that he is the right leader to take the enterprise forward".

In his previous assignment, Harris also served on the leadership team of Changan Ford as general manager of sales for more than five years.

During his tenure, Harris oversaw the implementation of Ford's expansion plans in India, from the launch of an integrated facility in Sanand in Gujarat to new product launches, including the new Figo hatchback and Figo Aspire compact sedan.
Bangladesh police today detained four suspects in connection with the killing of a top anti-terror police officer's wife who was stabbed and shot dead by three bike-borne Islamist militants in the port city of Chittagong.

Mahmuda Akhtar Mitu, 35, wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Akhtar, was killed by the three gunmen yesterday while she was on her way to drop her first-grader son to a nearby bus stop for school.

The four suspects were detained from Mirarsari area at the outskirts of the port city and will be interrogated in connection with the murder, Chittagong's police commissioner Iqbal Bahar told media.

They were detained hours after police claimed to have seized the motorbike used by three attackers from the port city.

Mitu's husband, currently posted at the police headquarters in the capital, in recent months led operations in Chittagong against top members of banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the killing was revenge for Akthar's successful crackdown against local JMB militants that led to the death of the regional chief Mohammad Javed.

The murder was followed hours later by the machete killing of a Christian grocer at his store in the northeast -- an attack later claimed by IS.

Meanwhile, the government announced a ban on motorcyclists carrying more than one passenger in an attempt to curb increasing numbers of deadly attacks by Islamic militants.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left more than 40 people dead in the last three years.

The government blames its opponents over the killings, saying they are trying to destabilise the country.
The family of an Indian fisherman, who is apparently suffering from ill-health in a Pakistani jail, has appealed to authorities of the neighbouring country to release him at the earliest on humanitarian grounds.

The fisherman, Bhagvan Sarman Solanki, from Tad village of Una taluka in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, was caught after his boat entered Pakistani territorial waters in April 2015. Since then he has been languishing in a jail in the neighbouring country.

According to Solanki's 18-year-old son Sanjay, some of the fishermen from neighbouring villages, released from Pakistan in March this year, informed his family that his father was apparently in coma for last four months.

"Why my father's name is not included in the list of 18 fishermen released from jail in Pakistan yesterday?" Sanjay asked while talking to PTI over phone.

Notably, in a goodwill gesture, Pakistan had yesterday released 18 Indian fishermen who were held for violating the territorial waters of the country, according to a media report.

The fishermen freed from Malir jail in Karachi would travel to Lahore by train and be handed over to India at Wagah border, The Express Tribune reported.

Sanjay said their family, comprising his mother and four children, is worried as they have not received any letter from Solanki for the past four months.

He said even authorities from Pakistan have not bothered to communicate to them about Solanki's ill-health.

Sanjay appealed to Pakistani authorities to release his father at the earliest on humanitarian grounds.

Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani also said he has requested the Indian government to take up the matter with Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Fishermen Association's senior vice president Veljibhai Masani alleged that the Pakistani authorities were deliberately not sending back Solanki to Gujarat as it will prove that he was medically ill-treated in jail, and expose them.
A senior judge of the Kerala High Court today said in open court that he was offered Rs 25 lakh bribe in a COFEPOSA case involving members of a major gold smuggling racket, following which a division bench recused from hearing the case.

As the case came up for hearing, Justice K T Sankaran said he was offered Rs 25 lakh bribe in the COFEPOSA case by the accused.

The bench comprising Justice Sankaran and Justice A Hariprasad then recused from hearing the case because of "reasons beyond our control".

The judge announced the decision while the Division Bench was considering a batch of petition challenging the preventive detention order issued against the accused under the COFEPOSA Act.

In January this year, the COFEPOSA advisory board had confirmed preventive detention of eight accused in the major gold smuggling case.

Provisions of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) were invoked against nine accused in the Nedumbassery gold smuggling case in which about 2,000 kg of gold was smuggled through Cochin International Airport for a base at Muvattupuzha with the help of airport staff,including an ex-immigration officer.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, New Delhi has issued detention order against nine accused-- Noushad P A, Faisal P A, Salim M M, Fazil K B, Yasir Ibnu Muhammed, Syfudheen M S, Jabin K Basheer, Bibin Scaria and Shinoy Mohandas.

Except Faisal, who is still absconding, all others were detained and imprisoned in the Central prison, Thiruvananthapuram in October last year.

The racket was busted in May last year after the Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch of Customs seized 13 kg gold hidden under the seats of a bus ferrying passengers from the aircraft to the terminal.

The accused had allegedly smuggled around 2,000 kg gold worth hundreds of crores of rupees through the Cochin international airport in a period less than two years.
The Madras High Court today directed police to continue its search for missing film producer S Madhan, following allegations from parents of students that he had collected large amounts of money from them with the false promise of getting their wards engineering seats in a leading college.

The division bench, comprising Justices S Nagamuthu and V Bharathidasan, before which the habeas corpus petition by Madhan's mother came up, directed the Additional Public Prosecutor to get further instructions in this regard.

The case pertains to film producer Madhan, also Managing Partner of Vendhar Movies, who went missing some days ago after some issues reportedly cropped up between him and owners of SRM Group.

The petitioner submitted that her son, who had gone to Delhi in connection with some business on May 27, had told her that he would return on May 29.

But she received a Whatsapp message from him stating that he wanted to end his life after a failed business transaction with SRM Group.

From then on, he stopped contacting her and went missing, she said.

She submitted that though the family had lodged a complaint with police on May 31,2016, no case was registered by them and no steps taken to trace her son.

However, the Additional Public Prosecutor submitted that a "man missing" case was registered on June 1, 2016, based on a complaint from the petitioner.

He further submitted that several complaints had been lodged against Madhan, which have been transferred to the Central Crime Branch.

The APP sought time to get further instructions in this regard.

The bench recorded the submission and said that "in view of the above, the habeas corpus is adjourned toJune 8enabling the APP to get further instructions. In the meantime, the search of detenue should continue," it said.
The Bombay High Court today dismissed a public interest litigation seeking appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to probe afresh the murder of Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948, and the conspiracy behind it.

A bench headed by Justice V M Kanade was of the opinion that it cannot hear a matter that had concluded long ago.

"We are inclined to dismiss the petition...The writ jurisdiction of the high court cannot be exercised in a matter which has concluded long ago. As a long time has lapsed, we cannot go into the issue now," said the bench.

The judges said they would give a reasoned order later for dismissing the petition.

The petitioner, Dr Pankaj Phadnis, arguing in person, said he had forensic evidence with him to justify a fresh probe into Gandhi's killing.

He also said that even Supreme Court was hearing the 150-year-old matter pertaining to precious 'Kohinoor' diamond in public interest. On the same ground, the PIL, seeking new Commission to probe Gandhi's death, should be heard by the HC.

Notably, All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front has filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding that Kohinoor and other famous antiques, including the ring and sword of Tipu Sultan, should be returned to India by the United Kingdom.

The judges rejected the plea of Phadnis and dismissed his petition seeking fresh probe into Gandhi's murder.

Phadnis, author, researcher and trustee of Abhinav Bharat, Mumbai, had claimed that the then J L Kapur Commission of Inquiry had not been able to unearth the entire conspiracy that culminated in the killing of Gandhi.

According to the prosecution's story, the Father of the Nation was shot at by the assassin with a revolver which had seven compartments of bullets. Gandhi received three bullet injuries while the remaining four bullets were recovered by police from the weapon, says the petition.

However, the PIL alleged that Gandhi had received four bullet wounds on his person on January 30, 1948, when he was shot dead. In this regard, the petitioner has produced several media clippings to show that Gandhi had sustained four bullet injuries.

The petition said that the new Commission of Inquiry should conduct a probe to find out who had fired the fourth shot and to establish whether there was any other assassin besides Nathuram Godse.

The petition had urged that the new Commission should



also find out whether the motive of the murder was to cause enmity between the people of India and Pakistan by sabotaging the Gandhi-Jinnah reconciliation project of 'reviving people-to-people contact'.

The PIL claimed that Gandhi was slated to visit Pakistan to revive people-to-people contact. However, he was shot dead prior to his departure for the neighbouring country.

The PIL also said that the Commission of Inquiry should conduct a probe to find out whether any person in the world -- other than those accused in the Gandhi murder trial -- had prior information of the conspiracy or had participated in such a conspiracy.
The Bombay High Court today asked Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to inform on June 20 what progress has been made in the probe made by a committee into the recall of Chevrolet Tavera cars by General Motors in 2013.

The direction was given by a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Amjad Sayed on a PIL filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar seeking a CBI probe into the recall of Chevrolet Tavera cars by the company.

The petitioner today placed a letter written by the Union Transport Ministry to the public prosecutor in response to a direction given by the High Court to the Centre to file a reply to the PIL.

The letter said that a committee had been formed to monitor the progress of recall of Tavera BS-III and Tavera BS-IV models. The Additional Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, was the chairman while Joint Secretary, Transport Ministry, was a member of the committee.

The letter further stated that the General Motors had recalled 39,105 vehicles as on August 11, 2014. Since the action in the matter as per law was in progress, there was no need for a CBI probe, it said.

The PIL alleged that a government panel's report had indicted the company for substandard engines in Chevrolet Tavera BS3 (2.5L variant) and BS4 (2.0L variant).

According to the PIL, in July 2013 GM recalled 1.14 lakh units of its multi-purpose vehicle to address emission and specification issues.

The Ministry had earlier told the high court in a letter that Gujarat government had formed a special investigation team to probe the allegations as General Motors has a plant in the state, while Maharashtra government had refused to take action saying Tavera is not produced in the state.

The PIL alleged that though the government panel had indicted the company, no case was filed against General Motors because the panel was not vested with express jurisdiction to register an FIR.

CBI had filed an affidavit earlier saying it would not be able to take up the case as it is overburdened and also because the case does not have inter-state ramifications as the company has a plant only in Gujarat.

Moreover, the alleged fraud did not cause any loss to the central government necessitating a CBI probe, the central agency said.

CBI affidavit also said that "the alleged offence would not attract cheating clause as attributed by the petitioner but can be treated only as an offence civil in nature". The petitioner can also file a case under Consumer Protection Act, the CBI affidavit added.
Roger Clinton, half-brother of former President Bill Clinton, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence near Los Angles, US media reported today, a day ahead of the high-stakes Democratic primary in California.

Clinton, 59, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) around 8:00 p.M. On Sunday in Redondo Beach, CBS Los Angeles quoted police as saying.

Clinton is being held in lieu of USD 15,000.

Driving under the influence (DUI), or Driving while intoxicated (DWI), is the crime of driving a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs.

Clinton's arrest occurred two days ahead of the California primary election in the 2016 presidential race. The polls have both former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in a dead heat there.

His brother, Bill, visited the Southland over the weekend to campaign on behalf of his wife, Hillary.

Roger Clinton is Bill's half-brother, and has a well- documented history of trouble with substance abuse and causing political trouble for his famous sibling, the report said.

Then-President Bill Clinton famously pardoned Roger Clinton for his 1985 conviction over cocaine possession. Roger Clinton has also been arrested for DUI previously, it said.
Shares of Hotel Leelaventure went up by 3.5 per cent today after Qatar's leading company Al Sawari Holding signed agreements with The Leela Group and Aiana Hotels and Resorts to build a twin-hotel near the iconic Taj Mahal.

The stock climbed 3.50 per cent to settle at Rs 17.75 on BSE. During the day, it surged 6.12 per cent to Rs 18.20.

At NSE, shares of the company gained 3.2 per cent to close at Rs 17.70.

In an agreement entailing an FDI of Rs 500 crore in India, Qatar's leading company Al Sawari Holding yesterday signed agreements with The Leela Group and Aiana Hotels and Resorts to build a twin-hotel near the iconic Taj Mahal.

Construction of the hotel in Agra will entail an FDI of about Rs 500 crore, Leela Group Chairman Vivek Nair told PTI after signing the pact with Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal Holding.
Still smarting from debacles in assembly polls in four states, Congress today received a setback with two CWC members--Ajit Jogi and Gurudas Kamat-- quitting the party.

While Jogi, a former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, formally announced he would launch a new political outfit, Kamat said he was quitting politics altogether.

Jogi, who had been sulking for quite some time following the expulsion of his son Amit after some audio tapes purportedly indicated his involvement in fixing a bypoll in Chhattisgarh in favour of BJP, announced he would launch a party which would taken on the BJP government in the state. He had accused the state Congress of working as the 'B Team' of BJP.

The state unit of Congress had also recommended termination of Ajit Jogi's membership as action against a member of the Congress Working Committee, the party's apex body, could be taken by the party high command alone. The Congress' central leadership, however, had chosen to adopt a wait and watch policy with regard to Jogi Sr.

"I am independent now...I have the blessings of people and well wishers..," Jogi told a gathering of about 10,000 people at Kotmi village in his son's Marwahi constituency where he released the 'Kotmi Declaration'.

"The day marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Chhattisgarh from Kotmi village. Now people of Chhattisgarh will write their destiny themselves. Now, the decisions of Chhattisgarh will be taken in Chhattisgarh only.

"With the blessings of people of Marwahi and well wishers, it has been decided to form a new party. The new party will be Chhattisgarh's own party," the declaration said.

Jogi said the new party's name and symbol will be decided after public consultations.

Those present were given a form seeking their views on the proposed party's name and election symbol.

The options mentioned were: Chhattisgarh ikas Congress, Chhattisgarh Lok Party, Chhattisgarh Vikas Party, Chhattisgarh Congress, Chhattisgarh Jan Congress, Chhattisgarh Swaraj Party, Chhattisgarh Rashtriya Samiti and Chhattisgarh Apna Dal.

Jogi was accompanied by his wife Renu, Congress MLA from Kota, son Amit, Gundardehi MLA Rajendra Kumar Rai, Bilha MLA Siyaram Kaushik and former legislators Vidhan Mishra and Dharamjeet Singh.

Many of his supporters were spotted wearing white Gandhi caps with slogans like "I am Jogi" and "Jai Jogi" emblazoned on them. They carried posters with slogans like "Abki Baar, Jogi Sarkar".

Kamat's exit, however, lacked any fanfare. The 61-year-old former Union Minister issued a statement to the media in Mumbai this evening which said,"Dear friends, over the last more than 44 years I have worked with most of you and served the Congress. For several months now I have felt I need to take a backseat to enable others to get the opportunity.
Pakistan is "not desperate" to resume peace talks with India which has never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with it, Pakistan's Adviser on Foreign Affairs has said.

"It is a very strange thing to say as it was decided here on December 9 that the dialogue will resume but then the Pathankot incident occurred and everything vanished into thin air," Aziz told Geo TV yesterday.

His remarks came in response to Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that the window for dialogue with Pakistan was "slowly closing".

Aziz said that if India continues to repeat the old allegation of terrorism when it comes to the negotiating table, they must remember that terrorism is a part of the composite dialogue that Pakistan proposes, Dawn reported.

"They say that they will talk if we (Pakistan) make some progress on terrorism, but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues including Kashmir," Aziz said.

Aziz also said that Pakistan was "not desperate for talks and there is no restlessness on the Pakistani side for dialogue."



"The whole world agrees that India and Pakistan should have composite dialogue," Aziz said, adding that if the region has to see peace, it has to see co-ordination first.

Replying to a question, Aziz said Pakistan was not unaware of Indian efforts to integrate Kashmir and change its demography as "such efforts by India would not succeed."



Pakistan is supporting the Kashmiri people "morally and diplomatically" and will raise the issue with the UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council and also with permanent members of UN Security Council, he said.
India's engineering shipments to key markets like Sri Lanka, UAE and China plummeted in April amid a 19 per cent decline in the sector which slipped in terms of its contribution to the country's overall export basket, according to industry body EEPC India.

The engineering exporters' body said country's to Sri Lanka witnessed a degrowth of over 90 per cent, falling to mere $63 million in April 2016 from $648 million in the same month last year, marked by a huge fall in exports of aircraft and spacecraft parts.

Likewise, shipments to UAE fell by 46 per cent to $331 million from $613 million in the face of the Middle East witnessing a major slump in investment in oil and infrastructure sectors, EEPC India said.

India's to China, comprising mainly of basic metals and iron ore, dropped 57.6 per cent to $102.6 million from $242.50 million as the Chinese economy is facing a major upheaval, it said.

Declining for 17th straight month in April, exports dipped by 6.74 per cent to $20.5 billion due to sharp fall in shipments of petroleum and engineering products amid tepid global demand.

Imports too declined by 23.1 per cent to $25.41 billion in the month under review as against $33 billion in April 2015.

US remains the top destination for the country's with shipments totalling $502 million in April 2016 from $625 million a year ago. However, the fall in shipments to this market has also been above 19 per cent on the back of a sharp drop in exports of steel and its products.

"The going has never been as bad in the last several years. Such a situation warrants a big stimulus from the government in terms of interest subvention, hike in the drawback rates and further improvement in the ease of doing business," EEPC India Chairman T S Bhasin said.

The engineering goods sector recorded a massive decline in exports by almost 19 per cent to $4.6 billion during April 2016-17.

The fall in engineering exports in April was driven by sectors like aircraft and spacecraft, non-ferrous sectors like zinc, tin and nickel products and iron and steel products.
A University professor Parashar Kulkarni has become the first Indian author to win the Commonwealth short story prize, beating almost 4,000 entries for the 5,000 pound award with the first short story he has ever written.

The Assistant Professor in Social Sciences at Yale NUS College in Singapore, was presented the Prize by Man Booker Prize Winner and former short story judge Marlon James at the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica on June 5.

The winning story, 'Cow and Company' is a narrative set in India in the 1990s about four men who go in search of a cow to feature in an advertisement for chewing gum.

"I am very happy to receive the Commonwealth Short Story Prize which provides an inclusive, accessible and international platform for participation which is particularly helpful for new writers," Kulkarni said in a statement.

Nearly 4,000 entries from 47 different countries were received for this year's award, for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English by a writer from a Commonwealth country. The award has been in vogue for five years now.

Gillian Slovo, Chair of the judging panel, said, "In 'Cow and Company', Parashar has conjured up a large cast and their way of life, and at the same time he has succeeded in exploring serious issues in a way that can make us laugh - and all of this in a few thousand words."



Kulkarni, who works at the intersection of religion and political economy said he was encouraged and has been trying to write for many years.

The author who has won the British Academy Brian Barry Prize in Political Science (2015) for his research on religion, property rights and violence against women in colonial India, said the short story was part of a larger project.

The story, 'Cow and Company' had earlier been declared the winning entry from the Asia region.
Four Indian women bikers today started their 10-nation tour from the Nepalese capital here in which they will cover over 10,000 kms to propagate the Indian government's "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign in the South East Asian countries.

The tour was flagged of by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae from premises of Indian Embassy here.

The team from India are on an 'All-Women 10-Nation Ride' propagating the "BetiBachao, BetiPadhao" (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) campaign in the South East Asian countries.

In this first-ever attempt, enthusiastic women bikers from the female biking club, 'Biking Queens', will ride 10,000 kms for 36 days and cover 10 nations -- Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, for a cause, the Indian Embassy here said in a statement.

Sarika Mehta, Yugma Desai, Khyati N Desai and Durriya M Tapia are the four women adventurers taking part in the biking tour, it said.
Jammu and Kashmir government today ordered an inquiry into the alleged abuse of a National Conference legislator by a police officer when the former raised the issue of fleecing of tourists at Pahalgam base camp for Amarnath Yatra.

As soon as the Legislative Council met this morning, opposition National Conference (NC) MLC Bashir Ahmad Veeri raised the issue of alleged fleecing of tourists by private security guards deployed by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department at Pahalgam, base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, in south Kashmir.

Veeri alleged the security guards were fleecing the tourists and were involved in acts of corruption.

"They are working under the supervision of the Station House Officer (SHO) concerned. When I raised the issue with the SHO, he misbehaved with me. The police officer abused me and this House as well," he claimed.

Veeri said this was not the concern of an individual member but of the whole House and demanded action against the police officer.

Chairman of the Legislative Council Anayat Ali directed Veeri to approach the Privilege Committee of the House with his complaint.

However, Veeri and some other legislators demanded that the government take action against the SHO.

State Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Basharat Bukhari, who was present in the House, termed the issue as "serious" and directed the Home Secretary to inquire into the matter.

"This is a serious issue. The Home Secretary is sitting here and he will inquire into the matter and submit a report tomorrow," Bukhari said.

Meanwhile, opposition MLCs also raised the issue of shortage of sugar at ration depots across the state, for which Minister for Rural Development Abdul Haq Khan assured them that the government will ensure that there is no shortage of sugar and ration during the holy month of Ramzan.
Jat leaders owing allegiance to All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS), held dharnas at various places in the state for the second day today but on a low-key note and drawing lukewarm response.

No untoward incident was reported from any part of state today, officials said.

Jat leaders held dharnas at Rohtak, Hisar, Jind and Sonipat districts today.

But like yesterday, in many districts, no protests were held by Jat community members today as well.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has expressed satisfaction over the peaceful protest by the Jat community members, saying that the state government had appealed to them for the same.

Talking to reporters in Panchkula today on the sidelines of a function, Khattar thanked the people of the state and urged them to maintain peace.

Nearly 20,000 security personnel from central and state forces are keeping a close vigil across the state, including on national highways and railway tracks which the protesters had blocked for several days in February.

Fifty-five companies of paramilitary personnel drawn from CRPF, ITBP and BSF have been deployed in sensitive districts in the state, Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said.

Jat leaders in Jassia village of Rohtak district, the epicentre of violence during the stir, held a dharna as part of the second round of the agitation which started on a tepid note yesterday with influential Khap panchayats and some Jat factions distancing themselves from the protests.

Haryana's Sarv Khap Jat Panchayat, which had been at the forefront demanding reservations for Jats in government jobs when the stir was held in February, has this time decided to wait and watch for the outcome of the case before the courts.

"This time we decided that it is not right time to hold dharnas. We talked to government, we gave them time. The case is already before the High Court. We should not unnecessarily raise suspicion on the intent of the Government, which has assured us that even though the reservation Bill has been challenged, but it will put in its best legal efforts to defend the same," Sube Singh Samain, spokesperson of the Sarv Khap Jat Panchayat, told reporters in Rohtak.

This time Yashpal Malik led AIJASS has given the call for the fresh round of protest.

Sube Singh Samain, spokesperson of the Sarv



Khap Jat Panchayat also hit out at the Yashpal Malik led AIJASS, saying people in Jassia village in Rohtak and elsewhere were turning out for dharnas not because of his call.

"People of Jassia village and elsewhere have their pain which they have gone through during the February stir. These people are also protesting booking of many of their relatives, mostly youths, who have been booked on various charges during the February stir. These people believe many of these youths are innocent. They are not there for Yashpal Malik, they have not come out (for dharnas) because of Malik," Samain said.

The Jat protesters are demanding quota under OBC category, withdrawal of cases registered against community members during the previous stir, status of martyrs for those killed and jobs for their next of kin, besides compensation for the injured.

After the Jat agitation, which paralysed normal life in Haryana and affected Delhi and other neighbouring states too, the state government recently brought in laws to provide reservation for Jats and five other communities under a newly carved Backward Classes (C) category.

However, the High Court stayed it, acting on a public interest litigation, after which some Jat groups announced the fresh stir.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 remained in force at sensitive places in eight districts as the administration was geared up to ensure that there is no repeat of earlier incidents when 30 people were killed, property worth hundreds of crores of rupees destroyed and key routes blocked by agitators.

A special round-the-clock control room has been set up in Chandigarh to monitor the situation.

The police and administration are keeping a close watch on miscreants trying to use the social media to spread rumours.

Sonipat District Magistrate K Makarand Pandurang has issued orders banning all mobile internet services. The ban would be effective till further orders, an official release said.

In the wake of severe criticism for failing to check violence during the Jat quota agitation in February this year, the Khattar Government had set up Prakash Singh Committee whose inqury report had indicted 90 officials for "deliberate negligence" during the stir.

The panel, in its 451-page report, had said that "administrative paralysis" had gripped the state and the "highest functionaries in the government failed to show the kind of guidance, direction and control that is expected in a crisis of such proportions".
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today refused to vacate the stay granted by it last month on Haryana government's decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities in jobs and educational institutions.

Taking up the matter, the vacation bench of justices Daya Chaudhary and Arun Palli fixed June 13 for arguments.

The court also directed all parties in the case to file their replies by June 10, while making it clear that no adjournment would be granted on the next date of hearing.

The development took place on Haryana's plea for vacation of ex-parte interim orders.

The counsel for Haryana said the petitioner had approached the high court without exhausting the available channel for redressal of his grievances.

He said it was mandatory for the petitioner to move the Haryana Backward Classes Commission, the statutory authority to entertain and examine complaints/issues raised by the petitioner. As such, the writ petition was not maintainable.

"It was premature at the current stage. Therefore, the impugned stay orders were liable to be set aside on this score alone," he added.

The state counsel said the process for carrying out recruitment to various posts had already been initiated by Haryana Staff Selection Commission and Haryana Public Service Commission.

Besides, admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the session 2016-17 were also open; and candidates had applied under the backward classes category.

The admission process for professional courses such as the MBBS had also started for the 2016-17 session, he added.

On May 26, the high court had stayed the reservation for Jats and five other communities provided by the Haryana government under a newly carved Backward Classes (C) category.

The court passed the order while hearing a petition challenging the constitutional validity of The Haryana Backward Classes (reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Act 2016 that was passed unanimously by the state Assembly on March 29.

The Act was challenged by Murari Lal Gupta of Bhiwani, who sought a direction to quash block 'C' of the Act, which provides reservation to Jats under the BC (C) category.

The petitioner submitted that reservation to Jat community was provided under the new Act on the basis of Justice KC Gupta commission report, which had already been quashed by the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the petitioner, Mukesh Verma, said the reservation on the basis of the Justice Gupta Commission report would amount to revision of a judicial order, which could not be done by the legislature.

He submitted that in 2014 too, the state government had introduced a bill to include Jats in the list of other backward classes for reservation in job and educational institutes.

But the Supreme Court in case of Ram Singh and others versus the Union of India had held that Jats were not backward socially, educationally and politically.
In the wake of fresh Jat quota agitation, Assocham appealed to the Haryana Government and Central agencies to take effective pre-emptive steps to ensure that it does not disrupt normal life in the state and the neighbouring areas.

The chamber said that strict vigilance must be maintained on all the water channels and resources in the state which are not only the supply sources to Haryana, but also to neighbouring Delhi and other states.

Three months after their violent agitation left 30 people dead, Jat leaders in Haryana yesterday renewed their quota stir, drawing lukewarm response amid tight security.

"Along with better coordination with the Railways and the Central agencies, all the highways and railway lines must be protected at any cost and no untoward incident should be allowed anywhere in the state," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said. He said the previous agitation has already dented the investor confidence in the state and the maximum damage was done to the trade and small industries and under no circumstances people's confidence should be affected again.

The industry body appealed to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to personally monitor the developments and "let the state administration be on top of the situation, rather than taking reactive steps".

The chamber said at a time when the country needs growth in a difficult economic environment, no state can afford any deterioration in the law and order situation.
An Indo-Korean joint coast guard four day exercise "Sahyog Hyeoblyeog 2016" will be held off Chennai coast from June 8.

The exercise is aimed at further strengthening the relationship between the coast guards of the two countries and refine joint operating procedures, according to a coast guard press release.

Korea Coast Guard ship 3009 would visit Chennai between June 8 to 11, it said, adding the exercise includes anti- piracy drills, search and rescue demonstrations and external fire fighting.

"The exercise would be jointly witnessed by Director General Rajendra Singh, Coast Guard and Commissioner General of Korean Coast Guard Honglk Tae," the statement said.

A Korean delegation would call on dignitaries here and a friendly volleyball match will be held between the coast guards on June 9.
AAP government today set up a five-member panel to investigate the kidney racket busted at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here and asked it to submit its report within 15 days.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the committee will probe whether there were procedural lapses on the part of the hospital.

The probe panel, headed by Dr D K Tampe, dean of Maulana Azad Medical College, has been asked to submit an interim report within one week.

"Special panel will investigate whether laid down approval protocols were followed by the hospital. It will also re-examine the documentation and interview process by the authorisation committee of the hospital concerned," said a senior government official.

The minister said that the committee will also give suggestions on updating a list of guiding principles and best practices in the area of organ donation.

"The committee is directed to submit an interim report regarding the five cases of organ sale detected so far within one week and a detailed report within a fortnight," said an order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department.

With the arrest of five persons, including the personal secretaries of a neurologist in Apollo Hospital, police have unearthed a kidney trading racket last week. The racket used to lure poor people from several states to sell their kidney.

They allegedly forged documents to establish relationship between the donors and the recipients in order to adhere to the law.

In a statement, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, "We are cooperating and providing to them all information required to help them in their investigation. This matter is of grave concern and our teams are extending all support to the police.
KPMG in India has appointed its partner Rahul Mitra as head of Transfer Pricing services, with effect from today.

In addition to his new role, Rahul will continue to lead the firm's BEPS (Base erosion and profit shifting) efforts, a company statement said.

Rahul is a veteran tax professional specialising in transfer pricing and International taxation for over 24 years now, KPMG India said.

"Tax services is integral to KPMG India's strategy and we are confident that with Rahul's leadership as well as several other strategic initiatives in the pipeline, it will progress to the next level of growth and expansion," KPMG in India Head-Tax, Girish Vanvari said.

* * * * * *



Motilal Oswal AMC equity AUM rises to Rs 11,000-cr in May-end * Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company's asset base for the equity segment has grown to more than Rs 11,000 crore at the end of May, primarily on account of focused and niche product range.

The fund house's portfolio management services contributed Rs 5,709 crore to the assets base.

"As of May 31, 2016, equity assets under management (AUM) stood at Rs 11,159 crore," the company said in a statement.

The company has achieved this AUM built up with 2 lakh MF folios of which nearly 50 per cent are through systematic investment plans.

"We are in the business to create wealth through equities for our investors and we will continue to remain focused on the same with minimal distractions," Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company MD and CEO Aashish P Somaiyaa said.

* * * * * *



Eros, UCLA School of Theater tie-up to form scholarship fund * Movie production and distribution company Eros International has partnered California-based UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television to create the Eros International Graduate Scholarship Fund.

"The scholarship includes three full-ride graduate scholarships for the school's Master of Fine Arts programs in directing, producing and screenwriting designed to give voice to the unique perspective of Indian women," Eros International said in a statement today.

The scholarship recipients will begin their Master of Fine Arts graduate programme at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television starting September 2017, it added.

Balaji Motion Pictures CEO Aman Gill resigns



* Media and entertainment firm Balaji Telefilms today said Aman Gill, CEO of its subsidiary firm Balaji Motion Pictures Limited, has resigned from the company.

Balaji's movie business, which currently has two movies under production, will continue to function under its Group CEO Sameer Nair.

*****



Sehwag signs up with Dunamis Sportainment * Former opening batsman Virender Sehwag has entered into a partnership with Dunamis Sportainment.

He has signed up with the sports and entertainment management company to handle all his public appearances and brand endorsements.

CEO of Dunamis Abhishek Misra said: "Viru is one of the most popular cricketers in the country. He has been a dynamic batsman and even today he bags more endorsement deals than most current cricketers, a solid testimony to his timeless appeal."



*****



MakeMyTrip launches three-day sale



* MakeMyTrip today said it has launched a three-day sale till December 8 under which the travel portal will offer attractive discounts for flights, hotels and holiday packages.

'The Cashless Travel Carnival' from December 6-8, focuses on the upcoming high travel season and provides offers and attractive discounts across flights, hotels and holiday packages across platforms - desktop, mobile app and m-site, MakeMyTrip said in a statement.

During the three-day sale, MakeMyTrip will give a flat Rs 12,000 and Rs 18,000 off per passenger on flights to Europe and US respectively.

Besides, customers can avail 20 per cent cashback on Taj Hotel Resorts and Packages.

"In line with the recent demonetisation drive, we have designed this three-day long event to help customers realise the benefits and convenience associated with making bookings online," said Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and CEO-India, MakeMyTrip.
A lawyer in China was allegedly attacked by policemen in a court in the presence of two judges, triggering outrage among attorneys in southern Guangxi region who condemned the incident as "abuse of power".

The lawyer, Wu Liangshu, was beaten up by court policemen in the presence of two judges and one other official when he refused to hand over his mobile phone for inspection by police in a district court in Nanning in the Guangxi region on Friday, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Wu was photographed leaving the court with his shirt torn open and half of his trousers ripped away.

He also had red marks on his chest and injuries on his fingers, the report said.

Agitated over the incident, over 800 attorneys have signed a petition condemning the attack.

"Without any legal stance and paperwork such as a search warrant, court policemen are not allowed to carry out such an inspection," the lawyers said in a statement.

"We are of the view that this is a classic case of abuse of power. Searching people in whatever way they please is an illegal act punishable by law," the statement added.

The lawyers also asked the court officials to release surveillance camera footage of the incident to the public.
Various Advocates Associations of the Madras High Court today held a rally protesting against the amendments made to existing rules under the Advocates Act.

They requested the High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to interfere and withdraw the amendments.

About 2,000 lawyers from across the state took part in the rally, protesting the new set of disciplinary rules framed by the Madras High Court as per the Supreme Court verdict in the R K Anand case of 2009.

R C Paul Kanagaraj, President of Madras High Court Advocates Association said the amended rules should be withdrawn unconditionally as it puts the advocate's profession in peril.

Leaders who spoke at the rally said that if their demand was not met, they will announce boycott.

A resolution was passed after the rally stating that the amended rules were against the "fair and free functioning of the judiciary and will ultimately affect the rights of advocates and the people at large." There was no transparent and fair consultation and discussion with the bar across the state before framing such rules, it said.

It requested the Chief Justice to call for a dialogue between the Bar and the Bench and evolve effective mechanisms to identify the key issues hampering the effective functioning of the Judicial Institution and prepare both short and long term plans and program to amicably settle all the issues.

On May 25, the High Court had issued a notification making amendments to existing rules under the Advocates Act with a view to ensuring peaceful conduct of court proceedings and suggesting disciplinary action to be taken against erring advocates.

The notification issued by the Registrar General of the High Court said: In exercise of powers conferred by Section 34(1) of Advocates Act, the court "makes the following amendments to the existing rules. The amendments shall come into force with effect from the date of publication."



It said the court has power under 14-A of Advocates Act to debar advocates who indulge in activities such as trying to influence a judge or participates in a procession inside court campus or holds placards inside the court hall, among others.

Such advocates shall be debarred from appearing before the high court or subordinate courts permanently or for such period as the court may think fit and the Registrar General shall thereupon report it to the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu, it said.

It said where any such misconduct referred to under Rule 14-A is committed by any advocate before the High Court, the court shall have the power to initiate action against the advocate concerned and debar him from appearing before the court and all subordinate Courts.
Motorists obstructing plying of buses in their dedicated lanes will soon be prosecuted with a fine of Rs 2,000 in the national capital with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today giving his go-ahead to the Delhi Government's proposal to create such lanes on majors roads.

Jung, however, has asked the government to come out clean on some issues, including plying of goods vehicles in bus lanes and relaxations to emergency vehicles, in the notification soon to be issued by it to ensure smooth movement of traffic and maintenance of public order.

The Lt Governor has also asked the AAP dispensation to hold formal consultation with Delhi Traffic Police and incorporate their inputs in the notification.

Three months after Lt Governor had sought a clarification from the Delhi government on its proposal to create dedicated bus lanes, the Arvind Kejriwal government had on June 3 sent back the plan making "minor" changes in it.

The Proposal advocates a fine of Rs 2000 on those obstructing plying of buses in the dedicated lanes, As per the AAP government's plan, dedicated bus lanes will be created in major roads across the national capital.

In a press statement, the LG office has asked the city government to carefully identify roads to be covered under the scheme.

Besides, Jung has asked government to clarify whether motorized vehicles other than buses and goods vehicles will be allowed in the dedicated bus lanes, and under what conditions in notification besides specifying delegation of powers to officers of various departments for prosecuting different offences/violations.

Yesterday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Lt Governor and the BJP of blocking bus-lane proposal, saying that his government was trying to implement it in the national capital.

In March, the city government had alleged that Jung turned down its proposal to create dedicated bus lanes in the city's streets and impose of a fine of Rs 2,000 against those violating related rules.

However, the LG's office had denied the charge claiming Jung had only sought clarification from the government on it.
Global shipping and logistics firm is looking at ways to use drones for delivering equipment to ships and is planning to conduct a test later this year, after using the technology in January for delivering cookies to a tanker at sea.

"The company is evaluating ways to expand its use of drones and plans a bigger test later this year," said Markus Kuhn, a supply chain manager at Maersk, at the Drones Data X conference in San Francisco.

In January, the company made a drone fly 250 metres from one of its barges to a tanker and drop off a batch of cookies.

It is now looking for a drone-making partner for a test flight that would haul a 10-kg package for 10 km.

According to a IDG News Service report, the test would help in highlighting a key usage for Maersk, that of resupplying its fleet of tankers, oil platforms, container ships and other craft.

It would serve as a key proof of concept for getting important gear to remote ships. That 10-kg weight would cover a lot of the important equipment deliveries it makes to ships.

The report said could use drones to cut the cost of operating its wide swathe of businesses, which include a shipping line, a port logistics company and a oil platform operations company.

By using drones for resupply, the company might be able to avoid sending an entire ship on an equipment delivery to a tanker, which it sometimes has to do to comply with regulations about protecting explosive cargo, it said.

Kuhn said the company sees a lot of opportunities to use drones for inspecting equipment, including using them to reach places where humans cannot.

However, he said, the company isn't interested in technology for its own sake. Each use of a drone has to be cheaper than whatever method is using now, he said.
A 60-year-old man was today killed and five others injured when a SUV ran over them when they were sleeping on footpath in the Maniktala area in the northern part of the city, police said.

The incident took place around 1.30 AM today on Maniktala Main Road near CIT Park here when the six persons, mainly vegetable vendors, were sleeping on the footpath.

The driver of the SUV lost control over the vehicle and it ran over the sleeping persons after mounting the pavement, a Kolkata Police officer said.

Ali Hussain Sardar succumbed to his injuries, he said.

While four persons were discharged after treatment, Esak Mondal (50) is undergoing treatment at RG Kar Medical College.

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, he said.

Asked whether the driver was drunk, the officer said, "We are waiting for the medical report of the person concerned.
The commander-in-chief of insurgent outfit Thadaou People's Liberation Army (TPLA) has been caught by the Army in Manipur, defence sources said on Monday.

Based on specific inputs on the presence of a senior TPLA cadre at Bethel Veng village in Senapati district, an operation was launched by the troops of Army's Jwalamukhi Battalion and the outfit leader was apprehended on June 3.

The insurgent identified himself as 45-year-old Nekholen Lhouvum alias Helen and said he was the commander-in-chief of the group, the sources said.

He also confessed to being involved in kidnappings, incidents of shootings and extortions in Sadar Hill area along with his group members.

A 9mm pistol (US made), one 9mm magazine and five live rounds of 9mm have been seized from him.

The sources said he was later handed over to Imphal West police station.
BSP supremo Mayawati today accused the Centre of being "inactive" so far as Mathura violence was concerned and demanded proper constitutional and legal action against the Akhilesh Yadav government.

In a statement here, she said while BJP was indulging in "gimmickry", the Centre was "inactive" and the Governor was "silent".

"The Centre should stop making statements and instead take proper constitutional and legal action against the SP government," she said.

"It is a known fact that encroachment on government land and those staging dharna had government patronisation, otherwise it would not have remained silent for two years. Laxity on the part of the Centre and its intelligence agencies is no less," the BSP supremo claimed.

Accusing SP and BJP of having "tacit understanding" in view of state Assembly elections next year, she questioned as to why the Centre has not taken initiative for a CBI inquiry into the Mathura clashes as it did during Malda violence in West Bengal.

She said BJP was only making statements, proving it has joined hands with SP against BSP in view of Assembly elections in 2017.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers today clashed with police while attempting to gherao the Uttar Pradesh Assembly building here to protest against the Jawahar Bagh incident in Mathura.

The BJP workers took out a march from the party office and attempted to gherao the building and were stopped by police following which the clash broke out.

"Demonstrations were held at district headquarters across the state demanding resignation of PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and a CBI inquiry into the Mathura violence," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

He said a party delegation would submit a memorandum to the Governor Ram Naik later in the day.

Twenty-nine people, including two police officers, were killed during clashes between encroachers and police at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura last week.
The Mayors of three BJP ruled municipal corporations today accused Kejriwal government of convening the special session of assembly on the sanitation issue to "politically pressurize and malign" them even while "not releasing" their pending funds.

"The government is convening a special session of the assembly on the issue of sanitation to politically pressurize the MCDs and we will not allow attempts to malign the civic bodies," Mayors said at a joint press conference.

The government has been convening the special sessions frequently on one issue or another just to "deviate" attention of the people from its "failures", said Sanjeev Nayyar, mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) mayor Satya Sharma alleged that the government has yet "not implemented" the sanitation bye laws submitted by the municipal corporations adding that sanitation workers strike a few months back was caused due to its "failure" to timely release the funds.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) leader Subhash Arya alleged "it has become the "habit of the government to create problems in releasing the funds. The government by neglecting the recommendations of the last finance commission is not releasing global share to the MCDs."



The municipal corporations have strived hard in waste disposal and desilting of drains while PWD has "not taken up desilting work seriously" which could lead to water logging in Monsoon season, South Delhi mayor Shyam Sharma said.

He also suggested Delhi government to "avoid intervention" in the functioning of MCDs.

Delhi government has ordered crackdown against civic bodies over "lack of cleanliness" following which district magistrates have issued 178 conditional orders seeking explanation from the civic officials and warned of legal action against them.

A two day special session of the Delhi Assembly starting on June 9 has also been convened by the government to discuss the working of the three municipal corporations with respect to sanitation.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today sparred in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as the issue of setting up Sainik Colony in the Valley rocked both the houses of the state legislature with opposition demanding a clarification.

Rejecting a newspaper report on construction of the Colony, Mehbooba accused the opposition and some media outlets of raising a "non-issue" which can lead to disruption of peace in the state, while in the Upper House her deputy Nirmal Singh asserted that "no construction for Sainik Colony is being done".

Mehbooba lashed out Omar for his tweets on the controversy but the former Chief Minister hit back, saying it was to make her accountable and he won't back down from speaking on issues of public interest through the social media.

"My small tweets prick you. Your mood gets spoiled. If I make you accountable by tweeting, I will continue it. I won't stop and I won't apologise for it," Omar said.

The NC leader later took to Twitter saying, "This tweet is dedicated to @mufti_mehbooba who through her ill tempered assembly intervention made me realise how much she hates me tweeting."



The issue of proposed colony for armed forces personnel was raised in the Assembly by Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rasheed.

Waving a copy of the newspaper which had carried a report on construction of a Sainik Colony outside Old Airfield, the legislator stormed into the well of the House and sought a statement from the government on the issue.

An agitated Mehbooba said there was no truth in the story as the photograph published in the newspaper was that of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) quarters being constructed for married serving personnel of the unit.

"I do not know what these newspapers want? Do they want to put the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story.

"The opposition members bring in these newspapers which I will not name as they want to get publicity. If anyone tries to disrupt peace, they will be dealt with sternly," Mehbooba said.

Targeting Omar, the Chief Minister said despite having been in the chair earlier, he has been tweeting about the issue.

"Omar Abdullah attended four meetings (of the Sainik Board as CM) and in all four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of Sainik Colony.

"Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet," Mehbooba said about the former chief minister frequently using the social media to put forth his opinions.

The opposition benches protested against the Chief Minister's outburst saying everything was not media created.

Responding to Mehbooba's charge, Omar said he has never denied being part of the meetings for setting up of Sainik Colony but had never "passed any order" like the one he had posted on twitter earlier last month.

The "order" which Omar posted was claimed to be a communication issued under the PDP-BJP government and read that the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir had agreed for allotment of 173 kanals of land on payment in the Old Airfield area for the Sainik Colony.

It said that after obtaining commitment from the beneficiaries, the number of aspirants "increased to 1,051, 26 officers, 125 JCOs and 900 of other ranks, requiring a total of 360 kanals of land. Accordingly, a revised proposal has been forwarded to the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir and the state home department".

Omar said, "If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefited."



"I think when the Chief Minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me. My tenure is witness.... If we follow your footsteps, the state will be on fire," he said.

Omar has opposed the setting up of the proposed colony, saying "it could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370".

The NC leader later tweeted, "Amazing how she attacked the media as well today. The newspapers must've made for uncomfortable reading this morning. Explains the mood!"



Meanwhile, the issue of Sainik Colony was also raised by the opposition in the Legislative Council as soon as the proceedings began.

Chairman, Legislative Council, Anayat Ali tried to pacify the members, asking them to raise the issue after Question Hour, but to no avail.

The members from NC and Congress said the people of the Valley were concerned the government should make a statement on whether the colony is being constructed or not.

After Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh made a statement on the issue, the opposition members let House function.

"It is only a rumour and has no basis at all," Singh said.

"There is no such thing (construction of Sainik Colony). Some people are spreading rumours and trying to polarize the situation and set Jammu and Kashmir on fire," Singh said.

He said the army might be building quarters for its personnel inside the cantonment, but no construction for Sainik Colony is being done.

"No such thing will take place which will harm the interests of Jammu and Kashmir," the deputy chief minister said.

(REOPENS DES22)



Reacting to media reports on construction of a Sainik Colony which rocked both the houses of the state legislature, a defence spokesman said the land on which construction activity is in progress is defence land inside the existing Old Air Field Military Station.

"At present, construction of 'Married Accommodation Project' is under progress inside the Old Air Field Military Station. The new construction is purely meant for the serving Army personnel and being constructed under supervision of Station Headquarters to meet the accommodation requirements of the Army units located in this area," the spokesman said.

He said this construction activity has absolutely nothing to do with establishment of Sainik Colonies "which is a state subject and Army has no role in it".
Mexico's ruling party headed today toward historic defeats in several gubernatorial elections seen as a test for its hopes of retaining the presidency in 2018.

Before Sunday's vote, President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) held nine of the 12 states at play. There are 32 federal regions in Mexico.

But preliminary results showed that it was leading in just five states and losing two key bastions, Tamaulipas and Veracruz, both of which it has controlled for more than 80 years.

The biggest winner was the conservative National Action Party (PAN), which was ahead in seven states, including three in partnership with the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

"This is truly historic for the PAN," party leader Ricardo Anaya told Radio Formula, noting that the PAN had never won so many states in one election.

"If we do things right, if we follow through, if we show results in those states, the PAN will reclaim the presidency in 2018," Anaya said.

The PAN ended the PRI's 71-year hold on the presidency in 2000, but Pena Nieto returned his party to power in 2012.

The president, however, has since seen his popularity sink to 30 percent, with Mexicans unhappy at his handling of the economy, corruption and drug violence.

"People came out to punish the government and the PRI," said PRD leader Agustin Basave, though he admitted that his own party had a tough night after a leftist coalition lost the governor's seat to the PRI in Oaxaca.

PRI leader Manlio Fabio Beltrones said the results show that his party must take action to "reconnect with citizens.
The Mizoram government has completed all the formalities to hand over the sensational dacoity case, allegedly involving suspended Commandant of the 39th Assam Rifles Colonel Jasjit Singh, to the CBI, state Home minister R Lalzirliana said.

Citing the reasons for its willingness to hand over the case to the CBI, the minister told a press conference that the case has national as well as international implications as gold smuggling racket was at the root-cause of the dacoity.

Lack of modern scientific technology and equipment were also impediments to the investigation as the state police does not have a polygraph or lie-detector machine, he said.

"Rumours of involvement of highly-placed people in the case and also Col. Singh's refusal to confess, may force us to hand over the case to the CBI," Lalzirliana said.

The state government, he said, would convey its decision about the case to the CBI during this week.

"Even if the CBI agrees to take up the investigation, the state police would give full cooperation to the premier investigating agency and also continue with the investigation till the case is officially handed over to the CBI," he said.

13 people, including Colonel Singh, eight Assam Rifles personnel and four civilians have been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the case, the minister said.

A vehicle carrying 52 smuggled gold bars worth Rs 14.5 crore was waylaid on the outskirts of Aizawl on December 14 last by suspected Assam Rifles personnel.

The owner and driver of the vehicle C. Lalnunfela lodged an FIR on April 21 against which a criminal case was registered at Kulikawn Police Station in Aizawl.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama to review bilateral ties and address a joint session of the US Congress.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews from Switzerland where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Penultimate leg of PM Narendra Modi's journey begins as he arrives in Washington D.C. On a sunny summer afternoon," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

US' Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal were among the top officials present at the base to receive Prime Minister Modi.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the US Congress. He will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to do so. Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Obama.

Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit "reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world", a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.

This is Prime Minister Modi's fourth visit to the US.

"In my meeting with the President on June 7, we will seek to build upon the progress achieved in providing new vigour and momentum to our strategic partnership in diverse areas," Modi had said before departing for his five-nation tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

Modi will begin his US visit by paying tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery. He will then meet heads of a number of American think tanks and will attend an event to repatriate Indian antiquity by the US.

Modi will also address the 40th AGM of the USIBC (US India Business Council) and meet US business leaders.

"India and USA are natural partners, two vibrant democracies that celebrate their diversity and pluralism. Strong India-USA ties benefit not only our two nations but also the entire world," Modi had said.

From the US, Modi will visit Mexico before heading back to India.

The Summits will be attended by Heads of State/Government



of the 10 ASEAN and 18 East Asia Summit Participating Countries respectively.

India's engagement with the ASEAN and wider Asia-Pacific region has acquired further momentum following the enunciation of the 'Act-East Policy' by Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th East Asia Summit in Myanmar in November 2014.

The leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.

2017 will mark 25 years of India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN, and several commemorative activities will also be announced by Modi to celebrate the occasion.

ASEAN is a strategic partner of India since 2012.

India and ASEAN have 30 dialogue mechanisms which meet regularly.

Trade between India and ASEAN stood at USD 65.04 billion in 2015-16 and comprises 10.12 per cent of India's total trade with the world.

The ASEAN-India economic integration process has got a fillip with the creation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area in July 2015, following the entry into force of the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment Agreements.

Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival here.

"This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in US-India ties. Over the last seven years, the United States and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order," a senior administration official told PTI.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital tomorrow afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office.

The President will host a lunch for the Prime Minister after the meeting.

"The Prime Minister's visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage," the official said.

"From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the United States and India lead together," the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile two leading US dailies - the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal - have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders "have each invested in developing a close relationship", Benjamin J Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is China's growing footprint in India's traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, WSJ reported.

REOPENS FGN 3



Since their first meeting at the White House in September



2014, after Modi came to power in May that year, the two leaders have met six times.

Obama was the first foreign leader to congratulate Modi over the phone after his historic victory.

"The hours they've spent together have allowed them to have a good understanding of their respective worldviews and domestic circumstances, and made it possible to deepen defence ties, advance our civil nuclear cooperation and achieve a breakthrough on climate change," he said.

"It is also an indication of how important President Obama thinks our relationship is with India, as the world's largest democracy and an increasingly important partner," Rhodes said.

"For each country, the other country has really emerged as an incredibly important and vital partner," an administration official was quoted as saying by WSJ.

"India has global interests, and it's looking to protect those interests, but it lacks sufficient capability to do that. So India is looking to make a big bet on the United States to help it gain that capacity. And we are very comfortable with helping India do that," the daily reported.

"India made a big shift under Prime Minister Modi," the official was quoted as saying by WSJ according to which Obama sees a gradual change in India's role in the world as one of his major achievements.

"I think it's really hard to overestimate the rapid pace of progress in our defence relationship," the official said.
More than a billion Muslims observed the start of Ramadan today but in the besieged cities of Syria and Iraq residents struggled to mark the holy month.

Islamic authorities announced the start of the fasting month with the sighting of the crescent moon in countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Marking the divine revelation received by Prophet Mohammed, the month sees Muslim faithful abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk.

They break the fast with a meal known as iftar and before dawn have a second opportunity to eat and drink during suhur. The month is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.

But for many in Syria who have been accustomed to hardship after five years of war, this year's Ramadan was expected to be especially difficult, particularly in besieged cities and towns.

In Madaya, where some 40,000 people have been living under government siege for months, resident Mumina, 32, and her husband planned to break the fast using UN food handouts.

The package contain pulses and tuna cans but "there's no pasta, no meat, no dairy. We tried to plant some vegetables but the land isn't good for planting now," she said.

"There's barely any food in the markets and whatever we find is so expensive that we can't buy it," she said, planning a simple meal of beans for Monday night.

Shadi Matar, an activist from Daraya, also complained that residents would only feed on greens for iftar.

"We definitely have a lot of choices," he said trying to put a brave face on things.

"There's parsley, radishes, coriander, arugula, spinach, and sometimes we can find zucchini," he said. "But there are other people who don't even have these options."



An estimated 8,000 people live in Daraya which received on June 1 its first aid delivery since a regime siege began in 2012, but British charity Save the Children said it excluded desperately needed food.

In the Iraqi city of Fallujah, father-of-six Abu Mohammed al-Dulaimi also worried about how to provide food for his family during Ramadan.

Iraqi forces have tightened a siege around Fallujah as they press a major advance to retake the city from the Islamic State jihadist group.

An estimated 50,000 people are believed trapped inside, some being used as human shields by IS, and the families left behind are often those who could not afford to leave.
Nepal's ex-King Gyanendra Shah and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba may face investigation by a commission set up to probe human rights violations during the decade-long civil war in the country that killed over 16,000 people.

Deuba and Gyanendra have been named in a complaint filed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an official of the panel said.

The complainant, Rajan Kirati, former Maoist guerilla and vice president of UCPN, Maoist centre had accused Shah and Deuba of being responsible for injuries inflicted on him and others by security forces during Nepal's decade-long civil war (1996- 2006), that killed more than 16,000 people.

Around 1,500 others disappeared without a trace during the insurgency.

The five-member commission, set up last year to probe "gross violations of human rights" during the war, has already received more than 15,000 complaints from victims and their families.

The commission will make recommendations about reparation to victims and legal action against abusers. Another commission set up to investigate enforced disappearances during the civil war received more than 1,600 complaints - also higher than the official figure of those who disappeared.

Gyanendra was the king of Nepal from 2001 to 2008.

However, he took charge of absolute power in February 2005 that lasted for 13 months, and that virtually paralysed the functioning of political parties.

The civil war ended in 2006 as the Maoists laid down arms and joined the peace process.

Two years later in 2008, the Hindu monarchy was abolished as Nepal was declared a republic and a secular state after the Maoists came to power winning the general election with Prachanda becoming prime minister. But they were ousted in the next constituent assembly polls in 2013.
Digital streaming service Netflix has announced its first India-set series, based on Vikram Chandra's critically-acclaimed novel "Sacred Games".

The Hindi-English series will be produced by Netflix in partnership with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's Phantom Films.

Set in Mumbai, "Sacred Games" delves into the city's intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage that lie beneath India's economic renaissance.

"Over the last few years, I've watched with great excitement and pleasure as Netflix has transformed narrative television with its ground-breaking, genre-bending shows. I'm thrilled to be working with Netflix and Phantom Films," Chandra said in a statement.

Madhu Mantena of Phantom Films said he is confident the partnership with Netflix will result into something exciting and creatively satisfying.

"We are very happy to start this journey with Netflix by producing Vikram's outstanding story, set in Mumbai. And we are extremely confident that, together we will create some exciting and ground-breaking television content from hereon," he said.
Bihar government on Monday dissolved a committee constituted by Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) to probe into alleged irregularities in evaluation of marks in this year's 10+2 examination.

The decision to dissolve the committee was taken after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with Education Minister Ashok Choudhary, Principal Secretary (Education) D S Gangwar and Chairperson Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

"The government has dissolved the committee," Choudhary told reporters after the meeting and said it was decided to go for direct action into irregularities without any further delay by registering an FIR against education mafias.

"It was discussed that the committee constituted by the Board would have taken time and arrived on a conclusion that irregularities have been committed, which prima facie has already been established. There is no point in delaying action and hence, the state government decided to go for direct action by registering an FIR and initiating action against the culprits," the minister said.

Later, an official statement said that the chief minister directed the education department to lodge an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in Vaishali in Intermediate exam for the current year.

The chief minister ordered that the entire matter be probed by the police and stern action be initiated against those found guilty, the statement said.

The chief minister instructed to make arrangements for continuous assessment of students in higher school levels, it added.

Kumar had on Sunday asserted that no one would be spared and action would be taken after fixing responsibility.

The had on Sunday constituted a four-member committee headed by Patna High Court Judge Justice (retd) Ghanshyam Prasad to probe the irregularities in the evaluation of marks for 10+2 Intermediate exam.

The had on June 4 decided to cancel the results of topper Saurabh Shrestha and third topper in Science stream Rahul Kumar after they were found not up to mark during a re-test conducted by a team of experts on 13 toppers in Arts and Science streams of Intermediate level in the current year.

Arts topper Ruby Rai, in an interview to media, had called Political Science as "Prodigal Science", which according to her was about cooking, and has been directed to face experts on June 11.
Defending the imposition of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the North East, the Army today said there was no recent cases of misuse of the law in the region.

"In Eastern Command, during the time I have spent here, there has not been a single incident which has been reported where AFSPA has not been used for the right reason," Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi said.

He said if there was any breach of AFSPA it was dealt with firmly by the Army.

"If the Army is required to handle insurgency, we require AFSPA. If we don't have AFSPA, our hands are tied and we cannot do our job. It is an enabling provision and not a draconian provision," he said.

Various human rights organisations have long been demanding repeal of the AFSPA which they call a "draconian" law.

In Manipur, rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has been on a fast-unto-death for 15 years demanding withdrawal of AFSPA. She is forcibly nose-fed at a government hospital in Imphal.
Amid speculations over becoming a prime ministerial candidate by a non-BJP front in the next general elections, the Bihar Chief Minister today said he only desired to become an MP and did not nourish a dream to become a PM.

"I had only desired to become an MP at least once in life. I had never nourished a dream to become a minister, chief minister or prime minister," the Chief Minister said at a function to launch a biography of 'Super-30' founder Anand Kumar.

"Some people are trying to defame me so that I do not ever desire to become a PM but they are doing it uselessly as I do not harbour the ambition to become a PM," Kumar said in an apparent dig at BJP leaders who have been making "adverse" comments on him.

While RJD President Lalu Prasad, his NCP counterpart Sharad Pawar and former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi have hailed Kumar for having potential to become PM, rival BJP and NDA leaders have been making "adverse comments" on the issue.

Lauding works of Anand Kumar who is providing opportunity to students of deprived sections of the society to qualify in IITs, the Chief Minister recounted his early days of struggle in politics when he had to face defeat initially in two consecutive Assembly elections.

"I did not loose patience and continued to work hard," he said while inspiring younger ones to have determination to do good in life.

The Chief Minister showered praise on Anand Kumar and said "today he has become an identity of a resurgent Bihar."



The Chief Minister said he drew an idea to launch bicycle yojna in Bihar, which has worked in drastically cutting down the percentage of out of school children from 12.5% in 2005 to 0.85% now, during a function to distribute bicycle to SC/ST girls in Patna.

"I saw excitement among girls while getting the bicycle at Nritya Kala Mandir in Patna and immediately called officials to work out how much cost would it entail if the scheme is extended for all girls," he said revealing the idea of launching bicycle yojna in 2006.
Putting to rest reports of a surgical strike in Myanmar against rebels from the North East after an ambush killing six Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur last month, the Army today said sometimes factional fights among insurgent groups were attributed to security forces.

"I must ask you where does this rumour come from? We respect the sovereignty of all our neighbours. There is no question of going across....... Nothing has happened. We did no strikes," Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi told reporters here when asked to comment on reports of a surgical strike by security forces in neighbouring Myanmar.

He said there were several insurgent groups in Nagaland, Manipur and other places which witnessed inter-group factionalism and rivalry.

"At times (the fights) get attributed to security forces when we have no hand," Bakshi said, adding that they suspected that those responsible for the ambush on May 22, perhaps, were clandestinely finding safe sanctuaries in places other than our own country.

"And to that extent we can only request that such safe sanctuaries not be provided in a spirit of good neighbourhood," the army commander said.

In June last year, army commandos had carried out a surgical strike at militant camps in Myanmar killing at least 38 Naga insurgents after NSCN(K) killed 18 army personnel in Manipur.

After joining the Eastern Command on August 1 last year, Bakshi's first visitor was a top army officer from Myanmar.

"We are jointly addressing it but you know insurgency knows no boundaries," he said.

On whether there was any lacunae in following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the Assam Rifles convoy which was fatally attacked, he said prima facie there was no lapse.

"In insurgency this can happen anywhere. No matter what precaution you take. Our SOPs are in place. It was only the first vehicle they attacked and before the next vehicle came in, they ran away. So procedures were followed," he said, adding that every such incident was a wake-up call for them.

When asked whether there are any reports of insurgent groups fuelling unrest in Manipur over the Inner Line Permit System, he said he would not get into the political part, but the army had full situational awareness in the state.

"And as far as my orders to the commanders on the ground go, it is very clear that anyone going with a weapon doing suspicious activity is to be treated as a militant," Bakshi said.

A junior commissioned officer and five soldiers were gunned down by militants on May 22 afternoon in Chandel district.

CorCom, an umbrella body of Imphal valley's proscribed outfits, had claimed the responsibility for the ambush.
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a PPP body under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,announced appointment of Manish Kumar as MD and CEO and Jayant Krishna as ED and Chief Operating Officer (COO) on Monday.

NSDC's former MD and CEO Dilip Chenoy and former COO Atul Bhatnagar, both appointees of the previous UPA government, resigned last October after reports that the Modi government was not happy with the functioning of the corporation.

Even Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy is reported to have expressed displeasure at the way the NSDC was run in the past, who had spoken about its failure to meet the industry need for trained manpower.

"The NSDC came as a big idea where the private sector said it needs trained manpower... A private sector man with the highest salary in the country was given that job. No one asked what you are doing and the government gave Rs 2,000 crore to it," Rudy had said at an event last November.

"But there has to be degree of accountability on the public money and my biggest disappointment came when the whole mandate (of meeting the industry's requirement of trained manpower) was actually not achieved."



On the new appointment, NSDC Chairman S Ramadorai said: "The leadership team that is coming in brings rich experience in the government and the private sector. The Prime Minister has set an ambitious goal on Skilling India with allocation of funds. Policies and frameworks are in place. Now is the time for execution and with this team at the helm, I am confident we will reach our goals."



Kumar is a 1991 batch IAS officer who comes to the helm of NSDC with over 24 years of experience.

Krishna has an overall industry experience of more than 29 years and has worked with TCS and held various key positions.

"Manish Kumar will be joining NSDC as Managing Director



and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Jayant Krishna will take up the new role of the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at NSDC effective July 1, 2016," a release said.
Greeting Muslims on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan, US President Barack Obama affirmed his commitment to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans, regardless of their religion or appearance.

"As Muslim Americans celebrate the holy month, I am reminded that we are one American family. I stand firmly with Muslim American communities in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights," Obama said yesterday in a statement.

"I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance. I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all," he said.

In this month of reflection, Obama said, one cannot forget the millions of lives that have been displaced by conflict and struggle, across the world and in the US.

"Far too many Muslims may not be able to observe Ramadan from the comfort of their own homes this year or afford to celebrate Eid with their children. We must continue working together to alleviate the suffering of these individuals," he said.

Obama said the US would continue to welcome immigrants and refugees, including Muslims. "This sacred time reminds us of our common obligations to uphold the dignity of every human being," he said.

Extending his wishes to Muslims across the United States and around the world, he said the month is an opportunity to focus on reflection and spiritual growth, forgiveness, patience and resilience, compassion for those less fortunate, and unity across communities.

He said the US was blessed with Muslim communities as diverse as the nation. "There are those whose heritage can be traced back to the very beginning of our nation, as well as those who have only just arrived," he said.

"It's also a time of year that brings some of the best dishes to the table across the world as families and neighbours gather for iftar," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also greeted Muslims in the US and around the world on the occasion.

"Ramadan is a cherished month in Islam. It is a sacred period of prayer and fasting, offering hospitality, and remembering those who are less fortunate," he said in a statement.

"Through our embassies and consulates around the world, we recognise these important values through Ramadan events, which demonstrate our commitment to promoting social cohesion, diversity, and welcome within our communities. During this month of peace and renewal, we wish the 1.6 billion Muslims around the world a joyful Ramadan Kareem," Kerry said.
One person was killed and four others were injured in a clash between two groups at Narkeldanga in the eastern part of the city and four doctors were subsequently assualted by angry family members when they were rushed to a government hospital, police said today.

The clash over an old rivalry took place at around 10 PM last night and a 28-year-old named Koulesh Roy was stabbed fatally, Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police of the Special Task Force Vishal Garg said.

He was declared brought dead by NRS College and Hospital, where he was rushed.

His family members turned violent and manhandled four doctors, Garg said adding nine people were arrested in connection with it.

Three others who were injured were rushed to the hsopital too and one of them who was stated to be in critical condition was later admitted to a private hospital by his family members.

Police later arrested a person in connection with the clash, he said.

Two cases were registered by the police. One by Narkeldanga police station for last night's clash and another at Entally police station for the assault of the doctors, Garg added.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar today said that over one thousand child labourers have been rescued from the city last year.

"Over a thousand child labourers, working in bangle-making and leather-bags making units, have been rescued. We have also rescued over 400 child beggars and arrested over a thousand people," he said.

"It our duty to rescue children from exploitative work conditions. We are always there for people, but it will great if we get help from citizens in such situations," Padsalgikar added.

The Police Commissioner was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a six-day awareness campaign launched by Pratham Council for Vulnerable Children (PCVC), the child rights wing of NGO Pratham. The campaign named 'Complete the Circle' is aimed at drawing people's attention towards the issue of child rights.

Besides Padsalgikar, Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe, actors Sachin Khedekar, who is the campaign brand ambassador, and Spruha Joshi, were present at the launch.

Co-founder of Pratham, Farida Lambay, while elaborating about the campaign, said, "The campaign has been organised to mark the World Day Against Child labour, which falls on June 12. It aims to urge citizens to raise their voices and take action when they see children in exploitative condition."



The campaign will be implemented through social media platforms like twitter and Facebook, besides the signature campaigns, she added.

The theme of the campaign is child labour, child beggar/hawkers, girl child, children with special needs and child sexual abuse and education.

According to Lambay, several celebrities have extended their support to the campaign.
Pakistan today handed over 18Indian fishermen to India at Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completing their sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan's territorial waters.

Punjab Rangers handed over the 18 Indian fishermen, who were releasedyesterday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force at Wagah Border, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said.

The fishermen were allowed to cross over the border after verification of their documents, he added.

The fishermen had been in the Malir Jail for the past few years for violating the territorial waters of the country.

The Edhi Foundation, which paid for the arrangement for the fishermen's return to their home, said each fisherman was given Rs 5,000 and gifts - clothes of themselves and their family members in India - before their departure.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons.
Pakistan Prime Minister was today discharged from hospital, a week after successfully undergoing an open-heart surgery here.

Sharif's wife Kulsum Nawaz and his two sons Hassan and Hussain accompanied the Premier from the Harley Street Clinic in London to his house in the British capital.

Sharif moved to his home in Park Lane this evening after undergoing the "successful" surgery last Tuesday.

"He is in good spirits with his family by his side," a source close to the family said.

The 66-year-old PML-N leader had gone to London on May 22 for a regular medical checkup but was diagnosed with a heart complication by doctors who suggested surgery.

Premier's daughter Maryam tweeted, "Dekho, dekho kon aaya (look, look, who has come)", along with a picture of Sharif coming out of the hospital.

Earlier in the day, Maryam said, "Doctors satisfied with PM's progress and latest reports. All being well, Insha'Allah PM will be discharged this afternoon."

"PM going back home," she wrote on twitter.

Yesterday, nearly a week after the Premier underwent surgery, Maryam had announced that his recovery was on track.

"PM's recovery on course. Was made to walk several times in the corridor during the day, and up and down a flight of stairs twice," Maryam tweeted.

This was Sharif's second cardiac procedure in five years.

The need for the surgery arose after the Premier went through a cardiac procedure called Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in 2011, "during which certain complications occurred resulting in perforation of heart", Maryam had told the media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani were among several world leaders who had wished Sharif ahead of his surgery.

However, Sharif had only spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the surgery.
A Palestinian wounded during clashes with Israeli soldiers escorting Jewish pilgrims at a holy site in the occupied West Bank died from his injuries today, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Jamal Dweikat, 20, was shot in the head on Friday near Joseph's Tomb on the outskirts of Nablus. The tomb is the site of regular clashes.

Many Jews believe the tomb holds the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. Palestinians believe an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yussef (Joseph) Dweikat, was buried there two centuries ago.

It is located in the northern West Bank in an area under Palestinian security control.

Once per month, the Israeli army authorises visits to the tomb by Jewish pilgrims, carried out at night. Hundreds visited overnight Thursday to Friday, provoking another round of clashes.

Violence since October has killed 207 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were killed in clashes or by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Seeking to strengthen military ties, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today met Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, with whom he reviewed strategic partnership and new initiatives undertaken to further nourish cooperation in the military sector.

Parrikar also met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his counterpart Gen Ngo Xuan Lich and held high level bilateral talks on key military issues including possible sale of supersonic missile Brahmos to the Southeast Asian country and reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation initiatives.

During the interaction, Ngo emphasised on the significance of closer ties between Vietnam and India due to common threats and challenges.

The contentious South China Sea was also believed to have been discussed by the two Defence ministers, official sources said here.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, Parrikar and Ngo emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of data in the maritime domain. The two sides also focused on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

The meeting gained significance as both countries are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership, with defence sector being the major sector contributing towards this partnership.

Parrikar, who reached Hanoi yesterday, attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries.

The highlight of the meeting was the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Limited. India has recently provided Vietnam with a US$100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by Vietnam for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

Speaking on the occasion, he desired Indian private sector to lead the initiative and explore and actively participate in Vietnamese modernisation of defence forces.

This will not just strengthen the diplomatic and military bond between both the nations but also open the doors of strategic exports, he said.

Parrikar also assured the Indian private sector of full support of Ministry of Defence, DRDO and DPSU to realise the aspiration of exports of defence items to friendly nations at competitive price.

The major areas identified for working together are for upgrade of Soviet legacy systems, upgradation of Thermal Sights and Fire Control Systems for - BMP, T 54 and T 55 Tanks, upgarade of MI 17 / Mi 8 Helicopters, Shipbuilding Programmes, Missile Systems from India and Software Defined Radios from Vietnam.
Ruling ally BJP in Punjab today expressed concern over "deteriorating" law and order in the state and took up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here.

The core group of Punjab BJP led by state unit chief Vijay Sampla held a meeting with Badal at his residence here and discussed various issues with him, said a party release.

In the meeting, Sampla raised the issue of "deteriorating" law and order in the state, attack on religious leaders and rising incidents of gang war.

While expressing concern, he demanded that law and order should be maintained at all cost to eliminate the "atmosphere of fear" from the minds of people in the state.

Notably, Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale was attacked by armed men in Ludhiana last month in which his aide Bhupinder Singh was killed.

Earlier, in the month of April, motorcycle-borne assailants had gunned down Chand Kaur, matriarch of Namdharis, at the headquarters of the sect at Bhaini Sahib near Ludhiana.

Sampla also raised the issue of VAT refund and demanded from Punjab CM to resolve this issue at the earliest.

He asked government to ensure that VAT refunds are disbursed in a time-bound manner.

Sampla, who is also a Union Minister, sought notification of VAT exemption and VAT rate reduction on some commodities including turmeric, coriander, cumin, black pepper which were announced in the state budget.

Cabinet Minister and BJP MLA Anil Joshi raised the problems faced by shopkeepers and business community in Amritsar in the meeting. He said they are facing losses as vehicles are not allowed near Golden Temple between 7 AM and 9 PM. Sampla asked Badal to resolve the problems of shopkeepers.

He also asked Badal to appoint president and vice president in municipal committees as per understanding between SAD and BJP.

The Punjab BJP chief also took strong note of bringing BJP councilors into Akali Dal fold.
The Allahabad High Court bench here today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against Bollywood film "Shorgul", based on 2014 Muzaffarnagar communal riots, and asked the petitioner to move the competent authority to examine the matter.

Since the date of release of the film has been proposed as June 24, the court said it hoped that the central government or competent authority thereof shall take a decision in the matter before release of the film.

A division bench of Justice Shree Narain Shukla and Justice Rakesh Srivastva gave this order on the PIL filed by a social worker of Meerut district Milan Som.

A direction was sought in the PIL to quash the certificate of public exibition of the film granted under Cinematograph Act,1952, as also for issuing a direction to the respondents Union of India and others, to be more vigilant in their approach as regards religious and the image of famous public figures while dealing with issue related to religion and religious sentiments during the process of grant of certificate for public exibition to other films in future.

Counsel for a respondent had raised objection against the maintainability of the petition for such a relief pointing out that there was a provision for regulation of exibition under Cinematograph Act, vested with the central government.

Therefore, the petitioner, being aggrieved with the film in question, had a remedy to approach the central government to ban or suspend the exibition of film, the counsel contended.

The court said it had gone through the relevant provisions of the Act and found that the central government was vested with the power to suspend exibition of a film in certain cases on being satisfied with the terms and conditions laid down therein.

Thereafter, it passed the order dismissing the PIL.

According to the petitioner's counsel Digvijay Nath Dubey, some scenes of this film were "objectionable and dangerous" to social harmony, hence, exibition of the film should not be permitted.

Union of India, state of UP and others had been made party in it, Dubey said.
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot today accused BJP of misusing people's money to celebrate the second anniversary of the Modi government and using the occasion to make statements against his party.

"Two years of the Modi government have passed but the government has no special achievement to highlight. The government is doing nothing but changing the names of the programmes which were initiated by the former UPA government," Pilot said.

"BJP had made tall promises before coming to power but the promises have not been fulfilled. There is a huge difference between the saying and doing of BJP, which is just using this opportunity to make unwarranted statements against the Congress," he said.

Pilot claimed not a single expectation of the people have been was fulfilled by the government.
Seeking to create two or three Switzerlands within India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today courted Swiss business leaders to boost domestic manufacturing and skill development.

Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging talks with prominent business leaders from Switzerland including officials of ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter and Roche.

Addressing a business-roundtable here, he told the Swiss watch industry that the diamonds on their watches come from Gujarat and "so I am fully sensitive to your concerns."



"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," he told the business leaders. "We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us."



India, he said, is not just a market of 1.25 billion. "We have skills and a government open to business."



Their discussion focused on ways to enhance trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also talked about government's commitment towards easing business environment in the country.

The Prime Minister urged the Swiss business leaders to explore the Investment opportunities in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for the US after ending his engagements in Switzerland, where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Au Revoir Geneve! In under half a day, PM completes visit and emplanes for Washington DC," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

During the visit, India and Switzerland also agreed to step up cooperation to unearth blackmoney Indians stashed in Swiss banks.

In Washington, the prime minister will meeet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office, their sixth after Modi assumed power.

He is also scheduled to address a joint session of US Congress on June 8.

Modi is on a five-nation tour. He began his travel in Afghanistan, then travelled to Qatar and Switzerland.

After the US, he will visit Mexico at the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann here today to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation.

Modi arrived in Geneva late last night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

"A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

The two leaders thereafter led delegation-level talks.

"A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland," Swarup said in another tweet.

Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.

"I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he had said.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Modi is also likely to seek Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping.

He began his five-nation visit in Afghanistan. From here, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico.
A man allegedly posing as a Delhi Police official managed to get a report concerning a case related to an examination conducted by army, from a prominent private forensic lab situated in Safdarjung Enclave in south Delhi, police said today.

An FIR was registered in this regard at Safdarjung Enclave on Friday and investigation has been taken up, said a senior police officer.

Police said that the matter came to light when the report was sought by Najafgarh police. The lab told that it had already handed over the report to a cop from the police station.

When Najafgarh police inquired about the report it found that no one from there had gone to take it.

Later, a complaint was lodged by the lab official at Safdarjung Enclave.
Kicking off the first roadshow for auctioning 46 discovered small oil and gas fields, Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today expressed confidence of getting good response for the blocks which are being sold with least conditionalities.

Promising a transparent regulatory regime and greater ease of doing business, the minister said the current auction, as also the recently announced Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), are both significant improvements over the previous NELP regime.

"The spirit behind the journey from NELP to HELP is to create administrative and fiscal systems which are a lot simpler and transparent," Pradhan said, adding that since these fields have no pre-qualification criteria, he expects good participation from even startups and individuals with experience in the field.

He said as part of the discovered small fields bids, 67 different small fields across nine sedimentary basins are on the block. Out of this, 36 are offshore fields and the rest onshore or shallow water fields.

These blocks were originally discovered by ONGC and Oil India some 40 years ago, but could not be developed due to various reasons.

These 67 blocks on offer are present in 46 contract areas with 625 million barrels of oil or oil equivalent gas of in-place reserves worth Rs 70,000 crore. These are spread over 1,500 sq km over land, shallow water and deep-water areas, he added.

The minister further said the bid round aims to boost the oil and gas production and is in line with the government mission of reducing import dependence by 2022 by 10 per cent from the present 78 per cent.

"We realised that without addressing the fundamental challenges facing our domestic E&P industry, we won't be able to ramp up domestic oil and gas production. We are also convinced that a simplified and transparent administrative and regulatory setup has a huge role in fast-tracking developmental activities in hydrocarbon sector," Pradhan said.

The country meets 78 per cent of its oil and gas demand through imports. Of its total demand of 226 million tonnes, only 70 million tonnes are produced domestically.

"Given our 78 per cent dependence on imports, I strongly believe that all quantities of hydrocarbon - big or small - are crucial for us and therefore, we feel that these new bids are a timely step in the right direction," he said.

Some of the key features of the new policy include no upfront signature bonus, freedom in pricing, no oil cess, custom duty exemption and graded royalty rates, Director General of Hydrocarbons Atanu Chakraborty said.

He said interested parties can access information dockets through the e-bidding gateway, which is live from today. They can also access physical data centers with interpretation facility in Noida, Calgary, London and Houston.

Oil Secretary K D Tripathi said e-bidding will run from



July 15 through October 31, post which in two months investors will be selected and contracts will be signed by January.

He also said the next round of roadshows will be held in Bengaluru and Guwahati, while international roadshows will be conducted in London, Houston, Calgary in Canada, Dubai, Singapore and Perth in Australia.

The present auctions, to be conducted on simpler contractual terms together with pricing and marketing freedom, will be the first licensing round in over five years, Tripathi said.

The government had liberalised exploration and production regime in the early 1990s. In the late 1990s, it further liberalised the E&P sector with the introduction of NELP regime that allowed 100 per cent FDI and offered a level playing field to private and national oil companies.

NELP was based on production sharing contract (PSC) which meant revenue sharing with government after cost recovery by the contractor.

The fields offered for global bidding hold 625 million barrels of in-place oil/gas reserves.

Pradhan said 46 fields that are offered are actually 67 small and marginal discoveries that have been clubbed. ONGC and Oil India "surrendered" these fields as they could not develop them because of huge overhead cost and uneconomic size, he said but added that these national exploration companies will not get compensation from the bidders at all.

"May be ONGC and OIL can ask for some revenue sharing, apart from participating in these bids," Pradhan said



The last exploration licensing round concluded in March 2012. That was the ninth round of bidding under NELP. A total of 256 blocks were awarded in the nine rounds of NELP.

In the current round of bidding, as many as 67 idle discoveries are clubbed into 46 fields for offer in the international bidding round. Of these, 28 discoveries are in Bombay offshore, 14 in the Krishna Godavari basin and 10 in the Assam shelf.

In-place reserves in these identified discoveries/ fields is about 88 mt of oil/oil equivalent gas. The biggest discovery among the lot is the D-18 in Bombay Offshore that alone holds 14.78 million tonnes of in-place oil reserves.

Among gas discoveries, the largest is ONGC's B-9 in offshore Kutch basin that has in-place reserves of 14.67 bcm.
President Pranab Mukherjee will embark on a four-day visit to Ghana and Ivory Coast beginning June 12 with an aim to boost India's ties with the two African nations in areas of trade and investment.

Mukherjee will first head to Ghana where he will have talks with President John Dramani Mahama on a range of bilateral as well as global issues.

"A number of agreements are under process for signing including setting up of a joint commission between India and Ghana and renewal of Cultural Exchange Programme," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

Mukherjee will be received on his arrival by Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Vice-President of Ghana, it said.

His engagements in Ghana include an address to the Joint Business Forum at the University of Ghana and interaction with the Indian community.

Mukherjee will unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and also plant a sapling at Ghanaian Presidential Complex, an iconic building built with Indian assistance through a Line of credit.

He will also visit the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of ICT Excellence in Accra, set up with Indian assistance of USD 2.86 million.

Bilateral trade and investments between Ghana and India have been steadily growing. India's cumulative investments in Ghana till date have exceeded USD 1 billion and bilateral trade crossed US USD 3 billion mark in 2015-16.

President Mahama will also host a State Banquet in honour of Mukherjee.

Mukherjee will depart for Ivory Coast on June 14.

This will be the first high-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

India and Ivory Coast enjoy warm and friendly relations sharing common values of democracy, development and secularism.

Bilateral trade between India and Ivory Coast grew from USD 344.99 million in 2010-11 to US USD 841.85 million in 2014-15.

India has extended lines of credit amounting to USD 156.3 million to the Government of Ivory Coast for developmental projects in diverse fields such as public transportation, rural electrification, rice self-sufficiency, cashew nut processing, vegetable oil processing, coconut fibre processing, fisheries processing etc.

Mukherjee would be received by Alassane Ouattara, President of Republic of Ivory Coast. Both the Presidents will have one-to-one meeting followed by delegation level talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

Mukherjee would be conferred the National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast, the highest honour of the country.

The President would address a Joint Business Forum and also interact with the Indian Community.

The visit comes days after incidents of attacks on African nationals here that had triggered outrage among the community.
The mortal remains of Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, the maternal grandmother of bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, has been laid to rest at the cemetery of a church here.

Akhouri, 94, a freedom fighter, social activist and a former MLA, had breathed her last on June 3 in Mumbai.

As she had expressed her wish to be be laid to rest in her home state, Kerala, her body was brought here for the last rites, family sources said.

Priyanka had tweeted, "I will always remember you with that big smile on your face and the shine in your eyes. Rest in".

"Rest in peace Nani", she said in another tweet yesterday. Priyanka also shared a photograph of her grandmother in Instagram.

A number of relatives including Priyanka, flew down from Mumbai to perform the last rites yesterday.

Born as Mary in Kavalappara family at Kumarakom here, Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri had gone to Bihar as nurse and later married Dr Akhouri.

Besides Priyanka's mother Madhu Chopra, she is survived by two other dauthers and a son.
Protests today erupted in Rajasthan University here over a question related to the ideology of BJP in a post graduate-level examination, prompting police to baton charge to disperse the protesting students' group.

Students affiliated to National Students Union of India (NSUI) were protesting at the varsity gate when police dispersed them by baton charge which allegedly left a few of them injured who were admitted to a hospital.

At least two students received injuries, students alleged.

"Mild force was used to disperse the mob and 11 students were held and detained," police said.

The students were protesting against a question related to the ideology of BJP in MA (final year) question paper of Rajasthani Literature last week.

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Archana Sharma condemned the action and met the protesting students at the Gandhi Nagar police station.

"BJP is using the curriculum to publicise its ideology. The students had been protesting for the last three days but instead of listening to them, the government get the students lathicharged by police," Sharma alleged.
Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani today termed as "arrogance of power" Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that "if there is an issue, it is the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, not Kashmir".

Geelani said in a statement here that Singh's remark "reflects his arrogance of power".

Geelani also termed as "her deception" Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's statement asking Kashmiri youths to denounce violence which had only brought miseries to the people of state.
Eight civilians including five members of one family were killed in 24 hours of shelling by Iran-backed rebels on residential parts of Yemen's third city Taez, local officials said today.

Three children were among those killed in clashes that have continued despite a ceasefire and peace talks in Kuwait between Huthi rebel and loyalist delegates, the sources said.

Another 13 civilians were wounded, the sources added, accusing the rebels of firing mortar and artillery rounds into the residential areas.

Rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in Taez killed 11 civilians yesterday, drawing condemnation from UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He has urged both sides to respect the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

However, the government sources in Taez said nine loyalist fighters were killed and 26 wounded in 24 hours of clashes in the city's eastern districts.

Military sources told AFP that 12 rebels were also killed.

Witnesses said fighting continued today across several residential neighbourhoods of the southwestern city.

Separately, suspected jihadists attacked the airport in the government-held second city Aden, sparking a firefight that killed at least one civilian, a security source said.

Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow jihadist of Western origin who was detained late last month.

Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.

The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained jihadist, a Western national of Algerian origin.

The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.

Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies.
The former chief of SIT tasked to probe the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast case by the Haryana government, Vikash Narain Rai, today said his team did not get any support from the Madhya Pradesh police after their probe led them to Indore.

Rai said he too initially believed that the blast, which ripped through the only train between India and Pakistan, was the handiwork of a Pakistani terror outfit aided by the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

However, detailed study of the explosive used by the perpetrators of the crime showed the material was not similar to those used by the terror groups like Lashker-e-Taiba or SIMI. Further probe led them to Hindu right wing suspects.

"Our investigations led us to Indore from where the suitcase (used in the explosion) was purchased. On detailed survey of the market, we found that other material was also purchased from the same place.

"The sad part is that the kind of support we wanted from the local police was missing and this took us a little time in solving the entire mystery behind the case," he said.

"As we were zeroing on Sunil Joshi, we received a that he has been murdered by two of his close associates -- Ram Chandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange (both are named as RSS workers by the NIA in its charge sheet in the 2008 Malegaon blast case)," he said, adding his assassination was an attempt to cover up the case.

Further investigations led the SIT to conclude that Hindu hardliners were involved in the case.

"The signatures were the same in Malegaon 2008 and Mecca Masjid blast. I had detailed talks with the slain Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare which corroborated many things of our case.

"Like we benefited by recovering a suitcase with an unexploded explosive device, Karkare was benefited by recovering the motorcycle (that was used in Malegaon blast). Investigations in both the cases hinted towards Joshi and his team," he said.
A retired police officer today shot himself dead at Kalyan in the district, police said.

He was identified as sub-inspector (retd) Narayan Bhanushali (62).

He was suffering from depression for the last two years since the death of his wife, police said.

He shot himself with his revolver at his house sometime after the midnight and died instantly.

Khadakpada police have registered a case and are conducting further probe.
Body of a 60-year-old retired teacher was today recovered from a drain in Chakraberia area in the southern part of the city this morning, police said.

The body found lying upside down in the drain was that of Sunanda Ganguly, who used to stay alone in the ground floor of an old two-storied building on Bakultala Road within Bhowanipore Police Station limits.

There was no injury marks on the woman's body but police said the way the body was lying upside down in the drain was "quite unnatural".

"Primary signs suggest it to be a case of murder. There are clear signs of struggle inside the room," Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police of the Special Task Force (STF) Vishal Garg, who visited the murder site said.

Sunanda used to occupy the ground floor room for the last 50 years.

Locals alleged that Ganguly was murdered by some promoters of the area who were eyeing the old building for a long time.

Residents of the area also alleged that the promoters had allegedly kidnapped the old woman a couple of years back.

"The promoters were also trying to prove her as insane. They were after her for a long time because she was reluctant to vacate the room of the building which was sold to them by the owner. She was threatened by the promoters and complaints were lodged at Bhowanipore Police Station regarding this though no action was initiated," a local resident said.

Talking about the alleged role of the promoter, Garg said, "We are looking into all the possibilities. I have heard that there are some cases lodged in the same matter. We are waiting for the post mortem report."



Sniffer dogs, sleuths from the Kolkata Police homicide department have started investigation into the matter.
Russian-backed Syrian regime forces today inched closer to a key stop on a vital Islamic State group supply line, as a twin offensive bore down on the jihadists' northern stronghold.

The advance comes as 17 civilians -- nearly half of them children -- were killed in air raids on a popular market in eastern Syria on the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

Government fighters entered the scramble for Tabqa at the weekend, when troops backed by Russian air strikes surged north towards the town on the banks of the Euphrates.

IS fighters in the town of Tabqa are now caught between the regime forces advancing from the southwest and US-supported Kurdish and Arab fighters pushing in from the north.

The coincidence of the near-simultaneous attacks has raised speculation about possible coordination between the United States and Russia in the anti-IS fight.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), last week launched an assault on Tabqa, its military base, and a nearby dam from the north of Raqa province.

But while they remain 60 kilometres north of Tabqa, the government surged forward today, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Russian-backed government fighters are now within 24 kilometres of Lake Assad, the key reservoir in the Euphrates Valley contained by the Tabqa Dam, said the Britain-based Observatory.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said regime forces were "reinforcing their positions" south of the town.

"There is a joint operations room in Baghdad where the Iraqis and the Syrians are coordinating with the support of the Americans and the Russians," a source close to the regime said today.

Around Tabqa in particular, the source said, it would be "impossible" for the US and Russia to back their respective ground allies if they did not coordinate.

London-based analyst Matthew Henman stressed that any coordination between Washington and Moscow has so far been "informal".

"There may be an element of informal, top-level coordination to avoid any confusion or inadvertent clashes but full coordination is unlikely," said Henman, who heads IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Research Centre.

Russia last month floated a proposal for joint air strikes with the US against jihadists in Syria, but the offer was swiftly rejected.

Two years after it shot to international infamy after declaring a fundamentalist "caliphate," IS is coming under mounting international pressure.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to "actively support" Syrian troops from the air around Aleppo today, after a weekend of fierce fighting left dozens dead in the divided city.

Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia has waited long enough for Syria's moderate opposition to leave areas controlled by jihadist groups, and that air raids by Russia should "not be a surprise".

"What is happening in Aleppo and around it now, we warned the Americans about this in advance, and they know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory," he told a press conference.

Washington "is asking us and Syrian leadership to delay air strikes" until opposition forces are separated from jihadists of the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, he said.

"We believe there has been more than enough time" for that, he said.

"Everyone who has not left the terrorists now only have themselves to blame."



"We will be deciding on how our airforce should act based on our understanding of the situation," he said.

"We share this understanding with the Americans during video-conferences... There won't be any surprises for the Americans."



At the weekend, the Russian defence ministry unusually dispatched several statements marked "urgent" about clashes and massing "terrorist" forces near Aleppo, even suggesting the presence of Turkish troops.

Early Monday, the ministry said there were over two thousand militants near the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood, among them "various terrorist groups and teams of so-called 'moderate opposition'," accusing them of killing dozens of civilians.

Aleppo is divided between government and rebel control and has seen some of the worst fighting, which has thwarted diplomatic efforts to get the sides to move towards peace.
South Africa today sought to allay fears after Washington warned Americans of a possibly imminent terror attack by Islamic extremists in the country's major cities.

"We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger," State Security Minister David Mahlobo said in a statement.

The United States on Saturday said it had received information that terrorist groups were planning to carry out attacks in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The warning said attacks may target sites frequented by US citizens, including high-end shopping areas and malls in the economic hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town, which is popular with tourists.

It came against the background of the Islamic State group's "public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan," the US embassy in South Africa said.

One of South Africa's largest shopping centres, Sandton City in Johannesburg, said it was taking the warning seriously.

Along with several other malls, it is "on high alert and additional security measures have been implemented", said Nomzamo Radebe, CEO of JHI Retail which owns Sandton City.

But the South African government played down the threat.

State security ministry spokesman Brian Dube told AFP that authorities have not stepped up security following the alert.

"We have not come to a situation where we have to change our national threat level," Dube said.

"Our information has not necessarily confirmed what has been raised by the Americans," he added.
Concerned over a large number of companies indulging in illegal money pooling activities, markets regulator Sebi today cautioned investors and general public against dealing with such entities, the number of which stands at 335 as per the latest update.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has cautioned investors against unlisted companies, issuing securities without complying with the market norms, and against firms running unregistered Collective Investment Schemes (CIS).

Updating the list, Sebi has so far made public of 100 entities indulging in CIS, and another 235 firms issuing securities without complying with the market norms, the capital market watchdog asked investors not to invest in their illegal fund mobilisation activities.

Sebi has asked investors to report such unauthorised money pooling activities to the market regulator, state authorities including police "immediately, along with appropriate details/ documents".

In a statement, Sebi has cautioned investors not to invest in schemes offered by entities barred by it from raising money or entities not registered with the regulator.

Since January 2011, it has passed orders against 100 companies and their respective directors carrying on unregistered CIS.

Among the companies banned by Sebi from raising funds are Garima Homes & Farm Houses, Anmol India Agro Herbal Farming and Dairies Care Co, SPNJ Land Projects and Developers India, Garima Real Estate and Allied, Swar Agrotech India and Swar Agroteak and Housing India.

Sebi further said that Gift Collective Investment Management Company Ltd is the only company registered with it to undertake CIS activities.

In an another statement, Sebi has cautioned investors against unlisted companies issuing securities without complying with 'Public Offer' norms.

Before investing in securities, the regulator advised investors to see whether offering companies have filed offer document or application with stock exchanges for listing.

According to the norms, any offer of securities made to 50 or more persons has to be construed as a 'Public Offer'.

Some unlisted companies are luring retail investors by issuing securities, including non-convertible and convertible debentures, non-convertible and convertible preference shares, equity shares in the garb of private placement without complying with requisite provisions of the law.

The regulator has taken several prohibitory action against these 235 firms. Among such firms are Cell Industries, Affiance Industries, Tribhuvan Agro projects, Mass Infra Realty, GBC Enterprise, Tribhuvan Agro projects, Phenix Properties and Sankalp Projects.
Security forces today launched a search operation in the forests of Handwara region of Kupwara district following a tip-off about presence of militants in the area, police said in Srinagar.

"A search operation has been launched in the Bawan forests of Handwara by security forces this morning following inputs about a group of militants in the area," a police official said.

He said so far no contact has been established with the militants, who are believed to be hiding the dense forest area.
Various security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir's frontier districts of Poonch and Rajouri today held a meeting to review the emerging security scenario in the wake of increase in militant activities in the state.

The meeting of police and army officials, including those from intelligence agencies from Poonch and Rajouri, was held in Rajouri, a defence spokesman said.

"Wide-ranging discussions were held on the emerging security situation in the twin districts," he said.

Other issues discussed included movement of civilians along the border fence and Mughal Road, he added.

"Preparedness of disaster management and security of the upcoming Amarnath yatra in Poonch were also discussed," the spokesman said.
In efforts to resume negotiations on proposed India-EFTA free trade pact, senior Swiss government official Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch will visit India this week.

The announcement was made about the upcoming visit of State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Schneider-Ammann here today.

The trade talks between India and Europe Free Trade Association (EFTA) -- the grouping of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein -- have been stalled on a host of issues.

In a statement issued after the meeting between Modi and Schneider-Ammann, the Swiss government said the President reiterated Switzerland's wish to intensify efforts towards a free trade agreement between the EFTA states and India.

"State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will travel to India this week in this connection," it noted.

Attributing to Schneider-Ammann, the statement said it is hoped that the visit would mark a further step towards resuming negotiations.

India is Switzerland's third largest trading partner in Asia.

The negotiations on India-EFTA free trade pact have been stuck since November 2013 due to various issues, including those pertaining to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

India-EFTA trade talks were launched in 2008. The proposed pact covers both trade in goods (industrial and agricultural products) and in services, market access for investments, protection of intellectual property and public procurement.

Both the sides have completed over a dozen rounds of talks so far.

Two-way trade between India and EFTA stood at USD 24.5 billion in 2014-15 as against USD 22.1 billion in 2013-14.

Both countries share a strong interest in vocational education and training.

"Swiss and Indian institutions are working together on a research programme with the aim of establishing a joint culture of research. There is great potential in climate research, cleantech, air pollution control, sustainable urban development and renewable energies," the statement said.

Besides, the two sides today discussed financial policy matters.

Switzerland and India stressed their shared resolve to take action against tax fraud and tax avoidance and underlined the high quality of their cooperation in this area, it added.

At the meeting, Switzerland was represented by Ineichen-Fleisch and State Secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) Yves Rossier.
Servion Global Solutions, an Everstone Capital and Solmark backed firm, on Monday announced appointment of Sameet Gupte as its new CEO and Member of Board.

In 2014, Everstone Capital along with Solmark, through Evertech signed an agreement to invest Rs 403 crore for acquiring majority stake in Ltd.

The city-based customer management solutions provider, has charted out a plan to "double" its revenues within the next four years, a company statement said.

"The new appointment comes as a the company plans to double revenue within next four years, with the firm growing at around 20% annually", it said.

Prior taking up the new role, Gupte was serving as "Executive Vice-President and Global Head of financial services for VirtusaPolaris".

Gupte replaces Balakrishnan K who has been elevated to Executive Vice-Chairman of Servion's Board.

Two-thirds of the company's revenue is contributed from the operations in the UK, the US and the company "would focus more on these markets", it said.
Ships entering or leaving Indian ports are not required to pay a piracy-related additional insurance premium now, a move which will help thousands of the vessels.

The development has come after seas close to the country's western coast were removed from the list of the High Risk Areas (HRA) for piracy. About 22,000 ships, that called on Indian ports between 2010 and 2015, paid an estimated additional war risk premium (AWRP) of about Rs 8,500 crore.

"Ministry of Shipping took up the issue of redrawing of the High Risk Area (HRA) Line back to 65 Degrees E (from 78 deg E) in the International Maritime Organization and as a result the HRA was redrawn at 65 deg E," the ministry said in a statement.

"Thereby, the ships coming to or leaving Indian ports do not have to pay AWRP now," the statement said.

Earlier, the IMO and members of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) had decided to move the longitude marking of the HRA from 65 Degree to 78 Degree East, extending the high risk area closer to Indian coastline.

A host of steps taken to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean and the country getting opportunity to co-chair a global body resulted in redefining of high risk zone, the statement said.

At the CGPCS's recent meeting in Male India was chosen to co-chair the important Working Group on improving maritime situational awareness in the region through consensus. The meeting held during May 31 - June 3 in Mahe, Seychelles.

Seychelles is the current chairman of the CGPCS for the biennium 2016-17.

The CGPCS was set up as a group of interested and affected nations, industry associations and multilateral agencies to take pro-active steps for checking piracy in the Indian Ocean region through a UN Security Council resolution.

An Indian delegation led by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping and comprising of officers of the Indian Navy, Ministry of External Affairs and Directorate General of Shipping represented India and discussed the actions taken in combating piracy in the Indian Ocean across the coast of Somalia.

In addition to escorting Indian-flagged ships, ships of other countries have also been escorted by the Indian Navy, it said adding merchant ships are currently being escorted along the entire length of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) which is heavily patrolled by Indian Navy vessels.
As part of its efforts to make villages located along Ganga open defecation-free, Government has launched a campaign 'Swachh Yug', a collaborative effort of three Union Ministries, to bring about behavioural change among people staying in villages along the holy river.

There are 5,169 villages located along Ganga falling under 1,651 gram panchayats (GPs) in 52 districts of five states - UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal from where the holy river flows through.

The Union Ministries of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Water Resources and Youth Affairs are working on the campaign in a collaborative manner, an official statement said today.

As part of the campaign, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, under the coordination of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, will enlist support of youth agencies such as the Bharat Scouts and Guides, Nehru Yuva Kendras and National Service Scheme.

These organisations will be called upon to provide a large number of local youth volunteers to support a behaviour change campaign in the 52 districts under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the statement said.

To take this initiative forward, a nodal officer has been identified for each district to work on making area under their jurisdiction open defecation free (ODF) in a "mission mode" as well as to focus on cleanliness at village through proper solid and liquid waste management.

"In addition to monetary incentive offered by government under Swachh Bharat Mission, extensive interpersonal behaviour change communication training will be given to local trainers through a network of virtual classrooms across the five states," the statement said.

As part of the same, the first virtual classroom will be launched tomorrow in 12 districts of Bihar, where five-day training will be provided to 50 youth volunteers in each location, connected to the trainer virtually.

"The training will be a mixture of a classroom interactive component, as well as a field visit component. Youth volunteer organisations will assist in these districts through massive local youth involvement," it said.

The districts and states have been assured of full support from Central government in these efforts.

The state teams have, in turn, expressed their enthusiasm for and commitment towards the initiative, the statement said.
In a major boost to its diplomatic push for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, India on Monday managed to win the crucial support of Switzerland, ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann said: We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG. The two countries agreed to step up cooperation in unearthing stashed by Indians in Swiss banks. The prime minister thanked the Swiss president for Switzerlands understanding and support for NSG membership. He also said combating the menace of and tax evasion was shared priority for both the countries.

Modi also met chief executives of several firms and sought Swiss investments to upgrade infrastructure such as railways, build Metro trains in 50 cities and 50 million affordable homes. He met prominent business leaders, including officials of ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter and Roche. Within my country I need to create two or three Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense, he told the business leaders. We want to have manufacturing of global standards.



At a round table meeting with chief executives of leading Swiss firms, Modi spoke about the steps his government has taken to make it easier to do business in India and went on to list his targets, including generating 175 gigawatts of solar energy. The Prime Minister said he stood committed to GST and European Free Trade Association. Keeping the climate change agenda in mind, India is targeting building of 175 Gw of solar energy. The experience of past two years has shown that we can complete it within time, he said. Modi, however, wanted solar equipment manufacturers to come to India and innovate.

Modi said the target before him were to boost Make in India as well as human resource development. "I want to improve the skill of our workforce  to meet the needs of India but also of the world," he said, adding India has 800 million people below the age of 35 years. Switzerland, he said, has experience in both the areas and the two nations can collaborate on it.

The US and many other NSG member countries have supported India's inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record. The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one countrys vote against India will scuttle a membership bid.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12 which will be taken up for consideration in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology.

Its membership will help India significantly expand its atomic energy sector.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue with the leadership of Mexico, another key member of the NSG.

India has stepped up its diplomatic outreach to various NSG member countries including China ahead of the group's crucial meetings.

The NSG had granted an exclusive waiver for India in 2008 to access civil nuclear technology after China reluctantly backed India's case based on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The Swiss President said his country will "certainly contribute actively" to India's effort to get NSG membership and hailed India's contribution to non-proliferation of nuclear arms.

During the talks, Modi and Schneider-Ammann agreed to expand cooperation in tackling the problem of Indians stashing blackmoney in Swiss banks besides resolving to step up ties in areas of trade, investment and vocational training.

He also said both the sides agreed to support each other for their respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the agreement on the automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect," Modi said.

On his part, the Swiss President said both the countries are making considerable progress in fighting tax fraud and evasion.

Indian tax authorities are probing cases of tax evasion and blackmoney stashed abroad. The probe had gained momentum after a leaked list of hundreds of Indian clients of HSBC's Geneva branch found its way to the Indian tax authorities.

Last month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said India had signed an agreement with Switzerland and received details of those people having accounts in HSBC.

"We completed assessment of those people who had accounts in HSBC, Switzerland. We assessed Rs 6,000 crore which was in HSBC. We filed criminal cases against them," he had said.

The Prime Minister said India has affirmed its readiness to resume talks on a free trade agreement with European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

The trade talks between India and EFTA -- the grouping of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein -- have been stalled on a host of issues like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and data safety.

The negotiations for the FTA were launched in 2008.

"We are all aware of the strengths of the Swiss economy. But, India too is undergoing profound transformations. We are today the fastest growing economy in the world. But, that alone is not enough.

"I want the Indian economy to be driven by smart and sustainable cities, robust farm sector, vibrant manufacturing and dynamic service sector. And, its engines to run on world class network of rail, roads, airports and digital connectivity," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said both sides have agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs.

Modi said India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

"India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. In last seven decades, our friendship has consistently seen an upward trajectory. Today, President and I reviewed our multifaceted bilateral ties. We also held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs," said the Prime Minister.

Talking about strong trade ties between the two countries, Modi said many Swiss companies are household names in India and both sides are keen to further expand the economic engagement.

Referring to energy security, Modi said reliance on renewable energy, rather than on fossil fuels would be India's "guiding motto".

"We see a perfect connect between our development needs and Swiss strengths. I, therefore, invite the Swiss companies to avail of this great opportunity to be a key partner in India's economic growth. Ultimately, the economic prosperity of 1.25 billion plus would also benefit the entire world," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also talked about Switzerland being a popular destination for shooting of Indian films, noting the strong ties between the people of the two countries are an important "base and benchmark" in bilateral ties.

In this regard, he also mentioned about India launching the e-Tourist Visa facility earlier this year for Swiss nationals.

"Thanks to the Indian film industry, we are very familiar with the enchanting beauty of the Swiss landscapes. But, we are also keen to welcome larger number of Swiss visitors to India," he said.

The Prime Minister also referred to Indian tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes winning a number of Grand Slams while pairing up with Swiss player Martina Hingis.

"There are many success stories of our relationship. One that has been making waves in the Grand Slams of the tennis world is the partnership of famous Swiss player Martina Hingis with Sania Mirza and Leander Paes of India.

"I am confident that our common commitments and values, people to people links and a strong and growing economic partnership will take our relations to new heights," said Modi.

Paes and Hingis had won the French Open mixed doubles last week. The pair had won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2015.
Taiwan's new defence minister said today his government would not recognise any air defence identification zone (ADIZ) which Beijing may proclaim in the disputed South China Sea.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper has cited Chinese army sources as saying Beijing was considering declaring a zone.

Any such move, said US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, would be "a provocative and destabilising act".

China unilaterally established an ADIZ in the East China Sea in December 2013, demanding all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei.

That move angered the United States, Japan and South Korea as well as Taiwan.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea despite competing partial claims by several Southeast Asian neighbours as well as Taiwan. It has built artificial islands in the area suitable for military use.

Taiwan's defence minister Feng Shih-kuan told parliament his ministry would not recognise any ADIZ in the South China Sea should Beijing proclaim one.

"We'll take a concrete step to show that it is unacceptable," Feng said without giving details.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have turned frosty since Tsai Ing-wen took office as the island's president. Beijing distrusts her Democratic Progressive Party, which has traditionally favoured formal independence for the island.

China still insists Taiwan is part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two have been ruled separately since 1949.
Certain technological parameters have been enhanced at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu to increase its safety standards following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, a senior Russian official has said.

Vladimir A Angelov, Director for Projects in India, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM said, " although these were serious modifications, the price of the contract remains unchanged."



Speaking to select Indian journalists on the sidelines of the world nuclear conference ATOMEXPO 2016 here recently, while discussing about a range of issues relating to KNPP, he said the atomic power plant in south India was Generation 3 plus which takes into account the Fukushima event.

"We have enhanced certain technological parameters in units 3 and 4 taking into account Fukushima lessons, specifically the seismic parameters. Although these are quite serious modifications the price of the contract remains unchanged," he said.

While the Indian side had requested the Russian experts to review the possibility of enhancing certain parameters, we also undertook the effort of analysing and enhancing them, he said.

"So power units 3 and 4 are designed for a higher seismic climatic and technical impact," he informed.

Asked if units 1 and 2 were post-Fukushima compliant, he said , "It is one protection for whole NPP. So the protection of the first and second power units will also be improved taking into account the improvements done at power units 3 and 4."



"And we have started the designing of units 5 and 6 also taking into account the new events. For example, the hydraulic structures of power units 3 and 4 are designed taking into account the design of future power units 5 and 6 and the new requirements," he added.

However, units 1 and 2 were fully compliant with the post-Fukushima lessons, he said.

Japan's Fukushima nuclear power station located in the Pacific Ocean coast received huge damage by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

As regards operations at KNPP, there were about 10 shift supervisors with relevant experience in the first unit and it is going to be the same in power units 2,3 and 4, he pointed out.

The Indian side approves operators after checking their qualification and such persons have high qualification of 30 years of having worked with the VVER design, being used in KNPP, he said.

On the second unit, which is expected to start commercial operations this month, Angelov said, " the scientists entered its commissioning already knowing certain problems in unit 1 and therefore, we are doing all the startups and adjustments at the power unit 2 in accordance with the schedule and being aware of the risks."



"We plan to connect it to the grid in the second half of July. Now, the works are being performed in strict compliance of the schedule and some of works are even ahead of schedule," he quoted.

One of the achievements was that of loading of fuel-163 fuel assemblies, in a very short time even compared to Russian NPPs, he said.

For instance, in the case of the NPP at Novovoronezh in Russia, fuel loading lasted for 10 days while at it took eight days which is very good, he added.
With the issue over call drops refusing to die down, Telecom Secretary J S Deepak has called a meeting of CEOs of mobile service providers to discuss that and much more.

"The telecom secretary has called a meeting of CEOs of telecom companies on June 10 to discuss issues in the sector and call drops," a source told PTI.

In the latest test drive conducted by the Trai in Delhi, the state-owned telecom operator MTNL failed on all network-based quality of service parameters.

"Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel and Idea need to further improve the call drop rate performance. The CDMA operators and MTNL need to improve across all parameters in order to offer acceptable levels of service," Trai said in the report.

As per the report for Delhi, Aircel and Vodafone have been using radio-link technology (RLT) beyond the levels their peers follow. RLT is one of the parameters which decides for how long the call should be sustained if the signal quality drops below a certain threshold. As per an official source, some telecom operators are using it for masking call drops, resulting in higher bills for subscribers.

Worried about the problem, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought more powers to penalise mobile operators as most of them have failed to meet the quality benchmark in this regard.

The Supreme Court recently quashed a rule that mandated telecom operators to compensate consumers Re 1 for each call drop with the upper limit at Rs 3 per day.

At present, disputes between consumers and telecom operators are not taken up by consumer courts as a Supreme Court judgement of 2009 had barred seeking any such relief under the Consumer Protection Act, saying a special remedy is provided under the Indian Telegraph Act.

The National Telecom Policy 2012 envisages to undertake legislative measures to bring disputes between telecom consumers and service providers within the jurisdiction of consumer forums established under the Consumer Protection Act. However, it is yet to be executed by the government.

Telecom industry body COAI has questioned regulator Trai's call-drop test results as operators say the issue is limited to the areas where they face problems in installing towers.
Five Jordanian intelligence agents were today killed in a "terrorist attack" on their office in a Palestinian refugee camp north of the capital Amman, the government said.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria and has been the target of jihadist attacks in the past.

"The intelligence agency office in the Baqaa camp was the target of a cowardly attack shortly before 7:00 am (0400 GMT) today that left five agents dead," government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.

Momani said security forces were investigating who was responsible for the "terrorist attack" on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor Al-Qaeda in Iraq killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

The Baqaa camp, where today's attack took place, is 20 kilometres from the centre of Amman and the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

It hosts around 100,000 of Jordan's 2 million Palestinian refugees, most of whom fled from the West Bank and Gaza Strip after Israel's capture of the territory's during the Six-Day War of 1967.

Baqaa suffers from chronic poverty and high unemployment.

It was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp, a court official said at the time.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member participating in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition taking part in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.
At least three people were killed and 40 injured in a collision between a goods train and a passenger train in Belgium, the Belga agency reported.

The accident occurred yesterday on the line linking Namur and Liege in the east of the country, close to the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, with Belga quoting the mayor of the commune.

The passenger train slammed into the back of the goods train on the same track at high speed, Frederic Sacre, spokesman for Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel, told AFP.

Around 40 passengers were on board, Infrabel and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the statement said.

The front carriage was completely turned on its side, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Belga reported that the collision had been "very violent," adding that fire and police services had been sent from Liege to the scene, with several passengers having to be extracted from the wreckage.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear, with questions remaining over whether the passenger train was able to brake before the crash.

"The priority is to care for the victims," Infrabel and SNCB said, but added that information was already being analysed to determine how the crash took place.

A crisis centre was set up at the scene of the accident.
A top Chinese military official today arrived here on a four-day visit during which he will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Nepal Army chief Rajendra Kshetri.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, of Joint Staff Department, Central Military Commission of China, was accorded a warm welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport here.

Sun will call on Rawal, also the Minister for Defence, and meet Nepal Army chief Kshetri, said a statement issued by the army.

It said such high-level exchanges between the Nepal Army and the People's Liberation Army will help in strengthening existing friendly relations between the two armies.
formed in the Gulf of Mexico was speeding on a course to hit Florida today with rains that forecasters said could cause serious flooding along much of the state's Gulf coast.

A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Centre announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm. The centre said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

It is the latest in a series of severe whether events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.

The storm was moving at a speed of about 19 kph and was expected to pick up the pace later yesterday.

"It's going to impact most of the state in some way," Governor Rick Scott said in a phone interview. "Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornados and some flooding."



Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled today in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 63 kph and 117 kph.

was likely to bring dangerous rainfall levels, and residents were warned about possible flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Rain began falling in the Tampa Bay area just past noon yesterday.

Scott warned residents not to simply look at the centre of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

The National Weather Service in Mobile issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power outages.

The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch yesterday evening.

Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

"We're surrounded on three sides by water," said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sand bags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared. "We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County," Guthrie said in an email.
Two persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a teenager, whose body was found abandoned in a local train bogie at the Ambernath railway station here last week, police said today.

According to Crime Branch of Thane Police, which claims to have cracked the case, the disposed body of Asif Shamim Shaikh (17), who lived in Mumbra near here, was found wrapped in a white gunny bag on June 2.

Thane City Police DCP Crime Parag Manere said the accused-- Puskan Havva Shaikh, 35 and Mohammad Habib Mohammad Khalil Shaikh, 25 --were traced to Mumbra and arrested yesterday.

Also, two minor siblings of Shaikh have been detained for interrogation, a press release said.

Police suspect that the victim was killed and dumped in the luggage bogie of a Kalyan-bound local train from Mumbra to destroy evidence. Then the body was again transported to another local proceeding to Ambernath, from where it was recovered last week.

However, the motive behind the killing is not known and police were still interrogating the foursome.
Police arrested two persons for robbing a journalist of a vernacular daily when he was returning home, police said today.

The journalist was robbed at knife-point by two miscreants near Mallick Bazar- Shakespeare Sarani crossing last night, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

The two attackers, both residents of adjacent Beniapukur area, were later arrested and the looted cash amounting to Rs 1,000 along with the scribe's ID card and other documents were recovered from them, the officer added.
The United Kingdom can play a "significant" role in helping India bring the best healthcare solutions to its proposed smart cities, a top functionary of UK's largest healthcare system National Health Service (NHS) said today.

"The UK has developed some of the most innovative healthcare services and systems in the world over the past seven decades of NHS. The UK has an unmatched combination of clinical, technological and academic expertise.

"I hope that our visit will help write a new chapter in the history of India's health services, both in the private sector and in the Union government's ambition to provide universal healthcare. British expertise is ideally placed to play a significant role in helping India bring the best smart healthcare to its Smart Cities programme," NHS chairman Sir Malcolm Grant said here.

Grant, who is leading a high-powered trade mission to India, comprising representatives of 23 British companies and NHS Trusts, will hold talks with key Health Ministry officials and representatives of hospitals of North India.

The delegation, which was at the inauguration of the 'Smart Healthcare Demonstrator' exhibition here today, will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The visit comes after a bilateral agreement between the UK and India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the UK where he and his British counterpart David Cameron emphasised on the potential of increased investment and cooperation between the two countries in health-related sectors.

British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith KCMG said there are vast opportunities for the two countries to form closer partnerships and the healthcare sector, where the UK is a world leader, exemplifies the potential for greater collaboration.

"Indian government wants to provide universal healthcare and adopt 'smart healthcare' to support sustainable and world-class services for the Indian people.

"The UK has the expertise and technology to support every aspect of India's healthcare systems and services. There is no better time than now for the UK and India to partner and shape the future of Indian healthcare," he said.

The delegation represents the UK's ecosystem of



researchers, scientists, engineers, designers, NHS clinicians, and a network of healthcare professionals.

The visit will include showcases on themes such as 'Transforming Hospital and Emergency Care', 'Innovative, Integrated Care Services' and 'Building human capital'.

In New Delhi, Grant will call on senior officials in the Union Health Ministry and hold a roundtable with representatives from leading hospitals in north India, a British High Commission statement said.

In Bengaluru, he will meet top people in the healthcare and life sciences sector like Devi Shetty and leading bio-science companies in the city.

In Mumbai, he will jointly inaugurate an exhibition with Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Pratap Reddy from Apollo Hospitals.

He will discuss strengthening the ties between the UK and Maharashtra in the healthcare sector and also meet private hospitals, innovative companies and hold an interactive session with medical students in Mumbai's King Edward Memorial College.

The delegation will put up exhibits in New Delhi and Mumbai, where they will demonstrate their expertise and knowhow to Indian healthcare providers, hospitals and investors.

They will discuss their innovations and technologies with Indian counterparts and seek opportunities for investments and partnerships, the statement added.
Malcolm Grant, chairman of UK's largest healthcare system National Health Service (NHS), today held discussions with senior officials of the Health Ministry on issues related to the sector.

Grant, who is leading a high-powered trade mission to India comprising representatives of 23 British companies and NHS Trusts, was accompanied by Jane Grady, Deputy Director of Trade and Investments (UKTI) and Deborah Kobewka, managing director of Healthcare UK.

The UK delegation's visit is part an agreement between both the countries to increase investment and co-operation in health and related sectors and to develop 11 joint health institutes.

Sources said that during the meeting, the UK sought the support of Indian government on medicities.

Senior Health Ministry officials said that there are many areas where the two countries can partner and learn from each other.

"We discussed on various topics including that of setting up of 11 health institutes. The process has started and various discussions were held on that. They are also keen on setting up the institute in Amravati," a Health Ministry source said.

Earlier in the day, Grant said the United Kingdom can play a "significant" role in helping India work out the best healthcare solutions for its proposed smart cities.

The delegation, which was at the inauguration of the 'Smart Healthcare Demonstrator' exhibition here today, will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Britain's special forces have taken on frontline roles in Syria to help a rebel unit counter ISIS attacks, a media report said today.

They have been forced to take on a more active role rather than just training the rebel forces due to a sustained attack near the Jordan-Syria border, The Times reported.

"British special forces based in Jordan frequently cross into Syria to assist the New Syrian Army (NSA), which has been holding out in the south-eastern village of al-Tanf.

"The rebel unit, made up of former Syrian special forces who defected from President Assad's army, was retrained by the British and Americans," the newspaper said.

Unlike regular troops, the deployment of special forces does not require parliamentary approval in Britain.

Almost two years ago, Prime Minister David Cameron was defeated in the House of Commons when he failed to secure enough votes from MPs for airstrikes on Syria against the Assad regime.

However, since then British and American special forces have been deployed to train and assist rebel groups to destroy ISIS, which is now fighting on four fronts in Syria and Iraq.

The UK ministry of defence has refused to comment on the role of the country's special forces, either in Syria or Libya.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today failed to turn up at the much-hyped 'Vikas Utsav' of BJP in this steel city, organised to commemorate two years of NDA government at the Centre.

Apart from the Union Steel and Mines Minister, Union MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar was also unable to attend the event, making it lacklustre even as the state BJP was in a fix over the party's Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray keeping away from the programme.

The MLA left for Kolkata after voicing displeasure over delay in setting up of a medical college and upgradation of Ispat General Hospital into a super-speciality hospital in Rourkela despite promises made by the Centre.

The only consolation for the party was the presence of local MP and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.

Addressing the event, Oram said, "We have achieved many notable things in the last two years," and listed different programmes, like Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and other such initiatives of the Narendra Modi government.

On foreign policy, he claimed, "Today India's image in the international arena has changed drastically and this is due to the untiring efforts of Modiji."



"Corruption, as promised by Modiji during the last Lok Sabha election, is nowhere to be seen today and this I shall say is one of our biggest achievements," Oram said.
Use of siren in cars of VIPs, including the escort and pilot vehicles of the Lieutenant Governor, has been banned in Puducherry.

However, emergency services like ambulances and fire service vehicles, will be exempted from the restriction on the use of siren.

The ban order has been issued by Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, a retired IPS officer.

Bedi, who had overseen traffic arrangements for the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi and the 1983 CHOGM meet in Goa, has also directed that no special privilege will be accorded for cars of VIPs such as stopping of traffic, so that people's right to freedom of movement is not hindered in any manner.

Traffic police will also ensure that sufficient number of personnel are presentfor regulating traffic without halting it or inconveniencing commuters, according to a press release issued by the Secretary to the Lt Governor yesterday.
The district education department in Jhalawar, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's home town and assembly constituency, has asked government teachers to check open defecation in their respective school areas by going out on visit at 5 am to generate awareness and also click photos of those found relieving themselves in open.

The order, however, has not gone down well with teachers' organisations which said such a job is inappropriate particularly for women teachers.

A senior official in the department said the order requires teachers to send a report and photographs through WhatsApp to senior officials everyday.

The order was issued on June 3 and will come into effective after schools' summer vacation ends on June 21.

Jhalawar district education officer (elementary) Laxman Kumar Malawat said the heads of government schools and their staff have been directed to visit their respective areas in morning at about 5 O'clock.

During the visit they would generate awareness amongst students and their parents against open defecation and click photographs of those found defecating in open, Malawat said.

The teachers must send the report and the photos to their senior officials on WhatsApp daily, he added.

The practice has been started at some schools in the district since February and will be taken up in rest of the government schools as it has yielded "positive results", the DEO said.

Other measures for checking open defecation include rewarding those students who have toilets at their homes, separate queue for students with toilets and those without at morning assembly prayer in schools, Malawat said.

Female government teachers are also covered under the order. Teachers' organisations have reacted sharply to the order.

"Is this now the only job left for teachers to do instead of teaching?" asked Jhalawar district Shikshak Sang (Rastriya) former president Ajay Jain.

Such additional job to teachers would adversely affect the quality of education and results, he said.

"The job is inappropriate, particularly for female teachers," said Jyoti Sharma, general secretary of district Shikshak Sang (Rastriya) and lecturer in biology at government senior secondary school.

"But, we are government servants and we must follow the government orders," she said.
Citing past experience, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that signing peace agreements with armed militant groups has done more harm than good in the state.

"The earlier approach of signing peace agreement has harmed the state more. We have burnt our fingers in the past by engaging talks with the so-called militant outfits," Sangma said during a press briefing.

"The GNLA (a militant outfit operating in western Garo Hills region) is an offshoot of that peace deal," he said while referring to the tri-partite ceasefire agreement signed with the Achik Volunteer Council (ANVC), now disbanded, which has given rise to mushrooming of militant outfits including the GNLA.

The peace pact was signed in 2004 and it took a decade to finally disarm the ANVC and its break-away faction - the ANVC-B.

The Chief Minister's statement comes in the wake of criticism of the government's official disarmament of a relatively small armed militant group - the United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) at Tura.

Sangma said, "there is no mandate for political dialogue with UALA, it is just a platform to come overground through this channel created by the government."

While raising the issue of availability of arms and explosives from across the international border from Myanmar and Bangladesh, Mukul said, "It calls for the government of India action to put pressure on Bangladesh so that their soil is not used by insurgent outfits including the HNLC. It is a matter of time that the Centre gets the support of its counterparts."

According to him, armed groups like the Hynniewtrep Liberation Council (HNLC), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) are operating from across the international border.

Expressing optimism that the exercise will soon witness positive outcome, the Chief Minister asserted, "We will ensure that Bangladesh will no longer be a safe haven for the HNLC. This is my commitment to the people.
The Bombay High Court today sought to know from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and railway authorities how much time it will take to construct a foot bridgeover (FoB) on Sandhurst Road in south Mumbai to prevent train tragedies.

A division bench of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and M S Karnik directed the civic body and Central Railway (CR) to inform it by June 14 as to when it will complete construction of the new FoB which will be used by people to cross the railway tracks.

After the demolition of the Hancock bridge, people were forced to use the railway tracks to cross from one side to the other which led to several accidents and also the death of a school boy.

Last month, the court had directed the civic body and CR to decide a site where a temporary foot overbridge can be constructed to help people cross Sandhurst road. CR had also been told to ensure that border walls along the tracks are properly built to avoid illegal railway crossing.

The direction was given during the hearing of a petition filed by city resident Kamlakar Shenoy.

Advocate Trupti Puranik, appearing for the civic body, today informed the court that a meeting between the corporation and railway authorities was held, but no outer limit was fixed for completion of the FoB. Moreover, the corporation wants the railway authorities to build the bridge.
Congress today kept up its attack on Modi government on the Eknath Khadse issue wondering why criminal charges have not been framed against the former Maharashtra Minister who was forced to resign last week.

Seeking to puncture Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion of "zero tolerance against corruption", party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said it took three months for BJP to act against Khadse.

"Have criminal charges been framed against Shri Khadse? Modiji said he was going to fight corruption but it took three months to act against Shri Khadse and that only after many protests," Singhvi told reporters.

In Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress demanded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis book the former Revenue Minister under stringent provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam also termed as "mild" Fadnavis' decision to order a probe by a retired High Court judge into the allegations against Khadse.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations of graft in a land issue and purchase of a reserved land near Pune in the name of his kin at a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.

(Reopens DEL58)



At the AICC briefing, Singhvi said the charges are "very serious" against Khadse on three counts.

While one relates to Dawood Ibrahim, second relates to purchase of land from a humble applicant only to gain huge compensation and a third relates to three acres of Pune prime land - direct conflict of interest in favour of his son-in-law and his wife, the Congress spokesman said.

"Till today, despite taking three months, there is no FIR, criminal charge, charge sheet proceedings or CBI probe, nothing," he said.

On the other hand, he alleged that when it is the case of any opposition leader, BJP is slapping cases under Prevention of Corruption Act against them.

Besides, he lamented that the Prime Minister has taken no action in the PDS scam in Chhattisgarh and Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh.

"Everyday, a former CM or a current government of Congress Party or other parties is given a notice. They are threatened with jail and arrest. Why this immunity for Chhattisgarh?"



Singhvi also targeted the Prime Minister over the claims of achievements made by him in two years of his government.

"We have seen this is a Sarkar of exaggeration, misrepresentation and self drum beating based on non-existing facts...This can be called a Non Disclosing Alliance and as was earlier said, Bharatiya Jhooth Party.
- Indian shares edged lower on Monday, snapping three days of gains, as caution prevailed a day before the central bank's decision on policy rates and ahead of a number of global risk events this month, including a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

The broader NSE Nifty fell 0.24 percent to 8,201.05 points after gaining 0.74 percent over the previous three sessions.

The benchmark BSE Sensex also lost 0.24 percent.

Both indexes had touched their highest levels since late October on Friday.

(Reporting by Samantha Kareen Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)
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A local court on Monday adjourned to July 5 its order on two cheque bounce cases filed against beleaguered industrialist Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

The III Special Magistrate Court here is yet to pronounce its order on the quantum of sentence for Mallya, who was convicted in two cheque bounce cases.

On April 20, the court had convicted Mallya and others in connection with bouncing of two cheques of Rs 50 lakh each under relevant sections of Negotiable Instruments Act.

It had issued warrants directing the police to produce Mallya before it to pronounce the quantum of punishment, as the industrialist, who left the country, was not present in the court.

The Mumbai Police had earlier filed a report before the court saying the warrants could not be executed on the address of the accused as it was sealed by a bank and there were no Kingfisher officials/ employees at the premises, and hence the warrants were returned.

Following this, Judge M Krishna Rao today adjourned the matter to July 5 with a direction to the complainant (GHIAL) to furnish correct address of the accused for issuance of fresh warrants.

Earlier, during hearing on quantum of sentence, GMR lawyer G Ashok Reddy had insisted that the court pass the sentence against Mallya, citing certain provisions of CrPC and saying the court has power to impose sentence even in absence of accused.

The matter relates to cheques issued by Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to GHIAL, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, towards charges for using the facilities at the airport for its Kingfisher Airlines flights.

The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against the Kingfisher Airlines, its chairman Vijay Mallya and senior company official A Raghunathan.

As per the GMR counsel, a total of 17 cases have been filed against Kingfisher Airlines in different courts over outstanding amount of Rs 22.5 crore which it owes to GMR, and the cases are in different stages of trial.
President Pranab Mukherjee asked Chinese investors to be a "partner in India's growth story" and assured a conducive business environment during his recent visit to Guangzhou, but a senior leader of China's top advisory body feels there are still "some issues" in opening shop in India.

In an interview to IANS, Zhao Qizheng, Vice Chairman of Foreign Affairs of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said Chinese businessmen were "not clear" about rules and business environment in India.

Zhao maintained that "public diplomacy" could help both sides understand the issues related to doing business in each other's countries.

"Over the past few years, China's outbound FDI (foreign direct investment) is rocketing. In particular, some foreign investors in China and even some local companies in China have made a lot of outbound investment and India is one of their good choices," Zhao told IANS.

"But we have some issues when it comes to investment in India. I think that the two countries need to enhance their mutual understanding before making mutual investment."

"For example, many Chinese businessmen are not very clear about the laws, regulations as well as investment environment in India, and Indian people may not be fully aware of how Chinese enterprises treat their employees," said Zhao, who played a key role in attracting foreign investment in Shanghai.

"My point is that we might have different ways in treating employees than our counterparts in India," he added.

Rising labour cost in China is pinching foreign as well as domestic firms with India emerging as the obvious choice because of its cheap workforce and surge in demand for consumer goods.

Though the response to Make in India initiative - strongly promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - has been tepid, it seems to have resonated well with Chinese companies.

World's third-largest smartphone maker, Huawei, is mulling to open its manufacturing unit in India while China's top car maker, SAIC Motor, is planning to take over the US carmaker General Motors' facility in the western state of Gujarat.

Investment from Chinese firms in India in 2015 stood at $870 million - a six-fold increase in comparison to the previous year.

"Communication in advance is of vital importance and that is where public diplomacy can play its role. Not government, but the enterprises, business associations as well as NGOs (non-governmental organisations) could sponsor some forums and organise some visits so that the entrepreneurs of both sides can have visits before the substantial investment," Zhou elaborated.

Zhou shared his past experiences of how he showcased Shanghai to woo foreign investors.

"When I was a government official in Shanghai to attract foreign investment, we organised a lot of Shanghai forums. We clarified our investment environment and also invited some compatriots of that country who have already made successful investment in China, particularly in Shanghai to explain their cases to their countrymen," he said.

"And that built a lot of trust," Zhou said.

Zhou also pointed put how good infrastructure is one of the cardinal factors in attracting foreign firms.

"Back then, I encountered a lot of unexpected questions. A German friend asked if I invested in Shanghai and is the best hospital in Shanghai within a 20-minute drive from my residence," he added.

President Mukherjee last month visited the manufacturing hub of Guangzhou where he assured that the Indian government would facilitate the efforts of Chinese businessmen to "make their investment in India profitable".

He also called for greater market access in China for Indian IT and pharmaceutical companies, and said there was a "great potential" for deepening economic and trade ties.


Inviting a galaxy of Swiss business leaders to invest in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday that India needs to create an economy of the order of "two or three Switzerlands," which provides a massive opportunity for partnerships.

"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," Modi told a gathering of heads of companies like ABB, Lafarge, Novartis and Nestle, according to a tweet by Vikas Swarup, the spokesman of the ministry of external affairs.

"We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us," the prime minister said.

"India is not just a market of 1.25 billion. We have skills and a government open to business," Modi added, according to another tweet.

"ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who's who of Swiss business at Round Table with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Swarup said in another tweet.

Modi arrived in Switzerland from Qatar on Sunday night on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Prior to his departure from New Delhi, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent business persons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," the prime minister had said.

CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Switzerland is India's fifth largest trade partner and 11th largest investor. Most Swiss multinationals like Nestle, ABB, Novartis, Roche UBS and Credit Suisse have operations in India.

About 100 Indian companies invested $1.2 billion between 2012 and 2014 in Switzerland, placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top-10 places globally for Indian investors.

Bilateral trade nearly tripled from $1.6 billion in 2004 to $4.5 billion in 2011. India's merchandise exports to Switzerland have more than doubled from the year 2009 to 2014.

According to Swiss customs data, bilateral trade was at Swiss Franc 3357.4 million in 2014 showing a decline of five per cent over 2013, with Swiss exports to India showing a decline of 13 per cent.

Switzerland is an important member of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

During Modi's visit India is expected to seek Switzerland's support in becoming a member of the NSG.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met business leaders in Qatar, his second stop on his five-nation tour, and invited them to do business in India.



"Business First. For first engagement of the day, PM attends round table meeting with Qatari Business Leaders," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.



"Qatar's Minister of Trade and Economy welcomes PM @narendramodi, seeks more intensive eco engagement with India," Swarup said in another tweet. "PM Narendra Modi addresses business leaders. Praises role of Emir of Qatar in promoting India Qatar business ties," Swarup tweeted.



Swarup quoted Modi as saying: "India is a land of opportunity. I have come to personally invite you to take advantage of this opportunity." The Prime Minister reached Qatari capital Doha from Afghanistan on Saturday night where he was received by Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.




In efforts to resume negotiations on proposed India-EFTA free trade pact, senior Swiss government official Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch will visit India this week.

The announcement was made about the upcoming visit of State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Schneider-Ammann here today.

The trade talks between India and Europe Free Trade Association (EFTA) -- the grouping of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein -- have been stalled on a host of issues.

In a statement issued after the meeting between Modi and Schneider-Ammann, the Swiss government said the President reiterated Switzerland's wish to intensify efforts towards a free trade agreement between the EFTA states and India.

"State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will travel to India this week in this connection," it noted.

Attributing to Schneider-Ammann, the statement said it is hoped that the visit would mark a further step towards resuming negotiations.

India is Switzerland's third largest trading partner in Asia.

The negotiations on India-EFTA free trade pact have been stuck since November 2013 due to various issues, including those pertaining to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

India-EFTA trade talks were launched in 2008. The proposed pact covers both trade in goods (industrial and agricultural products) and in services, market access for investments, protection of intellectual property and public procurement.

Both the sides have completed over a dozen rounds of talks so far.

Two-way trade between India and EFTA stood at $24.5 billion in 2014-15 as against $22.1 billion in 2013-14.

Both countries share a strong interest in vocational education and training.

"Swiss and Indian institutions are working together on a research programme with the aim of establishing a joint culture of research. There is great potential in climate research, cleantech, air pollution control, sustainable urban development and renewable energies," the statement said.

Besides, the two sides today discussed financial policy matters.

Switzerland and India stressed their shared resolve to take action against tax fraud and tax avoidance and underlined the high quality of their cooperation in this area, it added.

At the meeting, Switzerland was represented by Ineichen-Fleisch and State Secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) Yves Rossier.
On May 16, India's premier bourse, the National Stock Exchange (NSE), declared a hefty dividend of Rs 73 per share for its shareholders. The total payout aggregated to almost Rs 330 crore - close to 75 per cent of the exchange's total profit of Rs 439.33 crore for FY2016. The huge dividend was paid despite a 44 per cent fall in net profit, although a cash pile of around Rs 1,200 crore did help. Some say the dividend was a move to woo the disgruntled shareholders. If so, the tactic hasn't worked, because some of NSE's investors continue to be upset at not being given an exit option by having the exchange listed on its rival bourse, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

"I never thought our investment in NSE would be so troubled," says Sohil Chand, Managing Director at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) India. In the past seven years, Chand has seen his 2.11 per cent stake in NSE jump over 50 per cent on a notional basis to Rs 380 crore on an investment of Rs 250 crore. But he is upset that India's premier stock exchange isn't ready to get listed. When NVP had invested in NSE in 2009, the exchange was valued at Rs 11,925 crore. Today, NSE is valued at Rs 18,000 crore on the grey market. "Lack of transparency in sharing information, corporate governance issues and inability to find an exit for their stake in NSE has seen the exchange being the worst portfolio investment for private equity players," says Pratibha Jain, Partner with Nishith Desai Associates, who has been representing a few shareholders against NSE.

On its part, NSE declined to comment on record to a questionnaire sent by Business Today. But speaking off the record, an official said NSE had valid reasons for not listing. One, it doesn't want to list on BSE, because it fears that would give its rival access to its books and confidential, competitive information. Two, it wants to list on its own platform, for which it needs clearance from market regulator SEBI. There are other reasons, too, but more on that later.

This February, goaded by investor pressure, NSE formed a listing committee comprising board members, shareholders and management representatives to accelerate the process of listing. Apart from the issue of listing, the committee is engaging with NSE shareholders on the issue of proposed restructuring of the bourse. According to sources, on May 12, the listing committee, chaired by S.B. Mathur, who retired in April as NSE chairman, reiterated the exchange's stand that it would only list if it receives approval for self-listing, and that it would not list on the rival exchange.

"We have issues relating to disclosure of information, abuse of information and liquidity concerns of our stocks on the rival exchange," says an official at NSE on condition of anonymity. "Investors are getting impatient, but they are thinking short-term while we as a market infrastructure provider have to think for medium to long term."

But this argument doesn't wash with investors. "It's highly ironic that the management at NSE refuses to adhere to the same standards of corporate governance that it requires of companies listed on it," says Ravi Adusumalli, Managing Partner at SAIF Partners. "An IPO would enable liquidity and price discovery for all shareholders that currently own the exchange." Adusumalli points out that SEBI has made it clear that self-listing is not an option, and questions NSE management's fears on listing on BSE. "What information would BSE receive that it doesn't already have? Why will this impair NSE's ability to compete? We've asked these questions several times to the management team and have yet to get a detailed response," says Adusumalli.

NSE says it has three concerns. First, it wants to self-list, because it fears losing competitive advantage if listed on a rival exchange. "Listing NSE on BSE is like State Bank of India being regulated by Bank of Baroda, or Coca-Cola being regulated by PepsiCo in terms of products and strategy," says the spokesperson of NSE. Officials at NSE are concerned that if they list on BSE, the listing agreement and bylaws can give BSE the power to audit NSE's books at any time as well as get information from NSE that could impact its business. So, NSE wants that apart from SEBI, no one should have the right to regulate it even if it lists on a rival exchange.

Second, NSE wants SEBI to allow its shares to be traded on its own exchange, which is not permitted today. The third issue is on the restructuring of the exchange. NSE wants the regulated exchange business to be separate from the commercial businesses, which include its subsidiaries such as the index business. So, it wants to divide the company into two separate entities. "Until the restructuring takes place at NSE, we don't want to get listed. We have to keep the regulated business separate from our commercial activity business. We can't leave that for a future date," says an official of NSE on condition of anonymity.

However, shareholders have opposed the restructuring proposal, which was first presented to them last year in November. "NSE wants to shift cash and other assets of the exchange into an unlisted entity. This will dilute the valuation of NSE, as investors will demand a holding company discount," says Vinit Bodas, Managing Partner & CIO of the US-based Deccan Value Investors L.P., which holds a 2 per cent stake in NSE. "Further, cost of money in India is high and the value loss due to any delay as a result of the restructuring process will significantly outweigh the benefit of the listing, and we aren't ready for that."

"It's bizarre of NSE to not get listed on the rival exchange," says Jain of Nishith Desai Associates, adding that sharing or dissemination of information will only bring more accountability and transparency to the exchange, and NSE's stance is just a delaying tactic. "In fact, exchanges themselves do not have the teeth to govern. SEBI is the regulating agency, which will continue even after listing," she says. "While you get listed on BSE, you still have dual trading platform and the stock of NSE can still get listed on NSE, so the question of liquidity doesn't arise."

In fact, the desperation of getting NSE to list has also seen shareholders losing sight of corporate governance issues. NSE didn't publish the appointment and remuneration of managerial personnel in its annual report of FY2014/15 on its website - perhaps inadvertently - though the information was very much there in the hard copy of the report. While the exchange later published the information on its website as well, it says publishing the information is not necessary as it is an unlisted entity.

"It was a violation of SEBI regulations for a long time before the issue was addressed," a senior corporate lawyer told BT on condition of anonymity. "As per Regulation 35 of SECC Regulations, 2012, all disclosure requirements and corporate governance norms as specified for listed companies shall mutatis mutandis apply to a recognised stock exchange and the same shall be confirmed by the stock exchange in writing to SEBI on a half-yearly basis. So, regardless of the presence of the section in the physical copy, it is mandatory that the same be also disclosed fully on the NSE website." When contacted by this magazine, both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley refused to comment on the issue. "We (PEs) didn't go to SEBI because it could further delay the process of listing," says Jain.

Since most of the stake sales to PEs were secondary sale, NSE doesn't have any obligation towards its new shareholders in terms of immediate listing. But earlier investors have an issue. "There was an implicit understanding that NSE would go in for listing when norms around regulatory and commercial separation were clarified by SEBI," says Chand of NVP. "Though this has happened, NSE management keeps finding new excuses to delay the listings. It's more than a decade since some of us have invested in NSE."

As NSE delays the listing process, it is creating further doubt in the minds of investors, especially on its insistence on self-listing. "Why has it taken four years for NSE to dissent to cross-listing when SEBI made it clear in 2012 that they had an objection to self-listing and that exchanges should go in for cross-listing," questions Chand. Adds Jain: "Not adhering to shareholders' request is creating issues on corporate governance." A senior PE fund manager who has been an investor in NSE on condition of anonymity said: "Not having a written exit clause has been our biggest mistake. The irony is that in smaller deals we even decide the exit date and price, and in a prized investment like NSE we took the exchange's word on face value, thinking they maintain high corporate governance standards and won't go back on their words."

The listing of exchanges was never on the cards till lobbying by Jignesh Shah managed to get commodity exchange MCX listed on the domestic bourse. Earlier, NSE was assured by the fact that the Bimal Jalan Committee report recommended not allowing exchanges to get listed, plus it received support from the previous government and listing of stock exchanges took a back seat. But that assurance evaporated when the current government favoured listing of exchanges to give state-run institutions an opportunity to monetise their holdings. This raised hopes of NSE getting listed on the domestic bourse.

Amit Gupta, Partner at NewQuest Capital Partners, which picked up 1 per cent stake in NSE last November, says: "NSE has a wide shareholder base. Listing will help provide better price discovery and liquidity for shareholders. I don't agree that self-listing is must to list. While management may prefer to self-list, using that as a reason to delay liquidity for shareholders is unacceptable. Instead, management should work constructively with SEBI to ensure regulatory concerns are resolved and that the stock should be permitted to be traded on NSE also." NewQuest Capital Partners picked up stakes from the UK-based private equity fund Actis for Rs 178 crore at almost the same valuation at which Actis had acquired the stake in 2007.

It is clear that PEs are desperate in an environment where making money is difficult. But till the deadlock is unravelled, they have no choice but to hold on to their treasured investment in NSE. Or, make a quiet exit.


Two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) accounted for almost half of the incremental rise in two-wheeler sales in the country in May, riding on a 19 per cent jump in its volumes.

The company also yanked up its domestic market share by 2 percentage points to 27.5 per cent.

Total sales of the six largest two-wheeler makers -- Hero, Honda, Bajaj, TVS, Royal Enfield and Yamaha -- rose by 1,47,411 units to 17,22,265 units in May, of which HMSI alone accounted for 69,191 units, or 47 per cent of the total incremental volume.

"We have made a very strong start in the new financial year, and we have carried the momentum forward in May as well as Honda was the highest volume gainer in the industry with a contribution of 47 per cent to the incremental total volume," HMSI Senior VP for Sales and Marketing Y S Guleria told PTI.

He said growth was driven mainly by the new models Livo, CB Shine SP and CB Hornet 160R.

Guleria added demand is being driven by urban and semi-urban markets and with the IMD predicting a good monsoon, the company expects positive sentiment in rural areas as well.

In the scooters segment, Guleria said automatic models lead the industry growth and Honda's flagship model Activa continued to be the largest selling two-wheeler in January-April period this year, thanks to additional capacity coming in from its Gujarat plant.

"We are operating at full capacity in all our four plants.

However, to further meet the 30,000 back orders for scooters, we are working towards making our second line at the Gujarat plant operational soon," he added.

Honda commissioned the 6-lakh units first line in Gujarat ahead of schedule in February. The second line with a similar capacity will be onstream this month or early July, Gulerai said.

The Japanese two-wheeler major, the second largest player here, sold 4,36,358 units in May, up from 3,67,167 units a year ago, a growth of 19 per cent (including both domestic sales and exports). Out of this, scooter sales rose to 2,68,423 units from 2,15,241 units a year ago, and bikes volume rose to 1,47,479 units from 1,38,140 units.

Its exports crossed the 20,000-units mark the second time at 20,456 units, up over 48 per cent y-o-y.

Honda hopes to cross 5.4 million sales mark for the first time this year from 4.8 million last year.

"For the first time, we'll be able to cross 5 million sales mark this year," Guleria said, adding the 1.2 million scooters-only Gujarat plant will help in reaching the target.

Honda's domestic volume grew 18 per cent in the month, which is the highest in the eight months since the last festive season, he said.

Against this, industry leader Hero MotoCorp saw its volume inch up a paltry 2.3 per cent to 5,83,117 units in the month, while third-placed Bajaj Auto saw its volume rising by 3.4 per cent to 347,655 units.

TVS Motor saw a volume growth of 10.8 per cent to 2,43,783 units, while Yamaha reported a 36 per cent jump in sales to 62,748 units.

In a research note, LKP Capital said the performance of the auto industry in April was very robust albeit on a low base. In May, this momentum slowed down a bit on seasonal factors -- April being the month where marriage season was at its peak in Northern and Western regions, and inventory build-up was heavy to cater to the retail demand.

Honda got off to a stellar start this fiscal with April sales zooming 26.51 per cent to 4,31,011 units, while Hero MotoCorp, after a full year of falling sales in 2015-16, witnessed a 15 per cent spurt.

Bajaj saw volume falling 2 per cent to 3,30,109 units.

For the full fiscal 2015-16, as per SIAM data, while two-wheeler sales inched up 2.7 per cent to 1,89,37,104 units (domestic sales and exports), Honda sales rose to 44,83,835 units from 44,39,983 units, out of which domestic sales stood at 42,53,471 units, up from 42,83,690 units in FY14.

"FY17 is going to be our most definitive year here. Our priorities will be strengthening our connect with the youth, make all our models BS-IV compliant at the earliest while continue to aggressively make inroads into rural markets, which now contributes around 35 per cent of total sales," Guleria said.

The Rs 1,100-crore factory at Vithalapur near Ahmedabad is a scooters-only plant. Since its entry, Honda has invested over Rs 7,800 crore in the country. It employs around 20,000 people, including 3,000 people at the Gujarat plant. (Honda began independent operations after split with Hero in 2011 with a 1.65 million units plant at Manesar in Haryana).

The two-wheeler market is on course to touch the 20 million mark by 2020 from 16 million in 2014-15, but the industry is worried about the new emission and safety norms.
Foreign bank Standard Chartered plans to add more manpower to build its retail lending segment in the next few quarters.

StanChart's CEO Zarin Daruwala told The Economic Times that the bank is planning to hire about 1000 people this year.

The bank wants to increase the share of retail lending segment whihc is currently a small part of its loan book. The bank is aiming at the wholesale-retail mix of at least 60-40, Daruwala added.

India is the bank's biggest market in South Asia with around 7,000 employees.

The bank is looking for people proficient in front-end operations to help build relationships quickly, launch new products and make new clients in areas like wealth management.


A Preston, Idaho, man was hospitalized early Saturday morning after a motorcycle accident, west of Lava Hot Springs.

Idaho State Police said 34-year-old Ernest Long was driving a 2005 Harley Davidson Roadking on US-30 around 1:30 a.m. While travelling eastbound he failed to negotiate a curve, drove off the left shoulder and overturned.

Long was not wearing a helmet and was flown by medical helicopter to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello.

Police blocked US-30 for thirty-minutes to allow for EMTs to treat and transport Long.

The crash remains under investigation.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
Brexit  The Movie: The alien across the channel

Published on June 6, 2016

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The atmosphere is highly dramatic. The narrator announces in a serious voice that "We, the people" are being bullied and intimidated into "surrendering our democracy and freedom". The end of the world appears to be imminent; you half expect Tom Cruise to leap into action at any moment to save us all from the alien invasion. Cafebabel Berlin reviews Brexit  The Movie.

The world isn't coming to an end, but the United Kingdom's EU referendum is fast approaching, and Brexit  The Movie is really putting out all the stops to depict the EU as an alien enemy  with the UK playing Tom Cruise.

Director Martin Durkin is obviously not interested in a balanced portrayal; theres not a single voice opposed to Brexit in the entire film. Instead we get everyone's favourite anti-EU spokesman Nigel Farage, enraged fishermen and Members of Parliament staring solemnly into the camera, proclaiming, "This is the most important voting decision that any of us will make in our lifetimes." There's even shots galore of angry mobs (Chanting! Torches!) and skits that supposedly show us how stupid and superfluous the EU is.

EU Who?

Here's an example. The reporter shows images of important EU politicians (like President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz or President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker) to members of the Brussels public  because EU. Surprise! People don't recognise them.

The message is clear: Who's behind the EU? Nobody knows. And given that nobody can recognise the faces of the people behind the operation, the whole thing can't have any democratic legitimacy. This begs the question of whether anyone in London would recognise, say, Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health. He was at least "elected by the people", as the movie says. Whatever. Cut to a reporter, running along the corridors of various EU institutions with a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, British MPs give worried interviews: The EU is not just undemocratic, it's anti-democratic!

Brexit  The Movie premiered on the 10th of May. It presents Brits as a people fighting for freedom, defending their values and fearlessly resisting oppression  unlike other members of the EU. The British are opposed to "those at the top", those "intellectuals" who don't take "us" seriously and make decisions over "our" heads. It's kind of funny to see the UK, of all countries, suddenly start fretting about elitism in politics  a country where most members of the House of Lords, as well as many in the House of Commons, own a great deal of money and/or a title of nobility. Whatever.

The grass is so much greener in Switzerland

It's equally bizarre how Brexit  The Movie bristles at EU agricultural policies: protectionism is bad! Down with the milk seas! So what's all that about? For a long time the UK and France were the countries that profited most from EU subsidies on domestic agriculture. But instead of messing around with such things as facts, the reporter boards a train to Zurich, because everything is better, prettier and richer there.

Why is Switzerland so much better off? That's obvious: they are not a member of the EU! At least that's the opinion of: Roger Koppel, Editor of the right-wing weekly Die Weltwoche, hastily interviewed. He is part of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), which disapproves of basically everyone: immigrants, Muslims... and especially the EU. Oh, to be like Switzerland! A dream that Brexit  The Movie doesn't deny that it promotes.

Of course, you used to want to be like Germany. They had an economic boom, a buzzing industrial sector. This is where, for the first time, Brexit  The Movie really gets interesting: All of a sudden it starts talking about the kind of hopes that inspired the UK to join the EU back in the 70s. The promise of something better, a unified market, an economic boom in the UK.

But high expectations make for big disappointments. Brexit  The Movie is mostly a film about a country that didn't get what it had hoped for and is blaming everyone else for it. We want our money back!

"Regulated People"

Sadly, the film squanders much of its potential. It's absolutely legitimate in broaching the subject of the lack of democracy in the EU: the European Parliament lacks power, bureaucracy is taking over, top-ranking politicians are not as well known as they should be. But everything unfolds with the same old fake-surprised and underlying sneering tone ("Oh, that stupid EU  I can't believe how stupid it is!").

The whole thing therefore comes across as blunt. One scene presents the "regulated man" and it even borders on entertaining to see everything the EU regulates: shampoo, coffee, toasters...

But again, the conclusion has an apocalyptic ring: "EU regulations surround us like invisible barbed wire." You could say a lot about EU regulations, but it's rather far-fetched to think that Joe and Jane Bloggs feel threatened by them while they enjoy their morning coffee.

Brexit  The Movie is entertaining, and might pass as satire were it not for the serious message behind it. Here's hoping that the British don't rely on the film as their only source of information in the upcoming EU referendum. Otherwise our last hope will be that Tom Cruise bursts onto the scene and saves us from Brexit  but that's not going to happen so long as the EU is the enemy.

---

You can watch Brexit  The Movie here.

---

This article was published by our local team at cafebabel Berlin.

Translated from Brexit - The Movie: Kontinent der Aliens
Area news

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By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times

ALICE  Jim Wells County voted to lay off 11 employees in an attempt to overcome a crippling sales tax shortfall brought on by the energy downturn.

The unanimous vote Monday by the Commissioners Court brought to 17 the number of positions the county has eliminated in the past two months.

Commissioners had the special meeting to discuss and decide whether to cut full time positions created by the county in the past five years.

Judge Pedro "Pete" Trevino Jr. described the county's straits as a "fiscal emergency," and said the move was necessary, but added other cuts and budget adjustments likely would be needed later in the year.

He also voted to trim his office's secretarial staff by half.

"I don't know how my office will function with just one secretary, but I understand where we are right now," Trevino said. "Our revenues will keep getting worse and worse."

Initially, 19 positions were targeted for elimination. Nine were either retained with no change or converted to part time positions.

The deepest cuts were felt in the Sheriff's Office, which lost two deputies and dispatchers.

"I say don't let any of them go," Sheriff Oscar Lopez told the Caller-Times after the hearing. "They're all needed."

Although most of the Coastal Bend has suffered the affects of the downturn in the oil and gas industry, Jim Wells County has taken a particularly hard beating.

It was home to offices for such energy giants as Weatherford International, Baker Hughes and Halliburton.

As oil prices plummeted, those companies relocated employees to either San Antonio or Houston, diverting millions of dollars in sales tax revenues away from the county's coffers.

In April, county officials did away with six other positions. Positions open at the time went unfilled.

Jim Wells County's tiny Commissioners Court chambers was packed with employees Monday.

One by one, department heads pleaded with commissioners to leave their staff levels untouched, while also acknowledging the county's financial predicament.

Many said they were prepared to impose salary reductions if doing so meant keeping their staff size the same.

Mary Lozano, the county's tax collector-assessor, said commissioners' initial plan to eliminate two of her nine deputies would be onerous.

In the end, commissioners cut one position.

"The lines are already long, always. They already run all the way down the hallway," Lozano said. "This will slow things down for everyone."

One of the positions commissioners sought to eliminate  an assistant county auditor  is under the direction of the district judge. It will be up to that judge to decide whether to accept the county's recommendation to cut it, Trevino said.

Department heads have until Friday to notify employees of their termination, Trevino said. The layoffs take effect July 8.

Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam
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By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela prefers to take a diplomatic tone in public statements, but he veered from that practice in a letter to presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Vela, D-Brownsville, called out the presumptive Republican nominee on Monday for racism he said guided Trump's criticism of a federal judge of Mexican descent and his desire to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico if elected. The letter was written with both English and Spanish versions.

His letter's final line is the product of months of frustration mounting, he told the Caller-Times.

"Mr. Trump, you're a racist, and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass," Vela wrote.

Vela's district includes portions of the Coastal Bend, and one of his offices is based in Alice. Trump's comments and general tone about Mexican-Americans are the top topics his constituents want to talk about when he visits home, he said.

"Given Trump's rhetoric, I just felt I had to speak in a language that he understands," Vela said. "The point of my letter is much broader than my final message."

Trump, who is expected to visit San Antonio, Houston and Dallas next week, has not responded to Vela's letter.

He points out in the letter the wartime sacrifices of thousands of Americans of Mexican descent since the Civil War, including some who received the Medal of Honor like Master Sgt. Jose Lopez, from his hometown of Brownsville.

Vela, a Mexican-American who was first elected to Congress in 2012, also notes that his great-great-grandfather came to America in 1857, long before Trump's grandfather. Vela recounts his family's long tradition of military service and references his father, an Army veteran who was one of the first "Mexican" federal judges appointed to the bench.

The letter comes after Trump publicly called out a U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit involving Trump University, saying he should recuse himself because of his Mexican descent.

Vela wasn't the only one who called out Trump for his comments against the judge, who is prevented from responding by the judicial code of conduct.

The American Board of Trial Advocates, an organization dedicated to defending the American civil justice system, released its own statement on Monday condemning Trump's actions.

"When attacks on a judge's impartiality because of his ethnic background come from a litigant who is candidate for the highest office in the land, such attacks unfairly misrepresent to the broader public the truly independent role of judges," according to the organization's statement.

The statement also noted that Trump's "highly capable attorneys" have not formally filed seeking Curiel's recusal.

Blake Farenthold, the only Republican in the House of Representatives who represents South Texas, declined to comment about Vela's letter and Trump's stance on a border wall and the federal judge.

For his part, Vela described Trump in his letter as a "racist" whose "anti-immigrant opinions" are "shameful."

"While you would build more and bigger walls on the U.S.-Mexico border, I would tear the existing wall to pieces," Vela wrote. "No doubt Mexico has its problems, but it is also our third-largest trading partner."

And it's not just Trump whom Vela has criticized recently for insulting Mexican Americans. Two weeks ago, Vela called out the California Democratic Party for endorsing an opponent of U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., ahead of the state's primary, which is Tuesday. Sanchez is seeking to become one of the country's first Latina senators in November.

Vela admits, though, there have been times he and Trump have agreed on some issues.

The South Texas Democrat, who considers himself a moderate, voted with Republicans in the House of Representatives on the Keystone XL pipeline project, on security measures for Syrian refugees and  early in his career  on updates to the Affordable Care Act. He also voted against President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

"The straw that broke the camel's back was Trump making these racist attacks on an American judge who's a first generation American of Mexican descent," Vela said. "He's just gone too far."

Twitter: @reportermatt
Some Texas counties show drop-off in first-day early voting numbers

Texas could be reverting to the normal low-turnout status for midterm elections this cycle after the high-excitement election of 2018.
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G. Rudolph Garza Jr.

Trump support reveals racism, bigotry

Just as the election of George W. (Shrub) Bush exemplified what I believe was the "dumbing down" of the American electorate, who knew that Donald Trump's success in capturing the Republican Party's nomination for president would "blow the lid off' of the racist, bigoted, and prejudiced segment of Anglo-American voters in our country? Damn Gonzalo Curiel, that Indiana-born but "tremendously hostile Mexican" federal district judge who is "prejudiced" against and a "hater" of him who ordered that The Donald's University "open the books" and disclose its records in the class-action lawsuit against it?

I recognize that there are many Anglo-American Republicans who are reasonably intelligent, decent, and fair-minded Americans. But what's happening in our beloved country regarding racism, bigotry, and prejudice? The answer is, nothing. Things are still what they have always been.

We, each and all of us, should just keep doing our best to be good Americans, to keep America strong and balanced. Is this a great country, or what? God help and bless the United States of America!
Gooey goat cheese and rich, sweet balsamic vinegarand bok choy? You bet. This super-fun twist on ingredients that are normally considered Italian just works. We dare you to try it and tell us we're wrong.

Prep time 20 minutes

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Portion size 6 servings
Monday, June 6, 2016 at 1:23AM

Norway might be getting aggressive in getting rid of gas-powered vehicles on its roads. A local business newspaper Dagens Nringsliv reports that the Scandinavian country is considering banning the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by the year 2025. Norway is considered one of the more progressive nations when it comes to the use of electric cars and the reduction of fuel-based vehicles. Around 24 percent of vehicles sold in the country are already electric. This plan, while far from being set in stone, is being discussed by the four main political parties in the country and they seem keen on making this part of Norways national energy plan. This push towards electric is, of course, supported by Tesla CEO Elon Musk who tweeted the photo of the newspapers front page with this main headline.

Source: SlashGear
That verdict meant Klobucar would be held in a secure facility for a length of time decided by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and reviewed monthly until he was no longer deemed a threat to himself or the community.
"The more that he refused to say sorry, the harder Australians lobbied. Because he built himself in the corner of not saying the word sorry  because he believed governments couldn't be held responsible for the sins of the past and it would open up compensation claims, which didn't come into fruition  the people built up a campaign to say it themselves."
"We also take this opportunity to advise you that the Minister for Health has directed us not to use any more new or renew existing medical practitioner licenses to ISOS health professionals until the investigation is complete," Dr Liko said.
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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

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Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
In its new initiative, HRD (Human Resource Development Ministry) Ministry is contemplating to launch 32 Direct-to-Home channels, which would provide live telecast of lectures from six IITs and some other top institutions.

The Department of Space has agreed to allot two transponders on a GSAT series satellite for the project. MoUs have already been signed with premier institutions, which will provide lessons and content for these channels.

Speaking to PTI , a senior official said, "The government is focusing on using space technology to expand the reach of high quality education. Through the 32 DTH channels the aim is to ensure that live classrooms can be transmitted from ten 'Teaching Ends' out of which six will be IITs located in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Guwahati.

"IIT Bombay introduces fast-track B.Tech programmes"

Lectures of more than 12 premier institutions will reach students on television. Students can listen to lectures freely on Doordarshan's FreeDish DTH platform.

Committee chaired by Director, IIT Gandhinagar worked on the finer details of the project and said that the channels are likely to be on air in a couple of months.

IIT fee hike to be applicable from academic year 2016-17: HRD Ministry
Photo: Wild Festival for Youth

More than 300 young people from across the Okanagan will gather together next Thursday in Kelowna.

The Get to Know Program will be hosting the 17th annual Wild Festival for Youth, a day filled with exciting nature and art-related activities.

Sneha Philip, the program coordinator, says activities include a live Birds of Prey show by Shuswap Bird of Prey, Learning to Fish, led by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., guided nature hikes with park interpreters from the Regional District of the Central Okanagan and birdhouse building and painting with the Capri Rotary Club and TELUS Community Ambassadors.

This year we invited Councillor Ryan Donn to give his remarks about the Wild Festival for Youth and the importance of getting outside, active and connecting with nature.

The Get to Know Program was founded in 1999 by naturalist, and artist, Robert Bateman and Mary Clark, with the dream to inspire youth to get outside and 'get to know' their wild neighbours.

The event will take place at Okanagan College in Kelowna on Thursday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photo: Carmen Weld Kelowna Yacht Club board of directors

It's a tradition from days of yore, but the Kelowna Yacht Club strives to keep it alive each year.

Sunday marked the 2016 Sailpast at the Kelowna Yacht Club.

An event that sees club members prepare their boats, head out to the water and salute the commodore in a traditional naval sailpast.

This formal and historically-important occasion officially opens the boating season.

At the beginning of every season, we have a gathering where we do a blessing to the fleet, to ensure they have a safe season for the summer. It is a yachting tradition, a naval tradition, explains general manager Sally Howard.

It is also a good excuse for social gathering, so all of our members are here for a champagne reception and hors d'oeuvre and some fellowship.

Each year, the commodore's boat heads out into the water and anchors, as the 'fleet' of club member's boats sail past saluting the commodore as they go.

There is also a count done each year to see how many of each type of boat salute the commodore, as a fun rivalry is held each year between those with power boats and those with sail boats.

Past commodore Murray Ramsden explains that the tradition is rooted in a time where power boats didn't even exist.

It is a naval tradition that goes back hundreds of years, where their commander and chief would inspect his or her fleet, explains Ramsden. The boats were to pass by the commodore to one, acknowledge the commodore, and two, make sure the fleet is seaworthy.

Now, it kicks off the boating seasons and acknowledges the commodore. It is a volunteer position, the individual puts in a lot of time and effort.

He adds that the weather may have played a part in the strong turnout this year.

It was the first time I've been out on the water this year and it was just gorgeous, says Ramsden. Looking at the city, the downtown development going on, the yacht club in the background, all of the boats, it is lot of activity and it is just early June. It is the place to be.

This year's commodore is Nancy Thompson, one of the few women to claim the title, she says it was a wonderful day out on the water.

The weather couldn't have been better, says Thompson. I really appreciated the opportunity. Often they came so close we could have a little bit of a chat and I could salute them too.

It maintains a longstanding tradition. It is important to recognize the people that have gone before us and it is also historically interesting to keep it going.

Thompson says they have a group of strong young women on their Board of Directors and thus she hopes there will be more female commodores to come.

Members young and old took part with lifetime-member 93-year-old John Bell taking the helm of his own his new boat to complete the sailpast.

Thompson says another member in her nineties also hitched a ride to complete the traditional event.
Photo: RCMP

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue crews are actively searching for a missing Kelowna woman today  and they need your help.

COSAR crews are searching the downtown Kelowna core this afternoon, after emergency personnel received multiple reports that Sandra McLaughlan was seen downtown this weekend.

McLaughlan, 60, went missing on May 19, 2016.

Police are very concerned for Sandra McLaughlans health and well-being and friends and family report that it is out of character for her to be out of contact for this long, said Const. Jesse ODonaghey last week.

McLaughlan is described as:

Caucasian female;

60 years;

5 ft 6 in (169 cm);

161 lbs (73 kg);

blonde hair;

hazel eyes;

As SAR crews feel she is currently downtown, they are asking the public to call with any tips or information if they saw her this weekend.

You can call COSAR directly at 250-862-1685.
Photo: Castanet Staff

Petro Canada stations continue to run out of fuel this weekend, as stations across Western Canada close their pumps for business.

Last week, several Petro Canada stations throughout the Southern Interior ran out of gas, and now more are joining the list. On Sunday, the Petro Canada station at Highway 33 and Dougall Road in Rutland also ran out.

The Fort McMurray wildfires and an unplanned outage at an Edmonton refinery are being blamed for the fuel shortages at Suncor's Petro-Canada stations across Western Canada.

On Friday, Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal said the cumulative effects of lower crude production because of the fires and the Edmonton outage meant the company has been producing less diesel and especially less gasoline for its retail operations.

"Given the prolonged duration of the fires and its impact on the supply for our refinery, as well as ongoing planned seasonal maintenance in the industry, our product inventories are greatly reduced," Seetal said.

The company is reporting temporary shortages at Petro-Canada stations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as at sites in the British Columbia Interior.

Seetal said it was difficult to say when supplies would return to normal, but that Suncor is working to restore the refinery and restart its oil sands operations to provide more crude oil input to its system.
Photo: Getty Images

Prenatal infection and bipolar disorder

When it comes to establishing exactly what causes most psychiatric conditions, we still have a lot to learn. We know most disorders appear to arise from a complicated interplay between nature and nurture.

Often, there is a strong genetic component to a particular disorder, which is why we usually see relatives in one family who seem to be susceptible to an illness. When a parent is depressed or anxious, it is likely you will find other first-degree relatives with similar symptoms or medical histories.

We also know that environment plays a role in many conditions. Exposure to trauma in childhood can pre-dispose people to mental health issues later in life. Many other, subtler environmental stimuli also seem to be involved with triggering the onset of mental health symptoms.

One study examining influenza infection in pregnant women found a relationship between infection and the development of bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms in the womens offspring.

Pregnancy is a sensitive time and fetuses are vulnerable to many health issues as a result of environmental factors affecting the mother. There has been some evidence to suggest maternal infection during pregnancy is an environmental risk factor for some psychiatric conditions.

For this study, serum samples from pregnant women in California were examined to identify whether there was a connection between documented influenza infection during pregnancy and risk of bipolar disorder in the offspring.

From the women and offspring studied, 85 cases of diagnosed bipolar disorder were identified. Of those, 36 had psychotic features and 49 did not. These were compared against 170 subjects.

Researchers found maternal gestational exposure to influenza does not generally increase the risk of bipolar disorder in offspring. It was, however, associated with a five-fold increased risk of bipolar disorder with psychotic features. This was interesting because there was no significant association between maternal influenza and bipolar disorder with no psychotic features.

Additional analysis also uncovered that risk appears to be highest if influenza is experienced during the first or second trimester of pregnancy  although small sample size means this will need more research to determine accurately.

Although some previous studies have also asserted a link between maternal infection and psychiatric conditions in offspring, this is a unique study because the infection was confirmed through serum samples during each trimester.

Much more research is needed to further determine risk factors and what symptoms or conditions are most affected by maternal infections. It will be very interesting to learn more.

In the meantime, this could be one more good reason to get your annual flu shot, especially if you are a pregnant woman.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
About 100 people took steps today to battle arthritis.

The Arthritis Society hosted its Walk to Fight Arthritis Sunday, to create awareness around the disease and to educate people that arthritis doesnt discriminate  anyone at any time can get it, regardless of age, ethnicity or gender.

In fact, there are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis, including gout, lupus and scleroderma and some forms can be life threatening.

Early diagnosis and treatment of this complex disease can have a direct affect on its trajectory.

One of those who suffered young was Rachael Kimola, diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at just 18 months old.

She had trouble with mobility all through her childhood, and by age 10, she could no longer walk long distances and reluctantly had to rely on an electric scooter, writes the Arthritis Society.

After graduating from high school in June of 1998, Rachael went down to Spokane in August, where she had both hips replaced at the same time during one major surgery, and three weeks later, had both knees replaced during another major surgery. It was a gruelling recovery which required her to relearn how to walk properly  twice. 

She went off to post-secondary and while pursuing her Bachelors Degree in Journalism, Kimola had both her elbows and both her shoulders replaced, one per year.

Once graduated, Kimola made it to the Okanagan where she got a job in journalism, working for Castanet for several years.

The need for more surgeries was identified, and more flexibility in her work environment and schedule were needed, explains the society. This resulted in a shift of jobs to a company that makes it easy for her to work from home, and now Rachael creates social online content for clients.

Kimola formed the Young Adults With Arthritis support group, a group made up of other Okanagan residents in their 20s, 30s and early 40s who have had their lives shaped, but not defined, by arthritis.

"It is what it is. This is what I have to deal with. I have had life changing surgeries that were painfully hard to recover from, but allowed me to live independently and go to school. Fair trade. I don't focus on 'why me? Why bother? Too much self-pity is a waste of time and energy, says Kimola.

We have about a dozen members of YAWA right now, and we meet once a month. It is amazing to see and be a part of the friendships and dynamics that have developed within this group. It makes a huge difference to be able to have these people to relate to and share with.

The 100 walkers were able to fundraise $26,000 for their cause at the sixth-annual event on Sunday.

It was a really hot day, so I think it may have been a little too warm for them, but for 100 people to raise $26,000 is mighty impressive to me, says Lynnea Westlind, Interior coordinator.

We are very pleased with our turnout, and we had a lot of sponsors on site which is amazing. We also added a silent auction and a BBQ this year, which both went off really well.

In addition to Kelowna, walks were also held in Victoria, Parksville, Prince George and Vancouver.

If you were unable to attend and would still like to donate, you can click here.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Tropical Storm Colin formed in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and was speeding on a course to hit Florida on Monday with rains that forecasters said could cause serious flooding along much of the state's Gulf coast.

A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm. The centre said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

It is the latest in a series of severe whether events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.

The storm was moving at a speed of about 12 mph (19 kph) and was expected to pick up the pace later Sunday.

"It's going to impact most of the state in some way," Gov. Rick Scott said in a phone interview. "Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornados and some flooding."

Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph (63 kph) and 73 mph (117 kph).

Tropical Storm Colin was likely to bring dangerous rainfall levels, and residents were warned about possible flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Rain began falling in the Tampa Bay area just past noon Sunday.

Scott warned residents not to simply look at the centre of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

The National Weather Service in Mobile issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power outages.

The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.

Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

"We're surrounded on three sides by water," said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sand bags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared.

"We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County," Guthrie said in an email.

Fort Hood officials have identified the last of nine soldiers who died in Texas floodwaters during a training exercise as a 25-year-old Army specialist from California.

Army officials on Sunday said Spc. Yingming Sun enlisted in 2013 and first arrived at Fort Hood nearly two years ago. He and eight others who were previously identified died when fast-moving waters washed a 2 1/2-ton vehicle from a low-water crossing Thursday.

Three others soldiers survived and have returned to duty.

Heavy and persistent storms the past two weeks have dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of Texas. The rain is expected to diminish this week and dry out areas such as Southeast Texas, where officials gave evacuation order to about 2,000 homes.

The National Weather Service is warning of an "enhanced" risk of severe storms in the mid-Atlantic region with the possibility of damaging winds.

Sterling, Virginia-based meteorologist Chris Strong says the primary threat in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area is from damaging wind gusts, and there's a lesser threat for tornados.

Wakefield, Virginia-based meteorologist Lyle Alexander says the threat on the Eastern Shore is from winds and more localized heavy rain.

The weather service warns that heavy rain in central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could mean flooding in areas that received rain Saturday. Flash flood watches are in effect until evening.

Mount Holly, New Jersey-based meteorologist Lance Franck says in Delaware the threat is from high winds and torrential downpours bringing flooding to urban areas and areas with poor drainage.

In New York City, the last day of a music festival that was to include performances by Kanye West and Death Cab for Cutie was cancelled because of weather concerns.

The National Weather Service said if Phoenix hits 114 degrees on Sunday, it will mark the third day in a row setting record high temperatures in Arizona's Urban Heart.

Much of Southern Arizona, from Phoenix to Nogales, is under an excessive heat warning.

Other western and southwestern U.S. states are experiencing above-normal temperatures in the triple-digits.

Officials are warning residents to stay hydrated and avoid the outdoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when temperatures are highest.
Photo: worldoceansday.ca

Debbie White has some alarming information about the planet's oceans.

Oceans are a vital source or food and medicine and they generate 80 per cent of the planet's oxygen, but they are full of plastics, pollution and garbage.

National Geographic and many other research groups have warned us about the current multi tons of plastics in our oceans and the rate at which it is increasing daily, said White, the founding director of World Oceans Day Canada.

June 1-8 is World Oceans Week and June 8 is World Oceans Day, and White said people need to take a good look at how the world's oceans are being treated.

The World Economic Forum recently warned there will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050 if we continue on the path we are on. We need our oxygen, food and medicine from the ocean. Now this is a fact we can all absorb said white. Let us join together and protect our oceans. It is a horrifying prediction we can all relate to and we can all do something about it

The time to act is now, reduce our carbon footprint, keep plastics and styrofoam from our waterways and reduce our water usage.

World Ocean Day events are planned throughout the country including Kelowna and Kamloops.

White said two volunteers have been conducting seminars at the UBC Okanagan campus and teachers are holding courses on the world's oceans.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A prosecutor said Monday that he isn't seeking charges against the mother of a 3-year-old boy who got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit, resulting in the shooting of an endangered gorilla to protect him.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the child's mother had three other children with her, and she was attending to them when the 3-year-old "just scampered off" on May 28. He said children's services made a visit to the boy and mother, and social workers were impressed by the child's environment.

Deters said the mother's actions were "not even close" to meriting reckless endangerment charges.

Legal experts had said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely. The family has declined to comment.

The zoo plans to reopen its Gorilla World on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the outer barrier before falling some 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe to protect the boy.

The zoo's role will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act. An animal protection watchdog group has urged that the zoo face federal fines.

The shooting caused a wide outpouring of criticism, blaming the boy's parents or the zoo for the gorilla death. A Cincinnati police spokesman said last week police planned to "reach out" to the boy's mother to advise her of threatening language in some posts.

The zoo said that there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World's 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high  a half foot taller than before  with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom.

A Cincinnati police report identified the boy's mother as Michelle Gregg, 32, who works at a preschool near Cincinnati. The child's father isn't named in the report, and it's not clear whether he was at the zoo that day.

The boy's family has said he is doing well at home. Police said he had scrapes on his head and knee, but was alert and talking when rescued.

University of Dayton law professor Lori Shaw said earlier that child endangering cases are complicated and fact-specific. She said Ohio law requires that the defendant be found "reckless" and to have exposed a child to "substantial risk," or a strong possibility of harm.

Police released 911 tapes of calls after the boy fell.

"He's dragging my son! I can't watch this!" a woman says in the 911 call, pleading for help. She shouts at her son repeatedly: "Be calm!"

A record of police calls shows nine minutes passed between the first emergency call about the boy falling into the enclosure and when the child was safe.

The police report states that witnesses said the gorilla initially appeared to be protecting the child, but after onlookers started screaming, it became "agitated and scared" and began dragging the child.

The boy's family has expressed gratitude to the zoo for protecting his life.
Photo: The Canadian Press

French authorities have evacuated up to 1,800 migrants camping in a large park in northern Paris and sent them off to temporary shelters around the region.

The interior and housing ministers said that the park was cleared out Monday morning and the migrants were taken to shelters where they can make asylum demands.

The park became increasingly squalid as migrants arrived and rains flooded the city. Several cases of tuberculosis were reported, making action urgent.

The ministers' statement said the evacuation brings to 10,000 the number of migrants removed in a year from Paris streets and parks and given shelter.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced plans last week to create a migrant centre for the city in line with international norms. She said that the centre's site will be announced shortly.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A team of experts has begun a historic renovation at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was buried, overcoming longstanding religious rivalries to carry out the first repairs at the site in over 200 years.

The project, which began Monday, will focus on repairing, reinforcing and preserving the Edicule  the ancient chamber housing Jesus' tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is the first such work at the tomb since 1810, when the shrine was restored and given its current shape following a fire.

An ornate structure with hanging oil lamps, columns and oversize candlesticks, the Edicule was erected above the spot where Christian tradition says Jesus' body was anointed, wrapped in cloth and buried before his resurrection. It stands a few hundred meters (yards) from the site of Jesus' crucifixion.

The church, characterized by stone staircases, dark chambers and golden decorations, is one of Christianity's holiest shrines. But that hasn't stopped clerics from engaging in turf rivalries over the years.

Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenians are responsible for maintaining separate sections of the church, and each denomination jealously guards its domain. While the clergymen who work and pray at the church generally get along, tensions can rise to the surface. In 2008, an argument between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks erupted into a brawl.

This time, the clergymen have put aside their differences  a reflection of the dire need for the repairs. Last year, Israeli police briefly shut down the building after Israel's Antiquities Authority deemed it unsafe, prompting the Christian denominations to join forces.

The three churches share possession of the shrine, holding prayer services at different times of the day and night, so restoring the Edicule was in everyone's interest.

"We equally decided the required renovation was necessary to be done, so we agreed upon it", said the Rev. Samuel Aghoyan, the top Armenian church official at the church.

Antonia Moropoulou, the scientific co-ordinator of the project, said the tomb is stable, but is warped and needs urgent attention after years of exposure to environmental factors like water, humidity and candle smoke.

"The marble and stone slabs have developed, due to the stresses, some deformations," said Moropoulou, an architect at the National Technical University of Athens, which is supervising the renovation. In addition, the structure needs to be protected from the risk of earthquake damage.

She said that even an iron cage around the Edicule built by English authorities in 1947, cannot bear the stress. "So another solution is needed," she said.

The project will bolster the structure by, among other things, replacing the mortars and strengthening the columns. It is expected to take eight to 12 months, experts and church clerics said. During that time, pilgrims will be able to continue visiting the site, they said.

Some of the work is expected to take place early in the morning or late at night, when the church is closed. This quiet atmosphere will make it easier for experts to concentrate on the delicate task and help avoid disruptions for the thousands of pilgrims and tourists who visit each day.

The project will cost about $3.3 million (3 million euros), said Theophilos III, the Greek-Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem. Each church is contributing funds. In addition, Jordan's King Abdullah made a personal donation in April for the project. Jordan controlled Jerusalem's Old City until the 1967 Mideast war, and the kingdom continues to play a role safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy sites.

Despite the sometimes tense relations between the denominations, the tomb served as a potent symbol of Christian unity when Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, prayed together there in May 2014.

Likewise, today's restoration is bridging centuries-old divisions by being conducted in the name of all three major denominations that share possession.

Besides the supervisory role played by the National Technical University of Athens, the agreement also includes an architect from each denomination.

In a show of unity, on May 20 clerics from the three denominations posed and shook hands in front of the scaffolding erected around the tomb ahead of the work.

"What has happened is a very good sign, a sign of togetherness," said Theophilos III.

The church, one of the world's oldest, was built in 325 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Constantine. That structure was destroyed in 1009 by Muslim Caliph al-Hakim. A 12th-century restoration by the Crusaders gave the Holy Sepulchre its current appearance, while in 1808 a fire all but destroyed the Edicule.

In 1852, the Ottoman authorities then governing the Holy Land provided a framework for resolving disputes inside the church. They put into effect the "status quo," a set of historic laws and power-sharing arrangements that, to this day, rigidly regulates the denominations' activities inside the Holy Sepulchre.

The Rev. Athanasius Macora, a Franciscan monk who represents the Catholics at the inter-church commission that negotiates disputes at the Holy Sepulchre, said the renovation might have been more ambitious if not for the status quo.

"I personally would have liked to maybe contemplate some alternative to simply restoring the current structure, but because the status quo is so conservative in its nature . we had to more or less accept the fact that there would be no change whatsoever to the current structure, and it would be restored as it is now," he said.

Still, for pilgrims like Italian Claudio Pardini, the restoration is "an important sign" that all of the Christian churches are getting together to preserve their faith's traditions.

"It's good to take care of our churches so that we can leave the next generations a sign, something to visit," he said. "Because Christ isn't an idea. He's a story."
Photo: Getty Images

Coldstream firefighters were dismayed to find an abandoned campfire on the weekend.

Fire chief Dave Sturgeon said crews found the campfire near the King Eddy Forest Service Road Saturday evening.

It was about six kilometres up, and there were flames going, said Sturgeon. There was wood debris all around, so it could have travelled pretty easy.

Sturgeon said, fortunately, there was no wind to fan the flames, or the scenario could have been much different.

That's a heavily wooded area. It was a close call, he said.

The fine for abandoning a campfire starts at $290 for a first offence. Sturgeon said for a second offence, the culprit would have to pay for fire crews and their trucks to attend, which is upwards of $1,000 an hour.

As the weather heats up and area forests dry out, Sturgeon urges people to take precautions in the woods.

Some people just don't get it. It's very frustrating, he said.
Photo: UBC Okanagan

More than 1,600 students will cross the stage to accept their degree at UBC Okanagan this week.

Its been quite a year, said Deborah Buszard, UBC deputy vice-chancellor and principal of the Okanagan campus, noting 2016 graduates are part of a special cohort.

This spring, in rounding out the celebrations marking 100 years of the University of British Columbia, we have the pleasure of admitting the centennial graduates into the Convocation of UBC, said Buszard.

Students at the Okanagan campus have the added distinction of graduating during the 10th anniversary year of UBC Okanagan. I offer my warmest congratulations to all graduates and their families on their achievements and invite them to stay involved in the life of this great institution.

Along with the awarding of degrees, teaching and student awards, two UBC Centennial honorary degrees will be conferred at the graduation ceremonies. Honorary Doctor of Science degrees will be bestowed on Thursday to astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar and on Friday to water scientist David Schindler.

Bondar, a physician and scientist, made history in 1992 as the first Canadian female astronaut and the first neurologist in space when she launched in NASAs space shuttle Discovery.

While in space, Bondar researched the effects that spaceflight and re-adaptation to Earths gravity have on astronauts, and she made ground-breaking discoveries in space medicine.

Schindler is an internationally celebrated scientist who has led efforts to protect freshwater resources in Canada and around the world.

His groundbreaking research has alerted governments and the public to the environmental effects of pollutants and climate change.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The president of Afghanistan on Monday condemned the killings of David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamanna in an insurgent ambush while on assignment.

Gilkey and Tamanna were travelling Sunday in the south with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, said network spokeswoman Isabel Lara in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were travelling with them and were not hurt.

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack cowardly and "completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws."

In a statement, Ghani said the Taliban do not distinguish among the military, civilians and journalists, and that they killed Gilkey and Tamanna as the two were reporting on the war. He offered condolences to their families.

Ghani went to Helmand later Monday to assess the security situation in the opium-poppy field region, which gives the world most of its heroin, controlled by the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and U.S. Army Gen. John. W. Nicholson, commander of the U.S.-NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, also offered condolences.

"David and Zabihullah, in particular, spent years in Afghanistan tirelessly endeavouring to tell the story of the Afghan people," Nicholson said in a statement. "We have the utmost respect for their work as well as those others that endure the hardships that come with reporting from conflict zones."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killings "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defence and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey and Tamanna were killed along with two other people while riding in a vehicle that came under sustained Taliban attack about 300-400 metres (yards) from the main army base in Marjah, said Maj. Abdul Qader, deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Helmand province.

The Humvee, which was was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, was carrying five people: Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine-gun operator who was on the roof, an Afghan army soldier and a driver, Qader told The Associated Press.

The driver and machine-gunner were killed along with Gilkey and Tamanna in the attack, which lasted 30-40 minutes, he said, adding that army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

"The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command," Qader said. The bodies of Gilkey and Tamanna were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of U.S. Marines.

Gilkey, 50, had covered Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice-president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna, 37, was a freelance journalist who often worked as a translator for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he had years of experience as a reporter, cameraman and photographer for local and international news organizations in Afghanistan.

He worked in Kabul as a photographer for China's Xinhua news agency and also reported for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee described him as one of the country's most experienced journalists. He had a degree in law and political science from Kabul University. Aside from his work in daily news, he was a legal adviser to a local media consultancy.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey as Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

President Barack Obama had met Gilkey in the Oval Office after the journalist was honoured by the White House News Photographers Association, said spokesman Josh Earnest, who passed along condolences from the president and first lady.

"I know there are a number of people in this room who worked with Mr. Gilkey and deeply respected his professionalism and his commitment to going anywhere, even dangerous places like Afghanistan repeatedly, to get the story and to tell the story in photos and on video," Earnest said at Monday's White House press briefing.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot and killed in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and wars in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until moving to NPR in 2007.
Photo: Getty Images

Police were seen with guns drawn Sunday evening near Inn From the Cold.

According to a witness, police were seen in the area at about 9:15 p.m. with their guns drawn.

Const. Jesse ODonaghey says officers were responding to a report that a man was being chased by suspects with guns.

Police had detained two individuals, who were later determined to not to be in possession of any firearms, explained ODonaghey.

The complainant, who was not fully co-operative with police, later clarified that the suspects were known to carry guns, and had not actually seen a weapon produced.

ODonaghey said the entire event turned out to be an "unfounded event" and all the individuals were released.
An amateur photographer has captured an epic confrontation between a Canada goose and a bald eagle.

The photos shot by Lisa Bell show the eagle terrorizing the goose, swooping down then unceremoniously pinning it to the ground.

The Vancouver Island photographer was vacationing with her family at Spider Lake Springs, near Qualicum Beach, over the weekend when she saw the most unusual attack.

The eagle swooped down and landed on top of the goose.

There was a whole bunch of noise to begin with, she told CTV Vancouver Island. The eagle was sitting on the goose. I scooted to get my camera, and when I came back down he was still there. The goose basically was playing dead.

As she snapped photos, she was hoping for a happy ending.

The eagle went to adjust itself, and the gooses back end came up, she said. The eagle was having a hard time keeping the goose down, and he managed to break free.

With the eagle in hot pursuit, the goose dove into a nearby pond and went under the water.

Its nature, its spectacular actually, she said. Youre rooting for the goose and seeing whats going to happen.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Harvey and Richter was the last place in Kelowna anyone wanted to be Monday afternoon.

The stench was nearly unbearable as city and fire crews worked together to clean up a rather gross mess.

Pedestrians downwind from the spill could be seen covering their faces and holding their noses as they crossed the highway.

RCMP Const. Paul Mlait says a city bus was pulling out from a bus stop when it clipped a truck carrying Porta Potties.

The bus was pulling out after picking up patrons at the bus stop," he said. "The driver is indicating the slow far-right-hand lane was clear at the time, and the Porta Potties truck was also headed in the same direction, eastbound, in the middle lane. He then wanted to merge right into the slow lane and switch lanes  and at some point, the two collided.

As both drivers were merging into the same lane when the minor accident occurred, it's currently unclear who is to blame.

Mlait says the collision caused 200 litres of treated human waste to spill onto the street.

After the collision, the Porta Potties truck spilled its waste, approximately 200 litres, and some of it has gone down the storm sewer. The city is here for cleanup now, and in talking to the fire department, we know it is not hazardous or a risk.

The small crash knocked the mirror off the bus and caused the truck's sewage container to spill.

Both the drivers and the passengers on the bus were unharmed.

City of Kelowna workers are now working to vacuum up the excrement as firefighters spray it toward them.

The smelly scene caused a long traffic backup heading into Kelowna, with cars stuck at a standstill on the bridge.
Photo: Getty Images

The ex-wife of a western Michigan man believes a parrot is repeating something said just before his fatal shooting, but a prosecutor is downplaying whether that could be used in court.

"I'm not aware of any legal precedent for that," Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springstead told The Associated Press on Monday. "Certainly, as we work our way through the case, that may be something to look at, but I highly doubt there is any precedent for that."

Also, Springstead said, when a judge asks a witness to raise his or her right hand, "to a parrot, are you raising a wing, a foot?"

Martin Duram, 45, was shot five times in his home in Ensley Township in May 2015. Then-wife Glenna Duram had a head wound, but survived.

Duram's ex-wife, Christina Keller, now owns Bud, an African grey parrot that has repeated "don't (expletive) shoot" in Martin Duram's voice, she told WOOD-TV.

But Springstead said he hasn't heard it.

"I tried to on my smartphone and online. I couldn't get the audio feed to work," he said.

No charges have been filed in the case and Martin Duram's death remains under investigation. Springstead said Duram's appeared not to be self-inflicted.

"As soon as I receive the investigation, I will make a charging decision," he said. "I expect that to happen in the next few weeks."
Photo: Jennifer Zielinski

A tired driver had a nightmarish awakening when she dozed off at the wheel and flipped her vehicle.

RCMP Const. Paul Mlait said firefighters freed the woman from the overturned white sedan at about 3:30 p.m. after the crash on Glenmore Road near Watson Road elementary school.

"The driver indicated she was very tired and fell asleep," he said.

She was taken to hospital with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. There were no passengers in the vehicle.

A witness told police she was driving beside the white sedan when it veered suddenly to the right.

"When the witness looked in the mirror, she saw the car flipping behind her," said Mlait.

Police say the driver is in her 30s.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected.

 with files from Jen Zielinski
Photo: Twitter Milltown Marina

UPDATE: 5:22 p.m.

Vancouver police officers continue to probe the circumstances around a body wrapped in a sleeping bag found at the foot of Bentley Street, on the shores of the Fraser River.



Police say they are unable to confirm any details until the body is removed from the sleeping bag and the autopsy is complete.



Investigators with the VPD Major Crime Section are asking anyone who may have seen anything unusual in the area in the past 24 hours to call the VPD at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Vancouver Police are currently investigating a suspicious death near the shores of the Fraser River.

Const. Brian Montague said shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, police received a 911 call regarding the discovery of a body near the Milltown Marina.

Detectives with the Vancouver Police Major Crime Section along with the VPD Forensic Identification Unit have arrived and will continue the investigation.

Additional information will be provided when it becomes available.
Photo: Getty Images. File photo.

A pit bull was seized by authorities on the weekend after a vicious attack that sent a man to hospital.

We had a report of a serious dog attack on a person at a residence on Dunwaters Road in the Fintry area, said Bruce Smith, spokesperson for the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The victim was taken to (Kelowna General Hospital) where he was treated and released.

The attack occurred in the early evening of Thursday, June 2.

North Okanagan RCMP attended while a dog control official removed the pit bull from the property on the Muir Estates Saturday morning.

The animal was seized with a warrant in the interests of public safety and is being held at the dog pound pending an investigation which is ongoing, said Smith.

It's the most severe dog attack that I've ever seen, said a witness who did not want to be identified. We were hoping he wasn't going to die.

While Smith called the animal a "pit bull type dog," the witness identified it as a pit bull and said the owner was the victim of the attack.

The victim's shoulder and chest were torn up, but BC Ambulance personnel arrived on scene and were able to quickly stop the bleeding, said the witness.
Nigeria: Dangote begins construction of Itori-Ibese road

ICR Newsroom By 06 June 2016

Dangote has begun construction of a network of concrete roads in Nigeria, beginning with a 24km stretch linking Itori and Ibese in Ogun state, Leadership reports.

Speaking at the inauguration of the first road, Aliko Dangote said that concrete roads offered a means to address the infrastructural challenges faced by African nations.

Dangote said: We have also recently been finally awarded the contract to reconstruct the 42km Obajana-Kabba Road in Kogi State, in concrete. The estimated cost of the project is NGN11.5bn [US$58m] but the federal government has granted us a tax waiver to enable us to recoup part of the estimated cost at NGN5.6bn [US$28m] in tax credits and the balance will be our donation as part of our CSR.

Asked about the granting of waivers to Dangote, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister for Works, Housing and Power, said: It is a matter of law because there is an existing government policy that allows for government to give tax waiver in exchange of services from private investors especially in the area of infrastructural facilities provision which the government needs direly.

On the other hand, Dangote already had a vision that sometime to come, Nigeria will need this kind of service like the road construction with concrete which would not need foreign exchange to execute. So he keyed into this and I hope other investors can take a cue from him. The law was not made for Dangote, it has been existing before now.

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Columbus, GA, United States

Columbus is a charming small town in Georgia that is worth a visit. There are several places to visit in Columbus, including the Riverwalk, the Chattahoochee River, the National Infantry Museum, and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. The Riverwalk is a beautiful walkway along the Chattahoochee River that is perfect for a relaxing stroll or a bike ride. The Chattahoochee River is a great place to go fishing, swimming, or kayaking. The National Infantry Museum is a museum dedicated to the infantry of the United States Army. It is a must-see for history buffs. The Coca-Cola Space Science Center is a museum dedicated to space science. It is perfect for kids and adults alike.

Columbus Luxury Hotels

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
Church members have a lot of misconceptions about Christian fellowship and Christian unity. The New Testament speaks much of being of one accord and being in unity. Agreement is not unity. Agreement can be simply a matter of behavior. Unity will involve attitude and heart. Unity will involve the spirit as well as the letter. The Bible is clear that unity is a gift from God, not something we conjure up. We are simply called to keep that which God has bestowed on us in His grace. We maintain unity simply by submitting to the same head (Christ). We will be in unity if we each have the same goal which must be to please Christ. We will be in unity if we direct all honor and glory and credit to Christ. We break the unity when we set ourselves up as the head. We break the unity when we rage or pout because we do not get the church job we wanted or when the credit goes to another. It seems to me that most of these issues are directly related to our not being committed to the same goal.

Personal preference supersedes advancing the Kingdom of God. Personal comfort takes precedence over spreading the gospel. Entertaining self becomes more desirable than pleasing the Savior. Getting ones way takes priority over listening to the Holy Spirit.

God has blessed me with an incredible number and wide range of experiences. I have met many, many people in a vast array of situations. Some of those people have been mere acquaintances but several have become very close friends. Without question, I have the greatest affinity for those with whom I was in the greatest Christian unity and fellowship. That unity and fellowship was directly linked to the fact that each of us (at least for that point in time) had totally submitted to the same Head and our every action was aimed at pleasing that Head. That fact caused all perceived divisions to move completely out of sight and mind. Those individuals are without a doubt my closest friends no matter how long it has been since I have had contact with them. The occasions have been many and varied. No matter if it was Vacation Bible School, Fellowship of Christian Athletes events, church outreach programs, benevolence ministry, etc., those individuals with whom I have been yoked in self-less Christian service are dearest to me.

Psalms 133 speaks of a few of the benefits of godly fellowship and unity,Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing  life forever. (NASU) The unity given by God is symbolized in this passage by the anointing of Aaron the High Priest. It is a pleasing, soothing gift from God. Certainly the dew from heaven is a soothing, freshening gift from God that descends upon all. It seems significant to me that God closes this brief psalm with this declaration, there the Lord commanded the blessing  life forever. The blessing, life forever, is found only in this unity which is accomplished only when individuals are brought into union with Christ. Our union with other individuals is only possible when we are each submitted to and in obedience to the same Master, Lord, Savior, Head. That is true blessing now and life forever.

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Professor Christoph Gerber of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the Department of Physics at the University of Basel has been awarded the 2016 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience together with Professor Gerd Binnig (formerly of IBM Zurich Research Laboratory) and Professor Calvin Quate (Stanford University). The award honors their invention and creation of the first atomic force microscope 30 years ago.

Since 2008, the Kavli Prize has been presented every two years to honor outstanding research in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. It comes with prize money of one million dollars for each field of research and recipients are selected based on the recommendations of internationally scientists via Kavli Foundation, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The winners will be notified on June 2 and the ceremony will be held on September 6, 2016, in Oslo, Norway.

Atomic force microscope launched a new era

Christoph Gerber, Gerd Binnig, and Calvin Quate have been selected for the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience in recognition of their development of the atomic force microscope (AFM), which heralded a new era in the research and manipulation of minute structures.

Thanks to the AFM, it is now possible to precisely map and analyze individual molecules and atoms. It also enables various physical and chemical parameters to be measured, including friction, magnetic force, and bond strength. Yet observation, mapping, and measurement are not its only functions  researchers can also use the atomic force microscope to place individual atoms precisely to create new structures. The AFMs many potential uses have resulted in a wide range of applications. Mapping biological nanomachines at atomic resolution, developing new diagnostic sensors, and constructing tiny, novel electronic components are just a few of the examples currently being explored.

I am absolutely delighted that Christoph Gerber has been awarded the Kavli Prize, says Christian Schonenberger, Professor of Physics at the University of Basel and Director of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, of the good news. The AFM is a wonderful, versatile device that gave many areas access to the nano world for the first time and is still producing totally new applications.

According to the press release from the Kavli Foundation, atomic force microscopy is a powerful and versatile scientific technique that continues to advance nanoscience for the benefit of society.

Like the arm of a record player

An atomic force microscope works on a different principle to a light microscope. It has no lenses to enlarge objects. The core of the atomic force microscope is a movable cantilever with a minute tip. In a similar way to the needle of a record player, the tip scans the sample surface line by line. Attractive and repulsive forces work between the atoms of the sample and the cantilever tip deflect the cantilever. This distortion is recorded and software calculates a digital image point by point.
The floral company invested more than $30,000 in its truck, which it hopes will introduce new people to the Flowers for Dreams brand. (Keri Wiginton / Blue Sky )

First came the food trucks. Now, Chicago startup Flowers for Dreams hopes to spark a wave of florist trucks across the city.

The online flower-delivery company first took its new truck out on the streets over Mother's Day weekend, tweeting and Snapchatting its whereabouts to followers while delivering about a dozen free bouquets and flower crowns, CEO and co-founder Steven Dyme said.

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The black matte-painted truck, which began its life delivering mail and, later, ice cream, is a bit of a hipster dream.

Carefully arranged bouquets sit on a shelf on the serving window, and a white-on-black, hand-lettered menu hangs outside. The interior is covered in light pegboard, from which floral tools hang. Music spills out from speakers mounted inside. The front grate is adorned with a bicycle that features a crate for a basket.

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Truck manager Kate Yocic greets visitors from the window wearing a flower crown.

"That's a huge part of it, is inviting people into the experience," Yocic said.

She said the truck's best day so far was near 600 West Chicago, where Groupon and other tech companies are based. She sold about $400 worth of products that day. She sells small and mini bouquets, plus T-shirts and tote bags, on the truck.

The mini bouquets, at $15, are the most popular item on the trucks, Yocic said. She creates them before heading out for the day, and transports them and the larger, $30 bouquets, in buckets of water. On very hot days, she uses in a built-in cooler.

"Because we're just starting out, people don't necessarily know we're going to be there," Yocic said. "It's more of an impulse purchase."

Since its debut, Flowers for Dreams has taken the truck to Wicker Park, Logan Square and the Loop, among other areas. Dyme said the company is experimenting with the right days, times and locations to get maximum exposure.

The truck hit the streets less than a month after flower peddling became legal in Chicago for the first time in 73 years. The Chicago City Council voted to overturn the ban April 13, which was pushed by florist and City Council finance committee chairman Ald. John Duffy in 1943.

Dyme said he reached out to today's finance committee chairman, Ald. Ed Burke, to suggest a repeal of the ban. Burke's office declined to comment.

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The ban wasn't overturned without pushback, though: Dyme said some in the floral industry preferred to see the ban upheld.

"It's literally the same argument as the food trucks," Dyme said. "It's open competition versus protectionism."

Coming up, the company will see how the truck does at local farmers markets, though Dyme said he won't go to any where Flowers for Dreams might compete with the local farms from which it buys flowers.

The company invested more than $30,000 in the truck, which Dyme hopes will introduce new people to the Flowers for Dreams brand. There isn't much foot traffic around the company's West Town shop, so the truck gives Flowers for Dreams a way to catch the eye of passers-by without adding a storefront. With the support of investor Thad Wong, owner of @properties, the company pushed ahead with its mobile plans.

"Social media is the best way for digital discovery," Dyme said. "This truck is a good way for offline and in-person discovery."

Flowers for Dreams currently operates in Chicago with about 23 full-time employees and a number of contractors, Dyme said. The company plans to expand to other markets in the Midwest, potentially by the end of 2016.

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Adam Havrilla, president of the 120-member Illinois State Florists Association, said traditional florists might embrace flower peddling. But he expressed concern that flower trucks might park too close to existing shops.

"It takes away from the brick-and-mortar shops that have been around for a long time," Havrilla said.

But Dyme said he hopes more florists follow his company's path and take to the streets with their goods.

"It probably won't happen this summer, but I guarantee you that by next summer and spring, there will either be other flower trucks or flower carts," he said.

aelahi@tribpub.com

Twitter @aminamania
A drawing shows the 28-unit condo development that has been approved for 708 W. Lake Ave. in Oak Park. The building, known as District House, will be designed by architect Miller Hull and Northworks with a nod to Prairie School design in honor of the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright district. (Oak Park Economic Development Corp.)

Oak Park is adding high-rise luxury rental apartment buildings to its downtown as it seeks to capture millennials and empty nesters who have been drawn to newly built skyscrapers popular in Chicago.

The village changed height limits to allow for the construction of high-rise housing.

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The goal is a vibrant downtown, said John Lynch, executive director of the Oak Park Economic Development Corp. That comes, he said, from more people living downtown along with more restaurants and activities.

He said Oak Park's plan is similar to what Evanston began about 15 years ago.

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Each of the three new apartment buildings also will include retail space, which Lynch hopes will add to the area's "independent funky charm" with Chicago restaurants potentially opening locations outside the city.

He made comparisons to Nando's Peri-Peri and Hamburger Mary's, which have opened locations in Oak Park. No restaurants or retailers have signed on yet, however.

A $90 million, 21-story, 270-unit building developed by Golub & Co. and Wood Partners, known as Vantage Oak Park, is under construction at 150 Forest Ave. The $85 million, 20-story, 271-unit Oak Park Station project, developed by Clark Street Real Estate and Lennar Multifamily, has begun construction on what is known as the Colt site on Lake Street east of Harlem Avenue. The third project, a 250-unit, 12-story building developed by Lincoln Property Co. of Dallas, is expected to begin construction late this year or early next at Harlem and South Boulevard.

Lynch expects the housing to be a draw for young professionals and empty nesters who want to be in "walkable communities" outside Chicago's urban core, but who can also get into downtown Chicago with a 15-minute train ride.

In contrast with downtown developments, however, a major component will be new parking structures. Residents and business owners have been asking for additional parking, and the three projects combined will provide about 1,400 parking places, Lynch said. The village is providing about $12.9 million in tax increment financing to the Vantage and Oak Park Station projects for parking, plus new infrastructure. About 62,000 square feet of retail space is planned.

For apartments, rents are expected to be similar to downtown Chicago's, averaging about $3 a square foot, Lynch said. That would make rent in a 1,000-square-foot apartment about $3,000. Currently, the average new luxury apartment in downtown Chicago rents for $2.98 a square foot, according to Appraisal Research Counselors.

The Lincoln Property project is expected to have five affordable units. Rather than price more units affordably at that location, Lincoln Property is contributing more than $600,000 to the village to create affordable housing in the future, Lynch said.

Since the housing crisis, most new construction has been luxury in nature, giving developers the best return on their investment. With a demographic surge of young millennial professionals, the largest demand for luxury apartments in Cook County has come from millennials with a household income of $74,000 to $123,000, according to the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. From 2007 to 2014, the number of 25- to 34-year-old renters surged 40 percent, the institute found.

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Empty nesters are also increasingly becoming renters. Following the housing crash, many held homes that had dropped in value. Now, as prices have appreciated, empty nesters are ready to sell homes and downsize to apartments or condominium units, Lynch said.

"We want to keep them in the community, and they want to stay," said Lynch.

While there has been little new construction of condominiums built throughout the Chicago metropolitan area since the recession, Lynch said developers are starting to express interest.

A land purchase for a 28-unit condo development has been approved for 708 W. Lake, which will house three-bedroom units expected to appeal to both empty nesters and young families, Lynch said. On the site of the old Tasty Dog hot dog stand, District House  with units priced between $550,000 and $800,000  will be designed by architect Miller Hull and Northworks with a nod to Prairie School design in honor of the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright district.

Lynch described the apartment buildings as "glassy," similar to the high-rises seen in other areas, and filled with popular amenities like rooftop grill stations, fitness centers and pet washing facilities. Vantage was designed by Chicago architectural firm Gensler, and Oak Park Station was designed by FitzGerald Associates.

gmarksjarvis@tribpub.com

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Twitter @gailmarksjarvis
Moody's Investors Service cut Presence Health's debt rating to the brink of junk territory and said the ratings outlook is negative, meaning there's potential for further downgrade.

In an opinion issued late Friday, Moody's cited Presence's poor financial performance last year and challenges to the Catholic health system's cash flow in the next 18 months as reasons for lowering the bond rating one notch, to Baa3 from Baa2.

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The rating covers about $503 million of public debt that was originally issued by Resurrection Health Care and Provena Health, which merged in 2011 to form Chicago-based Presence, which owns 11 hospitals and 27 nursing homes and senior living facilities.

Moody's action follows downgrades in March by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's, the two other global credit-ratings agencies. Being downgraded can affect a company's ability to borrow money, but Presence was relieved that it maintains an investment-grade rating with all three agencies.

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"We are pleased that the Moody's report supports retention of our investment grade credit rating and recognizes the new Presence Health management team's comprehensive plans to decisively address our financial issues ..." the health system said in a statement.

Late last month, Presence obtained a $528 million short-term loan, which it used to pay off several private bank loans. The company had violated financial conditions of the bank loans after reporting an unexpected $186 million loss last year.

The new loan removed the immediate risk of the covenant violations and allowed for an on-time filing of a clean audit, Moody's said. Presence also secured a $75 million revolving credit line to give it more of a cushion.

But Moody's said the health system's debt structure is "less than optimal." Presence has more than $1 billion of total outstanding debt. The short-term loan requires Presence to maintain 100 days of cash on hand and has to be refinanced by December 2017. At the end of March, the company had 126 days of cash.

Presence also has taken swift actions to improve its billing and collections and reduce costs, including plans to eliminate 700 jobs through attrition and layoffs by the end of the year.

While acknowledging the recent developments to improve performance, Moody's said Presence faces "ongoing operating pressure" and increased competition.

"It will be important for management to demonstrate significant progress toward generating improvements in order to avoid a further downgrade," Moody's said.

asachdev@tribpub.com

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Twitter @ameetsachdev
The Food & Dining tent at Printers Row Lit Fest will host nearly two dozen authors and chefs, including Ruth Reichl, from left, former Gourmet magazine editor-in-chef; Dorie Greenspan, author of "Baking Chez Moi"; and Chicago chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Rick Bayless. (Kevin Nance (photo of Ruth Reichl); Chicago Tribune (photos of Dorie Greenspan and Rick Bayless)

Bold-faced names in the national culinary scene, as well as Chicago stars and newcomers, fill the schedule on the Food & Dining stage at this year's Printers Row Lit Fest, Saturday and Sunday in Chicago's South Loop.

Author Ruth Reichl talks about and cooks from her book "My Kitchen Year"; Dorie Greenspan, author of numerous books, including "Baking Chez Moi," speaks about her career; top chef Rick Bayless demos from his books; Chicago blogger Jocelyn Delk Adams demos a cake from her "Grandbaby Cakes"; "Chewing" co-hosts Louisa Chu and Monica Eng sit down with Fat Rice owners Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo for a live recording of the podcast; and grilling master Meathead Goldwyn busts myths about grilling.

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The full schedule is below for all Food & Dining events, which will take place in a tent at Dearborn and Harrison streets. For updates and a full list of Lit Fest events, go to www.printersrowlitfest.org.

Saturday, June 11:

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10-11 a.m.

Coffee with John Kass

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass invites you in for a cup of coffee and a chat about whatever's on your mind: "Politics, tomatoes, cooking, the column, "The Chicago Way" podcast, anything (in good taste)," says Kass.

11:15-11:45 a.m.

Meathead Goldwyn

Grilling guru Meathead Goldwyn talks about "Old Husbands' Tales: BBQ & Grilling Myths That Need to Die." Author of the new cookbook "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" and the editor of the outdoor cooking website AmazingRibs.com, Meathead rigorously tested grilling practices many of us take as gospel and found them wanting. He'll explain why and outline a better way.

Noon to 12:45 p.m.

Dorie Greenspan

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Baking guru and food writer Dorie Greenspan, author of nine cookbooks, including the most recent, "Baking Chez Moi," in conversation with Tribune Food & Dining reporter Louisa Chu. Greenspan's next book, "Dorie's Cookies," will be released in October.

1-1:30 p.m.

Cooking demo: Rick Bayless

Chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless, co-owner of several restaurants, including Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and the new side-by-side (and hotter than hot) duo, Cruz Blanca Cerveceria and Lena Brava, will demonstrate recipes from his cookbooks, including his most recent, "More Mexican Everyday." Bayless, the author of several cookbooks on Mexican cooking, is also the star of the PBS cooking show "Mexico  One Plate at a Time," now in its 10th season.

1:45-2:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: "The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook" authors

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Pastry chefs Diana Moles and Jolene Worthington, of Eli's Cheesecake Co. and co-authors of "The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook: Remarkable Recipes From a Chicago Legend," will demonstrate how to make a lemon cheesecake tart with blueberries, including Eli's six critical steps for a successful cheesecake. Co-author Maureen Schulman will talk about Eli's cheesecake's history, starting with Eli Schulman's first foray into the restaurant business in 1940 and continuing through present day.

2:30-3:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: James P. DeWan

Tribune "Prep School" columnist and Kendall College culinary instructor James P. DeWan shows how to wrestle awkward vegetables to the ground with a knife skills demonstration. DeWan is co-author of "The Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills" and a collection of his columns, "Prep School: How to Improve Your Kitchen Skills and Cooking Techniques."

3:30-4 p.m.

Cooking demo: Jocelyn Delk Adams

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Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of "Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories," will demo her cinnamon roll pound cake, a favorite from the book that was featured on the "Rachael Ray Show" and "Today." The Chicagoan's cookbook is named after her blog, www.grandbaby-cakes.com, which is inspired by her grandmother.

4:15-5 p.m.

Panel: Is the idea of craft beer dead?

As the craft beer industry sees consolidation with Big Beer moving in, is the idea of "craft beer" dead? Tribune beer writer Josh Noel, who has covered the evolution extensively, leads a panel discussion with industry leaders Tony Magee, founder of Lagunitas Brewing, with breweries in Chicago and California; Josh Deth, managing partner of Revolution Brewing, Chicago's largest independent brewer; and Ray Daniels, founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program, which certifies beer experts, and author of "Designing Great Beers" and other beer titles.

Sunday, June 12

11-11:30 a.m.

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Cooking demo: Green City Market

Green City Market, a sustainable and organic farmers market in Lincoln Park, invites a Chicago chef to demonstrate a recipe using ingredients from market vendors.

11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Cooking demo: Ruth Reichl

Food writer, cookbook author, former New York Times restaurant critic and former Gourmet editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl cooks from "My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life," which chronicles here journey coping with the closing of the venerable food magazine. Tribune food writer Bill Daley will join her in conversation.

12:45-1:30 p.m.

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Cooking demo: JeanMarie Brownson

JeanMarie Brownson, Tribune columnist, author of a cookbook named for the column, "Dinner at Home," and winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals award, will cook from her book that gathers more than 100 recipes from her column. Brownson, culinary director of Frontera Foods and Frontera Media Productions and a former director of the Tribune test kitchen, brings a wealth of experience to her bimonthly column in Food & Dining.

1:45-2:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: Carol Hilker

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

In her cookbook "Breakfast for Dinner," Chicago writer Carol Hilker set out to bring more respect to the morning meal. Drawing from the book, she will demo two eggs Benedict recipes that she says are perfect for dinner.

2:30-3:15 p.m.

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"Chewing" live podcast with Louisa Chu and Monica Eng

The "Chewing" podcast, by Chicago Tribune food writer Louisa Chu and WBEZ reporter Monica Eng, will record a live episode on the Food & Dining stage, with special guests Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo, owners of much-lauded Fat Rice. It will be the first interview on the couple's upcoming cookbook, "The Adventures of Fat Rice" (to be released in October), and a sneak peek into what to expect from the Fat Rice bakery, opening in two weeks.

3:30-4 p.m.

Cooking demo: Emily Paster

Emily Paster, founder of the Chicago Food Swap, is the author of "Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartering, Sharing & Giving" Paster will demo three recipes that showcase the variety that can be found at a food swap event.
Bold-faced names in the national culinary scene, as well as Chicago stars and newcomers, fill the schedule on the Food & Dining stage at this year's Printers Row Lit Fest, Saturday and Sunday in Chicago's South Loop.

Author Ruth Reichl talks about and cooks from her book "My Kitchen Year"; Dorie Greenspan, author of numerous books, including "Baking Chez Moi," speaks about her career; top chef Rick Bayless demos from his books; Chicago blogger Jocelyn Delk Adams demos a cake from her "Grandbaby Cakes"; "Chewing" co-hosts Louisa Chu and Monica Eng sit down with Fat Rice owners Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo for a live recording of the podcast; and grilling master Meathead Goldwyn busts myths about grilling.

The full schedule is below for all Food & Dining events, which will take place in a tent at Dearborn and Harrison streets. For updates and a full list of Lit Fest events, go to www.printersrowlitfest.org.

Saturday, June 11:

10-11 a.m.

Coffee with John Kass

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass invites you in for a cup of coffee and a chat about whatever's on your mind: "Politics, tomatoes, cooking, the column, "The Chicago Way" podcast, anything (in good taste)," says Kass.

11:15-11:45 a.m.

Meathead Goldwyn

Grilling guru Meathead Goldwyn talks about "Old Husbands' Tales: BBQ & Grilling Myths That Need to Die." Author of the new cookbook "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" and the editor of the outdoor cooking website AmazingRibs.com, Meathead rigorously tested grilling practices many of us take as gospel and found them wanting. He'll explain why and outline a better way.

Noon to 12:45 p.m.

Dorie Greenspan

Baking guru and food writer Dorie Greenspan, author of nine cookbooks, including the most recent, "Baking Chez Moi," in conversation with Tribune Food & Dining reporter Louisa Chu. Greenspan's next book, "Dorie's Cookies," will be released in October.

1-1:30 p.m.

Cooking demo: Rick Bayless

Chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless, co-owner of several restaurants, including Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and the new side-by-side (and hotter than hot) duo, Cruz Blanca Cerveceria and Lena Brava, will demonstrate recipes from his cookbooks, including his most recent, "More Mexican Everyday." Bayless, the author of several cookbooks on Mexican cooking, is also the star of the PBS cooking show "Mexico  One Plate at a Time," now in its 10th season.

1:45-2:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: "The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook" authors

Pastry chefs Diana Moles and Jolene Worthington, of Eli's Cheesecake Co. and co-authors of "The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook: Remarkable Recipes From a Chicago Legend," will demonstrate how to make a lemon cheesecake tart with blueberries, including Eli's six critical steps for a successful cheesecake. Co-author Maureen Schulman will talk about Eli's cheesecake's history, starting with Eli Schulman's first foray into the restaurant business in 1940 and continuing through present day.

2:30-3:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: James P. DeWan

Tribune "Prep School" columnist and Kendall College culinary instructor James P. DeWan shows how to wrestle awkward vegetables to the ground with a knife skills demonstration. DeWan is co-author of "The Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills" and a collection of his columns, "Prep School: How to Improve Your Kitchen Skills and Cooking Techniques."

3:30-4 p.m.

Cooking demo: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of "Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories," will demo her cinnamon roll pound cake, a favorite from the book that was featured on the "Rachael Ray Show" and "Today." The Chicagoan's cookbook is named after her blog, www.grandbaby-cakes.com, which is inspired by her grandmother.

4:15-5 p.m.

Panel: Is the idea of craft beer dead?

As the craft beer industry sees consolidation with Big Beer moving in, is the idea of "craft beer" dead? Tribune beer writer Josh Noel, who has covered the evolution extensively, leads a panel discussion with industry leaders Tony Magee, founder of Lagunitas Brewing, with breweries in Chicago and California; Josh Deth, managing partner of Revolution Brewing, Chicago's largest independent brewer; and Ray Daniels, founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program, which certifies beer experts, and author of "Designing Great Beers" and other beer titles.

Sunday, June 12

11-11:30 a.m.

Cooking demo: Green City Market

Green City Market, a sustainable and organic farmers market in Lincoln Park, invites a Chicago chef to demonstrate a recipe using ingredients from market vendors.

11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Cooking demo: Ruth Reichl

Food writer, cookbook author, former New York Times restaurant critic and former Gourmet editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl cooks from "My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life," which chronicles here journey coping with the closing of the venerable food magazine. Tribune food writer Bill Daley will join her in conversation.

12:45-1:30 p.m.

Cooking demo: JeanMarie Brownson

JeanMarie Brownson, Tribune columnist, author of a cookbook named for the column, "Dinner at Home," and winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals award, will cook from her book that gathers more than 100 recipes from her column. Brownson, culinary director of Frontera Foods and Frontera Media Productions and a former director of the Tribune test kitchen, brings a wealth of experience to her bimonthly column in Food & Dining.

1:45-2:15 p.m.

Cooking demo: Carol Hilker

In her cookbook "Breakfast for Dinner," Chicago writer Carol Hilker set out to bring more respect to the morning meal. Drawing from the book, she will demo two eggs Benedict recipes that she says are perfect for dinner.

2:30-3:15 p.m.

"Chewing" live podcast with Louisa Chu and Monica Eng

The "Chewing" podcast, by Chicago Tribune food writer Louisa Chu and WBEZ reporter Monica Eng, will record a live episode on the Food & Dining stage, with special guests Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo, owners of much-lauded Fat Rice. It will be the first interview on the couple's upcoming cookbook, "The Adventures of Fat Rice" (to be released in October), and a sneak peek into what to expect from the Fat Rice bakery, opening in two weeks.

3:30-4 p.m.

Cooking demo: Emily Paster

Emily Paster, founder of the Chicago Food Swap, is the author of "Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartering, Sharing & Giving" Paster will demo three recipes that showcase the variety that can be found at a food swap event.
Justin Tranter attends the BMI Pop Awards May 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel. (Mark Davis / Getty Images)

As frontman of the glam punk band Semi Precious Weapons for nearly a decade, Lake Zurich native Justin Tranter was used to being in the spotlight. Now he's co-writing hits for Justin Bieber, North Shore band Fall Out Boy and DNCE, which he calls an "awesome" experience.

"I love to give the song away, it's so exciting, where I think a lot of younger songwriters they struggle with that. And it's a big struggle, where they want the shine and they want people to know that it was their idea and it was their doing. But luckily I've been through that so I can just focus on helping other people do their thing," Tranter said Saturday at the Midem music market conference in France.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Justin Bieber performs at Allstate Arena in Rosemont on Friday, April 22, 2016. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Tranter, who attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, transitioned to a songwriting career after his band was dropped by major labels. He co-wrote Bieber's "Sorry;" Selena Gomez's "Good for You" and "Hands to Myself;" Fall Out Boy's "Centuries" and DNCE's "Cake by the Ocean," among other hits.

Tranter, 35, said he plans to sign a couple of artists and slowly develop a few acts.

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"I think a lot of people make the mistake that once they get the big mainstream success they were looking for, that then they immediately launch a T-shirt line or some (expletive). You make music, not T-shirts!," he said.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
It was a very bad evening for Starks.

On three fronts things got much worse for the offspring of Ned Stark, the household head with whom we started this "Game of Thrones" adventure and with whom, one surmises, we may one day finish it.

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This may happen before the polar ice caps melt, although at this rate, even in an eventful season like this one, a person has to wonder. Even as the show nudges us along toward "the real war  between the living and the dead," as Ser Davos said this week, it seems to be following a concurrent plan to leave no brothel in Westeros unvisited.

But we were talking about the peril of the Stark brood. Sansa Stark and her presumed half brother Jon Snow failed to round up much help in their attempt to reclaim the North, which led Sansa to prepare a note for a raven, likely an appeal to the conniving Petyr Baelish. Little brother Rickon Stark continues to be captive of Ramsay Bolton, the Caligula of Westeros and holder of Winterfell, the Stark ancestral seat.

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And then, toward episode's end, we saw Arya Stark again but we, alas, were not the only ones. How she will survive her evisceration by the assassins' cult she rejected is an almost literally throbbing question leading into next week.

Five more thoughts on "Game of Thrones" Season 6, Episode 7, The One in Which The Hound Rediscovered His Hate:

1. Is "Game of Thrones" now going a little bit Ramsay Bolton on its detractors?

Ian McShane, the earthy British actor from the late, great "Deadwood," among a body of fine work, has been celebrated for quipping that "Game of Thrones" could be reduced to three words: "breasts and dragons." But he is earthy, remember, so he didn't actually say "breasts."

Even "GoT" loyalists had to admit there was something to McShane's summary, which is why it got widely repeated. But it also fed a potent body of criticism against the show, which cites objectification of women and a fantastical storyline but doesn't give the show enough credit for its strong female characters and the insights into human nature that undergird all the questing for power, whether it's with dragons or with sacred swords.

Well, look who shows up in "GoT" this week? It's Ian McShane, as a sort of pastor leading a group of people attempting to build a church, it looks like. And look what happens to him at the end up the episode. McShane dangles from a marauder's rope, like a great joke from the producers and/or a warning to all those who would speak ill of "GoT."

2. If there's going to be a spin-off series, I nominate Lady Olenna as central character.

The so-called Queen of Thorns, dowager countess of the powerful House Tyrell, was at the heart of King's Landing events this week. Indeed, every time this character, portrayed by Diana Rigg, comes on screen you know things are getting more interesting, with her combination of imperiousness and barbed tongue, to say nothing of her past willingness to poison her grandson-in-law, the king.

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It was through Lady Olenna that we confirmed Queen Margaery, her granddaughter, is only pretending to religious conversion to appease the puritanical Sparrows sect, who have control in the capital in all but name. Margaery warned her beloved thorny grandmother to get out of town before she, too, is made prisoner, and she slipped her a piece of paper bearing a rose, the family sigil, to show that she has not truly gone over to the gods.

Lady Olenna also had a tete-a-tete with Cersei, ex-queen and mother of the current King Tommen, Margaery's husband. In it she said those things to Cersei we've all been thinking: "I wonder if you're the worst person I've ever met. ... You've lost, Cersei. That's the only joy I could find in all of this misery."

Cersei, who still doesn't know that Lady Olenna was the poisoner of her beloved first son, King Joffrey, was proposing an alliance to protect the new king and queen; Olenna says she is out of there "before that shoeless zealot throws me into one of his cells." Here's hoping she'll live to continue stirring the pot.

3. What, no Danaerys?

Apparently Emilia Clarke, who plays the great dragon-mother Daenerys Targaryen, is so busy promoting her new movie she didn't have time to appear in this week's episode. (Note: I understand how production schedules work, but it is a neat coincidence that one of Dany's rare weeks off occurs as "Me Before You" comes out; films before TV.)

After last week's big dragon ride, Daenerys is, we can assume, resting up. She entered the episode only in a mention, with Yara Greyjoy saying she plans to take brother Theon overseas and "make a pact with this dragon queen." This means both sides in the fight for power in the Iron Islands, home to a shipbuilding people, hope to employ Danaerys, who needs ships. Very interesting, even if it does suggest a lot more sorting out needs to occur before Dany sails back to Westeros to reclaim the crown for her Targaryen line.

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But with no dragons in sight this week, Ian McShane was surely happy that his descriptive powers were confirmed when the show took time to have Yara and Theon visit a house of shirtlessness and ill repute.

4. So that's why the episode is called "The Broken Man."

Theon, dismembered and psychologically torn down by Ramsay, gets a lecture from his sister, who says she needs him back to strength. "I am tired of watching you cower like a beat dog," she says. "If you're so broken there's no coming back, take a knife and cut your wrists."

Theon signals he is coming back by drinking a cup of strong ale, fitfully, and by nodding assent to Yara's pep talk; in other words, his return to the ranks of the unbroken is not yet wholly persuasive.

Meanwhile, there's another broken man. One of those in McShane's peaceful flock is Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound, one-time big, bad dude in King's Landing, one-time protector/thwarted ransomer of Arya Stark.

He's been nursed back from his near-death experience by McShane, we learn in one of those scenes in which two characters talk about things they know very well in order to fill the audience in. Sandor seems in a fragile mental state, thinking about his past sins, and the two men chat a lot in a matter that may remind you of that one religious studies class you took.

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But with the slaughter of his new tribe at episode's end, the Hound seems likely to be Hounding again.

5. Quick, somebody send the new Red Woman to Braavos.

It was a priestess of the Lord of Light who brought Jon Snow back from the dead this season. It's looking like her services may be required again for Arya, who, in a moment of uncharacteristic carelessness, let herself be surprised by an assassin. She got stabbed in a way that people with access to modern medicine don't survive, much less those in medieval times who throw themselves into water to escape and then stumble bloodily through the streets.

I am counting on the producers to find a way to keep Arya alive, but, short of a time warp, or a crossover episode with "House," I am having trouble imagining what that will be. That's something to look forward to for next week.

sajohnson@tribpub.com

Twitter @StevenKJohnson

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio  Gazing through 12-foot windows at the gently sloping bank of the Chagrin River, my wife, Judi, and I spotted three does grazing near a clump of hemlock trees. A band of blue jays fluttered by.

"Idyllic," Judi said.

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We were sitting on a built-in bench in a living room decorated with Asian prints and Buddha statues. The outdoors was drawn inside; the inside was drawn outside.

RELATED: TRENDING LIFE & STYLE NEWS THIS HOUR

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It was all by design  the design of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He called this concept "organic architecture," fitting a house into nature, rather than just slapping a house on a slab.

Wright, whom many (including the architect himself) consider the greatest architect of the 20th century and maybe of all time, applied this principle in homes, offices and other dwellings. He designed more than 1,000 buildings in a career spanning his debut in Chicago in 1887 to his death at age 91 in Phoenix in 1959.

Judi and I are die-hard Frank Lloyd Wright fans  what some call Frankensteins. We've toured 20 Wright properties and have viewed a couple dozen more. We recently decided to up our game and spend the night in a Wright house for the first time.

En route to a meeting in Cleveland, we stayed in the Louis Penfield House, a two-story, three-bedroom home, completed in 1955, following Wright's Usonian design aimed at middle-class Americans. We spent a day "living" here, walking the grounds, admiring the natural environs and simply relaxing.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 27 Frank Lloyd Wright's Ingalls House at 562 Keystone Ave. in River Forest on July 30, 2015. (Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune)

Growing up in Chicago, we were well aware of the Wisconsin-born architect's works, including the famed Rookery building in the Loop, Robie House in Hyde Park, and his home and studio, Unity Temple and various houses in Oak Park. But it wasn't until about 20 years ago that the Wright bug bit us hard. While visiting family, we'd stumbled upon Fallingwater, Wright's breathtaking work finished in 1939 in a mountainous area about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Wright surprised the family by designing the house so it appears to float above the falls. The water actually runs through the home. It's magical. And we were hooked.

Wherever we've traveled, we've sought out Wright buildings, from the Marin County Civic Center and post office in San Rafael, Calif., to the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland, as well as Wright's architecture school and estate, Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wis., and his winter home and the main campus of his architecture school, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

All told, we've toured 20 Wright-designed buildings. Sixty are available for tours in the U.S. and Japan, according to the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Some 380 Wright-built designs still exist, including 270 private residences, said Janet Halstead, executive director of the conservancy.

I first heard the term Frankenstein from Paul Penfield, who grew up in the Usonian home where Judi and I spent the night. We've also visited two other houses available for overnight stays: the Palmer House, a 1950s Usonian design, about a 10-minute walk from the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, and closer to home, the Emil Bach House, a Prairie School design built in 1915 for a brick magnate along Sheridan Road in Rogers Park.

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Debbie Abrahamson shows off the Rollin Furbeck House in Oak Park designed by Frank Llloyd Wright on one of the many tours that come through the house. (Chicago Tribune)

We like Wright architecture's long horizontal lines, the link to natural settings, hidden entrances, low ceilings leading to dramatic spaces, the Japanese influences, stained glass windows, the built-in furniture (Wright called it "client-proof") and more. When touring a Wright building, you may feel a certain vibe, a unity with nature. By staying in a house, we hoped to explore this spiritual or emotional feeling without the rush of a one-hour tour.

Fellow Frankenstein Matt Banning, 40, and his wife, Cheryl, spent their honeymoon weekend at the Penfield House, near their home in Chesterland, Ohio. The Bannings have toured 35 Wright homes, stayed overnight in five and driven by many more.

"The buildings always seem to belong where they are," he said. "That's the organic architecture he was going for. They don't just sit there or try to dominate the location  they become part of the site."

Patrick Mahoney, 53, an architect from Amherst, N.Y., may be the ultimate Frankenstein. He's visited virtually every Wright building in North America, staying in eight homes as well as two Wright buildings that are hotels. Mahoney is involved in preserving Wright's work in Buffalo, including the Graycliff estate on Lake Erie and the remnants of the Larkin administration building.

Staying in Wright homes "gives me more time in them than you can get on a tour, (and the opportunity to) watch the light change," Mahoney said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 25 Home owner Debbie Abrahamson greets 5th grade students and faculty from Oak Park's Washington Irving Elementary School as they arrive for a tour inside her Rollin Furbeck house in Oak Park, Tuesday March 22, 2016. The Rollin Furbeck House, built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1897, is a designated Oak Park landmark. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Sue Cox, who runs Michigan's Palmer House with her husband, Gary, said her renters want to feel what it's like to live in a work of art. The Palmer House is a poem to geometry. Wright used the equilateral triangle as a recurring design element  even the beds are parallelograms  in the tidewater cypress and custom brick house. The poured concrete floor is tinted in Wright's trademark Cherokee red.

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Typically, Wright homeowners require guests to stay two nights, although you may be able to wrangle a single night at some properties during slow periods.

"To experience this masterpiece to the fullest  in various lights and at various times of day  requires at least a two-night stay," Cox said.

Another bonus of visiting Wright properties is the possibility of hearing anecdotes about the infamously persnickety and scandal-prone architect, as well as his clients.

"You did not have to have scads of money to become a Wright homeowner. What you had to do was employ extensive and persistent flattery," Paul Penfield said. "'Mr. Wright,' my parents would say, 'We can only live in a house designed by you.' Subtext: We'll be living under a bridge unless you help us."

Paul Penfield told us his art teacher father, Louis, persuaded Wright to design a house to accommodate his 6-foot-8-inch frame. Wright, who was about 5-foot-8, considered anyone over 6 feet "a weed."

The Penfields visited Wright and Eugene Masselink, Wright's secretary and Louis Penfield's college friend, at Taliesin.

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Paul recalled: "My dad said, 'Mr. Wright, do you think you could design a house for someone as tall as me?' That stopped Wright in his tracks. He looked at my dad for a while and said, 'Go stand under that beam.' And then he said, 'Yes, I see. That beam is 6-feet-9.' It was a go."

The Penfield House has an 8-foot entry door, a 12-foot ceiling in the living room and 8-foot ceilings in bedrooms  more headroom than was customary in homes built then.

When Paul's wife, Donna, attended graduate school in Chicago, the couple lived  where else?  in Oak Park, center of the Wright universe.

"We'd go out in the evenings and walk around and see all this Prairie School architecture," he recalled.

Spoken like a true Frankenstein.

Howard Wolinsky is a freelance writer.

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If you go

Several Frank Lloyd Wright-designed properties are available for overnight stays:

Alpine Meadows Ranch, Darby, Mont. Wright designed this site as a retreat for University of Chicago professors. Two buildings remain. The Frank Lloyd Wright House starts at $350 a night, the cabin at $250. www.amrmontana.com

Arnold Jackson House, Beaver Dam, Wis. Rooms at this B&B start at $129 a night. www.arnoldjacksonhouse.com

Cooke House, Virginia Beach, Va. The staff suite at this B&B starts at $148 a night. www.airbnb.com/rooms/3782488

Duncan House, Acme, Penn. This house was moved from Lisle, Ill. Rentals start at $299 a night. www.franklloydwrightovernight.net

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Elam House, Austin, Minn. Home rentals start at $250 a night. www.theelamhouse.com

Emil Bach House, Chicago. The house rents for $1,495 a night. www.emilbachhouse.com

Historic Park Inn, Mason City, Iowa. Hotel rooms with queens start at $109. www.historicparkinn.com

Inn at Price Tower, Bartlesville, Okla. Hotel rooms with queens start at $145. www.pricetower.org

Louis Penfield House, Willoughby Hills, Ohio. House rentals start at $275 a night. www.penfieldhouse.com

Palmer House, Ann Arbor, Mich. House rentals start at $350. www.flwpalmerhouse.com

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Richards American System-Built Duplex, Milwaukee. Home rental averages $213. http://bit.ly/24i4yBV

Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake State Park, Wis. Cottage rentals start at $300 a night. www.sethpeterson.org

Still Bend, Two Rivers, Wis. House rentals start at $350 a night. www.theschwartzhouse.com

Note: Homes typically have a two- or three-night minimum. Rates vary by time of year. Taxes and fees are extra. Contact lodgings for special rates.

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A baby Bactrian camel investigates his outdoor enclosure during his third day on public display May 20, 2016, at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The baby was born on May 9 and is the the first successful offspring for Nasan and her mate, Scooter, as well as the first camel calf born at Lincoln Park Zoo since 1998. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)

The obsession over the "Hamilton" musical has gone absolutely wild.

Meet Alexander Camelton, the baby camel born last month at Lincoln Park Zoo.

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Zoo officials announced on social media that they took the Broadway show's buzz beyond the ticket frenzy and gave the camel the moniker as "a nod to the Founding Father and the hit musical!"

Alexander Camelton was born May 9 and, a week later, made his public debut as the first Bactrian camel born at the zoo since 1998. As an adult, the two-humped camel can reach 7 feet in height and weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

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The musical, which has 16 Tony Award nominations, begins its Chicago run with performances on Sept. 27 at The PrivateBank Theatre.

lvivanco@tribpub.com
Jhon Ocampo outside the Paul Findley Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Springfield, where he filed a federal lawsuit alleging his constitutional rights were violated when he was held for a week by immigration officials. (Steve Warmowski / Chicago Tribune)

When Jhon Ocampo received a phone call from his stepdaughter one day in 2012 saying immigration officials were at his house, he quickly got on the line and tried to explain to the officers that he was an American citizen.

But the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers told him to come home, arrested him and initiated deportation proceedings against him, claiming he was in the country illegally, Ocampo said. The Springfield resident spent a week in three detention centers across Illinois before a lawyer hired by his mother called ICE, which then confirmed his citizenship and released him in Chicago.

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"I feel like I was targeted," Ocampo, 30, said last week. "They didn't care what I said.  They didn't do a lot investigating what I told them."

Ocampo sued the U.S. government and the two arresting officers in 2014, alleging his constitutional rights to due process were violated. He was awarded $20,000 in damages by a federal judge last month.

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U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis of the Central District of Illinois said in a statement that the citizen's misunderstanding of his own situation and citizenship status contributed to his arrest and detention.

"I am very familiar with the Ocampo case and why it happened. Mr. Ocampo was a young man with a criminal record who applied for a 'green card,' indicating under oath that he was not a citizen. The citizenship agency put his apparent status and his criminal record together, and asked immigration officers to arrest him for possible deportation. When he was arrested, he showed the officers his green card, indicating once again that he was not a citizen. A few days after his arrest, an attorney helped Mr. Ocampo to show that he was mistaken, that he was in fact a citizen, so he was released," Lewis said.

Experts estimate that Ocampo is among thousands of people who have become entangled with immigration authorities despite being American citizens. ICE is prohibited by law from arresting and detaining citizens, and according to agency policy, officers should investigate claims of citizenship and avoid taking people into custody if evidence suggests the claims are true.

The Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center, which represented Ocampo in his lawsuit, said it has represented 11 other citizens across the country with similar cases since 2010. One pending lawsuit involves a New York man who spent three years in immigration detention despite being a citizen.

A high-profile lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and settled in 2012 involved a citizen with mental disabilities, Mark Lyttle, who was mistakenly deported to Mexico in December 2008. Lyttle was born in the U.S. and has no Mexican heritage. He wandered around Mexico and Central America for months before a U.S. Embassy official helped him get a passport to return.

Experts say weak legal procedural guarantees for those suspected of being here illegally and difficulties proving citizenship, along with programs through which law enforcement shares information about arrests with ICE, contribute to citizens being mistakenly caught up in immigration-related arrests, detentions and sometimes deportations.

"When people argue they're citizens, ICE fights them every single time," said Lena Graber, an attorney at the San Francisco-based Immigrant Legal Resource Center. "There's a question about whether that's the right posture to take."

In a statement, ICE said it takes claims of citizenship seriously and that it mistakenly detains very few citizens.

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More often than encountering citizens, the agency said, ICE officers arrest people who falsely claim to be citizens.

Because the agency does not track these detentions, there are no definitive figures on how many citizens are affected. Some researchers have tried to quantify the mistakes through extrapolations.

A University of California at Berkeley study estimated that from 2008 to 2011, about 3,600 citizens were arrested by ICE through Secure Communities, a discontinued program through which local police departments sent fingerprints of their arrestees to the federal agency so it could identify people who fit the criteria for deportation.

Many people ended up on ICE's radar through this program, which ran from 2008 to 2014, because being foreign-born could trigger suspicions, or their citizenship was not well-documented in government records.

The agency issued detainers on inmates who are flagged, asking local jails to hold people after their release so they can be transferred to ICE custody. A records review by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University found that between fiscal years 2008 and 2012, ICE placed 834 detainers on American citizens, and over 28,000 on legal permanent residents.

Even though Secure Communities has been ended, experts say people being investigated by ICE still do not have enough protections.

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Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University, tracks cases of citizens detained by ICE and brought Ocampo's case to the attention of the pro bono attorneys who filed his lawsuit.

Stevens said based on her research at immigration detention centers, about 1 percent of all cases of people fighting deportation in immigration court end up being terminated because of a claim of citizenship.

"It's causing chaos to thousands of people, illegally," she said.

The number of pending removal cases in the nation's immigration courts is over 485,000 this fiscal year, according to the Syracuse clearinghouse.

Mark Fleming, of the National Immigrant Justice Center, one of Ocampo's lawyers, said cases like this happen because of the immigration enforcement system's weak standards for probable cause, the legal reasons required to arrest someone in the criminal justice system.

"The investigative procedures (ICE follows) before arresting somebody are woefully inadequate for identifying citizens," Fleming said.

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Currently ICE employs its Priority Enforcement Program, which "expressly requires probable cause that the individual is an alien subject to removal" before a detainer is issued and allows potential arrestees to challenge the detainer, according to Gail Montenegro, an agency spokeswoman.

Still, lawyers say detainers are not the same as arrest warrants, and they need only be signed by the immigration officer, not a neutral judge.

Ocampo, who came to the U.S. from Colombia as a child with his mother, derived citizenship automatically when his mother became naturalized in 2002. But he wasn't sure he was a citizen until a year before his arrest, when he had applied to renew his green card, he said. According to his lawyers, his application involved a background check, which turned up a criminal record, including assault and criminal damage, and his information was transferred to ICE. When Ocampo was arrested, he had been trying for months to get a certificate verifying his citizenship, he said.

ICE declined to comment on Ocampo's case, but in a statement, the agency said the complexity of laws governing one's legal residency in the country makes determining citizenship difficult.

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"ICE does not adjudicate U.S. citizenship, but instead relies on determinations made (by) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and immigration judges within the Department of Justice," the agency said.

According to Ocampo's lawsuit, the arresting officers told him he could explain his claim of citizenship to a judge. But Ocampo and his lawyers said the officers should have investigated his claims further before even seeking to arrest him. Before his arrest, Ocampo put his mother on the phone with the officers to explain his citizenship and offered to show them her certificate of naturalization. It was later discovered that one of the officers had been waiting to verify his citizenship with the government but arrested Ocampo anyway, according to the suit.

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"They just didn't listen to someone claiming they were a U.S. citizen," said Hari Santhanam, of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Ocampo's other attorney in the lawsuit. "There was ample sources of information they could have looked at that could have ultimately confirmed he was a U.S. citizen."

Ocampo was released because of the call from his mother's lawyer. Stevens said others aren't so lucky if they don't have access to a lawyer and don't know the law.

"In the criminal justice system the Fourth Amendment requires that if I'm arrested without a warrant, they have to bring me to a judge to review, was my arrest legal," Graber said. "That doesn't exist in the immigration system."

jkuang@tribpub.com

Twitter @jeannekuang
The sculpture that commemorates the 1886 Haymarket bombing in the West Loop has been temporarily relocated to Union Park during construction of a residential tower and redevelopment of a historic office building.

The bronze Haymarket Memorial monument was moved last month from its home near Desplaines and Randolph streets to protect it during construction of the site adjacent to the sculpture, according to Christine Carrino, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Union Park is the large park closest to the site and home to the Pitchfork and North Coast music festivals.

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The statue and a new base that will have space to accommodate more mounted plaques will return before Labor Day in 2017, said Matt Edlen, director of acquisitions and development for Gerding Edlen Development Co., which is building the nearby development. He said the company worked with the city and the monument artist, Mary Brogger, on the statue's removal and return.

The May 4, 1886, events that took place where this sculpture now stands are among the most significant in U.S. labor history. Labor activists and anarchists were speaking from atop a wagon at a rally when someone threw a bomb into the police line. Seven officers were killed along with several bystanders, and a few dozen others in the crowd were wounded. The tragedies did not end there  the four men hanged for the crime (a fifth died in jail awaiting execution) were convicted without any evidence tying them to the blast. Sculptor Mary Brogger deliberately made the figures on the wagon abstract, so as not to impose any one single perspective on the tragedy. At the memorial's 2004 unveiling, she told the New York Times, "I want to suggest the complexity of truth, but also people's responsibility for their actions and for the effect of their actions." 175 N. Desplaines St.

Construction has started on the project to build a 14-story apartment building with 199 units and 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. It will feature a rooftop pool, a penthouse gym and a 15,000-square-foot crop-producing urban farm, Edlen said. An existing office building built in the 1800s before the Great Chicago Fire also is to be preserved and returned to its original state by removing additions built over the last 150 years, he said.

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The residential tower will be set back 45 feet from the street with a small pocket park as a backdrop for the statue, he said.

The monument depicts a wagon used as a podium for speakers during a rally on May 4, 1886, about labor issues and workers' deaths. The rally turned deadly when a bomb was thrown, which killed eight police officers and at least four civilians. Last month, before the sculpture was relocated, protesters from various labor unions held demonstrations at the site for workers' rights and immigration reform.

lvivanco@tribpub.com
A Lawndale man died from his wounds more than a week after being shot about a block from his home, authorities said.

Kevin M. Atkins Jr., 21, was pronounced dead at 5:09 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital Wednesday, June 1, from complications from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the Cook County medical examiner's office determined Thursday, June 2.

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Atkins had been on foot in the 3600 block of West 13th Street when a vehicle drove up to him and someone inside it fired shots, hitting him in the abdomen at 4:36 p.m. May 21, police said at the time. Atkins lived in the 3600 block of West Douglas Boulevard, according to the office.

The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, initially in critical condition.

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No one was in custody as of Sunday, June 5.
Police are asking for help in finding a man who tried to lure a 16-year-old girl Sunday evening in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side.

Around 7:30 p.m., a man, described to be between 35 and 40 years old, tried to engage the 16-year-old in conversation on the 3000 block of South Kedvale Avenue, according to a news release from the Chicago Police Department.

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The man asked the teen to come closer. The girl told police the man appeared to be intoxicated and sweaty. He later fled north on Kedvale Avenue toward 30th Street, according to the release.

The suspect is a white Hispanic man with brown hair, brown eyes, a light complexion and a slim build. He had short hair above the ears, the release said.

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He is between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-7 and weighs between 140 and 160 pounds, the release said.

The man was last seen wearing a white long sleeve T-shirt, red baggy or loose fitting jeans and light colored gym shoes, the release said.

Anyone with information about the suspect should call Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday said his "one major disappointment" in office has been Mayor Rahm Emanuel's failure to stand up to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and help pass his economic agenda.

Emanuel responded by doubling down on his comparison of Rauner to Donald Trump, saying it sounded like the governor is trying out for a spot as the running mate of the controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

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The back and forth came on a day in which Rauner also took his criticism of Chicago Public Schools a step further, calling some of them "crumbling prisons," and later was forced to move the location of a downstate event because of union worker protests.

The new exchange between the mayor and governor is the latest example of a triangular blame game shaping up this summer as the state remains without a spending plan or even an education funding bill after last week's spring session deadline came and went.

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The prospect of schools throughout much of Illinois not opening on time this fall because of the impasse is raising the pressure on the politicians involved, and the stream of rhetoric on both sides is likely to continue as students' return to the classroom gets closer. Rauner's Republicans and Madigan's Democrats are jockeying for advantage ahead of the November legislative elections, and Emanuel is searching for a way to keep the financially troubled Chicago Public Schools afloat.

While the governor, mayor and Democrat-controlled General Assembly agree that the state should pour more money into education in time for the upcoming school year, the dispute is over how much to spend, particularly on CPS.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel took aim at Gov. Bruce Rauner June 6, 2016, attacking the governor's stance on funding for Chicago Public Schools and saying Rauner acts like he's "auditioning to be Trump's running mate." (WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

Emanuel contends the city has been getting an unfair deal from the state for years, and he wants changes to the funding formula that determines how state dollars are doled out so that CPS gets more. The district also has a huge teacher pension payment due at month's end, and the mayor wants hundreds of millions of dollars in help with retirement costs.

Democrats have tried to funnel extra money to CPS, but so far the House and Senate can't agree on how or how much. Rauner, meanwhile, has been pushing his own idea for a one-year education spending bill that includes extra money for CPS, but only enough to make sure the district gets as much as it received last year, since the current funding formula would cut the district's share. Rauner has rejected Democratic attempts to completely overhaul the funding formula now, saying that's a project for another day.

Instead, Rauner says, he wants lawmakers to approve his education funding bill and a separate stopgap spending plan to keep state government operations running through the rest of the year. The request is an acknowledgment that neither side is willing to budge on Rauner's broader "turnaround agenda," which includes cost-cutting changes to workers' compensation and collective bargaining with governments and school boards. Rauner says the measures are key to jump-starting Illinois' economy. Democrats contend they would be harmful to the middle class.

With Rauner holding firm that he won't negotiate on a tax increase to help balance the state's books unless lawmakers approve some portion of his legislative agenda, and with neither side wanting to make steep enough cuts to balance the budget without new revenue, the impasse remains.

Democrats are trying to figure out a way to get money to schools without relieving the pressure on Rauner to drop his legislative agenda. House Republicans, meanwhile, have launched cable TV ads targeting potentially vulnerable Democrats in the suburbs and north central Illinois with ads that label the lawmakers as being a "rubber stamp" for Madigan.

Caught in the midst is Emanuel, whose requests for help from Springfield have been met by a call from Rauner for the mayor to pressure his fellow Democrats to give in on the Rauner agenda. The mayor has rebuffed those requests, leading to a public fraying of the relationship between the two friends and former business associates.

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The rift was on display Monday at the 1871 tech hub in Chicago, where Rauner gave a blistering review of Emanuel, then left the building shortly before the mayor was due to arrive.

"If I have one major disappointment in the last 18 months, it's with the mayor," Rauner said. "And that's not  people say oh, it's personal and you guys hate each other. We're friends. We're always going to be friends. You can separate friendship from what's good public policy. The mayor has stayed behind the speaker and supported the speaker's position when the mayor should be fighting."

Emanuel fired back with another jab linking Rauner to Trump.

"Last week, I said his rhetoric of division and divisiveness, of targeting one community against another or one group of people against another, was Trump-like," Emanuel said. "Now it sounds like he's auditioning to be Donald Trump's running mate. And I would just say to him that this is not about right-wing ideology, it's about results."

Previously, Emanuel suggested that both of the wealthy businessmen-turned-politicians use a "playbook of demonizing one group of people for his political advantage." Hours later, Rauner responded in kind, comparing Emanuel to one of his top political foils, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who is known for her cutting political nicknames.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown dismissed Rauner's latest comments as unhelpful to the negotiation process.

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"That sure sounds like the tone that'll bring about a good stopgap budget," Brown said Monday. "I think it would make a brick wall less inclined to negotiate."

During his session with reporters in Chicago on Monday, Rauner, a longtime critic of CPS and the teachers union, took his critique a step further.

"The simple fact is that when you look objectively at the status of Chicago Public Schools, many of them are inadequate, many of them are woeful and some are just tragic," Rauner said. "Many of them are basically, almost crumbling prisons. They're not a place that a young person should be educated. We've got to improve the system."

For Republicans, it's a return to the charged rhetoric from a quarter-century ago, when the city-versus-suburbs dynamic raged at the Capitol. Then-Republican Senate Minority Leader James "Pate" Philip of Wood Dale famously likened the flow of state money to CPS to pouring "money down a rathole." Last month, Republican Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine suggested there are 100 city schools that are "adult employment centers" that could be shuttered to save money.

The governor's "crumbling prisons" comment prompted Ald. Howard Brookins, 21st, to accuse Rauner of "taking his racist rhetoric even further."

"Words matter, and the offensive way that Gov. Rauner speaks about Chicago families is just getting uglier and uglier," Brookins said in a statement. "It's time for Governor Rauner to apologize for his inflammatory rhetoric that insults our children and degrades their achievements."

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CPS CEO Forrest Claypool called on Rauner to apologize, saying the "crumbling prisons" remark was "disrespectful and beneath his office." Claypool and several other school superintendents sent Rauner a letter taking him to task for what they said was "the decision to play politics with the state education budget and pit school districts against each other in an unnecessary competition for insufficient resources."

Later in the day, Rauner took his road show to Ottawa in north central Illinois, where he encountered pro-union protesters and had to move his planned event from City Hall to a courthouse. Rauner said he didn't want the protesters "disrupting a conversation."

While Rauner used the setting to again warn that Democratic leaders "want your taxpayers to bail out Chicago," his visit also served a second purpose. It brought the spotlight of the state's dysfunctional politics to the district of a vulnerable Democratic House member who faces a Republican challenger in November.

Already, House Republicans are out with an ad against Rep. Andy Skoog, D-LaSalle, blasting him for his "loyalty" to Madigan and for "raising taxes on the average family by $1,000 a year" by approving Madigan's spending plan, which never made it to Rauner's desk.

kgeiger@tribpub.com

Twitter @kimgeiger
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth chats after delivering an address June 6, 2016, in Chicago during the Midwest regional conference of the national pro-Democratic womens group EMILYs List. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth on Monday accused Republican Sen. Mark Kirk and others of being "complicit" in Donald Trump's campaign of "hate and division" and said they deserve "to be judged harshly" for failing to publicly rebuke the presumptive GOP presidential nominee over comments about the judiciary.

Speaking to a West Loop gathering of the national pro-Democratic women's group EMILY's List, the two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates warned the first-term Republican senator that "silence is betrayal" when it comes to failing to take a stand against Trump's criticism of federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

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Trump has said Curiel, an East Chicago, Ind.-born jurist of Mexican ancestry, cannot preside fairly over a lawsuit brought against him and the now-closed Trump University because the Republican has vowed to build a wall along the Mexican border. Trump amplified those remarks Sunday on CBS by saying it "would be possible" that a Muslim judge also should be considered biased against him because of his vow to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country.

"Trump's statements are outrageous. They are un-American and they are dangerous. They betray the weaknesses of a man who is fundamentally unsuited for the office of the presidency," Duckworth told about 200 people.

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"Trump may be a clown, but he isn't funny. He's not a riverboat gambler to be admired. Sen. Kirk, you may think in your own words that Donald Trump would be a net positive for the Republican Party (and) that you are looking forward to becoming a steady hand to advise a President Donald Trump," she said, referring to some of Kirk's previous comments about the real estate mogul and former reality TV star.

Duckworth's campaign has spent weeks trying to link Trump to Kirk, perhaps the most vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election in the country. Kirk has rebuked Trump in the past for his comments regarding immigrants and said he won't attend the GOP national nominating convention.

But Kirk also has said he "certainly would" support the businessman if he won the nomination, contended Trump could be a "net benefit" for his Senate campaign and said the GOP nominee as president would need his "steady conservative hand" in the Senate.

On Monday, Kirk's campaign did not directly respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks about the judiciary.

Trump was a frequent target during the Midwest regional conference of EMILY's List, a group that has backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Any way you look at it, Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee for president. And we look forward to locking it up in California," the group's president, Stephanie Schriock, said of the Western state's primary Tuesday.

"It's like the GOP took all the racism and hatred it could find in America and put it together and created Donald Trump," she said.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a two-term Democratic senator from Missouri, repeatedly called Trump a "fraud" and "Don the Con" as she said, "The only plan he has is to insult others."

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Kirk's campaign has repeatedly countered criticism from Duckworth by pointing to a workplace retaliation lawsuit against her that is scheduled to go to trial in August stemming from her tenure as head of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

Duckworth said she could not comment directly on the case because it is "still pending" but added, "I look forward to getting the truth out there of what happened." She called Kirk's version of the lawsuit "phony."

"All I can say is any time I find people who work for the state or work for the government who are not doing their job by veterans, I'm going to hold them accountable, even if they threaten lawsuits," she said.

rap30@aol.com

Twitter @rap30
PARIS  The riverside Grand Palais exhibition hall in Paris reopened Sunday as floodwaters slowly receded from the French capital, though risks remain for other regions.



The Louvre Museum, several Paris train stations and roads remained closed after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks. Quayside restaurants were partially flooded and tourist boats were unable to pass under bridges.



The glass-topped Grand Palais, built for the 1900 World's Fair and currently hosting an exhibit by avant-garde Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping among several others, opened again Sunday after closing Friday because of flood risks.



Elsewhere, emergency crews were pumping water out of a key Paris highway interchange and evacuating cars trapped for days on a highway south of the capital.



After a week of exceptionally heavy rains around Europe, at least 18 people have been killed in flooding in Germany, France, Romania and Belgium. New thunderstorms are forecast for eastern France on Sunday and more rain elsewhere, and more than 11,000 French homes are still without electricity.





The Seine River level peaked Saturday in Paris, and the national flood service said it would remain more than 13 feet above normal Sunday. Authorities warn it will take up to 10 days for the river to return to normal.



The flood risks along the Seine are moving downstream after forcing thousands out of their homes and houseboats earlier this week. West of Paris, it overflowed around the medieval city of Rouen overnight, but the local administration said Sunday the damage was "localized and limited" and severe flood warnings for the area were lifted.



German authorities Sunday pulled the plug on the Rock am Ring music festival west of Frankfurt after a new storm warning was issued. Late Friday, a lightning storm sent 70 people from the festival to the hospital.

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An embattled Donald Trump urgently rallied his most visible supporters to defend his attacks on a federal judge's Mexican ancestry during a conference call on Monday in which he ordered them to question the judge's credibility and impugn reporters as racists.

"We will overcome," Trump said, according to two supporters who were on the call and requested anonymity to share their notes with Bloomberg Politics. "And I've always won and I'm going to continue to win. And that's the way it is."

There was no mention of apologizing or backing away from his widely criticized remarks about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing cases against the Trump University real-estate program.

When former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer interrupted the discussion to inform Trump that his own campaign had asked surrogates to stop talking about the lawsuit in an e-mail on Sunday, Trump repeatedly demanded to know who sent the memo, and immediately overruled his staff.

"Take that order and throw it the hell out," Trump said.

Told the memo was sent by Erica Freeman, a staffer who circulates information to surrogates, Trump said he didn't know her. He openly questioned how the campaign could defend itself if supporters weren't allowed to talk.

"Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks?" Trump said. "That's one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that aren't so smart."

Brewer, who was on the call with prominent Republicans like Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, interjected again. "You all better get on the page," she told him.

In response, Trump said that he aspired to hold regular calls with surrogates in order to coordinate the campaign's message, a role usually reserved for lower ranking staffers than the nominee himself.

The e-mailed memo, sent by Freeman on Sunday, was cc'd to campaign manager Corey Lewandowski; Hope Hicks, Trump's top communications staffer; and Rick Gates, a top aide to campaign chairman Paul Manafort. It informed surrogates that "they're not authorized to discuss matters concerning the Trump Organization including corporate news such as the Trump University case."

"The best possible response is 'the case will be tried in the courtroom in front of a jury-not in the media,' " according to the e-mail, obtained by Bloomberg Politics.

Hicks declined to address the specifics of the conversation with surrogates.

"The call was scheduled in order for Mr. Trump to thank his supporters and congratulate everyone as the primaries officially come to an end," Hicks told Bloomberg Politics. "Many topics were discussed and it was a productive call for all parties."

Trump's five weeks as the presumptive nominee have been marked by several missteps: A refusal to release his tax returns, confusion among donors over which super-PAC to give money, audio of him using a pseudonym to act as his own publicist, failing to donate to veterans groups as promised until pressed by the media.

But the most incendiary controversy has been his handling of Trump University.

Trump ignited the controversy when he defended his real-estate program by saying Curiel has an inherent conflict of interest because of his Mexican heritage, because the candidate has proposed building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to curb illegal immigration. Curiel was born in Indiana, and Trump's complaint has been criticized by Republican leaders, legal experts, and other commentators. Trump on Sunday broadened his argument by saying on CBS that it's possible a Muslim judge could treat him unfairly too, because of his proposed ban on Muslim immigration.

"I should have won this thing years ago," Trump said on the call about the case, adding that Curiel is a "member of La Raza." Curiel is affiliated with La Raza Lawyers of California, a Latino bar association.

A clearly irritated Trump told his supporters to attack journalists who ask questions about the lawsuit and his comments about the judge.

"The people asking the questions-those are the racists," Trump said. "I would go at 'em."

Suggesting a broader campaign against the media, Trump said the campaign should also actively criticize television reporters. "I'd let them have it," he said, referring to those who Trump portrayed as hypocrites.
Let us now consider the downside of Donald Trump losing the November presidential election.

The downside of his winning is obvious, and not just to liberals and Democrats. Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, the Republicans' highest elective official, agonized Hamlet-like before endorsing Trump, the party's presumptive standard bearer.

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I share those jitters at the prospect of a President Trump, but my rejoicing, should he be defeated, will be tempered by a sobering thought: We'll be right back to a status quo that isn't working for millions of Americans.

A President Hillary Clinton isn't likely to fix it. Neither would Trump, but he has the political instincts to claim that he would.

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Even as a candidate, Clinton couldn't master the rhetoric. Campaigning in Ohio she promised to "put a lot of coal miners" out of business. Considering the Rust Belt setting, it would seem a dumb thing to say. The region has been hemorrhaging the kind of jobs requiring a strong back and hands. The nation lost 11,000 coal-mining jobs last year.

But it wasn't an inept choice of words if you assume Clinton's message was intended for voters on Manhattan's Upper West Side and in Beverly Hills, Calif., who are passionately interested in environmental issues.

That difference bespeaks a dirty little secret about America today: It's the scene of class warfare.

Democrats deny it when Republicans accuse them of fomenting it. Yet it's real, and it doesn't pit Republicans against Democrats. Rather it's a struggle between the world of corner taverns and that of country clubs  with the ranks of the latter reinforced by NPR's listeners in a strange-bedfellows alignment of the wealthy and the well-educated.

To see how little this struggle has to do with party preferences, recall that President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and congressional Republicans are allied in advocating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multinational trade deal that is a corollary of globalization. Obama peremptorily dismissed those uncomfortable with TTP, saying: "When people say this trade deal is bad for working families, they don't know what they're talking about."

Stripped of hype and jargon, the essence of globalization is this: It pits American factory workers against their counterparts in China, India and Indonesia. Because it's a lot cheaper to live in the Third World than in the U.S., their workers are paid a lot less than ours. Ergo workers here lose their jobs as manufacturing is outsourced, which is why so many factories are closed along the campaign trail where Clinton drew a bead on coal miners.

It is true that Clinton changed her position on TTP, which she formerly hailed as the "gold standard" of trade agreements. She saw which way the wind was blowing  but that was when Bernie Sanders was breathing down her neck. Will she stick to her resolve should she win the White House?

Wall Street is betting she won't. They didn't pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees expecting her to recite favorite passages from the "Communist Manifesto."

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She was, after all, a Goldwater Girl, and went to Wellesley College. It's the kind of elite college where students more likely ruminate on holes in the ozone than on what it's like to pull the lever on a punch press until you are bone tired. Or, to feel it like a punch in the stomach when told that production is being moved  punch press, time clock and all  overseas.

Then Clinton became a Democrat. At one time, that would have put her on the side of working-class men and women. Under Franklin Delano Roosevelt Democrats enacted Social Security, providing old-age pensions and unemployment insurance, and minimum-wage legislation.

In return, organized labor became the Democratic Party's foot soldiers. Union activists rang doorbells at election time. That made for a truly two-party system: Republicans representing the affluent, Democrats representing work-a-day folks.

More recently, that alliance has been in tatters. President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement over the strenuous objections of organized labor that it would cost Americans their jobs. The middle class has been dividing. Its college-educated section has been expanding, its incomes rising; the incomes of its blue-collar section have been stagnant, even declining.

The Democratic Party threw its lot in with the college educated, whose interests include the environment and women's rights. Those without a college degree were left without a party to advocate for their interests: decent paying jobs.

And into that void Trump plunged, kicking and screaming about building a wall and deporting Mexicans. To public-radio audiences, that probably sounded like the high road to fascism. To many unemployed blue-collar Americans, Trump seemed a messiah attuned to their grievances.

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If he loses, the potential path to power he laid out will still be there. Someone will try taking it. Perhaps he or she will tone down Trump's fiery rhetoric, appealing to suburbanites with college-graduate kids sleeping on their couch. Huey Long, Louisiana's senator in the 1930s, noted that, in troubled times, a smoke-and-mirrors gambit can work. Long  who knew something about demagogues, being one himself  once said:

"When Fascism comes to America, it will be called anti-Fascism."

rgrossman@tribpub.com
Your kid comes home from school with an A in math and reading, a B in science and a D in history. Pretty easy to understand, right? Good marks in math, reading and science; got to buckle down and do better in history.

Now, imagine if your kid came home with something called a "progress guide" that contained no letter grades, instead listing a series of "competency dates" that mark the point when your kid mastered a given concept. Squishier, right? Not as black-and-white as an A or a D.

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An elementary district in Downers Grove adopted the latter approach this year for math grades for K-6 students and science grades for seventh- and eighth-graders. To varying degrees, other school districts in the Chicago area, and across the country, have begun moving in the same direction.

It's called standards-based grading, and it's predicated on the idea that student evaluation should be all about a child's mastery of core academic concepts, omitting from overall grades other traditional elements of the educational experience, such as homework completion and classroom participation.

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The rationale for the change is clear. Proponents say the best reflection of a child's academic progress is his or her movement toward attaining a set of specific standards, such as proficiency in writing, or algebraic thinking. Work and study habits may be important, the experts say, but they muddy up a true evaluation of a child's performance.

The new system also shelves the idea of grading on a curve. What matters, advocates argue, is how well your child is performing, not how well the rest of the class is doing. "How other students do is insignificant," Thomas Guskey, a University of Kentucky professor who studies grading practices, told the Tribune's Diane Rado. What matters is how they are doing compared with the standards for learning."

Predictably, there's been some resistance from parents who are accustomed to letter grades. They find it hard to connect with report cards that list a series of dates, or with evaluations defined by terms such as "meets standard," or "approaching standard." At times, understanding a standards-based report card can be maddening. Parents in a school district in Pennsylvania complained that they had to pore through nine pages of documents on their computers to find out how their children performed.

There is, of course, a lot of merit to understanding student performance through the lens of meeting benchmark standards. Mastering key academic concepts should be at the heart of any grade, no matter what nomenclature educators use. We don't think, however, that homework completion and classroom participation should be wholly cast aside. How can finishing assignments and taking part in classroom dialogue not play a role in the educational experience and, consequently, in a child's grade?

Like multiplication tables and the names of continents, the notion of school performance explained through the A-F letter grading system is encoded in our minds. We exalt in our children's A's and B's, and furrow eyebrows at their C's, D's and F's. We dissect those C's, D's, and F's, asking about distractions in the classroom, extolling the benefits of more complete answers, reminding about the virtue of being curious.

In the end, learning is learning no matter what letter, number or jargony phrase you want to attach to it. Yes, the intent  and the logic  behind standards-based grading is sound. But let's never forget grades have several functions, and one of the most vital is the message they send to budding minds about where they stand, and where they need to be.

"Exceeds standards" just doesn't have the same punch as straight A's.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Here's a quiz. Was it Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders who made the following statements about Donald Trump's claim that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is hopelessly biased against him because of Curiel's Mexican ancestry?

"Donald Trump's comments on the ethnic heritage and religion of judges are absolutely unacceptable."

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"I couldn't disagree more with what he had to say."

"I completely disagree with the thinking behind that."

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No, we're quoting neither Clinton nor Sanders. These comments repudiating Trump's attack on the judge came from Republican leaders who plan to vote for Trump  respectively, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Each is trying to deal with a problem Republicans will have at least until Election Day: how to support Trump while disassociating themselves from his more offensive and outrageous antics. None of these top Republicans is handling it well, possibly because it's an impossible straddle.

The episode at issue here was classic Trump. He claimed the judge should not be allowed to preside over a civil fraud suit against Trump University because his "Mexican heritage" has caused him to issue "horrible rulings" and treat Trump "very unfairly."

The charge was outrageous because it assumes that federal judges allow their ethnic origins to determine their decisions. It disparages the integrity of the judiciary without any evidence. To say a Mexican-American judge can't be fair to someone favoring stricter immigration policies is like saying only white judges should be entrusted with cases involving white litigants, since a black judge might harbor resentments about slavery.

If Trump feels he is being treated unfairly, his lawyers can ask Judge Curiel to recuse himself  something they have not done, probably because they have no reasonable grounds. Should their client lose the suit, they can cite any examples of the judge's unfairness as grounds for overturning the verdict on appeal. They are not likely to do that because appellate courts don't like having their intelligence insulted. In fact, as NPR reported, "Some observers argue that the judge did the candidate a big favor by postponing the trial in the case until after the election."

But none of this helps Republican leaders and officials who were hoping that Trump would temper his tone or moderate his positions once he had the nomination firmly in hand. In finally endorsing him last week, Ryan celebrated the GOP's "positive, optimistic vision for a more confident America," and argued, "Donald Trump can help us make it a reality."

Positive? Optimistic? Confident? Trump's assault on the judge sounded petty and paranoid. It's the perfect way to alienate the large and growing bloc of Latino voters  not to mention other racial and ethnic minorities. (Trump said any Muslim judge also could be biased against him.) And it confirms that Trump is not going to stop being irresponsible and inflammatory just because he's the prospective standard-bearer of the party of Lincoln.

Do these GOP politicians really want to spend the next five months repeatedly explaining why they (a) strongly disagree with what Trump just said but (b) intend to support him regardless? If so, they are likely to feel the need for a long shower at the end of the campaign to scrub off the stench of Trump. They may also find the conservative philosophy they treasure discredited for years to come  to the long-term detriment of the Republican Party.

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They'd be better off saying that, forced to choose between their deepest values and their nominee, they must choose the former. If Hillary Clinton gets elected, Republicans will have no trouble mounting a vigorous and principled defense of limited government, fiscal realism, responsible use of American military power and respect for individual freedom. If Trump wins, they'll have the presidency  but they may have to kiss those policies goodbye.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Senior citizens participate in a Matter of Balance class in order to prevent falls. This is one of many programs offered by New Lenox, which earned the National Safety Council's Safe Community designation. - Original Credit: Daily Southtown (New Lenox Police Department / HANDOUT)

Since New Lenox was first named a Safe Community through the National Safety Council in 2010, there has been a decline in preventable deaths and injuries, officials said.

The village celebrated its reaccreditation last week.

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"Since 2010, New Lenox has focused efforts on older adult falls, safe disposal of prescription drugs and emergency preparedness," according to a statement from the National Safety Council. "Between 2009 and 2011 there were, on average, 145 fewer hospitalizations a year in New Lenox compared to the 10-year period prior to accreditation."

New Lenox Police Department Public Safety Division Chief Dan Martin credits a coalition of people who have continued to make New Lenox a safe community  one of just 17 in the country with that designation.

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"Without that collaboration, what we do would be nearly impossible," Martin said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

As a part of the Safe Communities initiative, there are several volunteer task forces, such as the older adult fall-prevention task group. Martin said the group reviews injury data from hospitals and paramedics to determine needs. As a result, the task force organized a program, a Matter of Balance, that is an eight-week course for senior citizens, who meet for two hours weekly, attend lectures, watch videos and learn exercises. Recently, the village wrapped up its 22nd such class, graduating a total of almost 300 senior citizens.

Similarly, a new fitness strong program is being offered, which has more focus on exercises and less on class discussion, Martin said. Mayor Tim Baldermann said that based on the volume of residents who attend these and other programs, "I have to believe it has had an impact."

Baldermann said the reaccreditation reflects "literally hundreds of people from town" who make it a true community effort. Originally, there were 15 members of the Safe Communities coalition in New Lenox, which has increased to more than 30 organizations, including businesses, faith-based groups and non-profits, in addition to police, fire, and emergency services.

"This is not something that you just put a plaque on the wall and that's it," Baldermann said.

New Lenox is the only accredited Safe Community in Illinois. The National Safety Council points to the village's safe medication disposal program, and its nationally recognized Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, among the reasons for the honor.

"More than 300 residents have received emergency preparedness training because of the CERT program," the statement said.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
The sparrows rescued by Elizabeth Kascher Huprich of Elgin have grown in their feathers and the pair is learning to fly. (Elizabeth Kascher Huprich / HANDOUT)

Rainy, windy weather can knock hatchlings out of a bird nest, according to Laura Kirk, Fox Valley Wildlife Center Director of Animal Care.

But when a nest is destroyed or hatchlings are found outside of their home, the birds may recuperate with care, Kirk said.

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Elgin resident Elizabeth Kascher Huprich is providing that care for two sparrows she rescued in May.

While some birds are protected by wildlife regulations that require rehabilitation by a licensed specialist, Kirk said house sparrows do not fall into that category.

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When Huprich found the two house sparrow hatchlings in her yard, they had fallen out of a bird condominium-style nesting structure. One of the birds had visible bruising, which, Huprich said, was likely caused by a grackle that had preyed upon the nest.

"We saw grackles taking the eggs out of the nest," she said. "When I went out to shoo it away, it took a hatchling out of the nest and flew away with it."

Huprich said the first few hours with the hatchlings were touch and go.

"We weren't sure they would even live," she said. "One had bruises on its back from where the bird had grabbed it, and they were maybe a day or two old with translucent skin and closed eyes."

She said she didn't call the wildlife organizations because she wasn't even sure the birds would make it through the night.

However, they ate well the first night and Huprich felt confident they would survive if she continued to care for them.

A friend helped out Huprich with the basics for feeding: a syringe, and puppy chow blended with water into a paste.

Huprich, who has had the birds for three weeks, said they have all their feathers and are flying.

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The birds progressed from a box to a bird cage, and their injuries are healing, Huprich said. One bird that fell onto the concrete from its nest has a slight limp. The other began with an air sac in its skin, but Huprich treated it until it was gone.

Kirk said sometimes, residents find young birds that actually will be fine without intervention.

"As fledglings, the birds still have parents that take care of them even when they are on the ground," Kirk said. "So that is when the parents take care of them in lower branches, or on the ground."

Huprich plans to keep the pair and said the parent birds can see and hear the young ones through the window.

"The parents can hear them peeping. And they come up on the deck, so now we have the bird cage in front of the front windows," she said. "They chirp back and forth."

With an "animal family" home  two dogs and two guinea pigs  Huprich said she has a passion for rescues and has resisted the role of fostering rescue animals.

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"If I were a foster to a rescue, I would be attached instantly," she said. "I would want to keep them all in my home."

For information on Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn go to www.fvwc.org.

Romi Herron-Cologna is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
Were your friendly neighborhood Italian restaurant, states Amir Bloom, general manager of Bella Via, a staple of downtown Highland Park for almost two decades. (Donald Liebenson / Lake County News-Sun)

Over the course of the almost two decades that Bella Via in Highland Park has been open, the pictures of Italy that hang on its wall have been swapped out several times, according to general manager and event manager Amir Bloom.

The colors of those walls  currently orange and cream and painted in textured Venetian stucco  have been changed.

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One thing in the restaurant that has been a constant is a replica of the wine label for one of Bella Via's best-selling white wines, the Santa Margherita Alto Adige Pino Grigio 2000, that adorns the main dining room emergency exit door.

"It's perfect," Bloom said, and it sets just the right convivial mood.

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"To our loyal customers who have been coming here for many, many years, we hope they think of us as a second home," he said. "We hope they feel like family. We know many by their first names, we know what's going on in their lives. We've watched their children, who have been coming here since they were born, grow up and go off to college."

Maurizio LoBosco, who came to the United States when he was 17, is the owner and executive chef. A native of Sicily, he learned his craft by observing his mother cooking and working in the kitchens of family members' restaurants.

With Bella Via, he wanted to present the authentic flavors of his youth in a warm and inviting atmosphere, Bloom said.

The main dining has 20 tables and can seat 95. There is additional patio seating that can accommodate another 100 people, and an event space that can serve up to 200 people. Dishes are available for carry-out or delivery.

The recipes specialize in Southern Italian, with an accent on seafood, simple ingredients and lighter sauces.

"Everything is prepared fresh," Bloom said. "We get fish flown in daily, and we make the majority of our pastas."

Signature appetizers include mini veal meatball appetizers ($9) and Burrata, a buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy ($13).

Popular pastas include Farfalle Rossini ($18), a bow-tie pasta in a tomato creme sauce ($18) and Gnocchi ($19).

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Bella Via, which means beautiful way or street, and is across the street from the Landmark Renaissance Place Theatre, began as a 12-table pizza place. Its Pizza Margherita ($13) remains one of its most requested entrees, Bloom said, along with the Involtini Di Melanzana ($19), a rolled stuffed eggplant and Veal Saltimbocca ($25).

There are also daily specials, such as a grilled salmon and roasted beet salad ($24).

Highland Park has been a welcome home for Bella Via. Bloom likes to think of it as a staple of the family-friendly community that appreciates high quality food and being made to feel welcome.

Family is at the heart of Italian cooking, he said.

"There is a comfort level in coming together with family and food," he said. "We're your friendly neighborhood Italian restaurant."

Hours: lunch is Thursday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; and dinner is Sunday-Thursday, 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m.

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Bella Via is at 1899 Second St., Highland Park. Contact 847-681-8300 or go to www.bellaviahighlandpark.com.

Donald Liebenson is a freelance writer.
A Waukegan man was critically injured in a Sunday night crash in Beach Park, police said.

The 27-year-old man was speeding south on Sheridan Road in a 2009 Honda Civic when he rear-ended a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier near Suddard Place about 10:10 p.m., according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

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The crash caused the Honda to roll over and the driver of the Honda suffered severe leg and foot injuries, police said. The 29-year-old man driving the Chevrolet suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Both men were taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.

Detective Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said it appears alcohol was a factor in the crash. No charges have been filed as of Monday afternoon.

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mejones@tribpub.com

Twitter: @MeganAsh_Jones
Illinois residents are lectured continually by reformers that the state has too many public bodies and taxing districts  7,000  and that consolidating those functions into more efficient groupings would be better government.

Seems logical. That might be true in the academic sense, by which I mean the likelihood any idea is truly based on logic.

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But the larger question in Illinois  Illinois always suffers from the unanswered and unanswerable larger questions  is whether democracy works in Illinois; whether the average people who pay all the freight mean more than all other stakeholders.

The system depends on a basic compact: Protect those who paid, not only those who spend. Remember who the servant is.

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Consider two school cases at either end of the electoral universe from Palatine to Waukegan. One involves millions of dollars and the other only $1,500. But they tell similar stories.

Palatine District 15 sprawls over the northwest corner of Cook County and nudges against Lake County. Inside are four junior high schools, 15 elementary schools and several specialty schools. That covers Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, South Barrington, Arlington Heights and Schaumburg.

When the school board voted this spring to accept a new contract for teachers, members agreed to a 10-year deal that staggered the state's educational universe. No one knows if there ever has been a public elementary school contract in the country covering a decade.

The deal guarantees average annual raises of 3.4 percent over for the decade. Residents of those suburbs are obligated to millions, not even considering new schools being planned.

We'd like to reveal all of the details, but we can't. Not only did District 15 administrators keep the contract secret for weeks, only a "summary" of the accord was released. It's like contract CliffsNotes.

Last week, the board members admitted none of them had actually seen the full 75-page contract before or after they signed it, nor is it clear the teachers ever saw the contract before they ratified it. State Attorney General Lisa Madigan has not been able to get a copy of the contract. District officials claim it's "not done yet."

Journalistic watchdogs are wondering if anyone knows what they signed, or whether they even signed the same document. The question remains open if this is a legal contract.

Legal or not, here's what the power of compounded interest means. A teacher making $62,000 a year this year will be making $110,000 in a decade. District 15 deliberately mortgaged its future by guessing it knows the birthrates for students yet to be born.

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District officials  who theoretically work for the school board members, who theoretically work for the taxpayers of District 15  have an as-yet secret plan to pay for this by jacking up salaries of older teachers in return for 25 percent of them retiring.

Those balloon "spikes" get shoved to the teachers' pension system to pay, which likely guarantees an entirely new generation of permanently endowed Illinois pension millionaires.

Who pays? Everyone, of course. You.

District 15 officials decline to discuss the cost-shifting sleight-of-hand specifics because it's a secret, too.

There is no sign that anyone in District 15 is protecting the public interest  or even acknowledges they should be.

At the small potatoes end of the feeding trough was Waukegan District 60's board of education, which last week agreed to pay exiting millionaire Supt. Donaldo Batiste an extra $1,500. That will cover his medical insurance premiums between his exit and the start of an unidentified new job elsewhere.

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You'd think any administrator who earned $2 million-plus in salary from Waukegan taxpayers during his career  and millions more in pensions  would be embarrassed to ask for an extra dab of sugar on his way out. But he did.

You'd think a school board that already had guaranteed Batiste millions would demur, and suggest taxpayers had paid enough. But they didn't.

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The same board that also paid Batiste a $20,000-a-year tax sheltered annuity also paid the 9.5 percent of his salary that he was supposed to contribute to his pension. You paid for that, too.

Despite the difference in financial scale, District 15 and District 60 were both playing the same game. They were spending other people's money without much care for taxpayers who will never be millionaires.

One was monstrous; the other merely preposterous.

Both reflect that democracy suffers when hired hands forget whose wallet they should be guarding.

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For Batiste, the $1,500 was pocket change. For many families in Waukegan, it was two months of rent.

There were votes in both actions, but there wasn't much democracy.

David.Rutter@live.com
Firefighters/paramedics Eric Ryan (left), Steve Norman, Lt. Daren Garcia and Capt. David Pilgard all made the decision to transport a 6-year-old child on a ventilator to a medical appointment in Chicago. (Lake Zurich Fire Department / Handout)

The Lake Zurich Fire Department recently received a statewide recognition for going "above and beyond" after transporting a child from the village to a medical appointment in Chicago.

Dispatched to an accident on Feb. 4 near Ela and Rand roads, emergency responders from the fire department found a 6-year-old girl on a ventilator who had been on her way to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for an appointment, according to the department. The crash involved a vehicle and a critical pediatric transport ambulance, which was rear-ended and had to be pulled out of service for a safety check, according to officials.

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Any time an ambulance is involved in an accident, a safety check must be done before the ambulance can transport patients, said Elizabeth Keane, EMS Coordinator for Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. Keane said the 6-year-old girl was in stable condition after the accident, which had no reported injuries.

The responders from Lake Zurich then had two options  either call for a replacement ambulance or take the child to a nearby hospital.

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Neither option was ideal, Keane said, as a replacement ambulance would mean the child would miss her appointment. The option to take her to a nearby hospital would've been meaningless because she had no injuries and likely would have just been sent back home.

Instead, fire department personnel decided to transport the child themselves from Lake Zurich to Chicago, an 80-mile round trip, so she did not have to miss her "necessary" appointment that had been in place for months, according to the fire department. Officials would not provide further details about the child, citing personal health privacy laws.

"They felt it was in the best interest of the child," Lake Zurich Fire Chief John Malcolm said. "I fully supported that decision. It was the right decision to make. I empower them to make those decisions, and they make those decisions on a regular basis."

Capt. David Pilgard, Lt. Daren Garcia, and firefighter/paramedics Eric Ryan and Steve Norman, who were among those dispatched to the crash scene, were recognized for the decision by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Emergency Medical Services for Children program. Officials from both state services recently presented the fire department with a special pediatric care community service award during a ceremony on May 16.

The Ron W. Lee, M.D.  Excellence in Pediatric Care Awards are presented annually in three categories  community service, lifetime achievement and clinical excellence  to recognize dedication in childhood injury-prevention initiatives and pediatric emergency care.

"This case stood out because it was very unusual for a fire department to transport a patient to the city of Chicago," said Keane, who nominated the department for the award.

Keane said a transport involving a child on a ventilator is a lengthy process that the child's family did not have to repeat thanks to the department's efforts.

The award's namesake, Ron Lee, was the medical director for the IDPH Division of Emergency Medical Services and Highway Safety, as well as the director of emergency medicine at Loyola University Medical Center. The state health department said Lee, who died in 1998, was instrumental in establishing the statewide EMSC program in 1994.

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"The Lake Zurich Fire Department crew went above and beyond its normal duties," IDPH Director Nirav Shah said in a statement. "Not every EMS crew would have taken the time to transport this child to Chicago. For their dedication and compassion, I am honored to award the Lake Zurich Fire Department with the Ron W. Lee, M.D.  Excellence in Pediatric Care Community Service Award."

Malcolm said the entire trip was billed to Medicaid, adding how the family was not charged for any out-of-pocket expenses. Normally, the department ambulance fee is $750 for residents and $900 for nonresidents, Malcolm said.

"It goes back to community service, and that's what our personnel does  looking out for what's best for the patient," Malcolm said. "It was definitely a team effort. I'm very proud of the members of the department, and the job they do every day."

Christine Won is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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A group of students from the Muslim Community Center Academy perform two songs at a peace vigil held Wednesday night at the American Legion Memorial Civic Center. (Lee V. Gaines / Pioneer Press)

At a peace vigil held Wednesday night in Morton Grove, dozens of attendeeschildren and adultsdiscussed the meaning of peace with others gathered inside the American Legion Memorial Civic Center.

It was exactly what vigil organizer and pastor of St. Luke's Christian Community Church, Elizabeth Jones, said she had hoped would happen.

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The idea for the vigil was born out of a "peace breakfast" Jones hosted with religious leaders and government officials from both Morton Grove and Niles in mid-April, she said.

Jones said during a conversation with Morton Grove village trustee Janine Witko and interfaith representative of the Morton Grove Muslim Community Center Dilnaz Waraich, the three women noted an unfortunate lack of youth participation in interfaith events.

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Waraich said she often takes her sons, aged 15 and 18, to interfaith gatherings around the community, and recently they pointed out to her that only older people are in attendance.

Jones said the observation spawned the idea for a peace vigil focused on and featuring the community's youth.

At Wednesday's vigil, 10 students from the Muslim Community Center Academy performed two songs: Salamun Salam, which translates to "peaceful peace," and the Christian melody, Dona Nobis Pacem, whose title means "grant us peace." The children, a group of first through fifth graders, were led in song by Donelle Bergeson, librarian at MCC Academy.

Jones said the entire event was planned in roughly a month, and Bergeson said the children participated in only three rehearsals before the Wednesday night performance.

In addition to including songs about peace, Jones also organized a presentation of pictures and messages written by students at Gemini Junior High School in Niles about what peace means to them.

Jones said during the months of Lent she also asked her congregation to share their thoughts on the meaning of the word, and then started posting their response on a blog she created earlier this year.

"People really appreciate my asking them what their personal definition of peace is, what their idea of peace is, so that's what I've been doing," she said.

Witko said an event like this is especially important given the divisive and polarizing discourse on display during the current election cycle. She said Morton Grove is an example of an incredibly diverse community living in relative harmony.

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"There is no better place that exemplifies peace and people living together with diversity than Morton Grove," said the village's mayor, Dan DiMaria, in his remarks at the vigil.

"Getting the youth involved in this is where it starts," Wiko said. "The younger you learn to be compassionate and respectful the better off the world will be."

The goal of the vigil, Jones said, is to keep the conversation going.

"I hope that we will raise consciousness, help people to understand that, yes, this is a wonderful, diverse community and that we can celebrate it and not be divided or fall prey to any of this divisive rhetoric going on," she said. "I don't want to blatantly hit people over the head, but to celebrate diversity and encourage people to promote peace, hope and harmony."

Hadessa Plummer, school nurse for MCC Academy, came to the Wednesday night event with her daughter, Najah Nubuor, 8, who sang alongside her fellow students at the vigil. Plummer said if more communities followed Morton Grove's example and hosted similar events, "there wouldn't be so much tension."

The more people from different cultural and faith backgrounds interact and listen to each other, the sooner they realize "we're all neighbors and we all want the same things in life," she said.

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Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Budding entrepreneurs, who are developing innovative technology aimed at improving the lives of seniors, brought their ideas to the residents of Central Baptist Village in Norridge on June 2.

Representatives from six start-up companies were at the senior living home to compete in Aging2.0, an interactive pitch competition that gave each company the chance to spend five minutes on a stage to convince a panel of six judges and a roomful of seniors that its idea was a winner.

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The San Francisco-based organization supports tech entrepreneurs targeting the older demographic. The winner will be featured in the Aging2.0 website and receive one free ticket to the Aging 2.0 OPTIMIZE Expo Oct. 12-14 in San Francisco.

The entrepreneurs took the stage to pitch ideas that ranged from a caregiver training program that aims to reduce employee turnover rates in nursing homes to a "Make-A-Wish Foundation"-type nonprofit organization that strives to make the dreams of low-income seniors come true.

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In the end, one company won the hearts of the judges.

MemoryWell, an innovative startup company co-launched by a former Wall Street Journal reporter, pieces together the life histories of dementia patients through stories told by reporters who research their lives. The panel of judges named MemoryWell co-founder Ilan Brat the winner after determining his idea would have the biggest positive impact on seniors' lives.

Brat told the audience his company retells the lives of dementia patients in a five-hour process that includes interviews with friends and family members of the patient and by filling in gaps with information sought through public records searches and other searchable documents. For about $350, a journalist from MemoryWell will produce a full life story with photos and music to serve as a keepsake for families, who can access it online and via an app any time.

"I thought it was absolutely phenomenal," said Dan Kuhn, an adviser with All Trust Home Care. "I'd pay the money for it. Families spend between $6,000-$8,000 a month for an assisted living facility, so a one-time payment of $350 that could help impact their lives seems worth it."

Another entrepreneur who competed, Tami Neumann, described her experience as a worthwhile way to spend her time because it gave her a rare chance to get raw feedback on her company, the Silver Dawn Training Institute. Her Indiana-based business aims to reduce high employee turnover rates at nursing homes by giving caregivers better access to training.

"The life of an entrepreneur can be isolating sometimes because you're always working alone," Neumann said. "This was a great chance to meet with other startups and learn from others about how to stand up there and give your pitch on a stage."

Because life in a senior living facility can also feel isolating sometimes, the two-hour Aging2.0 event gave Central Baptist Residents a fun excuse to get out of their rooms and socialize, resident Marilyn Ringelstein said.

On a typical weeknight, Ringelstein said she's often left twiddling her thumbs after 7 or 8 p.m., when most people are already in bed for the night.

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"There's only so much reading and TV watching you can do before you get bored, so this is really nice to have something different to do in the evening," Ringelstein said. "It's also good to see what's out there because living in a nursing home means we don't always know what's happening in the world of technology."

Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The Oak Brook Park District's seventh annual Cori's Triathlon included 102 girls and boys, who swam, biked and ran Saturday at the park district, 1450 Forest Gate Road.

Susan and John Sikich founded the Cori Sikich Foundation in memory of their daughter, Cori, who lost her battle with an eating disorder in 2002 when she was 25 years old. The foundation's goal is to promote healthy habits and self-esteem at an early age.

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The competition included six age/gender categories, ages 6-8, 9-11, and 12-14 for girls and boys. The distances for each of the three legs, swimming, biking and running, varied by age group.

The top three finishers in each group were recognized with awards, and everyone received a participation medal.

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Group winners were Luca Figueres of Chicago, boys, 6-8; Audrey Longmeyer of Oak Brook, girls, 6-8; Kai Figueres of Chicago, boys, 9-11; Kylie Bertacchi of Orland Park, girls, 9-11; Charles McIntyre of Bolingbrook, boys, 12-14; and Jordan Gweyn Austin of Orland Park, girls, 12-14.

Complete results are available online at www.obparks.org/coris/results-2016.asp
Dexter Cura (left) and Jonathan Biag, pictured June 2, opened Escape Factor Chicago, Oak Park's first escape room, at the beginning of May. (Caitlin Mullen / Pioneer Press)

Jonathan Biag and Dexter Cura want to lock you in a room.

They want you to get out, of course, and have fun while figuring out how to do so.

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Biag and Cura recently opened Escape Factor Chicago, at 711 South Blvd. in Oak Park. The experience-focused business features one escape room, with two others in the works.

"I've always liked puzzles. It's something I certainly never thought could turn into a business," Cura said with a laugh.

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Escape rooms, which Cura said are a fairly new concept in the U.S., stem from vintage video games. Locked in a room, a group is left with puzzles, riddles and other clues that must be solved before time runs out.

"It's very multi-dimensional, very multi-level," Cura said.

Cura lives in Berwyn, and Biag, who is originally from Oak Park, recently returned with his family.

Viktor Schrader, economic development manager of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, said Escape Factor Chicago is the first of its kind in Oak Park, and other escape rooms have been popping up all over the Chicago region.

"We picked Oak Park, too, because the fact that it was close to Chicago, but not in Chicago. People can take the Green Line in," Cura said.

Biag and Cura, who've known each for 30 years, began pursuing the business idea in January, experiencing other escape rooms as research.

"We're veteran escape-room goers," Biag said. "I guess I'm a self-proclaimed math nerd."

Cura and Biag said their 250-square-foot room  "The Timekeeper's Trap"  has more than 10 puzzles and at least 20 steps, and accommodates 10 people at a time. The two counted more than 20 clocks in the room, in addition to other decor and furniture.

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"There is a purpose to everything in the room," Cura said. "Everything is very deliberate."

The success rate for "The Timekeeper's Trap" is about 25 percent. Biag and Cura said they enjoy seeing the dynamic of groups that participate, and the gratification people feel once they've solved a puzzle.

"We tend to give a lot of nudges to people so they don't get super frustrated or stuck," Biag said, adding that he or Cura remain in the room with each group.

Biag said they bill it as an hour free of modern-day distractions, which can be rare these days.

"It really does make people communicate with one another and make people talk with on another, instead of being on their cellphones," Cura said. "If they don't communicate, they'll never escape."

Schrader said they're encouraging people to look at their businesses differently, and an experience-based venture like Escape Factor Chicago offers something unusual. Based on the employment base and residents of Oak Park, Schrader said he expects Escape Factor Chicago to do well.

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"I think that's what people want: they want to pay for an experience, in addition to goods," he said. "In general, I think it's a great use."

While the escape room  popular for social outings and corporate, team-building events  is open to a wide range of ages, Cura and Biag said the majority of participants are between 20 and 50 years old. They added that they can adjust the puzzles for younger participants.

Biag and Cura also said they're working on a 20-minute room with a toy shop theme, and another 60-minute room may happen in the future.

The two live for the lightbulb moments participants experience during the escape process.

"For us, that's like the payoff. People really enjoy it," Cura said.

For more information, visit www.escapefactorchicago.com.

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Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Police are investigating whether drugs contributed to a serious three-car crash in Park Ridge on Sunday that sent four people, including a child, to the hospital.

According to a preliminary report, evidence of drug use was found at the scene of the collision, which occurred at around 12:50 p.m. on Dempster Street at Robin Drive, Park Ridge Deputy Police Chief Lou Jogmen said.

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One of the drivers involved, identified as an Arlington Heights woman, underwent drug testing at a local hospital, and police are awaiting the results, Jogmen said.

"There is suspicion that drugs may have been involved," he said.

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No charges were immediately filed against the driver, who was not injured, he added.

According to the preliminary crash report, a 2010 Nissan driven by the Arlington Heights woman was east on Dempster, approaching Robin Drive, when it rear-ended a 2008 Chevrolet, carrying three members of a Florida family, Jogmen said. The impact pushed the Chevy into the westbound lanes, where it was struck by a 2005 Mercury driven by a man from Rolling Meadows, Jogmen said.

When police first arrived at the scene, they found the driver of the Mercury out of his car and on the ground, receiving aid from bystanders, Jogmen said.

He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, as were the driver of the Chevy, who reportedly sustained a head injury; her husband, who suffered minor injuries and was treated and released; and the couple's 10-year-old son, who was a passenger in the back seat, the deputy chief said.

The boy's condition was initially listed as critical, but he was said to be improving Monday, Jogmen said. His mother and the driver of the Mercury remained hospitalized as well, he said.

The crash remains under investigation by Park Ridge police and the Serious Traffic Accident Team, a multi-jurisdictional investigation unit, Jogmen said.

All lanes of Dempster were closed to traffic until 6:30 p.m. Sunday as police conducted their initial investigation.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter: @Jen_Pioneer
Scott Rediger, director of public works and Crown Point Mayor Dave Uran are celebrating clean water along with the new public works facility in the city.

The City of Crown Point water quality on tap report for 2015 is out. The drinking water that the city distributes to utility customers is clean. In a statement to consumers, Uran said, "I am proud to report that water provided by Indiana American Water Company to Crown Point during 2015 was as good as or better than all state and federal standards for drinking water."

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Every year the city and Indiana American make a report of the water used during the previous year. That way there is a 12 month record to go by. The good news is lead content in the city water supply is at 0.0050 parts per billion parts of water. Rediger said, "The city has no water delivery mains that are made with lead." State and federal compliance is also was achieved with regard to copper, he said.

This is not to say that it is impossible for anyone to be drinking water contaminated either by lead or copper. But the source of that would be from residential pipes. If you cannot get to where the pipes are visible, you can buy and use a test kit of your own. Most public buildings will know what kind of pipes they have.

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The city's new home for the streets and utilities department is 705 Industrial Blvd., next door to the Indiana Emission Testing facility south of Summit Street. Rediger is so grateful for this new facility. His department was split up into so many different places with the city trucks, and heavy equipment having to stay out in all weather can now get inside. According to Rediger most of his fleet can be brought inside. Machines last longer that way. The new facility has a big room devoted to maps. The old printer that is in there now was a hand me down from the engineering department and will need to be replaced in the next couple of years.

Rediger was leading the tour of the new building and continued up the hill south of his building to the new repair garage. That building is large enough that the largest vehicle owned by the city can pull inside. The bays and doors a large enough that the CPFD Aerial ladder truck can pull right in one door and not be sticking out the other end. On Wednesday the city's old Aerial truck was in getting serviced. Mechanic Mike Smith who was working on the truck said, "This would have been a nightmare in the old place."

Fire Chief Greg DeLor said, "They couldn't work on this truck in the winter in the old building."

Rediger pointed out that the city has added some new trucks. Some of the old are in such bad shape they will be put up for auction. Others that can serve different departments that are not as hard on the vehicles will be sent over to replace even older trucks in the waste water and parks departments.

"All of our trucks have snow plows. So we will be even better equipped than in the past," said Rediger.

kconley@post-trib.com
Sheriff John Buncich wants your identity safe. By offering free document shredding at the Lake County Government Center in partnership with AARP they are giving their most vulnerable citizens the opportunity to protect themselves.

"This is our third year of having the shredding machine. People like it. It allows people to get their things shredded. It helps get seniors more secure. We just have to keep reminding everyone. Our officers from that unit that deal mainly with senior and senior problems will be the ones out there. We are so happy with this program," said Buncich. He went on to say that seniors are the ones most of the scams are aimed at now. "In most trash cans on any street in our community an identity thief can strike gold when garbage day comes around each week. To protect you, shred those documents that can enable thieves to get personal information," Buncich said.

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From 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, an industrial shredder will be on hand in the parking lot on the south side of the Lake County Government Center. The Lake County Government Center is at 2293 North Main St. in Crown Point. Drive in the entrance on the west side of Main Street just south of 93rd Avenue. The area will be easy to find, Buncich said.

"Just drive up and someone will be able to help you unload your car and throw the papers you bring into the giant shredder," he said.

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Buncich is concerned that seniors are being victimized by identity theft and fraud incidents in record numbers. It just keeps going up every year, he said.

"Part of the solution is to shred years of old checks, papers and documents that have identifiers that include social security numbers and other personal information that thieves use to enable them to commit fraud against the older population," said the sheriff.

While this is geared to senior citizens it is open to everyone from Lake County. If you need more information on how to protect yourself the sheriff will have information tables set up where community action groups will have information on senior interests. Look for AARP, Northwest Indiana Community Action Coalition, 211, and more.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department also has a medication drop box available to deposit unused or old medication. Those things should not be just thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet. That takes that medication into our water ways and lakes and is not environmentally safe for man or beast.

kconley@post-trib.com
Here are five things to do in Northwest Indiana June 10-16.

Indiana Prepare to Survive Expo will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 11-12 at the Porter County Expo Center. Admission is $5-$7. At 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso. Call 920-573-5903 or go to surviveexpo.com.

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The J.D. Marshall Preserve marks its 105th anniversary with an event at 3 p.m. June 11 at the Indiana Dunes State Park Auditorium in Chesterton. At 1600 N. 25 East. Admission is $7-$12 to the park. Call 219-395-1390 or go to in.gov/dnr/.

A lecture on the Life and Times of Amphibians will be held at 9 a.m. June 11 at Cowles Bog in Porter. Admission is free. Meet in the north lot at 1618 N. Mineral Springs Road. Call 219-395-1882.

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A Wednesday Night Consignment Auction will take place at 4:30 p.m. June 15 at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso. At 215 E. Division Road. Call 219-973-9240 or go to kraftauctions.hibid.com.

Live on the Lake features live music and a special menu from 7-10 p.m. every Friday night, weather permitting, at WaterBird Lakeside Banquet Center in Chesterton. At 526 Indian Boundary Road. Call 219-928-1514.

Do you have something going on we could include in Five Things to Do? Email your item, with time, date, place, price and contact information, to wweber@tribpub.com at least two weeks before the event.
With the resignation of River Forest District 90 board President Patrick Meyer, the district will begin an immediate search for his replacement. (River Forest School District 90 / Handout)

The River Forest District 90 school board will undergo a leadership reorganization after the resignation of board President Patrick Meyer.

Meyer, who resigned June 2, will be relocating to Colorado with his family in early July, school officials said. Current board Vice President Ralph Martire will now serve as president.

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"I have been honored to represent the River Forest community on behalf of its schools," Meyer said in a statement. "The district is fortunate to enjoy the benefits of having a fully engaged and resourceful community that supports its schools. I will miss the camaraderie of my fellow board members as we addressed such important issues."

Meyer and his wife, Ute, are the parents of six children, five of whom attended District 90 schools.

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"Pat has been a calm and steadfast advocate for the district's students," Superintendent Ed Condon said in a statement. "He is a well-respected and highly admired board member whose judgment, composure and deep interest in our students, faculty and staff, administrators and families benefited the entire River Forest community. Pat's presence will be greatly missed on the board of education."

With Meyer's resignation, the process to fill his vacant board seat begins immediately, a district release said.

According to Illinois School Code and District 90's policies, the remaining board members have 45 days to accept and review applications, interview applicants and select an individual to fill the vacancy.

Those who are interested in serving on the District 90 Board of Education can submit an application at the district's administrative offices at 7776 Lake St., River Forest. The deadline to file an application is 3 p.m. June 15.

A special board meeting is expected to be scheduled in July to select a new board member.

More information about the application process is available at www.district90.org.

sschering@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @steveschering
The Color Guard follows the opening banner for the parade. (Jon Langham / Pioneer Press)

Cats, dogs, hamsters and their owners had a reason to celebrate at the annual Pet Parade in La Grange.

The event the animals and their owners lined the streets to watch was marking a milestone Saturday was the 70th year of the pet parade..

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The parade stepped off at the La Grange Park Public Library and ended at the field house at the Lyons Township High School North Campus.

Along the way, parade-goers clapped to the music of marching bands, marveled at the Jesse White Tumblers and even chased bubbles. A light rain shower during the procession brought out the umbrellas, but didn't appear to subdue the crowd.

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The grand marshal was the Community Nurse Association, a La Grange-based nonprofit that's also celebrating a milestone this year. It is marking 95 years of providing primary medical care and dental health services to people in need.

The junior grand marshal was Annie Price, a student at Spring Elementary School, who was selected for the honor after contributing a drawing in coloring contest that revolved around the theme of this year's parade, which is birthday.

The parade was held in conjunction with a carnival hosted by the La Grange Business Association on Harris Avenue between La Grange Road and Ashland Avenue.

amannion@tribpub.com

Twitter triblocalam
A man who Wilmette police say grabbed money from a Linden Square coffee shop customer last month now has a June 16 date in Cook County Court in Skokie, after being arrested and charged in connection with the May 7 robbery.

Sean Hill, 46, who Wilmette police said is a homeless transient, was arrested May 29 in Chicago and charged with theft of property from a person exceeding $500 but less than $10,000, Police Chief Brian King said on June 2. After a May 30 bond hearing, Hill was being held at Cook County Jail on a $25,000 bond, police said.

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According to police reports, the robbery took place around 3:30 p.m. on May 7 in the Alchemy Coffee House, 416 Linden Ave.

A customer was waiting to pay for an order when Hill, who was in the shop, allegedly came up and grabbed money from the victim's hand, and fled across the street to the Linden CTA train station and got on a southbound L train.

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No one was injured in the incident, police said.

King said investigators were able to identify Hill by checking surveillance videos in the area. They were unable to locate Hill at his previous home addresses, so detectives got a warrant for his arrest, King said.

Chicago police who arrested Hill May 29 on an unrelated theft charge on the 400 block of North State Street learned about the Wilmette warrant as part of their own investigation, King said.

kroutliffe@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @pioneer_kathy
China's Yantai Xinchao Industry Co is pursuing US oil acquisitions worth as much as $1 billion in the Permian Basin, and it won't be satisfied letting others run the show, according to the head of the company's US subsidiary.

Unlike other Asian companies that bought stakes in United States energy prospects in recent years, Xinchao is seeking so-called operated positions, or deals that give it primary authority over everything from how deep to drill to how intensively to frack each well, said Curtis Newstrom, chief executive officer of Blue Whale Energy North America Corp, the US arm of the Shanghai-listed company.

Houston-based Blue Whale made a splash last year with its first two deals on behalf of its Chinese parent, a company virtually unknown in US exploration circles: A $315 million acquisition of drilling rights across 7,100 acres from Juno Energy II in April 2015 and a $1.1 billion transaction in November with Tall City Exploration LLC and Plymouth Petroleum LLC. Both deals involved Texas oil fields. It is now on the search for other assets valued at between $500 million and $1 billion, he said.

"We're going to continue looking for opportunities," Newstrom said in an interview on the sidelines of Hart Energy's DUG Permian Basin conference in Fort Worth, Texas. "Xinchao is a very aggressive company and it's looking to grow."

Xinchao and Newstrom are up against some stiff competition in trying to expand their portfolio in the Permian basin of West Texas and New Mexico. International heavyweights and domestic titans from Exxon Mobil Corp to Occidental Petroleum Corp have been ramping up acquisition efforts in the region at a breakneck pace.

Drilling rights in the richest part of the region have been commanding selling prices as high as $35,000 an acre, reminiscent of the height of the shale land grab half a decade ago, according to Mike Winterich, president of Three Rivers Operating Co III LLC, an Austin, Texas-based Permian oil explorer backed by private equity giant Riverstone Holdings LLC.

Private equity firms are also scouring the Permian Basin for acquisitions, heightening competition for relative newcomers such as Blue Whale, which was formed in 2014. More than 100 private equity firms have teams evaluating potential Permian transactions, Winterich said during a presentation at the Hart Energy event last month.

Blue Whale hired former ConocoPhillips experts in the use of water-flooding to sweep crude out of aging fields to boost results from the wells acquired from Juno along the northern edge of the Permian, Newstrom said.

On the Tall City-Plymouth assets, Blue Whale plans to raise the number of rigs drilling new wells to three from two. The company has identified 1,500 to 1,600 attractive targets across the 78,000 acres of drilling rights it acquired, Newstrom said. He didn't give a timeframe for adding the next rig.

Newstrom described himself and Xinchao as "agnostic" with regard to US oil regions to invest in. Still, given the current crude prices, the Permian is probably the only region where new wells will make money, he said.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr will travel to Beijing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel next week in a bid to seal a joint venture deal with Air China Ltd seen as crucial to bolstering his company's access to the world's second-largest economy.

Spohr will meet with senior management from the Chinese flag carrier with the aim of making progress on the commercial pact, the CEO said in Dublin, adding that the talks are "complex".

Lufthansa is pursuing joint ventures as part of a plan to stem the loss of lucrative long-haul traffic to fast-growing rivals from the Persian Gulf. Such deals allow partners to coordinate capacity and share revenue and represent the closest accords possible in the industry short of full-scale mergers.

A final agreement with Air China would complete Lufthansa's roll call of accords covering all of its main long-haul markets, though the plan is running behind schedule, with the signoff having originally been targeted for last year.

Europe's third-biggest airline already has deals in place with Air Canada and United Continental Holdings Inc on trans-Atlantic flights and with ANA Holdings Inc in the Germany-Japan market, and in November announced a tie-up with Singapore Airlines Ltd from the city state to Germany and Switzerland.
The body of a male victim was retrieved on Monday morning after a leisure boat capsized on a lake Saturday in the city of Guangyuan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, rescuers said. So far, the accident has left two people dead, including a child, and 13 others missing. Rescuers work on the Bailong Lake in Guangyuan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 6, 2016. The body of a male victim was retrieved on Monday morning after a leisure boat capsized on the lake Saturday in Guangyuan, Sichuan Province. So far, the accident has left two people dead, including a child, and 13 others missing. [Photo / Xinhua]

The tourist boat, the Shuanglong, was carrying 18 people on a three-hour tour at Bailong Lake in the city of Guangyuan Saturday noon. The boat capsized at about 2:40 p.m, minutes before it was about to reach its destination, Xinhua reporters learnt.

Three survivors are receiving treatment at a local hospital and in stable condition.

The tragedy befell on five families who were enjoying a weekend excursion on the lake, a popular tourist site. Boat operator Zhou Piqiang, his wife and four-year-old son are also among the missing.

A spokesperson of Blue Sky rescue team said on Sunday noon that they found the capsized boat about 65 meters under the water with the help of underwater video cameras, but no sign of life was detected.

The State Administration of Work Safety has sent a work team to the site of the accident.

Sudden devastation

Wang Mingxing, 30, was the only passenger who was travelling alone.

"It was sunny when we boarded the ship. My friends decided not to wear life jackets and they also helped their children take off the jackets, as it turned quite hot on the boat," he recalled at a hospital in Guangyuan.

Photos shared by one of the passengers on WeChat showed the adults and children on the boat did not wear life jackets.

"It started to rain when we were close to the destination and the parents took the children to the lower deck for shelter. I stayed on the upper deck, and before I knew it, I was thrown into the air. The wind was very strong and the boat started to sink," Wang told Xinhua.

"I grabbed a life jacket before the boat sunk. It happened too fast. I saw just two or three men in water, and soon they disappeared," Wang said.

The boat, designed to carry 40 people, is owned by the city ship company, according to maritime department of Lizhou District, where the accident occurred.

Staff with the scenic area said they received a thunder and gale warning at 2 p.m. on Saturday and suspended boat tours. But for the Shuanglong, the warning came too late.

"The weather in the lake area is very changeful and unpredictable," said Lyu Shenghuai, a boat operator.

Extreme weather condition was partly blamed for the sinking of the Eastern Star, a cruise ship which capsized on the Yangtze River and led to 442 deaths on June 1 last year.

Following the accident, the operation of all tour boats and ships in Guangyuan city has been suspended.

About 320 rescuers, divers and doctors were engaged in the search mission on Sunday. Motorboats combed an area of ten kilometers long and 500 meters wide on the lake.

Li Xiang, a rescuer with Blue Sky Rescue, said underwater robots will be sent to assist the salvage of the boat on Monday.

The State Administration of Work Safety has demanded authorities in Sichuan Province to launch water transport safety inspections, improve the management of sightseeing boats, and prevent accidents.
The top official in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region wished the area's Muslims a happy Ramadan, the holy month that started on Monday, during a visit to an Islamic center over the weekend.

"Ramadan is about peace and self-reflection, as well as dedication and self-discipline. It also makes people advocate good deeds and lend a helping hand to those less fortunate," said Zhang Chunxian, the region's top official.

He made the comments on Sunday while meeting with teachers and students at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, the only one of its kind in China that teaches in the Uygur language. Xinjiang is home to about 51 percent of China's Muslim population.

Ramadan is observed by Muslims around the world who fast for a month to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, according to Islamic beliefs. This year, the holy month runs from Monday until July 5.

While at the institute, Zhang said he hoped Muslims from Xinjiang will promote faith righteously and preach peace and tolerance so that families, neighborhoods and society can be harmonious. He also urged Islamic leaders to stand against religious extremism by setting good examples.

Last year, Zhang ate a meal with Muslims in Urumqi, the regional capital, to mark the end of Ramadan.

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food and drinking liquids. "To accommodate fasting, the 300 students at the institute will only have classes in the mornings during Ramadan," Abudulrekep Tumniaz, the institute director, said on Sunday.

A spokesman for Arman, a Halal food producer based in Urumqi, said the company expects sales of its ready meals to double during the holy month as people stock up so they can eat at home as soon as fasting is over for the day.

In southern Xinjiang's Kashgar city, Akbar Memet said he will continue to drive his taxi as usual during fasting. "The month of Ramadan is also when tourism in Kashgar begins to pick up," the 22-year-old said. "I won't miss the opportunity to make more money."

Kurbanjan Turhong, who makes traditional Uygur pottery, bought a sheep and big bag of rice a week before Ramadan. "Fasting actually can make me more concentrated when I make the pots because I won't be disturbed by lunch breaks," said the 39-year-old from Akto county, Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.
After learning about struggles facing pupils in poor, remote areas, 22-year-old decides she can make a difference.

Liu Jiaying (wearing glasses) distributes gifts to students at Shaba primary school in Qianxi county, Guizhou province while visiting the school for the launch ceremony of the first Flying Box project in June, 2015. [Photo/China Daily]

Liu Jiaying says she does not normally stand out from the crowd, but the 22-year-old student from Shenyang Architecture University separated herself from the pack when she designed and built a portable dormitory for pupils in a mountainous area of Guizhou province.

The dorm, which Liu calls the "Flying Box", was inspired by journalist-turned-philanthropist Deng Fei in 2015. Deng's dream was to offer safe and comfortable accommodation to students whose homes were far from their schools in poor mountainous areas and save them from long laborious commutes on foot along slippery and steep mountain paths.

Liu helped make Deng's dream a reality and students have welcomed the first of the new temporary dorms.

"Thanks to the Flying Box, I don't have to walk for two hours along the mountain trail to school every day. I can't remember how many times I fell over into the thorn bushes next to the path in the cold black morning," said Wang Ting, a 10-year-old pupil at Shaba primary school in Qianxi county.

Wang is among many children who have to walk a long way to school, thanks to the closure of a lot of small rural schools in depopulated areas. Children who want to avoid the long walks can usually stay in a school dormitory, but these tend to be very humble, and are difficult places in which to feel at home.

Deng thought such dorms could be a whole lot better.

Liu said she didn't know how bad things were until she heard Deng make a speech on her campus late in 2014.

"I always knew I wanted to volunteer for public service during my college days but I wanted to do something different to everyone else and not just do something like visiting nursing homes," said Liu, who was a sophomore at the time.

She asked Deng how she could help and Deng said she should design a portable dormitory.

"That delighted me," she said. "I realized I could use my knowledge of architecture to help these children. Deng only gave me 15 days to design a 40-person dormitory that could be easily transported and replicated."

After enlisting the help of several seniors at her university, Liu designed a two-storey modular dormitory with bedrooms, bathrooms, public spaces and a room for a resident counselor. The dormitory was designed to be solar powered and have wireless network access.

"The design was not the difficult part," Liu said.

"The difficulties came flooding in when we tried to use crowdfunding, find manufacturers, and a builder."

She said she likes to go out running when she feels under pressure. These days, she has been under pressure for so long she can easily put 5 km behind her.

Ren Hongyan, Liu's mother back home in Tianjin, said her daughter never let on just how much of a challenge the project was.

"She always told us the good news and never told us how difficult it was," Ren said. "I didn't know the details of what she was working on until I read all about her in the newspapers."

The first Flying Box designed by Liu went into use at Shaba primary school in June last year and a proud Liu visited the mountain village for the first time to attend the opening ceremony.

She turned up two days early and visited several of the pupils and the principal in their homes.

"It was a shock for me to see that path through the mountains. It was such a hard walk," she said. "I slipped over three times on the same slope!"

According to Fang Kunyou, the principal of Shaba primary school, some students had even dropped out of school in the past because the walk was such a struggle.

Liu said it feels good to think she may be helping to do more than make life easier for some of the children, she may actually be helping keep them in school.

"What we did may change these children's whole lives," she said. "My life became meaningful because of that."

Ren said she saw a change for the better in her daughter because of the experience.

"She changed a lot during the past year," Ren said. "She became more mature and decisive. I'm so proud of her."

But the mother was worried her daughter had been working so hard and putting in such long hours on the Flying Box project that her studies had suffered.

Ren said her daughter regularly hit the books until midnight to make up for lost time.

"I used to hope she would further her studies as a postgraduate," Ren said. "Now, I'm afraid she is too tired but I will support her and respect her choice."

Liu believes she can do well in school and carry on expanding the Flying Boxes project. She said the university is fully supporting her and she now has a team helping her that is made up of more than 100 volunteers.

Their aim is to build 50 Flying Boxes in the next two years for schools all over the country.

"I can handle it," Liu said. "I cannot stop. It's a kind of mission for me to help these children in the mountains."

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[By Zhai Haijun/China.org.cn]

The international arbitration on the South China Sea initiated by the Philippines will soon conclude with a result. In the meantime, the United States is increasing its activities in the region.

On May 10, the destroyer USS William Laurence cruised within 12-nautical miles of the Yongshu Reef to mark America's third "declaration of freedom of navigation" in a single year. One week later, on May 17, a U.S. EP-3 reconnaissance plane approached the China-controlled reefs before being intercepted by the Chinese air force.

The China-U.S. military interaction in the South China Sea looks to be entering a period of increased intensity, which will likely be characterized by America's attempts to draw support from other countries both in and out of the region to form an alliance in addition to its increasing military presence in the name of "freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs)."

FONOPs is a legalistic and military program to serve as the policy basis for the U.S. operations in the South China Sea. But in practice, FONOPs has many legal flaws in addition to excessive military implications, which often result in the seemingly unilateral operations of the United States. Hence, FONOPs features insufficient justifiability and excessive pressure.

This is why U.S. policymakers proposed a change to the current means and formed a multilateral, united front to press China. Vietnam and the Philippines, countries in the region, along with Australia and Japan, which are outside the region, are on the U.S. candidate list. Their participation will increase pressure on China in the South China Sea region.

Currently, the arbitration result has become important as it will provide the basis for a new round of U.S.-led proclamation of FONOPs and a subsequent united front. China should be cautious of this prospect, and avoid being cornered in the South China Sea.

Flaw in U.S. unilateral law reinforcement

FONOPs is an operation project put in effect by the Regan Administration in 1982. The interdepartmental project intends to preserve freedom of navigation by having U.S. military vessels travel through the waters, the sovereignty of which Washington deems to be "overly claimed" by another country. In this sense, the United States has labeled itself as the executor of the international law of the sea and the protector of freedom of navigation.

Freedom of navigation is certainly a widely recognized protocol in international society. It is in line with every country's interest, including that of China. But to maintain, obey and protect the freedom of navigation is another matter. It is also a widely accepted notion that under the framework of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the freedom of navigation and international disputes should be resolved by peaceful negotiations, rather than a hegemony's unilateral military actions.

This is why the legitimacy of FONOPs has been questioned among policymakers in the United States. As a legalistic and military project, FONOPs heavily relies on military actions in its implementation. The U.N. Charter already provides a fully peaceful framework for dispute solution; in this context, the unilateral U.S. military actions, although not strictly prohibited, can hardly be deemed legitimate, and could destabilize the South China Sea.

FONOPs intends to show U.S. support for UNCLOS but it hasn't yet approved the convention. Under such a circumstance, labeling itself as a supporter of UNCLOS would make the U.S. seem pretentious.

FONOPs also has legal loopholes when applying to actual actions. For example, in January of this year, the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur entered within 12-nautical miles of the China-controlled Zhongjian Island in the name of "innocent passage," meaning to challenge China's law that requires foreign military aircraft and vessels to announce their passage in China's territorial waters.

UNCLOS and international practices protect only "innocent passages" of foreign ships, but do not have specific stipulations regarding military ships. As there is no international consensus concerning whether military ships enjoy the right of innocent passages, this could give China legitimate grounds to seek support from countries with the same ideas, and to have detailed debates with the U.S.

A united front for FONOPs?

Given the flaws of FONOPs, U.S. policymakers and think tanks came up with the idea of forming a multilateral, united front to turn FONOPs into a multilaterally supported law enforcing action, deeming that joint actions will increase the pressure on China while lessening the burden on the United States.

Potential partners for the united front include Vietnam and the Philippines in the region as well as Australia and Japan beyond the region. Once the united front is formed, these countries will join the U.S. to patrol the South China Sea. Washington also intends to expand the patrol participants to all ASEAN countries.

Vietnam is the most likely volunteer for this united front. Recent years have seen an intensified U.S.-Vietnam relationship evident in frequent exchange and high-level visits. U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Vietnam on May 23 lifted a 50-year embargo on arm sales to the latter; this was widely interpreted as more solid ground for U.S.-Vietnamese military cooperation. Therefore, Vietnam is likely to play an active role in the possible joint patrols in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is also a possible participant, although its new president-elect Rodrigo Duterte may alter the country's China policies, pulling back from Benigno S. Aquino III's tough stance to a more practical route. However, Duterte remains unstable; he will inevitably deal with the result of the international arbitration on the South China Sea. Whether this political legacy will become Duterte's stumbling stone or stepping stone concerning the Philippines-China relationship will influence Manila's choice between China and the United States. Therefore, one shouldn't ignore the possibility that the Philippines will become part of the joint patrol.

As for Japan and Australia, countries not in the region, their attitudes toward this issue remain ambiguous. Japan worries that its participation may remind southeast Asian countries of the its aggression during World War II while Australia still wishes to remain undecided, rather than merely be a strategic vassal for the United States. At the same time, the two countries are still weighing the benefits of following the United States' lead in the South China Sea.

To summarize, Washington may have troubles in forming an effective, powerful routine to establish joint patrols in the South China Sea, especially as the countries that the United States thought it could rely on have remained lukewarm regarding the proposal.

Under these circumstances, China's actions in the South China Sea have become critical variables. If China can make these countries realize who their friends or enemies are, and remove their concerns, the U.S.-led united front cannot become a reality. This is why China should be cautious aboutthe South China Sea issue as the arbitration result will be made public.

The writer is a master's student in international politics at Renmin University of China.

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.
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Turkish warplanes hit the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq, military sources said Sunday.

Airstrikes killed at least 20 militants in the Yuksekova district, southeastern Hakkari province and destroyed several PKK positions in the Lice district of Diyarbakir province on Saturday, according to the sources.

In another operation in Northern Iraq, Turkish air force pounded PKK bases in the Avasin, Qandil and Gara areas.

On Friday, air attacks killed 20 PKK operatives in Hakkari's Semdinli district, the source added. Hakkari lies in Turkey's far southeast, bordered by Iraq and Iran.

In neighboring province Sirnak, a PKK member was killed and a village guard wounded in fighting late Saturday. The guard died in hospital Sunday.

Turkey's military operation against the PKK intensified since last summer when the group declared an end to cease-fire with government and resumed attacks on security forces.

The PKK was listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States. More than 5,000 terrorists have been killed in the past few months.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the U.S. policies and its threats against Iran remain constant even after the nuclear deal reached with Tehran in July 2015, Press TV reported.

"The Americans, whether the government, Congress or presidential candidates, continue to make excessive demands and threats," Khamenei said, adding that "their stance and threats haven't changed."

"The enemy calculates reactions and if it senses any passivity or acquiescence from the opposing side, it increases its demands," he said.

Under such circumstances, "We cannot remain silent when insulted by insolent enemies. We must to be present in the international arena in order to silence them with a strong response," Kamenei said during a meeting with new Iranian legislators.

Since Iran's nuclear deal was finalized, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and after the West along with the UN lifted nuclear sanctions off of Iran, the country has yet to reap economic gains expected from the deal.

The United Sates still imposes sanctions against Iran, over alleged human rights violations and supporting terrorism, claims all denied by Iran.

Furthermore, Washington recently blacklisted several Iranian and foreign entities owing to their involvement in Iran's missile program.

These restrictions bar U.S. companies from undertaking business transactions with Iran's government and concern international companies from falling victim to U.S. punitive legislative measures if they invest in Iran.

The U.S. administration issued its annual State Department report on Saturday in which it designated the Islamic republic of Iran as a leading sponsor of global terrorism, a claim which was rejected by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Iranian senior officials said they will assist regional countries and resistance movements facing the continued occupation of Palestinians territories by Israel as well as the spreading regional extremism.

On Sunday, Khamenei referred to Iran's "important" role in the Middle East's political direction, stating that Iran is the only obstacle preventing the triumph of Washington's strategy for the volatile Middle East region.

They were planing for a "new Middle East," a "greater Middle East," several years ago, but their plans for Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, have failed due to Iran's defiance, Khamenei said according to Press TV.

"There is a need to stand up to hegemonic policies and unmask their arrogant stance," added the Iranian leader.
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An Afghan lawmaker was killed and 11 people wounded in a bomb attack in Kabul on Sunday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"A member of Afghanistan parliament Shir Wali Wardak martyred as a result of an explosion in Kabul this evening," spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted.

The blast occurred near Wardak's house in Qambar Square, west of Kabul.

An investigation was launched into the bombing and more information will be released later, Sediqqi said.

Eleven people, including security force members, were wounded by the blast, unofficial sources said.

Security forces cordoned off the area shortly after the blast, keeping people from gathering at the scene for fears that there might be a second blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Saudi-led coalition condemned on Saturday a United Nations report that list the Arab coalition in the blacklist of armed forces that violate the rights of children in conflicts and wars.

The coalition spokesperson Brigadier Ahmed Al Asiri told Al Arabiya local news on Saturday that the report contradicts with the UN's Yemen-related decisions.

"The main purpose of the coalition is to protect Yemenis, including children from Houthi militias, through cooperation with international organizations," he said.

He accused that the report sought information from the militias and not from the elected Yemeni government.

He asked the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund where the amount of 30 million dollars that was donated by Saudi-based King Salman Center for Reliefs and Humanitarian Works was spent.

According to the UN report released on Thursday, the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries last year. It also highlighted that the coalition carried out half of the attacks on schools and hospital.

The coalitions launched its airstrikes since March 2015 in support to the Yemeni elected government against Houthis.
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Vice-Premier Wang Yang and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew were due to showcase Sino-US friendship on Sunday.

They were scheduled to make a boat trip at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Lew arrived in Beijing a day before the annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, being held in the Chinese capital.

However, this friendly prelude came ahead of probable fierce arguments between the world's two largest economies over key strategic and economic issues, including the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, analysts said.

A 400-plus United States delegation, including more than 10 ministers, arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend the two-day dialogue.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will co-chair the strategic part of the dialogue with State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Monday. Launched in 2009, the dialogue has become an important platform for communication between the two countries.

Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, said the main issues at the dialogue are likely to be nuclear security on the Korean Peninsula, preserving and enhancing the global trading system, and the South China Sea.

"Looming in the background are specific issues such as North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the rise of trade protectionist sentiment in the US  even as China's economy shows increasing vulnerability  and the Obama administration's policy of heightened US involvement in the South China Sea," he said.

Wang Fan, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University, said strategic competition between China and the US is increasing even though the two countries have made progress on military and people-to-people exchanges.

There is an urgent need to maintain China-US strategic stability and to reduce misunderstandings, he said.

John Frisbie, president of the US-China Business Council, an organization comprising US companies investing and trading in China, said the dialogue comes three months before President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama meet during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in September.

Some of the outcomes are likely to be resolved at the presidents' September meeting, rather than at the dialogue, he said.

Zhiqun Zhu, an associate professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University in the US, said the annual dialogues have helped to keep communication channels open and to stabilize the bilateral relationship when it is being challenged by various factors.

"No matter who the next US president is, such crucial dialogue mechanisms must be maintained to ensure stability and continuity of the relationship. The communication channels must stay open when the two sides are experiencing serious challenges," he said.

What they say

"We need more engagement with China, not less, even if our countries do not always see eye to eye. Understanding what our most important trade partner is thinking better informs our policy choices and actions. Foreign investment openings, science-based GM seed approvals, restrictive IT security policies, progress on the WTO environmental goods agreement, and market-based solutions to industrial overcapacity are examples of issues in a broad range of sectors that will be discussed."

John Frisbie, president of the US-China Business Council

"Nuclear security is likely to be at the top of the list of priorities for US President Barack Obama. He may seek strong Chinese support for new efforts on the nonproliferation front. Beyond that issue, he wants to leave office with an overall legacy of strong cooperation with China. There is reason to believe that either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be less accommodating to China than Obama has been."

Ted Galen Carpenter, senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, a US think tank

"There are some disagreements in the strategies between the two countries. But if the contradictions are emphasized too much, future China-US cooperation will be undermined. To resolve the disagreements, China and the US should stick to the principles of a new-type relationship between major powers  no conflict, no confrontation, respect for each other and seek common interests."

Wang Fan, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University

"China-US relations have arrived at a new crossroads. The debate on China policy in the US presidential campaign, the unknown fate of the strategic and economic dialogue under the next US administration, and US involvement in the South China Sea all made this round of the dialogue more eye-catching. The dialogue is a pressure-relieving valve that can help both sides manage their disagreements and control risks, as it has provided a platform for senior officials to communicate."
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Beijing will not sit by and see several countries throwing the South China Sea into chaos, the head of China's delegation to a high-profile intergovernmental security forum said on Sunday.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, speaking in a raised voice, made the comments at a plenary session of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, attended by defense chiefs and experts from around the world.

But Sun, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission, spoke in a lower voice to say he believes that other parties involved have "wisdom and patience"  like China  in charting "a path of peaceful negotiation".

Elaborating on this, Sun said, "Countries that are not involved are not expected to act out of selfish interests and deliberately damage this path."

The different tones used by Sun reflect China's attitudes toward players in the South China Sea issue, where tensions have increased after recent claims by the United States over "freedom of navigation" and an arbitration case brought by Manila against Beijing.

"The world today is undergoing historic changes as never before and the Asia-Pacific countries share good times and bad times together," Sun said in his speech.

During his stay in Singapore from Friday to Sunday, Sun held 17 bilateral meetings on the sidelines with senior defense officials, including seven from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was the second year that he had represented China at the dialogue.

Major General Luo Yuan, a researcher at the Chinese People's Liberation Army Military Science Academy, said he had noticed that Southeast Asian defense officials had downplayed their stance on the South China Sea issue at Sunday's session and voiced hopes of securing stability.

"Sun's speech indicates China's sincerity in resolving disputes," Luo added.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh said at the session that Hanoi will continue to strengthen cooperation with China and other countries to build and consolidate confidence.

"We hope together that we will arrive at solutions that are acceptable to all," he said.

Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen said the Shangri-La Dialogue has been held for 15 years, and that China has become ASEAN's top trading partner.

Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Vietnamese official's comments are a call to some of the other parties involved and show that China's policy proposals serve the interests of people of all nations.

At a session on Saturday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter outlined Washington's ambitions to increase alignment with allies in the region. He claimed that China has embarked on a "Great Wall of self-isolation" when advancing its military presence in the South China Sea.

Carter also said the arbitration case is "an opportunity for China and the rest of the region".

In an indirect response, Sun said on Sunday that some country "supports its allies in confronting China and pressuring China to accept and fulfill the ruling by the arbitration court".
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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sunday that the U.S. charges against Iran as world's leading sponsor of terrorism is ridiculous.

U.S. cannot accuse other nations of sponsoring terrorism by shirking its own responsibilities, Hossein Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency.

The Iranian spokesman made the remarks reacting to the recent U.S. administration's annual State Department report, in which it designated the Islamic republic of Iran as a leading sponsor of global terrorism.

The Iranian official called Israel as "the greatest symbol of occupation, state terrorism, violation of humanitarian law and human rights, and imposition of policies of murder, repression and denial of the existence of the Palestinian people."

Iran's support of "legitimate struggles of Palestinian people under occupation to achieve freedom and independence is not an example of terrorism," he was quoted as saying.

"The hypocritical, propagandist, and double approach of the U.S. government toward terrorism is one of the main reasons for the spread of terrorist activities in the region and throughout the world," he said.

The foreign ministry spokesman urged U.S. to end what he called its politicized and selective approach toward terrorism.
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An Air China flight with 291 people aboard made an emergency landing in Winnipeg, Canada because of engine problem Saturday night, according to Canada TV Sunday.

The Boeing 777 of Air China, which was en route to Beijing from Washington, noticed a problem with one of the engines and landed in Winnipeg safely around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

The 291 people including passengers and crew were put up in area hotels and Air China is expected to send in a new aircraft to get the passengers and crew to Beijing, likely by Sunday evening.
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The Syrian army on Saturday entered the administrative borders of the northern province of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group, as jihadist groups in the northern province of Aleppo unleashed a wide-scale offensive against government troops' positions.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces walk in the southern rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria May 31, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Syrian army backed by Russian air cover managed to cross the administrative borders of al-Raqqa, just days after unleashing a wide-scale offensive on the route between the town of Athriya in Hama province in central Syria, and the al-Tabaqa town in al-Raqqa countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian forces are trying to reach the al-Furat lake and the road connecting al-Raqqa with the province of Aleppo, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground.

Only 40 km separate the army from the targeted areas, said the watchdog group.

The fighting, which broke out on Thursday, has so far killed 26 IS militants and nine security forces.

If the army succeeds, the IS will be besieged by the Syrian army in the south and southwestern parts of Aleppo, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebels will be besieging the terror group from the west.

The Observatory said the IS police, called Husbah, patrolled the city of al-Raqqa Saturday, threatening to execute anyone who disseminates news about the progress of the Syrian army in al-Raqqa.

It added that the IS is confused now that the Syrian army is advancing from the south and the SDF is advancing in the northern countryside of al-Raqqa and Aleppo.

If the Syrian army controlled the al-Raqqa-Aleppo international road, the IS fighters in Aleppo will be isolated, an achievement that would be in the interest of both the United States and Russia, said the Observatory.

Meanwhile, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which along with the IS, are both designated by the UN as terrorist groups, which are excluded from any settlements, unleashed an offensive against government troops positions in southern Aleppo and fired tens of improvised rockets on a predominantly-Kurdish district inside Aleppo.

Syria's national TV said over 40 people were killed Saturday by continuous rebel shelling against the Kurdish-dominated Sheikh Maksud district in Aleppo.

The incessant shelling also wounded 100 people, an escalation deemed as a breach to a recently-established and shaky truce, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the TV said 11 other people were killed, including a child, by similar shelling on government-controlled areas in Aleppo city, namely the Masharqa, Midan and al-Faid.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the Saturday's shelling was intense.

Also in Aleppo, the SDF forces are still trying to advance toward the city of Manbej, which is controlled by the Islamic State group, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, near Turkey.

The Syrian army is also engaged in battles against the Nusra and likeminded groups in the southern countryside of Aleppo, mainly near the town of Khan Tuman.

The intensified battles in Aleppo also hit a new high when 1,000 fighters with the Nusra and likeminded groups mounted an offensive against Syrian military positions in southern Aleppo.

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city and once an economic hub, holds its significance due to its location near the Turkish borders. Each party of the conflict is now fighting to consolidate positions, and claim more territory in that key area.

The progress by the Russian-backed Syrian army and the U.S.-backed SDF reflects a US-Russian understanding on the need to isolate IS and weaken its abilities, analysts said.
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Kenya's First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Saturday launched an anti-poaching campaign to save elephants from poaching which has been rampant in the East African nation.

Photo taken on April 30, 2016 shows the site of a historic torching of ivory and rhino horns at Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya. [Photo/Xinhua]

The East Africa Grass-Root Elephant Education Campaign Walk, with the theme of Ivory Belongs to Elephant, seeks to raise awareness on the importance of wildlife, in particular elephants and rhinos.

"I look forward to witnessing the policy changes that emanate from this campaign. I hope that just as you have inspired us here today, you will inspire the entire East African Community towards collaboration that allows the region to more effectively address the urgent issue of elephant poaching and ivory trade," Margaret said in Nairobi.

The campaign brought together various stakeholders who participated in the walk to raise awareness on the value of elephants and rhinos, mitigate human-elephant conflicts and promote anti-poaching activities.

Margaret applauded the increasing support for activities geared towards protecting elephants. She said it is encouraging that ordinary individuals were now spearheading wildlife conservation efforts.

She praised Jim Nyamu, the Executive Director of Elephant Neighbours Centre, who is leading the new initiative to protect elephants and rhinos.

According to conservationists, elephant population in 1970 was at 167,000. The numbers stand at 26,400 elephants in Kenya today.

They warned that if this trend continues the national elephant population may decline given that mortality rate was 4 percent compared to a growth rate of 2 percent in 2011.

Over 80 percent of Kenya's elephants are found outside protected areas and the rest in National Parks and Reserves.

Poaching is an emerging challenge and if not managed now, it will lead to decline of elephant numbers and negatively impact the economy.

Margaret observed that engaging communities at the grassroots level to foster a spirit of harmony and peaceful co-existence between people and the ecosystems was one of the best ways to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

"I have been to a lot of events and a lot of meetings aimed at addressing the issue of poaching and ivory trade, but I can tell you I have never been to an event quite like this one! It is so encouraging to be here," she said.

Margaret expressed optimism that through individual and collective efforts, elephant poaching will be eradicated.

"Just one year ago, Jim began walking to save elephants and I understand that since then you have walked over 5,000 kilometres; which is simply astounding," she said.

The team led by Nyamu will take 135 days to cover about 3,247 km starting from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam (Moshi, Morongoro, Bukoba) to Kampala (Queens Elizabeth National Park, Jinja) and back to Nairobi through (Busia, Kakamega, Nakuru) in the three East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The First Lady expressed hope that through efforts such as Nyamu's, the entire East African Community will be pulled towards addressing the issue of elephant poaching and ivory trade.

Nyamu challenged Kenyans to come out in large numbers to help in wildlife conservation.
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President Xi Jinping on Monday urged China and the United States to properly manage differences and handle sensitive issues at a bilateral high-level dialogue.

The joint opening ceremony of the eighth round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the seventh round of U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange is held in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Differences between China and the United States are quite normal, Xi said at the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.

As long as the two sides tackle differences and sensitive issues in the principle of mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relations can avoid major disturbance, Xi said, adding that China and the United States should strengthen their mutual trust by regular communication in order to avoid strategic misjudgment.

The Chinese president also called on the two sides to expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, uphold the win-win principle, and raise the level of bilateral cooperation.

He urged both countries to strengthen coordination on their macroeconomic polices, jointly strive for achieving positive outcomes at the G20 Hangzhou summit with all parties concerned, and reach a reciprocal bilateral investment treaty at an early date.

China and the United States should also deepen cooperation in the areas of climate change, development, internet, nonproliferation, military and law enforcement, and enhance communication and coordination on major global and regional issues, Xi added.

Both sides should enhance communications on Asian and Pacific issues, while the broad Pacific should not become an arena for rivalry, but a big platform for inclusive cooperation, he said.

China and the United States have extensive common interests in the region and should maintain frequent dialogues, cooperate more, tackle challenges, and jointly maintain prosperity and stability in the region, rather than "cultivate exclusive circles of friends," Xi said.

He reaffirmed that China pursues neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and has always been committed to bolstering peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

The S&ED is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday and Tuesday, while Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chairs the CPE with Kerry.
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Senior Chinese and U.S. officials on Monday expressed willingness to address climate change together.

The remarks were made in a special joint conference on climate change as part of the Eighth Round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues that kicked off here Monday.

Breakthroughs in negotiations of the historic Paris agreement on climate change, adopted without objection in December, were attributed to effective China-U.S. cooperation, according to Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

Successful cooperation between China and the United States on climate change demonstrated that the two countries can win major achievements to benefit both themselves and the whole world, said Wang.

China has set its peak carbon emissions target for around 2030. The country also pledged 20 billion yuan (about US$3 billion) to establish a fund for developing countries to jointly tackle climate change.

Wang said he hopes developed countries will honor their commitments to give 100 billion U.S. dollars to developing countries annually before 2020,realize emission reduction targets, and transfer environmentally friendly technology to developing countries.

China and the United States should expand cooperation on energy conservation and emissions reductions, clean energy, smart power grids, green ports and low-carbon cities, said Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

The United States and China should make joint efforts to push the Paris agreement to become effective as early as possible, according to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry said he expects stronger leadership from the two countries in shifting away from intensive, high-polluting energy consumption.
Concerns about harmful emissions have resulted in construction being halted at a number of incineration plants around the country. Now, experts are claiming the country will drown under a deluge of garbage if the situation doesn't change soon. Zheng Jinran reports.

JIANG JIAHONG/ for CHINA DAILY

China is facing a mountain of unprocessed household waste after public protests disrupted the construction of incineration facilities, and as landfill sites reach capacity, according to experts.

In 2014, 179 million metric tons of household waste was collected nationwide, according to data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics. Meanwhile, statements released by the central government say the volume of waste is expected to grow at between 7 and 10 percent every year in large cities, such as Beijing.

Public protests

On April 21, the government of Haiyan county in the eastern province of Zhejiang, announced that it was cancelling construction of a new waste incineration project in response to two days of public protests. However, it also released a statement calling for public support, saying the new plant was urgently needed to prevent a buildup of waste that could result in widespread pollution.

Residents of the county, which is administered by Hangzhou city, voiced concerns about the potential health risks from emissions via online forums and through direct representations to the government. Some protesters even blocked roads and attacked and injured a number of police officers and government officials.

Most of Haiyan's household waste used to be processed at incineration plants in other counties, but late last year the plants were so overloaded that the operators refused to burn waste from outside their own area, leaving Haiyan's landfill sites close to full.

"Without new facilities to deal with the waste, the county will soon see severe pollution from a flood of waste," the government's statement said.

The problem isn't just confined to Haiyan, though. Several areas of the countryincluding Beijing and the provinces of Guangdong and Hainanhave seen protests against new incineration plants, despite the ever-rising volume of waste as a result of urban expansion.

At present, the three main methods of disposing of household waste are landfill sites, incineration and composting.

However, experts say it's not feasible to bury such enormous amounts of waste in landfillsthe most widely used methodpartly because most of them are nearly full and partly because of a lack of land to build more.

Incineration has become the most popular treatment because the plants require less land than waste-burial sites, the materials are easy to deal with once burned and the incineration process generates heat and power.

Those advantages saw the number of incineration plants rise to 188 in 2014 from 104 in 2010, according to government data. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Power Generation Branch of the China Association of Circular Economy, an industry association in Beijing, estimated that the number of facilities has doubled in the past six years, reaching 225 by May.
Pumps belonging to an oil company do their work in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Liu Xuezhong/For China Daily]

China's Yantai Xinchao Industry Co is pursuing US oil acquisitions worth as much as $1 billion in the Permian Basin, and it won't be satisfied letting others run the show, according to the head of the company's US subsidiary.

Unlike other Asian companies that bought stakes in United States energy prospects in recent years, Xinchao is seeking so-called operated positions, or deals that give it primary authority over everything from how deep to drill to how intensively to frack each well, said Curtis Newstrom, chief executive officer of Blue Whale Energy North America Corp, the US arm of the Shanghai-listed company.

Houston-based Blue Whale made a splash last year with its first two deals on behalf of its Chinese parent, a company virtually unknown in US exploration circles: A $315 million acquisition of drilling rights across 7,100 acres from Juno Energy II in April 2015 and a $1.1 billion transaction in November with Tall City Exploration LLC and Plymouth Petroleum LLC. Both deals involved Texas oil fields. It is now on the search for other assets valued at between $500 million and $1 billion, he said.

"We're going to continue looking for opportunities," Newstrom said in an interview on the sidelines of Hart Energy's DUG Permian Basin conference in Fort Worth, Texas. "Xinchao is a very aggressive company and it's looking to grow."

Xinchao and Newstrom are up against some stiff competition in trying to expand their portfolio in the Permian basin of West Texas and New Mexico. International heavyweights and domestic titans from Exxon Mobil Corp to Occidental Petroleum Corp have been ramping up acquisition efforts in the region at a breakneck pace.

Drilling rights in the richest part of the region have been commanding selling prices as high as $35,000 an acre, reminiscent of the height of the shale land grab half a decade ago, according to Mike Winterich, president of Three Rivers Operating Co III LLC, an Austin, Texas-based Permian oil explorer backed by private equity giant Riverstone Holdings LLC.

Private equity firms are also scouring the Permian Basin for acquisitions, heightening competition for relative newcomers such as Blue Whale, which was formed in 2014. More than 100 private equity firms have teams evaluating potential Permian transactions, Winterich said during a presentation at the Hart Energy event last month.

Blue Whale hired former ConocoPhillips experts in the use of water-flooding to sweep crude out of aging fields to boost results from the wells acquired from Juno along the northern edge of the Permian, Newstrom said.

On the Tall City-Plymouth assets, Blue Whale plans to raise the number of rigs drilling new wells to three from two. The company has identified 1,500 to 1,600 attractive targets across the 78,000 acres of drilling rights it acquired, Newstrom said. He didn't give a timeframe for adding the next rig.

Newstrom described himself and Xinchao as "agnostic" with regard to US oil regions to invest in. Still, given the current crude prices, the Permian is probably the only region where new wells will make money, he said.
A bride-to-be tries on her specially-made wedding dress at Fleurwish garment store owned by Ju Feifei in Beijing on May 28, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wearing tailored clothes and presenting the elegant and unique self might be many people's unspoken dream especially in an age when all malls and shops wear the same look.

Ju Faye, or Ju Feifei, a post-80s Beijing native, spotted the demand for bespoke dresses in 2013 when her major work was designing and manufacturing ready-to-wear women's evening dresses for a British brand, ZELEB.

The London College of Fashion graduate did not notice that there was a growing need for tailored clothing in China until one of her friends came to her and complained about lack of choice.

Her friend, who worked at a fashion magazine, wanted a skirt, so Ju Feifei took her measurements and designed one for her. Afterwards, the friend asked for minor changes and ordered four more skirts in different colors. At that time Ju was busy helping build the read-to-wear brand of Jacques Azagur, who has served the British royal family for more than 30 years, with Princess Diana among his customers.

In addition to working as the chief designer of ZELEB brand, which was launched in 2010, Ju was busy smoothing every process of the plant she had set up from scratch, hiring and training employees, with all expenditures and no net profits at all.
Robin Li, chief executive officer of Baidu Inc, speaks while Tencent's CEO Pony Ma listens during a recent IT summit in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. [Chen Yihang/For China Daily]

Forget Beijing and Shanghai. China's economic future is emerging in Shenzhen.

Once a collection of fishing enclaves next door to Hong Kong, Shenzhen has become the epicenter of China's manufacturing-driven miracle. It is staking its future growth on finance, technology and culture.

The metropolis teeming with millions of migrant workers is home to some of China's biggest and hottest companies. Many are led by a new wave of young Chinese entrepreneurs hoping to build global brand recognition.

Divided from Hong Kong by a river, Shenzhen has been the preferred laboratory for experiments by China's leaders since reformist Deng Xiaoping designated the tranquil area as the country's first "special economic zone" in 1979.

Now a sprawling megacity of 11 million people, its fortunes were made churning out cheap clothes, electronics and toys for big foreign brands. But low cost manufacturers like Apple supplier Foxconn have been moving inland or out of China as labor costs increased. Now the focus is on higher value-added, homegrown technology.

Innovative new companies are drawn by Shenzhen's well-established manufacturing supply chains and transport links, proximity to Hong Kong's banking and financial expertise, and better traffic, milder weather and less air pollution than Beijing and Shanghai.

"Shenzhen is becoming the new frontier for technology because it has the infrastructure for whoever wants to turn their ideas into products," said Eric Pan, founder of Seeed Technology, a contract manufacturer for "makers" - tinkerers, hackers and inventors.

Pan quit a job at Intel in Beijing and moved to Shenzhen seven years ago. He helped foster the city's "maker faire" movement, festivals that celebrate arts, crafts, engineering and open-source technology that have been spreading around the world over the past decade. Shenzhen's event last year drew 190,000 people.

"People rush over to Shenzhen. They are young, they are reckless and they shape the city. I think that's the fundamental difference from other cities in China," Pan said.

Established tech giants such as telecom gear makers Huawei and ZTE and internet company Tencent call Shenzhen home. So do rising stars like DJI Technology Co., the world's No. 1 supplier of civilian drones, inspiring local rivals such as Xenosky and Flypro. BGI, the world's biggest gene research center, and Kuangchi Science, the main investor in New Zealand jetpack maker Martin Aircraft, are also based here.

Emerging industries such as information technology, biotech, green energy and new materials now account for about 40 percent of Shenzhen's economic output, Mayor Xu Qin said last month, according to State media. He gave no specific figures.

"For us, everything is made here in Shenzhen or in the surrounding areas. All your suppliers are here, all your spare parts are here. It just made natural sense to start here," said Carl Pei, the 26-year-old co-founder of Android smartphone maker OnePlus. The three-year-old company scored a surprise hit with its first device, the OnePlus One, selling more than 1 million units in a marketing campaign that relied on social media buzz.

At OnePlus, the vibe is definitely more Silicon Valley than southern China, as staff glide around on skateboards and tend to the office dog. The company gets 80 percent of its sales, all online, outside of China and is expanding in Europe, India and the United States.

Shenzhen's economy expanded at an 8.9 percent pace last year, while nationwide growth slowed to a 25-year low of 6.9 percent. Per capita GDP has risen to 158,000 yuan ($24,334), on a par with Portugal. Meanwhile, growth in Hong Kong slowed to 2.4 percent.

Christopher Balding, an economics professor at Peking University's Shenzhen-based graduate HSBC School of Business, says Shenzhen's business environment is more open to hardworking newcomers than those of other Chinese cities where state-owned industries dominate and vested interests mean that success often depends more on government connections, or "guanxi."

"Competition is one of the things that really sets Shenzhen apart," Balding said. If China's leaders can replicate Shenzhen's innovation and competition-focused economic model nationwide, it would indirectly have an "enormous impact" on the world economy, he said.

"It's a relatively safe bet that in 10 years the tech sector in Shenzhen will be continuing to grow and thrive and kind of be the Chinese Silicon Valley," Balding said.

During a visit early last year, Premier Li Keqiang stopped in at China's first virtual bank and checked out a "maker space" for hobbyist inventors and entrepreneurs tinkering on prototypes, seeking to promote businesses relying on finance and innovation that Beijing is nurturing as the State-dominated economy matures.

Hoping to woo and nurture top talent, the city government earmarked 4.4 billion yuan ($676 million) to hire foreign experts such as scientists and academics to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship.

The challenge is in how to refashion the city as a modern, desirable place to live and work, the kind of place highly educated, well-paid white collar workers, including those from overseas, will want to call home.

Shenzhen shares many of the same trappings of growing wealth seen in other big Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Hong Kong. Its 599-meter (1,965-foot) Ping An International Finance Center is the world's fourth-tallest, and China's second-tallest, skyscraper. Britain's Victoria and Albert Museum is collaborating with State-owned China Merchants Group on a design museum set to open next year.
An investor browses stock information with his smartphone at a brokerage in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Analyst says any inclusion in the emerging markets gauge could bring 900 billion yuan into Chinese financial securities.

The rising interest of foreign investors will likely cheer the A-share market amid the expectation that it will likely be included in the MSCI global indexes, analysts said.

The market is down by 20 percent this year.

Undervalued blue chips, particularly financial stocks, are likely to attract the most overseas capital allocation as they fit into the investment preference of foreign institutional investors, said Tu Jun, an analyst at Shanghai Securities Co Ltd.

"Based on our estimation, financial stocks will make up 40 percent of the A shares even with their initial 5 percent weighting in the MSCI indexes, which will translate into roughly 60 billion yuan ($9.1 billion) into the financial stocks," he said.

The complete inclusion of the A shares in the MSCI indexes will bring a total of 900 billion yuan into financial stocks, Tu said.

"It will be positive for the valuations of financial stocks and the overall A-share market," he said.

Wendy Liu, chief China strategist at Nomura Securities, said that overseas investors are moving up the learning curve and are increasingly examining the Chinese market ahead of the index provider MSCI's decision on the inclusion of the A shares in its benchmark index for emerging markets on June 14.

"During our recent US marketing trip, we noticed greater interest in the China equities, foreign exchange market and economic outlook from global risk management perspective, as events in China are becoming more important in setting prices of global financial assets," Liu said.

Domestic and overseas brokers and banks have raised the odds of the A shares' inclusion in the MSCI index. Goldman Sachs increased the probability to 70 percent while the UBS had said the odds were 50 percent. Analysts at Huatai Securities Co said the likelihood has exceeded 80 percent.

The Chinese securities regulator has further refined the trading suspension rules last week, which was seen as an effort to clear a major obstacle for the A shares' inclusion in the MSCI index.

MSCI decided against the A shares' inclusion last June citing several issues, including investment caps, capital mobility restrictions, limited market access and lack of transparency.

The Chinese regulators recently removed the caps on foreign investments under the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors program, which is the foreign investors' main channel of access to the A-share market. The move was interpreted by the market as a response to MSCI's concerns.

The regulators also simplified the procedure for foreign investors to repatriate capital out of China and further clarified foreign ownership rights.

Analysts said they are expecting an announcement soon of the upcoming launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect mechanism. The connect, they said, could also improve the overall accessibility of the A shares for foreign institutional investors.
Employees process laptop components at an industrial park in Chongqing, April 22, 2014. [Photo/IC]

As wages rise, labor-intensive manufacturers in China are faced with a dilemma: Should they stay or should they go?

Biel Crystal Manufactory (HK) Ltd, however, is happy it stayed put.

Based in Huizhou city in the southern province of Guangdong, Biel produces the outer screen glass used for Apple and Samsung smartphones.

It was just over two years ago that Biel president Yeung Kin-man had to weigh up the pros and cons of relocating his production facilities, which employed 70,000 people, to somewhere in Southeast Asia. All around him, firms were leaving Guangdong enticed by lower operational costs that would get their products more bang for their buck.

Wages in the Pearl River Delta region in southern China have risen significantly since 2014. This, along with commodity price volatility and the slowing growth of the global smartphone market was threatening profitability at Biel.

"Wages in the River Delta region are three times as much as in Myanmar or Vietnam, and will double in the next five years." said Li Peideng, Biel chief operating officer.

This trend, rising wages, can be seen across the region, forcing many labor-intensive factories - from clothes and furniture to electronic parts - to move to more affordable locations abroad or in China's hinterland. Those still based in the region speak of how their factory floors - once bustling centers of industry with thousands of employees - are lucky if they have a few hundred.

Despite this, Yeung chose to stay, but, not without setting major changes in motion to counter rising labor costs and ensure the company had a future.

Therefore, it was out with the low-end products and in with the tech-intensive offerings, which have a wider profit margin.

As chance would have it, as Biel was shaking up its business model along came a product that fit its "tech-intensive, high-profit" brief: Curved glass. The company had actually begun to research curved glass back in 2011 and mass production - of products that were destined for major smartphone models, such as Samsung's Galaxy Edge series - followed in 2014.

Biel said curved glass generates the largest portion of its profits. Orders for curved glass increased the company's revenue by 55 percent year-on-year. The product saved Biel.

"We have actually had to turn down some orders because we couldn't handle them," Yeung said.

To accommodate mounting orders and contain overhead costs, Biel is expanding its production base in Huizhou and increasing production-line automation.

It will also increase its 600-member research team to 1,000.

"Our most pressing task is ensuring our research and development team can design new products that meet our clients' demands," Yeung said.

Annual R&am spend at Biel exceeds 4 percent of its revenue.

Demand for its new glass product is not just from the overseas heavyweights.

While it supplies around 70 percent of Samsung smartphone glass and 60 percent of glass for the Apple iPhone, domestic smartphone makers are placing more orders as they ascend the global smartphone market ladder.

Statistics, compiled by tech consultancy Gartner, show that although Samsung and Apple retained their top two positions in smartphone sales in the first quarter this year, the number of handsets that they have sold has shrunk from the same period a year ago. Emerging Chinese brands Huawei, Xiaomi and the up-and-coming Oppo are threatening to upset the apple cart.

Biel did not disclose the exact number of glass products it has made for domestic smartphone manufacturers but said their share in the company's overall production volume is rising.

The future looks much brighter for Biel. It is currently mulling an initial public offering on the Chinese mainland's A-share market or in Hong Kong, according to a report in China Business News. The company expects revenue to grow 15 percent to 25 billion yuan ($3.85 billion) this year.
Officials and experts from home and abroad discuss wealth management during the 2016 China Wealth Forum, which was held in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, from Friday to Sunday [Photo by Hu Qing/chinadaily.com.cn]

The global economy's booming wealth management sector was one of the main topics during the 2016 China Wealth Forum, held from Friday to Sunday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province.

With the theme "Trends in Wealth Management from a Global Perspective", the event attracted high-profile government officials, financial experts and scholars from home and abroad.

Guo Shuqing, Governor of Shandong province, said the development of the wealth management sector, by transforming private savings into effective investment, was a way to optimize industry construction, improve market supply quality and enhance peoples earnings.

"Wealth management in China caters to all the people and all-level governments should be responsible for maintaining financial stability," he said.

China's wealth management sector has been in full swing in recent years, but it still lags behind that in developed countries.

Randall Scott Kroszner, a former member of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisors, told media it would be very valuable to build a robust wealth management sector that had many different types of players in it. He says it will be able to harness the savings of the people in the region, as well as throughout the country, to then be used for product investment.

The 2016 China Wealth Forum was hosted by the Qingdao Municipal Government. Qingdao is building China's only national-level wealth management financial pilot zone, which was approved by the State Council in February 2014.

In the past two years, financial reforms have spurred rapid profit growth in the financial industry. Now, the coastal city is on track to become a wealth management financial hub.

"We are committed to build the forum into a prospective and authoritative platform for global exchanges in wealth management, while delivering Chinese voices in wealth management sector," Qingdao Party Chief Li Qun said.

Li says, this year, Qingdao will try harder to integrate advanced experiences home and abroad into Qingdao practice. He says this will foster more institutions to specialize in financial and wealth management innovation, as well as wealth management product research and development.

Statistics show profits generated from the financial sector grew by 16.3 percent, annually, during the 12th Five-Year Plan  much faster than the GDP growth rate.

By the end of 2015, 221 financial institutions were operating in Qingdao  1.5 times the number in 2010. The number of financial enterprises, such as foundation companies, reached 500  2.5 times that in 2010.

Alexis Calla, global head of Investment Strategy, Advisory and Discretionary of at the Standard Charted Bank, said it was necessary to absorb products from overseas, not just in China, to teach people about choice and broader opportunities.

He says financial tools are also needed to balance the opportunities and the risk.
Baidu Inc, Tencent Holdings Ltd and JD.com Inc jointly announced on Monday that they have entered into definitive agreement to each invest US$50 million in Bitauto Holdings Ltd, a leading provider of internet content and marketing services for China's fast-growing automotive industry.

Baidu, Tencent and JD.com each agrees to purchase 2,471,577 newly issued ordinary shares of the New York-listed Bitauto at $20.23 per share, corresponding to $20.23 per American depositary share, each representing one ordinary share of Bitauto.

Bitauto also said that following an agreement with PA Grand Opportunity Ltd, Bitauto agrees to issue convertible bonds to PAG in an aggregate principal amount of up to US$150 million.

William Li, chief executive officer and chairman of Bitauto ,will indirectly purchase a portion of the CBs through PAG under a total return swap arrangement with PAG.

Upon the closing of both transactions, Baidu, Tencent, JD.com and holders of the CBs will hold 3.2 percent, 7.1 percent, 23.5 percent and 8.2 percent respectively, of Bitautos outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis, taking into effect the new issuance and the conversion of the CBs at the initial conversion price.

Tencent and JD.com jointly invested $1.55 billion yuan in Bitauto in January 2015 in a move to provide enhanced online automotive transaction services to car buyers across China.

"Through our cooperation over the past year with JD.com and Tencent, Chinas leaders in world-class e-commerce, social media and big data, we have gained tremendous momentum in making Bitauto the industry leader in online automobile transactions," said Li.

"Through our new partnership with Baidu, we expect to leverage its leadership in mobile and desktop online search, big data and transaction services platforms for additional strategic advantages as we continue to create the industry leading new and used car purchasing experience for customers in China," he said in a statement.
An Uber driver makes a pickup in Zhengjia Square in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. [Liu Jiao/For China Daily]

Convenience is said to be important by users, but most say cost is the most decisive factor

Hailing a ride may be more popular in China than in the United States, where Uber and Lyft were invented, according to a comparison of two separate surveys.

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed in China use ride-hailing apps, according to GlobalWebIndex, which conducted the survey for Ford Motor. India had the same percentage of usage, which was tops among 12 markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

The survey, conducted in January, polled 12,619 people, with around 1,000 from each market in the region, and showed that usage of the ride-hailing apps is on the rise in China, with 33 percent of Chinese respondents reporting increased use from a year earlier.

Earlier this month, Tencent said Didi Chuxing, China's largest car-hailing app, handled 1.43 billion rides in 2015, followed by Uber, which had 1 billion rides for the same year.

An industry expert who asked to be anonymous said both figures could have been higher if traffic authorities had not gone around airports and railway stations to trap car-hailing app drivers nationwide.

In the US, however, it is a different picture according to a report late last month by the Pew Research Center.

It said that 15 percent of American adults said they have used a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft.

Fifty-one percent are familiar with these services but have not actually used them, while 33 percent have never heard of these services before, the report said.

That probably explains Apple Inc's announcement that it will invest $1 billion in Didi.

Tim Cook, who hailed a car using the Didi app when he was in Beijing recently, told Xinhua News Agency that Apple had chosen to invest in Didi because it has been "an incredibly great success story on the App Store", aside from being a leading ride-sharing service both in China and abroad.

Surveys show that the demographics of those who use car-hailing apps are similar for China and the US.

The Pew report reveals that ride-hailing usage in the US is high among young adults, especially college graduates and those with a higher income.

It indicates that 29 percent of college graduates have used ride-hailing services. But among those who have not attended college, just 6 percent have used the services.

In China, a Tencent poll shows that 53 percent of those surveyed with a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan ($762) to 8,000 yuan use car-hailing apps like Didi and Uber, as do 49.3 percent of those who have received a college education.

People familiar with car-hailing in China say that although convenience and experience are important, what is often ignored is that cost is the decisive factor in hailing a ride.

"You will often find passengers who say it is easier to get Didi cars but hail Uber cars instead. When you ask them why, they say 'It is cheaper'," said Han Tao, a daily commuter in Tianjin.

The same can also be said of drivers in China. In Beijing, it is commonplace for drivers to have several ride-hailing apps on their mobile phones.

"Subsidy policies from ride-hailing companies change quickly and I take orders from companies from which I can earn the most money," said Li Shiqiang, who said offering rides in his car is his full-time job.

"It does not matter whether it is from Didi, Uber or whatever. After all, I am doing this for a living."
Fu Qiang, 50, has left Volvo China Sales Co as former president and CEO and is joining Zhejiang Aiche Internet Intelligent Electric Vehicle Co, which is financially backed by a major investor that has recently been luring many Chinese auto executives to its ventures.

Zhejiang Aiche is an economy electric carmaker established by Henan Harmony Automobile Trading Co, a Chinese car dealer group, and Harmony Futeng Internet and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Co. Zhejiang Aiche has registered capital of 550 million yuan ($83.7 million).

Harmony Futeng is one of several major investors in Future Mobility Corp, another internet electric carmarker. Future Mobility has in recent months hired a slew of industry heavyweights, including Carsten Breitfeld, former vice-president of the BMW Group and head of BMW's i8 program, as well as Daniel Kirchert, former head of Infiniti's operations in China and of Dongfeng Infiniti.

Zhou Xin, deputy general manager of Allydata Technology, is bullish about the future of the sector.

"There will be a huge market and potential for profitability in the emerging market of connected NEVs. Currently, all of the technology, software, hardware and products are not fully developed. The industry is expecting new technologies and patents."

Several Chinese companies have recently unveiled their connected electric car concepts, including LeEco's LeSEE, Pateo's Project N and BAIC's Arcfox-7, though none are being mass produced. Through the first four months, 66,444 electric vehicles were sold in China.

Zhou said he is expecting more and more Chinese companies to work together in the research and development of connected vehicles.

"More old hands are going to work together and we will see more integration in the industrial chain. The emerging market is creating opportunities for every player."

At least one Chinese industry expert, Jia Xinguang, senior analyst with the China Automobile Dealers Association, is bearish about the NEV sector and said he does not see a plethora of business opportunities.

"The current NEV makers are burning through money. There's no possibility of making profits in the next five to 10 years. Tesla is an example. Despite rising productivity, the company is still suffering great losses."

Tesla reported a $282 million loss in the first quarter this year.

Fisker Automotive, once Tesla's rival in the United States, went bankrupt in 2013 and was renamed as Karma Automotive after it was purchased by Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group. Karma has yet to launch a new product.

Jia also stressed it won't be easy for new automakers to obtain an NEV manufacturing qualification without much experience in the industry. Chinese authorities require years of vehicle manufacturing experience, research and development, and a mastering of major techniques.

Pateo Corp Founder and Chairman of Ken Ying agreed.

"The car manufacturing is a high entry threshold industry. Barriers exist in many perspectives including safety, legal, brand, asset utilization and long-term strategy."

Shanghai-based Pateo Corp unveiled its concept car Project N at Auto Shanghai 2015 but halted the project last month, despite strong interest from several investors.

Over the past 12 months, he said it's been hard to find a complementary carmaking partner. Pateo rerouted its strategy to penetrate into the telematics field. It is a leading infotainment supplier, in terms of market share, and is providing software and hardware to major carmakers, including SAIC Motors.

"I've been in the industry for 17 years. ... It's not bad to cool down a bit for us, while the sector is overheated," Ying said.
Kunshan Longda Nano Technology Co Ltd, a private company specializing in nano inorganic materials, plans to launch a production line with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons, in Shanxi province by the end of 2018.

The company has been developing and promoting the commercialization of nano-inorganic materials.

The company's latest product, Xinjieju, received a "green star" certification on Sunday, from the China Association of the Environmental Protection Industry. The product is a water-based additive able to remove more than 80 percent of formaldehyde from indoors and in cars.

Longda has been supplying products to world-leading auto-component manufacturers, including Germany's Mahle Group and Denso Corp in Japan.
Chinese actress Yao Chen (left) and photographer Annie Leibovitz. [Photo/Weibo]

Chinese actress Yao Chen met with world class photographer Annie Leibovitz in Hong Kong recently, where Leibovitz exhibited her works at a photography show.

Leibovitz is a top-class photographer in her genre, producing many famous images, including that of John Lennon hugging Yoko Ono, as well as Demi Moore's then-controversial semi-nude pregnancy photo.

Yao worked with Leibovitz last year when she posed for the Pirelli calendar, which is published by the world's fifth-largest tire manufacturer.

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China's Yao Chen on the cover of 2016 Pirelli calendar
After learning about struggles facing pupils in poor, remote areas, 22-year-old decides she can make a difference

Liu Jiaying (wearing glasses) distributes gifts to students at Shaba primary school in Qianxi county, Guizhou province while visiting the school for the launch ceremony of the first Flying Box project in June, 2015. Provided to CHINA DAILY

Liu Jiaying says she does not normally stand out from the crowd, but the 22-year-old student from Shenyang Architecture University separated herself from the pack when she designed and built a portable dormitory for pupils in a mountainous area of Guizhou province.

The dorm, which Liu calls the "Flying Box", was inspired by journalist-turned-philanthropist Deng Fei in 2015. Deng's dream was to offer safe and comfortable accommodation to students whose homes were far from their schools in poor mountainous areas and save them from long laborious commutes on foot along slippery and steep mountain paths.

Liu helped make Deng's dream a reality and students have welcomed the first of the new temporary dorms.

"Thanks to the Flying Box, I don't have to walk for two hours along the mountain trail to school every day. I can't remember how many times I fell over into the thorn bushes next to the path in the cold black morning," said Wang Ting, a 10-year-old pupil at Shaba primary school in Qianxi county.

Wang is among many children who have to walk a long way to school, thanks to the closure of a lot of small rural schools in depopulated areas. Children who want to avoid the long walks can usually stay in a school dormitory, but these tend to be very humble, and are difficult places in which to feel at home.

Deng thought such dorms could be a whole lot better.
Maotanchang High School students in Maotanchang township, Lu'an city of East China's Anhui province heading to the national college entrance exam (or gaokao) sites in urban areas of the city as their parents and locals wave goodbye and wish them luck, June 5, 2016. The school has earned a reputation as a "gaokao mill" having produced a large number of students to pass the national exam, known as gaokao.[Photo/IC]
BEIJING - China on Monday published eight typical cases solved during a special campaign to crack down on piracy and online pornography to ensure the healthy development of young people.

The National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications in February launched a campaign against production, sale and distribution of illegal publications and online content that could affect juveniles.

In one of the eight typical cases, police in East China's Zhejiang province found 27 suspects, some of whom were minors, were using online chat groups to spread pornography for profit. The groups on chat service QQ had more than 600 members, the majority of whom were minors, according to the office's statement.

In another case, police uncovered suspects selling obscene videos via cloud storage services. The primary suspect in the case was a juvenile.

In other cases, police busted the illegal printing and sale of pirated books for children. Production and storage sites and illegal bookstores were closed.
BEIJING - A training course for officers with the UN peacekeeping forces began in China on Monday.

The course, held jointly by the UN peacekeeping department and the Ministry of National Defense, is being held in the country for the first time.

A total of 26 senior peacekeeping experts from 17 countries will give lectures to peacekeeping commanders and soldiers.

The training will last until June 17, covering 23 subjects such as peacekeeping leadership, peacekeeping legal framework, civilian protection and logistical support.

During the opening ceremony, trainees stood in silent tribute to soldiers killed in past peacekeeping missions.

Herve Ladsous, head of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, spoke highly of Chinese peacekeeping soldiers at the ceremony. He also voiced his condolences to the departed and injured peacekeepers.

China has taken part in more than 24 UN peacekeeping missions in the past 26 years. More than 31,000 Chinese soldiers have served in operations, ranking first among all five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
China's top procuratorate released four case studies on Monday to highlight the importance of supervision when implementing laws or following legal procedures.

Topics touched upon in the release included the accurate application of criminal law, reviewing evidence and the dismissal of evidence gathered illegally, according to a statement from the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

One of the case studies concerned Ma Le, a former fund manager at Bosera Funds, who was given a three-year prison sentence for insider trading in December last year in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

An alternative sentence of five years probation was rejected because the top prosecutor protested that it was not in line with criminal law, the statement said.

Another two cases involved Chen Man and Yu Yingsheng, two defendants who were acquitted due to insufficient evidence or unclear facts.

The pair had been wrongfully detained because their guilt had not been proven, the statement said, adding that prosecutors played a role in supervising whether the judgments were right in the two incidents.

The last case released on Monday concerned Wang Yulei, who had all charges against him dropped after prosecutors dismissed evidence that had been gathered illegally, the statement said, describing this as an example of prioritizing the protection of human rights.

An official of the top prosecuting body, whose name was not released in the statement, said that all four case studies would be useful in guiding the work of grassroots prosecutors, urging them to avoid wrongful prosecutions and improve their judicial supervision.
Editor's note: Gaokao is no ordinary test.

From praying parents accidently burning down trees, to forking out a 100,000 yuan to prepare for the career-defining exam, the most important time in a Chinese student's schooling is eventful, to say the least.

We've brought together everything you need to know about what students achieve by sitting the test, how it is continually changing and what gaokao has in store for students and their families, this year.
Guangdong to invest heavily to repair peninsula (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-06-06 19:52

GUANGZHOU -- Authorities in South China's Guangdong province plan to invest more than 33 billion yuan ($5 billion dollars) to repair a peninsula facing environmental degradation.



The money will be used to steer 20 key projects on Leizhou Peninsula, in the areas of water resources, forests and agriculture, according to the provincial Department of Forestry.



The local government expects to repair the "tropical rain forest system" on the peninsula within 20 years.



Leizhou Peninsula, one of China's three major peninsulas, has faced an environmental crisis in recent decades, with disappearing forests, water shortages and deteriorating biodiversity posing challenges to local residents.



In 2015, the peninsula faced its most severe drought in 60 years, affecting more than 1.8 million people there.
China targets family doctor services for all (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-06-06 21:57

BEIJING -- China is planning to extend family doctor services to the entire population by 2020 and ensure more convenient health services for residents who have signed contracts with family doctors.



In 2016, 200 Chinese cities that are piloting public hospital reform will introduce family doctor service contracts, according to a guideline issued on Monday, which also encourages other regions to conduct similar pilot programs.



Priority groups include seniors, pregnant women, children, the handicapped, patients with chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and tuberculosis, as well as those with severe mental disorders, said the guideline issued by the medical reform office under the State Council, National Health and Family Planning Commission and four other agencies.



By 2017, more than 30 percent of the entire population, including over 60 percent of the priority groups, will be able to enjoy contractual services from family doctors, according to the guideline.



Family doctors, including general practitioners registered with grassroots health institutions, qualified doctors at township clinics and village doctors, provide basic medical care and other health services for residents.
Peng Liyuan, China's first lady and a UNESCO special envoy (second from right), and director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova (second from left) present awards at a ceremony in Beijing on Monday to winners of the first UNESCO Prize for Girl's and Women's Education. FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY

Peng Liyuan, China's first lady and a UNESCO special envoy for advancing girls' and women's education, called on Monday for the promotion of gender equality in education and for better education for females.

She made the appeal at an awards ceremony in Beijing for the first UNESCO Prize for Girl's and Women's Education.

Supported by China, the prize is given annually to two laureates. It consists of an award of $50,000 each to further their work in girls' and women's education.

This year's winners are Ella Yulaelawati, director of early childhood education at the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, and Evernice Munando from Zimbabwe, founder of the Female Students Network.

Peng, who became a UNESCO special envoy in March 2014, said the world still faces great challenges in educating girls and women, with women accounting for more than 60 percent of illiterate adults worldwide.

Peng became the sixth person  and the first Chinese  to serve as a UNESCO special envoy.

The awards will play a key role in promoting efforts to ensure equality in education, Peng said, stressing that she is ready to make every effort to realize educational rights for girls and women.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO's director-general, thanked the Chinese government for its leadership.

She also thanked Peng for her lifelong commitment to advancing empowerment for girls and women  embodied in her actions as a UNESCO special envoy.
All people in China are expected to have access to a family doctor service by 2020, according to a guideline released on Monday aimed at improving healthcare.

Promoting the service can help to address increasing health challenges posed by an aging population and more cases of chronic diseases.

Family doctors are expected to serve as health guards for Chinese people, according to a statement by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

The guideline, released by the State Council's Medical Reform Office, said the family doctor service will be promoted in 200 cities in China this year.

More than 30 percent of people in the country will be covered by the service by the end of 2017. That will include more than 60 percent of those in targeted groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with chronic diseases.

Qin Kun, an official dealing with healthcare reform at the commission, said the system will make healthcare services more accessible to the public and also reduce costs.

General practitioners

Doctors providing the service will mostly be general practitioners from grassroots hospitals and clinics, and qualified doctors working in rural areas.

Family members can choose to sign service contracts with family doctors for a one-year term and pay a fee. They can opt to renew the contract or choose to sign with another doctor after a year.

Han Zhengzheng, director of Desheng Community Health Service Center in Beijing's Xicheng district, said China has borrowed experience from other countries, including the United States, in promoting the family doctor system.

The doctors will provide basic healthcare and medical services, and help to transfer patients to bigger hospitals if needed.

Chen Bowen, deputy director of the Community Health Association of China, said health insurance operators should join with health authorities in promoting the system, giving the public and family doctors incentives to embrace it.

The family doctor service has been piloted in some areas, including Beijing and Shanghai, since 2011, according to the commission.

Contact the writer at wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn
West African leaders discussed setting up a force to combat extremists in the region, the regional economic body said on Saturday.

The decisions were announced after about a dozen heads of state, including presidents from Cote d'Ivoire, Niger and Mali, met in Dakar, Senegal, for the 49th session of the Economic Community of West African States.

"We must constantly reconcile the free movement of people and goods with security measures," said the new president of the body, Marcel Alain de Souza of Benin, at the opening of the daylong summit. "The multiplication of the number of zones of terrorism in our space obliges us to share information on all activities and to coordinate and mobilize our resources."
Wen Zhang. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese actor Wen Zhang's directorial debut, a romantic comedy called When Larry Met Mary, starring actors Bao Bei'er, Zhu Yawen and actress Song Jia, is set for a national release on July 15.

July and August are typically the most lucrative season for domestic titles as major foreign films are rarely screened during this period.

The film is about a shy man who has secretly loved his former classmate for many years.

Wen, who is also a co-writer of the script, says he was inspired to do the film while working on the military-themed TV series Shao Shuai (Young Marshal).

"I heard the story from a friend. It impressed me that a man could hold love in heart for so many years," says Wen.

Alongside four others, Wen has recently been nominated for the best director award in the Asia New Talent section of 2016 Shanghai International Film Festival.

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Actresses Jiang Mengjie (left), Bao Qijing (center) and Jiang Yiyan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Almost 40 years after Derek Yee shot to prominence starring in the 1977 film Death Duel, he returns to the genre as a director.

Sword Master, a remake of the 1977 classic, will open in Chinese mainland theaters on Aug 9.

The producer Tsui Hark and director Yee are both known for Hong Kong martial arts films.

Yee, who shifted to directing from acting in early 1980s, then went on to win a series of top awards in the Hong Kong film industry.

In the latest movie which is based on Taiwan novelist Gu Long's book, San Shaoye De Jian (Sword of the Third Master), the story is about the inner struggles of a martial arts genius who gets tired of fighting.

Then, after leaving the martial arts world to live a simple life, he is forced to pick up his sword again to rescue his friends.

The makers of the film, which stars mainland actor Lin Gengxin, actresses Jiang Yiyan and Jiang Mengjie and Hong Kong Academy Awards' best actress Nina Paw, recently released posters of the movie and held a forum to discuss female roles in Gu's novels.

Jiang Fangzhou, a best-selling Chinese author, says Gu's uniqueness is that he introduces modern values into historical fiction.

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19th SIFF to tightly follow film industry trends
Femme Assise by Pablo Picasso. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Among Pablo Picass's many mistresses, Fernande Olivier is believed to be the only one who knew him before he achieved fame and fortune.

They met in Paris in 1904 and their relationship lasted seven years.

Picasso was inspired by Olivier and devoted more than 60 portraits to her.

Among them are Femme Assise (sitting woman), which he painted in 1909.

The painting will be auctioned at Sotheby's evening sale of impressionism and modern art in London on June 21.

The work was produced during Picasso and Olivier's stay for few months at the village of Horta de Sant Joan, in Catalonia, Spain, which at the time could reached only by mule.

There, Picasso developed a new approach to representing subject matters in sculptural, broken-down forms.

In this painting, there is a vase of flowers to the right of Oliviers face and a landscape at the top left that was inspired by the Mediterranean light.

So far, the most expensive Picasso work sold at auction is Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932) that features another of his mistresses Marie-Therese Walter. It sold for $106.5 million in 2010 in New York.

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Classic ink painting fetches $35m in auction
[Li Xiaotian/China Daily]

The controversy surrounding an advertisement for a Chinese detergent is the latest in cultural mismatch in the progress for globalization.

Qiaobi, the detergent brand, posted a video commercial that portrays a young black man being thrust into a washer. Out comes a fair-skinned Asian, the kind of androgynous pop idol that represents the trend for male beauty in China.

The ad went viral and became a target of criticism. Leishang Cosmetics, the company that owns the brand, issued an apology to those who may have felt offended.

Suffice to say, this ad would never be able to pass the marketing department let alone the broadcast platform had it been in a Western country.

While the racial insensitivity was outrageous, the underlying forces for this advert could be much more complicated. Simply put, it seemed to be an act of ignorance rather than of malice.

If you put yourself into the shoes of the Qiaobi advertiser, you would probably be bursting with pride when first hit by the concept. "Our detergent is so powerful it can whiten your skin," or so went the pitch.

Most detergent commercials would show a piece of dirty laundry and how it turns clean after a spin in the washing machine.

Sure, everyone could see the skin-whitening idea was an exaggeration, but wasn't it more funand effective in getting across the marketing message?

I don't think the advertiser equated blackness with dirtiness, at least not consciously. For many years there was a toothpaste ad on Chinese television that used a black person. Even the brand was called Darkie. I heard expatriates squirmed when they saw it.

For good or bad, blacks as a race are used for dramatization when appearing in Chinese imagery. We have not come to the colorblindness stage yet.

However, there is a historical correlation between dark skin and low social status. In the old days, physical laborers had to work out in the field. So, the more sun-tanned the skin, the less shelter and comfort one is presumed to have enjoyed.

Even today, in an age of fitness mania, the joke is still around when a young man in China has skin darker than the average.

Chen Xiaoqing, producer of the famed documentary series A Bite of China, is often jabbed by his friends with lines like "I thought I bumped into an African" or "It's so dark here I didn't know you were standing in the way."

If it's a woman with dark skin, friends and neighbors won't make fun of her. They would look at her with pity as if it's a mild deformity.

I've seen healthily tanned Chinese-American girls who came back to China to find their Chinese relatives responding in horror.

All women's cosmetics in China are designed to make them look fairer. I'll bet you a king's ransom that a suntan salon for women would be laughed off the block.

In China, it is more a class thing than a race thing.

Many Chinese have never come into contact with people of other races, especially blacks, and they may not know whether or how the issue of skin color could be addressed properly.

That said, I would not justify the simmering racial discrimination that exists among some of my compatriots.

Years ago, I heard a story of a Chinese language school that refused to hire English teachers who are blacks. They would rather get Russians who speak English with an accent than native English speakers who are more qualified in every other way.

The school authorities defended themselves by saying the parents insisted on a white-teachers-only policy.

Another example is the Chinese poster for the new Star Wars. The lead actor, who is black, mysteriously disappeared from the group image until he was reinserted as a result of protests.

Whoever made the initial decision could be thinking that Chinese moviegoers would not be drawn by an unknown black man, to put it mildly.

That is why symbols like the first black American president and Hollywood luminaries like Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman are so important in shaping public perception. They help shatter the stigma inherent in parts of the Chinese public.

Although China is also an ethnically diverse country, most of our minorities do not have distinct facial features. For some, only when you're given the name do you realize they are not Han. So, our level of racial sensitivity is not as high as in the United States.

I once debated the issue of "yellow-face" with a Chinese-American dramatist who is a kind of vigilante against the outmoded casting practice.

"Do you know why we Chinese are not offended by the yellow face?" I asked him. "Because for decades we had the habit of putting on a white face to play a Caucasian. We couldn't afford to hire white actors."

Just as early Hollywood portrayals of Asians tended to be caricatures, white or black characters on Chinese screens are rarely three-dimensional. They play on exaggerated stereotypes.

Again, ignorance is at the heart of the problem.

Until you have mingled with a fair number of regular people of other races, you tend to form premature opinions that are basically prejudices and, if you're a filmmaker, you might reinforce it by presenting crude replicas on the screen.

In 2011, CNN posted on its website an article listing "the most revolting food" in the world. Much of it was Asian food like the century egg, which is a traditional snack in China.

After causing a controversy, it apologized "reservedly for any offense the article has inadvertently caused".

Had it labeled the article "some of the revolting food in the eyes of most Westerners" and changed the tone from authoritative to humorous, it might have flown by without any controversy. Instead, it could have been helpful by alerting some Chinese not to serve these local favorites to foreign guests.

But I guess the editors had forgotten that CNN is a global news operation rather than an Atlanta local paper.

Likewise, Qiaobi forgot we are living in a global village. Its detergent may not be targeting Africans per se, but they are not selling to a landlocked market either.

So, they should have vetted the ad concept with cross-cultural experts, or at least with a few blacks, since they are the subject of the misplaced humor here.

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Experts are testing air quality samples taken at a Beijing primary school after some parents of students claimed recently that their children had become ill after exposure to the school's new synthetic playground surface.

Beijing's Xicheng District Education Commission released a statement on Sunday reporting that the China National Environmental Monitoring Center had collected air samples at Beijing No 2 Experimental Primary School's Baiyunlu Campus on Saturday.

Ding Dawei, director of the commission that was in charge of the school's construction, said: "Our priority is the children's health. If the investigation concludes that the playground materials contain toxic chemicals that resulted in health issues, we will track down those responsible."

But a parent surnamed Chen told the Beijing News that the commission should not be involved, suggesting it had a conflict of interest. Only a higher-level department or an independent third-party body should conduct the investigation, Chen was quoted as saying.

"It managed the bidding process for the school's construction, and now is launching a probe into its own work," Chen said of the commission. "It doesn't make sense."

The sampling of air, both inside and outside of 16 classrooms, was observed by the Beijing Jingcheng Notary Office, which the commission had asked to participate as an independent third party to ensure transparency and fairness. Six parents' representatives were invited as well, the commission said.

The investigation was also joined by experts from the city's environmental protection, work safety supervision and medical departments.

Results of the analysis are expected to be announced in a week.

The commission launched the probe after some students' parents reported that their children were suffering from nosebleeds, coughs and rashes, which they believed may have been caused by toxic substances emitted by the playground's new surface.

Ding said parents' complaints were first heard in April about the school's pungent running track, which was installed last summer.

The commission ordered two procedures to neutralize any chemicals in the playground's material and to seal the surface at the time. But more parents reported illnesses in late May, prompting the investigation that was launched on Thursday.

The school has temporarily closed the playground and is allowing students to study at home while the investigation is underway.

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Photo taken on April 5, 2016 shows the lighthouse on Zhubi Reef of Nansha Islands in theSouth China Sea, south China. [Photo/Xinhua]

Neither the Chinese nor the United States military backed off from where they stood in previous exchanges over the South China Sea issue.

Nor was there anything really new in what Chinese and American officials said at the just-concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

What was truly impressive about the three-day dialogue was the willingness both sides demonstrated to not let their divergence over the South China Sea dictate the overall China-US relationship or the discourse on regional security.

That the South China Sea tensions, hot as they are, were not covered in the main planned sessions, but listed only for a side meeting indicated "both China and the US are willing to play down their differences and the host nation Singapore does not want the meeting to be hijacked by the South China Sea issue," as one of the organizers said.

Another bitter spat would have done nothing except widening and deepening the existing rift between the two countries, messing up, if not derailing, the Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue being held in Beijing this week.

Tense as it looks, their discord over the maritime disputes in the South China Sea, in which the US is not a party, remains a very small part of the very big picture of Sino-US relations.

That both Chinese and US officials chose their words carefully while expressing mutual discontent was a good sign that Beijing and Washington want to avoid the usual blame game, and make their communication constructive.

Another encouraging development was Vietnam's invitation for the Chinese navy to visit, along with the two militaries' agreement to "manage and control" disputes. Such gestures of reason and goodwill can go a long way in easing the tensions in the South China Sea and preventing them from sabotaging the otherwise promising prospects for regional cooperation and common prosperity.

Starting from there, Beijing should work to make peace with other claimant parties and find a way out of the present impasse.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha's appeal for countries to "think of sovereignty in less than traditional terms" may sound less than practical at this moment.

But he made an apposite point: "If we look at everything from the standpoint of conflict, we will never be able to see a way out."

Things will be quite different if each claimant country and all the third parties in the South China Sea issue can take this to heart.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi greets reporters at a press conference in Beijing March 8, 2016. [Kuang Linhua/China Daily]

At a press conference during his recent visit to Canada, Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded to a Canadian journalist who criticized China's human rights.

Wang clarified China's progress on human rights, pointing out China has lifted 600 million people out of poverty, China has developed into the world's second-largest economy with a per capita GDP exceeding $8,000, and China has written the protection of human rights into its Constitution.

The exchange reveals the need for China to better integrate its understanding of human rights into the international discourse.

For China, the most important human right is the right to life free of poverty. So, China's development over the past decades has fundamentally improved human rights in the country. Without the right to existence and development, any other rights would have no foundation and necessary guarantee.

Universal human rights are just a utopia without the guarantee of the right to existence. Freedom, equality and other rights, which are human rights in the eyes of many in the West, including the Canadian journalist, are impossible without the right to existence. The West's concept of human rights, which has become dominant in the discourse on human rights, was produced during the Age of Enlightenment, after hundreds of years of development in the West.

The differences in development stages explain why there now exist controversies over human rights, even though China has been steadily advancing human rights on the basis of its development progress. As Wang said, other people don't know better than the Chinese people about the human rights situation in China.

China is a globalized country and its voice should be globalized. It should share with the rest of the world its concepts, including those on human rights. China has become the world's largest exporter of goods, and it should match this by being the largest exporter of concepts, then the misunderstanding of it by others, as demonstrated by the Canadian reporter, will be gone.-- IFENG.COM
The parents are standing in front of the primary school.[Photo/Agencies]

The parents of pupils at a primary school in the Xicheng district of Beijing told the media their children suffer from health problems, which they blame on the school's plastic running track. Ifeng.com comments:

What happened in Xicheng is not an isolated incident. There have been similar reports nationwide about pupils suffering health problems blamed on bad plastic running tracks that prove to not meet the country's quality standards.

In several previous cases, children have developed serious diseases such as leucopenia because of problematic running tracks. Even if the producers of the substandard plastic running tracks and the officials who decided to purchase them are held responsible, the damage caused to the health of these children has already been done.

A detail in the report about the school in Xicheng is parents noted the "irritating odor" from the running track. Didn't the teachers and school staff smell it? Did anybody try to hide the truth? That should be investigated, too.

Another question to be asked is: How could the problematic plastic running tracks pass quality inspections? Last year, when similar scandals happened in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai, journalists found that the material used contained toluene 139 times higher than maximum permitted by the national safety standards. The local governments, the schools and the quality supervisors are supposed to protect pupils from plastic running tracks of poor quality but they have obviously failed to do so.

More reports show that the national quality regulations on rubber materials are not without problems, either. The current regulations only set restrictions on the use of a few kinds of poisonous components, while more harmful components are simply not listed in the regulations. That partly explains why sometimes plastic running tracks cause damage to pupils' health but still pass the national quality standards.

It is time to strengthen the safety standards and quality control so as to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Potential homebuyers examine a property project model in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, Feb 28, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Reports show that State-owned enterprises have purchased 27 of the top 50 most expensive pieces of land for commercial development nationwide. They did it despite the fact that discipline requires them to exit from the realty industry. It is time to deepen the SOE reform and better regulate them, says Beijing News:

As early as 2010, non-realty SOEs were required to exit from the industry and concentrate on their own fields of business. Last October that order was reiterated.

Yet the data shows that non-realty SOEs are increasing their investments in the realty sector.

Who is responsible?

The SOEs that have flouted the instruction must be punished for doing so.

It is quite possible that interests are involved behind the scene so a disciplinary order might have no effect. It is time for the higher leadership to intervene to better regulate these SOEs and teach their officials a lesson on obeying orders.

A lack of effective supervision over the spending of SOEs' annual budgets may be another reason why they ignore the order from the central government. There used to be reports about SOEs applying for money in the name of "technological innovation", and then using the money to invest in the realty sector instead. It is the responsibility of the auditors to find these problems and solve them.

Looking deeper, the fact that many SOEs ignored the instruction highlights the necessity of advancing SOE reform. SOEs are supposed to support the national economy and help prevent any crisis, but the fact is many of them take illicit profits with their monopolies. They do not care about the national economy; they have become vested interests now and all they care about is their own profits.

Only thorough reform of SOEs can end this.
A heavy rainstorm on Wednesday flooded Wuhan.[Photo/IC]

A heavy rainstorm on Wednesday flooded Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, into Venice, despite the local government's heavy investment in upgrading the city's drainage system. Beijing Times says:

Many might still remember June 2011, when Wuhan was so inundated that people complained it was like living on an island. After that, the authorities invested heavily to strengthen the city's drainage system, and even adopted a three-year plan to "decisively fight flooding".

However, as the recent rainstorm shows, Wuhan has failed to win this "decisive battle".

In order to change the situation for the better, heavy investment and determination are not enough on their own; the government obviously needs a better plan.

There are three main problems to be overcome. First, the drainage system was badly designed and lacks the required capacity to drain heavy rain; second, it has expanded too fast in recent years, which has ruined the local wetlands and ponds that received the channeled water. Third, the city's planners have focused on the city's visible infrastructure, and have not paid enough attention to the city's invisible infrastructure underground.

Wuhan has been selected as one of the first "sponge cities", and a lot of central funds are being invested in the city. That's good news, but the money must be better used.
After Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang stressed the importance of scientific research at the national conference on scientific and technological innovation on May 30, the State Council, China's Cabinet, decided to improve the administration of scientific research projects funded by central finance at its executive meeting on Wednesday.

Reform will be propelled by delegating power, streamlining administration and optimizing government services in the scientific research field in order to promote scientific and technological innovation.

According to the meeting, the budget of scientific research projects funded by central finance will be further simplified. The ratio of expenditure on scientific research personnel in the overall budget will be increased on a large scale. Administration of scientific research personnel's traveling expenses will be decided according to their actual situation. Administration of purchasing scientific research instruments will be simplified. The central higher education and scientific research institutions will have more autonomy in infrastructure construction.

The upcoming measures mean that research funds will be granted under fewer administrative procedures and a more flexible way of using research funds is being encouraged so that researchers can focus on research and not be distracted by procedures.

China has 81 million science and technology workers. They are known as the "backbone" of the country's innovation-driven development strategy.
Xu Tieren, who has traveled to more than 50 countries, urges Chinese travelers to behave well. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu Tieren has a compulsion.

Every time the Beijing resident uses the washroom on a plane, he cleans it if the previous user leaves a mess.

"I'm afraid people after me would think it's my doing," he says.

Xu's sensitivity towards uncivil travel behavior had developed after his own encounters with those who behave badly.

He was once at the receiving end of abusive words from jaywalking Chinese tourists when he politely suggested that they follow traffic rules in downtown Tokyo in 2007.

But an insignificant civilized move produced unexpected results. When he stuffed his cigarette butt into his portable ashtray at a Taipei restaurant, a surprised guest asked him if he came from Japan.

When Xu said he came from Beijing, the guest replied that Beijing must be a very civilized city.

World traveler

The actor trained at the Central Academy of Drama hosts a TV travel program and has visited over 50 countries.

His Sina Weibo micro blog features his travel accounts and his sense of each destination. It has received 80 million visits.

His 2012 book Traveling Around the Earth revealed details of local people's lives in various countries, such as a Canadian cleaner's happy life and a European wedding ritual.

Xu wanted the book to show his readers the world as it is.

"The meaning of travel is to feel other people's lives at close quarters, and hold dearer one's own life after coming back," Xu says.

As a veteran traveler, Xu has had his fair share of bad behavior by tourists. Some of that, he says, results from cultural differences and ignorance about subtle details.

In a supermarket in France's Nice in 2008, Xu saw four Chinese college students give a checkout clerk the cold shoulder after the worker greeted them warmly.

"I really wanted to call this to their attention, but ultimately failed to open my mouth since we didn't know each other," Xu says.

But after experiencing many bad incidents, he mustered the courage to speak out.

"At first I thought I need only to behave myself, but then I realized it's necessary to advocate for civilized travel. Travelers' conduct could affect the country's image, so I began to do it in my blog and my coffeehouse in Xidan and to people around me," he says.

Xu Tieren, who has traveled to more than 50 countries, urges Chinese travelers to behave well. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu confronted Chinese students, who spoke loudly on the phone at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Another time, he urged Chinese tourists to avoid jumping the line at buffets.

His efforts have recently earned him the honor of being named a travel ambassador by the National Tourism Administration. Xu was one of 1,000 chosen to encourage more tourists to conduct themselves courteously during their travels.

Chinese tourists made 120 million trips abroad in 2015, the NTA reports. And bad behavior by some Chinese travelers has frequently made news headlines.

The civil-ambassador campaign seeks to ensure that every tourist speaks and acts in ways that reflect the country's image and civilization.

"I felt sad every time I saw news reports about Chinese tourists' behavior," Xu says.

Leaving no trace

He has initiated a "traceless" campaign after recently seeing his Chinese compatriots obliviously video-chatting in a train carriage in Japan.

"Their bursts of laughter attracted disapproving sidelong glances from the Japanese," Xu says.

To put it simply, traceless travel means you tour a place but leave it like you've never been there, Xu explains. Good tourists leave no tracesno litter, no graffiti and no irritated locals.

The first level involves following traffic rules and not spitting, littering or leaving graffitiexpectations Xu says most Chinese respect.

The second level is not making loud noises and not smoking in public indoor spaces, including museums, trains and restaurants.

The third level, he admits, is more demanding: Cleaning a public washroom after use; sorting out garbage at a hotel; leaving a buffet table neat; staying out of the way in narrow spaces; not photographing strangers; and not disturbing an art performance by eating food or applauding at inappropriate times. Tourists should carry trash bags with them and smokers should have a portable ashtray.

"I hope more Chinese can live up to traceless travel, no matter domestically or abroad, and all the bad behavior by tourists can eventually be history," Xu says.

Xu has held sharing sessions at his coffeehouse, where people can exchange travel experiences.

The initial purpose was helping guests understand the culture of countries that they were planning to visit, but now he kicks off the sessions with a few dos and don'ts.

"I found some guests would actually clean my washroom after the session," he says with pride.

One of his pen pals told Xu that he stopped piling food on his plate at buffets ever since he read on Xu's blog that food should be taken gracefully.

One time, he heard a young girl reminding her mother to keep a certain distance when the old lady followed closely behind Xu in a customs line.

"I turned back and we both smiled at each other," Xu says.

He has strong faith that one day Chinese tourists will catch up and behave themselves.

"Japanese tourists were criticized for their uncivilized conduct by the European media 30 years ago, but now they have become some of the most civilized travelers," he says.

"I believe Chinese tourists will eventually be recognized in the same measure after our unremitting efforts."

Related:

Elegant toilet culture to boost tourism
Hawaii's Hanauma Bay has calm waters, pristine beaches and world-renowned snorkeling over coral reefs that teem with colorful fish. [Photo by Xing Yi/China Daily]

When you come upon an ocean bay that has features known as "Toilet Bowl" and "Witch's Brew", you may not envision a welcoming tropical oasis.

But Hawaii's Hanauma Bay, nestled inside a breeched volcanic cone on the southeastern shore of Oahu, has some of the state's calmest waters, most pristine beaches and world-renowned snorkeling over coral reefs that teem with colorful fish.

For the second year in a row, a beach in Hawaii has been selected as the best beach in the United States by a Florida professor who has made a career ranking and studying beaches around the country. This year's top spot goes to Hanauma Bay, a picturesque nature reserve with gin-clear, turquoise water and abundant sea life.

Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr Beach, uses about 50 criteria to assess and rank beaches across the country. In recent years, he has given extra points to beaches that prohibit smoking, saying cigarette butts are not only environmentally damaging, but can ruin the experience for beach-goers. Safety and environmental management are other major factors, he says.

Other beaches that made the list this year, in order of ranking, are: Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida; Kapalua Bay Beach in Maui, Hawaii; Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina; Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Grayton Beach State Park in Florida; Coronado Beach in San Diego; Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York; Caladesi Island State Park in Clearwater, Florida; and Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Hanauma Bay became a marine-life conservation area and underwater park in 1967.

In 1990, local officials formulated a plan to better protect the area. All first-time visitors who come to the popular snorkeling spot are required to watch an informational video that teaches them about preservation and conservation, as well as the safety rules for the bay. It's against the law to mistreat any marine life in the bay, and visitors are not allowed to touch or walk on the coral reefs.

Leatherman says Hanauma Bay was the first beach in the state to ban smoking because they found that fish were eating cigarette butts.

"We don't really want these cigarette butts on the beaches anyway, because kids eat them, too," Leatherman says. "They're disgusting."

Now all public beaches in Hawaii prohibit smoking, which helped give the edge to last year's winner, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu.

Now in his 25th year of ranking beaches, Leatherman has reset the list and allowed all beaches to be eligible for the top spot in 2016. Until now, any beach that won previously had been disqualified for another win, and Hanauma Bay won the honor about a decade ago, Leatherman says.

"It's one of the most unique beaches in the world. There's no doubt about that," he says.

Hawaii's Hanauma Bay has calm waters, pristine beaches and world-renowned snorkeling over coral reefs that teem with colorful fish. [Photo by Xing Yi/China Daily]

Safety is an important factor in Leatherman's decision, noting that the water in Hanauma Bay is relatively shallow and calm and that you don't have to go very far offshore to see the marine life.

"It's so safe and easy. A lot of times if you want to see those kinds of fish you've got to go offshore. You've got to go take a boat ride somewhere," Leatherman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

"I've never seen so many fish swimming around your feet."

The park also has lifeguards posted across the beach and many signs warning visitors of the dangers that do exist. There have been 51 drowning deaths at Hanauma Bay since 1995.

Only four of the 51 drowning victims at Hanauma Bay since 1995 were Hawaii residents; 28 were from other countries, and the remaining 19 were from out of state, according to the Hawaii Department of Health.

Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that inexperienced snorkelers often underestimate the dangers of swimming in the bay.

"It's the lifeguard's job to survey all these people who are face-down in the water and figure out who is in trouble and who is OK," Enright says.

She says that there are some misconceptions that visitors have about snorkeling, especially that the activity is easy.

"If you don't practice snorkeling, you will swallow water," she says. "If you swallow a lot of water, you can actually paralyze your vocal cords and you're unable to make any noise and panic sets in."

Enright notes that, while the waves rarely get very big in the bay, certain areas have very strong currents that can suck you out to sea. Areas known as "Witch's Brew" and "Toilet Bowl" are both off limits because of the strong currents, she says. There were about 650 rescues in 2015, ranging from people who were unresponsive in the water to those who simply needed some help getting back to shore.

Yichuan Chiang, who has lived in Honolulu for about 45 years and comes to the park three times a week to swim laps in the "Keyhole" section of the bay, says the fish, scenery and warm water are the reasons he loves the beach so much.

"I don't think there's any other place like this in the state," he said, as the sun rose above the horizon on an early May morning.

"There are probably 200 varieties of fish in the bay, so you're bound to run into some of them every time you're out there."

Hanauma Bay is closed to visitors on Tuesdays, Christmas Day and New Year's Day to allow the fish to feed without the stress of swimmers nearby. US President Barack Obama spent New Year's Day in 2015 snorkeling with his wife and daughters in the bay. They spent more than four hours at the site, which was closed to the public during their visit. The Obamas visit nearly every year.

There are only about 300 parking spaces available so guests should plan to arrive early if they want to drive to the bay. There are also tourist shuttle busses from Waikiki that operate daily.

Related:

Hawaii bill would start to restore eroding Waikiki Beach
WASHINGTON -- A US Navy sailor stationed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has been detained by Japanese police on suspicion of drunken driving, US Forces-Japan said, in an incident likely to fuel further resentment of the heavy US military presence in the region.

The statement, seen by Reuters on Sunday, said a vehicle driven by the sailor had been involved in a "serious three-car accident with injuries" on Saturday and that US Navy officials were fully cooperating with police in Okinawa.

A US official said the person detained was a 21-year-old female sailor.

"We deeply regret this incident and express our heartfelt sympathies for the accident victims and their families. We wish them a fast recovery. The sailor is in Japanese police custody for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, and we are cooperating fully with this investigation," said Lt. Gen. John Dolan, the US Forces, Japan commander.

Dolan said the US military had "zero tolerance for driving under the influence" and that any military member convicted of doing so "faces severe consequences."

The incident comes as the US military observes a 30-day period of mourning at its bases on Okinawa, where an American civilian working at a US military base was arrested last month on suspicion of dumping the body of a 20-year-old Japanese woman.

That incident stoked anger in Japan, prompting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to protest the killing during talks with US President Barack Obama ahead of the Group of Seven summit in central Japan.

Many associate the bases with crime. The rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by US military personnel in 1995 sparked huge anti-base demonstrations.

Okinawa, the site of a brutal WWII battle, hosts 50,000 US nationals, including 30,000 military personnel and civilians employed at US bases, and many residents resent what they see as an unfair burden.

Both governments have wanted to keep the incident of the Japanese woman from fanning further opposition to an agreement to relocate the US Marines' Futenma air base to a less populous part of Okinawa, a plan first agreed upon after the 1995 rape but opposed by the island's governor and many residents who want the base off the island entirely.
People rally during a protest denouncing the policies of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan, June 5, 2016. The placards read: "Citizen change politics." [Photo/Agencies]

TOKYO -- Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Tokyo on Sunday to call for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resign and for a law allowing the military to fight overseas to be overturned, as an election for parliament's upper house draws near.

The protesters, many of them elderly, rallied in front of parliament and in a nearby park, holding placards with slogans such as "Step down, Abe government" and "Citizens change politics".

In the July 10 election, opposition parties hope to keep Abe's ruling coalition from winning the majority of the 121 seats up for grabs in the 242-member chamber where it already commands an overall majority.

Analysts say his Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner have a good shot at success.

In the lower house, Abe's ruling coalition enjoys a two-thirds "super majority".

Abe's support rates rose by three percentage points to 56 percent after he hosted a Group of Seven summit in May and accompanied US President Barack Obama on a historic visit to Hiroshima, a Nikkei business daily survey showed on Monday.

Abe on Wednesday announced a widely expected decision to delay a sales tax increase by two-and-a-half years, and said he would seek the public's mandate for his plan in the upper house vote.

But some opposition parties are concerned that a strong election result for the ruling bloc may encourage Abe to press ahead with his long-held aspiration to revise the US-drafted pacifist constitution.

Organizers of the Sunday rally put the crowd at 40,000, while police declined to give a number. Some right-wing activists tried to approach participants but were held back by police.

When a similar anti-Abe rally took place in the same locations last August, organizers said some 120,000 people participated.
State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Monday that China has reached consensus with several ASEAN countries during preparation work for signing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the eighth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues, Yang said that the code, an implementation of the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea (DOC), is being discussed between China and ASEAN countries.

In 2002, China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the DOC, which rules that the relevant parties should resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue and negotiation, he said.

The senior diplomat called on both China and the US to respect each other's core interests and important concerns.

"China will firmly safeguard the national sovereignty, security, esteem and territory," he said, adding that China is a firm supporter of peaceful and stable development of Asia and the Pacific region.

Contact the writer at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China on Sunday for a round of consultations between the two countries' governments, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei announced on Monday.

Merkel, on an official visit until June 14, will co-host with Premier Li Keqiang the fourth round of the China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations, Hong said.

More than 20 ministerial-level or deputy-ministerial level officials from both countries will take part in the consultations to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields for the next phase, the spokesman said.

Merkel will meet in Beijing with President Xi Jinping and National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang. She will also visit Shenyang, the capital city of Northeast China's Liaoning province.

This will be the ninth visit to China by Merkel as chancellor, after German President Joachim Gauck visited China in March.

The China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations were first held in Berlin in 2011, co-hosted by Merkel and the then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. There have been three rounds of such consultations.

Hong, the spokesman, said the intergovernmental consultations are "the most important platform" to plan, push forward and coordinate bilateral cooperation.

While China is this year's G20 president, Germany will be the president of the group for the next year.

Hong said the two countries have been keeping in close communication and cooperating well with each other, and are coordinating and cooperating more closely in international and regional affairs.

"Strengthen bilateral cooperation is in line with the two countries' fundamental interests as well as helpful to the development of China-EU relations," he said, adding that China will take the consultations as an opportunity to promote new development in bilateral pragmatic cooperation.
China will deepen cooperation with the United States on maritime environmental protection, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said during an annual high-level discussion between the two nations in Beijing on Monday.

Titled "Blue Ocean", the discussion was co-chaired by Yang and United States Secretary of State John Kerry. Yang said the maritime resources and oceanic exploitation plays an important role in China's long-term development, and China will balance the economic growth and protection of the maritime environment.

He said China and the US have already been working together on protecting the ocean environment, including the cooperation between coastal cities from both the countries on reducing waste in the sea waters.

"We are looking for further cooperation on many maritime issues, including cracking down on illegal fishing, curbing pollution and raising public awareness of maritime environment protection," Yang said.

Kerry also stressed the increasing environmental problems in oceans, and said "the cooperation between China and the US is essential for solving those problems". "We will stand together on protecting the maritime environment as we did on the climate change," he added. Wang Hong, director of China's Oceanic Administration, said both countries have been making effects on protecting the oceans.

China is not only launching stricter laws and regulations to save the environment from being polluted and over exploited, but also paying a great attention on bring the knowledge of maritime environment protecting to the public.

In the future, more people will be trained on environmental protecting, and non-government forces will also be included in the progress, he added. The event was a part of the eighth round of US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues, in the Diaoyutai State guesthouse in Beijing. More than 400 United States delegates, including about 10 ministers, are attending the two-day dialogue. Launched in 2009, it has become an important communication platform between the two countries.
Disputes should not be used as an excuse for confrontational attitude, president says

President Xi Jinping greets the audience at the opening ceremony of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing. US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew attended the meeting. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping urged China and the United States on Monday to enhance mutual trust and make concerted efforts to manage differences and handle sensitive issues.

He made the remarks when he addressed a key annual Sino-US dialogue in Beijing.

Referring to a series of disputes between the world's top two economies, Xi said: "It's inevitable that the two countries have disagreements. ... Even in a family, there are various kinds of disputes. The key is that we should not use disputes as an excuse for a confrontational attitude."

Xi was speaking at the opening ceremony of the eighth round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

More than 400 US delegates, including ministerial-level officials, are attending the two-day dialogue. Launched in 2009, it has become an important communication platform between the two countries.

Xi said Confucius had said more than 2,000 years ago that if a man cannot be trusted what could he do? He added that China and the US should boost mutual trust.

The president called for the two nations to intensify efforts to manage conflict and avoid strategic misjudgment.

"What is most important is that both countries should stick to the principles of no conflicts, no confrontation, mutual respect and cooperation for win-win results'," he said.

Cheng Li, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, told China Daily that the problem for China and the US is not ideology or interests, but possible miscalculation.

"People in both countries should not misinterpret the words of some military officers, retired military officers or interest groups as the views of the two nations' top leaders," Li said.

"I believe the two top leaders and the vast majority of the two peoples don't want to plunge themselves into a large-scale war because of some pieces of rocks or some complicated historical issues," referring to the maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-chaired the event's strategic discussions on Monday with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Vice-Premier Wang Yang and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew led the economic talks.

"The S&ED is going to be the best opportunity that we have to discuss our differences," Kerry said in his speech.

Yang called on China and the US to respect each other's core interests and important concerns on key issues, including the South China Sea.
KATHMANDU -- Deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission Sun Jianguo and Nepal's Defense Minister Bhim Rawal pledged to enhance defense cooperation between the two countries on Monday, a senior government official said.

"The two sides exchanged views on various matters relating to strengthen defense cooperation," Secretary at the ministry Mahesh Dahal told media.

During the meeting held at the Nepal's Defense Ministry in Kathmandu, Admiral Sun said that China wants to see political stability and economic prosperity in Nepal, according to Secretary Dahal. He also praised Nepal's adherence to the one-China policy.

Defense Minister Rawal expressed gratitude for China's incessant support to Nepal, stressing on the implementation of the agreements reached between the two governments during Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli's visit to China in March.

"China has remained our friendly neighbor. Our relationship with China has remained trouble-free all the time. The minister reiterated Nepal's one-China policy and said we will not allow any anti-Chinese activities inside our territory," the defense secretary said.

Stating that Nepal has marched toward a new era after promulgation of the new Constitution in September last year, the minister expected China's continual support in the days to come, particularly in socio-economic development of the country.

On the occasion, the Nepalese defence minister thanked the Chinese People's Liberation Army's extensive support in rescue and relief operation in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that jolted Nepal on April 25 last year, which left around 9,000 people killed.

"We would like to express gratitude to the people and government of China for their enormous support and goodwill to us in the aftermath of the earthquake and the post-earthquake reconstruction process," the minister said.

Sun arrived Monday for a four-day official visit. During his stay, he will also call on Nepalese Chief of the Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri.
CAIRO -- China's special envoy for the Syrian issue Xie Xiaoyan said on Monday that Beijing is ready play an even greater role in helping end the Syrian crisis.

He made the remarks while attending a press conference at the headquarters of the Arab League (AL) following a meeting with Nabil al-Araby, the secretary general of AL.

Xie said the Syrian crisis has now arrived at a very critical stage, while all concerned parties and the international community should work even harder toward a political solution, and take effective steps.

"China believes that cease-fire must be implemented thoroughly and comprehensively," he said, adding that "urgent measures should be put in place to ensure that relief aid reach those affected."

The Chinese envoy arrived in Cairo on Sunday. It is his first visit to Egypt since he landed on the job in March.
The joint opening ceremony of the Eighth Round of US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the Seventh Round of US-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange is held in Beijing on June 6. [Photo/Xinhua]

The joint opening ceremony of the Eighth Round of US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the Seventh Round of US-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange was held in Beijing on June 6. Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-hosted the Strategic and Economic Dialogue with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the opening ceremony on June 6 in Beijing. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping on Monday called for deepening communication and cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs between China and the United States.

The Pacific Ocean should not become an arena for rivalry, but a platform for inclusive cooperation, Xi said at the joint opening ceremony of the eighth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the seventh China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Beijing.

China and the United States have extensive common interests in the region and should maintain frequent dialogues, cooperate more, tackle challenges, and jointly maintain prosperity and stability in the region, rather than "cultivate exclusive circles of friends," Xi said.

He reaffirmed that China pursues neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and has always been committed to bolstering peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

The S&ED is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday and Tuesday, while Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chairs the CPE with Kerry.
In the early 1980s the US Air Force commissioned Lucian Pye, an eminent sinologist, to write a report on how Chinese negotiate with foreigners. Published in 1982, it was called Chinese Commercial Negotiating Style.

Based on extensive interviews with foreigners engaged in China trade, Pyes paper analyzes the negotiating style the Chinese use with foreign businesspeople. Pyes overall conclusion was that the way most negotiations are initiated usually sets in motion a process that helps the Chinese side achieve its preferred strategies and tactics.

Though some of Pyes political and economic observations are now somewhat dated, I was nonetheless struck by his reports enduring relevance and I now recommend it to anyone interested in doing business with China. A recurring theme is Chinese mastery of contractual preliminaries.

One key point: Pye never moralizes or suggests there is anything wrong with the Chinese approach. He merely points out how different it is from the typical Western approach, leaving readers to conclude that foreigners ignore or disregard the Chinese negotiating tactics at their own peril. This is certainly consistent with our view that one should not rush to blame the Chinese when things go wrong.

The Courtship Phase

In Pyes view, foreigners often follow the historical practice of coming as guests seeking permission to do business in China. This naturally casts them in the role of supplicants asking for Chinese beneficence. They are visitors from afar and their hosts call the tune on the procedures and the timing of meetings. Problems associated with visas, invitations and access to officials or business leaders contribute to foreign anxiety about doing the wrong thing when doing business in China. So when problems arise, the foreigners are prone to suspect they are somehow at fault. In this way, the Chinese hosts gain the advantages of surprise and uncertainty in agenda arrangements.

According to Pye, the Chinese tend to limit preliminary exchanges to generalities so as to size up the foreign party and to determine its vulnerabilities, especially any lack of patience. At the same time, foreign business leaders tend to jump straight in. The novelty and status associated with visiting China frequently compel foreign CEOs to be the first to engage in talks with the Chinese, without waiting for subordinates to prepare the ground. The graciousness and bountifulness of Chinese hospitality can make the foreign visitor feel awkward about being too businesslike. Consequently, foreign CEOs tend to be very obliging in following the Chinese practice of seeking initial agreement on very general principles, without clarification on the specific details. Much of what occurs at the preliminary stage has a tacit quality and foreigners frequently misjudge their progress. In taking this approach, Pye says, foreigners violate one of the first principles of negotiations and diplomacy  summit meetings should never take place without extensive preliminary spadework by subordinates.

When mid level executives are later sent to work out the details of a contract they usually discover the Chinese want to rely on the agreed principles put in place by the CEO. Such principles were often taken by the foreigners to be no more than ritual statements, but the Chinese tend to use them to practical advantage by suggesting the other party has not lived up to their spirit. See China LOI and MOU: Dont Let Them Happen to You. Instant authorities on China, these CEOs returned from their initial visits to report success, saying they found the Chinese to be cooperative and gracious. The mid level executives and others tasked with working out details then come under great pressure. They are constrained to avoid acting in ways that might irritate the Chinese and spoil relationships established by the boss. So, when the big guns are sent in first the foreigners lose the advantage of dispatching their highest people for critical negations at the consummation of the deal. Their second appearances must now be limited to generalities where civilities prevail.

The Contract Formation Stage

Chinese culture traditionally shuns legal considerations and instead stresses ethical and moralistic principles. By contrast, Westerners are thought to be highly legalistic. The Chinese tend to reject the typical Western notion that agreement is best sought by focusing on specific details and concrete matters, while avoiding discussions of generalities or rhetoric. The Chinese prefer to agree on general principles before dealing with details. They can, Pye says, be tenacious in holding to their principles but surprisingly flexible about details. The Chinese focus is on the spirit of the deal. Agreement on principles usually takes the form of letters of intent or protocols, the purpose of which often mystifies the Westerner. The Chinese attach great importance to symbols and symbolic matters. Symbols such as the spirit of the agreement have a reality for the Chinese and there is a distinct Chinese bias in favor of the publicity or face these symbols can generate.

The Chinese, Pye says, conceive of their business relationships in longer and more continuous terms than Westerners. They expect an agreement to set the stage for a growing relationship in which it will be proper for the Chinese to make increasing demands. A proclivity for seemingly unending negotiations can even make the Chinese insensitive to the possibility that canceling contracts may cause trouble in the relationship with the foreign party. From the Chinese perspective, nothing about a contract is ever final. Westerners usually think a contract will provide for a given period of fixed and predictable behavior but the Chinese look for continuous bargaining and regard this bargaining itself as suggesting an enduring relationship. For Westerners there can be a great deal of give and take before agreement is reached, but afterwards the expectation is that neither party should lean on the other to seek further advantages. For the Chinese, the very achievement of a formalized agreement, like the initial agreement on principles, means that the parties now understand one other well enough that each can expect further favors. They will therefore not hesitate to suggest changes immediately on the heels of an agreement. They tend not to treat the signing of a contract as signaling a completed agreement.

Pye advances several explanations for the Chinese tendency to seek early agreement on general principles. First, he says, it is easier to extract concessions when details are to be worked out later on. Second, agreement on principles can easily be turned into agreement on goals. This can in turn support a later insistence that all discussion of concrete issues must support these goals. Finally, Pye says, agreement on general principles can be used later to substantiate tactical claims of bad faith.

Specific Negotiating Tactics

According to Pye, Chinese negotiators tend to use the following tactics:

Open with flattery  In response to flattering remarks the foreigner feels compelled to give an enthusiastic affirmation. The foreigner is then called on to give an emphatic denial of a feigned, self-deprecating remark. This puts the foreigner on the back foot from the outset.

Operate on two levels  There is the manifest level of bargaining about the concrete and there is also the latent level at which attempts are made to strike emotional bargains based on dependency. Chinese negotiators seek relations in which the foreigner will feel solicitous toward China, thus implicitly becoming a protector and more a superior than an equal.

Focus on mutual interests  Westerners like to think of themselves as conciliators. The Chinese tend to reject the principle of compromise and prefer instead to stress mutual interests. When mutual interests have been established it is easier to ask the foreign party to bear a heavier burden without protest.

Use meetings as seminars  Negotiations are seen partly as information-gathering operations. Foreign competitors are played off against against one another to extract maximum technical intelligence from presentations. Negotiating sessions are used frequently for training purposes. The foreigner is encouraged to perform so as to impress the passive Chinese host. The obliging guest entertains in repayment for hospitality and brings gifts of knowledge. Put simply, Chinese companies often claim to want to do a deal with you when all they really want is to get access to your technology or know-how. I cannot stress enough how often our China lawyers see this sort of situation.

Blur the lines of authority  You cant tell who reports to whom or where the apparent leader fits in the hierarchy of the Chinese company. Negotiating teams tend to be large but the lines of authority are diffuse and vague. Chinese negotiators are often unsure of their mandates and of the probable decisions of their superiors. They therefore tend to give inaccurate signals about the state of negotiations. Foreigners persist in trying to find a particular person who has command authority at each level. In China it cannot be assumed that power is tied to responsibility. Proof of a persons importance often lies precisely in their being shielded from accountability.

Never say no  Chinese negotiators will frequently seem to be agreeing when they say something is possible but often this is an ambiguous way of saying no. They will often respond with silence to a proposal and then at a much later date suddenly return with interest.

Never telegraph their next move  Chinese negotiators dont telegraph their next moves through displays of emotion. The level of friendliness or impersonality remains the same whether negotiations are heading for success or failure. This brings surprises. Warm and progressively friendly meetings can lead to disappointing outcomes. Chinese negotiators are quite prepared to end meetings or negotiations on a negative note. As negotiators often have little authority they often find it prudent to maintain a negative attitude. At the same time, apparently disinterested negotiators can suddenly announce that a positive agreement is possible.

Exploit Chinese members of the foreign team  Ethnic Chinese associated with the foreign team will be sought out in the belief that they are naturally sympathetic to China. Our China attorneys have also seen many instances where an Ethnic Chinese person on the foreign side is accused of disloyalty for not siding with the Chinese side in the negotiations  always in Chinese, of course.

Use shaming  Chinese negotiators may be quick to point out mistakes in an effort to put the foreign party on the defensive. There is a deep belief that people will be shattered by the shame of their faults so there is a tendency to make an issue over trivial slip-ups and misstatements.

Make big asks  Chinese negotiators often have no hesitation in presenting what they must understand are unacceptable demands. These demands are often accompanied by a hint that they will be withdrawn in return for only modest or symbolic concessions. Extreme language is often used to obtain symbolic victories.

Stall  Chinese negotiators are masters of creative use of fatigue. They have, according to Pye, great staying power and almost no capacity for boredom. These traits keep foreigners hopes alive. This approach may also reflect lack of experience, bureaucratic problems or a subordinates fear of criticism from above. Conversely, when agreement reached it is often the Chinese who become impatient for deliveries by the foreigners.

Negotiation Tips for Foreigners Negotiating with Chinese Companies

Take general principles seriously. According to Pye, the Chinese usually prefer to begin with agreement about general principles before moving to concrete items, while foreigners like to begin with specifics and avoid generalities. Agreement on generalities allows the Chinese to make headway by drawing subsequent negotiations back to the spirit of the agreement. If you follow the Chinese route it is imperative you decide ahead of time the precise general principles you are prepared to accept.

Avoid the indebtedness trap. Chinese negotiators often seek to put foreigners in a position where they will feel obligated or indebted. Pye says that foreign negotiators need to be aware of the obligations they may be accruing. They should be skeptical in the face of the effusion of personal friendship often used to elicit an acknowledgement of the indebtedness. See How NOT To Choose Your China Business Partner.

Prevent exaggerated expectations. Exuberant Western sales techniques are often read to mean the foreigner is prepared to do more than they intend. Once the Chinese assume a relationship has been established they will genuinely count on generosity and flexibility from their partners. If the Chinese decline an offer of generosity in one instance, they may consider themselves entitled to ask for the same kind of generosity in future. Chinese face-saving can involve turning down initial offers but there is no loss of face in asking for help later.

Handle the shaming. When disappointed, Pye says, Chinese negotiators tend not to search for appropriate counter moves but attempt to shame the foreign party with moralistic appeals and denunciation. They believe that if the other party can be shamed into doing the right thing they will be grateful and not resentful. You can often satisfy the shaming tactic with symbolic responses.

Master the record. A Chinese negotiator will normally be completely knowledgeable about the deal history and will test the other sides memory to advantage. What was previously discussed or settled may be contradicted in an attempt to take advantage of new negotiators or changed circumstances. There is a belief that foreigners are careless and deserve to be penalized if they make mistakes. Pyes tip is that you keep an exact record of your negotiation history.

Control the damage. It will inevitably be necessary, at times, to adopt positions the Chinese may find offensive or that may violate their beliefs about how people with mutual interests should behave. Pyes tip is to concentrate on limiting the damage and not engage in mutual recriminations, which will only convince the Chinese side that the foreign side is insecure. According to Pye, the Chinese have a strong need to publicize what they perceive as mistreatment. Avoid an aggressive defense at all cost. Better to pass something off as an unavoidable misunderstanding about which the Chinese side has the right to be upset.
Red button to spank bad robots.

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Google DeepMind, the Google unit whose job is to "solve intelligence" and build AIs, intends to head-off the worst case scenario of AIs harming or killing people in the future by embedding a software "red button" in these machines.



The red button is a kill switch that will forestall machines directed by artificial intelligence (AI) from learning how to prevent humans from interrupting whatever it's doing. It will also stop AIs from seeking to learn how to stymie humans from doing this.



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Google DeepMind describes this red button feature as "safe interruptibility."



It partnered with the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) founded by Swedish philosopher Dr. Nick Bostrom Ph.D at Oxford University to develop a "framework" that allows a human operator to repeatedly and safely interrupt an AI while making sure that the AI doesn't learn how to prevent or induce the interruptions.



Dr. Bostrom is the author of over 200 publications having to do with a variety of arcane topics such as the "anthropic principle," existential risk, and superintelligence risks, which is where he confronts the dangers we face from dangerous AIs.



He's also famous for creating the "simulation hypothesis" that claims the odds are overwhelming the entire universe is, quite literally, just an advanced artificial simulation or a video game written by posthumans or an advanced alien race.



Google DeepMind and FHI authored a paper, "Safely Interruptible Agents," published on the website of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. The paper was written by Laurent Orseau, a research scientist at Google DeepMind, Stuart Armstrong at FHI and several others. It is will be discussed at the upcoming "The Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI)."



The paper noted AI agents are "unlikely to behave optimally all the time." If this AI is operating in real-time under human supervision, "now and then it may be necessary for a human operator to press the big red button to prevent the agent from continuing a harmful sequence of actions -- harmful either for the agent or for the environment -- and lead the agent into a safer situation."



"Safe interruptibility can be useful to take control of a robot that is misbehaving and may lead to irreversible consequences, or to take it out of a delicate situation, or even to temporarily use it to achieve a task it did not learn to perform or would not normally receive rewards for this," according to the paper you can read here.



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TagsGoogle Deepmind, Artificial Intelligence, safe interruptibility, Future of Humanity Institute, Dr. Nick Bostrom
(Photo : Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images) Students eat while camping out at the Center for Attention and Related Disorders (C.A.R.D.) camp at the Great Hollow Wilderness School July 30, 2003 in New Fairfield, Connecticut.

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Research suggest that children who take ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) medications are at high risk of developing heart attacks. Although it seldom happens, healthcare providers and parents have been warned to be extra cautious when giving children these medications.



According to Reuters, researchers found out that the risk of having heart problems when taking ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) medication is not limited to young children, but also applies to adults.



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Nicole Pratt, one of the authors of the study from the University of South Australia in Adelaide, noted that these heart-related problems rarely occur. Nonetheless, she noted that parents and healthcare providers should still be cautious. Pratt highlighted that methylphenidate or Ritalin should be prescribed with care, and a health check should be done before the medication is prescribed.



"Our results suggest that the events are rare. However, parents and clinicians should be aware of the potential for adverse cardiac effects," Pratt said.



Pratt admitted that more study needs to be done on this subject.



Methylphenidate can reduce a patient's hyperactivity, especially in children. Although it may effectively decrease the symptoms of ADHD, Pratt and her research team are concerned about the possible side effect on the child's health.



The researchers studied insurance data from children in South Korea aged 17 and younger. Each participant was diagnosed with ADHD and is taking methylphenidate.



The study lasted for three years, from 2008 and 2011. The study revealed that some of these children developed cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure.



The researchers were not able to fully confirm the negative effects of methylphenidate and Retailn and its correlation to heart attacks and heart failures.



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TagsADHD, Methylphenidate, University of South Australia, Korea, Nicole Pratt, Ritalin
(Photo : Getty Images.) Vietnam and South Korea are likely to buy surveillance planes Lockheed Martin to shore up their military defense against China.

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Vietnam and South Korea are seriously considering acquiring refurbished Lockheed Martin's Corp P-3 and S-3 maritime surveillance planes as both countries seek to counter China's military buildup.



Vietnam plans to purchase a four-to-six-year-old U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft whereas South Korea is only looking to acquire new wings for its existing aircrafts.



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Reports suggest that Vietnam is likely to make a quotation inquiry for a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft within the next few months. Clay Fearnow, a senior executive with Lockheed's aeronautics division, has said that the price of a P-3 could be priced anywhere between $80 million and $90 million.



Other big competitors like Boeing and Airbus are also in contention to lure Vietnam with its surveillance planes. However, Boeing's P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes are reportedly relatively new and more expensive than Lockheed's P-3 planes.



The U.S. State Department has declined to comment on potential sale of surveillance planes to Vietnam and South Korea. Vietnam's plan to acquire Lockheed surveillance planes comes just a few weeks after U.S. President Obama Obama lifted a 41-year-old arms ban on Vietnam. The historic decision eventually paves way for Vietnam to acquire latest military arsenals and technology from U.S.



However, the move comes with a condition and the U.S. has categorically stated that it will closely review Vietnam's track record on human rights violations before signing any arms deal with the communist country.



Obama also met several dissident leaders and political activists to discuss the human rights issue during his three-day historic visit to Vietnam last month.



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(Photo : Getty Images/Carl Court) Norway expects to increase the number of electric vehicles in the country by completely banning gas-powered cars by 2025.

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Norway is expected to ban the sale of gas-powered cars within the next decade.



The country's MPs have reportedly reached an agreement to ban or significantly reduce the reliance on fossil fuels by 2025, a decision that has been welcomed by various industry leaders including Tesla Motors CEO, Elon Musk.



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According to Norwegian Liberal Party MP, Ola Elverstuen, his party along with Progress Party, the Christian Democrats and the Conservative Party have decided to meet the goals outlined in the national transport plan 2018-2029, which calls for a ban on all vehicles which harm the environment.



Elverstuen added, "Now it's no longer just a message about energy, but the message about climate."



Norway is currently one of the leading countries with a high electric vehicle count. 24 percent of the new vehicles sold in the country are electric.



Norway is also expected to offer financial assistance to potential electric car buyer in order to encourage them to make the transition from cars running on petrol and diesel.



Speaking with Dagens Naeringsliv, Ola Elverstuen said, "People should be confident that it will be significantly cheaper with a zero emissions car than with a traditional car."



Following the reports, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted the news, calling Norway "an amazingly awesome country." In February, Tesla was asked by Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Tord Lien to collaborate on building a more efficient energy system in the country.



Norway is a major oil producing country and is also the world's third largest exporter of natural gas. Oil and natural gas accounted for 39 percent of the country's total exports in 2015. The country mainly exports these to other European countries including Belgium, Germany and France.



Just heard that Norway will ban new sales of fuel cars in 2025. What an amazingly awesome country. You guys rock!! pic.twitter.com/uAXuBkDYuR

 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2016







---



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TagsNorway, Tesla, Elon Musk, Norway ban gas cars, petrol, diesel, gas powered cars, Ola Elverstuen, Norway ban cars, Green energy, 2025
(Photo : Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before endorsing Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas February 2, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Romney came in first in the Florida primary on January 31 and is looking ahead to Nevada's caucus on February 4.

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Donald Trump is in the midst of a legal battle over his now-defunct Trump University and in his latest comments, the GOP presumptive nominee said that he felt a Muslim or Mexican judge handling the case might not give a fair verdict as they could be biased.







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Trump's remarks come after he made public comments against Mexicans as well as Muslims living in the United States, suggesting that Mexican immigrants are the ones responsible for violence and rapes in the country. As for his anti-Muslim comment, he pointed out days after the Paris attacks that there should be a database for Muslims and they should not be allowed to enter the country.



Trump was on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, where he shared that a judge with a Mexican or Muslim heritage should be disqualified from handling the Trump university case. He pointed out that such judges could not remain neutral over the case and they could be biased.



The comments come in the wake of his criticism of Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, a federal judge in California, who is overseeing the lawsuit against Trump University.



In his statement, Trump pointed out that Curiel had a conflict of interest in the case due to the real estate mogul's proposed border wall in order to keep Mexicans from coming to the United States illegally.



Other Republicans hoped that Trump's comments against Mexican and Muslim judges would soften in his CBS interview as it could hurt his chance of winning the general elections this November.



As for his comments over a Muslim judge handling the case, Trump said that a Muslim judge would also share the same bias as a Mexican judge like Curiel due to his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country.



Trump has been targeting Curiel on the campaign trail for months now and has even called the judge a "hater" at a San Diego rally. Trump's comments were made in spite of the fact that Curiel was born in Indiana, appointed by a Republication, and battled Mexican drug cartels when he served as a federal prosecutor.



Curiel ordered the unsealing of the documents in the Trump University case on Friday. The university faces one lawsuit in New York and California. The school, Trump, and other officials are being accused of fraud and are being asked to pay back the tuition that amounted to around $35,000 per person.



Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has presented testimonies from students saying that Trump University helped them and lived up to its promises.



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Tagsdonald trump, Donald Trump Mexican judge, Donald Trump Muslim judge, Donald Trump Mexicans, Donald Trump Muslims, Trump University case, Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, Mexican judge, Muslim judge, Face the Nation
(Photo : Getty Images) The young son of Mahmuda Aktar, the wife of a top Bangladeshi anti-terror officer, mourns after she was shot dead near her home in Chittagong on June 5, 2016

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Babul Aktar, a top anti-terrorism police officer in Bangladesh, lost his wife after she was shot and stabbed to death in an apparent revenge attack by militants on Sunday.







The police superintendent was known to be battling Islamic militants, which appears to be the motive behind his wife's murder. The incident took place when machete-wielding assailants attacked the area. A Christian selling food and small household goods was also killed in the attack.



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The wife, identified as 33-year-old Mahmuda Aktar, was dropping off her son onto his school bus, not far from their home in the southeastern city of Chittagong, when three people riding a motorcycle reportedly killed her by stabbing and shooting her.



Deputy police commissioner Humayan Kabir said in a statement that Mahmuda was first stabbed before being shot in the head thrice.



Chittagong Police Commissioner Iqbal Bahar added that the attack seemed to be premeditated. The child was left unscathed but the other person, identified as 60-year-old Sunil Gomes, was hacked to death inside his shop in the northern district of NAtore.



Officials believe the attacks to be the work of Islamist militants in the area who have killed at least 30 people since February of last year. Most of the victims are from religious minorities, liberal bloggers, and academics.



Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said in a statement that Babul has played an efficient role in cracking down on militants. Khan continued, "They might have killed his wife because they failed to get him."



Just recently, Babul had been transferred to Dhaka, where he busted several hideouts of militants, specifically from the organization Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen. They also arrested one of the top leaders of the terrorist organization, who later died in a grenade blast during a police raid in October.



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TagsBangladesh, Babul Aktar, Wife, militants, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Babul Aktar wife, Mahmuda Aktar, Babul Aktar terrorism, Babul Aktar militants
(Photo : Reuters) Greek-like underwater structures are world of microbes.

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A team of researchers unearthed an ancient underwater site, possibly the remains of a long-lost city.



Archaeologists have dive down the shores of Greece's Zakynthos island and found out smooth floors and what looked to be circular column base that resembles the remains of an ancient civilization. However, the underwater structures once thought to be remnants of an ancient civilization were actually created by nature, a world of microbes.



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They have noted that the structures contain a mineral called dolomite, calcium by product produced by microbes that feed off methane. When bacteria huddle around a reliable source of the gas, their calcium excrement can react with methane to produce the cement-like substance. For microbes that live in sediment, that methane gas becomes fuel. As they oxidize the gas, the sediment itself changes composition, creating a cement-like compound  a natural process called concretion.



The site was discovered by snorkelers and first thought to be an ancient city port, lost to the sea. There were what superficially looked like circular column bases, and paved floors. But mysteriously no other signs of life  such as pottery, lead author Julian Andrews, a professor of environmental science at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, says in a press release.



Andrews and University of Athens professor Michael Stamatakis discovered that microbes found in the sediment leverage the carbon content of methane as fuel, which then alters the sediments chemistry to create concretion, a form of natural cement that gets shaped by passing currents.



Their conclusion is that these donuts are just natural geological phenomenon likely resulting from the natural gases found near the seas floor. The structures are probably close to a sub-surface fault which has not fully ruptured the surface of the sea bed.



Researchers said that the columns and the paved floors that led to the idea of the lost city under sea and in fact natural geographical formations formed during the Pliocene era. On studying the composition of the stones found in the region, it was found that the stones majorly compromised of hydrocarbons that were constantly coming out of the sea floor in the region.



Details of the study have been published in the Marine and Petroleum Geology journal.



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(Photo : Parker Song - Pool/Getty Images) U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew (left) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on March 30, 2015 in Beijing, China.

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While speaking to students in Beijing on Sunday, United States Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that China's excessive industrial capacity will have a corrosive impact on the world market in the future.



The potentially contentious comment was made ahead of talks between Lew with the senior Chinese officials on Monday. Lew told the students that the country's excessive industrial capacity is not just a domestic issue for China, but it has an "enormous effect on global markets" for products such as steel and aluminum. He pointed that now there are "distortions in global markets" due to the excess steel being produced in China.



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Lew said that excessive capacity means "misallocation of resources." He pointed out that ultimately, to clear the market of the excess products, they should be sold at a price below the world market price.



Lew said he hopes that he will be able to make progress with senior Chinese officials about the matter adding that past discussions eased tensions between the United States and China on currency issues.



These past sessions Lew was referring to are the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Lew's agenda for his meeting with Chinese officials include making progress on market access, opening China's financial services, and healthcare markets.



Cheap steel from China has allegedly flooded the United States market, prompting the U.S. Commerce Department to impose anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on a wide-range of steel products from the country. U.S. business groups have also complained about new Chinese regulations that favor local firms.



China produces more than half of the world's steel. Beijing has criticized the U.S. anti-dumping duties, describing it as irrational and harmful to diplomatic ties. China has also demanded more time to fully address the problem caused by its excess industrial capacity.



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TagsUnited States Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, china, excessive industrial capacity, steel and aluminum, Beijing, Chinese officials, U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, students
(Photo : Sean Gallup | Getty Images) Facebook was accused of spying using mic

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Facebook has issued a statement, categorically denying rumors that it listens to its users' conversations using their phone's mic in order to display ads or modify News Feed preferences.



In its statement, the social network also clarified that it only accesses the mic when the app is given an explicit permission for this purpose by the user.



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The issue came into light when Kelli Burns, a mass communications professor at the University of South California told The Independent that she suspects Facebook is eavesdropping on her private conversations. She also claimed that Facebook adjusted advertisements according to the topics she discussed on the phone.



Facebook responded by saying, "Businesses are able to serve relevant ads based on people's interests and other demographic information, but not through audio collection." It also said that news feed stories are also not tailored using microphone audio. The company added that it does not store the raw data derived from the conversations. The mic feature was introduced in 2014.



The social media giant introduced the mic feature in 2014 and uses the same for several other purposes. It added, "We use your microphone to identify the things you're listening to or watching, based on the music and TV matches we're able to identify."



Facebook also allows users to disable the microphone feature from the app's settings. Android users can turn it off by going to the "Privacy and Safety" option in Settings and toggling off Facebook's access under the app permissions tab while iOS device users can switch off the "microphone" option under Facebook from the Settings panel.



While the issue has been sorted out for the time being, such stories are becoming more and more common.



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(Photo : Getty Images) President Xi advocated for more cooperation between China and the United States at the opening ceremony of the annual China-U.S. dialogue in Beijing, China.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more mutual trust and closer cooperation between China and the United States.



Speaking at the opening of the annual China-U.S. dialogue on Monday, Xi said China and U.S. should properly manage their differences and sensitive issues and deepen strategic mutual trust and cooperation.



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"As long as the two sides tackle differences and sensitive issues in the principle of mutual respect and equality, major disturbances in bilateral relations can be avoided," Xi said on the first day of two-day China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing.



"China and the United States have extensive common interests in the region and should maintain frequent dialogues, cooperate more, tackle challenges, jointly maintain prosperity and stability in the region, and cultivate common circles of friends rather than cultivate exclusive circles of friends," he stated, according to Xinhua.



Describing the differences between two countries as normal, Xi stressed that China and the US should strengthen their communication and cooperation on Asia-Pacific affairs. He added that the Pacific Ocean should not become an arena for rivalry. "China and the United States should strengthen their mutual trust through regular communication in order to avoid strategic misjudgment," Xi sad.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry raised the South China Sea dispute at the annul event and urged China to find a diplomatic solution to the impasse. He stressed that the dispute over South China Sea territories between China and its Asia Pacific neighbours should be handled according to international laws.



"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute in the South China Sea and oppose any country resolving claims through unilateral action," he said.



The eighth China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) opened in Chinese capital on Monday.



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TagsUS, china, us china, Xi Jinping, John Kerry
Bigfoot or Big Hoax?

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The 75 lb. object discovered by amateur Bigfoot hunter Todd May in Ogden Canyon, Utah is nothing more than a piece of badly beaten-up rock and not a Bigfoot skull as May claims.



After examining the large object May found, Prof. Jesse Carlucci, a geoscience expert at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, concluded the object is just a piece of severely weathered rock that vaguely resembles a fossilized skull.



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Prof. Carlucci called attention to the rock's natural fractures as proof of the chemical breakdown that often occurs when rock is exposed to rainwater. On the other hand, fossilized skulls are quite fragile since they're made from bone.



Prof. Carlucci said fossilized skulls have a totally different composition and texture compared to rocks. The only conclusion to be drawn based on these facts is the object May stumbled upon on one of his hikes isn't a Bigfoot, said Prof. Carlucci.



When he announced his discovery, May said his well-preserved find is the long-sought proof Bigfoot isn't a figment of many imaginations. Apart from finding the "Bigfoot skull," May also said he'd encountered living Bigfoot creatures twice.



May said the first Bigfoot he came across suddenly appeared out of nowhere and ran away as soon as he made eye contact with it. He allegedly encountered a second Bigfoot, this one larger than the first, on another trip to Ogden Canyon.



May, however, sought to preempt further criticism that what he found wasn't a Bigfoot skull.



"There's haters out there, other Bigfoot enthusiasts that don't like that I found something first," May said.



Bigfoot, also called the sasquatch, is said to make its home in the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest. It's normally been described as a hairy, ape-like creature walking upright.



Scientists, however, pooh-pooh the existence of Bigfoot with many declaring with certainty the creature is a hoax.



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(Photo : Getty Images) China on Monday categorically rejected Taiwan presidents offer to share the island nations democratic process.

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China on Monday expressed confidence in its political system after dismissing comments by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen urging Beiijing to embrace democracy. Tsai made the comments on the eve of the 27th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident via a Facebook post.



In her Facebook post, Tsai said Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau could serve as an examples of democracy to China. She added that China should not fear democracy.



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Beijing has since dismissed the comments, saying its economic growth is proof that China's system works and the country is growing.



"In the last 30 years the success that China's economy and society have achieved has received worldwide attention and the democratic system has continued to be perfected. The advantages of China's system continue to show themselves," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.



Hong added that China's economic success has completely fulfilled the wishes of the Chinese people and proves that the country is on the right path.



Tsai is widely hailed as a pro-independent leader. Her controversial views have made her immensely unpopular across China. Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping has warned the new Taiwanese administration not to stroke secessionist movements against China.



Tsai has frequently stated that Taiwan wants a peaceful and friendly relationship with China. However, she has stayed away from lending any support to the "one China" principle. Her omission of any mention of the "one China" policy in her inaugural speech was widely seen as an attempt to assert Taiwan's sovereign status.



China considers Taiwan as a wayward province that is waiting for unification. The island nation seceded from Taiwan after a civil war in 1949, and since then has claimed to be a sovereign nation.



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Tagschina, Taiwan, Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen
A service at a church in China on Sunday was interrupted, and its members were forbidden to hold services and were compelled to register with the authorities.

Huoshi Fellowship Church in China's northwestern Gansu province was raided by public security officials who also logged each church member and told them not to assemble at the church.

About 1,700 churches and 1,800 crosses have been demolished by the authorities since 2014.

Last year, public officials persecuted Huoshi Church, which is different from Huoshi Fellowship Church, in Guizhou province and incarcerated pastor Yang Hua for "illegally holding state secrets," and "divulging state secrets" in January, according to China Aid.

Yang's lawyers told China Aid that they suspected he was tortured in prison, and was coerced to take responsibility for crimes he had not committed.

"The person from the Procuratorate office who is in charge of this case had coerced Pastor Yang Hua [to confess to his crimes]," Chen said after meeting with Yang in April. "Now, Yang Hua is somewhat afraid. Since Yang Hua has not made any oral confessions, he has not done anything criminal. He neither understands the affairs of other people nor will speak irresponsibly about them."

Huoshi Church had to move out from the building after the landlord asked them to leave. The church then formed many mini-gatherings to continue church services and had to change places many times.

"Congregations are still held as small group gatherings. At least seven to eight people would attend, although not a large number of attendees," said Yang's wife, Wang Hongwu. "Many people joined different groups at different locations. Even so, the Jinyang group had to change locations several times because the police pressured the landlords, forcing them to revoke the lease."

Wang said that authorities interrogate church members regularly, hindering regular activities.

"For many years, the police have been eyeing Yang Hua and Huoshi Church with hostility," Chen said. "[They] deliberately fabricated charges against Yang Hua in order to imprison him. Now, all the houses purchased by [Huoshi Church] have been confiscated by the authorities. Currently, the circumstances [in which legal stipulations are carried out] eradicate ... all the churches that are not controlled by the government. Regarding these kinds of cases, the police's [actions] are largely arbitrary."

Yang's wife said that her main concern is members of the church, whom the police continues to harass.
Kathie Lee Gifford Inspires at Jerusalem Banquet Contact: Stephen Jenks, Eagles' Wings, 716-759-1058, office@eagleswings.to NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eagles' Wings held its tenth annual Jerusalem Banquet at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park on June 2, 2016. The room was packed to capacity with dignitaries, celebrities, business leaders, and religious leaders from both the Jewish and Christian community. The high energy evening included an address from Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni. Prominent leaders of the evening included Jon Loew, Bishop David Thomas, Dr. Charlotte Frank, Irwin Hochberg, Pastor Juan Rivera, and Kathie Lee Gifford.



Event chair Rev. Robert Stearns spoke to the crowd, enthusiastically sharing, "Tonight we are standing together as Jews and Christians united in our love and support for Israel and the Jewish people. Tonight in this room we can change history."



The event centered around celebrating the legacy of amazing leaders in the Jewish and Christian communities, and equipping the next generation to be strong voices in support of Israel and the Jewish people. Dr. Charlotte Frank, Vice President of McGraw Hill Education and Chair of the Executive Committee of America-Israel Friendship League, was honored for her life of impact in education, advocacy and strengthening ties between Israel and America. Bishop David Thomas, senior leader of the 5,000-member Victory Christian Center, whose ministry has touched many tens of thousands around the world, was honored for his years of faithful leadership and his steadfast support for Israel.



One of the highlights of the evening was hearing passionate speeches from young Israel Experience Scholars. The Israel Experience which has been dubbed the "Christian Birthright" trains the best and brightest Christian college and university students to be informed ambassadors for Israel in the midst of a rising tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on university campuses.



Catherine Gunsalus, 2012 Israel Experience Alumnus shared, "I was able to take what I had learned in the program and help to draft legislation that was passed by the Kansas and Arizona state government, affirming their commitment to stand with Israel."



Another alumnus, Rebekah Gordon talked about how her participation in the 2013 program has led to her working closely with the Jewish leadership on her Touro University law school campus to educate the student population on the importance of Israel.



Joshua Nangle, a 2016 Israel Experience scholar and a Master of Divinity student from Regent University said, "I believe it is time for 'replacement theology' [the belief that God has forsaken his covenant and replaced Israel with the Church] to be replaced with something a little more scriptural, and I am excited to go to Israel this week and be equipped as a friend of Zion."



Ryan Mauro, 2009 Israel Experience Alumnus and leading national security analyst, featured regularly on major media outlets said, "In the midst of the many serious challenges we face in the Middle East, there is hope, we can see good prevail and the Israel Experience is a key to seeing that become a reality."



Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni also addressed the gathering saying, "Our friendship and partnership with Eagles' Wings is a tremendous support to the State of Israel, and I believe it is just beginning of the historic impact Robert Stearns and Eagles' Wings will have."



The evening of honor and celebration included special musical selections, including joyous traditional songs which brought the room to their feet singing and clapping.



Culminating the gathering, Consul General Ido Aharoni presented Mrs. Kathie Lee Gifford the Ha Tikvah Award in honor of her strong support for Israel. Mrs. Gifford author, recording artist and Emmy-award-winning television host of the Today Show recently traveled to Israel and did a series of segments helping her audience see the beauty of Israel and its people.



Mrs. Gifford in her comments summed up the evening by saying, "We read in Genesis that the spirit of God, which is translated in Hebrew as 'shalom,' hovered over chaos before creation. Each of us has the opportunity to bring shalom to the chaos of our world. Thank you Rev. Stearns for this honor and the great work you are doing to bring shalom."



Support was raised from the evening to strengthen Eagles' Wings work around the world, including the Israel Experience Program, a study tour which gives tomorrow's leaders an educated heart for Israel. Each year students are educated first hand on the realities in Israel. Students have participated from over 113 American Universities. For more information, visit: www.jerusalembanquet.org or call 1-800-519-4647.

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home World China activists detained after meeting to pray for Tiananmen Square victims

Four activists were detained by Beijing police on May 31 after holding a secret meeting to pray for those who died during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The prayer gathering was held ahead of the 27th anniversary of the tragic incident, which fell on June 4.

Among those arrested was Zhao Changqing, who was a college freshman during the 1989 protest. The three others were known civil rights advocates Zhang Baocheng, Xu Caihong and Ma Xinil. They were all taken at Zhao's home where the group met for prayer.

Caihong's husband was notified by police the following day that his wife had been arrested on grounds of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble."

"They told me she will be transferred to the Fengtai Detention Center today," he told Radio Free Asia. "They told me she would be locked up for at least 30 days, and that this could be extended."

Baocheng's wife said she was also informed by police about her husband's detention. When she complained that she was not given a formal notification, she was told that issuing notification was the responsibility of the district police and not the local police.

The sister of Xinil was likewise informed by the authorities that her brother was being held at Fengtai Detention Center.

Two more activists, Liang Taiping and Li Meiqing, who joined the prayer meeting are believed to have been detained as well, because calls to their phones have been left unanswered.

Police had been alert before the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, which the government considered as a form of "counterrevolutionary rebellion" and forbids any public gathering to commemorate the event.

June 4 marked the end of the peaceful 1989 Democracy Movement protests held in Beijing and other cities, but until now, the victims have not yet been brought to justice. No list acknowledging the names of those who died or were caught during the protest crackdown has been released, and no official figures of casualties have been given.
home World Christian converts seeking asylum quizzed with Bible trivia in the U.K.

Christian converts seeking asylum in the United Kingdom are reportedly asked Bible trivia questions rather than being asked about their faith, something that is being deemed by some as unfair.

"One question they asked me was very strange - what colour was the cover of the Bible," an Iranian asylum seeker named Mohammed, whose application was rejected, told the BBC. "I knew there were different colours. The one I had was red. They asked me questions I was not able to answer - for example, what are the Ten Commandments. I could not name them all from memory."

According to the BBC, the guidance that caseworkers follow says they need not ask questions other than ones on basic knowledge. More specifically, the Home Office's Asylum Policy Instruction on assessing credibility and refugee status says that "caseworkers are not qualified to assess the accuracy or relevance of answers to more than the most basic knowledge questions." This system is deemed problematic since, as stated by Baroness Berridge, some genuine converts may not know basic Bible facts but some people who are not genuine may have learned them.

Berridge heads the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, which is behind the report.

"When the system did move on to ask about the lived reality of people's faith, we then found that caseworkers, who are making decisions which can be life or death for people, were not properly supported and trained properly," said the baroness.

Rev. Mark Miller has reportedly given suggestions to the Home Office on how to handle claims. Many members of his congregation in Stockton-on-Tees, which is composed of many Iranian converts, have had their first Christian experience in secret meetings, often in private homes.

"If you've come to faith in an underground house church, where you've been able to borrow a New Testament for a week and have encountered the risen Lord Jesus, you're not going to know when the date of Pentecost is," he said. "They should be trying to understand the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge."

Miller further said that the caseworkers should ask questions that would help them understand why a person would turn their backs on the religion that they grew up in.

While many think that some converts only turn to Christianity as a means of getting asylum, Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told the BBC that fake converts are rather rare because of the risk of getting persecuted within their own communities. However, he said those who are genuine converts receive little support.

"To know whether someone is a real believer or not, you have to look at the fruit in their lives," Mohammed said when asked what he would tell officials should he get a chance. "The fruit is love and humility... when people come here wounded and in fear and trembling, what they most need is to receive love."
home US Christian grandson of Islamic terror group founder finds freedom in New York

The grandson of a founding member of a terrorist organization ran away from home as a teenager but after he learned that he would be deported from Canada where he was staying, he fled to New York where he is now living without fear.

"I decided the best course of action was to flee home and come to the U.S. rather than be deported and sent to my death," John Calvin, who changed his name in order to protect his identity, told CNN Money.

Now in his mid-twenties, Calvin is the grandson of Said Bilal, one of the founding members of the Palestinian-Sunni Islamic resistance movement Hamas. His uncles have reportedly been linked to some suicide bombings.

"Islam [and] Hamas were the two things that my family revolved around," Calvin told CNN Money in an interview last year. "It was not part of my family's identity. It was the identity we had."

He learned at an early age that he liked males and had been fascinated with the novel "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, after which he started exploring Christianity. At 14, he fled to Israel but was detained for crossing the border illegally. He said that a man from his hometown assaulted him sexually, but the Israeli prison guards were compassionate.

"That was the moment when I started breaking off from my beliefs," he said.

Upon his return home, his family learned of his intention to convert to Christianity, and he said his father, Jehad Salameh, intended to do an "honor killing," meaning he was to be put to death. He managed to flee to Canada where he got a student visa. He lived in Edmonton and there, he came out of the closet and admitted to being gay. He also became an active Christian.

He applied for refugee status in 2011, but his application was denied in 2015. The Canadian government reasoned that he was a de factor member of the terrorist organization, having been born into it, and he was already old enough at 14 to understand his family's wrongdoings.

In an interview, Calvin's father claimed that his son was sick and that he would take him to a doctor should he return to the West Bank. He denied having planned to kill his son as "Islam never imposes punishment on a mentally ill person."

However, in another interview, he said: "Our family is no less dignified than Saddam Hussein's family. His fate may not be different than that traitor general Hussein Kamel. What he did is offensive to honor and to religion, and the family has the right to retaliate against him."

Calvin fled to the United States before his deportation on Nov. 4 and was detained for almost seven months. The U.S. immigration judge dismissed Calvin's asylum application but, under the U.N. Convention Against Torture, he was granted deferred removal. The judge used CNN Money's interview of Calvin's father as evidence that he could be in danger if sent back to his country.

"He does believe, evidently, that I will be under threat of torture and death, and thus I should be granted protection under the convention against torture," Calvin said.

Calvin is not eligible to become a permanent resident of the U.S. He can, however, get a work permit every year. This would let him have a social security number.

"You can't ignore your moral responsibility toward refugees," he said. "At the same time, we can't just open a floodgate to anyone who wants to come. The vetting system [is] working well at the moment."
home World Christian woman in Iraq 'married & divorced' several times a night in ISIS 'slave camp' to justify being repeatedly raped

Many Christians in warn-torn countries in the Middle East have suffered and are suffering at the hands of extremists, and another woman in Iraq had come forward to share her own personal experience to let the world know of what is happening.

"She asked for her story to be heard in the United States - that it is happening not only to her," said Toufic Baaklini, president of non-profit organization In Defense of Christians, as quoted by Fox News. "It's happened to many, many Christians, Yazidis and Yazidi woman, and others."

In an interview with the organization, the woman, whose name was withheld to protect her identity, narrated how she was "married and divorced" several times a night. These fake marriages were held prior to raping her, a way for her captors to justify their acts.

"What wedding? For them it was a wedding, but what kind of wedding is this?" she said. "They had me whenever they would desire it, especially this one, Farouk, who was obsessed with me and he would say, 'I like the people of Jesus.'"

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, had a husband who went missing when the Islamic State invaded Mosul in 2014. People were leaving, even Muslims, but she decided to stay. Apart from not knowing where to go, she didn't have anyone and her hope was in her husband.

She did take her baby with her to look for her husband, having left her two older children with neighbors. ISIS militants reportedly confronted her and, upon seeing a crucifix tattooed on her arm, they took her and her baby to a slave camp, a structure that used to be a school. She said that it was there that she was sexually abused multiple times.

According to the organization, one of the IS fighters recognized her from their neighborhood in Mosul and let her escape.

The Islamic State, according to the report, refer to women and children as "spoils of war" or "merchandise." IDC provided Fox News a flyer that shows prices, presumably for selling their captives as slaves. A Christian or Yazidi female from 10 to 20 years old, for instance, is priced at 150,000 dinars. The document also states that those practising the business should abide by the set prices; those who violate the "price controls will be executed." Moreover, only foreigners can purchase "more than 3 spoils."

Although the claims of rape camps and slave prices could not be confirmed independently, Fox News says that experts deem them as consistent with the tactics of ISIS.
home World Humanist says calling U.K. a Christian nation is now 'palpably false'

Last month, it was reported that there are now more people in England and Wales who do not identify with any religion than those who identify with Christianity. This was clear for some time, said Andrew Copson, the chief executive of the British Humanist Association; but now, because of the extent of change, it has caught people's attention.

"This is significant, because identity has for some time been the only thing that proponents of Britain as a 'Christian country' had left to argue for their case," Copson wrote on Newsweek. Moreover, he said, "Cultural identity was about the only personal attachment that most Britons had to Christianity. Now, they don't."

The analysis of the British Social Attitudes Survey published in May showed that for the first time, the number of people with no religion in England and Wales had overtaken the number of Christians. In 2011, 25 percent said they had not religion; but in 2014, this went up to 48.5 percent, higher than the 43.8 percent who belong to a Christian denomination.

"The main driver is people who were brought up with some religion now saying they have no religion," said Stephen Bullivant, senior lecturer in theology and ethics at St Mary's Catholic University, as quoted by The Guardian. "What we're seeing is an acceleration in the numbers of people not only not practising their faith on a regular basis, but not even ticking the box. The reason for that is the big question in the sociology of religion."

While the number of non-religious people is expected to continue to grow, Copson said that the British society, its politics, and its politicians "have not caught up with this change at all and show a disappointing disinclination to do so."

He cited education as an example wherein one-third of state schools are controlled by religious groups. He mentioned that some parents have admitted to attending church only to get their kids into these schools. Moreover, the Church is making an effort in reinforcing Christianity in academic institutions. In state prisons, hospitals, universities, and the armed forces, provision for pastoral support, he said, is almost all Christian.

In Copson's opinion, the shift in demographic would have to mean having to also make shifts in the constitution; thus, "an end to the establishment of churches where they still exist."

"It would also lead to the end of official pronouncements that we are a 'Christian country,'" he wrote. Identifying the United Kingdom as a Christian nation, he said, "is now not only dangerously divisive but palpably false."

The British Humanist Association is a non-profit organization that promotes humanism that works on behalf of people "who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity."
home US Mark Driscoll identifies three types of Christians Jesus might reject

In a recent blog post, Trinity Church pastor Mark Driscoll mentioned three types of people that Jesus might reject when they come to face Him one day.

The blog's central idea revolved around Matthew 7:22-23: "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

Based on these verses, Driscoll said there are three types of religious people that Jesus could turn away.

First on the list were "loosely religious people." He described these as those who believe they are "living a good enough life" and do not think that they need to exert extra effort to please God, Driscoll wrote.

Second on his list were the "secular religious people" who devote their lives to fight for a social cause "because they think that they're good people and need to overcome the evil of bad people who are ruining the world."

Last were the "devoutly religious people." These are the people who try so hard to make sure that the "rules" are followed as a way for them to prove to themselves that they are good and obedient to God.

Driscoll said that religious people have been in existence for a long time.

"Because human beings are very good at deluding themselves and each other, this is something we can expect to continue until Jesus returns," he said.

Driscoll warned Christians that there should be no middle ground; they either follow Jesus in faith or not. Those who obey Christ will establish a strong foundation and produce good fruit, while those who disobey Him will walk a path that leads to destruction.

Trinity Church, which Driscoll pastors, opened last March amid a small group of protesters that gathered outside the church. The protesters demanded explanations to the controversy that Driscoll got involved in when he was still the head of Mars Hill Church, which no longer exists.

Driscoll has denied all allegations against him, calling them "false and malicious." He said he excitedly waits for the time when his name will be cleared from all the issues.
home US School calls police to stop 7-year-old kid from sharing Bible verses

A Los Angeles deputy sheriff was reportedly sent by Desert Rose Elementary School on May 9 to visit the house of a seven-year-old student for sharing Bible verses with other children at school.

"The deputy sheriff said he had been sent by the school," Liberty Counsel Attorney Richard Mast told Fox News.

Mast added, "The deputy went on to tell the parents that the school was worried that someone might be offended by the Bible verses."

The sheriff's office has yet to provide an official statement on the matter as Superintendent of Palmdale School District Raul Maldonado only responded that "the District is not yet clear as to the specific nature of that engagement," although they confirmed that the sheriff has made the visit.

The boy and his parents Jaime and Christina Zavala are represented by the Liberty Counsel, a non-profit litigation, education, and policy organization that works for religious freedom. The organization sent a letter addressed to Maldonado on May 24 citing the school's act as "unconstitutional suppression and censorship of student religious speech."

The first grader, identified only as C, has gained attention from his friends at school with the encouraging notes containing Bible verses that his mother packed alongside his lunch. His friends requested for their own Bible verses so the boy's mother made more copies for him to give out at school.

On April 18, a teacher restricted the handout only at the school gate and after classes as she cited separation of church and state. C was also reprimanded in two instances in front of the whole class and sent home in tears.

Hours before the sheriff made a visit at 4:30 p.m., Principal Melanie Pagliaro completely banned the Bible-sharing which she said was against school policy, seeing how children still crowded over the Bible notes at the school gate after the bell rang.

In their letter, the Legal Counsel refuted the erroneous interpretation of the Establishment Clause and cited the "Students' Freedom of Speech/Expression" where students have the right to exercise their rights including distribution of printed materials so long as these are not obscene, libelous, or such.

The letter defined the hand-outs occurring during "non-instructional times" to classmates who were "free to accept or refuse, at their own discretion" and even to some "who had specifically requested them from him."
home World The Islamization of Nigeria: Coalition of Christian groups accuse administration of Islamizing Nigeria 'through the backdoor'

A coalition of Christian groups in Nigeria is reportedly alleging that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is attempting to Islamize the country "through the backdoor." This is in relation to a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution that would expand the jurisdiction of the Sharia Court of Appeal to handle not just civil cases but also criminal matters.

"The proposed amendment is a desecration of the sanctity of the FCT as a symbol of national unity, which should be preserved," said Solomon Asemota, spokesperson of the coalition and national president of the National Christian Elders Forum, as quoted by Daily Trust. "Nigeria's membership of religious organisations and associations, particularly the Organization of Islamic Cooperating Countries and the Coalition of Islamic Nations against ISIS, is insensitive, against our best national security interest and democratic and democratic norms."

Currently, Section 262 (1) of the 1999 constitution reads: "The Sharia Court of Appeal shall ... exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Islamic personal law." Lawmaker Abdullahi Salame, the author of the bill, said earlier that they are proposing to add the words "and criminal" to this section and Section 272.

"With the passage of this bill, no Muslim will ever attempt even to harm, much less, kill non-Muslims, because you know Sharia can attend to criminal cases and you will be dealt with," Salame said, according to Premium Times. "And, in Islam, when you kill a non-Muslim, you will be killed. These Boko Haram and other groups that hide behind any little crisis to attack Christians and other non-Muslims would be easily punished."

Asemota, however, said that in order to maintain Nigeria's unity, faith, peace, and corporate progress, they are demanding that the Sharia law "be expunged from the constitution and Shariah-based public institutions, agencies and practices in the states should be abolished." Furthermore, they want the return of the state of affairs according to the Republican Constitution of 1963.

Apart from the NCEF, the coalition is composed of 13 other groups, namely: the Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship, Think Tank for the Body of Christ, the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, the Association of Christian Schools in Nigeria, the Students Christian Movement, the Christian Professionals Forum, Intercessors for Nigeria, the International Prophetic Ministerial Association, Intercessors Without Walls, Wailing Women International, Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship, Nigerian Fellowship of Christian Students, and the University Joint Campus Christian Fellowship.
Cheers! Benedictine monks from Italy pray while producing Belgian-style beers

It's quite hard to imagine how an alcoholic beverage and prayer can go together. At a monastery in Italy, however, hardworking and prayerful monks are showing this can be done.

At the Monastery of Saint Benedict at the Italian town of Norciathe birthplace of the revered Christian Saint Benedictmonks are using the production of Belgian-style beers called "Birra Nursia," as a form of prayer.

Father Benedict Nivakoff, the monastery's sub-prior, explained that it is his and his fellow monks' goal to bring joy to others through the high quality of beers they are producing.

"It is a drink which isn't really necessary, but it brings a bit of joy to the hearts of those who drink it," the monk said. "We take as our motto a line from Psalm 106: 'ut laetificat cor,' that the heart might be gladdened," Nivakoff told the Catholic News Agency.

"When we take something that has those qualities of good ingredients, made in a prayerful way, and drink with friends and family, it's a chance to step back from the ordinary cares of the day, all the anxieties, and spend a little time thinking about less urgent things, and more leisurely, things," he added.

Nivakoff said he and his fellow monks reflect on Jesus Christ's first miracleturning water into wine during the wedding at Cana upon Mary's requestwhenever they brew beer.

"Doing something so unnecessary, changing water into wine. And not just any wine, but the best wine," he said. "That's what the steward said: the best for last."

Nivakoff shared that they did not expect their product to be received well by the public.

"A brewer has to have always a little bit of hope. It's not just for his enjoyment, but to share with others. God does things that we don't always expect with what we make," the monk said.
Christian asylum seekers denied entry to UK if they cannot recite ten commandments

Christian asylum seekers are being rejected from the UK if they cannot recite all ten commandments.

This was among a number of other revelations made in a report by a group of MPs into how refugees' religious claims are assessed. The allegations come after thousands of Muslim migrants and refugees are said to have converted to Christianity after they fled the Middle East.

The all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion and belief said immigration officials lack a basic understanding of religion and so questions intended to judge the genuineness of someone's faith revolve around trivia rather than probing what an individual actually believes.

Katherine Thane, the operations director for the parliamentary group, told Christian Today the religious illiteracy among Home Office staff did not just affect Christians but other faiths including Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.

One asylum seeker said he was asked what colour a Bible was in his interview for asylum in the UK. Mohammed, an Iranian Christian convert, told the BBC: "I knew there were different colours. The one I had was red. They asked me questions I was not able to answer - for example, what are the Ten Commandments. I could not name them all from memory."

Mohammed is now fighting to stay in the UK after his claim for asylum was refused.

"The problem with those questions is that if you are not genuine you can learn the answers, and if you are genuine, you may not know the answers," said Baroness Berridge, the head of the parliamentary group behind the report.

"When the system did move on to ask about the lived reality of people's faith, we then found that caseworkers, who are making decisions which can be life or death for people, were not properly supported and trained properly."

When an asylum seeker arrives in the UK they must have an interview to assess whether their account is deemed likely. A caseworker assigned does not have to be certain of every detail and for religious questions, they are only expected to answer basic knowledge questions, according to Home Office guidance.

Rev Mark Miller, a vicar of a large Iranian congregation in Stockton-on-Tees, advises the Home Office on how to assess claims of religious conversion. He admitted the caseworkers have "a real challenge on their hands".

He told the BBC: "If you've come to faith in an underground house church, where you've been able to borrow a New Testament for a week and have encountered the risen Lord Jesus, you're not going to know when the date of Pentecost is.

"They should be trying to understand the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge," he said.

"They should be asking questions that help them to understand why someone has left behind the faith of their upbringing and the faith of their family."
Criminal or hero? New York City resident beats his wife's alleged rapist to death

Is there ever a time when God's Commandment that "Thou shall not kill" is acceptable to be violated?

A New York City resident has triggered a debate on this question after he killed another man who allegedly tried to rape his wife inside their own home.

Mamadou Diallo, 61, is currently facing charges of assault and criminal possession of a weapon for beating to death using a tire iron a man identified as Earl Nash. Diallo was initially charged with manslaughter for the incident.

Nash allegedly broke into the apartment where Diallo lived with his wife, and then supposedly took off his pants and attacked the woman.

The attacker also allegedly tried to rip off Mrs. Diallo's clothes and told her she was about to get raped.

During the course of these events, Mrs. Diallo was still able to make a frantic call to her husband, who immediately rushed home.

According to Diallo's account of the events to the police, he found his wife naked on the hallway, with Nash attempting to escape.

Seeing this, Diallo chased his wife's supposed attacker and hit him with tire iron. Nash died from severe head and body trauma, according to authorities.

A report from The New York Daily News said Nash had 19 prior arrests. For instance, in 2003, he pleaded guilty to stabbing, beating and sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl.

Although he is facing criminal charges in court, Diallo is getting widespread support. His friends and neighbours stayed outside the Bronx criminal courthouse to cheer him during his arraignment.

In a report by CBS News, family friend Kamafing Sissoko attested to Diallo's good character.

"Mamadou Diallo, he's a very nice guy. He don't bother nobody, and he's not even violent," Sissoko said. "But in this situation, that's something else. You have to do anything to protect your family."

Diallo's lawyer, Anthony Michaels, maintained his client was just defending his family. He is set to return to court on June 27.

Even Fox News host Todd Starnes urged authorities to release Diallo.

"I hope the district attorney comes to his senses and drops all the charges. This man did the community a public service. Mr. Diallo should be hailed as a heronot a criminal," Starnes said in an opinion piece published by Charisma News.
Crossing the line: Should scientists create pig-human hybrids?

Your liver or kidney is packing up and you need a new one. How do you get it? Usually when someone whose organs are in reasonably good shape dies of something else and their relatives allow them to be used to save other people's lives. But there aren't enough of these donors and the surgery isn't always successful. Now, though, the huge leaps forward in genetic research look like creating a viable alternative, with the help of pigs.

I know about this. It's about transplanting pig hearts into humans.

It's not quite as simple as that. Research was done for a few years but has always run up against the problem that human and animal tissue is incompatible. Having said that, a baboon with a pig's heart has lived for two years, so scientists are increasingly hopeful. That's not what this story is about, though.

No? What's going on, then?

Scientists in the US are trying to grow human organs inside the pigs, rather than using the pigs' own organs. Put very simply, they think they can create a pig-human hybrid in which a pig has a human heart, or kidneys, or pancreas  at least, human enough to be transplanted without rejection.

Extraordinary. How on earth do they do it?

They remove the bit of DNA from a developing pig embryo that would let it grow, say, a pancreas, then inject human stem cells  which can grow into anything  back into the embryo. The hope is that the human cells will fill the gap in the embryo and create a pancreas, which could then be harvested from the (eventually) aborted pig foetus and used to save a human life.

That sounds  well, I'm not sure what it sounds like. Exciting and troubling.

From the pure research point of view it's certainly exciting, in the sense that doing things no one has ever done before is exciting. However, there are really serious questions about it, both on principle and in practical terms. Practically, there are serious worries about pig viruses colonising the human organ and making the cross-species leap. That's believed to be how the Aids virus got going.

Any other fears?

Several. Critics ask what happens if cells from the 'human' organ start to colonise the pig's brain and make it more human. And animal rights campaigners are understandably unhappy with the whole idea. Animals are already used in research and for meat, but technology like this could end up with a lot more of them being cut about for our benefit.

What about theology? Any wisdom there?

Many Christians would say that there is something sacred about the idea that creatures are made "after their kind", as Genesis says. While they don't have a problem with fixing things that have gone wrong or "restoring the image", they draw the line at creating a "chimera" or mixture of species. Not all Christians would agree, on the other hand; some would say that as long as proper controls are in place, this could be seen as an extension of the healer's art.

If I needed a transplant, I don't think I'd be too worried where it came from.

That's part of the problem; many people see it just as a practical problem, akin to building a bridge or fixing a car. But a pig is a living creature, and it might be argued that we owe other living creatures more respect than to tamper with their DNA  their very identity  in this way.

Fair enough. But we need more organs, don't we?

Yes, but critics of the enterprise point out that there are other ways of increasing the supply of donors, like education and publicity campaigns, and that the effectiveness of transplants is increasing through other groundbreaking technology. For instance, tailor-made organs can be grown using stem cells on a biomaterial scaffold and implanted without the risk of rejection. Also it's been found that organ donation accompanied by bone marrow donation has a far better success rate. Scientists using a special 3D printer have even managed to make a bladder. So things are getting better all the time, without needing to go down the cross-species route.

This makes me think I should sign up to donate.

You can find out more here. And if you want to help someone while you're still alive, you can become a living donor, like the bishop in Kerala who gave his kidney away.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Donald Trump is a 'lost person' who needs Christ, says Russell Moore

Donald Trump must "repent of sin" and turn to faith in Christ, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has said.

In an interview with CBN, Russell Moore said his "primary prayer for Donald Trump is that he would first of all repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ".

"That's my prayer for any lost person," Moore added.

It's not the first time the SBC leader has spoken publicly about Trump. The two recently rowed following comments from Moore that the Republican presidential candidate  as well as his likely opponent Hillary Clinton  represented "an amoral sort of vision of America that isn't what we believe in".

"What we have in the Donald Trump phenomenon as well as in the Hillary Clinton phenomenon is an embrace of the very kind of moral and cultural decadence that conservatives have been saying for a long time is the problem," Moore said.

He criticised "conservatives who were saying in the previous Clinton era that character matters, and rightly so, who now are not willing to say anything when we have this sort of reality television moral sewage coming through all over our culture".

Trump subsequently hit back at Moore, branding him "a nasty guy with no heart" and "a terrible representative of Evangelicals".

In his latest comments, Moore said he hoped a conversion to Christianity by Trump would mean a change in his policies.

"And then [my prayer would be] that he would be somebody who would act in terms of principles of justice, which would mean a change, not only in terms of the way in which he's changing the moral character of people, including the people that are supporting him and getting on the bandwagon, having had to excuse things that they've never had to excuse before and then of course in terms of being a ruler in a limited sense within an American constitutional framework who understands principles of justice. That would be a remarkable change," Moore said.

Trump has been widely criticised for his aggressive rhetoric, especially his hard line on immigration. He has pledged to build a wall to slow down the number of Mexicans entering the United States, and in July last year claimed that Mexican immigrants were responsible for a significant number of rapes in America. He has also called for a ban on all Muslim immigrants; a line that was later used by Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab to suggest that America discriminated against its Islamic population.

However, Trump does already identify as a Christian, and has proved popular with the white evangelical voting bloc, although he's polarised opinion among evangelical leaders.

He has a number of high profile supporters such as Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church, and President of Liberty University Jerry Falwell Jr. But he has received fierce criticism from others, including Moore.

Trump was baptised into the Presbyterian Church as a child, and has promised to protect Christians if he takes office later this year.
Fallujah: Children among the dead as civilians drown trying to flee ISIS stronghold

At least two children drowned with their mother while trying to flee the Islamic State stronghold of Fallujah on Saturday. A man also drowned.

Nine others were missing as civilians continued their attempts to cross the Euphrates river to escape Fallujah, which is currently the target of a major offensive against ISIS.

The father of the two children, Abu Tabarak, confirmed over the phone that he had witnessed their boat sinking, killing them and his wife.

"I've seen with my own eyes my family disappear under the water," he said, according to Reuters.

"There was no place for me on the departing boat, so I had waited with my second daughter for the next one," he added. "Life has become worse than hell in Fallujah; hunger, death and shelling. And after all that suffering, I lost my family before my eyes."

Tabarak's family had spent four days picking their way across the city, moving slowly to avoid shelling, sniper fire and explosive devices.

His story highlights the plight of an estimated 50,000 civilians in Fallujah, which lies 50 km from Baghdad. It was the first Iraqi city taken by ISIS in January 2014, as militants seized swathes of territory there and in Syria.

Already suffering shortages of water, food and medicines, the city is now under bombardment from Iraqi forces, allied Shi'ite militias and aircraft from the US-led coalition, as they pursue the battle to retake Fallujah that began on May 23.

A leader of the Iran-backed Shi'ite coalition taking part in the offensive said Fallujah was now all but encircled, the only side that had yet to be secured by pro-Baghdad forces being part of the western bank of the Euphrates.

"We are now at the gates of Fallujah," Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy leader of the Popular Mobilization Force, told a televised news conference.

Civilians have been using anything that floats to help them cross the river, provincial council head Shakir al-Essawi said.

"They are using empty refrigerators, wooden cupboards and kerosene barrels as makeshift boats," Essawi told Reuters. He said more than 1,000 families had managed to get across.

"It's totally unsafe and this is why innocent people are drowning."

A doctor at the al-Amariya hospital, west of Baghdad, told The New Arab that 18 bodies in total were pulled from the Euphrates river on Saturday, including seven children and three women.

"They tried to escape from death but were swallowed up by the river," Dr Mohammad al-Isawi said, adding: "Daesh is responsible for these deaths and whoever claimed the existence of safe passage out of Fallujah."

Some die before even reaching the river, killed by sniper fire from Islamic State lines or by explosive devices along the roads, said Jassim Alwan, a police captain in Ameriyat Fallujah. Last week, the situation was branded a "human catastrophe" by Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council which is helping families displaced from the city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on June 1 the offensive on the city had been slowed down in order to protect civilians.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Father says Swedish government evicting his family in public housing to give way for Muslim migrants

A father and his two teenage sons in the Swedish city of Lidingo were left dumbfounded after the Swedish government allegedly ordered them to leave their home by August this year to make way for asylum seekers from the Middle East.

Infowars.com reported that the Swedish government through its local municipality issued the notice to the family over the phone.

"I was evicted from my home over the phone. When I asked for the reason, he said that people come from other countries. He left the news and basically just said have a nice weekend,'' said Uffe Rustan, a father of two teenage boys.

"It feels like I'm worthless, even though I pay taxes and my kids go to school here. You cannot put a family on the streets for another family. Just when it starts to feel like home, we are evicted,'' he added.

Rustan lives in a public housing with his two teenage sons, Rasmus, 15, and Linus, 17, both born in Lidingo. The lease works on a six-month basis and he had already renewed once, reports the Daily Caller.

Initially, the city government informed Rustan they didn't have any future plans for the building and that they might work out a permanent contract for him and his family. However the city reneged on its promise of a permanent housing contract.

The building has also undergone major renovations, but the city government has not compensated the family for the trouble caused them by the renovations, says the report.

Rustan said the news was "depressing" and wondered why ''native Swedes "were being treated worse than migrants arriving in the country for the first time."

Sweden is currently suffering from a housing shortage but is reportedly handing over property to economic migrants, with some politicians even encouraging citizens to give up their garages to migrants.

Evicting families from public housing to accommodate Muslim migrants has apparently started to become more common in some parts of Europe. In Germany, low income Germans are beginning to receive notices of eviction to make way for the migrants from foreign countries, according to reports.

Germany is spending 600 million euros per year for housing migrants in upmarket Berlin hotels at a cost of 18,000 euros per refugee. In contrast, the city's 10,000 homeless people are left to fend for themselves in the streets.
Food for the body and soul: Faith-based charity group helps provide quality meals in flooded Texas areas

It is during times of calamity when you see the goodness in people.

Recognizing the need to provide food for the body and soul to victims of natural disaster, a faith-based charity group composed of chefs is helping provide quality meals to those affected by the severe flooding in Texas.

The group called Mercy Chefs has committed to providing professionally prepared meals to the flood victims after receiving a call from the Texas Department of Emergency Management.

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs founder, said his group is ready to assist in feeding the residents displaced by the intense flooding until the water has subsided.

"Mercy Chefs is expecting a long stay. Texas Department of Emergency Management has asked us to stay as long as funding allows through the mass care response phase and the cleanup phase," LeBlanc told CBN News.

He said his group, which is currently stationed at an emergency shelter in Brazoria County, recognised the reality that the disaster that hit Texas is "historic" in the devastation it has brought.

"What we're seeing in Texas right now is historic. In the history, they've never had flooding this bad. The lakes are four to five feet over what they've ever seen. In the last three weeks they've watched 30-32 inches of rain fall, with the rain continuing through the weekend," LeBlanc said.

"This amount of rain on top of the April flooding is disastrous because there is literally no place for the water to go," he added.

True to its commitment to provide high-quality meals to the evacuees, Mercy Chefs has so far fed flood victims with a menu which includes baked chicken with a rice pilaf and mixed vegetables; meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans; roast pork tenderloin with oven roasted red potatoes, corn, and a lima bean succotash.

These meals are all served with fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and baked desserts. Children who were affected by the flood are also served with delicious mac and cheese.

LeBlanc said Mercy Chefs plans to prepare a second kitchen and team to respond to additional flooding in other parts of Iowa.

"After serving over 1 million meals in the last 10 years, we know that something amazing happens over a shared meal. To be able to go and feed people in the name of Jesus, for people who have lost so much due to no fault of their own, is a real honour and privilege," he said.
Nigerian Muslim leaders condemn murder of elderly Christian pastor's wife

Leading Muslims in Nigeria have joined in condemnation of the mob murder of pastor's wife Bridget Agbahime, who was aged 74 years old.

Jama'atu Nasril Islam, the umbrella group representing Nigeria's Muslim leadership, said in a statement: "It is hardly believable that such dastardly acts could happen in the name of religion." The organisation added that the act was "criminal and un-Islamic, perpetrated by miscreants and criminals."

The statement carries weight because the organisation's president is the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar, regarded as the supreme head of all Muslims in Nigeria. He personally appealed to all to remain calm and avoid actions that could breach law and order.

Agbahime was murdered last Thursday in the city of Wambai, Kano.

Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari also described the murder as "utterly condemnable" and pledged that those responsible would face justice.

Buhari offered his condolences to the dead woman's husband, Pastor Mike Agbahime, and her family and relations. He prayed that God would grant them the strength to cope with their loss.

Christian and Islamic leaders met Pastor Mike and security services soon after the murder. Two suspects have been arrested.

President Buhari urged all those affected by the murder to remember that two wrongs never make a right.

He said: "The incident at Kofar Wambai market, Kano city, is utterly condemnable, and the state government has been quite proactive. Let us ensure that we keep the peace, as justice will be done. Let us learn to respect each other's faith, so that we can know each other and live together in peace."

Abahime, an ethnic Igbo market trader was "mobbed and extra-judicially murdered", police said in a statement.

Kano has seen previous attacks by Muslims against Christians. Vanguard reported that in 1996, there was a barbaric attack when an Igbo Christian trader, Gideon Akaluka, was beheaded by suspected Muslims youths who had accused him of desecrating the Koran. His head was then paraded around the city on a spike.
Nun who saved Jews during WW2 canonised by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has canonised a nun who is recognised by world Jewry as "Righteous Among the Nations" because of the Jewish lives she saved during the genocide of the Nazi Holocaust.

The Pope canonised Sister Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden, who at great risk to herself, hid 12 Jewish families in the convent in Rome where she was Mother Superior during the last six months of the war.

At the same mass yesterday he canonised a Polish monk, Stanislaus Papczynski of Jesus and Mary, for his work with the poor in the 17th century.

Pope Francis preached a powerful sermon on God's victory over suffering and death.

"In the Passion of Christ, we find God's response to the desperate and at times indignant cry that the experience of pain and death evokes in us," he said. "He tells us that we cannot flee from the Cross, but must remain at its foot, as Our Lady did. In suffering with Jesus, she received the grace of hoping against all hope."

He said this was the experience of both Stanislaus and Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad.

With each and every sinner, he said, Jesus makes the victory of life-giving grace shine forth.

"He says to Mother Church: 'Give me your children', which means all of us. He takes our sins upon himself, takes them away and gives us back alive to the Mother Church. All that happens in a special way during this Holy Year of Mercy."

The two new saints were two children of the Church Church who are exemplary witnesses to this "mystery of resurrection".

Hasselblad, the first Swedish saint in more than 600 years, was a convert to Catholicism.

She is the second Swede to be canonised, after Saint Bridget 625 years ago.

She was a nurse who also dedicated her life to helping improve relations between Catholics and non-Catholics, and for promoting the Church to Christians and non-Christians.

She was honoured by Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre in Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations in 2004, an award given to non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust. She died in Rome in 1957, aged 87.
Philippine Catholic Church breaks silence on Duterte attacks; president-elect urges public to shoot drug dealers

"Mine is the silence of Jesus before the arrogance of Pilate."

This was the explanation given by the head of the Catholic bishops' organisation in the Philippines on why he and the Church resorted to keeping quiet for days after a series of profanity-laden verbal attacks against him and the entire Catholic Church by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

A day before Archbishop and Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Socrates Villegas finally spoke up on Sunday with a message titled "Understanding Silence," the 71-year-old Duterte made yet another unnerving remarks when he announced in a press conference that he is encouraging Filipino gun owners to kill known drug dealers in their neighbourhoods if they want to help him in his war against drugs and crime, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

The execution of drug and other crime suspects by unknown gunmen actually began even before Duterte spoke on Saturday and before he assumes office on June 30. From Thursday to Saturday, five men, including a lawyer, fell victim to what appear to be cases of summary execution in three provinces, according to the Inquirer.

In an article posted on the CBCP website, Villegas highlighted the value of silence amid the tirades launched by Duterte.

"There is virtue in silence. There is virtue in speech. Wisdom is knowing when it is time for silence and when is the timing for speech," Villegas was quoted in the CBCP News report.

"Mine is the language of peace that refuses the dark magic of revenge. Mine is the silence of respect for those who consider us their enemies but whose good we truly pray for and whose happiness we want to see unfold," he added.

"You can understand my speech if you speak the language of silence. You can understand my silence if you know how to love like Him who was born one silent night," Villegas said.

Villegas is just one of the bishops and priests who have been subjected to obscene curses by Duterte who called the Catholic Church the "most hypocritical institution" in the Philippines.

Duterte has threatened to bring down the Church by exposing its sins in the past, including churchmen who allegedly engaged in corrupt practices and had secret affairs with women.

In a revelation that analysts say could explain his dislike of the Church, Duterte has claimed that he was abused by a Catholic priest when he was still a freshman in a university in Mindanao.

Late Saturday in a nationally televised speech, Duterte told a huge crowd in Davao City celebrating his victory in last month's presidential election that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded.

"Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gunyou have my support," Duterte said.

If a drug dealer resists arrest or refuses to be brought to a police station and threatens a citizen with a gun or a knife, "you can kill him," Duterte said. "Shoot him and I'll give you a medal."

Human rights watchdogs have expressed alarm that his anti-crime campaign may lead to widespread rights violations, the Associated Press reports.

Meanwhile, Duterte also followed up his attacks on the media with the announcement on Monday that he will "boycott" the media and stop giving press conferences.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm really going to boycott [the media]," Duterte told a TV reporter.

When asked until when the boycott would stand, Duterte said: "Until the end of my term," according to Rappler.
Plans to register and inspect churches 'profoundly misconceived', warn evangelical charities

The Welsh government faces pressure to abandon plans that would force church youth groups to be inspected and outlaw "unregistered churches".

A coalition of evangelical charities issued a joint statement on Monday that blasted the proposals as an "unjustified restriction of religious liberty". The plans would require any out-of-school educational setting that taught children above a certain threshold to register with the government. Many church youth groups could fall above the threshold and therefore have to join the register and face inspections by government officials.

The Welsh government has said churches will not inspected unless there is a complaint. However the charities warned the "scope for for vexatious complaints is considerable, especially in the current climate of aggressive secularism and religious illiteracy".

CARE, Christian Concern, the Evangelical Alliance, the Evangelical Movement of Wales, the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship and The Christian Institute said the Welsh government should not appoint "a state regulator of religion". They added: "For an inspector to scrutinise a Sunday School class, Bible study, youth meeting or church weekend away would be highly intrusive. The prospect of inspectors questioning volunteer leaders and children (without their parents) is an unwarranted incursion into private religion and family life."

The six charities issued a rallying cry to their supporters and called on them to urge assembly members to oppose the plans.

"Christians are peace-loving, law-abiding citizens who respect authority and love their neighbours. They are a major source of volunteering. To require such people to submit to registration and inspection to ensure they are not engaged in "undesirable teaching" is profoundly misconceived," the statement read.

Representatives of the six charities warned churches work with young people would be damaged by the plans. Simon McCrossan, the Evangelical Alliance's head of public policy, said the proposals "will do little to make children any safer from violent extremism and will jeopardise historic religious freedoms in Wales".

Mark Jones, chairman of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, said he had "grave concerns" about the plans. He warned they would be "counter-productive" and "may arguably place the UK in breach of its international human rights obligations".

Gareth Edwards, general manager for the Evangelical Movement of Wales, added: "We understand the need to combat extremism and safeguard children and are committed to being transparent about the Biblical teachings at the heart of our activities.

"However, we do not believe Government inspectors should police Christian youth work, and consider the subjective nature of some of the proposed criteria, such as 'tolerance', to be too vague and open to abuse".
President Obama says he fully supports Muslims in U.S. against those who 'seek to divide' the country, alluding to Trump

U.S. President Obama underscored that he stands firmly alongside Muslims in America against those who "seek to divide" the country  an apparent reference to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Speaking on the eve of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Obama also vowed to continue welcoming mostly Muslim immigrants and refugees, Politico reports.

"I stand firmly with Muslim American communities in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights," Obama said. "I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance. I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all."

Trump has pledged to not only crack down on border security but also impose a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.

Obama announced that he will be hosting Muslims at the White House during Ramadan, which begins on Monday, June 7.

The president made his remarks after Trump recently suggested that a judge of Mexican heritage may be biased against him. The judge, Gonzalo Curiel, is hearing a case against Trump concerning complaints against his former Trump University.

Trump reiterated in interviews broadcast on Sunday that Curiel's Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial involving a presidential candidate who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents. This, according to the brash billionaire, makes him "a hater of Donald Trump."

Republican leaders rejected Trump's veiled attack on Curiel, with one of them urging him to start acting like "a potential leader of the United States."

"We're all behind him now," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, adding that it's time for unifying the party, not "settling scores and grudges."

"I don't condone the comments," added Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on ABC's "This Week."

Newt Gingrich, who is reportedly on the shortlist of Trump's possible running mate, delivered the harshest warning of all.

"This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think it's inexcusable," Gingrich, a former presidential contender, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Trump University is the subject of two lawsuits  one in San Diego and the other New York  both accusing the school of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate.

Trump denied the accusation, saying the graduates of his university were overwhelmingly satisfied with the education they got.
Priest calls for prayers as heavy fighting rages in Aleppo: 'No words to describe all the suffering'

A Franciscan priest is appealing to Christians throughout the world to pray for the suffering residents of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which he said is in "so much misery" as heavy fighting rages between Syrian government forces and rebel groups.

Father Ibrahim Alsabagh's plea comes after more than 17 people were killed when bombs hit a hospital recently. The number of people suffering from nervous breakdowns and psychological illnesses are also reportedly increasing as a result of the continuous war.

"Never, since the beginning of this terrible war, were things as bad as they are now. I have no words to describe all the suffering I see on a daily basis," the priest told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

"Rockets and bombs are raining down on churches, mosques, schools and hospitals. Now 17 people have been killed in an attack on our hospital. And the casualties may yet be higher. So many houses have been partially or entirely destroyed, and so many people killed or severely injured. And when the bombs do stop falling, there is an eerie silence, like in a cemetery. The streets are as though everyone has died."

The priest, who has worked for almost two years in the divided city of northern Syria, said the only consolation he can give to the suffering people is to read them the Word of God.

"I thank God that through His grace I am able to be a Good Samaritan to all the suffering people. We priests and religious have really become fathers, and still more mothers, to the people, trying to bind up their wounds tenderly, like a mother."

While expressing hopes that those who have escaped are able to secure their lives, Father Alsabagh lamented that many of those who were left behind are the poorest of all.

"They are the ones who cannot even afford to look for a place of safety. We are helping them, wherever and however we can," the priest said.

Father Alsabagh noted, however, that despite the heavy crosses many local Christians are carrying now, he saw some good in it.

"This suffering also creates a communion with God and with one another such as I have never seen before."
'Prison Break' season 5 cast spoilers: Dominic Purcell expresses gratitude to Wentworth Miller after iron bar accident on set

While Michael Scofield made sure to take care of his older brother Lincoln Burrows in "Prison Break" TV series, the actors who portray the roles expressed their concern for one another after an accident injured one of them in real life.

Dominic Purcell, the actor who portrays Lincoln in the series, caused a little scare when he met a serious accident on the set of "Prison Break" season 5 in Morocco. But the actor revealed that the production of the highly anticipated reboot remains on track due to the leadership of Wentworth Miller as he reprises his role of Michael in the reboot.

In an Instagram post, Purcell revealed that his co-star and close friend made sure that his health would be the top priority while working on the show's upcoming season.

"Went is holding up the fort in my absence his leadership and care is inspirational. He's taken control taken it upon himself to push the production and lead by example. A true leader a true gentleman and the most fearless person I have ever met," the actor revealed.

Purcell broke his nose after an iron bar fell on his face while filming a scene in Morocco. But the actor said that his injuries are nothing serious and even joked about his accident in another Instagram post.

"Doc said I have an unusually tough tissue fiber that's what saved me apparently. Thank god for my#Viking heritage," he wrote in the caption.

The Australian actor also updated his fans regarding his recovery by posting a photo of himself while working out after the accident, saying that he only incurred a broken nose and a number of stitches on his head.
Ramadan around the world: In pictures

Muslims all across the world are in the last preparations for Islam's holiest month  Ramadan.

Based around the lunar calendar, the fast falls at a different time on the Western Gregorian calendar each year but Muslims in all countries will begin the fast on roughly the same day. During the month-long fast, followers of Islam will not eat or drink anything in daylight hours.

The fast is broken each night after sunset with the traditional Iftar meal, normally shared in large groups. Muslims usually rise early to eat before sunrise as well.

Across the globe the fast is accompanied by a host of traditions and customs that give an insight into what the month means.

A shopkeeper in Kolkata, India, carries a prayer timetable detailing the different prayers Muslims may prayer during each day and what time they will fall.

Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus decorate their street ahead of the fast.

Muslims in Jakarta, Indonesia attend Istiqlal moque for Ramadan's special Tarawih prayers. The night time prayers are specific for Ramadan and mark a change in the usual five daily prayer times observed throughout the rest of the year.

El Mesaharty, Hussein, a 40-year old man in Cairo, Egypt, uses a drum to wake residents for their pre-dawn meal on the first day of Ramadan 2016.

A market stall in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, displays a selection of dates ahead of Ramadan's first day. Traditionally Muslims break the fast after sunset in the evening with a few fresh dates and a sip of water before their full meal.

Al Amin mosque in Beirut, Lebanon, chose a display of dancing orphans for its Ramadan 2016 decorations. The holy month is traditionally a time where Muslims are particularly generous and give to the poor. If someone is unable to fast for health reasons they are encouraged to feed a needy person for everyday of the fast they miss.
Smuggling networks at work: Illegal immigrants from terrorism hotbeds sneak into U.S. through Mexico

The threat of another terrorist attack hitting the United States has become bigger, no thanks to the migrant problem caused by the raging conflict in the Middle East.

Illegal immigrants from Arab countries known to be hotbeds of terrorist activities have managed to sneak into the U.S. through its Mexican border using a smuggling network, The Washington Times revealed in a report.

Internal government documents reviewed by the newspaper showed that U.S. immigration authorities have so far been able to identify at least a dozen men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Palestine who have been smuggled into the U.S. through the help of the smuggling network based in Brazil which has contacts in Mexico.

Among those who managed to enter the U.S. through these illegal activities is an Afghan man who has been identified by Homeland Security officials to have family ties to the Taliban and was "involved in a plot to conduct an attack in the U.S. and/or Canada."

The newspaper reported that this man is already in the custody of U.S. authorities, but could not be named at present upon the request of law enforcement officials to protect their investigation.

The documents reviewed by The Washington Times were provided by Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter from California. His chief of staff, Joe Kasper, described the findings as "disturbing in so many ways."

"The interdiction of this group ... validates once again that the southern border is wide open to more than people looking to enter the U.S. illegally strictly for purposes of looking for work, as the administration wants us to believe," Kasper told the American newspaper.

"What's worse, federal databases weren't even synced and Border Patrol had no idea who they were arresting and the group was not considered a problem because none of them were considered a priority under the president's enforcement protocol. That's a major problem on its own," he added.
Syrian and Russian aircraft step up bombing of Aleppo city

Around 50 air strikes hit rebel-held areas in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday in some of the heaviest recent raids by Russian and Syrian government aircraft, residents and a monitoring group said.

The group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also said an unidentified war plane had crashed in countryside south of Aleppo, in an area where Islamist rebel fighters are battling the Syrian army and Iranian-backed forces. It had no information on what caused the crash.

A civil defence worker said at least 32 people were killed in the rebel-held parts of the city during the air strikes, with 18 bodies pulled from flattened buildings in the Qatrji neighborhood, the worst hit.

The monitor said dozens of barrel bombs  oil drums or cylinders packed with explosives and shrapnel  were dropped by helicopter on densely populated districts.

"This week-long campaign of bombing is very intense and day by day it's getting worse...it is the worst we have seen in a while," said Bebars Mishal, a civil defense official in rebel-held Aleppo.

For their part, rebels hit government-held areas of Aleppo in what Syrian media said was an escalation of mortar attacks on the western districts.

State media said attacks on Sunday on Hamadaniyah, Midan and other neighbourhoods by insurgents killed at least 20 people, in the second day of intense shelling of government-held areas. The death toll over the whole weekend was at least 44.

Aleppo, the country's largest city before the war, has been divided for years between rebel and government-held zones.

Full control of Aleppo would be a huge prize for President Bashar al-Assad. Russia's military intervention since September has helped to bolster Assad's government.

Syria issued a toughly worded statement denouncing Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, holding them responsible for the latest surge in rebel attacks and accusing them of wrecking any effort to reach a UN-backed political settlement.

Damascus says that along with several major Western countries, those regional countries finance and train Islamist rebels seeking to topple Assad's government.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, meanwhile, residents said Syrian and Russian jets bombed the rebel-held provincial capital, setting fire to a bustling market in the heart of the city. More than 30 people were injured, at least three killed and dozens were unaccounted for, according to an activist contacted in the city.

The Idlib strikes came just days after some of the heaviest raids on residential areas for months, killing more than 30 people and injuring dozens on May 31. Idlib has been a relative haven for thousands of displaced Syrians.

Attempts to encircle insurgents

The air raids in Aleppo on Sunday came in the wake of strikes on civilian areas on Friday that residents said were the most intense in over a month.

The Syrian Observatory said the Syrian government raids had targeted the main Castello road that leads into rebel-held Aleppo as part of a campaign to complete the encirclement of the city's insurgent-dominated areas.

A Russian defence ministry statement on Sunday accused militant Syrian Islamist groups of firing mortars on the mainly Kurdish-populated Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood in Aleppo that overlooks the Castello road.

The monitor said 13 people, including six children, were killed on Saturday in the Kurdish-run area by insurgents' mortars.

Rebels accuse the powerful Kurdish YPG of working with the Syrian army to cut the main artery by intensifying their ground attacks on the highway.

The Russians had on Saturday accused militants from radical Islamic groups of bringing at least 1,000 fighters into an area in the southern Aleppo countryside.

The militants have consolidated gains since Friday in the area around the strategic town of Khan Touman, rebels say.

The Nusra Front spearheaded an attack on Khan Touman last month, delivering one of the biggest battlefield setbacks yet to a coalition of foreign Shi'ite fighters supporting Syrian government forces..

Rebels say Russian jets on Sunday pounded insurgent positions in the area to prevent them from advancing towards the nearby town of Hader, which rebels say is a stronghold of Iranian-backed militias.

Also US-backed forces on Sunday engaged with Islamic State fighters in an offensive that began last Tuesday against IS-held areas in Aleppo province, beginning with the Manbij area where they continued to seize more villages, according to Kurdish sources and the monitor.
The asylum system's religious illiteracy is putting Christians at risk

Isn't it wonderful? Refugees from the war-torn lands of Syria and Iraq, most of them Muslims, are becoming Christians in large numbers thanks to the welcome they've received from churches in their host countries.

Christians might well feel encouraged by this. But here's the problem. How many of these people are genuine converts, and how many are calling themselves Christians because they think it'll make their claims for asylum more convincing? After all, everyone knows how converts have been treated by Islamist extremists. No one could be so heartless as to send someone who publicly declares their new faith back to a situation like that.

Consequently, another problem: how do you tell the difference between a genuine convert and someone who's just using religion as a convenience?

According to immigration officials, it's simple. You ask people to reel off the Ten Commandments. If they can't they obviously aren't genuine Christians. Or here's a good one: what colour are Bibles?

The all-party parliamentary group on international religious freedom is releasing tomorrow what looks like, on the basis of details leaked so far, a damning report into how assessors are treating people who claim to have converted. These caseworkers are asking questions aimed at establishing whether people's faith is genuine, and in doing so  without any training, insight or the remotest understanding of how religion actually works  they risk denying genuine Christians asylum.

Both of the examples cited above are genuine questions asked of asylum seekers. Here's a confession: I'm a Baptist minister, and if I were faced with a panel of hostile questioners whose decision could determine my entire future I'd struggle to name all the commandments, at least in the right order. I'm sure I could get them all, with the aid of my fingers, but I doubt if I'd be fluent. As far as Bibles, go, the answer they're looking for is presumably black, but they'd be rather puzzled by the multicoloured array on my shelf at home.

To be fair, it's not the Home Office's fault. Its guidance is in fact rather sensible. In assessing religious conversion, it says: "What is being assessed is primarily whether the claimant has genuinely moved towards a firm decision to leave the faith of their upbringing and become a Christian. To be credible, something so potentially life-changing should not be perfunctory, vague, or ill-thought out."

It makes a point of saying: "Although the person's understanding of the faith and of the particular Christian tradition the claimant has joined (if any) is relevant, caseworkers are not qualified to assess the accuracy or relevance of answers to more than the most basic knowledge questions (another reason for not overdoing that line of questioning at interview). But statements of belief or answers to specific questions which are so clearly wrong that no reasonably well-informed person could be expected to take them seriously will call into question the credibility of the conversion."

Yet it appears to be precisely this that caseworkers are doing, setting themselves up as inquisitors on the basis of an understanding of religion that would be laughable if the consequences weren't so serious.

For the avoidance of doubt: the genuineness of a person's conversion cannot be judged by whether they can reel off answers to questions they could have learned from Wikipedia, and still less by questions based on half-remembered cultural cliches like Bibles being black. Converts might not have had much teaching, if any. They might not have been able to worship regularly. They might not have had a Bible at all. But they have been sincerely drawn to Jesus Christ and are prepared to put their lives on the line for their new faith. The idea that their heartfelt commitment to him can be so casually dismissed by a religiously illiterate civil servant is a scandal.

No one doubts that it's important to distinguish true believers from pretenders, though the number of false claimants is likely to be quite small, given the potential consequences of rejecting the faith of their birth. But it is not converts who are abusing the immigration system here, but the actions of those who are so determined to keep them out that they deliberately exceed their authority and flout the guidelines under which they are supposed to operate. Ultimately, this is a question of how the Home Office manages its staff. Now, if ever, it needs to prove it is fit for purpose.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Thieves steal 'irreplaceable' relic of Pope Saint John Paul II

An irreplaceable relic of Saint John Paul II has been stolen from Cologne Cathedral.

German police are appealing for anyone with information about the theft of the cloth with a drop of blood of the late Pope to come forward.

In a statement, police said a visitor had noticed early on Sunday that the relic, in a small glass reliquary bolted to the base of a silver-bronze statue of Saint John Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005, had disappeared.

"Although the material value is low, the spiritual value is a lot bigger," said Provost of Cologne Gerd Bachner.

It is thought to have been taken after 6.30pm on Saturday as a witness has described praying in front of the relic when it was still there at that time, but the same witness was horrified to discover it had gone the following morning.

Bachner described the theft as "an injury to this great man, even after his death." John Paul II visited the cathedral towards the end of 1980.

Bachner told DomRadio the relic was irreplaceable and he said he was deeply shocked.

He said it reminded him of an incident 26 years before, when a processional cross was stolen from the cathedral.

He added: "It is not about material things, but this is about sentimental value. It is irreplaceable."

Many people liked to pray before the relic. Not only the cathedral was affected, but its many worshippers. "It is a relic that has a very high priority for many believers. I am saddened, along with the many believers."

He said that on an average day, 20,000 people could pass through the cathedral. On some days, when there is a lot of rain, many people are simply looking for shelter.

He said the cathedral remained vigilant but wanted also to be able to guarantee that people could enjoy touching relics and feeling their faith strengthened.

"I can only hope that those who stole the relic, hear and think, 'What we have actually done because.' Maybe it was a spontaneous action that was not planned. I can only hope that the relic resurfaces as did the processional cross. I appeal to these people to return the relic."
Victory for Bodnariu family, reunited with their children

The five children of the Marius and Ruth Bodnariu are to be reunited with them following a decision by Norway's Barnevernet or child welfare service.

The children, aged nine to only three months, were removed from their parents last November after concerns were raised at the older children's school in Naustdal, though the baby was later returned to them. The Bodnarius later admitted that they had occasionally spanked their children, which is illegal in Norway.

The case  one of many in which the children of immigrant or mixed-ethnicity families had been removed from their parents  contributed to a world-wide outcry against the Barnevernet, with protests held outside many Norwegian embassies. The concern was fuelled by the suspicion that the religion of the Bodnariu parents, who are Pentecostal Christians, might have played a part in the removal.

Last month a letter signed by more than 100 lawyers and politicians, including members of the European Parliament, was delivered to the Norwegian prime minister. It said: "We find the facts of this international incident unacceptable not only on legal grounds but also on humanitarian and moral grounds. We view these transgressions as grievous breaches of domestic and international law."

An official statement by the family's spokesman Pastor Christian Ionescu said: "The Naustdal Municipality of Norway has come to terms with Marius and Ruth Bodnariu for the return home of all of their five children."

The statement thanked the many supporters of the Bodnarius, and said: "It is very important for all of us to respect the privacy and uninterrupted intimacy of this family in the following period as the children resettle and reintegrate themselves in their natural family home and environment."

Barnevernet has not commented on the case, citing privacy issues.
Why is the EU referendum debate so dull? Too many men

Boris Johnson must be quaking in his polished pointy-toed boots.

On Thursday 9 June he will take part in a panel debate on the European Union for ITV. That has become bread and butter for Boris in recent weeks but what marks this one out is he will be the only man on the panel.

Johnson will sit alongside Andrea Leadsom and Gisela Stuart for Vote Leave up against the formidable trio of Angela Eagle, Nicola Sturgeon and Amber Rudd for remain.

Hats off to ITV. Elsewhere in the referendum coverage so far, broadcasters have regressed. Panels, interviews and debates have overwhelmingly featured white men.

This was first pointed out by the Lib Dem grandee Shirley Williams and echoed by Labour's Harriet Harman. The former interim Labour leader published analysis of figures that discussed the EU referendum on morning news programmes. It showed:

48 out of 58 guests on the BBC Today programme were male.

12 out of 14 guests on BBC Breakfast were male.

18 out of 25 guests on ITV's Good Morning Britain were male.

Research by Loughborough University revealed the same trend. The report looked at ten days of evening news bulletins in May as well as a representative sample of daily newspapers. It found that only one in ten contributors to the debate in the press were women and on TV that figure was less than one in six.

With the notable exception of the "Christian EU debate" which had a 50 / 50 split, the rest of Christian contribution to the debate has also gone back to bad habits. Steve Chalke is hosting an all male debate on the referendum with himself, Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Farron. Similarly the female representation for both the Christians for Britain and Christians for Europe group leaves much to be desired. Christians should not be content with simply reflecting what the national coverage portrays. In the rest of life Christians are called to be an example to the world and this issue should be no different.

It is not that there is anything wrong with men or male contributions. What is wrong is an overwhelming male debate which doesn't offer a voice to women and people of all backgrounds. When this happens the debate is distorted and fails to incorporate everyone's perspectives. It also gives the false impression that only men are capable of understanding the EU and having an opinion. No wonder so many people are disengaged from the debate and eagerly anticipating June 24, whatever the result. It is not just that the debate has become sterile. It is because the perspectives are only coming from a small segment of the population.

No one can reasonably argue the lack of women in the media is because there are not enough qualified, intelligent women available in either campaign. Take a look at ITV's panel line up for Thursday. Rather you than me Boris. The combination of Eagle, Sturgeon and Rudd for the remain side is not something many would be confident about beating.

On the leave side Priti Patel, Gisela Stuart and Andrea Leadsom are equally impressive. The debate is not lacking women. But for some reason that doesn't get reflected in the coverage.

Maybe it is laziness on the part of producers. Or maybe it is because viewers enjoy the parallel narrative of Boris and Osborne's race to be Prime Minister and Gove's back-stab to his old friend Dave. Either way the lack of women in the referendum coverage is embarrassing.

And it is not just a point principle that women should be equally reflected in the debate although that in itself is a good enough reason. Women are much more likely to be undecided on the EU than men. The pollsters at YouGov revealed that nearly one in five women (18 per cent) are yet to make up their mind on which way they will vote. This is compared to only one in ten men. That significant constituency of undecided women should surely be a key target for both campaigns.

Obviously women aren't only capable to listening to other women. But the high proportion of women yet to decide on the EU reflects the fact that women's views and concerns have not been heard and addressed so far.

There is compelling case both from a point of principle and from a point of pragmatic campaigning to involve more women in the EU debate. Well done ITV. But we have more than two weeks to go and that must be just the start.
Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to write every citizen a check for just enough money to cover food and housing, whether they worked or not.

Most Texans who heard about the referendum to provide every citizen with a trust fund likely rolled his or her eyes at what they considered another crazy idea from socialist-minded Europeans.

Yet the argument for a universal basic income also showed up as a major essay in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday from Charles Murray, a libertarian political scientists and critic of welfare programs.

The argument goes like this: Rather than spend billions administering thousands of programs to provide housing, health care and unemployment insurance to a narrow slice of the population, the government should simply write everyone a check for the same amount.

Murray argues that it gets government out of people's lives by eliminating intrusive eligibility checks. Everyone gets a check, not just the few who know how to work the system. The program would also address complaints about income inequality by making sure everyone's basic needs are met, effectively ending poverty.

If someone wanted to spend their life in a 300 square foot apartment watching the Lifetime Movie Network, they could do that. If someone wanted to work hard and become the CEO of Microsoft, they could do that too.

The biggest reason for adopting a universal basic income, though, is that technology is replacing humans in the workplace. Nowhere is this more evident than in manufacturing, where employment has dropped from 14.5 million in 2006 to 12.3 million this year, while productivity is up 47 percent from 20 years ago.

I've written about the end of jobs and the rise of the freelance economy, and how computers are beginning to replace white collar workers. But I'm not convinced that we're at the end of invention, which remains a uniquely human skill for the foreseeable future. We need people inventing new things.

The workplace continues to evolve, and there will always be people who can't keep up. We need to show them compassion and make sure that if they can't adapt, their basic human needs are met. But the vast majority of us can adapt and thrive, even when it's uncomfortable, and that's what keeps society moving forward.

There may come a day when computers and robots do most of the work and our government provides all of us with basic needs so that we can pursue our dreams, however noble or puerile. But we're not there yet. The Swiss made the right decision, but I suspect we'll revisit the question in the future.
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Interstate 45 reopened Monday morning nearly three hours after a 54-year-old man died in a chain-reaction traffic crash in north Houston, forcing officials to block portions of the freeway.

The four-vehicle wreck happened about 8 a.m. on the northbound North Freeway near the North Loop, according to the Houston Police Department.
AUSTIN  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review two Houston death-penalty cases that potentially could impact two aspects of Texas' legal path to the death chamber.

One case involves the high-profile appeal of Duane Buck, 52, who was sentenced to death for the July 1995 slaying of his girlfriend, Debra Gardner, and her friend, Kenneth Butler, after he and Gardner had an argument.

Police reports at the time showed Buck shot his own sister and Butler after he barged into Gardner's home with a rifle. He then chased Gardner outside the residence, and shot her while her you daughter watched in horror.

"The bitch, she deserved it," witnesses quoted Buck as saying after he shot Gardner.

In court filings, Buck's attorneys are not arguing his guilt in the case, only the death sentence he was given. At issue is trial testimony in which which a psychologist claimed that Buck was more likely a threat to society because he was black, an assertion that Buck's attorneys say underscores a racial bias in his sentencing that should overturn his death sentence.

"Mr. Buck was sentenced to death after his own attorneys introduced an 'expert' who told the jury that Mr. Buck was more likely to be dangerous in the future because he is Black," his current lawyers said in a prepared statement.

Buck's lawyers argued that the lawyer who represented him during his trial nearly 20 years ago provided ineffective assistance.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat who has championed changes in Texas justice system to erase racial and legal inequities that have resulted in death sentences for men who were later exonerated, applauded the high court's decision to review Buck's appeal.

"The people of Texas deserve a justice system based on the core principles of equal justice under the law that is free from racial prejudice and discrimination  particularly when it involves the ultimate punishment," the senator said.

"There is no doubt that racist 'expert' testimony was involved in sentencing Buck to death. I hope the Supreme Court will correct this egregious and indefensible error and grant a new sentencing hearing free of racial bias. That said, Harris County can fix this problem now by agreeing to a new sentencing hearing."

The second case involves Bobby James Moore, now 56, who is challenging his death sentence from July 1980, by arguing he has an intellectual disability should negate his sentence.

Moore was sentenced to death for the execution-style shotgun slaying of Houston resident James McCardle, a 72-year-old clerk, during a botched grocery store robbery in April 1980. He was 20 at the time, and had two accomplices, one of whom got a life sentence.

Moore's attorneys are arguing that because he is intellectually disabled, his execution would violate the U.S. Constitution prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. He has been on death row for 36 years.

Attorneys for the state dismiss Moore's arguments as inapplicable in the case, although in recent years claims of intellectual disability have appeared to gain some additional traction with the court as it reviews execution cases. So far, though, Texas successfully has defended its sentencing procedures in cases that reached the high court.

No dates have been set on when the high court will consider the two cases during its next term, officials said.
Everybody loves dogs, but some surprising historical figures have been devoted to cats.

From Isaac Newton to Florence Nightingale, they did not hesitate to let the world know they were cat crazy.
GALVESTON  Flooding in Brazoria County continued to move south Monday into more populated areas, affecting thousands of households as water from the Brazos River slowly began to recede in the northern part of the county.

"It was already affecting thousands of households in the upper areas of concern and as we go into the southern area of concern it's going into more populated areas," said Sharon Trower, the county's emergency management spokeswoman.

The city of Holiday Lakes was hard-hit, said Matthew Reed, the city's utilities supervisor. "It's pretty much covered the entire town," Reed said. "It's getting into 90 percent of the houses."

Holiday Lake, with a population of about 1,200, is one of numerous small communities in the flooded area, most of them unincorporated.

"It's devastating, really," Reed said. "It's going to change this town forever."

Reed and another utilities department employee remained after a mandatory evacuation of the city was ordered so they could keep the water plant in running order. They have used a 14-foot flat bottomed boat to check water plant equipment. Reed said that he used a 10-foot pole to check the water depth from the boat and in some places was unable to touch bottom.

"We absolutely didn't understand how bad it was going to get," Reed said.

Many residents didn't heed the evacuation order and were rescued by airboats over the weekend, Reed said. On Monday the airboats were rescuing the pets they left behind. "There are dozens and dozens of pets," he said. "Cats, dogs, horses, mules."

As of Saturday, the county estimated that at least 2,000 households were affected by flooding in the northern, more rural area of the county, but no estimates were available as floodwaters crept south.

The city of West Columbia on Sunday recommended that residents raise all furniture 3 to 4 feet off the floor and voluntarily evacuate.

In Lake Jackson, the largest city on the Brazos River in Brazoria County, city officials were predicting that the water would not get high enough to enter houses. Lake Jackson City Manager Bill Yenne said the rising water level was similar to 1992, when floodwaters did not get inside Lake Jackson houses. The Brazos at Lake Jackson will probably not crest until Thursday, he said.

The emergency evacuation shelter in Angleton has reached its capacity of 140 persons and the county has opened a new shelter in Rosharon at the First Baptist Church, which has 41 registered evacuees, Trower said. The Salvation Army has opened a shelter at the West Columbia High School, she said.

The Brazos River crested at Rosharon Saturday afternoon and was slowly receding; it was expected to crest at West Columbia Monday and remain at its crest of 29.9 feet until Thursday.

The crest of 52.56 feet at Rosharon is above the major flood-stage level of 51.3 feet, but the 29.9 feet at West Columbia barely reaches the minor flood-stage level, according to National Weather Service data.

As for roads, Texas 35 was closed at the river while FM 521 was getting some traffic. Texas 1462 was closed between Rosharon and the Brazos River, and numerous rural roads were closed. Texas 6 north of Interstate 10 in Houston was still closed and would remain so until midweek.

In Fort Bend County, officials from throughout the county met Monday to discuss clean-up and recovery, said Beth Wolf of the county judge's office, who has been working with the county's emergency management team.

As officials continued to open up cleared roadways, including the FM 1093 bridge over the Brazos River near Simonton, the county was encouraging all who had been affected by the floods to register both with the county emergency management office and with FEMA, Wolf said.

Residents in a small area of Cumings, which is along the Brazos River north of Rosenberg, also found themselves under notice Monday to boil their water to a "vigorous, rolling boil" for two minutes. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had imposed the regulation, which would remain in place until residents were otherwise notified, according to a news release sent by the county.

Staff writer Emily Foxhall contributed to this report.
The body of a University of Houston student was found on campus Sunday and now an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.

The student is a 23-year-old undergraduate. His body was discovered at about 10 a.m. in what authorities are calling a "common area" at the Calhoun Lofts student housing complex at 4700 Calhoun, University of Houston police said.
HPD

A former Houston police officer and Navy veteran was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison for his role in the 2013 armed robbery of an armored vehicle at the University of Houston.

U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore sentenced Joel Quezda to four years in prison and two years' supervised release, a slight downward departure from sentencing guidelines based on the ages of Quezada's children and his honorable service in the Navy. The judge also permitted him to leave the courthouse on bond and surrender when summoned by officials.
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The Houston man accused of killing 11-year-old Josue Flores broke down sobbing in court Monday as prosecutors told the judge the boy had been stabbed at least 20 times.

Andre Timothy Jackson, 27, did not speak during the brief hearing, but appeared before state District Judge Jim Wallace as prosecutors described the investigation that led to his arrest late Friday.

THE ARREST: Suspect arrested, charged with murder in boy's stabbing death

While listening to the allegations, people in the courtroom gallery who had come to show their support for the victim's family also started crying.

More than 30 supporters - including Flores' sister - showed up for the hearing wearing white T-shirts with the boy's photo on the front. Some questioned Jackson's show of emotion.

"Why you crying?" supporter Beatrice Salazar said after the hearing. "You killed him."

THE SUSPECT: Police release photo of person of interest in stabbing death of 11-year-old

Jackson admitted he was the man seen on surveillance video of a north Houston ATM near the scene of the crime, prosecutors said Monday.

He also told police he was at the scene of the crime, said Assistant Harris County District Attorney Sunni Mitchell.

Jackson is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was arrested at The Salvation Army, on North Main where he had maintained a room since mid-April, according to investigators.

THE REWARD: Crime Stoppers offers $45,000 for information on killer of Josue Flores

Tips began pouring in on Thursday after HPD released the footage and a still image from surveillance video showing a man believed to be Jackson.

Flores, a sixth-grader was walking home from school when he was killed.

The judge ruled that Jackson will remain in the Harris County Jail on $100,000 bail on a charge of murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
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This past week the crew of the E/V Nautilus dove into the waters off the coast of Washington State to explore the wreck of the SS Coast Trader, an American merchant vessel sunk in the early days of World War II by a Japanese submarine.

The wreck, some 35 miles southwest of Cape Flattery near the Straits of Juan de Fuca, had long been on the list of wrecks that the Nautilus crew wanted to explore.

Each year, researchers from the Ocean Exploration Trust spend their summers aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus conducting studies and collecting video deep below the surface of the ocean. They document their work and showcase it on YouTube for all to see.

The Nautilus is operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, organized in 2008 by Robert Ballard, who discovered the R.M.S. Titanic shipwreck, among other accomplishments. The ship has no true home port as its mission is global exploration.

It was on June 7, 1942, that the 324-foot Coast Trader (built in 1920) was attacked by the Japanese submarine I-26. The 3,286-ton freighters 56 survivors were later picked up by a fishing vessel and a Canadian naval boat.

This would be the first American vessel sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy off the Washington coast and the first enemy shells to hit American soil since the War of 1812.

RELATED: Adorable octopus plays tug of war with robotic arm of oceanic research vessel

The Coast Trader crew suffered only one fatality, the ships cook, who according to reports died aboard a lifeboat from exposure.

The vessel was carrying more than 1,000 tons of newsprint from Port Angeles to San Francisco. Hardly dangerous cargo, but the heavy rolls of newsprint did topple parts of the vessel.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese sub I-26 also sank the American merchant vessel the SS Cynthia Olson, the first such vessel to be sunk by a Japanese sub in the war that the United States had just been pulled into at Pearl Harbor. There were no survivors from the Cynthia Olson attack.

RELATED: Whale graveyard teeming with life deep below surface of Pacific Ocean

According to the Nautilus team, the location of the wreck of the SS Coast Trader was found by a Canadian Hydrographic Service survey largely intact.

The E/V Nautilus video from the wreck shows the vessel on the sea floor, surrounded by fish and other sea life looking exactly how a shipwreck from 74 years ago would appear after decades underwater.

The crew was also looking to see if the vessel was still holding any fuel in its tanks. As it turns out the tanks were intact. The wreck, according to the crew, is now a serving as an artificial reef.

The fish  codfish and rockfish -- dont seem to be bothered by the prying eyes looking around their home.

As for the I-26 sub, it spent the better part of the war doing plenty of damage to enemy vessels before it was finally sunk Oct. 25, 1944, by the USS Richard M. Rowell during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
AUSTIN -- Texas usually has but one lieutenant governor in Austin, but for the next two days it will have 26.

More than half of the lieutenant governors in United States will convene in the capital for a two-day conference focusing on topics ranging from politics to prison religion to border security, officials said Monday

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he is hosting 26 of the 32 No. 2 state GOP officials at the annual meeting of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association, headed by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Patrick is a member of the group's executive committee.

Of the 50 states, 45 have a lieutenant governor and 32 of those are Republicans, Patrick said, noting that the Austin gathering "is the biggest and most well attended RLGA conference in the history of the association."

Headlining the two-day event as speakers will be Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Patrick said he will chair a panel on health care.

A national controversy over transgender restrooms, in which Patrick has been leading the charge against federal mandates, also is expected to come up.

The panels are closed to the public and media, officials said.

Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, is slated to address the conference on border security. Texas is spending a record $800 million on ramped-up border security over two years, the largest expenditure of any state, to try to close the border to illegal crossings.

The Republican Lieutenant Governors Association is the only national organization committed to raising money and assisting Republicans in their campaigns for lieutenant governor.
A month before he is set to become to the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump is reportedly planning a three-city swing through Texas next week that is expected to include a fundraiser and possibly a rally.

The Trump campaign has yet to announce details of the trip, but he is expected to stop in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, according to a report Monday in The Dallas Morning News. Ray Washburne, a Dallas investor who is vice chairman of a joint Trump-Republican National Committee fundraising effort, confirmed the plan to the Dallas newspaper.
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.
Back in 2013, Polish director Tomasz Wasilewski screened his sophomore feature Floating Skyscrapers at the Transilvania Film Festival. This daring tale of an intense gay romance in a staunchly Catholic nation saw Wasilewski walk away with the best director award. This year hes returned to serve as a jury member, bringing with him his follow-up, United States of Love. A powerful study of four womens fruitless search for fulfilment in post-communist Poland, it builds on the directors previous exploration of repressed desire.



Set at the beginning of the 1990s, as the Soviet bloc was beginning to crumble and Poland was started to embrace capitalism, United States of Love follows four women as they navigate their own personal crises. After years of stagnation, their homeland is beginning to succumb to the influence of Western culture, with VHS copies of American movies available alongside pornography in the local video store and Whitney Houston posters adorning the walls of their Soviet-era apartments. Ironically, whilst the country is experiencing an ideological thaw, these women living are all struggling to adapt to their newfound freedom. The lives of these women gradually become invisibly entwined.

Agata (Julia Kijowska) becomes infatuated with the towns priest, and spends her evenings secretly observing him before going home to sleep with her husband. Her daughter goes to the local school where Iza (Magdalena Cielecka) is the principle. Iza has been having a long-standing affair with a married doctor, but when his wife dies their relationship is temporarily put on hold for the sake of his daughter. Meanwhile, Izas colleague, the schools Russian language teacher Renata (Dorota Kolak) tries to develop a more intimate relationship with her young neighbour Marzena (Marta Nieradkiewicz), a dance and aerobics teacher who dreams of making it as an international model. These women are all loosely connected, either as sisters, neighbours or work colleagues, but its their inability to find fulfilment that unifies them.

Despite being given the unenviable task of expressing the inner chaos raging behind the brittle facades these women have constructed to adhere to societys conservative views towards sexuality all four actors deliver impeccable performances. The projection of isolation is at times unbearable to watch, a feeling exacerbated by cinematographer Oleg Mutus remarkable ability to capture each excruciating twinge of loneliness with riveting accuracy. Renowned for his work on key Romanian New Wave films The Death of Mr Lazarescu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days his distinctive palette of bleached-out greys and blues and highly formalised framing drains what little life there is in these concrete socialist-era apartments, leaving the film with an icy, almost anaemic look thats so chilling it sends a shiver down your spine.

Although United States of Love adheres to the austere-realist aesthetic audience have grown to expect from Eastern-European films concerning life after communism, theres an abundance of empathy behind the bleak veneer. Mutu is a honed observers of female subjectivity and he seamlessly taps into the continuous struggle at the core of these women lives as they attempt to repress their feelings. Wasilewskis juxtaposition of the inability to self-actualise with the death of a society paints a suffocating portrait. The films compassionate understanding of female desire has led to comparisons with the work of Fassbinder and Kieslowski. Theres no denying that Wasilewski is one of cinemas most promising new voices.

The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) runs from 27 May to 5 June 2016.

Patrick Gamble | @PatrickJGamble
Women in Online Work  program pentru femeile care isi doresc sa munceasca in companii internationale, de la biroul de acasa
The commentariat has decided that Samantha Bee is angry. Vulture labeled her style vicious indignation, a step up from Jon Stewarts trademark righteous indignation; Jezebel readers remarked appreciatively on her unabashed anger and deliciously incendiary commentary; and the Los Angeles Times commended her for being an unapologetic angry white female.

Sure, as the host of the newly launched late-night show Full Frontal, Bee has called Ted Cruz a terrifying, fundamentalist swamp-Reagan and a half-melted Reagan dummy in some of her nicer descriptions of the former GOP candidate, and shes been similarly scathing to an assortment of elected politicians. But are those outbursts of anger, or just good comedy?

In fact, one could argue that Bee, the longtime Daily Show correspondent, comes across as the reasonable one, who by virtue of maintaining her sanity exposes absurdity.

Theres no shortage of absurdity this election season, and no surplus of reason, which makes 2016 an ideal time for Full Frontal to enter the mediasphere. Absent a certain baseline of reason, traditional media is crippled, since it relies on the premise that were all rational people in search of the truth. Comedy news, on the other hand, can highlight the kind of visceral truth that all the fact-checking in the world cant illuminate. As Bee says in one of her early episodes: How do you fact-check bluster? Full Frontal, with its hard-hitting satire, is a welcome addition to the lineup of comedic political commentators and complements the political press at a critical moment.

Full Frontal launched in February on TBS and has since been renewed through the end of the year. Airing every Monday, the half-hour show shares what has become the standard comedy-news format of monologues, video clips of politicians at their worst, and a carefully calibrated tone balanced between ridicule and outrage. But on Full Frontal, theres no desk, no mug, and no guests; video clips appear on a wall-sized screen behind Bee instead of in the classic overlaid, left-hand corner; and theres a lot more talk about reproductive rights.

The show arrives at a time when late-night has become increasingly satirical and less, well, goofy. And despite the Jon-sized hole in many liberal hearts, late-night remains a go-to news source for younger viewers. According to a 2016 Pew survey, late-night comedy is a source of election news for a quarter of Americans, and the rate goes up to 34 percent for those aged 18-29. People under 50 were also more likely to choose late-night as their most-helpful news source on the election than a national print newspaper.

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Bees style builds on that of her predecessors and contemporaries, while making some noteworthy departures. Without guests, or lip-sync battles, Bees show is almost entirely political commentary. Dressed in a blazer and sneakers, out on the open stage, Bee is scripted but comfortable, and she doesnt hold back. When she takes up an issue like rape kits, superdelegates, or gun control, its an onslaught. Take one of her more popular pieces online, about the backlog of untested rape kits in police departments across the country. And now for more comedy, begins Bee. Rape kits!

During the segment, Bee rips into a Georgia legislator who opposed a bill that would require the testing of all kits, and then turns her sights on an Idaho sheriff who dismisses rape altogether. According to the sheriff, most reported rapes are when things just went too far and someone got scared or when teenagers have consensual sex and dont know how to tell their parents. Bee launches into a tirade reminding the estimable sheriff of his job description, ending with this pointed prediction: When the women of the town rise up to strangle you with your own stupid monogrammed shirt, it will be consensual assisted suicidebecause youre definitely asking for it!

In her most popular online sketch, with 1.7 million views on YouTube, Bee interviews a group of college-educated Trump supporters (one of whom uses limbic in an actual sentence) to try and understand them. The dark comedy is in simply listening to the supporters talk as Bee goads them into saying how they really feel.

Despite the fertile election season, Bee hasnt limited herself to it, choosing instead to highlight state politics. She repeatedly admonishes the liberal base for sleeping through the 2010 midterm elections that gave the House to Republicans. In a recurring segment called Elected Paperweight of the Month, she eviscerates politicians for something theyve done or said. Her first victim was State Senator Mitch Holmes, who suggested a dress code specifically for the women in the legislature, because the men already know how to dress. When Bee addresses big issues like abortion or rape investigations, she highlights individual state legislators who, while easy to ridicule, are drafting and signing laws with real consequences.

In a seven-minute segment about the Texas bill that could shut down all but 10 abortion clinics in the state, down from 41 clinics in 2012, Bee spoke with Dan Flynn, one of the bills co-authors. HB2, as the bill is known, contains 90 pages of prohibitive building regulations and is being debated in the Supreme Court. In the segment, after Flynn admits to not understanding how abortions work, Bee asks him, Have you considered regulating the safety of back alleys? Because thats where a lot of women are going to be getting their abortions now.

I dont believe that, Flynn responds.

Its true, says Bee.

Where are you getting those numbers?

Reality.

BURN.

Much has been made out of Bee being the only female host in late-night news-comedy. But four months in, Bee is distinguishing herself from the other hosts, not by virtue of being a woman, but by virtue of being herself. She certainly focuses more on reproductive rights, but coming from her, it seems obvious that these are simply issues of major importance, not womens issues.

While branding the show, Bee played up the woman factor. The marketing tagline in promotions for Full Frontal before the show aired was: Watch or youre sexist, and the theme song includes the line, Boys wanna be her. Several months before the show launched, after Vanity Fair published a conspicuously all-male photo spread with nine spiffily dressed late-night hosts, Bee photoshopped herself into the photo, as the head on a male-breasted centaur with light sabers for eyes. She posted the photo with a one-worded tweet: BETTER.

Yael Kohen, author of the book We Killed It, about women in comedy, says it was a smart move for Bee to confront the obvious fact that she was a woman entering an almost all-male space. When I first started writing my book, female comedians didnt like talking about the fact that they were female comedians, but thats changed, says Kohen. The emergence of identity politics has changed the ability to joke about your particular identity.

But as Bee has continues to solidify her voice and style, what makes viewers continue watching will be less about her gender, and more about her emergence as an astute political satirist at a time when its desperately needed.

As for whether Bee is angry, a quote from a college-aged Trump supporter might provide some insight. In an interview with a blond young man, Bee asks him what Trump would have to do to lose his vote.

Murder? she suggests.

Now, thats just illogical, he answers, as the conversation starts to get heated.

Youre getting all fired up now, says Bee. Like, youre smiling, but theres anger in your eyes.

Thats not anger, he responds. Thats passion. Dont mistake that! Its passion.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Chava Gourarie is a freelance writer based in New York and a former CJR Delacorte Fellow. Follow her on Twitter at @ChavaRisa
In the last few years, hail damage lawsuits have crowded Texas courts. Using the same model employed in the Lone Star state, hail damage litigation is beginning to impact other states where large hail events have occurred, including Colorado, Oklahoma and Minnesota.

Colorado, in particular, has seen a significant uptick in insurance claims and suits relating to hail damage. One reason is that Colorado, like Texas, has favorable consumer protection laws. In fact, Colorado allows contractors to file bad faith lawsuits against insurance companies resulting from disputes on a claim, according to Steven Badger, a Dallas-based partner with Zelle LLP.

Thats similar to the situation giving rise to all the lawsuits in Florida, he explained.

Florida recognizes a formal assignment of benefits that allows insureds to assign claim benefits to the contractor. In Colorado, the contractor is considered a party with an actual remedy under the bad faith statute when the carrier doesnt fully pay for the alleged roof repairs, Badger said.

In addition, Colorado is seeing increasing use of the appraisal process, with increasing abuses during the process by certain public adjusters. professional appraisers and attorneys, Badger said.

Interestingly, we are seeing a significant influx of individuals from Florida getting involved in Colorado claims and appraisals, Badger said. For whatever reason, most of the disputed claims and appraisals that we are working on for our clients in Colorado involve individuals from Florida.

This may be due to minimal hurricane activity in Florida in recent years, as well as the fact that Texas already has a ripe market of appraisers, public adjusters and policyholder attorneys, he said; whereas Colorado does not.

Its a market where they can come in from Florida and set up shop, he said.

Badgers firm has taken an aggressive and vocal stance on behalf of the insurance industry in not only defending hail litigation, but also in responding to improper conduct by those involved in the claims and litigation process. Recently, Badger filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a group of homeowners against a North Texas roofing contractor alleged to be involved in improper claims handling conduct.

Several of Badgers articles on the subject have been published by Claims Journal.

In one article, he offered several possible solutions to the problem in Texas. He said these same solutions can be applied in other states as well.

One idea that would be applicable anywhere is to mandate the use of Class 4 hail rated roofing products in areas of severe hail exposure. There are products out there that are more hail resistant and would not fail in small hail events, Badger said.

In fact, Underwriters Laboratories recently submitted a proposal to the International Building Code drafters, proposing a revision to the codes that would require hail rated products in areas of severe hail exposure, he explained. That proposal was voted down as a result of overwhelming opposition from roofing contractor and roofing manufacturer trade groups.

Another solution is stronger enforcement in the various states of what I call the no negotiate statutes that prohibit contractors from involving themselves in the insurance claims process, Badger said. Most states already have statutes or insurance regulations in place that prohibit such conduct, but unfortunately the conduct remains rampant.

Contractors routinely act on behalf of building owners in negotiating insurance claims. Laws in place prohibiting such conduct should be enforced.

If the barrage of hail damage lawsuits continues, there is the possibility that insurers will exclude these type of claims, Badger said.

Its something thats already happening, he said. In Hidalgo County, where there were over 10,000 lawsuits filed after the 2012 hailstorms, at least two major insurers have completely pulled out of the market. We will continue to see this market response wherever hail lawsuits are proliferating.

Badger said he wouldnt be surprised to see a Texas Hailstorm Insurance Association created, much like the windstorm insurance association.

Will it happen? It could. But Id sure like to see another solution to this crisis, and that can be achieved by restoring some balance and fairness to claims and litigation process, he said.

If we could address the problems without changing any laws or having to restrict coverage, that would be ideal, Badger stated.

Badger said that he doesnt see that happening in this current climate.

One positive trend in the right direction is that courts are beginning to take notice, he said.

There are federal judges writing opinions clearly indicating that they understand whats happening in these lawsuits and they dont like it, he explained. To bring an end to this problem without legislative action or policy form changes will require assistance from the courts, from the Texas Department of Insurance, from the State Bar of Texas and from local criminal authorities.

As a result of the articles Badger has written on the subject and his recent class action lawsuit filing, he has had numerous communications with investigators from the Texas Department of Insurance, the State Bar of Texas and a couple of local district attorneys.

They are paying attention to the complaints being filed and are beginning to take action against illegal conduct, said Badger.

Badger recommended that insurers facing an onslaught of hail damage lawsuits seeking damages that are clearly not covered should stand by their policy forms and applicable law.

They need to break the model where a public adjuster or lawyer knows that if they can get someone to sign a contract allowing them to file a lawsuit, all they have to do is file the suit and the insurance carrier will pay something regardless of merit. That model has to come to an end, explained Badger. Also, the carriers need to spend the time to root out the illegal conduct going on in some of these claims and report that bad conduct to the authorities.

These days, Badger has a team of coverage attorneys spending their days defending hail damage lawsuits.

Thats allowing me to spend all of my time in focusing on addressing the fraudulent and illegal conduct we are seeing, he said. This includes the class action we just filed against a roofing contractor for the unauthorized practice of public adjusting, reporting building owners to the authorities for fabricating replacement cost invoices and working with reputable lawyers who are bringing lawsuits against other lawyers for illegal case running.

While it may all seem negative, Badger said he is encouraged by the calls of support he has received from reputable contractors who are tired of dealing with fellow contractors that illegally waive deductibles; from experienced public adjusters tired of new entrants into their industry who have no desire to actually adjust and settle a claim, but just want to get their matters into the hands of a lawyer; and from real policyholder attorneys who are ashamed to see what is happening within their ranks.

Everyone knows there is a problem in Texas and that the problem is spreading to other states, Badger said. We just havent agreed yet on the solution to the problem.
During my first decade of practicing law in Texas, I enjoyed a good professional relationship with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. In those days, Abbott, who is my age and earned his law degree one year after me, was a young defense attorney with the Houston law firm of Butler Binion, and was opposite me in many a subrogation case. He was a great track and field athlete during college and enjoyed running. He might also be the unluckiest man on earth. On July 14, 1984, while running along a sidewalk in the upscale Houston suburb of River Oaks, a 75-foot Post Oak tree fell on him, crushing his lower spine and instantly rendering him a paraplegic. He has been in a wheelchair ever since.

Abbott sued the homeowner (prominent divorce attorney, Roy Moore) whose tree fell on him, along with a tree service company (Davey Tree Expert Company). Moore testified that he was surprised to learn that the big tree had rotted from the inside. Abbotts lawyer, Don Riddle, alleged that Moore and the tree company were negligent for failing to warn people about the dangerous tree or to take action to prevent it from falling. Basal decay in a Post Oak tree cannot be corrected by fertilization, but that is what Davey had recommended. According to news reports from 2002, Abbott won a confidential settlement of more than $10 million. Ironically, Abbott sat on the Texas Supreme Court during the years that the Court implemented significant tort reform measures in Texas.

I never forgot Abbotts experience, and today, our clients send us at least one or two of these types of insurance claims (property and bodily injury) weekly to evaluate for subrogation potential. Damage resulting from falling limbs or trees remains one of the most overlooked areas of third-party liability and subrogation. They are also the most poorly investigated. Whether the owner of a tree that has fallen is a private citizen or a municipality, subrogation professionals must be aware of available tort remedies and be prepared to properly and promptly investigate and dispatch the appropriate expert to document the condition of a fallen tree before the critical evidence reaches the chipper.

Private Owner

While the law of premises liability varies from state-to-state, the law generally is that in order to hold a property owner liable for damage caused by falling limbs or trees located on an owners property, the owner must have actual or constructive notice of the risk. This can be actual notice (e.g., they are advised by local tree company to cut it down or portions of the tree have already fallen) or constructive notice (dangerous condition is obvious and existed for such a length of time that the owner should have known). In finding negligence, courts and juries will look at a variety of factors including the amount of time the condition existed, the size of the premises, the type of condition and when a reasonable person would have discovered the condition. It would be prudent for landowners to conduct periodic inspections of trees located on their property to ensure the safety of others and surrounding property. While the early common law was generally that owners were not liable for physical harm caused to persons not on their property, even if the conditions may be highly dangerous or inconvenient to neighbors, things have evolved. Today, most owners have a duty to exercise reasonable care regarding natural conditions on their land which lies adjacent to a highway or waterway.

Public/Government Owner

Trees on public property also rot. State and local government enjoy sovereign immunity, except when waived by state law. For many municipalities, there is a duty to make periodic visual inspections of trees on public property. The inspections should be done by qualified people (e.g., certified tree inspectors). They usually have a duty to remove obvious dangers and do preventive maintenance, and may be held liable for foreseeable harm that could have been prevented. While the laws governing governmental liability for falling trees also varies, some states (e.g., Illinois) provide that a municipality does not enjoy absolute immunity from liability, but is liable only for willful and wanton conduct. This burden can be met by showing that the municipality was informed about a dangerous condition and knew that other persons had previously been damaged because of the dangerous condition.

In other jurisdictions, such as Minnesota, only conduct of a policy-making (discretionary) nature is entitled to immunity. A citys policy to trim trees along high-traffic roads before trimming trees on low-traffic roads is an example of an action that gives the city immunity. In determining where or how to trim trees along roadways, the city has to make choices based on its budget and other factors. At the same time, a city employee who negligently trims or an inspector who doesnt recognize an obviously-rotten tree that poses a hazard, may subject the municipality to liability.

Investigating Tree Damage Subrogation

Unsafe trees often give little indication of decay or instability. Rot tends to grow from the inside out, and trees can easily become unstable long before there are any visible indications of trouble. In investigating these losses, we must focus on showing that the defendant should have discovered the trees condition and the extent of the defendants duty to inspect trees for rot and other signs of interior decay. This includes both objective evidence such as warnings from neighbors or tree services, as well as more subjective evidence such as the obvious nature of the trees deterioration. Photographs of the tree should be taken and portions of it preserved for later review and use at trial.

Engage the services of an inexpensive arborist and ask him or her to document the trees condition. Warn the property owner immediately after the loss not to dispose of or move the evidence until an investigation can be conducted. Engage subrogation counsel to advise you on the burden of proof you face in the particular jurisdiction you are dealing with.

Last fall, the top of a London Plane tree fell on to a group of chess players in New Yorks Bryant Park, injuring five people, including one child, and leading to a host of subrogation opportunities. The same day, a tree fell in Charleston, South Carolina, destroying a section of a home. These are not rare or unusual instances.

When a tree falls in the woods, it does make a loud sound. When it falls in populated areas, it can be heard throughout the claims department and should be aggressively pursued for any and all subrogation potential.
The swollen Seine River kept rising Friday, spilling into Paris streets and forcing one landmark after another to shut down as it surged to its highest levels in nearly 35 years. Across the city, museums, parks and cemeteries were being closed as the city braced for possible evacuations.

The Seine was expected to peak in Paris sometime later Friday at about 5 meters (16 feet, 3 inches) above normal. Authorities shut the Louvre museum, the national library, the Orsay museum and the Grand Palais, Paris striking glass-and-steel topped exhibition center.

We evaluate the situation for all the (cultural) buildings nearly hour-by-hour, said Culture Minister Audrey Azouley, speaking to journalists outside the world-famous Louvre. We dont know yet the evolution of the level of the Seine River in Paris.

At the Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, curators were scrambling to move some 250,000 artworks from basement storage areas at risk of flooding to safer areas upstairs.

Nearly a week of heavy rain has led to serious flooding across a swathe of Europe, leaving 16 people dead and others missing.

Although the rain has tapered off in some areas, floodwaters are still climbing and could take weeks to clear. Traffic in the French capital was snarled as flooding choked roads and several Paris railway stations shut down.

Basements and apartments in the capitals well-to-do 16th district began to flood Friday afternoon as the river crept higher, and authorities were preparing possible evacuations in a park and islands on Paris western edge.

French authorities activated preliminary plans to transfer the French presidency, ministries and other sensitive sites to secure places in case of flooding. The SGDSN security agency says the French presidency and the prime ministers office are not immediately threatened but the National Assembly and the Foreign Ministry were at greater risk.

In addition to the Louvre, the Orsay museum, home to a renowned collection of impressionist art on the left bank of the Seine, was also closed Friday as was the Grand Palais, which draws 2.5 million visitors a year.

The Louvre said the museum had not taken such precautions in its modern history  since its 1993 renovation at the very least. Disappointed tourists were being turned away but most were understanding.

Its good that they are evacuating the paintings. Its a shame that we couldnt see them today, but its right that they do these things, said Carlos Santiago, visiting from Mexico.

Elsewhere in Europe, authorities were counting the cost of the floods as they waded through muddy streets and waterlogged homes.

German authorities said the body of a 65-year-old man was found in the town of Simbach am Inn and a 72-year-old man died of a heart attack after being rescued from a raging stream in the village of Triftern, bringing the countrys death toll from recent flooding to 11.

Frances Interior Ministry also reported the death of a 74-year-old man who fell from his horse and drowned in a river in the Seine-et-Marne region east of Paris, the second death in France.

In eastern Romania, two people died and 200 people were evacuated from their homes as floods swept the area, including one man ripped from his bicycle by a torrent of water in the eastern village of Ruginesti.

In Belgium, rescue workers found the body of a beekeeper swept away by rising waters while trying to protect his hives in the village of Harsin.

The German Insurance Association estimates this weeks flooding has caused some 450 million euros ($500 million) in damage in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg alone.

The foul weather has added to the major travel disruptions France is already experiencing after weeks of strikes and protests by workers upset over the governments proposed labor reforms. French rail company SNCF said the strikes had led to the cancellation of 40 percent of the countrys high-speed trains.

French energy company Enedis said more than 20,000 customers were without power to the east and south of Paris.

Paris measures Seine water levels using an unusual method called the Austerlitz scale, which compares the surface level with an underwater sensor at the Austerlitz Bridge, said regional environment director Jerome Goellner.

In normal times, the river level is between 1 meter and 2 meters (3 feet, 3 inches to 6 1/2 feet) on the Austerlitz scale, he said, a historical system used out so one flood can be compared to another. But a piece of trash trapped in the sensor led authorities to undercount the rise of the Seine this week, he said.

The Seine so far has risen about 4.5 meters (15 feet) from its typical position following days of heavy rain. Goellner says its not possible to put a precise time on the peak expected Friday but were near the maximum.

Extreme rainfall, such as that hitting France, has increased worldwide and especially in Europe because of man-made climate change, four different scientists told The Associated Press on Friday. They said downpours like this are one of the clearest signals of global warming.

Record-breaking rainfall in Europe has increased 31 percent from 1980 to 2010, when compared to the previous 80 years, according to a 2015 Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research study.

These increasing trends have already been measured and are now affecting every storm that forms, including recent storms in France, said Gerald Meehl, a climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research,

With leading Paris museums closed, the surging currents were a tourist attraction in themselves. Prakash Amritraj of India, a 42-year-old visiting with his wife and two children, took selfies on the Mirabeau Bridge in western Paris.

I had never thought of possible floods in Paris city center. In India, we have the monsoon, but here! Its not supposed to happen! he said.

While he sympathized with all those affected, he appreciated the flooding from a different perspective.

Its kind of beautiful, in a way, he said.

(Mstyslav Chernov and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels, David Rising in Berlin, Seth Borenstein from Washington, D.C. and Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania, contributed.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BP Plc said it agreed to pay $175 million to settle claims by U.S. investors that its managers lied about the size of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill to prop up its stock price, removing the companys last major overhang from the disaster.

The investors, who blamed BP for massive losses when the true scope of the spill was revealed, had sought as much as $2.5 billion. The settlement averts a trial that was set for July in Houston federal court.

The settlement announcement Thursday came shortly after a ruling by U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison to narrow the evidence that could have been presented to a jury. The decision, which would have benefited BP at trial, limited the management statements that investors could claim affected the stock price.

BP shares plunged by more than 40 percent in the weeks after the April 2010 disaster, as it became clear the company couldnt immediately contain the spill. More than 4 million barrels of oil escaped into the Gulf of Mexico during the 87 days London-based BP took to control the well.

The investors lawsuit, led by the public employee pension funds of New York and Ohio, revolved around statements made shortly after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up in April 2010. Those statements also were central to BPs agreement in 2012 to pay $525 million to resolve claims by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the London-based company underestimated the size of the spill to bolster stock prices. BP also pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstruction of Congress related to spill estimates.

Investors saw their stock prices plummet after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, said Jennifer Freeman, a spokeswoman for the New York Comptrollers Office. This settlement helps compensate investors for their losses.

Spill Costs

BP has set aside $56.4 billion so far for the disaster, according to an April regulatory filing. The companys cumulative pre-tax charge to earnings doesnt show a complete picture of the companys financial hit from the spill. As part of funds paid out to stop and clean up the spill and compensate victims, BP has agreed to a series of deals with different groups harmed by the disaster. It isnt clear how much remains to be paid under all of these agreements.

In 2012, BP agreed to pay $4 billion to resolve criminal charges tied to pollution violations, misleading Congress and manslaughter for the deaths of 11 rig workers killed in the initial explosion. In a separate deal that year, BP agreed to pay private property and economic-loss claims by hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses in the five Gulf states, although it excluded whole categories of business claims by casinos, real estate developers and financial institutions. As many of these claims remain unevaluated and unpaid, BP said in April its estimate of $12.9 billion will likely be significantly higher once all private claims are processed and paid.

Last year, BP settled the most expensive slice of its spill litigation by agreeing to pay $20.8 billion over the next 17 years to cover additional pollution violations, financial losses and natural resources damages suffered by state, local and national government entities.

Ellison said in Thursdays ruling that investors could sue to recover for losses caused by low-ball flow rate estimates BP managers made public during the first two weeks of the spill. Company officials repeatedly estimated that 1,000 to 5,000 barrels of oil were gushing from the well daily, when internal calculations pegged the flow rate at more than 10 times higher.

Ellison rejected investors theory that BP kept propping up the share price with other statements that downplayed the financial impact a longer, wider spill would have on the company, saying thats not the same thing as misrepresenting the flow rate.

Class Action

Ellison previously allowed investors who bought ADR shares immediately after the disaster to sue as a group or class action, while spurning investors who bought before the incident.

The $175 million settlement doesnt cover other securities-related claims, BP said Thursday.

The case is In Re BP Plc Securities Litigation, 10-md-2185, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas (Houston).

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
The Atlantic should produce a near-normal 12 storms during the six-month hurricane season that officially begins Wednesday, while the U.S. coastline has a below-average chance of being struck by a major system, according to Colorado State Universitys forecast.

Of the 12 storms, five could become hurricanes and two could grow into major systems of Category 3 or stronger, said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the closely watched seasonal outlook. The U.S. has a 50 percent chance of being struck by a major hurricane, just below the 20th century average of 52 percent.

As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, Klotzbach wrote in his forecast. They should prepare the same for every season, regardless how much activity is predicted. 

In an average year, 12 systems of tropical storm strength or greater form from June 1 through Nov. 30. Already this year, Hurricane Alex formed in January and Tropical Storm Bonnie struck the coast of South Carolina last week.

Klotzbach said his prediction doesnt include those two, so 2016 could end up with 14 in total. A weakening El Nino in the Pacific Ocean could make conditions in the Atlantic more conducive for tropical storms and hurricanes.

Storms Cost

Atlantic hurricanes can exact a high toll in human life, cause billions of dollars in property damage and roil energy and agriculture markets.

About 5 percent of the U.S. marketed natural gas production comes from the Gulf of Mexico, along with 17 percent of crude oil, Energy Information Administration data show. The Gulf region also is home to more than 45 percent of petroleum refining capacity and 51 percent of gas processing.

Florida, a frequent target of storms, is the worlds second-largest orange-juice producer, behind Brazil. More than 6.6 million homes with an estimated reconstruction cost of $1.5 trillion lie in vulnerable areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, according to the Insurance Information Institute in New York.

El Nino

Among the weather changes wrought by El Nino is a greater chance of wind shear across the Atlantic that can tear storms apart. If the Pacific phenomenon fades, wind shear in the Atlantic will also drop away.

However, water temperatures in the far northern Atlantic, as well as in the sub-tropical areas of the northeastern part of the basin, are cooler than normal, Klotzbach said. This could indicate a larger shift in what is known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO, to a cooler phase.

The Atlantic tends to produce fewer storms when the AMO is in its cooler phase, which can last for 20 to 40 years. The ocean shifted to its warm phase in 1995 and most of the hurricane seasons since then have produced more than the average of 12 storms a year; 2005 spawned a record 28 storms.

Wilmas Record

Among those storms was Katrina, which wrecked New Orleans and the central Gulf Coast, and Wilma, the last major hurricane, with winds of 111 miles (179 kilometers) per hour or more, to hit the U.S. The nearly 11 years since Wilma is the longest the country has gone without being struck by a major system.

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also predicted the Atlantic would have a near-normal season, for the same reasons cited by Klotzbach. NOAA called for 10 to 16 named storms, with four to eight becoming hurricanes and one to four becoming major systems. There were 11 named storms last year and eight in 2014.

In April, Klotzbach also called for 12 storms, five hurricanes and two major systems. That forecast was released just days before the death of Klotzbachs mentor, William Gray, the originator of tropical seasonal outlooks.

He promised me when I saw him a few days before his death that I would give him at least 50 more years of seasonal forecasts, Klotzbach wrote in the current outlook. I will do my best to continue his legacy and produce seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecasts for as long as I can.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
The push by U.S. auto safety regulators to replace potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators in millions of vehicles is running into resistance from General Motors Co, documents released on Thursday show.

GMs response highlights the challenges that the Takata airbag scandal, which has led to the largest-ever auto safety recall, presents to automakers and regulators.

The largest U.S. automaker issued a preliminary recall for 1.9 million 2007-2011 trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with Takata Corp passenger-side airbag inflators that use ammonium nitrate as a propellant.

Its action was the latest in a series of recalls announced by major automakers since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) declared that all Takata airbag inflators made with ammonium nitrate should be replaced.

But GM told U.S. regulators it may not be necessary to recall many of the Takata-equipped 2007-2011 full-size trucks and SUVs, according to documents filed with the NHTSA. GM said its Takata inflators have a unique design that does not pose a safety risk.

The company said its data shows no cases of an airbag rupturing among 44,000 deployments in large pickups and SUVs that contain Takata inflators.

The Takata inflators used in GM trucks and large SUVs are designed with different venting for hot gases released when the airbag deploys, and they are installed in the vehicle in a way that minimizes exposure to moisture, the company said.

GM believes that the vehicles it manufactured with these inflators do not contain a present defect which poses an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety, the automaker stated in a document filed with the NHTSA.

GM said it plans additional testing to make the case that its vehicles are safe.

Takata and other airbag suppliers lack the production capacity to quickly produce replacement parts, officials have said.

Michigan-based air bag maker Key Safety Systems and new Chinese parent Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp are discussing a potential investment in Takata with the Japanese companys investment banker Lazard, Key Chief Executive Jason Luo said on Thursday.

Luo said he could not provide further details on whether Joyson and Key were interested in acquiring Takata or its air bag and seat belt operations.

AT ODDS WITH REGULATORS

GMs stance is at odds with the position regulators took last month when they said all frontal Takata airbag inflators without a drying agent must be recalled.

The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature, NHTSA spokesman Bryan Thomas said Thursday.

Upward of 100 million vehicles worldwide with Takata airbag inflators have been recalled and are linked to 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries. Inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments.

NHTSA confirmed in April that about 85 million Takata airbag inflators eventually will have to be recalled and replaced unless automakers can prove they are safe. Federal officials have agreed to give Takata and automakers until December 2019 to either recall ammonium nitrate inflators, or prove they are safe.

NHTSA is staggering recalls over time and directing replacement inflators first to states with extended high heat and humidity, linked to inflator failures.

However, NHTSAs handling of the situation has come under fire from Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, a U.S. Senate report said four automakers were continuing to sell some new vehicles with defective Takata airbag inflators that will eventually need to be recalled.

Ruptures have occurred without warning. In December, a driver of a 2006 Ford Ranger was killed in South Carolina when the inflator ruptured in a crash. NHTSA said 1,900 tests of the Ranger inflator type did not result in any ruptures. Ford on Wednesday recalled 1.9 million additional vehicles for Takata inflators.

GMs large pickups and SUVs are its most profitable and highest-volume models. GM declined to say how many trucks it has sold in the U.S. with ammonium nitrate Takata inflators that could be subject to recall. Data provided by LMC Automotive indicate GM built 4.9 million large pickups and large SUVs in the years 2007-2011. About 300,000 of those vehicles, heavy duty pickups, already were recalled.

GMs action Thursday was the largest of six separate recalls made public by the NHTSA. Volkswagen AG recalled 217,000 vehicles; Daimler AGs Mercedes-Benz USA unit recalled 200,000 vehicles, and the German automakers U.S. van unit recalled 5,100 vehicles. Another 92,000 vehicles were recalled by BMW AG, while Jaguar Land Rover, a Tata Motors Ltd brand, recalled 54,000 vehicles.

In total, 15 automakers have recalled nearly 16.4 million vehicles in the United States since last week, stemming from Takatas decision in May to declare another 35 million to 40 million inflators with ammonium nitrate defective by 2019.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Adrian Croft, Nick Zieminski and Bill Rigby)
Between the close of May and the close of October, the S&P 500 has rallied 19 of the last 22 election years (86 percent of the time) for an average gain of 6.2 percent. Although the stats for a rally look compelling, the results are skewed by significant volatility in a few election years.

The S&P 500 lost nearly 31 percent in 2008, while posting a 55.7 percent gain in 1932 and approximately 19.5 percent gains in 1936 and 1940. The median gain of 4.1 percent may be a more realistic measure. Nonetheless, the market has had a tendency to trade higher.

The S&P 500 has also traded strongly during the summer months of June, July and August, posting average monthly gains of 1.5 percent, 1.9 percent and 3.0 percent, respectively.

Prices were higher 77.3 percent of the time in June, just half of the time in July and 76.2 percent of the time in August. Across the period, stocks rose 76 percent of the time for an average return of 7.1 percent and median gain of 3.3 percent.
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Goldman Sachs attracted more than a quarter of a million applications from students and graduates for jobs this summer, suggesting fears of a 'brain drain' in the sector may be exaggerated as banks introduce more employee-friendly policies. The number of applications from students and graduates globally have risen more than 40 per cent since 2012, according to figures provided to the Financial Times. The data can include more than one application per individual. The numbers show Goldman Sachs is attracting far more would-be bankers than they could ever employ. The trend is mirrored at several other large banks such as JPMorgan , which said it was hiring only 2 per cent of graduate applicants to its investment banking division, and Citigroup, where the proportion of would-be analysts and associates hired in its global investment banking division was 2.7 per cent. Several  though not all  other banks also say they are seeing higher application levels and improved retention rates despite the battering the industry's reputation has taken for everything from long hours to causing a crisis that inflicted poverty on a generation.



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A separate analysis by the Financial Times showed banking has fallen sharply in popularity among MBA graduates from the world's top 10 business schools. "The idea that suddenly people don't want to go into banking  or if they do go into banking that they stay for a bit and leave immediately  a lot of that has been exaggerated," said Sam Dean, Barclays' co-head of Emea banking who has special responsibility for talent. The higher number of applications partly reflects the fact that there are fewer investment banks now, after the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis. More from the Financial Times :



Deutsche Bank customers hit by IT glitch

Dimon says Brexit would be 'terrible'

Swift threat to suspend weak members Recruitment companies also said investment banking was rebounding as a desirable profession partly because of banks' concerted effort to end their workaholic culture, such as introducing more balanced work-life structures. Last week UBS, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley said they had introduced more employee-friendly measures, including hours off for personal matters, free Friday nights and sabbaticals. "They are trying to replicate the Google model," said Bernie Toole, who heads the investment banking unit at recruitment group Selby Jennings. "Before they used to churn analysts, now they are trying to attract and retain them by introducing a more positive culture, with perks and more flexible working practises."


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High-ranking government officials from the world's largest economies gathered in Beijing on Monday for the two-day U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), an annual meeting to address bilateral and regional issues. But this edition could take on a different tone from previous years. The 2016 event will be the last under President Barack Obama, so analysts believe Washington will likely steer discussions towards areas with a higher success rate for signed agreements instead of politically sensitive subjects that are unlikely to produce any policy action. "The S&ED is a place where the U.S. wants to go home with a long list of accomplishments to show American people what they've achieved," explained Scott Kennedy, director of the project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at The Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "There's a tendency at these high-level events to come out with concrete deliverables, there's always political pressure on both sides," echoed Damien Ma, fellow and associate director at U.S. think tank The Paulson Institute. In Monday's opening remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the need for both heavyweight economies to establish "fundamental, strategic, mutual trust," the South China Morning Post reported. "There is no reason to be scared of having differences, the key is not to adopt a confrontational attitude towards any differences," Xi was quoted as saying. Currency volatility has traditionally been a headliner at the S&ED in previous years, with Washington long accusing Beijing of pushing the renminbi lower to increase trade competitiveness. This year, that may not be the case.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong tour the Forbidden City's Qianlong Garden in Beijing on June 5 ahead of the 'Eighth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.' SAUL LOEB | AFP | Getty Images

"The point of focus is shifting to real economic issues, primarily excess capacity in industrial goods like steel and aluminum. That will be more front and center than the currency issue," noted Ma, who pointed to the U.S. Treasury Department's foreign exchange market report as evidence. Released in April, the report said none of the U.S.'s big trading partners had engaged in currency manipulation in the past year. "The key for the last stages of the Obama administration is stability," said Tim Adams, president and CEO of The Institute of International Finance (IIF), a global financial industry body. "The exchange rate has become politicized as part of the U.S. election process so it's in both sides' interest to try and de-emphasize it, and instead deal with longer-term structural issues like excess capacity." Indeed, oversupply in China's industrial sectors have sent commodity prices reeling and fanned worries over the financial health of domestic state-owned enterprises. The matter is of particular concern, especially as the share of China's economy gets larger in proportion to the global economy, which increases Beijing's influence on world market prices. "The U.S. is looking for issues they can push on an open door and get some kind of agreement. They are not making progress on currency, even though they said they don't want to talk about it. Other big issues like the South China Sea are also difficult. The Chinese have already committed to tacking overcapacity so bringing it up is a smart strategy," Kennedy remarked.

To be fair, Washington has been increasingly harping on the problem in recent months. The global steel market has been hard hit from sliding prices on the back of Chinese production, and U.S. officials warned Beijing to take urgent action in April.
Shoppers at a Walmart store in Los Angeles. Jonathan Alcorn | Reuters

Wal-Mart shares are up 16 percent so far this year, but one analyst says the stock has more room to run, and he cited 10 reasons to support his position. After the company's annual shareholder meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas, last week, Jefferies analyst Daniel Binder on Monday upgraded the retailer's shares to "buy" from "hold," saying changes at the world's largest retailer are starting to take hold. He likewise lifted the price target to $82 from $60 for the company's stock, on the premise that further opportunity lies ahead. Wal-Mart shares were recently trading around $71. "Based on our store checks and survey work, we believe Wal-Mart's store investments are yielding broadly improved store conditions and first-quarter sales results seem to confirm this," he told investors. "We think this improvement will be longer lasting and should lead to upside in sales and an upward earnings per share revision cycle." However, not every analyst came away from Wal-Mart's meeting with such robust confidence. In a separate note to investors Monday, Cowen & Company analyst Oliver Chen reiterated that he needs to see more evidence of a sustained turnaround before he would upgrade the company's shares from his current "market perform" rating. As for Binder, here are the top 10 reasons why Wal-Mart stock is a buy. 1. Its investments are bearing fruit The dedication of $2.7 billion toward training employees and paying them higher wages; putting money toward its online operations; and cleaning up its stores are all driving sales momentum. But Binder said they could contribute to an even bigger top-line lift moving forward.

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At the company's annual shareholder meeting last week, management said its investments have helped the retailer log higher customer service scores year over year for the past 79 weeks.

2. Lower prices should power sales Wal-Mart said last month that it would accelerate its timeline for investing its own money into lower prices for shoppers. Although the retailer has not outlined exactly how or on which products it will lower prices, the move could help power its comparable sales "up another level," Binder said. In turn, that could position the retailer to better leverage its expenses, thereby allowing it to invest further into this strategy. 3. Better inventory management is boosting the bottom line Wal-Mart has emphasized the importance of keeping its merchandise in stock for shoppers, while at the same time keeping fewer goods on hand. It's doing so, Jefferies said, by "cleaning out the backroom" so that more of its product goes right from the warehouse to the shelves. This has helped cut down on supply chain costs, and has reduced the number of markdowns the company has needed to take, Binder said. 4. Grocery, grocery, grocery Groceries account for more than half of Wal-Mart's revenue, so it's no surprise the category was a key focus at the retailer's meeting with shareholders. According to Jefferies, sourcing in this category has improved, which has resulted in higher-quality fresh goods on shelves. The retailer's rollout of its online grocery service, which allows shoppers to place their orders online and have them delivered to their vehicle, should also help Wal-Mart grab share, Jefferies said. At the company's meeting in Arkansas, management said more than 90 percent of its online grocery shoppers are repeat customers. The retailer also announced that it would roll out online grocery at 14 more markets this month, making it available in more than 50 markets by the end of June. 5. It's keeping its store count in check Wal-Mart's decision to shutter all 102 of its small Walmart Express stores, along with slower growth of its domestic fleet, is making its stores more productive. This approach should also continue to boost the company's sales per square foot in the U.S., Jefferies said.

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Pharma bad boy Martin Shkreli kept his smirky mouth mostly shut during a court appearance Monday, but then he unloaded once he left the courthouse, where a judge delayed the scheduling of his trial.



"It went great, the judge bitch-slapped the government, again," Shkreli said, bragging to several customers at a Manhattan Dunkin' Donuts where he was live-streaming his coffee purchase on Periscope.

Shkreli continued to stream the rest of his trip back to his apartment. At one point, he said "90 percent of you watching this are morons, maybe not 90 percent, 50 percent."

At Brooklyn federal court Monday, Shkreli pleaded not guilty to a new criminal charge, filed Friday, that alleges a conspiracy to commit securities fraud in the unrestricted securities of his former pharmaceutical company Retrophin .

Shkreli's former attorney, Evan Greebel, is a co-defendant in the case, and he also pleaded not guilty to the latest charge.

Shkreli, 33, last was in court May 3, when federal prosecutors and defense lawyers revealed he could be hit with additional criminal charges in the case.



That ended up happening late last Friday, when a grand jury in Brooklyn issued a superseding indictment that, in addition to the original seven of securities fraud and conspiracy counts, added an eighth charge against Shrekli. The new count charges Shkreli and Greebel with conspiracy to commit securities fraud by hiding Shkreli's control of stock, which he had transferred to seven employees.

Shkreli has said he is innocent of the criminal case, in which prosecutors claim he looted his former pharma company Retrophin for about $11 million to pay off investors he was suspected of previously defrauding in a hedge fund he ran. Retrophin's board ousted Shkreli in 2014, and later sued him for $65 million in connection with his alleged plundering of the company.

At Monday's hearing, in a crowded courtroom, the defense objected to setting the trial date because there are a number of documents they are still waiting to receive from the government, and they also wanted more time to digest the superseding indictment.

Greebel's attorney, Lisa Rubin, said more than 3 million documents needed to be reviewed in the case. Also, she said, the new charge changes the tenor of the case, with respect to Greebel, who previously only faced a single criminal count.

Ben Brafman, Shkreli's lawyer, also argued against setting a trial date. "We're not looking to delay the process, we're looking to be informed by the process," he said.

Brafman also suggested there might be another reason why it could take a while before a trial could be scheduled. He might request that Shkreli be tried separately from Greebel because Shkreli's defense could hinge on "reliance of counsel," which would mean that Shkreli was acting on his attorney's advice.

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Paes said he didn't think the new charge changed the nature of the case in a material way, and thought a trial date should be set.



"That is the conduct that was also alleged in Retrophin's civil case," Paes said. "So there's no new evidence."
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Wal-Mart Stores  Jefferies upgraded the retailer's stock to "buy" from "hold," based on "broadly improving conditions" and improving sales and earnings.

Brinker International  Telsey Advisory Group resumed coverage on the restaurant chain's shares with an "outperform" rating. Telsey likes Brinker's move to broaden the appeal of its Chili's and Maggiano's chains, among other reasons.

Whole Foods Market  A Barron's article said the supermarket chain's prospects have improved, due to cost cuts which will allow Whole Foods to offer more competitive pricing.

Alphabet  CEO Tony Fadell is leaving Nest, the home automation firm acquired by the company in 2014 for $3.2 billion. Fadell founded Nest six years ago and said he would continue to serve as an adviser.

Viacom  Controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone asked a court to deny legal challenges filed by Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams. The two are trying to prevent Redstone from removing them from the board of the trust that will ultimately control the destiny of both Viacom and CBS .

Harley-Davidson  Goldman Sachs downgraded the motorcycle maker's shares to "neutral" from "buy," saying its channel checks indicate a slowdown despite fewer competitive headwinds.

BlackRock  BlackRock announced the sale of a Singapore office tower to the Qatar Investment Authority for $2.5 billion. BlackRock said the sale was the largest ever for a single-tower real estate property in the Asia Pacific region.

Starwood Hotels  Starwood struck an agreement with Saudi Real Estate to build two hotels in Riyadh, in a district where the government has been planning an international business zone.

Cabela's  Cabela's is the subject of a weekend Barron's article, which strikes a cautious tone on the sporting goods retailer given the stock's recent run-up on speculation of a possible takeover.

Monsanto  Monsanto is also mentioned in a cautious Barron's article, on uncertainty over whether a takeover by Germany's Bayer will actually happen and noting slower growth prospects for the agricultural chemicals and seeds maker.

Pilgrim's Pride , Tyson Foods  The poultry producers were both downgraded to "market perform" from "outperform" at BMO Capital Markets, which also cut the price targets for both poultry producers. BMO has high praise for both but said the case for aggressively investing is less persuasive at current valuations,

Regions Financial  Regions was upgraded to "market perform" from "underperform" at Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, which notes the regional bank's recent reiteration of its financial targets.

Alibaba  Softbank added $1.1 billion to its recent sale of Alibaba shares, bringing the total to $10 billion.

Devon Energy  Devon announced the sale of an additional $1 billion in non-core upstream asset sales located in East Texas and elsewhere.
Episode 7: To Build a Better Beta, which aired June 5, has two fascinating plot lines that are worth delving into deeper. The first one revolves around when to do a private beta of your product and how to manage all the emotions around that. The Pied Piper team has been working feverishly on the platform and is at the point when its ready to go beta but Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) is reluctant to take that step and expose his baby to the scrutiny of strangers.

The second plot line is about how every venture capitalist misses the next big company at some point in their career because they struggle to fully understand its potential. Monica (Amanda Crew,) the young venture capitalist on the board of Pied Piper, doesn't think the beta product is great but is wary of voicing her opinion since she did not think Slack was great either. She missed the chance to invest in Slack for 20 percent of the company and now doubts her ability to discern the wheat from the chaff. Let us analyze these two narratives further.



The topic of when to do a beta release is fascinating. Microsoft was famous in the 80's for announcing its plans for a product two years before its planned release and freezing the market. This tactic was so powerful that people coined the phrase "vaporware" to describe it. Esther Dyson is believed to have been the first person to use the word in print in her monthly newsletter RELease 1.0. Microsoft was able to successfully fend off many startups and in some cases kill them just by announcing that it was building a similar product.



Steve Jobs famously rebelled against this practice by going the other way. Apple had all its product plans in complete lock down with CIA like secrecy and only announced a product when it was truly ready to be sold. Apple prided itself on being the anti-vaporware company with the product release being a highly choreographed launch event with the fully baked product immediately available to the general public. In the 2000's Google formulated a hybrid strategy for their software launches.

Instead of releasing their product fully finished, they introduced the concept of a public beta. Because Google creates software products on the web and can update the code almost daily, they used the concept of a "public beta" to introduce products to a small group of people and used the feedback from that group to iterate fast on the product.

The most famous example of this approach was GMail which was beta released in April 2004. Google limited the beta to a small number of users since they were not sure about the service. This unintentionally became a great marketing tactic as everyone clamored to get an invitation to Gmail and the concept of a limited public beta was born. Today most startups release their products in a limited beta and hope to generate buzz before the general release.



Like Captain Ahab, every venture capitalist rues the big whale that got away. Bessemer Venture Partners famously has a section of their website titled anti-portfolio which chronicles the ones that slipped from their clutches. I too have had my Moby Dick that still haunts me. In early 2004 when I was on the board of Plaxo, Sean Parker told me that he was going to Boston to meet with this Harvard student who had created a site called "The Facebook." I thought, "College student, dropout, site aimed at helping students date each other . . . this thing will never make money." $350 Billion in market capitalization later I must admit that this social networking thing might have something to it.



Most of the really big consumer companies start off with zany ideas that are dismissed as irrelevant by conventional wisdom. Snapchat was for sexting, Instagram was for pictures of food, Twitter was for sharing inane thoughts you had right now. However, these platforms eventually grow to something bigger and more profound. The challenge for venture capitalists is that they use pattern recognition as a tool to comb through the thousands of plans they see a year. For the most part this works and is very efficient. However once in a while there will come a company that breaks all the rules and pattern recognition will fail you. Knowing when to fund that one is what separates the women from the girls in our business.
This approach is entirely backwards. When the government wanted to increase the safety of U.S. passenger vehicles, it didn't do it by "reforming" the automotive insurance industry. Accidents and deaths per mile driven weren't reduced because federal bureaucrats required insurers to treat all drivers of the same age the same way or to offer "gold" plans with mandatory coverage for windshield chip repair. And yet that's exactly the approach we've taken with healthcare.

Industry lobbyists love this setup, because it allows their clients to avoid tackling the real challenges of cost and quality while the political world debates issues that have little to do with actual patient treatment.

To have any chance of success, real healthcare reform needs to dramatically change how we pay for what we get. The current model is broken. It is unaffordable, it is piecemeal, there is little accountability for outcomes, and it is not consumer-centered.

In virtually every other industry, consumer demand drives service providers and product manufacturers to 1) improve quality and 2) compete on price. In contrast, in healthcare the approach has always been to try to reduce costs by manipulating organizational structures  as with HMOs or Accountable Care Organizations  while leaving in place the original sin of fee-for-service provider reimbursement, which will always incentivize volume-driven care decisions, and not a focus on outcomes.

As Washington DC looks to a change in the White House, the focus of the next generation of reform should be in three areas:

First, replace fee-for-service provider reimbursement with bundled payments and other approaches that link costs to outcomes. One of the few healthcare reform success stories we've had occurred in 2008, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced it would no longer pay for so-called "never events"  preventable incidents like hospital falls or objects left in patients after surgery that should never happen in modern health care delivery organizations.

This first meaningful connection between payment and outcomes led directly to a 17 percent decline in hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013. Notably, it took financial incentives/consequences before this happened.

Secondly, policy makers need to unwind the existing incentives for consolidation  a trend that is threatening the competitiveness of many local markets. ACA established a bureaucratic labyrinth of new organizational structures, regulations and incentives. Rather than focusing on the capabilities and culture needed to move toward better outcomes at lower cost, providers and payers have been compelled to invest in new staff and technologies to comply with all these new regulations.

On the provider side, this effort spawned a flood of consolidation, with healthcare delivery systems buying or affiliating with other systems, and physicians seeking refuge in employment from proliferating bureaucracy. The FTC's efforts to constrain this trend have been limited at best. The gravest danger we face as a nation is that all these systems become too big to fail  and, more importantly, too big to care.

Finally, it's past time to require transparency of cost and outcomes, so consumers can make informed choices about their care.

Transparency took a hit recently, when the Obama administration bowed to Congressional pressure and delayed the release of a new "five star" hospital rating system based on health outcomes for patients treated under Medicare. The delay is likely to be just a short-term respite for the industry. As patient-consumers increasingly transition to high-deductible plans and other models that increase their cost exposure, they will demand more transparency and information for the choices they need to make.

On their own, approaches like the star ratings won't provide enough information for consumers. When an entire facility has the same one- to five-star rating, it's difficult for a cancer patient or an expectant mom to translate that simple score into information that's relevant for their specific procedures. However, simply having some awareness that not every hospital is performing equally well and consumers should be making informed choices is an important first step toward a true market-based healthcare system.

If we are serious about healthcare reform, we need to move beyond the current obsession with coverage to a real debate about accountability, transparency, cost and quality. We also get into trouble when government is overly prescriptive with solutions. Policy makers should set the fundamentals needed for a market-based, patient-centric system, then get out of the way and watch the world change.
"Have you discussed this with your husband?" "What if you start a family?" These questions are bad enough if you're a woman looking for a job - but funding for your tech start-up? Rich venture capital firms looking to invest in India's start-up market have often put these questions to women entrepreneurs, according to industry insiders - regardless of whether they're an Ivy League graduate with experience working in some of the biggest global firms. India's heavily-hyped and celebrated start-up sector is the fastest growing in the world but it has a poor record when it comes to gender diversity. Of the nearly 4,400 start-ups, fewer than one in 10 were founded by women, according to industry body Nasscom. When it comes to attracting investment, the record is no better. In the first quarter of 2016, out of about 300 new companies that got investor funds, only 9 had solely women founders, according to YS Research. Seize the opportunity Nonetheless, there are women out there who see this disparity as an opportunity. Without any backing from the family business or an inheritance, and fighting against cultural biases, Indian women armed only with a big idea have gone ahead and got the funds to set up companies in such diverse fields as retail and pharma.

People look portrait of Inspiring women entrepreneurs of Delhi, on November 15. 2014. Sonu Mehta | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

Others, seeing a market need to support these women, have set up companies to help female entrepreneurs access funding, tap government schemes and network.

"The start-up industry is male-dominated but, having said that, this is the best time to start a business in India," says Sucharita Eashwar who has set up Catalyst for Women Entrepreneurs - a one-stop shop for women to start and scale up their businesses. While Eashwar aims to create 100 success stories of women-led businesses in the next five years, another woman, Ankita Vashistha, decided to break into a male bastion when she set up the 1 billion rupee ($15 million) Saha Fund that invests only in ventures run by women or which produce services and products for female consumers. "Since there were so few women in the investment space, we were missing out on so many good deals," says Ankita Vashistha, CEO of Saha Fund. Her fund, which is less than one year old, has already made eight investments. One such investment was in an online non-casual western wear brand for Indian women called Kaaryah, whose founder Nidhi Agarwal made 113 pitches before "Ankita came to our rescue," along with two other investors. "She intuitively understood how real the need for well-fitting western wear was. We are lucky to have an investor who is also a woman," says Agarwal, who found it difficult to initially convince investors that her idea was tapping an unmet market. Today, almost two years later, Agarwal claims Kaaryah, which offers clothes in 18 sizes, is one of the few e-commerce sites in India that is profitable.

A struggle for funds

According to a survey conducted by VC fund Kalaari Capital, a lack of investor confidence topped the list of grievances among women entrepreneurs. "She [a woman entrepreneur] is not being taken seriously by investors.she has to constantly sell her competence," Vani Kola, who set up Kalaari that has $650 million in assets under management, told CNBC.

Scientist Shrilakshmi Desiraju has been running her own pharmaceutical company for the past five years, but when she sought investor help she was asked whether her husband was also part of the business. Luckily for her, her husband had joined her company recently and she hopes to close a deal with VCs soon. The reluctance of investors to back women entrepreneurs is evident from the fact that out of the $9 billion invested by individual investors and venture capital funds in start-ups in 2015, only 5-6 percent went to women-led companies, says Saha Fund's Vashistha. Neha Motwani, who started Fitternity.com, an aggregator of fitness services, told CNBC, "I wouldn't say it [getting investors] is the biggest obstacle but certainly something very challenging and time consuming." Motwani met about 15 investors over a period of six to eight months before Saha invested in her fund.



The search for role models
Panera Bread was slapped with a lawsuit last week after a 6-year-old girl with a serious peanut allergy was allegedly served peanut butter in a grilled cheese sandwich.

The parents of the young girl said that when they ordered the sandwich online, they noted twice that it was for a child with an allergy, according to The Boston Globe. The girl was hospitalized after biting into the sandwich.

Panera Bread did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

According to the John Russo, the girl's father, the manager of the Panera Bread in Natick, Massachusetts, apologized and blamed the addition of peanut butter to the sandwich on a "language" issue.



Read the full report from The Boston Globe.
Billionaires in the United States have much better reputations than their counterparts in Russia, Mexico, Brazil and many other countries around the world, a leading global markets strategist told CNBC on Monday.

And that's given presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump runway to possibly capture the highest office in the land, said Ruchir Sharma, head of emerging markets and chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

Sharma told CNBC's "Squawk Box" the rise of Trump comes despite the heated debate on wealth inequality in the 2016 election, aggressively pursued by Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and to a lesser extent front-runner Hillary Clinton.

In his new book "The Rise and Fall of Nations," about how to gauge the prospects of countries, Sharma talks about "good billionaires," self-made entrepreneurs and "bad billionaires," those who built their fortunes by leveraging political connections or family fortunes.

Trump's record is mixed, Sharma wrote in the book, without calling him a "good" or a "bad" billionaire. The real estate mogul is a "gray line," Sharma told CNBC Monday, without elaborating.

Sharma said it's remarkable that Trump's billionaire status is not being held against him.

"In any other country, especially in the emerging markets, a character who's rising so fast in the polls, the financial markets, would be in complete panic out there," he said. "You would have a collapse in the stock markets. You would have a run on the currency."

The reason that's not happening in the U.S. this election cycle, according to Sharma, is there's faith in the American system of government. "The checks and balances are so strong, that when it comes to power, it wouldn't make much of a difference" who wins the presidency.

"There's no way a billionaire in Russia, Mexico, Brazil [or] even India would be able to make a run for the top office, because they're so vilified in those countries," he argued.

One area of concern in the U.S., however, is the increase in the amount of wealth being concentrated among billionaires, Sharma said.

"Historically, the wealth of billionaires in this country has been 10 percent of the economy, about 10 percent of GDP," he said. "Since 2009, that's exploded. And today, we're at 15 percent in this country. The second-highest in the world after Russia."

He blamed the Federal Reserve. "The Fed's easy money policies since the 2008 financial crisis have really turbocharged the inequality in this country."


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Disruption. There are conferences, newsletters, books and podcasts about that word, trying to capitalize on our cultural obsession with shaking up the status quo. The term "disruption" has become so overused as a proxy for a "cool Silicon Valley idea" that it's become cliche. But truly disruptive companies are as powerful as ever, challenging established industries or building entirely new ones. And executing a truly disruptive idea may actually be more possible than ever, thanks to the advent of new tools for entrepreneurs. The fact that the idea of disruption has become so ubiquitous is actually a good thing, said Greylock Partners' Jerry Chen: "I think it does create this spirit or aspiration of what start-ups should shoot for." Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng also said he loves the word: "It's synonymous for us with innovation. If there's something worth inventing, you're probably solving a problem that a lot of people wanted to solve, so you have to go after and disrupt the incumbent." Y Combinator partner Dalton Caldwell, a former serial entrepreneur, avoids the word. "It's possible after the fact to see that something's disruptive, but it's really hard to do on purpose. ... It can sometimes lead you in the wrong direction," he said.

Spotting disruption

"We believe that the next couple of decades will bring more disruption across the board," said Yuri Milner, whose DST Global fund has backed such giants as Facebook , Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, Spotify and Twitter . Now Milner is focused away from purely digital companies to those that combine online and offline, like his investment Flipkart, in India. And the earlier in their life cycles the companies are that he invests in, the more important he said it is to take a portfolio approach: "The founders themselves don't really know if they're going to succeed or whether they have the qualities necessary for success." Greylock's Chen argued that with all the technological innovations with the cloud, mobile and artificial intelligence, incumbents in every industry are particularly vulnerable to disruption. "Incumbents can be victims of their own business model, of their own success." And that's what Chen and his partners at Greylock are looking to capitalize on. "We start with a founder that has a vision about an industry or a market and how they're going to change it, and then we match that with a market we think could be disruptive, that's large, growing fast and is ready for change," said Chen. "That combination of a founder and a market  when they collide, they create this perfect storm." In addition to focusing on founders and the market, Feng and his colleagues at Kleiner are also focused on timing. "Could this company have existed five years earlier? The hope is that five years earlier the market conditions weren't ready for this  not enough adoption of a certain technology or not enough infrastructure to support what they're trying to do, and therefore that's why it needs to exist now," said Feng. "We're more often worried about whether an idea is too early. If you go too early, you put money and resources into proving out a market for someone else to come in and eventually win behind you."

What lies ahead?

The market that has enabled so many disruptive technologies  from Uber shaking up transportation to Spotify changing the way we listen to music  is changing. Smartphone sales are slowing for the first time in many years, indicating that the explosion of devices that's created such a massive platform for so many apps can't be depended on to sustain that growth engine for start-ups. And there's been a dearth of IPOs; the lowest number of companies since the last recession threatens the flow of capital into start-ups. "There are going to be areas that we can't just count on the macro [climate] lifting those companies up. We have to be really surgical and thoughtful in what we invest in," said Kleiner's Feng. "But at the same time, I've never been more excited by the number of interesting opportunities out there from space, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, conversation interfaces, health care." Y Combinator's Caldwell noted that the current wave of disruptive companies seemed like terrible ideas. "Doing a ride app that competes with taxis  that didn't seem super appealing; it seemed small and inconsequential," he said. "Airbnb? It seemed like no one would want to pay to sleep on someone's airbed." "The next big things will be different," said Caldwell. Predicting what areas will be big in five or 10 years, Caldwell points away from the mobile and app space to technology disrupting health care, insurance and cancer treatment.
Another exit strategy to consider: let profits run and cut losses short. This may feel counterintuitive to some traders whose instinct is to promptly exit a position that has risen quickly. Those traders are likely thinking that there is a profit to be had, and they do not want the trade to just as quickly turn against them. Likewise, some traders hold on to losing positions for an extended time in hopes the stock will recover. It makes sense: people like to profit, and they don't like to lose. So, they get out of winning positions quickly before the trade goes against them, and they stay in losing positions for a long time in hopes their trade may recover.

Of course, not every stock that rallies plummets. Some stocks continue to climb. And you may know all too well that some positions don't recover (in fact, they may even get worse over time). That's why you may consider the inverse approach to the win-quick/lose-long philosophy: let your winners run, and cut your losses quickly. The thinking behind this exit strategy states that a position is worth holding on to as long as it's gaining; and when it falls is when it should be sold.

However, stocks rise and fall throughout the day. Are you really supposed to sell on the first downtick? How do you know when it's time to get out? The answer is not an arbitrary one. Rather, it's a matter of your own personal appetite for risk. Many traders prefer to limit their risk to between 1 and 3% of their trading portfolio on a single trade. To apply this method, they calculate that amount and then determine how much a position must fall until the loss is equal to that amount. From there, they can set a trailing stop order. A trailing stop order will "follow" a position up, readjusting the sell trigger with every movement. So if a stock is bought at 10 with a trailing stop set to send a sell order one point below, the sell order will trigger if the stock falls to 9. However, if the stock climbs to 15, the sell trigger will be automatically adjusted to 14.

By determining your risk appetite and using a trailing stop, you may help limit your losses to an amount that is "acceptable," or even better: you may let your profits run.
Wireless Seismic proposes an innovative solution in this domain. Founded in 2006 by a group of exploration and production researchers, the company set itself the target of revolutionizing terrestrial seismic imaging with an advanced technology: the first wireless seismic data acquisition system to collect data in real time.

RT 2 is the only wireless system capable of instantaneously collecting millions of units of seismic data without any physical intervention of any kind.

Wireless technology provides operators with significant benefits on almost every kind of terrain: wetlands, ecologically sensitive terrain, fields and other zones that are difficult to access.. All this without any significant infrastructure, material or human intervention: a fact that makes for faster and cheaper deployment that is much safer for operators.

As Mick Lambert, President and CEO of Wireless Seismic, declared at the implementation of the RT 2 system technology by YNG (Yug-Neftegaz Private Limited) as part of a project to collect seismic data in Turkmenistan, "Companies all over the world continue to recognize the benefits, the efficiency and cost savings that the RT 2 system has brought to their seismic acquisition projects, and its flexibility when it comes to environmental questions".

This technology, which is more precise and faster, is of interest mainly to oil and gas companies, the mining industry and geothermal activities. The RT 2 system could also prove to be very useful in the prevention of earthquakes, even if this type of application has not yet been tried out.

Wireless Seismic is supported by Chesapeake Energy Corporation, one of the leading users of seismic data in the United States, Energy Ventures, an independent venture capital company that invests in the oil and gas sector, and Total Energy Ventures, the development capital subsidiary of the Total Group.

For Christophe Tonion, who is managing the Wireless Seismic file for Total Energy Ventures, "Wireless technology is quickly becoming the standard for terrestrial seismic acquisition. Real-time wireless technology represents the next generation of systems that will spread the savings we have already verified in certain configurations to the majority of applications, and will extend the use of wireless solutions to high-density campaigns involving very high numbers of receivers capable of producing very high quality images."

Wireless Seismic's innovation can be used in campaigns in complex zones, without damaging the environment and without having to use heavy machinery, while eliminating the operational risks to men and equipment and producing images of an exceptional quality at a reduced cost. "This really is 'Better Energy' and it is the future of seismic measurement," concludes Christophe Tonion.
VIRGIL, N.Y.  Greek Peak Mountain Resort has added two downhill trails to its downhill mountain-bike operation.

Greek Peak started the division in 2015 with what it described as a soft launch involving three trails.

The venue is also incorporating its existing cross-country ski trail system for mountain biking, according to a news release Greek Peak recently issued.

The new trails include one designated green or easy, and the other marked as blue or more difficult, Greek Peak said.

The resort has a chairlift to bring guests and their bikes to the top of the trail. Bikers then ride down the designated trail system.

Greek Peak has also formed a partnership with Advance Cyclery of Syracuse.

The Advance Cyclery base camp, located at the base of the mountain, will have hours similar to the trail hours, Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

We are pleased with the kick off to a long partnership with Advance Cyclery, Travis MacDowell, sales and marketing manager at Greek Peak Mountain Resort, said in the news release. They have over 35 years experience and are passionate about the cycle community. John Galli, co-owner of Advance Cyclery, brings extensive downhill racing knowledge, as well as being a master bike technician.

Greek Peak Mountain Resort and Hope Lake & Conference Center are located in the town of Virgil, south of Cortland.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
UTICA, N.Y.  The Upstate Venture Association of New York (UVANY) this week will host a forum on securing funding for entrepreneurs at the ThINCubator in Utica.

The event is set for this Thursday, June 9 from 5:15 p.m. to 8 p.m., the organization said in a news release.

The session will include a panel discussion with New York entrepreneurs who have raised significant capital.

The event serves as a precursor to the Business Incubator Association of New York State, Inc. (BIANYS) annual meeting, which is set for Friday in Utica.

UVANY is excited to partner with [Albanybased] BIANYS for this event because its so incredibly important for entrepreneurs hoping to raise capital to hear from others who have traveled the same road, Jennifer Tegan, president of UVANY and partner at Cayuga Venture Fund, said in the release. The lessons learned and shared are invaluable from one entrepreneur to another.

Tickets for the UVANY event are available at this website.

Following the panel discussion, several startups will pitch the audience. The startups include Uticabased SkyTubeLive.

Were preparing the beta release of our product, a mobile app enabling live streaming video from consumer drones, Brian Barris, CEO of SkyTubeLive, said in the UVANY release. So were interested in raising capital to help our company achieve our next level of growth, and really looking forward to having the opportunity to present at this event.

RIT Venture Creations, a tech accelerator that has enabled clean-tech companies to raise upwards of $50 million in private investment since 2010, will moderate the presentations, UVANY said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Finland honors poet Eino Leino on its first circulating commemorative 2 coin of 2016.

Finlands first circulating commemorative 2 coin of 2016 honors poet Eino Leino, who died in 1926.

The coin was released April 25.

Leino published more than 70 books of poems and stories. Nature, love, and despair are frequent themes in Leinos work. He is beloved and widely read in Finland today. In 2016, 100 years will have passed from the publication of the two-part poetry anthology Helkavirsia (1903 and 1916), ranked amongst Leino's most influential work, according to the Mint of Finland.

The obverse of the coin depicts the figurative fire and flame, which were constant symbols in Leino's work. Pertti Makinen designed the obverse, which includes Leinos name in cursive, the year of issue (2016), the FI abbreviation for Finland and the Mint of Finland mark.

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The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring.

The coins outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

A total of 1 million of the coins was released into circulation and for collector sales.

The coin is available in various options from the Mint of Finland, and in Proof, all sold above face value. A 25-count roll is available for 90. A pouch with 10 coins retails for 41. A Proof example retails for 24.

The 2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.
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The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
How a community saved the Wooldridge Baptist Church from wildfire

The wildfire in Wooldridge burned about two dozen buildings. Remarkably, no one died, and the church remains.
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By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

Ten people who conspired to traffic drugs from Arizona and California to Memphis were sentenced to a collective 590 months in prison, the office of U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III said Monday.

Members of the drug trafficking organization agreed to distribute oxycodone, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.

Eddie Caswell led the organization and recruited family members to join, Stanton's spokesman Louis Goggans said in a news release. Caswell initially shipped marijuana from Arizona and then worked with Taderrio Johnson and Armando Penunuri who were California suppliers of methamphetamine and prescription drugs. Authorities intercepted four kilograms of methamphetamine in February 2015.

"Over the course of the conspiracy, one of the defendants, (Frederick) Burton, worked as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier," Goggans said. "In collaboration with Caswell, Burton arranged to have express mail packages containing drugs mailed to addresses on his mail route. In exchange for cash, Burton would divert those packages to members of the drug trafficking organization."

The sentences are:

- Eddie Caswell, aka "Geezy", 35, of Memphis: 200 months

- Armando Penunuri, aka "Migo," 29, of Los Angeles: 120 months

-Taderrio Johnson aka "Pee-Wee", 29, of Los Angeles: 57 months

- Marcus Moore, aka "Corry Moore," 33, of Memphis: 18 months

- Martavious Taylor aka "Snap," 32, of Memphis: 60 months

- Tavious Jones aka "Threat" and "No Face, No Case," 23, of Memphis: 57 months

- Brandon Heard, 27, of Memphis: 12 months

- Taquita James, 33, of Memphis: time served

- Brittany Junious, aka "Brittany Caswell," 23, of Memphis: 12 months

- Frederick Burton, 52, of Memphis: 60 months
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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON  A Middle Tennessee attorney and writer who was urged by conservative opponents of Donald Trump to mount an independent campaign for president has decided not to jump into the race.

"After days of prayer, reflection, and serious study of the possibilities, I am not going to run as an independent candidate for president of the United States," David French wrote in an article posted Sunday night on The National Review's website.

French, a staff writer for the magazine, considered running "only because we live in historic times," but ultimately concluded he should not enter the race.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve my country, and I thank God for the successes I've had as a lawyer and a writer," said French, who lives and works in Columbia, Tenn. "But it is plain to me that I'm not the right person for this effort."

French's decision to sit out the race is a serious blow for conservatives searching for a third-party candidate who could give voters an alternative to Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

French was raised as a possibility after Bloomberg Politics reported a couple of weeks ago that he was the choice of Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, a leader of the "Never Trump" movement who has said the New York real-estate mogul's character and temperament make him unfit to be president.

At the same time he announced he would not be a candidate, French lobbed harsh criticism at both Clinton and Trump.

Clinton "lies habitually and changes position on virtually every public issue except for her pro-abortion extremism," French wrote.

He also slammed Clinton over her use of a private email server while secretary of State and said her only foreign policy "achievement" was helping launch a war in Libya "that not only cost American lives in Benghazi but also helped transform the nation into ISIS's latest playpen."

Trump, he wrote, "also lies habitually (sometimes minute by minute), and changes position based on his moods."

"In one breath, he claims to support working men and women, and then with the next breath he threatens to destroy our economy through trade wars or by playing games with the full faith and credit of the United States," French said.

Given the reality of the race, "it would be tempting to say that when it comes to confronting this national moment, 'somebody' stepping up is better than nobody," French wrote. "But somebody is not always better than nobody."

French, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, said that while he believes there is still a path for a third-party candidate, "it was simply not prudent for me to take on this task."

"I remain against Trump and against Hillary," he said, "but I will do all I can where I am."
June 5, 2016 - Jake Schorr IV talks to a homicide detective outside Westy's where a crime spree that left three shot and an MPD officer dead began. Schorr heard the the suspect approach shouting and talking loudly before he opened fire striking two customers of the eatery sitting outside. Schorr proceeded to chase the suspect until he lost sight of him in the Bass Pro Shops parking lot where the third victim was shot. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)

Eyewitness describes assailant as 'deranged'

By Thomas Bailey Jr. of The Commercial Appeal

The evening was pleasant enough for a few Westy's regulars to enjoy their drinks together, seated at one of the pub's picnic tables on the Pinch District sidewalk.

Then trouble approached from the south about 9:55.

A young man partly concealed in a dark hoodie walked north toward Westy's on the same, east side of North Main.

The first alarming sign was not only what the man said, but the way he said it.

" 'What y'all looking at me for?' '' Jake Schorr IV heard the pedestrian yell as he crossed Jackson and approached the Westy's sidewalk patio. The man was cursing loudly, too.

Schorr, 49, works for his father, Jake Schorr III, who owns the restaurant and bar at 346 N. Main, at Jackson. The younger Schorr happened to be outside Westy's side door on Jackson when he heard the man in the hoodie approach.

Schorr and bartender Martin Morris were preparing to walk up to the front of the restaurant to see what the problem was.

"We don't put up that kind of person dealing with our customers like that,'' he said.

But gunfire erputed before they could reach the front of the building.

Schorr did not know it at first, but two male customers sitting at a picnic table were shot, one in the neck and the other in the shoulder.

"I rolled over into my truck -- (parked at the side of the building) -- with the door open,'' recalled Schorr. "I called him out on the corner, told him to halt.

"He stopped and turned, showed his weapon and I then pursued him by foot southbound on Main Street almost to the convention center."

Morris, the bartender, joined the pursuit in his vehicle.

"The whole time I'm on the phone with the police 911, trying to get through to direct the police in the direction he's traveling,'' Schorr said.

Under the I-40 overpass on the north side of the Memphis Convention Center, the assailant jumped a fence separating Front Street from property leading to Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.

"At that point, the police cars are headed down Front Street,'' Schorr said. "I'm flagging them down and putting the police officers on point at the Bass Pro parking lot, at the south entrance,'' Schorr said.

Schorr lost sight of the man, now on the other side of the fence, when he turned to get the attention of police coming down Front.

But soon, Schorr heard a distinctive sound from the Bass Pro parking lot.

"Some more shots fired,'' he said. "Then we saw a silver Camaro take off at a high rate of speed in the parking lot as the police officers were trying to apprehend him.''

Schorr said the man had shown his gun three or four times, so he never got closer to him than 75 to 100 feet.

"Obviously, he was deranged,'' Schorr said. "I don't know what else you could say about a sick person coming down the street and then pull out a gun and shoot somebody defenseless sitting at a table.''

The wounded customers were "just having drinks and enjoying their company,'' Schorr said. ''... Sharing some friendship time and some good spirits.''
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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

An event this evening at the Hernando Public Library will explore James Meredith's "March Against Fear" 50 years ago, and another event at Centenary United Methodist Church in Memphis June 25 will do the same.

Such events, not surprisingly, tend to draw criticism from some, claiming it's dredging up the past and creating tension in the process. One such letter to the editor on the The Commercial Appeal's opinion page Friday, responding to the May 31 story on tonight's Hernando event, said the story was "stirring up racial hatred" over a 50-year-old event that had been mostly forgotten.

The writer suggested the newspaper change its focus to highlight "positive and current events that will create an atmosphere of unity, forgiveness and, most of all, love for each other."

It's a lovely sentiment with which I think everyone would agree, including those hosting tonight's forum (a current event, by the way): "Challenging the Racial Hierarchy, Then and Now." Forum moderator Michael Smith said, after all, there needs to be "love at the table and genuine dialogue. We need events like this where people can just be listened to."

That doesn't seem to be an attempt to fuel hatred but instead an attempt to fuel dialogue.

It's a bit disingenuous to argue  as many do  that displaying the Confederate flag honors history, while discussing key moments in the Civil Rights movement unnecessarily dredges it up.

History is history, and it's all worthy of discussion if we can learn from it. What we learn is perhaps the more important point  and possibly the reason some would prefer we ignore certain parts of it.

MAGNOLIA STATE SHOWDOWN

Mississippi's controversial "Religious Freedom" law goes into effect July 1, and the state is headed for inevitable confrontations between court clerks and same-sex couples wanting to marry.

At least that's the opinion of plaintiffs in a court effort to reopen a lawsuit so protections can be added against possible repercussions from the new law.

Claims in any court filing should be taken with a grain of salt, as it presents only one side of the argument and is likely to offer the scenario most harmful to its cause without court relief.

That said, it does seem reasonable that tense moments could occur, given that the law allows clerks to decline issuing a marriage license to same-sex couples if doing so violates the clerk's religious beliefs. The law says another clerk can issue the license instead, but it's murky what would happen if all clerks and deputy clerks in an office choose to exercise their option not to issue a license  a scenario that doesn't seem far-fetched.

Some also are uncomfortable that Gov. Phil Bryant doesn't attempt to separate his secular role as the state's chief executive from his religious views on the issue, characterizing critics as "secular, progressive" forces who are adversaries.

Time will tell if, as Bryant and supporters say, it's all much ado about nothing. But don't be surprised if July 4 isn't the only day next month that comes with fireworks.

ON BROADWAY

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi has made the bright lights of Broadway.

The Hernando-based nonprofit won a STEM Education Leadership Award during a ceremony last month in New York City. The award, one of 16 given, recognized the foundation's work to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills in students and prepare them for careers in those fields.

"The Community Foundation has its roots in education technology," President Tom Pittman said, "starting with a community-wide initiative in 2000 to place an Internet-accesible computer in every DeSoto County public school classroom."

One of the perks of winning the award in the Big Apple? Pittman got to pose with the prize in front of the Foundation's name in lights behind him.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Senior center: Southaven is ready to take the wraps off its new senior citizens center at Snowden Grove.

Mayor Darren Musselwhite will host a tour of the facility Thursday. It's inside the city's Park Building at 3335 Pine Tar Alley in Snowden Grove Park.

We'll be there with full coverage of the long-anticipated center's unveiling.

Juneteenth: Look for a story later this week with more details, but DeSoto County's annual Juneteenth celebration returns for a fourth year to Horn Lake's Latimer Lakes Park Saturday.

The event, sponsored by the North Mississippi Cultural Foundation, will runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the park.

It will feature live music, food and games. Go to NorthMississippiCulturalFoundation.org for more information.

AND FINALLY ...

Last Friday was the third of June. Mean anything to you?

It should if you know your Mississippi Delta history. That's the day Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge in Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit "Ode To Billie Joe."

The song became a sensation that had people nationwide wondering what, exactly, happened on Choctaw Ridge. Gentry, whose real name was Roberta Lee Streeter, used a sultry Southern voice to pull listeners, as one writer put it, "into a world that was as dark and exotic as a Flannery O'Connor story."

So, to finish this week, we leave you with a video to keep you humming:
Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite

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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

Southaven is taking issue with a British newspaper's report that the city is among more than 30 U.S. cities that "cheated" on water quality testing, resulting in potentially false findings on lead levels.

The Guardian newspaper published a report last week in which it said its investigation found more than 30 cities in 17 states used water testing "cheats" of one type or another that potentially conceal dangerous lead levels.

The newspaper launched its investigation following the toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

But Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said Monday his city followed specific instructions from the state Department of Health's Bureau of Public Water Supply. Musselwhite added in a statement that the city is only required to test every three years and isn't due for another test until 2018.

"It is very disheartening, at the minimum, to see a media organization paint a misleading picture with inaccurate information, but it is unacceptable to make a completely false assertion," Musselwhite said.

The Guardian report listed 33 U.S. cities and towns it said use testing methods that defy Environmental Protection Agency guidance. Specifically, the newspaper placed Southaven on a list of 10 cities  all in the South  that it said had testers run water slowly, which causes less lead to be dislodged from pipes.

The only other area city on the list was Jackson, Mississippi, which the story said uses the same method of testing as Southaven. Water in some Jackson homes earlier this year tested for lead above recommended levels. It's unclear why other DeSoto County, and Mississippi, cities weren't cited since they all use the same state standards.

Other cities across the U.S., according to the report, employed different testing methods that potentially "cheated" on lead level results.

Musselwhite said the way in which water samples are obtained follows state standards and EPA guidelines. The federal agency has suggested changes that have been made since Southaven's last required test.

"The (Guardian report) referenced a change in the manner with which the water sample is obtained communicated to the state from EPA," Musselwhite's statement said. "The city of Southaven has not completed a sample since the referenced changes as we are not due to complete another sample until 2018 per state instructions. Therefore, the suggestion that we 'cheated' the sampling process is completely false.

"I've asked this organization for a public statement to clarify the fallacies of this article and clear the name of our city, but this has not happened yet. The city of Southaven will consider all options in protecting the reputation of our outstanding utilities department and city, in general."
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Violent crime in Memphis is on the rise this year. Property crimes are down. How much of those trends might be attributed to the city's "safety zones" is impossible to say. There are too many variables to answer the question definitively.

But the experiment will continue as a result of Shelby County Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter's decision last week to reject constitutional arguments against the law enforcement tool that defines areas of the city where known gang members are barred from association.

Potter's ruling came in the cases against defendants Earnest Williams, arrested last year on the front porch of a home with three other men in violation of the Dixie Homes Murda Gang/47 Neighborhood Crips injunction, and Joe McKnight, who had become subject to a 2014 injunction affecting two apartment complexes in Frayser.

Originating in California in the 1980s, court-ordered safety zones, established on the legal theory that gang activity in these areas constitutes a public nuisance, began taking shape in Memphis in 2009.

They eliminate what would otherwise be required of police to make an arrest  probable cause to suspect criminal activity. Mere association between two people who have wound up on a list of gang members is enough.

Across the United States, studies have turned up some reductions of crime in the affected areas, but they are often confined to the short term and may be driving up crime in areas not covered by the injunctions. Criminals find ways to associate without violating the safety zone terms.

And civil libertarians argue that these injunctions go too far, violating such basic constitutional rights as freedom of speech and freedom of association.

"Police all over California and the nation are using 'gang' injunctions as a rationale for racial profiling and to criminalize young people of color," the organization Legal Services for Prisoners with Children argues on its website. "We oppose these injunctions, which create a police state for whole neighborhoods and violate the civil rights of individuals and communities."

But legal challenges to the idea have fallen short so far. As long as individuals are given a chance to challenge their inclusion on gang-member lists, gang injunctions have passed constitutional muster.

And architects of the concept are certainly to be commended for their efforts. Gangs frustrate crime prevention efforts, drive fearful residents of troubled neighborhoods behind closed doors and trap young people into dead-end lives or, in too many cases, violent death.

Crime perpetuated by gangs has an immense impact on the community, some of it spilling over into neighborhoods where there is the expectation of a quiet, untroubled life. Police need tools to fight this scourge.

Unfortunately, safety zones in Memphis appear to be here to stay.
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By Arthur Cyr

From ancient times, amphibious military invasions are rightly regarded as especially challenging. Today is the 72nd anniversary of the greatest such operation, the Allies' invasion of France in World War II  D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The Normandy invasion combined thorough planning, mobilizing vast materiel and great imagination. When the operation, already underway, was publicly announced, a U.S. newspaper highlighted a front-page drawing of invading soldiers cascading into Europe, as a terrified Hitler fled. A year of extremely brutal, almost continuous combat lay ahead, but the end of Nazi Germany was in sight once the beaches were secured.

The leadership of Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was crucial. Ike demonstrated great executive ability in supervising an unprecedented logistical challenge, and his remarkable interpersonal skills welded and held together the most diverse military alliance in history. Related to this, he was able to establish overall unity of command. This was never achieved even among the American military in the Pacific, where Gen.Douglas MacArthur pursued one strategic vision, while Navy admirals implemented a different approach.

Extensive bombing of transport routes and supply depots in France was viewed by Eisenhower as crucial preparation for the land invasion. Such action would bring an estimated minimum of 60,000 civilian casualties, and perhaps far more. For that reason, many American and British air commanders resisted such widespread destruction, arguing for a much more limited effort.

Eisenhower was adamant about the absolute need for extensive bombing, arguing that less would put the invasion at severe risk. He was able to turn to the leader of the Free French, Gen. Charles de Gaulle, whose nation was the target. De Gaulle agreed completely, and gave unequivocal support. Alone among senior Allied commanders, Ike had managed to establish an effective working relationship with the demanding, difficult French leader.

Simultaneously, the American leader never lost awareness of the terrible human costs of war, borne primarily by the enlisted ranks. He constantly stressed the fundamentally important role of the combat soldier, and regularly went to see troops in the field. This dimension is captured especially by classic photographs of his visit with young American paratroopers preparing to depart to initiate D-Day.

Finally, Eisenhower demonstrated truly brilliant imagination. During heavy fighting for Sicily in 1943, Gen. George Patton slapped two U.S. soldiers suffering extreme combat stress, and in the ensuing intense public maelstrom he was almost fired. In reaction, Nazi leaders dismissed the controversy as fabricated propaganda; the German military routinely executed thousands of its own men for various infractions annually.

Eisenhower responded by isolating Patton in England, to reflect on his behavior while a fictitious army was created around him. Actors were assigned roles, bogus information generated, phony buildings and vehicles constructed. The trick worked. On D-Day and immediately thereafter, crucial German units were held back, in part because Patton's (fictitious) forces had not yet moved.

Carthage College teachers over many years have made good use of the ancient classic "The Art of War" by ancient China's philosopher Sun Tzu, who stressed the importance of deception. Ike may or may not have read the book. He could have written the book, easily.

When Eisenhower died, newly inaugurated President Richard Nixon's insightful eulogy rightly compared him to George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

On this anniversary, Ike provides enduring lessons for all of us.

Arthur Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College. Contact him at acyr@carthage.edu.
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By Dan McLaughlin

Why don't normal people run for president? How did we get these candidates? We face, in 2016, the possibility that one of just two American families  the Clintons and the Bushes  will produce the occupant of the White House for the sixth time in the past eight elections. The alternative is a boorish carnival barker who probably has never read the Constitution. Can't we have some better choices?

Tuesday showed why we can't. Bill Kristol, the ever-optimistic editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, has been trying to recruit a sane alternative to Donald Trump. And Bloomberg Politics reported Tuesday that Kristol was looking at Tennessean David French, a National Review writer and Harvard-educated constitutional lawyer who served in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star. French is almost completely unknown to the general public, but at first glance, anyone would regard him as the sort of accomplished, upstanding, idealistic citizen who ought to try his hand at electoral politics.

So what happened? Without waiting for confirmation from French  without even waiting for Kristol to confirm that he was trying to persuade French to run  the Washington political establishment started digging for dirt.

Almost immediately Politico reporter Kevin Robillard unearthed a 2011 column summarizing a book French and his wife, Nancy, had written about their separation while he was in Iraq, discussing how they maintained a long-distance relationship in wartime. The couple agreed, among other things, that Nancy would stay off Facebook and restrict her phone and email contacts with men. Robillard summarized the column  apparently without reading the book  as saying that French "wouldn't let his wife email men or use Facebook."

Never mind that French, if he runs, would be facing a thrice-married serial adulterer who conspicuously avoided wartime military service, and the wife of a former president who did the same and subjected the nation to its most spectacular sex scandal. Never mind the actual experience of people who have dealt with the strains that modern combat service places on a marriage. Never mind that French's wife is a writer (and co-author of the book), not merely a passive participant in her marriage. Nobody asked her.

The chattering class also seized on the fact that French writes National Review's recaps for the "Game of Thrones" TV series. This was much derided as a sign of how preposterous his not-yet-announced run would surely be, how low his chances of success. Couldn't Bill Kristol find someone better, the wags wanted to know? Yes, it's so ridiculous to imagine a TV re-capper in the Oval Office, when we could elect a bona fide reality star instead.

What is perhaps most disturbing is the fact that French, in a way, is a member of the media, but that didn't save him. Fraternity didn't stop reporters from churning out instant opposition research at the mere rumor that French might be considering higher office. They turned on their own.

The 24/7 hatchet-job machine will consume anyone who is actually sincere and candid in public. A single tweet can race around the world before context starts lacing its boots.

This dynamic is not entirely new; tabloid news coverage, yellow journalism and unscrupulous personal attacks were a standard feature of national politics in the early decades of the American Republic. But instant-publishing technology removes even minimal restraints on pernicious gossip or baseless attacks. Anyone with a social media following can start a raging online mob without the slightest bit of reflection.

That's why people with dignity and a decent respect for their families steer clear of elective office, leaving only people like Trump and the Clintons  people incapable of shame and hermetically removed from the life of ordinary human beings. Trump and Clinton have proved that the best defense against a career-ending scandal, failure or offense is to have too many of them for anyone to count.

Maybe David French will run for president, and maybe he won't. Maybe he'd make a great chief executive, and maybe he wouldn't. But if we want leaders we can admire and trust, we should give aspirants to political office a fair hearing before turning their lives inside out looking for reasons to disqualify them. If we can't even spare a day to do that, we deserve the candidates we get.

Dan McLaughlin is a lawyer in New York and contributing editor of RedState.com. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
Is Facebook listening to every word you say? Zucks crew says it wont use your speech to target advertising or reorder your feed, but its still unclear what it does use the microphone for. Aside from the obvious, that is. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers tighten their lips, for fear of sinking their privacy.

Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: This irritating iPhone app





Whats the craic? Sophie Kleeman reports the denialFacebook Says It's Definitely Not Listening to Your Phone's Microphone:

Facebook [is] not listening to your microphone. ... Nope, no way, nuh-uh, no siree.



The pledge comes in response to recent reports...that Facebook could be using background conversations to [target] ads. ... Facebook, however, dismissed the accusations.





Previously, Andrew Griffin reported the accusationprofessor suggests:

Kelli Burns, mass communication professor at the University of South Florida [said] she discussed certain topics around the phone and then found that the site appeared to show relevant ads. ... The claim chimes with anecdotal reports [it] appears to show ads for things that people have mentioned in passing.



Facebook says...it doesnt record conversations, but that it does use the audio to identify what is happening. ... The claims come after Belgian police warned citizens not to use Facebook's Reactions tool.





This seems pretty thin stuff, frankly. Facebooks faceless PR mavens respond bluntlyFacebook Does Not Use Your Phones Microphone for Ads or News Feed Stories:

Facebook does not use your phones microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed. [We dont] show ads based on...what youre talking out loud about.



We only access your microphone...if you are actively using a specific feature that requires audio. This might include...using an optional feature we introduced two years ago to include...audio in your status updates.





Oh well thats all right then. Zoe Kleinman notes Prof. Burns quote was blown out of proportionclaim denied by professor:

Burns has denied saying she believes Facebook is listening to people. ... "I never made the claim that [it] is happening, or that my one experiment...was in any way proof. ... I never said...Facebook can hear you."



She has since heard from...people who believe it...also happened to them. ... "I believe there are a lot of strange...coincidences out there and people are looking for those."





Thats all very well, but wheres the bigger picture? Antonio Garcia Martinez has a book to plug:

Facebook [has] a company culture with the fervor of a messianic sect. ... By imprinting [his] vision on his disciples, Zuckerberg founded the church of a new religion. ... The hacker ethos prevailed above all.



Facebook is full of true believers. ... Everyone sacrificing his or her entire life for the cause. [They] really, really, really...will not stop until every man, woman, and child on earth is staring [at] a Facebook logo..like the proverbial lab rat...hitting the lever for another drop of cocaine water.



And Finally

Is this the most irritating app ever?
Oh goody, just what we need, more devious and undetectable surveillance in the form of an invisible backdoor built into computer chip hardware. Im completely creeped out after reading A2: Analog Malicious Hardware (pdf), which won as best paper at the 37th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.

University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science researchers didnt just dream up this undetectable hardware-level backdoor; they built it.

The researchers dont call it surveillance, but well get back to that. A2 is a new style of fabrication-time attack which leverages analog circuits to create a hardware attack that is small, stealthy, and controllable. The remotely-controllable privilege escalation attack would be nearly impossible to detect.

In the words of Yonatan Zunger, Head of Infrastructure for the Google Assistant, This is the most demonically clever computer security attack Ive seen in years.

This is not a hidden backdoor in software, but a malicious modification, a backdoor added to hardware, to a microchip. Tainted supply chains have long been a concern, since most chips are fabricated overseas by third-parties. If added to a chip, it works like a capacitor, storing energy, such as each time you visit a website that contains hidden, malicious code  perhaps JavaScript since it seems to be all over the interwebs.

Once triggered, after the capacitors store up enough electricity to be fully charged, it would flip-flop, or be switched on, to give an attacker complete access to whatever system or device that contains the backdoored chip  be that a PC in a corporation, a personal laptop, a smartphone or an IoT device.

Once the trigger circuit is activated, payload circuits activate hidden state machines or overwrite digital values directly to cause failure or assist system-level attacks. The researchers added, Since the goal of this work is to achieve a Trojan that is nearly invisible while providing a powerful foothold for a software-level attacker, we couple our analog triggers to a privilege escalation attack. We propose a simple design to overwrite security critical registers directly.

Experimental results show that our attacks work, show that our attacks elude activation by a diverse set of benchmarks, and suggest that our attacks evade known defenses, the researchers wrote.

Even if you know hardware, are comfortable taking electronic devices apart, its not like the modification is visually obvious; on the contrary, its virtually invisible.

If you think it would be detected by testing, then think again; the researchers said that attackers can craft attack triggers requiring a sequence of unlikely events, which will never be encountered by even the most diligent tester.

University of Michigan researcher Matthew Hicks told Wired that governments may have already come up with this attack. By publishing this paper we can say its a real, imminent threat. Now we need to find a defense.

With the feds wanting a backdoor into encryption, and basically any app and online site, this seemed like it could be leveraged for more than cyber-espionage by nation-state attackers. Couldnt it also be used for surveillance?

Browsing history can land you onto the no-fly list?

Then again, surveillance may have come to mind based solely on the order of which I read news. Before reading the research paper, I found out that by researching ISIS, such as for an article, you could land on the no-fly list. Although President Obama was actually responding to a gun shop owner about Second Amendment rights during PBS NewsHour, he added:

I just came from a meeting today in the Situation Room in which I got people who we know have been on ISIL web sites, living here in the United States, U.S. citizens, and were allowed to put them on the no-fly list when it comes to airlines, but because of the National Rifle Association, I cannot prohibit those people from buying a gun. This is somebody who is a known ISIL sympathizer. And if he wants to walk in to a gun store or a gun show right now and buy as much  as many weapons and ammo as he can, nothings prohibiting him from doing that, even though the FBI knows who that person is.

Surely that doesnt mean lurking, or even actively trolling ISIS puts you on some FBI watchlist as well as the no-fly list, but it would be nice for that to be more fully explained. Youd think there has to be more to it, but a person can land on the NSAs radar and watchlists just by being privacy-conscious, using Tor or by visiting the Linux Journal which the feds consider to be an extremist forum.

The A2: Analog Malicious Hardware is a scary scenario

Although Google's Zunger suggested state-level actors would be most interested in the demonically clever, undetectable hardware-level backdoor, he added, I don't know if I want to guess how many three-letter agencies have already had the same idea, or what fraction of chips in the wild already have such a backdoor in them.

Whether it was used for insidious surveillance or a slick, sic attack, its a fairly scary scenario. The researchers outlined possible new testing technologies which could be developed to detect the undetectable analog malicious hardware backdoor.
Scientists with the U.S. Navy are working to develop an augmented reality display for divers' helmets that would enable them to see photos, sonar readings and texts while working under water.

The futuristic-looking helmet offers a bit of Iron Man-meets-Aquaman in what the Naval Surface Warfare Center calls "next-generation" technology.

Richard Manley/U.S. Navy William Hughes III, lead engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, demonstrates the Divers Augmented Vision Display during a lab simulation.

Dubbed the Divers Augmented Vision Display, the augmented reality technology is embedded directly inside the helmet.

"By building this [heads up display] directly inside the dive helmet, instead of attaching a display on the outside, it can provide a capability similar to something from an Ironman movie," Dennis Gallagher, the Navy's Underwater Systems Development Project Engineer, said in a statement. "You have everything you visually need right there within the helmet."

The smart helmet has been demonstrated to about 20 military divers so far.

The Navy expects to conduct in-water simulation testing in October, with expanded field testing set for 2017.

The military has not specified when the helmets could be in actual usage.

According to the Navy, the new helmet is expected to be used by military divers doing underwater construction, searches and salvage operations. It also could be used by first responders and commercial divers.

The technology is designed to aid divers by giving them visuals of exactly what they're looking for, mapping information and messages from the surface.

The military also noted that it is working on sensors, particularly video systems and sonar, that individual divers could use in murky conditions with the data being fed directly into the smart helmets.

"We constantly engage with the operators; if there is a vision they have, we can make it happen," Gallagher said. "By having this type of positive on-the-spot feedback, you know you're going down the right road."
From PCs to servers, Intel is trying to redesign the way computers operate. We've already seen how PCs are changing, with 2-in-1 hybrids and tiny Compute Sticks, but some of the chip maker's groundbreaking technologies will initially appear in servers.

The PC market is in decline, and the chipmaker has cut unprofitable products like smartphone chips. Intel is redirecting more resources to develop server and data-center products, which are already money makers for the company.

Intel is also focusing on markets like the Internet of Things, memory, silicon photonics, and FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), all of which have ties to the fast-growing data center business.

Intel has cut about 12,000 jobs in the transition away from smartphone chips and PCs. Employees have bought into the company's new strategy, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said during a speech at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference last week.

Many innovations and "dramatic changes" are coming over the next two to three years, especially on the data-center side of the business, Krzanich said.

Intel has always looked at ways to drive up performance in individual systems, but the company's focus is changing to drive improvements in server, memory, networking, and storage components at the rack level. The company is also working to speed up communications between the components.

"We have a lot of good work to do," Krzanich said.

Intel has pushed a concept called the Rack Scale architecture, which is meant to bring configuration flexibility and power efficiency to server installations. The idea is to decouple processing, memory, and storage into separate boxes on a rack. More memory, storage, and processing resources can be installed at the rack-level than on individual servers patched together, and shared resources like cooling could help cut data-center costs.

Intel's OmniPath fabric, a superfast interconnect technology, is viewed by Krzanich as the centerpiece of new server technologies. It will provide the protocols for CPUs to communicate at faster speeds with components inside a server and at the rack level. In the future, Intel envisions data transfers happening over beams of light, which will speed up OmniPath.

OmniPath will accelerate workloads like analytics and databases. It will be available through network controllers on Intel's upcoming Xeon Phi supercomputing chip code-named Knights Landing, but the ultimate goal is to bring the interconnect closer to the CPU.

"There are workloads that can be taken from software that's working in memory to software that's working right on the silicon, right next to the CPU, with a direct link through the OmniPath fabric," Krzanich said.

Using beams of light for speedy data transfers is the idea behind silicon photonics, another technology that's a priority for Intel. Silicon photonics will replace traditional copper wires, and bring faster data transfers across storage, processing, and memory components on racks, Krzanich said.

After delays, Intel has said it will ship modules to implement silicon photonics later this year.

Xeon chips will always be important to Intel, but the chipmaker is also looking at speedy co-processors called FPGAs to quickly perform specific tasks. Intel believes a killer combination of CPUs and FPGAs, which can be easily reprogrammed, could speed up a wide range of workloads.

FPGAs are already being used by Microsoft to speed up the delivery of Bing search results, and by Baidu for faster image search. Intel believes FPGAs are relevant for artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks. Intel also plans to use FPGAs in cars, robots, drones, and IoT devices.

Intel acquired FPGA technology through the US$16.7 billion purchase of Altera last year. The company's next step is to pack an FPGA alongside its Xeon E5-2600 v4 server processor on a modular chip. Ultimately, FPGAs will be integrated on server chips, though Intel hasn't provided a timeline.

Intel is also developing a new type of storage and memory called 3D Xpoint, which the chipmaker claims is 10 times denser than DRAM, and 1,000 times faster and more durable than flash storage. Krzanich described 3D Xpoint as being a "hybrid between memory and storage." The technology will first come to gaming PCs under Optane-branded SSDs, but will branch out to servers in the form of flash storage and DRAM modules.

The emerging technologies from Intel may require companies to change their server architectures from top to bottom. But as long as the servers deliver cost-performance benefits, the technologies will be adopted, Krzanich said.

Intel hasn't yet provided a cost estimate for the investment, and it hasn't described how racks infused with new technologies could be implemented alongside existing server installations. Intel will continue selling regular server CPUs, but it may take time for customers to adopt the new technologies until they are proven.

Intel held a 99.2 market share for server processors in 2015, but that may fall next year as AMD releases new server chips and the adoption of ARM servers potentially grows.
Cllr Daniel Moylan represents the Queens Gate Ward on Kensington and Chelsea Council and was until recently Deputy Chairman of Transport for London.

Public sector procurement is governed by European directives and, in Britain at least, is now a sacred cult tended by a caste of unchallengeable initiates. Anyone who has worked in proximity to local government or other large governmental bodies, has seen how this has added cost, inflexibility, and inefficiency to the operation of the public sector, while tending powerfully to exclude smaller enterprises from competing.



The intentions were good. There were parts of the EU where public procurement was riddled with corruption, as over-priced contracts were routinely awarded to bribe-payers or even family members by venal officials and politicians. A transparent and justiciable system could help deal with this.



But this sort of corruption was not, by and large, Britains problem. Nonetheless, we are subject to the same, now highly bureaucratic system  and it hurts.



The problem is not that it increases competition by allowing firms from all over the EU to compete: competition should be good for the taxpayer. The problem is in fact that it does the reverse, producing poor value, often by reducing competition.



How can that be? A walk through the process will help.



The first step is the set-up of the specification of the goods or service to be procured and the allocation to different elements (principally cost and technical features) of a numerical value that will be used for scoring bids. So, if you are buying a fleet of vehicles or commissioning engineering services, you might allocate 60 per cent to cost and 40 per cent to other factors. These allocations are arbitrary but, once set, are wholly inflexible and their interpretation will largely determine the outcome, even when examination of bids reveals better solutions that could deliver what is desired more effectively.



Because now the procurement lawyers step in  and henceforth every step is taken with a view to warding off the threat that a disappointed bidder might sue, although the number of instances when this has happened, let alone successfully, is tiny.



Notices are placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (this is mandatory) and interested parties are invited to complete a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. This is already a powerful disincentive to smaller enterprises, because the costs of bidding rapidly mount up as a result of this lawyerly bureaucracy and many are deterred. But the system discriminates further against smaller bidders by usually including as a pre-qualification requirement, the financial standing of the bidder, something that favours larger firms. Little account is taken of the relevance of financial standing to the procurement in question. If the contract is for the long-term supply of goods and services, then it would be naturally disruptive if the successful bidder went bankrupt, but for one-off supplies it is less of a concern. Nonetheless, the priestly tenders of the cult are an over-cautious breed and the bar is normally set high in all cases, such as to exclude the smaller firm.



For large contracts the costs of bidding, once one is through to the next round (having passed the PQQ stage) can be several million pounds: even large firms can be deterred from bidding for too many contracts in those circumstances, further reducing competition.



The bids are then scrutinised and I think this stage is normally conducted very professionally, but it is important to note that it is an essentially mechanical process, scoring the bids against the numerical criteria set at the outset. Even if it becomes clear at this stage that a better solution has emerged from the process, the procurement lawyers are there to ensure that the contract is awarded to the highest-scoring bidder (though there might be a bit of wiggle-room among the top two or three, if scored close to each other).



I remember once at Kensington and Chelsea, when we were commissioning architects for a school, being threatened by our own lawyers that we were simply not allowed to pick a leading, world-renowned architectural practice because they had scored only eighth. When we asked why this was, it became clear that they fell down only by being a small practice, therefore of dubious financial standing. We pointed out that even a bankrupt architect can continue working but apparently we were trapped by the numerical weightings and so the contract went to one of the large multi-disciplinary firms.



In fact we were lucky to be allowed to know who the bidders were. For more standard contracts, where design flair is less impotent than it is in architecture, the lawyerly initiates do their best to keep politicians in ignorance of the bidders names until after the decision is taken; we are all familiar with those decision-papers in which all we know is that four bids have been received but not what firms lie behind the John, Paul, George and Ringo monikers they have been given to protect the process from political corruption (the lawyerly initiates being themselves of course incorruptible).



Now, of course, the European directive allows a degree of flexibility, but it is remarkable that it is other countries, not Britain, that tend to exploit these flexibilities, often in order to protect domestic bidders, while here in Britain we ensure the most value-destroying course is rigorously adhered to.



What do we learn from this?

First that, however sound the intentions, one-size-fits-all does not work for 28 countries: the problems you are seeking to address are not common to all.

Second, that the process, like so much in the EU, favours bureaucratic and large corporate interests, since it makes the unaccountable bureaucrats king and benefits the large corporates by creating enormous barriers to entry for smaller firms that wish to compete. Third, that at least in Britain it is applied in a way that tends to destroy value for the public purse rather than increase it, though the actual loss, being counter-factual, is probably impossible to quantify. Given the size of the public sector, however, the costs are potentially huge.



Leaving the European Union would not free us from the need for procurement processes that make corruption difficult (and remember that we also have the sanction of the criminal law available to us when we discover corruption has occurred). But it would allow us to develop a system better adapted to our needs, one that encouraged bidders from all over the world, not merely from the EU, and was more capable of achieving good value for the taxpayer. This, after all, is the real problem we face in this country, rather than a tradition of awarding public contracts to our cousins.
Back in February, Jeremy Middleton became the first candidate from any party to declare his intention to run for the new North East mayoralty, announcing that he hoped to secure the Conservative nomination. We ran a film of his campaign launch on this site, and many of the regions Tories leant him their support.

Middleton is a successful businessman, a two-times Parliamentary candidate in the North East, a five-times council candidate in Newcastle and former Chairman of the National Conservative Convention. The assumption was that he would either be nominated unopposed, or easily triumph in a contested selection process.

At least, that was the assumption until a few days ago  on Friday, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle reported that Middleton has left the Conservative Party, and will instead run as an independent.

Here is his account of his reason for doing so:

This is not about party politics, it is about the North East. This region needs candidates focused exclusively on its interests and not people with one eye on their party careers. The businessman, who was awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to politics and charities, said the London Mayoral race and Andy Burnhams announcement as Labours candidate for the North West showed the regional elections are being taken over by Westminster. I am disillusioned with Westminster squabbles, he said. It is clear the big parties will use these elections as platforms to fight national battles and internal arguments, but we need to put the peoples interests first. We need to end the factionalism and childish Westminster arguments that dominate our local politics. The North East has had a raw deal from successive governments for decades, Mr Middleton added.

That may all be true, but its hard to avoid the unspoken implication that he has decided he stands a better chance of winning if he is not officially a Conservative candidate. From the outset  as his launch video shows  his campaign had been branded separately and focused wholly on the candidate, rather than the party he hoped to represent. That wasnt an unreasonable strategy  particularly as successful mayors tend to run as a personality, with their party identity in the background (cf B. Johnson)  but that isnt the same as going wholly independent.

While the Conservatives have a long way to go to recover in the North East, abandoning the brand entirely  or, worse, attacking it  hardly aids that recovery. Furthermore, putting off attempts to begin a Tory fight back until after the new mayor is elected would be a missed opportunity.

Theres also the question of logistics: while Middletons campaign will undoubtedly be well-financed, it will still be difficult to succeed without any obvious source of ground troops to do the hard work of leafleting, canvassing and getting out the vote. Whereas as a Conservative candidate he would have had the support of blue activists  even if the leaflets only had Conservative in small print  now those activists will instead be campaigning against Middleton and for whoever secures the Partys official nomination.

All things considered, the news looks like a net loss for all involved.
Lord Flight is Chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund, and is a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

For me, the most important arguments for Brexit are the restoration and preservation of our democratic system and rule of British law; the need for control of our borders to avoid being swamped with migrants; and our security, best provided for by NATO, as is, and without disruptive plans for a European Army  to be released by the EU Global Strategy Foreign Affairs and Security policy committee on 24th June.

But, over the last few weeks, the Government has swamped the media with doubtful and blatant propaganda intended to frighten voters that a Brexit decision would cause economic havoc. Virtually all of this is based on dubious assumptions, starting with the Treasurys dodgy dossier. The range of forecasts for the effects of Brexit on the economy is from -6 per cent to +10 per cent (from Tim Congdon). The likely impact could be modestly negative in the short term, but substantially positive in the longer term. It appears, however, that the deluge of Government fear propaganda has had some impact on voters. Economic self-interest, while ultimately less important than matters of principle, is an understandable motivation.

There have been powerful economic responses by Allister Heath, David Davis, and Peter Lilley, different in their focus but, essentially, complementary. They share important points:

That the EU runs a massive current account surplus with the UK (107 billion in 2015), and so it is in the economic self-interest of the EU, and particularly Germany, to agree a sensible trade deal with the UK in the event of Brexit;

That the UK is a sufficiently large and important economy to have the clout to negotiate a deal appropriate for it;

And, that being locked into the job-destroying, mismanaged EU, with the Euro wrecking Southern European economies is damaging to the UK economy and constrains our trade with the agile, globalised world.

In short, the UK would be better off out, in terms of jobs, wages and growth, and the cost of leaving would be smaller than its benefits. The core economic arguments of Remain are that leaving would erect damaging barriers to trade: whatever the specific post Brexit Deal, this is unlikely to be case.

Heath argues that the UK should seek to adopt an interim EEA solution, remaining in the short term in the Single Market, while withdrawing from agricultural and fisheries policies, justice, home affairs and the customs union. This would pacify essentially unjustified City concerns and would save money. We would have to follow substantially fewer rules. We would, moreover, have our own voice at the various global bodies driving regulation rather than be in receipt of them from the EU. We would also be able to sign free trade deals with countries, such as China, where the EU has proved incompetent. Exporters to the EU would still be bound by EU regulations, but these would not need to apply to the 94 per cent of UK businesses not exporting to the EU.

Davis goes further. He argues, persuasively, that once we vote to leave we then negotiate a new relationship with the EU, dictated by what is in the best interest of both sides. He makes the realistic point that in the event of a Brexit vote the tone of discussions would switch inevitably from antagonism to pragmatism, as is invariably the case in politics. The core of a sensible deal would be free trade with the EU, where tariffs would hurt the troubled EU economies. The deal would be one to suit the UKs unique circumstances; not merely copying the Norway or Swiss arrangements. We could then get on with increasing our trade with the rest of the world. We would be free of EU Government and bureaucracy and only need to opt in, as others do, to programmes suitable to our own interests.

Peter Lilley is the only sitting MP with first-hand experience of negotiating a trade round and of implementing the European Single Market (as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry). He makes the point, rightly, that the importance of trade deals is grossly exaggerated. Countries succeed in exporting, with or without trade deals, if they produce goods and services other countries want. Furthermore, tariffs between developed countries now average low single figures  small beer compared with movements in exchange rates. The most worthwhile trade agreements are with fast-growing, developing countries, which still have high tariffs.

Our net 10 billion contribution to the EU is equivalent in cost to tariffs averaging seven per cent; if we left the EU with no trade deal, our exports would face tariffs averaging only 2.4 per cent. EU membership has not helped us negotiate free trade deals with the rest of the world; rather, EU membership has prevented us negotiating our own deals. The EU has delivered nothing with China, India, Australia or Brazil. With all 28 EU members having a veto, trade negotiations take for ever, and often exclude so much. Bilateral deals are simpler, quicker and more comprehensive. We would not, however, have to renegotiate from scratch existing EU deals: under the principle of continuity in international law, we can adapt existing EU treaties to the UK. We should start this before leaving the EU.

Negotiating continued free trade with the EU simply means keeping zero tariffs. The Single Market is not a closed shop accessible to only a privileged few. Every country has access to it with or without tariffs as applicable. If we remain a member of the Single Market, as a member of the EEA or otherwise, UK businesses would be bound only by EU regulation in respect of exports to the EU. Otherwise, American and Japanese exporters benefit as much as German or British firms from the harmonised rules. The context is that British exports to the EU have grown less rapidly since the Single Market than they did before, largely because the Single Market is more developed to facilitate the export of goods than services, while the UK economy is 88 per cent services.

For the City, the most important export earner, investment management, is already mostly immune. The UK- managed retail Funds based in Luxemburg, and hedge funds and private equity funds, which are mostly structured as Guernsey companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange, will enjoy the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive later this year. Most of the big investment banks already have offices in continental Europe which could front deals if needed. 80 per per cent of insurance exports are to North America and Asia: for these markets, avoiding the costs and complications of Solvency II would be a valuable cost saving. The key point is, however, that the rest of Europe needs the services of the City of London and the money it procures for them more than the City needs the EU, which counts for less than 30 per cent of the UKs exports of financial services.

In the event of Brexit, William Hague argues for a British strategy of cutting taxes and regulation  reducing Corporation Tax to 10 per cent; abolishing the European Working Time Directive; adopting US rather than EU Regulations; declaring unilateral free trade with much of the globe and accepting immigrants to fuel economic growth!
With Boris Johnson and Michael Gove writing that voters cant trust the Prime Ministers promises on Eurozone bailouts, and John Major claiming that Gove wants to privatise the NHS and that Boris wants to charge people for using the service, many of our readers will feel that they have seen enough blue-on-blue fire to last a lifetime. We feel the same way.

But it is none the less a fact that the two big TV debates to come  ITVs this coming Thursday, and the BBCs on June 21, three days before the poll  will pit Conservative against Conservative: thats the way they are constructed. This is perhaps inevitable given the binary nature of the referendum, deep Tory divisions about Britains EU membership, and the partys presence in government.

The only question left, then, is which Tory presents for Remain in both events, given that we know Boris Johnson will make the case for Leave in each? It is reported that Amber Rudd will be the anti-Brexit Conservative in the ITV debate and that Ruth Davidson  our columnist, and the woman who has taken to topping our monthly League Table  will take on that role in the BBC event three days before referendum day itself.

It is not hard to work out Downing Streets logic (for lets acknowledge at once that David Cameron and George Osborne now take the key Remain decisions). To watch Boris out-alpha another man in debate is one thing. For him to try the same trick against a woman would be quite another. There are gender differences, and they can matter. It was once said that Disraeli could treat Gladstone like a telescope  draw him out, see through him, and shut him up. The same might be hazarded about a woman and the former Mayor.

The use of a woman as a counterfoil to Boris could also remind viewers that there is a slight element of  how can we best put this?  well, let us call it the Berlusconi Factor about the former Mayor. There is a perception in some quarters that he has not always treated women well. If this thought has occured to me in passing, and occured to you too, then you can bet that it will also have occured to Number 10. Davidson already has form in slating Boris. Expect to see more of that live from Wembley arena on June 21.

There are a number of ways of reacting to Remains plan. One can argue that it wont work. One can assert that it will. One can say that alls fair in love, war, and TV referendum debates. One can call it ingenious. One can call it cunning. But the one thing that one cannot call it is brave. Rudd is a relatively new and junior Cabinet Minister. Davidson is not only not such a Minister but not even an MP. Where are the Cabinet big guns, such as Michael Fallon? Where  if a woman is required  is Theresa May?

Where, above all, is George Osborne? We accept, reluctantly, that it is best for the dignity of his office for David Cameron not to debate directly with Boris (although there is a lively counter-case to the contrary). But there is a limit to how far this logic will run. It surely cannot be right for neither the Prime Minister nor the Chancellor to go head-to-head with the most senior Tory put up by the Leave side. They owe it to the voters to debate the issues in this campaign as they might do in the Commons.

Furthermore, Osborne has been the strategic driver of the Remain campaign. It is the Treasurys claims about the supposed effects of Brexit that Remain have been put front of shop, and are the most controversial. His friends and contacts abroad, such as Christine Lagarde, have not been backward about coming forward to tell us what they think. It is the Chancellors choice for governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, who has been so persistently and questionably present during the campaign.

My approach to all these things whether its the battle I fought years ago to change the Conservative party to make it electable, to make it more progressive on issues like gay rights and the role of womenor now about Europe, Osborne said yesterday said yesterday. I get stuck in. You wont find me hanging around at the back with the baggage train. He also said: I genuinely believe this is far more important than any general election well ever be asked to vote in. That is a very suggestive remark and one that he ought to be quizzed on.

But it seems that the Chancellor will not be available. Far from stepping out boldly into the front line for this personal Agincourt, he will instead be, well, hanging around at the back with the baggage train. It is, in at least one sense, a bit rum. Osborne is a slick debater. Boris is not really a debater at all. One would have thought that the Chancellor would relish the opportunity to make his case.

It is also strange in another sense. Osborne does not lack nerve. It was his chutzpah that helped to see off an election in 2007 that Labour might have won. It was his grit that saw him stick to the plan which produced economic recovery  yes, thats the same plan that the IMF, that infallible forecaster and supporter of Remain, once rubbished. True, that same determination can get him into trouble, but thats simply further evidence that its there.

But whatever the Chancellors reasoning, his decision shouldnt pass without comment. Rudd and Davidson are the David Gaukes of this referendum campaign  thats to say, theyre being sent in for assignments that Osborne would rather duck. It is unmanly for him at once to gesture towards the heat of battle while creeping quietly towards the tents. We will help to make that point by running this editorial for each day this week, and perhaps for longer.
Professor Richard Ekins is a Fellow of St Johns College and an Associate Professor in the University of Oxford. He leads Policy Exchanges Judicial Power Project.

Judicial review of executive action is a vital part of the rule of law. The courts rightly hold ministers and other public bodies to the scope of their lawful powers, insisting on procedural fairness and correcting some obvious abuses of power, but aiming always to leave to the public body the decision about how best to exercise the discretion Parliament has conferred.

One constant risk to our constitutional settlement is that courts will go too far in reviewing executive action  that they will promote the rule of judges under the guise of the rule of law.

While in many cases judges certainly observe the proper restraints on their function, traditional insights into the limits of the judicial role are increasingly overlooked.

One sees this trend in particularly striking form in relation to cases where the courts have interfered with institutions intended to realise, or that are central to, political accountability.

The cases include Evans v Attorney General, in which the Supreme Court quashed the Attorney Generals exercise of his statutory power to block disclosure of the Prince of Waless correspondence with ministers.

The Attorney General was accountable to Parliament for his exercise of the power and the Freedom of Information Act armed the Information Commissioner to bring before Parliament concerns about the misuse of the power.

As I have argued, these important features of the FOIA were overlooked or set aside by the majority of the Court, which effectively excised the power from the Act.

Likewise, in Litvinenko v Home Secretary, the High Court effectively took over the Home Secretarys power, under the Inquiries Act, to decide whether there should be an inquiryinto the murder of Mr Litvinenko. The Court lacked the competence to evaluate the relevant considerations, including the foreign policy dimension, but acted rashly anyway.

In evaluating the case, the question is not whether there should be an inquiry, but rather who should decide (answer, per the Act: the minister decides). Running the two questions together is not good analysis, as my colleague Graham Geehas pointed out.

In a powerful new paper for Policy Exchanges Judicial Power Project, Dr Jason Varuhas (Uni versity of Melbourne, formerly Cambridge) addresses this trend and its constitutional significance. The main focus of his paper is on cases involving the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman), cases which formed a premise of the Evans judgment.

Varuhas makes clear that Parliament intended this institution to be importantly different to legal adjudication, to be closely nested within the political process, such that the Ombudsman was able to inform Parliament about problematic government action and to address inadequate government response by reporting again to Parliament.

Varuhas traces various ways in which courts have encroached upon the Ombudsman process. The most important, which form the focus of the paper, are the Bradley and Equitable Memb ers Action Group judgments, in which the courts reviewed and quashed the ministerial responses to major Ombudsman reports with massive financial implications.

This mode of judicial action, Varuhas contends, was and is deeply problematic and should be wound back by the Supreme Court at the earliest opportunity. One might add that Parliament should also consider remedial legislation to overrule this line of decision.

These judgments were inconsistent with the structure and detail of the empowering Act. There was good reason for courts not to review the ministerial response at all, let alone to impose (as they did) an elevated standard of review whereby the court goes beyond addressing outrageous cases (assuming it could recognise such in this context) and instead simply evaluates the merits of the ministers reasoning.

This evaluation is for Parliament and by extending judicial review the courts achieve a kind of accountability overkill.

At best, the judicial action here simply echoes the process by which Parliament, through its committees and otherwise, holds government to account for its response (one important achievement of the paper is demonstrating that this accountability is real: judges and lawyers are wrong to assume that Parliament is supine).

In these cases, the political process worked as it should, but was hampered (held back) by judicial action.

Judicial intervention would be problematic even if the political process had not delivered satisfactory redress or held government robustly to account: there is no general judicial power to compensate for deficiencies in political action.

But judicial intervention in this context is not just redundant it is also harmful, being unnecessary and wasteful, and compromising what should be a fast, informal process. It also places politics in a legal straitjacket, Varuhas argues, compromising the freedom of MPs and others to comment directly on ombudsman reports or the government response.

This is not just bad for the political dynamics that should follow from a report  which the Act aims to encourage and on which it relies  but also for the integrity of the office of ombudsman.

In this line of cases, the traditional limits on judicial review seem to be crumbling. As Varuhas concludes, this puts the legitimacy of judicial review in question.
Electorally Holy Cow

By Afroz Alam

06 June, 2016

Countercurrents.org

For many of us, beef has become news of unpleasant sort. There is now a forensic report after eight month from a lab in Mathura which claims that the meat found inside the lynched man, Mohammad Akhlaqs home at Dadri belonged to beef or a cow progeny. It is in contrast with an earlier report by the Greater Noida Veterinary Officer which declared that the meat was mutton. Be it beef or mutton, no respectability is shown to the right to food, the notion of privacy and right to life of the citizens of India. On the contrary, the present forensic report is now widely circulated with right-wing bias. There is now a cynical-switch to ramp up communal narratives. The hype around this report is just an attempt to keep the electoral theology in circulation well in advance in the election bound Uttar Pradesh. In other words, beef is back to deliver for the Brahminical right-wing in the cow-belt region of India as a part of the Mission 2017.

There appears now a tactical design on the ownership of the reports. The Mathura Lab report is now owned by the right-wing groups like BJP whereas the report of Veterinary Officer enjoys the backing of Samajwadi Party (SP). BJP is working on the utilitarian design of beef to keep the majoritarian passions on bowling point in the state to draw electoral advantage. Similarly, minoritarian victimhood is invoked by the SP to keep the Muslim vote intact with the party. There appears a strategic consensus between both the parties to turn beef into a political agenda in the forthcoming election. There is every possibility that cow-mobilisation will speed up with the active engagement of SP and BJP during the coming months when the Muslim festivals like Ramazan, Eid and Eid-ul-Adha are due.

It must be noted that the invocation of beef in Bihar election did not yield desired results for BJP. At the same time no serious attempt was made by the party to make beef as an agenda in the recently held Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The reasons were clear. The electorates of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are completely indifferent to any symbols deployed by the Hindutva brigand. Elections in these states are purely on local and regional issues and party loyalties. The issue of beef become dysfunctional in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal despite the sizable presence of Muslims in these states. However, the strategy of the BJP in these states was to avoid the concentration of Muslim vote in favour of any political party. The overplaying of cow would have backfired like Bihar. Another reason for BJP not to invoke cow-mobilisation was the absence of legal restrictions on cow slaughter in Kerala and West Bengal.

It does not mean that cow-mobilisation was completely absent in Assam. The issue of beef was invoked much before the election as a preparatory instrument to subtly mobilise the Hindu passions in the state. For instance, there were communal tensions in Agomoni area of Dhubri when a communally charged group beat two Muslim youth alleging that they kept beef near a temple in Kaldoba area. In a similar incident, tension gripped Silchar town of Cachar district after the recovery of a cow's head near a Kali temple in Meherpur area. In both the cases, the self-styled radical right-wing groups were held responsible for inciting communal tensions.

To polarise voters, intense communal antagonism was also created in neighbouring states with a broad national coverage to influence the conscience of Hindu voters. For instance, the age-old tactic of putting beef outside temples in Ranchi, Lohardaga, Palamu and Chatra districts of Jharkhand took place. Similarly, a Muslim man was beaten to death in Saharan, Himachal Pradesh in October 2015 for allegedly smuggling cows. New Delhi also witnessed cow-mobilisation in Bawana region over the rumour of cow-slaughter on the day of Eid-ul-Adha. Similar movements happened in Hyderabad and Kerala too.

We also witnessed an opposite trend when we saw certain Muslim clerics, intellectuals and organisations called on Muslims to refrain from sacrificing cows on the day of Eid al-Adha to avoid communal conflict. But sadly, no political party wished for the same. For them electoral dividends are more important than the communal harmony.

The appeal to avoid cow-slaughter has a history in India. To respect the religious sensibility of people, the Mughal emperor Babar declared that killing cows was forbidden and also asked his son Humayun in 1529 to do the same through his Wasiyyat Namd-i-Majchfi. Babar wrote: And in particular refrain from the sacrifice of cow, for that way lies the conquest of the hearts of the people of Hindustan; and the subjects of the realm will, through royal favour, be devoted to you. We found a remarkable incident pointed out in Major Charles Stuarts translation of the reminiscences of Zohar, the servant of Humayun. During a journey to Iran, Humayun asked his staff to fetch food from his stepbrother Kamran who was camping nearby. Food consisted of vegetables and meat was served to Humayun. Humayun doubted the meat as beef and said: Oh Kamran, is this the way to fill your stomach? You feed the same meat to your holy mother. Now you are incapable of getting four goats for your mother. As per Zohars account, Humayun did not touch the food and left.

A decree of 5 June 1593 from Akbars reign barred the killing of cow. Later Mughal Kings exercised selective restrictions on cow slaughter. However, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore (1761 to 1782) declared cow slaughter a punishable offence. Similarly, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar banned cow slaughter throughout their domains.

Here I argue that unlike the present day politicians, the ruler and the ruled during ancient, medieval and early modern time but before British took the issue of cow very compassionately and without vengeance. The cow became a political animal only when British used it for their survival in India after 1857 revolt. We already know the united front of Hindus and Muslims on the issue of paper cartridge greased with cow and pig fat. As a sign of Hindu-Muslim unity, Muslim Ulemas also called Muslims to avoid the slaughter of cows or buffaloes durin Eid-ul-Adha. Thus, cow mobilisation during this period was not against Muslims but purely against British.

However, the cow protection movement became intense when Dayanand Sarasvati published a book Ocean of Mercy for the Cow in 1881 and in 1882, he founded cow protection committee which later spread all over India. The first agitation over cow slaughter took place in Punjab when British refused to acknowledge the cow slaughter as capital offence. In 1886 certain Hindu organisations have demanded a legal ban on cow slaughter within municipal area of Allahabad. The issue reached to the court from here to rest of India. In 1888 the North-Western Provinces High Court decreed that a cow was not a sacred animal. Shrewdly, British turned the whole cow-mobilisation against Muslims. The first explicit Hindu-Muslim violence took place in 1893 in Mau, now a district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, over the conflicting interpretations of British local magistrates order on cow slaughter. The very confession of Queen Victoria in a letter dated 1893 clearly reflects the British design on the issue of cow protection movement. She wrote: Though the Muhammadan's cow-killing is made the pretext for the agitation, it is, in fact, directed against us, who kill far more cows for our army, &c., than the Muhammadans. After two decade from 1893, Ayodhya in 1912-13 and Shahabad in 1917 witnessed communal conflagration on cow slaughter. John McLane is right when he argues that the disappearance of cow protection movement thereafter suggests that popular sentiment was not broad or adamant and that Hindu leaders regarded the alienation of Muslims and the government as too heavy a price to pay for any possible benefits.

Interestingly, Congress support to Khilafat movement had the pretext of cow protection. Gandhi appealed to Hindu elites that the best way and the only way to save the cow is to save the Khilafat. Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali renounced beef. Abd al-Bari of Firangi Mahal asked Muslims to stop cow slaughter. Muslim League too passed a resolution in 1919 recommending the substitution of the sacrifice of other animals in place of cows. Similarly, the Nizam of Hyderabad banned cow slaughter.

Nevertheless, cow movements remained more or less anti-British campaign before and a decade after the creation of right-wing organisations like Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha. Tragically, it was only post 1920s witnessed a phenomenal rise in Hindu-Muslim antagonism due to the aggressive campaign of Hindu Mahasabha and Jan Sangh which by then entered into electoral fray to gain mass support on the issue of reviving Hindutva symbols. At the beginning of 1920s Lord Meston, former Lieutenant Governor of United Province remarked that: With us the rule was simple, that the owner of a cow has a right to kill it, so long as he does not thereby cause such reasonable annoyance as it likely to provoke a breach of peace; and we held that, where cow slaughter has been customary, annoyance would not be reasonable. This rough, very British, rule of thumb has served out purpose and prevented much bloodshed; but we cannot hope that it will acceptable either to Moslem zealot or to humanitarian Hindu. Yet some modus Vivendi will have to be established; and the fitness of the people to govern themselves will be judged before the world by their success in composing such a difficulty.

Whatever may be, the issue of cow slaughter was never dealt by any organisation, party or individual to settle the matter once for all by building consensus between both the communities. But politicians from both the religious groups found the cow electorally relevant to build internal unity and nourish Hindu-Muslim conflict for political gain. Cow is used now to incite violence and mobilise voters. The noble animal has become political and thus unholy in bad sense. A great deal of what is really a senseless propaganda is not only delivered through the cultural apparatus of the right-wing but also churned out by media, knowingly or unknowingly. We are undergoing through an explosive time. Anything and everything is justified to attain the winning margin in elections.

As a consequence, there were aggressive campaigns to ban cow slaughter by the Hindu right-wing in post independent India. There was a demand for a national law to ban cow slaughter. The 10 August 1947 just five days before Independence was observed as Anti-Cow-slaughter day. The government of Jawaharlal Nehru was against the national law to ban cow slaughter for which he had to bear the brunt of Hindu right wing. His father Motilal Nehru was accused as beef eater. In 1952 Nehru through an office memo asked the Congress men to keep themselves away from the campaign of national ban on cow slaughter. In fact in April 1955, Nehru threatened to resign if a bill to ban cow slaughter was passed by the Lok Sabha. The bill was defeated. Here Nehrus adamant approach was meaningless on two grounds. First, cow-slaughter has never been the only and sole concern of Muslims nor Muslims were going to gain anything. In fact the overplaying of cow-slaughter gimmick by the Congress strengthened the right-wing politics in India. Secondly, the policy regarding cow slaughter has already been declared the exclusive sphere of the State legislatures. It was by now made a part of Directive Principles of State Policy as Article 48 which says, The state ... shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle. It must also be noted that many state governments by the end of 1947 already banned cow-slaughter before this article came into force.

A major agitation for national ban was engineered in 1966 by the united front of all communal parties guided by the Rashtrya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) with a plan to attack Parliament followed by hunger strike. Though the agitation was crushed but the cow protection became the major electoral agenda against Congress in 1967 elections. We have already seen that how the BJP governed states like Maharshtra, Haryana and Rajasthan gave communal colour to ban the sale of beef at the time when Bihar election was due in 2015.

While carrying the historical legacy, polarity is now engineered in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of cow slaughter. To serve the purpose, cows have emerged electorally holy animal. Though, it is disproportionately senseless. But, alas, we have suspended our rational sensibility to understand the overall cost. As per the report of Indian Express published on 8 October 2015, at least 330 incidents of communal violence over alleged cow slaughter have been reported in Uttar Pradesh since June 2014. Surprisingly, of the 330 incidents, 216 alone were reported from Western UP, a communally charged region of Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur and Aligarh witnessed communal violence on the alleged cow-slaughter and the sale of beef in September 2015. Similar was the case in Mainpuri in October 2015. There was communal uproar by the right-wing on beef-biryani at Aligarh Muslim University canteen in February 2016. Gautam Budh Nagar, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh are already on boiling point on the question of cow-slaughter.

If I am to put it very strongly, I would say that a host of right-wing politicians and polemics are trying to succeed in stirring up the anxieties of the so called touchable Hindus for the noble cow to suit the Mission 2017. They are deployed to commit senseless hate speeches with a great sense of impunity. Is it not a strategic attempt by the present-day politicians to polarise the consciousness of Indian electorates in binary terms?

In the overall number game, the sole object of the political parties is to treat we the people merely as electorates but certainly not humans. It is really painful. It is also dangerous for another reason. Given the profound spirituality, communal passions are easily mobilised in the name of holy cow to bring electoral incentives to the right-wing political parties. Let us save of our holy cow from becoming the subject of vulgar stereotype by the right wing politics of the country.

Afroz Alam, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Head. Department of Political Science, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. E-mail: afrozalam2@gmail.com














Israel Wants A Peace Process  But Only If It's Doomed To Fail

By Jonathan Cook

06 June, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Nazareth: In a familiar muddying of the waters, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past week talking up peace while fiercely criticising Fridays summit in France  the only diplomatic initiative on the horizon.



As foreign ministers from 29 nations arrived for a one-day meeting in Paris, Netanyahu dusted off the tired argument that any sign of diplomatic support for Palestinians would encourage from them extreme demands.

France hopes the meeting will serve as a prelude to launching a peace process later in the year. French president Francois Hollande said he hoped to achieve a peace [that] will be solid, sustainable and under international supervision.



With astounding chutzpah, Israeli official Dore Gold compared the summit to the height of colonialism a century ago, when Britain and France carved up the Middle East between them. He conveniently overlooked the fact that it was the same British colonialism that promised a Jewish homeland in place of the native Palestinian population.

Earlier, Netanyahu and his new defence minister, the far-right Avigdor Lieberman, had publicly committed themselves to an unceasing search for a path to peace.

In a two-minute interview on CNN, spokesman David Keyes managed to mention the formula two states for two peoples no less than five times.



Rather than the French initiative, Netanyahu averred, Israelis and Palestinians should be left to engage in the kind of face-to-face talks without preconditions that have repeatedly failed. That is because Israel, as the much stronger party, has been able to void them by imposing its own conditions.



Netanyahu, it seems, is keen on any peace process, just so long as its not the current one launched in Paris.



Part of the reason for bringing Lieberman into the government was to provide more diplomatic wriggle room. With Lieberman cementing Netanyahus credentials with the far-right, he is now free to spout vague platitudes about peace knowing that his coalition partners are unlikely to take him at his word and bolt the government.



But while the domestic front has been secured, rumbles of dissent reverberate abroad.

Europe is increasingly fearful that an emboldened Israeli government may soon annex all or major parts of the West Bank, stymying any hope of creating even a severely truncated Palestinian state.

The Paris conference is a sign of the mounting desperation in Europe to restrain Israel.

While France is not about to engineer a breakthrough, Netanyahu is nonetheless worried.



It is the first time Israel has faced being dragged into talks not presided over by its Washington patron. That risks setting a dangerous precedent.



Although US secretary of state John Kerry attended, he was decidedly cool towards the summit. Yet Netanyahu worries that this time Washington may not be able  or willing  to watch his back.



If the conference leads to talks later in the year, that will be when Barack Obama is preparing to bow out as president. Netanyahu is afraid of surprises. Israeli officials have been in near-panic that Obama may seek payback for the years of humiliation he endured from Netanyahu.

One way might be for Washington to agree to French oversight of the talks, following a tight timetable and establishing diplomatic teams to solve final-status issues.



Even if negotiations fail, as seems inevitable, parameters for future talks might be established.



Netanyahu also knows that the wider atmosphere is likely to leave him singled out as the intransigent party.



A report by the Quartet, due soon, is expected to criticise Israel for its past failure to take steps towards peace. And a report last week by a joint team of US and Israeli defence experts suggested Israels security concerns about Palestinian statehood are not as intractable as claimed.



Netanyahu wants instead to deflect attention to a regional peace summit. The key has been Egypts support for a revival of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, based on the Arab Peace Plan of 2002. It promised Israel normal relations with the Arab world in return for ending the occupation.



Israels sudden interest in the plan is odd, given that it has not been discussed in cabinet since the Saudis unveiled it 14 years ago.



In truth, Netanyahu backs the idea because he knows reaching a region-wide agreement would be impossible with the Middle East in turmoil.

Israeli officials have already insisted that parts of the 2002 plan need updating. Israel, for example, wants sovereignty over the Golan, Syrian territory it seized in 1967, and which currently promises newfound oil riches.

At the summit, the Saudi foreign minister said Israeli efforts to water down the plan would be opposed. Egyptian officials have hurried to distance themselves from the Netanyahu proposal and throw their weight behind the Paris process.

Still, Israel will try to ride out the French initiative until Obamas successor is installed next year. Then, Netanyahu hopes, he can forget about the threat of two states once and for all.

Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His latest books are Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israels Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). His website is www.jonathan-cook.net.








A View From Japan: An Interview With Motoyuki Shibata

By Linh Dinh

06 June, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Motoyuki Shibata in New York City

In Japan, even a serious writer may be seen on mass advertising, and a translator can become a star. One of Japans most famous intellectuals, Motoyuki Shibata is a specialist on American literature. He has translated books by Thomas Pynchon, Paul Auster, Steven Millhauser and Stuart Dybek, among others. Shibata is also the editor of two popular literary journals, the Japanese-language Monkey and the English-language Monkey Business. His book of essays, The American Narcissus, won the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2005. Among the pieces are Wonder If Im Dead, The Half-Baked Scholar and Cambridge Circus.

I got to know Shibata when he translated my short story collection, Blood and Soap, but we didn't meet until the Singapore Writers Festival in 2015. After an event in which we appeared together, Shibata pointed out that our Singaporean host was visibly more excited when introducing the American participants, meaning myself and Ravi Shankar. (No, not the dude who turned on the Beatles, but a poet and editor who was teaching in Hong Kong.) English is a formidable weapon, and our blue passports gave us extra cachet, even if neither I nor Shankar is native-born or whitish.

That evening, I had a few beers with Shibata and his wife as we sat under a bar awning that was pounded by bullets of rain. Unassuming in appearance, Shibata is also entirely free of conceits in conversations. This April, I saw Shibata in New York over several days, and again, he made some pointed observations about the U.S. and Japan. Why dont we do a more in-depth interview? I suggested, and Shibata immediately agreed. Here, then, is the result.

How do Japanese view the United States, as far as culture, political system, politicians and foreign policies, etc.?

-The US is no longer a model would be the briefest answer.

During World War II, Americans were mortal enemies, but with the end of the war, America was suddenly a model, an ideal we should live up to, more so than the West in general was at the time Japan opened up in 1868 after 250 years of seclusion. Although there was always a protest against American militarism--Yankee, go home! was the first English sentence I learned as a kid--but there were plenty of things that made up for it: democracy (at least the struggle for it), equality (at least the struggle for it), jazz, movies, literature, etc. Even at the height of the Vietnam War, we knew that so many Americans were against it.

Things began to change perhaps in the 1980s. America began to look back, as if everything were perfect back in the 50s; the Reagan administration looked out for the rich rather than for the poor. And suddenly there were no more redeeming quality in America that used to compensate for whatever was wrong. America entirely ceased to be a model after all the havoc George Bush II made after 9/11. I gave a talk at a high school several years ago, and when I asked the students if they liked America, everyone said no. Then I realized that these kids belonged to the generation that grew up only knowing the Bush administration.

Some people have been disappointed by Obama, but I think more people--including me--sympathize with him and would like to believe that he would have accomplished more if the Republicans had not hindered him on every chance they got.

Did the high school kids say anything specific about why they disliked the US?

-When I asked them what they didnt like about the US, they said: Americans think they are always right; They force their ideas on others. Remember, they only knew Bushs America!

What were your own perceptions of the U.S. before you came here for the first time?

-First I learned about America from the TV dramas I watched as a kid. Father Knows Best, The Dona Reed Show, and I Love Lucy: a world of opulence where every family owns a big house, a family car, a refrigerator, and a vacuum cleaner, largely mythical commodities in Japan back then. It was an entirely different world which had nothing to do with me. Then I started listening to American and British music, and it seemed as if something new was happening every month in the late 60s: the Flower Children, Monterey, Woodstock... and though I was thrilled with all the new music it still was a distant world for me.

Please talk a bit about your experiences of the United States, and how your understanding of it has evolved over time.

-My brother went to live in the US in the mid-1970s, when he was in his early 20s. I went to see him first in Oregon in the early 1980s; he was living in a community where people came to stay over the weekend to enjoy hot springs and healthy food. I think I saw the best aspect of the United States then: a place where people are free to create their own community, free from profit-first mentality.

Then I lived in New Haven as a graduate student in 1984-85. It was hard for me to catch up with my studies but it was certainly not Americas fault! These twenty years I have been visiting the US once a year on the average, to see the authors I translate and more recently to launch my journal. Whatever problems there are in the US, I still feel this country is based on the idea of equality more than my own (though how much that idea is realized is open to questions, of course).

You go into a shop and the salesperson says hi to you, and you say hi back. In Japan, its not that way: the salesperson says Irasshaimase (Welcome to our store) and more often than not you dont say anything back, you dont even look at them: thats the norm. A small thing, but it sort of epitomizes the basic premise on which human interactions are conducted in the two countries: horizontal in one, vertical in the other. Of course the ideal is betrayed so often in one country, and some equality is achieved despite the unequal assumption in the other, but the fact remains that the American premise is better than the Japanese.

These behavioral observations are fascinating to me, since they reveal so much about cultural differences and attitudes? Please give us a few more!

-In the English Ho Muoi invents in your great short story ! there are so many personal pronouns, each one denoting an exact relationship between speaker and subject, that even the most brilliant student cannot master them all (Blood and Soap, p. 16)--the Japanese language is exactly like that! You have constantly to remind yourself whether you are speaking to elders or youngers, to superiors, peers or inferiors--depending on that you refer to them as well as to yourself in different ways.

What attracted you to American literature in the first place? What makes it so distinctive?

-The idea that the self is--or should be--something you create, rather than something that is given to you, attracted and frightened me.

But the most important fact is that I had a wonderful professor of American literature when I was a sophomore. I wanted to be like him. If I had met a wonderful professor of British literature, I might be talking about Dickens and Hardy now, and my idea about the self might be more conservative.

Who would you consider the most representative American writer, and why?

-Herman Melville, because both he and his characters aim for the impossible and fail monumentally, which I think is very American. Mark Twain, because he established that American literature is all about getting rid of the literary from literature.

Recently in New York, we talked about the decline of both the US and Japan. How are these countries in trouble, in your mind? What lessons can the world learn about the problems afflicting Japan?

-I grew up with the assumption that politicians first duty was to make sure that not all the money went to a handful of people, that everyone got help whenever they needed it. No one seems to work on that assumption anymore, either in the US or in Japan. The lesson the world can learn from Japan? Dont imitate America! Japan is imitating America in the worst possible way!

Japan has a highly intelligent and disciplined population living in a comparatively cohesive culture, and yet there is so much unhappiness, as revealed by survey after survey. The happiest adult Japanese are the oldest, those closest to death. Its as if a weight has been lifted. Why do you think Japanese consider themselves so miserable, and what can be done about this?

-We work too much. You see, things really run right in Japan--the train arrives on time (they profusely apologize if it doesnt) and the packages are delivered between 2 and 4pm if you so request--this is made possible because we work hard, not at the human pace but at the pace of computers. Working 9 to 5 is just a fairy tale to many office workers, and so many work from morning till midnight. Economy is bad on the other hand and jobs are scarce, so once youve got one you have to show your loyalty to hang on to it--therefore you work as hard as the next guy. What can be done? I dont know if it can be done, but it would be really great if we became less ashamed about being lazy.

Resource depletion will be an increasingly grave problem for all countries, but Japan is particularly vulnerable. James Howard Kunstler has even declared that Japan would lead the global descent from modernity. In a Business Insider article, he states, Japan's only good choice is to go medieval, that is, to give up on the rather hopeless 150-year-long project of being an industrial-technocratic modern super-state, and go back to being an island of a beautiful artistic hand-made culture. Does this kind of thinking have currency in Japan?

-Im not sure if medieval is the right word--especially if it involves returning to the former social structure with a lot of discrimination in it--but yes, after the 2011 earthquake/Tsunami and the ongoing nuclear disaster in Fukushima more of us have grown suspicious about the equation of more technology with more happiness. One of the artists who have been living out this sort of thinking is Kyohei Sakaguchi, known, for example, for his Zero-Yen House Project.

The zero-yen houses are both tragic and hopeful, fascinating and appalling. If Sakaguchi ever comes to Philadelphia, I can show him quite a collection of zero-dollar dwellings!

Linh Dinh is the author of two books of stories, five of poems, and a novel, Love Like Hate. Hes tracking our deteriorating socialscape through his frequently updated photo blog, Postcards from the End of America.




A Moral Revolution? Reflections On President Obamas Visit To Hiroshima

By Richard Falk

06 June, 2016

Richard Falk Blog

There is doubt that President Barack Obamas visit to Hiroshima this May crossed some thresholds hitherto taboo. Above all the visit was properly heralded as the first time a sitting American president has dared such a pilgrimage, which has already been critically commented upon by patrioteers in America who still think that the Japanese deserved such a punishment for initiating the war or believed that only such shock and awe could induce the Japenese to surrender without a costly invasion of the mainland. As well many in Asia believe that Obama by the visit is unwittingly letting Japan off the accountability hook for its seemingly unrepentant record of atrocities throughout Asia, especially given the perception that the current Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is doing his conservative best to reinvigorate Japanese nationalism, and even revive imperial ambitions.

Obama is a gifted orator who excels in finding the right words for the occasion, and in Hiroshima his rhetoric soared once more. There he noted [t]echnological progress without an equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us. The scientific revolution that led to the splitting of the atom requires a moral revolution as well. Such stirring words would seem to be a call to action, especially when reinforced by a direct challenge: ..among nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them. Obama at Prague in 2009, shortly after being sworn in as president, set forth an inspiring vision along the same lines, yet the small print there and now makes us wonder whether his heart and head are truly aligned. The words flow with grace and even passion, but where are the deeds?

As in Prague, Obama expressed the cautionary sentiment in Hiroshima that [w]e may not realize this goal in my lifetime. At which point Obama goes associates himself with the stabilizing agenda of arms control, reducing the size of the stockpile, making the weapons less obtainable by fanatics, and implementing nonproliferation goals. Apparently, neither Obama nor the media take note of the tension between eliminating the weaponry and these proposals designed to stabilize the nuclear weapons environment by making it more reliably subject to prudent and rational policies of control. Yet at the same time making proposals to eliminate the weaponry seem less needed, and even at risk of threatening the stability so carefully constructed over the course of decades.

The real reason for skepticism about Obamas approach is his unexplained reasons to defer the abolition of nuclear weaponry to the distant future. When Obama declares that a world without nuclear weapons is not likely to happen in his lifetime without telling us why he is changing his role from an advocate of the needed moral revolution so as to achieve the desired political transformation to that of being a subtle endorser of the nuclear status quo. Of course, Obama may be right that negotiating nuclear disarmament will not be easy or quick, but what is the argument against trying, why defer indefinitely.

The global setting seems as favorable as it is likely to get. We live at a time when there are no fundamental cleavages among leading sovereign states, all of whom seek to benefit from a robust world economy and to live together without international wars. It would seem to be an overall situation in which dramatic innovations of benefit to the entire world would seem politically attractive. In such an atmosphere why could not Obama have said at Hiroshima, or seven years earlier at Prague, that during the Cold War people dreamed of a world without nuclear weapons, but the tensions, distrust, and rivalry precluded a reliable disarming process, but now conditions are different. There are no good reasons not to convert dreams of a world without nuclear weapons into a carefully monitored and verified disarmament process, and there are many important reasons to try to do so. What holds Obama back? Why does he not table a proposal or work with other nuclear governments to produce a realistic timetable to reach nuclear zero?

Worse than the seeming absence of what the great theologian, Paul Tillich, called the courage to be is the worrisome evidence of double dealingeloquent words spoken to warn us of the menace of nuclearism coupled with deeds that actually strengthen the hold of nuclearism on the human future. How else should we interpret the appropriation by the U.S. Government of $1 trillion over the years until 2030 for the modernization and further development of the existing nuclear weapons arsenal, including provocative plans to develop nuclear weapons with potential battlefield, as opposed to deterrent, missions? Such plans are provocative because they weaken inhibitions on use and tempt other governments to emulate the United States so as offset feared new vulnerabilities to threat and attack. What stands out is the concreteness of the deeds reinforcing the nuclear established order and the abstractness of the words challenging that same order.

Beyond this, while calling for a moral revolution, Obama seems at the same time to give his blessings to nuclear energy despite its profound moral shortcomings. Obama views nuclear energy as a contribution to reducing carbon emissions in relation to global warming concerns and as a way to sell nuclear technology abroad and at the same time satisfy the energy goals of countries, such as India, in the global South. What is not acknowledged by Obama is that this nuclear energy technology is extremely dangerous and on balance detrimental in many of the same ways as nuclear weapons, prone to accidents of the sort associated with the incidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, subject to the hazards of accumulating and disposing of nuclear wastes, vulnerable to nuclear terrorism, and creating the technological capacity for the development of the weapons in a series of additional states.

Obama made a point of announcing before visiting Hiroshima that there would be no apology for the attacks by the United States. Clearly, Obama was unwilling to enter a domain that in America remains inflamed by antagonistic beliefs, interpretations, and priorities. There is a scholarly consensus that the war would have soon ended without an invasion or the atomic bomb, but this thesis continues to be challenged by veterans and others who think that the bomb saved American lives, or at minimum, ended the captivity of captured soldiers far sooner than would have been the case without the attacks.

In fairness, Obama did acknowledge the unspeakable tragedy for Japanese civilians that experienced the Hiroshima bomb, and he showed real empathy for survivors (hibakusha) who were there in the front rows when he spoke in Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park, but he held back from saying the use of the bomb was wrong, even the second bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Obamas emphasis, instead, was on working together to make sure that it doesnt happen again. In this sense, Obama was indirectly legitimating the impunity that was accorded to the victors after World War II, which contrasted with the punitive measures of accountability used to deal with the crimes committed by the surviving leaders of defeated Japan and Germany. The main value of an apology is to bring a degree of closure to those directly and indirectly victimized by those terrible, events that took place more than 70 years ago. By so doing the United States would have moved a bit closer to suspending its self-serving insistence on impunity and this would have withdrawn geopolitical legitimacy from the weaponry.

There is something disturbing about Americas unwillingness to live up tothe full horror of its past actions even while making a never again pledge. In another recent development that is freighted with similar moral ambiguities, former Senator Bob Kerrey was named the first Chair of the Board of the new Fulbright Vietnam University, a laudable joint educational project of the two countries partly funded by the U.S. Congress, despite his apparent involvement in a shameful atrocity committed during the war. The incident occurred on February 25, 1969 in the village of Thang Phong where a unit of Navy SEALS was assigned the task of assassinating a Viet Cong leader believed to be in the vicinity. Instead of a military encounter, 20 civilians were killed, some brutally. 13 were children and one a pregnant woman.

Kerrey contends that the carnage was the result of mistakes, while both a fellow member of the SEALS squad and village residents say that the killing of the civilians was deliberate, and not an accident in the darkness. Kerrey received a Bronze Star for the mission, which was reported falsely to his military superiors as resulted in killing 21 Viet Cong militants. What is almost worse, Kerrey kept silent about the incident for more than 30 years, and only spoke about it in public after learning there was about to be a published piece highly critical of his role. Kerrey now says I have been haunted for 32 years and explains, It was not a military victory, it was a tragedy, and I had ordered it. The weight of the evidence suggests that Kerrey participated as well as ordered the killings, and that although certainly a tragedy it is more properly acknowledged as a severe war crime amounting to an atrocity.

We can only imagine what would be the American or Chines reaction if Japan sent to the United States or China a comparable person to provide an honorific link between the two countries. For instance, sending a Japanese officer to the U.S. who had cruelly administered a POW camp where Americans were held captive and tortured or sending to China a Japanese commander who had participated in some of the grisly happenings associated with the rape of Nanking. It is good that Kerrey is finally contrite about his past role and appears to have been genuinely involved in promoting this goodwill promotion of education in Vietnam, yet it seems unacceptably insensitive that he would be chosen to occupy such a position in an educational institution in Vietnam that is named after a prominent American senator who is particularly remembered for his efforts to being the Vietnam War to an end.

What connects these two seemingly distinct concerns is the steadfast refusal of the United States Government to take responsibility for its past crimes, which ensures that when future political pressures push toward immoral and unlawful behavior a similar disregard for minimal decency will be papered over. Obamas refusal to consider accountability for the unabashed reliance on torture during the presidency of George W. Bush similarly whitewashes the past while unconvincingly promising to do better in the future. Such a pattern makes a mockery of claims made by Obama on behalf of the United States that unlike its adversaries this is a country that reveres the rule of law whenever it acts at home or abroad. From the pragmatic standpoint of governing America, in fairness, Obama never really had a choice. The political culture would have rebelled against holding the Bush administration accountable for its crime, which brings us closer to the truth of a double standard of suspending the applicability of international criminal law with respect to the policies and practices of the United States while championing individual legal responsibility for its adversaries as an expression of the evolution of moral standards in international life..

I believe that double standards has led Obama to put himself forward both as a visionary who seeks a transformed peaceful and just world and also as a geopolitical manager that accepts the job description of the presidency as upholding American global dominance by force as necessary. Now that Obamas time in the White House is nearing its end we are better able to grasp the incompatibility of his embrace of these two roles, which sadly, and likely tragically, leads to the conclusion that the vision of a world without nuclear weapons was never meant to be more than empty words. What the peoples of the world need to discover over and over again is that the promising words flow easily from the lips of leaders have little significance unless supplemented by a robust movement from below that challenges those who are governing from above. As activists in the 1960s began to understand is that only when the body pushes against the machine will policies incline toward peace and justice, and we in the 21st century will have to rediscover this bit of political wisdom if hope for a nuclear free world is to become a genuine political project.

If more than rhetoric is attached to the call for a moral revolution, then the place to start would be to question, prior to abandoning, the mentality that is comfortable with double standards when it come to war making and criminal accountability. The whole idea of impunity for the victors and capital punishment for the losers is morally regressive. Both the Obama visit to Hiroshima, as significant as it was, and the Kerrey relationship to the Fulbright Vietnam University, show that American society, even at its best, is far from prepared to take part in the necessary moral revolution.

Richard Falk is an international law and international relations scholar who taught at Princeton University for forty years. Since 2002 he has lived in Santa Barbara, California, and taught at the local campus of the University of California in Global and International Studies and since 2005 chaired the Board of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. For six years (2008-2014) he acted as UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine








Exit Hindutva Terrorists, Enter Lashkar Bombers  Towards Clean Chit To Samjhauta Bombers ?



By Subhash Gatade

06 June, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Whether Indian Investigating Agencies Are Being Turned Into Voices of US Intel Agencies

Whether Indian Intelligence Agencies have decided to function as new post offices of US intel agencies ? Put it other ways whether US intel inputs have started overriding the meticulous investigations done by Indian intelligence agencies?

There are enough indications which seem to corroborate this observation.

And perhaps the latest in series seems to be the Samjhauta Express bomb blast case, where NIA seems to be contemplating putting the blame on Lashkar terrorists and absolving the Hindutva terrorists involved in the case basing itself on some vague input from US supposedly involving Lashkar-e-Toiba operative. In fact, anyone who has closely followed functioning of NIA of late would have noticed that news had started trickling in since beginning of April 16 itself where the agency which was keen to wrap up probe into the terror attack had suddenly woken up to the role of the dreaded outfit. Reports suddenly started appearing in leading national dailies about NIA chief travelling to US [t]o meet his US counterparts and get more details about the involvement of the LeT financier Arif Qasmani in the incident, government sources said. http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/nia-director-in-us-to-find-let-hand-in-samjhauta-blast/story-jEUy6DW8Bvn30Kh14MtKfJ.html)

While one could hear voices of moderation where legal eagles did point out the difficulties in suddenly shifting the blame from Hindutva terrorists to LeT, it was getting clear that the investigating agencies has made its mind to revise its earlier focus of investigation

S.K. Handa, public prosecutor, NIA, told The Hindu on the phone from Panchkula in Haryana that it would be difficult to shift the blame from Aseemanand to the LeT at this point. We have not been given any new information; but at this point of time, it would be difficult to wipe out the evidence on record. Only a few witnesses, who were close friends or relatives of the accused, have turned hostile, while much of the material evidence remains uncontested.

(http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/samjhauta-express-blasts-nia-probes-lashkar-link-seeks-us-help/article8481122.ece)

Remember that the chargesheet filed by the NIA had already focussed on the role of RSS Pracharak Aseemanand who had propounded a bomb ka badla bomb theory supposedly to give a fitting reply to the perceived persecution by Hindus by the members of the Muslim community

And by the end of May a media house even shared the news with its readers that

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will quote US intel reports in court to prove the involvement of terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the deadly 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, a media report said on Tuesday, US intel shows the handiwork of Pakistan-based Lashkar coordinator Arif Qasmani behind the Samjhauta terror attack, TOI reported.

NIA will submit the assessment of US security agencies in Panchkula court, which is hearing the Samjhauta case, the report said.how Hindu groups had alleged that Swami Aseemanand and some others were framed by the then UPA government in the case and that Pakistans role in the attack was not probed.

(http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/lashkar-e-toiba-carried-out-deadly-2007-samjhauta-express-blasts-nia-to-submit-this-us-intel-report-in-court_1888629.html)

Remember the case is under trial at a court in Panchkula, and 19 witnesses have turned hostile so far.The 68 people killed in the incident on February 18, 2007 near Panipat included both Indians and Pakistanis.

II

Perhaps an indication of this changed atmosphere can also be had from a recent interview by Vikash Narain Rai, who was former DG (Law and Order) Haryana and who had headed the SIT ( Special Investigation Team) which was constituted to investigate the Samjhauta Express explosion of February 2007 wherein he told Seema Mustafa that their team had .[c]onfirmed the involvement of the Sunil Joshi group in the Samjhauta explosion and the fact that no one from SIMI was involved, In this exclusive interview to The Citizen he details

the painstaking investigation, the non cooperation of agencies, and the fact that he and his team had zeroed in on Joshi and his group for planting the explosive that set the Samjhauta on fire. Joshi was a RSS pracharak and was killed in the winter of 2007 after the blasts by two men who are still absconding.  (http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/1/7875/RSS-Pracharak-Sunil-Joshi-was-100-Involved-in-Samjhauta-Blasts-Former-SIT-Chief-Rai)

This interview follows a facebook post by him wherein he had shared the manner in which a news channel interviewed him about this investigation wherein he categorically told ..[N]ews X that the SIT had totally ruled out the invovement of any Pakistani hand or Simi group in the dastardly crime. In fact he emphatically

.[t]old them that our perception was pointing to involvement of Hindu elements, which was shared time and again by SIT in discussions at MHA. I also told about the emergence of names of Sunil Joshi and two others. I shared my conversation with late Mr Hemant Karkare of Maharashtra ATS, which confirmed our perception about Hindu elements invovlement. To my horror, in their ongoing TV debate, the news x have not only blocked my interview completely but the anchor is time and again building up a case that the Haryan SIT had unearthed connection of the crime with SIMI. It is nothing but a fabricated lie for which the TV channel and their anchor are squarely responsible. (from facebook post)

According to him the explosives that had been put together to ensure that the fire would expand in a moving train, and not subside with the one burst, were planted in suitcases. All of these had been destroyed but as Rai recalls, we were very lucky to find one such suitcase intact. ( (http://www.thecitizen.in)

The make of the suitcase took the investigators to Indore, to a Raghunandan attache shop which was owned by a Bora Muslim and had two young employees, a Hindu and a Muslim. On further questioning the two employees said that two men who appeared to be Hindus who spoke in a local Indori accent, and were clearly from the city itself had purchased the suitcase.

On further investigatin the team established two facts as Rai put it: one, the Samjhauta case involved Sunil Joshi and his men; and two, there was no SIMI or Pakistan hand in this.  According to him the investigation could not move further because of complete non-cooperation from Madhya Pradesh and more specifically from Indore.

Rai said that in meetings held by the Ministry of Home Affairs at the time the Investigating Officers of Malegaon, Ajmer and other such terror attacks would exchange notes pointing towards the involvement of Hindu groups. ..Interestingly Rai recalls a long conversation he had with the then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare. He said that Karkare, investigating the Malegaon blasts, also said that he had considerable evidence that the Hindu extremists were involved in this case as well. He told Rai that he was putting the evidence together and would get back to him with more details as soon as he had stitched the loose ends. Rai said that this did not happen as Karkare was murdered soon after in the Mumbai terror attack.

((http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/1/7875/RSS-Pracharak-Sunil-Joshi-was-100-Involved-in-Samjhauta-Blasts-Former-SIT-Chief-Rai))

III

Anyone who has followed the case knows that this particular case has seen many shifts and turns.

And when the NIA finally took up the case in 2010, it was expected that final word would be said in the case. In fact it was the same period when investigators probing the blasts had discovered footprints of similar Hindutva terrorist group which had carried out the Malegaon terror attack (Sep 2008) (The Telegraph, June 27 , 2010). In fact it was the same time when few activists of the RSS had been apprehended by the Rajasthan ATS and more leads about the same outfits involvement in the May 2007 Mecca mosque blast in Hyderabad had emerged. The similarity in the triggering mechanism for the Mecca mosque blast and the Feb 2007 Samjhauta Express blast was also found to be striking.The home ministry had deemed it necessary to closely monitor the probe against the real perpetrators which was the only way to unravel the complex web.

Perhaps all of us were rather naive at that time.

Here is the same NIA supposedly getting ready to push under the carpet hard work done by its own officers and going full steam ahead on some vague input of US intel agencies forgetting the fact that one of the biggest terror attack in India ( 26/11) was handiwork of one of their own agents (David Headley) who also worked for LeT. (http://www.countercurrents.org/sanghvi210310.htm).

Subhash Gatade is the author of Pahad Se Uncha Aadmi (2010) Godse's Children: Hindutva Terror in India,(2011) and The Saffron Condition: The Politics of Repression and Exclusion in Neoliberal India(2011). He is also the Convener of New Socialist Initiative (NSI) Email : subhash.gatade@gmail.com










Hundreds More Refugees Die In The Mediterranean

By Martin Kreikenbaum

06 June, 2016

WSWS.org

Hundreds of refugees have died in two more cases of boat sinkings. Within eight days, many more than 1,200 refugees have drowned during their voyage to Europe.

A refugee boat had an emergency around 75 nautical miles south of Crete on Thursday. An Italian trading vessel sailing past informed the coastguard, which sent patrol boats and other commercial ships to the area. When the first ships arrived on Friday morning, the completely overcrowded wooden fishing cutter had already capsized. Hundreds of refugees were floating helplessly in the sea.

A total of 342 refugees were rescued, and nine bodies were recovered. But the scale of the sinking initially remained unclear. The alarming question is how many people were actually on board the 25-metre-long cutter, an officer of the Greek coastguard said. Survivors reported that up to 700 refugees were on board. By contrast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) believes a count of 500 refugees is more likely.

At first, the coastguard refused to provide information on the origin of the refugees on the boat that likely set out from the Egyptian port of Alexandria. However, Joel Millmann of IOM stated, These are refugees we would have previously seen on the Balkan route, from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Since the closing of the Balkan route, refugees are attempting to use other routes to reach Europe. The dangerously long route from Egypt or Turkey, past Crete and to Italy, is playing an increasingly significant role.

In addition, grim scenes played out on the beaches of the Libyan town Suwara, roughly 160 kilometres west of Tripoli. A total of 117 bodies of refugees were pulled from the sea. Among the dead were 75 women and six children, according to a spokesperson from the Red Crescent.

The drowned refugees were overwhelmingly from Nigeria, Gambia, Mali and the Central African Republic and had been in the water for days, according to Doctors without Borders. According to them, they originated from a boat tragedy which was previously unknown.

There is no let-up in the series of catastrophic boat accidents in the Mediterranean. Within 10 days, six ships have capsized, sending probably more than 1,200 refugees to their deaths. The past eight days marks one of the deadliest periods yet in the migration crisis, which is now in its fourth year, an IOM spokesman said.

It was no accident that the refugee crisis began with the wars initiated by the United States and their European allies in Syria, Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic. These imperialist military interventions, conducted in the name of allegedly defending human rights and the struggle against terrorism, have destroyed large areas in the Middle East and North Africa and robbed millions of the necessities of life.

Fully 12 million Syrians have been forced to flee, of which 8 million are internally displaced. During the last five years, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the number of refugees has risen by almost 18 million to 60 million people fleeing war, persecution, desperate living conditions and poverty.

The imperialist powers aggressive foreign policy is complemented by the criminal European Union policy of sealing off the borders to refugees. The numbers of deaths in the Mediterranean continues to break new records. Thus far in 2016, at least 2,800 refugees have drowned during the journey to reach Europe. This is an increase of some 40 percent since the same period last year.

But whereas the majority of refugees chose the much shorter and less dangerous route across the Aegean Sea to Greece, they have been compelled by the shameful pact between the EU and Turkey to risk the dangerous voyage from North Africa to Italy. The mass deaths in the Mediterranean are not simply collateral damage resulting from a wrong refugee policy, but a consciously desired consequence of an inhumane policy of deterrence.

When the European Union decided in the autumn of 2014 to end the Italian sea rescue mission Mare Nostrum, through which 150,000 refugees were rescued from the water, the EU border protection agency Frontex warned that this would result in a growth in refugee deaths. In the paper presented at the time by Frontex outlining the concept of Mission Triton, which took the place of Mare Nostrum, it stated that the withdrawal of naval units from the sea around the Libyan coast[will] probably result in a greater number of refugee deaths.

But this was explicitly welcomed, because Frontex believed that significantly fewer refugees will risk the voyage in bad weather and the prices for the trips will increase. The numbers of refugee deaths rose dramatically with the start of Mission Triton.

Francois Crepeau, then UN special rapporteur for the human rights of refugees, sharply condemned the EUs inhumane policy. To top it off by stating that increased number of deaths will have a deterring effect on future migrants and asylum seekers is disgusting, he said. It is as if one would say: let them die, because it is a good deterrent for the others.

With the militarisation of the Mediterranean, the EU is pushing this criminal game to the limit by forcing the refugees to take ever more dangerous routes. NATO is patrolling the sea between Greece and Turkey with its own naval group, to combat people smuggling and illegal migration in the Aegean, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asserted. One cannot be more explicit in stating that the issue is not rescuing refugees.

The EU mission EUNAVFOR Med in the waters between Libya and Italy is aimed above all at destroying the smugglers boats and detain smugglers. In addition, it aims to prepare a new military intervention in Libya. The NATO-led war in 2011 to topple the Gaddafi regime plunged the country into a bloody civil war. In large parts of the country, which is dominated by rival militias, infrastructure is virtually non-existent and order has completely broken down.

Although hundreds of thousands of refugees from throughout Africa are already struggling to survive in Libya under terrible conditions, the European Union intends to deport refugees in large numbers to the country. The German government in particular is considering a repatriation agreement with Libya, using the EU-Turkey deal as a model.

In the opinion of human rights organisations, such a pact would be gruesome, utterly unacceptable, as Lotte Leicht from Human Rights Watch told German public broadcaster ARD. It would mean that the EU would breach its own core principles. But these have already been trampled underfoot in the EU, which describes itself as an area of freedom, security and law. They are supporting the regimes in Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Eritrea without any qualms so that they can detain refugees.

An increasing number of states are being arbitrarily designated safe countries of origin, permitting the rapid rejection of asylum seekers and the immediate deportation of those affected. As a result of the dirty deal with Turkey, the registration centres on the Greek islands were transformed into internment camps. More than 8,500 refugees are currently confined to the camps, described as hot spots.

The people in the camps are desperate and extremely tense, said Spyros Galinos, the mayor of Lesbos. Food and medical care in the camps are utterly inadequate, and the hygienic conditions catastrophic. The detained refugees receive practically no information about their asylum applications.

The tensions caused by this are erupting ever more frequently into violence. More than 20 refugees were injured on Samos; on Lesbos, tents and sleeping bags were burned during conflicts between refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan. On Chios, refugees have started a hunger strike in protest at their conditions.

At the same time, deportations of refugees from Greece to Turkey were halted in appeals decisions. In at least 10 cases, the three-person asylum committee agreed with the refugees appeal against the rejection of their asylum application by the Greek authorities because Turkey is not a safe third state. The dirty deal with Turkey is being exposed as a human rights disaster, as the refugee organisation ProAsyl stated.

Nonetheless, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the EU-Turkey deal as a success because fewer people were drowning in the Aegean, meaning lives were being saved. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere recently declared that the deal had secured a decline in refugee numbers. Last autumn, between 5,000 and 6,000 people arrived in Greece from Turkey daily, he said. Now it is fewer than 100 per day. But the price for this is that almost 100 people are dying daily in the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy.










Good job, Mike Pence.

He was the first governor in Indiana history to secure state funds for a public preschool program. On My Way Pre-K officially launched in January 2015 and provided schooling for 2,300 4-year-olds  including 196 in Vanderburgh County.

Nobody else did that. Not Mitch Daniels. Not Evan Bayh. Not even Ratliff Boon.

Of course, in October 2014, Pence abruptly decided not to pursue a chunk of $80 million in federal funds that could have almost tripled the size of the program. Because of that, thousands of children were denied a year of preschool  about 3,000 in Marion County alone, and 70 or so in Vanderburgh County.

So he took away preschool for more kids than he provided it to.

But! Schooling for 2,300 is better than schooling for none. I should know. I had to drop out of tannery night school after third grade to tend to the family ostrich farm.

Now more kids may avoid my fate. In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services released on Thursday, Pence said he's now open to taking federal cash.

"By not expanding the pilot program prematurely, I kept a promise I made to key legislative leaders in order to gain their support for my prekindergarten program," he wrote in the letter.

Of course it's odd that such a promise had to be made, and that state legislators would adopt such a careful approach to funding. They never cared about wasting money before. According to the Indianapolis tourism bureau Visit Indy, the fallout over the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed by those same legislators, cost the city $60 million in possible economic impact  six times the amount of money the state sets aside annually for pre-K programs.

But! Pence and the legislators were right to be wary. We're not talking about normal money here. We're talking about federal money. Scary Barack Obama money. The kind of money that steals your guns and winks at your wife.

"Anytime you bring federal dollars, you have to count the cost and determine what kind of flexibility you're losing," Pence told Indy Politics on Friday.

What kind of flexibility would the state lose? A two-day series of emails with Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks rendered few specific answers aside from "you have to walk before you run." But you know that darn federal government. Always trying to tell us how to do our business. Why, I even hear they want schools to teach science.

Of course there is no federal program regulating preschool education. And even if there was something akin to the K-12 Common Core, the Department of Education has no say over curriculum and has a limited to nonexistent role in funding. That's all controlled on the state level.

And under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund of the stimulus law passed by President Obama in 2009  which made the early education grants possible  Pence would have had two fiscal years to commit all federal money. With the proper planning, it's likely Pence could have taken the money for 2015, operated the pilot program in the same way, and still had the cash on hand to expand pre-K education in time for the coming school year.

That would have provided preschool education to thousands of additional students without delay. According to the state's report on the first year of On My Way, "research clearly indicates that high quality early education experiences are important to the future successes of children  in particular children who are growing up in poverty."

But! He's going to apply for the grants now, so why bellyache? Quit complaining about the past, critics.

Stupid, stupid critics. Can you believe some of them think Pence's about-face is a political ploy? It's as if an occult hand is squeezing the juice out of their brains.

Of course when Pence made the decision to forego funding in October 2014 he was considered a longshot presidential candidate. Being that hard-line Republicans equate taking federal money with light manslaughter, he could have used his rebuke of D.C. to his advantage.

But! If it's all about politics, why is Pence changing his mind now?

If you say it's because he's facing a brutal re-election slog against John Gregg, I'm going to drop-kick you in the jaw.

Of course a recent Enterprise Republicans poll found that only 32 percent of respondents thought Pence would be the best choice to improve education. He may be desperate. Last week, his campaign released an ad featuring former educator Karen Pence that highlights "the good work" the governor has done in schools.

But! Teachers love Pence. The last time I told a teacher I support him, she got so excited that she broke the windshield on my car.

Listen: All this cynicism does nothing to help the state of Indiana or the young children poised to benefit from On My Way Pre-K. And it's time that we recognize Pence for the hero he is: the governor of the 43rd state to adopt a public pre-K education program. It was incredibly brave to pursue a long-overdue program with bipartisan support that could never possibly backfire.

Unless he did something really misguided. Like, I don't know, refuse money that would have undoubtedly made the program better.

Good job, Mike Pence.
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NAMI Connection support group for all mental illness disorders: Meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, third floor, rehab building. Information: 812-897-1694.

NAMI Evansville friends and families support group about mental illness: Meeting 6-7:30 p.m. June 14 at Mulberry Place, 410 Mulberry St.

Alzheimer's Association Programs: "Know the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's disease," 5-6 p.m. June 14; and "Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body," 5-6 p.m. June 16 at the Alzheimer's Association, 701 N. Weinbach Ave. Registration is required by calling 800-272-3900.

FA (Families Anonymous): a 12-step fellowship for the family and friends of those individuals with drug, alcohol or related behavioral issues. Meetings are at 10 a.m. Saturdays at Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Ave. Use the Kelsey Avenue entrance, second floor. Information: 812-550-5777.

Bereavement support group: Meeting 5:30-7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month in the large group meeting room, second floor of Central Library, 200 SE MLK Blvd.

Men's bereavement support group: Meeting 9-10:30 a.m. the second Monday of each month in Room 204 at Deaconess VNA Plus, 610 E. Walnut St.

Support group for bipolar/manic-depressive disorder: Meeting 7 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month, Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, third floor of St. Mary's Rehabilitation Institute, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4934.

Survivors of Suicide support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month, Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Ave. Information: Mental Health America at 812-426-2640.

Mending Hearts pregnancy loss support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Gift Conference Room, off the lobby of St. Mary's Hospital for Women & Children, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4204.

Men's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room, 100 St. Mary's Epworth Crossing, Newburgh. Information: 812-485-5725.

Stroke support group: Meeting 10 a.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month, St. Mary's Community Education Room at Washington Square Mall, 5011 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-5607.

ALS support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Meeting Room E, Deaconess Gateway Hospital. The support group is for patients, caregivers and survivors who have lost someone to Lou Gehrig's disease.

Women's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room. Information: 812-485-5725.

Pulmonary fibrosis support group: Meeting 4 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

COPD/asthma support group: Meeting 4 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

Parkinson's support group: Meeting at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Room 350, Deaconess Physician Center, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

Tri-State Multiple Sclerosis Association support group meetings: 10 a.m. the second Saturday of each month, Tri-State MS Association Office, 971 S. Kenmore Drive, Evansville (contact Nita Ruxer at 812-479-3544 or Sharon Omer at 270-333-4701); 10 a.m. the fourth Saturday of each month, Gibson General Hospital, fifth floor, first room on the right, 1808 Sherman Drive, Princeton, Indiana (contact Alice Burkhart at 812-782-3735); 11 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Twilight Towers, in the cafeteria, 1648 10th St., Tell City (contact Terri Hasty at 812-649-4013 or Gayle Taylor 812-719-2417); 10 a.m. the third Saturday of each month, Daviess Community Hospital, Washington, Indiana (contact Cindy Kalberer at 812-254-6735 or Fran Neal at 812-259-1565); 10 a.m. the first Saturday of each month, Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 2360 Green River Road, Henderson, Kentucky, (contact Meg Burnley at 270-826-9507 or Debbie Whittington at 270-827-8298); 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month, Owensboro Health Healthpark, 1006 Ford Ave, Owensboro, Kentucky; and 11 a.m. the first Saturday of each month, Fairfield Memorial Hospital in the board room of Horizon Clinic, 303 NW 11th St., Fairfield, Illinois (contact Kathie Hill at 618-847-8452).

Compiled by Leah Ward,

leah.ward@courierpress.com.
Sarah Loesch/Special to the Courier & Press Jackie Kempf helps direct a hospital visitor to the room he is looking for during her volunteer shift at Deaconess Hospital. Kempf works at the information desk at the main campus helping direct visitors and answering questions over the phone and in person.

SHARE Sarah Loesch/Special to the Courier & Press Jerrie Leach works at her desk at the Charlier Hospice House during her four-hour volunteer shift. Leach has been working as a hospice volunteer for 25 years. Contributed photo Longtime volunteers Jackie Kempf (from left) and Jerrie Leach and Linda White, Deaconess president and chief executive officer, attend the groundbreaking of the Deaconess Hospice House, set to open in November.

By Sarah Loesch of the Courier and Press

Twin sisters Jackie Kempf and Jerrie Leach have spent a combined 49 years volunteering with Deaconess Hospital.

The 82-year-old Evansville natives both focused their efforts on volunteering with Deaconess Auxiliary and hospice facilities shortly after retiring from their respective positions at the hospital.

Kempf spent more than 24 years as chief cashier for the hospital, and Leach worked for 32 years as a respiratory therapist before finishing her career as the director of clinical education for the respiratory therapy program through Deaconess and the University of Southern Indiana.

Kempf said she enjoyed being chief cashier from the very beginning. She gave birth to all eight of her children at Deaconess and was familiar with some of the people who worked there.

"It was just my hospital," she said. "When I wanted to go to work, I thought, 'Well, that's a good place. I'm going to try there, and they can't get rid of me.' "

'Caring for the dying patient'

Leach's path to Deaconess started after her husband died of cancer.

She took care of him for seven years, and then at 33 started in a respiratory therapy program. She already had gained a lot of experience caring for the elderly and the sick within her own family. She took care of both of her parents until they died and with the help of her sister cared for an elderly aunt.

Leach said she never struggled to take care of her own family members and felt it was where she belonged.

"It was natural," she said. "I felt comfortable with it. I've always been kind of a mother figure."

So volunteering with hospice seemed like a natural fit. She said she felt it was where God wanted her to be.

"I feel like God gives you experiences in your life that are going to train you for what he wants you to do," Leach said.

She also found inspiration from a hospice worker whom she brought in to speak to one of her classes about caring for the dying patient during her time as director of clinical education.

"I was so impressed with her that as soon as Deaconess said they were going to open a hospice in 1991, I've been involved," Leach said.

'I always wanted to join'

Kempf started with the Deaconess Auxiliary about a year after her sister. She'd always had an interest, but much of the activity was during the day, so she had to wait until she'd retired.

The Auxiliary, which started in 1960, works to raise funds for the hospital and its various projects and currently has about 140 volunteers.

Kempf and Leach are on the board of directors, the governing body for the Auxiliary.

The sisters now deal with fewer hands-on duties during their volunteer hours, but when they first started they did most everything a hospice patient might need. Kempf said she would sit with patients, go grocery shopping for them, take them to doctor's appointments and clean their homes.

Leach said they would do anything the patient wanted or needed. Every evening when she got off work, she'd go and sit on the bedside commode next to the patient, and they would watch television.

"Sometimes we would never say a word," Leach said.

The silence eventually led Leach to ask the patient if she would prefer less frequent visits, since sometimes the patient would never speak to her.

"She said, 'But you're here if I want to,' " Leach said.

'Cry with the family and move on'

Leach said people sometimes ask her how she is able to volunteer in a place where most of the time the patients die, and she tells them "you just cry with the family and move on."

She said the younger patients do get to her, but Leach has never really dealt with the death of anyone younger than 21.

Tina Hale, the hospice volunteer coordinator, said there are many opportunities within hospice to volunteer, some of which do not include contact with patients. Hospice has volunteers who arrange for flowers, call the bereavement team, answer phones, work the desk, sit with patients or deliver supplies.

Hale said they have people who feel called to work in hospice after someone in their own family dies. In those cases, they recommend the person wait a year, since it can be an emotional experience.

Before joining the team of hospice volunteers, new recruits go through four training sessions, which include tips on how to deal with the death of a patient.

Hale said it isn't abnormal for volunteers to stick around for multiple years, like Kempf and Leach, but that the sisters are still unique.

"I have never met two more dedicated people to Deaconess," she said.

Training and recruiting volunteers will be a focus for the hospital when it opens the new hospice house in November.

The new facility will feature two wings, each with seven beds. The rooms will have a suite for the patient's family connected to them along with a family kitchen. Both Kempf and Leach were there for the groundbreaking of the new facility.

"It's exciting to see the new hospice house," Leach said, "I'm very anxious to work there."

'Use it or lose it'

Kempf and Leach said volunteering helps them stay active as they age.

"If you don't do anything, you kind of whittle away," Kempf said.

She said part of her love of volunteering comes from a need to stay busy. She loves the contact with people as well.

In volunteering at the front desk at Deaconess' main campus, Kempf said she sees many people she might not normally see.

Leach said she doesn't know how people stay at home all the time.

"You have to, as they say, 'use it or lose it,' " she said.

When Leach started to have more free time, it allowed her to volunteer more, and she plans to continue until she can't physically complete her duties. She always told her three children the only important thing in life is what you do for someone else.

"Volunteering is where it's at  " Leach said. "Giving of your time is most important."
ALEX SLITZ / COURIER & PRESS Nancy Koehler, of Evansville, laughs with her son, Will Koehler, 9, also of Evansville, during the National Cancer Survivors Day celebration at the Evansville Museum on Sunday. In 2012, Nancy was diagnosed with an intramedullary spinal cord tumor.

SHARE ALEX SLITZ / COURIER & PRESS Volunteer Teena Preske, of Evansville, hula hoops with Rugar Jenkins, 11, of Princeton, during the National Cancer Survivors Day celebration at the Evansville Museum on Sunday. Jenkins attended the event to show support for an aunt who is a survivor of ovarian cancer. ALEX SLITZ / COURIER & PRESS Cheryl Simons, of Rockport, signs the Survivor Commemorative Wall during the National Cancer Survivors Day celebration at the Evansville Museum on Sunday. Simons was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer and has become cancer-free this year.

By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press

Andrew Meredith never drank or smoke, and he tried to eat well and exercise regularly.

Still, the 60-year-old Evansville man was diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer last year.

"I just couldn't believe it was happening. I didn't really feel that bad. It was just kind of a shock," Meredith said.

He was with his wife and two grandchildren, ages 2 and 4, at the Evansville Museum on Sunday for the second National Cancer Survivors Day celebration, sponsored by Deaconess Hospital.

Organizers estimated 500 families with a cancer survivor visited the event Sunday afternoon.

Meredith is one of about 35,000 Hoosiers diagnosed with cancer in 2015, according to the Indiana Cancer Consortium.

During his treatment process, which included five months of chemotherapy, he thought of his children and grandchildren.

"I thought about me not being around them growing up, getting married," he said.

His cancer was knocked into remission in November. It's not cured, he said, and the doctors tell him it's going to come back.

"It's a cloud hanging over me. I try not to think about it," he said.

The doctors give him good odds that he can make it another decade.

"They told me to keep hoping because they keep coming up with new treatments," he said.

Meredith said he remained positive through treatments, and that everyone who helped him between Deaconess and the Indiana University Medical School in the last year was supportive and kind.

Claire Sutherby, an oncology nurse navigator at Deaconess Hospital focused on survivorship, said the minute a person is diagnosed with cancer they're considered a survivor.

"I think today is just a celebration about the patients, who they are and their families and bring them together with others and with the health care professionals in their lives," Sutherby said.

She helps develop survivorship plans for patients after they've gone through treatment. She also helps connect patients with nonprofit groups and support groups.

What happens after treatment can be daunting.

"Afterward, a lot of them just try to live their life as much as they can," she said
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By Richard Gootee of the Courier and Press

Berniece Tirmenstein died after being involved in a car crash on Sunday.

The 89-year-old woman was a back-seat passenger in 2005 Lexus ES3 that was hit by a turning pickup at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Plaza Drive. The crash happened just before 1 p.m.

The car Tirmenstein was in was being driven by Jim Braker, 74.

Tirmenstein and Braker have both actively been involved in the local tea party group. Tirmenstein was also often a front-row fixture in the audience of Evansville City Council and other local political meetings.

The Evansville Police Department crash report initially classified Tirmenstein's most serious injury as a complaint of neck pain, but a further examination at the hospital revealed that she had broken both hips and had suffered spinal and neck injuries in the crash, according to Steve Lockyear, the chief deputy coroner in Vanderburgh County. Tirmenstein was pronounced dead at 3:21 p.m., at Deaconess Hospital.

"She had (two) fractured hips, and she suffered some pretty significant internal injuries," Lockyear said.

Braker's wife, Charlene, was in the front passenger seat of the car. She was also taken to the hospital after complaining about chest pain.

The driver of the Chevrolet 1500 truck was identified as 25-year-old Joshua Grant, of Corydon, Kentucky. According to the crash report, investigators said Grant failed to yield at the intersection.

Brenda Bergwitz, a friend of both Tirmenstein the Brakers, called Tirmenstein a "great American patriot" and a historian. Bergwitz said Tirmenstein, who was a retired nurse, served in the nurse cadet corps from 1945-48.

"Evansville (lost) a special lady, but heaven gained an angel," Bergwitz said on Monday. "Words can't describe the loss that this city is going to have, not just me but everybody. ... She was so loved and respected by everybody, no matter what party they were."
File photo of a printer. (Photo: Gannett/File)



SHARE Doug Costello, a Massachusetts man, has been embroiled in a nearly seven-year lawsuit in Indiana after selling a used printer online for less than $75. (Photo: Provided by Doug Costello)

Selling a used, black-and-white printer through Craigslist seemed simple and straightforward to Doug Costello.

It wasn't.

What the 66-year-old Massachusetts man didn't know then is that he would spend the next 6  years embroiled in a complicated and confusing legal dispute in Indiana over that printer, which, according to its buyer, was broken.

He would find himself liable for about $30,000 in damages. He would pay a lawyer at least $12,000 in his battle to escape the legal mess.

And it all started with a piece of hardware he sold online for about $40 in 2009. With shipping and other costs, the total was less than $75, according to court records.

The printer's buyer was Gersh Zavodnik, a 54-year-old Indianapolis man known to many in the legal community as a frequent lawsuit filer who also represents himself in court. The Indiana Supreme Court said the "prolific, abusive litigant" has brought dozens of lawsuits against individuals and businesses, often asking for astronomical damages. Most, according to court records, involve online sales and transactions.

Zavodnik, a native of Ukraine who moved to the United States in 1987 under a grant of political asylum, sued Costello, accusing him of falsely advertising a malfunctioning printer with missing parts, and pocketing Zavodnik's money. According to a complaint filed in Marion Superior Court, Zavodnik tried to resolve the issue with Costello to no avail, leaving him with no other choice but to take legal action.

Zavodnik declined to speak with IndyStar. In an earlier interview, he said his motivation for filing lawsuits is simple: to seek justice from people who, he said, stole money from him.

According to court records, Zavodnik initially filed a lawsuit in Marion County Small Claims Court, where he asked for the maximum damages of $6,000. Zavodnik lost because he had thrown away the evidence (the printer), court records said.

Costello said he thought that was the end of the legal fight, but Zavodnik filed another lawsuit in Marion Superior Court, where he requested damages for breach of contract, fraud, conversion, deceptive advertising and emotional distress.

"I figured that's it," Costello said of his victory in small claims court. "But no, no, no. Now I'm in another twilight zone."

In 2010, Zavodnik sent Costello, who also was representing himself in the lawsuit, paperwork asking him to admit that he was liable for more than $30,000 for breach of contract, fraud and conversion. The trial court dismissed the case, along with 26 others filed by Zavodnik, who appealed all of those dismissals, court records state.

The Indiana Court of Appeals in March 2012 revived the lawsuit against Costello and sent the case back to the trial court, where it remained stagnant for another nine months until a hearing was scheduled later that year.

Zavodnik also had sent Costello two more requests for admissions. One asked Costello to admit that he conspired with the judge presiding over the case, and that he was liable for more than $300,000. Another one requested Costello to admit that he was liable for more than $600,000.

Gersh Zavodnik poses in a room in his home, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, that is full of files for the vast number of lawsuits he has filed. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

Because Costello did not respond to all three requests for admissions within 30 days of receiving them, and did not ask for an extension of time, as required by Indiana trial rules, Costello admitted to the liabilities and damages by default. He also did not appear at a July 2013 hearing, according to court records.

Costello said he never received the requests for admissions and was not notified of the hearing.

The case overwhelmed him so much, Costello said, that he finally decided to hire an attorney. In fall 2013, Indianapolis attorney Chad Wuertz, who represents other defendants sued by Zavodnik, filed a motion to withdraw the admissions.

The case lingered again  this time for more than a year  without any significant action.

Wuertz said the case went through several Marion County judges, many of whom recused themselves. At one point, Zavodnik sought to have a judge removed, and the Supreme Court appointed a special judge from Boone County.

Finally, in March 2015  six years after Costello sold the printer  Special Judge J. Jeffrey Edens issued a ruling. He awarded Zavodnik a judgment of $30,044.07 for breach of contract.

Edens acknowledged the amount is "seemingly high" and the judgment "may seem extreme for the breach of contract for the purchase of a printer." But he wrote that he's constrained by how the Supreme Court had previously interpreted a state trial rule, called Rule 36, which sets the 30-day deadline for responding to requests for admissions.

"What kind of reality am I in now?" Costello said of the ruling. "I don't know what's going on. Why don't I know what's going on?"

Costello, who owns a forensic accounting business, appealed the ruling. On March 23, the appeals court issued a sharply worded 13-page opinion in his favor.

The $30,000 in damages "had no basis in reality," Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik wrote.

Zavodnik misused the Indiana trial rule, which was meant to more quickly and efficiently reach a resolution, Vaidik wrote.

"He did not send requests claiming $30,000 and $300,000 and $600,000 in damages because he believes those figures are legally justified and thought Costello might agree," Vaidik wrote. "He sent them because he hoped Costello would not respond, rendering the matters admitted..."

"Zavodnik used the rule as a way to avoid such a resolution," Vaidik wrote.

Costello was on a business trip in Ontario, Canada, when his attorney called him to tell him the news. He said he almost broke down while sitting at a diner.

"I've had this huge weight, this financial and emotional weight for 6  years," Costello said.

Zavodnik likely does not see it that way. A colleague of Zavodnik's who's also a pro se litigant  legal jargon for someone who represents himself or herself in court  spoke on his behalf.

Jesse Clements, who said he and Zavodnik are members of a group of pro se litigants whose purpose is to "end Marion County judicial corruption," said the appeals court ruling was "ridiculous," "irrational," and "opposite to the law."

Clements describes himself as a highly skilled litigant, and Zavodnik sometimes uses Clements' research for his cases. He said the appellate judges "misrepresented" and "cherry-picked" the issues and facts that support their opinion.

Zavodnik likely will ask for a re-hearing, Clements said.

Costello said he will no longer sell anything online. He also said he has no plan to pursue any legal action against Zavodnik.

"I've had enough," he said. "I don't need him in my life anymore."

But the case is not yet over.

The appeals court ordered the trial court to hold a hearing to determine whether the case should be dismissed "based on Zavodnik's repeated, flagrant, and continuing failure to comply with Indiana's rules of procedure."

That hearing won't be held before Edens, the special judge from Boone County. He, like many others before him, recused himself.

Special Judge Christopher Burnham, of Morgan County, is now on the case.

*Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Jesse Clements' professional relationship with Gersh Zavodnik. Clements conducts research for his own cases that Zavodnik sometimes uses.

IndyStar reporter Tim Evans contributed to this story.
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By Max Roll of the Courier and Press

A teenager is dead following a single vehicle accident in Union County, Kentucky 2 a.m. Sunday.

Maxwell McMain, 19, of Morganfield, Kentucky, lost control of his pickup truck on Kentucky 492 just outside Morganfield and overturned multiple times, according to Kentucky State Police.

McMain and 16-year-old Kaci Wood were not wearing seat belts, police said. Wood died at Union County Hospital. McMain is at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville in stable condition.

A third passenger, Jacob Hood, 20, was also in the truck but not injured. He wore a seat belt.

Police investigators have not ruled out speed or alcohol as a factor in causing the crash.

The investigation is ongoing.
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Data center News

Michigan Solution Provider Avalon Technologies Scoops Up Former Dell VP Horan As CEO

Matt Brown

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A longtime Dell sales executive has been hired as CEO of 100 percent Dell solution provider Avalon Technologies with a mandate to drive data center growth as the industry consolidates.

Avalon, a Dell Premier partner based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., told CRN it hired Mark Horan as CEO to boost the company's growth. The company intends to expand geographically and hire aggressively with Horan at the helm, said Brian Flynn, the company's founder.

Horan takes over for Flynn as CEO. Flynn said he intends to stay on after Horan takes the reins.



[Relate: Recruiting Blitz: HPE Rolls Out Red Carpet For Anxious Dell-EMC Partners]

Flynn told CRN that Avalon -- a 20-person solution provider working primarily around data center -- has seen double-digit revenue growth with Dell in recent years. The solution provider needs a CEO like Horan, Flynn said, to navigate that growth amid sweeping IT industry changes, including the ascendance of cloud and widespread consolidation.

"You look at the industry consolidation that's happening at the manufacturer level, and it's no secret they are trying to pick go-to partners," Flynn said. To get noticed, solution providers have to demonstrate their ability to grow and their loyalty to their vendors, as well as their commitment to customers, he said.

Flynn said the growth strategy Horan is tasked with executing revolves around taking on the product lines Dell is set to gain in its more-than $60 billion acquisition of EMC, hiring people across the Avalon business and expanding geographically.

"If they do it right, the opportunity for solution providers like Avalon is huge," Horan told CRN. "They're small, but they're very capable. They have a great tech team that's very focused on the data center, and that's always been a recipe for success for channel partners, that singular focus. When you add EMC, it's a great opportunity."

Horan said Avalon, which has accounts in health care, education, state and local government and SMBs, has been successful in its home state of Michigan, as well as in Tennessee. He said he sees great opportunity for the company in the Texas market, as well as on the eastern seaboard.

Horan said Avalon will continue to concentrate on data center business, and will remain exclusively a Dell partner, but may expand into end-user compute opportunities as it hires people with expertise in that area.

He made it clear, though, that he intends to be careful not to move more quickly than a company of Avalon's size should.

"There are so many different opportunities that you have to make sure you don't do it too quickly," Horan said. "We have to stick to our knitting with our capabilities in data center, bringing cloud services around it, and there's opportunity to grow with Dell and EMC. There are huge opportunities in anything in the data center."

Flynn said Avalon, which he founded in 2002, has embraced the transition to doing business as a service provider, rather than just a hardware reseller.

"It's all about customer service, and being a value-added service provider," Flynn said. "Customers want value-added services, and service drives bottom-line revenue, but there are other opportunities where there's no revenue for you, because the customer is in a jam and you just have to solve the problem -- and that goes a long way toward adding to the top-line revenue down the road."

Horan was vice president of sales inside Dell's preferred accounts division for commercial and public sector business until about four months ago, when Dell rejiggered its sales organization around a geographic model.

"It was a good time to step out and reassess what I wanted to do," said Horan, a Texas native who had been with Round Rock, Texas-based Dell for about 20 years.
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)

Have you ever wondered what a word fitly spoken looks like? The Old Testament has many examples of women who spoke words of courage and help and displayed a kind of God-confidence that is to be admired. Consider these ten women in the Bible who were bold and faithful in their Spirit-led interventions and, in their womanly way, were mightily used by God.

1. Zipporah

Moses was about to be put to death by the LORD, but Zipporah wisely intervened by circumcising his sons and therefore saving his life so he could fulfill his mission to lead Gods people out of Egypt.

At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her sons foreskin and touched Moses feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! So he let him alone. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. (Exodus 4:24-26)

2. Deborah

Barak was hesitant to obey the LORD, but Deborah boldly reminded him of Gods promise to go before them, and the blessings that come with obedience.

She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, Go gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulum. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabins army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand? (Judges 4:6-7)

3. Manoahs wife

Manoah was tempted to fearfully overreact after a visit from God, but Manoahs wife calmly and insightfully encouragedhim with words of faith. Their promised son Samson would evoke longing for the greatest promised son, Jesus.

And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God. But his wife said to him, If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to use such things as these. (Judges 13:22-23)

4. Ruth

Boaz was kind to pray for Ruth, that she would receive protection from the LORD, but Ruth humbly called Boaz to recognize that he was Gods choice to provide that protection. Ruth became the mother of Obed, grandfather of David.

Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. (Ruth 3:9)

5. Hannah

The Priest Eli was unable to decipher the difference between a rambling drunk and troubled woman seeking the LORD, but Hannah gently corrected him and opened his eyes to see how God was at work. Gods answer to her prayer, her son Samuel, became a great prophet who would anoint David as king.

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you. But Hannah answered, No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation. Then Eli answered, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him. And she said, Let your servant find favor in your eyes. Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. (1 Samuel 1:12-18)

6. Abagail

David was angry and ready to commit murder, but Abagail discretely appealed to him to do the right thing and leave vengeance to the LORD, protecting David from the folly of his temper.

David said to Abagail, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me from this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! (1 Samuel 25:30-33)

7. The Wise Woman of Tekoa

David was unwilling to forgive his son, but the wise woman of Tekoa helped him to see that reconciliation was better than banishment.

Then the woman said, Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king. He said Speak. And the woman said, Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. (2 Samuel 14:12-13)

8. The Wise Woman of Abel-Bethmaach

Joab was prepared to destroy an entire city because of one guilty man, but the wise woman of Abel-Bethmaach entreatedto find a peaceful solution, saving many lives.

Then a wise woman called from the city, Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, Come here, that I may speak to youThey used to say in former times, Let them but ask counsel at Abel, and so they settled a matter. I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord? Joab answered, Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city. (2 Samuel 20:16-21a)

9. The Shunammite Woman

The Shunammite womans husband was content to merely provide a meal to Gods servant Elisha, but the Shunammite woman proposed that they show real hospitality and were rewarded in the birth of their son.

And she said to her husband, Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there. (2 Kings 4:9-10)

10. Esther

Mordechai urged Esther to use all of her influence to change the Kings deadly decree, but Esther humbly requested that first all the Jews in Susa gather for three days of fasting, demonstrating her belief that only God could save her and her people.

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. (Esther 4:15-16)

Fearless Faith in Jesus

Did this list surprise you? These wise and faithful women intervened for the good of others, some at the risk of their very lives. Im encouraged to read how the Bible is full of bold, godly women who respectfully used the influence given to them to rescue, protect, and guide.

May we all embrace the quick-thinking of Zipporah, the diplomacy of Deborah, the insight of Manoahs wife, the exhortation of Ruth, the gentle correction of Hannah, the discretion of Abagail, the clever speech of the wise women of Tekoa and Abel-Bethmaach, the hospitality of the Shunammite woman, and the courage of Esther.

These women of the Bible knew the greatness of their God and had a boldness of speech to match, and while Im grateful for their particularly feminine example, they all fell short and needed a Savior, just like you and me. Therefore, I know I can pursue this kind of faithful courage with confidence only because of the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the word made flesh, he spoke up for me by dying in my place on the cross, and he rose again to give me an eternal hope so that I never need to give in to fear. Because he sent Jesus, I can be confident in Gods love for me and, by his favor, I can pursue the godliness of the courageous and faithful women of the Old Testament, as many saints both dead and alive have done before me. And by his Spirit, my voice can provide words fitly spoken for his glory.

What characterizes the women you know whose words display godly feminine courage?

This article was originally published on UnlockingTheBible.org. Used with permission.

Rachel Lehner is married to Peter, has four children, and serves in women's ministry at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church. Among other things, she loves helping with math homework and reciting Dr. Seuss from memory.

Publication date: June 6, 2016
The date was October 29, 1974. My brother and I were in Houston's Astrodome along with 50,000 others, there to watch a closed circuit telecast of Muhammad Ali's fight with George Foreman. Even though Houston was Foreman's hometown, ninety percent of the crowd chanted "Ali! Ali! Ali!" through the entire fight.

Such was the global celebrity of Muhammad Ali. As the world knows, Ali died last Friday at the age of 74. Testimonials about his life and significance made global headlines across the weekend. Born Cassius Clay, he converted to the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s and to Sunni Islam in 1975. He was perhaps the most famous American convert to Islam in our nation's history. (For more on Ali, see Nick Pitts's The Fight and Faith of Muhammad Ali.)

As many as 20,000 Americans convert to Islam every year. However, it is estimated that seventy-five percent of new Muslim converts in the U.S. leave Islam within five years. Meanwhile, more Muslims are coming to Christ than ever before, many after seeing visions and dreams of Jesus. (For more, see my friend Tom Doyle's excellent book, Dreams and Visions.)

Muslim authorities in Indonesia are warning that two million Muslims in their country convert to Christianity every year. At this rate, the world's largest Muslim nation will be mostly Christian by 2035. Over six million Muslims in Africa convert to Christianity every year. More Muslims around the world have become Christians in the last fifteen years than in the previous fifteen centuries.

Here's how you can help.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, began last night. According to Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad received the first of his revelations from the angel Gabriel on the seventeenth day of this month in the year AD 610.

As a result, observant Muslims mark this event each year by fasting during the entire month. From sunup to sundown, they abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations. They believe that spiritual rewards for good deeds are multiplied during this month, so they are especially focusing on prayer and worship.

That's where we come in.

It is imperative that Christians pray for Muslims during these days when they are most open to God. Missionaries to the Muslim world report miraculous movements of God's Spirit during these weeks.

That's why I urge you to join me in praying every day this month for Muslims to encounter Christ in visions and dreams. (The 30 Days of Prayer guide is an excellent resource.) Ask God to help you build relationships with Muslims in your community so you can show them his love in yours. Pray for those on the front lines of Muslim evangelism around the world and for the protection and spiritual growth of Muslims who have come to Christ.

Our Father wants us not to fear Muslims but to love them and to intercede for them every day. He intends for the world to be "filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). His Spirit is working powerfully to bring Muslims to Jesus.

Will you partner with him in prayer today?

Publication date: June 6, 2016

For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.

Do you want to live a life in whole-hearted pursuit of loving God and others?

Read today's First15 at www.first15.org.
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A trampoline park is due to open in Croydon in the next year.

Oxygen Freejumping has just signed for a venue in Purley Way, adding to nine other sites it has across the country.

The company has agreed a 15 year lease on a 29,000 sq ft unit in the Colonnades Leisure Park.

The venue will provide 150 interconnected trampolines, dodgeball courts, airbags and club-level trampolines.

Residents will also be able to learn freerunning - a sport where people run, climb and jump over urban obstacles.

Oxygen Freejumping aim to spend 11.5million on new trampoline parks across the country in the next 12 months.

David Stalker, chief executive of the company, said: "We are on a drive to secure more sites in key locations and to bring our mix of fun, adrenaline and training to every corner of the UK.

"We received 10 million of funding early this year and are in discussions with investors to achieve our aim of 30 sites by the end of 2017."

Work will start on the Croydon site this summer with opening planned in 2017.

The park will open between 8am and 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am and 9pm on Sundays.

For general freejump classes, freejumpers aged 5 years and older can jump without supervision.

Any jumpers under the age of 5 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The Martinique Promotion Bureau has announced that after major elections last December, the administrative status of Martinique has been changed, from a Regional and a General Council chaired respectively by Serge Letchimy and Josette Manin, to a new political system, a Territorial Authority lead by the Executive President, Alfred Marie-Jeane.

As a result, Karine Mousseau, member of the new assembly has been named to head the Martinique Tourism Authority. She succeeds Karine Roy-Camille who had held the islands tourism for the past five years (2010-2015).

Mousseau is a graduate from Pantheon Sorbonne in Paris, a teacher of economics and social sciences. A city hall councilor of the town of Le Francois, and a mother. Passionate about economics, Mousseau is a staunch advocate of sustainable development, as well as the sustainable restructuring of the hospitality industry in Martinique.

Her objective is to develop various sectors of the tourism, in particular the cruise and the leisure industry.

Most recently, Joelle Desir has been named as the new general director of the Martinique Tourism Authority, succeeding Patrice Bensalem. This new nomination marks the first time that a women holds this position in Martinique.

Graduated from EGC Martinique (school of management and commerce), Desir has managed her family hotel restaurant La Riviera in Le Francois, a town on the Atlantic side of the island. Thanks to this experience, Desir has experience dealing with the operation, marketing, and development of a tourist facility, giving her a strong and direct experience in the sector.

Previously, she acquired a regional and national experience in positions of responsibility, groups such as Bernard Hayot, Boulanger, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, and lastly, Desir served as director of oerations of the restoration branch of Parfaite Group involving the management of a team of over 100 employees in multiple sites.

Mousseau and Desir are now the new heads of the Martinique Tourism Authority, defending the interests of the Island and pursuing achievements accomplished particularly with the new non-stop air service from the U.S. and Canada, as well as the advancement of the cruise sector. The new commissioner and general director will also be particularly involved into the development of Martiniques tourist products and the improvement of the quality of services.
DERBY-Powdered or canned potatoes are on City Halls want list for June.

This is what the St. Vincent DePaul Food Bank told us they are in need of, said City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo, who supervises the monthly drives.

Its only canned or powdered potatoes, Garofalo advised. Were not taking 10-pound bags of potatoes.

Anyone interested in donating can drop the boxes or cans off at the City/Town Clerks office on the first floor of City Hall, 1 Elizabeth Street. Hell deliver the items to the food bank on 237 Roosevelt Drive in early July.

Last month hic collected 60 boxes of pancake mix, 54 bottles of maple syrup and 100 other miscellaneous canned foods.
ANSONIA  A former city resident was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for importing and distributing the drug Molly and for violating the terms of his parole from an earlier federal conviction.

Waheed Islam, 48, also known as Max Payne, was sentenced by U.S. Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in U.S. District Court in New Haven to 108 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Ansonia police had received information in May, 2014 that Islam, then living in Ansonia, was making and distributing Molly, the street name for the drug MDMA, according to court documents.

A U.S. Postal Inspector told Ansonia police in July 2014 that Islam had been receiving packages from China that were labeled as containing rock sugar, and a month later a package that had originated in China and addressed to Islams Ansonia post office box was intercepted at JFK International Airport in New York, according to statements made in court.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents opened the package and found it to contain about one pound of ethylone, a Schedule I controlled substance that is a stimulant closely related to methylone, MDPV, MDMA and MDEA, officials said.

A second package originating from China had been delivered to the Ansonia branch of the U.S. Post Office and was awaiting delivery to Islam. Agents said they opened the second package and found approximately 1.1 pounds of the same substance.

Islam was arrested on Aug. 12, 2014, after he arrived at the post office in Ansonia to pick up the package and has been in custody since then.

A third package destined for Islam was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol a few days later and was found to contain 2.3 pounds of ethylone, according to statements made in court.

Islam pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to import a controlled substance into the United States. His criminal history includes multiple felony crimes of violence, including first-degree assault and first-degree robbery.

In addition, on May 6, 2011, Islam was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 18 months of imprisonment for illegally purchasing and possessing body armor. He was on supervised release at the time of his most recent criminal conduct, court officials said.
MILFORD  A Stratford woman was charged with second-degree breach of peace after police said she got into a fight with a man while the two were exchanging custody of their child.

Amanda Santiago, 23, of Wells Place in Stratford is accused of slapping and hitting the victim while the two were in a Boston Post Road parking lot Sunday afternoon to exchange the child, Officer Joseph Dempsey said.
Harry Benson I Getty Images

Muhammad Ali didnt just float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, he also lost 3 and a half prime years of his career while fighting the draft as doggedly as he did Sonny Liston. He controversially converted to Islam at a time when most Americans didnt even know what that was (but they knew they didnt like it) and even raised the roof by way of talking a suicidal jumper off of one.

The man did a lot. With his fists and with his mouth. Born as Cassius Clay, his mesmerizing ability to fight with wars with his words could best be described as flow years before hip hop was even a thing. And his talent was so titanic that, well, Titanic up and plagiarized the self-described king of the world. Hell, the real life super hero even negotiated the release of American hostages in Iraq!
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  Once, we told ourselves it took a village to raise a child and acted accordingly.

These days, American parents are more likely to feel theyre marooned on an island, surrounded by parent-shaming villagers heaving coconuts at their child-rearing methods, whatever they may be.

Im speaking, of course, of the Cincinnati Zoo incident last Saturday in which a 3-year-old boy climbed over a barrier and dropped to the gorilla enclosure below. Believing the boys life was in danger, zoo officials killed Harambe, a 420-pound gorilla who had grabbed the boy and dragged him around the moat.

The Cincinnati Police are investigating the parents.

Witnesses heard the boy telling his mother he wanted to go into the moat.

... and his mother is like, No youre not, no youre not,' said Kimberly Ann Perkins OConnor, who said she saw what happened. Her attention was drawn away for seconds, maybe a minute, and then he was up and in before you knew it.

In the hours after, we become rabble participating in the ancient spectacle of public shaming, but instead of viewing people pilloried in the town square, we skewered with pixels sent almost instantly around the world.

Heres a sample of the internets blame frenzy aimed at the boys parents.

They should have shot the stupid parents and let the gorilla raise the kid.

My guess is that the poor parenting of these parents will lead to this child in 14 years being able to fulfill his wish of being behind bars.

An online petition at Change.org titled Justice for Harambe had more than 453,000 signatures Wednesday demanding the childs parents be held responsible for the gorillas death.

Absolutely, Harambes death was a tragedy, but does a momentary distraction mean the parents should face arrest or a fine for it, as some have suggested?

If were talking about neglect or child endangerment, of course, thats a different subject.

I have no way of knowing what kind of mother and father this boys parents are. But neither does anyone else on the internet passing callous judgment.

If we can put away our wagging fingers and stop the online screeds for a minute, the parents among us have something shameful to admit: That could have been us.

If it hasnt happened to you, your parental helicopter must be low enough to clip the tops of trees.

As Ohio State University law professor Ric Simons told the Associated Press: The mother ... lost track of her child for perhaps a minute or so. That has happened to almost every parent in the world in a public place.

It did to me.

My daughter was 14-months old one afternoon when we stood on the wooden pedestrian bridge in our neighborhood, tossing prickly Australian pine cones into the canal below.

I turned to pick up some more and in that instant before I turned back, my water-loving daughter disappeared, falling or launching herself through the railing slats and into the water below. By the time I scrambled down the bank, she was floating face down in the tea-colored water.

She was muddy but fine. She didnt even cry. My mistake became no more than a family cautionary tale and the stuff of 3 a.m. nightmares.

Writing for NPR, Barbara J. King quotes developmental biologist Emily Willingham, co-author with Tara Haelle of The Informed Parent: A Science-based Resource for Your Childs First Four Years:

Children are attracted to the forbidden and tend to be consummate escape artists. The combination of curiosity and Houdini-like skills means that many, many parents have had the experience that this mother had: a child slips away in a second, two seconds of chaos or distraction. Its just that most of us also have the good fortune for these situations not to end in tragedy.

The parent-shaming, Willingham wrote, is our defensive rationalization, our fervent hope, that such a thing could never happen to us.

And, Willingham said, (its) partly because apparently were all a pack of judgmental goons.

So if youre a parent reading this, fill in your own story about your momentary lapse of attention.

Everyone has one.

And imagine how tragic your moment of distraction could have become, but because of luck, fate, divine intervention, planetary alignment, did not.

Maybe empathy is the solution to being a judgmental goon.

Barbara Marshall writes for The Palm Beach Post. Email: bmarshall@pbpost.com.
Pa. is about to vote. Here's what to know about voting and ballot access in 2022
Candidates come out swinging in only debate of Florida governor's race

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his opponent, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, met in their first and only debate October 24 at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce.
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
She's an adorable two-year-old toddler with curly golden locks and a beaming smile.

But before Mia Stewart was born her mum and dad were given the news no parent wants to hear - something was wrong with their baby.

When Leila Bright and Brent Stewart, from Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, were given the news at a routine 19-week scan, their world was understandably rocked.

Rare condition: Mia Stewart, two, was born with a rare condition where she has one leg shorter than the other

Adorable: The golden-haired toddler suffers from Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, a condition that means her left femur - the bone between the hip and knee - is shorter than her right

Scans showed that their daughter had one leg shorter than the other with doctors urging the first-time parents to realistically consider not keeping their baby.

'At our anatomy scan the doctor said "your options are to keep her or not keep her, but I can't give you any more info",' Ms Bright told Daily Mail Australia.

'This was at the general ultrasound and over the next little while we "ummed and ahhed" and threw scenarios up in the air, but she was already kicking and moving, so we were already attached.'

Decision: Her parents Brent Stewart (left) and Leila Bright (right) were given the option of terminating the pregnancy by doctors

Having to wait four weeks from the time of the initial scan until they could see a specialist only added to the couple's anxiety.

'It was Christmas so all the specialists were off and we had to wait four weeks before we got any answers,' Ms Bright said.

'That was probably the most traumatic time, because for four weeks I was just Googling in search of an answer.

Traumatic: 'At our anatomy scan the doctor said "your options are to keep her or not keep her",' Ms Bright said

Success: After being fitted with a prosthesis at the age of nine months, Mia is now walking like any normal toddler

'Finally it led me to PFFD (Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency) and I knew that's what she had before they even told us.'

After a number of tests doctors confirmed to the couple that their daughter's left femur - the bone that runs from the hip to the knee - was just 0.7cm long and would always be significantly shorter than her right.

However, apart from the obvious troubles with walking, specialists told her parents that once their child was born she would face no other significant hassles.

'I wouldnt say it was an instant call, but once we knew there was nothing wrong it was an easy decision,' Ms Bright said.

'Now that shes here we couldnt imagine not having her, but at the time it was definitely hard.'

Fitted with a prosthesis at nine months old, Mia has overcome her rare challenges and amazingly is now walking.

She also enjoys doting over her sister Andie, who was born 12 weeks ago.

While Mia has taken some massive steps in her short life, one of her biggest challenges may still lie ahead.

Gorgeous: The adorable two-year-old will hopefully undergo specialist surgery at a clinic in Florida, US

Her family is planning to travel all the way from regional NSW to Florida, United States, so she can receive advanced treatment from Dr Dror Paley.

But hip surgery and a possible leg-lengthening procedure will cost approximately $200,000.

'People from all over the world travel to the Paley Institute in the US, because while it is a rare condition, it is something they regularly deal with,' Ms Bright said.

'When youre paying a mortgage and everything else, its definitely not cheap.

Sights on surgery: Mia's parents have created a Go Fund Me page in an attempt to help raise the $200,000 required to cover their US trip

'Were aiming for $200,000 because you have to stay there for a lengthy amount of time afterwards so accommodation, flights, food and car hire all add up and unfortunately our government doesn't cover any of it.'

Desperate to give their daughter the opportunity to be like other kids, the family have set up a Go Fund Me page - Mia's Big Adventure - to help raise the required amount.

'At the end of the day, we've made a point not to let Mia use her condition as an excuse, so we've had a really positive attitude throughout even the dark days,' Ms Bright said.

'We just want Mia to think and know she can do everything and anything.'

And considering the challenges the adorable toddler has already overcome in her two years of life, there's little doubt she will.
There is no summer accessory more character-defining than the right pair of sunglasses, or face furniture as the indelible, incredible Dame Edna Everage always put it.

Dame Edna springs strongly to mind as I write this weeks column because exaggerated eyewear is back in a big way.

I first became aware of this style development last winter, browsing in the Milan studio of Dolce & Gabbana while the design duo showed me what they were plotting for the summer.

Going for bold: Model Miranda Kerr opts for a touch of drama with her sunglasses

There on the table was tray after tray of the most delightful, crazy sunglasses Ive ever seen in one place. Frames were laden with multi-coloured, 3D flowers, gilded baroque swirls and tiny fruit.

One pair looked as if it had been lovingly piped in icing sugar by the finest wedding cake decorator.

When faced with such a spectacle of spectacles, there is one thing a woman feels compelled to do - try them on.

The effect is theatrical - thats the point.

Stefano Gabbana spontaneously modelled some of them for me. He looked like Sir Elton John in his Rocket Man days in the early Seventies. I looked - I hoped - just a little like Sophia Loren in the Fifties.

Its a bit of a turnaround that sunglasses dont have to be all that serious any more. Yes weve seen big sunglasses before, but this is not just about face coverage. This time the fun potential has been significantly upped, too, and I like it.

Think of actress Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise - how cool was she in her upswept glasses and headscarf?

Dolce & Gabbanas crazy face furniture is obviously an extreme, but its pointing us in a cheery and curiously glamorous direction.

The upswept frames of the Fifties and Sixties, cat-eyes redolent of the smouldering power of screen idols Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, were never designed for the very young. Its a classy trend, better sported by a lady than a baby.

Think of actress Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise - how cool was she in her upswept glasses and headscarf? Personally I cant do that top-to-toe retro Fifties dressing. I draw the line at both headscarves and set hair, but at least I can maintain a front of slightly humorous Fifties-ness when it comes to frames.

There is no summer accessory more character-defining than the right pair of sunglasses, or face furniture as the indelible, incredible Dame Edna Everage always put it

Which brings me to recommendations. Ive got two pairs of cat-eye shades, both from British companies - a black pair from Linda Farrow (which specialises in vintage and vintage-look frames) and a pair of tortoiseshell ones from Cutler and Gross.

Theyre at the upper end of the price range for sunglasses, but since Ive been wearing both pairs for two years, theyre value for money when I think of them in terms of price-per-wear.

So far they have stood up to any amount of punishment: hoiked from handbag to handbag and pulled out anywhere from a breakfast meeting to the beach.

However, as even the plainest designer sunglasses hardly ever come in south of 100, this summer Ive turned to the High Street for back up.

For a very Fifties upswept frame, try Vow Londons Ziggy sunglasses (65, houseoffraser.co.uk). Or for a more subdued tortoiseshell design, I recommend Uterques cat-eye style, (70, uterque.com).

SUNGLASSES: THE RULES Cat-eye shapes dont suit a heavy jaw, so keep the silhouette gentle. Embellished frames need maintenance, especially if worn on the beach. Clean with a soapy water and a soft childs toothbrush. Dark frames will be lost against dark skin, while nude or white frames may disappear on blondes. Complicated frames may become hopelessly tangled in your hair. Store in a case  not on top of your head. Advertisement

In terms of the rest of your look, you cant go too far wrong. Even my usual exhortation to keep your outfit simple when opting for a very bold accessory doesnt necessarily apply.

If you are a woman who can carry off upswept, embellished sunglasses with huge earrings, a headscarf, a tight sweater and capri pants then good for you.

When you find sunglasses that suit you, however much you choose to spend and whatever happens sartorially from the cheekbones downwards, their services stretch far, far further than sun protection.

My sunglasses are my concealer, my armour and my instant confidence-booster. They speak, I hope, of a certain woman-of-the-worldliness.
A photographer whose incredible images capture the 'power of birth' was left heartbroken after her Instagram account was deactivated.

Elle Wickens, who is based in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, shares photos of women giving birth, breastfeeding and newborns through her page Earth Babes.

But last week Miss Wickens discovered her page had been removed, and said it was hard for her - and the mothers she had photographed - to not take it personally.

Taken offline: Birthing photographer Elle Wickens had her Instagram account Earth Babes deactivated

Power of birth: The 21-year-old photographer shares incredible photos of women breastfeeding and giving birth

'I felt a duty to get it back': She said it was hard to not take it personally when the account was deactivated

Inspiration: 'I created earth.babes to show the world and other women the beauty and power of birth,' she said

'Having my page deactivated has shaken not only my love for Instagram but my faith in community.' Miss Wickens, 21, wrote on Instagram.

'Why must women struggle to be seen, why can't you see us for what we are, powerful, wild, loving humans.

'Why is it okay for our bodies to be seen as a sexual object but not for what we truly are.

'I created earth.babes to show the world and other women the beauty and power of birth.'

Beautiful moment: 'Why must women struggle to be seen, why can't you see us for what we are, powerful, wild, loving humans,' she said

Strong following: Miss Wickens started her account about four months ago to show people the power of birth, and has since amassed 6,400 followers

Back online: Her account was deactivated for less than 24 hours, before it was reinstated by Instagram

Miss Wickens told Daily Mail Australia the page was deactivated for less than 24 hours before it was reinstated by Instagram.

She said Instagram told her in an email her account being removed was an 'accident' and she was not given a reason as to why her page was closed.

Instead, she received a generic message from the photo sharing sight to say her page was not compliant with their community guidelines.

In their guidelines Instagram said they do not allow nudity on Instagram but: 'Photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Instagram for comment.

Beauty of birth: 'Photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed,' it reads in Instagram's guidelines

Banding together: After her page was deactivated, Miss Wickens received support from other women and photographers

After her page was deactivated, Miss Wickens appealed twice to have it reinstated.

She then shared what had happened with her followers and other photographers who emailed Instagram's policy manager, and was overwhelmed with the support she received.

'It seemed to start this uprising of women who felt that way,' she said.

'I felt a duty to get it [the page] back.'

Incredible moment: 'It seemed to start this uprising of women who felt that way,' she said

Speaking out: Miss Wickens said it is beneficial to the world to share photos of birth and help educate people

Special space: 'It's honestly electric in a birthing room, it's beautiful,' Miss Wickens said

Miss Wickens has been a photographer for two years, and started to the page Earth Babes about four months ago.

In that time is has amassed 6,400 followers.

'It's honestly electric in a birthing room, it's beautiful,' Miss Wickens said.

'There's so much support, power and love you can just feel it.

'Showing people the truth about birth I think is something that could help the world.'

Not just Instagram: The photographer said Instagram users would have contributed to her page being removed

Creating awareness: She said birth is something that needs to be discussed and opinions needed to change

Changing the world: 'Showing people the truth about birth I think is something that could help the world,' she said

Miss Wickens said while Instagram removed the page, giving birth was something that needed to be discussed.

'I don't think it was fully Instagram, I think it was more the people that are using Instagram,' she said.

'It's an opinion we need to discuss and change.'
Ms Fisher kept the baby and says she could not imagine life without her

Adoptive mother fled the hospital saying baby was 'not what she hoped for'

This resulted in the underdevelopment of some of her key facial structures

The Florida woman felt she could not provide adequate care for her child

Christina Fisher fell pregnant but decided to give the baby up for adoption

Five-month-old baby, Abigail Lynn, is supposed to be living with her adoptive parents in Georgia, but instead she is at home with her biological birth mother, Christina Fisher, in Florida.

But rather than this being an unusual turn of events or an unlikely story, the truth of how little Abigail came to live with her real mother is both heartbreaking and heart-warming in equal measure.

Abigail Lynn was born with a very rare condition, Treacher Collins syndrome, on January 11, 2016.

Because of this genetic condition, which resulted in the underdevelopment of some of her facial structures, Abigail's adoptive mother abandoned her and fled the hospital when she saw her, claiming Abigail was not the baby she had hoped for.

Baby Abigail was thus taken in by her birth mother, who now says she couldn't imagine living without her.

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Tiny miracle: Five-month-old baby, Abigail Lynn (pictured), is supposed to be living with her adoptive parents in Georgia, but instead she is at home with her birth mother, Christina Fisher, in Florida

Rare condition: Abigail (pictured) was born with a rare condition, Treacher Collins syndrome, which resulted in the underdevelopment of some of her facial structures

Suddenly abandoned: When she met her, Abigail's adoptive mother fled the hospital, apparently because little Abigail was not the baby she had hoped for

When she was born the adoptive mom [sic] left the hospital crying saying how deformed she is...and never heard from her again

'I spent the better part of last year pregnant and I was planning on giving Abigail up for adoption [sic],' Ms Fisher explains on a GoFundMe page established to help her look after Abigail, and buy her 'baby clothes, diapers, wipes etc.'

'She was born with Treacher Collins syndrome to our surprise... It was not detected in the amniocentesis or in the ultrasound,' Ms Fisher continued on the GoFundMe page.

Meant to be: Therefore, Abigail's birth mum, Christina Fisher (pictured), took her in and took her home instead

Helping hand: A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for little Abigail and her mum

Early choice: Ms Fisher initially decided upon adoption for Abigail because she had already raised one daughter, Debra, 18, and felt she wasn't in a position to raise another

TREACHER COLLINS SYNDROME * Treacher Collins is a condition that affects the development of bones and other tissues of the face. * Syndrome is named after named after Edward Treacher Collins, a London ophthalmologist who first described the disorder in the medical literature in 1900 * The signs and symptoms of this disorder vary greatly, ranging from almost unnoticeable to severe. * Most affected individuals have underdeveloped facial bones, particularly the cheek bones, and a very small jaw and chin. * Some people with this condition are also born with an opening in the roof of the mouth called a cleft palate. * In severe cases, sufferes develop serious, life-threatening respiratory complications. Advertisement

'When she was born on 1-11-16 the adoptive mom left the hospital crying saying how deformed she is...and never heard from her again [sic].

'That is when I realised she is meant to be mine only now.'

Ms Fisher initially decided upon adoption for Abigail because she had already raised one daughter, Debra, 18, and felt she wasn't in a position to raise another.

The baby's father was nowhere to be seen, and the 36-year-old mum to be was living in a trailer park towards the end of her pregnancy.

When Abigail was born, her Treacher Collins sydnrome meant that the bones and tissue of her face were affected, resulting in the underdevelopment of some facial structures such as the cheekbones, ears and jaw.

Though her condition will not stop Abigail from having a normal life, it was obviously too much for the adoptive parents to handle.

Hard circumstances: The baby's father was nowhere to be seen, and the 36-year-old mum to be was living in a caravan park towards the end of her pregnancy

Positive future: Thankfully, Abigail's condition will not stop the baby from living a normal life

The adoptive agency are said to be appalled by the adoptive parents' reaction.

Ms Fisher and her daughter have since taken part in a beautiful photo shoot with Florida-based photographer, Oksana Peery.

The result is a selection of gorgeous photographs showing the intimacy between mother and tiny daughter.

Horrifying response: The adoptive agency, meanwhile, are said to be appalled by the adoptive parents' reaction to Abigail's birth

Precious shoot: Ms Fisher and her daughter have since taken part in a photo shoot (pictured) with Florida-based photographer, Oksana Peery

Life changer: 'I was not fully prepared for her [Abigail] but now I can no longer see my life without either one of my daughters,' Ms Fisher says on her GoFundMe post

'I was not fully prepared for her [Abigail] but now I can no longer see my life without either one of my daughters,' Ms Fisher concludes her heart-warming GoFundMe post.

'I would like to send out my thanks to everyone for everything that's happened and all the support.'

If you would like to donate to Abigail Lynn and her mother, click here.
She's a self-confessed 'helicopter parent', but Jessica Rowe may be considering relaxing her ways after a trip to Scandinavia.

The TV host has been holidaying in Iceland with her mother over the past few weeks, posting a bevvy of pictures on social media of the pair enjoying the beautiful wilderness.

But she has also been picking up some unique parenting tips, if her Instagram post is anything to go by.

The mother-of-two posted a photo of a child napping in a pram outside a coffee shop in cold temperatures, something she noted that is supposedly 'good for them'.

Cold shoulder: An Instagram photo taken by Jessica Rowe has shown a pram with a baby napping inside sitting outside a coffee shop in Iceland

Holiday: The TV personality said she had been told by locals that the tactic was 'good for children'

'For a helicopter parent like me- this makes me break out into a sweat! But all over Reykjavik families leave their babies outside cafes, shops etc... I'm told "fresh air is good for them.",' Ms Rowe said.

While it might just sound like the latest parenting fad, it appears that leaving toddlers out in the Nordic cold - where the temperature can often get below -5C - is an age old technique.

Parents throughout Scandinavia have been exposing their children to the cold for decades and claim that despite popular belief, it actually improves their health.

'I think it's good for them to be in the fresh air as soon as possible,' Lisa Mardon, a mother-of-three from Stockholm told the BBC in 2013.

Busy woman: Ms Rowe is a mother of two daughters and is a self-confessed 'helicopter parent'

Beneficial: Research has shown that leaving children to sleep outside in temperatures of -5C can indeed be beneficial

'Especially in the winter when there's lots of diseases going around... the kids seem healthier.'

Poll Is it cruel to leave kids out in the cold? Yes No Is it cruel to leave kids out in the cold? Yes 69 votes

No 263 votes Now share your opinion





In fact research has shown that -5C is the best temperature for an outdoor nap.

Most parents say they bring inside or at least cover up their children once the mercury hits -10, however some parents are content to leave them in the freezing cold at -30C.

Even Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, advertises the benefits of children sleeping outside on their tourism website.

'Youll find a high chair in every cafe and see babies sleeping in their buggies outside on the sidewalk while their parents are inside,' it says.

But some of Rowe's social media followers weren't so convinced by the idea, with a number expressing their concerns.

'What if the baby was kidnapped?' a concerned woman said.

'Never seen this before @jessjrowe but it makes me nervous to say the least,' another user said.

Couple: Ms Rowe married her beau Nine News and 60 Minutes journalist Peter Overton in 2015

Cold as ice: Ms Rowe has been holidaying in Iceland with her mother, with the pair soaking up the amazing wilderness and posting about it regularly on social media

'Must be a lovely place to live. We get flamed for leaving ours in the car at the petrol station here,' one follower noted.

However, some followers did agree with the tactic, saying their own parents had used it with them when they were children.

'Love it, I hear my Nan talk about putting kids in their pray & roll them out to the front yard for hours! Simpler times,' one person said.
With a Lamborghini, chartered helicopter, horse ride though the bush and hundreds of white roses, one man has pulled off what may be the most extravagant marriage proposal ever.

Robbie Hayek, from Sydney, proposed to his girlfriend Clarice Maatouk on Friday after spending six months and more than fifty thousand dollars preparing for the big day.

The 23-year-old planned every detail, making sure that it was not only over-the-top but also incredibly personal for the couple.

Casanova: Robbie Hayek (right) spent six months planning and $50,000 to propose to his girlfriend of five years Clarice Maatouk (left)

Flying away: Ms Maatouk was driven in a Lamborghini and flown in a chartered helicopter on her way to the proposal

Treats: Waiting for Ms Maatouk was 250 white roses, champagne, cheese and chocolate

The proposal started with a musical performance for Ms Maatouk as she left her job as a primary school teacher on Friday afternoon. Mr Hayek said he wanted the experience to start at her work because his girlfriend loved children so much.

Then, a Lamborghini came to pick up the lucky lady, where she was swept away to Bankstown Airport. At the airport her entire family was waiting, as was a number of musicians playing Lebanese drums and dancing.

Then Ms Maatouk was taken via a red carpet to a helicopter, where she was flown to Glenworth Valley on the Central Coast. She then rode a horse through the bush, stopping at various points where Mr Hayek had pinned cards with poems he had written on trees.

Continuing the journey: Ms Maatouk was then led through the bush on a horse to where Mr Hayek was waiting

Undying rose: Along the way, there were poems Mr Hayek had written pinned to trees. She was also gifted an iron rose, because Mr Hayek said his love for his girlfriend would never die

All in the detail: When Ms Maatouk arrived in the clearing, a saxophonist was playing her favourite song as Mr Hayek got down on one knee and proposed

When she finally arrived a a clearing, he was waiting for her. The clearing had a saxophone player, marquee and a table containing food, wine and white roses.

'I had 250 white roses because I had known her for 250 weeks,' Mr Hayek explained to Daily Mail Australia. 'I also gave her an iron rose, because an iron rose never dies and my love is never going to die.'

The casanova got down on one knee and proposed as Ms Maatouk's favourite, song We Found Love by Rhianna, was played by the saxophonist.

Personal: Mr Hayek said he wanted each detail of the proposal to have a personal touch. He had 250 white roses because he had known Ms Maatouk 250 weeks

She said yes: The ring was a 2.5 carat diamond which cost more than $15,000- an amount not included in the $50,000 proposal cost

Next comes marriage: Mr Hayek said that Ms Maatouk wants a small wedding, but that he wants to add touches of extravagance

Not to skimp on the ring, Mr Hayek opened a box containing a 2.5 carat diamond that cost more than $15,000.

Of course Ms Maatouk said yes straight away, and afterwards there was champagne, cheese and chocolates for the pair to enjoy.

Mr Hayek said he was aware that not everyone would go to these lengths to propose, but that 'she's my favourite girl and I couldn't know her five years and not do something big.'

He said Ms Maatouk wanted to keep the wedding fairly small, but that he might have to add touches of extravagance to it as well.




There are not many 52-year-olds who can pull off a see-through dress, but Elle Macpherson is certainly one of them.

The supermodel has shown that she definitely hasn't lost any of the traits that made her one of the biggest modelling names in the world in a new shoot for Porter magazine.

The Australian model discusses work, life and love in her latest interview, opening up about her marriage to Jeffrey Soffer and new business adventures.

Sizzling: The gorgeous Elle Macpherson looks stunning in a see through dress in the latest edition of Porter magazine

Macpherson wed Soffer, the son of billionaire hotel giant Donald Soffer, in 2013 and moved herself and her two sons from their home in London to Miami, Florida.

'People are surprised that I... moved my whole family from London to Miami for love,' Macpherson said in the new interview.

Being in her 50s clearly hasn't slowed Macpherson down, starting her health and well-being business WelleCo in 2014 - something she believes is one of her greatest achievements.

It girl: Sienna Miller looks beautiful on the cover of the Summer Escape edition of Porter magazine

Morning vibes: Macpherson started her health and well-being business WelleCo in 2014, one of her proudest achievements

Love story: Macpherson wed Soffer, the son of billionaire hotel giant Donald Soffer, in 2013 and moved herself and her two sons from their home in London to Miami, Florida

'Starting WelleCo at 50  a new business, a new challenge, a new decade for me,' she said.

Just last week in an interview with People magazine Macpherson spoke of the incredible fact that she's never had a grey hair in her life.

Im 52 and dont have any grey hairs. Not one. Im so lucky. I never considered it an asset until recently. I just thought, "Actually, thats quite cool!", she said.

On Sunday the supermodel played the role of 'supermum' as she watched eldest son, Arpad 'Flynn' Busson, graduate school.

Growing up! Macpherson's eldest son Flynn graduated school last week in front of his very proud mum

Girl crush: Macpherson caught up with fellow Aussie model and actress Ruby Rose on Sunday

'Can't believe he graduates today #class2016,' Macpherson posted on Instagram.

Macpherson has two children - Flynn and Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson - and three step children.
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He's been hidden from the limelight during the first precious weeks of his life, but today Prince Alexander of Sweden made his public debut on a very special occasion.

The seven-week-old Prince attended celebrations with his mother Princess Sofia, 31, and father Prince Carl Philip at celebrations for Sweden's National Day in Stockholm.

The little Prince, who was dressed in a white outfit and wrapped in a grey blanket was as good as gold while his proud parents posed for photos.

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Prince Alexander of Sweden made his public debut with his mother Princess Sofia and father Prince Carl Philip at celebrations for Sweden's National Day in Stockholm

Doting new mother Princess Sofia checks that her little one is comfortable

It's the first public engagement Prince Alexander has attended since he was born in April.

In keeping with the National Day, Princess Sofia dressed in traditional Swedish clothing.

She wore a brightly coloured folk outfit; a blue dress over a white collared shirt, with a mustard-coloured apron. The outfit is embroidered with flowers and worn with white tights and low heels.

Meanwhile, Prince Carl Philip, 37, looked dapper in a grey suit and blue tie.

Sofia wore the traditonal dress of a brightly coloured folk outfit: a blue dress over a white collared shirt, with a mustard-coloured apron

Prince Carl Philip's sister Crown Princess Victoria was also out and about for the celebrations.

She opted not to don the traditional national dress but looked wonderfully summery in a colourful floral dress and baby pink cardigan.

She was joined by her husband Prince Daniel, but the couple's two children Princess Estelle, four, and Prince Oscar, three months, remained at home.

The couple looked happy and relaxed as the attended a citizenship ceremony at Nacka City Hall.

Later, the royals attended a music concert in Sweden's honour at Stockholm's outdoor museum, Skansen.

Prince Carl Phillip and Princess Sofia of Sweden participate in a ceremony celebrating Sweden's national day at Skansen in Stockholm

Princess Madeleine, Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip attend the National Day of Sweden celebrations at the Skansen museum

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden participates in a ceremony celebrating Sweden's national day at Skansen museum in Stockholm, Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria looked wonderfully summery in a colourful floral dress and baby pink cardigan

The Princess was in great spirits as she enjoyed celebrations for the Sweden's National Day

Victoria strolled arm in arm with her husband Prince Daniel but there was no sign of the couple's two children

New mother Victoria looked in great shape just four months after giving birth to her second child

Swedes celebrate their National Day on 6 June in honour of two historical events: on 6 June 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected king and, on the same date in 1809, the country adopted a new constitution. It became a public holiday in 2004.

Every year the King and Queen take part in a ceremony at Skansen, Stockholms open-air museum, where the yellow and blue Swedish flag is run up the mast, and children in traditional peasant costume present the royals with bouquets of summer flowers.

National Day also now recognises new Swedish citizens, welcoming them with special ceremonies held around the country.

The royal couped attend a citizenship ceremony on Sweden's National Day at Nacka City Hall

Prince Daniel looked smart in a dark blue suit as the couple strolled arm in arm

The happy couple looked relaxed and affectionate with each other

Princess Victoria was presented with flowers by well-wishers on Sweden's National Day

Not normally known for being the most patriotic nation, National Day has been embraced over recent years, with some groups even pushing for the country to have a national dish, according to the countrys official website.

Prince Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, who was born on April 19 at Danderyds Hospital in Stockholm weighing at 7lbs 9oz. and measuring 19.3 inches long.

Hours after the birth, Carl Philip held a press conference at the hospital to announce the new arrival.

'When asked if he had cried during the birth, the prince replied, according to People magazine: 'Yes, actually. Of course. Couldn't stop.

The royals looked delighted to show off their new son to the world for the first time

The couple greeted well wishers at celebrations in Stockholm

'For me and my wife, this is obviously a great day with a lot of emotion. Words cannot describe.'

The birth of the couple's baby comes at an exciting time for the Swedish royal family who have recently welcomed a new baby, Prince Oscar Carl Olof.

Sofia's sister-in-law Crown Princess Victoria, sister of Prince Carl Philip, gave birth to her second child in March.

Former glamour model Sofia Hellqvist married the prince last June. The elegant brunette is known for her infectious gap-toothed smile and easygoing ways.

They dated for five years before walking down the aisle and now live together in the upmarket Djurgarden district of Stockholm.

New mother Princess Sofia looked glowing as she attended National Day celebrations

They married in the royal palace's chapel, with the bride wearing a lace wedding dress created by local designer Ida Sjostedt.

But thanks to Princess Sofia's reality TV and glamour modeling past, Carl Philip's choice of wife initially proved controversial.

The now Duchess of Varmland's first shoot aged 20 saw her posing topless in a pair of camouflage print bikini bottoms and clutching a snake to preserve her modesty.

Unsurprisingly, when news of Carl Philip's new relationship emerged in 2010, the Swedish Royal Family were initially put 'on the defensive' as sources revealed at the time.

Since then, however, Sofia has gone out of her way to tone down her image.
Queen Rania of Jordan opted for a more traditional-looking gown as she appeared at an event to mark the centennial of the Great Arab Revolt in Jordan.

The glamorous Middle Eastern royal, 45, attended the celebration looking radiant in the emerald green floor-length dress, which was embellished with elaborate gold and blue detail.

The mother-of-four finished the look with a simple gold band studded with medallions over her loosely styled hair, a gleaming gold Dior clutch bag and a pair of green pear-shaped drop earrings.

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A family affair: From left, Crown Prince Hussein with his mother Queen Rania and father King Abdullah. Far right is the couple's daughter Princess Salma

Very Game of Thrones! Has the Queen of Jordan been inspired by the hit television show's wardrobe with this stunning green number?

On her feet, were a pair of stylish crocodile-skin heels with an iridescent blue green and purple colour.

The Queen was joined at the event by her family including His Majesty King Abdullah, and two of her children including Crown Prince Hussein, 21, and 15-year-old Princess Salma.

Her husband, as Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, wore full military regalia while her son Hussein cut a dapper figure in a smart suit.

Teenage Princess Salma also wore her brunette locks loose and echoed the detail of her mother's dress in a pretty navy blouse with white detail and a teal skirt with a strong black hem. The young royal finished the look with a pair of patent nude high heels and a designer pink and white handbag.

With a slick of pink lipstick and a smokey eye, Queen Rania was the belle of the ball at the Middle Eastern celebration

A family affair: Rania shares a chat with her daughter Princess Salma as they prepare to watch the celebrations

The intricate outfit featured gold and blue detail across the front and the back, which Rania complemented with pear-shaped green drop earrings

Rania strides forth in her heels at the event which took place at the Al Rayah parade ground in the Royal Hashemite Court

King Abdullah, centre, flanked by his son Prince Hussein, centre right, looked proud to attending the event in his full military uniform

It's unclear who the designer of the beautiful green gown is but Rania has favoured the sartorial work of Hama Fashion in recent weeks.

At the country's 70th anniversary celebrations of its independence last month, Rania sported an eye-catching dress by the designer.

It featured a plum-coloured peplum top tucked into an oversized leather belt. The billowing asymmetrical skirt appeared to feature a large swathe of white fabric, turned inside-out to reveal an intricately-embroidered underside.

The stylish mother-of-four completed her look with an oversized boxy clutch and a statement gold necklace, with just a hint of purple pointed courts peeking out from underneath.

A salute: It's been a busy period for the Jordanian royals as the country is celebrating key milestones - including 70 years of independence - in 2016

Son and heir: Prince Hussein stands next to his father on the red carpet as they watch the military parade

The brains behind her ensemble, Hama Hinnawi, soon took to Instagram to say that she was 'super flattered and super happy' that the royal was modelling one of her designs.

Rania also picked a Hama Fashion piece for her son Prince Hussein's graduation earlier this week, and has bee spotted in her designs while attending several formal engagements.

The celebrations were held in the Jordanian capital Amman, with Rania and her husband King Abdullah II joined by their children Crown Prince Al Hussein, 21, Princess Salma, 15, and Prince Hashem, 11. Princess Ima, 19, was nowhere to be seen.

Queen Rania descends the steps of Raghadan Palace during Jordanian's independence celebrations last month

The royal walked alongside her husband King Abdullah II and their three children at Raghadan Palace

The Queen stunned in a gown with embroidery detailing by one of her favourite designers, Hama Fashion

Rania and Abdullah smile for a photograph with Crown Prince Al Hussein, 21, Prince Hashem, 11, and Princess Salma, 15 - wearing her mother's old red dress - at Amman's Raghadan Palace

Abdullah couldn't keep his smile of his face as he took his wife's hand on the red carpet.

The celebrations mark 70 years to the day since Jordan became an independent sovereign state in 1946.
It was his mother's birthday but all eyes were on the four-month-old Prince of Bhutan as he enjoyed a trip to the Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition with his parents.

Dressed in a miniature gold traditional outfit Prince Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck was all smiles as he got a cuddle from his doting parents Queen Jetsun Pema and King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck.

It's the second year Bhutan has held the exhibition, similar to the Chelsea flower show, and this year its opening day was held to coincide with the Queen's 26th birthday.

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Dressed in a miniature gold traditional outfit Prince Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck of Bhutan was all smiles as he got a cuddle from his doting parents as they enjoyed the family day out

The Queen lit a butter lamp to inaugurate the Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition, which was held in honour of her 26th birthday

Queen Jetsun Pema looked delighted to be celebrating her special day with her husband King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and son.

Wearing traditional Bhutanese national dress, of a light outer jacket known as the Tego, which is worn with an inner layer known as a Wonju, she lit a butter lamp to inaugurate the flower show.

The Queen also took in exhibits with her husband and his parents, the former King and Queen.

King Jigme Singhye Wangchuck, abdicated in 2008 to allow his son to ascend the throne and begin a constitutional monarchy.

The King's father Jigme Singhye Wangchuck (second left) abdicated in 2008 so his son could take the throne

The King and his father Jigme Singhye Wangchuck (right) pause to admire the greenery

The Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition was held in the Paro Ugyen Pelri Palace grounds

The Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests on behalf of the King 'as a community event for people to come together'.

It's objective is to 'to foster appreciation for beautiful spaces and encourage horticulture and floriculture based economy' according to the Bhutanese royals' Faceboook page.

It was held for the first time in the Paro Ugyen Pelri Palace grounds last year in April.

The King and his father take a walk through the exhibits

The tiny Himalayan kingdom came under the spotlight in April when William and Kate paid a visit

The event commenced on Queen Jetsun Pema's (second left) 26th birthday

This year, it was moved back to June to coincide with Queen Jetsun Pema's 26th birthday.

The Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, foreign dignitaries, and senior government officials were also present.

Gyalyum Tshering Yangdon, the King's mother, is the event's royal patron.

This year, the Thai Royal Project and Citizens of Miharu, Japan, are also participants at the exhibition.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan came under the spotlight in April when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit.

They tried their hand at archery, the national sport, and enjoyed a private dinner with the Bhutanese royals as well as trekking three hours to the iconic Tiger's Nest Monastery.
Queen Letizia once again proved today that she is the thriftiest of European royals by sporting one of her favourite dresses.

The 43-year-old Queen of Spain donned the distinctive abstract black and white ink-blot dress as she welcomed audiences to Madrid's Zarzuela Palace alongside her husband King Felipe VI.

The glamorous royal has worn the Dinoma Onyx dress by Hugo Boss at least half a dozen times since it first appeared in October 2013, back when she was merely a princess.

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Still looks great! Queen Letizia sports the gothic-looking, knee-length Dinoma Onyx dress by Hugo Boss at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid this morning as welcomed audiences to the royal palace alongside husband Felipe VI who looked equally sharp in a navy suit with tangerine-coloured tie

With the warm Spanish sun shining, Letizia wore the dress on its own, with a pair of patent black heels

The abstract tight-fitting dress had its first airing in 2013 and is clearly a dress that Letizia feels comfortable wearing to high-profile occasions

The queen often pairs the eye-catching knee-length fitted dress with a pair of killer black heels and either a close-fitting black cardigan or a tailored black jacket.

Today, the mother-of-two was clearly comfortable in the warm Madrid sunshine and opted to wear the frock on its own save for a sharp pair of black patent heels.

With her hair loose but neatly slicked behind her ears, Letizia also wore a pretty pair of drop earrings studded with diamonds.

The elegant brunette is well known for wearing her favourite outfits - often from big name designers - again and again.

The Hugo Boss dress has certainly been seen on a number of high profile occasions.

The dress, tied at the waist with a slender patent belt, shows off the elegant brunette's slender frame

Dignitaries arrive in Madrid to attend audiences at Madrid's historic Zarzuela Palace

It sure is a favourite; Queen Letizia wearing the same dress back in July 2015, although she has experimented with hairstyles sporting a sharp bob here

The school offers summer courses, master classes, conferences and seminars in musical training, bringing young talent together with some of the most renowned names in music

Highlights in the hair...but the dress is the same. This time, the Hugo Boss creation was seen at the 'V De Vida' Awards back in September 2014

Queen Letizia first fell in love with the distinctive frock in October 2013, when she wore it to the Principe of Asturias Awards.

By June 2014, she was made Queen of Spain after husband Felipe was crowned King...but her wardrobe didn't change.

In September that year, Letizia proved just how agile the dress is after she ran while wearing it to greet a wheel-chair bound elderly fan who had waited for her outside the 'V De Vida' Awards in San Sebastian.

While the dress stayed the same, the hair changed in July last year when Letiiza wore it with a perfectly chopped bob while visiting her hometown of Oviedo in Asturias.

It's been a busy month in Madrid for the royals with Letizia and Felipe travelling to north west Spain to present a prize at the National Culture Awards and then zipping back to entertain Spanish doctors and scientists at the palace they call home

Its first outing! Queen Letizia first fell in love with the distinctive frock in October 2013, when she was still a princess, and wore it to the Principe of Asturias Awards
At a wedding, the bride and groom's first dance normally takes centre stage.

However, if this video is anything to go by, perhaps dances by grooms and their mothers should be given more attention.

The brilliant footage shows groom Nathan Sharpton and his mother, Teddi, having the time of their life in a choreographed dance to the iconic Star Wars theme.

The brilliant footage shows groom Nathan Sharpton and his mother, Teddi, having the time of their life in a choreographed dance to the iconic Star Wars theme

While John Williams' iconic music plays, guests cheer and laugh as mother and son glide through their steps and turns.

However 50 seconds into the routine, the action really kicks off.

Groomsmen carrying different-coloured lightsabers rush onto the floor, handing the weapons to the groom and his mother.

While John Williams' iconic theme music plays, guests cheer and laugh as mother and son glide through their steps and turns

However 50 seconds in, the action kicks off. Groomsmen carrying different-coloured lightsabers rush into the shot, handing the weapons to the groom and his mother

An epic lightsaber fight commences, with Nathan and Teddi emerging as the victors

Nathan pictured with his mother, Teddi

An epic lightsaber fight commences, with Nathan, who was marrying bride Rachel, and Teddi emerging as the victors.

The out-of-this-world routine took place on Saturday May 21 in Greenville, in North Carolina.

Alan Sharpton, Nathan's brother, filmed the impressive routine at the wedding reception.

Alan, also from Greenville, said: 'Nathan chose the Star Wars theme.

'It was actually the only lullaby he ever wanted Mum to sing to him when he was little.

'Only Rachel and a few other people knew so there was a great reaction.

'Everyone laughed and said it was the best mother-son dance ever.

'The song was decided on months previously but the dance wasn't finalised until two days before the wedding.'
A bereaved mother's heartbreaking plea to help find the doll she's slept with every night since her three-month-old daughter Matilda died has gone viral.

Claire Gray, of Newtonards, County Down lost Matilda's doll, who bears the same name, on a trip to Dublin Zoo as she often took her on the family outings her daughter would never be part of.

After realising Matilda was lost she shared a heartfelt appeal for her return on Facebook, which has been shared more than 25,000 times.

And she says getting the doll back would mean everything to her as she has helped to 'fill my arms when they were empty and ached'.

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Claire Gray, of Newtonards, County has launched an appeal to find a doll given to her baby daughter Matilda, who died aged three months, after the toy was lost at Dublin Zoo

Claire has slept with the doll, also called Matilda (left), every night since her daughter died in 2013

Matilda the doll was given to Claire and her husband Kristofer's daughter when she was born by a friend who had recently lost hr own baby girl.

'The fact that she bought the present for a baby girl two weeks after she lost her own baby girl was unbelievable and it makes the doll more special,' Claire told The Irish Independent.

'I am absolutely devastated, I feel like weve lost a piece of Matilda.

In her Facebook post Claire explained that her daughter had died at three months, due to Edwards Syndrome (trisomy 18).

Claire's heartfelt Facebook appeal for Matilda's return has been shared more than 25,000 times

A baby with Edwards' syndrome has three copies of chromosome number 18, instead of two.

This disrupts normal development and many children with the condition are miscarried or stillborn.

Only one in five, like Matilda, live to the age of three months and it's rare for children to survive into adulthood.

'She was given a gorgeous little dolly with her name on it when she was born. We call her 'Matilda Doll',' Claire explained.

The mother-of-two said Matilda was given to her daughter by a friend who lost her own baby daughter, making her eve more special

Claire's son Archie with Matilda. The family often took her on days out with them as a way of including their lost daughter

Archie as a baby with Matilda. Claire took her around as a way of Matilda being with them for family photos

'Matilda touched this doll. It was same size as her and is so hugely precious to us,' she added.

'I've cuddled Matilda doll to sleep every night since Matilda passed away. She even came to hospital with me when Matilda's baby brother Archie was born.

'She comes with us as a way of Matilda being with us for family photos, which are so painful after losing your child as she is always missing.

She comes with us for all Matilda's little brother Archie's 'firsts' such as first time at Santa.'

Matilda was lost at Dublin Zoo between the shop, gate and Lord's Walk car park one week ago

Claire with her husband Kristofer at a charity fundraising event

Claire and her husband Kristofer took part in a Strictly style charity challenge to raise money in their daughter's memory

Matilda has also joined the family at charity events where they have raised money in their daughter's memory.

When the family visited Dublin Zoo on Monday 30 May, they also took Matilda's doll along.

'Matilda never actually got to go to the zoo which breaks my heart,' Claire explained.

But somewhere between the zoo shop, gate and the Lord's Walk car park their Matilda doll went missing.

'She means more than words can express. For us she is a piece of our little Matilda. I feel so stupid for losing her and very distressed,' Claire explained.

'She was sighted in the iron cage round tree in Lord's Walk car park in Phoenix park, beside the zoo but she hasn't been seen since. Thinking someone maybe took her home.'
A student has spoken out against her school after she was reprimanded for her underwear when she went to school bra-less.

High school senior Kaitlyn Juvik was called into the school office for an alleged dress code violation after she allegedly made others feel 'uncomfortable' by wearing an off-the-shoulder black T-shirt without a bra.

Following the incident at Helena High School, in Helena, Montana, students staged a protest wear girls went to school without a bra, according to MTN News.

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Outrage: Student Kaitlyn Juvik, from Helena, Montana, spoke out against her school after she was reprimanded for not wearing a bra under a black off-the-shoulder T-shirt, pictured

'Uncomfortable': Helena High School told Kaitlyn, pictured, either to put a bra on or to cover up because her appearance was making another person uneasy

Kaitlyn, who said she was not wearing a bra, claimed it was wrong of the school to address her about her underwear.

Speaking during the silent protest, in which she was joined by fellow female students who went to school bra-less, she said: 'What I was confronted about was wrong...

'As long as nothing is showing and youre covered up, girls should not have to wear a bra,' she said in a video posted on KTVH.com 'The fact that I was told it makes people uncomfortable offended me because its my body,' she told MTN during a gathering outside the school. 'It is my natural body and Im not sure why that is uncomfortable to somebody.'

She said the T-shirt she was wearing was 'not see-though, not inappropriate' and claimed that the observer would have to have been 'looking very hard' to see that she was not wearing a bra.

Courtesy of KTVH

Taking a stand: Kaitlyn staged a protest, pictured, with other female students who all went bra-less in solidarity

Defense: Kaitlyn posted a picture of the T-shirt she wore to school on Facebook, claiming it was 'not see-through, not inappropriate'

School principal Steve Thennis said the incident was not about the fact that she did not wear a bra but that it was because her clothing had made somebody else feel uncomfortable.

'Im not going to check students undergarments,' he said. 'We are going to ask them to dress appropriately and if we feel it is inappropriate, male or female, we are going to ask them to cover up.'

He declined to comment further on the incident, telling Daily Mail Online that it had already been given 'more air time than it deserves'.

Posting a picture of the T-shirt she wore to school on Facebook, Kaitlyn wrote: 'If anyone is curious, this is the shirt I was wearing when I was called out!

'Not see-through, not inappropriate! And you definitely cannot tell I'm not wearing a bra unless you're looking very hard! I was most definitely not wearing anything that was against the dress code!'

Online fans: She has attracted support from hundreds online, such as Michael Wright, whose message is pictured, through the Facebook group No Bra No Problem

In agreement: She has received messages of support from across America, pictured, and the world

Hundreds of people have joined a Facebook page called No Bra, No Problem in solidarity with Kaitlyn, which has nearly 900 members and has attracted support from around the world.

Chantelle Marie Rollins, from Bangor, Maine, wrote: 'All the way from Maine. I absolutely LOVE this movement! Woman shouldn't have to be forced to wear a damn bra.

'If you are looking at a woman's breast hard enough to notice you aren't wearing a bra, maybe that person should be the one getting in trouble. Not you. You go girl! You're going viral! [sic]'

Also among supporters was Michael Wright, who wrote: 'No girl/women should have to wear a bra if they don't want to and no one should be able to tell you what you can and can't do for your comfort... we men are not told to wear underwear if we don't want to so why should you girls/women!'
Julianne Hough and Terrence J also co-hosted the pageant, which took place at the at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday night

Before the pageant, Ashley said her role as a backstage host shows that the Miss Universe Organization is open to being more inclusive

Size 14 model Ashley Graham has broken plenty of boundaries in the fashion industry, and now the body activist is looking to make beauty pageants more inclusive.

The 28-year-old co-hosted the 2016 Miss USA pageant at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday night, and as the final 15 contestants were walking off the stage in their swimsuits, Ashley called for more diversity in the competition.

'Pageants now, I'm hoping, are going to start putting curvy and plus-size women in front of the camera,' Ashley said after she pointed out how difficult it is for women to walk in front of an audience wearing nothing but a swimsuit.

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Body activist: Ashley Graham called for more diversity in beauty pageants while hosting the 2016 Miss USA competition on Sunday night

While the Miss Universe Organization doesn't have a specific body measurement or height requirement listed, plus-size women have yet to be represented in the pageant, where contestants tend to be tall and slender.

Ashley, who is no stranger flaunting her famous curves in bikinis and lingerie, told People that her role as a backstage host is 'very, very important' because its shows that the organization is open to being more inclusive.

'I would like to see diversity of body shape, sizes, ethnicities and ages in every realm,' she said. 'I think by having me host backstage it's opened up this door and this question of "well, why haven't we had anybody? What is stopping us from having a very curvaceous woman come in and win Miss USA or even be a contestant?"'

'I really do hope that the people at Miss USA are considering it and talking about it, but I think clearly they are by having me host,' she added.

Breaking barriers: The 28-year-old said she hopes to start seeing 'curvy and plus-size women' in pageants while backstage during the swimsuit competition

Spreading the word: Cosmopolitan.com editor Amy Odell shared a Vine clip of Ashley speaking out at the competition

Unsurprisingly, Ashley's call for diversity hasn't gone unnoticed on social media as many have taken to Twitter to weigh in on her comments.

Cosmopolitan.com editor Amy Odell shared a Vine clip of Ashley's statement, tweeting: 'Ashley Graham says pageants should include curvy women right before interviewing current contestants #missusa.'

Michelle Baker added: 'As much as I love seeing Ashley Graham at Miss USA, I want to see a plus size contestant up on that stage. Maybe one day...'

And Jenna Bell asked: 'Can we just crown Ashley Graham Miss USA, for real though. #MissUSA.'

However, some were quick to point out that they thought it was strange that a plus-size model was helping to host a pageant that doesn't feature curvy women.

Looking for change: Michelle Backer tweeted that she wants to see a plus-size contestant one day

Important information: This Twitter user claimed that Ashley was cut off while she speaking about curvy women appearing in beauty pageants

Personal opinion: Rebecca Rodgers said she thought it was awkward that Ashley was talking about the need for plus-size women to be represented during the swimsuit portion of the competition

Just a thought: This Twitter user said it was 'tone deaf' to have Ashley co-host the beauty pageant

'Does anyone else find it super [awkward] that Ashley Graham is talking about curvy, plus-size women while these skinny, fit girls run around?' Rebecca Rodgers wrote, while a Twitter user named Sawyer added: 'It's pretty tone deaf to have Ashley Graham as a correspondent on the Miss USA pageant... right?'

Meanwhile, a woman named Nicole claimed that Ashley was cut off when she started speaking about diversity.

'Ashley graham was talking something important regarding curvy women and then cut her off wtfffff #MissUSA [sic],' she wrote.

But Ashley wasn't the only co-host to hint that the pageant may see some changes in the future.

Big night: Ashley co-hosted the competition alongside Julianne Hough (left) and Terrence J

Stunning style: The size 14 model donned a royal blue gown featuring a plunging neckline during her appearance on the red carpet

Julianne Hough, who co-hosted the competition alongside Ashley and Terrence J, told USA Today that she understands why some people see beauty pageants as 'cringe-worthy'  and she admitted she can see both sides to the controversy still surrounding the swimsuit portion of the competition.

'Theres definitely some work I think still to be done, thats where weve been talking with the producers. In the next few years we may grow from that, but lets see where this year goes,' she said.

However, the 27-year-old added that 'there is the whole thing of being confident in the fact you worked hard to get that body and you go to the gym and you eat healthy and do certain things. Its not different if you are going to the beach.'

Ashley and Julianne both flaunted their fabulous figures at the competition  with a total of seven outfit changes between them.

Ashley is pictured with Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan (left) and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach (right)

Celebration: Miss District of Columbia, Deshauna Barber, was crowned Miss USA and became the first-ever member of the military to win the competition

While Ashley hit the red carpet in a royal blue St. John sheath dress that showcased her cleavage, Julianne rocked a sparkly halter gown that featured a thigh-high slit.

On Sunday night's telecast, Miss District of Columbia, Deshauna Barber, was crowned Miss USA, and the army logistics commander couldn't help but break down in tears after she learned she had won.

The 26-year-old, who works as an IT analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. as well as a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, won the crown after she was asked about women in combat.

'As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated. Gender does not limit us in the United States,' she said.

Deshauna, whose mother, father, brother and sister have also served in the army, became the first-ever member of the military to win Miss USA.
The turmeric latte is the latest incarnation of the trend; it's big on Instagram

It might look pretty, have a cult following and be sold in cafes and health food shops from Sydney to San Francisco.

But the golden drink dominating Instagram this year is not a humble cup of steaming coffee.

Rather, 2016's drink of choice is the turmeric latte, which, according to Google Trends, is the new green juice/almond milk/acai-based smoothie.

Google Food Trends recently named turmeric as the 'breakout star' ingredient of 2016, with Internet searches for the yellow spice rising 56 per cent since last November.

Turmeric has also had a whopping 300 per cent increase of Google hits over the last five years.

But just what is the vivid gold, no-filter-required drink beloved by health aficionados, Gwyneth Paltrow and caffeine dodgers the world over, and how is it good for you?

It drink: The turmeric latte is the new fashionable drink popping up in health food stores and cafes - turmeric has become one of the most Googled search terms in the past five years, rising by 56 per cent since last year

Insta-pretty: The steaming hot drink has become popular on Instagram, thanks to its vivid golden colour and lack of need for a filter

Turmeric's meteoric rise is in part thanks to the health benefits associated with it.

It has been used medicinally in South Asia for 4,000 years, being seen as part of Ayurvedic medicine, and is commonly added to curries and rice dishes around the world.

A turmeric latte, meanwhile, is both an alternative to a caffeinated drink, as well as a beverage with healing, anti-inflammatory properties.

Healthy cuppa: Turmeric's rise is in part thanks to the health benefits associated with it - the turmeric latte is both a caffeine alternative and has anti-inflammatory properties

Steeped in history: Turmeric has been used medicinally in South Asia for 4,000 years, being seen as part of Ayurvedic medicine, and is commonly added to curries and rice dishes around the world

This might be just one reason why the drink is popping up in hipster cafes such as The Silva Spoon Tea and Coffee Emporium in Maroochydore, Queensland, along with many others including its photogenic qualities.

There are countless thoughts on the best way to make a turmeric latte.

According to Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop website, it works best with almond milk, ginger, coconut sugar, coconut oil and turmeric.

Other cafes recommend using different milks, such as coconut and cashew, and some suggest adding honey to enhance the rich, earthy flavours.

Hipster fans: It is popping up in hipster cafes all around Australia

Ways to prepare: There are various ways to make it, and different people recommend different milks, from almond to cashew

'Give your recipe even more of a superfood boost by adding raw cacao,' advises the author of I Quit Sugar, Sarah Wilson.

'While the powder is commonly used in curries, condiments and sauces, the fresh turmeric root has been widely used in medicine throughout history for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties,' she says.

Added to the fact that the vibrant drink is possibly the most Instagrammable drink since smoothies came to reign supreme, the turmeric latte is a culinary, good-for-you trend going nowhere soon.
They are the subject of ridicule among women - the whining, moaning men forever complaining about being ill.

But one expert says man flu is not a myth, and that men may have weaker immune systems or be more affected by the symptoms of a cold than women.

Dr Sergio Diez Alvarez, director of medicine at The Maitland and Kurri Kurri Hospital, University of Newcastle, says the female hormone oestrogen may strengthen women's immune systems.

The male equivalent - testosterone - impair the body's capacity to fight off viruses, studies show.

And the part of their brain which triggers fever during inflammatory illnesses is bigger in men - suggesting they may have a stronger response to a cold than women.

Here, he reviews all the evidence on man flu - deciding it may well be real...

One study showed men cope less well than women when confronted by more than one physical illness - such as the cluster of symptoms in a cold, according to Dr Sergio Diez Alvarez of the University of Newcastle

IS MAN FLU A MYTH

'Man flu' is a colloquial term based on the idea that men respond to symptoms of the common cold so exuberantly it is interpreted as the more severe and life-threatening influenza.

Possibly they do it to get attention from loved ones.

Descriptions of classic symptoms of this common affliction range from inability to move off the bed or couch (whichever is nearest the television) to the more serious 'losing the ability to do anything except groan in agony and claw at the uninfected'.

But is there any scientific evidence to support its widespread use in popular parlance?

MEN COPE LESS WELL WITH ILLNESS

In 2015, the Personality and Health Satisfaction Project data suggested men cope less well than women when confronted by more than one physical illness.

Thus it is possible men and women have a different threshold for perceiving symptoms, especially when clustered as in the common cold.

This was supported by research from the University of Glasgow. This suggested men may report symptom severity differently from women  with men being more likely to overrate their symptoms.

Psychologically speaking, men may be less 'in touch' with their biofeedback signals (the body letting itself know how it's feeling).

That leaves them unable to interpret the severity of symptoms when they're sick.

Men have larger pre-optic areas in the brain, which is the area involved in the production of fever during inflammatory illnesses. This suggests they may have a stronger response to illness

WHAT THE BASIC SCIENCE SAYS

In 2010, a group from Cambridge University published seminal work on the evolutionary basis for gender differences in the immune system.

They propose, since males were more likely to be required to devote disproportionate levels of physiological resources to survival while foraging for food for the family, they would have to accept a weaker immune system and thus be more susceptible to infections.

There are physiological explanations for the male-female divide in variations of the immune system.

Researchers have found oestrogen, the main female hormone, has a role in modulation of immunity.

This is evidenced by the higher numbers of women with auto-immune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, where the immune system has been inappropriately activated and is causing self-harm.

Oestrogen, the female hormone, is linked with a stronger immune system as it can impair viruses ability to reproduce

Recently, oestrogen has been associated with an increased ability to affect viruses by impairing their ability to reproduce.

Men also have an impaired response to viruses. In 2014, influenza vaccine research showed the main male hormone testosterone enhances the action of a set of genes that impair the body's capacity to fight off viruses.

Testosterone enhances the action of a set of genes that impair the body's capacity to fight off viruses

Research suggests males have larger pre-optic areas in the brain, which is the area involved in the production of fever during inflammatory illnesses.

Perhaps this could mean men have stronger inflammatory responses when ill? There is no epidemiological data, however, to show difference in temperature trends during influenza among men and women.

Studies in experimental animal studies of severe bacterial infections show the innate immune response (the body's first defence against infectious attack) is more robust in females.

They have higher production of cytokines, the molecules the immune system uses to create inflammation. It is not clear if this extends to viral illnesses.

This highlights a key gap in the literature: if man flu exists, is it because men have a more prominent response to viruses in terms of symptoms? Or a weaker immune system?

The main male hormone testosterone enhances the action of a set of genes that impair the body's capacity to fight off viruses, studies show (file photo)

HOW COMMON IS MAN FLU?

Data gathered from a wide group of community-based general practitioners in Australia is used to collate the annual report of the Influenza Surveillance Scheme.

In 2008, the last year a collated annual report is available, men presented to general practice with equal frequency as women for laboratory-proven influenza throughout the year.

Hospital data in a younger cohort showed boys between the ages of 15 and 25 years were less likely than girls (with the reverse in younger children) to be admitted to hospital with respiratory tract infection.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that, in 2008, the standardised death rate from influenza and pneumonia was higher among the fairer sex.
His parents encourage him to say hello to people who stare at him

Baths remove so much skin that his mother must use a net afterwards

Causes scales to form all over this body which can be come infected

A five-year-old boy is battling an agonising and potentially lethal condition that causes his skin to grow at ten times the normal rate.

Evan Fasciano, from Goshen, Connecticut, was born with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a genetic disorder that leaves him with scales across his entire body.

Suffering from the severest form of the disease, Evan is at constant risk of infection - requiring him to have two baths a day so his 33-year-old mother De De can scrub off the scales.

She said: 'We're very strict with Evan's skin management, so we try to keep him scale-free, and because of that his scales tend to be very thin, so they're easier to get off.

'If we didn't bathe him twice a day then the scales would get much thicker, much faster and it would be harder to get off.

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Evan Fasciano, now five, was born with Harlequin Ichthyosis, a genetic disorder that leaves him with scales across his entire body. His parents try and keep him scale free to minimise his discomfort

Suffering from the severest form of the disease, Evan is at constant risk of infection - requiring him to have two baths a day so his 33-year-old mother De De can scrub off the scales

'I can use my hands to remove most of it and then we'll use a wash cloth or exfoliating cloth - his hands and his scalp are the thickest so that's where it takes a little bit more effort.'

And once his bath is done, Mrs Fasciano has to use a net to scoop out the large volume of excess skin because of concerns that the skin and Aquaphor ointment residue could cause issues to the house plumbing.

After bath time, either she or her husband Joe covers Evan in Aquaphor to moisturise and protect his skin from getting too dry, with a second prescription emollient used for areas of particular concern.

Mrs Fasciano said: 'He needs to be coated with an emollient to keep his skin moist and protect it from cracking or ripping.

'He's usually very giggly and happy when he gets Aquaphor.'

Because his skin dries out so quickly, Evan is also constantly at risk of dehydration, which can potentially cause seizures and sunstroke.

His mother said: 'Overheating is a very scary health complication. He can't sweat so he can overheat very easily.

'We're constantly pushing fluids and food as much as we can just to keep him up on the calorie intake.'

When Evan was born his skin was so thick he couldn't open his eyes for the first two weeks. He spent two months in newborn ICU

'During bath time, I use my hands to remove most of the scales on Evan's skin- and then we'll use a wash cloth or exfoliating cloth,' explained his mother, De De

The skin's exceptionally fast growth rate means Evan's body burns calories at a much quicker rate than normal.

The skin around Evan's eyes is so tight, it can be difficult to close his eyes without careful attention.

Mrs Fasciano said: 'He rarely complains about anything, I don't know if I could say the same if I was in his condition.'

WHAT IS HARLEQUIN ICHTHYOSIS? Harlequin Ichthyosis is extremely rare, and comes out of the blue. The parents of an affected baby are carriers and will have a one in four risk of any baby being affected. The condition causes the skin to grow seven times faster than normal. The skin appears tight, with thick plates of hard scales resembling armour plating or the harlequin suit of a jester. The skin splits at several areas causing deep cracks. And a sufferer's face looks stretched with turned out lips and eyelids, and the ears, hands and feet may be hidden by scales. The extra skin needs to be removed constantly and ointment is also applied four or five times-a-day. Children who survive will need ongoing intensive skin treatment with creams and courses of retinoid medicine and many require physiotherapy and counselling. Source: The Ichthyosis Support Group Advertisement

Evan also has issues with his motor skills, meaning he has to be strapped into a special walking frame to move around.

However, his younger brother, 19-month-old Vincenzo, doesn't suffer from the same condition and recently learnt to walk.

'When his little brother started walking he said 'good job'. He was very proud of him and never seemed to be jealous,' Mrs Fasciano said.

Delivered nine weeks early by emergency Caesarean, because of the severity of his condition Evan wasn't able to leave hospital for a couple of months.

Mr and Mrs Fasciano said they first learnt of Evan's diagnosis just two days before he was born.

Joe said: 'When Evan was first born he didn't look like a baby you would picture.

'Obviously, his skin was very thick and he didn't actually open his eyes for the first couple of weeks. He spent two months in newborn ICU.'

Doctors warned the Fascianos that many babies born with Harlequin Ichthyosis may not survive if they contract an infection.

His mother said: 'I remember looking at him and it was just a relief to see his tummy going up and down.'

The name Evan means 'young warrior' and Evan's parents believe it's the perfect fit for their brave son.

Mr Fasciano said: 'We both knew he was going to be a strong, little guy and that he would make it through anything.'

Currently there is no cure for Harlequin Ichthyosis, but in spite of everything Evan endures, he remains a lively, happy child, who is incredibly popular at school.

After bath time, either she or her husband Joe covers Evan in Aquaphor to moisturise and protect his skin from getting too dry, with a second prescription emollient used for areas of particular concern.

Evan with his younger brother, Vincenzo. Their father said: 'Some people stare at Evan - and people who don't know him will do a double take, so we're encouraging him to make sure he says hello to everyone who does'

His mother has gone into Evan's class to teach the other children about his condition and Evan is always at the front of the class to help mum out.

She said: 'He is pretty much known as the rock star in his school. Everybody waves to him.

He literally doesn't put his hand down when he is walking in the hallway because he just has to wave and say hello to everybody, so we've been very fortunate.'

I want Evan to be somebody that people can look up to; somebody that they can say "wow he's got a lot of challenges" his appearance isn't the same but he can teach people a lot of things

Although looks and comments from strangers can hurt the family, they refuse to let it defeat them or and take away from Evan's upbeat nature.

Mr Fasciano said : 'There have been incidents when people have made bad comments and you do your best to stay positive.'

On one occasion, while out shopping, a stranger stopped and accused her of letting her child get sunburnt.

On another they mocked Evan, calling him a lobster.

Mr Fasciano: 'Sure people stare at Evan. People that don't know him will do a double take so we're encouraging him to make sure that he says hello to everyone who does.
Allow the heart to rejuvenate properly with good nights rest

Lack of sleep also raises risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer

People who don't get enough sleep or stay up too late have a raised pulse

Scientists found people who did not get enough sleep increased their risk of heart disease (stock photo)

Getting to sleep at the same time each night helps the heart recover from the day and reduces the risk of heart disease, researchers have found.

A stable bedtime routine helps the heart filter out stress hormones  so people with chaotic sleep patterns are at greater risk of heart problems.

The study may explain why people who work night shifts or travel between time zones are more likely to suffer from heart problems later in life.

Scientists found people who did not get enough sleep and stayed up too late at night had a raised pulse and increased levels of harmful stress hormones.

Experts believe getting enough sleep, at the same time each night, allows the heart to rejuvenate.

Doctors have long warned that a lack of regular sleep raises the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.

But until now they have not been sure exactly why this is.

The new research, conducted by Northwestern University, Chicago, suggests allowing the heart to properly rejuvenate is key.

The research team believe this is strongly tied to an internal mechanism called the circadian rhythm.

Nearly all living things have this circadian rhythm or body clock - which synchronises bodily functions to the 24-hour pattern of the Earths rotation.

In humans, the clock is regulated by the bodily senses, most importantly the way the eye perceives light and dark and the way skin feels temperature changes.

The mechanism rules our daily rhythms, including our sleep and waking patterns and metabolism. It also determines if we are a morning person or an evening person.

There is growing evidence that altering this rhythm - for example by working antisocial hours or regularly traveling between different time zones - places a strain on the body clock and creates long term health problems.

Study author Dr Daniela Grimaldi, said: In modern society, social opportunity and work demand have caused people to become more active during late evening hours leading to a shift from the predominantly daytime lifestyle to a more nocturnal one.

Our results suggest shift workers, who are chronically exposed to circadian misalignment, might not fully benefit from the restorative cardiovascular effects of night-time sleep following a shift-work rotation.

Research conducted by Northwestern University in Chicago, suggests allowing the heart to properly rejuvenate is key, with it being linked to the circadian rhythm, otherwise known as our body clock (stock photo)

Exposure to consecutive days of sleep loss can impair cardiovascular function and these negative effects might be enhanced when changes in feeding and/or sleep-wake habits lead to a circadian disruption.

Her team carried out a sleep deprivation experiment on 26 healthy people, aged 20 to 39.

The study participants were restricted to five hours of sleep for eight days, with their bedtimes delayed by 8.5 hours on four of the eight days.

Their findings, published in the journal Hypertension, found disrupting sleep patterns in this way led to an increased heart rate.

They also found an increase in a stress hormone called norepinephrine, which can constrict blood vessels, raise blood pressure and expand the windpipe.

When people enter deep sleep, their heart beat is allowed to slow down - a process controlled by the vagal nerve.

But the participants in the study did not enter this state, showing reduced vagal activity and higher variability of heart beat.

The authors warned people have become supremely arrogant by ignoring the importance of sleep - and could be wreaking havoc with their heart health

Dr Grimaldi said: In humans, as in all mammals, almost all physiological and behavioural processes, in particular the sleep-wake cycle, follow a circadian rhythm that is regulated by an internal clock located in the brain.

When our sleep-wake and feeding cycles are not in tune with the rhythms dictated by our internal clock, circadian misalignment occurs.

Insufficient sleep is particularly common in shift workers, who represent 15 per cent to 30 per cent of the working population in industrialised countries.

It follows a large British study published in 2014 that suggested people in the UK get two hours less sleep a night than they did 60 years ago.

The authors of that study, from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Manchester and Surrey universities, warned that people have become supremely arrogant by ignoring the importance of sleep.

Professor Russell Foster, a neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said at the time: We are the supremely arrogant species; we feel we can abandon four billion years of evolution and ignore the fact that we have evolved under a light-dark cycle.
Tenderly holding her fathers hand, Alison Dagul relayed the news she knew would break the elderly mans heart.

Alison had just been diagnosed with aggressive breast and ovarian cancer, and now blood tests had revealed the cause: a defective gene.

Not only had she inherited this gene mutation from her father, but the tests showed it had been passed on to her daughter Gaby, 24, too.

Even as I was telling Dad, part of me was still too shocked and horrified to believe this could be happening, says Alison, a personal assistant.

Until the cancer diagnosis several weeks earlier, I was just a healthy 50-year-old woman. Id watched my son and daughter grow into fine young people and was looking forward to growing old with my husband Anthony.

Suddenly my whole world came crashing down around me.

Alison Dagul was faced with the heartbreaking task of telling her father Gerry her breast cancer was caused by a rogue version of a gene known as BRCA1, which he had passed onto her

Her father, Gerry Abrahams, 91, sitting next to her, nods in sad acknowledgement.

As Gerry, a retired businessman and company director, who has never had a major health problem, explains: Its bad enough to watch your daughter undergo horrible cancer treatment. But to know my granddaughter was at risk, too, made it so much worse.

I felt so dreadfully responsible  and so utterly helpless. Ive lived a long life and it seems so unfair.

Alison, Gerry and Gaby are carriers of a rogue version of a gene known as BRCA1  the mutation gives women who carry it up to an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer.

Though many people will assume that breast cancer risks are passed on only through the female side of the family, if a man carries the faulty gene then his child has a 50/50 chance of inheriting it.

Men with the faulty gene have a one in ten risk of developing breast cancer themselves and a 25 per cent risk of prostate cancer.

Its important to point out that half of women suffering with genetic breast cancer will have inherited it from their father, says Gareth Evans, Professor of Medical Genetics and Cancer Epidemiology at the University of Manchester.

What causes Alison and her family particular heartache is that she could have taken preventative measures to reduce her chance of developing the disease had she known these female cancers could be inherited from male relatives.

Half of women suffering with genetic breast cancer will have inherited it from their father as is tragically the case for Mrs Dagul and her father

The gene has also been passed on to Mrs Dagul's daughter Gaby, who will have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, most likely before she turns 35

Her paternal grandmother, Annie, died of breast cancer in 1961 at the age of 60, and her aunt, Pauline, died of the same disease 30 years ago at 52.

But, as Alison, who lives in London, says: None of us had any idea my dads family raised our risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer. Like so many women, I just assumed breast cancer came down the mothers line, not the fathers.

Had I known I would have been gene tested and maybe had a pre-emptive mastectomy and my ovaries removed. I could have avoided these terrible cancer diagnoses.

None of us had any idea my dads family raised our risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer. Like so many women, I just assumed breast cancer came down the mothers line, not the fathers. Alison Dagul

The connection between breast and ovarian cancer and faulty BRCA genes (there are two, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2) was established in the Nineties. Clinics were set up where those at risk could have blood tests for faulty genes.

As part of her private health cover, Alison has had mammograms for the past eight years and annual gynaecology check-ups. Though she had previously told doctors about the cancer in her fathers family, she says no one ever pointed out she was at risk.

Alisons diagnosis came in July 2014 when  almost a year since her last mammogram, which had been clear  she noticed thick veins protruding down the front of each breast while taking a shower.

This is called Mondors disease  a rare condition caused by inflammation of a vein just under the skin of the breast or chest wall.

Though not cancerous, it can be associated with cancer.

She saw her GP and was referred for a mammogram. This was clear, but mammograms may not show any lumps if, like Alison, the woman has dense breasts. She was then given an ultrasound, which revealed a lump in her right breast.

A biopsy confirmed she had a rare form of breast cancer. She had surgery to remove the lump four days later.

However, after the operation, blood tests showed Alison had a high CA125 reading  this is a protein that has been linked to ovarian cancer. Further tests confirmed Alison had this disease, too  her doctor told her it was inoperable and put her on six months of chemotherapy.

I couldnt believe what was happening to me. I thought I had the perfect life.

Ive now learnt, to all our great cost, that male carriers can live long and healthy lives, unaware they can pass it on to the next generation,' says Mr Abrahams, 91

It was this second cancer that led her specialists to suspect some form of gene mutation.

Alison was referred to a genetics specialist at her local hospital to look through her family tree.

She was also tested for the rogue BRCA genes  the results of which came through six weeks later in August 2014.

As Alisons mother had died six years earlier (of a non-inherited form of blood cancer), her father was tested to see if there was a family link.

The geneticist thought my dad was one of the oldest people he had ever tested. I couldnt believe this could be happening as Id never heard of it.

Her daughter Gaby was tested in September 2014 and found to be also carrying the BRCA1 gene.

She plans to have a pre-emptive mastectomy. Recently married, once she has had a family, Gaby will have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed (she has been advised to do this before shes 35).

While this will reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, it will not avoid passing on the genes.

One option for young women planning a family is to have pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)  where you conceive with IVF and a screening test is used to determine if genetic or chromosomal disorders are present in the embryo before it is implanted.

Mrs Dagul had no idea the defective gene can be passed on through the father's side

In order to qualify for the procedure, there must be a significant risk of passing on a genetic condition that has been confirmed by tests.

As understanding of the role of genes in cancer and other serious disease such as Huntingtons grows, more families will face the heartbreak  and difficult decisions  Alison and her family have had to endure.

The question is what those who carry such genes do with their knowledge. With some genes, such as the faulty BRCA 1, preventative surgery may ultimately be necessary  but even in these situations there needs to be a little time to let the news and shock settle before anything is done, says Alison Lashwood, a consultant genetic counsellor and clinical lead in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis at Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust in London.

If a parent discovers they carry genes linked to inherited illnesses, they first need to have some thinking time of their own.

Then they should speak to a genetics counsellor to get accurate information so they know the exact nature of their situation. Then they should speak to their children.

Meanwhile, Professor Evans says it is vital for women to understand the possibilities of inheriting the faulty BRCA 1 or 2 gene from both sides of their family and to tell doctors if they have a breast or ovarian cancer history in first-degree relatives  ie, parents or siblings, including male relatives who have had prostate cancer, which can be associated with the faulty genes.

It is also known that people are more likely to have the faulty genes if, as well as breast cancer, a close relative (male or female) has had pancreatic cancer.

By the same token, men should be increasingly aware of developing prostate cancer if there is genetic breast cancer in the family.

For Gerry, the message is simple: Ive now learnt, to all our great cost, that male carriers can live long and healthy lives, unaware they can pass it on to the next generation.

If Id known from early on, at least Alison could have maybe had more of a chance to take pre-emptive action to avoid cancer.

Alison, who is on a form of maintenance chemotherapy every three weeks to keep the cancer at bay, is emphatic: My cancer could have been avoided if only I had known about the male link.
Varicose veins typically affect the lower legs, but world renowned expert Professor Mark Whiteley reveals how they can appear in other areas too

For many people they are nothing more than unsightly lumps protruding from their lower legs.

But for others, varicose veins cause aching, discomfort and can lead to more serious health problems.

Recent research revealed that around 30 per cent of the UK population will develop varicose veins in their lifetime.

Most people expect the veins to appear on their lower legs.

But what many may be surprised to learn is that these potentially problematic veins can surface just about anywhere on the body.

Here, world-renowned vascular specialist, Professor Mark Whiteley, of The Whiteley Clinic, in London, shares his expert insight into the condition, and sheds light on the undesirable areas where they can develop, as well as the best treatments available.

1. VEINS OF THE VAGINA AND VULVA

Yes, you read correctly... it is possible to develop varicose veins around the vagina and vulva, Professor Whiteley reveals.

He said when veins appear in the area, they 'commonly stem from an underlying pelvic or ovarian vein reflux condition, which presents itself during pregnancy'.

The condition can prove very uncomfortable for those women affected, with symptoms including pelvic aching, a dragging pain, an increase in stress incontinence, IBS and discomfort around the bladder and rectum caused by the distended veins pushing against them.

Professor Whiteley said while many in the medical sphere believe there is no suitable treatment for the condition, his clinic offers a pioneering treatment, known as coil embolisation.

'The procedure uses an X-ray technique to place a metal coil within the problem vein and block off the blood vessel,' Professor Whiteley explained.

'The procedure has been proven to treat the veins from the root of the problem, both quickly and effectively and provides long-term results.'

Varicose veins can appear around the vagina and vulva, Professor Whiteley revealed. He said they 'commonly stem from an underlying pelvic or ovarian vein reflux condition, which presents itself during pregnancy

2. VEINS ON THE ANUS

Possibly the most undesirable area for varicose veins to appear, is the interior or exterior of the anus, Professor Whiteley explains.

The condition is more commonly known as haemorrhoids or piles, he added.

WHAT ARE VARICOSE VEINS? Varicose veins are enlarged veins, that tpyically appear in the legs. Veins carry blood back to the heart, and in order to do so, the veins in the legs have to work against gravity. Muscle contractions in the lower legs act as pumps, and elastic vein walls help return blood to the heart. Tiny valves in your veins open as the blood flows toward the heart then close to stop the blood from moving backwards. As a person ages their veins can lose elasticity, causing them to stretch. The valves in the veins can weaken and allow the blood to flow backwards. Blood then pools in the veins and they enlarge, becoming varicose. They appear blue because they contain deoxygenated blood, which is in the process of being recirculated through the lungs. Some pregnant women will develop varicose veins, because in pregnancy the volume of blood in the body increases, but the flow of blood from your legs to pelvis decreases. The change is designed to help the growing fetus, but it can produce an unfortunate side-effect, enlarged veins in the legs. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Though this area of the body is not generally associated with veins, approximately 50 per cent of the UK population are estimated to suffer from haemorrhoids during their lifetime.

Professor Whiteley said: 'For the majority of people these veins do not cause any problems, but for some people they can be painful and cause bleeding.'

At The Whiteley Clinic, the team offer a revolutionary procedure called Hembolize, which aims to offer those suffering haemorrhoids a long-term solution.

It works by permanently destroying the affected rectal veins, Professor Whiteley told Daily Mail Online.

He said: 'The treatment is unique in that it completely avoids much of the embarrassment and discomfort often associated with haemorrhoids procedures, by attacking the problem via the neck.

'The treatment will ensure that the problem veins are permanently destroyed, limiting the possibility of the condition reoccurring.'

3. VEINS ON THE BREASTS AND CLEAVAGE

For women who develop obvious, bulging blue or green varicose veins on their breasts or cleavage the condition can leave them feeling very self-conscious.

'These veins can develop for a variety of reasons, but are particularly prominent in patients after implant surgery,' Professor Whiteley revealed.

He said each patient needs to be individually assessed, but added a combination of local anaesthetic phlebectomy - a procedure where doctors use a scalpel or needle to remove varicose veins - can be very effective, and leave very little evidence of the varicose veins once healed.

Professor Whiteley added: 'Some patients with widespread veins may need a series of treatments to get the optimal result.'

Varicose veins that develop on the breast and chest in women typically appear after implant surgery

4. VEINS ON THE HANDS AND ARMS

Though less common, it is possible for varicose veins to rear their ugly heads on a person's arms and hands.

They usually develop with age, as a person begins to lose body fat - and can be a particular problem for people who work out a lot.

'Fortunately these veins are pretty harmless and are mainly a cosmetic problem,' Professor Whiteley said.

'Very rarely they can cause bruising or can clot, but in most cases they just make the hands look old and the arms look less attractive.'

He said treatments are typically tailored to individual patients, but fillers are commonly successful in making the hands look better and hiding the veins away.

Ultrasound guided phlebectomy can also help make arms look smoother and more attractive, he added.

5. PROMINENT VEINS AROUND THE EYES

Everybody has veins around the eyes, on their temples and foreheads.

In most people, these are hidden away under the skin and surrounded by subcutaneous fat.

However, in other people, these veins are clearly visible.

'This is generally because the veins are nearer to the surface of the skin, the surrounding subcutaneous fat is reduced or the veins are more dilated than normal,' Professor Whiteley explained.

Varicose veins typically appear in the lower legs because veins carrying blood back to the heart have to work against gravity, and as a person ages, so the elasticity in their veins weakens and causes the blood to pool in the veins. They appear blue because it is oxygenated blood that is pooling in the veins

'For these patients, bulging or prominent green veins around the eyes or on the temples can be quite disfiguring and cause extreme embarrassment, particularly when hot or flustered.'

Treatments vary, he said, depending on the person's skin type, the distribution of the veins and the size of the veins.

In some cases a laser can be used to close the veins away, but in other patients they need to be removed using surgical procedures.

Professor Whiteley added: 'One of the advantages of the Whiteley Clinic is that we also have Absolute Aesthetics working with us, bringing us the laser techniques to complement our surgical techniques.'

6. RED VEINS ON THE FACE

Though not technically varicose veins, the veins that often cause the most distress to people are those that appear on the face.

Often referred to as thread veins or 'broken capillaries', the tiny blood vessels that run close to the surface of the skin can appear like fine red or purple, wiggly lines in some people.

Professor Whiteley said while these veins rarely present as a medical problem, he sees many patients who opt to have the removed for cosmetic reasons.

'Unlike the thread veins found on the legs, which are due to gravity, the thread veins on the face can be treated with electrolysis, intense pulsed light or laser, depending on the size and distribution of the veins,' he said.

'Our aesthetics colleagues, Absolute Aesthetics, are experts in assessing and treating facial thread veins allowing us to concentrate on thread veins in the legs that need duplex ultrasound scanning and micro-sclerotherapy treatment after the underlying veins have been treated.'
For his first engagement of the day in Qatar, Narendra Modi addressed 20 top business leaders.

Highlighting Indias investment-friendly policies, he invited them to grab the vast opportunities for business, especially in the infrastructure sector, while promising to remove bottlenecks.

Qatars business community had some questions related to rules and clearances, to which Modi said his government had changed rules and norms to enable easier Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in a number of sectors.

PM Narendra Modi being greeted by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha

He specifically mentioned sectors like railways, defence, manufacturing, and food processing. He also spoke about the big opportunities existing in the tourism sector.

The Prime Minister told investors that his government will continue working to make it easier to do business in India.

Qatar is an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region with bilateral trade in 2014-15 standing at USD 15.67 billion. It is also one of Indias key sources of crude oil.

When he landed in the country on Saturday, Modi said India places a high priority on strong ties with Qatar and that his visit seeks to expand the bilateral ties further.
Love in the time of Facebook can be dangerous.

In a suspected digital love triangle, a 28-year-old Delhi woman posted her love rival's personal details on escort service pages and other social networking sites, including Facebook.

According to police, Seema (name changed) took action because she thought her male friend Ravi (name changed) was getting closer to the victim Aasha (name changed) - and had stopped paying her attention.

The victim's details were used to create 35-40 profiles on Instagram, and on escort sites - meaning she got messages from strange men on a daily basis. (File picture)

Seema confessed that she had often advised Ravi not to talk to Aasha and stay away from her. But that didnt happen, said a policeman investigating the case.

Aashas family members claimed that the accused woman had made 35-40 profiles on Instagram, and put up personal information, including Aasha's email address and phone number, on various sites - attracting hundreds of followers.

They also alleged that the police failed to take action for almost three months after registering an FIR, thus forcing the victim and her family to move the court for help.

My sister first got an anonymous message in February on Facebook, asking her not to talk to her male friend. Initially she ignored - but after some days, various profiles were created and all her personal information was posted on an escort service page. The accused also created 35-40 profiles on Instagram. We filed a case in the Naraina police station against unknown person, the victims sister told Mail Today.

Meanwhile, Aasha continued to get messages on an almost daily basis as her phone number and email address were put up on an escort service page.

After registering the case, the police didnt react for almost three months. My sister along with family members used to visit the police station every day.

"She was so upset with this incident that she stopped moving out from her house. Whenever any male would look at her, she used to think that the person had seen her profile and recognised her as an escort.

"Finally, we had to seek help from the court requesting it to ask the police to conduct proper investigation and nab the accused, the victims sister said.

After almost four months, police informed Aashas family that they have identified the person behind the crime.

Cops gave us a name, which we had heard for the first time. When my sister searched the name on social media, what she found was quite shocking. She saw Ravi at the house of Seema. When cops inquired about it, the latter denied having anything to do with it. Later, she accepted the crime and explained why she tried to defame my sister. She claimed that her male friend had stopped talking to her because of closeness with my sister, Aashas sister claimed.

A police official investigating the case stated: This is a clear case of love triangle, where the accused wanted to take revenge from the victim to seek attention from her male friend.
Tightening the noose around the kidney racket recently exposed in the Capital, the Delhi Police have started the process of checking recipients and donors.

Police say they may soon arrest two donors related to the case.

On Friday, Delhi Police busted a kidney racket gang operating at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, where the organ transplants were carried out.

Police are tracking alleged kingpin Rajukumar Rao's money trail by scanning the bank accounts of his associates, five of whom have already been arrested.

However, police teams are yet to arrest alleged kingpin Rajukumar Rao, who is on the run.

Raids are being conducted in several cities to break the pan-India web of kidney trading.

The gang has managed to transplant five kidneys only this year. The exact number of people involved can be ascertained only after the Raos arrest. We are verifying documents submitted by the recipients and have found that one of the recipients submitted fake documents to get a donor, said a senior officer associated with the case.

During the initial probe, police found a businessman living in the upscale locality of Ghaziabad along with recipients at Jaipur and Hyderbad who were in touch with the gang.

Police will take legal action against them if they are found violating the rule under section 19 (Punishment for commercial dealings in human organs) the Transplant of Human Organ Act (THOA).

Police claim that two donors who are in the city are on the police radar, and may be detained. They were allegedly brought to Delhi by the gang to donate their kidneys.

Commercial trade in organs is illegal in India, and transplant donations to non-relatives must be approved by a special committee.
Local leaders in election-bound Uttar Pradesh have urged Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi not to give tickets to outsiders.

Keen to regain ground in the politically-crucial state before the Assembly polls next year, Rahul has sought local inputs to help him decide on candidates and strategy.

In a first, the AICC and state-level leaders held one-on-one parleys with over 900 block presidents, who had a common request that outsiders should not be given Congress tickets.

This is a first-of-its-kind exercise in the party. We discussed each constituency in detail with the block chiefs. It has yielded valuable information, a senior Congress leader involved in the process told Mail Today.

Sources said that in the 2012 Assembly polls, around 150 people who either joined the Congress just before the elections or switched their constituencies, had been given tickets. This caused resentment among the workers who sweat on the ground while campaigning for the party nominee, irrespective of the equation he or she has with the cadre.

Local workers, who are in direct touch with block chiefs, prefer a candidate who belongs to the constituency and has stayed with the party for long years, a senior UP Congress leader said.

The leader added that there were issues over ticket distribution in the 2012 polls, and care should be taken not to repeat the mistake this time.

Sources said these outsiders, who are usually wealthy, get party tickets mostly due to monetary considerations, but end up distancing the local workers.

Sources say the block chiefs also asked for early declaration of candidates, probably in July, to give them sufficient time to connect with voters and manage their campaigns.

The move to involve local leaders in decision-making has come from Rahul, who had campaigned heavily in the 2012 UP Assembly polls.

However, the results were a shocker for him as the Congress won just 28 of the 403 seats. In 2007, the Congress had won just 22 seats.

In 2013, when Rahul became party vice-president, he had flagged the issue of political migrants getting party tickets, saying he would put an end to the practice.

The Congress is betting big in UP, where it has been on the margins since the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition.

Listening to the grassroots workers should also help Rahul rebuild the organisation in UP, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
PM Modi said Indians are very familiar with 'the enchanting beauty of the Swiss landscapes' thanks to films

PM Narendra Modi praised the Indian film industry for introducing its audience to enchanting Swiss landscapes.

Strong ties between the people of our two countries are an important base and benchmark of our linkages. Thanks to the Indian film industry, we are very familiar with the enchanting beauty of the Swiss landscapes.

"But, we are also keen to welcome larger number of Swiss visitors to India. For this, we have opened the facility of e-Tourist Visa for Swiss nationals earlier this year, he said.

The PM was speaking during a joint press interaction with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann.

Ajit Jogi's grand new party

Following days of speculation, former Chhattisgarh chief minister and rebel Congress leader Ajit Jogi on Friday floated a new party and asked the people to suggest a name.

Jogi had last week hinted that he might launch a new party, saying he had no other option but to quit the Congress for the sake of Chhattisgarh.

He had said the Congress party was presently working like 'Team-B' for the incumbent Raman Singh-led government.

'Courts step in when government fails'

Chief Justice of India TS Thakur has said the judiciary intervenes only when the executive fails in its constitutional duties.

The courts only fulfil its constitutional duty and need would not arise if the government does its job, the CJI said.

He said if there is a failure on the part of government agencies, the judiciary will play its role.

We only fulfil our duties... If governments does its job better, any need of interference would not arise, he said.

Swedish defence ties on mind

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha will embark on a five-day visit to Sweden, starting on Tuesday, to take the existing defence cooperation between the two countries to the next level.

He will call upon Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist and is scheduled to hold talks with the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.

The challenges faced by the defence forces of both the countries in the current world scenario are expected to be discussed.

Holy greetings from Azad

Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad extended greetings to citizens on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan and urged them to work for welfare of the mankind.
There is an added cause for cheer during Prime Minister Narendra Modis US visit this time.

At a ceremony in Washington on Monday night, artefacts stolen from India will be returned to Modi. These include a priceless bronze idol of Lord Ganesha removed from a temple in Tamil Nadu, a statue from the Chola period, and a Mauryan dynasty statue.

Some of these priceless pieces were stolen from museums and temples and then smuggled into the US.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with members of the Indian community in Washington after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base

One of these is the idol of Saint Manikkavichavakar also known as the Sampanthar Sivan. This is from the Sripuranthan village in Tamil Nadu, sources told Mail Today in Washington DC.

The US Department of Justice and the US Department of Homeland Security have painstakingly recovered the stolen idols and are now returning them to India.

There is an impressive ceremony planned at the Blair House where Prime Minister Modi will be staying. Here, more than 10 such priceless Indian cultural properties will be returned to India, sources added.

One of the statues to be returned is a female figurine from the Mauryan period, between 320-200 BC.

There is also a plaque of Yakshi (a female nature spirit) from eastern India, perhaps from the Shunga period in West Bengal.

Sources have told India Today that this is just the beginning. Talks are going on for the move to be streamlined, and many more such statues and artefacts will be returned to India.
Domestic air travellers can expect some confusing times ahead at Delhi airport, with authorities set to revive the mothballed Terminal 2 for SpiceJet and GoAir flights as part of a sprawling expansion plan.

The civil aviation ministry has cleared the proposal from DIAL, the GMR Group-led consortium that manages the airport, to move the operations of the two private carriers to T2 so Terminal 1 can be revamped.

The airport, which is the busiest in the country, has capacity to handle more than 40 million passengers annually.

Terminal 2 is dormant for most of the year and is only used for special operations, such as Haj flights

This is expected to go up to 100 million by 2030 based on the expansion, which would include a new runway and a new terminal.

Sources say authorities will have to consult other stakeholders before implementing the plan, while some have raised concerns about security and passenger amenities that could prove to be stumbling blocks.

DIAL maintains this is a temporary move, and until Terminal 1 gets a facelift only IndiGo will operate from there.

After the process is over, SpiceJet and GoAir will return to the domestic terminal. Airline sources say this could spark confusion among travellers, who already have a tough time traversing between Terminal 3 and T1.

Terminal 2 is dormant for most of the year and is only used for special operations, such as Haj flights.

According to the plan, soon two airlines will be shifted to Terminal 2 on a temporary basis. GoAir and SpiceJet passengers will have to travel from Terminal 2 instead of Terminal 1, a top aviation ministry source told Mail Today.

The domestic terminal (T1) will be for IndiGo passengers only, just for domestic operations. After shifting back from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, DIAL will start the demolition of T2 to build Terminal 4.

The airport operator says it will ensure passengers face little inconvenience.

DIAL has plans to expand Terminal 1 to a much bigger facility. So, it is possible that during the construction period, some traffic may be shifted to Terminal 2 as a stop-gap arrangement. Haj operations will continue as before, without any change, a spokesperson of the consortium told Mail Today.

DIAL has also rejected the expectations of an airline company of getting Terminal 1 exclusively for its operations.

IndiGo wanted Terminal 1 exclusively for its international and domestic operations. But, the request was turned down by both DIAL and the government, a senior ministry official said.

The airlines that are waiting for official communication on the move plan to ask DIAL to shift them to the swanky Terminal 3 instead of T2.

Terminal 3 can be a better option for airlines, especially SpiceJet, as they have around six international services as well. Also, international passengers can easily shift for travelling domestic. If someone is coming from any other state through SpiceJet or GoAir to travel abroad, they can easily move within the same terminal, a top airline official explained.

SpiceJet says it has not received any word from DIAL.

There is neither any official intimation nor any intentions shared by DIAL with us at any forum till date. We are happy operating out of T3 at present, a SpiceJet spokesperson said.

Mail Today tried to contact GoAir, but the airline didnt respond.

The CISF, which is responsible for securing all commercial airports in the country, may have to deploy more personnel if Terminal 2 opens up for the two airlines.

Terminal 2 will require extra security. Though we can withdraw some personnel from Terminal 1 once these airlines will move out, but it would be tough to manage the situation with the same strength as already CISF is securing Delhi airport with less-than-adequate manpower, said a senior CISF official.
A tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is ready to give its verdict on a complaint by the Philippines, which has challenged China's territorial rights in the South China Sea.

The verdict is set to address the simmering crisis in the South China Sea which will come to the boil later this month.

Assertion

China has rightfully asserted that the tribunal cannot adjudicate maritime boundaries; these can only be determined through bilateral negotiations between the parties in question.

China has allegedly constructed artificial islands over rocks and low-elevation features in the South China Sea, and is claiming an exclusive economic zone around them

However, under the UN Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS), the tribunal can indeed declare whether a particular feature is an 'island' - and thus entitled to a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - a 'rock' which only permits a 12 nautical mile territorial sea, or a feature visible only in low tide, which does not provide for any maritime zone.

The issue has raised eyebrows because China has constructed artificial islands over some of these rocks, and low-elevation features, and is claiming an exclusive economic zone around them.

Under UNCLOS, artificial islands and structures like oil rigs do not confer territoriality of any kind.

China says it is not participating in the arbitration, even though the UNCLOS does not confer it any right to exclude itself from the process.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is ready to give its verdict on a complaint by the Philippines, challenging China's right to assert territoriality over 'features' in the South China Sea

Indeed, UNCLOS says that even if a party refuses to participate, the tribunal can give its verdict -which is final and without appeal.

In the build-up to the verdict, China has strongly denounced the process and made it clear that it will not abide by the ruling.

It has questioned the bias of the tribunal, and termed it as a kangaroo court.

At the same time, it has built up a military presence in some of the artificial islands.

The US has made it clear that it expects Beijing to abide by the verdict - and if it doesnt, the US and its allies will ignore Chinese claims, sail through the waters, and fly over them.

Position

The Chinese position on the South China Sea is complicated and there is a touch of mendacity around it.

Beijing has not been clear whether it is claiming the islands of the South China Sea, over which it says it has historical rights, or the boundary it has laid out in maps through what is called the Nine Dash Line.

Beijing has not been clear whether it is claiming the islands of the South China Sea, over which it says it has historical rights

UNCLOS has clear sections on historical rights, and the problem for the Chinese is that since only two of the islands were historically habitable, they cannot indisputably prove this includes the entire Paracel and Spratly island groups.

The Nine Dash line is even more problematic. Firstly, no country can assert a maritime boundary; it must be negotiated with the specific neighbour.

For example, India and Pakistan have failed to negotiate their maritime boundary because of their Sir Creek dispute.

The Nine Dash line follows no maritime principle, insofar as many of the areas it claims are beyond 200 nautical miles from the nearest rock or feature claimed by China.

In other words, they are simply lines on a map that China insists the world has to accept.

Now, not only is China readying to reject the arbitrary award, it has hinted that it will establish an Air Defence Identification Zone over the area.

Its not clear whether it plans to set up an ADIZ over the islands it has built, or over the entire Nine Dash line area.

Laws

An ADIZ has no basis on international law. Yet many states, especially the US, have established them in the name of national security.

Civilian aircraft flying through these zones have to notify their flight plan in advance to the country which claims a particular ADIZ.

There is no problem if such a zone is over undisputed territory, but in the case of China, it has previously established one covering the Senkaku Islands it disputes with Japan and there are places where its ADIZ overlaps with that of South Korea.

China is building up a military presence in some of the artificial islands

Many airlines and countries have accepted the Chinese rules, but many others ignore them. But they are a ready pretext to stage a crisis.

In the past, China has denied plans to set up an ADIZ in the South China Sea. But China is well known for shifting goal-posts at will. After all, it had given a public declaration in the past that it would cease island building in the South China Sea, but as of now it continues its activities.

India needs to keep a careful watch on the situation, especially since our friends the US, Vietnam, and Japan want us to play a larger role in the region.

Riling China is fair-game considering Beijings role in South Asia. But we need to think our game through.
Mohammad Akhlaq was killed at the hands of a mob after being accused of cow slaughter in Bisada village, Dadri

Residents of Bisada village in Dadri have met with the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to demand registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaqs family for alleged cow slaughter.

SSP Dharmendra Yadav said a case will be registered against the family only if the charge that the meat found in Akhlaq's home was beef was found to be true.

It's a very sensitive matter. The Circle Officer, Dadri, will head a probe into the charges, he said.

After the meeting with Yadav, Sanjay Rana, whose son Vishal Rana is an accused in the 2015 lynching case, threatened that a maha panchayat will be held in the village on Monday as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq's family.

A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaq's house was beef.

No FIR has been filed yet in this regard, he said.

The villagers have decided to hold a maha panchayat tomorrow (Monday) as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it, he claimed.

He claimed that an eight-member delegation from the village had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who assured them he would speak to the Uttar Pradesh government in this regard.

Residents of Bisada village in Dadri are demanding the registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaqs family for alleged cow slaughter

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had questioned the authenticity of the forensic report and said there was nothing objectionable in his house.

VHP leader Surindera Jain had visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

VHP activists had also staged a protest over the villager's demand that the FIR be registered against Akhlaq's family, and the financial help given to them should be withdrawn.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will enjoy a three-day yoga session

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has gone on a three-day yoga session at a centre run by spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev in Coimbatore.

The much-needed respite comes after Chouhan's successful organisation of the Simhastha Kumbh.

Sources said that his wife has also accompanied him to the Isha Foundation.

Sources said Chouhan is quite close to the Yoga guru, and it was Jaggi Vasudev who had suggested he launch the department of happiness.

Captain's son in the ED dock

The son of Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh has received an Enforcement Directorate notice in connection with a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation case.

The move comes amid Amarinder going full-throttle to win back Punjab from the Akali-BJP alliance.

Amarinder described the ED notice as 'witch-hunting', while Raninder has denied any wrong doing.

Afghan honour for PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded the Amir Amanullah Khan Award, Afghanistans highest civilian honour.

He was bestowed the honour by President Ashraf Ghani.

Modi shared his sentiments on Twitter, saying: My deepest gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan for conferring the Amir Amanullah Khan Award.

'Make RaGa de jure Cong chief'

The rumblings in the Congress over Rahul Gandhi refuse to die down.

Veteran Digvijaya Singh has now said that the vice-president has the skills to bring the party back to power, while Jairam Ramesh has pointed out that it is time for Rahul to take over from Sonia Gandhi as chief.

Singh said the Congress needed fresh ideas, while Ramesh said Rahul should become de jure party chief and set up his own team to prepare for the 2019 elections.

Swamy is Uma's hero

Union minister Uma Bharti has joined the list of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's admirers, hailing him as her hero and saying she believes his claim that work on the temple in Ayodhya will start by the end of this year.
Former Treasury egghead John Kingman is mooted as the next chairman of insurer Legal & General, for which he would be paid 340,000 for a three-day week.

But balding, bespectacled Kingman, 47, a ferocious gourmand and dedicated opera lover, is no idle slouch.

He spent a trying year serving as press secretary to Gordon Brown. Like his ex-boss, hes barely seen outside a suit and tie and loathes taking holidays.

Financial glamourpuss Robin Saunders, 53, once dubbed Queen of the City, appears in front of MPs today to answer questions about her advisory role in the BHS sale.

Some of us might prefer to hear about the perky Texan blondes past friendship with loutish stove jockey, Marco Pierre White.

Marcos fiery Spanish wife Mati once accused the pair of having an affair. Both denied any impropriety.

Re BHS, Im told Pensions Select Committee chairman Frank Field plans to dress head-to-toe in BHS clothing when he quizzes its thrice-bankrupt owner Dominic Chappell tomorrow.

So stand by for some serious grandstanding from schoolmasterly Field.

Employees at investment manager M&G are excited to welcome its new boss, ex-Aberdeen Asset Management executive Anne Richards, who starts this week.

She replaces lofty grandee Michael McLintock, 54, the firms long-serving chief with a liking for fine wine and country sports.

Fragrant mother-of two Richards, 51, a former nuclear physicist, is a woman of more modest pursuits.

Friends say she drives a Kia Picanto and spends weekends tending to her allotment.

As well as taking a 75 per cent pay cut, Burberrys out-of-his-depth boss Christopher Bailey appears to have eschewed his generous clothing allowance.

Last year, he was awarded 440,000 to keep himself festooned in fashionable togs. The Dandyish northerner, 45, must have creaking wardrobes which would shame Liberace.

Royal Bank of Scotlands rugby-loving chief executive Ross McEwan, 58, says the troubled bank will at last relinquish its 13-year sponsorship of Six Nations rugby next year.

The bank paid 43million to extend the long-running deal in 2013, despite racking up consecutive annual losses since its 45billion taxpayer-funded bailout in 2008.
Disaster: Bankrupt businessman Dominic Chappell bought BHS for 1

Bankrupt businessman Dominic Chappell, who bought BHS for 1, will make his first public appearance since the store collapsed in to administration tomorrow.

The one-time racing car driver will be quizzed by MPs over his involvement in the scandal which has seen 11,000 staff lose their jobs, and the pensions of thousands of others facing cuts.

This hearing should at last give some answers to the questions about how a man with no management experience could take over the 88-year-old chain.

And it will be a chance to hear from other City experts who could shed light on the collapse.

Despite weeks of investigations already, there are key questions MPs will want to clear up:

What is Chappells connection with Sir Philip Green?

The question on the lips of every BHS employee and pensioner is: how did a man with no retail experience and a chequered past come to run one of Britains most famous department stores, and why did Green sell it to him?

Chappell has three former bankruptcies, a series of county court rulings for debts and a string of failed ventures to his name.

It is thought he was introduced to Green by Paul Sutton, a convicted fraudster. Green claims he has cut all ties to Sutton.

How much did Chappell reveal of his business disasters?

In 1993 he was a director of a property firm called Eyot, which collapsed into administration in 2008 owing 230,000.

Three years later he declared himself insolvent at Slough County Court. He became bankrupt in December 2005 following a dispute with a London estate agent over an unpaid fee.

He was discharged in December 2006. A deal he was involved in to develop a marina in the Isle of Wight turned sour in March 2009 when loans totalling 24m were called in and administrators were appointed.

Chappell soon became bankrupt for a second time. He was discharged from this in 2010.

Victims: The BHS scandal has seen 11,000 staff lose their jobs, and the pensions of thousands of others facing cuts

DOMINIC CHAPPELL: RACING DRIVER WHO LOVED LUXURY HOTELS The businessman who had no prior experience running a retail chain raised eyebrows last year by clinching BHS from Sir Philip Green for 1. A one-time Formula Three racing driver, Dominic Chappell has had a string of business failures. A three-times bankrupt, his most spectacular disaster was a development called The Island Harbour Marina on the Isle of Wight which collapsed into administration. Despite his chequered financial past Chappell, 49, lives the high life and rents a 1.5m Grade II manor house in Blandford Forum, Dorset, with wife Rebecca, 33, and their children. When in London he has stayed at the Landmark, a five-star hotel opposite what was once BHSs head office in Marylebone. Referring to his business prowess, associates say: He couldnt run a penny machine in a toilet door.

Where did Chappells money come from?

Chappells firm Retail Acquisitions is said to have pumped 15million into BHS but it is unclear where this came from. He seems to have few assets of his own  the 1.5million Grade II Dorset manor house where he lives is rented.

There are reports 5million was a loan secured against the assets of BHS, but MPs will want to quiz Chappell on the origins of the investment.

And then there is the question of a 35million loan allegedly given to Chappell by father-and-son property moguls Guy and Alexander Dellal. Later on the Dellals bought a BHS store and sold it for a profit.

MPs will ask why someone such as Chappell was able to come across such substantial finance and whether the property deal for the Dellals was in any way linked to the loan payment.

How much did he take out?

Chappell diverted 1.5million to a firm called BHS Sweden, which has no connection with BHS, days before the administration.

He was pressured by colleagues to repay the sum, which he did but with a 50,000 shortfall to cover the cost of currency conversions.

He also faces questions over a 1.5million loan that eventually paid off the mortgage on his fathers house in Sunbury-on-Thames.

Will Retail Acquisitions pay back BHS money it owes?

Chappells firm took an 8.4million loan out of BHS and around 6million of this still needs to be repaid. So will Chappell take steps to give this back?
Out: Asda boss Andy Clarke has confirmed he is preparing to step down

Asda boss Andy Clarke became the final boss of a supermarket to fall on his sword as the big High Street names wage a fierce price war.

Clarke, 53, has confirmed he is preparing to step down just ten months after proclaiming he was here to stay.

The embattled supermarket boss has struggled to kick start growth at Britains second largest grocer which, like its rivals, has faced competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl.

His departure means all the major grocers have changed their bosses in the wake of the turmoil sweeping the industry.

He recruited Roger Burnley, a former Asda supply chain director, from Sainsburys last year, and has anointed him his successor.

Clarke told Retail Week magazine: I said that I wanted to find somebody who had the ability to be my successor and it took us some time to find the right person, the right cultural fit, the right sort of character and leader that can run the business.

Clarke refused to say when he would step down other than: Im in no rush to do anything else and we are on a three-year journey from a strategic plan perspective.

'Im very happy to deliver that and work through that and then we can talk about that from there.

Over the weekend bosses of Americas Walmart, which owns Asda, admitted they have no idea how long it will take to turnaround the chain.

Dave Cheesewright, president and chief executive of Walmart International, used the retailers annual meeting in America to speak frankly about the performance.

Poor show: Asda first quarter sales fell 5.7 per cent, worse than the previous quarter's 4.7 per cent drop

He said: Theres lots of work going on there [at Asda] but we are pretty dissatisfied with performance at the moment.

So watch this space on Asda, but it will be painful, I think, probably through this year.

Asda used to set itself apart from rivals on price but has lost the lead on this to the discount chains. In August Clarke emphasised he had no plans to leave.
Gripes about paid-for current accounts are growing at a rapid pace according to latest data from the Financial Ombudsman and Financial Conduct Authority.

Back in 2012, This is Money warned that the mis-selling of these accounts, which carry a monthly fee, could be the next Payment Protection Insurance scandal.

And sure enough, banks have recently set aside 1billion to pay compensation. It highlights that some know they have been in the wrong when 'upgrading' people to these accounts in years gone by.

Packaged accounts: Many bank customers have reasonable grounds to complain - download our free letter template if you're one of them

We receive a steady stream of complaints about these accounts from readers.

Usually, they didn't know they'd been signed up to pay a monthly fee for their account, have a range of 'perks' they cannot use or were told to sign up for the account to qualify for a loan.

There was a big drive to push these paid-for accounts onto people, especially in branch, where some banks incentivised staff in order to get customers to open them  a topic we have covered extensively in the past.

Not everyone who had one of these accounts or still have one were mis-sold. If you believe there are grounds for mis-selling, download our free letter template and send it off to the complaints department of your bank and keep a copy for yourself.

Please note: The letter is a template only - feel free to print it off and re-jig in your own style, or fill in and send off. Triple-check it before sending it off.

There are a number of spurious claims management firms who will try and tempt you to do it on your behalf  similar to the PPI plague - but go it alone to make sure they don't take a hefty cut if you are due redress.

HOW TO COMPLAIN 1. Make sure you think you have a genuine case for redress. 2. Download our free packaged current account mis-selling letter template and fill it in. 3. Send it to your bank's complain department. 4. Wait up to eight weeks for a resolution. If it refuses to refund and you believe it doesn't have a reasonable excuse, or it doesn't get back to you, take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

One high street bank said most of the complaints about packaged accounts are generated by third party claims management firms  and claims most of the gripes it received are invalid.

The FOS says 35 per cent of customers complain directly to it about packaged current accounts, with the majority using CMCs. It also upholds only 14 per cent of cases in favour of the customer.

However, do not let that deter you if you do believe you were mis-sold.

Many of these thrown out cases are likely to come from CMCs 'chancing their arm.'

In the year to 31 March 2016, there were 44,244 complaints about packaged current accounts to the Financial Ombudsman  a leap of 107 per cent on the year before. That means more than 6,000 received backdated refunds via FOS.

The Financial Conduct Authority recently revealed that more than 385,000 gripes were lodged about bank accounts between last July and December, up 22 per cent on the first half of the year - many would have received a refund back directly from their bank without the need for FOS to get involved.

Of Britain's 62million 'live' current accounts, an estimated 14 per cent are paid for, with charges typically ranging from 6 to 25 a month.

Zoe Brennan: Bank refunded her packaged current account fees after simple complaint

'I claimed back nearly 4k'

'It was the most lucrative phone call I've ever made - and it came about almost by accident,' says Zoe Brennan.

'By chance, I stumbled across an article warning that paid-for current accounts would be the next mis-selling scandal to hit the banks.

'Hang on, I thought - I have one of those. For 22 years I've dutifully paid as much as 17 a month for my Lloyds Bank account.

'It gives me "perks" - extra mobile phone and home insurance - but that's not the only reason I signed up.

'As with many of the ten million people who pay for their banking in Britain, it was presented as a privilege.

'I accepted the bank's advice that this was the right account for me. But had I been duped?'

In the end, after a simple complaint, it refunded all the charges going back to 2001, with interest. That came to 3,526.

Read the full story here: How it took one phone call for my bank to pay me 3,500!

'675 returns after reader complaint'

Another success story comes from a This is Money reader who opened a silver current account in the Hull Lloyds TSB branch in 2009.

She told she had to pay 9.95 a month for the account in order to obtain a chip and pin debit card, rather than one that could only be used in cash machines.

Lloyds investigated and refunded her 675. Read the full story here: Lloyds TSB told me I needed a packaged account

Q&A

Do I have a paid-for account?

Check your bank statements and see if a monthly fee is being charged for your account. You should know if it comes with a monthly charge.

YOUR SUCCESS STORIES Have you managed to claim compensation from a mis-sold packaged current account? We'd love to hear from you: editor@thisismoney.co.uk

Was I mis-sold?

There are a number of reasons why you may have been mis-sold one of these accounts.

If you went into branch and were told you needed to open it in order to get a debit card, to qualify for a mortgage or loan, or because it came with perks - and it transpired you couldn't use them - then you could argue the account wasn't for you.

Equally, some sneaky banks upgraded or signed people up to paid-for accounts without the customer really knowing, largely to hit targets.

Who do I complain to?

The complaints department of your bank, which can be found on their websites - make sure you keep a copy of the letter you send and keep a track of the date.

What do I do if I dont agree with my banks decision?

Take your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you believe your bank hasn't dealt with your complaint fairly.

WHY WE ARE HELPING PEOPLE FIGHT BACK AGAINST MIS-SOLD ACCOUNTS At This is Money we believe in standing up for our readers rights and helping them to fight back against those who have wronged them, writes editor Simon Lambert Despite that, I suspect there will be many of our readers who see an article about how to get money back and dismiss this as another example of a 'compensation culture'. I understand the reaction and concerns of anyone who does so. However, I can assure them that while we do not wish to condone any form of compensation culture, we believe that the mis-sold bank accounts problem is not part of such a thing and is a genuine issue that needs tackling. I have had two people ask me about this recently, one of who was moved from a standard to paid-for account and told he simply had to do this, the other was told the only way he could have a proper debit card rather than a bank card was if he took a paid-for account. Neither ever used any of the extra elements that came with the accounts, some of which doubled up with insurance policies on mobile phones and travel that they already had. Years of pushing payment protection insurance on customers delivered huge profits for banks. This is Money and our peers in the financial media warned banks, building societies and credit card firms that they were systematically mis-selling PPI, yet for years they continued to do so. Astonishingly, as that was finally being tackled, banks then began pushing paid-for current accounts onto customers who did not want them and they were unsuitable for. Again, This is Money and our peers warned this was happening and banks continued to do it. Now much more of these problems are starting to come out of the woodwork and we think the best way to stop a PPI-style cottage industry growing up around claims is to encourage people to complain and get their money back themselves.
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Drawing slowly on his cheap cigarettes, 35-year-old Abu Zakour is hardened as he describes how he employs children as young as nine to stitch the uniforms that end up on the backs of frontline ISIS fighters.

The Syrian boys - and a couple of girls hidden upstairs - are paid a minimum of 40 Turkish lira (10) a day to stitch, cut and measure out the camouflage material and help their older colleagues piece together the uniforms that get smuggled across the border to rebel groups.

My kids are in a school run by an NGO, he said, speaking exclusively to MailOnline from his office in the Turkish border town of Antakya. These children could go too but their parents want them to earn money, so what can I do?

Child labour: A young boy at work making uniforms in Turkey that apparently find their way to Isis soldiers. The only reason that these children work with me is for the money - If there were no war in Syria, these children would be in schooland school would be a much better option for them,' factory owner Abu Zakour told MailOnline

So young: About ten children are employed making uniforms being smuggled into Syria to sell to Isisi fighters. They should be in school but their parents send them to work

Precision: The children work twelve hours a day sewing, measuring and cutting the camouflage material to make the military uniforms

Boy tailor: The fabric used at the factory is imported from Istanbul where Turkish textile factories replicate US and Russian camouflage depending on demand, although desert US design is a customer favourite and in high demand

Abu Zakour is a simple businessman  not a revolutionary ideologue or an ISIS sympathiser  but he is also seemingly untroubled by the ethics of kitting out ISIS in camouflage, or by hiring children to do it.

His hulking shape and assertive demeanor marks him as a man not to be messed with. He lived under brutal ISIS rule until he managed to escape Raqqa just six months ago.

Originally from Aleppo, the entrepreneur escaped the incessant shelling of the now destroyed city for the relative safety of Raqqa - the de facto Syrian capital of the terror group.

While the city was ruled by fanatics, it provided an escape from the daily bombardment of President Assad's warplanes - until the US-led coalition ramped up bombings on the ISIS nerve centre.

'I had children working with me in Raqqa too. ISIS wanted children going to Shariah schools, but no one sent their children because there was a lot of bombing.

'The first time I was arrested, it was for cigarettes. They found cigarette butts on the floor but just gave me a warningthe second time, they found the ashtray, jailed me three days and gave me 40 lashes. I was arrested a third time, also for smoking...They made a huge problem for people.

Production line:The Syrian boys - and a couple of girls hidden upstairs - are paid a minimum of 40 Turkish lira (10) a day to stitch, cut and measure out the camouflage material and help their older colleagues piece together the uniforms that get smuggled across the border to rebel groups

Camouflage: Young boys at work in a shop that makes backpacks, uniforms and other military gear for the Syrian market, and often end up in the hands of Isis

'In the end, I took my things, and I left. We fled,' he says from his office in the 'Halep Garaj' covered market in Antakya. Out front his shop boasts mannequins dressed in camouflage and smart glass cabinets displaying 'adventure kit' - torches, binoculars, pocket knives, gloves and webbing.

Lighting another cigarette he reveals his order sheet and shares his logistical woes of stocking the Syrian rebels with military gear - ISIS are far from his only customers.

The main problem for the military clothes are the roadsall of the roads in Syria and from Turkey to Syria are closed.

Of course we made far more money with the military clothes than the civilian clothes. There is a big difference between the military clothes and the civilian clothes, but what can we do? Where there is work, there is work.

From his modest factory in Antakya  which finally shut up shop earlier this year after tightened controls put a stop to smuggling his wares through the border - his workers pay strict attention to the differing stylistic demands of the multitudes of rebel groups in northern Syria.

Lost Generation: The children should be at school, but their parents send them to work in the factory to earn 100 Turkish Lira per week

Terror: Abu Zakour used to run a similar factory in Raqqa, Syria where ISIS pressured his workers to join them for 'benefits'

ISIS encourages children under its rule to attend 'shariah' schools that brainwash pupils into becoming fighters for the terror regime

Manager: Ismail Tara Moussa from Damascus, 40, manages a textile factory that makes civilian backpacks and duffel bags down the street

While Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham prefers their uniforms to be light brown, Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing Jabhat al-Nusra prefers military green, Abu Zakour explains.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) prefers their clothes to be like Ahrar al-Shamlight brown, and ISIS prefers the Afghani clothes style, but sometimes they wear more traditional uniforms, he said.

His fabric is imported from Istanbul where Turkish textile factories replicate US and Russian camouflage depending on demand, although desert US design is a customer favourite and in high demand.

My customers they want military clothes more than Afghani clothes - there is less of a market for them now, although there are still people asking me for Afghani clothes.

'Almost all the time, my customers want clothes in the style of the US army, but there are also people who want the style of the Russian Army, or the Turkish Armybut almost all of them want it to look like the US army.

They bring us a pattern for the US army style, and we copy this pattern directly.

ISIS have long used different styles of uniform to differentiate between their units  all black for parades, longer shalwar kameez Afghani style for the brutal ISIS execution squads and front line fighters and all in varying shades of camouflage, tan and the notorious black.

Demand: My customers they want military clothes more than Afghani clothes - there is less of a market for them now, although there are still people asking me for Afghani clothes', the owner told MailOnline

Products: This graphic shows the different uniforms made by the Turkish sweatshop employing boys as young as nine

Abu Zakour was making military uniforms long before the violence broke out in 2012, but it has fast become his primary business.

And with so many rebel groups demanding different styles and colours of combat gear, his only problem is logistically getting the goods to market.

For years now, there have only been two main border crossings into Syria  Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh, but both face closures for trade, aid and (despite Turkeys insistence on maintaining an open door policy for refugees) people.

Bab al-Hawa, just beyond the Turkish border town of Reyhanli that was bombed in May 2013, has faced routine closures and passage has now ground to a halt.

It was beyond this crossing at the traders town of Sarmada  a den of tradesmen selling everything from tomatoes to Turkish sim cards to ammunition and brand new registration plate-less cars.

And here Abu Zakour delivered his packages to shady men from Raqqa.

The closing of the border made our job very difficult. Before we had a lot of customers from everywhere. People from Idlib took a lot of thingspeople from Aleppo took a lot of things. Now the work has stopped, for the past two months.

The customers from Raqqa took more of the Afghani clothes, than the customers from Idlib and Aleppo - they took more military clothes.

Abu Zakour said the children working in his factory in Raqqa refused to join ISIS because they were afraid of the bombings and their families did not like ISIS

For ISIS, almost all the time they use the Afghani clothes, much more than the US army style. Usually we sell these clothes to the businessmen in Raqqa, if they are coming to our shop. But they do not say they are coming from Raqqa. But a lot of our clothes are getting to Raqqa. So how are they getting there? They are coming in this way.

The customers do not say that they are from Raqqa, because they think no one will sell them anything if they say they are from Raqqa, or that they are going back to Raqqa. For me, I will sell the stuff hereit doesnt matter where my customers are from.

This [selling uniforms to people from Raqqa] is not my problem. Of course it is a problembut I want to sell my clothes, and make a living.'

When MailOnline visited the Antakya factory in February, the boys smiled and chatted as they worked - stitching webbing to carry guns and ammunition, and putting together military backpacks instead of learning how to read and write at school. Even playing in the street is reserved for after their 12 hour day ends.

There are people who would rather have their children work for 100 Turkish Lira per week, and see this as better, because they dont have any money,' said Abu Zakour, who has taken a number of children to work in his new factory 120 miles away in Gaziantep.

The only reason that these children work with me is for the money - If there were no war in Syria, these children would be in schooland school would be a much better option for them.

'I pay them 40 to 70 Turkish Lira - it depends on the worker, who is better or who does more. Sometimes the family sends very young children to work, and I dont like to say no, so I let him work, to benefit from this.

Right now they are just working from day to day to survive. But maybe one day one of them will use these skills to learn how to be a tailor, and this is a useful trade. But right now it is just to make a living.

ISIS have long used different styles of uniform to differentiate between their units  all black for parades, longer shalwar kameez Afghani style for the brutal ISIS execution squads and front line fighters and all in varying shades of camouflage, tan and the notorious black

For the estimated 2.7 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, this is an all too familiar reality.

According to UNICEF, almost 80 per cent of Syrian children living in Turkey do not go to school, and almost half of all Syrian children are missing out on an education.

In an investigation into the Syrian access to education in Turkey problem, Human Rights Watch reported that prior to the conflict, the primary school enrollment rate in Syria was 99 percent, and lower secondary school enrollment  grades 7 to 9  was 82 percent.

Many Syrian children are unable to attend Turkish public schools because of the language barrier and others face bullying that discourages them from enrolling.

But a major problem for thousands of Syrian children is poverty with refugees of any age forbidden from working easily in Turkey. Adults can get work visas but their employers must apply on their behalf.

And for the estimated 2.7 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, it is common for the children to work. According to UNICEF, almost 80 per cent of Syrian children living in Turkey do not go to school

For refugees it is a desperate situation, with kids at least as young as nine working a twelve hour shift that starts at 7.30am with an hour for lunch for a meagre 40 Turkish Lira  85p an hour

Its a desperate situation, with kids at least as young as nine working a twelve hour shift that starts at 7.30am with an hour for lunch for a meagre 40 Turkish Lira  85p an hour.

And worse  some have had to leave their families behind in Antakya to work 120 miles away in Gaziantep, to sleep on the factory floor and in the care of their older colleagues.

Before I could take my things from Bab al-Hawa, but now they check everything, and I can no longer do this. When the border was open, a lot of customers were coming from Raqqabut now it is not like how it was before, because the border is now closed.

In Gaziantep, I make civilian clothes for children, jeans, t-shirts, etc. Of course we made far more money with the military clothes than the civilian clothes. There is a big difference between the military clothes and the civilian clothes, but what can we do? Where there is work, there is work.

I pay 40 or 70, it depends on the worker, who is better, who does more. Sometimes the family sends very young children to work, and I dont like to say no, so I let him work, to benefit from this.

Three of the children from the old factory said they would with us to Gaziantep, and their families said that they would follow us. But the children really didnt want to gothey stayed behind with their families.

Abu Zakour, who runs the Turkish factory, was making military uniforms long before the violence broke out in 2012, and but it has fast become his primary business

Syrian children have also been reported to be working in Turkish factories that supply high street fashion stores H&M and Next. Pictured: Mohamed, 11, from Idlib has a job handing out free hot milk and doing small tasks at a dairy in Antakya, Turkey. He attends a Syrian school in the morning and then goes to work until 8 pm daily

Despite Turkey providing free health care for Syrians, many struggle to get by and cannot afford to send their children to school

Qusay is a 13 year-old Syrian boy from Aleppo who doesn't attend school but instead is learning to be a barber by working in a local barbershop owned by a Turkish man named Bekir Yildiz

No formal education: Qusay is one of many Syrian refugee children who are working instead of going to school
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Cradling her nine-year-old son, Edna Cedrick is haunted daily by the image of the boy's twin brother - who was kidnapped and decapitated.

The family, who live in Malawi, had been sleeping in their home when the boy was snatched from her arms and killed because he was an albino.

When Mrs Cedrick had to go and identify her son, whose twin also has albinism, police showed her his decapitated head. The rest of the boy's body had been cut up for use in black magic rituals.

Devastation: Mother Edna Cedrick clings to her remaining son, after her other child, the boy's twin brother, was kidnapped and murdered by hunters targeting people with Albinism

Grief: Mrs Cedrick had tried to protect her twins when the gang broke into their house in the middle of the night but one of her son's was snatched

The boy's twin keeps asking where his brother is, his mother said but she can't bear to tell him the truth and lies, saying he will return

The boy is the latest victim of hunters operating in southern Africa who target albino people for their body parts.

The body parts are sold to be used in potions made by witch doctors, who claim they bring wealth and good luck.

Mrs Cedrick said it was in the middle of the night that she awoke to the sound of people kicking down the door of her house, while her husband was away.

Fighting back the tears, the 26-year-old said: 'Before I could understand what was happening, they sliced the mosquito net and grabbed one of the twins.

'I held on to him by holding his waist, at the same time shielding the other with my back.'

When they could not overpower her, one assailant hacked her in the forehead with a machete.

Protection: Razik Jaffalie who gave up his work as a bicycle taxi operator to protect his son, Cassim, centre, who also suffers from Albinism

Determined: Mr Jaffalie says his life has come to a standstill as he tries to protect his son and says anybody wanting to murder his child will have to kill him first

Three-year-old Cassim stands with his friends outside his family home in Malawi, where his relatives have to protect him from hunters targeting Albino people

She added: 'This dazed me, and I lost hold of my son and he was gone. I shouted for help, but when my relatives rushed to our house, they were gone.'

The boy's twin keeps asking where his brother is, she said. She lies, saying he will return.

At least 18 albino people have been killed in Malawi in a 'steep upsurge in killings' since November 2014, and five others have been abducted and remain missing, according to a new Amnesty International report.

The toll is likely much higher because many killings in rural areas are never reported. Malawi police also have recorded cases where the bodies of people with albinism have been illegally exhumed.

Inspiration: Mina Gofrey, aged 13, who despite being targeted and kidnapped, has now returned to her family and is in school

Hope: Mina plays with her friends outside of her school. In recent exams she was placed first and hopes to become a lawyer one day

Outlawed: Malawi has banned witchdoctors to stop the barbaric killing of albinos to use their 'magical' body parts in potions. Children like Mercy Pangani, eight, pictured, live in fear of being murdered for concoctions to cure problems like erectile dysfunction to finding a job

Witchcraft: Witchdoctors use their body parts in magic potions to help clients cure things like erectile dysfunction and help them to find a job. A gang of men broke into the home of Martha Chipeso, 20, (pictured), from Phalombe district in Malawi to try to kidnap her

Malawian police say the growing violence comes after neighboring Tanzania imposed tough measures against such trade in January 2015.

Also attacked for his albinism was 38-year-old Fletcher Masina, a father of four, whose limbs were missing when his body was found.

While the parents of children in the country, who suffer from the condition, say they have to constantly be on guard for attacks against their offspring.

One man, 31-year-old Razik Jaffalie explained that he is in dire straits after giving up his work as a bicycle taxi operator to protect his son.

'My life has come to a standstill,' Jaffalie said, then declared: 'Anyone who will come to try to snatch my child from me will have to kill me first.'

Banned: A senior judge granted an order banning witchdoctors and fortune tellers after three customers took legal action against their healers over their failed spells, which had used albino 'charms'. Pictured albinos Annie Alfred, ten, and and Harrison Mkoshoni, nine

Targeted: Customers who take the witchdoctors' potions are promised a cure to erectile dysfunction or to be found a job. One of the dissatisfied clients had been promised that an ex-lover would take her back and another claimed he had been guaranteed that a robber would return her stolen goods. Pictured: Mercy Pangani and brother Daniel, six, who feel under threat of being murdered

But amid the fears, there are stories of optimism. Mina Godfrey, a 13-year-old girl with albinism in Machinga district, said she placed first in her latest school exams and hopes to become a lawyer.

Following government intervention, witchdoctors are finally being banned in Malawi following the surge in the killings.

A court in the impoverished African country banned alternative healers from practising in a bid to stem a rising tide of abductions and attacks.

A senior judge in the northern city of Mzuzu granted an order banning witchdoctors, charm producers, magic users and fortune tellers..' after three customers took legal action against their healers over their failed spells, which had used albino 'charms'.

In his order Judge Digiswayo Madise, also banned adverts for alternative healers, whose concoctions are sought for a wide variety of problems, from erectile dysfunction to finding a job.

Threat: Malawi has around 10,000 Albinos, most of whom live in fear and under self-imposed curfews. Oswald Phiri, one of those who sued his healer said in a statement to the court that he believed, 'all the killings of albinos are stemming from withdoctors'

Fight: Amnesty International has condemned Malawi's police force for failing to protect this vulnerable group, in a new report, 'We are not animals to be hunted or sold'. They say those responsible for the killings are usually family member driven by embarrassment or greed

One of the dissatisfied clients had been promised that an ex-lover would take her back. Another claimed he had been guaranteed that a robber would return her stolen goods, a court in Malawi was told.

Oswald Phiri, one of those who sued his healer said in a statement to the court that he believed, 'all the killings of albinos are stemming from witchdoctors.'

Albinos have white skin, blue eyes and yellow hair as a result of a genetic disorder and the macabre trade in their body parts is driven by a belief that their bones are filled with gold.

Close relatives are often involved with the targeting of victims, driven by a mixture of embarrassment and greed.

Whitney Chilumpha, two, was snatched as she lay sleeping with her mother.

Fear: Amnesty International believes the number of people with albinism killed is likely to be much higher due to the fact that many secretive rituals in rural areas are never reported. There is also no documentation of crimes against people with albinism in Malawi

Teased: Alfred Chigalu, 17, left school early because his class mates were mocking him. His parents died when he was eight. Most of the people from his village isolate him because he was born with albinism, his friends openly verbally abuse him

Discrimination: In addition to a continued threat of violence, there is ongoing discrimination. Many albinos report being refused access to public services, and are verbally abused in the street. Fearful mothers are known to keep their children hidden away, the report said

Persecuted: Malawian President Peter Mutharika said the killing of albinos is motivated by 'superstition, foolishness and ignorance'. Pictured: Annie Alfred, 10, said people in the community in Bangwe call her names

Pieces of her skull, some teeth and clothing were found days later on a nearby hill. Five men, including the girl's father, were arrested in connection with her murder.

Two-year-old Iblah Pilo is still missing after being abducted at night in January 2015. His mother woke up to the cry of the child but could not save him.

His great aunt told Amnesty International: 'We are worried that we do not know where Iblah is or where to find his grave. We want the truth to come out. This child must be the last to go missing.'

Amnesty International has condemned Malawi's police force for failing to protect this vulnerable group, in a new report, 'We are not animals to be hunted or sold'.

'The unprecedented wave of brutal attacks against people with albinism has created a climate of terror for this vulnerable group and their families who are living in a state of constant fear for their lives,' said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for Southern Africa.

'Malawian authorities have dismally failed them, leaving this population group at the mercy of criminal gangs who hunt them down for their body parts.'
An ex-Marine with PTSD says he was fired from his job at Time Warner Cable for lowering the company's flag to half-staff on Memorial Day in remembrance of fallen comrades - and in particular his best friend in the Army.

Allen Thornwell, 29, lowered a flag on the company's grounds in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 30. The next day he found out that he had been fired.

Thornwell now wishes he'd asked permission - something that didn't occur to him at the time. 'I didn't think of it as the property of Time Warner Cable,' he told The Charlotte Observer Friday. 'It's everybody's flag.'

Veteran: Allen Thornwell served in the Marine Corps from 2005-2014 as a technology specialist, attaining the rank of Sergeant. On Memorial Day he lowered a flag at a Time Warner Cable building, and was fired

Memorial: Thornwell says that he lowered the flag (right) in memory of all his fallen brothers - but especially his best friend, Sgt. Geoffrey Day (left) who suffered PTSD and killed himself in 2014

Thornwell, a Sergeant in the Marine Corps, served as a technical specialist from 2005 to 2014, including tours of Iraq and Afghanistan.

He says he now has PTSD, and his mother confirmed that he now has a greater need for order and doing things 'the right way'.

He was one month into a six-month contract as a technical troubleshooter for Time Warner Cable when he noticed the flag flying high outside the security office at the company's Charlotte service center.

He said then marched to the flag, lowered it to half-staff, came to full attention, then about-faced and marched away. He did not salute, as was customary, as he was not in uniform.

Thornwell said he was thinking of his best friend, Sgt. Geoffrey Alan Day, when he lowered the flag. Sgt. Day was also suffering PTSD when he killed himself in 2014.

He then returned to the security office, where he had been waiting to be given a security pass, and was told by the guard there that 'It's company policy that no one touches the flagpole.'

Minutes later, Thornwell noticed the flag was back at full-staff. Angry at what he saw as a sign of disrespect, he shot a short video in which he swore twice while complaining about the situation.

He also later put up pictures of the flag on Facebook with the message 'So many years wasted. I'm telling you ... PEOPLE DON'T GIVE A F***.' The images were stamped 'Timewarner'.

Those videos and images could no longer be seen Monday.

He later told the Charlotte Observer: 'It was important for me to lower the flag to half-mast on memorial day in memory of all those service members who gave their lives - gave the ultimate sacrifice - in order for us to have the freedoms that we have today.'

He also said that he was not out of control or disrespectful at the time, and that the security guard had even said, 'I fought. I understand.'

Nevertheless, the next day he woke up without a job.

He said staff at Principal Solutions Group, the technology-focused job agency that got him the job, told him that Time Warner Cable was disturbed by 'passion for the flag and (his) political affiliation.'

'I'm not even mad right now,' he told the Charlotte Observer. 'I don't know what kind of moral compass you need to fire a veteran on Memorial Day for lowering the flag.'

Service: Thornwell served in Afghanistan and Iraq and now has PTSD himself. He was upset by Time Warner's decision to raise the flag minutes after he lowered it, and posted videos and pictures in complaint on Facebook

Respectful: Although Thornwell posted the Facebook messages in anger - inspired at least in part by the loss of his best friend - he said he was not disrespectful on the day

But his lawyer, Murph Archibald, was more forceful. 'It's disgraceful,' said the Vietnam vet. 'He didn't do anything wrong.

'He's a veteran working on Memorial Day who corrected what he thought was a disrespectful flying of the American flag ... I would have taken it down, myself.'

According to the U.S. flag code, flags should be lowered to half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then returned to full-staff. Thornwell said the incident occurred at 2:30pm.

Nevertheless, the ex-Marine - who is struggling with PTSD himself - feels he did the right thing, and that Time Warner should have been understanding.

'A lot of veterans have a hard time transitioning into the civilian world and there's a misconception that veterans are taken care of... to the best of the ability of the government, and that's not always the case,' he said.

'I think this situation - what happened to me is a prime example of the lack of protection for veterans.'

A Time Warner Cable spokesman confirmed Friday that the former Marine 'was no longer under contract' with the company but declined further comment.

Protection: Day says that the incident shows the lack of protection and support that veterans get from the government and the wider community. Time Warner Cable declined to comment
Said his plans to build a wall between Mexico and America meant Curiel was biased against him

Continued to call for Curiel to recuse because of his 'conflict of interests'

Donald Trump fought back Friday, stood by his comments about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel

Donald Trump has continued to defend his criticism of the judge overseeing his university case, re-iterating that he is unable to do his job 'because he is of Mexican heritage'.

The Republican presumptive nominee fought back Friday at comments made by Hillary Clinton and others, that his remarks about U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel were inherently racist.

Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper Friday, he said he has had 'horrible rulings and been treated very unfairly by this judge'.

Donald Trump has continued to defend his criticism of the judge overseeing his university case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel (right, re-iterating that he is unable to do his job 'because he is of Mexican heritage'

Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper Friday, he said he has had 'horrible rulings and been treated very unfairly by this judge'

And he believes the route cause of this is because he is of Mexican heritage - and Trump plans to build a wall between Mexico and America, thereby causing a 'conflict of interests'.

Tapper pressed him: 'So a Mexican judge is never allowed to be involved in a case that involved you?'

Trump dodged the question however, instead replying: 'He's a member of a pro-Mexico group and that's fine. it's all fine. But I think he should recuse himself.'

He later commented: 'I'm building a wall. I'm trying to keep business out of Mexico. Mexico's fine.

'He's of Mexican heritage, and he's very proud of it, as I am of where I come from.'

But Tapper again raised concerns of racism saying: 'You're invoking his race over whether or not he can do his job...

'If you are saying he can't do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?'

Trump replied no.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-immigrant parents.

Last Saturda, Donald Trump spent a full 12 minutes of a campaign rally in San Diego, criticizing Curiel.

Trump said: 'The trial is going to take place sometime in November. There should be no trial. This should have been dismissed on summary judgment easily.

'Everybody says it, but I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump, a hater. He's a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel.'

'Curiel 'is not doing the right thing. And I figure, what the hell? Why not talk about it for two minutes?'

The Wall Street Journal claims what followed was 'one of his most personal attacks against an apolitical figure since becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.'

Last Saturda, Donald Trump spent a full 12 minutes of a campaign rally in San Diego, criticizing Curiel

'We're in front of a very hostile judge,' Mr. Trump said. 'The judge was appointed by Barack Obama, federal judge. Frankly, he should recuse himself because he's given us ruling after ruling after ruling, negative, negative, negative.'

Mr. Trump also told the audience, that Judge Curiel is 'Mexican.'

'What happens is the judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great. I think that's fine,' Mr. Trump said.

Judge Curiel was born in Indiana.

The tirade came after the the judge ordered the release of Trump University internal documents in a class-action lawsuit against the now-defunct real estate school.

The order came Friday in response to a request by The Washington Post, calls for the documents to be released by Thursday.

Trump University has been cited in anti-Trump political ads during the primary campaign as evidence that Trump doesn't fulfill his promises.

Trump's lawyers deny any wrongdoing in the case before Curiel as well as another class-action suit in San Diego and a $40 million lawsuit filed in 2013 by the state of New York alleging that more than 5,000 people had been defrauded.

According to the California class-action complaint in front of Curiel, a one-year apprenticeship that Trump University students were promised ended after students paid for a three-day seminar. Attendees who were promised a personal photo with Trump received only the chance to take a photo with a cardboard cutout. And many instructors were bankrupt real estate investors.

Curiel expressed concern for jurors who may have gotten caught in a 'media frenzy' if the trial were held during the campaign, even though it was filed in 2010 and originally planned for this summer.

The San Diego suit says Trump University, which was not accredited as a school, held seminars across the country that failed to deliver on the school's promises.

Trump, who appears on a list of defense witnesses for the trial, has repeatedly pointed to a 98 percent satisfaction rate on internal surveys.

But the lawsuit says students were asked to rate the product when they believed they still had more instruction to come and were reluctant to openly criticize their teachers on surveys that were not anonymous.

Demonstrators protested outside of the arena where the Trump was speaking in San Diego last Saturday

A protester holds up a sign outside a rally where republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was speaking

Mr. Trump told the audience that Judge Curiel is 'Mexican', however it is understood he was born in Indiana

Curiel, a judicial appointee of President Barack Obama, has been eager to get to trial and had planned the trial for this summer before Trump's surge in the primaries.

The case was filed in 2010, making it the second-oldest on his docket.

The New York real estate mogul, for his part, has claimed that Curiel is a 'hater of Donald Trump' and should be ashamed of how he has handled the case.

Trump also has questioned whether Curiel, who is Hispanic, is biased against him because of his call for deporting immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Trump claimed the case should have been thrown out years ago, 'but because it was me and because there's a hostility toward me by the judge - tremendous hostility - beyond belief.' He then noted, as an aside: 'I believe he happens to be Spanish, which is fine. He's Hispanic  which is fine.'

The lawsuit overseen by Curiel states that Trump University's nationwide seminars and classes were like infomercials and pressured students to buy more but didn't deliver as promised in spite of students paying as much as $35,000 for seminars.

Curiel already has set a November 28 trial date.

The Post reported that Curiel's order to release an estimated 1,000 pages of documents cites heightened public interest in Trump and that he had 'placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue.'

The judge appeared to reject the argument by Trump attorneys that the information had commercial value, saying that there was no support for the assertion that Trump University may resume operations.

Since the early 1980s, Trump has personally been sued at least 150 times in federal court, records show.
plea to the media this weekend not to declare Clinton the nominee until all the Democratic voters had their say

A Democratic Party official has changed his tune on whether superdelegate support should be counted on election night much to the chagrin of Bernie Sanders, who doesn't want Tuesday night to turn into an 'anointment' of Hillary Clinton

In April, DNC Communication Director Luis Miranda said, 'the superdelegates should not be included in any count on a primary or caucus night ,' a quote Sanders repeated yesterday to stall Clinton from claiming the nomination.

But today Miranda appeared on Fox News and said, 'the point I was making at that time is you have to count them separately,' he stated, 'that could wrongly have the effect that the delegate totals aren't matching the percentage of the vote totals in the state.'

Counting how superdelegates plan to vote at the convention, however, looked to be fine which means Clinton could be called the Democrats' presumptive nominee after Tuesday's set of primaries.

Yesterday, Sanders made an impassioned plea to superdelegates and the media not to write him off on Tuesday before California's voting booths close as polls have him close to beating Clinton in the state.

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Bernie Sanders made an impassioned plea on Saturday to superdeledates and the media not to write him off on Tuesday before the polls close in California

Bernie Sanders campaigns in the city of Huntington Park, CA on Saturday. Clinton overwhelmed Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday

Blasting what he called an 'anointment process,' Sanders said he has a chance to win California, possibly by a large margin, but turnout could be depressed if the media calls the race for Clinton when the polls close on the East Coast.

With superdelegate support, she'll cross the threshold to become the Democratic nominee after New Jersey is called, three hours before the deadline for Californians to cast their ballots.

'It is extremely unlikely,' as Sanders argued Saturday that Clinton will have enough pledged delegate support to win the nomination at that time. Yet, she's likely to declare victory, and the national media can be counted on to follow suit.

The media will declare, 'It's all over,' he said. 'That simply is not accurate.'

Sanders said Clinton would need to win two-thirds of the pledged delegates available on Tuesday to win the nomination, he said.

'Frankly unless I am very, very mistaken, that is not going to happen.'

Clinton will need the support of the superdelegates to win, and they don't vote until the convention in Philadelphia.

It is a fact that it will be a contested convention, he said, reaffirming his plans to stay in the race until Clinton is formally award the nomination by party officials.

Supporters cheer ahead of a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt,. at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday in San Diego

The superdelegates could still change their minds about supporting him, Sanders contended.

He pointed to a statement from the Democratic National Committee's communications director stating that the superdelegate count should not be used when determining the nominee on primary and caucus nights because their support is not firm.

'He is exactly right,' Sanders said. So for the media 'or anyone else' to declare her the Democratic nominee on Tuesday night would be 'inaccurate.'

The come-from-behind senator clashing with the Clinton operation, which has already produced one president and is on its way to winning the White House again, said, 'I understand the battle that I am waging, is a very, very steep climb.'

'We have come a very, very long way, and steep climbs and challenges are not something that this campaign shies away from,' he stated.

The current process for determining the Democratic nominee, which comes down to the votes of 712 party officials across the country, is 'absurd,' he emphasized.

'I don't use the word rigged, because I knew what I was getting into,' he explained.

But the process does work against candidates like himself, who haven't spent decades courting the party elites, he said.

'I will do everything I can to change it,' he said.

That Clinton won over 400 of them last summer, before any votes were cast, 'That is called an anointment process.'

The Democratic establishment essentially said it does't matter who is running against her, that is our candidate, as soon as the race began, he opined.

'Whether I like it or not, those are the rules,' Sanders acknowledged, and so he must make his case to the superdelegates that he's the better choice.

The come-from-behind senator clashing with the Clinton operation, which has already produced one president and is on its way to winning the White House again, said, 'I understand the battle that I am waging, is a very, very steep climb'

Clinton overwhelmed Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday.

'We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!' tweeted Clinton, meaning 'thanks to the island of enchantment for this victory'. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage on Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman.

Clinton tweeted the above after her win in Puerto Rico was announced. Clinton and Sanders both spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the five states voting on Tuesday

As the results from Puerto Rico trickled in, Clinton maintained a steady 2-to-1 lead over Sanders.

While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in the general election, the island's politics could reverberate into the fall campaign.

Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign. Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, she rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with nearly 68 percent of the vote.

'I'm for Hillary, girl,' said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. 'I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?'

Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the five states voting on Tuesday.

Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd at Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Oakland the country is 'getting indifferent to the great toll of gun violence,' while Sanders made a series of stops in Los Angeles before an evening rally in San Diego.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves as she sits down to talk during a campaign stop at a small restaurant in Vallejo, California, on Sunday

His campaign has the energy and enthusiasm needed to beat Donald Trump, Sanders said, and that is clear not just from polling, but by their turnout at his rallies.

Both Trump and Clinton have 'very, very high' negative rating with voters, he said.

And while Clinton may be able to beat the Republican nominee in November, he's offering 'a choice not just to vote against somebody, but to vote for a vision.'

Sanders teared up during the media avail as he talked about the poor and working class Americans his campaign is affecting. So many of his donors are impoverished and still they give because they believe in his vision for the country.

The proud independent senator has been critical of the Democratic Party's reliance on Wall Street and other wealthy individuals to finance national campaigns.

'The Democratic Party has got to be a party that's more than candidates going to wealthy people's homes to raise outrageous sums of money,' he said at a rally in Santa Cruz on Tuesday.

He hit on the topic again today, after NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell made reference to a DNC fundraiser Friday in Florida where President Barack Obama was the guest of honor.

Sanders was about to bash the party for its reliance on big donors when a gentleman sitting in the first row who had earlier asked him why he didn't run a Libertarian or Green Party candidate interrupted him.

'So leave it,' he declared, interrupting Sanders.
American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed while traveling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province on Sunday, National Public Radio said.

The translator was identified as Zabihullah Tamanna, who was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said.

The Afghan army Humvee was traveling between the provincial capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, and Marjah when it was struck by an 82mm rocket during a Taliban ambush, spokesman for the Afghan army's 205th Atal Corps, Shakil Ahmad Tasal, told Reuters.

The attack occurred around 2.30pm local time and also killed the vehicle's driver, an army soldier, Tasal said.

American journalist David Gilkey (right) and his Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna (left), were killed while traveling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province on Sunday, National Public Radio announced

Gilkey pictured last Sunday at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. He was a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio

The pair were on assignment with two other journalists named as reporter Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, who were unharmed.

NPR said the vehicle in which Gilkey, 50, and his translator were traveling was struck by shellfire near the town of Marjah.

The road between Marjah and Lashkar Gah had only recently been reopened by security forces after heavy fighting in the area.

The details of the attack and the journalists' deaths were confirmed by the 205th Corps commander, General Mohammed Amin.

Helmand has been the scene of deadly fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO-backed government troops.

'David has been covering war and conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11,' Michael Oreskes, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director said.

Gilkey pictured left. The vehicle carrying him and Tamanna was struck by an 82mm rocket during a Taliban ambush, spokesman for the Afghan army's 205th Atal Corps, Shakil Ahmad Tasal, told Reuters

Two other journalists traveling with Gilkey (pictured), named as reporter Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were unharmed

'He was devoted to helping the public see these wars and the people caught up in them. He died pursuing that commitment.'

'As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes,' he said.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

Gilkey received a 2007 national Emmy award for a video series about Michigan Marines in Iraq.

'The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic,' he once said. 'But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort.'

His photography helped earn NPR a Peabody award for its coverage of the Ebola epidemic.

'His coverage in Africa put a face to a disease and refused to let listeners think of the stricken individuals as separate from our own families,' NPR said, with images that captured both the dangers and intensity of the battlefield and quiet life in villages and on bases.

The translator was identified as Zabihullah Tamanna (pictured left and right), who was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said

The attack that killed Tamanna (pictured right) occurred around 2.30pm local time and also killed the vehicle's driver, an army soldier, Tasal said

'He made a global story very personal.'

A 'devastated' NPR president and CEO Jarl Mohn said 'horrific incidents like this remind us of the important role journalists play in America's civic life.

They help us understand beyond the headlines and see the humanity in others,' he said.

The well-respected journalist received many accolades, including being named Still Photographer of the Year by the White House Photographers Association in 2011 - among 36 distinctions, including nine first place awards, he received from the group since 2009.

His role in an NPR investigation on veteran medical care helped the outlet earn a 2010 George Polk Award, Society for News Design's 2011 Award of Excellence and a 2011 Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage.

Last year, he was honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters - the first time the Corporation for Public Broadcasting presented the prize to a multimedia journalist.

Afghan security forces walk at the scene of a suicide bomb attack that targeted foreign military vehicles in Lashkargah city, capital of Helmand province, in November 2015. Afghanistan is among the most dangerous countries for media

Afghan residents walk as smoke rises from the direction of a suicide bomb attack that targeted foreign military forces in Lashkargah city in November 2015. Twenty-seven journalists have reportedly been killed in Afghanistan since 1992

Gilkey also received a 2007 national Emmy award for a video series Band of Brothers about Michigan Marines in Iraq.

In 2004, he was named Michigan Photographer of the Year by the Michigan Press Photographers Association.

His first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR.

He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

Afghanistan is among the most dangerous countries for media, with at least 27 journalists killed since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In January at least seven employees of a major Afghan TV station died in a suicide attack in Kabul, while the last foreign journalist killed in the country was Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, who was shot to death by an Afghan policeman while covering the elections in 2014.

AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.
A gangland feud requiring police intervention has reportedly erupted - as living relatives of a dead underworld figure scrap over his empire.

George Williams died in May of a heart attack and since then, his daughter-in-law and grand-daughter have been issued intervention orders by police after trying to force their way into his former home, now occupied by his widow, Kathleen Bourke.

It's thought the property was left to Ms Bourke, but the mother-daughter duo believe she doesn't deserve it, according to The Age.

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A 2006 photo of Carl Williams, who died in 2010, and his father George Williams, the Melbourne crime figure who died last month. Now, the remaining family of Williams are embroiled in a bitter scrap over his estate

An older photograph of Roberta Williams, Carl Williams' widow, who has now received an intervention order after attempting to force her way into her father-in-law's home which is occupied by his widow

Danielle Stephens (left), Mrs Williams' daughter, also has an intervention order against her. Here, she is pictured arriving at George Williams' funeral in May

Roberta Williams and other pall bearers carry George Williams' casket during his funeral in Melbourne in May

Police have become involved in the scrap over Mr Williams' estate, issuing intervention orders

The duo, Roberta Willams - who was married to George's murdered son Carl - and her daughter Danielle Stephens are reported to have demanded a share of the $360,000 home - which has been rejected.

Ms Bourke said they have no legal claim and called Mrs Williams a 'greedy, spiteful woman' and 'the devil'.

Mr Williams changed his will in the months before his death to leave another property worth $760,000 to his granddaughter Dhakota - although she won't get much of the property's value as it's been seized by the ATO, according to The Age.

Mrs Williams is challenging changes to her father-in-law's will made eight months after her husband was killed in 2010 in Barwon prison.

Roberta Williams is the widow of Mr Williams' son, Carl (pictured) who was killed in Barwon prison in 2010

Pall bearers carry a gold coffin holding the body of Carl Williams at his funeral at St Therese's Catholic Church in Essendon, Melbourne in 2010

She and Ms Stephens are defending the intervention orders.

In further drama, Ms Bourke claimed Mrs Williams turned Mr Williams' funeral into a 'circus', getting into an altercation with another mourner and bringing a television film crew filming a show with her.

Ms Bourke said the funeral was a 'disgrace' and it was about Mrs Williams and her daughters more than Mr Williams.

The latest incidents come after rumours jewellery and cash were taken from Mr Williams' home after he died, aggravating family members.

Ms Bourke denied the rumours, saying the jewellery had only been misplaced.

Mr Williams' grand-daughter and Carl Williams' daughter, Dhakota (right), to whom he left a property worth more than $750,000. Left is Carl's step-daughter, Breanne Williams
Fisherman say people-smugglers have offered them 25 times a day's pay to ferry migrants across the Channel.

One was so worried about the ease of smuggling into the unwatched coves and bays on the south coast that he alerted the Home Office, only to be told: 'Everything is fine.'

Fishermen at Dymchurch in Kent, close to where 18 Albanians were rescued from a sinking boat last month, said they were regularly offered cash to ferry migrants.

'I have been approached in the past by a man who asked if I was interested in making more money,' one told Sky News. 'I told him I had no interest whatsoever in smuggling drink or tobacco or drugs over from France and he said, 'Oh not that... people.'

The boat believed to have been carrying 18 Albanian migrants who needed rescuing off the Kent coast

'They're offering 20 to 25 times what any fisherman can earn in a day fishing, but everyone knows it's illegal and there's a prison sentence at the end of it.'

Retired trawler skipper Martin Jackson said he had written to the Home Office last summer about the issue. 'I got a polite letter back telling me not to worry and that everything is fine,' he said.

Meanwhile a French yachtsman has told how he smuggled Albanians across the Channel to Devon  then went to the pub for a pint. Ex-paratrooper Didier Corfec was paid 1,000 euros (785) per migrant by a middleman.

After 20 hours at sea, the skipper guided his 45ft ketch to Dittisham. He said: 'I told them not to get off the boat all at once, which would attract attention. Then I wished them good luck and went to the pub.'

Corfec, 54, said it was easy to dock undetected in Britain  particularly in winter. 'That's why I chose to wait for a good weather window in January and February,' he told the Sunday Times. 'There's nobody around.'

CHRISTIAN CONVERTS TESTED ON BIBLE Christian converts claiming asylum are being tested on the Ten Commandments to try to root out frauds. In some countries, those who convert to Christianity may suffer persecution, which is grounds for claiming asylum in the UK. But would-be refugees who cannot recite the commandments after switching from other faiths are being refused. The Home Office is trying to establish whether they converted simply to claim asylum. A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom has accused officials of ignoring the guidance or failing to follow it correctly. In some cases, converts are being turned down while 'bogus' Christians are able to learn and recite passages of 'Bible trivia' to secure asylum. Advertisement

He made two trips to the UK from Brittany, smuggling 14 Albanians in 2012.

He was convicted last December  alongside 12 other French sailors  and fined 11,000, as well as being given an 18-month suspended sentence. Corfec was caught after photographs of migrants on his boat were found by police.
Sir John Major, once our prime minister, threw a spectacular paddy on BBC1's Marr programme

Sir John Major, once our prime minister, threw a spectacular paddy on BBC1's Marr programme yesterday morning. John McEnroe at Wimbledon? It was not quite that bad.

But his voice trembled with anger and he waggled a sausagey forefinger in batey admonishment at Andrew Marr who had just asked what Sir John thought of Boris Johnson and the Leave campaign.

'Squalid!' cried Major. 'Lies! Frankly fatuous! Frankly untrue! Socking great hole in our accounts! A deceit! A pig in a poke!'

In what older readers will recognise as a New Testament allusion (Acts, chapter 9), he said Boris's support for Leave was such a volte-face, he must have had 'a day trip to Damascus'. Then he was back to the screaming ab-dabs.

'I am angry!' he yelled. Yes, dear, I think we gathered that. 'Depressing and awful!' he continued. 'Nonsense on stilts! The NHS would be as safe with them as a pet hamster would be with a hungry python! Hogwash!'

A pause, a moment's gather. Then a lascivious grin came to his lips and he purred: 'I'm not personalising this, though.' Ha!

Readers, it really did happen: Johnny Major, the man who bonked Edwina Currie and later presided helplessly over the Tory Sleaze Era, said the word 'poke'. And he did so in roaring, raging, self-blinding anger. Magnificent!

Moments later Boris stepped into the very chair Sir John had just vacated. (The Marr studio assistants, by the way, are expert at making sure antagonists never meet.) Well, said Andrew, what did Boris make of Sir John's scorching attack?

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Boris declined to return fire, not even for a second. He refused to say anything mean about Sir John, murmuring that there had been quite enough 'blue-on-blue' violence.

Instead, Boris spoke with crinkly-eyed optimism about how much freer and more prosperous Britain could be if we left the EU.

This was a Boris markedly less blustery and bulgy-eyed than usual. He had prepped himself and was uncommonly Zen.

Boris declined to return fire, not even for a second. He refused to say anything mean about Sir John, murmuring that there had been quite enough 'blue-on-blue' violence

There were still plenty of human touches  he and Marr have known each other since they were youthful reporters together  but it was almost as if Boris had seen his ally Michael Gove's impressive performance in the Sky News debate last week and had realised he needed to raise his game and be more grown-up.

Half an hour later, Mr Gove went on the Peston show on ITV and did much the same, spreading positive vibes about Leave's proposals. Mr Gove, in suede shoes and no tie, chatted amiably about freedom and self-government.

Such British independence was preferable, he contended, to being held back by the EU. Both Boris and Gove said that they thought David Cameron should continue as prime minister, whatever the result of the referendum.

'Are you closer to Boris than to David Cameron?' asked Robert Peston. 'I wouldn't want to choose between them,' said Mr Gove. 'I am a great fan of Boris.'

But if David Cameron asked him, Gove, to leave the Government after the referendum, he would 'respect his decision' and not cause a fuss.

If that sent out a message of stability and party unity, it may not have been unintended. How different it was in tone from Sir John's petulant hysteria.

Oh, and Major gave Boris a lecture on not splitting the Tory Party in two. Again, you almost had to pinch yourself.

Here was J. Major crowing that the Tories had become impossibly disunited when Iain Duncan Smith was their leader in 2001  the same John Major who, when prime minister in the 1990s, quit as Tory leader to fight an internal battle with his party critics.

There are times in politics when satirists have to admit that no skit, no sketch, no cartoon they produce will come close to matching the madness and hypocrisy of the raw political product.
Thousands of people in Sydney were unable to access online services after Amazon Web Service suffered massive technical issues believed to be caused by Sydney's shocking weather on the weekend.

Amazon's Sydney zone experienced a two-hour power outage on Sunday afternoon, during Sydney's wild weather

Some internet sites affected included Foxtel and Fox Sports, online streaming platform Stan and online food ordering service Menulog.

Banking services including Westpac, Commonwealth Bank also suffered technical faults around this time but Amazon said these problems were not related to its servers.

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Amazon Web Service suffered massive technical issues leaving many Australians unable to access websites and streaming services (stock image)

Sydney was dealing with severe weather issues on Sunday during the technical outage

Many people vented their frustrations on social media over the outages, with one man saying be even had to leave his trolley full of groceries behind after his card didn't work in Aldi.

'Yep stuck at Coles no money or credit card had to just take out a couple of essentials to get kids lunches but rest I had to leave behind not happy at all,' wrote one disgruntled mother.

Another added: 'Come on Westpac!! All ATM's and eftpos down. When will this be resolved?'

ME also took to Facebook to apologise for the inconvenience after customers were left unable to pay for petrol.

'I understand that these things happen but it is still very embarrassing not being able to pay for my petrol and now waiting for the system to be up and running to do my grocery shop for the week,' wrote one customer.

'Thanks for that ME. Had a very embarrassing moment at the cafe when I went to pay. Thank God someone had my back and could pay my bill. Can you send a letter to the cafe  where I'm a regular  and apologise for your poor service,' another posted.

An AWS spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that the problem with the financial services was not related to the website issues with Amazon Web Services.

AWS issued a warning over the outage affecting Elastic Compute on it's status page just before 4pm. They confirmed an hour later that the issue was related to a power problem.

'We can confirm that instances have experienced a power event within a single availability zone in the AP-SOUTHEAST-2 region,' the warning said.

'Error rates for the EC2 APIs have improved and launches of new EC2 instances are succeeding within the other availability zones in the region.'

Most problems were reported around 4pm until 6pm on Sunday evening

AWS issued a warning over the outage affecting Elastic Compute on it's status page just before 4pm

One disgruntled user posted 'Come on Westpac!! All ATM's and eftpos down. When will this be resolved?'

Some internet sites and services affected included Foxtel and Fox Sports, online streaming platform Stan and online food ordering service Menulog

Meanwhile major companies across Australia are trying to reassure customers affected by the outage

'We are still experiencing issues with the availability of our Mobile Banking App and are working to have it fixed as soon as possible,' Westpac posted on their Facebook on Sunday night.

Around the same time Foxtel tweeted: 'We have been advised that there is a temporary outage with some of our online servers. This is currently affecting our website, as well as Foxtel Go and Foxtel Play.'

In a statement to News.com.au, a Commonwealth Bank spokeswoman addressed the issue.

'Some Commonwealth Bank customers were affected by intermittent issues with another EFTPOS provider yesterday, however, all Commonwealth Bank EFTPOS, NetBank and CommBank app services were available and not affected by any incident,' she said.

AWS was still restoring services early on Monday morning.

AWS spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald that the problem with the financial services was not related to the website issues with Amazon Web Services
The 20-year-old Lebanese national was driving a Mercedes at the time

Male driver whose car hit them is in hospital under police guard

Ms Deumic's two daughters watched in horror as she died at the scene

The women were driving home from dinner when their car was hit

Two daughters watched in horror as their mother died in a car crash with her best friend as they drove home from dinner.

Subha Deumic's daughters were travelling behind her when a Mercedes smashed in to car she was in with best friend Bozica Nikolic in Attwood, Melbourne, on Sunday.

The 60-year-old died at the scene while her 57-year-old friend, who also has two daughters, died on her way to hospital.

The driver of the car which hit them is a 20-year-old Lebanese national who is being questioned by police over the incident.

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Bozica Nikolic (pictured left) and her best friend Subha Deumic (right)- whose daughters were in a car behind them - were killed in a tragic car accident in Melbourne's north west on Sunday night

Emergency services were called to the scene of a heart wrenching accident that claimed the lives of two women just after 10pm

It's not clear whether the girls had joined their mother and her friend for dinner or if it was merely a coincidence that they were travelling behind them at the same time.

On Monday night Ms Nikolic's daughter Marina told 7 News of her heartache.

'Now I've lost my mum. She's not going to be there for when I get married, she's not going to be there to watch my sister grow up.

'(I'm) just not going to have a mum and that's going to be really hard.'

The women were travelling from Ms Nikolic's home to Ms Deumic's when they were hit by a 20-year-old driver.

According to 7 News the man, who has not yet been charged by police, has been in Australia for only 12 months after travelling from his native Lebanon.

Ms Deumic's devastated daughter Marina appeared on 7 News Melbourne on Monday to tell of her heartache

The girl cried as she told cameras that her mother would now not see her get married or grow up

Sergeant Mark Amos of Victoria Police said the 'true tragedy' of the incident was that the second woman's daughters 'watched her die'.

'The true tragedy last night is the car immediately behind the Yaris at that intersection in Alanbrae had two occupants in it, and those occupants were the daughters of the passenger in the Yaris' he told the Herald Sun.

'They've essentially sat in the car and watched their mother die. To try and fathom the harm and that's going to leave those young ladies is beyond belief,' he added.

Ms Nikolic and Ms Deumic had been best friends for 30 years and were returning home after catching up over dinner.

Ms Nikolic's daughters, Marina and Andrijana, paid tribute to their 'beautiful' mother on social media, also breaking the news of her death to their family abroad.

'The shock it has brought to family and friends can not be described through words... we are all grieving through this terrible misfortune,' Marina wrote on Monday.

'I always see this happen to other people but you never truly know the pain it causes unless you experience it,' she said, adding that the driver of the Mercedes will be burdened with guilt for the 'rest of his life'.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but both women died before making it to hospital

Ms Nikolic's daughters, Marina and Andrijana, paid tribute to their 'beautiful' mother on social media, also breaking the news of her death to their family abroad

A man in his 20s driving a black Mercedes struck a red Toyota hatchback that was carrying two women

Police said the man was travelling south down Mickleham Road when he stuck the women's vehicle, which was entering the intersection from Alanbrae Terrace

She thanked Ms Nikovic for her unwavering support and said her positive attitude had always brought her so much joy.

'Thank you for being the best version of you and being the best mum in the world. Thank you for raising me to become who I am today.'

'Thank you for supporting me through life and always helping me stay positive. You have taught me how to love, care and most of all be happy. Rest in paradise my beautiful mother.'

The male driver, believed to be a foreign national in his 20s, sustained minor injures and was taken to hospital where he remains under police guard.

Police said the man was travelling south down Mickleham Road when he stuck the women's vehicle, which was entering the intersection from Alanbrae Terrace.

'They've essentially sat in the car and watched their mother die. To try and fathom the harm and that's going to leave those young ladies is beyond belief,' Sergeant Mark Amos

Paramedics and police rushed to the scene but one woman had already died before they arrived

Major crash investigators collect evidence from the mangled wreck on Sunday night

An engine and various car parts were strewn across the road, with major crash investigators trying to determine if speed was a factor

'Looking at this scene it's pretty obvious that there's going to be some speed involved in it, but to what degree we're not certain yet,' Sgt Amos said

Andrew Hufer, of Attwood, said he ran outside after hearing the collision and attempted to give Ms Nikovic first aid before paramedics arrived.

'I don't know how long I did CPR for, it was only when I stopped and looked around that I realised what had happened and another car was involved,' he told The Age.

'I just feel numb, so numb,' he added.

An engine and various car parts were strewn across the road. Major crash investigators are trying to determine if speed, drugs, alcohol or fatigue were factors in the crash.

'Looking at this scene it's pretty obvious that there's going to be some speed involved in it, but to what degree we're not certain yet,' Sgt Amos said.
By the time you read these words, I shall almost certainly be trudging the streets of London, CV in hand, begging for work.

I have no one to blame but myself. I know the BBC rules (I should do, after all the time Ive worked there)  and on the Today programme last week, I broke them. Or at least the one that matters for us journalists.

My old friend and fellow presenter on Today, Justin Webb, tried to save me from myself but it was too late. Heres how it happened.

John Humphrys has declared war on Muzak, canned music and teenagers using headphones on trains

BBC journalist John Humphrys, pictured has described Musak as a curse afflicting the modern world

Justin and I were doing our usual snappy review of the newspapers at about 6.10 am and I spotted a story in this very publication that made my heart soar.

Yes! I shouted. I may even have punched the air with my fist. Weve won at last!

Steady on, old boy, warned Justin. Arent we meant to be impartial and all that?

Yes, of course, I snapped, but not when its something that matters as much as this. This will make all our lives worth living again. Lord Reith himself would be applauding.

And the story that blew away my usually impeccable editorial neutrality? President Putin declaring that he wanted to give back Crimea and asking that Russia might join the EU? Donald Trump saying that he was only kidding with all that stuff about keeping out the Muslims?

No. Nothing less, my friends, than the announcement by the bosses at Marks & Spencer that they are planning to get rid of piped music in their stores. It will start happening over the next few weeks.

What do you mean, you think Im getting a bit carried away?

On the contrary. This is the start of the counter revolution, the great fightback against one of the true curses of the modern age.

I say modern but Muzak actually goes back almost a century.

It was invented by an American, General George O. Squier, in 1920 when he discovered a way of transmitting music across electrical wires. He set up a company which would exploit his invention by feeding music to the world and came up with a name that incorporated the last syllable of another cutting edge technological company of the day: Kodak.

John Humphrys, pictured in Liberia broadcasting the Today programme, wants an end to background music

Thus Muzak was born.

Sadly for the general, his original great idea was scuppered because a chap called Marconi had come up with a far better way of transmitting music to vast numbers of people: the wireless.

So Squier had a rethink and decided it was the perfect way of relaying soothing background music to shops and restaurants and offices.

America went mad for it.

Its success was helped along by the belief that when Muzak was played to the workers in factories, productivity increased  a belief fostered by some pretty dodgy research not unconnected to the Muzak corporation itself.

Eventually, the worm turned and in the Fifties the company was taken to court by workers complaining at being brainwashed.

Sadly, Muzak survived.

Another attempt to silence it was made in the Eighties by a good citizen  one Ted Nugent  who offered $10 million to buy the company so that he could close it down. It was rejected.

Now the worm has turned again. This time it is not the workers or a lone crusader, its the bosses  and everyone knows money talks.

It is safe to say that other big bosses will watch very carefully what happens at M&S, and if the tills start ringing more loudly than the loud-speakers it wont be long before others hoist the battle standard, too.

In fact, scarcely had war been declared by M&S than another front was opened  and here I have to declare an interest.

As well as Muzak, John Humphrys, pictured, wants to ban all forms of background music in public

Several years ago I was invited to become a patron of Pipedown, an organisation dedicated to protecting our ears against unwanted background music. I accepted, not because I thought it would achieve very much, but its aims were noble and the more pressure the better. Now, Pipedown has joined forces with Action On Hearing Loss to tackle a curse possibly even greater than canned music in shops: canned music in restaurants and pubs.

Let me hazard a guess as to the reasons why you spend your hard-earned cash going out for a meal or a drink with friends and family. To sit there listening for the umpteenth time to Adele belting out that massively irritating Hello or One Direction being Beautiful or Pharrell Williams being Happy?

I doubt it. You want to have a nice friendly chat. Of course you do. Or a row. In both cases, you want to hear what your companions are saying  or want them to hear you. But if the music is too loud, you cant. And if its too soft, why bother to play it at all?

Gorki Duhra, of Action On Hearing Loss, wants pubs to be quieter in all sorts of ways, such as swapping hard surfaces for softer fabrics so they muffle sounds; but canned music in restaurants is the main target.

One in six people have some form of hearing loss and that figure will increase as the population gets older. The charitys research shows that about three-quarters of them have left a restaurant because its too noisy.

As Duhra puts it: When it leads to you getting the wrong order or not being able to have a conversation or youre missing the main bit of the joke, you feel left out. Background music makes it harder to pick up a particular voice. Hard to argue with that, but theres another objection.

Humphrys said when eating you do not want to listen to Adele, pictured, being massively irritating with 'Hello'

When the good general invented Muzak, the stuff he foisted on his unwitting and often unwilling listeners was written and performed specifically to be played in the background.

But later the company started playing commercial playlists. And this, I submit, is even more insidious than bland non-music.

We are now in June, so it cant be long before the shops start getting us to think about Christmas. Sad but true. Well, I stopped Christmas shopping when I realised that if I had to listen to one more canned version of Once In Royal Davids City, Id tear the speaker off the wall, find the store manager and force him to eat it. With a mince pie.

What, then, about those more upmarket restaurants that use classical music?

Worse, Im afraid. Much worse.

I stayed regularly in a hotel in Manchester where they played Bach during breakfast  often the Cello Suite No 1 in G Major. My son, Christopher, is a cellist and it was the piece he chose to play at the funeral of his mother.

Humphrys said he also wants to convince teenagers to remove their headphones and listen to the world

My memory of that sad day was the expression on his face as he played, the tears of the congregation and the sheer, sublime beauty of the music.

To play Bach or any other great composer as background music while you are helping yourself to scrambled eggs from a restaurant buffet is to cheapen and demean one of the most profound experiences life has to offer.

So Im afraid there must be no let-up in this campaign. Background music must go. All of it.

Then we must begin the next campaign: how to persuade teenagers to rip the wretched headphones from their ears and learn to listen to the real world happening outside.
Police said the killings were related to a domestic violence incident

Her partner Steven Graham Peet charged with three counts of murder

Adeline Rigney-Wilson, and her two children were murdered on May 30

Breaches rose to more than 40 times a week in South Australia

Alarming figures have reportedly shown that domestic violence offenders breach their conditions more than 40 times a week in South Australia.

The figures were released just days after the killing of Adeline Yvette Rigney-Wilson and her two children Corey, 5, and Amber, 6.

Rigney-Wilson's partner Steven Graham Peet, 30, faced court on Tuesday, May 31, charged with three counts of murder. Police said the killings were related to a domestic violence incident.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that the number of breaches of intervention orders has risen steadily to more than 40 times a week in South Australia, with 780 reported breaches in the last seven months.

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Adeline Rigney-Wilson, (pictured) who was found slain in her Adelaide home along with her two children on May 30. Police said the killings were related to a domestic violence incident

Ms Rigney-Wilson's children, Corey, 5, and Amber, 6, (pictured) were also murdered. New data has show that breaches rose to more than 40 times a week in South Australia

Her partner Steven Graham Peet, 30, (pictured) has been charged with the alleged triple murder

Data released by the Courts Administration Authority under Freedom of Information laws showed that intervention orders were breached by a total of 780 people in seven months leading up to the end of March this year.

Even more worryingly one of those offenders committed a total of 11 breaches in that time. The rate of breaches was estimated to be almost 48 a week in 2014-15.

It's likely the figures would be even higher but they do not include breaches that are dismissed, withdrawn or never get to the stage when charges are laid.

It is also the case that a lot of victims also do not report breaches because they do not believe authorities will act and it will only cause more trouble for them in the long run.

Peet was found outside the home and taken to Lyell McEwen Hospital by paramedics before his arrest

Police found the bodies on Monday at around 1.30pm on May 30 after speaking with three men on the property

Peet - who faced court over the murders on May 31 - has three skulls tattooed on the back of his neck

Court documents

Adeline Rigney-Wilson's grieving mother Donna Rigney (second from right) is comforted by other family members in Adelaide on Tuesday, May 31

Rigney-Wilson who was found slain in her home along with her two children on Monday, May 30, often let her children go hungry as she spent all of her money on her methamphetamine habit, according to documents.

The 29-year-old mother rarely kept food in her rural Adelaide home to feed her children, and placed her daily meth, otherwise known as ice, habit above their needs, according to Families SA documents obtained by Seven News.

Documents disclosed that a lack of staff resources prevented Families SA from following up on concerns involving meth addict Rigney-Wilson and her family, according to Seven news.

It comes as reports reveal Ms Rigney-Wilson was expected to face court this month for allegedly beating her son with a broom and trying to drown him two years ago, according to Nine News.

Peet (pictured), who reportedly sported two black eyes, was remanded in custody to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court by video link in August

He attempted to hide his face from the cameras when he was pictured outside the hospital on May 31

'It would be inappropriate and disrespectful to the deceased to publicly elaborate on the nature of support being provided,' Families SA said in a statement to the Advertiser.

'As with any event of this magnitude, the appropriate authorities will examine the circumstances around the deaths and the department will participate in and support that process fully.'

Peet made no application for bail when he was brought into the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in handcuffs and a blue forensic suit.

Earlier it was revealed Peet, who was living with the family but not father to the children, shared a chilling picture on Facebook in February - just after they moved in together - that said: 'The day you raise your hand on a woman. That day you're no longer officially a man.'
A British businessman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was shot at his home in Kenya.

Richard Alden, 53, had taken Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, 42, to hospital on Saturday claiming she shot herself at his house in a wealthy suburb of Nairobi.

When police arrived at the hospital, the victim  who had suffered gunshot and stab wounds as well as broken fingers  had been pronounced dead.

British businessman Richard Alden, 53, (pictured) had taken Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, 42, to hospital on Saturday claiming she shot herself at his house in a wealthy suburb of Nairobi

Officers dismissed Aldens story, saying she had actually been shot from behind and stabbed in the back.

The former executive for financial services company Deloitte was then taken into custody and is due to appear in court later today.

Married Alden and Miss Kinyanjui are understood to have been having an affair after meeting through a local hiking group.

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome said the couple were in a relationship and living together.

When police arrived at the hospital, Ms Kinyanjui  who had suffered gunshot and stab wounds as well as broken fingers  had been pronounced dead

However conflicting reports claimed Alden still lived with his wife Martine in the upmarket Nairobi suburb of Karen.

The married couple  who have three grown up children together  are believed to have lived in Twickenham, London before leaving to live abroad.

One report claimed Miss Kinyanjui, who ran a security firm, was at the house helping Alden and his wife pack for an upcoming move.

Yesterday police told local media sources that Miss Kinyanjuis injuries were consistent with murder.

They said there was a bullet wound in the back of her head and she had three open wounds on the left side of her neck. She also had a fractured left thumb and ring finger and had been stabbed in the back.

Mr Koome said: They were the only people in the house and when crime officers went there they also found a blood-stained towel in the dressing room where the murder took place. It is murder and he is in custody for that.

The Police Commander said they were alerted to the incident by Aldens guards who said they saw him drag a lifeless body to his car which he then took to hospital.

Police raided Aldens home and recovered a spent cartridge and a pistol with 34 live bullets.

Alden allegedly told officers that he and the victim were to travel to Nanyuki where he planned to settle on a farm he had bought.

A guard and the familys maid have also been brought in for questioning by police.
Months of unseasonably hot weather throughout autumn have forced retailers to start their winter sales earlier this year, with bargains set to be better than ever before.

Upmarket department store operator David Jones has slashed prices by as much as 70 per cent as of May 31, while rival Myer started their winter sale a day later and cut prices by as much as 50 per cent as they hope to clear $300million worth of stock.

Winter sales have been described as 'better this year' with clothing, electronics, bedding, homewares furniture and beauty products marked down in time for winter.

Months of unseasonably hot weather throughout autumn have forced retailers to start their winter sales earlier this year. David Jones (stock) has slashed prices by as much as 70 per cent as of May 31

Winter sales have been described as 'better this year' with clothing (stock), electronics, bedding, homewares furniture and beauty products marked down in time for winter

Sales at Myer started two weeks earlier than in 2014 and a week earlier than 2015, reported the Canberra Times.

Steve Kulmar, a senior strategist at consultancy Retail Oasis, told the newspaper that this is likely because of competitive pressures.

He said: 'Sales will be better this year because there's a lot of leftover winter stock that would have ordinarily been sold in May, when the cold weather usually arrives.

'Retailers generally bring last year's winter stock out of storage too.'

Australian clothing retailers could be feeling the pinch - after some started stocking stores with winter clothing as early as February.

Myer started their winter sale a day later and cut prices by as much as 50 per cent (stock) as they hope to clear $300million worth of stock

Australian clothing retailers could be feeling the pinch - after some started stocking stores with winter clothing (stock) as early as February

According to the Bureau of Statistics, spending on clothing rose to 4.8 per cent over the first three months of this year.

PwC's chief economist Jeremy Thorpe told the ABC that, while heavy discounts have helped drive sales, that has come at the expense of profits.

He said: 'We have actually seen a reduction in margins in the retail sector.

'So while we may have seen volumes rebound, it has been at the detriment of the retail businesses themselves.'

Country Road, Cue, Witchery and Portmans have been running sales regularly since April.

Heavy discounts have helped drive sales (stock), that has come at the expense of profits
Islamic militant shot dead the wife of a Bangladeshi police superintendent as she with her son for a bus.

The three killers stabbed and shot Mahmuda Khanam in southeastern Bangladesh yesterday as she and her son stood on the side of the road.

The victim's husband, Babul Akter has led a string of raids against Islamic terrorist groups and a number of drug cartels across the city of Chittagong, where his wife was brutally murdered.

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The wife of a senior Bangladeshi police officer was murdered on the side of the street standing with her son

Mahmuda Khanam was stabbed and shot by a gang wanting revenge on her police husband Babul Akter

The couple's children, pictured, where last night being comforted by a relative following the murder

In addition, an ISIS-affiliated group claimed responsibility for the murder of a Christian man in the north west of the country.

Commenting on Khanam's murder, police commissioner Iqbal Bahar said they were not ruling out the chance that Islamic militants, such as Jumatul Mujahedeen may have murdered Khanam.

Paritosh Ghosh, a senior police official in Chittagong, said authorities were collecting video footage from closed circuit cameras at the scene.

'We do not rule out involvement of any militant groups or drug cartels,' Ghosh said, adding that Akter had led a number of operations against both.

Authorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh say suspected Islamist militants have attacked and killed a number of people in recent years, including atheist bloggers, publishers, teachers and activists, and minority groups and foreigners.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, according to SITE Intelligence Group, but authorities have denied that the terror group has a presence in the country.

In the other attack on Sunday, unidentified men hacked to death a Christian man in northwestern Bangladesh's Natore district, police said.

Family members found Sunil Gomes lying in a pool of blood after the attack in his grocery shop, which is close to a church and a Christian neighborhood, said Monirul Islam, a local police chief in Natore.

The ISIS-linked Amaq News Agency said the terror group was responsible for the attack.
More than 40 Indigenous-run organisations are being investigated by the federal government amid allegations of corruption and fraud.

There are 44 organisations which are being investigated by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's IAG Risk, Compliance and Integrity branch, the ABC reported.

The organisations and programs under scrutiny receive hundreds of millions in government funding.

More than 40 Indigenous organisations are being investigated by the federal government amid allegations of corruption and fraud. Four Corners reports the community of Warmun (pictured) in Western Australia was defrauded of $3million

The organisations and programs under scrutiny receive hundreds of millions in government funding

In one example to be revealed on the ABC's Four Corners program, a project manager contracted by the West Australian Department of Housing defrauded the community of Warmun in Western Australia of $3million.

The funding was intended to be put towards the construction of 56 homes in the town after floods devastated the region in 2011.

Chairman of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council and former National President of the Labor Party, Warren Mundine, told the ABC he is not surprised by the allegations.

Chairman of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council and former National President of the Labor Party, Warren Mundine, told the ABC he is not surprised by the allegations

'I'm not surprised, sadly, that those investigations are happening,' Mr Mundine said.

'You go into some of these communities and you see people living in abject poverty and you know that they have a trust fund or they have an organisation which receives millions of dollars, which is their money.
The son of a convicted mafia figure is in hospital under police guard after he was attacked with an iron bar during an alleged attempted armed burglary yesterday.

Giovanni 'Johnny' Madafferi, 25, son of Melbourne mafia don Francesco Madafferi, and another man, also in his 20s, allegedly approached a home in Kings Park at about 6.40am on Sunday.

According to 9 News, the two masked men, wearing hoodies and covering their faces with handkerchiefs, confronted a resident at the home demanding to be let in.

Police believe another man inside the home used an iron bar to fight off the men, who reportedly fled the scene in a red Toyota Camry, leaving behind a trail of blood.

Giovanni 'Johnny' Madafferi, 25, son of Melbourne mafia don Francesco Madafferi, and another man, also in his 20s, are in hospital under police guard

The pair allegedly approached a home in Kings Park, Melbourne, at about 6.40am on Sunday

Police believe another man inside the home used an iron bar to fight off the men, who fled the scene in a getaway car, leaving a trail of blood (pictured)

The pair were picked up by paramedics at a nearby address, reportedly the home of Giovanni's girlfriend, where a bloodied axe was photographed sitting inside a car

Giovanni's father, Melbourne mafia don Francesco Madafferi, is serving out a ten-year jail sentence for his role in the 2007 importation of 1.2 million Ecstasy tablets

Giovanni's father, known for his preparedness to commit savage violence, is serving out a ten-year jail sentence for his role in the 2007 importation of 1.2 million Ecstasy tablets.

An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said paramedics were called to a house in nearby Deer Park, where they found two men - one in a critical and one in a stable condition.

It's believed that the men drove to the home of Giovanni's girlfriend, Jennifer Chetcuti, covered in blood and with serious upper body and head injuries.

Ms Chetcuti told reporters the men said they had gone to 'walk the dog.'

'Johnny was screaming and he just had bloody everywhere. He said he was going out to walk the dog,' she said.

Than, 24, told the Herald Sun that his 26-year-old brother came home after buying groceries at around 6.30am on Sunday morning to find the burglars at the door.

'The attackers pulled up next door and demanded that my brother open the door,' he said.

His mother and 22-year-old sister were also inside the home at the time.

Than, who asked to keep his surname hidden, said he came to his brother's support and a fight spilled out onto the street, according to the Herald Sun.

He maintains that no weapon or iron bar was used in the melee.

'He said he was going out to walk the dog,' said Mr Madaferri's girlfriend Jennifer Chetcuti

In photos from outside Ms Chetcuti's Deer Park home, a bloodied axe could be seen sitting inside a car.

Detective Sargeant Andy Eyries said: 'The offending is extremely violent ... We've located a number of items that are certainly going to be of assistance.'

The two alleged home intruders were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital, initially one in critical and the other in stable condition, but both are reportedly now in a stable condition.

A NSW Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that the investigation was ongoing as detectives sought to speak with the two injured men.

No arrests have been made.

The two alleged home intruders are under police guard at The Royal Melbourne Hospital




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The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for New York and surrounding areas has been cancelled, just hours after the Sunday's Governor's Ball was called off due to a 'lightning threat'.

The Storms caused by Hurricane Colin which prompted the warning have weakened and are moving out of the warning areas, which include Bronx, New York, Queens, Richmond and Southern Westchester Counties.

The warning U-turn comes as thousands of Governor's Ball goers were told to stay at home for safety reasons after organizers saw the forecast for lightning.

Rainbows: The New York sky had cleared to show a double rainbow Sunday night as the Severe Thunderstorm Warning was cancelled

The warning U-turn comes as thousands of Governor's Ball goers were told to stay at home for safety reasons after organizers saw the forecast for lightning

Clear skies: The Storms caused by Hurricane Colin which prompted the warning have weakened and are moving out of the warning areas, which include Bronx, New York, Queens, Richmond and Southern Westchester Counties

The organizers released a statement saying: 'Sunday, June 5th of Gov Ball 2016 has officially been cancelled, due to severe weather and a high likelihood of lightning in the area.

'The safety of fans, artists and crew always comes first,' they said in a statement on their website.

The cancellation came as authorities in Germany cut short one of the country's most popular music festivals after 72 people went to hospital when they were injured by lightning strikes.

Fox News reported that lightning and heavy rain stuck Rock am Ring near Mendig, 62 miles west of Frankfurt on Friday. The German Red Cross said 72 people were hospitalized.

The festival was suspended after the incident but briefly reopened Saturday night before it was closed completely on Sunday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's office had already issued a weather advisory for Sunday, warning of the possibility of flash floods and encouraging New Yorkers to consider staying inside.

The weather cut short a U.S. women's national team game against Japan in Cleveland, Ohio. They were leading 2-0 when the severe weather prompted the referee to take the players off at 76th minutes.

The match was delayed in the second half by rain and lightning, which sent fans in FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the NFL's Browns, scrambling for cover. With more rough weather expected, officials decided to call the match following an hour delay.

The Sunday of the New York music festival, Governors Ball, was cancelled for safety reasons. Music fans are pictured watching bands perform on Saturday

The rain started pouring on Saturday night, forcing revelers to use umbrellas or cover themselves in sweaters as the acts took to the stage

Four teenagers tread through the puddles wearing ponchos on Saturday night as they leaved Governors Ball

Music fans braved the rain on Saturday as they partied on Randall's Island during what should have been a weekend-long event

And Florida is still braced for the worst, as the National Hurricane Center says Colin has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is predicted to land in the state on Monday.

On Sunday evening, Colin was already speeding on its course with rains that forecasters said could cause serious flooding along much of the state's Gulf coast, with rain already drenching parts of the southeastern United States on Sunday afternoon.

A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm.

The storm could dump up to eight inches of rain on the state, with the potential for one to three feet of flooding if storm surge occurs at high tide, the hurricane center said. Sandbags were being made available in the Tampa area.

Florida heightened the response level of its State Emergency Operations Center on Sunday.

'As we continue to closely monitor this tropical depression. Floridians should remain vigilant and have an emergency plan for their families and businesses in place today,' Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement.

Other areas on the U.S. eastern seaboard were also drenched on Sunday, as storms moved from the west. Rain fell on and off in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and parts of the Carolinas.

Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

'We're surrounded on three sides by water,' said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sand bags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared.

'We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County,' Guthrie said in an email.

People along the Gulf Coast kept a watchful eye on a system over the Caribbean Sea that was forecast to bring five to 10 inches of rain to parts of Florida. The storm is likely to develop into a tropical cyclone.

On its current track, the center would land around the Big Bend region near the Panhandle, the agency said.

Colin is the second named storm in a week at the beginning of what is expected to be a brisk Atlantic Ocean hurricane season running through November 30.

Over Memorial Day weekend the Carolinas were lashed by heavy rain and winds from Tropical Storm Bonnie.

The first hurricane of the year, Alex, brought rain and wind but little damage to Portugal's Azores archipelago in January.

TROPICAL RAINS, UNYIELDING FLOODS AND WILDFIRES: HOW AMERICA IS PREPARING FOR SEVERE WEATHER Tropical rains The hurricane season is just a few days old, and its third named storm may be developing near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says the system has a good chance of forming into a tropical cyclone, and even if it doesn't, it will still bring heavy rains along the Gulf Coast. Police in St. Petersburg distributed sandbags to residents Saturday in anticipation of the drenching beginning Sunday night. Gov. Rick Scott was closely monitoring the weather and warned residents, tourists and businesses to be prepared. Florida's emergency management director Bryan Koon said they expected a fast-moving storm, which means it could mature rapidly. The severe weather could last through Tuesday. 'Even if this system does not develop into a named storm, it still poses significant risks from flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes, and rip currents,' he said. If the storm does develop, it would be named Colin. Last weekend, Bonnie formed off the South Carolina coast, inundating parts of the East Coast. On Saturday, Bonnie was weakening far offshore and posed no threat to land. Taking aim at the nation's capital More than 17 million people in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina, are looking at an 'enhanced' risk of severe thunderstorms Sunday, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. Damaging winds, a tornado or two and marginally severe hail are expected from the Southeast far north. Unyielding Texas flooding It's been several days since deadly flooding began in parts of southeast and central Texas, and the rain just started to let up Saturday. In its wake, Army officials investigated a training exercise that went horribly wrong at Fort Hood, leading to the deaths of nine soldiers whose vehicle was swept into rushing waters of a rain-swollen creek. Three soldiers were pulled from the water and survived. Coryell County emergency medical services chief Jeff Mincy told the Killeen Daily Herald that only the wheels of an Army troop-transport truck were visible after swift flood waters washed the 2-ton vehicle from a low-water crossing on the installation. He surmised the waters were about 8ft deep. Meanwhile, several counties in and around Houston were under a flash flood watch or flood warning Saturday due to days of rain that had creeks and rivers flowing out of their banks. The Brazos River is causing trouble for communities in Fort Bend County, especially near where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. County Judge Robert Hebert said floodwaters are receding but warned some neighborhoods are still cut off and many local streets are impassable. 'As water levels recede we will be able to get into these inundated areas and assess the damage,' he said. Germany, France and Belgium have been hit by severe storms in recent days which have left 16 people dead. LA wildfires Wildfires have been roaring through southern California. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West left their Calabasas home on Friday just before a third-alarm brush fire sparked up on Saturday in the area, causing a mandatory evacuation. As that fire started three others broke out in southern California, NBC 4 reported, burning 200 acres of land and threatening 3,000 homes. The fire forced mandatory evacuations in the Highlands, Eddingham and Adamsville neighborhoods, fire officials said. 'Three thousand homes are evacuated, which is about 5,000 people,' Tony Coroalles, city manager of Calabasas, told CNN. Advertisement

Temperatures soared well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in parts of southern California, Arizona and Nevada, with unseasonable heat also afflicting inland areas of the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service said.

In Texas, where torrential rains led to flooding last week that killed at least 16 people, waters were expected to recede as the weather dries out, said Mark Null, hydrologist at the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service says if Phoenix hits 114 degrees on Sunday, it will mark the third day in a row setting record high temperatures in Arizona's Urban Heart.

Much of Southern Arizona, from Phoenix to Nogales, is under an excessive heat warning.

Other western and southwestern U.S. states are experiencing above-normal temperatures in the triple-digits.

Officials are warning residents to stay hydrated and avoid the outdoors between 10am and 4 pm, when temperatures are highest.

The Arizona Department of Health also says that neither people nor pets should be left in cars. It takes only 10 minutes for a car to reach deadly temperatures.

Virginia-based meteorologist Chris Strong says the primary threat in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area is from damaging wind gusts, and there's a lesser threat for tornadoes.

Wakefield, Virginia-based meteorologist Lyle Alexander says the threat on the Eastern Shore is from winds and more localized heavy rain.

The weather service warns that heavy rain in central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could mean flooding in areas that received rain Saturday. Flash flood watches are in effect until Sunday evening.

Mount Holly, New Jersey-based meteorologist Lance Franck says in Delaware the threat is from high winds and torrential downpours bringing flooding to urban areas and areas with poor drainage.

As the East Coast braced for storms, the western U.S. braved a heat wave that spurred wildfires in California and pushed temperatures to record highs.

Homes surrounded by floodwaters are shown in this aerial view in Rosharon, Texas. Parts of Texas have been inundated with rain in the last week, and more than half of the state has been under flood watches or warnings

Horses are forced to wade in flood waters next to bails of hay after heavy rain drenched Texas farmlands
Newly elected president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has encouraged his countrymen to shoot and kill drug dealers and fight back in their neighbourhoods.

The president-elect urged the public to help in his war against crime in return for rewards, speaking during a televised speech on Saturday.

The 71-year-old told a crowd in the southern city of Davao they would be compensated. A precedent has already been set by a mayor who gave police more than 2,000 for killing drug traffickers.

The city's most famous son said: 'Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun  you have my support.

'If a drug dealer resists arrest or refuses to be brought to a police station and threatens a citizen with a gun or a knife, you can kill him... Shoot him and I'll give you a medal.'

The Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has urged citizens to 'shoot' drug dealers in return for medals

Duterte's warning comes as the country faces an extensive illegal drug trade where even the police are involved.

He gave his advice after winning the May 9 presidential election on a bold promise to end crime and corruption within six months of the start of his presidency.

That vow resonated among crime-weary Filipinos, though police officials considered it campaign rhetoric that was impossible to accomplish.

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Human rights watchdogs have expressed alarm that his anti-crime drive may lead to widespread rights violations.

The mayor of the nation's second biggest city, Cebu, has already made the first payment to officers for killing criminals.

Tomas Osmena, 67, said he had given more than 2,000 to police for killing three men they claimed were drug traffickers.

The 71-year-old told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao if a drug dealer threatens a citizen '...you can kill him... Shoot him and I'll give you a medal'

Osmena posted a series of comments on Facebook celebrating the deaths of the men, as he lashed out at the Commission on Human Rights, a constitutionally mandated body, for investigating the circumstances of the May 28 killings.

Duterte, a longtime Davao mayor, has been suspected of playing a role in many killings of suspected criminals in his city by motorcycle-riding assassins known as the 'Davao death squads,' but human rights watchdogs say he has not been criminally charged because nobody has dared to testify against him in court

In his speech on Saturday, Duterte asked three police generals based in the main national police camp in the capital to resign for involvement in crimes that he did not specify.

The mayor of the nation's second biggest city, Cebu, has already made the first payment of 155,000 pesos (2,300) to the police after they killed three men he said were drug traffickers

He threatened to humiliate them in public if they did not quit and said he would order a review of dismissed criminal cases of active policemen, suggesting some may have bribed their way back onto the force.

'They go back again crucifying the Filipino,' he said. 'I won't agree to that.'

'If you're still into drugs, I will kill you, don't take this as a joke. I'm not trying to make you laugh, son of a bitch, I will really kill you,' Duterte said to loud jeers and applause.

The foul-mouthed former government prosecutor said crimes were committed by law enforcers because of 'extreme greed and extreme need.'

Duterte promised he would wipe out crime across the Philippines within the first six months of his presidency

He added that he would provide a small amount to an officer who was tempted because his wife has cancer or a mother died, but that those who would break the law because of extreme greed 'will also be dealt with by me. I'll have you killed.'

Duterte, who starts his six-year presidential term on June 30, repeated a plan to offer huge bounties to those who can turn in drug lords, dead or alive.

While it remains to be seen what will happen to his threats when he takes office, some policemen have heeded his call for a tougher anti-crime approach.

In suburban Las Pinas city in the Manila metropolis, police have apprehended more than 100 minors who defied a night curfew, and men who were either having drinking sprees in public or roaming around shirtless in violation of a local ordinance.

The crackdown was dubbed 'Oplan Rody'  after Duterte's nickname  or 'Rid the Streets of Drinkers and Youth.'

The new Filipino president also sparked outrage last week when he said journalists were being killed because they were corrupt, and 'you are not exempted from assassination if you are a son of a b**ch'.
Brock Allen Turner, 20, was found guilty of raping an unconscious woman near fraternity housing

The father of the 20-year-old Stanford University swimmer found guilty of raping an unconscious 23-year-old woman at a campus party has penned a letter saying his son is paying a high price for '20 minutes of action'.

Brock Allen Turner was found guilty Thursday for sexually assaulting the woman, who has not been identified.

He has been sentenced to six months in a county jail with probation.

On Sunday, Turner's father, Dan A. Turner, penned an open letter about the verdict of the rape case, arguing his son's jail sentence 'isn't an appropriate punishment'.

'As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of January 17 and 18,' the letter begins.

'He will never be his happy go lucky (sic) self with that easy-going personality and welcoming smile.

'His every waking moment is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression,' the father began the letter.

He goes on to say how much Turner likes to eat - especially Ribeye steaks - and how he's a 'very good cook' but now can hardly eat and only consumes food 'to exist'.

'His life will never be the one he dream about and worked so hard to achieve.

'That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 years of life,' Dan A. Turner continued.

He wrote that his son should not be subjected to incarceration because he 'has no prior criminal history and has never been violent with anyone including on the night of January 17'.

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On Sunday, Turner's father, Dan A. Turner, penned an open letter (pictured) about the verdict of the rape case, arguing his son's jail sentence 'isn't an appropriate punishment'

Dan Turner (pictured, right) goes on to say how much his son (pictured, left) likes to eat - especially Ribeye steaks - and how he's a 'very good cook' but now can hardly eat and only consumes food 'to exist'

Turner (pictured, center with his son, right) wrote that his son should not be subjected to incarceration because he 'has no prior criminal history and has never been violent with anyone including on the night of January 17'

Dan A. Turner adds that his son can be a positive force in the community by promoting the 'dangers of alcohol and sexual promiscuity'.

He concludes by saying the best thing for his son is probation.

The day before, the woman who was raped by Brock Allen Turner, read out her own powerful letter to her attacker as she came face-to-face with him in court.

Brock Allen Turner's 23-year-old victim explained in the emotional speech at Thursday's sentencing hearing how she learned she had been attacked by a stranger and the toll the trial had taken on her, as his attorneys argued that she had consented to sex.

His victim provided her full statement to BuzzFeed News.

In it she said: 'You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today.

Brock Turner, 20, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, California, on June 2

'He is a lifetime sex registrant. That doesnt expire. Just like what he did to me doesnt expire, doesnt just go away after a set number of years.

'It stays with me, its part of my identity, it has forever changed the way I carry myself, the way I live the rest of my life,' she added.

Turner, 20, who was part of Stanford's high-powered swimming program was convicted in Santa Clara County Superior Court of three counts of sexual assault.

He had been facing a 10-year prison term but was given just six months behind bars for his crime. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky said he weighed Turner's character, lack of criminal history and that he was remorseful in determining to bypass a heavier penalty.

His victim told BuzzFeed News she was disappointed with the 'gentle' sentence and angry Turner still denied the attack.

'Even if the sentence is light, hopefully this will wake people up,' she said.

'I want the judge to know that he ignited a tiny fire. If anything, this is a reason for all of us to speak even louder.'

In court the victim asked the judge if she could address Turner directly. She begun reading her statement by describing how she had planned to stay at home on January 17, 2015, but that her younger sister was visiting so after her father made them dinner she decided to go to the party with her sibling.

Once there she said she let her guard down and 'drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college'.

She 'blacked out' after drinking two whiskey shots, two vodka shots.

She explains: 'The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway.

'I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow.

The attack took place on Stanford University's campus in Santa Clara County. Turner was apprehended by two cyclists who witnessed part of the attack

'I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus.

'I was very calm and wondering where my sister was.

'A deputy explained I had been assaulted.

'I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. I knew no one at this party.

'When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing.

'I still remember the feeling of my hands touching my skin and grabbing nothing.

'I looked down and there was nothing. The thin piece of fabric, the only thing between my vagina and anything else, was missing and everything inside me was silenced.

'I still dont have words for that feeling. In order to keep breathing, I thought maybe the policemen used scissors to cut them off for evidence.'

She then described how she was examined and asked to sign papers that said 'Rape Victim' before being allowed to shower.

She continued: 'I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I dont want my body anymore. I was terrified of it, I didnt know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else.'

She said that she was told she was found behind a dumpster by two passing cyclists and had potentially been penetrated by a stranger.

She added: 'I (was told I) should get retested for HIV because results dont always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life.'

She said she was not ready to tell her boyfriend or her family what had happened because she did not know herself.

'I may have been raped behind a dumpster, but I dont know by who or when or how. If I told them, I would see the fear on their faces, and mine would multiply by tenfold, so instead I pretended the whole thing wasnt real.'

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen reacts to what happened in the courtroom outside of the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, California

She went on to explain how she became isolated and shut herself off from the world, not eating or sleeping and pretending it didn't happen.

She eventually discovered what had happened to her reading the new on her phone and came across an article about how she was found unconscious.

'This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me,' she said.

'I read something that I will never forgive; I read that according to him, I liked it. I liked it. Again, I do not have words for these feelings.'

Turner had maintained that the pair went outside the Kappa Alpha House, where the party was taking place, and kissed.

He said he took off her underwear, penetrated her with his hands and touched her breasts, but never took off his pants.

According to Turner, the woman appeared to be enjoying herself as she rubbed his back.

He added that his 'intentions were not to try and rape the girl without her consent' but to 'hook up' with a girl'..

He said 'we' started 'dry humping' - rubbing against each other with their clothes on - but said he then felt sick from the seven beers and two sips of whiskey he'd drunk.

He said he stumbled away thinking he would vomit when he noticed another man near him asking what he was doing.

Turner was detained after being spotted by two cyclists, before trying to flee.

The pair managed to tackle him while a third man called the police, Santa Clara County prosecutors say.

After reading about the assault in the news she sought the support of her family and told them what happened to her.

'The night after it happened, he said he didnt know my name, said he wouldnt be able to identify my face in a lineup, didnt mention any dialogue between us, no words, only dancing and kissing,' she said.

'When the detective asked if he had planned on taking me back to his dorm, he said no. When the detective asked how we ended up behind the dumpster, he said he didnt know.

'He admitted to kissing other girls at that party, one of whom was my own sister who pushed him away. He admitted to wanting to hook up with someone.

'I was the wounded antelope of the herd, completely alone and vulnerable, physically unable to fend for myself, and he chose me.

'Sometimes I think, if I hadnt gone, then this never wouldve happened. But then I realized, it would have happened, just to somebody else.'

She went on to describe the impact the trial had on her and was faced with a barrage of personal questions into her private life and recalling all that she could of the night in excruciating detail.

She said Turner changed his story nearly a year after the attack saying that he had asked her for consent and she said 'yes' and that the only reason they were on the ground was because she had fallen down.

She added: 'On top of all this, he claimed that I orgasmed after one minute of digital penetration. The nurse said there had been abrasions, lacerations, and dirt in my genitalia. Was that before of after I came?'

As she concluded the letter she said Turner had done 'irreversible damage' to her and her family and thanked all those who had supported her - friends, family and strangers and the two men who saved her.

'To have known all of these people, to have felt their protection and love, is something I will never forget,' she said.

She finished by saying: 'And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you.'

Speaking after judge Persky handed down the six month sentence, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement on Thursday: 'The punishment does not fit the crime,'

'The predatory offender has failed to take responsibility, failed to show remorse and failed to tell the truth. The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victim's ongoing trauma.'

A jury found Turner guilty of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person, and penetration of an unconscious person.

he was also handed three years' probation but with good behavior he is expected to serve three months in county jail, The Mercury News reported.

Turner will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and complete a sex offender management program.

The sentence will do nothing to quell the feeling among many that Stanford is among a number of universities criticized for having relaxed policies on sexual assault.

A law professor at the university, Michele Landis Dauber, has urged the school to make serious changes in their policies towards sexual assault.

Only four of the 175 reported sexual assaults at Stanford between 1997 and 2009 were properly investigated.

Dauber has called the statistics 'appalling'.

Dauber said that despite some improvement by the school in investigating sexual assault cases and acting for welcoming to victims, there is still room for improvement.

The university praised the student cyclists who stepped in to help the victim.

'Several students, both graduates and undergraduates, were upstanders in this situation,' Catherine Criswell, the University's Title IX Coordinator said.

'They made the courageous decision to intervene and provide assistance. That is exactly the type of leadership and caring we attempt to cultivate in our community, and we commend those students on their courage and quick response.'

Turner voluntarily withdrew from the university shortly after being charged. After his arrest he was released on $150,000 bail.

Originally from Ohio, Turner swam for the Dayton Raiders before being recruited for Stanford and was a three-time All-American high school swimmer at Oakwood High School.

Some accomplishments include breaking the Ohio record for fastest time by a male 18 and under in the 800-meter freestyle, winning high school state titles in the 200 and 500 freestyle, and making the U.S. Junior National team.
Supermarket giants Woolworths, Coles and Aldi are among the top ten companies most discussed on social media across Australia.

From June 3, Coles was mentioned 3,476 times, Woolworths 3,156 times and Aldi 902 times.

Consumers were more positive on German discounter, Aldi, despite Woolworths and Coles ranking as the first and second supermarkets in the country.

Supermarket giants Woolworths, Coles and Aldi (stock) are among the most popular companies to be discussed on social media  but not all reactions are positive

Discussions about Woolworths have been linked to failed hardware chain Masters and cheap milk on websites such as Twitter and Facebook.

While rival Coles, was also linked to cheap milk and criticised for battling farmers, reported Fairfax.

Aldi were brought up in mentions linked to healthiest grocery, organic and wine but took a blow to their popularity for selling caged eggs.

A campaign started by 14-year-old Angelina Popovski earlier this year to stop the business selling the eggs got Aldi's attention and they announced they would be moving towards free range eggs by 2025.

Aldi were linked to healthiest grocery, organic and wine but took a blow to their popularity when they were criticised for selling caged eggs. They have moved to introducing freerange (stock) but not till 2025

Despite backlash Media monitoring firm Meltwater said that Aldi recieved one-third of the social chatter and has the least amount of followers on Facebook (pictured) - but most comments have proved to be positive

Reports in May said consumers were glad the company had decided to make the change but couldn't understand why it would take nine years to happen, reported SBS.

The controversy led to a social media frenzy with consumers questioning why Aldi's competitors such as Woolworths were making the move by 2018.

Media monitoring firm Meltwater said that social chatter about Aldi, despite the backlash, tended to be positive, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

Woolworths 3,156 times and scored negative one on the sentiment scale - which is neutral but the lowest score of the three supermarket chains

David Hickey, area director at Meltwater Australia & New Zealand told the newspaper: 'On a scale of negative 100 to positive 100, Aldi scored 25 which is a positive tonality.

'Coles scored 7 which indicated a neutral tone and Woolworths scored negative 1, which is a neutral tone, but is the lowest score of the three.'

Woolworths and Coles also took a hit online over how $1-a-litre milk was affecting farmers.

Coles (stock) was mentioned 3,476 times and scored a seven on the sentiment scale - which indicates online mentions were mostly neutral

On Facebook Coles has over 1million 'likes' followed by Woolworths at 895,043 and Aldi at 365,149.

Mr Hickey told The Sydney Morning Herald that ignoring social media was a 'peril' for these companies.

He added: 'Aldi's outperformance on social media is not entirely skill.'

The German discounter's advertising budget soared in recent years as it seeks to become mainstream, reported the Financial Review.
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This year's newly crowned Miss USA has both beauty and brains in spades - and has also served her country.

Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber will go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest as the winner of Sunday's 2016 Miss USA competition held at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip.

Barber, who works as an IT analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. as well as a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, broke down in tears as she won.

The 26-year-old, whose mother, father, brother and sister have also served in the army, claimed the title after giving a strong answer when asked about women in combat, saying that gender doesn't limit women in America.

Barber said that women are just as tough as men during the question-and-answer segment, adding: 'As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated. Gender does not limit us in the United States.'

Now, Barber, who is the first-ever member of the military to win Miss USA, says she'll be taking a break from the Army Reserves to juggle her new duties. She said her current Army commitment is two days per month but that there's great flexibility with the Reserves.

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Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber broke down in tears as she was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas on Sunday night

The 26-year-old army officer won after giving a strong answer about women in combat, saying gender doesn't limit women in the U.S.

Barber says she will use her year with the title supporting veteran's causes and hopes to tackle the issue of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder among military members.

She also said the presidential candidates, including former pageant owner and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, should focus more on veteran's issues instead of discussing unimportant topics.

Previously, Barber has said that joining the military was the 'greatest decision' she has ever made and while she has not yet been deployed overseas, if President Obama asked her to fight in Iraq, she would jump at the opportunity.

'I'd be there in a heartbeat,' she told the Las Vegas Sun. 'That's what I signed up for 10 years ago, and that's a commitment that I still stand on today.'

'I think that when it's your time to go, it's your time to go. If your life happens to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country, I think it's the best way.'

Barber was born in Columbus, Georgia, but has lived in multiple states due to her father's military career before settling in Washington, D.C. Barber's father served in the Special Forces for 24 years and that's how he met her mother, who was also in the military.

'My siblings and I knew when we graduated from high school that we wanted to join,' she added.

Barer said she joined at 17, while her brother and sister enlisted at 18 right straight out of high school.

Deshauna Barber reacts as she is crowned Miss USA by Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan (right) during the 2016 Miss USA pageant

Deshauna Barber (left) holds hands with first runner-up Chelsea Hardin of Hawaii after being announced as Miss USA 2016

Barber poses with other contestants after being crowned Miss USA 2016 during the 2016 Miss USA pageant at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

'I ended up going through the ROTC program at university and commissioned to be officer in the United States Army in 2011. It's been the greatest decision I've ever made,' she said.

She graduated Virginia State University with a degree in business management and joined the army as a quartermaster officer in 2011. She now works as an IT Analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce and is also an army logistics commander.

Barber's passion is to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, specifically focusing her platform on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments overseas and suicide prevention in the armed forces, according to her bio on the Miss Universe website.

Ahead of the show on Sunday night, Barber took to Instagram to share a picture of herself backstage, captioned: 'No matter happens in 2.5 hours, I am thankful to have represented the District Of Columbia and Military Service Women around the world on the Miss USA stage.

She added: 'The stereotype for Women In The Military is OFFICIALLY BROKEN. The stereotype for Pageant Women is OFFICIALLY BROKEN *Drops Mic*'

Barber graduated Virginia State University with a degree in business management and joined the army as a quartermaster officer in 2011

Barber was born in Columbus, Georgia, but has lived in multiple states due to her father's military career before settling in Washington, D.C.

Deshauna Barber, pictured with her father, brother and sister, who all joined the military. Barber joined when she was 17

Barber's father (pictured) served in the Special Forces for 24 years and that's how he met her mother, who was also in the military

Coming in second was Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin, who punted at the contest when asked who she would vote for among the likely presidential candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton or former pageant owner Donald Trump, a Republican.

The 24-year-old college student from Honolulu acknowledged that there was no way to correctly answer the question during the beauty pageant. It was framed with Clinton's likely status of being the first woman nominated by a major political party for the White House.

Hardin responded that gender doesn't matter when deciding the next commander in chief, simply saying the new president should push for what's right for the country.

The final three was rounded out by Miss Georgia, Emanii Jovan Davis, who gave an answer about educating youth when asked about recent policy measures that some say makes it harder to vote.

Earlier in the contest, Miss California moved the Miss USA contest by admitting her battle with anorexia but failed to make the top three leaving Georgia, Hawaii and D.C. battling for the crown.

Nadia Grace Mejia, 20, the daughter of a 1990s one-hit-wonder singer called 'Rico Suave', had made it to the final five, but stumbled and paused repeatedly when answering her question on economic inequality.

The three-hour event was broadcast on Fox network. Last year, the show had aired on cable's Reelz network.

It came after a series of controversies last year with the beauty pageant organization, including a breakup with former owner Trump and a mistaken crowning of Miss Universe by Steve Harvey.

Miss Hawaii USA Chelsea Hardin (pictured left and right) punted at the contest when asked who she would vote for among the likely presidential candidates

Miss Georgia USA Emanii Davis competes in the swimsuit competition during the 2016 Miss USA pageant

The incident was referenced at the moment of truth - with Julianne Hough jokingly refusing to be the one to make the announcement and Jenkins saying a little prayer before revealing the winner.

At the start of Sunday's show, Steve Harvey made a cameo in a video to poke fun of the Miss Universe crowning that he botched in December.

In the clip, Harvey is seen helping host Jenkins prepare for the show. After handing Jenkins a cue card, he tells him to practice reading the winner's name.

'And the winner is... Miss Colombia?' Jenkins says.

'What'd I just tell you?' Harvey admonishes him. 'I said, 'Don't say Miss Colombia.

'They handed me a card. I said, 'When they hand you the card, don't say Miss Colombia.' Listen to me, Terrence. Don't say it.'

After the show, Harvey congratulated Barber on Twitter and joked: 'Soooooooo - I was a few months early with my announcement and forgot 'District of'.'

Miss California Nadia Grace Mejia (pictured above) was also named the fan favorite

The 20-year-old talked about suffering from anorexia and wanting to promote body confidence

Miss District of Columbia USA Deshauna Barber competes in the evening gown competition

QUESTION CONTROVERSY: VIEWERS BLAST DECISION TO ASK MISS HAWAII WHO SHE WOULD VOTE FOR Viewers flocked to social media to blast Miss USA pageant for asking Miss Hawaii a question they deemed unfair. Miss Hawaii punted at the Miss USA contest when asked who she would vote for among the likely presidential candidates: Hillary Clinton or former pageant owner Donald Trump? Judge Laura Brown asked Chelsea Hardin: 'If the election were held tomorrow, would you vote Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump for president, and why would you choose one over the other?' The 24-year-old college student from Honolulu avoided choosing, saying gender doesn't matter when deciding the next commander in chief, but she said the new president should push for what's right for the country. She said: 'It doesn't matter what gender, what we need in the United States is someone who represents those of us who don't feel like we have a voice, those of us who want our voices heard. We need a president to push for what is right, and push for what America really needs.' Later, Hardin acknowledged that there was no way to correctly answer the question during the beauty pageant. It was framed with Clinton's likely status of being the first woman nominated by a major political party for the White House. But fans and viewers took to social media to condemn the choice of question, saying it was unfair to ask her to reveal who she would vote for. 'When you vote for president, your ballot is secret. Completely inappropriate #MissUSA question, but #MissHawaii answered gracefully,' said Brandie Piper. Madeline Langdon added: ''I'm embarrassed for the entire #MissUSA organization. Asking a contestant who they would vote for is absolutely inappropriate.' Others suggested that the question may have cost Miss Hawaii the crown, with one person commenting: 'Wonder what would have happened if Miss DC got Miss Hawaii's question??? #MissUSA2016' Brown later addressed the controversy herself, writing on Twitter: 'Hi guys. I asked the question I was given and Miss Hawaii answered beautifully.' Advertisement

Fifty-two contestants took part in the 2016 Miss USA competition at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip. In addition to contestants representing each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the pageant also named a 'Miss 52 USA.'

Alexandra Miller, a 26-year-old from Oklahoma City, got the most fan votes among a group of finalists chosen by the organization.

The winner of Sunday's pageant will compete in the Miss Universe contest.

A year ago the brash billionaire and now presumed Republican candidate for president set off an ugly break up with The Miss Universe Organization, then co-owned by Trump and NBCUniversal.

Trump offended Hispanics last June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his bid for the White House.

NBC, which had aired the pageant since 2003, quickly cut business ties with Trump and refused to carry the 2015 show it had already scheduled.

Spanish-language network Univision also pulled out of the broadcast for what would have been the first of five years airing the pageants.

Trump then sued both Univision and NBC.

Steve Harvey made a cameo in a video at the start of the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night to poke fun at his infamous Miss Universe gaffe in December

In the clip, Harvey advises host Terrence J Jenkins to avoid making the same mistake as he did

He settled with NBC in September. Trump's $500 million lawsuit against Univision claimed his First Amendment rights were violated, as well as claiming a breach of contract. That dispute was eventually settled, too.

The talent management company WME/IMG then acquired The Miss Universe Organization.

During the Miss Universe pageant in December, host Steve Harvey mistakenly named the Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo the winner before correcting himself on the stage. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines was then given the crown.

Officials later said it was due to human error. The talk show host said he had re-read the card and noticed it said 'first runner-up' next to the Colombia contestant's name before clarifying with producers his mistake.

That Miss Universe contest was also held in Vegas, at the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino.

'MY BOOKERS BODY SHAMED ME ENDLESSLY': MISS CALIFORNIA REVEALS HER BATTLE WITH ANOREXIA Miss California Nadia Mejia admitted that the pressures of working as a model in Los Angeles led to her becoming anorexic after her bookers body shamed her. The 20-year-old made it to the final five of the Miss USA pageant, and during the show, spoke of her battle with anorexia and desire to promote body confidence. In a blog post on Not So Private Parts earlier this year, Mejia revealed that the pressures of working as a model in Los Angeles led her to fear food 'more than anything else in the world' - and drop 30lbs in two months. However, with the support of her friends and her faith in God, she was able to recover - but admits that she stills battles anorexia every day. 'Being a full time model, I'm constantly being judged based on my appearance and measurements,' she wrote. 'Breaking into the entertainment industry so young without my parents being there to keep me grounded and sane was extremely difficult.' She added: 'I would focus so much on pleasing my bookers, who body shamed me endlessly, that I went from 132 lbs to 102 lbs in the matter of two months. 'I counted calories endlessly and refused to eat over 1000 cal a day. I ran four miles a day and feared food more than anything in the world. 'Eight months of my life, I struggled with this. But with the support of my family and my faith in God, I was able to overcome what the devil was telling me.' Now, Mejia is healthy again and hopes that her story will help other young girls - and works with the National Eating Disorder association to spread the message at schools and churches across California. Advertisement

Nadia Mejia admitted that the pressures of working as a model in LA led to her becoming anorexic after her bookers body shamed her

Hosts Terrence Jenkins and Julianne Hough speak onstage during the 2016 Miss USA pageant at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
A 25-year-old spat in a female officer's face after being warned not to spit

Police allege they spat at ambulance officers are they tried to treat them

Two young men have been charged with serious assault in Queensland

Two men will face court charged with serious assault after spitting at paramedics who were attempting to treat them over the weekend.

The first instance involved a male paramedic who was attempting to tend to a 21-year-old man who appeared to be intoxicated on Orchid Street in Surfers Paradise at about 1.45am on Saturday.

He allegedly pulled away from the paramedic as he was administering first aid and spat on the officer's arm.

Two men will face court charged with serious assault after spitting at paramedics who were trying to treat them

The paramedic was not physically injured but the man, from Beenleigh, north west of the Gold Coast, was charged with seriously assaulting a public officer.

He is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on June 15.

A 25-year-old man was also charged with serious assault following an incident in a residential area of Caboolture, north of Brisbane, at about 1.15pm on Sunday.

A female paramedic was treating a man for superficial facial injuries when he allegedly spat on her hands.

A female paramedic was treating a man for superficial facial injuries when he allegedly spat on her hands

Police alleged the Redcliffe man then spat in the woman's face for a second time, just after being warned that the behaviour was not acceptable

Police alleged the Redcliffe man then spat in the woman's face for a second time, just after being warned that the behaviour was not acceptable.

The paramedic sought medical treatment while the man was arrested after being transported to Caboolture Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

He is due to face the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Monday.

A Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokesperson said paramedics are often targets of physical and verbal abuse, with disappointing incidents like these on the rise across the state.

'Incidents of violence against health workers are unfortunately increasing, with 3,300 nurses, doctors, paramedics and hospital staff being assaulted in Queensland in the 2014-15 financial year. This includes 170 deliberate physical attacks on paramedics.

A Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokesperson said paramedics are often targets of physical and verbal abuse, with disappointing incidents like these on the rise across the state

They said QAS has 'zero tolerance' for any kind of abuse against its staff, adding that these men and women are being targeted when they are simply trying to do their jobs.

'Paramedics are dedicated health professionals that spend their working lives helping and caring for others and they do not deserve to be spat at, punched, kicked, pushed or abused while they are trying to care for a patient.

'Aside from being an upsetting experience, being spat on can mean that paramedics are forced to undergo testing for infectious diseases and often will have to wait many months for the results.

'No one should be assaulted while they are doing their job.'
Windfarm boss: England is simply not windy enough to justify more onshore wind turbines

England is simply not windy enough to justify more onshore wind turbines, the head of the industry's trade body admitted yesterday.

Hugh McNeal, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said that  while there was still a case for more onshore farms elsewhere in the UK  wind speeds in England were just not strong enough for new turbines to make economic sense.

Critics said his comments proved what they have argued all along  that wind farms are an expensive and ineffective power source.

Dubbing wind power a 'failed medieval technology', they said Mr McNeal's remarks called into question the viability of 'several thousand' new turbines currently in the planning stages which are still set to go ahead  as well as England's existing 1,200 turbines.

Mr McNeal, who joined the industry body from the Department of Energy and Climate Change two months ago, said that new wind farms in England would not be able to compete with the price of electricity produced from gas plants.

'We are almost certainly not talking about the possibility of new [onshore] plants in England,' he said.

'The project economics wouldn't work; the wind speeds don't allow for it.' His comments came after the Government's decision that from this month wind farms will no longer be eligible for generous taxpayer-funded subsidies  known as Renewable Obligation Certificates  which are offered to renewable energy projects.

Britain has invested 1.25billion in wind power, making it the country's biggest renewable energy source.

But opponents point to figures which reveal that on some days wind farms meet as little as 0.5 per cent of the nation's electricity demand  and are only profitable because of the massive subsidies paid to operators.

Last year the UK's 5,300 onshore wind turbines cost taxpayers 800million  equivalent to an extra 10 a year on energy bills  in Government handouts, but generated less than 10 per cent of all the country's energy.

Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Forum, said Mr McNeal's comments were a 'cry by a desperate lobbyist who is conceding that wind turbines can only survive if the Government continues to hand out the cash'. He added: 'But it is ordinary families that are paying for these subsidies and they continue to rise  renewables are predicted to cost us 8billion in subsidies by 2020.'

100 ON OUR BILLS BY 2020 The UK has invested 1.25 billion in wind farms  as much as the rest of the world combined An average of just 10 per cent of UK energy is generated via wind, compared with 30 per cent by gas, 23 per cent from coal and 22 per cent by nuclear There are around 5,300 wind turbines in the UK, with 1,200 in England  but they only produce energy an average of 25 per cent of the time Subsidies to onshore wind turbines cost the UK taxpayer 800million last year, but subsidies to all renewable energy sources are expected to top 8billion by 2020 A recent report by Cornwall Energy found energy subsidies will have risen 124 per cent by 2020/21  putting 100 on the average annual energy bill Advertisement

Despite the subsidy scrappage, 'several thousand' turbines that have been granted planning permission will still qualify. And ministers remain committed to wind as part of their green energy strategy, which aims to produce 15 per cent of all energy from renewables by 2020.

Former environment secretary Owen Paterson said Mr McNeal's admission in The Sunday Telegraph was proof wind as an energy source should be scrapped.

'On the coldest day of the year [last year] wind provided just 0.7 per cent of our electricity,' he said.

'It's a failed medieval technology which we abandoned many centuries ago because it doesn't work.'

Despite his admission, Mr McNeal maintained wind farms were the cheapest form of new energy generation in Britain. He said: 'If plants can be built in places where people don't object to them and if ... over their whole lifetime the net impact on consumers against the alternatives is beneficial, I need to persuade people we should be doing that.'
Women suffer 'mental burnout' from pressures of many different factors

found that both men and women are at peak risk below the age of 35

to be 1.9 times as likely to suffer from stress as men

Women are twice as likely to suffer from severe stress and anxiety as men, according to a major study.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental conditions in the Western world, affecting three million in the UK alone.

Yet experts say they remain woefully understood.

Now scientists at Cambridge University have found that women are 1.9 times as likely to suffer as men, a trend which persists throughout their lifetimes.

Women are twice as likely to suffer from severe stress and anxiety as men, according to a major study (stock photo)

The researchers believe this may be because women now often have to juggle work, family and children  causing them to suffer from mental burn-out.

The study also showed that both men and women are at peak risk below the age of 35.

The experts, whose findings are published in the journal Brain and Behaviour, reviewed 48 studies from around the world.

The team also discovered that people from Western Europe and North America are far more likely to suffer from stress and anxiety than those in the developing world.

Study leader Olivia Remes, of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, said: Anxiety disorders can make life extremely difficult for some people and it is important for our health services to understand how common they are and which groups of people are at greatest risk.

By collecting all the data together, we see that these disorders are common across all groups, but women and young people are disproportionately affected. Miss Remes suggested that social changes may be behind this gulf between men and women.

She said: While in the past women were more likely to stay at home and be responsible for the family, they are now more likely to hold down a job while also bringing up children.

Scientists at Cambridge University have found that women are 1.9 times as likely to suffer as men, a trend which persists throughout their lifetimes - and it may be because women now often have to juggle work, family and children (stock photo)

'Women are more likely to have employment now than in the past, but also more likely to look after the family and elderly or disabled relatives.

'The burden of all these things falls to women.

Miss Remes added that while more research is needed, there may also be links to psychological differences between the sexes.

When women are subjected to stress they are more likely to internalise it and develop anxiety, she said. They tend to ruminate about what has gone wrong.

Whereas men externalise  they react, and this means they are more likely to develop other problems, such as alcohol or drug issues.

There may be biological differences  it could be because of differences in brain chemistry or hormones.

Co-author Dr Louise Lafortune said: Anxiety disorders affect a lot of people and can lead to impairment, disability, and risk of suicide.

'Although many groups have examined this important topic, significant gaps in research remain.
The seven-year itch is a real phenomenon backed up by cold hard facts, according to an academic.

There has long been a superstition that the milestone marks the make-or-break point in a relationship.

But Cambridge University statistics professor Sir David Spiegelhalter says that data actually backs up the theory  as couples are most likely to divorce after seven years of marriage.

The seven-year itch is a real phenomenon backed up by cold hard facts, according to professor Sir David Spiegelhalter (file photo)

He also said that if couples make it past that point, the likelihood they will break up falls year on year after that.

Speaking at Hay Festival, Sir David said: For those who have been married 15 years, about one-and-a-half per cent will end in their 16th year.

Seven years is the peak risk time for divorce during a marriage.

Sir David, who was recently elected as president of the Royal Statistical Society, said that while you might expect there to be another peak in divorces later in marriages, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows this is not the case.

He added: [The risk of divorce] just steadily declines as we get used to each other. Its a four-star statistic, the seven-year itch.

Sir David said it still applies even though more couples are living together for three or four years on average before getting married.

An ONS report in 2012 showed that the likelihood of a couple divorcing before their next anniversary increased steadily during the early years of marriage and peaked at 3.25 per cent around a couples seventh anniversary. It then gradually decreased again afterwards.

The seven-year itch got its name from a play of that name by George Axelrod which was turned into a hit film starring Marilyn Monroe.

The seven-year itch got its name from a play of that name by George Axelrod which was turned into a hit film starring Marilyn Monroe (pictured)

NO SEX PLEASE, I'M WATCHING NETFLIX: COUPLES CHOOSE TV INSTEAD Couples are having less sex because they watch more TV on iPads and laptops in bed. Professor David Spiegelhalter said the huge amount of choice on online streaming services such as Netflix means we are less interested in sex. People think Im going to watch the entire second season of Game of Thrones, he said. Its generally thought now that this mass of connectivity that we now have, the constant checking of our phones, the amount of entertainment going on all at once, compared with just a few years ago when the TV used to close down at half past ten and there was nothing else to do, has affected the frequency of our sex. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) found that in 2000 those aged 16 to 44 were having sex around six times a month. But interviews carried out by Natsal between 2010 and 2012, published in The Lancet journal, revealed this had fallen to just under five times a month  a drop of 20 per cent. The interviews suggested other reasons couples are having less sex include that more people are depressed. Netflix lets viewers watch TV series and films on demand. It is the UKs most popular streaming service, with one in four houses having a subscription.  The key to a happy love life is to give up on the quest for Mr Right, a philosopher has said. Alain de Botton said the idea of soulmates was touching but catastrophic for our expectations of love. Instead, we should learn to compromise and accept each others flaws. Advertisement

For years scientists have tried to find explanations for why the phenomenon might happen.

In the 19th century Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner suggested humans change physically and mentally every seven years and so are more likely to grow apart from each other.

But there has been much debate about whether the seven-year itch actually exists.

In 1999 Dr Larry Kurdek, a psychology professor at Wright State University in Ohio, found evidence for a dip in affection after four years and again after seven years of marriage.

But last year a British study suggested the real test is the first anniversary, when a mans testosterone levels, the key to his sex drive, plummet.
See more of the latest Brexit news at www.dailymail.co.uk/brexit

But Cameron shoots straight back, accusing his Tory colleagues of being 'reckless, misleading and wrong' over

Britain could be forced to hand an extra 2.4billion to Brussels if it stays in the EU, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove claim today amid a dramatic escalation of the Tory civil war.

Attacking David Cameron and George Osborne's stewardship of the economy, the leading Brexit campaigners said the UK has been left facing 'massive risks'.

They added that the EU has run up almost 20billion of unpaid bills in recent years, and once the referendum is over Britain will be presented with a demand for its share if the country votes to stay in.

But the Prime Minister shot back by accusing his Tory colleagues of being 'reckless, misleading and wrong' over the 2.4billion figure.

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Britain could be forced to hand an extra 2.4billion to Brussels if it stays in the EU, Boris Johnson (left) and Michael Gove (right) claims today

The EU's review of its 2014-2020 budget has been delayed due to the UK's referendum.

Mr Johnson and Mr Gove also claimed the UK could be asked to fork out extra cash to help deal with the continent's immigration crisis and to bail out the eurozone if the single currency collapses.

In a remarkable move, the pair wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and Chancellor today saying: 'The public cannot trust EU or Government promises that we wont be paying for Eurozone bailouts given the history and how we can be outvoted.'

Asked whether the 2.4billion was correct, the Prime Minister replied: 'Again today, reckless with statistics; misleading with statistics; wrong when it comes to the figures - I would say to people, don't throw away your jobs, your future, on a campaign that is determined to say anything to get the outcome they want.'

He added on Twitter: 'The Leave campaign is simply wrong to claim we will have to bailout Eurozone countries.

'We are not part of Eurozone bailout schemes. We also have a veto over any EU budget increases.'

It comes amid an intensification in the blue-on-blue battle over Europe, which the Prime Minister will today risk further inflaming by sharing a platform with three Left-wing politicians who are traditional enemies of his party.

Labour's Harriet Harman, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron will join David Cameron to accuse Vote Leave of 'perpetuating an economic con-trick' on the voters.

Attacking David Cameron and George Osborne's stewardship of the economy, the leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson (pictured on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday) said the UK has been left facing 'massive risks'

Out campaigners say that sharing a platform with Miss Harman, in particular, is evidence that No 10 is rattled by polls showing the push for Brexit in front.

Vote Leave's Matthew Elliott said: 'This is desperate stuff from an increasingly desperate campaign.

'No 10 are panicking and resorting to petty personal attacks because they know they are losing the arguments. People are rejecting their pessimistic campaign of doom in favour of our positive vision.'

POUND DIPS AFTER POLLS SHOW BREXIT IN THE LEAD The pound slumped to fresh lows in morning trading after polls showed rising support among voters for leaving the European Union. Sterling hit a three-week low against the dollar, falling as much as 0.9 per cent to 1.43 US dollars. Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, said more volatility should be expected over the coming weeks. 'The polls are likely to make people rather uneasy and we can see that quite clearly today in the pound, currently down almost 1 per cent against the dollar, having hit three-week lows earlier in the session. 'With both sides likely to step up their game over the next couple of weeks, I imagine we'll see a lot more volatility in the pound, and the closer the polls get, or if 'Vote Leave' continues to push ahead, the pound may find itself back towards April's lows before too long.' Bank of England governor Mark Carney is among those who have warned that the value of sterling could plummet in the event of a Leave vote. Hussein Sayed, FXTM chief market strategist, said: 'It is becoming extremely worrying for the financial markets and we expect more sterling losses if polls continued to indicate a Brexit lead. 'From a technical perspective GBP/USD imminent support stands at 1.4330; however, don't expect the pair to respect any technical or fundamental indicators as polls will continue to dictate the move until June 23.' Advertisement

His comments came as Downing Street was accused of sending out Sir John Major to make a savage personal attack on 'court jester' Mr Johnson.

The EU has to review its 2014-2020 budget by the end of this year. The process has been delayed because of the UK referendum, suggesting British taxpayers will face a hefty new unexpected bill if they vote to say in.

Vote Leave said that, according to the European parliament's own officials, the 'backlog of unpaid bills' has soared to reach an 'unprecedented peak' of 19.4billion.

The campaign said that, with Britain contributing around 13 per cent of the EU's budget, it would be on the hook for an estimated 2.4billion. The EU could demand that Britain pays the bill anyway if voters choose to leave, although it is unclear if the UK could be made to write a cheque.

Post-Brexit, ministers could simply refuse to hand over any more money.

The Remain camp has also seized on comments by Justice Secretary Michael Gove suggesting the UK will not leave the EU by the end of Parliament in 2020 in the event of Brexit.

Pro-EU Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said: 'They have admitted there would be at least five years of economic uncertainty after a vote to leave. That would cost jobs, cost investment and damage people's livelihoods.'

Mr Johnson said: 'The risks of Remain are massive. Not only do we hand over more than 350million a week to the EU, but if we vote to stay the British people will be on the hook for even more cash.

'It is a triple whammy of woe: the eurozone is being strangled by stagnation, unemployment and a lack of growth, it could explode at any time and we will be forced to bail it out.'

He added that by voting Leave, the country could avoid the 2.4billion bill to 'take back control of our money and spend it on our priorities like the NHS'.

It is part of a strategy by Vote Leave to focus on the risks of remaining in the EU. Today, its senior figures will make a series of speeches on the threat posed by continued membership.

In an accompanying five-page letter, Mr Gove and Mr Johnson warn that the Prime Minister and Chancellor have put the economy in 'severe danger' and cannot be trusted to honour their promises on Europe.

Labour's Harriet Harman, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron will join David Cameron to accuse Vote Leave of 'perpetuating an economic con-trick' on the voters

ANOTHER poll shows Brexit in the lead in EU referendum battle

David Cameron and Boris Johnson traded blows today as another poll showed the Brexit campaign has gained the upper hand in the referendum battle.

Research by YouGov for ITV's Good Morning Britain found Leave was ahead by 45 per cent to 41 per cent, with 11 per cent undecided.

It is the latest survey to give Brexiteers the advantage after a torrid spell for the Prime Minister in which he struggled to explain how the UK could tackle immigration within the bloc.

The value of the pound dipped sharply against the dollar this morning as the prospect of a Leave vote spooked the markets.

The YouGov poll is the latest to suggest Leave has the momentum in the EU referendum battle

Net migration to the country is running at around 333,000 a year - with some 184,000 of those coming from the EU.

An Opinium poll yesterday said the race was split 43 per cent to Leave and 40 per cent to Remain.

It also suggested the undecided voters - 14 per cent of the sample - were starting to lean toward Brexit.

Sterling hit a three-week low against the dollar as experts warned of more volatility to come with the referendum on a knife edge.
Police are hunting a man who allegedly held a gun to a woman's head and pulled the trigger twice in a terrifying attempted carjacking.

The man, in his 20s, pointed the gun at the woman as she got out of her car in Castlemaine, about 120km north-west of Melbourne, last week, police said.

The woman, 50, twice refused his demands to hand over the keys to her Audi, and each time she heard the click of the gun as he pulled the trigger.

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Police are hunting a man (pictured) who allegedly held a gun to a woman's head and pulled the trigger twice in a terrifying attempted carjacking

The offender fled the scene and ran to a white Holden Commodore (pictured) where his accomplice was waiting in the drivers seat

Police said they believed it was an imitation gun and the woman was not physically injured.

The offender fled the scene and ran to a white Holden Commodore where his accomplice was waiting in the drivers seat.

Police have released a computer generated image of the armed man and hope someone will recognise him.

The sedan, believed to be a VR or VS model, was last seen heading east along the Pyrenees Highway

He is described as Caucasian in appearance, aged in his 20s, about 168cm tall with a stocky build, fair wavy hair and clean shaven.

He was wearing a light coloured long sleeve top and light coloured baggy track pants.

The driver is described as being similar in age but thinner than the armed man and has brown coloured hair.

The sedan, believed to be a VR or VS model, was last seen heading east along the Pyrenees Highway.

The car is reported to have only the passenger side headlight working.
David Cameron will today risk inflaming the Tory civil war over Europe by sharing a platform with three Left-wing politicians who are traditional enemies of his party.

Labour's Harriet Harman, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron will join the PM to attack the Leave camp  led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove  for 'perpetuating an economic con-trick' on voters.

Out campaigners say sharing a platform with Miss Harman, in particular, is evidence that No 10 is rattled by polls showing Leave in front.

Unlikely allies: David Cameron will today risk inflaming the Tory civil war over Europe by sharing a platform with Labour's Harriet Harman

Tory grandee Lord Tebbit said: 'I think it's dangerous for the leader of the Conservative Party to give greater credence to minor parties such as the Greens and the Lib Dems.

'It just makes them look as though they are major political players and as though they are leaders of national parties.

'It is dangerous because in less than a fortnight's time a Conservative candidate will be fighting a by-election in Tooting, intent on gaining votes from the Lib Dems and the Greens in order to defeat the Labour candidate.'

Matthew Elliott, of Vote Leave, said: 'This is desperate stuff from an increasingly desperate campaign. No 10 are panicking and are resorting to petty personal attacks because they know they are losing the arguments.

'People are rejecting their pessimistic campaign of doom in favour of our positive vision for Britain's future.'

Tory grandee Lord Tebbit (pictured) said it was 'dangerous for the leader of the Conservative Party to give greater credence to minor parties such as the Greens and the Lib Dems'

Mr Cameron, Miss Harman and others will today claim Leave has supported 23 trade models.

They said Leave was 'perpetuating an economic contrick on the British people, and we're calling time on it', adding: 'The British public deserve better than being asked to roll the dice.'

They will 'guarantee that, if Britain votes to remain in the EU, businesses, workers and young people will continue to benefit from our membership of the world's largest free-trade single market'.

The statement added: 'EU law will continue to deliver valuable rights for workers, and Britain will stay at the top table in dealing with issues like climate change and terrorism.'
A Canadian millionaire charged with torturing and killing his new lover was working on a violent comic that may have foreshadowed the alleged murder, it has emerged.

Blake Leibel, 35, was arrested and accused of murdering his 30-year-old Ukrainian girlfriend Iana Kasian on Thursday after her mangled body was found in his Hollywood apartment.

The property heir had been invited his girlfriend to his home to talk about his recent arrest for alleged sexual assault the day before her mangled body was discovered by police.

Friends said Leibel - who was also inside the home - had left his heavily pregnant wife and become increasingly paranoid in the months leading up to the killing.

He had published a graphic novel that contained cartoons of decapitated and bloodied women and a hand dripping with blood, alongside the caption: 'In the end we ALL become monsters.'

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Blake Leibel, 35, was arrested and accused of murdering his 30-year-old Ukrainian girlfriend Iana Kasian on Thursday after her mangled body was found in his Hollywood apartment. He is pictured here with ex-wife Amanda Braun

Leibel, who is the son of prominent Toronto developer Lorne Leibel, is accused of murdering Kasian (pictured). Kasian appeared to have been badly beaten, authorities said

Sick: Leibel had published a graphic novel that contained cartoons of decapitated and bloodied women

Leibel has pleaded not guilty to murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture.

He had recently had a child with Miss Kasian, but also has a baby with his ex-wife, who he suddenly left in the summer of last year when she was eight-and-a-half months pregnant, the National Post reported.

Leebel, the son of wealthy Toronto developer Lorne Leibel, spent his days coming up with ideas for bizarre novels, comics and movies - which were largely panned when they were finally produced.

Nonetheless he seemed to be living a contented life with his pregnant wife Amanda Braun and their child, until he took a sudden turn last year and walked out on her.

'We all thought it was because he was embarrassed of what had happened with his wife,' his friend said.

But other friends painted a more troubling picture.

Inside Leibel's novel is a hand dripping with blood, alongside the caption: 'In the end we ALL become monsters'

Kasian (pictured) was tortured and mutilated before she was killed and all of her blood was drained from her body, prosecutors said

He would walk into comic book stores and try to give out his chillingly violent books for free, one friend told the Post.

Leibel also seemed to have an 'obsession' with brutality and had written a novel called Syndrome, which is about a serial killer trying to find a cure for men who 'do terrible things'.

'If you loved hurting things, what would you do?' the book's foreword says.

He was working on another novel, Psychopomp, with illustrator Trevor Goring when he met Miss Kasian, and ended up moving in with her.

She later fell pregnant, but moved out after the sexual assault allegation was made.

Days later, Leibel apologized to Miss Kasian and asked her to come over and hear her out.

That evening, her mother, Olga - who was visiting from Kiev - became worried and went round to the apartment, but there was no answer.

A week before the body was found, Leibel was arrested on a sex-assault charge, Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef said. He was booked May 20 and released later in the day on $100,000 bail, according to jail records. Police outside the couple's apartment

A family friend said when Kasian found out about Leibel's charge, she moved out of their apartment and in with her mother. Aronchik said Kasian went to the apartment to speak with Leibel and when she didn't return by the next day, her mother went to police

She called the LAPD but officers would not knock down the door because she been missing for less than 24 hours.

Police returned the next day and forced their way in, finding a gruesome scene.

Behind a barricade of furniture, Miss Kasian was found lifeless in the bedroom and had clearly been tortured before her death, police said.

The deputy district attorney on the case said Leibel had mutilated his ex-girlfriend and drained her of blood.

A couple killed in Liebel's Syndrome novel were also drained of blood after being strung up by their feet.

A cartoon in that story shows a woman's decapitated body on a blood-stained bed.

Leibel was also found and was eventually arrested by police after he failed to cooperate.
Locked in the election fight of his political life, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has moved to tell the nation the story of how he was raised by a 'battling' single father who 'didn't have much money'.

In a glossy campaign video posted to social media at the weekend, the Sydney Grammar-educated Liberal leader reflected upon how the late Bruce Bligh Turnbull showered him with love.

'He was a single father and we lived together, two guys - big brother, little brother really was the type of relationship,' said Mr Turnbull.

'We were incredibly close. We didn't have much money... He was a hotel broker and for most of that time, he was battling.'

The video was a personal pitch to voters at a time when Mr Turnbull's approval rating has crashed and Labor has painted him 'seriously out of touch'.

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Father and son: Malcolm Turnbull has put his relationship with his father, Bruce, at the centre of his campaign - telling the story of how he was raised in a new campaign advertisement

Mr Turnbull (left) described his father as a hardworking man who built a career as a hotel broker to get ahead

When the future prime minister was aged nine, Mr Turnbull's mother, Coral Lansbury (pictured) left the family and moved to New Zealand to be with another man

Bruce Turnbull (left), pictured with a grown-up Malcolm, died in a plane crash in the Hunter Valley in 1982. Mr Turnbull's mother spent more time in Australia with him as he grew older

His net approval rating has reportedly plunged from stratospheric highs last year (+53 points in November) to startling lows (+3 points this week) according to Fairfax Ipsos polling.

The 80 second advertisement largely glossed over Mr Turnbull's relationship with his mother, Coral Magnolia Lansbury.

She left the family when he was nine-years-old, moving to New Zealand to be with another man.

But Mr Turnbull said Bruce would only speak to his son about her in 'glowing' terms - keeping his bitterness to himself.

'He told me how much she loved me... He did everything to make sure we had the closest relationship.'

Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy have been candid about his upbringing - with Mr Turnbull describing himself as 'desperately lonely' at boarding school when his parent's marriage unravelled.

In an interview with Australian Story, Lucy Turnbull said Mr Turnbull's mother who was a huge motivating force in his life.

'Malcolm's mother was a high achiever herself and she had very, very high aspirations for her son,' Mrs Turnbull said.

'You know, to do anything other than come first was seen as a huge under-achievement.

The Prime Minister and his wife: Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull are pictured at a Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta last year

Mr Turnbull with his mother, Coral Lansbury, who abandoned the family and moved to New Zealand to be with another man, John Salmon

Speaking to Australian Story in 2008, Mr Turnbull said:

'Trying to meet the expectations that were placed upon his shoulders as a child is a very motivating force in his life.'

Coral returned to Australia and spent more time with her son when that marriage eventually dissolved, with Mr Turnbull going on to become a lawyer and internet entrepreneur.

In the Australian Story interview, Mr Turnbull said: 'Yeah, prime minister would have been, probably would have been good enough for her but...

'But maybe, maybe it wouldn't have been good enough'.
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It was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western Industrialized world.

The Great Depression devastated the United States from 1929 to 1939, directly followed by World War II, which lasted until 1945 and kicked American industry into gear.

The Depression marked the bitter and abrupt end to the post-World War 1 bubble that left America giddy with promise in the 1920s.

But even amidst the despair and destitution, hope shone through as families and neighborhoods pulled together to make the best of things.

Vivid color photos collated by the Library of Congress capture an era generally only seen in black and white.

Photographers working for the United States Farm Security Administration (FSA) and later the Office of War Information (OWI) created the images between 1939 and 1944.

Touching scenes show workers plowing the land, a New Mexican family sharing a modest meal in their dugout and Cajun children fishing in a deserted lake.

While the democracy of the war effort is symbolized by a photo of a woman working on a 'Vengeance' dive bomber in Tennessee.

The Great Depression began in the US soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors.

What followed was a steep decline in consumer spending and a drop in investment. This caused a drop in industrial output and rising levels of unemployment.

This reached its peak on 1933 when some 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the banks had collapsed.

And though the relief and reform measures put into place by President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped lessen its worst effects in the 1930s, the economy would not fully turn around until after 1939, with the arrival of World War II.

Near the end of the 1930s the country was beginning to recover from the crash, but many in small towns and rural areas were still poverty-stricken.

These rare photographs are some of the few documenting those iconic years in color.

Working the land: Vivid color photos collated by the Library of Congress capture an era generally only seen in black and white

Sitting pretty: 'Backstage' at the 'girlie' show at the Vermont state fair in Rutland, Vermont, in late 1941

Cabbage Patch Kid: Child of a migratory farm laborer in the field during the harvest of the community center's cabbage crop, FSA labor camp, Tex.

The Great Depression began in the US soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Pictured: People fishing in creek near cotton plantations outside Belzoni, Miss

The Great Depression devastated the United States from 1929 to 1939, directly followed by World War II, which lasted until 1945 and kicked American industry into gear. Pictured:Getting ready to serve the barbeque dinner at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair, 1940

A woman working on a 'Vengeance' dive bomber in Tennessee, February 1943

Living quarters and a 'juke joint' for migratory workers during a slack season, in Belle Glade, Florida, taken in early 1941

Left: Winner at the Delta County Fair, Colorado. Right: Migratory worker, FSA camp, Robstown, Texas

Life is peachy: Hauling crates of peaches from the orchard to the shipping shed, Delta County, Colorado, in late 1940

Facing life head on: Jack Whinery, homesteader, and his family in Pie Town, New Mexico, October 1940

Left: Cajun children in a bayou near a school in Terrebonne, a US Farm Security Administration project. Right, a shepherd with his horse and dog on Gravelly Range Madison County, Montana, August 1942

Photos of America during the Depression, much like the mood of the country, are often bleak, available only in black and white Pictured: A meeting possibly being held in Ohio

Working the land: Bayou Bourbeau plantation operated by Bayou Bourbeau Farmstead Association, a cooperative established through the cooperation of FSA, Natchitoches, La.

Traditional roles within the family changed during the 1930s. Men finding themselves out of work now had to rely on their wives and children in some cases to help make ends meet

Roll Up, Roll Up: At the ticket table for entrance to the circus tent where Teddy the Wrestling Bear can be seen in action for a small fee

Distributing surplus commodities in St. Johns, Arizona, in late 1940

Left: A woman cradles a young child at the Bayou Bourbeau plantation, a Farm Security Administration cooperative in the vicinity of Natchitoches, Louisiana, August, 1940.

The Caudill family eating dinner in their dugout, in Pie Town, New Mexico, in late 1940

A cross roads store, bar, 'juke joint,' and gas station in the cotton plantation area, Melrose, La.

Boys sitting on a truck parked at the FSA labor camp, Robstown, Tex

Day laborers picking cotton near Clarksdale, Mississippi, in late 1939

Trucks outside of a starch factory, in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, in late 1940. There were almost 50 trucks in the line. Some had been waiting for 24 hours for the potatoes to be graded and weighed.

Jim Norris and wife, homesteaders, Pie Town, New Mexico in 1940

On October 24, 1929, the stock market bubble finally burst, as investors began dumping shares en masse

A shortage of jobs in the Southwest led to the illegal deportation of 400,000 Mexican-Americans so that whites could get more jobs or government relief. Pictured: At the Vermont state fair, Rutland 1941 Sept

The photographs and captions are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color. Pictured:Boy building a model airplane while other children look on, FSA labor camp, Robstown, Tex, 1942

But even amidst the despair and destitution, hope shone through as families and neighborhood's pulled together to make the best of it. Pictured: Delta County Fair in Colorado, in late 1940

It ultimately took the outbreak of World War II to help the US wrench itself out of the protracted slump. Pictured: Tenant Purchase borrowers by their house, Puerto Rico, 1941 or 1942

Up to forty percent of the country never faced real hardship during those years. But most were touched by it in some way

Most minorities benefited little from FDR's New Deal programs. Minorities, long considered the 'last hired, first fired' before the depression, were the first ones hurt by the job layoffs

Fish for sale: For those who were lucky enough to remain employed, wages fell and buying power decreased

Harvesting new corn from the field of Jim Norris, in Pie Town, New Mexico, in late 1940

Faro and Doris Caudill, homesteaders, in Pie Town, New Mexico, in late 1940
Rustie Lassam was addicted to prescription painkillers for more than 30 years.

The 54-year-old mother said there was hardly any opioids she had not been dependent on.

Over her 32 years of addiction, Ms Lassam - who lives in Victoria's Latrobe Valley - took oxycodone, morphine, pethidine, benzodiazepine - the active ingredient in Valium - and codeine.

According to the National Drug Household Survey report, Australians aged between 20 and 29 were most likely to misuse pharmaceuticals for non-medical purposes in their lifetime, with about 10 million prescriptions a year written for benzodiazepine.

Rustie Lassam (pictured) was addicted to prescription painkillers for more than 30 years

The 54-year-old mother (pictured with her son) said there was hardly any opioid she was not prone to taking more than she should

One in 50 Australians are currently taking a form of benzodiazepine and have been taking the drug for longer than six months.

Doctors have likened opiates and other prescription painkillers to heroin, and are concerned about how often Endone, OxyContin and Fentanyl - the drug which was revealed this week to have killed pop icon Prince - is prescribed, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

And Ms Lassam agrees with this assessment of painkillers, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'There isn't a difference between people who have a heroin addiction and people who have an addiction to prescription medication.

'When it comes down to it prescription medication is legal and heroin is not.

Over her 32 years of addiction, Ms Lassam - who lives in Victoria's Latrobe Valley - took oxycodone, morphine, pethidine, benzodiazepine - the active ingredient in Valium - and codeine. Above again with her son

Ms Lassam started taking these painkillers in her teens - on-and-off - to combat her chronic back pain. She is pictured here in her back plaster

She said her addiction started to manifest in her mid-20s when she would often take more than the suggested amount as a 'top up'

'But if I look at my own behaviour and the behaviour of people I've know over the years, addiction is addiction.'

Ms Lassam started taking these painkillers at the age of 16 - on-and-off - to combat her chronic back pain.

She said her addiction escalated in her 20s when she would often take more than the suggested amount as a 'top up'.

Her recommended daily intake would be five tablets a day but she would be taking up to 10 instead.

'I would take the next day's amount, very often... it would happen a couple of times a week,' Ms Lassam told Daily Mail Australia.

'There was "legitimate" reasons for me needing this medication but then I started to self-medicate.

'For me, the number one reason was pain and then I took it because I could not survive without if I didn't have all this stuff coursing through my veins.

'I would go into withdrawal symptoms. I would feel anxious, angry, depressed, and I would be shaking, sweating and those types of things.

'All of it would stop when I took the drug. The pain from my spine would stop and then all the withdrawal symptoms.'

Ms Lassam explained benzodiazepine had a long half life so it extended the feeling of opiate.

When they are taken together with other opiates, it would not only give very good pain relief but it would get her 'high'.

At the time, Ms Lassam did not realise how much her drug abuse had impacted on her quality of life and those around her.

'One of the things that bugged me most after coming of the benzodiazepines was the realisation that I had been walking around with no soul,' she said.

Ms Lassam said her addiction had affected her memory recall and her relationship with her son following his birth

She got pregnant at 38 and said she was incapable of 'loving my son to the best of my ability'

'This is the only way I can explain the feeling of living a life taking benzos. But of course, I didn't understand this until I was no longer taking them and my life suddenly had texture, colour, depth.'

Ms Lassam said her addiction had affected her memory recall and her relationship with her son following his birth.

'While I was going through all this I became pregnant at age 38 and gave birth to a child and I know enough about human beings what a baby needs, what a child needs to grow up to be strong and confident,' Ms Lassam said.

'But I was incapable of loving my son to the best of my ability because I was blunt while I was on the drugs.

'I couldn't give him what I knew what was necessary and what I wanted to give him because I was dulled out or stoned for a lack of better word.'

Ms Lassam said she tried not to dwell on it as it made her sad not only for him but for herself.

'I can't go back and I can't change any of it,' she said.

But luckily for Ms Lassam, her 16-year-old son turned out to be 'an awesome kid'.

She said it was also 'just pure good luck' she had not ended up in hospital for overdosing on drugs as she weighed only 50 kilograms.

Ms Lassam got clean after she joined a pilot project to rid people of their addiction and took her last benzodiazepine tablet in 2009.

Before that she joined a methadone program to manage her pain as well as her addiction.

The former addict encourages people who think they have issues with drug use to seek help.

'They say: "A problem shared is a problem halved". For me, I felt so alone, so embarrassed and ashamed,' Ms Lassam told Daily Mail Australia.

'Share it with someone whose not judgemental and seek help from professionals that understand the addiction.'

Ms Lassam said she tried not to dwell on it as it made her sad not only for him but for herself

But luckily for Ms Lassam, her 16-year-old son turned out to be 'an awesome kid'

Ms Lassam also called for changes to the 'negative' dialogue around addiction.

She said people were more likely to come forward if they did not feel guilty or feel like they were doing something wrong.

Addiction Science Queensland's Dr Christian Rowan said his organisation was seeing an increasing number of people who had developed dependency on analgesic or over-the-counter medications.

In Victoria, four in five people who died of an overdose had taken prescription drugs and more people died from an overdose than those involved in car accidents in 2012.

Nationally about 70 per cent of 617 opioid-related overdoses involved people who had ingested prescription medications, according to the latest figures from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

Dr Rowan said people developed a dependency on those kinds of drugs for a variety of reasons, including chronic pain and psychological issues to do with depression or anxiety.

'There are some people who have illicit drug dependency problems related to heroin,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'If they can't access heroin they look at pharmaceutical products as an alternative.'

While Dr Alex Wodak, who is president of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, believes 'prescription drugs are the new heroin', according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

And Dr Rowan warns long-term abuse of prescription medications could lead to serious health problems.

'Really it depends on how much they are taking and how often and how long,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'If someone is injecting they run the risk of blood-borne virus infections if they are using needles that aren't clean. They can develop infections that can affect their heart.
Police fatally shot a man accused of going on a shooting rampage injuring three people including a toddler.

Demarco Rhymes, 35, was shot to death after gunfight with police early Saturday, Eufaula Police told multiple news media.

Officers told Alabama.com they killed Rhymes 'to stop the imminent deadly threat posed' by the suspect.

Police fatally shot a man accused of going on a shooting rampage injuring three people including a toddler. Pictured: Scene of the incident

Police say Rhymes shot a 2-year-old in the leg at the Level Acres Mobile Home Park, about 90 miles southeast of Montgomery.

Rhymes left the mobile park and shot a 42-year-old woman. He then allegedly went to Norman Street where he shot a 39-year-old man multiple times, reported Alabama.

Police say the toddler was taken to Children's of Alabama in Birmingham for treatment.

The two adults are in critical condition at a hospital in Dothan.

Police Chief Steve Watkins says the shootings stem from a domestic dispute.

Watkins says officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, pending the investigation outcome.

Chief Steve Watkins told Dothan Eagle: 'Our prayers are with the victims, officers and all those affected by this incident.

'Our highly trained officers are prepared to address such incidents and I commend the officers who responded and deployed their training both effectively and efficiently this morning.'
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Surfers have come out in droves after the super storm which battered eastern Australia over weekend whipped up monster waves along the coast.

Beaches across NSW and Queensland remain closed and the The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning on Monday morning and said 'abnormally high tides' and 'damaging surf' was expected.

The high tides will remain throughout Monday and the NSW State Emergency Service also warned 'it is not safe to be down at the beach'.

But local surfing fraternities along the coast have ignored the warnings and taken on 12-foot waves, some surfing just metres from where parts of coastal houses fell into the sea over the weekend.

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Surfers take off on 12 foot waves just metres from where residents' houses were destroyed at Narrabeen and Collaroy beaches over the weekend

Beaches across NSW and Queensland remain closed and the The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning on Monday morning for 'abnormally high tides' and 'damaging surf'. Above, a man gets towed by a jet ski into massive waves at Narrabeen Beach in Sydney's north

Sydney's local surfing fraternities have ignored the warnings and taken on the monster waves. Pictured, professional surfer and Narrabeen local Riley Cadman paddles into a massive wave at Narrabeen Beach

A surfer rides a monster wave at Narrabeen Beach on Monday. Narrabeen, in Sydney's north, felt the full force of the storm over the weekend, with parts of coastal houses falling into the sea and local lakes breaking their banks

The high tides will remain throughout Monday and the NSW State Emergency Service also warned 'it is not safe to be down at the beach

Professional surfer Riley Cadman was spotted paddling into huge barrels at Narrabeen beach, where some waves reached nearly five metres.

Narrabeen, in Sydney's north, felt the full force of the storm over the weekend, with parts of coastal houses falling into the sea and local lakes breaking their banks.

The surfers are pictured just metres from where houses and shops were destroyed.

Dozens of surfers at Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south were spotted being towed into monster waves by jet-skis on Monday.

Waves were estimated to reach in between eight and 12ft in exposed areas, but were easing by the afternoon.

Dozens of surfers at Cronulla Beach (pictured) in Sydney's south were spotted being towed into monster waves by jet-skis on Monday

Waves were estimated to reach in between eight and 12ft in exposed areas at Cronulla Beach, but were easing by the afternoon

Pictured, a man rides a wave at Narrabeen Beach. The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday that further heavy surf and persisting high tides my lead to further erosion of the coast

Surfers ignored Bureau of Meteorology and SES warnings to steer clear of the beach to take on the monster waves whipped up by the weekend's super storm. Above, huge swell at Cronulla Beach

Surfers queue up at Cronulla beach to catch a wave. 'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas,' said the spokesperson. Pictured, Cronulla Beach

The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday that further heavy surf and persisting high tides my lead to further erosion of the coast.

'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said.

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas.'

The Bureau of Meteorology and emergency services are warning people to stay away from the beaches stretches along most of the NSW coast

Above, jet-ski riders watch on at Cronulla Beach. 'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said.

The low pressure system has now cleared from Queensland and New South Wales and is expected to gradually move away to the southeast.

The system is expected to move on to Tasmania on Monday evening.

The Bureau warned that that although the clouds had lifted, dangerous conditions persisted in coastal areas.

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas,' warned the BoM. Above, big swells on a beach near the NSW and Queensland border

The Bureau warned that that although the clouds had lifted, dangerous conditions persisted in coastal areas. Large crowds gathered to watch surfers ride monster waves on the NSW north coast
A two-mile stretch of Orange County shoreline has been closed after several large sharks were spotted.

A sheriff's helicopter crew spotted the sharks off Sunset Beach in the city of Huntington Beach on Sunday around 2pm.

The sharks were estimated to be at least 8 feet long and 150 yards from shore.

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A two-mile stretch of Orange County shoreline has been closed after several large sharks were spotted (one pictured above)

A sheriff's helicopter crew spotted the sharks off Sunset Beach in the city of Huntington Beach on Sunday around 2pm

A Huntington Beach Police Department helicopter then flew out around 3.30pm to surveillance the area and spotted the three sharks, according to the Orange County Register.

'Because of the size, we closed the water down,' Huntington Beach lifeguard Lt. Claude Panis told the Orange County Reigster.

'Our policy is to close the water down for at least four hours. The beach is open. We made adjustments, posted signs and we cleared the water out.'

The Huntington Beach Fire Department said Sunset Beach and the adjoining Surfside Beach in Seal Beach have been shut down until at least Monday morning.

The sharks (one pictured) were estimated to be at least 8 feet long and 150 yards from shore

The Huntington Beach Fire Department said Sunset Beach and the adjoining Surfside Beach in Seal Beach have been shut down until at least Monday morning

Authorities will re-evaluate the waters on Monday morning to determine if they will open the shoreline up.

The sighting came a week after a swimmer in a wetsuit was attacked by a shark about 15 miles to the south at Corona Del Mar State Beach on May 30.

The woman, 52-year-old Maria Korcsmaros, had a bite from a large shark on her upper body, but she is expected to survive.

She was pulled from the Pacific Ocean by lifeguards on a patrol boat on Sunday about 150 yards off the shore of Newport Beach after she was seen in distress.

'Because of the size, we closed the water down,' Huntington Beach lifeguard Lt. Claude Panis (pictured) said

Maria Korcsmaros, 52, (left and right) was pulled from the Pacific Ocean by lifeguards on a patrol boat over Memorial Day weekend about 150 yards off the shore of Newport Beach after she was seen in distress

Authorities will re-evaluate the waters on Monday morning to determine if they will open the shoreline up

The shark that attacked her was not found.

With the increase in great white sightings in the last few years, researchers who have been studying juvenile sharks off Sunset Beach said juveniles have a tendency to leave during the colder months.
Today show host Lisa Wilkinson has slammed Bill Shorten for comments the Labor leader made about women being responsible for childcare.

The Opposition leader said on Sunday that 'men in Australia rely on women to do the childcare and to organise the childcare,' while announcing Labor's $3 billion childcare plan.

'Isn't parenting about sharing responsibilities? And isn't it confirming the outdated belief that women should always be in charge of the unpaid work... isn't that like so last century?' Wilkinson said on Today on Monday

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Today show host Lisa Wilkinson (left) has slammed Bill Shorten (right) for comments he made during a childcare announcement, and accused him of sounding like Tony Abbott

'When Bill Shorten describes women as having the second job, that men 'rely on women to take care of all things when it comes to looking after the kids', in other words so men can get on with doing all the important stuff, isn't he simply entrenching a stereotype of women as second class citizens?

'Bill Shorten once described former prime minister Tony Abbott as a 'dinosaur' with his views on women of the Mr Shorten, I would suggest it might be time to take a look in the mirror.'

Wilkinson ended the segment by asking viewer whether they thought Mr Shorten was 'sexist or a realist'.

Reaction to the Today segment was mixed online, with some agreeing with Wilkinson's stance.

Wilkinson was offended by the Opposition Leader saying on Sunday that 'men in Australia rely on women in Australia to do the childcare and to organise the childcare'

'Isn't parenting about sharing responsibilities? And isn't it confirming the outdated belief that women should always be in charge of the unpaid work... isn't that like so last century?' Wilkinson said about Shorten's (pictured) comment

'Well said Lisa. I can't even express my anger in 140 characters,' Megan Gitsham tweeted.

'Spot on Lisa,' Cameron Bradley added.

Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash also slammed Mr Shorten, calling his comments 'prehistoric'.

Senator Nash has called on the opposition leader's female colleagues to denounce the 'disgraceful' statement about men relying on women to look after day care.

Wilkinson criticised Bill Shorten during the Today Show on Channel Nine on Monday morning

Reaction to Wilkinson's editorial was mixed, with some viewers agreeing Mr Shorten's comments were 'sexist'

'That is prehistoric language and I'm extremely surprised that Tanya Plibersek and other Labor women haven't come out and condemned Bill Shorten for making those comments,' she said.

However others said Mr Shorten's comments had been taken out of context.

'Truth so why condemn him. It is a compliment and acknowledging women and how hard they work,' one woman said.

'Stirring up a hornets nest taking words out of context,' Annette Alexander tweeted.

Wilkinson (pictured) ended the segment by asking viewer whether they thought Mr Shorten was 'sexist or a realist'

Some viewers disagreed with Wilkinson and said Mr Shorten's remarks about childcare were not sexist

'Taken completely out of context. By saying 'in other words', you are putting words in his mouth,' Matt Playford wrote.

The Opposition Leader also found support in an unlikely place, with Government minister Mathias Cormann refusing to take him to task for the comments.

Speaking to reports on Monday, Mr Shorten reiterated his remark but denied it was sexist.

'Men are stepping up in terms of child care,' he said.

Bill Shorten (pictured) announced Labor's $3 billion childcare package after visiting a centre in Melbourne on Sunday

Wilkinson (pictured) said Bill Shorten needs to 'look in the mirror' after his 'sexist' comments on Sunday

'Bill Shorten (pictured) once described former prime minister Tony Abbott as a 'dinosaur' with his views on women of the Mr Shorten, I would suggest it might be time to take a look in the mirror,' Wilkinson said

'But the fact of the matter is that the burden of child care falls disproportionately on working mums.

'And what Labor wants to do is make sure a government is backing up working parents in Australia and backing up working mums, full stop.'

It comes after Mr Shorten said his government wanted to eliminate the question faced by women about whether they have to give up being a working mum to stay home and take care of their children due to high childcare costs.

'What Labor wants to do is make sure a government is backing up working parents in Australia and backing up working mums, full stop,' Mr Shorten said on Monday morning

Mr Shorten was accused of 'sounding like Tony Abbott (pictured)' for his comments about childcare on Sunday

'Affordable quality childcare makes the difference as to whether or not mums are able to go to work, whether or not children get the best start in life,' Mr Shorten said.

'Working mums in this country should not face the choice as to whether or not they pay double childcare fees or drop out of work.

'I understand how difficult it is for a working woman with the kids trying to work out how on earth does she go to work if 80 per cent of what she's earning gets eaten up in childcare fees?
The mother of the three-year-old boy who wandered into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, resulting in the fatal shooting of one of the gorillas in order to protect the toddler, will not be charged.

On Monday, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he isn't seeking charges against Michelle Gregg, mother of Isiah Gregg.

He said children's services made a visit to the boy and mother, and social workers were impressed by the child's environment.

Deters said the mother's actions were 'not even close' to meriting reckless endangerment charges.

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Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters speaks to members of the media during a news conference on the Cincinnati Zoo incident involving a child who was hurt after circumventing a barrier and falling into the Gorilla World enclosure last month

On Monday, Deters said he isn't seeking charges against Michelle Gregg (right), mother of Isiah Gregg (center). Isiah's father Deonne Dickerson pictured on the left

Legal experts had said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely. The family has declined to comment.

Gregg was attending to three of her other children when Isiah 'just scampered off' - crawling under a fence and falling into the gorilla enclosure.

A 17-year-old male gorilla named Harambe was the only gorilla to approach to boy, and in witness video, it seemed that the primate was actually guarding and trying to protect Isiah.

But the noise of the worried crowds incited the gorilla, and he began to drag the little boy around the pool in the enclosure.

Eventually, zoo officials decided to shoot the gorilla dead to ensure Isiah's safety, which sparked wild debate about whether the zoo's decision was necessary.

A special zoo response team shot and killed 17-year-old silverback gorilla Harambe after he began violently dragging Isiah, who fell into the enclosure, through the water

The zoo plans to reopen its Gorilla World on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the outer barrier before falling some 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe to protect the boy.

The zoo's role will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act. An animal protection watchdog group has urged that the zoo face federal fines.

The shooting caused a wide outpouring of criticism, blaming the boy's parents or the zoo for the gorilla death. A Cincinnati police spokesman said last week police planned to 'reach out' to the boy's mother to advise her of threatening language in some posts.

The zoo said that there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World's 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high - a half foot taller than before - with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom.

A Cincinnati police report identified the boy's mother as Michelle Gregg, 32, who works at a preschool near Cincinnati. The child's father isn't named in the report, and it's not clear whether he was at the zoo that day.

The boy's family has said he is doing well at home. Police said he had scrapes on his head and knee, but was alert and talking when rescued.

University of Dayton law professor Lori Shaw said earlier that child endangering cases are complicated and fact-specific. She said Ohio law requires that the defendant be found 'reckless' and to have exposed a child to 'substantial risk,' or a strong possibility of harm.

Police released 911 tapes of calls after the boy fell.

'He's dragging my son! I can't watch this!' a woman says in the 911 call, pleading for help. She shouts at her son repeatedly: 'Be calm!'

A record of police calls shows nine minutes passed between the first emergency call about the boy falling into the enclosure and when the child was safe.

The police report states that witnesses said the gorilla initially appeared to be protecting the child, but after onlookers started screaming, it became 'agitated and scared' and began dragging the child.
Entire supermarkets dumped shelves of sodden stock and mud-caked houses were forced to evacuate after floodwaters ravaged a small Sydney town.

Floodwaters ran rampant through the south-west Sydney town of Picton, after a deluge of 141mm of rain soaked it during the weekends superstorm.

Clean-up efforts began on Monday as the rains finally eased, with the Duffield family spending most of Monday scrubbing silt from the floor and salvaging soaked furniture.

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Floodwaters surged through the doors of Khan's SupaIGA in Picton, soaking piles of stock which then needed to be dumped

NSW Premier Mike Baird speaks to Picton residents outside of a supermarket in Picton that was ravaged by the floods

Mr Baird warned residents in flood-hit areas not to take risks and to listen to advice from emergency services

A supermarket's-worth of sodden groceries lie dumped outside a supermarket in Picton after unstoppable floodwaters surged through the doors

The unstoppable tide of water surged through doors despite residents' best efforts to keep it out, soaking the entire stock of some businesses and leaving knee-high silt tidemarks in houses.

Piles of written-off groceries were dumped outside Khan's IGA supermarket on Picton's Argyle Street.

The shop's owners spent hours carting the soaked groceries to the front of the store, where the thousands of dollars worth of stock lay ready to be dumped the next day.

NSW Premier Mike Baird visited the supermarket as he toured through Picton, reminding residents that, even though the rains had stopped, they should exercise caution and help each other out.

The small town of Picton in NSW was another to be badly affected by the floodwaters

Homes like the Duffield family's in Picton were left in a mess after the huge deluge

Friends and family help to clean up the Duffield house at Picton in NSW

The Duffield family spent most of Monday cleaning their house after it had be flooded by the rampaging waters

Sindy Duffield her children Brittney and John, and her husband Kevin Wass have been trying to salvage what they can since the disaster struck.

Luckily for them though, friends and locals banded together to help them repair the damage.

'We've been very lucky that we have had a lot of friends who have come to help us - even people we haven't seen for years. What they have done has been beautiful it really has,' Sindy Duffield told Daily Mail Australia.

'Things that can be saved, people have taken and washed, but we still have a whole heap to get through. We've lost basically all our furniture but hopefully the timber stuff can dry out and we can salvage that.'

Volunteers start cleaning up in Picton after the floods had done extensive damage

Sindy Duffield her children Brittney and John, and her husband Kevin Wass have been trying to salvage what they can

St Mary's Church in Picton also received extensive damage because of the storm

Unfortunately Sindy is a book collector and she has lost all of her books as well as many precious family photographs she had kept for years.

'It's unbelievable how much of our stuff was just swept away down the road. We went for a walk down the road and just found our possessions everywhere. Our caravan was wedged underneath a tree,' Sindy explained.

'But we probably had about 13 people here today working in shifts. Both day and night. You can't be organised for something like this and it's the mud that's been the major problem, but we're so grateful for all the help. It's made a big difference.'

The Duffield family salvaged what the could but mud had ruined most of their belongings. Unfortunately for Sindey, her collection of antique books was soaked by the waters

An antiques store on Picton's main street was forced to throw away most of its stock after floodwaters gushed through the doors

Friends and family all lent a hand as the clean-up in Picton continued throughout the day

Many people worked in shifts both day and night to help salvage whatever they could

Volunteers also did their best to clean and restore St Mary's Church in Picton after the floods

The severe storm that hit Sydney on Sunday also left shops and businesses in Camden in southwest Sydney badly flooded too.

To show just how bad things are the Country Bumpkin shop posted on its Facebook pictures of the town's streets and shops underwater.

The Sydney business wrote on its Facebook page that despite their staff's best efforts they could not force back the deluge and their efforts came to nothing.

'This is devastating to say the least. I know that most of the shops down our end (I'm not sure about the others) are all under now,' their Facebook post said.

One of worst hit towns that was also flooded was Camden which is southwest of Sydney

Country Bumpkin shop posted on its Facebook pictures of the damage done

The business wrote on its Facebook page that despite their best efforts the shop got flooded. It said that water poured in through the back door and sandbags were useless to stop it

'This is devastating to say the least,' their Facebook post said

The pictures on their Facebook page also showed the flooding in the streets in Camden

'These photos were taken about an hour ago as we evacuated . We understand the water has risen a least another foot or so since these were taken. It happened very quickly as the drains in the street backed up and this was where the water started.

'Then the creek burst and that was it. It was pouring in through the back and the sand bags just couldn't hold.

'I would like to thank the SES and fire brigade who tried to save all the shops with sand bags and even a pump. There was just nothing more they could do.'

They thanked the SES and fire brigade who tried to save the shop but it wasn't enough

The small community of Picton in Sydney's southwest banded together to help each other evacuate flood-damaged homes
at the Governors Ball music festival was rained out

Kanye scheduled the show last minute, after his

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Chaos erupted outside Kanye West's secret concert in New York City early Monday morning after thousands of desperate fans descended on the venue - forcing officials to cancel the event and requiring dozens of police officers to disperse the crowd.

Kanye was heard asking for Mayor Bill de Blasio to shut down the block in a Snapchat video taken by wife Kim Kardashian early Monday morning after some people were trampled in a stampede outside the gig.

With no room to move, the street in Manhattan's East Village was clogged with people charging to get to the front of the swarm around Webster Hall, and some fans caught in the mayhem claimed they were pepper sprayed.

Chanting 'Kanye' and 'Pablo', fans climbed on top of cars and scaffolding, and hung out of windows to get a better view as rumors swirled that the rapper was set to perform his latest album, The Life of Pablo.

A mob of screaming fans went wild and chased the 'Gold Digger' rapper when he passed them while hanging out of a car's sunroof, and NYPD confirmed one person in the crowd outside the venue was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Kanye scheduled the show at the last minute, after his headline slot at New York's Governors Ball music festival was called off due to rain. Kim later posted on Twitter that he wished he could have performed while thanking fans for showing up at 2am.

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Kanye West and Travis Scott stand out of the sunroof of a car near the venue, sending the crowd into a frenzy

Screaming fans tried to shake Kanye's hand or high-five him as the car he was riding in drove past them

Chaos erupted outside Kanye's secret New York concert after thousands of fans descended on the venue

Chaotic scenes: There was pushing and shoving as fans pushed to the front of the crowd

On Monday, the office of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, tweeted out this image of the mayor speaking to Kanye West. The tweet appeared to knock the musician for trying to get the mayor to close down a street for a concert last night at the last minute

There were reports of a crush, a woman passing out on a car and people being trampled on

Police officers armed with batons attempt to control and disperse the crowd after thousands showed up

With police watching closely, fans eventually dispersed, with some wandering Manhattan looking for Kanye

One man claimed on Twitter that the situation was so out of control that fans were pepper sprayed

Webster Hall announced on Twitter that there would be no 'late show' due to the crowd outside

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West's wife, told her 45 million Twitter followers that her husband was disappointed he was unable to perform

In her tweets, Kim acknowledged those who showed up outside Webster Hall and called them the 'best fans in the whole world'

Fans who went home disappointed may be in luck after all, with Kim promising that Kanye will make up the pop-up show

Furious revelers repeatedly chanted 'what the f***?' after Kanye, who turns 39 on Wednesday, tweeted to his 23 million followers that the show was sold out.

It was claimed by a Kanye source that police informed him he would not be allowed to perform out of concern for the safety of the people inside and outside the venue, and he would be arrested for inciting a riot if he showed up.

NYPD said in a statement: 'Due to the large crowd that gathered outside of the event it was determined that for the safety for all those involved the performance would be canceled.'

In the crowd, there were reports of a woman passing out on a car, people being knocked to the ground as fans rushed to the front and people being pepper sprayed, although both NYPD and FDNY said they had no reports of injuries.

Daily Mail Online confirmed police sprayed the crowd with a substance after a window was smashed.

The crowd was so massive that at one point a line-up of fans stretched more than three blocks from the venue.

People climbed on top of parked cars and a U.S. Postal Service truck in hopes they would spot the rapper, but his performance didn't go ahead out of concerns for the safety of everyone in the street.

There was further pandemonium when Kanye and hip-hop star Travis Scott drove past fans as they stood out of a sunroof of a car with Kim apparently inside. They were unable to make it inside the venue, however, due to the crowd outside.

One fan posted photos of Kanye and wrote on Twitter that she ran after him on 14th Street, while a student in a nearby dorm shared wild video that showed the screaming mob chasing the car, which had security vehicles in front of and behind it.

An Instagram user named Ilya Trovalchuk posted these photos, writing: 'Just shook Kanye's hand'

Fans armed with mobile phones scrambled to capture the once-in-a-lifetime moment on camera

Kim Kardashian took pictures from within the car as her husband waved to fans through the sunroof early Monday morning

People climbed on top of cars to get a better view as rumors swirled that the rapper was set to perform his latest album, The Life of Pablo, outside

Eager fans climbed on top of a US Postal Service truck, parked near Webster Hall, as they waited for Kanye

Dozens of police officers were called in to disperse the crowd after the 'secret' concert was canceled

People at the scene said a man with a megaphone said the gig had been called off because of the chaos

As word of the concert spread via social media, thousands of fans quickly descended on the venue

Hip-hop star Travis Scott, who was in the car with Kanye, tweeted that they couldn't get close to the venue

The stars were spotted hanging out of a car's sunroof as it drove along nearby streets

Kanye (pictured with Kim earlier on Sunday) was set to perform at Webster Hall at 2am after his headline slot at the Governors Ball was called off because of a torrential downpour

Kim Kardashian later posted a video to Snapchat, saying she was in bed with her husband and that they were sorry they could not make the secret show happen

Charles Tallent, who was visiting New York from Austin while attending the rained-out Governors Ball, said he raced to Webster Hall after reading rumors on Twitter, and witnessed people being trampled before he eventually caught a glimpse of Kanye and his motorcade.

He told Daily Mail Online a woman in front of him was knocked down and trampled, suffering a nasty wound to her ankle, and there were fears she had broken her leg as well.

Tallent said the womans friends lifted her onto the hood of a car and tried to keep her leg elevated, but she was bleeding so badly her blood was running down the side of the vehicle as thousands of people gathered in front of the venue.

He said: When I got there the line from Webster Hall wrapped around three blocks and it was eight deep.

Charles Tallent, who was visiting New York from Austin, was in the right place at the right time when Kanye popped out of the car

It was orderly but people started to get really pushy and, probably around 1am, people had just moved into the street.

It was crazy. There were some people getting trampled, people definitely falling on their knees and their friends helping them back up.

Everyone was just so hyped and excited to get into this show.

After the crowd was told to leave Tallent moved a few blocks away, where he spotted a black Mercedes-Benz and several black SUVs.

He said: We were thinking maybe this is Kanyes entourage and all of a sudden he popped out of the sunroof and thats when everybody lost their s***.

The car pulled into the middle of an intersection, where it was rushed by a crowd, and soon began to drive away.

Tallent said around 100 people chased the car but gave up once it had sped off.

Police officers gather in the street outside New York's historic Webster Hall, which was built in 1886

Oscar Pope, who travelled from Atlanta to attend the Governors Ball, said people in the crowd were sprayed with a substance not long after the announcement that the show was off.

He told Daily Mail Online: I started coughing and everyone around me started coughing, probably 50 people, everyone started hacking.

I tied a bandana around my head and the crowd dispersed within seconds. The people in front of us claimed they were pepper sprayed.

I dont know what it was that happened but the consensus was pepper spray because everyone was hacking and covering their eyes.

He didnt see the person or people who sprayed the substance or what led up to it.

After the incident, Pope wrote on Twitter: 'The scene at Kanye's Webster Hall show is a full blown riot, complete with pepper spray. So wild!'

Another user, Joe Bergamaschi, wrote: 'Dog they're gassing us. Or mad pepper spray. S*** tastes like trash perfume.'

He told Daily Mail Online he doesn't know who discharged the spray, adding: 'No one was causing any problems or trying to start fights.'

People at Webster Hall said a man with a megaphone told them the gig had been called off because of the chaos, but the huge throng refused to budge.

'Ladies and gentleman, there is no show here tonight,' an employee from Webster Hall shouted.

In a video posted on Instagram, a man with a megaphone told the crowd: We dont want anybody to get hurt. This is potentially dangerous. Please disperse.'

He was jeered by fans and a woman shouted: 'Where's Kanye?'

The venue also made the announcement on its Twitter page at 1:45am, asking fans to 'please get home safely'.

Earlier in the night Kanye was heard on Kim's Snapchat asking someone to call Mayor Bill de Blasio so he could 'Close down the block!'. (The mayor replied later Monday with a tweet, saying block parties are 'planned' but that he would be more than happy to organize one with Kanye to benefit New York City kids.) Kim also live-streamed scenes as her husband tried in vain to find a new venue for the show.

The Grammy Award winner was set to perform at Webster Hall after his headline slot at the Governors Ball was called off because of a torrential downpour.

Rumors of a surprise gig were fuelled by rapper 2 Chainz, who posted a video online telling his followers there would be good music at Webster Hall at 2am, referring to Kanyes record label G.O.O.D. Music.

He later posted an image of the crowd on Instagram, writing: Dumb.

Kanyes creative director, Virgil Abloh, revealed the venue and time in an Instagram snap of the set list

A video clip posted on Twitter showed the mob of screaming fans chasing Kanye's car down the street

Kanyes creative director, Virgil Abloh, revealed the venue and time in an Instagram snap of the set list. However, the caption was later changed to say: PABLO  cancelled due to safety priority.

A publicist for the Yeezy artist said he would perform a secret set, but did not announce where.

Scott sent a series of tweets as he and Kanye made their way to the venue and then tried to find a new location for their performance.

He tweeted: 'We can't get close. Come find us we close.'

Moments later, he added: 'We pulling up make room'.

After the concert was canceled, he wrote: 'We not giving up. We still figurein This out. Ain't quitting'.

This, along with rumors, sent fans on a wild-goose chase through Manhattan.

Kanye West and Pusha T perform at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night, shortly before he arrived in New York

Furious revelers repeatedly chanted 'what the f***?' after Kanye tweeted that the show was sold out

Furious fans: There were chants of 'what the f***' after Kanye tweeted that the show was sold out

In addition to chanting 'Kanye' and 'Pablo', fans chanted 'F*** Governors Ball' and 'F*** Donald Trump'.

NYPD spokesman Officer Christopher Pisano told Daily Mail Online one person was arrested for disorderly conduct, and police did not have any reports of injuries or significant damage to property.

Pisano said: After [Kanye] left the scene the crowd more or less dispersed and moved on.

He did not have any information about pepper spray being discharged.

Late Monday morning, Kim tweeted: 'Last night was crazy! Kanye wished he could have performed last night!!!

'He really tried so hard but it was ultimately out of his control! He has the best fans in the whole world!

'Thank you all for coming out at 2am. Promise he will make up this pop up show'.

With Kanyes concerts normally held at huge arenas or stadiums, his team and Webster Hall were criticized online for trying to hold a show at a much smaller venue.

One Instagram user wrote to Abloh: Yooo @virgilabloh what the were you guys thinking hosting an event like this in a venue that holds 1500 people???

Pope said: 'It just seemed like no one had it together.'

Webster Hall's website says its grand ballroom, the largest of its three live performance venues, has a capacity for 1,500 people.

Constructed in 1886, the building was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Police and fire officials tried to clear the area but there was little chance of moving the huge throng of people

Kanye was heard asking for the city's mayor Bill de Blasio to shut down the block in a Snapchat taken by Kim Kardashian early on Monday morning after a stampede outside the gig

After the gig at Webster Hall was canceled, Scott and Kanye tried to find a new venue for their performance

Disappointed fans roamed the East Village amid speculation that the show would still go on

A crowd gathered at the Trump SoHo Hotel after DONDA, Kanye's creative content company, tweeted this

Webster Hall was already set to host a Governors Ball-sponsored gig by rapper Vic Mensa, so people believed Kanye would follow him later on.

On Sunday night, Kanye performed at Hot 97's Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Early on Monday morning, there was still a strong police presence and a crowd of at least a few hundred people outside the venue after the concert was called off.

Some disappointed fans were wandering around the East Village hoping Kanye would find a new location for the gig.

A crowd gathered at the Trump SoHo Hotel around 3:30am after DONDA, Kanye's creative content company, tweeted 'TRUMP SOHO POP UP NOW.'

Grammy Award-winning record producer Mike Dean live-streamed the scenes outside Webster Hall and Trump SoHo hotel

Dean, who worked on the Life of Pablo and performs on stage with Kanye, said they tried pop-up shows at three different venues

Staff told fans inside the lobby that the rapper was not there, but he had made an appearance earlier.

'He's not staying here and he's not coming back,' an employee told fans.

Grammy Award-winning record producer Mike Dean, who worked on the Life of Pablo and performs on stage with Kanye at his concerts, live-streamed scenes outside Webster Hall and Trump SoHo.

He later tweeted: Thanks to everyone. We tried pop up shows at 3 places. All shut down.

We made history tonight. Pablo mob.

Daily Mail Online has contacted Webster Hall for comment. A spokesperson for Kanye declined to comment.
Her husband David paid tribute to 'lovely wife' who was a 'beautiful person'

Witnesses reported seeing a shark which was 'bigger than

60-year-old is from Chester but emigrated to Australia about five years ago

Grandmother Doreen Collyer, 60, who is originally from Chester, Cheshire, has died after a shark attack off the coast of Perth, Australia, yesterday

The husband of a British grandmother killed by a great white shark while diving off the Australian coast found out she was dead after seeing helicopters circling overhead as he drove to pick her up.

University lecturer Doreen Collyer, 60, who is originally from Chester, Cheshire, was diving at a reef off Mindarie Beach, about 35 kilometres north of Perth, when she was attacked yesterday.

Her husband David had been driving to the beach to meet her and her diving companion, John, when he saw helicopters hovering overhead. He arrived at the boat yard to be told by paramedics that his 'loving wife' had been killed by a shark described as being 'bigger than an 18ft boat'.

Paying tribute to his 'beautiful wife' today, Mr Collyer said the pair  who have two children together and a granddaughter called Daisy  moved to Australia five years ago to be closer to their son and grandchild.

Speaking from their home in Iluka, Perth, he said: 'Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her, she was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife.'

He added: 'Doreen loved nursing, she was a passionate nurse and she was a fantastic teacher.

'She was a beautiful, wonderful person and she was very good at her job.

'She was loved by everybody and was very caring and loving. She was full of life and very active.

'She touched a lot of lives through her teaching and through her time working on the wards.'

Police said Mrs Collyer's 43-year-old diving partner John, who she dived with regularly, pulled her from the water but she died before they made it back to shore.

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Mr Collyer (pictured at the scene following the attack yesterday) today paid tribute to his 'beautiful, loving wife'

Mr Collyer (pictured above with paramedics yesterday) said the pair  who have two children together and a granddaughter called Daisy  moved to Australia five years ago to be closer to their son and grandchild

Her injuries were described as being 'apparent and severe' and consistent with a shark attack.

Three men who came to the pair's aid reported seeing a shark which was longer than their 18-foot long fishing boat. Local authorities have now closed the surrounding beaches until the animal is caught. Police say it will be shot dead.

Mr Collyer said his wife had been a keen swimmer in the UK, but fell in love with diving when they moved abroad. She had an advanced open water diver's certificate and used to dive up to four times a week in the summer.

He said: 'She was a very experienced diver and she loved diving. She used to go out every week as much as she could. It was something she really enjoyed.'

He learned his wife had died after arriving at the boat ramp to meet her yesterday afternoon.

He said he saw helicopters circling overhead as he approached the beach and discovered it was his wife who had been attacked when he was greeted by the emergency services.

He added that it was the first time in weeks she had been out diving due to recent bad weather.

Mrs Collyer and her diving partner had been to the reef where she was attacked about a 'dozen' times before. They were searching for crayfish and had only been in the water about 25 times when John felt the shark 'brush past them'.

He returned to the surface and realised Mrs Collyer  who he described as a 'phenomenal' diver  had been attacked. He tried to comfort her and bring her ashore, but she died while still at sea.

David and Doreen Collyer (pictured together above) moved to Australia in 2011 to be closer to their son and granddaughter Daisy. Mrs Collyer was said to dive regularly - up to four times a week in the summer months

Mrs Collyer had been working as the Director of Postgraduate Studies and a lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University in Perth where colleagues described her as a 'amazing'

Mr Collyer, an engineer, (pictured above) today paid tribute to his 'lovely wife' with whom he has two children

Today, footage emerged of a 'huge' shark in the same stretch of water just 90 minutes after the attack. The video, taken by a fisherman, was filmed around an hour-and-a-half after Mrs Collyer was targeted - raising suspicions it may have been the same shark which attacked and killed her.

The footage, taken from a fishing boat, shows a large fin - typically that of a great white - roaming the waters just 400 metres off Mindari Marina. A voice can be heard saying: 'That was huge!'

Mrs Collyer had been working as the Director of Postgraduate Studies and a lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University in Perth.

She was born in Liverpool and grew up in Birkenhead before settling in Neston, on the Wirral, with her Chester-born husband. The pair lived in the area for more than 20 years while they brought up their two children.

The couple then moved to Australia five years ago after their marine engineer son Ben emigrated to the country with their granddaughter Daisy, then aged three, as they did not want to miss her growing up.

Their son still lives in Australia while their daughter, former England cricketer Sarah, lives in New Zealand but is currently based in Portugal.

Mr and Mrs Collyer were due to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year and still have many friends and family in the UK, including Mrs Collyer's siblings.

She worked at Countess of Chester Hospital for many years as a specialist paediatric nurse and also taught nursing at the University of Chester for 15 years.

She held qualifications from the Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA), the Royal College of Nursing and Australian College of Children and Young People's Nursing (ACCYPN).

Meanwhile, her husband studied at the University of Leeds in England before working at a civil and structural engineering consultancy.

Deadly: Most great white shark attacks take place within 100ft of the shore and in water no more than 6ft deep

Mr Collyer posted on Twitter in 2014 a photograph of his wife on a motorbike - and then another of her falling off

Police said Mrs Collyer, who was dragged from the water by her diving partner John, had 'apparent and severe' injuries consistent with a shark attack. It was the first time she had been diving in weeks due to bad weather

Three men who came to Mrs Collyer's aid reported seeing a shark which was longer than their 18ft fishing boat

Professor Annette McIntosh-Scott, executive dean of the faculty of health and social care at the University of Chester, paid tribute to Mrs Collyer today.

She said: 'The University of Chester and the Faculty of Health and Social Care in which Doreen worked for 15 years, are deeply saddened to hear of her death.

'Doreen was a hugely valued and loved member of staff.

'She will be remembered as someone with a real commitment and passion for teaching and child health care- her students were at the heart of all she did.

'Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and family.'

The Edith Cowan University in Perth also issued tribute to the 'much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher'.

In a statement sent to staff, acting vice chancellor Professor Arshad Omari said: 'Having obtained an impressive record of senior clinical and lecturing experience in her native UK, upon migrating to Australia she made many valued contributions to ECU in the area of children and young people's nursing.

'On behalf of the entire ECU community, I extend my sincerest condolences to her family in what is a very difficult time.'

Police were called at 11.50am and told that an injured person was found in the water off Mindarie, Australia

Others paid tribute to their 'kind and amazing' colleague with a string of posts on social media.

One wrote: 'Doreen was such a kind and supportive teacher. You will be missed by all, especially by your students.'

Another, Kelly Mills, added: 'RIP Doreen, you where an amazing lecturer, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge.'

And Nikki Vickers said: 'Condolences and deepest sympathy to all family, friends and colleagues from ECU Nursing and Midwifery.'

The news comes as Western Australia's Fisheries Department warned people to stay out of the water, closing 2km of beaches in the area as they hunt for the shark which attacked Mrs Collyer.

Fisheries officers have closed beaches and reset baited drum lines one kilometre off Mindarie marina.

Fisheries metropolitan regional manager Tony Cappelluti said today it was the first time two fatal shark attacks had occurred in Western Australia waters within such a short period of time.

'From my recollection, we've had them maybe months apart but probably never several days apart,' he said.

A fisherman claims to have video footage of a huge shark in the same area as where Ms Collyer was killed just two hours after the attack. The shark's fin can be seen (centre left) and towards the top in the right-hand image

Mr Cappelluti said any shark caught in the wake of the female diver's death that fit the description of her attacker would be shot.

'If we catch a shark of the description and the type of shark that we believe may have been responsible - and like the Falcon incident, we believe it is a white shark of at least three metres in length ... then it is highly likely we will take the decision to destroy it in the interest of public safety,' he said.

'We have two methods: we can either let it expire on the line or we can use a firearm.

'In this instance today, we'll be using a firearm.'

The deaths have reignited debate about WA's policy to catch and kill sharks deemed an imminent threat to public safety.

Mrs Collyer, who was diving off Mindarie Beach (pictured), was the Director of Postgraduate Studies and a lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University, having emigrated from England

If the injuries were inflicted by a shark it would be the second shark attack in the Perth area in a week

Less than half an hour before the suspected shark attack, Surf Life Saving WA reported a shark sighting

It comes just days after a surfer had his leg bitten off by a shark while paddling his surfboard at Falcon Beach in his hometown of Mandurah, south of Perth, on Tuesday afternoon.

Ben Gerring, 29, was brought to shore by fellow surfers and taken to Royal Perth Hospital, but tragically died late on Friday night from the injuries.

An inspection of his damaged surfboard showed a white shark was responsible.

Western Australia's Department of Fisheries trapped and killed a 4.2 metre great white shark on Wednesday afternoon but don't know if it was the same shark that attacked Gerring.

The huge shark was caught on Wednesday afternoon and died on the drum line.

It was then towed out to sea and dumped after samples and measurements were taken.

The latest incident happened around 100km north of Tuesday's attack.

State premier Colin Barnett said beaches patrolled for sharks were safe but he admitted it was impossible to protect all surfing areas or reefs.

If a shark was spotted and there was an imminent threat to the public we will destroy that shark, said Mr Barnett.

Ben Gerring (pictured), 29, was brought to shore by fellow surfers and taken to Royal Perth Hospital, but tragically died late on Friday night from the injuries

An inspection of Ben Gerring's (left) damaged surfboard showed a white shark was responsible

A 4.2 metre great white shark was trapped and killed on Wednesday afternoon by Western Australia's Department of Fisheries (pictured)
A swimmer has gone missing in dangerous swells, the latest reported disappearance following the huge storm which battered the country over the weekend.

A witness on Monday afternoon said the man was standing on rocks at the southern end of Sydney's Bondi Beach.

'He just jumped in when the waves were going out and when the waves came in again he went under and couldn't keep up,' he said.

'Then he just disappeared.'

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Waves smash into the rocks at Sydney's Bondi Beach in the aftermath of the weekend's huge storm. A swimmer is missing after leaping into the waves on Monday afternoon and the beach and a search is underway

Waves wash over the pools at Bondi Icebergs Club. A swimmer disappeared after leaping off rocks at the south end of the beach on Monday

A lone surfer looks at the surf on Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, where on Monday afternoon a swimmer disappeared, sparking a search effort

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter hovers above the water and rocks during the search for a man who disappeared in the water about 2.30pm

As well as the rescue helicopter, police have also joined the search for the man, who went missing in the rough surf

Tourists walking along Bondi Beach on Sunday as a large storm battered the east coast of Australia

A king tide hits Bondi Icebergs on Sunday as the super storm pummeled the east coast of Australia

Huge waves crash into rocks near Bondi Beach on Monday in the aftermath of the storm over the weekend

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter and police are the scene and two surf lifesavers were searching on a jet ski, but were abandoned the search due to the rough conditions, 7 News reported.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter's Stephen Leahy told the ABC a 000 call was made about 2.30pm.

The man was only visible in the water for a 'short period of time' before becoming submerged, he said.

Contrary to a witness saying the man dived in, Mr Leahy said the man had been swept of the rocks.

A large number of people who witnessed the man's disappearance are also gathered.

Bondi Beach has been closed to swimmers and surfers due to the dangerous conditions, according to reports.

The news follows deaths and disappearances in the wake of the weekend's large storm which battered the east of Australia.

Police divers found a 65-year-old man's body in his vehicle in Mittagong Creek near Bowral and another man in a truck at Leppington (pictured), Sydney's southwest

Three men have been killed in floodwater in separate incidents after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday. Pictured: One of the vehicles discovered in Sydney

Three men have been killed in floodwater in separate incidents after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday.

Police divers found a 65-year-old man's body in his vehicle in Mittagong Creek near Bowral and another man in a truck at Leppington, Sydney's south west.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday.

Police spotted the Canberra man's vehicle after they were called out to a separate incident involving two men who had been four-wheel driving and realised they couldn't cross the swollen river.

While emergency workers were trying to work out how to rescue the man, his four-wheel drive was swept away by the floods and flipped over.

The man's body was seen shortly after on an island in the middle of the river.

Around 5pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to Anthony Road in Leppington NSW, after reports a utility vehicle had been swept away.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam (pictured) at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday

While emergency workers were trying to work out how to rescue the man in Cotter Dam, Canberra, his four-wheel drive was swept away by the floods and flipped over

Police were unable to locate the vehicle and called off the search at nightfall. On Monday at first light they managed to find the utility and police divers retrieved his body by 11.30am.

At 8.30am, another vehicle was found in Mittagong Creek on Mittagong Road in Bowral and the body of a 65-year-old man was retrieved.

He is yet to be formally identified and reports are being prepared for the coroner.

NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Kyle Stewart said the two deaths should serve as a warning to residents who think they can safely wade or drive through flood waters.

'It is a tragedy these two lives have been lost. We simply do not know how either of these two men came to be in the flood waters. But what we know is that their deaths show just how dangerous flood waters are,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Stewart said.

'What do we have to say to get the message across? Flood waters are deadly  we can't put it any other way,' he added.

In Tasmania, emergency services are also searching for two elderly people. One man, 81, is thought to be trapped in floodwater and another woman may still be at her home in Latrobe,The ABC reported.

The woman's husband was rescued from the roof of their home on Monday, but she remained behind and has not been seen since.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday

Three men have been killed in floodwater after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday

'The floodwaters yesterday ... were extremely strong, savage, with a lot of debris, large logs coming down the river,' ACT Policing Sergeant Harry Hains told reporters in Canberra.

'The force was enough to flip a two-tonne ute.'

Police and emergency workers warn people not to drive through floods for any reason.

'These types of weather conditions, extreme weather conditions we've experienced do lead adventure-seeking type people to seek mud with their four-wheel-drives,' Sgt Hains said.

'There is no risk worth taking to cross a flooded river to go and seek some piece of dirt to drive your four-wheel-drive on.'

The heavy rain came after an intense low pressure system thrashed New South Wales.

Over a thousand people were evacuated after a seven-metre high king tide flooded the state.

Around 65 millimetres of rain fell in Canberra over the weekend.
Allegations: Graeme Stening, 52, a senior lawyer at a private equity firm, was accused of the broad daylight sex attack by the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons - but the case has been dropped

A married City lawyer will not be charged with sexual assault following a rush hour liaison with a QC outside Waterloo Station, it emerged today

Graeme Stening, 52, a senior lawyer at a private equity firm, was accused of the broad daylight sex attack by the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The woman, who was arrested and thrown in the cells after being caught drunkenly engaging in sexual activity with her knickers round her ankles, initially accepted a caution.

But weeks later claimed she had actually been sexually assaulted and as a result of her belated allegation she has guaranteed anonymity for life.

After an eight month investigation police have decided not to charge him, according toThe Sun.

He still denies a charge of outraging public decency by engaging in a broad-daylight sexual act during the evening rush hour outside London's Waterloo station.

Stening's trial is due to begin at Camberwell Magistrates' Court in south London, on June 23.

His solicitor Amarjit Bhachu has previously protested at his client's name being tarnished by 'false allegations'.

And a source familiar with the case claimed in February the anonymous QC had belatedly cried assault because she was desperate to keep her drunken romp a secret  and did not care how much harm she did to Stening in the process.

The source added that there were plans to report her to the Bar Council  the barristers' regulatory body  for bringing the profession into disrepute. However, it is understood the QC will argue she was unwell at the time of the incident, and therefore not in a position to properly consent to the caution.

Liaison: The pair were accused of engaging in sexual activity in public near Waterloo station in London - Mr Stening still denies an indecency charge

But the source told the Daily Mail: 'She is undermining the profession by making such an allegation in order to keep secret the disgrace of a night in the cells for public sexual activity.'

The source went on: 'It all happened last summer when Graeme met this prominent QC for a business lunch  at her suggestion. It turned into a long, boozy afternoon. At around 7pm they were allegedly seen against a wall right outside Waterloo station. She was said to have been against the wall with her knickers round her ankles.

'Graeme was also said to be exposed, and was said to have been touching her intimately with one hand, and himself with the other. They were both arrested and taken into the cells overnight to sober up.

'The next morning, at about 10am, Graeme accepted they had a bit of a snog, but denied any wrongdoing, and was then charged with outraging public decency. But she signed a caution, accepting that they had been engaging in sexual activity in the street. It was not full intercourse, but it was a lot more than a snog.

'They wouldn't have interviewed her unless she was sober and she had taken legal advice before signing. And she's a QC.'

Home: Stening, who reportedly lives with his wife of 27 years Sian, 50, in a 1.7million detached house in Windlesham, Surrey (pictured), denies one count of outraging public decency last September 21

LAW WHICH PREVENTS THE LEADING QC BEING NAMED Under laws in England and Wales those individuals who have made an allegation that they have been sexually assault should be provided with anonymity during the investigations and subsequent case, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. If an individual has a right of anonymity it means that they have a right to remain anonymous to the general public. This means that they will be unable to be named in any reports which are released to the general public through the press, unless (as is unusual) a court removed the restriction because it considers it unreasonable. The main reason behind this principle was the factor that it was felt that the victim has already suffered the physical and emotional abuse following the rape that if allegations concerning her sexual history, behaviour, clothing or even questions that she may have asked for it were aired in the media then she would be forced to suffer even more emotional abuse. Source: inBrief Advertisement

The source went on: 'Then, six weeks later she goes back to the same police officer and says, 'I shouldn't have accepted this caution'.

'She said she was going to make an application to have the caution quashed, because she shouldn't have accepted it. She then said she wanted to make a new allegation  saying she couldn't remember what happened, because she was so drunk, but now thinks he must have sexually assaulted her.

'Instead of asking her what on earth she was playing at, and why she didn't say that before accepting the caution, the officer took it up and phoned Graeme  leaving a message with a member of staff at his work. It's all maximising embarrassment to him. He was told he would be arrested if he didn't go for a 'voluntary' interview about it.'

Lawyers have claimed her case is damaging to the argument that alleged sex attack victims should get automatic anonymity.

Mark Stephens, a media and human rights expert, told The Times: 'This case is an abject lesson in the manipulation of the anonymity laws around allegations of sexual assault.

'There are very good reasons for having anonymity in many cases. However, if there are many more cases like this one, then the public interest is going to demand that the alleged victims are also named.'
Five men have been found guilty of gang-raping a Danish tourist who asked them for directions after getting lost in New Delhi.

The 52-year-old woman was attacked at knifepoint while trying to return to her hotel in the city in January 2014.

Today five men appeared in court in Delhi to hear the verdicts in the case, which put India's record on sexual violence back in the spotlight.

One of the men found guilty of gang-raping a Danish tourist after she asked for directions is led into court

They were escorted to court by police before Judge Ramesh Kumar announced that they had been found guilty.

The men showed little emotion as the verdict was read out in front of the court packed with media and family members of the accused.

Thee others charged over the attack are being tried separately in the juvenile justice system. A ninth accused man, an adult, died before the trial ended.

The Danish woman, travelling alone and in Dehli after visiting the Taj Mahal, had approached a group of men for directions to they city's main backpacker area.

But they lured her to a secluded area where they raped her at knife-point over a three-hour period, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

The victim then made her way to her hotel and the owner of the Amax Hotel, Amit Bahl called police.

The police station in Delhi that had been investigating the attack, which happened in January 2014

He said at the time: 'When she came, it was miserable. The woman was crying and not in good shape.

'I am really ashamed that this happened,' added Bahl, whose hotel is popular with backpackers.

After giving a statement to police at the Danish embassy, she immediately returned home to Denmark.

The woman returned to India in July the following year to record her in-camera testimony before the trial court judge, and identify the accused.

The prosecution submitted that the evidence irrefutably proved the case against the accused but the suspects pleaded not guilty, claiming that they had been framed by police.

But defence counsel Dinesh Sharma told AFP that Monday's verdicts were handed down even though he was still awaiting the outcome of a request before a more senior judge to reopen the trial.

'We had filed a revision plea in the High Court seeking recall of some of the witnesses,' Mr Sharma said.

The problem of sexual violence in India has gained widespread attention since the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in December 2012

India's government toughened jail sentences for rapists and overhauled policing procedures in the wake of attacks

'The matter is listed in the High Court... but even before this matter could be taken up, the verdict has been announced.'

The problem of sexual violence in India has gained widespread attention since the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in December 2012.

There had also been a series of sex attacks on foreigners in the country, which reignited concerns about women's safety in the country.

A Polish woman had been drugged and raped as she travelled to Delhi with her young daughter in a car, just before the attack on the Danish woman.

India's government toughened jail sentences for rapists and overhauled policing procedures in the wake of attacks.
Controversial US presidential candidate Donald Trump is thought to be paying his male staffers around a third more than their female counterparts.

A report by the Boston Globe analyzed the campaigns of Republican candidate Trump and Democratic Hillary Clinton - and found that while Clinton paid her male and female team members a near equal wage, there appeared to be a bigger gender pay gap in Trump's team.

Data from the Federal Election Commission found Trump's female team members earned some $4,500 per month while men took home $6,100 - around 35 per cent more.

It also found women made up 53 per cent of Clinton's staff, and made an average salary of $3,710, with men making $3,760.

Donald Trump is thought to be paying his male staffers around a third more than their female counterparts, according to April's figures

Hillary Clinton is known to be a champion of equal pay for equal work legislation, and backed the Paycheck Fairness Act

Female workers made up 28 percent of Trump's total staff.

The payroll data, taken from April, also showed that only two women were in Trump's 15 highest paid employees in that month, while Clinton's top 15 were made up of eight men and seven women.

Clinton is known to be a champion of equal pay for equal work legislation, and backed the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Trump has however said that 'women should have absolute access to capital,' and last year told MSBNC in an interview that 'If they do the same job, they should get the same pay'.

Hillary Clinton's female staff made an average salary of $3,710, with men making $3,760. Donald Trump's female team members earned some $4,500 per month while men took home $6,100

The figures come after explosive claims made by Trump's former employee Barbara Res, who was given the job of managing construction of Trump Tower.

As revealed by Mail Online last month, Res has become an outspoken anti-Trump voice who has criticized him as a 'misogynist playboy who fosters anti-female work environments'.

But Trump hit back at the claims, saying he let Res go over performance issues and accusing her of 'sour grapes'.

Clinton, meanwhile, overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination.
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Some of the world's greatest surfers risked their lives to take on six-metre slabs of surging water at Red Bull's Cape Fear event on Monday.

As a wild storm whipped Sydney's coastline into a heaving mess of whitewash, a last-minute surfing event was organised to take place at Cape Solander - a secret break off Kamay Botany Bay National Park known for hosting one of the heaviest and most dangerous waves in the world.

After a number of heavy wipeouts, with three surfers reportedly being taken to hospital, the competition was called off at 2pm.

Dramatic photographs show Australian big-wave surfer Justin Allport getting sucked over the falls of a monster set wave, before being urgently picked up by a jet-ski as others brace his injured neck.

Allport was knocked out underwater and suffered a huge gash to his forehead after the stack.

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Renowned Australian big-wave surfer Justin Allport wipes out on a set wave during the Cape Fear competition in Sydney's Cape Solander

As a wild storm whipped Sydney's coastline into a heaving mess of whitewash, a last-minute surfing event was organised to take place at Cape Solander - a secret break off Kamay Botany Bay National Park

Rescue swimmers brace the neck of Australian surfer Justin 'Jughead' Allport with their hands after he wiped out during competition

NSW surfer Russel Bierke, 18, gets caught too deep in a tube and wipes out on a huge wave

Only a brave few had the courage to surf in the Cape Fear event, which took place at Sydney's Cape Solander break

Evan Faulks, from Maroubra in Sydney's eastern suburbs, slaps face-first into the water at Cape Fear, with rocks looming in the foreground

Big-wave surfer Richie Vaculik hangs on for his life at Cape Fear - moments before he is taken to the ground

Sixteen world-class surfers competed in two hour-long heats, but the event was called off shortly after 2pm

Riley Lain wipes out on one of the smaller waves that came through the isolated break off Sydney

Surfers watch on from nearby rocks as Russel Bierke tucks in to a huge overhead barrel

Justin Allport is helped onto a ski after taking a huge set wave on the head, which knocked him out under water

Surfers have come out in droves after the super storm which battered eastern Australia over weekend whipped up monster waves along the coast.

Beaches across NSW and Queensland remain closed and the The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning on Monday morning and said 'abnormally high tides' and 'damaging surf' was expected.

The high tides will remain throughout Monday and the NSW State Emergency Service also warned 'it is not safe to be down at the beach'.

But local surfing fraternities along the coast have ignored the warnings and taken on 12-foot waves, some surfing just metres from where parts of coastal houses fell into the sea over the weekend.

Surfers take off on 12 foot waves just metres from where residents' houses were destroyed at Narrabeen and Collaroy beaches over the weekend

Beaches across NSW and Queensland remain closed and the The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning on Monday morning for 'abnormally high tides' and 'damaging surf'. Above, a man gets towed by a jet ski into massive waves at Narrabeen Beach in Sydney's north

Sydney's local surfing fraternities have ignored the warnings and taken on the monster waves. Pictured, professional surfer and Narrabeen local Riley Cadman paddles into a massive wave at Narrabeen Beach

A surfer rides a monster wave at Narrabeen Beach on Monday. Narrabeen, in Sydney's north, felt the full force of the storm over the weekend, with parts of coastal houses falling into the sea and local lakes breaking their banks

The high tides will remain throughout Monday and the NSW State Emergency Service also warned 'it is not safe to be down at the beach

Professional surfer Riley Cadman was spotted paddling into huge barrels at Narrabeen beach, where some waves reached nearly five metres.

Narrabeen, in Sydney's north, felt the full force of the storm over the weekend, with parts of coastal houses falling into the sea and local lakes breaking their banks.

The surfers are pictured just metres from where houses and shops were destroyed.

Dozens of surfers at Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south were spotted being towed into monster waves by jet-skis on Monday.

Waves were estimated to reach in between eight and 12ft in exposed areas, but were easing by the afternoon.

Dozens of surfers at Cronulla Beach (pictured) in Sydney's south were spotted being towed into monster waves by jet-skis on Monday

Waves were estimated to reach in between eight and 12ft in exposed areas at Cronulla Beach, but were easing by the afternoon

Pictured, a man rides a wave at Narrabeen Beach. The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday that further heavy surf and persisting high tides my lead to further erosion of the coast

Surfers ignored Bureau of Meteorology and SES warnings to steer clear of the beach to take on the monster waves whipped up by the weekend's super storm. Above, huge swell at Cronulla Beach

Surfers queue up at Cronulla beach to catch a wave. 'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas,' said the spokesperson. Pictured, Cronulla Beach

The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday that further heavy surf and persisting high tides my lead to further erosion of the coast.

'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said.

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas.'

The Bureau of Meteorology and emergency services are warning people to stay away from the beaches stretches along most of the NSW coast

Above, jet-ski riders watch on at Cronulla Beach. 'Very heavy surf may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, particularly on southern parts of the coast,' a Bureau spokesperson said.

The low pressure system has now cleared from Queensland and New South Wales and is expected to gradually move away to the southeast.

The system is expected to move on to Tasmania on Monday evening.

The Bureau warned that that although the clouds had lifted, dangerous conditions persisted in coastal areas.

'Beach conditions in these areas will be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas,' warned the BoM. Above, big swells on a beach near the NSW and Queensland border

The Bureau warned that that although the clouds had lifted, dangerous conditions persisted in coastal areas. Large crowds gathered to watch surfers ride monster waves on the NSW north coast
There is every sign the upcoming nuptials of Salim Mehajer's little sister could top the former deputy mayor's outrageous ceremony last year.

Khadijeh 'Kat' Mehajer celebrated her bridal shower by boogieing down between teetering towers of cupcakes in three different dresses on Sunday.

Friends of the family have dubbed the upcoming ceremony Sydney's 'next big wedding' following the Auburn deputy mayor's elaborate wedding last August.

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Happy couple: Khadijeh Mehajer (pictured) celebrated her bridal shower to Ibrahim Sakalaki at the weekend

Towers of cupcakes and flowers hanging from the roof - some of the decorations at the bridal shower

Ms Mehajer takes a picture as a memento of her bridal shower (left) and dancers to drummers (right)

Wearing a baby blue, Ms Mehajer sits on some a bridal shower seat surrounded by flowers

Flowers hung from the ceiling and from tapestries on the wall while a slideshow flicked through pictures of Ms Mehajer and her fiance Ibrahim Sakalaki.

At one point in the proceedings, Ms Mehajer took to the dancefloor as a brigade of drummers beat away at their instruments.

Mr Sakalaki apparently surprised his bride-to-be at the Sunday afternoon event, grinning as he joined her dancing.

'When your man surprises you on your bridal shower!' Ms Mehajer exclaimed on Instagram. 'Love ma bear!!'

Khadijeh Mehajer (left, right) turned over a glamourous new leaf last year

The date of the forthcoming ceremony is unknown but is thought to be later this year.

Ms Mehajer's sister, Aiisha, who she shares a close resemblance with, was one of the many guests at the ceremony.

It will be difficult to top Mr Mehajer's 2015 effort, which featured a post-wedding video, a fleet of flash cars and four helicopters.

The extravagant party sparked a political storm and Mr Mehajer was eventually fined $220 for shutting down a street in Lidcombe, in the city's inner west.

The street's closure will come under examination at a public inquiry into Auburn Council which began last week.
A jungle dweller came face to face with a giant earthworm the size of a snake while on a science exhibition in Ecuador.

The creature, which was spotted crossing the road in front of video host and entomologist Phil Torres, was found as the team travelled to the Sumaco Volcano.

Torres, who posts animal-related clips to his popular YouTube channel The Jungle Diaries, explained the scientists were driving in the rain when they saw the earthworm in the road ahead.

Huge: Phil Torres came across the giant earthworm while on a science expedition to the Sumaco Volcano

Not so fast! The clip shows the earthworm moving across Torres' hand before disappearing into the forest

They got out to examine it and found the creature to be a staggering four foot long, although, according to the host, the same species is capable of reaching a length of around seven foot.

The group also estimated that the earthworm weighed about 1lb.

To give viewers a sense of the creature's scale, Torres placed his iPhone, which, depending on the model, is around 5.5 inches (0.45ft) in length, alongside it.

The mammoth worm absolute dwarfs the handset with its incredible size.

After getting over just how big the creature is, Torres goes on to examine its body and comments on its remarkable colour.

Massive: To give viewers a sense of the mammoth creature's scale Torres placed his iPhone alongside it

Mesmerising: Torres goes on to examine the worm's body and comments on its remarkable colour

He also points out the bristles on its underside, which are called setae, and help the worm anchor and control its movements as it travels through the soil.

The bristles work by holding a section of the worm in the ground while another part of the body moves forward.

Without setae the worm would simple wriggle about in the soil and would not be able to travel in any direction.

The video of the expedition, which was led by Lucas Bustamante and Alejandro Arteaga of Tropical Herping, concludes with some footage of the creature moving.

The clip, which according to Torres has been sped up eight times, shows the worm moving across the host's hand before disappearing into the forest.

One big worm! The group found the creature, which weighed around 1lb, to be a staggering four foot long
General Sir Bernard Montgomery's handwritten D-Day battle plan has been revealed on the 72nd anniversary of the Normandy landings

General Sir Bernard Montgomery's handwritten D-Day battle plan noting that the key to the vast military operation was 'simplicity' has been revealed on the 72nd anniversary of the Normandy landings.

The huge seaborn invasion involved some 156,000 troops, along with hundreds of warships and aircraft, and yet the British general's plan, labelled 'Most Secret', fitted onto a single scrap of paper.

The document has been released from the Imperial War Museum's archive, along with a handwritten first draft of 'Monty's' speech to the troops, to mark the anniversary of D-Day.

Montgomery was one of the key figures on D-Day as commander of the 21st Army Group which initially controlled all the ground forces - US, British, Canadian and others - in Operation Overlord to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The battle plan, scrawled on a side of paper, breaks down the armed forces into separate sections, lists the special armoured vehicles to be used by the first units ashore and notes that 'The key note of everything to be SIMPLICITY'.

And in the draft of the prominent general's speech, which was read out by officers to their men just before the invasion, reveals how he wanted to inspire the troops by telling them how 'the time has come to deal the enemy a terrific blow in western Europe'.

The message, which he altered as he was writing it, ends: 'Good luck to each one of you. And good hunting on the mainland of Europe.'

Anthony Richards, head of documents & sound at IWM, said: 'While the official nature of much of Monty's papers has already formed the basis for historical studies of the operations in which he was involved, the opportunity now exists for people to look more closely at his personal documents and see Monty as a more human figure.

'The draft of his personal message shows his desire to connect directly with the troops under his command in order to inspire them.

The plan, scrawled on a side of paper, breaks down the armed forces into separate sections, lists the armoured vehicles to be used by the first units ashore and notes 'The key note of everything to be SIMPLICITY'

'And it was his reputation as the victor of Alamein (in 1942) which certainly motivated the Allied troops landing in France as well as the sailors present in HMS Belfast who were supporting the vital operation.'

A number of first-hand, personal accounts of members of HMS Belfast - the Royal Navy warship from which one of the first shots of D-Day was fired - have also been revealed in a new book, Firing On Fortress Europe, published by the museum.

It presents the accounts from the ship's crew alongside her log books to bring to life the role the ship played in the invasion in 1944.

General Montgomery (centre), pictured with Winston Churchill (right), hoped to inspire the troops taking part in D-Day by telling them how 'the time has come to deal the enemy a terrific blow in western Europe'

HMS Belfast, the most significant surviving Second World War Royal Navy warship, played a key role in Operation Overlord as the fleet sought to support the men landing on the Normandy beaches in the operation.

The thousands of Allied troops involved in the operation landed on five invasion beaches, codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

Accounts, images, journals and recorded interviews reveal stories from King George VI visiting before HMS Belfast left British waters, to narrowly avoiding explosions, rescuing and treating the wounded and going ashore to clear the beaches.

Nick Hewitt, author of Firing On Fortress Europe, said HMS Belfast's role in events was very important and went on long after the initial invasion.

'There is a separate naval story to D-Day that is often totally overlooked,' he said.

A number of first-hand, personal accounts of members of HMS Belfast - the Royal Navy warship from which one of the first shots of D-Day was fired - have also been revealed to mark the anniversary

HMS Belfast, which is now moored near the Tower of London, played a key role in Operation Overlord as the fleet sought to support the men landing on the Normandy beaches in the operation

'It was the naval forces that first brought the troops into the invasion area, then supported them with gunfire so they could get ashore, kept them supplied with food and ammunition, and took them away when they were wounded.'

Among the personal stories revealed in the book is that of Senior Engineer Lieutenant-Commander Charles Simpson, who allowed his men to each take a two-minute break from working in the engine rooms to go on deck and witness the battle.

'His account of what he saw during his own two-minute break is incredibly vivid. I felt like I could almost see the troops going ashore and the soldiers on the beaches.'

And although HMS Belfast's crew were mostly offshore, Mr Hewitt said the ship was still an 'incredibly dangerous' place to be, with a constant threat over many weeks.

'The ships and men were constantly under attack from German aircraft, explosive motorboats, human torpedoes, shore guns and energy warships.'
Users claim it helps them with exams by improving overall memory recall

The white powder can be snorted like cocaine or gulped in capsule form

University students across the UK said to be taking 'brain-booster' drug

University students across Britain, from Bristol to Leeds and London, are said to be taking Noopept  a mind-enhancing white powder that can either be snorted like cocaine or gulped in a capsule form

University students across the UK are taking a dangerous 'brain-boosting' drug which claims to improve memory recall during exams.

Undergraduates from Bristol to Leeds are said to be taking Noopept  a mind-enhancing white powder that can either be snorted like cocaine or gulped in tablet form.

Many claim to have seen improved exam scores as a result of taking the 'brain-booster', but experts warn the drug has a host of side effects including cardiovascular problems and depression.

Noopept is available via prescription-only in the UK and therefore not for sale over-the-counter. It is used to help treat those with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Alzheimer's.

Students are said to be buying it online, particularly from the US - where it is available in pharmacies - and from Russia where it is prescribed for cognitive enhancement and some mental disorders.

One user, 21-year-old film and literature student John, from Newport, South Wales, said the drug had helped him achieve better exam results.

He told The Sun: 'It helps me work harder and with more creativity.'

Mike, a 22-year-old sociology student from Leamington Spa. Warwickshire, added: 'I've had some really good exam results on these types of drug but it's hard to know whether it's me or the chemicals getting the results which can be a downer.

'Universities are aware of it. Quite a few have considered drug testing before exams.'

And another student told the newspaper: 'It's all over the country  in London at UCL, at Bath, Bristol, Newcastle, Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge, Leeds and Manchester.'

Online websites selling the drug boast that it can improve memory recall, enhance mental energy, improve attention and focus and promote mental clarity by increasing oxygen flow to the brain.

The synthetic drug, which was developed in the 1990s and costs around 20 for 10g, is said to work by supercharging a brain receptor chemical called acetylcholine.

Side effects include cardiovascular problems, headaches, sore throat, irritability, depression, mood swings and mental health problems.

The government's Psychoactive Substances Bill  introduced as part of a huge crackdown on 'legal highs' - means sale of the drug for misuse carries a maximum seven-year sentence in Britain.

In recent years, more and more students have been turning to mind-enhancing drugs to cope with the stress of studies and exams.

Students are said to be taking the mind-enhancing drug to try and boost memory recall for exams (file picture)

Another popular drug taken is Modafinil, a prescription-only stimulant used by doctors to treat patients suffering from the sleeping disorder narcolepsy.

Modafinil pills are sold for as little as 50p each and have been proven to improve memory by 10 per cent. They keep users alert and awake, increasing their ability to concentrate and process information.

However, they can have worrying side-effects  including headaches, irritableness, vomiting, irrational behaviour, tremors, palpitations and broken sleeping patterns.

As a result of students turning to the 'brain-boosting' drugs, a highly profitable black market has developed in prescription-only medicines designed to treat acute neurological conditions.

In one week alone in 2013, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency seized 12.2million of unlicensed drugs in the UK, including Modafinil, Viagra and the attention deficit disorder drug Ritalin.

Experts warn would-be buyers that there is no way of being sure they are getting the authentic drug from the black market or from abroad. Research has shown that some pills are at best sugar-coated placebos, and at worst toxic.
Head negotiator during the siege did not agree with the decision

In return, Monis was expected to release half the hostages in the Lindt Cafe

NSW police boss approved a deal for Man Monis to speak on the ABC

Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller approved a deal for Man Monis to speak on ABC radio in return for the release of half of the hostages, it has been revealed.

The head negotiator - a detective chief inspector and only identified as Graeme for legal reasons - said he discussed the proposal with Mr Fuller at 11.07am and about 40 minutes later with another negotiator, at an inquest in the Sydney siege.

A four-line entry in the detective chief inspector's log, read to the inquest on Monday, states: 'Mr Fuller happy for POI to talk to ABC. Release half of the 18 hostages first. Look for concessions/reciprocity.'

However, the inquest hearing heard the deal was never put to Monis as Graeme decided not to go through with the deal.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner approved a deal for gunman Man Monis to speak on the ABC in return for the release of half the hostages

The deal was never put to Monis, who went on to shoot Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson in the back of the head

He said he stood by his opinion at the time that it was too dangerous, and conflicted with a standing policy not to negotiate with terrorists.

Counsel assisting the inquest, Jeremy Gormly SC, asked Graeme if the proposal was ever put to Monis.

'Not to my recollection,' he responded.

He told the court he had not authorised another negotiator, referred to as 'Reg', to put the deal to the gunman in return for the release of the hostages, as he believed it was 'a dangerous proposition'.

Two hostages were killed during the 16 hour siege, Katrina Dawson (left) and Tori Johnson (right)

Monis was killed in gunfire when police stormed the cafe about 2am, ending the 16-hour-siege

Despite having authority from the police commander, Graeme told the court he decided not to because he believed it was too dangerous and was presumably inconsistent with what he understood to be Australian government policy.

The court was told Graeme had been New South Wales' head negotiator since 1990.

Police ultimately stormed the cafe shortly after 2am on December 16, 2014 after Monis shot cafe manager Tori Johnson, 33, in the back of the head.

Lawyer Katrina Dawson, 38, and Monis were killed when police stormed the cafe.

The inquest continues.
Donald Trump says he made 'a lot of money' in a deal years ago with Moammar Gadhafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

'Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gadhafi, if you remember,' Trump said in an interview with the CBS 'Face the Nation' program that aired Sunday.

'He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay.'

'He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there,' Trump said. 'And it became sort of a big joke.'

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Donald Trump (right) boasted about a 2009 payday from the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi (left) related to a short-term lawn rental so the strongman could pitch a tent while he visited New York for a United Nations meeting

BRING THE GOAT! This is the tent Gadhafi's entourage pitched for him on Trump's lawn, but he never actually stayed there

NOT YOUR AVERAGE LEAN-TO: The Libyans' tent was a spacious affair with a floor and hung fabrics on the walls

The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gadhafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.

Gadhafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.

At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally  and was then re-erected, to the town's chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land. Representatives of Gadhafi  loathed in the U.S. due to his ties to terrorism  had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had 'no idea' that Gadhafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told The Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates.

'We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter now,' Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.

But Trump had changed his tune two years later, when he boasted of having 'screwed' the Libyan leader on the deal.

GROWING UP TRUMP? Gadhafi's tent was literally adjacent to the limousine turnaround circle where Trump's more traditional guests would have pulled up to visit

LANDSCAPING INCLUDED: The Libyan dictator's lawn accommodations were near the palatial Trump family home where The Donald raised his children

'I dealt with Gadhafi. Excuse me. I rented him a piece of land. He paid me more for one night than the land was worth for the whole year or for two years. And then I didn't let him use the land. That's what we should be doing,' Trump said in a 2011 interview with Fox News.

He reiterated the claim on CNN that same year. Trump said he had leased Gaddafi 'a piece of land for his tent. He paid me more than I get in a whole year. And then, eh, he wasn't able to use the piece of land. ... So I got in one night more money than I would have gotten all year for this piece of land up in Westchester. And then didn't let him use it? That's called being intelligent,' Trump said.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to questions Sunday about whether Trump was aware at the time that he was dealing with Gadhafi and how much he made from the deal.

Bedford Town Attorney Joel Sachs, who dealt with Trump directly on the issue, said that Trump insisted to town officials that he didn't know about the Gadhafi connection  and that officials suspected he was lying.

'We believe that Trump knew that he had leased his property to Gadhafi,' Sachs said. 'He definitely denied that he knew, but we had gotten a lot of evidence.'

Roberts, the former Bedford town supervisor, said Sunday she didn't remember much about the back-and-forth, but agreed it was a mess. 'It was a very emotional time. People got very upset at the thought of him coming here,' she said.

But there was also an element of the absurd. 'There was a goat involved. They were going to kill a goat and have it for dinner,' she said. When Gadhafi didn't show, 'it got a reprieve.'

Roberts said she was offered the goat as a souvenir of sorts, but had to turn it down.
nine countries, and has now had op

The four-year-old British boy nicknamed Jihadi Junior has allegedly been smuggled from Syria to Sweden after he fell ill and ISIS's own doctors failed to treat him, a report claims.

Isa Dare and his mother, Muslim convert Grace 'Khadija' Dare from south-east London, are said to have somehow managed to travel 2,000 miles, through nine countries, without being challenged.

Isa has gained world-wide fame in the past year after appearing in two ISIS execution videos, one of which shows him detonating a bomb which killed four prisoners.

'Jihadi Junior': Isa Dare, four, and his mother Grace 'Khadija' Dare, 24, from London, reportedly managed to travel 2,000 miles from Syria to Sweden without being challenged

Isa and his 24-year-old mother travelled from Britain to Syria in 2012, where she married ISIS fighter Abu Bakr, a Swedish ISIS fighter of Iraqi descent.

Bakr, real name Abdul Ghameed Abbas, was born and raised in Gothenburg, south-west Sweden, before leaving for Syria, and it is thought this is why Dare chose to take her son there.

According to a newspaper report, Dare and Isa left ISIS's self-declared 'capital' Raqqa, in Syria, when doctors could not help the boy.

He is said to have had an operation in Sweden, but their alleged whereabouts are not known.

'Isa and his mother were in Sweden after she left Syria but no one knows how she managed to get out,' an unnamed source told The Sun.

Jihadi bride: Dare was married to Swedish ISIS fighter Abu Bakr, who was killed in 2014, and it is thought this is why she chose to take her son there

Brainwashed: Isa appeared in an ISIS execution video in February, in which he was filmed detonating a car bomb which killed four alleged spies

In 2014, his mother posted a shocking photograph to her Twitter account of her then two-year-old Isa, meaning 'Jesus', holding an AK-47 rifle

'She may have used another identity to get there but Isa is very recognisable so it was quite a feat.

'She was not detained or stopped which is incredible given their notoriety.'

The source added that it is not likely that Dare will return to Britain as she fears the risk of getting caught is too great.

Earlier this year, Isa's grandfather, Henry 'Sunday' Dare, 59, defended the boy's appearance in the horrifying ISIS videos, saying he was being used by the terrorists.

Asked if he thought his grandson had any idea what he was saying in the video, Mr Dare  of Deptford, south east London  said: 'No  he's a kid.

'He's a minor, he's under five. He's acting under the influence of ISIS guerrillas. He's too young. He's propaganda. They are just using a small boy. They are using him as a shield.'

Mr Dare said he had reported Grace to the police on three occasions before she left for Syria and told them 'she's behaving in a very funny way'.
He's well known for convincing huge crowds of people to strip off for his striking photographs.

And yesterday Spencer Tunick was at it again after 6,000 people in Colombia braved 7 degree chills to pose nude in Bogota's main public square - all in the name of peace.

The installation - his largest in six years and his first in Bogota - comes as the government in the conflict-torn country closes in on a peace deal with leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

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Thousands of people braved cold weather to pose for a set of striking photographs in Colombia

In the buff! Well known photographer Spencer Tunick convinced 6000 people to strip off in the latest of his nude photographs

'We are happy being naked, quiet and calm. This is a moment of peace and calm that we are all sharing. It's also a moment of unity, a time to eradicate prejudice,' Claudia Barrientos, a 40-something participant said.

Carlos Beltran, in his 20s, called it a 'great' event.

'It was a totally different experience in my life, and I think we are all experiencing the same thing - shedding our clothes and being as we were when we entered this world,' Beltran said.

The installation - his largest in six years and his first in Bogota - comes as the government in the conflict-torn country closes in on a peace deal with leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Tunick said his aim was to 'just show the body as a beautiful organic entity that transforms the space, the governmental space of the square.'

He had some participants pose at various heights. Some of them almost seemed to be suspended in mid-air.

'It's an honour to be here at this moment when life is changing and hopefully a peace agreement will be signed,' he said.

Tunick said his aim was to 'just show the body as a beautiful organic entity that transforms the space, the governmental space of the square'

Spencer Tunik is very well known for his naked photographs, which he has taken all over the world

Bolivar Square is home to Colombia's congress, city hall, supreme court and a major cathedral.

In Colombia, a diverse country with deep inequalities and roots in Europe, Africa and the Americas, Tunick said he was hoping his photo shoot would attract 'an alphabet soup of skin tonalities, ethnicities, people from all walks of life.'
ISIS jihadis have executed 19 Yazidi girls in Iraq by locking them in iron cages and then burning them to death in front of hundreds of people.

The victims were taken hostage by the terror group to be used as sex slaves, but were put to death in Mosul for refusing to have sex with the militants.

ISIS took over the Yazidi region in northern Iraq in August 2014 causing the displacement of nearly 40,000 people.

A group of Yazidi women weep after thousands were taken captive from their villages. It has now emerged ISIS has executed 19 Yazidi girls for refusing to become sex slaves (file picture)

The terror group also slaughtered many of the Yazidi people and took women and kept women and young girls as sex slaves.

And local media activist Abdullah al-Malla told the Kurdish-run ARA News: 'They were punished for refusing to have sex with ISIS militants.'

A witness told the agency: 'The 19 girls were burned to death, while hundreds of people were watching.

'Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment.'

It is estimated more than 3,000 Yazidi girls have been taken as sex slaves by ISIS after they took over northern Iraq.

Thousands of them remain trapped on Mount Sinjar and according to local and military sources, they have suffered mass killings, rape and kidnappings.

In territories occupied by ISIS anybody who opposes their religion can be turned into slave, and they are often considered as 'devil worshippers' by the terror group.

ISIS took over the Yazidi region in northern Iraq in August 2014 causing the displacement of nearly 40,000 people (file picture)

And Human Rights Watch has said that the treatment of the Yazidis by ISIS amounts to genocide.

They said in a report: 'Many of the abuses, including torture, sexual slavery, and arbitrary detention, would be war crimes if committed in the context of the armed conflict, or crimes against humanity if they were part of ISIS policy during a systematic or widespread attack on the civilian population.

'The abuses against Yezidi women and girls documented by Human Rights Watch, including the practice of abducting women and girls and forcibly converting them to Islam and/or forcibly marrying them to ISIS members, may be part of a genocide against Yezidis.'

The Yazidi are an ancient group who have lived on the Ninevah Province, in Iraq, for hundreds of years.

The Yazidi faith has elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam. A a result, Islamic State militants consider them to be devil-worshippers.
Many popular animal species could soon disappear from our zoos due to an EU law which bans them from being bred by keepers.

Zoo mainstays such as the grey squirrel and the muntjac deer are among those on the hit list, which has been drawn up to protect native species in several EU member states.

Officials are concerned that species considered 'dangerous' in certain countries could escape and become established in the wild, having a detrimental effect on that state's ecology.

Many popular animal species including the muntjac deer (pictrued) could soon disappear from our zoos due to an EU law which bans them from being bred by keepers

Zoo mainstays such as the grey squirrel are among those on the hit list, which has been drawn up to protect native species in several EU member states

However the move has proved unpopular with some zoologists, as it will result in youngsters being deprived of the opportunity to study animals such as the racoon and chipmunk up close.

Zoo keepers have been ordered to 'phase out' the 23 species by not breeding them, be it by neutering them or placing them in single-sex groupings.

SPECIES THAT ARE ON EU HIT LIST Muntjac deer - A danger to drivers and damages wooded areas. Grey squirrel - Threatens to red squirrel due to carrying the squirrelpox virus. Sacred ibis - Poses a threat other birds by eating their eggs. Chinese mitten crab - The species is known to eat the eggs of salmon and trout. Ruddy duck - A danger to the white-headed duck species through cross-breeding. Advertisement

Animals such as the Chinese mitten crab and the sacred ibis already living in zoos within the EU will be permitted to live out their natural lives, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The American bison could later to be added to the list due to worries it may cross-breed with European species in the east of the continent.

However Chris, director of Tropiquaria zoo in Somerset, laughed off the suggestion that British zoos should ban the species as they would have to find a way across the English Channel.

He told The Times: 'Even with open borders I don't think there's much of a chance.'

Defra is currently drawing up new regulations for zoos based on the EU law but said it will not be formally publishing details until after the referendum later this month on June 23.

The grey squirrel is itself an invasive species in the UK, where it was introduced from North America in the 19th century, going on to drive out the native red squirrel from many parts of the country.
The search for a swimmer who leapt from rocks at Bondi Beach in to four metre waves during a storm has been suspended.

The man is believed to have jumped in to the water on Monday afternoon despite swelling waves and dangerous winds.

Emergency services looked for him for around three hours before calling off the search on Monday at around 5.30pm.

They will continue their efforts tomorrow morning, NSW police said on Monday evening.

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The search for a missing swimmer at Bondi Beach was suspended by emergency services at nightfall on Monday. Above, a helicopter hovers over the crashing waves as onlookers watch rescuers' efforts

'A search will resume at first light tomorrow morning after a swimmer went missing this afternoon at Bondi Beach.

'About 2.30pm emergency services were called to the southern end of Bondi Beach following reports of a man in distress in the water.

Due to fading light, the search was suspended about 5.30pm, and will resume at first light tomorrow morning,' a spokesman said.

Witnesses previously claimed the man, who has not been named, jumped in to the waters to go for a swim.

'He just jumped in when the waves were going out and when the waves came in again he went under and couldn't keep up,' he said.

'Then he just disappeared.'

Emergency crews arrived at the scene shortly after 2.30pm after reports the man had jumped in to the water. They could not find him after three hours on Monday and were forced to suspend the search due to fading light

Some witnesses said the man had leapt from rocks at the beach but others claimed he was swept away by the strong current. Search and rescue crews (above) worked until dusk on Monday to find him but couldn't

The Westpac helicopter searched for hours for the man who, it was claimed, had gone for a swim on Monday

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to the scene and two surf lifesavers were searching on a jet ski, but were abandoned the search due to the rough conditions,7 News reported.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter's Stephen Leahy told the ABC a 000 call was made about 2.30pm.

The man was only visible in the water for a 'short period of time' before becoming submerged, he said.

Contrary to a witness saying the man dived in, Mr Leahy said the man had been swept of the rocks.

Bondi Beach has been closed to swimmers and surfers due to the dangerous conditions, according to reports.

The news follows deaths and disappearances in the wake of the weekend's large storm which battered the east of Australia.

Onlookers watched as the helicopter flew over the surf before turning in for the day amid fading light

Waves wash over the pools at Bondi Icebergs Club as rain and wind continued to batter Sydney's coast

A lone surfer looks at the surf on Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, where on Monday afternoon a swimmer disappeared, sparking a search effort

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter hovers above the water and rocks during the search for the man (above)

Tourists walking along Bondi Beach on Sunday as a large storm battered the east coast of Australia

A king tide hits Bondi Icebergs on Sunday as the super storm pummelled the east coast of Australia

Huge waves crash into rocks near Bondi Beach on Monday in the aftermath of the storm over the weekend

Police divers found a 65-year-old man's body in his vehicle in Mittagong Creek near Bowral and another man in a truck at Leppington (pictured), Sydney's southwest

Three men have been killed in floodwater in separate incidents after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday. Pictured: One of the vehicles discovered in Sydney

Three men have been killed in floodwater in separate incidents after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday.

Police divers found a 65-year-old man's body in his vehicle in Mittagong Creek near Bowral and another man in a truck at Leppington, Sydney's south west.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday.

Police spotted the Canberra man's vehicle after they were called out to a separate incident involving two men who had been four-wheel driving and realised they couldn't cross the swollen river.

While emergency workers were trying to work out how to rescue the man, his four-wheel drive was swept away by the floods and flipped over.

The man's body was seen shortly after on an island in the middle of the river.

Around 5pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to Anthony Road in Leppington NSW, after reports a utility vehicle had been swept away.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam (pictured) at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday

While emergency workers were trying to work out how to rescue the man in Cotter Dam, Canberra, his four-wheel drive was swept away by the floods and flipped over

Police were unable to locate the vehicle and called off the search at nightfall. On Monday at first light they managed to find the utility and police divers retrieved his body by 11.30am.

At 8.30am, another vehicle was found in Mittagong Creek on Mittagong Road in Bowral and the body of a 65-year-old man was retrieved.

He is yet to be formally identified and reports are being prepared for the coroner.

NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Kyle Stewart said the two deaths should serve as a warning to residents who think they can safely wade or drive through flood waters.

'It is a tragedy these two lives have been lost. We simply do not know how either of these two men came to be in the flood waters. But what we know is that their deaths show just how dangerous flood waters are,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Stewart said.

'What do we have to say to get the message across? Flood waters are deadly  we can't put it any other way,' he added.

In Tasmania, emergency services are also searching for two elderly people. One man, 81, is thought to be trapped in floodwater and another woman may still be at her home in Latrobe,The ABC reported.

The woman's husband was rescued from the roof of their home on Monday, but she remained behind and has not been seen since.

In Canberra, the body of a 37-year-old Kambah man was found near the Cotter Dam at 4.30pm on Sunday, but police were unable to retrieve his body until Monday

Three men have been killed in floodwater after a vicious storm battered Australia on Sunday

'The floodwaters yesterday ... were extremely strong, savage, with a lot of debris, large logs coming down the river,' ACT Policing Sergeant Harry Hains told reporters in Canberra.

'The force was enough to flip a two-tonne ute.'

Police and emergency workers warn people not to drive through floods for any reason.

'These types of weather conditions, extreme weather conditions we've experienced do lead adventure-seeking type people to seek mud with their four-wheel-drives,' Sgt Hains said.

'There is no risk worth taking to cross a flooded river to go and seek some piece of dirt to drive your four-wheel-drive on.'

The heavy rain came after an intense low pressure system thrashed New South Wales.

Over a thousand people were evacuated after a seven-metre high king tide flooded the state.

Around 65 millimetres of rain fell in Canberra over the weekend.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described childless women as 'deficient', saying a woman's life is 'incomplete' if she fails to have offspring.

The Turkish leader said that he would 'recommend women to have at least three children', adding that he 'absolutely doesn't accept' a woman choosing to have a career over raising a family.

President Erdogan made the controversial statements during a speech at Turkey's national women's association in Istanbul on Sunday.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan branded childless women 'deficient', saying a woman's life is 'incomplete' if she fails to produce children

In a somewhat contradictory speech, he then added that he was a strong supporter of women having careers but emphasised that this should not be an 'obstacle' to having children.

'A woman who abstains from motherhood saying "I am working" means she is in fact rejecting motherhood,' Erdogan said in a speech marking the opening of the new building of Turkey's Women's and Democracy Association (KADEM).

'I absolutely don't accept making (a woman's) business life an alternative to motherhood.'

'Rejecting motherhood means giving up on humanity. I would recommend having at least three children,' added the president.

'A women who rejects motherhood, who refrains from being around the house, however successful her working life is, is deficient, is incomplete.

President Erdogan, centre, also said that he 'absolutely does not accept' a woman choosing to not have children in order to focus on work

'The fact that a woman is attached to her professional life should not prevent her from being a mother,' he added, saying that Turkey had taken 'important steps' to support working mothers.

Erdogan had on Monday said that family planning and contraception were not for Muslim families, prompting fury among women's activists.

According to the statistics office, Turkey's population rose to 78.741 million last year, a growth rate of around 1.3 percent. The population in 2000 was less than 68 million.

But Erdogan indicated he wanted more, saying Turkey is a country 'with great goals' and to achieve them 'every member of the nation should be mobilised.'

'Strong families lead to strong nations,' he said.

Erdogan has two daughters and two sons with his wife Emine.

His younger daughter Sumeyye, who last month married defence industrialist Selcuk Bayraktar in a high-profile wedding, is the deputy chairman of KADEM.

Erdogan, a pious Muslim, has repeatedly annoyed feminists and women's activists with his comments on sex and family planning, once describing birth control as 'treason'.

The composition of Turkey's new cabinet under Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced last month also annoyed activists, with just one female minister, heading the family ministry, in the government.
Texas is on track to set a new record for teachers having inappropriate relationships with students.

Statistics released by the Texas Education Agency have revealed it launched 162 investigations of reported inappropriate teacher-student relationships in just nine months, between September 1 and May 31.

The figures mark the fifth year of growth in the state, with 188 investigations in the last fiscal year.

This comes after an eight grade teacher admitted she got pregnant by a 13-year-old pupil - sending shockwaves around the world.

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Texas lawmakers have blamed social media for the rise in such relationships (pictured, eight grade teacher Alexandria Vera at Harris County's 209th State District Court)

Brianne Altice, 37, of Salt Lake City: She is serving between two and 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse

At a hearing in Houston last week, a judge ordered Alexandria Vera to stay away from minors after she admitted she got pregnant after sex with her 13-year-old student.

Texas lawmakers could now be set to confront the issue at next year's legislative session - and have blamed social media for the rise in such relationships.

Referring to the shocking new figures in Texas, Kathy Tortoreo, director of crisis services at Family Support Services in Amarillo, told Globe-News: 'In the past, you might not have had students choosing to interact socially with a teacher.

'Now they'll friend them on Facebook or they'll reach out to them on Snapchat.

'The adult is supposed to understand the boundary, and the adult is supposed to uphold the boundary.'

On Friday, eighth grade teacher Alexandria Vera, 24, was formally read the charges against her at an arraignment hearing in Houston, Texas, but did not enter a plea.

Vera has admitted she got pregnant after sex with her 13-year-old student.

Judge Michael T McSpadden told Vera she was to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 17.

He also ordered Vera - who is out on $100,000 bail - to wear a GPS monitor and to stay away from the school.

A judge ordered Alexandria Vera (pictured) to stay away from minors after she admitted she got pregnant after sex with her 13-year-old student

The former middle school teacher was also banned from accessing the internet and put on a curfew to remain in her home between 8pm and 7am each day.

The court heard Vera was fired from her job at Stovall Middle School after the allegations emerged.

Vera turned herself in to police on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for her arrest on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child. She was released hours later after she posted a $100,000 bond.

The probable cause document outlining the case against her states how school principal Elsa Wright got a tip that Vera was having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

She then questioned the defendant who 'admitted to having a sexual relationship since September 2015 with a known student', according to the document.

The student, who can't be named, was in her eighth grade English class and was 13 years old.

A police officer met with Vera to discuss the case and she told them she fell pregnant with the eighth grader's child in January after they had continuous sex.

Christina Green, director of the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas, testified before the House panel on the importance of training school staff to spot abuse.
The seven-year-old Japanese boy found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a dense forest as punishment has forgiven his father, the family said today.

Yamato Tanooka, survived six nights alone after his angry parents abandoned him by the side of a mountain road on the northern island of Hokkaido on May 28.

His parents returned 'minutes later' only to find that Yamato was gone.

Today, the seven-year-old revealed that his terrifying ordeal began when he ran after his parent's car in floods of tears, and got lost.

Abandoned: Yamato Tanooka, who was found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a bear-inhabited forest in Japan, initially got lost after trying to run after his parents' car as they drove off

Searchers, including soldiers, spent days scouring the mountainous forest which is home to brown bears, but could find no clues to the missing boy.

He was discovered Friday morning sheltering in a hut on a military drill field some 3.4 miles from where he had been left.

Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father, has said he, his wife and daughter returned several minutes later to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car, but there was no sign of him.

'I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry',' the elder Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in footage aired Monday.

'And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you',' Tanooka added, choking up.

Takayuki Tanooka, father of seven-year-old Yamato, said his son had forgiven him for leaving him in the woods

Apologetic: Mr Tanooka, 44, has said he, his wife and daughter returned several minutes later to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car, but there was no sign of him

Yamato, who was taken to hospital by helicopter immediately after being found in the hut by a soldier, will be discharged on Tuesday, a hospital official said today.

Local reports said he had suffered slight dehydration and minor scars on his arms and legs, and had only lost about 4.5lbs after a week without food.

His father said Yamato had been making great recovery, saying that the boy is 'finishing each meal served, drawing in a notebook and playing cards with his family', the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported.

Local police have reported the case to a child welfare centre as possible mental abuse, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and other reports said.

Police also interviewed Yamato on Monday, Jiji Press said.

Yamato was taken straight to hospital after being found in a disused military base, but was only found to be suffering dehydration and exhaustion

Yamato trekked three miles through dense bear-infested woodland to reach the military base on the island of Hokkaido

Survival skills: The seven-year-oold kept warm at night by sleeping between two mattresses

The military base at the Ground Self-Defense Force Komagatake exercise area where Yamato was found

The child told them he would walk around the drill field on sunny days but did not wander far. He heard the sound of helicopters and the cries of wild animals but no people, Jiji said, citing police.

Immediately after being abandoned, the crying boy tried to chase his parents' car but ended up getting disoriented and going the opposite way, the Mainichi reported, citing sources close to the family.

Yamato also said that because he was afraid of the forest he walked about five hours in the dark along a path until he came to the hut, the report added.

Other reports said the boy saw no one until the soldier found him on Friday but he believed his family must be looking for him.

Hundreds of people, including police, military and volunteers, were involved in the six day long search to find Yamato after he went missing last Saturday

Yamato's parents have been severely criticised for forcing him out of their car to teach him a lesson for throwing stones at cars and people.

The elder Tanooka said he was angry because the boy had recently been scolded at school for hitting cars with a wooden stick.

'So I tried to show him that I can be scary if seriously angry,' he said, citing what he described as a 'father's dignity'.

The contrite dad bowed and apologised in front of reporters on Friday after being reunited with Yamato for what he admitted were his 'excessive' actions.
Gogglebox viewers were sent into a frenzy when the 'other' Michaels sister made an appearance in last week's episode.

University student Catheryne joined parents Carolyne and Andrew and sister Alex on the sofa, prompting dozens of tweets from confused fans who didn't realise the Brighton family had two daughters.

But Catheryne is not the only part-time Googlebox star. There are children, siblings and grandchildren who make only occasional appearances on screen, while other wives and fiances have opted out completely.

Here, we introduce you to some of the lesser-known members of the nations' favourite TV families...

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Double trouble: Gogglebox viewers were surprised when university student Catheryne, far left, appeared on the sofa alongside her parents and sister Alex. Their brother Louis also appears on the Channel 4 show

The 'other' Siddiqui son and their tiny scene-stealer

Former engineer Sid was born in Pakistan but moved to the UK when he was 16. He appears on the show with his sons Baasit and Umar, an IT technician.

His 'other' son, Raza, an estate agent, also occasionally appears on the show but his work schedule means that he can't always make it to the family home in Derby in time for filming.

IT teacher Baasit has previously said Rava 'wishes he could do more' but is happy to be part of the show when he can, adding: 'He is like the fifth Beatle'.

Baasit has become a viewers' favourite with his dry comments - but he could soon lose out on the attention to his daughter, Amelia.

Siddiqui family: Sid, second from right, appears on the show with sons Baasit, far left, and Umar, second from left. His son Raza, far right, only appears on the show occasionally, and his wife has never been on screen

The toddler has made at least two appearances on her grandfather's sofa, on one occasion looking deliciously cute in a pumpkin Halloween costume in 2014.

When asked whether his daughter would become more of a regular fixture on the show, Baasit said last year: 'Hopefully her mum will let her come back on... She got some great feedback on Twitter which was really cute.'

Sid also has a wife of 37 years and two daughters who have never appeared on camera because 'they don't like to be on TV'.

Newest star? Baasit's daughter Amelia looked impossibly cute when she appeared dressed as a pumpkin alongside (pictured from left-right) her father, uncle and grandfather on an episode of the show in 2014

The Malones' missing children - and their very cute grandson

The Malone family, from Stretford, south Manchester, have become a hit with viewers since joining Gogglebox in series four.

Soap loving mother Julie appears on the show alongside her husband, Tom Sr and sons, Shaun and Tom Jr - a successful model, dancer and choreographer.

While the family's pack of well-trained dogs are frequent guest stars on the show, son Lee and daughter Vanessa have yet to make an appearance on the sofa.

The Malones' youngest grandson Brogan has already made his TV debut, and won the nation's hearts when he sat on his grandfather's lap in a mini elf costume at just 12 weeks old.

Full house: Parents Julie and Tom Sr with their sons Shaun and Tom Jr - and two of their well-behaved pets. The couple's other son Lee, and daughter Vanessa have yet to appear on the Channel 4 show

Christmas treat: The Malones' grandson Brogan appeared on the show at just 12 weeks old, dressed as an elf

The Woerdenwebers' newest addition (and the loss of Silent Jay)

When the metal-loving Woerdenwebers made their debut on the Channel 4 show in series two, the family were joined by daughter Eve's then boyfriend, Jay.

While parents Viv and Ralf were happy to offer their views on the pick of the week's television, Jay would rarely comment on the shows, earning him the nickname 'Silent Jay' - and a cult following.

However, halfway through series 5 of the show, Channel 4 released a statement telling viewers he would no longer appear as a contributor on the show.

'Silent Jay' moved out of the family home on the Wirral, and months later Eve announced she was engaged to new boyfriend, Josh Smith - who has now taken his predecessor's place on the sofa.

Former flame: The metal-loving Woerdenwebers were originally joined by Eve's then boyfriend, known as Silent Jay (second from left). Eve's new fiance, Joshua Smith, has now taken his place on the sofa

The Moffatts' littlest princess

Straight-talking Scarlett Moffatt often steals the show when she appears on the sofa alongside parents Mark and Betty.

But the reality star met her match when her nine-year-old sister Ava Grace made her debut during an episode of the show last month.

Scarlett, 25, was out-witted by the cheeky schoolgirl, who poked fun at her older sister's lack of nutritional knowledge - much to the nation's amusement.

Ava proved to be a massive hit with viewers and Twitter was inundated with praise for the youngster, with many calling for show bosses to make her a permanent feature.

One user commented: '@C4Gogglebox @ScarlettMoffatt Ava has been on the show 15 minutes and has already pulled off about 5 one liners !! #amazing #gogglebox.'

Another added: 'Oh. Junior girl Moffatt, we love you! Scarlett, hand over your crown.'

Met her match: Nine-year-old Ava Grace stole the show when she made her Gogglebox debut alongside her older sister Scarlett and parents Mark and Betty on an episode of the show last month

The men who have stolen Chris and Stephen's hearts

Hairdressers Chris Steed and Stephen Webb were dating when they appeared on the first episode of Gogglebox three years ago. The couple later split but have continued to share the sofa as friends.

Explaining the situation in the past, Chris said: 'We were friends years ago, and then we evolved into sort of more like a relationship, so we were actually seeing each other when I got the opportunity of going on Gogglebox. So that's how Stephen and I got on it.

'We were actually a couple for the first series! But we decided that we're better as friends. So second series, we went into it as friends, but I think a lot of followers that watched the first series continued to think that we were a couple.'

Best friends: Hairdressers Stephen Webb, left, and Chris Steed first appeared on Gogglebox as a couple

Tying the knot: Stephen revealed he had proposed to boyfriend Daniel Lustig during a trip to India in January

Engaged: Co-star Chris announced he would wed partner Tony Butland with this picture taken in Paris

The friends became engaged to their new partners within months of each other.

Chris' boyfriend Tony popped the question in Paris last October, while Stephen proposed to Daniel Lustig on holiday in India in January.

However neither Tony or Daniel have appeared on the show. Instead, Stephen travels from his home in West Sussex to take in the week's TV in Chris' Brighton bungalow.
A grandmother has spent 10,000 from her divorce settlement on Britain's biggest breasts undergoing an operation to take her from a 34D to a huge 32MM.

After splitting up with her husband, Sharon Perkins, 50, from Coventry, West Midlands, spent some of the money from her divorce settlement on two boob jobs, and the mother-of-three says she feels sexier than ever.

Ms Perkins's implants, which were so large they had to be specially imported from America, weigh half a stone and even though she recently became a grandmother, she plans to keep showing off her enlarged assets in her favourite low-cut tops.

Grandmother Sharon Perkins, 50, has spent 10,000 of her ex-husband's money on Britain's biggest breasts undergoing an operation to take her from a 34D to a huge 32MM. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her two breast enlargements

And her new partner, Carl Hamilton, 50, is delighted with the attention her new additions get and has nicknamed her breasts his 'best friends.'

Ms Perkins, a part-time glamour model, said: 'I can't get enough of my new boobs, they've completely transformed my life and they feel and look amazing.

'I love walking down the street now, they get so much attention, I love seeing people's reactions and strangers always stop me to ask questions.

'I used to work as an office administrator, my life was completely boring and I was in a mundane marriage that had just become routine.

After splitting up with her husband, Ms Perkins (pictured) from Coventry, West Midlands, spent some of the money from her divorce settlement on two boob jobs

Her new partner, Carl Hamilton, 50, (pictured left with Ms Perkins before her op, and right afterwards) is delighted with the attention her new additions get and has nicknamed her breasts his 'best friends'

'As I was getting older my breasts were getting softer and droopier and I longed for perkier, firmer boobs.

'I would've had the surgeries years ago but didn't have the money and I don't think my ex-husband would've been happy with the attention they got.

'Meeting Carl and starting a new chapter was the best thing I ever did, other than having my new knockers of course which were worth every penny.

Ms Perkins received 33,000 from her divorce settlement, and while her former husband spent some of his money on a new car, she decided to get a breast enlargement

'As soon as I'd had the surgery I felt amazing, I got such a buzz from them and people in the office joked I was the new Jordan.'

Ms Perkins received 33,000 from her divorce settlement, and while her former husband spent some of his money on a new car, she decided to get a breast enlargement - something she had always dreamt of doing but never had the spare cash for.

She says her ex was shocked when he first saw her after the operation, but is accepting of the way she has spent the money.

She spent 4,500 on her first surgery which took her 34D chest to a 36H, but within six months Ms Perkins and Mr Hamilton, who buys and sells antiques, agreed she should go even bigger.

After forking out another 5,500, Sharon was left with gigantic 32MM boobs which contain 1,500cc or 2.6 pints of silicone each.

The rest of her money has been put into a farmhouse in Bulgaria that Ms Perkins and Mr Hamilton are in the process of renovating.

Her breast size is slightly larger than that of Army wife Debbie Delamar, 36, from Brecon, Pwoys, a previous claimant of the Britain's biggest fake breasts crown, who has endured three procedures to take her from a 30DD to a 30KK.

'I couldn't believe when the surgeon told me he would have to order the implants all the way from America,' said Ms Perkins.

'He explained the UK didn't do implants the size I wanted, but I told him to do whatever it takes, I wanted to be as big as possible.

'Now I want to go even larger it's even harder to find the implants I want but I will persevere until I find them and the surgeon to do it, bigger is definitely better.

'I think it's rubbing off on my family now too as one of my daughters now wants a boob job.

'After losing weight her chest has shrunk so she wants that extra boost of confidence that I had when I first had mine done.

'As soon as you've had the surgery done you notice how much people look back at you or take a second glance, it's fab.

Ms Perkins plans to marry Mr Hamilton, but thinks she will have to have a wedding dress specially made to accommodate her new curves

Ms Perkins's breast size is slightly larger than that of Army wife Debbie Delamar, 36, (pictured with husband Rob) from Brecon, Pwoys, a previous claimant of the Britain's biggest fake breasts crown, who has endured three procedures to take her from a 30DD to a 30KK

'I even have people asking me if they can feel them and I don't mind that at all, they can be really fascinating to some.

'They feel really soft and natural, while being firm and perky at the same time.

'I get asked a lot if they make my back hurt or if they're heavy but I've not had any pain since recovering from the op, you body just adapts and gets used to them.'

BY THE NUMBERS: SHARON PERKINS'S BREAST IMPLANTS Sharon Perkins's implants together weigh a back-breaking 7lbs, or 3.175kgs. That is equivalent to: - One and a quarter bags of 2.5kg potatoes - A small shark - A bowling ball - A three-month German Shepherd - Two house bricks - An adult cat - Seven 1lb bags of sugar - Two boxes of wine - Eight rugby balls - An Xbox 360 Advertisement

Having a 32MM chest and losing more than three stone in two years has meant that Ms Perkins has had to buy a whole new wardrobe for her new figure.

She plans to marry Mr Hamilton, but thinks she will have to have a wedding dress specially made to accommodate her new curves.

And Ms Perkins insists that welcoming her new grandson won't stop her wearing low cut tops and dresses for many years to come.

'I've already told him though when he's older he can't cramp my style, he can call me Sharon not nanny or grandma,' she said.

'I love wearing low cut things that show off my cleavage, I paid a lot of money for my boobs and I won't be hiding them away for anybody.

'Buying clothes can be difficult though, I have to buy baggy things to stretch over my chest, I think I will have to have my wedding dress specially made.

'My new boobs have given me a new lease of life, they make me feel younger and have done wonders for my sex life.

'I couldn't be happier now compared to my life a few years ago and I plan to continue living life to the full.
Britain's worst paedophile who abused up to 200 Malaysian children and posted videos of his depraved acts online has been given 22 life sentences.

Richard Huckle, from Ashford in Kent, admitted an unprecedented number of offences against children aged between six months and 12 years from 2006 to 2014.

Judge Peter Rook QC told him: 'You had become consumed with paedophilia. Your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification'.

Huckle, aged 30, will serve a minimum 25 years behind bars before being considered for parole.

As Huckle was taken down to the cells, a woman sitting in the public gallery yelled: 'A thousand deaths is too good for you.'

Richard Huckle - branded Britain's worst paedophile for abusing hundreds of Malaysian children - has been given 23 life sentences and ordered to serve a minimum 25 years behind bars

A woman, who cannot be identified, shouted at Huckle as he was taken to the cells to begin his sentence

Huckle masqueraded as a devout Christian, photographer and English teacher to prey on poor children in Kuala Lumpur over nine years.

A stream of pictures and videos of his rapes and assaults on children were shared with paedophiles worldwide through an encrypted website.

He even tried to make a business out of his horrific crimes by crowd-funding the release of the images and was compiling a paedophile's manual at the time of his arrest by the National Crime Agency.

The judge said he would be a 'significant risk for many years to come', adding: 'there is no genuine remorse in this case'.

The judge told Huckle: 'You were and are sexually obsessed with children. You have spent years abusing them. In one of your postings you stated that you had become consumed by your paedophilia.

'It is clear from your postings on hidden encrypted paedophile websites on the dark web, and from the manual you were in the process of drafting, that your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification by child sex abuse.

'It is also clear that, had you not been arrested, you planned to continue the same lifestyle using the expertise that you were keen to show off to and share with other abusers so as to continue your sexual exploitation of the children of such communities.'

Huckle, described as a 'loner', held his hands together as if praying when he was sentenced today

Huckle wrote online that poverty-stricken children in developing countries were much easier to abuse

The judge told Huckle a paedophile manual he had written was a 'truly evil document'.

He said: 'It speaks volumes about the scale of your self delusion, describing your conduct as child love. Furthermore, it appears as though your conduct was escalating.'

Twenty three children were identified in 71 charges, although Huckle's tally of abuse which he catalogued on a 'Pedopoints' ledger was much higher.

The aggravating features of the case included the sheer number of vulnerable children affected, the depravity of the acts, and the length of time he carried on.

His commitment was demonstrated in his efforts to make money by crowd funding videos of his abuse of a three year old girl.

He even cast himself as a trailblazer and encouraged other paedophiles to follow his example in the guide to abusing children in poverty which was to be posted online.

Huckle was brought up in a comfortable middle class Christian household but had shunned the company of other children and spent most of his teenage years at home on his computer.

The predator had been on his way home to spend the festive season with his parents in Ashford when the National Crime Agency swooped to arrest him on information from authorities in Australia.

Richard Huckle raped in orphanages and care homes in Malaysia and Cambodia. Here is pictured at India's New Hope for Children Orphanage, but is not believed to have abused orphans living there

Having been bailed on condition he stay at his parents' house, he confessed to his mother what he had been doing.

His parents immediately begged police to take him away and were even prepared to give evidence against him in a trial.

Huckle first began abusing children as soon as he reached adulthood when he molested a toddler during a gap year in Cambodia.

Thus began his nine-year campaign of rape and assault against up to 200 pre-pubescent children as young as six months old.

Huckle awarded himself points based on 15 depraved catagories, amassing a score of 1,305 between November 2013 and November 2014.

He dreamed of marrying one of his victims so they could become foster carers to provide him with a 'cycle of children' to abuse.

Although there was no evidence that he committed any crimes in Britain, Huckle cultivated his image of a devoutly religious philanthropist at home and abroad.

National Crime Agency admits it knew Huckle was abusing children in Christian orphanages for THREE MONTHS before telling Malaysian police

Huckle was caught after Australian authorities tipped off the British NCA. The NCA then informed Malaysian authorities three months later

The National Crime Agency has admitted it waited three months before telling Malaysian authorities all it knew about Richard Huckle.

The crime-fighting force has been criticised for failing to alert police in Malaysia, with one minister insisting she only found out about the case a month ago.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey, deputy director Andrew Brennan admitted police were first tipped off about the Briton's offending by the Australian authorities in August 2014.

But he said the NCA needed to identify where and who Huckle was before providing the Malaysian police with 'all of the intelligence' in November 2014.

'They didn't have sufficient evidence to arrest him, we made a decision we would arrest him in December 2014,' said Mr Brennan.

'I'm very confident we worked very, very closely with the Malaysian authorities and an NGO based in Malaysia.'

Mr Brennan also insisted there is 'absolutely no evidence' or intelligence of Huckle offending in the UK.

'I think the level of offending Huckle has committed himself to is quite unique,' he said.

'Huckle is an individual who is clearly very, very dangerous. There is no doubt the sentence reflected the deterent for anyone else who who wishes to engage in this activity.'

James Traynor, from the NCA said: 'Richard Huckle spent several years integrating himself into the community in which he lived, making himself a trusted figure. But he abused that trust in the worst possible way.

'He deliberately travelled to a part of the world where he thought he could abuse vulnerable children without being caught.

'The NCA worked to track down Huckle and end his prolific abuse, using Section 72 legislation in this case, which allows UK nationals to be prosecuted in the UK for offences that have been committed overseas.
Alexandru Radita, 15, who was found dead at his home in Calgary after suffering from complications due to starvation

The parents of 15-year-old Alexandru Radita, who was found dead at his home following complications due to starvation, allegedly told friends he had 'died and was resurrected by God'.

The teenager was found dead by emergency workers at his family home in Calgary in May 2013.

His parents Emil, 59, and Rodica, 53, are each charged with first-degree murder and are currently on trial at the Court of the Queen's Bench in Alberta.

The devout churchgoers allegedly told friends their 15-year-old son had died, 'but then was brought back to life by God'.

The court in Canada heard the pair then waited two hours before before calling for an ambulance because they were praying.

An autopsy determined that the diabetic teenager died from complications due to starvation and weighed just 37 pounds at the time of his death.

At the trial it also came to light that despite social services taking Alexandru into custody for a year, he ended up back with his parents who allegedly refused to believe his diabetes diagnosis, despite several hospitalizations.

In a letter to childrens ministries, Alexandru's former Kindergarten teacher wrote: 'His life story of suffering and premature death demands that greater, more open sharing of information between provinces be implemented. The most vulnerable must be protected.

'I will never forget Alex's sweet face and the privilege it was to teach, support and encourage him during his kindergarten year. He is free of his suffering now and resting in peace.'

Testifying at the trial was Shauna Mitchell, an investigator with the Medical Examiner's Office who investigated Alexandru's sudden death.

According to the Canada National Post, Ms Mitchell said she had asked the couple when they had last seen their son alive.

She added: 'They said they went to church at, I think it was after 1800 hours, and they came home at about 2000 hours and that's when the father said that he wasn't breathing, so they prayed and they didn't call EMS until sometime around 2200 hours.'

The investigator also told the prosecutor that several members of the couple's church were at the home when she attended and they were all praying.

She also added it was possible that Alexandru hadn't been breathing since 6pm on the day he died, before his parents went to church.

Alexandru's parents Emil, 59, left, and Rodica, 53, right, are each charged with first-degree murder and are currently on trial at the Court of the Queen's Bench in Alberta

Meanwhile Alberta's chief medical officer Jeffrey Gofton also gave evidence at the trial and according to the Calgary Sun, said that Alexandru appeared to be so badly neglected, his fat and muscle reserves were depleted and his teeth had rotted away.

He also revealed that the boy died after contracting bacterial sepsis.

Mr Gofton explained: 'There's no muscle mass, there's no fat, there's no resources

'Alexnadru has no resources, he has no ability to mount, by himself, a ... response to anything.'

He also said that sore on the boy's neck was the likely source of where the infection moved into his blood stream.
A US rapper has been arrested in connection to an alleged rape in Austria.

Freddie Gibbs, 33, was apprehended by French police moments before he was due to perform on stage in Toulouse following an arrest warrant issued by the Austrian authorities.

The alleged attack happened in June last year after Gibbs performed in the Grelle Forelle nightclub in Vienna.

Freddie Gibbs, 33, was apprehended by French police mere moments before he was due to perform on stage in Toulouse

Gibbs, who denies the allegations, reportedly invited two female fans backstage where they allegedly took drugs that made them drowsy.

They then went back to Gibbs' hotel, where he and one of his security detail allegedly carried out the attacks.

Police began investigating Gibbs after one of the women remembered the incident.

Gibbs is now in the process of being extradited to Austria where he will await trial, reported The Local Austria.
Man who shot footage of explosions claimed a meteorite may be to blame

People took to social media and suggested the noises were caused by a jet

The explosions followed flashes of bright light that

This mysterious footage captures the series of loud explosions and flashes of bright light that were reported across South East England last night.

The strange noises were heard in Essex and parts of East London and many concerned locals took to social media to look for answers.

One man from Ilford filmed the sky at around 11pm and spotted the eerie flashes of light before capturing the loud bangs, which he said shook his house.

Before: One man from Ilford filmed the sky at around 11pm and captured footage of the loud explosions

After: The man videoed a flash of bright light (circled), which occurred before the explosions were heard

'I have a theory that it was a meteorite,' said the video maker. 'If it had been a land-based explosion there would be damage somewhere but so far no damage.'

'It was too loud to be a firework that's for sure and fireworks don't shake houses. I don't think it's a supersonic aircraft as a sonic boom does not give off light.

'I think it was a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere. This would give off light and cause a sonic boom.'

The Royal Observatory at the Royal Museum of Greenwich discredited this notion, however.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'This doesn't have the character of a meteor, since such a blast would only occur after a sustained bright light during atmospheric entry - not a quick flash as shown in the video.

'It's also somewhat unlikely that three blasts would be heard. It looks and sounds a little bit more like a firework.

'An object would only be classed as a meteorite if it actually reached the ground - something up in the air like this would be a meteor.

'Our understanding of large meteors and fireballs is that, although they can produce sonic booms and/or loud bangs (in the latter case when they fragment violently), they are more likely to produce a sustained glow for several seconds (which may vary in brightness) as they move across the sky, rather than a single, momentary flash.'

A number of residents took to social media to comment on the explosions and to suggest other possible causes.

The majority claimed it could be a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, while others even suggested a UFO may have visited the area.

Sam Smart said he heard the explosions from his house in Wanstead, around four miles from where the video maker captured his footage in Ilford.

The 24-year-old advertising graduate said: 'It was too loud to be a firework. It sounded like the sonic boom of a jet to me.'

Another local resident, who lives in nearby Woodford and who wished to remain anonymous, said the loud bangs sounded like 'gunshots'.

Sonic boom? A number of Twitter users suggested a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier may have caused the loud bangs heard over Essex and parts of East London last night

Concerned: One social media user heard the noises in the area and took to Twitter to express her worry

Unexplained: Twitter users asked whether other people heard the explosions, which shook houses in the area

Worrying: One Twitter user claimed that she heard two or three explosions in the sky over East London

Unanswered: There is no current explanation as to what could have caused the loud explosions last night

The truth is out there! One Twitter user suggested extraterritorial activity may have been to blame

Celebrations? Some people suggested the loud bangs could have been caused by fireworks, but one resident who heard the explosions claimed they were too loud

Meanwhile on Twitter, one person wrote: 'Hoping the explosion sounds heard in East London/Essex aren't anything serious.'

Another said: 'Just heard three loud booms, like an explosion here in East London. Anyone know anything?'

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said that it was 'not aware' of the noises but would be looking into it to see if it was caused by a jet.

The MoD later confirmed: 'We know nothing about it. A sonic boom would suggest there was a foreign plane in our airspace, which was not the case.'

It also added that a jet had not been scrambled in the UK either.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman also confirmed that the force had received calls reporting the loud noises but that they would not be looking into it.

Nick Pope, who used to research UFOs for the MoD, told MailOnline: 'I'm sceptical about the fighter jet theory, as night flying by military jets over built-up areas is unusual, and my understanding is that supersonic flying over the mainland UK is not allowed, in view of the disturbance caused.

'I think the meteor theory is quite likely. Meteors and fireballs entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed would produce a flash of light and can also generate sound, in the same way as an aircraft can generate a sonic boom.

'If it was a large one, it could split into pieces, which would explain why three flashes were seen. Meteors and fireballs turned out to be the explanation for several spectacular UFO sightings that I investigated while working on the MoD's UFO project.'

Last month panicked people in the Midlands took to social media after two huge explosions were heard around Northampton and Brackley.

It was later reported that the booms were caused by Typhoon jets, which had been scrambled from an RAF base in Lincolnshire to identify an unresponsive aircraft.

Commenting at the time, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft were launched today from RAF Coningsby to identify an unresponsive civilian aircraft.

'Communications were re-established and the aircraft has been safely escorted to Cardiff airport.'
The girlfriend of a British backpacker who has gone missing after telling her he injured himself while climbing a mountain in Vietnam has revealed he refused her offers to get help for him

Aiden Webb, 22, from Norwich, Norfolk, has not been seen since Friday when he set out to climb the 10,000 foot Fansipan Mountain near Sa Pa in the north west of the country.

Mr Webb told his girlfriend Bluebell Baughan, 24, who was with him in Vietnam, that he had got lost, fallen and injured himself by mobile phone on Friday and she says she is now 'living a nightmare'.

British backpacker Aiden Webb, 22, from Norwich, who has not been seen since Friday when he set out to climb a mountain in Vietnam

Mr Webb with his girlfriend Bluebell Baughan. She was the last person to hear from him after he called her to say he had fallen down a mountain and was injured

Miss Baughan has spoken of how she kept in contact with her boyfriend throughout his climb but became scared after he fell and injured his arm and leg.

The young climber was 'determined' to get to the top of the 10,000 feet high mountain and told her not to get him any help.

The last message she received from her boyfriend of two years was at 6.18am local time on Saturday and he has not been heard of since.

Mr Webb had also sent her his location and rangers have since searched that area with no success despite finding and following his footprints.

Miss Baughan, from Essex, said 'I am trying to stay level headed so I can be of use but it is terrifying.

'It sounds cliche but it is a nightmare which I want to wake up from and I am on my own over here.'

The couple met at university and they travelled to South East Asia at the beginning of March.

Mr Webb is a keen rock climber but Miss Baughan said she wasn't capable of making the climb up Fansipan Mountain herself so experienced Mr Webb set out on his own.

He had been keeping in contact with her throughout his climb but he got into trouble after falling and cutting his right bicep - needing stitches.

Both Miss Baughan and Mr Webb's aunt Lisa have been posting updates on Facebook to try and find him

Matters worsened as he then dropped his torch into a waterfall and he became cold from being out on the mountain.

The climber let his girlfriend know his troubles and sent her his location, but it turned out to be the last she heard from him and she immediately contacted police.

A British couple who live nearby to the mountain reached out to Miss Baughan through Facebook and she has been staying with them for the past day.

Speaking from Vietnam, she said: 'Aiden wanted to trek to the top of Fansipan Mountain along a trail that was a challenge because he is a climber and wanted to do it that way.

'He left at about 6am on Friday morning to go up the mountain and he was updating me on what he had accomplished so far.

Mr Webb, pictured with his girlfriend, had been living in Cambridge, where he studied drama at Anglia Ruskin University

'Aiden said at some point in the afternoon the trail had became inaccessible due to a land slide so he had to find a different way.

'But then he had fallen down a ravine and a rock had come loose which landed on his arm, cutting his right bicep, and he said he would need stitches.

'I kept asking if I could get him help but he was determined that he would make it to the top of the mountain.'

Miss Baughan said Mr Webb even told her, 'do not get help' and she stayed up all evening talking to him throughout his climb.

She added: 'He started to say he was getting cold and quite scared because he had hurt his arm and knew the climb to get back down would be extremely difficult.

'In the hours of the morning he decided to move but I told him to stay where he was.

'But he fell and hurt his knee quite badly and that's when he finally let me get him some help.'

He then sent her a picture of his location as he said he had become lost following his fall and had dropped his torch down a waterfall.

The former performing arts student at Anglia Ruskin University then contacted local police and search teams descended on the mountain.

At first six rangers scoured Mr Webb's last known location where they stayed overnight.

The next day 32 more rangers joined the search and today there were 60 desperately trying to find the 22-year-old.

Meanwhile members of Mr Webb's family have flown out to Vietnam to assist the search party.

His father Trevor and his uncle Michael travelled to Vietnam on Sunday evening to pay for a search helicopter.

Mr Webb had been living in Cambridge, where he studied drama at Anglia Ruskin University.

He had been travelling through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam alone and was due to return home in mid July.

Mr Webb had been climbing the Fansipan Mountain in Vietnam, pictured, when he fell and injured himself and he has not been seen since

A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed: 'We are supporting the family of Aiden Webb, a British man reported missing in Vietnam.

'We are working closely with the local authorities leading the search.'

Mr Webb's recent Facebook posts have spoken of trekking up mountains, caving and motorbiking during his Vietnam visit.

Days before he went missing he posted about completing his first 'official free soloing rock climb'.

His post said: 'Never had so much fun and never had my mind so clear and empty.

'Definitely no 'El Capitan', but regardless. This is something I've felt I've needed to do in a long time.

'(Apologies in advance to all family members who think I'm loco, and reckless I'm actually a very safe climber and know my limits).'
University student, Andreas Christou, 20, died after climbing out of a bathroom window and falling 60ft to his death after going out for drinks with his father

A university student died after climbing out of a bathroom window and falling 60ft to his death after going out for drinks with his father.

Andreas Christou, 20, who was studying English and history at Edinburgh University, had been out with his father Christos, who was visiting from London for the day on October 29 last year.

An inquest into his death last week heard how Andreas, from Norbury in south London, had drunk a lot of red wine during dinner with his father and after returning to his student flat had passed out on the floor.

In a written statement given to Croydon Coroner's Court, Mr Christou said he had 'never seen his son drink red wine before' and had 'tried to stop him before realising how drunk he was', according to the Croydon Guardian.

Mr Christou took his son back to his digs in a fourth-floor Victorian flat, when the student passed out.

Housemate Isabel Jahnke told how Andreas's father started speaking to him in Greek and gently slapped his cheeks to try and rouse him.

She told the inquest: 'He never showed signs that he recognised me, which to me suggests he was hammered.'

The court heard how some time later Andreas woke up and ran to the bathroom saying he was feeling sick.

He locked the door, when he failed to come out after a 'long time' and did not respond when his housemates asked him to open the door, Ms Jahnke's boyfriend kicked the door open.

They found the bathroom empty, with the large sash window fully open.

The inquest heard how Andreas was rushed to hospital with 'catastrophic head and neck injuries' where he was later pronounced dead.

Friend Lila Grandgeorge said Andreas was an 'occasional drinker, who tended to binge drink' if he was going out.

She told the inquest: 'I really can't explain it. It was just sudden madness.'

An inquest into his death last week heard how Andreas (pictured), from Norbury in south London, had drunk a lot of red wine during dinner with his father and after returning to his student flat had passed out on the floor

Andreas had gone into the bathroom after complaining he felt sick, but when he failed to come out after a 'long time' and not responding to his housemates they kicked the door open - only to find the bathroom empty, with the large sash window fully open.

Coroner Selena Lynch, recording an open conclusion - after ruling out suicide or an accident - said there were no drugs in the student's system, but that a toxicology report showed 'very high alcohol levels'.

Speaking to Andreas's mother Lena Christou, the coroner said it was 'difficult to know what on earth was going through his mind'.

She said: 'There is no room for this being an accident, but it would be wrong for to say this was a case of suicide. I just don't have enough evidence.

'He's gone to some trouble going out of the window. You would need to be quite nimble to go from that toilet seat out to that window.

'Some people do get very distressed when they have been drinking and are just not in charge of themselves - he was highly intoxicated and may not have understood the nature and quality of his acts'.

She added: 'It is an absolute tragedy and I am sure his death will stay with you forever as a family. But I do hope in time you will remember him in happy and heartier times.
The 25-year-old woman who pelted Kendall and Kylie Jenner with eggs during their Sydney tour has been fined $440.

At least two eggs hit the stage before the sisters were due to make an appearance in front of hundreds of adoring fans at Parramatta's Westfield shopping centre last November.

Clancy Leach, from Punchbowl in NSW,was fined $440 and charged with offensive behaviour when she fronted up for the crime in Parramatta Local Court on Monday, reported Nine News.

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Clancy Florence Leach, 25, has been fined $440 for throwing eggs at Kendall and Kylie Jenner during their Sydney tour last year

Kendall and Kylie Jenner visited Parramatta's Westfield mall in November to launch their new fashion range

The egging led to the event being delayed by 45 minutes while assistants hastily erected a protective roof

The reality star sisters appeared at Westfield Parramatta, west of Sydney, in November to launch their new clothing collection.

Leach stood on an upper-level of the mall above the stage where she took aim at them.

The incident led to umbrellas being strategically placed around the stage and a curtain raised as a precautionary measure.

Leach was arrested and taken to Parramatta Police Station where she was charged with behaving in an offensive manner in a public place.

The case comes just less than a month after the special event was delayed by 45 minutes following the alleged egging while assistants hastily erected a protective roof.

Leach was arrested following the incident and taken to Parramatta police station. She was charged with offensive behaviour

Organisers were seen pointing towards the upper tier from where the offender was believed to have thrown eggs

The promotional appearance in suburban Sydney was very nearly overshadowed by the surprise egging as Kendall and Kylie Jenner launched their exclusive new clothing range

The incident led to umbrellas being strategically placed around the stage and a curtain raised as precautionary measures
British special forces have been operating on the frontline in Syria, according to reports today.

Elite UK soldiers reportedly crossed from bases in Jordan to help a unit of the New Syrian Army (NSA) rebel group being attacked by Islamic State.

It comes after reports that UK special forces units were on the ground in Libya, where they blew up an ISIS suicide truck in May.

MPs voted against British military action in Syria in 2013, but the use of special forces does not require the approval of Parliament.

British special forces have reportedly been operating on the frontline in Syria

NSA First Lieutenant Mahmoud al-Saleh told The Times that British troops had provided logistical help to rebuild the defences at a base in a village called al-Tanf, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq - including after a suicide attack which killed 11 rebels.

He told the paper: 'They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe.

'They [ISIS] attack us at all times, 3am, 5am, 4pm, 11pm. If you look at the timing of the assaults it's clear they don't want us to get any rest. They're using missiles, mortars and many suicide bombers,'

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said they do not comment on special forces operations.

In December, MPs vote by 397 to 223 - a majority of 174 - to back David Cameron's plan to extend airstrikes against Islamic State from Iraq into Syria.

Crispin Blunt (pictured) who chairs the influential Commons foreign affairs select committee, said he would be 'not particularly concerned and not at all surprised' at reports that special forces are 'active' in Syria

But that came more than two years after the Prime Minister was defeated in his attempt to gain support for military intervention, which has now endured five years of conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and sparked the refugee crisis spreading from the Middle East into Europe.

Mr Cameron was defeated by 13 votes, the first such reverse on foreign policy for at least 150 years.

He immediately ruled out action, and a proposed US-led intervention against the regime of Bashar Assad was abandoned soon after.

Crispin Blunt, who chairs the influential Commons foreign affairs select committee, said he would be 'not particularly concerned and not at all surprised'.

'This kind of operation has been, to a degree, briefed out by His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan. it is part of a series of operations in support of the Jordanians and the Jordanians supporting elements of the Free Syrian Army,' he told the Today programme.

'This seems to be a small set of operatives who deserted from Assad's army some time ago and got trained up by the Americans and ourselves.'

Asked about Parliamentary approval, he said: 'We are in this Alice in Wonderland world where Parliament has approved a motion saying it 'notes the Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations'.

'It doesn't say in brackets 'not special forces', but the convention is that it is... because we don't comment on special forces operations.

'If you run an operation for a long time, as we have here and in Libya, eventually newspapers like The Times report it and then the Defence Secretary can't talk about it and we can't have a proper conversation about how it fits in a wider UK strategy.'
on what to do if gay couple tried to enrol

Church how to respond to to gay couples

One of Australia's most expensive private schools has asked the Presbyterian Church how it should respond if a gay couple wanted enrol their son.

Scots College asked the church for advice on what it describes as the 'homosexual agenda' at an emergency meeting in September last year, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

'The Scots College has requested the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee to prepare a statement on a biblical response to the homosexual agenda,' the minutes reveal.

Scots College (pictured) asked the church for advice on what it describes as the 'homosexual agenda' at an emergency meeting in September last year

The 'homosexual agenda' or gay agenda is a term introduced by sections of the Christian right, used to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalisation of same-sex relationships.

Religious schools, such as Scots College, are legally able to reject LGBTI children and the children of gay couples, under Australia's sex-discrimination laws.

The church disapproved of gay relationships in it's advice to Scots College, the publication reported.

'Homosexual sex is contrary to God's law, and so is a sin,' the minutes read.

'Christian repentance must include turning aside from a lifestyle which has deliberately embraced a contravention of God's moral law, including homosexual sex.'

One of Australia's most expensive private schools has asked the Presbyterian Church how it should respond if a gay couple wanted enrol their son








Magistrate Belinda Wallington declared he did not need mother's support

His lawyer requested his mother remain in court during witness evidence

He appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court with two co-accused brothers

A man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl was denied a request for his mother be present in court while a witness gave evidence at his hearing.

Allan Wild, 29, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Geelong in November last year.

He was accompanied by brothers and co-accused Kevin Wild, 28, and Brodie Wild, 20, who each face the same charges.

Allan Wild (pictured), 29, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Geelong in November last year

Mr Wild's lawyer requested his mother (pictured leaving court in November) be present in the courtroom as a young witness gave evidence. The request was rejected by Magistrate Belinda Wallington

An application to close the court to allow a young witness to provide evidence via video-link was protested by Allan's lawyer Theo Kassimatis, according to Herald Sun.

Mr Kassimatis then requested Mr Wild's mother be present in the courtroom as the boy gave evidence.

The request was rejected by Magistrate Belinda Wallington stating he did not need to be supported by his mother, according to the news report.

The boy's witness statement was reportedly not made available to media by prosecutors, despite media access being granted by Ms Wallington.

It is alleged the girl was approached while walking with a male friend in St Alban's Park, a Geelong suburb, and was physically carried by the men to a nearby home where she was allegedly sexually assaulted during the morning of November 1.

The three brothers were reportedly each charged with two other sex offences.

The pre-trial committal hearing continues.

The court was told during an earlier hearing that Allan's brother and co-accused, Kevin, (pictured) bragged about the assault to friends




Actor Brian Blessed revealed the Queen was 'in hysterics' as she talked about his swearing during a meeting at Buckingham Palace.

The 79-year-old star said the Queen had heard him exclaim 'f***' while hosting an episode of BBC panel show Have I Got News For You.

The monarch also revealed she and Prince Philip are fans of the cult 1980 film Flash Gordon, and asked Blessed to perform one of his catchphrases.

'In hysterics': Actor Brian Blessed (right) revealed the Queen (left) was tickled by his swearing on TV

Speaking to the Hay Festival last night, Blessed said: 'I had said the word f*** on Have I Got News for You when I was describing people s******g on Everest.

'Well I was at the Palace last year and the Queen was in hysterics about it.'

Mimicking the Queen's voice, Blessed said: 'That was a funny story you told about going to the toilet on Everest, Mr Blessed.

'What I would like to say to you is that the word f*** is an Anglo Saxon word. It means spreading the seed.' The actor added: 'God praise the Queen'.

The actor said the Queen continued: 'Do you know, Mr Blessed, we watch Flash Gordon all the time!

Royal favourite: The Queen revealed she and Prince Philip are fans of Flash Gordon, starring Blessed (above)

'We watch it all the time, Mr Blessed, with the children and grandchildren, so would you mind saying "Gordon's alive?"' Blessed said he obliged with an ear-splitting cry of 'Gordon's alive!'

Blessed said the catchphrase is one he repeats for fans the world over.
Dutch nationals were jailed for total of 34 years at Maidstone Crown Court

Pair captured in British waters during journey from Curacao to Netherlands

Two men who attempted to smuggle an estimated 120 million of cocaine across the Atlantic - the largest amount ever seized in British waters - have been jailed for more than 34 years.

Dutch nationals Hendrik Brugmans, 69, and Raymond Aalders, 47, were caught after Border Control officers seized nearly a tonne of the class A drug from a yacht in August.

The vessel, named Golum, was intercepted in British waters off Rye, East Sussex and escorted into Dover marina in Kent.

Dutch nationals Hendrik Brugmans, 69, and Raymond Aalders, 47, were caught after Border Control officers seized nearly a tonne of the class A drug from a yacht in August

A detailed two-day search by specialist Border Force teams revealed hundreds of packages of drugs concealed in specially made hides in a workshop, water tank, and underneath benches

In interviews with NCA officers they both admitted sailing the vessel from Curacao in the southern Caribbean. In total there were 993 packages of 70 per cent pure cocaine

At the time of its interception the 56ft yacht had its navigation beacon turned off and was noticeably listing to one side.

A detailed two-day search by specialist Border Force teams revealed hundreds of packages of drugs concealed in specially made hides in a workshop, water tank, and underneath benches.

In interviews with NCA officers they both admitted sailing the vessel from Curacao in the southern Caribbean. In total there were 993 packages of 70 per cent pure cocaine.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Brugmans was an experienced yachtskipper who had sailed the yacht across the Atlantic almost entirely on his own as Aalders had limited experience.

They had not met until a week before they set sail from Holland to Curacao. The yacht had been bought for 330,000 in Almere, Holland, in September 2014.

Brugmans was told to sail it to Curacao whereupon he would be paid 900,000, while Aalders was to be paid 75,000.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said: 'The cargo is the largest ever to have been found on a yacht intercepted in the UK.

'It was a sophisticated and audacious operation on a scale which had, hitherto, not been seen and which took significant planning and risk.

Hendrik Brugmans, right, and Raymond Aalders, left, both pleaded guilty to importing class A drugs and were sentenced to a total of 34 years at Maidstone Crown Court

Pictured is a package grabber installed in the yacht to allow the pair to retrieve drugs hidden away underwater

Forensic tests on the packages revealed the cocaine was 70 per cent pure, and if adulterated and sold in the UK would have had a potential street value of around 120 million

'The stakes involved in an operation such as this are as high as they can be and these two defendants were trusted implicitly to take on the most important and, I would submit, riskiest role within the plan.

'They conveyed across an entire ocean a cargo worth tens of millions of pounds and the trust placed in them was vast.'

Despite their initial claims of having been effectively island-hopping in the Caribbean, the prosecution said nautical charts onboard the yacht had a direct route from the Netherlands to Curacao plotted on them, arriving on June 17 and leaving on July 14 for the return journey back to the Netherlands.

Brugmans later told officers that once in Curacao, where he rents an apartment with his Colombian wife he had been told to leave the yacht for four weeks.

The court heard the pair had been at sea for nearly six weeks with their drugs cargo worth a 'wholesale' price of 41,706,000.

Forensic tests on the packages revealed the cocaine was 70 per cent pure, and if adulterated and sold in the UK would have had a potential street value of around 120 million.

Both Brugmans and Aalders pleaded guilty to importing class A drugs and were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

Skipper Brugmans, who lived on Curacao, was jailed for 20 years and nine months while Aalders, of Kesteren, Netherlands, was jailed for 14 years.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Philip Statman told them the amount of cocaine involved warranted 'exemplary' sentences.

The vessel, named Golum, was intercepted in British waters off Rye, East Sussex and escorted into Dover marina in Kent

Skipper Brugmans, who lived on Curacao, was jailed for 20 years and nine months while Aalders, of Kesteren, Netherlands, was jailed for 14 years

He said: 'Both of you knew right from the start what you were doing, both of you knew that this was a high risk operation, both of you gambled and both of you have lost.

'Every available part of that yacht had been utilised for the purpose of importing this controlled drug in order to increase the value of the amount of the consignment which forms part of this criminal enterprise.

'Those right at the top of international drug smuggling rings require individuals whom they trust in order to safeguard a cargo of such magnitude.

'While each of you may have had a different level of seamanship, I am satisfied that you were both in the criminal enterprise together.

'Each of you, had this operation succeeded, would have received substantial financial gain for your criminal activity. I am satisfied that the manner in which this operation took place puts you very close to the source of what clearly was a much larger operation.'

Matt Rivers, from the National Crime Agency's Border Investigation team, said after the sentencing: 'These two men were involved in an audacious plot to smuggle millions of pounds worth of high purity class A drugs into Europe.

'Their reckless attempts to avoid detection by breaching sailing regulations could have had extremely dangerous consequences.

'It is believed the final destination of the boat was to be the Netherlands but given the sheer scale of this seizure, it is likely that a large amount of the drugs would have ended up being sold on the streets of the UK.
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The world's most famous graffiti artist has secretly trespassed onto the school grounds of a Bristol primary and left a mural for the children.

The artist, who is from Bristol, painted a stick-wielding child chasing a burning tyre on the side of Bridge Farm Primary in Whitchurch while the pupils were away on half term.

Banksy chose the school because they named a classroom after the world-famous artist, who has preciously painted on government buildings and in warzones.

Dramatic: Banksy has secretly travelled to a primary school in his native Bristol and suprised them with their own masterpiece

Inspiring: Bristol graffiti star Banksy has secretly trespassed at one of the city's primary schools over half term to leave a mural for its children - who queued up to view the artwork today

Local hero: The artist painted a stick-wielding child chasing a burning tyre on the side of Bridge Farm Primary in Whitchurch - and has chosen the school because they decided to name a classroom after him

Friendly note: The artist left them a note encouraging the pupils to 'feel free to add stuff - I'm sure the teachers won't mind'

The artwork is a modern take on the playground game of hoop rolling, which was popular with Victorian children.

The six-foot high artwork also features a flower and a small house with 'Banksy' signed to the bottom left of the brick building.

Banksy left the artwork on the school in Whitchurch and a message for the children.

His note said: 'Dear Bridge Farm School. Thanks for your letter and naming a house after me. Please have a picture. If you don't like it feel free to add stuff, I'm sure the teachers won't mind. Remember - it's always easier to get forgiveness than permission. much love Banksy'.

Geoff Mason, who has been headmaster of the 550-pupil school for the past 15 years, said he was 'thrilled' by the piece.

'I received a phone call this morning just before seven o'clock to inform me that we had a new addition to the school in the form of a piece of artwork by Banksy,' Mr Mason said.

'I arrived to find this beautiful mural painted by Banksy. I think its fantastic that Banksy, who is so famous, has chosen to do this at our school.

'It was a complete surprise but I am thrilled.'

Message: Banksy left the artwork on the school in Whitchurch and a message for the children - and encouraged them to add to the artwork

Excited: Charlie, 7, a student at the Bridge Farm Primary School in Hartcliffe, Bristol, was one of the students who wanted a house group named after Banksy

Mr Mason said he had invited Banksy to the school, but was completely unaware of the artist's plans to visit over the weekend.

'The children wrote to Banksy explaining that we had changed house names and that we had done some designs,' he added.

'We really just wrote to him just to let him know and to invite comment really, we certainly didn't expect something like this so it is fantastic.

'Banksy works in mysterious ways, it was an open invitation for him to get in touch with the school or come on site.

'It's brilliant for us and brilliant for the school community.

'It was a complete surprise this morning - I was in school last week catching up with a few things and had no inkling that this was going to happen.'

LOOKING FOR BANKSY: THE LATEST APPEARANCE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL OF THE MODERN ART WORLD Vision: Banksy in his own movie in 2011, which was nominated for an Oscar He's the Scarlet Pimpernel of modern art and his true identity remains a jealously guarded secret. A network of myths has grown up around him. That his real name is Robin Banks. That he used to be a butcher. That his parents don't know what he does, believing him to be an unusually successful painter and decorator. Then there's the suggestion that Banksy is actually a collective of artists and doesn't exist at all. Banksy's refusal to reveal himself may have started simply to avoid prosecution for what could be described as acts of vandalism. However by remaining anonymous he has created an air of mystery which has helped him to become one of the most successful artists of his generation. He has been photographed in the past but always wearing a mask or hood. In 2008 he was 'unmasked' by the Mail on Sunday as Robin Gunningham, a former public schoolboy from Bristol with a passion for art. At the time Banksy's agent refused to confirm or deny the story. Banksy then wrote on his website:'I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy', and denied it was him. Fans had hoped he would finally reveal himself in his 2010 graffiti film Exit Through The Gift Shop - he did appear in the film however he was heavily pixellated. The film tells the story of an eccentric shop-keeper-turned-documentary-maker who attempts to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on him and gives few clues as to the artist's identity. Banksy has resurfaced several times since, notably in 2011 when pictures were taken of a man daubing lettering on a water tank in Santa Monica. It was claimed a homeless man had been living inside the tank for years and Banksy's artwork resulted in him being kicked out. Banksy had turned Tachowa Covington's makeshift Pacific Coast Highway home into a piece of art by spray painting along the side of the bus-sized tank 'This looks a bit like an elephant'. But after the art world got wind of it someone bought Covington's squat with the intention of selling to collectors. Banksy reportedly made amends with Covington by providing him with a sizable sum of money Advertisement

The artwork appeared on the side of the reception year classroom, situated opposite the school's playing field.

Pupils at the school had previously taken part in a competition to name the school's houses, with the winning designs Brunel, Cabot, Blackbeard and Banksy.

Charlie Luka, seven, won the competition to name the house Banksy, and wrote to the elusive Bristol artist to inform him.

'When I came into school this art showed up on the wall and I was so surprised,' Charlie said.

'It's here because I won Banksy for the house design. I chose Banksy because he is so creative.

'I was so shocked and amazed.'

The artwork was discovered by Mr Brady as he walked through and checked the site before pupils arrived back after half-term.

Real thing: Site manager Jason Brady holding a letter left by Banksy, which the artists representatives have now confirmed is genuine

'It took me by surprise, I was quite shocked,' Mr Brady said.

'I was thinking 'is that real'? I like it, I do like it. I'm not a big person on art but I know of Banksy and I know of his work and he's from Bristol.'

The school is planning to erect perspex over the piece to prevent it from being damaged, while security staff will also patrol the site.

Mr Mason added: 'We are working with Bristol City Council, who own the building, as we would like to preserve and protect the artwork.

'Banksy is a world-renowned artist so obviously we would like to safeguard it and enjoy it over the years to come.'

A spokeswoman for Banksy confirmed the artwork is genuine.

It is the latest piece of artwork by Banksy, who is from Bristol, to appear in his home city.

In 2014, the guerilla artist - whose work has appeared on the likes of the West Bank and in Calais - left a mural on the door of a youth club in Bristol.

'Mobile Lovers', which featured a couple embracing while checking their mobile phones, was removed by Dennis Stinchcombe, who run the club.

Mr Stinchcombe later sold the artwork for 403,000 to a private collector, securing the future for the club.

THE UNKNOWN GRAFFITI ARTIST WHO HAS TAKEN ON THE WORLD WITH HIS CRITICAL GUERRILLA MURALS From the Israeli attack on Palestinian civilians to the destruction of the environment, Banksy has travelled the world to paint sharp critiques of social injustice in the places they will be noticed. It has made the graffiti artist from Bristol one of the world's highest paid living artists - yet his identity remains a secret. His political art is often satirical and contains political and social commentary, but is scrawled illegally on walls and bridges all over the world. He travelled to the West Bank, one of the most dangerous places in the world, where a conflict rages between the Israelis who call the holy land their own and the Palestinians who also la claim to it. Protest: The artwork on the wall of the French Embassy in London depicts the young girl from the musical Les Miserables with tears streaming from her eyes as a can of CS gas lies beneath her. The work is criticising the use of teargas in the refugee camp in Calais Gaza: A general view of a Banksy wall painting, on the separation wall near Bethlehem on June 16, 2013 in central West Bank Environmentalist: The famous 'I Remember When All This Was Trees' mural by Banksy on display as part of the Street Art featuring Banksy at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, Thousands are killed every year in the endless conflict between them, and the Gaza strip is considered the war's main battleground, torn apart by decades of bullets and shells. Yet one day, a number of murals and stencils appeared on the broken walls of buildings, criticising Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians. Last year, he released a two-minute movie clip of his trip to the Gaza strip, on which he painted various artworks on walls in the area famous for fighting between Israel and Palestine. The most famous was a painting of a kitten on the remains of a house destroyed by an Israeli air strike. He said: 'I don't want to take sides. But when you see entire suburban neighborhoods reduced to rubble with no hope of a futurewhat you're really looking at is a vast outdoor recruitment center for terrorists. And we should probably address this for all our sakes.' West Bank: Donkey Document was painted on the separation wall in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2007 but was sold at auction in California New York: A robot and a barcode left on a wall in the Coney Island area of New York City as Banksy made his mark on the city in 2013 In France, thousands of migrants seeking asylum in Europe are held in infamous camps such as The Jungle, and these are policed with armed officers. During riots, the authorities seek to control them. One morning, on the side of the French embassy, the child from Les Miserables - a pioneering commentary on social injustice in France - appeared painted on the wall in the colours of France. However, her eyes were streaming with tears, and a CS gas cannister lay below her - a clear critique on what French authorities had done in migrant camps. In 2015, in Calais, near these migrant camps, a series of paintings appeared. Among the most famous was Son Of A Migrant From Syria, which depicted former Apple boss Steve Jobs as a migrant. In New York, one of the most built-up cities in the world, he painted an image of a small boy on a broken wall, with the caption: 'I remember when all this was trees.' Concept: A piece by Banksy, during the press view for the artist's biggest show to date, entitled 'Dismaland', at Tropicana in Western-super-Mare, Somerset, opened in August last year Publicist: A Banksy stencil of Max Clifford, the famous publicist who has now been embroiled in a host of sexual abuse claims. Banksy painted the piece in Bloomfield Place, west London Advertisement
Bloods street gang member Kelvin Melton, 51, will stand trial this week for allegedly helping to orchestrate the kidnapping of the father of a prosecutor who put him behind bars for life

A high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang will go on trial for masterminding the abduction of the father of the prosecutor who put him behind bars for life.

Kelvin Melton, 51, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2012 after he ordered a 19-year-old underling to kill his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Melton allegedly used a smuggled cell phone to plan the April 2014 kidnapping of Wake County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Janssen, who served as the prosecutor in the case.

But his crew botched the plan and went to the Wake Forest address of her father, Frank Janssen, and decided to kidnap him instead.

Frank Janssen was driven to Atlanta and text messages were sent to his wife threatening that he would be killed unless she met demands that benefited Melton, according to the FBI.

Those demands were not specified in court documents.

The messages included a photograph of him tied up in a chair along with a message: 'Tomorrow we call you again and if you can not tell me where my things are at tomorrow i will start torchering (sp)'.

Frank Janssen was rescued five days later after the FBI tracked cellphone traffic to Melton's prison cell and authorities stormed an Atlanta apartment where Janssen was held.

Janssen's captors were apparently finalizing details to kill him and dispose of his body.

The FBI said a call was placed by Melton from the prison to a phone associated with the kidnappers in Atlanta.

Quotes in court filings suggest the two male callers were discussing how to kill Janssen and dispose of his body before he was rescued.

'We want to make sure it's in a secluded area and the ground is soft so we can go 3ftdeep,' a male voice said, according to an FBI agent's description of events.

'Make sure to clean the area up. Don't leave anything. Don't leave any DNA behind,' one of the men said.

Authorities recovered a .45-caliber handgun, picks and a shovel inside an SUV when making the Atlanta arrests.

'The plan was to kill the victim. The government's evidence includes statements from cooperating defendants and electronic surveillance,' a federal judge wrote in May 2014 when ordering Melton be held in federal prison until trial instead of state lockup.

Charges remain pending for eight of Melton's co-defendants.

Melton allegedly used a smuggled cell phone to plan kidnapping of Wake County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Janssen (left). But his crew botched the plan and went to Frank Janssen's (right) home instead

Chason Renee Chase, a South Carolina woman who authorities said is a gang member, pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents and hindering their hunt for the missing Janssen.

She was sentenced to three months in federal prison.

Court records show Melton has a long record of felony convictions in New York beginning with a 1979 robbery committed when he was 14. He served more than 13 years in New York prisons for manslaughter and robbery before being released in August 2011.

Melton was arrested just a month later in the failed hit on his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.

'He had been saying 'Oh you like him? Well, you ain't going to like him when I put him in a wheelchair,' the victim told WSOC.

The victim revealed in 2014 that one bullet hit his teeth and ricocheted, going through his tongue and into his mouth.

He quit his job while preparing for the trial after he learned Melton may have been planning another hit on him.

The admitted triggerman and Bloods member testified at Melton's trial that he followed the gang boss' orders to shoot the victim for fear he or his loved ones would be killed if he didn't.

Melton was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and being a habitual felon. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A British businessman has appeared in court accused of murdering his 'mistress' at his luxury home in Kenya after police dismissed his claim that she killed herself.

Richard Alden, 53, had taken Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, 42, to hospital on Saturday claiming she shot herself at his house in a wealthy suburb of Nairobi.

When police arrived at the hospital, the victim  who had suffered gunshot and stab wounds as well as broken fingers  had been pronounced dead.

British businessman Richard Alden (pictured) has appeared in court accused of murdering his 'mistress' at his luxury home in Kenya after police dismissed his claim that she killed herself

Richard Alden (left), 53, had taken Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui (right), 42, to hospital on Saturday claiming she shot herself at his house in a wealthy suburb of Nairobi

Officers dismissed Aldens story, saying she had actually been shot from behind and stabbed in the back.

The former executive for financial services company Deloitte was then taken into custody and has since appeared at Kibera law court in Nairobi.

According to Nairobi News, Alden will be held for five more working days while police investigate the death.

Married Alden and Miss Kinyanjui are understood to have been having an affair after meeting through a local hiking group.

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome said the couple were in a relationship and living together.

Officers dismissed Aldens story, saying she had actually been shot from behind and stabbed in the back

Married Alden (left) and Miss Kinyanjui (right) are understood to have been having an affair after meeting through a local hiking group

However conflicting reports claimed Alden still lived with his wife Martine in the upmarket Nairobi suburb of Karen.

The married couple  who have three grown up children together  are believed to have lived in Twickenham, London before leaving to live abroad.

One report claimed Miss Kinyanjui, who ran a security firm, was at the house helping Alden and his wife pack for an upcoming move.

Yesterday police told local media sources that Miss Kinyanjuis injuries were consistent with murder.

They said there was a bullet wound in the back of her head and she had three open wounds on the left side of her neck. She also had a fractured left thumb and ring finger and had been stabbed in the back.

Police raided Aldens home and recovered a spent cartridge and a pistol with 34 live bullets. He is pictured at court this morning

Richard Alden (left), 53, arrested on suspicion of the murder of Grace Kinyanjui at his house in Karen, stands inside the dock at the Kibera Law Courts

According to reports, Alden (right) was CEO of ONO, the largest cable television and telecommunications operator in Spain, from 1998 to 2009

Mr Koome said: They were the only people in the house and when crime officers went there they also found a blood-stained towel in the dressing room where the murder took place. It is murder and he is in custody for that.

The Police Commander said they were alerted to the incident by Aldens guards who said they saw him drag a lifeless body to his car which he then took to hospital.

Police raided Aldens home and recovered a spent cartridge and a pistol with 34 live bullets.

Alden allegedly told officers that he and the victim were to travel to Nanyuki where he planned to settle on a farm he had bought.

A guard and the familys maid have also been brought in for questioning by police.
Consumer champion Martin Lewis has branded David Cameron and George Osborne 'liars' over their drastic warnings of a Brexit vote, but declared he is voting for Britain to stay in the EU.

The Money Saving Expert founder said there was no way of knowing what will happen if Britain leaves the EU but said he was voting to remain because it is the safer option.

His intervention is seen as significant because a poll at the end of last year found he is the most trusted individual on the issue of Britain's membership of the EU.

Consumer champion Martin Lewis (pictured left with his wife as he collected his OBE last year said there was no way of knowing what will happen if Britain leaves the EU but said he was voting to remain because it is the safer option

However Mr Lewis, describing himself as 'generally risk-averse,' said he was torn on which side of the debate to back - describing his choice as 55 per cent to 45 per cent in favour of remaining.

He wrote on his blog today: 'Im generally risk-averse, and that pushes me just towards an IN vote for safety, maybe 55% to 45%.'

He insisted he was not joining the Remain group and will not be campaigning in the referendum but said he wanted to set out the case for and against with 'no spin'.

He writes: 'If youve already made up your mind how to vote, good. Im not campaigning  I dont want to change it.

'If you havent, my aim is to help you ignore the spin and sales to weigh up the right decision for you, your community, our nation and the wider world too.'

The Remain campaign has made a number of drastic warnings of the economic consequences of leaving the EU, claiming a Brexit vote will trigger another recession, hike up the average annual cost of a mortgage by 920 and a 220 rise in the cost of a weekly family shop. Mr Lewis attacked politicians making such claims - including David Cameron (left) and the Chancellor George Osborne (right) - and also gave an example of how the EU's Mortgage Credit Directive had affected people's ability to get a cheap remortgage deal

The Brexit campaign has surged ahead this month after weeks trailing behind the Remain campaign. Above, each poll since David Cameron's EU renegotiation in February is tracked - showing how the Leave campaign has regained the lead

The Remain campaign has made a number of drastic warnings of the economic consequences of leaving the EU, claiming a Brexit vote will trigger another recession, hike up the average annual cost of a mortgage by 920 and a 220 rise in the cost of a weekly family shop.

POUND DIPS AFTER POLLS SHOW BREXIT IN THE LEAD The pound slumped to fresh lows in morning trading after polls showed rising support among voters for leaving the European Union. Sterling hit a three-week low against the dollar, falling as much as 0.9 per cent to 1.43 US dollars. Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, said more volatility should be expected over the coming weeks. 'The polls are likely to make people rather uneasy and we can see that quite clearly today in the pound, currently down almost 1 per cent against the dollar, having hit three-week lows earlier in the session. 'With both sides likely to step up their game over the next couple of weeks, I imagine we'll see a lot more volatility in the pound, and the closer the polls get, or if 'Vote Leave' continues to push ahead, the pound may find itself back towards April's lows before too long.' Bank of England governor Mark Carney is among those who have warned that the value of sterling could plummet in the event of a Leave vote. Hussein Sayed, FXTM chief market strategist, said: 'It is becoming extremely worrying for the financial markets and we expect more sterling losses if polls continued to indicate a Brexit lead. 'From a technical perspective GBP/USD imminent support stands at 1.4330; however, don't expect the pair to respect any technical or fundamental indicators as polls will continue to dictate the move until June 23.' Advertisement

Mr Lewis attacked politicians making such claims - including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor Mr Osborne - and also gave an example of how the EU's Mortgage Credit Directive had affected people's ability to get a cheap remortgage deal.

Leaving the EU is 'unquestionably economically riskier than a vote to remain,' Mr Lewis adds, but tells readers: 'Don't automatically read risk as a bad thing... it simply means there's more uncertainty - a greater variance of possible outcomes.'

He writes: 'Anyone who tells you they KNOW whatll happen if we leave the EU is a liar.

'Predicting exact numbers for economic, immigration or house price change is nonsense. Whats proposed is unprecedented.

'All the studies, models and hypotheses are based on assumptions  thats guesstimate and hope.

Last month he attacked the Remain campaign for featuring his picture and a quote on a pro-Brussels leaflet it sent to voters without his permission.

He said he 'almost dropped my wallet' when he arrived home one evening to find a Stronger In Europe leaflet on his doormat.

Taking to Twitter to vent his frustration, Mr Lewis wrote: 'I wasn't aware I'd be used in the Stronger in Europe leaflet, nor was my permission asked.'

His decision has been long-awaited since a poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner in November found seven in ten people surveyed said they trusted Mr Lewis on the EU - by far the most trusted figure on the issue.

The second placed Sir James Dyson was trusted by 58 per cent, while the most trusted politician was Boris Johnson, on 54 per cent.

TV presenter June Sarpong, who is backing the Stronger In Campaign, is trusted by just 19 per cent, while Stuart Rose, the chairman of the campaign, is trusted by 36 per cent, the poll found.

It said leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson is trusted by 54 per cent of voters, followed by In campaigner Sir John Major on 49 per cent and David Cameron on 47 per cent.

'Brexit would be like putting a BOMB under our economy!' Cameron delivers latest instalment of Project Fear

David Cameron has compared Brexit to bombing the economy in the latest instalment of his Project Fear campaign.

The Prime Minister made the extraordinary claim as he fueled Tory tensions by teaming up with Labour's Harriet Harman and other political opponents on the referendum campaign trail.

Leave supporters said the dire warning showed that Mr Cameron had 'gone nuclear'. They insist the joint appearance with his foes is a sign of Downing Street's desperation after a series of polls showed Remain losing momentum in the battle.

David Cameron delivered another stark warning about the consequences of Brexit at the event in central London today

Research by YouGove for ITV's Good Morning Britain today suggested that Brexit had taken the lead by 41 per cent to 41 per cent.

An Opinium survey for the Observer yesterday said the race was split 43 per cent to Leave and 40 per cent to Remain.

The value of the pound dipped sharply against the dollar this morning as the prospect of a Leave vote spooked the markets.

The Prime Minister, who has endured a torrid time over recent weeks as he struggled to explain how the UK could tackle immigration within the EU, told the event at London's Oval cricket ground today that Brexit would have an 'immediate shock effect'.

'Almost everyone now agrees, from the Governor of the Bank of England to the IMF, the OECD to the Treasury, 9 in 10 economists to, yes, even some Leave campaigners, there would be an economic shock if we left Europe,' Mr Cameron said.

'Let's be clear what that means: The pound falling; prices rising; house prices collapsing; mortgage rates increasing; businesses going bust; and unemployment going up. In other words: a recession.'

A YouGov poll for ITV's GMB programme is the latest to show the Brexit campaign gaining momentum

Labour's Harriet Harman also addressed the event and stressed her party did not want Brexit

In the most controversial section of his address, Mr Cameron said: 'Think of the wider impact: fewer businesses, fewer jobs, a smaller economy and less money for our schools and hospitals.

'Add those things together  the shock impact, the uncertainty impact, the trade impact  and you put a bomb under our economy.

'And the worst thing is we'd have lit the fuse ourselves. So that's the choice in 17 days: a positive, comprehensive vision for our economy  on which your aspirations depend or a blank-page plan that puts all those things in danger.

'An economy built on solid ground or one that's like a sinkhole, crumbling beneath us.

'Moving our economy forwards or setting it back, with a roll of the dice  risking all our futures.'

Tory MP Peter Bone told MailOnline: 'Talking of bombs and explosions in the economy is well and truly misleading.

'It drags the level of debate down. The reality is that there would be very little difference in the short term or in the medium term.

'Project Fear has clearly gone nuclear today.'

Mr Cameron shares a joke with Lib Dem leader Tim Farron during the campaign rally

Mr Cameron and Mrs Harman were speaking alongside Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.

The quartet were flanked by red, yellow and blue Mini cars and a green Brompton bicycle - famous British export successes decked out in their respective party colours.

Ms Harman warned that Brexit would hit workers' rights, challenging the Leave campaign: 'You've said you want to 'cut red tape' and scrap '600 million of regulation'.

'Don't speak in code. Be honest about it. Admit that means you would abolish the rights to maternity leave and paternity leave, scrap the laws that stop employers treating part-timers as second-class citizens and which make employers pay for holiday leave.'

CAMERON ACCUSED OF WHEELING OUT 'LOSERS' IN ANTI-BREXIT FIGHT Brexit campaigners mocked David Cameron for drafting in 'losers' to keep us in the EU today. The official Vote Leave campaign ridiculed the Prime Minister after he joined forces with Harriet Harman - Labour's deputy leader when the party recorded its worst electoral performance for three decades. Vote Leave ridiculed the cross-party event at Oval cricket ground today Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron - whose party was slashed from nearly 60 MPs to just eight in May last year - also shared the platform in central London. The other member of the pro-EU 'quartet', Natalie Bennett, is due to stand down as leader of the Greens later this summer after a disappointing general election showing. Dismissing the cross-party event at Oval cricket ground in central London, Vote Leave tweeted: 'The more losers the BSE campaign wheel out alongside Cameron the more they look like a sinking ship.' Advertisement

Mr Farron warned voters not to allow Leave to 'guide us towards economic ruin, because of a campaign based on lies'.

Ms Bennett branded the Brexit side climate change deniers and said they wanted to dump EU regulations on renewable energy, air and water pollution and wildlife protection.

Vote Leave mocked Mr Cameron for drafting in 'losers' to keep us in the EU.

The campaign ridiculed the PM after he joined forces with Mrs Harman - Labour's deputy leader when the party recorded its worst electoral performance for three decades.

Mr Farron's party was slashed from nearly 60 MPs to just eight in May last year.

Mr Cameron said: 'Its time for Vote Leave to come clean about their economic plan for Britain outside Europe.

'By refusing to set out their vision, they are being undemocratic and reckless.

'Undemocratic, because its the duty of anyone seeking votes to tell you what theyre asking you to vote for  especially when its on something as important as our economy. And reckless, because by failing to set out a concrete economic plan, theyre playing with peoples livelihoods.

'While they peddle fantasy politics, in the real world our economy is slowing because of the huge uncertainty hanging over Britains economic future.'

Tensions between Mr Cameron and Mr Johnson escalated again today as the premier attacked the former London Mayor's claim that Britain could be forced to hand over 2.4 billion extra to Brussels if it stays in the EU.

Mr Johnson said the PM and Chancellor George Osborne had left the country facing 'massive risks'.

The EU has run up almost 20billion of unpaid bills in recent years, and once the referendum is over the UK will be presented with a demand for its share if the country votes to stay in, he argued.

Mr Johnson also said the UK could be asked to fork out extra cash to help deal with the continent's immigration crisis and to bail out the eurozone if the single currency collapses.

But Mr Cameron shot down his Tory rival today. Asked whether the 2.4billion was correct, the Prime Minister replied: 'Again today, reckless with statistics; misleading with statistics; wrong when it comes to the figures - I would say to people, don't throw away your jobs, your future, on a campaign that is determined to say anything to get the outcome they want.'

He added on Twitter: 'The Leave campaign is simply wrong to claim we will have to bailout Eurozone countries.

'We are not part of Eurozone bailout schemes. We also have a veto over any EU budget increases.'

Cameron and Boris trade blows as ANOTHER poll shows Brexit taking the lead in EU referendum battle

David Cameron and Boris Johnson traded blows today as another poll showed the Brexit campaign has gained the upper hand in the referendum battle.

Research by YouGov for ITV's Good Morning Britain found Leave was ahead by 45 per cent to 41 per cent, with 11 per cent undecided.

It is the latest survey to give Brexiteers the advantage after a torrid spell for the Prime Minister in which he struggled to explain how the UK could tackle immigration within the bloc.

Boris Johnson, right, and Michael Gove were visiting a health, beauty and household goods distributor in Stratford-upon-Avon today

The value of the pound dipped sharply against the dollar this morning as the prospect of a Leave vote spooked the markets.

Net migration to the country is running at around 333,000 a year - with some 184,000 of those coming from the EU.

An Opinium poll yesterday said the race was split 43 per cent to Leave and 40 per cent to Remain.

It also suggested the undecided voters - 14 per cent of the sample - were starting to lean toward Brexit.

Sterling hit a three-week low against the dollar as experts warned of more volatility to come with the referendum on a knife edge.

Tensions between Mr Cameron and Mr Johnson escalated again today as the premier attacked the former London Mayor's claim that Britain could be forced to hand over 2.4 billion extra to Brussels if it stays in the EU.

Mr Johnson said the PM and Chancellor George Osborne had left the country facing 'massive risks'.

But Mr Cameron shot down his Tory rival today. Asked whether the 2.4billion was correct, the Prime Minister replied: 'Again today, reckless with statistics; misleading with statistics; wrong when it comes to the figures - I would say to people, don't throw away your jobs, your future, on a campaign that is determined to say anything to get the outcome they want.'

He added on Twitter: 'The Leave campaign is simply wrong to claim we will have to bailout Eurozone countries.

'We are not part of Eurozone bailout schemes. We also have a veto over any EU budget increases.'

UK would have to pay EU another 2.4bn if we vote to stay in, warns Boris and Gove as they write to Cameron and Osborne saying public 'cannot trust' their pledges

Britain could be forced to hand an extra 2.4billion to Brussels if it stays in the EU, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove claim today amid a dramatic escalation of the Tory civil war.

Attacking David Cameron and George Osborne's stewardship of the economy, the leading Brexit campaigners said the UK has been left facing 'massive risks'.

They added that the EU has run up almost 20billion of unpaid bills in recent years, and once the referendum is over Britain will be presented with a demand for its share if the country votes to stay in.

Britain could be forced to hand an extra 2.4billion to Brussels if it stays in the EU, Boris Johnson (right) and Michael Gove claimed at a campaign event in Stratford-upon-Avon today

The EU's review of its 2014-2020 budget has been delayed due to the UK's referendum.

Mr Johnson and Mr Gove also claimed the UK could be asked to fork out extra cash to help deal with the continent's immigration crisis and to bail out the eurozone if the single currency collapses.

In a remarkable move, the pair wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and Chancellor today saying: 'The public cannot trust EU or Government promises that we won't be paying for Eurozone bailouts given the history and how we can be outvoted.'

It comes amid an intensification in the blue-on-blue battle over Europe, which the Prime Minister risked further inflaming by sharing a platform with three Left-wing politicians who are traditional enemies of his party.

Labour's Harriet Harman, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron joined David Cameron to accuse Vote Leave of 'perpetuating an economic con-trick' on the voters.
A porn star has filed a lawsuit against her ex alleging that he forced her to drink his urine.

Ashley Youdan is asking world famous violinist David Garrett for $12million alleging physical and mental abuse in court papers.

Youdan, 28, who works under the name Kendall Karson, also claims in her civil court filing that Garrett forced her into rough sex that caused her to break a rib, wanted to hire a sex slave, had sex with transsexuals and used cocaine.

Civil suit: Ashley Youdan (above) has filed a $12million lawsuit against her ex David Garrett claiming she suffered physical and mental abuse during their relationship

Love: Youdan, 28, claims in court papers that she began dating Garrett (above in December 2015) in August 2014 soon after he paid her for sex

Youdan claims that she first meet Garrett, 35, in August 2014, and that her asked her to marry him just days after paying her for sex.

She then began living with Garrett and travelling around the world with him while he introduced her as his fiancee claims Youdan.

Then, on Christmas, Garrett allegedly tried to hire a sex slave.

'After seeing an advertisement for a "sex slave" on the Web site Craigslist, [Garrett] responded to the advertisement hoping to perform "BDSM" acts on the "sex slave" and place the "sex slave" in a cage while [he] and [Youdan] attended a nightclub,' Youdan claims in court papers.

The sex slave never showed up though according to Youdan, despite Garrett waiting outside his apartment for the woman.

Two weeks after this, on January 7, 2015, is when Youdan claims that Garrett forced her to drink his urine.

She alleges in court papers that the two were having sex on the kitchen counter when '[Garrett] left [Youdan] to urinate in a glass.'

Youdan goes on to claim that Garrett 'negligently and recklessly held [her] down on the kitchen counter by her neck and threw urine on [her] face ... [Garrett] then pressed down on [her] throat so that she would have to swallow any urine in her mouth.'

She also claims that Garrett threw urine 'between [her] legs, some of which entered into [her] vaginal cavity causing serious injury. [Garrett] then proceeded to engage in intercourse with [her] despite her objections.'

Youdan claims after this she had to go on antibiotics and believes the incident later caused her to develop kidney stones, which she is still dealing with.

The porn star, who goes by the name Kendall Karson, claims Garrett, 35, tried to hire a sex slave to keep in a cage on Christmas (couple above)

Two weeks after trying to hire a sex slave, Youdan claims Garrett forced her to drink his urine, and in October broke her rib during rough sex (leg bruise allegedly from Garrett stealing her phone in January, alleged broken rib on right)

Youdan claims that the relationship between the pair became further strained in October 2015 when she 'learned about sexual relationships [Garrett] had engaged in with transsexual pornography actors and escorts.'

She said that later that month she was dancing in Long island and refused to let him in the club. Youdan claims she then arrived home to find Garrett 'extremely intoxicated and high on cocaine.'

That is when shew claims Garrett forced her to have intercourse despite her objections, 'slamming [her] body against the kitchen counter over and over, consequently bruising and fracturing [her] rubs.'

Youdan said she was forced to hide her relationship from Garrett after that point at the request of his management, but that he did present her with an engagement ring on December 23 to confirm they would be getting married in the future.

She claims he grew enraged however in late January after she posted a photo of the ring on social media and 'angrily broke into the bathroom, breaking the door handle and lock, to take [her] cellular phone from her so that he could delete the social media posts.'

Youdan writes in court papers that he slammed her to the ground while trying to get her phone, bruising her leg.

Garrett then refused to let her leave the apartment Youdan claims, and when she did escape caught up with her and convinced her to return to the apartment.

The pair eventually split on Valentine's Day of this year.

Garrett's lawyer, Brian Maas, shot down the claims being made by Youdan in her court filing.

'We have not received any lawsuit from Youdan, though her willingness to publicly level these meritless charges fits with a pattern of behavior of someone who has made numerous threats to David,' Maas told the New York Post.

Garrett was born in Germany and attended school at Julliard, working briefly as a model to help pay for his courses.
Deputy principal Rosemary Ward has taken legal actions against Melbourne's St Catherine's School after she was allegedly pressured to resign

Students from a prestigious girls' school fell ill on a camping trip when they were stranded by a cyclone, hospitalised with gastro and contracted conjunctivitis, court documents claim.

About thirty Year 10 girls at St Catherine's School in Toorak, south-east of Melbourne, travelled to Fiji for a non-compulsory trip between March 25 and April 10, The Age reported.

However, the trip spiralled out of control when the group stayed at a 'backpacker-style' accommodation, in which deputy principal Rosemary Ward claims was unsuitable for young females.

Half the students had suffered conjunctivitis as the group were forced to evacuate when a cyclone ripped through the area where they were staying and one of the rooms was flooded from torrential rain.

Ms Ward raised concerns about the 'calamitous' camping trip during a meeting on April 22 after the ordeal left some students and teachers traumatised.

The following week, the principal allegedly accused her of several failures including her conduct as an emergency contact for the trip.

Melbourne's St Catherine's School students fell ill on a camping trip when they were stranded by a cyclone, hospitalised with gastro and contracted conjunctivitis, court documents claim

About thirty Year 10 girls at St Catherine's School in Toorak, south-east of Melbourne, travelled to Fiji for a non-compulsory trip between March 25 and April 10 (stock image)

Ms Ward, who has been unable to return to work due to a medical condition, claims she has been pressured to resign and was allegedly told 'if you do not, things will implode around you'.

She claims the principal had just given her a good performance review prior to the meeting about the trip's mismanagement.

Ms Ward is now suing her school of up to $250,000 in damages for allegedly breaching protections under the Fair Work Act.
This is the nail-biting moment a lucky waterbuck comes within inches of being killed by a crocodile as a group of concerned tourists watch on in anticipation.

The footage was captured in South Africa and shows the large antelope cooling off in Lake St Lucia when a hungry predator spots it from a distance.

The sheer speed of the crocodile is what makes the video incredibly unsettling as it stalks its prey and moves in for the kill.

None the wiser: The large antelope cools off in a lake before the hungry predator spots it from a distance

The race is on: The predator swims through the lake and gains on the antelope with every second that passes

Meanwhile the waterbuck is completely unaware that its life is in jeopardy.

The footage shows the predator gaining on the antelope with every second that passes before the creature spots the threat and swims to the side.

What follows it's an intense race for survival as the creature mounts the bank moments before the crocodile's jaws are able to snap down on it.

The clip, which was captured by Deiric Walsh, a Tanzanian who now resides in St Lucia, South Africa, concludes with the sound of the tourists cheering in relief.

Mr Walsh, a guide on Lake St Lucia for 18 years, said: 'It was amazing, it was a great ice breaker - when the waterbuck escaped the tourists were hugging each other, laughing and talking about the experience they were and totally exhilarated.'

Quick: Tourists watch in anticipation as the crocodile gets increasingly closer to the large antelope

Escape: The waterbuck heads for the bank but the speed of the crocodile means it is in grave danger

So close: The crocodile looks to have caught the antelope as it jumps onto the bank in a bid to escape

'They had never seen anything like that in their lives before and somehow it instantly bonded everyone, it was great.'

It could so easily have ended in tears, with the crocodile's superior swimming ability allowing it to get within inches of its prey.

But Mr Walsh said the waterbuck appeared incredibly calm.

He added: 'The waterbuck confidently kept going and luckily escaped up the bank. Afterwards the waterbuck was walking around on the other bank without even a scratch.'

'I've never filmed anything like this but hopefully I will again one day. I've seen some interesting things but never such an interesting finish.'

'Imagine what the reaction would have been had the waterbuck been a second slower.'

Close call: The creature mounts the bank moments before the crocodile's jaws are able to snap down on it
A man forced police to close one of the busiest roads in Britain after he was caught jogging through a busy tunnel under the Thames at 2.20am.

The Blackwall Tunnel, which passes through Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, was shut in the early on June 3 after a man was caught on camera jogging through it.

Control room staff saw him at 2:20am on the northbound side of the vehicle-only underpass and were forced to call the police for his safety.

Closed: The Blackwall Tunnel, which passes through Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, was shut in the early on June 3 after a man was caught on camera jogging through it (pictured)

Traffic: The tunnel is one of the busiest in the country and after the incident, control room staff that police 'had a word or two with the pedestrian'

Transport for London (TfL) Traffic News wrote: 'The northbound Blackwall Tunnel is closed due to a person who is jogging through the tunnel.'

The tunnel was reopened at 2:30am and police were on the scene.

TfL said: 'The northbound Blackwall Tunnel has re-opened. Police have had a word or two with the pedestrian...'

Last month, the tunnel was closed for almost 24 hours because of an extensive fuel spill, caused by a crane being carried on the back of a lorry.
Ripa was allowed into Britain in 2014 because he had been arrested in France

Florin Ripa, 18, from Tipton, West Midlands, attacked David Cooper as the 70-year-old waited to catch a train to London

A Romanian teenager who was allowed into Britain despite having been arrested for aggravated theft viciously attacked a pensioner just one month after he was released from prison.

Florin Ripa, 18, from Tipton, West Midlands, attacked David Cooper as the 70-year-old waited to catch a train to London.

Ripa, who had downed downed two-and-a-half litres of vodka, punched the train enthusiast to the ground and kicked him up to 15 times, before jumping and stamping on his unconscious victim's head, leaving him in a coma.

An hour later, Ripa approached his second victim Linda Murphy, 61, as she was on her way to work in Great Bridge, punching her in the face and kicking her twice before grabbing her handbag which contained 15 and her mobile phone.

On Friday it emerged Ripa had been allowed into Britain in 2014, despite being arrested on charges of aggravated theft in Paris.

And Wolverhampton Crown Court heard he had only been released from custody after serving a six-month sentence for attempted robbery in London a month before the two crimes.

The teen was on licence from serving a custodial sentence when he launched the brutal attacks on two strangers as he 'looked for victims to rob'.

Ripa admitted grievous bodily harm with intent and robbery when and was jailed for 14 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Judge Nicholas Webb (pictured) expressed his astonishment that Florin Ripa, 18, had been allowed into Britain after he was arrested on charges of aggravated theft in Paris

Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Webb said: 'I am in no doubt that you pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public.'

The judge expressed his astonishment that Ripa had been allowed into Britain having been arrested on charges of aggravated theft in the French capital.

He also extended Ripa's licence when he is released by a further five years and said it was highly likely he would be deported back to his home country.

Judge Webb told him it was 'fortunate' Mr Cooper survived the attack and added: 'He has survived at great cost.

'Seven months later he is still being cared for by his daughter.'

Prosecutor Trevor Meegan told the court Mr Cooper was in a coma for 10 days and spent three weeks in intensive care after the vicious assault.

Mukhtar Ubhi, mitigating, said Ripa was very remorseful and he wanted to apologise to both victims.

He said the teen had little recollection of the attacks and had taken cannabis as well as drinking the vodka.

Mr Ubhi added that Ripa now wanted to return to Romania when he had completed his sentence.
In three months 641 assaults to hospital staff were reported

Two separate clips show a wardsman and a police officer being punched

CCTV footage has shown the horrifying extent of abuse facing health professionals across Queensland as the number of reported assaults against hospital staff soars.

In the video, a man can be clearly seen punching a police officer in the face at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital before he is pushed back by the officer and the fight continues behind a curtain.

Another man was caught on camera smashing a metal object on a glass door as a mother walks past on the other side, cradling her baby.

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A patient is shown on CCTV footage punching a police officer in the face, before the scuffle continues behind the curtain

Elsewhere in Queensland, a woman holding a hospital blanket attempts to assault a security guars

He is tackled by a wardsman almost immediately, as security officers come running.

The footage, obtained by 7 News also shows a woman holding a hospital blanket punching a security guard before she is safely pushed to the ground with her hands behind her back.

In the first three months of this year, health professionals experienced 641 assaults in major public hospitals across Queensland.

These were only reported incidents - it is believed the majority of attacks are going unreported.

The figure is in stark contrast to last year's reported incidents. From June 2014 to June 2015, 1,121 incidents were reported to Queensland Health's incident management service.

If the reports continue to come in at this rate, the number of assaults could more than double.

As a mother and her baby walk by, a man smashes against a glass door with a metal object

Dr Colin Meyers, Critical Care Executive Director for Metro North told 7 News levels of violence are increasing from patients and their families.

'Not only is it a threat to the staff, but it's a threat to the patients as well. It distracts us from taking care of really sick people,' he said.

A Queensland government advertisement screened state-wide aims to raise awareness of the issue and warn potential perpetrators that they could face up to 14 years behind bars for assaulting hospital staff.
A woman who was attacked by a shark in Southern California was all smiles in a photograph taken as she recovers from a large bite wound that stretches from her shoulder to her pelvis.

The photo taken Thursday and provided by Orange County Global Medical Center on Monday shows Maria Korcsmaros, 52, grinning in her hospital bed, wearing a gown with a cast covering nearly the entire length of her right arm.

Korcsmaros - a mom and triathlete - was expected to recover from the bite she received May 29 at Corona Del Mar State Beach, doctors said. The shark that attacked her was not found.

This Thursday, June 2, 2016 photo provided by Orange County Global Medical Center shows Maria Korcsmaros recovering in her hospital bed at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, California

The large single bite she suffered suggests the shark was over 10 feet long and most likely a great white, said Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach.

Meanwhile, authorities reopened a 2-mile stretch of Sunset Beach and Surfside Beach that shut down after several sharks were spotted Sunday off the coast.

A sheriff's helicopter crew saw the sharks off Sunset Beach in the city of Huntington Beach. The animals were estimated to be at least 8 feet long and 150 yards from shore.

Closures following a shark sighting typically last between 12 to 24 hours.

Korcsmaros, was pulled from the Pacific Ocean by lifeguards on a patrol boat on May 29 about 150 yards off the shore of Newport Beach after she was seen in distress, said Mary Locey, a spokeswoman for the city

Korcsmaros was training for an Ironman triathlon when she was attacked by the shark on may 29 and doctors have credited her physical fitness for her survival, said Kelsey Eiben, a spokeswoman for Orange County Global Medical Center where the woman is being treated.

The mother of three did not go into shock after the attack, Eiben said.

'She was able to tread water and hold her own until help arrived and that's pretty remarkable,' Dr. Philip Rotter, a physician at the hospital, told a news conference.

The shark attack occurred during the Memorial Day weekend, which signals the unofficial start of summer vacation season in the United States.

It followed last year's record 98 shark attacks, a figure that is expected to increase this year due to a rise in shark populations from historic lows in the 1990s and other factors, according to the Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.

Korecsmaros is a personal trainer and aerobics instructor, according to her LinkedIn page.

Lifeguards shut down a popular Southern California beach for swimmers and surfers after Korcsmaros was pulled injured from the water with bite marks in a possible shark attack, authorities said

An advisory sign noting of a shark sighted on May 29 is pictured above. Experts say the number of shark attacks will likely rise this year due to warming temperatures

'She seems like a very strong lady, she's remarkably calm,' Dr. Humberto Sauri, medical director of trauma services at Orange County Global Medical Center, told reporters.

Doctors will seek to prevent any infections from the bite, which they said left teeth marks from Korecsmaros' shoulder to her pelvis.

It was not immediately clear what type of shark bit Korecsmaros.

Great white sharks are known to hunt off the coast of California, but they generally do not attack people and shark attacks in general are rare events worldwide.

George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida, recently warned that the United States could expect more than 100 attacks this year - thanks, in part, to global warming.

In 2015, there were 98 shark attacks, including six fatalities.

But this year could surpass the number as shark populations recover from historic lows in the 1990s, while the world's human population has grown and rising temperatures are leading more people to go swimming.
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Britain looks set to bask in two weeks of sunshine with thunderstorms today clearing for what bookies think will be the hottest summer on record.

It will be hotter in Britain than Barcelona, Rome and even Mexico today, with the mercury threatening to hit 28C in parts of England and Wales today.

The hot weather will, however, be broken up by thunderstorms, with up to 40mm of rain and even hail set to fall in just a few hours later today, with more due tomorrow

But it looks set to clear by Wednesday, when Britain can bask in the summer-like sun with temperatures in the mid twenties up until Friday.

Stripping off: It will be hotter in Britain than Barcelona, Rome and even Mexico today, with the mercury threatening to hit 28C in parts of England and Wales today. In London, people could be seen soaking up the sun's rays in parks

Summer break: These two women take a seat on a blanket in London as Britain enjoys a heatwave for the next week amid what bookmakers think will be one of the hottest summers on record

Continuous: There will be thunderstorms in some parts of Britain but most will enjoy glorious sunshine today. Pictured, a woman eats ice-cream in the sunshine at Stratford-upon-Avon, as the warm weather continues

Summer: Britain looks set to bask in a week of sunshine with heavy showers today clearing for what bookies think will be the hottest summer on record. Pictured, Georgia Bird and Molly Walsh walk through yellow buttercups in Durham

Beach: A man reads a newspaper whilst relaxing in the sunshine at Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Highland, although it expects rain later

Beach bods: People flock to the banks of Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Highland, and strip off to enjoy the summer sunshine on the beach

Fountain: Isabella Gorman (left), 4, and her brother Dylan, 3, cool off by playing in the water fountain in Bristol city centre today

People bask in the early afternoon sun and enjoy a spot of lunch near the Regent's Canal in Central London, as temperatures reached 26C

Deterioration: It will be hot at the beginning of the week but the heat will drop over the next three days, and by the end of the week, we can expect temperatures more typical for this time of year

It may well be a barbecue weekend in Britain, although forecasters have warned that the temperatures will drop off to around 20C and stay there for the rest of the week.

But the warm spring weather, with temperatures in the low to mid twenties looks set to continue for another week.

Alex Burkill, forecaster for the Mett Office, said: 'We could see 27, possibly 28 in north west Wales and north west England today. It will be pretty warm widely, with the mid or even high twenties across most of Britain, apart from in the far east where it will be cooler.

'We are likely to see showers developing mainly across northern areas and a yellow warning is out today which covers central and western Northern Ireland and Wales.

'There could be 25mm in an hour and 40mm in a few hours, and with that some hail and thunder in west Wales.

'Tomorrow, there will be some showers over Scotland but heavy and more frequent rain in western Wales and western Northern Ireland, but elsewhere it will generally feel warm and even hot.

Splash: Jason Vanniekerk, 33, and his son Tyler, 13, play in the water at Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Highlands

Sunning yourself: This woman decided to work on her tan in Wimbledon Park in the unseasonably warm weather that looks set to continue

Hanging out: Ella, Matilda and Lilly, all 18, are sitting in the park with Bristol Cathedral in the background as the sun shines down

Messing around: A pleasure boat travels down the River Wear through the centre of Durham in glorious sunshine this afternoon

Refreshing: Matilda Hansom, 5, enjoys an ice cream in the amazing sunshine and hot weather in Bristol earlier today

People enjoy the warm weather and soak up the sun as they stroll along a pontoon on the Regent's Canal in Central London today

Warm: People relax in the sunshine at Stratford-upon-Avon, where the deck chairs in the parks are full thanks to the sunshine

Idyllic: The beautiful view across the huge lake which is being used for watersports in the amazing weather at Loch Morlich near Aviemore

Basking: This girl in Stratford-upon-Avon enjoys the warmth of the sun and Britain could well see more over the next two weeks

Open lake: This man braces the water in Scotland to take a swim across the open water during an unprecedentedly warm day

Working out: This woman takes her work outside, writing her notes in the sun and topping up the tan in Bristol earlier today

'Looking at the week as a whole, it is staying pretty warm but temperatures will drop. There will be a good deal of sunshine, but showers too, mainly towards the west.

'But it looks like the weekend is not going to be so great at the moment - although that is five days away and a lot can change between now and then.

'By Saturday, probably the best well be looking at is 20-21C and looking even further ahead, into the beginning of next week, temperatures will settle into what is normal for this time of year - maybe even a bit cooler.

The BBC's Jay Wynne also said we can expect heavy showers today but warm weather for the week, which will cool down just as most people finish work for the weekend.

He said: 'On into weekend it looks like it will be turning that bit more unsettled, the wind will be picking up, there will be some rain at times and temperatures probably be dropping off.'

But despite temperatures falling, it could still be warm with highs of 21C, and the bookies have slashed the odds for 2016 being the warmest summer on record.

Sweltering: In London's Green Park, this woman takes advantage of the hot weather to get some exercise earlier today

Al fresco: The green spaces in the centre of Bristol start to fill up as it gets nearer lunch time and everyone heads outside for some sun

Catching rays: Young people were seen stretching out on the grass in London as the mercury is set to hit 27C in hot spring weather

Fall: The Met Office says the temperature will drop to around 21C at the highest on Saturday - average for this time of year - although it could be colder in parts of Britain. Holland-class patrol vessel Groningen P843 cruises passed the Isle of Wight on a training exercise

Interruption: It will be sunny today but parts of Britain will see rain, the worst of which looks set to clear for the latter half of the week, which will stay above average for this time of year through to Friday. Pictured is Hurst Castle, Hampshire

BOATERS TRAPPED AFTER RUNNING AGROUND AND ONE RESCUED FROM THE WATER AFTER SWIMMING FOR SHORE A person on board a 60ft boat was forced to jump overboard and swim to shore for help after running aground when it became submerged on a sandbank. Two people were left trapped on the 36tonne vessel which had run aground and were in need of rescuing on Saturday afternoon during a lazy afternoon of the river Thames. As the fearless swimmer reached the bank and clambered out of the chilly water the alarm was raised and fire and rescue crews rushed to those left in the water's aid. The athletic swimmer was suffering from the effects of swimming in the cold waters and their companions were safely disembarked from the cruiser. Caught up: Two people were left trapped on the vessel which had run aground and were in need of rescuing on Saturday afternoon during a lazy afternoon of the river Thames. Pictured is Shillingford Bridge today, near where they were trapped The marooned boat was then tied up and talks were last night taking place to determine how to remove and recover the boat. The cruiser became trapped by the Shillingford Bridge, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, on Saturday afternoon. Station Manager Mike Swadling from Didcot Fire Station said: 'Our priority on arrival was to check over the person who had already decided to swim to the bank whilst safety removing the remaining two people from the grounded boat, we then liaised with the Owner and Environment Agency to ensure the boat was secure and to discuss recovery. 'The person who swam for assistance was a fit and confident swimmer, but none the less I urge people to remember that the water temperature at this time of the year is still very low and can have a considerable effect on the body in a short space of time.' Rescue: The marooned boat was then tied up and talks were last night taking place to determine how to remove and recover the boat at Shillingford Bridge (pictured today) Advertisement

The odds are now just 6/4, and they are offering 5/2 that this month will be the hottest June ever, with the Met Office saying there are signs this summer will be a scorcher.

Mr Bukill added: 'Looking at the summer as a whole, there is nothing particularly strong to indicate either a scrocher or a washout, but there are some signs it might be warmer than usual.'

In Cambridge, flocks of swans are being 'escorted' from a busy stretch of the River Cam in Cambridge to stop them attacking people relaxing in punts in the hot weather.

There have been reports of punt-users and people in rowing boats being threatened by wing-flapping, hissing swans.

Spot of shade: Three people sit in the sun talking in Stratford-upon-Avon while one young man cowers in the shade in the background

Shades: Michelle Revie, 30, from Hamilton, sits down in Pollock Park, Glasgow, as temperatures reached 25C in the Scottish city

Looking up: A couple eat ice cream in Stratford-upon-Avon (left) and a woman reading Eat, Pray, Love, in Pollock Park in Glasgow

But claims that the birds would have their numbers cut by having their eggs 'oiled or pricked' were wide of the mark, said Jed Ramsay, from the Conservators of the River Cam group.

He added: 'I was personally horrified by the suggestion that we would even consider oiling swans' eggs.

'I can categorically state that we would never consider this an option. It entirely goes against our ethos as an organisation that looks after the river.'

With the traditional 'May Bumps' three-day series of races coming up on June 8th, the birds will be 'encouraged' to move to a distant stretch of the river where they will be looked after by a team of volunteers.

Girls day out: Helen Taylor (right) and pal Helen Mather (left), enjoy the rays of sunshine in Pollock Park, Glasgow, as temperatures hit 25C

Shortived: People flock to the banks of Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Highland, but the weather is set to take a turn for the worse forecasters have warned

Rowing back: A dog stands on the edge of a canoe whilst it's paddled across Loch Morlich near Aviemore, Highland. Heavy showers, thunderstorms and perhaps even some hail are expected to break out across Britain

There are also warnings that the warm summer will lead to an invasion of Japanese Knotweed - the destructive plant that can ruin houses.

Once it gets a hold, the knotweed can literally bring the house down and it's already being blamed for a 170 million a year repair bill across the UK.

Many mortgage companies won't grant loans to would-be purchasers if a property has been invaded by it because of the destruction of can cause.

But today, the hot weather will be interrupted by thundery showers which are expected to clear by the evening but linger across Northern Ireland, Wales and south-west England.

Riding high: In Green Park today the Boris bike racks were empty and the cycle lanes full as people took advantage of the sun and enjoyed a leisurely ride through the huge green space in central London

Trend: Today's warm weather (pictured, a fishing boat cruises past the Needles in The Solent on a sunny morning Hampshire) could be part of a heatwave, wit the bookies trimming the odds that this summer could be the hottest on record

HOT AN BOTHERED SWANS 'ESCORTED' FROM BUSY RIVER AFTER HISSING AND FLAPPING AT PEOPLE IN PUNT BOATS Flocks of swans are being 'escorted' from a busy stretch of a river to stop them attacking people relaxing in punts in the hot weather. There have been reports of punt-users and people in rowing boats being threatened by wing-flapping, hissing swans, on the River Cam in Cambridge. But claims that the birds would have their numbers cut by having their eggs 'oiled or pricked' were wide of the mark, said Jed Ramsay, from the Conservators of the River Cam group. He added: 'I was personally horrified by the suggestion that we would even consider oiling swans' eggs. 'I can categorically state that we would never consider this an option. It entirely goes against our ethos as an organisation that looks after the river.' With the traditional 'May Bumps' three-day series of races coming up on June 8th, the birds will be 'encouraged' to move to a distant stretch of the river where they will be looked after by a team of volunteers. The same process is likely to happen when future events come up in a joint project with the Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs, the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association and local residents. He said the aim is to save the swans from injury and stop any over-aggressive birds attacking rowers and spectators. 'Protecting swans on the River Cam is an essential part of our work. I think the plan to escort the swans out of harm's way during the races will keep them safe, whilst also allowing the races to go ahead without the fear of injuries.' Flocks of swans are being 'escorted' from a busy stretch of a river to stop them attacking people relaxing in punts in the hot weather There have been reports of punt-users and people in rowing boats being threatened by wing-flapping, hissing swans, on the River Cam in Cambridge Advertisement

Relaxing: Londoners enjoy the sunny springtime weather in Green Park, London, which will be among the hottest places in the UK

Nature: The summer warmth always brings wildlife out into the open. A blue tit in the morning sunshine near Dovedale in Derbyshire

Daybreak: The sunshine above a field of vibrant red poppies in Dorset below and orange sky as the sun came up this morning

Happy as a pig: Piglets enjoy the morning sunshine in Youlgreave village in Derbyshire during the unseasonably warm weather today

Bloom: A mother and her young standing among the spring flowers in the morning sunshine near Dovedale in Derbyshire

Thunder: The hot weather will, however, be broken up by thunderstorms, with up to 40mm of rain set to fall in just a few hours later today and tomorrow. A kayaker sails passed some driftwood sticking out of Hurst Spit in Hampshire

Blazing: Hurst Castle under the deep blue skies on a sunny morning in Hampshire, next to the beach

The rest of the UK will be mainly dry with clear spells, although there will be an increasing chance of heavy and thundery showers moving into southern parts of both central and southern England and south-east England, especially during the early hours.

Tomorrow it will be another warm day with spells of sunshine. However, widespread heavy and thundery showers are expected to develop across much of the UK through the day. These showers will be slow moving and could give locally torrential downpours.

On Wednesday, it will continue to be warm with plenty of sunshine. A few sharp showers are possible, particularly across northern England and western Scotland, but many places staying mainly dry.
Ms Patel has been one of the leading campaigners for Brexit

A union chief was accused of sexism and racism today after delivering a jibe about Brexit campaigner Priti Patel's name being a 'contradiction'.

GMB boss Tim Roache made the remark as he spoke at its annual conference in Bournemouth today.

Spelling out his support for staying in the EU, Mr Roache lashed out at senior Tories who have been spearheading the bit to cut ties with Brussels.

And referring to the Cabinet minister he joked: 'Priti Patel, surely a contradiction in a name.'

The comment was immediately condemned by allies of Ms Patel, with Tory MP James Cleverly questioning whether Mr Roache was 'sexist, racist, blind or all three'.

Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a Vote Leave spokeswoman, said: 'This abuse is a new low for the remain campaign - and is exactly the kind of negativity that voters up and down the country are rejecting.

'I trust there will be widespread condemnation of these comments.'

The jibe was also disowned by the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, who said it had 'no place' in the referendum battle.

'You can disagree as much as you like with Priti Patel and Vote Leave's plan to wreck our economy but this kind of personal attack has no place in this campaign and it distracts from the vital decision facing the British public on the 23rd June,' a spokesman said.

But Mr Roache remained defiant, insisting he had been taken 'out of context'.

'Not sexist in the slightest. Listen to the CONTEXT. What she SAYS and thinks of workers & rights is not pretty,' he said.

The row threatened to overshadow an intervention by the leaders of Britain's biggest unions urging voters to reject Brexit in two weeks' time.

Several union barons had considered backing Brexit amid worries about how migration of low paid EU workers holds back wages for British workers and austerity imposed on struggling corners of the bloc.

And Len McCluskey, leader of the biggest union Unite, suggested last year he could reject the EU if David Cameron had negotiated away workers' rights as part of his new settlement.

Tory MP James Cleverly slammed the remarks by GMB chief Tim Roache about Priti Patel

Former minister Tim Loughton also tore into Mr Roache on Twitter

But Mr Roache insisted he had been saying Ms Patel's views on the EU were 'not pretty'

But with 16 days to polling day, 10 trade unions joined forces to say the European Union was necessary to protect workers' rights from the Tory government.

The argument was echoed today by Sal Brinton, the Liberal Democrat party president, in a live BBC debate.

A letter by the 10 leaders to the Guardian warned much greater reform of the EU was needed, particularly to move it 'away from a path of austerity'.

But they said there were still benefits far outweighing any gain from Brexit.

The group, which includes Unison, Unite, GMB and Usdaw, said: 'Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s the British trade union movement worked in solidarity with our European partners and fought hard to secure valuable working rights legislation at EU level.

'To this day these rights - including maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave - continue to underpin and protect working rights for British people.

GMB leader Tim Roache made the controversial remark about Priti Patel at the union's annual conference in Bournemouth today

The pound appeared to plunge today - possibly in response to another string of polls indicating Brexit was ahead - but generally recovered by the end of trading

The Brexit campaign has surged ahead this month after weeks trailing behind the Remain campaign. Above, each poll since David Cameron's EU renegotiation in February is tracked - showing how the Leave campaign has regained the lead

'If Britain leaves the EU we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat. Despite words to the contrary from figures like Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Gove, the Tories would negotiate our exit and, we believe, would negotiate away our rights.

'We simply do not trust this government if they are presented with an unrestricted, unchecked opportunity to attack our current working rights.'

Earlier this year, Mr McCluskey announced he would personally back Remain but in a hard hitting speech at the German embassy warned it was a hard case to make to trade unionists.

The shift in position by some union leaders has mirrored the apparent change by Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader.

Mr Corbyn - who spoke alongside Mr Roache at the GMB conference yesterday - has frequently been deeply critical of the EU but at the urging of his party has campaigned to keep Britain inside the trading bloc.

But his apparent reluctance has led to confusion among Labour voters and claims from senior party figures the party needs to do more.

At a speech last week, Mr Corbyn said voters should support Remain - but not without launching a wide ranging attack on the David Cameron-led campaign to do so.

Mr Corbyn has insisted criticism of him is 'unfair' and said he was 'puzzled' at claims he was not doing enough.

Ms Patel on the Brexit campaign trail. She has been one of the leading supporters of leaving the EU

Allies of Ms Patel questioned whether Mr Roache was 'sexist, racist, or blind'

Brexit like putting a BOMB under our economy!' says Cameron in latest Project Fear warning

David Cameron has compared Brexit to bombing the economy in the latest instalment of his Project Fear campaign.

The Prime Minister made the extraordinary claim as he fueled Tory tensions by teaming up with Labour's Harriet Harman and other political opponents on the referendum campaign trail.

Leave supporters said the dire warning showed that Mr Cameron had 'gone nuclear'. They insist the joint appearance with his foes is a sign of Downing Street's desperation after a series of polls showed Remain losing momentum in the battle.

David Cameron delivered another stark warning about the consequences of Brexit at the event in central London today

Research by YouGove for ITV's Good Morning Britain today suggested that Brexit had taken the lead by 41 per cent to 41 per cent.

An Opinium survey for the Observer yesterday said the race was split 43 per cent to Leave and 40 per cent to Remain.

The value of the pound dipped sharply against the dollar this morning as the prospect of a Leave vote spooked the markets.

The Prime Minister, who has endured a torrid time over recent weeks as he struggled to explain how the UK could tackle immigration within the EU, told the event at London's Oval cricket ground today that Brexit would have an 'immediate shock effect'.

'Almost everyone now agrees, from the Governor of the Bank of England to the IMF, the OECD to the Treasury, 9 in 10 economists to, yes, even some Leave campaigners, there would be an economic shock if we left Europe,' Mr Cameron said.

'Let's be clear what that means: The pound falling; prices rising; house prices collapsing; mortgage rates increasing; businesses going bust; and unemployment going up. In other words: a recession.'

In the most controversial section of his address, Mr Cameron said: 'Think of the wider impact: fewer businesses, fewer jobs, a smaller economy and less money for our schools and hospitals.

'Add those things together  the shock impact, the uncertainty impact, the trade impact  and you put a bomb under our economy.

'And the worst thing is we'd have lit the fuse ourselves. So that's the choice in 17 days: a positive, comprehensive vision for our economy  on which your aspirations depend or a blank-page plan that puts all those things in danger.

A YouGov poll for ITV's GMB programme is the latest to show the Brexit campaign gaining momentum

'An economy built on solid ground or one that's like a sinkhole, crumbling beneath us.

'Moving our economy forwards or setting it back, with a roll of the dice  risking all our futures.'

Tory MP Peter Bone told MailOnline: 'Talking of bombs and explosions in the economy is well and truly misleading.

'It drags the level of debate down. The reality is that there would be very little difference in the short term or in the medium term.
Donald Trump took a swipe Monday morning at Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who  despite endorsing him for president  has criticized Trump's attacks on a Mexican-American judge who is overseeing a class action lawsuit against him.

'I was surprised at Newt. I thought it was inappropriate what he said,' the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said on the 'Fox and Friends' program.

Gingrich called Trump's verbal ambushes of Judge Gonzalo Curiel 'one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. Inexcusable. He made those comments on 'Fox News Sunday.'

But Trump said Friday on CNN that Curiel's membership in a pro-Hispanic legal society indicates bias against him because of his pledge to hamper illegal immigration on America's southern border.

TENSION: Donald Trump called Newt Gingrich's criticism of him 'inappropriate' after the former House speaker said it was 'inexcusable' for Trump to turn a federal judge's heritage into a campaign issue

'INEXCUSABLE': Gingrich said Sunday that Trump should never have cast the judge as his enemy solely on the basis of his parentage

UNAPOLOGETIC: Trump said Friday that the judge overseeing the Trump Unversity class-action lawsuit is 'Mexican' even though he was born in Indiana

'He's Mexican,' Trump told CNN. 'We're building a wall between here and Mexico.'

Gingrich impatiently declared on Sunday: 'That judge is not a Mexican. He's an American, period.'

On Saturday in an email to The Washington Post, Gingrich was even more pointed.

'I don't know what Trump's reasoning was, and I don't care,' he wrote. 'His description of the judge in terms of his parentage is completely unacceptable.'

'MEXICAN'(-AMERICAN): 'I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest' Trump said of Judge Gonzalo Curiel

Trump last week referred to Curiel in his campaign rallies as 'a Mexican.' He was born in Indiana.

'I'm building a wall,' he said in California. 'It's an inherent conflict of interest.'

The class-action lawsuit is one of three legal actions that accuse the Trump University series of real estate seminars of defrauding its customers.

Gingrich hasn't ended his support of Trump.

'Compared to Hillary Clinton, I'd support Donald Trump all year,' he said Sunday. 'She's a much more flawed person.'

Trump continued to defend himself on Monday and predicted that he will win the Trump University case.

'This is a case that should have been thrown out a long time ago by the judge. A long time ago,' he said.

'I'll win the case very easily. The good news is I go before a jury.'

'All I'm trying to do is figure out why I'm being treated so unfairly by a judge,' he added.

UNRELENTING: Trump has bashed Judge Curiel in rally after rally, most recently Friday in Redding, California

Gingrich has been a longtime fixture in Republican circles  first as House speaker and then as a presidential candidate in 2012 (shown with wife Callista, right)

Trump said 'thousands and thousands of people' who took the real estate classes described their experiences positively in writing.

'And by the way, they're going to be witnesses,' he said. 'And people understand that. And my supporters understand that.'

So far the Trump campaign has produced three, in a video last week.

'You have to go and fight controversy,' the billionaire said, commenting on his uncanny ability to bounce back in the face of negative messaging.
A lesbian mother and her civil partner who murdered her two-year-old son have met up in prison, it emerged today.

Two-year-old Liam Fee was battered to death by his mother Rachel Fee and her partner Nyomi Fee at their home in Fife, east Scotland.

The couple, who were convicted last week of the shocking murder and are now awaiting sentence, are understood to have since met up behind bars.

Rachel Fee and her civil partner Nyomi Fee are in currently on the same wing of a Scottish prison

The couple were convicted of murder after little Liam died when his heart ruptured from blows to his chest

The couple are staying in the same wing as each other at HMP Cornton Vale, Stirling.

Their cells are on different floors inside the Ross House building at the women's prison where remand inmates are kept.

But the pair, who held hands on their way in and out of their trial, are said to have been able to meet over a coffee.

A prison source said: 'They will have met. They are on different floors but there will be times during the day when the cells are open and they will be able to associate.

'They are not sharing a cell. Prisoners can go out of their cells to eat in the hall. It will have been risk-assessed.

'Once they are sentenced it will be unlikely that they can associate with each other.'

Liam died when his heart ruptured from blows to his chest and a pathologist later found he had more than 30 injuries, including a fractured upper arm and thigh.

When Liam needed urgent hospital treatment, the couple Googled whether they could stay together in prison

The two killers carried out two years of sustained attacks on the toddler and two other boys as social services repeatedly failed to act.

The pair's depraved abuse included imprisoning one boy in a cage made from a fire guard, using cable ties to bind his hands behind his back.

They also tied another boy naked to a chair in a dark room with nine snakes and several rats, forcing him to eat his own vomit and telling him a boa constrictor 'ate naughty little boys'. They also forced the youngsters to take cold showers when they wet the bed

The two women arrived at the Stirlingshire prison on May 20 after incriminating themselves when they admitted failing to get Liam help for his broken leg.

According to a prison source, the couple are living on the same wing, which has 'sickened both prisoners and guards'.

They said that prison is a 'dangerous place' for the pair, who were verbally abused by others when they arrived.

The pair, who face lengthy jail terms, are now being held in the same wing at Cornton Vale prison in Stirling

The source said: 'It has sickened both prisoners and guards that this pair are on the same wing as each other and can still be together.

'They are still at each other's side. They may feel safer being together at the moment but the prisoners here hate this pair.

'Killing a child is the big no-no in here and when the women read about the abuse this lad suffered before they killed him, then it fuels the fire. They are in a very dangerous place. It seems a sick logic, but this crime will not be tolerated by the women.

'When they arrived it was like a scene from outside court. They were being verbally abused like I have never seen before.

'They will be separated after they get sentenced, that's when they will be sent into the mainstream jail.

'Child killers, especially those that have abused a toddler so horrifically like this pair did, are in for a very rough ride.'

As well as causing the injuries which led to Liam's death, they also kept another boy in a cage.

Pictures from their home show the chains used to tie one boy to a bed

Mothers Against Murder and Aggression chairman Amanda Everit said: 'We are astounded to learn these two women are in a position where, one would imagine, they are still able to openly associate.

'They not only murdered a defenceless little boy after what appears from the evidence to be sustained and prolonged abuse of him and other children but they further conspired to ensure a seven-year-old child would take the blame for their heinous act.

'This story will impact on the father and extended families of these children.'

They will return to court for sentencing on July 6.

After sentencing, it is believed the couple will be separated, with one staying at Cornton Vale while the other is sent to a female wing at either Edinburgh, Greenock or Grampian.

The Fee will return to court for sentencing on July 6.
Paul Peters, 56, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony, and enticing, soliciting, seducing or luring a minor by internet or text, a second-degree felony

Utah governors half-brother 'tried to groom a 13-year-old into having sex with him, not knowing it was a cop.'

Paul Peters, 56, is the half-brother of Governor Gary Herbert.

Peters, from Draper, a town about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City, was arrested on suspicion of distributing harmful materials to a minor and soliciting a minor for sex over the internet.

After being arrested early last week, he is now being held on bail, according to police and the governor's spokesman.

Peters is also being investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

His arrest came after Peters allegedly connected with someone whom he thought was a 13-year-old girl online, but turned out to be an undercover police officer.

The chats quickly became sexual and Peters reportedly stated he wanted to have oral sex and intercourse with the teenage girl. He also reportedly sent nude pictures to her.

He went the town of Provo for the sole intention of meeting up with her.

According to the Daily Herald, in the chats, Peters reportedly claimed to have had sex with two other underage girls.

Distancing: Utah Governor Gary Herbert noted in a statement that the governor and Peters were raised in different households

He reportedly asked the investigator, posing as the teen, to hook him up with her mother so he could spend more time with the teen.

During a search of his phone, officers found pictures of juvenile girls and chat messages with another female where he said he had had sexual relations with an 8-year-old.

The governor has attempted to distance himself from any connection to the allegations.

'Regardless of who is being accused, the governor believes these are horrific allegations,' said Jon Cox,

Herbert's spokesman, in a news release. Peters and Herbert were 'raised in different homes,' the release states.
A pregnant woman convicted of drug trafficking will give birth in jail after losing her request to be granted leave to appeal her conviction.

Twice-convicted drug trafficker Soraya Louise Constant sought leave to appeal her 18-month prison sentence after she pleaded guilty in April to attempting to import pseudoephedrine, a chemical used in the production of amphetamines, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.

The 30-year-old, who is 22 weeks pregnant with her second child, appeared in the Court of Criminal Appeal in Adelaide on Monday to make the request for leave, which was denied by Justice Sam Doyle.

Twice-convicted drug trafficker Soraya Lousie Constant (centre) sought leave to appeal her 18-month prison sentence after she pleaded guilty in April to attempting to import pseudoephedrine

She had previously been serving a suspended sentence for a previous drug trafficking conviction when she was charged, according to the news report.

Barrister Heather Stokes reportedly stressed the need for Constant's legal challenge to be approved to allow her to bond with her eldest child and give birth to her second child outside of prison.

'Unlike every other mainland state, ours (South Australia) is the only prison system that does not provide facilities for women to take their babies with them into custody,' Ms Stokes said, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.

'My client's children will have no primary attachment except to their father, and a good father is not the same, at any stretch, as a good mother.'

In sentencing Constant in April, District Court Judge Paul Cuthbertson acknowledged that South Australia's laws regarding imprisoned women with babies were inadequate, but said it was an unavoidable consequence due to the seriousness of the conviction.

In denying her request for leave, Justice Doyle reportedly said Judge Cuthbertson had made no error in his sentencing.

Constant committed the offences in Adelaide suburbs St Peters and Woodville North between March 2013 and January 2014.
A nine-year-old girl from Kentucky has been taught how to administer a heroin antidote in case her big brother, who has been struggling with addiction, overdoses.

Audrey Stepp, who lives in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, practices injecting her stuffed animals with Naloxone, a drug used to treat opiod overdoses, in case she ever needs to give it to her 26-year-old brother, Sammy Stepp, who has struggled with heroin addiction for several years.

She wanted to learn how to administer the drug after she overheard their mother, Jennifer Punkin-Stepp, talking about Naloxone training and how the drug could save Sammy if he overdosed, according to NBC.

Punkin-Stepp told NBC that Audrey 'just gravitates toward him'.

Nine-year-old Audrey Stepp (left) has been taught how to administer a heroin antidote in case her big brother, Sammy (right) who has been struggling with addiction, overdoses

Audrey's 26-year-old brother, Sammy, has been struggling with heroin addiction before she was even born. She said the syringe must be filled up to 5cc

She practices filling and using the needle needed for the drug and does dry runs of filling up a syringe and injecting a stuffed animal

Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is used to treat an opioid emergency such as an overdose or a possible overdose of a narcotic medicine by blocking the life-threatening effects of the drugs, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Audrey told ABC News 20/20: 'He means a lot, and I love my brother.'

Audrey's mother taught her how to use the needle version of Naloxone by having her inject it into eggplants, according to ABC.

Once Audrey learned how to administer Naloxone with a needle, they then switched over to using Audrey's stuffed animal named Lamb.

Punkin-Stepp founded the Bullitt Opioid Addiction Team in 2014, which seeks to protect their community from the consequences of opioid misuse, abuse and overdose.

Sammy Stepp started on painkillers, such as hydrocodone and then switched to heroin six years ago.

Punkin-Stepp told ABC 20/20 that she did 'tend to blame myself for my son and his disease, and I wondered what I could have done differently, if anything at all'.

Audrey insisted that she learn to administer the drug after she overheard their mother, Jennifer Punkin-Stepp (right), talking about Naloxone training and how the drug could save Sammy (left) if he overdosed

Audrey knows what an overdose looks like, which is why she wanted to learn to administer the drug in case Sammy ever suffered a heroin overdose. She's pictured practicing a dry run on a stuffed animal

Audrey practices filling and using the needle needed for the drug and does dry runs of filling up a syringe and injecting a stuffed animal.

She knows what an overdose looks like, which is why she wanted to learn to administer the drug in case Sammy ever suffered a heroin overdose.

'If a kid could save somebody, why not? Instead of having the nightmare of watching somebody die,' Punkin-Stepp told NBC.

'Their fingernails and their lips would be blue, and they wouldn't wake up,' Audrey told NBC.

Audrey and her mother now give classes on how to administer Naloxone, which can now be bought without a prescription at pharmacies.

Punkin-Stepp told NBC that Sammy has been clean for a few months.

The US is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic as opioid-related deaths are on the rise.
A teenager was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing a classmate after she turned down his invitation to the junior prom.

A judge handed down the sentence to 19-year-old Christopher Plaskon in Milford Superior Court. He pleaded no contest to murder in March in the killing of 16-year-old Maren Sanchez inside Jonathan Law High School in Milford on April 25, 2014, the day of the prom.

Sanchez's parents said after the hearing that they were frustrated that the prison sentence wasn't longer. Plaskon will be eligible for parole in 13 years under new state juvenile sentencing laws.

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Prosecutors have won a 25-year prison sentence for Plaskon, who was held at a psychiatric hospital after the stabbing. His lawyer has said Plaskon suffered from psychosis pictured here in March)

Maren Sanchez, left was killed by a classmate on the day of their junior prom in April 2014. The classmate, Christopher Plaskon, right, in March pleaded no contest to murder, and has been jailed for 25 years

"The message that it sends is that if you commit a crime as heinous as murder in the state of Connecticut, you're going to do very little time, you're going to walk out with a college degree and you have your life back at one point," said Sanchez's father, Jose Sanchez. "And it's not the message that we want to send to the children in our schools when this has become an epidemic throughout the country."

He added, "I never get my daughter back. My daughter will always be dead."

While prosecutors said there was evidence from several sources that the attack was prompted by Sanchez's rejection of Plaskon's prom invitation, Plaskon's lawyer, Edward Gavin, said the stabbing wasn't related to the prom. Family and friends of Plaskon told police he was upset with Sanchez for rejecting his invitation.

Christopher Plaskon, right, with attorney Edward Gavin, appears in Superior Court in Milford on March 7

Town in mourning: A sign at the entrance to Jonathan Law High School memorialized Sanchez at the time in 2014

Plaskon's lawyers have said he showed signs of psychosis and they considered an insanity defense.

The attack happened in a first-floor hallway at about 7:15 a.m. Students described an emotional scene where people were crying as police and paramedics swarmed the school.

A witness tried to pull Plaskon off Sanchez during the attack, and another saw Plaskon discard a bloody knife, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Plaskon was taken to the principal's office in bloody clothing and told police, "I did it. Just arrest me," according to the affidavit.

Staff members and paramedics performed life-saving measures on Sanchez, but she was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly afterward. The medical examiner's office said she was stabbed in the torso and neck.

Jailed: Maren Sanchez (left) was said to be excited for prom and posted this picture of herself in her prom dress days before she was murdered by Plaskon (right)

Sanchez, a member of the National Honor Society who was active in drama and other school activities, had been focused on prom in the days before she was killed. She had posted on Facebook a photograph of herself wearing a blue prom dress and was looking forward to attending with a new boyfriend.
A West Virginia couple have been arrested after they allegedly tried to sell the woman's three-month-old baby girl for $500 to buy drugs.

Ashley Nichole Harmon, 25, and her fiance Jonathan Flint, 20, have been charged with felony offenses of selling or attempting to a sell a child and gross child neglect.

Harmon and Flint allegedly went to the home of Carolyn Redden, in Layland, and offered to sell her Harmon's baby for between $500 and $1,000.

Ashley Nichole Harmon, 25, and her fiance Jonathan Flint, 20, have been arrested after they allegedly tried to sell Harmon's three-month-old baby girl for $500 to buy drugs

Redden, who lives one mile from the couple's home, has known Flint since he was a child but had never seen Harmon before, she told WSAZ.

The couple first asked Redden if she would buy the baby for $1,000. When she refused, they dropped the price to $500.

Redden once again turned down the couple. Harmon and Flint then asked if she would babysit the infant while they walked to a convenience store five miles away.

The couple left Redden with a dirty diaper and one bottle of spoiled milk. She ran out to her local Dollar General store, purchasing bottles, diapers and baby wipes to try and help the restless child.

But Redden became increasingly worried as the hours passed by and the baby girl became more and more agitated, balling up her fists and shaking as she cried and screamed.

After the couple did not return for several hours, Redden decided she had to call 911.

A paramedic who arrived at the scene told her the baby was likely suffering from drug withdrawal.

The child was taken to the hospital and put in the custody of child protective services.

Carolyn Redden, who did not want to be seen on camera, bought the infant diapers, bottles and wipes when the couple left her with only a dirty diaper and a bottle of spilled milk (pictured is her receipt)

'She had the prettiest blue eyes,' Redden told the station. 'I just hope the baby ends up in a good home.'

Harmon and Flint did not return to Redden's home until the next day, Redden said.

Authorities said the couple had left two children under the age of three alone at their home while they attempted to sell the three-month-old baby.

The couple were both taken to the Southern Regional Jail and their bond has been set at $100,000 each.

Police said the baby's biological father was unaware of the couple's plan to sell his daughter.
Women make more working for Donald Trump's campaign than Hillary Clinton's  but don't make as much as their male peers.

The Boston Globe looked at the payrolls of the two top candidates' campaigns and found that, on average, those working for the Democratic frontrunner made less money, though there was only a $50 difference between what men and women took home.

Meanwhile, Trump paid his leaner staff more handsomely, but women made 35 percent less than their male counterparts  a difference of $1,600.

Billionaire Donald Trump (left) pays his staff better than millionaire Hillary Clinton (right) - but the pay gap between men and wome working for the Trump campaign is more severe

Donald Trump employs almost three times the number of men than he does women and pays them, on average, 35 percent more than their female counterparts

Men working for Donald Trump, like Corey Lewandowski (left), the campaign manager are making more, on average than women, like Press Secretary Hope Hicks (right)

Out of Trump's staff  113 employees who were paid a total of $635,000 in the month of April  28 percent are women, which means 72 percent are men.

In April, the women on Trump's staff took home $4,500.

The men on Trump's staff made $6,100, which accounts for 35 percent more, making the Trump pay gap slightly bigger than what it is on average nationally.

Of the top 15 employees for The Donald, just two are women.

Meanwhile, over in Hillaryland, the former secretary of state's highest earner is a woman  Jennifer Palmieri, the campaigns director of communications.

She has 670 staffers making more than $1,000 a month, which was the figure the Globe used to distinguish who was full-time employee.

The total payout for the staff was $2.5 million in a month's time.

Overall, seven of Clinton's top paid employees are women and a majority of employees  53 percent  are female.

Those women took home an average of $3,710 in April, while the men earned $3,760.

Despite the fact that the men outearned the women ever-so-slightly, the Clinton campaign considered this a pay gap victory.

'Hillary for America has made it a priority to ensure that our staff represents the diversity of our country, and this commitment starts with Hillary Clinton,' Bernard Coleman, the Clinton campaign's chief diversity and human resources officer, told the Globe.

Hope Hicks, Trump's press secretary and one of the most recognizable female Trump employees, did not respond to a request for comment from the Boston paper.

The highest paid person on Hillary Clinton's campaign is her communications director Jennifer Palmieri (left) while men like campaign manager Robby Mook (right) on average have a slight financial edge

Hillary Clinton's campaign employs slightly more women than men and pays them, on average, slightly less - with a just a $50 difference between the two

Kevin Madden, a former Mitt Romney spokesman and Republican strategist, said the disparity between what Trump is paying his female and male employees is not indicative of the greater Republican party.

'If anything, Trump is an aberration even inside the Republican world,' Madden told the Globe. 'And for Republicans who have done such a good job putting women in positions in power, the Trump campaign is not a reflection of that.'

The role Trump has played in helping women rise up the construction business ladder in New York is one of the businessman's favorite boasts when he tries to counterpunch claims of sexism thrown at him by Democrats including Clinton.

'I have had women working for me in positions that they've never worked in terms of ... so many different jobs,' Trump said while campaigning in New Hampshire last year. 'I have given women more opportunity than, I would say, virtually anyone in the construction industry.'

But in politics optics counts for a lot, and these numbers will give Clinton  who's on the cusp of becoming the Democratic nominee  more fodder to throw at the billionaire.

She talks about the pay gap at nearly every rally and pushes back, using the same line, against Trump's assessment that she was playing the 'woman card' in her political race.
This is the moment the driver of a Mercedes convertible appears to deliberately block the road for an ambulance on the way to a hospital in west Slovakia.

The ambulance was carrying an 84-year-old woman who had suffered a fall, but despite sirens blaring and all other cars getting out of the way, the Mercedes stayed in front of them.

However, the driver later told local media that he was only trying to assist the ambulance crew, believing that he was 'escorting' them through traffic.

In the way: The driver of the convertible Mercedes stayed in front of the ambulance for several minutes despite sirens blaring and other vehicles moving

The ambulance's dashcam captures how the Mercedes blocks the ambulance for more than two minutes, as other vehicles move out of the way.

The drivers can be heard swearing at the driver as he refuses to budge, staying in front of the ambulance through junctions, turn-offs and roundabouts.

'Simply, he's going to police, f**k him,' one of them says.

'This is a case for the cops, this is intentional. What kind of d***head is this?

'I have never experienced something like this before.'

Take the hint: The ambulance's dashcam captures how the Mercedes blocks them for more than two minutes

Clueless: The driver later told local media that he was only trying to assist the ambulance crew, believing that he was 'escorting' them through traffic

'Ff**k him': The paramedics in the ambulance can be heard planning to report the man to police - and he later lost his drivers licence

After several minutes, the paramedics finally manage to drive up alongside the Mercedes, and are able to give the man a piece of their minds.

The driver of the car has since been identified as a Boris Zahumensky, a local 'entrepreneur' who had stood in local council elections for the Christian Democratic Movement party (KDH).

Mr Zahumensky, 45, told a Slovakian newspaper that he felt terrible for blocking the ambulance, as he had honestly believed to have done them a favour, thinking they had turned on the sirens to ask for his guidance - not for him to move out of the way.

The Mercedes finally comes to a halt and the ambulance drives up next to him where the drivers tell him off

'I figured that they wanted me to show them the way,' the delusional driver told Cas.sk.

'I did not hesitate to risk my life and my brand new car that I only had owned for two days to do this.'

He added that his hero bubble burst at the last intersection when the ambulance came up alongside him and the driver told him off.

Mr Zahumensky was arrested by police and had his drivers licence and weapons licence suspended pending investigation.
A building apprentice was forced to drink methylated spirits, had hot drill bits held to his skin and sandpaper scraped over his face in repeated cases of work-place bullying 'encouraged' by his boss.

The apprentice began work at Geelong-based construction company Quality Carpentry and Building Maintenance, owned by Wayne Allan Dennert, at the age of 16, The Age reported.

For more than two years he suffered verbal, physical and psychological bullying at the hands of his employer.

A building apprentice was forced to drink methylated spirits, had hot drill bits held to his skin and sandpaper scraped over his face in a case of work-place bullying 'encouraged' by his boss (stock image)

The apprentice began work at Geelong-based construction company Quality Carpentry and Building Maintenance, owned by Wayne Allan Dennert, at the age of 16 (stock image)

WorkSafe Victoria said Mr Dennert's behaviour was appalling

A number of instances of bullying 'actively participated' in by Mr Dennert included putting a live mouse down the teenager's shirt and spraying liquid nails in his hair.

In another instance, Mr Dennert took the apprentices phone and posted sexually explicit comments to a female friend's Facebook page, the publication reported.

Mr Dennert pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Friday to workplace safety violations and was fined $12,500.

The apprentice told the court he continued to suffer anxiety and depression as a result of the bullying.

Marnie Williams, WorkSafe Victoria's health and safety director said Mr Dennert's behaviour was appalling, The Age reported.

'No employee should have to suffer such cruel, vicious and repeated behaviour at work, particularly a young man just starting his working life,' Ms Williams said.

A number of instances of bullying 'actively participated' in by Mr Dennert included putting a live mouse down the teenager's shirt and spraying liquid nails in his hair (stock image)
Miss USA Pageant viewers weren't impressed when Miss Hawaii was asked who she would vote for in the upcoming presidential election.

Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin, who lost to Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber, was asked whether she would vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton.

There was a social media frenzy following the question during the pageant that was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on Sunday evening.

Some viewers even claim the 'inappropriate question' robbed Miss Hawaii of the crown.

Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin was asked whether she would vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton

Outrage: There was a social media frenzy following the question during the Miss USA pageant

Judge Laura Brown asked Chelsea Hardin: 'If the election were held tomorrow, would you vote Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump for president, and why would you choose one over the other?'

The 24-year-old college student from Honolulu avoided choosing, saying gender didn't matter when deciding the next commander in chief, but she said the new president should push for what's right for the country.

She said: 'It doesn't matter what gender, what we need in the United States is someone who represents those of us who don't feel like we have a voice, those of us who want our voices heard.

'We need a president to push for what is right, and push for what America really needs.'

Hardin later acknowledged that there was no way to correctly answer the question during the beauty pageant. It was framed with Clinton's likely status of being the first woman nominated by a major political party for the White House.

But fans and viewers condemned the choice of question, saying it was unfair to ask her to reveal who she would vote for.

Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin (left) came in second to winner Deshauna Barber of the District of Columbia (pictured with Miss Hawaii, right)

Fans and viewers took to social media to condemn the choice of question, saying it was unfair to ask her to reveal who she would vote for

'When you vote for president, your ballot is secret. Completely inappropriate #MissUSA question, but #MissHawaii answered gracefully,' said Brandie Piper.

Madeline Langdon added: ''I'm embarrassed for the entire #MissUSA organization. Asking a contestant who they would vote for is absolutely inappropriate.'

Others suggested that the question may have cost Miss Hawaii the crown, with one person commenting: 'Wonder what would have happened if Miss DC got Miss Hawaii's question??? #MissUSA2016'

Brown later addressed the controversy herself, writing on Twitter: 'Hi guys. I asked the question I was given and Miss Hawaii answered beautifully.'

Miss USA Deshauna Barber (left) will now go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest

Miss USA Deshauna Barber will now go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest.

Barber, who works as an IT analyst for the US Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. as well as a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, broke down in tears when she won.

The 26-year-old, whose mother, father, brother and sister have also served in the army, claimed the title after giving a strong answer when asked about women in combat, saying that gender doesn't limit women in America.

Barber said that women are just as tough as men during the question-and-answer segment, adding: 'As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated. Gender does not limit us in the United States.'
Roger Clinton has been arrested for DUI in California.

The 59-year-old half-brother of President Bill Clinton and brother-in-law of Hillary was arrested Sunday evening a little after 8pm in Redondo Beach and taken to jail after refusing a breathalyzer test according to TMZ.

He also failed a field sobriety test.

Roger was pulled over after a fellow driver called to report a motorist who was driving erratically on the Pacific Coast Highway and then followed the vehicle until police arrived to pull him over.

The arrest comes just two days before voters head to the polls in that state's primary, which Hillary hopes will make her the presumptive Democratic nominee in the upcoming presidential race.

He is being held on $15,000 bail and will appear in court in Torrance on Monday afternoon.

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Roger Clinton (above in his Sunday mugshot for DUI) was arrested for DUI on Sunday night in Redondo Beach, California

Roger (above with son Tyler at Chelsea's wedding in 2010) is the half-brother of President Bill Clinton and brother-in-law of Hillary

This is not the first time that Roger has been arrested for DUI, having also been charged back in 2001 with the same offense.

He also served a year in prison in 1985 for a cocaine conviction.

The Secret Service gave Roger the code name 'Headache' while his brother was in office.

President Clinton was governor of Arkansas when his half-brother was arrested after being caught on camera selling the drug to an undercover officer.

Roger was pardoned by his brother of that conviction on his final day in office as president.

It was a month after his pardon that he was arrested for DUI, which occurred in the same area as Sunday's arrest.

His attorneys claimed at the time he was unjustly targeted because he was the brother of the former president.

Roger eventually got only a fine and probation for that offense after pleading guilty yto reckless driving.

The New York Times wrote in a story last year that Roger had been attempting to keep a low profile during Hillary's run for president.

He also seemed to detest the spotlight that being a member of the Clinton family had put him in, despite the financial benefits he had reaped because of his famous sibling.

'I dont have a choice of being first brother,' Roger said in that interview.

'Its not like Ive been given the option of doing it and I could turn it down. There are times when its hard.'

The article also revealed Roger used his brother-in-law's name to win a $100,000 consulting contract with a company looking to build houses in Haiti.

The man behind that deal, Wayne Coleman, said Roger 'promised to get us a contract through the Clinton Foundation for a project over there. What he was really trying to do was sell the influence of his brother.'

Roger was successful in getting the companies' model included in an expo that Bill Clinton attended on behalf of The Clinton Foundation.

His brother did not choose to invest in the company's product, though  a decision Roger talked up to 'lawyers and advisers' rather than his brother, whom he said 'loved' the effort.

'You had all this government grant money, and all this money Bill was raising from around the world for reconstruction,' said Roger.

'But we just couldnt make it happen. Its like, come on, man, cant you just throw me a bone?'

He said that 'seven out of 10 times' being related to Bill and Hillary worked against him when trying to win major contracts because it would be interpreted as nepotism.

Roger was arrested for DUI in the same area back in 2001 (mugshot above) and let off with a fine and probation

Chelsea Clinton, Hilary Rodham Clinton, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his half-brother Roger with a group of supporters in 1992

The Secret Service gave Roger the code name 'Headache' while his brother was in office

The Washington Post reported last year that in 2009 President Clinton purchased a home for his brother in Los Angeles, just a mile from the beach.

President Clinton paid $857,000 for the 1,600-square foot- house, which has three bedrooms and is located in Torrance.

The home was purchased when Hillary was starting in her role as Secretary of State, and in a 2012 financial filing she revealed that a parcel of land owned by her husband was transferred to another party in 2009 on Christmas Eve.

In his interview with the Times Roger claimed that he had helped pay for the property, claiming he had put in half the money for the home.

Roger, a singer, worked for years as a lounge singer before signing a deal in 1992 with Atlantic Records.

He released his debut album, Nothing Good Comes Easy, in September of the following year. He also visited Pyongyang in 1999 to perform with his band.

Roger has also acted, and appeared in the film Bio-Dome as well as television shows such as The Nanny and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

At one point, he even worked as a warm-up singer for the audience before tapings of the classic 80s sitcom Designing Women.
Islamic State have shot at civilians attempting to flee Fallujah in an attempt to keep their 'human shields' in the city as Iraqi forces close in.

Families who managed to escape told of how ISIS jihadists opened fire on them as they crossed the Euphrates River on boats and makeshift rafts.

Footage carried by Iraqi channels showed civilians paddling for their lives on the river, others drifting in inflated wheel chambers.

A displaced Iraqi woman who fled the al-Falahat village west of Fallujah holds a child as they wait to receive food and aid at the village of al-Azraqiyah, on June 4, 2016 Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP/File)

Nasr Muflahi, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Iraq director said: 'We know from witness testimonies that civilians... are being forced to stay and are being threatened.'

'People are using anything that floats, from wardrobes to plastic containers,' said Caroline Gluck, spokeswoman for the UN's Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Iraq.

'We know that people have drowned, at least one person was shot by a sniper as he was on some kind of boat or dinghy,' she said.

In Amriyat al-Fallujah, where NRC runs the camps housing most of those who have managed to escape ISIS-held areas, there are new arrivals every day.

The battle for Fallujah: The NRC and other groups put the number of civilians trapped inside the city proper at 50,000. For them, leaving Fallujah is almost impossible

'Daesh (ISIS) shot at us when we left the city from the south. We could hear bullets zipping above our heads as we were crawling through the countryside,' said a 60-year-old woman who was too scared to give her name.

'I shouted at them that I would never go back. 'Kill me now', I said. What point is there in living if my children are suffering?,' she told AFP on the phone.

The vast majority of the approximately 18,000 people who have fled ISIS rule since Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake Fallujah two weeks ago are from outlying areas.

The NRC and other groups put the number of civilians trapped inside the city proper at 50,000. For them, leaving Fallujah is almost impossible.

'They put a car bomb on the old bridge and tell people who want to leave the city that they will blow it up against them,' said Abu Mohammed al-Dulaimi, a father of six who still lives in the city centre.

Iraqi pro-government forces and Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units fire rockets from the village of al-Azraqiyah towards Islamic State group positions in the city of Fallujah, on June 4, 2016

He said ISIS militants had sawed off the top of the car and covered it to make it less visible to enemy aircraft.

'They are under pressure... we can see it in their behaviour. I would say there is one percent of support from the population, it comes from people who get benefits from them,' he said.

- Keeping the poor -

Dulaimi said residents saw ISIS members shaving their beards Sunday for the first time, as they have done in the past to try to mingle with fleeing civilians when they are about to lose a town to the Iraqi forces.

'Daesh has been helping their own families to escape but they are trying to keep the poor people like us,' said a 25-year-old woman who reached a camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah after fleeing from Azkrakiyah, a rural area just west of Fallujah.

ISIS fighters have been moving forces along the dense maze of trails and canals flanking the river, often taking civilians with them as cover.

Displaced Iraqis who fled the al-Falahat village west of Fallujah due to fighting between Iraqi government forces and the IS group gather under a tree as smoke billows in the background at the village of al-Azraqiyah

'There's a lot of internal movement. In Garma, they forced families to move back inside Fallujah,' said the UNHCR's Gluck, referring to an area northeast of Fallujah that Iraqi forces recently liberated.

'They did the same thing in Zoba and Saqlawiya,' she said. 'We've heard this consistently from families.'

Two weeks into the offensive, elite forces are struggling to break into the city centre.

The Iraqi government has cited the risks faced by civilians used as human shields in Fallujah as the main factor slowing operations to retake the city.

But Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, the powerful military commander of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary organisation, argued the plight of trapped families was all the more reason to ramp up the offensive.

'Now Daesh is shooting at women and children to prevent them from leaving,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'It's clear that this city is hostage to these gangs, we are not going to just stand here with our hands tied.'
A retired policeman has been hailed a hero after he saved the life of a man whose car careered off a pier into the sea.

Alexander Glasgow, 24, was trying to drive onto a ferry when his car rolled down the pier and he became trapped inside as it began to submerge.

But he was saved by retired former policeman Stuart McIvor, 71, who jumped into the water to help rescue him

Former policeman Stuart McIvor saved Alexander Glasgow after Mr Glasgow's car went into the sea

A video of the aftermath of the incident, on the Orkney island of Shapinsay in Scotland, has now been posted online by Will Rodger of Airpro Media.

It shows Alexander's car in the harbour as it starts to sink, before Mr McIvor swims out to save him.

Mr McIvor said: 'I was watching as he tried to get the car on to the ferry - you have to reverse on to it. Suddenly it gained speed and he couldn't control it.

'The car rolled down and was in the water. Then I heard him shouting, 'I'm trapped'. We think he caught his foot in the steering wheel.

'I just thought, 'I've got to do something'. I'm 71 but I worked as a policeman for the Met for 32 years and I've worked as a lifeguard before.

'I don't even remember going down the steep ferry steps. I just remember being in the water and the crew had thrown a lifebuoy so I brought that to him. He was shivering and in shock.

'He had managed to get halfway out the window and I just stayed with him and we got ashore.'

Pictures from Shapinsay in the Orkney Isles in Scotland show the submerged car after the rescue

It is believed Mr Glasgow got his leg caught in the steering wheel before he was saved by the pensioner

A check-up by a doctor showed that Mr Glasgow was fine following the incident.

Mr McIvor was a police officer with the Met in London for 32 years and now lives on Shapinsay.

He added: 'I just calculated the risks and thought, 'I can do this. This is within my ability'. So I went for it. I'm glad he's OK.'

Mr Glasgow's mum Helen Richards, 52, who runs Harbour Taxis in Kirkwall, said her son was still in shock.

She added: 'Alexander had just bought the car on Shapinsay and was bringing it back to Kirkwall. We are not sure what happened - the brakes failed or the steering locked.

'I don't think he realises what a close call he had. Someone was looking down on my son and I would like to thank the gentleman for what he did.'
The home Jacqueline Kennedy moved into after her husband's assassination is currently on the market for nearly $10million.

The Federal-style mansion on N street in Washington, DC has been owned by years by former Miss America Yolande Betbeze Fox, who passed away in February.

Her family is now selling the home for $9.75million and say that it almost unchanged since the days the former first lady lived there.

The home Jackie Kennedy lived in after moving out of the White House has hit the market for $9.75million

The former first lady lived in the home for less than a year before moving to Manhattan with her son and daughter for more privacy. Pictured above moving into the home on February 1, 1964

Jacqueline Kennedy was with her husband in Dallas when he was shot to death by Lee Harvey Oswald in November 1963.

In the two weeks following her husband's death, Jackie and her children continued to live in the White House. For the winter following the assassination, the family stayed at the home of Averell Harriman, her husband's under secretary of state for political affairs, so that President Lyndon Johnson and his wife could move into the White House.

After the holidays, widowed Mrs Kennedy then bought a home on N Street in Washington, DC, to live in with her son and daughter. It's that home that is currently up for sale.

Mrs Kennedy carries books into the home on February 1, 1964 (left). On the right, she holds the hand of her son, JFK Jr, outside the home on May 24, 1964

However, the former first lady only lived in the home for less than a year before relocating her family to Manhattan, wanting privacy from the press and tourists.

The approximately 7,000-square-foot home was built around 1794 and has six bedrooms, in addition to staff quarters. A modern installation is the home's elevator, which helps residents get around the three stories.

Another feature is the cupola at the top of the house with views of the Potomac River.

When the widowed Mrs Kennedy left DC, she sold the home to New Republic publisher Michael Straight.

Straight later lived in the home with his second wife, Nina Auchincloss Steers, who happened to be Jackie's stepsister.

In the 1970s, Straight sold the home to Fox. Her daughter Dolly Fox told the Wall Street Journal that her mother did not make many changes to the home and that it looks today much as it did when Kennedy lived there.

The property is currently being listed by Washington Fine Properties in a 'pocket sale' which means it is not officially on the market.

Georgetown blogger Carol Joynt, who first broke news of the home's sale, described the home as a bit of a fixer upper.
A former Secret Service officer who helped protect Hillary Clinton while she was in the White House charges in a new tell-all book that the former first lady had a 'volcanic' temper and occasionally got violent with her husband  and that a loud 1995 fight left the president with a black eye.

In the book, 'Crisis of Character,' former agency officer Gary Bryne, details arriving at work after a 1995 shouting-match that left a light blue vase 'smashed to bits' and Bill sporting a 'real, live, put-a-steak-on-it black eye.'

Things got so bad that Secret Service agents had discussions about the possibility they might have to protect the president from his wife's physical attacks, the New York Post reported in advance excerpts of the book.

'Everyone on post that night' couldn't help but hear the fracas, according to early chapters posted online. It describes a big argument that 'ended with a crash.'

Byrne writes that he saw the president at about 9 am after the fight.

'I was well-accustomed to his allergy-prone puffy eyes,' he writes. 'But this was a shiner, a real, live, put-a-steak-on-it black eye. I was shocked.'

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Hillary Clinton is braced for an expose from a Secret Service agent who protected her during Bill's 1990s administration. She is pictured during a campaign event in California on Saturday ahead of the primary

When Byrne asked White House scheduler Nancy Hernreich about the black mark on the president's face, she replied, "Oh, uh, he's allergic to coffee,' Bryne writes she responded.

'I'm also alergic to the back of someone's hand,' Byrne says he responded.

The book casts Hillary, who is expected to lock up the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, as' too 'erratic, uncontrollable and occasionally violent' to lead the nation, according to promotional excerpts for the book.

Hillary Clinton is now poised to become the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, but she simply lacks the integrity and temperament to serve in the office, writes Bryne.

From the bottom of my soul I know this to be true. And with Hillarys latest rise, I realize that her own leadership style  volcanic, impulsive, enabled by sycophants, and disdainful of the rules set for everyone else  hasnt changed a bit, he adds.

Byrne even claims he once threw out a White House towel stained with a woman's lipstick and the president's 'bodily fluids'

The book gets released June 28th, though it jumped from obscurity to No. 1 on Amazon's list of bestsellers after the Drudge Report linked to it.

Gary Byrne, the man behind the expose, says he was posted outside Bill Clinton's Oval Office in the 1990s and that what he saw 'sickened him'

The Clinton camp dismissed the book as fantasy. 'Gary Bryne joins the ranks of Ed Klein and other "authors" in this latest in a long line of books attempting to cash in on the election cycle with their nonsense,' said campaign spokesman Nick Merrill.

'It should be put in the fantasy section of of the book store,' he added.

Former New York Times reporter Ed Klein wrote his own harsh indictment of the Clintons, called 'Unlikeable: the problem with Hillary' that detailed intimate conversations the Clinton camp says he couldn't have known about.

Former Washington Post reporter Ronald Kessler also described a fight between Bill and Hillary in his 2014 book, 'First Family Detail.'

The book titled Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate is set to hit shelves on June 28.

The Democratic convention, where Hillary could be confirmed as the nominee, will take place a month later.

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A description of the book reads: 'Posted directly outside President Clinton's Oval Office, Former Secret Service uniformed officer Gary Byrne reveals what he observed of Hillary Clinton's character and the culture inside the White House while protecting the First Family.

'Now that a second Clinton administration threatens - their scheme from the very beginning -- Byrne exposes what he saw of the real Hillary Clinton.

'While serving as a Secret Service Officer, Gary Byrne protected President Bill Clinton and the First Family in the White House and outside the Oval Office.

'There, he saw the political and personal machinations of Bill and Hillary Clinton and those who were fiercely loyal to them.

Byrne, who was one of the agents who complained about Monica Lewinsky's behavior, says he wants voters to see the 'real' Hillary before they head to the polls

'In CRISIS OF CHARACTER Byrne provides a firsthand account of the scandals - known and unknown - and daily trials ranging from the minor to national in scale.

'Having witnessed the personal and political dysfunction of the Clinton White House - so consumed by scandal and destroying their enemies, real and imagined - Byrne came to understand that, to the Clintons, governing was an afterthought.

'He now tells this story - before voters go to the polls - in the hopes that Clinton supporters will understand the real Hillary Clinton.'

Byrne was one of the Secret Service agents questioned by a Grand Jury about Bill's dealings with Monica Lewinsky in 1998.

According to the Washington Post article published on the hearing Byrne complained to then-White House deputy chief of staff Evelyn S. Lieberman about Lewinsky's actions in 1996.

A short time later Lewinsky was removed from her position because of 'immature and inappropriate behavior'.

He claimed that he saw Lewinsky in the West Wing of the White House when she was not authorized to be there.

The New York Times reported that Mr Byrne also expressed concerns about Ms Lewinsky's after-hours access to the West Wing, which houses the President's Oval Office and the work spaces of the most senior White House aides

Since her husband's administration ended, Secret Service agents assigned to Hillary have slammed her behavior.

In investigative journalist Ron Kessler's explosive book, The First Family Detail, he claims that agents saw her as one of the most detested assignments and believed her marriage to Bill was 'fake'.

It reveals how both current and former agents strongly dislike being on Mrs Clinton's detail, while also revealing how they felt about protecting Chelsea Clinton and Bill Clinton.

His expose is reportedly causing deep concern in the White House and its release comes as Hillary comes within touching distance of securing the Democratic nomination

In the book, Kessler presented Chelsea as someone who not only respected and appreciated her agents, but also was a model protectee.

LIST OF CHAPTER TITLES Chapter 1 - The Vase Chapter 2 - The Air Force Security Police Chapter 3 - Club Fed Chapter 4 - To The White House Chapter 5 - Meet The New Boss Chapter 6 - The Boy From Hope, Arkansas Chapter 7 - 'Billary' Chapter 8 - Clinton World Chapter 9 - Oklahoma City Chapter 10 - Mole Chapter 11 - Wild Bill Chpater 12 - USSS Work Environment Chapter 13 - Tours And JJRTC Chapter 14 - Mud Drag: Part 1 Chapter 15 - Mud Drag: Part 2 Chpater 16 - *Commerce Firing* Chapter 17 - New Skies Chapter 18 - Cyprus (Source: Drudge Report) Advertisement

The former president is described as a difficult chief executive who is also easygoing in the book.

However, Hillary is exposed as being the complete opposite of her husband and daughter, and instead is reportedly very rude and acted nasty toward a number of agents.

'Hillary was very rude to agents, and she didn't appear to like law enforcement or the military,' former Secret Service agent Lloyd Bulman recalled to Kessler.

'She wouldn't go over and meet military people or police officers, as most protectees do.

'She was just really rude to almost everybody. She'd act like she didn't want you around, like you were beneath her.'

On another occasion, a member of the uniformed Secret Service once cheerfully greeted Mrs Clinton by saying 'Good morning, ma'am.'

'F*** off,' is how she replied, according to Kessler's book.

Kessler explained in the book that when Mrs Clinton is in public, she smiles and acts graciously.

'As soon as the cameras are gone, her angry personality, nastiness, and imperiousness become evident,' he wrote.

'Hillary Clinton can make Richard Nixon look like Mahatma Gandhi.'

His book also revealed how Mrs Clinton allegedly didn't like the attire military aides wore.

'Hillary didn't like the military aides wearing their uniforms around the White House,' one former agent recounted to Kessler.

Dan Emmett, who began covering President Clinton on his first day in office in January 1993, said Hillary was arrogant, never said 'thank you' to the agents and treated them like 'hired help'.
She kept pets cramped in buckets and left a dead dog in the boot of her car

However a court has ordered that she pay back only 8,500 as she's broke

Grace Banks was jailed after she admitted selling sick and dying puppies

Grace Banks admitted selling sick and dying puppies to families

A former escort who ran an illegal puppy farm earning her more than 500,000 has been ordered to pay back just 8,500 from her criminal activity.

Grace Banks, 29, was jailed for nine months in May after she admitted selling sick and dying puppies to families.

She had pleaded guilty to animal neglect and fraud and was brought back before Manchester Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

The court was told that it was her second conviction for running a puppy farm, and she has now been banned from keeping animals for life.

Banks, who the court heard uses a number of alias and used to work as an escort, earned a total of 505,739 from her puppy farms.

But the court heard that she can only afford to pay back 8,500, which she must do within three months or face further jail time.

The court heard she was selling sick and dying puppies to families - after keeping the animals cramped in buckets. She used fake names, homes and even set up her own 'pedigree registration' company to con buyers who thought they were buying healthy puppies raised in a home environment.

Raids in 2012 and 2013 revealed Yorkshire terriers, huskies, West Highland terriers, pomeranians, Labradors, beagles, shih tzus, French bulldogs, cockapoos were being kept in distressing conditions at a 'holding' address in Stockport.

The bodies of dead puppies - including a Yorkshire terrier slung in a wheelie bin - were found at the address and the dead body of one pup was found in the boot of her Mercedes.

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The bodies of dead puppies - including a Yorkshire terrier slung in a wheelie bin - were found during raids and the dead body of one pup was found in the boot of her Mercedes (pictured)

Raids revealed Yorkshire terriers, huskies, West Highland terriers, pomeranians, Labradors, beagles, shih tzus, French bulldogs, cockapoos were being kept in distressing conditions at a 'holding' address in Stockport

She rented addresses across Greater Manchester in Oldham, Rochdale and Littleborough to house the puppies and even changed her name from Lilly Cooper by deed poll to cover her tracks.

The investigation into Banks started when she sold an ill dog to a police officer, the court heard.

Judge Jeffrey Lewis said: 'The puppies she sold were often flee-ridden, diseased and a risk to human health.

'This was well planned, sophisticated. The goal of this enterprise was maximum financial gain and you were the one benefiting from that gain.'
A tough lawyer who says she wants to save Rome from corruption for the sake of her son is on track to become the city's mayor.

Virginia Raggi, 37, is a rising star of the anti-establishment Five Star movement and is bidding to become the first female leader of Rome.

Yesterday, after the first round of local elections, she took a big lead over her rivals, despite being virtually unknown to the public a few months ago.

Virginia Raggi, 37, who is a rising star of the anti-establishment Five Star movement in Italy and is bidding to become the first female mayor of Rome

The win pits her against the centre-left Democratic Party candidate in a run-off in the Italian capital on June 19, with experts predicting her triumph.

Born in Rome, the slim brunette entered politics five years ago, attracted by the M5S - founded by outspoken comedian Beppe Grillo - and its declaration of war on the establishment and traditional political parties.

The movement's anti-corruption stance has particular resonance in Rome, where the centre-left mayor was forced to resign last year over an expenses scandal months after it emerged mobsters had been milking the city's coffers through scams.

Ms Raggi said it was the birth of her son Matteo that convinced her she had to do something about the dilapidated city, once the capital of an empire, now plagued by potholes and rubbish.

Elected to the city council in 2013, the lawyer, a specialist in intellectual property, was quickly noticed for her eloquence and stubbornness.

Born in Rome, the slim brunette entered politics five years ago, attracted by the M5S and its declaration of war on the establishment and traditional political parties

After the first round of local elections, Ms Raggi took a big lead over her rivals, despite being virtually unknown to the public a few months ago

Growing up in the Saint John Lateran area of Rome, close to the Colosseum and historic centre, she was a studious child.

'I was a curious young girl, interested in many things, but very focused, as I am today. Determination never failed me,' she said.

M5S held its primary for mayoral candidates online, and Raggi was quickly picked as a front-runner from her video presentation.

It wasn't long before she began to appear on posters in the underground stations and side of buses.

The locals certainly had time to get familiar with her face as they waited on a run-down transport system plagued by delays.

It was this issue Raggi focused on, promising to undo 20 years of stagnation, corruption and administrative mismanagement.

Critics have said the challenges of running sprawling, dirty Rome will be too much for a political inexperienced team.

The Five Star Movement was co-founded by comedian Beppe Grillo, pictured, who is said to be taking a step back from politics

What is sure is that Raggi, if she wins, will at least for the honeymoon period become the star of a movement looking to shore up its identity after the decision by founder Grillo to take a step back from politics and focus on his stand-up career.

Voters appeared to have embraced the steely character of the University of Rome graduate, admiring how Raggi, narrowing her eyes in a television debate between the candidates, bore the attacks of opponents without flinching.

Only at the end of the debate did she appear to soften and appeal to voters with a simple message that hit home: 'If you want nothing to change, vote for them'.

One of her biggest challenges will be convincing the city she can act independently, despite signing a contract with M5S in which she pledged to follow the party line and consult it on all major administrative decisions - and which also stipulates she would be slapped with a fat fine for breaking rules.
Katie Hopkins refused to leave a live EU debate after Sir Bob Geldof demanded the room to himself, it was revealed today.

The stars were taking part in a Bite The Ballot event set up to encourage 500,000 young people to register to vote ahead of tomorrow's referendum deadline.

The London audience were promised the outspoken pair would debate Britain staying or leaving the EU, the importance of democracy and take their questions.

But Sir Bob, 64, watched the show on TV in the studio's green room and refused to take part unless the MailOnline columnist left.

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Stand off: Katie Hopkins took part in a live EU debate aimed at encouraging young people to vote yesterday (left and right) - but was asked to leave because Sir Bob Geldof wanted the room to himself

Row: Sir Bob sat in a side room watching the debate on TV (pictured) even though audience members were promised he would take a full part

Sir Bob Geldof recorded a one-to-one interview once Katie Hopkins had left (pictured)

Katie Hopkins told MailOnline today that by part four of the show Geldof had still not appeared and then a producer asked her to leave.

She said: 'I was told: "Can you leave because Sir Bob won't come in unless you go". Lots of the young people in the audience heard it.

'I said I would promise not to speak for the rest of the show and he could have the floor to himself. But he still wouldn't come out of the green room.

'I did consider leaving because I didn't want the audience to miss out.

'But I thought this is about democracy. I don't have a problem with him not coming on because of me. But it is ironic that he didn't want to speak at an event about democracy unless I left.

'Some people like to say that I'm intolerant, extreme, racist, fattist and other things when I am actually just saying what a lot of people think but can't say anymore.

'Others probably think that Saint Bob - Mr Live Aid - is giving, tolerant and generous. But it strikes me that a lot of people who promote tolerance are often the most intolerant and do not want to hear other arguments'.

Having fun: Katie smiles as the audience members debate the EU but later a producer would ask her to leave and make way for Sir Bob

Rebuke: Katie Hopkins tweeted about the stand-off and accused Sir Bob Geldof of intolerance

Katie Hopkins said that at the end of the event she went to leave and bumped into him on the way out.

She said: 'I was in the corridor and someone grabbed my arm and said: "Hi Katie" and it was Sir Bob. I couldn't believe it and asked him why he wouldn't speak even though I promised not to say anything. His people then dragged him away.

'Sir Bob clearly thinks debate is just his views in an empty room - and it is a shame he wouldn't engage with all the young people who came to listen to him'.

Geldof then recorded a one-to-one interview once she had left.

He said: 'This referendum is critical. You make up your own minds but I am so far in. You want to be insane to come out, especially if you're young.

'It's your future. On June 23 vote for a future that can work for you. Vote for our continent and our country'.

A source close to the star told HuffPost UK he thought appearing with Katie Hopkins would detract from the broadcast and be the 'sum of the debate'.
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Kenyan riot police have shot dead two demonstrators while many more have been injured - days after a senior officer warned the public not to take part in anti-government protests 'if you value your life'.

The protesters were killed as police opened fire in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu amid claims the country's national election commission is bias and corrupt.

Dramatic pictures show tyres burning in the road and armed police chasing after campaigners during violent clashes on the streets.

Kenyan riot police have shot dead two demonstrators while many more have been injured - days after a senior officer warned the public not to take part in anti-government protests 'if you value your life'. Officers are pictured chasing demonstrators today

Dramatic pictures show tyres burning in the road and armed police chasing after campaigners during violent clashes on the streets

Anger: The protesters were killed as police opened fire in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu amid claims the country's national election commission is bias and corrupt

Kenya's opposition CORD alliance has been staging weekly protests every Monday but one since late April to demand a shake-up of the country's electoral commission ahead of presidential elections in August next year.

Nairobi's police chief Japheth Koome had warned during the weekend that police were prepared to use lethal force if necessary as protests gathered momentum.

'No demonstration. That's the message. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. It will not be allowed,' Koome told the BBC.

'Please, if you value your life, don't attempt it that way. You will be dealt with firmly.'

Protests took place in several towns but in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya, police opened fire before using tear gas and water cannon to quell the protests as news of the deaths spread.

A bullet wound was visible on one corpse, laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters who said he was hit by police fire.

Protesters blocked a road with the other body as they clashed with police.

Kenya's opposition CORD alliance has been staging weekly protests every Monday but one since late April to demand a shake-up of the country's electoral commission ahead of presidential elections in August next year

Six protesters were taken to Kisumu's main hospital suffering from gunshot wounds, the Red Cross said.

'We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights, this man has been shot dead while protesting,' said protester Michael Omondi.

Word of the shootings fuelled heavy clashes in the centre of Kisumu and the working class district of Kondele. There were widespread scenes of looting and two supermarkets were destroyed.

At least three people died in similar protests in western Kenya on May 23, two of them when anti-riot police opened fire in Siaya, while a third fatality, according to police, resulted from a fall while fleeing from tear gas in Kisumu.

'Last time they shot someone dead and claimed he suffered injuries as he was falling down,' said Kisumu resident Charles Otieno.

'What will they say today after the death of this man because he was clearly shot?' he added.

Six protesters were taken to Kisumu's main hospital suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Red Cross charity

Hundreds gathered on the streets of Kisumu as protests took place to demand the disbandment of the country's electoral body

Opposition leader Raila Odinga leads a demonstration calling for the disbandment of the national electoral commission over allegations of bias and corruption, in the capital Nairobi today

The CORD protests began in April to force a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the 2017 presidential poll

Next year's election is shaping up as a replay of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga again aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54

The CORD protests began in April to force a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the 2017 presidential poll.

The protests were suspended on Monday last week to allow for talks with the government but resumed on Monday.

But the High Court said early today that the protest was deemed legal.

Soon after the ruling, demonstrators gathered at Nairobi's central Uhuru, or Freedom, Park and started marching towards the office of the national electoral commission.

CORD leader Raila Odinga has blamed the commission for his defeat in 2013 by President Uhuru Kenyatta, led the march to the commission's office.

Next year's election is shaping up as a replay of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga again aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence.
A 'chauvinistic' Liberal candidate labelled washing clothes as 'woman's work' and said he was surprised a woman could drive a truck.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnubll has refused to defend the comments of Queensland candidate, David Kingston who is running for the seat of Lilley.

Mr Kingston posted his thoughts online via travel diary TravelPod during a month-long tour through four Australian states, The Courier Mail reported.

'Chauvinistic' Liberal candidate David Kingston (pictured) labelled washing clothes as 'woman's work' and said he was surprised a woman could drive a truck

'Ever since I was little I can remember my Mum and Dad used to put up his and hers towels in the bathroom- from that I realised there were things designed for men and others designed for women,' he wrote.

Extending on this notion Mr Kingston wrote an example of 'his and hers' activities from his family holiday.

These included: 'I hook up the caravan while Donna packs up inside the van' and 'Donna checks into new caravan park receptions while I sit in the driver's seat and close my eyes for five mins to relax.'

Furthermore Mr Kingston wrote: 'Donna likes to call me chauvinistic from time to time but I see it differently.'

When the Prime Minster's office was questioned about Mr Kingston's blog, The Courier Mail was referred to a comment Mr Turnbull made in Melbourne on Monday.

'I would describe myself as a feminist. As I often say, women hold up half the sky. Respect for women, absolutely ingrained in me at a very early age by my father in particular and also my mum,' Mr Turnbull said.
Joan and Ed Quirk got a postcard in the mail last week - only the note was 53 years late.

The couple from White Haven, Connecticut, say they are still in shock after finally receiving the card that was originally written to Ed in the summer of 1963 by his aunt Francis.

The aunt has since passed away, however the postcard she sent to him all those years ago was recently found by a postal worker.

The worker, Tom from West Paris, Maine, managed to track Ed Quirk down at his new address and send him the card.

Postcard from the past: This note was sent from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1963 but only made it to its destination in White Haven, Connecticut, after being lost for the last 53 years

The postcard was from Ed Quirk's aunt, who has since passed. He is now trying to determine where the card has been all this time

'When we realized what this was, we were kind of aghast,' Ed Qirk said. He is seen here with his wife Joan

'This is what we did back in the 60s,' Ed told Fox 61.

'When we went (on vacation), we sent a postcard.'

Ed's aunt had written the card while on vacation in Cape Cod.

However the couple are still at a loss to explain how it suddenly just turned, or where it has been all this time.

'Where has it been?' Ed said. 'This was lost somewhere. We don't know if this was lost on the Cape, stuck in a bag somewhere or in a machine.'

Joan and Ed are hoping they will be able to get some of the answers they need by reaching out to other family members.

The card was written to Ed, from his aunt, and it was supposed to arrive at his parent's West Haven house

The note that aunt Francis had written on the card says that she is staying in a 'lovely cottage' in Cape Cod and asks Ed about his high school graduation

'When we go see his cousin Susan, who knows what she is going to remember that maybe she has forgotten to tell us,' Joan said.

'It may open a door we haven`t been through.'

Ed says he made sure to call the postal worker to thank him for going to the trouble of getting them the postcard, which was dated June 1963.

'I called Tom the next day in Maine and thanked him for everything that he did in making sure that this arrived safely, for taking that extra effort,' Ed said.

The note that aunt Francis had written on the card says that she is staying in a 'lovely cottage' in Cape Cod and asks Ed about his high school graduation.
The 20-year-old has been charged with dangerous driving causing death

The Mercedes driver whose car hit them was under police guard

Ms Deumic's two daughters watched in horror as she died at the scene

The women were driving home from dinner when their vehicle was hit

A daughter who watched in horror as her mother died in a horrific car crash cannot bring herself to talk about the tragedy that unfolded in front of her.

Subha Deumic and her best friend Bozica Nikolic were travelling along Attwood in Melbourne on Sunday night when a Mercedes smashed into their vehicle.

Ms Deumic's daughter Armina was travelling with her sister in the car behind when their mother's red Toyota sedan flung across the road following a collision.

The 62-year-old died at the scene while her 57-year-old friend, who also has two daughters, died on her way to hospital. Police believe speed may have been a factor in the crash.

On Monday night, police charged a 20-year-old Attwood man with two counts of culpable driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death.

The man faced an out of sessions hearing and has been remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

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Armina Deumic (left) and her sister Edina (right) with their mother Subha (centre), who died in a horrific car crash on Sunday night

Mother Subha- who tragically died at the scene following a horrific car crash - pictured with her son Ermin, 32

Bozica Nikolic (pictured left) and her best friend Subha Deumic (right)- whose daughters were in a car behind them - were killed in a tragic car accident in Melbourne's north west on Sunday night

Emergency services were called to the scene of a heart wrenching accident that claimed the lives of two women just after 10pm

Armina has spoken of her grief, describing her mother as someone who was 'just so full of life', according to Nine News.

It's not clear whether the girls had joined their mother and her friend for dinner or if it was merely a coincidence that they were travelling behind them at the same time.

On Monday night Ms Nikolic's daughter Marina told 7 News of her heartache.

'Now I've lost my mum. She's not going to be there for when I get married, she's not going to be there to watch my sister grow up.

'(I'm) just not going to have a mum and that's going to be really hard.'

The women were travelling from Ms Nikolic's home to Ms Deumic's when they were hit by the 20-year-old driver.

Ms Deumic's devastated daughter Marina appeared on 7 News Melbourne on Monday to tell of her heartache

The girl cried as she told cameras that her mother would now not see her get married or grow up

Sergeant Mark Amos of Victoria Police said the 'true tragedy' of the incident was that the second woman's daughters 'watched her die'.

'The true tragedy last night is the car immediately behind the Yaris at that intersection in Alanbrae had two occupants in it, and those occupants were the daughters of the passenger in the Yaris' he told the Herald Sun.

'They've essentially sat in the car and watched their mother die. To try and fathom the harm and that's going to leave those young ladies is beyond belief,' he added.

Ms Nikolic and Ms Deumic had been best friends for 30 years and were returning home after catching up over dinner.

Ms Nikolic's daughters, Marina and Andrijana, paid tribute to their 'beautiful' mother on social media, also breaking the news of her death to their family abroad.

'The shock it has brought to family and friends can not be described through words... we are all grieving through this terrible misfortune,' Marina wrote on Monday.

'I always see this happen to other people but you never truly know the pain it causes unless you experience it,' she said, adding that the driver of the Mercedes will be burdened with guilt for the 'rest of his life'.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but both women died before making it to hospital

Ms Nikolic's daughters, Marina and Andrijana, paid tribute to their 'beautiful' mother on social media, also breaking the news of her death to their family abroad

A man in his 20s driving a black Mercedes struck a red Toyota hatchback that was carrying two women

Police said the man was travelling south down Mickleham Road when he stuck the women's vehicle, which was entering the intersection from Alanbrae Terrace

She thanked Ms Nikovic for her unwavering support and said her positive attitude had always brought her so much joy.

'Thank you for being the best version of you and being the best mum in the world. Thank you for raising me to become who I am today.'

'Thank you for supporting me through life and always helping me stay positive. You have taught me how to love, care and most of all be happy. Rest in paradise my beautiful mother.'

The male driver sustained minor injures and was taken to hospital where he remained under police guard.

Police said the man was travelling south down Mickleham Road when he struck the women's vehicle, which was entering the intersection from Alanbrae Terrace.

'They've essentially sat in the car and watched their mother die. To try and fathom the harm and that's going to leave those young ladies is beyond belief,' Sergeant Mark Amos

Paramedics and police rushed to the scene but one woman had already died before they arrived

Major crash investigators collect evidence from the mangled wreck on Sunday night

An engine and various car parts were strewn across the road, with major crash investigators trying to determine if speed was a factor

'Looking at this scene it's pretty obvious that there's going to be some speed involved in it, but to what degree we're not certain yet,' Sgt Amos said

Andrew Hufer, of Attwood, said he ran outside after hearing the collision and attempted to give Ms Nikovic first aid before paramedics arrived.

'I don't know how long I did CPR for, it was only when I stopped and looked around that I realised what had happened and another car was involved,' he told The Age.

'I just feel numb, so numb,' he added.

An engine and various car parts were strewn across the road. Major crash investigators are trying to determine if speed, drugs, alcohol or fatigue were factors in the crash.

'Looking at this scene it's pretty obvious that there's going to be some speed involved in it, but to what degree we're not certain yet,' Sgt Amos said.
The legal world is buzzing over the true identity of the fictional 'Manhattan Law School' in the new novel The Curve by two Harvard educated attorneys who have gone on to writing careers.

In the book, a corrupt administration trades grades for money while the Dean tries to sell the school to a for-profit corporation for big bucks and a cushy retirement package.

If it sounds familiar, the authors claim the resemblance to any other institution is purely coincidental.

The authors of The Curve, published by Ankerwycke, are Jeremy Blachman and Cameron Stracher.

Stracher, who taught at New York Law School for nine years, denies that the book is about that institution. 'I never witnessed anyone selling grades,' he says.

But like Trump University, which a sales executive recently called 'a facade, a total lie,' the same criticism has been leveled at many accredited law schools.

Authors of The Curve are Jeremy Blachman (left) and Cameron Stracher. Stracher, who taught at New York Law School for nine years, denies that the book is about that institution. 'I never witnessed anyone selling grades,' he says

'For years we've only heard stories from the Ivy League,' explains Stracher. 'It's time we had a novel that told the truth for the other ninety percent.'

At Manhattan Law School, the deception starts with the name itself. The school is housed across the river from that borough, on the banks of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, which the EPA has designated a Superfund Site and called 'one of the nation's most seriously contaminated water bodies.'

The school's Dean, Erwin Clopp, spends his days gluing macaroni into a scrapbook while enjoying his favorite beverage, a combination of bourbon and vanilla Ensure. His deputy is a craven, self-obsessed, money-hungry villain.

Meanwhile, the top students are selected for a prestigious position on the school's legal journal based not based on grades but on how much money they're willing to spend.

The book's publication coincides with an 'epic collapse' in law school applications that has seen numbers at the top schools decline by 48% since 2010.

Many lower ranked law schools were hit by class action lawsuits alleging that the schools had misrepresented their employment figures.

But Stracher, who still practices law ('I'm not good enough yet,' he quips), says that there's always room for more new lawyers. For the students at Manhattan Law School, however, not so much.

Blachman and Stracher have both made a career out of exposing truths about the legal industry. Blachman's first book, Anonymous Lawyer, satirized a large corporate law firm from the perspective of an partner who tied his associates to their desks and threw staplers at their heads for sport.

The book was developed for television by Sony and NBC, although it never aired.

Stracher's book, Double Billing: A Young Lawyer's Tale of Greed, Sex, Lies, and the Pursuit of a Swivel Chair, was a thinly veiled account of his time at a Wall Street law firm where he was locked in a sweltering warehouse and forced to review mountains of documents only to learn the case he was working on had settled.

Now, the pair have set their sights on the legal academy, and garnered early praise from within.

Professor Kermit Roosevelt, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of In the Shadow of the Law, has called the book, 'Painfully funny, surprisingly touching, and not just knowing but wise.'

With real law schools shrinking class sizes to stay competitive, and a crackdown by the government on for-profit institutions, truth may be stranger  or at least as painful  as fiction.

The Curve by Jeremy Blachman and Cameron Stracher.is available for order on Amazon




A man who sold a used printer on Craigslist for $40 spent $12,000 in legal fees and the next six-and-a-half years mired in a legal nightmare after the buyer sued him, claiming the printer was broken.

In 2009, Doug Costello, 66, of Ashland, Massachusetts, had no idea what he was in for when he happened to sell a used printer to Gersh Zavodnik, 54, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a man with a long history of suing people, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Costello says with shipping costs included, the printer sold for approximately $75. The next thing he knew, he was being sued for what the buyer said was a broken printer.

Doug Costello, above, has been mired in a legal quagmire ever since he sold a used printer on Craiglist in 2009

The buyer, Zavodnik, who came to the U.S. from the Ukraine in 1987 under political asylum, accused Costello of falsely advertising a malfunctioning printer with missing parts. He initially filed a lawsuit in small claims court asking for maximum damages of $6,000.

The case was dismissed because Zavodnik had thrown out the 'evidence' - the printer.

Costello hoped that would be the end of the matter. 'I figured that's it,' Costello told the outlet. 'But no, no, no. Now I'm in another twilight zone.'

In 2010, Zavodnik sent Costello paperwork asking him to admit that he was liable for $30,000 for breach of contract, fraud, conversion, deceptive advertising, and emotional distress.

The case was dismissed - along with 26 others filed by the prolific litigant.

But in 2012, an appeals court suddenly revived the lawsuit, and sent it back down to trial court, where it lingered for nine months.

Meanwhile, Zavodnik sent Costello two more requests for admissions of liability - one for more than $300,000 and one for more than $600,000.

The printer (stock photo above) Costello sold in 2009 went for about $75, $40 if shipping costs are deducted - it would end up costing him $12,000 and six years of his life

Zavodnik was apparently well aware that a litigant who doesn't respond to a filing of admissions admits to liability by default - and that's exactly what happened. Costello says he never received the requests for admissions.

Overwhelmed, Costello finally caved in and hired an attorney. He says he racked up at least $12,000 in legal bills trying to get himself out of the legal quagmire.

The case worked its way slowly through the legal system, with many judges recusing themselves, likely because they had dealt with Zavodnik (who always represents himself) in the past.

'I can assure you each and every judge here in Marion County knows who Gersh Zavodnik is,' Indianapolis attorney Chad D. Wuertz told the Detroit Free Press in 2013. 'And at the very moment one of his cases lands on their docket, they are considering how to deal with him.

In March 2015, six years after Costello placed that fateful Craigslist ad, Special Judge J. Jeffrey Edens issued a ruling against Costello giving Zavodnik a judgment of $30,044.07 for breach of contract.

Edens admitted the amount was 'high' for a case involving a used printer, but blamed the Supreme Court because of an earlier ruling about litigants who don't respond to admissions filings.

'What kind of reality am I in now?" Costello told the Detroit Free Press of his despondent response to the ruling. 'I don't know what's going on. Why don't I know what's going on?'

Costello is hardly the only one who has fallen into the nightmare of Zavodnik's perpetual litigation. In a case where a woman reneged on an agreement to buy digital camera equipment, he sought $1.2 million in damages.

Most of Zavoidnik's lawsuits involve things he bought online. 'I cannot go and beat people on the knees like they did back in Russia,' he said. As of 2013, he had sued more than 100 people and had 100 more in the works, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Eventually another judge, Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik, overturned the ruling and came down sharply in Costello's favor, dismissing the judgment.

Costello was relieved when the judgment was dismissed. 'I've had this huge weight, this financial and emotional weight for six and a half years,' he said.

But Costello's nightmare may not be over yet. A friend of Zavodnik's - who says he does research for him and also frequently sues in the name of ending 'Marion County judicial corruption' - says that Zavodnik will likely ask for yet another hearing.

Additionally, an appeals court sent the case back down to trial court to try to determine if the case should have been dismissed 'based on Zavodnik's repeated, flagrant, and continuing failure to comply with Indiana's rules of procedure.'

Meanwhile, Costello says he will never sell anything else on Craigslist again - and he has no plans to counter sue Zavodnik.
The evening bath-time struggle is evidently not confined to the human world.

This is the moment when a mother panda had to literally wrestle her cub into the water as the time had come for its daily wash.

The panda and her cub were filmed during their bathing battle at the Chengdu Research base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of south-west China's Sichuan Province.

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Bath-time squabble: A mother panda was caught on camera trying to bathe her young cub

The video, first published by online channel 'iPanda', shows just how tough it is to give a baby panda a bath.

Despite it's mother's best efforts, the young cub thrashes and fights back as best it can in order to avoid getting a full-fur cleanse.

With temperatures rising above 30 degrees in Chengdu, the cute residents of China's foremost panda base are being encouraged to take a dip in the cooling waters to stave off heat stroke.

Pandas, which generally prefer cooler temperatures, are all given pools in their outdoor enclosures, and panda mum Yaoman took full advantage of hers to bath her young cub.

Reluctant wash: The adorable panda baby is doing its best to avoid having a bath

No escape: However, there is no doubt that mother gets her way in the end, as she forcibly washes the cub

The Chengdu panda base was founded in 1987 as part of efforts to help conserve the endangered, first-class state-protected species in China, and has lead the successful panda population growth over the past three decades.

Panda cubs at the base usually stay with their mothers from birth and are weaned at the age of one, when they already weigh up to 88lbs.

They continue to stay with their parent for another half a year until the mother gets pregnant again, after which they are separated and left to fend for themselves.
Some get away with it, leading to claims there is greater leniency on

Foreign students are caught cheating an average of five times more often as their domestic classmates in the United States, a study has revealed.

Analysis by the Wall Street Journal found 5.1 reports of alleged cheating for every 100 international students, compared to just one domestic student.

However in some schools, there were up to eight times as many foreign students punished for the dishonest behavior.

Foreign students are caught cheating an average of five times as often as domestic students in the United States, a study has revealed (file picture)

The statistics covered the academic year 2014-15.

Sanctions for cheating can range from an F on an assignment to suspension or expulsion.

But some have gotten away with it, prompting speculation the higher tuition fees paid by foreign students means staff are being more lenient on violators.

In the academic year just ending, 586,208 international undergraduate students attended U.S. colleges and universities, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

More than 165,000 were from China. South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the source of nearly 50,000 each and India of about 23,500.

Academic staff members believe part of the problem lies with Chinese students. They blame their poor language skills and the pressure they are put on to obtain academic excellence.

Beth Mitchneck, a University of Arizona professor of geography and development, told the newspaper: 'Cheating among Chinese students, especially those with poor language skills, is a huge problem.

She added: 'I can assure you that somewhere someone at the university is doing a calculus about how much tuition they would lose if they start coming down hard on students who cheat.'

Analysis by the Wall Street Journal found 5.1 reports of alleged cheating for every 100 international students, compared to just one domestic student. However in some schools, there were up to eight times as many foreign students punished for the dishonest behavior

Lanqing Wang, a Georgia Institute of Technology electrical-engineering student from Shanghai, who is distressed by the cheating he sees, said, 'In China, it's OK to cheat as long as you're not caught.'

Paidi Shi, vice president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at the University of California, San Diego, added: 'In China, our culture puts a lot of pressure on students. We are more likely to find a shortcut to get a good grade.'

Lynn Nadel from the University of Arizona told The Journal the university's business model 'is somewhat dependent on out-of-state students, and it's an acknowledged fact that we depend on them to cover our costs.
A drug-dealing hitman who shot a womans ex-boyfriend to death after she allegedly paid him $4000 has been found guilty of murder.

Daniel Haile, 29, fatally shot Raymond Pasnin in the western Sydney suburb of Pendle Hill in October 2013 but told the NSW Supreme Court he was acting in self-defence.

Prosecutors alleged that Haile killed Mr Pasnin after his ex-girlfriend Louise Catherine Spiteri-Ahern paid him $4,000, reported The Daily Telegraph.

A jury in the NSW Supreme Court found Daniel Haile, 29, guilty of murdering Raymond Pasnin in 2013

Hailes lawyer Ertunc Ozen disputed the prosecutions version of events, telling the court that Haile was a successful drug dealer who did not need the money.

On Monday a jury found Haile guilty of the murder of Mr Pasnin.

The jury has not delivered a verdict relating to the murder charge against Spiteri-Ahern, who is alleged to have conspired with Haile to kill Mr Pasnin.
The widow of an antiques expert stabbed to death in Poundland as he bought balloons for their children criticised the authorities yesterday as his mentally ill killer was jailed for life.

Gulsen Alkan said her husband Justin Skrebowski, 61, might still be alive if there had been better communication between doctors.

Mr Skrebowski died from a single stab wound on his wifes birthday after being attacked by schizophrenic Trevor Joyce at a Poundland store in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, last December.

Trevor Joyce, 37, (right) launched a 20-inch bladed knife (pictured left on CCTV) at antiques expert Justin Skrebowski as the 61-year-old shopped for balloons at a Poundland store in Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Joyce, a drug addict and alcoholic with a history of violence, grabbed a 20in knife from the shelf and tore open the packaging before plunging the weapon into his defenceless victim and leaving him to bleed to death.

One witness described Joyce as having rage in his eyes. The killer then roamed through the town centre brandishing the knife and a 5in carving fork at strangers and threatening to kill them.

Mrs Alkan, 39, has since led a successful campaign calling for knives to be stored more securely in shops. Home Secretary Theresa May agreed to enshrine it in law earlier this year.

Yesterday Mrs Alkan watched as Joyce was given life at the Old Bailey and ordered to serve a minimum of nine years after admitting manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

Joyce, who had been smoking the so-called legal high 'spice', repeatedly shouted 'this is what you get' as he plunged the 20-inch blade he had selected from a display stand into his Mr Skrebowski's (pictured) buttock

He is being held at Broadmoor Hospital and will not begin his prison sentence until doctors consider his mental health has improved sufficiently.

The court heard Joyce had abused crack cocaine, heroin, alcohol and synthetic cannabis for years before the attack.

He had suffered mental health problems for years and been sectioned for a month last June as his behaviour became increasingly erratic.

Joyce, 37, from Abingdon, was re-admitted to hospital in October after hearing voices but was discharged a week later against the wishes of the doctor overseeing his treatment.

On December 7 Mr Skrebowski, who lived in the Oxford area and worked in Portobello Road, West London, was buying balloons for his three-year-old twins to celebrate their mothers birthday.

Joyce, who had walked into the town to meet his mental health worker, was in the same store.

In a completely random and unprovoked act he suddenly plunged a large kitchen knife into Mr Skrebowskis buttock so deeply it severed a major artery.

Witnesses heard him say: This is what you get.

Witnesses described the 'rage in his eyes' as Joyce, wearing a grey hoodie, left the Poundland store (pictured) still brandishing the knife, and shouting at fellow customers: 'If I had my way you would all be stabbed'

He went on to threaten strangers in the town centre, telling a mother he would stab her child and saying to a man on a bench: I am going to kill you because I havent had any sleep for 20 years.

The court heard Joyce was first diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia in 2003 and his condition was complicated by multiple drug abuse. His drug use had increased in the weeks leading up the killing.

Outside court, Mrs Alkan said she wanted answers from the authorities who let her husband down.

Joyce had a history of drug use, alcohol use and threatening to kill people with knives, she said. Leading up to December, his condition had been getting worse.

His doctors knew this, his social workers knew this. In October Joyce requested a voluntary stay at a hospital, only to be released a week later  back into the community, against the advice of the doctors.

Justins killing should have been avoided if there had been better communication.

This is a disaster for me and our small children. I want lessons to be learned so this doesnt happen to any other family.

The court had heard Joyce was admitted to hospital in October after telling his doctor he was hearing voices and had 'feelings of intense anger' toward noisy neighbours who were stopping him from sleeping.

Despite concern, doctors concluded there was no reason to section him.

On the morning of the killing, Joyce was due to meet his mental health support worker later that day, before he drank cider in his flat then left to walk into town.

Sentencing Joyce at the OId Bailey, Judge Zoe Smith made a 'hybrid' order under section 45A of the Mental Health Act which means that Joyce will first be detained at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.

He was given a minimum term of nine years, and if his condition improves he will be moved to a prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

Forensic officers are seen outside the store in Abingdon, Oxford, following the incident in December last year

The court heard the incident began as he first shouted at an elderly couple, threatening: 'Do you want me to cut your f****** head off?'

Shocking mobile phone footage captured an attack on another pensioner, Ron Wilkins, who was sat on a bench nearby.

He was left shaken with a cut on his thumb after Joyce threatened to run the knife across the elderly man's throat.

The amateur cameraman followed as Joyce marched through the streets brandishing a knife and large meat fork.

In the footage, Joyce can be heard shouting 'that's what you get for keeping me awake for 20 years' at frightened bystanders.

He was finally stopped when a police officer tasered him before colleagues helped bring him under control.

When he was arrested for murder, Joyce said: 'Yeah, I f****** did bruv. He f****** deserved it. Shouldn't have f***** with me.'

Victim impact statements from Mr Skrebowski's two older brothers, Chris and Adrian, were read to the court, as was one from his friend Peter Street.

Mrs Alkan bravely chose to read her statement to the court in person - but broke down in tears before being able to complete it and had to hand over to prosecutor Alan Blake.

Addressing the court, she said: 'My life changed the day I met Justin. I was deeply captivated by his charismatic personality. I was willing to sacrifice anything to be with him.

'He was killed at random by a man who grabbed a knife from the shelves. It was hard to believe it was that easy to pick up a knife and kill someone.

'I no longer have my husband, who gave me his support. I no longer have my friend who I could always confide in. My children no longer have their father to love them.

'We miss him so much and it's very difficult to let go and imagine he's no longer with us.'

After the hearing, the family released an official statement echoing Mrs Alkan's calls for a further investigation.

HOW THE CASE CHANGED THE LAW Mr Skrebowski's death led to a change in the law that requires knives to be locked away from view in shops which are selling them. Mrs Alkan set up an online petition calling for laws governing the sale of knives to be tightened, with blades now being securely stored and only able to be handled by specially-trained staff. The law change was announced by Home Secretary Theresa May after 52,000 people signed the petition. Firms including Poundland now apply the same age restriction policies that they do to alcohol, ensuring that knives are displayed and packaged securely and that all staff who sell or approve the sale of knives are given appropriate training and annual refresher courses. Advertisement

The statement said: 'Given what was known by the authorities of the state of Joyce's mind at the time, it is incomprehensible to us that he was left at large in the community.

'Justin died on his wife's birthday as a direct result of the minimally supervised release of a very sick man. The catalogue of blunders, missed opportunities and failed procedures defies belief.

'How many more have to die before the Mental Health Trusts accept their responsibilities to protect the general public?'

Describing Mr Skrebowski, they said: 'He was deeply loved and is deeply missed every day. He was an accomplished linguist with friends and business colleagues in many countries who now share our sense of loss.

'He leaves a young family behind, a grieving wife who must come to terms with her loss in what is to her a foreign country and four-year-old twins who will now never know their father and are still waiting for him to come home.

'His wider family will deeply miss his company particularly at family occasions where he could be relied upon to bring life and laughter to even the most sombre gathering.'

Mr Skrebowski's brother Adrian said: 'On the evening of 7 December a part of our life was ripped away as I learned my brother was dead as the result of a mindless attack of violence earlier that day.'

Julian Hendy, of Hundred families charity, added: 'These cases are happening far too often. We are calling for these regular failings to be addressed urgently, in mental health trusts around the country in order to prevent further innocent people from losing their lives.'

Joyce, dressed in a checked shirt, showed no visible emotion throughout the hearing and scratched his forehead and rubbed a finger under his nose as Mrs Alkan made her emotional tribute to the court.

The 37-year-old, of Franklyn Close, Abingdon, denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as well as two counts of making threats to kill, one count of causing actual bodily harm and one count of making threats with offensive weapons.

Jailing him, Judge Smith said: 'It is clear that you have a long history of mental illness.

Joyce was charged with murder but prosecutors accepted a plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Oxford Crown Court last month. Pictured: Forensic officers at the site

'Despite a diagnosis of schizophrenia you have in no way moderated the taking of illegal substances and while it is said you psychotic state was becoming more difficult for you it is clear that at the same time the amount of drugs you were consuming was on the increase.

'You knew that such drug taking is going to exacerbate the symptoms you have.

'The cannabinoid that you consumed that morning, you knew it would make you aggressive. Nevertheless you went on to take it.'

Joyce appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink.

Prints dealer Mr Skrebowski had a shop in Portobello Road in Notting Hill, west London, before relocating to the Oxford area, although he continued to trade at the London market for years.

HOW MANY MORE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT? After the hearing, the family released an official statement questioning the protection mental health services in Britain offer to the public. The statement said: 'Given what was known by the authorities of the state of Joyce's mind at the time, it is incomprehensible to us that he was left at large in the community. 'Justin died on his wife's birthday as a direct result of the minimally supervised release of a very sick man. The catalogue of blunders, missed opportunities and failed procedures defies belief. 'How many more have to die before the Mental Health Trusts accept their responsibilities to protect the general public?' Describing Mr Skrebowski, they added: 'He was deeply loved and is deeply missed every day. He was an accomplished linguist with friends and business colleagues in many countries who now share our sense of loss. 'He leaves a young family behind, a grieving wife who must come to terms with her loss in what is to her a foreign country and four-year-old twins who will now never know their father and are still waiting for him to come home. 'His wider family will deeply miss his company particularly at family occasions where he could be relied upon to bring life and laughter to even the most sombre gathering.' Advertisement

Speaking after the plea, DI Stuart Blaik, of Thames Valley Police's major crime unit, said: 'This was a completely random and unprovoked attack on an innocent member of the public, which is all the more difficult to comprehend.

Local commander Supt Rory Freeman said: 'This was a terribly sad incident which shocked the community in Abingdon.'

As previously reported, Mrs Alkan had her husband's heirlooms stolen in a break-in at their home in January.

Thieves climbed up onto the roof of the family's conservatory and forced open a window before stealing jewellery meant for the children of the antiques dealer.

Mrs Alkan returned to their family home after picking up her children from school on January 21 to find the house had been ransacked by burglars.

Police said there was nothing to link the burglary with the murder.
'The Butcher': Gynaecologist Rob Jones, pictured

A gynaecologist dubbed 'The Butcher' was allowed to deliver Samantha Cameron's daughter even though NHS bosses had been warned he posed a risk to patients, a medical tribunal has heard.

Rob Jones was called upon to treat Mrs Cameron when she went into labour with fourth child Florence whilst on a family holiday in Cornwall with the Prime Minister in August 2010.

By that time, Mr Jones had already faced a string of complaints over botched procedures he carried out as a gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

However, despite eight reviews and numerous concerns being raised, he only stopped working at the hospital in May 2012.

More than 200 patients are understood to have sought compensation from the Trust for the harm caused by them while under the care of Mr Jones.

His former boss Dr Paul Upton, 55, today appeared before the Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service in Manchester to face a string of allegations that centre on his failure to protect patients from the 'risk of harm' posed by Mr Jones between January 2010 and October 2011.

Dr Upton was medical director of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust at the time of Florences birth.

It is claimed Dr Upton failed to get a report about complaints relating to Mr Jones and also failed to obtain a report about legal actions being taken against the gynaecologist.

He is further accused of failing to arrange meetings with colleagues who had raised concerns about Jones and also of failing to restrict Jones from clinical practice.

Rob Jones delivered Florence, now five, at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro in August 2010 and was still working at the hospital the following year when the Camerons returned to thank staff for the delivery (pictured)

Dr Upton is also said to have made misleading statements to reporters, in which he claimed he did not have enough evidence against Mr Jones.

Mr Jones worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospital between 1997 and his retirement in October 2013. It emerged he had continued to practice despite eight reviews into his work over a 12-year period.

A damning report from the Royal College of Obstetricians also found his patients had more than five times the number of surgical complications during hysterectomy operations than would 'usually be expected' in a consultant's career.

Nurses have spoken out, claiming Mr Jones was called 'The Butcher' because of concerns over his competency. The Trust has already said it 'apologised unreservedly' to its patients.

At the medical tribunal today, lawyer for the General Medical Council Craig Sephton QC said two senior NHS employees had raised concerns over Mr Jones' practices.

He drew particular attention to one case in January 2010, when Mr Jones delivered a baby who died due to pre-eclampsia just five days after he had discharged the mother from hospital.

Mr Jones faced a string of complaints over botched procedures he carried out as a gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, pictured

Karen Watkins, a lead manager in the maternity risk management, and Jan Walters, the divisional manager of women's services, both expressed concerns.

Mr Sephton said: 'Miss Watkins and Miss Walters were so concerned about this incident and previous problems that they raised these issues. The recent incident and other concerns were explained and it was asked whether Mr Jones should be practicing obstetrics at all.'

Nicki Gilbertson, who was the director for women's services at the NHS trust held a meeting with Upton in which she said members of staff 'wished to express concerns about Mr Jones.'

Mr Sephton said Mr Jones sent Dr Upton an email informing him of an urgent meeting.

Dr Upton said they would meet to discuss the January 2010 incident, and that if this revealed concerns into Mr Jones' practice that the issues would be addressed. If they did not raise such concerns, these would be considered separate.

Mr Sephton said: 'There was a meeting about concerns regarding gynaecology practice but Dr Upton said he felt this could not be brought in because it was not relevant to the incident.'

In 2010, a provisional report from a panel headed by Dr Upton concluded there was an 'error of judgement' from Mr Jones but agreed he could continue working.

Mr Sephton said: 'Dr Upton had clear notice that concern had been expressed about all areas of Mr Jones' practice and there had been concern that patient safety was at risk.

'Jan Walters will tell you that she specifically raised the question that Dr Jones should be suspended and offered to provide evidence of the feelings in that area. But he declined that offer and said the incident related to his obstetric practice.

'We say that Dr Upton can't take a view on those concerns until he looked at them properly and did a full review of his practice. He asked Rob Jones to step away and give himself time to carry out an investigation.

'He asked Mr Jones if he would be willing to voluntarily give up his obstetrics practice and concentrate on gynaecology.

'Dr Upton should have commissioned a more extensive review, he should have obtained a report about the complaints given that Mr Jones was being investigated.'

The hearing was told told of other complaints including Jones' treatment of an obese woman and another involving a mother-to-be who had to wait 90 minutes for a caesarian section because Jones had wanted to wait an operating theatre to be prepared - even though a second theatre was already ready. Another patient to be sent home with an undelivered placenta.

Senior consultant Upton quit the board of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust in 2013 but still works for the trust as an anaesthatist.
The parents of a six-year-old girl with severe peanut allergies have sued Panera Bread for serving her a grilled cheese sandwich with peanut butter inside it.

John Russo filed the lawsuit against Panera after his daughter was hospitalized upon eating the grilled cheese ordered from a New England restaurant.

Russo told The Boston Globe that his wife, Elissa, mentioned the peanut allergy twice on the online order.

The family of a six-year-old Massachusetts girl (center) with peanut allergies have sued Panera Bread after she became extremely ill when she ate a grilled cheese sandwich with peanut butter in it. Her father, John Russo (pictured), filed the lawsuit against Panera and a group of New England Panera franchises, alleging negligence

Russo said his daughter was hospitalized after eating the sandwich in January. He said his wife mentioned the peanut butter allergy twice on the order, but a store manager said that it was a mistake due to a 'language' issue and that the person who made it may have seen the word 'peanut' and added it instead of keeping it out

On the night their little girl was rushed to the hospital, Russo said a pediatrician old them to give her Benadryl because she wasn't showing serious symptoms at first. But after she vomited, the pediatrician told them to get her to the hospital. Russo said there were two 'tablespoons' of peanut butter in her grilled cheese (pictured)

Russo said he was told by a store manager that the mistake was due to a 'language' issue and that the person who made the sandwich may have seen the word peanut and added it to the sandwich instead of keeping it out.

But Russo said that explanation was 'no excuse' and he asked, 'Did they just see 'peanut' and not the 'allergy' part?'

He told the newspaper that he asked the manager if someone purposely put peanut butter on the sandwich, because according to Russo it had two 'tablespoons of peanut butter' on it.

The complaint alleges that the restaurant 'engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices by adding peanut butter to the plaintiff's grilled cheese sandwich knowing that [she] has a life-threatening peanut allergy', according to the Globe.

On the night that their little girl was rushed to the hospital, Russo told the Globe that a pediatrician had told them to give her Benadryl because she wasn't showing serious symptoms at first.

But after she vomited, the pediatrician told them to get her to the hospital immediately.

The Russo family said they indicated on their takeout order twice that their daughter had a peanut allergy. Pictured is a screen shot of their order

According to the lawsuit, a similar mistake happened a month later at another Panera. A grilled cheese was made with peanut butter and caused a child to suffer an anaphylactic reaction (file photo)

His wife, Elissa, her to the hospital while he stayed with their two-year-old daughter.

Hospital staff gave the little girl a shot of epinephrine after hives appeared on her body.

According to the lawsuit, a similar mistake happened a month later at the Wayland Panera. A grilled cheese was made with peanut butter and caused a child to suffer an anaphylactic reaction.

A Panera spokesman declined to comment.
It has now been revealed that a track fault may have caused the oil train derailment in Oregon which left a scene of devastation in its wake.

Dozens of residents of Mosier, a Columbia River town in northern Oregon, have been given the all clear to return home, after crews made progress in repairing damage caused by the derailment of the Union Pacific train.

Around a hundred people  a quarter of Mosier's population  were evacuated on Friday after several cars carrying the oil went off the tracks.

Judy Smith of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said a failure of the fastener between the railroad tie and the line was the likely cause of the incident.

Scroll down for video

An oil train burns near the Oregon town of Mosier, about 70 miles east of Portland, after derailing on Friday

Smoke billows from the derailed oil train near. Environmental crews worked on Sunday to contain a sheen of oil that appeared in the Columbia River along the Washington-Oregon border after the derailment

This aerial view shows scattered and burned oil tank cars on Saturday in the aftermath of the derailment

Officials said late Sunday night that the Wasco County Sheriff's office lifted the evacuation order, after progress was made in cleaning up the derailment and restoring essential services, including a waste water treatment plant.

A statement by incident spokeswoman Judy Smith of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said 10,000 gallons of oil had been removed from the plant.

She said water and sewer services were usable, but a boil water order remains in effect.

'We're doing everything we can to get you back home, but we're not going to risk your safety,' Union Pacific Railroad official Raquel Espinoza said on Sunday, before the all-clear was signaled.

Espinoza said more investigations will be required before railroad officials know if the track fault was the definite cause.

The derailment involved eight cars filled with oil, and one was burning. Highway 84 was closed for a 23-mile stretch between The Dalles and Mosier and the radius for evacuations was a half-mile

Tank cars, carrying oil, are pictured in the aftermath of the derailment. No injuries were reported

Union Pacific inspects the tracks that run through Mosier twice a week, and the most recent inspection took place on May 31, Espinoza said.

Union Pacific had completed a more detailed and technical inspection of this section of track at the end of April and found no problems.

No injuries were reported in the derailment in which 16 of 96 tank cars went off the tracks and started a fire in four of the cars.

Authorities were working on Sunday to clean up an oil sheen that appeared in the Columbia River along the Washington-Oregon border.

However, officials have said there was no immediate indication of harm to wildlife.

'I want to apologize to the community,' Espinoza said, adding that the company would pick up the tab for the response costs.

'This is the type of accident we work to prevent every day.'

The accident happened just after noon about 70 miles east of Portland, Oregon

The derailment, in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, manifested the fears of environmentalists who have long argued against shipping oil by rail  especially through populated areas or along a river that's a hub of recreation and commerce.

The tank cars were carrying especially volatile crude from the Northern Plains' Bakken region, which has a higher gas content and vapor pressure than other types of oil.

More than 100 people rallied and marched in nearby Hood River, Oregon, on Saturday to call for a halt to the practice.

Emily Reed, the city council president in Mosier, joined them.

In a telephone interview, Reed said her son was evacuated from school because of the derailment.

Her husband, a firefighter, was a first responder. The family evacuated their house, and her father was unable to ship the first crop from his small cherry orchard.

'I've just listed four major risks that I have, and I don't see the benefit I'm getting in exchange for this risk,' Reed said.

'There is no safe way for these fossil fuel trains to come through our town, and I'd like to see them stopped until there are standards and we know it's safe.

'This isn't a one-off,' Reed said. 'It's happening in my town, but next time it'll be somebody else's town.'

At first light Saturday, crews noticed a light sheen in the Columbia at the mouth of Rock Creek.

Responders deployed about 1,000 feet of boom to contain it. It was not clear how much oil had spilled from the trains.

Lane Magill, Wasco County Sheriff, spoke at a press conference on Saturday. He addressed Friday's oil train derailment and subsequent fire and oil leakage

The derailment forced the evacuation of about 100 people from a nearby mobile home park, as the site remained too hot to examine

The derailment, in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, manifested the fears of environmentalists who have long argued against shipping oil by rail  especially through populated areas or along a river that's a hub of recreation and commerce

This photo shows an oil containment boom place at the site where the train carrying oil derailed sparking a fire

To get to refineries on the East and West coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, oil trains move through more than 400 counties, including major metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia; Seattle; Chicago; Newark, New Jersey; and dozens of other cities, according to railroad disclosures filed with regulators.

Including Friday's incident, at least 26 oil trains have been involved in major fires or derailments during the past decade in the U.S. and Canada, according to Associated Press analysis of accident records from the two countries.

The worst was a 2013 derailment that killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Damage from that accident has been estimated at $1.2 billion or higher.

An aerial-view photo shows the containment booms placed around an oil slick on the surface of the Columbia River on Saturday

The tank cars were carrying especially volatile crude from the Northern Plains' Bakken region, which has a higher gas content and vapor pressure than other types of oil

Responders deployed about 1,000 feet of boom to contain it. It was not clear how much oil had spilled from the trains

At least 12 of the oil trains that derailed over the past decade were carrying crude from the Northern Plains' Bakken region. Of those, eight resulted in fires.

Since last spring, North Dakota regulators have required companies to treat oil before it's shipped by rail to make it less combustible.

Reducing the explosiveness of the crude moved by rail was not supposed to be a cure-all to prevent accidents.

Department of Transportation rules imposed last year require companies to use stronger tank cars that are better able to withstand derailments.

The tank cars that derailed in Oregon were newer model CPC-1232s, said Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs.

Critics say the upgraded models still aren't safe enough to transport volatile Bakken oil.
A Greens MP has admitted to shooting rabbits from his bedroom window and killing foxes and pigs.

New South Wales Greens politician Jeremy Buckingham hit out at Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Borsak last week after he confessed to killing and eating an elephant on a $25,000 hunt in Zimbabwe.

Describing the experience in detail to Radio 2UE Mr Borsak said: 'I think it tastes as good as the best Wagyu beef.'

NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham (pictured) has admitted to shooting rabbits from his bedroom window and killing foxes and pigs

However Mr Buckingham, who called fro Mr Borsak's resignation, has killed wildlife (pictured) himself

However Mr Buckingham, who called for Mr Borsak's resignation, has killed wildlife himself.

'When I lived on a farm I shot rabbits, foxes and pigs, as many people on the land have to do to control pests,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

Speaking on his way back from a deer hunt in Victoria, Mr Borsak said: 'This is typical hypocrisy that you get from the Greens.'

Mr Buckingham said that a comparison could not be made between shooting an elephant and shooting rabbits, the publication reported.

'There is a difference between shooting a pest to manage the landscape, and paying big dollars to get your thrills shooting an animal and then posing for a photo with its carcass or mounting it on your wall,' he said.

Jeremy Buckingham hit out at Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Borsak last week after he confessed to killing and eating an elephant on a $25,000 hunt in Zimbabwe (pictured)

Mr Borsak, speaking on his way back from a deer hunt in Victoria, said that this was 'typical hypocrisy that you get from the Greens'




Michael Gove was today slapped down by trusted public spending watchdog the IFS for claiming its research showed Brexit could mean an extra 8billion a year for the NHS.

The row over Mr Gove's claim, made in Friday's Sky News TV debate, was seized upon by the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign as evidence Vote Leave 'do not have a credible economic plan'.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies reviewed the possible implications of a Brexit vote on the public finances before joining the general consensus from economists that quitting the EU would be a short term blow to the economy.

Michael Gove, pictured left during a campaign event today with Boris Johnson, was reprimanded by the Institute for Fiscal Studies for citing the think tank in support of a claim the NHS could benefit from extra money after a Brexit vote

The group said today: 'Michael Gove claimed on Friday that the IFS had said that leaving the EU would free up 8 billion to spend on the NHS.

'We have not said that.'

In a statement posted online, the IFS continued: 'We conclude that the net UK contribution to the EU over the next few years is indeed likely to be about 8 billion a year, 8 billion which would become available for other things were we to leave.

'However we also point out that even a small negative effect of just 0.6 per cent on national income from leaving the EU would damage the public finances by more than that 8 billion.'

The IFS modelled scenarios which could require additional spending cuts or tax rises worth 40billion to balance the books by the end of the decade.

It said Brexit could force a two year extension of austerity to clear the deficit.

In today's statement, they added: 'There is virtual unanimity among economic forecasters that the negative economic effect of leaving the EU would be greater than that.

'That is why we conclude that leaving the EU would not, as Michael Gove claims we said, leave more money to spend on the NHS.

'Rather it would leave us spending less on public services, or taxing more, or borrowing more.'

OBR research forecast lower GDP growth under a range of scenarios when it studied the possible implications of Brexit on the economy

Former chancellor Alistair Darling, who backs the Remain campaign, welcomed the IFS intervention.

He said: 'This unprecedented intervention from one of the country's most respected economic experts shows that the Leave campaign do not have a credible economic plan for Britain's future.

'The IFS are clear  leaving the EU's Single Market would leave us spending less on public services such as the NHS, or taxing more, or borrowing more.

'The NHS, and everyone who relies upon it and works in it, is stronger thanks to our membership of the EU. Leaving would be a leap in the dark.'

Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'If we Vote Leave we will be able to stop sending 350 million a week to the EU.

'We only ever get half of that back which means we will have over 8 billion to spend on our priorities like the NHS when we leave.

'We reject the predictions of doom by the EU-funded IFS. They rely on the dodgy assumptions of establishment economists and the Treasury - it is the same people who predicted the world would end if we did not join the euro.

'The Remain campaign don't want to take money away from Brussels to spend it on the NHS, but on 23 June that's exactly what a Leave vote will enable us to do.'

In his appearance on a Sky News set-piece interview and debate on Friday, Mr Gove said: 'There are billions of pounds that we send to the European Union every year and the Institute for Fiscal Studies has pointed out that if we took that money back we could spend it on our NHS, we could use it to reduce VAT on fuel.'
An Indian husband has told police he killed his wife before washing her body and having sex with her one last time.

Pradeep Sharma, 25, of New Delhi, is said to have confessed to officers he decided to get rid of his wife Monika, 23, after getting fed up with their arguments.

He has now been charged with beating her to death by hitting her with a brick and then smashing her head into a wall, before sexually violating her corpse, before apologising to her.

Sharma was found near Nangloi Railway Station, pictured, after New Delhi police hunted for him for five days

According to The Times of India, he told officers he and his wife had been drinking when they argued about his job and whether they could manage on his current earnings.

He said: She went on and on about how I had ruined her life. I picked up a brick and hit her on the face three times. She began to bleed profusely and started screaming for help.

The rikshaw driver then confessed to beating her to death at their home in Nihal Vihar, New Delhi, and then bathing her body before taking her to bed.

He added: I made love to her for the last time and apologised to her. I passed out beside her and only woke up around 10am the next morning.

The rikshaw driver, 25, is said to have confessed to beating his wife to death after being snared by officers near the station, pictured

The incident took place on May 30 and sparked a five-day hunt for Sharma, who is said to have switched off his phone and taken his wifes with him.

According to police, the couple argued about finances frequently and had been evicted from two houses previously due to their constant quarrels.

Officers tracked him down after raiding several properties before finally finding him near a station.
A farmer forced to tear down his 'work of art' mock Tudor castle has told a High Court judge of his plans to rebuild it elsewhere.

Robert Fidler built four-bedroomed 'Redhill Castle' on Honeycrock Farm in Salfords, Surrey, without planning permission 16 years ago.

His family moved into the property in 2002, which was kept hidden from public view behind straw bales.

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A farmer forced to tear down his 'work of art' mock Tudor castle has told a High Court judge of his plans to rebuild it elsewhere. Robert Fidler (pictured, outside the property) built four-bedroomed Honeycrock Farm in Salfords without planning permission 16 years ago

The council, which had ruled out allowing the castle to stay because it breached national and local planning rules designed to protect the green belt, began contempt of court proceedings against Mr Fidler after he failed to comply with outstanding enforcement notices and an order demanding demolition

After discovering its existence five years later, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council ordered it to be knocked down.

Mr Fidler appealed but his protests fell on deaf ears, with a Government planning inspector, the High Court and the Court of Appeal all rejecting his plea.

He has since 'carefully dismantled' his 'beautiful' home.

However, at a hearing in London today, he told Mr Justice Dove of his ambition to build the home again - this time 'with full planning permission.'

The council, which had ruled out allowing the castle to stay because it breached national and local planning rules designed to protect the green belt, began contempt of court proceedings against Mr Fidler after he failed to comply with outstanding enforcement notices and an order demanding demolition.

Last November, the 66-year-old was given a three-month suspended jail sentence by Mr Justice Dove, who warned him that he would be sent to prison for his 'intentional defiance' unless he complied with the order by June 6 this year.

His family moved into the property in 2002, which was kept hidden from public view behind straw bales for four years

After discovering its existence five years later, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council ordered it to be knocked down - despite its stunning interior

When the case returned to court on Monday, Stephen Whale, counsel for the authority, told the judge that Mr Fidler had made 'very good progress in terms of complying with the requirements of the enforcement notices', but that he had not 'fully complied with the requirements'.

The court heard that the house has been 'very largely' demolished but that there is 'still more to be done', including restoring the land to its former agricultural use.

Mr Whale said that although the council submitted that the 'technical legal position' was that Mr Fidler remained in contempt of court, the parties had 'entered into a consent order' for the matter to be adjourned for a month to give him 'an opportunity completely to comply'.

When the case returned to court on Monday, Stephen Whale, counsel for the authority, told the judge that Mr Fidler had made 'very good progress in terms of complying with the requirements of the enforcement notices', but that he had not 'fully complied with the requirements'

Representing himself, Mr Fidler insisted: 'I broke no law. I was looking after my family. I acted in good faith. I am a law-abiding citizen.'

He described the castle as a 'work of art built lawfully', and said he had received letters of support from 'all over the word'.

Mr Fidler told the judge: 'The point is that despite all this I began the process of dismantling it, but not just smash it up.'

Mr Justice Dove said he appreciated he had 'gone some considerable way to complying with the promises you have given to the court'.

The court heard that the house has been 'very largely' demolished but that there is 'still more to be done', including restoring the land to its former agricultural use

He told him: 'I want to have this matter completed without having to send you to prison.'

Mr Fidler assured the judge that he would carry out the work required to fully comply with the enforcement notices, stating: 'I will do exactly what they (the council) want.'

The judge told him that if he complied fully then he would have 'purged his contempt'.

He adjourned the case until July 4, but said he hoped it would not be necessary for it to return to court.

Mr Fidler told him: 'I assure you we will not have to come back.'
A renowned pianist whose wife is charged in the murder of their two young daughters played his first public performance in his hometown since the tragedy.

Vadym Kholodenko won raves for his recital at the PianoTexas festival in Fort Worth on Sunday, which took place a month-and-a-half after his estranged wife, Sofya Tsygankova, pleaded not guilty in court to killing their two children, Nika Kholodenko, 5, and one-year-old Michela Kholodenko.

The children's bodies were discovered at the family's Benbrook, Texas, on March 17 by the award-winning pianist when he arrived to take them to school.

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The world renowned pianist, who was born in the Ukraine, played his first concert in Fort Worth since the tragic murder of his children

Kholodenko's estranged wife, Sofya Tsygankova, is charged with the murders of their two daughters, ages five and one.

Kholodenko received standing ovations at both intermission and the end of the recital from the larger-than-usual crowd at TCUs PepsiCo Recital Hall in Forth Worth, according to the Star-Telegram.

He played a set that included Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. In the audience were professional, amateur, and teacher pianists, all wanting to support Kholodenko during this tragedy, reported the outlet.

The respected pianist received two enthusiastic standing ovations from the packed crowd in Fort Worth

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Tsygankova, 31, pleaded not guilty to murder when she appeared at a Fort Worth court with bandages on her chest and injuries to her arms, on March 23

Cut marks were visible on Tsygankova's arms at court, who had told police that she had been 'cutting herself with a knife and taking pills' when they arrived at her home

After entering her not guilty plea, Tsygankova was returned to custody at the prison where she is being held on $1 million bond for each of the murder charges

The children's bodies were discovered at the family's Benbrook, Texas, home last Thursday by Tsygankova's award-winning musician husband, Vadym Kholodenko when he arrived to take them to school (the family is pictured together in 2014)

On the day in question, the acclaimed pianist had called 911 and reported that his wife 'was going crazy', according to an affidavit seen by the DailyMail.com.

When Tsygankova was arrested, she told officers she recalled 'cutting herself with a knife and taking pills' but had no memory of harming her children.

When she appeared at court, cut marks were clearly visible on her arms and bandages could be seen on her chest.

Hours after the bodies of her children were found she asked investigators: 'Did I do anything bad to my kids?'.

Prosecutors filed two charges of capital murder against Tsygankova, 31, before she was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail later that afternoon.

After entering her not guilty plea on March 23, she was returned to custody at the prison where she is being held on $1 million bond for each of the murder charges.

The medical examiner's office had originally ruled the children's deaths as 'homicidal violence pending investigation', but new evidence disclosed in arrest warrant affidavits released Tuesday indicates that the children may have been smothered with pillows, reported the Telegram.

Vadym Kholodenko (left) called 911 and reported that his wife (right) 'was going crazy' after discovering the bodies

Sofya Tsygankova (mugshot left and with her youngest daughter, right) was found by police in a nightgown 'covered in blood' and 'rocking back and forth making noises'

Both children were found in bed while a pillow partially covered the head of the youngest child.

Tarrant County medical examiner's office have not yet confirmed an official cause of death.

Tsygankova had a history of mental illness and had visited a Mental Health and Mental Retardation facility in Fort Worth on the day before her daughters were discovered, says the affidavit.

She was found kneeling on the floor wearing a blood-stained nightgown and 'rocking back and forth,' the affidavits say. She had wounds on her wrist and chest, and a butcher knife was found near the home's patio.

An empty prescription bottle of anti-psychotic drug Quetiapine - used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia - were also found inside the home.

Police also found bloodied linens inside her Ford Focus and blood in and around the car, according to the affidavit.

Tsygankova's attorney, Joetta Keene, declined to comment on the specific allegations of the affidavit.

'This is, no doubt, a very heartbreaking case for everyone involved,' she said.

Her husband - who was a gold medalist at the 2013 Cliburn piano competition - had been staying at a hotel outside of Benbrook that fatal night.

Sofya Tsygankova denied the capital murder of her children Nika Kholodenko, 5, and one-year-old baby Michela Kholodenko

He had arranged with his wife to pick up the girls for a regular visit at 9.20am on Thursday. Police received his 911 call just seven minutes later.

After finding the bodies of the children - that showed signs that rigor mortis had already set in - police discovered two knives, a blood-covered butcher's knife and a cleaver style knife.

More prescription bottles were also found including Sertraline, an anti-depressant, and hyrdoxyzine pamoate, an antihistamine that is also used as a sedative to treat anxiety and tension, says the Telegram.

The mother also described to police what she believes to be the sequence of events leading up to the bloody incident.

She said that she had arrived home that night and recalled that Michaela was already asleep and the babysitter was putting pajamas on the older girl.

When asked where she thought her children were, she replied that she hoped they were with their father.

She made several references to a 'bad dream' that she had that night but was unable to fully elaborate.

Kholodenko filed for divorce from Tsygankova in November 2015 after the couple arrived to the US from Russia in 2014.

He cited discord or conflict of personalities. He had not been living with his estranged wife or daughters since last August. The pair had been married for five years.

Kholodenko (left), had filed for divorce from Tsygankova (right) in November and they hadn't lived together since August (pictured front, one-year-old daughter Michela)

The two arranged for Kholodenko pick up the girls for a regular visit at 9.20am on March 17. According to the police, he called 911 at 9.27am. Pictured, five-year-old Nika left and right, with her father

On Tuesday evening, mourners gathered at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church to remember the girls

On Friday he issued a statement through the Ciburn Foundation saying: 'The loss of my children will be with me forever.

'But I would like to say that I feel the support of the Fort Worth community and all people who are sending me messages all over the world.

'Wherever I go after this tragedy my heart will stay with the people here of Fort Worth and my daughters will rest in this soil.'

He was educated in Russia. The couple had been living in Moscow while they also travelled the world as his fame grew.

However Ukranian citizen Khodolenko began to be harassed by the Russian authorities when war broke out in his homeland between Russian-separatist forces and the Ukranian government.

They came to the US in 2014 and settled in the Fort Worth area because of Khodolenko's close ties the city's symphony orchestra.

His girls were buried on Monday at a private service.

On Tuesday evening, mourners gathered at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church to remember the girls.

'In times like this, we seek answers for how something so terrible could happen,' the Rev. Mary Spradlin said. 'It is profoundly unsatisfying to know there are no clear answers. There are some questions we will never be able to answer.'

Near the end of the church gathering, Kholodenko played a movement from Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 3 with three string players from the Fort Worth Symphony.
This is the horrifying mugshot of the Phoenix mother who allegedly stabbed her three sons to death and partially dismembered them before she tried to kill herself with a self-inflicted wound in the neck.

The deep incision and stitches can be seen on the neck of Octavia Renee Rogers, who has been charged with the murder of Jaikare Rahaman, eight, Jeremiah Adams, five, and her two-month-old baby Avery Robinson.

Jaikare and Jeremiah were found dead in a closet at their home. Avery was stuffed inside a suitcase.

Octavia Renee Rogers, 29, has been accused of stabbing her three sons to death before partially dismembering them. She was found with self-inflicted stab wounds on her neck (pictured) and abdomen

Roger has been charged in the murders of Jaikare Rahaman, eight, Jeremiah Adams, five, and two-month-old Avery Robinson (pictured)

Rogers (pictured left and right), who was identified by her mother, killed the children before stuffing them inside a closet and a suitcase, police said

A source has since claimed that the 29-year-old Rogers was on Spice, synthetic marijuana known to have psychotic effects on some users, at the time of the June 2 murders, according to ABC 15.

Rogers was booked into a Phoenix jail this weekend after being released from the hospital. She is being held on a $1million cash-only bond.

She was not allowed in a jailhouse courtroom on Sunday night after a judge ruled she posed a 'danger to herself or others'.

Last week Arizona child welfare officials revealed they had previous contact with the family.

The State Child Safety Department said investigators could not locate the family back in 2010 to check reports of a boy with a small abrasion on his forehead.

They said they investigated cases in 2011 and 2016 involving marijuana allegations in which they found no legal grounds to take the children into emergency care.

One allegation was substantiated, and the other was not, the state's child welfare agency said.

The allegation that was substantiated accused the mother of giving birth to a baby exposed to marijuana, but investigators found the children to be safe, according to CBS.

The department takes seriously its responsibility to protect children - but its powers are limited, agency Director Greg McKay said.

A source has since claimed that the 29-year-old Rogers was on Spice, synthetic marijuana known to have psychotic effects on some users, at the time of the June 2 murders

'We cannot predict the future, and people can at times do awful things,' he said in a statement.

In 2006, Rogers had an order of protection filed against her for allegedly pushing her mother after Rogers was told to move out, court documents said.

Court records from that protection order said her mother wanted her to take part in domestic violence counseling.

Rogers twice went to court to make the fathers of her two oldest sons pay child support.

In 2010, the father of one of her children was convicted of disorderly conduct after police said he pulled out a gun while the married couple was having an argument.

WHAT IS SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA? Synthetic marijuana contains man-made chemicals that act on the same cell receptors in the brain as THC does in natural marijuana. Researchers have found instances in which chemicals in synthetic marijuana can bind much more strongly to cell receptors than THC does in marijuana that is grown This can produce stronger effects, such as an elevated mood or feeling of relaxation. But synthetic marijuana is also known to have psychotic effects on some users. These can include extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia and even hallucinations. Source: National Institute of Drug Abuse Advertisement

During that disorderly conduct case, Rogers told investigators at the scene that her husband had a gun, though his lawyer would later add he did not point it at anyone.

She later wrote a letter to the judge in the case seeking leniency for her husband.

Rogers, who married her husband in 2009 in Mobile, Alabama, sought a divorce in 2011, but her case was dismissed after she quit pushing the case in court.

Her sister, Voniticia Nickerson, said Rogers occasionally smoked marijuana but was not a big drinker, did not do hard drugs and stayed out of trouble with the law.

Synthetic marijuana contains man-made chemicals that act on the same cell receptors in the brain as THC does in natural marijuana.

Researchers have found instances in which chemicals in synthetic marijuana can bind much more strongly to cell receptors than THC does in marijuana that is grown - producing stronger effects.

These effects could be anything from an elevated mood and feeling of relaxation to psychotic effects such as extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia and even hallucinations, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Nickerson said Rogers was happy to have recently moved back to Phoenix, her hometown, to live with her brother after spending about a year and a half in Virginia.

She noted she saw no signs her sister was trouble, and described Rogers as a devoted mother whose life revolved around her boys.

Nickerson said she is at a loss for a reason her sister might have taken the boys' lives.

Law enforcement officials stand outside a home on Thursday in Phoenix where the three boys were killed

Rogers sister, Voniticia Nickerson, said she is at a loss for a reason her sister might have killed the boys'

'She always made sure that they never wanted and they were happy, that they had the best,' Nickerson said.

The boys' bodies were discovered after Rogers' brother came home from work on Wednesday night to find her talking about God and saying she found the answer to life.

Then she went inside their home and locked the door behind her. The brother forced his way in and found Rogers had barricaded herself in another room.

She eventually emerged with multiple stab wounds across her abdomen and neck.
Police in North Carolina have released dramatic dashcam footage in support of an officer who shot dead a man that fled a traffic stop while the cop was in his car.

Willie Tillman, 33, of Marianna, was shot four times during the incident in Fayetville on April 23 after being puled over and later died in hospital.

Fayetteville Police stopped Tillman for driving without headlights around 2:25 a.m. and he exited the vehicle to talk to two officers.

However, in dashcam footage taken from the police cruiser behind the car, Tillman can be seen struggling with one officer before quickly getting back behind the wheel and taking off.

Struggle: Police released this dashcam footage as part of their investigation into the fatal shooting of a man who struggled with cops during a traffic stop in Fayetville on April 23

Traffic stop gone wrong: The footage shows the moment Tillman drove away as police tried to stop him

This bodycam shot shows the moment that Tillman was tasered by police, however it did not retrain him

Police say that both officers used their tasers on Tillman but were unsuccessful. He was then shot dead

Both officers shot Tillman with their tasers however he still managed to fight back.

He then drove away, along with the officer who had jumped into the passenger seat during the struggle.

The officer trapped in the car has been identified as Brandon Jones.

'It was at that point that Officer Jones pulled his gun and then Tillman tried to grabbed for the gun,' Prosecutor Matt Durrett told KFSM.

'[Jones] fired a shot. [Tillman] grabbed the gun again, [Jones] fired two more shots and then fired one last shot while Tillman had his hand on the gun.'

Tillman was shot four times in total - in the chest, abdomen and leg - and died in hospital.

An internal investigation conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department found the officers -including Jones - followed protocol during the incident.

The investigation found that Jones' life was at risk and his actions in shooting Tillman were justified.

Scene: Footage from a nearby security camera shows the car taking off and leaving the other officer (left) behind

After Tillman was shot, officer Jones was able to pull the car over and other officers came to his aid

'Based on all of the evidence provided in the investigation, it was clear to me that officer Jones reasonably believed that his life was in danger, that he was in danger of suffering serious physical injury, and they had tried to use nonlethal force, but it was ineffective,' Durrett said.

'Officer Jones repeatedly tried to deploy his Taser, tried different ways of deploying it.

'At one point Mr. Tillman was able to grab the Taser and hit officer Jones in the hand with it.

'At that point, officer Jones dropped the Taser and grabbed his gun and they struggled over the gun. Mr. Tillman grabbed the gun and multiple shots were fired.'

Fayetteville police also said in a release: 'Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Mr. Tillman during their time of loss.'
A Democratic congressman said Monday that Donald Trump's criticism of a Latino judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University shows that the presumptive Republican nominee for president is a racist and the candidate should take his border wall and 'shove it up your a**.'

Rep. Filemon Vela, who represents a district in southern Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, said in an open letter that Trump's 'ignorant anti-immigrant opinions,' border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on a sitting federal judge 'are just plain despicable.'

'I will not presume to speak on behalf of every American of Mexican descent, for every undocumented worker born in Mexico who is contributing to our country every day or, for that matter, every decent citizen in Mexico,' Vela wrote.

'But, I am sure that many of these individuals would agree with me when I say: "Mr. Trump, youre a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your a**".'

Rep. Filemon Vela, a Texas Democrat who hails from the region of his state near the Mexican border, clobbered Donald Trump on Monday with a stinging public letter that urged him to 'take your border wall and shove it up your a**'

Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, has pledged to erect a wall on America's southern border to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit narcotics

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate, an allegation Trump has denied.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is presiding over the San Diego suit, and Trump has said Curiel's Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial for Trump, who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trump's words, 'a hater of Donald Trump.'

Republicans have warned Trump to drop his attacks on Curiel, which they said have hurt the GOP's efforts to reach out to Latino voters.

Vela said in his letter that Trump's position with respect to the millions of undocumented Mexican workers who live in the U.S. is 'hateful, dehumanizing and frankly shameful.'

A small but vocal minority of American Hispanics back Trump  largely those in middle-class families

The vast number of undocumented immigrants work in hotels, restaurants, construction sites and agricultural fields across the United States, Vela said.

'If I had to guess, your own business enterprises either directly or indirectly employ more of these workers than most other businesses in our country,' he told Trump in the letter. 'Thousands of our businesses would come to a grinding halt if we invoked a policy that would require 'mass deportation' as you and many of your supporters would suggest. That is precisely why the Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce agrees that these workers deserve a national immigration policy that would give them a pathway to citizenship.'

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a reporter's requests for comment.

Trump promises to build a great wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border and make Mexico pay for it. Some 650 miles of border fencing now sits on the border, including roughly 15-foot tall steel fencing in many urban areas that is designed to stop or slow those trying to cross the border on foot.

Vela said he would rather 'tear the existing wall to pieces.'

While there's no doubt that Mexico 'has its problems,' it is also a U.S. neighbor and third-largest trading partner, Vela said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has documented that trade with Mexico accounts for at least 6 million jobs in the United States, he said.

'Why any modern-thinking person would ever believe that building a wall along the border of a neighboring country, which is both our ally and one of our largest trading partners, is frankly astounding and asinine,' Vela said.

Taking aim at Trump's penchant for personal insults, Vela said Trump should not 'dismiss' him as 'just another Mexican,' noting that his great grandfather came to the U.S. in 1857  well before Trump's ancestors arrived in the U.S.
A 27-year-old British woman was raped by a taxi driver in Sao Paulo during the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Brazilian police.

The victim, who is believed to be a teacher, called the cab using the 99taxi mobile app after dining out with some students from her class at a restaurant in the west of Sao Paulo.

The taxi driver, named locally as Fabio Honorato da Silva, 33, denies the charge and claims the act was consensual.

The accused was caught after the woman took a picture of the taxi's license plate and reported the assault to the police.

A taxi driver in Sao Paulo, pictured, has been arrested after allegedly raping a British woman, 27 (file picture)

The victim claims she called the taxi via a mobile phone app and was held against her will inside (file picture)

Sao Paulo police then trapped the driver by arranging to meet him at a petrol station where he was arrested and driven to the police station where the victim 'positively identified' him.

The woman said she was forcibly held against her will in a white Prisma taxi cab by da Silva, who she said locked the doors, stripped her naked and sexually abused her.

She claims the ordeal ended when she agreed to exchange personal details with the assailant who wanted to meet up with her again.

The man, a married father of three, agreed to drop her off near where she lived in Moemba, Sao Paulo's south zone, saying he would contact her at a later date.

In a statement to investigators, the teacher said the driver began harassing her as soon as she entered the vehicle and tried to kiss her by force.

She said he kept asking questions about whether she had a boyfriend. When she refused to answer, she alleges he parked the vehicle in a deserted street, closed the windows, locked the doors and forced the victim to masturbate his genitals and then raped her in the back seat of the cab.

The victim reported that she tried to fight off her aggressor throughout the ordeal but was in a state of shock.

She managed to calm down when da Silva promised to take her home if she stopped fighting and gave him her details.

Before she was released from the cab the victim managed to take a condom she claims was used in the attack.

She also took a picture of the taxi's license plate number.

A friend of the victim confirmed the woman had been seen at Sao Paulo's Perola Byington Hospital, where she had undergone several tests.

The victim is said to have collapsed with shock after identifying da Silva as her assailant.

The accused has been detained in prison.

The company responsible for the 99taxi app said it is cooperating fully with the police investigation and has provided all the details about the driver who has now been barred from working for them.

Brazilian police, pictured, tracked down the suspect after the alleged victim took a snap of the registration plate (file picture)

In a statement the company said: 'The 99Taxi app works for the security of its members and is deeply saddened to learn of this case.

'For security reasons, we have taken the preventive steps to block the driver in question.'

A spokesperson added that the company takes preventative measures which involves regularly monitoring and checking the drivers, getting customer feedback and ensuring the cabbies have all the right documentation and authorisation to work.

It comes days after a 16-year-old girl alleged she was raped by 33 men in Rio de Janeiro.

The girl said she woke to find 'one man under me, another on top of me, and two more holding my hands'.

The men, who have been described as drug dealers, posted obscene screen shots of the video on Twitter, some of them featuring their faces, along with profane descriptions of their actions.

Last week, police issued warrants for the arrests of four men, including the girl's 19-year-old boyfriend.
Three people were arrested near the US-Canadian border in connection with the death of a 19-year-old teenager, whose body was found in a Minnesota park.

Cheyenne Clough was found unresponsive Wednesday around 8am at the entrance to Crow Springs County Park.

She was transported to Buffalo Hospital and airlifted to North Memorial Hospital, where she died four days later.

Cheyenne Clough (pictured) of Buffalo, was found unresponsive at the entrance to Crow Springs County Park around 8am on Wednesday. Authorities haven't disclosed her injuries or how she got them, but they did say she had obvious signs of trauma to her body

Three people were arrested near the US-Canadian border just days after authorities found Clough barely alive at the park. Justin Jensen (left), Natasha Brandenburger (right) and Edward Zelko, (right) 26, were arrested in connection with the teen's death, according to the Wright County Sheriff's Office

Authorities haven't disclosed her injuries or how she got them, but they did say she had obvious signs of trauma to her body, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Police conducted a search at a residence located in Koochiching County, which resulted in the arrest of Justin Jensen, 28, and Natasha Bradenburger.

Jensen was booked into the Koochiching County jail on a drug possession allegation, according to the jail's log.

The Wright County Sheriff's Office identified Jensen and Brandenburger, 33, as persons of interest in connection with Clough's death.

The search was conducted by members of the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office, International Falls Police Department, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Beltrami County SWAT team, Border Patrol, and Minnesota State Patrol.

In a separate incident, a third suspect, Edward Victor Zelko, 26, of Buffalo, was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Staples, Minnesota. He is also being held in connection with Clough's death.

Authorities have not said what roles these individuals may have played in connection with her death, but Wright County Sheriff's Capt Todd Hoffman said she was acquainted with Jensen and another suspect before the assault

Clough's body was discovered after two people reported seeing a body at the park. A makeshift memorial has since been placed at the park where her body was found

Authorities have not said what roles these individuals may have played in connection with her death.

Wright County Sheriff's Capt Todd Hoffman said Clough was acquainted with Jensen and another suspect before the assault.

Hoffman said he wasn't sure whether any of the suspects were attempting to flee the country, but 'they were definitely close to Canada', according to the Tribune.

Clough's body was discovered after two people reported seeing a body at the park.

'One of them was a bus driver who was picking up a student,' Hoffman told the Herald Journal.

'The student reported seeing a body in the drive [way] to Crow Springs Park. The bus driver did verify that there was, in fact, a body there, and relayed that information to their communication center, who called 911.'

Friends on Clough's Facebook posted heartfelt tributes, with some saying she made their lives 'complete'.

Friends on Clough's Facebook posted heartfelt tributes, with some saying she made their lives 'complete'. Pictured is a woman kneeling in front of a cross surrounded by candles that was placed at the Crow Springs County Park

Family and friends mourn Clough, who was the mother of three-year-old, Elijah. Police said the medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. People are pictured near the makeshift memorial at the park

A makeshift memorial was placed at the park where Clough's body was found. Flowers and candles were laid near the area where she was found.

In a statement released by the Wright County Sheriff's Office, police said they are still looking for a 2008 white/cream Honda Accord.

The sheriff's office said the vehicle was last seen to have Minnesota license plates 307LCX.

Clough, who was the mother of three-year-old, Elijah, was last seen at a residence in Maple Lake, according to the Tribune.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office will be conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
President Obama is preparing to use the weight of his office to try to put the contentious Democratic primary to bed  with the White House signaling that it could come as soon as people vote in California and New Jersey.

Hillary Clinton is expected to wrap up the nomination Tuesday night with her expected win in New Jersey.

Even if she suffers the humiliation of losing to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in California, she should easily pick up enough pledged delegates to put her over the top, since California awards its delegates proportionally

'I don't have any news to make in terms of the timing of an endorsement, but we're going to learn more and we're going to let those voters make their voice heard before we make any additional decisions,' White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday.

Bye bye Bernie: President Obama is eager to get back on the campaign trail  but is waiting until voters in New Jersey and California go to the polls

'After the Democratic voters and New Jersey and California weigh in tomorrow, we may have a better sense of where the race is headed,' Earnest added.

NBC News reported today that Obama had talked to Sanders over the weekend, which the Vermont senator's campaign wouldn't confirm or deny.

'I'm saying that he's spoken with the president on a number of occasions at the White House and on the telephone,' Sanders' spokesman Michael Briggs said. 'He doesn't discuss the nature of his private conversations.'

After the alleged conversation occurred, Sanders struck a slightly more conciliatory tone at his press conference Monday morning.

''Let's assess where we are after tomorrow, before we make statements based on speculation,' Sanders said.

He made a similar statement when asked about the pending endorsement.

'Again, we're speculating,' Sanders said.

Obama is set to attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York on Wednesday in Manhattan, which would make it easy to meet up with Clinton for a splashy endorsement on her home turf.

He's also expected to tape an appearance on the 'Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon for Thursday's show.

Sanders vowed over the weekend to carry on through a 'contested convention,' even as top Democratic powerbrokers are becoming increasingly concerned that the contentious primary might continue.

And he opened up a new attack by bringing up donations that undemocratic foreign governments like Saudi Arabia made to the Clinton Foundation charity.

'It is extremely unlikely that Secretary Clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on Tuesday night,' Sanders said Sunday.

'Now I have heard reports that Secretary Clinton has said it's all going to be over on Tuesday night. I have reports that the media, after the New Jersey results come in, are going to declare that it is all over. That simply is not accurate,' he said

Sanders is now arguing that even if Clinton wins the most pledged delegates, she can't get the nomination until unelected super delegates cast their ballots at the convention in July.

'Certainly somebody who claims a majority of pledged and super delegates has a strong case to make,' said Earnest.

Hillary Clinton would have two presidents out campaigning for her: for husband Bill and President Obama

Bernie Sanders was helped by Obama's decision to stay officially on the sidelines, though he has complained that the Democratic National Committee hasn't given him a fair shake

After weekend primary wins in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Clinton is just 19 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination.

That total includes Clinton's lead over Sanders of 798 super delegates, who don't technically vote until the convention.

'Having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement about what kind of country we are, about what we stand for,' Clinton said campaigning in California Sunday.

The New York Times reported that Obama is already in touch with Clinton's camp about where he could be useful for her. Clinton's campaign spokesman, Brian Fallon, told CNN Monday the campaign would hope to make ample use of the president on the stump.

Obama spoke about the electoral landscape at a Florida fundraiser on Friday, saying, 'I want us to run scared the whole time.'

'We have to take this election seriously,' he said. He said he spoke to his staff about how much air time Donald Trump soaks up. 'It's just constant. And celebrity and fame is such a driver in this culture that -- and everything is so contested, because people, if they want to believe something, they can go to this TV station or this website, and block everything out -- that strange things can happen in an election like this if we're not working hard, if we're not engaged, if we're not participating.'
A man who was attacked by a massive swcarm of bees in Arizona and stung over 1,000 times believes that his life was saved by his pacemaker.

Albert Katanov, 47, said that he was house hunting with his son in Phoenix on May 26 when he was suddenly overcome by bees.

Firefighters that were called to the scene said they found seven hives attached to the home.

Katanov was stung more than 1,000 times, suffered an allergic reaction and lost consciousness, WGN TV reported.

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Lucky to be alive: Albert Katanov, 47, said that he was house hunting with his son in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 26 when he was suddenly overcome by bees

Ouch: Doctors said Katanov was stung over 1,000 times, however his pacemaker shocked his heart and brought him back to life

Stings: Katanov said his sores are now incredibly itchy, but he is just happy to survive the attack

Before collapsing, Katanov made it to a house across the street looking for help, screaming out that he was not breathing.

He was rushed to hospital and was lucky to survive the attack.

Katanov suffererd a cardiac arrest in November and was fitted with a pacemaker, and doctors believe it was the pacemaker that saved him.

They checked the device and worked out it had shocked Katanov seven times.

'When I got to the hospital, they said his pacemaker kind of saved him. Because his body went into shock,' his son, Rubin Katanov, told WGN.

Scene: Katanov was inspecting this house in Phoenix, Arizona, when he was suddenly attacked

Bee attacks typically start to increase in March and April, during what's known as 'swarm season', where the bees relocate to a new hive.

Katanov admits to swatting the bees, something experts say you should not do because that makes them angrier.
One puppy is dead and another is fighting for her life against raging parasites after their owner let a severe skin infection fester for 10 weeks before dumping them both in a South Carolina road.

Eli and Ellie were diagnosed with demodex, parasitic mites that live in the hair follicles of mammals, as well as yeast infections in both ears and hook worms in their intestines.

The infections were so severe that the veterinarian was not able to recognize the 16-to-18-week-old puppies' breed.

Puppies Eli and Ellie were found riddled with parasites and infections after their owner dumped them on a South Carolina road

They were diagnosed with demodex, parasitic mites that live in the hair follicles of mammals, as well as yeast infections in both ears and hook worms in their intestines

The puppies, a boy and a girl, were taken in and named by the Second Chance of Orangeburg Animal Rescue Coalition.

They were then taken to the South Carolina Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Care in Columbia, where a veterinarian determined they became infected with demodex at six weeks of age.

Both pups were released after receiving treatment.

But soon Eli, the male puppy, began coughing up blood and had to be rushed back to the emergency room. He passed away on Sunday.

Annette Palmer, who works with the shelter, said it remains unknown if Ellie will have her vision intact after the infections clear up.

'Someone somewhere must have known or has information on who is responsible for the neglect and cruelty of these sweet puppies,' she told Tuscon News Now.

Eli, the male puppy, passed away on Sunday after he began coughing up blood and was rushed back to the hospital. Vets still don't know if Ellie will have her vision intact after the infection clears up

The animal shelter asked that people pray for Ella's recovery and survival.

It shared photos of Eli and Ella's horrifying condition in hopes it could lead to information concerning their former owner.

'Please now more than ever let's find the person responsible for this,' the shelter wrote on its Facebook page.

'And find justice for these puppies.'

Anyone with information on those responsible for the condition and dumping of Eli and Ella, are asked to call Orangeburg Animal Control at 803-534-0045.
A document in which Colonel Gaddafi's regime pledges to donate 42million to bring Nicolas Sarkozy to power is genuine, French judges have ruled.

The ruling supports claims that the 61-year-old former president of France was in the pay of the former Libyan dictator, and then turned against him during the Arab Spring revolution of 2011.

The revelation will have huge significance in Britain, because it was the RAF who assisted the French airforce in bombing Gaddafi's dictatorship into oblivion.

A document in which Colonel Gaddafi's (left) regime pledges to donate 42million to bring Nicolas Sarkozy (right) to power is genuine, French judges have ruled.

Prime Minister David Cameron has always claimed the UK went to war against Gaddafi for purely humanitarian reasons.

But the development suggests Mr Sarkozy may have wanted Gaddafi killed in 2011 because he feared evidence of their 'financial arrangement' being made public.

French law banned candidates from receiving cash payments above 6,300, but it is alleged that 42 million was laundered through bank accounts in Panama and Switzerland.

The disputed document is said to show that Mr Sarkozy and the late Colonel made an illegal financial deal that helped propel Mr Sarkozy to power in 2007.

Written in Arabic and signed by Mussa Kussa, Gaddafi's intelligence chief, it refers to an 'agreement in principle to support the campaign for the candidate for the presidential elections, Nicolas Sarkozy, for a sum equivalent to Euro 50million'.

Mr Sarkozy tried to sue Mediapart, the French investigative website, for making the document public in Paris.

But now judges Rene Cros and Emmanuelle Legrand - who are leading an enquiry into Mr Sarkozy's alleged corruption - have confirmed 'the authenticity of the Libyan document'.

AFP, France's national news agency, confirmed that the Sarkozy case against Mediapart had been thrown out.

Mr Sakozy has faced numerous corruption enquiries since the Paris home he shares with his third wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni, was raided by anti-fraud officers within a few days of him losing the 2012 presidential election.

Despite this, the right-wing Republican is convinced he can return to power in 2017, by defeating his Socialist rival Francois Hollande.

This is despite recent opinion polls suggesting that up to 80 per cent of French voters do not want the controversial Mr Sarkozy back in power.

Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy visited Libya together soon after Gaddafi's murder by a baying mob in 2011, saying the dictator's demise would herald a new period of democracy.

Instead, Libya has plunged into further chaos, with Islamic State setting up terrorist bases in the oil-rich North African country.
The collapse of Sydney's waterfront mansions was an 'accident waiting to happen,' according to a coastal management expert.

Professor Andrew Short, The University of Sydney's Coastal Studies Unit director, told The Sydney Morning Herald damage done to homes, units and buildings in the Collaroy and Narrabeen area of Sydney's Northern Beaches by the weekend's wild weather could have been prevented.

He said governments had spent too long deferring the issue and the walls that had been built could not withstand the power of strong tides.

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The collapse of Sydney's waterfront mansions was an 'accident waiting to happen', according to a coastal management expert. Above is the coast of Collaroy

An entire block of units is on the brink of tumbling into the sea and at least six houses have been destroyed after they spent a third night being pummelled by powerful waves. Above are waves at Collaroy

Prof Short also warned that if the government continued to ignore the risk of erosion they would see a repeat of the latest disaster. The damage on Tuesday following more powerful waves

'Collaroy Beach is the most at-risk part of the NSW coast. It has been at risk for more than 100 years and essentially nothing has been done for those 100 years,' Prof Short said.

'This was the biggest storm in, you might say, about 40 years and it has eroded back in a very predictable way to what we call the immediate hazard line.

'It's predicted those houses will be impacted by a storm of this magnitude.'

Prof Short also warned that if the government continued to ignore the risk of erosion they would see a repeat of the latest disaster.

Professor Andrew Short, who is The University of Sydney's Coastal Studies Unit director, said damage done to homes, units and buildings in Collaroy (above) and Narrabeen could have been prevented

Furniture is seen strewn on the sand across Collaroy Beach on Monday

One resident Tony Cagorski said he lost 15 metres of his Collaroy home

Police tape has been put up to cordon off Collaroy Beach. Mr Cagorski said his property sustained further damage overnight

The coastal management expert noted that the waterfront in Collaroy is particularly vulnerable to storms and it was also badly damaged in the 1940s and 1960s by wild weather.

After the latest bout of wild weather, an entire block of units is on the brink of tumbling into the sea and at least six houses have been destroyed after a third night of powerful waves and wind.

The storm hit on the weekend and some of the worst destruction happened at Collaroy, where backyards, balconies and a swimming pool slipped into the sea.

Prof Short also warned if the government continued to ignore the risk of erosion they would see a repeat of the disaster that saw buildings swallowed by the sea. Above is the Collaroy's The Beach Club

Some of the weekend's worst destruction happened at Collaroy, where eight-metre high waves smashed the shore causing significant erosion which led to backyards, balconies and a swimming pool slipping into the sea

A local observes the damage done to The Beach Club following the wild weather on the weekend

About 700 properties were also evacuated at Narrabeen at the weekend but on Monday evening it was deemed safe for residents to return home.

While insurers will be counting the cost of repairs, three families have been devastate by death, with the bodies of a man from Leppington, a 65-year-old man and a 37-year-old Canberra man discovered on Monday.

A search for a man who jumped from rocks into dangerous swells at Bondi Beach is expected to resume on Tuesday morning.
The mugshot and booking photo of a former Stanford student who raped an unconscious 23-year-old woman have been released after his lenient sentencing and portrayal in the media were heavily criticized.

The Santa Clara Sheriff's Department released Brock Allen Turner's mugshots on Monday, after the 20-year-old was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in March and sentenced to just six months in county jail on Thursday.

One photo shows the former star swimmer bleary eyed the night of the assault, and the second shows him after he was found guilty at trial.

In a statement that prompted a firestorm of criticism, Judge Aaron Persky said jail time would have a 'severe impact' on Turner, who was initially portrayed as a well-dressed Division I college athlete through his yearbook photo.

Both the Stanford Department of Public Safety and the Santa Clara Sheriff's Department resisted releasing Turner's mugshot until public outcry, pressure from the media and a powerful letter written by the unnamed victim gained national attention.

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Brock Allen Turner's mugshot has been released (pictured left, from the night of his arrest, and right in a later sentencing photo). He was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in March and sentenced to just six months in county jail on Thursday.

Before the high profile case gained national attention, he largely portrayed as a well-dressed college athlete through his yearbook photo (pictured)

Turner's case was first handled by the Stanford Department of Public Safety, before the Santa Clara Sheriff's Department took over.

Both organizations shirked the responsibility to release Turner's mugshot, until the sheriff's department emailed the photograph to New York Magazine on Monday afternoon following mounting public pressure.

Initial reports of the case relied on Turner's yearbook photo and images from court, which many criticized for painting the 20-year-old former Division I swimmer as a respectable student with a bright future.

Turner's rape victim, who read a powerful letter to her attacker as she came face-to-face with him in court, has helped shape the response after he was sentenced to just six months in county jail.

She made an emotional speech at Thursday's sentencing hearing explaining the devastating effect the rape has had on her life, and the letter has been viewed more than six million times since it was published on BuzzFeed News.

In it she said: 'You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today.

'He is a lifetime sex registrant. That doesnt expire. Just like what he did to me doesnt expire, doesnt just go away after a set number of years.

'It stays with me, its part of my identity, it has forever changed the way I carry myself, the way I live the rest of my life,' she added.

Both the Stanford Department of Public Safety and the Santa Clara Sheriff's Department shirked the responsibility to release Turner's mugshot until Monday

Brock Turner, 20, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, California, on June 2

Turner was convicted in Santa Clara County Superior Court of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.

He had been facing a 10-year prison term but was given just six months behind bars for his crime.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky said he weighed Turner's character, remorse, and lack of criminal history to bypass a heavier penalty.

During the sentencing hearing, Persky explained his concern that jail would 'have a severe impact' on Turner, a point of contention that has fueled a firestorm of criticism.

His victim told BuzzFeed News she was disappointed with the 'gentle' sentence and angry Turner still denied the attack.

'Even if the sentence is light, hopefully this will wake people up,' she said.

'I want the judge to know that he ignited a tiny fire. If anything, this is a reason for all of us to speak even louder.'

In court the victim asked the judge if she could address Turner directly.

She said how she had planned to stay at home on January 17, 2015, but decided to go to the party with her younger sister after their father made dinner.

Once there she said she let her guard down and 'drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college'.

She 'blacked out' after drinking two whiskey shots, two vodka shots.

She explains: 'The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway.

'I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow.

The attack took place on Stanford University's campus in Santa Clara County. Turner was apprehended by two cyclists who witnessed part of the attack

'I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus.

'I was very calm and wondering where my sister was.

'A deputy explained I had been assaulted.

'I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. I knew no one at this party.

'When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing.

'I still remember the feeling of my hands touching my skin and grabbing nothing.

'I looked down and there was nothing. The thin piece of fabric, the only thing between my vagina and anything else, was missing and everything inside me was silenced.

'I still dont have words for that feeling. In order to keep breathing, I thought maybe the policemen used scissors to cut them off for evidence.'

She then described how she was examined and asked to sign papers that said 'Rape Victim' before being allowed to shower.

She continued: 'I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I dont want my body anymore.

'I was terrified of it, I didnt know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else.'

She said that she was told she was found behind a dumpster by two passing cyclists and had potentially been penetrated by a stranger.

She added: 'I (was told I) should get retested for HIV because results dont always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life.'

She said she was not ready to tell her boyfriend or her family what had happened because she did not know herself.

'I may have been raped behind a dumpster, but I dont know by who or when or how. If I told them, I would see the fear on their faces, and mine would multiply by tenfold, so instead I pretended the whole thing wasnt real.'

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen reacts to what happened in the courtroom outside of the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, California

She went on to explain how she became isolated and shut herself off from the world, not eating or sleeping and pretending it didn't happen.

She eventually discovered what had happened to her reading the news on her phone and came across an article about how she was found unconscious.

'This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me,' she said.

'I read something that I will never forgive; I read that according to him, I liked it. I liked it. Again, I do not have words for these feelings.'

Turner had maintained that the pair went outside the Kappa Alpha House, where the party was taking place, and kissed.

He said he took off her underwear, penetrated her with his hands and touched her breasts, but never took off his pants.

According to Turner, the woman appeared to be enjoying herself as she rubbed his back.

He added that his 'intentions were not to try and rape the girl without her consent' but to 'hook up' with a girl'.

He said 'we' started 'dry humping' - rubbing against each other with their clothes on - but said he then felt sick from the seven beers and two sips of whiskey he'd drunk.

He said he stumbled away thinking he would vomit when he noticed another man near him asking what he was doing.

Turner was detained after being spotted by two cyclists, before trying to flee.

The pair managed to tackle him while a third man called the police, Santa Clara County prosecutors say.

After reading about the assault in the news she sought the support of her family and told them what happened to her.

'The night after it happened, he said he didnt know my name, said he wouldnt be able to identify my face in a lineup, didnt mention any dialogue between us, no words, only dancing and kissing,' she said.

'When the detective asked if he had planned on taking me back to his dorm, he said no. When the detective asked how we ended up behind the dumpster, he said he didnt know.

'He admitted to kissing other girls at that party, one of whom was my own sister who pushed him away. He admitted to wanting to hook up with someone.

'I was the wounded antelope of the herd, completely alone and vulnerable, physically unable to fend for myself, and he chose me.

'Sometimes I think, if I hadnt gone, then this never wouldve happened. But then I realized, it would have happened, just to somebody else.'

She went on to describe the impact the trial had on her and was faced with a barrage of personal questions into her private life and recalling all that she could of the night in excruciating detail.

She said Turner changed his story nearly a year after the attack saying that he had asked her for consent and she said 'yes' and that the only reason they were on the ground was because she had fallen down.

She added: 'On top of all this, he claimed that I orgasmed after one minute of digital penetration. The nurse said there had been abrasions, lacerations, and dirt in my genitalia. Was that before of after I came?'

As she concluded the letter she said Turner had done 'irreversible damage' to her and her family and thanked all those who had supported her - friends, family and strangers and the two men who saved her.

'To have known all of these people, to have felt their protection and love, is something I will never forget,' she said.

She finished by saying: 'And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you.'

Speaking after judge Persky handed down the six month sentence, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement on Thursday: 'The punishment does not fit the crime,'

'The predatory offender has failed to take responsibility, failed to show remorse and failed to tell the truth. The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victim's ongoing trauma.'

A jury found Turner guilty of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person, and penetration of an unconscious person.

He was also handed three years' probation but with good behavior he is expected to serve three months in county jail, The Mercury News reported.

Turner will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and complete a sex offender management program.

Turner's father, Dan A. Turner, penned an open letter about the verdict of the rape case, arguing his son's jail sentence 'isn't an appropriate punishment' while referring to the assault as '20 minutes of action'.

'As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of January 17 and 18,' the letter begins.

'He will never be his happy go lucky (sic) self with that easy-going personality and welcoming smile.

'His every waking moment is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression,' the father began the letter.

He goes on to say how much Turner likes to eat - especially Ribeye steaks - and how he's a 'very good cook' but now can hardly eat and only consumes food 'to exist'.

'His life will never be the one he dream about and worked so hard to achieve.

'That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 years of life,' Dan A. Turner continued.

He wrote that his son should not be subjected to incarceration because he 'has no prior criminal history and has never been violent with anyone including on the night of January 17'.

Dan A. Turner added that his son can be a positive force in the community by promoting the 'dangers of alcohol and sexual promiscuity'.

On Sunday, Turner's father, Dan A. Turner, penned an open letter (pictured) about the verdict of the rape case, arguing his son's jail sentence 'isn't an appropriate punishment'

A law professor at the university, Michele Landis Dauber, has urged the school to make serious changes in their policies towards sexual assault.

Only four of the 175 reported sexual assaults at Stanford between 1997 and 2009 were properly investigated.

Dauber has called the statistics 'appalling'.

Dauber said that despite some improvement by the school in investigating sexual assault cases and acting for welcoming to victims, there is still room for improvement.

The university praised the student cyclists who stepped in to help the victim.

'Several students, both graduates and undergraduates, were upstanders in this situation,' Catherine Criswell, the University's Title IX Coordinator said.

'They made the courageous decision to intervene and provide assistance. That is exactly the type of leadership and caring we attempt to cultivate in our community, and we commend those students on their courage and quick response.'

Turner voluntarily withdrew from the university shortly after being charged. After his arrest he was released on $150,000 bail.

Originally from Ohio, Turner swam for the Dayton Raiders before being recruited for Stanford and was a three-time All-American high school swimmer at Oakwood High School.
Winston Churchill was infamously thirsty, but how much did our great wartime prime minister really drink? Sometimes there would be a glass of white wine at breakfast. The first (weak) whisky and soda would be served an hour later, and for the rest of the day the tumbler was never empty.

At lunch he drank a lot of champagne followed by brandy. After an afternoon nap, Churchill would reignite his turbines with an iced whisky and soda  or three. Dinner was always a time for champagne, closing with several doses of brandy. During the late evening he would sink more whisky and soda  just to make sure he was properly irrigated.

A prime minister who attempted that scale of alcohol intake today would quickly be exposed as a liability. What handwringing there would be. He would be forced out of office and urged to admit that he had a problem.

Winston Churchill was infamously thirsty. He is pictured enjoying a pint with General Eisenhower in the U.S. in 1948

Britain has never been more soberly governed. Yet Britains politicians have seldom been so powerless, so hesitant, so terrified of popular sentiment.

There is a paradox here - and possibly a connection. Westminster journalist Ben Wright, who has just published a book about political topers, traces the link between drink and politics back to the dawn of modern government.

In ancient Greece, democratic symposia invariably involved urns of wine. In Rome, Cicero wrote a furious denunciation of his rival Mark Antony, accusing the general-statesman of being drunk in the mighty Roman senate.

Mark Antony may indeed have had one amphora over the eight, but it did not stop him becoming one of the inspiring leaders of his age and winning the hand of the Miss Egypt of the day, fair Cleopatra.

Denis and Margaret Thatcher campaigning together in the 1983 general election

The truth is that drink does not break down into Left/Right, class, gender or even behavioural categories.

Tony Benn was a teetotaller whereas his Labour colleagues Roy Jenkins and Anthony Crosland were both enthusiastic tilt-merchants. Crosland, who introduced the comprehensive schools system and thereby did far more to alter (or wreck, depending on your view) this country than Benn, would hose himself down with three large gin-and-tonics before answering questions in the Commons.

The intellectual Crosland drank to overcome not only his nerves but also the boredom of politics, particularly in Opposition. When a Westminster colleague told him not to get so drunk, he retorted bitterly: How else is one to endure being here?

Jenkins, who liberalised laws against divorce and homosexuality  another significant legislative bequest  spent thousands of pounds on his cellar and was nicknamed Old Beaujolais.

Unsuccessful London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith looks awkward as he drinks a pint with Boris Johnson

Harold Wilson (himself a secretively heavy drinker) quipped that Jenkins was a good Chancellor  until seven oclock in the evening. That was when Jenkins would amble off to his London club, Brookss, and dive into the wine list.

Lib Dem grandee Sir Ming Campbell recalls that if invited to lunch chez Jenkins, there would always be very good drink such as Pomerol and Margaux, two of the noblest names in French wine.

Indeed, drink used to make British politics tick, and some of the 20th centurys biggest political names were as pickled as late-winter onions. Herbert Asquith, Liberal prime minister from 1908-1916, was known as Squiff (as in squiffy), such was his fondness for the bottle. He fell asleep one day on the Commons front bench. Doctors said he had hypertension.

Labour stalwart Ernest Bevin, Churchills right-hand minister during World War II, and later Foreign Secretary under the ascetic Attlee, was such a boozer that one of his secretaries said that he used alcohol like a car uses petrol.

Newly elected Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, toasts his victory with a glass of beer during a visit to a working man's club in his Huyton constituency in Liverpool in 1964

In the Sixties, Labours Foreign Secretary George Brown was so notorious a drunk that he gave rise to Private Eye magazines expression tired and emotional (a euphemism for stocious). Brown could be a political liability but the people liked him. Never a cautious careerist like todays uninspiring politicians. He was human.

That connection between ruled and their rulers is important for the health of democracy, even if it damages the liver of the MP in question.

In 1966, George Brown spoke at a banquet for Belgian politicians and boasted about the abilities of the British Army. Belgian soldiers, he declared, were utterly useless and spent their time in the brothels of Brussels.

Ha! Nowadays, whenever Ukips Nigel Farage makes a punchy speech at the European Parliament  for example, asking that non-event of a former European President, Herman Van Rompuy, who ARE you?  the Twittersphere goes into apoplexy because he has been rude.

What rot. There is not nearly enough honest, forthright rudeness in modern diplomacy.

Nigel Farage often enjoys a pint

Author Ben Wright reluctantly concludes that one celebrated story about Brown is apocryphal. Thats the one about him inviting a crimson-clad figure to dance at a diplomatic reception, only to be told that the tune was not a waltz but the Peruvian national anthem, and that the crimson-clad lovely was actually the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima.

But at a Hampton Court reception, Brown most certainly did congratulate the president of Turkey on being married to a corker of a girl. Then, when students of the Royal Ballet School began to dance, Brown told the Turkish head of state: You dont want to listen to this bull***t  lets go and have a drink.

Can we imagine todays Foreign Secretary, that dullard Philip Hammond, behaving in such a raffish way? If only.

Adolf Hitler never touched a drop of the hard stuff. Vladimir Putin is assiduously teetotal. But other colourful leaders from history have been boozers: not just Churchill but also Stalin, Pitt the Younger, Boris Yeltsin, Richard Nixon and, to a lesser degree, Margaret Thatcher.

Although the daughter of a Methodist, she liked whisky. She would relax into a hefty scotch or two at the end of the day. And why not?

For her husband Denis, drink was a companion, an amusement, a defining characteristic. It allowed him to present himself a harmless sot to the suspicious outside world, whereas, in fact, he was a major influence on his wife, steadying her resolve to repair British business.

Mrs Thatchers press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, recalls the ascending order of nouns Denis Thatcher used to describe his drinks: an opener, a brightener, a lifter, a tincture, a large gin and tonic without the tonic, a snifter, a snort, a snorter and a snorterino. One Thatcher, we can conclude, did like wets.

It has long been thus. Robert Walpole, Britains first prime minister, was a wine buff. Surviving receipts show that in 1733 he spent 1,118 at vintners James Bennett  equivalent today to more than 200,000. And no, he did not stick it on parliamentary expenses.

Walpole was mad about white Lisbon wine and Rhenish wine, Chateau Margaux claret and Chateau Lafite (he worked his way through a hogshead of Lafite  thats 66 gallons  every three months). He used some of it for entertaining.

Of course, drink was and remains, even in these censorious times, a lubricant in political schmoozing. It can also buy a mans affection, if not his loyalty.

Lord Strathclyde, recent leader of the House of Lords, uses the expression the corruption of good catering. When he was in the Cabinet, I used to visit him for occasional chats at his office in the Lords.

If someone like George Osborne (a half-of-lager-shandy girl at best) only went to pubs a little more, perhaps he would not be quite so priggishly pro-Brussels

He would plant a large Famous Grouse whisky in my palm, whatever the time of day, and invite me to sit in a deep, squashy armchair. It was hard to dislike Tom Strathclyde.

The new book quotes a Harvard psychologist, William James, who, in 1902, described the appeal of alcohol thus: The sway of alcohol is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticism of the sober hour. Sobriety diminishes, discriminates and says no; drunkenness expands, unites and says yes. It is, in fact, the great exciter of the Yes function in man.

Politics is a people business. The best politicians are often those who are most at ease with their fellow subjects in small-talk and joshing. If someone like George Osborne (a half-of-lager-shandy girl at best) only went to pubs a little more, perhaps he would not be quite so priggishly pro-Brussels.

Not being a drinker can be just as much of a problem as drinking too much. In the recent London mayoral election, Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith was pictured holding a pint of beer so oddly, it was pretty plain he had barely encountered one before. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband never looked comfortable with a beer, either.

It has to be said that drink can be deadly, as we saw with poor Charles Kennedy, the former Lib Dem leader who died young as a result of alcoholism.

Also, drink can be faked. On the election trail, Tony Blair used to pose with pints of bitter but I never saw him drain them. What a fraud he was.

It is claimed Blair thought he drank too much in power (the odd gin and maybe half a bottle of wine a night). Pah! He was a novice compared to someone like Horace King, Speaker of the Commons in the Sixties.

He drank sherry from breakfast (he regarded it as no more alcoholic than water) and may not have had the photographic memory of todays Speaker, John Bercow, but he was more popular, and you can see why.

One evening, the bibulous King entered the Chamber so plastered that he twice fell off the steps to the Chair. Labour Chief Whip Bob Mellish called out: Youre a disgrace, Horace, and Ill have you out of that chair within three months!

King, his Speakerly wig askew, gave Mellish a bloodshot look and hiccuped back: How can you get me out of the chair, Bob, when I cant get myself into it?
A gun-obsessed Albanian fugitive was at the centre of an international manhunt last night amid police fears he may have kidnapped the missing wife of a murdered pensioner.

Sylvia Stuart, 69, disappeared shortly before the body of her 75-year-old husband Peter was found with multiple stab wounds last Friday in woodland just 50ft from their isolated home in Weybread, Suffolk.

Yesterday police named Ali Qazimaj, 42, as the key suspect in Mr Stuart's murder and the disappearance of his wife.

Police say hopes of finding missing Sylvia Stuart (left) alive are fading. The body of her husband Peter (second from left) was found in an area of woodland on Friday evening only 50ft away from the isolated house the couple shared. The couple's son-in-law Steve Paxman (right), 61, is being questioned

Sylvia Stuart (pictured left), the missing wife of murdered pensioner Peter Stuart could be alive and with Ali Qazimaj (right), the man wanted on suspicion of stabbing her husband to death, police have revealed

Mr Stuart was found in woodland around 50ft from their isolated home. Pictured, forensic officers at the scene

But detectives believe the Albanian  who is linked to the couple's son-in-law Steve Paxman, 61  may have already fled the country after his car was discovered dumped in the Channel port of Dover.

Police said there was a 'remote' possibility that Qazimaj may have taken Mrs Stuart with him, but there was 'only a glimmer of hope that she was still alive'.

Detectives have warned the public not to approach the murder suspect, who neighbours described last night as a gun-obsessed loner who has previously bragged that he could kill someone and dispose of them in a barrel.

It has emerged a 61-year-old man from Leicester arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday, is believed to be the couple's son-in-law, Steve Paxman. He is still in police custody (police are pictured searching his home)

Investigation: Police and forensic teams have been searching the home of Ali Qazimaj in Tilbury, Essex today

His whereabouts were unclear as police said he could be in France or elsewhere in Europe, as he is known to speak Polish and is said to have lived in the former Yugoslavia and Prague.

Detectives have also been quizzing a man from Leicester arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday morning, who has now been named as the couple's son-in-law, Steve Paxman, who is married to their daughter, Christy, 41.

But he was released on police bail this morning.

It followed a search yesterday by teams of forensic officers of the couple's 300,000 house, where weapons including shotguns and cartridges were seen being removed from the property.

Discovery: The body of Mr Stuart (pictured) was found in an area of woodland on Friday evening only 50ft away from the house he shared with his wife

The two suspects are believed to have known each other as Qazimaj dated Mr Paxman's late stepmother, Helen Paxman. More recently Qazimaj moved to Tilbury in Essex from where he vanished on the same day the elderly couple went missing.

Yesterday neighbours said the Albanian, who previously worked for Thurrock Council, had bragged that he could kill someone. One 23-year-old woman said Qazimaj had once threatened to kill a neighbour during a row and boasted that he could pick locks and 'sort people out'.

She said: 'He would say stuff like he has got people in his country and if anyone did anything to him they would be gone.'

She added: 'He told a group of boys he would make them disappear. He said: "I'll stick them in a barrel and then no one would find them again".'

The woman, who said she was pestered by Qazimaj, added: 'He used to freak me out a bit. He would come home from work late. He would knock on my door and always said he could make my partner disappear if I wanted.

'He was always talking about making people disappear, he said he had made people disappear before with barrels.'

Another woman who lives nearby said: 'He said about two years ago he could get hold of guns and could kill someone. He had an argument with someone downstairs and he said after, 'I would kill someone.' I think his dad is from Prague and his mum is from Albania. He is a weird, horrible man.'

She claimed Mr Qazimaj had been agitated at work before he disappeared. The mother of two also said she thought firearms had been recovered from his property.

Last night a local hairdresser said Qazimaj, who is divorced and has a child with an ex-wife, had struck up a relationship with Steve Paxman's stepmother despite a 30-year age gap. She also claimed that Qazimaj, who was a regular in betting shops, had committed an offence in a betting shop in Basildon in 2009.

Abroad? There are fears Qazimaj may have fled to France, possibly with Mrs Stuart, after police discovered his car in Athol Terrace, Dover (main). Mr Stuart's body was found near his home in Webread, Suffolk (inset)

Search: Police outside the home of Christy and Steve Paxman in Loughborough, Leicestershire, this afternoon

Suffolk Police confirmed that Qazimaj had 'a connection' with the family of Mr and Mrs Stuart.

Last night forensics officers from Norfolk and Suffolk police were seen searching the home of the Stuarts' son-in-law Steve Paxman. Two cars, including at least one 4x4 vehicle, were seized.

Yesterday a resident said she had spoken to Mr Paxman on Saturday morning. She said he had appeared 'normal' and had not discussed the fact that his missing father-in-law had been discovered dead in woodland on Friday night.

The resident said: 'It was just a perfectly normal conversation  there was no indication that he was under any stress at all. He was just so normal, he was his usual friendly self.'

Yesterday Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Parkes said: 'While hopes for Sylvia's safety are reducing with the passage of time, there remains the possibility she is still alive. We are actively working to find Ali Qazimaj and determine his movements. The man arrested yesterday is still in custody.'

A keen gambler, gun-obsessed loner and former council worker: What is known about the fugitive wanted over the murder of a Suffolk pensioner and his missing wife... as it's revealed the stepmother of the couple's son-in-law was the suspect's lover

By Sam Tonkin for MailOnline

Neighbours have described him as a gun-obsessed loner and keen gambler, but much about Ali Qazimaj's background and his links to the Stuart family remain shrouded in mystery

Neighbours have described him as a gun-obsessed loner and keen gambler, but much about Ali Qazimaj's background and his links to the Stuart family remain shrouded in mystery today.

What has been revealed is that the fork-lift truck driver was once the lover of previously arrested Steve Paxman's stepmother.

Mr Paxman, who this morning was released on bail, is the son-in-law of murdered Suffolk pensioner Peter Stuart and wife Sylvia. She is still missing but feared dead.

Qazimaj, 42, and Helen Paxman are believed to have struck up a relationship in 2005 when he was 33 and she was 69.

Mrs Paxman is said to have taken the now fugitive into her home after the pair met through her brother, who ran a car dealership.

A neighbour at the flat in Thurrock, Essex, which the pair once shared told The Times: 'Ali was sleeping rough on the benches.'

David Skipper, 85, said of Mrs Paxman and Qazimaj: 'He was here about five or six years. She fed and clothed him and she bought him a car.

'I think they started a relationship from almost the beginning.

'She told me one day that "all he ever thinks about is sex". She took to wearing trousers with him but previously she had worn short dresses.'

Mrs Paxman is thought to have died two or three years ago.

Qazimaj's whereabouts are unclear as police said he could be in France or elsewhere in Europe, as he is known to speak Polish and is said to have lived in the former Yugoslavia and Prague.

Yesterday neighbours said the Albanian, who previously worked for Thurrock Council, had bragged that he could kill someone. One 23-year-old woman said Qazimaj had once threatened to kill a neighbour during a row and boasted that he could pick locks and 'sort people out'.

She said: 'He would say stuff like he has got people in his country and if anyone did anything to him they would be gone.'

She added: 'He told a group of boys he would make them disappear. He said: "I'll stick them in a barrel and then no one would find them again".'

It is believed that Qazimaj, who is divorced and has a child with an ex-wife, used to work for Thurrock Council's cleaning services department but had taken time off after a 'meltdown'.

Forensic teams and police officers were seen at the Essex home of Qazimaj, who may have fled to France

Yesterday, one neighbour who lives close to Qazimaj's flat in Tilbury, Essex, described him as 'a weirdo'.

'His behaviour has always been very odd whenever I have seen him,' the unnamed neighbour said.

'I thought he was a drug dealer to be honest.

'I can speak Polish so he would speak to me in Polish but he never gave anything away.

'I only ever saw him on his own - I am not aware that he lived there with anyone.'

Police arrived at the property on Sunday night and sealed off the communal bins and placed an officer at the entrance to the flat.

Another neighbour said: 'He would pass my window and smile at me but then he would stand there waiting for a response.

'I found it really creepy.

'I didnt know him at all as Ive not been here very long but he gave me the creeps.'

Qazimaj is described as white, around 5ft 6ins tall, with brown eyes and dark brown greying hair. He was last seen on Friday in Essex.

His car, a silver Citroen C3, was found in a residential area of Dover at around midnight on Sunday.

The vehicle has been searched and will be forensically examined.

Teams of forensic specialists and officers with dogs were yesterday searching the couple's home
He was once the UK's highest paid entertainer, winning the hearts of thousands with his songs, jokes and famous ukulele.

But it turns out one of George Formby's biggest fans was the Queen, with the monarch said to know the words to every song.

She once even received a letter asking her to be president of his official appreciation society due to her love of the Lancashire-born actor/singer.

The revelation comes as BBC Radio 2 is to broadcast a special musical tribute to Her Majesty, featuring a compilation of her favourite songs as revealed by those close to her.

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The Queen, left, is said to be a huge fan of George Formby, right, and was once asked to be president of his appreciation society, according to sources close to her

According to Eve Pollard, who will present Our Queen: 90 Musical Years, on Radio 2 on Sunday, the Queen is not stuck in the past.

Her musical tastes, former newspaper editor Miss Pollard tells this weeks Radio Times, take us from nursery rhymes in French, and emotional 1940s ballads that kept the nations hopes up during the war  such as Vera Lynns The White Cliffs Of Dover  to the present, with a song co-written by Gary Barlow.

Miss Pollard admits: I had no inkling that the one singing star the Queen is word perfect on is none other than the ukulele king George Formby.

The story of her fondness for his music says so much about her. It seems she received a letter from the George Formby Society asking her to be its president.

'Her correspondence secretary noted, I dont honestly think, if you dont mind me saying so, this is appropriate.

To which the Queen replied, Well, I do see that, but you see I love George Formby. Really? responded the secretary. Oh yes. I know all his songs and I can sing them.

The Queen is known to have a lovely singing voice, although no one outside the royal inner circle has heard it.

And her taste in music is, like most things in her life, much guessed at but not truly known.

However, by speaking to some of those closest to the Queen, Radio 2 has put together what it believes is the most accurate playlist yet of her musical favourites.

While some of the choices  military music and hymns  are no surprise, perhaps the most intriguing inclusion is a song by Take That star Gary Barlow.

Among the top 10 are songs by Gary Barlow, left, and the Commonwealth Band, and Howard Keel, right

And it seems the 90-year-old monarch is a fan of classic musicals as well as having a soft spot for the Thirties and Forties film star.

Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queens cousin, said: We did a lot of singing at Kensington Palace.

'Nobody thought it was odd after dinner if we put on a record and all sang Doing the Lambeth Walk, so music has always been part of her life.

The Queen loves the theatre and musicals like Show Boat, Oklahoma! and Annie Get Your Gun.

'These were the tunes that remained in ones head and were very danceable to. The Queen is a fantastic dancer. Shes got great rhythm.

The Queen learnt to dance the waltz, the slow waltz, the foxtrot and the quickstep, not to mention the samba, at an early age, Lady Elizabeth reveals.

The Queen's Top 10, pictured, as chosen by BBC Radio 2 after speaking to some of those closest to her

If you watch her at Trooping the Colour, you will see that shes tapping her toes. So military music means a lot to her, shes extremely knowledgeable about military music and loves massed bands, especially pipe bands.

Sing was performed for her by Barlow and the Military Wives choir at her Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012, and she is known to have an iPod on to which her staff and grandchildren download songs.

Unsurprisingly, given her deep Christian faith, two hymns  Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven and The Lord Is My Shepherd  feature.

Miss Pollard says: There are also some amazing stories of how the Queen [then Princess Elizabeth] and her sister, Princess Margaret, sang unaccompanied to the Westminster Abbey choirmaster so that the Queens favourite psalm could be played the way she liked it at her wedding.

The playlist includes a medley by US bandleader Lester Lanin, who played at the Queens 60th birthday party, and Leaning On A Lamp-post by Formby.
Thousands of breast cancer sufferers face being denied a game-changing drug because of red tape and cost concerns.

A landmark trial shows the daily pill halts advanced tumours in their tracks and enables patients to lead normal lives.

American watchdogs have given fast-track approval and the treatment is already being prescribed to 27,000 women in the US.

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Thousands of breast cancer sufferers face being denied a game-changing drug because of red tape and cost concerns (stock image)

It is not available in Britain however because the EUs medicines regulator has so far failed to reach a decision despite a ten-month review process.

Even when the pill is given a licence  probably at the end of this year  it will almost certainly be rejected as too costly by the Health Service rationing body NICE.

Called palbociclib, it could help up to 25,000 British women who have few treatment options other than drugs that temporarily slow the spread of their tumours.

Gisela Stuart, a former Labour health minister, condemned the regulatory delays, suggesting bureaucracy was failing women.

But a leading cancer charity said the bigger issue was the expected snub from NICE for a drug costing 7,000 a month.

The research unveiled in Chicago yesterday at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference  the worlds largest cancer meeting  showed that palbociclib kept tumours at bay on average for two years  nearly twice as long as standard treatments.

The ongoing trial involves 521 women with advanced breast cancer of whom half are taking palbociclib, and the rest standard tablets. In the first group, tumours have been held at bay for an average of 25 months. In the second group it is 14 and a half months.

Even when the pill is given a licence  probably at the end of this year  it will almost certainly be rejected as too costly by the Health Service rationing body NICE (stock image of cancer drugs)

Researchers expect many patients taking palbociclib will survive for years.

Described by experts as a game-changer, it works by blocking proteins that would otherwise fuel tumour growth.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, from the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: These findings are real evidence of progression-free survival and our anxiety levels have kicked in immediately because we are really worried patients are not going to get it in the clinic.

My worry is that it will get taken up in other countries.

YOGA BOOSTS BREAST CANCER PATIENTS Yoga could improve life for thousands of cancer patients, as a study shows that those doing two 75-minute sessions weekly for four weeks are less tired and generally happier. Out of a group of 245 women with breast cancer, 123 went on a course of YOCAS  yoga for cancer survivors  with a qualified tutor, while the others did not do any yoga. The sessions included breathing exercises, meditation and certain postures on a yoga mat. They were scored in advance on quality of life and fatigue, then questioned again after the test. Those who did the low to moderate-intensity yoga reported marks up by an average 44 per cent. The others scores stayed the same, said a study presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. Dr Anita Peoples, a researcher from the University of Rochester in New York, said: As yet, nothing has been found that works as well as yoga at improving quality of life among those who have suffered from the disease. It is safe, drug-free and has no side effects. Adrienne Betteley, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said many cancer patients suffer insomnia. She added: It makes sense that yoga ... is helpful in improving sleep disturbance and quality of life as a result. Advertisement

This is a really significant step forward in the management in advanced breast cancer. It could mean seeing the birth of your grandchild, being around long enough to see your children graduate.

Were talking about an average of ten months but it could be more. One reason for the delay in assessment by the European Medicines Agency, the EU drugs watchdog, is that manufacturer Pfizer did not submit all of its trial data.

But Mrs Stuart, who chairs the Vote Leave campaign, said the case was another example of EU red tape worsening cancer care.

The bureaucratic and sclerotic nature of Brussels is failing thousands of women across Europe by delaying access to life-extending drugs, she said.

She said the EU had previously worsened cancer care through a botched scheme aimed at speeding up access to breakthrough drugs  the Clinical Trials Directive  but which resulted in them taking longer to get the green light.

The EU has a disastrous record on cancer care, she added. The Clinical Trials Directive was devastating for cancer research, increasing costs and delaying the start of trials.

Gisela Stuart, a former Labour health minister, condemned the regulatory delays, suggesting bureaucracy was failing women

Dr Harold Burstein, an associate medical professor at Harvard Medical School who sits on the American Society for Clinical Oncologys breast cancer committee, said the process for approving breakthrough drugs tended to be far quicker in the US than in Europe.

The US Food and Drug Administration has been able to move drugs into the marketplace more quickly, he added.

They seem more willing to act on dramatic results shown in small numbers of patients.

The European Medicines Agency, which is based in London, is an arm of the EU responsible for licensing all new drugs.

It carries out rigorous checks to ensure treatments are safe and effective  a process which typically takes 14 months.
A woman accused of abducting a young boy reportedly disguised herself as an old woman so that she wouldn't be caught.

The suspect snatched the boy on May 30 in Henan, central China, while he was playing reports the People's Daily Online.

She then cut her own hair and dyed it grey to try and stop police from finding her and dressed the boy as a girl.

On the run: The suspect cut her hair and dyed it grey to evade capture after abducting a boy

The suspect at the police station: She was found 12 hours later at her home with the child in her care

Quick thinking: A concerned taxi driver took her picture after the young child wouldn't stop crying

The suspect, thought to be in her 40s, reportedly abducted the three-year-old child from Hui County in central Henan province at around 10am.

The boy's grandfather was working inside the home at the time and says he heard his grandson cry as he was taken.

When he looked for him, the boy was nowhere to be seen.

According to reports, the woman hired a taxi to get her and the boy to the bus station.

However the child attracted attention to them as he wouldn't stop crying.

Concerned with the welfare of the child, the taxi driver secretly took a picture of the woman and child, which was later used in the police investigation.

Surveillance footage shows the suspect right before the kidnapping took place in Henan province

Police followed the taxi driver's lead to the bus station but the woman and the child had already gone.

They posted notices online with a picture of the woman and the boy before eventually tracking them down to the village of Mo Pai, where the suspect was reportedly from.

At 7pm that evening, they found the abducted child in a local home.

The suspect had completely changed her appearance, becoming virtually unrecognisable, by cutting her hair short and dying it grey.

According to the woman's husband said she was childless and worked in a cake shop on weekdays. She had reportedly disappeared that day to visit relatives.

The child was reunited with his family on the same day and the suspect has been detained.

Police are currently investigating the incident.
A father who claimed he was trying to educate his naughty daughter accidentally threw a pair of scissors into her temple on June 3.

The 10-year-old was rushed to hospital in Shanghai after the 6-inch-long scissors became stuck in her head, reports the People's Daily Online.

The father claims he was trying to scare his daughter because she was playing while doing her homework but the girl cannot remember what happened.

Nasty injury: The father said he was trying to educate his daughter on June 3 when the incident occurred

Horrifying: According to reports, she was playing with her younger brother while doing her homework

Shocking incident: The scissors measured six inches long and had to be removed during surgery

According to her father, the girl was playing with her younger brother while she was doing her homework.

He had the scissors in his hands and was waving it around when it slipped and hit her.

The girl underwent hours of surgery to remove the scissors at Shanghai's Xinhua Hospital.

Doctors say that the tips of the scissors had narrowly missed piercing the main blood vessels of her brain near her right temple.

The girl is awake and talking but claims that she has lost part of her memory.

She told reporters from Shanghai TV that she does not remember the incident occurring only that she was doing her homework beforehand.

According to Chinese media, the girl's parents are migrant workers originally from Anhui province and currently work in Shanghai.

It's currently not clear whether the father will face charges for his actions.

Close call: According to reports, the blade narrowly missed piercing the girl's blood vessels
One person has been killed and 11 others injured after a tornado struck Wenchang on the Chinese island of Hainan on June 5.

The giant twister has uprooted 749 people from their homes and completely destroyed some 178 properties, reports the People's Daily Online.

Dramatic footages taken on the island captured the moment the skies darkened and the tornado began to grip the region.

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Powerful storm: The tornado hit the island of Hainan on June 5 killing one and injuring around 11 others

Destruction: The twister displaced 749 people and damaged more than a hundred homes in Hainan province

Sky went purple: Locals say the sky suddenly turned dark before the tornado suddenly hit their homes

Locals reported huge, dark clouds that covered the sky.

Footage from the storm shows the sky turning a grey purple colour before the tornado then approaches homes.

Palm trees can be seen violently swaying in the strong winds.

According to Chinese media, around nine villages were affected by the tornado with residents now in need of aid.

Those injured are not believed to be in critical condition.

Many injuries: A little girl was injured by falling debris from her collapsed home in Hainan province

The local government has already provided tents along with food and water for those affected.

One villager named Han Chuan told People's Daily reporters: 'When the tornado hit, my father was in the house yelling.

'I do not know what happened. When I rushed to him, I saw the roof had been ripped off and my dad managed to get away by squatting in the doorway.'

Another villager named Lin Yamei said that his neigbour's house fell to pieces instantly.

She said: 'After the house collapsed, two children along with their grandmother were buried in the rubble. The fire brigade arrived in time to get them out and take them to hospital.'

China's tropical regions have been heavily hit by severe flooding that has led to continued weather warnings from China's meteorological bureaus.

Rubble: The tornado has caused widespread damage in the region and displaced almost one thousand people
Dramatic footage has emerged of a quick thinking father throwing his daughter out of a burning building before jumping out himself.

Both father and daughter were caught by a group of neighbours holding bedsheets and taken to safety.

The incident occurred in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang province on the morning of June 5, reports the People's Daily Online.

Horrifying moment: The father resorted to desperate measures after a fire broke out in his apartment

Rescue attempt: People below hold out a sheet top catch the child after the father throws her towards them

Shocking: The man can be seen clinging to the side of the building before leaping to safety

The father, identified as Han, had been asleep at the time.

He recalled: 'I heard someone shouting fire and had intended to take the stairs with a towel soaked in water, but when I opened the door, I couldnt see the stairway.

Han, who lived in the apartment above the fire, decided to take a risk and jump out of the building.

In the video, black smoke can be seen pouring out of the windows of an apartment.

A group of people are stood underneath it holding out a sheet as Han appeared to shout instructions at them.

Han threw out his daughter, who could be seen landing on the sheet, before clambering down onto a ledge and then jumping down to safety.

Experts have applauded Mr Han's quick thinking ensuring that they escaped the building quickly

Both the father and the daughter were not injured in the process.

Firefighters later arrived at the scene and used a ladder to rescue three more tenants from the third floor of the building.

According to People's Daily, the fire was in a second floor apartment.

The living room was used as a warehouse and filled with goods and packaging from an online shop. These items somehow managed to catch fire.

Experts have applauded Mr Han for his escape efforts according to the report.

They said that the fire emergency was urgent and there was no room for hesitation.

As he lived on the third floor, it is much better to jump rather than if he was on the sixth floor but the sheet used wasn't really wide enough.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.
Scientists have started to grow human organs inside pigs, in an attempt to solve the worldwide shortage for transplants.

In the latest development in the controversial project, researchers have injected human stem cells into pig embryos, to produce human-pig embryos known as 'chimeras'.

The human-pig chimeric embryos will look like a normal pig's embryo, but one of their organs - the pancreas - will be made completely from human cells.

Scientists have started to grow human organs inside pigs, in an attempt to solve the worldwide shortage for transplants. The chimeric embryos will look normal but the pancreas will be made entirely from human cells

HOW THEY DO IT The researchers use new gene-editing techniques. With a small laser, researchers can cut a small hole in the outer layer of the embryos membrane. Then, they inject a synthesized molecule that can delete the pancreas gene. Once the DNA has been edited, they then make another hole in the membrane to inject human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). These are made from the skin of an adult human, and would reduce the risk of transplant rejection. The cells can turn into any kind of cell or tissue in the human body, and in a pig embryo, they have the same capabilities. But, it means they could go anywhere else in the body, including the brain. The researchers hope that the cells will work to take the place of the removed gene in the embryo to create a human pancreas. Once the iPS cells have been injected, the now-chimera embryo is surgically placed into the womb of an adult pig. The embryos are allowed to develop until their 28th day, when primitive structures begin to form, and then they are retrieved and dissected. Advertisement

To grow a human organ in an animal embryo the researchers, from the University of California, use new gene-editing technique.

The chimeras will be allowed to develop in the sows for 28 days before the pregnancies are terminated and the tissue removed for analysis.

Professor Pablo Ross, a reproductive biologist who is leading the research, told the BBC: 'Our hope is that this pig embryo will develop normally but the pancreas will be made almost exclusively out of human cells and could be compatible with a patient for transplantation.'

In the UK, Officials on the Home Office's Animals in Science Committee recently published a set of guidelines on how this type of research should be performed.

But in the United States, officials are still working to explore the ethical challenges, and the National Institute of Health has placed a moratorium on the funding of such projects.

In the lab, researchers have turned to alternative funding to continue their work, according to NPR.

They hope that their findings can work toward lifting the moratorium.

Each year, hundreds of people die while waiting for a transplant.

In one example of the potential applications for this technique, Professor Ross is working to grow a pancreas, which could one day be used to help patients with diabetes.

But critics say the research could lead to the development of organ farms.

Peter Stevenson from Compassion in World Farming told the BBC: 'I'm nervous about opening up a new source of animal suffering.

'Let's first get many more people to donate organs. If there is still a shortage after that we can consider using pigs, but on the basis that we eat less meat so that there is no overall increase in the number of pigs being used for human purposes.'

Scientists hope to use technology that inserts human stem cells (pictured) into animal embryos. This could lead to human organs being grown in animals to provide a supply for those waiting for organ transplants

There were 429 people who died in 2014 in the UK while waiting for vital organ transplants (a heart transplant is pictured) due to a shortage of appropriate donors. Scientists in the US were revealed to have conducted experiments using human animal hybrids with the aim of growing organs in pigs and sheep

HUMAN ORGANS IN FARM ANIMALS While the idea of using organs from animals such as pigs for human transplants has been around for some time, developments in stem cell cloning techniques has opened up the possibility of a new approach. Animal organs, like many human organs, will be rejected by the immune system of recipients without powerful supression drugs. But by using the stem cells taken from patients, scientists believe it may be possible to grow organs that are a perfect match for them, reducing the risk of rejection. It relies upon a cutting-edge fusion of technologies, including recent breakthroughs in stem-cell biology and gene-editing techniques. By modifying genes, scientists can now change the DNA in pig or sheep embryos so they are genetically incapable of forming a specific tissue. Then, by adding stem cells from a person, they hope the human cells will take over the job of forming the missing organ, which could then be harvested from the animal for use in a transplant operation. Advertisement

Other concerns relate to the possibility that the implanted human cells might migrate to the developing pig's brain and make it more human.

Professor Ross said this was unlikely but was a key reason why the research was proceeding with such caution.

'We think there is very low potential for a human brain to grow, but this is something we will be investigating,' he said.

To create the chimeras, named after the creatures from Greek mythology made up of more than one animal, scientists use CRISPR gene editing to remove DNA from a newly-fertilised pig embryo that would enable the resulting foetus to grow a pancreas.

This creates a genetic 'niche' or void. Then, human induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells are injected into the embryo. The iPS cells were derived from adult cells and 'dialled back' to become stem cells capable of developing into any tissue in the body.

The team behind the research hopes the human stem cells will take advantage of the genetic niche in the pig embryo and the resulting foetus will grow a human pancreas.

Around 20 animals have been impregnated with human-animal hybrids, which were created by injecting human stem cells into an animal embryo.
A private company is planning to make space history by becoming the first commercial venture to launch a mission beyond Earth's orbit.

Up until now, a regulatory hurdle has been preventing the plans from going ahead because it is the first mission of its kind.

Now the project is close to receiving approval, according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal.

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The Florida-based company Moon Express, which is partnering with Nasa, hopes to send scientific payloads to the Moon, in the hopes to eventually provide commercial services. Artist's impression of Moon Express lander on surface of the moon pictured

The Florida-based company, Moon Express, is partnering with Nasa, to send a 20lb package of scientific hardware to the moon next year.

Eventually, it wants provide commercial services to companies on Earth.

Such a move could pave the way for other private companies to get approval for their plans, paving the way for missions such as asteroid mining and space tourism.

Moon Express is now close to achieving 'mission approval' by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the WSJ, after months of lobbying.

THE BILLIONAIRE RACE FOR SPACE TOURISM In 1995, the St. Louis-based X Prize Foundation conceived the idea of a $10 (6.9) million reward for development of a privately financed, reusable spaceship capable of carrying three people to an altitude of 62 miles twice within two weeks. The X Prize announcement the following year was timed to an anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's nonstop flight from New York to Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927. He won the aviator the $25,000 (17, 320) Orteig Prize offered in 1919 for the trans-Atlantic flight. On 21 June, 2004 SpaceShipOne - designed by Rutan and funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen - soared more than 62 miles above the California desert and then glided to a landing at Mojave Airport as crowds cheered. It launched again on 29 September, reaching the required altitude and after launching on 4 October, X Prize founder Peter Diamandis announced the altitude was official and the SpaceShipOne team clinched the prize. Since then , three billionaires have been pitted against each other - Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin, Elon Musk with SpaceX and Richard Brandon with Virgin Galactic. Other competitors include Xcor with its spaceplane. XCOR Aerospace is based at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Its Lynx spacecraft, illustration pictured, seats two people - the passenger and a pilot - and tickets cost $95,000 (57,000). This is almost two thirds the price of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Advertisement

The company is among those competing for the Google Lunar X Prize, a $30 million (20.8 million) prize aimed to 'incentivise space entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable access to the moon and beyond.'

In order to win this money, a private company must land safely on the surface of the moon, travel 1,640ft (500 metres) on its surface, and send two signals back to the Earth.

'We believe it's critical for humanity to become a multi-world species and that our sister world, the moon, is an eighth continent holding vast resources than can help us enrich and secure our future,' the Moon Express website says.

During November and December 2014, Moon Express successfully conducted its lander test vehicle hot fires and initial flight tests. A thermal infrared image of Moon Express' MTV-1X test vehicle shown, undergoing a hotfire engine test at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

WHAT IS MOON EXPRESS? Moon Express hopes to mine our satellite for materials like platinum-group metals, rare earth metals, helium-3 and moon rocks. 'Most of the elements that are rare on Earth are believed to have originated from space, and are largely on the surface of the Moon,' the company says. The company has contracted, Rocket Lab, which wasfounded in New Zealand but is now headquartered in Los Angeles, to launch is robotic spacecraft. Rocket Lab will use its Electron rocket system to launch three missions ofMoon Express' MX-1 lunar lander spacecraft, starting in 2017. Advertisement

'The moon is unique in that its surface has remained relatively constant over billions of years.'

Moon Express was awarded $1 million (0.69 million) by Google last year as the only team shooting for the moon to flight test a prototype of its lander.

An FAA spokesman told WSJ the agency 'is currently working through the interagency process to ensure a mechanism is in place that permits emerging commercial space operations' such as Moon Express.

But the agency declined to elaborate until 'this process has concluded.'

Bob Richards, chief executive and a founder of Moon Express, said 'we've become a regulatory pathfinder out of necessity,' because in the past 'only governments have undertaken space missions beyond Earth orbit.'

The company has contracted, Rocket Lab, which wasfounded in New Zealand but is now headquartered in Los Angeles, to launch is robotic spacecraft.

A private company is planning to launch a small satellite to the Moon next year, in what would be the first commercial space mission to go beyond Earth's orbit. But a regulatory hurdle has been preventing the plans from going ahead, because it is the first mission of its kind

THE GOOGLE LUNAR X-PRIZE The $30 million prize to 'incentivise space entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable access to the moon and beyond.' 'More than half of the world's population has never had the opportunity to view a live transmission from the lunar surface,' say the organisers. The prize aims to create a new 'Apollo' moment for this generation and to spur continuous lunar exploration. In order to win this money, a private company must land safely on the surface of the Moon, travel 1,640ft (500 metres) on its surface, and send two signals back to the Earth. The Google Lunar XPrize, which started off with more than 25 teams, is currently in its final round, and a decision on funding is due to be made in 2016. Advertisement

Rocket Lab will use its Electron rocket system to launch three missions ofMoon Express' MX-1 lunar lander spacecraft, starting in 2017.

The launches will take place either from New Zealand, whereRocket Lab is building a South Island launch site, or from anAmerican range.

Rocket Lab uses battery-powered rocket engines that arecheaper than traditional engines and are quickly created using3D printers.

Moon Express hopes to mine our satellite for materials like platinum-group metals, rare earth metals, helium-3 and moon rocks.

'Most of the elements that are rare on Earth are believed to have originated from space, and are largely on the surface of the moon,' the company says.

'Reaching for the moon in a new paradigm of commercial economic endeavor is key to unlocking knowledge and resources that will help propel us into our future as a space faring species.

Private companies, including Elon Musk's Space X, Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin and RichardBranson's Virgin Galactic, are increasingly entering the spacebusiness following cuts to funding by Nasa.

SpaceX recently announced it will offer the first postal service to send packages to Mars starting in 2018, and prices start at $60 million (42 million).

Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com and owner of The Washington Post newspaper, said last month that Blue Origin expects to begin crewed test flights of the New Shepard, the company's flagship rocket (pictured) next year and begin flying paying passengers as early as 2018.

SpaceX plans to make that launch in 2018, although the Falcon Heavy rocket that will carry the company's Dragon capsule to will not have its first test flight until later in 2016. Nasa, which is aiming for a human mission to Mars in the 2030s, said it will provide technical support for SpaceX's first foray
3D printing technology is fast evolving, with companies now producing objects ranging from castles to lawn mowers.

But until now, no one has been able to print a 3D airplane that flies.

Now, European aerospace company, Airbus, has created a mini-plane, named Thor, which is the world's first 3D printed aircraft.

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Thor is a windowless drone that weighs in at 46 pounds (21 kilograms) and is less than four metres (13 feet) in length, looking more like a model airplane than the jets we would normally recognise

3D PRINTING PLANES The aircraft is completely 3D printed, except the electrical elements, which are built from a substance called polyamide. Both Airbus, and their rival, Boeing, are using 3D printing to make parts for some of their planes, such as the A350 and B787 Dreamliner. However, at only 46 pounds (21 kilograms) and less than four metres (13 feet) in length, Thor is the first time an entire aircraft has been 3D printed. Speaking at the International Aerospace Exhibition and Air Show, Detlev Konigorski, who was in charge of developing Thor, said: 'This is a test of what's possible with 3D printing technology. 'We want to see if we can speed up the development process by using 3D printing not just for individual parts but for an entire system.' Advertisement

The mini plane was presented at the Berlin air show this week.

Airbus have named the aircraft Thor - which stands for 'Test of High-tech Objectives in Reality.'

Thor is a windowless drone that weighs in at 46 pounds (21 kilograms) and is less than four metres (13 feet) in length.

Speaking at the International Aerospace Exhibition and Air Show, Detlev Konigorski, who was in charge of developing Thor, said: 'This is a test of what's possible with 3D printing technology.

'We want to see if we can speed up the development process by using 3D printing not just for individual parts but for an entire system.'

Despite its model-like appearance, the small pilotless propeller aircraft is a first in aviation technology, and could give a glimpse into a future where 3D printing technology could save time, fuel and money.

The aircraft is completely 3D-printed, except the electrical elements, which are built from a substance called polyamide.

According to the plane's chief engineer, Gunnar Haase, the plane 'flies beautifully, and is very stable.'

Both Airbus, and their rival, Boeing, are using 3D printing to make parts for some of their planes, such as the A350 and B787 Dreamliner.

Despite its model-like appearance, the small pilotless propeller aircraft is a first in aviation technology, and could give a glimpse into a future where 3D printing technology could save time, fuel and money

Speaking to AFP, Jens Henzler, managing director of Hofmann Innovation Group, said: 'The printed pieces have the advantage of requiring no tools and that they can be made very quickly.

'The metal parts produced can also be 30-50 per cent lighter than in the past, and there is almost zero manufacturing waste.'

However, 3D printing does not stop with planes - engineers are also looking to use it in space.

The European Space Agency (ESA) are planning to launch their Ariane 6 rocket in 2020, which is set to feature 3D printed parts.

Partially as a result of this, the Ariane 6 may have half the price tag of its predecessor Ariane 5.

Both Airbus, and their rival, Boeing, are using 3D printing to make parts for some of their planes, such as the A350 (left) and B787 Dreamliner (right)

The new 3D printers can make pieces up to 40 centimetres (15 inches) long and is of most use in particularly complex designs.

As well as saving time and money, 3D printing also has ecological benefits.

Lighter jets use less fuel than the traditional heavy jets, and this means they produce fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.

Air traffic is expected to double in the next 20 years, so a quick solution to reducing carbon emissions in aviation is vital.

A survey by Bitkom of 102 people working in the aviation sector showed that many of them believe 3D printing is the future of the aircraft industry.

In fact, 70 per cent of respondents believed that by 2030 aircraft spare parts will be printed directly at airports, and 51 per cent expect that entire planes will by then be manufactured by 3D printing.

The printed airplane has the advantage of requiring no tools and can be made very quickly




From listening to how the doors slam to getting behind the wheel and taking their chosen vehicle for a test drive, visiting showrooms has always been an important part of buying a new car.

But Cadillac, General Motor's luxury division in the US, is to dispense with cars entirely in its showrooms by instead offering customers virtual reality headsets to test out their vehicles.

The 'virtual showrooms' will allow customers to configure their car to how they would like it to look both internally and externally before being able to walk around it.

Virtual reality headsets (pictured) may be about to replace the traditional experience of visiting a car dealer by allowing customers to see how a car would really look with the colours and additional features they would like. It will mean showrooms no longer need to keep vehicles on display

GOOGLE AND IMAX DEVELOPING VIRTUAL REALITY MOVIES From the early animation of Mickey Mouse in 1928, to the more recent development of 3D film technology, the techniques used to wow cinema audiences are ever improving. Now for the first time, virtual reality - which until now has been available only on individual headsets - could be shown in cinemas, providing viewers with a new kind of immersive experience. The new technology is being developed through a collaboration between search giant Google and the big-screen cinema pioneers IMAX. They are developing a new ultra-high resolution virtual reality camera to enable filmakers to deliver the highest-quality three dimensional 360-degree content to audiences. IMAX will work with Google to design the new high-resolution cameras, using IMAX's experience of producing extremely high resolution three dimensional footage. The camera will be built combine with Google's Jump, the search giant's 360 degree 3D software, which is currently designed to be used with GoPro cameras. Advertisement

Cadillac have not said, however, whether customers will be able to actually get behind the wheel of their chosen automobile to take them on a virtual test drive.

The move is aimed at helping the brand compete in an increasingly competitive market as it has been suffering a difficult time against other luxury brands like BMW, Lexus and Audi.

It hopes that by adopting cutting edge technology in its showrooms, it will remove the need to maintain a stock of vehicles and instead produce cars to customers' requirements.

The company also plans to move its virtual showrooms into locations that are move convenient for shoppers rather than having traditional out of town car lots.

Announcing the 'virtual showrooms', Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac President, said shoppers would be able to quickly configure and envision multiple models with different colours and interior choices.

He said: 'Our recently announced $12 billion investment in product must be accompanied by corresponding upgrades to the customer experience.

'For all dealers, including multi-brand outlets, we should strive to create a premium showroom atmosphere and the sophisticated brand experience that luxury consumers expect.'

The company is expected to convert the smallest of its 925 dealerships into virtual showrooms.

Many of these currently operate in conjunction with showrooms selling other GM vehicles.

Cadillac expects around 400 small dealerships to move to its virtual showroom model, where they will no longer have cars that can be driven away by customers on the day.

Instead customers will be use touch screen computers and VR headsets to learn about the vehicles and a small number of test drive cars will be available for them to take for a spin.

Cadillac said its virtual showrooms will allow customers to select the colour, model and interior of vehicles before putting on VR headsets to experience the car for themselves (rendering of Cadillac's CTS Coupe)

The current method of buying cars by visiting a dealer and looking at the vehicles on their car lot (pictured) could vanish in coming years as car producers turn to virtual reality to let buyers experience their vehicles

Many believe other manufacturers could also turn to virtual reality to help them sell more of their vehicles and could ultimately see the idea of car lots being killed off altogether.

The move has received a mixed welcome from Cadillac dealers, but it could also help to reduce their overheads.

Will Churchill, owner of Frank Kent Cadillac in Fort Worth, Texas and head of Cadillac's dealer council, told the Wall Street Journal: 'They don't have to stock the 15 cars and hope that they have the right one. The data shows they probably don't.'
Remnants of burnt rock and charred bone discovered in a cave in south east Spain could be the earliest evidence of fire making in Europe.

The artefacts, which are believed to date back more than 800,000 years, were discovered by archaeologists at Cueva Negra, 80 kilometres west of Murcia.

Researchers say the remains are evidence that human ancestors may have regularly used controlled fires for cooking as far back as one million years ago.

Remnants of burnt rock (pictured) and charred bone discovered in a cave in south east Spain could be the earliest evidence of fire making in Europe. The artefacts, which are believed to date back more than 800,000 years, were discovered by archaeologists at Cueva Negra, west of Murcia in Spain

THE BLACK CAVE The site at Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Rio Quipar, located in south east Spain close to the city of Murcia, has been a site of archaeological interest for a number of years. Previous digs at the site have unearthed artefacts including bones and teeth, identified as Neanderthal, as well as remains of tools and animals killed or scavenged for food. Analysis of these finds has dated them to around 650,000 years ago, but researchers remain sceptical of the exact age due to difficulty in discerning clear layers of sediment and original position of fragment. A team, led by researchers at Murcia University believes that charred remnants of rock and bone found in the cave date back more than 800,000 years, based on evidence of the geomagnetic reversal in the surrounding layers  which would date to 780,000 years ago. The sediment shows hydroyapetite  the calcium phosphate compound which makes up bone  which had been left over from the burning of bone, at temperatures of 400C to 600C (7521,112F), which the team says is a clear sign they were burnt by fire. Advertisement

The team, led by Dr Michael Walker of the Murcia University, uncovered the scraps of bone and rock in a deep layer of sediment in the isolated cave.

Analysis indicates the fragments were heated to between 400C to 600C (7521,112F), which the team says is a clear sign they were burnt by fire.

The Black Cave is a rocky shelter located 780 metres above sea level under a cliff.

Excavations carried out at the site since 2011 have revealed tooth and bone fragments, dating its use to around 650,000 years ago during the Pleistocene period.

Previous digs have unearthed remnants of Stone Age tools by hunter gatherers in the area and traces of Neanderthal bones and teeth, indicating that human ancestors used the cave hundreds of thousands of years ago.

According to website Science News, the team was able to estimate a date for the charred remains based on the surrounding layers of rock, which show evidence of a reversal of the Earths magnetic field some 780,000 years ago.

But doubts have been raised about the age of artefacts uncovered at the Black Cave, citing the difficulty in discerning identifiable layers and the original position of fragments and artefacts.

While anthropologists have argued about the date for discovery of fire  with some estimates saying it may be two million years ago  the most solid evidence emerged in 2012 from sites in South Africa, with charred bones dating back to one million years ago.

Digs at the site have unearthed a range of charred and calcined bone fragments from the layers of sediment. Reproduced by kind permission of the copyright-holder MUPANTQUAT Murcian Association for the Study of Palaeoanthropology and the Quaternary, www.mupantquat.com

The 'Black Cave' is located at the bottom of a cliff, hundreds of metres above se level - it can be seen in the middle of the image. Reproduced by kind permission of the copyright-holder MUPANTQUAT Murcian Association for the Study of Palaeoanthropology and the Quaternary, www.mupantquat.com

The Cueva Negra evidence would support theories that fire-making was discovered first in Africa, before being taken to the Middle East and Europe.

Writing in the journal Antiquity, the group explained: 'The results provide new insight into Early Palaeolithic use of fire and its significance for human evolution.'

Scientists have proposed that the discovery of fire, and more specifically cooking, was one of the main driving events in human evolution and led to the physical changes which gave rise to modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens.

In one theory, British primatologist Richard Wrangham proposed that this early mastery of fire set early Homo on the path to modern humans - with their guts shrinking over time as cooked food was easier to digest, rerouteing energy which could be used for their expanding brains.

The artefacts, which are believed to date back more than 800,000 years, were discovered by archaeologists at Cueva Negra, 80 kilometres west of Murcia (labelled on map)

The excavation team carried out analysis of sediment fragments at the mouth of the cave. Reproduced by kind permission of the copyright-holder MUPANTQUAT Murcian Association for the Study of Palaeoanthropology and the Quaternary, www.mupantquat.com

Dr Michael Walker, an Emeritus professor at Murcia, who led the research, told MailOnline: 'Of enormous significance here, from the standpoint of human evolution, is that it implies early humans a million years ago had lost the fear of fire that causes other animals to flea before it.

'It implies an evolution of human cognitive awareness far beyond that of the great apes of the African jungles, or even the two-legged Australopithecine hominids of between four and two million years ago in Africa.'

He added that while some authorities have claimed there is evidence of fire at open air African Stone Age sites as far back as 1.6 million years ago, it is more likely that these were caused by lightning strikes or volcanic activity.
The browser you use could reveal more about you than you think.

When it comes to levels of commitment in the workplace Safari and Explorer users may be lacking.

That's according to new book, titled Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, which also suggests that people who use Firefox or Chrome are more likely to remain in their jobs.

On PC, Internet Explorer is the default browser (left), while on a Mac, the computer comes pre-installed with Safari. Firefox (right) must be downloaded

POPULARITY OF BROWSERS Chrome: 41.6% Internet Explorer: 41.3% FireFox: 9.76% Safari: 4.91% Opera:1.89% Konqueror: 0.01% Source: NetMarketShare Advertisement

Author, Professor Adam Grant, used research led by Michael Housman, which looked at 30,000 customer service agents in order to determine their commitment to their job.

Mr Housman suspected that the workers' employment histories would give the biggest indication of their job commitment.

However, his results showed that employees who had held five jobs in the past five years were not any more likely to leave their positions than those who had stayed in the same job.

Instead, Mr Housman's team looked at the internet browsers that each employee used.

Surprisingly, the results showed that employees who used Firefox or Google Chrome to browse the web remained in their jobs 15 per cent longer than those who used Internet Explorer of Safari.

To test this theory further, Mr Housman then ran the same test for absences from work.

The second test showed a pattern - Firefox and Chrome users were 19 per cent less likely to miss work than internet Explorer and Safari users.

Results also showed that choice of browser affected performance.

The Firefox and Chrome users had significantly higher sales, and their call times were shorter.

Their customers were happier too - 90 days from starting their job, the Firefox and Chrome users had customer satisfaction levels that Internet Explorer and Safari users reached only after 120 days at work.

Professor Adam Grant presented the findings of his new book, called Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World at a Ted talk (pictured)

Professor Grant suggests that the choice of browser preference signals about the employees habits.

The main difference was how the employees obtained their browser.

On PC, Internet Explorer is the default browser, while on a Mac, the computer comes pre-installed with Safari.

Almost two thirds of the customer service agents used the default browser, never questioning whether a better one was available.

Making the effort to actually download Firefox or Chrome demonstrates some resourcefulness, and shows initiative.

Speaking to Freakonomics Radio, Mr Housman said: 'I think that the fact that you took the time to install Firefox on your computer shows us something about you. It shows that youre someone who is an informed consumer.

'Youve made an active choice to do something that wasnt default.'

Professor Grant suggests that this initiative could also be shown in the agents' work - those who took the initiative to change their browsers to Firefox or Chrome tailored their job description around them, creating the jobs they wanted.

There may also be other factors in play which affect your commitment to your job which were not looked at in this study.
When the mating ritual can win you a female's heart or get you eaten, looking like an insect may seem to be a bad idea if you're a spider.

But one newly discovered species appears to have found this approach can work to its advantage as it carries the distinctive pattern of a wasp on its body.

The tiny creature, which measures less than a fifth of an inch (5mm), is one of a seven new species of peacock spider to have been discovered by scientists.

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Seven new species of peacock spider have been discovered by biologists in Western Australia, including one that has distinctive patterns on its abdomen that appear to resemble a wasp to human eyes. Biologists think the male spider, called Maratus vespa (pictured), uses this to hold the attention of the drabber females

WHAT ARE PEACOCK SPIDERS? Peacock spiders are a type of jumping spider that live generally on the ground or in low bushes in Australia. Each has a series of flaps round their abdomens that they raise up to display during courtship or when competing against rival males. When a male peacock spider senses a female it begins the mating ritual by lifting its legs and flashing its stomach in a sequence that looks like a dance routine. Their courtship dances involve a complex series of ritualised movements as they waggle their legs in the air and vibrate their abdomens. The females carefully study the colouring, vibrations and movements of the male to make sure the potential suitor is healthy and the correct species to mate with. Once he has mated, he will repeat this dance with as many females as he can find and Maratus spiders can have multiple partners at one time. Advertisement

Each of the male eight-legged show-offs boasts colourfully designed flaps around their abdomens that they raise up to form a fan while performing an intricate dance.

They perform these rituals in the hope of attracting a female, but also risk being eaten if they fail to suitably impress their potential partner.

The new species, discovered by biologist Dr Jurgen Otto and his colleague David Knowles in various locations along the south coast of Western Australia, bring the total number of known peacock spiders to 48.

Dr David Hill, a spider expert in South Carolina, has helped to describe and name the new spiders.

Among them is one curious species the scientists have named Maratus vespa for the distinctive pattern on its fan that appears to resemble a wasp.

During its dance the male Maratus vespa rotates is abdomen from side to side, helping to mesmerise the female.

Scientists believe the outline may mimic a species of wasp that perhaps preys on the spiders, meaning the male can hold the female's attention and avoid becoming a meal.

However, the wasp could also be a potential prey for the females, meaning the male is courting death as much as the female.

Dr Otto told MailOnline: 'It is an intriguing pattern, and of course I also wonder whether this indeed resembles a wasp to a spider's eye, or whether it is just a product of human imagination.

The new species of spiders brings the total number of known peacock spiders to 48. All are found around in Australia and perform elaborate dances by vibrating their abdomens and waving their legs to win a mate. Maratus vespa (pictured) also rotates its abdomen in an usual way, the biologists said

The brightly coloured Maratus bubo (pictured), one of the seven new species, features bright red, blue and orange patterns on its fan. With two red eye spots and a red head it looks more like the outline of a mask

'But even three red dots on top resemble the three single eyes wasps have. It could be that wasps prey on these spiders and therefore the female pays attention to this pattern.

'The male by mimicking it would certainly get attention.'

Dr Otto and his colleagues have been studying and photographing peacock spiders for years.

His footage of other peacock spiders have become Youtube hits as the males desperately gyrate and wave their legs in an attempt to win over their drabber female counterparts.

Dr Otto and his colleagues have described the seven new species they found in the journal Peckhamia.

Peacock spiders are a type of jumping spider that live generally on the ground or in low bushes.

The tiny peacock spiders measure less than a fifth of an inch, yet have some of the most intricate mating displays in the animal kingdom. Maratus lobatus (pictured) is another of the new species and appears to have large 'ears' on either side of its blue abdomen

Maratus vultus (pictured) is another of the new species to have been discovered by Dr Jurgen Otto and his colleagues on the south coast of Western Australia

Each has a series of flaps round their abdomens that they raise up to display during courtship or when competing against rival males.

Their courtship dances involve a complex series of ritualised movements as they waggle their legs in the air and vibrate their abdomens.

Recent research found that the vibrations produced by the males play a key role in helping to communicate to with the females.

Among the other new species to be discovered is the brightly coloured Maratus bubo, which features bright red, blue and orange patterns on its fan.

Male peacock spiders risk being eaten by the females they are attempting to attract if she is not interested. Maratus bubo (pictured) has one of the brightest colours of all the species to be discovered

The male spiders have flaps on either side of their abdomen that they raise up to create a fan. By moving their legs around in the air, they perform a ritualised dance to attrack a mate (Maratus vultus pictured)

With two eye spots towards the top of the fan, the tiny spider looks like it might be carrying a mask of some kind on its back.

Dr Otto and Mr Knowles found this species while searching for another colourful spider they have nicknamed Hokey Pokey due to its dance.

Another of the tiny creatures, named Maratus lobatus, appears to have large 'ears' on either side of its blue abdomen.

The scientists also found two other brightly coloured species Maratus australis and Maratus vultus.

Some of the new species are less brightly coloured and do not raise their abdomens. Instead they rely upon leg movements, like Maratus tessellatus (pictured), which has one of the fastest leg waving seen by scientists

The male spiders sometimes use their elaborate dispalys to ward off rival males as well as to attract a mate. The new species Maratus australis is pictured

Dr Otto said the display of Maratus vespa can go on for several mintues as it moves its abdomen from side to side. The female appears to be mesmerised by the performance (pictured)

Dr Otto said: 'There are a number of very intriguing patterns and one wonders what they all mean. 'Why is it they evolved? What do females find attractive about them? The only one who can tell is the female.'

CAN SPIDERS COUNT? Scientists have suggested that golden orb-web spiders may be able to count. The arachnids create prey larders of victims trapped in their webs and it appears that they are able to keep track of how many meals they have left. Scientists observed that the spiders search for missing prey when it is taken from their webs. Golden orb-web spiders (Nephila clavipes) wait for prey to fly into their webs, but dead insects are sometimes stolen from their sticky nets by other spiders. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee controlled the number of prey items in the spiders larders by giving them mealworm larvae and taking them away again. They discovered that the arachnids search for them if they are removed from their web. Advertisement

Two of the peacock spider species discovered - Maratus tessellatus and Maratus albus  were found to differ in their approach. Rather than having elaborate fans, the pair did not raise their abdomens, or opisthosomas in their mating dance.

Instead, they rely upon leg work to entice a mate. Maratus tessellatus moves its legs so fast that they appear to just be a blue.

Dr Otto said: 'It is probably the fastest leg mover I have encountered so far.'

He added that he had been surprised by the diversity that seems to exist among the peacock spiders.

He said: 'Initially, in 2008 I photographed only one species, and later filmed that, Maratus volans. And then one species after another turned up.

'Each of these with different patterns and different behaviour. For example species that had no flaps but extended their spinnerets and wiggled them around.

'Other species only lift one leg at a time. And now, with vespa, a species that does something very interesting again, rotating the abdomen from one side to another.

'The diversity of this group keeps surprising everyone who works with them. You always wonder what the next one will look like and what it does.'
They were the original Americans, making the move from Asia across an ancient land bridge to Alaska during the Ice Ages.

How they made their way south into the Americas some 15,000 years ago has remained a talking point among anthropologists.

But a new study of fossils from ancient bison which roamed the continent has provided a clue.

Researchers believe these first human colonists of the region must have used a Pacific coastal route to reach the present-day US, rather than a land corridor through the Rocky Mountains as many had believed.

The steppe bison of the Pleistocene (Bison priscus - skull pictured) were much larger than modern bison, and divided into two distinct northern and southern populations when two large ice sheets merged around 21,000 years ago

A TRAIL OF BISON BREADCRUMBS Researchers believe the first human colonists of the Americas must have used a Pacific coastal route to reach the present-day US from Alaska, rather than a land corridor through the Rocky Mountains as many had believed. But DNA analysis of fossils from the region has thrown up clues to when and how people moved. Steppe bison of the Pleistocene (Bison priscus) were much larger than modern bison (Bison bison). DNA analysis indicates that they were divided into two distinct northern and southern populations when two large ice sheets merged 21,000 years ago. Looking at fossils from the Rocky Mountain corridor allowed the researchers to track the movement of northern bison southward, and southern bison northward. Archaeological evidence suggests that human migration within the corridor was mostly from south to north. Advertisement

Examining DNA evidence from thousands of steppe bison fossils, geneticists from the University of California, Santa Cruz have been able to plot movements of these beasts and with it the people who hunted them.

Their research shows that human movement along the Rocky Mountain corridor was mainly from south to north, and not the other way around.

Earlier geological studies from the 1970s suggested that the corridor was used by humans moving southwards, having crossed from Asia via a land bridge at what is now the Bering Strait.

New evidence shows that two great ice masses, the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets, merged into a single unit around 21,000 years ago, closing the corridor much earlier than previously thought.

This took place at the height of the last ice age, well before any humans colonised the south.

The earliest evidence of human occupation dates to about 15,000 years ago, while this research shows that the corridor was not fully open until about 13,000 years ago.

The researchers used radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis of fossil remains to track the movements of steppe bison in the corridor.

Researchers believe the first human colonists of the Americas must have used a Pacific coastal route to reach the present-day US from Alaska, rather than a land corridor through the Rocky Mountains as many had believed.

The steppe bison of the Pleistocene epoch (Bison priscus) were much bigger than modern bison, and divided into two distinct northern and southern populations when the ices sheets merged.

Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC, has shown that the two were genetically distinct by the time the corridor opened.

Genetic analysis of fossils from the corridor allowed the researchers to track the movement of northern bison southward, and southern bison northward.

Sites associated with the Clovis culture and its distinctive fluted point technology were widespread south of the corridor around 13,000 years ago, but less so to the north.

'When the corridor opened, people were already living south of there.

'Those people were bison hunters, so we can assume they would have followed the bison as they moved north into the corridor,' Shapiro said.

The research is reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
There has long been considerable debate around who the first people in Australia were.

But new evidence seems to confirm that Aboriginal people were the first to inhabit the continent.

The research from Griffith University, backs up an earlier study that claimed to recover DNA sequences from the oldest known Australian - 'Mungo Man'.

There has long been considerable debate around who the first people in Australia were. But new evidence seems to confirm that Aboriginal people were the first to inhabit the continent

WHO WAS 'MUNGO MAN'? Mungo Man lived on the shores of Lake Mungo About 42,00 years ago, Mungo Man lived around the shores of Lake Mungo with his family. When he was young Mungo Man lost his two lower canine teeth, possibly knocked out in a ritual. He grew to be 1.7 metres in height. As Mungo Man grew older his bones ached with arthritis, especially his right elbow, which was so damaged that bits of bone were completely worn out or broken away. Mungo Man reached a good age for the hard life of a hunter-gatherer, and died when he was about 50. Source: Visit Mungo Advertisement

This earlier study was previously interpreted as evidence that Aboriginal people were not the first Australians.

People thought that the DNA sequences suggested that Mungo Man represented an extinct lineage of modern humans that occupied the continent before Aboriginal Australians.

However, the team from Griffith University, used new DNA sequencing methods to re-analyse the remains of Mungo Man from the Willandra Lakes region, in far western New South Wales.

Professor Lambert, from Griffith University said it was clear that incorrect conclusions had been drawn in relation to Mungo Man in the original study.

He said: 'The sample from Mungo Man which we retested contained sequences from five different European people suggesting that these all represent contamination.

'At the same time we re-analysed more than 20 of the other ancient people from Willandra.

'By going back and re-analysing the samples with more advanced technology, we have found compelling support for the argument that Aboriginal Australians were the first inhabitants of Australia.'

Professor Lambert added that the results suggest that more advanced genomic technology could be capable of unlocking further secrets from Australia's human past.

He said: 'This represents the first time researchers have recovered an ancient mitochondrial genome sequence from an Aboriginal person who lived before the arrival of the Europeans.'

The research has just been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

There has been considerable debate in Australia and around the world about the origins of the first Australians since the publication in 1863 of Thomas Henry Huxley's Man's Place in Nature.
and turn on suit at precise time when needed

Batman's suit is fitted with cutting-edge features that helps the caped crusader fight crime.

And now a group of California-based researchers have developed an 'exosuit' that gives soldiers and the aging population 'superhuman' strength.

Called Superflex, this wearable uses motion sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to read the speed and angles of the owner's legs and adjust its movements accordingly.

Scroll down for video

Agroup of California-based researchers have developed an 'exosuit' that gives soldiers and the aging population 'superhuman' strength. Called Superflex, this wearable uses motion sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to read the speed and angles of the owner's legs and adjust its movements accordingly

HOW DOES SUPERFLEX WORK? What makes Superflex worthy of a superhero is that it has onboard sensory that learn the wearer's movements, which is used to turn on the power at the precise moment it is needed. The current prototype is a soft suit that fits most body types. It sends out a jolt of supporting power to the legs, arms or torso when users needs some extra help with a heavy load or, as for the elderly, walking assistance. Since the suit only kicks the power on when the wearer needs it, it has a much longer battery life compared to those that are constantly in motion or powered. Advertisement

As part of DARPA's Warrior Web Program, this technology is being used to prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries caused by dynamic events typically found in combat zones.

The team behind this innovation spun out of SRI International last month and is still working to refine the prototype, but they are also seeking partners to start commercializing.

What makes this suit worthy of a superhero is that it has onboard sensory that learns the wearer's movements, which is used to turn on the power at the precise moment it is needed.

The current prototype is a soft suit that fits most body types.

It sends out a jolt of supporting power to the legs, arms or torso when users needs some extra help with a heavy load or, as for the elderly, walking assistance.

A walker is a cost effective solution for those who have issues with mobility, but 'it completely disempowers, removes dignity, removes freedom, and causes a whole host of other psychological problems,' SRI Ventures president Manish Kothari says.

'Superflex's goal is to remove all of those areas that cause psychological-type encumbrances and, ultimately, redignify the individual.'

Batman's suit is fitted with cutting-edge features that helps the caped crusader fight crime, but Superflex was developed for soldiers and the elderly. Since the suit only kicks the power on when the wearer needs it, it has a much longer battery life compared to those that are constantly in motion or powered

This technology was developed to help a senior with shaky hands maintain a steady grip.

Or a soldier could wear the 'exosuit' to conserve energy while carrying a heavy pack.

Since the suit only kicks the power on when the wearer needs it, it has a much longer battery life compared to those that are constantly in motion or powered.

'For an elderly or general population with reduced mobility due to injury or disease, [the suit] could restore mobility and independence and therefore increase the quality of life,' says Volker Bartenbach, an exoskeleton researcher at ETH Zurich, who is not involved with Superflex.

What makes this suit worthy of a superhero is that it has onboard sensory that learn the wearer's movements, which is used to turn on the power at the precise moment it is needed. The current prototype is a soft suit that fits most body types

Bartenbach explains that it could give people the power to climb stairs again.

This technology could increase productivity and reduce the number of injuries in the workplace.

Superflex isn't the first exoskeleton designed to give humans superhuman strength, but this variant uses muscle-like actuation, comfortable and soft skin attachment, and electronically releasable spring elements to minimize mass, bulk, and noise as well as eliminate constraints on natural joint motions.

As part of DARPA's Warrior Web Program, this technology is being used to prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries caused by dynamic events typically found in combat zones. The team behind this innovation spun out of SRI International last month and is still working to refine the prototype

Panasonic has designed its own line of exoskeletons that turns industrial workers and sportsmen into Iron Man.

The Assist Suit AWN-03 gives you the power to repeatedly pick up hefty items without straining your back and the PLN-01 'NINJA' helps you get over the roughest terrain and not break a sweat.
Israel's General Robotics has developed tiny 'combat robots' that can climb stairs, traverse difficult terrain, and perform with greater accuracy than a human.

Called 'Dogo,' the remote-controlled system is equipped with a fully loaded Glock pistol and eight cameras to create a 360 degree view.

Despite its small size, the lightweight robot is designed to go up against a range of targets, allowing it to aim at a standing person or even hit an enemy hiding under the bed.

Scroll down for video

Israel's General Robotics has developed tiny 'combat robots' that can climb stairs, traverse difficult terrain, and perform with greater accuracy than a human. The remote-controlled system is equipped with a fully loaded pistol and eight cameras to create a 360 degree view

THE TINY TANK ROBOTS Dogo contains a 9mm Glock pistol and has enough batter power to complete a 2-5 hour mission. It has eight cameras, giving it a 360 degree view around the entire vehicle. The robot is controlled by remote, and a 'Point & Shoot' interface lets the operator aim at a target by touching it as it appears on the screen. Weapons can be aimed very low or very high, allowing them to hit targets that are lying on the floor, or standing up at a close range. Advertisement

Dogo weighs just 26.5 lbs and holds enough battery power for a 2-5 hour mission, according to Defense Update.

Along with a Glock 26 pistol, it also contains non-lethal equipment, including pepper spray or a 'dazzler' that can temporarily blind an aggressor from 5-10 meters away.

Using a 'Ranger' Remote Control Unit (RCU), operators can control the actions of the robot with a joystick, and aim at targets through the 'Point & Shoot' interface.

This can be done by touching the target as it appears on the screen, DU explains.

The fully loaded 9mm Glock 26 contains 14 cartridges and is kept in a locked case.

With a remote controlled arm mechanism, the weapon can quickly be attached to the robot.

The fully loaded 9mm Glock 26 contains 14 cartridges and is kept in a locked case. With a remote controlled arm mechanism, the weapon can quickly be attached to the robot, pictured above. So far, operators have been able to engage the weapon and fire five rounds in two seconds

So far, operators have been able to engage the weapon and fire five rounds in two seconds, after just a short amount of training according to DU.

The robot was designed to be used by Special Forces, SWAT teams, and Infantry missions, with potential to assist in combat missions involving urban assaults, and counter-terrorism operations.

Its small size makes it easily portable, and two can be used at once to ensure a target is more effectively covered.

And, the robots are designed to hit targets that are much taller than they are.

Weapons can be aimed very low or very high, allowing them to hit targets that are lying on the floor, or standing up at a close range, DU explains.

Despite its small size, the lightweight robot is designed to go up against a range of targets, allowing it to aim at a standing person or even hit an enemy hiding under the bed.

Using a 'Ranger' Remote Control Unit (RCU), operators can control the actions of the robot with a joystick, and aim at targets through the 'Point & Shoot' interface. This can be done by touching the target as it appears on the screen

These capabilities mean they have 'certain advantages over the human warfighter,' Shachar Gal, VP Business Development at General Robotics, Dogo told DU.

Dogo contains six cameras that create a 360 degree view around the entire vehicle, using two additional cameras to provide views for the weapon and payload.

The robots can even be used to intercept hostage situations, using two-way audio and encrypted communication to listen in.
Cody Reeder

Name: Cody Reeder

Sex: Male

Age: 22

Occupation: Mechanic

Reason for going to Mars: I grew up on an off grid ranch in the west desert of Utah, so Mars will be like home. The experiences I have had and my ability to think in logical ways that no one else does has allowed me to find novel working solutions to problems. I am also a very friendly person that gets along with everyone so I could do very well here on Earth, in fact leaving would be a huge loss for the planet; it is for precisely this reason that I am greatly needed in this endeavor to colonize a new world.

Peter Degen-Portnoy

Name: Peter Degen-Portnoy

Sex: Male

Age: 51:

Occupation: Software engineer

Reason for going to Mars: I have dreamed of travelling through space to live on another world all my life and am so very excited that Mars One is making this a possibility.

George W. Hatcher

Name: George W. Hatcher

Sex: Male

Age: 35

Occupation: PhD student

Reason for going to Mars: When I was three, I told my parents I wanted to be an astronaut. By the time I was eleven, I had set a goal: Mars. I have followed that dream ever since.





Peter Felgentreff

Name: Peter Felgentreff

Sex: Male

Age: 50

Occupation: Network security entrepreneur

Reason for going to Mars: I've been confident that someday people would return to the the moon and even journey beyond. I'm both surprised and delighted to see that private companies are making man's next step possible. I'm motivated and eager to do my part in moving us beyond our own planet.

Kay Radzik Warren

Name: Kay Radzik Warren

Sex: Female

Age: 54

Occupation: Architectural project manager

Reason for going to Mars: All my life I've always thought of our species as ever-growing and evolving, and interplanetary settlement makes sense. It's a dream-come-true to be this much closer to being a part of what's to be a growing settlement on Mars. It has always been a goal to make a difference, to be part of the difference.

Christopher Patil

Name: Christopher Patil

Sex: Male

Age: 43

Occupation: Scientific language editor

Reason for going to Mars: I fell in love with Mars as a boy watching Sagan's 'Cosmos', which convinced me that colonization of Mars is essential and inevitable.

Dan Carey

Name: Dan Carey

Sex: Male

Age: 53

Occupation: Computer professional

Reason for going to Mars: I am a husband, father, and computer professional. But more importantly for Mars One, I am a child of the Space Age. I absorbed the optimism and can-do spirit of that time, as well as a trust in science and technology to make our world and our lives better.

Cassandra Morphy

Name: Cassandra Morphy

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Occupation: Mathematical reporting

Reason for going to Mars: Going to space has been one of my life-long goals since before I can remember; going to Mars has been one since I first heard the idea of colonizing it.

Matthew Kliebert

Name: Matthew Kliebert

Sex: Male

Age: 27

Occupation: Computer system repairman

Reason for going to Mars: I have always been the adventurist type and the one to explore the unknown.

Name: Carl LeCompte

Carl LeCompte

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Occupation: Programmer

Reason for going to Mars: The idea of not just try to survive, but thrive, in an alien environment has always held a strange sort of fascination to me... I feel it's the next big step in the human evolution, and I want to be a part of it

Name: Dr Elena Shateni

Dr Elena Shateni

Sex: Female

Age: 58

Occupation: Medical doctor

Reason for going to Mars: I want to take care of our crew on Mars. I want to learn about aspects of psychological adaptation to humans isolated on Mars and how the best way to handle long term low gravity, radiation and other environmental problems.

Name: Benjamin Alan McLain

Benjamin Alan McLain

Sex: Male

Age: 31

Occupation: Singer

Reason for going to Mars: I would like to go to Mars because I'm curious. I would like to go to Mars because I believe that planet may hold the answers to some of the greatest unknowns that exist in science.

Zachary Gallegos

Name: Zachary Gallegos

Sex: Male

Age: 27

Occupation: Graduate student in planetary science

Reason for going to Mars: I want to go to Mars not just to be a part of history, but to be on the frontier of exploration so that I could do science on Mars and inspire people around the world.

Oscar Mathews

Name: Oscar Mathews

Sex: Male

Age: 32

Occupation: Nuclear engineer

Reason for going to Mars: We can be the generation that begins this journey... the best reason to go because it's possible.

Laurel Kaye

Name: Laurel Kaye

Sex: Female

Age: 20

Occupation: Physics and pre-medicine student

Reason for going to Mars: this is something that's inspirational. It will lead to new scientific discoveries, it will bridge barriers across countries, and it will provide something that people look forward and aspire to for generations to come.

Sue Ann Pien

Name: Sue Ann Pien

Sex: Female

Age: 35

Occupation: Educator

Reason for going to Mars: I've always wanted to be an astronaut. It was first dream and first love as a kid.

Sara Director

Name: Sara Director

Sex: Female

Age: 26

Occupation: Project manager

Reason for going to Mars: I just believe in humanity and in our ability to grow and evolve into something much greater than what we currently are, and I really just want to contribute to that really part of our history that is just on the horizon.

Shirelle Erin Webb

Name: Shirelle Erin Webb

Sex: Female

Age: 22

Occupation: Paramedic

Reason for going to Mars: Participating in the colonization of Mars is the adventure of the century. This opportunity beats all others. This is a huge step for the advancement of mankind.

Andrew Tunks

Name: Andrew Tunks

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Occupation: Health care technology

Reason for going to Mars: In short, I want to reduce suffering in the world. This is just a different way of being a part of something bigger than myself.

Name: Carmen Paul

Carmen Paul

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Occupation: National Guardsman

Reason for going to Mars: I think a successful manned mission to Mars would be the absolute pinnacle of human achievement, and I want in on that.

Kenya Armbrister

Name: Kenya Armbrister

Sex: Female

Age: 36

Occupation: Project manager at pharmaceutical company

Reason for going to Mars: The reason why I want to be selected for this human mission to Mars is because I truly feel that I have what it takes to advance the human race on another planet. I also want to inspire people on Earth to realize their dreams.

Yari Rodriguez

Name: Yari Rodriguez

Sex: Female

Age: 27

Occupation: Data analyst

Reason for going to Mars: I'm not afraid of this one-way trip to Mars. In fact, I'm excited about being part of this great adventure on Mars. I think of this as donating my life to science.

Andrea Stancin

Name: Andrea Stancin

Sex: Female

Age: 44

Occupation: Geologist

Reason for going to Mars: I have wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little girl. It is what inspired me to get degrees in science and engineering.

Name: Maggie Duckworth

Maggie Duckworth

Sex: Female

Age: 30

Occupation: Electrical engineer

Reason for going to Mars: This is our chance to get the world excited about space again... this is something we need to do to inspire generations to come.

Kristin Richmond

Name: Kristin Richmond

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Occupation: Civil engineer

Reason for going to Mars: the Mars expedition will fulfil my thirst for learning and knowledge, as well as allow me to make a contribution to the human race that I would never be able to make on Earth.

Ethan Dederick

Name: Ethan Dederick

Sex: Male

Age: 22

Occupation: Graduate in physics and astronomy

Reason for going to Mars: What's left after you go is the good that's left behind. I want my life to have a strong purpose, I want my impact to be greater, but above all, positive.

Yvonne Young

Name: Yvonne Young

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Occupation: Workout instructor

Reason for going to Mars: Call it a childhood dream of watching way too many Star Trek episodes, but I truly believe that the final frontier for humans is outter space travel.

Dr Leila Zucker

Name: Dr Leila Zucker

Sex: Female

Age: 46

Occupation: Emergency room doctor

Reason for going to Mars: Since I was a little kid, all I wanted was to be a doctor and travel in space.

Name : Michael McDonnell

Michael McDonnell

Sex : Male

Age : 50

Occupation : Physicist

Reason for going to Mars: I'm adventurous. I've traveled all around the world. I've climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but living on Mars has been my passion and life-long dream. The time for mankind to live on mars is now.

Laura Smith-Velazquez

Name: Laura Smith-Velazquez

Sex : Female

Age : 38

Occupation : Systems engineer

Reason for going to Mars: Because I've wanted to be an astronaut since I was 8, because when I was doing my Master's, I wanted to design a colony on Mars, and because I think we need to give [people hope, show them that we can risk and be successful, and that we're not afraid to do so.

Sona Van Meter

Name: Sonia Van Meter

Sex: Female

Age: 36

Occupation: Political consultant

Reason for going to Mars: Of course i would love to fly through space and be the first human being to walk on another planet. what girl wound't? but my purpose on this mission is to help people back on earth look up and relaize that ther eis nothing we can't accomplsh if we simpley make the decison to do it.

Mead McCormick

Name: Mead McCormick

Sex: Female

Age: 27

Occupation: Artist

Reason for going to Mars: My grandfather is Jim McCormick, an engineer who worked for NASA and helped invent the jetpack. I think it would be great to carry out his legacy.

Name: Megan Kane

Megan Kane

Sex: Female

Age: 29

Occupation: Manager at data company

Reason to go to Mars: We cannot stay here forever. Our future is as an interplanetary society, and mars is a first step outside our cradle.I want to go to Mars and build that future where we truly are an interplanetary society.




By failing to read the small print when purchasing their travel insurance, holidaymakers are in danger of being left stranded and saddled with huge costs abroad.

In particular, 'last minute' travellers who use price comparison sites, taking out cover for as little as 13, are failing to understand the excesses of their policy and what exactly is covered.

Some basic travel insurance policies do not protect against missed flights, lost bags and medical bills, an analysis of hundreds of policies has found.

A study by comparethemarket.com found that many policies don't cover missed flights and connections

Gemma Sonfield, head of travel insurance at comparethemarket.com, who compiled the study, told The Times that many policies could 'result in substantial costs for those who fail to read the small print'.

'Many people may assume they are covered in all instances when they are not,' she told the newspaper.

'Many fall into the trap of buying insurance at the last minute.'

The price comparison website found that 14 per cent of policies would not pay out for missed flights. While a staggering 32 per cent would not cover missed connections when flying out of the UK, meaning many holidaymakers that travel from regional airports before their long haul connections would not be protected.

The stipulations on some of the policies would mean that many travellers would not see any money returned to them if they had to cancel their holiday.

And of those who could expect to be reimbursed, it found 45 per cent of policies, only offer cover for cancellation expenses of less than 3000.

Almost half of the policies only cover valuables up to 250, meaning loss of high-end electrical items such as laptops, tablets and iPhones and iPads could see tourists left out of pocket.

The analysis was undertaken by looking at single-trip policies taken out by hundreds of holidaymakers.

Some policies can be purchased online for as little as 13 for a single journey trip - but it pays to read the small print (file photo)

TAKE YOUR TIME SELECTING TRAVEL INSURANCE TravelSupermarket recommends at least the following level of cover:  2m for medical expenses  1m personal liability  3,000 cancellation - or enough to cover the total cost of your holiday  1,500 baggage  250 for cash  Policy excesses under 100  Cover for scheduled airline failure and end supplier failure as desirable  Delay cover (e.g. 20/hour for first 12 hours). Advertisement

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket told MailOnline: 'Comparing travel insurance online allows you to trawl what is a huge market of hundreds of insurance brands in order to find the best policy for you.

'The cheapest policies will always have a limited set of cover within them and also a lower level of cover for things like medical costs. Many basic things such as cancellation will even be excluded.

'We recommend a minimum level of cover for your trip. Not only does this give you a good level of general travel insurance cover, but will also give you lower excess costs overall.

'As with any insurance product that you buy its vital that you check the actual cover on offer before you buy to make sure that the policy is suitable for you and those travelling on it. Higher levels of cover give greater peace of mind and usually have lower excess levels if needing to make a claim. Cheaper lead-in prices provide a limited level of cover and may have higher levels of excess.

'If you fail to pay attention and read the cover you are being offered you stand the risk of getting into a situation where you have insufficient protection which could rack up huge bills or unexpected outlay to put things right.

'Don't risk your holiday, protect it and protect yourself. A decent policy only costs a small amount more than the cheapest deals which are out there on the market, so buying the lowest price deal really is a false economy.'

And Frank Brehany, consumer director of HolidayTravelWatch, added: 'There is a tendency among some holidaymakers to buy travel insurance at the last minute and often only based on the cheapest cover they can find on the internet. The simple question is this; would you buy an cheap insurance policy that wouldn't cover your house contents or building cover?

'So, if you make sure you buy insurance properly for other important things in your life, why take the risk with a cheap travel insurance policy that doesn't give you the cover you need?
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These are the haunting images of an Italian castle that still stands in pristine condition, despite being left abandoned for more than 20 years.

The Castello di Sammezzano in Tuscany, Italy, was built in the early 17th century by Spanish nobles and was even visited by Emperor Charlemagne, before it was turned into a hotel-restaurant.

It has been empty since the 1990s when the hotel business closed. Despite the last refurbishment taking place in 1889, the property amazingly still retains its glorious former appearance.

The breathtaking Castello di Sammezzano in Tuscany, Italy, was built in the early 17th century by Spanish nobles

The castle was even visited by Emperor Charlemagne, before it was turned into a hotel-restaurant and later closed in the 1990s

There are claims that the castle can even be traced back to the Roman period and stands on land owned by a succession of wealthy Italian families

The spectacular property is now up for auction to the highest bidder, with campaigners concerned that rather than remain empty - or be used as a museum - the castle will be turned into a luxury spa hotel.

Stunning photographs were taken by Roman Robroek, 29, from the Netherlands, who claims that the property can even be traced back to the Roman period and stands on land owned by a succession of wealthy Italian families.

Roman said: 'It's a long walk up to the castle through the surrounding forest, but it is absolutely breathtaking.

'I've tried to capture the amazing architecture of the place in the photos, showing as much of the rooms as possible.

The castle is now up for auction to the highest bidder, with campaigners concerned that rather than remain empty - or be used as a museum - the castle will be turned into a luxury spa hotel

The Italian castle still stands in pristine condition, despite being left abandoned for more than 20 years

The lobby of the property remains in perfect condition. The last refurbishment to take place was in late 1889

Stunning photographs were taken by Roman Robroek, 29, from the Netherlands, who said: 'It's just unbelievable a place like this exists and has been built thanks to the work of one man'

'You can see the amazing hand crafted details here and there, especially in the lovely ceiling shot.

'It's just unbelievable a place like this exists and has been built thanks to the work of one man.

'I simply couldn't believe how beautiful it was and when I saw it in real life I sat inside on the floor for a couple of minutes just taking in what I was seeing.

'A group of volunteers is now trying to save the castle from being auctioned to the highest bidder and, while the volunteers would like to see it open as a museum, they fear it will become a luxury spa hotel.'

The ceiling boasts intricate detailing including this rainbow of colours and designs, and remains in perfect condition

The photograph said that the property was 'so beautiful' that he actually sat on the floor for a few minutes to take in his surroundings

Robroek added: 'A group of volunteers is now trying to save the castle from being auctioned to the highest bidder and, while the volunteers would like to see it open as a museum, they fear it will become a luxury spa hotel'

The photographer highlighted how amazing it is that so much work was put into each room of the stunning castle
A British tourist is critically injured in hospital after jumping into the sea head-first off Magaluf.

The 28-year-old holidaymaker is thought to have smashed his head on the sea bed in the early morning plunge.

He was rushed to hospital shortly after 6am on Friday after being stabilised at the scene.

The British tourist is believed to have jumped into the sea head first, smashing his head on the seabed (file photo of Magaluf, not actual scene)

He is understood to have suffered serious head and neck injures and is being treated in intensive care at Son Espases Hospital in the Majorcan capital Palma.

Specialists have performed tests to determine the extent of his injuries.

It is not know at this stage if he was alone at the time or with friends.

Local Guardia Civil officers are thought to be probing the incident but they were not immediately available for comment.

A 28-year-old British holidaymaker was rushed to hospital shortly after 6am on Friday after being stabilised at the scene after he hit his head on the seabed in Magaluf (file photo)

The previous weekend a 25-year-old Brit suffered serious injuries after falling headfirst from his first-floor hotel balcony in Magaluf.

Father-of-two Andrew Phillips, from Newport, south Wales, was found sprawled on the lawn by hotel staff.

Speaking at the time, Joanne Phillips, 45, said her son was in a 'serious' but non-life threatening condition.

He was put into an induced coma after doctors noticed he had a bleed to the brain.

Ms Phillips said: 'We don't know what exactly the situation is. He's in an induced coma and has multiple fractures. It's his head and face - his body is fine.'
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This is the heart-stopping moment a daredevil diver came inches away from a one-and-a-half ton Great White shark and patted it on the nose and mouth.

Although they have a fearsome reputation, the plucky diver was not content with just observing the terrifying predator - but leaned out to get up close and personal when the shark put its vast jaws around the cage.

Nail-biting images show the 15ft creature striking the metal bars - and chomping on the bars of another cage nearby.

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This is the heart-stopping moment a daredevil diver came inches away from a one-and-a-half ton Great White shark and patted it on the nose and mouth

The bravery of the diver was captured by photographer Don Carpenter, who was in a nearby cage

Fearless: The gigantic shark opens its mouth as it approaches the submerged cage - with the diver calmly patting it on the nose

Carpenter's incredible images show how the shark completely dwarfs the divers as it chews on the metal bars of their cage

Misunderstood: Carpenter said that the species is so majestic and not at all like the mindless killers they are portrayed as in films

Ready for its close-up: One of the divers dangles a camera out of the cage to capture the shark in its razor-toothed glory

Don Carpenter, 50, from Lubbock, Texas, had been diving off Guadalupe Island, Mexico, when the ocean predator chomped on his cage, then swam over to another one nearby containing two divers.

Don had no idea that the female great white would attempt to take a chunk out of both cages.

Amazingly, the other plucky diver didn't mind the boisterous behaviour and instead patted the shark in a bid to encourage her to calm down and swim away.

Don said: 'I've been photographing sharks for over 20 years and love to be out in the water with a species that is older than some dinosaurs.

'I wish I had been in the other diving cage to take more photos of the great white up close, but the interaction that I saw was just incredible.

'They are so majestic and not at all like the mindless killers they are portrayed as in the films.'

Due to local regulations, Don was not allowed to scatter fish guts, known as 'chumming', or put decoys in the water to attract the predators.

The group of divers were in the cages 30ft down when the great white approached,

Don continued: 'Without a reference point this great white wouldn't look particularly big, but next to the cage filled with divers you can see how big she is.'

Great Whites often use their mouths and their incredibly sensitive snouts to explore unfamiliar objects.

Their reputation as ferocious predators is well-earned, yet they are not (as was once believed) indiscriminate 'eating machines'. They are ambush hunters, taking prey by surprise from below.

Jawsdropping: The huge Great White attacked Don Carpenter's cage, too. The photographer caught the moment that it bit into the metal bars
She recently returned to Los Angeles after a stint in Europe.

And Jennifer Garner was back to her weekend routine on Sunday as she took her family to a church service in Pacific Palisades, California.

The 44-year-old actress was seen arriving with her little boy Samuel, four, who was dressed in a ninja costume which included little plastic toy swords.

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What a cutie! Jennifer Garner was back to her weekend routine on Sunday as she took her family to a church service in Pacific Palisades, California

Fresh off a recent trip to visit estranged husband Ben Affleck in the UK, the mommy-son duo appeared content in returning to their typical weekend activities.

Jennifer covered up in a chunky grey sweater with quilted detailing, black trousers, and chic sandals.

True to form, the actress let her natural beauty shine through with minimal makeup and a casual ponytail while a burgundy purse with a colorful strap slung over her slender shoulder.

The mom of three kept her hand clutched to a Bible as she looked relatively serious heading into the church.

Sunday fun day: The 44-year-old actress was seen arriving with her little boy Samuel, four, who was dressed in a ninja costume which included little plastic toy swords

So cute: Fresh off a recent trip to visit estranged husband Ben Affleck in the UK, the mommy-son duo appeared content in returning to their typical weekend activities

Samuel dressed for the occasion in a pair of grey pants, a black sweatshirt and buckled leather sneakers.

As are most children his age, the child came prepared to occupy himself during the church service with two toy swords tucked into his backpack.

The two were joined by Garner's other two children, six-year-old Seraphina and 10-year-old Violet.

While promoting Miracles From Heaven in February, the 13 Going on 30 star opened up about the evolution of her religious beliefs at a Q&A in Texas.

Keeping things casual: Jennifer covered up in a chunky grey sweater with quilted detailing, black trousers, and chic sandals

Family affair: Jennifer and her six-year-old daughter Seraphina followed behind as they exited the service

'I grew up going to church every Sunday of my life, and when I did move to L.A., it wasn't something that was just part of the culture in the same way, at least in my life,' she explained.

'But there was something about doing this film and talking to my kids about it and realizing that they were looking for the structure of church every Sunday.

'So it was a great gift of this film that it took us back to finding our local Methodist church and going every Sunday. It's really sweet.'

Like mother, like daughter: After church, the actress and her mini-me daughter Violet, 10, both left with Bibles in their hands

Later, she echoed the same sentiment while speaking to the Today show in March.

'The thing about this film was it kind of encouraged me to reengage in just participating - not just believing - actually participating in raising my children so that they have the same background my parents gave my sisters and me.'

Over Easter Sunday, Garner and her brood, including Affleck, Sam and seven-year-old Seraphina, put on a united front as they attended church together.
Kim Kardashian got all dolled up to help her husband Kanye West celebrate his birthday on Sunday.

The couple, who are currently staying in New York, headed to Harry Cipriani restaurant, and Kim, 35, made sure all eyes were on her in a sexy plunging pencil dress.

The clingy number showed off lots of cleavage and featured a white lace trim and a slinky satin panel around the waist.

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Killer curves: Kim Kardashian strutted her stuff in a racy pencil dress on Sunday as she headed out to celebrate husband Kanye West's birthday

Causing a stir: The 35-year-old reality star stepped out in a plunging white lace dress with satin panel around the waist

Showcasing her post-baby figure, Kim stunned onlookers in the figure-hugging look.

She teamed it with towering ankle-strap heels and wore her raven locks in tousled waves.

She coupled the flattering dress with a satin, black trench which she hung casually on one arm as she exited the restaurant.

Sexy look: Kim completed the look with ankle-strap stilettos

Eyeful: The reality star showed off lots of cleavage in the lace trimmed number

Early celebrations: The couple were pictured leaving Cipriani after their dinner

So hip: The rapper wore a velvet jacket over a Rolling Stones t-shirt

Special occasion: The mother-of-two shared Snapchats backstage at the Hot 97 Summer Jam showing off Kanye's 'Pablo' birthday cake

Meanwhile, Kanye was supposed to headline the last day of popular New York City music festival the Governors Ball before it was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Kim took to social media on Sunday to share a video expressing her disappointment as she gushed: 'We're so sad Governors Ball is cancelled!'

The music producer ended up performing at Hot 97's Summer Jam instead which Kim documented on Snapchat.

Backstage celebrations: While the Governor's Ball was cancelled, Kanye ended up performing at the Summer Jam on Sunday

Special occasion: The star celebrated with other Summer Jam performers including Big Sean, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Young Thug, Future, Travis Scott, and DJ Khaled

Doting dad: Earlier in the day Kanye carried the couple's daughter North, two, as the family enjoyed a trip to see the Lion King

The E! star shared clips showing them backstage celebrating with an orange 'Pablo' cake and singing Happy Birthday to the rapper.

The duo celebrated with other Summer Jam performers including Big Sean, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Young Thug, Future, Travis Scott, and DJ Khaled

It was an early celebration for the Gold Digger hitmaker who turns 39 on June 8.

During the day Kim, Kanye and their daughter North, two, headed to see the Lion King together.

Sultry snap: Kim shared a glam Instagram as she got ready for the day

Change of plans! The trio were spotted heading to The Lion King on Broadway after the last day of New York City musical festival The Governors Ball (which Kanye was headlining) was cancelled due to inclement weather

Kanye wore a black, zip-up jacket with gold embroidered embellishments and sported a coordinating gold wristwatch.

The rapper showed off a tie-dyed The Rolling Stones T-shirt, and also wore a pair of fitted, black jeans for the show.

He finished off the look with a pair of tan boots and a gold chain as he seemed bummed about missing his gig.

North, meanwhile, looked super excited for the Broadway show, and was seen sporting a fringed, black leather jacket, which was coupled with black Yeezy sneakers.

She's got some front! Kim showed off her ample assets and hard-earned figure in a black and white lace dress with a plunging front

Disappointed: Kanye looked bummed out following the news that his gig had been cancelled on Sunday

Coordinating: Two-year-old North looked fashionable in a fringed, leather jacket, as her father dressed similarly in an embroidered, black zip-up

Doting: Kanye held tightly to daughter North as the family headed inside to see the popular Broadway show

Bummer: Earlier that day Kim had shared her disappointment on Snapchat and Instagram gushing: 'We're so sad Governors Ball is cancelled!'

Not a fan: Kim signed off on this video by sticking out her tongue, showing that she was disappointed in the news about the Governors Ball

The couple's eldest child was Kim's little mini me on the outing, sporting a black lace dress as her mother modeled a daring black and white lace number.

And Kim couldn't help but smile as she watched her little girl having a blast as they walked around the city.

Even Kanye seemed to be in better spirits as he showed off a small smile while following close behind the rest of his family.

That same day Kim had taken to her Snapchat and Instagram accounts to share videos of the family hopping aboard a private jet as they headed to New York City for the Governors Ball.

Lending a hand: Kim helped daughter North out of the car after their theatre trip

Her mini me: North seemed to be following in her mother's footsteps as she also wore a black, lace dress on Sunday

Everyone showed off smiles in that first video, as Kim concluded the clip by blowing a kiss to the camera.

She had captioned the video: 'Governors Ball here we come....Follow me on snap for the craziness [ghost emoji] KimKardashian.'

Unfortunately, not too long after that she headed back online to let everyone know that the event had been cancelled.

One of Kim's videos ended abruptly ended with the mother-of-two revealing the comical reason to fans in another video: 'You guys, North just threw my phone when she heard I was on Snapchat.'

She then turned the camera on Kanye, who looked to be in a really good mood as he smiled and laughed while Kim showed off his 'dope' jacket.

On the upturn: After seeing The Lion King on Broadway, it seemed everyone's spirits had been lifted

Giddy: North in particular seemed to be having a blast as she was swung in the air while holding hands with her mother as they walked

Can't hide her smile: The doting mom showed off a big grin as she saw North playing and having a good time

Time for dinner: Although, the young girl did seem a bit bummed when they stopped swinging her around upon arriving at the restaurant

Whoops! Kim joked on Snapchat that North had thrown her phone after hearing that she was on Snapchat

Look at that smile! The reality star had her husband in stitches as she showed off his 'dope' jacket

Fan friendly: Despite feeling a bit down about the Governors Ball being cancelled, Kanye still stopped to sign autographs for fans

Earlier on Sunday Kanye was spotted leaving the Mercer Hotel solo after finding out his concert had been cancelled.

He looked tired as he stretched while walking out of the hotel, sporting a loose-fitting, white T-shirt underneath a light wash denim jacket.

He also wore a pair of fitted, black jeans as well as black sneakers, accessorizing with a gold necklace.

However, despite being a bit down about his show, Kanye was still fan friendly, stopping to sign autographs.

Man of the hour: Kanye seen backstage at Summer Jam

In awe! Kim looked to be documenting her husband's show

BFF: Jonathan Cheban was on hand to hang with Kim backstage

Silver lining: Though Kanye was seen pouting he likely felt better later as he attended the Broadway show with his wife and young daughter

Checking in with Kim? Kanye was distracted on the phone as he took a solo stroll

Laid-back: The star sported a loose-fitting white T-shirt underneath a light wash denim jacket while at the Mercer Hotel

Tired? The rapper was spotted stretching on Sunday as he looked tired while leaving the Mercer Hotel earlier in the day
He's returned to the acting scene after taking a 18-month hiatus to raise his daughter Scout.

And James Stewart says his onscreen comeback is certainly influenced by his three-year-old daughter, whom he shares with ex Jessica Marais.

Speaking to TV Week magazine, the 40-year-old, who worked on ABC drama Hiding last year, says his decision to now join the cast of Home And Away was influenced by his little girl, and the financial pressures of being a parent.

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Daddy's little girl: Australian actor James Stewart says his decision to join the cast of Home And Away was influenced by his little girl Scout, and the financial pressures of being a parent

'It's that time in your life, where art and money become an issue,' the former Packed To The Rafters star told the publication.

'I got to the end of the end of three years of raising my daughter and just thought, "Oh, I need to work. I've got to get her through school'.

Also revealing young Scout is indeed the most influential person in his life and that 'children give you perspective', James candidly confessed: 'She's made me learn... patience and kindness'.

James also recently spoke out about co-parenting with his estranged fiancee Jessica.

Precious moments: The Home And Away actor spent the first year-and-a-half of his daughter Scout's life as a stay-at-home father

'It's called parenting couple, that's the professional name for it,' he explained to New Idea magazine recently.

'But once you realise it's about Scout, everything's easy,' James continued.

The actor went on to say that he and Jessica have managed to keep their 'dignity' during the very-public split because for the sake of their daughter.

Setting aside their differences: James has spoken out about co-parenting Scout with his ex-fiancee Jessica Marais

The former couple met as on-screen loves on family drama Packed To The Rafters in 2009 and got engaged in October that year.

They announced they were expecting their first child in November 2011, with Scout born in May 2012.

The glamorous couple of Australian television announced their separation in May 2015, with the pair issuing a statement confirming the split.

In happier times: The former couple met as on-screen loves on family drama Packed To The Rafters in 2009 and got engaged in October that year

'Jessica Marais and James Stewart have amicably separated. Their main focus at this time is the co-parenting of their daughter and they ask that media respect their privacy,' it read.

Meanwhile, James is set to make his much-anticipated debut on Home And Away as Justin Morgan next week, along with his on-screen brothers Mason (Orpheus Pledger) and Brody (Jackson Heywood) and sister Tori (Penny McNamee).

The Morgan clan are expected to bring plenty of baggage and drama to Summer Bay.

It has been reported the Morgans have dark hidden secrets which they are attempting to keep under wrap from the Bay's residents.

First look: Summer Bay's new trouble making family, the Morgans, are set to make their long-awaited debut in the coming days (Pictured L-R: James Stewart, Jackson Heywood, Penny McNamee and Orpheus Pledger)
The Voice's Adam Ladell is certainly proving himself as a fan favouite on the Channel Nine singing show.

And now the 17-year-old high school student, who also suffers from Tourette syndrome, has a new girlfriend called Jade McCallum.

Adam - who hails from Victoria - recently shared a black and white snap of himself with Jade on her birthday, sweetly captioning part of the post: 'She's one of a kind [and] she's all I've ever wanted.'

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Teenage Romance: The Voice's Adam Ladell, 17 has gushed about his new girlfriend Jade McCallum

In the snap, the pair are seen sitting on a lounge as he kisses her shoulder.

Jade also shared a cute snap of the pair to her own public Instagram page, captioning it using lyrics from the band Williamette Stone's song, Heart Like Yours.

It read: 'How could a heart like yours ever love a heart like mine?'

Sweet: Adam - who hails from Victoria - recently shared a black and white shot of himself with Jade for her birthday, sweetly captioning part of the post: 'She's one of a kind [and] she's all I've ever wanted'

'How could a heart like yours ever love a heart like mine?' Jade also shared a snap of the pair to her public Instagram page, captioning it using lyrics from the band Williamette Stone's song, Heart Like Yours

The pair have reportedly been dating for just over a month.

Just over two months ago, Jade shared another tribute to Adam online for his birthday.

It sweetly read: 'You're a bit of a nerd but you're the coolest nerd I know. So much fun and so interesting to be around. Ily a trilly.'

The term 'ily' on social media is short for 'I love you.'

Underneath, the pair commented how much they love each other.

'I love you': Just over two months ago, Jade shared another tribute to Adam online for his birthday

Doing his best: Adam is seen here on set of The Voice with fellow contestant Mitch Gardner

Adam - who was born in South Africa - was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome two years ago.

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological condition (affecting the brain and nervous system), characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics.

'When I was five, it started, and when I was nine, that's when I started to stretch out my arms a lot,' he previously toldNew Idea about living with the condition.

'When I was 14, I started jerking my head a lot, and at 15, I started swearing and shouting out random stuff.'

On Sunday night's show, Adam went head-to-head against Mitch Gardner in the Battle Rounds, with the pair singing Kygo's Firestone.

Belting it out: On Sunday night's show, Adam went head-to-head against Mitch (L) in the Battle Rounds with the pair singing Kygo's Firestone

Both contestants were on Ronan Keating's team, but Ronan could only take one act through to the next stage after the performance.

Ronan chose Mitch, but was glad to hear that fellow mentor Delta Goodrem used her 'save' card to keep Adam in the competition, joining her team.

'You both sing from your heart and I love seeing the connection. It was truly magical to both of you,' Delta said.

Tough decision: Both contestants were on mentor Ronan Keating's team, but Ronan could only take one act through to the next stage after the performance
Former Home And Away star Dan Ewing has revealed that he split from his wife Marni after enduring some 'horrible times' during a year-long stint in Los Angeles.

The pair recently spoke about how they decided to end their three-year marriage in December 2015 due to 'irreconcilable differences' after Daily Mail Australia broke the news of their separation.

And Dan - who has a two-year-old son, Archer, with Marni - has now opened up about how their stay in 'soulless' LA placed pressure on their relationship.

End of their relationship: Former Home And Away star Dan Ewing has revealed that he split from his wife Marni after enduring some 'horrible times' during a year-long stint in Los Angeles

The actor told New Idea that they had 'some really horrible times over there'.

'It wasn't for us. We were over there and we didn't really like the set-up or the infrastructure of the country,' he said.

'LA is a very desperate soulless place. It's very tough - it's a pressure cooker and it's like Sydney on steroids.

Split: The pair recently spoke about how they decided to end their three-year marriage in December 2015 due to 'irreconcilable differences' after Daily Mail Australia broke the news of their separation

Family moment: Dan celebrated his birthday on June 3 at a wildlife sanctuary with Marni and their son, Archer

'As soon as we had the bubba over there, it just changes your whole perspective.'

He vented his frustration at the endless meetings where Tinseltown castings agents and producers would 'talk your ear off for four hours'.

But the 31-year-old actor clearly had some success as he is now shooting a feature film with a former Home And Away actress.

Dan will have a packed schedule as he will also be returning to Summer Bay in a special guest storyline alongside co-star, Lisa Gormley.

Last month Dan and Marni released a statement saying how they planned to remain friends for the sake of their young son.

'Dan and Marni Ewing amicably decided to end their 3 year marriage in December, 2015 due to irreconcilable differences,' the statement, which was released to New Idea, said.

Over: Former Home And Away star Dan Ewing has split from wife of four years, Marni

No bling: The news comes after Marni shared an image of herself clutching onto a glass of wine with her diamond ring noticeably missing

Going bare: Hours later she uploaded another shot of herself enjoying some down time on the beach without the piece of jewellery

'The couple remain friends, and will continue to co-parent their son, Archer, who will be two in September.'

They added: 'We wish nothing but the best for each other and are both committed to focusing our attention on Archer'.

The pair appear to be sticking to this promise as they were pictured celebrating Dan's birthday at a wildlife sanctuary with their young son on June 4.

Marni posted a picture of Dan and Archer posing with some kangaroos, saying: 'Happy birthday @danewing.

'Hope you enjoyed your day with your joey. Thank you for raising this magic, crazy, teenage toddler with me.'

Packed schedule: Dan will also be returning to Summer Bay in a special guest storyline alongside co-star Lisa Gormley

The news of their split came after Marni was spotted without her wedding ring in numerous social media images.

The 32-year-old shared an image of herself clutching onto a glass of wine with her diamond ring noticeably missing.

Hours later she uploaded another shot of herself enjoying some down time on the beach without the piece of jewellery.

The news of the split comes nearly two years after the former couple welcomed their first and only child.

The exciting arrival for the pair came after it was revealed Marni had suffered from a miscarriage two months earlier while they were in London as part of a promotional tour for Home And Away.

Keeping her friends close: It has been 22 weeks since Marni has shared an image of Dan, but has flooded her account with friend-outing photos

Tribute: Dan wished Marni a happy Mother's Day and posted a sweet Instagram snap

In 2013, Marni revealed the sad news on social media, writing: 'I yesterday learnt that I had lost my angel.

'We spent all day mourning our loss. I underwent tests, injections, surgeries. The baby I had wanted for so long had left us.'

In 2011, Dan was charged with assaulting his then-fiancee during a dispute at their Northern Beaches home.

According to an article published in the Sunday Telegraph at the time, police allegedly found Marni in a 'distressed' state-of-mind with 'superficial injuries to her arm'.

A statement released by the Local Area Police stated: 'A Sydney man will appear in court later this month charged with assaulting his girlfriend at their northern beaches home.

Broken: The exciting arrival for the pair came after it was revealed Marni had suffered from a miscarriage two months earlier while they were in London as part of a promotional tour for Home And Away

'At 10.45pm on Tuesday December 6, police from Manly responded to a domestic altercation at an apartment at Sydney Rd, Fairlight.

'Upon arrival officers found a 28-year-old woman in a distressed state suffering superficial injuries to her arm.

'A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Manly police station where he was charged with common assault.'

The charges were later dropped by police.

Sad news: In 2013, Marni revealed the sad news on social media, writing: 'I yesterday learnt that I had lost my angel
She recently finished her A-Levels and was signed to world renowned modelling agency, The Society Management.

So it's no wonder that Lottie Moss was in the mood to celebrate as she headed out into London on Friday night.

But the 18-year-old made sure that she hit the town in true Moss style as she attended not one, but three parties.

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Party girl! Lottie Moss was in the mood to celebrate as she headed out into London on Friday night

The young model was first spotted at elite Kensington nightclub Bodo's Schloss where she partied for three hours with friends.

Here, Lottie was seen to cut a sultry figure as she poured her svelte frame into a super short sequinned skirt and plunging white blouse.

She also drew attention to her impossibly long legs with some thigh-skimming boots that added extra inches to her never-ending pins with some towering stiletto heels.

Celebrations: The 18-year-old made sure that she hit the town in true Moss style as she attended not one, but three parties

Painting the town red: The young model was first spotted at elite Kensington nightclub Bodo's Schloss where she partied for three hours with friends

Making a noteworthy touch to the outfit, she added a chic accessory in the form of a namesake handbag, Aspinal Of Londons Lottie Bag.

And despite it being June, Kate Moss's half-sister remained true to her party-girl style as she threw on a thick fur jacket to keep off the chilly spring air.

Lottie also opted for high glamour in the make-up department as she showed off her pretty and youthful features with lashings of mascara and just a touch of carefully places contouring.

And she maintained the drama of her look right down to her finger nails as she sported a glossy black manicure.

Flaunting it! Lottie was seen to cut a sultry figure as she poured her svelte frame into a super short sequinned skirt and plunging white blouse

Getting cosy: Despite it being June, Kate Moss's sister remained true to her party-girl style as she threw on a thick fur jacket to keep off the chilly spring air

Natural beauty: Lottie added Aspinal of Londons Lottie Bag to her ensemble

Stepping out in style: Lottie drew attention to her impossibly long legs with some thigh skimming boots that added extra inches to her never ending pins with some towering stiletto heels

Claws out: Lottie maintained the drama of her look right down to her finger nails as she sported a glossy black manicure

However, Lottie decided to tone down her look in the hair department as she let her golden locks fall sleek and straight down past her shoulders in a laid-back fashion.

Sticking to her sister's legacy, the second Moss model was seen to slip out to the smoking area of the venue on a number of occasions, where she caught the attention of a casually dressed male.

The pair, along with Lottie's friends then got into a cab and headed towards Raffles in Chelsea.

Playing it straight: Lottie decided to tone down her look in the hair department as she let her golden locks fall sleek and straight down past her shoulders in a laid-back fashion

Smoking hot! Sticking to her sister's legacy, the second Moss model was seen to slip out to the smoking area of the venue on a number of occasions

Moving on: Lottie and her friends got into a cab and headed over to Raffles in Chelsea where they partied until 3am

Here come the girls: Lottie and her friends all looked equally glamorous for the night out in west London

Working it out: The girls discussed their plans for the evening outside Bodo's Schloss in Kensington

But the celebrations didn't stop there, as at 3am the group of 17 embarked on a house party and even waited on the pavement for half an hour for the host to arrive.

After a short while, Lottie and a female friend came running outside to collect a delivery of yet more booze from home delivery service 'Bevy'.

Lottie was seen to squeal with pure excitement as she took charge of the bag of drinks, and ran back inside the house, only to leave the party again at 4.30am and head home.

New friend? Lottie caught the attention of a casually dressed men as she stepped out into the smoking area during the evening

Non-stop: At 3am the group of 17 embarked on a house party and even waited on the pavement for half an hour for the host to arrive

Relentless: Lottie and a female friend came running outside to collect a delivery of yet more booze from home delivery service 'Bevy'

Excited: The girls were keen to get back inside the house with their alcohol purchases
He's the only Summer Bay resident who's seen all of the good and bad times during his 28 years on Home And Away.

But an upcoming storyline suggests Alf Stewart, played by Ray Meagher, may be coming close to ending his time on the Channel Seven show.

Actor James Stewart, who plays newcomer Justin Morgan on the popular soap, says fans will soon see Alf suffering a heart attack during a boat trip.

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Is Alf leaving? Home And Away character Alf Stewart, played by Ray Meagher, is expected to suffer a heart attack in an upcoming storyline

James' character Justin joins Alf out at sea to to monitor the maintenance of Alf's boat called the Blaxland.

But the trip takes a shocking turn when the boat breaks down and Alf's health goes downhill.

'The moment he realises it is happening, Justin panics straight away,' James told New Idea about his character's reaction.

Once he's rushed to hospital, Alf seems to be in a stable condition and responding well to treatment, but the news delivered the morning after is far more devastating.

Witness: Newcomer Justin Morgan, played by James Stewart, is on Alf's boat when he suffers the heart attack

Not looking good: Once he's rushed to hospital, Alf seems to be in a stable condition and responding well to treatment, but the news delivered the morning after is far more devastating

It turns out the beloved television character's heart attack is the consequence of suffering a stroke, and after the doctors do their best to bring him back to life, he is rushed through for an urgent MRI scan.

This isn't the first time that Alf's health has been in danger during his almost three decades in the bay.

During an ANZAC Day special broadcast in April last year, Alf accompanied a band of high school students to the Australian War Memorial in the nation's capital.

He quickly became disillusioned by their lack of respect for the ANZAC tradition however, and began a harrowing journey of introspection which triggered symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Previous intense storyline: Alf was catapulted back to the bloodied battlefields of 1915 Turkey, when Home And Away paid tribute to the ANZAC centenary last year

Aftermath: The weight of the memory proved too great for the stalwart, and his very continuance on the show was called into question when he collapsed, hand to his heart, alone in a field, before being rushed to hospital

The weight of the memory proved too great for the stalwart, and his very continuance on the show was called into question when he collapsed, hand to his heart, alone in a field, before being rushed to hospital.

Since appearing in the Channel Seven show's debut episode back in 1988, Alf's loveable nature has managed to stand the test of time, as have his memorable catchphrases 'strewth' and 'stone the flaming crows', along with his warm on-screen presence.

As the longest-standing original cast member on the show, Ray admitted last year that he is still just as much in love with the show as he was when he started.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in September last year he said: 'Im still upright, Ive still got a pulse, I still enjoy it more than 90 per cent of the time I am there and the new kids coming through keep it fresh'.

Back in the day: Since appearing in the Channel Seven show's debut episode back in 1988, Alf's loveable nature has managed to stand the test of time

Part of him: As the longest-standing original cast member on the show, Ray admitted last year that he is still just as much in love with the Bay as he was when he started
She's the Australian supermodel who now calls Malibu, California home as she juggles motherhood and being an entrepreneur.

And Miranda Kerr has graced the cover of Gritty Pretty magazine, posing for an exclusive shoot from her seaside mansion.

Wearing a blush-toned coat and flashing her trim pins for the Winter-themed shoot, the 33-year-old dazzles as she flaunts her flawless complexion and piercing blue eyes.

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Flawless: Miranda Kerr, 33, has posed for the Winter edition of Gritty Pretty magazine

With one arm raised to shield her eyes from the sunlight, the mother-of-one is reclines atop a grey backdrop, her brunette locks perfectly placed to show off her blonde highlights.

For makeup, the beauty entrepreneur's radiant skin is heroed by just a light coat of foundation with a hint of blush.

Her plump lips have been brushed with a nude-hued lipstick to match her coat.

Sultry: The Australian supermodel shows off her toned legs as she posed for the shoot

Model mum: Miranda worked the camera angles as she posed for the exclusive shoot from her Malibu mansion

Miranda appeared relaxed as she showcased several chic outfits throughout her U.S. home.

Inside the magazine, Miranda shows off her toned legs as she poses in a tiny pair of shorts and a cosy jumper.

The Gunnedah-born beauty's short bob is styled with voluminous curls throughout the shoot.

Sitting pretty: Miranda's short bob is styled in voluminous curls, which she keeps swept away from her face throughout the shoot

Another shot shows Miranda casually posing in a striped pyjama set as she sits on her veranda.

In the accompanying interview, Miranda reveals her approach to staying healthy while still allowing for indulgence.

'I try my best to eat healthy, organic foods 80 per cent of the time,' she says.

Gorgeous: The mother-of-one's radiant skin is heroed by just a light coat of foundation with a hint of blush

'But its also important not to deprive yourself of things because then you just crave it more and rather than eating one piece of chocolate, youll devour the whole block!'

Miranda also credits her incredible physique to regular exercise, particularly Pilates done on a Reformer machine.

The supermodel explains she works extra hard on certain body parts in the lead up to a shoot or red carpet event.

Smouldering: Miranda credits her incredible physique to regular exercise, particularly yoga and Pilates

Sultry: The Australian star struck a pose in a loose fitting black sweater and matching hotpants

'Sure, when I have a big event or a photo shoot, I tend to workout a bit harder or focus on the areas that are going to be visible,' she reveals.

'For example, at the Met Ball, my midriff was visible so I focused a bit more on abs that week.'

Meanwhile, Miranda has just spent the weekend celebrating her 'love' Evan Spiegel's 26th birthday.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the beauty shared a sun-soaked snap of herself with the Snapchat founder, captioning it: 'Happy Birthday to my love!!! I feel so incredibly blessed to have you as my partner.'

Cover girl: The stunning supermodel also appears on the cover of the digital publication

The couple have been dating for almost a year, with Miranda revealing how they'd met in a recent interview.

'We met at a dinner in LA for Louis Vuitton and became friends,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'We were really good friends for a long time before we started dating.'

She added: 'We've just been having fun together and sharing our time amongst friends and family.'
She is not yet three-years-old, but it's clear little North West is already inheriting her famous mother Kim Kardashian's eye for edgy style.

The tot was spotted rocking her fringe leather jacket and satin lace dress as she happily swung while holding Kim's hand and that of a friend as they headed to Cipriani's restaurant in New York on Sunday.

And it comes as no surprise why exactly North was so happy, as she and her family had just made a pit stop to watch the Broadway musical The Lion King.

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Mommy's girl! North West was spotted looking the style spitting image of her mom Kim Kardashian with her fringe leather jacket and satin lace dress as she happily swung while holding her mother's hand and that of a friend in New York on Sunday

North smiled as she hit her stride beside her mom, with her doting father Kanye West trailing behind his girls.

The little one had her hair slicked back into a no-fuss bun, with a pair of black lace-up shoes finishing off the edgy look.

Her mother, meanwhile, turned heads in a sexy black mini dress that had white lace on the hem and neckline.

The reality star wore a long black and glossy coat which skimmed the floor, while standing tall in her strappy black stilettos.

Preened to perfection! Kim was at her radiant best with her long black tresses styled in loose and romantic waves, with a thick slick of jet black eyeliner and mascara helping to bring out her stunning features

Hitting her stride: Little North sported a pair of black lace-up shoes to finish off the edgy look

Preened to perfection as usual, Kim was at her radiant best with her long black tresses styled in loose and romantic waves, with a thick slick of jet black eyeliner and mascara helping to bring out her stunning features.

Smiling widely, the reality star led her little girl forward as her husband placed a protective hand upon her elbow.

Just one day earlier Kim had taken to her Snapchat and Instagram accounts to share videos of the family hopping aboard a private jet as they headed to New York City for the Governors Ball.

Top spirits! Smiling widely, the reality star led her little girl forward as her husband placed a protective hand upon her elbow

Up you go! The reality star gently hoisted her daughter out of the car

Everyone showed off smiles in that first video, as Kim concluded the clip by blowing a kiss to the camera.

She had captioned the video: 'Governors Ball here we come....Follow me on snap for the craziness [ghost emoji] KimKardashian.'

Unfortunately, not too long after that she headed back online to let everyone know that the event had been cancelled.

Kanye was scheduled to headline the last day of popular New York City music festival the Governors Ball before it was cancelled due to inclement weather.

In that clip the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star showed off her disappointment by ending it with her sticking her tongue out.

'So sad Governors Ball is cancelled due to weather [sad face emoji],' Kim had wrote, alongside the video.

All eyes on Kim! The mother-of-two, meanwhile, turned heads in a sexy black mini dress which had white lace on the hem and neckline

On the go: The family were spotted leaving the Broadway show that same day
Dan Aykroyd was rushed to the hospital on Saturday.

The 63-year-old legendary comedy actor was rushed to the emergency room after complaints of stomach pain according to a Sunday report from TMZ.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department told the gossip site that they had responded to a call at his house at 10am before transporting him to a hospital in Santa Monica.

Tough times: Dan Aykroyd - pictured in LA April 2015 - was rushed to the emergency room on Saturday after complaints of stomach pain according to a Sunday report from TMZ .

It doesn't seem too serious, however, as sources close to Dan explained he was hospitalised for a minor stomach ailment.

He has since been discharged and has been recovering at home.

Doctors ran test at the hospital but still have yet to determine the cause of the pain according to the showbiz news-centred site.

Improvement: Sources close to the 63-year-old star explained he was hospitalised for a minor stomach ailment and has since been discharged and is recovering at home

Dan recently made headlines as he came out in support of the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot as the project has received heavy criticism.

As a star in the original movies released in the 1980s, he took to his Facebook on Monday to share his thoughts on the upcoming flick.

Dan, who has both writer and executive producer credit in the new comedy, wrote: 'As originator of the original: Saw test screening of new movie.

'Apart from brilliant, genuine performances from the cast both female and male, it has more laughs and more scares than the first 2 films plus Bill Murray is in it!' Dan, 63, pointed out.

Backing: On Monday Dan made waves as he defended the new Ghostbusters reboot which has been highly-criticised

Fantastic four: Dan along with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman - pictured from right to left - starred in the original Ghostbusters films from the eighties

'As one of millions of man-fans and Ray Stantz, I'm paying to see that and bringing all my friends!'

Aside from his involvement behind-the-scenes, it was also revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that he will make a cameo as a cab driver.

Ghostbusters starring Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Kristen Wiig is set for release in the UK on 11 July with a US release following on July 15.
She gave birth to her first baby just four months ago.

And Rose Byrne once again put her incredible post-baby body on display as she attended the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday with partner, Bobby Cannavale.

The cute couple looked relaxed as they strolled around the Liberty Park grounds, the 36-year-olds trim figure clad in an edgy dress.

Day out: Rose Byrne hit the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday for a fun day in beautiful weather

The Australian actress wore a sleeveless, white patterned frock with a cinched-in waist that highlighted her enviable physique.

The flattering dress also featured a skirt that fell to just below her knees, as well as lacy, floral embellishments along the top in black and red.

Her caramel tresses were worn in a side part for the event, and styled in soft curls, and she sported a mauve lipstick.

Cute couple: She and boyfriend Bobby Cannavale looked relaxed strolling around the Liberty Park grounds, with the 36-year-old showing off her trim post-pregnancy figure in a white patterned dress

Looking good: The Australian actresss's frock was cinched-in at the waist, highlighting her enviable physique

Flawless: Her caramel tresses were worn in a side part for the event, and styled in soft curls, and she sported a mauve lipstick

The X-Men actress accessorised with a pair of chunky, peep-toe black heels that showed off her red pedicure, and carried a shiny silver clutch.

Bobby, father of her four-month-old son Rocco, was laidback in a pink button-down shirt.

He wore the attire with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows, and paired it with a pair of fitted, grey trousers.

Hand-in-hand: The flattering dress featured a hem skirt that fell to just below her knees, as well as lacy, floral embellishments along the top in black and red

Getting some shade: The couple kept out of the summer sun under a yellow umbrella

Chic accessories: The X-Men actress accessorised with a pair of chunky, peep-toe black heels that showed off her red pedicure, and carried a shiny silver clutch

The relaxed atmosphere allowed him to dress down with a pair of white, low-top Gucci sneakers, allowing him to stay on his feet all day and endure the 20-minute walk to the event.

The Vinyl star hid his eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses, and looked to be thrilled to be joining Rose for the nice day out.

Rose was also spotted hanging out with a couple of her famous friends, including actresses Elizabeth Olsen and Phoebe Tonkin.

Relaxed: Bobby, father of her four-month-old son Rocco, was laidback in a pink, button-down shirt

Roll up: He wore the top with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows, and paired it with a pair of fitted, grey trousers

Out with his girl: The Vinyl star hid his eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses, and looked to be thrilled to be joining Rose for the nice day out

Elizabeth wore a form-fitting low-cut white top, which she sported underneath a well-tailored, white blazer while Phoebe delighted in a nautical-themed navy patterned frock.

The fun day out sipping champagne and enjoying the sun was a short break for Rose, who has been juggling her new family with promotional tours for her new film Neighbours 2.

Last month, she revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, that she was stopped at an airport recently because of breast milk she carried in her bag.

Time off: The fun day out sipping champagne and enjoying the sun was a short break for Rose, who has been juggling her new family with promotional tours for her new film Neighbours 2

Busy mother: Last month, she revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that she was stopped at an airport recently because of breast milk she carried in her bag

The starlet had more than three ounces of breast milk with her, exceeding the maximum amount of liquid allowed in a carry-on bag.

'They wave this weird thing over the top of it, and there's a whole production going on. They take it very seriously that it could be something, she said.

'I just stand there and smile and tell them that's it's really breast milk, and that it's nothing.'

Meeting friends: Rose was spotted hanging out with a couple of friends who had also hopped over the river to the Jersey City party, like actress Elizabeth Olsen (right)
Back in the 1980s she was helping others find love as the host of dating game show Perfect Match.

But over two decades later, Australian media personality Kerrie Friend reflects on how she managed to find her own match, but only after travelling across the globe, without the help of the program's famous robotic character Dexter.

Speaking to Woman's Day magazine, the 52-year-old television star gushed about her model husband Kenn Copenhaver, 53, whom she met 25 years ago in Los Angeles.

Loved up: Former Perfect Match host Kerrie Friend has opened up about her relationship with model Kenn Copenhaver, whom she met in Los Angeles 25 years ago

'I still feel so blessed to have been a part of Perfect Match, and it's pretty funny to think I was involved with so many people getting together on the show, yet I had to move on the other side of the world to find my match,' she told the publication.

After meeting by chance in Los Angeles back in the day, the couple initially did their best to ignore the instant spark.

Neither Kerrie or Kenn were looking for love at the time, but the pair eventually indulged in their undeniable chemistry.

Kenn proposed to the blonde beauty on October 2, 1993, with the couple going on to tie the knot on New Year's Eve in Sydney the following year.

Television star: Having hosted Perfect Match alongside Greg Evans, Kerrie has a fair idea of what traits to look for in a romantic partner

Perfect Match! Kerrie has found without the help of the program's famous robotic character Dexter (left)

They even went on to get married a second time, this time in an intimate ceremony in Lake Tahoe, situated near San Francisco.

Having hosted Perfect Match alongside Greg Evans, Kerrie has a fair idea of what traits to look for in a romantic partner.

And while it took a move across the world to find her soulmate, she says she couldn't be happier with finding love with Kenn.

Back in the day: Kenn and Kerrie met by chance in Los Angeles 25 years ago

Nuptials: Kenn proposed to the blonde beauty on October 2, 1993, with the couple going on to tie the knot on New Year's Eve in Sydney the following year

'When it's the right person, it just gets better,' she told Woman's Day.

'When you live with your perfect match, you're so deeply in love, spirit, soul and body, it's a beautiful thing.'

The couple currently split their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Queensland's Noosa.

In recent times, Kerrie has been keeping herself busy, writing three self-help books which have formed the basis of a new internet show the couple are working on at the moment.
She always cuts a trendy figure.

But Donna Air surpassed herself when she stepped out to see the Istituto Marangoni showcase in east London on Sunday evening - as part of the city's Graduate Fashion Week.

The blonde beauty, 36, was the epitome of seasonal style at the Truman Brewery where she deftly turned heads.

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Looking good: Donna Air surpassed herself when she stepped out in east London on Sunday evening - as part of the city's Graduate Fashion Week

Oozing casual class, the actress, model and presenter was on fine sartorial form as she headed-up the celebrity guests.

Sporting a multi-coloured dress with a crew neck and slashed hemline, the quirky-but-classic number was a vibrant addition to the front row.

It also highlighted her platinum locks and natural, fresh-faced beauty.

Stunning: Oozing casual class, the actress, model and presenter was on fine sartorial form as she headed-up the celebrity guests

Sporting a multi-coloured dress with a crew neck and slashed hemline, the quirky-but-classic number was a vibrant addition to the front row

Matching the look with a pair of terracotta-coloured heels and a matching handbag, she was perfectly synced for the occasion.

Taking a pew alongside the likes of Amber Le Bon, the former Big Breakfast presenter seemed delighted by the creations on show.

She later took to Twitter to say: 'Such strong and interesting work on display this evening . Hats off to all the talent, such hard work and dedication.'

Taking a pew alongside the likes of Amber Le Bon, the former Big Breakfast presenter seemed delighted by the creations on show

Line-up: Bip Ling, Amber Le Bon, Donna Air and Betty Bach attend the Istituto Marangoni GFW Show

Matching the look with a pair of terracotta-coloured heels and a matching handbag, she was perfectly synced for the occasion.

She's a fan! Donna later took to Twitter to say: 'Such strong and interesting work on display this evening . Hats off to all the talent, such hard work and dedication.'

Donna, who is on hiatus from dating James Middleton and now works in fashion, has enjoyed a varied career since her debut in BBC1's teen show Byker Grove.

She left the series aged 16 to form pop duo Crush with co-star Jayni Hoy, recording an album - Teenage Kicks - which was co-produced by Saint Etienne.

Singles Jellyhead and Luv'd Up were hits in America and Japan, sparking tours across Asia and the United States.

Following this, she then hosted MTV's Select before returning to the screen in a variety of acting dramas, including The Mummy, Still Crazy and Hotel Babylon, which won her acclaim.

She was recently announced as a celebrity contestant on Masterchef.

Donna, who is on hiatus from dating James Middleton and now works in fashion, has enjoyed a varied career since her debut in BBC1's teen show Byker Grove
Their relationship was certainly tested in 2013 when he declared bankruptcy after losing around $1 million due to a gambling problem.

But after Brendan Fevola went through the trials of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! to be crowned winner, his ex-wife Alex believes their relationship has been repaired for the most part.

Speaking with Mamamia in an article published on Sunday, the 39-year-old said she doesn't regret standing by her man, but admitted she 'horrified' when he talked about their reunion in October.

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'He's a good person in so many ways': Alex Fevola believes her relationship with her ex husband Brendan has been repaired for the most part

'I did have moments where I was actually really proud of him and I havent had many of those earlier on,' she said, following their reunion after a two-year divorce.

'He's a good person in so many ways.'

The former Carlton forward was an open book on the series, and won the hearts of many viewers by showing his softer side.

'I did have moments where I was actually really proud of him': The 39-year-old said she doesn't regret standing by her man

'Thats what she thinks': While Alex said remarrying Brendan 'isn't on the cards', he thinks otherwise

Reflecting on his time in the spotlight, Brendan said he's learned some 'harsh lessons', having been his club's leading goalkicker to be fired in 2010 and battling a gambling addiction.

While Alex said remarrying Brendan 'isn't on the cards', his response to the question was: 'Thats what she thinks.'

Speaking to The Herald Sun recently, the 35-year-old said his appearance on I'm A Celebrity had 'opened a whole new chapter' in both his personal and professional lives.

Family: The couple have three children together - Leni and Lulu, as well as Mia from Alex's previous relationship

'We didn't go into the show thinking we were going to get anything out of it, it was just like, "Go in there and see how you go."

'It's opened up a whole new chapter, which is amazing,' Brendan told the newspaper.

However, Alex had one request when it came to the former AFL player's time in the South African jungle, after the pair reunited in October last year.

'I told him, "Do not say a word". I was a little bit embarrassed and a little bit scared of being judged,' she said of her ex revealing on national television that the couple had gotten back together.
Julianne Hough got leggy in a thigh-grazing silver gown to co-host Sunday night's Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas.

The Grease: Live starlet - who turns 28 next month - donned a sparkly halter dress and matching stilettos selected by her stylist Anita Patrickson.

The beautiful bride-to-be also served as 'creative producer' for the scantily-clad ceremony airing Sunday on Fox.

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Thigh's the limit! Julianne Hough got leggy in a thigh-grazing silver gown to co-host Sunday night's Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas

Nice stems! The Grease: Live starlet - who turns 28 next month - donned a sparkly halter dress and matching stilettos selected by her stylist Anita Patrickson

Former DWTS judge: The beautiful bride-to-be also served as 'creative producer' for the scantily-clad ceremony airing Sunday on Fox

Celebrity hairstylist Riawna Capri coiffed Julianne's flaxen bob into four different 'dos during the busy broadcast.

And make-up artist Spencer Barnes made sure Hough's alabaster complexion was dewy and flawless at all times.

Missing the beauty competition action was the Emmy-winning choreographer's fiance of 10 months, Toronto Maple Leafs centre Brooks Laich.

Instead, Julianne had Terrence 'J' Jenkins by her side to help her present onstage the T-Mobile Arena.

'Practicing my 4 mins hair changes...One is even 2 mins and 45 secs!' Celebrity hairstylist Riawna Capri coiffed Julianne's flaxen bob into four different 'dos during the busy broadcast

'Quick backstage touch up!' And make-up artist Spencer Barnes made sure Hough's alabaster complexion was dewy and flawless at all times

Her other half: Missing the beauty competition action was the Emmy-winning choreographer's fiance of 10 months, Toronto Maple Leafs centre Brooks Laich

The Utah-born Mormon hopes the fan-favourite swimsuit segment of the contest will eventually be phased out.

'There's definitely some work I think still to be done, that's where we've been talking with the producers. In the next few years we may grow from [swimsuits], but let's see where this year goes,' Hough told USA Today this week.

'Something I'm very passionate about is young women and confidence, and self-esteem, and really celebrating all the qualities a woman is today. I get that cringe-worthy negative connotation, a competition to see who is the most beautiful.'

Also in attendance were the three reigning pageant princesses - Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan, and Miss Teen USA 2015 Katherine Haik.

Don't read out the wrong name! Instead, Julianne had Terrence 'J' Jenkins by her side to help her present onstage the T-Mobile Arena

Objectifying females? The Utah-born Mormon hopes the fan-favourite swimsuit segment of the contest will eventually be phased out

Hough told USA Today this week: 'There's definitely some work I think still to be done, that's where we've been talking with the producers. In the next few years we may grow from [swimsuits]'

She continued: 'Something I'm very passionate about is young women and confidence, and self-esteem, and really celebrating all the qualities a woman is today. I get that cringe-worthy negative connotation, a competition to see who is the most beautiful'

The Oklahoma-born 27-year-old showcased her 5ft11in figure in a sheer plunging Berta Bridal gown selected by stylist Marquis Bias.

The Filipino-German 26-year-old - whom Steve Harvey mistakingly called runner-up last December - looked elegant in a black caped gown and tidy top-bun.

And the Louisiana-born 16-year-old looked youthfully regal in a white bedazzled crop-top and ball gown skirt.

Miss USA 1996 and pageant judge Ali Landry turned the red carpet into a family affair with daughter Estella, who turns 9 next month.

HBIC: Also in attendance were the three reigning pageant princesses - Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan, and Miss Teen USA 2015 Katherine Haik

I couldn't ask for two better people to spend this year with! Love you both @missusa @missuniverse A photo posted by Katherine Haik (@missteenusa) on Jun 5, 2016 at 8:54am PDT

Racy red carpet wear! The Oklahoma-born 27-year-old showcased her 5ft11in figure in a sheer plunging Berta Bridal gown selected by stylist Marquis Bias

And don't you forget it! The Filipino-German 26-year-old - whom Steve Harvey mistakingly called runner-up last December - looked elegant in a black caped gown and tidy top-bun

@iamsteveharveytv rules for tonight | @missusa live on @foxtv A video posted by Terrence J (@iamterrencej) on Jun 5, 2016 at 9:11am PDT

Taut teenage tummy: And the Louisiana-born 16-year-old looked youthfully regal in a white bedazzled crop-top and ball gown skirt

Lane Bryant beauty and backstage host Ashley Graham made an eye-popping display in her cleavage-baring sapphire blue gown.

America's Next Top Model alum and pageant judge Nigel Barker was every bit the dapper Englishman in his black pin-stripe suit sans tie.

Other alumnus in attendance included Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez in a turquoise head-turner and Miss Teen USA 2010 Kamie Crawford in a silver-webbed Sherri Hill creation.

Shimmering in silver sequins: Miss USA 1996 and pageant judge Ali Landry turned the red carpet into a family affair with daughter Estella, who turns 9 next month

Amply charmed: Lane Bryant beauty and backstage host Ashley Graham made an eye-popping display in her cleavage-baring sapphire blue gown

Bald lensman: America's Next Top Model alum and pageant judge Nigel Barker was every bit the dapper Englishman in his black pin-stripe suit sans tie

It was a tough question... Hopefully my British accent didn't throw her off! #missusa #confidentlybeautiful A video posted by Nigel Barker (@nigelbarker) on Jun 5, 2016 at 6:42pm PDT

We are all queens: Other alumnus in attendance included Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez in a turquoise head-turner and Miss Teen USA 2010 Kamie Crawford in a silver-webbed Sherri Hill creation
She is the perfect foil to Kyle Sandilands garrulous character and the one that says less but arguably more.

And Jackie O Henderson is worth her weight in gold since the Kiis FM host is not only credited as being the driving force behind the breakfast show but has also been named most successful female on air.

The 41-year-old former sandwich hand topped the industry website Radio Today's list of 25 women with the greatest influence followed by Amanda Keller who hosts WSFM's breakfast show with Brendan Jones.

Not so behind the scenes: Jackie O Henderson topped industry website Radio Today's list of 25 women with the greatest influence followed by Amanda Kell. Pictured with fellow Kiis FM host Kyle Sandilands

The women both reportedly bank $1million per year and in third place this year is Brisbane 97.3FM's Robin Bailey, followed by Kate Langbroek on Kiis FM and Fifi Box who presents Fifi & Dave on FM.

Former soap star Kate Ritchie on Nova is number six, while reality star Chrissie Swan, who fronts Chrissie, Sam & Browny on Nova 100 in Melbourne, nestles in seventh place.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show is currently number one FM breakfast show in Sydney and Radio Today editor Blair Sullivan told news.com.au Jackie is a formidable force behind the scenes.

She found her voice by accident: Jackie never intended to be a radio host and was a former sandwich maker. Pictured at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards in Queensland in 2015

On air: Mother-of-one Jackie O is the perfect foil to chatty Kyle

'I certainly know that Jackie O plays a big role in determining the content on the show,' he said.

Jackie worked as an office girl and sandwich hand at a delicatessen and ever dreamed of fame until she met and fell in love with presenter Phil O'Neil talked her round whilst he was hosting Gold Coast's Sea FM in 1993.

At the time she was working as an office girl and sandwich maker at a delicatessen and he convinced her to move to Canberra with him, after he accepted an offer to join FM104.7.

Going back in time: Kyle and Jackie O arrive for the debut single launch by the pop group Scandal'Us at Planet Hollywood in 2001 in Sydney

Out and about: Jackie O and Kyle Sandilands at the 2Day FM Star Party held at the W Hotel in Woolloomooloo in 2004

After initial rejections by radio bosses to have her as his 'phone girl', they finally agreed.

That move, it seems, was Jackie's calling and soon afterwards she shared the studio with Phil whom she went on to marry.

The pair went on to work for Triple M Adelaide and she adopted the catchier name, Jackie O.

The couple progressed to Fox FM in Melbourne before moving to 2DayFM in Sydney.

The duo co-hosted a Network Ten music show called Ground Zero and the Hot 30 radio show during the late 1990s until the couple divorced and Phil moved back to the UK.

Moment in time: Jackie is pictured with Usher and Kyle at the 2Day FM Star Party at the W Hotel in Woolloomooloo in Sydney in 2004

Jackie's radio career rose to new heights as she was paired with so-called shock jock Kyle on the Austereo Network (broadcasting from Sydney station 2Day FM).

The pair moved from drive time to breakfast at the beginning of 2005. They continued to host the countdown show The Hot Hits until August 2009.

In August 2013, Kyle and Jackie O moved from 2Day FM to KIIS 106.5FM doubling the number of breakfast listeners a year later to 532,000.
In Sunday night's episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians Khloe, Kendall and Kylie donned hilarious prosthetics and hopped on a Hollywood tour bus.

After getting frustrated at constant attention from the paparazzi, the trio wore disguises, with Khloe transforming herself into grandmother Delores, complete with wrinkles, a grey wig and frumpy clothes.

Her younger sisters sported fake noses and played the role of her granddaughters Sam and Natalie Johnson.

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In Sunday night's episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians the trio donned hilarious prosthetics and hopped on a Hollywood tour bus after getting frustrated at constant attention from the paparazzi.

While Khloe transformed herself into grandmother Delores, complete with wrinkles, a grey wig and frumpy clothes, her sisters sported fake noses and played the role of her granddaughters Sam and Natalie Johnson

Putting on fake Albuquerque accents, Kendall strapped on a fake pregnant belly and hid under a frizzy red wig while Kylie was a little easier to identify in glasses and a long dark wig with bangs.

When the tour bus driver pointed out Chin Chin  supposedly their sister Kim's favourite place to eat in LA, Khloe screeched: 'Kardashians? The Kar-trash-ians? I don't want to talk about those Kartrashians.'

Khloe came up with the idea to go out undercover after her younger sisters expressed their frustrations at being unable to lead normal lives.

Putting on fake Albuquerque accents, Kendall strapped on a fake pregnant belly and hid under a frizzy red wig while Kylie was a little easier to identify in glasses and a long dark wig with bangs

When the tour bus driver pointed out Chin Chin  supposedly their sister Kim's favourite place to eat in LA, Khloe screeched: 'Kardashians? The Kar-trash-ians? I don't want to talk about those Kartrashians.'

While sightseeing with mother Kris in Rome, Kendall became upset after a paparazzi cut their trip short.

Kris explained: 'Even a single paparazzi can turn into 50 paparazzi and ruin an entire day. I think everyone in my family has thick skin and everyone handles the paparazzi differently, but Kendall's the one kid who's so sensitive towards it. It really brings her down and I always feel so bad when she feels trapped.'

Kylie later told Khloe: 'I'm over not being able to go out and be normal for a second. Life is life but sometimes I just want to be a kid. I can't remember what it's like to go out and nobody know who I am.'

While sightseeing with mother Kris in Rome, Kendall became upset after a paparazzi cut their trip short

Kris explained: 'Even a single paparazzi can turn into 50 paparazzi and ruin an entire day. I think everyone in my family has thick skin and everyone handles the paparazzi differently, but Kendall's the one kid who's so sensitive towards it. It really brings her down and I always feel so bad when she feels trapped.'

Kylie later told Khloe: 'I'm over not being able to go out and be normal for a second. Life is life but sometimes I just want to be a kid. I can't remember what it's like to go out and nobody know who I am.'

'Trust me you're going to hate it,' Khloe quipped.

The girls brought in prosthetic make-up artist Shelby Michael Patton to help them transform themselves into their alter-egos.

Kendall and Kylie descended into fits of giggles as they watched their older sister have her old lady face prosthetic put on.

'I really thought this was my real neck Kendall and I almost spiraled,' Khloe said, pointing out her wrinkles after looking in the mirror.'

The girls brought in prosthetic make-up artist Shelby Michael Patton to help them transform themselves into their alter-egos

Kendall and Kylie descended into fits of giggles as they watched their older sister have her old lady face prosthetic put on.

'I really thought this was my real neck Kendall and I almost spiraled,' Khloe said, pointing out her wrinkles after looking in the mirror.'

After hiring a rental car and stopping off for a Subway sandwich, the Kardashian clan made their way to the Ultimate Hollywood Tour bus to take in the celebrity sights, but it did not take long for a photographer to spot them.

While Kendall freaked out and claimed it was 'embarrassing', Khloe insisted they carry on with their experiment.

Snapchatting at the back of the bus to leak the story before the paparazzi photos got out, the girls laughed and told the driver it was their first time in California.

When asked whether they had flown or driven, Khloe said: 'Oh I can't go on a plane. I've got metal pins all in my legs and a bad hip.'

After hiring a rental car the trio stopped off for a Subway sandwich, it did not take long for a photographer to spot them

While Kendall freaked out and claimed it was 'embarrassing', Khloe insisted they carry on with their experiment.

Their tour took them past a casting office, the Sky Bar and 1Oak nightclub on Sunset Boulevard.

'Did you guys hear about this? When Tyga wouldn't let Paul McCartney into the club for the party right here?' the driver asked.

'That's not true,' Kylie and Kendall shouted.

After fans spotted them from a passing car and shouted Kendall's name, the driver asked whether they were YouTube stars.

Their tour took them past a casting office, the Sky Bar and 1Oak nightclub on Sunset Boulevard

After fans spotted them from a passing car and shouted Kendall's name, the driver asked whether they were YouTube stars

Pointing at Kendall's fake baby bump, Khloe said: 'She's impregnated by a really popular YouTube person.'

When more fans and photographers began to surround the bus, the girls jumped off and ran into the Beverly Hills Hotel

Pointing at Kendall's fake baby bump, Khloe said: 'She's impregnated by a really popular YouTube person.'

When more fans and photographers began to surround the bus, the girls jumped off and ran into the Beverly Hills Hotel before howling with laughter on the way home when Khloe tried to peel her face off.

During Sunday night's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Scott Disick also confessed he was feeling out of place hanging out with his ex Kourtney's family.

Explaining why he skipped Kanye's fashion show, he said: 'I'm going to go to this f***ing show that's going to be in every f***ing publication and I'm going to be standing there like a tag-along.

Explaining why he skipped Kanye's fashion show, he said: 'I'm going to go to this f***ing show that's going to be in every f***ing publication and I'm going to be standing there like a tag-along

He added: 'I didn't want to stand there in the crowd with everyone assuming 'oh they're back together'

'Oh so just let me and Lamar have that title,' Khloe joked

'I just thought 'what am I doing?' I don't want to be chasing my old family around. It's hard for me.'

He added: 'I didn't want to stand there in the crowd with everyone assuming 'oh they're back together','

'Oh so just let me and Lamar have that title,' Khloe joked.

Khloe became frustrated with Scott when he barely spoke to her or her family during a traditional Armenian dinner to mark her father's birthday but then announced he was doing a club appearance in Las Vegas.

Tension: Khloe became frustrated with Scott when he barely spoke to her or her family during a traditional Armenian dinner to mark her father's birthday but then announced he was doing a club appearance in Las Vegas

'He acts like he tries so hard to play it straight for even a month. He comes and plays this victim I'm like Scott I want to punch you in your f***ing jugular because of your depressed, negative energy,' she said.

'I totally get that Scott and Kourt's relationship is a work in progress but Scott needs to be more accountable. He tends to shift the blame all the time.'

'He acts like he tries so hard to play it straight for even a month. He comes and plays this victim I'm like Scott I want to punch you in your f***ing jugular because of your depressed, negative energy,' she said.

'I totally get that Scott and Kourt's relationship is a work in progress but Scott needs to be more accountable. He tends to shift the blame all the time.'

Visiting Scott at his new house, she told him: 'I felt like someone held a gun to your head to be there. We want you to come around us and just not have your guard up.'

Visiting Scott at his new house, she told him: 'I felt like someone held a gun to your head to be there. We want you to come around us and just not have your guard up.'

'Sometimes it's difficult being around you and everybody because it reminds me of old times. It's hard,' he explained

Khloe said: 'I want you to start hanging out more and smiling more and not be so moody.'

Scott told the cameras it was a relief to hear he wasn't being invited out of pity and added: 'Just because Kourtney and I are not together it doesn't mean all friendships are broken.'

'Sometimes it's difficult being around you and everybody because it reminds me of old times. It's hard,' he explained.

Khloe said: 'I want you to start hanging out more and smiling more and not be so moody.'

Scott told the cameras it was a relief to hear he wasn't being invited out of pity and added: 'Just because Kourtney and I are not together it doesn't mean all friendships are broken.'

Sunday's episode also saw Kris falling over during a family day out at the roller-skating rink

What do you think? Caitlyn presented Kim with a wooden sculpture of a butt and legs

Sunday's episode also saw Kris falling over during a family day out at the roller-skating rink and Caitlyn presenting Kim with a wooden sculpture of a butt and legs.

Examining it, Kim said: 'I think you need to shave off a little bit of that vagina there. It's halfway in between.'

'Well, that's kind of me,' Caitlyn quipped while her daughter fell about laughing.

Examining it, Kim said: 'I think you need to shave off a little bit of that vagina there. It's halfway in between.'
Pregnant Candice Swanepoel showcased her growing bump and engagement ring in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on Sunday.

The expecting 27-year-old emulated nineties grunge in a red plunging babydoll floral frock and heavy combat boots.

The South African stunner let her natural beauty shine through, and she let her flaxen locks down.

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Betrothed with baby on the way! Pregnant Candice Swanepoel showcased her growing bump and engagement ring in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on Sunday

Maternity style: The expecting 27-year-old emulated nineties grunge in a red plunging babydoll floral frock and heavy combat boots

Future's so bright she's gotta wear shades: The South African stunner let her natural beauty shine through, and she let her flaxen locks down

The Victoria's Secret Angel was joined at Bar Pitti by her colleague in lingerie - Doutzen Kroes - rocking a Vogue T-shirt and black skinny jeans.

'Baby having a chat with his beautiful Dutch Aunty @doutzen,' Candice - who boasts 10.3M followers - captioned a snap of the duo.

The 31-year-old blonde and her DJ husband Sunnery James were likely doling out parenthood advice to Swanepoel as they dined curbside on Italian fare.

The Dutch couple have their hands full raising son Phyllon, 5, and daughter Myllena, 2 next month.

Revealing: Candice wore a plunging floral frock that showed off her ample cleavage

Ladies who brunch: The Victoria's Secret Angel was joined at Bar Pitti by her colleague in lingerie - Doutzen Kroes - rocking a Vogue T-shirt and black skinny jeans

Perfect parent! The mother-to-be already demonstrated her maternal nature as she delicately cradled her baby bump

Candice - who boasts 10.3M followers - captioned a snap of the duo: 'Baby having a chat with his beautiful Dutch Aunty @doutzen'

Going Dutch? The 31-year-old blonde (R) and her DJ husband Sunnery James (2-R) were likely doling out parenthood advice to Swanepoel as they dined curbside on Italian fare

Eating for two! The blonde beauty enjoyed lunch at the outdoor cafe in a pair of mirrored sunglasses

Satisfied supermodel: After grabbing a bite, the expectant mother had clearly satisfied her appetite

Unforgettable and miraculous experience with @glamourmag. They followed us as we traveled to Kenya to save the elephants in Samburu! @savetheelephants -www.savetheelephants.org lead protection of Africas elephants. See all the photos and video on glamour.com.  A photo posted by Sunnery James (@sunneryjames) on May 6, 2016 at 1:05pm PDT

With her pals: Here the model is joined by Doutzen and a male friend

On Saturday, the 5ft10in IMG Model was so nostalgic for her pre-baby body she captioned a VS snap: 'To When Lying on my tummy wasn't an issue.'

Candice and her fiance of 10 months Hermann Nicoli will reportedly welcome their first child - a son - this autumn.

'She's so excited!' a source told E! News in March. 'They are very happy. They plan to spend the summer in New York.'

The Brazilian male model - who turns 34 next month - popped the question to Swanepoel back in August, but they've been dating for nearly a decade.

On Saturday, the 5ft10in IMG Model was so nostalgic for her pre-baby body she captioned a VS snap: 'To When Lying on my tummy wasn't an issue'

'They are very happy. They plan to spend the summer in New York': Candice and her fiance of 10 months Hermann Nicoli will reportedly welcome their first child - a son - this autumn (pictured May 23)
Dorothy Wang was left questioning her friendship with Morgan Stewart after a shocking revelation from Bianca Espada on Sunday nights episode of the Rich Kids of Beverly Hills.

During a dinner to clear the air following a row at Dorothy's birthday party, Bianca told her pal Morgan called her an offensive name behind her back.

'Morgan calls you f*** twinkie behind your back to everybody,' Bianca said, causing Dorothys jaw to hit the table. 'I am not making that s*** up. I would never make anything like that up.'

Gut-wrenching: Dorothy Wang was left questioning her friendship with Morgan Stewart after a shocking revelation from Bianca Espada on Sunday nights episode of the Rich Kids of Beverly Hills

'I just wish you'd told me this before,' a shocked Dorothy said.

Bianca apologized: 'I really wanted to, but I know you're with Morgan and I know every time you're with Morgan she'd going to try and flip a situation.'

'I have a hard time trying to figure out who to trust,' Dorothy confessed.

She tearfully added to the camera: 'Sometimes I just feel like maybe I'm never going to have real friends. I just feel like sometimes people always want to hurt me and I dont know why.'

Hard to hear: During a dinner to clear the air following a row at Dorothy's birthday party, Bianca told her pal Morgan called her an offensive name behind her back

Tearful: She tearfully added to the camera: 'Sometimes I just feel like maybe I'm never going to have real friends. I just feel like sometimes people always want to hurt me and I dont know why'

Dorothy and Bianca sat down to dinner to discuss their issues after an ongoing feud.

Before the showdown, Bianca warned: 'Morgan's very manipulative and I know Morgan's trying to get into Dorothy's head which is crazy. The things I know about Morgan are pretty bad. Dorothy deserves to know what her so-called best friend is saying behind her back.'

Dorothy, meanwhile, said: 'Bianca recently has just caused a lot of drama and I just dont really want that in my life right now.

Talking it out: Dorothy and Bianca sat down to dinner to discuss their issues after an ongoing feud

But Dorothys plea for a drama-free life fell on deaf ears when Bianca dropped the bombshell about what she claims Morgan has been saying behind her back.

'If someone's talking s*** about my friends thats f***ed up and I have no problem calling anybody out on it,' Bianca said.

She told the camera: 'Morgan's not the person Dorothy thinks she is, but then again I dont think Morgan is the person anybody thinks she is.'

Speaking out: She told the camera: 'Morgan's not the person Dorothy thinks she is, but then again I dont think Morgan is the person anybody thinks she is'

Meanwhile: Morgan's fiance Brendan Fitzpatrick was also less than impressed with his wife-to-be after learning she planned to write a tell all book called Boobs, Loubs and Blow Jobs

Dorothy admitted: 'With Morgan I know how she is. I shouldnt be surprised by this. I'm always surprised and Im always hurt. I could never say anything like that about Morgan.'

Morgan's fiance Brendan Fitzpatrick was also less than impressed with his wife-to-be after learning she planned to write a tell all book called Boobs, Loubs and Blow Jobs.

During his Bachelor weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico he drunkenly told his friends: 'My fiancees writing a book called Boobs, Loubs and Blow Jobs about her dynasty of Los Angeles and that freaks me out.

Opening up: During his Bachelor weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico he drunkenly told his friends: 'My fiancees writing a book called Boobs, Loubs and Blow Jobs about her dynasty of Los Angeles and that freaks me out'

Heart to heart: The morning after, Jonny Drubel confronted Brendan about his remarks and asked if it had just been the alcohol talking

'This is the woman I'm going to marry and she's going to write a tell-all book about her history? I think it's a little questionable, no?

'I knew who I was dating before I got into anything and now Im not sure I'm confident with that decision. I dont want to get married.'

When his friends suggested he should put down his drink, he complained: 'Dont take my beer away. I dont want to get married bro. Im not going to marry a girl thats going to tell a tell-all here.'

Starting a buzz: Brendan said, 'Last night I had a little to drink. A life-long commitment is a life-long commitment, you know. I come from parents who divorced, my dad's been married twice'

Chit chat: Back home, Morgan also opened up to EJ Johnson about her disagreement with Brendan

The morning after, Jonny Drubel confronted Brendan about his remarks and asked if it had just been the alcohol talking.

Brendan said: 'Last night I had a little to drink. A life-long commitment is a life-long commitment, you know. I come from parents who divorced, my dad's been married twice.

'My wife and potentially the mother of my children is writing a book with a title that has "blow job" in it. That's a little concerning.'

Hard to share: Morgan revealed, 'I haven't told my Mom about the book title yet and I'm sure shes not going to be thrilled about it'

His heart isn't in it: Brendan's pals invited a group of bikini clad girls onto their boat for shots and beers, Brendan realised his heart was still with his wife-to-be

Back home, Morgan also opened up to EJ Johnson about their disagreement and told him: 'Brendan was less than thrilled about it. He wasn't happy with that title, but I just said "listen this is who I am, this is how Ive always been, you knew everything about me before we got engaged. I'm going to further my dreams. I'm not going to not write this book because youre unhappy with the title'.

'I haven't told my Mom about the book title yet and I'm sure shes not going to be thrilled about it. When its on the New York Times bestseller list and I don't have to ask them to pay for my health insurance any more I don't think theyre going to care that damn much. It's just a period of my life that isn't as pristine as it is now.'

After his pals invited a group of bikini clad girls onto their boat for shots and beers, Brendan realised his heart was still with his wife-to-be.

Fun and games! The group had cheered while cruising through the Pacific

Home is where the heart is: The reality star enjoyed some time with his fiancee over dinner after the getaway

'These girls we have on the boat are nice, they're really friendly, but they obviously don't compare to Morgan. I'm very glad that I'm not single anymore,' he said.

'Despite everything I'm worried about, I realised how much I want to marry Morgan and I'm going to support Morgan no matter what.'

Back in Beverly Hills, he told his fiancee: 'I had time to think a lot and I want to be here for you and Im supportive and Ive always been supportive of you and why should that stop now because of a title of a book?'

The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills continues next week.
She's a champion of a new breed of female empowerment.

And Amber Rose proved once again just why she is so confident as she stepped out in Hollywood in yet another revealing outfit.

The 32-year-old put her incredible figure on display in a crop top and skintight leggings while running errands on Sunday.

Muva-side: Amber Rose proved once again just why she is so confident as she stepped out in Hollywood in yet another revealing outfit on Sunday

The self-described Muva sported red tinted sunglasses as she balanced in open toe wedge heels for the outing.

She also reportedly gave $40 in cash to two boys from the Unique Stars Youth Program.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week the socialite showed off her generous curves and tiny waist in the picture as she was seen promoting a fit tea.

The model bemoaned about her bloated stomach whilst promoting the cleanse.

Business to attend to: The 32-year-old put her incredible figure on display in a crop top and skintight leggings while running errands

Chic: The self-described Muva sported red tinted sunglasses as she balanced in open toe wedge heels for the outing

Generous: She also reportedly gave $40 in cash to two boys from the Unique Stars Youth Program

Look at those abs! Amber Rose was at it again as she posted a very revealing photo to her Instagram page on Tuesday

She captioned the photo: 'Summer's coming and my bloats still a b****. I got some more of that @flattummytea and in one week I'm already seeing results! Tummy's flat, bloats gone and energy is up! This stuff is LIT.'

It seems her fans enjoyed the photo.

One user wrote: 'Damn boo!! You're too hot! Love you Muva!'

A die hard fan expressed how much she admired Amber and the photo: 'I can drown in your soul for all eternity'

Another commented: 'Your hair is Lit I'm trying it next year!! PS you're amazing,' whilst another fan wrote: 'I see no bloat! that waist!!!'

Party time: Later on Sunday Amber hit Lure Day Club in Hollywood with her pals while still rocking the same racy ensemble

Good to see you! The star gave her fans a wave and a smile as she left in her pink ride

Let me take a selfie: Some fans managed to get close enough for a fun snap with Amber

Say cheese! The star pouted and posed for the fan's cameras
Mena Suvari was all business during a sophisticated appearance at the premiere of Worlds Apart on Sunday.

The 37-year-old donned a dark blue blazer a top a sheer and sexy white blouse which flashed her bra as she arrived to the film's premiere during the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.

Mena's blue jacket was slashed at the sleeves, giving the professional look a quirky and fashion forward touch.

All business! Mena Suvari was all business as she made a sophisticated appearance at the premiere of Worlds Apart in Hollywood on Sunday

The American Beauty actress, who is part Greek and was hosting the festival's closing night ceremony that evening, teamed the look with a pair of glossy black trousers, a clutch, and an eye-catching pair of strappy heels.

She wore her light blonde and sun kissed locks down in effortlessly beachy waves which added a casual vibe to her otherwise sharp and smart look.

Picture perfect! The actress teamed the look with a pair of glossy black trousers, a clutch, and an eye-catching pair of strappy heels

Strike a pose! She wore her light blonde and sun kissed locks down in effortlessly beachy waves which added a casual vibe to her otherwise sharp and smart look

Mena added a pop of colour with her hot red lipstick, while drawing out her natural beauty with a slick of eyeliner and shimmering silver eyeshadow.

The actress was among a slew of stars to arrive for Worlds Apart, which is a love story about a foreigner and a Greek, and is told from three different perspectives during a period of socioeconomic hardship in Southern Europe.

Others in attendance included Bai Ling, who dazzled in a sexy gold halter gown which put her cleavage on show and exposed her back.

Golden girl! Others in attendance included Bai Ling, who dazzled in a sexy gold halter gown which put her cleavage on show and exposed her back

Oh la la! Blanca Blanco flashed her long legs in a flirty mini dress, which she paired with strappy black heels

She wore her jet black hair up into a no-fuss bun, and polished off her complexion with a slick of ruby red lipstick.

The hit-maker struck a sexy pose, placing her hands behind her head as she gave the camera a sultry expression.

Blanca Blanco flashed her long legs in a flirty mini dress, which she paired with strappy black heels.

Raising temperatures! Andrea Osvart was red hot in a slinky red maxi dress, while Elise Neal showed off her toned physique with her lacy white number

Peace out! John Savage looked sharp in a taupe shirt, beige khakis, and a jacket as he flashed a friendly peace sign for the cameras

Andrea Osvart was red hot in a slinky red maxi dress which hugged her flat tum, while Elise Neal showed off her toned physique with her lacy white number, bandeau top, and high-waist trousers.

The actress glammed the look up with her dramatic hoop earrings and a white manicure to match her outfit.

John Savage looked sharp in a taupe shirt, beige khakis, and a jacket as he flashed a friendly peace sign for the cameras.

All together! Worlds Apart cast members Andrea, Christoforos Papakaliatis, J.K. Simmons, and Maria Kavoyianni posed for a snap
She's come under attack from the likes of Bette Midler for her love of naked selfies.

But Kim Kardashian and her famous curves have one big fan in acting legend Dame Helen Mirren.

The British actress has praised the US reality star for pushing boundaries when it comes to body image and self confidence, hailing Kim as a curvy and sexy role model.

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'Shameless and proud!' Kim Kardashian and her famous curves have one big fan in acting legend Dame Helen Mirren, who has praised the mum of two for promoting a positive body image

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraphs' Stella Magazine, Helen, 70, admitted that while she isn't a fan of Kim's family reality show, she admires the 35-year-old star for promoting body positivity.

'I'm not into the Kardashians, it's a phenomenon I just don't find interesting, but - and this is the big word: B-U-T-T - it's wonderful that you're allowed to have a butt nowadays!' points out Helen.

'Thanks to Madame Kardashian, and before her, J-Lo. We're also allowed to have thighs now, which is great too. It's very positive.'

See more Kim Kardashian news updates as Helen Mirren praises her

Won her over: Speaking to The Sunday Telegraphs' Stella Magazine, Helen, 70, admitted that while she isn't a fan of Kim and her family's reality show, she admires the 35-year-old star for promoting body positivity

The actress, who has been in the industry since the 1960s, added that she's fascinated to see how much times have changed since she was a young rising star in Hollywood.

'When I was growing up, it was thought to be unbelievably sluttish to even have a bra strap showing. Everything was about women conforming. I love shameless women. Shameless and proud!'

While Dame Helen is a fan, Kim was attacked by stars earlier this year for sharing a naked selfie.

Baring all: Kim is known for her love of a nude photo, regularly posting racy images on her social media, including this one last week with Helen exclaiming: 'it's wonderful that you're allowed to have a butt nowadays!'

Bette Midler, 70, mused that the mother-of-two would have to 'swallow the camera' to show something we haven't seen before after Kim instagrammed a shot of herself in the mirror completely nude .

In response, mother of two Kim, tweeted: 'hey @BetteMidler I know it's past your bedtime but if you're still up and reading this send nudes #justkidding.'

Kim also responded to actress Chloe Moretz, who suggested she be a better role model to young women.

'@KimKardashian I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies,' the 19-year-old wrote.

Different world: The actress, who has been in the industry since the 1960s, added that she's fascinated to see how much times have changed since she was a young up and comer in Hollywood

When some users of the social networking site then suggested Chloe was 'slut shaming' Kim, she tweeted again to defend herself.

'There's a huge difference in respecting the platform that you're given as a celebrity and "slut shaming" something I never have done and would never do,' she wrote.

Kim promptly fired back: 'Let's all welcome @ChloeGMoretz to twitter, since no one knows who she is. your nylon cover is cute boo.'

Kim finished off her rant by sharing another naked picture, this time with the caption: 'Liberated.'
She flew out to Greece last Wednesday and has been sharing envy-inducing holiday snaps with her Instagram followers every day.

And on Monday morning, Ashley James made the beginning of her fans' week a bit brighter, as she shared a number of sizzling bikini pictures.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, looked stunning in a pink pineapple-print bikini, putting on a very busty display as she frolicked in the crystal clear sea.

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Smoking hot! Ashley James looked stunning in a pink pineapple-print bikini as she frolicked on the beach in Mykonos, Greece, with a group of friends

The Boux Avenue bikini featured a pink halterneck bikini top which made the most of her famous assets, and a pair of tie-string bikini bottoms which flattered her pert posterior to perfection.

Going make-up free, the former reality star wore sunglasses and a dainty pendant necklace, as she played on the beach with her gal pals.

But it would seem in spite of her toned appearance, Ashley had enjoyed a spot of over-indulgence when it came to traditional Greek cheese pies on her holiday.

Alongside another bikini snap, she wrote: 'My abs have gone but the cheese pie out in #Mykonos was worth that, the gym'll be there next week.'

Ashley wore her blonde hair loose, holding it back as she threw her hands in the air.

Gal pals: The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, showcased her toned curves to perfection as she larked around with her model friend, Charlotte de Carle

Tasty treat: In spite of her toned appearance, Ashley told her Instagram followers she had enjoyed a spot of over-indulgence when it came to traditional Greek cheese pies on her holiday

Girls on tour: Ashley and Charlotte are also holidaying with pals Sophie Ball and Laura Pradelska (C)

Ashley flew to Mykonos with a number friends last Wednesday, including model, Charlotte de Carle.

Taking to Instagram she shared a snap of herself walking through Mykonos town in a red patterned playsuit, black gladiator sandals and black sunglasses, writing: 'These #mykonos streets are so pretty, and so insta-friendly!.'

And it looks like the reality star made the most of the nightlife, sharing a sizzling snap in a lace red dress with sheer cut-out panels as she lounged on the balcony one evening, captioning the shot: 'Lady in red.'

Sun's out, bums out! Ashley hasn't been shy in showcasing her pert posterior in a series of playful Instagram posts during her Grecian holiday

Bottoms up! The blonde beauty seems to be having plenty of fun in the sun if her social media snaps are anything to go by

And it's understandable that Ashley wanted to show off her figure, after she worked hard to achieve it with the help of bodybuilder James Crossley, otherwise known as Hunter from Gladiators.

Speaking to MailOnline about her transformation earlier this year, she gushed: 'I am absolutely thrilled with the results.

'I have seen such a huge transformation in my body, I feel so energised, toned and healthy, I am in the best shape I have ever been in!'

Explaining her reasons for wanting to indulge in such a drastic method to improve her body and fitness, she said: 'I wanted to train with James initially because I was a huge fan of the Gladiators TV programme and the prospect of training with a real Gladiator was just too cool to turn down!

Lady in red: The former reality star flew out to the picturesque Greek island last Wednesday and has been delighting her army of social media fans with stunning steps ever since
She famously overhauled her lifestyle to lose a huge 70 pounds and Jennifer Nicole Lee continued to show off her incredible figure at South Beach, Miami on Sunday.

The 40-year-old looked incredible as she wandered through the sand wearing a skimpy white frilly top and a pair of high-legged black bikini bottoms.

Having some fun in the sun, the fitness model, motivational speaker and author then relaxed by the pool at the Victor Hotel, before heading down to South Beach for a dip in the ocean.

Jenny from the block: She famously overhauled her lifestyle to lose a huge 70 pounds and Jennifer Nicole Lee continued to show off her incredible figure at South Beach, Miami on Sunday

Nip slip: Having some fun in the sun, the fitness model, motivational speaker and author then relaxed by the pool at the Victor Hotel, before heading down to South Beach for a dip in the ocean

The mother-of-two wasted no time as she enjoyed her day off as she pulled a series of yoga poses, while wearing designer shades.

She also showed off her perfect posterior as she splashed around in a pool in her sexy bottoms.

Making sure all eyes were on her, she also went for a cool-down in a nearby outdoor shower as she posed up a storm all at the same time.

Bum's the word: She also showed off her perfect posterior as she splashed around in a pool in her sexy bottoms

Hold your breath: She had a big smile on her face as she jumped into the pool

Wow thing: Adding a slick of colour to her look, she wore bright pink lipstick and accessorized with a pair of oversized hoop earrings

Why use a lounger? She lay down in the water with a big smile on her face

How does she do it? She showed off her incredible ab muscles as she raced through the surf

Adding a slick of colour to her look, she wore bright pink lipstick and accessorized with a pair of oversized hoop earrings.

She also wore a gold metal necklace adding further glamour to her ensemble.

Slicking her hair back with water, the body confident beauty later put on a colourful kaftan in order to make sure she didn't get too much sun.

Namaste: The mother-of-two wasted no time as she enjoyed her day off as she pulled a series of yoga poses, while wearing designer shades

Keeping her balance: She carried on showing off her moves in the sunshine

Body confident: Jennifer showed off her long and golden limbs as she enjoyed a leisurely stroll

Peachy! She did her best Kim Kardashian impression as she sat by the water

Ready, set... The sporty lady dived in and out of the pool as she glistened in the sunshine

Calm down: She soon sat back down on her lounger as she prepared to relax a little

Jennifer previously told AskMen.com what she loves most about her body.

She said: 'I have to say its my smile because its something thats carried me through thick and thin  literally.

'Even when I was heavier people would say, Oh, you have such a nice smile; its authentic and its genuine and its something that comes naturally to me.

'Everyone says, Oh you smile so much, but Ive just always been very smiley.'

Tropical: The beauty could barely keep the smile off her face as she wandered across the idyllic sands

Designer magic: She completed her look with a pair of Yves Saint Laurent sandals

Water sight! Making sure all eyes were on her, she also went for a cool-down in a nearby outdoor shower as she posed up a storm all at the same time

Poser: She grappled with her bikini bottoms as she covered up her top section
She's been teasing a possible reconciliation with Scott Disick after a series of jovial family trips.

But Kourtney Kardashian put her relationship dramas behind her as she arrived in London ahead of the upcoming Glamour Women Of The Year Awards.

The 37-year-old reality star opted for a cool rock chick vibe as she arrived at her London hotel on Monday following her overnight flight from Los Angeles.

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Back in Blighty: Kourtney Kardashian arrives at her London hotel following her overnight flight from London ahead of the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards on Tuesday

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star showcased her slim legs in a pair of heavily-ripped blue jeans, which she teamed with a classic grey T-shirt and a black suede jacket.

Adding an element of edginess to her attire, the mother-of-three sported a thick black choker around her neck as she arrived in the UK for the ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday night.

Complementing her large black handbag were a pair of oversized black sunnies which hid most of her make-up free face as she prepared to jet off.

Kourtney allowed her long brunette tresses to run free and despite the long-haul flight, opted for a spot of glamour in black stiletto heels.

See Kourtney Kardashian news as she jets to Glamour Women Of The Year Awards

Time to chill: No doubt the mother-of-three was looking forward to freshening up at her hotel suite following her long journey

Earlier on Sunday, Kourtney made up for her upcoming time away by heading out for a meal in Los Angeles with former flame of nine years Scott and their three children - Mason, six, Penelope, three, and one-year-old son Reign.

Their latest happy outing together is sure to gear up speculation they could be about to make a sensational reconciliation, despite the fact the self-proclaimed Lord is said to be dating Australian professional clotheshorse Megan Blake.

Jet-setter lifestyle: Kourtney Kardashian was spotted at Los Angeles' LAX airport on Sunday as she headed to her long-haul flight

Punk rock princess: The 37-year-old reality star opted for a cool rock chick vibe as she arrived at Los Angeles' LAX Airport on Sunday evening

It will certainly be quite the development, given 33-year-old Scott split from Kourtney after being caught canoodling with stylist Chloe Bartoli in Monaco last summer.

It would certainly be a story line ripe for exploiting on the family's hit show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

It had previously looked like the Kardashian sisters' patience with Scott had finally run out after Khloe confessed she would like to punch him 'in the f***ing jugular' in the latest thrilling teaser for their show.

Khloe ranted about the fun-loving dad-of-three's bad attitude, particularly during a family dinner held in remembrance of their late father Robert, in the KUWTK clip.

London's calling: The on/off girlfriend of Scott Disick revealed her destination in a Snapchat video prior to her airport arrival

The 31-year-old blonde said: 'He acts like he tries real hard to actually play it straight for even a month.'

'How are you trying? I was like, "Scott I want to punch you in your f***ing jugular because of your depressed, negative energy.'

Kourtney, who is rumoured to have enjoyed a spell as pop pixie Justin Bieber's plaything, initially defended the father of her children, but then conceded: 'He's like, "I lost my whole family, I don't have any siblings."

'I go, you do, you have all my family members. Nobody's ditching you. They just get frustrated with you.'

Happy families? Earlier on Sunday, Kourtney headed out for a meal in Los Angeles with ex beau of nine years Scott and their three children, Mason, six, Penelope, three, and one-year-old son Reign
There have been mixed messages all weekend as to the state of their relationship.

But Gigi Hadid's father Mohamed has seemed to confirm his model daughter is still with her boyfriend, One Direction star Zayn Malik.

Speaking to TMZ after having breakfast with Gigi on Friday, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Mohamed insisted he knew nothing about a break up.

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Still on! Gigi Hadid's father Mohamed has seemed to confirm his model daughter is still with her boyfriend, One Direction star Zayn Malik

The businessman told the reporter when asked how Gigi was holding up. 'What...I didn't even know there was a break up. I've not met Zayn but I've heard he's a very, very nice guy.'

'I wasn't even aware there was a break up. I had breakfast with her this morning. I don't think there's anything going on,' he added when pressed further.

When asked if he thought the couple could still be together, Gigi's dad said: 'I think probably they are.'

Speaking out: Speaking to TMZ after having breakfast with Gigi on Friday, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Mohamed insisted he knew nothing about a break up

Gigi herself has hinted that she was still dating Zayn, despite reports of their breakup circulating last week.

On Friday, the 21-year-old model Snapchatted herself singing Zayn's song, Pillowtalk, while at the Maybelline New York LA Beauty Bash she hosted at The Line Hotel in Los Angeles.

Gigi starred in the music video for Pillowtalk, where the duo are seen kissing and embracing each other.

Mixed messages: On Friday, the 21-year-old model Snapchatted herself singing Zayn's song, Pillowtalk, while at the Maybelline New York LA Beauty Bash in Los Angeles

Stunner: The blonde blonde, who added a choker and deep red lipstick, shared clips of herself belting out the tune to her Snapchat

While during a girls night out on Thursday with pals Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Hailey Baldwin, the supermodel added a necklace with her and Zayn's initials.

The necklace features a Z and G letter that overlap each other; the blonde beauty added the new sparkler to her jewelry collection in January.

A source told Just Jared on Saturday that the 'break up reports are completely false. And they have met each other's families despite false rumors circulating,'

Sentimental bling: During a girls night out on Thursday with pals Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Hailey Baldwin, the supermodel added a necklace with her and Zayn's initials

The top model was named Our New Girlfriend at Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, and the beauty had a point to make about her love life as she took to the stage.

Insisting she was 'always nice' to her boyfriends, she called herself a 'good girlfriend.'

Accepting her award from hitmaker Robin Thicke, the beauty told the crowd: 'I thought I was gonna come and wing [my speech] and be good.

'I have been a good girlfriend!' Gigi said she's 'always nice' after her reported split from Zayn as she appeared at the Guys Choice Awards on Saturday; seen accepting her award from Robin Thicke

'But then I woke up early this morning and thought, "Gigi, there is no way youre going to be calm or cool in front of Kobe ever in your life."

'So I called a friend and I said, "What do I say that is funny?"'

Her friend advised her to joke about her middle school crushes, as reported by Us Weekly.

But, Gigi explained: 'I was like, "I have always been a good girlfriend, even when in middle school when I have had crushes I have always been kind of nice."'

'What do I say that is funny?' The beauty made a point about her love life as she accepted her award

Gigi explained: 'I have always been a good girlfriend, even when in middle school when I have had crushes I have always been kind of nice'

Gigi has previously dated Joe Jonas and Cody Simpson. The 21-year-old and Zayn reportedly ended their relationship this week after seven months.

A source source confirmed the split to E! News although the insider did tell the site that 'they can likely get back together tomorrow.'

The source also told E!: 'It's all very unclear what going on between them now. They been having some issues lately that involved communication and getting along.'

Single girl: Gigi has previously dated Joe Jonas and Cody Simpson. The 21-year-old and Zayn reportedly ended their relationship last week after seven months

Looking good: On Saturday the model stole the show with her sheer and sexy black dress




She recently revealed that she's 'never been happier' following her painful split from her toyboy ex-husband Jack Cockings three years ago.

And Melanie Sykes' happiness was evident as she sunned herself in a series of skimpy bikinis during her Spanish getaway, posting the results on Instagram.

The 45-year-old television presenter proved she was in the best shape possible as she lounged poolside in a pink two-piece which flaunted her ample assets and bared her toned tum.

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Look at those abs! Melanie Sykes, 45, shared a skimpy bikini shot on Instagram which showed off her ample assets and sculpted tum during her holiday to Mallorca on Sunday

In the snap shared on Sunday, the bikini top was held strategically in place with embellished straps which finished in a halterneck style fastening around her neck.

The bottoms were also encrusted in the same detailing at the side before being pulled together by a lengthy bow-tie, accentuating her 5ft10 in frame.

Mel's tiny slick of make-up was covered with a large pair of tinted sunnies while a pair of large hoop earrings framed her face.

Lounging around: In another image, the TV presenter squinted from the sun in a dramatic red bikini with gold straps which once again focused on her busty cleavage

'Lots of sun today!': Mel shared a make-up free Instagram image where she was tucked up in bed for an early night

Mel who flew out to Mallorca to visit a photographer friend, utilised her talents to pose in the sultry shot which saw her dip her feet in to a pool among her lush surroundings.

In another image, the beauty decided to forgo her friend's help and took a selfie where she squinted from the sun in a dramatic red bikini with gold straps.

And it seemed like chilling by the pool was the main agenda of the holiday, as she shared a make-up free shot of herself tucked away in bed, with the caption: 'Another early night for me. Lots of sun today : )'

Last month, Mel spoke candidly about her doomed relationship with her former husband to Hello! magazine.

Mini getaway: The beauty has been in the Spanish town since Friday to visit her photographer pal but has spent most of her time catching the rays

She broke things off with the roofing contractor Jack- who was 16 years her junior- just seven months after their wedding at Sherborne Castle, Dorset, in 2013.

'I don't think I've ever been happier,' she revealed.

Brushing off concerns that her experiences may have put her off relationships and she won't meet another man, the small screen star said: 'No. I love men - I think they're great. It's silly to say I'll never be in a relationship.

'I can laugh about it now, too. It was painful at the time and you know when you can laugh about something and tease yourself about something, you're fine.

Moving on: She recently confessed to Hello! magazine that she's 'never been happier' following her split to toyboy ex-husband Jack Cockings three years ago

'And I really, really am... I don't regret anything, no. I never do, though. I don't really regret decisions I make because the decision is based on my life at the time and who I was at the time,' she added.

In other good news Melanie is celebrating 20 years in the television industry, and has marked the milestone by recently moving into a new London flat with her sons Roman, 13, and Valentino, 11, from her first marriage actor Daniel Caltagirone.

She has also revealed the secrets behind her sensational physique- confessing to Fit & Well magazine that she has changed her exercise regime to reflect her age and lifestyle.

Im still young, but youve got to respect that your body is changing, regardless how fit you are, or think you are,' said Melanie.
He's a regular fixture on Australian TV and radio - co-hosting his own drive time show as well as appearing on Australia's Got Talent and The AFL Footy Show.

But comedian Dave Hughes has revealed he quit Network Ten's The Project back in 2013 because he was 'sick of doing TV every night' and wanted to focus on stand up.

The 45-year-old told Mia Freedman's No Filter podcast on Monday his boredom with the repetitive news cycle prompted him to leave the Logie-winning show after five years.

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Explaining his departure: Comedian Dave Hughes has revealed he quit Network Ten's The Project back in 2013 because he was 'sick of doing TV every night' and was bored with the repetitive news cycle

Dave, better known by his nickname 'Hughesy' confessed: 'The news cycle is so set. It's just the same, the news cycle rarely changes.

'We just talk about the same things. We talk about the same things endlessly and no one's got the answers... it's just too much,' he concluded.

Dave added that quitting The Project was a 'tough decision' because of the 'wonderful' times on the panel and meeting 'some of the biggest stars in the world'.

Back to basics: The 45-year-old funnyman told Mia Freedman's No Filter podcast this week his regular TV gig stopped him from pursuing his true passion for stand up comedy

However, he claimed he was 'sick' of doing nightly television and suffered from prolonged lack of sleep as a result.

And most importantly, the funnyman said his regular TV gig stopped him from pursuing his true passion for stand up comedy.

After his departure in 2013, Dave was replaced by comedian Peter Helliar, who remains on The Project alongside co-hosts Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly.

Former role: Dave, pictured here with his Project replacement Peter Helliar (R), said: 'We just talk about the same things. We talk about the same things endlessly and no one's got the answers... it's just too much'

New line-up: After Dave's departure in 2013, he was replaced by comedian Peter, who remains on The Project alongside co-hosts Carrie Bickmore (R) and Waleed Aly (C)

At the time, Dave announced his departure on Twitter, claiming he was 'proud of what (they'd) achieved since (the) launch in 2009' but would not be returning in 2014.

The previous month, Dave also quit his long-running Nova FM breakfast show with Kate Langbroek after 12 years on the airwaves.

However, Hughesy and Kate returned to radio the following year on KIIS FM's drive time slot.

Meanwhile, Dave recently spoke to TV Week about family life at home in St Kilda, Melbourne.

'Mayhem': This week, Dave spoke affectionately about his busy home life with wife Holly (L) and their young children Rafferty, seven, Sadie, five, and three-year-old Tess

Family man: Comedian Dave clearly embraces fatherhood, declaring: 'It's a big, open house, so they can wonder all over the place'

He admitted things are typically 'mayhem' at home with wife Holly, 36, and their three kids Rafferty, seven, Sadie, five, and three-year-old Tess.

'There are always playdates... luckily, it's a big, open house, so they can wonder all over the place,' said the Warrnambool-born star.

The TV personality, who delivered the opening monologue for the 2016 Logies last month, also confirmed he'd undergone a vasectomy.

He said: 'I've had the procedure, so there'll be no more babies - and if there are, questions will be asked!'
She's Baywatch's latest recruit and is set to star in the upcoming film with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron.

And Charlotte McKinney proved she's the perfect Baywatch babe as she showcased her fabulous figure at the ME Cabo resort grand re-opening party with Blue Marlin Ibiza in Mexico on Saturday night.

Breaking the legs or chest rule, the 22-year-old model and actress looked utterly incredible as she displayed her ample cleavage and perfect pins in a barely-there plunging LBD.

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Leggy lady: Charlotte McKinney proved she's the perfect Baywatch babe as she showcased her fabulous figure at the ME Cabo resort grand re-opening party with Blue Marlin Ibiza in Mexico on Saturday night

The thigh-skimming crochet number accentuated the blonde bombshell's toned curves as she worked her magic on the red carpet at the star-studded party.

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant elongated her tanned legs even further with a pair of nude peep-toe heels with sexy tie-up detail.

Charlotte showcased her naturally pretty looks with low-key make-up, and plumped up her pout with a slick of lipgloss.

The star wore her golden tresses loose, and accessorised with a delicate gold choker around her neck.

Strike a pose: The 22-year-old model and actress looked utterly incredible as she displayed her ample cleavage and perfect pins in a barely-there plunging LBD as she posed with Olivia Culpo

Beauties: Charlotte showcased her naturally pretty looks with low-key make-up, and plumped up her pout with a slick of lipgloss as she chatted to Olivia and Justin Bieber's rumoured ex Chantel Jeffries inside the bash

Baywatch babe: The thigh-skimming crochet number accentuated the blonde bombshell's toned curves as she worked her magic on the red carpet at the star-studded party

Girls' night out: The former Dancing With The Stars contestant elongated her tanned legs even further with a pair of nude peep-toe heels with sexy tie-up detail

Also attending the re-opening of the ME Cabo resort in Cabo San Lucas, the model posed alongside The Other Woman actress Olivia Culpo and Justin Bieber's rumoured ex Chantel Jeffries.

Earlier on Saturday, the girls enjoyed a beach day as they soaked up the Mexican sun together.

Slipping into a pair of tiny denim Daisy Dukes and an off-shoulder crochet top, Charlotte seemed to be having a blast as she made the most of the opportunity for some fun in the sun.

Charlotte recently joined the Baywatch cast along with fellow models Izabel Goulart and Belinda Peregrin.

New pals: The star wore her golden tresses loose, and accessorised with a delicate gold choker around her neck for her night out with Olivia

Plenty to be smiling about: Earlier on Saturday, the girls enjoyed a beach day as they soaked up the Mexican sun together

The girls will join leading ladies Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, and Kelly Rohrbach in the big screen remake of the popular series.

Baywatch alumni David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson have even signed on for roles in the upcoming reboot.

The Rock is producing the comedy - as well as starring - which he has promised will be 'big, fun, sexy, action packed and raunchy as f**k.'

Baywatch is set for release in the US on May 19.

Girls girls girls: Slipping into a pair of tiny denim Daisy Dukes and an off-shoulder crochet top, Charlotte seemed to be having a blast as she made the most of the opportunity for some fun in the sun

Bikini babe: Charlotte recently joined the Baywatch cast along with fellow models Izabel Goulart and Belinda Peregrin

And relax: Charlotte and the girls will join leading ladies Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, and Kelly Rohrbach in the big screen remake of the popular series
She's joining an actress, model and AFL playing all for a worthy cause.

So Snezana Markoski is certainly is in good company after the beauty announced she is an ambassador for the Style For Life campaign.

The 36-year-old joins Elyse Knowles, Rachel Griffiths and AFL player Travis Cloke for Hagar Australia's Style for Life Day which has teamed up with some of Australia's leading salons for a day of pampering in the name of charity.

New role: Snezana Markoski is certainly is in good company after the beauty announced she is an ambassador for the Style For Life campaign

Taking to Instagram, Snezana, who won the heart of Sam Wood on The Bachelor, shared a snap of herself wearing a printed shirt emblazoned with the event.

With her long brunette locks pulled to one side, Snezana gives a cheeky smile and appeared to have opted for a minimal make-up look, with lightly bronzed cheeks and only a coating of mascara.

'Im so proud to be an ambassador along with @elyseknowlzy @travis32cloke @joeyscandizzo #rachelgriffiths for Hagar Australia's Style for Life Day,' the mother-of-one captioned the post.

'Where every dollar raised will go to supporting survivors of slavery in Cambodia and Vietnam. Book in at participating hairdressing salons on #styleforlifeday July 31.'

Good company: The 36-year-old joins Elyse Knowles (L) and Rachel Griffiths (R) for the charity event which aims to raise money for those subject to human right abuses

Teaming up: AFL player Travis Cloke, who plays for Collingwood is also an ambassador for the event

She then added where fans can help support the event writing: Go to elevenaustralia.com/styleforlife for more details. Help cut the chains of slavery.

She also included the hashtags '#hagaraustralia #elevenaustralia #styleforlifeday'.

With the money raised on Style For Life Day, it aims to provide survivors of human rights abuse the opportunity to learn a skill, like hairdressing, giving them purpose and helping restore their lives.

Happy couple: Snezana, won the heart of Sam Wood on The Bachelor last year with the pair quickly becoming in engaged afterwards

Earlier in the day for the former reality starlet affectionately poked fun at fiance Sam's age on social media,dubbing the 36-year-old hunk her 'silver fox.'

'I'm being annoying and taking pics of my silver fox while he's driving in his new @tomford sunnies I got him for his birthday,' the youthful-looking beauty wrote on Instagram.

In the image posted, Sam's greying hair could clearly be seen as he drove with Snezana in the passenger seat.
He's been smitten with his model beau for three years and they even moved in together last year.

And actor Zachary Quinto proved his love for 25-year-old Miles McMillan was still strong as they held hands for a stroll on Friday evening.

Before meeting up with his beau, the actor, 39, indulged in dinner and a light-hearted conversation with pal Joe Mantello outside the restaurant before parting ways.

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Attractive couple: Zachary Quinto, 39, (right) and beau Miles McMillan, 25, held hands for a romantic stroll around New York on Friday evening

After hugging Joe goodbye, Zachary sat on a bench to wait for Miles before going on to put an adorable display with him in matching polka dot style shirts.

The Star Trek star opted for casual cool in a navy shirt dispersed heavily in tiny white dots. He teamed it with pale blue trousers and trainers, topped off with a hat.

Miles on the other hand, opted for all black and the polka dots on his shirt were more prominent.

Buddying up! Before the couple met up, Zachary indulged in dinner and a light-hearted conversation with pal Joe Mantello outside the restaurant before parting ways

He should be here any minute now...: His pal Joe waited with Zachary for his handsome beau to arrive

The California native allowed his brunette curls to run free on his head as he grabbed on to his much older other half's hand.

Zachary, who came out as gay in 2011, looked absolutely content at his relationship with Miles and regularly takes to Instagram to show his love for him.

As a highly sought after actor, Zachary revealed his joy at ending the day with Miles with a steamy bathtub shot where the young model looked seductively at the camera.

Where is he? After Joe left, Zachary sat on a bench by himself and looked preoccupied on his phone

They know each other well! After Miles arrived, they headed out on a romantic stroll in their matching polka dot style shirts

In another, he proved the duo weren't apart for long they got comfortable on a flight., labelling it : 'Current mood. Heading home...'

Quinto, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, got his big break when he was cast in season three of the Fox series 24.

Then J.J. Abrams hired him to play Spock in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, catapulting him to the top of the Hollywood pack.

'Perfect end': Zachary revealed his joy at ending the day with Miles with a steamy bathtub shot where the young model looked at the camera

Jet-setting hunks: The smitten pair make sure to squeeze in enough time together, even if it's on a long flight

It's a role he reprised in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and the upcoming Star Trek Beyond, due out on July 22, 2016.

He will front the famous portrayal alongside Chris Pine as Captain Kirk following the trio - Zoe Saldana as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty.

He also continues to do theater and regularly appears on stage in New York and Los Angeles.

Star role: J.J. Abrams hired him to play Spock in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, catapulting him to the top of the Hollywood pack. He will reprise the role once again for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond, due out in July




She had two babies within 18 months.

But former Home and Away actress Christie Hayes has opening up pregnancy weight gain saying she didn't know how many extra kilograms she was carrying with her second baby.

Writing for Mamamia, the 29-year-old poked fun at her ability to fall pregnant again so quickly but revealed the extra weight wasn't something she was concerned with.

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New mother: Former Home and Away actress Christie Hayes has opened up about feeling comfortable with her baby body after she shared a revealing image to social media of herself nine months pregnant

'I think I put on 15 kgs with my first baby, then I didnt bother weighing myself with my second because I was pregnant about a minute after I had just given birth,' she wrote in the blog post.

Christie, who grew up on the New South Wales South Coast, went on to say that despite falling pregnant so quickly, the extra weight wasn't something she stressed about.

'Maybe Im lazy (Im not) but I wasnt particularly stressed about it. I think pregnant woman look beautiful, all pregnant women,' she added.

Writing for Mamamia , the 29-year-old revealed how she has coped with her changing body and has no shame in sharing her naked pregnancy photos saying: 'The bigger your belly is getting, the bigger your baby is'

Happy couple: Christie and fiance Daniel White welcomed their first son Hendrix in 2014

Going on to say that 'it was worth the weight' with her two babies, Christie also said other expectant mothers 'should not be ashamed of our bodies.'

Earlier in the week, the actress shared a photo of herself naked and nine months pregnant with her second baby to Instagram.

'Publicity wasn't my intention, however I wanted to get the word out there to women that it's important to keep perspective and celebrate yourself at any size you are as a mummy to be,' she said referring to the snap.

Nothing to hide: Since having two children in quick succession, the brunette beauty has been open with how parenthood has affected her life, regularly sharing photos and blog posts to social media

Christie and fiance Daniel White welcomed their first son Hendrix in 2014, but only six weeks later she was pregnant again, giving birth to a second son Harley in September 2015.

The actress first shot to fame playing Kirsty Sutherland in long-running drama Home and Away.

Since having two children in quick succession, the brunette beauty has been open with how parenthood has affected her life, regularly sharing photos and blog posts to social media.
There have long been slight references to her being a man - and now Joanna Lumley has revealed that her Ab Fab character, Patsy Stone is transgender.

Joanna made the revelation to V magazine as she thanked the LGBT community for supporting the movie over the years.

She said: 'You go back and pick through it, the amount of gay references and ease with which it's been put into the story, without it being dragged along like a great log of plot.

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The secret is out: Joanna Lumley has revealed her Absolutely Fabulous alter-ego Patsy Stone is transgender in a new interview

'It's really normal that one of Edina's ex-husbands now lives with his young boyfriend. It's completely normal that Edina wants Saffy to be a lesbian or that Serge is gay and living in New York.

'It's completely normal that Patsy is transgender.'

Patsy's gender has often been a talking point on the show. Eddy once refers to a time in the 1971 when she went to Morocco and underwent a sex change operation.

Implying that she did in fact start life as a woman, she said she briefly lived life as a man, but 'her penis fell off.'

Topic of discussion: Patsy's gender has often been a talking point on the show. Eddy once refers to a time in the 1971 when she went to Morocco and underwent a sex change operation

She said ahead of the fifth series: 'In the new episodes we flash back into her past again, and there's more on the fact that she may have been a man with a moustache'

During an interview in 2003, Joanna Lumley broached the subject once again in an interview ahead of the fifth series of the BBC show.

She said: 'In the new episodes we flash back into her past again, and there's more on the fact that she may have been a man with a moustache.'

Joanna told the Guardian that Patsy isn't tragic.

'[There's something marvellous about her]. She's a strong woman. She has to be strong to survive. She hasn't eaten since 1973.

Sweetie, darling! Jennifer Saunders and Joanna return as Edina Moon and Patsy Stone as the star-studded first full-length trailer for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is unveiled

'She lives on God knows what and she'll still be ready to party even when she's in incontinence pants.'

It's been four years since Eddy and Patsy sashayed onto screen.

But the London fashionistas are back with a bang as the first full-length trailer for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is unveiled - and it's jam-packed with A-listers.

Jennifer and Joanna are joined by a host of fabulous names - sixty in total - as their pursuit of their style idol Kate Moss ends in a soggy disaster.

As well as Kate, designer to the stars Stella McCartney, Mad Men's Jon Hamm and Aussie A-lister Rebel Wilson, the cameos keep coming, with appearances from the likes of Barry Humphries aka Dame Edna Everage, Graham Norton, Jeremy Paxman, Jerry Hall, Dame Joan Collins, Pam Hogg, Perez Hilton and Wanda Ventham.

After giving fans a brief glimpse of the upcoming movie last month with a short teaser, the first full length trailer has been unleashed.

It opens in typical Ab Fab style with Edina Moon falling out of her car in her glad-rags after another wild night, promptly plummeting all the way down to to outside the basement kitchen where her daughter Saffy, Julia Sawalha, is enjoying a peaceful breakfast with Jane, her teenage daughter.

Little seems to have changed for PR guru Eddy as she moans to Patsy (Lumley) 'I think I am now officially fatter sideways than I am front on.'

It Moss be the script: Supermodel Kate Moss is the focus of the highly-anticipated script's plotline as she converses with Hollywood heartthrob Jon Hamm in one of the opening scenes

Hamming it up: The Mad Men star looks afraid as he comes face-to-face with chain-smoking, boozing fashionista Patsy

Fash pack, dahling! Designer Stella McCartney also appears, alongside another catwalk queen, Lily Cole

Electrifying performance: Australian A-lister Rebel Wilson also makes a cameo, playing an air hostess who Tazers Patsy on a flight

Ain't nothing like a Dame: Joan Collins also appears when Eddy and Patsy head to the South of France as fugitives

Fancy seeing you here: Television chat show host Graham Norton also gets a cameo

Real life role: News correspondent Sophie Raworth breaks news about supermodel Kate Moss - perhaps not for the first time

The real drama comes though when Patsy phones Eddy, excitedly telling her that their idol Kate Moss is changing her PR.

'We've got to get her, Kate Moss darling!' screams Patsy. Cue the friends crashing a fashion bash in London, where a whole host of famous names make cameos, including Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie, Lily Cole and designer Stella McCartney, who challenges Eddy over her wardrobe.

'You're not wearing my clothes are you?' the top designer asks her,'No darling, no this is all TK Maxx,' a sheepish Eddy insists.

Icon: The film starts with PR gurus Eddy and Patsy heading out on a mission to nab Kate Moss as their new client

This is the dream: Eddy is seen working and lunching when she gets the call about Kate

This is it: 'We've got to get her, Kate Moss darling!' screams Patsy

Jourdan Dunn, Suki Waterhouse and Alexa Chung (left) and Jerry Hall, Krankies star Janette Tough and Joanna Lumley (right)

Shout out: Lulu with Jane Horrocks as Bubble pictured in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Gday, possums: Barry Humphries as Dame Edna ends up in the pool. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are joined by a host of fabulous names in the new film

Soon the party-crashers spot Kate, chatting away on a balcony with Mad Men star Jon Hamm.

'I'm going to roll away the Hamm,' Patsy tells Eddy as she saunters over, only for the handsome actor to exclaim: 'Oh god, I can't believe you're so... alive.'

In all the excitement disaster strikes as Eddy sends Kate flying into the river Thames below.

Party time: Cue the friends crashing a fashion bash in London, where a whole host of famous names make cameos

Dressed to the nines: Jennifer is back in Eddy's fabulously eccentric wardrobe, modelling a gold jacket and a colorful Charlotte Simone fur scarf

'How bad can this be, you know?' Eddy asks Patsy and Saffy as the case of the missing supermodel hits headlines around the world.

'You have killed Kate Moss!' Saffy points out. A brick through the window from Stella, 'the first thing I've ever had from Stella', soon convinces Eddy and Patsy to make their escape to the South of France, where 'everyone's a criminal'.

The glam location isn't exactly what they imagined though as they find themselves at what Patsy promptly dubs 'some kind of late life lesbo party'

There she is: The best pals spot their target- Kate- across the crowded room

Model overboard! In all the excitement disaster strikes as Eddy sends Kate flying into the river Thames below

After seeing Rebel Wilson taser Patsy on board a flight, the trailer ends with a typical exchange between Eddy and the voice of reason as she forlornly tells Saffy: 'I'm being trollied on Twitter, a woman told me I was a pariah.'

'Do you know what a pariah is?' Saffy asks. 'Yeah, it's a fish,' a distraught Eddy replies.

The Champagne swilling duo also comes face-to-face with the likes of Tinie Tempah, Ella Eyre, Foxes, Perez Hilton, Suki Waterhouse, Sadie Frost, Rylan Clarke and Jean Paul Gaultier.

On the run: Patsy and Eddy escape to the French Riveria with Saffy and her teenage daughter Jane

In disguise: The duo resort to outlandish plans in an attempt to outrun the authorities and the bad press

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 film hits cinemas in the UK on July 1, 2016 with US and Australia release dates of July 22 and August 11, respectively.

Like the look? The duo are back in Eddy and Patsy's colourful, designer ensembles
He founded the hip and trend-setting culture magazine Dazed alongside iconic photographer Rankin, while a 30 year career in fashion has seen her elevated to an icon.

But despite Jefferson Hack and Kate Moss' A-List credentials, the 45-year-old publisher has revealed their teenage daughter, Lila Grace, finds them 'deeply uncool'.

Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine, the Dazed founder explained his 13-year-old daughter keeps himself and her model mother, 42, rooted in the 'real' world.

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'She thinks me and her mum are deeply uncool': Despite Jefferson Hack and Kate Moss' (pictured 2003) A-List credentials, the publisher, 45, has revealed their teenage daughter, Lila Grace, finds them 'deeply uncool

Despite her mother's status as a bonafide British icon, thanks to her status in the fashion industry, and Jefferson's own achingly cool CV, Lila - like most children - wouldn't label her parents as cool.

'She thinks me and her mum are deeply uncool,' he explained. 'I dont think her music tastes are cool  Capital radio and Justin Bieber. She keeps me real.'

Jefferson and Kate - who dated from 2001-2004 with Lila being born in 2002 - ensure their daughter spends a regular amount of time with each of them.

'She keeps me real': Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine, the Dazed founder explained his 13-year-old daughter himself and her 42-year-old model mother (pcitured in May) rooted in the 'real' world

And speaking of his life outside of the work place, Jefferson revealed that his priorities and happiness lie with his daughter.

'I spend a lot of time with Lila Grace,' explained the author and journalist. 'Shes 13 and my relationship with her and her mum, Kate, is the thing Im most proud of. That is life with a capital L.'

Speaking about his day-to-day life as an ultra-cool publisher and journalist, he remarked: 'Everything else is window dressing.'

Before adding that his schedule always fits around his daughter, saying: 'I have Lila at least one night in the week and every other weekend.'

'Shes 13 and my relationship with her and her mum, Kate, is the thing Im most proud of. That is life with a capital L': Jefferson revealed that his priorities and happiness lie with his daughter

And even then Lila is at the centre of Jefferson's evening, with the author and businessman explaining they use FaceTime to chat almost every evening.

And it seems that Kate has also been on the receiving end of Lila Grace's critiquing as well, with Kate telling the Telegraph her daughter gives her a very blunt opinion on her choice of wardrobe.

Impersonating the teen, Kate mimicked: 'Mum, you look ridiculous, take that off. Its disgusting.

But the fashion-forward star also claimes that her daughter is often in the right when it comes to critiquing her style, as she revealed she saved her from a recent wardrobe malfunction at the Vogue 100 event in London.

'I was going to put on this crazy green dress for the Vogue thing, but she is usually right. Then when she goes, "Mum, you look really pretty", Im like, "Ah," because she never says anything nice about me.'
They were co-stars in BBC's Doctor Who.

So Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi no doubt delighted fans when they when they touched down in London together on Monday afternoon.

The pair were seen at Heathrow Airport following a transatlantic flight from Washington, where they'd been taking part in a sci-fi fan event.

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They're back! Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi no doubt delighted fans when they when they touched down in London together on Monday afternoon

Walking side-by-side as they navigated the arrivals terminal, the pair seemed remarkably chipper following their long-haul flight.

Jenna, 30, was typically stylish in a long gold and black dress which boasted a deep-v neckline and cropped hemline.

She wore her hair in a simple centre-parting and capped the look with both a pair of designer sunglasses and some ankle boots.

The pair were seen at Heathrow Airport following a transatlantic flight from Washington, where they'd been taking part in a sci-fi fan event

Stepping out: Walking side-by-side as they navigated the arrivals terminal, the pair seemed remarkably chipper following their long-haul flight

Meanwhile, Peter was equally dapper in his casual black suit, which he dressed down with a simple grey T-shirt and lace-up pumps.

Clutching a stack of magazines, there was no sign of any jet-lag as he laughed and joked with his former co-star.

Together, the pair had appeared at the Awesome Con, which took place at the Walter E. Washington conference centre It's billed as 'a place for fans of popular culture.'

'At its heart, Awesome Con is a comic-con that embraces all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, with a wide assortment of comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay, and more.

'Special events include discussion panels, costume contests, trivia contests, gaming tournaments, and tons of activities for kids.'

Looking good! Jenna, 30, was typically stylish in a long gold and black dress which boasted a deep-v neckline and cropped hemline

Good times: Peter and Jenna certainly had a fun time as they indulged in banter with the crowd

During their appearance at the annual gathering, Jenna said that she often thinks about what her character, Clara, is doing now.

'I think that she's probably broken down and hasn't worked out the mechanics of the tardis.'

Meanwhile, Peter let slip that their time on-screen isn't necessarily over - which generated excited cheers from the crowd. 'The Doctor is quite mysterious and I'm not sure how successfully Clara was able to wipe his mind.

'In fact, I just shot something that Clara was still involved in it'.

During their appearance, Jenna said that she often thinks about what her character, Clara, is doing now

Oops! Peter let slip that their time on-screen isn't over - which generated excited cheers from the crowd

Revealing secrets: The Blackpool-born star shared plenty of gossip from the set of the BBC show




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She has one of the best bodies in the modeling world (sorry Kendall and Gigi) and clearly wanted to remind the world of that.

Charlotte McKinney stripped down to a teeny bikini on Saturday as she soaked up the sun during the ME Cabo resort grand re-opening party in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The 22-year-old Florida native, who will be seen opposite The Rock and Zac Efron in 2017's Baywatch movie, served up her most alluring Victoria's Secret-style poses as she braved the hot sand.

Caliente lady: Charlotte McKinney showed off her supermodel curves while on holiday at the ME Cabo resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Saturday

Overboard: The blonde beauty was nearly bursting out of her light-on-fabric two piece with thin straps and a leopard print

The blonde beauty was nearly bursting out of her light-on-fabric two piece with thin straps and a leopard print.

The girlfriend of Blade actor Stephen Dorff, 42, was nicely made up with dark eyeliner and pink lipstick, and she also had her blonde tresses beautifully styled into beach curls.

McKinney is best known for her Carl's Jr commercial and is now trying her hand at acting as she has a small role in the new Baywatch movie, which filmed this spring in Georgia.

Glammed: The girlfriend of Blade actor Stephen Dorff, 42, was nicely made up with dark eyeliner and pink lipstick, and she also had her blonde tresses beautifully styled into beach curls

Will she be the next Pamela Anderson? McKinney is best known for her Carl's Jr commercial and is now trying her hand at acting as she has a small role in the new Baywatch movie, which filmed this spring in Georgia

Even she has her worries: Even though she has a promising career and has been compared to Kate Upton, the stunner told Galore magazine last year that she can be very insecure

Even though she has a promising career and has been compared to Kate Upton, the stunner told Galore magazine last year that she can be very insecure.

'I can feel so bad about myself, especially if I start to pay attention to the kinds of stupid comments around the Internet,' she said.

'I have moments where I feel incredibly ugly, or fat, and it sucks, you know?

Crazy thoughts: 'I can feel so bad about myself, especially if I start to pay attention to the kinds of stupid comments around the Internet,' she said

No, we DON'T know: 'I have moments where I feel incredibly ugly, or fat, and it sucks, you know?' she has said

She's fun too? 'Im not interested in just being the hot girl,' she said. 'Im really goofy, and I love laughing, and thats such a big part of who I am,' she has said

'Ill usually try to keep a positive attitude, because Im really so grateful for where I am, and the life I get to live, but I definitely have to work hard not to feel insecure.'

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant has been shooting to fame ever since she starred in Carl's Jr.'s sexy Super Bowl commercial back in February, but insisted in the new interview that she wants to be known for more than her incredible all-natural physique.

'Im not interested in just being the hot girl,' she said.

'Im really goofy, and I love laughing, and thats such a big part of who I am. Im working on a film with Adam Sandler right now, and its just been so cool to be around that entire team of people.'
Vin Diesel took to Instagram on Sunday to share a cast photo from the set of the forthcoming Furious 8.

The 48-year old actor shared nothing beyond the photo and the #F8 hashtag as we see him standing on set with his team.

He has his arms wrapped around two of his female co-stars: recurring cast member, Michelle Rodriguez, 37, and first major newcomer, Charlize Theron, 40.

One big happy family: Vin Diesel is sandwiched between Charlize Theron and Michelle Rodriguez on Furious 8 set in image shared on Monday

The gang is all here: The cast is confirmed to include Vin, Michelle, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Ludacris Bridges, Elsa Pataky, Nathalie Emmanuel and Lucas Black, among others

As it also appears from the teaser photo posted on the movie's Twitter page, the South African beauty will play the villainous character Cipher, a weapons expert of some sort.

When Charlize was asked how she felt about playing the villain, her response was, 'I'm coming in to mess that s*** up!' also adding, 'I feel like that gang has got the driving down. Like, they have a good thing going. I don't know if I need to step in in that department.'

The film director will be F. Gary Gray, who also directed Straight Outta Compton and previously worked with Theron on the 2003 remake of The Italian Job.

The exciting news about newcomer Theron follows another announcement made in April that the movie will be called Furious 8, since it's planned to be the first film in a new trilogy which will end the Fast And Furious franchise, bringing the total number of films to 10.

Major newcomer: South African beauty Theron will play the villainous character Cipher, a weapons expert of some sort

Trilogy: Furious 8 is planned to be the first film in a trilogy which will end the Fast & Furious franchise, bringing the total number of films to 10

Filming of Furious 8 is underway in a variety of locations, and will primarily be set in New York City, though there will be other scenes taking place in Cuba and Iceland.

Rodriguez will be reprising her role as Letty. Jason Statham is set to return as Deckard Shaw, while Kurt Russell is also reprising his somewhat mysterious role of Mr. Nobody from Furious 7, and Dwayne Johnson will return as DSS agent Luke Hobbs.

Besides Theron, another major newcomer in the new installment is Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood, who will play an assistant to Russell's character.

Eastwood family legacy: Another major newcomer is Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood, who is set to play a new character who operates under Kurt Russell's role

Mr. Nobody: Kurt Russell is also reprising his somewhat mysterious role of Mr. Nobody from Furious 7

The other major newcomer to the ensemble is Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju.

Last May, the film's production hit another milestone, as behind the scenes footage showed a glimpse of the first scene with the main cast including Rodriguez and Diesel.

Director Gray explains the significance of the video clip, stating, 'First day with the entire team here, and it's pretty damn good.'

Furious 8 will open in theaters on April 14th, 2017.

She's got the power: Latina beauty Rodriguez will be reprising her role as Letty Ortiz, Dom's wife and professional street racer
She recently launched her own clothing range with online store, Miss Pap.

And Megan McKenna certainly had her business head on as she arrived for a sample meeting at the Kings Cross Hotel on Monday.

The 23-year-old TOWIE star, put on a stunning display for her big fashion moment, as she stepped out in a pretty peach mini dress, which featured a chic choker detailing.

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Female boss: Megan McKenna had her business head on as she arrived for a sample meeting at the Kings Cross Hotel on Monday

Megan showed off her sunkissed glow in the ensemble - part of her existing clothing collection - before she entered the meeting room.

And she made sure to coordinate all of her accessories in matching tones of baby pink and nude, including her towering yet graceful strappy heels.

The brunette beauty maintained her sophisticated appearance with minimal jewellery apart from a large silver watch and a pair of stylish tortoiseshell sunglasses, which she used to keep her cool in the tropical London heat.

Fashionista: The 23-year-old TOWIE star, put on a stunning display as she stepped out in a pretty peach mini dress, which featured chic choker detailing

Prepared for the office, she also proudly toted a pretty handbag on the crook of her arm and made sure that she was ready for all eventualities as she kept a tight grip on her diary.

Sticking to her trademark big hair, Megan pumped up the volume with loose, glamorous waves that framed her face with a deep centre parting.

And she accentuated her piercing eyes and plump pout with a full face of make-up, including heavy contouring and a slick of rose tinted lipstick.

Once inside the building, Megan took to Instagram to document the success of her meeting and tease her fans about her latest offerings with a snap, which she captioned: 'Miss pap sample meeting! Soooo much exciting stuff on its way #meganxmisspap.'

The image showed Megan sitting at the head of the table while surrounded by a number of other members of the team, who all kept refreshed as they toasted each other with a glass of water.

This year has already been particularly busy for the reality TV babe.

Megan joined TOWIE back in March after starring in Celebrity Big Brother two months earlier and she has proved to be a certifiable hit the the ITVBe audience.

It didn't take long for romance to blossom between Pete Wicks and Megan and by the time she was made a permanent castmember she was said to have been 'bowled over' by him.

Megan and Pete have since enjoyed their first holiday together as they took their romance abroad in Dubai in May.
Film fans cannot wait for them to reprise their most roles.

So the fact Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller's were recently pictured back in character as Mark 'Rent Boy' Renton and Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson will surely cause a sensation.

The men were joined by director Danny Boyle, 59, in the Scottish city of Edinburgh where they're busy filming Trainspotting II.

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Back in business: Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller's were recently pictured back in character as Mark 'Rent Boy' Renton and Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson for Trainspotting II

Action shot: The stars' faces held serious expressions as they recorded scenes for the long-awaited sequel

The pair were looking dapper on location, with Ewan wearing a khaki jumper under a blue jacket as he filmed scenes inside a pub.

Meanwhile, Jonny, 43, wore a purple shirt with a black pair of trousers and some slip-on loafers.

The stars' faces held serious expressions as they recorded scenes for the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic.

Not holding back: Jonny could be seen mouthing off as he recited his lines in character

In good company! The men were joined by director Danny Boyle, 59, in the Scottish city of Edinburgh where they're busy filming Trainspotting II.

The sequel is set ten years after Trainspotting and sees the characters cross paths again, but with an alternative gritty backdrop of the pornography business, rather than heroin use

At one point Jonny could be seen having a dramatic verbal 'fight' with a female co-star as crew-members looked on, recording the scenes.

Cutting an animated figure, the latest shots suggest that the follow-up flick will be no less dramatic than its original.

The new film is based based on novelist Welsh's follow-up book, Porno, which is being adapted by screenwriter John Hodge for the big screen.

The sequel is set ten years after Trainspotting and sees the characters cross paths again, but with an alternative gritty backdrop of the pornography business, rather than heroin use.

Cutting an animated figure, the latest shots suggest the follow-up flick will be no less dramatic than its original

Handsome man: The star hardly seems to have aged since his earlier days in acting and modelling

At one point Jonny could be seen having a dramatic verbal 'fight' with a female co-star as crew-members looked on, recording the scenes

Taking a break: Jonny and an unknown actress enjoyed a brief bit of respite from the schedule

A piece of the action: A boom operator holds the mic while Jonny delivers another strong performance

Boy power: Jonny's character looks just as kick-ass as he was back in the day

In Porno, Renton owns a nightclub in Amsterdam, Begbie is being released from prison, and Spud is actually trying to kick his drug habit.

Spud also has love woes as his relationship with his partner Alison is strained and he feels like he has become a burden on her.

Creator Welsh is set to appear in the role of Mikey Forrester in the follow-up.

All's well that ends well: Jonny and his co-star seem in good spirits after nailing the scene
Over the years, she's been known as a hair chameleon and has experimented with many different colours and lengths.

But after a five years of sticking to the same long, dark brunette hairdo, it appears Victoria Beckham is going for a new look.

The fashion designer, 42, shared a photo of herself getting her hair dyed and styled, with her locks looking noticeably lighter.

Time for a change: Victoria Beckham has her hair lightened and styled by Luke Hersheson and Wendy Rowe on Monday

What do you think? Victoria showed off her shorter and lighter golden brown hair following her makeover

While Victoria was sitting patiently in a chair, Luke Hersheson, Creative director for Hershesons and John Frieda Products and Wendy Rowe, make-up artist and Artistic Consultant for Burberry Beauty, were attending to her hair.

The former Spice Girl captioned the photo: '#chopchop X @lukehersheson @wendyrowe using Victoria Beckham make-up X Kisses VB.'

The make-up she was referring to is Victoria's new limited collaboration with Estee Lauder, which she unveiled in April.

See Victoria Beckham updates as she goes for a new hairdo in candid Instagram photo

Flower girl: Victoria soaks up the sunshine as she shows off her lighter hair crowned with a daisy chain

The long and short of it: Victoria has been sporting long dark brown locks for the past few years (pictured left, last November), having last experimented with her hair with a shorter do in 2009 (right)

Victoria's hair appointments comes after she returned from a half-term holiday in Greece with her family.

The designer and husband David, who have been married for nearly 17 years, escaped to a seaside resort with their children Brooklyn, 17; Romeo, 13; Cruz, 11; and Harper, four.

On Saturday, Victoria shared a photo of herself in the playsuit posing against the stunning backdrop of the sea and mountains in the distance.

She captioned it: 'Happy Saturday. #familytime @davidbeckham @brooklynbeckham X VB.'

The couple's break in Greece comes two weeks after David and Victoria attended her best friend Eva Longoria's wedding to Jose Antonio Baston in Mexico.

Goofing around: Victoria showed her fun side with a silly photo on the beach on Sunday

Victoria served as a witness at their intimate lakeside ceremony in Valle de Bravo and was also asked to design the bride's dress for the big day.

Posting a photo of herself with the bride on her Instagram, Victoria enthused: '@evalongoria the most beautiful bride. I am honoured to have created your wedding dress. Thank you for asking me!!! X we love u!'

Meanwhile, Eva gushed about her famous friend in an interview with Hello! magazine: 'I asked Victoria to do my dress because I wanted it to be special and made with love  and I knew Victoria would make it with love.

'Victoria was one of my witnesses, too  she signed the paper that says I was here  so it was a Victoria Beckham weekend. She was the best, sweetest person to have there on this day. Not only did she do my wedding dress but she's one of my best friends so for her to be there was so special.'
Zachary Quinto is the latest celebrity to take part in Spike's hugely popular Lip Sync Battle.

The 39-year-old actor battled against his Star Trek Beyond co-star Zoe Saldana for the hilarious show hosted by LL Cool J.

The film producer channeled old school Missy Elliott for his performance of Get Ur Freak On.

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Get Ur Freak On! Zachary Quinto is the latest celebrity to take part in Spike's hugely popular Lip Sync Battle

Battle time: The 39-year-old actor battled against his Star Trek Beyond co-star Zoe Saldana for the hilarious show hosted by LL Cool J

The show - created by Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski - gave Zachary the opportunity to go full out with his rendition of the iconic number.

He lip synced to the song decked out in the identical outfit she wore for her music video.

He wore the same denim studded gilet, matching jeans and giant silver hoop earrings that she wore back in 2001.

The show - created by Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski - gave Zachary the opportunity to go full out with his rendition of the iconic number

Uncanny resemblance: He wore the same denim studded gilet, matching jeans and giant silver hoop earrings that she wore back in 2001

Pleasing the crowd: He lip synced to the song decked out in the identical outfit she wore for her music video

The show will air on Spike Thursday June 9 at 8/7c.

This isn't the only time Zoe and Zachary have teamed up this year.

The pair will also join forces later this year for the highly anticipated Star Trek Beyond sequel.

The film, directed by Justin Lin and written by Simon Pegg, will follow the USS Enterprise crew as they explore the furthest reaches of uncharted space.

Get ready: The show will air on Spike Thursday June 9 at 8/7c

Friendly fight: Zachary was battling against Zoe and the pair will also join forces later this year for the highly anticipated Star Trek Beyond sequel

New adventure: The film, directed by Justin Lin and written by Simon Pegg, will follow the USS Enterprise crew as they explore the furthest reaches of uncharted space

The film will feature a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Zoe and Zachary will be joined by Idris Elba and Chris Pine for the sci-fi adventure.
He stars as Richie Finestra, head of a fictional record label in the Seventies on HBO Series Vinyl, which is executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

And on Monday Bobby Cannavale paid tribute to the beloved director as he stepped out in New York City with girlfriend Rose Byrne and their baby, sporting a playful T-shirt bearing Martin's image.

The 46-year-old looked casual for the family outing, as he wore the comical T-shirt that showed a drawing of the Oscar winner, as well as the label 'Marty.'

Paying tribute: Bobby Cannavale wore a T-shirt bearing the image of Oscar winner Martin Scorsese as he stepped out in New York City on Monday with girlfriend Rose Byrne and their son Rocco

His muse: The playful T-shirt that Bobby was wearing paid tribute to beloved director Martin (pictured here in, L, alongside Clint Eastwood, R, in 2005)

Bobby coupled the fitted, white, short-sleeved T-shirt with a pair of black shorts, finishing off the look with grey sneakers.

He also hid his eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses as he was spotted pushing a turquoise stroller embellished with a beautiful cherry blossom pattern.

He was joined on the outing by his longtime girlfriend - and the mother of his four-month-old son Rocco - Rose, 36.

Laid-back: Rose cut a low-key figure as she stepped out on Monday with wet hair

Showing off her fashion credentials: The mother-of-one looked stylish, however, in a denim jumpsuit

She showed off her fashion credentials in a fitted, denim jumpsuit, which was embellished with a tie belt, knotted to cinch in her slim waist.

She coupled the trendy jumpsuit with a light blue button down, worn with the sleeves rolled up to just below her elbows.

Rose finished off her stylish look with a pair of strappy, tan sandals that showed off the Spy star's red pedicure.

Quick fix: The Spy actress eventually pulled her shoulder-length tresses back into a sophisticated ponytail

Low-key: Bobby went for a laid-back look as well, pairing his comical T-shirt with black shorts and grey sneakers

She carried a large, black and white patterned tote bag, and wore her shoulder-length brunette tresses in a center part in loose waves, and at times, pulled back into a ponytail.

The mother-of-one hid her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses, and looked to be going make-up free, though she did show off a red manicure.

Rose and boyfriend Bobby have been together since 2012, and welcomed their first child together - though the Ant-Man star has one son from a previous relationship - on February 1.

Family day: The longtime couple stepped out to enjoy the sunshine as they took their four-month-old son Rocco for a walk

Keeping busy: Rose currently has two pictures in theaters - X-Men: Apocalypse and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising - while Bobby will next appear in The Fundamentals of Caring, which is set to be released on Netflix June 24

Rose currently has two films in theaters, with the actress starring as Moira Mactaggert in X-Men: Apocalypse as well as Kelly Radner in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.
Nigeria's Buhari heads to London for ear infection treatment

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will take the next 10 days off work to undergo treatment for an ear infection in London, an official statement from his office said Sunday.

Speculation over the president's health has been swirling for weeks after he cancelled three official engagements.

"President Buhari will take 10 days off and travel to London from Monday June 6th, to rest," according to the statement signed by his spokesman Femi Adesina.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari listens during a panel discussion during the Anti-Corruption Summit London 2016, at Lancaster House in central London on May 12, 2016 Dan Kitwood (POOL/AFP/File)

"During the holiday, the president will see an ear, nose and throat specialist for a persistent ear infection."

Buhari has been examined by his personal physician and a specialist in Abuja and both doctors "recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution," the statement added.

Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo will stand in for Buhari.

The Nigerian presidency is historically cagey about health matters concerning the head of state.

The influential Guardian newspaper on Sunday quoted Adesina as denying media reports that Buhari was seriously ill.
Clinton wins Puerto Rico, on cusp of Democratic nomination

Hillary Clinton defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic primary Sunday, taking her to the brink of victory in their long-fought battle for the party's presidential nomination.

Former secretary of state Clinton won with 59.38 percent of the vote against 37.53 percent for Sanders, according to official results from the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.

Victory in debt-hobbled Puerto Rico marked a double dose of good news for Clinton over the weekend, with another territory, the US Virgin Islands, voting overwhelmingly for her on Saturday.

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Sacramento, California, on June 5, 2016 Gabrielle Lurie (AFP)

The pair of wins provides a boost ahead of Tuesday's culminating vote with New Jersey and the big prize of California at stake.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" -- Clinton wrote in a bilingual tweet that thanked the Isle of Enchantment for the win.

Puerto Rico has 60 pledged delegates at stake, and Clinton won 36 of them, with 24 going to Sanders.

That puts Clinton, who amassed 2,323 delegates prior to Puerto Rico's vote, just a handful shy of the 2,383 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination, a threshold she will undoubtedly cross on Tuesday.

Sanders, however, has vowed to fight on all the way until the Democratic National Convention in July, arguing he could persuade many of the several hundred so-called super delegates who back Clinton to change their allegiance and support his campaign.

Super delegates are Democratic Party bigwigs who are not bound to any candidate or to the results of statewide votes and do not officially cast their vote until the convention.

Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned in Puerto Rico in recent weeks, and both have put forward plans to help the island emerge from a debt crisis.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation, backed by the White House, that would be charged with overseeing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its finances and restructuring the Caribbean island's $70 billion in debt.
Mutilated rhino in South Africa on long road to recovery

Sedated, blindfolded, her ears plugged with cotton-wool, "Hope" the rhino breathes heavily as veterinarians work to repair a gaping wound left by poachers who hacked off her horns.

A year after being left for dead on a game reserve outside South Africa's southern city of Port Elizabeth, Hope has undergone about 15 operations to reconstruct her ravaged face.

Veterinary surgeon Johan Marais sounded optimistic after examining the wound, originally one metre in length after the attack.

Veterinarians try to control "Hope" the rhino before they treat her after she was left with gaping wounds by poachers who hacked off her horns Mujahid Safodien (AFP/File)

"It has healed 60 percent," he said with satisfaction, stressing that the pioneering medical procedure continues to be a risky experiment.

"We don't know which antibiotics to give, at which dosage, which painkillers to give, we don't even know the basic anatomy," he admitted.

Hope, aged six, has been treated by South African veterinarians organised by Saving the Survivors, a non-profit organisation that focuses on rhinos and other wild animals subject to brutal attack or injuries.

South Africa, home to around 20,000 rhinos, or 80 percent of the worldwide population, has borne the brunt of a recent boom in international poaching syndicates.

The rhino are slaughtered for their horns in the supposed belief that they cure diseases such as cancer in Vietnam and China. Also believed to be an aphrodisiac, the horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails.

From under 100 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2008, nearly 1,200 were killed by poachers in 2015 in carnage driven by the soaring price of horn which is estimated to be up to $60,000 a kilogramme.

Hope survived her attack, and for the past 12 months, Marais and his team have exhaustively tried often unconventional techniques to try to heal and re-seal the gruesome cavity in her face.

Materials involved in the procedures have included elephant skin, nylon fishing thread, and steel wire mesh.

But keeping the dressings and bandages in place has been a major problem as the wound gets itchy, so Hope scratches away against fence posts.

"So whatever we put in there she just tears it out," said fellow surgeon Gerhard Steenkamp. "She is so powerful, weighing two tonnes."

- 'Every individual counts' -

The latest attempt to pull together the edges of the wound uses special elastic bands in a technique developed for post-abdominal surgery in humans.

Marais starts off cleaning Hope's wound while chasing away flies attracted by the stench from the wound.

He drills small holes in the skin and sews an elastic band along the wound.

With the anaesthetics wearing out, Hope's ears twitch -- signalling that the surgery must be wrapped up quickly.

A mosquito net is stapled over the wound, and covered with a large bandage which is then secured with blue duct tape.

Within seconds the rhino hops to her feet, and the surgeons back off quickly, crossing their fingers that the latest dressing will stay in place.

It has so far cost $45,000 to try to reconstruct Hope's face, but for Saving the Survivors, it is money well spent.

"When a species becomes endangered, every individual counts because it is genetic diversity," said anaesthetist Jana Pretorius.

"If we had 100,000 rhino, then we would probably never do this. But because it is becoming critical, then it makes sense."

With around 25,000 rhino left in the world, Hope embodies the survival of the species.

"We don't just want to treat her because we want to close a hole, she has to fit into the whole conservation of rhinos," said Steenkamp.

"What would be success for us is the day Hope has a baby and the day she can be part of the renaissance of the rhinos."

These doctors may be at the cusp of a medical victory, and they plan to release Hope back into the wild.

In a sign of life after death, a small re-growth of her horn has been detected.

South African veterinarians apply bandages and stitches to "Hope" the rhino after her horns were hacked off by poachers Mujahid Safodien (AFP/File)

Hope survived her attack, and for the past 12 months, veterinarians have exhaustively tried to heal and re-seal the gruesome cavity in her face Mujahid Safodien (AFP/File)

South Africa, home to around 20,000 rhinos, or 80% of the worldwide population, has borne the brunt of a recent boom in international poaching syndicates Mujahid Safodien (AFP/File)
Australian storms leave three dead, others missing

Wild weather that smashed into Australia's east coast and whipped up giant waves on Sydney beaches has left at least three people dead and others missing, police said Monday as the clean-up began.

Ferocious storms pounded the coast over the weekend, causing flooding in New South Wales state. Huge seas eroded the shoreline, in one instance sweeping the in-ground swimming pool of a beachside home onto the beach.

"This storm, which was so ferocious, has taken life from us," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said as he warned that conditions remained dangerous.

A swimming pool lies on a beach next to damaged homes in Sydney on June 6, 2016 after a severe storm lashed Australia's east cost Bruce Clement (AFP)

"It is clear -- the ferocity of this storm was such that the damage has been unbelievable up and down the coast."

The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of rain, wind and wave action had created the conditions which saw beaches strewn with debris and rivers and creeks bursting their banks.

One part of Sydney suffered its worst flooding in 30 years, while the city's Observatory Hill weather station received some 226 millimetres (8.9 inches) of rain over the weekend -- well above the average monthly rainfall for June of 131.9 millimetres.

The bureau said a wind gust in excess of 115 kilometres per hour (71 mph) was recorded in Sydney Harbour, while two of the airport's three runways were closed due to high winds.

Police said divers had retrieved two bodies from cars swept away by floodwaters, one in the southwestern Sydney suburb of Leppington and another near the town of Bowral, some 100 kilometres south of the city.

"It is a tragedy these two lives have been lost. We simply do not know how either of these two men came to be in the flood waters," said acting assistant state police commissioner Kyle Stewart.

"But what we know is that their deaths show just how dangerous flood waters are."

Authorities said the body of a third man was found near a flooded river crossing close to Canberra.

The storm swept south from Queensland, through New South Wales and onto Tasmania where police Monday held grave fears for two people thought to have been swept away by floodwaters.

A man aged in his 80s was believed to have been swept away, Tasmanian police said, while the wife of another elderly man rescued by helicopter through the roof of his inundated home was missing.

A swimmer seen in distress at Sydney's Bondi Beach was also missing after lifeguards and a rescue helicopter failed to find him.

Abnormally high tides and damaging surf were still pounding parts of the New South Wales coast late Monday, and flood warnings were in place in Tasmania.

In the hard-hit northern Sydney beach suburb of Collaroy, Fran Young was left to contemplate the ocean which had swallowed part of her waterfront garden overnight.

"It was definitely the most ferocious (storm) I've ever seen; the sea was pounding," she told AFP. "It felt like it was coming directly, straight at all of us."

A surfer takes advantage of the giant swells caused by a severe storm, at Collaroy on Sydney's northern beaches, on June 6, 2016 William West (AFP)
Hairy future for Australia's beloved koala

A sweet, sickly smell filled the air as Sherwood Robyn, a 12-year-old koala, was brought into a small examination room at Australia's first hospital for the furry marsupials.

From afar, she appeared in fine health. But closer inspection revealed a "wet bottom" -- a clear sign of the chlamydia infection which is ravaging Australia's iconic native animal.

With no available cure, Robyn, found on Sherwood Road and named in a nod to the famous outlaw, is already experiencing advanced stages of the sexually-transmitted disease and will likely die a painful death within months, vets say.

The outlook for koala populations on Australia's east coast is dire as habitat loss, dog attacks, car strikes, climate change and disease take their toll Peter Parks (AFP)

The spread and impact of the disease have been exacerbated by human development encroaching the animals' territory, Cheyne Flanagan, clinical director at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, told AFP.

"It's driven by pressure on the animals, when there's a disturbed habitat... they're forced to live closer together, which gives us more interaction between the animals," she explained.

This causes the disease to spread rapidly, Flanagan added, saying that additional factors such as increased competition for territory and food can add to the problem.

The prognosis for Sherwood Robyn mirrors the dire outlook for koala populations on Australia's east coast as habitat loss, dog attacks, car strikes, climate change and disease take their toll.

While there were believed to be more than 10 million koalas before British settlers arrived in 1788, a 2012 national count placed their total numbers at around 330,000, though their existence in treetops makes accurate assessment difficult.

In parts of Queensland, koalas are "effectively extinct" a recent study by the state university found. In New South Wales the marsupial's overall numbers have plunged more than 30 percent since 1990. Both regions -- along with the Australian Capital Territory -- have listed the animal as "vulnerable" to extinction.

"I'm not optimistic at all," said Damien Higgins, head of the Koala Health Hub at the University of Sydney, assessing the animal's long term prospects for survival.

"Ultimately, the pressures acting against koalas are not going away. Development is continuing... and while people want to live where koalas live... and mine where koalas live, they're going to be in trouble," he told AFP.

Chlamydia has been in koala populations for some time and can cause blindness, infertility and death. It is different to the human strain of the disease: The latest research suggests it could have first spread to the marsupials from livestock brought by early European settlers to Australia.

But increased human development on koala territory has exacerbated the impact of the disease in recent years.

- 'Death by a thousand cuts' -

The Koala Hospital was established in the coastal town of Port Macquarie in 1973. But there has been a marked shift in those being treated in recent years.

Flanagan says she now sees mainly older marsupials and that admission numbers have dramatically fallen -- suggesting populations are dying out.

She believes the changes are caused by habitat loss as trees are felled to make way for urban development, describing the impact on koalas as "death by a thousand cuts".

Due to this land clearance, young koalas are driven further afield to search out suitable sites to set up home, making them vulnerable to vehicle strikes and animal attacks, said hospital coordinator Mick Feeney.

The animal famously only eat leaves from a narrow range of the eucalyptus gum tree species -- limiting its food supply and adding to its woes.

"It's not an easy issue to deal with in an area where there is a great deal of growth," Port Macquarie-Hastings Mayor Peter Besseling told AFP.

"People want to move to the coast and we need to look at ways in which we can protect the koala into the long-term," he added.

Researchers at the University of Sydney, who have collaborated closely with the Koala Hospital for decades, are working hard to mitigate the challenges facing koalas by studying the diseases they succumb to.

"The other aspect is damage control. Once things like development are happening, (it's about) trying to somehow reduce the impact on koalas," Higgins said.

"It's a band-aid in a way, to try and keep the populations as healthy as we can."

Sherwood Robyn, a 12-year-old koala, is examined by volunteers Amanda Gordon (R) and Susanne Scheuter (L) at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie Peter Parks (AFP)

Sherwood Robyn, a 12-year-old koala, is already experiencing advanced stages of chlamydia and will likely die a painful death within months, vets say Peter Parks (AFP)
DC beauty commands army unit, Miss USA crown

When Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber took the Miss USA crown Sunday, the US army reserve officer said she hoped that she was "breaking the mold".

Serving in the military "has taught me that being confidently beautiful is about being able to earn respect from people regardless of what you look like," said the 26 year-old Barber.

The 5'10 feet (1.77 meters) tall Barber is an army reserve logistics company commander and an information technology analyst for the US Commerce Department.

Miss District of Columbia 2016 Deshauna Barber (C) celebrates with the other contestants after she is crowned Miss USA 2016 on June 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada Ethan Miller (Getty/AFP)

The Miss USA pageant for years was owned by billionaire Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who sold it last year to a talent management group.

In the pageant that decides who will be the US representative in the Miss Universe contest, the 52 contestants took part in swimsuit, evening gown and interview rounds at the T-Mobile Arena at MGM in Las Vegas.

Barber is only the third representative of the US capital to ever win the Miss USA pageant. She defeated Miss Georgia and runner-up Miss Hawaii for the crown.

Barber said that gender doesn't limit women in the US military.

"As a woman in the military, people associate beauty with weakness and they learn very quickly that I'm extremely strong. And although I'm small, I'm powerful and confidently beautiful is being myself and being very happy with who I've become."

Just before the broadcast, Barber described the armed forces as her family's business. She joined the army at age 17, and her father, an army master sergeant, served time in Iraq.

"Its something that runs through our veins, patriotism; and service for this country, things along those lines is something I take very seriously," Barber said.

She said she hoped that she could "break the mold for pageant girls all around the world and for military soldiers all around the world.

"Im also saying that no one soldier has the same background and does the same thing. That we can be feminine, we can be in beauty contests, we can be models. Theres stereotypes on both sides that I feel like Im breaking even by being here."
US Navy in Japan under alcohol ban after drunk driving case

The US Navy said Monday it had imposed an alcohol ban on its personnel in Japan, as the Tokyo government condemned a military drunk driving case which fuelled growing opposition to US bases on Okinawa.

The United States has come under renewed pressure to rein in bad behaviour after a base employee was arrested last month for allegedly abandoning the body of a 20-year-old Okinawan woman whom police suspect was raped and murdered.

Crimes by US personnel have long sparked protests on the crowded strategic island and have been an irritant in relations between the allies.

Okinawa residents protest against the US military presence on the island, in front of the US Kadena Air Base in Cyatan, Japan, on May 21, 2016 - (Jiji Press/AFP/File)

US President Barack Obama last month vowed measures to prevent crime by Americans and the military imposed restrictions including a curfew.

But a 21-year-old US sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, was arrested at the weekend after allegedly driving the wrong way down a street while intoxicated and injuring two people, one seriously, according to Okinawan police.

US sailors stationed in Japan are indefinitely banned from drinking, both on and off base, and will also face other restrictions, US Naval Forces Japan said in a statement.

"For decades, we have enjoyed a strong relationship with the people of Japan," wrote Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, the naval commander in Japan.

"It is imperative that each sailor understand how our actions affect that relationship, and the US-Japan alliance as a whole."

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the drunk driving case "is extremely deplorable... as it happened right after (the US) said they would make efforts to strengthen discipline", Jiji Press reported.

Top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga called it "egregious".

The latest incident is especially galling for Pentagon chief Ashton Carter, who met with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Singapore on Saturday and delivered a carefully choreographed apology for the abandoned body case.

The White House and the Pentagon said the military will work with the Japanese to prevent additional incidents.

"The Department of Defense deeply regrets that this accident took place and our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and their families," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

The latest incident came as Okinawans voted Sunday in elections for the local legislature, showing overwhelming support for incumbent governor Takeshi Onaga who wants a key US base in a crowded city removed from the island.

But Suga shrugged off the vote's impact on a Japan-US agreement to relocate the installation to another part of Okinawa, reiterating the government's position that it is the "only solution".

Okinawans are planning a major rally later this month in protest at the bases, as well as the behaviour of US personnel.

More than half the 47,000 American troops in Japan under a decades-long security alliance are stationed on Okinawa, the site of a major World War II battle that was followed by a 27-year US occupation of the island.
Yemen foes agree to free child prisoners: UN

Yemen's warring parties have pledged to free all child prisoners but have failed to reach agreement on a wider release for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the UN envoy said on Monday.

"In the prisoners committee, an agreement was made on the unconditional release of children," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

There was no immediate word on how many children are held prisoner by the Saudi-backed government or by Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies.

A Yemeni tribesman from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed president, is greeted by a comrade after his release as part of a prisoner exchange with the Huthi rebels in Taez on June 1, 2016 Ahmad Al-Basha (AFP/File)

The UN envoy had been trying to push the two sides to agree to release half of all their prisoners before Ramadan, which began on Monday.

After almost seven weeks of negotiations, the two sides have failed to make progress on any of the core issues in the UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait.

The rebels and their allies have held out against demands contained in a UN Security Council resolution for their surrender of heavy weaponry and withdrawal from areas, including the capital, which they have seized since 2014.

The government has resisted proposals for a unity administration with the rebels, fearing it would undermine the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

The UN envoy said that despite the lack of progress, both sides remained engaged in the talks, which would continue through Ramadan, when Muslims observe a daytime fast.

In the past few days, the talks have been overshadowed by rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in third city Taez, which killed 11 civilians.

The UN envoy condemned the bombardment and urged both sides to respect a ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

"The attack against a crowded market in Taez is unethical. We condemn the bloody incidents in Taez despite the cessation of hostilities," he said.
Hunt on for shark that killed Australian diver

A hunt was underway Monday for a monster six-metre shark blamed for a fatal attack on a diver in western Australia, despite allegations it amounted to a "revenge killing".

The woman, 60, was fatally mauled one kilometre (half a mile) offshore from Perth on Sunday, by a shark described by witnesses as bigger than their 5.3-metre (17.4-foot) boat.

A surfer also succumbed to his injuries on Friday after his leg was bitten off by a shark along the same coastline last week.

Deadly shark attacks are relatively rare according to the International Shark Attack File, which in February reported only six fatalities worldwide last year, including one in Australia Peter Parks (AFP/File)

The West Australian fisheries department said it would deploy "capture gear" to haul in what they believe is a great white shark that poses "a serious threat to public safety".

Fisheries official Tony Cappelluti said if a shark matching the description of the one that attacked the diver was captured, it was "highly likely we will take the decision to destroy it in the interests of public safety".

"We have two methods... we can either let it expire on the line or we can use a firearm to destroy it," he said. "In this instance today, we will be using a firearm."

Animal rights group Humane Society International expressed "extreme concern" at the government's plans.

"Given that science tells us that drum lines are an unnecessary and lethal option for shark management, the government's response can only be described as revenge killing," campaign director Michael Kennedy said in a statement.

- Imminent threat -

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett said his state, which has now suffered 14 shark attack fatalities since 2000, was in shock at the latest deaths.

"I don't think there's any doubt that the number of shark attacks and fatalities from shark attack has increased quite significantly over recent years," he told reporters in Perth.

Barnett said a number of measures were deployed, including the aerial patrols, to alert swimmers to sharks.

But the catching and killing of the predators has long proved controversial.

A previous trial involving baited hooks attached to floating drum lines to snare sharks was abandoned after objections from conservationists and marine scientists.

Barnett said, however, that the government would always err on the side of public safety and reserved the right to destroy a shark if it posed an imminent threat.

Last Wednesday, a 4.2-metre shark was caught near to where surfer Ben Gerring lost his leg off Falcon Beach, 115 kilometres south of Sunday's attack near Mindarie, but it is unclear if it was the animal that attacked him.

Deadly attacks are relatively rare, according to the International Shark Attack File, which in February reported only six fatalities worldwide last year, including one in Australia.

In Sunday's incident, the woman's dive partner told police they were in the water together when he felt something brush past him.

He spun around but did not find anything and decided to head to the surface where he "saw a commotion".
US Treasury Secretary Lew raps China on excess steel production

Chinese oversupply of steel is "damaging and distorting" global markets, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Monday, joining a chorus of criticism that blames Beijing for plant closures and job losses in the industry worldwide.

China is the world's number one steelmaker, producing more than half of global output, but stands accused of flooding the market with steel at below cost prices -- dumping -- in violation of international trade rules.

"Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," Lew said at the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, a key annual meeting between the world's two top economic powers.

China is the world's number one steelmaker, producing more than half of global output

"Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminium, is critical to the function and stability of international markets."

Lew's comments echo those of other senior officials around the world who have blamed the Chinese supply glut for industry turmoil in Europe and elsewhere.

Among those hit has been Indian-owned Tata Steel, which said in March it was selling its struggling British assets -- putting 15,000 jobs at risk.

At Group of Seven summit talks in Japan last month world leaders said the global steel oversupply must be "urgently addressed", in what was seen as a barely disguised jab at China.

The US has punished Beijing with harsh tariffs, most recently in March, when it slapped a 300 percent rate on the cold rolled steel used to make auto parts.

The EU, the second-biggest steel producer, has launched a dumping probe into Chinese steel but angry manufacturers have urged it to mirror the US's tough tariffs.

The 28-nation bloc said this month that granting market economy status for China at the World Trade Organization was "untenable" because it would cost jobs in Europe in industries such as steel.

The designation would make it much harder for major economies to fight Beijing over alleged unfair trading practices.

But Beijing hit back Monday, with Finance Minister Lou Jiwei defending overcapacity as a hangover of China's rapid economic growth.

Now the world is pointing a finger at China saying its overcapacity is a drag on the world, but they didn't say so at the time China contributed to world growth."

He added that half of Chinese steelmaking firms are privately owned, and "they are not going to accept any instructions from us".

- Social instability -

China's steel industry is huge, with national production growing sevenfold from 2000 to 2014 on the back of massive infrastructure investment in cities and as the government ploughed billions of dollars into heavy industry to counter the impact of the 2008 financial crisis.

But demand for steel has fallen as the rate of economic growth has slowed, leaving producers making hundreds of millions of tonnes more than they can sell domestically each year.

Chinese leaders have repeatedly pledged to address the issue of excess capacity, admitting it is a drag on their own economy.

The country's largest steel firms are state run, and the government wields significant control over the industry as a whole.

Beijing has vowed to eliminate 100 million to 150 million tonnes of capacity -- out of a total of 1.2 billion tonnes -- by 2020, saying the reforms would cost 500,000 jobs.

But local governments with ownership stakes in steel firms have resisted reforms, fearing the social instability that mass layoffs could cause.

Ratings agency Fitch has said that the plan to cut capacity "faces immense social and financial challenges", while laid-off steelworkers have already begun to protest at losing their jobs.

Ahead of the Beijing meeting, Lew said he didn't think policies to deal with excess capacity had been implemented.

"They made the policy commitment to make these changes, they now have to implement and execute, not just at the national level but at the provincial level as well," he said according to Bloomberg.

Steel production Adrian Leung, Gal Roma (AFP)

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew speaks at the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing on June 6, 2016 Saul Loeb (Pool/AFP)
Russia-backed Syria regime bears down on key IS town

Russian-backed Syrian regime forces inched closer Monday to a key stop on a vital Islamic State group supply line, as a twin offensive bore down on the jihadists' northern stronghold.

The advance comes as 17 civilians were killed in air raids on a popular market in eastern Syria on the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The UN, meanwhile, backtracked on its plan to move ahead with airdrops of humanitarian aid to Syria, saying it was focusing for now on security access for land convoys.

A man walk amidst the rubble following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Qatirji on June 5, 2016 Baraa Al-Halabi (AFP/File)

"Our main focus is on land delivery, given the challenges in terms of safety and logistics of air deliveries," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

In the battleground town of Tabqa, IS fighters are caught between Russian-backed regime forces pushing from the southwest and US-supported Kurdish and Arab fighters from the north.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), last week launched an operation against Tabqa and a nearby dam from the north of Raqa province.

But while they remain 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of Tabqa, government forces advanced on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Regime fighters are now within 24 kilometres (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the key reservoir in the Euphrates Valley contained by the Tabqa Dam, said the Britain-based Observatory.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said regime forces were "reinforcing their positions" south of the town, and are less than 25 kilometres from Tabqa airport.

- Vow of support -

Russia last month floated a proposal for joint air strikes with the US against jihadists in Syria, but this was swiftly rejected.

However, a source close to the regime said "there is a joint operations room in Baghdad where the Iraqis and the Syrians are coordinating with the support of the Americans and the Russians".

Around Tabqa in particular, the source said, it would be "impossible" for the US and Russia to back their respective ground allies if they did not coordinate.

On Monday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed air support around Aleppo for troops loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

"(The Americans) know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory," said Lavrov.

Washington "is asking us and Syrian leadership to delay air strikes" until opposition forces are separated from jihadists of IS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, he said.

"We believe there has been more than enough time (for that)," Lavrov said, while adding "there won't be any surprises for the Americans".

In Washington, a State Department spokeswoman insisted US officials are in talks with groups on the ground to encourage moderate elements to separate themselves from Al-Nusra.

"We would reiterate that Russia and the Assad regime need to distinguish between the terrorists and parties to the cessation of hostilities," said Elizabeth Trudeau.

Two years after declaring a fundamentalist "caliphate", IS is coming under mounting international pressure.

IS is also under attack in Aleppo province, after SDF fighters crossed the Euphrates near the border with Turkey and pushed west towards jihadist-held Manbij.

Analysts suspect the SDF's operational focus on Manbij may explain its minimal progress towards Tabqa.

Manbij lies at the heart of IS-held territory along the border that US commanders regard as the principal entry point for foreign fighters and funds.

Tabqa is further along that route, closer to Raqa city.

SDF forces are now two kilometres away from Manbij to the south, six kilometres from the south and seven from the east, according to the Syrian Observatory.

The forces are trying to surround the city from 3 fronts and leave one open route from the west for IS fighters to withdraw, the Observatory chief said.

- Raqa 'last to fall' -

Syria's conflict has evolved into a complex war involving foreign powers since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Peace talks to end the five-year war -- which has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions -- have stalled and a related ceasefire is in tatters.

On Monday, 17 civilians, among them eight children, were killed in air strikes on a market in Al-Asharah, an IS-held town in eastern Deir Ezzor province.

While fighting for Tabqa and Manbij intensifies, it appears the battle for Raqa city -- which would be a much more symbolic victory -- has taken a backseat.

The US-backed SDF alliance's offensive north of the IS stronghold last month started amid much fanfare.

But Henman said "Raqa will likely be one of, if not the last Islamic State bastion to fall in Syria".

Map of Syria locating Manbij and Tabqa, where IS jihadists are under attack, and Al-Asharah, where an air strike killed at least 17 civilians

A picture shows the Milky Way as seen from the rebel-held town of Douma, east of the Syrian capital Damascus, on June 6, 2016 Sameer Al-Doumy (AFP)
Netanyahu admits contributions from Frenchman on trial for fraud

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that he had received $40,000 from a French tycoon on trial for alleged fraud, but said the contribution was not political and was used for promoting Israel.

During his trial in France, Arnaud Mimran said he had given one million euros ($1.1 million) in campaign contributions to Netanyahu in 2001, when the Israeli leader was not in public office.

Israeli law limits individual campaign contributions to parliamentary candidates to 11,480 shekels (2,670 euros) and 45,880 shekels for party chairmanship races.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, on March 6, 2016 Abir Sultan (POOL/AFP/File)

The allegation has received widespread attention in Israel, with the country's attorney general examining Mimran's testimony.

"The claim that Arnaud Mimran contributed one million euros to the election campaign of Mr. Netanyahu is a baseless lie," a statement from the prime minister's office said.

"There was no contribution by Mimran to Netanyahu's election campaign.

"In August 2001, when Mr. Netanyahu was a private citizen, Mimran contributed $40,000 to the fund for public activities for Mr. Netanyahu, which included media appearances and numerous educational campaigns abroad in favour of Israel, and made in accordance with the law."

In an earlier statement, Netanyahu's office said that "Mr. Mimran, who is on trial for fraud in the range of several hundreds of millions of dollars, is trying to divert attention by means of another fraud" by accusing the prime minister.

An Israeli justice ministry spokeswoman said Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit had ordered an examination of Mimran's testimony "immediately after he became aware of it."

If the donation was not a campaign contribution, tax authorities would have to verify whether it was declared, said Moshe Negbi, legal expert for Israeli public radio.

Netanyahu left the prime minister's office in 1999 after being defeated by Labour's Ehud Barak. In 2002, he became foreign minister in then-prime minister Ariel Sharon's government.

Mimran is one of the main defendants in a trial in Paris over an alleged scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

The tycoon's allegations against Netanyahu are the latest focused on his spending.

Last month, the Israeli state comptroller issued a critical report on Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, in 2003-05 when he was finance minister.
Suspect held over Jordan 'terror attack'

Jordanian authorities have arrested a suspect accused of gunning down five intelligence agents on Monday in their office at a Palestinian refugee camp.

"Investigations are under way but early indications are that this was an isolated and individual act," said government spokesman Mohammed Momani, announcing the arrest without identifying the suspect.

The gunman struck at Baqaa camp north of the capital early Monday -- the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- in what Momani called a "terrorist attack".

Jordanian security forces stand guard in Amman, on February 10, 2006 Khalil Mazraawi (AFP/File)

The suspect fled the scene after the killings.

A security source told AFP he was arrested later at a mosque in the Salt region north of Amman.

The suspect was armed and resisted arrest, the source said, adding that a police officer had been injured in the swoop.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has been the target of jihadist attacks.

- 'Midst of a cyclone' -

The five agents, who had been starting their shift, were buried later in the day in their home towns, with hundreds of members of the security services in attendance.

Security forces blocked road to the camp, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Amman, to keep journalists away, an AFP correspondent said.

The Baqaa camp is the largest of the kingdom's 10 official Palestinian refugee camps.

Home to about 220,000 people, including more than 100,000 of the two million Palestinian refugees who live in Jordan, its residents suffer chronic poverty and unemployment.

It was unclear whether the gunman was a resident of the camp or an outsider, a security source said earlier Monday, adding that experts were examining CCTV footage for clues.

Jordan has seen spillover from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria in the past.

In December 2005, suicide attacks on three Amman hotels claimed by IS's predecessor, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, killed 60 people and wounded dozens.

Former member of parliament Mahmud al-Kharabsha said what happened at Baqaa had been "expected".

"This camp was chosen for an attack in order to sow sedition (between Palestinians and Jordanians) in the country," Kharabsha said.

"What happened was expected. Jordan is in the midst of a cyclone and shares long borders with Syria and Iraq," he told AFP.

- Sowing divisions -

One Baqaa resident who identified himself as Yussef called the attack "unacceptable", coming on the first day of Ramadan.

"It is an attempt to create divisions in the country," he said.

Baqaa was one of six camps set up in 1968 to house Palestinians fleeing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War during which Israel seized the Palestinian territories, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Baqaa was the home of Mahmud Abdelal, an Islamist extremist who blew himself up in Syria in October 2012.

In 2010, three Jordanian Islamist extremists were sentenced to prison terms of between three years and life for plotting to kill intelligence officers in the camp.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

Jordan has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria since 2014.

One of its pilots was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014. In February 2015, IS released gruesome footage of Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive in a cage.

His murder prompted Jordan to extend its air strikes against IS to Iraq, where it is the only Arab coalition member taking part in the bombing campaign.

Jordan has also opened up the Prince Hassan airbase, northeast of the capital, to other members of the US-led coalition in the air war.

In March, Jordanian authorities announced they had foiled an IS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom in an operation that led to the deaths of seven jihadists.

A picture taken on June 6, 2016 shows people and security personnel standing outside the Jordanian intelligence agency office in the Baqaa camp, north of the capital Amman, following a gun attack

Jordanian mourners lower the body of intelligence corporal Omar al-Hayari, one of the five Jordanian intelligence agents killed during a gun attack at the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, on June 6, 2016 Khalil Mazraawi (AFP)
Malaysians say harsher sentence needed for UK child rapist

The life prison sentence imposed on British child rapist Richard Huckle was criticised on Tuesday as too light in Malaysia, where he sexually abused scores of children and even babies.

Huckle, 30, was sentenced in a London court on Monday to 22 life prison terms to be served concurrently, meaning he faces more than 23 years behind bars before a parole board can consider his release.

But concerns were expressed in Malaysia that Huckle could one day be freed and pose a threat to more children, as some called angrily on social media for him to be caned, castrated or executed. Britain has no death penalty.

Richard Huckle, 30, pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences

"191 child victims, 22 Malaysians, 20,000 indecent images, 22 life sentences but... this monster could be out in 24 years," read a lengthy headline in leading daily The Star.

The New Straits Times said "A thousand years is not enough", echoing the cry from a woman in the public gallery as Huckle was led out of court.

Huckle had admitted a total of 71 offences against impoverished children in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur while posing variously as a Christian volunteer, a student and a photographer.

When he was arrested at London's Gatwick Airport upon returning for a Christmas holiday visit in 2014, police found that his laptop and camera contained more than 20,000 images of child sex abuse including rape.

The laptop contained a ledger in which he detailed the abuse of 191 victims, and he also wrote a manual called "Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide".

"The sentencing should be stronger. He is young and what happens if he gets out when he is around 50? Can a paedophile change?" asked Sharmila Sekaran, chairman of Malaysia's Voice of the Children.

"Is this justice? No. As far as I know he hasn't made any apologies to the victims."

Sharmila added that if Huckle were freed in his 50s many of his victims would be adults and "a lot of old wounds could come out".

The case has also stirred criticism of the lack of strong Malaysian child-protection laws.

"If Huckle was in a Malaysian court, it would have been tougher to prosecute him. It was a good thing that he was charged in the UK," said James Nayagam, chairman of Suriana Welfare Society, a child-focused NGO.

"Huckle was just one. How many more are there out there?"

Prime Minister Najib Razak's younger brother, Nazir Razak, a powerful banker, posted a photo of Huckle on his Instagram account Tuesday.

Is this enough punishment...I urge his inmates to mete out more than just retribution," he wrote.

British paedophile Richard Huckle preyed on children living in an impoverished neighbourhood of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur Mohd Rasfan (AFP)
China restricts Ramadan fasting in Muslim region

Chinese officials have restricted civil servants, students and children in a mainly Muslim region from fasting during Ramadan, government websites said as the holy month began on Monday.

The country's ruling Communist party is officially atheist and for years has banned government employees and minors from fasting in Xinjiang, home to the more than 10 million-strong mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

It has also ordered some restaurants to stay open.

China's ruling Communist party is officially atheist and for years has banned government employees and minors from fasting in Xinjiang, home to the more than 10 million strong mostly Muslim Uighur minority Go Takayama (AFP/File)

The region sees regular clashes between Uighurs and state security forces. Beijing has blamed deadly attacks there and elsewhere in China on militants seeking independence for the resource-rich region.

Rights groups blame tensions on religious and cultural restrictions imposed on Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the vast area, which abuts Central Asia.

Several local government departments in Xinjiang have posted notices on their websites in the last week ordering restrictions on fasting during Ramadan.

During the holy month, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious.

"Party members, cadres, civil servants, students and minors must not fast for Ramadan and must not take part in religious activities," said a notice posted last Thursday on the official website of the city of Korla in central Xinjiang.

"During the Ramadan month, food and drink businesses must not close," it added.

A Uighur official in the city's Tiekeqi township named Ahmatjan Tohti told a meeting on Monday last week that officials should "resolutely stop party members, civil servants, students and minors from entering mosques for religious activities" during the month, according to a separate report on the website.

A website run by the education bureau of Shuimogou district in the regional capital Urumqi posted a notice on Monday last week calling for "prevention of students and teachers from all schools from entering mosques for religious activities" during Ramadan.

In the northern city of Altay, officials agreed to "increase contact with parents" to "prevent fasting during Ramadan", according to a post Friday on the state-run China Ethnicities Religion website.

- Islamic threat -

The website of the Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County government in northwest Xinjiang said Monday that restaurants in the area would be instructed to stay open during Ramadan to "ensure that the broader masses have normal access to cuisine".

Dilxat Raxit of the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group, condemned the restrictions in an email Monday, adding: "China thinks that the Islamic faith of Uighurs threatens the rule of the Beijing leadership."

China tightly controls religious groups despite frequently proclaiming that its citizens have freedom of belief.

The top Communist official in Xinjiang, Zhang Chunxian, wished the region's Muslims "a happy Ramadan", the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

And the country's State Council or cabinet last Thursday released a white paper which declared that religious freedom in Xinjiang "cannot be matched by any other period in history".

"During the month of Ramadan, Muslim restaurants can decide whether they want to do business. There will be no interference," it said.

"Local governments ensure that all religious activities during Ramadan go on in an orderly manner," it added.
Two shot dead as Kenyan protests turn violent

At least two protesters were shot dead in Kenya on Monday as anti-government rallies turned violent, with police opening fire to disperse demonstrators in the country's third biggest city, Kisumu.

Kenya's opposition CORD alliance has staged protests almost every Monday since April to demand a shake-up of the country's electoral commission ahead of presidential polls in August next year.

Protests took place in several towns but in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya, police opened fire before using tear gas and water cannon to quell the protests as news of the deaths spread.

Police officers walk past burning tyres in Kisumu, Kenya, on June 6, 2016

Another 61 people were injured in the clashes, 20 of whom were hospitalised with wounds from bullets or sharp objects, doctor Ojwang Lusi, chief health officer in Kisumu county, told AFP.

A bullet wound was visible on one corpse, laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters who said he was hit by police fire.

Protesters blocked a road with the other body as they clashed with police.

"We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights, this man has been shot dead while protesting," said protester Michael Omondi.

Police chief Joseph Boinnet said the shootings were "under investigation."

- Looting -

Witnesses said one of the wounded was a five-year-old child.

Word of the shootings fuelled heavy clashes in the centre of Kisumu and the working class district of Kondele. There were widespread scenes of looting and two supermarkets were destroyed.

At least three people died in similar protests in two towns in western Kenya on May 23, two of them when anti-riot police opened fire in Siaya. According to police, a third person died when they fell as they were fleeing tear gas in Kisumu.

"Last time they shot someone dead and claimed he suffered injuries as he was falling down," said Kisumu resident Charles Otieno.

"What will they say today after the death of this man because he was clearly shot?" he added.

The CORD protests began in April to force a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the 2017 presidential poll.

The protests were suspended last week to allow for talks with the government but resumed on Monday.

- Lethal force -

Nairobi's police chief Japheth Koome warned at the weekend that police were prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

"No demonstration. That's the message. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. It will not be allowed," Koome told the BBC.

"Please, if you value your life, don't attempt it that way. You will be dealt with firmly."

But the High Court early Monday ruled that the protest was legal.

Soon after the ruling, demonstrators gathered at Nairobi's central Uhuru, or Freedom, Park and started marching towards the office of the national electoral commission.

CORD leader Raila Odinga, who has blamed the commission for his defeat in 2013's presidential election by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta, led the march to the commission's office.

"We need to talk and we are hoping they will listen to us and agree to dialogue," Odinga told his supporters. "If not, next week we shall do double the protests."

Next year's election is shaping up as a replay of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga again aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence.

More than 1,100 people were killed in 2007 after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.

In the centre of Kisumu and the working class district of Kondele there were widespread scenes of looting and two supermarkets were destroyed
Kanye aborts surprise NY show after thousands flood streets

Thousands of fans clogged New York's streets early Monday on hopes of a surprise show by rap superstar Kanye West, who appeared in the crowd but ultimately did not play.

West had been due Sunday to headline New York's Governors Ball festival, but the final day was canceled on fears of heavy thunderstorms.

After West wrote vaguely on Twitter about a show at 2:00 am (0700 GMT), a sea of fans converged around Webster Hall, a historic venue in the city's East Village neighborhood and favorite spot for unannounced gigs.

Kanye West who is married to reality television star Kim Kardashian, has also said he plans to run for president in 2020 Timothy A. Clary (AFP/File)

Police were forced for more than an hour to close the area to traffic, with authorities sending out a traffic notice to residents, after thousands swarmed onto the streets including on parked cars, some chanting West's name.

As a black car neared the venue, fans surrounded it and forced the vehicle to slow, with a smiling West appearing out of the sunroof to acknowledge the crowd, footage posted on social media showed.

But West ultimately did not play, likely due to the mayhem.

Webster Hall, whose main floor has a capacity of 1,500, informed that there would be no late surprise show and asked fans to go home.

West's appearance at the Governors Ball festival, which takes place on Randall's Island in the city's East River, would have been one of his first shows since he released his latest album "The Life of Pablo" in February.

A master of staying in the spotlight, West, who is married to reality television star Kim Kardashian, has also said he plans to run for president in 2020.

A younger rapper who had been due to play Sunday at Governors Ball, Vic Mensa, played Sunday evening at Webster Hall in a last-minute but announced show.
Nigeria's Buhari heads to London for health checks

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari played down fears over his health Monday as he jetted to London for checks on a medical condition that has forced him to pull out of recent engagements.

"I have already told Nigerians that I'm going for 10 days to get my ear checked," Buhari, accompanied by his personal physician, told reporters shortly before his plane took off from Abuja.

The presidency announced Sunday that Buhari has had "a persistent ear infection" and that he had been recommended to see an ear, nose and throat specialist in the British capital "purely as a precaution".

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Dan Kitwood (Pool/AFP/File)

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will stand in during his absence.

The Nigerian presidency is historically reticent about disclosing health matters concerning the head of state and rumours have been swirling about the seriousness of Buhari's condition.

Former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died in 2010 of a long-standing kidney ailment that was not disclosed when he took office.

There was a period of political uncertainty until his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, took over.

Similarly, military ruler Sani Abacha died in 1998, officially of a heart attack, but rumours persist to this day about the exact cause of death.

When Buhari was asked in Hausa about the concerns of Nigerians when their leader falls sick, he replied: "Is there anybody who doesn't fall sick?"

The 73-year-old pulled out of a planned visit to Lagos recently, the launch of an oil spill clean-up operation in the south, and a meeting of the west African regional bloc ECOWAS.
Syria air strikes 'kill 17 civilians' at start of Ramadan

Seventeen civilians including eight children were killed in air strikes on a market in eastern Syria on Monday, the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on Al-Asharah, a town held by the Islamic State group in Deir Ezzor province, were suspected to have been carried out by either Russian or Syrian government planes.

"The market was overcrowded on Monday because people were shopping for Ramadan," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

A Syrian man stands in rubble after a reported air strike by regime forces on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bustan al-Qasr, on June 5, 2016 Baraa al-Halabi (AFP/File)

He said many of those killed were from the same family, and that the death toll was likely to rise because of the serious condition of some of the wounded.

Residents of nearby villages typically flock to Al-Asharah market to do their shopping, Abdel Rahman said.

Heavy air strikes hit IS-held areas in and outside the divided city of Deir Ezzor from early Monday, he said.

IS controls more than 60 percent of the city, besieging an estimated 200,000 people there.

The jihadist group also controls most of the surrounding oil-rich province by the same name.

The Observatory relies on a network of sources inside Syria to gather its information on the five-year conflict, which has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions.

It says it determines whether strikes were carried out by Syrian, Russian or US-led coalition aircraft based on the location of the raids, flight patterns and the types of planes and munitions involved.

Russia began carrying out strikes in Syria in September 2015, one year after the United States began its air campaign there.
Rebel shelling kills 8 civilians in Yemen city

Eight civilians including five members of one family were killed in 24 hours of shelling by Iran-backed rebels on residential parts of Yemen's third city Taez, local officials said Monday.

Three children were among those killed in clashes that have continued despite a ceasefire and peace talks in Kuwait between Huthi rebel and loyalist delegates, the sources said.

Another 13 civilians were wounded, the sources added, accusing the rebels of firing mortar and artillery rounds into the residential areas.

A tribesman from the Popular Resistance Committees supporting forces loyal to Yemen's president is greeted by a comrade after his release as part of a prisoner exchange with the Huthi rebels in the southwestern city of Taez on June 1, 2016 Ahmad Al-Basha (AFP/File)

Rebel shelling of the besieged government garrison in Taez killed 11 civilians on Saturday, drawing condemnation from UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He has urged both sides to respect the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

However, the government sources in Taez said nine loyalist fighters were killed and 26 wounded in 24 hours of clashes in the city's eastern districts.

Military sources told AFP that 12 rebels were also killed.

Witnesses said fighting continued on Monday across several residential neighbourhoods of the southwestern city.

Separately, suspected jihadists attacked the airport in the government-held second city Aden, sparking a firefight that killed at least one civilian, a security source said.

Around 20 gunmen stormed the main entrance road to the airport in the city's Khormaksar district, demanding the release of a fellow jihadist of Western origin who was detained late last month.

Airport guards repulsed the attack after a 90-minute battle, the source said, adding that the civilian was killed by a stray bullet.

The gunmen's leader told security forces he was a close relative of the detained jihadist, a Western national of Algerian origin.

The detained Westerner was among seven suspected members of the Islamic State group whose arrest was announced by the authorities in Aden on May 28.

Aden is the headquarters of the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since the capital Sanaa and swathes of the north and centre of the country are held by the Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies.

In the neighbouring province of Abyan, a gunman on the back of a motorbike killed the commander of a loyalist army brigade late on Sunday, a security official said.

Colonel Mohammed Salem al-Abbadi was one of the founders of the pro-government militias that drove Al-Qaeda out of Abyan in 2012.

Saudi Arabia led a military intervention against the rebels in Yemen in March last year, and the ensuing conflict has been exploited by IS and rival Al-Qaeda jihadists to expand their presence in the impoverished Arab nation.
Bangladesh bans multiple motorcycle passengers after attacks

Bangladesh's home minister Monday announced a ban on motorcyclists carrying more than one passenger in an attempt to curb increasing numbers of deadly attacks by Islamic militants.

The move comes one day after three attackers on a motorcycle stabbed and shot dead the wife of a senior anti-terror police officer as she walked her young son to a school bus stop.

Police said they have detained four people over Sunday's attack in the southern city of Chittagong, the latest in a wave of killings.

Students block the road during a protest in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on April 7, 2016 following the latest in a string of activist killings Munir Uz Zaman (AFP)

"They will be questioned over the murder," Chittagong police chief Iqbal Bahar told AFP, adding that officers have also seized the motorbike thought used by the three attackers.

The victim, Mahmuda Begum, 35, was the wife of decorated officer Babul Akter who in recent months led operations in Chittagong against top members of banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the government would ban multiple motorcycle passengers, a common sight on the impoverished nation's traffic-clogged streets.

Police say militants often use motorbikes to carry out attacks.

"We will not allow three people to ride together and we will impose it by all means," Khan told reporters.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left more than 40 people dead in the last three years.

Authorities have blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks which have spiked in recent weeks, rejecting claims of responsibility from the Islamic State (IS) group and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda.

Khan said Sunday's killing was revenge for Akter's successful crackdown against local JMB militants that led to the death of the regional chief Mohammad Javed.

Begum's murder was followed hours later by the machete killing of a Christian grocer at his store in the northeast -- an attack later claimed by IS.

Bangladesh's secular government blames its opponents over the killings, saying they are trying to destabilise the country.
What is Ramadan, the Islamic holy month?

More than a billion Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan on Monday, embarking on a month of fasting and prayer to commemorate the divine revelations received by Islam's Prophet Mohammed.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month in the Islamic calendar, marked by Muslims as a month of piety, charity and thriftiness.

Indonesian Muslims hold prayers to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan Juni Kriswanto (AFP)

Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, alongside the profession of faith, the five daily prayers, the giving of alms and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

How is it observed?

During the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan, observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset.

The fast is seen as a spiritual struggle against the temptations of earthly pleasures.

It is also a chance to renew family and social bonds. Families gather at sundown for iftar, the breaking of the fast, while many mosques serve free communal meals to the poor.

After the fast, many Muslims gather at mosques for special Ramadan prayers known as tarawih.

The spiritual climax of the month is Laylat Al-Qadr (the night of power), which commemorates the moment the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mohammed and began revealing the Koran.

The final day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr (the festival of fast-breaking), is a major family event marked by feasting and celebration.

Who is required to fast?

The fast is considered obligatory for all Muslims over the age of puberty. Although children are exempt, parents are encouraged to gradually get them used to it.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women, the sick, travellers and fighters are allowed to delay their fast, but must resume it as soon as they have the chance.

Ramadan will be particularly hard this year for many Muslims in the northern hemisphere, coming in summer with its long days and hot temperatures across much of the Muslim world.

How is the date set for the start of Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of Islam's hijri calendar, a lunar system that sets the dates for Islamic religious festivals.

The hijri calender has 11 days fewer than the solar Gregorian calendar, meaning that the start of Ramadan shifts back every year.

The beginning of the fast is announced when the first quarter of the new moon is visible with the naked eye. Religious scholars meet every year to determine the exact date, which can vary from country to country.

A Syrian man sells a traditional licorice root drink as people shop ahead of the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan near Damascus Amer Almohibany (AFP)

A Bahraini man looks at the sky to spot the first crescent of the moon marking the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan Mohammed Al-Shaikh (AFP)

Lebanese Muslims shop prior to Iftar, or breaking of the daylong fast, in the old market in the ancient coastal city of Tripoli Joseph Eid (AFP)
Man hijacked plane to highlight Egypt injustices: lawyer

An Egyptian man who hijacked a plane and forced it to be diverted to Cyprus did so to draw attention to injustices in his homeland, his lawyer said Monday.

A Cypriot court is to decide on the extradition of Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, 58, to Egypt, which has requested he face trial under a bilateral agreement.

Mostafa is accused of using a fake suicide belt to seize the plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo and redirect it to the Mediterranean island on March 29.

Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa hijacked a plane and forced it to be diverted to Cyprus on March 29, 2016 George Michael (AFP/File)

According to police, Mostafa voluntarily admitted to the hijacking that ended peacefully with his arrest and the release of the 55 passengers after a six-hour standoff.

In a Nicosia court on Monday, his lawyer Robertos Vrahimi argued that under the bilateral agreement those accused cannot be extradited for political crimes.

"The crew on the plane was told that the action was against the injustices the people in Egypt suffer, and thus the act was targeting the government of Egypt," said Vrahimi.

Both the pilot and co-pilot had given statements as part of the extradition that indicated the Airbus A320 had been hijacked in a politically motivated act against Egypt's government, he said.

Mostafa is fighting his extradition on the grounds he will not receive a fair trial in Egypt, arguing he could be tortured or face the death penalty if sent back.

His request for asylum has been refused as Cypriot authorities deem him a "perpetrator of serious crimes".

The Cypriot justice ministry says Egypt has given assurances of a fair trial and that the extradition request has nothing to do with politics.

But Vrahimi argued that the pledge could not be taken at face value.

He said the suppression of human rights in Egypt was a "well-known fact" which had been highlighted by Amnesty International.

Mostafa, described by authorities as psychologically unstable, is expected to give evidence at a later stage.
Muslims mark start of Ramadan, many under cloud of war

More than a billion Muslims observed the start of Ramadan on Monday but in the besieged cities of Syria and Iraq residents struggled to mark the holy month.

Islamic authorities announced the start of the fasting month with the sighting of the crescent moon in countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Marking the divine revelation received by Prophet Mohammed, the month sees Muslim faithful abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk.

Indonesian Muslims hold prayers to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al Akbar mosque in Surabaya on June 5, 2016 Juni Kriswanto (AFP)

They break the fast with a meal known as iftar and before dawn have a second opportunity to eat and drink during suhur. The month is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.

But for many in Syria who have been accustomed to hardship after five years of war, this year's Ramadan was expected to be especially difficult, particularly in besieged cities and towns.

In Madaya, where some 40,000 people have been living under government siege for months, resident Mumina, 32, and her husband planned to break the fast using UN food handouts.

The package contain pulses and tuna cans but "there's no pasta, no meat, no dairy. We tried to plant some vegetables but the land isn't good for planting now," she said.

"There's barely any food in the markets and whatever we find is so expensive that we can't buy it," she said, planning a simple meal of beans for Monday night.

Shadi Matar, an activist from Daraya, also complained that residents would only feed on greens for iftar.

"We definitely have a lot of choices," he said trying to put a brave face on things.

"There's parsley, radishes, coriander, arugula, spinach, and sometimes we can find zucchini," he said. "But there are other people who don't even have these options."

An estimated 8,000 people live in Daraya which received on June 1 its first aid delivery since a regime siege began in 2012, but British charity Save the Children said it excluded desperately needed food.

- Queuing for tomatoes -

In the Iraqi city of Fallujah, father-of-six Abu Mohammed al-Dulaimi also worried about how to provide food for his family during Ramadan.

Iraqi forces have tightened a siege around Fallujah as they press a major advance to retake the city from the Islamic State jihadist group.

An estimated 50,000 people are believed trapped inside, some being used as human shields by IS, and the families left behind are often those who could not afford to leave.

"You have to get up at 5:00 in the morning and stand in line forever to pay 5,000 dinars ($4.50) for a kilo of tomatoes," said Dulaimi, contacted by AFP inside Fallujah.

"I can't even go there myself, I have to send someone, because you need to have a long beard and a short dishdasha," he said, describing the attire of jihadists.

In conflict-hit Libya, residents spoke of a somber mood and complained of the high cost of food.

"There are power cuts and cash shortages," said bank employee Karima Mounir.

In some parts of the world, Muslims were prepared to mark Ramadan with extravagance, including in the wealthy Gulf monarchies.

Dubai's sail-shaped landmark Burj al-Arab hotel said it would offer "an array of delectable traditional delicacies" at iftar for 400 Emirati dirhams ($110) per person.

- 'Bridges between communities' -

In Indonesia, faithful spent the days leading up to Ramadan taking part in rituals, including visits to relatives' tombs and swims in springs infused with flowers.

The hardline Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) group meanwhile threatened to raid Indonesian nightspots that flout restrictions during Ramadan.

"Please respect the holiness of Ramadan," Ja'far Shodiq, the group's deputy chairman, told AFP. "The FPI is not against fun -- but sometimes fun can verge on immoral."

In China, the start of Ramadan was marked with the customary ban on civil servants, students and children in the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region taking part in the daytime fast.

Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and a month during which the faithful must devote themselves to piety and charity as well as compassion and generosity.

London's newly-elected Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan underlined this in an article published on the Guardian's website saying Ramadan "provides an opportunity to break bread and build bridges between communities".

US President Barack Obama also celebrated the start of Ramadan in a message paying tribute to Muslims in America and around the world.

But he also took a swipe at presidential candidate Donald Trump without naming him, saying: "We will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees into our nation, including those who are Muslim."

Trump has drawn controversy by calling for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States following a deadly shooting attack in San Bernardino, California in December.

Shiites in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and elsewhere will begin observing Ramadan on Tuesday.

Ramadan AFP (AFP)

A Palestinian wearing a duck mask carries a girl during a street celebration ahead of the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Gaza City on June 5, 2016 Said Khatib (AFP)

Islamic authorities across much of the world -- from the most populous Muslim-majority country Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, home to the faith's holiest sites -- announced the start of the fasting month with the sighting of the crescent moon Adek Berry (AFP)

An Iraqi woman does some shopping at Shorja market in central Baghdad on June 5, 2016 Sabah Arar (AFP)
US top court rejects Ecuador challenge to $96 mn Chevron award

The US Supreme Court has rejected Ecuador's appeal against a $96 million award it has been ordered to pay Chevron in a dispute over the development of oil fields in exchange for cheap domestic crude.

The eight justices sitting on the short-handed bench let stand a lower court ruling denying the South American country's challenge to a 2011 award by an international arbitration panel based in The Hague.

At issue were seven breach-of-contract cases that Texaco Petroleum -- which Chevron bought in 2001 -- filed against Ecuador in the early 1990s, saying the country had "overstated its domestic oil-consumption needs, and appropriated more crude oil than it was entitled to acquire at the reduced price," a court petition read.

An an international arbitration panel based in The Hague in 2011 ordered Ecuador to pay Chevron US$96 million in a dispute over the development of oil fields in exchange for cheap domestic crude Justin Sullivan (Getty/AFP/File)

Chevron claimed that Ecuador had violated the 1993 US-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty, which entered into force in 1997, because it was allowing the case to languish in courts too long.

Chevron welcomed the Supreme Court's move at a time the California-based company faces losses and a decline in its credit rating due to the continued drop in oil prices.

The oil firm is "pleased" that the high court rejected the appeal, and that "Ecuador will be held accountable," spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said, noting that the country actually owes Chevron $106 million after interest.

In Washington's decision in favor of Chevron, the US Court of Appeals had upheld a previous ruling from a federal district judge and validated the findings of the three-member arbitration tribunal in The Hague.

- Battle over? -

The high court's decision should end a battle that has lasted more than two decades.

Still, Ecuador said it would not make the payment, pointing to an order by a judge in the country freezing Chevron's assets during separate litigation over environmental damage in the Amazon.

"This fact makes it impossible for Ecuador to make any payment in the case," the Ecuadoran Embassy in Washington said in a statement.

In the environmental damage case -- brought by the indigenous people of Ecuador's Lago Agrio region to win compensation for the mass dumping of oilfield waste between the 1970s and 1990s -- an Ecuadoran court ordered Chevron to pay $9.5 billion in damages.

The environmental destruction was allegedly carried out by Texaco, which Chevron bought in 2001.

However, a US court found that the plaintiffs' legal team conspired to win the case by "egregious fraud," including bribing a judge, writing the court's verdict themselves and secretly paying the authors of an ostensibly independent report.
EU seeks UN backing to enforce Libya arms embargo

The European Union on Monday urged the UN Security Council to authorize its naval force in the Mediterranean to enforce the arms embargo on Libya as Russia raised concerns about the move.

The 15-member council began considering a proposed resolution that would allow Operation Sophia to intercept vessels suspected of transporting weapons to Libya.

The draft resolution prepared by France and Britain would build on a previous measure that gave the EU naval force UN backing for its mission to combat migrant-smuggling.

Libya is awash with weapons with 20 million pieces of weaponry in a land of six million people, said UN envoy Martin Kobler Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File)

"We ask this council to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia to enforce the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told the council.

Mogherini expressed hope that council members would "once again do the right thing and make the Mediterranean a safer place, starting for our Libyan friends."

Operation Sophia's enforcement of the arms embargo would help shore up the UN-backed national unity government by cutting off the flow of weapons to the various militias.

Established in Tripoli more than two months ago, Libya's unity government has been trying to unify violence-ridden Libya and exert its control over the entire North African country.

Libya is awash with weapons with 20 million pieces of weaponry in a land of six million people, said UN envoy Martin Kobler.

"These weapons do not fall from the sky, but come in increasingly through illegal shipments by sea and by land," Kobler told the council.

"These shipments must end if there is to be any serious hope of bringing peace to Libya."

- Russian concerns -

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow is not opposed to expanding the mandate of the EU naval operation to include halting arms-trafficking, but he expressed concerned about the response from various Libyan sides.

"Our concerns is that everything must be done in a way that does not create any suspicion against any party," said Churkin.

The draft resolution obtained by AFP invokes Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which allows for the use of military force.

It would grant a 12-month mandate to allow EU vessels to "inspect, without undue delay, on the high seas off the coast of Libya, vessels bound to, or from Libya which they have reasonable grounds to believe are carrying arms or related material to or from Libya."

An arms embargo imposed on Libya in 2011 during the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi remains in force.

International powers have said they would be willing to consider an exemption to the embargo to allow the new government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to purchase weapons.

Security Council diplomats however are worried that the weapons shipments could fall into the wrong hands.

The draft resolution calls on the Sarraj government to report to the council about the structure of the security forces and militias under its control and the storage facilities to keep track of the weapons.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said he expected a vote on the draft resolution "in the next week or two."

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Dominick Reuter (AFP/File)
New Niger delta militant group warns of widespread attacks

A new rebel group on Monday vowed to attack strategic targets across Nigeria, despite calls for a united front but no "life-threatening actions" from other militants who have claimed recent strikes on oil facilities.

The group, calling itself the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), said it would hit "all those infrastructures that were built with our oil and gas monies in this country".

The list of targets included the presidential villa, government ministries, parliament, the state-run oil firm and the central bank in Abuja, plus the offices of oil majors and the military.

Most of the recent attacks on oil facilities in the oil-rich south have been claimed by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), who want a fairer share of revenue from the sector for local people Stefan Heunis (AFP/File)

"We will make (the) federal government and oil companies suffer as they have made the people of the Niger Delta region suffer over the years from environmental degradation and environmental pollution," the JNDLF's "Joint Revolutionary Council" said.

Most of the recent attacks on oil facilities in the oil-rich south have been claimed by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), who want a fairer share of revenue from the sector for local people.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered enhanced security in the delta as NDA sabotage of pipelines and attacks on installations have reduced crude production to 1.4 million barrels per day.

But his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, who hails from the epicentre of the unrest, Bayelsa state, said a heavy-handed response was not the answer to the region's woes.

"Yes, government can always overrun restive movements and so on but the Niger delta is too delicate," he told Bloomberg in an interview in London.

"The level of damage will be too much for the government to bear. We used dialogue," he said, referring to the 2009 amnesty that brought an end to similar attacks when he was vice-president.

- 'War on oil installations' -

Last week the NDA denied involvement in an attack on a boat belonging to the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in which four soldiers and two personnel were killed.

On Saturday, the group appeared to confirm the emergence of other militants with similar agendas in a statement on its website, "calling on all groups in the region to be strong and resolute".

The new JNDLF, which said it would carry out its threat with "missiles", has vowed to fight troops sent to the delta to bolster the protection of key infrastructure.

But the NDA countered: "We must desist from any life-threatening actions that will derail our genuine struggle for our people.

"All groups are hereby discouraged from indulging in harassing oil workers and soldiers... those groups with anti-aircraft missiles should dry their gunpowder."

It added: "The war is on oil installations."

- 'Like a McDonald's franchise' -

The emergence of militant outfits recalls the situation in the 2000s, when groups with broadly similar aims came together under the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) banner.

The rebels were bought off in the government-brokered amnesty deal but Buhari's initial announcement to wind down the programme by 2018 is said to have contributed to the re-emergence of militancy.

NDA rebels are also thought to be sympathetic to the prominent former MEND leader Government "Tompolo" Ekpemupolo, who is wanted on multi-million dollar corruption charges.

The group, however, has added self-determination for the region to its aims and allied itself with ethnic Igbo campaigners in the southeast wanting an independent Biafran homeland.

Judith Asuni, head of the Academic Associates PeaceWorks conflict management group in Warri, Delta state, said they were trying to get government and local leaders together to resolve the issues.

But whereas the militant groups of the past were primarily composed of the Ijaw ethnic group, today "there seem to be branches opening up of other ethnic groups that were not included in the amnesty programme of 2009", she told AFP.
Comes as pictures showed two rail 'flatcars' near the reactor's laboratory

imagery has shown the movement of vehicles and steam

North Korea may have reactivated its plutonium plant for use in nuclear weapons, according to a UN atomic watchdog.

Indications that the main Yongbyon complex has been restarted include satellite imagery showing the 'movement of vehicles, steam, discharge of warm waters or transport of material'.

It comes as recent satellite pictures showed two rail 'flatcars' - loaded with tanks or casks - near the plant's radiochemical laboratory.

North Korea may have reactivated its plutonium plant, the main Yongbyon complex (pictured), for use in nuclear weapons, according to a UN atomic watchdog

Yukiya Amano, head of nternational Atomic Energy Agency, said: 'The indications that we have obtained are of activities related to the five-megawatt reactor, expansion of enrichment facilities and activities related to plutonium reprocessing.

'However, as we do not have inspectors on the ground we are only observing through satellite imagery.

'We cannot say for sure. But we have indications of certain activities through the satellite imagery,' Mr Amano told a regular news conference in Vienna on Monday.

The type of plutonium suitable for a nuclear bomb typically needs to be extracted from spent nuclear reactor fuel.

North Korea mothballed the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after its third nuclear test in 2013. It carried test out a fourth on January 6.

The director of US National Intelligence, James Clapper, warned in February that the North could begin recovering plutonium from the reactor's spent fuel 'within a matter of weeks to months'.

Mr Amano's comments tally with those of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University last week.

Indications that the main Yongbyon complex (pictured aerial view) has been restarted include satellite imagery showing the 'movement of vehicles, steam, discharge of warm waters or transport of material'

They reported two rail 'flatcars' were spotted near the Yongbyon complex's radiochemical laboratory.

Similar flatcars were seen during reprocessing campaigns in the early 2000s and the casks could be used to supply chemicals for reprocessing, the institute said.

At the same time, exhaust plumes were seen coming from the lab's thermal plant and coal pens adjoining the plant appeared filled to capacity, it said.

In addition, a lack of activity and steam generation at the main reactor suggest it is either not operating or doing so at an extremely low level, the analysts said.

The reactor needs to be shut down in order to discharge the spent fuel for reprocessing.
New York kicks off transgender bathroom campaign

New York kicked off a campaign Monday to promote transgender people's rights to use bathrooms that match their gender identity, a heated topic in the United States.

The campaign follows Mayor Bill de Blasio's executive order in March mandating city facilities allow people to choose restrooms based on the gender they identify with.

Concretely, this means that a transgender person born male but who identifies as a woman may use the women's bathroom, and vice versa.

The New York City campaign follows Mayor Bill de Blasio's executive order in March mandating city facilities allow people to choose restrooms based on the gender they identify with Sara D. Davis (Getty/AFP/File)

"Use the restroom consistent with who you are. Look past pink and blue," read campaign advertisements posted in the city's subways, bus stops, phone booths and published in free newspapers.

Featuring transgender New Yorkers, the campaign also includes videos that will air on social media, as well as the municipal television channel NYC TV.

"No one deserves to be denied access to bathrooms or discriminated against for being who they are," de Blasio said in a statement.

"Every New Yorker has the legal right to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity, no questions asked -- and these powerful ads affirm this right."

Restrooms and gender identity have recently prompted fierce debate in the United States.

In late March, North Carolina's governor signed a controversial bill blocking cities from permitting transgender individuals to choose which public bathroom to use.

A string of high-profile entertainers and big companies joined activists in denouncing the measure, pulling the plug on events and investments in the state.

The law has also led to a showdown between the governor and the US federal government, with both sides filing dueling lawsuits.
New Catholic custodian of Holy Land sites sworn in

The Roman Catholic church on Monday swore in a new guardian of its sites in the Holy Land for the first time in over a decade.

Italian Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, 52, replaces Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa in the post known as Custos of the Holy Land.

The Custos is responsible for caring and maintaining Christian presence in much of the Middle East, as well as coordinating and organising the thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Jerusalem every year.

The newly elected Custodian of the Holy Land, Francesco Patton is greeted by Catholic nuns after his official entry ceremony on June 6, 2016 at the Franciscan Church of Saint Savior Monastery in Jerusalem's Old City Gali Tibbon (AFP)

He was sworn in on Monday afternoon in a ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City  which includes the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Patton walked with over 100 robed priests, monks and nuns, as well as a few hundred Christian well-wishers, from the Jaffa Gate entrance of the Old City to Saint Saviour Church.

Angelo Isan, who works with the Vatican's embassy in Tel Aviv, said it was a "very important day for each one of us."

Alexandra, an elderly Christian Palestinian who joined in the procession, said she was happy to share such a happy day in the context of troubles for Christians across the region.

She said members of her family in the Syrian city of Aleppo had been forced into exile during the country's war and she was concerned about the Islamic State group threatening Christians across the region.

"I am celebrating this happy day and God willing peace will come. If God wills it, Daesh wont come to Jerusalem," she said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Patton was born in Italy and speaks English, Spanish and his native Italian. He has held a number of senior church administrative positions, the Custody's website said.

The Custody is made up of 285 members of the Franciscan order from 39 countries.

Its territory covers Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, the Greek island of Rhodes and the monastery of Mosky, in Cairo.
Niger vows to avenge deadly raid by Boko Haram

Niger vowed to avenge the deaths of 24 of its soldiers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the jihadist group's deadliest attacks in the country.

"We must continue to fight, this insult must be expunged, there is nothing to be done, it must be avenged," Defence Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said Sunday.

The minister was speaking to troops at a garrison at Bosso, near the Nigerian border where the deadly attack took place on Friday, according to a broadcast on state television on Monday.

Nigerien soldiers patrol in Bosso, near the Nigerian border, on May 25, 2015 Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

It said the minister visited military positions in Bosso accompanied by army chiefs and Nigerian General Lamidi Adeosun, head of the multinational force that groups soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to fight Boko Haram.

The minister also toured the town to view to scale of the damage caused by the Islamic insurgents, the television said.

It showed images of a burnt-out military transport vehicle and a town seemingly devoid of its 20,000 residents and Nigerian refugees.

"It's terrible, all of Niger is crying," said Massoudou, adding that he felt "deeply wounded" after visiting the site of the bloodshed.

The attack "will unfortunately be engraved on the history of our people."

He urged the troops to keep their "morale high" as "we will win this war."

Twenty six Nigerien and two Nigerian soldiers were killed in the attack by hundreds of Boko Haram assailants on a military post in Bosso, the government said in a statement Monday.

The defence ministry earlier said that a total of 32 soldiers had been killed.

Some 67 soldiers were injured, according to the updated statement, while 55 Boko Haram fighters were killed and "many" injured.

- Insurgents 'do what they like' -

"On the enemy's side, several dead and injured were taken away," the ministry said.

Local resident and former MP Elhaj Aboubacar said: "They drove up at twilight, shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), they fired a lot of shots and torched many places in Bosso."

"We don't know where our military went, but one thing is for sure, Boko Haram were able to do what they liked until dawn," Aboubacar said.

It was one of the deadliest attacks by Boko Haram in Niger since the Islamist group began launching raids in the country in February 2015 from its stronghold in neighbouring Nigeria.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has devastated infrastructure in Nigeria's impoverished northeast and forced around 2.1 million people in Nigeria to flee their homes, according to the UN's refugee agency.

The unrest has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and made more than 2.6 million homeless.

Since Friday's attacks, thousands of residents have fled Bosso to "more secure areas", a UN source said.

Water, food, shelter and medical aid remain "the most urgent needs", the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Niamey.

It said humanitarian aid missions to Bosso were suspended for security reasons.

The attack comes as the multinational force prepares to launch a "decisive" offensive against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
Russia to 'actively' back Syria army around Aleppo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to "actively support" Syrian troops from the air around Aleppo Monday, after a weekend of fierce fighting left dozens dead in the divided city.

Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia has waited long enough for Syria's moderate opposition to leave areas controlled by jihadist groups, and that air raids by Russia should "not be a surprise".

"What is happening in Aleppo and around it now, we warned the Americans about this in advance, and they know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory," he told a press conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, pictured on May 26, 2016, vowed to "actively support" Syrian troops from the air around Aleppo Kirill Kudryavtsev (AFP/File)

Washington "is asking us and Syrian leadership to delay air strikes" until opposition forces are separated from jihadists of the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, he said.

"We believe there has been more than enough time" for that, he said.

"Everyone who has not left the terrorists now only have themselves to blame."

"We will be deciding on how our air force should act based on our understanding of the situation," he said.

"We share this understanding with the Americans during video-conferences... There won't be any surprises for the Americans."

In Washington, a State Department spokeswoman insisted US officials are in talks with groups on the ground to encourage moderate elements to separate themselves from Al-Nusra.

"We would reiterate that Russia and the Assad regime need to distinguish between the terrorists and parties to the cessation of hostilities," Elizabeth Trudeau warned.

At the weekend, the Russian defence ministry unusually dispatched several statements marked "urgent" about clashes and massing "terrorist" forces near Aleppo, even suggesting the presence of Turkish troops.

Earlier Monday, the ministry said there were over two thousand militants near the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood, among them "various terrorist groups and teams of so-called 'moderate opposition'," accusing them of killing dozens of civilians.

Aleppo is divided between government and rebel control and has seen some of the worst fighting, which has thwarted diplomatic efforts to get the sides to move towards peace.

The Britain-based Observatory of Human Rights said Sunday that regime strikes on rebel-held districts in the city killed at least 32 civilians, while rebel attacks killed eight in neighbourhoods under government control.

Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire on February 27 that dampened violence in Syria, but Aleppo remains a hotspot where fighting began to rage since mid-April compromising diplomatic efforts.

Russia has rolled back its air strikes after announcing a surprise pullout of the bulk of its forces in March, but it still maintains a contingent in Syria and flies air raids in the country.
Charlie Hebdo victims added to journalist memorial

Eight journalists killed in the 2015 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo had their names added Monday to a US memorial honoring reporters killed in the exercise of their profession.

The memorial wall at the Newseum, a Washington museum of news and journalism, added the names of 20 people killed last year, as a reminder of the threats faced by journalists in many parts of the world.

Also honored were two US television journalists shot to death on live TV and reporters, bloggers and camera operators killed in Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan, Somalia, Turkey and Syria.

The images of French sartirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" journalists who were killed in a terrorist attack are seen during the re-dedication of the Newseum Journalists Memorial on June 6, 2016 at the Newseum in Washington, DC Mandel Ngan (AFP)

The ceremony came in the wake of the weekend death of American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator covering the conflict in Afghanistan, the latest somber reminder of the risks run by journalists.

Newseum president and chief executive Jeffrey Herbst told a ceremony that these 20 were just a fraction of the reporters who lost their lives in 2015.

According to the press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a total of 110 journalists were killed around the world last year.

With the annual rededication, Herbst said, "we seek to remind our society and societies across the world of the sacrifice and also... what has to be done to promote an informed society."

"Governments, rebel groups, insurgents now all recognize that control of information is important and thus they kill and intimidate journalists and bloggers in hope of furthering their cause," he told the ceremony.

Herbst said that 2015 "was an especially tragic year for journalists, and that is why we selected 20, a much higher number than usual, to represent all of those killed."

- 'Deeply rooted' values -

France's US ambassador Gerard Araud told the audience that the attack on Charlie Hebdo by Islamist gunmen in January 2015 "showed us why we so ardently defend the right to speak and to draw without censorship."

Araud added that "defending a free and independent press is deeply rooted in our respective cultures and protected by our founding texts" and that the fight for a free press is inextricably tied to broader security issues.

"Defending the press means today fighting Daesh," he said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

"To thwart attacks on journalists and others means participating in the coalition against terrorism, to thwart those who work to undermine our values," Araud said.

Those honored at the ceremony Monday included Charlie Hebdo's Stephane Charbonnier, Georges Wolinski, Jean Cabut, Elsa Cayat, Philippe Honore, Bernard Maris, Mustapha Ourrad and Bernard Verlhac.

Also included were TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, killed by a disgruntled former reporter while conducting a live interview in Virginia.

Others whose names were added were:

- Ibrahim Abd al-Qader and Fares Hamadi, two Syrian online journalists killed in Turkey after being lured to an interview with a purported Islamic State defector.

- Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American blogger, killed with his wife by machete-wielding attackers in Dhaka.

- Gleydson Carvalho of Brazil's Radio Liberdade, killed by gunmen at his radio station.

- Soleil Balanga, a radio journalist slain in a knife attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

- Yahya Abdul Hamid, an Iraqi radio reporter kidnapped and killed after the Islamic State group overtook Mosul.

- Mexican photojournalist Ruben Espinosa Becerril, found dead after covering a crackdown on student protesters.

- Zaman Mehsud, a Pakistani journalist covering the conflict-torn Waziristan region, shot by gunmen on a motorcycle.

- Somali journalist Hindia Haji Mohamed, killed in a car bomb three years after taking over for her husband who died in a suicide bombing.

- Kenji Goto, a Japanese video journalist and writer executed by IS in Syria, where he traveled in an attempt to rescue a friend kidnapped by the organization.

Accolades poured in June 6 for veteran American reporter David Gilkey (R) and Afghan reporter Zabihullah Tamanna (L) who were killed in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle came under Taliban fire Monika Evstatieva (NPR/AFP)
Kenya faces legal action over refugee camp closure

The Kenyan government's plan to close the world's largest refugee camp violates international law and is unconstitutional, a Kenyan rights watchdog said Monday, asking a court to intervene.

Nairobi vowed last month to shut down the sprawling Dadaab camp on the Kenya-Somalia border, home to some 350,000 people, on national security grounds.

The vast majority of the camp's residents are refugees who have fled the more than two-decade long conflict in Somalia.

Nairobi vowed last month to shut down the sprawling Dadaab camp on the Kenya-Somalia border, home to some 350,000 people, on national security grounds Tony Karumba (AFP/File)

The government plans to return the refugees to their homeland or third countries by November, in a move that has been widely condemned by humanitarian organisations.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), calling for an "extremely urgent" court hearing, said the closure would endanger refugees "if they are forcibly returned without proper assessment of the security concerns".

Sending refugees home against their will would violate Kenya's constitution as well as the UN's Refugee Convention and the Organisation of Africa Unity Convention on refugees, the group said, calling the plan "arbitrary" and "discriminatory".

The state-funded KNCHR urged the government to suspend the decision to repatriate Somali refugees and to reverse a decision to disband Kenya's Department of Refugee Affairs.

It said disbanding the department would leave refugees with no administrative authority to examine their demands for refugee status.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Nkaissery said last week that the decision to close the camp was final.

Nairobi justified the plan by accusing Shabaab Islamist extremists of planning the 2013 Westgate shopping centre attack and the 2015 Garissa University assault from Dadaab, though it has not provided any proof.

Nairobi has also bemoaned the high cost of maintaining Dadaab, but the international community covers most of the costs through the UN refugee agency.

Critics have cast doubt on the feasibility, as well as the legality, of closing the site and sending the Somalis home amid fears it would spark a humanitarian crisis.
No charges for toddler's mom in US gorilla storm

The parents of a toddler who fell into a gorilla enclosure at a US zoo -- leading the animal to be shot -- will not face charges, a prosecutor said Monday, closing the probe into an incident that transfixed the nation.

The boy's family faced a deluge of public criticism after keepers were forced to kill the rare 400-pound (180 kilogram) animal to protect the three-year-old during the incident at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.

The mother -- who was watching three children in addition to the toddler -- did not act "in any way where she presented this child to some harm," Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph Deters told a news conference.

Workers at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio shot and killed a gorilla named Harambe on May 28, 2016 after a three-year-old boy fell into its enclosure

She was "attentive by all witness accounts, and the three-year-old just scampered off," he added.

An accompanying statement from Deters' office said the mother turned away for a few seconds to attend to another of her children, and it was at this point that the boy was able to climb into the enclosure.

"Any parent who is honest with himself or herself would have to understand how this could happen to even the most attentive parent," Deters said in the statement.

He went on to defend the mother: "Had she been, for instance, in the bathroom smoking crack and let her kids run around in the zoo, that would be a different story."

- Witch-hunt -

The Cincinnati Police Department launched their investigation into the incident last Tuesday to decide whether pressing criminal charges against the boy's parents would be necessary.

The boy fell 15 feet (4.5 meters) into the gorilla exhibit on May 28 after crawling through a barrier. Smartphone video images went viral worldwide, showing the massive primate dragging the child through a knee-deep moat as witnesses screamed.

Hundreds of thousands of people rushed to sign online petitions condemning the child's mother for indirectly causing the death of the rare silverback gorilla -- with a virulence that some denounced as a "witch-hunt."

The prosecutor encouraged those quick to judge the family to reconsider.

"The zoo lost a beautiful animal, and one that many people in this area have enjoyed watching for a long time. But it's still an animal. It does not equate human life," Deters said.

In a statement the family welcomed the prosecutor's decision, saying it was "what we expected" and extended thanks "to all of those who have been praying for us."

"This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life," said the family, who last week urged well-wishers to make donations to the zoo.

Zoo officials opted to shoot the endangered animal -- a 17-year-old silverback named Harambe -- rather than tranquilize it, a decision that's also garnered criticism.

But zookeepers said they worried that hitting the gorilla with darts could agitate him before the sedative released, further endangering the child.

According to the prosecutor the boy emerged from the enclosure "unscathed" despite rough handling by the gorilla.
Burkina orders corruption-accused ex-PM to return from Canada

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has ordered former prime minister Isaac Zida to return to the country where he is accused of corruption.

Kabore warned Zida -- a former military officer who took power after president Blaise Compaore was ousted by a popular uprising in October 2014 -- that he may consider his absence from the country as "desertion."

After leaving government last year, Zida went to Canada to be with his family who moved there when he was still in office.

After leaving government in 2015, Isaac Zida went to Canada to be with his family Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

An official report from the country's anti-corruption authority accuses him of misappropriation of public funds and illegal enrichment.

"We have given a leave of absence to prime minister Zida which expired on February 19," Kabore told reporters on his return late Sunday from a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"I have always said... that it is extremely essential and mandatory that he (Zida) return because when you take on responsibilities at a certain level, you have a duty to report, a duty to explain."

He did not however set a deadline for Zida's return.

Zida, a former number two in the presidential guard, took power on November 1, 2014. following Compaore's ouster.

But following pressure from political parties and the international community he ceded power later that month to retired diplomat Michel Kafando, who was named transitional president.

Kafando in turn named Zida as his prime minister.

The transitional regime was replaced by Kabore's government which was elected in November last year.
UN removes Saudi-led coalition from child rights blacklist

The United Nations has removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a blacklist of child rights violators after Riyadh angrily protested the decision.

Saudi Arabia had demanded that a UN report be "corrected" after it concluded that the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of the 785 children killed in Yemen last year.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to a Saudi proposal to review the facts and cases cited in the report jointly with the coalition, his spokesman Stephan Dujarric said.

Yemeni children stand outside a tent at a makeshift camp for Internally Displaced Persons after they were forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing fighting in the country, in the Nehm region, west of Marib city, on May 8, 2016 Abdullah Al-Qadry (AFP/File)

"Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the secretary-general removes the listing of the coalition in the report's annex," he added.

Saudi Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi told reporters that the coalition felt "vindicated," declaring that the removal of the coalition from the list was "final and unconditional."

The ambassador had earlier said he was "deeply disappointed" by the report, describing the number of child deaths blamed on the coalition as "wildly exaggerated."

Mouallimi met with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson at UN headquarters to discuss the listing.

The coalition launched an air campaign in support of Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour in March 2015 to push back Huthi rebels after they seized the capital Sanaa and many parts of the country.

The war has left some 6,400 people dead, with more than 80 percent of the population in desperate need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

The report was released Thursday as the United Nations sought progress in talks held in Kuwait to try to end the war.

Mouallimi had warned that adding the coalition to the UN blacklist would be "counterproductive for the purposes of the peace negotiations on Yemen."

The ambassador acknowledged that "there were some collateral damages from time to time" but that the coalition had played a "positive role" in restoring Yemen's legitimate government and providing humanitarian aid.

Dujarric earlier defended the report, saying some adjustments would be made even though the list would remain intact.

But just a few hours later, the spokesman issued a statement announcing that the coalition would be removed from the list pending the review.

Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the heavy civilian toll from the Saudi-led campaign.

Human Rights Watch charged that Ban had capitulated to Saudi pressure, noting that the United Nations itself had extensively documented the coalition's airstrikes on schools and hospitals in Yemen.

"As this list gives way to political manipulation, it loses its credibility and taints the secretary-general's legacy on human rights," Human Rights Watch deputy director Philippe Bolopion said.
LA jurors recommend execution for 'Grim Sleeper' killer

Jurors on Monday recommended the death penalty for a Los Angeles garbage collector convicted of the "Grim Sleeper" killings that terrorized southern Los Angeles for more than two decades.

Lonnie David Franklin had been convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for the killings of nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007.

The same jury at Los Angeles Superior Court deliberated for five hours over two days before recommending the death penalty, with sentencing set for August 10.

After a day and a half of deliberations in Los Angeles, jurors on May 5, 2016, found Lonnie Franklin Jr., (C), guilty of 10 counts of murder in the killings of nine women and a 15-year-old girl Barbara Davidson (POOL/AFP/File)

"He's a prolific serial killer and he's evil," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman had told the court, adding that there was a "long line of victims behind him."

The prosecution presented evidence that it said linked him to the killings of a further four other women between 1984 and 2005, although authorities suspect Franklin is behind dozens more murders.

"You can either give mercy to him -- the serial killer -- or you can impose justice. Death is the only just punishment for this defendant... (for) the 14 lives he stole," the prosecutor said.

The court heard Franklin had committed crimes dating back to the 1974 kidnapping and gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Germany while he was in the US military.

The 63-year-old was a "sexual predator" and "career criminal" whom DNA evidence showed had acted alone, Silverman said.

Franklin stalked the streets of South Los Angeles at a time when an epidemic of crack cocaine plagued the neighborhood, the authorities say.

Several of his victims were prostitutes and drug addicts whom he shot or strangled, dumping their bodies in alleyways or trash bins. He raped some before killing them.

Prosecutors said Franklin took advantage of some of his victims' addiction to crack to lure them to his backyard camper with money and drugs before killing them.

Investigators searching his home found nearly 200 pictures and videos of women, many of whom have not been identified.

Defense attorney Dale Atherton had urged the seven-woman, five-man panel to recommend life without parole, arguing that a death sentence would delay the healing process for the victims' families.

Franklin was given the moniker "Grim Sleeper" because of a 13-year gap in the murders.

Although Franklin was arrested in July 2010 after his DNA was connected to some of the victims, appeals and judicial wrangling repeatedly delayed efforts to bring him to trial.

The killing spree was the subject of a 2014 HBO documentary by British filmmaker Nick Broomfield, who claims the Los Angeles police failed to properly investigate the murders because the victims were mainly drug addicts and prostitutes.

It has been a decade since the last execution in California. Clarence Ray Allen was given a lethal injection on January 17, 2006 after being convicted of paying a fellow inmate to commit three murders.
As California prepares to vote, Clinton on cusp of history

Californians geared up Monday for their state's high-profile primary, the last major vote in a process all-but-certain to culminate with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump facing off in the US presidential election.

Clinton was mounting a hectic 48-hour campaign push before Tuesday's primary, hoping to finish strong and end any argument for her nomination rival Bernie Sanders to remain in the race, as he has pledged to do until the Democratic national convention in July.

"It's not over until it's over, and tomorrow is a really important day particularly right here in California," the former secretary of state told reporters at a community center in Compton, near Los Angeles.

Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters on a last day of Caifornia campaigning on June 6, 2016 in Lynwood, California, where she spoke to supporters at Plaza Mexico Frederic J. Brown (AFP)

An hour later, standing out in the bright southern California sunshine, she told a few hundred supporters at a bilingual rally in the heavily Hispanic town of Lynwood that she would be "deeply honored and humbled for it to be Hillary day" on Tuesday.

"But that all depends on all of you," she said as she encouraged her supporters to help get out the vote.

Polls show a very tight race in California. But regardless of the outcome here Clinton appears assured of winning the number of delegates necessary to clinch her party's nomination.

Trump did so last month on the Republican side, becoming his party's presumptive nominee.

- Unprecedented matchup -

Six states hold Democratic primaries Tuesday including New Jersey, where polls close earliest and which will likely push Clinton over the threshold.

The victory -- to be made official at the nominating convention in July -- would make Clinton the first female nominee of a major US political party, and set the stage for an unprecedented matchup with real estate tycoon Trump, a political neophyte who turned American campaigning on its ear during an extraordinary primary season.

Clinton sought to downplay the historic nature of her accomplishment, saying she wanted to "stay focused" on Tuesday's contests.

"I was delighted to win Puerto Rico, delighted to win Virgin Islands," she said of her weekend victories in two US territories that pushed her to the brink of the nomination.

"We are moving forward every day and by tomorrow night I'll have more to say about it."

Clinton is scheduled to hold a primary event Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York.

Her surrogates were eager to highlight history in the making, after the former first lady came up short in her 2008 challenge against Barack Obama.

"Let's make sure those 18 million cracks that this woman put in the glass ceiling eight years ago shatter once and for all," actor Tony Goldwyn said in Lynwood.

- 'Have to be unified' -

Sanders still stands in Clinton's way -- at least regarding party unity -- by repeatedly stating he will take his fight to the convention in Philadelphia, regardless of Tuesday's outcome.

Clinton vowed Monday to "do everything I can to unify the Democratic Party," saying she would be reaching out to Sanders.

"And I hope he'll join me in that. We have to be unified going into and out of the convention to take on Donald Trump and to repudiate the kind of campaign he's running."

Clinton offered her familiar support for expanding renewable energy, enshrining equal pay for equal work, improving gun safety and ensuring greater rights for immigrants, including a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented.

Trump, she said, was opposed to all of the above.

"So when I hear Donald Trump attacking people based on their immigrant status, their religion, their disabilities, their gender, whatever the reason he attacks people, I am so upset because that is not who we are as Americans," said Clinton.

"We need to stop this divisiveness, this bullying and bigotry."

Clinton has sharpened her attacks on Trump, using a foreign policy speech last week to declare him "temperamentally unfit" to lead the world's most powerful nation.

Trump blasted back Sunday.

"Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president. She has bad judgement, poor leadership skills and a very bad and destructive track record. Change!" he posted on Twitter.

US vote: primaries Gillian Handyside (AFP)

Supporters listen as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign rally at Sacramento City College on June 5, 2016 in Sacramento, California Gabrielle Lurie (AFP/File)
NPR journalist David Gilkey, translator killed on assignment

WASHINGTON (AP)  David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack that killed Gilkey and Tamanna "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

This undated photo provided by NPR shows Zabihullah Tamanna, left, and David Gilkey. Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Tamanna, an Afghan translator, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, June 5, 2016, a network spokeswoman said. (Monika Evstatieva/NPR via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, taking pictures for China's Xinhua news agency and writing for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president, to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

___

Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper in Beijing contributed to this report.

___

Online:

David Gilkey's work: http://www.npr.org/people/136474931/david-gilkey
The Latest: Track failure likely cause of train derailment

SEATTLE (AP)  The Latest on the Oregon oil train derailment (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

An official with Union Pacific Railroad says some kind of track failure was likely the cause of the oil-train derailment in Oregon.

This aerial view provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology shows scattered and burned oil tank cars, Saturday, June 4, 2016, after the train derailed and burned near Mosier, Ore., Friday. Union Pacific Railroad says it had recently inspected the section of track near Mosier, about 70 miles east of Portland, and had been inspected at least six times since March 21. (Washington Department of Ecology via AP)

Raquel Espinoza says the company is focused on removing the crude oil from the damaged cars as safely and quickly as possible. She says their priority is to bring people home to Mosier, Oregon, where the train derailed.

About a hundred people  a quarter of the town's population  have been evacuated from their homes since Friday.

The mayor and fire chief said on Sunday they recognize that the derailment and fire in their town could have been a lot worse.

Fire Chief Jim Appleton says the usual amount of wind in Mosier  about 25 mph  could have turned this incident into a major disaster, destroying the town and sending flames across state lines.

___

12:30 p.m.

An oil-train derailment and fire has damaged essential city services in a small Oregon town, authorities said Sunday.

The Mosier waste water treatment plant and sewer system are not operational as a result of the derailment Friday of 16 of the 96 tank cars on a Union Pacific train. A fire in four of the cars was extinguished Saturday morning.

An area about a quarter mile around the train remained evacuated on Sunday, and officials were conducting continuous water and air monitoring. About a hundred people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home park by the train derailment and fire that sent plumes of black smoke into the sky near the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

Residents of Mosier were being asked to boil any water they used for drinking or cooking, as a precaution.

No injuries have been reported. But Oregon health officials are asking people with questions or concerns to call a hotline to talk to a health expert at 888-623-3120.

Booms have been set up in the Columbia River as seen the morning of Saturday, June 4, 2016. The booms are meant to contain any oil that may seep into the river from a Union Pacific oil train that derailed near Mosier, Ore., on Friday. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)

A damaged oil train car can be seen on the afternoon of Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the site of the oil train derailment that occurred on Friday in Moseir, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Motor-mouthed Michael Bisping is an improbable UFC champion

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  The beer in Michael Bisping's hand was neither his first nor his last of the night. He savored every sip between his soliloquies deep inside the Forum, the UFC middleweight title belt gleaming in front of him.

After 26 fights in a decade with the UFC, Bisping had just beaten Luke Rockhold in the first round. At 37 years old, the motor-mouthed English bad boy was a UFC champion.

Many men would be speechless. Not many men are Bisping.

Michael Bisping, left, fights Luke Rockhold during a UFC 199 at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday June 4, 2016. (Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News via AP) NO SALES; MAGS OUT; HILLS OUT, LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT ANTELOPE VALLEY PRESS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

"Ten years and I never got a title fight, and then I just knocked this bum out in the first round," Bisping said while Rockhold glowered a few feet away at the post-fight news conference.

"I'm just going to relish this moment. I'm going to ride the crest of this wave. I'm going to have a few drinks. I'm not going to ... walk around with this (belt) on constantly, but I do envision the mother of all hangovers coming my way pretty soon. After that, once I drink some water, take a couple of ibuprofen to get rid of the throbbing in my head, I'll take a look at the landscape and see who wants knocking out next."

No, Bisping's arrogance and boorishness didn't vanish when the belt went around his waist, as evidenced by the homophobic slur he apparently muttered  and then immediately regretted  after Rockhold refused to shake his hand.

But at the biggest moment in his career, Bisping also was reflective on the path that led to a title.

"I do believe in the universe putting it all together," Bisping said. "I worked my life toward this. I've made a lot of sacrifices. I quit work when I had a wife and two kids and we had no money. We were broke, but she supported me. I moved away to another city. I remember sleeping in my car and trying to open the door with this much snow on top of it, trying to break my way out of the car just to go train in the morning. People don't know the road I've been on."

Until this late-notice fight, Bisping had always fallen just short of getting a title shot, particularly in losses to three fighters who legally used steroids back when the UFC allowed testosterone replacement therapy. Bisping was stunningly knocked cold by Dan Henderson at UFC 100, and he lost title eliminators to Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort.

But Bisping has a firm place in the sport's history now.

His victory was the 19th of his UFC career, tying longtime welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre for the most wins in the promotion's history. His 15 middleweight victories are a record for the weight class  even more than long-reigning champ Anderson Silva, who lost to Bisping in February.

And at the biggest moment of his fighting life, Bisping was brilliant. He was helped by the enormous confidence of Rockhold, who acknowledged wading forward with no respect for Bisping's striking ability, only to get clocked with two devastating left hands.

Even Bisping's son didn't think he would beat Rockhold, as captured by the UFC's promotional cameras before the fight. Bisping took the matchup on just over two weeks' notice as an injury replacement for Chris Weidman, leaving his job as a bad guy in a new Vin Diesel film to head home to Southern California.

Bisping's charismatic personality played a role in getting the fight. His fists made him a champion at last.

"Yeah, I know I'm a loud-mouth idiot at times, and I can be a (jerk), I know I can," Bisping said. "But I'm just out here trying to look out for my family and look out my children, and give them the best life possible with the only way I know I can. This is what I do. I fight. I don't do anything better than go up and fight."

Bisping realizes many people will expect his reign to last only as long as his next fight, which could be a third bout with Rockhold or a showdown with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, the top Brazilian contender.

But after a vacation with his family in a rented villa in Thailand, Bisping will figure out his next step  and maybe even act a bit more like a champion.

"I've acted like an idiot, but I've grown and matured in front of the world, to be honest," Bisping said. "I know I've said things. I look back and I cringe at some of the things I've said in the past. I might cringe at some of the things I've said tonight. That's just how I am. I hope to learn from my mistakes and try not to make the same one twice."
US presses China on industrial glut at strategic dialogue

BEIJING (AP)  U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew urged China on Monday to cut excess steel production that he warned is distorting global trade as the two sides opened a high-level dialogue overshadowed by tension over the South China Sea.

The annual meeting of Cabinet-level foreign affairs, trade and other officials from both sides is meant to head off conflict. The sides also called for closer cooperation between the two biggest economies on climate change, global finance, agriculture and other fields.

The U.S. agenda includes pressing Beijing to move faster with plans to reduce excess production capacity that its trading partners complain is driving a flood of low-cost steel into their markets, threatening thousands of jobs. Washington has responded by imposing anti-dumping tariffs on steel, and European officials say they are investigating.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, left, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attend the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

"Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," Lew said in a statement at the start of the two-day meeting. "And implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of international markets."

Beijing announced plans this year to slash the size of its state-owned steel and coal industries, costing millions of jobs. But plans for other bloated sectors including aluminum, glass and solar panels have yet to be announced.

Speaking at the event's opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised action on reducing overcapacity but announced no new initiatives.

"China will redouble efforts to promote supply side structural reform," said Xi, who also is leader of the ruling Communist Party.

Washington also wants China to move faster to reduce a rising burden of corporate debt that could hamper economic growth.

U.S. officials are pressing Beijing to ease market access for financial services, an area where foreign business groups complain China is trying to shield its companies in violation of free-trade commitments.

Xi warned against allowing diplomatic tensions to disrupt mutually beneficial trade and other relations. He acknowledged that differences "are hardly unavoidable" but called on Washington to help manage them in a "pragmatic and constructive fashion."

"What is important is to refrain from taking differences as excuses for confrontation," Xi said.

Tensions have increased over China's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.

China's President Xi Jinping waves after delivering an opening speech for the 8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Chinese President Xi Jingping speaks during the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures as he delivers an opening speech for the 8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Chinese President Xi Jingping, left, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew during the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping, second from right, chats with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, second from left, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, left, during the Joint Opening Ceremony of the 8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, right, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, second right, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, left, and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, arrive for the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, looks as he and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, left, and China's Vice Premier Liu Yandong, right, arrive to the Joint Opening Ceremony of the 8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Clinton wins Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination.

After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" tweeted Clinton, thanking the Island of Enchantment, as Puerto Rico is known, for her victory. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage in Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

A Puerto Rico resident is handed a ballot during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016 . Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman.

As the results from Puerto Rico trickled in, Clinton maintained a healthy lead over Sanders.

While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in the general election, the island's politics could reverberate into the fall campaign. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign. Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, she rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with nearly 68 percent of the vote.

"I'm for Hillary, girl," said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. "I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?"

Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the six states voting on Tuesday. Sanders shook hands and stopped for photos during a stroll of more than an hour along the shops, restaurants and amusement park rides of the Santa Monica Pier.

That included a stop at a charity "Pedal on the Pier" fundraiser, telling people riding on stationary bikes that the U.S. should have "an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent."

Like Clinton, Sanders made little mention of the outcome in Puerto Rico's primary. He said during an evening rally in San Diego that Democratic leaders should take notice that the "energy and grassroots activism" that will be crucial to the party in the fall "is with us, not Hillary Clinton."

He pointed to polls showing him faring better than Clinton in head-to-head matchups with Trump and his strength among Democratic voters under the age of 45.

"If the Democratic leadership wants a campaign that will not only retain the White House but regain the Senate and win governors' chairs all across this country, we are that campaign," he said.

While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.

Both Sanders and Clinton had pledged to help as the island's government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.

"This is one of the most important political moments for Puerto Rico," said Emanuel Rosado, a 29-year-old Clinton supporter. "I'm taking action as a result of the economic crisis."

Two weeks before the primary, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory's $70 billion debt would make "a terrible situation even worse."

He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island. Campaigning on the island last month, Sanders promised to fight against "vulture funds" on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.

"That bill is anti-democratic and it's not in the best interest of Puerto Rico," said Jorge Gaskins, a 67-year-old farmer who supports Sanders and opposes a control board.

Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the board's powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or "too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer."

Among those voting Sunday was Democratic Party superdelegate Andres Lopez, one of the party insiders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention. He had remained uncommitted, but said Sunday he will support Clinton.

Clinton has 1,809 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,519. When including superdelegates, her lead over Sanders is substantial  2,357 to 1,565.

With Lopez's endorsement, all seven of Puerto Rico's superdelegates have pledged their support for Clinton.

"It is time to focus on squashing 'El Trumpo,'" he said, referring to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

___

Associated Press writers Ken Thomas in Santa Monica, California, and Catherine Lucey in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Danica Coto and Lisa Lerer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/danicacoto and http://twitter.com/llerer

Puerto Rico resident Hector Alvarez casts his ballot during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016. Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

A Puerto Rico resident votes during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016 . Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Puerto Rico resident Hector Feliciano votes during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016 . Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Puerto Rico residents line up to vote during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016. Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Puerto Rico resident Judith Perez Alvarez casts her ballot during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016. Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Puerto Rico residents line up to vote during the U.S. territory's Democratic primary election at the Luis Llorens Torres Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday June 5, 2016 . Puerto Ricans frustrated by island's economic crisis are voting in the U.S. territory's Democratic presidential primary, as front-runner Hillary Clinton draws closer to securing the number of delegates needed to win her party's nomination. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Teen in custody until age 21 for school cafeteria shooting

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP)  A 15-year-old boy who opened fire on fellow students in a school cafeteria will be kept in juvenile detention until he is 21.

James Austin Hancock will be free at 21 unless he causes problems in juvenile custody, which could lead to possible time in the adult prison system, Butler County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Craft said Monday.

The judge said that he didn't know why Hancock shot other students but that he had to be punished.

ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, JUNE 6 - FILE - In this April 28, 2016, file photo, James Austin Hancock, a teen charged in a school cafeteria shooting that took place Feb. 29, 2016, sits next to his attorney Charlie Rittgers Sr. before Judge Ronald Craft in Butler County Juvenile Court in Hamilton, Ohio. Hancock may be sentenced at a hearing scheduled Monday, June 6, 2016, after pleading guilty April 28, 2016, to four counts of attempted murder and one count of inducing panic. (Greg Lynch/Journal-News via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT

Hancock said in court that he wanted the victims to know they weren't targeted, WKRC-TV reported.

His attorney, Charles H. Rittgers, said he apologized in court but didn't elaborate on a motive. Rittgers said the boy's family is happy the case was handled in the juvenile system and hopeful he can get any help he needs while in custody.

The teenager pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder and one count of inducing panic for the February shooting at Madison Local Schools, near Middletown. Two students were wounded by gunfire, and two others were hurt by shrapnel or while running away.

Some of the students read statements in court Monday, with one offering forgiveness to Hancock, WKRC reported.

Hancock was ordered to have no contact with the victims and to pay restitution for some medical expenses for one of them, said Rob Clevenger, the county's juvenile court director.

Hancock has been in custody in the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center since the shooting and will remain in detention under the Ohio Department of Youth Services, the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-news reported.
Judges hear arguments over fate of bridge conspirators list

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The fate of unidentified conspirators in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal provided nearly two hours of sparring in federal appeals court Monday as a three-judge panel heard arguments on whether the conspirators' names should be released to media organizations in advance of an anticipated trial this fall.

A federal judge in Newark ordered the list released last month only to have a person identified as John Doe file to block publication of the list, claiming it would brand him a criminal even though he wasn't charged in the indictment last year that named two former allies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The damage to Doe's reputation is not the central issue the judges are weighing, however. What they must decide is a fairly complex legal distinction: whether the government's release of the list to defense attorneys was in response to a request for supporting evidence to the indictment, called a bill of particulars, which can be publicly accessible.

The U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey, which is prosecuting the case, has argued the list was provided as a courtesy as part of routine pre-trial sharing of evidence, called discovery, which the public cannot access.

The issue's centrality was evident when Judge Kent Jordan told media attorney Bruce Rosen, "If you don't get past it, it's game over."

Rosen argued that even though the government now claims the list was part of discovery, it was produced in response to defense attorneys' request for supporting evidence. He also criticized the government for using hindsight to "paint it as discovery."

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck," Rosen said.

Jordan countered that the government had opposed the defense's motion for the bill of particulars and that the issue hadn't been decided when it furnished the letter. The judge on the case hadn't ordered the bill of particulars, he added.

Jenny Kramer, an attorney representing Doe, argued that the government letter was never part of a bill of particulars, "not in January, not now and never has been."

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, making a rare appearance to argue in court, told the judges the media organizations shouldn't be entitled to the names at this point in the process.

"What the press doesn't have a right to get at this juncture is what we think about some of the people we've chosen not to charge right now," Fishman said.

Two former allies of Christie were indicted last year for allegedly orchestrating traffic jams near the bridge in 2013 as political payback against a Democratic mayor who didn't support the Republican governor's re-election.

Former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni, a former executive (and Christie appointee) at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the bridge's operator, are scheduled for trial in September. Baroni attended Monday's arguments, along with his attorney.

Media organizations filed a motion with the court in Newark in January seeking access to the co-conspirator list, claiming it is part of the public record in the criminal case.

Christie, who hasn't been charged and has disavowed any knowledge of the alleged scheme, has said it is highly doubtful he is on the list. A taxpayer-financed probe by a law firm hired by Christie cleared him of wrongdoing, a conclusion roundly criticized by Democrats in New Jersey as a whitewash.

The scandal dogged Christie through his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination and has provided fodder for late-night talk show comedians.
Patchy reporting undercuts national hate crimes count

BOGALUSA, La. (AP)  The knock on the door, strong and quick, jolted Barbara Hicks Collins awake. Someone must be in trouble, she thought. She flung open her front door to the shocking sight of her car engulfed in flames.

Investigators later determined someone had deliberately set fire to her Mercedes and also tried to burn down the one-story brick house she shared with her mother in this eastern Louisiana town, once known as a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity. Hicks Collins, a black woman, had no doubt the fire  set on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2012  was racially motivated. Her father had been a prominent civil rights leader, and her family remained active in the community.

Despite the circumstances, the case was never counted in the nation's annual tally of hate crimes. In fact, neither the police department nor the local sheriff has filed a hate crime report with the FBI since at least 2009.

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

And that's not unusual, an investigation by The Associated Press found. The AP identified more than 2,700 city police and county sheriff's departments across the country that have not submitted a single hate crime report for the FBI's annual crime tally during the past six years  about 17 percent of all city and county law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Advocates worry that the lack of a comprehensive, annual accounting disguises the extent of bias crimes at a time of heightened racial, religious and ethnic tensions. The nation was stunned last June when nine black parishioners were shot dead at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, and community groups have reported a notable increase in violence against Muslims and mosques in the wake of last year's terror acts in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Gay and transgender people also are regular targets.

Between 5,000 and 7,000 hate crime incidents are catalogued each year in the FBI report, with nearly half of all victims in recent years targeted because of their race.

A better accounting of hate crimes, the FBI and other proponents say, would not only increase awareness but also improve efforts to combat such crimes with more resources for law enforcement training and community outreach.

"We need the reporting to happen," said the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached. "Without a diagnosis, we don't know how serious the illness is. And without a diagnosis, there is no prescription. And without a prescription, there is no healing."

Filing reports for the federal count is voluntary and guidelines call for reports to be submitted even if they list zero hate crimes, a signal to both the FBI and the community that the agency is paying attention to bias attacks.

FBI Director James Comey has called on all agencies to do a more aggressive job tracking hate crimes, and also has initiated training sessions for hundreds of law enforcement officers nationwide.

Officials with both the Bogalusa Police and the Washington Parish Sheriff's Department said they did not know hate crime information was not being reported and blamed clerical errors. No arrests have been made, and investigators were unable to determine whether the setting of the fires constituted a hate crime.

Under FBI guidelines, an incident should be reported if a "reasonable and prudent" person would conclude a crime was motivated by bias. Among the criteria for evaluation is whether an incident coincided with a significant holiday or date, specifically citing the King holiday.

The AP examined FBI hate crime reports for the years 2009-2014 and matched those against lists of every city and county law enforcement agency in each state, obtained separately from all 50 states.

An analysis revealed that law enforcement reporting is spotty beyond those that never file. For example, thousands of city police and county sheriff's departments  which handle the vast majority of local law enforcement responses and investigations  reported in some years but not others. And, in some cases, departments reported for, say, only one quarter of a year.

Some agencies said they thought they were reporting, even though they were not, and some thought they didn't have to file reports because they hadn't investigated any hate crimes.

"It is the most important data collection initiative, but it is far from complete," said Michael Lieberman, the Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, which has launched a "50 States Against Hate" campaign that includes a call for more robust reporting of bias attacks.

The statistics analyzed by the AP revealed wide disparities in how seriously states take the reporting. Nationwide, there were 16 states in which more than 25 percent of local law enforcement agencies did not appear at all in the FBI hate crime database in the six-year period studied. That included 64 percent of agencies in Mississippi and 59 percent in Louisiana.

Some states clearly made reporting a priority, however. For example, nearly all the roughly 350 local law enforcement agencies in Tennessee routinely filed. Under a state law, they could lose funds for failing to file reports.

One challenge for law enforcement is that investigators looking into hate crimes must gather evidence not only of what happened, but why  which is not always easy to determine.

Serious injuries might indicate an assault. But without clear evidence that the attack was motivated by bias, it can be difficult to make the call.

"In the course of any investigation, there is not always a bright line saying, 'OK, it's a hate crime,'" said Brian Edgell, a supervisor with the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. "It's really up to their discretion, and we give them the mechanism to report that to us."

___

Associated Press data journalist Michelle Minkoff in Washington, D.C., and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Christina .

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

FILE - In this July 11, 1966 file photo, Robert Hicks, vice president of the Bogalusa Voters League, second from left, and other demonstrators chant as they pass white onlookers upon their arrival in Franklinton, La., concluding a two-day march from Bogalusa, La. Several hundred demonstrators ended the hike with a rally at the courthouse. (AP Photo/Jack Thornell, File)

FILE - In this April 16, 1976 file photo, Bill Wilkinson, state grand dragon of the Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan", and armed body guard Johnny Jones, look over the dedication site for a KKK headquarters in Bogalusa, La. The paper mill town was a civil rights hot-spot in the 1960s. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this April 8, 1965 file photo, Robert Hicks, vice president of the Bogalusa Voters League, holds a rifle as he inspects damage to a vehicle belonging to a group of university students that was hit by a passing vehicle while it was parked in front of his home in Bogalusa, La. Hicks said he shot back at the attackers. (AP Photo, File)

This Jan. 16, 2012 photo shows the burned remains of Barbara Hicks Collins' car in front of her mother's home in Bogalusa, La. The Louisiana Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the incident, which happened in the early morning hours of Martin Luther King Day, as an "intentionally set" fire. Her father, Robert Hicks, was a long time civil rights activist and the family has remained active in civil rights issues. For Hicks Collins, the failure to count the 2012 attack as a hate crime is a painful reminder of the continuing struggle for racial progress. "The more things change," she said, "the more they remain the same." (Marcelle Hanemann/The Bogalusa Daily News Via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, a historic marker is seen from inside the childhood home of Barbara Hicks Collins, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, an American flag is seen outside the childhood home of Barbara Hicks Collins, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Nov. 28, 2015 photo, Jeremy Mark, right, and David Beltier, walk their dogs, Beauty and Princes, near their home in Hillsboro, Ore. In March 2013, Beltier was walking with boyfriend Mark, and their poodle when a man in a truck began yelling homophobic slurs at the pair, got out of his truck and began punching Beltier. The man, leaving at one point to grab a metal tool from the truck and hit Beltier again in the head, was later charged with state and federal hate crimes. Yet what happened to Beltier was never included in the FBI's national hate crimes report because the Hillsboro Police Department was among those found to be not reporting to the FBI during the six-year period of 2009-2014 examined by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

In this Nov. 28, 2015 photo, Jeremy Mark, left, and David Beltier, sit with their dogs, Beauty and Princess, near their home in Hillsboro, Ore. In March 2013, Beltier was walking with boyfriend Mark, and their poodle when a man in a truck began yelling homophobic slurs at the pair, got out of his truck and began punching Beltier. The man, leaving at one point to grab a metal tool from the truck and hit Beltier again in the head, was later charged with state and federal hate crimes. Yet what happened to Beltier was never included in the FBI's national hate crimes report because the Hillsboro Police Department was among those found to be not reporting to the FBI during the six-year period of 2009-2014 examined by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

FILE - In this June 26, 2011 image made from security surveillance video, people gather in a parking lot next to the Jackson, Miss., street where James Craig Anderson, a 49-year-old black man was allegedly run down by a pickup truck driven by Deryl Dedmon, a white teen. Jackson Police did not file any hate crimes information to the FBI between 2009 and 2012, followed by only spotty reporting the next two years. And yet, during that time, state and federal charges were filed in connection with the June 2011 death of Anderson, who was beaten and run over by a truck containing a group of white teenagers, some of whom yelled racial epithets during the assault. (AP Photo)
Leftist party in Romania makes gains in local elections

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Election results show Romania's main leftist party made gains and took all the seats in Bucharest in local elections that were overshadowed by concerns about graft.

Preliminary results published by election authorities Monday show that that Gabriela Firea, a former TV journalist and member of the center-left Social Democratic Party, won the post of Bucharest mayor, receiving about 44 percent of the vote. The party also won all six seats for district mayor in the capital.

With 87.5 percent of the vote counted, the Social Democratic Party was winning about 39.2 percent of the overall vote nationwide, followed by the Liberal Party, which was polling about 33 percent.

Gabriele Firea, center, is surrounded by media after the press statement that followed the release of exit polls in the local elections indicating she's the new mayor of the Romanian capital in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Three exit polls showed that Firea, a former TV journalist and member of the center-left Social Democratic Party easily won the post of Bucharest mayor scoring about 41 percent of the vote. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The Social Democrats resigned from government in November after street protests following a deadly nightclub fire that raised corruption concerns. Romania now has a government of technocrats.

In other results, the mayors of Brasov and Craiova, who have been indicted for taking kickbacks, both won re-election. The mayor of Baia Mare, jailed on corruption charges, was also easily re-elected despite being in jail.

A total of 12 candidates who won in the capitals of Romania's 41 counties and seats for Bucharest's six district mayors are being probed or have been indicted for corruption.

Gabriele Firea holds roses during a press statement that followed the release of exit polls in the local elections indicating she's the new mayor of the Romanian capital in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Three exit polls showed that Firea, a former TV journalist and member of the center-left Social Democratic Party easily won the post of Bucharest mayor scoring about 41 percent of the vote.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Patchy reporting undercuts national hate crimes count

BOGALUSA, La. (AP)  The knock on the door, strong and quick, jolted Barbara Hicks Collins awake. It was the middle of the night. Someone must be in trouble, she thought. She flung open her front door to the shocking sight of her car engulfed in flames.

Investigators later determined someone had deliberately set fire to her Mercedes and also tried to burn down the one-story brick house she shared with her mother in this eastern Louisiana town, once known as a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity. Hicks Collins, a black woman, had no doubt the fire  set on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2012  was racially motivated. Her father had been a prominent civil rights leader who filed lawsuits that desegregated local schools and forced police to protect protesters, and her family remained active in the community.

Despite the circumstances, the case was never counted in the nation's annual tally of hate crimes. In fact, neither the police department nor the local sheriff has filed a hate crime report with the FBI since at least 2009.

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

And that's not unusual, an investigation by The Associated Press found. The AP identified more than 2,700 city police and county sheriff's departments across the country that have not submitted a single hate crime report for the FBI's annual crime tally during the past six years  about 17 percent of all city and county law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Advocates worry that the lack of a comprehensive, annual accounting disguises the extent of bias crimes at a time of heightened racial, religious and ethnic tensions. The nation was stunned last June when nine black parishioners were shot dead at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, in an attack labeled a hate crime, and community groups have reported a notable increase in violence against Muslims and mosques in the wake of last year's terror acts in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Gay and transgender people also are regular targets.

A better accounting of hate crimes, the FBI and other proponents say, would not only increase awareness but also boost efforts to combat such crimes with more resources for law enforcement training and community outreach.

"We need the reporting to happen," said the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached. "Without a diagnosis, we don't know how serious the illness is. And without a diagnosis, there is no prescription. And without a prescription, there is no healing."

The FBI defines a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity." Filing reports for the federal count is voluntary and guidelines call for reports to be submitted even if they list zero hate crimes, a signal to both the FBI and the community that local departments are taking such crimes seriously.

FBI Director James Comey has called on all agencies to do a more aggressive job tracking hate crimes, and also has initiated training sessions on bias attacks for hundreds of law enforcement officers nationwide.

In response to an inquiry about Hicks Collins' case, officials with both the Bogalusa Police and the Washington Parish Sheriff's Department said they did not know hate crime information was not being reported and blamed clerical errors.

Four years later, no arrests have been made in the attack on her house and the state fire marshal's office, which ultimately conducted the investigation, said it was unable to determine whether the setting of the fires constituted a hate crime or not.

Under FBI guidelines, an incident should be reported as a suspected hate crime if a "reasonable and prudent" person would conclude a crime was motivated by bias. Among the criteria for evaluation is whether an incident coincided with a significant holiday or date, specifically citing the King holiday. A suspect need not be identified to meet the threshold for reporting.

For Hicks Collins, the failure to count the 2012 attack as a hate crime is a painful reminder of the continuing struggle for racial progress.

"The more things change," she said, "the more they remain the same."

Between 5,000 and 7,000 hate crime incidents are catalogued each year in the FBI report, with nearly half of all victims in recent years targeted because of their race.

"It is the most important data collection initiative, but it is far from complete," Michael Lieberman, the Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, said of the FBI's survey.

The ADL has launched a "50 States Against Hate" campaign that includes improved data collection by law enforcement as a top priority, and also is seeking passage of hate crime laws in the five states that do not have them: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming.

Lieberman, who worked with the FBI and others on updating the agency's hate crimes training manual published last year, said law enforcement agencies must neutralize the issues that can lead to non-reporting, such as departments fearing negative publicity and victims who may not trust the police.

"If these crimes are never really counted, it's a way of saying they are not important," said Mark Potok with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups in the U.S. "For many black people, it's another form of being victimized. It's a way of saying your life doesn't matter."

___

The AP examined FBI hate crime reports for the years 2009 through 2014 and matched those against lists of every city and county law enforcement agency in each state, obtained separately from all 50 states.

An analysis revealed that law enforcement reporting is spotty even beyond the more than 2,700 agencies that never filed even a single hate crime report. For example, thousands of city police and county sheriff's departments  which handle the vast majority of local law enforcement responses and investigations  reported in some years but not others. And, in some cases, departments reported for, say, only one quarter of a year without submitting reports covering the rest of that span.

Some agencies said they thought they were reporting, even though they were not, and some thought they didn't have to file reports because they hadn't investigated any hate crimes. Others that oversee jails might have assumed they were exempt because they don't patrol the streets, but the FBI encourages reporting by all law enforcement agencies whose officers are empowered to make arrests.

The vast majority of the departments that did not file any reports during the six-year period represented small towns, often consisting of just a few thousand residents or less. But the list also included the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, which handles law enforcement in a heavily populated and sprawling region around Portland, Oregon.

A number of larger cities with a history of racial troubles also were missing, including Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Jackson Police did not file any hate crimes information to the FBI between 2009 and 2012, followed by only spotty reporting the next two years. And yet, during that time, state and federal charges were filed in connection with the June 2011 death of James Craig Anderson, a black man who was beaten and run over by a truck containing a group of white teenagers, some of whom yelled racial epithets during the assault.

Jackson Police spokeswoman Colendula D. Green insisted the FBI investigates potential hate crimes in the city and thus would be the reporting agency, even though that is not what the guidelines specify. A Birmingham Police spokesman said his agency had submitted the reports to the state, and it was unclear why they didn't make it to the FBI.

The statistics analyzed by the AP also revealed wide disparities in how seriously states take the reporting. Nationwide, there were 16 states in which more than 25 percent of local law enforcement agencies did not appear at all in the FBI hate crime database between 2009 and 2014. That included 64 percent of agencies in Mississippi and 59 percent in Louisiana.

In March 2009 in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, nine inmates were charged with hate crimes following three attacks at the Lafourche Parish Detention Center, but the sheriff's office is among the agencies submitting no information in the six-year span the AP studied.

Sheriff's Sgt. Brennan Matherne said his agency had been directed to report crimes through the state crime reporting system based on the most significant charge, and that hate crimes are considered a secondary offense. He said the sheriff's office would review the process going forward.

He noted that the department had recorded 17 hate crimes locally in 2009, three in 2010, three in 2011, six in 2012 and three in 2013.

According to officials in Hawaii, nine hate crimes were recorded in the state in the years 2009 through 2014, but they were not reflected in the national statistics because the state's police agencies did not send such information to the FBI, despite submitting data on violent crimes such as homicide and rape. State officials have been compiling their own hate crimes report with information collected from local prosecutors rather than police, but the state will be switching to a new police filing system with hate crimes reporting built into it.

The AP's analysis determined that some states clearly make reporting a priority. In Nevada, not a single police or sheriff's department failed to report for all six years. In two of the nation's most populous and diverse states, California and Florida, compliance also is nearly universal.

Nearly all the roughly 350 local law enforcement agencies in Tennessee routinely file. State officials there point to a robust state system for reporting crimes, along with regular training and audits of crime reports. Also helping with compliance is a state law under which law enforcement agencies can lose funds for failing to file.

Nationwide, the AP's analysis found signs that the FBI's efforts to step up reporting could be starting to pay off. In 2014, about 200 local law enforcement agencies that had not reported in the previous five-year period submitted information to the FBI.

"We must continue to impress upon our state and local colleagues in every jurisdiction the need to track and report hate crime," Comey, the agency's director, said in a speech that year. "It is not something we can ignore or sweep under the rug."

___

It's not just law enforcement departments that fail to report hate crimes. Many victims do not report them either.

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics projected that just 40 percent of the "hate crime victimizations" it recorded in 2012 were reported to authorities. Among the top reasons given for staying silent, the agency said: fears of reprisals, a feeling that "police could not or would not help," or the incident being considered a personal or private matter.

In recent years, members of the Sikh community have been targeted by attackers who, in some cases, confused them with Muslims because of their turbans or other head coverings. But S. Gulbarg Singh Basi, chairman of the American Sikh Council, said that some in his community fear that reporting those incidents might invite even more hate crimes.

"'Keep your eyes closed and the problem will go away,'" said Basi. "I'm not saying that is right, but quite a few people think that."

In Atlanta, authorities are trying to give officers an increased understanding of hate crimes and emphasizing more community outreach and a greater response to complaints in hopes that more victims speak up.

The department's two-person LGBT Liaison Unit has been working to build relationships within the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, as well as increasing awareness, training and knowledge of LGBT issues within the department itself.

"One of the biggest challenges that I think will take many years to resolve is the general mistrust the police have with the LGBT community, especially in terms of LGBT people of color," said Officer Eric King, who is assigned to the unit. "The community has to feel confident that if they experience something, that we will be there to not only listen but take action and help them toward some sort of resolution, whatever that might be."

Another challenge for law enforcement is that investigators looking into hate crimes must gather evidence not only of what happened, but why. And that's not always easy to determine.

Serious injuries might indicate an assault. But without clear evidence that the infliction of the injuries was motivated by bias, it can be difficult to say whether the assault qualifies as a hate crime.

The FBI standard is that a reasonable person would conclude the perpetrator was motivated by bias. The agency's guidelines suggest investigators take into account whether victims are members of a minority group where the incidents took place and whether a substantial portion of the community believes bias was the motive.

"In the course of any investigation, there is not always a bright line saying, 'OK, it's a hate crime,'" said Brian Edgell, a supervisor with the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. "It's really up to their discretion, and we give them the mechanism to report that to us."

___

David Beltier and his boyfriend were on an afternoon walk with their standard poodle, Beauty, in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro in March 2013. Beauty's fur had been dyed a light pink color, and a few passers-by already had made derogatory remarks.

Then a man yelling gay slurs out the window of an SUV made a U-turn, headed straight for Beltier and his boyfriend. Beltier said he seemed determined to fight, so he told his boyfriend to take Beauty and get away.

"I knew something bad was going to happen," he said.

Beltier, who had martial arts training, was able to block most of the man's punches, but the assailant then grabbed a metal tool from his SUV and hit Beltier in the head.

The man was arrested and ultimately faced a federal hate crime charge, in addition to state charges. After a federal jury deadlocked, he pleaded guilty to an assault charge in state court and the federal case was dismissed.

Yet what happened to Beltier was never included in the FBI's national hate crimes report because the Hillsboro Police Department was among those found to be not reporting to the FBI during the six-year period.

Hillsboro Police Lt. Michael Rouches blamed the lapse on a technical problem between his department and the state, and said the problem was discovered last year when the department was in the process of applying for a grant and noticed the data was missing.

The lack of reporting should not suggest the department didn't aggressively investigate what happened to Beltier and his boyfriend, Rouches said.

"We ran with it as soon as we got it, and we got to the bottom of it," he said.

To this day, however, Beltier avoids walking in the dark and hates to be alone, although he takes comfort from the bystanders who stopped to help him and tracked down his assailant.

He feels grateful to the police  but also he wants to know that future hate crimes will be reported.

"The community needs to be aware that this is happening in their own town," he said. "It will give everyone the chance to help fix it and bring a better future."

___

Associated Press data journalist Michelle Minkoff in Washington, D.C., Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Christina .

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

FILE - In this July 11, 1966 file photo, Robert Hicks, vice president of the Bogalusa Voters League, second from left, and other demonstrators chant as they pass white onlookers upon their arrival in Franklinton, La., concluding a two-day march from Bogalusa, La. Several hundred demonstrators ended the hike with a rally at the courthouse. (AP Photo/Jack Thornell, File)

FILE - In this April 16, 1976 file photo, Bill Wilkinson, state grand dragon of the Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan", and armed body guard Johnny Jones, look over the dedication site for a KKK headquarters in Bogalusa, La. The paper mill town was a civil rights hot-spot in the 1960s. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this April 8, 1965 file photo, Robert Hicks, vice president of the Bogalusa Voters League, holds a rifle as he inspects damage to a vehicle belonging to a group of university students that was hit by a passing vehicle while it was parked in front of his home in Bogalusa, La. Hicks said he shot back at the attackers. (AP Photo, File)

This Jan. 16, 2012 photo shows the burned remains of Barbara Hicks Collins' car in front of her mother's home in Bogalusa, La. The Louisiana Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the incident, which happened in the early morning hours of Martin Luther King Day, as an "intentionally set" fire. Her father, Robert Hicks, was a long time civil rights activist and the family has remained active in civil rights issues. For Hicks Collins, the failure to count the 2012 attack as a hate crime is a painful reminder of the continuing struggle for racial progress. "The more things change," she said, "the more they remain the same." (Marcelle Hanemann/The Bogalusa Daily News Via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, a historic marker is seen from inside the childhood home of Barbara Hicks Collins, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Barbara Hicks Collins talks of her upbringing, in her childhood home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Dec. 11, 2015 photo, an American flag is seen outside the childhood home of Barbara Hicks Collins, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in honor of her father, civil rights activist Robert Hicks, in Bogalusa, La. The home was both the site of mobilization of civil rights activism, and the target of Ku Klux Klan hostility. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Nov. 28, 2015 photo, Jeremy Mark, right, and David Beltier, walk their dogs, Beauty and Princes, near their home in Hillsboro, Ore. In March 2013, Beltier was walking with boyfriend Mark, and their poodle when a man in a truck began yelling homophobic slurs at the pair, got out of his truck and began punching Beltier. The man, leaving at one point to grab a metal tool from the truck and hit Beltier again in the head, was later charged with state and federal hate crimes. Yet what happened to Beltier was never included in the FBI's national hate crimes report because the Hillsboro Police Department was among those found to be not reporting to the FBI during the six-year period of 2009-2014 examined by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

In this Nov. 28, 2015 photo, Jeremy Mark, left, and David Beltier, sit with their dogs, Beauty and Princess, near their home in Hillsboro, Ore. In March 2013, Beltier was walking with boyfriend Mark, and their poodle when a man in a truck began yelling homophobic slurs at the pair, got out of his truck and began punching Beltier. The man, leaving at one point to grab a metal tool from the truck and hit Beltier again in the head, was later charged with state and federal hate crimes. Yet what happened to Beltier was never included in the FBI's national hate crimes report because the Hillsboro Police Department was among those found to be not reporting to the FBI during the six-year period of 2009-2014 examined by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

FILE - In this June 26, 2011 image made from security surveillance video, people gather in a parking lot next to the Jackson, Miss., street where James Craig Anderson, a 49-year-old black man was allegedly run down by a pickup truck driven by Deryl Dedmon, a white teen. Jackson Police did not file any hate crimes information to the FBI between 2009 and 2012, followed by only spotty reporting the next two years. And yet, during that time, state and federal charges were filed in connection with the June 2011 death of Anderson, who was beaten and run over by a truck containing a group of white teenagers, some of whom yelled racial epithets during the assault. (AP Photo)
PICTURED: Syrian children are breadwinners in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP)  Thirteen-year-old Ali Rajab is on his feet an average of 12 hours a day, cleaning, filling perfume bottles and helping sell mobile phones at the shop in Beirut where he works.

Still, he prefers it to his previous, more physically demanding jobs, which included even longer hours pushing a vegetable and fruit cart and making supermarket home deliveries.

Rajab has been working since he arrived in Lebanon two years ago after fleeing war in his Syrian hometown of Aleppo with his parents and six siblings.

In this Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee Nermin Abrouch, 8, who fled her hometown Aleppo, Syria with her family, poses for a photograph as she makes a living by selling flowers on the Mediterranean Sea waterfront promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers being left with no choice but to go out to work, rather than attend school. They sell flowers and other trinkets on the street, they work as shoe shiners and in construction and other jobs. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge here since the start of the 2011 uprising, more than half of them children. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers having no choice but to go to work.

They sell flowers and other trinkets on the street, they work as shoe shiners and in construction and other jobs.

"I like my new work because it is easy and does not require much physical effort, and I am sheltered from the summer heat and winter cold," said Rajab, who earns about $8 a day  or $250 a month.

Some, like 15-year-old Mohannad al-Ashram, are forced to become breadwinners for their families. His father died two years ago in Syria from an illness, and since arriving in Lebanon two and a half years ago, he has worked at a small supermarket to pay the rent for the tiny apartment where he and his mother and three sisters live.

"Sometimes I get very tired but I soldier on," he said. "All I think about is my work now."

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In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee boys who work as shoe polishers on Hamra street, wait for customers, in Beirut, Lebanon. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers being left with no choice but to go out to work, rather than attend school. They sell flowers and other trinkets on the street, they work as shoe shiners and in construction and other jobs. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee Mohammed Hassan, 8, who fled with his family from Idlib, Syria, rearranges fruits on display for sale at a market in the Palestinian refugee camp of Sabra in Beirut, Lebanon. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers being left with no choice but to go out to work, rather than attend school. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 photo, a Syrian refugee boy shines a customers shoe on Hamra street in Beirut, Lebanon. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers being left with no choice but to go out to work, rather than attend school. They sell flowers and other trinkets on the street, they work as shoe shiners and in construction and other jobs. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Friday, March 4, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee Ibrahim al-Abd, 15, who fled with his family from Deir el-Zour, Syria, trims plants on a street in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon since the start of the crisis in 2011, more than half of them children. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Tuesday, March 8, 2016, Syrian refugee Mohannad al-Ashram, 15, who fled with his family from Aleppo, Syria, works at a super market in Beirut, Lebanon. Al-Ashram's father died two years ago in Syria from an illness, and since arriving in Lebanon two and a half years ago, he has worked at a small supermarket to pay the rent for the tiny apartment where he and his mother and three sisters live. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Friday, April 1, 2016 photo, Thirteen-year-old Syrian refugee Ali Rajab, fills bottles of perfume at a shop in Beirut, Lebanon. Rajab is on his feet an average of 12 hours a day, cleaning, filling perfume bottles and helping sell mobile phones at the shop in Beirut where he works. Rajab has been working since he arrived in Lebanon two years ago after fleeing war in his Syrian hometown of Aleppo with his parents and six siblings. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee Ahmed Abrouch, 8, who fled with his family from Aleppo Syria, makes a living by selling flowers on the Mediterranean Sea waterfront promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge here since the start of the 2011 uprising, more than half of them children. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015 photo, a Syrian refugee boy who fled his home in Syria, works as a mechanic, in the town of Taanayel, in the eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon. More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon since the start of the 2011 uprising, more than half of them children. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers having no choice but to go to work. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Saturday, May 28, 2016, Syrian street vendor Ali Hamadah, who fled with his family from Aleppo, Syria, sells tissues for drivers in Beirut, Lebanon. More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge here since the start of the 2011 uprising, more than half of them children. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers having no choice but to go to work. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In this Saturday, May 28, 2016 photo, Mohammed Ali Darwish, 9, left, and his brother Nasser, 11, sit in the van where they live with their father, in Beirut, Lebanon. More than 1.1 million Syrians have sought refuge here since the start of the 2011 uprising, more than half of them children. The U.N.'s children agency, UNICEF, says there are 2.8 million children out of school in the region, and child refugees are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with large numbers having no choice but to go to work. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
3 dead, 10 hospitalized as 1 Belgian train runs into another

HERMALLE-SOUS-HUY, Belgium (AP)  A passenger train slammed at high speed into a slow-moving freight train in eastern Belgium, killing three people and sending 10 others to the hospital, authorities said Monday. The accident came just hours after reported lightning strikes and a signal disruption on the line.

Two cars from the passenger train derailed when it rear-ended the freight train around 11 p.m. Sunday in Hermalle-Sous-Huy, a hamlet on the Meuse River. Belgian prosecutor Brigitte Leroy said the passenger train was traveling around 60 mph (100 kph), and the freight 6-9 mph (10-15 kph) at the time of the crash. Earlier reports had said the freight train was stopped.

State broadcaster RTBF said the dead included two passengers and the train's driver. RTBF TV reported many of the passengers were students in their early 20s returning to school after the weekend.

Rail workers walk next to the wreckage of a passenger and freight train after they collided in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Ten people were hospitalized, local hospitals reported. As of midday Monday, Belgian media said only one of the injured was still being treated: a 26-year-old man who underwent two operations for broken ribs and vertebrae and abdominal pains. Twenty-seven other passengers were treated at the scene.

Francis Dejon, mayor of St. Georges-sur-Meuse, told a news conference that the passenger train's first car was so badly smashed in the wreck "it was curled back on itself." The second of the six cars also derailed and came to a stop listing on its side.

Belgian railway police and state prosecutors were investigating the cause of the accident.

Belgium's King Philippe and Prime Minister Charles Michel visited the crash site Monday afternoon, thanking rescue workers and viewing the derailed, wrecked rail cars. Michel, through a spokesman, said no effort would be spared to find out why the accident occurred.

It took rescuers three hours to free people from the wreckage of the train, which carried around 40 people when it crashed 17 miles (27 kilometers) southwest of the city of Liege while traveling from Mouscron to Liers. The wheels and axle of one train car were knocked loose by the impact. A large chunk of wreckage jutted up from the freight train of around 20 cars.

Belgium's national railway operation, SNCB, reported on its Twitter account Sunday that there was "a signals disruption" on the rail line about an hour and a half before the wreck occurred, but said the problem had been solved.

A spokesman for Infrabel, a separate company that oversees Belgium's rail infrastructure, said installations where the wreck occurred "were hit by lightning" earlier Sunday.

"It's an element we're going to have to look at, but it's premature to see this as the cause of the accident," spokesman Frederic Sacre said.

In June 2008, a similar collision between a passenger train and a freight that was slowing down occurred 100 yards (meters) from the location of Sunday's wreck. A police tribunal in 2010 found the passenger train's driver guilty of causing the accident by ignoring signals. He and the other locomotive driver only narrowly escaped near-certain death, according to Belgian media accounts.

Sacre said it will be up to investigators to determine if there are any similarities with Sunday night's accident.

The wreck halted train service between Namur and Liege, two of Belgium's largest cities, and an SNCB spokeswoman said it could take several days to clear the tracks.

Leroy, the prosecutor, said it may be months before the crash investigation is complete.

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Dahlburg reported from Brussels. Lorne Cook in Brussels assisted.

A police officer walks by the wreckage of a passenger and freight train after they collided in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A police officer and rail workers walk next to the wreckage of a passenger and freight train after they collided in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train is seen after it crashed in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. A late-night passenger train slammed into the rear of a halted freight train in eastern Belgium, derailing two cars, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train is seen after it crashed in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium Monday, June 6, 2016. A late-night passenger train slammed into the rear of a halted freight train in eastern Belgium, derailing two cars, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Investigators stand near the wreckage of a train after it crashed in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium, Monday, June 6, 2016. A late-night passenger train slammed into the rear of a halted freight train in eastern Belgium, derailing two cars, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The wreckage of a passenger and freight train is seen after it crashed in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium, Monday, June 6, 2016. A late-night passenger train slammed into the rear of a halted freight train in eastern Belgium, derailing two cars, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A safety official stands near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium on Monday, June 6, 2016. Belgian media reported several dead and injured as a passenger train struck a freight train. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
US presses China over industrial glut at strategic dialogue

BEIJING (AP)  U.S. envoys pressed China on Monday to cut excess steel production that is flooding global markets and to reach a diplomatic settlement to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, as the two sides opened a high-level dialogue.

The annual meeting of Cabinet-level foreign affairs, trade and other officials from both sides is meant to head off conflict. Officials acknowledged differences on an array of issues but repeatedly stressed their interest in amicable cooperation, and pledged to work together to see the Paris agreement on curbing emissions of climate-changing gases ratified by the world's governments.

The U.S. agenda includes pressing Beijing to move faster with plans to shrink bloated industries including steel, which its trading partners complain is flooding their markets with unfairly cheap exports, hurting their producers and threatening jobs. Washington has responded by imposing anti-dumping tariffs on steel, and European officials say they have launched a trade investigation.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures as he delivers an opening speech for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

"Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew at the opening of the two-day event. "Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of international markets."

The annual Strategic & Economic Dialogue rarely produces agreements on major issues, but provides what officials on both sides say is a valuable setting to air disputes, clear up misunderstandings and share experiences.

This year's event is led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Lew on the U.S. side and Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the Chinese side.

Beijing announced plans this year to slash the size of its state-owned steel and coal industries at a cost of millions of jobs. But plans for other bloated sectors, including aluminum, glass and solar panels, have yet to be announced.

Speaking at the event's opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised action on reducing overcapacity but announced no new initiatives.

"China will redouble efforts," said Xi, who also is leader of the ruling Communist Party.

The Chinese finance minister defended Beijing's response, saying China needs time to allow market forces to reduce surplus production capacity.

"China is no longer a centrally planed economy. We can't instruct businesses to do something," Lou Jiwei said at a news conference. "We will reduce excess capacity through market forces."

Washington also wants China to move faster to reduce a rising burden of corporate debt that financial analysts worry could hamper economic growth.

U.S. officials also are pressing Beijing to ease market access for financial and other services, an area where foreign business groups complain that China is trying to shield its companies in violation of free trade commitments.

On the environment, envoys from both sides pledged to ensure the Paris agreement is ratified and to persuade other governments to put it into action.

Kerry described climate cooperation as "one of the strongest pillars of our relationship." He expressed hope the same spirit of compromise could be infused into disagreements over maritime security and human rights.

North Korea's missile and nuclear provocations and how to respond to them are another irritant in the relationship. Kerry said the two countries must stand together in relation to North Korea as they did in clinching last year's nuclear accord with Iran.

"It is absolutely vital to use this meeting ... to work constructively on those differences," Kerry said. He called the dialogue an opportunity to "seek creative ways to narrow them, or eliminate them altogether."

Amid deepening U.S. concern that China is militarizing the South China Sea, Kerry said he would "make it clear that we are looking for a peaceful resolution to the disputes."

China and neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines have conflicting claims to portions of the sea and possible oil and gas resources. China's military is building outposts on man-made islands to bolster its claims.

Beijing said over the weekend that it would ignore an upcoming international arbitration decision in a dispute with the Philippines. China also has conflicting claims with Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia. Further complicating matters are reports that the Chinese may soon establish an air defense zone over part of the sea, which the U.S. opposes.

"We have taken no position on any of the claims," Kerry said. "The only position we have taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action. Let's resolve this by rule of law, by negotiation, by diplomacy."

Xi warned against allowing diplomatic tensions to disrupt mutually beneficial trade and other relations. He acknowledged differences "are hardly unavoidable," but called on Washington to help manage them in a "pragmatic and constructive fashion."

"What is important is to refrain from taking differences as excuses for confrontation," Xi said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a photo during the joint opening ceremony of the 8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. U.S. envoys pressed China on Monday to cut excess steel production that is flooding global markets and to reach a diplomatic settlement to territorial disputes in the South China Sea as the two sides opened a high-level dialogue.(AP Photo/Andy Wong)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, second left, and his delegation attend the 8th round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue with China's Vice Premier Wang Yang at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Monday, June 6, 2016. "Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," Lew said at the opening of the two-day event, "and implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and aluminum, is critical to the function and stability of international markets." (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool)

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, right, speaks during a session on Climate Change during the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a climate change meeting at the U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the U.S.-China high-level consultation on people-to-people exchange in Beijing Monday, June 6, 2016. (Nicolas Asfouri/Pool Photo via AP)
14 people killed in Turkish school trip bus crash

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  A bus carrying school children, teachers and parents has plunged into an irrigation canal in southern Turkey, killing 14 people  six of them children, officials and reports said Monday.

Twenty-six other people were injured in the accident which occurred late Sunday as the bus was returning from a school trip to a national park and museum in the southern province of Osmaniye, Gov. Kerem Al said.

Security camera video of the accident showed the bus driving into oncoming traffic at an intersection, being slammed by a car and rolling into the canal.

Turkish rescuers lift a bus from a canal near Osmaniye, Turkey, Monday, June 6, 2016. The bus carrying school children, teachers and parents plunged into an irrigation canal in southern Turkey, killing at least 14 people, six of them children, officials and reports said Monday. Several other people were injured in the accident which occurred late Sunday as the bus was returning from a school trip to a national park and museum in the southern province of Osmaniye, Gov. Kerem Al said.(DHA via AP) TURKEY OUT

By-passers and residents jumped into the canal to try and rescue people trapped inside the bus, Hurriyet newspaper reported. Most of the bodies were recovered by divers.

At least one of the injured passengers was in serious condition, Health Minister Recep Akdag said.

The children were from a school in the town of Iskenderun in Hatay province, which borders Syria and lies just south of Osmaniye.
Many places on the West Coast saw

arts of the East Coast are preparing for more severe weather on Monday

Colin is expected to bring more rain and p

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Severe weather caused chaos across the country on Sunday as Tropical Storm Colin gained speed and strength as it headed towards the Eastern Seaboard.

Tornadoes were spotted in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Florida over the weekend, while heavy rain and high winds caused widespread power outages and disruption.

Now Colin is expected to bring more rain, with up to eight inches possible across western Florida, eastern Georgia, and coastal areas of the Carolinas.

It is the latest in a series of severe whether events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.

A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm.

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Deluge: Severe weather caused chaos across the country on Sunday as Tropical Storm Colin gained speed and strength as it headed towards the Eastern Seaboard. Above, guests arriving at Universal Orlando theme park in Florida were welcomed with rain on Monday

Transport: Nick Canning, 21, kayaks in downtown Gulfport, Florida, on Monday, as rain and wind from Tropical Storm Colin blow into Tampa Bay. Canning, who lives in Gulfport, said his alley is flooded, but his home has not taken in water

Flooded: A car moves through water from Tropical Storm Colin in Gulfport, on Monday. A large part of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced the swift-moving depression had become a named storm

The center said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

Colin's maximum sustained winds Monday morning had increased to near 50 mph (85 kph) with some slow strengthening possible during the next two days.

The storm was centered about 360 miles (580 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa and moving north-northeast near 14 mph (22 kph).

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph (63 kph) and 73 mph (117 kph).

'It's going to impact most of the state in some way,' Gov. Rick Scott said in a phone interview. 'Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornados and some flooding.'

The center of Colin is expected to approach the coast of the Florida Big Bend area Monday afternoon or evening, forecasters said.

Projections: Tropical storm warnings have been put in place in large parts of Florida while areas of Georgia and South Carolina all the way up to Charleston have been put on tropical storm watch as Colin gains speed, moving from the Gulf of Mexico

Monday and Tuesday: This map shows how the storm is expected to move from the Gulf of Mexico and through the Florida Panhandle between Monday morning and Tuesday night

Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

He warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

The National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power outages.

Tourists: Visitors leave CityWalk, at the Universal Orlando theme park complex, in a torrential downpour as first rain band from Tropical Storm Colin arrives at 2.04pm on Monday

Soaked: A woman jogs through the rain at the Universal Orlando complex, in a torrential downpour as first rain band from Tropical Storm Colin hits the Florida theme park

Protection: Kelly Spiliotis carries a sandbag across a flooded Athens Street on Monday in Tarpon Springs, Florida, en route to her Ambrosia gift shop as Tropical Storm Colin barreled up the west coast of Florida

Choppy: A woman runs in the heavy surf with her dog at Sunset Beach in Treasure island, Florida, on Monday as Tropical Storm Colin churns in the Gulf of Mexico

Fierce: Winds of up to 50mph are expected in parts of Florida, while up to eight inches of rain is expected to fall

The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.

Huge area: An image taken from a NASA satellite shows Tropical Storm Colin in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards the southeastern United States

Massive system: This satellite image taken on Monday shows Tropical Storm Colin continuing to move north from the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida's Gulf Coast, with forecasters predicting horrifying conditions

Fiery: On the West Coast, temperatures reached record-breaking highs. The heat is set to remain in the triple digits in some places for the first part of this week

Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, The National Weather Service said Phoenix, Arizona, hit 113 degrees on Sunday, making it the third day in a row setting record high temperatures in Arizona's Urban Heart.

Sunday's high beat the previous record of 112 degrees in 1990.

Much of Southern Arizona, from Phoenix to Nogales, is under an excessive heat warning.

Other western and southwestern U.S. states are experiencing above-normal temperatures in the triple-digits.

Officials are warning residents to stay hydrated and avoid the outdoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when temperatures are highest.

Strong storms also swept through New Jersey, downing trees and power lines and leaving thousands without power.

Records: Dr. Boris Wooden takes photos of the flooding in front of the Gulfport Casino as rain from Tropical Storm Colin rolls in at Gulfport Beach in Gulfport, Florida

Fighting: Angelo Memiakis, left, and Kelly Spiliotis work to deliver sandbags to the door jams of businesses along flooded Athens Street on Monday in Tarpon Springs, Florida

South Jersey was the hardest hit Sunday night.

NJ.com reports about 19,000 Atlantic City Electric customers were without power at the height of the storm. The utility say most customers should expect to have their power restored by late Sunday night.

The National Weather Service had issued thunderstorm watches and warnings for the state.

No major damage or injuries were reported.

Thunderstorms in parts of Ohio have brought powerful winds that have caused some reported damage.

Many counties in northeast Ohio were under a severe thunderstorm watch or warning Sunday as a front moved through the state.

A spokesman for Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky says traffic there was diverted after a nearby roadway was closed as a result of downed power lines and debris from the storm. The spokesman says Cedar Point will be closed Monday as utility crews work to repair the downed power lines. The park plans to reopen Tuesday.

Cleaning: Kelly Spiliotis, left, and Yiota Czeck work at averting flooding in the Ambrosia gift shop in Tarpon Springs as squalls of wind and rain from Tropical Storm Colin move into the Tampa Bay area on Monday

Inching forward: With stormy weather advancing ahead of Tropical Storm Colin, traffic slows in Jacksonville, North Carolina on Monday

Response: A Tarpon Springs public works truck moves through flooding on Dodecanese Boulevard in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday morning as Tropical Storm Colin barreled up the west coast of Florida

Every little bit: The center of the system was expected to track north of Tampa Bay toward the panhandle, but forecasters predicted it would dump heavy rain and high winds across the area. Pictured, a woman collects a sand bag on Dodecanese Boulevard in Tarpon Springs

The Sandusky Register reports the storm also downed trees and power lines in the city's downtown area.

Fort Hood officials have identified the last of nine soldiers who died in Texas floodwaters during a training exercise as a 25-year-old Army specialist from California.

Army officials on Sunday said Spc. Yingming Sun enlisted in 2013 and first arrived at Fort Hood nearly two years ago. He and eight others who were previously identified died when fast-moving waters washed a 2 -ton vehicle from a low-water crossing Thursday.

Three others soldiers survived and have returned to duty.

Heavy and persistent storms the past two weeks have dumped more than a foot of rain in parts of Texas.

The rain is expected to diminish this week and dry out areas such as Southeast Texas, where officials gave evacuation order to about 2,000 homes.

In Indiana, the National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in eastern Indiana when a weekend storm passed over the area.

One twister travelling at 85mph cut a 1 mile path Saturday near Richmond, Indiana
On cusp, Clinton keeps focused: 'Not over until it's over'

COMPTON, Calif. (AP)  Hillary Clinton stood on the cusp Monday of having enough delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, having overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in a pair of weekend elections in the Caribbean.

Yet the former secretary of state spent little time celebrating wins Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Sunday in Puerto Rico, instead remaining focused on Tuesday's contests in California and five other states  and a general election matchup to come against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

"I am so focused on all the states that are voting tomorrow," Clinton said. "That is my singular focus. I know there is a lot of work still going on."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Lynwood, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

"It's not over until it's over, and tomorrow is a really important day, particularly here in California," she added.

After blowout weekend wins in the two U.S. territories, Clinton is now 23 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

Clinton won all seven delegates available in the U.S. Virgin Islands and at least 36 of the 60 delegates available in Puerto Rico.

There are four delegates remaining in Puerto Rico, but they cannot be allocated until the vote count there is finished. That won't happen until Tuesday, because the island's elections workers took Monday off after counting results until dawn.

Clinton now has 1,812 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,521.

When including superdelegates, the party insiders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the party's summer convention, her lead over Sanders is substantial: 2,360 to 1,567.

AP surveys the superdelegates throughout the primary season to track whom they planned to support at the July convention.

If a superdelegate tells AP they plan to unequivocally support a candidate at the convention in July, the superdelegate is added to that candidate's tally.

Both Clinton and Sanders spent Monday in California, the biggest prize among the six states voting on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at a community center in Compton, Clinton said she was on her way to having a clear lead in the popular vote and pledged delegates.

She said that should she become the nominee, she'll be "reaching out" to Sanders and would do what she could to bring the party together.

President Barack Obama, who bested Clinton in 2008 during her first bid for the Democratic nomination, is preparing to formally endorse her and start aggressively making the case against Trump. White House officials said the announcement could come within days, although not before Tuesday's elections.

Obama called Sanders on Sunday as he campaigned in California, a Democrat familiar with the call told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private conversation, and would not reveal any details about it.

Asked by reporters in San Francisco if he had talked to Obama, Sanders demurred. "Right now we are campaigning," he said.

Obama's expected declaration comes as no surprise. Last week, he declared bluntly, "it's almost over" and suggested he was waiting for the Tuesday contests before making his move. While Obama has said he's stayed on the sideline to ensure voters decide the outcome, "rather than be big-footing the situation," he's hardly been silent about his preference.

At key moments, Obama has offered high praise and needed defense of Clinton and little comparable support for Sanders.

Speaking Monday at a press conference outside Oakland, Sanders made the case he was the best candidate to take on Trump in the general election. Asked whether an Obama endorsement of Clinton would affect his campaign, Sanders deflected, saying he was being asked to speculate before an important primary in California.

The Vermont senator's tone was more subdued Monday than over the weekend, when he said the Democratic convention would be contested if no one wins the nomination based on delegates awarded in the primaries and caucuses.

"Let me just talk to you after the primary here in California, where we hope to win," Sanders said. "Let's assess where we are after tomorrow."

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Associated Press writers Kathleen Hennessey in Washington and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.

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Follow Catherine Lucey and Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey and http://twitter.com/kthomasdc

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attends a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Lynwood, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visits a restaurant, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Watts, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks during a campaign rally at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, June 5, 2016 in San Diego.(AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks during a campaign rally at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, June 5, 2016 in San Diego.(AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker)
Allegations of human rights violations in Fallujah fight

CAMP TARIQ, Iraq (AP)  As Iraqi security forces tighten their grip on the outskirts of militant-held Fallujah allegations of human rights violations are surfacing on both sides of the operation.

On Monday, hundreds of civilians, many bearing marks of torture were released north of Fallujah after being detained by a group of government sanctioned mostly Shiite militias. Five of those detained died while in the group's custody according to Yahya al-Muhamadi, an Anbar council member working with displaced civilians.

The militia forces, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are one of a number of different Iraqi security forces participating in the operation to retake Fallujah from the Islamic State group that has controlled it for more than two years.

An Iraqi woman sits in a minibus along with other families fleeing Fallujah, during a military operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants outside Camp Tariq, on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

The Popular Mobilization Forces deny that their fighters detain civilians.

"We are not authorized to detain anyone, we are just helping to move displaced people," said Hayder Mayahii, an official with the PMF's media office based outside Fallujah. Mayahii said his office was aware of the reports, but said they were completely false and the product of media bias.

The Popular Mobilization Forces illegally detained 605 people, al-Muhamadi the Anbar councilman said. "They tortured many of them, five people died from the torture."

Al-Muhamadi spoke as he oversaw the registration of hundreds of newly displaced civilians along the main road to the east of Fallujah. Late Monday night a dozen mini busses were packed with tired families from Saqlawiya and other neighborhoods north of Fallujah recently retaken from IS by Iraqi forces.

Local and federal Iraqi police regularly detain men and teenage boys from territory retaken from IS. The practice is part of a legal screening process to prevent IS fighters from escaping among the civilians, al-Muhamadi said.

In the row of mini buses on the road east of Fallujah, every family had been separated from all their male relatives over the age of 15. Iraqi security officials completing the registration process say the screening should only take three to five days and families will be quickly reunited.

But Amnesty International, a human rights organization says even civilians detained through the formal screening process are often held indefinitely without charge. Tens of thousands of civilians are estimated to still be in the custody of Iraqi security forces following the string of recent anti-IS territorial victories in Anbar province beginning in December of last year.

Inside the center of Fallujah, IS fighters are holding some 50,000 civilians captive and reportedly shot at a group of civilians attempting to flee the city Sunday across the Euphrates river, according to an international aid organization and the Iraqi military.

The operation to retake Fallujah from IS was launched in May. Iraq's elite counterterrorism troops began their push into the city center last week and secured the southern edge of Fallujah Sunday.

While Iraqi government officials have encouraged civilians still in Fallujah to flee, IS has threatened anyone who attempts to do so with death. Fallujah residents told The Associated Press a number of people have been shot trying to escape.

Maj. Ali Hanoon with Iraq elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces overseeing the Fallujah operation says he has received reports that dozens of civilians have been killed by IS while trying to flee Fallujah since the operation was launched more than two weeks ago. However he said the total is likely higher as information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete.

All the main roads leading in and out of the city are tightly controlled by IS checkpoints, leaving the Euphrates river as one of the few ways left for people to escape, according to Fallujah residents who spoke to The Associated Press by phone. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their own safety inside the militant-held city.

A mass grave has also been uncovered in Saqlawiya, a neighborhood north of Fallujah recently retaken from IS, according to the media arm of the Popular Mobilization Forces and the Iraqi military. Hanoon with the counterterrorism forces said an estimated 400 bodies, mostly Iraqi soldiers executed by IS, are believed to be in the burial site.

On the side of the highway east of Fallujah, Hana Hussein, 45, waited to have her name registered Monday night. Earlier that day she was separated from her three oldest sons before being loaded onto a bus with her daughters.

"They said they are going to check their names in a database," she said through a bus window, "No one told me for how long they would be held, honestly I don't know when I will see them again."

Behind her, another woman held a tired toddler with tearstained cheeks as security officials shone flashlights into the vehicle to check names and ages.

"Don't worry," called a passing Iraqi officer to the crowded bus, "Daesh will be finished in just one or two more days god willing," he said using the arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

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Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Children fleeing Fallujah look out from a minibus window, during a military operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants outside Camp Tariq, on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Iraqi boy sleeps in a minibus after fleeing Fallujah, during a military operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants, outside Camp Tariq, on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Iraqi boy sleeps in a minibus after fleeing Fallujah, during a military operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants, outside Camp Tariq, on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Iraqi boy sleeps in his mother's arms in a minibus after fleeing Fallujah, during a military operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants, outside Camp Tariq, on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
More in GOP scold Trump: Stop talking about judge

WASHINGTON (AP)  Republicans roundly scolded their own presidential candidate Monday, demanding Donald Trump apologize for  and just stop  talking about the ethnic background and impartiality of the American judge overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University.

Leading the roll call were two former rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich tweeted that Trump's offensive against the impartiality of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel "is flat-out wrong."

FILE - In this April 25, 2016 file photo, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speak in Rockville, Md. Kasich has called on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to apologize for his attacks on Gonzalo Curiel. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump, Kasich wrote, should "apologize to Judge Curiel & try to unite this country."

Chimed in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, "It's wrong and I hope he stops."

Other prominent Republicans piled on, drawing a solid line between themselves and the billionaire candidate with whom they've developed a fragile peace. But that detente comes with caveats  chief of which is the understanding that Trump, nomination nearly in hand, will now focus on uniting the fractured GOP.

Trump, too, showed some deference for the truce, declining to immediately hit back at the Republican lawmakers who have demanded he change focus.

Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., stuck up for Trump somewhat on CNN, insisting "Donald Trump is not a racist" but acknowledging "It's time to just let go of this ... and move on."

No mea culpa seemed forthcoming from the billionaire candidate. Trump insisted earlier Monday that his criticism of Curiel came in defense against relentless questions from reporters and others about lawsuits against Trump University. Trump said Curiel can't be impartial in the suits because the jurist's parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall along the border. Last week, he denied on CNN that his remarks are racist.

"Public Service Announcement: Saying someone can't do a specific job because of his or her race is the literal definition of 'racism,'" tweeted Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a longtime Trump critic.

Curiel is a former federal prosecutor who was born in Indiana to parents who came from Mexico in the 1940s. He has not responded to Trump's attack, and Trump's legal team has not sought his removal from the case. Judges generally are thought to have conflicts of interest only in more specific situations, such as a financial interest in the outcome of the case.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits  in San Diego and New York  which accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach them secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied. Curiel is presiding over the suits in California.

"All I'm trying to do is figure out why I'm being treated so unfairly by a judge," Trump said Monday on Fox News Channel.

The Republican establishment responded in rare unison: Just stop.

"He needs to stop saying it. That man is an American  born in the United States," Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, told Orlando television station WFTV. "I don't think it reflects well on the Republican Party. I don't think it reflects well on us as a nation."

Added Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine: "Donald Trump's comments on the ethnic heritage and religion of judges are absolutely unacceptable. His statement that Judge Curiel could not rule fairly because of his Mexican heritage does not represent our American values."

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a member of the Senate GOP leadership, said: "Yeah, he's going to have to adapt. This is not working for him. They were inappropriate comments."

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who is in a competitive re-election race, emphasized that he's running "a very independent campaign" from Trump's.

"To suggest somebody is not capable of doing a job because of their ancestry is wrong and unacceptable," said Portman.

Said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, "I'm not going to be sucked into talking about Trump 24/7."

The cascade of condemnation began on the Sunday talk shows, when a trio of prominent Republicans firmly rejected Trump's focus on Curiel and urged him to make good on his promise to unite the fractured Republican Party. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he "couldn't disagree more" with Trump's statements about Curiel's impartiality, adding that "we're all behind him now"  an implicit warning that such unity might not be the case for long. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said he doesn't condone Trump's statements about Curiel, then complained that his interview was supposed to be about foreign policy.

And former House speaker Newt Gingrich pointedly suggested that Trump start acting like "a potential leader of the United States."

Trump already has rejected calls for him to adjust his approach.

"I'm not changing," he said Tuesday at a fiery news conference at Trump Tower.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on the idea. Asked on CBS whether a Muslim judge would be unfair given Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., Trump responded: "Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely."

That puts Trump in significant conflict with the Republicans he hopes to lead  including many of the ones who have opted to support him.

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AP writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.

Follow Laurie Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Curiel's parents came to the U.S. in the 1940s.

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Collins is the latest Republican to reject GOP presidential candidate Donald Trumps comments about the ethnic background of an American federal judge. Trump is insisting that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whose parents were born in Mexico, cannot be impartial overseeing the class action lawsuits against Trump University. Curiels ethnicity, Trump says, puts him in conflict with the presumptive GOP presidential nominees plan to build a wall with Mexico. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2015 file photo, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks in Oxon Hill, Md. Donald Trump said Monday, June 6, 2016, it was "inappropriate" for Gingrich to demand he drop the subject of an American judge's ethnicity and start acting like "a potential leader of the United States." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
McCain seeks sixth term in uncertain terrain

PHOENIX (AP)  At age 79, running what may be his last campaign, Sen. John McCain finds himself on treacherous terrain.

A household name in Arizona and still beloved by many, the Republican is also confronting hostile and unpredictable forces this election year: The swirling voter anger that propelled Donald Trump to the brink of the GOP presidential nomination, and the resulting backlash from other groups, particularly Latinos, a growing force in his state.

The combination has left McCain to grasp for answers about his own political fortunes as he seeks a sixth term, and has set up what may be his toughest general election challenge in years. Three-term Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is traveling the state arguing that McCain has been in Washington too long, and telling voters the incumbent has betrayed his reputation as an independent-minded maverick with his backing of Trump.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, acknowledges a fellow Navy veteran during a Phoenix Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Phoenix. At age 79, running what may be his last campaign, McCain finds himself on uncertain terrain. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)

"There's a degree of political turmoil that we have not seen before," McCain said in assessing the challenges before him, as a blistering heat wave got under way in Phoenix on a recent morning. "I never take an election for granted, I've seen too many people that did and lost. But anyone who would take this election for granted, that is an incumbent is just out of touch with the frustration and even anger that is out there."

McCain is a perennial target for conservatives in his state because of his deal-making with Democrats on issues like immigration, and many Republicans felt he dodged a bullet when he failed to draw a top-tier opponent in the GOP primary this year. He is expected to win the Aug. 30 contest, though his campaign is tamping down a challenge from state Sen. Kelli Ward, spending money on ads and websites linking her to conspiracy theories about aircraft spraying Americans with chemicals.

But the challenge from Kirkpatrick, combined with political upheaval around Trump, may prove especially formidable. It's forcing McCain to perform a balancing act as he seeks to maintain support among Republicans while also cultivating independent voters and Latinos. He has performed versions of this same straddle time and again over the years, including as the GOP presidential nominee in 2008 and facing a strong primary challenge two years later. But this year his position looks particularly precarious, and the balance especially delicate.

"He's changed," Kirkpatrick said as she opened a campaign office in Tucson this past weekend. "He used to be a maverick, he used to be a straight talker, he used to stand for something. And people are just shocked that he's supporting Trump."

Every Republican senator in a competitive re-election race this year is in an uncomfortable predicament because of Trump, forced to support him or risk alienating his backers, yet compelled to create distance from the billionaire's more outlandish pronouncements. For McCain, the situation is particularly sticky, partly because of the growing power of Latino voters in Arizona who may comprise more than 20 percent of the electorate this year and are horrified at Trump's promises to build a giant wall along the southern border and deport millions.

McCain has also endured a stinging personal attack from Trump, who suggested that McCain was not really a war hero despite serving more than five years in captivity in Vietnam. Subsequently McCain suggested Trump should apologize not to him, but to other veterans, an apology that was never forthcoming. Questioned now about how he feels about Trump, McCain responded brusquely:

"Fine. He is what he is."

And what is he?

"He's a phenomenon," McCain replied with little elaboration, reiterating that he said he would support the GOP nominee and intends to do so.

As for how Trump affects his race, McCain said: "I think Trump adds to the turmoil, but he's a product of the turmoil, not the cause of it. And so I'm not sure how much he affects me because I have 100 percent name ID in Arizona."

On Memorial Day, McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke at a ceremony at the large veteran's cemetery on the outskirts of town, delivering heartfelt remarks about unheralded bravery and warning that peace is always only temporary.

Afterward, as the sun radiated on tombstones and cactus plants, dozens of people lined up to shake McCain's hand and take pictures.

One was a woman wearing a Trump T-shirt, but after posing with McCain she declared that she did not actually support the senator. The woman would not give her name, but her husband identified himself as Dennis Frank, 61, and said of McCain: "He's a wonderful guy, he's a war hero, we love the guy to death, he's served his country so well, but he's got to retire and take it easy now. He needs to relax, you know? We need new blood, not only here. We need it in the White House. It's a disaster what's going on."

"There's only one hope in this country," Frank asserted. "Donald Trump."

Still McCain soldiers on, campaigning energetically around the state, shaking countless hands and recounting the many benefits Arizona has derived from his years of service. He insists voters still value such traditional achievements in a political world turned upside down by Trump but acknowledges that this year, he can't predict how anything will turn out.

"It's impossible to predict what's happening with what's already happened," McCain said. "I think there's going to be a lot of surprises."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, speaks during a Phoenix Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Phoenix. At age 79, running what may be his last campaign, McCain finds himself on uncertain terrain. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
Union: New airport towers must be remodeled before opening

WASHINGTON (AP)  Two state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas are designed for electronic tracking of planes as they taxi and takeoff. But union officials say the towers will have to be extensively remodeled before they can open to accommodate older technology that uses paper strips to track planes.

The new rooms on top of the towers where controllers watch aircraft operations are designed exclusively for electronic tracking, said Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. But the prototype electronic strip system the Federal Aviation Administration plans to use is too unstable and "crashes" too often to be relied upon, he said. This means that controllers need to quickly turn to the historical system of passing paper strips from one controller to another to hand off responsibility for a plane and carefully line up multiple strips to keep tabs on the status of flights.

Here's the problem: the tower "cabs" have been designed without the tables, printers and places to hang strips that are necessary for controllers to use the old system while still keeping an eye on planes, he said.

FILE - In this May 17, 2016, file photo, a plane lands at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Union officials says new, state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas need extensive remodeling so they can accommodate technology dating back more than half a century but still relied on by air traffic controllers. The looming problem was news to the federal official who's in charge of air traffic operations. A meeting Monday will look into the matter. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

This is an example of the larger problem  that the FAA's remodel of these towers relied on the assumption that the new technology would work. The FAA's continued use of paper strips to track planes when air traffic control systems in many countries have long since moved to electronic methods is frequently cited by lawmakers and industry officials as an example of the agency's often painfully slow adoption of new technology. The paper strips are more time-consuming, which slows the handling of planes.

Remodeling the cab at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas may not be too difficult because it's fairly roomy, but remodeling the one at San Francisco International Airport will be tough because there is no extra space, Rinaldi said.

The FAA's head of air traffic operations said she was unaware of this problem until Rinaldi raised it during a recent aviation symposium. If the electronic strips can't be relied upon, "we'll figure out what we need to do," said Terri Bristol.

Rinaldi raised the issue during a discussion of legislation sponsored by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, to remove air traffic control operations from the FAA and spin them off into a private, nonprofit corporation controlled primarily by major airlines and other segments of the aviation industry.

The union supports the bill as a means to break FAA's cycle of failed or delayed technology acquisition programs, and to eliminate chronic understaffing at air traffic facilities, Rinaldi said. The roughly 14,000 controllers employed by the agency is the lowest number in nearly three decades, and many controllers in New York, Atlanta and other busy facilities routinely work six-day weeks and 10-hour days, union officials said.

The prototype electronic system developed by the FAA has been in use in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport tower for several years, but has been plagued with problems that frequently require controllers to revert to using paper strips, Rinaldi said. The most recent crash of the system's server was on May 16, said Doug Church, a union spokesman.

"The most frustrating thing is that there are systems out there that would work off the shelf," said Rinaldi, citing electronic flight strip systems made by Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Thales and Canada's air traffic control agency. "Why are we recreating the wheel?"

The FAA recently solicited bids from manufacturers to create an electronic strip system for the agency to replace the internally developed prototype system. However, even after a contractor is selected, there are likely to be many years of development, testing and installation, Rinaldi said.

Construction of the San Francisco tower cost the FAA $77 million, while the airport is spending an additional $50 million to remove the old tower and construct several unrelated facilities, said airport spokesman Doug Yakel. The FAA estimated the cost of the Las Vegas tower at about $100 million at the time ground was broken in 2011.

The agency announced last week that it has broken ground on construction of a third new airport tower at Charlotte, North Carolina, that is also designed to use the prototype electronic tracking system. The design of the Charlotte cab appears to allow enough room to add equipment for the use of paper strips as a fallback, said Church.

Bristol and Rinaldi are expected to discuss the problem at a meeting Monday, he said.

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Follow Joan Lowy at twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joan-lowy

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4 men who attacked British family in Thailand jailed 2 years

BANGKOK (AP)  Four men who brutally attacked a British family vacationing in Thailand have been sentenced to two years in prison for the assault, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, officials said Monday.

The video showed Rosemary and Lewis Owen, both in their 60s, and their 43-year-old son getting punched in the faces, knocked down and kicked until they fell unconscious. The attack occurred April 13 attack in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin.

It was the latest blow to Thailand's image as a tourist haven and prompted officials to vow swift punishment for the attackers.

"This should serve as an example," police Maj. Gen. Kasana Jamsawang said. "Let this be a reminder to people who might want to hurt others."

The Hua Hin provincial court sentenced the men May 23 but the penalties only became public over the weekend when the court transcript was released. The court sentenced the attackers to four years in prison but reduced the sentence to two years without parole because the suspects pleaded guilty, said Vichit Asakit, a duty officer at Prachuap Khiri Khan police station, which covers the Hua Hin area.

The four men  Chaiya Jaiboon and Siva Noksri, both 20, and Supatta Baithong and Yingyai Saengkam-in, both 32  were charged with conspiracy to commit group assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Police have said the attack started after the Owens' son accidentally bumped into one of the Thai men on a crowded street.
Obama administration rushing to shrink ranks at Guantanamo

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Obama administration is running out of time and options to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, so officials are scrambling to release as many prisoners as possible and considering novel legal strategies that include allowing some men to strike plea deals by video-teleconference.

Another option would be to send others to foreign countries to be prosecuted. But it still looks to be too late to close the prison before President Barack Obama leaves office in January, denying him the chance to fulfill a campaign pledge.

There's the difficulty in transferring prisoners from the U.S. base in Cuba, questions about the legality of plea deals and solid opposition in Congress to anything that might help Obama achieve that promise.

In this Feb. 6, 2016 photo, a detainee cell in Camp 6 is seen inside the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Running out of time and options to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, the Obama administration is scrambling to release as many prisoners as it can and considering novel legal strategies that include allowing some men to strike plea deals by video-teleconference and sending others to foreign countries to be prosecuted. (AP Photo/Ben Fox)

"The clock has struck midnight and the American people have won," said Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who has said he would oppose any effort to move detainees to prison facilities in his state. "The president needs to admit that."

Later this month, lawmakers are on track to extend a ban on moving detainees to U.S. soil. That would leave the president with no way to make the January 2017 deadline, barring an unexpected reversal in Congress or a politically explosive executive order.

The White House increasingly is pointing to a parallel strategy: trying to shrink the number of detainees in hopes of persuading lawmakers that Guantanamo is too expensive to sustain as a prison.

Of the 80 remaining detainees, 30 have been cleared for an overseas transfer. Most will leave starting in late June and continuing into July, according to a U.S. official. Those prisoners will go to a number of countries, including at least one in Europe, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the administration had not authorized public release of the information.

Seven additional detainees are facing trial by military commission, including five charged with planning and supporting the Sept. 11 attacks. Three others have been convicted. But commission proceedings have gone on at a glacial pace. In April, the Pentagon put forward fresh proposals for Guantanamo, but none has been incorporated into defense legislation moving through Congress.

The remaining 40 were either at one time considered for prosecution or held as indefinite "law of war detainees" until the end of hostilities in the fight against terrorism that began after the 2001 attacks. The United States started using Guantanamo for suspects in January 2002; at its peak, the facility held about 680 prisoners.

U.S. officials have chipped away at those numbers through the Periodic Review Board, a multiagency task force that conducts parole-style hearings for men once deemed too dangerous to release.

The board did not hold a hearing until November 2013, but recently it has picked up its pace, holding more than 20 so far this year. Outcomes are leaning heavily in prisoners' favor. If the government keeps up its current pace of about two per week, it wouldn't complete hearings, much less arrange for transfers, until December.

The U.S. also is working with other governments to prosecute some detainees overseas, the official said. These could be prisoners accused of conduct outside the U.S. involving offenses against citizens of other countries. It would otherwise be difficult or impossible to prosecute these men in an American court.

One possible example would be Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, a 42-year-old Kenyan accused of involvement in plots in Mombasa in November 2002: an attack on an Israeli-owned hotel, in which 13 people died, and an unsuccessful attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner.

The official declined to identify any specific cases but said there could be five to 10 in all.

The defense bill up for debate in the Senate soon includes a provision that would allow detainees to enter guilty pleas  via video teleconference  in federal civilian courts. If a judge accepts the plea, the detainee would be sentenced and transferred to serve that sentence in a foreign prison.

In conversations with advocates, White House officials have said the Justice Department has reservations about such guilty plea proposals. Chief among the concerns is whether the judge could accept the guilty pleas as entered by the defendant knowingly and voluntarily  a bedrock principle of the American criminal justice system  while there is no mechanism in place to stand trial. The prisoner's only other choice is continued, indefinite detention.

The White House has not taken a position, but suggested it is receptive to the idea. The president believes it is "important that we have available to us a variety of tools at our disposal," National Security Council spokesman Myles Caggins said in a statement, which also noted that federal courts have an "outstanding record" of handling terrorism cases.

Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who has represented many Guantanamo prisoners over the years, including three still held, said the ability to strike a plea deal in federal court would benefit relatively few detainees. He said the renewed administration interest in closing the prison is hard to take seriously now.

"Those efforts and that kind of resolve should have been shown over the course of the eight years of the Obama administration and not in its final moments," said Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York.

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Anger as trains resume after Oregon derailment, fire

MOSIER, Ore. (AP)  Local politicians and residents reacted with shock and anger Monday as Union Pacific began running trains through this tiny Columbia River Gorge town just three days after a fiery derailment forced residents to evacuate and water and sewage systems to shut down.

Residents shot video from an overpass of trains sliding past crumpled and burnt oil tankers, some of them still dripping oil onto the tracks. The town's mayor and fire chief expressed deep concern about the trains running again before a full investigation was complete and before the damaged tankers were cleared.

Trains began running Sunday through the town of about 400 people carrying mixed goods  but no crude oil.

Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton points to where a Union Pacific train carrying crude oil derailed last Friday, prompting a fire and evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town about 70 miles east of Portland, on Monday, June 6, 2016, in Mosier, Ore. Union Pacific resumed train service on Sunday but said it would not allow tankers carrying oil on the tracks anytime soon. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

"This is all about money. They're willing to risk us blowing up again for their money to keep coming in," said Loretta Scheler, who rents out a two-story building just a few hundred feet from the tracks. "It's just insane."

The derailment occurred on a stretch of track that passes within 300 feet of the edge of the K-8 campus in this town 70 miles east of Portland. Sandwiched between the tracks and forested cliffs at a bend in the river, Mosier is part of a scenic area that's world famous for the summer winds that blow through the Columbia River Gorge and attract wind surfers and kite sailors.

Union Pacific defended its actions Monday, saying it was safe to run other trains while crews continued to drain oil from the crashed tankers. Thirteen tankers remained and 10 still contained crude, said Raquel Espinoza, a spokeswoman for the Railroad. Trains are moving at about 10 mph.

"We will not run any crude oil trains through this area any time soon," Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs said Monday morning. "The community is at the forefront of our efforts, and we're absolutely aware of their concerns."

Several top Oregon lawmakers said later in the day that Union Pacific Railroad should not resume oil train traffic until the company thoroughly explains the cause of the derailment and provides assurances that it's taking steps to prevent another one. They stopped short of calling for limiting other train traffic.

Sixteen tank cars went off the tracks Friday. Fire started in four of the cars. An estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil was released, said Don Hamilton, a spokesman for the state, federal and tribal agencies responding. About 10,000 gallons were recovered in wastewater systems, while the rest was burned off, captured by booms or absorbed into soil, he said.

No injuries have been reported. Dozens of residents have been given the all clear to return home.

Friday's derailment comes as a massive oil-storage terminal proposed along the Columbia River in southwest Washington is under review. The proposed terminal near Vancouver would handle up to 360,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil, where it would be stored and loaded on to tankers for export to West Coast refineries.

Critics say the derailment underscores the risk faced by every town and city along rail lines when trains carrying volatile oil roll by.

"It shines a light on how reckless approving the oil terminal would be," said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of the Columbia Riverkeeper. "I can't see how any reasonable person can look at this explosion and invite more trains."

The federal government regulates interstate railroad commerce, so cities and towns have no regulatory power over the movement of oil trains.

Eric de Place, policy director with Sightline Institute, a progressive think tank, said states and cities can deny projects in other ways, such as through zoning or permit restrictions. Hoquiam, Washington, last year approved a ban on bulk crude oil storage facilities. Vancouver is considering a similar ban.

Mosier is among dozens of communities that have officially called for stronger federal safety measures and other actions because of increasing oil train shipments through the Northwest.

"The federal government, the railroad and oil companies need to protect us," said Paul Blackburn, mayor of Hood River, a city about 7 miles west of Mosier.

Hood River passed a resolution in 2014 opposing the transportation of crude oil through the Columbia River Gorge either by rail or by barge.

Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton said he had been a supporter of Union Pacific's right to move oil through his town until the derailment.

Appleton, who operates with a fulltime volunteer firefighting crew of six and has 30-year-old fire trucks, said the derailment terrified him. Firefighters poured 1,000 gallons of Columbia River water a minute on the blaze for eight hours straight to bring it under control, he said.

"The media has been saying this incident is 'near Mosier,'" he said. "No. It went end-to-end through our entire town."

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Le reported from Seattle. AP reporter Steven DuBois contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show Hood River passed a crude oil resolution in 2014, not 2015.

Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton speaks to a concerned person about a Union Pacific train carrying crude oil that derailed on Friday, prompting a fire and evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town of Mosier, Ore., Monday, June 6, 2016. Union Pacific resumed train service on Sunday but said it would not allow tankers carrying oil on the tracks anytime soon. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

Crumpled oil tankers lie beside the railroad tracks after a fiery derailment on June 3 prompted evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town about 70 miles east of Portland, on Monday, June 6, 2016, in Mosier, Ore. Several top Oregon lawmakers said later in the day that Union Pacific Railroad should not resume oil train traffic until the company thoroughly explains the cause of the derailment and provides assurances that it's taking steps to prevent another one. They stopped short of calling for limiting other train traffic. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

This aerial view provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology shows scattered and burned oil tank cars, Saturday, June 4, 2016, after the train derailed and burned near Mosier, Ore., Friday. Union Pacific Railroad says it had recently inspected the section of track near Mosier, about 70 miles east of Portland, and had been inspected at least six times since March 21. (Washington Department of Ecology via AP)

Booms have been set up in the Columbia River as seen the morning of Saturday, June 4, 2016. The booms are meant to contain any oil that may seep into the river from a Union Pacific oil train that derailed near Mosier, Ore., on Friday. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)

A damaged oil train car can be seen on the afternoon of Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the site of the oil train derailment that occurred on Friday in Moseir, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
Rare militant attack on Jordan security compound kills 5

BAQAA REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan (AP)  An assailant with an automatic assault weapon attacked a local office of Jordan's national intelligence agency Monday, killing four guards and a receptionist in what the government called a lone-wolf "terrorist attack."

The gunman was arrested hours after the early morning shooting, which took place on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In his initial comments, government spokesman Mohammed Momani suggested Islamic militants were behind the attack, saying those involved were "criminal elements that don't represent our moderate religion."

After the arrest of the assailant, Momani said it was a lone-wolf attack but that the investigation was continuing.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Jordan, even though the pro-Western kingdom is on the front line in the military campaign against Islamic State extremists who control large areas of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

The shooting targeted a two-story security compound on the edge of the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, near the capital, Amman.

The shooting attack took place before 7 a.m., said Momani. The assailant, firing from an automatic weapon, killed four guards and a receptionist, and then fled the scene.

The targeted security office faces Baqaa camp, which was established almost half a century ago for Palestinian refugees displaced in the conflict with Israel.

The camp has a population of tens of thousands, including many Syrian refugees who have settled there since the start of the Syria conflict in 2011.

A highway separates the security compound and the camp.

Several hours after the attack, the access road to the security compound was closed. Security agents were visible outside the building, including masked members of the counter-terrorism squad.

Monday's attack came three months after Jordanian special forces clashed with IS-linked gunmen at a hideout in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid. Seven suspected Islamic State activists and a Jordanian officer were killed. The IS cell had planned attacks on military and civilian targets in the kingdom, officials said.

Over the past two years, since IS group's swift land gains in Syria and Iraq, Jordan has cracked down on suspected sympathizers to prevent the extremists from recruiting inside its borders.

Several hundred Jordanians have been sentenced to prison by special military courts for expressing support for IS on social media.

Jordan is part of the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State.

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Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Amman, Jordan, and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

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Former governor says he discussed finding work for speaker

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP)  In eight hours of sometimes contentious testimony, former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley on Monday described his efforts to help House Speaker Mike Hubbard find a new job  but insisted that Hubbard "made sure what he was doing was absolutely legal" and not in violation of any ethics laws.

Prosecutors kept Riley a man Hubbard has described as a father figure and political mentor  on the witness stand for two days as they tried to prove Hubbard broke the state ethics law he once championed. Riley said Hubbard had asked to work at his lobbying and consulting firm. Some of those requests were serious and some were a running joke between the two old friends, Riley said.

"I need to be a salesman for GB&R. Except for those ethics laws. Who proposed those things?! What were we thinking?" Hubbard wrote to Riley in 2011. Republicans' first action, after winning control of the Alabama Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction, was to pass a new ethics law in a special session called by Riley.

Former Alabama Gov Bob Riley listens while prosecutor Matt Hart asks a question during Alabama Speaker Mike Hubbard's ethics trial on Monday, June 6, 2016 in Opelika, Ala. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool)

"Of course it was a joke," Riley said as he responded to questions by prosecutor Matt Hart.

But with prompting from Hart, Riley also acknowledged what he told a grand jury: Hubbard was also serious about seeking help finding a job after being laid off by his primary employer, Auburn's IMG Sports Network.

"Mike and I talked about Mike working for me for two years," Riley said. "There was a point where it was serious. ... When he lost the IMG contract, he began to be serious about finding a way to support his family."

Hubbard, 54, faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using the power and prestige of his political offices to benefit his companies and clients and to try to obtain $2.3 million worth of work, investments and financial favors. Hubbard argues the transactions were within the bounds of the ethics law and exemptions for normal business dealings and longstanding friendships such as the one he had with Riley.

Riley testified that, after leaving office, he and others brainstormed ways to help Hubbard find work and that he offered advice after Hubbard took a $12,000-a-month contract to do industrial recruiting for Southeast Alabama Gas District, a municipal-owned gas utility in the southeastern part of the state.

"I hope you can help me with the suppliers. ... I need to deliver something in order to justify my existence," Hubbard wrote to Riley after congratulating him about Airbus' decision to build a facility in Mobile. As governor, Riley started negotiations to recruit the aerospace giant to the state and after leaving office signed the company up as a client at his consulting and lobbying firm.

In another email, Riley asked about the possibility of the Airbus CEO addressing a joint session of the Alabama Legislature. "I would like to meet him, if possible. I really need to get some of their printing business somehow," Hubbard replied.

Riley said he suggested that Hubbard attend the 2013 Air Show. Riley said he arranged for him to meet with executives from another firm that Riley represented. Hart asked Riley if Hubbard was meeting those officials as speaker of the house or as a paid representative of a gas company.

"To me, I never segregated. ... He is the speaker of the house. He is an economic developer," Riley said.

The exchanges between Hart and Riley got testy at times. Hart cut off Riley's attempts to offer lengthy answers and asked permission to treat Riley as a hostile witness. Riley raised his voice when Hubbard asked if he had ever given Hubbard a "warning" about running afoul of state ethics law.

"It's a simple question," Hart said.

"It's not a simple question for one reason. You're asking a question not knowing the context of the question. It's the same thing you did in the grand jury," Riley retorted.

Riley eventually said he did offer a cautionary warning. Riley asked Hart if he wanted him to elaborate on what he said. Hart replied no.

Riley, under cross-examination by defense lawyer Bill Baxley, leapt to the defense of his old friend saying he thought he took precautions to stay within the bounds of the ethics law.

"On everything we ever discussed, he made sure what he was doing was absolutely legal," Riley said.

Baxley, who for years was one of the state's most prominent Democrats, attempted to emphasize the friendship between the two Republicans.

Riley said he had been friends with Hubbard since the mid-1990s and any action he took was because of their longstanding friendship and not because Hubbard was speaker of the House.

The defense cross-examination of Riley resumes Tuesday morning.

Prosecutors indicated to Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker that they are nearing the end of their case. Baxley indicated that the defense could call a number of character witnesses, including Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson. Hubbard, as a young sports public relations representative for Auburn University, helped to craft the publicity campaign for Jackson's Heisman push.

Mike Hubbard and Susan Hubbard walk to the Lee County Justice Center for Mike Hubbard's trial on Monday, June 6, 2016 in Opelika, Ala. Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool)
Vietnamese police break up protest over fish deaths

HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  Police in Vietnam's capital have broken up a protest over what critics charge is the government's delayed response to massive fish deaths which they believe are linked to industrial pollution.

A protester, Le Hoang, said more than 30 people marched peacefully in downtown Hanoi for about 15 minutes on Sunday before most were taken to police stations in two buses. He said they were held for several hours and then released without charge.

Thousands of dead fish began washing ashore along more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) of shoreline in four central provinces in early April. Protesters and state media speculated that a steel complex owned by a subsidiary of Taiwan's Formosa Plastic Corp. may have been linked to what was an unprecedented environmental disaster for the Southeast Asian country.

The fishing and tourism industries in the provinces have been badly affected by the incident.

Hoang said the protesters held banners and placards reading "No Formosa" and "Sea dead, fish dead and people dead." The protest Sunday was the latest in a series that are unusual under the tightly controlled Communist regime.

The head of the Prime Minister's Office, Mai Tien Dung, told state media last week that scientists from Vietnam and abroad have reached a conclusion about the cause of the fish deaths, but will not announce it until after consulting with independent experts from inside and outside the country.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, said the government should provide people with basic answers to the fish deaths instead of cracking down on peaceful protesters.
Greek minister's visit to Albania greeted with a protest

TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Protesters in the Albanian capital scuffled with police Monday ahead of a visit by Greece's foreign minister, as members of Cham community, which was expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the Nazis, demanded their property back.

A few hundred supporters of the small Party for Justice, Integration and Unity, which represents the Cham community, tried block the entrance of the Foreign Ministry in Tirana as Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias was to arrive. Kotzias delayed his arrival briefly and his Albanian host, Ditmir Bushati, came out to meet PDIU leader Shpetim Idrizi to clear the road.

Four issues have soured bilateral ties between the two neighbors: the Chams' claims on their confiscated property; the technical state of war still in place since then-fascist Italy attacked Greece through Albania in 1940; an unresolved maritime dispute and Greek claims of discrimination against the ethnic Greek minority in Albania.

Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, right, accompanies visiting Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias while hundreds of the Cham community members, expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the country's German occupiers, hold a protest outside, Tirana Monday, June 6, 2016. Four issues have turned bilateral ties sour between the neighbors: the Chams' claims on their confiscated property; the technical state of war still in place since then-fascist Italy attacked Greece through Albania in 1940; an unresolved maritime dispute and Greek claims of discrimination against the ethnic Greek minority in Albania.(AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Hundreds of thousands of Albanians poured to Greece after the communist regime fell in 1990.

Both ministers said dialogue will be the best way to resolve any disputes, insisting there is no territorial claim from both sides. They have agreed to create a joint mechanism that will convene periodically and also a road map for how to resolve the issues.

"Good neighborliness and the respect of the neighbor's territorial integrity dominate above everything," said Bushati at a news conference, adding that on the Cham issue, Tirana's stand was "on the respect of the fundamental freedom and rights of that population."

"We should resolve the existing problems and look forward to big future projects," said Kotzias.

Bushati reiterated Monday that Greece was an important neighbor.

"Relations with Greece are strategic ones and with a high potential that we should exploit to the best," he said.

Kotzias, the Greek minister, said at the news conference Monday that Athens believed a 1987 government statement and the 1996 bilateral friendship treaty mean the two countries were not in war now.

"Albania's integration into NATO and its EU prospects makes us not only friends but partners too," he said.

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Nicholas Paphitis in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.

Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias speaks at a news conference while hundreds of the Cham community members, expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the country's German occupiers, hold a protest outside, Tirana Monday, June 6, 2016. Four issues have turned bilateral ties sour between the neighbors: the Chams' claims on their confiscated property; the technical state of war still in place since then-fascist Italy attacked Greece through Albania in 1940; an unresolved maritime dispute and Greek claims of discrimination against the ethnic Greek minority in Albania. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Hundreds of the Cham community members, expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the country's German occupiers, hold a protest when Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias visited Tirana Monday, June 6, 2016. Four issues have turned bilateral ties sour between the neighbors: the Chams' claims on their confiscated property; the technical state of war still in place since then-fascist Italy attacked Greece through Albania in 1940; an unresolved maritime dispute and Greek claims of discrimination against the ethnic Greek minority in Albania.(AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Cham community members, expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the country's German occupiers, clash with police trying to block the entrance of the Foreign Ministry where the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias would come during his visit to Tirana Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Cham community members, expelled from northwestern Greece during World War II after Athens claimed they had collaborated with the country's German occupiers, clash with police trying to block the entrance of the Foreign Ministry where the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias would come during his visit to Tirana Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)
Afghan official: Taliban ambush kills 7 in country's north

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A Taliban ambush on Monday killed at least seven people, including a district intelligence chief and his deputy in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

The attack took place in Sangcharak district in northern Sari Pul province early on Monday morning, targeting the intelligence chief and his deputy, said Zabi Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor. Amani said three army intelligence officers and two civilians, including a small child, were also killed in the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Amani said the Taliban are known to operate in the area.

The insurgents have become increasingly active in Afghanistan's northern provinces since the U.S.-led international combat mission pulled out at the end of 2014, leaving a training and assistance mission behind.

Meanwhile, in northern Balkh province, four members of an illegal armed group were killed in a gunbattle Monday with another group, said Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor. The fighting in Sholgara district killed one of the group's leaders and three other men, said Farhad. An investigation was underway.
Israel checking French tycoon's claim he funded Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli authorities said Monday they are looking into a French tycoon's claim he gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more than $1 million for an election campaign, a possible violation of campaign finance laws.

The attorney general's office said it is probing Arnaud Mimran's testimony in France that he donated 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to one of Netanyahu's election campaigns. If true, such a sum would violate Israel's campaign finance laws.

Mimran is the key suspect in a carbon tax fraud case in France. He and others are accused of defrauding the state of 283 million euros in sales taxes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reviews an honour guards shortly upon his arrival to government Vnukovo II airport just outside Moscow, Russia, on Monday, June 6, 2016. Netanyahu is on official visit to Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

The Israeli prime minister's office said any contribution to Netanyahu was done lawfully while he was a private citizen, and was not part of any election campaign donation.

It said in a statement that Mimran's claim of donating that sum to Netanyahu's election campaign is "a lie devoid of any foundation." It said that in 2001, when Netanyahu held no office, Mimran donated $40,000 to a public service fund used for public diplomacy tours abroad.

Mimran told Israel's channel 10 TV late Monday that he transferred a larger sum to Netanyahu's personal account.

He said that in 2001 he gave Netanyahu a million French francs, or around 170 thousand euros.

"I still have the bank statement, it is Arnaud Mimran, my personal account, to Benjamin Netanyahu, his personal account," he said.

"He can check on his account. This is not something he or I can hide," he said.

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Vets, families remember Normandy D-Day landings, 72 years on

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP)  Proud veterans in their 90s and families of fallen soldiers are commemorating the epochal D-Day invasion of Normandy 72 years ago that helped the Allies vanquish Hitler.

They held small ceremonies and moments of remembrance Monday along the wide beaches and cliffs where thousands of U.S., British, Canadian and French troops landed as dawn was breaking June 6, 1944. It was a pivotal moment in World War II, weakening the Nazis' hold on Western Europe after they suffered a punishing defeat in Stalingrad in the east.

Henry Breton of Augusta, Maine, was among the shrinking number of D-Day survivors to make it to Normandy for Monday's anniversary.

CORRECTS YEAR TO 2016- Tombs at the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Speaking at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Breton recalled landing in the second wave of boats, 35 minutes after the first, with the 106th Infantry Division. "We were off target," he said, describing the German counterattack, and ensuing violence and valor he experienced at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium.

"It brings back so many memories," he said, standing amid rows and rows of white crosses at the cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach.

Visiting the D-Day beaches is a homecoming of sorts: Breton's ancestors came to North America from Brittany in the 18th century, and during the war he met a Belgian woman who was his wife for 62 years until her death in 2009.

Some veterans expressed disappointment that Monday's ceremonies were low-key, especially compared with a sweeping ceremony for the 70th anniversary two years ago involving several world leaders.

Breton, who describes himself as "91 and a half," is hoping this visit isn't his last. "I would like to be here on the 75th."

People of many nationalities came Monday to pay respects. A group of Germans wrote the name of a regiment on the sand as a group of Spanish history enthusiasts dressed as D-Day participants walked nearby.

Peggy Harris of Vernon, Texas, was unable to come this year to visit the grave of her husband, 1st Lt. Billie D. Harris. But a good friend, Janie Simon, brought flowers and a sign asking visitors to email photos of the gravesite to his widow.

"She feels blessed that even though she lost Billie in this quest for freedom, people come here. That gives her great comfort," Simon said from the gravesite.

Harris landed in Normandy on D-Day, was shot to death days later and buried by French villagers, but his wife didn't find out what happened for more than 60 years.

"She never remarried," said Simon, who had an uncle who landed on Utah Beach and whose own husband fought in Vietnam. "It's a real love story."

U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Hartley Baird from Pittsburgh sailed into Normandy in August 1944 and fought to liberate France from the Nazis.

"I wouldn't have survived if the men hadn't cleared the way on D-Day," he said at the American Cemetery, where he came to pay homage to "the true heroes, those that are buried here."

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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

CORRECTS YEAR TO 2016- A Thank You is written in the sands of Omaha beach next to the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

CORRECTS YEAR TO 2016- WWII enthusiasts from Spain wearing 101st Airbone gears walk on Omaha beach next to the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

WWII enthusiasts walk on Omaha beach next to the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

German Captain Josef Gutsmiedl, of the 1st Company Military Police Regiment 3 from Munich, Germany, center, looks on as his soldier writes the name of regiment on the sands of Omaha beach next to the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

CORRECTS YEAR TO 2016- American E6 soldier John, from Virginia Beach, whose grand-father was a pilot in Canadian Air Force during WWII, center, looks at the map of the memorial in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday June 5, 2016, on the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Henry Breton, a 91-year-old veteran from Augusta, Maine, who landed on the beach soon after dawn on D-Day in 1944 with the 106th Infantry Division, walks to pay respects and share memories with other survivors in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Monday June 6, 2016, on the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

U.S. representatives of WWII veterans associations pay their respects as they listen to the U.S. national anthem prior to lay wreaths on the memorial in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Monday June 6, 2016, on the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

U.S. Air Force veteran Hartley Baird from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, center, who sailed into Normandy in August 1944 poses for visitors in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Monday June 6, 2016, on the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Roses are placed on the tomb of Morris H. Hilghman Jr of the PVT 507 Parachute Inf Regiment from west Virginia , who died on June 9, 1944, by French members of WWII veteran association "Les Fleurs de la Memoire", "Flowers for Memory", in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Monday June 6, 2016, on the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landing. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

U.S. Air Force veteran Hartley Baird from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, center, who sailed into Normandy in August 1944 poses for visitors flanked with U.S. 4/25 IBCT Airborne soldiers from Jber, Alaska, from left, SSG Torres, SGM Bardaza, and SSG Perez, in the Colleville American military cemetery, in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Monday June 6, 2016, on the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. D-Day marked the start of a Europe invasion, as many thousands of Allied troops began landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France in 1944 at the start of a major offensive against the Nazi German forces, an offensive which cost the lives of many thousands. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
In Istanbul, drummers keep ancient Ramadan tradition alive

ISTANBUL (AP)  In the dark of night, when the streets of Istanbul enjoy a rare moment of quiet, Ali Buldu sets out beating his drum to wake up his neighborhood. For most, Buldu's passing is a welcomed sign that the Muslim month of fasting and prayer has begun.

The 55-year-old decked in traditional Ottoman attire has been making these pre-dawn Ramadan rounds for half of his life. It's a tradition he treasures, just like his forefathers did, and one that he is trying to pass on to the next generation.

Roughly 2,000 drummers wander around Istanbul's neighborhoods during Ramadan, a time when Muslim families fast from sunrise to sundown and come together for prayer and copious meals sweetened by dates and pastries to break off the fast. The drummers wander the streets to wake up residents for "sahur"  meals eaten before dawn.

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, perform through the neighborhoods of Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

"The Ramadan drummer has existed since the age of the Ottomans," Buldu says with pride as his 23-year-old nephew Emrah, who is joining him in the tradition, vigorously stirs sugar into his teacup before they march off in different directions at the speed of seasoned soldiers.

Throughout the year, Buldu and many of his male relatives earn money by playing at weddings and other festivities. But during Ramadan, they rely on the generosity of residents to survive.

"During Ramadan, we don't have a job as no one organizes weddings," he tells The Associated Press before his first outing of the year. "May God bless the neighborhood residents, we take tips from those who (want to) give."

On average, Istanbul's drummers are in their forties or fifties. Most young people are not interested in taking on the task and seek out different jobs, says Buldu who picked up the sticks when his uncle died. Sometimes, the veteran drummer worries the craft will disappear and that drummers will be unceremoniously replaced by alarm clocks.

However, the introduction of Ottoman costumes five years ago and official membership cards for those who play have restored a sense of pride to the age-old tradition and helped expand the network of drummers in the booming metropolis.

In the past three years, the ranks of drummers have grown from about 900 to 2,000, says Selami Aykut, a neighborhood administrator in the middleclass district of Bahcelievler. Before, there would be just one drummer per neighborhood.

"We want to keep the old traditions alive," Aykut tells the AP after his family shares a light pre-dawn meal.

The practice is welcomed by most, except a small minority who are bothered by the bang of the drum  typically the elderly, sick or mothers with young babies, Aykut says.

"It is important because people know that Ramadan has come from the sound of the drum," he says. "People were complaining because they couldn't hear the drummers on the streets anymore."

There is not much money in the business, with drummers knocking doors twice in the month to collect bakhshish, a small reward that can run from less than a dollar to around $20.

But for Buldu's young nephew, who is bucking the trend among his contemporaries, the best reward is keeping the tradition alive.

"It makes people happy and it makes us happy to play during Ramadan," Emrah Buldu says.

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Neyran Elden and Bram Janssen in Istanbul contributed to this report.

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, backdropped by a mosque, pose for a photo before walking the streets of the neighborhoods in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, More than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs in an Istanbul neighborhood, More than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, chat before performing on the streets of different neighborhoods in Istanbul, eMore than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummer Ali Buldu, right, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers dressed in traditional Ottoman clothes, pose for a photo before walking through the streets of Istanbul with their drum beats early Monday June 6, 2016. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, backdropped by a mosque, pose for a photo before walking the streets with their drums through different neighborhoods in Istanbul early Monday, June 6, 2016. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Croatian premier, president meet on government crisis

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)  Croatia's president and prime minister have met to discuss a political deadlock that has raised prospects of early elections just months after the government was formed.

No details have been revealed from the meeting Monday between Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic and President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Croatian state TV says the president has also met with Parliament speaker Zeljko Reiner.

The crisis was caused by a dispute between the two parties in the ruling coalition, which both have a deputy prime minister. Junior partner, the Most group, has joined opposition demands for the ouster of the deputy prime minister from its ruling partner the Croatian Democratic Union.
China repeats refusal to abide by South China Sea ruling

A look at some recent key developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential gas and oil reserves:

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest key developments in the South China Sea, home to several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.

FILE - In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 file photo, China's Rear Adm. Sun Jianguo of the People's Liberation Army Navy, deputy chief of the joint staff of the PLAs General Staff Department, delivers his speech about "The Challenges Of Conflict Resolution" at the 15th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue, or IISS, Asia Security Summit in Singapore. China has reiterated its refusal to abide by any ruling from a U.N. arbitration panel over its claim to almost all of the disputed South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue regional security conference, Sun also called on nations without a direct claim to territory in the region to stay out of the dispute, a reference to the United States and its allies including Japan and Australia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

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CHINA WILL REFUSE TO ABIDE BY U.N. ABITRATION PANEL RULING

China has reiterated its refusal to abide by any ruling from a U.N. arbitration panel over its claim to almost all of the disputed South China Sea.

Speaking Sunday at the Shangri-la Dialogue regional security conference in Singapore, Rear Adm. Sun Jianguo also called on nations without a direct claim to territory in the region to stay out of the dispute, a reference to the United States and its allies including Japan and Australia.

"We don't make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble," said Sun, who is also a deputy chief of staff for of the military's General Staff Department. "China will not bear with the arbitration award, nor will it allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interests or stay indifferent to the irresponsible behavior of some countries in and around the South China Sea," he said.

The arbitration panel in The Hague is expected to deliver a verdict in the coming weeks on a lawsuit brought by the Philippines questioning whether China's vague "nine-dashed line" boundary is applicable under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Sun's comments seemed intended for a domestic audience for whom such nationalistic appeals resonate strongly. The tabloid Global Times published by the ruling Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily ran his remarks on its front page under a headline reading "China hits back against the U.S., Japan."

At the same conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the arbitration panel's ruling would be "an opportunity for China and the rest of the region to recommit to a principled future, to renewed diplomacy, and to lowering tensions, rather than raising them."

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INDONESIA FIRES SHOTS AT, SEIZES CHINESE FISHING TRAWLER

Indonesia's navy last week said it fired shots at a Chinese trawler when it refused to stop fishing in Indonesian waters, and then seized the vessel and its eight crewmembers.

An Indonesian frigate intercepted the trawler on May 27 near the Natuna islands in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone, which overlaps with the southernmost reaches of the South China Sea, said navy western fleet command spokesman Maj. Budi Amin.

Amin said the frigate fired shots that hit the stern of the Gui Bei Yu-27088 after the fishing ignored repeated warnings to stop. He said no one was injured.

Tensions between the two countries flared in March when Indonesia intercepted a Chinese fishing vessel off the Natuna islands. A Chinese coast guard vessel collided with the trawler as it was being towed, allowing it to escape.

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SEA TENSIONS SEEN AS DRIVING UP DEFENSE SPENDING

Tensions in the South China Sea will drive up defense spending in the Asia-Pacific region by nearly a quarter by the end of the decade, consultancy IHS Jane's said last week.

Combined regional defense budgets will grow from $435 billion last year to $533 billion in 2020, furthering a shift in global military spending away from Western Europe and North America toward emerging markets, especially in Asia, the report said.

"A number of the South China Sea's littoral states appear to be responding to China's more assertive stance in the region and there is no sign of this trend coming to an end," Janes' principal analyst, Craig Caffrey, said in the report.

Following years of double-digit annual percentage increases, China has far and away the region's biggest defense budget at $146 billion last year, according to the government. That growth is now slowing and Jane's said it expects China's budget to rise by about 5 percent to $233 billion by 2020.

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US SAYS FEW ISSUES WITH CHINA OVER SEA

Head of the U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Harry Harris said last week that, while his forces are ready to confront Chinese ships and planes if necessary, there have been few significant issues with China lately in the South China Sea.

"We've seen positive behavior in the last several months by China," Harris said at the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore. "I'm encouraged by the activities" between the U.S. and Chinese militaries."

Harris noted that China plans to attend the Rim of the Pacific exercise this year, with U.S. and Chinese warships operating together from Guam to Hawaii.

Adm. John Richardson, the Navy's top admiral, said "more and more" interactions at sea with the Chinese navy are safe and professional.

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PHILIPPINE NAVY COMMISSIONS NEW SHIPS

The Philippine navy last week commissioned its first amphibious landing dock and three smaller landing craft as it continues to modernize its fleet in response to the perceived threat from China's much more powerful forces.

President Benigno Aquino III said the landing dock BRP Tarlac, which can transport a landing force, is now the navy's biggest ship. It was acquired under a 60.1 billion peso ($1.3 billion) military modernization program begun in 2010, he said at the navy's 118th anniversary ceremony.

The Philippine military is one of Asia's weakest, though Aquino said his government has upgraded its capabilities through the modernization program.

The 123-meter (400-foot) landing dock, which can also carry transport helicopters, is the first of two such vessels for the navy. The second, also built in Indonesia, is expected to be delivered next year.

The three smaller landing craft were bought from Australia to augment two similar vessels donated earlier by the Australian government.

FILE - In this Friday, June 3, 2016 file photo, China's Rear Adm. Sun Jianguo, center, of the People's Liberation Army Navy, deputy chief of the joint staff of the PLAs General Staff Department, listens to the keynote address during the opening dinner of the 15th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue, or IISS, Asia Security Summit in Singapore as U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is seated at right. China has reiterated its refusal to abide by any ruling from a U.N. arbitration panel over its claim to almost all of the disputed South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue regional security conference, Sun also called on nations without a direct claim to territory in the region to stay out of the dispute, a reference to the United States and its allies including Japan and Australia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
EgyptAir hijacker fights extradition to Egypt, fears govt

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  A hijacker who threatened to blow up an EgyptAir plane told the flight crew he was doing so because he opposes Egypt's military-backed government  and that is exactly why he should not be extradited to Egypt, his lawyer said Monday.

Lawyer Robertos Brahimis told a Cypriot court that both the pilot and co-pilot of the Airbus A320 have testified in documents supporting Egypt's request to extradite Seif Eddin Mustafa that he threatened to destroy the plane with a fake suicide belt because "he opposed the Egyptian government's policies."

The disclosure challenges suggestions by officials that the March 29 hijack could be due to a domestic dispute with Mustafa's Cypriot ex-wife. Brahimis said Mustafa's extradition could endanger him because authorities in his homeland don't respect human rights. A 1996 Cyprus-Egypt treaty also prohibits a suspect's extradition on political grounds, the lawyer said

Mustafa, 59, was arrested after forcing an Alexandria-to-Cairo flight to be diverted to Cyprus. All 72 passengers and crew members aboard the EgyptAir plane were released unharmed after a six-hour standoff.

Prosecution witness Yioulika Hadjiprodromou, however, said Egypt's extradition request has nothing to do with his politics. Hadjiprodromou, the Cypriot Justice Ministry official in charge of extradition requests, said Egypt has given its assurances that Mustafa will receive a fair trial.

He also says Mustafa will not face the death penalty because the charges don't warrant it.

Brahimis says Mustafa would not receive a fair trial in Egypt because of his political beliefs and he fears he will face torture or execution if he is returned.
Police fatally shoot man suspected of killing 2 others

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP)  Police officers in southwest Florida fatally shot a man suspected in the fatal shootings of a person in a nearby convenience store and a man on a motorcycle moments earlier.

Cape Coral police said in a news release that officers responding to a shooting call Sunday evening found the motorcyclist dead along a roadway. While working that scene, a second call came in about a shooting at a nearby convenience store. There, officers found one person dead. Another person there had injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Authorities say officers stopped the suspect's vehicle about four minutes later and he "violently" resisted arrest. The news release says multiple officers fired at him. Two passengers were wounded and taken to a hospital.
Somalia: AU troops accused of selling military supplies

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)  Somalia's security forces have arrested five soldiers from the African Union multinational force in the country for allegedly selling military supplies in the capital, the national police chief said Monday.

Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan said Somali forces on Sunday raided a garage in which AU soldiers were thought to be selling military supplies including sandbags, telephones, ammunition boxes and fuel.

Nine Somali soldiers were also arrested.

Ahmed Ali Dahir, Somalia's attorney general, said soldiers engaging in the "illegal" trade would be prosecuted.

The AU mission in Somalia confirmed the arrests of five of its soldiers and called the raid a joint AU-Somali operation.

In a statement, the mission said its commitment to restoring peace in the East African country "will not be derailed by the selfish acts of a few of its members." The mission is helping the government against an insurgency by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.
When to give up: Treatment or comfort for late-stage cancer?

CHICAGO (AP)  Two months before Joe Clark died of colon cancer at age 31, a doctor gently told him it was time to stop treatment.

He had suffered through more than a year of chemotherapy that produced painful sores in his mouth, last-ditch major abdominal surgery had left behind excruciating scar tissue, and hope had dried up. But the end of treatment had a surprise effect on Clark and his wife.

"It was a whole new way of thinking to wrap our minds around," his widow, Amanda Evans-Clark recalled. No more "fight mode," she said. "We finally felt like we were allowed to live."

In this Wednesday, June 1, 2016 photo, Amanda Evans-Clark looks over photos of her husband, Joe Clark, and their daughter at their home in Carmel, Ind. He died of advanced colon cancer at 31, after a year of chemotherapy and last-ditch major abdominal surgery. The decision to end treatment had a surprise effect on Clark and his wife. "It was a whole new way of thinking to wrap our minds around," Evans-Clark recalled. No more "fight mode," she said. "We finally felt like we were allowed to live." (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

When to stop aggressive treatment is one of the most wrenching decisions in cancer care. Medical guidelines say dying cancer patients shouldn't get harsh and painful treatment, but new research suggests it happens almost all of the time.

During their last month alive, three out four cancer patients younger than 65 got too-aggressive treatment and only a handful got comfort-based hospice care instead, according to the recent study.

There are many reasons why, but one of them is this, said University of Chicago palliative care specialist Dr. Monica Malec: "There's nearly nothing harder than being faced with a patient who's begging you not to give up on them."

Dying patients and their families are sometimes in denial about their illness, and sometimes don't understand the limitations of medical treatment, the researchers and other specialists say.

Those misunderstandings can often be avoided if doctors begin end-of-life conversations early in the process of treating patients whose cancers are likely to be deadly. But those talks often never happen, Malec said, or they don't happen until the situation has progressed to crisis, because they're just too difficult.

The new study is an analysis of health claims data involving more than 28,000 cancer patients who died between 2007 and 2014. Their end-of-life treatment included hospitalizations, chemotherapy and invasive procedures. Fewer than one in five patients received hospice care.

"There are hundreds if not thousands who undergo too much therapy and too much suffering for every one person that we have who ends up having a miracle," said Dr. Otis Brawley, the American Cancer Society's chief medical officer.

The study was presented Monday in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

Dr. Ronald Chen, the study's lead author and a cancer specialist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, said the decision is still a struggle, even when he knows hospice might be the right choice. "If I can offer chemotherapy or if I can offer radiation treatment, then I'm not giving up hope," he said.

Wendy Sparks of Oklahoma City says watching her elderly mother and younger sister both die of cancer within the last three years changed her thoughts about end-of-life treatment.

Her mother stopped chemo after her doctor assured her that ending treatment didn't mean giving up. But her sister, Nikki Stienman, kept up the treatment and suffered severe side effects from what her sister thinks was a needless final round of chemotherapy before she died at 38 of metastatic lung cancer in 2013.

"You're not giving up if you don't do treatment," Sparks said. "You're still fighting for your life, in a different way. You're fighting to have good days."

Dr. Andrew Epstein, a palliative care expert with the oncology society, said the new research, which echoes studies in older cancer patients, is important because less is known about end-of life care for younger patients.

Too few doctors know about hospice, which is among the best but most under-used resources, he said.

But abandoning treatment and seeking hospice care is sometimes seen as surrendering, especially with young patients, said American Cancer Society's Brawley. "When you're dealing with young people, in their 40s, 50s, even 60s, it's just so difficult to accept that this person is going to die," he said.

Joe Clark, an Orlando, Florida businessman, was diagnosed in 2011, two days before his 28th birthday and two months before his wedding. Instead of a honeymoon, he had chemotherapy.

The treatments seemed to work, until a year later, when shortly after his wife learned she was pregnant, tests showed the cancer had spread aggressively.

"No one uses the words like, 'incurable,'" Evans-Clark said. "We said what's next, and I remember hearing, 'you're going to be on chemotherapy, and we said, 'How long?' And they said, 'indefinitely.'" She recalls turning to look at her husband, "and he just broke down crying."

The couple created a blog detailing their cancer ordeal. In an entry four months before he died, next to a photo of nine pill bottles on his night table, Clark wrote, "I don't want to take any of them, but the doctor says I have to ... This isn't what they said was supposed to be! I'm supposed to enjoy all the small moments; all the ones that seem to matter the most, yet we let them slip from our attention so quickly. Because of the treatment plan, I can't even do that."

Evans-Clark remembers agonizing discussions with her husband about quantity versus quality of life. Major abdominal surgery failed to stop cancer's spread. Chemo had caused mouth sores and there were problems with the ostomy bag that replaced his diseased intestines.

"I remember looking at him and he was so thin, and he was so depressed, and everything that made him a man ... had been taken from him," she said.

They moved to Indianapolis, where a doctor finally sat them down and said, "I don't think this is worth it anymore."

It was an epiphany.

Clark starting receiving comfort care at a hospice center that felt more like home than a hospital, where he could finally focus only on spending time with his wife and baby daughter.

"I was able to be his wife versus being the one pushing all the meds," Evans-Clark said. "I was only given two more months with him but I would say they were some of the best months I had with him."

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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/lindsey-tanner

In this Wednesday, June 1, 2016 photo, Amanda Evans-Clark reads a book with her daughter, Mira, 2, in Carmel, Ind. The book features voice recordings from her husband, Joe Clark. He died of advanced colon cancer at 31, after a year of chemotherapy and last-ditch major abdominal surgery. The decision to end treatment had a surprise effect on Clark and his wife. "It was a whole new way of thinking to wrap our minds around," Evans-Clark recalled. No more "fight mode," she said. "We finally felt like we were allowed to live." (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

In this Friday, May 27, 2016 photo, Dr. Ronald C. Chen poses for a photo in his office at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Chen is the lead author on a new study of aggressive cancer treatment in the last month of a patient's life. Chen says the decision to end treatment is still a struggle, even when he knows hospice might be the right choice. "If I can offer chemotherapy or if I can offer radiation treatment, then I'm not giving up hope," he said. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Roman anger over corruption helps anti-establishment party

ROME (AP)  An anti-establishment candidate in Rome comfortably clinched a runoff mayoral election slot, according to results Monday, as Romans disgusted by corruption scandals and deteriorating city services largely turned away from traditional left-wing and right-wing parties.

Virginia Raggi of the 5-Star Movement took 35.3 percent of the vote Sunday in the Italian capital, trailed by Premier Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party candidate Roberto Giachetti, with just under 25 percent. Since no candidate took more than 50 percent in balloting, the top two face a runoff June 19.

Renzi's candidate for Milan, Giuseppe Sala, widely praised for smooth management of that city's Expo 2015, finished just ahead of center-right challenger Stefano Paris. Both head to a runoff.

Virginia Raggi, 37, who is a rising star of the anti-establishment Five Star movement in Italy and is bidding to become the first female mayor of Rome

On Monday, Renzi sought to discourage interpretation of Democratic Party local results as judgment on his government, now in its third year. He cited "local dynamics" in the races across the nation, including in two other big cities, Naples and Turin.

"It's not a debacle but it's not enough for us because we want more," Renzi said.

He is staking his survival as premier on the outcome of a voter referendum in October on a centerpiece reform of his center-left coalition: a drastic overhaul of Parliament's structure to streamline the lawmaking process.

Calling Sunday's results a "protest vote," Renzi contended that voters in October will draw on that same angry mood to confirm his reform, which strips the Senate of lawmaking powers, leaving that job to the lower Chamber of Deputies.

A political analyst ventured a different interpretation.

"Yesterday's vote suggests that the electorate is increasingly volatile and party identification is further declining," said Wolfango Piccoli, a London-based director of research at Teneo Intelligence, a political risk consultancy. "This makes the referendum outcome even less predictable."

The 5-Star Movement founder, comic Beppe Grillo, hailed the results, including Raggi's impressive showing in Rome and a runoff berth for a 5-Star candidate in the industrial town of Turin.

Raggi said she drew on her experiences as a mother in Rome in deciding she had something to offer if she becomes the city's first female mayor. She cites rundown playgrounds and chaotic traffic, including chronic double-parking making it difficult to maneuver baby strollers.

Giachetti, her rival in the runoff, said "there's an angry city that wanted to show this anger and I don't underestimate anything."

For several years, Rome prosecutors have been unearthing corruption and mafia-like threats by cliques linked to both former right-wing and center-left local politicians in divvying up city contracts, including ones to house and feed migrants. Buses from the mass transit agency, long a source of patronage jobs, frequently break down, and drivers frequently strike. Traffic police staged a mass "sickout" last New Year's Eve without punishment.

The June 19 runoff will be an opportunity to "rewrite" the city's future, Raggi told Italian news agency ANSA.

Since last fall, Rome has lacked a mayor. The last one, a Democrat, gradually lost Renzi's support and resigned as he failed to turn the badly-managed city around.

Indirectly helping Giachetti, and not a right-wing candidate, to snag the second Rome runoff berth was former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who backed a rival center-right candidate, effectively splitting the right-bloc's votes, further indication of his waning political influence on conservatives.

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Follow Frances D'Emilio at http://www.twitter.com/fdemilio

Democratic Party candidate for Rome's mayoral elections, Roberto Giachetti, left, is flanked by Italian Premier and Party Leader Matteo Renzi during a campaign rally in Rome, Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Virginia Raggi of the 5-Star Movement, an anti-establishment candidate in Rome, has comfortably clinched a runoff mayoral election slot, as Romans disgusted by corruption scandals and deteriorating city services largely turned away from traditional left and right parties which governed the Italian capital for decades. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA Via AP)

Democratic Party candidate for Rome's mayoral elections, Roberto Giachetti, smiles during a campaign rally in Rome, Friday, June 3, 2016. Virginia Raggi of the 5-Star Movement, an anti-establishment candidate in Rome, has comfortably clinched a runoff mayoral election slot, as Romans disgusted by corruption scandals and deteriorating city services largely turned away from traditional left and right parties which governed the Italian capital for decades. (Ettore Ferrari/ANSA Via AP)

Born in Rome, the slim brunette entered politics five years ago, attracted by the M5S and its declaration of war on the establishment and traditional political parties

After the first round of local elections, Ms Raggi took a big lead over her rivals, despite being virtually unknown to the public a few months ago
Afghan president condemns killing of NPR reporters in south

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The president of Afghanistan on Monday condemned the killings of David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamanna in an insurgent ambush while on assignment.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling Sunday in the south with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, said network spokeswoman Isabel Lara in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack cowardly and "completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws."

This undated photo provided by NPR shows Zabihullah Tamanna, left, and David Gilkey. Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Tamanna, an Afghan translator, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, June 5, 2016, a network spokeswoman said. (Monika Evstatieva/NPR via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

In a statement, Ghani said the Taliban do not distinguish among the military, civilians and journalists, and that they killed Gilkey and Tamanna as the two were reporting on the war. He offered condolences to their families.

Ghani went to Helmand later Monday to assess the security situation in the opium-poppy field region, which gives the world most of its heroin, controlled by the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and U.S. Army Gen. John. W. Nicholson, commander of the U.S.-NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, also offered condolences.

"David and Zabihullah, in particular, spent years in Afghanistan tirelessly endeavoring to tell the story of the Afghan people," Nicholson said in a statement. "We have the utmost respect for their work as well as those others that endure the hardships that come with reporting from conflict zones."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killings "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey and Tamanna were killed along with two other people while riding in a vehicle that came under sustained Taliban attack about 300-400 meters (yards) from the main army base in Marjah, said Maj. Abdul Qader, deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Helmand province.

The Humvee, which was was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, was carrying five people: Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof, an Afghan army soldier and a driver, Qader told The Associated Press.

The driver and machine gunner were killed along with Gilkey and Tamanna in the attack, which lasted 30-40 minutes, he said, adding that army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

"The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command," Qader said. The bodies of Gilkey and Tamanna were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of U.S. Marines.

Gilkey, 50, had covered Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna, 37, was a freelance journalist who often worked as a translator for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he had years of experience as a reporter, cameraman and photographer for local and international news organizations in Afghanistan.

He worked in Kabul as a photographer for China's Xinhua news agency and also reported for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee described him as one of the country's most experienced journalists. He had a degree in law and political science from Kabul University. Aside from his work in daily news, he was a legal adviser to a local media consultancy.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey as Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

President Barack Obama had met Gilkey in the Oval Office after the journalist was honored by the White House News Photographers Association, said spokesman Josh Earnest, who passed along condolences from the president and first lady.

"I know there are a number of people in this room who worked with Mr. Gilkey and deeply respected his professionalism and his commitment to going anywhere, even dangerous places like Afghanistan repeatedly, to get the story and to tell the story in photos and on video," Earnest said at Monday's White House press briefing.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot and killed in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and wars in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until moving to NPR in 2007.

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Salcedo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper in Beijing, Lynne O'Donnell in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.

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Online:

David Gilkey's work: http://www.npr.org/people/136474931/david-gilkey
Pope names Guam administrator after bishop accused of abuse

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis on Monday named a special administrator for the Catholic Church on the Pacific territory of Guam after its archbishop was accused of sexually abusing young boys and of keeping church abuse policies weak to protect himself.

The archdiocese of Agana in the U.S. territory said last week it had hired a law firm and independent investigator to look into the allegations against Archbishop Anthony Apuron and how abuse cases were handled by his church.

On Monday, Francis named Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, the No. 2 official in the Vatican's mission office, as "apostolic administrator" for Agana. Apostolic administrators are named to run dioceses or archdioceses temporarily in the pope's name, usually pending the nomination of a new bishop.

Pope Francis asperses incense as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for a canonization ceremony, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Pope Francis has canonized Elizabeth Hesselblad, a Lutheran convert who hid Jews during World War II and Stanislaus, the founder of the first men's religious order dedicated to the immaculate conception. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Apuron, who technically remains in his post, has vigorously denied allegations he sexually abused an altar boy and a now-deceased son of an Arizona woman in the 1970s, when he was a priest. The allegations came back to the fore last week after a church deacon accused Apuron of purposely keeping the archdioceses' sexual abuse policy weak to protect himself.

Deacon Steve Martinez, former coordinator of the group that reviewed sex abuse allegations for the local church, released letters he had written to Apuron starting in 2014 flagging problems in the church's policy. He told a press conference there was an inherent conflict since Apuron himself would decide when to pursue an investigation and whether to take action.

Martinez was removed from his post in 2014.

In response, the archdiocese threatened legal action against Martinez and accused him of incompetence, of spreading "malicious and intentionally false claims" and of conspiring to oust Apuron.

Francis' decision to effectively take over the Guam archdiocese came two days after he laid out the legal procedures to oust bishops for negligence if they botch investigating cases of sex abuse by their priests. For bishops themselves accused of sexual abuse, the procedures would follow the existing norms of a church investigation and sanction if found guilty.

It wasn't immediately clear what Apuron is being investigated for by the Vatican. The nomination of Hon as temporary administrator, though, is a clear indication that a final decision on Apuron's fate hasn't been reached, but that there were sufficiently serious grounds to warrant none other than the No. 2 official of the Vatican office in charge of the church in Guam to take over, pending the outcome of the investigation.

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Italian, Russian found dead on yacht moored in Spain resort

MADRID (AP)  Police say they are investigating the deaths of an Italian man and a Russian woman found inside a motorized yacht moored in the Spanish resort town of Roses.

An official with Catalonia's regional police says there was no indication of foul play but that autopsies were being conducted Monday to determine the cause of death.

The official says the man was 46 and the woman was 28 but that authorities were releasing no more information about the two because their deaths were not considered suspicious.

They were found dead inside the boat in the Mediterranean resort near Spain's border with France at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Syrian woman becomes first female parliament speaker

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  A Syrian woman who is a member of President Bashar Assad's Baath party has been chosen as the new parliament speaker, becoming the first woman to ever hold the post.

Hadiyeh al-Abbas, 58, won uncontested Monday during the first session of the People's Assembly, elected in April.

Al-Abbas holds a PhD in agricultural engineering and was a professor at al-Furat University in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which is currently contested by government forces and the Islamic State group.

Najdat Anzour, one of Syria's best-known producers and most acclaimed directors, was chosen as deputy parliament speaker. He is a staunch Assad supporter.
Image of Asia: South Korea remembers dead on Memorial Day

In this photo by Ahn Young-joon, South Korean Park Sang-ock weeps at the gravestone of his father Park Bong-sam, who was killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War, at the national cemetery in Seoul, South Korea. Monday is the country's Memorial Day, commemorating those killed while serving in the military. In her Memorial Day address, President Park Geun-hye said Seoul would maintain its sanctions on North Korea to compel it to give up its nuclear weapons program.
St. Louis police pay $4.7 million for 44 settlements

ST. LOUIS (AP)  The city of St. Louis has paid $4.7 million to settle 44 cases involving police filed since 2010 over injuries, wrongful imprisonment or death, according to a newspaper review of payouts that had not previously been publicized.

Two of the cases involving six-figure settlements were never reviewed by the city prosecutor's office and there are no plans to do so. Another case, the 2011 fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, wasn't reviewed for more than four years. The former officer, Jason Stockley, was charged with murder in May, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported (http://bit.ly/1XwDxdY ).

The Missouri Attorney General's Office, which represented the police in civil cases until 2013, released the payout amounts after a public records request from the newspaper.

The city paid $900,000 to Smith's survivors in 2013 but the prosecutor's office didn't file charges against former officer Jason Stockley until last month.

The prosecutor's office has not reviewed the case of Cary Ball, whose family was awarded $400,000 after he was shot 21 times in April 2013 after he crashed his car during a police chase. In another case that was not reviewed, the police department agreed to pay $212,500 to the family of Normane Bennett, who was shot in June 2010 after he fled police who were trying to arrest him for alleged drug activity.

The officers involved in the shootings of Ball and Bennett were cleared by the police department.

City Prosecutor Jennifer Joyce was concerned that the police department settled the two shooting cases for a total of more than $600,000 but did not involve the office in reviewing those cases, spokeswoman Susan Ryan said. But Joyce currently has no plans to review either the Ball or Bennett cases, citing a lack of manpower and funding, Ryan said.

In September 2014, the police department established a Force Investigation Unit to review use of force by officers, and Joyce's office started a similar unit to conduct parallel investigations.

An attorney who in March won a $2.5 million award after a trial for a client who was exonerated after spending five years in prison in a case that involved two former St. Louis police officers said local prosecutors should review cases that result in large police settlements.

"In my considerable experience, police departments do not settle and certainly don't settle for a lot of money unless there is clear evidence of liability, clear evidence the shooting was unjustified," said Jon Loevy, of the Chicago firm Loevy & Loevy. "Anything short of that and they decline to settle."

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This story has been corrected to show that Smith was shot in 2011, not 2012.

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Q&A: What is Ramadan and why do Muslims fast all day?

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Millions of Muslims around the world on Monday marked the start of Ramadan, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. Others will begin fasting a day later, Tuesday, due to a moon-sighting methodology that can lead to different countries declaring the start of Ramadan a day or two apart.

Here are some questions and answers about Islam's holiest month:

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A Muslim woman reads the Quran following noon prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month on Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

WHY DO MUSLIMS FAST?

The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.

As with fasting in other religious traditions, it's seen as a way to physically and spiritually purify oneself. Muslims often donate to charities and feed the hungry during Ramadan. Many spend more time at mosques and use their downtime to recite the Quran.

London's new Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, wrote in the Guardian that he plans to use Ramadan to "build bridges" and break bread with Muslims and non-Muslims at synagogues, churches and mosques, though he acknowledged that 19-hour fasts during the longer summer days in Europe and forgoing coffee will be challenging.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity, and performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

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HOW DO MUSLIMS FAST?

Observant Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for the entire month of Ramadan. A single sip of water or a puff of a cigarette is enough to invalidate the fast.

However, Muslim scholars say it's not enough to just avoid food and drinks during the day. Muslims are encouraged to avoid gossip and arguments. Sexual intercourse is also forbidden during the daytime fast.

Just before the fast, Muslims have a pre-dawn meal of power foods to get them through the day, the "suhoor." Egyptians eat mashed fava beans spiced with cumin and olive oil, while in Lebanon and Syria, popular suhoor food is flatbread with thyme, cheese or yogurt. In Afghanistan, people eat dates and dumplings stuffed with potato and leeks.

In the northernmost parts of Europe, where the sun does not set or rise for many weeks in peak summer, Muslims observe Ramadan according to the daylight hours of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, or nearby Muslim countries.

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HOW DO MUSLIMS BREAK THEIR FAST?

Muslims traditionally break their fast like the Prophet Muhammad did some 1,400 years ago, with a sip of water and some dates at sunset.

After sunset prayers, a large feast known as "iftar" is shared with family and friends. Across the Arab world, apricot juice is an iftar staple. In South Asia and Turkey, yogurt-based drinks are popular.

Every night of Ramadan, mosques and aid organizations set up tents and tables where they offer free iftar meals.

But large crowds at mosques can also be targets for extremists. Afghan and U.S. military officials have said they expect Taliban attacks to increase during Ramadan. Nigerian officials say the extremist Boko Haram group plans to attack Muslims during morning and evening prayers.

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CAN MUSLIMS BE EXEMPTED FROM FASTING?

There are exceptions for children, the elderly, those who are ill, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating, and people traveling, which can include athletes during tournaments.

Many Muslims, particularly in the United States and Europe, are accepting and welcoming of others around them who aren't observing Ramadan.

However, non-Muslims or adult Muslims who eat in public during the day can be fined or even jailed in some Mideast countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which is home to a large Western expat population.

In many predominantly Muslim countries like Indonesia, karaoke bars and nightclubs close down for the month. Restaurants there use curtains to conceal customers who eat during the day.

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, which issues religious edits, on Monday warned against eating in public, saying it is not an act of personal freedom but an "assault on Islam."

In China, minority Uighur Muslims complain of restrictions by the Communist Party, such as bans on fasting by party members, civil servants, teachers and students, as well as generally enforced bans on children attending mosques, women wearing veils and young men growing beards.

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WHAT ARE SOME RAMADAN TRADITIONS?

Typically, the start of the month is welcomed with the greeting of "Ramadan kareem!" Another hallmark of Ramadan is nightly prayer at the mosque among Sunni Muslims called "taraweeh."

Egyptians have the tradition of Ramadan lanterns called the "fanoos," often the centerpiece at an iftar table or seen hanging in window shops and from balconies. In the Gulf, wealthy families hold "majlises" where they open their doors for people to pass by at all hours of the night for food, tea, coffee and conversation.

Increasingly common are Ramadan tents in five-star hotels that offer lavish and pricey meals from sunset to sunrise. While Ramadan is a boon for retailers in the Middle East and South Asia, critics say the holy month is increasingly becoming commercialized.

Scholars have also been disturbed by the proliferation of evening television shows during Ramadan. In Pakistan, live game shows give away gifts promoting their sponsors. In the Arab world, monthlong soap operas rake in millions of dollars in advertising.

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HOW DO MUSLIMS MARK THE END OF RAMADAN?

The end of Ramadan is marked by intense worship as Muslims seek to have their prayers answered during "Laylat al-Qadr" or the "Night of Destiny." It is on this night, which falls during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, that Muslims believe God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first verses of the Quran.

The end of Ramadan is celebrated by a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr. Children often receive new clothes, gifts and cash. Muslims attend early morning Eid prayers the day after Ramadan. Families usually spend the day picnicking outside.

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Associated Press writers Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki, Finland, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Maggie Michael in Cairo, Lynne O'Donnell in Kabul, Afghanistan, Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Haruna Umar in Abuja, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

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Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ayaelb .

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, whirling dervishes spin during a performance to mark the holy month of Ramadan at El-Moez Street in historical Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, a whirling dervish spins during a performance to mark the holy month of Ramadan at El-Moez Street in historical Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this late Sunday, June 5, 2016 picture, Egyptians celebrate the announcement of the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Devout Muslims throughout the world began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, whirling dervishes perform to mark the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at El-Moez Street in historical Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, an Egyptian policeman patrols El-Moez Street in historical Fatimid Cairo, as people mark the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, whirling dervishes perform to mark the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at El-Moez Street in historical Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A Muslim man prays on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, an Egyptian vender looks for customers on a street decorated to mark the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world will began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs in an Istanbul neighborhood, More than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, whirling dervishes spin during a performance marking the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world will began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

In this Sunday, June 5, 2016 photo, whirling dervishes spin during a performance marking the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. Devout Muslims throughout the world will began to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

People wait in line to pay for specially-priced foodstuff for the upcoming Muslim month of Ramadan, at a government-run supermarket in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Muslims across the world will be observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan, when they refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

People wait in line to pay for specially-priced foodstuff for the upcoming Muslim month of Ramadan, at a government-run supermarket in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Muslims across the world will be observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan, when they refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, chat before performing on the streets of different neighborhoods in Istanbul, eMore than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander through Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, perform through the neighborhoods of Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, backdropped by a mosque, pose for a photo before walking the streets of the neighborhoods in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, backdropped by a mosque, pose for a photo before walking the streets with their drums through different neighborhoods in Istanbul early Monday, June 6, 2016. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, drummers dressed in traditional Ottoman clothes, pose for a photo before walking through the streets of Istanbul with their drum beats early Monday June 6, 2016. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a drummer, wearing traditional Ottoman clothes, performs on the streets of a neighborhood in Istanbul, early Monday June 6, 2016 to wake people for the "sahour", the traditional breakfast of Ramadan. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

On the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Selami Aykut, 38, center, surrounded family observe the "sahour", traditional breakfast of Ramadan, in Istanbul, after being woken by street drummers early Monday, June 6, 2016. More than 2000 drummers wander Istanbul's neighborhoods playing their drums in the early hours to wake up the residents as part of the holiday tradition. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Afghan migrants stranded in Greece, pray on a dock at the port of Piraeus, near Athens on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Afghan migrants stranded in Greece, pray in front of a docked ferry at the port of Piraeus, near Athens on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Afghan migrants stranded in Greece, pray on a dock at the port of Piraeus, near Athens on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Afghan migrants stranded in Greece, pray in front of a docked ferry at the port of Piraeus, near Athens on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Students read Quran on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar-Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic boarding school in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Students perform a prayer on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar-Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic boarding school in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Students perform a prayer on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar-Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic boarding school in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Students perform a prayer on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar-Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic boarding school in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, June 6, 2016. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Egypt detains 12 officials for leaking final exams

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt's official news agency says 12 Education Ministry officials have been detained after answers to the final nationwide exams for Arabic and religion were posted on Facebook.

MENA says the officials were detained Monday pending investigation. They face charges of "intentionally harming the public interest and funds."

The exams were posted on a Facebook account run by an anonymous individual, who said he wanted to shine a spotlight on corruption and inefficiency.

Scores on the exams, known as Thanaweya Amma, directly determine entrance to university faculties. A low score can prevent a student from pursuing medicine or other professions.
Egypt bans swimming off Red Sea beach after shark attack

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt has imposed a 15-day ban on sport fishing and offshore swimming near a popular Red Sea destination where a shark attack took place last weekend.

Environment Ministry officials Mohamed Salem and Beily Hatab say Monday the attack was likely caused by the combination of fishing and swimming in the same spot.

The shark attack happened off Ain Sokhna, a popular holiday destination 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The two officials, who are directly involved in investigating the attack, said the Egyptian man who was bitten by a shark was swimming after bait was thrown nearby.

Hotels in the area were instructed to hire watchmen for their beaches.
Power outages, flooding in Fla due to Tropical Storm Colin

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Colin hit north Florida and southern Georgia on Monday, knocking out power in some areas and flooding roads on the Gulf coast.

Residents filled sandbags, schools closed early and graduation ceremonies were postponed as Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency.

The National Hurricane Center said Colin marked the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

Beach goers get caught in a sudden downpour when a band associated from Tropical Storm Colin came ashore at Clearwater Beach, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Clearwater, Fla. A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a swift-moving depression had become a named storm. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Colin was moving north-northeast at 23 mph (37 kph), and its center was about 35 miles south-southeast of Apalachicola at 8 p.m. Maximum sustained winds were measured at 50 mph with higher gusts.

Early Monday, Ronald P. Milligan, 74, stopped by a park in St. Petersburg where authorities planned to distribute sandbags because the ditch in front of his home had filled during the previous evening's rain.

"If last night was a 'no storm'  and the water was almost up to the hump in my yard  I'm worried," Milligan said, motioning to about knee level. He's lived in Florida since the late 1970s and hasn't ever prepared for a storm this early.

Sandbags also were distributed in Tampa and cities and counties throughout the region.

The latest forecast for Colin called for the center of the storm to make landfall near the Big Bend area of Florida sometime Monday evening, and move across the Florida peninsula into Georgia and then move along or just off the South Carolina coast before heading out to sea.

Schools in at least one Florida Gulf Coast county were dismissed early Monday, and two high school graduations in the Tampa Bay area were postponed due to the storms, with both ceremonies being moved to Wednesday night and Thursday. Winds from Colin also closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa.

Farther north at Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge roads were flooded and businesses sending home people early, said Andrew Gude, manager of the refuge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"We're taking chain saws home so we can cut our way out of our neighborhoods and cut our way back into work tomorrow," Gude said.

About 7,600 people were without power in the Tampa Bay area. Duke Energy said Monday afternoon it had 3,600 customers without electricity, while Tampa Electric Company said on its website that 4,022 people were experiencing outages. In Jacksonville on Florida's Atlantic coast, about 2,300 customers were without power as heavy rains hit the area late Monday, according to the Jacksonville Energy Authority.

Colin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches, and forecasters said up to 8 inches are possible across north Florida, southeastern Georgia and coastal areas of the Carolinas through Tuesday.

Forecasters also described Colin as a lopsided storm, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 185 miles east of its center.

Not everyone in Florida was hunkering down. About 50 people were in the water with surfboards off Treasure Island to take advantage of the rare 2-3-foot swells breaking in the Gulf's warm waters.

"It's like man against nature," said Derek Wiltison of Atlantic Beach. "Surfers tend to drop what they're doing -- work, relationships, whatever -- to go out and catch a wave."

A tropical storm warning was also in effect for the entire Georgia coast and the lower South Carolina coast.

Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

Scott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

"I want everyone to be safe. I've talked to utilities and sheriff's departments, but residents have to do their part," Scott said.

Colin was expected to pass the Georgia coast before dawn Tuesday, said Dennis Jones, director of the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency.

Jones said flash floods appeared to pose the greatest threat, with the worst flood potential expected late Tuesday.

Allan Giese, 62, watched the start-and-stop rains Monday morning from his home about 150 yards from the St. Marys River, where he's seen larger storms bang up boats anchored in the nearby marina. He planned to bring his plywood work table inside, but otherwise simply ride out the storm inside with his wife.

"What it sounds like is just some heavy rains, but nothing torrential, not high winds," Giese said. "We'll just keep an eye on the tracker, go to bed and hunker down."

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Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Joe Reedy in Tallahassee, Florida and Nicole Ashley in Miami contributed to this report. Dearen reported from Gainesville, Florida.

A beachgoer gets hit with a large wave associated with winds from tropical storm Colin at Clearwater Beach Monday, June 6, 2016, in Clearwater, Fla. Colin was expected to make landfall somewhere along Florida's gulf coast. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Obama to pay 1st visit to Spain during July trip to Poland

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama will pay his first presidential visit to Spain next month for meetings on security and the economy.

The White House says Obama will add a stop in Spain on July 9 to his previously announced trip to Poland starting July 7 for a NATO summit. Obama also plans to meet in Warsaw with the heads of the European Council and the European Commission to discuss counter-terrorism, refugees and economics.

Obama's visit to Spain comes during a period of political uncertainty there. A stalemate had stopped Spanish politicians from forming a government since December. Another election is expected to be held on June 26.

President Barack Obama waves prior to departing on Air Force One from St. Lucie County International Airport in Fort Pierce, Fla. on Sunday, June 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)
High court rejects Google's appeal in class action lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from Google over a class action lawsuit filed by advertisers who claim the internet company displayed their ads on "low quality" web sites.

The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the lawsuit representing hundreds of thousands of advertisers using Google's AdWords program could go forward.

Google argued that a federal appeals court in San Francisco should not have approved the class action because damages must be calculated individually for each company advertiser. The appeals court rejected that argument and approved use of a formula that would calculate harm based on the average advertiser's experience.
Justices reject Ecuador's appeal of $96M award to Chevron

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from the government of Ecuador contesting a $96 million arbitration award to Chevron Corp stemming from a 1990s-era oil contract dispute.

The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that rejected Ecuador's challenge to the 2011 award from the Netherlands-based international arbitration panel.

The dispute centers on seven contracts that Texaco Petroleum Inc. had with Ecuador in 1991 to 1993. Chevron bought Texaco in 2001.
Ruling party sees stinging defeats in Mexican elections

XALAPA, Mexico (AP)  Mexico's ruling party was headed for stinging defeats in some of the 12 governorships up for grabs in state elections, according to preliminary vote counts Monday.

Hobbled by corruption scandals, violence and a weak economy, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party lost four states it had never lost before, including the northern state of Tamaulipas, across the border from Texas.

The party, known as the PRI, also lost in Veracruz, a state of 8 million that is the third most-populous in the country, and Quintana Roo, home to the resort of Cancun.

Miguel Angel Yunes waves at supporters as he arrives to give a news conference in Veracruz, Mexico, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Mexico's ruling party appeared to have suffered a series of stinging defeats in the 12 governorships up for grabs in state elections, according to preliminary vote counts Monday. Hobbled by corruption scandals, violence and a weak economy, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party lost four states including Veracruz, a state of 8 million that is the third most-populous in the country. (AP Photo/Ilse Huesca)

Entering Sunday's elections, the PRI held nine of the 12 states up for grabs. According to preliminary vote results, it won only five.

"Mexicans have been angered by several corruption scandals and worried about a sluggish economy, and they showed their frustration at the ballot box," said Andrew Selee, a Mexico expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.

Enrique Gutierrez Marquez, a political science professor at Mexico's Ibero American University, said what occurred has to be seen as "a punishment vote."

"There is a public perception that conditions in the country are getting worse, in terms of corruption and public safety," he said.

The ruling party was particularly punished in states like Quintana Roo  where PRI governors built up one of the highest state debt levels in Mexico  and Veracruz, where more journalists have been killed in recent years than any other state.

"Some PRI governors have acted with such impunity that they resemble feudal lords in their realms," said Gutierrez Marquez.

President Enrique Pena Nieto reacted philosophically, saying "anybody who competes in a democracy knows that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose."

"As leaders, we should listen to and act on the message from the voters," Pena Nieto said.

The big gains were for the conservative National Action Party, or PAN, which alone or in coalition picked up seven governorships.

The PAN wins included the border states of Chihuahua and Tamaulipas, and the central states of Aguascalientes and Puebla.

An unusual alliance between the PAN and the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, resulted in wins in the northern state of Durango, Quintana Roo and Veracruz.

"We're back!" crowed PAN national leader Ricardo Anaya Cortes, referring to the party's poor performance since losing the presidency to the PRI in 2012. In a statement, the party called the results "a firm and resounding step toward recovering the presidency in 2018."

The number of states the party controls heading into 2018 will have a significant impact on the amount of resources it has and the number of votes it can muster in the presidential contest.

PRI party leader Manlio Fabio Beltrones appeared resigned to the changing of the guard in states dominated by the PRI since 1929.

"The PRI celebrates the intense competition that is happening in the majority of the states, it's a sign of the times," Beltrones said.

But it was the PRI's own weaknesses that spelled its doom in many states, like the narco-violence in Tamaulipas, where several ex-PRI governors have been implicated in money laundering scandals. The nationwide economic situation doesn't help: the peso continues to devalue, and economic growth remains weak at around 2.5 percent.

The PRI lost the presidency in 2000 for the first time in 71 years and won it back in 2012. But Pena Nieto is suffering from low approval ratings, intense narco violence in parts of the country and what some see as a lack of commitment to fight corruption.

The PRI appeared to have won five of the governorships, in Sinaloa, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Zacatecas and Oaxaca. However, they weren't resounding victories. In two of the five states, the PRI won with only about a third of the vote.

The PRD was the biggest loser, winning no states outright, while the young, upstart Morena party made a healthy start, gaining votes but winning no governorships.

Voters were also deciding local races in Baja California. And in Mexico City, voters were selecting 60 members of a constituent assembly who will write a constitution for the capital.

In that race, the young, upstart Morena party won the most votes. Morena, started by former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, replaced the PRD as the main left force in many states.

But it remains to see whether the opposition will remain so divided between one conservative party, two leftist ones, and several smaller parties  that it could allow the PRI to hold on to the presidency in 2018.

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Stevenson reported from Mexico City.

A man casts his vote during state elections in the city of Veracruz, Mexico, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Veracruz is the biggest prize in Sunday's gubernatorial elections, which could shape the fortunes of the country's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in its bid to hold onto the presidency in 2018. In five of the 12 statehouses up for grabs, including Veracruz, the party has ruled uninterrupted for more than 80 years. (AP Photo/Ilse Huesca)

People prepare to cast their vote during state elections in the city of Veracruz, Mexico, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Veracruz is the biggest prize in Sunday's gubernatorial elections, which could shape the fortunes of the country's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in its bid to hold onto the presidency in 2018. In five of the 12 statehouses up for grabs, including Veracruz, the party has ruled uninterrupted for more than 80 years. (AP Photo/Ilse Huesca)

A man is taken into custody by state police after he was caught near a voting booth allegedly trying to pay voters to vote for a candidate in the city of Veracruz, Mexico, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Veracruz is the biggest prize in Sunday's gubernatorial elections, which could shape the fortunes of the country's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in its bid to hold onto the presidency in 2018. In five of the 12 statehouses up for grabs, including Veracruz, the party has ruled uninterrupted for more than 80 years. (AP Photo/Ilse Huesca)

A woman casts her vote during state elections in the city of Veracruz, Mexico, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Veracruz is the biggest prize in Sunday's gubernatorial elections, which could shape the fortunes of the country's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in its bid to hold onto the presidency in 2018. In five of the 12 statehouses up for grabs, including Veracruz, the party has ruled uninterrupted for more than 80 years. (AP Photo/Ilse Huesca)

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto casts his vote during local state elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Mexicans are voting in 12 states to pick new governors. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A man casts his vote for a new constitutional assembly for Mexico City, at a polling station in Mexico City, Sunday in Mexico City, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Mexicans are voting in 12 states to pick new governors. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A man casts his vote for a new constitutional assembly for Mexico City, at a polling station in Mexico City, Sunday in Mexico City, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Mexicans are voting in 12 states to pick new governors. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A woman casts her vote for a new constitutional assembly for Mexico City, at a polling station in Mexico City, Sunday in Mexico City, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Mexicans are also voting in 12 states to pick new governors. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Egypt's population grows by 1 million in 6 months

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt's statistics authority says the population has grown by 1 million over the last six months, reaching 91 million.

The statement issued by authorities on Sunday warned that the runaway population growth is the main obstacle to improving the standard of living. More than a quarter of the population lives in poverty, according to the 2013 census.

Egypt's fertility rate declined throughout the 1980s and 1990s as the government promoted family planning initiatives, but began rising again after 2007, according to World Bank statistics.
Bill Clinton's brother Roger accused of DUI in California

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Roger Clinton, younger half-brother of former President Bill Clinton, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Southern California, authorities said.

Roger Cassidy Clinton, 59, was taken into custody Sunday night in the seaside city of Redondo Beach, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, according to police Lt. Joe Hoffman.

Clinton was released Monday morning after posting $15,000 bail and scheduled to appear in court in Torrance on Sept. 2, police said.

This undated photo provided by the Redondo Beach Police Department shows Roger Clinton. Authorities say Clinton, younger half-brother of former President Bill Clinton, has been arrested Sunday, June 5, 2016, on suspicion of drunken driving in the seaside city of Redondo Beach, Calif. (Redondo Beach Police Department via AP)

Clinton was pulled over after a concerned citizen called police to report a vehicle driving erratically on Pacific Coast Highway, Hoffman said.

It wasn't immediately known if Clinton, who lives in nearby Torrance, has an attorney.

His release came a day ahead of the California Democratic primary, pitting his sister-in-law Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders.

Roger Clinton was also arrested for DUI in 2001. That arrest came shortly after then-President Clinton pardoned him for a 1985 drug conviction before leaving the White House.

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The Latest: 4 people killed in fire lived in same apartment

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  The Latest on an apartment building fire that left four people dead (all times local):

Noon

Firefighters say the four people killed in an early morning fire were all living in the same apartment unit.

A fire fighter contains a fire at an apartment Monday, June 6, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. Firefighters say a blaze in an apartment building in Manchester, New Hampshire, has left four people dead. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

In total, firefighters say they rescued 30 people from the building. Fire Chief Daniel Goonan says none of the seven apartment units that were occupied are livable now, due to either fire or water damage.

Details aren't yet being released about the two children and two adults who died.

Volunteers for a local nonprofit that provides meals and homework help for neighborhood children said the two children who died were brothers and a "big part" of the weekly gatherings.

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10:20 a.m.

Firefighters say a blaze at an apartment building in Manchester, New Hampshire, has left two adults and two children dead.

The fire department began getting 911 calls on the fire at sunrise Monday. Responders arrived to find heavy fire at the building.

Firefighters say two of the victims died at the scene and two died at a hospital. Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday.

One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Fire Chief Daniel Goonan says seven of the 12 apartments were occupied. The Red Cross was assisting some of the occupants. In all, 30 people were evacuated.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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7:30 a.m.

Firefighters say a blaze in an apartment building in Manchester, New Hampshire, has left four people dead.

WMUR-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1TW8PcU) two bodies were pulled from the fire. Two other people died at a hospital early Monday.

The fire started at about 4:30 a.m. at the multi-story building at Wilson Street.

Firefighters say a firefighter sustained minor injuries.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known. Officials say it started on a porch.
Burundi journalist arrested, feared tortured, radio says

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP)  A Burundian journalist has been arrested by the country's National Intelligence Service, and some fear he is being tortured, the director of an independent radio station said Monday.

Egide Ndayisenga of Bonesha FM was arrested Sunday while visiting friends in Western Cibitoke Province, Patrick Nduwimana said. Two friends with him were arrested and later released, he said.

Ndayisenga had sought refuge in Rwanda last year when the station was bombed and those suspected of opposing President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term feared they were being hunted down, Nduwimana said. Ndayisenga recently returned to the East African country.

Burundian Police Deputy Spokesman Moise Nkurunziza said he was still verifying whether Ndayisenga was arrested and why.

The arrest of Ndayisenga is a continuation of the harassment and silencing of independent journalists in Burundi, said Lambert Nigarura, a prominent lawyer and activist here.

"The government in Burundi does not want the world to know that it's killing its own people, and all independent journalists are in danger," Nigarura said. Both opponents and supporters of the government have been killed in apparent revenge attacks.

Bonesha FM was one of the independent media outlets shut down in May 2015, accused of conspiring with the generals who attempted to overthrow the president during violent protests against his bid for a third term. He was re-elected in July.

The violence has left more than 400 people dead and forced more than 260,000 to flee the country, according to the United Nations.

Bonesha FM has continued to operate a website with stories about the country.

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Obama, top EU officials to meet in Warsaw next month

BRUSSELS (AP)  U.S. President Barack Obama and senior European Union officials will hold talks in Warsaw next month to discuss political and economic issues and international security challenges.

Obama will meet with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Polish capital on July 8-9.

The Commission said in a statement Monday that the refugee crisis, counterterrorism and ways to boost economic growth and prosperity will top the agenda.
No men allowed: Women-only pool hours draw complaints in NYC

NEW YORK (AP)  A New York City municipal pool that maintains female-only hours so that Hasidic Jewish women can swim with no men present has raised alarms among critics who say the accommodation to a particular religious group violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

But defenders say the women-only swim sessions at the Metropolitan Recreation Center give women whose community separates the sexes a rare chance to exercise.

"Why deprive them?" said New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Democrat who represents a heavily Orthodox Jewish district in Brooklyn. "Really, you're not taking away from anyone else."

A Hasidic Jewish woman leaves the Metropolitan Pool in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Monday, June 6, 2016. The public pool that maintains female-only hours so that women can swim with no men present has raised alarms among critics who say the accommodation to a particular religious group violates the constitutional separation of church and state. But defenders say the women-only swim sessions at the Metropolitan Recreation Center give women whose community separates the sexes a rare chance to exercise. (AP Photo/Rachelle Blidner)

The rec center in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood has apparently kept women-only pool hours since the 1990s, but the practice only came to the attention of the wider public when someone complained about it to the city's Commission on Human Rights.

Commission spokesman Seth Hoy said it received an anonymous tip "a few months back" that the indoor pool might be violating the city's human rights law, which bans sex discrimination in public accommodations.

Hoy said the commission reached out to the city Department of Parks and Recreation to discuss its pool policies.

According to Hikind, swimming pool staffers then started telling the Hasidic women that the female-only hours would be discontinued on June 11.

"A number of women called my office very distraught," Hikind said.

A new pool schedule without women's hours was posted, but the change was reversed after Hikind and others complained.

The city Parks Department said in a statement that it is reviewing its policy but the women-only sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and Sunday afternoons will remain for now.

The Brooklyn pool's women-only hours are unusual but not unique.

Seattle offers women-only swimming at several municipal pools, and the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park promises "No males allowed!" at its all-female swim.

Such swim sessions originally were offered "to serve our Jewish population," said Jacqueline Larson, spokeswoman for St. Louis Park. "However, as the city's Muslim population has grown, we have reached out to them to participate as well."

But civil libertarians say restricting men's access to a public pool is wrong.

"New Yorkers ... have every right to limit their swimming in accordance with their religious beliefs, but they have no right to impose a regime of gender discrimination on a public pool," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The controversy could be awkward for Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who relies on support from New York's growing ultra-Orthodox community.

De Blasio, who also has championed transgender rights, was asked last week whether "anybody who identifies as female" would be welcome during women-only pool hours. He declined to answer directly, saying only that the city is reviewing that issue.

At a recent all-female session at the Metropolitan pool, about 30 women swam and waded in the water. Several said they were thankful the hours were available to help them follow the practices of their religion, which bar men and women from swimming together, in part because swimsuits are inherently immodest. They protested loudly when a journalist sought to take a photo.

"It's good for our body and it's good for our mind. And we know where to go and we have a little exercise," said Paula Weiss, who gave her age as over 80. "We can't go everywhere."

Doug Safranek, who is not an Orthodox Jew, had to leave the pool at the start of women's session. He said he wouldn't want the all-female swimming hours canceled even though it inconveniences him.

"I'm happy that these women have a place to swim, but strictly speaking it isn't fair," Safranek said. "It's an extreme religious group that had a standard of modesty and decorum the rest of the culture doesn't share. I don't want to change my attire to accommodate them."

___

Associated Press writer Jake Pearson contributed to this report.
The Latest: Police say suspected gunman dies after shooting

PHOENIX (AP)  The Latest on a deadly shooting at a Phoenix motel (all times local):

4 p.m.

Police say a suspected gunman has died after a shooting at a Phoenix motel left two men dead and two other victims wounded.

Phoenix Police Department officers and investigators comb the area for evidence at a local motel where multiple people were shot, some fatally, early Monday, June 6, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Investigators say they still don't have a motive for Sunday night's attack.

Police say 28-year-old Daterryn McBride shot three men in the motel lobby  killing two of them  and then shot and wounded two people in a pickup truck in the parking lot.

They say McBride then carjacked a vehicle nearby, abandoned it when it broke down and stole another car and shot himself when police confronted him after he crashed the second vehicle.

McBride died at a hospital Monday afternoon.

Police say 44-year-old Brian Harris died after the lobby shooting and another motel employee  a 25-year-old man whose name hasn't been released  remains hospitalized in extremely critical condition.

They say the other man who died in the lobby shooting has been identified as 44-year-old Robert Sykes.

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7:50 a.m.

Phoenix police say a man opened fire at a motel and carjacked two vehicles before shooting himself, leaving two people dead and two other victims wounded.

The unidentified suspect is in extremely critical condition. Officer James Holmes says police don't know a motive for the attack.

Holmes says the gunman shot three men in the motel lobby Sunday night, killing two of them, and then shot and wounded two people in a pickup truck in the parking lot.

The man then carjacked a vehicle nearby, abandoned it when it broke down and stole another car.

Holmes says the man shot himself in the head when police confronted him after he crashed the second car.

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12:55 a.m.

Authorities say a shooting at a Phoenix motel has left three people with critical wounds.

Fire Department Capt. Ardell Deliz says the men in their 30s and 40s were rushed to a hospital following the shooting late Sunday night.

Deliz says two other people were treated at the scene for apparent graze wounds, but they refused hospital care.

There was no immediate word on what touched off the gunfire at the Interstate 17-area motel in north Phoenix.

There was also no indication of any suspects or arrests.

Police spokesman James R. Holmes indicated in a statement that an investigation was underway, but didn't elaborate.
British peacekeepers arrive in South Sudan for UN mission

JUBA, South Sudan (AP)  The first of 379 British troops have arrived in South Sudan's capital, Juba, to serve in a United Nations peacekeeping mission, a U.N. spokeswoman said Monday.

A five-person advance team landed Friday while the rest will begin arriving in the coming weeks, joining 11,990 peacekeepers from other nations, said Ariane Quentier, spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in South Sudan.

The British troops will carry weapons and form an engineering battalion meant to deploy in Bentiu, the capital of war-torn Unity state, Quentier said.

Nearly 100,000 civilians shelter at the U.N. mission's Bentiu base seeking safety from the country's two and a half year civil war, according to U.N. figures. About 170,000 civilians live in U.N. bases around South Sudan.

The U.N. mission has been criticized for not doing enough to protect civilians during the war. Over 7,000 civilians died in Unity state from violence last year during a government offensive which included the murders of civilians, sexual slavery, and forced starvation, according to the U.N.

"The arrival of British personnel clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting U.N. efforts to improve conditions in some of the world's most destabilizing conflicts," British defense secretary Michael Fallon said in a Monday statement. Britain has also started sending peacekeepers to Somalia, the statement said.
The Latest: Riley: Speaker tried to obey ethics law

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP)  The Latest on the ethics trial of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (all times local):

5 p.m.

Former Gov. Bob Riley says he thinks House Speaker Mike Hubbard took precautions to obey the state ethics law.

Mike Hubbard and Susan Hubbard walk to the Lee County Justice Center for Mike Hubbard's trial on Monday, June 6, 2016 in Opelika, Ala. Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool)

In cross-examination Monday afternoon by Hubbard's defense lawyer, the former governor said Hubbard sought guidance from the director of the state ethics commission after he took a job doing economic consulting work.

Riley said he thought Hubbard tried to make sure what he was doing was "absolutely legal."

Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, employment and investments from lobbyists and others.

Riley testified that he and others friends of Hubbard's tried to help him find a way to make a living after Hubbard was laid off by his primary employer in 2011.

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12:12 p.m.

Former Gov. Rob Riley and a state prosecutor exchanged testy remarks as Riley's testimony continued in House Speaker Mike Hubbard's ethics trial.

Prosecutor Matt Hart on Monday morning stopped Riley from elaborating at length on his answers. Riley accused Hart of asking questions without context when Hart asked if he had ever warned Hubbard about running afoul of the state ethics law.

The former governor testified that he and Hubbard often talked about Hubbard's deteriorating financial situation.

Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature.

Hubbard says he's innocent and the transactions were within the bounds of the ethics law and its exemptions for longstanding friendships and normal business dealings.

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10 a.m.

Former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley says the state's House speaker was sometimes serious and sometimes joking when he asked for a job.

Testimony resumed Monday in House Speaker Mike Hubbard's ethics trial. Prosecutors asked Riley about emails Hubbard sent him as he looked for a job.

Riley said Hubbard was seriously looking for a job after being laid off from his primary employer. However, Riley said Hubbard's email lamenting a new state ethics law he just passed was "obviously" a joke.

Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature.

Hubbard says he's innocent and the transactions were within the bounds of the ethics law and its exemptions for longstanding friendships and normal business dealings.

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4:50 a.m.

Former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley will resume his testimony in the ethics trial of the state's House speaker.

Riley will return to the witness stand Monday morning. Prosecutors began questioning Riley on Friday about emails House Speaker Mike Hubbard sent to him. Hubbard wrote that he wanted to work for Riley's new lobbying firm.

Riley said the request was something of a running joke between them and weren't always serious.

Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature.

Hubbard says he's innocent and the transactions were within the bounds of the ethics law and its exemptions for longstanding friendships and normal business dealings.

Former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, left, and son Rob Riley walk to the Lee County Justice Center to testify for the second day in Alabama Speaker Mike Hubbard's trial on Monday, June 6, 2016 in Opelika, Ala. Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges accusing him of using his political positions to make money and seek financial favors, investments and employment from lobbyists and people with business before the Alabama Legislature. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP, Pool)
Federal judges decide conflicts of interest for themselves

WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump contends the American judge presiding over a class lawsuit against Trump University has a conflict of interest and must step aside because of his "Mexican heritage." Yet nothing in federal law or codes of judicial conduct requires a judge to withdraw from a case because of his race, ethnicity, gender or other identifying criteria.

Trump says U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel's ethnic background is in conflict with his proposal to build a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Curiel has not responded publicly to any of Trump's comments. Trump's legal team has not sought his removal from the case.

The jurist was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants and served as a federal prosecutor and a state judge in California before he was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2011.

Federal judges decide for themselves whether they should step aside because of possible biases that might influence the outcome of a case. That decision is subject to review by a federal appeals court.

Under federal law, a judge must avoid hearing a case "in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned." This includes cases where a judge:

 Has a personal bias or prejudice against a party in the case. This can apply when a judge has expressed an opinion about the merits of a case.

 Served as a lawyer or witness in the case, or worked in private practice with someone who has.

 Has a financial interest in the case, including the financial holdings of spouses and minor children.
Biden unveiling public database for clinical data on cancer

WASHINGTON (AP)  Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a public database for clinical data on cancer on Monday that aims to help researchers and doctors better tailor new treatments to individuals.

Overseen by the National Cancer Institute, the Genomic Data Commons starts with genomic and clinical data for 12,000 patients. The system is designed to increase sharing of information about the gene sequences of tumors and how patients with those tumors responded to specific treatments

Biden, speaking at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago, said recent advances in DNA sequencing technology had allowed researchers to generate vast amounts of new data in a short period of time. But he said the cancer world "can do much better than we're doing.

In this photo taken May 9, 2016, Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Washington. Biden is unveiling a public database for clinical data on cancer that aims to help researchers and doctors better tailor new treatments to individuals. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

"The information is scattered among different government and academic repositories. Most of it is out of the reach of scientists," Biden said. "We're bringing it into one space."

The database has emerged as the most tangible component of Biden's cancer "moonshot," a push in his final year in office to double the pace of cancer research toward a cure. Although the Obama administration has sought an influx of federal funds to accelerate research, Congress has approved only a fraction of what's been requested.

Since taking on the cancer issue last year, Biden has repeatedly argued that confining data within institutions has hampered cancer research, with scientists and medical companies reluctant to share proprietary information. In fact, cancer research institutions have significant data-sharing arrangements in place, although Biden and other critics say it's too limited and not happening early enough in the process.

Though easily searchable, the database includes protections for privacy and security, Biden said. He urged cancer experts gathered in Chicago to "upload your raw genomic data" to the system for use by fellow researchers.

"All of you know it's the right thing to do," Biden said. "It's the quickest way for us to move forward. And it's not technically hard for us to do it."

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Kenya: Wife accused of helping anthrax plot is charged

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Police in Kenya have charged the wife of a medic suspected of planning an anthrax attack and recruiting for the Islamic State group with being a member of a terrorist organization.

Police accuse Nuseiba Mohammed Haji, wife of medical intern Mohammed Ali Abdi, of being an accomplice in a foiled plan by Islamic State-linked extremist medics to launch an anthrax attack in Kenya.

Abdi was arrested in April.

Haji, a medical student who was extradited from Uganda, appeared before a trial magistrate Monday and denied the charges.
Charges expected against couple who had 276 dogs in home

HOWELL, N.J. (AP)  Charges are expected to be filed against a couple who had 276 dogs living in their bi-level home.

Ross Licitra, executive director and police chief of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said he hopes to meet with the county prosecutor's office this week. Officials said the home was in deplorable condition when they found the dogs last week.

Licitra said he doesn't want the Howell couple sent to jail, noting they have cooperated with authorities. But he feels some form of punishment is needed, such as a ban or limit on how many animals they can own.

In this Friday, June 3, 2016, photo, workers treat several of hundreds of dogs rescued from a bi-level home in Howell, N.J. The executive director and police chief for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ross Licitra, plans to meet with the Monmouth County prosecutor's office to discuss the matter. (Andrew Ford/Asbury Park Press via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

"These people have very limited means, and we understand that," Licitra told the Asbury Park Press. "We have to send a message that this is unacceptable. In the overall picture, the sheer magnitude of this, that the dogs had to live in those conditions, it's not OK."

Licitra says the dogs are small breeds and are doing well and will be put up for adoption. But two have since given birth, and officials say as many as 25 more may be pregnant. That could yield about 100 more dogs, SPCA officials said.

All the dogs are being cared for at shelters.

"This is the first time out of that house in their lives, but they are adjusting nicely," Licitra said.

In this Friday, June 3, 2016, photo, a worker carries a puppy that was among hundreds of dogs rescued from a bi-level home in Howell, N.J. The executive director and police chief for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ross Licitra, plans to meet with the Monmouth County prosecutor's office to discuss the matter. (Andrew Ford/Asbury Park Press via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT
Eric Holder planning to write memoir, sources tell AP

NEW YORK (AP)  Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is planning to write a memoir, The Associated Press has learned.

Holder has been meeting with publishers about a book covering his years in the Obama administration, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations. All three asked not to be identified, saying they weren't authorized to discuss the book.

Holder, who left office in April 2015, didn't respond Monday to several requests for comment. The country's first black attorney general, he has returned to the same law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, where he worked before being appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009.

FILE - In this March 4, 2015 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the Justice Department in Washington about the Justice Departments findings related to two investigations in Ferguson, Mo. Holder has been meeting with publishers about a book covering his years in the Obama administration, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations. All three asked not to be identified, saying they were not authorized to discuss the book. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

His six-year tenure prioritized civil rights protections, with the Justice Department under his watch endorsing federal benefits for same-sex couples and suing states that it felt were impeding access to the ballot box. He also promoted sweeping changes to the criminal justice system under a 2013 initiative known as "Smart on Crime," in which he encouraged prosecutors to seek shorter sentences for non-violent drug offenders.

As attorney general, he presided over federal civil rights investigations arising from the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting did not result in any criminal charges, but the Justice Department issued a scathing report about the Ferguson police department's practices.

One of his most contentious times in office came in 2012, when he was held in contempt of Congress during a documents dispute with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives over the botched gun-walking operation called "Operation Fast and Furious."

He's continued to make news even in private practice, saying in a podcast interview last month that Edward Snowden performed a "public service" in fostering a dialogue about secret domestic surveillance programs  but that he should return to the U.S. to stand trial.

As a National Security Agency contractor, Snowden leaked details in 2013 of the U.S. government's warrantless surveillance. He now lives in Russia and faces U.S. charges that could land him in prison for up to 30 years.

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Hungary's far-right Jobbik party's leader strengthens power

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  The leader of Hungary's far-right Jobbik party is trying to strengthen his power by forcing a key party member to resign from parliament, experts said Monday.

Lawmaker Elod Novak said he was giving up his seat at the request of party president Gabor Vona but wanted to remain in Jobbik, the second-largest opposition group in parliament.

In a post on Facebook, Novak called his resignation "the most painful decision" in his life, describing his ouster as "incorrect and unethical."

FILE - In this April 6, 2014 file picture Chairman of the radical nationalist Jobbik party Gabor Vona, center, delivers his speech after the parliamentary elections in the Budapest Congress Centre in Budapest, Hungary. Experts say the leader of Hungary's far-right Jobbik party is trying to strengthen his power by forcing a key party member to resign from parliament. Elod Novak says he is giving up his seat at the request of party president Gabor Vona but wants to remain in Jobbik. (AP Photo/MTI, Janos Marjai,file )

Vona was recently re-elected party president with 80 percent support, but blocked Novak and others from running for leadership positions.

Political Capital Institute analyst Attila Juhasz said Vona was resorting to the method also used by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who emphasized personal loyalty and consolidated his leadership by sidelining potential rivals.

"Vona wants to demonstrate that there is no alternative or deviation from the direction he has set," Juhasz said. "Heading toward parliamentary elections in 2018, Vona wants to end the internal squabbles and have discipline and centralized leadership in the party."

Novak's wife, Dora Duro, one of Hungary's few female lawmakers, didn't wish to comment on her husband's ouster, which Juhasz said was another indication of Vona's dominance.

Jobbik, which entered parliament in 2010 with 16.7 percent of the votes, improved to 20.2 percent in 2014, but has had difficulty increasing its support in the past year in part because of Orban's success with his popular anti-immigrant position, usually a right-wing policy.
The Latest: Clinton basks in celebrity glow at LA fundraiser

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the presidential campaign a day before voters choose their candidates in six states (all times Eastern Daylight Time):

12:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is basking in the glow of celebrity friends at a fundraising concert in Los Angeles.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacts as she enters a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Speaking at a star-studded fundraising concert at Greek Theatre in Griffith Park Monday, the presumptive Democratic nominee is urging people to vote in the California primary.

She is pledging to "come out of the primary even stronger to take on Donald Trump."

The sold-out concert lineup included John Legend, Christina Aguilera and Stevie Wonder. Tickets ranged from $45 to $5,000, with co-hosts raising at least $10,000 and sponsors raising $50,000. The money goes to the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that allows Clinton to raise large checks.

Clinton did not mention the Associated Press report that she has reached enough delegates to clinch the nomination. She continued her attacks on likely Republican nominee Trump.

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12:05 p.m.

Celebrities at a Hillary Clinton benefit concert are noting the Associated Press report that Clinton has acquired enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee  but they are urging California supporters to vote Tuesday anyway.

Actress Eva Longoria is referencing the AP call but asking voters to "please find your polling place and help Hillary create history."

Singer John Legend says, "No matter what the AP says about who won the nomination we need folks to vote tomorrow in all the races."

The "She's With Us" concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles also featured musical numbers from Ricky Martin and Andra Day.

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9:10 p.m.

Hillary Clinton says she is on the brink of a "historic, unprecedented moment" but there is still work to do in six states voting Tuesday.

Clinton is campaigning in California, the largest prize up for grabs Tuesday. Her comments come as the AP count shows her securing the delegates she needs to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Clinton will be the first woman nominated by a major U.S. political party. Even as she looks toward the general election, Clinton says she will "fight hard for every single vote" in the final Democratic contests.

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8:55 p.m.

Hillary Clinton's top campaign aide says the AP's call in the Democratic Party's presidential primary is an "important milestone."

Campaign manager Robby Mook says Clinton is still looking ahead to six states voting Tuesday, including New Jersey and California. He says Clinton "is working to earn every vote" and clinch the majority of pledged delegates up for grabs in the Democratic nominating process.

According to the AP count, Clinton now has the delegates needed to become the first woman nominated by a major U.S. political party. The count is based on pledged delegates awarded in primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates  the party insiders who can back the candidate of their choosing, regardless of how their states vote.

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8:45 p.m.

Bernie Sanders' campaign says Hillary Clinton's nomination as the Democratic Party's presidential pick is dependent on superdelegates who can still change their minds between now and the July convention.

The campaign's statement comes as The Associated Press count shows Clinton has commitments from the number of delegates needed to become the Democrats' presumptive nominee.

Sanders' spokesman Michael Briggs says the campaign's job is to convince the superdelegates  party insiders  that the Vermont senator is "by far the strongest candidate against Donald Trump." He says calling the Democratic contest before superdelegates formally vote at the convention is a "rush to judgment."

The AP count of pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses and a survey of the superdelegates shows Clinton with the overall support of the required 2,383.

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8:19 p.m.

Hillary Clinton will be the first woman to top the presidential ticket of a major U.S. political party, having captured commitments from the number of delegates needed to become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee.

It was a victory that arrived Monday  nearly eight years to the day after she conceded her first White House campaign to Barack Obama and famously noted her inability to "shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling."

Campaigning this time as the loyal successor to the nation's first black president, Clinton held off a surprisingly strong challenge from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to break through.

Clinton reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive nominee with a decisive victory in Puerto Rico and a burst of last-minute support from party insiders known as superdelegates.

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7:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is keeping up her aggressive attacks on Donald Trump as she campaigns in California.

Before a crowd gathered in south Los Angeles Monday, Clinton says she can "take the fight to Donald Trump and defeat him in November."

Clinton says Trump's foreign policy is a "repudiation of basic American values, common sense and our security." She adds that foreign policy isn't always considered a top issue in a presidential election, but "Trump has made it about the biggest issue you can imagine."

Clinton is also attacking Trump for his criticism of a Latino judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University, arguing that Trump was trying to distract people from the case.

Clinton says: "We're not buying that. We're not falling for that."

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7:05 p.m.

More Republican senators are criticizing Donald Trump for challenging U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel's ability to fairly handle a lawsuit because of his Mexican heritage.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a member of the Senate GOP leadership, told reporters Monday that "it's not a good place to be" for Republicans to have to repeatedly explain their party's presumptive presidential nominee's statements.

Thune says Trump is "going to have to adapt. ... They were inappropriate comments."

Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman says, "To suggest somebody is not capable of doing a job because of their ancestry is wrong and unacceptable."

No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Cornyn of Texas is eager to change the subject.

He told a reporter: "I'm not going to be sucked into talking about Trump 24/7."

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6 p.m.

The super political action committee backing likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is debuting its first television ad against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

It's an emotional appeal made by Chris and Lauren Glaros, the Columbus, Ohio, parents of a girl with spina bifida. The ad blasts Trump for an incident in November in which he appeared to ridicule a reporter with a disability.

Lauren Glaros says even her child's schoolmates know better than to make fun of her like that.

Chris Glaros says: "When I saw Donald Trump mock somebody with a disability, it showed me his soul. It showed me his heart. And I didn't like what I saw."

The minute-long spot will air soon in presidential battleground states such as Ohio. It is part of a $20 million summertime ad plan by Priorities USA.

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5:20 p.m.

President Barack Obama has called Bernie Sanders to talk about the future of the senator's presidential bid.

A Democratic official tells the AP the president called the senator on Sunday. Sanders is campaigning in California, where he is battling against Hillary Clinton in the last major contest of the Democratic primary.

The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official would not reveal details of the conversation.

The phone call comes as Clinton is on the cusp of winning the nomination and Obama is preparing to formally endorse her.

The White House would not confirm the call or say whether Obama has also reached out to Clinton. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the White House has been in regular touch with both campaigns throughout the primary.

Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs told reporters that the senator has spoken with Obama "on a number of occasions" but declined to say if they spoke Sunday.

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5:05 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is relishing a casual stop at a burger joint after some serious days on the campaign trail in California.

Clinton dropped by Hawkins House of Burgers in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood, where she chatted with patrons and posed for selfies Monday afternoon.

"What do you order?" she asked one group of patrons in the cozy shop before noting her love for hot peppers.

Owner Cynthia Hawkins called Clinton "our next president" and served her the restaurant's fat bacon cheeseburger.

"You get everybody out to vote!" Clinton told her.

On her way to the car, Clinton chatted with two little girls before departing. "Will you come visit me if I end up living there?" she said, presumably referring to the White House.

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3:23 p.m.

Top Senate Democrat Harry Reid is going after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the Kentucky Republican declined to label Donald Trump's criticism of U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel as racist.

The feisty Nevada Democrat Reid called McConnell, "the poster boy for Republicans' spinelessness that allowed Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee."

Trump has said several times that Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants, can't be impartial in lawsuits against Trump University because his ancestry puts Curiel in conflict with Trump's plan to build a wall between the U.S and Mexico. Republicans and Democrats have rejected Trump's comments, with members of the GOP publicly telling him to stop. Curiel has not commented, and Trump's legal team has not sought his recusal from the case.

A day earlier, McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he wants Trump to stop talking about Curiel. McConnell said the GOP is behind the billionaire's presidential run because he is the presumptive nominee and the party wants to win the election.

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3:07 p.m.

President Barack Obama is ready to make it official.

He's poised to formally endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state, and start aggressively making the case against Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton is on the verge of clinching the delegates required to win the party's presidential nomination.

White House officials say Obama's announcement could come within days, although not before Democrats in New Jersey, California and four other states vote Tuesday. The contests are expected to solidify Clinton's claim on the title of presumptive nominee.

The timeline is expected to hold regardless of how Clinton rival Sen. Bernie Sanders reacts to the Tuesday outcome, the White House said Monday.

White House and Clinton campaign aides have been discussing the sequencing of the long-expected announcement and Obama's schedule has several possible opportunities for maximizing its impact. On Wednesday, he's due in New York City to address donors at Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Clinton's home state. He'll also scheduled to tape an appearance on the "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," a favorite with the coveted young demographic, for the show set to air Thursday night.

The news will likely be followed up by a first joint appearance in coming weeks, said one official, who was not authorized to discuss plans before they were finalized.

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3:04 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is on the cusp of becoming the Democratic party nominee, but she still says "it's not over until it's over."

Speaking to reporters at a community center in the Compton section of Los Angeles County Monday, Clinton said she remained focused on the states voting Tuesday, including California.

Clinton noted that she was on her way to having a clear lead in the popular vote and pledged delegates. She said should she become the nominee, she'll be "reaching out" to rival Bernie Sanders and would do what she could to bring the party together. She would not say if Sanders should concede after Tuesday.

Clinton said "having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement about what kind of country we are, about what we stand for."

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1:54 p.m.

A Democratic congressman says Donald Trump's comments about the Mexican heritage of a judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University shows that the presumptive Republican nominee for president is a racist.

Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas says in an open letter Monday that Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on a sitting federal judge "are just plain despicable."

Vela, who represents a district along the U.S-Mexico border, says his great-great grandfather came to the U.S. in 1857  well before Trump's ancestors.

Vela writes, "Mr. Trump you are a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it."

A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond.

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1:31 p.m.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump should apologize for questioning the impartiality of U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

In a pair of tweets Monday, the former GOP presidential candidate panned Trump's contention that Curiel cannot be fair in the lawsuits against Trump University. The presumptive Republican presidential candidate says that's because Curiel, who was born in Indiana, has parents who moved to the U.S. from Mexico. Trump wants to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, which he says puts Curiel in conflict with the lawsuits.

Kasich's posts said attacking judges based on their race is "another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong."

He said Trump should apologize.

Kasich suspended his presidential campaign in May. He has refused to endorse Trump.

No Republican has been elected president without winning Ohio.

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1:29 p.m.

BuzzFeed says Donald Trump's rhetoric caused it to terminate a deal with the Republican National Committee to run political ads on the site this fall.

In an e-mail sent to BuzzFeed employees, CEO Jonah Peretti writes that BuzzFeed told the RNC Monday morning that it wouldn't accept Trump ads. Peretti says the GOP presidential frontrunner's campaign is "directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world." He says Trump's proposed ban of Muslims entering the U.S. would "make it impossible" for some employees to do their jobs.

In an e-mailed statement, GOP communications director Sean Spicer says "space was reserved on many platforms, but we never intended to use Buzzfeed."

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined comment.

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12:42 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is just 23 delegates short of clinching the Democratic presidential nomination after her big win in Puerto Rico.

With 60 delegates at stake, Clinton picked up at least 36. Bernie Sanders won at least 20. Four delegates remain to be allocated, pending final vote tallies.

Based on primaries and caucuses to date, Clinton now has 1,812 delegates to Sanders' 1,521.

When including superdelegates, her lead is much bigger  2,360 to 1,567. It takes 2,383 to win.

The two candidates now head into the final batch of primaries on Tuesday, when six states offer a total of 694 delegates. The District of Columbia, which offers 20 delegates, is the last to vote on June 14.

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12:15 p.m.

Sen. Susan Collins is the latest Republican to reject GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments about the ethnic background of an American federal judge.

Trump is insisting that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whose parents were born in Mexico, cannot be impartial overseeing the class action lawsuits against Trump University. Curiel's ethnicity, Trump says, puts him in conflict with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's plan to build a wall with Mexico.

The Maine senator Monday called Trump's comments "absolutely unacceptable" and in conflict with what she called, "American values."

Other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, have rejected Trump's remarks and urged him to unite the GOP.

Curiel has not commented and Trump's legal team has not sought his recusal from the case.

Trump on Monday said he's only defending Trump University from relentless questions from reporters and others.

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11:57 a.m.

It will be a little while longer before final vote totals are known in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary, because the U.S. territory's election commission has taken the day off.

The island's Democratic Party chairman tells The Associated Press the commission will resume manually counting votes on Tuesday.

Roberto Prats says commission officials worked until nearly dawn Monday to count the results of Sunday's primary election.

He said a final certification will likely be issued Tuesday afternoon.

Hillary Clinton won the race over Bernie Sanders. She has just over 60 percent to Sanders' nearly 39 percent, with roughly two-thirds of the vote tallied.

Clinton is 26 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

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11:57 a.m.

It will be a little while longer before final vote totals are known in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary, because the U.S. territory's election commission has taken the day off.

The island's Democratic Party chairman tells The Associated Press the commission will resume manually counting votes on Tuesday.

Roberto Prats says commission officials worked until nearly dawn Monday to count the results of Sunday's primary election.

He said a final certification will likely be issued Tuesday afternoon.

Hillary Clinton won the race over Bernie Sanders. She has just over 60 percent to Sanders' nearly 39 percent, with roughly two-thirds of the vote tallied.

Clinton is 26 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes the stage at a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visits a restaurant, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Watts, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

FILE - in this May 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Fresno, Calif. Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Moammar Gadhafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
by a team of Greek experts who have done similar restoration work on the Acropolis

have begun in chamber of Jesus's tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre

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A team of experts has begun a historic renovation of the ancient chamber housing Jesus's tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, overcoming longstanding religious rivalries among different Christian churches.

The renovations are being carried out by a team of nine Greek experts who have done similar restoration work on the Acropolis as well as to Byzantine churches throughout the Mediterranean.

The project is focused on reinforcing and preserving the Edicule chamber, where Jesus's 'tomb' is located, and is the first such work at the tomb since 1810, when the shrine was restored and given its current shape following a fire.

Watchful eye: Christian nuns watch as renovations of Jesus' tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's old city begins

The before shot: This file photo shows what the tomb of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre church has looked like for the past 200 years

Holy work: A team of experts has begun a historic renovation at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was buried, overcoming longstanding religious rivalries to carry out the first repairs at the site since 1810

An ornate structure with hanging oil lamps, columns and oversize candlesticks, the Edicule was erected above the spot where Christian tradition says Jesus' body was anointed, wrapped in cloth and buried before his resurrection. It stands a few hundred yards from the site of Jesus' crucifixion.

With its stone staircases, gilded ornamentation and many dark chambers, the church is one of Christianity's holiest shrines. But that hasn't stopped clerics from engaging in turf rivalries over the years.

The Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches are responsible for maintaining separate sections, and each denomination jealously guards its domain. While the clergymen who work and pray at the church generally get along, tensions can rise to the surface. In 2008, an argument between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks erupted into a brawl.

This time, the clergymen put aside their differences  a reflection of the dire need for the repairs. Last year, Israeli police briefly shut down the building after Israel's Antiquities Authority deemed it unsafe, prompting the Christian denominations to join forces.

'We equally decided the required renovation was necessary to be done, so we agreed upon it', said the Rev. Samuel Aghoyan, the top Armenian official at the church.

What and where: A floor plan of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with the Edicule chamber marked in red on the left

Delicate work: Using cotton swabs dipped into a solution of liquid soap and water, centuries-old layers of wax and carbon dioxide are scrubbed away by a restoration expert

The renovations are being carried out by a team of Greek experts who have done similar restoration work on the Acropolis

Careful now: The project is focused on reinforcing and preserving the Edicule chamber of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus's 'tomb' is located

Getting along: Moire than two centuries have past since the last time any restoration work was done in the chamber, partly because it is a holy site for many branches of Christianty

The Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches are responsible for maintaining separate sections, and each denomination jealously guards its domain

While a group of nuns looked on, the sound of clanking tools filled the vast arched space where conservators and restoration experts began chipping away at mortar between marble slabs. Using cotton swabs dipped into a solution of liquid soap and water, one expert scrubbed away centuries-old layers of wax and carbon dioxide. Another airbrushed the dirt as the work progressed.

Antonia Moropoulou, an architect at the National Technical University of Athens, which is supervising the renovation, noted the intricacy of the historic effort.

'Nobody envies this responsibility and challenge,' she said. 'Because, it is a challenge to work here in this ambient of an open monument visited by thousands of people daily.'

Moropoulou said the tomb is stable, but needs urgent attention after years of exposure to environmental factors like water, humidity and candle smoke.

'The marble and stone slabs have developed, due to the stresses, some deformations,' she said. In addition, the structure needs to be protected from the risk of earthquake damage.

Even an iron cage erected around the Edicule by British authorities in 1947 cannot bear the stress. 'So another solution is needed,' Moropoulou said.

The project will bolster the structure by, among other things, replacing the mortars and strengthening the columns. It is expected to take eight to 12 months, during which time pilgrims will be able to continue visiting the site.

Some of the work will be done in the early morning hours or late at night, when the church is closed. This quiet atmosphere will make it easier for experts to concentrate on the delicate task and help avoid disruptions for the thousands of pilgrims and tourists who visit each day.

The project will cost about 2.27 million, said Theophilos III, the Greek-Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem. Each church is contributing funds. In addition, Jordan's King Abdullah made a personal donation. Jordan controlled Jerusalem's Old City until the 1967 Mideast war, and the kingdom continues to play a role safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy sites.

The restoration project is focused on reinforcing and preserving the Edicule chamber, where Jesus's 'tomb' is located

Christians pray jesus' tomb in side as team of experts begin renovation of Jesus' tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre in

While the tomb is stable, it needs urgent attention after years of exposure to environmental factors like water, humidity and candle smoke

Despite the sometimes tense relations between the denominations, the tomb served as a potent symbol of Christian unity when Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, prayed together there in May 2014.

Likewise, today's restoration is bridging centuries-old divisions by being carried out in the name of all three major denominations that share possession.

In a show of unity, on May 20 clerics from the three denominations posed and shook hands in front of the scaffolding erected around the tomb ahead of the work.

'What has happened is a very good sign, a sign of togetherness,' said Theophilos III.

The church, one of the world's oldest, was built in 325 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Constantine. That structure was destroyed in 1009 by Muslim Caliph al-Hakim. A 12th-century restoration by the Crusaders gave the Holy Sepulchre its current appearance, while in 1808 a fire all but destroyed the Edicule.

In 1852, the Ottoman authorities then governing the Holy Land provided a framework for resolving disputes inside the church. They put into effect the 'status quo,' a set of historic laws and power-sharing arrangements that rigidly regulates the denominations' activities inside the Holy Sepulchre.

The Rev. Athanasius Macora, a Franciscan monk who represents the Catholics at the inter-church commission that negotiates disputes at the Holy Sepulchre, said the renovation might have been more ambitious if not for the status quo rules.

'I personally would have liked to maybe contemplate some alternative to simply restoring the current structure. But because the status quo is so conservative in its nature . we had to more or less accept the fact that there would be no change whatsoever to the current structure, and it would be restored as it is now,' he said.

Still, for pilgrims like Italian Claudio Pardini, the restoration is 'an important sign' that all of the Christian churches are getting together to preserve their faith's traditions.
Reputed gangster: Gang knowledge lacking at kidnapping trial

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A violent criminal described as a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang said Monday that his lawyers lack knowledge about gang operations needed to defend him on federal charges he orchestrated the kidnapping of a prosecutor's father from his prison cell.

Kelvin Melton, 51, said he wanted to represent himself and be advised by his defense lawyers during a 10-minute exchange with the judge before a trial that could put him in federal prison for life. Melton said he anticipated that testimony about gangs would have a big role in his trial on kidnapping and other charges. Prosecutors say he founded an offshoot called United Bloods Nation during a stint in a New York state prison.

"I'm in a predicament now that, OK, they know law, but when it comes to gang stuff, they don't know that," Melton said in seeking to replace his lawyers. "If they don't have insight into this stuff, they won't even know how to question these witnesses."

FILE - In this April 10, 2014, file photo taken from video, FBI agents collect evidence at an apartment complex in Atlanta, where federal agents rescued kidnap victim Frank Janssen, of Wake Forest, N.C. Kelvin Melton, a violent criminal described as a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang goes on trial Monday, June 6, 2016, in North Carolina on a federal kidnapping charge after authorities say he helped orchestrate the abduction of Janssen, a prosecutor's father, from his prison cell. (AP Photo/Johnny Clark, File)

U.S. District Judge James Dever III said Melton appeared to be trying to abuse the court process and his defense lawyers will stay on the job. Dever also refused a bid to delay the trial because Melton was Muslim and Monday was a religious holiday.

The botched plan led to gang members snatching the prosecutor's father instead. Frank Janssen was saved when authorities stormed an Atlanta apartment where he was held. His captors were finalizing details to kill him and dispose of his body.

The judge said Melton's lawyers will stay.

Melton is accused of directing underlings from his prison cell to abduct the prosecutor who put him in prison for life in an earlier North Carolina shooting case.

was already serving a life sentence for ordering underlings to shoot a Raleigh man in 2011 at the time the prosecutor's father was abducted two years ago. Melton also faces conspiracy and other charges during the trial in Raleigh.

Authorities say Melton used a smuggled cellphone to target the Wake County prosecutor who put him away for the Raleigh shooting. But Melton's crew botched the plan by going to the wrong address and instead snatched the prosecutor's father.

Frank Janssen was rescued after the FBI tracked cellphone traffic to Melton's prison cell and authorities stormed an Atlanta apartment where Janssen was held, according to court records. Janssen's captors were apparently finalizing details to kill him and dispose of his body.

"The plan was to kill the victim. The government's evidence includes statements from cooperating defendants and electronic surveillance," a federal judge wrote in May 2014 when ordering Melton be held in federal prison until trial instead of state lockup.

Court records show Melton has a long record of felony convictions in New York beginning with a 1979 robbery committed when he was 14. He served more than 13 years in New York prisons for manslaughter and robbery before being released in August 2011.

Melton was arrested in Raleigh the following month for a failed attempt to kill his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. According to testimony from his 2012 trial, Melton is a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang from New York City who ordered a 19-year-old subordinate to carry out the Raleigh slaying. The admitted triggerman and Bloods member testified at Melton's trial that he followed the gang boss' orders to shoot the North Carolina man for fear he or his loved ones would be killed if he didn't.

Melton was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and being a habitual felon. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The prosecutor in Melton's case was Wake County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Janssen. Frank Janssen was kidnapped from his Wake Forest home in April 2014 and driven to Atlanta, the FBI said. Text messages to Janssen's wife threatened to kill him unless she met demands that benefited Melton, according to the FBI. Those demands were not spelled out in court filings.

The messages to Janssen's wife included a photograph of him tied up in a chair along with a message: "Tomorrow we call you again an if you can not tell me where my things are at tomorrow i will start torchering."

The FBI said a call was placed by Melton from the prison to a phone associated with the kidnappers in Atlanta. Quotes in court filings suggest the two male callers were discussing how to kill Janssen and dispose of his body.

"We want to make sure it's in a secluded area and the ground is soft so we can go 3 feet deep," a male voice said, according to an FBI agent's description of events.

"Make sure to clean the area up. Don't leave anything. Don't leave any DNA behind," one of the men said, according to the FBI.

Authorities recovered a .45-caliber handgun, picks and a shovel inside an SUV when making the Atlanta arrests, the FBI said.

Charges remain pending for eight of Melton's co-defendants. Chason Renee Chase, a South Carolina woman who authorities said is a gang member, pleaded guilty last year to lying to FBI agents and hindering their hunt for the missing Janssen. She was sentenced to three months in federal prison.

Mobile phones were confiscated from inmates in North Carolina's prisons 858 times in 2013, 691 times in 2014 and 546 times in 2015, the state Department of Public Safety said.

Since the kidnapping, prison officials have deployed sniffing dogs and more frequent searches to find cellphones and North Carolina has made it a felony to supply a state inmate with one. The agency also has $3.5 million for future contracts to set up cellular umbrellas over two high-security prisons that would only allow authorized devices to work.

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Officer facing murder in prisoner death opts for bench trial

BALTIMORE (AP)  The Baltimore police officer facing the most serious charge stemming from the death of a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken in the back of a transport wagon waived his right to a jury trial on Monday, instead opting to place his fate in the hands of a judge.

Officer Caesar Goodson, 46, faces second-degree "depraved-heart" murder, manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges stemming from Freddie Gray's death on April 19, 2015. Gray died a week after he suffered a critical spinal injury in the back of Goodson's transport wagon.

Goodson opted to have his case heard by a judge rather than a jury at a motions hearing presided over by Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams.

Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow, left, and Deputy State's Attorney Janice Bledsoe arrive at court for a motions hearing for Officer Caesar Goodson in Baltimore, Monday, June 6, 2016. Goodson, who was driving the transport wagon, faces second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after he suffered a critical spinal injury in the back of Goodson's wagon. (Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP) WASHINGTON EXAMINER OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

Prosecutors say Goodson is the most culpable in Gray's death and that he was grossly negligent when he failed to buckle Gray, who was in handcuffs and leg shackles, into a seat belt, and call an ambulance when he indicated he needed medical aid.

Goodson is one of six officers charged in Gray's arrest and death, but the only one who didn't make a statement to investigators.

Gray's death last year prompted protests and rioting across vast swaths of the city, and his name became a rallying cry in the national conversation about the treatment of black men by police in the U.S. In the wake of Gray's death, the city's police commissioner was abruptly fired. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who was widely criticized for her handling of the civil unrest that followed, announced she wouldn't run for re-election.

Legal experts say Goodson's decision to waive his right to a jury isn't surprising given the circumstance of the case. Police officers, who elicit strong emotional reactions from citizens when standing trial for crimes, often opt for judge trials because it reduces the risk of conviction, according to Guyora Binder, a law professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law who is familiar with the case.

"The Freddie Gray case has gotten a lot of attention and there was a great deal of public outrage in Baltimore as well as across the country, so there is good reason for the defense to fear that a Baltimore jury would be very willing to convict a police officer as being responsible for Freddie Gray's death," Binder said. He added that a judge will be less likely than a jury to assume the defendant is guilty simply because of the result: Gray's death.

"Juries tend to over-attribute culpability when there's a bad result," he said. "They tend to attribute results to intentionality. Judges understand that culpability has to be proven and not simply assumed from the result. It's more likely the prosecution will be held to its burden of proof in the elements of the offense."

Williams, 53, has been a Baltimore judge since 2005. Previously, he worked as a trial attorney and later special litigation counsel for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, where he prosecuted police officers in misconduct cases.

James Cohen, a professor at Fordham University who has followed the case, said Goodson's choice is unsurprising, and could be advantageous.

"He only needs to convince one person of reasonable doubt, and he's convincing a very informed person," he said. Judges, Cohen said, unlike juries will automatically take into consideration the "chaos that is part of the danger" of being a police officer when weighing his decision.

Williams ruled Monday on several pretrial motions. He granted a defense bid to prevent Syreeta Teel, an investigator who interviewed another officer charged in the case and took the stand during his trial, from being called as a witness against Goodson.

Teel is one of two departmental investigators who interviewed Officer William Porter, whose first trial ended in a mistrial in December. Before Porter made an official taped statement to Teel, the two spoke on the phone informally. Teel testified that Porter told her Gray said he couldn't breathe during one of the transport wagon's stops. In his official statement, Porter made no mention of Gray's complaint.

An appeals court ruled that the officers in the Gray case can be forced to testify against each other, and Porter could be called as a witness against Goodson, Williams said Monday. But Teel's statements are only relevant to Porter, Williams said, and agreed with the defense that she should be excluded from the upcoming trial.

Williams sided with the state on most of the remaining motions, denying the defense's request to dismiss the assault charge, and to suppress portions of the autopsy report.

Gray was arrested April 12 outside of the Gilmor Homes housing complex in West Baltimore. Prosecutors say he was handcuffed and placed inside a transport wagon with Goodson at the wheel. A few blocks away, the wagon stopped and three officers took him out, secured him in leg shackles and slid him back into the wagon's compartment, head-first and on his belly. He was never strapped into a seat belt. The wagon made three more stops before its final stop at the Western District station house. At that point, Gray was unconscious.

Goodson is the only officer who was present at every wagon stop, and other officers have testified that it was his responsibility to ensure the safety of the prisoner in his custody.

After the hearing on Monday, a small group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse, holding yellow signs and banners calling for justice for Freddie Gray.

The Rev. Cortly "C.D." Witherspoon, a vocal activist against police brutality in the city, said he was deeply disappointed with Goodson's decision to waive his right to a jury trial and instead proceed before a judge.

Last month, Williams acquitted Officer Edward Nero, who faced misdemeanor charges in the Gray case and also chose a judge trial.

"We've suffered so much already in the midst of this trial that we would hope that we would have had Baltimore City residents be part of a jury process, to have an opportunity to decide this officer's guilt or innocence," Witherspoon said Monday. "We've already suffered so much, we've been through an ordeal and the decision is devastating."

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This story has been edited to correct the name of the school: the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Baltimore Police Officer Caesar Goodson, center, leaves Courthouse East with his lawyer Matthew Fraling on Monday, June 6, 2016, in Baltimore. Caesar Goodson, who was driving the transport wagon, faces second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges in the death of Freddie Gray. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP) WASHINGTON EXAMINER OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Assisted dying about to be legal in Canada

TORONTO (AP)  Doctor-assisted dying is about to become legal in Canada without clear legislation on how it would work.

Canada's Supreme Court last year struck down laws that bar doctors from helping someone critically ill die, but put the ruling on hold until midnight Monday to give the government time to come up with a new law. The House of Commons passed a law last week but it requires Senate approval and that could take days or weeks.

Provincial regulators issued guidelines based on the eligibility outlined by the Supreme Court but Health Minister Jane Philpott said Monday the guidelines do not provide enough clarity and protection to doctors. She hopes the federal legislation will pass soon.

"Doctors may have inadequate protection and I expect in these early days, many physicians will be extremely reluctant to provide assistance to patients wanting medical assistance in dying," Philpott told health care professionals in a speech in Ottawa. Philpott noted the guidelines vary from province to province and doctors lack standard criteria for who is eligible.

"Some of the regulatory recommendations talk about an age of 18 or over and some don't. There are differences in how many witnesses are required. In some cases it is one, others two," she said.

Philpott offered no advice to fellow doctors on whether to proceed with physician-assisted dying without legislation in place. She said they should contact their professional associations for advice.

Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Colombia, Japan and the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana. California lawmakers also passed legislation, expected to take effect in June, where proof of state residency will be required.

Canada's Supreme Court ruling means a doctor can't be prosecuted for assisting death for those with a "grievous and irremediable" illness. The government's proposed law applies to "adults who are suffering intolerably and for whom death is reasonably foreseeable." It says the person must be mentally competent, 18 or older, have a serious and incurable disease, illness or disability and be in an advanced state of irreversible decline of capability.

The proposed Canadian law applies only to citizens and residents, meaning Americans won't be able to travel to Canada to die. To get a doctor's help under Canada's proposed law, written request is required either from the patient or a designated person if the patient is incapable. The request would need to be signed by two independent witnesses. Two independent physicians or authorized nurse practitioners would have to evaluate it, and there would be a mandatory 15-day waiting period unless death or loss of capacity to consent was imminent.

Some groups have said the law doesn't go far enough and have noted law excludes people who have received a diagnosis of dementia or Parkinson's from making a request in advance for assisted suicide
Yemen's prime minister arrives in Aden despite unrest

SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Yemen's prime minister has arrived in the southern city of Aden, where the internationally-recognized government hopes to take up residence despite a wave of suicide bombings.

The arrival of Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and a number of ministers on Monday came hours after the city's airport was attacked by militias, mostly disgruntled fighters who fought alongside the government against Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

The rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. When they advanced on Aden the government relocated to Saudi Arabia.

Officials say the militias tried to storm the airport, setting off clashes with airport security forces. One civilian was killed.
Aerospace company to launch $11M expansion in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Puerto Rico's aerospace industry is receiving a boost with an $11 million expansion by Infotech Aerospace Services.

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Monday that the company will create 250 new jobs in the next two years. The company began operating in 2003 and is located along the island's northwest coast. It manufactures, designs and evaluates aerospace materials.
Court: Man's right to fair trial not violated by shackling

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  The Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday upheld the burglary and assault convictions of a man who claimed his constitutional rights were violated because he was ordered to remain shackled during his trial.

Justices rejected former Waterbury resident Michael Brawley's appeal in a 7-0 decision, saying Brawley never proved the jury saw his shackles during his 2009 trial. He was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for a violent home invasion in Naugatuck in 2008.

Brawley's lawyer, Christopher Parlato, argued that it was up to prosecutors to prove the jury never saw the shackles. He also said the trial judge ordered that Brawley be shackled during the trial without providing any justification  in violation of rulings by both the U.S. and state supreme courts. Parlato said Brawley's right to a fair trial was violated.

Both the federal and state high court rulings said defendants generally have the right to be free of restraints during trials because it may prejudice juries, with certain exceptions including when public safety would be endangered.

In response to questions from the state Supreme Court, Judge Carl Schuman, who presided over Brawley's trial, told the justices that the trial took place several years ago and he could not be certain what type of shackles Brawley wore or whether the jury could see them. Schuman, however, told justices that it was his "strong belief" that Brawley wore leg shackles only and they were not visible to the jury.

The Supreme Court said there was no evidence submitted by the defense that the jury saw the shackles, and Brawley always was seated when the jury entered and left the courtroom.

Parlato did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday.
The Latest: Mother accused of killing young sons is jailed

PHOENIX (AP)  The Latest on a Phoenix woman accused of killing her 3 sons (all times local):

11 a.m.

Newly released records say an Arizona mother accused of killing her three young sons made religious pronouncements and tried to kill herself as the bodies of the boys were stuffed inside a closet.

This undated booking photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff shows Octavia Renee Rogers who was booked into jail Sunday, June 5, on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder. Rogers is accused of stabbing her three young sons to death and wounding herself. (Maricopa County Sheriff via AP)

Authorities say Octavia Renee Rogers claimed she wanted to return to the creator. She had self-inflicted cuts to the throat and abdomen.

Rogers made an initial appearance before a judge Sunday after being released from a hospital.

She is facing three counts of first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bail in the stabbing deaths of the children  ages 8, 5 and 2 months.

Authorities found the bodies Thursday beneath piles of clothes and boxes in a closet. The youngest was found in a suitcase.

Police say Rogers lied to her brother about where the children were as she was being taken to the hospital.

8:55 a.m.

A Phoenix woman accused of stabbing her three young sons to death and wounding herself is behind bars after leaving a hospital.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says 29-year-old Octavia Renee Rogers was booked into a jail Sunday on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder.

Police say officers found the bodies of her sons, ages 2 months and 5 and 8 years, in a closet Thursday. Rogers' brother had called 911 after she locked herself in a room and stabbed herself in the abdomen and neck.

It's not immediately known if Rogers has an attorney who could comment on the allegations. She's being held in lieu of $1 million bond.
Who, Stones, Bowie made 1971 rock's best year, says author

"Never a Dull Moment: 1971-The Year That Rock Exploded" (Henry Holt), by David Hepworth

If there is a Rock and Roll Hell, an inner circle is devoted for old fans who insist on telling you how the music was so much better back in the day. You know the argument: musicians were more creative, the songs were better, etc.

David Hepworth, a veteran British music journalist in his mid-60s, has essentially written an entire book making this argument. Specifically, he says 1971 was pretty much the most innovative, explosive and awesome year of the rock era. Yet "Never a Dull Moment" isn't an overbearing trip to purgatory. It's fun, mostly.

This book cover image released by Henry Holt shows, Never a "Dull Moment: 1971 - The Year That Rock Exploded," by David Hepworth. (Henry Holt via AP)

Hepworth knows how to tell a story, be it about Motown mogul Berry Gordy's reaction to Marvin Gaye's landmark single "What's Going On" ("the worst piece of crap I ever heard") or the jet-set hippie excesses of Mick and Bianca Jagger's wedding.

And, admittedly, Hepworth has a lot of material to work with. This was the year of "Led Zeppelin IV," the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers," Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells a Story" and David Bowie's "Hunky Dory."

This also was the year of "Who's Next" by The Who. Hepworth argues that the lead-off track, "Baba O'Riley," propelled by that distinctive synthesizer riff and thundering power chords, is a high-water mark of an incredible year and a precursor to what would become known as arena rock.

Hepworth occasionally veers into get-off-my-lawn territory. He blithely dismisses punk as being mostly about nostalgia, and his assertion that the Rolling Stones did little musically interesting since 1971 might make you want to whap him on the head with the album sleeve for "Some Girls."

But he memorably writes about troubled artists like Karen Carpenter and Nick Drake. Drake was a shy upper-class kid whose particular talent was to be able to write and perform beautifully ethereal rock songs. His curse was being decades ahead of his time. His music never got much exposure until late in the century when his indie-sounding songs showed up in a Volkswagen commercial and Hollywood movie soundtracks.

By that time, he was long dead from an overdose of antidepressants.

Oh, and Elvis appears in this book, too. The King was past his prime in 1971, but Hepworth employs him as a sort of white jump-suited ghost of Rock Future. In 1971, Elvis was taking the stage to the self-important strains of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" for shows in which fans paid high ticket prices to hear the hits and "bask in a precious moment of shared proximity" with their idol.
Advocates urge feds to investigate Virginia inmate death

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Advocates are urging federal officials to investigate the death of a 24-year-old mentally ill inmate at a Virginia jail.

Representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Virginia, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and other groups sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday calling for an investigation into Jamycheal Mitchell's death.

Mitchell died in a jail cell last August after losing so much weight his heart stopped. His family last month filed a $60 million wrongful death lawsuit against several jail officials and health care providers.
Stone Age Aegean Sea migrants brought agriculture to Europe

BERLIN (AP)  Stone Age people from the Aegean Sea region moved into central and southern Europe some 8,000 years ago and introduced agriculture to a continent still dominated at the time by hunter-gatherers, scientists say.

The findings are based on genetic samples from ancient farming communities in Germany, Hungary and Spain. By comparing these with ancient genomes found at sites in Greece and northwest Turkey, where agriculture was practiced centuries earlier, researchers were able to draw a genetic line linking the European and Aegean populations.

The study challenges the notion that farming simply spread from one population to another through cultural diffusion. The findings were published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

This undated picture provided by the Paliambela Excavation Project Archive, shows a human burial from the archaeological site of Paliambela in northern Greece. Stone Age people from the Aegean region moved into central and southern Europe some 8,000 years ago and introduced agriculture to a continent still dominated at the time by hunter-gatherers, scientists say. The findings were published Monday June 6, 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. (K. Kotsakis, P. Halstead/Paliambela Excavation Project Archive via AP)

Joachim Burger, one of the study's authors, said genetic analyses of the samples showed that the ancient farmers in central Europe and Spain were more closely related to the Aegean group than to each other. This suggests that farmers came in two separate waves  northward into the continent and westward along the coastline to Spain.

"One is the Balkan route and one is the Mediterranean route, as we know it also from migration of today," said Burger, an anthropologist and population geneticist at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany.

Researchers were also able to deduce some characteristics of the ancient Aegean farmers based on their DNA, he said. They were relatively fair-skinned with dark eyes and didn't yet have the genes necessary to digest milk after childhood  a trait that only developed in Europe later.

The Aegean farmers also appeared to be closely related to Oetzi the Iceman, whose well-preserved remains were found on a glacier on the border between Austria and Italy.

Finally, by comparing the ancient samples to those of modern-day Europeans, the scientists found that the ancient farmers weren't their direct ancestors. These ancestors also include the hunter-gatherers, who eventually mixed with the newcomers and a third population thought to have arrived in Europe from the eastern steppes about 5,000 years ago.

An expert not involved with the study said it was "solid and well done," but cautioned that some of its conclusions were based on limited data.

"Small statistical effects might be (a) fluke," said Michael Hofreiter, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Potsdam, Germany.

But the insight into Europe's Stone Age migration offered by the study was valuable, Hofreiter said.

"It adds to our knowledge about human history. And I think it is always valuable to replace speculation by factual evidence," he said.

Burger said researchers will now investigate whether the Aegean farmers can be linked directly to populations further southeast in the Fertile Crescent stretching from Syria to southwest Iran, where agriculture is known to have first emerged more than 10,000 years ago.

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Indian prime minister lays wreath at Arlington

WASHINGTON (AP)  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Modi arrived earlier Monday at Andrews Air Force Base, beginning a visit to advance ties between the world's two largest democracies.

Modi also met Monday with Attorney General Loretta Lynch during a ceremony marking the repatriation of over 200 artifacts to the Indian government.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, right, and, Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Holston)

President Barack Obama will host Modi at the White House Tuesday. Modi addresses a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday.

It is Modi's fourth visit to the U.S. since he was elected in 2014. A new defense agreement and progress on U.S. investment in nuclear power in India could be in the cards on his latest visit.

Modi is on a five-country trip with stops so far in Afghanistan, Qatar and Switzerland. After the U.S. he goes to Mexico.
Albanian club Skenderbeu banned by UEFA for match fixing

TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albanian league champion KF Skenderbeu says it has been banned from UEFA competitions for a year for match-fixing.

In a statement on Monday on its website, the club which won the league title for the sixth straight time this year said UEFA "unfairly suspended the Skenderbeu club for one season (2016-2017) from Europe's cups."

UEFA made investigations after doubts about some results in the national league and European competition.

The club was sure that "the right denied from UEFA will be won at the CAS by our club," adding it has hired specialized lawyers to represent it at CAS in Lausanne.
Teen who killed classmate after prom rejection gets 25 years

MILFORD, Conn. (AP)  A teenager was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing a classmate after she turned down his invitation to the junior prom.

A judge handed down the sentence to 19-year-old Christopher Plaskon in Milford Superior Court. He pleaded no contest to murder in March in the killing of 16-year-old Maren Sanchez inside Jonathan Law High School in Milford on April 25, 2014, the day of the prom.

Sanchez's parents said after the hearing that they were frustrated that the prison sentence wasn't longer. Plaskon will be eligible for parole in 13 years under new state juvenile sentencing laws.

Attorney Edward Gavin, left, sits in superior court with his client Christopher Plaskon during Plakson's sentencing Monday, June 6, 2016 in Milford, Conn. Plaskon was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing classmate Maren Sanchez inside Jonathan Law High School in Milford after she turned down his invitation to the junior prom in 2014. (Melanie Stengel/The Hartford Courant via AP, Pool)

"The message that it sends is that if you commit a crime as heinous as murder in the state of Connecticut, you're going to do very little time, you're going to walk out with a college degree and you have your life back at one point," said Sanchez's father, Jose Sanchez. "And it's not the message that we want to send to the children in our schools when this has become an epidemic throughout the country."

He added, "I never get my daughter back. My daughter will always be dead."

While prosecutors said there was evidence from several sources that the attack was prompted by Sanchez's rejection of Plaskon's prom invitation, Plaskon's lawyer, Edward Gavin, said the stabbing wasn't related to the prom. Family and friends of Plaskon told police he was upset with Sanchez for rejecting his invitation.

Plaskon's lawyers have said he showed signs of psychosis and they considered an insanity defense.

The attack happened in a first-floor hallway at about 7:15 a.m. Students described an emotional scene where people were crying as police and paramedics swarmed the school.

A witness tried to pull Plaskon off Sanchez during the attack, and another saw Plaskon discard a bloody knife, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Plaskon was taken to the principal's office in bloody clothing and told police, "I did it. Just arrest me," according to the affidavit.

Staff members and paramedics performed life-saving measures on Sanchez, but she was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly afterward. The medical examiner's office said she was stabbed in the torso and neck.

Sanchez, a member of the National Honor Society who was active in drama and other school activities, had been focused on prom in the days before she was killed. She had posted on Facebook a photograph of herself wearing a blue prom dress and was looking forward to attending with a new boyfriend.
EU urges UN resolution to halt illegal arms to Libya by sea

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The European Union's foreign policy chief urged the U.N. Security Council on Monday to adopt a resolution allowing the EU maritime force, charged with seizing migrant-smuggling vessels off Libya's coast, to help enforce an arms embargo on the North African nation.

Federica Mogherini told the council that EU ships have saved thousands of lives and seized over 100 vessels and many traffickers.

Now, she said, the ships in Operation Sophia should also help stop arms shipments on the high seas headed to Libya.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said a British-drafted resolution authorizing the boarding of vessels on the high seas off Libya suspected of smuggling arms has been circulated to all 15 council members and he hopes for a vote soon.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow is not opposed to the idea but had "some concerns," especially about the response of the rival factions in Libya, where a fledgling U.N.-backed government still faces opposition.

Since 2014, Libya has been divided between two parliaments and governments with each backed by a loose set of militias and tribes. The eastern government and parliament were formed after the last parliament elections, but the Tripoli parliament refused to hand over power to them.

Following a U.N. brokered political deal between factions from each camp at the end of last year, a new unity government has tried to consolidate its grip in the capital, Tripoli, but has faced resistance from various political players and armed groups.

Islamic State extremists have exploited the turmoil, seizing territory and triggering fears in Europe at the prospects of an expanding extremist-run bastion on its doorstep, just across the Mediterranean Sea.

Churkin said "the highest priority" in Libya should be to make sure Parliament approves the new national unity government, which Russia expects to happen "soon."

The U.N. envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler, urged the speaker of the House of Representatives to convene a parliamentary session "free of intimidation and threat' for a vote on the unity government, but sidestepped a question on whether this would happen soon.

He expressed concern at the military situation in the country, saying uncoordinated military action has raised the specter of direct clashes between different forces fighting Islamic State extremists in areas west of their stronghold in Sirte.

"Libya is a country awash with weapons  20 million pieces of weaponry in a land of six million inhabitants," Kobler said.
President Obama preparing to endorse Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama is ready to make it official.

As Hillary Clinton secured the delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Obama was on the verge of formally endorsing his former secretary of state. And then he plans to aggressively make the case against Republican Donald Trump. White House officials say the announcement could come within days, although not before Democrats in New Jersey, California and four other states vote Tuesday in contests expected to solidify Clinton's claim.

The timeline is likely to hold regardless of how Clinton rival Sen. Bernie Sanders reacts to the Tuesday outcome, the White House said Monday.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, June 6, 2016. Earnest answered questions about Iraq, Obama's upcoming trip to Poland and Spain and other topics. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Obama called Sanders on Sunday to discuss next steps, according to a Democrat familiar with the call. The Democrat spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the private conversation, and would not reveal any details about it.

White House and Clinton campaign aides have been discussing the sequencing of the long-expected announcement, and Obama's schedule has several possible opportunities for maximizing the impact. On Wednesday, he's due in New York City to address donors at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Clinton's home state. He'll also tape an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," a favorite with the coveted young demographic, for the show set to air Thursday night.

The news will likely be followed by a first joint appearance before long.

Choosing the setting and timing is delicate diplomacy for the White House. Officials are trying to negotiate as gentle an ending as possible to what has become a contentious primary, hoping not to alienate Sanders' most passionate voters.

But key dynamics remain unsettled. Although Clinton has the number of delegates needed to win the nomination, it remains unclear whether she will seal the deal on a high note, with a victory in California, or whether a Sanders win in the state would make Obama's endorsement appear more meddlesome.

On Monday, Clinton noted the timing of the expected endorsement has symbolic weight: Tuesday marks eight years since her concession speech and endorsement of Obama after their 2008 primary showdown.

Campaigning in Los Angeles, Clinton said the timing of an official endorsement was "up to the president." But she also said she looks "forward to campaigning with the president and everybody else."

Sanders, asked by reporters in San Francisco if he had talked to Obama, demurred. "Right now we are campaigning," he said.

Last week, Obama declared the Democratic contest was "almost over" and suggested he was waiting for the Tuesday contests before making his move.

The president said he's been waiting on the sidelines "rather than be big-footing the situation," to ensure voters are deciding the outcome. Still, at key moments, Obama has offered high praise and needed defense for Clinton and little comparable support for Sanders.

The White House and the Clinton backers are hoping the moment will serve as something of a reset button, ending the surprisingly long and contentious primary and refocusing Democrats on the history in the making  Clinton would be the first female major-party nominee  and the job of defeating Trump.

It remains unclear whether Sanders and his backers are ready for a reset. Although the Vermont senator is looking at an insurmountable delegate deficit, he's not said he'll go quietly.

Asked Monday whether an Obama endorsement of Clinton would affect his campaign, Sanders deflected, saying he was being asked to speculate before an important primary in California.

Meanwhile, many of his supporters have expressed a deep distrust in the Democratic primary process  particularly the influence of party leaders.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Monday suggested the president had no qualms about the math.

"Certainly somebody who claims a majority of the pledged and superdelegates has a strong case to make," Earnest said, adding that once voters weigh in Tuesday, "we may be in a position where we have much greater sense of what the outcome is likely to be."

One of Obama's tasks will be bringing along the young, progressive voters who have been a key part of his base but have lined up behind Sanders this year. The president wants to retain his goodwill with those voters.

White House officials say the president is planning to be a steady and active player on the campaign trail. Unlike recent sitting presidents, Obama remains popular enough to be welcome in swing states and Democratic strongholds.

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Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Los Angeles and Ken Thomas in Emeryville, California, contributed to this report.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, center, visits a community center, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Compton, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Democratic congressman calls Trump a racist

WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump's criticism of a Latino judge overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University shows that the presumptive Republican nominee for president is a racist, a Democratic congressman said Monday, and he told Trump to take his proposed border wall and "shove it up your ass."

Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas said in an open letter that Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on the judge "are just plain despicable."

Vela, who represents a district in southern Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, called Trump a racist, adding, "You can take your border wall and shove it up your ass."

FILE - In this June 27, 2014 file photo, Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas talks to the media after touring the McAllen Border Patrol station, in McAllen, Texas. Vela said in an open letter Monday, June 6, 2016, that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's "ignorant anti-immigrant opinions," border wall rhetoric and continued attacks on a sitting federal judge "are just plain despicable." (Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor via AP, File)

In the Senate, top Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada lobbed a blistering fusillade at Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for failing to denounce Trump's attacks on the federal judge presiding in a lawsuit in which Trump is the defendant.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach them secrets of success in real estate, an allegation Trump has denied.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is presiding over the San Diego suit, and Trump has said Curiel's Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial for Trump, who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trump's words, "a hater of Donald Trump."

Republicans have warned Trump to drop his attacks on Curiel, which they said have hurt the GOP's efforts to reach out to Latino voters.

Vela said in his letter that Trump's position "with respect to the millions of undocumented Mexican workers who now live in this country is hateful, dehumanizing and frankly shameful."

The "vast number" of immigrants from Mexico work in hotels, restaurants, construction sites and agricultural fields across the United States, Vela said.

Meanwhile, Reid said "McConnell is the poster boy for Republicans' spinelessness that allowed Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee" after the Kentucky Republican declined to label Trump's assault on Curiel as racist.

Reid said Trump is the natural result of Washington Republicans' anti-Obama agenda, saying GOP leaders have "embraced the darkest elements within their party."

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump promises to build a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border and make Mexico pay for it. Some 650 miles of border fencing now sits on the border, including roughly 15-foot-tall steel fencing in many urban areas that is designed to stop or slow those trying to cross the border on foot.

Vela said he would rather "tear the existing wall to pieces."

While there's no doubt that Mexico "has its problems," it is also a U.S. neighbor and its third-largest trading partner, Vela said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has documented that trade with Mexico accounts for at least 6 million jobs in the United States, he said.

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Judge: Release grand jury material to Michael Brown's family

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Michael Brown's family will get unredacted transcripts of grand jury proceedings involving the officer who killed the 18-year-old, a federal judge said Monday, marking the first time someone other than a prosecutor or grand juror will see uncensored details of the secret proceedings.

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber's protective order spelling out terms of the release requires St. Louis County prosecutors to hand over the testimony and the names of grand jury witnesses to attorneys for Brown's family, which is pressing a wrongful-death lawsuit. The order bars the attorneys designated to see the grand jury items from making any of them public, lest they be jailed for contempt.

The grand jury's November 2014 decision to not indict white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for shooting Brown, who was black and unarmed, rekindled often-violent protests that immediately followed Brown's death three months earlier. Wilson later resigned.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch publicly released heavily redacted transcripts of the grand jury testimony, but he refused to release the names of witnesses, who were promised anonymity.

An attorney for McCulloch's office, Linda Wasserman, had opposed the disclosure request and later sought to limit it. In a recent court filing, she cited "continued grave concerns, in light of the lives at stake, regarding the efficacy of a protective order in controlling the short-term and long-term threat of personal harm to innocent persons called as witnesses in this case."

Monday's order also calls for authorities to release unredacted transcripts of witness interviews, written statements obtained by St. Louis County police, audio-record transcripts and autopsy and scene photographs not previously disclosed.

"We now get the chance to have an unblemished look at who said what to whom and under what context," Anthony Gray, the family's attorney, told The Associated Press. "We consider this to be a huge development in the case  very significant and monumental in terms of discovery."

Brown's parents are suing Wilson, the city of Ferguson and its former police chief, Thomas Jackson.

Peter Dunne, an attorney for the defendants, declined to discuss Monday's order, saying he did "not want to get sideways with the court" by speaking publicly about it.

"It was done with a tremendous amount of concern expressed by the judge and others about making sure that proper balance was struck between the need for the information and concerns expressed by people who frankly didn't want information about them disclosed," Dunne said.

Gray called the uncensoring of grand jury testimony a long time coming, saying his clients "stood down" from pursuing the matter as the county and U.S. Department of Justice investigated Brown's death.

"We didn't want to interfere with or hinder the criminal investigation," Gray said.
A serial killer known as the 'Grim Sleeper' should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in South Los Angeles, a jury decided on Monday.

Lonnie Franklin Jr., 63, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police, was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder last month for crimes dating back more than 30 years.

Family members of the victims cried Monday as the verdicts on punishment were read. Some rocked back and forth. One said, 'Thank you.'

A prosecutor had asked jurors to show Franklin the same compassion he showed his victims and give him the 'ultimate penalty.'

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Death sentence: Lonnie Franklin Jr., who has been dubbed the 'Grim Sleeper' serial killer, was sentenced to death by a jury for murdering nine women and a teenage girl. Above he is pictured in 2015

Guilty: Franklin was a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police. He was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder last month. Above he is pictured in 2015

Emotions: Diana Ware, right, mother of 'Grim Sleeper' victim Barbara Ware, wipes tears as victims' family members talk to media after a jury decided Lonnie Franklin Jr. should be put to death on Monday

Justice: Kenneitha Lowe, right, sister of victim Mary Lowe, wipes a tear after a jury ruled for the death penalty for Franklin

An emotional defense lawyer asked jurors to sentence him to life without parole to hasten the healing process for the victims' family members.

The jury called for the death penalty on all 10 murder counts and the judge set formal sentencing for August 10.

Franklin said, 'Yes, your honor,' in regards to the date but otherwise sat quietly and stared straight ahead the entire time.

As he walked into court, family members of the victims whispered, 'Dead man walking.'

Most of the slayings fit a similar pattern. Women were either fatally shot, choked  or both  and their partly clad or naked bodies were dumped in alleys and trash bins in the impoverished area where Franklin lived.

Police didn't connect the crimes to a serial killer for years and victims' family members and community residents complained the killings weren't thoroughly investigated because the victims were poor and black, and some were prostitutes who had been using cocaine.

Samara Herard, sister of Princess Berthomieux who was a victim of Lonnie Franklin Jr., comments on Franklin's sentence in Los Angeles Superior Court

Samara Herard, right, sister of 'Grim Sleeper' victim Princess Berthomieux, is hugged by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, left, after the decision was announced

Franklin denied killing the women whose bodies were all found within a five mile radius of his house

Franklin came under suspicion after a task force began re-examining the cold cases following the final killing in 2007 and DNA from his son showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the victims.

A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor later collected utensils and crusts from Franklin while he was attending a birthday party.

Lab results connected him to evidence found on several discarded bodies.

The culprit had been dubbed the 'Grim Sleeper' because of an apparent gap in slayings between 1988 and 2002.

Police once thought the killer may have been in prison during that period and later surmised he may have laid low after one victim barely survived a November 1988 assault.

Authorities, however, now say they don't think Franklin ever rested.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman was able to introduce evidence of four additional slayings during the penalty phase, including one that linked Franklin to a killing in 2000 during the apparent 'sleep.'

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, second from left, hugs family members of the victims of Lonnie Franklin Jr., after the jury returned the decision of a death sentence

Police found over 1,000 pictures of women in Franklin's home - it is unclear if any of them are additional victims, but many were photographed asleep, unconscious, or possibly even dead

She also presented evidence of a 1984 slaying  a year before the first murder he was convicted of.

Prosecutors said they didn't charge Franklin with the additional killings because it would have delayed the case that took nearly six years to bring to trial.

The jury called for the death penalty on all 10 murder counts. He's pictured above in 2010

The 1984 killing of Sharon Dismuke, whose body was found naked in an abandoned gas station restroom, was like a bookend with the final slaying of Janecia Peters, who was found curled-up naked in a garbage bag in a dumpster in 2007, Silverman said.

Ballistics evidence showed the same gun was used to shoot both women and the weapon was found in Franklin's garage after his arrest in 2010.

Defense lawyers questioned forensic evidence at trial and said DNA from other men was also found on several bodies.

They suggested a 'mystery man,' possibly a relative of Franklin's, was the real killer.

The survivor who Franklin was convicted of attempting to murder helped prosecutors establish the killer's modus operandi.

Enietra Washington described getting a lift from Franklin in his orange Ford Pinto and then having him shoot her in the chest while she sat in the passenger seat.

As she was losing consciousness, he sexually assaulted her and she remembered seeing the flash from a Polaroid camera.

A photo of a bleeding and partly nude Washington was later found hidden behind a wall in Franklin's garage. Police found photos of other victims in the home.

Nearly 30 years after Washington was left for dead on the side of a road, she pointed at Franklin in court and said: 'That's the person who shot me.'
Prosecutors: Slain Houston boy was stabbed at least 20 times

HOUSTON (AP)  A man accused of killing an 11-year-old Houston boy as the child walked home from school sobbed in court Monday as prosecutors told the judge the boy was stabbed at least 20 times.

Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., who is charged with murder in the May 17 slaying of Josue Flores, appeared before a judge as prosecutors described the investigation that led to his arrest. Jackson didn't speak during the hearing.

Prosecutors say the 27-year-old Marine Corps veteran admitted he was the man seen on a surveillance video near the crime scene and also told police he was at the crime scene.

Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., who is accused of stabbing death of 11-year-old Josue Flores, is escorted for court appearance at Criminal Courthouse in Houston, Monday, June 6, 2016. (Melissa Phillip/ Houston Chronicle via AP)

Jackson will remain in jail on $100,000 bond. An attorney listed for him in court records didn't immediately return a call to The Associated Press.

If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

More than 30 supporters, including Flores' sister, showed up for the hearing wearing white T-shirts with the boy's photo on the front.

Jackson was arrested Friday at the Salvation Army in downtown Houston, where he had maintained a room since mid-April, according to investigators.

Police have said there is no motive in the slaying and no known connection between Jackson and the boy.

Authorities initially charged a 31-year-old man with a long criminal history days after the killing, but that charge was dropped when detectives found evidence to support his alibi.

Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., who is accused of stabbing death of 11-year-old Josue Flores, is escorted for court appearance at Criminal Courthouse in Houston, Monday, June 6, 2016. (Melissa Phillip/ Houston Chronicle via AP)

Supporters of the family of Josue Flores protest outside Criminal Courthouse in Houston, Monday, June 6, 2016 after the court appearance of Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., who is accused of stabbing death of 11-year-old Josue Flores. (Melissa Phillip/ Houston Chronicle via AP)

Supporters of the family of Josue Flores protest outside Criminal Courthouse in Houston, Monday, June 6, 2016 after the court appearance of Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., who is accused of stabbing death of 11-year-old Josue Flores. (Melissa Phillip/ Houston Chronicle via AP)
Miniseries based on journalist David Carr's memoir planned

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A TV miniseries based on the late journalist David Carr's best-selling memoir is in development.

AMC and Sony Pictures Television said Monday that "Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk is set to play Carr.

Carr, who was a media columnist for The New York Times, died last year. His 2008 memoir, "The Night of the Gun," details his path from drug addiction to respected journalist.

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2011, file photo, New York Times journalist David Carr poses for photographs as they arrive for the French premiere of the documentary "Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times," in Paris. AMC and Sony Pictures Television announced an agreement to develop journalist David Carrs searing and poignant bestselling memoir The Night of the Gun as a six-part miniseries on Monday, June 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

The six-part miniseries will be written by Shawn Ryan, whose credits include "The Shield."
Trump campaign wasting precious time, GOP critics say

WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump is wasting precious time.

By now, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was supposed to have stationed senior staff in battleground states, moderated his fiery message to attract new supporters and begun raking in big money.

Instead, he's spending more time right now picking fights and settling scores than delivering a message that might help draw voters.

FILE - in this May 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Fresno, Calif. Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Moammar Gadhafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

Five long weeks since he defeated his last remaining GOP rival, Republicans fear the New York billionaire has squandered his head start. As Democrat Hillary Clinton eyes her party's nomination, Trump's campaign has been roiled by infighting, his battleground strategy is lagging and his fundraising operation is barely off the ground.

"I am getting bad marks from certain pundits because I have a small campaign staff. But small is good, flexible, save money and number one!" Trump insisted Monday on Twitter.

Some would-be Republican supporters also fear his unwillingness to budge from a flame-throwing formula targeting immigrants and Muslims that worked so well in the GOP primary.

Case in point: Trump's recent comments about the Mexican heritage of the judge presiding over a case against his now-defunct Trump University. The Republican businessman has refused to back down from his claim that the judge's ethnic background creates a conflict of interest, drawing scorn from across the GOP as well as the legal community.

Republican South Dakota Sen. John Thune said Monday "it's not a good place to be" for Republicans to have to repeatedly explain their presumptive nominee's statements.

"There are I think conversations going on with the campaign, and hopefully that message is being clearly conveyed," Thune said. "But yeah, he's going to have to adapt. This is not working for him. They were inappropriate comments."

Trump also has been slow to adapt to other contours of an expansive general election. Since Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dropped out of the race last month, he has spent precious little time in the battleground states that will likely decide the election.

He has ignored Florida and Ohio, preferring to spend the bulk of the past two weeks in California  a state that hasn't supported a Republican presidential candidate in nearly three decades.

The ongoing rivalry between aides loyal to Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and to campaign chairman Paul Manafort appears to affect virtually all aspects of the campaign.

Two weeks ago, political director Rick Wiley was fired in the midst of a battleground hiring effort. While the campaign hoped to have senior staff in place across 15 states by June 1, the ex-political director did not finalize a single hire before leaving, according to an aide with direct knowledge of the hiring who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The positions remained unfilled as the factions pushed separate candidates to step in as Trump's political director. Two campaign aides said Manafort appeared to win that battle, getting Trump to hire Jim Murphy, a Republican operative who was involved in Bob Dole's failed presidential campaigns. The aides insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the hiring.

But Murphy's hiring was a surprise to others in Trump's inner circle, underscoring the level of confusion.

"Never heard of him," Hope Hicks, the only communications staffer on Trump's payroll, wrote in an email Sunday night after The New York Times reported Murphy's hire.

Lewandowski rejected the idea his candidate is wasting time, arguing that Trump has been delivering a message that appeals to everyone, with numerous trips planned in the coming weeks.

"I think what we're talking about is jobs and security and bad trade deals," Lewandowski said, describing the end-of-May deadline as a false one. He said the campaign is constantly hiring and has state directors all over the country left over from the primary season.

After Clinton delivered a scathing foreign policy speech last week that doubled as a takedown of Trump's qualifications to be commander in chief, Trump responded only with a tweet mocking her reliance on teleprompters  ignoring the former secretary of state's record as the nation's chief diplomat during intensifying international conflicts.

The dysfunction reached new heights Monday during a conference call, first reported by Bloomberg Politics, in which Trump instructed some of his most visible supporters to ignore talking points sent out by his own campaign and to continue focusing on the Trump University case and U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, according to two people on the call.

The memo warned supporters not to speak about the case, because it concerned Trump's business ventures. But Trump said he "absolutely wants us to talk about the case," said one participant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss a private call.

Barry Bennett, a Trump adviser who was also on the call, described the disagreement as a "communication breakdown." He said Trump told his supporters his attacks against Curiel had "nothing to do with skin tone, it's about his bad judicial work."

Trump's slow start with fundraising also has sparked widespread concern across the party.

Trump and the Republican National Committee spent weeks hashing out a money-raising plan after he became the presumptive nominee and stopped funding his White House bid largely with his own fortune.

Yet starting from scratch has been a slow process.

Trump held a small donor gathering ahead of a May 24 rally in Albuquerque and a large fundraiser the next day at the Los Angeles home of Tom Barrack, a good friend and fellow real estate investor. He peppered the rest of his California primary swing with smaller financial events, said Steven Mnuchin, Trump's national finance chairman.

By comparison, Clinton and her top surrogates have hosted some 17 California fundraisers since May 1 alone.

It has taken Trump several weeks to get new large-scale events on the books  although five in Texas and New York are planned for the coming weeks  leaving some of his fundraisers scratching their heads about his lack of urgency.

Rick Hohlt, a Washington lobbyist who has raised money for GOP presidential nominees since 1981 and plans to help Trump, said the campaign's propensity for planning only two weeks ahead poses "a challenge for organizing some of these bigger fundraisers."

Still, he said the candidate "may be right" about his ability to do more with less.

Terry Sullivan, Marco Rubio's former campaign manager, suggested Trump's greatest challenge is his inability to craft a message that appeals to voters beyond his loyal base.

"Trump is a political one-trick pony. He can really excite his base by doing the same trick over and over, but after the rest of the voters have seen it for the 73rd time, they're still not amused," he said.

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The Latest: Bridge case attorney questions conspirator list

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The Latest on media access arguments in the George Washington Bridge case (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

A defense attorney in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case says it's "stunning" that a prosecutor implied in Monday's appeals court arguments that its list of unindicted co-conspirators could change before a scheduled September trial.

Monday's arguments concerned a motion by media organizations including The Associated Press to gain access to the list. Defense attorneys already have it.

Michael Baldassare represents indicted former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni. Baldassare said Monday U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's remarks to the judges reflect that the government is leaving open the possibility the list could change.

Baldassare said if prosecutors think they can provide a new list closer to the trial date, "they have another thing coming."

Fishman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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5 p.m.

A federal appeals court has heard arguments as it decides whether to release a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case.

The three-judge panel in Philadelphia on Monday grilled attorneys on both sides in the case brought by a group of media organizations including The Associated Press.

The case hinges on whether the list is considered part of supporting materials to an indictment against two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie or whether it's protected correspondence between the government and defense attorneys.

One of the judges told an attorney representing the media that if they don't prevail on that issue "it's game over."

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman made the rare move to argue the government's side himself. The government opposes release of the list.

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12 a.m.

A federal appeals court is going to decide whether to release a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Monday in Philadelphia.

Media organizations including The Associated Press are seeking access to the list.

Two former allies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were indicted last year for allegedly orchestrating traffic jams near the bridge as political payback against a mayor who didn't support the Republican governor's re-election.

A judge in Newark ordered the list released last month. But an unidentified person filed to block its release, saying he will be branded a criminal even though he hasn't been charged.
Indiana sees 70 percent surge in syphilis cases in 1 year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana's syphilis cases surged 70 percent in a single year, a state health official said Monday, urging health care providers to aggressively test patients for the sexually transmitted disease.

Indiana's primary, secondary and early latent syphilis cases rose from 297 in 2014 to 505 in 2015, the health department said.

Indiana isn't alone in seeing a spike in the bacterial disease that's spread by direct, skin-to-skin contact during unprotected sex. Several states have seen significant increases in syphilis cases during the last few years, and the national rate rose 15 percent between 2013 and 2014, said Brian Katzowitz, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of STD Prevention.

"We've seen similar trends on a state by state basis, and California is dealing with similar issues as well, with monumental increases in syphilis, so I don't think Indiana is unique in that way," he said.

About 90 percent of the nation's syphilis cases are among men. The state agency did not release data Monday on which demographic groups had been affected by the syphilis surge, and agency officials did not return messages seeking additional information. Katzowitz said that while the biggest increases in cases of the disease had been among gay and bisexual men since about 2000, in recent years there have been significant increases of syphilis among heterosexual men and women.

The increase in syphilis among heterosexual women has been accompanied by an increase in babies being born with syphilis passed onto them by their mothers, he said.

Health officials aren't able to pinpoint a precise reason for the increase in syphilis. Gonorrhea and chlamydia rates are also up, Katzowitz said. But, he said, dating apps such as Grindr that facilitate anonymous sex are making it more difficult to track sexual contacts of people "so it's harder to stop the cycle of transmission." The erosion of community resources for contact tracing also contributes, he said.

Indiana's health department is "working closely with local health officials and health care providers to make sure patients are getting tested and receive treatment," Commissioner Jerome Adams said in a statement. He also encouraged physicians and others to do a better job of educating patients about syphilis, which is curable with appropriate antibiotics but potentially deadly if not treated.

Indiana's health department issued a similar advisory about syphilis testing last fall after preliminary data showed a 53 percent increase in syphilis cases from January 2015 to early October 2015.

Beth Meyerson, the co-director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention at Indiana University, said that a recent study she conducted found that Indiana's community health centers weren't routinely screening their patients for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea or HIV.

Physicians at those clinics often don't know the medical histories and personal backgrounds of the people they're serving and therefore don't arrange for STD testing, she said.

"I'm glad the state health department put out this advisory because clinicians really listen to that," Meyerson said.

A CDC data sheet shows that during 2014, Nevada, Louisiana, Georgia and California had the nation's highest syphilis rates, with all four states reporting more than 10 cases per 100,000 residents of the disease. Nevada had the highest rate, with nearly 13 cases per 100,000.

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Eight years later, Clinton ready to break one glass ceiling

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Eight years after conceding she was unable to "shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling," Hillary Clinton is embracing her place in history as she finally crashes through as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Throughout her surprisingly rocky primary campaign, Clinton has been cautious about emphasizing her trailblazer status. But as she campaigned in California in recent days, the former secretary of state signaled she was ready to acknowledge her distinction as the first woman to top the presidential ticket of a major U.S. political party.

The Associated Press determined Monday that Clinton had reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

During a rally in Los Angeles Monday night, Clinton said she was on the brink of a "historic, unprecedented moment," while acknowledging there was still work to be done in six states voting Tuesday.

It's a remarkable moment for a candidate who's spent much of her life at the center of a heated national conversation about the role of women. From stridently defending her own career, famously saying in 1992 that she never "stayed home and baked cookies," to a 2008 presidential bid that shied away from mentioning her gender, Clinton has addressed the issue of her historic role from nearly every angle.

Now she's trying something new: owning it.

"Starting next Tuesday we're on our way to breaking the highest and hardest glass ceiling," Clinton said last week in Culver City, echoing the speech she made in 2008 when she conceded the Democratic primary to Barack Obama.

Her supporters are already there: At events in California, they chanted "deal me in" when she joked about "playing the woman card."

"Having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement about what kind of country we are, about what we stand for," Clinton told reporters at a community center in Compton Monday. "It's really emotional and I am someone who has been very touched and really encouraged by this extraordinary conviction people have."

Campaign aides say Clinton is mindful of the significance, especially when she thinks about her mother, Dorothy Rodham, who was born before women had the right to vote. Rodham, who died in 2011, was in attendance at Clinton's concession speech in 2008 and Clinton has made her life story a focal point of the campaign.

That's a reversal from her first presidential bid. In 2008, Clinton believed she needed to project an image of strength to persuade voters she could be the first woman to serve as commander in chief  a "kind of tough single parent" rather than a "first mama," as Mark Penn, her chief strategist at the time, described it.

Aides and allies believe that her previous presidential run helped normalize the idea of a woman in the country's highest position,

This year, Clinton wants to focus on how her groundbreaking achievement is symbolic of the kind of change she wants to effect as president, aides say. "Breaking down barriers" has been one of her campaign slogans, as she pledges to improve access to education, jobs and opportunity.

After a challenging primary against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' insurgent campaign, Clinton feels confident about the contrast this message offers with likely Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has made disparaging comments about women. In recent days, Clinton has drawn wild applause for a newly aggressive line of attack against Trump.

Her campaign thinks she can use Trump's incendiary rhetoric against him, particularly to win over white, suburban women  a demographic Obama lost.

But that remains to be seen. Trump has shown himself willing to go after her with gender-related attacks, accusing her of "shouting" and of playing the "woman's card" to get ahead. He has also sniped at her marriage to Bill Clinton as well as his personal indiscretions.

The unpredictability concerns some of Clinton's strongest allies.

"There's still a huge difference between the way in which female and males either running for or being in executive positions are treated," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "Because we have not had a female executive as president of the United States, we have no idea how all of this is going to play out."

When she started her campaign, Clinton frequently joked about being the "youngest woman president." But in recent months she had largely stopped mentioning her place in history because her campaign found it was not effective with voters. That's started to change.

All along, Clinton has heavily emphasized issues of importance to women, like paid family leave, equal pay and affordable child care. In California, she was joined by 17 female leaders and celebrities, including Sally Field, Mary Steenburgen and Debra Messing.

Field drew huge applause as she asked why Clinton gets accused of not being likable.

"What is this, a high school popularity contest? She's not running to be anybody's friend. She's running to be the president of the United States," Field said.

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Follow Catherine Lucey and Lisa Lerer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey and http://twitter.com/llerer

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attends a rally, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Lynwood, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visits a restaurant, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Watts, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Cargill gets $10M tax breaks to stay in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  A deal to keep agribusiness giant Cargill operations in Wichita includes nearly $10 million in tax breaks over a 10-year period from state and local government entities, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Cargill announced May 24 that it planned to keep its protein operations in Wichita and would look for a new facility. At the time, the company declined to specify what incentives it had been offered to stay. The AP obtained the information from the city through an open records request.

The incentive package, dubbed "Project Orion," for the Minnesota-based Cargill includes tax abatements and sales tax exemptions from the state, county, city and school district, but no cash incentives. Wichita has agreed to provide industrial revenue bonds to build a new facility  estimated to cost up to $41.6 million  plus an estimated $6 million more in bonds for the equipment and machinery, as well as possibly picking up half the cost of the company's $15 million parking garage.

In return, Cargill has committed to staying in Wichita for a minimum of 15 years.

The Kansas Department of Commerce spokeswoman Nicole Randall said the incentives are "private information" until contracts are signed. But records obtained by AP show the state's share of the tax breaks total $3.01 million over the next decade. Randall referred to the governor's office any comment as to the impact those tax breaks would have given the state's revenue shortfalls; the governor's office had no immediate comment.

Wichita is home to the company's beef business and its turkey and cooked meat business, which includes deli meats. Its processed-protein services, such as its North American egg business and food distribution, also are located in Wichita, where Cargill employs about 900 workers.

The vast majority of the incentives will go to the developer of the building Cargill will lease at a site yet to be determined, and the amount of those incentives varies depending on the size of the building and employees, Cargill spokesman Mike Martin said, adding it is premature to comment given the Wichita City Council has yet to vote on any potential incentives.

Kansas has not been "very friendly" in terms of offering cash incentives to get companies to move to the state, so Cargill's decision to stay shows other companies that the state is still competitive in other ways, said Jeremy Hill, executive director of Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

"Companies like Cargill staying in the state is important for the workforce here. ... It shows that there are viable reasons a company can be here because they remain competitive here," Hill said.

Government incentives were one of 20 factors that were considered in the decision to say instead of relocating the protein operations to Texas or Colorado, Cargill corporate vice president Brian Sikes said last month. He cited the city's workforce as one of the major factors for staying.

The total government incentive package for the Cargill project shows estimated tax abatements and sales tax exemptions over 10 years totaling more than $9.99 million, according to the analysis. Though the deal is pending final contracts, the CEDBR analysis dated April 27 and the Wichita incentive proposal signed by Cargill on May 19 offer the first public accounting of the proposed incentives:

 State: more than $3.01 million.

 Wichita: more than $2.92 million.

 Sedgwick County: more than $2.62 million.

 Wichita's school district tax: $1.41 million.

The Wichita school district was a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the state in regards to its school funding equation. The tax breaks means schools and other government entities will get less tax revenue, but some of those may be offset by other benefits.
Death penalty in 'Grim Sleeper' case was 'long time coming'

LOS ANGELES (AP)  When Bill Ware died of cancer in 2002, he still didn't know who killed his daughter, dumped her body in an alley and covered her in trash in 1987.

Barbara Ware had been shot in the chest just two days shy of her 24th birthday. She was among at least nine women and a teenage girl killed by one of the most prolific serial killers in Los Angeles history, the "Grim Sleeper."

A jury on Monday recommended the death penalty for the man convicted of killing Ware and the others, 63-year-old Lonnie Franklin Jr. His formal sentencing is Aug. 10.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, second from left, hugs family members of the victims of Lonnie Franklin Jr., known as the "Grim Sleeper," after a jury decided he should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl, in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday, June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Bill Ware was among a handful of parents who died either before Franklin was arrested in 2010 or before his trial came after years of delays.

"He would have been happy" with Monday's verdict, said Diana Ware, Bill Ware's 67-year-old widow, who spoke tearfully of the stepdaughter she largely raised. "That was his baby."

Parents of other victims are now in their 60s and 70s and said they were thankful to be able to get justice for their daughters.

"I'm glad I lived to see it. It's a long time coming," said 75-year-old Porter Alexander, whose 18-year-old daughter, Alicia Alexander, was found naked under a mattress in an alley in 1988. She had been strangled and shot.

"It didn't come when I wanted but it came right on time," said her mother, Mary Alexander. "God answered my prayers."

While Franklin remained still and expressionless, as a court clerk read the 10 death penalty verdicts against him, family members of victims cried. One rocked back and forth while another whispered to himself, "Thank you."

Veteran prosecutor Beth Silverman called the case "exceedingly difficult," partially for the number of years it spanned.

"You have the amount of victims and the delay of how many years these people have waited," she said. "These people have such strong emotions they've had to stuff down for so many years to be able to have the strength to make it to this stage. And I think that's difficult."

Franklin's defense attorney, Seymour Amster, declined to discuss his client at length, saying his client shouldn't be the focus.

Instead, he slammed the amount of money prosecutors spent on the case and the costs associated with the death penalty.

"Now what happens is millions of dollars will be spent on appeals because we have no choice but to do that," he said, adding that money would be better spent in the neighborhood where the murders happened to improve education and fight drugs.

"Who cares about Lonnie Franklin?" he said. "The question is, as a society, we must concentrate on never letting this happen again."

During Franklin's lengthy trial, Amster questioned forensic evidence and said DNA from other men was also found on several bodies. He suggested a "mystery man," possibly a relative of Franklin's, was the real killer.

Silverman said the verdicts against Franklin showed that the justice system worked, though Franklin is unlikely to be executed. Nearly 750 convicted killers sit on California's death row, the largest in the nation.

But because of legal challenges, no one has been executed in over a decade and only 13 have been put to death since 1978. Far more have died of natural causes or suicide.

Most of Franklin's killings fit a similar pattern. Women were either fatally shot, choked  or both  their bodies dumped in alleys and trash bins in South Los Angeles.

Police didn't connect the crimes to a serial killer for years, and victims' families and community residents complained the killings weren't thoroughly investigated because the victims were poor and black, and some were prostitutes who had been using cocaine.

Franklin, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police, came under suspicion after a task force began re-examining the cold cases following the final killing in 2007 and DNA from his son showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the victims.

A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor later collected utensils and crusts from Franklin while he was attending a birthday party. Lab results connected him to the bodies.

The culprit had been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because of an apparent gap in slayings between 1988 and 2002.

Silverman was able to introduce evidence of four additional murders during the penalty phase, including one that linked Franklin to a killing in 2000. She also presented evidence of a 1984 killing  a year before the first murder he was convicted of.

Prosecutors said they didn't charge Franklin with the additional killings because it would have delayed the case that took nearly six years to bring to trial.

The survivor who Franklin was convicted of attempting to murder helped prosecutors establish the killer's modus operandi.

Enietra Washington described getting a lift from Franklin in his orange Ford Pinto and then having him shoot her in the chest while she sat in the passenger seat.

As she was losing consciousness, he sexually assaulted her and she remembered seeing the flash from a Polaroid camera.

A photo of a bleeding and partly nude Washington was later found hidden behind a wall in Franklin's garage. Police found photos of other victims in the home.

Nearly 30 years after Washington was left for dead on the side of a road, she pointed at Franklin in court and said: "That's the person who shot me."

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This story has been corrected to reflect that nine women and one girl were victims.

Samara Herard, sister of Princess Berthomieux who was a victim of Lonnie Franklin Jr. the "Grim Sleeper," comments on Franklin's sentence in Los Angeles Superior Court, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles after a jury decided he should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Family members of the victims of Lonnie Franklin Jr., known as the "Grim Sleeper," hug as they take questions from the media after a jury decided Franklin should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl, in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday, June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Lonnie Franklin Jr., who has been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, looks at the jury as they enter the courtroom on Monday June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. Franklin was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for crimes dating back more than 30 years. On Monday jurors recommend the death penalty for Franklin for murdering nine women and a teenage girl. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

Kenneitha Lowe, right, sister of victim Mary Lowe, wipes her eye after a jury ruled for the death penalty Lonnie Franklin Jr., who has been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, Monday June 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. Franklin was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for crimes dating back more than 30 years. On Monday jurors recommend the death penalty for Franklin for murdering nine women and a teenage girl. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, Lonnie Franklin Jr., who has been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, sits during a court hearing in Los Angeles. In May 2016, Franklin was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder for crimes dating back more than 30 years. On Monday, June 6, 2016, jurors recommend the death penalty for Franklin for murdering nine women and a teenage girl. (AP Photo/Nick Ut,File)

FILE - In this Monday Aug. 23, 2010, file photo, Lonnie Franklin Jr. appears for an arraignment on multiple charges as the alleged "Grim Sleeper" killer in Los Angeles Superior Court. Jurors recommend the death penalty today for the South Los Angeles man convicted of the ''Grim Sleeper'' killings of nine women and a teenage girl. (AP Pool/Nick Ut, File)
Viacom owner throws up hurdle to Paramount sale

NORWOOD, Mass. (AP)  In a move that further undermines Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, the company's controlling shareholder said Monday it amended Viacom's bylaws to require unanimous board approval for any full or partial sale of movie studio Paramount Pictures.

The action further consolidates control in the hands of ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari Redstone. The elder Redstone has said he's against the Paramount sale. Dauman said in February he was aiming to take on a strategic minority investor in Paramount by the end of June.

National Amusements Inc., which controls 80 percent of the voting stock in both Viacom and CBS Corp., announced the change. National Amusements, a theater chain, is controlled by the Redstones.

A spokesman for Viacom Inc. called Monday's action "illegitimate" and "completely at odds with good corporate governance."

It's the latest twist in the battle over the multibillion-dollar conglomerates and came a day before a trial gets underway in a Massachusetts probate court into whether 93-year-old Sumner Redstone is mentally competent.

The trial is being brought by Dauman and lawyer George Abrams, both of whom were replaced as directors of National Amusements and trustees in the trust that will control it when Sumner Redstone dies. They contend that Redstone was not mentally capable of making the decision to remove them from the posts.

Viacom shares closed up nearly 1 percent at $45.43 on Monday before the announcement. The stock, however, has lost nearly half its value since July 2014.
NTSB schedules mission to retrieve El Faro's 'black box'

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  Investigators are launching a new effort next month to retrieve the "black box" of a freighter that sank last October with 33 crew members on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday said NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel will depart in early July for the site near the Bahamas where the El Faro sank. They'll be accompanied by engineers from a private company that specializes in underwater projects.

The ship's voyage data recorder couldn't be retrieved when it was located in April because of obstructions that require specialized equipment.

The 790-foot freighter sank in 15,000 feet of water after losing propulsion between Jacksonville, Florida, and Puerto Rico, during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 crewmembers died.
D-Day marked by new book and release of Montgomery's papers

Naval crew accounts and personal papers of military leader General Bernard Montgomery are being revealed on the anniversary of D-Day to shine new light on the largest seaborne invasion in history.

A new book, Firing On Fortress Europe, from the Imperial War Museums is published to coincide with the anniversary on June 6.

It presents first-hand, personal accounts of members of HMS Belfast's crew alongside her log books to bring to life the role the ship played in the invasion in 1944.

Accounts by members of HMS Belfast's crew of the part the ship played in the D-Day invasion are given in a new book

The IWM are also releasing from their archives handwritten battle plans drawn up by Montgomery.

The prominent British general was one of the key figures on D-Day as commander of the 21st Army Group which initially controlled all the ground forces - US, British, Canadian and others - in Operation Overlord to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The battle plan, which is headed "Most Secret", breaks down the armed forces into separate sections, lists the special armoured vehicles to be used by the first units ashore and notes that "The key note of everything to be SIMPLICITY".

A handwritten first draft of "Monty's" speech to the troops, which was read out by officers to their men just before the invasion, has also been released.

In it, he tells them "the time has come to deal the enemy a terrific blow in western Europe".

The message, which he altered as he was writing it, ends: "Good luck to each one of you. And good hunting on the mainland of Europe."

Anthony Richards, head of documents & sound at IWM, said: "While the official nature of much of Monty's papers has already formed the basis for historical studies of the operations in which he was involved, the opportunity now exists for people to look more closely at his personal documents and see Monty as a more human figure.

"The draft of his personal message shows his desire to connect directly with the troops under his command in order to inspire them.

"And it was his reputation as the victor of Alamein (in 1942) which certainly motivated the Allied troops landing in France as well as the sailors present in HMS Belfast who were supporting the vital operation."

HMS Belfast, the most significant surviving Second World War Royal Navy warship, fired one of the first shots in D-Day as the fleet sought to support the men landing on the Normandy beaches in the operation.

The thousands of Allied troops involved in the operation landed on five invasion beaches, codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

Accounts, images, journals and recorded interviews reveal stories from King George VI visiting before HMS Belfast left British waters, to narrowly avoiding explosions, rescuing and treating the wounded and going ashore to clear the beaches.

Nick Hewitt, author of Firing On Fortress Europe, said HMS Belfast's role in events was very important and went on long after the initial invasion.

"There is a separate naval story to D-Day that is often totally overlooked.

"It was the naval forces that first brought the troops into the invasion area, then supported them with gunfire so they could get ashore, kept them supplied with food and ammunition, and took them away when they were wounded."

Among the personal stories revealed in the book is that of Senior Engineer Lieutenant-Commander Charles Simpson, who allowed his men to each take a two-minute break from working in the engine rooms to go on deck and witness the battle.

"His account of what he saw during his own two-minute break is incredibly vivid. I felt like I could almost see the troops going ashore and the soldiers on the beaches."

And although HMS Belfast's crew were mostly offshore, Mr Hewitt said the ship was still an "incredibly dangerous" place to be, with a constant threat over many weeks.

"The ships and men were constantly under attack from German aircraft, explosive motorboats, human torpedoes, shore guns and energy warships."
More time for police to quiz man held over pensioner's stab murder

Police have been granted extra time to question a man arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing of a pensioner.

Officers investigating the murder of Peter Stuart arrested a 61-year-old man from Leicester at around 8.30am on Sunday. He will remain in custody for further questioning following a superintendent's extension.

Mr Stuart, 75, and his wife Sylvia, of Mill Lane in Weybread, Suffolk, were reported missing on Friday.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Peter Stuart died as a result of multiple stab wounds (Suffolk Constabulary/PA)

A post-mortem examination of Mr Stuart's body, found in woodland close to his home, confirmed he died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

Officers are continuing to search for his wife.

Urgent appeals have also been made to locate Ali Qazimaj, who has been living in the Thurrock area of Essex.

Police have identified the 42-year-old as someone they wish to speak to in connection with the murder inquiry and the search for Mrs Stuart.

Mr Qazimaj is described as white, around 5ft 6in tall, with brown eyes and dark brown, greying hair. He was last seen on Friday in Essex.

Members of the public are warned not to approach him but to call 999 immediately if he is seen.

His car, a silver Citroen C3, was found in a residential area of Dover at around midnight on Sunday. The vehicle has been searched and will be forensically examined.

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Parkes said: "We are continuing to do everything we can to try and find Sylvia - this remains our priority.

"We believe that locating Ali Qazimaj will help us find Sylvia so we are urgently appealing for anyone who has information on his whereabouts to contact us immediately.

"We would also like to hear from anyone who may have seen Sylvia and Peter in the area of the home address on or near Saturday 28 May when they were last seen."

Anyone with information can contact Suffolk Police through the incident room on 01473 782000.

Officers have launched a major search for Ali Qazimaj, 42, who has been living in the Thurrock area of Essex (Suffolk Police/PA)
Mother's emotional plea to trace who supplied drugs to tragic daughter

The mother of a clubber who died after taking what is believed to be MDMA at a nightclub rave made an emotional appeal to find out who gave the drug to her "bubbly and beautiful" daughter.

Stephanie Shevlin, 22, from Liverpool, suffered an adverse drug reaction at Crewe's The Box venue on Saturday night.

She was rushed unconscious to the town's Leighton Hospital but later died.

Stephanie Shevlin, 22, from Liverpool, died after suffering an adverse drug reaction (Picture: Cheshire Police/PA)

Michelle Shevlin paid tribute to her on Monday, saying: "My daughter Stephanie was a vibrant, bubbly and beautiful 22-year-old girl with her whole life in front of her. She was due to start college in September studying computers.

"To have her life cruelly taken away in this manner is soul-destroying and all I want is for my little baby to come home.

"If anyone can help me and my family find out who supplied these drugs to my daughter then I would appeal for them to come forward and help the police."

Cheshire Police launched an investigation after being called to the hospital shortly after 1am on Sunday.

The force said Stephanie was believed to have taken MDMA, also known as Ecstasy. The club was hosting an event called Core Blimey - The Carnival of Rave, on Saturday night.

Speaking on Sunday, Detective Chief Superintendent Serena Kennedy, said: "Sadly, it is unlikely that the victim was the only person to have bought and taken drugs at this location last night.
Rotherham child exploitation probe involves 'hundreds of potential suspects'

The investigation into large-scale child sexual exploitation in Rotherham now involves 29 "designated suspects" and hundreds more "potential suspects", according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The NCA said its investigators have made contact with 82 victims and survivors from the South Yorkshire town, since it was brought in following the 2014 Jay Report.

Professor Alexis Jay's report shocked the nation when it detailed how 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and attacked in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 by gangs of largely Asian men.

There are said to be 29 designated suspects

Today, the NCA acknowledged that the 82 victims it had contacted represented only around 5% of the potential number of victims and stressed the painstaking and delicate nature of its ongoing inquiry, called Operation Stovewood.

The agency was giving its first update on Operation Stovewood since June last year when officers said they were looking at around 300 potential suspects.

The NCA began investigating the Rotherham abuse in December 2014 following a request by South Yorkshire Police, who have been heavily criticised in the wake of the Jay Report for effectively ignoring the victims over more than a decade.

Operation Stovewood, led by senior investigating officer Paul Williamson, is now the largest ongoing law-enforcement investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) in the UK.

The NCA said 69 officers are working on the investigation but funding has been agreed to enable this number to increase to 117 during 2016/17.

It said the investigation has identified 10,130 lines of inquiry and collated 120,000 documents from police, council and health services which have never been brought together before.

The agency said 91 serious sexual offences have so far been identified from interviews with victims and survivors.

The NCA said in a statement: "T he investigation has, so far, been divided into eight specific major investigations, reflecting its scale and complexity. Further distinct investigations are likely to be added."

It said: " The investigation has prioritised making contact with 82 victims and survivors, linked to the priority investigations, recognising that this is only a small percentage (5%) of the overall potential number of victims and survivors in Rotherham.

" Victims and survivors interviewed are providing a substantial amount of information to the investigation. Victim interviews can take many weeks or months to arrange and often have to be conducted over a number of weeks. One victim Stovewood interviewed has provided information about nine further victims, 17 witnesses and 40 potential suspects. This demonstrates the scale and complexity of sexual abuse under investigation."

The NCA also said its officers had made 240 safeguarding referrals to Rotherham Council in relation to children who suspects or potential suspects may have access to.

Operation Stovewood is part of a complex series of investigations which were set up in the wake of the Jay Report.
Johanna Konta brushes aside Victoria Duval in Aegon Open first round

Johanna Konta celebrated entering the world's top 20 in style as she blitzed American Victoria Duval 6-3 6-0 at the Aegon Open in Nottingham.

Konta moved up to 18 in the latest WTA rankings, becoming the first British woman to enter the top 20 since Jo Durie in 1983 following a superb 12 months.

And she looked every bit the part in sweltering conditions in Nottingham as she dropped just three games in a straight-sets win over world number 580 Duval.

Johanna Konta breezed into the second round at the Aegon Open.

Having been broken in her first service game to trail 0-2, Konta soon found her range with some punishing shots from the baseline, breaking back at 2-2 and then again in the seventh game to allow her to claim the first set.

The second set was similarly one-way traffic, serving Duval with a bagel as Konta dominated with some fierce ground-strokes.

She wrapped up victory in just 70 minutes and sets up a second-round tie with either British wildcard Freya Christie or China's Saisai Zheng.

"She started off really strong and I had to dig really deep and chase every ball and keep fighting for every point," Konta said.

"She's a great player, her current ranking doesn't reflect the quality of player she is.

"Even in the second set a lot of games went to deuce so I had to be there for every single point. I am happy to have the opportunity to play again later in the week."
Talks continue between Everton and Southampton over Ronald Koeman compensation

Everton's pursuit of Ronald Koeman to become their new manager is progressing as talks continue with Southampton over a suitable compensation package.

Press Association Sport understands a fee of 5million has been mentioned even though the 53-year-old has only one year left on his remaining contract.

There is unlikely to be any breakthrough until Tuesday at the earliest while dialogue continue between the two clubs.

Everton's pursuit of Southampton manager Ronald Koeman continues

Once that has been completed getting Koeman to agree personal terms may be slightly easier, although the chances of actually seeing the Dutchman on Merseyside appear slim as, according to reports in his homeland, Koeman has gone on holiday again.

He has left his agent Rob Jansen to take care of his interests while he is away and it will be he who negotiates the final package with Everton chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri when Everton are given permission to speak to Koeman by Southampton.

Everton are also understood to be keen to recruit Sevilla's sporting director Monchi to undertake a similar role at Goodison Park once Koeman's appointment has been confirmed.

The 53-year-old has helped make the Spanish club a significant profit in the transfer market during his 15-year spell in the job after securing top fees for players with untapped potential, while also contributing to five Europa League victories in the past decade.
Guantanamo ex-commander rejects charges about torment by U.S. guards

By Lacey Ann Johnson

FORT MEADE, Md., June 3 (Reuters) - Accusations that Guantanamo Bay guards tormented a suspected Sept. 11 plotter are not credible, a former prison commander testified during a pre-trial hearing on Friday.

Yemeni defendant Ramzi Bin al Shibh has said that electronic devices hidden inside the walls of his cell at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba produced tremors and banging noises, disrupting his sleep for years.

A detainee from Somalia, Guleed Hassan Ahmed, took the stand at the hearing on Thursday to echo Bin al Shibh's complaints.

The former commander, who testified under an alias and who had overseen Camp Seven, the secret part of the prison where former Central Intelligence Agency captives are held, said Bin al Shibh was responsible for about 90 percent of prisoner complaints there.

Defense attorney James Harrington asked the commander why no one investigated the vast majority of Bin al Shibh's complaints. He replied: "There was no need to investigate it. We didn't deem it was credible."

Bin al Shibh is known for cursing at guards, outbursts and threatening to have people's relatives beheaded, said the officer, who oversaw Camp Seven from August 2015 to May.

The former commander said he investigated and found no machinery within the walls of Bin al Shibh's cell, other than plumbing.

Bin al Shibh is among five men being tried for conspiring to help hijack airliners that slammed into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed in a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001. Almost 3,000 people died in the attacks.

Defense attorneys had called Ahmed to testify in an attempt to prove that prison staff have ignored a 2013 court order to stop harassing Bin al Shibh. Guards have denied the abuse allegations.

The death penalty case against the five suspects has been plagued by repeated delays. The men were arraigned on current charges in 2012 and have been in U.S. custody for more than 12 years.

In a news conference after the hearing, defense lawyer James Connell said he thought the trial would start by late 2019.

Defense attorneys also said they were trying to invite the United Nations' special investigator on torture, Juan Mendez, to Guantanamo Bay to investigate conditions.

There are 80 prisoners still at the Cuban base, mostly from Yemen.
Nigeria's Buhari to take 10-day holiday and see London doctor over ear infection -statement

ABUJA, June 5 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is to take a 10-day holiday during which he will travel to London and see a doctor regarding a persistent ear infection, his spokesman said on Sunday.

It comes days after the 73-year-old former military ruler cancelled a trip to the restive Niger Delta region at the last minute. Last month, he pulled out of what would have been his first official trip to the commercial capital, Lagos.

"The president was examined by his personal physician and an E.N.T specialist in Abuja and was treated. Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution," said spokesman Femi Adesina.

The statement also said the president would travel to London on Monday "to rest".
Lyon, Zampa spin Australia to easy win over West Indies

June 5 (Reuters) - Spinners Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa tore through the West Indies batting line-up to set up a dominant Australian victory by six wickets in the second match of a triangular one-day international series in Guyana on Sunday.

Lyon claimed three for 39 off 10 overs, including the prized scalp of Kieron Pollard for a golden duck, while Zampa, in just his third ODI, had figures of 3-16 off 5.3 overs on another slow pitch at Providence Stadium in Georgetown.

Australian captain Steve Smith described his spinners as "magnificent" but fast bowler Mitchell Starc (2-37) also did his part after six months out with injury, dismissing West Indies openers Andre Fletcher (four) and Johnson Charles (22).

After being sent in by Smith and making a promising start, the home team lost their last nine wickets for 66 runs and were all out for 116 off 32.3 overs.

That left Australia with a relatively easy chase, and the victory never seemed in serious doubt as long as opener David Warner was at the crease.

Warner, coming off a brilliant stint captaining Sunrisers Hyderabad to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title last week, scored a run-a-ball 55 not out, steering Australia to their target in 25.4 overs and securing a bonus point.

Smith spoke glowingly of the performances of his spin-bowlers.

"They were magnificent today. They hit good areas and got the rewards," Smith said, before also lavishing praising on vice-captain Warner.

"He's just come off the back of an incredible IPL and taken off where he left off. He played beautifully again tonight. He was calm and composed."

Smith's counterpart Jason Holder was understandably more subdued.

"No excuses for the way we batted," Holder said. "We just didn't put enough runs on the board. Just a bad batting display."

The match was Australia's first in the triangular series after West Indies beat South Africa in Friday's opener.

The optimism that followed that victory quickly evaporated on Sunday, however.

Pollard, who hit a match-winning knock of 67 against South Africa in his first ODI since 2014, will be particularly disappointed.

He hit six sixes in that match, but on Sunday mistimed the first delivery he faced to send a relatively easy catch to Warner running in from long-on.

Sunil Narine, who took 6-27 on Friday in his return after being sidelined for six months due to a bowling action that was deemed illegal, had a solid follow-up performance.
Passenger, freight trains crash in Belgium, killing three

BRUSSELS, June 6 (Reuters) - A passenger train crashed into the back of a freight train in the eastern Belgian municipality of Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse late on Sunday, killing three people and injuring 40, Belgian officials said.

"A train... carrying around 40 passengers crashed into the back of a freight train on the same track," Belgian railways SNCB said in a statement. "The collision derailed two of the six carriages."

Francis Dejon, the mayor of the Saint-Georges-Sur-Meuse district told Belga news agency three people were dead and 40 injured in the crash, according to a preliminary estimate.

Local emergency services and reinforcements from the nearest city of Liege were at the site of the crash.
Brazil education group Ser Educacional offers merger with Estacio

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 5 (Reuters) - Ser Educacional SA , a Brazilian for-profit education company, said on Sunday it had made a non-binding offer to merge with Estacio Participacoes SA, a larger rival facing an unsolicited takeover from Kroton Educacional SA.

If accepted, the Ser Educacional deal will pay existing Estacio shareholders a special dividend of 590 million reais ($167.3 million), or 1.92 reais a share, according to a securities filing. The merged company would be 68.7 percent owned by existing Estacio shareholders and 31.3 percent owned by Ser Educacional shareholders.

The offer from Ser Educacional comes three days after Kroton, Latin America's largest for-profit education company, announced an unsolicited offer for Estacio. Under terms of the bid, Kroton offered 0.977 common share for each Estacio share, valuing the all-stock deal at 3.37 billion reais ($937 million).

Ser Educacional said the merger would create one of Brazil's largest education companies and create a group with great growth potential in the online learning market. Ser Educacional is the biggest post-secondary education provider in Brazil's north and northeastern regions.

Later on Sunday, Estacio said in a securities filing that it had set up a committee that would review the proposals from Kroton and Ser Educacional and consider alternatives.

Estacio also said it had hired Banco BTG Pactual SA to provide financial advice and Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados to provide legal advice.

Rival interest for Estacio could unleash a wave of mergers in Brazil's education industry, underpinning the resilience of for-profit college operators during a two-year recession in which student delinquencies have risen and the government has slashed funding for student loans.
BlackRock agrees to sell Singapore office tower to Qatar fund for $2.5 bln

SINGAPORE, June 6 (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc has agreed to sell a 43-storey office building in Singapore to Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, for S$3.4 billion ($2.45 billion), in what the U.S. firm said was the largest-ever single-tower real estate deal in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia Square Tower 1, located in the city-state's financial district, has over 1.25 million square feet of net lettable area and has Citigroup Inc as its anchor tenant, BlackRock and Qatar Investment Authority said in a joint statement.

BlackRock also owns a second tower in the Asia Square development.
Vietnam, South Korea may buy Lockheed planes amid Chinese buildup

By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN, June 5 (Reuters) - Vietnam and South Korea are looking seriously at buying refurbished Lockheed Martin Corp P-3 and S-3 maritime surveillance planes to counter China's military buildup and repeated North Korean missile launches, the company said.

Vietnam is expected to request formal pricing and availability data on four to six older U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft in the next few months, Clay Fearnow, a senior executive with Lockheed's aeronautics division, told Reuters at the Berlin air show last week.

The Obama administration's move to completely lift its arms embargo on Vietnam last month paved the way for such a sale, but any deal would still have to be carefully reviewed by the U.S. government, according to U.S. and Lockheed officials.

A senior Vietnamese military official told Reuters over the weekend that significant weapons purchases are some way off.

"We are not sure what we can buy from the U.S. or what we want to buy," Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh said in some of the first public comments from a Vietnamese defence official since the embargo was lifted.

Washington's decision to permit lethal arms sales to Vietnam, its former enemy, underscored both countries' shared concerns about China's growing military clout.

Vietnam, which borders China, is also a key part of President Barack Obama's efforts to rebalance U.S. strategy toward Asia amid worries about Beijing's assertiveness and sovereignty claims to 80 percent of the South China Sea.

If the sale goes through, retired U.S. Navy P-3 turboprop planes now parked in a desert would be rebuilt with new wings, a new mission system and anti-submarine warfare equipment for Vietnam, Fearnow said.

The cost could exceed the $80 million to $90 million price tag for each of the 12 P-3s rebuilt for Taiwan several years ago, given the added equipment, Fearnow said.

Lockheed has built new wings or rebuilt aircraft for over 90 P-3 aircraft around the world, including the United States, Norway, Taiwan, Chile and Germany, since 2008, with some orders still in the works, Fearnow said.

The company is scrambling to drum up more orders and extend its wing production line in Marietta, Georgia.

Brazil and South Korea are each looking at ordering new wings for existing aircraft, but must decide by Sept. 1 to avoid a potentially costly gap in the supply chain for the wings, he said.

Boeing Co is also marketing its P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance plane, but it is significantly newer and more expensive than the P-3. Another possible competitor is Airbus Group SE's C295 plane, which is built in Spain.

The U.S. State Department said it could not comment on potential P-3 or S-3 sales until it formally notifies the U.S. Congress.

In addition to South Korea's interest in new wings for eight of its P-3s, Seoul is also looking at acquiring 12 of the U.S. Navy's S-3 aircraft, which were retired in 2009 and are now parked in a desert, Fearnow said.

He said Spain, Portugal and Argentina also had P-3 aircraft that could use new wings, but those countries all face budget pressures. Japan, which has about 100 P-3 aircraft, is replacing them with its own P-1 aircraft, and the U.S. Navy is replacing its P-3 fleet with the Boeing P-8s.
Taiwan says won't recognise Chinese air defence zone over S.China Sea

By J.R. Wu

TAIPEI, June 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan's new defence minister said on Monday the island would not recognise any air defence zone declared by China over the South China Sea, as the island's top security agency warned such a move could usher in a wave of regional tension.

U.S. officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare an air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims, as well as close military ties with Washington.

"We will not recognise any ADIZ by China," Taiwan defence minister Feng Shih-kuan told lawmakers in a parliamentary session.

The comments come after Taiwan's new government of President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning ruling party, was sworn into power last month. Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party overturned eight-years of China-friendly Nationalist rule on the island.

China drew condemnation from Japan and the United States when it imposed its ADIZ, in which aircraft are supposed to identify themselves to Chinese authorities, above the East China Sea.

China has neither confirmed nor denied it plans such a zone for the South China Sea, saying that a decision would be based on the threat level and that it had every right to set one up.

"In the future, we don't rule out China designating an ADIZ. If China is on track to announce this, it could usher in a new wave of tension in the region," Taiwan's National Security Bureau said in a report presented to parliament.

'INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday the United States would consider any Chinese establishment of an air defence zone over the South China Sea "provocative and destabilising".

Speaking at the beginning of a high-level strategic dialogue in Beijing on Monday, Kerry said he would make it clear the United States is looking for a peaceful resolution to disputes in the South China Sea.

"The only position we've taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action, let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation, and we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution rooted in international standards and rule of law," he said.

China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, said China "resolutely makes it own contribution to peace, stability and development".

China has been angered by what it views as provocative U.S. military patrols close to islands China controls in the South China Sea. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation.

Taiwan's defence ministry said in its own report it would strengthen its defences on Pratas Island, in the north of the South China Sea, and on Itu Aba in the Spratly Islands.

The ministry said China is building up of its military presence in the South China Sea with deployments of anti-missile systems, drones and fast missile ships in the area.
Estacio becomes prey as wave of Brazil education M&A gains speed

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO, June 5 (Reuters) - Estacio Participacoes SA has gone from being predator to prey, as a recent share slump left Brazil's No. 2 for-profit college operator vulnerable to a flurry of unsolicited takeover bids from larger and smaller rivals alike.

Rio de Janeiro-based Estacio received a second takeover offer in four days on Sunday, when Ser Educacional SA placed a non-binding merger bid. Kroton Educacional SA had made a preliminary all-stock deal valued at 3.37 billion reais ($956 million) on Thursday.

Estacio, the byproduct of a series of acquisitions in recent years, said in a securities filing on Sunday that a three-member committee had been appointed to analyze both bids and, if necessary, make a counteroffer to "maximize shareholder value".

Slowing revenue growth drove Estacio's stock down 21 percent in the year through Wednesday, the day before Kroton's bid was announced. By contrast, profit resilience has helped bolster the shares of Kroton and Ser Educacional, which gained 18 percent and 51 percent, respectively, in the same period.

The proposals are setting the stage for what may become the largest hostile takeover in Brazil's fast-growing education sector. Interest for Estacio underpins the strength of for-profit college operators even as a two-year recession stoked student delinquencies and led the government to cut student loan subsidies.

Both offers, however, face tough antitrust scrutiny, as a prior round of takeovers left market leader Kroton with twice as many students as Estacio, and a likely rejection from Estacio shareholders. Shares of Estacio are up 36 percent since Thursday, suggesting investors expect suitors to sweeten offers.

"Disclosing a potential takeover like this without properly preparing the ground, like more structured terms, for instance, creates uncertainties and leaves room for defensive moves by Estacio," Victor Schabbel, an analyst with Credit Suisse Securities, said of the Kroton offer.

In a separate filing, Ser Educational offered to pay Estacio shareholders a one-time dividend worth 590 million reais. Kroton has yet to present a formal, non-binding offer.

The battle for Estacio is also pitting Brazil's top banks and law firms against one another.

The investment-banking arms of Itau Unibanco Holding SA and Credit Suisse Group AG are advising Kroton and Ser Educational on their unsolicited proposals. Grupo BTG Pactual SA, Brazil's No. 1 independent investment bank, is Estacio's advisor.

Executives at Ser Educacional, based in the Brazilian northeastern city of Recife, will detail the Estacio offer to investors at a Monday conference call.
U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil producers don't expect storm impact

HOUSTON, June 5 (Reuters) - Gulf of Mexico offshore oil producer Shell Oil Co said on Sunday Tropical Storm Colin was forecast to miss the company's production platforms before striking Florida on Monday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecasts Colin, which became a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon, will strike the Gulf Coast of Florida on Monday night.

"Based on the current forecast there is no impact expected for our offshore assets, but we will continue to monitor and will make decisions accordingly," said Ray Fisher, spokesman for Shell Oil, the U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Oil and natural gas producers in the Gulf will shut in production and evacuate workers when tropical cyclones threaten to churn production areas, primarily off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas.

Chevron Corp said it was monitoring Colin's path. Exxon Mobil Corp is also monitoring the storm's progress.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to 17 percent of U.S. crude output and 5 percent of dry natural gas output daily, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Both of these amounts have decreased as onshore oil and gas production ramped up in big shale plays.

More than 45 percent of the nation's refining capacity is located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, which also is home to 51 percent of total U.S. natural gas processing capability.
Spain's auto-pilot economy flies high above political turmoil

By Blanca Rodriguez

JABUGO, Spain, June 6 (Reuters) - In Spain's cured ham capital, the small southern village of Jabugo, uncertainty over who will govern next in Madrid is a remote concern for investors keen to produce more of the Andalusian delicacy.

Drawn by the export potential for premium ham, family-owned meat producer ElPozo is pouring 70 million euros ($78.38 million) into building a new processing plant in the area even as Spain enters its sixth month without a new government and gears up for a repeat election on June 26.

It is far from alone.

In part thanks to Spain taking Germany-inspired austerity medicine and dealing with its banking crisis earlier than many European peers, company investments have chugged along since an inconclusive December ballot.

Even now, with opinion polls projecting a similarly fragmented result and raising fears of a paralysis that could jeopardise Spain's recovery from a painful double-dip recession, local and foreign firms are finding reasons to expand, from the country's relatively low wages to recovering household spending.

French carmakers Renault and Peugeot separately confirmed in May they would be ploughing a combined 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) into their Spanish plants over the next four years and the two will produce new models there.

The economy grew 0.8 percent between January and March for the third straight quarter, one of the fastest rates in the euro zone, as both consumers and businesses shrugged off politicians' failure to strike a coalition deal.

In ElPozo's case, surging Chinese demand for Spanish pork and high-quality cured ham is an opportunity it is loathe to pass on. Spain's meat exports are thriving, having jumped 16 percent last year to nearly 2 million tonnes.

"We want to inundate the world with Iberian ham," said Rafael Fuertes, one of the senior managers at ElPozo.

The firm already derives about 15 percent of its revenue from exports and is seeking to make a push in Latin America as well as Asia.

Its plant in Jabugo, first mooted in 2011, aims to produce 2.5 million sausages, hams and other types of cold cuts a year, after the firm more than trebled its early production targets and increased by 50 percent its investment budget last year.

Premium products will include cured legs of Iberico ham, produced from pigs fed on acorns from oak trees and hung out to dry in traditional ventilated cellars for months.

LOCAL SAFETY NET

For ElPozo and many other firms, support from local authorities has provided an extra safety net as parties on the left and right jostle for power in Madrid.

Spain's 17 highly-devolved regions, whose stretched finances drew international concern at the height of the euro zone debt crisis in 2012, argue they are now a source of institutional stability.

They boast of their own parliaments, budgets and local subsidy schemes, while even small municipalities can help get projects moving.

ElPozo's plant in Jabugo is due to start taking shape later this year and should create about 70 permanent jobs in this village of some 2,400 people.

"Here nobody is worried about whether there is a national government or not," said Jabugo Mayor Jose Luis Ramos of the Socialist party, who has been in the job for the past 15 years.

DEALBREAKERS?

The economy has plenty of momentum, with companies going through with investment plans hatched before the last election, but it cannot continue on auto-pilot indefinitely and there are already signs that the momentum has begun to slow.

If the next election fails to quickly break the political impasse, and ushers in another round of inconclusive negotiations, the uncertainty could yet have a more marked impact on companies' ambitions.

Spain's trade tailwinds could also fade.

"Higher oil prices could now start working in the other direction," said Gizem Kara, senior euro zone economist at BNP Paribas. "Exports are also not doing so well, due to a slowdown in emerging markets, compounded by the impact of the stronger euro. This is likely to weigh on investment growth."

Industrial spending on equipment and machinery slowed slightly in the first three months of the year, growing 1.3 percent on a quarterly basis compared to 1.9 percent previously, while the construction sector registered a contraction as a result of infrastructure tenders drying up.

Already in May, surveys pointed to waning growth in Spanish factory orders, while the latest consumer and business sentiment indicators are mixed, at a time when uncertainty over the direction of policies still lingers.

Parties such as the left-wing Socialists or anti-austerity Podemos ("We can") - which placed second and third in the December vote, behind the centre-right People's Party (PP) - have for instance called for a rollback of labour laws introduced in 2012 which lessened firms' firing costs and made it easier for them to lower salaries.

Yet even changes such as these may not be dealbreakers as long as domestic demand holds up or firms succeed in finding new export avenues.

For ElPozo, Jabugo also had its own peculiar allure, even if it will be joining more than 20 other producers there.

Nestled in the hills of the Huelva province, where extensive oak woods provide an ideal feeding ground for pigs, the village is famed for a micro-climate that creates the optimal conditions for curing meat.

"We have a long term vision, we're not risk capital investors," ElPozo's Fuertes said. ($1 = 0.8981 euros)
Shi'ite militia leader voices dismay at Falluja war operations -TV

BAGHDAD, June 6 (Reuters) - The leader of the largest Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary group has criticised a lack of "precise planning" in war operations to capture Falluja, the stronghold of Islamic State near Baghdad.

Hadi al-Amiri's comments, in an interview with Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday, make him the second Shi'ite militia leader to voice dismay at efforts launched on May 23 by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to dislodge the ultra-hardline Sunni militants from Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of the Iraqi capital.

"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, the leader of the Badr Organization, the largest component of the Popular Mobilization, a coalition of Shi'ite militias that came together two years ago to fight Islamic State with support from Iran.

On Friday, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Talabawi, said the operations had come to a near standstill and asked Abadi to order the resumption of attacks.

Popular Mobilization has been fighting alongside the army in Falluja. Army units are also receiving air support from the U.S.- led coalition.

Abadi said on June 1 the army had slowed its offensive over fears for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city with limited access to water, food and healthcare.

But Amiri accused the authorities of moving military assets away from Falluja, to the frontlines of Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital in northern Iraq.

Several calls to the Iraqi military spokesman since Sunday evening went unanswered. A government spokesman declined to comment. Under the Iraqi Constitution, Abadi is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

"I believe that sending a large part of armored vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of Mosul's battle, is a betrayal to the battle of Falluja," Amiri said, referring to a region in northern Iraq.

"Today the military planning and American pressure are aiming to have this major operation conducted in parallel with the operation of liberating Mosul.

"We say to them, 'Whether you helped us or not, we will win the battle of Falluja,'" he added.

A spokesman of the U.S.-led coalition did not reply to an email seeking comment and could not be reached by telephone. The coalition said two weeks ago it was providing air support to Iraqi government forces only.

Abadi ordered the offensive on Falluja after a series of bombings claimed by Islamic State hit Shi'ite districts of Baghdad, causing the worst death toll this year.

Falluja would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after former dictator Saddam Hussein's home town Tikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western province of Anbar.
At least one killed in Kenya in protest over vote body

By Duncan Miriri and Edmund Blair

NAIROBI, June 6 (Reuters) - At least one person was shot dead at a protest against Kenya's election body in the western city of Kisumu on Monday and others wounded, hospital officials said, as demonstrators also gathered in the capital.

Police fired into the air to break up a crowd trying to march on the Kisumu office of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), one witness told Reuters.

Protesters, accusing the commission of pro-government bias and demanding its members resign before elections in August next year, blocked roads with burning tyres in Kisumu and in Nairobi's Kibera slum. Demonstrators also marched in the centre of the capital, blocking traffic. "IEBC must go," they shouted.

Dennis Onyango, spokesman for opposition leader Raila Odinga who led Monday's rally in Nairobi, said two people were killed in Kisumu. But hospital officials said they only knew of one.

Juliana Otieno, superintendent at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, said 12 casualties with bullet wounds had been admitted to her hospital, while she said Kisumu County hospital reported one dead and others with bullet wounds. A nurse at Kisumu hospital also confirmed one dead there.

There was no immediate police comment on Monday's reported deaths. Kenyan television reported at least one person killed.

Western Kenya, traditionally an opposition stronghold, has seen some of the worst violence in the almost weekly protests. Three people were killed in clashes in the region on May 23.

Western ambassadors have accused the police of using excessive force and called for dialogue in a nation prone to political strife. The 2007 election triggered weeks of ethnic bloodshed and the 2013 result was disputed.

DIALOGUE DEMANDED

A meeting last week between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga failed to defuse tensions.

Odinga told demonstrators that more protests would follow if there was no dialogue on reforming the IEBC. "We respect the government but they must also respect us," he said. "If there is no dialogue next week, we will protest twice."

Police said on Friday that any march by protesters would contravene a court order and demonstrators could face arrest. Despite the warning, the protest in Nairobi proceeded calmly without clashes with police that were seen previously.

Businesses have called for a swift resolution of the row, saying it was taking a toll on an economy which was hit hard by the post-2007 election violence amid the tensions in the build up to the 2013 vote.

"We must find solutions and the solution must be based on the rule of law. It calls for a lot of mediation," Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chairman Dennis Awori told Reuters, urging churches, politicians and others to help bring calm.
Saudi Arabia criticises U.N. over Yemen blacklisting

RIYADH, June 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has rejected a United Nations report that criticised the military coalition it is leading in Yemen, saying it was based primarily on information supplied by its adversaries.

On Thursday U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added the Saudi-led coalition to an annual blacklist of states and armed groups that violate children's rights during conflicts, saying its air strikes were behind most child deaths in the war.

In Yemen it also blacklisted the Houthi group and forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, which have already featured on the annual list for the past five years.

However, coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said in a statement sent to Reuters late on Sunday that the U.N. had not based enough of its report on information supplied by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Asseri has criticised reports by international human rights organisations of civilian deaths caused by coalition air strikes as coming after inadequate investigation.

The United Nations, Human Rights Watch and other monitoring agencies have also criticised the Houthis for what they describe as indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas and the use of child soldiers.

They have said their reports are based on eyewitness testimony and have in some cases followed visits by international monitors to the sites of air strikes.
Italy's 5-Star protest party likely to seize Rome in setback for PM

By Crispian Balmer and Gavin Jones

ROME, June 6 (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement looked likely to take charge of Rome after country-wide municipal elections at the weekend, piling pressure on Prime Minister Matteo Renzi ahead of a vital constitutional referendum due in October.

With the Rome count almost complete, 5-Star candidate Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer running her first campaign, led with just over a third of the vote, ahead of the candidate from Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) with a quarter. The race will be decided by a run-off vote on June 19.

Renzi voiced disappointment on Monday at the results but cautioned against reading too much into local elections, where issues ranged from garbage collection to traffic congestion.

The vote was widely seen as a test for Renzi's two-and-a-half year-old government, but he rejected this and said it would have no impact on the outcome of the upcoming referendum.

"I am not worried," he told a news conference.

The 41-year-old prime minister has staked his political future on winning the referendum, which is aimed at bringing stability to politics and ending Italy's tradition of revolving-door governments.

He has said he will stand down if he loses, a gamble that could trigger political chaos and revive market turbulence in the euro zone's third-largest economy.

Renzi denied Sunday's vote was a triumph for the 5-Star Movement, which draws support from voter anger against corruption, saying it had only flourished in Rome and Turin, out of some 1,300 towns and cities that went to the polls.

5-Star, which was founded just seven years ago by comedian Beppe Grillo, has a loose political structure and did not even present a candidate for mayor in the vast majority of towns.

Renzi said the right-wing Northern League party had failed to make major advances.

"If this had been a protest vote then we would have seen the 5-Star and Northern League doing strongly everywhere. But that didn't happen," said Renzi, who played little part in municipal campaigning until the final week.

However in Rome, 5-Star's Raggi described the shift to her part as historic.

"The wind is changing, this is the moment," she told her supporters in the early hours of Monday.

"We are facing a historic moment," she added. "The Romans are ready to turn a page and I am ready to govern this city and to restore Rome to the splendour and beauty that it deserves."

Unlike other non-traditional parties that have flourished across Europe since the 2008 financial crisis, the 5-Star Movement straddles ideological divides, focusing its anger on rampant graft in Italy more than austerity or immigration.

ROMAN SPLENDOUR

Victory in Rome, which has been battered by corruption scandals, would represent a major step forward for the party, which governs in just a handful of mainly small cities.

Success in running the Eternal City could prove a spring board to winning power in general elections that are due in 2018, but could come earlier depending on the outcome of the referendum.

Raggi will be the city's first female mayor if she wins the run-off vote on June 19. She promises to crackdown on graft, cronyism and everyday illegality like fare-dodging and double-parking that have become the norm in dilapidated Rome.

Rome's previous mayor came from the PD and was forced out in October after a scandal over his dining expenses.

That affair left Renzi with a mountain to climb in Rome, but he had hopes of a clear victory in Milan, where he hand-picked the PD candidate, Giuseppe Sala, who headed last year's successful Expo World Fair in Italy's financial capital.

However, Sala emerged with only a slender advantage over centre-right candidate Stefano Parisi, taking 42 percent of the vote, less than a percentage point more than his rival. The pair will square off again in two weeks time.

Apart from Rome, the PD suffered a major setback in Naples, where it failed to make a run-off ballot.

However, Renzi's party remains the single largest force in Italy's fragmented politics and led in the two other major cities, Turin and Bologna, where there will also be a run-off.

"We are not happy," Renzi said. "We had wanted to do better, especially in Naples."

There the leftist incumbent Luigi de Magistris, an independent former prosecutor who has declared the city a "Renzi-free zone", won 42 percent in the first round and looks well placed to see off a centre-right candidate in the run-off.

In Turin, historical home of carmaker Fiat, the incumbent centre-left mayor Piero Fassino led the field with 42 percent, but faces a tough second round against 5-Star candidate Chiara Appendino, who got 31 percent.
Anti-U.S. base assembly members win majority in Okinawa election

TOKYO, June 6 (Reuters) - Okinawa assembly members who want to see a U.S. military base removed from the southern Japanese island won a majority in the prefectural assembly election, emboldening the anti-U.S. base movement.

The result announced on Monday means Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga will likely redouble his efforts to move the Futenma airbase off the island altogether, setting the stage for a prolonged fight with the central government.

Sunday's vote on the island, host to the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan, came after a series of crimes and other incidents involving U.S. soldiers and base workers reignited resentment against the U.S. presence.

Of 48 seats up for grabs, candidates supporting Onaga, who is at loggerheads with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government over plans to relocate the base within Okinawa, won 27 seats, up from 23 seats before the vote, public broadcaster NHK said.

The United States and Japan agreed in 1996 to close the U.S. Marines' Futenma airbase, which is in an urban area of Okinawa, and move its facilities elsewhere on the island, but the plan stalled due to opposition from residents worried about noise, pollution and crime.

That decision followed the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by U.S. military personnel which sparked huge anti-base demonstrations. Further stoking local anger, a 32-year-old American civilian working at a U.S. base was arrested last month in connection with the murder of a Japanese woman.

Last month's arrest prompted the U.S. military to announce a 30-day period of mourning and restriction on off-base drinking on the island. But a U.S. sailor was arrested in Okinawa on Sunday on suspicion of drunk driving following a car crash.

Onaga called the election result a "great victory" but Tokyo remains committed to the plan to move the base to the Henoko area of the city of Nago in central Okinawa.

"There is no change to our stance that the shift to Henoko is the only solution when we think about maintaining the deterrence of the U.S.-Japan alliance and removing the risks of the Futenma airbase," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

The local vote came a month ahead of an upper house election in July.
Kazakhstan accuses businessman of inciting protests in coup plot

ASTANA, June 6 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's security service accused a detained businessman with Russian ties of financing recent anti-government protests as part of a plot to seize power.

Tokhtar Tuleshov, best known as the chief executive of one of the Central Asian nation's largest breweries, has been imprisoned since January, but authorities had not up to now given details of any charges.

"His plan included destabilising the situation in the country by creating flashpoints, organising protests and mass unrest," National Security Committee (KNB) spokesman Ruslan Karasev told reporters on Monday.

"We have proof that protests against the so-called land reform that took place in Atyrau, Astana, Almaty, Uralsk, Kyzylorda had been instigated and financed by Tuleshov."

Tuleshov's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Karasev said the KNB had detained several suspected accomplices of Tuleshov over the weekend, including two colonels in charge of two separate military bases.

Tuleshov ran the Kazakh office of a Russia-based organisation called the Centre for the Analysis of Terrorist Threats.
U.S.-backed force says Islamic State fleeing Syrian city

BEIRUT, June 6 (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have been leaving the Syrian city of Manbij with their families as U.S.-backed groups advance to within 6 km (4 miles) in an attack that has killed more than 150 jihadists, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed forces said on Monday.

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, told Reuters more than 50 of their bodies were in the possession of the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) that is leading the campaign that got under way last week.

He said there were a number of dead among the U.S.-backed forces and the number would be announced later.
Kazakh police kill five more Aktobe gunmen in raid after suspected Islamist attack

By Olzhas Auyezov

AKTOBE, Kazakhstan, June 6 (Reuters) - Police killed five gunmen and detained two others in a pre-dawn raid in the Kazakh city of Aktobe on Monday after a suspected Islamist militant attack the day before on a national guard base and several firearms shops.

On Sunday, gunmen killed three army servicemen and three civilians before responding security forces killed 12 of the attackers and wounded six, the Interior Ministry said, in what was the deadliest such incident in the history of the oil-exporting Central Asian republic.

"During the search operation overnight, police killed five more criminals and two were arrested after resistance," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

State television aired photographs and read out the names of seven men it said were on the run from police on Monday hours after the early hours raid against what the ministry described as "religious radicals".

"The identities of all the criminals involved in the attacks have been established. Measures are being taken to locate and detain them," the ministry statement added.

"The situation in Aktobe is stable, businesses and public transport are functioning normally," it said.

However, Kazakh authorities raised the "terror threat" level to yellow, the second highest designation, and the situation in Aktobe remained tense.

Beefed-up police squads at the airport wore helmets and bulletproof vests while Aktobe's streets emptied due to a curfew. The Internet and automatic cash machines were out of order.

The ministry said the militants first attacked a firearms store in Aktobe, a northwestern Kazakh town with a population of 400,000 around 100 km (60 miles) from the Russian border.

They then split into two groups, one of which robbed another gun shop while the other stormed a national guard base.

Kazakh authorities often announce detentions and trials of Islamist militants, but most of them have been people who travelled or planned to travel to places such as Syria and Iraq. Violent clashes within Kazakhstan itself are rare.
Air strikes, Turkish shelling kill 7 Islamic State militants in Syria - media

ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - Shelling by Turkey's military and attacks by U.S.-led coalition aircraft killed seven Islamic State militants in Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

Turkish howitzers and rocket launchers opened fire over the border, while the air strikes hit an area near the Syrian town of Azaz, the agency said, citing security sources, but giving no detail on when the attacks took place.

The shelling and air strikes destroyed weapons systems that the militants were preparing to use to fire on Turkey, the agency said.
Ex-head of China Development Bank's supervisory board investigated - watchdog

BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - The former head of the supervisory board at China Development Bank, one of the country's policy banks, is under investigation for suspected corruption, the anti-graft watchdog said on Monday.

The official, Yao Zhongmin, was suspected of "serious breaches of discipline" the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement on its website. The commission uses the term "serious breaches of discipline" as a euphemism for corruption.

President Xi Jinping has waged a far-reaching campaign against corruption, targeting sectors from the military to state-owned enterprises. The drive has felled many of his political opponents, including the once-powerful domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang.

The financial sector has also been targeted by anti-graft authorities, and an investigation into China Construction Bank, the country's second-largest lender, found in April that hundreds of officials improperly used their positions to obtain favours for friends and families.
Three Jordanian intelligence officers killed in attack in Palestinian camp

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN, June 6 (Reuters) - Three Jordanian intelligence officers and two other security personnel were killed in an attack on their security office in a Palestinian refugee camp outside the Jordanian capital, Amman, and one suspect was arrested, officials said on Monday, saying it appeared to be an "individual and isolated act."

The incident at the Baqaa camp, the biggest of its kind in Jordan, jolted the U.S.-backed Arab kingdom, whose relative stability has distinguished it from powerful war-ravaged neighbours, Syria to the north and Iraq to the east.

Initial investigations suggested the attack at the intelligence department's office at the Baqaa camp was an "individual and isolated act", Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said. He gave no further details.

Earlier, when Jordan announced the incident, Momani described it as a terrorist attack that took place at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), adding that alongside three officers, a guard and a telephone exchange operator at the security office were killed.

Two residents said the suspect was a 22-year-old Palestinian from Baqaa camp with no Islamist leanings. They said he was seen acting suspiciously in a disused mosque in the area and when he tried to resist arrest, shot at someone, injuring him lightly but using a pistol believed to have been used in the attack.

A large proportion of Jordan's more than 7 million people are descended from Palestinian refugees who fled in the aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948.

The incident raised fears among residents of a security backlash against camp residents, who have long complained of suffering discrimination in areas such as jobs.

MILITANT ISLAM IN CAMPS

Western donors and political analysts warn of growing Islamist radicalisation in Jordan's impoverished refugee camps and in districts within major cities laid low by poverty and a lack of economic opportunities.

Dozens have left the sprawling Baqaa camp, which houses over 100,000 Palestinian refugees, to join Islamist militant groups fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier this year, several Islamic State sympathizers were killed in a shootout with security forces in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid.

Security authorities said later they had carried out a pre-emptive strike on militants linked to Syria who were planning suicide attacks on shopping malls and government buildings.

Jordan, a U.S. ally for decades and with close security ties with Israel, has long been a target of radical Sunni Muslim fundamentalist groups including al Qaeda and Islamic State.

It was among the first regional state to join a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, which seized large expanses of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and 2015 but has been pushed back by U.S.- and Russian-backed counter-offensives this year.

King Abdullah has repeatedly warned that the threat from ultra-hardline Sunni groups poses the biggest threat to Jordan's long-term stability. Amman has imprisoned dozens of hardline Islamists in the last few years, many of whom who came from Syria or were arrested while trying to cross the border.

Jordan's main political opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, which commands a large following within the camp, said the attack on Baqaa only served those who sought to sow strife.

"Preserving the stability of Jordan is a religious duty and necessity," said the statement by the mainstream Islamist party.
China rebuffs Taiwan president's offer on democracy

BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - China on Monday rejected an offer by Taiwan's new president to share the island's experience of democracy, saying it was confident of the path it had chosen.

President Tsai Ing-wen made the offer via Facebook on Saturday in a post about the June 4 anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on student-led protests in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Self-ruled Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world which holds free elections, and Tsai has already upset China, where officials have accused her of promoting a pro-independence agenda, something anathema to Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked whether China would be willing to learn from Taiwan's democratisation experience, said the past 30 years had shown China had made the right choice.

"In the last 30 years the success that China's economy and society have achieved has received worldwide attention and the democratic system has continued to be perfected. The advantages of China's system continue to show themselves," Hong told a daily news briefing.

"The facts prove that the path China is now going down accords with the reality of China's development and the wishes of the Chinese people and is the correct one," he added, without elaborating.

China sent in tanks to break up demonstrations on June 4, 1989. Beijing has never released a death toll but estimates from human rights groups and witnesses range from several hundred to several thousand.

The subject remains all but taboo in China, where President Xi Jinping is overseeing a broad crackdown on rights groups and activists.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring what it views as the wayward province of Taiwan under its control and is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who assumed office last month, due to her ruling Democratic Progressive Party's pro-Taiwan independence stance.
Maldives' former vice president jailed on terrorism charges

By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, June 6 (Reuters) - A court in the Maldives jailed former vice president Ahmed Adeeb for 10 years on terrorism charges, his lawyer said on Monday, after a closed-door trial that was denounced by the opposition as flawed.

Adeeb, 34, once seen as the successor to President Abdulla Yameen, was arrested on Oct. 24 in a probe into an explosion on Yameen's speedboat and was accused of possessing firearms.

Parliament impeached Adeeb on Nov. 5 over his alleged role in the explosion.

Adeeb was sentenced on Sunday, a week after ousted former leader Mohamed Nasheed, now in exile in Britain, formed a united opposition group aimed at toppling Yameen.

Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges after a trial in 2015 that was widely denounced as politically motivated.

He was given permission to travel to Britain for medical treatment and was last month granted refugee status by the British authorities.

A broad crackdown against political dissent belies the popular image of the Maldives, an island chain with a population of 400,000, as a holiday paradise, with radicalised youth enlisting in significant numbers to fight for Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Moosa Siraj, Adeeb's lawyer, said his sentence was based on three witnesses who said his client possessed two firearms.

"It was not a fair trial. Adeeb did not get a chance to speak and explain his side," Siraj told Reuters.

Government officials were not immediately available for comments.

The newly formed Maldives United Opposition said the process was flawed.
German president says won't serve a second term in headache for Merkel

By Michelle Martin

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - German President Joachim Gauck said on Monday he would not serve a second five-year term, a decision that could trigger a battle between the parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition over who should succeed him.

Although the position of president is largely ceremonial in Germany, the selection of the last two heads of state has caused problems for Merkel and it risks dividing her government in the run-up to the next federal election in 2017.

Merkel initially opposed the appointment of Gauck, a 76-year-old Lutheran pastor who played an important role in the peaceful protests in communist East Germany that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

But she was forced to accept him when other parties, including her coalition partner at the time, the Free Democrats (FDP), came together and backed him. Her previous choice for the post, conservative politician Christian Wulff, was forced to resign in 2012 in a financial favours scandal.

There was broad cross-party support for Gauck to serve a second term, but he said on Monday that his age had been a factor in the decision, which he described as "not easy."

"I'm thankful that I'm well but at the same time I'm aware that the period between the 77th and 82nd year of one's life is different to the one in which I find myself now," he said, speaking at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin.

"I don't want to presume an energy and vitality for another five years that I can't guarantee," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had wished Gauck would serve another term as president, adding that her Christian Democrats (CDU) would hold talks with Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) as well as others to decide on a candidate.

Paul Nolte, a history professor at Berlin's Free University, said the search for a candidate would add to Merkel's problems, which already include dealing with the migrant crisis and souring relations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

"(Gauck's) decision means that things are a bit more difficult for Ms Merkel and she now has even more on her to-do list, namely to find a candidate. But the search must not endanger the grand coalition before the federal election in 2017," he said.

The president is not directly elected by the people, but rather by the Federal Convention, an assembly of members of the German parliament and the same number of delegates sent from state parliaments.

That means that Merkel must win the support of at least one other big party for her nominee. Any party can propose a candidate for president.

Among the people whose names have been mentioned as possible successors to Gauck are Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 73, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 60, although both might struggle to win cross-party support. The appointment of either would necessitate a reshuffle of Merkel's cabinet.

Norbert Lammert, 67, who is president of the Bundestag lower house of parliament, is seen as another possible candidate. There has also been talk in the German media that a woman could be appointed for the first time.

Gauck's term expires in March 2017, roughly half a year before Germany holds a parliamentary election. Merkel, 61, is widely expected to run for a fourth term as chancellor, although her popularity has dipped following her decision last year to open German borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Agreeing a joint candidate for the ruling conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) could signal to voters that Merkel's 'grand coalition' - traditionally a partnership of last resort in German politics - could continue after the general election.

But the SPD, which has sunk to post-reunification lows in opinion polls, may be reluctant to send such a signal. And agreeing a candidate between the CDU and the CSU could also be difficult given the Bavarian party's withering criticism of Merkel's migrant policy.
British paedophile gets life for Malaysian, Cambodian crimes

By Michael Holden

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - British paedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday for abusing 23 Malaysian and Cambodian babies and children over almost a decade.

Huckle, 30, stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes against impoverished victims aged 6 months to 11 years.

"It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this," said judge Peter Rook.

As Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman sitting in the public gallery shouted: "a thousand deaths is too good for you".

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2014.

He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia, where the authorities have been criticized for failing to properly tackle sex crimes against children.

The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just.

"For doing this to the children, this is the correct (decision). Wherever the crime happened. I'm happy about the verdict," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu.

Vadivelu said Huckle often visited the community, which is a settlement for poor families displaced by construction projects in the city.

Malaysian police have said they are seeking details on the victims from their British counterparts while the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information.

But a rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg.

"Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children.

PROLONGED CAMPAIGN OF RAPE

The London court heard Huckle abused his victims over a period of nine years between March 2006 and December 2014. All the crimes took place in Malaysia, apart from the first incident which involved the abuse of a 2-year-old child during a visit to Cambodia.

"Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young - pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," the judge told him.

"This was a prolonged campaign of rape of the children from a small community."

The judge said one of the most aggravating features of the case was that Huckle targeted and groomed impoverished children and their families, seeking to impress them with his relative wealth and status as a Westerner.

"Your offending behaviour became entrenched in your everyday life," he added. "Your life revolved around your sexual activities with young children. Your distorted beliefs in respect of children are deep-seated. Your self-delusion knows no bounds."

Huckle boasted of his crimes online and had written a 60-page manual advising other paedophiles on how to abuse children.
EU countries refuse to back new licence for glyphosate weed-killer

By Alissa de Carbonnel

BRUSSELS, June 6 (Reuters) - EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate's use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto's Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month.

Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the centre of a dispute among EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers. Citizen and environmental groups have urged governments to exercise caution.

The EU executive had offered a 12- to 18-month extension to allow time for further scientific study by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), in hopes of allaying health concerns. Its earlier proposal to renew the glyphosate licence for up to 15 years had failed to win support in two meetings this year.

The compromise proposal failed to win the qualified majority needed for adoption, an EU official said, adding the European Commission will discuss the issue at a meeting on Tuesday.

Seven member states abstained and 20 backed the proposal, a German environment ministry spokeswoman said. Only Malta voted against, diplomats said.

Without a majority decision that meets the required percentage of total EU population, the EU executive may submit its proposal to an appeal committee of political representatives of the 28 member states within a month. If there is again no decision, the European Commission may adopt its own proposal.

Monsanto on Monday defended the safety of its widely used herbicide, and said glyphosate's license should be renewed for the full 15 years.

"Further delays in this process represent a significant deviation from the EU regulatory framework and set a concerning precedent for other active substances," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice president of global regulatory and government affairs, said in a statement.

Monsanto has not ruled out a legal appeal if approval lapses after June 30, requiring a six-month phase-out of glyphosate-containing products. The industry lobby has criticised the regulatory uncertainty.

The controversy hangs over German chemicals group Bayer's $62 billion offer in May to buy U.S. seeds company Monsanto. Germany was among states which abstained on Monday and has opposed Monsanto's genetically modified seeds.

Glyphosate use is key for Monsanto in the United States and Brazil, where the U.S. company depends on sales of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that can resist the widely used weed killer.

In Europe, sale and use of such seeds faces strong opposition and plays virtually no role in commercial farming. But an EU refusal of a new glyphosate licence could signal stricter regulation of the broader agricultural chemicals industry.

It would also hit Monsanto's bottom line: If the EU were to halt glyphosate sales, the company could see earnings reduced by up to $100 million as its premium branded Roundup product is diverted to the generic market, said Bernstein senior analyst Jonas Oxgaard.

SMELLING GAS

Quashing the licenses in Europe might further embolden glyphosate foes elsewhere.

"With this decision all they do is cast doubt ... and create fear and confusion amongst Europe's consumers," Graeme Taylor of the European Crop Protection Association said.

Environmental and citizen campaign groups have called for an EU-wide ban in the absence of scientific certainty.

"Extending the glyphosate licence would be like smelling gas and refusing to evacuate to check for a leak," Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said in a statement.

The prospect of a European ban could complicate EU-U.S. trade talks.

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said in May glyphosate was unlikely to pose a risk to people exposed to it through food.

The finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, but runs counter to a March 2015 study by the WHO's Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
German might gives way to angst over Brexit risk

By Paul Carrel

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - Europe's most powerful nation is suddenly powerless and worried.

After shaping Europe's response to the Greek debt, Ukraine, and Syrian refugee crises, Berlin is now unable to influence the outcome of the other big geopolitical risk on its doorstep: Britain's June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union.

The outcome is a big worry for Berlin. A vote for 'Brexit' would undermine the integration of Europe, the grand project that has enabled Germany to forge its post-war identity. It would upset the EU's balance of power and raise the danger of other countries leaving too.

In keeping with an informal agreement among continental European governments to hold their peace, German politicians are staying out of the campaign in the run-up to the vote, for fear of being seen to be bossing Britons around.

Chancellor Angela Merkel would like Britain to stay, but stresses: "It is naturally the decision of the British people how to vote."

In the corridors of power in Berlin, the knowledge that the best thing to do now is keep out of the British debate is mixed with deep angst about losing a kindred free-market spirit that helps balance out the statist leanings of the third big EU power, France.

"We're all crossing our fingers," said David McAllister, a Berlin-born conservative ally of Merkel. "We would really miss them," the half-Scottish politician said.

Another senior member of Merkel's conservatives, speaking on condition of anonymity, was more direct when discussing the EU without Britain: "Everyone will say it is a club of losers."

"We need a counterweight to France," the same official added. "If the referendum result is negative, then we've got a real problem - it will be massive."

Reflecting a deep desire to keep the UK on board, Germany played a constructive role in helping Prime Minister David Cameron reach a deal with his fellow EU leaders in February that he said gives Britain "special status" in the 28-member bloc.

That deal reinforced London's reputation in many European capitals as an awkward EU partner. But for Germany, any awkwardness is far outweighed by the positives of the British contribution.

These include its strengths in foreign policy, developing the EU's single market, holding down the bloc's budget, rolling back bureaucracy and promoting free trade.

THREE'S COMPANY

The prospect of wielding more power in a smaller EU with France as the only other major power does not appeal to Berlin.

The EU's traditional Franco-German axis has become uneven, largely due to France's economic malaise.

Britain is seen as bringing balance.

"A three-way relationship is in this case definitely stronger than a two-way relationship, especially as one partner in the pair is more or less on its last legs," said Michael Broening, analyst at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a political foundation linked to Germany's left-leaning Social Democrats.

For Roderich Kiesewetter, a conservative lawmaker who sits on Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, the EU would benefit from more British influence.

"The European Union is very much marked by the French approach," he said, pointing to a top-down bureaucracy. "British output-orientated pragmatism is much closer to our approach."

As one example of welcome British influence, Kiesewetter pointed to a deal Cameron secured earlier this year authorising EU member states to limit in-work benefits - a mechanism for topping-up low salaries - for workers arriving from other EU states.

"Germany wanted this too, but we didn't dare say so for fear of others complaining about 'you rich Germans'," he said.

FEAR FACTOR

Unable to stay completely quiet on the issue, Merkel said last week Britain would lose out if it left the EU. Berlin's bigger fear is what would become of the rest of the Union.

"The weight of the EU, but also confidence in the cohesion and the steadfastness of the EU, would diminish dramatically," said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.

Britain has supported Berlin taking a foreign policy role commensurate with its economic power. But Germany's ambitions are eclipsed by its concerns that a Brexit could allow Russia to project its power into a destabilised EU.

"It would be a success for Russia," Kiesewetter said. "It cannot be in Germany's national interest for a British exit to weaken the EU and strengthen Germany."

His view is shared by just about the entire political establishment in Berlin. Peter Tauber, general secretary of Merkel's conservatives, summed up the prevailing sentiment: "Europe is only strong together. The British are part of that."
U.N. warns Manbij battle could uproot more than 200,000 Syrians

GENEVA, June 6 (Reuters) - A U.S.-backed offensive to retake the Islamic State-held northern Syrian city of Manbij has displaced some 20,000 civilians and could uproot about 216,000 more if it continues, a U.N. humanitarian agency said on Monday.

Syrian fighters have surrounded Manbij from three sides as they press the onslaught against the jihadists near the Turkish border, a spokesman for the fighters said on Monday.

The report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was possible people would "face impediments" to moving out of IS-controlled areas and they had a critical need for shelter, drinking water, food and health care.

Civilians were mainly moving north towards nearby towns and to the Jarablous border crossing with Turkey or west towards areas held by other rebel groups, while lesser numbers had gone south to villages along the Euphrates River.

OCHA said newly uprooted people might try to head towards Al-Bab or Azaz, two towns west of Manbij, or south to the Maskanah plain close to Lake Assad.

Offensives aimed at rolling back Islamic State insurgents around Tabqa could also trigger displacement, OCHA said. Tabqa, close to the Euphrates Dam at the other end of Lake Assad from Manbij, is the apparent target of a Russian-backed offensive by Syrian pro-government forces.

The OCHA report gave no figures or details of potential displacement caused by that battle.

Both the U.S.- and Russian-backed assaults appear to threaten the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, its capital in Syria, and both began last week shortly after the Iraqi army attempted to storm IS-held Falluja in Iraq.
Britain warns of possible terrorist attacks in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, June 6 (Reuters) - The British government said on Monday there is a high threat of attacks against foreigners in shopping areas in South Africa, days after a similar advisory was issued by the United States embassy in Pretoria.
Bangladesh heist perpetrators may never be identified-ex US official

By Raju Gopalakrishnan

SINGAPORE, June 6 (Reuters) - A former top U.S. intelligence official on cyber security has warned that government investigators may never be able to ascertain who carried out a cyber heist that led to the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank in February.

Sean Kanuck, who was the most senior official in charge of cyber security at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for five years until mid-May, told Reuters that there had been no official determination on who committed the cyber heist, one of the biggest ever.

"They may never be able to make one," Kanuck said on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, held at the weekend in Singapore.

He said he had some knowledge of the case but was not directly involved in the probe.

Investigations into the heist are being coordinated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The authorities in Bangladesh, the Philippines and some other countries are also carrying out inquiries.

The hackers stole money from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve. One fraudulent transfer to a Sri Lankan entity was reversed, but four transfers for a combined $81 million went to the Philippines and wound up being laundered through casinos and casino agents there.

Most of the money remains missing.

Kanuck said that he believed either an extremely sophisticated criminal group or a rogue nation carried out the theft.

BAE Systems has said malware used to erase the tracks of hackers in the Bangladesh Bank heist was similar to code used to attack Sony Corp in 2014, a strike blamed by the FBI on North Korea.

"We have actually seen criminal enterprises that were able to bring together a range of capabilities, ranging from insider access to credentials, going through to people who were willing to go physically remove money from ATMs," said Kanuck.

"There is a black market for different capabilities and you can actually assemble a team like in Ocean's 11," he said, referring to the Hollywood movie about a crime syndicate robbing Las Vegas casinos.

"On the other side of the table, you have a growing number of nation-states developing very broad capabilities to do different kinds of operations," Kanuck said. "The water is very muddy, it's very complex."

Such states could be seeking to undermine the credibility of a central bank, or looking for hard currency funds, Kanuck added.

But Kanuck warned of deceptive signals from those involved in such a heist.

"An analyst or an investigator would need to consider that nation states may try to make their activity look like it's the work of criminals," he said.
Central African Republic to resume diamond exports after 3-year ban

BANGUI, June 6 (Reuters) - Central Africa Republic will restart diamond exports three years after its stones were found to be funding armed groups in an inter-religious conflict and placed under embargo, the mines minister said on Monday.

Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by "anti-balaka" Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south.

Having held successful elections aimed at drawing a line under the violence, new President Faustin-Archange Touadera is seeking to revive the shattered economy.

Mines Minister Leopold Mboli Fatrane said on state-owned radio that the partial lifting of the export ban would initially apply to the southern region of Berberati.

"Very quickly we'll be working on other zones. As you know, we must follow certain conditions imposed by the Kimberley Process," he said. "We must separate the so-called 'blood diamonds' from those that aren't."

The Kimberley Process, which implemented the export ban, is a grouping of producer countries, consumer nations, industry representatives and civil society organisations formed to prevent the sale of diamonds from funding conflicts.

Last year, it agreed to allow the government to resume rough diamond exports on the condition that it implemented a programme to ensure the traceability of its stones.

In September, a U.N. panel of experts said the illicit trade in diamonds was still funding major players in Central African Republic's conflict and increasingly involved neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Chad.

"As you know, today security has returned to Berberati. The government is today able to ensure traceability there," Mboli Fatrane said.

According to Kimberley Process data, Central African Republic officially exported 371,917 carats of diamonds, worth over $62 million, in 2012, the year before the ban was put in place.

The first diamonds to be shipped from the country following the resumption of exports comprise 3,703 carats of stocks that must be examined and approved by the government's diamond inspection office.
Bangladesh bans three on a motorcycle after killing of policeman's wife

DHAKA, June 6 (Reuters) - Bangladesh slapped a ban on more than one person riding pillion on a motorcycle on Monday, a day after the wife of a prominent anti-terror police official was shot dead by three men riding a motorbike.

Mahmuda Aktar, the wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Aktar, known for battling Islamist militants, was stabbed and shot dead by the three in the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

"Only two people are allowed to ride a motorcycle, not three," Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters, adding motorcyclists will not even be allowed to carry a spouse and child, common across South Asia.

Bangladesh imposed a similar ban late last year after two foreigners were shot dead by three masked men riding on a motorcycle.

An elderly Christian grocer was also hacked to death on Sunday. Both attacks appeared to be the work of Islamist militants who have killed at least 30 people, including religious minorities, liberal bloggers and academics, since February last year, police said.
Russia says will take "adequate measures" to counter NATO expansion

MOSCOW, June 6 (Reuters) - Moscow is concerned by NATO's expansion and the movement of its infrastructure towards Russia's borders and will take "adequate measures" to protect its security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

"We do not hide our negative attitude to the movement of NATO's military infrastructure towards our borders, to dragging new states into the military activity of the block," Lavrov told a news briefing with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini in Moscow.

"Here we will invoke Russia's sovereign right to ensure its security with measures adequate to the current risks. I am confident that our Finnish friends and neighbours also understand this."
Hungarian policy questioned after Syrian migrant dies in attempted river crossing

BUDAPEST, June 6 (Reuters) - A Syrian migrant drowned in the Tisza river last week as he was trying to cross from Serbia to Hungary, police said on Monday, and the U.N. refugee agency blamed Hungary for adopting a policy that forced many migrants to take hazardous routes.

Police confirmed the death of the 22-year-old man in a reply to Reuters after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees issued a statement calling for an investigation into the accident.

The UNHCR said Hungary's policy of admitting only 15-17 asylum-seekers daily at its two transit zones on the border with Serbia was forcing people into the hands of smugglers and towards alternative and often dangerous routes.

"The circumstances that led to this tragic death need to be swiftly and thoroughly investigated by the authorities on both sides of the border," Montserrat Feixas Vihe, UNHCR's Regional Representative for Central Europe said in a statement.

"Currently, there are several hundred asylum-seekers waiting to access asylum procedures in Hungary at the transit zones - the majority of them are women and children," it added.

Police said a river patrol spotted two people swimming in the Tisza towards Hungary near the village of Roszke on June 1 shortly before 6 a.m.

After realising they had been spotted, they turned back towards Serbia but only one of them made it back. Police notified the Serbian authorities and, in a search, found the man's body on June 3.

During the operation, police also rescued an Iraqi family of five from the river, Hungarian police said.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken an increasingly anti-foreigner stance since migrants began pouring into Europe last year, building a heavily guarded border fence and rejecting an EU quota system to share out migrants among member states.
Iraqi army, Shi'ite coalition bicker on Falluja war operations

By Ahmed Rasheed, Saif Hameed and Isabel Coles

BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq, June 6 (Reuters) - An Iraqi Shi'ite militia leader accused government forces of "betrayal" as a split emerged between the Iranian-backed paramilitaries and the army over tactics for fighting Islamic State.

The head of the largest militia, Hadi al-Amiri, criticised the army for moving an armoured brigade to the Makhmour area near Mosul - Islamic State's capital in northern Iraq - while the battle to dislodge the militants from Falluja, their stronghold near Baghdad, is still underway.

"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, who leads the Badr Organisation. "I believe that sending a large number of armoured vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of the Mosul battle, is a betrayal of the battle for Falluja," he told Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday.

Badr Organisation is the largest component of the Popular Mobilisation, a militia grouping which has been fighting alongside the Iraqi army at Falluja, with government units also receiving air support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Amiri also accused the Iraqi authorities of deciding to move the forces to Makhmour, which lies around 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, under pressure from the United States.

An army spokesman denied that the build up would affect the battle for Falluja, about 350 km south of Mosul, which the militias and Iraqi government forces are trying to regain after two years of Islamic State control.

The row reflects the diverging priorities of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - a Shi'ite who was elected in 2014 on a promise to mend rifts with the Sunni Muslim minority - and the Shi'ite militias backed by Iran.

Falluja, which lies 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, is a historic bastion of the Sunni insurgency against the U.S. occupation and then against the Shi'ite-led authorities that took over after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003

Sunni politicians fear the participation of the Shi'ite militias in the assault could further inflame sectarian tensions.

HISTORIC BASTION

Amiri is the second militia official to voice dismay over the Falluja assault. On Friday, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Talabawi, said the operations had come to a near standstill and asked Abadi to order the resumption of attacks.

Abadi said on June 1 that the army had slowed its offensive over fears for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city with limited access to water, food and healthcare.

Iraqi army officers confirmed that an armoured brigade had arrived on Sunday night in Makhmour. This was part of preparations for an offensive to take an airfield that they plan to use in a future offensive on the city.

Bridges and boats have also been brought to facilitate the crossing of the Tigris river from Makhmour to Qayyara, where the airfield lies, they said, giving no indication of when the battle would start.

Iraqi armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool played down the effect of any mobilisation to capture Mosul. "I don't believe it would impact the ongoing battle of Falluja," he told Reuters. "The forces allocated to Falluja are achieving victories and we have started moving towards the city centre."

Falluja was the first city captured by Islamic State in Iraq, in January 2014, six months before the group declared its caliphate over areas of Iraq and Syria. Abadi has expressed hope that 2016 will be the year of "final victory" over Islamic State, with the capture of Mosul.

Abadi ordered the offensive on Falluja after a series of bombings claimed by Islamic State hit Shi'ite districts of Baghdad, causing the worst death toll this year.

His initial decision seems to have gone against the plans of his U.S. allies, who would prefer the government concentrate on Mosul rather than risk getting bogged down in a protracted battle in a potentially hostile mainly Sunni area.
Russia vows "most active" air support for Syrian army in and around Aleppo

MOSCOW, June 6 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday its air forces will provide "the most active" support to Syria's government troops not to let the strategic city of Aleppo and the surrounding area fall into the hands of "terrorists".
Embed quickly turned deadly for NPR team in Afghanistan

By Zainullah Stanekzai

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, June 6 (Reuters) - The NPR photojournalist and his Afghan colleague killed in Afghanistan on Sunday died on the first day of an embed with local troops, highlighting the risks for reporters in a country where increasing amounts of territory are off-limits.

Photographer David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna, an Afghan journalist working as a translator, were killed in a Taliban ambush shortly after joining Afghan troops in Helmand province, one of the most volatile areas in the country.

The NPR team, including Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, had just spent several days with coalition troops, including U.S. special forces, before they went over to an Afghan unit, said Colonel Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for the NATO-led military coalition.

The team spent Sunday morning in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah interviewing local officials, according to Shakil Ahmad Tasal, a public affairs officer for the 205th Corps who accompanied the NPR team during the drive.

The team carried a letter from the Afghan Ministry of Defence, directing the soldiers to escort them to the town of Marjah, roughly 30 km (18 miles) away, he said.

While Lashkar Gah has remained in government control, some surrounding areas of Helmand have been under serious pressure from Islamist militants from the Taliban insurgency.

Earlier this year in Marjah, U.S. forces conducted several air strikes to help beleaguered Afghan troops, and a U.S. Special Forces soldier was killed and two others were wounded during a Taliban attack.

On Sunday afternoon, a convoy of six lightly armoured Humvees, which also carried an Afghan general, was nearing Marjah when Taliban gunmen opened fire, pelting the vehicles with small arms and rocket fire.

"We were taking very heavy fire," Tasal told Reuters.

The Humvee carrying Tamanna and Gilkey was hit by a shell and caught fire, killing the journalists and the soldier driving the vehicle, according to witnesses and NPR.

DOZENS FORM GUARD OF HONOUR

A gunfight raged for at least 30 minutes before coalition and Afghan aircraft arrived overhead, apparently prompting the Taliban to break off the attack, Tasal said.

The coalition said its aircraft provided surveillance for the Afghans, while attack aircraft were put on standby but never launched.

The other two NPR staffers, travelling in another vehicle, were unharmed.

A veteran photojournalist, Gilkey, 50, had reported from Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, and won awards for covering veterans issues in the United States and the ebola breakout in Africa.

In a video posted by NPR on May 13, just prior to his departure for Afghanistan, Gilkey described a desire to get close to what is happening.

"What I always try to show in my pictures is what it's like for the guys on the ground that are having to operate there," he said.

Like many Afghan journalists who perform the lion's share of the work covering their country, Tamanna had worked for a variety of foreign outlets, including the Chinese news agency Xinhua and Turkey's Anadolu News Agency.

Qualified journalists in their own right, Afghans like Tamanna are often contracted to provide translation and other help for foreign reporters.

"He was a very honest, responsible person and loved his country," Haroon Sabawoon, a friend and business partner, said of Tamanna. "He was very polite, calm and had high hopes for peace and security."

Tamanna, 38, left behind a wife and three children.

Afghan troops recovered the bodies of the slain journalists and handed them over to coalition forces at Camp Shorab, where the team had just previously been embedded with American troops, Lawhorn said.

"Dozens and dozens" of U.S. troops at the base formed an honour guard, stood to attention and saluted when the journalists' remains arrived, Bowman reported to NPR.
Clinton clinches Democratic presidential nomination - AP and NBC

By James Oliphant

LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination, according to tallies on Monday by two U.S. media outlets, the day before six states were set to vote in nominating contests.

A former senator and U.S. secretary of state, Clinton would be the first woman to ever be the presidential candidate of a major political party in the country's 239-year history.

But the campaign of her rival, Bernie Sanders, vowed to keep up the fight in what has been a protracted and increasingly antagonised primary race that has exposed deep rifts between the left-wing and the more centrist of the Democratic Party.

A Sanders campaign spokesman said it was wrong of the Associated Press and NBC News, which made the calls on Monday evening, to count the votes of superdelegates before they cast ballots at the Democratic National Convention in July.

"Our job from now until the convention is to convince those superdelegates that Bernie is by far the strongest candidate against Donald Trump," Sanders' spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement, castigating what he called the media's "rush to judgment."

While most delegates are awarded by popular votes in state-by-state elections, superdelegates largely consist of party leaders and elected senators, members of Congress and governors, and can change their mind at any time.

For that reason, the Democratic National Committee has echoed the Sanders campaign, saying the superdelegates should not be counted until they vote at the convention in Philadelphia.

But that has not deterred the news media. The AP and NBC reported that Clinton reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic nominee with a decisive weekend victory in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, and a burst of additional support from superdelegates.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who calls himself a democratic socialist, has commanded huge crowds spilling out of parks and stadiums and has been particularly bolstered by younger voters angered by widening economic inequality with his promise of a "political revolution."

But Clinton, who prefers smaller, round-table events, has continued to edge out Sanders, particularly among older voters with longer ties to the Democratic party. Her less lofty promises focus on improving the policies of her fellow Democrat and former boss, President Barack Obama.

"According to the news, we are on the brink of a historic, historic, unprecedented moment," Clinton told a rally in Long Beach, California, shortly after the AP report.

"But we still have work to do, don't we? We have six elections tomorrow and we're going to fight hard for every single vote, especially right here in California."

Clinton has 1,812 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, and Sanders has 1,521. She also has the support of 571 superdelegates, according to an AP count, compared to 48 for Sanders.

Her campaign manager, Robby Mook, said the media call on Clinton was an "important milestone".

"We look forward to Tuesday night, when Hillary Clinton will clinch not only a win in the popular vote, but also the majority of pledged delegates," he said in a statement on Monday.

Sanders supporters have pointed to the uncertainty of whether or not Clinton or her aides will face criminal charges as a reason for him to remain in the race. Clinton's decision to use an unauthorized private email server kept in her home for her work as secretary of state remains the subject of a criminal inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Earlier on Monday, Clinton called for party unity, suggesting it was time for Sanders, who only joined the Democratic party last year after years as an independent, to abandon his hard-fought challenge.

CALIFORNIA VOTES

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Mexico also hold nominating contests on Tuesday, but most attention will focus on California, the country's most populous state where another 475 pledged delegates are at stake.

Clinton once held a sizable lead there over Sanders, but opinion polls in recent days showed them in a dead heat.

A Sanders victory there could embolden his supporters to urge him to wage a fractious convention fight. It could also help Trump, 69, who clinched the Republican nomination last month, argue that she is a weak candidate.

"It's going to make her ability to seal the deal with disaffected Democrats all that much harder," said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who supports Clinton. "The only one benefiting from this is Donald Trump."

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail. In recent days, his comments about a judge he believes to be biased against him because he is Mexican-American have drawn criticism.

On Monday, Trump, a New York real estate developer, insisted his concerns were valid. Clinton, in an MSNBC interview on Monday, said Trump's comments about the judge were racist and bigoted.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll showed Clinton with an 11-percentage-point edge over Trump, 46 percent to 35 percent, a marked change from just 10 days ago, when fewer than 4 points separated the two.
Chile takes Bolivia to UN court in The Hague in dispute over river access - official

AMSTERDAM, June 6 (Reuters) - Chile on Monday filed a lawsuit against neighbour Bolivia at the U.N.'s highest court in The Hague, in a dispute over access to a disputed river that crosses their shared border, an official said.

Chilean officials submitted documentation to start formal legal proceedings over the Silala river, a official from the Chilean side said.
Russia to Finland: We will respond to NATO Baltics activity

MOSCOW, June 6 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Finnish counterpart the Kremlin would take unspecified measures to respond to increased NATO activity in the Baltic region, making clear he was vexed by Helsinki's hosting of alliance drills.

Lavrov made his comments at a news conference in Moscow on Monday with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini on the same day as NATO launched Baltops 16, an annual naval exercise, on Finnish soil for the first time.

"We do not hide our negative attitude to the movement of NATO's military infrastructure towards our borders, to dragging new states into the military activity of the bloc," Lavrov told reporters.

"We will invoke Russia's sovereign right to guarantee its security with measures proportionate to the current risks. I am confident that our Finnish friends and neighbours also understand this."

Lavrov, who said he saw no threats in the Baltic region that would justify the area's militarisation, did not elaborate.

Soini told the same news conference that military exercises like the one launched on Monday helped strengthen Finland's military capacity and were "not directed against anybody."

He said Finland, not a member of NATO, was taking the "security challenges" it faced seriously, closely cooperating with NATO, and deepening cooperation with next-door Sweden.
Abraaj buys Fibabanka stake, plans more deals in Turkey

By Seda Sezer

ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - Emerging markets focused private equity firm Abraaj Group said on Monday it had acquired a minority stake in Fibabanka to get a foothold in the Turkish banking sector and it may do two or three more deals in Turkey this year.

Private equity transactions have dropped off in Turkey due to political uncertainty, security concerns and a struggling currency, which make it harder to lure new investors and to exit investments profitably.

However, Abraaj's move to buy a 9.95 percent stake in Fibabanka comes days after British private equity firm Bridgepoint bought Turkish dried fruit and nuts producer Peyman in a deal sources said was worth some $110 million.

Fibabanka will use the investment by Abraaj, which has about $9 billion in assets under management, to expand its franchise and support its growth, Abraaj said in a statement.

"The Turkish banking sector loan book has increased tenfold in the last decade, yet Turkey remains an under-leveraged market with a household debt to GDP ratio that is approximately a third of the Eurozone average," said Selcuk Yorgancioglu, Partner and Regional Head of Turkey and Central Asia at The Abraaj Group.

Details of the Fibabanka deal were not disclosed, although Abraaj said that following the investment it will have deployed around $900 million of capital in Turkey since 2007, including dairy products maker Yorsan and Turkey's largest e-commerce company Hepsiburada.com.

"We aim to close at least one, possibly two or three more deals this year. We love healthcare. People don't postpone their healthcare spending. We also love FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods). For us in FMCG, from food to diapers, everything is attractive. Although we look into B2B, we are keen on B2C," Yorgancioglu said in an interview.

Fibabanka was acquired by Fiba Group, which was established by Turkish businessman Husnu Ozyegin, in 2010 and the EBRD and IFC each own 9.95 percent stakes. Fiba Group is also involved in real estate, retailing, hotel management and energy.

Abraaj said Fibabanka has 70 branches across 18 cities in Turkey, total assets of $4.3 billion and a loan book of $3.2 billion at the end of the first quarter, with a focus on commercial, corporate and SME customers.
Estacio becomes prey in growing wave of Brazil education M&A

By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO, June 6 (Reuters) - Estacio Participacoes SA has gone from predator to prey, as a recent share slump left Brazil's No. 2 for-profit college operator vulnerable to unsolicited takeover bids from larger and smaller rivals alike.

Rio de Janeiro-based Estacio received a second takeover offer in four days on Sunday, when Ser Educacional SA placed a non-binding merger bid. Kroton Educacional SA had made a preliminary all-stock deal valued at 3.37 billion reais ($956 million) on Thursday.

The proposals are setting the stage for what may become the largest hostile takeover in Brazil's education sector. Interest in Estacio underpins the strength of for-profit college operators even as a two-year recession pushes up student delinquencies on loans and the government cuts student loan subsidies.

Shares in Brazil's four listed education companies have surged an average 21 percent this year, trailing only banks in Sao Paulo, after successfully wrestling market share from their privately held peers. Ser Educacional and Kroton have gained more than any of their listed rivals, after stringent cost cuts generated the cash they needed for acquisition opportunities.

Both offers, however, face likely resistance from Estacio shareholders and tough scrutiny on antitrust grounds, as a prior round of takeovers left market leader Kroton with twice as many students as Estacio. Shares of Estacio rose 40 percent since Thursday, suggesting investors expect suitors to sweeten offers.

Still, gains in Estacio's stock lost steam after executives at Ser Educacional on Monday ruled out an improvement to their cash and stock merger offer. Estacio, which jumped as much as 7.3 percent at open, traded 4.8 percent higher at 14.55 reais in early afternoon trading.

Ser Educacional's cash and stock proposal has "cost synergy and regulatory and industrial execution elements making it quite favorable" for both parties, Chief Executive Officer Janyo Diniz told investors at a conference call to discuss the offer.

Shares of Kroton fell 4.5 percent.

COMMITTEE

Recife, Brazil-based Ser Educational offered to pay Estacio shareholders a one-time dividend of 590 million reais, and exchange shares. Kroton has yet to make a formal, non-binding offer.

Estacio, the byproduct of a series of acquisitions in recent years, said in a securities filing on Sunday that a three-member committee had been appointed to analyze both bids and, if necessary, make a counteroffer to "maximize shareholder value."

Slowing revenue growth drove Estacio's stock down 21 percent in the year through Wednesday, the day before Kroton's bid was announced. By contrast, profit resilience has helped bolster the shares of Kroton and Ser Educacional, which gained 18 percent and 51 percent, respectively, in the same period.

"Disclosing a potential takeover like this without properly preparing the ground, like more structured terms, for instance, creates uncertainties and leaves room for defensive moves by Estacio," Victor Schabbel, an analyst with Credit Suisse Securities, said of the Kroton offer.

Between 2012 and 2014, shares of Brazilian education companies skyrocketed, despite a prolonged slowdown in the economy, as investors saw them benefiting from repressed demand for higher education among the nation's growing middle class.

Yet, the shares suffered last year after President Dilma Rousseff's government had to cut student loans and grants. The Senate suspended Rousseff and put her on impeachment trial last month, on grounds she breached budgetary rules.

The battle for Estacio is also pitting some of Brazil's largest financial advisory firms.

The investment-banking arms of Itau Unibanco Holding SA and Credit Suisse Group AG are advising Kroton and Ser Educational on their unsolicited proposals, respectively. Grupo BTG Pactual SA, the top-ranked mergers and acquisitions advisor in Brazil this year, is acting as Estacio's advisor.
Greece offers no increase in taxes to attract big investments

ATHENS, June 6 (Reuters) - Greece is offering big investors more than a decade of no increases in their taxes, in an effort to promote entrepreneurship in a country struggling to return to growth after almost seven years of recession.

Greece has been imposing austerity, as part of three consecutive bailout programmes, since 2010. Partly as a consequence, gross capital formation, which shows inventory replacement and spending on fixed assets such as buildings and machinery, has declined about 65 percent since 2006.

To reach 2009 levels of fixed capital formation, Greece would need to invest at least 79 billion euros ($90 billion). That is more than it can afford, the finance ministry said last week, when it submitted a draft law that offers different incentives for setting up a business.

Under the law, investment plans exceeding 20 million euros and creating at least 40 new jobs could choose a stable tax regime with no tax increases for 12 years once the investment is concluded.

Alternatively, they can apply for a subsidy, amounting to 10 percent of the plan and up to 5 million euros, either in cash or in the form of a tax exemption.

In both cases, the investments can be eligible for a fast-track licencing process.

"Big foreign investments don't need funding. They need stability," Economy Minister George Stathakis told reporters, presenting the proposed law.

"If a Greek government raises taxation, they will be protected. But if taxation goes down, they will enjoy the same favourable treatment that will apply to the others."

Greece ranks 60 out of 189 world economies in ease of doing business and 54 in starting a business, according to a World Bank 2016 report. The necessary licensing for setting up a business can take anywhere from several months to years.

Stathakis said that Athens will seek to shorten approval time for investment plans to three months instead of the two to three years it takes now.
Ramadan begins, overshadowed by conflict for many in the Middle East

June 6 (Reuters) - Muslims around the world began observing Ramadan on Monday, Islam's holy month during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.

But among those displaced by fighting in Iraq and Syria, many families say that tough living conditions will make it difficult for them to participate this year.

Falluja, already suffering water, food and medicine shortages, is being bombed by Iraqi forces, allied Shi'ite militias and aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition, in an offensive to retake the city from Islamic State militants.

Many families have fled to a nearby makeshift camp, where they say they have little electricity to keep them cool in the blistering heat of the daytime fasting hours, and little food to break the fast at dusk.

"Who can fast this year? Doesn't someone who fasts need to eat? We have nothing," said 75-year-old Shukriya Na'im, in comments echoed by many others in the camp.

"We used to lead a comfortable life when we were at our home. We used to fast and welcome Ramadan with happiness but now our life in the tents is so hard, diseases are rampant and it is too hot," Sana Khamis, also displaced, said.

In Damascus, many complained that economic hardship caused by Syria's five-year conflict made it hard to enjoy the month's festive spirit.

Ramadan traditionally begins the morning after the sighting of the crescent moon. In most countries it began on Monday, although some Muslims in countries including Oman, Pakistan, Iraq and Lebanon - were due to start a day later.
Rich nations use Cuba debt in hopes of prying open opportunities

By Marc Frank

HAVANA, June 6 (Reuters) - Cuba's long-term trading partners are using debt forgiveness, swaps and new financing to try to win investment opportunities on the island before U.S. companies turn up following its detente with Washington.

France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Russia are among the countries seeking to convince Cuba to sign contracts with their companies for projects to update the Communist-led nation's creaking infrastructure, in return for writing off debt.

In December, Cuba struck a general accord with the Paris Club of wealthy nations to forgive $8.5 billion of $11.1 billion in defaulted debt and it has since reached follow-up bilateral deals with most members.

Spain and France have pledged more than $700 million in outstanding Cuban debt for development projects on the island and Italy and Japan are expected to follow suit this month, their companies in line for any new business.

France, which is Cuba's largest creditor in the Paris Club, agreed in February to drop more than $225 million of outstanding debt in a swap arrangement.

In return, Cuba opened an account in which the same amount will be deposited and used to finance investments that both countries agree on.

"If there is a proposed project, for example a joint venture, the Cubans can finance their part more quickly with this money in their account. It is an incentive to speed up decision making," said a European diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations.

Cuba says it needs foreign investment to perk up its anemic economy but it remains cautious when it comes to finalizing new ventures. To date, no projects have been announced linked to any of the finance agreements.

A French diplomat said the debt his government swapped would be used for major development projects, including transportation and construction.

It was not clear what those projects might be, but Cuba is looking for investment in waterworks, rails, ports, renewable energy and new tourism resorts.

Belgium last week became the ninth of the 14 nations to sign a bilateral debt deal. Debt swaps are promoted under the general accord, despite being a financial tool that Cuba rejected in the past.

Paris Club members Australia, Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland have also signed bilateral deals, although the accords, including Belgium's, have not been made public and do not necessarily include swaps.

The broader Paris Club agreement, which was seen by Reuters, states "the government of each participating creditor country or its appropriate institutions may sell or exchange in the framework of debt swap" a large proportion of remaining debt.

Under the swap arrangement, Cuba must open an account and deposit the amount agreed upon "for allocation to projects which will be defined bilaterally."

In addition to forgiving debt, the French diplomat said the Paris Club deal "wiped the slate clean", allowing creditors to treat Cuba like any other poor to mid-level country and once more offer mid-term to long-term financing.

He said the French Development Agency would open an office this year in Havana and could offer credits unrelated to the debt swaps, joining forces on development projects with other parties, for example the European Union.

DIVERSIFYING

Cuba was economically isolated and suffered badly when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the United States tightened its economic blockade, making it harder for other nations to trade with the island.

President Raul Castro is determined not to repeat the mistake of relying too heavily on one ally. He has restored relations with the United States, which Cuba hopes will eventually lift a half-century-old economic embargo.

With strategic ally Venezuela in crisis and Cuba hit by lower export earnings in 2015 due to falling commodity prices, improved relations with the United States and the European Union, have eased pressure on the cash-strapped Caribbean island.

Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca told a gathering of Spanish businessmen in Havana last month that restored diplomatic relations with the United States did not mean Cuba was turning its back on other partners.

"We will not return to dependence on a single market in the future," he said, while encouraging them to invest before they have to compete for deals with U.S. companies.

Spanish businesses invested heavily in Cuban tourism in the "special period" of the 1990s when Soviet subsidies vanished.

Russia forgave some $30 billion in old Soviet debt in 2014, pledging to invest the remaining $3.5 billion in Cuba, and a Russian diplomat said a May visit by First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Russia was focused on future projects.

Diaz-Canel is expected to replace President Raul Castro in 2018.

"The Cubans are tough negotiators and they are very cautious, but I think we will have some good news soon," the Russian diplomat said.
VW's Skoda considers move into U.S. market

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's Czech division Skoda is considering selling cars in the United States, where its embattled parent is trying to recoup sales lost in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal.

Europe's biggest automaker will next week unveil a new business roadmap aimed at improving accountability and decentralising product planning and sales operations, with greater investment in electric cars and mobility services.

As part of Volkswagen's (VW) so-called strategy 2025, mass-market brand Skoda is assessing the potential of regions where it does not yet sell cars, including North America, a spokesman at Skoda said on Monday, adding that a decision on the matter is not expected any time soon.

German business daily Handelsblatt reported on Skoda's plans earlier on Monday.

The move reflects VW's growing optimism that a series of new products and a campaign to enhance the brand's image will repair the damage done in the United States, where its rigging of emissions tests came to light almost nine months ago.

Over the past eight months U.S. sales of VW-branded cars have plunged more than 10 percent year on year to 207,800 vehicles, VW records show.

Analysts are sceptical about Skoda's prospects for success in the United States. Previously positioned as VW's budget alternative for eastern Europe and Asia, Skoda has been slow to enter the market for crossover and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) that are so popular with U.S. consumers.

NordLB analyst Frank Schwope, who rates Skoda shares a "hold", said that the carmaker would have to fight tooth and nail in the United States, citing the country's saturated market for passenger cars.

"Skoda would do better to get engaged in emerging markets like India or South America," he said in comments echoed by other analysts contacted by Reuters.

But Skoda, which increased first-quarter profitability to 9.3 percent from 7.6 percent a year earlier by virtue of cost cuts and improved sales of higher-margin models, appears serious about its U.S. ambitions.

It has touted an SUV offensive since launching the concept VisionS model in March and will unveil a new large SUV at the Paris auto show in September, to be followed by other models in the next few years.

The brand has also filed several trademarks with U.S. authorities to protect the names of models such as Superb, Octavia and Yeti, the spokesman said, in a move that could be a precursor to market entry.

A foray into the United States would not be Skoda's first, however.

In the late 1950s, long before VW fully acquired the company in 2000, the Czech brand started exporting its Felicia compact to North America before taking it off the market a few years later because of poor sales.
British paedophile gets life for Malaysian, Cambodian crimes

By Michael Holden

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - A British paedophile, who abused 23 Malaysian and Cambodian children and babies including one aged just six months, was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday.

Richard Huckle, who awarded himself points for his crimes, may have targeted almost 200 children and boasted that those from poor communities made easier victims than well-to-do westerners.

Using the pretext of being a photographer, English teacher and western philanthropist, Huckle won the trust of impoverished families before carrying out nine years of abuse. This included rapes which he filmed, photographed and shared online with paedophiles worldwide.

Dubbed the country's worst paedophile by Britain's media, Huckle stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes.

"Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young, pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," said judge Peter Rook. "You were and are sexually obsessed with children. In one of your postings you stated that you had become consumed by your paedophilia."

As the pony-tailed Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman shouted from the public gallery: "A thousand deaths is too good for you".

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and when he was arrested at London's Gatwick Airport in 2014, he was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children, including more than 1,000 of him raping and abusing victims, on his computer and camera.

He was just 19 when he began the abuse in March 2006, targeting a two-year-old child in Cambodia. The rest of the abuse until his arrest took place in Malaysia.

He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia where the authorities have been criticised for failing to tackle sex crimes against children properly.

The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia and in one community in the capital Kuala Lumpur that Huckle frequented it was hailed as just.

"For doing this to the children, this is the correct (decision)," said community leader Sunderam Vadivelu, adding that Huckle often visited the settlement for families displaced by construction projects in the city.

A rights group in Malaysia said the Huckle case was the tip of the iceberg and the government has set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they have information. "Sadly, child sex abuse is very prevalent in Malaysia," said Sharmila Sekaran of the advocacy group Voice of the Children.

CATALOGUE OF ABUSE

The court heard Huckle had kept a hidden ledger of his activities on his computer where he awarded himself points for different types of abuse and made reference to 191 children. There was also material on his laptop that was so encrypted the authorities have not been able to access it.

He produced his own online paedophile manual advising others on how to abuse children and escape detection, having criticised a previous version.

The judge called it a "truly evil document", saying Huckle had also intended to make a commercial enterprise out of his abuse by posting images of his crimes in return for bitcoins, a web-based currency.

"At one stage, you made the chilling observation that 'impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids,'" Rook said.

"It is clear from your postings on hidden encrypted paedophile websites on the dark web, and from the manual you were in the process of drafting that your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification by child sex abuse."

Some of his victims were abused for years, and would be blighted for life, said the judge, adding that he would pose a very high risk to children for many years to come.

POLICE DELAY?

Last week, the Malaysian authorities said they were seeking details from British police about Huckle's victims and complained they had found out about the case only in April.

Andy Brennan, Deputy Director of Britain's National Crime Agency's child exploitation unit, said they had told the Malaysian police soon after learning Huckle's identity.

"We received intelligence suggesting that somebody who hadn't been identified at that point was active in these areas. That would have been August 2014," he told reporters outside court.
North Korea apparently reopened plant to produce plutonium - IAEA

VIENNA, June 6 (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have reopened a plant to produce plutonium from spent fuel of a reactor central to its atomic weapons drive, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday, suggesting the country's arms effort is widening.

Pyongyang vowed in 2013 to restart all nuclear facilities, including the main reactor at its Yongbyon site that had been shut down and has been at the heart of its weapons programme.

It said in September that Yongbyon was operating and that it was working to improve the "quality and quantity" of its nuclear weapons. It has since carried out what is widely believed to have been a nuclear test.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has no access to North Korea and mainly monitors its activities by satellite, said last year it had seen signs of a resumption of activity at Yongbyon, including at the main reactor.

"Resumption of the activities of the 5 megawatt reactor, the expansion of centrifuge-related facility, reprocessing, these are some of the examples of the areas (of activity indicated at Yongbyon)," IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told a news conference during a quarterly IAEA Board of Governors meeting.

Centrifuges are machines that enrich uranium, a process that can purify the element to the level needed for use in the core of a nuclear weapon. Reprocessing involves obtaining plutonium from spent reactor fuel, the other main route to a bomb.

"There are indications the reprocessing plant at Yongbyon has been reactivated," an IAEA spokesman said later on Monday. "It is possible that it is reprocessing spent fuel."

Little is known about the quantities of weapons-grade uranium or plutonium that North Korea possesses, or its ability to produce either, though plutonium from spent fuel at Yongbyon is widely believed to have been used in its nuclear bombs.

North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons programme, including tougher U.N. sanctions adopted in March backed by its lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January.

The website 38 North reported in April that exhaust plumes had been detected on two or three occasions in recent weeks from the thermal plant at Yongbyon's Radiochemical Laboratory, the site's main reprocessing installation.

The U.S. national intelligence director said in February that North Korea could be weeks away from recovering plutonium from Yongbyon, telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that it had also expanded its uranium enrichment facility there.
German politician receives death threats over Armenian genocide resolution

BERLIN/ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - A leader of Germany's opposition Greens who has Turkish roots has received death threats after he pushed for a resolution approved last week by the German parliament that declares the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces a genocide.

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Germany in protest against the resolution. Ankara accepts that large numbers of Christian Armenians were killed on Ottoman territory during World War One but denies the killings amounted to a genocide.

Cem Oezdemir, one of the initiators of the resolution, has received death threats via Twitter, Facebook and email - some of them from Germans with Turkish roots in Germany and others from Turks in Turkey, said Julia Jorch, a spokeswoman for the Greens.

She said Oezdemir often received insults from right-wing extremists and Turkish nationalists and sometimes death threats but the number of these had surged in the run-up to and after the resolution, which parliament approved last Thursday.

On Monday Oezdemir was defiant, saying: "Votes in the German parliament are not dependent on which authoritarian ruler they make happy and which they don't."

On Sunday Erdogan lashed out at the German parliament for passing the resolution and suggested that Germany was being hypocritical given its own history.

"Look Germany, I am saying this again; first you will be held accountable for the Holocaust, then you will be held accountable on how you killed and destroyed more than 100,000 Namibians in Namibia," Erdogan said at the graduation ceremony of a university in Istanbul, according to comments published by the state-run Anadolu agency.

During Adolf Hitler's Third Reich six million Jews were murdered and in the early 1900s, when Namibia was a German colony, Germans carried out a campaign of slaughter there among the Herero and Nama tribes.

"You are the last country who could conduct a parliamentary vote for Turkey on the so-called Armenian genocide. We have no issues, no problem in our history on this topic. Our history is not one of massacres. Our history is one of compassion and mercy and that is our difference," Erdogan said.

Germany has long acknowledged its guilt for the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities and began in 1952 to pay compensation to Israel. In 2012 Berlin said it would pay a lifelong monthly pension to Jews who spent time in concentration camps or ghettos or who survived the Nazi regime by living in hiding or under a false identity.
Nigeria's Buhari flies to London for ear infection treatment, holiday

By Felix Onuah

ABUJA, June 6 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari flew to London on Monday for a 10-day holiday, during which he will receive medical treatment for a persistent ear infection.

His departure comes days after the 73-year-old former military ruler cancelled a trip to the restive Niger Delta region at the last minute. Last month, he pulled out of what would have been his first official trip to Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos .

A presidency statement issued late on Sunday said Buhari would see an ear, nose and throat specialist in London after being examined by two doctors in Nigeria who "recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution".
Boko Haram retakes Niger town of Bosso - mayor

NIAMEY, June 6 (Reuters) - Boko Haram retook the town of Bosso in southeastern Niger overnight after clashes with soldiers from Niger and Nigeria, the mayor of Bosso and a military source said on Monday.
Deutsche Bank discards plans for U.S. digital bank -memo

FRANKFURT, June 6 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank is discarding plans to set up a new digital banking service in the United States for fear of the move hampering a sweeping overhaul aimed at restoring the lender's fortunes after a damaging string of financial scandals.

An internal memo from Chief Executive John Cryan, seen by Reuters, said the bank judged that the implementation of such a service in the United States would have diverted resources from Deutsche's core strategy.

That strategy has involved a shake-up of information technology and internal processes, as well as cost-cutting measures including branch closures and job cuts.

In last year's management reshuffle, Deutsche Bank made former operations chief Henry Ritchotte responsible for development of the new digital bank in the United States.

Deutsche had said that it would spend up to 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion) on digital initiatives over the next five years.

The memo said that that Ritchotte and his group had developed an "excellent blueprint" and that Cryan would discuss new plans for the team.

"We are determined to implement several ideas generated by Henry and his team in our business divisions," Cryan's memo said without elaborating.

Deutsche Bank had intended to develop a digital bank outside its core market in much the same way that German rival Commerzbank had with its mBank operation in Poland, allowing it to test new services for potential transfer to its home market. ($1 = 0.8811 euros)
U.N. mulls allowing EU to search boats for illicit arms off Libya

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Reuters) - Britain on Monday proposed expanding a United Nations Security Council mandate for a European naval operation to allow it to crack down on arms smuggling in the high seas off war-torn Libya, though Russia voiced concerns about the idea.

Britain circulated a draft resolution to approve the measure to the 15-member council, diplomats said. In October, the council authorized the European naval operation to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers.

"Now once again, we are asking this council to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told the council.

"I can only hope that this council will once again do the right thing and help us make the Mediterranean a safer place for everyone," she said.

The U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Libya in 2011 when former leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Libya's government is allowed to import arms with approval of the council's sanctions committee.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that Moscow was not opposed to allowing the European naval operation to search vessels for illicit weapons but that "we need to be very careful about it."

"Everything must be done in a way which does not create any suspicions among any of the Libyan parties," Churkin told reporters.

The fall of Gaddafi in 2011 sparked chaos with two competing governments backed by militias scrambling for control of the oil-producing country. A power vacuum has allowed Islamic State militants to gain a foothold.

A U.N.-backed unity government formed earlier this year is seen by western states as the best hope for uniting Libya's many political factions.

Churkin said he valued the work done by the EU's Operation Sophia to save the lives of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, but noted that this year more people had drowned than in the same period last year.

"The legitimate question arises - how suitable is it in this situation to broaden the mandate of the Sophia operation with additional, while important, oversight functions over the illegal flows of weapons?" he asked the council.

This year nearly 50,000 migrants have arrived in Italy from North Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration, while some 2,000 have died trying.
India's PM Modi gets Swiss pledge on tackling tax dodgers

GENEVA, June 6 (Reuters) - Switzerland promised on Monday to work with Indian authorities to tackle tax dodgers who stash money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid Indian taxes.

After talks in Geneva with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann and round-table discussions with Swiss businessmen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries had agreed to make combatting tax evasion and "black money" a shared priority.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect," he said, referring to a portal supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Modi promised in his 2014 election campaign to recover billions of dollars sent to tax havens abroad to avoid income tax, now about 30 percent in India.

Schneider-Ammann said no figure had been put on the amount of "black money" to be recovered. Talks would begin later this month, he said.

Modi said Switzerland had also agreed to support its bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which it applied to join last month, having won a waiver in 2008 that accorded it the right to trade in commercial nuclear technology.

New Delhi's bid for full membership of the 48-nation club, if granted, would tip the balance of power in South Asia against its arch-rival Pakistan, whose own application has been backed by China despite questions over its proliferation record.

Modi tacked on Switzerland and Mexico as extra stops on a five-country tour to seek their support on joining the NSG. He left Switzerland for Washington, where U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to offer his backing also.

Both Switzerland and Mexico have been viewed as sceptical about India's bid for nuclear legitimacy. They are among countries concerned that India has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a step that would require New Delhi to give up its nuclear arsenal.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told some of his most high-profile campaign supporters in a conference call on Monday that they should help him escalate his attacks on a Hispanic judge presiding over a fraud lawsuit against him  and criticize reporters who question the tactic.

Bloomberg reported that Trump was quick to distance himself from a memo a junior campaign aide sent Sunday to 'surrogates'  a political catch-all term referring to public figures who help candidates amplify their messages  which urged them to to stop speaking publicly about Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

'Take that order and throw it the hell out!' Trump said, according to people on the call who spoke with Bloomberg.

'Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks? ... That's one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that aren't so smart.'

Donald Trump (left) told his high-profile supporters to help him bash Judge Gonzalo Curiel (right), a Mexican-American jurist whom Trump believes is biased against him because of his immigration and border policies

Trump said Sunday on CNN that the judge should recuse himself from hearing a fraud lawsuit centered on Trump University, a now-defunct series of real estate business seminars

The emailed memo had cautioned that the 'Trump University' fraud case should be 'tried in the courtroom in front of a jury  not in the media.'

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told Reuters that Monday's Trump-venting 'was a very positive call to discuss overall messaging.'

But much of what Bloomberg reported about the call consisted of snipes from the Republican presidential candidate and warning shots to reporters who would get in his way.

'I should have won this thing years ago,' an irritated Trump said of the lawsuit, according to Bloomberg.

And the billionaire told his supporters they should be attacking journalists who lodge uncomfortable questions about how he has pilloried the American-born Judge Curiel as a 'Mexican' who harbors a deep-seated bias against him on the bench because he plans to erect a wall between the U.S. and Mexico if he's elected.

'The people asking the questions  those are the racists,' Trump said. 'I would go at em.'

There is some support for the idea that judges' nationality can have an outsize impact on judicial decisions.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said as much during a 2001 speech, published by the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal.

Jurists' sex & ethnicity 'may and will make a difference in our judging,' she said then.

Trump supporters Tana Goertz told CNN on Monday that Trump had told his supporters on the conference call not to be afraid to 'call out the media' when TV reporters suggest that Trump is racist.

Goertz and fellow Trump-backer Scottie Nell Hughes said former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer told participants that she wanted the campaign to go on offense against Democratic nominee-in-waiting Hillary Clinton.

Trump, meanwhile, rejected a barrage of criticism from some in his own party over his allegations of unfair treatment by Curiel.

'All I want to do is figure out why I'm being treated unfairly by a judge. And a lot of people agree with it,' Trump said on Fox News.

He has been on the defensive since his comments on May 27 about Curiel, who is overseeing the class-action lawsuit against Trump University, the New York businessman's defunct real estate school.

Clinton has also come forward to castigate him.

'I don't know what else you could call these attacks other than racist, other than prejudiced, other than bigoted,' she said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday.

'It's just plain wrong, and certainly wrong coming from someone who is vying to become President of the United States.'

Trump has suggested that Curiel's heritage is influencing the judge's opinion about the case because of Trump's campaign rhetoric about illegal immigration.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election, has pledged to seal the U.S.-Mexico border with a wall, and has said Mexico is sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States.

Former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, joined the chorus of criticism. In an interview with Orlando's WFTV, Rubio called Trump's comments wrong and said he had to stop.

'I ran for president and I warned this was going to happen,' Rubio said.

Trump has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail and has frequently dismayed Republican establishment leaders. His view of an ethnically biased judiciary has drawn a fresh wave of criticism, including concern in his own party.

On Sunday he was asked if  by the same token  he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. 'It's possible. Yes,' Trump said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.'

Republican leaders including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have distanced themselves from Trump's comments, saying they are worried the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc.

'If this doesn't change we're in for big trouble,' Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said on MSNBC on Monday. 'I hope to be able to support the nominee. I certainly can't now,' said Flake, whose state has a large percentage of Hispanics.

A former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich, called on Trump to apologize to Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents.
Brazil watchdog wants banks to detail plan for new credit bureau

SAO PAULO, June 6 (Reuters) - Brazil's antitrust watchdog Cade wants the nation's five biggest commercial banks to detail better their plan to set up a credit research company to collect data on borrowers' bill-paying history, on concern the deal could hamper competition.

Brasilia-based Cade wants the lenders to follow a list of procedures to determine what are the risks that their so-called credit bureau known as GIC benefit from access to information or be protected through market barriers, according to a post in the government's official gazette on Monday.

In January, state-controlled Banco do Brasil SA and Caixa Economica Federal teamed up with private-sector lenders Itau Unibanco Holding SA, Banco Bradesco SA and Banco Santander Brasil SA to create GIC, in which each will take a 20 percent stake.

The Brazilian unit of Experian Plc and Boa Vista Servicos SA are the largest providers of borrower quality information in Latin America's largest economy. They obtain from the country's banks data on borrowers' behavior, promptness patterns and also estimates on demand for both consumer and corporate credit.

The government set rules for the creation and operation of so-called positive credit bureaus early in 2012. The regulation aimed to help phase out Brazil's current credit scoring system based on the blacklisting of defaulters, with no incentives for those who are up to date with their debts.
Isabel dos Santos promises overhaul of Angola's state oil firm

By Ed Cropley

LUANDA, June 6 (Reuters) - Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, pledged a root and branch overhaul of state oil firm Sonangol on Monday to improve its efficiency and margins to offset the "huge" impact of depressed oil prices.

A presidential decree issued last week said Isabel, ranked as Africa's richest woman by Forbes magazine, would become chief executive after the shock firing of Sonangol's existing board by Angola's leader of the last 36 years.

The appointment was seen by some analysts as President dos Santos laying the ground for dynastic, family succession if he follows through on a declared intention to step down in 2018, a year after presidential elections.

However, others said it was possible he was serious about bringing about change at Sonangol. State media said experts from Boston Consulting Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers would be brought in to assist in the shake-up.

After being sworn in as chief executive, Isabel told reporters she was looking to split the firm into three units overseeing operations, logistics and concessions to international oil companies.

The 43-year-old businesswoman, a major investor in various Angolan and Portuguese telecoms, banking, media and energy companies, also pledged to improve transparency at Sonangol, the central pillar of sub-Saharan Africa's third biggest economy.

With militants blowing up pipelines and causing production outages in Nigeria's Niger Delta, Angola is currently Africa's biggest oil producer. Daily output is around 1.7 million barrels.

"Our objective is to increase the revenue, efficiency and transparency of the company," dos Santos said. "We want to implement governance rules similar to the international standards."

Angola, which relies on oil exports for 95 percent of its foreign exchange, is often cited by anti-bribery campaigners as one of the world's most corrupt countries. President dos Santos has said he has a "zero tolerance" approach to graft.

Isabel dos Santos also said she was looking into the possibility of developing a domestic oil refinery to reduce Angola's need to import nearly all its diesel and gasoline - about 6 million cubic metres a year, according to national statistics.

Asked about job cuts at one of the country's largest employers, she said only that she would be looking into ways of lowering production costs.

NEPOTISM CONCERNS

Foreign oil firms have welcomed Isabel's appointment, brushing aside concerns about explicitly political motives.

"The government has acted. It is clear the direction they want to go. I am always optimistic. I certainly support the direction Sonangol is taking," Chevron's managing director for Angola, John Baltz, said last week.

However, one senior Johannesburg-based banker said the appointment could make it more difficult for international banks to do business with Sonangol, given the perception of nepotism it creates.

"From a compliance point of view, it's going to make it harder," the banker said.

President dos Santos's mild, inscrutable public demeanor belies his tight control of the former Portuguese colony, where he has overseen an oil-backed economic and construction boom in the wake of a devastating 27-year civil war that ended in 2002.
Glencore must face U.S. lawsuit over zinc prices

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Monday two units of Anglo-Swiss mining company Glencore Plc must face a private antitrust lawsuit accusing them of trying to monopolize the market for special high grade zinc, driving up its price.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said zinc purchasers alleged "a plausible story of market control" by the Glencore units, Glencore Ltd and Pacorini Metals USA Inc, that violated the Sherman Act, a U.S. antitrust law.

In a 62-page decision, the judge also dismissed the purchasers' claim that Glencore's 2010 purchase of Pacorini was an illegal merger because its effect was to reduce competition.

Forrest had in January dismissed an earlier version of the proposed class-action lawsuit, which also named Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co as defendants. She said at the time that the plaintiffs could replead some claims against the Glencore units.

The lawsuit is among several in Manhattan in which investors and businesses accused banks and other defendants of conspiring to rig prices in financial and commodities markets.

Glencore Plc declined to comment, as did a lawyer for Glencore Ltd. A lawyer for Pacorini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Christopher Lovell, a lawyer for the purchasers, said his clients were gratified by the decision and looked forward to pursuing their case.

Zinc purchasers accused the Glencore units of having conspired since September 2010 to ensure long queues for the metal at warehouses licensed by the London Metal Exchange.

They said this enabled the defendants to receive increased storage fees and command increased premiums when selling zinc they owned, as part of a plan to artificially inflate prices.

Zinc is used to coat steel to protect against corrosion and is also used in batteries, castings and alloys such as brass.

It is according to the U.S. Geological Survey the world's fourth most widely produced metal by weight, trailing iron, aluminum and copper. http://on.doi.gov/1UCOMNy
Saudi-led Yemen coalition removed from UN child rights blacklist pending review

By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had removed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a child rights blacklist pending a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases of child deaths and injuries.

The U.N. report on children and armed conflict - released last Thursday - said the coalition was responsible for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year, killing 510 and wounding 667, and half the attacks on schools and hospitals.

Following a complaint by Saudi Arabia, however, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to a joint review by the world body and the coalition of the cases cited in the annual report of states and armed groups that violate children's rights in war.

"Pending the conclusions of the joint review, the secretary-general removes the listing of the coalition in the report's annex," Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

But Saudi Arabia's U.N. ambassador, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, said the removal of the coalition from the blacklist was "irreversible and unconditional."

"We were wrongly placed on the list," he told reporters. "We know that this removal is final."

Mouallimi, who described the removal as a vindication, earlier on Monday said the figures in the U.N. report were "wildly exaggerated" and that "the most up-to-date equipment in precision targeting" is used.

Saudi Arabia had not been consulted prior to the publication of this year's report, Mouallimi added.

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said in a statement sent to Reuters late on Sunday that the U.N. had not based enough of its report on information supplied by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing Iran-allied Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power.

Some 6,000 people, about half of them civilians, have been killed in Yemen since last March, according to the U.N.

The Houthis, Yemen government forces and pro-government militia have been on the U.N. blacklist for at least five years and are considered "persistent perpetrators." Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula also reappeared on the list.

Last year, the United Nations left Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas off the blacklist, after they had been included in an earlier draft, but criticized Israel over its 2014 military operations.
Macedonian president revokes pardons in wiretap scandal

By Kole Casule

SKOPJE, June 6 (Reuters) - President Gjorge Ivanov on Monday revoked pardons he had granted to 34 officials implicated in a wire-tapping scandal that has rocked Macedonia, meeting demands from the opposition, the European Union and the United States.

In an EU-brokered deal last year, Macedonia's political parties agreed to hold an early election and that a special prosecutor should investigate allegations that former prime minister Nikola Gruevski and his close allies authorised eavesdropping on more than 20,000 people.

Ivanov's decision in April to pardon 56 officials prosecuted over their involvement in the scandal drew nationwide protests that led to the cancellation of an election set for June 5.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Skopje every evening, marching from the special prosecutor's office to the government building to support opposition demands to revoke the pardons.

Under international pressure, the EU-candidate country's parliament last month passed legislation that enabled Ivanov to revoke his decision to pardon 22 politicians on May 27.

It was unclear whether Gruevski, leader of the ruling party, or Zoran Zaev, the most prominent opposition figure, were among that group.

But on Monday Ivanov issued a brief statement saying he had cancelled the pardons of the other 34 people. "In the past 10 days we have been witnesses of different interpretations of the decision to pardon ... therefore I have decided to annul the remaining decision for pardoning."

Both the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party and Zaev's Social Democrats welcomed Ivanov's decision.

"The Social Democrats led by Zoran Zaev won another victory today," the party said in a statement issued on Monday evening.

On Monday, thousands who demonstrated in Skopje welcomed Ivanov's decision, but protest leaders said the marches would continue until conditions for free and fair elections are met.
GRAINS-U.S. corn, soy, wheat rise on weather threats

By Mark Weinraub

CHICAGO, June 6 (Reuters) - U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat rallied on Monday, supported by concerns that rains in South America and Europe and dryness in the United States could limit crop production, traders said.

"Crops are too wet over there while the next soaking rain looks at least ten days off over here," Matt Zeller, director of market information at INTL FCStone said in a note to clients. "Precip(itation) chances are present past that into the end of the month, but La Nina threats always loom past that."

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures notched the biggest gains, rising 2.1 percent and hitting its highest since July 2015. CBOT soft red winter wheat futures rose 2 percent to their highest since April 21. Both wheat and corn have risen for four days in a row and seven of the last eight sessions.

The most active soybean contract faced resistance at the near two-year highs hit last week but new-crop November , which rose 1.8 percent, hit their highest since July 2, 2014.

France's farm ministry on Monday said wet weather had favoured disease development in rapeseed crops and that other winter crops may see yields suffer in the European Union's largest grain producer.

"Concerns persist about crop conditions following recent rainfall, with great heterogeneity across regions," French consultancy Agritel said in a note, adding that it would impact both area and yields.

"This is not just about France but this seems to be the case for the entire European continent, through Ukraine and southern Russia," it said.

CBOT July soft red winter wheat settled up 10-1/4 cents at $5.07-1/2 a bushel.

CBOT July corn was up 9 cents at $4.27-1/4 a bushel.

Brazil, the world's second-largest corn exporter, continues to face tight supplies, boosting demand for U.S. supplies on the export market.

The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday morning reported weekly corn export inspections of 1.068 million tonnes, up from 786,507 tonnes last week and near the high end of market forecasts.

Record-high corn prices in Brazil are compelling pork producers to slaughter sows they cannot afford to feed and poultry processors to close plants.

Southern states that are the traditional home to pork and poultry plants have been hardest hit by soaring corn feed prices and a plunge in demand for meat, with companies closing at least three slaughter houses to cut supply, said Francisco Turra, president of Brazil's Animal Protein Association.
U.S. wants sanctions on Congo leaders, Europe not so sure

By Aaron Ross, Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed

KINSHASA/WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Concerned over Congolese President Joseph Kabila's apparent attempts to cling to power, U.S. officials are pushing for sanctions against his inner circle but running into opposition from European powers wary of moving too quickly.

Kabila is ineligible to stand in Democratic Republic of Congo's next election due in November, after serving two elected terms. Opponents accuse him of plotting to hold onto power by delaying the poll or even changing the constitution to remove the term limit, as several African leaders have done.

His government says it is unlikely to be able to organize the vote on time, and the electoral commission has said the delay could last 16 months. Senior Kabila ally Henri Mova Sakani on Saturday raised the possibility of a constitutional referendum on the number of terms he can serve.

Any such move risks triggering further violence in Congo, which has never had a peaceful transition of power. Donors worry about a repeat of the regional conflict in eastern Congo between 1996 and 2003, when millions of people died and more than a half-dozen countries were sucked into the fighting.

"This is an historic moment because Congo is such an important part of Africa," Senator Edward Markey, the Africa subcommittee ranking Democrat, told Reuters. "They are going to be looked to for leadership or a failure of leadership."

Protests against a potential delay have already turned violent and authorities have arrested dozens of critics of Kabila, who took power when his father was assassinated in 2001.

The resolution last month by three senior Democrat senators, including Markey, calls on President Barack Obama to join with international partners "to impose targeted sanctions on those officials ... who are responsible for violence and human rights violations and undermining the democratic processes or institutions of DRC, including visa bans and assets freezes."

CONFLICTING VIEWS

U.S. officials, including the State Department's special envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region, Tom Perriello, and several senators, are considering sanctions against Congolese officials, for the moment mostly lower-level people in the security forces.

The Senate's Africa subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 8 on U.S. sanctions policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Senator Jeff Flake, the subcommittee's chairman, told Reuters he had discussed targeted sanctions with State Department officials.

The U.S. Congress is pushing President Barack Obama's administration to act unilaterally if it must.

But without the EU, sanctions may have little impact since officials in Congo, a former Belgian colony, are thought to have most assets in Europe. The European Union is divided on the subject, and even nations that support sanctions want to exhaust other options first.

"The assessment ... is that we still have a little bit of time to see what is going to happen in DRC," one Western diplomat posted to Washington said.

A European diplomat based in Kinshasa said European thinking is that sanctions threats would "have the best effect when they serve as a warning, not having to be implemented".

Within the EU, Britain is among those leaning toward sanctions with Spain and Italy more reluctant, diplomats say.

The Washington-based diplomat suggested that, as is often the case, commercial interests may play a part in some calculations. A Spanish-led consortium is one of two finalists to develop a $14 billion segment of the Grand Inga hydroelectric project, meant to produce 44,000 MW in all.

Spain's ACS, which is in the consortium, declined to comment. The Spanish Foreign Ministry said it had no comment.

Other EU states also question the efficacy of actually going through with sanctions. The concern is that they "would put him in a corner right now and actually make him more defiant and probably make it even more complicated to have ... substantial dialogue," the Washington-based diplomat said.

"SELECTIVE"

"We hope to coordinate with the Europeans and that they would follow suit quickly," one U.S. official said.

The vast wealth contained in Congo's forests and the minerals underneath them has often divided world powers since its independence in 1960, when the United States and the former Soviet Union vied for Cold War influence.

Extra U.N. sanctions beyond current travel bans and asset freezes related to conflict in eastern Congo would not get past veto-wielding Russia and China, Congo's top trading partner.

Meanwhile, the country's African neighbors, who analysts think carry the greatest influence, have remained silent.

Congo's government has bristled at talk of sanctions. In a statement last month, foreign minister Raymond Tshibanda denounced the "selective application" of sanctions threats, when the presidents of Rwanda and the smaller neighboring state Congo Republic have already changed their constitutions to let themselves stand for third terms.

Last month allies of Moise Katumbi, Kabila's main political rival, visited Washington to plead for sanctions.

Stephanie Wolters, a Congo analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, said U.S. sanctions could send an important message but warned that it was also a risky strategy.
Jordan security forces arrest suspect in attack that killed five

AMMAN, June 6 (Reuters) - Jordanian security forces have arrested a suspect in the attack on a security office in a Palestinian camp that left five dead, including three security officers, Jordanian state television said.
Why Trump lawyers won't ask Mexican-American judge to step aside: Frankel

By Alison Frankel

NEW YORK June 6 (Reuters) - There is a curious disconnect between what the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says in public about the judge overseeing two class actions claiming Trump University was a swindle and what Trump's lawyers do in court.

The candidate, as you know, has suggested that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of San Diego is biased against him because Curiel - an Indiana native whose parents were immigrants from Mexico - disapproves of Trump's immigration policies.

Despite criticism of his comments from luminaries in his own party, Trump has refused to back down, calling the judge's heritage "an absolute conflict" in an interview last week with the Wall Street Journal.

But in court, where the Trump University litigation has been plodding along since 2010, there has been nary a suggestion that Judge Curiel should be removed from the case - not for his Mexican roots or for any other reason.

And no matter what Trump says, his defense lawyers at O'Melveny & Myers are exceedingly unlikely to file a motion asking the judge to step aside, or recuse himself, based on what we know today.

In fact, if O'Melveny were to file a recusal motion, according to two law professors and three private lawyers specializing in legal ethics, Trump's lawyers would expose themselves to sanctions under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and to discipline by state bar associations.

RACE OR ETHNICITY NOT A BASIS

As many, many legal experts have opined in the past few days, a federal judge's ethnicity or national origin cannot serve as the basis for a claim of judicial bias.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, for instance, held in its 1998 opinion in MacDraw Inc v. CIT Group that U.S. District Judge Denny Chin (now on the appeals court) was within his rights to sanction two lawyers who asked whether his Asian ancestry prejudiced him against them. (They were involved in completely separate litigation against an Asian fundraiser for President Bill Clinton, who appointed Chin.)

"Courts have repeatedly held that matters such as race or ethnicity are improper bases for challenging a judge's impartiality," the 2nd Circuit said. Added Alexandra Lahav, who specializes in legal ethics at the University of Connecticut: "There is no basis in the law or our legal history. It's antithetical to the rule of law."

Trump has a First Amendment right to express his opinion of the Trump University proceedings, which have certainly not gone the way he and his lawyers would have liked.

Judge Curiel has certified two class actions, one against Trump himself, by consumers who claim the real estate seminars were nothing but a high-pressure sales scheme.

Plaintiffs' lawyers at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd have even persuaded the judge to allow them to pursue a racketeering claim, which carries treble damages, against Trump.

Most recently, the judge unsealed a trove of documents revealing the sales secrets of the now-shuttered Trump University operation, as well as testimony in which some former students and instructors described the program as a fraud. (Trump maintains that the vast majority of those who attended the seminars were satisfied with the program and that critics were simply disgruntled former employees.)

Outside of court, Trump can say just about whatever he wants about the case without much risk of being held accountable. It might be another story if the candidate were to express contempt for Judge Curiel or the proceeding inside the judge's courtroom, but so far, Trump has not made accusations to Curiel's face.

Nor are the candidate's lawyers responsible in court for what their client says about the judge outside of the courtroom. The American Bar Association's model rules of professional conduct explicitly say that representing a client does not mean a lawyer endorses the client's "political, economic, social or moral views or activities."

MOTIONS WITHOUT MERIT

Ethics adviser Thomas Mason of Harris Wiltshire & Grannis said lawyers generally do not face sanctions for what their clients say - and that goes double when the client is running for president. "How easy do you think it would be for any lawyer at any firm to control what Mr. Trump says?" Mason asked.

If, however, O'Melveny were to accuse Judge Curiel of bias in a filing that cited only his heritage as evidence, according to legal ethics experts, the firm could be accused of bringing a frivolous motion, according to Mark Foster of Zuckerman Spaeder and Barry Cohen of Crowell & Moring, who counsel law firms on professional responsibility.

The rules for civil suits in federal courts prohibit lawyers from filing motions they know to be without merit - and legal experts say O'Melveny ought to know they cannot ask for Judge Curiel to recuse himself simply because of his Mexican roots.

Typically, recusal motions in federal court cite a judge's financial interest in the outcome of the case or the involvement of a friend or family member of the judge.

"There won't be a recusal motion," said Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University. "The repercussions of a motion based on the judge's Mexican heritage would be too harsh. No law firm would do that."

Gillers said Trump may already have waived the right to demand Curiel's recusal by waiting to raise the issue until the judge issued rulings he does not like.

According to both Gillers and law professor Lahav, Trump cannot claim Judge Curiel was biased against him on appeal if Trump lawyers do not ask the judge to step aside while the case is still in the lower court.

So how should Judge Curiel handle Trump's criticism? The judge is not permitted to comment publicly on cases under way in his court, except from the bench or in rulings.

In his order unsealing documents, for instance, Judge Curiel mentioned Trump's frontrunner status and said the defendant "has placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue."

The legal experts I spoke with said his likeliest (and smartest) course is to say nothing to Trump's lawyers about their client's out-of-court statements unless he is called upon to rule on a recusal motion.

Which he won't be.

A spokeswoman for O'Melveny declined to comment. I sent plaintiffs' lawyer Jason Forge of Robbins Geller an email asking whether he would bring a sanctions motion if Trump's lawyers asked for recusal; in an email response, he declined to comment.
Given the current state of affairs in the world concerning global warming, hunger, poverty, refugee crises, and suchlike, it is the mark of a person with even half a brain to live with constant, niggling guilt.

You feel guilt when you know better. And seeing how mankind equipped with their one-touch electronic gadgets is obsessed with knowing everything, it's only justified that we feel guilty about everything. These days, you can't put the garbage out without feeling guilty about the percentage of plastic in it.

Is it even possible to desist a human finger from pressing the 'like' button on that Facebook photo of a friend's baby?

You can't buy new things without feeling guilty about child labour and sweatshops. You can't eat meat without thinking about overstuffed cages and animal wails. Or have cows' milk, or turn the tap on fully, or even eat plants anymore without worrying about their feelings.

You can't even shed a tear for a terror attack in one part of the world without being shamed for not caring about that other one in that poorer part of the world. But the one thing you can do, and not a single person on the planet will look at you crookedly, is have a baby.

There is absolutely zero, zilch, nada guilt involved in popping yet another human being out into the world. No blame is put on procreation. Nope, that issue is sacrosanct!

Have there ever been any newspaper/ magazine long-form articles informing readers about the social implications of reckless procreation? People's movements, banners, drawing room discussions?

Is it even possible to cease and desist a human finger from pressing the like button on that Facebook photo of a friend's beaming new baby?

I have to clarify that I'm not advocating any beef-level ban here, I am only talking about a little harmless guilt-tripping. Not guilty like the High Septon gets you to walk down the road - stark-naked with your stretch marks bare for the all the world to mock. Only guilty like yes, you caught me with my head in the fridge after midnight. It's only fair.

People can continue having their children, hell no one can stop them! But there should be some blame dumped onto their shoulders too. Why should their conscience be spotless when the rest of us feel like crap even if we absentmindedly accept the straw with the slushie.

Throw one plastic straw in the dustbin here, one turtle chokes somewhere in the ocean there. But wait, what are those diapers made of?

I'll probably be branded a bitter, barren old crone for saying such things. But you know what my gripe is? It's the lack of guilt. In fact a new parent feels the opposite of guilt; it's called pride. Here, world, enjoy the fruit of my loins.

And let's not talk about how it's a species' natural urge to multiply. Mankind's satisfied such urges so long and so hard that it's torn itself a whole new gash of upgraded urges. You can't have your Japanese water cake and eat it too.

No one's asking all you new parents and parents-to-be for a public apology here. No public apology was ever heartfelt. Just stop with the gloating and flaunting and beaming and boasting.
The Election Commission, we are told, wants the Representation of Peoples Act (RPA) to be amended to empower it to countermand elections wherever cases of bribery are established.

To see this through, it is writing to the Union law ministry urging it to amend the RPA 1951, at the earliest, possibly in the Monsoon session of Parliament, commencing in the third week of July.

The law, as it exists, empowers the EC to countermand elections, wherever there has been large-scale rigging, but is silent when it comes to cases where bribery is involved.

That is precisely what the EC wants changed.

The ball is now in the government's court now, to act, and the sooner it does, the better it will be for image of the country's politicians and the general health of the Indian polity.

This, by the way, is not the first time that money power has played a critical role in helping moneybags get elected to the upper house, especially so in states like Karnataka and Jharkhand.

India Today's sting operation has exposed the rot in Rajya Sabha voting.

My fear is that this will not be the last time, unless the EC and the political class decide to crack down on this.

The joke in political circles is that every time elections to the Rajya Sabha are held, one seat in Karnataka goes to the highest bidder, with liquor baron Vijay Mallya and the mining baron, Anil Lad, cited as prime examples of such high bidders.

Unfortunately, most political parties have, from time to time, been guilty of not entirely playing by the rules. Mallya got into the Rajya Sabha with the support of the JD(S) and the BJP and the Congress propped up Anil Lad, and he roped in the Gowda-led JD(S).

Attention has primarily been focused on Karnataka, thanks to the sting operation conducted by India Today, but the same script is playing out in Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Haryana.

Preeti Mahapatra with Narendra Modi.

In UP, the BJP has only 16 surplus votes, after electing its two official candidates, and therefore, its decision to field a real estate baron's wife, Preeti Mahapatra, as its own candidate has raised eyebrows.

To get elected, she will need the support of 18 more MLAs, and word coming out of Lucknow is that her political managers are shopping for additional votes with the going rate being Rs 5 crore per MLA.

While the government ponders on the desirability of amending the RPA, it should work with the EC to clampdown on attempts to buy votes.

It could begin with UP and Haryana and ensure that the Anti-Defection law is at least adhered to, so that cross-voting across party lines does not take place.
History and literature are full of tales about struggles against injustice, victory against seemingly insurmountable odds, sacrifice, the fight for freedom and of misfits who simply ignored popular wisdom and chose to follow their own path to destiny.

Why is Galileo still revered today? Because in the 17th century he chose to challenge the doctrine of the time and provide evidence that our planet was not at the centre of the universe but in fact spun around our own sun.

I know I wouldn't have forgiven myself for not standing up.

He was charged as a heretic by the Roman Inquisition in 1615, which concluded that his "foolish and absurd" philosophy "explicitly contradicts in many places the sense of Holy Scripture". He spent the remaining 27 years of his life under house arrest. But his conclusions were based on sound logic and reasoning.

It is that same reasoning which inspired women's rights advocate John Stuart Mill, and led, in 1897, the founding of the suffragette movement which came to be closely associated with demands for women to be given the right to vote.

The movement was led and driven each in their own way by Millicent Fawcett, her sister and founder of the Kensington Society Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Emmeline Pankhurst. Women have continued to be at the forefront of such struggles often standing alongside men in the hope of achieving worthy goals. The salt march, led by Gandhi as an act of non-violent protest against British rule in India in March 1930, was unique as for the first time women became mass participants in the freedom struggle. It was Rosa Parks' protest in December 1955 that ultimately led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which became an important symbol of the US civil rights movement.

The boycott led to the rise to prominence of Martin Luther King, Jr., another follower of Gandhi's principle of non-violent political protest. We are lucky that we have none of the disadvantages of these first equality and human rights campaigners. It is their sacrifice and hard work that has laid the foundation of current equality laws. Women have since become heads of state, heads of industry, leading scientists, engineers, designers and astronauts. The list is endless.

We are no longer an underclass of "roti makers" and "child producers" to be cast aside and held back from progress. Given an equal opportunity, we are capable and ambitious as our male colleagues. But it will be wrong to assume that the work is done. We are still faced with organisations like Wipro, which claim to be award winning supporters of gender diversity.

But as the UK employment tribunal verdict against this company has highlighted - what good are these gender diversity policies if companies are breaking the law? Policies can be self-serving, law is not.

Even though I never had any second thoughts about fighting discrimination, it was never my intention to be thrust into a lawsuit. What made me fight was the hard evidence of my discrimination, personal intolerance towards inequality and my absolute conviction that the judiciary would give me the respect I deserve.

It took a long time for me to realise and accept that Wipro was not the ethical company that I had believed in and worked hard for. To discover that I was being paid 50 per cent less than my male colleagues for doing the same work was shocking.

The chauvinism that I had to contend with at the hands of Wipro colleagues, Sid Sharma and George Joseph was appalling. That my well founded grievances were never addressed by Wipro was both disheartening and distressing. But the worst was yet to come.

It was only as a result of finally being forced to take my case to the UK employment tribunal, that I learnt the full extent of Wipro leadership's involvement in my discrimination and victimisation.

From the moment that I raised a grievance against Wipro, which included allegations of sexist treatment, the decision was taken by TK Kurien, Saurabh Govil and Inderpreet Sawhney to move me out of my role and block all job opportunities in Europe. So all possibilities of bringing any legal claim against Wipro "would be most effectively contained or averted".

The judgement stated that the "direction had come from the very top and was followed through with considerable resolve". It was painful for me to discover this conspiracy as these were the very people I had reached out to for help over and over again. And they had acted out their role very well. None of this would have come to light had I simply accepted this unlawful treatment and chosen to walk away. I know I wouldn't have forgiven myself for not standing up.

There are many thousands of women who go through similar acts of discrimination and victimisation every day with no hope of redress. Many of them have reached out to me since the verdict against Wipro became public knowledge.

Their distress and sense of hopelessness is what drives me now to make a change happen. Ignoring the ugliness and discrimination would be a tacit compliance. Now I am inspired by the rallying call of the Suffragettes - "Deeds, not Words".

Today, I have a new profile - Shreya Ukil who took on Wipro, an $8 billion outsourcing firm and won. I now find myself sharing my personal story with the world, so women in similar situations can step out of the shadows and challenge prejudice. I want them to know, change is possible. But for that change to come about quickly, more of us - both men and women - need to challenge discrimination.

There remains a lack of transparency with regard to corporate disclosure of the gender pay gap. The employment tribunal system unfortunately is overly lengthy and expensive, which only makes it harder to fight against deeper pockets. Wipro has appealed the equal pay verdict three times and lost. But they have succeeded in drawing the process out and delaying the financial resolution.

I fought Wipro because they would not acknowledge my legitimate grievances concerning equal pay and discrimination. I continue to fight them because even now they refuse to accept the verdict given by the UK employment tribunal or take action against those individuals guilty of discrimination, victimisation and sexism. Wipro's gender diversity policies seem to conveniently exonerate these lawbreakers and continue to employ them.

Wipro has always boasted of its gender diversity policies and awards. I am tired of these awards being used as marketing propaganda. If you have no pay transparency, no published and independently audited pay gap and if you have less than 30 per cent representation of women serving on your board or in your senior and middle management leadership teams, then I see no reason for an award in the first place.

As recent as in May 2016, Monster released a gender wage cap survey for the Indian private sectors and the gap is highest in technology and manufacturing sector at 34 per cent. It's a shocking and deplorable number to have against any sector or country.

The report further states, some of the reasons behind this gender pay gap could be the preference for male workers over female employees, and preference given to male employees when it comes to promotions to supervisory positions.

The gender wage gap is a quantifiable indicator of sexism and sex discrimination and only law, compliance an stringent penalty can fix these deeply rooted biases.

It's depressing that even in 2016 as one of largest democracies, India is still carrying such patriarchal bias.

If companies proactively accept gender pay gap disclosures and women's representation mandates, then the pain and shame of enforced change will be far less. I believe a fair workplace always creates a positive and productive environment.
US secretary of defence Ashton Carter's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 3 is yet another pointer to the simmering crisis in the South China Sea which may be readying to come to a boil this month.

A tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is getting ready to give its verdict on a complaint by Philippines over whether some features in the South China Sea claimed by China can give Beijing the right to assert territoriality over the surrounding seas.

Assertion

China has rightfully asserted that the tribunal cannot adjudicate maritime boundaries; these can only be determined through bilateral negotiations between the parties in question.

However, under the UN Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS), the tribunal can indeed declare whether a particular feature is an "island" and thus entitled to a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a "rock" which only permits a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, or a feature visible only in low tide, which does not provide for any maritime zone.

The issue has gained salience because China has constructed artificial islands over some of these rocks and low-elevation features and is claiming an exclusive economic zone around them.

Under UNCLOS, artificial islands and structures like oil rigs do not confer territoriality of any kind.

China says it is not participating in the arbitration, even though the UNCLOS does not confer it any right to exclude itself from the process.

Indeed, UNCLOS says that even if a party refuses to participate, the tribunal can give its verdict which is final and without appeal.

In the build-up to the verdict, China has strongly denounced the process and made it clear that it will not abide by its verdict.

It has questioned the bias of the tribunal and has termed it as a kangaroo court. At the same time, it has built up a military presence in some of the artificial islands.

The US has made it clear that it expects Beijing to abide by the verdict and if it doesn't, the US and its allies will ignore Chinese claims and sail through the waters and fly over them.

Position

The Chinese position on the South China Sea is complicated and there is a touch of mendacity around them. Beijing has not been clear whether it is claiming the islands of the South China Sea, over which it says it has historical rights, or the boundary it has laid out in maps through what is called the Nine Dash Line.

UNCLOS has clear sections on historical rights, and the problem for the Chinese is that since only two of the islands were historically habitable, they cannot prove indisputably that the entire Paracel and Spratly island groups. The Nine Dash Line is even more problematic.

US defence secretary Ashton Carter visiting a US carrier in the South China Sea on June 3. (US department of defenses Facebook page)

First, no country can assert a maritime boundary; it must be negotiated with the specific neighbour. For example, India and Pakistan have failed to negotiate their maritime boundary because of their Sir Creek dispute.

The Nine Dash Line follows no maritime principle in that many of the areas it claims are beyond 200 nautical miles from the nearest rock or feature claimed by China. In other words, they are simply lines on a map that China insists that the world accept.

Now, not only is China readying to reject the arbitral award, it has hinted that it will establish an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the area. It is not clear whether it plans to set up an ADIZ over the islands it has built, or over the entire Nine Dash Line area.

Laws

An ADIZ has no basis on international law. Yet many states, especially the US, have established them in the name of national security. Civilian aircraft flying through these zones have to notify their flight plan in advance to the country which claims a particular ADIZ.

There is no problem if such a zone is over undisputed territory, but in the case of China, it has previously established one covering the Senkaku Islands it disputes with Japan and there are places where its ADIZ overlaps with that of South Korea.

Many airlines and countries have accepted the Chinese rules, but many others, ignore them. But they are a ready pretext to stage a crisis.

In the past, China has denied plans to set up an ADIZ in the South China Sea. But China is well known for shifting goal-posts at will.

After all, it had given a public declaration in the past that it would end island building in the South China Sea, but as of now it continues its activities.

India needs to keep a careful watch on the situation, especially since our friends the US, Vietnam and Japan want us to play a larger role in the region.

Riling China is fair game considering Beijing's role in South Asia. But we need to always think our game through.
One thing is pretty clear. Android has become the most ubiquitous computing platform on the face of the planet. That by default also means most people just buy Android smartphones. India is a great example of this trend as the average purchasing power doesnt allow people to buy iPhones.

India is generally an Android-first market compared to other markets. It is because Android smartphones are vastly cheaper - even the flagship models which compete with the iPhone.

So which are the best Android smartphones in India right now? Well, thats the question I am going to answer in this piece.

1. Samsung Galaxy S7

The Galaxy S7 isnt just the best Android smartphone in the market, it is the best phone in the world. Period. It is better than the iPhone 6S.

Combined with the flexibility of Android, Samsung has crafted a phone thats every bit as elegant as an iPhone and vastly more functional. Be it the cameras, the display, the design and the battery life, the Galaxy S7 scores over the iPhone.

And oh yes, it's the smartphone to have if you like WhatsApping from your pool to beat the heat.

2. Google Nexus 6P

The Nexus 6P is the phone for the Android diehard. If you like Android the way Google makes it, a Nexus is always the answer.

In the past, Nexus smartphones have always come with their own share of limitations, but 2015 was the year Google nailed it together with Huawei (which by the way is the third largest seller of smartphones in the world).

It has the looks, it has the camera, and it is lightning quick in operation. It feels faster than an iPhone and a Galaxy despite trotting inferior internal hardware. Now, thats classy.

3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

If youre on a tight budget, look no further than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. The Redmi Note 3 is represenatative of how good smartphones have become and how the gulf between something very expensive like the iPhone and the a phone like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has become almost non-existent.

For Rs 13,000, the Redmi Note 3 is of great value. You get a metal alloy body, a fast fingerprint scanner which can put an iPhone to shame, consistent and reliable performance and decent display.

But theres more - its battery life is so good that it can outlast two iPhones on full charge through the day.

4. Moto G4 Plus

Motorola has never disappointed with its Moto G. The latest one is another gem of a smartphone. With the Moto G4 Plus, Motorola has addressed its biggest weakness, which was its camera.

If youre looking for a phone for less than Rs 20,000 and the camera is one of the main things you are interested in, then it has to be the Moto G4 Plus.

It has the best camera of any phone for less than Rs 20,000. Motorola thinks it is as good as the iPhone 6S, which is untrue, but it comes very close. It can put many more expensive phones to shame in that regard while combining the software experience and performance that you would associate with a Google Nexus smartphone.

5. LG G5

If youre looking for something cool, then it has to be LG's G5. It is the worlds first modular smartphone. The Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6S look boring in front of it.

The LG G5 does two things that no smartphone in the market currently does - it is modular and it has two cameras on the back.

Now, you would think there have been even cheaper phones with two cameras on the back, but then again the G5 is different.
LONDON - England - Defence Minister Julian Brazier MP today makes the case that the EU undermines our national security and NATO, and that EU plans to be revealed after the referendum will only make this worse.

Speaking at a debate with Shadow Defence Secretary Emily Thornberry MP at RUSI, Mr Brazier will highlight how it has been NATO  rather than the EU  which has kept the peace in Europe, and that decisions by the European Court, and uncontrolled migration weaken the UKs ability to keep its citizens safe.

Mr Brazier points out how the forerunner of the current troubled Eurozone, the Latin Monetary Union from 1864  1927, set the economic context for the origins of the First World War in the Balkans and Southern Europe:

Prosperity is a friend of peace  poverty drives discontent. So, rather than stabilising Europe, this early attempt at monetary union helped to create the unhappy economic conditions which contributed to Europes slide towards the First World War.

It is NATO, underpinned by American military might which has kept Europe from another war after 1945  not the (then) EEC.

Mr Brazier gives examples of how EU legislation undermines our forces at the working level:

If you ask any young officer today, what is the worst part of the job, it is endless paperwork.

Military drivers are subject to EU mileage limits so exercises have to be planned around this constraint sometimes have to stop altogether if limits are broken.

Againall civilian posts have to be advertised to meet EU regulations. So imagine  the top expert in some branch of aviation technology has just reached his 55th birthday and wants to continue as a civilian. MoD cannot simply reemploy him. His job has to be advertised, shortlisted and filled sometimes many months later.

 this reminds us of the way the EU sees defence as another routine area for exerting bureaucratic control rather than a vital and risky business.

He will illustrate how this bureaucratic mind-set has failed in military crises in Europe:

First the two stage fallout from the breakup of Yugoslavia. The EU encouraged Bosnia to declare its independence from Yugoslavia. So where was it when the killing started and the Americans understandably said it was European business?

Slow off the mark while tens of thousands died NATO had to pick up the pieces.

And againwhen the West confronted Serbia over Kosovo, and the Serbs drove a million refugees out of their homes EU countries queued up to say they were unwilling to put boots on the ground.

Turning to the Ukraine crisis, Mr Brazier will describe how the EU poked the bear in a way that was decidedly risky:

The EU got into the dangerous position of provoking the Russians and did so without the military means to defend its will

it was Ukrainian citizens who paid the price in Russias brutal reaction  And America was ahead of the EU in applying economic sanctions.

On the prospect of further European integration in defence, he will say that it undermines NATO and is an unnecessary extra cost when defence spending is low across the EU:

This is just one more attempt to set up a structure duplicating NATO. Do we need more headquarters when European defence spending averages only 1.3% of GDP? At the height of operations in Afghanistan, many European NATO members were having difficulties deploying just dozens of troops at a time. Many non-NATO EU members barely deployed troops at all. Many of those who went were restricted by caveats, such as no flying at night or no combat patrols beyond a certain distance from a base.

Mr Brazier points to decisions by the European Court of Justice which interfere with the UKs national security:

The ECJ is considering whether our proposal to build a mass surveillance database infringes European privacy rules. So European judges are to decide what information we need to keep our citizens safe. The same court ruled that we could not deport Abu Hamzas daughter because his baby grandson had EU citizenship.

Cases like this already threaten the exemption of essential security matters from EU override, and the surrender of our veto over other countries moving forward further adds to risks of us being sucked into EU defence structures we oppose:

If the ECJ is willing to consider this case, despite the national veto on security issues, in Article 346, what else may we face cases over? The court has a long history of overriding states vital interests even ignoring pledges publicly made  those given to Denmark after their referendum on membership have been overruled 79 times. Who knows what will be next? Perhaps procurement of military equipment the commission had a go at the Czechs over buying aircraft for operations in Afghanistan. Perhaps failing to participate in new structures set up by other countries within the EU?

As a 2014 brief from the EU institute for Security Studies put it It is now crystal clear that Article 346 is neither an automatic exclusion of defence from EU Law, nor a provision limiting EU competence.

Mr Brazier says that the UK will continue to cooperate with European partners in NATO and on an ad hoc basis on defence matters after we Vote Leave:

Of course, leaving the European Union does not mean ending valuable sovereign arrangements with our most trusted European allies

 Because of course, besides continuing with all our other arrangements from bilateral to coalitions of the willing to joint procurement projects we will all remain members of the overarching structure of our defence and security that is NATO.

He will conclude that in this referendum, the status quo is not on the ballot paper:

A vote to remain is a vote for uncontrolled immigration and even more of our legislation dictated by Brussels, with a growing proportion affecting our armed forces and national security.

A vote to leave means we can take back control of our laws. We can continue trading with Europe but engage directly with the fastest growing economies in the world outside the EU. And crucially we can take control of our borders.
The day before their 63rd Anniversary, Cassano's Pizza King was honored by the State of Ohio and bestowed with an Ohio Historical Marker.

Cassanos Pizza King was honored with an Ohio Historical Marker Friday June 3rd; nearly 63 years to the day after selling their first pizzas in a 20' x 15' room at the back of a small grocery store on Schantz Ave in Kettering. The marker is positioned along Stroop Road at their flag ship store.

On the advice of a family friend Victor Vic Cassano Sr. & his mother-in-law Caroline Mom Donisi opened their first location June 4, 1953. Their signature square-cut, thin-crust pizza pie was an instant success; selling 400 pizzas the first day. Cassanos, also referred to by Vic & Moms in years past, was one of the first restaurants in the country to franchise and went on to become one of the top pizza chains in America by the mid 1970s. Today, Cassanos Pizza King is a locally owned family business with the 3rd generation of Cassano family members at helm.

The chain plans to add several new menu items in honor of their recognition as a historic Ohio business. I suspect the Vics Big Cheese will remain my personal favorite, though Ill reserve final judgment and employ Cassanos motto: La prova e nel gusto the proof is in the taste.

PS: At the reception following the unveiling of the marker, I got to see 30 inch party pizzas for the first time. They are enormous; it took two people to carry each one out! Pictures dont do them justice.
Despite widespread and often blatant copying, global automakers generally don't take legal action in China as they feel the odds of winning against local firms are low.

Beijing: Jaguar Land Rover is suing Chinese automaker Jiangling Motor for allegedly copying the British firm's Range Rover Evoque, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said - a rare move by a foreign automaker to fight copycats in the world's biggest autos market.

A spokesman for JLR, owned by India's Tata motors, said in brief emailed comments to Reuters that a court in Beijing's eastern Chaoyang district "served Jiangling with newly filed actions surrounding copyright and unfair competition." He declined to elaborate.

The suit relates to Jiangling's Landwind X7 sport utility vehicle copying the design of the Evoque, JLR's first China-made model that went on sale last year, said the person with knowledge of the legal proceedings, who is not authorised to talk to the media and didn't want to be named.

A spokesman for Landwind declined to comment. Despite widespread and often blatant copying, global automakers generally don't take legal action in China as they feel the odds of winning against local firms are low. Also, a lawsuit can be bad for branding if the Chinese public think a foreign company is bullying domestic competitors.

If JLR wins its case, it could prompt other automakers to also take legal action, said Chen Jihong, a Beijing-based lawyer at Zhong Lun Law Firm, speeding up a shift to stronger enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Close resemblance

Landwind unveiled a new version of its X7 SUV in November 2014, drawing criticism for its striking likeness to the Evoque, an imported version of which was already on sale in China.

The two SUVs have a similar shape, with the roof and windows tapering from front to back, and near identical tail lights and character lines on the side panelling. The X7's front grille is slightly more rounded than the hard edges of the Evoque.

The slight differences between the two cars can be virtually eliminated using widely available kits that allow a Range Rover grille, logo and Land Rover badges to be put on an X7. Kits on Alibaba's Taobao shopping website cost around 128 yuan ($19.43).

The X7 costs around a third of the price of an Evoque, and is some way behind in technology and performance, said Yale Zhang, managing director of Automotive Foresight.

The JLR spokesman said Jiangling has been barred by injunction from selling the X7 in Brazil, where it recently appointed an importer.

Separately, the source said with knowledge of the newly filed suit said the two automakers are also discussing what Landwind can and can't do in any X7 design update.

JLR sales fell by a fifth in China in January-March of last year - when it launched its China-made Evoque - after rising 36 per cent in the same 2014 period. In the same period this year, JLR's China sales rose 19 per cent.

A lawsuit could be a long and gruelling process. It took Honda Motor, for example, 12 years to win a case in China against a little-known local automaker - for copying its best-selling CR-V SUV - according to a report by the official Xinhua news agency, confirmed by a Honda spokesman.

Even then, the Japanese firm was awarded only 16 million yuan ($2.43 million) in compensation. It had sought 300 million yuan.
Mumbai: Indias largest e-Commerce giant Flipkart has recently changed its retail policy, reducing the original 30-day return policy to just ten, in case of top selling products.

Moreover, the Binny Bansal-led company also informed that sellers on the platform will have to pay a higher commission starting June 20, according to a report published in Economic Times (ET).

In the past, the e-Commerce sites appealing no-questions-asked return policy has been a cause of trouble for sellers on the platform, as they had to bear the full cost of return shipping.

However, reducing the return period policy will be a relief for the sellers on the site, and might also attract more to sell on its platform.

While the reduced return policy comes as a relief for sellers, another decision to levy higher commissions from sellers, balances the barter. One strong motive behind this is to drive more profits, for better operation. In fact, Amazon India, which is constantly growing in size and popularity, has also increased seller commission recently.

The report pointed out that numerous sellers have hinted that the revised policy will have direct consequences on the price at which people buy products. An estimated 9 per cent price increase has been pegged by the sellers. Also, the new return policy will only affect select categorieselectronics, books and mobile phones, and other expensive goods.

Some of the products that wont be affected by the new policy include clothing, footwear, watches and eyewear, jewellery and accessories, and large appliances.

One Flipkart spokesperson who spoke to ET said that the companys revised structural reforms across returns, commissions, and shipping will enable sellers to have better insights, helping them gain a stronghold over their online business.

Moreover, the company has also discontinued its Zero+ commission policy, which was introduced recently. Under this policy, the company had stopped charging sellers, instead asked them to advertise on its platform for a fee. The policy also barred sellers from charging any shipping fee from sellers.

Sellers, however, explained that they are ready to bear the cost of shipping a product to the customer but suffer a lot during any product return; in many cases the consumers have no reason to return the products. The situation is difficult for the sellers as the platform doesnt seek sellers permission before accepting returned goods.
New Delhi: Favouring consolidation in the public sector banking space, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government as of now is looking only at SBI merging 5 subsidiaries as well as Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself and a decision on this will be taken soon.

"We are looking at SBI (proposal) at the moment. It is with the government and (it) will respond. The government's policy by and large supports consolidation. I have indicated that in the budget itself," he said after a meeting with the heads of public sector banks and financial institutions here.

"We are expecting (approval) shortly," he said when asked as to how soon the government nod is expected. Last month, SBI cleared proposal for merger of subsidiary banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank. It sought government's approval for the merger.

The country's largest lender has five associate banks -- State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad. Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed.

The merger will create Rs 37-lakh crore banking behemoth with over 50 crore customers. SBI first merged State Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two years later, State Bank of Indore was merged.

SBI has maintained since then that it would merge others as well but none of its moves fructified due to lack of capital (which was pegged at least Rs 2,000 crore each for per bank) and stiff opposition from employee unions.

The merged entity will create a banking behemoth, which can compete with the largest in the world, with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion (Rs 37 lakh crore) or over USD 555 billion, with 22,500 branches and 58,000 ATMs as of December 2015. SBI alone has close to 16,500 branches, including 191 foreign offices spread across 36 countries.
New Delhi: India's engineering shipments to key markets like Sri Lanka, UAE and China plummeted in April amid a 19 per cent decline in the sector which slipped in terms of its contribution to the country's overall export basket, according to industry body EEPC India.

The engineering exporters' body said country's engineering exports to Sri Lanka witnessed a degrowth of over 90 per cent, falling to mere USD 63 million in April 2016 from USD 648 million in the same month last year, marked by a huge fall in exports of aircraft and spacecraft parts.

Likewise, shipments to UAE fell by 46 per cent to USD 331 million from USD 613 million in the face of the Middle East witnessing a major slump in investment in oil and infrastructure sectors, EEPC India said.

India's engineering exports to China, comprising mainly of basic metals and iron ore, dropped 57.6 per cent to USD 102.6 million from USD 242.50 million as the Chinese economy is facing a major upheaval, it said. Declining for 17th straight month in April, exports dipped by 6.74 per cent to USD 20.5 billion due to sharp fall in shipments of petroleum and engineering products amid tepid global demand.

Imports too declined by 23.1 per cent to USD 25.41 billion in the month under review as against USD 33 billion in April 2015. US remains the top destination for the country's engineering exports with shipments totalling USD 502 million in April 2016 from USD 625 million a year ago.

However, the fall in shipments to this market has also been above 19 per cent on the back of a sharp drop in exports of steel and its products. "The going has never been as bad in the last several years. Such a situation warrants a big stimulus from the government in terms of interest subvention, hike in the drawback rates and further improvement in the ease of doing business," EEPC India Chairman T S Bhasin said.

The engineering goods sector recorded a massive decline in exports by almost 19 per cent to USD 4.6 billion during April 2016-17. The fall in engineering exports in April was driven by sectors like aircraft and spacecraft, non-ferrous sectors like zinc, tin and nickel products and iron and steel products.
Engineering exports also slipped in terms of its contribution to the countrys overall export basket, according to an Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC India) analysis.

New Delhi: Sri Lanka has topped the list of drop in Indias engineering exports in April showing a degrowth of over 90 per cent. It is followed by China and the UAE as the engineering exports overall dipped by 19 per cent in April.

Engineering exports also slipped in terms of its contribution to the countrys overall export basket, according to an Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC India) analysis.

Engineering exports to Sri Lanka fell to mere $ 63 million in April 2016 from $648 million in the same month last year. Likewise, shipments to the UAE fell by 46 per cent to $331 million from $613 million in the face of the Middle East witnessing a major slump in investment, in the oil and infrastructure sectors, EEPC India said.

To China, Indias engineering exports, which mainly comprise basic metals and iron ore, saw a drop of 57.6 per cent to $102.6 million from $242.50 million as the Chinese economy is facing a major upheaval.

While the US remains the top destination for the engineering exports with shipments totalling $502 million in April 2016 from $625 million a year ago, the fall to this market has also been above 19 per cent on the back of a sharp drop in exports of steel and products.

All the major markets for us have been disappointing for us. The situation has never been as bad in the last several years. Such a situation warrants a big stimulus from the government in terms of interest subvention, hike in the drawback rates and further improvement in the ease of doing business, said EEPC.

The fall in engineering exports in April 2016 is mainly driven by sectors like aircraft and spacecraft, non-ferrous sectors including zinc, tin and nickel products and iron and steel products. Indias merchandise exp-orts in April 2016 were valued at $ 20.6 billion  down 6.74 per cent against $22 billion in the same month last year  a decline for the 17th straight month. Cumulat-vely, exports in FY16 were down 15.85 per cent at $261.14 billion against $310.34 billion.
India assumed chairmanship of Brics from Russia on February 15 and it will last till December 31.

Hyderabad: Mega infrastructure projects planned for Hyderabad such as skyways, multi-grade separators, multi-level flyovers and suspension bridges are in trouble as the BRICS Bank is yet to sanction the loans.

The Telangana state government had planned to seek nearly Rs 70,000 crore from BRICS Bank in China. The government is largely dependent on loans to fund these projects, which require massive investments within three years.

Its been nearly nine months since Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao visited China and held discussions with BRICS officials for loans, but there has been no progress since then.

While the bank disbursed its first tranche of loan to India recently, Telangana was missing from the list. The first loan of $250 million disbursed by BRICS Bank went to Karnataka to fund a solar power project.

The bank, also called New Development Bank (NDB), approved its first package of loans worth $811 million in mid-April. These were sanctioned to fund four projects in India, Brazil, China and South Africa, all in the renewal energy development sphere.

There was no mention of sanctioning loans to infrastructure projects as sought by the Telangana government. The bank also did not clarify when the next board meeting would be held wherein the loan application would be taken up.

Sources in the Finance department said the state government had sent proposals to the Centre on securing BRICS loan in January this year. This is because the bank takes a nod from the Centre before approving huge loans to any state government.

The state government is now trying to ascertain from the Union Finance ministry whether it had received any communication from BRICS Bank regarding the loan to Telangana.

"Once we receive a communication from the Union Finance ministry, we will take a call on how to proceed further on securing the BRICS loan. The CM is expected to write to the PM and FM, seeking the Centre's assistance to secure loans from BRICS Bank at the earliest," said a finance official.

None of the infra projects in the city has made any headway due to financial crunch as the government needs to shell out huge compensation to owners to acquire costly properties in core areas of the city to build flyovers, skyways etc.

Contractors too are shying away from taking up these projects doubting the repayment capacity of the government after works are completed.
Mumbai: Film offers started pouring in for actor Sanjay Dutt as soon as he stepped out of the jail serving his term. If reports are to be believed, he has signed Rohit Jugraj Chauhans period action-comedy that will go on floors January next year.

Read: Manyata tries her luck at dancing with her husband Sanjay Dutt's two left feet

Rohit, has earlier assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ram Gopal Varma and has also helmed Punjabi blockbuster comedies like Jatt James Bond and Sardaar Ji.

The filmmaker will be in Mumbai next month to host a special screening of his upcoming film Sardaarji 2 starring Dilijit Dosanjh, for the film fraternity and plans to dive into the Sanjay Dutt film after its release. The film is set in 17th century Punjab, the film features high-voltage action, lots of comedy.

Read: Eyeing on roles that suit my age, says Sanjay Dutt

According to reports, the script and title have been locked, while casting for several other characters is presently underway.
Lucknow: Kareena Kapoor Khan attended an event called 'Celebrating Menstrual Hygiene for all Girls, for all Women', organised by UNICEF on Saturday.

Early this week, reports stated that Kareena is expecting her first child. At the event, Kareena was seen in a flowy printed Vrisa suit and was trying to shield her baby bump.

Several videos doing rounds from the event have triggered her pregnancy rumours even further. In one clip, she refused to bend down and looks quite uncomfortable.

At an event earlier this year, Kareena had recently denied rumours of her pregnancy, stating that she was not planning to have a baby for another two years. Saif also spoke up and said that he was in no rush to become a father again, and that he didnt mind waiting till his wife was ready.

On work front, the actress is gearing up for the release of 'Udta Punjab'.

Watch the videos here.

#kareenakapoorkhan on menstrual hygiene  A video posted by poonam (@poonamdamania) on Jun 4, 2016 at 1:13am PDT
Udta Punjab, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh was slated to release on June 17, but from the looks of it, it will hit the screens only in July. The film that deals with the issue of substance abuse in Punjab ran into trouble with the censor board, with the latter asking for as many as 40 cuts. Unwilling to compromise so heavily on the content, the filmmakers approached the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), asking them to intervene in the matter. This may lead to a delay in the release process.

A source said, The makers havent decided the final date of release yet, but the film will now definitely be out some time in July.

The latest we hear is that the censor board wants the word Punjab to be dropped from the title of the film. According to reports, the reviewing committee is of the view that the title defames Punjab.

We tried to contact the director and the films team, but they remained unavailable for comment.
After actress Meenakshi from Mumbai was replaced by Gayathri, owing to her unprofessional behaviour of walking out of the movie without informing the filmmakers, yet another young actress Ishaara  who made an impressive debut with Nuttys Sathuranga Vettai  is in the thick of controversy.

According to the films producer Joseph and director Kevin, Ishaara was signed on for their movie Engada Irundheenga Ivvalu Naala, which has Akhil of Kaloori fame as the hero.

We committed Rs 4 lakh as her remuneration and paid an advance of `75,000. We asked for 20 days of call sheet. But she gave us only 2 days of time initially for the shoot! We were shooting the rest of the portions in her absence. Later when we called and asked for dates, she was dodging us, with the reason that she was in Dubai and Kerala, and shooting for a Malayalam film. All this only through WhatsApp, as she would never answer calls! Later, she gave an excuse that the story narrated to her was completely different from what we were filming. We were ready to rectify that too! Despite several attempts, she refused to return to work, and she is finally not reachable now.

Upset with the financial losses incurred due to her, the producer has lodged a complaint with the Kerala Artistes Association and also the Actors Guild in Chennai. There were hardly any desirable results, they say.

She has also blocked our numbers. Despite our telling her that we will go to court and the press, she was least bothered. Her reply was, Go. When DC tried to contact her, Ishaara was not reachable.
BENGALURU: Setting the tone for the World Environment Day celebrations on Sunday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasized the need to protect the last remaining forests of the state, which has already lost 13 per cent of it. We have to work together to protect the environment, he said.

Minster for forest, ecology and environment, B Ramanath Rai said the the state would launch a Koti Vruksha Andolana from July 2 to 10 with the support of all departments. This initiative is part of the state forest department's target of planting 8 crore seedlings across the state this year, he added.

100 saplings in every ward

As part of the Karnataka governments initiative 100 sapling were planted in each of the 198 wards of the city.

Respect nature: Governor

Governor Vajubhai Vala called for creating greater awareness among the people about the need for cleanliness and environmental protection. We should all respect nature like our own mother," he said, addressing a seminar on pollution and its effects at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases on Sunday.

City gets greener

Around a 1000 trees were planted at Mandur on Sunday as part of the World Environment Day celebration organised by the Karnataka Forest Department, Save Whitefield, Rotary IT Corridor and Force G.

Around a 100 trees were planted in the Krishna Rao Park in Basavanagudi, at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Aranya Bhavan and at the BNMIT Campus in Banashankari by former minister, R Ashok. Several children of the BCR public school in Chikkabeguru planted around a 100 saplings accompanied by their principal, S V Sundarajan. Students of the government

primary school in Puttenahalli also planted a large number of saplings.

Painting and poster competition

While a painting competition for school children was organised at the Visveswaraya Technological Museum on Kasturba Road, a similar poster competition on noise, air, food and water pollution and a plastic- free environment was held for 8-14 year olds at the Marigowda Memorial Hall in Lalbagh by the Vrukasha School of Fine Arts.

Yettinahole in focus

An exhibition of photographs focusing on the Yettinhole project was held by photographer, Sudhir Shetty at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.

Cycle rally for a cause

A cycle rally was organised near BBMP park in Koramangala by the Bharath Scouts and Guides.

Blood donation

Saplings were given free of cost to blood donors by the Akhil Bhartiya Bhansali Samaj in Rajarajeshwari Nagara.
Freya was spotted on Facebook by animal loving Hollywood movie director Michael Bay, who decided to cast her in the fifth installment of the blockbuster Transformers series. (Photo: Facebook/ Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre)

London: 'Britain's loneliest dog', who has been living in an animal shelter for six years and has been rejected by 18,000 potential owners, has landed a role in the new Transformers movie.

Freya the Staffordshire bull terrier was dubbed 'Britain's loneliest dog' after spending almost her entire life living in animal shelters, watching more than 50 of her kennel mates be re-homed during her time at the centre.

Freya was spotted on Facebook by animal loving Hollywood movie director Michael Bay, who decided to cast her in the fifth installment of the blockbuster Transformers series.

Bay, 51, said that if the role did not find the dog a home, he would keep her, 'The Mirror' reported.

"We are thrilled at the opportunity of a movie deal for Freya and at such interest and support from a major film director who is also a dedicated animal advocate," a spokesperson for Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre, where Freya is currently lodged, said.

Till now, Freya has been rejected by 18,000 potential owners, but staff at Freshfields hope that she will now find a loving home.

"Freya is a beautiful dog with a beautiful personality, and that will shine through to the right person," said Debbie Hughes, fundraiser at the shelter.
Addl superintendent of police from Adilabad district, G.R. Radhika, became the first Indian woman police officer to climb Mount Everest in May. Radhika, who hails from Anantapur, was the only woman in the six-member Indian team led by Transcend Adventures, Hyderabad. The police officer planted the national flag and also the Telangana state police flag on the summit. The Telangana police department and the state government had supported her in the expedition.

In 2015, Radhika became the first Indian woman to climb the 7,077-metre Mt. Kun. She is also an avid skier. Last December, she led a team to help the Chennai flood victims. Working as an Addl SP in Adilabad since August 2015, Radhika has earlier been posted in Karimnagar, Anantapur and Nellore districts. An English post-graduate from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Radhika was selected by APPPSC in 2001 as a government lecturer and had worked for six years before becoming DSP through APPSC in 2007.

The Adilabad ASP expressed her gratitude to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for giving financial support and said she owed her success to Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma and others who encouraged her. A mother of two sons, Preetham and Shashank, Radhika attributes her success to her mother Balabharathi and her husband P. Venugopalreddy without whose support she says she couldnt have done it.
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, an inebriated man killed his wife and sexually violated the dead body. The crime happened on Monday last week.

The duo tied the knot after falling for each other at first sight, however, the marriage took an ugly turn owing to frequent bickering over financial and personal issues. Police nabbed the 25-year-old accused on Saturday.

The perpetrator, Sharma was head over heels for 23-year-old Monica when he saw her for the first time at his brothers wedding. Infamous for his actions in the colony where he resided, Sharma promised to change his lifestyle after marriage. Being moved by his words, Monica gave a go ahead and the duo got married. Initially the newly wed used to put up in Bulandshahr, but later they shifted to Delhi.

Sharma was an e-rickshaw driver, but his earnings were not enough to meet the ends. The couple often got into fights owing to financial constraints and mistrust. On May 29, they had an altercation following which Sharma decided to kill his wife.

He prodded his wife to share a drink and made her understand that she would have to suffice her needs with the small amount of money he earns, however, being unsatisfied with the answer, she started shouting and fighting with him. Being unable to control his anger, he thrashed her face with a brick and she started bleeding profusely. Alarmed by the situation, neighbours rushed to their place. Sharma further banged her head on the wall and she died. Later, he took the dead body to the bathroom, took off her clothes and sexually violated it, Sharma conceded to the police.
Kanpur: A teenage girl was allegedly shot dead on Saturday in Uttar Pradeshs Auraiya district after she denied to marry an elderly man.

The girl was putting up at her paternal aunts place, along with three cousins. She was killed after she refused to marry a man who was twice her age, the police said. The deceased Aartis body was found lying in a pool of blood at her aunts place in Bhatta Basti. The police rushed to the spot immediately after they were intimated by the neighbours.

The girls maternal uncle has filed a complaint with the police, accusing the deceaseds paternal aunt and her two sons Chote and Kariya Dohrey, besides an accomplice, of killing his niece.

Anita, Aartis paternal aunt along with her two sons were forcing her to marry a man who was older to her. However, when she denied doing so they killed her, alleged the deceaseds uncle, as quoted in a report.

A case of murder has been registered against Chote and Kariya who are absconding. The police are probing the matter and arrested two people in connection with the case. Forensic samples have been collected from the site and sent for examination.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain the bail plea of former Union Minister Matang Sinh, arrested in connection with the multi-crore rupee Saradha chit fund scam case, and asked him to approach Calcutta High Court.

A vacation bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy asked Sinh to approach the High Court for the remedy sought on health grounds and dismissed the plea as withdrawn.

The bench, however, granted liberty to Sinh to mention the petition before the High Court, which has re-opened after vacation today.

Senior advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for Sinh, said he had undergone liver transplant in 2004 and the life of the transplant is about 10 years and thus he urgently needed treatment.

The bench said there was already an order of the court that whatever the medical facility is available should be provided to him.

Sibal said his health conditions are deteriorating with each passing day and if not treated urgently he may go into coma.

The court, however, refused to accept the arguments and said it was a pre-mature petition and the accused can approach the High Court. It allowed Sibal to withdraw the petition.

On November 6 last year, the apex court had refused to hear the plea of Sinh, saying the probe was not yet complete. Sinh, a former Congress MP from Assam, was arrested by the CBI on January 31 last year in connection with Saradha Realty case on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The CBI had last year filed the charge sheet against Sinh and his four companies in connection with the case.
The mob, each of whom was fullydrunk, also set on fire the shop. (Representational Image)

Bhopal: Members of a marriage party early on Monday morning burnt to death two liquor salesmen in a Madhya Pradesh village following tiff over price of booze, police said. The incident occurred in the village of Temni under Lanji police station in Balaghat district.

According to police, one Snajay Rathore, brother of the bride, had picked up quarrel with the owner of the shop while bargaining price of liquor.

The liquor vendor later chased him away by threatening to charge him with his baton.

Later, Sanjay marched to the show with bridegroom party who had then gathered in the village and attacked it. While the shop owner ran for his life, two attendants in the shop hid inside the makeshift shop. The mob, each of whom was fully drunk, later set on fire the shop.

The two attendants, Ram Vilas Yadav (22) and Amarendra Singh (25) were charred to death along with the shop. We have arrested 15 people in connection with the incident, Balaghat range inspector general of police D.C.Sagar said.
New Delhi: Indian agencies had prepared an exhaustive dossier on JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar for the UN Sanctions Committee to ban him, with the dossier listing out his terror activities since 1993 and recording his links with the ISIS and Al Qaeda.

The dossier accuses him of participating in the financing, planning, facilitating and perpetrating acts of terror in support of the illicit arms trade for the Al Qaeda, JeM and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).

India has categorically mentioned the Pathankot terror strike in its report to the UN, saying Masood Azhar was one of the handlers of the terrorists . In its failed bid to have Masood designated as terrorist by the UN, India has conveyed to the world body that he and his terrorist group JeM have continuously engineered terror attacks against India, the latest instance being the strike on Pathankot airbase on January 2.
New Delhi: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Sunday termed as "witch-hunting" by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the ED summons to his son to avenge his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Every time he (Jaitley) recalls his defeat, he orders one of his agencies like the Income Tax department or the Enforcement Directorate to issue summons against one or the other of my family members," Singh said reacting to the ED summons to his son Raninder Singh. "But let me tell you, political battles are better fought in political battlegrounds and not by subterfuge to avenge a political defeat," Singh said in a press release and asked "Why are you resorting to witch hunting?" Singh had defeated Jaitley in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Amritsar.

"Not that it matters to us as we will come clean no matter to what extent they go, but it actually reveals a petty mindset of a petty man who can stoop too low to resort to such petty things," Amarinder said. The former Punjab chief minister said earlier the Income Tax department had filed a complaint against his son Raninder in a Ludhiana court. "They are deliberately doing it at regular intervals to defame us ahead of elections," he said, adding not only will these complaints fall flat in courts but be rejected by the Punjabis in assembly elections too.

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Raninder Singh in connection with its probe against him for alleged forex contraventions and holding of untaxed foreign assets.
Greater Noida: Union minister Mahesh Sharma on Sunday attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for questioning the authenticity of the forensic report that said the meat found from Mohammad Akhlaq's house was of "cow or its progeny", saying if he does not believe his officers, then he should resign.

"If he does not have confidence in his officers, he should resign from the chief minister's post," Sharma said, addressing the public in Saddulapur village.

The chief minister cast doubts over the authenticity of the forensic report. In Mathura incident too, he did not believe the findings of the officers, he said.

The Union minister alleged several political leaders, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arving Kejriwal, had visited Bishada village to take political mileage.

"Now, the forensic report has brought out the truth," he said.

Sharma accused ruling SP and opposition BSP of indulging in corruption, saying Noida Chief Engineer Yadav Singh had support of both the governments.
Konkan division registered the highest pass percentage with 96.56 among nine divisions of the board. (Photo: Representational Image)

Pune: With a pass percentage of 91.41 percent, girls once again outshone boys in the Maharashtra Board Class X examination results of which were declared on Monday.

The overall pass per percentage of 89.56 per cent has dropped by 1.90 per cent as compared to last year, Chairman of the Maharashtra Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Gangadhar Mhamane told reporters in Pune.

In what seems to be a tradition now, girls once again outperformed boys with passing percentage of 91.41 per cent against 87.98 per cent.

Konkan division registered the highest pass percentage with 96.56 among nine divisions of the board, whereas, Latur division was lowest with pass percentage of 81.54 per cent.

Division-wise pass percentage -- Pune 93.30, Nagpur 85.34, Aurangabad 88.05, Mumbai 91.90, Kolhapur 93.89, Amaravati 84.99, Nashik 89.61, Latur 81.54, and Konkan 96.56.

Out of total 16,07,411 registered students,16,01,406 appeared for the exam and 14,34,143 students successfully passed the Secondary School Certificate (Class X) examination.
The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons. (Photo: PTI)

Ahmedabad: The prosecution in 2002 Gulberg housing society massacre case on Monday sought death penalty or life imprisonment till death for all the 24 convicts, calling the attack "barbaric and inhuman" even as a special court deferred further hearing on sentencing to June 9.

Pleading for maximum punishment, the prosecution said capital punishment could be considered by the court or the convicts be sent to jail and ordered to remain there till their last breath.

As arguments over the quantum of sentence that lasted for over two-and-a-half hours remained inconclusive, the special SIT court judge P B Desai adjourned further hearing in the case to Thursday.

Read: 2002 Gulberg case: Zakia disappointed with verdict, will continue fight

The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons including former Congress MP Eshan Jafri in Gulberg housing society on February 29, 2002 in post-Godhra riots when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.

The massacre shook the nation when a mob of 400 people set about attacking the housing society in the heart of Ahmedabad and killed the residents. It was one of the nine cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT.

Read: Gulberg verdict: SC should step in

Out of the total 66 accused, six died during the trial. Of the 24 convicted, 11 have been charged with murder, while 13 others including VHP leader Atul Vaidya have been convicted for lesser offences.

Public prosecutor representing the Supreme Court- appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), R C Kodekar in his arguments before the court said as per section 149 IPC all those who are convicted should be given maximum punishment which is capital punishment

Read: From Muzaffar to Vivek: Gulberg massacre victims transformation tale

"If capital punishment is not considered, they should be sent to jail till they live," he said.

Section 149 of the IPC reads, "If an offence is committed by any member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly, or such as the members of that assembly knew to be likely to be committed in prosecution of that object, every person who, at the time of the committing of that offence, is a member of the same assembly, is guilty of that offence."

"The manner of crime was cruel, barbaric and inhuman. Victims' bodies were roasted alive, in the crime for which there was no provocation, much less in case of women and children who were defenceless," Kodekar told the court.

"Out of those 39 bodies recovered after crime, 20 were women and six children. Most families of Gulberg Society lost their kith and kin while three families lost all members," Kodekar said.

"Out of 30 missing, 14 were women and eight children," Kodekar said, adding that women and children were defenceless and unarmed.

After the Gulberg Society incident, 39 bodies were recovered, while 30 others were declared dead as they were not traceable after seven years, taking the death toll to 69.

A lawyer for the victims S M Vora also sought maximum punishment for the accused and argued that sentencing for each offence should not run concurrently so that they spend their entire life in jail.

A lawyer for the accused, however, rejected the demand of capital punishment or maximum punishment in his arguments, saying the incident was spontaneous and there were enough provocations for it.
New Delhi: Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India for orchestrating terror attacks in the country, claimed that the Indian Government had offered cash to Taliban government which ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s for nabbing and handing him over. He claimed that India made the offer soon after it was forced to release Azhar in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814.

Azhar revealed this in an obituary he wrote on slain Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur ,which was published on the JeMs mouthpiece Al Qalam Weekly under his pen name Saidi.

Read: India seeks ban on Masood Azhar, gives dossier to UN Sanctions Committee

According to the JeM Chief, then External Affairs minister Jaswant Singh of the NDA government had made the offer to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, who at the time was civil aviation minister in the Taliban regime.

Azhar in his piece recalled how he, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who were also released along with him on December 31, 1999, were personally received by Mansur at the Kandahar airport. Mansur then allegedly drove them from the airport in his white Land Cruiser.

I had met Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur once at Kandahar airport. The airport was under his ministry. I was part of a delegation from Karachi and Taliban had provided a plane to bring our delegation from Kabul to Kandahar. We were welcomed by Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur. He took the guests to the VIP lounge and he made me sit next to him on the sofa. It was then he told me that Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh sat on the same sofa when he brought you to drop at Kandahar, Azhar wrote.

Azhar then writes how Mansur told him about his conversation with Jaswant Singh. He started repeating the story of that day with a lot of pleasure. He said that Jaswant Singh had told him that our prisoners would still be in Afghanistan and asked him to arrest them and hand them over to India and it would make the Taliban government very wealthy.

The JeM chief said the killing of Mansur was an attack on Islam and that Allah will unveil his wrath on all those who are guilty of this attack. He made a cryptic threat in the obituary and said all enemies have struck and now it is the turn of the Muslims, hopefully, the world would witness strange scenes soon.
"While we learn from incidents, steps are already being taken. It is not that any of our facilities are in unsafe mode," said Lt General Bakshi. (Photo: Representational Image)

Kolkata: The Indian Army's arsenal under the Eastern Command is safe, according to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Eastern Command) Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi at Fort William on Monday.

In the wake of the devastating fire in the ammunition depot in Pulgaon where over a dozen people including two Army officers were killed, the Eastern Command conducted a thorough security check in its various installations.

Lt Gen Bakshi said, "While we learn from incidents, steps are already being taken. It is not that any of our facilities are in unsafe mode. It is just the refinement of the procedure. We have done a quick review of our own though I will not mention the places. All the security checks have been done and they are absolutely safe. There is nothing called unsafe. I can assure that."

He was speaking to the media after the inauguration of a 24X7 veteran helpline for the triservices 'VEcare 1904' which was launched by former Army chief retired General Shankar Roy Chowdhury. Lt Gen Bakshi elaborated that the Army would conduct a major disaster management exercise for three days in Guwahati, being a disaster prone area with the monsoon coming up, on June 28 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advice.

"We will simulate and coordinate it with other agencies including National Disaster Response Force. In his address to all the army commanders the PM wanted us to give our best practices to other agencies since we have been handling disasters for a long time. The PM also wants a better civil-military exercise. Later similar exercises will be held at other places," he explained.
Policemen and paramilitary soldiers near the site of violent clashes in Mathura. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transferred the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura following the violence in the district that left 29 dead even as a probe is on into the clashes.

Read: No political pressure on police to not evict Mathura squatters: UP govt

"#UPCM@yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

On #UPCM @yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon.  CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) June 6, 2016

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar and SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh were transferred days after violence broke out when police tried to evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh park in Mathura. Singh has been replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar, an official release said. However, the name of the new district magistrate is yet to be announced.

Read: Mathura violence: SC agrees to hear PIL for CBI probe tomorrow

So far, 45 cases have been registered against 3,000 encroachers belonging to a cult - Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Read: BJP seeks CBI probe into Mathura violence

The transfers were ordered even as Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chandra Kant launched a probe to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, which left the Samajwadi Party government red-faced and invited sharp criticism from the opposition.

Read: Mathura violence: Uttar Pradesh police trace Maoist angle

The violent clashes claimed the lives of Superintendent of Police (City) Mukul Dwivedi and SHO Santosh Kumar. Ram Vriksha Yadav, the cult leader, was also among those dead.

Akhilesh Yadav government came under fire over the incident, with Home Minister Rajnath Singh alleging law and order had collapsed in the state and asking it to write to the Centre to institute a CBI probe.
Chennai: Chief Minister J .Jayalalithaa on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving extension of Metro rail from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar and expressed the hope that work on the new section would begin soon.

The Union Cabinet had on June 1 put its stamp of approval to a proposal by the Union urban development ministry extending the metro line from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar in Tiruvottiyur in north Chennai at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore. The 9-km extension will have two underground and seven elevated stations.

I thank you for the approval accorded to this proposal which would enable Metrorail services to be provided to the densely populated neighbourhoods of northern Chennai, Ms Jayalalithaa told Mr Modi in the letter.

Noting that Chennai has been growing rapidly and traffic volumes have increased greatly, the Chief Minister it is the intention of her Government to promote public transport of various forms including metro rail to ensure that the share of public transportation in Chennai city is substantially increased.

I understand that based on the Union Cabinets approval, Chennai Metro Rail Limited would be able to commence work immediately. On behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the people of Chennai, I thank you for having accorded clearance for the implementation of the Chennai Metro Project Phase I Extension, she said.

Ms Jayalalithaa also thanked Mr Modi for making a special allocation of food grains for a period of 3 months from April to June for Tamil Nadu.
The petitioner, Ashwini Upadhyay, said that the evidences are being destroyed since the very start of the incident and around 200 vehicles have already been burnt. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to accord an urgent hearing to a plea seeking CBI probe into the Jawahar Bagh violence in Mathura in which 29 people, including two policemen, lost their lives.

Read: Jawahar Bagh violence: Mathura DM, SSP transferred

A vacation bench of justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy listed the matter for Tuesday after the plea was mentioned for urgent hearing by advocate Kamini Jaiswal.

Read: Mathura violence: Uttar Pradesh police trace Maoist angle

Jaiswal, appearing for petitioner lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, said that the evidences are being destroyed since the very start of the incident and around 200 vehicles have already been burnt. She sought an urgent hearing, saying CBI probe is necessary looking at the gravity of the violence.

Read: Mathura violence: BJP workers clash with police during protest

29 people, including an SP and an SHO, have been killed in the massive clash between police and encroachers that broke out in Mathura on June 2 when police were trying to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Allahabad High Court orders.

Read: Mathura violence: Sect set up 'courts' at Jawahar Bagh, tortured inmates
New Delhi: In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modis second visit to Afghanistan, the assessment in South Block is that India has succeeded in getting the Afghan Government out of the Pakistani orbit of influence.

Observers feel while India is now seen as a de-facto US ally, the gains of being on the right side of the worlds sole superpower will work towards New Delhis advantage.

The recent visit to Iran-on which western sanctions were recently lifted  and the Chabahar agreement  appears to have cemented what is being seen as a formidable India-Iran-Afghanistan axis.

But it is Mr Modis forthcoming fourth visit to the US in less than two years that has sent clear signals to Islamabad. Sources said recent drone strikes on Pakistani soil has also unnerved the Pakistan Army. Mr Modis two-day visit to the US and his forthcoming address to the joint session of the US Congress has apparently convinced the Generals in Rawalpindi that Islamabad can only turn to China for help.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh with MoS Home Kiren Rijiju after a Cabinet meeting at South Block in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

Amroha, Uttar Pradesh: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said during its two-year rule, the Narendra Modi government has managed to check the incidents of infiltration from across the borders, terror and naxal attacks in the country.

"During our rule, incidents of infiltration, terrorism and naxal attacks have been checked. Also we have been able to reduce such attacks in northeastern states," Mr Singh said addressing 'Kisan Swabhiman Rally' at Narangpur village in the district on Sunday.

"We encourage our security forces by giving them facilities needed to tackle the terrorists," he added.

Noting that farmers play an important role in formation of governments, he said, the central government is dedicated to fulfilling their needs.

Listing out the achievements of NDA government, Mr Singh said ours is the only government which covered the complete crop loss incurred by farmers under 'PM Phasal Beema Yojna'.

He promised to reduce the loss of sugarcane farmers by setting up plywood paper mills to consume the poplar wood which is being grown in most parts of western Uttar Pradesh.

Attacking the Akhilesh Yadav government over its "total failure" to tackle law and order situation in the last four years, he said, Jawahar Bag incident of Mathura was an example.

He asked the farmers to give their support to his party in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections just like they did in 2014 general elections.
Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi said if there was any breach of AFSPA it was dealt with firmly by the Army. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Defending the imposition of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the North East, the Army on Monday said there was no recent cases of misuse of the law in the region.

"In Eastern Command, during the time I have spent in Kolkata, there has not been a single incident which has been reported where AFSPA has not been used for the right reason," Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi said.

Read: AFSPA to remain in force in 12 Arunachal districts

He said if there was any breach of AFSPA it was dealt with firmly by the Army.

"If the Army is required to handle insurgency, we require AFSPA. If we don't have AFSPA, our hands are tied and we cannot do our job. It is an enabling provision and not a draconian provision," he said.

Various human rights organisations have long been demanding repeal of the AFSPA which they call a "draconian" law.

In Manipur, rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has been on a fast-unto-death for 15 years demanding withdrawal of AFSPA. She is forcibly nose-fed at a government hospital in Imphal.
In June last year, army commandos had carried out a surgical strike at militant camps in Myanmar killing at least 38 Naga insurgents after NSCN(K) killed 18 army personnel in Manipur. (Photo: Representational Image)

Kolkata: Putting to rest reports of a surgical strike in Myanmar against rebels from the North East after an ambush killing six Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur last month, the Army on Monday said sometimes factional fights among insurgent groups were attributed to security forces.

"I must ask you where does this rumour come from? We respect the sovereignty of all our neighbours. There is no question of going across, nothing has happened. We did no strikes," Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi told reporters here when asked to comment on reports of a surgical strike by security forces in neighbouring Myanmar.

He said there were several insurgent groups in Nagaland, Manipur and other places which witnessed inter-group factionalism and rivalry.

"At times (the fights) get attributed to security forces when we have no hand," Bakshi said, adding they suspected that those responsible for the ambush on May 22, perhaps, were clandestinely finding safe sanctuaries in places other than our own country.

"And to that extent we can only request that such safe sanctuaries not be provided in a spirit of good neighbourhood," the army commander said.

In June last year, army commandos had carried out a surgical strike at militant camps in Myanmar killing at least 38 Naga insurgents after NSCN(K) killed 18 army personnel in Manipur.

After joining the Eastern Command on August 1 last year, Bakshi's first visitor was a top army officer from Myanmar.

"We are jointly addressing it but you know insurgency knows no boundaries," he said.

On whether there was any lacunae in following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the Assam Rifles convoy which was fatally attacked, he said prima facie there was no lapse.

"In insurgency this can happen anywhere. No matter what precaution you take. Our SOPs are in place. It was only the first vehicle they attacked and before the next vehicle came in, they ran away. So procedures were followed," he said, adding that every such incident was a wake-up call for them.

When asked whether there are any reports of insurgent groups fuelling unrest in Manipur over the Inner Line Permit System, he said he would not get into the political part, but the Army had full situational awareness in the state.

"And as far as my orders to the commanders on the ground go, it is very clear that anyone going with a weapon doing suspicious activity is to be treated as a militant," Bakshi said.

A junior commissioned officer and five soldiers were gunned down by militants on May 22 afternoon in Chandel district. CorCom, an umbrella body of Imphal valley's proscribed outfits, had claimed the responsibility for the ambush.
Parrikar met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his counterpart Gen Ngo Xuan Lich and held high level bilateral talks on key military issues, and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

New Delhi: Seeking to strengthen military ties, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday met Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, with whom he reviewed strategic partnership and new initiatives undertaken to further nourish cooperation in the military sector.

Parrikar also met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his counterpart Gen Ngo Xuan Lich and held high level bilateral talks on key military issues including possible sale of supersonic missile Brahmos to the Southeast Asian country and reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation initiatives.

During the interaction, Ngo emphasised on the significance of closer ties between Vietnam and India due to common threats and challenges.

The contentious South China Sea was also believed to have been discussed by the two Defence ministers, official sources said in Delhi.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, Parrikar and Ngo emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of data in the maritime domain. The two sides also focused on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

The meeting gained significance as both countries are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership, with defence sector being the major sector contributing towards this partnership.

Parrikar, who reached Hanoi on Monday, attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries.

The highlight of the meeting was the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Limited. India has recently provided Vietnam with a US$100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by Vietnam for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

Speaking on the occasion, he desired Indian private sector to lead the initiative and explore and actively participate in Vietnamese modernisation of defence forces.

This will not just strengthen the diplomatic and military bond between both the nations but also open the doors of strategic exports, he said.

Parrikar also assured the Indian private sector of full support of Ministry of Defence, DRDO and DPSU to realise the aspiration of exports of defence items to friendly nations at competitive price.

The major areas identified for working together are for upgrade of Soviet legacy systems, upgradation of Thermal Sights and Fire Control Systems for - BMP, T 54 and T 55

Tanks, upgarade of MI 17 / Mi 8 Helicopters, Shipbuilding Programmes, Missile Systems from India and Software Defined Radios from Vietnam.
The idea of setting up Sainik colonies in Srinagar and elsewhere had actually been mooted by BJPs Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay in May last year to accommodate soldiers and families of those killed in the line of duty. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: The PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday made it emphatically clear that no Sainik Colony is being constructed for the former soldiers of the Indian Army and their families in summer capital Srinagar or elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley. It said that no land has been allotted or even identified for the purpose.

Read: BJP contradicts PDP, wants establishment of Sainik Colony in Kashmir

It seems the government has in view of its political fallout and potential disturbances abandoned the proposal of setting up a Sainik Colony in Srinagar which had been fast-tracked when the State was under Governors rule earlier this year. The Governors administration had asked the concerned officials to identify land in Srinagar and neighbouring Budgam district for Sainik colonies to house troops and their families.

Read: My tweets prick you: Omar Abdullah tells Mehbooba Mufti over Sainik Colony issue

Earlier in April 2015, the Rajya Sainik Board (RSB), headed by Governor NN Vohra, had approved establishment of a Sainik colony close to Srinagars old airport and subsequently 21.6 acres of land were identified for it and the proposal was sent to then Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, for his approval.

In August 2015, the board, however, sent a second note to the States Home Department, seeking more land as 26 senior officers, 125 junior commissioned officers and over 900 soldiers had applied for allotting them plots of land in the proposed colony, requiring a total of 44 acres of land. In turn the Home Department sent letters to the deputy commissioners of Srinagar and Budgam asking them to furnish requisite information regarding the allotment of land at the earliest.

The idea of setting up Sainik colonies in Srinagar and elsewhere had actually been mooted by BJPs Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay in May last year to accommodate soldiers and families of those killed in the line of duty. Later Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, told Parliament that since allotting land was a state subject the matter has been forwarded to Jammu and Kashmir government.

Back in Kashmir Valley, the issue began to snowball into a major political controversy with separatists threatening to launch an agitation against the proposed Sainik Colony on the plea this would be a violation of Article 370 and the State Subject Law of 1927 which bars non-J&K residents from owning immovable property in the State. Though at one point that government had sought to clarify that only the soldiers who are permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir will be provided accommodation in the Sainik Colony, it has now categorically stated that no such colony will be set up in Srinagar or elsewhere in the Valley.

Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, on Monday told the State Assembly, now in its budget session here that no Sainik Colony is coming up in any part of Kashmir. I want to make it clear that the Army is not constructing any Sainik Colony in Kashmir. They have and may be constructing accommodation at the land already under their use... these constructions are in no way linked to the Sainik Colony as is being projected by certain quarters, she said

Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCC), a local pressure group, had earlier on Sunday asked whether the land on which over 700 flats being constructed by the Army at Srinagar Old Air Field area is the same land which has been requisitioned by it to raise a Sainik Colony.

The Chief Minister and other concerned officials should explain whether these buildings are part of the same Sainik colony for which Army is seeking land. If it is not part of the proposed Sainik colony, the government and the Army should clarify the status of this upcoming colony inside the Old Air Field, it said adding that a probe should be ordered whether Army authorities have misled the Jammu and Kashmir government or whether the representatives of Jammu and Kashmir government are themselves lying.

The issue was raised in the Assembly by independent MLA Sheikh Abdur Rashid, who while waving a copy of a newspaper stormed into the well of the House and sought a statement from the government on the issue. Last time the Chief Minister said there was no Sainik Colony being set up in the Valley and now we have this report. What is the truth?" he asked.

The House witnessed noisy scenes over the issue during which Chief Minister Mufti and her predecessor and opposition National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah sparred. The Chief Minister accused the opposition and some media outlets of raising a "non-issue" which can lead to disruption of peace in the State. She lashed out at Mr. Abdullah for his tweets but the former Chief Minister hit back, saying it was to make her accountable and he won't back down from speaking on issues of public interest through the social media.

The JKCC had in its statement referred to Mr. Abdullahs May 7, 2016 tweet in which he had shared on the micro-blogging site a government document regarding the confirmation of the allotment of 173 Kanals (21.6 acres) of land at the old Air Field area for construction of the Sainik Colony.

An agitated Ms. Mufti said there was no truth in the story as the photograph published with the latest report in the newspaper was that of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) quarters being constructed for married serving personnel of the unit. I do not know what these newspapers want? Do they want to put the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story, she asked. She added, The opposition members bring in these newspapers which I will not name as they want to get publicity. If anyone tries to disrupt peace, they will be dealt with sternly."

Targeting her predecessor, she said that despite having been in the chair earlier, he has been tweeting about the issue. "Omar Abdullah attended four meetings (of the Sainik Board as Chief Minister) and in all four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of the Sainik Colony, she said. "Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet," she said about the former chief minister frequently using the social media to put forth his opinions.

Responding to her charge, Mr. Abdullah said he has never denied being part of the meetings for setting up of Sainik Colony but had never passed any order like the one he had posted on twitter earlier last month. "If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefited," he said. He added, I think when the Chief Minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me. My tenure is witness.... If we follow your footsteps, the state will be on fire."

Earlier Ms. Mufti said that constructions have been going on for decades in the areas which have been allotted to the Army and other security forces for their staff and the families and by playing up the pictures of some residential accommodation in the newspapers, which already exist in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir, an attempt is being made to provoke the situation and create trouble, which wont be allowed.

She alleged that the recurrent reports springing up in this regard seem to be the part of a desperate and sustained campaign by certain quarters to destabilize the situation and put Kashmir on fire again. It is highly unfortunate that at a time when the tourism activity has started picking up in Kashmir and the slumped economy is slowly rejuvenating, a sustained campaign has been launched by certain quarters to dish out concocted and inflammatory reports to provoke the situation, she said.

She also said that first Sainik Colonies were established in the State by the then Chief Minister and Mr. Andullahs grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, in Jammu and the Army had no role in their construction.

Meanwhile, the Army on Monday sought to clarify that the land on which construction activity is in progress, is defence land which is inside the existing Old Air Field Military Station. Presently construction of Married Accommodation Project is under progress inside the Old Air Field Military Station. The new construction is purely meant for the serving Army personnel and being constructed under supervision of Station Headquarters to meet the accommodation requirements of the Army units located in this area. This construction activity has absolutely nothing to do with the Sainik Colonies ,which is a State subject and Army has no role in it, it said.

However, the government has also said that transit colonies for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are being set up in the Valley. At the same time, it explained that these will not be like Israel type settlements in occupied Palestine but composite clusters which will have people as inhabitants from other faiths as well. It reiterated that the proposal of building transit accommodations for Pandits has been approved by (Prime Minister's) working groups (on J&K) and that the State government is committed to bring the Kashmirs Brahmin Hindu population known as Pandits back to their place of origin.
Jaipur: Protests on Monday erupted in Rajasthan University here over a question related to the ideology of BJP in a post graduate-level examination, prompting police to baton charge to disperse the protesting students' group.

Students affiliated to National Students Union of India (NSUI) were protesting at the varsity gate when police dispersed them by baton charge which allegedly left a few of them injured who were admitted to a hospital.

Read: Rajasthan University MA paper asks students to discuss BJP ideology

At least two students received injuries, students alleged.

"Mild force was used to disperse the mob and 11 students were held and detained," police said.

The students were protesting against a question related to the ideology of BJP in MA (final year) question paper of Rajasthani Literature last week.

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Archana Sharma condemned the action and met the protesting students at the Gandhi Nagar police station.

"BJP is using the curriculum to publicise its ideology. The students had been protesting for the last three days but instead of listening to them, the government get the students lathicharged by police," Sharma alleged.
The arrested fishermen  Murugan, Abutahir, Arokkyam and Abdul Raheem  were part of a large group of fishermen who set sail in 624 mechanised boats from here on Saturday.

Rameswaram: In a shocking repetition of the Sri Lankan Navys alleged highhandedness in the mid-sea, four more fishermen from Rameswaram have been arrested by the former and a mechanised boat seized when they were fishing in the waters near Neduntheevu, reports reaching here early on Sunday said.

The arrested fishermen  Murugan, Abutahir, Arokkyam and Abdul Raheem  were part of a large group of fishermen who set sail in 624 mechanised boats from here on Saturday.

The four fishermen who were taken to the Kankesanthurai Naval camp for interrogation were later remanded to judicial custody by a local court there till June 16 and lodged in Jaffna prison. Fishing trawlers associations president S. Emerit expressed concern over the arrest.
District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh had clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district. (Photo: PTI)

Dadri: Family members of those accused in the Dadri lynching case defied prohibitory orders imposed in the area and held a mahapanchayat meet on Monday. They are demanding filing of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaqs family over alleged cow slaughter.

District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh had clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after Bishada villagers in Dadri announced panchayat for Monday and additional security personnel have been deployed in the village, officials said.

Read: Dadri case: New forensic report says meat found in Akhlaqs home was beef

The police had increased their security in the area and also asked four nearby police stations to keep a watch on localities. The villagers had earlier planned to call a mahapanchayat of 144 villages of Rajputs.

Residents of Bishada village, include kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, on Sunday met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

In the fast track court in Gautam Budh Nagar, defence lawyers demanded a statement of Ikhlaqs daughter, Shaista, and the medical reports of Ikhlaq and his son, Danish, who was also injured in the attack.

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a mahapanchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq's family.

"A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaq's house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard," he said.

"The villagers have decided to hold a mahapanchayat as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it," he claimed. VHP leader Surindera Jain had on Sunday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding that the 17 accused in the killing of Akhlaq be released.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

"Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," PL Punia said.
New Delhi: Congress on Monday kept up its attack on Modi government on the Eknath Khadse issue wondering why criminal charges have not been framed against the former Maharashtra Minister who was forced to resign last week.

Seeking to puncture Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion of "zero tolerance against corruption", party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said it took three months for BJP to act against Khadse.

"Have criminal charges been framed against Shri Khadse? Modiji said he was going to fight corruption but it took three months to act against Shri Khadse and that only after many protests," Singhvi told reporters.

In Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress demanded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis book the former Revenue Minister under stringent provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The party's Mumbai unit chief Sanjay Nirupam also termed as "mild" Fadnavis' decision to order a probe by a retired High Court judge into the allegations against Khadse.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations of graft in a land issue and purchase of a reserved land near Pune in the name of his kin at a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.
Chennai: The BJP continues to eye the AIADMK with its huge presence of 50 MPs in Parliament, 37 of them in the Lok Sabha alone, making it the third largest party in the lower house. BJP is also hoping to convince Jayalalithaa to join the NDA and actively participate in national development, not just that of Tamil Nadu.

BJP feels AIADMKs presence in the NDA would give more credence to the alliance as an anti-Congress force. Since AIADMK has been supporting the NDA on the floor of Parliament on almost all issues, the BJP leadership wants a formal alliance with the regional party.

AIADMK, which has 13 MPs in Rajya Sabha  12 from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry  is the third largest party in Lok Sabha with 37 MPs only after the Congress whose strength is 44.

Since the BJP is a minority in Rajya Sabha, it is actively wooing the AIADMK since it feels the 13 members would be part of its bloc if the party formally joins the NDA.

AIADMK has been extending issue-based support to us. But we want them to be part of the NDA. Since 50 MPs are a huge number, we dont want to take any chances. Though she has been supporting us all the time, we want to formalise the tie-up, a senior BJP leader said.

The AIADMK has been supporting crucial bills of the NDA Government in the Upper House and the bonhomie between Ms Jayalalithaa and top leaders of the BJP  be it Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu  is well known.

And as reported by the DC on Saturday last, politics would obviously be on the agenda of talks when Ms Jayalalithaa calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi later this month.

Ms Jayalalithaa, sources in Chennai said, is likely to undertake a two-day visit to New Delhi for discussions with Mr Modi and other Ministers on issues concerning Tamil Nadu.
A notice issued from the office of special commissioner (SWM) stated that although the plant has been running for the last five months with the capacity to process 500 Metri Tonnes (MT) per day, the plant was processing only 83 MT, which is a mere 16.6 per cent of the capacity of the plant. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: Scientific Solid Waste Management (SWM) has become a big problem for the BBMP. This is because only 60 per cent of the waste is being processed in the city, while the rest is being dumped on roadsides at the outskirts of the city or in certain quarry pits. To add to the garbage woes, the Chikkanagamangala plant is not functioning effectively and its efficiency had reduced to a mere 16 per cent.

The BBMP has slapped a notice against the Morgan Solid Waste company holding Limited, which is running a waste processing plant at Chikkanagamangala for not adhering to standard operating procedure (SOP) and also for causing unrest among citizens in the city and in areas surrounding the processing plant, said BBMP special commissioner (SWM) Subodh Yadav.

After the notice, the company has partially complied with the SOP and rules. But failure on their part to follow the rules completely has created problems with the BBMP at other plants too. A written compliance report has been sought and a meeting arranged with the higher-ups of the company to ensure such lapses dont recur, said Mr. Yadav.

A notice issued from the office of special commissioner (SWM) stated that although the plant has been running for the last five months with the capacity to process 500 Metri Tonnes (MT) per day, the plant was processing only 83 MT, which is a mere 16.6 per cent of the capacity of the plant.

Not following the instructions of the BBMP has resulted in protests from the surrounding villagers, for which the BBMP had to take unnecessary blame from the public for no fault of the BBMP. The villagers have been complaining that the leachate generated is being disposed into the qually pit in the plant, which is leading to contamination of ground water, causing unbearable stench and making life miserable. The operating system has become bad and this cannot be tolerated, the BBMP notice said.

Repeated inspections by the BBMP officials have proved that the plant is either short- staffed or despite the direction to post adequate manpower for the effective functioning of the plant in shifts, this is not being done. There are days when compactors are left outside the plant overnight and as few as just 10 workers, working at the plant. This shows that the plant run by Morgan SWM company is not functioning as per the agreement, the notice stated.
BENGALURU: With five days to go for polling to fill four vacancies in Rajya Sabha, the row over cash for vote took a new turn on Monday with secretary of the Legislative Assembly, S Murthy, seeking a report from Chief Minister Siddaramiah on his reported promise to release Rs 100 crores for development of their constituencies in return for their support to ruling party candidates.

Mr Murthy wrote to Mr Siddaramaiah at the behest of the Election Commission of India (ECI) which received a complaint from JD(S) spokesperson, Ramesh Babu, the Chief Minsiter had offered to release Rs 100 crores for development of constituencies of independent MLAs. A similar letter was also sent to independent legislator P Rajiv. In his complaint, Mr Ramesh Babu had quoted reported statements of energy minister, D K Shivakumar, independent MLAs, P Rajiv and Ashok Kheny, after meeting Mr Siddaramaiah on May 27. The legislators had said the Chief Minister offered to release Rs 100 crore each for their constituencies and therefore they would support Congress candidates in Rajya Sabha elections. This amounted to corrupt practices, bribery and influence of money in the election process and therefore the elections ought to be postponed, Mr Ramesh Babu said in his complaint to ECI.

Mr Murthy told the media here that a letter was also dispatched to the secretary, department of finance, on whether additional funds were released in recent days, particularly after announcement of Rajya Sabha polls, to constituencies of independent legislators. Though a notice was issued to Mr Rajiv, seeking an explanation about his statement in the media, Mr Rajiv was not available on phone, Mr Murthy added.

Meanwhile, Mr Murthy, also returning officer (RO) for Rajya Sabha elections, received video clippings of the sting operation carried out television channels on bribery charges and sent a report to the Chief Election Commissioner. In all, seven people were visible in the video, including Mr Ashok Kheny, JD (S) candidate Mr Farookh, Congress candidate Mr K C Ramamurthy, deputy Mayor and two other individuals. I cannot disclose details of the report, he added.
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidus claim that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was inspired by him and went into Information Technology instead of civil services has become controversial.

Mr Nadella had joined Microsoft in 1992, when Mr Naidu had not become Chief Minister. The Microsoft website states that Mr Nadella was working with Sun Microsystems prior to 1992 before joining Microsoft. Mr Naidu became Chief Minister for the first time in 1995.

AP Legislative Assembly Public Accounts Committee chairman and YSRC MLA B. Rajendranath Reddy on Monday asked Mr Naidu to apologise to the family of Mr Nadella for his false claims.

Mr Naidu, who was speaking at the Nava Nirmana Deeksha, claimed that Mr Nadellas father N. Yugandhar, was an IAS officer when he was Chief Minister. He had reportedly said that as he (Mr Naidu) was talking about information technology, his son had chosen computers.

Mr Rajendranath Reddy said, Naidus claims are funny. IAS officer Yugandhar worked in AP from 1986 to 1988. Dont know when he worked in Naidus government as the TD chief came into power only in 1995. What he speaks should at least be credible and believable.

Mr Rajendranath Reddy further said that after getting his engineering degree in 1988, Mr Nadella travelled to the United States to do his postgraduation.

He added, Satya Nadella, too, never said that he was inspired by Naidu. If as claimed by Naidu, that the whole world was inspired by him, why wasnt his son, Mr Nara Lokesh, motivated? Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister should immediately apologise to Satya Nadella for the same.

The YSRC leader said Bengaluru was far ahead of Hyderabad in IT and Mr Naidus claims were hollow. Bengaluru grew faster than AP during Naidus rule. However, Naidu makes a huge noise about IT growth, said Mr Rajendranath Reddy.

The YSRC leader also brushed aside Mr Naidus claim that he would bring the Olympics to AP. Recently Naidu went to Vizag and witnessed a kabaddi match. There he announced he would conduct the Olympics in Amaravati. Barcelona, which had started attempting in 1929, could only conduct Olympics in 1992. Naidu is trying to make people believe in his false claims. Even the Vizag naval fleet is routinebut Naidu claimed it as his credit.
NEW DELHI: Underworld don and the most-wanted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts Dawood Ibrahim is under pressure from his handlers in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistans spy agency, to enact blasts  this time in the national capital.

Based on technical intelligence and human intelligence, a May 30 tip-off to the security agencies and accessed by this newspaper says that a Pune-based illegal arms dealer, who is also a Dawood aide, is doing the planning for the blasts.

The targets in Delhi include the New Delhi Railway Station, Metro stations, IGI Airport and the state Legislative Assembly, a report based on the information says.

The tip-off was first received by the capitals northwest district police, which passed it on to the state intelligence bureau and subsequently to the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), a common apex platform under the Union home ministry set up for intelligence information-sharing and coordination among various agencies.

Thus far, Dawoods focal area of operation had always been Mumbai, the countrys commercial capital, and the shift to the national capital indicates, indirectly, the ISIs keenness to target Delhi.

A strike in Delhi will also underscore Dawoods capacity which is increasingly coming into question after being hounded relentlessly by the Indian security establishment and besides signalling his relevance.

According to intelligence sources, the ISI has already shifted Dawood from his posh Clifton Road locality in Karachi to a secure location in the lawless stretch of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. There have also been recent reports that the don may be suffering from gangrene and may have to amputate his legs.

Of late, the gangster has been in the news after reports of alleged telephonic contact between him and former Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse, who put in his papers on Saturday after heat on him grew because of the alleged phone calls and his involvement in a shady multi-crore land deal. The Bombay High Court will hear the matter on June 14.
Ballari: Further, intensifying her protest against power through social media, Kudligi sub-division deputy superintendent of police Anupama Shenoy who resigned to her post has indicated that state government is expected to file an FIR against her allegedly for posting status against the government and top officers of the police department in her Facebook account.

Shenoy who resigned on Saturday over construction of an extended building of a liquor shop that would block way to Ambedkar Bhavan in Kudligi town, on Monday posted a status in Kannada that translates as, "Heard, FIR would be filed against me after going through my status in Facebook #Brihannalas".

Though, she has not mentioned whom she has called as Brihannals, but its clear that she waged war on powerful people in government and top officers in police department. Arjuna, the third of the Pandava brothers, took the form of Brihannala - a eunuch during the incognito (staying in disguise for a year) exile period in the Mahabharata.

Ms Shenoy, replying to a comment on her status, said, "only judiciary can protect me" obviously indicating that she will fight a legal fight in case a FIR is filed against her.

Screen grab

Earlier to this post, she posted a newspaper clipping of dismissing a DAR police constable in Mandya who alone protested on on June 4 writing on her FB wall in Kannada, translates as  A Brahmastra on a sparrow.

A day after submitting her resignation over the issue of constructing a building at Kudligi town, deputy superintendent of police (DySP), Kudligi sub-division, Anupama Shenoy blamed the 'liquor lobby' for her resignation and slammed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's governance as 'Rum' Rajya through her Facebook account on Sunday.

Attempts to contact Ms Shenoy over phone went in vain for third day after her resignation, while it is confirmed that the resignation letter of Ms Shenoy who handed it over to her junior officer asking him to forward it to higher officer was received at the office of Superintendent of Police, Ballari on June 4th itself.

According to this letter, it is clear that she addressed her resignation letter to Secretary, Home Department, Government of Karnataka stating that she is unable to continue her service in the department due to her personal reasons.

Though, it is not clear that whether her resignation is accepted or not, on Monday, SP Ballari R Chetan has ordered DySP Hoovinahadagali S R Patil to assume the charge of Kudligi sub-divison as an additional charge.
Hyderabad: On Thursday, after a drug bust at a hotel near LB Nagar, directorate of revenue intelligence officials grilled two men who carried with them 50 kg of banned drug, ephed-rine. The duo confessed they were carriers and heading for Chennai to hand over the drug to another gang. The drug, produced at a covert manufacturing unit here, was to ultimately reach Southeast Asian destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore. It could fetch as high as Rs 5 crore in international market. The DRI raid however came in the way and aborted their plans.

Hyderabad has become the hub of covert illegal manufacturing units of banned drugs like ephedrine. Six months ago, the Cyberabad Special Operation Team (SOT) busted another gang near LB Nagar, from whom sleuths seized more than 50 kg of ephedrine. There were many busts by SOT in which ephedrine worth crores were seized in the last two years.

Production

The growing numbers of small-scale pharmaceutical units in the city outskirts are used by gangs to promote the racket. They use the facilities of these labs to produce the drugs and pay the owners a handsome amount. The modus operandi is such that the gangs take the manufacturing units for rent for a few days and produce the material. For an experienced pharmacist, it does not take much time to manufacture huge quantities of ephedrine, noted Cyberabad SOT chief, E. Ramchandra Reddy.

Earlier such rackets operated from Chennai and Maharashtra, but they shifted base after enforcement agencies like the narcotics control bureau (NCB), the DRI and the police cracked down on them. Many of them then moved into Hyderabad, another base for the pharmaceutical industry, to carry on with their illegal operations.

When enforcement agencies bust the rackets, the kingpins who operate the international drug smuggling racket normally escape arrest. Only the workers, pharmacists and carriers are arrested. The gang leaders are safely based in places like Chennai, from where the drug is shipped to South East Asia. We could catch the pharmacists and carriers, but not the kingpins, said the SOT chief.

The pharmacists and other workers are usually hired on temporary basis. Their trail will not lead up to the racket leaders. This makes it difficult for the enforcement agencies to track down the main culprits, say enforcement officials.

Public transportation is used by the racketeers to smuggle the huge quantities of manufactured drugs to Chennai and Mumbai. Most smugglers use interstate buses. In the present case, the carriers were using AC buses from Hyderabad to Chennai to smuggle the drugs, said an SOT official.
Kochi: In a stunning revelation, a sitting judge of Kerala High Court on Monday said that smugglers had offered him Rs 25 lakh to save an accused detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act.

Justice K.T. Sankaran made the oral observation and pursuant to this, VACB special cell SP Sasidharan met the judge later in the day and collected information. Vigilance director Jacob Thomas asked the SP special cell to look into the matter.

A division bench comprising Justice Sankaran and Justice A. Hariprasad also recused themselves from hearing the petitions challenging the preventive detention order issued against the accused persons in the gold smuggling case.

The case pertains to the smuggling of 2,000 kg of gold through Cochin International Airport with the help of airport staff, including an ex-immigration officer.

The judge said that he received a phone call offering Rs 25 lakh or above if there was an order in favour of an accused. The bench observed, quite unfortunately, we are not in a position to hear the cases for reasons beyond our control.
Employees found that the cards were of no use since hospitals werent honouring them. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The Employees Health Scheme announced by the Telangana government in October 2014 to provide cashless medical treatment without any upper expenditure limit to employees and pensioners has failed to serve the purpose even after 19 months.

Employees still have to seek treatment costs from the government under the medical reimbursement scheme as the government is yet to enter into MoUs with corporate hospitals.

However, they are suffering huge losses as the bills are reimbursed as per the costs prescribed under the Central Government Health Scheme, while corporate hospitals charge nearly double the CGHS rates.

Despite corporate hospitals openly flouting the norms by charging exorbitant amounts from employees and pensioners and not complying with CGHS norms, the state government has remained a mute spectator. We have brought this to the notice of the government several times but in vein. The government should either implement cashless medical treatment or make the corporate hospitals fall in line," said Mr A. Padma Chary, president, Telan-gana Udyogula Sangham.

The TRS government, which claims to be an employee-friendly government had announced the cashless treatment scheme as a "Dussehra gift" to employees in October 2014, claiming to be the first-of-its-kind in the country with no contribution to be made by employees.

During the launch, Chief Minister K. Chandra-sekhar Rao had said: Employees need not pay anything from their pockets for the health scheme. The state government will bear the total medical expenses. Earlier, only 395 different ailments were covered but now all diseases will be covered under the new scheme.

Employees found that the cards were of no use since hospitals werent honouring them. Corporate and private hospitals association are opposed to the treatment costs prescribed by the government and have refused to sign MoUs with the state government.

Over a dozen meetings have been held by health minister C. Laxma Reddy, officials of the Medical department and chief secretary Rajiv Sharma with hospitals over the last two years to persuade the latter to honour the cards, but nothing has come out of these meetings.

Corporate hospitals have offered three packages, which are under examination by the government. We will approve one of them. The issue was taken to the CM, who will take a final decision, Mr Reddy said.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has asked the Centre to stop the Krishna River Management Boards notification to take control of the irrigation structures in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

It has also requested Union minister Uma Bharathi, as chairperson of the Apex Council, to direct KRMB to ensure additional usage of 45 TMC by TS with effect from the water year 2016-2017. The Telangana state and other upper riparian states are entitled to the extra water in view of the AP governments Patti-seema Lift Irrigation Scheme and the Polava-ram project.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, who led a delegation of members of Parliament to New Delhi, submitted a memorandum to Union water resources minister Uma Bharati on Monday.

He requested Ms Bharati to ensure there was no submergence in the state under the Polavaram project, especially in the temple town of Bhadrachalam, Dummugudem, Manuguru Power Plant and the Singareni Coal Mines.

Krishna board has limits: Telangana

The Krishna Board can only regulate but has no right to distribute river water. The Board has sent a draft notification on sharing of river waters. The notification is against the law. If the Centre doesnt take action, we will approach the court, Mr Harish Rao said after meeting Ms Bharati.

The irrigation minister said 800 TMC of Krishna waters had been allocated to undivided Andhra Pradesh. Out of this, APs share was 512 TMC and TS was 299 TMC. Argu-ments are on before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal over allocations of water, he explained.

While the arguments are on, the KRMB notification is against the norms, he asserted. Ms Bharati instructed officials to follow the bi-furcation Act. She asked the TS chief secretary to talk with the Krishna Board.

On Polavaram, Mr Harish Rao said that as per the Bachawat Awa-rd, 45 TMC of Krishna water could be utilised upstream of Nagar-junasagar in lieu of augmentation of 80 TMC of Godavari water into the Krishna basin.
The committee will comprise the headmaster or principal, physical education teacher and a member from the parent-teacher association, among others. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The AP government has decided to introduce yoga and meditation in schools and junior colleges.

A GO was issued by the school education department according to which the programme will be implemented in all schools and junior colleges under the government, aided and unaided private institutions from Classes 6 to Intermediate II year.

Educational institutions were told to form a committee to look after teaching of yoga and meditation and performance of students. The committee will comprise the headmaster or principal, physical education teacher and a member from the parent-teacher association, among others.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam results on the official and subsidiary websites today. According to officials, the students will get their marksheets on June 15 after which the FYJC online admission process will start.

Students who appeared for the exam can check their results here: mahresult.nic.in, https://mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in, result.mkcl.org, www.examresults.net.

The SSC exams in the state were held from March 1 to 29 wherein 17,27,496 students had enrolled from across the nine divisions of the MSBSHSE. The students consisted of 9,55,186 male and 7,72,310 female fresh students and 66,185 repeater students. The enrolled students belonged to 21,480 schools across the state and the exams were conducted at 4,535 centres.

According to Krishna Patil, secretary, MSBSHSE, Pune from this year onwards the students would be able to apply for verification of marks and apply for copies of the answer sheets from the very next day of the results being declared online.

Students will be able to get their marksheets, bifurcated marks and the outcome of the competitiveness test conducted by the board in February on June 15 from their respective schools at 3 pm, said Mr Patil.

He added that students wanting to apply for verification of marks will have to compulsorily apply for the copy of their answer sheet after which they can submit the application of verification. The dates for the same are from June 7 to 27. Students who want to apply for the class improvement scheme or reappear for the exam that will be held in July/August will have to apply online. The dates for the same will be announced later, said Mr Patil.

The declaration of the SSC results will mark the beginning of the FYJC online admission process for Mumbai and students will be able to start filling up the online form immediately after the online results are declared. However, the actual process is expected to start only after June 15 and details of the same are available on fyjc.org.in. The education department has also set up guidance centre in the three different zones in Mumbai and a guidance centre each in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar and Kalyan-Dombivali municipal corporation areas too for resolving problems faced by students while applying for the FYJC online admission process. The online admission process will start after the completion of the minority and in-house quota admission process by the eligible junior colleges.
Bhopal: A senior inspector in the IB, involved in the investigation of the Vyapam scam in MP, was killed after being hit by a speeding car late on Sunday evening, the police said on Monday.

The incident and the delay in informing police are being probed. Ajey Kumar Khare, 58, who was said to be assigned to acting on inputs regarding the MP Professional Exam Board scandal, also known as the Vyapam scam, was on his way on his scooter to supervise his under-construction house in the Trilanga area here when the mishap took place. Khare had been posted to Bhopal a couple of years ago.
Hyderabad: Telangana Telugu Desam working president A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday asked Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to withdraw all criminal cases booked against students, who participated in the Telangana movement.

In an open letter to the Chief Minister, Mr Reddy said: Between 2009 and 2014, a total of 3,152 cases were booked against the students. Out of this, the previous Congress and the present TRS government had withdrawn almost 2,000 cases, but more than 1,000 cases were still pending. Of these, 698 cases were under the purview of the state government while the remaining were under the Centre.

He asked the Chief Minister to take up the withdrawal of cases on the student community on priority and talk with the Central government agencies to get them to withdraw their cases.

Pointing out that some of the students against whom the cases are pending were unable to get jobs, he said the government should come to the rescue of such students immediately.

He also asked the Chief Minister to ensure that family members of martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for Telangana get government jobs as promised.

There are a few reports that even after government agencies have given appointment letters, the officials concerned are not implementing them, the Telangana Telugu Desam working president said.
Masood Azhar was born on July 10, 1968 to a Pakistani couple, in the princely state of Bahawalpur. From being the son of a government school headmaster to a brief stint with teaching himself, Azhars metamorphosis from a clergyman to a dreaded terrorist began in a madarsa.

He was introduced to the jihadi movement when he joined the Binor madarsa and since, there was no looking back.

Azhar came under the influence of a Harkat-ul-Ansar militant and expressed his interest to join the Afghan jihad. He tried his luck at joining the army but is believed to have failed at completing his military training, as he was deemed physically weak. But undaunted by the failure, he fought in the war against Russia and was injured.

After his failed military stint, he formally joined the militant outfit Harkat-ul-Ansar and was made the head of its motivation department. Azhars role was simple  to radicalise youth into pledging support to the jihadi movement. His was considered a great orator and was sent across the world to deliver speeches. He visited countries like Zambia, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and even the United Kingdom.

Unlike most militants, Azhar did not cross into India illegally but flew to Srinagar in 1994 and met other militants. He soon began to form his own base in the valley, but his activities were briefly put to a halt when India arrested him on terrorism charges.

In 1999, India was forced to release him in exchange for passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814.

It was after his release that Azhar began to head the Pakistan based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad and has been active ever since then.
In the late 1950s, Portugal accused India at the United Nations of racism. The charge was based on complaints by African students who had suffered discrimination, including being jeered at in the street as Hubshee! Unaware of the African blood that has flowed through Portuguese veins for five centuries, New Delhi retaliated by indignantly accusing Lisbon of trying to distract attention from its iniquitous stranglehold on Goa. Those were the years of non-alignment and Afro-Asian solidarity. Indians believed it was inconceivable that any God-fearing non-aligned Afro-Asian should practise discrimination like the criminally imperialist West.

Those were also the years when V.K. Krishna Menon strode the UN stage like an evil genius breathing fire and brimstone at every European nation save the Soviet Union and its satellites. He had some harsh things to say about Dr Antonio de Oliveira Salazars dictatorship in Lisbon. Menon quit the stage in disgrace after his blunders led to Indias humiliation in the Himalayas. The Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its military burdens.

India annexed Goa 55 years ago. The coup of April 25, 1974, toppled the Portuguese regime with which India was in conflict. But, tragically, the racism that Portugal brought up at the UN not only survives but has grown with malevolent vigour. Burgeoning economic confidence and the new spirit of political assertiveness that reigns in New Delhi seem to have encouraged Indians to discard the mask of civilisation and emerge in their true colours.

It is not a pretty sight. The spate of attacks on Africans since January when a mob dragged a group of Tanzanian students out of a car, the murder last month of the Congolese teacher, Masunda Kitada Oliver, following a fight over an autorickshaw in Delhi, and three separate incidents in the capital in the following week, with seven Africans assaulted, shames us as a nation. It brings even greater disgrace to the government that fails to take prompt action against such animal barbarism, and to ministers like Sushma Swaraj and her junior, V.K. Singh, whose comments do not indicate the responsibility that is expected of high office.

Some might say Portugals charge against India was like the pot calling the kettle black. Although one sees no sign of race tension in the Lisbon I have just left, the inhabitants of the ramshackle suburb called Cova da Moura on a hill in the citys outskirts have some grim tales to tell about police brutality. Cova da Moura was built by immigrants from Portugals former African colonies. Its restaurants serve the cuisine of Cape Verde. Its streets resonate to music from Angola. It has a reputation for drugs, crime and violence. Taxi drivers dont dare to venture into the area after dark.

Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of people from Portugals former colonies  they were called overseas provinces  in Africa and Polynesia have found refuge in this country. There were reports last year of Goans paying up to 1,000 euros for forged Portuguese passports. Thousands of Bangladeshis live and work here to qualify for European Union residency. To cap it all, the conservative Pedro Passos Coelho, who was Prime Minister from 2011 to 2015, was married to a black woman, Laura Ferreira, a physiotherapy technician, born in Bissau in Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) in West Africa. Can one imagine a black political First Lady in India?

Watching a long procession of priests headed by a prelate wending its way up the hill in the small town of Evora on the festival of Corpus Christi I saw several black faces above snow-white surplices and many black hands holding prayer books. Race made no difference to these worshippers at the early 16th century Igreja de Sao Francisco, a towering Manueline-Gothic cathedral just above my hotel.

Among all the slaving nations of the West, Portugal was probably the only one to bring slaves back home. The first blacks came to Lisbon in 1441. They continued to be imported in such numbers that by 1550, the population of Portugal was 10 per cent Negro. (In comparison, the United States is 13-14 per cent black today). There being no social, religious or legal taboo or injunction against inter-racial sexual relations, miscegenation became common and Africans were soon assimilated into the general population. Portugals present-day population is one of the most homogeneous in Europe, with no national minorities. The only blacks one sees today are modern colonial immigrants.

Obviously, this ethnic integration was not to the liking of all Europeans. Some even attributed Portugals decline as a global power to its racial admixture. In the middle of the 16th century, Portugals position resembled that of the US today. It was the worlds wealthiest and most powerful country with territorial possessions in Asia, Africa and America. Like the English Elizabethans, the Portuguese were poets and explorers, a race of highly civilised, imaginative, intelligent and daring people who made important contributions to the Renaissance.

But, unlike England and other European countries, Portugal had a large number of blacks while its white population was declining. The 11th edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1911 and regarded as the most authoritative, noted: The Portuguese intermarried freely with their slaves, and this infusion of alien blood profoundly modified the character and physique of the nation. It may be said without exaggeration that the Portuguese of the age of discoveries and the Portuguese of the 17th and later centuries were two different races. Despite that sour note, Portugal is a placid country. Despite some friction in the slums, it displays none of the naked racism that is a slur on Indias civilisation. Caste-ridden and colour-conscious Indians have much to learn from the maligned Portuguese.
India has every reason to pat itself on the back after the successful back-to-back hearts and minds visits to Iran and Afghanistan by Prime Minister Modi. It has led to the finalisation of a series of trilateral agreements to provide Indian assistance for the development of Chabahar Port located on the Persian Gulf in Iran and inauguration of the Salma Dam project in Afghanistan to provide irrigation in its parched south-west region.

But what is undoubtedly overall a well-crafted diplomatic and economic initiative by India also carries a significant strategic component as well. Chabahar Port in Iran is also a strategic roadhead to Afghanistan. It is important in the context of Indias national security objective  of bypassing Pakistan and connecting directly with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

A road link between Chabahar running through Iranian territory to a terminal in Afghanistan would establish such a link. This will be an end run circuit which, if mutually developed by India and Iran, would open for India, Iran, as well as Afghanistan the option of an access route totally bypassing Pakistan. This will liberate Afghanistan from dependence on Pakistani goodwill. Such a development would, of course, be a total anathema for Pakistan.

Pakistans approach has been structured around a philosophy of strategic depth regarding India, which requires an Afghanistan controlled by Pakistan. During the Cold War, Afghanistan was regarded by the US as a proxy battleground for third party wars to contain the Communist ideology. It was a strategically suitable country, being located on the Central Asian perimeter of the Soviet Union itself, as well as with a common border with Pakistan.

Pakistan was employed in a plausibly deniable role as a sanctuary and launch pad for a long war against Russia in Afghanistan, after the latter militarily intervened in December 1979. The long war against the USSR in Afghanistan lasted from 1979 to 1989, ending with the withdrawal of all Russian troops. The Afghan War of 1979-89 was created by the Cold War imperialism of the US and the USSR.

The Afghan War created the mujahideen, who subsequently mutated into the Taliban, and would attack the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979 and the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001. The doctrines of radical Islam now threaten not only Afghanistan itself, but menaces many other countries as well, including secular India and Shia Iran. Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence is heavily involved in Afghanistan. It has made substantial efforts and resources towards the creation and training of proxies  a task for which they received substantial material and logistics support from the US during the Cold War lasted, as also from Saudi Arabia, and some Gulf countries.

This support is now coming from individual private charities, principally located in oil-rich Saudi Arabia, and some Gulf countries. India must view Chabahar as a strategic asset, a vital component of an integrated sea-cum-land transit system providing connectivity and access to Afghanistan. The system should incorporate both the Iranian port city as well as the 140-km Zaranj-Delaram road built by Indias Border Roads Organisation. This will directly connect it with Delaram in Afghanistan, on the Soviet Union-built Ring Road, now known as Highway 1 in the Afghan road system.

Highway 1 connects in one circular sweep the Afghan cities of Kabul, Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar Sharif with offshoots linking with Jalalabad and the historic Khyber Pass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The road was constructed as a 2,200-km trunk military highway for rapid movement of troops, equipment and supplies to all major cities in the country. But the Achilles heel of the entire system is the Zaranj-Delaram road, which is vulnerable to raids and attacks by the Taliban as well as various other armed tribal factions which freely roam the countryside, each with their own ilaqa over which they defy the central authority in Kabul. They impose their own tolls and taxes on all transport using the roadways.

Another closely interwoven factor in the complicated security equation are the covert activities of the ISI of Pakistan operating in various parts of the country through warlords and surrogates like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his Hezb-e-Islami, Jalaluddin Haqqani and the Haqqani network, local warlords whose rivalries have turned Afghanistan into a latter-day Cockpit of Asia.

The situation in Afghanistan is obviously unsatisfactory from the Indian perspective. But New Delhi has to persevere in its efforts to support the Kabul government under President Ashraf Ghani in his fight to defend the independence and integrity of that beleaguered country. Here too, as in Kashmir, Pakistan and its agencies will be the main challenge to Indian interests.
India has kept faith with Afghanistan, as Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the country to inaugurate the Salma Dam in Herat showed last Saturday. This has a particular meaning for the regional security dimension. What underlines the spring in the air is the conferment of Afghanistans highest civilian honour, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award, on the Indian leader in recognition of Indias sterling role in the last decade and a half in rendering any variety of aid that Kabul sought, and which was within Indias means, even at the cost of making Pakistan unhappy and the United States strategically worried.

With President Hamid Karzai, India had achieved a stable equilibrium in ties whose vigour was demonstrated during the terms of two Prime Ministers  Atal Behari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. Doubts on the quality of relationship cropped up with Dr Ashraf Ghani becoming President in the latter part of 2015, and the Ghani administration appearing to want to lean on Pakistan in a different reading of its national interest than his predecessors, and treat India different from before.

But the Modi government did not turn its back on Afghanistan even then. It soon became clear that Islamabads profession of friendship to President Ghanis Kabul were deceptive. Taliban attacks orchestrated by those in Pakistan were intensified and the so-called peace process placed in cold storage. If President Ghani has realised the inaccuracy of his earlier assessment, India-Afghanistan ties can prosper to mutual advantage. This can even help to refashion regional politics in a way that helps sustain Afghanistans sovereign autonomy.

The PM made two important points in Afghanistan  that Indias friendship with his host country was timeless and had no sunset clause; and two, praising Afghanistan for denouncing terrorism, he urged that any division within the country would benefit those who seek to dominate Afghanistan. The latter point, especially, is the supplying of a strong political input in bilateral relations through which domestic players are cautioned to stay united.

The resolve to cement ties demonstrated by both sides coincides with the recent signing of the Chabahar agreement drawing India, Iran and Afghanistan together, as well as the PMs visit to Qatar  where a common understanding on terrorism and security were sought to be underlined by Mr Modi and his hosts. Qatar has accorded the Taliban special status and permitted it to open a political office in Doha. India can now aim to meaningfully engage the Gulf monarchy in helping Afghanistan settle down as a sovereign state.
On May 20, Tsai Ing-wen, of the theoretically pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was sworn in as the 14th President of the Republic of China, commonly known to the world as Taiwan. Taiwan has not been ruled from Beijing since it became a Japanese colony in 1895. China, however, regards it as a renegade province and imperiously demands its reunification with the mainland, threatening severe consequen-ces if it does not  including war, if it declares independence. Cross-strait relations have survived a particularly ideological DPP President who was in power from 2000-2008. Dr Tsai joined the DPP only in 2004 and is a UK/US-educated technocrat who has not the remotest intention of declaring independence; she wants continuation of mutually beneficial interaction on the basis of existing political ground realties.

Only 22 countries recognise Taiwan as the real China. Over 70 countries that recognise the Peoples Republic of China have unofficial representation in Taiwan including India. In 1995, India became the 45th country to open an office in Taiwan. The issue had been discussed in detail with China prior to the establishment of the Indian office in Taipei. It was perhaps the most innovative element of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Raos Look East policy but we have chosen not to reap the benefits.

Having headed Indias office in Taiwan from May 2000 to May 2003, I know from personal interactions with Dr Tsai that she has very warm feelings for India and is exceedingly keen on forging a strong economic and technological partnership between the two countries. She visited India in 2014 on her own initiative in an effort to get to know the country.

In her inaugural speech, she said, We will also promote a New Southbound Policy in order to elevate the scope and diversity of our external economy and to bid farewell to our past over-reliance on a single market Taiwan has always played an indispensable role in the regions development... We will share resources, talents and markets with other countries to achieve economies of scale and to allow the efficient use of resources... We will broaden exchanges and cooperation with regional neighbours in areas such as technology, culture and commerce, and expand in particular our dynamic relationships with Asean and India.

Taiwan exists as a separate self-governing entity, in spite of Chinas bullying and threats for many decades, entirely because of the United States support. Japan has been very friendly and contributed strongly to Taiwans economic growth. They were mentioned but almost en passant much later in the speech: We will continue to deepen our relationships with friendly democracies, including the United States, Japan and Europe to advance multifaceted cooperation on the basis of shared values, thus highlighting the importance accorded to India.

Taiwan is the worlds largest investor in China but now Taiwanese businesses want to move out of China  something the Taiwan government encourages. In 2015, Terry Gou, chairman of Foxconn, the worlds largest electronics manufacturer, announced a commitment of a $5 billion investment in Maharashtra as an initial phase of much more ambitious plans  $20 billion.

Foxconn already has manufacturing plants in India. Taiwan is an IT hardware design and manufacturing superpower. Its high-tech partnership with India would be particularly valuable for making Prime Minister Narendra Modis visionary platforms such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and Smart Cities a success.

Therefore, India should have sent a delegation led by the minister for information technology to the presidential inauguration in Taiwan, not only as an appreciative acknowledgement of Dr Tsais special gesture to India, but much more importantly a much-needed, powerful and positive message to the Taiwanese industry and business community. They have great reservations about India because, of all the countries that have offices in Taiwan, India has particularly stringent, entirely self-imposed, restrictions on meaningful interaction with Taiwan.

A minimum alternative would have been a delegation led by the ministry for external affairs secretary (economic relations). India decided to send two MPs but then backed out literally at the 11th hour to avoid ruffling Chinese feathers, presumably in the context of the imminent visit of the Indian President to China. Since the dates of his visit to China were known, if India had doubts about attending the inauguration in Taiwan, it should have politely declined the invitation. What India finally managed to do was to snub Taiwans India-friendly President.

China would have been smirking with satisfaction, greatly amused by Indias utterly pathetic and extraordinarily self-demeaning effort to please it. Last year Sino-Indian bilateral trade had a massive trade deficit of nearly $50 billion, yet despite years of Indian entreaties China continues to deny market access to India for pharmaceuticals and IT services. From a few days before Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to India, throughout his visit and even afterwards, hundreds of PLA troops were camped deep inside Indian territory.

China flamboyantly opposes Indias membership of the NSG. It has also single-handedly prevented the designation of Hafiz Saeed as an international terrorist despite India taking up the issue with China repeatedly at every conceivable level. China is doing whatever it pleases in PoK, including implementing multi-billion dollar projects, but blocks ADB funding for development projects in Arunachal Pradesh; while thousands of PLA troops are stationed in PoK, Gilgit and Gwadar.

Indias top leaders have shown extreme reluctance in meeting the Dalai Lama and visiting Arunachal Pradesh. China does not care a hoot about Indian sensitivities but India is constantly looking over its shoulder, anxious about Chinas reaction even to the most utterly innocuous things. This is certainly not how a putative great power should be behaving. India aspires to be on the global high table and wants permanent membership of the UN Security Council, but does it deserve to be there? The contrast between the messages the Chinese send and those sent to China by us says it all! No wonder Pakistan, Chinas pet client, gets away with mayhem vis-a-vis India.
Microsoft has tracked down more than 1,000 copies of illegally activated Windows 7 and 8 and has files lawsuits against the pirates.

Microsoft is now fiercely fighting pirates. Recently, they have managed to track down pirates who have activated more than 1,000 copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems which had been stolen from supply chains.

According to a report by Computer World, Microsoft has filed lawsuits in a Seattle court which includes piracy of Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows 8 operating systems and also Office 2010 and Office 2013. The company has tracked down the pirates IP addresses and is asking the judge for authorisation to find the identity of the pirates and make them pay for the theft.

Microsoft's cyberforensics have identified over one thousand product activations originating from IP address 66.51.73.111 (the IP Address), which is presently assigned to Earthlink Inc., and which, on information and belief, is being used by the Defendants in furtherance of the unlawful conduct alleged herein, reveal the court documents that lawyers filed in the complaint.

The report mentions that product keys that are used to activate the software were stolen from the companys supply chain and used more than their given legal amount. The activations were done both within and outside their intended geographical regain, claims Microsoft.

Last month, Microsoft had filed a lawsuit and asked for permission to name the subscriber via an IP address from where Microsoft believes that thousands of product activations have taken place.

Microsoft said as much in the complaint. "Cyberforensics allows Microsoft to analyze billions of activations of Microsoft software and identify activation patterns and characteristics that make it more likely than not that the IP address associated with the activations is an address through which pirated software is being activated," the company stated.

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Hyderabad: Semiconductor major Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has evinced interest to work with Telugu movie industry in the field of graphics.

According to a government release, Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao, who is touring the US, met AMD Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster and Senior Vice-President (Human Resources and Corporate Communications) Ruth Cotter at the chipmaker's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

"Chip technology of AMD has been instrumental in creating computer graphics for movies like 'Bahubali', the semiconductor company representatives stated. AMD plans to work closely with Tollywood and other cine industries in the graphics sector," the release said.

An AMD team explained to the Minister and delegation led by him about the company's activities and products in Hyderabad. When the AMD team stated that it plans to establish and expand their operations in computer graphics, gaming, virtual reality and manufacturing, the minister invited the company to partner with the proposed IMAGE city here.

Rao explained key features of Telangana Government's industrial policy, electronics policy and incentives the state offers to industries. He asked AMD to consider manufacturing its products in Telangana and make the state its choice for investments in gaming and animation sector.

The minister requested AMD to partner with premier educational institutes of the state like IIT-H, IIIT-H, BITS and NIT for research. According to the release, AMD representatives showed keen interest in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) Academy proposed by the state government and assured they will consider joining it.

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The HP Elite X3 can be used as a desktop PC by simply connecting a dock with a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

HP is going big with Microsofts new operating system on their latest superphone, the Elite X3. The device was announced a few months ago and is scheduled to be released later this year. However, in order to show off the devices skills, HP has released a video that shows the collaboration between Microsoft and HP to create a spectacular device as a desktop replacement for the future.

The video shows the 6-incher Elite X3 being connected to the Continuum desktop dock that helps convert the smartphone into a desktop PC. The dock is connected to a keyboard, mouse and a big monitor. The Elite X3 is powered by a powerful Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

As for now, HP has not yet announced any prices for the phone or the Continuum dock and the Mobile Extender laptop. The possibility of the phone and the accessories launching would be later this year when Microsoft celebrates their Windows 10 Anniversary update.

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Egide Ndayisenga of Bonesha FM was arrested Sunday while visiting friends in Western Cibitoke Province, Patrick Nduwimana said. (Representational image)

Bujumbura, Burundi: A Burundian journalist has been arrested by the country's dreaded National Intelligence Service, and it is feared he is being tortured, the director of an independent radio station said on Monday.

Egide Ndayisenga of Bonesha FM was arrested Sunday while visiting friends in Western Cibitoke Province, Patrick Nduwimana said. Two friends with him were arrested and later released.

Ndayisenga had sought refuge in Rwanda last year when the station was bombed and those suspected of opposing President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term feared they were being hunted down, Nduwimana said. Ndayisenga recently returned to the East African country.

Burundian Police Deputy Spokesman Moise Nkurunziza said he was still verifying whether Ndayisenga was arrested and why.

The arrest of Ndayisenga is a continuation of the harassment and silencing of independent journalists in Burundi, said Lambert Nigarura, a prominent lawyer and activist there.

"The government in Burundi does not want the world to know that it's killing its own people, and all independent journalists are in danger," Nigarura said. Both opponents and supporters of the government have been killed in apparent revenge attacks.

Bonesha FM was one of the independent media outlets shut down in May 2015, accused of conspiring with the generals who attempted to overthrow the president during violent protests against his bid for a third term. He was re-elected in July.

The violence has left more than 400 people dead and forced more than 260,000 to flee the country, according to the United Nations.

Bonesha FM has continued to operate a website with stories about the country.
United States said it had received information that terrorist groups were planning to carry out attacks in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Photo: AFP)

Johannesburg: South Africa on Monday sought to allay fears after Washington warned Americans of a possibly imminent terror attack by Islamic extremists in the country's major cities.

"We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger," State Security Minister David Mahlobo said in a statement.

The United States on Saturday said it had received information that terrorist groups were planning to carry out attacks in South Africa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The warning said attacks may target sites frequented by US citizens, including high-end shopping areas and malls in the economic hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town, which is popular with tourists.

It came against the background of the Islamic State group's "public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan," the US embassy in South Africa said.

One of South Africa's largest shopping centres, Sandton City in Johannesburg, said it was taking the warning seriously.

Along with several other malls, it is "on high alert and additional security measures have been implemented", said Nomzamo Radebe, CEO of JHI Retail which owns Sandton City.

But the South African government has played down the threat.

State security ministry spokesman Brian Dube told AFP that authorities have not stepped up security following the alert.

"We have not come to a situation where we have to change our national threat level," Dube said.

"Our information has not necessarily confirmed what has been raised by the Americans," he added.

The United States regularly warns its citizens around the world to beware of terror attacks, but the weekend's note was specific about the targets and the imminence of the threat.

This is the second alert it has issued for South Africa in under a year.

South Africa has so far escaped the jihadist attacks seen in several other African countries.

"We don't have a history of terrorism here, we have got a foreign policy that's quite neutral, we don't engage in any counter-insurgency operations either on the continent or elsewhere that would place us in at risk of retaliatory attacks," said Ryan Cummings, an analyst with Cape Town-based Signal Risk think tank.
The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain. (Photo: AP)

Washington: US President Barack Obama will visit Poland and Spain in July, in what will likely be his final trip to Europe, a continent that has often presented more problems than opportunities during his presidency.

The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain.

During his nearly eight years in office, Obama has at times had difficult relationships with America's oldest allies.

For most of his first term, Europe was frustratingly slow to contain sovereign debt crises that were fed by and prolonged the Great Recession.

Relations with Europe were further tested by Obama's "pivot to Asia" -- which was widely perceived as capping a decades-long strategic shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Obama has publicly said that it was a mistake to depend on European allies to manage Libya's emergence from decades of Moamer Kadhafi's dictatorial rule.

Five years after Kadhafi was killed, the country is still in turmoil and is now a base for the Islamic State group.

That is likely to be a topic of discussion in Warsaw, along with Russia's continued testing of NATO resolve in eastern and central Europe.

The Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region was followed with active support for separatists in the east of the country.

The country is today de facto partitioned, posing a significant obstacle for Kiev's reform efforts and plunging the West in Russia into the biggest standoff since the Cold War.

Meanwhile Russian aircraft have launched a series of provocative intercepts of NATO, Swedish and other craft.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival here.

"This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in US-India ties. Over the last seven years, the United States and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order," a senior administration official said.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital tomorrow afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office.

The President will host a lunch for the Prime Minister after the meeting.

"The Prime Minister's visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage," the official said.

"From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the United States and India lead together," the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile two leading US dailies the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders "have each invested in developing a close relationship", Benjamin J Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is China's growing footprint in India's traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, WSJ reported.
Singapore: When US Defence Secretary Ash Carter spoke at a key Asian summit at the weekend, he used the word "principled" 38 times, floating his vision of a US-backed "security network" of countries in the region.

Several delegations were quick to respond to the idea at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, but it seemed to evolve into a form of diplomatic tag-team wrestling as a loose coalition of nations lined up to criticise China.

Nations including Japan, India, France and Vietnam joined calls for greater respect for international law to resolve worsening tensions over the South China Sea, a dig at Beijing which has said it will not accept any ruling by a UN-backed court on the dispute.

Chinese officials, meanwhile, stressed Beijing's commitment to being a peaceful, lawful and inclusive nation but said it would not be bullied.

"No one has the right to point their fingers at China," said Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the joint staff department of China's Central Military Commission, as he faced a string of questions at one public forum at the summit on Sunday.

"Belligerence does not make peace."

Sun was sharing a podium with Vietnamese deputy defence minister Nguyen Chi Vinh, who said he was cutting short his own responses to allow his Chinese counterpart more time to rebut criticisms raised of Beijing.

Concern at China's assertiveness over the vital trade route was deepening, several envoys said on the sidelines of the summit, particularly given the prospect of Chinese military facilities on new artificial islands built by on reefs in the South China Sea.

Those concerns were forcing regional countries to band closer together to find new ways of standing up to Beijing.

Carter's urging of greater regional efforts, particularly from China, to create his "principled security network" was underpinned by warnings that China risked isolating itself by its actions "on the seas, in cyberspace, and in the region's airspace".

Many militaries in the region, he said, were working closer together, both among themselves and with the United Sates.

Japan's defence minister, Gen Nakatani, said Japan would seek to participate annually in naval exercises together with the United States and India, similar to drills due to take place off the Japanese port of Sasebo later this week.

"It is very meaningful from the standpoint of securing safety in the wide area of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, for Japan, the United States and India to cooperate on security and defence areas and to conduct training," Nakatani said.

Great wall of isolation

Carter's warnings that China faced a looming "Great Wall of isolation" were rejected by Chinese officials, but some analysts said an "us versus them" divide may suit Beijing in current circumstances.

"It might sound tough talk, but my worry is that China's leaders will simply welcome that kind of view," Lee Chung Min, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, said.

"If its economy slows, China's leaders might welcome the chance for the isolationist talk to stir some domestic nationalism."

Major General Yao Yunzhu, of China's Academy of Military Science and prominent figure during the weekend sessions, acknowledged perceptions that some nations might be "ganging up" on China but said this did not represent "objective reality".

"The South China Sea is not the only security issue in the region, and events like this one are not quite full reality," she told Reuters. "Each nation has to think of its bilateral relations with China as well, and many other security issues, that pull us closer together."

Admiral Harry Harris, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, made clear that while the U.S. military was attempting to engage and co-operate with China's rapidly modernising military, it was prepared for a darker outcome.

"The bottom line is this: we want to co-operate where we can, but we just have to be ready as a military to confront them if we must," he said.

Malaysia defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein spelt out the costs to smaller regional countries if great power rivalries escalate, however.

Whatever happens between major powers must not "leave us on the beach when the tide goes out".
Tokyo: The father of a seven-year-old Japanese boy found alive nearly a week after his parents left him in a bear-inhabited forest as punishment said that his son has forgiven him, as details emerged of the boy's ordeal.

Japan has been mesmerised by young Yamato Tanooka, who survived six nights alone in northern Japan after his angry parents abandoned him by the side of a mountain road on the island of Hokkaido on May 28.

Searchers, including soldiers, scoured the mountain for days but could find no clues to the missing boy. He was discovered Friday morning sheltering in a hut on a military base some 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) from where he had been left.

Takayuki Tanooka, his 44-year-old father, has said that he, his wife and daughter returned to the spot where Yamato was forced out of the family car several minutes later, but there was no sight of the boy.

"I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'," the elder Tanooka told broadcaster TBS in footage aired Monday.

"And then, my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you'," Tanooka added, choking up.

Yamato was taken to hospital immediately after being found by a soldier from the base and will be discharged on Tuesday, a hospital official said, refraining from giving further details.

Immediately after being abandoned, the crying boy had attempted to chase his parents' car but ended up getting disoriented and going the opposite way, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported, citing sources close to the family.

Yamato also said that because he was afraid of the forest he walked about five hours in the dark along a path until he came to the hut on a military drill field, the report added.

Other reports said the boy saw no one until the soldier found him on Friday but he believed his family must be looking for him.

Yamato's parents have been severely criticised for forcing him out of their car to teach him a lesson for throwing stones at cars and people.

The elder Tanooka said he was angry because the boy had recently been scolded at school for hitting cars with a wooden stick.

"So I tried to show him that I can be scary if seriously angry," he said, citing what he described as a "father's dignity".

The contrite 44-year-old father bowed and apologised in front of reporters on Friday after being reunited with Yamato for what he admitted were his "excessive" actions.

The parents originally told police their son got lost while on a family outing to gather wild vegetables. Tanooka said they lied at first because they feared the reaction of society and possibly being questioned by police as abusive parents.

Local police have reported the case to a child welfare centre as possible mental abuse, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and other reports said Monday.
Rescue workers stand near the wreckage of a train crash in Hermalle-sous-Huy, near Liege, Belgium (Photo: AP)

Brussels: At least three people were killed and 40 injured Sunday in a train crash in eastern Belgium, the Belga news agency reported.

A passenger train slammed into the back of a goods train on the same track at high speed, Frederic Sacre, spokesman for Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel said.

The accident occurred on the line linking Namur and Liege, close to the municipality of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, with Belga quoting the mayor of the commune on the toll.

Around 40 passengers were on board, Infrabel and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said in a joint statement.

"Two of the six carriages derailed and are lying on the tracks," the statement said.

The front carriage was completely turned on its side, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Belga reported that the collision had been "very violent," adding that fire and police services had been sent from Liege to the scene, with several passengers having to be extracted from the wreckage.

A person who had been on board described the scene as "chaos" to the local daily newspaper L'Avenir, saying that the front two carriages had been destroyed.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear, with questions remaining over whether the passenger train was able to brake before the crash.

"The priority is to care for the victims," Infrabel and SNCB said, but added that information was already being analysed to determine how the crash took place.

A crisis centre was set up at the scene of the accident.
He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia, where the authorities have been criticized for failing to tackle sex crimes properly against children. (Photo: YouTube Video Grab)

London: British paedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday for abusing 23 Malaysian and Cambodian babies and children over almost a decade.

Huckle, 30, stood in the dock at London's Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes against victims aged 6 months to 11 years.

"It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this," judge Peter Rook said.

As Huckle was led away after the sentencing, a woman sitting in the public gallery shouted: "a thousand deaths is too good for you".

Read: Crowdfunded paedophile paid for rape of three-year-old, arrested

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offences and was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2014.

He is one of the most prolific child sex abusers known to have operated in Malaysia, where the authorities have been criticized for failing to tackle sex crimes properly against children.

The sentencing was leading news bulletins in Malaysia on Monday.

Huckle abused his victims over a period of nine years between March 2006 and December 2014. All the crimes took place in Malaysia, apart from the first incident which involved the abuse of a 2-year-old child during a visit to Cambodia.

"Relentlessly, you preyed upon the very young - pre-pubescent vulnerable children from a minority ethnic community into which you ingratiated yourself," the judge told him.

"This was a prolonged campaign of rape of the children from a small community."

The judge said one of the most aggravating features of the case was that Huckle targeted and groomed impoverished children and their families, seeking to impress them with his relative wealth and status as a Westerner.

"Your offending behaviour became entrenched in your everyday life," he added. "Your life revolved around your sexual activities with young children. Your distorted beliefs in respect of children are deep-seated. Your self-delusion knows no bounds."

Huckle boasted of his crimes online and had written a 60-page manual advising other paedophiles on how to abuse children.

The judge said this was a "truly evil document proselytising paedophilia" and that Huckle had intended this to become a commercial enterprise.

A woman in the public gallery leapt to her feet and shouted "a thousand deaths is too good for you" as Huckle was led out of court.
Merkel initially opposed the appointment of Gauck, a 76-year-old Lutheran pastor who played an important role in the peaceful protests in communist East Germany that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: German President Joachim Gauck said on Monday he would not serve a second five-year term, a decision that could trigger a battle between the parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition over who should succeed him.

Although the position of president is largely ceremonial in Germany, the selection of the last two heads of state has caused problems for Merkel and it risks dividing her government in the run-up to the next federal election in 2017.

Merkel initially opposed the appointment of Gauck, a 76-year-old Lutheran pastor who played an important role in the peaceful protests in communist East Germany that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

But she was forced to accept him when other parties, including her coalition partner at the time, the Free Democrats (FDP), came together and backed him. Her previous choice for the post, conservative politician Christian Wulff, was forced to resign in 2012 in a financial favours scandal.

There was broad cross-party support for Gauck to serve a second term, but he said on Monday that his age had been a factor in the decision, which he described as "not easy."

"I'm thankful that I'm well but at the same time I'm aware that the period between the 77th and 82nd year of one's life is different to the one in which I find myself now," he said, speaking at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin.

"I don't want to presume an energy and vitality for another five years that I can't guarantee," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had wished Gauck would serve another term as president, adding that her Christian Democrats (CDU) would hold talks with Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) as well as others to decide on a candidate.

Paul Nolte, a history professor at Berlin's Free University, said the search for a candidate would add to Merkel's problems, which already include dealing with the migrant crisis and souring relations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

"(Gauck's) decision means that things are a bit more difficult for Ms Merkel and she now has even more on her to-do list, namely to find a candidate. But the search must not endanger the grand coalition before the federal election in 2017," he said.

The president is not directly elected by the people, but rather by the Federal Convention, an assembly of members of the German parliament and the same number of delegates sent from state parliaments.

That means that Merkel must win the support of at least one other big party for her nominee. Any party can propose a candidate for president.

Among the people whose names have been mentioned as possible successors to Gauck are Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 73, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 60, although both might struggle to win cross-party support. The appointment of either would necessitate a reshuffle of Merkel's cabinet.

Norbert Lammert, 67, who is president of the Bundestag lower house of parliament, is seen as another possible candidate. There has also been talk in the German media that a woman could be appointed for the first time.

Gauck's term expires in March 2017, roughly half a year before Germany holds a parliamentary election. Merkel, 61, is widely expected to run for a fourth term as chancellor, although her popularity has dipped following her decision last year to open German borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Agreeing a joint candidate for the ruling conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) could signal to voters that Merkel's 'grand coalition' - traditionally a partnership of last resort in German politics - could continue after the general election.

But the SPD, which has sunk to post-reunification lows in opinion polls, may be reluctant to send such a signal. And agreeing a candidate between the CDU and the CSU could also be difficult given the Bavarian party's withering criticism of Merkel's migrant policy.

German presidents serve five-year terms and can only be re-elected once. They are considered a moral authority and represent the country at official gatherings and on issues of international law. They can also dissolve the parliament.
Geneva: Prime Minister Narendra Modi who arrived in Geneva on Monday on the third leg of his five-nation tour, held delegation level-talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann and the two agreed to support each other in their respective bids for the non-permanent membership to the UNSC.

PM @narendramodi: Combating the menace of "black money" and tax evasion is also our shared priority. pic.twitter.com/loTHqe77YM  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

The Prime Minister raised the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks. He thanked Switzerland for extending support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping.

Read: Narendra Modi leaves for US after day-long Switzerland visit

" Combating the menace of "black money" and tax evasion is also our shared priority. We have both agreed to support each other for our respective bids for the non-permanent membership of the UNSC. I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding & support for India's membership of the NSG," said Modi.

Towards a new synergy between Swiss possibilities & Indian opportunities. PM at a business roundtable in Geneva pic.twitter.com/ouAs7WNnH9  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

Modi attended a business round-table in Geneva which was graced by the who's who of the corporate world. Big names like Lafarge, Nestle, Roche were at the meet which is aimed at expanding economic ties.

Read: Senior Swiss official to visit India for free-trade pact talks

The Prime Minister said both India and Switzerland share a commitment to reform international institutions in tune with current global realities.

"The economic links between our two countries are strong and vibrant. I feel the weight of history in this truly great city. India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world," he said.

Prime Minister Modi also invited the Swiss companies to be a key partner in India's economic growth.

ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter, Roche... A who's who of Swiss business at Round Table with PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/zsxz0weg95  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

Modi said India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

"India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. In last seven decades, our friendship has consistently seen an upward trajectory. Today, President and I reviewed our

multifaceted bilateral ties. We also held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs," said the Prime Minister.

India's biggest hurdle at the upcoming NSG meeting on June 9 will be to overcome China's two-faced policy of opposing New Delhi's application to join the group on one hand while violating terms by supplying banned nuclear materials to Pakistan on the other.

With US President Barack Obama backing India's entry into the NSG, New Delhi is looking to Washington to help overcome resistance from China and several other nations.
Geneva: Seeking to create two or three Switzerlands within India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday courted Swiss business leaders to boost domestic manufacturing and skill development.

Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging talks with prominent business leaders from Switzerland including officials of ABB, Lafarge, Novartis, Nestle, Rieter and Roche.

Read: Narendra Modi leaves for US after day-long Switzerland visit

Addressing a business-roundtable in Geneva, he told the Swiss watch industry that the diamonds on their watches come from Gujarat and "so I am fully sensitive to your concerns."

"Within my country I need to create 2 or 3 Switzerlands. So scope for partnership is immense," he told the business leaders. "We want to have manufacturing of global standards. Hence Swiss model of skill development very relevant for us." India, he said, is not just a market of 1.25 billion. "We have skills and a government open to business."

Read: Combating 'black money' is our shared priority: Modi in Switzerland

Their discussion focused on ways to enhance trade cooperation between the two countries. He also talked about government's commitment towards easing business environment in the country.

The Prime Minister urged the Swiss business leaders to explore the Investment opportunities in India.
Before leaving for the US, Prime Minister Modi also met Indian students and scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Geneva. (Photo: Twitter)

Geneva: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left from Geneva to Washington for the fourth leg of his five-nation trip to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, United States and Mexico.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Geneva from Doha this morning after a day-long Qatar-visit on Sunday. Prime Minister Modi held delegation-level talks with Switzerland President Johann Schneider Ammann in Geneva earlier.

Both sides are expected to have discussed issues of mutual interests, including trade investments, energy and infra structure sectors, besides India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group ( NSG) and black money during the talks.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi and the Swiss President had restricted talks to further elevate the bilateral ties between the two sides to the next level. He also held meetings with top Swiss business leaders and highlighted the strong economic ties between the two countries.

"Held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs. Glad that economic linkages between our nations are strong & vibrant," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi also told the business leaders that Switzerland can play a vital role in India's development.

Before leaving for the US, Prime Minister Modi also met Indian students and scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Geneva.

India and Switzerland have had cordial and friendly relations since India's independence. Exchange of high-level visits in the recent past has provided an impetus to strengthen bilateral cooperation. With growing bilateral trade and foreign investment, India and Switzerland enjoy strong economic ties.

Swiss-India bilateral trade nearly tripled from USD 1.6 billion in 2004 to USD 4.5 billion in 2011 even as the balance of trade has remained in favour of Switzerland.

From April 2000 to September 2015, Switzerland invested as FDI approximately USD 3.18 billion in India, thus becoming the 11th largest investor and accounting for about 1.2 percent of total FDI in India during this period.
Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: PTI)

Geneva: In a major boost to its diplomatic push for NSG membership, India on Monday managed to win crucial support of Switzerland ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc even as the two countries agreed to step up cooperation in unearthing black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral and global issues.

Read: Modi invites Swiss business leaders to invest in India

Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support to India's bid for membership of the elite grouping was seen as crucial in the backdrop of China harping on the need for consensus as India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Here's the link to the Press Statement by PM @narendramodi during his Switzerland visithttps://t.co/y4Udp5N6B2 pic.twitter.com/sBuB8iHwRh  Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) June 6, 2016

"We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction with Modi.

Read: Narendra Modi leaves for US after day-long Switzerland visit

In his remarks, the Prime Minister thanked the Swiss President for Switzerland's "understanding and support" for India's membership of the NSG. He also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was "shared priority" for both the countries.

The US and many other NSG member countries have supported India's inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record.

The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one country's vote against India will scuttle its bid.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12 which will be taken up for consideration in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

Read: Modi praises Bollywood, tennis for strengthening ties with Switzerland

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. Its membership will help India significantly expand its atomic energy sector.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue with the leadership of Mexico, another key member of the NSG.

India has stepped up its diplomatic outreach to various NSG member countries including China ahead of the group's crucial meetings.

The NSG had granted an exclusive waiver for India in 2008 to access civil nuclear technology after China reluctantly backed India's case based on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Istanbul: Turkey's president says work is no reason for women to decline motherhood.

Speaking Sunday at a women's association in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "a woman who abstains from motherhood saying 'I am working' means she is in fact rejecting motherhood."

Erdogan, quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency, said that "I absolutely don't accept making (a woman's) business life an alternative to motherhood."

Earlier this week, he spoke out against birth control saying it was incompatible with Muslim traditions.

Erdogan, a devout Muslim, often courts controversy with divisive public comments. He has previously angered women's groups by stating that women aren't equal to men and by urging women to bear at least three children. The Turkish leader has also raised eyebrows by attempting to outlaw abortion and adultery.
Washington: American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed Sunday while traveling with an Afghan army unit that came under fire in southern Helmand province, National Public Radio announced.

The translator was identified as Zabihullah Tamanna. Two other journalists travelling with Gilkey, named as reporter Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were unharmed.

NPR said the vehicle in which Gilkey, 50, and his translator were traveling was struck by shellfire near the town of Marjah.

"David has been covering war and conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. He was devoted to helping the public see these wars and the people caught up in them. He died pursuing that commitment," said Michael Oreskes, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes."

Gilkey received a 2007 national Emmy award for a video series about Michigan Marines in Iraq.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," he once said. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

His photography helped earn NPR a Peabody award for its coverage of the Ebola epidemic.

"His coverage in Africa put a face to a disease and refused to let listeners think of the stricken individuals as separate from our own families," NPR said, with images that captured both the dangers and intensity of the battlefield and quiet life in villages and on bases.

"He made a global story very personal."

A "devastated" NPR president and CEO Jarl Mohn said "horrific incidents like this remind us of the important role journalists play in America's civic life. They help us understand beyond the headlines and see the humanity in others."

The well-respected journalist received many accolades, including being named Still Photographer of the Year by the White House Photographers Association in 2011 -- among 36 distinctions, including nine first place awards, he received from the group since 2009.

His role in an NPR investigation on veteran medical care helped the outlet earn a 2010 George Polk Award, Society for News Design's 2011 Award of Excellence and a 2011 Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage.

Last year, he was honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters -- the first time the Corporation for Public Broadcasting presented the prize to a multimedia journalist.

Gilkey also received a 2007 national Emmy award for a video series "Band of Brothers" about Michigan Marines in Iraq. In 2004, he was named Michigan "Photographer of the Year" by the Michigan Press Photographers Association.
Sri Lankan President Sirisena has ordered a probe with the police's Crime Investigation Department carrying out investigations.

Colombo: A soldier was charred to death and thousands of people were evacuated after a major fire triggered a series of explosions at one of Sri Lanka's largest ammunition dumps where the army stores heavy weapons, prompting President Maithripala Sirisena to launch a probe.

The ammunition dump at Salawa area in Avissawella, 30 kms east of here, caught fire at around 5 PM (local time) yesterday, setting off huge explosions that went on through the night.

"A soldier has been killed and the military has entered the premises," military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said, adding that soldiers have doused the fire.

At least five persons have been injuries in the fire and their condition remained stable.

The armory is one of the largest ammunition storage of the Sri Lankan Army.

The cause behind the incident was not immediately known.

Residents said loud explosions were heard with raging fire within the complex which houses weapons ranging from T56 rifles to mortar bombs.

All residents within a five kms radius of the complex were evacuated last night was to prevent people from inhaling fumes emanating from the fire.

"People within a kilometre of the camp can now return to their homes," Jayaweera said.

Residents said the fire could be seen even this morning, more than 12 hours after the first explosions were heard.

Sirisena has ordered a probe with the police's Crime Investigation Department carrying out investigations.
Three men, including the two Hindus, were at the 'Super Wine shop' in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area in Karachi on Sunday when the gunmen opened fire, killing them on the spot. (Representational image)

Karachi: Two Hindus were among three persons shot dead when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at a licensed liquor shop in this Pakistani port city.

Three men, including the two Hindus, were at the 'Super Wine shop' in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area in Karachi on Sunday when the gunmen opened fire, killing them on the spot.

The owner of the shop, Taru Mal, escaped unhurt.

"Apparently Taru Mal had been receiving calls from a Dubai number for extortion money and he refused to pay," Senior police official Rao Anwar said. He said security had been increased at the two wine shops Mal owned after he got the threatening call following a shootout warning him he would be the next target.

Among the three killed, one person's identity could not be ascertained.

In Pakistan, where alcohol consumption is banned for Muslims, the government issues licenses for wine shops run by its excise department where only non-Muslims and foreigners can purchase liquor.

Most of these wine shops are run by Christians or Hindus in Karachi.
Gilkey, 50, had covered Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement. (Photo: AP)

Kabul, Afghanistan: The president of Afghanistan on Monday condemned the killings of David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamanna in an insurgent ambush while on assignment.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling Sunday in the south with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, said network spokeswoman Isabel Lara in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack cowardly and "completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws."

In a statement, Ghani said the Taliban do not distinguish among the military, civilians and journalists, and that they killed Gilkey and Tamanna as the two were reporting on the war. He offered condolences to their families.

Ghani went to Helmand later Monday to assess the security situation in the opium-poppy field region, which gives the world most of its heroin, controlled by the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and U.S. Army Gen. John. W. Nicholson, commander of the U.S.-NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, also offered condolences.

"David and Zabihullah, in particular, spent years in Afghanistan tirelessly endeavoring to tell the story of the Afghan people," Nicholson said in a statement. "We have the utmost respect for their work as well as those others that endure the hardships that come with reporting from conflict zones."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killings "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists - and their interpreters - who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey and Tamanna were killed along with two other people while riding in a vehicle that came under sustained Taliban attack about 300-400 meters (yards) from the main army base in Marjah, said Maj. Abdul Qader, deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Helmand province.

The Humvee, which was was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, was carrying five people: Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof, an Afghan army soldier and a driver, Qader told The Associated Press.

The driver and machine gunner were killed along with Gilkey and Tamanna in the attack, which lasted 30-40 minutes, he said, adding that army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

"The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command," Qader said. The bodies of Gilkey and Tamanna were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of U.S. Marines.

Gilkey, 50, had covered Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna, 37, was a freelance journalist who often worked as a translator for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he had years of experience as a reporter, cameraman and photographer for local and international news organizations in Afghanistan.

He worked in Kabul as a photographer for China's Xinhua news agency and also reported for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee described him as one of the country's most experienced journalists. He had a degree in law and political science from Kabul University. Aside from his work in daily news, he was a legal adviser to a local media consultancy.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey as Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot and killed in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and wars in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until moving to NPR in 2007.
Sixty-four-year old Ali, who owns several business houses and media outlets is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami and regarded as a top financer of the party which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence. (Photo: AFP)

Dhaka: Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Monday released its judgement confirming capital punishment for a top Islamist leader for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, three months after it delivered the verdict upholding his death penalty.

The court verdict had paved the way for execution of Jamaat-e-Islami stalwart and media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali, dealing a major blow to the fundamentalist Islamist party.

"He (Ali) does not deserve any leniency on the question of sentence on consideration of the nature and gravity of the offence," read the apex court's 244-page judgement.

Sixty-four-year old Ali, who owns several business houses and media outlets is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami and regarded as a top financer of the party which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said that the verdict would reach prison authorities in due process through the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) which had originally handed down the death penalty.

"The jail authorities will convey to him the judgement immediately thereafter the convict will get 15 days time to decide if he would file a review petition (before the apex court)," Alam said.

Ali's chief counsel said his client was likely to file a petition seeking a review of the apex court's verdict. The decision of the five-member bench of the top court came 16 months after the ICT sentenced Ali to death for atrocities committed during the liberation war.

In November, 2014, Ali who had challenged the verdict, was sentenced to death on a number of charges including mass killing and tortures at southeastern port city of Chittagong. He was convicted of running a militia torture cell, Al Badr, that carried out killings of several people.

Three million people were said to have been massacred in the war by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators. Ali went into hiding after Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators surrendered on December 16, 1971, and reemerged later as a Jamaat-e-Islami leader.

The apex court's latest verdict comes after the May 10 hanging of Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami as the last major war criminal. Four people, including three Jamaat leaders and one BNP stalwart have been hanged so far since the war crimes trial process began six years ago while two others died in prison of old age.
Mahmuda Akhtar Mitu, 35, wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Akhtar, was killed by the three gunmen yesterday while she was on her way to drop her first-grader son to a nearby bus stop for school. (Represnetational image)

Dhaka: Bangladesh police on Monday detained four suspects in connection with the killing of a top anti-terror police officer's wife who was stabbed and shot dead by three bike-borne Islamist militants in the port city of Chittagong.

Mahmuda Akhtar Mitu, 35, wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Akhtar, was killed by the three gunmen yesterday while she was on her way to drop her first-grader son to a nearby bus stop for school.

The four suspects were detained from Mirarsari area at the outskirts of the port city and will be interrogated in connection with the murder, Chittagong's police commissioner Iqbal Bahar told media.

They were detained hours after police claimed to have seized the motorbike used by three attackers from the port city.

Mitu's husband, currently posted at the police headquarters in the capital, in recent months led operations in Chittagong against top members of banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the killing was revenge for Akthar's successful crackdown against local JMB militants that led to the death of the regional chief Mohammad Javed.

The murder was followed hours later by the machete killing of a Christian grocer at his store in the northeast -- an attack later claimed by IS.

Meanwhile, the government announced a ban on motorcyclists carrying more than one passenger in an attempt to curb increasing numbers of deadly attacks by Islamic militants.

Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left more than 40 people dead in the last three years.

The government blames its opponents over the killings, saying they are trying to destabilise the country.
Replying to a question, Aziz said Pakistan was not unaware of Indian efforts to integrate Kashmir and change its demography as "such efforts by India would not succeed." (Photo: AFP)

Islamabad: Pakistan is "not desperate" to resume peace talks with India which has never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with it, Pakistan's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said.

"It is a very strange thing to say as it was decided here on December 9 that the dialogue will resume but then the Pathankot incident occurred and everything vanished into thin air," Aziz told Geo TV yesterday.

His remarks came in response to Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that the window for dialogue with Pakistan was "slowly closing".

Read: Always supportive of any direct talks between Pak, India: UN

Aziz said that if India continues to repeat the old allegation of terrorism when it comes to the negotiating table, they must remember that terrorism is a part of the composite dialogue that Pakistan proposes, Dawn reported.

"They say that they will talk if we (Pakistan) make some progress on terrorism, but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues including Kashmir," Aziz said.

Aziz also said that Pakistan was "not desperate for talks and there is no restlessness on the Pakistani side for dialogue."

Read: War not a solution to Indo-Pak problems: Pak envoy Abdul Basit

"The whole world agrees that India and Pakistan should have composite dialogue," Aziz said, adding that if the region has to see peace, it has to see co-ordination first.

Replying to a question, Aziz said Pakistan was not unaware of Indian efforts to integrate Kashmir and change its demography as "such efforts by India would not succeed."

Pakistan is supporting the Kashmiri people "morally and diplomatically" and will raise the issue with the UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council and also with permanent members of UN Security Council, he said.
Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons. (Photo: Representational Image)

Lahore: Pakistan on Monday handed over 18 Indian fishermen to India at Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completing their sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan's territorial waters.

Punjab Rangers handed over the 18 Indian fishermen, who were released on Sunday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force at Wagah Border, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said. The fishermen were allowed to cross over the border after verification of their documents, he added.

The fishermen had been in the Malir Jail for the past few years for violating the territorial waters of the country. The Edhi Foundation, which paid for the arrangement for the fishermen's return to their home, said each fisherman was given Rs 5,000 and gifts clothes of themselves and their family members in India - before their departure.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location. Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons.
The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). (Photo: PTI)

Islamabad: Pakistan will not allow consular access to alleged Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav who was arrested for his involvement in "subversive activities", Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan said on Monday.

"The Indian spy Kulbhushan entered Pakistan with a special purpose. Hence, it has been decided that consular access will not been given to him," Khan told reporters here.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country. India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

"The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry had said in a statement. India had sought consular access to Jadhav.
Three army intelligence officers and two civilians, including a small child, were also killed in the attack. (Photo: AP/Representational Image)

Kabul: An Afghan official says a Taliban ambush has killed at least 7 people, including a district intelligence chief and his deputy.

Zabi Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the attack took place in Sangcharak district in northern Sari Pul province early on Monday morning and that the intelligence chief and his deputy were the targets.

Read: 18 Taliban insurgents killed in Afghanistan's special military raids

Amani says three army intelligence officers and two civilians, including a small child, were also killed in the attack. He says the Taliban are known to be active the area. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The insurgents have become increasingly active in Afghanistan's northern provinces since the US-led international combat mission pulled out at the end of 2014, leaving a training and assistance mission behind.
Though the Uttar Pradesh police killed the mastermind of Mathura violence Ram Briksh Yadav at Jawahar Bagh Park on Thursday, thousands of his supporters managed to dodge the cops.



The death toll from Thursdays clashes between encroachers of Jawahar Bagh and the police on Sunday rose to 29 with two more people succumbing to injuries even as the Aligarh Divisional Commissioner launched a probe into the incident.



The police officials apprehended that the cult members might be hiding at ashrams and religious places in and around Mathura and try to re-group.



Caught off guard initially after being confronted with a hostile and armed mob, the cops had retaliated forcing the occupants into their huts inside the park.



The police had booked three thousand people, most of them unidentified, on charges of rioting, murder, murderous attack and breach of peace.



The sources said that the police had arrested around 800 members of the sect on Thursday night. While around 250 were sent to jail, 40 others, who had sustained injuries, were shifted to different hospitals in Mathura. Around 500 others had been kept in a makeshift jail at Farah police station.



Twenty five members of the cult had been killed in the police action. Those, who had been lodged at Farah police station, however, managed to escape around dawn on Friday, sources said. Scores of cult members were also seen at Mathura railway station on Friday morning looking for trains to leave the place.



The district police officials found themselves at a loss to explain the disappearance of such a large number of people from the park especially since all the exit routes had been sealed. The police officials, however, said that they would make sure that those present at the park on Thursday night, were apprehended.





Kin refuse to claim masterminds body



The kin of Ram Briksh Yadav, the Mathura violence mastermind who was killed during clashes with cops on Thursday night, have refused to claim his body, DHNS reports from Lucknow.



According to police sources, the district officials on Sunday contacted their counterpart in Ghazipur, the home town of Yadav, and asked them to inform the kin of Yadav about his death in the clashes.



They also asked the Ghazipur police to tell the kin to claim Yadavs body for cremation. Sources said the brother of Yadav, who worked with the defence forces, told the cops that he was not interested in claiming Yadavs body. Yadavs wife, son and daughter have been absconding since Thursday night. Police said Yadavs cremation would not take place in Mathura.


With monsoon just round the corner, the Delhi government on Sunday has sought a reply from the three municipal corporations for insanitary conditions prevailing in their respective areas.





Legal action will be initiated against the municipalities if they fail to provide a reasonable explanation, the government said.



Following directions from Home and Public Works Department Minister Satyendar Jain, district magistrates (DM) of the respective districts of Delhi have so far issued 178 conditional orders under section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to the concerned officials of the three municipal corporations for unsatisfactory cleanliness in the areas under their jurisdiction, particularly around the dhalaos, said the government.



Issue order



Section 133 CrPC empowers a District Magistrate/Sub Divisional Magistrate/Executive Magistrate to issue a conditional order on the basis of complaints or otherwise for removal of nuisance from any public place that may be injurious to the health or physical comfort of the public, it added in a statement.



This provision in criminal law also makes it clear that in case the DM is satisfied to invoke this section for the health safety of general public and its good, then it cannot be challenged even in the court of law.



While the North West and East districts got the highest number of conditional order 32 each, the South West district received only 14 conditional orders.



The North and West districts got 26 conditional orders each. While the North East and South districts got 15 conditional orders each, the South East district received 18 such notices.



With these orders, it is clear that the concerned officials of the three MCDs will have to provide reasonable explanations for the lack of satisfactory cleanliness and hygienic conditions in their areas of respective jurisdictions, failing which further legal action will be initiated, the government said.



The Delhi government will not tolerate any laxity in the discharge of duty for keeping the national capital clean, which has suffered due to the negligence of the MCDs.
On a complaint by the Prime Minister's Office, a person was arrested for duping a senior citizen of Rs 10 lakh on the pretext of getting his poems published in an International publication, the police said on Sunday.





The person gave a letter to the complainant on the forger letter head of the PMO.The Crime Branch arrested Munna Singh, 36, from his weekly newspaper office in Jahangir Puri. The computer which was used for preparation of fake letter of Prime Ministers Office was seized from the office, the police said.



Gangaram Aggrawal (83), retired from Indian Railways, had made a complaint to PMO about Munna. The PMO had written to the Commissioner of Police for registration of a case in this matter.



An FIR was registered on May 23 with the crime branch. During investigation, it was found that the accused had changed his rented accommodation and switched off his mobile phone.



It was established that accused Munna Singh had been working with one weekly newspaper in Jahangir Puri, but now he had not been visiting the office. Informers were deployed and on June 1, Munna Singh was spotted near his office. The team swung into action and he was arrested, the police said.



During interrogation, it was revealed that he came in contact with the complainant Gangaram Aggarwal at the Delhi Public Library, opposite Old Delhi Railway Station, Chandni Chowk. The accused came to know about complainants interest in poetry writing and won his confidence over several meetings.



He told the complainant that he would get his poems published by a publisher in South Africa for which he would get huge amount in return in the form of royalty.



For getting the poems published, accused cheated the complainant to the tune of Rs 10 to 12 lakh. When the complainant pressured him to either get his poems published or return his money, the accused told him that his parcel of poetry books and the money from royalty is stuck in the ministry and that he was trying to get it cleared. To make the complainant believe that he was making genuine efforts, he fabricated the letter of PMO, the police added.
The Delhi High Court has put on hold the proceedings in a power theft case in which a special electricity court had issued directions to AAP governments Power Secretary to create legal recharging stations for e-rickshaws.





Justice Manmohan issued the interim direction on the plea of the AAP government which has challenged the special courts March 31 order on the ground that it has assumed the jurisdiction of a writ court and has taken suo motu cognisance of charging of e-rickshaws.



In that order, the special court had directed the Secretary (Power), Delhi, to create legal recharging stations for e-rickshaws in a bid to stop theft of electricity and file a compliance report as to what steps have been taken in this regard.



The court had passed the order in an electricity theft case against Titu, a resident of Jahangir Puri, who was held guilty of committing theft of electricity through NDPL LV mains in 2014.



It was alleged that no electricity meter was found installed at the site and a load of 15.790 KW was connected for commercial purpose during the inspection. The high court also issued notice to Titu and sought his response by the next date of hearing, October 6.



In the meantime, the proceedings against the petitioners (Delhi government) before Additional Sessions Court, Special Electricity Court in sessions case No.131/15 (electricity theft case) are stayed, it said.



The Delhi government, in its plea in the high court, also challenged a show cause notice issued by the special court as well as its order of May 14 when it had directed the Chief Secretary to file a report along with a solution to the desperate problem of lack of authorised recharging stations for e-rickshaws to stop electricity theft in the national capital.



The government in its plea has contended that the special court was set up to provide speedy trial of offences of theft of electricity and its jurisdiction does not extend beyond that.
The VAT department has unearthed tax evasion of crores of rupees during searches on 10 traders premises, including those making sale though e-commerce platforms, an official said on Sunday.





The detection was part of intensified searches last week to find out traders who have still not registered themselves with department despite qualifying to do so.



VAT Commissioner S S Yadav said a door to door survey of all markets was conducted last month in which thousands of such dealers were identified.



Yadav said the department is also making use of other databases like data obtained from Geo Spatial Delhi Limited to identify such dealers who have still not registered themselves with the department.



Yadav said in last one week, the department has sent enforcement teams to the premises of 10 such dealers for search and survey operations under the provisions of Section 60 of the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004.



The teams have unearthed tax evasion of crores of rupees by these dealers. Many more such dealers will be surveyed by the enforcement teams in the coming days. Advisory has also been sent to the unregistered dealers identified so far to get registered immediately.



Yadav said as per Section 18 of the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004, it is compulsory for a dealer to get registration and obtain TIN if his turnover is more than Rs 20 lakh in a year.



As per Section 89(4) of the Act, if a dealer who is required to register fails to register is liable to imprisonment for a period of six months and also with fine. Moreover, tax collected by the dealer in last six years along with equal amount as penalty and interest is recovered from such dealer, he said.



According to Trade and Taxes department, there are about 3.3 lakh dealers registered with it. However, it is estimated that there are at least 2 lakh more dealers who qualify for registration but have not registered themselves so far.



Yadav warned that the department will continue strict action against unregistered dealers.
Manas Deka, accused by the JNU students leader Kanhaiya Kumar of trying to "strangle" him on board an aircraft in April, today led a delegation of Assamese youths which greeted BJP president Amit Shah at a function here.





The brief encounter took place before Shah was to address a convention of 'Pramod Mahajan Skill and Entrepreneurship Mission', a state government initiative on the lines of the Centre's 'Skill India', at an auditorium.



However, the delegation did not attend the function and left immediately. Deka later posted the selfies with Shah on his social media account.



On April 24, Kumar had alleged that Deka, working with a city-based software firm, tried to strangle him on board Pune-bound Jet Airways flight.



Mumbai Police had registered a non cognisable offence on Kumar's complaint.



However, the allegations were reportedly described by the police as "untrue". Kumar had described Deka as a "strong BJP supporter" in his tweet after the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann here today to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation.





Modi arrived in Geneva late last night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.



"A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.



The two leaders thereafter led delegation-level talks.



"A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland," Swarup said in another tweet.



Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe.



"I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.



"In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he had said.



The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.



Modi is also likely to seek Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping.



He began his five-nation visit in Afghanistan. From here, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico.




The Patna High Court today granted bail to suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, mother of the prime accused in the Aditya Sachdeva murder case, in connection with recovery of liquor bottles from her house at Gaya during a search operation.





A bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah passed the order while hearing a bail petition filed by Manorama Devi.



While giving bail, the court also asked her to cooperate in the trial of the case.Senior advocate Y V Giri, who appeared for Manorama Devi, said that she is a lady and a law abiding person who has surrendered before the court in the case.



The liquor bottles were recovered from Manorama Devi's house and not from her physical possession, he submitted while pleading for grant of bail.



It may be noted that Gaya district court had on May 27 rejected her bail plea while Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court had rejected her bail petition on May 19 in the bottle recovery case.



She was booked under the Excise Act after liquor bottles were recovered from her residence at A P Colony of the town during the police raid following which she went into hiding for a couple of days before surrendering on May 17.



The MLC's son Rocky Yadav had allegedly shot dead a Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva for overtaking his car. The JD(U) had suspended Manorama Devi for harbouring her son, while the Gaya Police arrested her husband Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav alias Bindi Yadav and her body guard.




YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is wanted by both Premier League giants, The Sun reports.

Tottenham are also monitoring the 59-cap Armenia star after he turned down fresh terms with the Bundesliga giants.

Mkhitaryan has a year left on his contract with the German club and has targeted 85,000 a week for his next deal.

He could run down his contract and his representatives revealed last week he was assessing his options.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants him to be part of a revamped midfield, with Granit Xhaka already arriving for 30m from Borussia Monchengladbach, to help make Arsenal real title contenders.

Mkhitaryan has been tracked for his performances in the three seasons since leaving Shakhtar Donetsk for 24.4million.

Earlier it was reported Manchester United and Italian Juventus are also keen on Mkhitaryan.
India's engineering shipments to key markets like Sri Lanka, UAE and China plummeted in April amid a 19 per cent decline in the sector which slipped in terms of its contribution to the country's overall export basket, according to industry body EEPC India.





The engineering exporters' body said country's engineering exports to Sri Lanka witnessed a degrowth of over 90 per cent, falling to mere USD 63 million in April 2016 from USD 648 million in the same month last year, marked by a huge fall in exports of aircraft and spacecraft parts.



Likewise, shipments to UAE fell by 46 per cent to USD 331 million from USD 613 million in the face of the Middle East witnessing a major slump in investment in oil and infrastructure sectors, EEPC India said.



India's engineering exports to China, comprising mainly of basic metals and iron ore, dropped 57.6 per cent to USD 102.6 million from USD 242.50 million as the Chinese economy is facing a major upheaval, it said.



Declining for 17th straight month in April, exports dipped by 6.74 per cent to USD 20.5 billion due to sharp fall in shipments of petroleum and engineering products amid tepid global demand.



Imports too declined by 23.1 per cent to USD 25.41 billion in the month under review as against USD 33 billion in April 2015.



US remains the top destination for the country's engineering exports with shipments totalling USD 502 million in April 2016 from USD 625 million a year ago. However, the fall in shipments to this market has also been above 19 per cent on the back of a sharp drop in exports of steel and its products.



"The going has never been as bad in the last several years. Such a situation warrants a big stimulus from the government in terms of interest subvention, hike in the drawback rates and further improvement in the ease of doing business," EEPC India Chairman T S Bhasin said.



The engineering goods sector recorded a massive decline in exports by almost 19 per cent to USD 4.6 billion during April 2016-17.



The fall in engineering exports in April was driven by sectors like aircraft and spacecraft, non-ferrous sectors like zinc, tin and nickel products and iron and steel products.
Pakistan today handed over 18 Indian fishermen to India at Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completing their sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan's territorial waters.





Punjab Rangers handed over the 18 Indian fishermen, who were released yesterday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force at Wagah Border, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said.



The fishermen were allowed to cross over the border after verification of their documents, he added.



The fishermen had been in the Malir Jail for the past few years for violating the territorial waters of the country.



The Edhi Foundation, which paid for the arrangement for the fishermen's return to their home, said each fisherman was given Rs 5,000 and gifts  clothes of themselves and their family members in India - before their departure.



Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.



Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for the US after ending his engagements in Switzerland, where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.





"Au Revoir Geneve! In under half a day, PM completes visit and emplanes for Washington DC," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.



During the visit, India and Switzerland also agreed to step up cooperation to unearth blackmoney Indians stashed in Swiss banks.



In Washington, the prime minister will meeet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office, their sixth after Modi assumed power.



He is also scheduled to address a joint session of US Congress on June 8.Modi is on a five-nation tour. He began his travel in Afghanistan, then travelled to Qatar and Switzerland.



After the US, he will visit Mexico at the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Having performed in over 40 countries across four continents in a career spanning 35 years, Pandit Salil Bhatt feels that playing the veena is a meditative experience. It (veena) is no less than a silent prayer and is a meditative experience, which is powerful just like Lord Shivas tandav, says the 46-year-old.



Son and disciple of Padma Shri Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, he is the creator of the Satvik Veena, an instrument with 19 strings which is made of a 100-year-old oak woodblock and its head is in the form of a crescent. Around 18 years back, heavily inspired by my father and gurus Mohan Veena, I designed it as a humble dedication to Lord Shiva, says Bhatt who is the Juno Award nominee for his international music album, Slide to Freedom-2.



He specialises in high-speed taans (technique) and his style is known to assimilate gayaki (vocal) and tantrakari(instrumental) representations which make him a dynamic musician who uses innumerable variations in his compositions. It would be boisterous to even think what I am to Veena. Rather, the question is what it is to me. Veena has adopted me. Im happy and lucky to be a part of its existence, he tells Metrolife.



As an heir to a 500-year-old musical legacy, Bhatt is hailed as the Global Indian Musician. From solo concerts and international collaborations to exotic jugalbandis and global fusions, Bhatt also has a following in countries like Canada, Germany, Australia, USA, Taiwan, England and Switzerland. The musical platform gives me the opportunity to experiment and learn elements from diverse genres like classic, contemporary, folk and Sufi, says Bhatt, who has experimented with blues, jazz and funk.



He will be performing with folk musicians from Rajasthans Manganiar community as part of HCL Concerts. Folk music has the rustic charm which is pure and is from the core of the heart. Its a highly evolved art. Fusion is one medium which has interesting variations and that is why, this collaboration, he mentions.



He adds, I see a lot of churning in my music. New ideas, concepts and collaborations are paving the way for different kinds of music.



Ask him about his most cherished memory, he says, I was the first ever Indian artiste to perform inside Germanys parliament that too in front of former President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2005. He had chosen me over senior musicians. It was worth so much, says the artiste. Pandit Salil Bhatt will be performing at HCL Concert Series

'True To Our Roots' at India Habitat Centre on June 10.
Three years ago, social entrepreneur Sophia Swire approached Amrapali Jewels with a proposal to arrange a workshop in Jaipur for Afghan women to train them in jewellery making. The idea was to make them self-sufficient and find means to generate regular income for these women who live in a war-torn country.



Around the same time, Sophia was busy spreading word about this workshop in Afghanistan. She was surprised to receive overwhelming response for the application, but was clear in her strategy. We werent choosing random people. We were looking for women who had character, personality and leadership qualities to train other people, Sophia tells Metrolife.



Sophia selected 36 women from Balkh province in the northern part of landlocked mountainous country. These women travelled to Jaipur and participated in skill enhancement training programme for 6 months as a part of Amrapalis CSR activity.



For us it was a great opportunity to do something away from commercial business, says Suman Anand Khanna, head of operations, Delhi.



The main focus was to train them in practices and prepare them to create something for international market. The idea was to make them self-sufficient and it could be achieved only if they were able to sell their products. So sustainability was the key to succeed, she says.



This association is now scripting its own success story and one of the prominent faces to be emerged from it is of Khala Zada, a woman in her fifties, who has trained around 360 people after undergoing training in Jaipur.



Afghanistan is known for its lapis jewellery and these artisans work with this deep-blue semi-precious stone to create modern products by taking design motifs from the regions traditional jewellery. Their traditional jewellery is extremely heavy. They create light and modern products with layered components to produce jewellery for themillennial generation, says Sophia.



She is the executive chairman of Future Brilliance, a non-profit organisation that stresses on vocational training of local Afghans to help them build a prosperous future. Aayenda jewellery is one of its projects and through this they work closely with women artisans, and then sell contemporary jewellery created by them in different countries.



The collection is designed to keep the jet set traveller in mind. The one who travels a lot and likes to pick up something that is light and bright, says Sophia.



Lapis and turquoise goes well with resort wear, she adds, adding they have roped in three international designers to help these women create modern designs.



The focus, Sophia says, is to make artisans self-sufficient. We dont want to hold their hands forever. They have understood the importance of quality control and drawbacks of shipping substandard products. They are doing well and hope the trend continues, she adds. Aayenda, meaning future in the Afghan language of Dari, is now an acclaimed fair-trade brand, selling at 40 leading retailers internationally, including Donna Karans iconic store in New York. We also sell in Sri Lanka and Maldives and hope to sell soon in India, says Sophia.






In a major setback to the Congress, five-time MP and AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat on Monday resigned from the partys primary membership and announced his retirement from politics.



The exit of the 62-year-old firebrand comes at a time when Congress is facing a do-or-die situation in the 2017 Mumbai civic polls, after the party suffered humiliating reverses in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 2014.



This is correct...Kamat saab has decided to take retirement from political life...it was a painful decision, but he thought this was the best decision, a close aide of the five-time MP from Mumbai told Deccan Herald on Monday night.



Around 10 days ago, I had called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and expressed my desire to resign. Subsequently I sent letters to both Congress President and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi that I would like to exit. Since I have not received any replies, I have formally informed that I would like to retire from politics, Kamat said in a text message. He also thanked Congressmen for the support and cooperation. Kamat served as the Minister of State for Home in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre.
So what exactly is the situation when a species is declared vermin, I asked a lawyer working on environmental issues. We were discussing the recent government orders (and notifications) that allow hunting of select species. It is akin to a rat in your house  in other words, you can kill, eat or sell the species, I was told. So  for example  I can actually catch a nilgai (in districts of Uttarakhand where it is declared a vermin), tie it in front of my house, even beat it and it could not be questioned by law, I asked just to confirm. You are correct, came the reply.



The Pocket Oxford Dictionary refers to vermin as mammals and birds harmful to game, crops. The Wildlife Protection Act in India has 2 provisions that allow hunting. A senior lawyer interpreted them for us thus  Section 11 allows for hunting of an individual or a group of animals causing damage, and thus removes a problem. Section 62, on the other hand, allows for a species to be declared a vermin, and thus enables a species to be removed. Section 11 can be put to effect by the state itself, while Section 62 warrants the Central government to accept a request from a state.



While conversations on the subject continued, a senior wildlife conservationist said declaring species as vermin was taken up by the British to remove what were regarded as nuisance species. India was a country of wolves, he said, and the consequences of their putting a bounty to do away with the species are felt even today. Even tigers were considered vermin at one point of time.



Can we do something about this, I press on. A press release during April 2016 pointed out to the government being eager to remove 422 archaic laws from the statute. A retired senior forest department official while discussing the topic looked up the list of species declared vermin. The Wildlife Protection Act refers to animals listed in Schedule 5 of the Act as vermin. The list contains 4 names  common crow, fruit bat, rat and mouse.



Of these, he said, the fruit bat we know as a crucial pollinator today while the common crow is disappearing in many areas. Section 62, in other words, allows select species to be shifted from other schedules (that offer high protection) to Schedule 5; the category with least protection. Do we then, in 2016, a world different both in terms of threats our wildlife face and our understanding of ecology, need this provision in our laws? Another crucial question he put up was why this provision (Section 62) was suddenly being used, in multiple states, when it has not been put to use since it came to force.



A campaign is in place to get these orders reversed; orders that are random and harbour immense potential to damage ecological cycles. Public Interest Litigations and applications under the Right to Information Act have been filed, articles written, letters written to the minister and meetings organised. Facebook posts brought forth questions like what happens when meat, hide and horns of species declared vermin in one state are sold in another? Do we have mechanisms in place to check wildlife trade arising on account of these orders?



One of the comments was stark and pertinent: How can a species causing maximum damage to the planet have the audacity to declare other species as vermin?




The inauguration of the $290-million Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Afghanistans Herat province is heartening. This was a difficult project from the start. Among the many challenges was the fierce opposition from Pakistan and the Taliban to Indias participation in the project. While the Taliban was opposed to any development in the country, Pakistan objected to Indias growing profile in Afghanistan. There were plots to blow up the dam, and workers on the project came under attack. Indian workers travelled to the remote project site by helicopter to avoid Taliban attacks en route. Refusing to be cowed down by such intimidation, India persisted with the projects implementation. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam is therefore a symbol of Indias strong, steadfast and sustained support to Afghanistans development. In fact, this was a point that Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised at the dams inauguration; Indias relationship (with Afghanistan) is timeless, he said, stressing that India would always stand by Afghanistan. Built across the River Harirud in 1976, the Salma dam as it was called then was damaged during the decades of civil war. India stepped in with funds, expertise and commitment in 2002. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam will irrigate 75,000 hectares of land and generate 42 MW of power. It will thus stimulate Afghanistans agriculture and industrial growth and light up homes in Herat. The dam could provide a lifeline to millions of Afghans living in the western Afghanistan that has been ravaged not only by war but also, reeling under severe drought conditions for over 15 years.



In December, India gifted the parliament building in Kabul to the Afghan people. This symbolised Indias support to democracy in Afghanistan. The dam project signals Indias support to Afghanistans economic development. India has provided over $2 billon dollars towards Afghanistans reconstruction and this has gone towards building roads and other social and physical infrastructure. It must persist with this focus on reconstruction as this is generating enormous goodwill for India among the Afghan people.



Iran is reported to be uneasy with the Afghan-India Friendship Dams impact on water flow into Iran. That would have impact not only on agriculture in Iran but also, Afghan-Iran bilateral relations. As the upper riparian country, Afghanistan must be sensitive to the water needs of Iran. But then, Iran should avoid bullying its weaker neighbour. Only recently, the two countries together with India signed an agreement envisaging cooperation on a trade and transit corridor from Chabahar port to Central Asia via Afghanistan. That agreements enormous potential will be in jeopardy if Iran-Afghan relations sour over water-sharing.




There are few relationships between President Barack Obama and another world leader more unlikely than the one he has with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two have a public warmth  or chemistry, as the Indian news media like to describe it  and that is likely to be on display Tuesday when Modi visits the White House for the second time in two years. It will be the seventh time the two leaders will have met.



There are compelling reasons the leaders of the worlds largest democracies would find common cause. The United States is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from US companies.



It is true that Obama and I have a special friendship, a special wavelength, Modi said last month in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Ben Rhodes, the presidents deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, said Saturday that the two leaders have each invested in developing a close relationship.



It is worth recounting just how unlikely such a friendship is. The nations first black president, Obama has made the protection of minorities a central pillar of his life. And he has argued that criticism and dissent are core tenets of democracy.



Modi, by contrast, spent much of his life rising through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing organisation that campaigns forcefully for Indias Hindu majority. Modi was in charge of Gujarat when rioting in 2002 cost the lives of more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.



Just last week, 24 people were convicted of massacring Muslims during the riots, and pending cases are attempting to prove that Modi, who has escaped judicial censure, was part of a high-level conspiracy to encourage the killings.



Generally poorer and less educated than the Hindus, the Muslims are about 14% of the population, about the same proportion as blacks in the United States. Modis reputation among the Muslims could broadly be compared to that of a Southern segregationist from the 1950s.



Perhaps just as troubling, Modis government has increasingly used the countrys broad and vague laws restricting free speech to stifle dissent, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch. Other laws have been used to intimidate and even shut down nongovernmental organisations, such as Greenpeace.



Neither Obama nor Modi is given to displaying affection. Both avoid the socialising that is common in their capitals. And while Obama is a doting father and dutiful husband who maintains close bonds with his childhood friends, Modi abandoned his arranged marriage decades ago and has no children or any public friendships.



Some political analysts have expressed deep scepticism that the two leaders have any real fondness for each other. Modi is part of a class of populist, electable, narcissistic right-wing autocrats whose appeal is that they pander to majoritarian anger, said Kanti Prasad Bajpai, a professor of Asian studies at the National University of Singapore. Obama is the opposite of that, so it is hard to see how close they can be, Bajpai said.



Others see similarities that extend beyond political beliefs. Both men rose from modest circumstances, had difficult relationships with their fathers and were widely considered transformational figures when elected (Modis humble origins, largely corruption-free government and intense focus on winning foreign investment are sharp breaks from his predecessor). And part of Modis political operation, in particular its effective use of social media, were based on Obamas model.



Ashley Tellis, a senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said both men are remarkably warm and have a personal graciousness about them that is very evident in personal encounters. Raymond Vickery, a former US assistant secretary of commerce who has met Modi, said both had grown up as outsiders and valued frankness. Modi is a really down-to-earth guy who tries to answer your questions and doesnt just go to talking points, Vickery said.



Obama made the first significant gesture in the relationship when, during Modis first official visit to Washington in 2014, the president left his White House staff behind to give a personal 15-minute tour of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial.



R-Day guest

Modi responded by inviting Obama to be his guest at the annual Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi in January 2015. When Obama arrived, Modi broke with protocol to greet the president at the airport with a hug. And at a later appearance, Modi referred to the president as Barack and thanked him for his deep personal commitment to their friendship. In a toast at a state dinner, Obama called Modi my partner and friend.



The hours theyve spent together, Rhodes said Saturday, have allowed them to have a good understanding of their respective worldviews and domestic circumstances, and made it possible to deepen defence ties, advance our civil nuclear cooperation and achieve a breakthrough on climate change. He added, Its also an indication of how important President Obama thinks our relationship is with India, as the worlds largest democracy and an increasingly important partner.



On Tuesday, White House officials said, the two leaders are expected to discuss climate change and clean energy partnerships, security cooperation and economic growth. The officials said the leaders might announce a new defence logistics agreement, further progress on Indias efforts to phase out ozone-depleting hydrofluorocarbons and perhaps a deal for Westinghouse Electric Corporation to build nuclear power plants in India in a long-delayed fulfilment of a pact first struck in 2006.



A shared interest in clean power and climate change is central to their personal bond, some analysts said. These two guys get very little political traction at home for being climate champions, but they are anyway, and I think they respect each other for that, said Andrew Light, a former senior adviser to the US special envoy on climate change.



Tavleen Singh, an Indian commentator and admirer of Modi, said the prime ministers high-profile sanitation campaign and his efforts to improve the status of women would also endear him to Obama. Still, she said she doubted the two men were truly affectionate.




Nine months after the Dadri lynching, the situation in Bisada village became tense on Monday as residents held a protest ignoring prohibitory orders demanding an FIR against the victims family for cow slaughter.



Defying prohibitory orders, a mahapanchayat was held at Bisada, where one Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched last year over rumours of cooking beef.



Several youths have been arrested in connection with the case. The mahapanchayat in which a large number of members of the powerful Jat community from Bisada and adjoining villages took part issued an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to prosecute Akhlaqs family members and release the accused.



We have decided to give this government 20 days to register a case for slaughter of cow...we will take to the streets if it is not done, said a community member after the meeting.



The members said that the report of the Mathura-based forensic laboratory had clearly stated that the meat recovered from Akhlaqs house was beef.



Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned the authenticity of the report and said the meat examined by the lab was the one recovered from Akhlaqs house. The forensic lab report had said that the meat was from cow or its progeny. An earlier report prepared by another lab in the state said that it was mutton.



A mob at Bisada village lynched Akhlaq and seriously wounded his son Danish after rumours that beef was being cooked at their home.

DH News Service

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Defying prohibitory orders, a mahapanchayat was held at Bisada, where one Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched last year over rumours of cooking beef



Several youths have been held in connection with the case



The mahapanchayat in which a large number of members of the powerful Jat community from Bisada and adjoining villages took part issued an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to prosecute Akhlaqs family members and release the accused



The members said that the report of the Mathura-based forensic laboratory had clearly stated that the meat recovered from Akhlaqs house was beef



Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned the authenticity of the report
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, while on an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, met President of Iran Hassan Rouhani on June 5 in Tehran, press service of the MFA of Armenia informed Armenpress.

President of Iran stated with satisfaction that Armenia and Iran have strong and stable friendly relations and stressed the importance of strengthening and deepening those ties. He said after the post-sanctions era and the nuclear agreement there is a good opportunity to develop bilateral trade and economic relations in all sectors, and take practical steps towards that path.

Foreign Minister of Armenia conveyed to the President of Iran the message and warm greetings of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Edward Nalbandian introduced to the Iranian President the efforts aimed at overcoming the consequences of the Azerbaijani military operations unleashed against Nagorno Karabakh in early April, and the implementation of the agreements reached at Vienna summit on May 16.

In this context, President Rouhani said Iran always sought peace, security and stability in the region aimed at the peaceful settlement of the existing issues, and reaffirmed that his country supports the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict based on the principles of the international law.

Minister Naldandian highly appreciated the balanced stance of Iran over the settlement issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The sides also discussed the ongoing steps towards the implementation of agreements and joint economic projects, reached between the Presidents of the two countries, as well as the works aimed at expanding the legal framework between the two states.

Hassan Rouhani said although a progress has been achieved in various fields of bilateral cooperation, there is also a huge potential for mutual cooperation.

The sides agreed that the elimination of visa regime will promote the development of business ties, as well as the tourism between the two states.

Minister Naldandian referred to the implemented and ongoing economic projects between the two states and said Armenia is ready to develop and implement new projects for the economic development of the two states, as well as for the regional cooperation.

President of Iran asked the Minister to convey his warm greetings to the President of Armenia and said he plans to visit Armenia in the nearest future.
An attempt to evict low-ranking government officials from their residential quarters in Jawahar Bagh triggered the campaign against the members of the obscure sect which clashed with the police.





The now-deceased leader of the sect Ram Briksh Yadav, who had occupied the sprawling orchards in the heart of the town in January 2014, eyed the residential quarters of the Department of Horticulture employees within Jawahar Bagh as the office of the parallel administration he ran in the 280-acre locality. About two months ago, members of the Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi group had tried to evict the fourth grade employees of the Horticulture Department, triggering sit-in protest by them in front of the collectorate here.



The Horticulture Department employees soon received support from residents of the surrounding colonies, which also housed government servants, Hitendra Singh, a private school teacher staying in the vicinity of Jawahar Bagh, told DH. Srikrishna, another resident, said the pressure of government employees and a failed bid by Yadav to restore power supply to the orchard hastened the process to evict the encroachers. In March last year, the district horticulture officer of Mathura had written to the police and the divisional commissioner that the members of the sect had ravaged over 2,000 trees in Jawahar Bagh.



The members had felled the trees of species such as guava, mango, amla, jamun and bael for firewood. More than 3,000 people, including women and children, have been staying in Jawahar Bagh, which virtually was an autonomous region having its own parliament, jails and justice delivery system.



The occupants raised cattle, owned flour mill and went to makeshift toilets. A witness said that though their huts looked ramshackle, they had high profile visitors who drove SUVs and expensive imported cars.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday rejected assertions that the Mathura violence perpetrators enjoyed political patronage.





It also maintained that the violence was the result of the failure of the local police, which failed to make a proper assessment of the situation and acted in haste.



In its report sent to the Home Ministry, the state government said the local police had no idea that they could come under attack from the occupants at Jawahar Bagh Park and had gone there to evict them without adequate preparation. According to the sources, the government said in the report that the police in Mathura was under pressure to act quickly against the illegal occupants of the park, which resulted in inadequate preparation.



The report also said the attackers had a huge quantity of arms and ammunition. An investigation is on to ascertain the source of the weapons...the naxalite link is also under investigation, the report said.



The report categorically rejected any kind of political patronage to the occupants of the park. The Centre had sought a report from the state government after 29 people, including two senior police officials, were killed in the clashes at the park on Thursday when the cops tried to evict the occupants.



Mathura DM, SSP shunted

Five days after the clashes at Jawahar Bagh Park between cult members and the cops, the Uttar Pradesh government shunted out the district magistrate and police chief of Mathura, DHNS reports from Lucknow.



According to official sources here on Monday, district magistrate Rajesh Kumar and police chief Rakesh Singh were transferred. Nikhil Chandra Shukla and Babloo Kumar were appointed as new district magistrate and district police chief of Mathura respectively, sources said. As many as 29 people, including a station house officer and a superintendent of police, were killed and scores others injured when members of a cult led by Ram Briksha Yadav clashed with the cops.


Suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, who was jailed last month for possessing liquor at her house, was granted bail by the Patna High Court on Monday.





Her husband Bindi Yadav and son Rocky, accused of killing a 19-year-old boy Aditya in a road rage incident in Gaya, are, however, languishing in jail.



Manorama was on the run ever since she was charged with shielding her son Rocky. When the police raided her residence in Gaya, the cops stumbled upon six bottles of liquor. Ever since prohibition came into force in Bihar, possession of liquor had been made an offence and a person was, therefore, liable to be punished with a 10-year jail term besides confiscation of the house from where the liquor is found.



However, on Monday, the court while granting bail to Manorama apparently relied on the ruling given by the acting Chief Justice of the High Court Iqbal Ahmed Ansari last week. The acting Chief Justice, while hearing a petition filed by Aurangabad-based liquor trader, had ruled that the state government had banned only wholesale/retail trade and consumption of foreign liquor, and not possession of liquor.



.In other words, Justice Ansari ruled, with regard to the notification published on April 5 (the day Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced total prohibition in Bihar), it is not possible to hold, albeit tentatively, that mere possession of foreign liquor can be treated as an offence under the Act.
Radical groups raised pro-Khalistan slogans inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday to mark the 32nd anniversary of military Operation Bluestar.





The event went through peacefully even as members of Sikh hardliner groups led by SAD (Amritsar) started to gather at the Golden Temple premises since morning and broke out into pro-Khalistan sloganeering. They also raised anti-SAD slogans. Many of them who were whisked away even boycotted the message of the head priest of the Golden Temple Giani Gurbachan Singh that is broadcast this day each year.



Radical groups had given a call for bandh in the holy city on Monday. Thousands of security personnel, many in civil attire, were positioned to prevent any untoward incident. Security forces held a flag march ahead of the event. Ceremonial prayers were held to pay tributes to those killed in the military operation to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in 1984.
After a humiliating defeat in the May 16 polls, the Vijayakanth-led DMDK in Tamil Nadu is likely to quit PWF to revamp the party for contesting local body elections alone.





The PWF comprising Vaiko led MDMK, Dalit-based VCK, Tamil Maanila Congress headed by former Union Minister G K Vasan and both CPI and CPM entered into poll alliance with Vijayakanths DMDK party. The DMDK, which contested 104 seats, lost all the seats including its chief and actor Vijayakanth losing his deposit in Ulundurpet constituency.



Rejecting suggestions within his party to join the Karunanidhi-led DMK, Vijayakanth threw his lot with the PWF, a melange of parties coordinated by MDMK chief Vaiko.



The decision to quit PWF was taken at the DMDK district secretaries meeting held in Chennai. Our leader has decided to come out of PWF following a senior cadres request, a DMDK senior party leader told DH on Monday.



According to him, most of the DMDK functionaries told Vijayakanth that the partys worst ever loss in the elections was due to poll alliance with PWF, which had poor vote bank in Tamil Nadu.
To encourage companies to set up integrated solar manufacturing units in the country, the government will come out with a brand new policy to aid equipment makers by disbursing Rs 30,000 crore as subsidy.



Project details are being prepared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and soon it will be sent for cabinet approval, a senior official in the ministry told Deccan Herald.



Integrated solar manufacturing units will produce everything from solar cells, solar photovoltaic modules, ingots and wafers. The subsidy support will be given on the basis of a reverse bidding process so those interested in setting up such plants can bid for the least amount of subsidy required to be competitive in the market, he said.



Under the project, the government plans to distribute total Rs 30,000 crore worth subsidy to manufacturers and will also give them business assurances, he said.



The proposed policy is being prepared following the suggestions from an inter-ministerial panel that was set up by the department of industrial policy and promotion.



The government has revised the target of National Solar Mission (NSM) from 20,000 mW to 1,00,000 mW by 2022. Out of which, 40,000 mW is to come through grid connected solar rooftop systems. For roof top solar project, the Centre is also planning to invest $2.5 billion (Rs 16,800 crore) in the next four years. This expects large scale demand for equipment as the implementation of the scheme picks up pace in coming days, said an official.



Solar manufacturers in India largely assemble equipment from components imported from China. Though the governments solar mission offers subsidies to solar developers sourcing components from local manufacturers, it faced challenge at the World Trade Organisation after India lost a case filed by the US on the issue.



To avoid confrontation at WTO, the governments proposed policy will encourage overseas companies to set up manufacturing units in the country as part of the Make in India initiative, said the official.


Higher educational institutions, which receive grant-in-aid from the Central government, will have to implement reservation policy in admissions as well as appointments of faculties and other staff too, the University Grants Commission has said.





However, the minority Institutions, declared so under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution of India, will not come under the purview of the law mandating implementation of quota in admissions and recruitments of teaching or non-teaching staffs, the higher education regulator pointed out in a recent circular.



The educational institutions receiving grant-in-aid from the central government have to follow the prescribed percentage of reservation i.e. 15% for scheduled castes, 7.5% for scheduled tribes and 27% for other backward classes in the matter of teaching and non-teaching posts as well as in admissions to various courses, the commission said.



The UGC circular was issued to all central universities and university colleges of medical sciences for implementation of reservation policy. A section of officials, however, said that the commissions reference for implementation of quota in private institutions funded by the government assumes significance.



The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 clearly stipulates for implementation of quota in government institutions as well as those funded by the government.

The law for reservation and appointment is there since 2007 but many private institutions funded by the central government are ignoring it. They have to implement quota, the official said.



The Section 2 of the Act, notified in January 2007 and later amended in 2012, clearly stipulates that any higher educational institutions which is receiving grant-in-aid from the Central Government, either directly or indirectly will have to implement quota in admissions and all appointments. As explained in the Act, such institution will include a deemed university and even a higher educational institution set up by the Central Government under Societies of Registration Act, the official added.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan visited Nagorno Karabakh on June 4.

The visit comes within the framework of military cooperation of the two countries.

Defense Ministry spokesman A. Hovhannisyan says the Minister visited the north-eastern part of the frontline.

Commander of the Nagorno Karabakhi Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan and other top military officials were accompanying the Minister.

In Mataghis-Talis, Ohanyan visited several military positions and reviewed the active duty, ongoing engineering works, talked to the troops and discussed various issues.

Minister Ohanyan stayed at the military position overnight.

Visits to different positions continued on June 5, with top officials reporting on ongoing issues and discussing cooperation.
The Centre has convened a meeting of chief ministers of nine coastal states in Mumbai to review security preparedness on June 16.





The meeting will be chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh during which measures to further strengthen coastal security would be discussed. The Indian coasts are still vulnerable to terror strikes and measures are being taken to plug the loopholes.



India has a 7,517-km coastline, which has 12 major ports and 187 minor or intermediate ports.

We will create better, robust security system on our coastline. Chief ministers of nine coastal states and four UTs will meet in Mumbai on June 16, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told reporters.



The meeting will also review the first and second phases of Coastal Security Scheme (CSS), which is aimed at strengthening infrastructure for coastal patrolling and surveillance.



As per the scheme, assistance is given to all coastal states  Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal  and Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The money can be spent for setting up coastal police stations, check posts, outposts and constructing operational barracks and to equip them with high-speed boats, jeeps and motorcycles for mobility on the coast and in close coastal waters.



The Phase-I (2005-11) and Phase-II of CSS (2011-16) have a financial outlay of Rs 1,580 crore.

Ahead of the meeting with the chief ministers, Singh conducted a review meeting on coastal security with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday.



Officials informed the minister that 108 of the 131 coastal police stations sanctioned under CSS Phase-II have been already operationalised.



The ministry has told a Parliamentary Standing Committee in April that a proposal for seeking approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security for extension of the period of implementation of the Phase-II for a period of 3 years is under process. The Phase-II period ended on March 31.



The panel said Phase-II was to be completed on March 31 but a lot of work is yet to be done under this scheme and expressed hope that the CSS would approve the proposals. It wanted the government to make all-out efforts to complete this scheme during extended time period without any time and cost overrun.

DH News Service




Television news channel, Times Now, will file a complaint against Bidar South MLA Ashok Kheny, who was accompanying a group of MLAs in Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.





The MLAs have been sent to Mumbai in order to prevent votes from being swayed away before the elections to the Upper House of the Parliament. At the time of going to press, Kheny, an Independent MLA, and the group of MLAs were in a Juhu-based hotel. However, secrecy is being maintained about the room numbers.



When a reporter from Times Now approached Kheny, he refused to comment. However, when repeatedly pressed for comments, he hurled an abuse at the reporter.



A sting operation by Times Now showed Congress leaders offering kickbacks to independent MLAs to win their support for the Rajya Sabha elections. Although the MLAs were not offered direct cash, a tacit deal was made assuring them that they would be allotted huge sums for development of their respective constituencies, according to a report of the channel.




The Department of Public Instruction wants 2,168 schools that reported fewer than 10 enrolments to be merged with other schools. On May 21, the department ordered the merger of 791 government primary schools. The director of primary education issued a fresh circular on June 1 on the merger of 2,168 schools. Hassan district will have the highest number of these schools at 320.





The circular states that students from schools that saw fewer than 10 enrolments be moved to other government, aided or unaided schools within a radius of one kilometre. In case these students cannot be enrolled in government schools, they would be given seats under the RTE quota in private institutions.



The circular also states that authorities must make necessary transport arrangements for students if another school is not located with the one-kilometre radius.

DH News Service
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday charged BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa with reaching an understanding with Energy Minister D K Shivakumar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections.



Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said Yeddyurappa and his supporters have signed a pact with Shivakumar.



The BJP leader has told Independent MLAs who are aspiring to contest the next Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, to vote for the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections, Kumaraswamy said.



In turn, Shivakumar will transfer his partys surplus votes to the BJP in the Legislative Council elections. If the BJP MLAs can vote for the Congress, what is the guarantee that Congress MLAs will not vote for the JD(S)? Kumaraswamy said.



Attacking Independent MLAs for being influenced by the Congress after posing as proposers to JD(S) Rajya Sabha candidate B M Farook, Kumaraswamy said the brain behind the entire charade was Shivakumar.



He has given media statements that the government has assured special packages for constituencies of Independent candidates. Discussions were held at his residence, while the chief ministers private car was used to ferry these candidates to Taj West End (sic), Kumar-aswamy said.



Holding the Congress responsible for resort politics and encouraging horse trading, he said Siddaramaiah has already announced that his party has won the elections. If so, what was the need to whisk these MLAs outside the state, he wondered.



Admitting that his party lacked the numbers to win seats in the elections, Kumaraswamy said the party was bagging conscience votes of Congress MLAs to the seats.



He said he was banking on Congress MLAs to help his party. Given the deteriorating state of affairs (horse trading), I am hoping that some Congress MLAs will vote for us on their own accord. Anyway, the poll results would not have an impact on the party.


Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his senior Cabinet colleague D K Shivakumar on Monday had different comments to offer on shifting of Independent MLAs to Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.



While the chief minister said he was unaware of the development, Energy Minister Shivakumar claimed that the MLAs are in Maharashtra on their own accord. I am not aware of it. Nobody discussed about it with me, Siddaramaiah told reporters on seeking his reaction to the development.



When it was brought to his notice that Congress leader S T Somashekar has taken some Independent MLAs to Mumbai, he retorted asking: Should they (MLAs) not go with Somashekar?



Shivakumar denied his party was indulging in resort-politics and offered any sort of packages to Independent MLAs or legislators of smaller parties. However, he said while some MLAs were visiting Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur temples in Maharashtra, some had travelled to Mumbai, he claimed.



The party cant control the MLAs or send them out of the state. They have gone on their own accord. The BJP and JD(S) are making baseless allegations against the Congress. Sometime back, JD(S) MLAs were in Goa, while BJP MLAs were in Hyderabad. We said nothing at that time, the minister said.



Further, the chief minister denied charges by the JD(S) that he was trying to induce Independent MLAs.



Sources in the Congress said that Shivakumar has been given the responsibility of mustering necessary support to ensure victory to Congress third candidate in Rajya Sabha polls, K C Ramamurthy.




The state Congress leaders have shifted about eight Independent MLAs and legislators of smaller parties to a hotel in Mumbai, fearing horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council polls.



The party has entrusted the responsibility of keeping the MLAs together till the elections are over to its leaders S T Somashekar and Byrati Basavaraj- close confidants of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.



The Independent MLAs were flown to Mumbai from Bengaluru on Sunday evening. They will be brought back to Bengaluru on June 9.



Elections to the Council and the Rajya Sabha are scheduled for June 10 and 11 respectively.



But, the Congress leaders are not disclosing names of the MLAs kept in Mumbai. Satish K Sail, Mankal S Vaidya, Arvind C Patil, Ashok Kheny are among the MLAs who are said to be in Mumbai. A majority of these MLAs were not reachable over the phone.



Speculations were rife in the political circles that the ruling party has sent a group of non-Congress MLAs on a foreign junket, in an attempt to keep them safe from poaching. However, there was no confirmation from the party on this.



The Independents and MLAs of smaller parties are in high demand as both the Congress and the JD(S) are falling short of about a dozen votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The Assembly has nine Independents and seven MLAs belonging to four smaller parties, including the BSR Congress and KJP.



The ruling party needs the support of about 13 non-Congress MLAs to ensure the election of its third Rajya Sabha candidate, K C Ramamurthy. JD(S) candidate B M Farook, too, has to muster the support of over a dozen non-JD(S) MLAs to win the election. About 12 of these MLAs, including nine Independents, had initially pledged their support to Farook. But later they decided to back the Congress.



Sources in the Congress said the party has decided not to take any risk as far as the support of Independents and MLAs of smaller parties is concerned in the wake of a sting operation on horse-trading.



The MLAs were shown discussing sale of votes in the sting operation done by two national news channels. Hence, it was decided to shift these MLAs to Mumbai, the sources added.



When contacted, Somashekar, who is also Congress MLA from Yeshwanthpura constituency, claimed he was very much in Bengaluru.A television channel found that the independent legislators, along with Somashekar, were staying at JW Marriott in Mumbai.


A tourist from Bengaluru died in Nepal while two were admitted to a hospital in a serious condition on Monday after they were stranded at a pilgrim spot.





According to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Nepal, it received a distress call from a group of tourists on Sunday evening saying they were stranded between Yara and Damodarkund in Upper Mustang area and sought urgent help.



"As it was late in the night and the pilgrims entered a restricted area without permission, the Embassy could not take up rescue operations on Sunday night. However, early Monday morning, in co-ordination with Nepal government, a rescue helicopter was dispatched to the area. One person died and two have been airlifted and admitted to Manipal Hospital in Pokhra, said the statement. The embassy, however, did not specify who died in the incident and how the death occurred.



Eight tourists from Bengaluru - Gopal Krishna, his wife Padmini and son Akshay Parashar (residents of Rajajinagar), Kumar, Krishnamurthy Rao, Shekhar, Varuni Narendra, Shashi Kumar (residents of Hanumathnagar) were on their way to Damodarkund, a popular pilgrim spot in Nepal, when tragedy struck.



Soon after getting information about pilgrims stranded in Nepal, I approached Delhi Karnataka Bhavan and Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda and sought their help to rescue them. According to information received by me, Gopal Krishna has died and his wife Padmini and Akshay Parashar were admitted to a hospital, Rajajinagar MLA S Suresh Kumar told Deccan Herald from Bengaluru. The rest of the tourists were on their way to the base camp safely by foot, he said.



Family in grief

A pall of gloom descended at the house of Gopal Krishna, 55, a resident of Rajajinagar in Bengaluru, as his family received the tragic news on Sunday.



All hell broke loose after Gopalakrishnas wife Padmini called me up on Sunday at 5 pm and told Gopalakrishna was no more, Gopalakrishnas sister Meera told Deccan Herald.



Gopalakrishna was an auditor and had gone to Damodarkund with his wife and son for the first time. Akshay is being treated at the hospital and I dont know when Gopalakrishnas body would be brought to the city, she added.

DH News Service
Labour Minister P T Parameshwar Naik has said he had nothing to do with the resignation of Kudligi DySP Anupama Shenoy. In January, he had boasted in public that he got Shenoy transferred for putting his call on hold.



Replying to a query at a press meet in Shivamogga on Monday, he said he was no way connected to the matter. He said the Ballari Superintendent of Police informed him that Shenoy had resigned after some people protested against her. I asked the police officer to take suitable action as per the rules. I am in no way involved in her resignation. So dont ask the question about the matter.



When asked whether Shenoy was efficient in her work, he said, I cant say whether she was good or bad in her work. The department would do it. I have no role in it. On Monday afternoon, the state police headquarters in Bengaluru received Shenoys resignation letter. We have received the resignation letter and it will be forwarded to the government for further action, ADGP (Administration) Praveen Sood told Deccan Herald.



The letter will be sent to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) who will discuss it with Home Minister G Parameshwara before any action is taken.



The government may accept or reject the resignation. Shenoy stated in the letter that she would not be able to work in the police force because of personal reasons.



Meanwhile, Shenoys family blamed politicians for putting an abrupt end to her illustrious career. Her brother, Achyut Shenoy, said elected representatives had forced her to quit. He demanded justice for her, saying she had complained to higher officials.



The family thinks that if she is transferred to Mangaluru, she could withdraw her resignation, he said.



The officers father, Radhakrishna Shenoy, recalled how he took great pains to educate her.



I ran a canteen to fund her education, he said. Had I known that she would be tortured so much, I wouldnt have had to provide for her higher education. He said Anupama was staying away from the family for the time being.



Radhakrishna Shenoy and Nalini Shenoy hail from Ucchila near Bada village of Udupi district. They have three children, Anupama being the eldest.



The Shenoys have been running a small tea canteen at Ucchila for the last 40 years. Radhakrishna lamented that her daughters seniors or elected representatives didnt support her. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said Shenoy shouldnt have resigned and sought transfer instead. He praised her for taking on the labour minister and cracking down on illegalities in Ballari. Her resignation clearly shows there is no protection for officials under this government, he said.


YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. President of Turkey Erdogan continues criticizing and condemning Germany over the recent Bundestag vote on the Armenian Genocide recognition.

Anadolu reports Erdogan delivered a speech on this issue during the commencement ceremony of Sabahattin Zaim Unviersity.

"Germany! I am telling again: first, you give an account of the Holocaust. How you decimated, killed over 100,000 Namibians in Namibia, you should give an account of that, Erdogan said.

Erdogan reminded of the 100,000 Armenians currently living in Turkey, and said If we were a country that was an enemy of Armenians, we would have sent all of these people back.

The President also commented on the ethnic Turkish MPs of the Bundestag who voted in favor of the resolution, by saying : Turkish? Their blood should be tested.
There is a rich history of cultural exchange that has taken place between India and Africa over many centuries. To highlight it and to trace the achievements of Africans in India since 1300 AD, a first-of-its-kind audio visual exhibition will be inaugurated in City on Tuesday.





The travelling exhibition Africans in India - A Rediscovery from Generals to Rurals comprises 53 photo exhibits, including Ikhlas Khan who rose to the level of prime minister and commander-in-chief in Bijapur Sultanate and Malik Ambar, who was a regent and prime minister in Ahmadnagar Sultanate among others.



The exhibition addresses issues such as the ancestral links of the Afro-Indian Siddis, Africans in Deccan Sultanates, Africans in India Paintings and African Sufi Saints. It also explores the origins of Siddi communities and also documents their lives across the subcontinent after several years of ethnographic research.



The exhibition has been arranged by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts ( IGNA) Southern Regional Centre (SRC) which is an apex body under the Ministry of Culture. Programme Officer, IGNCA, SRC, K M Chandrashekhar, said: The exhibition after inauguration will travel to Yellapura, a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka and will be in that town till June 10. It is the prime location of Siddis in Karnataka. Siddis are descendants of Bantu people from Southeast Africa, who were brought to India as slaves by Portuguese. As photo exhibits are displayed, audio will play along describing picture in brief. One round of presentation takes 25 minutes.



He added, that they aim to reach out to 1,000 schoolchildren at Yellapura. The exhibition will be inaugurated at Mahatma Gandhi statue, Vidhana Soudha, at 10.30 am on June 7. Tourism Minister RV Deshpande is expected to inaugurate the programme.

DH News Service


One more scam has surfaced in the advertisement section of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).





An advertiser reportedly forged a permission letter of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to use its properties for putting up hoardings and submitted it to the BBMP.



Manjunatha Advertising Agency submitted the BDAs authorisation letter to the BBMP on March 16 this year, showing its intention to erect hoardings on BDA land. The document somehow reached Bhavani Enterprises, another advertisement firm, which asked the BDA for similar permission, citing the authorisation letter given to Manjunatha Advertising Agency. Social activist Sai Datta provided Deccan Herald with documents about the scam.



The letter alarmed the BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt who wrote to his BBMP counterpart N Manjunatha Prasad, stating that the authorisation letter was forged as no such permission had been given. He said the BDA had no tradition of giving such permissions.



Bhatt wrote, No such letter was dispatched from our office. If somebody has misused the BDA and put up advertisement boards, it should be removed, and a criminal case should be registered against those involved in the forgery. Speaking to Deccan Herald, he said, The matter had come to my knowledge and I have directed my staff to initiate action in this regard. Prasad said he had not seen the letter but if such forgery had indeed taken place, he would lodge a complaint with the police and ensure the guilty was punished.



Former BBMP assistant commissioner (advertisement) K Mathai had carried an inquiry into the civic bodys advertisement dealings and suggested that it lost Rs 2,000 crore between 2008 and 2016.

He submitted at least eight reports to the BBMP commissioner before the government transferred him. Based on his reports, the government entrusted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with probing the loss of revenue to the BBMP.

DH News Service
The police top brass on Monday took the first step towards bridging the gap between constables and the high-level staff. It has directed the commissioners and superintendents of police to conduct without fail weekly parades and orderly rooms to redress constables grievances.



We have decided to have an effective grievance redress mechanism. Commissioners and SPs have been instructed to conduct regular parades and orderly rooms on Fridays and redress constables grievances, ADGP (Administration) Praveen Sood told Deccan Herald. Almost 90% of their grievances are local in nature and the officers concerned have been directed to redress them without any delay.



Constables across Karnataka had planned to go on mass protest leave on Saturday but the agitation petered out as the police top brass warned them of stringent disciplinary action. The constables want the government to fulfil several of their demands, including better pay and conducive working conditions.



In the past, the weekly parades were organised irregularly, and orderly meetings were not taken seriously by DCPs, SPs, IGPs and additional commissioners. Constables were to air their grievances and raise administrative issues at these events, while SPs, DCPs and IGPs were to redresss them. However, most officers rarely took the orderly meetings seriously, according to a source in the police.



Sood conceded that the grievance redress mechanism proved ineffective in the past. Under the mechanism, inspectors and DySPs could approach the DGPs office for redress of their grievances, though they have few of them. One the other hand, constables have more grievances and fewer options for their redress, he said.



The police leadership also decided to submit a proposal to the Home Department, suggesting measures to fulfil the demands of constables. We (police leadership) will take a call on the grievances, but the government has to fulfil them as most of them require funds, he said.



The constabulary has more grievances and fewer demands, and the government will take action based on the proposal.



The ADGP classified the constables demands into individual, group and pure. Group demands include housing facility and recruitment, while individual demands entail weekly offs and other issues. Pure demands include doubling the existing salaries and quicker promotions, and are very difficult to fulfil, Sood said.



The source quoted above said a committee was likely to be formed to consider such demands as smart cards for constables under the Arogya Bhagya scheme and cash disbursement instead of ration. The committee will identify some grey areas and advise ways and means to fulfil the two demands, the source added.


Nine months after the Dadri lynching, the situation in Bisada village became tense on Monday as residents held a protest ignoring prohibitory orders demanding an FIR against the victims family for cow slaughter.





Defying prohibitory orders, a mahapanchayat was held at Bisada, where one Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched last year over rumours of cooking beef.



Several youths were arrested in connection with the case. The mahapanchayat in which a large number of members of the powerful Jat community from Bisada and adjoining villages took part issued an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to prosecute Ikhlaqs family members and release the accused. We have decided to give this government 20 days to register a case for slaughter of cow...we will take to the streets if it is not done, said a community member after the meeting.



The members said that the report of the Mathura-based forensic laboratory had clearly stated that the meat recovered from Ikhlaqs house was beef.



Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned the authenticity of the report and said the meat examined by the lab was the one recovered from Ikhlaqs house.



The forensic lab report had said that the meat was from cow or its progeny. An earlier report prepared by another lab in the state said that it was mutton.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, while on an official visit to Tehran, met Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif on June 5, press service of the MFA of Armenia informed Armenpress.

The same day Edward Nalbandian and Mohammad Javad Zarif signed a memorandum of understanding on the liberalization of visa regime between Armenia and Iran.

Edward Nalbandian expressed gratitude for the warm reception and stressed the importance of the expansion of mutual cooperation and the development of existing multilateral cooperation.

Armenian FM introduced his Iranian counterpart the steps aimed at overcoming the consequences of the large-scale military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh. He highlighted the importance of the implementation of agreements reached in Vienna summit.

Edward Nalbandian highly appreciated the principled stance of Iran over the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict based on the principles of the international law.

Iranian Foreign Minister said Iran gives special importance to the comprehensive mutual cooperation with Armenia and expressed hope that the high-level mutual visits between the two states will give an opportunity to more strengthen and deepen the bilateral ties.

The sides agreed that the Iranian Presidents upcoming visit to Armenia will be an impetus to move the Armenian-Iranian relations to the new path. In this context, the sides expressed their commitment to make consistent efforts towards the implementation of joint projects.

The Ministers exchanged views over the implementation of agreements on Irans nuclear program, and the new opportunities of cooperation for the region created as a result of this. In this context, Armenian Minister Nalbandian said this agreement was one of the significant achievements of 2015 in the international relations, which once again proved that every issue can be solved peacefully through negotiations.

Issues related to the development of cooperation on trade, economy, energy, transportation, agriculture, education, healthcare, culture, preservation of nature and tourism, the promotion of business ties, the mutual participation in the international economic exhibitions within the two states were discussed.

They also discussed the ongoing process of the implementation of agreements reached at the 13th session of the inter-governmental commission. The preparatory works of the 14th session which will be held in Tehran in autumn were discussed.

The sides exchanged views on the establishment of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran.

Regional and international issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the fight against terrorism were touched upon during the meeting.
[Translation by Bing Translator .] By Antonio Fonseca, Marcelo Justino, Carlos Souza Jr., and Adalberto Verissimo 31 May 2016 (Imazon)  In April 2016, 42% of the forested area of the Amazon rainforest was covered by clouds, a lower coverage than April 2015 (55%). States with larger cloud coverage were Roraima (86%) and Amapa (84%). In the analyzed period, and under these conditions, SAD detected 183 square kilometers of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. This represents an increase of 34% compared to April 2015 when deforestation totaled 137 square kilometers. In April 2016, deforestation was concentrated in Rondonia (30%), Mato Grosso (28%), Para (21%) and Amazon (20%), with minor occurrence in Tocantins (1%). Degraded forests in Amazon rainforest totaled 626 square kilometers in April 2016. In relation to April 2015 there has been an increase of 733%, when the forest degradation added 75 square kilometers.

The accumulated deforestation in the period of August 2015 to April 2016, corresponding to the first nine months of the official calendar for measurement of deforestation, hit 1,200 square kilometers. There was a reduction of 28% of the deforestation in relation to the previous period (August 2014 through April 2015) when it reached 1,657 square kilometers. In April 2016, SAD recorded 626 square kilometers degraded forests (forests intensely explored by logging activity and/or burned) (figures 2 and 4). Of this total, the vast majority (94%) occurred in Para, followed by Rondonia (5%) and Mato Grosso (1%). [] In the month of April 2016, SAD detected 55 square km of deforestation in protected areas. In the case of indigenous lands, in April 2016 only 1 square kilometer of deforestation was detected, located in Saraua (Para). [] In April 2016, it was possible to monitor with SAD 58% of forest area in the Amazon rainforest. The other 42% of the territory forest were covered by clouds what hindered the detection deforestation and forest degradation. The States with greater cloud coverage (86%) and were Amapa (84%). As a result, the data of deforestation and forest degradation in April 2016 could be [substantially greater than estimated]. [more]
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Vice-President of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov gave an interview to Greek Epikaira journal during his visit to Greece.

Armenpress presents the entire interview.

-Mr. Vice-President, a tension was escalated recently in Nagorno Karabakh. How would You explain this? Is this tension in the Caucasus associated with the crisis in Syria and the Middle East?

-Concerning the tension, Azerbaijan unleashed an aggression against Nagorno Karabakh on April 1-5. To make an historical overview, I would like to remind you the termless ceasefire agreement which was signed between Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan on May 12, 1994. The three sides agreed to reach the peaceful settlement within the framework of the ceasefire agreement. Both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh adhered to the agreement. However, during all these years, Azerbaijani President spoke about solving the conflict with military means.

Both Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia have repeatedly urged the international community to put pressures on Azerbaijan. The Presidents of Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries (US, Russia, France) issued 5 statements according to which the conflict should be solved based on the famous fundamental principles, which are peoples right to self-determination, the peaceful settlement and the territorial integrity. In fact, Azerbaijan rejected the two principles. As a result Azerbaijan pushed the negotiations to dead end. And so with this, Azerbaijan started the military operations against Nagorno Karabakh. It is obvious that starting the war they wanted to change the situation in the line of contact to acquire unilateral concession.

Realizing that the negotiation process ended with a dead end, they tried to solve the issue with military means. However, they failed since the Nagorno Karabakh people stood against that aggression and proved during the four day war that they will win in their struggle for independence and freedom. Azerbaijan was unable to capture any settlement.

You spoke about whether this escalation was related with the situation in the Middle East, and I gave you photos to see the violence that took place during the four-day war. The Azerbaijani armed forces committed violence against the civilians of Nagorno Karabakh with the same brutality as the Islamic states does against the Christians and Yazidis in the Middle East.

The Turkish leadership from Erdogan to Cavusoglu supported the Azerbaijani barbaric actions. Turkeys such policy must be condemned.

-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported Azerbaijan during those days, what do You think what is the aim of Turkey?

-Turkey is the successor of the Ottoman Empire. And today, pan-Turkism ideology plays a key role in the Turkish policy. Both Europe, Russia, and the US should understand this. Azerbaijan keeps Armenia in blockade over 23 years keeping closed the European borders.

Turkey from the very start supported Azerbaijan both during the 90s war, and the four-day war. Turkey continues to keep occupied 38% of Cyprus, last year it downed the Russian plane which was fighting against terrorists. Turkey has imperial ambitions both in the Middle East, in the Caucasian region, and in the Balkans. It has neo-Ottoman ambitions. Davutoglu said this. Former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev said we are one nation, one state. Another Azerbaijani President Elchibey said there is no Azerbaijani language, there is Turkish. Thus, one could expect such alliance between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Not only Armenia, but other states of the region should worry about this.

-How You see today Turkeys role in the region and the consequences of its clashes with Russia?

-Turkish-Russian conflict took place over history. There have been also reconciliations. I personally think that these two states are not only competitors, but they are also rivals. I think that Russia and Turkey will always pursue various interests in the Caucasian and Black Sea region. Russia is our ally. Of course, I consider important Russias presence in our region: it keeps in balance Turkeys expansionist ambitions. However, the international community should also stop the Turkish ambitions over Cyprus issue.

-How do You see Your countrys relations with Greece?

-Our people have a long history of friendly and brotherly relations. The Greek civilization Hellenism was widespread in Armenia. Armenian King Artavazd II wrote a Greek tragedy. Armenian Kings Trdhat and Varazdat participated and won in the Olympic Games in 4th century. We are united with the Christian civilization. Armenians participated in the Greek struggle for independence. The Greeks also supported Armenians in their fight against Turks.

During the 90s Greeks of Armenia were jointly fighting against the Azerbaijani aggression. Even during the April four-day war, a group composed of Greek people went to Nagorno Karabakh to protect the Nagorno Karabakh people.

On May 19 the NKR National Assembly recognized the Greek Genocide. We should develop also our economic relations. The existing contacts are positive, however, they are not enough for the economic development. I can assure that the Armenian leadership is ready to develop our cooperation in all sectors.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan on June 6 received the delegation of China led by Vice-premier of State Council, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Zhang Gaoli.

Armenian Prime Minister stated with satisfaction that China is not only a friendly country, but also is one of the political partners of Armenia and highlighted that the recent years mutual visits gave a new impetus for the development of the Armenian-Chinese friendly relations.

Hovik Abrahamyan said Armenia and China achieved progress in the development of economic relations in recent years and stated that the bilateral trade has increased considerably reaching to almost half a billion dollars.

Recently, discussions were intensified over the implementation of Chinese large-scale investments in the Armenian economy. The Armenian side welcomes and encourages the involvement of Chinese public and private capital on the economy of Armenia. Armenia is open for the activity of Chinese companies and is ready to make appropriate steps towards the implementation of new and prospective investment projects, said the Armenian Prime Minister.

Prime Minister conveyed his wishes and greetings to the Premier of China Li Keqiang.

In his turn Zhang Gaoli said his country gives significant importance to the development of political, cultural, economic and humanitarian relations with Armenia and added that the bilateral cooperation is always developing within trustful and fair environment.

He conveyed the Armenian Prime Minister the warm greetings of Premier of China Li Keqiang.

Zhang Gaoli said there is a huge potential for reaching progress in the economic sectors between the two states.

He stated that the Chinese leadership is ready to make respective steps with their Armenian counterparts, as well as to finance the implementation of long-term, short-term projects on industry, energy, agriculture, construction of roads, tourism, education and other sectors.

At the same time, he said China gives importance to Armenias role in the development of relations with the EAEU and stated that Armenia can contribute to the development of China-EAEU relations.

Issues related to the Armenia-China mutual cooperation, the possibilities and the upcoming steps over the implementation of several investment projects were discussed.

The sides stressed the importance of activity of the Armenian-Chinese inter-governmental commission for the development of bilateral economic relations between the two states.
CERTON enables Altera FPGA certification for safety critical implementations as required by the FAA and other agencies.

Melbourne, FL -- June 06, 2016 -- CERTON Engineering, the leader in safety-critical certification solutions for aerospace, medical and transportation FPGA hardware, is partnered with Altera, now the Intel Programmable Solutions Group, to provide DO-254 compliant certification packages of their COTS IP FPGA cores. CERTON, as part of the relationship, has direct access to vendor IP designs and tool qualifications supporting certification as required by the FAA and other regulatory agencies.

Aerospace, Medical and Transportation markets are growing at an increasingly fast rate. The rapid growth within these markets has accelerated the need for timely, thorough, and effective safety certification. Expansion in unmanned aircraft systems, self-driving automobiles, and other new logic-driven functionality will expand the need for safety certification of electronic components.

With FPGAs and SoC emerging in these applications, developers are increasingly reliant on complex Intellectual Property (IP) provided by the FPGA vendor to implement robust designs.

"Access to this IP provides us with the ability to produce artifacts necessary for DO-254 certification," said CERTON Engineering Director Wallace Everest. "The overall result is reduced cost, reduced risk, and reduced time to market. It allows system developers to purchase complex COTS IP with confidence they can meet strict and evolving regulatory standards".

CERTON is currently generating a qualification package library for the most commonly used Altera IP with more complex components to be added later, each tailored to a customers application-specific environment.

Sales Director Justin Bragan of CERTON added, "The collaboration provides a powerful combination of silicon, tools, and CERTONs experience in all phases of systems, software, and complex hardware product life cycles".

Over the last decade, CERTON has established an identity of unparalleled safety critical certification solutions in the aerospace, medical device, and transportation industries. CERTON has internally developed tools and exclusive technology designed to streamline approvals of safety-critical systems, software, and complex hardware. These competitive advantages allow CERTON to minimize the time-to-market of customer products while providing a Firm Fixed Cost to its customers. CERTON provides expertise in all phases of systems, software, and complex hardware product design life cycles to support rapid approval of safety-critical customer products.

Contact CERTON today at sales(at)certon(dot)com or visit http://www.CERTON.com to see how CERTON can reduce the overall cost of your safety-critical software or hardware approval.






DNA samples from people with diabetes could help identify the genetic factors in diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease), researchers report.

Scientists at Queens University Belfast are to examine 20,000 DNA samples as part of a new five-year research project. The initiative will bring together experts in diabetes and genetics from Queens University, University College Dubli, University of Helsinki in Finland and the Broad Institute, US.

The project will aim to explain why some people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide.

Diabetic nephropathy is often detected once it is at an advantaged stage: over 50,000 patients in the UK experience end-stage kidney failure, which requires kidney transplant or chronic dialysis to treat. One in four patients starting dialysis in the UK and Ireland each year has diabetic nephropathy.

Professor Peter Maxwell from the Centre for Public Health at Queens University explained that the research team are also hoping to assess how having poor blood glucose control over a long period of time can re-program DNA and increase the risk of developing kidney complications.

By analysing these samples, Maxwell hopes that new treatments could be targeted. We aim to develop new tests that could be used to screen people with diabetes to assess their risk of developing kidney complications and help select the best preventative treatment, he said.

We are excited to be working with this international team of talented scientists and clinicians to discover new information to help improve outcomes for patients with diabetic kidney disease.

This project is part of a new US-Ireland research partnership which has received grants from the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership Programme.

Dr Janice Bailie, Assistant Director of the Public Health Agencys HSC R&D Division, which is funding the Northern Ireland part of this project with the Medical Research Council, said: We expect that the outcomes of this international research will lead to significant advances in the treatment of patients with diabetic kidney disease in the UK, Ireland and beyond.
Netflix is partnering with Anurag Kashyap's Phantom Films, and Sacred Games will be made into a Hindi-English series.

Netflix has announced its first original series from India. The Internet television network has partnered with production house Phantom Films, for a series based on author Vikram Chandras novel, Sacred Games. According to Netflix, the Hindi-English series will be shot on location, and will be made available globally, to Netflix customers.

The novel Sacred Games revolves around organised crime, corruption, politics etc. in India. The story is set in Mumbai, and has been acclaimed critically. Phantom Films is the studio behind Bollywood movies, like the controversial Udta Punjab, and others, including, Lootera, NH10 and more.

While Netflix hasnt provided any information on the release date of the series, it marks the companys first India-centric series. Netflix had said, upon entry into India, that it would be working to develop content in India as well. In fact, while Netflix is amongst the biggest Internet video streaming services in the country, it is weak when it comes to Indian content.

The companys competitors in India, include, Hotstar, Eros Now, and more, and all of these other services are strong on Indian content. While one may argue that Netflix subscribers pay for all the global content that the company brings to them, it is tough to deny that to reach a wider customer base in India, Netflix will need Indian content.
Oxigen, the digital wallet service provider, seems set to become the first virtual network operator (VNO) in India. The company has reportedly been in talks with state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to lease network bandwidth and provide voice and data services initially in the North-East and Central India.

Oxigens Chairman and Managing Director, Pramod Saxena, told PTI that the company has already been in talks with multiple telecom operators to buy spectrum, and expects to take cues from veteran international VNO players to initiate and excel in VNO services. Virtual Network Operators, or VNOs, buy air time from telecom operators with established infrastructure, and use the shared spectrum to bring connectivity across various circles. The entry of VNO services in India is now expected to bring down the expenses incurred by an operator in providing connectivity, which may also lead to discounted tariffs for end users.

Apart from altering the expenses, VNOs will offer a wider variety of networks for companies to choose from, alongside providing a way for telecom operators to make better use of unused spectrum. This move by Oxigen comes soon after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced guidelines for Unified Licence VNOs to begin operations in India. To obtain the licence, VNOs will need to pay a one-time registration fee that is non-refundable, and will depend on the type of service being offered. The amount can rise up to a maximum of Rs. 7.5 crore for those intending to offer the full suite of telecom services, and a minimum of Rs. 15 lac for pan-India Internet services. Other fees include a licence fee that amounts to up to 8 percent the annual revenue of the company in question, alongside a spectrum usage charge (SUC) that will depend on the operator and may vary with time. These licences will remain valid for a span of 10 years, and can be reviewed after about four years, depending on the services provided and experience gathered in the industry.

"A wider variety of networks for companies to choose from"

Global telecom majors such as AT&T and Virgin Mobile have been quoted in an Economic Times report to be interested in the VNO industry of India. Alongside telecom-oriented companies, analysts suggest many consumer-directed services may also enter the VNO space to provide network, and also gather deeper data on consumer usage patterns, which can be further used for multiple purposes.

Of the running in the telecom industry, the likes of BSNL and MTNL have the upper hand in providing airwaves to VNOs as they possess more unused bandwidth, as opposed to the likes of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, which do not have enough unused bandwidth to lease out. We have reached out to BSNL with the following questions, and await responses for deeper insights into the rising VNO industry. The global VNO industry is forecasted to be valued at $73.2 billion by 2020, contributing majorly to telecom services across the globe.

Questions sent to BSNL:

1. What is the level of involvement that BSNL will have to provide the required services to Oxigen?

2. Are there restrictions that VNOs will face regarding bandwidth sourcing?

3. How do you perceive the outreach and immediate future of VNO services in India?
Deaths of Martin Senn and Pierre Wauthier from Zurich Insurance probe questions

The business community in Switzerland is smarting after a recent spate of suicides from within the financial spheres has led to an introspection of the stress levels induced by their companies.

Former chief executive of Zurich Insurance, Martin Senn, took his own life last week, less than three years after the same company's finance chief Pierre Wauthier also committed suicide.

Wauthier had referred to pressure from chairman Josef Ackermann in his suicide note, but a subsequent investigation cleared Ackermann of any wrongdoing.

Wauthier had referred to pressure from chairman Josef Ackermann in his suicide note

Little details have emerged of the events leading up to Senn shooting himself in a family home in the Alps, but friends have said that he appeared to be withdrawn in the days leading up to his death, according to the Business Insider.

Chief executive of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, of which Senn had been president, Martin Naville, said the business circles in which they were in were shocked. "The only thing you can do is to be more attentive to signs," he said.

German-born head of Swisscom Carlos Schloter and Alex Widner, head of bank Julius Baer, are also example of Switzerland's executive suicide victims. Although the overall suicide rate is below the gobal average according to the World Health Organisation, the recent increase has set off alarm bells.

Naville said he had seen nothing in Swiss executive culture to explain the suicides. "Every case can be different," he said. "Human beings are so complicated."

Others disagree, however. Former UBS banker Susan Kish said that "if you fail, you are expected to excuse yourself from the conversation and drop any further ambitions. You're not expected to show your face again."

If you fail, you are expected to excuse yourself from the conversation and drop any further ambitions

The Zurich Group gained prominence in the 1990s with a series of acquisitions, but the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001 hit the company hard amid heavy expenses.

In 2012 Ackermann, who previously occupied the CEO position at Deutsche Bank, was pushing the management of Zurich Insurance to abandon its conservative methods and take more risks on investments. He resigned shortly after Wauthier's death, with the suicide note suggesting that he had been greatly pressured by the chairman.

Corporate setbacks and various failures during the financial crisis, including the bankruptcy of Swissair, have stung the Swiss economy, and the once supremely confident financial state, has come back to earth with a bang.
Trip will take place after Obama's trip to Poland for final world leader summit

President of the United States Barack Obama will visit Spain from the 9th to the 11th of July, a White House statement has confirmed.

It will be the first time that the President has visited Spain during his eight years in office. The trip will come directly after the fifth and final NATO summit of Obama's presidential term, which will take place in Warsaw the three days previous to his Spanish trip.

It will be the first time that the President has visited Spain during his eight years in office

During the NATO summit the group of international leaders will discuss how many troops will maintain their positions in Afghanistan after 2016.

On 20th December 2015 the Spanish people went to the polls in order to decide the fate of their new government, but no party gained a majority and no agreement could be reached in order to form a government. Current acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy from the conservative Popular Party hopes that his side will be able to win the new elections on the 26th June, but once agin the prospects are unclear as elements from the left form coalitions.

Obama plans to meet with Spain's king as well as its acting president

Obama plans to meet with Spain's king as well as its acting president, according to a statement by White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

"The visit to Spain, an important NATO Ally, will highlight robust security cooperation, a strong political and economic relationship, and longstanding people-to-people ties," Earnest said.
Investors need not be overly-concerned about the risks to Royal Dutch Shell's dividend, although the likelihood of a projected $25bn share buyback over four years might be a wholly different question, analysts at SocGen said.

At its 7 June analysts meeting, the company would need to adress worries about its capital spending budget, its asset disposal programme and the sustainability of its dividend, analysts Irene Himona, Mehdi Ennebati, Yoann Charenton said in an extract from a research report sent to clients on the day before.

The fact that in 'cash-out' terms the oil majors capital expenditure was already at between $25 to $28bn, as oppossed to headline budgeted capital investment of $30bn, meant the companys guidance was already in-line with expectations, the analysts said.

Nonetheless, they believed markets were right to question Shells timeline of three years to complete its targetted $30bn in asset disposals.

As regards the dividend, if necessary Shell could opt to maintain its scrip dividend beyond next year and delay its $25bn four-year share buyback programme, they said.

Combined, those two measures would save the company $10bn a year in cash outflow - equivalent to a $20/barrel higher oil price, so closer to $70 per barrel - which in their opinion was "sufficient" for Shell to manage the balance sheet.

Ahead of the meeting with analysts, SocGen boosted its target price on the shares from 1,660p to 1,900p and reiterated its 'buy' recommendation.

RBC Capital Markets downgraded Cairn Energy to sector perform from outperform and cut the price target to 250p from 260p until 2017 drilling plans are confirmed.

The Canadian bank said drilling success at the SNE field offshore Senegal has provided a welcome exception to recent drilling disappointments across the sector.

RBC said the results demonstrated unequivocally that SNE has the potential to be a major oil field with reservoirs capable of delivering commercial flow rates.

However, with limited news flow until drilling restarts in 2017, there is the potential for the stock to drift compared to leveraged peers, particularly in an improving oil price environment.

In the medium term, RBC reckons Cairn remains well placed to become the go to UK main list E&P stock given a strong balance sheet, production base and stated strategy to return value created by the drill bit to shareholders.

However, establishing this, more fully formed, business will require time and production start-up from the Catcher (Cairn 20%, Premier Oil operated) and Kraken (Cairn 29.5%, EnQuest operated) fields H2/17, it said.

JPMorgan Cazenove downgraded Wolseley to neutral from overweight and cut the price target to 4,100p from 4,300p on valuation grounds.

Prior to Q3, Wolseley had outperformed by 10% year to date. Despite the fact the stock was approaching what we viewed as fair value, it was our expectation that outperformance could continue, driven by an inflection in LFLs at Q3 and positive US news flow, the bank said,

However, it sad slower current growth reported last week has promoted it to cut its full-year 2017 earnings per share estimates by 2%.

JPM said that while the stock is down 8% in the last three days, there is still only 9% upside to its new target price.

Given that we do not view the valuation as particularly compelling and we struggle to think of near-term positive catalysts, we are downgrading.

It noted that the company is due to report full-year results on 27 Sept and said that barring a sharp improvement in commodity pricing or industrial data, there are unlikely to be any positive catalysts between now and then.
Germanys 11th post-war president, Joachim Gauck, said he will not run for a second five-year term which could cause trouble for Chancellor Angela Merkels coalition government on selecting a successor.

The 76-year-old, former Lutheran pastor and East German dissident, has been president since 2012 and said his age had been a factor in his decision.

Speaking at Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin he said, I'm thankful that I'm well but at the same time I'm aware that the period between the 77th and 82nd year of one's life is different to the one in which I find myself now.

"I don't want to presume an energy and vitality for another five years that I can't guarantee.

The presidency is largely a ceremonial role and is not directly elected by the people but by the Federal Convention, which consists of the German parliament and delegates from state parliaments.

Angela Merkel, 61, has not confirmed if she will seek a fourth term as chancellor in 2017, but the announcement of Gaucks decision not to run effectively starts the general election campaign 15 months early, according to Spiegel Online. Gaucks successor will be chosen less than six months before the general election.

Gauck was initially opposed by Merkel as her preference was for Christian Wulff, who resigned as president in a financial scandal in 2012. Merkel conceded and supported Gauck when her then coalition partner the Free Democrats supported him.

Merkel needs the support of at least one other party for her nominee.

The vacancy could be an opportunity to rebuild the relationship between Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) after CSUs public criticism of Merkels refugee policy.

Merkel could have trouble with her coalition junior partner the Social Democrats (SU) asserting its independence before the general election or, supporting a candidate together to oppose the Green and Left parties.

Possible presidential contenders are CDU finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 73, the nations longest-serving law maker, SD foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeiser, CDU speaker of the Bundestag parliament Norbert Lammert and Bavarian conservative Gerda Hasselfeldt.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, while on an official visit to Tehran, on June 6 met Vice-President of Iran, head of the Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, press service of the MFA of Armenia informed Armenpress.

Iranian Vice-President said he is always happy to meet Armenian FM with whom he cooperated when he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran.

Issues related to the development of bilateral cooperation were discussed.

Ali Akbar Salehi introduced to Edward Nalbandian the implementation of agreement of Irans nuclear project.

The same day Armenian FM met secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani.

Issues related to the joint steps aimed at more deepening the Armenian-Iranian mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as the process of the implementation of agreements between the two states were discussed.

Edward Nalbandian presented Ali Shamkhani the efforts aimed at overcoming the consequences of the large-scale military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh in early April.

The sides agreed that the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no alternative.

International and regional issues, as well as the efforts towards their solutions were touched upon during the meeting.
The Swiss people voted on the issue in a referendum after independent group Bien-CH gathered well over 100,000 signatures on a petition, warranting a vote under Swiss law.

Official final results showed 76.9% of voters opposed the plans, which proposed to guarantee Swiss nationals and legal residents of at least five years a basic income of around CHF2,500 a month  below the median income of over CHF6000  whether they are in work or not. The proposal had also included an income of CHF625 per child.

Andreas Ladner, a political scientist at Lausanne University, told RTS the Swiss were "realistic" in their assessment of the UBI plan.



Accepting that people can "be paid without having to work would have been a very big step" for the industrious Swiss, Ladner said.

Opponents of the proposal criticised the plans, which they said would give people little incentive to work, but the campaigns supporters pointed out the amount being suggested was by no means enough to live on in pricey Switzerland, meaning people would be just as motivated to work.

The idea of a basic income for all is also being considered in Finland, where the government is mulling the possibility of giving it to around 8,000 people on low incomes.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Labour is considering making the idea part of its official party policy. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is due to appear at the launch of a report on the proposal from the leftwing campaign group Compass in the House of Commons later on Monday.

A source close to the Shadow Chancellor told The Independent: "The concept of a UBI is one among many ideas that has been put to the party in our wider policy review over recent months.

"It is not official Labour party policy or a commitment towards becoming policy.

"It's just an acknowledgement that there's clearly a policy discussion on this matter taking place in think tanks and among academic circles outside the party and we are following the debate as it unfolds."

The idea of a universal basic income is seen by many as a way to tackle automation, as lower-skilled jobs are increasingly being taken over by robots.
Rising crude and metals prices helped propel several resources-linked FTSE 250 stocks higher in an overall quiet session, with concurrent Brexit jitters weighing on the housing sector.

At 1519 BST, West Texas Intermediate crude was up 1.83% to $49.51 a barrel, while Brent firmed 1.55% to $50.41 a barrel.

Against this backdrop, Weir Group, Wood Group and Evraz all enjoyed gains.

At the same time, spot gold was ahead 0.28% to $1,246 an ounce, while spot copper improved 0.76% to $212.9 a pound. Other industrial metals prices also firmed.

To this end, Vedanta Resources and Kaz Minerals appeared as beneficiaries.

Looking to the mid-cap downside, housebuilders Crest Nicholson and Redrow fell as concerns mounted that the UK will vote to leave the European Union on 23 June on the back of several new polls.

The latest Observer/Opinium poll of voting intentions, published on Sunday, revealed that 43% of Britons now backed the UK's exit from the EU, with support for remaining inside at 40%.

In parallel, a YouGov poll on behalf of ITV showed 45% of Britons would choose to leave the EU, versus 41% backing a remain outcome.

A third poll from TNS put support for 'Leave' at 43% against 41% for 'Remain'

Market Movers

FTSE 250 (MCX) 17,085.14 0.10%

FTSE 250 - Risers

Weir Group (WEIR) 1,256.00p 6.44%

Vedanta Resources (VED) 398.10p 6.16%

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 154.00p 4.19%

Amec Foster Wheeler (AMFW) 441.60p 4.13%

Investec (INVP) 472.80p 3.98%

Serco Group (SRP) 112.00p 3.90%

Polymetal International (POLY) 882.00p 3.89%

Wood Group (John) (WG.) 638.00p 3.66%

Evraz (EVR) 115.50p 3.49%

Drax Group (DRX) 305.20p 3.35%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Indivior (INDV) 211.20p -10.17%

NCC Group (NCC) 277.20p -4.35%

Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 560.50p -4.02%

Shawbrook Group (SHAW) 276.70p -3.92%

Redrow (RDW) 399.30p -3.78%

Homeserve (HSV) 470.80p -3.52%

Aldermore Group (ALD) 207.40p -3.49%

AO World (AO.) 169.40p -3.20%

Sophos Group (SOPH) 186.20p -3.07%

Greencore Group (GNC) 328.60p -3.07%
How are Black residents here doing compared to rest of U.S.?

news
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. President of the Armenian Union of Romania Varuzhan Voskanyan issued a statement on June 3 after the adoption of the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the Bundestag. According to the statement, it was a historical vote especially considering the fact that Germany accepted its part of responsibility for the extermination of Armenians.

This exceptional position of Germany is an overt call addressed to Turkey to step back from its denialist policy and accept the fact of extermination of the Armenian population and other minorities by the coordinated actions of the Ottoman Empire, reads the statement.

The Armenian Union of Romania hopes that this vote will encourage discussions in the Romanian parliament as well, which will lead to a similar resolution.

The Armenians of Romania express gratitude to Germany for its resolute position.
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation led by First Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, member of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Zhang Gaoli on June 6.

The Prewsident of the Republic greeted the high ranking official and his delegation, stating that the visit of the First Vice Premier of PRC to Armenia is the evidence of the high level cooperation between Armenia and China and a mutual desire to strengthen it further. Mentioning that China is among Armenias key international partners, Serzh Sargsyan stated that the consistent development of centuries-old friendly relations between Armenia and China is among the top foreign priorities of Armenia.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of Republic of Armenia Presidents office, the sides documented with satisfaction that since the establishment diplomatic relations between the two countries Armenian-Chinese partnership has constantly developed and expanded absorbing various fields such as political, economic, cultural, educational and so on. The President of Armenia and the First Premier of China mentioned that despite external economic shocks Armenian-Chinese economic cooperation has dynamically developed during the previous years. The joint initiatives in the spheres of industry, energy, agriculture, science, and culture are an important stimulus for leveling up the existing relations.

The First Premier of China highlighted the economic cooperation between PRC and the EAEU, mentioning that Armenia, as an EAEU member state, can have its contribution to the progress of talks in that direction.

The sides shared the opinion that the mutual high level visits, which have become regular in the recent years, significantly strengthen Armenian-Chinese relations. Serzh Sargsyan and Zhang Gaoli expressed satisfaction over Armenbian-Chinese cooperation in international organizations.

The interlocutors also attached great importance to the measures for strengthening cultural ties. In this context the construction of the school with advanced teaching of Chinese language was highlighted, which, according to them, will be a promising contribution to the friendship between the future generations of the two states.
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ANCHORAGE (AP)  Federal and private researchers are using a new tool to gather information about marine mammals and fish in the Bering Sea off Alaska's west coast.

Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are using unmanned autonomous sailing vessels to gather information on endangered North Pacific right whales, fur seals and ocean waters.





. . .
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By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG

AP Business Writer

iStock image Would-be entrepreneurs are seeing loan payments eat up cash that might be used for startup costs, or that would serve as cash flow for a new company.

NEW YORK  As millions of people graduate from colleges and universities this spring, student loan debt will put the kibosh on the hopes many of them have to become entrepreneurs. And millions of others who have been out of school for years are in the same unhappy place.





. . .
Norway may ban petrol, diesel vehicles by 2025

Norway's MPs have reportedly agreed to ban or reduce the sale of all cars running on petrol and diesel after 2025, in a move that was promptly lauded by Elon Musk, chief executive of cutting-edge electric car maker Tesla.

"Just heard that Norway will ban new sales of fuel cars in 2025,'' Musk tweeted. ''What an amazingly awesome country. You guys rock!!"

Norwegian Liberal Party MP Ola Elverstuen told local outlet Dagens Naeringsliv that his fellow MPs and those of the Progress Party, the Christian Democrats and the Conservative Party have reached a groundbreaking decision to meet the goals.

The goals have been outlined in the ambitious national transport plan 2018-2019 which stipulates gradually banning all types of vehicles that harm the environment such as fuel-powered cars, vans, buses and heavy vehicles.

With 24 per cent of new vehicles being powered by electric drive-trains, Norway already has the highest percentage of electric vehicle market share of any country  meaning that it's less of a leap for Norway than any other country, but it's still a big step.

''Now it's no longer just a message about energy, but the message about climate,'' Elverstuen said.

yvind Korsberg, an MP for the Progress Party, went even further in his estimates of how far-reaching the consequences of the plan would be.

''After 2025 new private cars, buses and light commercial vehicles will be zero-emission vehicles. By 2030, new heavier vans, 75 per cent of new long-distance buses, 50 per cent of new trucks will be zero emission vehicles,'' he said, referring to the targets stated in the white paper on the energy policy mapped by the Norway's Petroleum and Energy Ministry in April. The paper requires formal approval if it is to be converted into an official policy.

The plan's implementation is closely connected to offering financial stimuli for potential electric car buyers for them to get rid of the petroleum-powered vehicles.

''People should be confident that it will be significantly cheaper with a zero emissions car than with a traditional car,'' Elverstuen said.

Conservatives cautious

However, the Conservative Party on Thursday issued a statement downplaying the report and calling it ''misleading'', as cited by ABC Nyheter.

''There is no issue of banning the sale of diesel and gasoline vehicles in 2025, although someone could have got this impression from Dagens Naeringsliv,'' said Tina Bru, Conservative Party MP and a member of the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment. She added that the discussion focused on determining the maximum number of low and zero-emissions vehicles that ''we need on Norwegian roads in 2025 to reach climate goals''.

A conflicting report by Aftenposten then cited Liberal Party communications advisor Audun Rdningsby, saying that he fully confirmed the accuracy of the claims. This is despite Conservative and Progress Party sources telling the paper that the plan was still being discussed.

For Tesla, the world's leading manufacturer of electric cars, Norway is one of the most attractive markets, with the country being at the forefront of introducing environment-friendly technology into the life of its citizens.

In February, Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Tord Lien asked the company to participate in working on a more efficient energy system for the country in return for its steady support of Tesla's products.

''Norway has always been important for Tesla, and I think it is only fair if the company also gives something in return,'' Lien told E24 as cited by The Nordic Page.
Navy vows to spend 1.5% of budget on green energy

As part of its green initiatives, the Indian Navy has pledged to spend 1.5 per cent of its budget on renewable energy generation and is consulting the ministry of new and renewable energy on harnessing energy from the ocean.

Under this scheme, solar photovoltaic (PV) projects are being undertaken at various naval stations across all Commands.

Naval stations, with scarce available land, have resorted to deploying rooftop solar panels.

"While the renewable energy scenario in the country is dominated by solar and wind energy, the Navy is also exploring the possibility of harnessing renewable energy from the ocean.

"Towards this, in consultation with pioneers in the field and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, feasibility of exploiting Ocean Thermal Energy and Wave Energy as sources of power, are under discussion," the Navy said in a statement.

In January this year, the Navy set up an energy and environment cell at the Naval Headquarters to monitor implementation of green measures.

This cell has been tasked to enable the Navy's aim of "adding a green footprint" to its blue water operations and make it an environmentally responsible force which is not only energy and resource efficient but also resilient to energy costs/disruptions.

"Key result areas of the Navy's Energy and Environment Policy underline the triple bottom-line approach of energy conservation, diversification of energy supply and minimising environment impact," the statement said.

"The Navy has initiated concerted steps to reduce carbon footprint through efficient ship design and operations. Mass energy conservation awareness drives are conducted regularly at all commands and repair yards to continuously educate and sensitise personnel on the importance of energy/environment conservation in an effort to make this a way of life.

"Apart from greater awareness of the naval fraternity, the efforts have resulted in significant savings of approximately Rs 12 crore annually," the Navy said.

The Navy has set itself a target of 21 MW Solar PV installation. The initiative is in line with the National Mission of Mega Watt to Giga Watt towards achieving 100 GW Solar PV installations by 2022.
Halloween creatures  owls, crows and bats  all live at Crossroads, and that makes us very happy, for these scary animals make a positive contribution to the habitats of the preserve. We don't even mind black cats, IF they are kept indoors. Feral and outdoor cats are exceedingly harmful to wildlife ... and that's not a superstition! But to tamp down superstitions, we at Crossroads will spend the week demystifying Halloween creatures.

On October 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. will be our Evening with Owls. The Open Door Bird Sanctuary will be at Crossroads, offering a one-hour presentation followed by the opportunity to meet and greet live birds. Learn all about owls and the other incredible birds in the care of the Sanctuary!

Down through the centuries, in many cultures throughout the world, owls have been associated with evil and death. Truth is, owls probably are not smart enough to be evil. But researchers agree that owls are about as dim as the nighttime forests in which they hunt.

Owls don't need to be smart. They have everything else going for them. They are muscular. They fly silently. Their huge eyes enable them to see in the dark. Their beaks and talons are strong and wickedly sharp. But their sensitive ears are what make owls extraordinary hunters.

Most people assume that the plumicorns (a.k.a. "horns) of an owl are its ears. Not so.

The actual ears lie under feathers on the sides of the head, and they aren't symmetrical. Because one ear is higher than the other and the ears are unequal in size, sound is different from different directions, helping owls locate prey, which they do almost unfailingly, even in total darkness.

Owls do not smell their prey. As with most birds, the sense of smell is insignificant, if it exists are all. Great Horned Owls frequently prey on skunks. Enough said.

But well-developed intelligence? Researchers have observed owls beating their wings on bushes to try to flush out little birds. Is this learned behavior? Is it problem-solving?

Maybe.

For the most part, owls do not have a lot of problems to solve. They appropriate abandoned nests of other birds, so they don't need building skills. They are stealthy by nature, and they pounce on and usually catch anything they hear, so they don't need hunting techniques.

In spite of ghost stories, legends of American First People, and superstitions from Europe and India, hooting owls do not foretell impending death, although their nocturnal calls are spooky. We hear them now and then this time of year, but we will regularly hear those eerie calls at Crossroads in January or February.

In contrast to owls, crows are noisy all year round and they are amazingly intelligent. They can learn. They can remember. They can solve problems. They can even identify individual humans. And they detest owls, though whether this is innate or learned behavior is not clear.

Those curious about crows will want to attend the Crossroads Book Club on Wednesday, October 26, at 10:00 a.m. This month, the book Crow Planet, Essential Wisdom for the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt will explore the fascinating world of these remarkable birds. The program is free and open to all, whether or not they have read the book.

So bring the family to our program on owls, learn about crows at the Crossroads Book Club, or learn about bats at our pre-school Junior Nature Club on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. or our Family Science Saturday program at 2:00 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required at Junior Nature Club and Science Saturday, and adult visitors are welcome.
Eufaula Police shot and killed an armed suspect Saturday morning, June 4, following a shooting rampage that left three injured, including a 2-year-old child.

The deceased suspect is identified by police as 35-year-old Demarco Rhymes of Eufaula.

A press release from the EPD states, At 7:54 a.m. Saturday, the Eufaula Police Department received a report that an individual was shot at Level Acres Mobile Home Park. After responding to the scene, officers confirmed that a two-year-old female had been shot in the leg and Mr. Demarco Rhymes, 35, of Eufaula, was named as the suspect.

According to police, Rhymes left Level Acres after shooting the two-year-old victim and went to Davis Street where he shot 42-year-old Lashada Flowers of Eufaula. He then proceeded to Norman Street where he shot 39-year-old Eufaula resident Andre Williams multiple times.

Eufaula Police officers first made contact with Mr. Rhymes near Zion Church where he fired shots at the officers, a press release sent out by Chief Steve Watkins states. During the subsequent vehicle and foot pursuit, Mr. Rhymes continued to fire at the officers. In order to stop the imminent deadly threat posed by Mr. Rhymes, the officers employed deadly force. Mr. Rhymes was pronounced dead at Medical Center Barbour. No officers were injured in the incident. Pursuant to the Eufaula Police Departments established policy, the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The two-year-old girl was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham via jet. She remains in stable condition. Flowers and Williams were transported to Dothan hospitals in critical condition but as of Monday were both listed in stable condition.

Eufaula Police Chief Steve Watkins said Rhymes has a criminal history with the EPD that dates back to 2004, which includes three felony arrests, four misdemeanor arrests and several traffic citations. He did not list the charges associated with the previous arrests. Rhymes fatal shooting by officers was turned over for investigation to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation. The other shootings involved in the case are being investigated by the Eufaula Police Department. Preliminary reports indicate domestic disputes involving multiple parties as a possible motive for the shooting rampage by Mr. Rhymes, a press release states. Though Watkins stated none of the victims were related to the suspect.

Our prayers are with the victims, officers and all those affected by this incident, said Chief Watkins. Our highly trained officers are prepared to address such incidents and I commend the officers who responded and deployed their training both effectively and efficiently (Saturday) morning.

Watkins also said they hope to have the officers involved back to work this week.

We have found its better for the personnel to get back to work as quickly as possible after an incident like this, he said.
An already thriving restaurant and services industry in Dothan appears to be adding more jobs each month as new franchises and locally owned restaurants locate in the area.

At least three new restaurants have either opened or announced openings soon. Dickeys Barbecue Pit on East Main Street is expected to open in the first part of July and employ more than 20 workers, while Grannys Drive-Thru & Dine-In on Ross Clark Circle, in front of Holiday Inn Express & Suites, opened in May and has between 10 and 15 workers.

Krystal announced it would open another restaurant on Ross Clark Circle, near the Kelley Drive intersection, in September and employ about 30 people.

Variety Wholesalers Vice President of Real Estate Sean Swalin said the companys Roses brand, which currently has a presence in Ozark, could potentially add as many as 50 part-time and full-time jobs to the Wiregrass area by early next year.

The Alabama Department of Labor reported last month that more than 159,000 Alabamians worked in food service and drinking places in the state in April. According to the Alabama Tourism Departments Economic Impact 2015 report, Houston Countys direct and indirect travel-related employment  which includes restaurants  jumped 6.3 percent from 2014 to 3,764 jobs last year.

Dean Mitchell, executive director of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, said job growth and opportunities in different industries show how a multi-dimensional economy helps an area succeed.

Each and every job is essential and important to the economic vitality of our community, he stated.

Our economy is multi-dimensional, which provides many opportunities for entry into or upward mobility for an individuals career path. Great leadership, infrastructure, labor force, and community support all play a critical role in helping grow Dothans and the Wiregrass economy.

Dickeys Barbecue general manager Mike Smith said the restaurant is one of two franchise restaurants that his brother, Greg, owns. He said the other restaurant is a Subway in Cottonwood.

Smith said he has worked with the Alabama Career Center to help employ qualified workers. He said the restaurant, which is based in Texas, offers Dothan a quality place for barbecue as well as some specialized deals and live acoustic music.

Dickeys is a good opportunity with really good food, and weve trained to make it the best it can be here, he said.

Grannys associate Tonia Bigham said the idea of serving some of owner Ron Wilsons family soul food recipes through a drive-thru adds variety to what Dothan already offers, in addition to providing more jobs.

She said some of what the restaurant serves includes fried and baked chicken, smothered pork chops, beef tips and rice, macaroni and cheese, rutabagas, okra, collard greens and other southern-style fare.

We definitely want to add more people, so were still hiring, she said.
Tourism officials believe business travel and some local attractions, such as sporting events and festivals, led to a spike in the amount of travelers and money spent here over the last year and recent months.

According to the Alabama Tourism Departments Economic Impact 2015 report, travelers spent an estimated $263.7 million in Houston County last year, up 10.8 percent from 2014. Travelers spent an estimated $55.3 million in Coffee County, $39.3 million Dale County, $3.2 million in Geneva County and $3 million in Henry County.

Statewide numbers show more than 25 million people traveled to Alabama and spent more than $12.6 billion in the state last year. According to the tourism board, travelers spent a bulk of their money at eating and drinking establishments and in automobile transportation, which combined accounted for more than half of the total revenue.

With travel came employment over multiple industries, including retail and restaurant businesses. Statewide, direct and indirect travel-related employment accounted for 175,652 jobs. Direct and indirect travel-related employment increased in Geneva County by 9.3 percent to 47 jobs, in Houston County by 6.3 percent to 3,764 jobs and in Dale County by .3 percent to 583 jobs. Travel-related employment declined in Coffee County by 3.7 percent to 864 jobs and in Henry County by 17 percent to 41 jobs.

Bob Hendrix, executive director of the Dothan Convention and Visitors Bureau, said several activities, festivals and sporting events contributed to an increase in money spent in the local area. He also attributed work-related travel and hotel expenditures for Farley Nuclear Plant, in which the company brought in several engineers to the city for maintenance at Farley, as a reason for the increase in travel-related spending.

Hendrix said the money generated in state and local taxes saves each household in Alabama $424 that would have been necessary to maintain current state and local government services.

He said numbers for 2016 already show a 14-percent increase over last year.

We have Toadlick this weekend which we are projecting to have over a $1 million impact, directly and indirectly, because people will be stopping off and eating in the restaurants and staying in our hotels, he said.

The employment numbers show that the travel industry here is just as big as the hospitals and education.

The tourism board stated it utilized state lodging tax revenues, Smith Travel Research data on hotel occupancy rates and prior-year field intercept surveys to estimate the states tourism economic impact for 2015.
dpa ElectionsData

With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc.

The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties.
The area encompasses the two West Papuan provinces, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the western half of Fiji.

The term generally refers to a broad swathe of territory extending from West Papua south east to Fiji.

MELANESIA is an ill-defined concept. The word comes from the Greek and means black islands.

The idea has been variously criticised by a range of commentators, mostly because they believe it conveys a false utopian view.

In Papua New Guinea the Melanesian Way is credited, among other things, with the peaceful transition from colonial rule to independence.

In reality the peaceful transition owed more to Australian design. In Vanuatu the transition to independence was more traumatic because of the attitudes of its British and French administrators.

While the veracity of a distinct Melanesia in traditional terms is questionable, its modern regional manifestation suggests otherwise. This is nowhere more apparent than in the similarities in the problems of governance in the region.

Modern Melanesia is everywhere demonstrating a common inability to govern itself.

We are aware of the problems in Papua New Guinea. These include corruption, incompetence and the inability to organise a coherent political unity. Much of this is epitomised in the bigman concept.

All these problems also characterise the other Melanesian states in the region.

In Vanuatu there was a breakdown in governance that required outside intervention. There was a secession movement on Santo which had the hallmarks of the Bougainville crisis. In a twist of irony, Papua New Guinea sent its own military contingent to help.

In Solomon Islands the same characteristics caused a complete breakdown in governance and a civil war between the people from Malaita and those from Guadalcanal. The Australia-led intervention known as RAMSI (regional assistance mission to the Solomon Islands) encountered the same problems Papua New Guinea is now experiencing.

There is a consensus that, when RAMSI winds up, the Solomon Islands will revert to its previous condition of anarchy.

There was a crisis in New Caledonia, sometimes referred to as the Kanak insurgency. France, which regards its colonies as part of the provincial motherland, brutally supressed the uprising. The Kanaks continue to fight among themselves.

In West Papua, resistance to Indonesian annexation continues and is being brutally suppressed. There is no coherent and united opposition.

In Fiji there have been two military coups whose success probably owes more to Polynesian and Indian influences.

It seems that a defining characteristic of the Melanesian Way is disunity and a failure of effective governance. It is also a self-inflicting phenomenon. Blaming previous colonial or outside influences misses the point.

Both Australia and New Zealand have been involved in regional interventions in the Pacific. At best they have simply stabilised bad situations. They have not even come close to solving the underlying issues, and those issues persist.

Australia and New Zealand are dreading the prospect of having to intervene somewhere as large and complicated as Papua New Guinea.

This goes a long way in explaining their current heads-in-the-sand attitude. At the moment they just dont want to know about it.

When you look at countries in Africa, it is difficult not to conclude that the whole post-war decolonisation process, so beloved of the United Nations, might have been a mistake.

Cutting barely developed countries adrift to sink or swim has been disastrous worldwide. It is analogous to setting minnows free in a pool of sharks.

In the Pacific region of Melanesia the only way forward seems to be the re-establishment of colonial ties in a much more formal and equitable way.

But who would listen to an argument like that?
Home Four wheelers 1.9 Lakh Diesel Cars To Be Recalled In July; Is Your's On The List? oi-Dennis

German carmaker Volkswagen has announced a recall of massive 1.9 lakh cars sold in India due to issues related to the emissions scandal it is currently embroiled in.

The recall is a voluntary one from VW as the company is currently not facing any charges in India with regards to the 'Dieselgate' emissions scandal which was uncovered last September in the United States.

The recall of the 1.9 lakh cars marks the start of the larger 3.23 lakh car recall the company had announced last December and will start in July once Volkswagen gets permission from the regulatory bodies involved.

All affected cars use VW's EA 189 series of diesel engines which include 1.2-litre, 1.5-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre engines.

Volkswagen India Head of Marketing, Kamal Basu told PTI, "Starting from the second half of 2016, Volkswagen will recall 1.90 lakh cars. Since the recall was done in the US to fix the emission software, the company decided to do also the same in India to keep updated with the changes made outside."
Coal India to discuss buy back in the next meet

The largest coal producer company in the world, Coal India Ltd., which contributes around 82 per cent of the coal production in India is planning to pass the proposal of buyback of shares in the next board meeting.

However, the date of the next board meeting as well as the quantum of the buyback plan are yet to be finalised. The buyback size could be at least 5 per cent of the paid-up capital. (sources PTI).

Finance Ministry is pushing for buyback of shares by Central Public Centre Enterprize. This is being done for two purposes: to generate cash for the government and help push up the valuation for any divestment. In the last one year, Coal India has seen depletion in its cash reserve of Rs 8,700 crore to Rs 38,300 crore as on March 2016, which accounts for approximate 18 per cent.

Company has posted a positive result in this quarter. Companys net profit stands at Rs 4247.93 crores in Q4FY16 as compared to Rs 3718.25 crore in the last quarter, with an increase of 14.25 per cent.

The government has set a disinvestment target of Rs 56,500 crore for 2016-17. Of this, Rs 36,000 crore is expected to come from minority stake sales. The Centre will bring down its stake in Coal India below 75 per cent to adhere to market regulator SEBI norms. The deadline for completing such a divestment is August 2017.

Coal India Limited (CIL) is an Indian state-controlled coal mining company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Union Government of India owns 79.65% of the shares in Coal India Ltd., and controls the operations of the company through Ministry of Coal.

The shares on the bourses on Monday have opened marginally down and are trading at Rs 305.10, marginally down by 1.25 per cent.
ALBANY  An investigation into the escape of two murderers from an upstate prison last year concluded Monday that chronic staff complacency, complicit employees and failures of basic security procedures were to blame.

State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott's report about the breakout of David Sweat and Richard Matt said security lapses at the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility at Dannemora, 25 miles south of the Canadian border, were longstanding.

"The extent of complacency and failure to adhere to the most basic security standards uncovered by my investigation was egregious and inexcusable," Scott said.

Correction authorities have implemented changes, and many Clinton employees have resigned or been fired, she said.

The lapses include failures to search entering employees' bags, negligent night counts of inmates, inadequate cell searches and poor supervision of inmates and civilian employees by security staff, she said.

The 154-page report includes a reference to an attempted escape at the maximum security prison in Auburn that the IG said motivated the state's deputy commissioner for correctional facilities to issue a memorandum eight weeks prior to the escape by Matt and Sweat. The memo urged prison superintendents to "eliminate the possibility of escapes from our facilities," according to the IG report.

"The memorandum referenced 'recent events'  an attempted escape from Auburn Correctional Facility by an inmate who planned to flee in a load of sawdust being removed from the prison, and an attempted suicide by an inmate who security staff improperly left in an Industry area at Eastern Correctional Facility," the report said.

Weeks after the escape from Clinton, Auburn Correctional Facility was placed on a lockdown after inmate escape plans were found.

"Since last June, DOCCS has instituted a number of reforms to strengthen operations at Clinton Correctional Facility, including installing new cameras and security gates, retraining staff, disciplining responsible employees, appointing a new superintendent and replacing other senior administrative personnel," DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said in an emailed statement. "We are reviewing the Inspector Generals findings and will work with her office to implement her recommendations to improve operations at Clinton and throughout the entire system, and help ensure this incident is never repeated."

The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents state prison guards, also issued a statement Monday: "The Clinton escape was a disturbing incident that brings to light the broader inadequacies that affect the entire correctional system. Lessons can be learned from this system wide failure that shined a bright light on the need for a sustained investment in training, technology, and tools to keep up with the record high levels of violence in our prisons. We look forward to working with the Governor and state officials to better address the safety and security of these facilities, and of the inmates and Correction Officers who live and work there."

Matt, who had been serving 25 years to life for the killing of his former boss, and Sweat, who had been serving life without parole in the killing of a sheriff's deputy, cut holes in the backs of their cells during recreation periods with saws and other tools smuggled in by a civilian employee of the tailor shop where they worked. They cut their way through their cell walls, climbed down catwalks and through tunnels, cut into and out of a large steam pipe and then exited through a manhole. They left behind a taunting note containing a crude caricature of an Asian face and the words "Have a nice day."

The tailor shop employee, Joyce Mitchell, who's now in state prison for providing the escape tools, had improper sexual relationships with each man, the report said. She talked about leaving with them and killing her husband, a prison instructor, it said.

Over the course of about 85 nights, Sweat climbed down catwalks into the tunnels under the prison, explored for possible escape routes and cut through large steam pipes and the chain on the manhole cover where they got out. More than 400 inmate bed checks should have occurred in that period, and any one properly conducted would have detected Sweat's absence, according to the report.

Guard Gene Palmer, who took the men pliers and a screwdriver and frozen meat in which Mitchell hid saw blades, was convicted of promoting prison contraband and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Mitchell also smuggled a road atlas to Matt and placed telephone calls inquiring about rental cabins in Vermont, which Matt had suggested as a potential place to go after the escape. The cabins were too expensive, however, and Matt said they would head to Mexico, where he said he had ties to a drug cartel. The two inmates even chose aliases: Sweat picked James Tuttle, and Matt opted for Tony Goya.

A three-week manhunt followed the escape, with up to 1,300 state, federal and local law enforcement personnel that cost the state $22.8 million in overtime.

Matt was shot dead by searchers June 26 in a wooded area 30 miles west of the prison. Sweat was shot and captured two days later near the Canadian border. Sweat pleaded guilty to escape charges and was ordered to pay restitution for some of the $573,000 in repair costs.

Mitchell, the tailor shop employee, pleaded guilty to charges related to providing hacksaw blades and other tools to the inmates. Palmer, the guard, pleaded guilty to a felony count of promoting prison contraband for taking in needle-nose pliers and a screwdriver and a misdemeanor official misconduct count.
Todays guest post was written by Tali Wendrow. She and her husband Julian, the parents of an autistic daughter, were put through a legal ordeal unlike anything youve likely ever heard of. In her essay, Tali contrasts their own experience with the favorable treatment that Alan Gocha, Jr. recently received when Gov. Rick Snyder issued a rare pardon for Gocha, expunging his record of his drunk driving arrest in 2007.

The Wendrows won a court case last fall but, as she describes, the case is still under appeal. In the meantime, they are treated as criminals while Gocha, a man who admittedly endangered others by his actions, is heralded by Gov. Snyder as someone who deserves a second chance.

Here is Talis essay.

Alan Gocha, Jr. applied for pardon from his 2007 drunk driving conviction because, in part, it interfered with international travel. My family can totally relate to what its like to have your ability to freely travel impeded by the government, but were not likely to be granted a pardon.

When Mr. Gocha, Jr., one of 11 people Governor Rick Snyder pardoned during his tenure as Governor, was stopped for drunk driving on December 21, 2007, my husband, Julian, was in jail for a non-existent crime while I remained on house arrest with a tether for which I had to pay. I stopped putting money in my sons college fund in order to pay that $365.00/month tether fee. Oh, and for good measure, December 21, 2007 was our 21st wedding anniversary. We had planned to take a family vacation to South Africa, where my husband grew up, in order to celebrate our anniversary and attend a dear friends daughters wedding.

In late 2007, our family suffered a nightmare of enormous proportion as my husband was charged with the worst sort of crime, sexual abuse of our disabled daughter. I was accused of ignoring the crime(s) occurring under my roof. Our non-verbal, autistic daughter allegedly made the statements through facilitated communication, a controversial (to say the least) method of communication we had been using with her. While fact after fact demonstrated that no such abuse occurred, the police and prosecutors proceeded full speed ahead. The criminal charges were ultimately dropped. Our family brought civil claims against the police and prosecutors and others in the fall of 2008 (the civil matter is still not fully resolved as prosecutors seek to appeal a jury verdict in favor of our family and against the former prosecutor, David Gorcyca and his Chief Deputy, Deborah Carley.)

In March 2008, the Prosecutors office dropped the criminal charges and also dropped the separate charges seeking to terminate our parental rights. Subsequently, in 2009, we asked Judge Marc Barron of the 48th District Court to have the fingerprints and arrest cards destroyed consistent with the law at the time. Judge Barron surprisingly denied our request and Judge Nanci Grant of the Oakland County Circuit Court surprisingly upheld that denial, in spite of the fact that the law at the time clearly supported our request to destroy the fingerprints and arrest card. So today, our fingerprints remain in the LEIN (Law Enforcement Information Network) system for doing nothing illegal. We cant have the record expunged because there is no conviction to expunge. We cant ask the Governor to pardon us because there is no conviction to pardon (although we would have zero chance of Governor Snyder ever granting such a request from us). While Mr. Gocha, who endangered lives by drinking and driving, has his slate wiped clean, we continue to live with this cloud hanging over us seven years after the criminal charges were dropped.

Governor Snyder pardoned Alan Gocha, Jr. because the Governor doesnt want the conviction to impede Mr. Gochas economic advantages. Fair enough. I believe in second chances but heres the irony: Mr. Gocha, who actually committed a crime gets a second chance while Julian and I have to travel with copies of the dismissal order with us because EVERY TIME we enter the country (after leaving to visit family or friends who live in other countries), Julian is detained.

Yes, the existence of our names in the system  where they never belonged  interferes with our travel abroad. This is what Mr. Gocha and I have in common. But thats where the commonality ends. In our case, theres nothing to expunge or pardon but there remain fingerprints and arrest cards that come up every time the TSA runs my husbands fingerprints through the system  followed by a one or two hour delay as they confirm that there is no currently pending arrest requiring them to detain him further. There is something fundamentally un-American about a process where people who should never have been arrested and fingerprinted in the first place remain in a database of criminals while a politically connected, wealthy person who admittedly committed a crime  and one where he endangered the lives of others  is able to remove himself from such a database.
Last year, Tali Wendrow penned two guest posts for Eclectablog. In the first, she described the outrageous treatment her family received at the hands of former Oakland County Prosecuter David Gorcyca and his staff. Heres what Tali wrote in that piece:

In late 2007, our family suffered a nightmare of enormous proportion as my husband was charged with the worst sort of crime, sexual abuse of our disabled daughter. I was accused of ignoring the crime(s) occurring under my roof. Our non-verbal, autistic daughter allegedly made the statements through facilitated communication, a controversial (to say the least) method of communication we had been using with her. While fact after fact demonstrated that no such abuse occurred, the police and prosecutors proceeded full speed ahead. The criminal charges were ultimately dropped.

The Wendrows sued Gorcyca and his department and, last summer, settled for $2 million.

The second piece by Wendrow was a cautionary story about Gorcycas wife Lisa, an Oakland Circuit Court Judge. Lisa Gorcyca is facing disciplinary action by the Judicial Tenure Commission over her outrageous behavior in a difficult custody case. Wendrow lays out how Judge Gorcycas actions are not so unexpected when you see how her husband operated in his position as prosecutor. Lisa Gorcyca worked in David Gorcycas early in her career. Heres what Wendrow wrote:

I dont know if its common practice in Prosecutors offices around the country to remove children to break a mother to testify against her husband or to allow law enforcement to interrogate a child in order to break him to testify against a parent, or if its common place to remove children in order to make an intransigent divorcing parent capitulate from an irrational position, but I do know that such tactics were common in David Gorcycas office. And now we all know that such tactics were used by his wife in a high-conflict divorce case.

Last week, around 200 Metro Detroit attorneys came to Lisa Gorcycas defense, sending a letter to the Judicial Tenure Commission to ask them not to take action against her. You can read the details HERE.

Below are Tali Wendrows thoughts on the matter.

Last week, the Detroit News published a letter of support for Oakland Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca signed by 200 lawyers. I have been wondering where was my letter of support from 200 attorneys who knew of my record of integrity, dedication to my children, to my family, to my community, my work ethic, my kindness? When I needed it most, when my very liberty and the most precious thing  my parental rights  were at stake, attorneys and even some judges in the community quietly supported me. People would tell me that this one or that one had my back or that they knew the allegations were bogus but they never published a letter of support which would be sent to the body reviewing the case and published in a major news source. They let the process play out.

The truth is that, other than the attorneys of record who fought so hard on our behalf as part of the legal process, no one in the legal community was willing to publicly challenge the old boy network that was in the process of persecuting our family. I am not complaining about the representation we received  I thank God every day that we had the people we did fighting so hard for our family  I know how fortunate we were to be in their capable hands. But the greater legal community, those not directly involved in our case, they waited until it was safe to do so before being openly supportive and they didnt rally together and draft a letter.

Whats different about judge Lisa Gorcyca? She has one of the best attorneys in Oakland County representing her interests (no doubt being paid for by your tax dollars) yet additionally 200 of Oakland Countys attorneys, those who practice in family court and those who dont, including the attorney who represented the county and dragged proceedings for eight years in the civil suit our family brought to seek vindication for the outrageous actions against us, have gathered their signatures extolling her virtues as a judge and deriding the Judicial Tenure Commissions charges as unfair.

Theres a process underway, why not let it play out before signing a letter in support? After all, we all read the transcript of her actions on the day in question. Theres no question about what happened. Why draft an open letter and gather signatures of members of the Bar? Because lawyers never want to anger the judges before whom they might appear. Theyre hedging their bets because the reality is that, at worst, Judge Gorcyca will be censured. She wont lose her job and theyll have to appear before her again some day or they might want to maintain their status in Oakland Countys elite set. Better let her know you were always on her side. I get that. People have mortgages to pay and families to feed.

But wheres their integrity?

It is irrelevant that (in their collective opinion) Lisa Gorcyca is generally a good judge. In this instance, she fell well short of her obligations. Just as an ordinary citizens fantastic driving record is not dispositive of whether they are held to account for a first (and perhaps only) drunk driving episode, this is no different. She was wrong. She should be held to account for that  perhaps she shouldnt lose her seat on the bench but let the process play out.

I would prefer that the collective moral outrage of some of Oakland Countys finest attorneys would be brought to bear when there is a true threat to a fellow attorneys liberty and when that threat to liberty is completely unjustified. And frankly, Id prefer to see such collective efforts be made to rectify other acts of government overreach which occur in the lives of ordinary citizens every day.
An open letter to my friends on the religious right

Dear pro-lifers:

I know youre busy tricking women into thinking theyre getting reproductive health care, trying to deny women access to birth control and making sure teenagers only learn about sex by reading the comments on Breitbart dot com.

But we could really use your help right now.

Its called Zika and its really, really bad news for all the babies you want to force women to have. Scientists think it can cause microcephaly, which just isnt bad, its horrendous.

Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly, the CDC warns.

Heres a story from Brazil, where the disease is running rampant, about a baby with microcephaly abandoned by her parents, who had no sense of the extent of the damage this visibly startling birth defect will do to their child.

Horrendous, right? And avoidable  as long as you dont get bit by mosquito carrying Zika. And we could be on the verge of a vaccine that could be widely usable soon, if we devoted the resources to it.

Are we doing that? Nope.

ZIKA VIRUS Days since White House funding request: 119 Funding from Congress: $0 Zika cases in US and territories: 1,732  Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) June 6, 2016

And guess what, its almost summer.

You know who loves summer? Clue: They suck blood and everyone hates them.

No, not Congress. Mosquitoes.

Why hasnt Congress funded the presidents request to fight Zika? Because they think the almost $2 billion should not be added to the deficit because it doesnt go to a great cause like the $700 billion this Congress added to the deficit last year FOR CORPORATE TAX BREAKS.

The money needed is less than we spent in day or two in the Iraq War. Less than 0.1 percent than well spend on the F-35  a plane that still cant fly right.

But you know why Congress isnt rushing to fight Zika: Because Obama wants to do it. And a really cynical part of me believes theyre willing to let it get worse so they can blame it on Obama. See: Ebola.

This is why we have to turn to you.

I know Ive been hard on you in the past, trying to establish a few qualifications for calling yourself pro-life. But we need you now. Babies are your thing and this would be a great chance to make it seem like you care about them and arent just a Trojan horse for maintaining patriarchy by denying women basic control over their own bodies.

Make Zika your thing. You can have all the credit. You can put it on your scary signs you flash to scare school children. Ill even stop calling abstinence education my favorite oxymoron.

Seriously, this is sick. Its avoidable and its our chance to unite against a disease no family or child should have to deal with.

Sincerely,

LOLGOP

[Image by Kenneth Lu | Flickr]
Facebook on Wednesday introduced DeepText, an artificial intelligence-fueled text analytics engine.

Text is a prevalent form of communication on Facebook, wrote Facebook software engineers Ahmad Abdulkader, Aparna Lakshmiratan and Joy Zhang in a post describing its capabilities.

Understanding the various ways text is used on Facebook can help us improve peoples experiences with our products, they continued, whether were surfacing more of the content that people want to see or filtering out undesirable content like spam.

DeepText can understand with near-human accuracy the textual content of several thousands posts per second, spanning more than 20 languages.

The engine leverages several deep neural network architectures and can perform word-level and character-level based learning, noted Abdulkader, Lakshmiratan and Zhang.

Better Mouthtrap

DeepTexts neural networking techniques have advantages over traditional natural language programming approaches, which are very literal. Deep learning can puzzle out the deeper semantic meaning of words in multiple languages.

With traditional methods, you have to preprocess the data before its usable. With text, that means adding language-dependent features like grammar, vocabulary and parts of speech, explained Eli David, CTO of Deep Instinct.

When you do the same thing with deep learning, you just feed in a lot of text from a language, and the model learns by itself. Its similar to the way a child learns language, he told the E-Commerce Times. The big advantage of DeepText is that it can easily be expanded over a number of different languages which would not be possible using traditional methods.

Moreover, deep learning can produce accuracy rates that are 10 percent to 20 percent better than traditional approaches, David pointed out.

Better Than Off-the-Rack

While Facebook has tons of content, it hasnt always been able to use it to its best advantage.

This effort should allow it to make use of up to 100 percent of the content users post in a way that will allow Facebook to understand what its users are interested in, and serve up more of the same, said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research.

That, in turn, should help drive engagement and time spent, which in turn drives ad revenues, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Its a technological equivalent of having your clothing custom-fitted rather than grabbing a suit off a rack, suggested Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

If DeepText is successful, users will find their Facebook experiences becoming increasingly enjoyable and satisfying, he told the E-Commerce Times. That wont happen overnight  its more a matter of changes that occur over the course of months and even years.

AI Leader

DeepText will allow Facebook to deliver a more personalized experience to its users, said Elizabeth Lampert, president of Elizabeth Lampert PR.

It knows from analyzing your posts what youre likely to be most interested in and feeds it to you, she told the E-Commerce Times. Through this, Facebook definitely secures its position as a leader in the AI field.

It also keeps the social network in the race for acquiring eyeballs through search, which is huge, Lampert said. We keep hearing about bots and AI. Both Facebook and Google want to build better AI-based assistants. Facebooks DeepText is a big step in that direction and the one to watch.

What Price Privacy?

User satisfaction isnt the only benefit DeepText could deliver to Facebook.

Facebook is also likely to use the results of DeepText to further refine advertising and other services it provides to its commercial customers, said Pund-ITs King.

DeepText will certainly provide Facebook sophisticated tools for mining its information assets, but DeepText will also allow Facebook to more effectively mine its users and monetize their Facebook experience, he pointed out.

Its unlikely that Facebook would be investing in DeepText without plans to monetize it in numerous ways, King suggested.

DeepText can have significant implications for ad targeting, said Lampert. In fact, its an advertisers dream come true.

With greater customization, however, come questions of privacy.

Theres definitely a creepy line with most of these things, and Facebook will have to be careful how it talks to users about this technology, said Jackdaws Dawson.

Still, given that this is all content users are willingly sharing on Facebook to begin with, its hard to argue that its invasive, he added.

Of course, the privacy implications might rattle some people, Lampert acknowledged, but giving up some data is the price of doing business in the social media world.
I joined a bunch of analysts in discussing Hewlett Packard Enterprises next move at a secret conclave last week. The company had just announced the sale of its IT services, which basically undid much of Mark Hurds work as CEO. (It already had sold off PCs and printers, more than undoing Carly Fiorinas earlier efforts.) Granted, HPE spun it like it was an acquisition (Ill get to that later) but this move leaves the firm even more crippled, suggesting theres more to come.

Ill focus on that this week and close with an interesting book I should have written on how Donald Trump is winning the election and likely will become president.

So, Did HP Buy CSC or Sell Services?

I have to hand it to HPE, as Ive never before seen a sale spun as an acquisition. To hear Meg Whitman speak, it was like she had completely lost touch with reality. Im starting to think there is an alien artifact in the CEOs office at HPE, because she clearly isnt the first HP CEO who has lost complete touch with reality.

Carly Fiorina, for example, thought the HP board reported to her. Mark Hurd thought an HP-paid mistress was a perk. Leo Apotheker actually thought he was CEO  even though apparently no one else at HP shared that view.

Here is a test of a sale versus a purchase: When you sell something, you get cash and they get control. HPE got cash and CSC got control. Yes, Whitman got a board seat and undoubtedly another big paycheck, but being on a board  and she should know this  doesnt mean you run the company. Given that she appears to believe it does, it kind of makes you wonder which HPE board member is running the company. Clearly, Whitman doesnt have a clue.

She has sold off printers, PCs, thin clients, tablets, whatever was left of the phone business, and now services. So whats next?

Servers on the Block?

Id say the smart money was on servers. When IBM sold off PCs, it couldnt sustain its Intel-based server business and had to sell it to Lenovo  the firm that bought the PC business. So I guess HPE could try to sell servers to HP Inc., but HP Inc. is up to its eyeballs in debt already, thanks to being gifted with all of the company debt in the divestiture, so I doubt it has the resources to buy it.

Next in line would be Oracle, because Mark Hurd knows the business and it would strengthen Oracles offering. However, Hurd also knows what it is worth, and Ill bet it is less than Whitman is willing to accept.

Next theres Lenovo, but it currently is finishing two parallel large acquisitions and likely feels it can take the business organically. Finally, theres a bunch of other companies out of China that probably arent too excited about HPs server business.

So, other than HP Inc., I dont see a viable purchaser  unless Acer wants to make another run at the server business, and I dont think it is that stupid.

Storage on Its Way Out?

Ive been doing a lot of large customer interviews this year, and a common refrain is that HP Storage isnt competitive at scale. 3Par isnt working at scale either, and that likely is at the heart of Whitmans decision to make a play for EMC. She realized her storage product set was crap and wanted to replace it with EMCs.

I also think she realized that if EMC bonded with a different company  and Lenovo was looking to partner with it closely at the time  shed likely lose a lot of accounts, because the smart buyers that still bought other HP gear were buying EMC storage.

By the way, this likely goes a long way toward explaining how Dell justified the purchase. With EMC, it likely gets a decent shot at replacing HP servers. HPs storage is crap  so selling that unit likely will be difficult unless it can convince either Lenovo or Oracle that what it has is fixable and thus, at a discount, worth the price.

Networking for Sale?

HPs networking was its most powerful asset when Whitman took over, but she slowly got rid of all the top networking execs. It still seems to concern Cisco, though, which means it still has a great deal of potential value  though with the staffing changes, it likely has a sell-by date after which it wont be worth much.

Again, both Lenovo and Oracle likely would-be purchasers, though Dell also might take an interest, depending on how its relationship with Cisco goes after the EMC merger. (EMC loves Cisco  Dell not so much.) Ciscos new management appears to be mending fences, though. So if we are talking the asset with greatest value  and this suggests Meg Whitman would get the most personal gain from selling it  then networking is next.

Although many of my peers are thinking servers, Im betting on networking because thats where the biggest return is likely to come for Meg.

Software Holding Firm

I doubt theyll sell software. Mark Andreessen has been pushing for some time to turn HP into a software company and though some might question his judgment, given the Facebook India scandal and Netscapes failure, other members of the board apparently listen to the guy.

Leo Apotheker was hired largely to make that happen, and it seems the idea just hasnt died a well-deserved death. So I think the end game here is to leave HPE as just a troubled software company, making the only real lasting mystery who Andreessen will blame when that fails. (HPE got rid of its top software guy some time ago.)

Wrapping Up: RIP HPE

Maybe this should be titled Death by CEO. If you dont buy it, just take a look at HP Inc.s executive team.

Youll see two people who likely have the strongest inside knowledge of Meg Whitmans plan: HPs old CFO Cathie Lesjak, who is rather famous for either stopping or trying to stop some of HPs biggest mistakes; and HPs old head of HR, Tracy Keogh, who is out of Harvard and arguably the most qualified HR director in tech. Both of them left HPE, and probably not because they thought Whitman was a brilliant CEO. Just saying.

I had been thinking it would be interesting to take one of my columns on Trump and turn it into a book named The Trump Presidential Playbook  but damn it, Geoff Blades did it first. I think he did a pretty decent job of it.

My angle was comparing Trumps manipulative skills to Steve Jobs; Blades is to compare Trump to one of the leading experts on human behavior and hypnotism.

Its interesting that he seems to demonstrate how Trump moves minds by using a parody of Trumps skill in the book, making for a very fast read. I actually read it on a flight from Boston to Denver with time to spare.

You wont get insight into Trumps views  other than they are likely fluid  but you will get a sense of how he gutted every Republican politician he ran up against and how he is likely to do the same thing to Clinton.

Geoff makes a compelling argument that he even could have taken out the far stronger Obama, though he would have had a battle. This book dovetails with my belief that unless something happens to Trump, the only one who can beat him is Trump himself, and I found it a fascinating read. It is available in paperback and for the Amazon Kindle.

A lot of folks who argued that Trump was a joke of a candidate and that Hillary could beat him likely should read the book because it should give them a reason to reconsider (not that wiping the floor with experts like Jeb Bush shouldnt have been a clue).

Confirmation bias is a powerful thing, and I expect that when Trump is reading his acceptance speech (who am I kidding  Trump doesnt read his speeches, he extemps them) many of those folks will go into shock.

Trump has a special set of skills. Coupled with Trump: The Art of the Deal, his 1987 bestseller, The Trump Presidential Playbook delivers all you need to know if you want to understand why he is unbeatable. For that reason, it is my product (book) of the week.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week announced that the company would investigate allegations that its Trending Topics feature had an anticonservative bias.

We have found no evidence that this report is true, he said, referring to a news report earlier this month that kicked off the storm. If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it.

The company stands for giving everyone a voice, Zuckerberg said. We are one global community where anyone can share anything  from a loving photo of a mother and her baby to intellectual analysis of political events.

It is conducting a full investigation to ensure our teams upheld the integrity of Trending Topics, he asserted, adding that he would hold discussions with leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum on the allegations.

Accusations of Bias

Gizmodo spoke to five former curators of Trending Topics, who selected trending news from a list topics provided by Facebooks algorithm and picked which news sites each selected topic linked to.

The curators reportedly were told to select articles from a list of preferred media outlets. They regularly would avoid certain sites, such as The Blaze and Breitbart, although they were not explicitly instructed to do so.

They could deactivate or blacklist trending topics, according to the report.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote to Zuckerberg, demanding that Facebook answer these serious allegations and hold those responsible to account if there has been political bias in the dissemination of trending news.

Doesnt every person, company and news agency have a bias? asked Jim McGregor, a principal analyst at Tirias Research. Hell, yes.

Editors must make choices on what news to cover, and that goes for anyone covering the news, he told TechNewsWorld. Unfortunately that leads to coverage according to personal biases, the agencys biases and the push for clicks. So, is Facebook guilty of anything that other press agencies arent guilty of? Probably not.

No Voice for Everyone

Facebook previously has pledged to remove anti-immigrant posts from its pages in Germany.

Further, Zed Books Facebook page had been removed following a series of posts on books by Ece Temelkuran, a Turkish journalist critical of her countrys government, it said.

Touchy Subject

Censoring Web posts and Facebooks is a delicate topic, McGregor said. What should and should not be considered free speech, whats appropriate, and whether governments should get a say in content on the Internet are all touchy subjects subject to local and regional ethical standards.

Even if Facebook absolutely was unbiased, folks who disagree with something on, or left off, of Facebook would conclude its biased, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Arguing that Facebook is a business and therefore cant afford to antagonize governments of various countries, or, in the case of Germany, is working for the greater good by suppressing hate speech wont do them any real good because the folks they likely need to convince will have made up their minds and the core goal is to manipulate Facebook, he told TechNewsWorld.

All About Engagement

I dont think Facebook will lose advertising dollars over this, said Zhaowen Wu, an analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Facebook cares about engagement, and biases aside, they will continue to drive their internal metrics towards greater engagement numbers, she told TechNewsWorld.

The company could effectively lose half their audience if one side or the other came to believe [it] was actively biased, and it might be sanctioned or blocked in a number of countries, Enderle noted. It also could be hurt financially if the brands that advertise feel Facebooks problems will damage their image  and weve seen that boycotts can have a huge impact on advertisers.

Its best option, he said, is to get credible conservative influencers to back up their claims and hope the left doesnt suddenly start screaming bias as well.
Yahoo last week published the text of three National Security Letters it received from the FBI in 2013.

The letters demand the names, addresses, length of service, and electronic communications transactional records  existing transaction and activity logs and all email header information  of the targets. However, they do not ask for any content  either the subject lines or bodies of emails.

Yahoo sent the FBI the name, address and length of service for each of the accounts identified in two of the NSLs, but it did not provide any information in response to the third, as the referenced account did not exist in its system, according to company spokesperson Charles Stewart.

It published the NSLs after the FBI rescinded the nondisclosure requirements imposed in accordance with the USA Freedom Act of 2015.

Were the first company to disclose [the NSLs] as a result of the reforms of the USA Freedom Act, Stewart told the E-Commerce Times. The rescinding of the nondisclosure provisions, and Yahoos subsequent publication of the letters is a good win for transparency and keeping users informed of whats going on around them.

The Threat of NSLs

Each of the NSLs certifies that the FBI sought the information to protect national security, or to carry out criminal, counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigations, among other things.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2013 ruled that the nondisclosure provisions the FBI employed were in violation of the First Amendment and the separation of powers. It enjoined the government from issuing NSLs under Section 2709 of the United States Code or from enforcing the nondisclosure provisions.

The Obama administration has appealed the ruling.

The FBI applies the same criteria and procedures to review existing nondisclosure requirements that it uses to assess whether a nondisclosure obligation should be imposed in the first place. When those criteria are no longer met, it terminates the requirement.

Still, no government branch should be able to circumvent the safeguards of the Constitution and unilaterally acquire information without due process of law, maintained Yasha Heidari of the Heidari Power Law Group.

History has shown us that the biggest threat to a citizens freedom is that citizens own government, Heidari told the E-Commerce Times. The NSLs are simply one of the many recent strikes against the Constitution that have recently come to light.

NSLs demonstrate just how pervasive government scrutiny is in the area of Internet services, noted Mike Jude, program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

They fuel the flames of privacy concerns, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Data accessed through NSLs raises concerns, as the governments ability to securely and properly use the data has often not been adequate, noted Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

In some if not all cases, this may create a bigger problem than the one the governments attempting to address, he told the E-Commerce Times.

NSL Issues Disclosed

The USA Freedom Act is essentially the governments attempt at public relations, Heidari observed, and the FBIs allowing the publication of the NSLs is inconsequential.

How much Yahoo achieved by publishing the NSLs is open to question, as they disclosed nothing of import.

Like the government, Yahoo gets some positive PR, Heidari suggested. It can make the publication seem like a large victory for consumers that it championed.

The publication is good cover for Yahoo, Jude said, because it helps them demonstrate theyre being compelled to disclose some information.

The risk for Yahoo is the letters being leaked and outside their control, Enderle suggested.

This way, they can announce and position the event and perhaps better control the underlying perception, he reasoned.

Its brilliant of Yahoo to publish, and gives them the moral high ground on the privacy issue, Jude said, noting that other companies might follow Yahoos lead.

If that happens, we might be able to look at these [letters] as data points, Yahoos Stewart remarked.

Theres no reason for other companies not to publish their NSLs, said Heidari, and get on the PR bandwagon.
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International Performer, Teacher Trainer, and Product Director for the New York Institute of Dance & Education Kierstyn Zaykoski, and Applied Study Candidate Symphony Quencer work with the Jr. High School students at Auburn Enlarged City School District as part of the NYIDE Programing for the Booker T Washington After School Program. Though the vehicle is dance, the entire process is about teaching NYIDE's Emotional and Personality Development: teaching the teens and adults how to be engaged, thoughtful, successful and authentic as they can be! Will you seek to be better this #MTMonday?
DEWITT  New York's U.S. senators visited central New York Monday to campaign for one of three Democrats seeking the party's nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. John Katko in the 24th Congressional District race.

U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer stood with Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Deacon outside Sunshine's Coffee Shop in DeWitt to push for passage of the FAMILY Act, a bill Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced that would establish a national paid family leave program.

Gillibrand's legislation would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave. The program would be funded by employee and employer payroll contributions.

Deacon, who was Gillibrand's central New York regional director before leaving her post to run for Congress, supports her former boss's bill.

"The only way we're going to turn the FAMILY Act into law is if we elect people like Colleen Deacon to Congress," Gillibrand said. "Colleen understands more than anybody that we don't always have the resources we need in life right when we need them.

"When Colleen talks about our need for a national paid leave program, she isn't just thinking about number and statistics. This isn't some imaginary issue. This is her own story."

Deacon, a single mother, has shared her personal experience throughout the campaign. She was working as a waitress when she became pregnant.

Her employer didn't offer paid leave, so she had to quit her job two days before giving birth. She utilized food stamps, Medicaid and WIC to support her and her son.

Deacon said her story isn't unique, but it's a perspective that isn't being represented in Washington.

"I want to go to Congress to be a champion and be a voice for people at the table who haven't had a voice before," she said.

Deacon and Gillibrand also criticized a proposal rolled out by Katko in March that he billed as an alternative to paid leave.

Katko's plan would create parental savings accounts. The accounts would be optional for employees and employers.

Deacon said Katko's bill is "nothing more than a savings plan for the wealthy."

"It does nothing for the hardworking people that work paycheck to paycheck and is further proof that John Katko is out of touch with the people of this district," she said.

Monday's press conference is the first time both U.S. senators have campaigned for Deacon in central New York.

Deacon has received a lot of support from Gillibrand over the past eight months. Gillibrand contributed to her former staffer's campaign and her political action committee, Off the Sidelines, also made a donation.

Gillibrand appears in both of Deacon's TV ads, which are airing in the Syracuse media market.

But before she can switch to general election mode, Deacon must win the Democratic primary.

Along with Deacon, Eric Kingson and Steve Williams are vying for the Democratic nomination. Kingson is a Syracuse University professor and Social Security expert, while Williams is a Syracuse-area attorney and U.S. Navy veteran.

The winner of the primary will challenge Katko in November.

Typically, party leaders avoid endorsing in primaries. But Gillibrand and Schumer aren't shy about who they're supporting in this central New York race.

"We need people who are going to focus like a laser on average families, on the middle class and people trying to get into the middle class," Schumer said. "It's harder to stay in the middle class if you're there. It's harder to get to the middle class if you're trying to get there.

"There is no one better who will do that, given her experience, her passion, her intelligence and her likability than Colleen Deacon. We endorse Colleen Deacon and she will be a great, great congressmember."

The primary election is Tuesday, June 28.
The Every Student Succeeds Act gives individual states and districts unprecedented flexibilityeven a mandateto experiment with new ways to improve achievement and other outcomes for all students.

After more than a decade of prescriptive federal accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act, though, it can require a fair bit of administrative chutzpah to take advantage of that newfound flexibility. The Performance Partnership Pilots, or P3, which launched in 2014 as an interagency federal grants program targeted to efforts to help the countrys most vulnerable students, gives a window into the potential and pitfalls of a more experimental approach to education programs.

Backed by the White House and led by the U.S. Department of Education, the P3 program is in its second round of competition this month. It allows local education groups to waive regulations and blend money across federal grants to test creative ways to serve the students who are most at risk of disengaging from school.

That kind of change has been slow, though. A newly released study by Patrick Lester, the director of the Social Innovation Research Center, found that only four of the nine pilots in the $7.1 million first round received permission to blend different federal funding streams, and most asked for only a couple of regulatory waivers to start their projects.

This is an area of nervousness for all involved, Lester said. The feds and the local projects are still exploring what is allowed and what isnt under P3. I think the guardrails have been a significant roadblock to flexibility so far, but they may be able to work through that. Time will tell.

Ann Gettys has run up against those roadblocks in Oklahoma City, where through the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, she coordinates a P3 project to streamline supports for foster students.

The pilot allows her to waive some spending and performance requirements and braid together money from several federal programs, such as AmeriCorps, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grants for youths, and Health and Human Services Department grants for students transitioning from foster care. But theres still a lot of red tape.

Red Tape in Oklahoma

The pilot works with foster students at age 14 to set their education and career goals and start planning for the legal transitions they will need to make when they age out of foster care at age 18.

But the career-transition experts generally funded under the workforce grants are not legally allowed to work with anyone under age 16. And under banking rules and financial-reporting requirements, foster students often need a guardian to open bank accounts, approve work programs, and so on.

Theres little things like that that make it more difficult, Gettys said. They arent insurmountable, but they are frustrating.

The Oklahoma pilot is trying to document those roadblocks to build evidence of the broader regulatory changes needed for at-risk students.

Theres always tension between flexibility and accountability, said Kathy Stack, the vice president for evidence and innovation at the John and Laura Arnold Foundation, who helped create P3 and other evidence-based policy initiatives as a deputy associate director at the federal Office of Management and Budget.

There arent a lot of incentives for people to get together and brainstorm, she said. In so many communities, those conversations just never happenor they happen between two agencies or three.  There are tons of myths about what limitations exist.

Dreama Gentry, the executive director of Berea Colleges Partners for Education Project and one of the coordinating partners for Kentuckys P3, agreed that many projects can get stymied by imagined barriers.

There were a couple of places where we didnt get a waiver because we asked for something and were told, Oh, you can already do that,  Gentry said. I think thats really important, because I think sometimes we have these grants and we make assumptions about what we can do.

In southeastern Kentucky, Gentry is hoping to connect with more than 1,000 teenagers in seven rural counties who are disengaged from school and pushed out of the local labor market by adults left unemployed by the decline in the states coal industry.

Bringing together people from different agencies has helped those working with disconnected youth in Kentucky to deconstruct persistent education problems, like chronic absenteeism, Gentry said. Disconnected Kentucky teenagers who are still in school can miss as many as one day in five each year; while truancy courts have been an option, you need to make sure that lever is not a hammer, she said.

With 60 staff members from education, housing, labor, criminal justice, social services agencies, and others digging into the problem, Gentry said they began to piece together the things keeping students from school: Teenage parents in need of child care; high schoolers cut adrift by parents substance abuse problems and couch surfing with grandparents or friends; a homeless but still-intact family terrified of being split up if they asked for help.

The collaboration has also shifted the conversation on how the Kentucky service agencies think about their goals. Its about thinking about young people attaining success, and not about young people attaining an education or young people attaining a job, Gentry said. The beauty of this is, if it works  It changes the conversation more to What does it take for kids to be successful? rather than, How do I run this grant program? 

Similarly, in Oklahoma, Gettys said different agencies are identifying ways existing services can build on one another. For example, Oklahomas public schools offered online credit recovery, and its human services agency offered free tutoring, but both programs had few foster students using them and fewer succeeding. Now, through P3, each foster students academic progress is evaluated each semester, and if they fall behind or have to change schools before completing a class, a tutor in that subject can be assigned to help the student prepare to finish the course online. Were able to coordinate two existing programs which were underutilized, she said.

Seeking Bold New Ideas

A spokesperson for the federal Education Department, which heads up the interagency grants, said it is trying to encourage groups to be a little bolder in the next round of grants, by doubling the weight it gives to proposals explaining their need for requested flexibility.

It is critical for pilots to tailor flexibility to their projects; as the programs involved and populations served may vary greatly, it can be difficult to recommend any particular ones, the ED spokesperson said in an email to Education Week. That said, we think there are great advantages to blending funds from multiple programs, both in terms of enhancing services to youth and reducing the paperwork burden for providers. ... We hope to see ambitious proposals for using the P3 flexibilities to enhance and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered to disconnected youth.

The initial pilots will run through 2018, but Stack said states and districts can already learn from the P3 as they plan to implement ESSA.

One of the things we identify as a clear need was for agencies to ... think about kids improving not just their education outcomes, but employment outcomes, reduced involvement in criminal justice system, reduced substance use ..., she said. Unless people at the local level redefine how they think about kids outcomes, you will not achieve much.
SYRACUSE  Larry Reilly Sr. was on board the USS Frank Evans the night his son, Larry Jr., died.

It was June 3, 1969. The Reillys were serving on the U.S. Navy destroyer in the South China Sea when it was struck by the Melbourne, an Australian aircraft carrier.

Seventy-four sailors, including Larry Reilly Jr., died.

"We turned left when we should've turned right," Reilly Sr. said Monday.

While the USS Frank Evans was providing support for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, you won't find the names of Reilly's son or the 73 other sailors who perished in the collision on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington.

According to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who joined Reilly Sr. at his Syracuse home Monday, the names of the 74 sailors haven't been added to the wall because at the time of the crash, the USS Frank Evans wasn't in the official Vietnam War combat zone.

Schumer, D-N.Y, called it a "bureaucratic reason."

"There are families across the country that would simply like the honor of seeing their lost loved one placed on this Memorial Wall," he said.

Reilly Sr., who's also a World War II veteran, said they have been trying for several years to get his son's name on the wall. They turned to Schumer, who wrote a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus last year urging him to reconsider the decision.

Mabus wrote back to Schumer and announced his support for adding the names of the 74 sailors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

With the Navy's support, the case moved to the Department of Defense. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will have the final say on the matter.

In February, Schumer wrote a letter to Carter asking the Pentagon to approve the request. And last month, the senator revealed that the Department of Defense is reviewing the case.

Schumer said there have been other reasons offered for why Reilly Jr. and the other sailors' names weren't added to the wall. One is that there may not be enough room on the memorial for new names.

"They can easily make room on the wall," Schumer said. "I've been there. That's not a problem."

Another explanation is that there are similar situations in which service members died during the conflict, but were outside of the designated war zone.

Schumer said they, too, should be added to the wall.

"I am going to do everything, everything, everything in my power to see that this injustice is rectified and Larry Jr. gets his name on the wall," he said.

Reilly Sr. has fond memories of his son. He said Reilly Jr. had a girlfriend, whom he eventually married, and liked to dance.

"He was just good all around," Reilly Sr. said. "Didn't have any problems with him."

He also lauded the Australian sailors who were on board the Melbourne when it collided with the USS Frank Evans.

Some of the Australian sailors have attended past USS Frank Evans reunions, Reilly Sr. said.

"Good bunch of guys," he said. "Unfortunately they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. So were we."
Mushcup's Brian Steff takes his turn in 'My Favorite Guitar'

Mushcup's Brian Steff has an arsenal of guitars though his favorite is one loved and admired by fans
What started as an investigation of a suspicious vehicle led to the arrest of a man wanted on a violation of probation for a second-degree rape conviction, the Auburn Police Department said.

Around 3:15 a.m. Monday, police investigated a vehicle parked at 230 Grant Ave., Auburn. In the parking lot, officers encountered 33-year-old Nicholas Barner.

Police ran a check of Barner, who they said lived at that address, and discovered he is wanted in the state of Alabama for an unspecified violation of probation.

Barner had been extradited from Auburn to Alabama in 2013 and convicted of second-degree rape in September 2014 in a case involving a 15-year-old girl, according to his sex offender registry listing.

Alabama officials issued a warrant for his arrest on the probation violation June 11, 2015, though as of Monday, it was not clear how he is alleged to have violated probation.

Barner was arraigned in Cayuga County Court Monday and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail. No bond or bail was set, a court official said. He is scheduled to appear in front of Judge Thomas Leone at 8:15 a.m. Thursday.
U.S.-backed Syrian fighters in a major new offensive against Islamic State vowed on Thursday to cut off the last remaining access route to the outside world for the self-proclaimed caliphate, and won vital, if tacit, backing from Turkey.

The assault around the Syrian city of Manbij, backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes and a contingent of American special forces, aims to cut off Islamic State's last 80 km stretch of the Syrian-Turkish frontier by seizing territory in northern Syria west of the Euphrates River.

If successful, that would achieve a long-standing aim of Washington and amount to one of the biggest strategic defeats inflicted on Islamic State since it proclaimed its rule over all Muslims from territory in Iraq and Syria two years ago.

"We confirm that this campaign will continue until the liberation of the last inch of the land of Manbij and its rural areas," said a statement read out on the banks of the Euphrates by Adnan Abu Amjad, a commander of a group called the Manbij Military Council, allied to the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces.

"Oh brave people of Manbij, our forces are coming to liberate you from the shackles of the Daesh terrorist torturers," said the statement, using an acronym for Islamic State also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Washington has been leading an international campaign of air strikes against Islamic State for two years in both Syria and Iraq. It has long been in search of reliable allies on the ground in Syria, where it also opposes the government of President Bashar al-Assad in a multi-sided civil war that has ground on for five years.
A Liverpool man is facing a felony charge after sending a minor in Cayuga County indecent material over the internet, said New York State Police.

Steven M. Levine, 39, was arrested June 3 and charged with disseminating indecent material, a class E felony. He was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Investigators with state police said Levine had allegedly sent messages online to the minor.

Police said the investigation is still active and ongoing.

Levine was arraigned in the Town of Owasco Court and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail. No bail or bond was set.
Now that they have two children together, it looks like Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are finally taking the plunge. Well, if you want to believe the gossip media that is. There's a new report that says the camera-shy couple are looking to tie the knot this summer, after secretly dating for several years now.

According to OK! Magazine over the weekend, sources close to the Hollywood pair say that they want to "formalize things" after being with one another for nearly five years now. Mendes gave birth to their second child, Amanda, earlier this year and the couple also have a 22-month-old daughter, Esmeralde. The couple has also managed to keep their family out of the paparazzi spotlight as well.

One source dished, "They've both committed to this and are just locking down dates and going over options for venues."

What's more, Mendes wants a "backyard bash" while Gosling is looking to do something a little more romantic, like have a wedding ceremony on the beach. If they do get married, this will be the first marriage for both. But considering how private they are, there's a slim chance they'll make an announcement or share any details of their wedding with the public.

So far neither Gosling nor Mendes have made any comments about the rumors.
Anti-Trump violence must be treated as acts of terror! By John W. Lillpop

Residents and political leaders in San Jose, California fancy themselves as enlightened models of how responsible citizens should conduct themselves in political situations: Restraint, tolerance, and respect for others are often assumed to be integral parts of the San Jose model. However, that model of decorum and decency was brutally shattered on Thursday night as rowdy protesters engaged in willful violence against Americans with the sheer audacity and arrogance to support Donald J. Trump and his campaign for the US Presidency. As reported: "Thousands of Americans participated in that most benign of civic rituals in San Jose, California, on Thursday night: seeing a presidential candidate speak. Of course, that candidate was Donald Trump, so as these engaged citizens streamed out of the arena, they were subjected to astonishing levels of violence. An angry mob pelted eggs, tomatoes, and bottles at the spectatorsas well as the police, who tried (and failed) to maintain some semblance of order. Other Trump supporters were set upon and punched. One was left with blood streaming down his face." The angry mob, at least partially a product of reckless rhetoric and behavior by irresponsible Democrat politicians who generally support the interests of illegal aliens over the rights of American citizens, has reached the point where strong government action must be taken to protect the life and safety of the presumed Republican nominee and of the innocent people who support his candidacy. Lest anarchists and illegal alien thugs have forgotten: San Jose is still in America, not third-world Mexico, and the rule of US law still applies here, which means that free speech remains a fundamental right of all, regardless of how much one may disagree with any particular candidate. Violence waged against a candidate and his or her supporters are acts of terrorism which must be dealt with by the use of appropriate action by responsible law enforcement, including the use of force when necessary. The last thing that elected officials should do is encourage violence by blaming the victims, yet that is exactly what San Jose Democrat Mayor Sam Liccardo resorted to. As reported: "The mayor of San Jose, Democrat Sam Liccardo, reacted angrily to the events. Not that he was particularly upset at the violent mob that attacked innocent Americans, of course. No, his ire was directed at Mr. Trump. "At some point Donald Trump needs to take responsibility for the irresponsible behavior of his campaign," the mayor said. Apparently it was downright "irresponsible" of Trump to even set foot in California's third largest city. The Washington Post characterized the mayor's remarks as if they were just standard partisan hackery: Mayor Liccardo justified committing violence against people with whom he disagrees politically. That's an attack on the very foundation of our system of government and the First Amendment, and a very dangerous one." California is infested with liberal politicians who have little or no regard for the rule of law, common decency, or for non-Democrat American citizens. Governor Jerry Brown, Nancy Pelosi, and countless others routinely encourage misbehavior against Donald Trump and American citizens with words and policies that promote illegal immigration, sanctuary cities, and other mindless surrender of US sovereignty to invading criminals. Unfortunately, our lawless US President joins renegade Californian politicians in utter contempt for US law and citizens in favor of those who simply do not belong here! Rather than signing Executive Orders which pander to illegal aliens and sanction lawless behavior, Barack Obama must order the Department of Justice and Homeland Security to protect the life and well-being of citizen Donald Trump, and the millions of innocent citizens who ardently support him! John W. Lillpop is a California-based writer.  2016 John W. Lillpop Home
PEP acquisition of Patties given go-ahead

Patties Foods has confirmed the acceptance of an acquisition bid for its company by investment group, Pacific Equity Partners (PEP).

Patties Foods owns numerous iconic bakery brands including Four N Twenty Pies, Herbert Adams Pies, Snowy River, Chefs Pies, Patties and Nannas.

Its board said it would be recommending shareholders accept PEPs AUD $232 acquisition bid unless a better deal arises before they must vote on a decision in August 2016.

Mark Smith, Chairman of Patties Foods, said whilst the Board remains confident in managements plans for growth and innovation in the core brands and the business is experiencing strong momentum, the scheme represents an attractive value for shareholders.

Patties Foods early last week confirmed it was in talks with PEP regarding an acquisition bid.

The major shareholders of the ASX-listed Patties Foods Ltd include members of the Rajs family. The business was founded by Peter and Annie Rajs, who migrated to Australia from The Netherlands in 1956 and purchased a cake shop in Lakes Entrance in August 1966 called Patties Bakery. This was the name of the former owners wife Patty Neat.

The business shifted to a larger factory in near-by Bairnsdale in 1985 and the company acquired a number of Australias many iconic brands (such as Four N Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nannas) from the American multi-national Simplot in 2003.

Patties Foods Ltd was publicly listed on the ASX in 2006, at the time, the four sons of the founding Mr and Mrs Rajs retained a 40 per cent shareholding in the Company.
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Two paintings by former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill are due to go on sale at Essex auction house Boningtons Auctioneers.

Both paintings come from a private Essex collection and go on sale on July 27 at Boningtons' saleroom in Epping, where Churchill served as Member of Parliament between 1924 and 1945.

The larger of the two paintings, a 70 x 90 cm oil on canvas depicting the Giza Pyramids at Cairo, was painted circa 1946 and was given by Churchill to Field Marshall Jan Christian Smuts as a present along with another painting of the pyramids.

Field Marshall Smuts hung the painting due to go up for auction, and now worth an estimated 400,000 to 600,000, in his study at home, while the other used to reside at Libertas in Pretoria, South Africa, but was stolen in 1972 and never traced.

Luke Bodalbhai, head of department of fine art at Boningtons, which has a valuation office in Chelmsford, said: "We are delighted to become the first regional saleroom to offer original paintings by Winston Churchill, a world famous figure with an intimate connection to our local area.

"Churchill wrote that "painting a picture is like fighting a battle" and our pictures show him to be a serious and talented artist, determined to push himself to the limit in all that he attempted."

The second picture was painted by Churchill on a six week visit to Florida, his first extended holiday after the Second World War, and depicts a view from the Venetian Causeway in Miami Beach.

Churchill gave the painting to his Canadian host Colonel Frank W. Clarke and it is now estimated to be worth 150,000 to 250,000.

The former prime minister's artwork has increased greatly in popularity since his death, 50 years ago.

A recent sale of his paintings by Mary Soames, his youngest daughter, saw one painting, The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, go for 1.5million, the highest price ever paid for one of his pieces at auction.
ETAN Calls for an End to Indonesia's Silencing of West Papuan Protesters; Condemns Mass Arrests

Contact: John M. Miller, +1-917-690-491; john@etan.org

JUNE 7, 2016- The East Timor and IndonesiaNetwork (ETAN) condemns ongoing violations of the rights of West Papuans to freedom of expression and

"Indonesia's continued repression of West Papuan protests is unacceptable," said John M. Miller, National Coordinator of ETAN. "Indonesia must end the arrests, provide permits for demonstrations, and -- most importantly -- respond positively to the protesters' demands for self-determination."

of West Papuans as they prepared to protest in Jayapura. Dozens of others were also seized in Wamena and in the Northern Sulawesi city of Manado. On May 2,

1724

were arrested

as they marched or prepared to march in towns throughout the region. Police

have made clear

that they will continue to suppress pro-independence expression in West Papua.



On Monday, May 30, in a pre-emptive move, Indonesian police rounded up hundreds On May 30, Papuans rallied to express support for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and the release of political prisoners. Led by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), the protesters' applications for permits were ignored by the police. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has said he supports the release of political prisoners.

After the early May arrests, police separated the protest leaders and beat them with rifle butts and stomped on their bodies. Others were made to strip and sit outside in the heat of the tropical sun. These protests were commemorating the United Nations transfer of control of West Papua to Indonesia on May 1, 1963.

"President Widodo has improve human rights in West Papua However, what we see is the same old brutal repression and denial of rights," said Miller. "The security forces on the ground either haven't received the message or are deliberately undermining the policy," he added.



Police arrested a total of 2175 West Papuan protesters in April and May. Some were detained while attempting to deliver the required notifications of planned protests to the police.

West Papuans are guaranteed the right to freedom of expression by the Indonesian Constitution and international accords that Indonesia is a party to, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.



In October, more than 3,500 people signed an ETAN petition to urge US President Barack Obama "to condition U.S. support for the Indonesian security forces on concrete improvements in human rights."



West Papua consists of the western half of the island of New Guinea and is home to more than 250 tribes of Melanesian descent. A former Dutch colony, the First West Papuan People's Congress declared independence on December 1, 1961. Since May 1963, West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia with U.S. government support and encouragement. In 1969, Indonesia formally annexed the territory in a widely-disputed UN-endorsed vote involving only a tiny percentage of the population. Over the course of five decades, West Papuans have suffered mass killings, torture, rape, and the loss of their culture and lands rights.



Indonesia regularly represses peaceful demonstrations. Reverend Benny Giay, a well-known advocate for West Papua, wrote in response to the early May arrests, "Every protest and negotiation effort by indigenous people is met with brutal responses and security operations. In talking about West Papua, the Indonesian government often uses language that obscures past abuses. Papua's relationship with the outside world is heavily controlled." The ULMWP, a broad coalition of leading pro-independence groups in West Papua, seeks full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, a regional group of countries and territories, and internationally-mediated talks with Jakarta.



The
Substantial numbers of British adults find new sexual partners while travelling abroad, find two studies, published online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

And it's not just all about the young; plenty of older men and women have sex with new partners while travelling overseas, the figures indicate, prompting the authors of one of the studies to call for safer sex information to be routinely provided in pre-departure travellers' health advice, regardless of age, destination, or reason for travel.

In the first study, the researchers analysed responses to the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes & Lifestyles (Natsal-3), carried out between 2010 and 2012 among more than 15,000 16-74 year olds living in Britain.

In all, 12,530 people said they had had at least one sexual partner within the preceding five years.

Of these, one in 10 men and one in 20 women -- 1071 altogether -- said they had had sex with a new partner while travelling overseas during this time. Among those aged 35 and older, the equivalent figures were one in 20 men and one in 40 women -- numbers which are likely to rise in tandem with the increase in 'healthy ageing' and partnership break-down, suggest the researchers.

Reporting sex with a new partner while travelling overseas was strongly associated with higher numbers of partners, overall, and other 'risky' behaviours, such as not using a condom, illicit drug use, and excess alcohol, the responses showed.

And both men and women who had sex with new partners while overseas were more likely to say they been to a sexual health clinic, had been tested for HIV, or been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection within the past five years.

Nearly three quarters of the men (just under 72%) and over half (almost 58.5%) of the women reported having sex with at least one new partner from outside the UK while overseas.

This group was more likely to report higher numbers of partners and concurrent partnerships. And men in this group were also much more likely to report paying for sex.

Around one in four (26%) men who reported new non-UK partners said they had paid for sex within the past five years and had ever paid for sex outside the UK. And older men (35-74) were more likely than younger men (37% vs 19%) to report this. They also averaged more (three) partners than those not paying for sex (average of one).

The researchers emphasise that the survey did not mine information on condom use or the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections while overseas, but they nevertheless conclude that their data indicate little change over the past decade.

"At a population level, those reporting new partners while overseas continue to be a high risk group, being more likely to report sexual risk behaviours as well as potentially harmful health behaviours, including drug and alcohol use," which, in turn can increase the risks of unsafe sex, they write.

"This argues for the importance of holistic travel advice, addressing sex in the context of broader health behaviours," they say. And it should include older people too.

Referring to the numbers of older people having sex with new partners while overseas, they suggest: "These proportions are likely to increase as older people maintain good health, have the financial means to travel, and are now more likely to experience partnership breakdown, and so older age groups should also be considered for health promotion messages by health professionals when consulting for travel advice."

A second study in the journal draws on the responses of 2013 backpackers visiting the Thai islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in 2013. It found differences in safer sex practices among travellers of different nationalities.

Almost two thirds of all the respondents (61.5%) were travelling without a long term sexual partner, and well over a third (39%) said they had had sex with a new partner during the trip--usually other backpackers from other countries, although men were more likely than women to have had sex with a local person.

But nearly 37% reported no or inconsistent condom use, with Brits and Swedes the most likely to say this -- echoing patterns of sexually transmitted infections in both countries, which have some of the highest reported rates of chlamydia in Europe, the researchers point out.

German backpackers were less likely than Brits to engage in unsafe sex, but they were also less likely to acquire new partners, while Canadians were most likely to report a new sexual partner, but also more likely to say they had used a condom.

While condom use was associated with a greater likelihood of safer sex, a third of those who said they had packed condoms, didn't always use them.

The researchers concede that the limited geographical coverage of the survey mean the findings might not reflect the behaviour of all young travellers, but they suggest that backpackers are a group worth targeting to promote safer sex while travelling.

"In an era of growing antibiotic resistance and continuing HIV transmission, targeting unsafe sex in backpackers has the potential to reduce STI [sexually transmitted infection] incidence internationally," they conclude.

In an editorial linked to both studies, Drs Alberto Matteelli and Susanna Capone, of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Clinic, University of Brescia, Italy, say that international travel has increased dramatically in recent decades. And they point to its "huge" potential to boost sexual mixing between different nationalities and the consequent spread of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

"The consequences on STIs could be substantial. STIs have uneven geographical distribution, and travellers may act as bridges between high-burden and low-burden countries," they write, citing the example of how syphilis was thought to have been introduced to Europe from the Americas by Columbus and the conquistadors.

"Unfortunately, we do not have any patented intervention of any kind, with proven efficacy in changing human behaviours towards lower risk sexual practices while travelling," they point out. Research in this area is urgently needed as the impact of a new effective approach "would have the highest probability of being transformational," they suggest.

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A paper published today in Nature Genetics describes the discovery of a new gene, TMEM230, associated with Parkinson's disease. At the cellular level, Parkinson's disease typically entails the loss of cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in neuron-to-neuron communication. TMEM230 is the first gene associated with the disease that has been linked to the trafficking of vesicles that carry neurotransmitters between neurons and therefore illuminates a possible mechanism to explain the disease.

"We are proud to be part of the research team that has discovered a gene mutation associated with this devastating disease," said contributing author Dr. Joseph Jankovic, professor of neurology, distinguished chair in movement disorders and director of the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic at the Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine.

After Jankovic joined Baylor College of Medicine in 1977, he began collecting DNA samples from patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. He now has a DNA bank with thousands of samples, some of which he contributed to this study to help confirm that TMEM230 is associated with the disease.

TMEM230 was found in a large family with history of Parkinson's disease. "This new gene could also be present in non-familial forms of the disease, which are the majority of the cases," said Jankovic. "The discovery of TMEM230 provides new insights into the cause of Parkinson's disease and may lead to novel treatments of this and other neurodegenerative diseases."

"By studying this new gene we will better understand how synaptic vesicle trafficking affects the development of Parkinson's disease," said senior author Dr. Teepu Siddique, professor of neurology at the Ken and Ruth Davee Department and Cell and Molecular Biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

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For a list of all the contributors to this research and their affiliations, please refer to the paper.

Financial support for this study was provided by the American Parkinson's Disease Association, the National Institutes of Health (NS074366, NS37167, NS078287, NS094564, AG043970 and NS095972), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81271921, 81430023 and 81471300), the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert and Florence C. Wenske Foundation Professorship, George Link, Jr. Foundation, the Les Turner ALS Foundation, and The Foglia Family Foundation. Imaging work was performed at the Northwestern University Cell Image Facility supported by NIH (CA060553).
The testing of nearly 5,000 forgotten and backlogged rape kits in and near Cleveland has led to investigations, indictments, prosecutions -- and, already more than 250 convictions.

But besides bringing justice to long-ignored victims and taking scores of violent offenders off the streets, the efforts of the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force are also helping to change how law enforcement agencies and the academic community view and prosecute rape.

That's because the Task Force has partnered with researchers from the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University's Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and has given unprecedented access to information on hundreds of sexual assaults committed between 1993 and 2010.

The research team discovered serial rapists are far more common than previous research suggested--a finding that could change how sexual assaults, including so-called acquaintance rapes, are investigated. They are also learning more about how rapists operate and their victims.

"By working together, we can help change the way sexual assaults are investigated and how the system and society view sexual assaults, victims, and offenders," said Daniel J. Flannery, the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Professor at the Mandel School, director of the Begun Center, and co-lead researcher of the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Pilot Research Project.

"We have an historical opportunity and obligation to make a difference," he said.

"These rape kits have been the greatest gold mine of information and leads for law enforcement that I have seen in my four-decade career," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty. "We are going to end up prosecuting a thousand criminals, and that will make our county significantly safer. But we also want to learn from mistakes that created this backlog and never allow them to be repeated."

"The thousand or more cases we expect to solve will help us understand the behavior of these career criminals so that police can more effectively and promptly investigate and prosecute rapes. This task force will prevent new victims from being attacked because these criminals will be in prison," McGinty added.

Among the research team's early findings, available in a series of briefs now online (begun.case.edu/begun-center-selected-assist-cuyahoga-county-sexual-assault-kits):

Serial rapists are far more common than previous studies had suggested. Of the 243 sexual assaults studied, 51 percent were tied to serial offenders, who generally had more extensive and violent criminal histories than one-time sexual offenders. "Our findings suggest it is very likely that a sexual offender has either previously sexually assaulted or will offend again in the future," said Rachel Lovell, a senior research associate at the Begun Center and co-leader of the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Pilot Research Project. "Investigating each sexual assault as possibly perpetrated by a serial offender has the potential to reduce the number of sexual assaults if investigations focus more on the offender than on single incidents."

Rapists have long criminal histories that often began before their first documented sexual assault and continued after it. An overwhelming majority of both serial and one-time sexual offenders had felony-level criminal histories: 74 percent of all serial rapists had at least one prior felony arrest and 95 percent of them had at least one subsequent felony arrest. Among one-time sexual assault offenders, the figures were 51 percent and 78 percent. Among the serial sex offenders, 26 percent had a prior arrest for sexual assault and 60 percent had a subsequent arrest for sexual assault (not related to the sexual assault identified in the SAK Initiative). "These are one-man crime waves," said Prosecutor McGinty. "And now that we realize this, we cannot allow these kits to sit on shelves untested in the future. They hold the keys to identifying and convicting dangerous criminals."

Serial and one-time rape suspects exhibited different behaviors during their crimes.

For example, sexual assaults committed by serial offenders more frequently involved kidnapping victims and then verbally and physically threatening them, often with weapons. And yet sexual assaults committed by serial offenders less frequently involved restraining victims and injuring them in order to complete the attack. One-time offenders were actually more likely to punch, slap, hold down or restrain a victim.

Serial offenders were more likely to commit sexual assault outdoors, in a vehicle, or a garage while a one-time offender was more likely to attack in his own house, or the house of the victim or a third party. Serial sexual offenders tend to attack in the same type of location: 58 percent of serial offenders commit all of their crimes in the same type of setting.

One-time offenders are more likely than serial offenders to commit sexual assaults with others, such as participating in gang rapes.

Serial offenders were more frequently strangers to their victims compared to one-time offenders. Half the serial offenders assaulted only strangers, but fully a third of them had a mix of known and unknown individuals among their victims. This underscores the need to thoroughly investigate acquaintance rapes, because of the possibility those offenders have or will engage in assaults against strangers, too.

Also of note: Even in cases of assaults by strangers, victims frequently provided some kind of identifying information to police, such as a partial name, a nickname or a license plate.

Most victims, even in the backlog, initially cooperated with police. The drop-off came after the first reporting encounter between investigators and victims: 69 percent did not respond to further attempts to be contacted by police.

Victims in the cases studied -- all but three of them female--ranged in age from two to 70, with an average age of 26. Nearly 70 percent were African American, a reflection of the neighborhoods where the incidents documented in the backlogged rape kits took place.

In 2013, Prosecutor McGinty organized the multi-agency Task Force to investigate DNA evidence generated by Attorney General Mike DeWine's Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative. A year later, McGinty approached the Begun Center to mine data accumulated through the testing, investigation and prosecution of nearly 5,000 rape kits collected but not tested for DNA between 1993 and 2010.

Researchers coded police and investigative reports, DNA lab reports, and criminal histories of victims and defendants identified through DNA testing -- histories that in many cases include lengthy lists of arrests, convictions and violent incidents.

"We can start to say we have a better picture of who victims are and who offenders are," said Lovell.

"Also, we know more about how offenders rape. How cases moved through the process--or failed to move to prosecution. How can we do a better job of holding offenders accountable. We have data on a larger and more diverse group of rapists, which allows us a better understanding of what kind of rapists commit certain kinds of crimes -- and how this information can aid an investigation," Lovell added.

Prosecutor McGinty said the Task Force has been "phenomenally successful." To date, 462 defendants responsible for more than 500 sexual assaults have been indicted. Prosecutors have won convictions in 92 percent of completed cases, with an average sentence of 10 years. A team of investigators, advocates and prosecutors is currently working on more than 2,700 cases.

"Law enforcement greatly underestimated the positive results that would come out of investigating these rape kits," Prosecutor McGinty said. "We are identifying, prosecuting and punishing some of the most dangerous violent repeat offenders in our communities. The research now coming out of the Begun Center is reinforcing the importance of this work, not only in Cuyahoga County, but nationally."

As researchers move forward with this project, they hope to explore additional topics, including a deeper understanding of different types of serial and one-time offenders, the characteristics of victims that significantly impact an investigation and prosecution of a rape allegation, and how communication between police and victim affects continued victim cooperation.

Additional funding to expand the Begun Center's research came last fall as part of $2 million Department of Justice grant to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office to support the work of the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force.

"The experience of collecting a rape kit is invasive and especially so right after a victim has been traumatically assaulted. These victims did what they have been asked to do to preserve evidence--but that evidence just sat, untested," said Lovell. "The new processes we hope will emerge from our effort will better honor victims."

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In addition to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, the Task Force includes the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Cleveland Division of Police Sex Crimes Unit, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department and Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.

Additional researchers on the project from the Begun Center include: Fredrick Butcher, a research associate on the project; and Tiffany Walker and Laura Overman, both research assistants.

Read the four research briefs at: begun.case.edu/begun-center-selected-assist-cuyahoga-county-sexual-assault-kits
To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications staff member identified at the end of each tip. For more information on ORNL and its research and development activities, please refer to one of our media contacts. If you have a general media-related question or comment, you can send it to news@ornl.gov.

BATTERIES - Off to the races ...

Drivers of Formula E cars may soon no longer have to change cars midway through the race, thanks to a battery coating technology developed by XALT Energy of Michigan and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. By depositing a nanoscale layer of alumina on oxide cathodes, researchers have increased battery energy density by up to 30 percent. "This work highlights the dominant effects of surface chemistry on active material performance," the authors wrote in their paper published in Scientific Reports. ORNL co-author David Wood III noted that the results are encouraging not only for drivers of race cars but also for passenger electric vehicle manufacturers and consumers. This new technology could be on the racetrack as early as October 2017. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]"

Image: https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/news/images/01%20batteries%20tip.jpg

Cutline: Future Formula E cars could be powered by batteries that feature up to 30 percent increased energy density.

MATERIALS - Energy-saving roofs ...

An anti-soiling highly reflective and water-resistant roof coating developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and evaluated at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has produced encouraging results. The coating based on superhydrophobic particles resulted in only 3.3 and 4.9 percent reductions in solar reflectance and water contact angle, respectively, after aging tests equivalent to three years. Over the life of a roof, this could mean substantial savings in energy costs, reduced urban heat, smog abatement and lower peak power demand. "Highly water-resistant and solar-reflective coatings for low-slope roofs are potentially among the most economical retrofit approaches to thermal management of the building envelope," ORNL's Georgios Polyzos said. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]

Image: https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/news/images/02%20roof%20tip.png

Cutline: A superhydrophobic additive increases resistance to water, soiling and microbial growth.

PHYSICS - Illuminating traps...

Energy-sapping defects in solar cell material can be revealed with an unprecedented, dual-imaging method established by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL scientists scanned hybrid perovskite films to measure "dark" electronic trap states in complex photovoltaic materials, providing a visual tool for insight into more durable, high-performing devices. Their approach allows reliable and direct mapping of the poorly understood phenomenon hindering solar cell technology advances. The result can be considered an "efficiency map" of the material with energy leaks pinpointed. "With our imaging method, other researchers can now see, understand and ultimately address these trap states for better energy conversion efficiency of solar cell technology," lead author and ORNL microscopist Mary Jane Simpson said. The paper is published in Journal of Physical Chemical Letters. [Contact: Ashanti B. Washington, (865) 241-0709; washingtonab@ornl.gov]

Image: https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/news/images/03%20physics%20tip.png

Cutline: This map depicts locations of trap states (in purple) in a hybrid perovskite film, with emission and overall photoexcitation distributions measured directly using multimodal ORNL optical imaging techniques.

MATERIALS- Microwave microscopy of ferroelectric domains ...

Research led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and published in Nature Communications explored building blocks of future electronics -- ferroelectric materials in which topological defects called domain walls can be created by an electric field and detected by an alternating current. The study led by Alexander Tselev, Sergei Kalinin and Petro Maksymovych of the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at ORNL, found that domain walls in two ferroelectric oxides were great electrical conductors at microwave frequencies, despite being insulators for direct current. In fact, their alternating current conductivity rivaled that of doped silicon. "These findings motivate the potential for alternating current conduction for oxide electronics and other materials with poor direct current conductivity, particularly at the nanoscale," noted Maksymovych. [Contact: Dawn Levy, (865) 576-6448; levyd@ornl.gov]

Image: https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/news/images/04%20a%20-%20dawn%20levy%20tip.png

Cutline: Microwave imaging (left) reveals conducting ferroelectric domain walls (right) in lead zirconate titanate. Before microwave microscopy, it was difficult to detect electrically conducting ferroelectric domains. Measurements also suggest the "rough" shape of these walls, indicated with dotted lines in the inset (far right), enables the alternating current conductivity.

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Oxford, June 6, 2016 - Phosphorus is the biggest cause of water quality degradation worldwide, causing 'dead zones', toxic algal blooms, a loss of biodiversity and increased health risks for the plants, animals and humans that come in contact with polluted waters. This threatens the loss of economic and social benefits from freshwaters upon which society relies. In a series of studies published in a special issue of Water Research, leading scientists assess how geo-engineering in lakes can control phosphorus pollution.

After decades of run-off from agriculture, human sewage and industrial practices, phosphorus has been stock piled at an alarming rate in our lake bed sediments. The scale of the problem is daunting, and humans are still pumping about 10 million tonnes of extra phosphorus into our freshwaters every year. Long-term monitoring activities following the control of phosphorus sources to lakes show that plants and animals don't recover for many years. This is because phosphorus stored in bed sediments is released back to the water column. Society then has to make a decision - either speed up recovery using geo-engineering to cap sediment phosphorus stores, or do nothing, and accept poor quality freshwaters for decades to come. Geo-engineering is contentious, costly, and the side effects are not well known. This special issue brings together 60 authors from 12 countries to present evidence on this approach.

Geo-engineering applications of a modified zeolite product called "Aqual-P" at Lake ?karo, New Zealand. Image courtesy of Andy Bruere, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, New Zealand.

Miquel Lurling, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, explains that "The scale of this problem has driven the development of a vibrant green economy sector. Our special issue uncovered an alarming number of emerging materials being proposed for use in lakes. The potential for unintended side effects when using novel untested materials is high. A common conclusion of a number of papers was that it is essential to conduct comprehensive assessments of candidate lakes prior to any treatments. We reviewed these considerations in our editorial paper and stress the need to ensure the safe and effective use of this approach."

With the recent introduction of water quality targets and deadlines for standing waters including the EU Water Framework Directive and the Clean Water Act in the USA, the need for approaches like geo-engineering is growing. About 40% of lakes in Europe are failing current water quality targets and combined economic losses in the USA associated with high phosphorus levels in freshwaters is estimated at $2.2 billion annually. There is a need to develop approaches that effectively control phosphorus pollution in freshwaters. This special issue draws on a wide range of laboratory and field scale experiments to produce the most comprehensive analysis of this approach for phosphorus management to date.

Bryan Spears, lead author and guest editor, Freshwater Ecologist, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK, commented: "Our papers assessed the ecological and chemical responses across over 100 lake treatments from around the world. It's safe to say the approach is widespread and global. Most case studies used either aluminum salts or lanthanum modified bentonite additions to control phosphorus. The responses were highly variable across the lakes. In some cases dramatic and sudden improvements were reported in chemical and ecological quality, in others nothing really happened, or the responses were short lived. To improve confidence in the use of the approach a series of papers presented models to predict responses in candidate lakes. One key conclusion is that although this mitigation approach is promising when used correctly and in combination with catchment management, it should not simply be used to off-set the effects of poor environmental behavior."

Geo-engineering in lakes is also being targeted at other environmental problems. Emerging approaches include the control of greenhouse gas emissions from lakes and the control of toxic cyanobacteria for human health. For example, geo-engineering approaches were utilized in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and have been proposed for use in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games to ensure acceptable levels of health risk to athletes during open water events.

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The special issue was led by the University of Wageningen (The Netherlands), The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK), and the University of Southern Denmark (Denmark).

Read more about geo-engineering in lakes and watch the authors present their work.

Notes for editors

The featured articles are:

"Editorial - A critical perspective on geo-engineering for eutrophication management in lakes," by M. Lurling, E. Mackay, K. Reitzel, B.M. Spears (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.03.035). It appears in Water Research , volume 97C (2016), published by Elsevier.

, volume 97C (2016), published by Elsevier. "A meta-analysis of water quality and aquatic macrophyte responses in 18 lakes treated with lanthanum modified bentonite (Phoslock)", by B.M. Spears, E.B. Mackay, S. Yasseri, I.D.M. Gunn, K.E. Waters, C. Andrews, S. Cole, M. De Ville, A. Kelly, S. Meis, A.L. Moore, G.K. Nurnberg, F. van Oosterhout, J.A. Pitt, G. Madgwick, H.J. Woods, M. Lurling, (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.08.020). It appears in Water Research , volume 97C (2016), published by Elsevier.

, volume 97C (2016), published by Elsevier. "Longevity and effectiveness of aluminum addition to reduce sediment phosphorus release and restore water quality," by B.J. Huser, S. Egemose, H. Harper, M. Hupfer, H. Jensen, K.M. Pilgrim, K. Reitzel, E. Rydin, M.N. Futter (doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.06.051). It appears in Water Research, volume 97C, published by Elsevier.

About Water Research

Water Research is a joint publication of Elsevier and the International Water Association (IWA). It is the top scientific journal in the field of science and technology of water quality, water technology and water management worldwide.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions -- among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey -- and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

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Tea industry buzz as AB InBev and Starbucks to partner for new tea range in the US

Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev) and Starbucks are partnering to release a premium ready-to-drink tea range in the US.

The range will be sold under the Teavana speciality tea brand which Starbucks acquired in 2012.

Premium ready-to-drink tea (RTD) is the fastest-growing segment in the US RTD tea category, which the two companies say currently generates US $1.1 billion in sales annually.

Tea has been an important part of Starbucks heritage since we opened our doors as Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices in the Pike Place Market in 1971, said Howard Schultz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Starbucks.

When we acquired Teavana in 2012, we saw a unique opportunity to do for tea what Starbucks has done for coffee and expand the Teavana brand across many customer experiences and products. We are excited to work with Anheuser-Busch to unlock the premium ready-to-drink market and further grow demand for the Teavana brand.

AB InBevs Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Brito, said the partnership brought together two companies that have successful brand-building histories.

We are delighted to be in a position to offer this great product to our wholesalers and believe, with their support, we are ideally structured to maximize the sales opportunity for Teavana RTD tea across the U.S, said Brito.

According to the Tea Association of the U.S., 80 percent of tea consumed in America is iced tea.

Combined, Americans drink 800 million cups of tea weekly.

AB InBev is the largest beer company in the world and is responsible for over 200 beer brands. The tea range will be non-alcoholic.

AB InBev and Starbucks are expected to finalise an agreement by the end of 2016 and launch the product in the first half of 2017.
In these areas, the number of species can be accurately controlled; however species numbers tend to be relatively low and the food webs therefore not very complex. In a new study, researchers have now investigated to which extent the results from such experiments translate to real landscapes. To this end, they collected all of the leaves from an area of ground measuring one square metre in 80 forests in Germany and on Sumatra (Indonesia) in order to examine the animals living there: primarily insects, spiders and snails; a total of over 12,000 individuals from almost 1,200 species. Using this data, they calculated the energy that flows through the food web in the leaf litter. This, in turn, served to gauge the decomposition of the leaves on the forest floor.

The food webs in which the energy stored in the leaves is transformed are highly complex. For example, springtails eat the fallen leaves; they are then eaten by mites, which in turn are hunted by predators such as spiders. By decomposing the fallen leaves in this way, the soil animals (together with fungi and bacteria) play an important role in the forest ecosystem. Without them, the leaves would pile up metres high over just a few years. "The decomposers have the same function in the forest as the waste collection service in our cities," explains study director Ulrich Brose, head of the research group Theory in Biodiversity Science at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Professor at Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.

The study found that the flow of food energy through the leaf litter is especially high if the decomposer community in question is rich in species and individuals. The researchers mainly found these types of communities in near-natural forests with a low degree of management -- both in Germany and on Sumatra. "Our findings show that the functioning of natural and complex ecosystems is ultimately determined by simple relationships: the higher the number of individual animals and the higher the species richness, the better the system functions." By contrast, the composition of the animal community and the characteristics of individual species played a subordinate role in the study. These factors had often demonstrated a strong impact on ecosystem functioning in previous experiments. "If fewer species are present on the whole, as tends to be the case in controlled test areas, the impact of individual species is high. In large species communities, however, individual species appear to carry less weight and the simple rule "more is better" holds true," says Brose. "It was certainly surprising to see that this appears to apply both to forests in Germany and Indonesia," adds the lead author of the study, Andrew Barnes. This, says Barnes, was unexpected as not only the forests themselves but also the management methods in the two regions are very different. Barnes conducted the study at the University of Goettingen, however he has since also moved to the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). The researchers have published their findings in a special issue of the renowned journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, which is dedicated to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes.

The forest areas where researchers collected samples lay up to 90 kilometres apart on Sumatra and up to 630 kilometres apart in Germany. They differed further in the degree to which they were used and influenced by humans. The areas investigated on Sumatra ranged from pristine forest regions through to oil-palm monocultures, and in Germany from unmanaged beech forests to heavily exploited conifer forests. The German areas were located in the biosphere reserve Schorfheide-Chorin (Brandenburg), the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve (Baden-Wuerttemberg) and the Hainich-Duen region (Thuringia), part of which is a national park. They all form part of the "Biodiversity Exploratories" research platform. The samples from Indonesia were taken within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre "Ecological and Socio-economic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems" (University of Goettingen).

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Publication:

Andrew D. Barnes, Patrick Weigelt, Malte Jochum, David Ott, Dorothee Hodapp, Noor Farikhah Haneda, Ulrich Brose (2016): Species richness and biomass explain spatial turnover in ecosystem functioning across tropical and temperate ecosystems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences. 371 20150279; DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0279. Published on April 25, 2016 in the special issue 'Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes', ed. Ulrich Brose and Helmut Hillebrand.

iDiv is a central facility of the University of Leipzig within the meaning of Section 92 (1) of the Act on Academic Freedom in Higher Education in Saxony (Sachsisches Hoch-schulfreiheitsgesetz, SachsHSFG). It is run together with the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, as well as in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ.

The following non-university research institutions are involved as cooperation partners: the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI BGC), the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPI CE), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA), the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and the Leibniz Institute Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Gorlitz (SMNG).
The Neanderthal genome included harmful mutations that made the hominids around 40% less reproductively fit than modern humans, according to estimates published in the latest issue of the journal GENETICS. Non-African humans inherited some of this genetic burden when they interbred with Neanderthals, though much of it has been lost over time. The results suggest that these harmful gene variants continue to reduce the fitness of some populations today. The study also has implications for management of endangered species.

"Neanderthals are fascinating to geneticists because they provide an opportunity to study what happens when two groups of humans evolve independently for a long time--and then come back together," says study leader Kelley Harris, of Stanford University. "Our results suggest that inheriting Neanderthal DNA came at a cost."

Previous studies of DNA extracted from Neanderthal remains revealed that these Eurasian hominids were much more inbred and less genetically diverse than modern humans. For thousands of years, the Neanderthal population size remained small, and mating among close relatives seems to have been common.

Then, 50,000-100,000 years ago, groups of anatomically modern humans left Africa and moved to the homelands of their distant Neanderthal cousins. The two groups interbred, mingling their previously distinct genomes. But though a small fraction of the genome of non-African populations today is Neanderthal, their genetic contribution is uneven. Neanderthal sequences are concentrated in certain parts of the human genome, but missing from other regions.

"Whenever geneticists find a non-random arrangement like that, we look for the evolutionary forces that caused it," says Harris.

Harris and her colleague Rasmus Nielsen (University of California, Berkeley / University of Copenhagen) hypothesized that the force in question was natural selection. In small populations, like the Neanderthals', natural selection is less effective and chance has an outsized influence. This allows weakly harmful mutations to persist, rather than being weeded out over the generations. But once such mutations are introduced back into a larger population, such as modern humans, they would be exposed to the surveillance of natural selection and eventually lost.

To quantify this effect, Harris and Nielsen used computer programs to simulate mutation accumulation during Neanderthal evolution and to estimate how humans were affected by the influx of neanderthal genetic variants. The simulations incorporated data on the mutation rates, genome properties, and population dynamics of hominids.

The results suggest that Neanderthals carried many mutations with mild, but harmful effects. The combined effect of these weak mutations would have made Neanderthals at least 40% less fit than humans in evolutionary terms--that is, they were 40% less likely to reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation.

Related conclusions were reached in an independent study that used very different methods, led by Ivan Juric at the University of California, Davis. This work is currently being peer reviewed and is available at the pre-publication preprint server bioRxiv.

Harris and Nielsen's simulations also suggest that humans and Neanderthals mixed much more freely than originally thought. Today, Neanderthal sequences make up approximately 2% of the genome in people from non-African populations. But Harris and Nielsen estimate that at the time of interbreeding, closer to 10% of the human migrants' genome would have been Neanderthal. Because there were around ten times more humans than Neanderthals, this number is consistent with the two groups acting as as single population that interbred at random. Recent DNA evidence has confirmed that the Neanderthal contribution to Eurasian genomes was higher in the past.

Although most of the harmful mutations bequeathed by our Neanderthal ancestors would have been lost within a few generations, a small fraction likely persists in people today. Harris and Nielsen estimate that non-Africans may have historically had approximately 1% lower reproductive fitness due to their Neanderthal heritage. This is in spite of the small number of Neanderthal gene variants thought to be beneficial today, including genes related to immunity and skin color.

The results also have implications for conserving endangered species. Many vulnerable populations in fragmented habitats face similar genetic problems to the Neanderthals: inbreeding, low genetic diversity, and accumulation of harmful mutations. One management strategy for overcoming these problems is genetic rescue--improving the health of an inbred population by outcrossing it with other populations.

"Genetic rescue is designed to move gene variants from an outbred population to an inbred population," says Harris. "Our results suggest managers must ensure that this movement only goes one way; otherwise harmful mutations from the inbred population may lower the fitness of the outbred group."

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CITATION

The Genetic Cost of Neanderthal Introgression

Kelley Harris, Rasmus Nielsen

GENETICS June, 2016 Vol. 203, no. 2 881-891;

DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.186890

http://www.genetics.org/content/203/2/881

Funding

This work was supported by an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) to Kelley Harris, award number F32GM116381 and by National Science Foundation IR01GM109454-01 (Rasmus Nielsen)

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional scientific society for genetics researchers and educators. The Societys more than 5,000 members worldwide work to deepen our understanding of the living world by advancing the field of genetics, from the molecular to the population level. GSA promotes research and fosters communication through a number of GSA-sponsored conferences including regular meetings that focus on particular model organisms. GSA publishes two peer-reviewed, peer-edited scholarly journals: GENETICS, which has published high quality original research across the breadth of the field since 1916, and G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, an open-access journal launched in 2011 to disseminate high quality foundational research in genetics and genomics. The Society also has a deep commitment to education and fostering the next generation of scholars in the field. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org.
Griffith University researchers have found evidence that demonstrates Aboriginal people were the first to inhabit Australia, as reported in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal this week.

The work refutes an earlier landmark study that claimed to recover DNA sequences from the oldest known Australian, Mungo Man.

This earlier study was interpreted as evidence that Aboriginal people were not the first Australians, and that Mungo Man represented an extinct lineage of modern humans that occupied the continent before Aboriginal Australians.

Scientists from Griffith University's Research Centre for Human Evolution (RCHE), recently used new DNA sequencing methods to re-analyse the remains of Mungo Man from the World Heritage listed landscape of the Willandra Lakes region, in far western New South Wales.

Professor Lambert, from RCHE, said it was clear that incorrect conclusions had been drawn in relation to Mungo Man in the original study.

"The sample from Mungo Man which we retested contained sequences from five different European people suggesting that these all represent contamination," he said.

"At the same time we re-analysed more than 20 of the other ancient people from Willandra. We were successful in recovering the genomic sequence of one of the early inhabitants of Lake Mungo, a man buried very close to the location where Mungo Man was originally interred.

"By going back and reanalysing the samples with more advanced technology, we have found compelling support for the argument that Aboriginal Australians were the first inhabitants of Australia."

Professor Lambert explained that the results proved that the more advanced genomic technology was capable of unlocking further secrets from Australia's human past.

"We now know that meaningful genetic information can be recovered from ancient Aboriginal Australian remains," he said.

"This represents the first time researchers have recovered an ancient mitochondrial genome sequence from an Aboriginal person who lived before the arrival of the Europeans."

The research, which has just been published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, was planned and conducted with the support of the Barkindjii, Ngiyampaa and Muthi Muthi indigenous people.

There has been considerable debate in Australia and around the world about the origins of the first Australians since the publication in 1863 of Thomas Henry Huxley's Man's Place in Nature.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Lucy Ardern, 0417 307 223 and lucy.ardern@rowland.com.au

For more information, contact Professor David Lambert

+61 7 373 55298 or d.lambert@griffith.edu.au
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating condition with no known effective treatment. The disease is characterized by memory loss as well as impaired locomotor ability, reasoning, and judgment. Emerging evidence suggests that the innate immune response plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AD.

While the mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of AD remain unclear, scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently conducted a study on the potential therapeutic role of interleukin-33 (IL-33) in AD, where they injected the protein into transgenic mouse models of AD. The injection of IL-33 rescues contextual memory deficits and reduces the deposition of -amyloid peptide (A) in the transgenic mouse model, suggesting that IL-33 can be developed as a new therapeutic intervention for AD.

The findings were published in the journal PNAS (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1604032113).

"There is no effective therapy for AD, in part because of our limited knowledge of its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms," said Prof Nancy Ip, Dean of Science, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience and The Morningside Professor of Life Science at HKUST, who directed the research effort. "Nonetheless, targeting the innate immune system has been considered a promising strategy for developing effective therapeutics for AD. The present study demonstrates that peripheral IL-33 injection in AD mouse models alleviates AD-like pathology by enhancing microglial phagocytosis and degradation of A."

"We believe that IL-33 is a critical factor in maintaining a healthy brain," Prof Ip said. "Disturbances in this signal mechanism, owing to genetic disposition or environmental influence, may contribute to the onset of AD. The next step will be to translate the findings from the mouse study into clinical treatments for humans."

The research was the result of a collaborative effort among scientists from HKUST, the University of Glasgow, and Zhejiang University.

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At a fraction of the cost and with greater capability, as described in the current issue of Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging

Amsterdam, NL, June 6, 2016 - Raman spectroscopy provides detailed chemical information, and when combined with a microscope, it can non-destructively analyze biological samples. While commercial research-grade Raman microscopes have been available for some time, they have tended to be both inflexible and very expensive. In a paper in the current issue of Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging, researchers from Germany and Serbia describe an inexpensive, versatile micro-Raman system that can be assembled from readily available components at a fraction of the cost of a commercial tool.

Because micro-Raman spectroscopy combines chemical characterization with imaging in a label-free way, it is particularly well suited for biological research because it can detect variations in biomolecular composition and correlate that information with corresponding biological changes due to metabolism or pathology. It also holds promise for rapid clinical diagnosis in living cells and a host of applications, such as observation of cell metabolism, growth, and aging, studies of drug resistance or drug uptake, chemical mapping of cells, and many others. Since disease typically originates at the cellular level, this capability could help us understand how changes within an individual cell could lead to disease development.

To build this microscope, the authors obtained more than 20 components, ranging from mirrors and filters to cameras, lenses, and a motorized table. They estimate that their design could be built for about 10,000 and requires only normal expertise in optical assembly.

In terms of flexibility, this microscope can be switched from an upright to an inverted configuration, an unusual and important advantage for analyzing biological samples. It is particularly effective for hyperspectral imaging, through which the chemical composition of each pixel in a scanned image can be determined. In addition to Raman spectroscopy, the system can be combined with other modalities such as fluorescence imaging.

The microscope was used to collect Raman maps of individual cells from two different cancer cell lines, MIA PaCs-2 pancreatic cancer and Jurkat, T-Lymphocytes. By collecting the spectra at each point, the relative concentrations of lipids vs. proteins/DNA were mapped.

According to lead investigator Prof. Jurgen Popp, PhD, of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology and the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, University Jena (Germany), the development of this instrument embodies their institute's mission, "From ideas to instruments." The responsible researcher Christoph Krafft, PhD, explained that "We acquired Raman images of single human cells with a custom instrument. These data demonstrated that the instrument provides spectra of sufficient quality to distinguish the cell type. This result will be exploited in projects about identification of tumor cells circulating in blood."

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Along with coauthors Roman Kiselev and Iwan W. Schie, from the Leibniz Institute, and Sonja Askrabi?, of the Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, Prof. Popp and Dr. Krafft hope that any interested user can construct a similar flexible and inexpensive tool to conduct critical and potentially ground-breaking research.

"The advances made by the authors will make Raman micro-spectroscopic imaging of biological systems accessible to a greater number of scientists, especially those who do not have sufficient funding to purchase the more expensive instruments," commented Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging Editor-in-Chief Dr. Parvez I. Haris, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, UK. "Thanks to this development we are likely to see a growth in Raman micro-spectroscopic imaging of biological samples including cancer tissues."
INDIANAPOLIS -- More than 53 million Americans age 50 and older, primarily women, have osteoporosis or are at high risk for the condition due to low bone density. A recent study of oral bisphosphonates, the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis treatment, found that approximately a third of women prescribed these drugs continue to be at elevated risk for bone fracture, an outcome that may have several origins.

Oral bisphosphonates are a pillar of preventive treatment for patients with osteoporosis and have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of disabling bone fractures. It is known from clinical trials that no medication completely eliminates the risk of fracture. Additionally, medication effectiveness may be different in clinical practice compared to well-controlled research trials.

Research from the Regenstrief Institute-Merck (Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.) collaboration suggests that many women still have indicators consistent with higher risk of fracture while taking these medications. The cross-sectional population health study was based on a retrospective database analysis of 7,435 women age 50 and older taking bisphosphonates for at least two years during the 2000-2012 time period. The analysis was published in the peer-reviewed journal Bone.

"While we found that a substantial proportion of patients who took oral bisphosphonates remain at risk for hip, spine, and other major fractures, this class of drug does improve bone density in the majority of patients and should remain a mainstay of osteoporosis management," said Erik Imel, M.D., the Indiana University School of Medicine endocrinologist and Regenstrief Institute-affiliated scientist who led the study.

"We limited our study to patients who were considered to be compliant with taking their medication, based on drug dispensing days covered, with the presumption being that those who filled prescriptions took the medication properly. We would expect even less benefit if patients fail to take their medication properly. To increase treatment effectiveness, patients and their doctors should be vigilant that the drug is taken reliably and properly. However, osteoporosis drugs are not enough. Physicians and their patients are well advised to discuss additional important modifications to decrease fall risk and fracture risk. These include exercise, smoking cessation, use of assistive devices such as canes or walkers, modifying the home to avoid obstacles that might lead to falls, and taking appropriate amounts of vitamin D and calcium."

Conducted under the auspices of a Regenstrief Institute-Merck collaboration, the retrospective cohort study utilized anonymized data from the Indiana Network for Patient Care, a health information exchange founded by the Regenstrief Institute. The study authors note that the data they used reflects real-life medical practice and patient behavior from a wide range of physicians and patient backgrounds. Adherence to bisphosphonate therapy was determined by prescription fulfillment records. Clinical data included information on bone density and fractures.

"We know that taking bisphosphonates decrease fracture risk compared to those not taking these drugs," Dr. Imel said. "But what about those women who weren't getting the anticipated benefit and are not improving bone density or even are losing bone density? What predicted that? The purpose of this study was to focus attention on those not doing well, in order to begin to decrease the odds of future fractures in this large group of vulnerable patients.

"Not everyone responds the same way to oral bisphosphonates or any drug. Various factors could convey continued risk of fracture in spite of bisphosphonate therapy, including other medical problems and risk factors for falling. Since we know that such a high percentage of women continue to have elevated fracture risk we -- doctors and patients -- need to focus on these factors," Dr. Imel said. "For example, we found that women who had other medical conditions in addition to low bone density--a frequent occurrence in this older population--had higher fracture risk. Taking some medications in combination with bisphosphonates seemed to increase fracture risk. However, having more medical conditions and taking more drugs are most likely markers of heightened risk rather than causative factors."

Neurologic problems, often linked to heightened risk of falls, as well as inflammatory and other chronic joint conditions including arthritis were found to be associated with higher odds of having a fracture among those taking bisphosphonates.

"I always tell my osteoporosis patients, 'Don't fall,'" said Dr. Imel. "They usually chuckle, and then we talk about things they can do to decrease the risk of falling, including proper footwear and assistive devices. Many patients are reluctant to use a cane or a walker. I try to get them to understand the importance of using any tool that decreases the chance of falling."

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In addition to Dr. Imel, authors of "Proportion of Osteoporotic Women Remaining at Risk for Fracture Despite Adherence to Oral Bisphosphonates" are George Eckert, Zhuokai Li, and Ziyue Liu of the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health; Ankita Modi and Anne de Papp of Merck, Sharp and Dohme, Inc.; Joel Martin, Katie Allen, and Siu Hui of the Regenstrief Institute.

The research was funded by a grant under the Merck-Regenstrief Program in Personalized Health Care Research and Innovation, a collaboration between Merck and the Regenstrief Institute.
Scientists at King's College London have developed a blood test that accurately and reliably predicts whether depressed patients will respond to common antidepressants, which could herald a new era of personalised treatment for people with depression.

Guided by this test, patients with blood inflammation above a certain threshold could be directed towards earlier access to more assertive antidepressant strategies, such as a combination of antidepressants, before their condition worsens.

Approximately half of all depressed patients do not respond to first-line antidepressants and a third of patients are resistant to all available pharmacological treatments. Until now, it has been impossible to establish if individual patients will respond to common antidepressants or if they need a more assertive antidepressant treatment plan, which may include a combination of more than one medication.

As a result, patients are treated with a trial-and-error approach whereby one antidepressant is tried after another, often for 12 or more weeks for every type of antidepressant. This can result in long periods of ineffective antidepressant treatment for individuals who may not show an improvement in symptoms anyway.

The study, published today by The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, focused on two biomarkers that measure blood inflammation, as previous studies have already shown that elevated levels of inflammation are associated with poor response to antidepressants.

They measured the quantity of two biomarkers - of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and interleukin (IL)-1- in two independent clinical samples of depressed patients, before or after they took a range of commonly prescribed antidepressants.

The researchers found that blood test results above a specified threshold level could precisely and reliably predict the probability of individuals responding to the treatments. Patients with levels of MIF and IL-1above the thresholds showed a 100 per cent chance of not responding to conventional, commonly prescribed antidepressants. Those with inflammation below the suggested threshold could be expected to respond to first-line antidepressants, according to the study authors.

The two biomarkers examined in the study are both thought to be important in predicting how people with depression respond to antidepressants, as they are involved in several brain mechanisms relevant to depression. These include the birth of new brain cells and connections between them, as well as the death of brain cells through a process called 'oxidative stress.'Oxidative stress occurs when the body both overproduces and then struggles to remove molecules called 'free radicals.'These free radicals break down brain connections and disrupt the brain's chemical signalling, which in turn can lead to the development of depressive symptoms by reducing the brain's protective mechanisms.

Professor Carmine Pariante from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London and senior author of the study, said: 'The identification of biomarkers that predict treatment response is crucial in reducing the social and economic burden of depression, and improving quality of life of patients.

'This study provides a clinically-suitable approach for personalising antidepressant therapy - patients who have blood inflammation above a certain threshold could be directed toward earlier access to more assertive antidepressant strategies, including the addition of other antidepressants or anti-inflammatory drugs.'

Dr Annamaria Cattaneo, first author from the IoPPN at King's College London, said: 'This is the first time a blood test has been used to precisely predict, in two independent clinical groups of depressed patients, the response to a range of commonly prescribed antidepressants.

'These results also confirm and extend the mounting evidence that high levels of inflammation induce a more severe form of depression, which is less likely to respond to common antidepressants.'

Dr Cattaneo added: 'This study moves us a step closer to providing personalised antidepressant treatment at the earliest signs of depression.

'It is really crucial now to carry out a clinical study comparing the current clinical practice in antidepressant prescription, based on trial-and-error, with our novel approach of 'personalised psychiatry', where the antidepressant treatment plan is guided by the blood test.'

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This research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre.

The researchers are currently recruiting for a clinical trial to test whether adding an anti-inflammatory drug to an antidepressant improves depression (EU Clinical Trial Register n. 2015-003413-26); for further information please visit the King's website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/depts/pm/research/perinatal/Participate-in-research-in-Stress,-Psychiatry-and-Immunology-Lab-&-Perinatal-Psychiatry.aspx

Notes to editors

For further media information please contact Jack Stonebridge, Press Officer, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London jack.stonebridge@kcl.ac.uk 020 7848 5377.

About King's College London - http://www.kcl.ac.uk

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world (2015/16 QS World University Rankings) and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 26,500 students (of whom nearly 10,400 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and nearly 6,900 staff. The university is in the second phase of a ?1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) King's was ranked 6th nationally in the 'power'ranking, which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity, and 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings. Eighty-four per cent of research at King's was deemed 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'(3* and 4*). The university is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of more than ?600 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: http://www.kingshealthpartners.org.

King's fundraising campaign -World questions | King's answers -created to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity has reached its ?500 million target 18 months ahead of schedule. The university is now aiming to build on this success and raise a further ?100 million by the end of 2015, to fund vital research, deliver innovative new treatments and to support scholarships. The campaign's five priority areas are neuroscience and mental health, leadership and society, cancer, global power and children's health. More information about the campaign is available at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.
HAMILTON, ON, June 8, 2016  New research into the ringing-ear condition known as tinnitus points to an alarming level of early hearing damage in young people who are exposed to loud music, prompting a warning from a leading Canadian researcher in the field.

Its a growing problem and I think its going to get worse, says Larry Roberts of McMasters Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, the only Canadian author of a paper published today in the journal Scientific Reports. My personal view is that there is a major public health challenge coming down the road in terms of difficulties with hearing.

The researchers interviewed and performed detailed hearing tests on a group of 170 students between 11 and 17 years old, learning that almost all of them engage in risky listening habits  at parties, clubs and on personal listening devices  and that more than a quarter of them are already experiencing persistent tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ears that more typically affects people over 50.

Further testing of the same subjects  all students at the same school in Sao Paulo, Brazil  showed that even though they could still hear as well as their peers, those experiencing tinnitus were more likely to have a significantly reduced tolerance for loud noise, which is considered a sign of hidden damage to the nerves that are used in processing sound, damage that can foretell serious hearing impairment later in life.

Roberts explained that when the auditory nerves are damaged, brain cells increase their sensitivity to their remaining inputs, which can make ordinary sounds seem louder. Increased loudness perception is an indication of nerve injury that cannot be detected by the audiogram, the standard clinical test for hearing ability. Neuroscience research indicates that such hidden hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sounds in the early years deepens over the life span, worsening ones hearing ability later in life.

The levels of sound exposure that are quite commonplace in our environment, particularly among youth, appear to be sufficient to produce hidden cochlear injuries. says Roberts. The message is, Protect your ears.

Roberts worked closely with Brazilian researcher Tanit Ganz Sanchez  who led the study  and and her colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine. The data they gathered was especially rich and detailed, Roberts said, creating a more complete picture of whats happening to young people who may not be aware that they may be hurting themselves when they listen to loud music.

Its common after listening to loud music to experience a ringing in the ears for the next day or so, Roberts said. More than half the students in the study said it had happened to them. This brief tinnitus is an early warning sign of vulnerability to the injurious effects of noise exposure, according to Roberts. Testing showed that 28 per cent of the study participants had already developed persistent tinnitus.

The 28 per cent of participants with persistent tinnitus also showed heightened sensitivity to loud sounds, indicating that the neurons that transmit sounds to the brain may have been damaged, said Roberts. While some other forms of hearing loss can be repaired, such nerve damage cannot be undone. The only sure solution, he says, is prevention.

Roberts, a veteran researcher and advocate, compares the evolving campaign against loud music to the early years of the campaign against smoking, in the sense that many people have no idea that they are hurting themselves, and would take steps to prevent injury if they had the right information.

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To view the research paper, please visit http://www.nature.com/articles/srep27109 .

To arrange an interview, please contact Larry Roberts directly at 905-516-0017 or roberts@mcmaster.ca .

For more information, please contact:

Wade Hemsworth

Media Relations Manager

McMaster University

905-525-9140, ext. 27988

hemswor@mcmaster.ca

Michelle Donovan

Media Relations Manager

McMaster University

905-525-9140, ext. 22869

donovam@mcmaster.ca
Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a $30 million award to the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) to acquire and deploy a new large-scale supercomputing system, Stampede 2, as a strategic national resource to provide high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities for thousands of researchers across the U.S.

This award builds on technology and expertise from the Stampede system first funded by NSF in 2011 and will deliver a peak performance of up to 18 Petaflops, over twice the overall system performance of the current Stampede system. Stampede 2 will be among the first systems to employ cutting-edge processor and memory technology to continue to bridge users to future cyberinfrastructure.

Stampede 2 will be deployed by TACC in conjunction with vendor partners Dell Inc., Intel Corporation, and Seagate Technology, and operated by a team of cyberinfrastructure experts at TACC, UT Austin, Clemson University, Cornell University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Indiana University, and Ohio State University.

"NSF is proud to join with the University of Texas at Austin in supporting the nation's academic researchers in science and engineering with the latest in advanced computing technology and expertise," said Irene Qualters, NSF Division Director for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. "Stampede 2's capabilities will complement and significantly expand the diverse portfolio of computing resources increasingly essential to exploration at the frontiers of science and engineering."

The announcement of Stampede 2 comes at a time when the use of NSF-supported research cyberinfrastructure resources is at an all-time high and continuing to increase across all science and engineering disciplines. Since 2005, the number of active institutions using this research cyberinfrastructure has doubled, the number of principal investigators has tripled, and the number of active users has quintupled. Furthering the Stampede system will help enable a growing number of scientists to have access to computation at-scale.

"The original Stampede system has run more than 7 million simulation and data analysis jobs for tens of thousands of users around the country and around the world," noted Dan Stanzione, executive director of TACC and principal investigator of the Stampede and Stampede 2 projects. "The kind of large-scale computing and data capabilities systems like Stampede and Stampede 2 provide are crucial for innovation in almost every area of research and development, from providing insights to fundamental theory to applied work that has real near-term impacts on society. Stampede has been used for everything from determining earthquake risks to help set building codes for homes and commercial buildings, to computing the largest mathematical proof ever constructed. We thank the NSF for trusting us again with the tremendous responsibility of supporting our nation's researchers as they push the boundaries of discovery."

Researchers across the nation can gain access to Stampede and other advanced computing resources, including other HPC machines, high throughput computing machines, visualizations, data storage, testbeds, and services through the NSF-funded Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE).

The award for Stampede 2 will deploy a new system that will surpass performance of the current Stampede system, doubling peak performance, memory, storage capacity and bandwidth. The new system will be deployed in phases, using a variety of new and upcoming technologies. The processors in the system will include a mix of upcoming Intel Xeon Phi Processors, codenamed "Knights Landing," and future-generation Intel Xeon processors, connected by Intel Omni-Path Architecture. The last phase of the system will include integration of the upcoming 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology.

"The first Stampede system has been the workhorse of XSEDE, supporting the advanced modeling, simulation, and analysis needs of many thousands of researchers across the country," said Omar Ghattas, a computational geoscientist/engineer at UT Austin and recent winner of the Gordon Bell prize for the most outstanding achievement in high-performance computing.

"Stampede has also given us a window into a future in which simulation is but an inner iteration of a 'what-if?' outer loop. Stampede 2's massive performance increase will make routine the principled exploration of parameter space entailed in this outer loop. This will usher in a new era of HPC-based inference, data assimilation, design, control, uncertainty quantification, and decision-making for large-scale complex models in the natural and social sciences, engineering, technology, medicine, and beyond."

The announcement was made today during an event at TACC recognizing the center's 15th anniversary and dedicating a new building for advanced computing on the UT Austin J.J. Pickle Research Campus. Speakers included Qualters; Stanzione; Bill McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System; Jim Ganthier, vice president and general manager, Engineered Solutions, HPC & Cloud, Dell, Inc.; and Charlie Wuischpard, vice president and general manager, HPC Platform Group, Intel Corporation.

"We are both excited for and proud to power TACC's multiple Stampede Systems. TACC has been a great Dell customer and partner over the years, helping us to evolve our own portfolio as we continue to push the HPC industry forward," said Ganthier. "Our Dell technologies at the core of the Stampede 2 supercomputing cluster will continue powering leading-edge research to both enable and advance science and society."

"The NSF and TACC continue to recognize the need for advanced HPC solutions as a fundamental tool to accelerate academic and scientific discovery," Wuischpard said. "Stampede 2 will be a leadership-class system based on the Intel Scalable System Framework, delivering a common platform for modeling, simulation, and data-driven science, and fueling scientific research and discovery for the next generation of researchers."

The event also included a symposium on advanced computing featuring users of the system: Ghattas; Ellen Rathje, of UT Austin, who leads the NSF-funded DesignSafe infrastructure; Peter Couvares of Syracuse University from the Advanced LIGO project, which recently confirmed the first observation of gravitational waves; and Nirav Merchant from the University of Arizona, who is co-principal investigator of the NSF-funded CyVerse life sciences cyberinfrastructure.

Intel, Xeon and Xeon Phi are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

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In the years after the HMS Challenger set sail from Portsmouth, England, in 1872, researchers made discoveries that laid the foundation of the science of oceanography. These scientists couldn't have imagined that more than a century later, almost anyone can discover secrets of the sea -- even if he or she lives thousands of miles from a coastline.

On World Oceans Day, June 8th -- or anytime -- the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is making the seas accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone with an Internet connection.

"The OOI is placing as much ocean data online as possible and making it available in real time," says Roger Wakimoto, NSF assistant director for Geosciences. "In addition to scientific discovery, we hope to spark the public's interest in the sea, and contribute to the safety of those who make their living on the water or vacation along the coast."

Permanent scientific presence

The OOI is a permanent scientific presence in the oceans. It consists of 83 platforms with more than 830 instruments, providing some 100,000 scientific and engineering data products. The platforms and instruments are spread across seven arrays located in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The OOI Data Portal has opened its doors to allow users -- scientists, educators and the public -- to freely access OOI data. Over recent months, the quantity of information and the tools for downloading and plotting it have steadily increased, and OOI continues to expand its data availability.

"Much like the HMS Challenger crew, OOI is employing new technology that we hope will revolutionize our understanding of the oceans," says Greg Ulses, OOI director at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which manages the OOI Program for NSF. "We're doing that by focusing on our online data delivery. We live in a time of constant Internet connection -- your computer, your tablet, your phone -- so we're giving people access to the oceans by meeting them where they are: online."

Data from OOI will foster scientific advancements by helping researchers gain a better understanding of earthquakes and shifts in tectonic plates; species that live at hydrothermal vents and methane seeps; climate and weather phenomena such as El Nino; ocean acidification; the upwelling that fuels productive coastal fisheries; and the links between ocean circulation and climate.

Benefits to public

Scientists aren't the only ones benefitting from OOI. A suite of online tools, including data visualization exercises and lesson plans, allows educators to engage students in scientific inquiry on oceanographic concepts. In addition, commercial or recreational fishers may monitor offshore conditions by checking data from nearby buoys.

Anyone with an Internet connection can download and view plots of OOI data from all arrays or watch a live-streaming, high-definition video from a hydrothermal vent 250 miles off the coast of Oregon.

Tales of krakens, whirlpools, and passages to foreign lands have long united people and kindled interest in the sea's mysterious forces. This year on World Oceans Day and beyond, celebrate by connecting with the ocean live -- without even getting wet.

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More about OOI

OOI's network of platforms and sensors tracks the oceans' physical, chemical, geologic and biological properties from the seafloor to the sea surface. Using undersea robotics, moorings, fiber-optic cables, and specialized instrumentation, OOI links technology and advanced engineering capabilities to an intricate cyberinfrastructure, bringing ocean observing data to shore.

OOI is an NSF cooperative agreement with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which has overseen OOI construction and initial operations through partnerships with the University of Washington, Oregon State University, Rutgers University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Operation IceBridge, NASA's airborne survey of polar ice, ended its eighth spring Arctic campaign on May 21. During their five weeks of operations, mission scientists carried out six research flights over sea ice and ten over land ice.

"We collected data over key portions of the Greenland Ice Sheet, like the fast-changing Zachariae Isstrom Glacier, and we got the broad geographic coverage of Arctic sea ice we needed," said Nathan Kurtz, IceBridge's project scientist and a sea ice researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This is an important continuation of the time series for Arctic ice, particularly with the very warm Arctic winter noticeably impacting sea ice retreat and ice sheet melt onset this year."

The 2016 Arctic campaign's inaugural research flight took place April 19 aboard one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Hunter planes, a P-3 Orion. This year's deployment was shorter than normal due to aircraft maintenance issues and persistent bad weather in the north of Greenland. The first part of the campaign --based out of Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland and also out of Fairbanks, Alaska-- focused on sea ice.

"The good news is that we covered the entire western Arctic basin," said Jackie Richter-Menge, IceBridge science team co-lead and sea ice researcher with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, New Hampshire.

In the coming weeks, IceBridge scientists will be releasing a dataset of sea ice measurements that were collected during this deployment. Modelers will use the data --together with other measurements, such as those of the European Space Agency's (ESA) CryoSat-2 satellite-- to try to forecast how the upcoming melt season will evolve.

"This year we're looking at the potential of an extremely low sea ice extent, so IceBridge's measurements of sea ice will be particularly relevant," Richter-Menge said.

During this campaign the IceBridge aircraft flew under the path of Sentinel-3A, a recently launched ESA satellite that carries a radar altimeter that gauges sea ice thickness. Scientists will compare the Sentinel-3A measurements to the data IceBridge collected over the same spots with its radar and laser altimeters. This comparison will help validate and refine Sentinel-3A's data gathering.

The last leg of this year's springtime Arctic deployment was based out of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and focused on measuring changes in the elevation of the ice sheet.

"Unlike with the sea ice portion of the campaign, we had a streak of good weather in Kangerlussuaq and the science flights picked up -- we flew 10 out of 11 possible flight days," said John Sonntag, IceBridge mission scientist. "It was a very positive way to end our deployment."

This summer, IceBridge will conduct two additional campaigns to measure the impact of the melt season on Arctic sea and land ice. The first one will take place in late July and will be based out of Barrow, Alaska, focusing on the sea ice cover in the Beaufort Sea. The second one, planned for late August to early September, will be based in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and repeat land ice missions that IceBridge completed in May, to measure how fast ice thins during the upcoming melt season. The Barrow campaign will last about two weeks, while the Kangerlussuaq deployment will go on for three weeks.

While in Kangerlussuaq, Operation IceBridge hosted several visitors: a TV crew from Spain working on a documentary about climate change in the Arctic; a freelance photographer; four IceBridge-affiliated scientists; and Kelly McCarthy, a science and math teacher from Coal Township, Pennsylvania, who visited IceBridge through the National Science Foundation's PolarTREC educational program.

Also new to the flights was Joe MacGregor, the recently-appointed IceBridge deputy project scientist and a land ice researcher with Goddard.

"It was a fantastic experience," MacGregor said. "It was nice to experience the raw challenges of collecting data and the decision-making process involved in moving forward with the campaign."

The mission of Operation IceBridge is to collect data on changing polar land and sea ice and maintain continuity of measurements between ICESat missions. The original ICESat mission ended in 2009, and its successor, ICESat-2, is scheduled for launch in 2018. Operation IceBridge is currently funded until 2019. The planned overlap with ICESat-2 will help scientists validate the satellite's measurements.

During its eight years of operations in the Arctic, IceBridge has gathered large volumes of data on changes in the elevation of the ice sheet and its internal structure. Measurements from IceBridge have revealed a 460-mile-long (740 kilometers) canyon hiding under a mile of ice and mapped the extent of a vast liquid water aquifer beneath the snow in southern Greenland. IceBridge's readings of the thickness of sea ice and its snow cover have helped scientists improve forecasts for the summer melt season and have enhanced the understanding of variations in ice thickness distribution from year to year.

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NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia provided the laser altimeter and one of the infrared cameras that were used during IceBridge's 2016 Arctic spring campaign. IceBridge's three radar instruments came from the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets at the University of Kansas, while NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, provided the Digital Mapping System, and the University of Colorado loaned the second infrared camera.

For more about Operation IceBridge, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge
Third gene definitely linked to disease in patients from North America and Asia

CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new cause of Parkinson's disease -- mutations in a gene called TMEM230. This appears to be the third gene definitively linked to confirmed cases of the common movement disorder.

In a study published in Nature Genetics, the scientists provided evidence of TMEM230 mutations in patients with Parkinson's disease from both North America and Asia. They also demonstrated that the gene is responsible for producing a protein involved in packaging the neurotransmitter dopamine in neurons. Loss of dopamine-producing neurons is a defining characteristic of Parkinson's disease.

Taken together, the study's findings provide new clues to explain how Parkinson's disease develops in the brain. Those clues may inform future therapies for the disorder, which currently has no cure and few known causes.

"Previous research has associated Parkinson's disease with various factors in the environment, but the only direct causes that are known are genetic," said principal investigator Dr. Teepu Siddique, the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Foundation Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Many genes have been claimed to cause Parkinson's disease, but they haven't been validated. We show that mutations in this new gene lead to pathologically and clinically proven cases of the disease."

About 15 percent of Parkinson's disease cases are thought to be caused by genetics, primarily by mutations in two genes called SNCA and LRRK2. Siddique said that other genes have only been associated with features of parkinsonism, a general term for neurological disorders with motor symptoms.

The Northwestern Medicine team's proof that mutations in TMEM230 lead to Parkinson's disease is the result of 20 years of research conducted with collaborators around the world.

How they uncovered the gene

The project began in 1996, when Siddique and study first author Dr. Han-Xiang Deng, began investigating a family with 15 members who had typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Using DNA samples provided by co-author Dr. Ali Rajput, from the University of Saskatchewan, Siddique and Deng performed genome-wide analysis on 65 of the family's members, including 13 with the disease, in hopes of finding a common mutation that could explain the prevalence.

They were able to narrow the search down to a small region of DNA on chromosome 20 that contained 141 known genes. Using whole exome sequencing technology, they then compared DNA variations -- genetic differences -- in one healthy family member to those in four family members with the disease. The scientists found more than 90,000 variants before eventually identifying TMEM230 as the gene with disease-causing mutation.

"This was a totally new gene. We didn't know its function," Deng explained. "So we did a series of studies to find out where the protein encoded by this gene is located and what it does."

The scientists discovered that TMEM230 encodes a protein that extends across the membrane of tiny sacks inside neurons called synaptic vesicles, which store neurotransmitters before they're released from one cell to another.

"Current symptomatic treatments for Parkinson's disease increase the neurotransmitter dopamine that is released by these synaptic vesicles to cells that project into different parts of the brain controlling motor activity, mood and many other organ systems affected by the disease," Siddique said.

The scientists hypothesize that the protein is involved in the movement of these vesicles.

"We believe that vesicle trafficking defects are a key mechanism of Parkinson's disease, not just for cases with this mutation, but a common pathway for the majority of cases. All three of the authenticated genes are concentrated on synaptic vesicles," Deng said. "Our new findings suggest that normalizing synaptic vesicle trafficking may be a strategy for future therapeutic development. We can develop drugs to promote this critical pathway."

Verifying the gene across populations

Importantly, the research team also found mutations in the TMEM230 gene in cases of Parkinson's disease in additional families in North America and as far away as China. They verified that these patients had both clinical characteristics of the disease (symptoms like tremors, slow movement and stiffness) as well as pathological evidence in the brain (loss of dopamine neurons and abnormal accumulations of proteins inside surviving neurons).

"This particular gene causing Parkinson's disease is not just limited to one population in North America," Siddique said. "It's worldwide, found in very different ethnic and environmental conditions. These mutations are that strong."

In future research, Siddique and Deng plan to explore how TMEM230 mutations cause disease using mouse models.

Siddique is a professor of neurology and of cell and molecular biology at Feinberg. Deng is a research professor of neurology.

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Additional Northwestern study authors include Dr. Yong Shi, Yi Yang, Kreshnik Ahmeti, Nimrod Miller, Dr. Lijun Cheng, Hong Zhai, Sheng Deng, Myung Jong Kim, Ziquang Yang, Dr. Faisal Fecto, Nailah Siddique, Dr. Dimitri Krainc, Dr. Onur Melen, and Yong-Chao Ma.

This study was supported by the American Parkinson's Disease Association; the National Institutes of Health grants NS074366, NS37167, NS078287, NS094564, AG043970, AG10133 and NS095972; National Natural Science Foundation of China grants 81271921, 81430023 and 81471300; the Les Turner Foundation/the Herbert C. Wenske Foundation Professorship; the Les Turner ALS Foundation; the George Link, Jr. Foundation; and The Foglia Family Foundation.
As elementary and middle school students progress in school, they are less likely to have friends of a different race, even from the beginning to the end of a single school year, finds a study led by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

The study, published online in the Journal of Early Adolescence, also suggests that teachers may make a difference in how students select and maintain friends.

"Our study seeks to advance the understanding of factors that enable children to select and maintain interracial friendships during a time of developmental and school transition," said Elise Cappella, associate professor of applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt and the study's lead author.

"Although research shows that children with greater access to diverse peers are more likely to form interracial friendships, our findings suggest that access to diversity alone is not sufficient for fostering these friendships, and teachers may play a role."

Studies show that most childhood friendships are formed in classrooms, but children tend to form friendships with others of their own race or ethnicity, with interracial friendships decreasing across ages and grades. Yet, for nearly half a century, educators and scholars have argued that friendships across race have social, emotional, and academic benefits.

"Friendships provide opportunities to build empathy and practice social skills," said Cappella. "Being friends with racially or ethnically diverse peers can create opportunities for academic and social learning different from the opportunities afforded by same-race friendships."

The current study looked at student and classroom factors that affect the likelihood of children forming friendships across race. Cappella and her colleagues used data from the Early Adolescent Development Study, a longitudinal study of elementary and middle school children in a racially diverse middle-class suburban school district. Surveys were collected in the fall and spring of the 1996-7 school year in 53 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classrooms, with a total of 553 African American and white students participating in the study.

On an individual or student level, the researchers looked at age, race, and psychosocial factors, including sociability, internalizing behavior (such as worrying or feeling sad) and externalizing behavior (such as acting out or getting in trouble). They also examined factors related to classroom context, including teacher support, whether teachers treat students with varying levels of academic achievement differently, and competition among students.

Results suggest that same-race friendships increase over the school year, with greater increases among white and older children. Externalizing behavior predicted a greater increase in same-race friendships, particularly among white students.

Teachers and classroom context influenced student friendships in two different ways. Classroom support - measured by student perceptions of teachers' warmth, respect, and trust - predicted less of an increase in same-race friendships from fall to spring. In addition, African American students who perceived that their teachers treated students differently were more likely to have friendships with white peers over time.

"Teachers' differential treatment sends messages regarding the value of different groups. We don't know if the teachers in this study favored white students over African American students, as other studies have shown. But if this is the case, it's not surprising that African American students formed more friendships with white peers as they began to internalize the higher value their teachers placed on white students," said Cappella.

The researchers said their study points to the need not just for diverse schools, but also for teachers to foster classrooms where students and teachers support one another, and social and academic hierarchies are not dominant, which could increase the likelihood of students developing and maintaining interracial friendships.

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In addition to Cappella, study authors include Diane L. Hughes of NYU Steinhardt and Meghan P. McCormick of MDRC. The research was supported by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Initiative on Improving Intergroup Relations Among Youth, the William T. Grant Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education (Grant R305B080019 to NYU), and from NYU Steinhardt.

About the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (@nyusteinhardt)

Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media, and psychology. Since its founding in 1890, the Steinhardt School's mission has been to expand human capacity through public service, global collaboration, research, scholarship, and practice. To learn more about NYU Steinhardt, visit steinhardt.nyu.edu.
PRINCETON, N.J.--Financial strain has long been one of the leading causes of family discord, but a recent study suggests that simply living through major economic recessions increases a mother's chance of suffering from domestic violence.

Researchers from Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley, investigated the impact of economic distress on romantic relationships, demonstrating unexpected side effects of economic downturns.

The study, published in Demography, carefully examined whether personal economic distress and high unemployment rates would increase a mother's chances of being in a violent or controlling relationship. While mothers across the board experienced a rise in intimate partner violence during the Great Recession of 2007 through 2009, those who experienced personal financial loss were even more likely to be subjected to intimate partner violence. These findings are important for policymakers and practitioners to consider as the economy rises and falls.

Sara McLanahan, William S. Tod Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and director of the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing at Princeton University, co-authored the study with Daniel Schneider from University of California, Berkeley, and Kristen Harknett from University of Pennsylvania.

"A famous book, 'Children of the Great Depression,' found that job loss during the Great Depression of the 1930s led to increases in conflict among white, mostly middle-class married couples," McLanahan said. "We wanted to see if the same phenomenon occurred 70 years later among a more economically and ethnically diverse sample of married and cohabiting parents."

Past research, which primarily analyzed the Great Depression, emphasized personal unemployment rather than the broader impact of living during times of overall extreme economic distress. The recent Great Recession was the greatest financial downturn in American history since the 1930s, presenting the opportunity for comparative research.

Unlike the studies surrounding the Great Depression, however, McLanahan's work with her co-authors focuses on families with both employed and unemployed fathers, as well as data from city and individual levels.

"Much of the past work on recessions and couple violence has looked at couples where the male partner became unemployed," McLanahan said. "A limitation of these studies is that it's difficult to determine whether the increase in violence is due to becoming unemployed or to something else about the men that caused both the job loss and violence. Our study measures unemployment at the city level, which is less likely to have this 'unobserved variable bias' problem."

The research team examined data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, of which McLanahan is a principal investigator. These data, alongside local area unemployment rates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, helped the researchers uncover that as men feel increasingly anxious and out of control over their jobs and financial security, they become more likely to increase control over their romantic partners, sometimes to the point of abuse.

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study is a longitudinal study of approximately 5,000 births in large American cities between 1998 and 2000. Parents were interviewed when their child was born and again when the child was 1, 3, 5 and 9 years old. The interviews included times of economic distress (the Dot-com Bubble in the early 2000s and the Great Recession beginning in 2007) as well as periods of economic recovery and growth. Researchers evaluated the same mothers throughout the decade, even those who changed partners or were no longer in a romantic relationship by the end of the study. At each interview, mothers were asked about their partners' violent and controlling behaviors, and this information was linked to data on city-level unemployment rates. The investigators also controlled for such factors as race, ethnicity, education, nativity, marital status and who all lived in the home.

Notably, the male partner does not need to lose his job or experience personal material hardship to turn to intimate partner violence, McLanahan and her co-authors found in the recent study. Rather the trigger seems to be the stress of living in a fragile economy where he might experience job loss or economic hardship at any moment, even if he hasn't already.

"Most surprising, rapid increases in unemployment rates - 50 percent or more in the past year - led to increases in men's controlling behavior, but not physical violence, among couples who did not directly experience unemployment or material hardship themselves, suggesting the fear of hard times was important for these couples," McLanahan said. "This pattern exemplifies the psychological dynamic that a loss of control in one domain, like the economy, leads men to assert greater control in another domain, in this case their intimate relationships."

Knowing that mothers in a relationship during a recession are at risk for domestic violence, it's clear that society must be cognizant of how a deteriorating economic environment, even one not directly impacting personal unemployment or material hardship, can change a relationship, the researchers conclude. Being aware of the risks can help minimize abusive outcomes.

"First, mental health providers should recognize that rapid economic downturns are likely to increase intimate partner violence," McLanahan said. "Second, women whose partners do not become unemployed are also at risk for violence. Both of these points should be publicized during periods of rapid declines in economic conditions."

Moving forward, McLanahan would like to further examine and publicize the effects of financial downturns on romantic relationships. Her co-authored book, "Children of the Great Recession," published by the Russell Sage Foundation, will be available free online by the end of summer 2016. This book expands on the research published in Demography as it examines broader subjects such as mother and father physical and mental health, as well as parenting quality and child well-being.

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The paper, "Intimate Partner Violence in the Great Recession," was published in Demography. The study was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development through Grants R01HD36916, R01HD39135 and R01HD40421, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Grant No. U01 AE000002-03.
ROOTSTOWN, Ohio -- June 6, 2016 -- An overwhelming majority of Ohio residents say it is important for the state to be a leader in education (89 percent) and in medical and health research (87 percent), according to a state-based public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America. A high percentage of Ohioans also say the state should lead in science and technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents say that Ohio's universities create a stronger economy by developing the skilled workforce that allows companies to compete in the global economy, and 73 percent say that Ohio's universities are among the best research universities in the nation. Three-quarters of respondents (75 percent) also say university research in Ohio creates new products and inventions that improve the quality of life.

"Medical research is good for the health of Ohioans and the health of Ohio's economy," notes Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. "Ohio's universities and biomedical companies receive over $700 million from the National Institutes of Health. These federal funds not only help improve the quality of life of Ohioans but they also serve as an engine for economic development, creating thousands of high paying jobs in Ohio."

Northeast Ohio Medical University and Research!America co-hosted the forum "Medical Research: The Right Prescription for Economic Growth" at the NEOMED Education and Wellness (NEW) Center in Rootstown, Ohio on Monday, June 6. The program brought together elected officials, business leaders, university presidents from across the state, leaders of biotech companies and nationally-ranked medical centers, and research scientists to discuss public-private partnerships and other initiatives that maximize the impact of medical research on the local and national economy, and benefit the health of citizens.

Drug and substance abuse is considered to be the most important health issue facing Ohio residents, according to survey respondents, followed by cancer, obesity, mental health and heart disease, in that order. Nearly 60 percent of Ohioans report having at least one of the following -- arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stroke. Chronic diseases drive increased health care needs and higher medical costs. Half of respondents (50 percent) agree that research to improve health is part of the solution to rising health care costs.

"Ohioans respect the work of Ohio's private sector innovators and its academic research institutions in finding solutions to the many health challenges that threaten well-being and economic prosperity," said Mary Woolley, president and CEO, Research!America. "They recognize that Ohio is a thriving hub for the life sciences where public-private partnerships are critical to the discovery, development and delivery of new treatments and preventions." Indeed, 86 percent of Ohioans say it is important for academia, government and industry to collaborate on research projects to advance medical progress.

When asked whether state funds should be used to support scientific research at public universities, a majority of respondents (63 percent) said yes. And two-thirds (67 percent) agree that federal funds should support research at public universities. Furthermore, 66 percent say they would be willing to pay an additional $1 per week in taxes if they knew that it would go towards the U.S. investing more in research to improve health. Ohioans also expressed strong support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, with 81 percent in agreement that the state legislature should assign a higher priority to improving STEM education and careers in those fields.

Among other survey findings:

78 percent say it is important for Ohio's state government to fund and conduct medical or health research to understand and eliminate health disparities.

In terms of jobs and incomes, 78 percent say spending money on scientific research is important to Ohio's economy.

84 percent say it is important for Ohio to be a leader in agriculture.

83 percent say it is important for Ohio to be a leader in science and technology.

83 percent say it is important for Ohio to be a leader in manufacturing.

93 percent say it is important that the U.S. maintain its role as a world leader in medical research.

55 percent of Ohioans say they are willing to share their personal health information to advance medical research.

81 percent say it is important to know whether candidates for President and Congress believe the government should invest more in medical research.

The survey of 802 Ohio adults, conducted by Zogby Analytics in May 2016, has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. To view survey results, click here.

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About Research!America Surveys

Research!America began commissioning surveys in 1992 in an effort to understand public support for medical, health and scientific research. The results of Research!America's surveys have proven invaluable to our alliance of member organizations and, in turn, to the fulfillment of our mission to make research to improve health a higher national priority. In response to growing usage and demand, Research!America has expanded its portfolio, which includes state, national and issue-specific surveys. Survey data is available by request or at http://www.researchamerica.org.

About Research!America

Research!America is the nation's largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations representing 125 million Americans. Visit http://www.researchamerica.org.
(PHILADELPHIA) - Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is increasing in incidence in the United States, and infection with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes about 50 percent of cases. However, it can be difficult to identify who is most likely to develop this cancer. Although earlier research had discovered molecular signatures associated with HBV-driven liver cancer, new research from Thomas Jefferson University has proven that this panel of microRNAs can also predict the patients at high risk for developing the disease before the cancer develops, via a blood test.

The researchers, led by Hushan Yang, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology and researcher at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson studied a large cohort of HBV-infected patients, some of whom eventually developed liver cancer, and analyzed their molecular signature from blood samples. Of the 373 HBV patients who were originally cancer free, 40 developed cancer over a median follow up of 4.5 years. The researchers analyzed a panel of 24 microRNAs -- small molecules that regulate gene activity -- and showed that 15 of these microRNAs had changed their normal gene expression pattern before patients developed cancer, suggesting these molecules could be used to predict patients with a high likelihood of developing cancer. The study was published in the journal Oncotarget,

Earlier studies had identified the 24 microRNAs that Dr. Yang and colleagues studied. However, it was unclear whether those microRNAs caused the cancer, or were a result of already occurring cancerous processes. By following this cohort of patients prospectively, and using blood samples taken at least one year before liver cancer diagnosis, the researchers were able to answer that question for the first time. In addition, prior studies analyzed samples taken from patient biopsies, which require invasive procedures, whereas the current study showed that microRNAs circulating in the blood could predict disease.

"This research confirms previous work on microRNAs and liver cancer and goes further to show that these microRNAs may be able to predict the development of liver cancer through a non-invasive blood test," says first author Chun Wang, a visiting scholar in the Department of Medical Oncology.

The current non-invasive test for determining cancer risk among HBV patients is a diagnostic for the molecule alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). It is also associated with Hepatitis C infections, but it isn't always a good predictor of disease. In fact, the Jefferson researchers identified 15 out of 16 patients, or 94 percent of patients who were misclassified as cancer-free by AFP. Likewise, in the 57 patients who were deemed at high risk of developing liver cancer by AFP, the microRNA testing correctly reclassified 33, or 58 percent, as low risk.

Although the panel of 15 microRNAs was useful, it wasn't perfect. "We need to find more microRNAs that may predict liver cancer in order to sharpen this tool for identifying high risk patients," says Dr. Yang. "Through collaboration with Dr. Hann in the Department of Medicine at Jefferson, we continue to work on improving this diagnostic method."

The work was supported by a Tobacco Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, National Cancer Institute Grant CA159047, American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant 123741-RSG-13-003-01-CCE, and a V Scholar Grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Article reference: C Wang et al., "Prospective evidence of a circulating microRNA signature as a non-invasive marker of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV patients," Oncotarget, DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9429, 2016.

For more information, contact Edyta Zielinska, 215-955-5291, edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu.

About Jefferson

Our newly formed organization, Jefferson, encompasses Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, representing our academic and clinical entities. Together, the people of Jefferson, 19,000 strong, provide the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educate the health professionals of tomorrow, and discover new treatments and therapies that will define the future of health care.

Jefferson Health comprises five hospitals, 17 outpatient and urgent care locations, as well as physician practices and everywhere we deliver care throughout the city and suburbs across Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties in Pa., and Camden County in New Jersey. Together, these facilities serve nearly 73,000 inpatients, 239,000 emergency patients and 1.7 million outpatient visits annually. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia. Abington Hospital is the largest community teaching hospital in Montgomery or Bucks counties. Other hospitals include Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Center City Philadelphia; Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia; and Abington-Lansdale Hospital in Hatfield Township.

Thomas Jefferson University enrolls more than 3,800 future physicians, scientists, nurses and healthcare professionals in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC), Jefferson Colleges of Biomedical Sciences, Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Population Health and is home of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

For more information and a complete listing of Jefferson services and locations, visit http://www.jefferson.edu.
Study dates the first movements of bison through an ice-free corridor that opened between the ice sheets after the last glacial maximum

Scientists using evidence from bison fossils have determined when an ice-free corridor opened up along the Rocky Mountains during the late Pleistocene. The corridor has been considered a potential route for human and animal migrations between the far north (Alaska and Yukon) and the rest of North America, but when and how it was used has long been uncertain.

The researchers combined radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis to track the movements of bison into the corridor, showing that it was fully open by about 13,000 years ago. Their findings, published June 6 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate that the corridor could not account for the initial dispersal of humans south of the ice sheets, but could have been used for later movements of people and animals, both northward and southward.

In the 1970s, geological studies suggested that the corridor might have been the pathway for the first movement of humans southward from Alaska to colonize the rest of the Americas. More recent evidence, however, indicated that the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets coalesced at the height of the last ice age, around 21,000 years ago, closing the corridor much earlier than any evidence of humans south of the ice sheets. The initial southward movement of people into the Americas more than 15,000 years ago now seems likely to have been via a Pacific coastal route, but the Rocky Mountains corridor has remained of interest as a potential route for later migrations.

"The opening of the corridor provided new opportunities for migration and the exchange of ideas between people living north and south of the ice sheets," said first author Peter Heintzman, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Cruz who led the DNA analysis.

Previous work by coauthor Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, had shown that the bison populations north and south of the ice sheets were genetically distinct by the time the corridor opened. By analyzing bison fossils from within the corridor region, the researchers were able track the movement of northern bison southward into the corridor and southern bison northward.

"The radiocarbon dates told us how old the fossils were, but the key thing was the genetic analysis, because that told us when bison from the northern and southern populations were able to meet within the corridor," Heintzman said.

The results showed that the southern part of the corridor opened first, allowing southern bison to start moving northward as early as 13,400 years ago, before the corridor fully opened. Later, there was some movement of northern bison southward, with the two populations overlapping in the corridor by 13,000 years ago.

"Bison fossils are the most widespread Quaternary mammal in western North America and of interest because they survived the extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene, unlike most other North American large mammals," said coauthor Duane Froese of the University of Alberta. "We were able to sample bison fossils, largely from museum collections, including critical ones from central Alberta that dated to the initial opening of the corridor."

According to Shapiro, archeological evidence suggests that human migration within the corridor was mostly from south to north. Sites associated with the Clovis hunting culture and its distinctive fluted point technology were widespread south of the corridor around 13,000 years ago and decline in abundance from south to north within the corridor region. A Clovis site in Alaska has been dated to no earlier than 12,400 years ago.

"When the corridor opened, people were already living south of there. And because those people were bison hunters, we can assume they would have followed the bison as they moved north into the corridor," Shapiro said.

The steppe bison of the Pleistocene (Bison priscus) were much bigger than modern bison (Bison bison), she said. Before the corridor closed, prior to the last glacial maximum, they moved freely up and down between the ice-free regions in the north and grasslands south of the ice sheets. After the ice sheets coalesced, the population that was cut off to the south contracted, leaving one genetically distinct southern lineage.

The DNA analysis used in this study focused on mitochondrial DNA, which is easier to recover from fossils than the DNA in chromosomes, because each cell has thousands of copies of the relatively short mitochondrial DNA sequence. While Shapiro's lab led the DNA analyses, Froese's lab led the radiocarbon dating work.

Many of the fossils they analyzed came from collections at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton and other institutions. "Thousands of steppe bison fossils are recovered in northern Canada every year," said coauthor Grant Zazula of the Government of Yukon Palaeontology Program in Whitehorse. "Most of these fossils are uncovered by mining or gravel pit operators and later made available to scientists for study. These results speak to the importance of collecting and preserving fossils in order to better understand our history."

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The research team included coauthors from UC Santa Cruz, the Government of Yukon paleontology and archaeology programs, Pennsylvania State University, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center, Simon Fraser University, Royal Alberta Museum, UC Irvine, and UCLA. This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Canada Research Chairs program, and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
A finding by a University of Central Florida researcher that unlocks a means of controlling materials at the nanoscale and opens the door to a new generation of manufacturing is featured online today in the journal Nature.

Using a pair of pliers in each hand and gradually pulling taut a piece of glass fiber coated in plastic, associate professor Ayman Abouraddy found that something unexpected and never before documented occurred -- the inner fiber fragmented in an orderly fashion.

"What we expected to see happen is NOT what happened," he said. "While we thought the core material would snap into two large pieces, instead it broke into many equal-sized pieces."

He referred to the technique in the Nature article title as "Breaking Me Softly."

The process of pulling fibers to force the realignment of the molecules that hold it them together, known as cold drawing, has been the standard for mass production of flexible fibers like plastic and nylon for most of the last century.

Abouraddy and his team have shown that the process may also be applicable to multi-layered materials, a finding that could lead to the manufacturing of a new generation of materials with futuristic attributes.

"Advanced fibers are going to be pursuing the limits of anything a single material can endure today," Abouraddy said.

For example, packaging together materials with optical and mechanical properties along with sensors that could monitor such vital sign as blood pressure and heart rate would make it possible to make clothing capable of transmitting vital data to a doctor's office via the Internet.

The ability to control breakage in a material is critical to developing computerized processes for potential manufacturing, said Yuanli Bai, a fracture mechanics specialist in UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Abouraddy contacted Bai, who is a co-author on the paper, about three years ago and asked him to analyze the test results on a wide variety of materials, including silicon, silk, gold and even ice.

He also contacted Robert S. Hoy, a University of South Florida physicist who specializes in the properties of materials like glass and plastic, for a better understanding of what he found.

Hoy said he had never seen the phenomena Abouraddy was describing, but that it made great sense in retrospect.

The research takes what has traditionally been a problem in materials manufacturing and turned it into an asset, Hoy said.

"Dr. Abouraddy has found a new application of necking" - a process that occurs when cold drawing causes non-uniform strain in a material, Hoy said. "Usually you try to prevent necking, but he exploited it to do something potentially groundbreaking."

The necking phenomenon was discovered decades ago at DuPont and ushered in the age of textiles and garments made of synthetic fibers. Abouraddy said that cold-drawing is what makes synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester useful. While the parts of those fibers are individually brittle, once cold-drawn, the fibers toughen up and become useful in everyday commodities. This discovery at DuPont at the end of the 1920s ushered in the age of textiles and garments made of synthetic fibers.

Only recently have fibers made of multiple materials become possible, he said. That research will be the centerpiece of a $317 Million U.S. Department of Defense program focused on smart fibers that Abouraddy and UCF will assist with. The Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII), led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will incorporate research findings published in the Nature paper, Abouraddy said.

The implications for manufacturing of the smart materials of the future are vast.

By controlling the mechanical force used to pull the fiber and therefore controlling the breakage patterns, materials can be developed with customized properties allowing them to interact with each other and eternal forces such as the sun (for harvesting energy) and the internet in customizable ways.

A co-author on the paper, Ali P. Gordon, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and director of UCF's Mechanical of Materials Research Group said that the finding is significant because it shows that by carefully controlling the loading condition imparted to the fiber, materials can be developed with tailored performance attributes.

"Processing-structure-property relationships need to be strategically characterized for complex material systems. By combining experiments, microscopy, and computational mechanics, the physical mechanisms of the fragmentation process were more deeply understood," Gordon said.

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Abouraddy teamed up with seven UCF scientists from the College of Optics & Photonics and the College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) to write the paper. Additional authors include one researcher each from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of South Florida.

Authors are Abouraddy, graduate students Joshua J. Kaufman, Guangming Tao and Soroush Shabahang from CREOL- The College of Optics and Photonics at UCF, Yangyang Qiao, Yuanli Bai, Ali P. Gordon and Thomas Bouchenot from the College of Engineering & Computer Science at UCF, Robert S. Hoy from the University of South Florida, Yoel Fink from MIT and Lei Wei from Nanyang University, Singapore.

MEDIA CONTACT: Barbara Abney, UCF Office of Research and Commercialization, 407-823-5139 or barb.abney@ucf.edu
The Genomic Data Commons (GDC), a next-generation platform that enables unprecedented data access, analysis and sharing for cancer research, publicly launched at the University of Chicago on June 6, opening the door to discoveries for this complex set of diseases.

The GDC went live with approximately 4.1 petabytes of data from National Cancer Institute-supported research programs, including some of the largest and most comprehensive cancer genomics datasets in the world -- such as The Cancer Genome Atlas and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments -- and more than 14,000 anonymized patient cases. One petabyte equals 1 million gigabytes.

Vice President Joe Biden toured the GDC operations center at the University of Chicago in advance of his appearance to announce the project at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology on June 6.

The Data Commons centralizes, standardizes and harmonizes genomic and clinical data on a unified and interoperable platform. Cancer researchers can access these data for analyses and submit their own datasets to share with the research community. By making high-quality data broadly accessible, the GDC provides much-needed tools to accelerate studies of the biological mechanisms of cancer and the development of personalized treatments for individual patients.

UChicago developed and operates the Data Commons with NCI funding under a subcontract from Leidos Biomedical Research at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, in collaboration with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

Development of the GDC began in 2014 at UChicago's Center for Data Intensive Science (CDIS). Over the past two years, the team has created an innovative suite of tools, software and infrastructure -- based on CDIS open-source projects such as the Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud -- to curate the massive amounts of data held by the GDC.

"Today, making discoveries from cancer genomic data is challenging because diverse research groups analyze different cancer datasets using various methods that are not easily comparable," said GDC principal investigator Robert Grossman, professor of medicine and director of CDIS at UChicago. "The Genomic Data Commons brings together genomic datasets and analyzes the data using a common set of methods so that researchers may more easily make discoveries, and, in this sense, democratizes the analysis of large cancer genomic datasets."

"Big data" is recognized as essential to efforts in understanding and treating cancer. Cancer is as complex as is it is devastating. It involves a host of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors, and is now known to comprise hundreds of diseases -- each with unique features, driving forces and vulnerabilities to treatments. Large sample sizes are required to provide the statistical power to understand which combinations of drugs are effective against which combinations of mutations that drive cancer.

Breaking Barriers

While enormous amounts of genomic and clinical data have been gathered by NCI-funded research, several barriers have prevented researchers from making full use of them. Genomic data from different projects, clinical trials and cancer types are siloed in different locations with local management systems, making data sharing difficult. These large datasets can take months to download, and not all researchers have access to the sophisticated tools needed to study them. In addition, disparate collection and analysis approaches by separate research groups inhibit collaborative work.

The GDC breaks down these barriers by bringing cancer genomics datasets and associated clinical data into one location that any researcher may access. It harmonizes the data with a common set of analytic pipelines to make it easier to study the information, which in the past has typically been available as separate datasets analyzed with separate pipelines. By making these data available using modern computing and network technology, the GDC makes it possible for any researcher to ask new and fundamental questions about cancer.

Built and managed by Grossman's team at the University of Chicago, the GDC will:

Serve as a central unified repository for cancer genomic data and associated clinical data.

Clean, standardize and harmonize data, as well as provide quality control, so that analyses can be conducted using common algorithms and pipelines.

Support basic research and clinical trials by making data easily accessible, findable, interoperable and reusable.

Provide powerful data transfer, search, Application Programming Interface (API) and analysis tools to researchers at no cost.

A Foundation for the Future

As the first step in a next generation knowledge system for cancer, the GDC enables and accelerates efforts to identify both high- and low-frequency cancer driver mutations, assists in revealing the genetic determinants of response to therapy, and informs the composition of clinical trial cohorts.

The GDC will help bridge siloes by providing researchers with access to high-quality data, the tools needed to share and study them, and support to submit their own data. It will house data from a new era of programs that will sequence the DNA of patients enrolled in NCI clinical trials. These datasets will lead to a much deeper understanding of which therapies are most effective for different cancers. The GDC will support clinical trials that focus on single patients, known as "n of 1" clinical trials, and will become an important component in how precision medicine is used to treat individual patients.

The GDC also creates a foundation for future cloud-based technologies that could allow researchers to analyze large-scale datasets and perform experiments remotely, such as through the NCI's Cancer Cloud Pilots Program. In addition, the open-source software being developed by the CDIS has the potential to become a model for data-intensive research efforts for other diseases, such as Alzheimer's and diabetes, which would greatly benefit from similar large-scale, data-driven approaches to develop cures.

"We are at a crossroads today in whether we will have the critical mass of cancer-related data needed to power new discoveries and improve cancer care," Grossman said. "Over time, I expect the GDC will play a more and more important role in providing the data required at the scale required so that precision medicine fulfills its promise."

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About the University of Chicago Medicine

The University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences is one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions. It comprises the Pritzker School of Medicine, a top 10 medical school in the nation; the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division; and the University of Chicago Medical Center, which opened the Center for Care and Discovery, a $700 million specialty medical facility. It also is home to the NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine.

About the Center for Data Intensive Science

The Center for Data Intensive Science (CDIS) at the University of Chicago is developing the science of data and its applications to biology, medicine, healthcare, and the environment. This emerging discipline is called translational data science. CDIS also develops and operates large-scale commons for the research community that integrates research data, computing resources, software applications, and tools and services.

About the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research is a federal national laboratory sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Frederick National Lab collaborates with academic, commercial, nonprofit, and government researchers to address urgent problems in biomedical research consistent with NCI's mission. The national lab is government-owned, contractor-operated facility with Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., as its prime contractor.

About the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is an innovative cancer research and development institute dedicated to prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, supported by the Government of Ontario. OICR's research supports more than 1,700 investigators, clinician scientists, research staff and trainees located at its headquarters and in research institutes and academia across the Province of Ontario. OICR has key research efforts underway in small molecules, biologics, stem cells, imaging, genomics and informatics and bio-computing. OICR developed and implemented most user interfaces of the GDC platform, such as the GDC Website, GDC Data Portal, GDC Data Submission Portal and GDC Documentation site. These tools were designed to be highly functional for researchers willing to search through, visualize, download and submit very large datasets, in an effort to help facilitate genomic research worldwide.
A radical new process that allows hydrogen to be efficiently sourced from liquid formic acid could be one step forward in making the dream of hydrogen-powered cars an economic reality.

Using formic acid to produce hydrogen has never been considered viable because it requires high temperatures to decompose and also produces waste by-products.

But the University of Melbourne's Professor Richard O'Hair has led an international team of scientists in designing a molecular catalyst that forces formic acid to produce only hydrogen and carbon dioxide and at a low temperature of only 70C.

Professor O'Hair, from the University's School of Chemistry and Bio21 Institute, worked in collaboration with Professors Philippe Dugourd (from the University of Lyon), Philippe Maitre (University of Paris South), Bonaci?-Koutecky? (Humboldt-University Berlin) and Dr. Roger Mulder (CSIRO Manufacturing) for the study.

It marks a new frontier in catalyst design at the molecular level. Such catalysts are formulated to produce highly selective chemical reactions.

"One of the grand challenges for chemists today is to develop perfect chemical reactions that proceed with 100 per cent yield and 100 per cent selectivity without forming any waste products," Professor O'Hair said.

"With formic acid, the aim was to transform it into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which could really lend itself to the important practical applications of hydrogen energy in the transport sector."

While the study successfully produces hydrogen and CO2, the ultimate aim of future research will be to ensure any derivative source of hydrogen produces zero emissions.

Using a suite of powerful gas-phase techniques, the research team designed a series of silver complexes and examined their reactions with formic acid.

The team was able to identify and orchestrate the exact catalyst that would effectively manipulate a strict hydrogen/carbon dioxide-only production.

Mr Athanasios Zavras, the study's first author and PhD student at the University of Melbourne, said having the initial gas-phase results validated using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument was an exciting moment.

"We were glued to our seats that day," he said.

"I prepared solutions containing well-defined amounts of the same silver, salt and ligand combination and these were studied with a NMR that allowed us to incrementally increase the temperature from 25C and track the formation of products.

"There was no reaction for a while, but we persevered and at 70C, we unequivocally identified the production of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide.

"It was an extremely exciting moment."

One of the major challenges as the world moves towards hydrogen power is the lack of refueling infrastructure, but which the researchers say could easily be overcome if one day the industry moves to using liquid formic acid.

But Professor O'Hair notes that while the new catalyst design is an important step forward in addressing our hydrogen energy needs, there are still many barriers to overcome, such as the production of carbon dioxide and how it could potentially be recycled to regenerate formic acid.

The research has just been published in the journal Nature Communications and was funded by the Australian Research Council.

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At end of life, traditional Medicare patients are more sick and frail than Medicare Advantage patients, new study shows

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nearly one in three American senior citizens choose to get their government-funded Medicare health coverage through plans run by health insurance companies. The rest get it straight from the federal government.

But if health policy decision-makers assume the two groups are pretty much the same, they're mistaken, a new study finds.

And basing decisions on that assumption could skew the nation's efforts to improve care, and spend taxpayer dollars wisely, at the end of patients' lives, the researchers say. That's when one-quarter of Medicare spending happens.

Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, the University of Michigan Medical School team drew their findings from data on a representative sample of Medicare participants who died over a 14-year period. They found the two groups differ in several aspects of health and independence in the last six months of life.

A tale of two Medicares

Participants in Medicare Advantage plans - the HMO-style plans offered by private companies - were younger and heathier overall than those enrolled in traditional "fee for service" Medicare. They were also more likely to be black and live in cities, and less likely to be poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

Even after the researchers corrected for differences between the two groups based on their ages, wealth and education, they still found differences.

Medicare Advantage enrollees said their health was better, reported fewer problems performing daily life activities on their own, and had fewer memory and thinking issues than traditional Medicare participants.

Many health policy decisions are made by looking only at traditional Medicare data, says Elena Byhoff, M.D., M.S., who led the analysis as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at U-M.

That's because it's easier to get specific information about what care each patient received, and what it cost the Medicare program, in fee-for-service care. Private plans receive a lump sum to care for a population of patients.

When Medicare Advantage was new and covered a much smaller proportion of Medicare enrollees, basing decisions just on traditional Medicare data may have been reasonable, she notes. But enrollment in Medicare Advantage has tripled in the last 12 years, and now 31 percent of seniors have such coverage.

"Potentially, we're overestimating the severity of illness in studies of Medicare end-of-life care, and evaluations of policy options," says Byhoff, an internist and health services researcher who worked on this study with John Z. Ayanian, M.D., MPP, director of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

Building on knowledge

Typical studies of end-of-life care use data that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) make available to researchers and policy analysts. The new study used data from the Health and Retirement Study, based at U-M's Institute for Social Research. For over two decades, it has tracked the health and other characteristics of older Americans through detailed surveys.

The team obtained data from 9,385 participants who died between 1998 and 2012, just as Medicare managed care options were taking off. They looked at characteristics as reported on the last survey that the participants took. Just over 24 percent of the individuals had Medicare Advantage.

Oher studies have suggested that the Medicare Advantage population might be healthier because the coverage is different, and because the plans aren't as common in less-healthy area of the nation.

But the new study is the first to show such stark differences among those who died -- and Byhoff says she and her colleagues were surprised at just how different the two populations were.

Some studies have suggested that end-of-life care is less expensive in Medicare Advantage. But the new head-to-head analysis suggests that part of this difference may relate to who's enrolled than with what's covered and how.

"Medicare Advantage can limit patient options to providers and hospitals within a defined network," says Byhoff. "Patients in Medicare Advantage plans are also known to be more likely to use hospice at the end of life, perhaps because awareness of that benefit is higher."

Since 2011, CMS has introduced new programs that seek to improve quality and keep cost growth sustainable in traditional Medicare, such as Accountable Care Organizations.

"If we're going to have a national conversation on end-of-life care and the spending it drives, we shouldn't only base it on data from two thirds of the elderly population," says Byhoff. "Future research and policy decisions should be based on complete utilization data from both major parts of the Medicare program."

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Reference: JAMA Internal Medicine, doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.2266

Funding: Byhoff and her co-author John A. Harris, M.D., were supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program. Byhoff also received support from the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, based in Ann Arbor.
CHAPEL HILL - In the last month of their lives, younger cancer patients continued to be hospitalized and receive other aggressive treatment at high rates, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study found.

A national health claims analysis of cancer patients who were younger than age 65 and had metastatic disease revealed that nearly two-thirds were admitted to the hospital or visited the emergency room in the last 30 days of their lives. The researchers said nearly a third of patients died in the hospital.

The preliminary findings (LBA 10033), presented Monday, June 6, at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, raises concerns for clinicians and researchers that there is substantial overuse of aggressive care for patients with incurable cancers, even after ASCO issued recommendations in 2012 encouraging physicians to reduce aggressive end-of-life care.

"Cancer treatments have side effects, and as patients get closer to the end of life, aggressive treatments can also be less effective," said study co-author Aaron Falchook, MD, a resident in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. "In essence what we're doing is we're giving patients side effects without giving them the benefits of the treatment, and that's really the fundamental problem with aggressive care at the very end of life."

For the study, researchers analyzed claims data from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database for 28,731 patients from around the country under age 65 and with metastatic lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic or prostate cancer. They looked for how often patients within the last 30 days of their lives received chemotherapy, radiation, an invasive procedure, went to the emergency room or were admitted to the hospital, or received intensive care; or died in the hospital.

Across the five types of cancers examined, the rates of patients receiving one or more forms of aggressive care in their last 30 days of life ranged from 71 to 76 percent.

Looking at chemotherapy alone, they found that rates ranged from 24 percent of prostate cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in their last 30 days to 33 percent of patients with breast cancer. Rates of hospital admission or emergency room visits were some of the highest, with 62 percent of colorectal cancer patients and 65 percent of lung cancer getting hospitalized or visiting an emergency room.

"Overuse of aggressive care at the very end of life for a cancer patient can translate to increased burden on patients and their families," Falchook said. "If these treatments are making patients sick, and if patients continue to go to the hospital, this can reduce their ability to really spend time with their loved ones at the end of life, and to get the most time out of the life that they do have left."

And while Falchook said some treatments can be not only recommended, but beneficial to patients at the end of their lives to help ease suffering or pain, it's important to be thoughtful about delivery. For example, researchers said radiation therapy can be used to reduce pain. "The goal shouldn't be that there should be zero percent of patients getting radiation in the last 30 days of life, or chemotherapy, or any of these treatments," Falchook said. "There is some degree of what we'd call 'appropriate care' at the end of life. The goal is not zero, but finding that three-fourths of patients continued to receive aggressive care was surprising."

Ronald C. Chen, MD, MPH, a UNC Lineberger member and associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology and the study's first author, said that physicians should be having earlier discussions with their patients about palliative care, which is treatment that focuses on relieving pain or other symptoms. Palliative care focuses on maximizing a patient's quality of life.

"Is it hard to assess when somebody has only a month to live? Maybe," Chen said. "But palliative care discussions, and hospice enrollment, should happen much earlier than a patient's last month of life."

Researchers also found that rates of aggressive care did not decline after the release of ASCO's 2012 "Top Five" recommendations in 2012. The recommendations advised against using treatments to stop, slow or eliminate cancer for patients with solid tumors for whom there is not strong evidence for the treatment's clinical value. Instead, ASCO recommended using palliative care or supportive care. The recommendations were issued as part of the Board of Internal Medicine's "Choosing Wisely" campaign.

"What this study shows is that recommendations by themselves may not be enough to change practice," Chen said. "Along with published recommendations, more interventions targeted toward physician and patient education may be necessary to get actual changes in practice."

Related to their finding of high rates of aggressive care at the end of life, the investigators also found that only 15 to 19 percent of patients received hospice services.

"Studies have shown that hospice can help patients preserve their quality of life at the end of life," Chen said. "We think there's too much aggressive care, and it might relate to the fact that too few of these patients are enrolled in hospice. It's not clear which phenomenon is causing the other, but I think these are complementary findings."

Chen said there were limitations of the study including the fact that they could not determine the intent of the treatment delivered in their study of aggressive care. More research is needed to identify drivers of the use of aggressive care.

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In addition to Chen and Falchook, other co-authors include: F. Tian, R. Basak, L.C. Hanson, N. Selvam, and Stacie B. Dusetzina. The study was funded by the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute and the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology.
It is one of the more memorable experiments of high school chemistry lessons: when elemental sodium comes into contact with water it burns and explodes. Sodium simply isn't happy in its elemental form, making it highly reactive. This is more or less true for all of the other elements from the so-called "s-block" of the periodic table, to which sodium belongs.

A chemistry research group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) of Wurzburg in Bavaria, Germany, has now, for the first time, tamed one of these "wild" s-block metals. The researchers constructed molecules that incorporate one atom of the alkaline earth metal beryllium in its elemental state. That the molecules do not immediately decompose at room temperature is thanks to stabilization by two cyclic ligands.

The breakthrough from the research team of Professor Holger Braunschweig is presented in the top-tier journal Nature Chemistry, thanks to the unexpectedly high stability of the molecules. These results from the JMU chemistry laboratories are expected to open a new era for the chemistry of the elements of this corner of the periodic table.

Promising candidates for challenging reactions

The incorporation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide into organic molecules is an example of one of the challenging chemical reactions carried out on huge scales in industry. Currently, these reactions are exclusively carried out with help from expensive heavy metals such as rhodium, palladium and platinum. For reasons of sustainability and cost, replacing these expensive catalysts with alternatives from the main group elements of the periodic table - many of which are abundant in the Earth's crust - would be a huge step forward.

This often means accessing the elemental states of these atoms in molecular systems. However, this is by no means trivial, as many of the potential candidate atoms - sodium being an extreme example - are highly reactive in their elemental states. Recent success has been made with p-block elements such as silicon, tin and boron, while this new work is the first ever example with an s-block metal, beryllium.

Developing alternatives to toxic beryllium

"The only drawback of beryllium is its toxicity", states Dr. Merle Arrowsmith, Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow in the group of Holger Braunschweig. Even more interesting would be to extend this chemistry to magnesium or calcium, elements that are both abundant and biocompatible, making them ideal as potential catalysts for important chemical reactions.

Given their success in incorporating elementary beryllium into a stable molecule, the chances are good that this could also work with other s-block metals. "Our discovery is a first step in capturing other s-block metal atoms in their elemental state, which we hope will promote reactions that usually only proceed with expensive heavy metals," says Ph.D. student Julia Schuster, who synthesised the new molecules. The research group is currently developing similar methods for other s-block metals.

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Neutral zero-valent s-block complexes with strong multiple bonding", Merle Arrowsmith, Holger Braunschweig, Mehmet Ali Celik, Theresa Dellermann, Rian D. Dewhurst, William C. Ewing, Kai Hammond, Thomas Kramer, Ivo Krummenacher, Jan Mies, Krzysztof Radacki, Julia K. Schuster. Nature Chemistry, DOI 10.1038/nchem.2542, Advance Online Publication 2016, June 6th
One third of cold-pressed rapeseed press cake consists of nutritionally valuable protein that could have many other uses besides animal feed. For her doctoral dissertation, Katariina Rommi, Research Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., developed enzyme-aided methods for rapeseed protein enrichment. Her study also provides estimates of the costs of different protein extraction schemes .

The purpose of Katariina Rommi's doctoral dissertation was to develop simple, water-saving methods for turning vegetable oil industry co-streams into protein ingredients suitable for food or cosmetic products and thus help to satisfy the increasing global demand for protein.

Globally, around 34 million tonnes of rapeseed press cake is produced annually as rapeseed oil by-product. At present, it is primarily used as feed for production animals. In Finland, the majority of oil mills use cold pressing in rapeseed oil production. The by-product of this method, rapeseed press cake, contains between 32 and 36% of nutritionally valuable protein. The marketing of rapeseed press cake as novel food was approved by the EU in 2014.

Several technologies based on alkaline or saline extraction have been developed for enrichment of rapeseed protein, but high energy and water consumption due to dilute conditions and multiple processing steps limit their profitability.

As part of the work done for her doctoral dissertation, Katariina Rommi developed enzyme-assisted methods for the enrichment of rapeseed protein and studied the factors influencing protein extractability and the properties of the obtained protein-rich fragments. An enzyme that breaks down pectin was shown to be particularly effective in facilitating protein extraction at reduced water content and without chemicals such as alkali or salt.

A techno-economic evaluation of different extraction schemes also suggested substantial reduction of energy costs when the extraction was carried out at 20% solid content. The results indicate that enzyme-aided methods are well suited to rapeseed enrichment and may offer a techno-economically feasible alternative to alkaline or saline extraction. The results may be applied to the manufacturing of rapeseed-based protein ingredients in food, feed and other industries. In the study, bioactive rapeseed peptide fragments were also extracted from rapeseed press cake by proteolytic enzyme treatment; these fractions have novel application potential in skin care products.

Katariina Rommi, Master of Science, a research scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., presents her doctoral dissertation Enzyme-aided recovery of protein and protein hydrolyzates from rapeseed cold-press cake (Proteiinin ja proteiinihydrolysaattien entsyymiavusteinen rikastus rypsin kylmapuristeesta) for public examination on 10 June 2016 at 12.00 noon in Auditorium 2041 of Biocentre 2, University of Helsinki (Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki).

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The dissertation is available online at http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/science/2016/S130.pdf

MEDIA MATERIAL: http://www.vttresearch.com/media/news/extracting-protein-from-rapeseed-press-cake

For more information, please contact

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

Research Scientist Katariina Rommi

tel. +358 40 176 9983, katariina.rommi@vtt.fi

Further information on VTT:

Olli Ernvall

Senior Vice President, Communications

+358 20 722 6747

olli.ernvall@vtt.fi

http://www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is the leading research and technology company in the Nordic countries. We use our research and knowledge to provide expert services for our domestic and international customers and partners, and for both private and public sectors. We use 4,000,000 hours of brainpower a year to develop new technological solutions. VTT in social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter @VTTFinland.
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The Federal Reserve Bank of Bostons website crashed for less than a minute, brought down by a barrage of web traffic May 12. When a hacker claimed responsibility on Twitter, it placed the attack as part of #OpIcarus, an assault the group Anonymous has been waging against global central banks.

In a world of escalating cyber risks, such hacktivist webpage interruptions no longer top the Feds worry list. Of greater concern than reputation-damaging events such as website overloads are online criminals threats to conducting monetary policy and providing services to banks  key central-bank functions that keep the heart of the U.S. financial system pumping.

What we look at more is: What are the things that will impact us from achieving our mission? said Don Anderson, chief information officer at the Boston Fed. Thats where we really focus most of our efforts now  on the crown jewels of the organization.

Fed cybersecurity confronts mounting threats from sophisticated attackers and heightened scrutiny in the wake of a massive theft from Bangladeshs central bank. And while the Fed doesnt disclose specifics on how procedures and technology are evolving, it says it is placing heavy emphasis on defending information and payment systems.

The biggest challenge for us is that this is a threat that is becoming more and more sophisticated, with a lot of money behind it, and obviously, at times, foreign governments, John Williams, president of the San Francisco Fed, said last month in New York, explaining that the Fed invests heavily in making its systems as bulletproof as possible. This is not the kid in Berkeley living in his parents garage anymore  we are way, way beyond that.

Between 2011 and 2015, the Feds National Incident Response Team reported 51 cases that it labeled information disclosure, based on a Freedom of Information Act records request. The documents only cover attacks against the Feds Board of Governors in Washington. It excludes incidents at the 12 regional Fed banks, which are not subject to FOIA requests.

NIRT also reported one incident labeled property loss/theft, based on the heavily redacted 2,239-page document, first reported by Reuters on Wednesday.

The Feds security program and processes for detecting and countering attacks are robust, a Fed board spokeswoman said, and its critical operations have never been affected despite the attempts.

Thats good news: Preserving the security of the Feds vast payment system is vital to financial stability because it helps to underpin the interconnected global banking system. Protecting sensitive information surrounding monetary policy is essential to the fair functioning of markets because early clues about rate decisions could allow hackers to profit by trading in everything from Treasurys to stocks and currencies.

If there was a breach that could drain the funds out of a major central bank, thats a major issue, said Ted Truman, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute in Washington and a former director of the international finance division at the Fed board. At a minimum, it would be very damaging to the reputation of the bank.

Such a scenario seems increasingly less far-fetched.

News broke in March that hackers stole

$81 million from the Bangladesh central banks account at the New York Fed, the biggest known cyber heist in history. The regional Fed has said the instructions to make the payments were authenticated by the Swift message system, which is widely used by financial institutions.

It is important to note that the recent incident with the Bangladesh bank was not caused by a breach or compromise of the New York Feds systems, the reserve bank said in a statement after the incident. Still, it said it had taken a comprehensive look at its processes and had enhanced monitoring for some jurisdictions and transaction types.

Thats hardly a detailed description of whats being done to avert crisis, but the Fed is vague about system security for a reason  to avoid providing a road map to would-be criminals.

The Fed doesnt break out spending on cybersecurity clearly in its financial accounts, nor does it disclose data on systemwide cyberattacks. While the board of governors does report information technology expenditures, that is a broader category.

The central banks cybersecurity program is fairly centralized with common standards.

The Fed has a National IT group run out of the Richmond Fed and a National Incident Response Team located mostly in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That team handles more serious events, according to a 2012 Office of Inspector General report, though what level of threat merits passing a case to NIRT isnt made clear.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Organizations with data are pretty tight-lipped about how theyre protecting it, said V.S. Subrahmanian, a professor of computer science at the University of Maryland who specializes in big-data analytics. He said thats reasonable. Its a little bit like going to someones house and asking where the security camera is.

Though public scrutiny of the Feds initiatives is limited, the central banks information security is reviewed by the boards inspector general  and a 2015 audit underlined problems.

While the chief information officer at the Fed board in Washington had made progress in developing a risk-management program, the audit said, the board will face challenges in implementing the program boardwide. It also found that some services from third-party providers didnt meet all the boards information security standards.

The cyber framework at the New York Fed could soon come under closer examination. House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a San Antonio Republican, on Tuesday sent a letter to New York Fed President William Dudley asking for a briefing and information related to the Bangladesh bank theft.

While acknowledging that the Bangladesh banks systems appear to have been the weak link in that case, the Smith letter states that its Congress responsibility to ensure that the New York Fed is taking all precautions to protect American finances and aggressively execute its own role as overseer of Swift.

A New York Fed spokeswoman said the bank plans to respond to the request, but she provided no other details.

The Fed is constantly adapting and evolving alongside online threats and learns from attacks against other institutions, Bostons Anderson said. When it comes to the attacks like those coming from Anonymous, we have controls in place that when they do that, usually within a minute or two we recover, and again it hasnt been anything critical to the Fed.

But a possible attack on core activities is one of our top risks, he said. If we were to have a cyber event, it could have an operational impact on our ability to do monetary policy, our ability to run the payments network, but it also would have a reputational impact, and people may lose trust in the Fed.
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Because getting down like Michael Jackson and the zombies in Thriller will never die, you can join Jacko for a dance with the undead in the thrilling world of virtual reality.

Behold the frightful fun of Thriller VR 360, a new 360-degree, virtual-reality dance experience from Sip Creatives video productions in San Antonio. The free clip features local Jackson impersonator Raul Christopher Riojas and a gang of grisly ghouls, all from Laser Spectaculars The Spirit of Michael Jackson tribute show, performing the famous dance number from Jacksons groundbreaking Thriller music video.

All it takes is the click of a mouse or the touch of a smartphone screen to explore the horror-tinged homage. And later in June, you really can glide in MJs shoes when Sip releases a dance instruction video of Riojas showing how to moonwalk.

Thriller VR 360 co-director and Sip founder Travis McGehee hopes no mere mortal can resist the charms of these immersive works  especially when they highlight San Antonios ongoing contributions to virtual reality.

It puts San Antonio on the map and really shows the innovation and the tech that is in San Antonio, said McGehee, a San Antonio native. Its huge to put that out there, to put the flag down and say, Hey, San Antonio, were all about it. Were heavily engaged and active.

Sip recently unleashed its creepy, toe-tapping clip on sipcreatives.com and through the global VR network Littlstar. Its just one of several moves S.A. has made in VR.

Zombies also make their local presence felt in Deadhead VR, a virtual-reality game from San Antonio indie game developer Level 2 VR. The survival shooter for the Samsung Gear VR headset casts you as Monsignor Santiago in a post-apocalyptic aftermath of the Battle of the Alamo, where the fallen have risen and you must put them down for good.

Then theres the Superman Krypton Virtual Reality Coaster, which opens to the public Saturday at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The theme parks Superman Krypton Coaster gets the virtual-reality treatment with Samsung Gear VR, which riders can wear for a VR adventure with movements synced to the coasters dips and swirls. They will feel like they are soaring through Metropolis alongside the Man of Steel battling Lex Luthors sinister Lexbots.

On the hardware front, San Antonio-based Merge Virtual Reality has rolled out its Merge VR Goggles to select Target stores nationwide following their availability at GameStop stores earlier this year. The purple foam headset works with Android and Apple smartphones and retails for $79.99.

Merge co-founder Andrew Trickett said its still early days for virtual reality across the industry, and very early days for VR in San Antonio. But the technology definitely is opening more eyes.

I would say that its kind of grown slowly but its starting to emerge in San Antonio, Trickett said.

I think the awareness is growing, especially the more I talk to people, the more people start to realize that its finally happening, said Level 2 VR CEO and founder Kyle Render, a San Antonio native who also organizes the quarterly San Antonio Virtual Reality meet-up group.

A lot of people dont really think that its happening, Render said, until it actually is in their face.

Having consumers see virtual reality to believe it remains a challenge for the VR industry. That is why developers such as McGehee take their creations to the public with live demonstrations, the better for consumers to understand and experience virtual reality.

They just go through this ride of emotions, McGehee said. And its really great to get peoples expressions. Everything from loving to see the dancers, or they turn around and they see zombies (and) they get scared. We want people to get that great impression about VR 360 and to feel like its an experience.

Thriller VR 360 takes viewers for a spin around a stark room with Riojas decked in Jacksons signature shades and red jacket, as fellow Spirit of Michael Jackson dancers shuffle about before falling into step with the MJ impersonator.

McGehee and co-director Xavier Ramirez shot the clip in the same downtown Geekdom building they call home, with McGehee behind a wall so he wouldnt pop up in the 360-degree video. The Sip crew shot the roughly three-minute video in one take, stitching together footage from a four-camera system into what McGehee calls a spherical video.

Thriller VR 360 features other creepy figures besides the dancers, including a haunting girl with long dark hair over her face, reminiscent of the horror film The Ring; and a far more fetching though just as freaky morphing painting of Audrey Hepburn.

And you neednt click or touch the screen for a whirlwind experience. Thriller VR 360 has several automatic rotations for maximum zombies-in-your-face action.

Of course, it doesnt get any more in your face than inside a virtual-reality headset.

McGehee recommends experiencing Thriller VR 360 with a Samsung Gear VR ($99.99) or Zeiss VR One ($129 with smartphone tray), though it also works with considerably cheaper and considerably lower-tech headsets, such as a Google Cardboard headset that runs $15.

McGehee sees Thriller VR 360 as a springboard for more VR productions for businesses as well as events. Trickett said the real power of virtual reality, or immersive media as he calls it, lies in applications beyond head-turning visuals or high-end gaming.

Picture more helpful short-form videos, Trickett said, such as the museum-class augmented reality clips of the San Antonio and Austin production company Geomedia. Or virtual tourism such as a 360-degree view from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Or other applications in the fields of education, psychiatric treatment and architectural modeling.

I think the worlds really going to be taken by storm, Trickett said.

And with or without boogieing zombies, San Antonio should be part of that wave.

I really dont see any sort of end to virtual reality, Render said. Its going to be the future.

rguzman@express-news.net

Twitter: @reneguz
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DOSS  With only four students slated to attend the states smallest school district this fall, its administrative consultant decided the time was right for this rural community to talk about closing it.

It turned out to be a one-sided conversation. And it ended Thursday when Doss Consolidated Common School District trustees voted unanimously to convene classes in August for its 133rd year.

Fourteen people, including many former students, spoke at the meeting, sharing nostalgic stories of their experiences in the micro-district and its single campus in this crossroads town in Gillespie County. They urged the board to keep it open and to step up efforts to recruit transfer students from elsewhere.

More than one suggested running newspaper ads touting the districts low student-teacher ratio and history of academic excellence.

Former Doss students who became lawyers, college professors and other successful professionals were recounted, with resident Pat Jung noting, Weve never had one go to prison that I know of.

Carrie Bierschwale, who retired as a teacher here in 2009 after 24 years, said, In my opinion, the Doss School is the next best thing to home-schooling.

She also noted local property owners would face steeper taxes if Doss CCD were absorbed by Harper or Fredericksburg independent school districts, whose current tax rates are 11.3 cents and 21.95 cents higher, respectively, than the Doss school tax rate of 92.67 cents per $100 in property value.

Pledges by two speakers to enroll new students next fall came as welcome news, pushing the potential fall enrollment to six.

Enrollment at the school, which teaches grades pre-K through six, has dipped and rebounded before. The district already draws a good portion of its students from Harper or Fredericksburg as transfers, noted Nancy Wheeler, whose two children and three grandkids had attended class here.

Weve always had a good, quality education here and I dont want to see that stopped, she said.

Cecil Crenwelge suggested exit polling by the district to find out why most transfer students leave Doss within two years, to try to retain them.

This school can do things for children that they dont get in a big city, he said.

But Terry Smith, the administrator, told the roughly 100 people at Thursdays meeting, many of them senior citizens, that the district is in a very, very fragile condition.

In the 2013-14 school year, he said, the district had 21 students, including 11 transfers, but that dropped to 19 the following year and 12 when classes convened last fall, including 10 transfers. The school ended the year Thursday with nine students.

For a district whose budget is about $450,000, that translates into escalating per-pupil costs, which hit about $45,000 this year.

Although the district passed the 2014-15 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, it was flagged for administrative costs that exceeded the ratio set by the state for its enrollment, a Texas Education Agency staffer said.

And with only four kids initially lined up for the fall  at a projected cost to taxpayers of about $100,000 each  Smith had asked for a community conversation on the districts future.

Ive pulled a lot of research to try to see, and I cant find a good answer to the question, How small is too small? he told the crowd. One or two kids in a class is one thing, but what were running into is, we dont even have a child in every grade level at this point.

Smith also said new state accountability standards are placing more rigorous demands on both students and the districts full-time staff  two teachers, two aides and one administrative clerk.

Theres incredible work that goes on with the kids here, but the state standards have changed dramatically, he said, noting state reporting requirements are the same for districts large and small.

Smith praised the school for its history of academic achievement and the community for its emotional investment in it, but said, If you want to keep a robust school, than at some point the communitys got to come together and decide what they want that school to look like and what its going to do.

School board president Milo Shult prefaced the discussion by saying students must prepare for a modern world  and state requirements  far different from the bygone era in which many in the audience were students.

Theres nobody on the board who wants to close the school, but it is critical that we stay on top of the new requirements that the students and teachers are facing, he said afterward. It would be awful not to say a word and then to all of a sudden say we dont meet state standards anymore.

The debate in Doss is being monitored in the states second-smallest school district, Divide ISD in western Kerr County, which ended this year with 19 students, up from about 15 last fall.

That district relies on word-of-mouth to land students from other towns, said Bill Bacon, the Divide superintendent. He has three full-time employees, one part-timer and contracts out its bookkeeping.

Keeping up with shifting state standards is a challenge, he said, noting, It takes more work on my part to make sure that every child is getting what they need for each grade level.

But theres been no talk of shuttering its one school, which Bacon boasts is still making the grade and then some.

Any school is happy to get our kids because they behave and they excel academically wherever they go, he said.

zeke@express-news.net
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Longtime San Antonio restaurateur Cappy Lawton just wanted to add a little beauty and comfort to the citys largest historic district.

As it turns out, hell get to keep his distinctive water fountain at Main Avenue and Craig Place, near his establishment, La Fonda on Main, despite opposition from the Monte Vista Historical Association, after installing the fixture without a city permit.

Mea culpa, Lawton, who owns a 1907 craftsman house by the restaurant that is not occupied but is used for parking, said in opening remarks Wednesday to the citys Historic and Design Review Commission.

I did not follow protocol. And I apologize for that, he added in regard to the drinking fountain, made several years ago by artisan Rene Romero, in a style known as faux bois, which typically uses stone or concrete to resemble the appearance of natural wood.

Lawton, who also owns Cappys in Alamo Heights, said he had the fountain and 20-inch high limestone wall installed in an 8-foot-wide area as a civic gesture, one he hoped would encourage development of similar amenities in Monte Vista. The fountain, which remained dry as of Friday, includes a bowl at its base for people to water their dogs.

Paul Kinnison, chairman of the historical associations architectural review committee, said the neighborhood opposed the fountain because it lacked historical and visual context, and might not meet the city plumbing code. With more than 1,400 contributing structures and some 3,000 residents, Monte Vista is one of the nations largest historic districts.

Lawton, 69, offered to remove the fountain at his expense, if the city doesnt want it. But he said he often has confronted a long and tedious process in getting requests approved by the association and HDRC.

I think the civic gestures are very important, he said.

The Office of Historic Preservation recommended the fountain stay, since its installation did not destroy historic materials or features protected under federal preservation guidelines. HDRC Commissioner Betty Feldman said civic gestures are welcome, but are subject to the same permitting process as other exterior alterations in historic districts.

Approval by the HDRC allows the city to initiate a plumbing inspection.

Then Cappys fountain can flow.

shuddleston@express-news.net

Twitter: shuddlestonSA
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About 40 neighbors, friends and family members gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil at the West Side home of a 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed while walking home from a park.

Iris Rodriguez was shot Wednesday in the 5500 block of San Fernando Street. She and her family were walking from Cuellar Park, near Don Jose. Iris died Thursday evening. Her mother, Eva Juarez, also was shot, but has since been released from the hospital.

Juarez, who said she wanted justice for her daughter, was touched by the number of people at the gathering.

I wouldnt think we would have had so much support from people we did not even know, Juarez said Sunday night. She was a loving, caring little girl. She loved to bake, and she was always in the kitchen with me, helping me. She loved to talk to people.

Police have arrested Frank Gomez, 28, and still are looking for at least two other men who are said to be connected to the incident. Witnesses said a group of men were arguing before the shooting occurred.

An official vigil had been planned for 8 p.m. Sunday, which local media reported, but when a planned barbecue plate sale to help the family with funeral costs extended to 9 p.m. Sunday, the family decided to move the vigil to Monday.

But that did not stop the impromptu gathering Sunday. Neighbors, many of whom were visibly shaken, formed a cross and lit their own candles.

I cant thank yall enough for showing up, Juarezs husband, Victor Badillo, told the crowd. Having you all here means so much.

The family asked all of the attendees to return at 8 tonight for an official vigil, where they plan to release balloons, pass out candles and issue an official statement.
COLUMBUS  Ohio farmers still have a little more than a year before theyll be legally required to be certified in order to apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres.

But nearly 12,000 have already taken the training, and more than 11,000 have been issued their certificates.

The progress is encouraging to Matt Beal, chief of the Ohio Department of Agricultures Division of Plant Health. He said its hard to say how many people need to be certified, because farm operations are constantly changing and not all farmers apply their own fertilizer.

But he said the numbers indicate the agricultural community has done a good job.

The deadline

Farmers will legally need their certificate by Sept. 30, 2017, but should plan ahead so they can make it to one of the trainings, and receive their certificate in time.

The requirement is part of legislation approved in June 2014, that was part of the states efforts to reduce nutrient runoff.

Training has been offered across the state, through a partnership between ODA and Ohio State University. Beal said farmers can attend a session in their own county, or in another county, depending on which one fits their schedule.

The initial application fee is $30. A person who already holds a valid pesticide applicator license does not have to pay the fee

Certifications are good for three years, and must be renewed. Beal expects there will be new information when they get recertified, because of all the ongoing research on nutrients, and how they move.

Were going to have a lot of new research and data, he said.

Getting trained

The training takes three hours, unless the applicator already holds a pesticide license, in which case the training takes two hours.

Certified fertilizer applicators will be required to keep records of things like the date, place and rate of application, the type of fertilizer and the name of the person applying it.

Applying start-up fertilizer through the planter is exempt, and so is applying lime and limestone.

Farmer response

Farmers have been asked to fill out an evaluation of the certification process, and the results show that 76 percent agree or strongly agree that farm phosphorus is a significant problem to water quality.

Some 77 percent said they had improved their knowledge after the training, 56 percent said they plan to change their nutrient management practices, and 84 percent said they plan to review their soil test and recommendations.

Nutrient stewardship

Another group is working on a voluntary certification that certifies fertilizer retailers and crop consultants. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program has certified about 30 retail fertilizer facilities that apply or advise farmers on nutrients.

The 4R certification requires companies to apply or recommend fertilizer at the right source, rate, time and place.

So far the program has covered about 2.3 million acres, and 1.8 million that are in the Western Lake Erie Basin, said Andrew Allman, executive director of the Nutrient Stewardship Council.

Allman said the 4R program launched in March of 2014, and is audited by third-party auditors. It has a similar goal as the state program, but is voluntary and applies to nutrient providers, instead of individual farmers.

Related:

Ohio governor includes water quality goals in budget.

Senate moving ahead with water quality regulation.

House Ag Committee holds hearings on water quality bill.

House approves new manure application rules (H.B. 490)
Shropshire

A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b...
Animal health companies MSD and Zoetis have announced they will be making a bluetongue vaccine available to cattle and sheep farmers by July.

The NFU welcomes the news that Bluetongue vaccine will be available from mid-July and is now telling farmers to speak to their vets as a matter of urgency.

MSD Health has now signed an agreement with CZ Veterinaria S.A. to distribute its BLUEVAC BTV8 vaccine throughout Great Britain and the vaccines produced by Zoetis, Zulvac 8 Bovis and Zulvac 8 Ovis, will become available to veterinary practices in mid-July.

NFU livestock chairman Charles Sercombe said: "This is really welcome news for the industry and we strongly urge farmers to discuss vaccination with their vet in order to fully understand the risk to their business considering their system and geography.

"These conversations should be ongoing because as the situation in France and mainland Europe changes the risk will change in the UK.

"We are calling on manufacturers and vets to be clear on the vaccine pricing and availability. Farmers will base decisions on whether to vaccinate on a number of factors, with price and availability featuring highly."

Defra has analysed the risk to stock in the UK and the country is at risk of an outbreak during the spring or summer months, with an outbreak in late summer rated the most likely  the probability of incursion is 5-10% in May, 33-60% in July and 80% in September.

The Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB)1 has put together a leaflet and poster to highlight the signs of Bluetongue and how farmers can be proactive.

Further activity is currently being planned to ensure farmers, vets, animal health advisers and wider industry are fully informed with the latest situation and veterinary advice.

JAB is an industry campaign to ensure that farmers and vets are informed about the risk of Bluetongue, raise awareness about the disease and what to do when they suspect it.
The National Sheep Association has today announced North Sheep will be hosted by W.H & J Smith & Sons at West Shields Farm, near Tow Law, in County Durham.

Attracting in the region of 8,000 visitors, this is a key biennial event for the UK sheep industry.

Not only will it provide a platform for people to hear from industry experts and to visit hundreds of exhibition stands it will also highlight how one progressive County Durham Farm operates their commercial sheep enterprise.

The 2017 NSA North Sheep Event will be held on Wednesday 7th June.

West Shields Farm is a family run partnership, managed by John Smith alongside his two sons, David and Alan.

Also involved are Johns nephew and his son. This 900 acre traditional mixed farm, sitting at 270 metres above sea level, is home to a commercial sheep flock of 1,350 Mules and some Texels.

The family use Texel rams purchased locally where possible.

In addition, the farm is home to 300 suckler cows and the family has a local contracting business.

"This is a team effort! It is a family farm with everyone involved working together," says David Smith.

"We have been members of the National Sheep Association for considerable time and regularly attend North Sheep so as a family we are are delighted to be hosting the 2017 North Sheep event."

This is the first time that newly appointed Northern Regional Manager and Events Organiser Heather Stoney-Grayson has headed up the event.

However, Heather is no stranger to sheep farming or event organising, having grown up on a farm in Yorkshire, breeding sheep and cattle, as well as showing commercial beef cattle.

Heather, who has assisted in the organisation of the previous two North Sheep events, commented: "I am delighted to be organising the 2017 North Sheep event at West Shields Farm.

"Having helped Julie run the last two events, I am looking forward to the hard work in front of me.

"Thanks must go to the Smith family who have agreed to host North Sheep next year, we are extremely grateful, as without the support of farmers events like this would not be possible."

As an organisation the National Sheep Association (NSA) represent the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK, receiving tremendous support from everyone connected with the industry.
Farmers in the Lothians and Borders region are being invited to a free walk and talk farm event on fire safety and crime prevention.

The informal event, organised jointly by NFU Scotland, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, will provide a key opportunity to discuss current rural crime and fire-related issues.

Taking place at Haswellsykes Farm, Peebles on Thursday 9 June, the event will include practical demonstrations on security systems, crime prevention equipment and fire safety techniques.

This follows on from previous successful events held in the region to encourage farmers to take practical steps to secure their property.

Kerry Barr, NFU Scotlands Regional Manager for Lothians and Borders commented: "NFU Scotland continues to work with partner agencies to provide farmers with practical advice on protecting their property.

"This event is the latest in a series of similar events being organised by the Union across the country.

"Representatives from NFU Scotland, the police and the fire and rescue service will be on hand to provide advice and to discuss a wide range of issues including general and specific fire safety and crime prevention measures including wildlife crime."

The Farm Fire Safety and Crime Prevention Event takes place on Thursday 9 June between 1pm and 3.30pm at Haswellsykes Farm, Peebles, EH45 9JL.
Farmers and organisations have underlined at this years Green Week workshop the key role of the sector to ensure sustainable rural areas for future generations by investing in resource efficiency and ecosystem services.

Farmers and agri-cooperatives presented their commitments to ensure this by presenting numerous innovative projects and initiatives.

The innovative projects aimed to ensure greener growth, resource efficiency and promote better communication and cooperation between various stakeholders.

The Workshop provided an excellent opportunity to debate good agricultural practices with representatives from the EU institutions, researchers, farmers, the public, showing our contribution to creating a sustainable agriculture sector for future generations.

'Dynamic networks' needed to deal with challenges

Speaking at the event, EU co-operative Copa & Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said: "The EU agriculture sector plays a key role in feeding a growing population at the same time as dealing with environmental and climate challenges.

"But to maximize our potential, farmers need training and advice and dynamic networks to increase their investments and to implement innovative solutions."

At the event, the NFU presented a new Campaign for the Farmed Environment which includes events and advice on enhancing land for on-farm biodiversity, protecting and utilising natural resources.

Whilst Coop de France presented a project to cut greenhouse gas emissions from French dairy farmers by 20% per litre of milk produced.

The Belgian Wallonian Farm Group (FWA) meanwhile showcased a project which intends to set up sustainable food chains by creating new cooperation models between all actors involved in the Walloniana gri-food industry.

In Finland the project supported by MTK recycles alkaline batteries to produce cost-effective fertilizers.

The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture presented a multiannual campaign to enhance agricultural practices in favour of biodiversity and the Baltic farmers showcased a project looking at the Baltic Sea Region sustainably producing daily food at the same time as preserving the Baltic Sea.

From Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, the agri-cooperatives displayed a project to extend the best available practices to propose solutions to ensure energy efficiency at cooperative level.
Instead of looking at the predicted 10% reduction in oilseed rape area this autumn, the issue of cabbage stem flea beetle and the volatile pricing, Grainseed are asking the question, have we forgotten why we grow oilseed rape in the first place?

Neil Groom, Technical Director for Grainseed can reel off half a dozen positives about growing rape without even catching his breath:

 It is still the best and most profitable break crop in a cereal dominated rotation.

 It allows good entry for wheat, especially early maturing varieties such as Es Alienor

 It spreads the workload at drilling and at harvest time.

 You can use different chemistry to control black-grass, helping with weed resistance management and weed control.

 You can harvest it using similar machinery as cereals.

 It provides better margins than most other break crops.

 It allows cultural weed control prior to cereals, so reducing the cost of control in the following wheat.

 It provides pollen for bees and a habitat for a range of wildlife.

Commodity trader Jonny Roberts for Nidera says the oilseeds market is complex and is particularly interesting and challenging at the moment.

"Current volatility is being linked to soybeans where recent South American weather issues are driving the market.

"As a result we have seen some significant price moves in the last few weeks. The harvest of the crop in South America is well behind the normal rate and it is still not known for definite how much the overall production in Argentina will be affected by widespread flooding. The recent USDA report cut bean production for 2015/16 by 2.5 Mmt.

"This has benefited UK farmers with the price of oilseed rape strengthening and it is now at around 285/t ex farm for old crop.

"With all the current uncertainty there is the potential for rape prices to strengthen further.

"A further factor which will impact prices is which way we will be going in the EU referendum next month, as this will affect whether the pound sterling will firm or weaken."

'Oilseed rape much easier to grow'

Jonny says that as we are coming to the end of the old crop now and with supplies feeling relatively tight, growers might see an opportunity to make better prices.

Neil Groom says: "Oilseed rape is much easier to grow than other break crops.

"Other break crops are agronomically challenging and it is often hard to get the necessary premium or specification or they have limited markets to go for.

"Oilseed rape is easy to grow if you choose the right variety for your farm and there is always demand."

He also remarks that you can streamline inputs depending on the variety that you grow.

For example highly vigorous rape varieties such as Es Alienor, Es Alegria or Es Mambo that all get off to a rapid start can potentially grow away from cabbage stem flea beetle damage and/or Phoma.

In some areas mostly in Eastern England CSFB are resistant to pyrethroids so should not be used.

The neonicotinoids which have been banned for two years are unlikely to be re-instated so we must choose vigorous varieties.

"Dont get drawn into the simple argument that all hybrids are vigorous and conventionals are not.

"This is not the case  Alienor, Alegria and Mambo are conventional varieties which have been proven in independent NIABTAG trials to out compete the hybrids.

"I think vigour is a trait of the variety, not of the variety type," says Neil.

'Half the price of hybrids'

He also mentions that you can save quite a bit of money on inputs, starting with seed. With conventionals you can save your own seed.

"Even if you are buying new conventional rape seed it is about half the price of hybrids. Savings can also be made by growing a resistant variety for disease control.

"HGCA are now recognising this and in the future oilseed rape varieties will need to be a double 6 for resistance to Phoma stem canker and Light Leaf Spot to get a UK recommended. Alienor and Mambo both achieve this."

Fay Ritchie of ADAS has valued each disease resistance point at around 20/ha.

Having a variety with higher disease ratings means that you have more opportunity to spray and you may be able to save on spraying one fungicide in the programme.

Once again Grainseed varieties have stable high multi-gene resistance to Phoma over 7, as well as a 6 for Light Leaf spot, giving the grower more flexibility in his disease control programme.

Another growing problem in oilseed rape is Verticillium for which there is no approved chemical solution as yet.

Alienor, Alegria and Mambo all have proven to have resistance to this disease as tested by ADAS, AICC and NIAB.

The three varieties that Neil is supporting are also low biomass varieties which are easier and less costly to manage and to harvest.

He concludes that rape as a break crop still has a lot going for it, but choosing the right rape variety this autumn will be crucial.

"You need a variety that yields well, that is vigorous with broad disease resistance ratings and easily managed and fits well into your rotation."
A new survey, carried out by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), revealed that consumers are lacking sufficient knowledge to help support British farmers.

The public want to support British farmers, although some may already be doing so without even realising.

Many consumers think we should produce more food in Britain, but the majority are unaware how much our farmers already grow.

Nearly half of consumers (48%) said they thought British farmers should produce more of our own food, but the survey revealed that people vastly underestimate how much is already produced in this country.

Although we are currently 60% self-sufficient in the UK, consumers on average believed this to be closer to 35%.

The country of origin (42%) was the third most popular purchase driver for fresh food choices, with price (74%) and special offers (51%) the only factors proving more influential.

More than a quarter (27%) of those surveyed say they buy more British food than they did five years ago, and the same number said they were happy to pay more for food produced in Britain.

The survey also revealed that over a quarter of those questioned (26%) had never visited a farm.

On average, those questioned had not visited a working farm in over nine years.

Paying more to support British farmers

Michael Sly, 47, farmer, MHS Farms, Thorney who is joined the hundreds of farms in opening his gates for last weekends Open Farm Sunday said: "Its reassuring that people want to support British farmers and are even willing to pay more to do so.

"The results highlight the importance of strengthening the publics connection with farming and food.

"Open Farm Sunday is a fantastic way to do this.

"Were hoping that by getting people out onto a farm this weekend they can find out more about what, and how much food, we produce in this country."

Worryingly, the survey also revealed that many adults still struggle to understand basic food knowledge, such as which food comes from which crop or animal.

More than one in four people questioned (26%) were unable to identify that milk came from a dairy cow, one in five (22%) did not know that eggs came from chickens, and just under a quarter (23%) were unaware that bacon comes from pigs.

More than half of those questioned (51%) also didnt make the link between a dairy cow and butter, and more than a third (37%) could not connect steak with beef cattle.

Even when it comes to popular products like beer, porridge or mustard, many fail to make the connection to what is grown on a British farm.

Only one in five could identify a picture of barley as an ingredient in beer, and only one in seven knew that oats were used in porridge.

Meanwhile, sixteen percent didnt know crops used for breakfast cereals are grown in this country and four in ten (42%) were unaware that mustard seed is grown on British farms.

Annabel Shackleton, Open Farm Sunday Manager at LEAF added: "Open Farm Sunday is the ideal opportunity for people of all ages to visit a farm and discover more about the world of farming and the story behind their food.

"By spending time on a farm, talking to farmers and to the many other professionals involved in the industry  from agronomists to vets - the day offers a unique insight into this vital industry and helps people to value the work farmers do and the food they eat."

One Poll survey carried out for LEAFs Open Farm Sunday, May 2016. 2,000 UK adult

respondents.
Presidents of the UK farming unions have sent a letter to European policymakers and elected officials on the importance of the reauthorisation of glyphosate.

The NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and UFU have come together ahead of Member State experts voting on a temporary re-extension of authorisation.

If the vote is passed this would be for approx. 18 months until more scientific evidence is available.

 The UK farming unions say there is no well-reasoned argument holding back a full re-authorisation of glyphosate in line with the regulatory process.

 The letter states that the glyphosate decision has been subject to political bargaining

 Elected officials and policymaker are urged by unions to respect the process for the re-registration of plant protection products

The open letter in full

"From their fields, yards and orchards across the UK, farmers are following the ongoing debate on the re-approval of glyphosate with mounting concern.

"To our minds, it comes down to a very simple question: what do we need?

"What do we need to keep providing people with food, our businesses viable and deliver other public goods that come from farming?

"First and foremost we need a regulatory process that is based on solid, scientific evidence that is well scrutinised by an independent body and based on risk assessment.

"Indeed such a process for the registration of plant protection products has delivered a recommendation for the continued use of glyphosate.

"However, we need all elected officials and policymakers in national and European parliaments and institutions to respect the process.

"The ongoing situation has already severely damaged the credibility of the European Food Safety Authority and as a consequence has eroded confidence and certainty in the regulatory system.

"It is deeply worrying that a decision that has very real consequences on millions of peoples everyday lives is the subject of political bargaining.

"We urge a return to evidence-led policymaking that is insulated from political swings and based on fair scientific risk assessment.

"Without this, we worry that doubt is unfortunately cast on the ability for the EU to deliver for farmers.

"Secondly, European farmers need glyphosate to provide a safe, secure and affordable food supply while increasingly responding to consumer demand for greater environmental sensitivity.

"Glyphosate is subject to regulation, as with all other pesticides, so that it is not found in dangerous quantities in the food chain.

"It is also an essential tool used in farming practices that actually improve soil structure and require less work with machinery; thus helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Furthermore, application pre-harvest not only ensures the quality of the crop, but also means that less drying after harvest is required.

"This naturally reduces fuel and electricity usage, in turn lowering costs and minimising greenhouse gas emissions.

"For environmental conservation too; the substance is used worldwide to manage vegetation to create biodiverse habitats.

"For whatever application, farmers are subject to the EUs Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive.

"This ensures that we are certified to use these products and adopt strategies that seek to limit the risks of their use.

"Thereby we are allowed to access essential products which we need to produce while at the same time being regulated to use them responsibly.

"Finally, the removal of such a tool carries the very real risk of yet another pressure on our incomes at a time when economic returns are already severely squeezed.

"The arable sector will likely be hardest hit through any restrictions, with direct impacts on yields.

"Loss of availability in the livestock and dairy sectors would result in an inability to tackle invasive and poisonous species in grassland and plant pests and diseases across all farm types.

"These effects would directly hit farmers margins too. Europe would therefore be at a further disadvantage to other nations, who face no such restrictions, but who we are increasingly trading with.

"Farmers are being asked the impossible. On one hand farmers are encouraged to improve and compete, yet we have tools that allow us to do so directly threatened with no like-for-like alternatives in place.

"We therefore call on all policy makers and officials to seriously take into account the points we raise here.

"In our view there is no well-reasoned argument holding back a full reauthorisation of glyphosate in line with the regulatory process.

"We fear that without such a course of action there would be grave consequences for European agriculture that will resonate for years."
The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has issued a draft of potential agricultural policies which could be implemented by the government in the event of a vote to leave the EU at the forthcoming Referendum on 23 June.

Marcus Thorpe, head of law firm Trethowans Agriculture and Rural Property Team, takes an in-depth look at the policies.

Approximately 38% of the EU budget is spent on agriculture and rural development.

This pooling of resources at EU level ensures efficient and effective spending that avoids distorting the internal market and delivers a wide range of public goods.

It is much more efficient to have one common policy achieving common goals such as food security than 28 different competing national policies, and this efficiency frees up funds in national budgets to be spent elsewhere.

In 2015, the UK Government contributed an estimated 8.5 billion to the EU, roughly 1% of total public expenditure and equivalent to 0.5% of GDP.

There is no doubt that departure from the EU and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its subsidy and regulatory regimes would have an impact on UK farms and their income.

However, as is drummed into us on a daily basis, an exit from the EU by a member state has no historical precedent and ultimately, any predictions on the impact of exit can only be speculation.

DEFRA has refused to offer any plan to farmers outlining the lay of the land in the event of an European exit.

TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said: "The opinion of the Tenant Farmers Association is that without a credible plan for what a post-EU Britain would look like, it cannot advocate a vote to leave the EU.

"However, we have promised our members that we will keep this under review as new information becomes available in advance of the Referendum."

He continued: "Sadly, whilst there has been significant amounts of rhetoric, soundbites, claim and counterclaim from both sides of the campaign this has provided rather more heat than light.

"The TFA has therefore decided to publish a draft, post-EU agricultural policy for consultation to assist the debate and in the hope that there will be a better level of analysis of the impact on UK agriculture of either a vote to cease to be or remain a member of the EU."

"As I travel around the country, many farmers in their heart of hearts would like to see Britain leave the EU.

"They find it attractive to consider a future of self-determination, of clear policies, which would deliver a vibrant and prosperous agricultural industry, resilient against volatility and proudly supported by our own Government.

"However, they simply do not trust that British politicians would ever deliver such a vision and are therefore more likely to vote to remain within the EU.

"Perhaps the choice to leave would be made easier if they knew that this would also lead to a change in Government to deliver a pre-agreed agricultural policy for Britain. However this is not on offer," said Mr Dunn.

"The debate about our membership of the EU has got to be more than about subsidy payments.

"We should be looking at many other areas including developing fairer supply chains, ensuring protection against inappropriate trading practices, creating a proper and progressive farming ladder and protecting the British brand.

"The TFAs draft policy addresses these and other areas," said Mr Dunn.

The TFA draft outlines various mechanisms:

1. Providing the Groceries Code Adjudicator with wider and deeper powers to investigate malpractice within the groceries supply chain.

The adjudicator must have OFSTED style powers to engage with retailers, a remit to look at the whole of the supply chain where required - not just direct contracts - and the responsibility to report on the balance of returns within the supply chain.

2. Requiring public food procurement policies to favour British produced food.

3. Requiring that all food sold in the UK is subject to meeting Red Tractor Standards

4. Mandatory country of origin labelling on all food sold through major retailers

5. Negotiation of access agreements for UK farm products into EU markets.

6. Respond robustly against tariffs levied by the EU on exports of farm products from the UK.

7. An assurance that free or favourable market access to the UK food market will not be used to lever favourable trade deals in other areas such as financial services.

8. Developing a new framework for ensuring the sustainable development of upland areas by refocusing support on ruminant livestock production as the foundation of sustainable upland management.

9. Domestic promotion of the high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards of British food in comparison to imported products to displace those imports with domestically produced food.

10. Maintenance of the current budget of 3 billion allocated to agricultural support

11. Allocating 1 billion to a new agri-environment scheme which sets out a menu of costed options that farmers can choose from to deliver on their farms and judged on the basis of outcomes, as opposed to the means of achieving the outcomes, to include specific options for hill and upland farmers focusing on ruminant livestock production.

12. Allocating 1 billion to a new Farm Business Development Scheme to provide an annual grant of up to 25,000 per farm per year to assist with the implementation of approved five-year plans for farm development covering investment in fixed equipment, cost reduction initiatives, processing capacity, diversification, marketing, cooperative schemes, producer organisations, etc.

13. Allocating 1 billion to near market research and development, promotion, market development, brand development and other supply chain initiatives.

14. Implementing the TFAs plan for longer and more sustainable farm tenancies as follows:

 Restricting the generous, 100% relief from inheritance tax, currently available to all landlords regardless of the length of time for which they are prepared to let land, only to those prepared to let for 10 years or more.

 Clamping down on those landowners who are using share farming, contract farming, share partnerships and grazing licences as vehicles for aggressive tax avoidance since in practice they take no risk, have no entrepreneurial input and lack any managerial control.

 Offering landlords prepared to let land for 10 years or more the ability to declare their income as if it were trading income for taxation purposes.

 Reforming stamp duty land tax to end the discrimination against longer tenancies.

 Requiring landlords over whom the government has influence (for example, the Crown Estate) to default to 10-year-plus farm tenancies.

 Providing landlords with more practical provisions for handling tenancy breaches than currently exist in agreements where landlords let for 10 years or more.

'Lack of certainty around an EU exit is a challenge'

"The TFA has demonstrated commitment to keeping this position under review and has produced proposal for a potential post-EU agricultural policy for the UK to adopt.

"However, without the support of Government and DEFRA there are no guarantees that this policy would be implemented in the event of an EU exit and its viability and feasibility can only be considered speculative at this time.

"The challenge that the UK faces is the lack of certainty around an EU exit because there is no precedent of a member states departure since the EUs formation.

"The only thing that we can be certain of in the face of an EU exit is uncertainty itself," the TFA concluded.
Tour will revolve around water-quality efforts

By Diego Flammini

Assistant Editor, North American Content

Farms.com

The Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) is looking for members to participate in a tour of Iowa farms to better understand some of the states water quality initiatives.

The Nutrient Issues Tour to Iowa is scheduled for Aug. 8-10 and will include demonstration farms, traditional and unique nutrient loss management strategies, additional funding for farmers, and meet with mayors to discuss partnerships farmers have with other communities concerning drinking water.

Illinois is two years behind Iowa when it comes to implementing its Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and the tour is designed for Illinoisan farmers to bring what they learn back to their own farms.

By visiting Iowa, we hope to learn where collaboration between ag and non-ag partners is working, in the case of great watershed projects  and where it is not working, in the case of lawsuits, IFB said. Our goal is that trip participants will see firsthand what is working in Iowa and return to Illinois as experts on the nutrient loss issue.

Any member of the Illinois Farm Bureau in good standing is eligible to attend the tour.

Applications must be completed by Wednesday, June 15, and final selections will be made on Tuesday, July 5.
What was it like to be an Oath Keeper? John Zimmerman can tell you

John Zimmerman said he was active with the Oath Keepers from September to November 2020, then left after a falling out with founder Stewart Rhodes.
A mere eighteen months ago, I was a new mother grappling with toddler tantrums, endless rounds of Peppa Pig and the small matter of having decided to give up my well-paid job as a City lawyer in favour of the more creative prospect of writing crime fiction novels. As you may imagine, I was a nervous wreck. What if I had made a terrible, hormone-fuelled mistake? What if I was in the midst of the so-called 'late-20s crisis'? Luckily, I have an irrepressibly optimistic family who reminded me that I was born to be a writer and that I needed to just 'make the leap.' So, I finished my first novel, Holy Island: a DCI Ryan Mystery, and decided to release it through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform on 1st January 2015. Within a few months it hit the top of the Amazon UK chart, around the same time my jaw hit the floor. Flash forward to the present and I have three bestselling mysteries under my belt and a (fairly) well behaved toddler - although he still likes Peppa Pig.

LJ Ross

How did this happen? If, like me, you have decided to bypass the 'traditional' publishing route in favour of the more flexible option offered through self-publishing, there are many advantages (higher royalty rates, greater control over your product, instant access, to name a few) but also some pointers to bear in mind. Glance down the Amazon bestsellers list and it's likely that you won't be able to distinguish between 'traditionally published' and 'Indie' or 'self-published' books, because authors like me take a serious approach to creating a quality product for readers. We invest in professional editing, cover design, book descriptions and, above all else, we put our heart and soul into creating a good story.

But what makes a good story? This is a topic for endless debate and will always remain a matter of personal opinion, but one thing I've learned from my own experience is that the setting of your books can be very important. The DCI Ryan series is based in and around my home county of Northumberland, an area of outstanding natural beauty that gives rise to endless possibilities for atmospheric murder mysteries. Though many readers have since visited the locations described in my books, they weren't written with tourism in mind but rather with the idea of creating a sense of 'place' in the minds of my readers. I have always been inspired by the scenery - a land of castles and sweeping seascapes - so I hoped to share that passion with others. If you can find the right balance between short, evocative descriptive passages threaded through an otherwise page-turning story, a strong setting can be a great ally for any budding writer. By recreating the vivid world of your imagination on paper, a reader will be more likely to fall into the story. After all, there is nothing more satisfying than losing oneself in a good book.
Since my readers ask many questions about my work, I hereby reply to the request for "Ten things I would like my readers to know about me" by including answers to a few of those questions along with my own sharing.

How do you decide where to set each novel?

I live in Arkansas, USA. The primary settings for all my books are in Arkansas, and are realistically described. Though these places are of great interest to me and are also popular with tourists and Arkansans who visit in person, writing for those people is not my only focus. My desire is also to share these special places with readers world-wide who will enjoy them only in the pages of a book. (Secondary sites that will be bombed, burned, or provide a setting for criminal action leading to severe damage, are fictitious.) For years I've been learning about the atmosphere, if not the photographic reality, of many locations I will never see in person by reading about them within the pages of mystery novels. For example: I am sure St Mary Mead is not a real village, but I assume reading about it in an Agatha Christie novel gives me a taste of what English villages were (and maybe are) like.

Do readers ever suggest book settings?

Yes, and I always listen, but make the final selection of a story setting on my own. When a story site is under consideration I visit the location, and, generally, spend time looking around quietly and getting a feeling ("vibes?") for the place. If something there begins to say "story" to me, active plot planning and location research will begin.

What about people who live or work in locations you have chosen? Are they generally okay with your plans?

More than okay. Quite often they become so enthusiastic during the beginning work on "their" novel that, when helping me with research, (and often allowing me in places where the public does not go), they begin getting so involved in the story that they make plot suggestions.Then we have a wonderful time together!

Do you model characters after people you know?

Not consciously, but I've had the opportunity to observe people in many settings for many years. My knowledge and interest in humanity--with all its variety and peculiarity--definitely does give reality and color to my book people. But, as for copying a real person into a specific character, no, I don't do that.

How about authors who say they get back at enemies or at people who have wronged them by making them a villain or killing them in a story, changing only the name and maybe a few personal details. Do you do that?

Goodness, no! The very idea shocks me. I will say, however, that, to my knowledge, my life has been free of enemy-making. And, I also wonder if killing your enemies in a novel might not open you to potential legal action or retaliation if individuals think they recognize themselves.

Have you been interested in writing all your conscious life?

What inspired you to begin writing for publication? At no time during my early life did I think I'd become a professional writer until my husband and I, looking ahead to retirement, bought rural land in Arkansas and began spending weekends in a small cabin the two of us built there. I found so much that I thought was unique and interesting among our Ozarks hills and hollows that I wanted to share it with others. I wrote and sold my first essay about Ozarks life ("Where Hummingbirds Matter") in 1986. For ten years after that I continued writing feature articles and essays--always set in the Arkansas Ozarks--for many publications. I also had my own radio program of Ozarks news for ten years. My non-fiction book, "Dear Earth: A Love Letter from Spring Hollow," a collection of Ozarks adventures, was published in 1995.

What about your "To Die For" mystery novels--when did you write your first one, and why?

After "Dear Earth" came out and was welcomed by readers, I wanted to continue writing for publication. So--what, and why? I enjoyed reading what we call cozy mysteries, (fairly gentle mysteries--mild when it comes to swearing, sex, horror, or violence). People had shown an interest in the Ozarks, and I wondered if I could write a mystery, using an Ozarks setting and an Ozarks theme. "A Valley to Die For" sold to a publisher in 2001 and was released in 2002. "Music to Die For" came out in 2003.

So, is showcasing the Ozarks your purpose in continuing to write this mystery series?

Only partly. I really enjoy working in and with settings I have chosen. That was particularly true with my most recent novel, "A Portrait to Die For," number eight in my series. I especially enjoyed the study of art history at University, worked for a time at Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and feel very much at home in any art museum. When Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, opened in Bentonville, AR in 2011 it was a setting that immediately inspired me. Crystal Bridges simply had to be the lead setting in an upcoming novel. But, in addition, and going more deeply, I have realized that the general background theme in all my novels is redemption. My stories are about people (mainly, my major characters, Carrie McCrite and Henry King,) helping individuals deeply involved in one human problem or another. Carrie is very sensitive to people in desperate trouble, and is drawn into trying to solve their difficulties. That pulls her, and often friends and family, into desperate and dangerous circumstances. And, whether it's a musician focused on career success rather than the needs of his wife and child, a mentally damaged war vet, criminals protecting their turf, or Carrie's husband, former Police Major Henry King, there are hurting people who experience a redemptive awakening as part of the story. It can be brought on by circumstances within the story, or maybe a type of spiritual experience, but it's there. I have even found writing about some of my character's awakenings can be helpful to me.

How about your life now? You're married, live in the Ozarks, and . . . ?

My husband John and I have retired from former careers and both of us are now involved almost full time in my writing career. We recently simplified our life by moving from 23 acres in the rural Ozarks to a condo in town where I continue to create stories, help design and write publicity material, schedule events and signings, attend conferences, write talks, and keep up with social networking. I work closely with my publisher (Oak Tree Press) and publicist, and also with the writers' critique group I founded here twenty years ago. John handles all financial records and legal matters, keeps track of book stock, takes care of some e-mail queries, helps me with technology blips, and--as he says--is my chauffeur and baggage handler for all book-related events in whatever location. (Not to mention being my best friend and companion!)

So--what next?

I plan to continue writing about the adventures of Carrie McCrite, Henry King, and their friends and family. A fellow author and long-time good friend, Marilyn Meredith from California, says she plans to keep writing her series because she enjoys spending time with her book people and is eager to learn what they are going to be doing next. I can certainly identify with that. Hmmm. What about an anthology of Carrie and Henry short stories? Now, that sounds like fun. It usually takes me from one to two years to complete a book, and short stories in various places mean moving around quite a bit for research, so . . . I'd better get started!

Radine Trees Nehring
Dr David Nott was put at ease by Queen Elizabeth's pet dogs.

Queen Elizabeth

The British surgeon - who worked in war zones to help treat injured men, women and children - was left unable to speak to the 90-year-old royal when he was invited to meet her at Buckingham Palace in October 2014 but she soon calmed his nerves by asking for her pet corgis to join them.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, he recalled: "I [had been] coping [in Syria] with children that were really badly damaged and she must have detected something significant. I didn't know what to say.

"It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to her - I just couldn't. I just could not say anything. She picked all this up and said, 'Well, shall I help you?' I thought, 'How on earth can the Queen help me?' All of a sudden the courtiers brought the corgis and the corgis went underneath the table.

"And so for 20 minutes during this lunch the Queen and I fed the dogs. She did it because she knew that I was so seriously traumatised. You know the humanity of what she was doing was unbelievable."

Meanwhile, the monarch posed alongside her favourite pooches - Holly, Willow, Vulcan and Candy - for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine, something which she had requested herself.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz said: "The most moving, important thing about this shoot is that these were all her ideas. [The Queen] wanted to be photographed with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; her daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal; and her corgis."
How well do you know Payal Khandwala!



The fun and amazing fashion designer from Mumbai is even livelier and fascinating as a person.



And this we know after we met the designer for a quick chat during the launch of Ogaan's second flagship store in New Delhi. Here's the chat:



What's the best thing about being a fashion designer

I get to wear all the samples



And what's the worst?

Doesn't really leave you time to do much else. It is very time consuming. Besides you've to work hard.



What's been the most memorable collection to work on?

I think the first one because it was such a big change of canvas for me, painting and then doing it. So i think it was the most memorable one.



Who is a Payal Khandwala girl

My daughter



One colour your collection is incomplete without

Saphire blue



What does it signify?

Something strong. Not very loud, still kind of subtle but still dramatic



Coffee or tea?

Neither. But if I had to tea... masala chai



One historical figure you'll like to have masala chai with ...

Mahatma Gandhi. My god what a guy



Have you ever googled yourself?

Yes, all the time



Would you do it again?

I'll do it again because I'm always trying to find pictures which I like how I look.Is this how I look



Who was your best dressed at Cannes

I haven't really followed so I don't know who's worn what. But today I saw a picture of Charlize Theron wearing a black Dior suit with a white shirt. She looked amazing. I though it was so simple unlike all those big ball gowns.



What's your favourite hashtag

You know I'm from a different generation so this whole hashtag thing I really don't know what people are saying. So I'm really bad at it.



Organic clothing to you is..

I think it's responsible clothing. It's a step in the right direction where consuming too much and it's too much pressure on our environment. To think responsibly organic clothing is the way to go.



What's the best way to practice sustainable fashion?

Don't buy too much. If all of us had to contribute. I just think we should stop buying too much. just wearing it once and throwing it buying something else. It's not sustainable.



Which fabric is the best way to deal with the roasting summer of Delhi

Khadi





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Every time she tried to move her right shoulder, Bengalurean Rukma Nayak, 65, would grimace in pain. Those around her could hear a cracking sound, something akin to a noisy ceiling fan at work.



Relief eluded Rukma, who visited several physicians, took a number of painkillers and underwent physiotherapy for seven years and it became increasingly difficult for her to move her shoulders even to do daily activities. However, a recent visit to Manipal Hospitals changed her life for the better.



X-rays and MRI scans revealed that she was suffering from 'rotator cuff arthritis', a not-so-common condition. When she tried to lift her right arm, the ball of the arm or 'the head' would hit the collar bone. The head would slip out of the socket in an upward direction hitting the collar bone leading to joint destruction because a muscle in the rotator cuff was damaged.



"A normal shoulder replacement would not have helped her. A reverse shoulder replacement was the only available option. Conventional shoulder replacements fail in these cases and are contraindicated. This surgery requires good deal of precision and technical expertise. In this procedure, the ball is placed on the socket side (scapula) and the socket side is placed on the humerus (arm bone) reversing the normal geometry of the joint. The intact outer muscles on the arm (deltoid muscles) work to lift the arm without the need of inner rotator cuff muscles," said Dr Sunil G Kini, consultant joint replacement, arthoscopy surgeon, Manipal Hospitals.



Rotator cuff arthritis contributes to only 5% of shoulder-related disorders. Dr Kini and consultant surgeon Dr Sushal S performed the procedure in two hours. Rukma, who has recovered, is undergoing physiotherapy sessions. According to Dr Thomas Chandy, director, joint replacement and orthopaedics at Hosmat Hospital, the cases of rotator cuff being torn is not a rare condition and not all such patients undergo surgery.



"It mostly occurs in older population and not everyone prefers surgery when they are in 60s and 70s, unlike a knee or hip replacement surgery that affects their movement if not operated. In the last five years, I might have done five such reverse shoulder replacement surgeries. Patients go for it only when the pain is unmanageable. Many manage it with physiotherapy," he added.

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Are you suffering from insomnia? Find the cause and follow these steps

Insomnia is a persistent disorder that can result from many reasons. Asthma, allergy, Parkinson's disease, hypothyroidism, acid reflux, kidney ailments or cancer can be some of the causes. Insomnia can also be caused by chronic bipolar disorder, trauma or anxiety, says Dr Raja Dhar, consultant respiratory physician, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, Kolkata. "Insomnia is itself a sleep disorder, but it can also be a symptom of other sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and circadian rhythm disturbances tied to jet lag or late-night shift work, warns Dr Dhar.

So what's the way out? The doctor suggests the following:

 Fix a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends.

 Avoid naps. Napping during the day can make it difficult to sleep at night. If you feel like a nap, limit it to 30 minutes before 3 pm

 Limit caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least eight hours before going to bed. Alcohol makes you sleepy, but it ruins the quality of your sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant.

 Avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of going to bed. Fatty food is hard to digest and spicy or acidic foods can cause heartburn.

 Get regular exercise to improve the symptoms of insomnia. It takes several months to feel the effects. Aim for 30 minutes or more of activity on most days  but not too close to bedtime.
We all require counselling at some point in our lives. Thankfully, the taboo regarding psychotherapy is gradually dissipating, making it easier for us to reach out for help when we need it the most.

A Google search on psychologists in the city throws up an exhaustive list. How are we to decide which one will work best for us?



- First, ask around within your social circle. If your friends or family have had positive experiences with their therapist, they may work for you too.



- If youve found the therapist online, ask around about them. Maybe they counselled a friend of a friend who will have insights to share.



- Make sure the therapists credentials match your requirements. That is, dont go to a child psychologist when what you need is marriage counselling.



- Observe how you feel during your therapy sessions. You should feel safe and free of judgement from them. Theyre there to help you cope with things, and not to add to your insecurities. So if you feel judged, that may not be the right therapist for you.



- Even if the therapist came highly recommended or is well-known and has a list of accolades, if they dont work for you, find another. If youve been with them for a couple of months and dont find yourself making any progress, its okay to terminate your sessions and look elsewhere.



- If you feel uncomfortable or pressured by the therapist, if they often interrupt your sessions with phone calls or discuss other patients with you, theyre not right for you (or anyone else for that matter!).



Photograph: Shutterstock
Lets face it. We all desire to have a healthy relationship with our bank accounts.

One of the most renowned women of philanthropy today, Sudha Murty, chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Bangalore, runs the non-profit arm of the countrys most eminent IT services company, Infosys. She reached the pinnacle of success not only through her vision, hard work, but also with the help of accurate financial planning.

Here is the ultimate guide to managing the modern womans money matters, as told to Femina by Sudha Murty.

Think ahead

Sudha Murty believes that over-consumption is the one thing this generation suffers from. With age comes more responsibility, and thus the need to plan your finances accordingly.

Invest wisely in your childrens education, a house, and for your old age. You have to be self-reliant when you are old; in the last two weeks of ones life, you spend 80 percent of your savings.



Value the small things

We should all learn to cherish the small things in life, like Sudha Murty, who stresses on the importance of experiences over materialistic goodies.

I have two granddaughters, and when I meet them, I give them small gifts because I want them to value the small things in life. I want them to enjoy experiences, like enjoying the rain or a day in the park. I want them to respect what they have.

Live the frugal life

Sudha Murty has always wanted her children to gain perspective and understand that not everything comes easily in life.

When my children were growing up, I would take them to the Infosys Foundation office and have them see, first-hand all the work that we were doing to help underprivileged children and people.

Invest wisely

If Sudha Murty hadnt carefully planned out her investments ahead of time, she perhaps wouldnt have been able to bring growth and prosperity to her reputed organisation.

For years, the Infosys Foundation worked out of a rented place and its only recently that we moved into our own office. How it came to us is also interesting. I have a habit of investing the interest that we earn on our deposits. I put away the interest and over the years, we accumulated 45 lakh rupees. Some years ago, we saw an old house in a distress sale and we bought it with this money. Today, that is where the Infosys Foundation office stands.
Keep it professional

Avoid mixing personal and professional lives. Focus on your work and channelise your energies in excelling at what is on hand. Make progressive goals in your assignments and/or tasks. If working in a team with your ex, then keep it simple and to the point only!



Check the drama in the lobby

Any breakup-related conversations or unfinished business should be discussed after work. Your workplace is no place for you to vent and your colleagues lunch hour neednt be all about you and your failed relationship. Avoid getting personal, directly or indirectly. You sure dont want a love drama in your boardroom!



Limit interactions

You may not be able to avoid meetings and conferences, but other little changes could ease your heartache a bit. For starters, you probably checked in or out together while you were a couple. However, reality bites so now in order to avoid the awkwardness, you might want to swipe in a little early or swipe out a little later, eh? Ditto your lunch hour or break time. If you are pushing the envelope, you might even change the company while having lunch or during tea breaks..



Avoid gossip

It might be difficult to swallow your pride and work in the same room as your ex. You might want to discuss it with your colleague. Avoid it. Instead, talk to your friends and family outside office premises. Youll be far removed from the gossip and an unwilling depository of unnecessary news about the ex.



Change or transfer, if required

If youre the kind who believes in pushing the envelope, and have suddenly caught a bad case of claustrophobia, then depending on how big or small your firm is a change of pace and scenery is on the anvil. For instance, in case of a large firm, you could probably look at a transfer in another vertical or department. This could keep you at bay from any kind of interactions with your ex. However, if your firm is small, then you might want to update and upload your resume once again on job sites and look for placement, elsewhere.

Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts
Gift yourself the No Contact Rule

Go cold turkey about your ex for a period of 60 days. This includes no calls, no messages, no stalking his social media pages) basically cut off all contact with him/her. This will ensure no drunk-dialing, no needy messages, no dating people just to make your ex jealous. Itll avoid embarrassing what was I thinking of? moments, later.



Gift yourself you

Take this opportunity to get to know you again. Whilst in a relationship, we tend to lose our sense of self (our identity). Go ahead, be a couch potato, nurse a great glass of Bordeaux while Adele keeps you company as you finally get a clarity of who you really are or want to be!



Gift yourself the luxury of time

With you no longer tied to your partner, body, heart, mind and soul, you have time to be yourself, do the stuff you always wanted but didnt because of the couple dynamics. So be that gourmet you always wanted to be or get adventurous with your palate and try that sushi or take a trek to the Himalayan base camp.



Gift yourself compassion and understanding

Its always imperative that you know the difference between feelings and facts. What you are feeling may not necessarily be the facts. You are entitled to a pity party and undeserving of love but remember that is not the fact!



Gift yourselfand your exrespect

While it is necessary to talk through your problems, it is also vital to know that your equation with your ex is nobody elses business. However good or bad the relationship was, it is prudent that you do not diss it in public. A dignity of silence after the conflict, for one, speaks well of you and more importantly, you are not grist for the gossip mills. At the end of the day, remember, this too shall pass.

Photograph: Shutterstock
The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for 33.08 per cent of the total export of knitted fabric from China, Lin Guangxing, vice chairman of CKIA, said while presenting a review of achievements of the knitting industry during the 12th Five-year Plan period (2011-2015), at the 6th Board meeting of CKIA.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

Last year, China's export of knitted garments to Asean nations were valued at $5.197 billion, up 35.98 per cent over 2011, with annual average growth rate of 7.99 per cent, accounting for 7.3 per cent of China's total export of knitted garments, Guangxing said citing data from the General Administration of Customs.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

China's knitting industry exports stood at $109.69 billion in 2013, and $106.14 billion in 2014, accounting for more than one-third of China's textile and garment exports during those years. In 2015, exports were around $98.44 billion, showing 8.33 per cent growth over 2011; while knitted garments export achieved 3.14 per cent growth, knitted fabric export grew at 36.74 per cent.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

Destination-wise, Europe, the US and Japan remained the top three markets for Chinese knitted goods exports in 2011-15 with respective share of 17.36 per cent, 11.88 per cent and 9.53 percent.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

During the five-year period from 2011 to 2015, Chinese knitting industry developed steadily, backed by globalisation and technological progress.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

In 2015, there were 5,739 knitting enterprises with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan. The operating revenue of these enterprises was around 717.26 billion yuan, registering a growth of 24.42 per cent over 2011, growing annually at compound rate of 5.61 per cent, as per data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

The total profit of these enterprises was up 38.25 per cent over 2011, growing at a slower pace compared to the previous five-year period.

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

China's domestic market also played an important role in the development of the knitting industry during the five-year period, with 72.62 per cent production of large-scale enterprises sold in domestic market in 2015, compared to 64.48 per cent in 2011. (RKS)

The ten-nation Asean region has become an important market for China's knitting industry, the China Knitting Industrial Association (CKIA) has said. In 2015, the export of knitted fabric to the Asean region amounted to nearly $4.84 billion, up 84.69 per cent over 2011, growing annually at average rate of 16.58 per cent, and accounting for #

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' is being organised by The Textile Association (India) after the grand success of World Textile Conference 2011 and very successful first-ever overseas 1st Global Textile Congress recently concluded in Bangkok, Thailand.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

As a conference to address various issues pertaining to the global textile industry, WTC-2 will see eminent speakers from various countries discuss variety of subjects. In addition to the speakers invited for the 1st Global Textile Congress, efforts are being made to invite speakers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, US, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh, the organisers said.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

Various associations from Taiwan, China, Myanmar, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to participate in the conference, which is being supported by the Government of Gujarat as partner state. Representatives of these associations will participate in panel discussions as well as a roundtable meet along with Indian representatives to exchange and share global facts of textile industry.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

Topics like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will be among those to be discussed by experts. Representatives from garment industry, the US retail industry, as well as e-commerce giants from India and abroad will also participate in the conference.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

WTC-2 will provide an opportunity to the global participants to get an insight about the international textile scenario of various countries, which in turn will highly benefit textile industry across the world. Most of the participants will also have an opportunity to meet buyers and sellers from various parts of the world.

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

About 700 delegates from India and abroad are expected to participate in the conference. (RKS)

Manufacturing strength of textile industry in the Far East including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, will be the focus of World Textile Conference-2 (WTC-2), to be organised by The Textile Association (India) from September 16-17, 2016, in Mumbai. The two-day conference with the theme 'World Textile  Growth & Great Opporutnities' #

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Navya Naveli Nanda and Aryan Khan are currently on a cruise with their friends, in Gatwick. And holy cow! Navya is looking stunning in all the pictures.

And we bet Aryan and Navya's vacation pictures will give you some major holiday goals. Check out the pics by clicking on VIEW PHOTOS.

Navya Naveli Nanda and Aryan Khan recently, finished their graduation and were spotted partying in London. After living it up in London, the star kids are now having fun on the cruise.

Also Read: Housefull 3 Premiere Pictures! Aishwarya Rai Comes To Support Her Hubby Abhishek Bachchan

But before you start thinking that the two are off for a romantic getaway, let us tell you that they are not alone and accompanied by some friends.

Shahrukh Khan's handsome son Aryan Khan is already a huge sensation on social media. He has a large fan following, just like his superstar father. Earlier, there were rumours that Aditya Chopra would launch Aryan Khan through Dhoom. Later, it was said that Karan Johar would launch Aryan in Bollywood.

But Shahrukh Khan denied the rumours and said that he wants Aryan Khan to concentrate only on studies right now as the proud father knows the importance of education.

The actor also says that he will be very happy if his son makes his career in Bollywood and would support his decision. Well, we think Aryan Khan has all the traits that are needed for a successful B-town actor. Do you think the same readers?

Do let us know your views by commenting below.
Mohanlal and Blessy, the highly celebrated actor-director duo, is back together after a long gap. This time, Mohanlal is joining hands with Blessy for a biographical documentary, based on Bishop Philipose Mar Chrysostom.

Recently, the actor-director duo visited the Bishop, to discuss about the documentary. Mohanlal's role in the documentary, which has been titled as 100 Years Of Chrysostom, is yet to be revealed.

Blessy first teamed up with Mohanlal for his second directorial venture Thanmathra, in which the actor essayed an Alzheimers patient. The movie is considered as one of the best films in the actor's career.

The duo teamed up for the second time in 2009, for the psychological thriller Bhramaram. The movie was a moderate success. They teamed up in 2011, for Pranayam which also had Anupam Kher and Jayaprada in the key roles.

Mohanlal delivered one of the best performances in his career, as Prof. Mathews in the movie. Pranayam is considered as one of the best ever love stories made in the history of Malayalam cinema.

Blessy was planning to kick-start his ambitious project Aadujeevitham, which stars Prithviraj in the lead role, by the end of 2016. But the project has been postponed to 2017. Instead, he will soon start the filming of Thanmatra Hindi remake.
Anupama Parameshwaran, the Premam fame actress made her Telugu movie debut, with the recently released movie A Aa. Interestingly, Anupama made her Telugu debut special, by making a new attempt.

The young actress dubbed for herself in the movie, while most of the leading Telugu actresses seek the help of dubbing artists. Anupama has been receiving appreciations from all over, for her attempt.

Click here for Anupama's latest pictures....

She has played a short, but a very important role in the movie, which is directed by Trivikram Srinivas. Anupama had taken special training in Telugu language during the shooting period, to get her lines correct.

The actress has also been receiving rave reviews for her performance in the movie. A Aa stars Nithin and Samantha in the lead roles. Malayali actresses Nadiya Moidu and Ananya have played key roles.

Anupama will be next seen in the Telugu remake of her debut movie Premam, which stars Naga Chaitanya in the lead role. The actress will reprise her character from the original, in the Telugu version as well.

She will soon make her Tamil movie debut, with the upcoming Dhanush starring Tamil movie Kodi. Reportedly, Anupama will not commit a Malayalam project, until she finishes her current commitments.
In the last episode of popular soap opera Kasam, Rishi (Sharad Malhotra) admitted that he loves Tanvi (Kratika Sengar) in front of his father, Raj Singh. He also tells him that he wishes to get married only to her! On hearing this, Raj slaps him hard. Rishi's mother, Rano is also against Rishi and Tanvi's union.

In the upcoming episodes, Rishi will propose Tanvi in front of his family. His father will be enraged to see this, and gives him a tight slap! Tanvi feels bad for Rishi and she tries to tell the truth to Raj, but in vain.

Click on View Photos to see the pictures

Rishi decides to go to Amritsar to collect evidences against Pawan to prevent his wedding with Tanvi. Pawan will get to know about this and he will plan to kill Rishi! He hires goons to kill Rishi through a car accident. His plan will succeed and Rishi meets with an accident on the way to Amritsar.

On the other hand, Saloni faints and Pawan takes her to the hospital. Tanvi will be shattered on hearing about Rishi's accident. She, along with her family will rush to the hospital to see Rishi. Tanvi will confess her love for him post the accident, and tries to revive him.

Meanwhile, everyone will get to know that Saloni is pregnant and they are happy, but Rishi doubts whether she is pregnant with Pawan's child. How will Rishi manage to save Tanvi from getting married to Pawan?
First-time director Rajasimha Tadinada says forthcoming Telugu release Okka Ammayi Thappa would not have been possible without the support of his cinematographer Chhota K. Naidu.

"There's no 'Okka Ammayi Thappa' without Chhota sir. This is a very complicated script to make and it had already been rejected 13 times by several producers. Had it not been for his vision and support, we could have failed miserably," said Rajasimha.

Starring Sundeep Kishan and Nithya Menen, nearly 60 per cent of the film unfolds on a flyover.

"Honestly, we didn't have the budget to lavishly spend on visual effects. We needed someone who could shoot the film under a tight budget and still deliver quality visuals. Chhota sir delivered us exactly that," he said.

"If you're planning a birthday party, you can order food for Rs 5,000. However, when you make it at home, you end up spending much less and you make sure it tastes well. Chhota sir ensured that he gave me the kind of output nobody could've given me on this budget," he added.

Explaining in detail about Chhota K. Naidu's contribution, he said: "To shoot on the flyover, we needed 1,000 junior artistes. They were required to shoot with the lead pair. Had we missed a call sheet, we could have ended up spending nearly a lakh more on the junior artistes.

"Chhota sir ensure he shot all the important sequences with the junior artistes first and then added scenes he shot with the lead pair."

The story was inspired from an incident from the director's own life. "A few years ago, I got stuck on a flyover for two hours. It inspired me to write a story and in the film, the hero and the heroine meet on the flyover and fall in love. They get stuck for eight hours and what happens during that interim, forms the story," he said and added that there is also a suspense angle to the story.

The director said the film was destined to be made with Sundeep. "Sundeep fought for this film. He believed in it blindly and we had planned to work on this film twice earlier. The project got started and got shelved due to financial reasons. He told me that whenever I make the film, he'd come and work," he said.

Produced by Anji Reddy, the film is slated for release in cinemas on Friday.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Atkins Et Freres Inc. has recalled Smoked Maple Syrup Salmon from the marketplace due to possible contamination with the deadly bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Sold under the brand name Atkins & Freres brand, the UPC code of the affected product starts with 0 214128 and comes in variable sizes. It was sold in retail store located in Mont-Louis, Quebec between June 6 and June 12, 2016. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoilt but can still make people sick. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases of illness, people may die. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PUNE, India, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

During 2016-2020 global and Chinese automotive braking system markets will grow at an average annual rate of 4.4% and 7.3%, respectively with electronic control system forecast to become the main driving force behind the industry development.

Complete research titled Global and China Automobile Brake System (Disc Brake, Drum Brake, ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, AUTO HOLD) Industry Report, 2016-2020 spread across 180 pages and providing 155 Charts Available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/580938-global-and-china-automobile-brake-system-disc-brake-drum-brake-abs-ebd-cbc-eba-bas-ba-aeb-esc-esp-dsc-auto-hold-industry-report-2016-2020.html

In 2015, the global automotive braking system market size exceeded USD50 billion, and market size of China automotive braking system came to over RMB60 billion. With the saturation of automobile market, the global and Chinese automotive braking system markets have leveled off. In China's braking system market, manufacturers mainly develop towards ABS, braking force distribution (EBD/CBC, etc.), brake assist (EBA/BAS/BA), Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP, DSC, etc.), AUTO HOLD, and so forth. Among them, ABS and EBD/CBC have the highest assembly rate of close to 90%; vehicle stability control develops very fast, with the assembly rate approaching 50%; brake assist and AUTO HOLD, benefiting from the development of autonomous driving technology, are seeing rapid growth in assembly rate.

At present, the Chinese braking system manufacturers are working to make layout in electronic control, particularly in ABS, Vehicle Stability Control (ESC/ESP/DSC), and Electric Park Brake (EPB). The advanced enterprises, such as Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic and Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology, have entered the fields of intelligent drive and telematics.

Major Global Automobile Brake System Manufacturers covered in this report are Bosch, Continental, ZFTRW, ADVICS, Mando, NissinKogyo, HyundaiMobis, AkebonoBrake, WABCO, KNORR, etc. Major Chinese Automobile Brake System Manufacturers are ZhejiangAsia-PacificMechanical&Electronic, ZhejiangVieScience&Technology, WuhuBethelAutomotiveSafetySystems, WangxiangQianchao, FAWERAutomotiveParts, RuiliGroup, GuangzhouComet, ChongqingJuneng, DongfengElectronicTechnology, LongjiMachinery etc. Order a copy of this report at http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=115357

Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic, one of the leading Chinese braking system manufacturers, mainly operates an array of products including disc brakes, drum brakes, brake pumps, vacuum boosters, and ABS, etc. It now has an annual capacity of 1 million sets of automotive electronic control system. At present, the company is actively developing automotive electronics, and, based on ABS, gradually makes technological breakthroughs in EPB, ESC, and EABS. Currently, the company is entitled to supply ABS and EPB to auto makers like Chery, SAIC, and FAW, and is expected to achieve small-lot supply in 2016. Additionally, it has obtained eligibility for supplying ESC and EABS to Dongfeng Motor and Nissan.

Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology is also an important braking system manufacturer in China. In 2015, the company realized massive supply of its independently developed and industrialized ABS, and completed the EBS development and vehicle matching test. Meanwhile, it was developing ESC and EPB, etc. In February 2016, the company planned to invest RMB267 million in automotive EBS project. When the design capacity is achieved, the company will have a capacity of 200,000 sets/a ABS and 50,000 sets/a EBS, with the revenue and net income estimated to add annually RMB426 million and RMB66.82 million, respectively.

The report highlights the following: Market size and competitive landscape of global automotive braking system; Market size, import and export, competitive landscape, development trend of automotive braking system in China; Development of China's brake market segments, including disc brakes, drum brakes, pneumatic brakes, and hydraulic brakes; Assembly rate, market size, and development of China's electronic control market (ABS, EBD/CBC, EBA/BAS/BA/AEB, ESC/ESP/DSC, and AUTO HOLD); Development of global and China braking system suppliers, including product type, financial indicators, capacity, output and sales volume, production bases, industrial layout, and development trend, etc.

Explore More Reports on Automotive and Transportation at http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/cat/automotive-transportation.html

Another research titled Brakes Market for Friction Products by OE & Aftermarket (Brake Pads, Shoes, Lining, Rotor, Drum) profiles companies like Federal-Mogul, Aisin-Seiki, Robert Bosch, Robert Bosch, Continental, Delphi Automotive, Nisshinbo, SGL Carbon AG, TRW, Tenneco, Akebono Brake Industry, Bendix, Sangsin, Longji Machinery, MIBA AG, BPW, Hongma, Gold Phoenix, Klasik and Boyun. Read more at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/571747-brakes-market-for-friction-products-by-oe-aftermarket-brake-pads-shoes-lining-rotor-drum-.html

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LOS ANGELES, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth, Wind & Fire, one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in the world, will embark on a seven country 13-city European Tour commencing on 24 June in Paris. On 26 June, the band will take the MainStage at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK. The tour will include stops in the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160602/375116

With 23 albums, the iconic band has successfully blended all musical genre boundaries including pop, R&B, funk, disco, rock, Latin, jazz and African fusion. Selling over 90 million albums worldwide, EWF has earned a solid spot as one of the best selling bands in history. The incredible global fanbase extends over four generations and their legacy has made an indelible mark on popular culture. Co-founder, Philip Bailey notes, "The spirit of Earth, Wind & Fire has always been about the uplifting of consciousness of humanity." Indeed.

Full listing of tour dates follow.

EARTH WIND & FIRE SUMMER TOUR 2016

24 June Paris, FR L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix 26 June Glastonbury Festival Shepton Mallet, UK 28 June Dublin, IR 3Arena 30 June Glasgow, UK O2 Academy 01 July London, UK The O2 02 July Bournemouth, UK Bournemouth International Centre 04 July Liverpool, UK Echo Arena Liverpool 07 July Kongsberg, NOR Kongsberg Jazz Festival 09 July Rotterdam, NLD North Sea Jazz Festival 11 July Padova, IT Villa Contarini 12 July Lucca, IT Lucca Summer Festival at Piazza Napoleone 14 July Lucarno, Switzerland Moon & Stars Festival 15 July Juan Les Pins, FR Jazz A Juan Festival

Website: www.earthwindandfire.com Instagram: @EarthWindandFire Twitter: @EarthWindFire Facebook /EarthWindandFire
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Germany's factory orders for April are due to be released in the pre-European session on Monday at 2:00 am ET. Orders are forecast to grow only 0.3 percent on a monthly basis following a 1.9 percent rise in March. Ahead of the data, the euro held steady against its major rivals. As of 1:55 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.7887 against the pound, 1.1082 against the Swiss franc, 1.1345 against the U.S. dollar and 121.35 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) and the Patient Safety Movement Foundation announced today that on May 28, 2016 at the annual congress Euroanaesthesia 2016 in London, the ESA made a public commitment to lead the Patient Safety Movement in over 50 countries in Europe.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005311/en/

"As clinicians, our number one focus is Patient Safety," said Dr. Zeev Goldik, President of the European Society of Anaesthesiology. "Since its launch in 2010, the Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anaesthesiology has been signed and/or supported by regional and national anaesthesiology societies across the globe, from Europe, North America, Latin America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. Our Society was the initiator and one of the founding societies of the European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF) in 2013. We have been closely following the remarkable efforts made by the Patient Safety Movement. The Movement reached out to us as a partner and we accepted with a commitment to lead the movement in Europe to eliminate preventable patient deaths."

"The time for action is now," said Dr. Jannicke Mellin-Olsen, Secretary of the ESA, and a driving force for the Helsinki Declaration. "Europe is formed by a very diverse group of countries, governments, policies and regulations. As anaesthesiologists, we are taking care of the best interests of the patients whenever they are at their most vulnerable. We need to work at many levels, including inspiring everyone in the healthcare sector to take action and make their own personal commitment to patient safety and zero preventable deaths. We cannot leave this issue to someone else to solve. We are excited to formally begin our relationship with the Patient Safety Movement and complement our position as the European expert and leader in patient safety and quality of care. Anaesthesiologists have the key and leading role in the implementation of safer patient care in perioperative medicine, before, during and after surgery."

"We thank the ESA for joining the Patient Safety Movement. ESA is a thoughtful and powerful organization that with over 32,000 members will make a huge difference in eliminating preventable deaths worldwide," said Joe Kiani, Founder of Patient Safety Movement. Mr. Kiani continued, "What clinicians do is incredible; they provide the miracle of healing. Yet, due to lack of safety processes, some of the patients don't make it home. Their families will never be the same again, and sometimes the world will never be the same again. Preventable deaths in hospitals is the 3rd leading cause of death. We lose 3 million people each year! It's a tragedy 3 million times over again. Yet, it's a huge opportunity because by definition they are preventable. But, it won't get fixed by itself, and it won't get fixed by a handful of patient safety experts. It has to be fixed by each and every one of us. All of us in the healthcare ecosystem must act now! Each of us has to decide that we have to be the one to take on this burden and lead the charge to zero preventable deaths in our hospitals. We can't afford to lose another friend, family or neighbor before their time."

European Society of Anaesthesiology

European Society of Anaesthesiology is a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and unifying European anaesthesiology in the perioperative setting. It represents the medical speciality of anaesthesiology throughout Europe, through the drafting of guidelines, research and education with the aim of improving safer patient care and better outcomes. With more than 32,000 members from 108 countries across the globe, it has grown to become one of the largest and most influential anaesthesiology societies in the world and hosts one of the biggest and most innovative scientific meetings in Europe, Euroanaesthesia. The Society works closely with national anaesthesiology societies across Europe and further afield and the European Board of Anaesthesiology/UEMS, while establishing relationships with major international organisations from other related fields. It also monitors developments on the EU level which could have an impact on research and practice in anaesthesiology, with the best interests of the patient as its overriding goal. The European Society of Anaesthesiology aims for the highest standards of practice and safety in anesthesia, perioperative medicine, intensive care, critical emergency medicine and pain medicine through education, research and professional development. The ESA is the European Regional Section of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) and is a member of Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe (BioMed Alliance). The ESA organises the European Anaesthesiology Congresses: Euroanaesthesia and the Focus Meeting on Perioperative Medicine. Visit www.esahq.org.

About The Patient Safety Movement Foundation

More than 3,000,000 people worldwide, and 200,000 people in the US die every year in hospitals in ways that could have been prevented. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation was established through the support of the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation, and Competition in Healthcare, to reduce that number of preventable deaths to 0 by 2020 (0X2020) in the US and dramatically worldwide. Improving patient safety will require a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including patients, healthcare providers, medical technology companies, government, employers, and private payers. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation works with all stakeholders to address the problems and solutions of patient safety. The Foundation also convenes the annual World Patient Safety, Science and Technology summit. The Summit presents specific, actionable solutions to meet patient safety challenges, encouraging medical technology companies to share the data for which their products are purchased, and asking hospitals to make commitments to implement Actionable Patient Safety Solutions. Visit www.patientsafetymovement.org.

@0x2020 @ESA_HQ patientsafety #0x2020

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005311/en/

Contacts:

European Society of Anaesthesiology

Susan de Bievre

+32 (0) 2 210 94 16

susan.debievre@esahq.org

or

Patient Safety Movement Foundation

Irene Paigah

(858) 859-7001

irene@paigah.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Internet service provider Gogo's stock declined around 16 percent on Friday as American Airlines ditched the firm for rival ViaSat Inc. to provide satellite-powered WiFi to aircrafts. Worried by the poor performance of Gogo, its current provider, American Airlines filed a lawsuit back in mid February, notifying that it has found a faster Internet service offered by ViaSat. Gogo then said it intends to submit a competing proposal. In the lawsuit filed in a Texas court, the airline asked a judge to allow the company to break its existing contract with Gogo. There was a clause in the contract allowing American Airlines to switch providers if it finds one service that materially improves on Gogo's current offering. ViaSat's satellite-based WiFi experience is said to be 8 to 10 times faster than any existing in-flight WiFi solutions. The service is currently used by United, JetBlue, and Virgin America. As per the new contract, American Airlines will outfit its 100 new Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts with ViaSat's in-flight internet service by next September. In a statement, ViaSat noted that the new American planes will tap into the power of ViaSat's advanced high capacity Ka-band satellite system, which will include ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3 satellite platforms. When the first ViaSat-3 class satellite platform launches in 2019, it will more than double the capacity again. Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO, said, 'We believe we are now approaching the end of an era where passengers have paid very high prices for very slow connections. Our agreement highlights a significant initial step for American to deliver an onboard Wi-Fi experience every passenger will want to use.' Meanwhile, Gogo reportedly will continue to provide service to a number of American's fleet, including 134 Airbus planes. These have been outfitted with the WiFi provider's 2Ku satellite service. On Friday, Gogo stock fell 16.08 percent at $9.29 and American stock dropped 2.72 percent to $30.81. ViaSat stock gained 4.53 percent to settle at $73.08. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- (NYSE MKT: MDGN)

Collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin to develop anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody

Second program from research collaboration with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Center for Applied Genomics (CAG)

Data from signal finding study in Severe Pediatric Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients expected in first half 2017

Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MDGN) today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Hakko Kirin) for the development and commercialization of Kyowa Hakko Kirin's first-in-class anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody. Kyowa Hakko Kirin is a leading biopharmaceutical company in Japan, known for its antibody-related cutting-edge technologies to discover and develop innovative new drugs. The anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody is a Phase 2-ready biologic with available clinical supply.

Medgenics plans to initiate a signal finding study testing the drug in Severe Pediatric Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in collaboration with Dr. Robert Baldassano, Director of the Center for Pediatric IBD at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). "IBD is a distinct and severe genetic disease in children, with very limited treatment options available," said Dr. Baldassano. "I am pleased to see Medgenics and Kyowa Hakko Kirin come together to advance the development of this program for children with this severe, genetically driven disease."

"We are pleased to establish this collaboration with a premier biologics partner in Kyowa Hakko Kirin," said Mike Cola, Chief Executive Officer of Medgenics. "This novel opportunity is a further example of the capability of the Medgenics' genomic medicine platform to accelerate impactful therapies into the clinic."

Upon completion of the signal finding study in Severe Pediatric Onset IBD, the Company will have an option to license rights to develop the program. Following exercise of the option, Medgenics will make a one-time, upfront payment in the low single-digit millions to Kyowa Hakko Kirin. Kyowa Hakko Kirin will then select one of two potential collaboration structures: a co-development/co-commercialization partnership or a licensing arrangement. Medgenics will have commercialization rights in the United States and Canada in both structures, and will also add commercialization rights in Europe if Kyowa Hakko Kirin selects the licensing arrangement. Kyowa Hakko Kirin will have commercialization rights in the rest of the world under both structures, as well as Europe in the co-development/co-commercialization structure. Terms for both structures have been pre-agreed and include a combination of royalties and profit-sharing.

"We are excited to enter an agreement with Medgenics in this new era of genomic medicine," said Mr. Yoichi Sato, Director of the Board, Managing Executive Officer, Vice president, Head of Research and Development Division of Kyowa Hakko Kirin. "We believe in the potential of the anti-LIGHT antibody and we are looking forward to initiating development activities with our new partner in order to provide better treatment options for pediatric IBD patients."

"This transaction with Kyowa Hakko Kirin and Medgenics exemplifies our mission at CHOP to bring science from bench to bedside," stated Bryan Wolf, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at CHOP. "The deal highlights CHOP's unique genetic discoveries and our ability to collaborate with industry to develop novel therapies for children with rare diseases."

Severe Pediatric Onset IBD is a chronic orphan disease of children characterized by chronic relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. It often leads to malnutrition, growth failure, bowel obstruction, and the need for intravenous feeding and surgeries, including colectomy and colostomy/ileostomy. IBD in children is frequently more aggressive and harder to treat than the adult form of the disease. Although the exact cause remains unknown, many pediatric IBD patients are genetically predisposed to the disease. Recent research by Dr. Hakon Hakonarson and his colleagues at the CAG has shown that many children with pediatric IBD and other autoimmune diseases have loss of function mutations in a specific immune regulatory protein, decoy receptor 3 (DcR3).

A critical function of DcR3 is to effectively dampen inflammation by binding pro-inflammatory proteins such as LIGHT. LIGHT has been shown to be upregulated in the intestines of patients with IBD. Although direct replacement of DcR3 is not feasible as a therapeutic, Medgenics identified the anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody developed by Kyowa Hakko Kirin, as a potential therapy for these patients. By binding excessive LIGHT, the anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody may substitute for DcR3 in affected pediatric IBD patients and help to control inflammation.

Medgenics believes that the anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody has the potential to become an important new, first-in-class biological therapy for severe pediatric onset IBD and other pediatric autoimmune diseases, particularly for patients who fail to respond to, or develop resistance to, anti-TNFa antibodies. More than 50,000 pediatric patients in the US are affected by IBD, with approximately 15,000 - 16,000 of those patients failing anti-TNFa therapy. It is anticipated that 2,000 - 3,000 of these pediatric patients will be eligible for treatment with the anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody.

Conference Call and Webcast

Medgenics will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Monday, June 6, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. EDT to discuss the transaction.

In order to participate in the conference call, please dial (888) 430-8694 (domestic) or (719) 325-2464 (international). The conference ID number is 2641940.

The live webcast can be accessed under "Events" in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.medgenics.com or you may use the link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1395/15455

A replay of the call will be available two hours after the end of the conference on June 6, 2016 through August 9, 2016. To access the replay, please dial 888-203-1112 (domestic) or 719-457-0820 (international) and reference the conference ID number: 2641940.

The archived webcast will be available for 90 days in the Investor section of Medgenics' website at www.medgenics.com.

About Severe Pediatric Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a disease that causes chronic relapsing inflammation of the intestines. There are two major types of IBD; Ulcerative Colitis which affects the colon, and Crohn's Disease which effects the entire GI tract. Both diseases are treated with a variety of anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, antibiotics, and biologics. Disease etiology is not well understood, but it is believed that both genetics and environmental factors play a major role at various stages and ages of disease onset. IBD affects people of all ages with approximately 2.0 million people affected by the disease in the United States and Europe. The pediatric form of the disease is less common but frequently more severe, affecting more than 50,000 children in the USA. The incidence appears to be increasing. The disease in children is often more aggressive than in adults, more frequently leading to complications, hospitalization, surgery and even death. In children, IBD can also impact physical and emotional growth, interfere with school and social development.

About the anti-LIGHT Monoclonal Antibody

The anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody is a Phase 2-ready first in class human monoclonal antibody offering a novel molecular approach to treating IBD and potentially other autoimmune diseases. The anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody binds the pro-inflammatory cytokine, LIGHT (ligand for herpesvirus entry mediator), which is believed to be a major contributor to the chronic relapsing inflammation of IBD and other autoimmune diseases. Normally LIGHT is bound to, and down-regulated by DcR3. In many pediatric patients with IBD and other autoimmune diseases, genetic mutations result in a loss of function of DcR3, allowing LIGHT and other pro-inflammatory molecules to chronically intensify inflammation, which in turn can lead to severe illness and complications. The anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody can bind LIGHT and may be able to replace some of the function of DcR3 in these children. Medgenics has an option to exclusively license the composition of matter patents, and the Company expects to establish new biological product exclusivity for 12 years from the date of FDA approval of the antibody in the U.S., and at least 10 years from the date of first authorization in Europe.

About Medgenics

Medgenics is dedicated to unlocking the potential of genomic medicine to identify and treat patients with life-altering conditions. Its efforts, including its internal research and development and ongoing sponsored research and licensing agreements with a well-respected pediatric academic medical center, give Medgenics the ability to focus on the underlying genetic pathway of pediatric diseases with the goal of finding therapeutic solutions for subpopulations of both children and adults living with rare and other difficult-to-treat diseases. Medgenics is also the developer of TARGT (Transduced Autologous Restorative Gene Therapy), a proprietary gene therapy platform. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.medgenics.com.

About Kyowa Hakko Kirin

Kyowa Hakko Kirin is a leading biopharmaceutical company in Japan focusing on its core business areas of oncology, nephrology, and immunology/allergy. Kyowa Hakko Kirin leverages antibody-related cutting-edge technologies to discover and develop innovative new drugs aiming to become a global specialty pharmaceutical company which contributes to the health and well-being of people around the world. For more information, please visit www.kyowa-kirin.com.

Locust Walk served as a transaction advisor to Medgenics.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including (without limitation) those regarding the Company's financial position, its development and business strategy, its product candidates and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by their use of the terms and phrases such as "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning," "expect," "believe," "will," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those included within these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. As a result of these factors, the events described in the forward-looking statements contained in this release may not occur.

Contacts:

Medgenics

Brian Piper

240-899-5554

Email Contact



Westwicke Partners

Chris Brinzey

339-970-2843

Email Contact




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX: SEA)(NYSE: SA) ("Seabridge") and SnipGold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: SGG) ("SnipGold") are pleased to announce that ISS Proxy Advisory Services ("ISS") and Glass, Lewis & Co. ("Glass Lewis") have both recommended that SnipGold's shareholders vote FOR the resolution to approve a statutory arrangement (the "Arrangement") through which Seabridge will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of SnipGold. The resolution will be considered at the upcoming Annual General and Special Meeting of SnipGold's shareholders to be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 10th Floor, 595 Howe Street, Vancouver, British Columbia at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time).

ISS and Glass Lewis are independent proxy advisory firms which, among other services, provide proxy voting recommendations to pension funds, investment managers, mutual funds and other institutional shareholders.

Seabridge Gold Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk noted that Seabridge plans to begin work on SnipGold's Iskut Project immediately after the proposed Arrangement is approved by SnipGold's shareholders and it is effective. "We are anxious to get going. We have raised financing for a program that includes $3 million of drilling at the Iskut Property this summer. We are targeting opportunities identified by SnipGold, further definition of existing resources and new targets that reflect our understanding of Iskut's geology which clearly resembles what we have been exploring intensively at KSM for the past 10 years. Our primary focus will be the property's high-grade gold potential similar to its historical production. We will also be assessing and interpreting the wealth of historical data to refine the property's many other targets. At the same time, we intend to begin implementing a robust environmental program to remediate the effects of historical production."

The Arrangement

Pursuant to the Arrangement it is proposed that Seabridge will acquire each outstanding common share of SnipGold for 1/63rd of a Seabridge share. The Arrangement has been unanimously approved by SnipGold's board of directors and the board has recommended that SnipGold shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement. Details of the Arrangement are disclosed in SnipGold's information circular, which is available on its website at www.snipgoldcorp.com and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com

Voting

Shareholders are reminded to vote their proxy prior to the proxy voting deadline of Monday, June 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time). Due to the approach of the voting deadline, shareholders are urged to vote today using one of the alternatives below.

Registered Shareholders: Shareholders who have physical certificates representing SnipGold shares may vote by telephone or via the internet. To vote by telephone call 1-866-732-8683 from a touch tone phone. When prompted, enter your Control Number listed on the proxy and follow the voting instructions. To vote via the internet, go to www.investorvote.com and enter your Control Number listed on the proxy and follow the voting instructions on the screen. If you vote by telephone or via the internet, do not complete or return the form of proxy.

Beneficial Shareholders: Shareholders who hold their shares through a broker or other intermediary may vote via the internet at www.proxyvote.com or follow the other instructions found on their voting instruction form.

Shareholders who have any questions about the information contained in the information circular or require assistance with voting should contact SnipGold's Proxy Solicitor, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, toll-free at 1-877-452-7184 or send an email to assistance@laurelhill.com.

About SnipGold Corp.

SnipGold Corp. (formerly Skyline Gold Corporation) is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploration in the Golden Triangle Area of northwestern B.C. SnipGold's primary asset is a contiguous block of ground in excess of 286 sq km in size which has been consolidated through a series of transactions that began in 2005. The consolidated land package has undergone intermittent exploration with the majority of the work carried out in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This early work was undertaken by over 30 independent operators and their efforts have highlighted numerous targets which have seen little to no follow up work in the past 20 years.

About Seabridge Gold Inc.

Seabridge's principal assets are the 100% owned KSM property located near Stewart, British Columbia, and the 100% owned Courageous Lake gold project located in the Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral resources by project and resource category please visit the company's website at www.seabridgegold.net.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

SnipGold Corp.

Patrick Soares, Chairman of the Board

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Seabridge Gold Inc.

Rudi Fronk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

Forward-Looking Information Disclaimer

This release contains certain "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning the events and transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement. Forward-looking information and forward looking statements (herein "forward-looking information") reflect SnipGold's and Seabridge's current internal expectations or beliefs and is based on information currently available to the two companies and includes statements with respect to the plan to begin an exploration program and an environmental program at SnipGold's Iskut Property immediately after the Arrangement is approved by shareholders and is effective. In some cases forward-looking information can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology. Assumptions upon which such forward-looking information is based include, among others, that the conditions to closing of the Arrangement will be satisfied, that the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement will be completed on the terms set out the Arrangement Agreement, that all required regulatory, security holder, court and governmental approvals will be obtained on a timely basis, and that the business prospects and opportunities of each of the companies will proceed as anticipated.

Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of SnipGold or Seabridge, and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct or accurate. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted herein include, without limitation: that the Arrangement will not be completed at all or on the terms less favourable to one party or the other, that required regulatory, security holder or court approvals will not be obtained and that the business prospects and opportunities of each of the companies will not proceed as anticipated. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding (and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks), as well as the risks disclosed by Seabridge and SnipGold in their respective filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results and future events could differ materially from those discussed in any such forward-looking information. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with such statements. The Arrangement may not be completed on the terms described above, or at all. Accordingly, readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on any of the forward-looking information contained herein. SnipGold and Seabridge expressly disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information in this news release, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

SnipGold Corp.

Patrick Soares

604.681.3989




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 6, 2016) - American CuMo Mining Corporation (TSXV: MLY) (OTC Pink: MLYCF) (CuMoCo or the Company) is pleased to announce that it and its subsidiary, Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation (Idaho CuMo), have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ping Shan Resource Holdings Ltd. (PS Resources), a subsidiary of a leading Hong Kong based commodities group, and MCC8 Group Company Limited (MCC8, and collectively with PS Resources, the Chinese Partners), a China-based leader in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and management for non-ferrous metallurgical industry projects, with respect to the development of CuMoCo's CuMo Project, a molybdenum-copper-silver deposit located in Idaho, USA.

The parties entered the MOU to formalize their understanding and intentions with respect to the development of the CuMo Project. Specifically, the Chinese Partners are to arrange a minimum of US$700 million in project financing for the development and construction of the CuMo Project in order to receive an 80 percent of net proceeds interest in the joint venture to be formed between Idaho CuMo and the Chinese Partners in respect of the CuMo Project (Joint Venture). Subsequent funding of the Joint Venture is to be provided on a pro rata basis. At the appropriate time, Idaho CuMo intends to seek mining equipment equity loans to cover their 20 percent of the contributions to the Joint Venture.

Upon formation of the Joint Venture, the CuMo Project would continue to be owned by Idaho CuMo and managed through the Joint Venture by a committee (Management Committee) consisting of two committee members from Idaho CuMo and two from the Chinese Partners with appropriate provisions to resolve deadlocks. The parties contemplate that the Management Committee would be charged with the objective of reaching a production decision for the CuMo Project and commissioning an independent Definitive Feasibility Study, including all environmental studies, permits and bonding arrangements for the Project.

The parties are to negotiate a binding, definitive project financing agreement (Definitive Agreement). The terms of the Definitive Agreement would be subject to various regulatory, government, Board of Director and shareholder approvals. The terms of the MOU provide that once Idaho CuMo has obtained US$25 million in new capital (Initial Funding), the Chinese Partners would be granted exclusivity for one year to perform due diligence, obtain all required approvals and secure funding to complete the proposed transaction (Exclusivity Period).

Strategic Venture Fund of Hong Kong facilitated the MOU between CuMoCo and the Chinese Partners, subsequent to signing a US$ 50 million consulting agreement with the Company.

CuMoCo's President and CEO Shaun Dykes stated: "We are extremely pleased to see that our CuMo Project has been met with genuine interest from one of Asia's largest and most prestigious companies in the non-ferrous metallurgical industry, and a company that has a declared focus on modern environmental solutions. MCC8 not only has an impressive financial background, the company has also demonstrated its outstanding capability for sustainable green solutions in its many recent projects. CuMoCo looks forward to the CuMo Project being developed to the benefit of its many stakeholders, including Boise County and the State of Idaho."

About Ping Shan Resources and China MCC8 Group

Ping Shan Resources is part of a leading Hong Kong based commodities industry group (the "Group"). The Group has been engaged in the production of cotton, tea and mining since the 1980's in Southeast Asia and China. The Group is the 67% shareholder of a Hong Kong publicly-traded company. Within the mining segment, the Group owns major interests in a copper mine and one of the largest talc mines in China.

Located in Hong Kong and China, MCC8 Group Company Limited (MCC8) (formerly Jinchuan Metals Nonferrous Construction Company), is a leader in engineering, procurement, project financing construction and management organization for non-ferrous metallurgical industry projects in Asia and abroad and a key partner of the Jinchuan Group, which is one of the world's top three nickel, cobalt and copper multinationals by market share. MCC8 has a 60-year history of construction and completion of more than 80 large non-ferrous metallurgical projects. MCC8 generated revenues of US$ 2 billion in 2015 and currently has more than 10,000 full-time employees. Furthermore, MCC8 and China MCC21 Group Ltd - a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Metallurgical Group Corporation - have formed a consortium to provide technical and operational support for international precious metals and other mining projects.

For more information, see http://www.chinamcc8.com

About CuMoCo

CuMoCo is focused on advancing its CuMo Project towards feasibility and establishing itself as one of the largest and lowest-cost molybdenum producers in the world as well as a significant producer of copper and silver. Management is continuing to build an even stronger foundation from which to move the Company and the CuMo Project forward. For more information, please visit www.cumoco.com and www.cumoproject.com

For further information, please contact:

American CuMo Mining Corporation

Shaun Dykes, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 689-7902

Email: info@cumoco.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this new release.

Forward-looking information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as the Company's ability to successfully negotiate the Definitive Agreement with the Chinese Partners, the Company's ability to move the CuMo Project through development to feasibility and production, and for the Company to become one of the largest and lowest-cost molybdenum producers in the world as well as a significant producer of copper and silver. Forward-looking information is based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including the result of exploration activities, the ability of the Company to raise the financing for a feasibility study and to put the CuMo project into production, that no labour shortages or delays are experienced, that plant and equipment function as specified that the Court will not intervene with the Company's proposed exploration activities at the CuMo Project, and the ability of the Company to obtain all requisite permits and licenses to advance the CuMo Project and eventually bring it into production. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future prediction, projection or forecast expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of molybdenum, silver and copper; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended March 31, 2016. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
NAPLES, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (OTC PINK: INTK), a global leader in nanotechnology-based energy saving solutions, today announced that the Company has signed an agreement with and received the first purchase order from a major new customer in the Chinese province of Sichuan, one of the China's most important economic, financial, commercial, cultural, transportation, and communication regions.

The initial purchase order is for $369,876.84 US of the Company's patented industrial products and annual revenue to the Company from this customer is anticipated to be between $5 million and $10 million dollars US, depending on economic conditions.

About Industrial Nanotech, Inc.

Industrial Nanotech Inc. is a global nanoscience solutions and research leader. The Company develops and commercializes new and innovative applications for sustainable manufacturing and buildings which are sold worldwide, including patented thermal insulation and asset protection coatings, which provide energy savings, thermal insulation, corrosion resistance, prevention of CUI, moisture resistance, UV resistance, chemical resistance, and other protective benefits. The coatings are low VOC, water-based, and sustainable.

Additional information about the Company and its products can be found at www.industrial-nanotech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic and business conditions, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

Industrial Nanotech, Inc.

Francesca Crolley

US & Canada: 800-767-3998

International: +1-239-254-0346

Email: investini@industrial-nanotech.com




For India to meet its ambitious PV targets, both utility-scale and rooftop, many commitments are going to have to be made across the country. Tomorrow marks the inauguration of the National Workshop on Roof Top Solar Power to start the rooftop PV ball really rolling, and central ministries are expected to use the occasion to pledge to install 5 GW of rooftop solar on their sites and lands. The workshop in New Delhi, which is expecting to have around 1,400 participants in attendance, will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Piyush Goyal. The aim of the event is to act as a helpdesk for people installing rooftop solar projects, while simultaneously being used as a platform to congratulate the best performing ministries, departments and agencies, who have led to way for rooftop installations. The joint secretary at the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shri Santosh ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Featuring promising data on the Company's two lead programs: BioChaperone Lispro, partnered with Eli Lilly, and BioChaperone Combo

Regulatory News:

Adocia (Paris:ADOC) (Euronext Paris: FR0011184241 ADOC), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on diabetes treatment with innovative formulations of approved proteins, today announced that multiple abstracts reflecting ongoing development of the ultra-rapid insulin BioChaperone Lispro, in partnership with Eli Lilly, and BioChaperone Combo, a unique combination of insulins glargine and lispro, have been accepted for publication and presentation at the upcoming American Diabetes Association 76th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, LA.

Adocia and Eli Lilly will present encouraging data obtained in a BioChaperone Lispro study during the oral session Novel Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes" on Monday June 13 at 9:00 AM CT. Lead Scientist and Chairman of Profil Germany, Doctor Tim Heise, will present findings demonstrating superior postprandial blood glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes using ultra-rapid BioChaperone Lispro vs. Humalog

During the same oral session "Novel Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes" on Monday, June 13th at 9:15 AM CT, Doctor Steven Edelman, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes Metabolism at the University of California at San Diego and the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System of San Diego, will present data showing improvement of postprandial glycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes using BioChaperone Combo vs. Humalog Mix75/25TM

On Saturday, June 11 at 11:30 AM CT, Doctor Eda Cengiz, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at Yale, will present a poster discussing the pharmacodynamic profile of BioChaperone Combo, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, an abstract presenting a pilot bioequivalent study comparing ultra-rapid concentrated insulin BioChaperone Lispro U200 to BioChaperone Lispro U100 (standard concentration) was also accepted for publication in Diabetes Care, the ADA journal.

Details of the four accepted abstracts on BioChaperone Combo and BioChaperone Lispro are presented below:

Oral Presentation: Ultra-Rapid BioChaperone Lispro Ameliorates Postprandial Blood Glucose (PPG) Control Compared with Humalog in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Number: 294-OR Presenting Author: Dr. Tim Heise Session: Novel Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes Date and Time: Monday June 13 from 9:00 AM 9:15 AM CT Location: Hall E3

Oral Presentation: BioChaperone Combo (BC Combo) Improves Postprandial Glycemia vs. Humalog Mix 75/25 (HMx) in People with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)

Abstract Number: 295-OR Presenting Author: Dr. Steven Edelman Session: Novel Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes Date and Time: Monday, June 13 from 9:15 AM 9:30 AM CT Location: Hall E3

Poster Presentation: Pharmacodynamic (PD) Profile of BioChaperone Combo (BC Combo), a New Combination Rapid-Acting and Long-Acting Insulin, in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)

Abstract Number: 942-P Presenting Author: Dr. Eda Cengiz Session: 12-B Clinical Therapeutics/ New Technology-Insulins Date and Time: Saturday, June 11 at 11:30 AM 01:30 PM CT Location: Poster Hall (Halls D-E)

Publication: A Pilot Bioequivalence (BE) Study of Ultra-Rapid Concentrated BioChaperone Lispro (BCLIS) U200 to BCLIS U100

About the ADA Scientific Sessions

The American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions is one of the industry's premier diabetes conferences, offering researchers and health care professionals from around the globe an exclusive opportunity to share ideas and gain knowledge about the recent advances in diabetes research, treatment, and care. Attendees will have access to more than 2,500 original research presentations, take part in thought-provoking speaking engagements with leading diabetes experts, and expand their professional networks.

About ADOCIA

Adocia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in the development of innovative formulations of already-approved therapeutic proteins. Adocia's insulin formulation portfolio, featuring four clinical-stage products and one preclinical products, is among the largest and most differentiated in the industry.

The proprietary BioChaperone technological platform is designed to enhance the effectiveness and/or safety of therapeutic proteins while making them easier for patients to use. Adocia customizes BioChaperone to each protein for a given application in order to address specific patient needs.

Adocia's clinical pipeline includes a unique formulation of PDGF-BB for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer and four novel insulin formulations for the treatment of diabetes: two ultra-rapid formulations of insulin analogs (BioChaperone Lispro U100 and U200), a rapid-acting formulation of human insulin (HinsBet U100) and a combination of insulin glargine and a rapid-acting insulin analog (BioChaperone Combo). Adocia is also developing a concentrated, rapid-acting formulation of human insulin (HinsBet U500).

In December 2014, Adocia signed a partnership with Eli Lilly for the development and commercialization of the BioChaperone Lispro projects.

Adocia's extended, early-stage programs include innovative monoclonal antibody formulations, featuring two ongoing collaborations programs with major pharmaceutical companies in the field, and the delivery of anticancer drugs using the proprietary DriveIn nanotechnology platform.

Adocia aims to deliver "Innovative medicine for everyone, everywhere."

To learn more about Adocia, please visit us at www.adocia.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Adocia and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Adocia considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the 'Risk Factors' section of the Reference Document filed with the French Autorite des marches financiers on April 8, 2016 (a copy of which is available on www.adocia.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Adocia operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Adocia or not currently considered material by Adocia. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Adocia to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Adocia shares in any jurisdiction.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005939/en/

Contacts:

Adocia

Gerard Soula, Tel.: +33 4 72 610 610

Chairman and CEO

contactinvestisseurs@adocia.com

or

Adocia Press Relations Europe

MC Services AG

Raimund Gabriel, Tel.: +49 89 210 228 0

raimund.gabriel@mc-services.eu

adocia@mc-services.eu

or

Adocia Investor Relations USA

The Ruth Group

Tram Bui, Tel.: +646.536.7035

tbui@theruthgroup.com
According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global hyperspectral imaging (HIS) marketis expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 11% during the forecast period.

This research report titled 'Global Hyperspectral Imaging Market 2016-2020' provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all geographical regions.

Request sample report: http://goo.gl/weSEym

Based on end-user, the global HIS market is segmented into the following: defense, environment monitoring, mining and mineralogy, healthcare, food and agriculture, and machine vision. The top four segments are explained below.

Defense: largest segment

In 2015, the defense segment held 19.08% the largest share of the global hyperspectral imaging market, as the sector was the first adopter of the technology. The sector will continue to invest in the technology during the forecast period because of its benefits. "In the defense segment, HSI is mostly used in areas such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. HSI devices used in the defense sector have a wide field of view, excellent spatial and spectral resolution, and efficient signal-to-noise ratio," says Asif Gani, one of Technavio's lead research analyst for semiconductor equipment

Organizations such as NASA, the US Naval Research Laboratory, and the US Army NVESD have been making use of HSI devices for a long time to track down and destroy enemy targets. The world-famous operation conducted by the US Navy SEALs to track down Osama Bin Laden was conducted with the help of information extracted through an HSI device.

Environment monitoring: second-largest segment

The environment monitoring segment generated revenue of USD 82.5 million in 2015, which is likely to reach USD 135.3 million by 2020. HSI is playing a key role in forestry management, precision agriculture, and pollution control, all of which come under the umbrella of environment monitoring. Global warming has become a matter of serious concern for the entire planet, and countries across the globe are trying to control it. Fixed-wing aircraft and hand-launched, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles help analysts determine the suitability of croplands and detect diseases and other stress-related conditions.

HSI technology can play a major role in tackling this challenge. HSI devices quickly survey the land below them with the help of the information obtained through specific spectral signatures. Such data helps farmers make the right decisions regarding the time and place for planting crops.

Mining and mineralogy: third-largest segment

The mining and mineralogy segment is expected to reach USD 141.7 million by 2020, should the sector sustain a CAGR of 12.01% during the forecast period.

HSI was initially used at finer scales for areas of several hundred square kilometers and mapped at resolutions of 10-20 meters. With the help of advanced computing systems and algorithms for geo-correction and material identification, mapping and visualization of several thousands of square kilometers at resolutions of 3.5 meters has been possible since 2010. Further innovation has been done in the form of co-acquired high-resolution airborne hyperspectral data with orthophotographs and derived digital terrain models. For example, since 2010 hyperspectral surveys have been done on the terrain of the northern Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia for uranium exploration, which was previously very difficult due to the weathered landscape.

Healthcare: fastest-growing segment

Healthcare will be the fastest-growing sector and will move to second place with a 19.2% market share in 2020, due to advanced imaging capabilities offered by HSI technology that will help in early detection of many diseases and save a lot of lives. Imaging technologies have always played a key role in this segment, and HSI is estimated to have a major share in it. "HSI is used for rapid and non-invasive diagnosis of many life-threatening diseases such as cancer and tumors. This technology offers medical researchers access to accurate, calibrated, and repeatable spectral analysis," adds Asif.

In February 2015, a European collaborative project named Hyperspectral Imaging Cancer Detection (HELICOID) used Headwall's hyperspectral sensors to distinguish between healthy and cancerous brain tissues.

The top vendors highlighted by Technavio's research analysts in this report are:

Headwall Photonics

IMEC

Norsk Elektro Optikk AS

SPECIM

Telops

Browse Related Reports:

Global Medical Imaging Market 2016-2020

Global Preclinical Imaging Market 2015-2019

Global Optical Imaging Market 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005548/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Saint Marc Pub-Cafe, Bakery & Cheese Affinage -- Pacific City's hottest spot for bold cocktails made by master mixologists and a trendsetting Americana-inspired menu -- will be a part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce on June 17, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 21058 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach.

"We're thrilled to officially introduce our unique and futuristic hotspot to the Huntington Beach community as well as to be able to thank those who have so lovingly welcomed us thus far," says CEO Thomas (Mac) McFarland Gregory III. "We are so fortunate to be a part of such a vibrant community. We truly love the locals here!"

In addition to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the innovative eatery that recently took 1st place at the 2016 Taste of Huntington Beach, will be serving appetizers and refreshments to guests, who will include the public, media and local elected officials.

The event also aims to highlight Saint Marc's newest restaurant offerings, which include Trash Canned Tuesday ($5.00 canned beer or cider Tuesday nights), Wined Up Wednesday ($1.00 off all wine by the ounce Wednesday nights) and a new brunch menu.

For more information on the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the latest happenings at Saint Marc, please contact Leslie Licano at leslie@beyondfifteen.com or visit www.saintmarcusa.com.

About Saint Marc USA: Saint Marc Pub - Cafe, Bakery & Cheese Affinage is the brand's first and flagship establishment, situated along the Huntington Beach coastline within the vibrant new Pacific City. Saint Marc offers nostalgic, Americana cuisine in a family and pet friendly environment. Ambassadors serving as personal culinary consultants offer expert advice on Saint Marc's unique selection of distinctive food and hydration available tableside or self-selected from free-standing stations. iPads of information offering images and on-demand ordering of what guests want when they want it, free-flow bread from the bakery, over 100 cheese selections from boards to fondue, craft beers in a can, 32 wines on draught, with mixology served in Red Solo Cups and dishes served on faux paper plates -- highlight just some of the enticing features and unique characteristics that set Saint Marc on a less-traveled path. To learn more, visit www.saintmarcusa.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Leslie Licano

Beyond Fifteen Communications, Inc.

949.733.8679

leslie@beyondfifteen.com




Technavio analysts forecast the global military laser systems marketto grow at a CAGR of more than 8% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global military laser systemsmarketfor 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated in the overall market. Based on technology, the market is segmented into the following: SSL, fiber laser, chemical laser, semiconductor laser, and Co2 laser.

Technavio aerospace and defense analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global military laser systems market:

Increasing demand for laser systems

Growth in new technological innovations

Increasing large-scale acquisitions

Increasing demand for laser systems

Laser systems play a vital role in military applications, especially in the battlefield where precise systems are required. Due to its high intensity, very low divergence, and high targeting accuracy, it can target hostile vehicles from a long distance. For instance, the mid-body design of APKWS can transform unguided Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) rockets into precise weapons.

Changing warfare strategies have also led to the increased demand for laser systems. As defense forces have adopted non-lethal approaches, lasers are being used to identify incoming UAVs and issue non-lethal warnings and later destroy them with a missile in case of inaction. The missile itself carries a laser scanner and seeker for hitting the target to grounds.

Globally, the military spending on laser systems has increased significantly. According to IHS Jane's annual defense budgets reviews, countries such as Russia, China, and India have contributed highly to the growth of the market. The US has increased its expenditure on military electronic and laser weapon systems from USD 55 million to USD 67 million during 2014-2016. In addition, by 2022, China is expected to surpass the US R&D spending on laser systems.

Growth in new technological innovations

Modern lasers and new technological innovations, such as lithium ion battery technology, are focused on boosting energy storage and increase in power density. According to New American Foundation, the lithium-powered lasers can be used to issue non-lethal warnings and to defend against small missiles and mortars. Further, weapons with precise aim and unlimited ammunition like HEL are also being developed to counter incoming drones or missiles.

In 2015, the US DOD spent USD 371 million on the sophistication of lasers. Modern laser weapons have been developed that can deliver shipboard defense at USD 1 per shot using existing battery packs. In addition, the Australian military successfully tested the laser-guided missiles which are capable of shooting all 10 shots perfectly within 1 meter of the laser spot.

According to Arushi Thakur, one of Technavio's expert in research on defense sector, "Increasing demand and changes in warfare strategies have led many companies to invest and develop laser systems. For instance, Lockheed Martin developed a prototype laser weapon system named ADAM that can combat close-in improvised rocket, UAS, and small boat threats at a range of more than 3.2 miles and destroys targets within a range of 1.24 miles."

Increasing large-scale acquisitions

In recent years, prime defense contractors have been keen to acquire laser companies to strengthen new developments. The robust development of laser technology from free space communication attract businesses to strengthen up resources. These M&A act as economic indicators of future growth. In 2014, an increase in technology had grown up to 19% due to M&A activity and expected to rise further in the coming years.

"Aculight, a Washington-based company, acquired by Lockheed Martin in 2008, is well developed in optical and laser warfare applications such as lasers for LADAR. It is also conducting research to develop fiber and semiconductor lasers," says Arushi.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Airborne Laser Obstacle Avoidance Monitoring Systems Market 2016-2020

Global Radar Systems and Technology Market 2016-2020

Global Military Electro-optical and Infrared Systems Market 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005537/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recentglobal military satellite marketreport. This research report also lists five other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

Competitive vendor landscape

Technavio researchers believe in-house manufacturing capabilities, product offerings, global footprint network, R&D investments, newer technologies, and strong client base have become the key areas to have an edge over the competitors. Factors like global economic recovery, the growth of the aerospace and defense sector, and R&D investments have opened room for opportunities for defense vendors to compete and grow.

"The global military satellite market is highly competitive with vendors competing on the basis of cost, product quality, reliability, and aftermarket service. In order to survive and succeed in such an intensely competitive environment, it is crucial for the vendors to provide cost-effective and high-quality satellite systems with latest technology and materials," says, Arushi Thakur, one of Technavio's lead industry expert for research on space sector.

The report also highlights Northrop Grumman and Thales Group as the two leading vendors in the market, who compete in terms of availability, price, quality, and technology. Their focus is primarily on the implementation of lightweight materials, more electric technologies, and robust systems. Also, Lockheed Martin, a prominent vendor of the market, is the prime contractor for a number of major US military satellite programs, such as the Advanced EHF constellation, the US Navy's MUOS, the GPS III, and the SBIRS High system.

Request for sample report: http://goo.gl/ey02Xc

Top five military satellite market vendors

Boeing

Boeing was incorporated in 1934 and in headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. The company, along with its subsidiaries engages in the aerospace and defense businesses across the world.

In 1995, Boeing introduced its first 702 spacecraft family for commercial and military applications. The company sold 28 of these satellites by the end of 2010, and those served over 867,000 hours of service life in both military and commercial customers.

The company introduced a variant of the 702 satellite under the name of Boeing 702SP (small platform) in 2012 and in the subsequent year the Boeing 702SP had cleared the critical design review.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

IAI was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Ben-Gurion International Airport, Israel. The company engages in the manufacture and marketing of military and commercial aerospace and defense systems across the world.

IAI, through MLM division, offers various space technologies such as small satellite launch system and vehicle, and space and ground control systems. This unit was established in 1964 for providing services such as concept analysis, development, and manufacture, installation, and lifecycle support to various space technologies. This MLM division has developed and produced a satellite launcher, namely SHAVIT, which is used for orbit insertion services in the both commercial and military applications.

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman was established in 1939 and is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, US. It provides systems, products, and solutions focusing on aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to the government and commercial customers across the globe.

The company develops military and commercial space systems and satellite payloads, as well as integrates mission-enabling systems and associated services. Its space systems are used in earth observation, satellite communications, space science, and space exploration applications.

Since the past 30 years, the company has been providing its jam-resistant payloads that are used for military communication satellites.

Raytheon

Raytheon was established in 1922 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, US. The company provides its solutions for the defense and other government markets across the world.

Raytheon provides AEHF satellite communication solutions that are operated by the US Air Force Space Command Division. These ensure secure communication between the US Military and its allied forces. Its AEHF terminals provide an advanced and protected satellite communication solution, linking the President of the US and senior military advisor across the globe. The company has recently added two Air Force programs, namely Global aircrew strategic network terminal (ASNT) and Family of Advanced Beyond Line of Sight Terminal (FAB-T).

Thales Group

Thales Group was established in 1893 and is headquartered in Paris, France. It provides solutions primarily to the aerospace and defense industries globally. The company designs and manufactures military satellites and space technologies. It integrates and deploys space systems that are used for defense, security, and commercial applications.

The company stands as one of the major contractors for the military communication satellites of the armed forces of France. It also provides secure satellite communication services to the different countries, including NATO members, through its SYSTEM 21 solutions. It provides ground station and mobile transmission solutions for air, land, and naval platforms such as UAVs, armored vehicles, helicopters, surface ships, and submarines.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Satellite-based Augmentation Systems Market 2016-2020

Global Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Market 2015-2019

Global Remote Sensing Satellite Market 2016-2020

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005545/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Mark Jarvis, CEO of Shoal Point Energy (CSE: SHP), today responded to the final report of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydraulic Fracturing Review Panel, released May 31. "The report concludes that many years of study, development of new government policies and research are required before hydraulic fracturing can be used, if ever, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Mr. Jarvis. "We find the conclusion puzzling, because the individual reports written by the experts on the Panel came to more constructive conclusions."

In the section on "Hydraulic Fracturing and Wellbore Integrity", written by Maurice B. Dusseault, PEng, Phd., he made the following points:

-- The construction, forestry and transportation industries are the most dangerous industries in Canada in terms of personal risk, far greater than the oil and gas industry. -- Risks of fracturing fluids rising from depth of 1000-3000 m to the groundwater zone are close to zero. -- The amount of natural gas that might be emitted to the atmosphere from leaking energy wells is trivial compared to other sources of fugitive methane (cattle, leaky distribution systems, anaerobic decomposition of landfills, etc.). -- The potential negative environmental impacts of drilling, hydraulic fracturing, operating and decommissioning oil and gas wellbores are well understood; best practices have been clearly established by industry and regulatory agencies elsewhere, and for all known risks, there are methods to reduce both consequences and likelihood of an incident.

In the section on "Review of Economic and Employment Data", primarily about the Stephenville - Port au Port area, by Wade Locke, PhD, he noted that the population is declining and aging, the unemployment rate is 18.8%, family income is 73% of the provincial average and that young people who want to work after graduation have to move away to find jobs.

In the section "Review of Potential Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing on Human Health in Western Newfoundland" Kevin Keough, PhD FCAHS ICD.D notes that health is strongly correlated to income and that the net health impact on the community from the development of an oil and gas industry could well be positive.

He concludes that "By taking a precautionary approach to development in ways such as those outlined above it should be possible to develop a safe, well-managed and productive industry that could serve the region and its people well over the next generation. To maintain community confidence, transparency and timely provision of information must be part of the standard operating procedure for industry and government."

In the section "Review of Water Resources in Western Newfoundland in a Hydraulic Fracturing Context" by Graham A. Gagnon & Lindsay A. Anderson, recommendations include:

-- The use of alternative water sources such as saltwater or utilizing freshwater sources closer to Corner Brook should also be considered. Should the province consider the use of saltwater sources, regulatory requirements for using seawater will be required. -- A proper baseline water quality monitoring program is recommended prior to any unconventional oil and gas exploration. -- Wastewater treatment plan would therefore be required in the event Class II disposal wells are not available. The wastewater management plan would include wastewater discharge.

"These reports, presented as appendices to the main report, are balanced and thoughtful, and we agree with most of the recommendations," said Mr. Jarvis. "I urge anyone in the province who wants to understand the issues to read the appendices written by the Panel experts."

"We do not understand how you logically get from these expert reports to the conclusion in the main report that development should be delayed for years." Mr. Jarvis continued. "Our suggestion to the Panel was to allow a limited, closely monitored evaluation program to better understand the geology and the commercial potential of this resource. This evaluation program would provide the information needed to design a development plan, if indeed the resource is of commercial interest."

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Contacts:

Shoal Point Energy Ltd.

Mr. Mark Jarvis

Chief Executive Officer

416-637-2181 extension 310




WHEAT RIDGE, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- More than 55.7 million voters cast ballots in the recent Philippine presidential election, and that massive turnout could be a foreshadowing of the U.S. election this November. The tremendous election process success was due in part to the testing conducted by SLI Compliance.

SLI Compliance, formerly known as SLI Global Solutions, was contracted by the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to conduct a series of audits to analyze and test the source code, the software and the vote counting machines.

SLI Compliance has tested systems for COMELEC in 2010, 2011, 2013, and now in 2016, SLI tested COMELEC's entire voting system, including scanners, election management software and consolidation systems.

"If U.S. primaries and caucuses are any indication, this will be a monumental election year, and the potential of record voter turnout is enough to keep election officials up at night wondering if their teams and their voting equipment machines are ready," said Traci Mapps, SLI Compliance's Director of Operations. "Now is the time to prepare by thoroughly testing voting systems and process, and SLI Compliance has the experience and expertise elections officials can trust."

SLI Compliance services include:

Risk-Limiting Audits

Logic and Accuracy

Election Procedures Assessment

Pre and Post-election Forensic Analysis

Configuration Verification

Acceptance Testing

Electronic Poll Book Testing

Voting System Standards Development

Voter Registration System Audit





About SLI Compliance:

SLI Compliance has more than 14 years of independent testing experience in voting systems and process. The company is an accredited Voting System Test Laboratory (VSTL) under the auspices of the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP Lab Code 200733-0) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in partnership with the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC). For more information, visit www.slicompliance.com.

Contact:

Traci Mapps

Director of Operations

SLI Compliance

Email Contact

1-844-754-8683




According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global satellite-based automatic identification systems (S-AIS) marketis expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 25% during the forecast period.

This research report titled 'Global Satellite-based Automatic Identification Systems Market 2016-2020' provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all geographical regions.

Request sample report: http://goo.gl/qCIQDV

The report categorizes the global S-AIS market into four application segments. They are:

Defense

Intelligence and security

Search and rescue

Other applications

Global S-AIS market by defense application

The global S-AIS market by defense application is expected to reach USD 42 million by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 30.14%.

AIS data helps defense forces to achieve real-time monitoring and detecting vessels. Naval and maritime defense agencies require information related to warships, coast guards, and other government related vessels. Big data analytics on AIS data can further help defense agencies to predict and detect anti-national activities with the support of maritime intelligence and domain awareness.

According to Rakesh Kumar Panda, a lead analyst at Technavio for M2M and connected devices, "Improved advancements in AIS network can enhance the quality of data used for defense applications. The majority of the government agencies adopt AIS technology to provide defense services in various applications."

Global S-AIS market by intelligence and security sector application

AIS helps intelligence and security agencies to collect huge amounts of data to improve the precision of data analysis. AIS data provides maritime security such as protecting seaports, vessels, and other infrastructure associated with the shipping from the growing threat of terrorism, piracy, and disruption. It also enables counterintelligence security systems to gather and evaluate information needed by military and government agencies to have appropriate decisions about the scope and concurrence of terrorism.

Advanced satellite communication systems help to identify terrorist planning activities to counter attack before the occurrence of a disaster. M2M solutions in security systems improve reaction time from detection to interception, match the diversity of threat's nature and severity level, and optimize deployment and usage of the different human and technical resources. For instance, Thales delivers advanced turnkey solutions to address the customized requirement and constraints of border guard's entity. Hence, this segment's revenue is also expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period.

Global S-AIS market by search and rescue application

Maritime customers highly require public safety, global reach, uninterrupted service, and network security. S-AIS provides robust mobile communication services and products to cater the unique requirements of government-centric maritime operations. It helps SAR agencies to detect abnormal operations in maritime and to witness efficient traffic monitoring systems.

AIS maritime applications enable secure and interoperable network communications for naval operations and critical marine operations such as rescue, administrative, and support functions. S-AIS services can provide global coverage and an efficient communication channel to help in relief operations during emergency situations. It also detects oil spill incidents and transmits relevant information related to disaster to enable spontaneous SAR operations. "This application is mostly performed by Government and port authorities to ensure the safety of the mariners and vessels carrying commodities. Therefore, the market is expected to witness an increasing growth during the forecast period," says Rakesh.

Global S-AIS market by other applications

The global S-AIS market by other applications was valued at USD 18 million in 2015 and will reach USD 35 million by 2020.

Approximately 50% of the AIS revenue is obtained from the applications including defense, intelligence and security, and SAR. The remaining 50% of the market's revenue is contributed by other application categories. Other applications include anticipation of shipment arrivals and verification of goods entering nations and environmental monitoring activities.

The top vendors highlighted by Technavio's research analysts in this report are:

exactEarth

Iridium Communications

ORBCOMM

Saab

Thales

Browse Related Reports:

Satellite-based Earth Observation Market in Europe 2016-2020

Satellite-based EO Market in the US 2016-2020

Global Industrial Automatic Data Capturing and Identification Systems Market 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005558/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Canada Revenue Agency

The Government of Canada is continuing its efforts to combat tax evasion to create a tax system that is fair for all Canadians. When taxpayers and businesses participate in the underground economy, this puts an unfair burden on honest, middle class Canadians who pay their share of taxes and it hinders the development of businesses that respect the rules. This is why it is essential to create a fair tax system in which all taxpayers respect their tax obligations.

Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue Emmanuel Dubourg today met with members of the Minister's Underground Economy Advisory Committee to look at ways to join forces to more actively combat the underground economy in Canada.

Members of the Committee include industry partners, experts and professional organizations. The Committee advises the Minister and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and collaborates with members on measures to reduce the acceptability of and participation in the underground economy. Since it began its work, the Committee has helped refine the CRA's Underground Economy Strategy, with a particular focus aimed at preventing, detecting, and addressing unreported and under-reported sales or income.

Today's meeting provided the Minister with an opportunity to pursue dialogue with stakeholders. The Committee's advice and recommendations will help the CRA improve its methods and strategies to more effectively identify those who avoid paying their fair share of taxes and bring them into compliance with the law.

By collaborating with industry partners along with provincial and territorial governments, the Government of Canada continues to fight the underground economy and help create a level playing field for all businesses and taxpayers.

Quick facts

-- The Minister's Underground Economy Advisory Committee meets regularly and includes representatives from the following organizations: -- Restaurants Canada -- Canadian Home Builders' Association -- Canadian Federation of Independent Business -- Canadian Payroll Association -- Canadian Chamber of Commerce -- Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada -- Retail Council of Canada -- Merit Contractors Association -- Association de Planification Fiscale et Financiere -- Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto -- The CRA's Underground Economy Strategy focuses on three strategic themes to reduce participation in the underground economy: -- further refine the CRA's understanding of the underground economy; -- seek to reduce the social acceptability of participation in the underground economy; and -- deploy a range of initiatives to encourage compliance and reduce participation in the underground economy.

Quotes

"I am pleased to work with industry partners on this important issue - the fight against the underground economy. Their insight will help the CRA deliver on the government's commitment to combat tax evasion and tax avoidance. The vast majority of Canadians pay their fair share of taxes and they must have confidence that the tax system is fair for everyone."

- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue

"Participating in the underground economy is wrong. Individuals or businesses that deliberately underreport or fail to report income to avoid paying taxes are depriving Canadians and their communities of critical public services."

- The Honourable Emmanuel Dubourg, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Stay connected

To receive updates when new information is added to our website, you can:

- Follow the CRA on Twitter - @CanRevAgency.

- Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list.

- Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader.

- You can also watch our tax-related videos on YouTube.

Contacts:

Chloe Luciani-Girouard

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of National Revenue

613-995-2960



Jelica Zdero

Media Relations

Canada Revenue Agency

613-952-9184




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Raging River Exploration Inc. ("Raging River" or the "Company") (TSX: RRX) is in Regina, Saskatchewan today meeting with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and visiting the legislature to highlight the Company's 2016 capital plan.

"We are happy to have the opportunity to share our plans for 2016 and beyond with the Premier and highlight the tremendous amount of activities we are undertaking in the province," Neil Roszell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Raging River said.

The 2016 Raging River capital program includes $175 million in investment, which consists of 215-220 new wells. Over 85 percent of that amount is expected to be spent in the Saskatchewan Kindersley area. In addition, Raging River will continue to concentrate on technology advancements in the Viking area. The initiatives include horizontal waterflooding and trials of different drilling spacing in order to maximize oil recovery and the long term economic benefits for the Company and people of Saskatchewan. Raging River is pleased to see Premier Wall's commitment to the oil and gas industry through the recently announced budget initiatives which continue to encourage investment and employment in Saskatchewan.

Raging River expects that production will continue to grow as enhanced oil recovery is implemented in the Kindersley area over the next 10-15 years. Raging River has a drilling inventory of 3,900 locations, with approximately 90% of the locations in Saskatchewan.

Having just achieved another quarterly production record in the first quarter of 2016, representing a 24% increase over the comparable first quarter period in 2015, Raging River sees a bright future in Saskatchewan.

"We have a 10 year vision that will continue to see strong investment in Saskatchewan," said Roszell. "Over this period, we anticipate investing capital of approximately $3 billion on drilling and enhanced oil recovery in addition to approximately $1 billion on continuous operations. The people, communities and government of Saskatchewan have enabled us to be successful. Our long term vision allows us to make ongoing investment in the province's oil and gas industry, and in turn provide continuous employment for its people."

Raging River employs approximately 250 field people on the average day. Of that, 25 percent of these individuals are dedicated to full time operations and 75 percent are dedicated to capital projects such as drilling, completions and pipeline/facilities.

Additional corporate information relating to Raging River can be found on Raging River's website at www.rrexploration.com or on www.sedar.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements. More particularly, this press release contains statements concerning, details of the Company's 2016 capital program, intent to concentrate on technology advancements in the Viking area including waterflooding and different drilling spacing to attempt to maximize oil recovery, expected production growth over the next 10 to 15 years, details of Raging River's drilling inventory, details of the Company's 10 year vision including the expectation that the Company will see continued strong investment in Saskatchewan, and the expected amount to be spent on drilling and enhanced oil recovery and continuous operations over the next 10 years. In addition, the use of any of the words "guidance", "initial, "scheduled", "can", "will", "prior to", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "should", "unaudited", "forecast", "future", "continue", "may", "expect", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including but not limited to expectations and assumptions concerning the success of optimization and efficiency improvement projects, the availability of capital, the ability to complete the acquisition of Rock Energy Inc. ("Rock") on the terms and on the timing as contemplated by management, the assumption that all necessary conditions will be met for the acquisition of Rock including that all third party, regulatory and shareholder approvals will be received, current legislation, pipeline capacity, availability of infrastructure, ability to take advantage of certain acquisition, joint venture or farm-in opportunities, receipt of required regulatory approval, the success of future drilling and development activities, the performance of existing wells, the performance of new wells, Raging River's growth strategy, general economic conditions, stability of regulatory regimes and incentive programs in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, availability of required equipment and services and prevailing commodity prices. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because they can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other corporate transactions; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), availability to obtain the necessary financing when needed on acceptable terms, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, changes in legislation affecting the oil and gas industry and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. To the extent any guidance or forward looking statements herein constitute a financial outlook, they are included herein to provide readers with an understanding of management's plans and assumptions for budgeting purposes and readers are cautioned that the information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Raging River's operations and financial results are included in the Company's Annual Information Form and other reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, which may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com).

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Raging River undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

DRILLING LOCATIONS: This presentation discloses drilling locations in two categories: (i) booked locations; and (ii) unbooked locations. Booked locations are proved locations and probable locations derived from the Company's most recent independent reserves evaluation as prepared by Sproule as of December 31, 2015 and account for drilling locations that have associated proved and/or probable reserves, as applicable. Of the 3,900 drilling locations identified herein, 892 are proved locations, 87 are probable locations and 2,921+ are unbooked locations. In addition, approximately 200 of the unbooked locations are associated with the assets of Rock, which will not be drilling locations of Raging River if the acquisition of Rock is not completed. Unbooked locations are internal estimates based on prospective acreage and an assumption as to the number of wells that can be drilled per section based on industry practice and internal review. Unbooked locations do not have attributed reserves or resources. Unbooked locations have been identified by management as an estimation of our multi-year drilling activities based on evaluation of applicable geologic, seismic, engineering, production and reserves information. There is no certainty that the Company will drill all unbooked drilling locations and if drilled there is no certainty that such locations will result in additional oil and gas reserves, resources or production. The drilling locations on which we actually drill wells will ultimately depend upon the availability of capital, regulatory approvals, seasonal restrictions, oil and natural gas prices, costs, actual drilling results, additional reservoir information that is obtained and other factors. While certain of the unbooked drilling locations have been derisked by drilling existing wells in relative close proximity to such unbooked drilling locations, the majority of other unbooked drilling locations are farther away from existing wells where management has less information about the characteristics of the reservoir and therefore there is more uncertainty whether wells will be drilled in such locations and if drilled there is more uncertainty that such wells will result in additional oil and gas reserves, resources or production.

Contacts:

Raging River Exploration Inc.

Mr. Neil Roszell, P. Eng.

President and Chief Executive Officer

403-767-1250

403-387-2951 (FAX)



Raging River Exploration Inc.

Mr. Jerry Sapieha, CA

Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

403-767-1265

403-387-2951 (FAX)

www.rrexploration.com




According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the IoT market in Chinais expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 19% during the forecast period.

This research report titled 'IoT Market in China 2016-2020' provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all geographical regions.

According to Amrita Choudhury, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on enterprise application, "The IoT Market in China is expected to exceed a revenue of 248 billion by 2020 should the market sustain a CAGR of close to 19% during the forecast period. The significant progress of RFID market is supporting the growth of IoT market. The government is the largest sector in terms of RFID market revenue in China."

Request sample report: http://goo.gl/sxPpKl

The report categorizes the IoT market in China into the following end-user segments: manufacturing, automotive, healthcare, and others. The top three segments are elaborated below:

IoT market in China in the manufacturing sector

The manufacturing industry will enable IoT technologies by connecting the physical and digital world in the coming years. IoT technologies help improve workers' health and safety in production units. Manufacturing units provide workers with a wearable device that alerts the worker if he enters into a hazardous area. However, Chinese manufacturers are facing some challenges while adopting IoT technology. There is a lack of integrated communication systems and platforms required to transfer information and data across and outside of their organizations.

As of 2015, the manufacturing sector was the largest end-user segment with 34.56% of the IoT market in China. However, by 2020, Technavio researchers expect the market share to decline to 33.5% as many domestic and international firms will start establishing manufacturing units outside of China in line with the rising labor costs in the country. China has recently lost a few new factory investments to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam.

IoT market in China in the automotive sector

The introduction of connected car services and applications that include asset tracking and fleet management will boost the IoT market revenue in the country during the forecast period. Many Chinese firms such as Alibaba, SAIC Motor, LeEco, and Baidu are looking to enter the automotive industry with IoT products and solutions. The smart car is an innovation in the automotive industry, and it can connect to the internet to enhance driver's experience. In 2015, the top ten auto companies in China manufactured 32.5 million cars. The major automotive companies in China are Beijing Auto, Brilliance, BYD, Chang'an, Chery, Dongfeng, FAW, Geely, Great Wall Moto, Guangzhou Auto, JAC, and SAIC.

"The market share of the automotive sector will reach close to 23% by 2020 as the sector is receiving increased investments in IoT innovations. China Mobile has formed an Internet of Vehicles company to utilize opportunities in the automotive industry," says Amrita.

IoT market in China in the healthcare sector

The IoT market in China's healthcare sector was valued at USD 16.54 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 42.5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 22.02% during the forecast period.

In the healthcare sector, the IoT can be used for remote monitoring of patients, maintaining medical records, creating real-time alerts about patients' health, choosing drugs and their dosage, and maintaining insurance details. The technology helps reduce medication errors by improving communication between patients and healthcare providers.

Browse Related Reports:

Electric Vehicle Market in China 2016-2020

Global IOT Devices Market 2015-2019

IOT Market in the Nordic Region 2016-2020

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005582/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
GATINEAU, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Marc Mayrand today informed the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Prime Minister of Canada that he will step down as Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on December 28, 2016.

"I have concluded that it would be preferable to leave my position at the end of the year to allow my successor the necessary time to assume the responsibility and guide the future direction of Elections Canada," said Mr. Mayrand. "Given Elections Canada's ambitious electoral services modernization plans and the government's consideration of fundamental reforms to our electoral system, I believe the early appointment of a successor to lead Elections Canada well ahead of the next general election is essential and should not be delayed."

Marc Mayrand's appointment as Chief Electoral Officer of Canada was unanimously approved by the House of Commons on February 21, 2007. He became the sixth person to hold the office since the position was established in 1920.

Mr. Mayrand thanked all parliamentarians for the opportunity to serve as Canada's Chief Electoral Officer for nearly ten years, adding: "I will leave my functions humbled by the responsibilities entrusted to me but with enormous pride in having served my fellow citizens and their elected representatives."

During the coming months, Mr. Mayrand's priority will be to finalize his recommendations report to Parliament for legislative change. "These recommendations will seek to achieve the much-needed modernization of our electoral process while preserving or enhancing its integrity and fairness," he said.

Elections Canada is an independent body set up by Parliament.

Contacts:

Elections Canada

Media Relations

1-877-877-9515

www.elections.ca




Technavio analysts forecast the stationery and cards market in North Americato grow at a CAGR of close to 5% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the stationery and cardsmarket in North America for 2016-2020. For the calculation of the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the commercial sales of cards, e-cards, office stationery, and supply products from retail stores as well as directly from vendors.

Technavio education analysts highlight the following four factors that are contributing to the growth of the stationery and cards market in North America:

Personalized stationery

Expansion of SOHO

Entrepreneurship promotion and opportunities

Increase in use of paper-based products

Personalized stationery

Advances in printing technologies, developments in software, and an increase in the demand from consumers are providing new opportunities for personalization of products, boosting value for consumers. Manufacturers have improvised on the traditional stationery items, in terms of design, to meet the consumers' desire for stylish alternatives.

"Personalization is being incorporated into stationery products by integrating elements of the user's choice; various templates are used to provide the required unique finish and render product customized. It encourages people to connect on a more personal note and is intended to keep alive the tradition of basic communication. For instance, addition of photos on stationery and cards is a popular form of personalization. Such concepts should accelerate the demand for stationery and cards," says Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst at Technavio for school and college essentials research.

Expansion of SOHO

Small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form a major part of the global business environment and are well positioned to witness growth in the near future. This growth is expected to come from emerging economies as they receive increasing government support. SOHO (single office/home office) forms a part of the SME segment. The concept of a home office is rapidly gaining popularity. Advances in IT and infrastructure, coupled with new channels of communication, have led to the setting up and running of new businesses from a home setting through the Internet, e-mail, and VoIP. This has given rise to a whole new end-user segment for vendors to target.

Entrepreneurship promotion and opportunities

In 2016, the World Bank ranked the US 49 out of 189 countries on the ease of starting a business. Canada was ranked third. This highlights the prevailing conducive atmosphere for startups and entrepreneurs in the region. The same was confirmed by the Global Entrepreneurship Index released by the Global Entrepreneurship Development Institute (GEDI) in 2016. The US and Canada exhibited the availability of financial support for new businesses by way of venture capital. Hence, the entrepreneurs find the region favorable for establishing new businesses. Entrepreneurs are playing a crucial role in boosting the economic growth of any region.

In 2014, Spark established a consortium with various organizations such as Global Entrepreneurship Network. The Spark initiative receives significant support from the US government because it conducts and launches numerous entrepreneurial programs in collaboration with other nations, promoting global entrepreneurship.

Increase in use of paper-based products

The paper-based products are still dominantly used by various organizations and educational institutions. The market has been seeing an increased demand for paper-based products from offices in the US over the years. For instance, the invitation cards sent by companies to their clients, during any occasion, are now presented in a customized manner by the vendors. Other stationery for wall and desk, such as diaries and calendars, are used consistently across organizations and institutes. Leather diaries, multi-functional paper, and inkjet paper with improved paper quality are attracting the attention of customers.

"Although the market for paper-based products faces erosion by the electronic methods of communication, some essential products, such as folders and files, will generate continuous demand for paper-based products. In addition, the increase in imports of paper-based products from Asian and the EU countries suggests that there is a significant demand for such products in the country. This should drive the market during the forecast period," says Jhansi.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Stationery and Cards Market 2016-2020

Education Technology Market in North America 2015-2019

Global Writing and Marking Instruments Market 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005579/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Genius Properties Ltd. (the "Corporation") (CSE: GNI) today reports that Mr. Stephane Leblanc ("Mr. Leblanc") acquired beneficial ownership of common shares and convertible securities of the Corporation exceeding 10% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation on a partially diluted basis.

This reporting threshold was reached on June 4, 2016 with the acquisition of 4,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Corporation (each a "Share"), acquired pursuant to a shares for debt transaction for investment purposes (the "Triggering Block"). Prior to the acquisition of the Triggering Block, Mr. Leblanc had the beneficial ownership of 7,267,033 Shares and 800,000 Share purchase options for investment purposes (the "Prior Shares") (the Triggering Block and the Prior Shares collectively referred to as the "Acquisition"). Mr. Leblanc reserves the right to purchase additional securities of the Corporation or from time to time to dispose of any securities of the Issuer that he may own.

Following the Acquisition, Mr. Leblanc holds, directly or indirectly, a total of 11,267,033 Shares, representing approximately 15,14% of the currently issued and outstanding Shares (or 12,067,033 Shares representing approximately 16,04% of the currently issued and outstanding Shares assuming all options held by Mr. Leblanc are exercised and converted into Shares).

This press release is being issued pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issuers which requires a report to be filed under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) containing additional information respecting the foregoing matters.

Mr. Leblanc has provided the above information to the Corporation for inclusion in this news release.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Genius Properties Ltd.

Stephane Leblanc

President and CEO

(418) 717-2553

sleblanc@canadianmetalsinc.com

www.canadianmetalsinc.com




ROUYN-NORANDA, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Explor Resources Inc. ("Explor" or "the Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: EXS)(OTCQX: EXSFF)(FRANKFURT: E1H1)(BERLIN: E1H1) is pleased to announce the acquisition of 1 patented claim totalling 64.7 hectares situated in the Porcupine Mining division, District of Cochrane, Carnegie Township, Ontario. This additional claim is northwest of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine.

Explor Resources Inc. will pay a total of $6,000 and issue 200,000 common shares for an Option to acquire a 100% interest in the additional Kidd Township patented claim. The seller has retained a 2.0% NSR in the property. This acquisition is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Corporation's Kidd Township Group of Properties are located to the North, South, West and East of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine, located approximately 20 km north of Timmins, Ontario. This additional claim is north to the Kidd Township property, and approximately one kilometer Northwest of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine site. This acquisition increases Explor's land position in the area to 2,805.20 hectares. The most obvious topographical feature in the area is the Glencore Kidd Creek open pit mine, located in the central portion of Explor's Kidd Township group of Properties.

The property is located in a Greenstone Belt composed mainly of sequences of Meta-Volcanic rocks cut by faults and deformation zones that lie in a NW-SE direction. There are many suites of Mafic Volcanic rocks as well. Excellent access to the property is provided by Hwy 655.

Exploration drilling completed by Explor to date has revealed a Major Fault Structure running to the west of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine in a NW-SE direction. A thorough review of all existing geophysical data appears to support these findings. Drilling by Falconbridge in 1998 to the southwest of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine (Hole # K26-01) returned 4.7m in which 4 of the 5 samples returned Zinc values from 4200 - 8900 ppm and Copper values that ranged from 700 - 2280 ppm. The Magnetic Anomaly associated with these results appears to continue onto Explor's property holdings. A series of untested AEM (Airborne Electromagnetic) conductors detected on the Kidd Township Property to the west, south and southeast of the existing Kidd Creek Mine clearly warrant further investigation. Explor Resources Inc. is currently conducting an exploration and drill program on the Kidd Township property. Results are pending.

The newly acquired claim is approximately 1 km to the Northwest of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine Site. Clearly, the newly acquired claim appears to be on the same Syn-volcanic Collapsed Structure as the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine and the Glencore Chance Deposit. The Glencore Kidd Creek Mine located to the South-east of the newly acquired property has produced 152,600,000 tonnes of Base Metal Ore (Cu-Zn-Pb-Ag) since it began production in 1966.

This acquisition is being made in support of Explor's belief in the "Cluster Effect of VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide) Deposits". Well known examples of the cluster effect of VMS Deposits are the Bathurst Mining Camp where 47 deposits have been found to date, including the Brunswick No.12 and the Brunswick No.6 Mines where more than 130,000,000 tonnes of Base Metal Ore has been produced to date; and the Noranda Mining Camp where 18 deposits have been found to date, with 68,100,000 tons of Base Metal Production from the Horne Mine and Quemont Deposits alone. The presence of Mafic and Felsic rocks on the Kidd Township Properties with anomalous zinc and copper supports the opinion that additional VMS Deposits exist in the immediate vicinity of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine.

Chris Dupont P.Eng is the qualified person responsible for the information contained in this release.

Explor Resources Inc. is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture (EXS), on the OTCQX (EXSFF) and on the Frankfurt and Berlin Stock Exchanges (E1H1).

This Press Release was prepared by Explor. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Explor Resources Inc.

Explor Resources Inc. is a Canadian-based natural resources company with mineral holdings in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Explor is currently focused on exploration in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The belt is found in both provinces of Ontario and Quebec with approximately 33% in Ontario and 67% in Quebec. The Belt has produced in excess of 180,000,000 ounces of gold and 450,000,000 tonnes of cu-zn ore over the last 100 years. The Corporation was continued under the laws of Alberta in 1986 and has had its main office in Quebec since 2006.

Explor Resources Flagship project is the Timmins Porcupine West (TPW) Project located in the Porcupine mining camp, in the Province of Ontario. Teck Resources Ltd. is currently conducting an exploration program as part of an earn-in on the TPW property. The TPW mineral resource (Press Release dated August 27, 2013) includes the following:

Open Pit Mineral Resources at a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off grade are as follows: Indicated: 213,000 oz (4,283,000 tonnes at 1.55 g/t Au) Inferred: 77,000 oz (1,140,000 tonnes at 2.09 g/t Au) Underground Mineral Resources at a 1.70 g/t Au cut-off grade are as follows: Indicated: 396,000 oz (4,420,000 tonnes at 2.79 g/t Au) Inferred: 393,000 oz (5,185,000 tonnes at 2.36 g/t Au)

This document may contain forward-looking statements relating to Explor's operations or to the environment in which it operates. Such statements are based on operations, estimates, forecasts and projections. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and may be beyond Explor's control. A number of important factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, including those set forth in other public filling. In addition, such statements relate to the date on which they are made. Consequently, undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements. Explor disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, save and except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

Christian Dupont, President

888-997-4630 or 819-797-4630

819-797-6050 (FAX)

info@explorresources.com

www.explorresources.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Lara Exploration Ltd., ("Lara" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LRA) is pleased to report that new exploration licenses have been issued for the Planalto Copper Project, located near Vale S.A.'s Sossego copper mine, in the Carajas Mineral Province of northern Brazil. The original licenses were cancelled by the Brazilian Department of Mines ("DNPM"), based on perceived deficiencies in the application paperwork, which have been definitively rectified this year under the normal administrative appeals process. The Company originally optioned the property in early 2013 (see Company news release of February 25, 2013 for details) and the terms of the option have been amended to reflect the delay.

Past exploration work includes surface sampling, which outlined two copper-in-soil anomalies with values in excess of 300 parts per million ("ppm") copper, one approximately 1.3 kilometres ("km") by 0.9 km in size, the other 2.9 km by 0.3 km. The historical reporting also includes results of two drill holes executed approximately 100 metres ("m") apart on the same East-West section on one of the copper-in-soil anomalies. Hole FD-73 has a reported intercept value of 188m of 0.4% copper, including 15m at 0.67%, 14m at 0.68% and 10m at 1.18% copper. Hole FD-74 has a reported intercept of 50m at 0.38% copper, including 21m at 0.6% copper.

The project comprises three exploration licenses, totalling 4,726 hectares in area, covering meta-volcano-sedimentary sequences and intrusives of early Proterozoic-age that are deeply weathered and have an extensive lateritic cover. Data provided by the vendors, includes reports of previous exploration work including soil sampling and two diamond drill holes (the Company does not have access to the drill cores or samples to confirm these historic results).

Planalto Purchase Option

Under the amended terms of the option agreement to acquire 100% of the properties, Lara has agreed to make staged cash payments totalling up to US$500,000 as follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Milestone/Date Payment US$ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upon signing the Definitive Agreement (paid) 25,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upon issue of Exploration Licenses (paid) 25,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 months from issue of the Exploration Licenses 50,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 months from issue of the Exploration Licenses 100,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 months from issue of the Exploration Licenses 100,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DNPM approval of the Final Exploration Report 200,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lara may defer 50% of the annual cash payments in the event it is unable to secure third party finance or a partner. The vendor will also be entitled to a 2% net smelter return royalty on any production; Lara retains the right to purchase 50% of this royalty for a cash payment of US$2 million.

Quality Control and Qualified Person

Certain information and data in this news release concerning the past work done and results is historical. The reliability of this historical data is unknown, but is considered relevant by Company management. The historical data may not be compliant with National Instrument 43-101 and should not be relied upon. It is the Company's intention to verify the historical data, however confirmation work may produce results that differ substantially from the historic results. There is a risk that current exploration and test work will not result in the Company replicating historical results.

Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release.

About Lara

Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".

For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Lara Exploration Ltd.

Chris MacIntyre

VP Corporate Development

+1 416 703 0010

www.laraexploration.com




Ascensia Diabetes Care announced today that they will attend the American Diabetes Association's 76th Scientific Sessions. This will be the first time that the company has attended the ADA Scientific Sessions as Ascensia Diabetes Care and marks a return to the meeting for the world renowned CONTOUR portfolio of meters. The 76th Scientific Sessions will take place from 10-14 June, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Ascensia Diabetes Care will have the opportunity at this congress to present the new company to healthcare professionals from around the globe, continuing the heritage of more than 70 years of innovative diabetes products that started with Bayer.

Michael Kloss, CEO of Ascensia Diabetes Care, said: "We are pleased to be returning to the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions as Ascensia Diabetes Care. We see this as the ideal opportunity to tell the story of our new company and present compelling scientific data for our high quality diabetes care solutions."

He added: "The ADA Scientific Sessions is the premier diabetes event in the U.S. and offers a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about significant advances in diabetes research, treatment, and care. Ascensia wants to continue to be a trusted partner in the diabetes community and is dedicated to using innovation to offer new solutions for healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes everywhere."

At the 76th Scientific Sessions, Ascensia Diabetes Care will be presenting key research findings, including the first usability data for the CONTOUR NEXT ONE system, a wireless-enabled blood glucose meter that links to a smart mobile device via Bluetooth technology, and new accuracy data for the CONTOUR NEXT LINK 2.4 meter that is designed for use with Medtronic's insulin pumps. The CONTOUR NEXT ONE and the CONTOUR NEXT LINK 2.4 have received CE Mark approval in Europe, where they are available in certain markets, and they are currently under 510(k) and PMA review, respectively, by the FDA in the United States, where they are not yet available.

Details of the data being presented by Ascensia Diabetes Care are as follows:

Usability of a New Blood Glucose Monitoring System (BGMS) with a Mobile App (Poster 81-LB), Bailey T.S. et al. Sunday June 12, 2016 12:00PM 2:00PM, during General Poster Session Clinical Therapeutics/New Technology-Glucose Monitoring and Sensing, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in the Poster Hall (Halls D-E).

Accuracy Evaluation of Six Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems often Used with Insulin Pumps following ISO 15197, Section 6.3 (Poster 898-P), Freckmann et al. Sunday June 12, 2016, Session GPS02 Sunday General Poster Session 12:00PM 2:00PM Poster Hall (Halls D-E).

Accuracy of Four Systems for Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in the Hands of Patients and Professionals (Poster 887-P), Kamecke et al. Sunday June 12, 2016, Session GPS02 Sunday General Poster Session 12:00PM 2:00PM Poster Hall (Halls D-E).

The 76th Scientific Sessions also coincide with the U.S. launch of the Powered by Accuracy campaign. The Powered by Accuracy campaign includes testimonial videos. Ascensia Diabetes Care will donate $1 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation every time these videos are shared online. In addition, eligible participants from the U.S. may enter a sweepstakes on the website to win a free box of 100 CONTOURNEXT test strips. Visit the campaign website (www.PoweredByAccuracy.com) for more information. Eligibility requirements and restrictions apply.

About Ascensia Diabetes Care

Ascensia Diabetes Care is a global specialist diabetes care company, dedicated to helping improve the lives of people with diabetes by empowering them to take charge of their health. We use our innovation and specialist expertise in diabetes to develop high quality solutions and tools that make a simple, positive, daily difference for people with diabetes.

Home to the world renowned CONTOUR portfolio of blood glucose monitoring systems, our products combine advanced technology with user-friendly functionality that help people with diabetes to manage their condition. We are committed to continued research, innovation and development of new products. As a leader in diabetes care and a trusted partner, we collaborate closely with healthcare professionals and other partners to ensure our products meet the highest standards of accuracy and compliance.

Ascensia Diabetes Care was established in 2016 through the sale of Bayer Diabetes Care to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. Ascensia Diabetes Care products are sold in more than 125 countries. Following the close of the transaction in all countries, Ascensia Diabetes Care will have around 1,400 employees and operations in 38 countries.

For further information please visit the Ascensia Diabetes Care website at: http://www.ascensia.com

CONTOUR is a registered trademark of Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606006464/en/

Contacts:

FTI Consulting

Joseph Delahunty, +44 (0)20 3727 1000

joseph.delahunty@fticonsulting.com
According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the technical and vocational education market (TVE) in North Americais expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4% during the forecast period.

This research report titled 'Technical and Vocational Education Market in North America 2016-2020' provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all geographical regions.

Request sample report: http://goo.gl/rjbJnT

The report categorizes the TVE market in North America into three major product segments. They are:

STEM TVE

Non-technical TVE

Others

STEM TVE market: largest segment

In 2015, the STEM TVE segment was the highest revenue contributor to the market in North America and accounted for 48.61% of the market share. This segment will likely continue to dominate the market in the next four years.

Companies in the region opine that there is a deficit in the number of workers with expertise in STEM disciplines. Technavio researchers estimate that by 2018, the US will have more than 1.2 million jobs related to STEM skills. At present, with 3.48 million vacant jobs, the skill gap is evident in the manufacturing sector in the US. The inability to fill vacancies with workers having specialized skills has had repercussions on companies, especially on their innovations and business expansions and primary agenda of improving customer satisfaction.

Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst at Technavio for education technology research, says, "Businesses face challenges while meeting customer demand, production-level targets, and implementing new technologies due to the shortage skilled workforce. The increase in awareness on the rise in skill gaps is driving people in North America to invest in TVE. This measure will assist individuals to be equipped with the necessary practical knowledge about the industry. Emerging high-demand sectors include aeronautics, automotive, HVAC, and electronics."

Non-technical TVE market: second-largest segment

"The non-technical TVE market in North America is expected to grow at a consistent pace during the forecast period. The non-technical TVE market is growing following an increased demand for skills in the fields of legal studies, nursing, hospitality, tourism, criminal justice, and security," says Jhansi.

In the legal field, opportunities are abounding for those having skills such as legal transcription and office management. These skills will lead to a career as a legal secretary, law clerk, or paralegal. In the nursing and medical field, TVE can open doors to careers such as nursing assistant, surgical technologist, medical assistant, and phlebotomists. The hospitality and tourism sector in North America is also booming due to an increase in consumer interest in leisure and recreation. The spa and wellness sector is also developing. With so many job opportunities a growing number of people are enrolling in vocational training programs to improve their specialization. The above factors will drive the growth of the non-technical TVE market during the forecast period.

Other TVE segments

The others segment of the TVE market in North America was valued at USD 24.7 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 26.26 billion by 2020 growing at a CAGR of 1.23%.

The others segment of the TVE market in North America is expected to grow at a consistent pace. This is because students taken up unconventional job opportunities as freelancers or are self-employed to express their creativity and individualism. These involve vocational skills are web development, photography, interior designing, and massage therapy among others.

The top vendors highlighted by Technavio's research analysts in this report are:

Acumen Global Training

City and Guilds

CfPA

SAP

Browse Related Reports:

Global Simulation Learning Market in the Higher Education Sector 2016-2020

Global Generic E-Learning Courses Market 2016-2020

Generic E-learning Courses Market in the US 2015-2019

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005575/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
LAKESHORE, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 --CEN Biotech Inc. announces the following update:

The purpose of this release is to briefly address the Company's discontinuance of the Application for Judicial Review ('AJR') filed in Canadian Federal Court.

In no way is the discontinuance of the Application an indication that the Company has abandoned its quest for relief and damages from Health Canada's decision to deny the Company a license under the MMPR Program. CEN Biotech completed everything required under the law and to the specification requested by Health Canada officials in order to achieve the important milestone of a pre-license inspection.

After the pre-license inspection, the Health Canada inspector recommended licensure as evidenced in the report.

In its quest for transparency, on October 30, 2014 the company press released the pre-license inspection report. The press release stated, "The names and signatures of Health Canada inspectors have been removed to protect their privacy and security. The two minor deficiencies sited in the report were remedied very quickly. Our facility awaits its award of its License to Grow, Harvest and Sell medical marijuana." A link to the report follows:

https://www.otciq.com/otciq/ajax/showFinancialReportById.pdf?id=128236

The recommendation for licensure is evidenced in the aforementioned link.

As stated in the February 3, 2016 press release: On or about February 2, 2016, CEN Biotech filed a Statement of Claim against the Attorney General of Canada in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

In its claim, CEN Biotech claims the following:

(a) damages for detrimental reliance in the sum of FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS ($15,000,000.00);

(b) damages for pure economic loss in an undetermined amount;

(c) prejudgment and post judgment interest in accordance with sections 128 and 129 of the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, as amended, and section 31 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-50, as amended;

(d) the costs of this proceeding on a substantial indemnity basis, plus all applicable taxes; and

(e) such further and other Relief as to this Honourable Court may seem just.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/creative-edge-nutrition-inc-announces-121300187.html

Most recently, the license sought by the company under the MMPR has been declared to be of no force and effect by the Federal Court (but that declaration is put on hold for 6 months to allow the government to deal with new legislation).

In the interim, both the MMPR and MMAR stay in effect pursuant to the terms of the Injunction of Manson J of March 21, 2014. A link to the court's decision follows:

http://cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/T-2030-13%20reasons%2024-02-2016%20(ENG).pdf

The company, in consultation with its legal strategists and attorneys, have made the decision to file a discontinuance of the Judicial review and continue on with its suit against Health Canada in Ontario Superior Court.

This decision was made because a license issued in a program deemed unconstitutional appears to hold no intrinsic value. Although the continuance of the Judicial Review would allow Bahige (Bill) Chaaban, the President & CEO of CEN Biotech Inc. the ability to fight the libel to his name, it is in the best interest of shareholders to pursue the best legal avenue for the company, this being the Ontario Superior court suit.

CEN Biotech, Inc. Announces the use of Social Media For Company Announcements in addition to Press Releases

As done by its former parent company Creative Edge Nutrition Inc., CEN Biotech a specialty pharmaceutical company announces The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a report that makes clear that companies can use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to announce key information in compliance with Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD) so long as investors have been alerted about which social media will be used to disseminate such information. This press release serves as the required notice. See link below

https://www.sec.gov/News/PressRelease/Detail/PressRelease/1365171513574

Bill Chaaban commented, "In the fast paced business environment, we cannot keep our shareholders up to date with daily press releases on the news wire. The SEC with its forward thinking has allowed companies to update shareholders daily if required through the use of our companies social media outlets. This allows our shareholders to make quick educated decisions in their investments.

Contact:

CEN Biotech Inc.

ceo@cenbiotechinc.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/06/16 -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CTY) Training service line is pleased to announce that it has been awarded three more contracts in Emergency Response Preparedness Training with City of Kingston, Olds College and Bruce Power.

"Calian is a leading expert in the design, development and delivery of the complete range of emergency management training, education and exercise activities - from comparatively basic one-day table top exercises to complex and demanding multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency complex full-scale exercises," said Jerry Johnston, VP, Calian Training.

Recently Calian's Training service line has been awarded its second contract with the City of Kingston in support of in the design and delivery of Emergency Response Preparedness Training exercise that will expand on previous work conducted in 2015.

In May, Calian assisted Olds College (Alberta) to train the leaders, within the institution, on their roles and responsibilities through a simulated tornado event. Calian's support included pre-training event coordination, an in-depth review of their current Emergency Response Plan, and the delivery of a table-top exercise enhanced through the use of advanced C4i simulation technology. Recognizing the role of a post-secondary institution within a community, this table-top exercise was expanded to include representation from the provincial emergency response agency, the local school board, the provincial health authority, fire, EMS and the affected municipalities.

Calian also continues to support Bruce Power to design, develop and support their Emergency Response Preparedness Corporate Exercises for 2016. This builds on the very successful multi-year relationship that has grown between the two companies.

Calian is a major sponsor of the World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM), to be held on June 7th and 8th at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The conference is the largest event of its kind in North America, boasting more than 1,500 attendees from 40 countries worldwide.

Concurrent to the WCDM, Calian will be supporting Emergency Management BC (EMBC) with Exercise Coastal Response 2016. The exercise will bring together over 500 participants from key stakeholder groups - multiple levels of government, various jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., and a number of provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations and first responders - in a coordinated and integrated way to activate the B.C. Earthquake Immediate Response Plan (IRP). The goal is to exercise elements of the IRP and strengthen relationships among and across partners and stakeholders to enhance operational coordination.

At Calian's WCDM luncheon presentation on Wednesday, June 8th from 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm there will be a 'Live Stream' to the EMBC Exercise, giving attendees an inside look into this large scale event in real-time.

"These contracts and our strong presence at the World Conference on Disaster Management demonstrate the unique strength and expertise of Calian's training service line," said Kevin Ford, President and Chief Executive Officer, Calian. "Aligned with the service line evolution pillar of our growth strategy, we are continually growing and evolving this service line to provide governments and private organizations alike with world class training capabilities."

About Calian Training

Calian's Training service line prepares leaders and their teams to effectively resolve the most complex of emergency situations for which the consequences of failure are profound. With over two decades of experience in developing customer-focused training, education and exercises, Calian's Training service line are experts at ensuring emergency response preparedness.

For over 20 years, Calian has supported numerous military and public sector organizations as they prepared for large and complex "no-fail" events. With hundreds of highly-skilled and well-qualified personnel - most of whom have many years of experience in the development and execution of this specialized training - Calian prepares teams to quickly and effectively resolve potentially catastrophic emergency situations. Calian has effectively prepared organizations to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornados; terrorist attacks; public disturbances; unexpected shutdowns or system compromise; transportation accidents such as spills, derailments and crashes; etc.

Working in support of Public Safety Canada, Calian has provided comprehensive training, education and exercise support for the dozens of municipal, provincial, federal and international agencies tasked to ensure the security and safety of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Calian also provided equivalent support for the G8 and G20 Conferences that took place the same year in Southern Ontario and Toronto. These successes reflect Calian's ability to develop exceptionally effective training, education and exercise products and support for events that are truly multi-jurisdictional in nature and which call upon a wide range of multi-disciplinary skills.

About Calian

Calian employs over 2,500 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calian's Systems Engineering Division (SED) located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the world's space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America.

DISCLAIMER

Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company's most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them.

Contacts:

Sharon Daly, Senior Marketing and PR Manager

Calian

s.daly@calian.com

(613) 599-8600 x215

Cell: (613) 809-5212



For Investor Inquiries,

Kevin Ford

President and Chief Executive Officer

613-599-8600



Jacqueline Gauthier

Chief Financial Officer

613-599-8600




On the eve of a spectacular concert in Bucharest's Constitution Square on June 5, members of three-time Grammy award-winning American rock group Maroon 5 sent a letter to Romania's president Klaus Iohannis, offering their support for Romania in its fight against illegal logging. The letter addresses Prime Minister Julien Ciolo? and Minister of the Environment Cristiana Pa?ca Palmer as well.

Romania harbors some of Europe's last remaining ancient forests, which the musicians call a "natural wealth unique on the continent." Home to bears, wolves, and lynx, this mythical wilderness is under severe threat from illegal harvesting of timber.

In the letter, keyboardist and guitarist Jesse Carmichael and guitarist James Valentine describe their commitment to supporting efforts to counter illegal logging around the world. In collaboration with U.S. NGOs the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Reverb, the two Maroon 5 members recently released a short film about their experiences supporting sustainable community forestry in Guatemala entitled Instruments of Change: Lessons from the Rainforest (trailer. The musicians write, "With this video, we intend to spread a message of caution and hope, to shine a light on the serious threats facing forests globally and inspire change."

Jesse and James describe their interest in Romania, "We understand that Romania's forests are significantly threatened by illegal logging. We wish to express our support for Romania as you work to create a long-term model that encourages sustainable forest management, deters illegal practices, and protects the nation's internationally renowned national parks, for the benefit of the Romanian people for generations to come."

The letter was shared by social media and received thousands of positive comments from Romanians who praised the musicians for their support on social media sites. EIA's forest campaign is dedicated to ending illegal logging worldwide, and has been focused on the unique forests of Romania for years. Reverb, led by Guster frontman Adam Gardner and Lauren Sullivan, seeks to promote environmentally-friendly music tours and ethical sourcing of wood for musical instruments.

Read the full letter from members of Maroon 5 to the President of Romania.

Watch the full 20-minute documentary Instruments of Change: Lessons from the Rainforest

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606006539/en/

Contacts:

Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)

Maggie Dewane, +1 202-483-6621

EIA Press Officer

mdewane@eia-global.org
Vedanta Biosciences, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of a new class of therapies designed to modulate the human microbiome, raised $50m in new equity funding.

Backers included new investors Rock Springs Capital, Invesco Asset Management and Health For Life Capital (Seventure) and existing investor PureTech.

The company intends to use the funds to advance multiple clinical studies in infectious and autoimmune diseases and to scale its technology platform.

Led by Bernat Olle, Ph.D., CEO, Vedanta Biosciences has built a proprietary platform for the discovery, development, and manufacturing of drugs based on live commensal microbes.

Using its platform, the company has isolated a vast collection of human-associated bacterial strains, characterized how the immune system recognizes and responds to these microbes, and generated a pipeline of drug candidates consisting of defined bacterial consortia in development for infectious disease, immune tolerance, inflammation, and immuno-oncology.

Vedanta already signed a first deal with a pharmaceutical company in the microbiome field in a licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson with up-front and milestone payments of up to $339m.

The company was founded by PureTech Health (PureTech Health plc, PRTC.L) and a group of experts in immunology and microbiology including:

 Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov (Professor of Immunobiology at Yale),

 Dr. Alexander Rudensky (tri-institutional Professor at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute, the Rockefeller University and Cornell University),

 Dr. Dan Littman (Professor of Molecular Immunology at NYU),

 Dr. Brett Finlay (Professor at the University of British Columbia) and

 Dr. Kenya Honda (Professor, School of Medicine, Keio University).

The Board of Directors includes:

 Board Chairman Christopher Viehbacher, Managing Partner at Gurnet Point Capital and former CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Sanofi;

 Dr. Bennett Shapiro, former Executive Vice President of Merck;

 Dr. John LaMattina, former President of research and development at Pfizer; and

 David Steinberg, Co-Founder of Vedanta and Executive Vice President at PureTech.

FinSMEs

06/06/2016
Phandeeyar, a Yangon, Myanmar-based technology hub, received US$2m in funding.

Omidyar Network provided the grant.

Led by Aung Kham, Aung Win Htut, David Madden, Ei Myat Noe Khin, Sarah Oh and Yan Naung Oak, Phandeeyar is a technology hub created to bring together civil society, independent media, and technologists to expand the technology talent base and the use of IT as well as to create a collaborative tech community.

Initially managed by Internews, a nonprofit organization that has been training the countrys journalists and advocating for open Internet in Myanmar, Phandeeyar offers education and training workshops, seminars, meet-ups, and other events such as hackathons and app competitions.

Omidyar had already backed in Phandeeyar in a $400k seed round in 2014 along with the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.

FinSMEs

06/06/2016
The University of Waterloo is partnering with Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Spectrum 28 to provide a new entrepreneurship program for students which includes access to a $2m fund.

Starting in June, the Waterloo Engineering | Spectrum 28 Student Venture Program will provide senior students with early-stage venture support through pop up classes and expert mentorship in addition to the opportunity to compete for funding.

The year-long program includes a series of pop up classes with Waterloo faculty and Silicon Valley experts, a Fast Feedback Day where the successful teams go on to refine their ideas or products, and a Demo Day.

At Demo Day, Spectrum 28, together with faculty members will offer equity funding to those teams which meet the programs criteria.

The program adds to Waterloos existing incubator and accelerator programs.

Founded in 2015 and led by Lyon Wong, Kent Ho, Shvet Jain, Alok Vasudev and Eddy Chan, Spectrum 28 is investing out of its first fund which has already backed Duetto Analytics, Earnest, Gravitational, Karius, Lookback, Vitagene and two other stealth mode startups operating in Finance and Genomics. The firm is based in Menlo Park.

FinSMEs

05/06/2016
New Delhi: Favouring consolidation in the public sector banking space, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government as of now is looking only at SBI merging 5 subsidiaries as well as Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself and a decision on this will be taken soon.

"We are looking at SBI (proposal) at the moment. It is with the government and (it) will respond. The government's policy by and large supports consolidation. I have indicated that in the budget itself," he said after a meeting with the heads of public sector banks and financial institutions here.

"We are expecting (approval) shortly," he said when asked as to how soon the government nod is expected. Last month, SBI cleared proposal for merger of subsidiary banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank. It sought government's approval for the merger.

The country's largest lender has five associate banks -- State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad.

Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed. The merger will create Rs 37-lakh crore banking behemoth with over 50 crore customers.

SBI first merged State Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two years later, State Bank of Indore was merged. SBI has maintained since then that it would merge others as well but none of its moves fructified due to lack of capital (which was pegged at least Rs 2,000 crore each for per bank) and stiff opposition from employee unions.

The merged entity will create a banking behemoth, which can compete with the largest in the world, with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion (Rs 37 lakh crore) or over $555 billion, with 22,500 branches and 58,000 ATMs as of December 2015. SBI alone has close to 16,500 branches, including 191 foreign offices spread across 36 countries.

According to sources, a Cabinet note has been moved with regard to the merger of associate banks of SBI with itself. The merger proposal may be taken up by the Cabinet towards the end of this month.

Once the government nod is given, the process of merger of associates would start. Easier candidates for the merger are the unlisted entities -- State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad, sources added.

Besides, the listing of PSU general insurance companies is also on the anvil. There are four public sector general insurance companies -- New India Assurance Company Ltd, National Insurance Company Ltd, Oriental Insurance Co Ltd, United India Insurance Co Ltd.

Besides, there are two specialised insurers -- ECGC and AIC -- one life insurance insurer, LIC.
NEW DELHI India's steel imports fell in May to their lowest level in at least 14 months, provisional government data showed, thanks to the country's efforts to cut cheap overseas purchases.

India, the world's third-largest steel producer, imported 546,000 tonnes of finished steel last month, nearly 41 percent lower than the same month a year earlier, data from the Joint Plant Committee (JPC) of the steel ministry showed. The JPC website shows monthly steel import data since April 2015.

In February, the government imposed a floor price on the import of 173 steel products and in March extended import taxes on some products until 2018. Last month, New Delhi imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty on seamless tubes, pipes imported from China.

India has also begun looking into the possible dumping of cheap steel from China, as well as Japan and South Korea. Domestic steel makers including JSW Steel, Tata Steel and Kalyani Steels have been lobbying the government for more protectionist measures.

Consumption of steel in India, the only major market where steel demand is growing, rose 3.8 percent in May while steel exports by Asia's third-largest economy rose 6.1 percent.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal. Editing by Jane Merriman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: An alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, accused of facilitating infiltration of terrorists in India through Indo-Nepal border, has been discharged by a court in Delhi noting that there was no "admissible evidence" against him.

Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh granted the relief to Uttar Predesh resident Irfan Ahmed, who was alleged to be a close aide of LeT's alleged bomb maker Abdul Karim Tunda.

The court passed the order after noting that the special cell of Delhi police only had disclosure statements of some other accused arrested in a separate case of arms and explosives against Ahmed, which was not admissible in law.

"In the absence of any admissible evidence qua Irfan Ahmed, there is no material brought by the prosecution to substantiate the charge of criminal conspiracy on the basis of which any charge charge can be framed against him.

"For the reasons recorded above, the accused Irfan Ahmed is discharged," the court said.

The 51-year-old Irfan has been accused in several cases and was held guilty in 1999 by a Delhi court in one such case.

Irfan was arrested when he had reached his native place last year after escaping from a Nepal jail where he was lodged.

The agency had claimed that in 2001, the accused had jumped parole in the serial train blast cases of 1993 and fled to Nepal and set up his base there for providing logistics to the LeT terrorists as a transit camp between India and Pakistan and used to route the funds of the outfit.

The agency had also alleged that he had planted bomb in Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express on 6 December 1993.

Besides, the accused was held guilty a trial court in a separate terror case in which a huge consignment of explosive materials was recovered from south-Delhi in 1994.

In its charge sheet filed against Irfan in the present case, the Special Cell of Delhi police had claimed that the accused was involved in infiltration of terrorists in India through he Indo-Nepal border.

In FIR filed in 2006, the Special Cell of Delhi police had sought the prosecution of Irfan for the offences committed under several sections of IPC and under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act.
Doha: With the enhancement of India's image globally, the whole world is attracted to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Today, the whole world is attracted to India, is curious about India, Modi said while addressing an Indian community reception on the second and concluding day of his two-day visit to Qatar. You also must have felt the change underway in India, he said after arriving to a rousing welcome to the reception.

India's image has been enhanced globally, he said as members of the gathering chanted "Modi, Modi".

Modi said that people of India living in Qatar were never away from India even for a minute. They are reliving India on the soil of Qatar, he said.

At around 630,000, Indians comprise the largest expatriate population in this Gulf nation.

Global agencies are in agreement that if there is a fastest growing economy, it is India. Our growth rate is high, the Prime Minister said, while pointing out that the world economy too was not doing well at the moment.

Global purchasing power has gone down and adversely affected our exports. Despite that, we have clocked this high growth rate, he said. The quarterly figures, even as India has faced two consecutive droughts, reflect a praiseworthy 7.9 percent growth.

Stating that corruption has troubled India for long, Modi said that we are determined to eliminate it.

We have introduced several schemes for combating corruption, for fiscal discipline and economic reforms, he said.

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that when the leaders of other nations he visits praise the achievements of the Indian diaspora, my hear fills with pride and joy.

Modi, who arrived here on Saturday afternoon from Afghanistan, visited a health camp for Indian workers soon after his arrival.

On Sunday, India and Qatar signed seven agreements following delegation level talks led by Modi and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Modi also met with top business leaders of Qatar and invited them to invest in India.

Later on Sunday, he will leave for Switzerland on the third leg of his foreign tour that will also take him to the US and Mexico.
Fourteen years are not long enough for the victims of Gulbarg Housing Society massacre to get closure. On 2 June, a special SIT court had convicted 24 of the 66 accused in the case. Of the 24 convicted, 11 have been charged with murder, while 13 others have been convicted for lesser offences. Pronouncement on the quantum of punishment in the case was expected on Monday, however, the hearing has now been adjourned till 9 June.

Gulbarga society massacre case: Hearing on quantum of punishment for the 24 convicts adjourned to June 9  ANI (@ANI_news) June 6, 2016

Special Court Judge PB Desai had acquitted 36 others, including sitting BJP corporator Bipin Patel and also dropped the conspiracy charge (120 B) against all the accused in the 2 June verdict. Of the 66 accused, six had died during the trial and nine are already in jail. The court also said that there is no evidence of criminal conspiracy in the case, while dropping section 120 B of the IPC.

Congress corporator Meghsinh Chaudhari and K G Erda, who was the police inspector of the area in which Gulbarg Society was located, are among those acquitted, while VHP leader Atul Vaid is among the 24 convicted.

Arguing the brutal nature of the crime, the prosecution on Monday sought capital punishment for the 11 convicted for murder. The defense lawyers on the hand said that the Supreme Court says death penalty can only be granted when there is total certainty and the prosecution's argument is based on partial evidence, reported CNN-News18.

Bipin Patel, who is acquitted in the case, is a sitting BJP corporator from Asarva seat. He was also corporator in 2002 when the massacre took place and won the election for fourth consecutive term last year.

During the trial, the victim's lawyer had argued that the massacre was a pre-planned criminal conspiracy to kill minority community members of the Gulbarg Society. The defence had refuted the conspiracy theory of prosecution and claimed that the mob resorted to violence only after slain Congress MP Eshan Jafri fired several rounds at them.

Zakia Jafri, who has been fighting for justice for her late husband MP Ehsan Jafri, had expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict that was pronounced on 2 June.

"No, I am not satisfied with the verdict. I did not like it. All should have been given punishment for what they did and what they did not. I know it all and as I have seen the massacre. I expected all to be convicted...how they killed people, how they made them homeless, I saw it myself," Zakia said.

"I can't dare to ask for capital punishment, but maximum punishment should be given. They should be given life imprisonment so they could know the pain of staying away from their family and children," she said.

"My fight should have stopped but looking at the judgement the fight will continue," she said.

After the 2 June verdict, Ehsan Jafri's son Tanvir raised questions on acquittal of 36 people. "It was a big society with 15-20 bungalows and 10 apartments with 400-500 occupants. So how can 24 people loot and burn the entire society for 24 hours and kill so many people in such a brutal manner. So that way it looks very odd," Jafri said.

Former CBI Director RK Raghavan, who headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe cases including the Gulbarg Society massacre, had said that he has mixed feelings over the verdict.

"We did our best with all the facts before the court. It refused to buy our story. The court has believed us partly by not convicting all the accused. It shows the mettle of the Indian judiciary. They just want the investigating officer to place all the facts. And it is for the court to make a decision," the ex-SIT chief said.

With inputs from agencies
The Haryana government, this time, while dealing with the second round of the Jat agitation seems to have taken a lesson from the Prakash Singh Committee report that had strongly criticised the state government for its administrative failure in tackling the riot caused by the Jat agitators in February that claimed 30 lives.

Following the recommendations made by the former Director General of Police Uttar Pradesh, Prakash Singh in his report, the government has ensured a foolproof security cover across Haryana.

To keep the second round of Jat agitation under strict control, 55 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMF) comprising Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the state to check any kind violence.

A massive security blanket of 55 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces has been created in Haryana to ensure no incidence of violence takes place. Special instructions have been issued to the state government to ensure security and safety of citizens and properties. The Centre is monitoring the situation, a Ministry of Home Affairs source said.

Singh, in his report, had recommended that local administration and police should sternly deal with the rioters, right use of security and police forces, and enforcement of orders.

I believe this time the state administration and police have been alert and have beefed up security measures so that February incident doesnt get repeated. I had recommended the administration to adopt nip at the bud approach to prevent the agitators from creating rampage. As the agitators know that the government is firm this time, they are not taking any risk to create disturbances, Singh, also former Director General, BSF, told Firstpost.

Making scathing remarks against the administration and police, Singh, in his report presented to Haryana government had mentioned, a deliberate, calculated destruction was caused by rioters in connivance with a section from state administration and police... There were instances of deliberate negligence and cases of deliberately not enforcing law in certain places. The rioters from a particular community (read Jat) went on a rampage under the supervision of a section of officials from that particular community... Police and security forces were found incapable of combating the situation.

The Jat quota agitators started the second phase of agitation in Haryana on 5 June. The second day, on Monday, has been peaceful, as no untoward incident has yet been reported. Meanwhile, besides Jhajjar, Sonipat, Rohtak, Panipat, Hisar, Jind, Fatehbad and Kaithal districts in Haryana, Section 144 against unlawful gathering has also been imposed in the areas bordering Haryana and Delhi, and a few other areas in South West, North West and South East Delhi. During the first phase of agitation, violence was witnessed in and around Mukherjee Nagar and Najafgarh areas in Delhi.

A dedicated helpline has been provided that will be monitored by a control room in Chandigarh round-the-clock. As an additional security measure and to prevent spreading of any kind of rumours, bulk SMSes and mobile internet have been suspended in Sonipat and Rohtak districts till further notice.

Security arrangements have been beefed up across the Munak Canal, which supplies water to Delhi. The water supply from Munak Canal meets 60 percent of Delhi's total requirement. Seven batallions of CPMF have been deployed to protect the canal and the water supply system from agitators. During the last agitation in February, the Jat agitators caused heavy damage to this canal, which disrupted water supply in Delhi. Due to the closure of plants, the water supply to West, North West, Central, South and parts of North Delhi were severely affected. It was only after the taking over of the control of Munak Canal by 600 CRPF personnel and two columns of Army took over control, normalcy could be restored to water supply in Delhi.

Our BSF jawans have been deployed on the banks of Munak Canal and they are keeping a strict vigil, so that no damage could be caused. The government has issued orders to strictly deal with agitators, if they try to create any kind disturbance, a BSF source said.

The Jat agitation that turned into a violent riot in February resulted in the 30 people being killed and over 200 injured, besides Rs 20,000 crore losses in destruction in widespread rampage.

The Jat agitation has become a major impediment for tourists, who pass through Haryana to visit hill stations in North India. Fearing eventualities like in February, many tourists have cancelled plans to travel by road.

The state government has to ensure that no violence occurs during the agitation period. The agitators can peacefully demonstrate and hold meetings, but cant go on a rampage like in February. This second phase of agitation will have an adverse impact on the travellers and tourists due to fear and panic. Last time, both politicians and civil administration severely failed to deal with the agitation. It was a shame on bureaucracy and police as they abdicated their responsibility. Hope the government ensures that no repetition takes place this time and highways are not blocked by agitators. And, if administration and police fail this time, the officials and DGP concerned should be removed from command, said Dhruv C Katoch, former director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, who was on his way back from Nainital by road.

Due to pressure from state government and increased security measures, the national president of Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aaraskhan Sangharsh Samiti, Yashpal Malik, had recently announced that they would organise peaceful agitation  Jat Nyay Rally against the state for not releasing those arrested during the violent stir in February.
In what resembled 'high drama', the Karnataka government, along with the police higher-ups swung into damage control mode to prevent the proposed strike by constables in the state on Thursday.

First, they arrested Shasidhar, the president of the All-Karnataka Police Association in a midnight operation, then they filed cases of treason against him and Basavaraj Koravankar, member of the retired and serving police families welfare committee. Both the union leaders were booked under Essential Services Maintenance Act, Police Act and treason under the Indian Penal Code Section 124(a). Senior police officers across the state also summoned their rank and file for a Friday parade and got them to take a pledge that they wouldnt strike work on Monday.

On Saturday, the gates of the police quarters were locked to prevent families of the constables from protesting. But this was not all. There were reports of senior cops posing with their constables in the police stations and posting them on Twitter to show that the rank and file under them had all reported for duty.

In an effort to stop the constables from going on strike, senior officials undertook an instant survey across the state,to check the cops living conditions in the police quarters and listen to theirs and their families grievances.

The 60,000-strong contingent of constables in Karnataka had planned to go on mass leave today to protest against poor living and working conditions. Low pay, no fixed weekly-offs, no vacation time were some of their complaints. Their demands also included pay hikes, better working conditions, regular weekly-offs and proper implementation of welfare schemes like Arogya Bhagya and canteen facility. There were also complaints of some of the senior police officials using them to do domestic labour in their homes. Complaints of disparity in pay vis-a-vis the neighbouring states was another grievance. Adding to their woes were the pathetic living conditions of their quarters, some of which were 40-years-old. There were issues of water supply, drainage and sanitation and leaky roofs.

Now, on whether the police constabulary assigned to maintain law and order in the state, is allowed to go on strike, is another debate for another day.

What is the crux of the matter is that these thankless and hapless constables in Karnataka only echoed what their compatriots face across the country. The only extra thing on their bucket list is a wage disparity between the states.

What is interesting is that it is not as though the Centre, state and the police administration were not aware of the problems the cops face. Several studies have been undertaken over the years on the working conditions of the constables, yet no corrective measures have been taken.

The Hindu reported as early as 2008 about, A profile of junior ranks of Karnataka police  a survey of their attitudes, behaviour, mental makeup and stress levels that was commissioned by then additional director-general of police (Recruitment and Training) DV Guruprasad and submitted to the state government.

The study found that the constabulary was harassed by higher-ups and despite long working hours, they took home paltry pay. The study also found that women constables did not get proper rest during their pregnancy. Often the leave quota of the police personnel lapsed after a year, as they couldnt take it.

As recent as 2014, another Central-level study was undertaken, called the National Requirement of Manpower for Eight-Hour Shifts in Police Stations. The study sponsored by the Central governments Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), and done by the Administrative Staff College of India, spanned 23 states and Union Territories. The ASCI stated, That police station staff in India have unduly long and irregular working hours is a widely-perceived phenomenon. The need for shift-working in police stations has also been widely recognised as a much-awaited reform in police functioning.

The study found that 90 percent of police station staff across states and across various police stations worked more than eight hours a day, some even upto 11 to 14 hours a day. Over 73 percent of police station staff said they could not take their weekly-offs even once a month and were often recalled to duty during their off time to deal with emergency law and order issues. ASCI suggested eight-hour work shifts, but this would require additional manpower.

Now, its no mind-bender that long working hours can hardly be productive and over-exhausted police personnel can hardly be expected to be bright and chirpy while policing the state. Theres enough research to show that long hours lead to several health issues. So why has this wound been allowed to fester? Why have successive governments at the Centre and state not done anything about it?

In 2013, The New York Times reported that India was the second lowest among 50 countries ranked for police personnel per capita. India has 129 police personnel for 100,000 people, according to 2011 data from the United Nations office on drug and crime. The UN body cites a world average of 350 and India stands lower than many developed economies around the world and is just higher than Uganda.

This does not augur well for the establishment that has to man the countrys law and order situation. Traffic chaos, road rage, riots, strikes, and crime against women, children and senior citizens are all steadily on the rise in our cities. And we definitely cannot have a sleep deprived and exhausted constabulary manning our police stations and guarding our cities. This does not make for efficient policing.

Its time that the Centre, state governments and the police administration sat up and took notice of the growing dissent in the constabulary. The Karnataka Police stir has to be seen as a warning, and police reforms have to be implemented on a war-footing across the nation.

Today, it is Karnataka, tomorrow it will be the rest of India.
New Delhi: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Monday accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of antics and lip-service on Mathura violence, and alleged the BJP and Samajwadi Party are working "hand in glove".

"Dono partiya aapas mein mili hue haen (These two parties are hand in glove with each other)," Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said in a statement, adding such nexus has only added to the miseries of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acted differently on West Bengal violence but with regard to the violence in Uttar Pradesh, it is showing inaction.

"With regard to West Bengal (violence), the central government had taken several initiatives and tried for a CBI probe. But they are only indulging in rhetoric and drama in Uttar Pradesh," she said.

The BSP supremo reminded the BJP-led central government that besides the party winning as many as 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also is an elected member from the state. "So, it becomes all the more important that the Centre shows more accountability towards the affairs in the state," she said.

Referring to Mathura violence, Mayawati flayed Governor Ram Naik for his perceived "silence".

She alleged the Mathura violence was sparked off due to the state administration's tacit support to the "land grabbers".

"However, the inadequate action of the central government suggests that the intelligence reports on the emerging situation in Mathura should have been passed on to the state government. This may be considered an act of negligence of the central government," Mayawati alleged.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday dismissed BJP's charge that there was political pressure on police to not evict encroachers from Mathura's Jawahar Bagh and said the recent violence there was the result of the failure of local authorities.

In a report to the Centre, the state government has said last Thursday's clashes between the police and squatters belonging to a cult  Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi  an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, at the public park was the result of the failure of the local police to assess the situation.

The report said the police was forced to act before they had made adequate preparations following an attack by the cult members. According to reports, a police contingent led by Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi had gone to Jawahar Bagh on 2 June for a recce when it came under attack. In the clashes that ensued 29 people, including Dwivedi and the SHO of the local police station Santosh Kumar were killed. Cult leader Ram Vriksh Yadav was also killed.

The Uttar Pradesh government was also probing whether the members of cult had any links with Maoists as a large number of weapons were found from the spot. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said on Friday that there were "some lapses" on the part of the police in Mathura during the anti-encroachment drive and that there was no information that protesters had so much of weapons and ammunitions with them.

"There were some lapses. Police should have gone with full preparation and after holding talks, but there was no information that they would be having so much (arms and ammunition," Akhilesh had said. So far, 45 cases have been registered against 3,000 encroachers belonging to a cult.

BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had targeted the state's Samajwadi Party government over the incident, with the former even accusing Shivpal Yadav, a state minister and younger brother of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav of patronising the cult.

Rajnath Singh had suggested the state government to recommend a CBI probe into the incident. "There is more to it than meets the eye. What does not meet the eye needs to be revealed. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you should write to the Centre seeking a CBI probe. If UP government recommends a CBI probe we will surely accept it. It is not an ordinary incident," Singh had told a rally in Amroha on Sunday.
New Delhi: Five men, who along with four others were accused of kidnapping and gangraping a 52-year-old Danish woman at knife-point near the New Delhi railway station two years ago, were held guilty by a city court on Monday.

While pronouncing the judgement, Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar II said "All (five) accused are held guilty for all offences."

The court fixed 9 June for hearing arguments on quantum of sentence in the case in which, under the new law, the offence of gangrape entails a minimum jail term of 20 years and a maximum of imprisonment till remainder of natural life.

The judge convicted Mahender alias Ganja (27), Mohd Raja (23), Raju (24), Arjun (22) and Raju Chakka (23), all of whom were present in the court.

They were held guilty for the offences under sections 376 (D) (gang rape), 395 (dacoity), 366(kidnapping), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

The sixth accused, 56-year-old Shyam Lal had died in February this year and proceedings against him were abated.

Three others are juveniles and the inquiry against them is in progress before the Juvenile Justice Board.

According to the prosecution, the five men had robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of 14 January, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near the Railway Station.

The woman had come to India on 1 January, 2014, and stayed in Delhi for a couple of days before leaving for Agra. After visiting several places, she returned to the national capital on 13 January, 2014, and stayed in a hotel in Paharganj near the railway station.

On the next day when she was returning to her hotel, she lost her way and asked one of the accused for directions when the men waylaid and gangraped her.

The verdict was welcomed by Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava who said that with the decision, a good message would be sent to the society.

"It is a good message for the whole society especially for people who are abroad that if anything wrong happens to them in India, the law is there to protect and do justice to them," he said.

Legal aid counsel Dinesh Sharma, who represented all the accused, said he would file an appeal against the judgement before the Delhi High Court.

During the hearing, the court was informed that the defence counsel had challenged its previous order dismissing a plea seeking to examine some doctors as witnesses on the potency issue of Shyam Lal.

The court, however, said nowhere in the application it was mentioned that the proceedings of this court had been stayed by the Delhi High Court.

"Hence, this court is not barred from passing the order," the judge said.
What do we hope for from the ideal of the community? We hope to solve the political problem; we hope for the New Jerusalem

 Gillian Rose, Mourning becomes the law

My ophthalmologist is a fellow Kashmiri Pandit who, like most of us, lost everything in the exodus of 1990. In the last twenty-six years in exile, he has rebuilt his life. His daughter has followed his footsteps  she is a doctor and is currently in the United States to pursue an advanced degree in medicine.

A few years ago, the doctor was building a new house in the Delhi suburb where he practices. He remembered his ancestral house in Kashmir Valley and wanted his new house to resemble his old one in some way. He was growing old and felt surges of nostalgia tide over him. He remembered that his Kashmir house had window frames with intricate latticework known locally as Panjarkaari.

But he wondered where he would he get those frames in Delhi.

It is then that an acquaintance told him about a shop run by a Kashmiri Muslim craftsman in a small marketplace in South Delhi. He said the man dealt in such frames. The doctor called the man and they fixed a meeting.

The doctor was very excited. He took enough cash to buy frames for his entire house. The doctors wife insisted that she come along to help him select the frames.

Upon reaching the shop, the couple was happy to see several wooden frames very similar to the ones their home in Valley had. The couple selected a few frames and asked the craftsman how much they cost. The man was all smiles. He rubbed his hands and said he couldnt dare quote a price and that they should feel free to pay him whatever they wanted. But the doctor insisted. At this point, the man looked out of his shop and said in Kashmiri: Kenh ti diyev mahra, yimme chhe tuhiendie (Pay whatever you like, Sir, these [frames] are yours only).

The doctor says he froze when he heard that. He turned back and had a good look at the frames. It is then that he realised what the man meant. These frames indeed belonged to someone like him  a Pandit. Somebody must have extracted them from a deserted house of a family who, for all we know, lives now in a refugee settlement.

The doctor recalls bile rising to his mouth. But he just made an excuse of forgetting his chequebook and left hastily.

The doctor tells me this story every time I visit him. It is not that I visit him every week. But even after months, after conducting a routine examination of my eyes, and after enquiring about my parents, he shares it with me. It is embedded in his mind. May be it means nothing to others who visit him, including Pandits. May be they have learnt to live with whatever their new apartments in new cities offer them.

Now, look at the tragedy of this story. The doctor may want to return to Kashmir. The family whose window frames made their way to a Delhi market may want to return to Kashmir as well. But may be they do not want to return to their houses left bereft of even their window frames. But nobody is asking them.

Everyone else, including the mainstream politicians, separatist groups and their sympathisers in Delhi is telling them in passive sobriety on how they ought to return, if at all. The Pandits are told that if they returned to the proposed colonies designed as safe sanctuaries, it will be akin to creating ghettos.

The Jewish quarter in Venice, Italy, established in 1516 after compelling the citys Jews to live there was a ghetto. Certain neighbourhoods in American cities like Chicago are ghettos. Juhapura in Ahmedabad is a ghetto. But for most of the Pandits right now, it is the other way round: the entire Kashmir Valley is a ghetto after it was cleansed of its minority in 1990 which in any case constituted less than five percent of its population.

Some of us wanting our return do so in good faith. But when they say we should return to our neighbourhoods and not to the proposed colony, they forget or ignore several things. One: it is not as if Kashmir has been prepared as a New Jerusalem for us. The majority of the majority community in Kashmir is still in denial mode about the circumstances that led to our exodus in 1990. Back then, our friends in Kashmir argue, they were as helpless as we were. How? Because a few hundred local boys had crossed over to Pakistan (and Pakistan-administered Kashmir), returning with guns. But who were those tens of thousands of people who assembled in the mosques in every nook and corner of Kashmir Valley on the night of January 19, 1990, jeering at India, and saying they wanted Pakistan, without Pandit men, but with their women? Do they regret those times? Are they repentant? No.

Two: how does one expect the Pandits to return to their neighbourhoods where many among their kith and kin fell to hatred that had spread like Plague in 1990? How does one expect the widow of the telecommunication engineer BK Ganjoo to return to her locality when the woman who signalled to militants that her young husband was hiding in a rice drum in the attic and the man  one among the two  who shot him in that drum live in the same neighbourhood?

Three: Most of the houses the Pandits possessed have either been sold in distress or they have been illegally occupied or destroyed completely. So even if they were to agree upon returning to their erstwhile streets, where will they live?

The Pandits need a chance to return. And it is only they who can decide how they want to return. The proposed colony they may return to will not be a ghetto for them. It will be a foothold. It will not be the ultimate solution; the colony will not be their New Jerusalem either. But from there, some day, they may return to homes with window frames of their choice.

The author is a 2015 Yale World Fellow and the author of, among others, Our Moon has Blood Clots: A memoir of a lost home in Kashmir. He tweets @rahulpandita.
New Delhi: The Art of Living (AOL) foundation has deposited Rs 4.75 crore as "environment compensation" with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) as directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for damaging the Yamuna's biodiversity during its World Culture Festival in March.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living deposited the environment compensation through a demand draft to the DDA on 3 June.

"Art of Living foundation has submitted a demand draft of Rs 4.75 crore as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal on June 3," advocate Kush Sharma, appearing for DDA, told PTI.

The green panel had on 3 June directed the expert committee headed by Shashi Shekhar, Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources to inspect the site on Yamuna floodplains where the three-day festival was organised, before 10 June. The panel had also asked to submit a "complete and comprehensive" report in a sealed cover by 4 July.

The bench had said that if the inspection was not done before 10 June, the whole purpose of the visit by the expert committee would be "defeated" as there were chances of rain.

It had also said that besides Shekhar, the inspection committee would comprise of senior scientist from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Professor CR Babu, Professor AK Gosain, Professor Brij Gopal and two more members.

The tribunal had slammed AOL for not depositing the environment compensation imposed on it saying it was "wilful violation" of its undertakings.

It had held that corporate entity cannot be used to promote irregularities and said it would even lift the "corporate veil" and find "real substance" of the matter while examining the case to ascertain the truth.

It had earlier dismissed AOL's plea seeking its nod to accept the environment compensation as bank guarantee instead of "payment of balance amount" of Rs 4.75 crore.

The green panel on March 9 had refused to prohibit the festival held between 11 and 13 March, but asked it to pay a compensation of Rs 5 crore for damaging biodiversity and aquatic life of Yamuna.

On 11 March, AOL had moved a plea seeking four weeks time for depositing the amount after which the tribunal allowed the foundation to deposit Rs 25 lakh on that day and granted three weeks time period to pay the balance amount.
The current drought affecting 330 million people, the heat wave that is gripping most cities and falling water tables in Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and other parts of India are all indications of what we could expect from our future as humans continue to burn massive quantities of fossil fuel, encroach green spaces to build ever-growing concrete cities. Water tables are declining at alarming rates of 1-1.2 meters a year in the major metros as well as other parts of India. The ratio of trees to humans has fallen to 1:7 in Bangalore as against the desired level of 8:1 i.e. there is one tree for seven humans as against a requirement of eight trees for one human. April 2016 has set the record on fire as being the hottest month globally and the seventh month in a row.

The multiplicity of such ecological stressors could cause a systemic fall in the architecture of our modern life. Our food and water supply, quality of the air we breathe and weather conditions that make life livable are under threat from risks of climate change and resource depletion. Our reckless high carbon progress and complete disregard for natural resources is taking us towards the brink of ecological and economic collapse.

Exponential growth in population has put and is putting enormous pressure on an already depleting natural resource base while the process of conversion of resources to economic goods has created vast amounts of pollution leading to climate change. The scale of these challenges is unprecedented, especially for a highly populous and developing country like India.

These challenges will continue to grow as we keep emitting huge amounts of carbon dioxide every year. This relentless burning of our greatest nonrenewable resource, fossil fuels, has led to the increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide from 285 parts per million (ppm) in 1850 to 400 ppm in 2015. This has resulted in the warming of the planet and Earths average surface temperature has already gone up by around 0.85 Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels.

Taking cognisance of this alarming rise in the temperature, global leaders have been meeting every year, now for over two decades, to decide on what conscious actions each country can take to reduce their emissions. The latest Conference of Parties (COP 21), held in December 2015 in Paris, is considered to be a landmark event in the history of global climate change discourse. It is so because countries have come to an agreement, with many non-legal binding elements, to reduce their national carbon emissions starting from 2020. If they successfully meet their mitigation targets, which have never happened before, then it will restrict the global warming and temperature rise to 2.7 Celsius.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considers an increase of 2 Celsius as the maximum safe limit to avoid dangerous repercussions of climate change.

With April 2016 recording 1.1 Celsius above the baseline 1951-1980 average, has global warming reached a new normal of increase in temperature of 1.1 Celsius or is it a temporary phenomenon caused due to weather conditions?

The science of climate change is complex. There is huge uncertainty involved in the predictions done by models on global temperature rise. There are a set of scientists who believe the target to limit atmospheric concentration to 450 ppm is optimistic and could trigger a potential snowball effect which can take the temperature rise well beyond 2 Celsius. They advocate for a maximum atmospheric ppm level of 330-350 in order to avoid the irreversible process of the temperature rise. No one knows for sure when the climate tipping points would be crossed. But if we continue emitting carbon the way we have done so far, then breaching the tipping points could be just a matter of time.

With an already warmer planet and shrinking natural resource base, it is in our interest to reduce the atmospheric concentration from current levels of 400 ppm to 350 ppm. What this means, in terms of changing our world and lives, is beyond what we have seen in the global climate change discourse. A conscious mitigation effort, as seen in the Paris agreement, would only reduce the extent of increase in ppm levels or at best stabilise them at higher levels. But to bring it down requires some serious and mass scale redesigning of the systems in which we live. Our transportation choices, what we eat, buy, throw, consume everything would need to undergo systemic redesigning, in fairly quick time. But first, this change has to begin in our minds. If we fail to take it as a personal responsibility and consider climate change as a personal issue, rather than seeing it only as a universal issue, then all policy measures at global or national levels would be futile.

This becomes particularly important since we not only face risks of global climate change but also of running out of local natural resources. While non-renewable resources like minerals, metals, and fossil fuel are bound to deplete because they dont regenerate, even the renewable natural resources like water, biodiversity, timber etc are under severe depletion. Our disregard for conservation of natural resources poses an immediate clear threat to the sustenance of the human kind and economy.

In order to understand how humans have created an impact on Earth, let us take a look at some of the irrefutable facts.

1) Human beings population in 1800 was 1 billion. In 2015 global population has crossed 7 billion. We have grown by 7 times in 200 years, doubling ourselves in every 30-35 years. Which other species has followed this trajectory in this time?

2) Fossil fuels are formed over millions of years of biogeochemical process. They are derivatives of ancient sunshine and biomass buried underneath Earths surface. We are burning about millions of years of ancient sunshine in 250 years through industrialisation. And we are not finished yet.

3) According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, rapid consumption of natural resources over the past 50 years has resulted in considerable, and to a large extent, irreversible loss of ecological diversity. 18,788 species out of 52,017 so far assessed are threatened with extinction.

4) Since 2000, 6 million hectares of primary forest have been lost each year.

5) Every day species extinctions are continuing at up to 1,000 times or more the natural rate. With the current biodiversity loss, we are witnessing the greatest extinction crisis since dinosaurs disappeared from our planet 65 million years ago.

6)In most places groundwater tables are depleting faster than their regeneration rate. Delhis groundwater is estimated to be depleting 1 meter a year on average.4000 borewells have gone dry in one month in Bangalore, an increase by 12 times compared to last year.

Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell, says author Edward Abbey in The Second Rape of the West. This quote provides perspective into the human paradigm responsible for our current ecological crises.

Ideally,these indications should be enough to stimulate our common sense in believing that immediate actions are to be taken. Until we work at changing our paradigms and belief systems, we are merely doing window dressing with the hope of expecting systemic change.

Degrowth in atmospheric concentration levels can be achieved, only if we take cognisance of current reality, build harmonious consensus and start putting our act together. We have enough time to act but none to waste.

The author is an Associate Fellow, Earth Science Climate Change division at TERI. All views are personal.
Plans were announced Monday for a hatchery to be built in Beatrice and put into service next year.

The NGage economic development group announced that Hybrid Turkeys will build a hatchery in the northwest portion of the Gage County Industrial Park.

According to a press release, the $6 million investment is the culmination of an extensive search for a potential site to build a new hatching facility.

The site selection team said it was impressed by the collaborative and innovative approach presented by both the city of Beatrice and the state of Nebraska.

Walker Zulkoski, executive director of NGage, said Beatrice was one of five communities in three states considered, and this will be the companys first Nebraska location.

We have a fabulous industrial park; that was by far the best thing that worked for them, he said. One thing you cant change is your location. Finding some place thats a shovel-ready site in an industrial park ... this is the area they needed. To be away from traffic but have utilities was a driver.

The hatchery is expected to be operational by July 2017 and add 25 full-time jobs at the 30,000-square-feet site.

Hybrid Turkeys General Manager Peter Gruhl said in a press release that several factors were considered before selecting Beatrice as the site.

Location, services, biosecurity and opportunities to serve our customers were all carefully considered in the search process, said Gruhl. This investment in a new turkey hatchery is representative of our commitment to fulfilling the needs of our clients and continuing to support the U.S. turkey industry.

Zulkoski said the project has been in the works for most of 2016, and stressed that attracting the company to the area was a group effort, and he expects the announcement to be the first of many to come.

We did a good job promoting it and this is the first thing thats really going to kick off a boom in this area, he said. I think itll draw some attention here. Im excited to put us on the map.

Hybrid Turkeys is part of Hendrix Genetics, a leading multi-species breeding company with primary activities in turkeys, layers, pigs, aquaculture and traditional poultry.

Headquartered in Boxmeer, in the Netherlands, Hendrix Genetics provides expertise and resources to producers in more than 100 countries, with operations and joint ventures in 24 countries and more than 2,400 employees worldwide, according to the press release.
On Monday (6 June) morning, around two dozen youth raised pro-Khalistan slogans in Amritsar's Golden Temple and demanded a "Sikh referendum by 2020."

The early-morning drama marked the 32nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army's 1984 offensive to flush out Sikh separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed militia from the Golden Temple.

A day before the anniversary, the state government had turned the Golden Temple into a fortress, deploying a three-layered security around the shrine. Simultaneously, more than a hundred hardliners were detained from across the state to ensure peace is not disturbed by pro-Khalistan protesters and activists.

Hardliners had given a call for shutting down Amritsar on the day of the anniversary. But, in the city, it was business as usual.

For the past few years, hardliners have been trying to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab. On every anniversary of the India Army's operation in the premises of the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, competing groups of hardliners try to ignite the separatist sentiment through slogans, posters and interruptions in religious ceremonies at the Golden Temple. Two years ago, a similar effort was made on Bhindranwale's death anniversary, when overnight posters and slogans hailing him as a martyr had sprung up across Punjab.

Will the hardliners succeed?

In 1984, when Indira Gandhi asked the Army to enter the Golden Temple, the Indian government's principal adversaries were the hardliners led by Bhindranwale's Damdami Taksal. As its religio-political head, the fiery Sikh separatist had positioned the Taksal, headquartered around 40 kilometres from Amritsar, at the vanguard of fundamentalism.

But, in what could be seen as a sign of changing times, the Taksal is now trying to go back to its moderate roots, turning itself into a centre of religious teachings instead of just remaining a custodian of Bhindranwale's legacy and philosophy.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, in the past couple of years, it has made a concerted effort to recreate itself from the rubble and project itself as not just the custodian of the legacy of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, its 14th head, and Guru Gobind Singh, the last Sikh guru, but also the keeper of the purest form of Sikhism, wedded to modernity.

Such has been the transformation that Damdami Taksal is now under attack from fringe elements for turning moderate and allying itself with the ruling Shiromani Akal Dal (SAD).

The feeling within Punjab is that the separatist movement is all but dead. Though pro-Khalistan activists still abound in large numbers, their movement exists only at a conceptual level, as a mirage that nobody is willing to chase.

The sentiment is echoed by many. In December 2015, Firstpost met Harpal Singh Cheema, one of the prominent separatist voices in Punjab. At the peak of the Khalistan movement, Cheema was jailed on several occasions in India and in Californiaon the basis of "classified information." Having fought for a separate state for several decades, Cheema now believes their struggle will now exist only as political movement. "Militancy will never return to Punjab," he had told Firstpost in December.

Punjab's problem is that several fringe elements are active in the state under various banners. In a bid to outdo each other, they often come up with calls for bandhs and sporadicmostly weakprotests against the Indian government.

Their only recent show of considerable strength was the Sarbat Khalsa--the 18th century tradition of a conclave of all the Sikh misls-- in November 2015, where participants demanded Khalistan and anointed former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's assassin Jagtar Singh Hawara as jathedar of Akal Takht. But, after that the movement fizzled out.

Politics, however, can queer the Punjab pitch. Elections in the state are due next year and there is apprehension that the Akalis may try to go back to the Panthic agenda as a last-gasp effort to stop the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In popular perception, the Akalis have fallen way behind Arvind Kejriwal's party because of a variety of reasonsanti-incumbency, charges of corruption, the drug problem and the inability of the Congress to get its act together. Analysts believe the established parties could reach out to hardliners to keep the "party of Delhiites" out of Punjab.

Former DGP Shashi Kant says there is no immediate threat of militancy in Punjab. But the pot is boiling. "Those who recall the pre and post 1984 situation are well aware that the militant phase of Punjab had two sets of forces working on ground. One was the sections thought that it was fighting for an ideological cause; right or wrong, for I am no one to sit on judgement. The second sectionwhich incidentally was more predominant and activeprimarily consisted of criminals anti-social elements, working either independently to stack in cash or working for certain political parties/organisations to add on to the general mayhem. This latter section also consisted of individuals working for certain influential officials as cats and bringing in both 'cash and laurels' to their employers. And this latter category is once again hyperactive in Punjab at the instance of the anti-social segment of the Punjabi polity and officialdom. These criminals, who are called gangsters in todays parlance, own their allegiance to no one but this anti social segment of Punjabs polity and officialdom," he argues.
He has never contested an Assembly election, lost once in the two times he contested as a Lok Sabha MP, and yet, on 6 June, Congress leader V Narayanasamy, will become Puducherrys new Chief Minister. He will become only the second person to assume the office of Chief Minister without having a seat in the House. In spite of strong opposition and lobbying within and outside his party the Indian National Congress, he is all set to take the reins in the Union Territory.

When his name was first announced, there were a series of protests by members of his own party against the decision. How can someone who did not even contest the elections become the Chief Minister? a protester argued.

Over the years, Narayanasamy has collected a number of political rivals, within and outside his party. His nickname Nari, meaning fox in Tamil, is a nod to his reputation for being a wily politician. Since 1985, he has spent most of his time in New Delhi, but has still managed to play an active role in Puducherry politics, earning himself the reputation of being a kingmaker.

For many years, Narayanasamy has dreamed of becoming the Chief Minister, but was always overlooked. Now, his dream has come true, a senior Congress party member said, requesting anonymity. Through the years, he has made a number of political enemies because of his extreme loyalty to the party, but it is the same loyalty that has ensured that he held important posts in the UPA governments, and made him CM now, he added.

Narayanasamy comes from a humble background. His father, Velu, was a toddy tapper in a small village, Thavalakkuppam, in the Union Territory. Narayanasamy was the first graduate in his family. After his bachelors degree in Tagore Arts College, he studied law in Annamalai University, Chidambaram and even practiced for some time before he entered politics.

He joined the Congress in his late twenties, and his loyalty to the party and the Congress first family is legendary. Last December, a video of him offering Rahul Gandhi his slippers during the party leaders visit to Puducherry during the floods went viral. When asked about it, Narayanasamy brushed it off as a gesture of courtesy. Rahulji had to remove the shoes he was wearing, so I offered my slippers for him to wear, he explained to reporters after the event.

His loyalty to the family is said to have started in the early 1980s, when Rajiv Gandhi nominated him as the Rajya Sabha MP from Puducherry. According to N Nandhivarman, political historian, it was around this time that Narayanasamy earned his nickname.Narayanasamy was not the first choice in 1985; the central leadership was to nominate Poornankuppam B Chandrasekaran for the post, he explained. Allegations that Chandrasekaran would not be loyal to the party, and had not participated in a protest held in Puducherry when Indira Gandhi was arrested, led to an inquiry. When both Narayanasamy and Chandrasekaran went for an interview with Rajiv Gandhi, there were rumours that Narayanasamy made it difficult for the inquiry to take place in a fair manner. That was how Narayanasamy became the MP, Nandhivarman said.

The nickname Nari defines his presence in Puducherry politics. Narayanasamy has played a role in all of the major political upheavals in Puducherry, including the removal of N Rangasamy as Chief Minister in 2008. He is an expert at political subterfuge, and has used it many times. This is what has earned him many rivals, especially former Rajya Sabha MP P Kannan, and former Chief Minister N Rangasamy, another senior Congress party member said, adding that even within the party, people were wary of Narayanasamy. His clever political moves even earned him several important posts within the Congress, including AICC General Secretary.

Since 1985, Narayanasamy has spent most of his time in New Delhi, and was part of Rajiv Gandhis shouting brigade in the Parliament along with SS Ahluwalia, Suresh Pachouri and Ratnakar Pandey. When Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister, Narayanasamy became the parliamentary party leader, and was instrumental in the delay of the Congress letter of support to the United Front Government in 1996.

During the UPA I and II, he held a number of important posts including that of the Union Minister of State for the Prime Ministers Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, and Public Affairs. He has been a member of many Parliamentary subcommittees, and goodwill delegations. As a result of his visits to New Delhi, he has not been in touch with the people in Puducherry. Since he hasnt contested any assembly elections, and does not have a constituency, people do not recognise him much. This could be a problem for him as Chief Minister if he is unable to relate to the people in Puducherry, a senior member of the rival All India NR Congress, former Chief Minister N Rangasam said.

Congress Chief Ministers

Narayanasamy will be the tenth person to become Chief Minister in the Union Territory, and so far 18 governments have been formed. In the history of Puducherry politics, however, only four chief ministers have ever completed their full term of five years in office, former Chief Minister MD Ramachandran said.

In terms of contesting elections, Narayanasamy has very little experience. He was a Rajya Sabha MP for three terms, and he won only once in the two times he contested for the Lok Sabha. He will be only the second person in the UT, after his mentor P Shanmugam, to become Chief Minister without having contested the elections. He now has six months to contest and win in one of the constituencies, and it is expected that he will contest in the Raj Bhavan Constituency.

Even now, several Congress leaders attribute the partys victory to Narayanasamys tactics. He was the first person to bring in several businessmen like John Kumar, and Sivakolundu. These businessmen helped pump in money to ensure the partys victory, and since they had no knowledge of politics, they would remain loyal to him, a senior politician said. These new entrants into politics helped the Congress win at least eight of the 15 seats where it contested.

In most cases, either the government has been toppled by an alliance, or the MLAs within the party have rebelled, and ensured that the party removed the chief minister themselves. S Ramaswamy from the AIADMK ruled only for 22 days in his first stint as CM in 1974. In most cases, it was rebellion within the party that led to the government toppling, or the Chief Minister being replaced, he said.

When the mere announcement that Narayanasamy would be CM led to protests and violence in the Union Territory, it is an ominous portent for whether Narayanasamy will be able to complete his full term as Chief Minister. However, Congress members hope that the combination of Narayanasamy and the new Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi will be able to bring a struggling Puducherry economy back on its feet.
AMMAN Three Jordanian intelligence officers and two other security personnel were killed in an attack on their security office in a Palestinian refugee camp outside the Jordanian capital, Amman, and one suspect was arrested, officials said on Monday, saying it appeared to be an "individual and isolated act."

The incident at the Baqaa camp, the biggest of its kind in Jordan, jolted the U.S.-backed Arab kingdom, whose relative stability has distinguished it from powerful war-ravaged neighbours, Syria to the north and Iraq to the east.

Initial investigations suggested the attack at the intelligence department's office at the Baqaa camp was an "individual and isolated act", Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said. He gave no further details.

Earlier, when Jordan announced the incident, Momani described it as a terrorist attack that took place at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), adding that alongside three officers, a guard and a telephone exchange operator at the security office were killed.

Two residents said the suspect was a 22-year-old Palestinian from Baqaa camp with no Islamist leanings. They said he was seen acting suspiciously in a disused mosque in the area and when he tried to resist arrest, shot at someone, injuring him lightly but using a pistol believed to have been used in the attack.

A large proportion of Jordan's more than 7 million people are descended from Palestinian refugees who fled in the aftermath of the creation of Israel in 1948.

The incident raised fears among residents of a security backlash against camp residents, who have long complained of suffering discrimination in areas such as jobs.

MILITANT ISLAM IN CAMPS

Western donors and political analysts warn of growing Islamist radicalisation in Jordan's impoverished refugee camps and in districts within major cities laid low by poverty and a lack of economic opportunities.

Dozens have left the sprawling Baqaa camp, which houses over 100,000 Palestinian refugees, to join Islamist militant groups fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier this year, several Islamic State sympathizers were killed in a shootout with security forces in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid.

Security authorities said later they had carried out a pre-emptive strike on militants linked to Syria who were planning suicide attacks on shopping malls and government buildings.

Jordan, a U.S. ally for decades and with close security ties with Israel, has long been a target of radical Sunni Muslim fundamentalist groups including al Qaeda and Islamic State.

It was among the first regional state to join a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, which seized large expanses of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and 2015 but has been pushed back by U.S.- and Russian-backed counter-offensives this year.

King Abdullah has repeatedly warned that the threat from ultra-hardline Sunni groups poses the biggest threat to Jordan's long-term stability. Amman has imprisoned dozens of hardline Islamists in the last few years, many of whom who came from Syria or were arrested while trying to cross the border.

Jordan's main political opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, which commands a large following within the camp, said the attack on Baqaa only served those who sought to sow strife.

"Preserving the stability of Jordan is a religious duty and necessity," said the statement by the mainstream Islamist party.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the attack was "proof of the criminal behaviour of terrorist groups" who act against the tenets of Islam.

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
This week, once again, there are reports on Rahul Gandhi taking over the Congress leadership. He is 45 and has been in active politics for a decade. It is natural that his supporters in the party should want him to take over officially.

What is less clear is why his mother Sonia Gandhi should make way for him. There are two things that are thought to be the reason for seeking the change. First, that it is inevitable that at some point the older must make way for the younger. Sonia will have to retire sooner or later and so it makes sense for her heir to be anointed, which he has been, and then for him to take over.

The second, less transparent reason, is that she has been keeping indifferent health. It has been reported in the past that Sonia has required some sort of medical treatment abroad. The details have not been revealed but the condition was serious enough for her to seek advanced help. Could this be the reason for the fresh move to elevate her son? Probably not, because the last time she was treated abroad was not recent and current pictures show her to be in reasonably good health.

Why then the rush to elevate Rahul? One reason could be internal pressure. Congressmen who are alarmed at the rapid decay of the party want to see some change in direction. Unless something drastic and dramatic is not done, the party will die very soon. The Congress has fallen from about 200 seats to about 45. The 150 Congressmen and women who are not in the Lok Sabha will each have spent a few crores in a losing election. Many of them have invested decades of their life in the party. They have a personal stake in it and its collapse will mean that their investment and their future is lost. It could be that some or many of them are anxious and are seeking clarity about the party's leadership. Losing power at the Centre and in almost all the major states means that the party is struggling to raise money. That is another reason for seeking urgent change.

The question is whether such a change will benefit the Congress. Sonia Gandhi's record in leading the party has actually been quite good. She took over the party in a time similar to the present. The Congress had been in power (under a non-Gandhi prime minister) and had been involved or accused in many scandals. Its former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao was himself accused in a case and had to appear in court.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's rise to power happened in the same period and its charismatic and respected leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister, winning a plurality (though not a majority) in three elections.

It was in this period, when the BJP was the dominant party and the Congress was losing, that Sonia took charge. She revived her party and, once the BJP lost its sheen, was able to bring the Congress back to power in 2004. It was returned in a second election on the back of high growth and excellent laws like the Right to Information. So Sonia has a record of delivery and competence. She lost the last election very badly, but she knows and has experience of what is needed to nurse a wounded Congress back to health. Does Rahul? No.

It was in the second Manmohan Singh term that the noises in favour of Rahul began. His elevation to vice-president of the party clarified the future. For whatever reason, he was not able to perform. The Congress lost many states in is period and then, when he was shown as its leader in the 2014 campaign, suffered a terrible beating.

Many have noticed his lack of focus, lack of energy and lack of enthusiasm. He is two decades younger than Narendra Modi, but almost seems out of date compared to the prime minister. Sonia is not yet 70. She is trim and fit and, assuming she has no serious health problem, likely to be active for a few years. She also has a credibility that her son lacks.

Despite her thick accent, when she makes a statement on an important issue, it is more likely to receive attention than when Rahul makes it. When his father Rajiv Gandhi was struggling, in the late 1980s, Arun Shourie came to our college in Baroda and made a pitch for the alliance of the BJP and VP Singh to take over. When one's house was on fire, Shourie said, one did not look for Ganga jal to douse the flames with. One student in the audience got up and told Shourie that one did not throw petrol on the fire either. It seems to me that bringing Rahul in now would be like throwing petrol on the flames consuming Congress.

Like Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, who is refusing to step aside for her 67 year old son Prince Charles (perhaps because she doesn't think he will make a good king), Sonia should continue. Her son may not like it, but it is the party that she has to think of first.
Beijing: China has marked the start of Ramadan with its customary ban on civil servants, students and children in a mainly-Muslim region from taking part in fasting, government websites said, as the holy month started on Monday.

China's ruling Communist party is officially atheist and for years has banned government employees and minors from fasting in Xinjiang, home to the more than 10 million Muslim Uighur minority. It has also ordered restaurants to stay open.

The region sees regular clashes between Uighurs and state security forces, and Beijing has blamed deadly attacks there and elsewhere in China on militants seeking independence for the resource-rich region.

Rights groups blame tensions on religious and cultural restrictions placed on Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the vast area, which abuts Central Asia.

Several local government departments in Xinjiang posted notices on their websites in the last week ordering restrictions on fasting during Ramadan.

During the holy month, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious.

"Party members, cadres, civil servants, students and minors must not fast for Ramadan and must not take part in religious activities," a notice posted Thursday on the government website of central Xinjiang's Korla city said.

"During the Ramadan month, food and drink businesses must not close," it added.

A Uighur official in the city's Tiekeqi township named Ahmatjan Tohti told a group of men wearing traditional doppa hats at a meeting last Monday that officials should "resolutely stop party members, civil servants, students and minors from entering mosques for religious activities" during the festival, a separate report posted on the website last Tuesday said.

A website run by the education bureau of the regional capital Urumqi's Shuimogou district posted a notice last Monday calling for "prevention of students and teachers from all schools from entering mosques for religious activities", during Ramadan.

In the northern city of Altay, officials agreed to "increase contact with parents", to "prevent fasting during Ramadan", according to a post Friday on the state-run China Ethnicities Religion website.

Meanwhile the website of the Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County government in northwest Xinjiang said today that restaurants in the area would be instructed to stay open during Ramadan to "ensure that the broader masses have normal access to cuisine".
Kathmandu: Nepal's ex-King Gyanendra Shah and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba may face investigation by a commission set up to probe human rights violations during the decade-long civil war in the country, which killed over 16,000 people.

Deuba and Gyanendra have been named in a complaint filed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an official of the panel said.

The complainant, Rajan Kirati, former Maoist guerilla and vice-president of UCPN, Maoist centre had accused Shah and Deuba of being responsible for injuries inflicted on him and others by security forces during Nepal's decade-long civil war (1996- 2006), that killed more than 16,000 people.

Around 1,500 others disappeared without a trace during the insurgency.

The five-member commission, set up last year to probe "gross violations of human rights" during the war, has already received more than 15,000 complaints from victims and their families.

The commission will make recommendations about reparation to victims and legal action against abusers. Another commission set up to investigate enforced disappearances during the civil war received more than 1,600 complaints  also higher than the official figure of those who disappeared.

Gyanendra was the king of Nepal from 2001 to 2008.

However, he took charge of absolute power in February 2005 that lasted for 13 months, and that virtually paralysed the functioning of political parties.

The civil war ended in 2006 as the Maoists laid down arms and joined the peace process.

Two years later in 2008, the Hindu monarchy was abolished as Nepal was declared a republic and a secular state after the Maoists came to power winning the general election with Prachanda becoming prime minister. But they were ousted in the next constituent assembly polls in 2013.
Paris: Prime Minister Manuel Valls says France will set up an emergency fund to help people who lost everything after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks.

Valls said after a government meeting that "return to normality will take time" and that "solidarity is called for."

He said the fund will be credited with "several tens of thousands euros" (dollars) to provide quick help to people with no resources.

About 7,000 French homes remained without electricity on Monday and the Louvre museum will stay closed until Tuesday.

In Paris, several train stations and roads remained closed and emergency crews were pumping water out of a key highway interchange.

At least 18 people died from the flooding in Germany, France, Romania and Belgium.

The riverside Grand Palais exhibition hall in Paris reopened Sunday as floodwaters slowly receded from the French capital, after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks.

Other regions remained at risk, notably parts of Normandy, as digging out began in villages and towns around the French capital.

The Louvre Museum, several Paris train stations and roads remained closed. Quayside restaurants along the Seine were still engulfed in water Sunday and tourist boats were unable to pass under bridges, a blow to the riverside economy.

The glass-topped Grand Palais, built for the 1900 World's Fair and currently hosting an exhibit by avant-garde Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping among several others, opened again Sunday after closing Friday because of flood risks.

Elsewhere, emergency crews were pumping water out of a key Paris highway interchange. South of the capital, 300 cars and big rigs trapped for four days on a highway were being removed and returned to their owners who had been forced to abandon them. The complex, daylong operation "is going quite well," Gendarmerie Capt. Laurent Terrien told BFM-TV.

After a week of exceptionally heavy rains around Europe, at least 18 people died in flooding in Germany, France, Romania and Belgium. New thunderstorms were forecast for eastern France on Sunday. In Normandy, the Seine River was expected to peak later in the day. More than 11,000 French homes are still without electricity.

In Paris, the Seine peaked Saturday and the national flood service said it would remain about 4 metres (more than 13 feet) above normal Sunday. Authorities warn it will take up to 10 days for the river to return to normal.

The flood risks along the Seine moved downstream after forcing thousands from their homes and houseboats earlier this week. West of Paris, it overflowed around the medieval city of Rouen overnight, but the local administration said Sunday the damage was "localised and limited" and severe flood warnings for the area were lifted.

Townsfolk were digging out southeast of Paris in the hard-hit Seine-et-Marne region around Nemours, where the Loing River overflowed. Small animals at a local zoo were among the victims. BFM-TV showed what looked like the lifeless body of a baby lamb hanging in tree branches.

German authorities on Sunday pulled the plug on the Rock am Ring music festival west of Frankfurt after a new storm warning was issued. Late Friday, a lightning storm sent 70 people from the festival to the hospital.
London/Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's health has improved considerably since his open heart surgery last week, his son Hussain Nawaz said on Monday, with daughter Maryam Nawaz revealing that the premier was likely to be discharged from hospital on Monday afternoon.

The prime minister's daughter Maryam Nawaz tweeted that "Doctors are satisfied with PM's progress and latest reports. All being well, Insha'Allah PM will be discharged this afternoon".

Earlier, Hussain Nawaz said the prime minister has started oral intake of food and water, and his blood test results have improved as well.

Prime Minister Sharif takes a stroll every hour on doctors orders, added his son.

Maryam Nawaz also said that Sharif's recovery was on course. She tweeted: "PM's recovery on course. Was made to walk several times in the corridor during the day, and up and down a flight of stairs twice."

Hussain said the doctors had advised that Sharif should take rest for a week and a half after he is discharged from hospital.

Maryam also update the media about Sharif's plans to return home.

Sharif underwent open-heart surgery at a London hospital on 31 May and was moved to an intensive care unit in a stable condition post-surgery.

He is expected to return to Pakistan before the end of Ramadan in the first week of July, Maryam said earlier.

"Three of his arteries were blocked. It will take five or six days for the prime minister to get discharged from the hospital and we expect that he will return home in three to four weeks," she had said.
LIMA Former Wall Street executive Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held a razor-thin lead over Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of an imprisoned former authoritarian leader in a vote that may be Peru's closest presidential election in half a century.

With 91 percent of all votes counted on Monday, Kuczynski had 50.32 percent support while Fujimori trailed with 49.68 percent. The gap had narrowed from a previous tally.

Ballots of Peruvians living abroad will only begin to arrive on Monday night and the count may not be finished until Thursday or Friday, Mariano Cucho, the head of the electoral office ONPE, said.

Making up 3.86 percent of the electorate, foreign-based voters mostly live in the United States where Kuczynski stumped for votes.

But Fujimori, 41, received strong support from abroad in her first bid for the presidency in 2011, which she narrowly lost to outgoing President Ollanta Humala.

The campaign pitted the Fujimori family's brand of right-wing populism against Kuczynski's elite background and stiff technocratic style.

Fujimori had long been the favourite to win the election, but Kuczynski caught up with her in the final days of the campaign as Peruvians weighed the legacy of her father former president Alberto Fujimori and scandals involving her close advisers.

Many Peruvians credit Alberto Fujimori with defeating the Shining Path far-left guerrilla group and building schools and hospitals in rural areas when he was president in 1990-2000. But his authoritarian style divided the country and he is now serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and human rights abuses.

This year's election appeared to be the tightest in Peru since a near-tie in 1962 that ended in a military coup.

Fujimori has responded to the top voter concern, crime, with a hardline stance that includes support for the death penalty and promises to lock up the most dangerous criminals in five new prisons she would have built high in the Andes mountains.

Renate Weber, head of the European Union's observation mission, said voting had been "calm and orderly" with no signs of fraud on the part of the electoral office.

Ballots from some far-flung provinces also had yet to be counted, including in the southern Andes where Kuczynski swept up support and in sparsely-populated jungle regions where Fujimori is popular. Arrivals of ballots from a remote region known as the VRAEM, where remnant Shining Path guerrillas make security a concern, had also not arrived.

About 1.5 percent of ballots are in dispute and will be reviewed and settled by an electoral board, ONPE said.

'NOT WORRIED AT ALL'

Peruvian financial markets did not react strongly to the partial results, as both candidates' platforms were considered favourable to investors.

Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former prime minister, investor and World Bank economist, portrayed himself as an honest and experienced leader who would clean up corruption, ensure every town in Peru has piped water and revive economic growth that has slowed on weaker prices for Peru's mineral exports.

Kuczynski's press representative told Reuters the candidate would only speak to journalists when 100 percent of votes had been counted or the electoral office ONPE called the election.

His aides and key supporters arrived at his home in a residential neighbourhood in Lima, where journalists gathered outside.

"We're not worried at all," Kuczynski's running mate Martin Vizcarra said about the narrow lead between the candidates. "It's been a very intense campaign and polls showed that the results were going to be fought until the end."

Despite endorsing Fujimori during her first presidential bid in 2011, Kuczynski earned the support of her critics from across the political spectrum and stepped up attacks against her in the final days of campaigning.

"We want a democratic country, a country committed to dialogue!" a jubilant Kuczynski said as he waved to supporters from a balcony at his campaign headquarters on Sunday evening before the partial count was announced.

In an emotional speech on Sunday, Fujimori was also upbeat, saying the polls showed a technical tie and votes that were expected to come in slowly from Peru's most remote regions would favour her.

"This is a tight vote without a doubt ... what we're seeing is the vitality of democracy in our country, and that fills me with pride," Fujimori said as she gave the crowd the thumbs-up.

Fujimori did not made any public statements on Monday.

If he wins, Kuczynski will have to reckon with a solid majority of Fujimori's party in Congress and a leftist party that has promised not to align with either of them.

(Additional reporting by Marco Aquino, Caroline Stauffer and Ursula Scollo; Editing by Kieran Murray and Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
It has been 16 years since George W Bush fundamentally altered the way the United States looked at India. As the old Cold War with the Soviet Union receded into memory and a new one with China appeared imminent, at least to the Bush White House, India emerged as an important potential ally in the new world order. India's economy had recently started down the road to liberalisation too, making the South Asian country attractive to US industry as well as the government.

Despite frequent kerfuffles in the mediaand there have been plentyIndia-US relations have moved from strength to strength over the past 16 years. From the Strategic Quartet - high technology trade, space cooperation, nuclear energy, and missile defence - through the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership to the historic Indo-US nuclear deal and the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, Washington and Delhi appear poised on the brink of a century-defining partnership. If state visits are any indication of warmth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the United States at this moment for the fourth time in just two yearswhile his predecessor took nine years for the same.

Defence ties are usually the most prominent measure of relations between nations for obvious reasons: not only do they declare how much skin each state has in the other's security, but they are also a statement of how much states trust each other with their prized technology. No wonder, then, that India's defence purchases from the United States have attracted so much attention. Between CH-47 Chinooks, AH-64 Apaches, C-17 Globemasters, and C-130J Super Hercules, India's aggregate defence acquisitions from the United States have crossed $13 billion. The loss of India's Multirole Medium Range Combat Aircraft contract disappointed Washington but under Modi's Make in India programme, US defence firms are considering moving the production of the F-16 and F-18 to India.

The United States has moved beyond the role of being a mere supplier of weapons to India: officials have been engaged in talks that, if successful, would result in the co-production of systems. Under the DTTI, the next generation of Raven unmanned aerial vehicle will be jointly developed and produced. Other projects include intelligence gathering and reconnaissance pods for the C-130J, mobile electric hybrid power sources, helmet-mounted digital displays for aircraft and helicopter pilots, high energy lasers, and chemical and biological warfare protection gear for soldiers.

Washington has also been keen to assist India with core defence technologies such as the development of jet engines and the catapult launching system on board US aircraft carriers. India's Kaveri programme has been a miserable failure and with Delhi's increasing focus on maritime security, the US offer could provide a healthy boost to Indian capabilities.

India's change of mind on what the Pentagon calls the foundational treatiesLSA, BECA, and CISMOAhas been a welcome surprise. These agreements formalise the sharing of logistical facilities and align communication protocols between the US military and their partners, greatly enhancing the range and capabilities of both forces in joint humanitarian or security missions. Although the agreements will remain unsigned during Modi's visit this June, it is reported that they are close to conclusion.

The United States' support for Indian admission to the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and technology export control groups such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group, and the Wassenaar Group gives some weight to Philip Zelikow's statement in 2005 that the United States intends to help India become a major power.

Although both India and the United States have come a long way in defence cooperation, one cannot shake the feeling that both sides are still hedging from a complete commitment. India has lost no opportunity to stress that the signing of the foundational agreements with the United States will in no way erode its sovereignty, that it is happy to conduct numerous maritime joint exercises but will not be persuaded to conduct joint patrols, and that India sees itself as a friend and partner of the United States but not quite an ally. On the American side, senators questioned the wisdom of a bill that proposed elevating India to the status of a Nato ally in all but name given that the South Asian country did not see itself in that role. The US bill would have amended the Arms Export Control Act and made defence transfers to India quicker and smoother.

One hurdle in closer ties is Pakistan: India is displeased with the continued sale of US weapons to the Islamic republic despite ample evidence pointing to terrorist ties and an unhelpful disposition towards US goals in South and Central Asia. However, the dynamics of these ties have remained relatively unchanged since the 1950s: Pakistan provides services in the region that the United States cannot get elsewhere in return for White House forbearance on matters Islamabad sees as vital to its interests. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was basing privileges for US reconnaissance aircraft conducting missions over China and the Soviet Union; in the 1970s, Islamabad served as the channel to Beijing and a rapprochement with China; in the 1980s, it was the shipment of arms to the mujahideen in Afghanistan. In the 2010s, Islamabad has become the conduit to the Taliban, with whom Washington hopes to negotiate a "decent interval." Even now, though the United States has been urging India to play a greater role in Afghanistan, Delhi has declined, choosing to involve itself more in important but not critical facets of Afghanistan's development.

India's reluctance to play a more significant role in its own interests may frustrate observers but this has, understandably, in large part to do with the country's capabilities. Couched in the rhetoric of multipolarity and morality, India's inaction misleads the casual observer. The ignored pachyderm in the room is that Delhi lacks the financial and industrial wherewithal to flex its military muscle in Central Asia or the South China Sea, and any attempt to persuade it to do so will fail. The remedy to this is economic growth, technological development, and strategic coalitions.

On the surface of it, economic relations seem to have grown substantially between India and the United States. Both countries are investing more in each other's economies and trade between the two stands hovers around $70 billion. More and more US companies are setting up shop in India as Indian companies are expanding their business beyond the Atlantic. Washington is the lead partner for developing Allahabad, Ajmer, and Vishakapatnam as smart cities. There is still plenty of room to grow and Modi has ambitiously suggested aiming for $500 billion in trade in a few years. However, there are several issues that will plague relations. The first is subsidies: Washington recently won a case against India at the World Trade Organisation that prohibited the Indian government from giving preferential treatment to domestic solar panel manufacturers. US firms are also pushing Washington to act against subsidies the Indian Space Research Organisation gets from the government for its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle programme.

A second hurdle is intellectual property. In several sectors, India has brought its laws into alignment with US and international norms yet there remain significant differences in philosophy. Pharmaceuticals is one such field, where Indian courts have been hostile to the US practice of evergreening patents, instead seeing a social dimension to the industry. India has also had disagreements with the United States on its agricultural subsidies and food security programme.

A sector-specific yet politically potent point of friction is nuclear energy. Although the Indo-US nuclear deal was announced in 2005 and came into force in 2008, there has been little movement on that front since. India's nuclear liability laws were found to be at odds with international norms and it was only in 2015 when US president Barack Obama visited India during the Republic Day celebrations that some headway was made in easing the logjam. The Indian side came up with a convoluted mechanism to bypass its own law without losing face and satisfied Washington but private companies are still uncomfortable with the provisions. As a result, a number of nuclear energy projects have stalled across the country; GE has flatly refused to participate in the Indian nuclear energy market as long as the present law stands and Westinghouse has delayed the submission of its project proposals. The sins committed by the BJP while in Opposition have been visited upon the BJP while in power.

A probable future cause for concern is the US creation of large trading spheres via the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. India is not party to either of these blocs and its efforts to forge free trade agreements with important partners such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has proceeded at a snail's pace. There is a danger that the implementation of the TPP and TPIP will take trade away from Indian shores to within the bloc, dampening much-needed Indian economic growth.

Many of these frictions arise from the fact that the US and Indian economies are at different points: certain Indian policies may not optimize on economic efficiency but are geared towards lifting more of its population out of poverty or establishing its own industries firmly in the international arena. Delhi and Washington have much work to do to negotiate through the clashing policies that will certainly arise in the future and early recognition and amelioration will insulate relations from harsh market realities.

After 16 years, India-US relations are on a firm footing. Much has been accomplished though a lot more remains to be done. It was feared that the warmth between the two would dissipate after the exit of Bush and the election of Obama. But despite the lull due to an international economic slowdown and a paralysed UPA government, ties have started to blossom again in the past two years since Modi took office. India enjoys bipartisan support in the US, and Washington a hesitant embrace in Delhi. Can relations be derailed? There will always be swings and roundabouts but it seems to have dawned on both countries that the geopolitics of this century are best navigated as friends than estranged democracies.
Geneva: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann in Geneva on Monday to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation.

Modi arrived in Geneva late on Sunday night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

PM Narendra Modi & President of the Swiss Federation Johann Schneider-Ammann lead delegation level talks in Geneva pic.twitter.com/IvoC29lTvt  ANI (@ANI_news) June 6, 2016

"A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann pic.twitter.com/ZcO8EAy0xm  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

The two leaders thereafter led delegation-level talks. "A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland," Swarup said in another tweet.

Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as India's key partner in Europe. "I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he had said.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Modi is also likely to seek Switzerland's support for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping.

A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland pic.twitter.com/vtvVWXbP8l  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

He began his five-nation visit in Afghanistan. From here, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico.
I had just emerged from the office of the international network of journalists, Reporters Without Borders, on Berlins Friedrichstrae. While walking to the Metro station, I passed a group of middle-aged men who could be of West Asian origin. They were talking to a blond young man.

But where exactly do you want to go? the latter was asking them solicitously when I passed. He was trying to help them, it appeared. To try and communicate, he spoke to them in perfect English; they, apparently, did not know German. Nor, it turned out, were they fluent in English. They did not seem to follow him, and their responses were somewhat impatient. We go Berlin Wall, one of them said, a little loudly, as if to a backward child who really should have got it by now.

Yes, the blond young man replied gently, But the Berlin Wall was all round the city. Where exactly would you like to go? He then realised that they wanted to see what remains of the gate that used to be popularly known in the West as Checkpoint Charlie. It was just a little farther up that road. He explained the way patiently.

Over the past few years, I have always found young White German Berliners helpful if asked for directions. Generally, though, they would be quick and efficient about it. Although they would help politely, they appeared eager to get on with what they had been doing  including putting earphones back into their ears!

This summer, there appears to be an added niceness.

Not only do young people help when asked, they occasionally volunteer help. More remarkable, they sometimes meet ones eye and smile while passing on the street. Even older persons sometimes seem willing to help or say Hallo to a passing Black person.

Not all, to be sure.

There are those who might purse their lips or look away darkly, but that sort of behaviour could have to do with having a bad day, totally unrelated to the presence of a Black person. And, of course, there were always those who looked unhappy to see an outsider. One wonders about the extent to which this apparent trend towards an overall welcoming attitude may be related to the influx of refugees. The migration of more than a million refugees to Germany, mainly during a six-month period which lasted until about February this year, is certainly the most politically and socially salient issue in the country. It dominated the media for months. It has been high in peoples minds.

The nationalist (some call it xenophobic) political party, the AfD (Alternative for Germany), has gained ground rapidly. Some surveys now give them the party the support of about 12 percent of the popular vote  mainly concentrated in some pockets of the country. Most analysts attribute these rapid gains to unhappiness about refugees.

However, although 12 percent is huge compared to the AfDs marginal past, it is still only 12 percent. As significant is the graffiti one passes, criticising it  one wall, for example, was spray-painted: Alternative for Thinking (denken, the German word for thinking and for Germany both begin with the letter D).

Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) dominates the Centre of the political spectrum. Even if AfD grows to become CDUs main rival, few analysts imagine that it would become as strong as the Social Democratic SPD  although the latter appears to be getting squeezed in the absence of a charismatic leader.

Despite the growth of the AfD  a favourite conversation topic  the majority of Germans seem to be quite happy with their governments policies regarding refugees over the past year. A large number of Germans seem to think that their country did right to welcome so many refugees, but that they should not take in more. They focus on the logistical problems of absorbing so many, seeming confident that these problems are being sorted out, and that the country will get on quite well  as long as the inflow ceases.

Indeed, the flow has stopped since Macedonia built a wall in the winter, and cracked down on refugees trying to enter Europe. In tandem, Turkey has been taking back refugees stuck in Greece  part of a complex deal which Merkel is said to have worked out.

The mainstream approval of Merkels every Syrian refugee is welcome in Germany and we can manage policies (as well as her deft maneouvres to stop the inflow this year without actually saying stop) would seem to explain the warmth on the street  the helpfulness, the eye contact, and the smiles.

I am seeing it  to an extent, said a young man, who was born in Berlin to a previous generation of refugees  Palestinians who went there from Lebanon during the 1980s. The man, who did not wish to be named, is training to be a chartered accountant. His acknowledgement of the trend is significant, for the 24-year old strongly asserts his Arab identity and has in the past had reservations about mainstream German behaviour towards migrants.

Most Germans are cautious, even if they do acknowledge such a trend, but that caution itself signals sensitivity and introspection. There can be little doubt, however, that the overall response to what has been called the refugee crisis has been far more welcoming in Germany than in most of the countries that border it.
Geneva: India on Monday got the backing of Switzerland in its bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ahead of the elite group's crucial meeting, even as the two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and black money.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the 48-member grouping after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Agreeing to expand cooperation in tackling the problem of Indians stashing black money in Swiss banks was one of the key focus areas of the talks between the two leaders besides stepping up ties in areas of trade, investment and vocational training.

"We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for the last few years and had formally moved its application on 12 May. The grouping will take up India's application in its plenary meetings on 9 June in Vienna and 24 June in Seoul.

"I am thankful to the President for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG," Modi said.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its membership will help India expand its atomic energy sector.

Modi also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was "shared priority" for both the countries.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the agreement on the automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect," Modi said.

On his part, the Swiss President said both the countries are making considerable progress in fighting tax fraud and evasion.

Modi said India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

"India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. In the last seven decades, our friendship has consistently seen an upward trajectory. Today, president and I reviewed our multifaceted bilateral ties. We also held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs," said the prime minister.

Talking about strong trade ties between the two countries, Modi said many Swiss companies are household names in India and both sides are keen to further expand the economic engagement.

Modi said India has affirmed its readiness to resume talks on a free trade agreement with European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

The trade talks between India and EFTA  the grouping of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein  have been stalled on a host of issues like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and data safety.

The negotiations for the FTA were launched in 2008.

"We are all aware of the strengths of the Swiss economy. But, India too is undergoing profound transformations. We are today the fastest growing economy in the world. But, that alone is not enough. I want the Indian economy to be driven by smart and sustainable cities, robust farm sector, vibrant manufacturing and dynamic service sector. And, its engines to run on world class network of rail, roads, airports and digital connectivity," Modi said.

Modi said both sides have agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs.

Referring to energy security, Modi said reliance on renewable energy, rather than on fossil fuels would be India's "guiding motto".

"We see a perfect connect between our development needs and Swiss strengths. I, therefore, invite the Swiss companies to avail of this great opportunity to be a key partner in India's economic growth. Ultimately, the economic prosperity of 1.25 billion plus would also benefit the entire world," Modi said.

Modi also talked about Switzerland being a popular destination for shooting of Indian films, noting the strong ties between the people of the two countries are an important "base and benchmark" in bilateral ties.

In this regard, he also mentioned about India launching the e-Tourist Visa facility earlier this year for Swiss nationals.

"Thanks to the Indian film industry, we are very familiar with the enchanting beauty of the Swiss landscapes. But, we are also keen to welcome larger number of Swiss visitors to India," he said.

Modi also referred to Indian tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes winning a number of Grand Slams while pairing up with Swiss player Martina Hingis.

"There are many success stories of our relationship. One that has been making waves in the Grand Slams of the tennis world is the partnership of famous Swiss player Martina Hingis with Sania Mirza and Leander Paes of India.

"I am confident that our common commitments and values, people to people links and a strong and growing economic partnership will take our relations to new heights," said Modi.

Paes and Hingis had won the French Open mixed doubles last week. The pair had won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2015.
With over 95 percent of the worlds population living outside the borders of the United States, growing overseas trade is one of the best ways we can grow Nebraska.

Last year, I led two overseas trade missions  one to the European Union and one to Asia, including Japan and China  to reach potential customers for Nebraskas exports. These were successful missions which helped to strengthen trade relationships with several countries. Companies we met with during those trips have announced new projects, and are growing their investment in Nebraska.

To continue to build on our relationships, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) announced in late May that we would be leading a trade mission to China this fall.

From Nov. 9-1, we will meet with investors and host events in Xian, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to strengthen Nebraskas relationships with our states fourth largest trading partner.

DED and NDA worked with me to build the itinerary for the fall trade mission. During the trip, my agencies and trade mission members will join me in participating in the 23rd China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair while in Yangling. Yangling is located in Shaanxi Province just outside the city of Xian. The fair offers roughly 1.7 million square feet of exhibition space and is expected to draw 1.6 million visitors over five days, making it Chinas premier agricultural fair.

Shanghai is one of the worlds largest metropolitan areas, with a population of 24 million. It is also a leading international business center, consumer market, and key entry port into China. Thats why Nebraska established a trade office in Shanghai in 2013 to help our businesses make key connections and work with Chinese companies seeking opportunities in the U.S. and globally. The trade office will play a pivotal part with planning and facilitating the trade delegations visit.

Our final stop on the trade mission will be Hong Kong, one of the largest importers of Nebraska beef and a key market for other Nebraska products. The city also is an important gateway for business throughout East Asia. In 2015, Hong Kong by itself was Nebraskas sixth largest export market, accounting for $234 million in goods purchased from our state with approximately 80 percent being exported food products. Since beef is Nebraskas number-one commodity, this visit to Hong Kong is a great opportunity to build on our success in this market.

Chinas growing economy offers nearly boundless opportunities for Nebraska ag producers, manufacturers and other businesses. This trade mission will help Nebraska businesses build on our existing relationships. It will also give us an opportunity to advocate for expanding and opening up new markets. While Hong Kong imports Nebraska beef, China still prohibits the purchase of beef products from the United States. On this trip, I will continue to advocate for reopening the beef trade between China and the United States, so Nebraskas ranchers and beef industry have even more opportunities to market and sell their beef products.

Nebraska businesses and ag producers who do business in China, or those that are hoping to enter this market, should contact DED or NDA to express their interest in joining the trade mission. Space is limited. Company officials interested in participating in the trade mission should contact Cobus Block at 402-480-5806 or cobus.block@nebraska.gov, or Stan Garbacz at 402-471-2341 or stan.garbacz@nebraska.gov, to express their interest soon.
WASHINGTON U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday rejected criticism - including from his own party - of his allegations of bias against a Hispanic judge, insisting his concerns were valid.

"All I want to do is figure out why I'm being treated unfairly by a judge. And a lot of people agree with it," Trump said on Fox News.

Trump has been on the defensive since his comments last week about Mexican-American U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing fraud lawsuits against Trump University, the New York businessman's defunct real estate school.

He has suggested that Curiel's heritage is influencing his opinion about the case because of Trump's campaign rhetoric about illegal immigration. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election, has pledged to seal the U.S.-Mexico border with a wall, and has said Mexico is sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States.

Trump has regularly stirred up controversy on the campaign trail and has frequently dismayed Republican establishment leaders. His view of an ethnically biased judiciary has drawn a fresh wave of criticism, including concern in his own party.

He doubled down on Sunday when asked if - by the same token - he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. "It's possible. Yes," Trump said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Republican leaders including House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have distanced themselves from Trump's comments, saying they are worried the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc.

On Monday, Senator Jeff Flake expressed alarm.

"If this doesn't change we're in for big trouble," the Arizona Republican said on MSNBC. "I hope to be able to support the nominee. I certainly can't now," said Flake, whose state has a large percentage of Hispanics.

A former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich, called on Trump to apologize to Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents.

"Attacking judges based on their race (and/or) religion is another tactic that divides our country," Kasich wrote on Twitter. "More importantly, it is flat out wrong."

CLINTON SEIZES THE MOMENT

Hillary Clinton, who is hoping to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination in nominating contests on Tuesday, loses no opportunity to point out when Republicans disagree with their standard bearer. She jumped in on the controversy over Curiel.

"@realDonaldTrump's bigoted comments about a Latino judge are so disgusting, even other Republicans are offended," she said in a Twitter post.

Trump fought back against his Republican critics on Monday, calling it inappropriate for Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker, to weigh in on the issue.

Gingrich, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, on Sunday called Trump's comments inexcusable.

"I was surprised at Newt," Trump told the "Fox & Friends" program. "I thought it was inappropriate what he said."

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Megan Cassella; Editing by Frances Kerry)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Moscow: Russia on Monday reiterated its support to Syria and said that it will provide "the most active" air support for Syrian ground troops in and around the city of Aleppo to prevent terrorists from seizing it.

We will decide on how our air forces should act, depending on the situation, RT Online quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying. This will not be a surprise for the Americans, he added.

Al-Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, went on an offensive in Aleppo last week. The Russian military blamed the US for stalling Russian airstrikes against the terrorist groups forces in the region. The US said moderate rebel groups mingled with the terrorists in some areas and that Russia should use caution and not strike those groups by mistake.

We believe there was plenty of time for the normal opposition to leave Nusra Front territories since February. Those who didnt part ways with the terrorists have only themselves to blame, Lavrov added.

Moscow hopes that the US was not trying to do anything behind Russias back, Lavrov said.

We expect our partners to cooperate with us honestly and not try to use our regular contacts to secretly go with a Plan B, C or D behind our back.

Russia and the US jointly support a peace process in Syria that aims to produce a transition government approved by both the what they called moderate rebel groups and the government of Syria. A truce between all sides who claim to share this goal was established in February, reducing the violence in the war-torn country.

Terrorist groups Al Nusra Front and Islamic State were not part of the process and do not uphold the ceasefire. Russia accuses certain other Islamist militant groups operating in Syria of not being honest and siding with the terrorists, but the US opposes designating those groups as legitimate targets for military attacks, arguing that they have the backing of Saudi Arabia and a place at the negotiating table in Geneva.

The situation was further complicated by the sheer number of armed groups in Syria and the complexity of their allegiances and rivalries, which makes distinguishing terrorists and "moderate rebels" often problematic.
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Ceramics of Italy Announces 2016 Tile Competition Winners

Home News Ceramics of Italy Announces 2016 Tile Competition Winners

Chicago, IL, June 6 2016Now in its 23rd year, the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition is proud to announce six outstanding projects that wholly represent the competitions goal of honoring commendable use of Italian tile in North American architecture and design.

Sponsored by Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and the Italian Trade Commission, the competition attracted high-quality submissions in each of the three categories: residential, commercial, and institutional. An international jury of design industry experts reviewed and evaluated the projects, ultimately selecting three winners and three honorable mentions among the steep competition.

The jury made this difficult selection under the following criteria: the creative and effective use of Italian tile, the overall quality of the installation, the aesthetic beauty and functionality of the design, and the sustainable attributes of the overall project and materials used.

The finalists were be officially announced at Coverings in Chicago during the Ceramics of Italy International Press Conference where the winners will present their projects and receive a plaque honoring their achievement. The winning firms will also receive a prize of $4,000 as well as a CEU-accredited trip to Bologna, Italy to attend Cersaie (September 26 to 30, 2016 as part of a VIP delegation. Contractors and distributors involved in each project will also be awarded with a cash prize for their valued contribution.

COMMERCIAL WINNER (pictured)

Firm: Gensler

Project: Kaye Scholer Headquarters

Location: New York, NY

Tile Manufacturer: Atlas Concorde

Distributor: Nemo Tile

Contractor: Port Morris Tile & Marble Corp.

COMMERCIAL HONORABLE MENTION

Firm: Rottet Studio

Project: Viking Star

Location: Flag State: Bergen, Norway; Destinations: Worldwide.

Tile Manufacturer: Rex, Caesar, Lea, Laminam, and Mosaico+

Distributor: various

Contractor: Naval Interior, Tino Sana, Spencer, Interna, US Joiner, and Marine Interior

RESIDENTIAL WINNER

Firm: Shinberg.Levinas Architects

Project: Turnberry Residence

Location: Rosslyn-Arlington, VA

Tile Manufacturer: Lea Ceramiche

Distributor: Atlantic Link

Contractor: Jud Tile

RESIDENTIAL HONORABLE MENTION

Firm: DUBBELDAM Architecture + Design

Project: Through House

Location: Toronto, Canada

Tile Manufacturer: Casalgrande Padana

Distributor: Stone Tile International

Contractor: Casalgrande Padana

RESIDENTIAL HONORABLE MENTION

Firm: Geoffrey A. Blatt Interior Design & Decoration

Project: Bridgehampton Private Pool

Location: Bridgehampton, NY

Tile Manufacturer: Kronos Ceramiche

Distributor: Cancos Tile & Stone NYC

Contractor: Breitenback Builders

INSTITUTIONAL WINNER

Firm: ARK

Project: UJA Federation Community Complex

Location: Vaughan, Canada

Tile Manufacturer: Mirage

Distributor: Olympia Tile

Contractor: Calligaro Tile Co.



Related Topics:Mirage Floors, CERSAIE , CERAMICS OF ITALY, Rottet Studio, Coverings
Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro smartphone has finally gone official in China, few days after it got ceritifed by TENAA. It has a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, is powered by a quad-core processor, runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), has a 8-megapixel rear camear with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support and 4G LTE connecivity. The back cover has metal-like finish even though it is made of polycarbonate material.

Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro specifications

5-inch (1280 x 720 Pixels) HD Super AMOLED display

1.2 GHz quad-core processor

2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 128GB with microSD

Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS

8MP auto focus rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.2 aperture

5MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture

Dimensions: 142.2 x 71.3 x 8mm; Weight: 139g

3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio

4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC

2600mAh battery

The Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro comes in Gold and Gray colors and will head to China Telecom for the price of 990 Yuan (US$ 150 / Rs. 10,090). No word on availability yet.

Source | Thanks Onkar!
Aircel has launched its Ramzan Pack, before the start of the holy month in the country. This offers discounted tariff for voice calling at night and Talk Time benefits for voice calling at night.

Priced at Rs. 86 in Delhi, it offers full talk time of Rs. 86, local and STD calling at 30p/minute from 12AM to 6AM, and comes with a validity of 12 days. It also comes with discounted ISD Calling, with calls to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia at just 16p/second and to Bangladesh at 4p/second.

The new pack is available across India, including Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar & Jharkhand, UP (East), West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Assam, North East, Kerala and Rajasthan. Price of the pack, benefits and validity will slightly vary depending on the circle.

Commenting on the launch of new Ramzan pack, Harish Sharma, Regional Business Head  North, Aircel, said:

The pious month of Ramzaan is a special occasion for our customers, when they like to stay seamlessly connected to their friends and family in India and abroad. We also experience high call volumes during the night hours in the month of Ramzaan and understand that many retail outlets may be shut during those hours, inconveniencing customers wanting to top-up their phone balance. Hence, it only seemed most logical to us to make night calling highly affordable during this time of the year, as we feel a sense of responsibility to ensure that our customers enjoy the most on this festive occasion. It delights us immensely that our mobile network acts as an enabler of these conversations, and we are certain that this will only help us deepen the strong bond we have with our customers.
Earlier you could only pair your Android device with the Microsoft Band, but there was no Cortana support.

Now, with the update of Microsoft Health app on Google Play, the Redmond giant has brought its Cortana personal assistant support for Android phones paired with the Microsoft Band as well. The Microsoft Health app is available for all Android devices running version 4.2 Jelly Bean or above. But unfortunately the app availability is still limited to people in the U.S.

The updated version 1.3.20602.2 of Microsoft Health allows Android users to access Cortana voice commands for replying to text messages, instant notifications, and more. Check the updated features below.

Whats New  Connect and compete with your friends  Create challenges for steps, cardio score, runs, and bike rides between you and your Facebook friends who also use Microsoft Health.  Cortana is now available on Android  With Cortana on your Band, you can access your personal assistant for instant notifications of important events, communications, and voice-active info without reaching for your phone. Speak into the mic on your Band to Cortana to take actions for you.  Bug Fixes

Google Play | Via
Check out the new FoneArena Daily video that gives you a quick roundup of todays technology news.

OnePlus 3 has surfaced again in live images and this time in grey color variant.

Images of the Moto Z Style Mods, showing back plates in leather, wood, and textured materials have surfaced.

Samsung has announced Galaxy J3 Pro in China. It has 5-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

A new blueprint video hintes that Samsung Galaxy Note 6/Note 7 will support USB Type-C port.

Deal of the Day  Apple 13 inch Mac Book Air for Rs. 66,399 on Amazon.in.
It was discreetly referred to as Operation Overlord - the final push into Fortress Europe through the inflexible sea wall, built by the Nazi overlords, just a spare few miles from the free shores of Great Britain, where the entire United States Expeditionary Force was congregated awaiting deployment. Later it would de revered as D-Day - the "longestday," when Allied forces grasped a toehold on the beaches of Normandy in the Nazi occupied nation of France, and Vishay France to the south of the landing zone.It was the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The Allied forces: United States and Great Britain, and in lesser numbers; Canada, Norway, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and Free France stormed the beaches of Normandy and unleashed the maelstrom of Allied might that within 11 months crushed the spine of the German Wehrmacht's western front.The combined Allied forces stormed the Normandy beaches, divided into four sectors: Gold, Juno, Sword and Utah, with the fifth sector, Omaha Beach, just the American soldiers. It was the bloodiest fighting of the day, with the Americans suffering nearly 5,000 casualtiesout of the overwhelming force of 50,000 brave soldiers that withstood the withering fire from entrenched Wehrmacht positions high above the sand and foam, stained to a scarlet hue from the blood of these bravest and best of all Americans, anywhere, that drew breath that June morning.The fighting from as much as 30 miles deep behind the Nazi sea wall, some of it quite heavy, was left to the well-trained young men of the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions, who airdropped amidst hellacious anti-aircraft fire from below in the pitch black of that near moonless eve of that infamous Longest Day.It was a day long, exhaustive fight, whereby the Allied forces made their way ashore on the continent of Europe's mainland. It was also a day that must always be remembered for the ultimate sacrifice that so many young men so willingly gave, and by their supreme effort, preserved our freedoms that we still enjoy today. Should we ever forget their selfless sacrifice, we, as a free American people, do no longer deserve that gift of freedom that is continued by their unwavering courage that fateful day.I close with this poignant message from the Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight Eisenhower, delivered as these young American soldiers braved the hell that was Omaha Beach:
It's been five years since America retired its Space Shuttle program. Five years in which American astronauts have been forced to rent rides on Russian rockets for up to $82 million a head. But now, after five long years, the space shuttle program has finally been reborn ...

... in India.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?

Last week, in an announcement that stole headlines around the world, India announced the first launch of its new "Re-usable Launch Vehicle" (RLV).

A small, currently unmanned Space Shuttle lookalike, India's Space Research Organisation built RLV for just $14.2 million -- less than a quarter the cost of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. RLV's first iteration is a 21-foot long, 1.75-ton prototype that has already proved capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5.0 and heights of 39 miles above Earth's surface, then returning to splash down at a preplanned position in the Bay of Bengal. It's sized at about two-thirds the length of Boeing's (BA 3.24%) military drone space shuttle, the X-37, and about one-sixth the size of NASA's defunct Space Shuttles.

Later versions of RLV will grow in size (and attempt to land on runways). Ultimately, India expects to produce a production version 120 feet in length in 2030. That would be four times the size of Boeing's X-37, but still only about 70% of the size of NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour.

India's goal in developing RLV is the same goal SpaceX set in building a vertical landing feature into its Falcon 9 rocket. For that matter, it's the same goal NASA set in developing the Space Shuttle: To transition from disposable launch vehicles to a reusable platform, cutting the cost of space launch dramatically -- perhaps by as much as 90%.

Deja vu all over again

Of course, NASA flew 135 shuttle missions over 30 years before cutting short the Space Shuttle program. In all that time, NASA never managed to achieve its own cost cutting goal. In fact, at an average cost of more than $1 billion per launch, the Space Shuttle program was even more expensive than what NASA pays United Launch Alliance for use of disposable Atlas V and Delta IV rockets.

So what are the chances that India's RLV space shuttle will succeed where NASA failed? What are the chances it will succeed where SpaceX is succeeding?

Indian mathematics

I posed this question to Jim Cantrell, CEO of Vector Space Systems, last week. And you may be surprised to hear that, in several respects, Cantrell thinks India may hold an advantage over NASA -- and perhaps even over American private space companies such as SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.

For example, Cantrell points to experience that NASA gained from its Space Shuttle program, and that the Soviet Union gained from its copycat shuttle program. This is experience that India can draw upon to lower its own development costs. Cantrell notes that India's RLV "is similar in size and shape to the X37 and the original Soviet shuttle prototype," inferring "there seems to be some intellectual property bleed over from these two programs." In short, India has a head start in developing its own space shuttle.

Another point in India's favor: Cost. India's cost of operations in space "tend to be 2-3x less than western equivalents," notes Cantrell, a fact owing in part to low "relative labor costs of the Indian labor base." But cheap labor isn't the only factor affecting cost. Cantrell also applauds the "smaller organizational size and less entrenched bureaucracy" at work in India's space program, and the country's "willingness to take risks."

Simply put, India doesn't regulate and test everything to death before flying it. This lack of red tape, says Cantrell, "is a proven factor in lowering the costs."

What works there, works here

Indeed, you can see these same factors at work at SpaceX, probably the most famous place Cantrell worked prior to setting up Vector Space Systems. Historically at least, SpaceX has relied primarily on commercial space launches for its revenues -- a business with less regulatory constraint than the business of launching satellites for the U.S. government and military.

This lack of red tape (plus small size, lack of bureaucracy, and certainly a "willingness to take risks") all help explain how SpaceX is able to charge prices as little as one-third of what United Launch Alliance charges -- and beginning to steal work away from its larger rival.

Bringing the argument home to investors

Will these factors, which help SpaceX beat ULA, now turn around and enable low-labor-cost India to beat SpaceX at its own game? Will they turn India into yet another low-cost competitor for ULA itself? That depends.

As Cantrell explains, probably the biggest factor affecting launch cost in a reusable rockets program is the ability to launch and reuse the rockets often. A company needs quick turnaround time, and multiple launches per year (and even per month), to spread out development and production costs as thinly as possible, and drive average launch costs down.

At Vector Space, Cantrell targets as many as 100 rocket launches a year to maximize the efficiencies of rocket reuse. That's twice what NASA targeted for Space Shuttle (which was supposed to fly 50 times a year). It's 10 times the 10 flights-per-year Space Shuttle actually accomplished.

And it's about 100x more flights than India has so far accomplished with its prototype RLV.

So can India underprice SpaceX?

India hopes to have RLV operational and flying by 2030. If it succeeds in that task, and in driving down its own already-low launch costs by 90%, then there's a very real possibility that by 2030, India will be able to launch satellites for less than the $62 million SpaceX charges today. Of course, by 2030, SpaceX's own launch costs will probably be even cheaper -- and SpaceX will be landing people on Mars.

Then again, if this is how things play out, I'd say that would be a victory for both India and for SpaceX.
Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer drugs, but the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study released on Monday.

The study of cancer drug prices in seven countries, which did not take into account discounts or rebates to list prices, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The lowest drug prices were found in India and South Africa. But after calculating price as a percentage of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, cancer drugs appeared to be least affordable in India and China.

Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikvah, Israel, calculated monthly drug doses for 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of cancer types and stages. List prices in Australia, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States were obtained from government websites.

The high prices commanded by modern cancer drugs are generating increased resistance and demands for price discounts from politicians, health care providers, insurers, patients and some doctors.

Drug companies argue that they need to make a profit to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines.

The study researchers used gross domestic product and cost of living statistics from the International Monetary Fund to estimate drug price affordability.

Median monthly prices for branded drugs ranged from $1,515 in India to $8,694 in the United States. For generics, median prices were highest in the United States, at $654, and lowest in South Africa, $120, and India, $159.

In terms of ability to pay, the study found cancer drugs to be most affordable in Australia, where generic drugs were priced at 3 percent of "domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity" and patented drugs were 71 percent of the same measure.

In China, the study found generic drug prices were 48 percent and patented drugs were 288 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living.

In India, the cost of generics was 33 percent of that measure, while patented drugs were 313 percent.

In the United States, generics were found to be priced at 14 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, and patented cancer drugs were 192 percent of the same measure.

The study did not take into account that drug costs are paid by either the government, health insurers, or patients themselves, depending on each country's health insurance system.

Worldwide spending on cancer medicines will exceed $150 billion by 2020, driven by the emergence of expensive new therapies that help the immune system to attack tumors, according to a forecast earlier this year from IMS Health Holdings.
25%

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$150,001 and up

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So what: Arguably, the best news for Novavax came a little more than a week earlier when the Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track designation to Novavax's experimental RSV F-Protein vaccine for the protection of older adults ages 60 and up. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, affects about 900,000 people in the U.S. annually, and it ultimately results in an estimate 16,000 deaths in older adults each year. RSV F is currently being examined in an 11,850-person trial that became fully enrolled this past December. Data from this trial should be available by the third quarter, and if it looks good, the Fast Track designation could speed up the process by which Novavax gets its drug on the FDA's desk for review.

Secondly, Novavax received a nice little boost in mid-May when investment money managers were required to file form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In those filings we discovered that Soros Fund Management, headed by billionaire George Soros, picked up 30,300 shares of Novavax. What's unique about Soros is he's been taking a notably bearish position on U.S. equities over the past quarter, so to see him bullish on Novavax is especially intriguing.

Finally, Novavax is still tinkering with the idea of creating a Zika virus vaccine. Although fewer than 1,000 Zika cases have been reported in the U.S., we've witnessed millions reported in South America (mainly Brazil). The disease itself often has unpleasant side effects that last for a few days to a week in those it infects, but it can also, in rare instances, lead to microcephaly in newborns or Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. The fear and uncertainty surrounding Zika has definitely put some pep in the step of Zika virus researchers.

Now what: Most eyes might be on a potential Zika cure, but smart investors are going to be paying close attention to the RSV F protein results in the upcoming quarter. A successful trial and subsequent FDA approval would net Novavax some much needed recurring revenue. More importantly, analysts project that with only a handful of preventative options available to older adults for RSV, Novavax's vaccine could top out above $1 billion in annual sales by 2022. It's not uncommon for biotech companies to trade at a multiple or two or three times the peak sales potential of their lead drug. Thus, with Novavax valued at less than $1.7 billion, there could still be substantial upside if the phase 3 data looks good.

Despite this impending catalyst, my initial reaction would be to remain on the sidelines. Companies with no approved products are often risky buy-and-hold candidates into pivotal data releases. If RSV F protein doesn't work as expected, Novavax's valuation will almost certainly be clobbered. Conversely, if everything goes as planned, you'll be able to benefit from sales of the vaccine and a possible FDA approval. The cautious approach looks to be the smartest approach with Novavax.
When Ambarella (NASDAQ: AMBA) announced fiscal third-quarter 2018 results last week, shares of the video-processing chip specialist soared more than 16% the following day. But Ambarella's performance certainly didn't look good at first glance. Revenue fell 11.4% year over year to $89.1 million, which translated to a 32.4% decline in adjusted earnings per share to $0.75.

Still, revenue arrived well within Ambarella's latest guidance, and the bottom line was comfortably ahead of Wall Street's prediction for earnings of $0.67 per share.

Of course, this illustrates the need for investors to dig deeper in an effort to better understand Ambarella's underlying business. So let's take a closer look at five important points that Ambarella management discussed during the quarter's subsequent conference call.

1. Non-GoPro revenue streams are (mostly) solid

Said Ambarella CEO Dr. Fermi Wang:

As GoPro's (NASDAQ: GPRO) former video-processing chip supplier of choice, the action-camera company previously represented as much as a third of Ambarella's revenue in any given quarter. But GoPro opted to engineer its own chip, dubbed the "GP1," for its latest HERO6 camera line -- a move which Ambarella management warned earlier this year would hurt sales in the second half.

Revenue from GoPro fell 47% year over year this quarter, to $18.4 million, or 20% of total sales. But Ambarella's efforts to differentiate into the IP security and automotive OEM markets have helped spur those declines. That said, although Ambarella's chips still have homes in many higher-end drones, the rise of cheaper drones and softness at tier 2 drone customers have hurt flying-camera chip sales.

2. On getting its first computer-vision chip into customers' hands

Dr. Fermi Wang:

Ambarella told investors in September that it was set to begin sampling the CV1 chip (the "CV" stands for "computer vision") at key customers by the start of the fiscal fourth quarter. This means its next-generation chip is ahead of schedule, even after meeting the aforementioned "aggressive" target specifications. Looking ahead, Ambarella sees demand for chips capable of handling more complicated computer-vision tasks setting the stage for longer-term growth.

3. New computer-vision SoCs are on the way

Dr. Fermi Wang:

The tech world changes quickly, so Ambarella investors should be pleased to know that the company isn't hitting the brakes on its computer-vision efforts anytime soon. These new SoCs will provide OEMs an easily integrated package to address computationally intense computer-vision tasks in new security cameras, drones, virtual reality devices, and advanced driver-assistance systems in the automotive space.

4. On the effects of continued memory shortages

Ambarella CFO George Laplante:

Memory shortages certainly won't help Ambarella's quest to return to sustained profitable growth, as the situation will impact the build schedules for key camera customers outside of GoPro. It helps, however, that Ambarella first cautioned investors about this shortage three months ago. And it's not an unprecedented situation; last year's earthquakes resulted in similar disruptions, following shortages of certain image sensors. In any case, this is a temporary issue that should be resolved within the next few quarters.

5. On Ambarella's long-term relationship with GoPro

George Laplante:

To be clear, GoPro hasn't completely abandoned Ambarella yet. In fact, early in the call management said that GoPro's new Fusion 360-degree camera is based on an Ambarella SoC. Ambarella's chips are also still found in GoPro's previous-generation HERO5 cameras.

But the HERO5 will be phased out some time next year. Combined with uncertain early demand for GoPro's Fusion, and GoPro's in-house chip in its HERO6 line, it's prudent for Ambarella management to continue distancing themselves from this formerly lucrative customer relationship.

The bottom line

Despite its GoPro-related declines, Ambarella has continued to make strides in diversification while planting seeds for future growth in the computer-vision market. So while this quarter's results were far from perfect, they were exactly what Ambarella shareholders had wanted to hear. With shares down slightly from the start of the year leading up to last week's announcement, it was no surprise to see investors so aggressively bidding up Ambarella stock in response.

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Steve Symington has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ambarella and GoPro. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
A few months ago, I would have called this one a no-brainer -- Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) was, hands-down, the better value of the two for most of the past several years with a rock-bottom valuation and improving business fundamentals. However, Bank of America was one of the best performing bank stocks of 2016, up 31%, while Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) lagged the market and financial sector, and rose just 1% for the year. So, now is a good time to take another look.

Which bank could best help your portfolio grow in 2017 and beyond? Image Source: Getty Images.

Why did banks, and Bank of America in particular, perform so well in 2016?

In a nutshell, banks did so well in 2016 because Donald Trump was elected president in November, and people expect a lot of deregulation to occur in the banking sector -- which will in theory drive up profitability. To be fair, by that point most bank stocks (with the notable exception of Wells Fargo, as I'll discuss shortly) had already rebounded nicely since their February lows. However, as you can clearly see in the chart below, the vast majority of the gains took place during the last two months or so of the year.

BAC data by YCharts

The primary reason for the increases both before and after the election are interest rates, specifically the speculation that interest rates are going higher. Because of the record-low interest rates of the past few years, most banks have operated at historically poor profit margins.

Bank of America did particularly well because it stands to benefit more than most if interest rates pick up. Its return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA) haven't been great in recent years, and the bank recently quantified the impact higher interest rates could have. In its latest quarterly filings, Bank of America said that a 100-basis-point (1%) increase in interest rates would produce an additional $5.3 billion in net interest income annually, significantly higher than projections from JPMorgan Chase ($2.8 billion) and Citigroup ($2.0 billion).

As my colleague John Maxfield pointed out, Bank of America has the most noninterest-bearing deposits of the "big four" banks, which means that, as interest rates rise, the bank generates more income, but doesn't have to pay out any more on these deposits.

This newfound reason for optimism, combined with the fact that Bank of America was trading for a substantial discount to book value for most of the year, is the main reason shares spiked as much as they did. In addition, Trump has pledged to reduce regulations on banks, which could save money on compliance costs and generally make it easier for the banks to do business.

Wells Fargo's scandal -- the 30-second version

By now, I'm sure you've heard about Wells Fargo's "fake accounts" scandal, which was the main reason for the bank's underperformance. Essentially, thousands of the bank's employees created millions of unauthorized banking and credit card accounts in an effort to make sales goals. Over the next several months, the scandal did indeed translate into fewer new accounts being opened and lower confidence in the bank, which further spooked investors.

To be clear, Wells Fargo's profit margins will benefit from rising interest rates as well. It may be to a lesser extent than Bank of America, but if you read the article I linked in the last section, you'll see that almost the same percentage of Wells Fargo's total deposits are noninterest-bearing as Bank of America's.

Profitability and valuation

I briefly mentioned that Bank of America's profitability metrics have been less-than-stellar recently. Well, that hasn't been the case for Wells Fargo, which has consistently been the most profitable of the big U.S. banks for years.

BAC Return on Equity (TTM) data by YCharts

As a result, Wells Fargo has traded for a significant premium to most peers, especially Bank of America. In April 2016, for example, Wells Fargo was trading at a valuation of 1.42 times its book value while Bank of America traded for a P/B multiple of 0.58. In other words, Bank of America was trading for 42% less than the value of its assets.

Fast-forward to the present day, and while both banks' valuations have increased thanks to the "Trump rally", the gap has narrowed considerably. Wells Fargo now trades for 1.54 times book, while Bank of America's discount is nearly gone, with a P/B of 0.93. Simply put, Wells Fargo's valuation is slightly above where it had been for much of 2016, while Bank of America's has soared.

The verdict

In a nutshell, Wells Fargo is an efficient and profitable bank, whose stock barely rose in 2016 (and rightfully so) because of its fake-accounts scandal. While it's unclear what long-term effects the scandal may have, I don't see any reason that the bank's excellent history of profitability will be in jeopardy anytime soon, and it could benefit tremendously under the Trump administration just like Bank of America.

On the other hand, Bank of America is less of a sure thing. If you buy Bank of America, you're buying it for what its profitability could be. The bank's profitability metrics have been lackluster for some time now, and while there's potential for profits to soar in the coming years, a lot of things need to happen first (higher interest rates, lower banking regulations, etc.) for the bank to reach a consistently acceptable return on assets.

To sum it up, a bet on Bank of America's future profitability, while still appealing, was much more attractive when the bank was trading for a huge discount to its book value, as it was for most of 2016. In fact, I bought so much Bank of America stock in the first few months of 2016 that the recent gains have made it my single largest stock holding. At the current valuation, however, Wells Fargo simply makes more sense for new investors, and it's on my watch list as we head into 2017. The only thing I'd like to see before I dive in to buy Wells Fargo is a little more clarity on Trump's plans in regards to taxes and regulatory changes, which we'll likely get once he takes office.

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Matthew Frankel owns shares of Bank of America. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
If you're in college, finished with college, planning to attend college, or paying for someone who is a college student, there are several tax breaks you may qualify for. However, every tax break for education-related expenses or savings is subject to certain conditions. Here's a rundown of the tax breaks available, and how to determine whether or not you qualify.

Credits and deductions for tuition, fees, and other expenses

If you pay tuition or other qualifying higher-education expenses, such as fees, books, and required supplies in 2016, there are three possible tax breaks you could qualify for. Eligibility depends on income and the student's enrollment status. Listed in order from most valuable to least, they are:

American Opportunity Credit: This is worth up to $2,500 per year, but the catch is that it's only available if the student is in his or her first four years of postsecondary education and enrolled at least half-time. The credit is calculated as 100% of the first $2,000 in qualified expenses, and 25% of the next $2,000. In other words, if you pay $4,000 in tuition this year, this credit reimburses you for all but $1,500. The full credit is available for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income up to $80,000 (single) or $160,000 (married filing jointly), and a partial credit can be claimed with MAGI up to $90,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Lifetime Learning Credit: Worth up to $2,000 per year, but is calculated as 20% of the first $10,000 in expenses, so you have to spend more to take full advantage of this one. However, there is no degree program or enrollment requirement to be eligible -- you'll just need a MAGI less than $55,000 (single) or $110,000 (married filing jointly).

Tuition and Fees Deduction: Can reduce your income subject to tax by up to $4,000 (not a credit), and is generally used by taxpayers who don't qualify for either of the credits. The deduction has more generous income thresholds than the Lifetime Learning Credit, with a phaseout beginning at a MAGI of $65,000 (single) or $130,000 (married filing jointly).

Student loan interest

Student loan debt has risen substantially over the past several decades, and is the second-largest form of debt in the U.S -- even larger than credit card debt. However, student loan debt is a different kind of debt. There are several repayment options to choose from, grace periods, the ability to suspend payment without penalty, and even the opportunity for loan forgiveness in many cases.

There is also a nice tax break that student loan borrowers can take advantage of. As of 2016, borrowers can deduct up to $2,500 worth of student loan interest they've paid throughout the year, and this can be done even if the taxpayer doesn't itemize deductions. This deduction is subject to MAGI limits of $65,000 (single filers) and $130,000 (married taxpayers filing jointly).

Are scholarships taxable?

The short answer is "not usually." Scholarships, as well as other forms of tuition help such as employer-paid tuition assistance, can be tax-free.

However, in order for the funds not to count as taxable income, the recipient needs to be a degree candidate at an eligible institution. And the money needs to be used for qualifying expenses, such as tuition, fees, books, and other supplies required for attendance.

If the funds are used for room and board, travel to and from school, or any other purpose, they can be considered taxable income. And tax-free tuition assistance from your employer is capped at $5,250 per year, regardless of what the money is used for.

Tax breaks for savers

Finally, one of the biggest tax breaks involves saving for college, either for yourself or a loved one. Two of the most popular ways to save for education are the 529 Savings Plan and the Coverdell Education Savings Account, or ESA.

529 Savings Plans work like Roth IRAs in the sense that contributions are not deductible in the year in which they're made, but withdrawals for qualified higher education expenses are tax-free. Contribution limits are rather high, and investment choices look like those of most 401(k)s -- a basket of mutual funds for varying investment objectives and risk tolerances. 529 Plans are run by the individual states, and while you don't necessarily have to choose your home state's plan, it may be eligible for additional state tax incentives, so it's important to do some research. Here's a good resource to compare the various 529 plans available.

A Coverdell ESA has a similar tax structure, but there are a few notable differences from the 529. Contribution limits are much lower ($2,000 per year), but there is a much wider range of investment options, such as stocks and bonds. And Coverdell funds can be used for any level of qualifying educational expenses -- not just college. So, if you plan on sending your kids to a private high school, a Coverdell can help you pay for it.

It's also important to mention that unused funds can be easily transferred to another beneficiary. So, if your child doesn't go to college or doesn't spend the entire balance, you can transfer the money for another child's, or another loved one's, use.

Use a combination of these tax breaks for maximum savings

There are tax breaks for before, during, and after college, and you can use them in combination to produce major savings. For example, you can invest money in a 529 and withdraw your investment profits tax-free to pay tuition and other expenses. Then, you can potentially qualify for a credit on income that was already tax-free, reaping a double benefit for your college saving.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm fully aware that college has gotten rather expensive in recent history. However, my goal is to make you fully aware of the benefits to which you may be entitled to take away some of the financial sting of higher education.

The article Do You Qualify for Education Tax Breaks? originally appeared on Fool.com.

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In light of continued developments, primarily since 2008, there exists in these United States a Legal System which operates on a proved Two Tiered approach to justice rendered, which primarily benefits Democratic Elites and Woke Ideological Virtue Signalers, representing their co-dependent wards, to the expressed exclusion of normal hardworking American citizens: What is your suggestion in remedying this widespread injustice and, if not corrected, its existential outcome for our Constitutional Republic?

Complete overhaul the Department of Justice and their enforcers - the FBI - to reflect a far more honest justice system to keep patriots remaining calm.

Disband the FBI, and request that congress investigate all unethical and non patriotic practices to partially right the wrongs of a distrusted and politically weaponized "Department of Justice."
Intel's previous development methodology is on the left, its new one on the right. Image source: Intel.

During its presentation at the Computex trade show in Taiwan, microprocessor giant Intel talked a little bit about its upcoming processors that will power future personal computers.

According to Intel's Client Computing Group chief Navin Shenoy, the company plans to enter mass production on its upcoming Kaby Lake processor family -- a so-called "optimization" of the prior generation Skylake architecture -- "later this quarter."

When should we see Kaby Lake in systems?

The first processors based on the Kaby Lake architecture are likely to be aimed at notebook PCs. Since these chips aren't sold directly to customers, but are instead sold to system manufacturers who then build systems based on those chips, there's a time lag between when processors go into mass production and when systems based on those chips will be available for customers to purchase.

During the presentation, Shenoy demonstrated a functioning 2-in-1 laptop with a Kaby Lake chip inside, built by PC contract manufacturer Compal Electronics. He said that the system would be "ready to launch at the end of this year."

Intel typically launches its less complex, low-power processors aimed at thin and light laptops and 2-in-1 systems first, so I expect that the majority of the Kaby Lake systems launched in 2016 will pack such chips. The higher-performing parts, aimed at high-performance laptops and desktops, probably won't find their way into systems until the first half of 2017.

Does it really matter?

At the end of the day, I don't think that new processors and new systems based on those processors are going to do much to move the needle in terms of the overall PC market. It's not for lack of features and performance that people aren't buying new PCs, but rather some combination of the facts that their current PCs are "good enough" and that they have shifted their tech dollars to other products such as smartphones and tablets.

As proof of this, Intel has actually launched several compelling new CPU architectures over the last several years. In 2013, Intel delivered a major boost in laptop battery life with its Haswell architecture, enabling "all-day battery life" in systems like the MacBook Air and the swarm of Ultrabooks that came out during that time.

Intel's PC sales in the wake of the Haswell launch failed to improve.

In 2014, Intel trickled out a few Broadwell-based Core M chips, but the bulk of its volume consisted of slightly refreshed versions of the Haswell processor. PC sales actually did reasonably well that year, because Windows XP'send of life drove corporate system upgrades -- but the sales had very little to do with the products Intel was fielding into the marketplace.

In 2015, Intel launched its Skylake architecture, which brought several significant power efficiency and performance improvements over the prior-generation Haswell and Broadwell chips. Although Skylake saw success in pockets of the overall PC market which are growing anyway (think gaming PCs), the architecture itself did little to stimulate demand for PCs in general.

As long as Intel continues to field best-in-class products and is able to maintain its market share at robust gross profit margins, then the launches of specific new products for most types of PCs simply won't be all that interesting to investors.

The article Intel Corporation's Kaby Lake to Enter Volume Production Later This Quarter originally appeared on Fool.com.

Ashraf Eassa owns shares of Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Intel. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
For perspective, Kinder Morgan's project is much smaller in scale than most of the other LNG projects in development. For example, Sempra Energy 's Cameron LNG facility's initial three train liquefaction project is expected to export up to 2.1 Bcf of natural gas per day when it comes online in 2018. In addition to that, Sempra Energy has already applied for federal approval to build two more liquefaction trains at Cameron, which would increase its LNG production capacity by 1.35 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. That said, the much larger project does come with an equally larger price tag, with Sempra Energy expecting the first phase to cost $10 billion.

Kinder Morgan's Elba Liquefaction Project is expected to cost $2 billion and be constructed and operated at the company's existing Elba Island LNG Terminal near Savannah, Georgia. The company is planning to build 10 liquefaction units at the site, with the first expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2018 while the rest of the units are expected to be up and running by the end of that same year. Once fully operational the project will have an estimated total capacity to produce 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year, or roughly 350,000 Mcf of natural gas per day, with its capacity fully supported by a 20-year contract with Royal Dutch Shell .

Kinder Morgan finally has some good news for investors in regards to its growth pipeline. That good news was the announcement that the company received authorizations from FERC for its Elba Liquefaction Project as well as for a number of related pipeline projects. With these approvals the company now remains on pace to export LNG out of its Elba Island LNG Terminal by mid-2018.

The LNG value chain

Aside from the approval to construct the Elba project, Kinder Morgan also received FERC certificates for the Elba Express Company Modification Project and the Southern Natural Gas Zone 3 Expansion project. Together these projects are expected to cost $306 million and enable Kinder Morgan to move additional gas supplies to industrial customers and utilities in Georgia and Florida as well as supply gas to Elba Island for liquefaction. Further, these projects are expected to provide a near-term boost to the company given that the projects are expected to be placed into service by the end of this year.

What's worth noting about these pipeline projects is the fact that they're being partially driven by the need to supply gas to an LNG export facility, which is expected to be a key growth driver for the company going forward. Kinder Morgan has already captured a number of investment opportunities to build pipelines to LNG export projects, including a recent award to invest $212 million in a pipeline expansion project to supply gas to a liquefaction project along the Gulf Coast. The company expects to capture additional LNG-related growth opportunities in the future due to the enormous growth in LNG demand that's projected over the next decade. In fact, after exporting virtually no LNG last year, the U.S. is expected to export 10.9 Bcf/d of natural gas by 2025, which would be slightly more than 10% of the country's total natural gas supply in a decade. Given the sheer growth of projected LNG demand as well as the associated increase in supplies needed to meet this demand, Kinder Morgan should have a lot of growth opportunities come its way thanks to the LNG megatrend.

Investor takeaway

LNG is expected to be a key growth driver for Kinder Morgan in the future. Not only does it have its own export projects in development, but these projects and competing LNG projects will require additional pipeline capacity be built to supply gas. That provides Kinder Morgan with a number of ways to capture value from this emerging megatrend in the years ahead.

The article Kinder Morgan Inc's $2.3 Billion LNG Ambitions Get the Green Light
What: Continental Resources' stock rallied in May, up more than 10% for the month. Crude prices helped ignite that rally, with oil finishing up 7% and just under $50 a barrel. That said, crude wasn't the only fuel driving the stock higher last month.

So what: The main fuel driving last month's surge was Continental Resources first-quarter earnings report. While the company reported a slightly steeper loss than had been expected, its production was strong enabling the company to raise its full year output guidance. The company now expects to produce between 205,000 to 215,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or BOE/d, this year, which is well above its initial estimate of 200,000 BOE/d. What's remarkable about that upward revision is that Continental Resources doesn't need to invest any incremental capital to achieve that amount.

One of the driving factors behind the company's strong production performance is its STACK play. In fact, the company announced that it had completed an industry record STACK well during May, which also came in at the lowest costs ever for the company.

The STACK play in Oklahoma has become one of the hottest oil plays in the country, largely because the wells are relatively inexpensive to drill and highly productive leading to robust drilling returns even at low oil prices. Those features recently led Newfield Exploration to pay $470 million to acquire an additional 42,000 acres in the play, boosting its total position in the region to 350,000 acres. That was a very rich price to pay, working out to more than $10,000 an acre, especially considering that Newfield Exploration paid less than $3,000 an acre for its cumulative acquisitions in the play to date. That said, like Continental Resources, Newfield Exploration has seen improving wells costs and margins, which have significantly increased the value of the play.

Now what: Continental Resources is on pace to have a much stronger year than initially expected. While that's partially due to improving oil prices, the company is also getting stellar results out of its STACK play, which is driving improved production at no extra cost. That sets the company up well for the future, as long as oil prices don't take another steep dive.

The article This is What Fueled Continental Resources, Inc.'s 10.7% Spike in May originally appeared on Fool.com.

Matt DiLallo 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.
What: Shares of RigNet took a deep dive in May, slumping 24.7%. That slump came despite the fact that oil prices rose sharply last month, jumping nearly 7% to just under $50 a barrel.

So what: The culprit driving RigNet's slide last month was a weak first-quarter earnings report. While the company earned $0.08 per share on $62.3 million in revenue -- both figures which beat estimates -- its underlying results were much weaker than the headline numbers would suggest. That's because the company, which provides digital technology solutions to the oil and gas industry, settled a contract dispute during the quarter, the effect of which boosted revenue by $2.3 million and earnings by $2.1 million. Moreover, revenue and earnings were down sharply year over year due to the steep drop off in spending by oil and gas companies on drilling projects due to lower commodity prices.

Given where oil prices are at the moment, it could be quite some time before oil companies start increasing their investments in offshore projects again. Because of that, a growing number of offshore rigs are expected to be stacked or scrapped this year. For example, analysts estimate that up to four of ENSCO's rigs currently working in Brazil could see their contracts terminated in the near future. ENSCO's growing fleet of stacked rigs already sits at 25 of its 59 total rigs. With such a large portion of ENSCO's fleet currently idle, analysts think the company should start scrapping -- aka, retiring -- some of these rigs due to the increasing likelihood that they'll never see work again. It's that growing number of offshore rigs sitting unused that's weighing on RigNet, because it provides key services to these rigs, and therefore will continue to see downward pressure on its revenue and earnings as more of them are idled.

Now what: Though oil prices have risen, the outlook for the offshore drilling sector is still pretty weak, and could get worse. That doesn't bode well for RigNet, which needs the sector to start putting idled rigs back to work in order for its financial situation to improve. Given that it's unclear when that will happen, investors don't see much reason to stick around.

The article This Is Why RigNet Inc.s Stock Sank 25% in May originally appeared on Fool.com.

Matt DiLallo owns shares of RigNet. The Motley Fool recommends RigNet. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Thor Industries.

For Thor Industries , anything that encourages more people to buy recreational vehicles is a positive. Between favorable demographics and falling gasoline prices, Thor has seen the RV industry look more attractive than ever, and coming into its fiscal third-quarter financial report on Monday, Thor investors were hoping that the company would be able to keep up its pace to produce strong growth. For its part, Thor had record results for the quarter, including unparalleled levels of revenue and net income. Let's take a closer look at the latest from Thor Industries and whether it can keep driving faster results in the future.

Thor puts the hammer down on growth

Thor Industries' fiscal third-quarter results sustained the strength that the industry has seen for quite a while now. Revenue from continuing operations was up 9% to $1.28 billion, which was slightly slower than the 10% growth rate that investors were hoping to see but nevertheless set a new record for the company. Net income came in at a record $79.2 million, up 25% from the year-ago quarter, and that worked out to adjusted earnings of $1.49 per share. That figure was $0.06 per share better than the consensus forecast among investors.

Looking more closely at Thor's results, the company once again produced better results in some of its segments than in others. The motorized RV segment posted sales growth of almost 21%, with the company citing strong dealer and consumer responses to new products like Thor's more moderately priced gasoline-powered entry-level motorhomes. Pre-tax income for motorized RVs jumped 22%, and segment backlog climbed by more than a third to $329 million.

By contrast, the towable RV unit didn't show as much growth, although it was also financially healthy. Sales for the segment were up just 2%, with slower sales of fifth-wheel RVs holding back lower-priced travel trailer revenue gains. However, income for the segment was up 16% thanks to a more favorable product mix, and backlogs climbed by more than half.

Dealers also continued to boost their inventories in anticipation of strong sales demand. At the end of the quarter, Thor posted total dealer inventory of 82,100 units, up 1% from the year-ago quarter.

Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin was pleased with how the company has done. "We continued to see the benefits of executing our strategic operating plan in the third quarter," Martin said, "resulting in record sales and bottom-line results. As our core markets continued to grow, we were able to generate improved margins and profitability."

What's coming down the road for Thor Industries?

Thor's future still looks bright. As its CEO noted, "We have heard consistent feedback that our dealer partners are seeing an influx of younger consumers entering our markets, which gives us optimism for the long-term growth of our business and industry." Martin also pointed to more ethnically diverse consumers as driving the need for Thor to broaden its product features and floorplans to meet more customer needs.

Still, Thor did note that there is a ceiling on how much growth investors should expect. As CFO Colleen Zuhl said, "We begin to approach production capacity constraints for certain of our brands, particularly within the towable business." However, Zuhl noted that Thor's Airstream plant expansion and investments in the Heartland facility in Idaho could increase capacity over the long run, allowing the company to capitalize more effectively on favorable industry conditions as long as they last.

Thor Industries stock didn't respond all that strongly to the report, rising about 1% in after-hours trading following the announcement. Nevertheless, with so many positives in the RV market, Thor seems well-positioned to take full advantage of strong customer demand even with the competitive pressures it will increasingly face in the future.

The article Thor Industries Hits New Records With Sales, Earnings Strength originally appeared on Fool.com.

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Thor Industries. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Juno Therapeutics.

What: After updating investors on the clinical trial progress for its cancer immunotherapy, shares in Juno Therapeutics rallied 10.5% today.

So what:Yesterday, Juno Therapeutics reported additional clinical trial data for its chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy JCAR014 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual conference.

Specifically, the company reports that 100% of patients with relapsing or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) participating in a phase 1/2 study of JCAR014 saw a complete remission. Using flow cytometry, 94% of the 34 participants saw complete remission. Also, the company noted that median disease-free survival and overall survival had not been reached in the 18-month study period.

Juno Therapeutics also reported that 16 of 20 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients responded to JCAR014, and that half had a complete response to the therapy.

Data was also released for a phase 1 study of Juno Therapeutics JCAR017 showing that 93% of pediatric and young adult patients with relapsing or refractory ALL witnessed a complete remission.

Now what:The trial data adds conviction to the thinking that CAR-T therapy could revolutionize patient treatment in B-cell cancers. Previously, Juno Therapeutics has said it plans to file for accelerated approval of another CAR-T, JCAR015, for use inB-cell cancers if mid-stage study data is positive.

These results add support to the thinking that those plans remain on track because JCAR014 and JCAR015 both work similarly and target the same CD19 protein expressed on B-cell cancer cells.

While these results help demonstrate the efficacy of CAR-T in this patient population, investors should know that Juno Therapeutics isn't a risk-less investment. Many patients who have taken the company's CAR-T therapies have suffered from cytokine release syndrome, a potentially life-threatening immune response. This syndrome can be controlled, but it's not clear how the FDA will view these serious adverse events.

Given these study results and the fact that Juno Therapeutics has plenty of cash on hand ($1.13 billion exiting March) and a deep-pocketed collaborator in Celgene Corp, this company remains one of the most intriguing clinical-stage companies in cancer treatment right now.

The article Why Juno Therapeutics Soared 10.5% Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Todd Campbell owns shares of Celgene.Todd owns E.B. Capital Markets, LLC. E.B. Capital's clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. Like this article? Follow him onTwitter where he goes by the handle@ebcapital to see more articles like this.The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Celgene. The Motley Fool recommends Juno Therapeutics. 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 don't yet know if this rumor is true or not since neither company has released any information. However, since the number of ACADIA shares that have been sold short has been on the rise over the last few months, it's possible that the rumor is scaring off some of these the company's bears, contributing to today's spike.

So what: According to a report from theDaily Mail last Friday, pharma giant AstraZeneca is said to be one of the companies that is interested in placing a bid on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals. The report claims that Acadia would not even consider an offer of less than $60 per share, which is 50% higher than what shares are currently fetching.

What: Shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. , a biopharma focused on diseases of the central nervous system, were up more than 12% as of 3:30 p.m. ET on rumors that AstraZeneca PLC (ADR) is eyeing the company as a potential acquisition candidate.

Now what: AstraZeneca does have a recent history of buying small biopharma companies in an effort to reignite its top-line growth. Just last year it spent $2.7 billion to acquire ZS Pharma, a company developing a treatment for hyperkalemia. Unfortunately, that treatment's future recentlycame into question

Regardless, while the idea of a buyout is always exciting, ACADIA's investors should do their best to stay focused on how well the company's newParkinson's psychosis drug, Nuplazid, performs on the market.

I think that ACADIA bulls have plenty of reasons to believe that Nuplazid has a real shot at being a winner.In clinical trials, Nuplazid was able to help reduce many of the symptoms of Parkinson's psychosis. In addition, patients who took Nuplazid did not experience problems with their motor control, which is a common side effect of antipsychotics. That could greatly help to reduce the burden placed on patients' caregivers, which is one of the biggest challenges in treating the disease.

Image source: ACADIA presentations.

It is estimated that 40% of patients who have Parkinson's develop psychosis, and with 1 million patients in the U.S. alone suffering from the disease, Nuplazid has a big market opportunity ahead of it. That's especially true when you consider there are no other approved therapies available, so Nuplazid has the market all to itself.

Nuplazid was just launched for sale on May 31, so investors will get their first look at how well the drug is performing out of the gate during the company's second-quarter earnings report.

Until we get confirmation otherwise, investors should do their best to ignore today's move and stay focused on the long-term potential of Nuplazid.

The article Why Shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Jumped Today
Image source: Transocean.

The stock market has been prone to quick changes in sentiment lately, and Monday showed how fast investors have been flooding back into the market even after somewhat troubling news. After falling last Friday in the wake of a sluggish employment report, stocks bounced back after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen tried to thread the needle in a speech to policymakers in Philadelphia. The central banker noted that the jobs report was disappointing but didn't specifically suggest its implications for the Fed's rate-setting meeting later this month. Investors chose to take the positive view, sending the Dow up by triple digits and other major market benchmarks rising by around two-thirds of a percent. Some stocks did even better, and Transocean , Exelixis , and CF Industries were among the best performers on Monday.

Transocean jumped 15% on a strong day for the energy sector. Oil prices climbed close to the $50-per-barrel mark, and the prospect of higher prices for crude oil and natural gas raised the possibility that Transocean and other offshore drillers could finally start to see a more prolonged turnaround in their fortunes. Even at these higher prices, many oil and gas exploration and production companies will be loath to hire Transocean or its rivals to move forward with expensive offshore drilling projects. Of even more concern is the fact that rates on projects are low enough that it will be hard for Transocean to earn a profit even when it does manage to win business. Nevertheless, given how far energy stocks have plunged, even the slightest bit of good news has been enough to send stocks like Transocean up sharply in anticipation of a longer-term bounce.

Exelixis climbed 11% in the wake of positive phase 3 trial results for its renal cell carcinoma treatment. Cabometyx was found to have provided benefits in progression-free survival and overall survival of this form of kidney cancer, according to data that the company and its partner Ipsen released in a presentation before the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting. As CEO Michael Morrissey noted, "We are dedicated to exploring the full potential of Cabometyx to help as many patients as possible." The findings were independent of the presence of bone metastases as well as other factors, which could potentially broaden the scope of use for the treatment if it wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Finally, CF Industries finished up 8%. The fertilizer company received an upgrade from analysts at Credit Agricole, which has moved its opinion of the stock up from sell as recently as last December to a full buy now. The move comes shortly after some of Credit Agricole's analyst peers had downgraded the stock late last month, and many investors aren't certain how the fertilizer company plans to proceed following the termination of its deal to acquire OCI. Now that tax-inversion benefits are no longer available, CF Industries will have to focus on the fundamentals of its business, and farm commodity prices haven't jumped to the same extent as some other commodities outside the agricultural sector. CF has room to rebound further, but it's unclear whether now will be the beginning of a longer run or just be a brief pause in its downward track.

The article Why Transocean, Exelixis, and CF Industries Jumped Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Exelixis. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image Source: Tribune Publishing Co.

What:Shares ofTribune Publishing Co jumped Monday asGannett continued to pursue an acquisition of the newspaper publisher. TPUB shares closed the day up 17.74% while GCI stock closed the day up almost 1%.

So what:Last week, Tribune shares slid after Chairman (and controlling shareholder) Michael Ferro dismissed Gannett's bid once again. However, on Monday, the stock was back on the rise based on reports that Gannett is still interested in acquiring the owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and other papers. Nearly half of Tribune's shareholders withheld their votes for Ferro and other directors in last week's election, a seeming rejection of the company's opposition to a deal with Gannett.

Gannett, the country's largest newspaper publisher and owner ofUSA Today, said last week that it was still "reviewing whether to proceed" with its attempted takeover of Tribune.

Now what:It's clear from the stock's movements over the last few weeks that investors favor a Gannett acquisition. The potential acquirer has offered $15 a share for Tribune, a price that would still offer a substantial premium after today's pop. Ferro has insisted that his larger rival is trying to "steal the company," and has released plans to revamp Tribune as a digital content provider and introduce "machine vision" technology that would allow readers to scan print newspapers electronically.

Before Gannett's bid, Tribune shares were trading at just around $7.50, and had steadily fallen during the last two years. Tribune is seeing revenue decline and, like most traditional publishing companies, is confronted with a challenging competitive landscape as print readership and ad sales dry up. Considering that its shares have nearly doubled thanks to Gannett's interest, Tribune shareholders are right to push for a deal.

The article Why Tribune Publishing Co. Shares Soared Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jeremy Bowman 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.
Image source: Philip Morris International.

Among tobacco stocks, Philip Morris International hasn't been around all that long as a separately traded company. Nevertheless, in the long tradition of its peers, Philip Morris has rewarded its shareholders with lucrative dividend payments, and the company has also found ways to increase its payouts year in and year out over nearly a decade. With the tobacco-grower historically raising its dividend in the late summer, some investors are getting antsy to discover whether Philip Morris will be able to overcome some of its challenges to push ahead. Let's look more closely at Philip Morris International and whether a dividend increase is in the cards for later this year.

Dividend stats on Philip Morris International

Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share $1.02 Current Yield 4% Number of Consecutive Years With Dividend Increases 8 years Payout Ratio 96% Last Increase September 2015

Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date.

Can Philip Morris International keep investors satisfied?

Philip Morris was aggressive with its dividend increases when it first became a separately traded company. After debuting in early 2008, the stock immediately gave investors a 17% boost to the dividend later that year. With the exception of a smaller increase in the financial-crisis year of 2009, Philip Morris was able to deliver double-digit percentage increases through 2013, with an extremely generous 20% jump in 2011.

PM Dividend data by YCharts

The past two years, however, haven't been as kind to Philip Morris shareholders. Earnings growth slowed largely as a result of the strong U.S. dollar compared to the international currencies that the tobacco giant takes in as revenue. That prompted Philip Morris to limit its 2014 dividend increase to just 6%, and its 2015 boost was even smaller at 2%.

Moreover, one problem that Philip Morris is having right now is that it's already pushing the limits of how much it can afford to pay out in dividends on a sustainable basis. Based on its most recent trailing earnings, the tobacco giant is paying out more than 95% of its earnings in the form of dividends. That has led Philip Morris to suspend the stock buybacks it had used in the past in order to preserve capital to go toward dividend payments.

Are things looking better for Philip Morris International's dividend?

The good news for Philip Morris is that some of the negative factors that have held back its growth appear to be subsiding. Most important is the direction of the U.S. dollar, which has finally seen a pause in its strengthening trend against the euro and has actually fallen against the Japanese yen. Even flat performance would allow more of Philip Morris' organic growth to reach the bottom line. For example, in its most recent quarter, the tobacco company took a $0.37 per share hit to earnings because of the strong dollar, costing the company 18 percentage points of revenue or roughly $1.4 billion. If that negative goes away, then it could mean more available money to give to shareholders.

That said, Philip Morris is dealing with new challenges. The spread of tighter regulation across the globe is continuing, and plain-packaging restrictions are becoming more common. It's unclear what impact that could have on profits for the cigarette seller, but the trend only highlights the need for Philip Morris to look at alternatives like its reduced-risk product portfolio in development.

Based on what Philip Morris has done in the past, a boost is likely in September, but enough headwinds exist that it will probably be another small increase. Even pushing the dividend up another $0.02 to $1.04 per share quarterly would keep its yield above 4%, and that's a respectable payout in today's market that should keep income investors satisfied with Philip Morris International for another year.

The article Will Philip Morris International Raise Its Dividend Soon? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Dan Caplinger 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.
81-27 vote says contract with Spanish company Cintra can be terminated for 'cause'



CJ file photo

RALEIGH The state House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would put the brakes on the Interstate 77 high-occupancy or toll lanes project in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties.Rep. Charles Jeter, R-Mecklenburg, who sponsored House Bill 954 , said the project cancels the project "under the premise of cause."Jeter said, referring to Cintra, the Spain-based company that the Department of Transportation contracted with to build the 26-mile managed lane project.The "cause" premise is significant, because if a court rules that there was no cause for canceling the contract, the state could be on the hook for an estimated $250 million in penalties. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson said proving the "cause" premise could be difficult since a DOT inspector general had already concluded that no significant omissions in document submission occurred.Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston, who co-chairs the House Transportation Committee, said the state was getting a good deal with the project. If the project continues, motorists could be using the highway by 2018, he said. If it's canceled and the DOT builds the highway without tolls, it would take a lot longer given the difficulty in finding money for such an expensive project, he added.Torbett said.Motorists using the proposed HOT lanes would be required to pay a toll unless at least three people are in their vehicle. The plan calls for two HOT lanes to be built in both directions alongside two standard untolled lanes from the Berkshire Freeway in Charlotte to the N.C. 150 interchange in Iredell County.The bill passed the House by an 81-27 vote. It faces a less-than-certain fate in the Senate. In April, before the short session began, Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said he had not seen any information leading him to believe that stopping the project was the right thing to do.Berger said during the April press conference.
Oprahs got nothing on John Oliver.

The late-night TV host staged the largest one-time giveaway in television history on Sunday when he forgave nearly $15 million in debt belonging to 9,000 Americans.

Oliver spent time on his show dissecting the debt-buying business, detailing the shady ways some companies buy and sell the debt belonging to Americans and then attempt to collect it  even if the statute of limitations has run out on the debt. Oliver highlighted how the problem has been well-documented in the news, nicknamed zombie debt, and how the debt-buying industry is battling scores of complaints by the Federal Trade Commission.

The late-night host honed in on how easy it is to buy debt.

As it stands, any idiot can get into it, and I can prove that to you, because Im an idiot and we started a debt-buying company, and it was disturbingly easy.

Oliver said he started a debt-buying company in April, and shortly after he launched a website and paid $50 to have the debt-acquisition firm registered, he was offered $14,922,261.76 in zombie debt for the low price of $60,000. The production company behind "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" covered the $60,000 cost. Oliver revealed once he paid, he received the social security numbers, names and addresses of 9,000 people in Texas.

We thought instead of collecting on the money, why not forgive it? Because on one hand, its obviously the right thing to do, but much more importantly wed be staging the largest one-time giveaway in television show history.

Oliver stated he believed the previous biggest TV-giveaway was when Oprah Winfrey famously gifted cars to her entire studio audience of 276 people. Oliver estimated Winfrey gave away about $8 million with her giveaway.

The HBO star said his team had the medical debt sent to a non-profit organization, called RIP Medical Debt, which specializes in forgiving debt without tax consequences.

He then pushed a symbolic red button and declared the debt had been officially given to the non-profit.

Following the giveaway, Oliver took to Twitter to send a message to Winfrey.


The White House has penned a social media script for Hollywood to spread its message on immigration, in a sequel to the gun control talking points the Obama administration sent out to actors, directors and writers earlier this year.

An email sent out last week to an undisclosed number of Tinseltown movers and shakers from the White House Associate Director of Public Engagement Jesse Moore shows just how confident the administration is that its lines will be delivered as written under the Twitter hashtag ImmigrationHeritageMonth.

Will you send it out too, using your social media accounts? reads the email. And let us know when you do so we can continue to amplify your voice  and this message.

The email included a video and urged stars to join the #IAmAnImmigrant movement.

Join Kerry and become part of the #IAmAnImmigrant movement today https://t.co/ojHNQvFaIl -krew pic.twitter.com/FqbHtexi1R  kerry washington (@kerrywashington) June 2, 2016

We are a nation of immigrants, and whether you are an immigrant, the child or grandchild of immigrants, or you stand with immigrants  its on all of us to ensure that we continue to recognize the role immigrants continue to play at the core of this country, the email states.

Although Moore acknowledges, Your own voice is best, draft social media language is offered for stars to cut-and-paste. Some examples for those not inclined to ad lib:

June is Immigrant Heritage Month and I stand with immigrants. Share this video to celebrate the monumental contributions immigrants have made  and continue to make every day!

#IAmAnImmigrant honors each of our families sacrifices, struggles and successes  Americas strength is reflected in our diversity built over generations.

Now, more than ever, its important we stay united. Im proud to be part of the #IAmAnImmigrant movement.

Were so excited to join the IAmAnImmigrant movement.

Of course, feel free to [retweet] the White House! the email adds.

Within days, the campaign had successfully enlisted the likes of Kerry Washington, Julianne Moore, Alan Cumming and Rosie Perez reminding their followers of the importance of immigration.

Now, more than ever, it's important we stay united. June is Immigrant Heritage Month and Im https://t.co/DVTC7bV4bv  Alan Cumming (@Alancumming) June 1, 2016

It was replay of a February campaign in which the same White House office sent out talking points under the subject line Artists & Entertainers Unite to #StopGunViolence and addressed to Family. FoxNews.com reported on how several A-listers, including Washington, Moore, Ashton Kutcher and others happily parroted the White House script.

Political activism has a long tradition in Hollywood, but the coordinated messaging is troubling to some.

This shameful suggested language campaign is taxpayer-funded political advocacy at its worst, said Matthew Vadum, of the Washington-based think tank Capital Research Center.

Vadum also accused the White House of using its influence over Hollywood to help blur the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants, a key issue in the ongoing presidential campaign.

However, Ronn Torossian, CEO of the public relations firm 5WPR, said the strategy of issuing talking points to influencers is standard across any type of major campaign.

Its not much of a secret that speaking points are provided before one does interviews or promotions  just something the general public may not be aware of, he said.


Children and adolescents who take medication to treat their attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at a slightly increased risk of heart problems, suggests a new study.

"Our results suggest that the events are rare, however, parents and clinicians should be aware of the potential for cardiac adverse effects" in children taking methylphenidate, or Ritalin, said senior author Nicole Pratt, of the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

The findings of the new study show that more research is needed on the potential side effects of the drug, she told Reuters health.

Methylphenidate, a stimulant, reduces impulsivity and hyperactivity in children with ADHD, write Pratt and colleagues in the BMJ. However, there have been concerns that the drug may be tied to heart problems.

For the new study, the researchers used insurance data on 114,647 South Korean children up to age 17 with ADHD who received at least one prescription for methylphenidate.

Between 2008 and 2011, 1,224 of the children developed cardiovascular problems for the first time. Overall, 864 children developed heart rhythm problems, 395 had high blood pressure, 57 had heart attacks, 67 had strokes and 44 had heart failure.

Kids were about 61 percent more likely to have a heart rhythm problem when they were taking methylphenidate than when they weren't, the researchers found. Kids were most at risk for a heart rhythm problem during the first three days of treatment, but the increased risk disappeared once the child had been on the drug for more than 56 days.

The risk for a heart rhythm problem was also highest among children with congenital heart disease.

There was no overall increased risk of heart attacks while children were being treated with methylphenidate, but there was a slightly higher risk between eight and 56 days after the start of treatment.

No link was found between methylphenidate and high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure.

Parents should not change their children's medications based on this study's results, Pratt told Reuters Health in an email. Instead, they should discuss their concerns with their child's doctor.

"When the medicine is deemed necessary children should have blood pressure and heart rate monitored to help mitigate any potential risk," she said.

In an editorial, John Jackson notes that the researchers looked at whether children experienced a heart problem near the time they started taking methylphenidate, compared to when they weren't taking the medication.

The study did not look at whether heart problems occurred more often in those who started taking methylphenidate than in those who were not prescribed the drug, wrote Jackson, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

The new study, "underscores the need to consider the severity of ADHD symptoms and the option of non-stimulants for children with high cardiovascular risk, to avoid uses that are entirely off label, and to closely monitor patients for whom stimulants are critical for their wellbeing and development," he wrote.

Pratt said it will be important to replicate these findings in other populations.

"This information will help clinicians and parents weigh up the risks against the benefits of treatment particularly in mild cases of ADHD," she said.
The safety and effectiveness of a new cancer treatment known as immunotherapy is largely unknown in patients with autoimmune diseases, researchers say - and that might account for up to a quarter of individuals with lung cancer.

In autoimmune diseases - such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis or psoriasis, for example - the immune system attacks the body.

Patients with autoimmune diseases have been mostly excluded from clinical trials testing immunotherapies over fears that the treatments will worsen the conditions or cause new ones to appear, because immunotherapy uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer.

As a result, the effectiveness and potential side effects of immunotherapy are largely unknown for these patients, said senior author Dr. David Gerber, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

To estimate how many people with lung cancer in the U.S. may have autoimmune conditions, the researchers matched government insurance data from 1991 to 2011 with national cancer data from 1992 to 2009.

Overall, there were 210,509 patients with lung cancer, of whom 28,453, or about 14 percent, had been hospitalized at least once for an autoimmune disease or had at least two insurance claims for autoimmune conditions.

Using more liberal criteria - just one insurance claim for an autoimmune condition - the proportion with one of these diseases went up to nearly 25 percent.

Gerber said doctors can generally speculate about the possible effects immunotherapy will have among people with autoimmune diseases since it's largely untested in that group.

"It's because immunotherapy has demonstrated such effectiveness and promise that these questions are worth asking," he said.

"I don't think the concern is that effectiveness of treatment against the cancer is going to be less," Gerber said. "I think the concern is that toxicity would be more."

There may, however, be concern over the effectiveness of immunotherapy if the person is also on drugs that suppress the immune system, Gerber said.

The results were presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago and published online in JAMA Oncology.
Clif Bar trail mix bars are the latest product to be recalled by SunOpta because its sunflower ingredient may be contaminated with listeria.

Tribune Media Wire reported that the Clif Bar announcement follows nearly 40 separate recalls for the same reason most recently, Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars and Kashi Trail Mix Chewy Granola Bars. The sunflower kernels in the recalled products were manufactured in SunOptas Crookston, Minnesota, facility. SunOpta is based in Edina, Minnesota.

The affected Clif Bar items are Clif Bar Nuts & Seeds Energy Bars, Clif Bar Sierra Trail Mix Energy Bars, and Clif Mojo Mountain Mix Trail Mix Bars, according to the Emeryville, Calif.-based companys voluntary recall notice. Best buy labels for the products range from June 2016 through January, March and February 2017, respectively.

Items in the recall also include Planters sunflower kernels, Trader Joes packaged Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with White Chicken Meat, Sunflower Seeds, Cranberries, And A Sweet & Spicy Vinaigrette, as well as other trail mix and protein bars sold by various companies at retailers like Walmart, Publix and Great Value.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to listeria can cause serious and life-threatening illness in individuals who are immunosuppressed, young or elderly. In pregnant women, it can cause birth complications.

Visit FDA.gov for a full list of the affected products.
Medical devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are often cleared before studies on their safety or effectiveness have been released to the public, a report suggests.

Without published data, doctors and patients may not be able to make informed decisions about whether to use the products, the authors warn.

The FDA defines a medical device as any instrument, machine, implant or other device used to diagnose, prevent or treat a disease or condition. Devices include everything from heart rate monitors to hip replacements, intrauterine devices or new surgical tools.

Lead study author Hani Marcus of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College, London told Reuters Health there are two main pathways to get a medical device approved for sale in the U.S.

One, for devices that are not similar to any product already on the market, requires stringent evaluations for safety and effectiveness before the FDA gives clearance for marketing.

The other, called the 510(k) pathway, is for new devices that are similar to products currently being sold. Requirements in this pathway are "far less stringent" and allow for "more rapid regulatory approval," Marcus said. In fact, clinical studies of these devices are not usually required, he and his colleagues note in BMJ

The research team searched for studies of new medical devices published between 2000 and 2004 and then looked at FDA databases for information on clearance or approval of those devices.

Of the 218 devices described in the publications, 99, or 45 percent, ultimately received regulatory clearance or approval.

In four of every five cases, those devices were approved via the faster 510(k) pathway.

Of the 99 devices that made it to market, 43, or 43 percent, were cleared or approved before the studies had been published.

"If high quality studies of medical devices are not done and published, it is hard for clinicians to make well informed decisions on their clinical use, and to know what patients, if any, would benefit and to know the risks of the devices," said Rita Redberg, a professor of medicine at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, by email.

Redberg, who has studied the FDA's process of approving high-risk devices, told Reuters Health, "When we looked at high-risk cardiovascular devices, we found that less than half (49 percent) had publications to support their safety and effectiveness."

The FDA defines a high-risk device as one that "supports or sustains human life, is of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, or presents a potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury."

Even for the high-risk devices that were included in the current study, the research often consisted of low quality, small studies, noted Redberg, who was not involved in the new paper.

Marcus noted that while it is important to make sure new devices are safe and effective, it the approval process becomes too difficult, people might be deprived of important new medical developments.

"A careful balance needs to be struck," he said.
Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer drugs, but the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study released on Monday.

The study of cancer drug prices in seven countries, which did not take into account discounts or rebates to list prices, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The lowest drug prices were found in India and South Africa. But after calculating price as a percentage of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, cancer drugs appeared to be least affordable in India and China.

Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikvah, Israel, calculated monthly drug doses for 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of cancer types and stages. List prices in Australia, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States were obtained from government websites.

The high prices commanded by modern cancer drugs are generating increased resistance and demands for price discounts from politicians, health care providers, insurers, patients and some doctors.

Drug companies argue that they need to make a profit to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines.

The study researchers used gross domestic product and cost of living statistics from the International Monetary Fund to estimate drug price affordability.

Median monthly prices for branded drugs ranged from $1,515 in India to $8,694 in the United States. For generics, median prices were highest in the United States, at $654, and lowest in South Africa, $120, and India, $159.

In terms of ability to pay, the study found cancer drugs to be most affordable in Australia, where generic drugs were priced at 3 percent of "domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity" and patented drugs were 71 percent of the same measure.

In China, the study found generic drug prices were 48 percent and patented drugs were 288 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living.

In India, the cost of generics was 33 percent of that measure, while patented drugs were 313 percent.

In the United States, generics were found to be priced at 14 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, and patented cancer drugs were 192 percent of the same measure.

The study did not take into account that drug costs are paid by either the government, health insurers, or patients themselves, depending on each country's health insurance system.

Worldwide spending on cancer medicines will exceed $150 billion by 2020, driven by the emergence of expensive new therapies that help the immune system to attack tumors, according to a forecast earlier this year from IMS Health Holdings (IMS.N).
Last week in Elkhart, Indiana, President Obama launched his 2016 campaign.

It is not to be confused with Hillary Clintons race for the White House. Clinton is running for the presidency. Obama is running for the rest of his life--and beyond.

Like his predecessors, Obama wants an honorable and lucrative retirement, influence on matters close to his heart and, most of all, a place in history. Officeseven the highest officescome and go. Legacy is forever.

It is not a secret that Obama feels underestimated. He especially resents what he regards as myths about the demise of American greatness that have been propagated in the primaries. During the next few months he will use the use his bully pulpit to make the case that he deserves a place on the A-list of former chief executives.

He knows it will be hard sale.

By almost every economic measure, America is better off than when I came here at the beginning of my presidency, he told the crowd in Elkhart. Thats the truth. Thats true. Its true. [my italics]

Could be, but a lot of Americans arent feeling it. Polls show that three-quarters of the public think the country is going in the wrong direction.

This narrative has been fed by Donald Trump, who rails against stupid political hacks who are selling out the country through terrible trade deals, unfettered immigration and profligate spending that has resulted in a ruinous public debt. But Trump is the opposition. Hes supposed to be say things like that.

Sanders and Clinton are a different matter. They are theoretically on Obamas side.

Bernie is only a nominal Democrat. Still, he is running as one while trying to pull the party planks out from under the president. The Senator portrays America under Obama as an economic and social dystopia. The rapacious 0.1% are gorging themselves at the expense of the middle class and the poor? Wages havent increased in years? College kids cant afford tuition? Jobs are migrating to dollar-an-hour sweatshops overseas? Well, whos been in charge? The damage is so great the only a Movement led by Bernie Sanders himself can repair the country.

Hillary Clinton hasnt been quite so blatant, but she also hasnt rushed to the defense of her former boss. She has joined Sanders (and Trump) in opposing the presidents most important trade initiative, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And she has refrained from fully embracing Obamas rosy view of his economic stewardship. That was clear in mid-May when she announced her intention of putting her husband in charge of revitalizing the economy. If things are as good as Obama told the folks in Elkhart, why would Hillary need to call Bill in from the bullpen?

Bill himself provided the answer last March, when he publicly derided awful legacy of the last eight years, and promised that his wife (presumably with his help) would set things straight.

The economy is not Obamas only vulnerability. The president ran as a racial unifier, but now even his own party appears split along racial lines. The Affordable Health Care Act, his signature domestic achievement, has been something of a disappointment. Sanders want to replace it with single payer insurance; Hillary merely concedes that the plan could certainly use some improvement. And the former Secretary of State has not been especially vocal in defending the presidents record on foreign policy.

Sure, if Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, Obama will campaign for her. But how he campaigns it will depend on the quid pro quo. If she can marginalize and silence the carping Sanders, keep Bill Clinton quiet, rediscover the many virtues of the Obama administration and run as a third term candidate, then the president (whose personal popularity is high among minority and young voters) will do his best to put her in the White House. But if she insists that the situation is dire and only she can save the day, Obama may decide that his place in history will be better appreciated after a few years of Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
There isnt a more dignified or professional politician in America than House Speaker Paul Ryan. He is principled, he is dignified, he is an idealist, he is a man of conviction  and he does not deserve all the flak hes been taking from far too many media blowhards for announcing that he will vote for Donald Trump in November.

Whats been forgotten in all the day-after rhetoric is that Ryan has not compromised on his principles. What the critics are ignoring is that he tried to rise above the fray a few weeks ago, when Trump went from frontrunner to presumptive nominee in the GOP presidential race.

Ryan, the nations top-ranking Republican, easily could have given Trump a rubber-stamp endorsement right then and there and gone along for the ride. But he didnt, because Ryan is a uniter, not a divider, and he recognizes the importance of creating unity in the Republican Party as well as in the United States of America.

At the time, the speaker took a calculated approach, saying he wasnt ready to endorse Trump because he needed to know more about the billionaire businessmans positions on key policy issues. Ryan wanted to be certain, as he wrote in his hometown newspaper on Thursday, that Trump shared his positive, optimistic vision for a more confident America.

Paul Ryan is a uniter, not a divider, and he recognizes the importance of creating unity in the Republican Party as well as in the United States of America.

Thats why, when he sealed the nomination, I could not offer my support for Donald Trump before discussing policies and basic principles, he wrote.

Ryan wanted to be confident that Trump would seek to bring together all wings of the Republican Party as well as appeal to most Americans. And it wasnt until he met with Trump and discussed the House policy agenda and the common ground this agenda can represent, how the House can be a driver of policy ideas and how important these reforms are to saving our country that Ryan could endorse him.

Trump, meanwhile, needed the speakers support for several reasons:

? Ryan exemplifies the character and tone Trump will need to represent the true spirit of the country. Bombast has taken him this far, but its unlikely to carry him to the finish line. More importantly, it will significantly damage the perception of the U.S. in the global arena.

? Ryans effort to rally support from all factions of the Republican party will provide an important lesson for Trump as he picks his running mate. He needs a Republican Joe Biden, someone who gets along with others, has legislative experience and knows how to work to get laws passed on Capitol Hill.

? Ryans greatest strength is his understanding of economics, numbers and policy. Hes a wonk, and hes proud of it. Trumps campaign slogans regarding economic reform, health care and other key issues have lacked substance so far, and he will need to show that he has Ryans knowledge of economics and policy as he woos undecided voters. Whether hes talking about how much it will cost to build a giant wall along our border with Mexico, or what it will take in terms of changing trade policies with other countries, Trumps credibility will no longer be measured in decibels. Now that hes the candidate, it will be the details that count.

Its also noteworthy that Ryan has not offered Trump a blank check of support. Its no secret that he and I have our differences, he wrote. I wont pretend otherwise. And when I feel the need to, Ill continue to speak my mind. But the reality is, on the issues that make up our agenda, we have more common ground than disagreement.

Perhaps this will keep Trump in check when he talks about banning Muslim immigrants, or when he castigates judges because of their ethnicity.

When Bill Clinton was president and Newt Gingrich was speaker, there were plenty of conversations in the center aisle. But two decades later, efforts to reconcile political differences appear to have vanished.

Paul Ryan is trying hard to bring harmony back to Capitol Hill. He has demonstrated that, despite differences and disagreements, there is an opportunity to create alignments that can work through issues.

The speakers endorsement of Trump is a reaffirmation of the kind of leadership we need to achieve unity. Nobody should be chastising him for seeking middle ground.

As Ryan has said, politics should be a battle of ideas, not insults. And it should be about solutions. The speaker is clearly focused on creating a better future for our children and our grandchildren, without alienating anyone in the process.


Press Release:

About Vidant Health

About the Brody School of Medicine

GREENVILLE The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and Vidant Medical Center have appointed two acclaimed specialists to key leadership positions. Drs. Blase Carabello and Andy Kiser bring international experience and a new level of expertise in cardiovascular care to the East.Carabello joins the ECU Department of Cardiovascular Sciences as chief of cardiology at Brody and director of the East Carolina Heart Institute (ECHI) at the medical center.He is recognized worldwide in the field of valvular heart disease. He specializes in the care of patients with complex valvular heart disease and general internal medicine. He co-authored the AHA/ACC Guidelines for the Treatment of Valvular Disease from 1998 to 2016.Carabello earned his MD degree from Temple University. He completed his training in both internal medicine and cardiology at Harvard Medical School.said Carabello.Kiser joins the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences as chief of cardiac surgery and director of cardiovascular surgical services at ECHI. He arrives from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was chief of cardiothoracic surgery.An international leader in minimally invasive valve and coronary artery surgery, Kiser has particular expertise in interventional surgery to avoid incisions in the chest. He developed the suprasternal approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and performed the first such procedure in the United States in 2015. He also pioneered paracardioscopic procedures to treat atrial fibrillation.A North Carolina native, Dr. Kiser earned his BS and MD degrees with honors at UNC-Chapel Hill, followed by training there in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.said Kiser.Vidant Health is a mission-driven, 1,439-bed health system that annually serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is made up of 12,000 employees, eight hospitals, home health, hospice, wellness centers, and Vidant Medical Group, a multispecialty physician and provider group with more than 420 providers in 80 practice sites. Vidant Health is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant Health has a mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.vidanthealth.com The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is nationally recognized for preparing primary care physicians who practice in medically underserved communities. All those admitted are North Carolina residents and the majority of its graduates practice primary care in North Carolina. Brody's research includes a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preventative care. Brody partners with Vidant Health to provide a teaching hospital, sharing faculty physicians in broad service areas such as critical care, surgery, emergency care and trauma. It also operates ECU Physicians, the clinical practice for the Brody School of Medicine.
While Hillary Clinton moved to the brink of clinching the Democratic presidential nomination with weekend wins in Caribbean contests  and could pass the milestone with a victory Tuesday evening in New Jersey  polls show Bernie Sanders still could deliver a symbolic wound by taking the Democratic stronghold of California.

Several recent polls have shown the Vermont senator closing Clintons lead in California and bringing the race into toss-up territory. The latest, from CBS News, showed Clinton up just 2 points over Sanders, 49-47 percent.

The same poll gave Clinton a comfortable double-digit lead in New Jersey, which is voting Tuesday alongside California and four other states in the last major primary day of the year.

Thanks to strong victories for the Democratic front-runner over the weekend in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, she is now in striking distance of the nomination -- 26 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win, according to an Associated Press count. New Jersey could put her over the top Tuesday evening, before California even wraps up.

But an after-the-fact victory for Sanders in the Golden State would nevertheless be a blow to Clinton, who is trying to not only clinch the nomination but unify the party and nudge Sanders out of the race for good. A California win could energize Sanders and his supporters and encourage him to follow through on vows to take his fight all the way to the convention.

In a sign of whats at stake, both candidates were barnstorming California ahead of Tuesdays elections.

As the Puerto Rico race was called, Clinton was on stage in Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

Clinton captured at least 33 of the 60 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico. Sanders garnered at least 20, with seven outstanding. Clinton has 1,809 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,520. When including superdelegates, her lead over Sanders is substantial -- 2,357 to 1,566.

The former New York senator and secretary of state is all but certain to secure the Democratic nomination Tuesday, when six states hold primaries in which a total of 694 delegates are available.

Like Clinton, Sanders made little mention of the outcome in Puerto Rico's primary. He said during an evening rally in San Diego that Democratic leaders should take notice that the "energy and grassroots activism" that will be crucial to the party in the fall "is with us, not Hillary Clinton."

He pointed to polls showing him faring better than Clinton in head-to-head matchups with Trump and his strength among Democratic voters under the age of 45.

"If the Democratic leadership wants a campaign that will not only retain the White House but regain the Senate and win governors' chairs all across this country, we are that campaign," he said.

While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.

Both Sanders and Clinton had pledged to help as the island's government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.

Two weeks before the primary, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory's $70 billion debt would make "a terrible situation even worse."

He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island. Campaigning on the island last month, Sanders promised to fight against "vulture funds" on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.

"That bill is anti-democratic and it's not in the best interest of Puerto Rico," said Jorge Gaskins, a 67-year-old farmer who supports Sanders and opposes a control board.

Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the board's powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or "too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
California is on the brink of becoming the first state in the nation to offer illegal immigrants the chance to buy insurance on an ObamaCare exchange -- testing what's being described as a "loophole" in the law.

The Affordable Care Act technically bars illegal immigrants from the insurance exchanges.

But the California bill, which last week passed the state legislature and was sent to Gov. Jerry Browns desk, would allow the state to apply for a federal waiver to open its exchange -- Covered California -- to undocumented residents.

There's no guarantee that will happen. Brown first would have to sign the bill and the Obama administration then would have to green-light the waiver. Even if that is granted, it wouldn't necessarily give illegal immigrants access to insurance subsidies.

Critics, though, say its a slippery slope and yet another example of how the federal government has hoodwinked Americans into getting behind the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare.

This is the first step in another misrepresentation of the Affordable Care Act, Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform told US News & World Report. It was sold to the American people on the fact that you wouldnt have to subsidize health care for illegal immigrants.

During his monthslong public pitch for the health care overhaul, President Obama had promised repeatedly the benefits that come with the federal and state health care exchanges would not be made available to illegal immigrants.

Currently, it is illegal under ObamaCare for undocumented immigrants to buy into the ACA.

According to HealthCare.gov, undocumented immigrants arent eligible to buy Marketplace health coverage, or for premium tax credits and other savings on Marketplace plans.

However, a provision in the law called the innovation waiver allows states like California to change portions of the law as long as the state makes coverage available to more people and as long as the federal government doesnt get stuck footing the bill.

The bills sponsor, Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Democrat, says if Brown signs the bill, 390,000 illegal immigrants would be eligible to receive health insurance.

We are talking about our friends. We are talking about our neighbors and our families who are denied basic health care in the richest state of this union, Lara, the son of an undocumented worker, said during Senate negotiations last June.

While the California waiver would be the first of its kind on a large scale, 18 states already have offered subsidies for prenatal care for undocumented women and health insurance for all undocumented children, according to Think Progress.

Requests for comment to Brown's office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well to Lara's office, were not immediately returned.
On the heels of Hillary Clinton's top spokesman catching heat from the press for his claim that his boss had made herself available to reporters, the Democratic presidential front-runner actually did stop to answer media questions as she campaigned Monday in California.

Clinton fielded questions on the sidelines of an event in Compton, using the chance to set the scene for Tuesdays primaries, hammer Donald Trump  and nudge Democratic rival Bernie Sanders toward the door.

While saying "it's not over until it's over, Clinton gave a pointed answer when asked if Sanders should concede after Tuesday, when six states including California vote in the last major round of primaries.

Tomorrow is eight years to the day after I withdrew and endorsed then-Senator Obama, Clinton said. I believed it was the right thing to do. No matter what differences we had in our long campaign, they paled in comparison to differences we had with the Republicans, and that is actually even more true today.

While Sanders has brought the California contest to a dead heat and is aiming for an upset victory there, Clinton is virtually guaranteed to reach the 2,383-delegate threshold to clinch the nomination by nightfall.

Sanders, though, has vowed to keep fighting after Tuesday. He was holding a press conference of his own at the same time Clinton spoke to reporters, and said his focus is on winning the California contest.

A day earlier, he said during an evening rally in San Diego that Democratic leaders should take notice that the "energy and grassroots activism" that will be crucial to the party in the fall "is with us, not Hillary Clinton."

But reports also surfaced Monday that President Obama is getting ready to endorse Clinton.

The New York Times said the endorsement could come as early as this week  a prediction Press Secretary Josh Earnest would not comment on at Mondays press briefing.

Meanwhile, Clintons Q&A with reporters Monday follows fresh criticism of her track record this year of making herself available to the media. She has taken heat for not holding a bona fide press conference all year  and spokesman Brian Fallon was criticized by her traveling press corps after claiming Sunday that Clinton oftentimes takes questions from reporters on the trail.

Speaking with CNN, Fallon had said theres no reluctance to speak with the press, claiming Clinton often comes out after an event has concluded for whats known as an avail  and she'll literally stand there for 15, 20 minutes and answer questions from her traveling press corps.

Fallon added: Bottom line is that she's answering questions from the reporters that are covering her day to day.

However, before Mondays avail, a review of Clintons informal Q&As with the press shows her most recent took place May 9 -- nearly a month ago -- in Stone Ridge, Va., and lasted two-and-a-half minutes. Shes done a total of roughly 10 this year.

Clinton typically takes questions from the press at these avails for five minutes or less, and several journalists on the campaign trail with her took to Twitter to challenge Fallons description.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The anti-Trump headlines practically leap off the page.

The New York Times went with this: Trump Could Threaten U.S. Rule of Law, Scholars Say.

The Washington Post online version: Trumps Personal, Racially Tinged Attacks on Federal Judge Alarm Legal Experts.

Now its important to stress that the billionaires personal attacks on the judge hearing the Trump University lawsuit are indeed troubling. The fact that hes tripled down in telling the Wall Street Journal and CNN that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has an inherent conflict of interest in the case because hes of Mexican heritagethe guy is from Indianais rather stunning coming from a presidential candidate.

But as with all things Trump, his confrontational style sometimes causes a blurring of the lines between straight news coverage and commentary.

What the Times and Post stories have in common is that they hang their hat on legal experts. This allows the papers to seem above the fray, because after all, theyre just quoting other people.

But the experts here are a vehicle, in my view. The headlines could just as well read Attacks Alarm Media Experts.

The experts didnt spontaneously form a PAC and issue a press release. Reporters set out to round them up to flesh out stories that essentially say Trump is out of control.

The way these stories are framed is an editorial judgment.

The Post story is milder and more narrowly focused, saying Trumps bashing of Curiel has set off a wave of alarm among legal experts, who worry that the -Republican presidential candidates vendetta signals a remarkable disregard for judicial independence. That attitude, many argue, could carry constitutional implications if Trump becomes president.

The Times piece is more sweeping and alarmist:

Donald J. Trumps blustery attacks on the press, complaints about the judicial system and bold claims of presidential power collectively sketch out a constitutional worldview that shows contempt for the First Amendment, the separation of powers and the rule of law, legal experts across the political spectrum say.

And it says that even scholars on the right warn that electing Mr. Trump is a recipe for a constitutional crisis.

Keep in mind that many experts have strong political opinions. They are not denizens of some ivory tower of neutrality. The Times quotes people from places like the libertarian Cato Institute who may have a dim view of Trump.

Take this quote from David Post, who writes for the Volokh Conspiracy, a conservative legal blog. He said of Trump: This is how authoritarianism starts, with a president who does not respect the judiciary.

So now we have a presidency based on authoritarianism and a recipe for a constitutional crisis.

Deep in the piece, the Times gets around to acknowledging that theres another president who has been accused of lawlessness:

Republican officials have criticized Mr. Obama for what they have called his unconstitutional expansion of executive power.

Now I always give reporters credit for going out and interviewing people on the record. But is there no lawyer on the planet (other than Alberto Gonzalez) who could be found to take a less alarmist view of Trumps remarks?

In this case, at least, the experts do seem to match the media mindset on the danger of Donald Trump.
Four central figures in the FBIs criminal investigation of Hillary Clintons email practices are all using the same lawyer, a move described as a red flag by a former U.S. attorney who now runs a government watchdog group.

Lawyer Beth Wilkinson is representing: Clinton former chief of staff Cheryl Mills; policy adviser Jake Sullivan; media gatekeeper Philippe Reines; and former aide Heather Samuelson, who helped decide which Clinton emails were destroyed before turning over the remaining 30,000 records to the State Department.

"I think it would be a real red flag," Matthew Whitaker, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, or FACT, told Fox News, in reference to the legal defense. He suggested having a single lawyer would help the four Clinton aides align their stories for FBI interviews.

"The benefit is to have one lawyers brain have all the knowledge of the various pieces and parts, and so each of those potential targets or subjects of the investigation get to share information across that same attorney -- and quite frankly get their story to sync up and understand what other people know of the situation, he said.

Wilkinson is a well-respected Washington, D.C., attorney who successfully argued in favor of the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Wilkinson has deep ties in Washington and is married to former NBC Meet the Press host David Gregory, who is now a regular political commentator on CNN.

Asked for comment, there was no immediate response from Wilkinson's office. It has been their practice not to respond to press inquiries on this case.

Whitaker was appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by President George W. Bush in June 2004 and held the position until November 2009, when President Obama's appointed replacement was confirmed. He said the legal set-up presents challenges for FBI investigators in the Clinton probe.

"All you're trying to do is seek the truth, and when someone is sharing a lawyer, you worry that the interview that you just did an hour ago with that attorney has been shared with the next witness and they can fix or reconcile their story to be the same," Whitaker explained.

While apparently unusual, the legal representation has not been openly challenged by Justice Department officials.

A different perspective, presented by a leading defense attorney who asked not to speak on the record, is that the four Clinton aides plan to present a united front and do not fear criminal liability.

Politico first reported in April on the legal representation; since then, Mills and Wilkinson blocked questions about Clinton IT specialist Bryan Pagliano  another key figure in the probe  during a civil suit deposition in Washington. Pagliano, who struck an immunity deal with the Justice Department last year, is now seeking to assert his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions in the same Judicial Watch proceedings.

Clinton told ABC News on Sunday that her email practices were in line with those of her predecessors. In a Friday radio interview with KNX 1070, Clinton said there is absolutely no possibility shed be indicted.

Whitaker's group FACT also is seeking the emails of Dennis Cheng, Clinton's former deputy chief of protocol at the State Department, whose records may reveal a great deal about the possible intersection between Clinton Foundation work and Clinton's time as secretary of state. Cheng was the point person for senior foreign government officials. Only a handful of Cheng emails were among the more than 30,000 pages made public by the State Department.

According to his State Department biography, Cheng also served as Clintons national finance director when she was a senator, her New York finance director for her 2008 presidential campaign, and as a consultant to the William J. Clinton Foundation.

The FBI probe into Clintons email use is not the first time her record-keeping has faced federal scrutiny. Long before she became a secretary of state, Clintons billing records and documents tied to her work as a partner in the Rose Law Firm on behalf of the Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan and Capital Management Services came under question. Those missing records from her work as a lawyer were at the crux of investigations by three separate federal agencies which cost taxpayers $65 million. A special committees report on the matter (page 155) said it received computer printouts of the billings in January 1996, discovered under mysterious circumstances in the Book Room of the White House Residence.

Clinton is still represented by the same lawyer who defended her throughout the in the 1980s and 1990s, David Kendall.
The State Departments admission that it deleted footage of a spokeswoman's comments on the Iran nuclear deal is raising concerns about the extent of such practices -- including renewed questions over how two words in the French president's remarks at a March summit got dropped from a White House video.

Francois Hollande, at that summit, made a reference to Islamist terrorism -- a term President Obama does not use. However, the translator's mention of this was dropped from the original White House video.

Officials at the time said the audio gap was the result of a "technical issue," not an attempt to scrub or censor Hollandes comments, and that an updated video with the complete audio was posted on WhiteHouse.gov soon after the problem was recognized.

They also noted the official transcript posted on the White House website always included the dropped words.

The controversy then seemed to fade -- until the State Department last week acknowledged an unidentified official had intentionally deleted several minutes of footage from a 2013 briefing.

Citing that admission, the Media Research Center -- the conservative-leaning government watchdog group that first flagged the dropped audio from the March summit -- renewed its allegations about the Hollande remarks.

This technical error excuse is just as implausible as the [State Department] glitch alibi, MRCTV blog editor Craig Bannister said in a post.

Bannister argued that posting a full transcript of Hollandes remarks soon after he made them would have been impossible without full video and audio recordings, including the French-English translation of his comments.

Thus, the White House had the complete audio video all along because it used it to create the official White House transcript, Bannister said.

The White House did not respond to a FoxNews.com request for comment Monday regarding how that audio was dropped.

In the more recent incident involving State Department footage, Fox News reporter James Rosen had asked then-agency spokeswoman Jen Psaki during a 2013 briefing about an official saying no direct, secret talks were underway between the U.S. and Iran  when, in fact, they were.

Psaki appeared to acknowledge misleading the press over the Iran nuclear deal, saying: There are times where diplomacy needs privacy in order to progress. This is a good example of that.

Fox News discovered the Psaki exchange was in the transcript but missing from the agencys official website and its YouTube channel.

State Department spokesman John Kirby later said the video from the briefing -- including the comments on the Iran deal -- were removed in response to a deliberate request.

The department has yet to identify who ordered the deletion; one spokesman said their internal inquiry has hit a dead end.

So, is the Rosen Recant simply the first domino to fall as more and more censored videos are uncovered and the Obama administration takes responsibility for them? Bannister asked.

On Friday, ABC News also found the White House omitted part of the transcript from a May 9 press briefing in which a Fox News reporter asked about Iran.

The reporter, Kevin Corke, asked Press Secretary Josh Earnest whether he could definitively say no senior administration official ever lied publicly about any aspect of the Iran nuclear deal.

Earnests response of no was not included in the official White House transcript, though it was part of the official video.

The White House said the response was not included because it was inaudible.

On Monday, Earnest gave a nearly identical response and dismissed a question about a possible pattern by the administration of removing statements from official records, considering the recent State Department revelation.

The situation you're citing is related to a transcript with two words, he said. You'd be hard pressed to make a link between the two.

Still, top Republican lawmakers are demanding answers about whether the U.S. conducted secret negotiations with Iran, then failed to make them public when asked.

Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked the State Departments inspector general to investigate the issue. The California Republican argues the video tampering, has potentially undermined U.S. foreign policy.

In addition, Utah GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Commitee on Oversight and Government Reform, has asked the State Department for more information and Secretary of State John Kerry to provide documents identifying who scrubbed the 2013 video.

And House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., reportedly called for the administration to investigate who ordered the edit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hillary Clinton on Sunday won the Puerto Rico Democratic Primary, inching closer to getting enough delegates to clinch the partys presidential nomination.

After a blowout victory Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a decisive win in the U.S. territory, Clinton is now 26 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

The results were slow to arrive on Sunday, as officials counted ballots by hand and focused first on releasing results tied to the island's local primary elections, said Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico's former Democratic National Committeeman.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" tweeted Clinton. As the race was called, Clinton was on stage on Sacramento, rallying voters in California.

With 59 percent of precincts reporting early Monday, Clinton had garnered 61 percent of the vote to 39 percent for Sanders

Clinton captured at least 33 of the 60 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico. Sanders garnered at least 20, with seven outstanding. Clinton has 1,809 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Sanders has 1,520. When including superdelegates, her lead over Sanders is substantial -- 2,357 to 1,566.

The former New York senator and secretary of state is all but certain to secure the Democratic nomination Tuesday, when six states hold primaries in which a total of 694 delegates are available.

While Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in the general election, the island's politics could reverberate into the fall campaign. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Though Clinton did not spend much time campaigning in Puerto Rico, the victory is fraught with symbolism for her campaign.Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, she rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with nearly 68 percent of the vote.



"I'm for Hillary, girl," said 83-year-old Candida Dones on Sunday as she cast her ballot. "I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?"



Both Clinton and Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the six states voting on Tuesday. Sanders shook hands and stopped for photos during a stroll of more than an hour along the shops, restaurants and amusement park rides of the Santa Monica Pier.



That included a stop at a charity "Pedal on the Pier" fundraiser, telling people riding on stationary bikes that the U.S. should have "an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent."



Like Clinton, Sanders made little mention of the outcome in Puerto Rico's primary. He said during an evening rally in San Diego that Democratic leaders should take notice that the "energy and grassroots activism" that will be crucial to the party in the fall "is with us, not Hillary Clinton."



He pointed to polls showing him faring better than Clinton in head-to-head matchups with Trump and his strength among Democratic voters under the age of 45.



"If the Democratic leadership wants a campaign that will not only retain the White House but regain the Senate and win governors' chairs all across this country, we are that campaign," he said.



While those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.



Both Sanders and Clinton had pledged to help as the island's government tries to restructure $70 billion worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.



"This is one of the most important political moments for Puerto Rico," said Emanuel Rosado, a 29-year-old Clinton supporter. "I'm taking action as a result of the economic crisis."



Two weeks before the primary, Sanders criticized a rescue deal negotiated by U.S. House leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones. In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, Sanders said the House bill to create a federal control board and allow some restructuring of the territory's $70 billion debt would make "a terrible situation even worse."



He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island. Campaigning on the island last month, Sanders promised to fight against "vulture funds" on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.



"That bill is anti-democratic and it's not in the best interest of Puerto Rico," said Jorge Gaskins, a 67-year-old farmer who supports Sanders and opposes a control board.



Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the board's powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or "too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer."



Among those voting Sunday was Democratic Party superdelegate Andres Lopez, one of the party insiders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention. He had remained uncommitted, but said Sunday he will support Clinton.



With Lopez's endorsement, all seven of Puerto Rico's superdelegates have pledged their support for Clinton.



"It is time to focus on squashing `El Trumpo,"' he said, referring to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Donald Trump bristled Monday at supporter Newt Gingrich joining the chorus of criticism over his comments on the Mexican heritage of a federal judge -- saying it was "inappropriate" for Gingrich to weigh in, while once again defending his remarks.

Trump for days has defended claims that American-born District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whose parents are from Mexico, has a conflict of interest as he considers lawsuits against Trump University.

Gingrich, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," called the remarks inexcusable.

Trump, though, pushed back during an interview Monday with "Fox & Friends."

I saw Newt and I was surprised at Newt. I thought it was inappropriate, what he said, Trump said.

All I want to say is find out why am I being treated so unfairly by a judge? Trump said.

Trump later repeated his comments during an interview on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," saying the judge, "should recuse himself, not because he did anything wrong...but to eliminate any doubt as to motivation in court rulings"

"I don't care about Mexican or not, all I want him to do is give me a fair shake," he added.

Gingrich, though, is far from the only Republican challenging Trump's claims that the judge is biased against him because of his plans to build a wall along the Southern border.

The top two Republican congressional leaders have scolded Trump, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- who recently suspended his presidential campaign -- on Monday urged Trump to apologize.

Gingrich's criticism was especially pointed, coming from a figure thought to be a potential running mate prospect for Trump.

It was one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. Inexcusable, the former GOP House speaker, who has become one of Trumps closest advisers, told Fox News Sunday.

That judge is not a Mexican. Hes an American, he said. I hope it was sloppiness.

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton also weighed in Sunday, calling Trump's comments inaccurate and very vicious.

"Judge Curiel is as American as I am and certainly as American as Donald Trump is, Clinton said on ABCs This Week.

She also suggested that the attacks were typical of Trumps strategy of trying to divert attention from his problems, in this case very serious fraud charges against the real estate school.

Trump's continuing ethnic slurs and rants against everyone, including a distinguished federal judge, I think makes my point rather conclusively, Clinton said.

Also on Sunday, a pair of powerful Senate Republicans warned Trump to drop his attacks on the judge.

"We're all behind him now," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press," adding that it's time for unifying the party, not "settling scores and grudges."

"I hope he'll change his direction," the Kentucky Republican also said.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told ABC: "I don't condone the comments."

The message was repeated Monday, this time from House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz.

"Why doesn't he just say, 'look it's up to the attorneys' ... and leave it at that?" Chaffetz said on "Fox & Friends." "And then you move on."

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom they've made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Clinton.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits  in San Diego and New York  which accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied. Trump's legal team has not sought to have Curiel removed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A U.S. spacecraft hasnt made a controlled landing on the moon since Apollo 17 left the lunar surface on Dec. 14, 1972. Thats about to change.

Moon Express will unveil the MX-1 spacecraft at the Autodesk University show in Las Vegas on Thursday evening -- a micro-spacecraft that will in 2015 mark the first U.S. "soft" landing since the days of the Apollo program, FoxNews.com has learned.

The craft looks for all the world like a pair of donuts wearing an ice cream cone, and the tiny vehicle clearly isnt big enough for a human being. But it is big enough to scoop up some rocks and dirt, store them in an internal compartment, and return it to Earth. After all, the moondirt Gene Cernan, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin once trod holds a kings ransom of titanium, platinum, and other rare elements.

Moon Express plans to mine it.

'The moon and beyond is an extension of our earthly society, with vast resources in metals.'  Dennis Wingo, a space entrepreneur and author of the book MoonRush

We call it the iPhone of space, Bob Richards, co-founder and CEO of Moon Express, told FoxNews.com, citing the MX-1s flexibility. The "microlander" can deliver up to 130 pounds of cargo to the surface of the moon, or act as a sample return vehicle or a "space-tug," he said. It uses hydrogen peroxide as rocket fuel -- a high-test version of what you'd get in a drug store. And it is surprisingly small.

Its very small. You and I could put our arms around it, Richards said. The small size lets the company plan missions for a fraction of what it would cost a superpower such as the U.S. or China.

The MX-1 is a single stage vehicle that doesnt require booster rockets, unlike most other spacecraft. To keep down costs, its meant as a secondary payload -- ridding piggyback on a satellite launch.

The company plans a survey mission in 2015 and will announce the launch details next year; in 2020 it aims to return samples from the moon.

The MX-1 is made possible by tremendous advances in computing power and engineering, notably 3D design and engineering. Its no coincidence that the craft will be unveiled at a show thrown by 3D design company Autodesk.

Moon Express is just one of many private companies planning space missions. Tourism, orbiting hotels and more have exploded -- but no area has burgeoned more than the moon. Astrobiotic Technology also plans to mine the moon, for example. Bigelow Aerospace wants to sell property there, a Japanese firm suggested a solar panel power ring, and China on Monday launched the Change 3 lander, which should touch down on the moon in mid-December -- the first controlled landing since the Soviet Unions Luna-24 mission in 1976.

Whats behind the surge in interest? Overpopulation, one expert says.

Nine billion. Thats how many people will be alive on the Earth as soon as 36 years from now, warns Dennis Wingo, a space entrepreneur and author of the book MoonRush. The moon and beyond is an extension of our earthly society, with vast resources in metals and a place to expand human activity.

Moon Express has yet to pick a spot to land in 2015. Richards said he is considering a location in the Southern Hemisphere, near Surveyor 7 -- the last robotic mission, which the U.S. soft-landed on the moon in 1968.

Its iconic to have the first private robotic lander resting next to the last government robotic lander, he said.
New genetic research has shed light on just when and where dogs became domesticated from wolves and suggests that it might actually have happened twice.

Indeed, scientists now believe that mans best friend was domesticated in both East Asia and Europe separately thousands of years ago from different wolf populations, and that as people moved west to Europe, the dogs that came with them eventually commingled with, and partly replaced, the western pooches.

Researchers arrived at this theory by sequencing the DNA of a dog from Ireland that lived about 4,800 years ago. They also analyzed DNA from 59 other dogs that lived between 3,000 and 14,000 years ago, as well as looked at the genetics of modern dogs, and archaeological evidence. That archaeological record indicates that dogs were present in both Europe and Asia over 12,000 years ago.

Most modern dogs are eastern and western mixes.

Related: Scientists call for ambitious DNA engineering project

Animal domestication is a rare thing and a lot of evidence is required to overturn the assumption that it happened just once in any species, Greger Larson, a professor at the University of Oxfords School of Archaeology and the studys senior author, said in a statement.

Our ancient DNA evidence, combined with the archaeological record of early dogs, suggests that we need to reconsider the number of times dogs were domesticated independently, he said. Maybe the reason there hasn't yet been a consensus about where dogs were domesticated is because everyone has been a little bit right.

Related: Sunken American WWII torpedo bomber discovered in Pacific

The study was published in the June 3 issue of the journal Science.

Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger
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Many Muslim served then and now in the military and fought in wars.

Many men went to Vietnam to fight that objected to the war.

He could have served in a non-combat capacity

His final argument is that the Vietcong never did anything to us prior to our trip to Southeast Asia.

Jefferson declared himself an Epicurean during his lifetime: this is a philosophical doctrine that teaches the pursuit of happiness and proposes autarchy, which translates as self-rule, self-sufficiency or freedom.

Autarchism (from Greek, "belief in self-rule") is a political philosophy that upholds the principle of individual liberty, rejects compulsory government, and supports the elimination of government in favor of ruling oneself and no other." (Wiki-02)

In 1689, Locke argued in his Two Treatises of Government that political society existed for the sake of protecting "property", which he defined as a person's "life, liberty, and estate."

I guess it depends on which judge you put more authority in; God or Man.

There has been some controversy over Ali in death just as there was in life. One of my best friends believes that Ali was a draft dodger and coward. We had a quite animated discussion about it. Here are his points:All are true statements.To be clear, I did not agree with Ali's position on the Vietnam War, but I did believe he had the right to make his stance known and to act according to his beliefs. I have always tried to make decisions based on facts tempered by emotion rather than pure emotion without factual basis. That is what makes me a Libertarian or right wing conservative hater depending on who is judging.My counter to the argument is based on my belief in the founding principles. Any system of laws has two tenants. One is the establishment of the requirements or the prohibition of certain actions. The other is the prescribed punishment for not adhering to that law. Both are founded on the idea that people have the individual freedom to make their own choices. It is not a new argument. The degree of punishment proscribed by law shows how important the law is. There is a fundamental understanding that laws will be broken by some. That is why there is a necessity to have a prescribed punishment for doing such.Avoiding military service was proscribed in law as well. In my joke post about the Beer party that got out of control, I alluded to this fact. There was a long list of possible exemptions for the exclusion from military service (Selective Service Classifications) Cassius Clay AKA Muhammad Ali applied to his local draft board and they rejected his application for conscientious objector classification. It is my belief that his classification was changed from 1-Y to 1-A to make an example of him because of his opposition to war and the Vietnam War in particular. This was under the Lyndon Johnson administration, so let's not go down the road of political ideologies debate.His refusal to step forward was a further indication of his religious beliefs. (Clay v Unites States) . The Supreme Court overturned the conviction by an 8-0 vote.Where does the founding principle come in on this argument? As a layman, I may be in error on the legal principles involved but I have spent some time trying to understand the genesis of our founding principles.Our founding fathers were for the most part well briefed on the Ancient Greek philosophers. Their emphasis on the individual is the very basis of our country. There was a disagreement on the meaning of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."Ali, who obviously was not schooled in the Greek philosophies may have had a greater understanding of our core principles. He had a principled belief, he knew his stance was against the law, he knew the punishment for his actions and he willing chose to disobey the law and take the punishment. He also took the prescribed route to adjudicate his case, which ended in an 8-0 decision by the Supreme Court, abdicating his conviction.None of this will change anybody's mind about this controversial figure, but it may make one think about what is the higher honor. Is it better to submit to a law that you believe in your very soul to be wrong? Or is it better to adhere to your own principles and be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions. That is why I had some admiration for Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali, both of which may have had a deeper sense of right and wrong than I did at twenty-five years old.
Solar Impulse 2 is expected to take off from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania around midnight on the latest leg of its solar-powered journey around the world, arriving at JFK airport in New York around 4 a.m. ET Tuesday.

The flight will mark the 14th leg of the historic trip. Piloted by Andre Borschberg, the plane is expected to make a flyby of the Statue of Liberty between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. ET Tuesday.

I am looking forward to this incredible flyover of the #StatueofLiberty, Borschberg tweeted Monday.

I am looking forward to this incredible flyover of the #StatueofLiberty #NYC Find more info: https://t.co/UULF3UYKte pic.twitter.com/NJvb6xr0hI  Andre Borschberg (@andreborschberg) June 6, 2016

Related: Solar Impulse 2 reaches Hawaii, shatters records in historic Pacific flight

I will be able to observe with awe the lights of the amazing city which never sleeps, he added, in a subsequent tweet.

In #Si2's cockpit I will be able to observe with awe the lights of the amazing city which never sleeps pic.twitter.com/NiZ85ad2DP  Andre Borschberg (@andreborschberg) June 6, 2016

The plane is the brainchild of explorer and Solar Impulse Chairman Piccard, who is taking it in turns with his fellow Swiss pilot Borschberg to fly the aircraft on its journey across the globe.

The aircraft, a larger version of a single-seat prototype that first flew six years ago, is made of carbon fiber and has 17,248 solar cells built into the wing that supply the plane with renewable energy, via four motors. The solar cells recharge four lithium polymer batteries, which provide power for night flying.

Related: From high above the Pacific, Solar Impulse 2 pilot spreads Earth Day message

Solar Impulse 2 typically flies between 30 mph and 40 mph, although this can increase and decrease significantly depending on wind speed.

The plane has travelled 18,375 miles since setting off from on the first leg of the trip from Abu Dhabi to Oman in March 2015, and has racked up almost 385 hours of flight time. The plane then made stops in India, Myanmar and China, en route to an unscheduled stop in Nagoya, Japan. The plane originally left Nanjing, China, for Hawaii, but diverted to Japan because of unfavorable weather.

Borschberg piloted Solar Impulse 2 on the eighth leg of its journey, landing in Hawaii on July 3 2015 after an incredible 4,480-mile, 118-hour flight from Japan. The journey shattered the record for longest solar-powered flight in terms of distance and duration, easily surpassing the 1,491-mile, 44-hour record Borschberg set when flying from China to Japan on the prior leg of the trip. Borschberg also broke the record for longest non-stop solo flight without refueling, which previously stood at 76 hours and 45 minutes.

Related: Solar Impulse 2s epic journey in pictures

The aircraft then had a nine-month layover in Hawaii while the Solar Impulse team fixed damage that occurred during the flight from Japan.

Piccard flew the subsequent leg, a risky 62-hour nonstop flight from Hawaii to California. Since then, Solar Impulse 2 has made stops in Phoenix, Tulsa, Dayton, and Lehigh Valley International Airport, Penn. From New York, the plane will fly across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The final leg of the odyssey is from Europe to Abu Dhabi.

The plane proves the immense potential of solar-powered technology, according to Piccard. Solar Impulse 2, he told FoxNews.com last year, could spark increased interest in technologies such as LED lights and electric cars, as well as lightweight vehicles.

A huge inflatable mobile hangar that can be quickly assembled and disassembled is being used to shelter Solar Impulse 2 on its journey around the world.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Elon Musk never seems shy to share his concerns about artificial intelligence. In August 2014, he tweeted that the technology was "potentially more dangerous than nukes." Speaking to students from MIT a few months later, Musk expanded on that view and took it one step further, calling AI "our biggest existential threat."

But Musk wants to walk the talk. By December 2015 he co-founded the non-profit research company OpenAI in an effort to democratize AI development and advance the technology to humanity's best benefit. "If you have a button that could do bad things to the world, you don't want to give it to everyone," he told Wired.

Related: Elon Musk thinks we're basically living in the Matrix, and we should be glad about it

This week, in a conversation at Recode's annual Code Conference, Musk shared a tentative idea for something called "neural laces," which he imagines could mitigate the risk of humanity becoming something of a pet to superintelligence.

"The solution that seems maybe the best one is to have an AI layer," he said. "So think, if you have your limbic system, your cortex, and then a digital layer -- sort of a third layer, above the cortex -- that could work well and symbiotically with you. Just as your cortex works symbiotically with your limbic system, this digital layer would work symbiotically with the rest of you."

In short, this neural layer would enhance our input-output capabilities, or our ability to process and communicate information. "We're already cyborgs," Musk said, echoing the argument that devices like our phones and systems like the Internet grant us superhuman powers in real time. "But the constraint is input-output," he continued. "We're IO bound -- particularly output bound."

Although we're capable of sensing and integrating tons of input data, we can't churn out information to the same degree. We can only type and talk so quickly. The neural lace would, in theory, allow us to connect and communicate digitally to overcome our biological limitations.

Musk skirted around the question of whether neural laces would be surgically inserted or bred into the the human species, but he did suggest that direct interface with our cortical neurons was necessary, and that this could perhaps be achieved through our veins and arteries which provide paths to our neurons.

Musk didn't say he was working on neural laces yet, but he did insist that it be done. "Somebody's got to do it," he said. "If somebody doesn't do it, then I think I should do it."
Much of Florida's western coast was placed under a tropical storm warning Sunday as Tropical Storm Colin formed in the Gulf of Mexico, as a separate storm system brought severe weather and damaging winds to the Mid-Atlantic region.

Colin is on course to hit Florida as soon as Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned the storm could cause serious flooding along much of the state's Gulf coast.

The center added the quickly moving storm is the earliest a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.

The storm was moving at a speed of about 12 mph, and was expected to pick up the pace later Sunday.

"It's going to impact most of the state in some way," Gov. Rick Scott told the Associated Press. "Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornados and some flooding."

Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph and 73 mph.

Tropical Storm Colin is likely to bring dangerous rainfall levels, and residents were warned about possible flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Rain began falling in the Tampa Bay area just past noon on Sunday.

Scott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.

Several counties in the Tampa Bay area made sandbags available throughout the weekend for residents to prepare for potential flooding, Fox 13 reported.

"We're surrounded on three sides by water," said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sand bags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared.

"We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County," Guthrie said in an email.

After affecting the Gulf coast of Florida, the Colin is forecast to move northeast. The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.

Colin is the latest in a series of severe whether events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.

The National Weather Service warned of an "enhanced" risk of severe storms in the mid-Atlantic region with the possibility of damaging winds.

Sterling, Virginia-based meteorologist Chris Strong said the primary threat in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area is from damaging wind gusts, and there's a lesser threat for tornados.

Wakefield, Virginia-based meteorologist Lyle Alexander says the threat on the Eastern Shore is from winds and more localized heavy rain.

The weather service warns that heavy rain in central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could mean flooding in areas that received rain Saturday. Flash flood watches are in effect until evening.

Mount Holly, New Jersey-based meteorologist Lance Franck says in Delaware the threat is from high winds and torrential downpours bringing flooding to urban areas and areas with poor drainage.

In New York City, the last day of a music festival that was to include performances by Kanye West and Death Cab for Cutie was canceled because of weather concerns.

The heavy rain that's been hovering over parts of Southeast and Central Texas and caused deadly flooding began to lift Saturday, but officials said the flooding emergency near the Gulf Coast was worsening and Army officials kept up their investigation of a training exercise that turned deadly at Fort Hood.

In Southeast Texas, water levels began to recede Saturday along upstream portions of the Brazos River, but the peril increased downstream as the water churned toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Emergency officials in Brazoria County warned residents in East Columbia, Bailey's Prairie and Bar-X to be prepared to evacuate their homes.

Except for widely scattered showers in Central and East Texas, the bulk of the rain Saturday was confined to the upper Texas Gulf Coast and the southern tip of Texas.

In Fort Bend County, just southwest of Houston, emergency officials reported seeing slightly improved conditions in flood-struck areas. And while the rain-swollen Brazos has ceased to rise, County Judge Robert Hebert said, some neighborhoods remain cut off by floodwaters and many local streets remain impassable.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 13.
Thousands of people driven from their homes in the hills northwest of Los Angeles were allowed to return Sunday night after crews working in steep canyons took advantage of cooler temperatures and calmer winds to beat back a brush fire.

The fire near the prosperous and semi-rural neighborhoods of Calabasas was 80 percent contained by sunset  up from 30 percent at daybreak.

Firefighters using aircraft made water drops along the eastern and southern edges of the blaze, which was held to just over 500 acres, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp said.

He said the fire was hung up on the mid-slope of steep canyons, making a direct attack difficult.

"The fire was not down against a road, it was up against a cliff," Tripp said. "So firefighters had to hike up."

All the evacuations, most of them in Calabasas but some in nearby Topanga, were canceled starting at 6 p.m.

At the height of the fire, about 3,000 homes were threatened and about 5,000 residents were under evacuation orders. It was sparked by a car crash that downed power lines.

The fire destroyed one commercial building, Tripp said. Officials had previously said three homes had been damaged, but closer examination as the fire calmed showed that was not the case, he said.

Fifty-foot-high flames erupted on ridges, and embers turned trees into torches Saturday afternoon. The fire flared as Southern California sweltered under temperatures that hit the 90s in many places.

Flames raced through drought-dry brush and came within yards of million-dollar homes. The smoke could be seen across the region, and a dusting of ash rained down on neighborhoods more than 30 miles away.

Some horse owners in the area put the animals in trailers and hauled them away. Authorities set up an evacuation center for people with large animals at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

More than 500 firefighters, aided by bulldozers and water-dropping helicopters, were on the scene, but the numbers were decreasing by the end of Sunday.

To the southeast, a smoky wildfire burning in Riverside County was 30 percent contained Sunday. The blaze that broke out a day earlier along Interstate 15 in Temecula charred about 130 acres of dry brush. No structures were threatened.

To the north in Monterey County, a wildfire that has charred 3,500 acres of grass and brush in the Los Padres National Forest has prompted evacuations and is threatening numerous structures.

The U.S. Forest Service says about 400 firefighters are battling the blaze Sunday on land and by air with air tankers and helicopters. The fire started Saturday afternoon west of King City.
The father of a Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman is coming under fire on blogs and social media for playing down the attack as 20 minutes of action during a public statement at the swimmers sentencing on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky, who sentenced Brock Allen Turner to six months in prison, is facing calls for his removal from the bench after saying jail would have a severe impact on Turner.

Some are urging for his recall in Change.org petitions, and Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber, a friend of the victim, launched a campaign of her own.

"This sentence is making all women at Stanford less safe because its sending the message to women student if this happens to you, you are on your own and its sending the message to potential perpetrators I have your back," Dauber told CBS News Monday.

Persky said in court Thursday that he was following the recommendation of the county's probation department with Turner's sentence. Turner, of Dayton, Ohio, also must to register for life as a sex offender after a jury convicted him of three felony counts of assault and attempted rape.



Turner, 20, was found by two students on top of an unconscious woman by a dumpster in January 2015. Prosecutors said Turner met the woman at a party and sexually assaulted her after she passed out from intoxication. Police officers said the woman was unresponsive and partially clothed.

Turner faced up to 14 years in prison, a sentence his father, Dan Turner, argued against.

That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life, Dan said at his sons sentencing hearing.

The woman Turner assaulted had much stronger words for the former swimming star when she read her victim impact statement in court prior to Turners sentencing.

You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today, the 23-year-old woman said, The Washington Post reported. The damage is done, no one can undo it. And now we both have a choice. We can let this destroy us, I can remain angry and hurt and you can be in denial, or we can face it head on: I accept the pain, you accept the punishment, and we move on.

The local prosecutor disagreed with the sentence, arguing for six years for crimes that could have sent Turner to prison for 10 years. But lawyers who have appeared in Persky's court call him a fair and conservative judge in the county in the heart of Silicon Valley.

"He is an absolutely solid and respected judge," said Santa Clara County deputy public defender Gary Goodman. "Persky made the right decision."

Barbara Muller, a criminal defense attorney who works two weeks a month in Persky's court, says he "is definitely one of the fairest judges" in the county.

"He considers all facts and is very thorough," Muller said. "He plays it right down the middle."

The judge is barred from commenting on the case because Turner is appealing his conviction, court spokesman Joe Macaluso said.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, whose office argued for a prison sentence for Turner, said Persky should not lose his job because of the ruling.

"While I strongly disagree with the sentence that Judge Persky issued in the Brock Turner case, I do not believe he should be removed from his judgeship," Rosen said in a statement Monday. His office would not comment further.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Newly declassified NSA documents provide official confirmation that Edward Snowden was a CIA asset, and show the extent to which the government went to discredit him after he told lawmakers in Europe that he tried to blow the whistle on a secret federal program that snooped on private citizens.

The documents, obtained by Vice News, do not conclusively confirm claims by Snowden, then a private contractor working for the NSA, that he tried to alert supervisors of what he believed to be illegal spying before going public. They do show that following a flurry of claims by Snowden in early 2014 that his supposed concerns the agency was violating the constitutional rights of citizens were ignored, Obama administration officials sought to discredit him with his own words.

That effort centered around discussing the eventual May 2014 release of an April 2013 email from Snowden to the agencys Office of General Counsel asking whether an Obama executive order allowing the snooping program could supersede federal statute. Officials largely viewed the query as simply a question about a test administered to contract workers.

Im not entirely certain, but this does not seem correct, as it seems to imply Executive Orders have the same precedence as law, Snowden writes in the email after reposting a section of the training.

My understanding is that EOs may be superseded by federal statute, but EOs may not override statute. Am I incorrect in this? Between EOs and laws, which have precedence?

Snowden had contacted reporter Glenn Greenwald, who later used Snowdens stolen NSA documents in several stories, four months before he wrote the email.

The email was forwarded to the Signals Intelligence Oversight and Compliance training group  the designers of the test  back to the OGC and then to two attorneys as the offices apparently sought to figure out who should answer the question. One of the lawyers ended up responding to Snowden.

Executive Orders (E.O.s) have the force and effect of law, the email said. That said, you are correct that E.O.s cannot override a statute.

The released documents contain no further written correspondence with Snowden regarding the issue. The files, however, do show a back-and-forth debate over the merits of releasing the Snowden email, a seemingly innocuous communication that does not appear to show an employee deeply troubled by domestic and foreign spying. The discussion centered on how NSA employees viewed the email, and how others might spin it.

Less than six weeks after he sent the April 2013 email, Snowden fled to Hong Kong with thousands of classified government documents. He is now in Russia.



To the extent Snowden was saying he raised his concerns internally within NSA, no rational person could read this as being anything other than a question about an unclear single page of training, Robert Litt, the general counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told Vice News.

The newly released emails also provide the first official confirmation that Snowden worked with the CIA, Vice News reported. An email from the NSA to all agency employees sent on June 10, 2013, identified Snowden as a current NSA contractor and former CIA affiliate.
When you own your own business, maternity leave sounds impossible. You have built something so important to you -- something intrinsic to your identity -- and you cant imagine how it can run without you. But when youre about to welcome a new baby into your life, finding a way to take this time is critical.

I started my business, eDrop-Off, as a graduate school project. We are an eBay fashion consignment retailer based in Chicago with 35 employees, running both a storefront and 3,000 square feet of working space to support our online business. We consign and ship internationally and have grown consistently since starting in 2004.

Ive worked very hard to grow my business. Like many women, I spent my 20s focusing on my career. It wasnt until my 30s that it felt like the right time to start growing my family as well.

Once pregnant, I faced the scary prospect of leaving my beloved company behind for months. Beyond a little vacation time, I had never had to leave every detail -- big and small -- in the hands of others before. It felt like my life was going to capsize.

Related: How to Run Your Business While Pregnant

However, moms are in luck in one big regard -- time. I had seven or eight months to plan for being away from the office. While some people feel like a super hero and return work very quickly after the baby is born, I think it's best to take around 12 weeks away from work.

As I began planning, I began delegating. Tasks that I never believed anyone else in my business could do were suddenly handed over to them. I delegated tasks that I realized should have been passed to employees long ago. As I trained my staff, I grew more confident in them, and I imagined my role differently for when I returned. I could focus on growth opportunities and new projects since I now knew the business could run itself without me being involved in every small decision.

Related: My Pregnancy Forced a Pivot to My Business That Could Actually Spur Growth

One of the biggest things I thought about while planning my maternity leave was how life was going to work when I finally went back to the office. Running a business on eBay naturally gives you some flexibility -- working from home, running invoices at night -- but when you have a staff and a storefront, you need to feel comfortable leaving home as well.

The saying it takes a village to raise a child is especially true for a business owner. Getting a solid care plan in place, whether that be through family or through nannies, is critical. If you are at work worrying if your child is okay at home, you wont be productive. When your child is in good care, you can do better work.

Having my daughter Zelda has not only been one of the greatest blessings my life, but also of my career. It has put so much into perspective. Preparing for maternity leave and seeing my team succeed instilled in me a greater trust and faith in my employees and what they can handle.

Related: How to Manage a Pregnancy and a Business

Experiencing the stress when my child is sick has made me a better manager and more compassionate towards outside forces impacting my staff. I can now fully understand someone needing to leave a bit early to handle a childs hissy fit at preschool. I know they will work twice as hard if I allow more workplace flexibility.

You can have it all as an entrepreneur and mom. It just takes a little foresight and planning to have it all with confidence.
Tropical Storm Colin barreled toward Florida's Gulf coast on Monday, as forecasters and elected officials warned residents to prepare for severe weather and possible flooding.

A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm. The center said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.



The National Hurricane Center said the storm was moving north-northeast at 23 mph and its center was about 190 miles west-northwest of Tampa at 5 p.m. Maximum sustained winds were measured at 50 mph, with a gust of 60 mph reported in Venice, Florida.

The agency also extended its tropical storm warning northeast to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

The center says the storm will continue to move at a faster speed tonight into Tuesday, with the center making landfall at Florida's Big Bend this evening.

Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph and 73 mph.

"It's going to impact most of the state in some way," Gov. Rick Scott said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. "Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornados and some flooding."



High tide combined with Tropical Storm Colin's winds and waves pushed water into many coastal communities, Fox 13 in Tampa reported.

The communities of Holmes Beach and other Anna Maria Island locations also saw flooding along sea walls and in streets, according to Fox 13.

Schools in at least one Florida Gulf Coast county planned to dismiss students early Monday. Pasco County, which had passed out about 20,000 sandbags so far, said schools would be letting out, and it was likely that county government would shut down around noon to get people off the road by 3 p.m.

About 7,600 people are without power in the Tampa Bay area due to Tropical Storm Colin.

Duke Energy said Monday afternoon that it had 3,600 customers without electricity, while Tampa Electric Company said on its website that 4,022 people were experiencing outages.

The storm's center was expected to travel north of Tampa Bay toward the Panhandle, but it still is having effects on the populated region.

Forecasters predicted 4 to 6 inches of rain in Tampa Bay.

Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled Monday in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.

It is the latest in a series of severe weather events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West, flooding in Texas and storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.



Scott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.



The National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power outages.



The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.



Sand bags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 13.
Rescuers are running out of time in the desperate effort to find two men buried beneath gravel and mud after a Friday landslide at a Mississippi gravel pit.

The two men were at the bottom of the pit at Green Brothers Gravel, one of them driving an excavator and the other a truck, when a wall of sand and slurry collapsed on top of them around noon, The Clarion-Ledger reported. Additional slides and rain have intermittently halted recovery efforts. The men are believed to be trapped under about 12 feet of sludge.

A crane had been brought in to try to lift the excavator out of the slide, but failed. Officials were examining other avenues to possibly save the men on Monday morning, the fourth day of the search-and-rescue operation, WLBT reported.

Though authorities have not publicly identified the men, relatives told The Ledger those missing were Emmitt Shorter, 24, and James Dee Hemphill.

It's a miracle if we find anyone alive, Copiah County Sheriff Harold Jones told The Ledger. I always have hope.

The Mining Safety and Health Administration is taking the lead in the rescue operation, but other agencies, including the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, were lending a hand.

Additional equipment is coming in and we're going to continue going, MEMA's Ray Coleman said during a Sunday news conference. There's no stopping.

About 25 men typically work at the Green Brothers Gravel site, an MSHA statement said.

Crystal Springs, where the mine is located, sits about 26 miles south of Jackson.
There is no more cherished practice in business than the elevator pitch. For those unfamiliar with the practice, conventional wisdom holds that every successful businessperson should be able to explain to a stranger what they have to offer in the average time it takes to ride an elevator. Personally, beyond what floor? I dont want to talk to strangers in an elevator, but in a world of 235-character messaging its more important than ever to have a succinct and interesting summary of who you are and what you do. And while it's increasingly unlikely that this pitch is going to take place in an elevator you still need to be ready to sell yourself in as concise a way as possible. Here is the best way to deliver a pitch and get good results:

Know what you want to communicate.

Too often people making their elevator pitch dont have a coherent message because they havent thought through exactly what message they want to convey. They end up saying something so broad, disjointed, or complicated that the person with whom they are talking soon loses interest.

Related: How to Start Conversations That Make Instant Connections

Dont push.

Theres nothing worse than asking, what do you do? only to be verbally assaulted with a carnivorous sales pitch from a person with the dead eyes of a serial killer. Not everyone who asks what you do even cares about the answer (they asked to be polite) much less is a hot prospect who is dying to buy what you are pitching and willing to endure the hard sell.

Explain it to me like Im a five-year-old.

In the movie Philadelphia, Denzel Washington plays a lawyer who is fond of telling witnesses to explain it to me like Im a five-year-old and that is exactly how one must successfully deliver an elevator pitch. If your pitch is full of jargon, or questions like, how much do you know about how peanut butter is made? You need to simplify it so that a five-year-old child can understand exactly what youre saying.

Related: Smooth Speaking Skills Signal That You Are Probably Amazing at Most Things

Invite follow up questions.

The point of the elevator pitch is to generate interest in you and to captivate the person enough so that he or she would like to learn more. If your message is too spot-on the other person may see no reason to continue the conversation.

Dont get cute or cryptic.

I have asked people what they do for a living and they respond with I help companies make more money or Im an entertainer. In the case of the former I assume its pyramid marketing scheme, and there ends the conversation. In the case of the latter I assume follow up conversations will be met with more verbal roadblocks indicating a lack of desire to continue a dialog.

Related: Good Communication Skills Will Help You Find Long-Term Success

Say something that differentiates you from others in your field.

Instead of saying Im accountant you can say, Im an accountant who specializes in tax issues for the manufacturing industry. By having a richer description you give the other person a good idea of your area of specialization which in turn gets them thinking about people (him or herself included) who might want or need your services.

Impose limits.

Think of your elevator pitch as a human Twitter feed. You have less than a minute and fewer than 250 words (speaking at a normal conversational speed -- not like youre auctioning hogs at the Iowa State Fair) to help the other person understand what you do.
In the predawn hours of May 1, thieves towed away a World War I-era cannon from outside the Veterans Memorial Hall in Richmond, Calif. -- where the artillery piece had stood for 70 years -- and later sold it to an unsuspecting buyer.

It was an audacious caper, but not an uncommon one. American war memorabilia is so hot that thieves are robbing VFW halls, museums, and even graves to supply a black market that operates online, in flea markets and through a murky network of rabid collectors, according to law enforcement and dealers tasked with identifying stolen items -- some worth thousands.

"There's definitely a market for it," said Pat Chaisson, of Scotia, N.Y., a retired Army National Guard officer, history buff and longtime collector of military and war memorabilia.

"The buyer has to be very careful," Chaisson warned. "All of the collectors I know are very sensitive that theres a black market out there  that what youre buying could very well have been stolen."

"And it's difficult to identify sometimes," he said. "How do you prove that a musket ball or cannon wasnt stolen from an armory or a collection?"

The 5-foot-tall iron and brass cannon taken from the Veterans Memorial Hall in Richmond was returned after the buyer, who purchased it for $1,200, saw a news story about it and contacted police.

"This act is about stealing a piece of our country's history, and stealing from our war veterans who fought bravely for our country and our freedom, the Richmond Police Department said in a statement.

"This gentleman was more than helpful and felt absolutely horrible he had inadvertently bought a stolen piece of American history," police said.

The cannon theft is one of many around the country involving priceless military and war memorabilia -- from tanks in front of small-town VFW halls to medals displayed in unguarded government buildings. Shady middlemen and collectors need not worry about provenance, say experts.

"Theres no way to track it," said Rick Brumby, the historian at the of the Museum of Military History in Kissimmee, Fla. "There are no serial numbers on this stuff."

Brumby noted that while a market exists, it's very difficult to sell such items on reputable auction sites, like eBay.

"The real stuff has a tendency to go into private collections," Brumby said. "People get greedy and, if the price is right, theyll buy it and keep it in their home.

"When they die, it comes out," he said.

Vermont State Police are actively hunting for Civil War memorabilia stolen in October from a Shrewsbury man's home, items that were passed down through generations. The valuables taken from George Lincoln's home include a 6" flintlock pistol with a small leather powder horn, a post-Civil War-era bayonet and a distinctive Civil War Union soldier's leather ammo case.

The theft followed another Vermont case from 2015, in which thieves stole World War II memorabilia from the family of a nurse who served in the U.S. Army.

Det. Sgt. Benjamin Katz of the Vermont State Police told FoxNews.com it's challenging to recover such items and described dealers of second-hand goods as "the driver of these type of crimes."

"Not all dealers are shady, of course, but all it takes is a couple," he said. "In Vermont, if they know its stolen, they have to call police. But it's impossible for us to prove they knew it was stolen.

"Its basically an honor code," he said. "There's very little regulation when it comes to the purchase of antiquities."

In February 2015, investigators with the Sacramento County, Calif., Sheriffs Department said they discovered a "trove" of military medals and memorabilia during a probation search.

The items, which were reported missing in 2014, belonged to the family of an Air Force pilot who served during World War II. The belongings included a Purple Heart medal, photographs and the mans personal diary, written while he was a Prisoner of War. Authorities said they were able to return the collection of priceless goods to members of the pilots family who live in another state.

The most egregious example of war collectible theft, say law enforcement, is the desecrating and looting of soldiers' graves. Such was the case in Burke County, Ga., in 2013, when two men allegedly raided the graves of five Confederate soldiers inside the Old Church Cemetery in search of heirlooms.

Antique brokers say these historic war relics can sell for a hefty price: An officers sword from the Civil War is valued between $20,000 and $30,000, while uniforms and medals can go for $500 to several thousand dollars.

In 2011, copper thieves struck Abraham Lincoln's burial site in Springfield, Ill., stealing a 3-foot-long sword from a statue atop the tomb. A guard used to be stationed at the tomb overnight, but the position was cut over budget problems.

Cristina Corbin is a New York-based reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaCorbin.
When Raj Peter Bhakta launched WhistlePig in 2010, he was running low on his luck -- and resources. But the silver lining of hitting bottom is that you can only move up. After launching in 2010 with about $1 million in annual revenue, WhistlePig has grown on average 70 percent per year since. In that time of rapid growth, WhistlePig took on investors. Those investors are now trying to unseat Bhakta and sell WhistlePig.

Bhakta, 40, is gearing up for the battle of his life.

The friends, investors and members of the WhistlePig board of managers delivered notice to Bhakta on April 28 that Bhakta had breached his responsibility as the operating manager. On April 29, Bhakta was notified of an extraordinary board meeting to be held on Friday, May 6, to discuss and vote upon Bhaktas removal for breach of contract.

Its a sad tale that former friends are seeking to take the company from its founder and 50 percent owner and put it on the block. But I have known these guys for a long time, Bhakta says in a phone conversation with Entrepreneur. I was totally blindsided by their threat that if I didnt sell I would be bankrupted in court and have my character assassinated in the public square.

The investment banker Wilco Faessen, who has worked at both Barclays and Lehman Brothers, was a longtime friend of Bhakta. Faessen owns 15 percent of the equity in WhistlePig and is a member of the board of managers of WhistlePig, according to legal documents for Bhaktas case, filed in May in Delaware, where WhistlePig is incorporated. The other defendant in the case is Christopher Evison, who is the managing director at Quadrant Capital Advisors and investment advisor for WP Holdings, which is an investment arm of the multi-billionaire dollar Santo Domingo family from Columbia. WP Holdings owns 12 percent of WhistlePig, according to the court documents. Alejandro Santo Domingo was a friend of Bhakta after college, though they hadnt stayed in particularly close touch since then.

Related: This Entrepreneur Almost Gave Up On Himself. Now, He Runs a Million-Dollar Brand.

Unseating Bhakta as the operating manager would allow the remaining board members to vote to sell the company, which Bhakta says they estimate to be worth $100 million. That would leave Bhakta with $50 million. To be sure, thats a tempting offer. And the individuals aiming to unseat him from the CEO chair sit on a lot of ammunition.

There was part of me that was petrified. These are rich and powerful people who threatened me with ruin. No rational person wouldnt take that threat seriously. On the other hand, I thought about what I was fighting for, Bhakta says. This is my farm, where I live with my two daughters and my pregnant wife. This is not just a business, this is not some piece of dirt, like a mall, some piece of real estate, this is my home. I have put my heart and soul into this. I have gotten our employees to buy into a long-term vision of creating the finest whiskey company in the world and I felt like I needed to fight for that, for this being the right thing for our society and civilization, as opposed to gangster capitalism.

Bhaktas vision, from the beginning, was to make the first farm-to-bottle whiskey brand made entirely in the United States since prohibition. Before launching Shoreham, Vt.-based WhistlePig, the charismatic, if slightly over-the-top, Bhakta had a bouquet of failed, rather ostentatious endeavors to point to. He had, for example, once ridden an elephant across the Rio Grande in Mexico with a mariachi band. He had also been a contestant on the first season of The Apprentice with Donald Trump.

Related: Why This Entrepreneur Makes All New Hires Live With Him for a Month

Bhakta was deemed unfit to be the CEO of WhistlePig for a half dozen incidents of irresponsible behavior that are, the defendants claim, indications of a character unfit to lead the whiskey company.

Claim: On April 26, 2015, Bhakta drove while intoxicated and pled guilty to criminal offense of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, according to May 13 court documents.Defense: Bhakta says that he was on medication from back pain.

Claim: The defendants also say that Bhakta lied to the aforementioned arresting police officers about being in front of his house when he was arrested.Defense: Bhakta owned the property he was arrested in front of but it was not his primary residence.

Claim: The defendants accuse Bhakta of smoking marijuana on company premises while conducting business.Defense: Bhakta lives on the WhistlePig premises and says that possession of small amounts of marijuana is not a crime.

Claim: Defendants claim that they were not made aware of equity granted to Danhee Kim, Bhaktas wife and WhistlePig's marketing director.Defense: Bhakta says that when he realized that he had not disclosed Kims equity to the board, he did so promptly and that any omission was a good faith oversight, not fraud.

Claim: WhistlePig leases the property from the farm that Bhakta bought on June 18, 2007. The defendants say that Bhakta renovated his personal property on the companys dime to build a distillery in one of the properties.Defense: Bhakta says that the sale of his personal property to the company is an issue of ongoing negotiations and that he has negotiated in good faith to reach an agreement regarding such a sale.

Claim: Finally, the defendants say that Bhakta padded an equity repurchase agreement with what they characterize as frivolous consulting charges.Defense: Bhakta said that he paid for expertise. There was nothing nefarious about this arrangement, and Defendants attempt to construe this into criminal activity or fraud is pure spin, the brief states.

The legal team representing the defendants in this case did not respond to Entrepreneurs repeated requests for comment.

Bhakta doesnt dispute that he has at times acted in flamboyant and outsized manners. All good propaganda and lies contain elements of truth. So, have I been a hard-charging, hard-partying guy? Absolutely. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Am I a criminal and a fraud? Absolutely not. Absolutely not, Bhakta says in response to the claims. These are classic dirty tricks used by a capitalist class and their lawyers to bully and intimidate an entrepreneur and a businessman to doing what they want.

Related: All Successful Entrepreneurs Do These 3 Things

While Bhakta says that in the earliest days of launching WhistlePig, he toyed with the idea of building a spirits company to sell, he had long ago decided to keep WhistlePig in the family and run it for generations. He fell in love with the business and became convinced that the opportunity to grow WhistlePig was tremendous. By the time Bhakta went to raise funds from investors, he says he was transparent about his intentions to hold on to the company for the long term.

Bhakta says that he hopes that the Santo Domingo family is being mislead. He cant imagine that his old buddy Alejandro would instigate such a lawsuit.

Regardless of where the impetus for this litigation began, entrepreneurs need to be obsessively careful about who they take money from. Bhakta has learned that the hard way.

Entrepreneurs need to be very, very careful. Underline, very, very careful, about who they take money from. Its a very difficult decision, Bhakta says. When you are growing and you need the money, you really want to take the money, you cant create the business if you dont take the money, but on the other hand, you take the money and sometimes you find that you have made a deal with the devil.

Its particularly confounding for Bhakta since these investors who are now trying to oust him were once good friends. But even if there is an overlap in business and friendship, investment deals always need to be mapped out obsessively by the most stringent lawyers, says Nikhil Varaiya, the director of graduate programs and a professor of finance at the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University.

Related: What Separates Entrepreneurs From Mere Mortals: The Ability to Take Risk

The first thing that any entrepreneur must be aware is that personal relationships are different from business relationships," Varaiya says. "Even though I am a friend and I put money into it, you have to be very clear that in the business relationship who will call the shots.

And even between friends, a handshake isnt enough to seal the deal. Whenever you take money from anybody, you must use the services of a competent lawyer to make sure that you dont sign an agreement that does not protect your interests, especially if you are still a majority owner, Varaiya says.

To be sure, the drama that Bhakta is going through is not a reason for entrepreneurs to not take outside investment when they need it. Thats not reasonable, Varaiya says. If you need outside money, then you should take outside money. And you want to bring in investors who understand why they are putting money into the business," he says. "Just because they are friends does not mean that you assume they will behave in one way. You have to separate the investment relationship from the personal relationship.

Bhakta recommends that entrepreneurs put into the contract that if a minority shareholder brings a lawsuit against a majority shareholders, that the company pays the legal fees. Seeing this case through will be very expensive for Bhakta.

The defendants in the case fully expected that when I was in their office and they said, Raj, you have a choice between walking away a rich man and being ruined in court and in the press, that I would chose to walk away a rich man, Bhakta says.

Related: Why This Whiskey Entrepreneur Is Willing to Forgo Easy Cash

For Bhatka and WhistlePig, the litigation is still ongoing. It will likely be a long, complicated and expensive legal battle. For Bhakta, however, the battle has become about more than his business.

Life is not just about money. Life is about principal. And I didnt want to look at my children down the road and say, Listen, your dad got paid a bunch of money to walk away from his principles. That is just the wrong message to send to my family, to my children and to the broader society," Bhakta says. "I dont want to drive a different car. I dont want to live in a different house. I dont want a yacht. So, there is nothing I want to buy. I am very, very happy if I see WhistlePig as the gold standard of whiskey globally.

Whether Bhakta is tilting at windmills or has some amount of leverage is yet to be seen.
Nineteen Iraqi Yazidi girls who refused to have sex with their Islamic State captors were placed in iron cages and burned alive in front of a crowd of hundreds in Mosul on Thursday, activists and witnesses say.

The 19 girls were burned to death, while hundreds of people were watching, a witness told ARA News. Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment.

ISIS took the girls  and thousands of others -- as sex slaves after overtaking a northern Iraqi region they called home in August 2014.

They were punished for refusing to have sex with ISIS militants, local activist Abdullah al-Malla told ARA News.

Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have called on ISIS to release the girls, citing human rights abuses.

The longer they are held by ISIS, the more horrific life becomes for Yazidi women, bought and sold, brutally raped, their children torn from them, said Skye Wheeler, a womens rights emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch, according to ARA News.

The Kurdistan Regional Government estimates that ISIS in Iraq and Syria is holding 1,800 abducted women and girls, while the U.N. puts the number at 3,500 Yazidis.

Some of the girls have even been put up for sale on social media platforms, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Click for more from ARA News.
The president of Afghanistan on Monday condemned the killings of David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamanna in an insurgent ambush while on assignment.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling Sunday in the south with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, said network spokeswoman Isabel Lara in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack cowardly and "completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws."

In a statement, Ghani said the Taliban do not distinguish among the military, civilians and journalists, and that they killed Gilkey and Tamanna as the two were reporting on the war. He offered condolences to their families.

Ghani went to Helmand later Monday to assess the security situation in the opium-poppy field region, which gives the world most of its heroin, controlled by the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and U.S. Army Gen. John. W. Nicholson, commander of the U.S.-NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, also offered condolences.

"David and Zabihullah, in particular, spent years in Afghanistan tirelessly endeavoring to tell the story of the Afghan people," Nicholson said in a statement. "We have the utmost respect for their work as well as those others that endure the hardships that come with reporting from conflict zones."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killings "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists - and their interpreters - who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey and Tamanna were killed along with two other people while riding in a vehicle that came under sustained Taliban attack about 300-400 meters (yards) from the main army base in Marjah, said Maj. Abdul Qader, deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Helmand province.

The Humvee, which was was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, was carrying five people: Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof, an Afghan army soldier and a driver, Qader told The Associated Press.

The driver and machine gunner were killed along with Gilkey and Tamanna in the attack, which lasted 30-40 minutes, he said, adding that army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

"The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command," Qader said. The bodies of Gilkey and Tamanna were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of U.S. Marines.

Gilkey, 50, had covered Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna, 37, was a freelance journalist who often worked as a translator for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he had years of experience as a reporter, cameraman and photographer for local and international news organizations in Afghanistan.

He worked in Kabul as a photographer for China's Xinhua news agency and also reported for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee described him as one of the country's most experienced journalists. He had a degree in law and political science from Kabul University. Aside from his work in daily news, he was a legal adviser to a local media consultancy.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey as Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot and killed in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and wars in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until moving to NPR in 2007.
The Islamic State group (ISIS) has been shooting at civilians as they try to flee the fighting between Iraqi government forces and ISIS militants in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, an international aid organization says.



A number of those fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a report late Sunday. The NRC, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, cited interviews with some of those who fled in its report late Sunday.



Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the ISIS-held city of Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance the militants have put up and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city.



"Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety," said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC Country Director in Iraq. "This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives."



The NRC put the total number of families who managed to flee from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the Iraqi offensive, which started May 21, at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC added.



On Sunday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah, a largely agricultural area.



The Fallujah operation in Iraq coincides with a twin offensive on ISIS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an ISIS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants' de facto capital.



At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.


A British grandmother was killed by a great white shark more than 16 feet long while she was diving off Australias west coast.

Doreen Collyer, a 60-year-old senior university nursing lecturer in midwifery, was killed by a giant shark while diving off Mindarie, 22 miles north of Perth in Western Australia over the weekend.

Swimmer killed by a great white shark in Australia was Brit gran https://t.co/rSYnyzseFx pic.twitter.com/MojJURHjGV  The Sun (@TheSun) June 6, 2016

The Western Australian Fisheries Department believes a large white shark was responsible for the fatal attack on the woman on Sunday.

The womans 43-year-old diving companion managed to get her back on the boat, between One and Three Mile reefs, but Collyer died from her injuries.

Fishermen who rushed to help and who saw the killer shark said it was bigger than their 18-foot boat.

Collyers diving buddy John said about 25 minutes into the dive, he felt something brush past him and when he surfaced, he saw his friend had been badly attacked.

The shark has now been deemed an imminent threat to public safety, so it can legally be killed, with the departments director-general issuing an order to fish for the shark.

Collyers husband, David, who made the move to Australia with his wife, said in a statement: Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife.

Click for more from The Sun.
The U.S. is warning its citizens of possible terror attacks by Islamic militants on American buildings or shopping malls in South Africa, despite assurances from the South African government that the country is safe.

The warning  which came Saturday on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan  is the second such warning in less than a year from the embassy, Reuters reports.

The embassy says shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town were the main targets in suspected planned attacks. South Africa has a significant expatriate and tourist population, but has rarely been linked to Islamic terrorism, Reuters reports.

"This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan," the embassy said in a statement posted on its website.

South Africas foreign affairs department said it is very much capable of keeping South Africa safe and everybody in this country, including Americans.
6th Annual Gringo Banditos Chronic Tacos Eating Contest Scheduled in Las Vegas

Palms Casino Resort Hosts Record-breaking Contest July 29

June 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // ALISO VIEJO, Calif.  The 6th Annual Gringo Bandito Chronic Tacos Eating Contest is going down at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Friday, July 29. Gringo Bandito, the hot sauce created by Dexter Holland, and Chronic Tacos, the California-inspired Mexican Grill, have partnered once again to host the record-breaking event taking place this year at Ditch Fridays, the popular bash, at Palms Pool & Dayclub.

The event brings a mix of music, lively patrons, and, yes, lots of taco eating. There are two competition categories: amateur and professional.

The amateurs will battle against each other as well as against Jason Acuna, Jackass Wee Man, to win amateur bragging rights and cash prizes. The professional tier draws competitive eaters from around the world, including two-time champion Takeru Kobayashi. Last year the world famous Kobayashi won the contest and set a new world record by eating more than 140 tacos in under ten minutes.

Our annual taco eating contest has drawn competitive eaters from all over the world and were excited to bring this years event to the Palms in Las Vegas where we have had a location for over three years, said Chronic Tacos CEO Michael Mohammed. Each year this event has grown, it is such a fun and unique experience to be a part of for both us and Gringo Bandito.

Its great for Gringo Bandito to be partnering again with Chronic Tacos to bring on the biggest taco eating contest in the world! said Dexter Holland, Founder of Gringo Bandito.

The world taco eating record-breaking event is open to the public, and runs from 1 until 3 p.m. at Ditch Fridays on July 29 at Palms Pool & Dayclub.

About Chronic Tacos

Chronic Tacos is a California-inspired Mexican grill that celebrates authenticity and the individuality of its customers. The fast-casual franchise is known for its fresh Mexican cuisine that is customized for each guests distinctive taste. Founded in 2002, the Aliso Viejo, California-based company has more than 30 locations operating across North America and is committed to serving only the highest quality ingredients and all-natural meats. Chronic Tacos offers traditional Mexican items such as tortas, taquitos, flautas and tacos as well as burritos, tostada bowls and salads, including a breakfast menu all day. Customers can choose from vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as carne asada (steak), pollo asado (chicken), carnitas (slow-cooked pork) and al pastor (spicy marinated pork). Seafood lovers can also order grilled, beer-battered or baja-style fish and shrimp. Each restaurant incorporates original art designs inspired by traditional Day of The Dead art, creating a unique experience at each location. For more information or to find the nearest Chronic Tacos, visit www.eatchronictacos.com.

About Gringo Bandito

Gringo Bandito hot sauce is the not-so-famous pepper sauce created by Dexter Holland of punk band The Offspring. Gringo Bandito is sold in Australia, Japan, Canada, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Hungary and coast to coast in the US and can be found in the top 10 on Amazon.coms highest customer rated hot sauces amongst 5000+ other products.

SOURCE Chronic Tacos

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Please join the Eastern NC Tea Party this Thursday, June 9 at 5:30 pm at La Ribera Mexican Restaurant (corner of Red Banks and Arlington), Our guest speaker will be Jay Delancy, founder and head of the NC Voter Integrity Project. Jay will talk about the new Voter ID law, it's impact on voter integrity, and the one area it still leaves open to voter fraud.The NC Voter Integrity Project is the watchdog organization that has uncovered many instances of actual voter fraud and continues to try to eliminate opportunities for such in our state. Jay is a tireless advocate for fairness and transparency at the ballot box; he is a frequent guest on FOX News and is seen as an expert in the area.5:30 pm - dinner and greeting; Presentation to begin by 6:15 pmThe Tea Party seeks, through education, civic responsibility, and community organizing, to help restore government to its limited and constitutional boundaries and to encourage citizens to do their individual part by living a responsible and moral life. Persons who can govern themselves and take proper care of their families don't need large government !!!With that in mind, please be reminded to do your part and vote in this month's primary election - for US Congress and NC Supreme Court......- This Tuesday, June 7: Primary Election Day is on Tuesday, June 7. In this primary, we Congressional candidates (congressional district 3) Taylor Griffin and Phil Law are both challenging Walter Jones. And Bob Edmunds is seeking re-election to the NC Supreme Court. Edmunds is the only conservative candidate running this election cycle for the state supreme court.As a conservative, Edmunds is the only candidate who believes:(a) That the state constitution and federal constitution should be interpreted narrowly, and according to the spirit and meaning at the time both were adopted.(b) That the intent of the legislature should be respected and NOT substituted by the opinion of the courtThis comes from Bob Edmunds website:My promises to you are the same promises I have made and kept in all my judicial campaigns. I promise to be fair, to read the Constitution as it is written, and to interpret statutes according to the intent of the General Assembly. I believe that only legislators should make law. Experience is the best qualification for a member of the judiciary. The Supreme Court is North Carolina's highest court and most folks naturally understand that being a justice is not an entry level position. We need justices who have established records demonstrating that they respect the Constitution and understand the limited role of the court. North Carolina deserves justices who have never distorted the law to satisfy their own prejudices. At the same time, we want justices who understand the real world outside the courthouse and the law books.
Kathy Manos Penn

Princess Puddin' in constant repose: Above and below.

Not long ago, Mom allowed the dog to dictate a column which she graciously typed for him. Unlike the dog, I am perfectly capable of typing my own column. After all I've spent plenty of time on Mom's keyboard, though until now, I've kept my typing talents secret.Now, about that dog. Yes, he was here before me, and yes, he's certainly larger than me at 80+ pounds, but he knows full well he's NOT in charge. The silly boy thinks that because his DNA analysis indicates his ancestors are Great Pyrenees, the royal dogs of France, that he is somehow special. Pfftt.Haven't we all heard of folks who are royal but not all that intelligent or talented? That's Banjo. He's nice enough, easy to get along with, generous with his many dog beds, but bright or talented? Hardly. His main activities are lying around, taking walks and eating my cat food when I take a delicate pause between bites. Why, he doesn't even chase balls or play with toys. Pretty useless, I'd say.I, on the other hand, don't require a DNA test to prove how special I am. First, I am a calico cat with distinctive markings and-as are 99.9% of calicos-female. Need I say more? I'm also exceptional because I'm a calico tortoiseshell combo. Talk about a beauty.We calicoes are considered good luck. Known for our distinctive orange patches on a white background, we originated in Egypt. Sailors saw us as especially good luck, and Japanese fishermen kept us on board their boats to protect them in storms and frighten away the ghosts of jealous ancestors.The Fortune cat figurines you see in Asian restaurants originated in Japan in the mid-1800s as lucky charms, but did you know that the calico version is considered the luckiest? Enough said about my heritage. If Banjo expects to be called Lord Banjo, then I certainly should be called Princess Puddin'. With or without royal lineage, I rightly rule the roost without lifting a paw.I get first dibs on all the dog beds, sleep with Mom and Dad, and have special blankets on both couches. When I enter the kitchen meowing, someone promptly feeds me. They usually remember that milk is the first course in the morning before food, but occasionally they mess up, and I turn my nose up until my bowl is correctly filled. Banjo shares his water bowl with me and even his food dish, when I'm so inclined.When I speak in the evenings, Dad knows it's play time and obliges with the bird and the snake, my favorite toys. He exclaims over my leaps and flips and adores my flying white paws. I take turns in Mom and Dad's laps, but as Dad points out, he has the best belly for kitties. It seems the birds are the only creatures impervious to my demands. No matter how loudly I squeak at them from my window perch, they don't respond. Maybe someday.And I'm not only acrobatic; I'm smart too. When Mom heads to her office, I know to race ahead and hit the desk to await my treats. I'm also renowned for my ability to clean off a desk or nightstand with the swipe of a paw. Imagine the clutter if it weren't for me.As highly intelligent readers, you surely now realize that I am the most special creature in our household-if not in the universe. Perhaps one day you too will be lucky enough to be owned by a calico.
The teacher crisis is real, and were not going to work our way out of it simply by making it easier to hire teachers.
At that point, they were out of conventional options, Flood said. So Thompson pointed him to a clinical trial led by his colleagues, Fred Hutch immunotherapy researchers Drs. Aude Chapuis, Phil Greenberg, and Cassian Yee. (Yee is now at MD Anderson Cancer Center.)

Flood became one of 10 patients with metastatic melanoma treated with an experimental combination of immunotherapies between 2011 and 2013. In a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the research team described the small clinical trial and how the patients have fared in the years following their treatment.

Flood is now in complete remission five years after receiving the combo immunotherapy. But not all trial participants responded as well as he did  only one other patient is still in complete remission.

Two patients had a partial response but then their disease eventually progressed during the trial. Both had metastases to the brain; Chapuis said this could mean that the therapeutic T cells arent able to cross the blood-brain barrier, although they dont know for sure. Three other patients progressed, and three had stable disease (their tumors neither grew nor shrank).

The results are promising enough that this combo approach warrants further exploration for treating patients with advanced melanoma or possibly other cancers, said Chapuis, study author and Fred Hutch immunotherapy researcher.

It really opens the door to more combination trials, she said.

Promising results to pursue further

And such combinations may be necessary for solid-tumor cancers, said melanoma clinical researcher Yee. Tumors like melanoma exist in a complex physical and molecular environment in the body, meaning building a working immunotherapy for solid tumors is a higher hurdle than for diseases like leukemia and lymphoma.

Theres no question that combination immunotherapy is important, Yee said.

The trial tested a combination of T-cell therapy, a treatment approach that enhances or otherwise modifies a patients own immune cells to more powerfully recognize and attack tumors, and ipilimumab, a drug known as a checkpoint inhibitor that releases the brakes on the bodys natural immune system, also allowing it to better recognize and attack the cancer.

In 2011, when the study began, patients with melanoma that had metastasized, or spread throughout the body, faced an average survival time that could be measured in months, Chapuis said. Today, such patients have more options for treatment, including a combination of ipilimumab and another type of checkpoint inhibitor, a class of drugs that includes Keytruda, the drug former President Jimmy Carter received for melanoma that had metastasized to his brain.

With only 10 patients treated on the trial, the numbers arent large enough to definitively compare this group to the average patient with advanced melanoma, Chapuis said. But five of the 10 patients were still alive three to five years after starting the treatment, results Chapuis said are on par with those for patients now treated with the checkpoint inhibitor combination.

But 10 patients is really not enough, it just gives you the flavor to continue further, she said.

The combination of T-cell therapy and a single checkpoint inhibitor drug also seems to have fewer side effects than the two inhibitors together, the researchers found. The patients who received ipilimumab with T-cell therapy had no more side effects than are typically seen with ipilimumab alone.

For the study, the researchers also looked at the molecular details of the T cells the patients received. In those patients for whom the therapy worked  those with remissions or stable disease  they found that the T cells persisting in their blood had a type of molecular signature thats linked with better T-cell survival and cancer-killing activity.
Ron Howard & Associates Introduces Instant Online Property Valuation Feature

At http://www.searchbaltimorerealestate.com, those who are looking to sell their homes can simply type in their address and get access to an instant free valuation report.

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Ron Howard & Associates of RE/MAX Preferred, a premier real estate firm serving the residents of Baltimore, Maryland and the surrounding areas, has announced the introduction of their instant online property valuation feature. The feature is now a permanent part of the firm's website and can be accessed from the home page. The instant property valuation tool is geared toward homeowners who may be considering selling their homes and would like to get an approximate idea of how much a buyer might pay.

Ron Howard, one of the agents at the helm of the firm, commented "We know that the process of buying and selling Baltimore real estate can often times be a real hassle for homeowners. For that reason, we have made it our mission to streamline both sides of the process for residents who are looking to buy and sell quickly and without frustration. The property valuation tool that we've introduced to our website helps us to accomplish that goal. It gives sellers a way to get a ballpark figure of what they might expect to get for their homes so that they can make informed decisions that work for them."

Residents who are looking to sell their homes can visit http://www.searchbaltimorerealestate.com/cma/property-valuation/ to use the property valuation tool. Once there, they need only enter their address and, if necessary, their unit number. After they submit the form, they'll be taken straight to a property valuation report where they will see both low and high-range property value and rental estimates for their home. They will also be able to see what comparable homes have recently sold for in their area.

As Howard goes on to say, "Being able to get a home valuation in an instant takes the stress and difficulty out of figuring out how much a home may be worth. Introducing this feature to our site is just another way for us to serve our clients well as we strive to go above and beyond the call of duty."

Those who would like to take advantage of the instant property valuation feature or get in touch with an agent at Ron Howard & Associates about buying or selling a home should visit http://www.searchbaltimorerealestate.com/featured/ for more information.

About Ron Howard & Associates of RE/MAX Preferred:

Ron Howard & Associates of RE/MAX Preferred are the creators of SearchBaltimoreRealEstate.com, the number one Baltimore metro home search engine online. Their Agents work with buyers and sellers across the greater Baltimore region and strive to make every part of the process streamlined and fun. Ron Howard & Associates is totally dedicated to achieving the highest and best result for every single client--and they know what it takes to guarantee success.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.searchbaltimorerealestate.com

Contact Info:

Name: Ron Howard

Organization: Ron Howard & Associates of RE/MAX Preferred

Phone: (443) 573-9222

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/ron-howard-associates-introduces-instant-online-property-valuation-feature/118073

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CPR Vibe Launches Campaign To Get More Americans CPR-Certified

Expanding client listings will connect more people to classes in life-saving techniques, according to CPRVibe.com

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According to recent statistics, more than 350,000 Americans per year have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and less than half of them are able to receive immediate help before paramedics arrive. CPR can double or triple a person's chance of surviving a heart attack, according to CPR Vibe spokesperson Roderick Luna, but only if it's performed in the first few minutes after the event. That's why CPR Vibe (www.cprvibe.com) is launching a major campaign to increase the number of Americans who have CPR certification.

"Ideally, we'd like to see every person in this country over the age of ten get CPR-certified," said Luna. "The majority of people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital are in their homes, often with a family member. But in most cases, that family member isn't trained to do anything to help. With our expansion of services, we're really hoping to change that scenario. We want to give people the training and the confidence they need to help their loved ones in a crisis."

To this end, CPR Vibe has increased its class offerings and plans to extend its list to include classes across the country over the coming few months. "Currently we're offering classes in Southern California, but we're actively soliciting clients in other states to add to our listings," Luna explained. He added that CPR Vibe will only list clients who have been qualified by the American Red Cross to offer certification, so learners can be sure they're getting the best and most up-to-date education.

While the company's primary emphasis remains CPR certification, they offer a range of classes in life-saving techniques. Some of the most popular classes are focused on techniques that are specific to children, and these classes are often required for childcare providers like daycare workers, teachers, lifeguards, and camp counselors. The website's recently expanded list includes advanced cardio life support, or acls classes; pediatric life support, or pals classes; neonatal resuscitation program, or nrp classes; basic life saving, or bls certification; and classes in basic first aid.

In addition to serving as a point of connection for teachers and students, the website also provides information resources for people who are already certified, including the latest statements and updates from the American Red Cross. "We want to offer ongoing support for the people who take our classes, so they will feel confident using what they've learned in real life," said Luna.

CPR Vibe initiated their efforts with cpr classes san diego. According to Luna, the success of those classes was the impetus for their current plans for expansion. "We saw what a difference our website made in getting people signed up for classes, and we knew we had the power to make a positive difference in the world," he commented. "We're excited to get word out about the power of CPR to save lives."

About CPR Vibe:

CPR Vibe is a website that serves to connect prospective students with a network of top-rated CPR classes and to provide information on the latest research and resources about CPR.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.cprvibe.com

Contact Info:

Name: Roderick Luna

Organization: CPR Vibe

Phone: (619) 948-5017

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All Are Invited to the Central Coast Yoga & Pilates June 20 Grand Opening

Open house will give visitors a chance to learn about studio's full range of daily classes, staff of experienced instructors, and state-of-the-art facility, Central Coast Yoga & Pilates reports

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Central Coast Yoga and Pilates will hold a special grand opening event at 4 p.m. on June 20 at its studio at 8810 Morro Road. All are invited to attend the open house and will have opportunities the meet the full team of Central Coast Yoga & Pilates instructors, learn about yoga and Pilates, and tour the facility. With new owners turning the former Hot Yoga Atascadero studio into Central Coast Yoga & Pilates and a staff full of inspiring instructors ready to lead daily 60- and 90-minute classes, the state of the arts of Yoga and Pilates in North County has never been better.

"We're thrilled to invite all in the community to stop by our open house and grand opening on June 20," Central Coast Yoga & Pilates instructors Billea Dyson O'Doan and Lindsey Woodward said, "We've got a great afternoon planned for all who come by, with plenty of interesting things to see and learn. We can't wait to catch up with our friends at the grand opening and look forward to making plenty of new ones."

Although the earliest history of the discipline has been lost to the mists of time, yoga's documented roots stretch back over 2500 years. Seen in a striking variety of specific forms both historically and at the present time, yoga always aims at the physical, spiritual, and mental betterment of its practitioners.

Far younger but also impressively influential, Pilates is a system of poses and movements developed by a German trainer of that name beginning in the years following the First World War. Today, the two practices are often used in complementary ways, with many finding a wealth of rewarding things to take from each.

Now set to open officially with its June 20 open house event, Central Coast Yoga & Pilates will provide especially welcoming and productive access to everything that these disciplines have to offer. With a state-of-the-art heated studio allowing for greater ranges of movement and achievement, along with complementary detoxification of the body, Central Coast Yoga & Pilates will offer a full range of daily, 60- and 90-minute classes led by some of the most accomplished instructors in the county.

All are invited to attend the grand opening event on June 20, starting at 4 p.m. at the Central Coast Yoga & Pilates facility at 8810 Morro Road in Atascadero. Visitors to the Central Coast Yoga & Pilates website can also sign up for a special introductory offer good for two weeks of unlimited classes for only $20.

About Central Coast Yoga & Pilates:

With an exceptional teaching staff and a state-of-the-art heated studio, Central Coast Yoga & Pilates offers a full range of 60- and 90-minute classes that help practitioners draw life-enhancing fitness and wellness results from two of the world's most renowned, rewarding disciplines.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.centralcoastyogaandpilates.com

Contact Info:

Name: Billea Dyson O'Doan and Lindsey Woodward

Organization: Central Coast Yoga & Pilates

Address: Central Coast Yoga & Pilates 8810 Morro Road Atascadero, CA 93422

Phone: 805-460-6822

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/all-are-invited-to-the-central-coast-yoga-pilates-june-20-grand-opening/118095

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Data Acquisition (DAQ) Market 2021 : Industry Size And Growth Report By Radiant Insights,Inc

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This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Data Acquisition (DAQ) from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Data Acquisition (DAQ) market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Data Acquisition (DAQ), and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.

Browse Full Research Report With TOC on https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-data-acquisition-daq-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021

Data acquisition (DAQ) is the process of measuring an electrical or physical phenomenon such as voltage, current, temperature, pressure, or sound with a computer. A DAQ system consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer with programmable software. DAQ hardware acts as the interface between a computer and signals from the outside world. It primarily functions as a device that digitizes incoming analog signals so that a computer can interpret them. The three key components of a DAQ hardware used for measuring a signal are the signal conditioning circuitry, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and computer bus.

Global Data Acquisition (DAQ) Market Forecast and Analysis 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Data Acquisition (DAQ) market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Data Acquisition (DAQ) market areNational Instruments, Keysight, Keithley Instruments, VTI Instruments, DATAQ Instruments, Data Translation, Analog Devices, HBM, Yokogawa, Contec, ADLINK, Advantech, Art-control, Xinchao Renda, RBH, Queentest, TDEC, Acredit.

See More Reports of This Category by Radiant Insights: https://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/electronics

The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Data Acquisition (DAQ) industry has been provided.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Scope of Report

1.1 Research Methodology

1.2 Geographic Scope

1.3 Years Considered

Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-data-acquisition-daq-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021/request-sample

Part 2. Introduction

2.1 Key Findings

2.2 Value Chain Analysis

2.2.2 Upstream

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About Radiant Insights,Inc

Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.

For more information about us, please visit https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-data-acquisition-daq-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021

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Address: 28 2nd Street

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Studypool Introduced The Mathematics Homework Help

Mathematics homework help for students is introduced by Studypool in June 2016

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Studypool is a marketplace where students are connected with tutors who can answer their questions on academics. By using Studypool students can gain access to thousands of verified tutors who are ready to assist them with any kind of a question at any time.

Students learning business and finance can now let out a sigh of relief because homework help for these topics or subjects is now readily available. The business and finance homework help is designed primarily to provide students with the correct tools to understand such vital concepts as business and finance. The progress the world enjoys today is largely the result of an ever-expanding knowledge about business and finance. The different schools of thought in both business and finance has seen a lot of conflicting theories, principles, models, and systems which can make learning a little bit more challenging than it was several decades ago. Each year, newer and better business models replace legacy systems that simply do not work anymore in today's highly digitalized world. With the collapse of communism, even so-called socialist states have slowly begun integrating business concepts as well as finance structures in their societies such that business and finance are clearly essential concepts that need to be learned and mastered.

Business and Finance Experts Provide Help

Students learning the different theories, models, concepts, and principles of business and finance can learn best when individuals providing help are those that are renowned in their respective fields. While teachers in academic institutions provide the theoretical foundations for business and finance, individuals who have first-hand experience of the practical applications of business and finance concepts and principles are considered to be in the best position to provide a more realistic understanding of such concepts as they occur in the real world. This is very important in order for students to really learn the importance of such business and finance concepts, theories, and models. One of the most useful tools to find business and finance homework help is the internet. There are plenty of academic tutorial platforms that provide excellent academic support for students learning the fundamental concepts and principles of business and finance.

Highly Personalised Business and Finance Homework Help

Homework help websites like StudyPool are capitalizing on the expertise of business and finance professionals to provide students with a more real-life understanding of such concepts. According to a spokesperson for StudyPool, students today need to understand how abstract concepts can be applied in the real-life setting. This can only be done with tutors who excel in businesses and finance institutions. Students need a highly personalised approach to learning the different concepts in order for them to be successful later in life. Tutors must therefore provide students with a simplified explanation of certain concepts especially on how it is actually applied in the real world. Because business and finance concepts can sometimes be confusing, it is essential for a tutor to provide explanations that are easy to understand and show the connection between the concepts and the actual practice. StudyPool is an innovative academic tutoring platform that provides excellent academic assistance for students who want to learn everything and anything they can about business and finance. The company aims to simplify the learning processes by connecting students with experts in business and finance.

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Summer New Dental Office Outreach Specials Announced by Smile Perfected

Dental supply company Smile Perfected, maker of the popular 20-Minute whitening system for dentists have announced their summer offers.

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The dental product manufacturer responsible for the successful Smile Perfected 20-Minute Whitening System, is wildly excited about summer specials for doctors looking to ethically increase their hygiene revenue. The company has initiated a campaign to reach out to small office private practice owners who could benefit from offering Smile Perfected to their patients.

The Smile Perfected system was created by a Doctor to fit perfectly into a dental office's current routine without requiring extended chair time and the treatment can be easily implemented by the hygienist so as not to tie up doctor time.

Private practices and small group oral care organizations love it because they can plug-in the system into their current prophy visit workflow and increase hygiene revenues almost overnight. The patients love it because they can get a whitening treatment in just 20 minutes following their prophy cleaning resulting in a noticeably whiter, more beautiful smile.

Private practice owners who haven't caught on, are being invited to learn more about what the product can do for them this summer via the summer new office engagement program launched by the company.

"Bright sun and bright smiles go hand in hand." said Dr. Balanoff, founder and CEO, adding "We have a powerful solution to help Doctors ethically improve their hygiene revenues, we know you'll love it, so we are offering an outrageous deal for new customers while supplies last."

The treatment is free from pain or sensitivity associated with other dentist administered whitening products, and is priced at a point patients can afford, with a manufacturer recommended $129.

"This summer, if you haven't already, you can add the hottest product in dentistry to your practice, and see for yourself why everyone is talking about it," added Dr. Balanoff.

About Smile Perfected:

Smile Perfected was established in 2014 by Dr. William Balanoff. Dental products include the Smile Perfected 20 Minute Whitening System(TM), designed to fit seamlessly into an offices current patient process after a prophy. Imagine patients getting a quick, noticeably whiter smile with a non-invasive dental service... no drilling, no shots... just whiter teeth in 20 minutes. The product is available via the major dental distributors including Benco & Henry Schein dental, as well as manufacturer direct via http://www.smileperfected.com/direct-sales/

For more information about us, please visit https://www.smileperfected.com

Contact Info:

Name: Dr. William Balonoff, DDS, MS, FICD

Organization: Smile Perfected(TM)

Address: 3000 Ravenswood Road, Suite #1A, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312

Phone: 877-624-6674

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/summer-new-dental-office-outreach-specials-announced-by-smile-perfected/118043

Release ID: 118043

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Quick Web Booster Kit D Singh 2016 WordPress Plugin Software Launched

A new Wordpress plugin suite has been launched called Quick Web Booster Kid, which allows business owners to improve their sites usability and visibility, and change coding and themes with ease. It features five plugins designed to make running a business easier.

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A new website boosting program has launched for WordPress users who want to make the most of their online business. Called Quick Web Booster Kit, it's designed by D Singh and focuses on enhancing browser experiences and helping to streamline the business process. It features five different plugins that can help owners to make their website as efficient as possible.

More information can be found the official Quick Web Booster Kit site at: http://letsgolook.at/QuickWebBoosterKit.

The site explains that the right combination of WordPress plugins can help to increase brand awareness, boost conversion and make it easier to run the back end of a WordPress site. Through doing this, users can add better features to the front end that visitors experience when they land on the business's page, which can keep them browsing the site for longer and engaging with it in more ways.

Quick Web Booster Kit was created with this philosophy in mind, and comes with a selection of plugins that can help benefit both the website owner and visitors coming to the site. The first plugin, called Theme GenX Login, is explained as being important and essential in all WordPress themes. It is designed to protect the website by not identifying the platform to the user, providing high security for login and registration.

The second plugin within the bundle is called Secure Your Data, which which is a full website protection package that ensures nobody can inspect the coding on the site without getting the administrator's permission. Because of this, it can help to increase authenticity as well as security.

Following this is Theme CSS Changer, a CSS customization plugin that allows the website owner to change their style without modifying the CSS themselves. This means that the website can be adapted to suit any business need, and there is no configuration required.

Theme Rocket Plugin is the fourth plugin included within Quick Web Booster Kit, and helps to boost visibility and usability. It works on all major browsers to help increase traffic to the user's site. Meanwhile, Pre Launching Mode is a powerful landing page for sites or sections that aren't yet live, allowing the owner to build anticipation for a new feature they are releasing More details on the plugins can be found at: http://muncheye.com/d-singh-quick-web-booster-kit.

For more information about us, please visit http://letsgolook.at/QuickWebBoosterKit

Contact Info:

Name: James Peterson

Organization: Muncheye.com



Release ID: 117646

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Sacramento Commission Free Home Sale Launched

A new property report has launched detailing how home owners in Sacramento, California can sell their homes as fast as possible. It provides information in an easy to read way and discusses how CMARK Properties can help.

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CMARK Properties has announced the launch of a new property report detailing how local residents can sell their homes quickly when they want to move out. The report explains that the company frequently gets asked how home owners can sell their property in a short space of time, and it's this question that inspired them to write out a guide to the process. It's written in an easy to understand way, with firsthand personal information available.

More information is available on the CMARK Properties website at: http://cmarkproperties.com/sacramento

Founded by Valentyn Svit and his brother Andrey in Sacramento, California, CMARK Properties was created with the mission to give homeowners a straightforward and creative solution that provided a simple way to do business in real estate. The site explains how they based their company on the idea that even people without real estate experience should be able to do business alongside a company they can rely on.

The report explains that the first step when a client is looking to sell their house in Sacramento would be to decide how much they want to sell it for and how much time they have. Once they have this key information decided, they can find out what their options are.

From there, they can contact an experienced real estate specialist to find out the best way to get the outcome they're hoping for. This may be to do a joint venture with the property, or it may be simply selling the home as fast as possible.

CMARK Properties underscores that they can buy houses from sellers with no commissions, closing fees or repair work needed. The company simply gives the home owner the information they need to make an informed decision, and decide what is best for them.

The company said: "We help people with their real estate problems and offer more options than we could before due to the fact that we're always improving ourselves and our company. Our team has expanded and now answers peoples real estate questions free of charge to make real estate something that's not so scary to work with."

Anyone wanting to sell their house through CMARK Properties can find more information at: http://cmarkproperties.com/services/sell-fast-in-sacramento/

For more information about us, please visit http://cmarkproperties.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Valentyn

Email: cmarkproperties@gmail.com

Organization: Cmark Properties

Address: 3325 Longview Dr Sacramento, CA 95821

Phone: 916-287-0317

Release ID: 118107

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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson handed down a ruling that may hurt Hillary Clinton just before her nomination ceremony in July.

MORE THAN JUST THE CLINTON EMAIL SCANDAL

In a news story that is being ignored or relegated to the news media's "scant coverage" file, a black, female judge is giving Hillary Clinton and her campaign minions and supporters agita with her latest ruling from the federal bench . The federal judge ordered the Obama administration to release the as yet undisclosed emails connected to Hillary Clinton in the weeks prior to the highly-anticipated Democratic National Convention in July.In her order late on June 1, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told the U.S. State Department's Agency for International Development (USAID) to turn over to officials at the Republican National Committee (RNC) whatever records that are part of an RNC's lawsuit by July 11, 2016.What many observers find surprising is the fact that Judge Jackson was appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2013 and is considered to be on his short-list for U.S. Supreme Court nomination. She is also related to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan by marriage. Her biography reveals she is a die-hard Democrat who is part of the Washington, D.C. establishment.Jackson's ruling will hopefully result in at least some of the documents being released two weeks before the Democratic National Convention takes place on July 25. With a primary stacked against anyone opposing her, Clinton is the presumed Democratic nominee for president.The release of Hillary Clinton's documents will give the RNC a week to peruse the documents before their own convention in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18. "It certainly will give Trump fuel for the anti-Hillary fire . It may also provide more criminal charges against Mrs. Clinton or her close associates such as Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin.After the July 11 document release, officials from USAID will need to consult with Obama's administrators at the State Department about hundreds of other pages of documents being released in upcoming weeks.In March 2016, attorneys representing the RNC sued the State Department's foreign aid agency. The RNC sought communications between USAID officials and former aides at the State Department. The RNC also sought those Internet communications between USAID and private domain names associated with Hillary, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and others including the Clinton Foundation.According to the reports on the lawsuit:said political strategist Mike Baker.said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.Priebus noted.
Teen Author Launches Cause: Donate Used Books to Poor Dominican School Kids

Award-winning, teen author, Camille Kleinman, launches a cause to help local Cabarete school kids get books. In Cabarete, there's no public library and only a handful of books in the poor local school. Most Dominicans are extremely poor and can't afford to buy books.

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Award-winning, teen author, Camille Kleinman, launches a cause to help local Cabarete school kids.

In Cabarete there are no public libraries, no bookshops, and even the local Cabarete school has hardly any books for the kids. In fact, their school library doesn't even have a floor, shelves and nowhere to sit on apart from one old, plastic chair or the dirty, gravel ground. This school has 600 children.

At age 13, Camille taught English at the Cabarete school. Now, years later, upon revisiting the school she was shocked to see how poor their library is.

Majority of Dominican kids never had a single children's book in their lives. There are no public libraries to burrow books from and they do not get books as gifts.

This cause aims to provide the Cabarete school with many interesting children's books and picture books, to help the Dominican kids learn English and develop their imagination.

English is an extremely important language for children to master at an early age so they can improve their employment possibilities later on.

Ms. Kleinman hopes many socially-aware American moms will send their used books to the Cabarete school and help spread the word about this cause to other caring moms.

When asked why the kids don't get books as gifts, Camille explains: "The majority of the Dominican population is extremely poor. Unemployment is approximately 15% and the minimum wage is $131 per month. There are many young, single moms who are living in extreme poverty. Some of their shabby homes don't even have floors. Books are therefore not a priority when the struggle for food and clothes comes first. Asides from this, to buy a book they would need an expensive long trip to a big main city, where bookshops exist."

Since school is not compulsory and only those parents who can afford a school uniform for their children can send them to school, not all children get an aducation. On top of that, many parents need their kids to help them with their family income. Even young kids work shining shoes, peddling wares in the streets or labor in the fields. Therefore, many Dominicans are illiterate and can't even count.

Without education, there are very few chances for Dominicans. Alas, many local girls as young as 12YO turn into prostitutes, usually because their parents force them into it. Without education, they have little chance of ever getting out of this terrible destiny.

Seen in the photo of the Cabarete school library is (from left to right) the only crate of kids' reading books they have, Mrs. Arelys, the school's English teacher, the head principal, Mrs. Paulina Perez, and a few pupils.

How to help these school kids

Parents who have any used children's books, or books for teens in the English or Spanish languages, which they no longer need, can donate them to the Cabarete school in the Dominican Republic. Visit http://CamilleKleinman.com/causes to find out how to ship the books to the local school and make a difference in the lives of many kids.

For more information about us, please visit http://camillekleinman.com/causes

Contact Info:

Name: Camille Kleinman

Organization: CamilleKleinman.com



Release ID: 117981

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United States's force and sheer will was best personified in the American warrior that dropped out of low flying planes over Wehrmacht occupied Normandy. Here a young paratrooper listens intently to the Allied Supreme Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, on D-Day, minus 1: Above. American paratroopers: 82nd Airborne or the 101st Airborne preparing to drop out of the shrapnel ladened skies over Normandy: Below.

American G.I.'s preparing to land on the Hell that was Omaha Beach: Above.

Every year on June 6, our nation pauses to remember the thousands of brave Americans and American allies who stormed the beaches of Normandy to launch the campaign to liberate Europe from the oppression and extermination by the Nazi regime in World War II. We reflect on D Day for its devastating statistics and the casualties, but we ultimately remember the victory it helped to secure. Normandy was an American victory; it was their duty to trace the twists and turns of fortune by which success was won. But to follow that rule slights the story of Omaha as an epic human tragedy. But we sometimes we overlook the personal stories - the ultimate sacrifices of beloved sons, brothers, uncles, cousins, husbands, classmates, and neighbors..... boys. Most were mere boys, who died with a life yet unlived. Their sacrifice was and continues to be immeasurable. Their sacrifice must continue to be the basis for the ideals we hold dear.At the beginning of World War II, Germany invaded Poland, causing France, Great Britain and Canada to declare war on Germany. By the spring of 1940, the German army was ready to invade France, defended by not only the French military, but also a sizable British force as well. Within six weeks, the Germans defeated the Allies and seized control of France. By 1944, the Germans knew that the Allies, also now including the United States, among others, would attempt an invasion of France to liberate Europe from Germany. The Allied forces, based in Britain, decided to begin the invasion by landing a huge army along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline - Normandy Beach - to fight Nazi Germany. Code-named "Operation Overlord", and commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allies landed on June 6, 1944 at five beaches in the Normandy area with the code names of: Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach. Prior to the actual amphibious invasion, Allied planes pounded the Nazi defenders and dropped thousands of paratroopers behind German lines during night before the seaborne landings. Local French Resistance forces, alerted to the imminent invasion, engaged in behind-the-lines sabotage and combat against the occupying Germans. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which "we will accept nothing less than full victory."General Dwight D. Eisenhower met with the troops just hours before the allied invasion of D Day, and he gave them this message:More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion. 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops met heavy resistance from the German forces defending the area, but were able to punch inland, securing safe landing zones for reinforcements. By day's end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high - more than 9,000 allied soldiers were killed or wounded - but more than 100,000 Soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler. The German failure to successfully defend the Normandy area from the Allied liberation forces in essence doomed Hitler's dream of a Nazi controlled "Fortress Europe" and marked the beginning of the end for Germany.US forces - US First Army - landed at Omaha and Utah beaches. In total, the First Army contingent totaled approximately 73,000 men, including 15,600 from the airborne divisions. Omaha was particularly devastating. To understand the horror and carnage of that amphibious landing under fire from German guns firmly entrenched further up on the beach, we can look at the fates of Able and Baker companies, 116th Infantry, 29th Division.ABLE Company, riding the tide in seven Higgins boats, was about five thousand yards from the beach when it first took on artillery fire. The shells fell short. At one thousand yards, Boat No. 5 wass hit dead on and foundered. Six men drowned before help was able to arrive. Second Lieutenant Edward Gearing and twenty others paddled around until picked up by naval craft, thereby missing the fight at the shore line. It was to be their lucky day. The other six boats rode unscathed to within one hundred yards of the shore, when a shell fired into Boat No. 3 killed two men. Another dozen drowned when they forced to jump into the water as the boat was sinking. That left five boats.His men were at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stared but said nothing. At exactly 6:36 am, the ramps were dropped along the boat line and the men jumped off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man's head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.ABLE Company had planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out tried to do it but were ripped apart before they could make five yards. Even the lightly wounded died by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jumped off in water over their heads. Most of them were carried down. Ten or so survivors got around the boat and clutched at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happened to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people were lost to the fire or tide before anyone reached shore. All order had vanished from Able Company before it was even able to fired a single shot.Already the sea ran red. Even among some of the lightly wounded who jumped into shallow water the hits proved fatal. Knocked down by a bullet in the arm or weakened by fear and shock, they were unable to rise again and were drowned by the onrushing tide. Other wounded men dragged themselves ashore and, on finding the sands, lay quiet from total exhaustion, only to be overtaken and killed by the water. A few moved safely through the bullet swarm to the beach, then found that they could not hold there. They returned to the water to use it for body cover. They turned their faces upward, so that their nostrils were out of water and they crept toward the land at the same rate as the tide. That is how most of the survivors made it. The less rugged or less clever sought the cover of enemy obstacles moored along the upper half of the beach and were knocked off one-by-one by machine-gun fire.Within seven minutes after the ramps drop, ABLE Company was inert and leaderless. At Boat No. 2, Lieutenant Tidrick took a bullet through the throat as he jumped from the ramp into the water. He staggered onto the sand and flopped down ten feet from Private First Class Leo J. Nash. Nash saw the blood spurting and heard the strangled words gasped by Tidrick: "Advance with the wire cutters!" But it was futile; Nash had no cutters. To give the order, Tidrick had raised himself up on his hands and made himself a target for an instant. And that was all it took. Nash, burrowing into the sand, saw machine gun bullets rip Tidrick from crown to pelvis. From the cliff above, the German gunners were shooting into the survivors as if from a roof top perch.Captain Taylor N. Fellers and Lieutenant Benjamin R. Kearfoot never made it. Their boat, Boat No. 6 (Landing Craft, Assault, No. 1015), was loaded with thirty men. Exactly what happened to this boat and its human cargo was never to be known. No one saw the craft go down. How each man aboard it met death remains unreported. Half of the drowned bodies were later found along the beach. It is supposed that the others were claimed by the sea.Along the beach, only one Able Company officer was still alive -- Lieutenant Elijah Nance, who was hit in the heel. By the time he made it to the sand, a second bullet hit him in the belly. By the end of ten minutes, every sergeant was either dead or wounded. To the eyes of such men as Private Howard I. Grosser and Private First Class Gilbert G. Murdock, this clean sweep suggested that the Germans on the high ground had spotted all leaders and concentrated fire their way. Among the men who were still moving in with the tide, rifles, packs, and helmets had already been cast away in the interests of survival.To the right of where Tidrick's boat was drifting with the tide, its coxswain lay dead next to the shell-shattered wheel. The ramp dropped and in that instant, two machine guns concentrated their fire on the opening. Not a single man was given time to jump. All aboard were cut down where they stand.By the end of fifteen minutes, Able Company had still not fired a weapon. No orders were being given by anyone. No words were spoken. The few able-bodied survivors moved, or not, as they saw fit.By the end of one half hour, approximately two thirds of the company was forever gone. There is no precise casualty figure for that moment. There is a casualty figure for the Normandy landing as a whole but no accurate figure for the first hour or the first day. The circumstances precluded it. Whether more Able Company riflemen died from water than from fire is known only to heaven. All earthly evidence indicates such, but it cannot be absolutely proven.By the end of one hour and forty-five minutes, six survivors from the boat section on the extreme right were able to shake loose and work their way to a shelf a few rods up the cliff. Four fall exhausted from the short climb and made it no farther. They stayed there through the day, seeing no one else from the company. The other two, Privates Jake Shefer and Thomas Lovejoy, joined a group from the Second Ranger Battalion and fought on with the Rangers through the day. Two men. Two rifles. Except for these, this account summarizes Able Company's contribution to the D Day invasion.BAKER Company was scheduled to land twenty-six minutes after Able and right on top of it. Unfortunately, they were not able to see the disaster which overtook Able until they were almost on top of it. The command boat headed in and as soon as it dropped its ramp, it was immediately hit by a storm of bullet fire.Captain Ettore Zappacosta jumped from the boat first and while he was in elbow-high tide, he shouted back to his men: "I'm hit." He was bleeding from the hip and shoulder and after staggering for a few minutes, he fell face forward into the wave and the weight of his equipment and soaked pack pinned him to the bottom. Thomas Kenser tried to jump off the boat to get to him but was shot dead while in the air. Lieutenant Tom Dallas of Charley Company, the third man, made it to the edge of the sand where a machine-gun burst blew his head apart.Private First Class Robert L. Sales, who was lugging Zappacosta's radio, was the fourth man to leave the boat, having waited long enough to see the others die. His boot heel caught on the edge of the ramp and he fell into the tide, losing the radio but saving his life. Every man who tried to follow him was either killed or wounded before reaching dry land. Sales alone was able to reach the beach unhit.By the end of the day, only forty-seven men made it ashore and to safety. These forty-seven immortals of Omaha, by their dauntless initiative at widely separated points along the beach, saved the landing from total stagnation and disaster. The others were slaughtered wholesale.Thousands of Americans were spilled onto Omaha Beach. The high ground was won by a handful of men who on that day burned with a flame bright beyond common understanding." [S.L.A. Marshall, "First Wave at Omaha Beach"]Donald Ceboll, a WWII veteran from Ohio, watched the amphibious landing on Omaha Beach from the deck of a navy landing ship about 2 miles offshore. At 89, he remembers:Ceboll remembered.After visiting Normandy in 1999, he wrote:It is fitting and proper that we as Americans, as well as people all over the world, honor the ultimate sacrifices of American - and British and Canadian - soldiers who were killed wounded during D Day. We should seek to earn their gifts to us by the way we view ourselves as Americans and especially by the way we conduct ourselves as Americans. As Ronald Reagan once said: "Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."Reagan also said:Forty years after the invasion, President Ronald Reagan stood on the very spot on the northern coast of France where Allied soldiers had stormed ashore to liberate Europe and paid tribute to an audience of D-Day veterans and world leaders. He offered the following words:
A London-based IFA is jetting off to Canada to address thousands of financial services professionals.

Bhupinder Anand, managing director of Anand Associates, is scheduled to speak on the main platform of the Million Dollar Round Table annual meeting in Vancouver on Monday 13 June.

Million Dollar Round Table is a trade association founded in 1927 for life insurance and financial services professionals.

The annual meeting, which is held in a different North American city each June, has a record attendance of more than 11,000 delegates this year and has reached capacity.

Mr Anand said: This is my 20th year of membership of MDRT and it is such an important part of my life.

It is a true honour to be invited to address my peer group from more than 80 countries.

The title of my speech is The Power of Words and explores how the simple use of unusual language, creative words and imaginative thinking can influence the reaction we get from clients, the response it creates, to deliver the results we desire.

It is too easy to fall into the trap of complexity and jargon, when simplification and clarity of concepts is what actually engages a client. We need to give more thought to the impact of the words we choose to use.

Mr Anand founded Anand Associates in 1997 and he has previously won Financial Advisers IFA of the Year and Protection IFA of the Year awards.
The founder and chairman of MoneyFarm has said his experience of setting up the platform disproved some of his assumptions about the people who use robo-advice.

Paolo Galvani admitted that when his digital wealth management venture was founded in 2012 he expected it to be a service which appealed to millennials.

But since launching the service in Italy, and expanding it to the UK earlier this year , he admits his initial thoughts on who would use robo-advice were wrong.

In Italy we thought [it would appeal to millennials] but the facts proved us wrong. Our clients in Italy are more middle aged, stated Mr Galvani.

Millennials have struggled to put money aside and their first priority might be a house, rather than saving.

In the UK our aim is to have a client which is not too different, maybe a bit younger.

Mr Galvani also said he had anticipated clients would only be interested in interacting with the company digitally, but this also proved not to be the case.

We certainly thought it would be something a lot purer from a digital point of view, but we have to offer what the client wants and there are people who are happy not to have any interaction, but there are people who want to talk to someone over the phone.

The service offers six portfolios, with clients recommended an option after working through a questionnaire to establish their attitude to risk.

It also offers regulated investment advice, which its clients can access digitally or over the phone.

Mr Galvani said the service is currently running two different models in the UK and in Italy, because of the timings of receiving its regulatory permissions, although the company is aiming to have both available in Britain by the autumn.

In the UK we have a discretionary model, so they are in a fund, which is managed. In Italy, the model is slightly different, so the client can decide to implement what has been recommended.

From the clients point of view it is like deciding whether to be on autopilot or not. It will be interesting when we have them together in the same country, because we will know if there is a preference.

He added that the company is looking to expand to a third European country, but has not yet decided which one.
Asset management giants have been criticised for offering funds that are too similar, making it confusing for advisers to pick the best investments for their clients.

Morningstar figures, which looked at some of the biggest fund houses in the UK, showed firms often have a large number of funds available in the UK market which essentially invest in the same sector.

For example, Fidelity has 18 funds which all invest in the Europe equity large cap market, Schroders has 10 funds investing in emerging market equities and Invesco Perpetual has 10 funds that invest in UK equity large cap.

Investment advisers have argued there are too many similar funds, sometimes with unclear names, being offered by a single fund house, making it challenging for them to compare for clients.

Ben Yearsley, investment director at the Wealth Club, said: If the fund houses have too many similar funds in one sector they are giving advisers a reason not to engage with them because they are making it confusing.

He said one fund house offering more than three funds in one sector was too many and added some groups are guilty of giving funds names that make it difficult for advisers to understand the remit.

Mr Yearsley suggested clearer names would make it easier for investors, adding some groups might need to rationalise the number of funds they have.

But the fund houses have hit back with a Fidelity spokeswoman saying there are significant differences between its European large cap equity funds in terms of the clients they are offered to and their investment remits.

She said: The funds differ by style, geographical remit, investment strategy, client type, fund structure and investment type. There are also other subtle differences, such as average market cap and holdings concentration.

A Schroders spokeswoman echoed this, pointing out some of the funds available in the UK are Luxembourg domiciled funds. Invesco did not respond in time for publication.

Abraham Okusanya, principal at FinalytiQ, said it is a common practice for asset managers to seed a number of funds and hope the sheer arithmetic power of luck will mean one or two of them will outperform.

He said investors are getting a raw deal from asset managers, adding the regulator is not particularly keen to bring in rules that stop this practice.

When FTAdviser approached a Financial Conduct Authority spokeswoman for comment, she pointed to a study launched in November examining competition in the asset management industry.

The regulator is currently assessing how asset managers compete to deliver value and whether they are motivated, and able, to control costs along the value chain.

Meanwhile, Neptune closed about a third of its fund range - comprising about 13 funds - between 2012 and 2014, in a bid to ensure the product offering was more focused.

katherine.denham@ft.com
Asset managers are divided about using data from advisers to influence their investment decisions, despite the Financial Conduct Authority recently praising carrying those firms which carry out analysis in smarter ways.

Last month, the regulator published a report which examined how asset managers look at information from their fund distributors, such as financial advisers, to meet investors expectations.

Five firms of the firms it looked at were investing in smarter ways to analyse data from their distributors to better understand the types of customers investing in their funds.

However, fund managers and distributors have questioned whether the accumulation of data actually makes fund houses more intelligent, with some suggesting it might result in trend-following instead.

James Budden, director of marketing and distribution at Baillie Gifford, said firms must understand their customers and look to suitably satisfy their needs, though he questioned whether current techniques, such as customer profiling, produce the best outcomes for investors.

Firms must be honest with themselves and avoid the temptation to raise assets by launching funds just because they are currently popular. There are lots of smart people who sometimes get things wrong, and Im not smart enough to know when the smart people are wrong. David Coombs

David Coombs, manager of the Rathbone multi-asset portfolios, prefers to trust his own instincts rather than use a third party to influence investment decisions.

There are lots of smart people and there are lots of smart people who sometimes get things wrong, and Im not smart enough to know when the smart people are wrong. There is too much noise.

Mr Coombs said he has to anticipate where consensus is sometimes, but would neither follow the herd nor stand in front of it.

Trevor Greetham, Royal London Asset Managements head of the multi-asset, said communicating with advisers was important when designing his new range of GMap portfolios.

I have a lot of dialogue with financial advisers, investors, policy makers and market strategists on an ongoing basis, so the interactions with financial advisers and others can help inform your own market views.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs Asset Managements head of international third party distribution Nick Phillips described his firm as a big data driven investor.

He said each year Goldman Sachs analyses 26 million news articles, one million research analyst reports and 288,000 earnings call transcripts, adding investor sentiment is enormously important when choosing where to allocate money.

Darius McDermott, managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, said: Some fund managers follow the trend, but if you are going to follow a trend you have got to have expertise to do it.

There is no point in launching a fund you are not going to sell, but trends deal with what has been sold historically rather than in the future. The fund management industry is a nifty industry and some are clever and see a gap in the market.
A number of groups included on Europes list of largest asset managers have suffered sales hits over the past year, indicating how far choppy markets have taken their toll on the industry.

BlackRock, Deutsche Asset Management, JPMorgan, Fidelity, Schroders and Invesco - six of Europes top 10 largest fund providers - all suffered at the hands of chaotic market conditions this year.

According to Morningstar figures from April, the most recent month available, Standard Life saw the highest outflows of any fund manager, driven by 1.8bn (1.4bn) leaving its European Equity Income fund.

The assets from the fund were transferred in April to form a separate mandate which will be managed independently as part of the Global Absolute Return Strategies (GARS) fund.

The shift led to the Equity Income fund shrinking in size to 1bn from 2.4bn.

Standard Lifes Luxembourg-domiciled GARS fund also saw outflows of 206m (162m) during the month, Morningstar figures revealed.

Outflows from the 1.5bn M&G Optimal Income showed signs of slowing, falling to 419m (327m) in April, from 451m (351m) in March.

European investors continued to shun equity markets in April, after being shaken by the spike in volatility earlier this year.

For equity funds, April was the fourth consecutive month of outflows, with investors pulling 6.4bn (5bn), despite returns from the sector being broadly positive. For the year to April, equities saw outflows of 28.7bn (22.4bn).

Global emerging-markets equities was the most notable sector to buck the outflow trend, with inflows of 1.6bn (1.3bn).

Fixed-income funds also saw a consecutive month of inflows, hitting 11.6bn (9bn) in April, which Morningstars senior manager research analyst Matias Mottola said breaks a year-long trend of outflows from the asset class.

This comes after the European Central Bank announced in March that it would start buying non-financial investment-grade bonds on top of government debt, asset-backed securities and covered bonds.

Investors also favoured funds with higher risk in April, such as those investing in high-yield and emerging-markets bonds.

Colin Low, chartered financial planner and managing director of Kingsfleet Wealth, said: I suspect one of the main issues with SLI is the underperformance of the Global Absolute Return Strategy (GARS) fund - but this has been evident for the past three years, and the merging of the Ignis funds into the stable.

Perhaps people liked the boutique approach that is now part of a large life company. We first moved out of GARS in the Taper Tantrum period as it just gave a correlated return to fixed income assets and that, increasingly, appears to be the case.

katherine.denham@ft.com
Bradford & Bingley has confirmed the transfer of its mortgage servicing operations to Computershare Mortgage Services, along with several changes to its board.

Richard Banks becomes chief executive of Computershare Mortgage Services from today (6 June) and steps down as an executive director and chief executive of Bradford & Bingley.

He is succeeded as chief executive by Ian Hares, currently finance and investment director.

Richard Pym steps down as chairman and is replaced by John Tattersall, an existing non-executive director, although Mr Pym will remain on the board for a short period.

Senior independent director Kent Atkinson also steps down from the board and his role is taken by Sue Langley, an existing non-executive director.

Finally, Brendan McDonagh, who joined the board in April, will now chair the audit committee in place of Kent Atkinson, with Keith Morgan replacing John Tattersall as chair of the risk committee.

At the start of May, a statement from the governments UK Asset Resolution explained Computershare has won the seven-year outsourcing contract, covering 30bn of assets.

UKAR will continue to own and have ultimate responsibility for Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley mortgages and loans, with no changes to customers terms and conditions.

This followed an announcement in March that mortgages owned by the government would be completely sold off by 2017 to 2018.

Money raised by selling off these mortgages - bought at the height of the 2008 financial crisis - will be used to pay off the debts their purchase incurred at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Treasury.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, HM Treasury set up a limited company called UK Financial Investments to manage the governments shareholdings in banks subscribing to its recapitalisation fund.

In 2010, it then created UKAR to manage the closed mortgage books of failed banks Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock. By 2013, UKAR had paid back some 5.2bn of government funding from the nationalisation of the banks.

peter.walker@ft.com
There is no doubting the sector of the moment, and a closer look at the Investment Associations overhaul of its fund sales figures shows the popularity of absolute return strategies is more significant than anyone realised.

The new statistics, designed to strip out the impact of overseas investors, show Targeted Absolute Returns run as the trade bodys best-selling sector has, in fact, lasted for twice as long as previously thought.

Add to that another month atop the rankings in April, and the sectors now been the most popular among retail investors for five consecutive months.

The real test, of course, is still to come: how exactly will these portfolios fare when risk assets take a prolonged turn for the worse? For now, their pledge of certainty in uncertain times is resonating.

The impact of this is everywhere you look  and I dont just mean Jake Moellers comment piece in Investment Adviser.

Equity products have suffered significant outflows this year, and it is easy to make a simple connection between this and the money going into absolute return.

But as we report elsewhere this issue, fixed income products are also seeing assets switch to low-risk multi-asset products, a grouping with which absolute return has a significant overlap. We should recognise the sectors maturity means some funds are already facing constraints akin to those seen for successful portfolios in other sectors.

Naturally, then, these shifts are being reflected in fund launches, as more asset managers seek to launch strategies akin to Standard Life Investments Gars trailblazer.

These portfolios are attractive to groups for more reason than one: their go-anywhere approach means they are not as capacity constrained as other products  although the gargantuan size of SLIs strategy has come in for criticism.

Despite this, I wonder whether parts of the sector are facing a capacity crunch.

The pattern is most evident for equity-focused portfolios, be they long/short or market neutral. This year weve already seen Kames and Columbia Threadneedle warn on capacity and Dalton soft-close two European products.

The amount of money flowing into the sector means they wont be the last.

Absolute return is still viewed as a new space by some, but its now the third-largest sector by assets under management  bigger than both the Corporate Bond and UK Equity Income groupings.

Even if Gars 25bn in retail assets are stripped out, the sectors still larger than the entire US equity sector.

Maybe well soon see a change in circumstances; the UK may vote to stay in the EU and money might come back into traditional equity funds. But the backdrop isnt exactly booming either way.

Continued flows look like a given, and we should recognise the sectors maturity means some funds are already facing constraints akin to those seen for successful portfolios in other sectors.
According to Nordic Games' product development director and executive producer Reinhard Pollice, the Swedish publisher is looking into a revival of the Destroy All Humans! series.

Pollice unveiled the news through Twitter, noting that options are currently being explored, and that he hopes development will begin shortly:

@Gaming4Fun1 there are a few options we are evaluating now. Hope to get started on one of these soon  Reinhard Pollice (@ElMegalomator) June 5, 2016

Destroy all Humans!, the satirical, action-adventure alien invasion series that began in 2005, was acquired by Nordic Games at the THQ auction in 2013, along with plenty of other IPs. We spoke to Pollice back in 2013 about the publisher's future plans for the assortment of franchises they acquired, such as Darksiders. You can also check out our Replay episode of Destroy All Humans!.





Our Take

The Destroy All Humans! games are a weird and silly bunch, but that's also what makes them stand out. I think there's potential here if Nordic Games ends up continuing or remastering this series it acquired, though it's uncertain exactly what its approach will be. Hopefully we'll start to hear more about these plans, if the considerations become more concrete and development begins.
Move Over, iPhone, Poll Says Samsung Is Now 'America's Favorite Smartphone'

The "America's Favorite Smartphone" title has been nabbed by Samsung, leaving the all-time favorite iPhone at a loss.

The Galaxy Note range is very important to Samsung's status of being a leading manufacturer of mobile devices. Even though the Galaxy S range attracts more sales volume and is seen as one of the top smartphones, it is easy to speculate that the Galaxy S range would get to be America's favorite. However, the Note variant surprisingly dominates the charts, Forbes said.

The 2016 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) poll was topped by the Galaxy Note 5. It took the title of "America's Favorite Smartphone" with a rating of 86 out of 100. This equaled the poll's top performer for 2015, its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 4. This year's survey left the iPhone 6S Plus running behind one point with a score of 85. This is already an improvement for the iPhone variant, though, as it only scored 82 last year.

The ACSI independently measures the satisfaction of customers with top-selling brands that are available to U.S. consumers. These benchmarks are taken from randomly sampled interviews with the current smartphone users themselves, ACSI said. The poll for America's favorite smartphone is awaited by technology savvy individuals to see which gadgets are doing well in the market.

To determine America's Favorite Smartphone, the ACSI poll would ask users that the devices their satisfaction level with their purchases. This explains that the poll does not judge the retail performance or number of sales and overall impact. Rather, it looks into the customer satisfaction levels of the people who actually have the phone. The numerous number of Note fans who did not like the changes of the Note 5, especially the loss of microSD expansion, and went on to use a different device are not included in the poll.

Moreover, the future for Samsung is bright especially this year as a lot of its features have returned. For one, support for an expandable microSD has been reinstated. The company also forecast the further adoption of a curved screen design, like the S7 and S6 Edge phones. This may be a good move for the Samsung, as it may increase their sales further in the future. There is also a high chance that the brand would retain its ACSI rating or maybe get a higher score and keep the title of "America's Favorite Smartphone" until next year.
News & Notes

Local massage therapist Piper Jones recently served as a teaching assistant in the cranial dissection class held at the Western Oregon College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lebanon.

This was Jones second year participating in the dissection course, which was sponsored by the Upledger Institute and led by Signy Erickson, Doctor of Chiropractic, of Bend. Fresh tissue dissection allows students to deepen their 3-D awareness of the human form, and heightens their palpatory skills.

Jones is a nationally certified licensed massage therapist, and an advanced practitioner in all aspects of manual lymphatic drainage, craniosacral therapy and somato-emotional release. She can be reached at Blue Heron Healing Arts, 541-740-3698, a natural medicine clinic at 564 S.W. Third St. in Corvallis. For more information, visit HeartValleyMassage.com.

Officers & Directors

Governor Kate Brown has established a new Council on Educator Advancement aimed to support quality teaching and develop a culturally competent workforce throughout Oregon.

Colleen Works, an administrator in the Corvallis School District, is one of 17 members appointed to the council by Brown. Works is assistant principal of Corvallis High School and was the 2011 Oregon Teacher of the Year.

The council began meeting last month, and plans to present findings and recommendations to the governor late this summer.

The Zonta Club of Corvallis recently elected its officers for the 2016-17 year.

Elected officers are Kelley Marchbanks, president; Diana Simpson-Godfrey, first vice president; Joan Reukauf, second vice president; Sharon Davis, immediate past president; Caron Johnson, treasurer; Cheryl Williams, board secretary; Pam Hood-Szivek, advocacy chair; Jaimie VanVleet, attendance and fellowship chair;

Bill Smart and Laurie Russell, communications chairs; Kathleen Petrucela and Kara Daley, community grants chairs; Gail Anderson and Mary Bentley, membership chairs; Pete Bober, program and UN chair; Deb Rarick, scholarship chair; Kathy Heath and Ronna Pomeroy, status of women chairs; Sharon Davis, Joan Demarest and Carole Hobrock, nominating committee; and Pete Bober and Sylvia Moore, Zonta Foundation of Corvallis members.

Officers were installed May 17 at the Clubhouse at Adair.

The Zonta Club of Corvallis is a member of Zonta International, an organization dedicated to empowering women through service and advocacy. The club awards grants to local community organizations and scholarships to a local high school senior and college students. The grants and scholarships are made possible through funds raised at the clubs annual auction.

People on the Move

Keller Williams Realty recently announced the addition of a new agent, Jon Sugden.

Sugden is working out of the Corvallis office. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, he was raised in Corvallis and has been working with builders for the past 12 years. His specialties are in distressed, commercial and luxury properties.

He can be reached at 541-231-9464 or jonsugden@kw.com. The office is in the Corvallis Market Center at 1121 N.W. Ninth St.

Take a Bow

The Willamette Angels investors recently selected 10 startup company applicants as semifinalists for the annual Willamette Angels Conference.

Two Corvallis companies made the cut. They are Agility Robotics, which designs and builds robotic solutions for telepresence, delivery and logistics; and Code3Similator (formerly known as Coelo), a software company that enables cities to optimize fire/emergency medical service delivery with data-driven strategies, saving money, lives and property.

Each semifinalist will move to the next round in the hopes of gaining funding for their company.

The WAC is an investment conference founded in 2009 that connects early-stage and seed startups with angel and venture investors. Over the course of its existence, the WAC has invested over $2.3 million in startup businesses. The 2016 WAC LLC has raised $240,000, including a $50,000 investment from the Oregon Growth Board. The WAC 2016 LCC remains open and will continue to attract investment with the goal of reaching at least $300,000.

Further information is available from Leigh Anne Hogue at 541-242-2359 or leighanneh@eugenechamber.com.
Pigs (in this case, actual baby pigs) will be making their way around Albany and Corvallis businesses on Monday.

But it's not because a few escaped from a local farm. It's a fundraiser aimed to help Santiam Christian FFA students support agriculture education and their local FFA chapter.

The FFA students have two pigs that will be making their rounds around Albany and Corvallis on Monday from 8 a.m. to about 3 p.m., visiting businesses who must then make a donation to have the pigs taken someplace else. The next destination of the traveling pigs is determined by the business that makes a donation.

Businesses that want to host a pig can contact email Amy Krahn at Santiam Christian School to arrange the pigs destination. She can be emailed at krahna@santiam.org.

This is the first year of the Pass the Pig community outreach and fundraiser for Santiam Christian Schools FFA chapter.
BOSTON  In the end, the personal was political. What brought the 78-year-old California governor and former Jesuit seminarian to sign the law that will allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients was thinking about his own last days.

"I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain," wrote Jerry Brown, breaking a long silence on this issue. "I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn't deny that right to others."

And so on June 9, California will become the fifth and largest state to make physician-assisted death legal.

I share Gov. Brown's personal wish and, given only a yes or no option, I too would have signed the California legislation.

And yet, I worry about these bills spreading across the country, under consideration in 20 other state legislatures. I worry that the polarizing political debate may hijack a much-needed and much-richer movement to change the way we die in America.

In the past few years, the once-toxic subject of dying has gone mainstream. The disinformation campaign about "death panels" collapsed. Medicare has just begun to pay doctors for time spent having conversations about end-of-life wishes.

At the same time in Oregon, the first state to pass a "Death with Dignity Act," only one out of every 500 deaths comes from doctor-ordered medication. So why are we spending so much political energy to help the one rather than the 499?

The debate reminds me of the way we attack issues these days  like food fights. We ramp up controversies with opponents on either side, hurling opinions at each other.

If opponents of legal abortion call themselves pro-life and proponents call themselves pro-choice, well, in this argument proponents talk about "death with dignity" while opponents talk about "assisted suicide."

Indeed I am reminded of the line attributed to Woody Allen when asked to describe his religion: Jewish ... with reservations. In this end-of-life congregation, I find myself pro-legislation with deep and abiding reservations.

Reservation One? How many of the people who favor death-with-dignity think it's the single, simple solution to the entire problem of people dying in ways they would not choose? We forget that the huge majority don't want a right to die, they want a right to care.

Two: The important safeguards in this legislation require  as well they should  that a person asking for a lethal drug is of sound mind. But the greatest fear among many of the people I know is outliving their mind. For people with dementia or Alzheimer's, the legislation offers nothing.

Three: The "death with dignity" mantra appeals most to that cohort of people who believe they can control the end of their lives, the way they controlled the rest. Surely this is not the only way to die with dignity.

Four: The assumption behind these bills is that pain is commonly uncontrollable. Yet palliative care doctors tell us that uncontrollable pain is as rare as the 1 percent. We need more palliative care. But a prescription for death mustn't become the dominant substitute for "comfort care."

And, Reservation Five: This bill makes it legal for doctors to give lethal drugs. But we know from surveys how few doctors are comfortable talking with patients about their end-of-life wishes.

Americans face the health care system with two conflicting fears  the fear that they won't get enough care and the fear they will get unwanted care. At the heart of my reservations is the fear that we set up a false choice between suffering miserably or hastening death.

I agree that doctors shouldn't be prosecuted and the handful of people with unrelenting pain should have a merciful aid. But what will really make a difference?

For most of us, what's more important than legislation is conversation. One thing I learned in founding The Conversation Project is that everyone needs to talk with the people we love about how we want to live at the end of our life  including what treatment we want and don't want.

Half of the people over 65 admitted to hospitals are incapable of making choices for themselves. So we need to choose a decision-maker in case we can't decide for ourselves. And to fill out an advanced directive.

As for doctors, rather than simply being allowed to give drugs, they need to be better trained in the art of difficult conversations.

The sample of my reservations is less about ethics than efficacy. But my deepest concern comes from watching how easy it is to derail this movement into a polarizing political fight.

Too many of us do not die in the way we would choose. Too many survivors are left guilty, depressed and bereft. Rather than just offering a few patients the "comfort and dignity" of lethal medication, we need to assure everyone the comfort and dignity of a humane, caring ending.

The odds are  500 to 1  that this is not a political problem but a deeply personal one.
The partisan debate about the mishandling of Cover Oregon is missing the point. Even if perfectly executed, Cover Oregon would not have solved the two major problems of our health care system, complexity and cost.

Medicaid, like our entire health care system, is mortally complex. Medicaid has 36 eligibility categories related to age, number of children, pregnancy, income, disability, and place of residence.

A persons status in each of these categories can change month to month. People gain or lose eligibility and therefore churn in and out of access to care with sometimes devastating consequences. This churning phenomenon is inherent to our entire health insurance system and creates obstructions to care and discontinuity of the sacred relationships between doctors and patients.

People struggling to exist on their incomes should not have to also struggle with a complex health care system or to reapply for coverage as their status in life changes. Instead, all of us should have a simple and effective health care system that provides lifetime access to care without financial distress or disaster in time of need.

Business owners too are rightfully concerned about what is happening. Last week Richard Master, owner of a manufacturing firm in Pennsylvania, spoke in Corvallis. In his movie, Fix-It -- Health Care at the Tipping Point, he tells about the threat our health care system poses to the U.S. economy, business owners, and employees. If you missed seeing the movie at Darkside Cinema, search the movie title or hcao.org and view it online.

Michael Huntington, M.D.

Corvallis (May 31)
CORVALLIS  Significant environmental, economic and social changes are projected to occur over the next quarter century in Benton County.

An increasing population will create challenges ranging from a depletion of resources to housing affordability issues. Wildfires, flooding and drought could impact the region. Water and air pollution along with risks related to communicable diseases might affect residents. And other changes will become more pronounced in the coming years.

County commissioners acknowledged those vulnerabilities within the text of a resolution adopted this spring. The document provided the basis for a countywide council to develop, implement and oversee a long-term vision.

Known as the Benton County Thriving Communities Initiative, the council last week met for a second time since its creation, a group that includes a Philomath presence.

I think its really time we have a vision of what its going to look like for the future. Were growing and changing fast, said Sharon Thornberry, who has lived in Philomath for the past 31 years, and serves on the council with 17 other local leaders from a variety of organizations. Were a progressive community and a very diverse community and we need to plan. And we have some problems that we really havent dealt with  poverty and housing are huge ones  and we can help have a much better solution if we do it with a cohesive vision.

Still in its early stages, the council progressed through a meeting at the Benton County Sunset Facility that focused on organizational and procedural issues. Corvallis is in the midst of a similar vision and action plan called Imagine Corvallis 2040.

The cost of housing has definitely been an issue for many Benton County residents.

In our first meeting, we talked about housing and the challenges of housing here and people who work here but cant live here, Thornberry said. The only reason Im able to live here is because I bought a house 31 years ago for $18,000.

Paul Smith, executive director of Philomath-based Strengthening Rural Families, believes involvement with the council will benefit his organization, saying, Were so much focused on prevention and wellness, the idea of thinking in decades is really useful to us.

Its the alignment of things. I come from a social services side and the fact is, all issues are environmental issues, Smith added. We all have to have clean water and clean air. So really, the interesting thing for me is the integration of that effort and how can we coordinate things and build on a lot of the assets that Benton County and our region have already to make things better  There are real needs here, too, so we need to pay attention to those real needs.

Tom Gerding, president of T. Gerding Construction Co., is also among those serving on the council.

Sean McGuire of the countys community development department said commissioners started a discussion on this topic more than a year ago.

I started in October and internally, we were flushing out and exploring what we thought, where we hoped the direction would go to meet the needs of the community in the future, McGuire said. The next couple of decades are probably going to look a lot different from the two previous decades. How do we plan for that?

Thornberry, who has worked for Oregon Food Bank for 18 years, has developed a reputation in Philomath through her association with several organizations and groups. She was on the founding board of Ten Rivers Food Web and was serving as president of Philomath Community Services back when its building was constructed.

Looking ahead to the future is a particular topic that Thornberry has gone through as a board member for Bread for the World, a national organization that works on domestic and international hunger issues.

We did a 50-year visioning process about three years ago that I was involved with so I got used to that idea, Thornberry said. It was a pretty intense process  so this is not a new idea for me.

At last weeks meeting, Vince Adams, an extension educator with Oregon State Universitys College of Public Health and Human Sciences, expressed his desire for the initiative to be community-driven, not county-driven.

The county definitely wants it to be citizen-driven and really from a county perspective, whatever the citizens say they want this to look like. We expect to be just one of the cogs that follows the plan that the citizens decide on, said Dennis Aiola, the countys chief operating officer.

McGuire said he sees the council as a standing committee of local leaders making us a living document, a true process  We want an active leadership involved in this with public engagement. Above all, we want the constituents to guide this process.

Playing a role in the visioning process entices both Thornberry and Smith.

I found it rather intriguing to think about it, Thornberry said. I have grandchildren who live here and will probably continue to live here and some of my grandchildren belong to a family thats been here for generations, so its very satisfying to me to think that were going to have a say in what the future looks like and create a better future for our grandchildren.

Smith said he enjoys the concept of figuring out what can be done now to make for a better environment down the road.

I think we  particularly in the USA  dont think long-term enough about things and impact, and that we would benefit from thinking a little bit more about what happens generationally and how can we do things better  some of these legacy issues that do not get enough consideration, Smith said.

The Benton County Thriving Communities Council plans to meet on the first Thursday each month from 6-8 p.m. at the Sunset Facility.
ALBANY  Twenty-five Philomath students will graduate with degrees Thursday from Linn-Benton Community College.

LBCC plans to hold its 48th commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Linn County Fair and Expos Willamette Event Center in Albany.

In all, LBCC will award 990 degrees and certificates to 802 students. In addition, approximately 67 students completed LBCCs General Educational Development program and will receive their certificates at commencement.

Graduates should plan to arrive no later than 5:45 p.m. at the Santiam Building behind the Expo Center. Doors open for seating at 6 p.m. No tickets are needed to attend.

A traditional bagpipe processional will be led by the Portland Metro Pipe Band, with posting of the colors by the American Legion Travis Moothart Post 184 of Brownsville.

LBCC President Greg Hamann will give the welcome and present several awards including Phi Theta Kappa and distinguished alumni awards. Candalynn Johnson, LBCC student body president, will give the student address.

Degrees and certificates will be presented by Hamann; Shelly Garrett, LBCC Board of Education chair; Anne Buchele, vice president of academic affairs; Dave Henderson, vice president of finance and operations; Sally Widenmann, dean of instruction; and Chareane Wimbley-Gouveia, faculty association representative.

A reception with refreshments will be held for graduates, family and friends immediately following commencement in the Santiam Building behind the Willamette Event Center.

Organizers advise that no strollers, large bags, containers or backpacks will be allowed. For disability accommodations, contact the LBCC at 541 917 4789. Additional parking will be available at Timber Linn Park with shuttle service provided.

LBCCs list of graduates showing Philomath as their hometown include:

Shea B. Ballweber, associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Denzel T. Barrie, associate of science, English emphasis; Ryan W. Blackard, associate of applied science, criminal justice; Joe P. Bryan, Associate of General Studies General Studies; Bryan P. Calidonna, associate of science, engineering emphasis;

Natalie M. Cantrell, associate of applied science, web/database technology; Sylas B. Caputo, associate of applied science, water, environment and tech; Haylee R. Eveland, associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Disney Hayes, associate of general studies and associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Erica L. Heath, associate of general studies; Jared Holcombe, associate of applied science, network and systems administration; Leland M. Holden, associate of science, music emphasis; Jenaye L. Johnson, associate of general studies; Keren A. Keenan,

associate of general studies, associate of science, art emphasis, and associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Samuel J. Kremer, associate of arts, Oregon transfer;

Allison D. Lamplugh, associate of science, journalism and mass communications emphasis; Ana K. Lara, associate of applied science, medical assistant; Shalah R. Leckie, associate of science, business administration emphasis; Rebecca M. Michelson, associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Joseph L. Noble, associate of applied science, heavy equipment/diesel tech;

Deanna D. Page, associate of applied science, culinary arts; Gladys Ramirez Vasquez, certificate, one-year dental assistant; Alexander R. Sexton, associate of arts, Oregon transfer; Jennifer L. Ware, associate of general studies; and Emilea Witt, associate of general studies.
Church celebrates : Bonns Protestant community celebrates 200 year anniversary

Bonn Thousands attend open-air service in front of Old Town Hall led by head of Protestant church in Germany.

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Two hundred year olds can still be full of beans: 2500 celebrating Protestants proved this yesterday in Bonns marketplace at a spectacular open-air service. All 1500 chairs were already filled during the warm up singing as trumpets, choirs and bands joined with the public to celebrate 200 years of the Protestant community. Nearby cafes were also soon filled with participants. The market place was full of people as the three deans opened this first Bonn Protestant Church day. Eckart Wuster, Mathias Molleken and Reinhard Bartha said, There has never been such a large Protestant festival here.

In his sermon from the staircase outside the Old Town Hall, guest of honour, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, remembered the centuries before 1816 when the Protestant church had to work in secret. He emphasised at the same time, however, that We are not celebrating against Catholics, rather we are celebrating, full of thankfulness, so much ecumenical fellowship between the religions today. It was important to join in the joy coming from Jesus Christs gospel. Those in the congregation then let this joy resound through the city through numerous hymns.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
Here are 5 cool features of chatbots that can change our services industry Features oi -Sachin

Messaging bots have been a feature included into Facebook Messenger for quite some time now. The technology is being implemented by everyone in the industry, from Facebook to Microsoft. But in India, things seem to be going at a slow pace in spite of the fact that we have many devices being used.

So what is a bot? And how can it change the way we interact with every service we have access to? Let's find out.

Bot Basic

A bot enables real-time interaction with the Web sources. It helps a user to send commands to a service provider without accessing their portal. All the functions are just a command away, and the bot relays the message through encrypted platforms. The chatbot does not actually access the service, but only contacts the service provider.

Banking simplified

Through chatbots, every user can easily send and receive money, or check their account balances with just a message. Since there is no direct access to your accounts, the chatbot sends your request to the bank employees.

Also read: 9 amazing features of Snapchat that every user needs to know about!

Shopping quick

If you want to shop quickly, chatbots can help to order your favorite food or clothing directly without visiting the site. You can talk to the customer service too from your phone and get your problems resolved.

Dine out

Many restaurants now allow you to book your table in advance for that special dinner. Or you can just place your order with just a few simple messages. No need to waste your time repeating your order over the phone.

Also read: 5 Reasons Every Smartphone User in India Should Install This New App!

Specialized service

Every online and offline service can have their own chatbot service and embed them within messaging apps. Microsoft has allowed developers to create chatbots that also be interacted with via Cortana. Even Google is ready to implement chatbots into their new messaging apps that are soon to come out to Android users.

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LeEco Le 2 Incoming: 7 Features that make it a tough budget smartphone Features oi -Harshita

LeEco is most likely to unveil the Le 2 smartphone in India to take the competition in budget segment a notch higher. The company is hosting a big event on June 8 in India, where it is expected to unveil the Le 2 smartphone alongside two more smartphones, namely the LeEco Le 2 Pro and Le Max.

The Le 2 is revised version of the previously launched Le 1s, and was recently launched in its home country China.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/ Note 7 Blueprints Leak: What Can We Expect

Considering that LeEco's previous generation smartphones such as the Le 1s and Le 1s Eco received raving reviews for their specs, the upcoming Le 2 smartphone will only going to toughen the competition.

The Le 2 packs in good specifications and dons a metal body design. It will pit against the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Asus Zenfone Max. LeEco highlights that its smartphones have an advantage over its rivals due to the company's content support combined with high end spec.

SEE ALSO: Week 22: Top 10 Smartphones Launched and Announced in India

Here we take a look at the 7 most interesting specifications of the Le 2 that make it an interesting budget smartphone.

Metal body design:

The LeEco Le 2 dons a metal body design that looks premium. Design-wise, Le 2 looks similar to the Le 1s. It has chamfered edges, and smooth finished back panel. The metal body design of the phone seems tough, and fetches extra points against its plastic bodied rivals.

A crisp, FHD display:



Just like the Le 1s, the Le 2 also flaunts a 5.5-inch FHD display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. The display on the phone should be crisp and sharp, considering that the display on its predecessor is good enough.

Deca-core chipset:

To power the smartphone, there is a deca-core Mediatek 6797 Helio x20 chipset with 64-bit architecture running under the hood. It is paired with Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. The chipset should take care of multitasking and heavy apps with ease.

3GB of RAM:

To support the chipset, the Le 2 packs in a massive 3GB of RAM. However, cherry on the cake is its 32GB of internal storage that can give you all the space to store your memories and data.

SEE ALSO: How to Get Alerted About Suspicious Activity On Your Online Accounts

16MP rear camera:



The Le 2 will entice the camera lover with its 16MP rear camera that has dual tone dual-LED flash. For those who like to click selfies, there is an 8MP camera on the front.

US Type-C:

The phone features USB Type C reversible port, which is good but one point to note about this phone is that it does not have a headset jack. Instead, LeEco Le 2 has a USB Type C port that is capable of providing support for audio devices.

Fingerprint scanner:



In order to offer better security for your data on the phone, the company gives you a fingerprint scanner on the Le 2. The square-shaped scanning pad is placed below the rear camera.

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Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro with Metal-like Looks is Official: Specs, Price, and More Features oi -Abhinaya

Earlier this month, a new variant of the mid-range Galaxy J3 leaked online revealing its looks and specs. Now, the new smartphone called Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro is official in China. This puts an end to the rumors and speculations related to the smartphone.

The Galaxy J3 Pro will be available in Gray and Gold color options and it will be headed to China Telecom carrying a price tag of 990 Yuan that translates to Rs 10,990. As of now, Samsung has not revealed any word regarding the availability of the Galaxy J3 Pro.

Also Read: Top 12 Samsung Smartphones with 4G connectivity to buy in India

The new Galaxy J3 Pro is a dual SIM smartphone that supports 4G LTE connectivity and runs on the dated Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system.

Metal-like design is good

The Galaxy J3 Pro features a polycarbonate back cover that has a metal-like finish. It is Pro is fitted with a 5-inch HD 720p Super AMOLED display that seems to be standard for the mid-ranger.

Nothing impressive in terms hardware

Under its hood lies a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor of unknown chipset paired with 2 GB RAM. There is 16 GB native storage capacity that can be expanded up to 128 GB.

Also Read: Here are 9 Innovative Features of Lumigon T3: World's First Night Vision Camera Phone

Camera sounds average

An 8 MP main snapper with autofocus and LED flash occupies the rear of the new Samsung phone. The aperture of the rear camera is f/2.2 that means it can take in more light. There is a 5 MP front-facer as well with the same aperture.

Also Read: LG G5: 5 Little-known Tips and Tricks That Could Affect Your Usage!

Standard features

For connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro features 4G LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and Wi-Fi. A 2,800 mAh battery powers the entire device giving it as a decent backup.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 6/ Note 7 Blueprints Leak: What Can We Expect Features oi -Abhinaya

The Samsung flagships usually create a hype in the market. Likewise, the upcoming Galaxy Note 6 is speculated a lot as we are approaching the end of the second quarter of the year. Today, we bring about what we can expect from the Galaxy Note 6 that might go official in the next quarter.

Blueprints were revealed

Lately, the leaked blueprints of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6/ Galaxy Note 7 gave us the first-ever look at the device and also revealed some of the prime features well ahead of time as the device is likely to arrive in August or September this year.

The blueprints from Nowhereelse.fr reveal that the device will arrive with a design that is almost identical to that of the Galaxy S7 edge expect for the aperture to house the stylus pen as it is the Note variant.

USB Type-C port is evident

An earlier report by SamMobile tipped that the Galaxy Note 6 might arrive with a USB Type-C port. If this turns out to be true, this device will be the first one from Samsung to upgrade to the USB Type-C technology. This way, the upcoming Note device will be able to transfer data faster and get charged quickly as well.

Iris Scanner to be included

After the long rumor, the Galaxy Note 6 might arrive with an iris scanner. This iris scanner that will be included on board the device will ensure a high level of security. It can read unique biometric information as you just look at the device.

Edge variant to be called Galaxy Note 7

As per the industry reports, Samsung could brand the standard model as the 'Galaxy Note 6' and name the curved screen edition known as Edge as the 'Galaxy Note 7'.

To feature an Upgraded screen

As per GizmoChina, the Note 6 might feature a slightly larger display of 5.8 inches that features Quad HD or 2K resolution. Such a display is definitely an upgraded one and it will show sharper content.

A bigger battery to energize the Galaxy Note 6

The high-end phones are not an exception when it comes to battery life concerns. The Galaxy Note 6 is likely to feature a powerful 3,700 mAh battery or a 4,000 mAh battery, claim different sources.

Other specs... a look

The Galaxy Note 6 is speculated to run on Android N OS out-of-the-box. However, this means that Google should be ready with the final version of the OS by that time.

The next Note will feature an enhanced processor might be the Snapdragon 823 SoC that seems to be the upgraded version of Snapdragon 820 in the S7 and S7 edge. This chipset is likely to support 8 GB of RAM.

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Is Huawei making another Nexus smartphone? News oi -GizBot Bureau

While Android fans are eagerly waiting the new version of the operating system, a media report has hinted that a Nexus smartphone is in the making.

Multiple reports earlier this year said that Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC will build at least two devices for Google. But as per the new information, Chinese communication company Huawei seemed to have confirmed that it is working on at least one more Nexus-branded device after last year's Nexus 6P, US-based tech website BGR.com reported.

A tour to Asus headquarters in Taipei Taiwan: In Pics

A Huawei executive for South Africa delved out the information while discussing last year's Nexus 6P smartphone during an interview.

"The Nexus product is a very niche product, the techies love it, but there's a very small number of people that buy it. Hence, Cellucity (mobile company) only brought 300 units into the country," Huawei's General Manager for the Consumer Business Group in South Africa Charlene Munilall was quoted as saying.

"The operators generally do not take up the Nexus device," she continued.

Recently, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai had said that Google would continue to release Nexus devices. The software giant will not manufacture its hardware, but Google plans to be more involved with Nexus device.

How to Respond to Messages Directly from Any Screen on Android

Pichai noted that the future Nexus devices "may not run stock Android, but rather Google would focus on building in more software tweaks to Nexus devices".

Source IANS

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'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable.
Counter-ISIL Strikes Hit Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 04, 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 the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Manbij, eight strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL caves, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mar'a, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL weapons storage facility, and an ISIL staging area and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL rocket rail.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL supply caches, and six ISIL staging areas and damaged three ISIL fighting positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL staging area and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck an ISIL bomb-making facility and an ISIL vehicle bomb factory.

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, 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, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Carter, Admirals Take Questions on China at Shangri-La Dialogue

By Karen Parrish DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 04, 2016  Defense Secretary Ash Carter and two of his senior naval officers today responded to reporters' questions about China during the 15th annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.

The news conference followed a speech Carter gave on, "The Asia-Pacific's Principled Security Network," during which he advocated continued and increased cooperation among the leaders and militaries in the region.

Carter was joined by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson, U.S. Pacific Command commander Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., and David B. Shear, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs.

'Cooperate Where We Can; Confront When We Must'

Carter and both admirals outlined a dual approach to China, which recently has sought to establish its hold on islands, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea by dredging and building airstrips and military outposts on territories claimed by multiple nations.

Richardson said the Navy's approach is the same in the Asia-Pacific as in other parts of the world: safeguarding freedom of navigation and the global commons.

"We're challenging excessive maritime claims around the world, and advocating for that rules-based order, particularly in the global commons," he said.

Harris said, "We want to cooperate with China in all domains as much as possible, so we have to have a view, and I have a view of cooperation where we can, but we have to confront them if we must."

He went on, "I would rather that we didn't have to, but we have to operate from a position of strength against all outcomes, and that's why you have the Pacific Command, among other things, out there."

Building a Principled Security Network

Carter recapped for reporters the principles-based strategy he discussed during today's speech.

"The United States and many others in the Asia-Pacific are working together to build a principled security network to ensure that everyone and every nation can continue to rise and prosper," he said. "So our rebalance  is a critical ingredient to our overall policy. Our overall policy which I described today is one of supporting principle networks, including through the rebalance."

Carter added, "That network, by expanding the reach of all, by responsibly sharing the security group, represents the next wave of Asia-Pacific security. Our rebalance ensures that the U.S. will remain the primary provider of regional security and a leading contributor to the region's principled security network."

The principles involved, Carter said, include "freedom from coercion, the ability for each country to make its own choices, for disputes to be solved peacefully, for countries to work together cooperatively and not against one another in the military sphere, to solve many of these problems that we all share in common to include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief response to humanitarian tragedies, counter piracy, counter terrorism."

He added, "There are lots of things that we need to do and can better do together, and it's that kind of positive working together rather than working against one another that is the American approach out here."

Peacefulness, lawfulness, and freedom of the commons are things the United States has stood for during many decades in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

"Each country is going to have to make its own choices out here," Carter said. "We hope that every country, including China, chooses to be part of the network and not to exclude themselves from that system. But that's a choice each country has to make on its own."

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Carter Outlines 'Principled Network Security' Actions for Asia-Pacific

By Karen Parrish DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 04, 2016  Defense Secretary Ash Carter today outlined a vision for principled, networked security in the Asia-Pacific during remarks at the 15th annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue, a major forum which draws regional and world leaders to Singapore.

"Miracle after miracle has occurred here," Carter told his audience in prepared remarks. "Japan, then Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Southeast Asia rose and prospered, and now, China and India are rising and prospering."

Many share credit for that regional prosperity, the secretary said: citizens and statesmen, as well as "incomparable investments" by the United States.

"It is also to the credit of shared principles -- principles that have long been accepted and collectively upheld," he added.

Challenges to Stability

Most of the change over recent decades has been positive, Carter said, with "country after country  seeking to play a greater role in regional affairs." But, he noted, "Tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea's continued nuclear and missile provocations, and the dangers of violent extremism felt worldwide, pose challenges to the region's stability and prosperity."

By working together, he said, regional leaders and militaries "can continue to build a principled security network that will enable additional waves of miracles and human progress and ensure regional stability and prosperity for years to come."

Weaving a Security Network

The secretary referenced remarks he made at last year's dialogue to note progress made since.

"If we continue to cooperate on security, I posited, we would one day be discussing a U.S.-China-India multilateral maritime exercise, a Japan-Republic of Korea joint disaster response in the South China Sea, and an [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]-wide security network," Carter said. "Over the last year, we've made progress toward that vision."

China and India will both participate once again in the U.S.-hosted RIMPAC naval exercise this summer, he noted, while Japan and South Korea are "engaging with each other in new ways."

Carter noted that along with the ASEAN-centered security network developing in Southeast Asia, "nations across the entire Asia-Pacific are increasingly working together -- and networking security together."

Freedoms for Every Country

"By doing so, our nations are making a choice for a principled and inclusive future, one as bright and miraculous as our recent past," the secretary said. "A future, where every country -- no matter how big or small -- is free to make its own political, economic, and military choices free from coercion and intimidation."

As the Asia-Pacific region becomes more interconnected politically and economically, the region's militaries are also coming together in new ways to uphold security and stability, he said, adding, "And these connections are now helping our countries plan together, exercise and train together, and operate together, more effectively and efficiently than ever before."

The security network "weaves everyone's relationships together -- bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral -- to help all of us do more, over greater distances, with greater economy of effort," Carter said. "It enables us to take coordinated action to respond to contingencies like humanitarian crises and disasters; to meet common challenges, such as terrorism; and to ensure the security of and equal access to the global and regional commons, including vital waterways."

Committed to "Next Wave' in Security

That principled network, he said, "represents the next wave in Asia-Pacific security."

The United States is fully committed to a principled security network "and to the Asia-Pacific's principled future," Carter said. "That's because this region, which is home to nearly half the world's population and nearly half the global economy, remains the most consequential for America's own security and prosperity.  America's approach to the Asia-Pacific remains one of commitment, strength, and inclusion."

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Carter, Asia-Pacific Leaders Discuss Regional Security Issues

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 04, 2016  Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with several defense leaders from Asia-Pacific nations today in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual forum for key leaders in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss security challenges and opportunities. They discussed various issues related to mutual security and cooperation in the region, according to several DoD news releases.

Carter, South Korean Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo, and Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani held a productive and substantive meeting to discuss the regional security environment, including the North Korean threat and trilateral defense cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan, according to a release. The defense ministers' meeting followed the successful trilateral summit held March 31 in Washington, D.C.

Condemning North Korea's Provocative Actions

Carter and the ministers condemned in the strongest terms North Korea's recent provocative actions, including its fourth nuclear test and multiple ballistic missile launches as clear violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, a release said. The U.S. defense secretary and the ministers affirmed the intention of the three countries to cooperate closely with one another and with the international community, to enforce United Nations Security Council resolution 2270. The three officials urged North Korea to refrain immediately from taking further actions that aggravate tensions and called on North Korea instead to focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments.

The U.S. defense secretary and the ministers praised the close trilateral communication and cooperation that took place at various levels before and immediately following these incidents, a release said. They concluded that the three countries should continue these efforts by utilizing the current Defense Trilateral Talks framework to enable rapid coordination among their respective defense authorities in the event of future North Korean threats or to address non-traditional security issues, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Carter and the ministers recognized that the United States, South Korea, and Japan face common challenges, including North Korean nuclear and missile threats, a release said. The three officials affirmed that trilateral defense cooperation contributes to the individual security of the three countries, as well as to regional security. The three officials directed their respective staffs to cooperate closely through the DTT framework in fields where mutual cooperation is possible, and within this context, to explore ways to improve communication and coordination among the three defense authorities.

The U.S. defense secretary and the ministers discussed the upcoming trilateral missile warning exercise, Pacific Dragon, which is to be conducted in accordance with the Trilateral Information Sharing Arrangement, a release said. Carter and the ministers also decided to seek additional opportunities to promote trilateral defense cooperation, such as through defense medical related events and other cultural exchanges.

Carter and the ministers reaffirmed the importance of enhancing information-sharing, and decided to increase information-sharing regarding North Korean nuclear and missile threats in accordance with the TISA, a release said.

Maritime Security, Freedom of Navigation

The U.S. defense secretary and the ministers also discussed regional security issues, including the importance of maritime security, according to a release. The three officials reiterated that the freedom of navigation and overflight must be ensured and that disputes should be resolved peacefully.

Nakatani thanked Han and Carter, as well as the people of South Korea and the United States, for their swift and generous support and assistance following the April Kumamoto earthquakes, a release said.

Carter and the ministers decided to continue holding consultations on trilateral security issues and affirmed their commitment to promoting defense cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan in order to contribute to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, a release said.

The U.S. defense secretary also met separately with Nakatani, a release said. Carter thanked Nakatani for his continued support of the U.S.-Japan alliance. The two leaders discussed a wide range of regional and global security issues, including the security situation in the East and South China Seas, as well as the persistent threat from North Korea.

Carter reiterated his regret over the murder of a young woman in Okinawa and extended his sincere apologies to the victim's family and friends, a release said. He also expressed his sympathies to the people of Japan. Carter confirmed DoD's intent to work closely with the government of Japan on measures aimed at preventing incidents in the future. As part of this work, Carter and Nakatani decided to focus on the following areas:

-- Reviewing Status of Forces Agreement implementation practices related to U.S. personnel with SOFA status, including the civilian component;

-- Strengthening the monitoring of SOFA status of U.S. personnel, including the civilian component; and

-- Enhancing education and training for U.S. personnel with SOFA status, including the civilian component.

Carter and Nakatani confirmed their intent to develop these measures at the earliest possible occasion.

To continue the implementation of the new Guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation, Carter and Nakatani signed a Reciprocal Defense Procurement Memorandum of Understanding, which will increase defense technological collaboration and cooperation, a release said.

Carter thanked Nakatani for Japanese cooperation in efforts to move forward with the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, including the transfer of Marines from Okinawa to Guam, a release said. In addition, they confirmed that the Futenma Replacement Facility at Camp Schwab/Henoko-saki is the only solution that addresses operational, political, financial, and strategic concerns and avoids the continued use of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

Also, Carter and South Korean Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo met separately and they discussed the current situation in North Korea, the regional security environment, and U.S.-South Korea alliance and cooperative efforts, a release said.

Carter and Han strongly condemned North Korea's fourth nuclear test and missile launches as clear violations of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, a release said.

The two leaders renewed their call on North Korea to adhere to its international commitments and abandon its nuclear program in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, according to a release. The United States reaffirmed its ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea, and pledged to draw on the full range of its military capabilities to continue to provide extended deterrence to South Korea.

Carter and Han noted the importance of full and effective implementation by all United Nations member states of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2270, and previous relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, and decided to continue close U.S.-South Korean cooperation to promote effective global enforcement, a release said.

The U.S. defense secretary and Han pledged to continue to enhance close alliance cooperation to address regional and global security challenges of mutual interest, including efforts to enhance trilateral security cooperation with Japan, reinforce maritime security, and combat terrorism and violent extremism, a release said.

Carter and Han lauded the unwavering strength of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, the linchpin of regional peace and stability, and underscored their shared commitment to building a comprehensive, global alliance based on shared values and interests, a release said.

Maintaining Peace, Stability in Asia-Pacific

Carter also met with Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, and the two leaders exchanged views on the regional security environment, and discussed the importance of principled, networked, security architecture to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, a release said. Carter and Parrikar reviewed preparations for Indian Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to Washington. They also discussed progress made on a wide range of bilateral defense issues and committed to further efforts to expand defense cooperation between the United States and India.

This marks the fifth meeting between the Carter and Parrikar within a year, and the two agreed to continue their close cooperation, a release said.

Carter also met with Malaysian Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Hussein, and the two leaders discussed regional and global security issues and bilateral defense cooperation, a release said.

The two leaders exchanged views on the regional security environment in Southeast Asia, and they discussed the need for peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, a release said. Carter noted that the UNCLOS Arbitral Tribunal ruling on the Philippines-China claims will be binding on both parties.

They discussed a range of issues, including cooperation on countering violent extremism from groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a release said. Carter also reiterated the importance of continuing to strengthen defense ties with Malaysia to combat transnational threats.

Carter and Hishammuddin said they looked forward to the U.S. - Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Informal that is planned for late September in Hawaii, a release said.

Yesterday in Singapore, Carter lauded the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with that country and highlighted the importance of cooperation in maritime security and anti-terrorism.

The United States is, as it has been for decades, thankful to have a capable, principled partner in Singapore, the defense secretary said at a press conference with his Singaporean counterpart, Ng Eng Hen. They spoke at the Defense Ministry in Bukit Batok.

"We have no better friend than Singapore," Carter said. "I'm grateful for that."

Singapore, he said, just like the United States, stands for cooperation, inclusiveness and principle in the conduct of international affairs.

Hen described the defense relations between Singapore and the U.S. as "very strong."

Yesterday, Carter also met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The two leaders affirmed their countries' long-standing security partnership and discussed a range of issues related to mutual security interests, according to a release.

Carter also met yesterday with Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, according to a release. The two leaders exchanged views on the regional security environment in Southeast Asia and recent progress in multilateral security cooperation.

Carter also discussed opportunities for increased regional operational cooperation, and expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian defense minister for his nation's continued contributions to regional security.

Carter and Ryacudu also discussed the need for peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, a release said. Carter noted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Arbitral Tribunal ruling on the Philippines-China claims will be binding on both parties. And, Carter reiterated the importance of continuing to strengthen defense ties with Indonesia in combating transnational threats.

Carter and Ryacudu said they looked forward to the Defense Informal meeting between the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that is planned for late September in Hawaii.

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New C-130J contract to save DOD millions

By Brian Brackens, 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published June 05, 2016

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Mobility Directorate signed a multiyear contract with Lockheed Martin to procure 78 C-130J Super Hercules with the option to buy up to 83 over the next five years.

The agreement is the second multiyear contract for the C-130J and it saves the Defense Department about $680 million and provides the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard with important airlift capabilities.

"This contract is significant because it provides the taxpayer with the best bang for their buck and allows our customers, including the Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force Special Operations Command, and Air Force Mobility Command, to save money and use it for other requirements," said Joseph Fountain, a supervisory contract officer with the Mobility Directorate and lead negotiator on the contract with Lockheed.

Acquisition experts from the Mobility Directorate negotiated for three years to finalize the details of the contract which will provide new aircraft to replace legacy C-130H models and add to the J models currently in the Air Force fleet.

The J model is an improvement on previous models in that it brings enhanced avionics and propulsion systems to the fight, providing additional aircraft range, higher maximum speed and shorter takeoff distance.

According to Fountain, the benefit of multiyear contracts versus year-to-year contracts is that they provide stability and cut costs. It allows Lockheed to sign long term supplier agreements and commitments, and invest in new equipment to produce the aircraft.

The contract also funds an affordability program in which Lockheed receives $35 million up front and agrees to $65 million in labor reductions over the life of the contract, which according to Fountain will allow the company to assemble the aircraft more efficiently.

Kevin Buckley, the program executive officer for the Mobility Directorate, said that the contract is an example of the directorate's commitment to providing the warfighter with vital airlift capabilities at an affordable cost.

"The men and women on our team are motivated by the fact that the work we do directly impacts the warfighter," Buckley said. "I'm extremely proud of the team and I know we will continue to provide war-winning weapon systems."



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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 05, 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 the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Manbij, nine strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL-used bridge, five ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL headquarters.

-- Near Mar'a, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL bed down location and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar system, and an ISIL weapons storage facility.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery, and bomber, ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Baghdadi, two strikes destroyed four ISIL rockets rails, an ISIL rocket cache, and an ISIL petroleum, oil, and lubricants facility.

-- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL recoilless rifle, and two ISIL tunnels and damaged two ISIL fighting positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Habbaniyah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL boat, three ISIL vehicles, and an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL mortar system and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed 17 ISIL boats.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

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, 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, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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U.S. and Philippine Navy, Marines enhance maritime cooperation during CARAT

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160605-10

Release Date: 6/5/2016 1:35:00 PM

By Task Force 73 Public Affairs

SUBIC Bay, Philippines (NNS) -- U.S. Sailors and Marines will join the Armed Forces of the Philippines June 6-10 for CARAT Philippines 2016.

The exercise will take place in multiple locations across the Philippines and in waters near Subic Bay and Palawan.

This year's CARAT Philippines will focus on combined operations at sea, amphibious landings, diving and salvage, maritime domain awareness, and community service events. Sailors and Marines will train with their AFP counterparts in a host of military engagements, professional exchanges and training seminars. Civil action projects, community service events and combined military band concerts are also planned to foster relationships and bonds with the Filipino people.

"CARAT enables us to develop strong relationships with our Philippine Navy and Marine partners," said Rear Adm. Charles Williams, Commander, Task Force 73. "Through persistent presence and relationships, we continue to make steady progress in increasing the complexity of our training and enhancing cooperation between our navies."

CARAT Philippines is part of a broader exercise series the U.S. Navy conducts with nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia to address shared maritime security priorities, strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance interoperability among participating forces. The Philippines has participated since the series began in 1995.

"CARAT strengthens the strong and enduring relationships between the U.S. and Philippine navies," said Rear Admiral Ronald Joseph S. Mercado AFP, commander, Philippine Fleet. "We're looking forward to working along-side our U.S. Navy partners during CARAT 2016.

U.S. Sailors and Marines participating in CARAT Philippines 2016 represent a host of ships, squadrons, and units from across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. This year's exercise features the guided missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63), the landing dock ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), and the diving and salvage ship USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52), along with a P-8 Poseidon aircraft, Navy expeditionary forces, Marines assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force - 3rd Marine Division, a platoon from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, staff from Commander, Task Force 73 (CTF 73) and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, and the 7th Fleet Band Orient Express.

The Philippine Navy assets and units will include the Minesweeper Frigate BRP Rizal (PS74), the Del Pilar Class Frigate BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15), a Landing Craft Heavy vessel, an AW109 helicopter, an EOD Team, Diving Team, Construction platoon, a Marine Company and the Philippine Fleet Band.

"CARAT provides a great opportunity for our navies to operate together at sea and train during realistic scenarios that better prepare our forces for real-world operations," said Capt. H. B. Le, commodore, Destroyer Squadron Seven. "With more than two decades of experience working together we are able to execute complex exercises that address shared maritime security priorities and improve interoperability between our navies."

CARAT 2016 will be the most complex series to date. Its continuing relevance for more than two decades speaks to the high quality of exercise events and the enduring value of regional cooperation among allies and partners in South and Southeast Asia.

As U.S. 7th Fleet's executive agent for theater security cooperation in South and Southeast Asia, Commander, Task Force 73 conducts advanced planning, organizes resources and directly supports the execution of maritime exercises, such as the bilateral CARAT series, the Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with Vietnam, and the multi-lateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

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Bomb blast kills lawmaker, three others in Afghan capital

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 5:45PM

A powerful bomb explosion in the Afghan capital of Kabul has killed a parliament member and at least three other people, security sources say.

Local Afghan security officials said that the casualties were caused after an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated in the house of the lawmaker, Sherwali Wardak, in the 5th police district of Kabul on Sunday evening.

The explosive device was hidden in an electric box and went off upon Sherwali's arrival, lawmaker Hamid Ahmadzai told Khaama press.

Sherwali, who suffered serious injuries in the explosion, died on the way to hospital.

He was the brother of Farooq Wardak, who is an influential political figure and a former minister of education.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The attack came hours after Taliban militants stormed a courthouse in Pule-e-Alam in Logar Province, killing seven people, including a newly-appointed chief prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Haysom, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has strongly denounced the courthouse attack.

In a statement, Haysom urged senior Afghan authorities to do everything in their power to ensure adequate protection for judicial officials and other civilians seeking access to judicial institutions.

"Judicial officials and other civilians can never be considered combatants and thus should not be targeted," he said.

The intensified attacks by the Taliban come more than one and a half months after the group began its annual spring offensive. The fresh assaults also follow recent selection of Haibatullah Akhundzada as the new leader of the Taliban.

Estimates show that about 200,000 people have been killed in less than three decades of Taliban militancy in Afghanistan.

The government in Kabul has undertaken a series of initiatives for peace with the group, although fighting continues unabated across the country.

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China, US warn each other over islets

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 6:10AM

A top Chinese military official has denounced US "provocations" in the South China Sea, saying it does not fear "trouble" over the territorial dispute.

"We do not make trouble but we have no fear of trouble," Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, said on Sunday.

He spoke one day after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned that Chinese construction on a South China Sea islet would prompt unspecified "actions" by the United States and other nations.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also warned Beijing on Sunday against setting up an air defense identification zone over the disputed waters, saying it would be a "provocative and destabilizing act."

The US has waded into the regional territorial dispute, conducting patrols near Chinese-held islands.

Addressing a security summit in Singapore, Sun charged that "some hegemonic countries have empowered small countries to make provocations against big countries."

"The South China Sea issue has become overheated because of the provocations of certain countries for their own selfish interests," he said.

Sun also urged countries outside the South China Sea region to play a "constructive role" in resolving the maritime dispute rather than the other way round.

Rhetoric has escalated over dispute on a South China Sea islet claimed by the Philippines, a longtime US ally and former colony, which is pushing for a ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Beijing claims nearly all of the strategically vital South China Sea which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The contested waters are believed to be rich in oil and gas.

China accuses the US of interfering in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the South China Sea. Washington accuses Beijing of carrying out "a land reclamation program" in the disputed territory.

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Air defense zone over South China Sea 'provocative': Kerry

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 3:40AM

US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned China against establishing an air defense zone over the disputed South China Sea, calling the move a "provocative and destabilizing act."

US officials are worried that an upcoming international court ruling pertaining to a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could compel Beijing to declare an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, over the region.

The United States has been pressuring Asian and other countries to support the judges' statement that their ruling must be binding.

"We would consider an ADIZ...over portions of the South China Sea as a provocative and destabilizing act which would automatically raise tensions and call into serious question China's commitment to diplomatically manage the territorial disputes of the South China Sea," Kerry Sunday said during a visit to Mongolia.

"So we urge China not to move unilaterally in ways that are provocative," added Kerry, who will visit China after Mongolia.

China imposed an ADIZ over the East China Sea in 2013, requiring that aircraft identify themselves to Chinese authorities above the area.

However, Beijing has refused to deny it plans to declare such a zone for the South China Sea again, but said any move would depend on the threat level, asserting that it reserved the right to set one up.

Washington accuses China of extending its military reach in the South China Sea and unnerving its neighbors by developing man-made islands which could house military airfields and weapons systems.

On Saturday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the US will remain the most powerful military and the main guarantor of regional security, while offering closer cooperation with Beijing to establish a "principled security network" across the Asia Pacific.

"There is growing anxiety in this region, and in this room, about China's activities on the seas, in cyberspace, and in the region's airspace,"

China said last month that frequent US Navy patrols in the South China Sea were forcing Beijing to boost its defense capabilities in the area.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said it deployed two navy fighter jets, one early warning aircraft, and three ships to warn off the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence.

The South China Sea has become a source of tension between China, the US, and some other regional countries, who are seeking control of trade routes and mineral deposits there.

China has on different occasions asserted its sovereignty over the sea, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Beijing accuses Washington of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the disputed waters.

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UN chief condemns attacks in Yemen's Taiz, calls on parties to negotiate 'in good faith'

4 June 2016  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned attacks in the Yemeni city of Taiz, which were carried out with heavy weapons, including rockets, mortars and artillery.

"Rocket fire reportedly hit a busy market in the city. Attacks directed against civilians and populated areas, including markets, are strictly prohibited," stressed a statement issued by Mr. Ban spokesperson.

The UN chief underscored to all parties that targeting civilian areas is a violation of international humanitarian law and urged them to fully respect their obligations in this regard. Mr. Ban also called for an independent investigation to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

"The Secretary-General continues to urge all parties to the conflict to cease all military activities in accordance with the nationwide cessation of hostilities. He further calls on them to refrain from any actions that could result in further civilian casualties. It is particularly regrettable that Taiz continues to pay a heavy toll in civilian losses despite the cessation of hostilities," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ban called on the parties participating in the peace talks in Kuwait to negotiate "in good faith" and urgently work with his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to bring a peaceful end to the conflict. He also urged the importance of the immediate release of prisoners and detainees.

"The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured," the statement concluded.

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Kerry Urges 'All Nations to Find a Diplomatic Solution' in South China Sea

by Nike Ching June 05, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Beijing at the start of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, called on all parties in the region to "find a diplomatic solution" to rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea.

"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute in the South China Sea and oppose any country resolving claims through unilateral action," Kerry said, referring to China's increasingly aggressive expansion in the area.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also addressed attendees at the opening session, said China and the U.S. need to develop a more trusting relationship.

"China and the U.S. need to increase mutual trust," Xi said, as he called for increased efforts to manage conflicts and avoid "strategic misjudgement."

Saying that it may take time to settle disputes in the region, he added, "The vast Pacific should be a stage for cooperation, not an area for competition."

Air defense zone

Heading into high-level talks aimed at expanding cooperation with China, Kerry had urged China not to "unilaterally" announce an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over portions of the South China Sea.

"We will consider an ADIZ over portions of the SCS as a provocative and destabilizing act," said Kerry Sunday during a news conference after his meeting with Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren in Ulaanbaatar.

An ADIZ requires all incoming aircraft, including civilian planes, to register with Chinese authority to fly in the air route.

China announced an ADIZ in the East China Sea two years ago, which caused grave concerns by the United States.

Kerry's remarks came after Asian defense ministers gathered in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue where delegates debated as to where China is planning the creation of an ADIZ.

He said such an act will "automatically raise tensions and call into serious questions of China's commitment to diplomatically manage" territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In Singapore Sunday, a senior Chinese military official rejected U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter's assertion made the previous day that Beijing faces "erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation" if it continues its militarization in the South China Sea.

"We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now, we will not be isolated in the future," retorted Admiral Sun Jianguo of the People's Liberation Army.

Discussion of differences

A senior State Department official said the U.S. will not gloss over differences in thorny issues during the last round of Strategic and Economic Dialogue with China under the Obama administration.

"That includes our concerns with Chinese behavior in the South China Sea, [and] our concerns with things like the NGO management law and other forms of restrictions on human rights," said Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, last Tuesday.

Russel was referring to a new Chinese law that affects American civil society organizations and their Chinese partners to operate in China.

Russel also expressed U.S. concerns about anti-business discriminatory regulations and "the use of cyber to disadvantage" U.S. companies.

He said the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue has served as a venue "to discuss, and in some cases, to narrow our differences."

Highlights of this year's talks include environmental and ocean conservation, combating wildlife trafficking, and a new dialogue on commercial aviation systems, said Catherine Novelli, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment.

A landmark announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year to implement bans on ivory imports and exports in domestic and commercial trade has made the ivory smuggling less lucrative in China.

"The price of ivory in China has decreased by half since the announcement," said Novelli Tuesday.

Washington-Beijing diplomacy

The eighth round of annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) will be held in Beijing Monday and Tuesday.

The strategic track is led by Kerry and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi. The economic track is led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

Officials from dozens of U.S. federal agencies are set to attend the flagship dialogue between the two countries.

Anxieties have been growing in the region over China's aggressive approach to its territorial claims in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

China is also ratcheting up demands that the U.S. should stop surveillance flights in the airspace above the South China Sea.

In a recent encounter, the U.S. Defense Department said two Chinese fighter jets intercepted in an unsafe manner a U.S. reconnaissance plane on a routine patrol in international airspace over the South China Sea, raising a "red flag" on implementation of existing Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between the two countries.

The measures were agreed to under previous rounds of S&ED that covers the rules of behavior for safety of air and maritime encounters. Both countries concurred to avoid accidents while their assets are operating in close proximity in places like the South China Sea.

Russel said the U.S. is seeking to "expand the scope of cooperation and establish broader frameworks" beyond what the two countries have with the Navy and the Air Force.

"Both sides do need to discuss this incident and understand what happened and talk about how they will avoid any of these kinds of very unsafe intercepts in the future," Bonnie Glaser, regional expert from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA.

She added while a narrowing in differences between two countries over the South China Sea issue is unlikely, it is helpful to talk.

Cyber concerns

Another thorny issue is cyber security. The United States has clashed with China for years over cyber-enabled theft for commercial gain by state actors.

David Dollar, senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, told VOA the U.S. would follow through closely on a bilateral agreement during the coming high-level talks.

Dollar referred to an agreement reached last fall during Obama's meeting with Xi. Both countries agreed that neither government would conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled economic espionage to advance business interests.

"This is a very big issue for U.S. companies," he said. "U.S. companies have larger issues about intellectual property rights protection so this will continue to be an important issue."

Starting in 2009, the Strategic and Economic Dialogue is an annual high-level mechanism between Washington and Beijing to discuss challenges and opportunities that both countries face on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues.

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Peruvians Voting in Tight Runoff for Presidency

by VOA News June 05, 2016

Voters in Peru are selecting a new president Sunday.

The most recent public opinion polls indicate that candidates Keiko Fujimori and Pedro Kuczynski are virtually tied in the runoff election.

Fujimori, 41, is the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori. He is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses and corruption during his term.

Kuczynski, 77, is a former World Bank economist.

Both candidates are right-leaning conservatives. Kuczynski endorsed Fujimori when she ran for president in the 2011 election against outgoing President Ollanta Humala.

Fujimori had been leading in public opinion polls until recently, but the scandal around money-laundering allegations against a senior aide has taken a toll, transforming the race into a repeat performance of Fujimori's 2011 bid when she lost by a razor's edge to Humala.

In addition, many Peruvians have vowed to never vote for anyone associated with her father. She has tried to distance herself from her father's authoritarian rule of Peru from 1990 to 2000.

If Fujimori wins Sunday's runoff, she would become Peru's first female president.

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Firm line taken on the South China Sea dispute

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 08:13, June 06, 2016

Beijing will not accept South China Sea issue descending into chaos, forum told

Beijing will not sit by and see several countries throwing the South China Sea into chaos, the head of China's delegation to a high-profile intergovernmental security forum said on Sunday.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, speaking in a raised voice, made the comments at a plenary session of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, attended by defense chiefs and experts from around the world.

But Sun, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission, spoke in a lower voice to say he believes that other parties involved have "wisdom and patience"  like China  in charting "a path of peaceful negotiation".

Elaborating on this, Sun said, "Countries that are not involved are not expected to act out of selfish interests and deliberately damage this path."

The different tones used by Sun reflect China's attitudes toward players in the South China Sea issue, where tensions have increased after recent claims by the United States over "freedom of navigation" and an arbitration case brought by Manila against Beijing.

"The world today is undergoing historic changes as never before and the Asia-Pacific countries share good times and bad times together," Sun said in his speech.

During his stay in Singapore from Friday to Sunday, Sun held 17 bilateral meetings on the sidelines with senior defense officials, including seven from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was the second year that he had represented China at the dialogue.

Major General Luo Yuan, a researcher at the Chinese People's Liberation Army Military Science Academy, said he had noticed that Southeast Asian defense officials had downplayed their stance on the South China Sea issue at Sunday's session and voiced hopes of securing stability.

"Sun's speech indicates China's sincerity in resolving disputes," Luo added.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh said at the session that Hanoi will continue to strengthen cooperation with China and other countries to build and consolidate confidence.

"We hope together that we will arrive at solutions that are acceptable to all," he said.

Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen said the Shangri-La Dialogue has been held for 15 years, and that China has become ASEAN's top trading partner.

Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Vietnamese official's comments are a call to some of the other parties involved and show that China's policy proposals serve the interests of people of all nations.

At a session on Saturday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter outlined Washington's ambitions to increase alignment with allies in the region. He claimed that China has embarked on a "Great Wall of self-isolation" when advancing its military presence in the South China Sea.

Carter also said the arbitration case is "an opportunity for China and the rest of the region".

In an indirect response, Sun said on Sunday that some country "supports its allies in confronting China and pressuring China to accept and fulfill the ruling by the arbitration court".

What they say

Vietnam warmly welcome Chinese warships to visit a newly opened harbor in Vietnam and is ready to boost cooperation between coast guards.

Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnam's deputy minister of national defense

The South China Sea is the common home of regional countries, and they should jointly secure regional security.

Ryamizard Ryacudu, Indonesia's defense minister

The US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said China's modernizing military will lead to socalled selfisolation. This is not correct.

Tea Banh, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defense minister

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Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard

Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard, better known simply as PPK and labeled a gringo, is a former Cabinet chief and minister under two different presidents, and a presidential candidate in 2016 elections. Comedians in Peru ridicule his American accent and his longstanding ties to Wall Street anger some in an impoverished nation increasingly hostile toward foreign mining companies. Kuczynskis platform in 2016 elections proposed overhauling the police force and judiciary, increasing the minimum wage, reducing procedural steps in conducting formal business, implementing tax breaks for small businesses and reducing the national sales tax from 18% to 15%.

By 09 June 2016, with 95.5 percent of votes counted, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's lead over Keiko Fujimori was "irreversible," according to local media. With less than 0.5 percent of ballots yet to be counted, the 77-year-old the former banker had a greater lead in votes than the number of votes still to be counted. The countrys main pollster Ipsos has Kuczynski's lead was irreversible.

Peruvian economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski will be the next president of Peru, the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) confirmed at 4 p.m. the afternoon of 09 June 2016. After a long four-day count, Kuczynski, from the Peruvians for Change (PPK), edged out his rival Keiko Fujimori, from Popular Force, with a wafer-thin margin, winning by 50.117 percent to 49.883 percent. This tight presidential contest was the closest in 25 years in Peru, with over 18.5 million Peruvians having voted.

Kuczynski is a former Cabinet chief and minister under two different presidents. He was born in Lima on 03 October 1938. The son of two immigrants who came to Peru attracted by its social vocation. His father, Maxime Kuzcynski was a German physician of Polish descent, a pioneer in the treatment of tropical diseases. Kuczynskis father was one of Perus leading public health administrators, pioneering the treatment of leprosy in Peru. He served in the German army during the Great War, fleeing Berlin in 1933 because his family was Jewish. Kuczynskis father settled with his family in the Peruvian Amazon since the mid '30s, working there as Director of the leprosarium of San Pablo. This enabled PPK living part of his childhood in Iquitos. Later, his father was appointed Head of Public Health, Ministry of Health of the Peruvian Government. His mother Madeleine Godard, was a teacher and introduced in love for the arts and music, which are an important part of his life.

When he reached school age he entered a boarding school in Lima and then supplemented his education at a military school in England. After winning a scholarship, he studied Philosophy, Economics and Politics at Oxford University (UK) and received his B.A. and M.A. in philosophy, politics, and economics from Exeter College, Oxford University. He did postgraduate work in Economics at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University (USA), and holds an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

Kuczynski left the World Bank to to serve as deputy manager of the Peruvian Central Bank, where he helped engineer a currency devaluation and debt restructuring as a consultant to the democratic government of President Fernando Belaunde. He served as economic adviser and manager, and Deputy Governor of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCR). After the coup President Belaunde, of October 3, 1968, PPK was arrested and exiled by the so-called Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces led by populist military general Juan Velasco. Kuczynski went into exile in the United States, where he returned to work for the World Bank on Latin American studies and mining projects. He traveled to the United States where he settled and served as Head of Planning and Policy at the World Bank. He spent much of the next three decades in the United States working first at the World Bank and then for First Boston International, later acquired by Credit Suisse, and on the boards of several companies and private equity firms. During those years PPK knew the realities of the global economy as president of a mining company in the 1970s. Between 1977 and 1980 he worked in West Africa in the mining sector and delved during that time in the industrial sector.

After his successful career at the World Bank, PPK decided to return to Peru and assist in the campaign of Fernando Belaunde in 1980, who upon assuming his second term appointed him Minister of Energy and Mines. He served as Minister of Energy and Mines from 1980-1982.

From 1982-1992 he was managing director of the investment banking firm First Boston Corporation and chairman of First Boston International. Between 1992-2001, he managed a series of US-based investment funds, and served on several multinational, US, and Peruvian corporate boards.

When President Alejandro Toledo selected Kuczynski for Minister of Economy and Finance in July 2001, he was president and CEO of the Latin American Enterprise Fund. Kuczynski remained Minister of Economy and Finance until July 2002, when he was replaced in a general Cabinet shakeup. PPK returned to the Finance Ministry in February 2004 and remained in that position. He served as President of the Council of Ministers under President Toledo. During PPK management at the head of those two ministries Peruvian economy strengthened and grew between 5% and 8% annually.

PPK worked for the private sector in various parts of the world for over 25 years and is an active university lecturer, promoter of development and the fight against poverty, which is also recognized as a business and technical leader. It is an assiduous participant in forums both in Peru and abroad on these issues. He worked on Agualimpia NGOs, non-profit organization designed to support governments in rural areas. The aim of this institution is to organize and finance projects of water and wastewater for the poorest communities in Peru. Clean Water runs dozens of projects in the regions of Ancash, Arequipa and La Libertad, among others.

Kuczynski began to think seriously about running for president after creating Agua Limpia, in 2007 to deliver drinking water to impoverished areas of Peru. There he saw up close the lack of managerial skills in Perus public sector and decided he could make a difference.

He remained politically independent for most of his career. In 2010, Kuczynski announced his candidacy for president in the 2011 elections, as head of the Alliance for Great Change coalition, which consisted of the Popular Christian Party, Peruvian Humanist Party, National Restoration and Alliance for Progress parties. Despite leading the field of the three centrist candidates, he garnered only 19% of the vote, putting him in third place and disqualifying him from the ensuing run-off election between Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori. He threw his support behind Keiko Fujimori to prevent the election of Ollanta Humala, an ally of socialist Venezuela who once led an army uprising. But after being elected, Humala governed with the same pro-business framework of his predecessors.

Kuczynski is married to a US citizen. He speaks excellent English. He has four children, one of whom is the acclaimed New York Times columnist, Alex Kuczynski. He was criticized for having an American passport, and under pressure renounced his US citizenship in 2015. His first wife was the daughter of a US Congressman and his current spouse, Nancy Lange, is a relative of Hollywood actress Jessica Lange.

Peru's Congress voted overwhelmingly 15 December 2017 to start President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's impeachment process over allegations that he received bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The opposition-controlled Peruvian Congress voted Friday 93-17 in support of the proposal to debate President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's impeachment on December 21. Kuczynski has denied any wrongdoing. Reportedly Odebrecht paid the president 5 million dollars (4.25 million euros) in consulting fees between 2004 and 2013. Kuczynski was economy minister and head of then-president Alejandro Toledo's cabinet during that period.

Kuczynski was the third Peruvian president to become embroiled in the corruption scandal involving Odebrecht. Former President Ollanta Humala is in detention and Toledo could be extradited from the US over the Odebrecht affair. Politicians in Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela have also been hit hard by the scandal. Odebrecht has admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes to officials in several Latin American countries to secure lucrative and inflated public works contracts. It has said it paid $20 million in kickbacks to Toledo, whom Peru wants extradited from the United States to face charges. Another former Peruvian president, Ollanta Humala, is in jail in Peru, also on suspicion of having illicitly received millions from Odebrecht in campaign funds. The Brazilian company agreed over the past year to pay $2.6 billion in fines to the Brazilian, Swiss and US governments for its corrupt practices.

Peru's Congress fell eight votes short on 21 December 2017 of impeaching President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over graft allegations linked to a Brazilian construction giant. The motion received 79 votes in favor, 19 against and 21 abstentions. The motion failed by eight votes, as at least 87 votes were required to approve an impeachment. The motion had been put to the lawmakers after a 14-hour session that started with a two-hour appearance by Kuczynski to defend his position. He had called the move against him a "coup" and an "attack" on democracy. Analysts had predicted that Kuczynski would be impeached, especially as 93 lawmakers had voted for the impeachment motion to be put to Congress.

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski opened his seasonal address to the nation on 25 December 2017 seeking sympathy following the popular backlash caused by his pardoning of jailed dictator Alberto Fujimori. "Perhaps this is the hardest decision of my life," Kuczynski said, before asking Peruvians to "turn the page."

Some had anticipated the pardon, describing it as part of a pact between PPK, the dictator's daughter Kenji Fujimori, and ten other "fujimorista" legislators who abstained in the congressional vote to impeach Kuczynski. The abstentions secured the president's victory against impeachment after he was convicted for corruption involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Three days after the vote, Kuczynski, who had previously said he would not pardon Fujimori, reversed his decision and justified it on humanitarian grounds, citing Fujimori's deteriorating health. Kuczynski reportedly agreed to pardon former Peruvian dictator Alberto Fujimori, accused of human rights violations, in exchange of Kenji's faction abstaining from voting at a congress session that would've impeached him.

Keiko Fujimori released videos showing her brother Kenji negotiating with a Popular Force representative on behalf of Kuczynski in exchange of public works in their districts. The new scandal proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back, and Kuczynski decided to resign instead of facing an almost certain impeachment process.

Kuczynski, a former Wall Street banker, resigned 21 March 2018 after accumulating multiple accusations of corruption. Kuczynski, however, failed to accept his responsibility in the matter, saying that he was resigning because of the general ungovernability atmosphere which didn't allow him to continue.

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Tsai, Ma urge China to embrace democratic reform

Central News Agency

2016/06/04 13:13:10

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () urged China to treasure those among its people who seek democracy, saying that it can earn more respect from around the world by allowing its people to enjoy more political rights, on the 27th anniversary of the June 4th, 1989 bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing.

In a similar move, former President Ma Ying-jeou (), who stepped down two weeks ago, also called for China to hear diverse voices from the people and treat dissidents well, which he said will help Beijing win respect from the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the international community.

In a carefully-worded post on her personal Facebook page Saturday, Tsai said that she did not mean to criticize China's political system "but rather I am willing, with heartfelt sincerity, to share Taiwan's experience in democratization."

This was Tsai's first comment on the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 as president of Taiwan, after she took office on May 20.

Democracy will not fall from the sky, she said.

"The universal values of democracy and human rights are something that is fought for and won by the people," she added.

Tsai recognized China's economic progress and the improvement in the Chinese people's quality of life, which she attributed to the efforts made by "the ruling party on the other side of the strait."

But at the same time, she said it is undeniable that China is facing the pressure to reform.

"If the other side of the strait can give more rights to the people on the Chinese mainland, it will earn more respect from around the world," she added.

She also urged China to treasure those among its people who seek democracy, saying that they are likely to be the people who will move China forward.

Only "the ruling party on the other side of the strait" can heal the past wounds of the Chinese people, she said.

"My responsibility is to protect the democracy and freedom enjoyed by the people of Taiwan and create peaceful, stable, consistent and predictable cross-strait relations," she said.

"Hopefully one day, the views of both sides on democracy and human rights will converge," she added.

Tsai's predecessor, former President Ma, also made remarks on the anniversary of the incident on June 4, 1989, in which Chinese troops and tanks fired on civilians in Beijing's Tiananmen Square after weeks of pro-democracy protests. Estimates of the death toll range from several hundred to thousands.

In a post on his Facebook page Saturday, Ma said inappropriate dealings with civilians' protests or breach of human rights by governments have occurred in many countries, citing cases in the United States, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan.

Noting the experiences of these countries, Ma said that China will earn more respect from the world by "redressing the June 4th incident."

Cross-strait relations are at their best since the two sides separated in 1949, he said, adding that "this is something we definitely should cherish."

"The most effective way (for Beijing) to shorten the distance between the people on the two sides of the strait is to hear the diverse voices of the people and treat dissidents well to establish the mutual core value of the two sides," Ma said.

The massacre remains a taboo subject in China and Chinese authorities have stepped up surveillance of dissidents and rights activists ahead of the 27th anniversary of the massacre.

(By Elaine Hou)

ENDITEM/cs

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Chinese Admiral Vows Beijing Won't Be Isolated

by Steve Herman June 05, 2016

A senior Chinese military official on Sunday rejected the U.S. defense secretary's assertion made the previous day that Beijing faces "erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation" if its continues with provocative militarization of disputed islets in the South China Sea.

"We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now, we will not be isolated in the future," retorted Admiral Sun Jianguo of the People's Liberation Army.

"Clearly (U.S. Defense Secretary) Ash Carter's warning against China building a Great Wall of self-isolation struck a nerve," said Professor Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at Australian National University, who was in the room for the admiral's remarks.

"Admiral Sun insisted China was not isolated," Medcalf told VOA. "Yet there was plenty of evidence to the contrary in the anxious questions about China's security behavior from others in the room, of many nationalities."

Sun, the deputy chief of the joint staff department, sought to shift blame onto the United States for maritime tensions in the region. He criticized the U.S. military's freedom of navigation operations and Washington's support for countries in the region having territorial disputes with Beijing.

Countries that retain "a Cold War mentality" and are not directly involved in the disputes should not be allowed to engage in "sabotage" for selfish gains, Sun said. "Nobody has the right to point fingers at China."

'No fear of trouble'

The admiral, in a comment seen as ominously directed at Washington, also stated "We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble."

"The admiral's strident tone was intended partly for a domestic audience" as part of his speech was broadcast live on national television in China, Medcalf said.

Carter, at the same forum in Singapore on Saturday, told defense ministers, security analysts and scholars there is "growing anxiety" about Chinese actions in the strategic waters and elsewhere.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking to reporters in Mongolia on Sunday, said Washington would consider any Chinese establishment of an air defense zone over the South China Sea to be a "provocative and destabilizing act."

Some Southeast Asian nations are feeling caught between Washington and Beijing and expressing concern.

"Whatever both countries do it must be balanced or it causes trouble," Thailand's deputy defense minister General Udomdej Sitabutr told VOA.

"Even with balance there are still problems but it will not escalate," added Udomdej, the former chief of Thailand's army, which dominates the current military junta government.

Beijing claims virtually all of the sea, through which $5 trillion of trade passes every year.

Much to the concern of others in the region and the United States  fearing impediments on freedom of navigation  China has recently constructed airstrips and placed military equipment on artificial islands built on previously submerged reefs.

During the annual Shangri-La Dialogue and Asia Security Summit here Chinese officials repeated Beijing's long-held stance that such disputes should be settled through country-to-country discussions, not by multilateral engagement or international mediation.

In the case of its dispute with the Philippines, the Chinese are encouraged by recent comments made by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who has said he is open to bilateral discussions.

"We hope the new Filipino administration can shake off the burden" of the outgoing one, Sun said, in response to a question from the floor.

International response

Philippines President Benigno Aquino, contending Manila exhausted attempts to settle the matter directly with China, went to an international tribunal based at The Hague seeking a decision that any claims in the South China Sea must conform to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).

A ruling is expected soon that, at least in part, will favor the Philippines, invalidating China's nine-dash line, which outlines the water and islands Beijing claims.

Admiral Sun and other Chinese officials at the Singapore meetings made it clear any decision at The Hague will not change Beijing's stance.

"China will not recognize nor honor any award" made by an international tribunal regarding the dispute with Manila, he said.

Besides the Philippines, China is also facing conflicting maritime territorial claims with Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Vietnamese, most notably, have put aside the legacy of war with the United States to draw closer to the Americans in face of perceived increasing threats from Hanoi's giant neighbor to the north  a fellow communist state but also a repeated adversary over the past millennium.

Warning against self-interests

In comments targeting China, Vietnam's deputy defense minister, Senior Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, who was sitting alongside Sun, warned the pursuit of narrow self-interests could lead to "armed conflict."

From the rhetoric publicly expressed here during the past two days it is difficult for Beijing not to have the perception that a number of countries are drawing closer to the United States, at the expense of China, when it comes to how to settle the maritime disputes.

India  another traditional adversary of China  and Japan  which has a territorial dispute with Beijing in the East China Sea  are among those expressing fresh concern about China's activities while announcing new agreements with Washington in the defense arena.

Besides Japan, the United States also has mutual defense pacts with the Philippines and South Korea. There is also a U.S. defense partnership with Singapore.

Analysts attending the dialogue noted voices from beyond the region expressing concern about China's activities.

"It was striking that even distant countries like France, the U.K. and Canada had ministers present to advocate a rules-based order and respect for freedom of navigation and small countries," Medcalf said.

Li Ya in Singapore of VOA's Mandarin Service and State Department correspondent Nike Ching in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, contributed to this report.

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North Korea slam US money laundering label

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 8:34AM

North Korea has strongly denounced the US for labeling it a hub for money laundering, saying the "desperate" move only shows the inefficiency of sanctions against Pyongyang.

Last week, the US Treasury Department accused Pyongyang of using state-owned corporations and front companies to pay for its nuclear arms and ballistic missile program.

A North Korean official denounced the designation as "another illegal act of infringing upon the sovereignty and vital rights" of the country.

The US move would prevent both direct and indirect North Korean financial activities within the American banking network.

North Korea said the US "is loudly calling on the neighboring countries to increase pressure" upon Pyongyang, dismissing it as "a nonsensical talk."

It said Pyongyang had a "well-regulated" system to combat money laundering and was "not frightened in the least" by the latest label.

"The US pursues the sinister aim of making up the flaw of the UN 'resolution on sanctions' with its independent and additional sanctions in blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law."

Washington "is sadly mistaken if it calculates it can attain its sinister political goal through the action," read a statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On Wednesday, North Korea said it has begun a 200-day battle to boost the country's sanctions-hit economy as part of a five-year economic plan.

According to the plan, Pyongyang will simultaneously expand its nuclear weapons capability "in quality and quantity" and push forward economic development.

The country recently came under the most crippling sanctions by the UN and the West over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

North Korea accuses the US of plotting with its regional allies to topple the government in Pyongyang. The country describes its nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against hostile US policies.

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Spokesman: Talks underway to export heavy water

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, June 3, IRNA -- Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi commented on Friday on purchasing surplus of Iran's heavy water by the US and said negotiations are underway with other countries to this end.

Kamalvandi made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the 27th anniversary of the sad demise of the Founder of the Islamic Republic the late Imam Khomeini. The ceremony was held at the late Imam's mausoleum in southern Tehran.

Commenting on the issue of the US purchase of surplus of Iran's heavy water, the official said, 'We have asked US to make some commitments about selling the heavy water. Fortunately, they are being fulfilled and we are at the stage of materializing it.'

The issue is important because the country which was to shut down Iran's heavy water facilities, is now to take responsibility for buying its heavy water. This is a significant issue from political, technical, legal and international aspects, Kamalvandi said, adding that the issue 'should not be underestimated.'

According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was implemented in January, six months after the remarkable nuclear deal between Iran and the world six powers in Vienna, all anti-Iran nuclear-related sanctions should be lifted in return for some restrictions made by Iran on its nuclear activities.

Based on the JCPOA, Tehran can keep 130 tons of its heavy water and offer the surplus for sale on international markets.

'Of course, we have heard that certain states are doubtful about buying Iran's heavy water, but those doubts will remove when the US fulfills its commitments for purchasing the heavy water,' the official noted.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi has said, 'We will sell surplus heavy water in the international markets.'

Heavy water is a very special product and not all countries are capable of producing it, he said, noting that the US is demanding sales of 32 tons of Iranian heavy water and talks to sell the same amount to Russia are also underway.

8072**1394

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Iran strongly reacts to US annual report on terrorism

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, June 4, IRNA -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari in a statement on Saturday night underlined that unlike the US, Iran has proved in practice to be the most serious and effective force to confront and fight terrorism.

Jaberi Ansari's statement came in reaction to the US annual report which has been released recently.

"While the US allies in the region are supporting Daesh (the ISIS) and other terrorist groups through different methods, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in the frontline of fighting terrorism in Iraq and Syria," the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said.

Jaberi Ansari who in an eight-paragraph statement has responded to the US department of state's annual report went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran within its principled policy is emphasizing on its preparation to cooperate with other governments and nations as well as international organizations in the path of real and all-out confrontation with terrorism.

The following is the Iranian foreign ministry's eight-paragraph statement:

1-Under the conditions that most of the people of the world and some American and western politicians regard the biggest supporters of terrorism if not the US government, but at least its close allies, the US department of state's new report on terrorism has ridiculed blatant realities and has turned into the best document for lack of credibility of the US Department of State by justifying the false accusations of the Islamic Republic of Iran's support for terrorism.

2-The legitimate and legal fights of the nations which are under the occupation to achieve independence, freedom and relief from occupation are not instances of terrorism and some part of the accusation of the report against Iran which is based on this is rejected and it reflects that will of the Zionist regime as the biggest symbol of occupation, state terrorism, violation of human rights and implementation of the policies based on massacre, suppression and denial of the existence of the Palestinian nation.

3-The US as the biggest supporter of the state terrorism, by unconditional support for the Zionist regime has imposed decades of deprivation from the basic rights and living in permanent horror to the under-occupation civilians of Palestine and now by practical support for the growth of extremism and terrorism as well as ignoring the large-scale financial and political support by Saudi Arabia and its other allies from the spread of this heinous phenomena throughout the world, has inflicted millions of Muslim nations from Yemen to Libya with suffering, horror, homelessness and the miserable life experience and has resulted in loss of life of a considerable number of the citizens of other countries in the terrorist operation as a result of the destructive consequences of such diplomacy.

4-the dual-track, hypocritical and propagation-like approach towards terrorism is one of main factors for the spread of terrorism in the region and the world. Instrumental use by the US from terrorism and shameful ignorance of the crimes committed by terrorism groups against Iranian civilians has resulted in spread of terrorism and the difficulty of confronting throughout the world.

5-Without the military interferences and destructive supports of the US for the terrorist groups in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen, the international community today would not have sustained heavy costs for international threats posed by these terrorist groups. Under such conditions the US cannot accuse other nations and governments of supporting terrorism by shrugging shoulders from its responsibilities.

6- The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in rejecting terrorism and extremism and all-out confrontation with them in a clear and blatant way. It is itself one of the biggest victims of terrorism and it has lost 17,000 of its nationals as result of that. Iran's diplomatic cultural venues abroad and the Iranian diplomats have also been targeted by the terrorist groups affiliated to the countries supported by the US.

7- In order to prove its practicality in confronting terrorism, the US should resort to serious and all-out confrontation with the real instances of supporting and spread of terrorism in the region and world by putting an end to political and selective encounter with the issue of terrorism instead of releasing fictitious reports of this sort which only shows covering up reality and distorting the blatant realities.

8- The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven in practice that it is the most serious and effective force in confronting terrorism and while the US allies in the region are supporting Daesh (the ISIS) and other terrorist groups through different methods, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in the frontline of fighting terrorism in Iraq and Syria. Accordingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran within the framework of its principled policy like in the past emphasized on its preparedness to interact and cooperate with other governments and nations as well as international organization in the path of real and all-out confrontation with terrorism.

2050**2050

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IAEA chief says JCPOA still 'fragile'

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun 5 Jun 2016 - 15:00

TEHRAN (ISNA)- The IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano said that the processing of monitoring the nuclear agreement signed between Iran and P5+1 will last for years.

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced last Monday in Vienna that Iran's dossier was the agenda of the first seasonal meeting of the Board of Governors scheduled for June 6, 2016.

Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the hard work of verifying the deal will likely continue for years.

"It is still fragile," Amano said of the accord during an interview at the IAEA's Austrian headquarters. "Reaching an agreement was very important, but making it sustainable requires a lot of effort."

"We are not asked to verify attitude. We are asked to verify facts," said Amano, the Japanese diplomat who has led the U.N. agency since 2009.

"If Iran were violating the U.N. Security Council resolutions, then I'd have a reason to disclose that and member states would have the right to know," he said.

"But those resolutions are gone. Iran  is allowed to conduct enrichment-related activities within certain limits, and they are doing that."

The permanent representative of Iran to the IAEA also said there are some days that Yukiya Amano announced in its second report prepared for the implementation of the agreement that Iran had fully complied with its obligations, he said in an interview with Washingtonpost.

End Item

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US must take concrete, objective steps on JCPOA: Iran FM

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 1:57PM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US should take more objective steps to guarantee international banking transactions with Iran under last year's nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries.

"In our view, the first step toward facilitating banking transactions has been taken, but the Americans must now resolutely and seriously take objective steps [in this regard]," Zarif said in a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Tehran on Sunday.

He added that Iran is closely monitoring all the outcomes of the process.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia  plus Germany started implementing the nuclear agreement clinched by the two sides, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16.

Under the deal, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities. However, many large European banks still refrain from engaging in transactions with Iran for the fear of US penalties.

Zarif also pointed to cordial relations between Iran and Armenia and the exchange of visits between their officials and expressed hope that "constant consultations will help expand the two countries' relations and promote regional peace, development and welfare."

He said Tehran and Yerevan have the potential to strengthen cooperation in the international scene, adding, "Regarding the recent crisis in the Karabakh region, we urge the two sides to exercise self-restraint and are ready to make all efforts for the establishment of peace and security in the region."

In early April, Azerbaijani and Armenian troops used artillery, tanks, and other armaments against each other on a scale not seen since a separatist war concluded in 1994. According to reports, nearly 75 servicemen from both sides along with a number of civilians were killed in the latest skirmishes between the hostile neighbors.

A Russian-mediated truce went into effect later that month, but sporadic clashes have since continued.

The Karabakh region, which is located in the Azerbaijan Republic but is populated by Armenians, has been under the control of local ethnic Armenian militia and the Armenian troops since a three-year war which claimed over 30,000 lives and ended in 1994.

Zarif further called for an "appropriate" level of economic cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan and said the two sides can expand and facilitate projects with regional countries in the gas, electricity and railway sectors.

The Armenian foreign minister, for his part, said his country regards the JCPOA as the biggest political event in 2015, adding that the nuclear agreement can be a model for the settlement of many conflicts.

Nalbandian added that Armenia is ready to boost banking transactions with Iran.

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Leader urges 'strong answer' to US hostility

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 9:7AM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran has to respond strongly to "totally hostile behavior" of the US government and its Congress.

The Leader told members of Iran's new parliament in Tehran Sunday that US policies and its threats against Iran have not changed after a nuclear deal reached with Tehran in July.

"The Americans, whether the government, Congress and presidential candidates, constantly make excessive demands and threats," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

"Their stances and threats at this moment are the same as before. We shouldn't remain silent towards these insults," said the Leader

"Against the insolence of the enemies, there is need to come to the scene and shut their mouths with a strong answer," he added.

In its political agenda, the Leader said, "the enemy makes its calculations according to the reactions and if it senses any passivity and retreat from the opposite side, it will not settle for less and will ask for more."

Iran has come under new US pressure since the conclusion of nuclear talks, with the American government imposing new sanctions on the country over its missile program and demanding that Tehran restrict it.

Ayatollah Khamenei also warned of enemy plots to trigger an internal strife, urging Iranian lawmakers to neutralize them.

"The enemy is trying to activate ethnic, ideological and partisan faultlines and turn them into an earthquake. Hence, members of Majlis must try to foil this scheme."

'Specific plots'

Ayatollah Khamenei also touched on "the enemy's specific plots for the important and sensitive West Asian region," saying Iran is seen as the only obstacle to their realization.

"The presence of Islam and Muslims, massive oil resources and waterways as well as the Zionist regime have made this region very important to the enemy," he said.

"Their plan for the region is what they cited as the 'new Middle East' and a 'greater Middle East' several years ago," the Leader added.

American plans in the region, including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians territories, have not realized due to Iran's resistance, the Leader said.

"There is need to stand up to hegemonic policies and unmask the arrogance."

Economy, Iran's main issue

Ayatollah Khamenei also said Iran's primary problem is its economy, for which the country should find a solution.

The Leader has already asked state officials to work on developing an "economy of resistance" in the face of foreign restrictions, centered on domestic production.

"We have to look at every government move in the field of economy and see which part it lies in the chart of the 'economy of resistance'," he said.

The government has seen a steady trickle of foreign delegations into Iran since the country reached a nuclear agreement in July, but critics say the deal has had little dividends so far.

Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Economy is the main issue in the country and we have to solve it."

"Domestic production is the cure for recession while creating jobs is important," said the Leader.

"The shame this humble body of mine feels on seeing an unemployed youth go home empty handed is no less than his," he added.

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Iraqi forces score breakthrough into IS stronghold in Fallujah

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:38, June 05, 2016

FALLUJAH, Iraq, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Saturday pushed into the besieged city of Fallujah and seized part of a district in southern the city after fierce clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants, a security source told Xinhua.

The troops have made a significant breakthrough in the day when they pushed into the al-Nuaimia district after defeating the IS defensive line in southern Fallujah, some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The latest advance put the troops in new positions at the edges of adjacent districts of Shuhadaa and Jubail in southern Fallujah, the source said.

"The troops still have more than three kilometers of urban areas to reach the government compound in the central part of Fallujah," the source added.

Meanwhile, the source said that U.S.-led coalition aircraft bombarded IS positions in Shuhadaa district and killed at least nine IS militants.

The alliance's warplanes also bombarded IS militants in Azragiyah area in northwest of Fallujah, leaving 16 extremist militants dead and four of their vehicles destroyed, the source added.

In addition, the security forces repelled an attack of dozens of IS militants in Albu Hawa area in south of Fallujah, on the western bank of Euphrates River, killing some 24 IS militants, the source said without giving further details about casualties among the security forces.

Earlier in the day, the security forces and allied paramilitary Shiite and Sunni units, known as Hashd Shaabi, entered around noon Saqlawiyah in northwest of Fallujah and recaptured the central part of the town, a security source anonymously told Xinhua.

The troops, backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft, took control of the government building and raised the Iraqi flag, while fierce clashes continued to drive out IS fighters from the southern part of the town, the source said.

The advance in Saqlawiyah came after several days of clashes with the extremist militants.

The troops' advance into Fallujah was slowed down during the past few days by heavy resistance from IS inside the city, in addition to hundreds of hidden bombs are believed to be planted by the militants.

The security forces also wanted to avoid heavy casualties among tens of thousands of civilians who are reportedly trapped inside Fallujah.

Earlier, Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the Joint Military Command, said that intelligence reports indicate that about 400 to 600 militants are in Fallujah, many of them foreigners. He said about 50,000 to 70,000 civilians are expected to remain in Fallujah.

On Wednesday, the UN children fund warned that at least 20,000 Iraqi children remain trapped in the city of Fallujah where Iraqi security forces are fighting to drive out the extremist IS militants from the city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on May 23 the launch of a major offensive to claim Fallujah and surrounding towns and areas.

Government troops and allied militias have currently been fighting for months to reclaim key cities and towns in Anbar from IS militants, who attempted to advance towards Baghdad after seizing most of Anbar province.

Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence since the IS controlled parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.

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US admits to failures in retaining Iraqi army, limiting militia role

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 12:10AM

US military officials have admitted to failure of their efforts to "retrain and reunify" Iraq's regular army and generate enough combat units in a bid to limit the influence of locally-trained volunteer militia forces.

Citing unwillingness of Iraqis to join units under US instructions as well as resistance of "low-level Iraqi officers" to send units for American training, retired US Lieutenant General Mick Bednarek, who led the US military's training programs in Iraq from 2013 to 2015, said despite having 4,000 American military instructors in the war-torn country, they faced multiple challenges, Reuters reported Saturday.

"The Iraqi military's capacity hasn't improved that much  part of that is the continuing challenge of recruitment and retention," Bednarek said as quoted in the report, clearly aimed at undermining success of Iraqi military operations being conducted around Fallujah and elsewhere without reliance on any US advisory or training involvement.

In an apparent bid to justify near total failure of US military advisory and training mission in Iraq, the US general and other current and former military officials repeatedly alleged that Iraq's regular army were increasingly coming under the influence of "sectarian" militia forces, according to the report.

This is while Iraqi military authorities have attributed recent successes of their offensives against strongholds of Daesh terrorist forces across the country to the collaboration of locally recruited, multi-ethnic volunteer militia forces, many of whom had been affected by atrocities committed by the Takfiri militants.

Bednarek, however, pointed to the "US-trained" Iraqi Special Operation Forces, as "the most effective fighting force in the region," and acknowledged that their battlefield successes against Daesh forces in Baiji and Mosul came with support from what he described as "Shia [volunteer] militias."

The report also cites US officials as complaining that Iraqi forces in northern Salahuddin Province "is dominated" by a "Shia leader," identified as Abu Mehdi Mohandis, "who is well known to the US government" and "sanctioned by the US treasury for allegedly attacking US forces in 2009," without elaborating about the circumstances.

American authorities, the report adds, further allege that Iraq's Fifth Army Division in eastern Diyala Province "is considered to be under the dominance of the Badr group" with ties with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Baghdad has officially requested neighboring Iran to share its military expertise and experience with Iraqi army forces in an advisory and training mission.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier Rasool Yahya has rejected US criticisms of the Iraqi army and denied that it was less effective than the Special Forces unit, the report added.

"We have troops who were able to retake land from Daesh," Yahya said as quoted in the report. "After the fall of Mosul [to Daesh forces], the Ministry of Defense's joint command has resupplied and retrained the Iraqi security forces."

The report did not mention that Iraqi military commanders and forces who collaborated with Daesh elements and facilitated the fall of vast territory to the terror force were also trained and equipped by US forces.

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Libyan premier rejects foreign military intervention

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 5:40AM

The Libyan prime minister has dismissed the possibility of an international military intervention purportedly aimed at boosting the anti-Daesh fight in the conflict-plagued country.

"It's true that we need help from the international community in our fight against terrorism and it's true that this is something we have already received," Fayez al-Sarraj said in an interview with French weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche published on Sunday.

"But we are not talking about international intervention," Sarraj said, noting that foreign boots on Libyan soil could offend national pride and runs "contrary to our principles."

"Rather we need satellite images, intelligence, technical help... not bombardments," he pointed out.

Sarraj further noted that "total victory over Daesh in Sirte is close."

"(We hope) that this war against terrorism will be able to unite Libya. But it will be long. And the international community knows that," he said.

On Friday, Sarraj had said he was confident that forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government, known as Government of National Accord (GNA), would liberate the coastal city of Sirte, the main stronghold of Daesh terrorists in Libya.

In another development on Saturday, GNA loyalists took control of Ghardabiya air base, which lies about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Sirte, from Daesh extremists.

Spokesman Mohamed al-Gasri described the capture as strategically significant given that it cut off Daesh supply routes and "trapped them further" within the city.

Gasri added that three fighters from the government-backed brigades lost their lives and five others sustained injuries during Saturday's clashes.

GNA forces also announced that they had liberated the town of Abu Hadi, situated 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southeast of Sirte, from the clutches of Daesh Takfiris.

Separately, two militia groups operating in eastern Libya have expressed their support for the UN's unity government, which seeks to put an end to years of factional power struggles.

On Saturday, the commanders of the special anti-terrorist force and a military intelligence brigade held a joint press conference with GNA Defense Minister-designate al-Mahdi al-Bargathi, and decided to throw their support behind the GNA.

Libya has had two rival governments since 2014, when politician Khalifa Ghweil and his self-proclaimed government seized control of the capital, Tripoli, with the support of militia groups, forcing the internationally-recognized government to move to the country's remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The two governments achieved a consensus on forming a unity government, the GNA, last December after months of UN-brokered talks in Tunisia and Morocco to restore order in the country.

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Syrian army squeezing on IS de facto capital al-Raqqa

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:27, June 05, 2016

DAMASCUS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Saturday entered the administrative borders of the northern province of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group, as jihadist groups in the northern province of Aleppo unleashed a wide-scale offensive against government troops' positions.

The Syrian army backed by Russian air cover managed to cross the administrative borders of al-Raqqa, just days after unleashing a wide-scale offensive on the route between the town of Athriya in Hama province in central Syria, and the al-Tabaqa town in al-Raqqa countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian forces are trying to reach the al-Furat lake and the road connecting al-Raqqa with the province of Aleppo, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground.

Only 40 km separate the army from the targeted areas, said the watchdog group.

The fighting, which broke out on Thursday, has so far killed 26 IS militants and nine security forces.

If the army succeeds, the IS will be besieged by the Syrian army in the south and southwestern parts of Aleppo, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebels will be besieging the terror group from the west.

The Observatory said the IS police, called Husbah, patrolled the city of al-Raqqa Saturday, threatening to execute anyone who disseminates news about the progress of the Syrian army in al-Raqqa.

It added that the IS is confused now that the Syrian army is advancing from the south and the SDF is advancing in the northern countryside of al-Raqqa and Aleppo.

If the Syrian army controlled the al-Raqqa-Aleppo international road, the IS fighters in Aleppo will be isolated, an achievement that would be in the interest of both the United Statesand Russia, said the Observatory.

Meanwhile, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which along with the IS, are both designated by the UN as terrorist groups, which are excluded from any settlements, unleashed an offensive against government troops positions in southern Aleppo and fired tens of improvised rockets on a predominantly-Kurdish district inside Aleppo.

Syria's national TV said over 40 people were killed Saturday by continuous rebel shelling against the Kurdish-dominated Sheikh Maksud district in Aleppo.

The incessant shelling also wounded 100 people, an escalation deemed as a breach to a recently-established and shaky truce, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the TV said 11 other people were killed, including a child, by similar shelling on government-controlled areas in Aleppo city, namely the Masharqa, Midan and al-Faid.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the Saturday's shelling was intense.

Also in Aleppo, the SDF forces are still trying to advance toward the city of Manbej, which is controlled by the Islamic State group, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, near Turkey.

The Syrian army is also engaged in battles against the Nusra and likeminded groups in the southern countryside of Aleppo, mainly near the town of Khan Tuman.

The intensified battles in Aleppo also hit a new high when 1,000 fighters with the Nusra and likeminded groups mounted an offensive against Syrian military positions in southern Aleppo.

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city and once an economic hub, holds its significance due to its location near the Turkish borders. Each party of the conflict is now fighting to consolidate positions, and claim more territory in that key area.

The progress by the Russian-backed Syrian army and the U.S.-backed SDF reflects a US-Russian understanding on the need to isolate IS and weaken its abilities, analysts said.

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Syria censures Western countries for double standards over terrorist groups

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 8:38PM

Syria has censured several western countries over refusal to recognize hostile groups operating in the country as terrorist organizations.

"The refusal of the US, France, Britain and Ukraine in the UN Security Council to list Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam as terrorist organizations proves that those countries continue their double standard policy in fighting terrorism and shows their irresponsible attitude to the issue," read a letter sent by the Syrian Foreign Ministry to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Sputnik reported on Sunday.

On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov announced that the Kremlin had called on the council to add the groups to the list of terrorist organizations but, "Western partners are not ready for this."

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the groups harbored the Daesh Takfiri ideology and noted that they were outlawed by the Russia and many other countries.

The Syrian opposition groups have on multiple occasions been accused of breaking a shaky cessation of hostilities in the country.

Brokered by Moscow and Washington, the nation-wide cessation of hostilities was introduced in February in a bid to facilitate dialogue between Syria's rival parties. Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups were excluded from the truce.

There are also reports of groups using chemical weapons around the Syrian northwestern city of Aleppo.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham were continuing to attack government positions in Aleppo.

"Militants from al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham armed groups conducted a mortar attack against the positions of [Syrian] government forces in the district of Ansar in Aleppo's southwest," said a spokesman with the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation.

On Saturday, the center announced that over 40 people, including civilians, had reportedly been killed in recent rocket attacks carried out by foreign-backed militants.

"There was continuous bombardment by rocket launchers, canon artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft installations. The terrorists shelled several areas of the city inhabited not only by government forces and Kurdish troops but also civilians," said the center.

"Armed units of the al-Nusra Front terrorist group delivered a massive strike on the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood, al-Muhafaza and al-Zahra and on al-Nayrab airport in Aleppo," it added.

Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in Syria.

The ceasefire monitoring center also announced that more than 2,000 militants had gathered in a northern neighborhood of the embattled city for an offensive.

Violence in some parts of Syria, particularly around Aleppo, has left the ceasefire in tatters in recent weeks and torpedoed peace talks on the conflict.

Damascus accuses Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of funding and arming terrorist groups, including Daesh, operating inside the country.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy it blames on some regional and western governments. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people in total since March 2011.

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Turkish troops, militants mass in Aleppo: Russian monitor

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 8:40AM

A Russian ceasefire monitoring center in Syria says more than 2,000 militants have gathered in a northern neighborhood of the embattled city of Aleppo for an offensive.

In a statement, the center said Saturday that "militants from different terrorist organizations and groups of the so-called 'moderate opposition' are concentrated in the region of Sheikh Maqsood."

Quoting civilians in Aleppo, the center said armed groups, partly made up of Turkish soldiers, had appeared north of the city and begun an offensive against positions held by Syrian troops southwest of Aleppo.

An official with the monitoring base said more than 40 people were killed and about a hundred injured in a shelling by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terrorist group on Saturday.

"There was continuous bombardment by rocket launchers, canon artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft installations. The terrorists shelled several areas of the city inhabited not only by government forces and Kurdish troops but also civilians," Russia's TASS news agency quoted the official as saying.

A nation-wide cessation of hostilities, brokered by Moscow and Washington, was introduced in February in a bid to facilitate dialogue between Syria's rival parties. Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups were excluded from the truce.

However, renewed violence in some parts of Syria, particularly around Aleppo, has left the ceasefire in tatters in recent weeks and torpedoed peace talks on the conflict.

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised remarks that Washington has asked Moscow not to target the Nusra Front.

He called on the so-called moderate opposition groups, supported by the US, to leave the areas held by Nusra extremists.

"They (the US) are telling us not to hit it (Nusra), because there is 'normal' opposition next to it," Lavrov said.

On September 30, 2015, Russia launched its air campaign against Daesh and other terrorist groups upon a request by the Damascus government. Later in mid-March, the bulk of Russian military forces were withdrawn from Syria.

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Syrian Army Makes Headway in IS-held Raqqa

by VOA News June 05, 2016

The Syrian army continues to move into the northern province of Raqqa, home to the de facto capital of the self-claimed caliphate of the Islamic State group fighting in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

The army first pushed into Raqqa Saturday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Syrian troops have reached the "administrative border" of Raqqa province, backed by Russian airstrikes.

According to the activist group, Syrian troops engaged with IS fighters along the highway that links Raqqa with the Hama province in the southwest.

Syrian troops are hoping to reach Lake Assad and the main road that links Raqqa to Aleppo, another IS stronghold.

IS extremists have held Raqqa city since 2013 when it seized the city from rebels opposing President Bashar al-Assad.

State media in Syria report heavy casualties among the Islamist militants. The Syrian army has yet to release any official statement on the number of dead.

The observatory said Saturday that during three days of fighting at least 26 Islamic State militants had been killed along with nine from the Syrian troops and allied forces.

Syrian troops began to move toward the province Wednesday, the same day U.S.-backed forces attacked the IS-stronghold of Manbij, abput 115 kilometers to the northwest of Raqqa.

Troops with the U.S.-backed, predominantly Kurdish, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced closer to Manbij Saturday. The observatory said SDF fighters had captured 34 villages near Manbij.

IS fighters are also engaged in fierce battles with the al-Nusra front for the rebel-held stronghold of Marea, a town nearly 70 kilometers west of Manbij, but so far have not captured the city.

While fighting continues in Raqqa province, Manbij and Marea, IS fighters are also coming under fire in their stronghold of Fallujah by Iraqi government forces that launched their offensive on the city almost two weeks ago.

Violence in and around the contested northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest and once commercial center, claimed more lives Saturday, according to Russian sources that put the number of killed at 40 and wounded at 100.

The city has been the scene of fierce fighting, even during a cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia that took effect in late February before collapsing weeks later.

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Syria crisis has no military solution: Deputy FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, June 6, IRNA -- Syria crisis has no military solution and the Syrian people themselves should decide their future, Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Sunday.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting delegation of Lebanese political and religious figures.

Certain parties, in pursuit of their unconstructive approach, tend to equip terrorist groups and provoke unrest and violate the ceasefire in Syria, Amir Abdollahian said.

The Syrian Army, supported by the people and the resistance pivot, is now victorious over terrorists and it has managed to foil the Zionist regime conspiracies, he said.

Referring to the Saudi invasion of Yemen, the Iranian deputy foreign minister said that the United Nations is now forced to disclose some of the crimes committed by the Saudi militia against Yemeni children.

Amir Abdollahian said that security of the countries in the region is a collective issue.

He described the Zionist regime as the main cause for the insecurity in the West Asia and urged the Palestinian issue to remain as the top priority of the Islamic World.

The Islamic Republic, Amir Abdollahian said, maintains that the only way to settle the current crises in the region is a political settlement based on dialogue and rationalism an away from bias.

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President reaffirms self-reliant national defense for Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

2016/06/04 16:00:11

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () reaffirmed her administration's determination to push for a self-reliant national defense force when she boarded a domestically built warship off Yilan in eastern Taiwan Saturday.

Following a May 29 inspection tour of air bases in Hualien, eastern Taiwan -- the first time in her capacity as commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces -- she visited a naval base in Suao, Yilan and boarded the Tuo Jiang (), Taiwan's first locally developed stealth missile corvette that was commissioned in March 2015.

She said the nation will continue to promote the policy of building its own vessels.

"In addition to enhancing naval combat capacity, it will also help the development of the shipbuilding and machinery sectors, as well as system integration," she said.

The government's approach will be to make "demands for national defense the driving force of industrial upgrade and transformation," Tsai said.

The government is bound to encounter numerous challenges in the pursuit of a self-reliant national defense force, however, she admitted.

"The path is not an easy one, but there is no return," she told naval officers and cadets aboard the Tuo Jiang.

She said Taiwan has used superb technology in the building of the Tuo Jiang and "more importantly, we have the determination to succeed."

Tsai, accompanied by Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (), Yen De-fa (), Taiwan's chief of the general staff, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (), said that this was her first time to board the Tuo Jiang, and when the vessel sailed out of Suao, she said she "was deeply touched" when she saw the powerful naval vessel and beautiful Yilan seashore.

Tsai also said that hoisting the commander-in-chief flag on the ship was an honor and responsibility.

"I am privileged to be able to safeguard the homeland and marine lifeline with all of you in the Navy," she said.

She also said the Tuo Jiang is a symbol of David fighting Goliath.

In one of the major cross-Taiwan Strait sea wars in the Taiwan Strait, which took place Sept. 2, 1958, a naval vessel named the Tuo Jiang was badly shelled by Chinese ships, and 11 out of the 81-member crew were killed, including medical officer Chen Ke-jung, (), who was injured himself but continued to tend to the wounded and later died of massive loss of blood.

Tsai also said Taiwan is surrounded by sea, which she described as Taiwan's gateway to the world, and she encouraged everyone to learn about their huge responsibility to protect the country's sea lanes.

The Tuo Jiang, with the president and her entourage aboard, made a short cruise lasting 25 minutes.

Tsai later inspected an Army base and had lunch with the personnel of an infantry brigade.

She noted that the base had been newly painted, but said what is more important is whether the quality of equipment is good enough.

"Just painting and mowing the lawn (in anticipation of an inspection) will not make the military better," she said, adding that the new government will continue to push for national defense reforms.

A good combat force needs a good system, high efficiency and good morale as prerequisites, she said.

Tsai has inspected the air force, army and navy since taking office May 20 in a show of balanced attention to the three forces.

The boarding of the Tuo Jiang was also a chance to reaffirm her resolve of building a self-reliant force.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J

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Taiwan, China testing each other's bottom lines: security agency

ROC Central News Agency

2016/06/05 17:32:15

Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Taipei and Beijing, deadlocked over the "1992 consensus," are testing each other's bottom lines in regard to the political foundation of their bilateral relations, the National Security Bureau (NSB) has said, suggesting that Taipei keep communicating with its rival and try to build a bridge of mutual trust.

The NSB made its assessment and suggestions in a written report to the Legislature, prior to NSB head John K. Young's () appearance at a legislative committee meeting Monday. Young, along with the ministers of national defense, foreign affairs and mainland affairs, will jointly attend the meeting, which is aimed at discussing the East Asia situation and Taiwan's steps to deal with it.

Summing up China's response to President Tsai Ing-wen's () May 20 inauguration speech, Young's agency said that China thinks Tsai has taken "one step closer" to its version of the "1992 consensus," but is not satisfied with her attempts to evade the "core meaning" of its definition of "one China" -- that Taiwan and China belong to "one China."

That consensus was reached by officials from Taipei and Beijing during meetings in Hong Kong in 1992, when the two sides agreed that there is only "one China," with each side free to interpret what that means. Taipei defines "one China" as "the Republic of China" -- Asia's first democracy, established in 1912.

Even though Tsai is committed to conducting cross-Taiwan Strait relations based on the ROC Constitution and relevant laws, regarding both the "mainland area" and the "Taiwan area" as integral parts of the ROC, Beijing is suspicious of her Democratic Progressive Party's pro-Taiwan independence platform.

As there is insufficient trust between Taipei and Beijing, the NSB said, Beijing would rather watch what the Tsai administration will do than what it will say about cross-strait relations.

The Ministry of National Defense has forecast that Beijing will adopt a multifaceted strategy toward Taiwan, including political division, military threat, and economic integration, and increasing pressure on Taiwan in the international community, to stifle Taiwan's efforts to broaden its international space.

So, according to the NSB, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are currently engaged in a game of nerves to test each other's bottom lines and find a mode of coexistence in which both sides can live with each other, with as much common ground as possible, while shelving their dispute on differences.

During this period of uncertainty, the NSB suggested that the government stick to its principle of "more communication, no provocation and zero surprises" vis-a-vis China, making an effort to build a bridge of talks and mutual trust, in the hope of restoring cross-strait negotiations and exchanges.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) urged both sides to value the hard-earned achievements of the past years and to restart official talks to ensure a peaceful and stable development of cross-strait ties.

China has suspended talks between the MAC and its Taiwan Affairs Office and between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation and China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in the wake of Tsai's inaugural speech.

In the East Asia context, the NSB said the rapid rise of China's national power, the United States' "Pivot to Asia" policy and the rising sense of national sovereignty in other Asian countries are adding variables and increasing risks of conflict throughout the region.

International disputes might therefore grow more and more complex and become prolonged, creating far-reaching impact on the overall situation in East Asia, said the NSB.

(By Wang Cheng-chung and S.C. Chang)

ENDITEM/J

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Armenia genocide useful blackmail opportunity against Turkey: Erdogan

Iran Press TV

Sat Jun 4, 2016 10:23PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says charges that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against the Armenians are being used to "blackmail" Turkey.

"The Armenian issue is a useful blackmail opportunity against Turkey all around the world, and it is even starting to be used as a stick," said Erdogan during a televised speech on Saturday.

"I am addressing the whole world. You may like it, you may not. Our attitude on the Armenian issue is clear from the beginning. We will never accept the accusations of genocide," he added.

On Thursday, the German parliament approved a resolution recognizing the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide.

Despite being symbolically significant, the motion has no legal effect.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenian Christians were systematically slaughtered in eastern Turkey through mass killing, forced relocations and starvation, a process that began in 1915 and took over several years during World War I and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

Erdogan went on to stress that the Ottomans were "under siege from all sides" and "of course a number of measures were taken to restore order in Anatolia".

Ankara rejects the term "genocide" and says 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks perished between 1915 and 1917, in what the Turkish government sees as the "casualties" of World War I. Only a few countries, including France and Russia, officially recognize the events as genocide.

Referring to the Holocaust, he further noted that Germany is "the last country" to make such accusations. "The countries that are blackmailing us with these Armenian genocide resolutions have the blood of millions of innocents on their hands."

EU-Turkey refugee deal

"Either we find solutions to our problems in a fair way, or Turkey will stop being a barrier in front of the problems of Europe. We will leave you to your own worries," he added.

According to a March deal, boat refugees arriving on European soil via the Aegean Sea may be sent back to Turkey. For each refugee returned, the EU will take one Syrian refugee currently living in Turkey.

In return, the EU has made several commitments to Ankara, including financial aid, visa-free travel to the bloc for Turks, and progress in negotiations on its membership to the eurozone .

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are still fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

Last year, more than 1.1 million refugees entered Europe through Turkey and Greece and then made their way through the Balkans to Germany and other northern member states of the EU. The influx of refugees has crippled the bloc, particularly the countries on its external borders.

How can you look me in the face?

President Erdogan also accused the EU of "hypocrisy" and using "propaganda machines, Armenians or terror groups" against Ankara.

"Don't deliver blows below the belt in the media or the economy," he added.

Erdogan also expressed his disappointment that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had not taken part in the Thursday vote, saying he wished that she had cast her ballot.

"Now I wonder how, after such a decision, German officials will look me and our prime minister in the face," he said.

On Thursday, Merkel, who cited "public engagements" as the reason for not taking part in the vote, stressed that relations between the two countries remain "broad and strong."

"There is a lot that binds Germany to Turkey and even if we have a difference of opinion on an individual matter, the breadth of our links, our friendship, our strategic ties, is great," she said.

Following the vote, a spokesperson for the German embassy in Ankara said Germany's charge d'affaires has been summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry over the move.

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Erdogan: Armenian Issue Used To 'Blackmail' Turkey

June 04, 2016

by RFE/RL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says charges Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians a century ago are being used as "blackmail" against Turkey.

Erdogan was speaking on June 4 in a televised speech in Istanbul, days after the German lawmakers passed a resolution to label the killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

"The issue here is not the Armenians," he said. "They are just being manipulated. The Armenian issue is used all over the world as a convenient instrument for blackmailing Turkey."

"Our attitude on the Armenian issue is clear from the beginning: we will never accept the accusations of genocide," Erdogan added.

The World War I-era mass slaughter and deportation of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks is considered by many historians and several nations as genocide.

Turkey objects, saying that Armenians died in much smaller numbers and generally because of civil strife rather than a planned Ottoman government effort to annihilate the Christian minority.

Germany became on June 2 the 23rd country to recognize the killings as genocide (see graphic below), when a symbolic resolution passed in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, calls for a "commemoration of the genocide of Armenian and other Christian minorities in the years 1915 and 1916."

The move unleashed a furious reaction from Turkish officials, who warned that the resolution will seriously affect relations between the two countries. Ankara has already recalled its ambassador to Berlin.

In his June 4 speech, Erdogan also threatened to leave Europe "to its own worries" if Turkey is not treated fairly when it comes to solving shared problems -- apparently referring to a Turkey-EU deal aimed at tackling the flow of migrants to Europe.

"Either we find solutions to our problems in a fair way, or Turkey will stop being a barrier in front of the problems of Europe," the Turkish president said.

In comments published in several Turkish newspapers earlier, Erdogan warned that Germany could lose an "important friend."

He also insisted that the vote in the Bundestag was a Turkish-German matter and would not pertain to the migrant deal with the EU.

However, he remained critical of Europe's progress on its side of the agreement, including on transferring promised funds to aid refugees in Turkey, and warned the accord could still be halted.

With reporting by AFP, Anadolu, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/erdogan-armenian- issue-used-to-blackmail-turkey/27779571.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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Turkish air raids, army operations kill 27 separatist militants: Military

Iran Press TV

Sun Jun 5, 2016 2:52PM

The Turkish military says it has killed 27 members of a separatist Kurdish group during a series of air and ground operations in the country's mainly-Kurdish southeast.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Turkish army said airstrikes in the Semdinli district of Turkey's Hakkari Province left 20 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) dead on Friday.

The military said it also killed at least seven PKK militants in a series of fierce clashes across the same troubled area on Saturday.

The statement added that Turkish warplanes also pounded PKK positions in Turkey's Dyarbakir Province as well as in the Gara area of northern Iraq on Saturday. There was no word on the death toll from those airstrikes.

However, the state-run Anadolu Agency cited security sources as saying that a small number of PKK militants were killed in those strikes.

Meanwhile, local authorities said that two Turkish troopers were wounded when their military vehicle came under gunfire in northeast Turkey's Gumushane Province. Media reports indicated that one of the soldiers subsequently died of his injuries.

The Turkish military has been engaged in a large-scale campaign against the PKK in its southern border region in the past few months. Ankara has been conducting offensives against the positions of the militant group in northern Iraq as well.

Turkish forces launched the operations in the wake of a deadly July 2015 bombing in the southern town of Suruc. Over 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK, which accuses the Ankara government of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, in turn prompting the Turkish military operations.

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Crimean Tatars Face Russian Crackdown

by Fatima Tlisova June 05, 2016

Topuz Bakhtiyar's large family was fast asleep in their first-floor apartment in a five-floor building on Tsvetochnaya Street in the city of Yalta, Crimea, early in the morning of February 12 when a group of heavily armed masked men broke the windows and stormed the apartment. Shouting commands in Russian, the raiders locked the women in one room, the kids in another, and searched the house. They then handcuffed Bakhtiyar and took him away, leaving the family in shock and with some bloody scratches from broken glass.

Bakhtiyar, 35, a skillful shoemaker and talented designer, remodeled the first floor, a former kindergarten, with his own hands after buying the place, which was nearly in ruins, from the city. His three children, wife, sister and nephew, all were in their rooms when the Russian security forces stormed in.

Bakhtiyar was taken to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) building and thrown into a cell, where he spent the next 12 hours. He was released around midnight, after an FSB officer informed him he was arrested for alleged extremism on suspicion of being a member of Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamic organization banned in Russia, but legal in Ukraine. Bakhtiyar's relatives arranged his family's escape to Kyiv, where he is now enrolled in college.

On Thursday, (June 2) four Crimean Tatars pleaded not guilty in a Russian court in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don after being arrested in their home city of Simferopol, Crimea, on extremism charges.

Living in fear

"Every morning I wake up thinking of home and afraid to check out the news, only bad things are happening over there," said Bakhtiyar's uncle, Enver Ochilov, who lives in New York City with his wife and son. Ochilov told VOA in a phone interview that his friends and relatives back in Crimea live in fear.

"They are afraid of Facebook posts, they are afraid of phone calls. I call and we speak about the weather," he said. According to Ochilov, Crimean Tatar elders say because there have been many disappearances, young men should not walk alone on the streets.

Since Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in early 2014, there have been frequent reports of detentions, disappearances and mass arrests of Crimean Tatars. Russian security officials insist all the measures are aimed at preventing terrorist activities. Rights groups disagree, saying that Russia is accusing the Crimean Tatars of being Islamic extremists because the small ethnic group has never accepted Russia's claim over their ancestral homeland.

"The crackdown on dissent in Crimea continues to deepen, as the few remaining independent journalists and other critical voices are methodically targeted," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said in April. "As a result, virtually all forms of Tatar political expression and organization have effectively been criminalized."

In March 2014, during the initial days of Crimea's annexation, President Vladimir Putin reportedly telephoned Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatar council, inviting him to a meeting in the Kremlin. Dzhemilev declined the Russian president's invitation, instead calling for an immediate return of Crimea to Ukraine.

Brian Glyn Williams, a professor of Islamic history at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, said Putin was "deeply offended" by Dzhemilev's rejection of the invitation to meet.

"A photo with the Crimean Tatars' leader would be such a powerful propaganda tool to use in efforts to legalize the occupation," Williams told VOA. After Dzhemiev rejected the Russian leader's invitation, he said, "repression" was "inevitable."

A 'Crimean Nelson Mandela'

Williams, who lived in Crimea while working on a book project, calls Dzhemilev a "Crimean Nelson Mandela" who would never accept the Russian occupation. Dzhemilev serves in the Ukrainian parliament and advocates internationally for an end to Russia's occupation of the Black Sea peninsula.

In April 2014, a Russian court designated Dzhemilev as an "extremist" and banned him from entering Crimea or Russia for five years. This past January, a Russian court in Simferopol arrested Dzhemilev in absentia. The FSB added Dzhemilev to its list of most wanted fugitives. On May 20, a court in Moscow upheld the earlier ruling barring the Crimean Tatar leader from entering Russia.

On April 26, a Russian court banned the Crimean Tatars' Mejlis, accusing it of "extremism."

Crimean mosques have frequently been the targets of police raids and there have reportedly been mass detentions of parishioners. The latest such raid on a mosque resulted in a detention of about 50 Crimean Tatars, allegedly for not carrying their passports.

Deportation Memorial Day

In addition, the Russian-backed authorities in Crimea prevented residents from holding public commemorations marking Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars to Central Asia and parts of Russia on May 18, 1944.

"In the past on Deportation Memorial Day the whole nation used the gather and commemorate the victims of the tragedy. This year all public gatherings where banned," Zair Smedlyaev, chairman of the election committee of the Kurultai, the Crimean Tatar elected representative council, told VOA in a phone interview from Simferopol.

Denied the right to come to streets on May 18, Crimean Tatars held community prayers in the cities and villages. All cars stopped at midday to honk simultaneously in a memory of the thousands of victims. Police briefly detained some of the drivers for disturbing the peace.

"Although the authorities did not give any specific explanation for banning public events on Memorial Day, everybody understood it wasn't a coincidence," Smedlyaev said.

Last December the Russian nationalist group "Sut Vremeni" (The Essence of Time) organized an exhibition in Simferopol "to honor the achievements" of Stalin.

"I went to see the exhibit," said Smedlyaev. "I asked them nicely to remove Stalin's portraits and those billboards praising a tyrant. They would not listen, so I pushed and turned their tables upside down. I knew it was a provocation, but what I did felt good."

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Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Michael Wheeler, executive vice president at NTT Ltd, about a name change for the company, NTT's contribution in the midst of the pandemic and all things network security.
A community organization began searching for money Tuesday to expand the walking trail being built behind Gretna Middle School.

Their first stop? Crowdfunding.

Revitalization for a Greater Gretna is an organization that assists the town with beautification projects. When it learned that Pittsylvania County Parks and Recreation would build a park at Gretna Middle School, the group knew that it wanted to expand that project.

Revitalization for a Greater Gretna would add 1.7 miles of paved trails for walking, hiking and biking to the trails that are being constructed now, making it a 3.5 mile loop. Revitalization for a Greater Gretna chose GoFundMe because it was an affordable option for us to reach vast quantities of people. The park in Gretna is the only one of the four park projects that is being built in a town.

The estimated overall cost of the project would be $600,000, according to Kate Farmer, who was in charge of the organizations social media.

They are not trying to crowdfund all of that  only $50,000  over the next 30 days. Farmer said this goal is an estimate of what they might need to match grants that they are applying for, given the organizations previous experience with grants.

She also said, We know were going to have to search for multiple options, because the cost is extremely high and weve got to be prepared for it

Theyre not sure of the timeline for the projects completion, since they havent found all of the grants they will apply for.

Farmer said, Were in the infancy stage, but its something were very committed to. We need recreation options for our community and this is a step towards that for us.

As of June 3, the group had received $425 toward the $50,000 goal on GoFundMe.

The GoFundMe page is https://www.gofundme.com/GretnaWalkingTrail. For those who do not want to use GoFundMe, donations can be made by mailing a check to P.O. Box 209, Gretna, VA 24557 with a note to earmark it for the walking trail.
Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is on track to provide results for release prior to the end of the June quarter 2016

Initial Ore Reserve Statement for the planned high-grade underground mine is incorporated in DFS

Tightening global supply provides the basis for a strengthening zinc price

A new drilling program to test high-ranking near-mine exploration targets to commence post DFS release

Sydney, June 06, 2016 - Heron Resources Ltd. (Heron or the Company) is pleased to advise that the DFS for its wholly owned Woodlawn Project is progressing well and study results are scheduled for release, as previously announced, before the end of the June quarter 2016.The fully-funded DFS for Herons 100%-owned and fully permitted Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project will provide an updated Mineral Resource statement, an initial Ore Reserve statement for the underground project, an updated Ore Reserve statement for the tailings project, updated operating and capital costs estimates and business case modelling. This study will underpin the Companys funding campaign to bring the Woodlawn Project into production in 2018.Heron Resources Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Taylor, said that he was pleased with the progress made to date and that the DFS remained on budget and on schedule for release before the end of June 2016.The team is working very hard to make sure that we meet the DFS release schedule which pleasingly, also coincides with a fundamental shift taking place in the zinc market impacted by restricting global supply which in turn will support improved prices, said Mr Taylor.The restriction in global supply has been a result of some key industry players either curtailing their production output or closing their operations due to Ore Reserve depletion. This gives near term development projects such as Herons the opportunity to step up and satisfy the growing demand needs.Woodlawn is perfectly placed to become a meaningful producer in the zinc market as early as 2018, said Mr Taylor.The Company is also pleased to advise that following the release of the DFS results, a 2,500m drilling program will be undertaken focusing on the B Lens North and other near-mine targets previously defined within SML20. These are considered to be the highest ranking exploration targets that have the potential to significantly grow the project post the current development phase. The Company will provide a further update on this program closer to the commencement date.Herons primary focus is the development of its 100% owned, high grade Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project located 250km southwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In addition, the Company holds a significant high quality tenement holding in the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales and the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project in Western Australia.For further information, please visit www.heronresources.com.auThis news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. This forward-looking information includes, or may be based upon, without limitation, estimates, forecasts and statements as to managements expectations with respect to, among other things, the timing of delivery of the Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project Feasibility Study, the timing and amount of funding required to execute the Companys exploration, development and business plans, capital and exploration expenditures, the effect on the Company of any changes to existing legislation or policy, government regulation of mining operations, the length of time required to obtain permits, certifications and approvals, the success of exploration, development and mining activities, the geology of the Companys properties, environmental risks, the availability of labour, the focus of the Company in the future, demand and market outlook for precious metals and the prices thereof, progress in development of mineral properties, the Companys ability to raise funding privately or on a public market in the future, the Companys future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as anticipate, believe, expect, intend, may and similar expressions have been used to identify such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is given, and on information available to management at such time. Forward-looking information involves significant risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking information. These factors, including, but not limited to, the ability to complete the Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Project Feasibility Study on time or at all, and whether the feasibility study is positive and otherwise consistent with the business plans of the Company, fluctuations in currency markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, the ability of the Company to access sufficient capital on favourable terms or at all, changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations, political or economic developments in Canada, Australia or other countries in which the Company does business or may carry on business in the future, operational or technical difficulties in connection with exploration or development activities, employee relations, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, obtaining necessary licenses and permits, diminishing quantities and grades of mineral reserves, contests over title to properties, especially title to undeveloped properties, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drill results and other geological data, environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding, limitations of insurance coverage and the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, and should be considered carefully. Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect the Companys actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure prospective purchasers that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. No stock exchange, regulation services provider, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release.Australia:Mr Wayne Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Executive OfficerTel: +61 2 9119 8111 or +61 8 6500 9200Email: heron@heronresources.com.auJon Snowball, FTI ConsultingTel: +61 2 8298 6100jon.snowball@fticonsulting.comCanada: Tel: +1 647-862-1157 (Toronto)
VANCOUVER, June 6, 2016 /CNW/ - NexGen Energy Ltd. ("NexGen" or the "Company") (TSXV:NXE, OTCQX:NXGEF) is pleased to report assay results for four angled holes from our highly successful winter 2016 drilling program on our 100% owned, Rook I property, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan.

Drilling in the A2 shear at the Arrow Deposit continues to deliver strong assay results. Drill hole AR-16-76c3 which was drilled 58 m up-dip and southwest from hole AR-15-44b (56.5 m at 11.55% U3O8  see News Release dated June 15, 2015) has intersected 74.0 m at 10.28% U3O8 in the higher grade A2 sub-zone (the "Sub-Zone"). This intercept, which represents a continuous grade x thickness ("GT") of 761 also includes 50.0 m at 15.05% U3O8, 11.5 m at 49.53% U3O8 and 0.5 m at 80.00% U3O8. Also in the Sub-Zone, drill hole AR-16-78c1 intersected 37.5 m at 12.94% U3O8 and was drilled 69 m up-dip and northeast of hole AR-15-44b.

The Sub-Zone is defined by extensive intersections of dense accumulations of massive to semi-massive pitchblende, and is currently outlined by 22 drill holes. Assay results from four drill holes in the Sub-Zone remain pending.

Table 1: Higher Grade A2 Sub-Zone Angled Drill Holes





2015 AR-15-

59c22 AR-15-

54c12 AR-15-

58c12 AR-15-

622 AR-15-

44b2 AR-15-

49c22 AR-15-

57c32 Total composite mineralization = 75.5m 42.0m 86.0m 143.0m 135.6m 73.5m 62.5m Total Off-scale (>10,000 to 29,999 cps)3 = 11.4m 5.9m 14.3m 17.8m 30.3m 15.7m 4.4m Total Off-scale (>30,000 to 60,999 cps)3 = 4.5m 3.0m 3.9m 10.6m 7.8m 5.2m 2.5m Total Off-scale (>61,000 cps)3 = 1.0m 0.5m 2.0m 2.0m 1.5m 2.2m 1.8m Continuous GT (Grade x Thickness) = 371 277 200 and

345 787 655 605 319





2016 AR-16-

81c31 AR-16-

76c41 AR-16-

76c12 AR-16-

76c31 AR-16-

63c12 AR-16-

63c32 AR-16-

86c11 AR-16-

74c12 AR-16-

63c22 AR-16-

64c32 AR-16-

64c22 AR-16-

64c12 AR-16-

72c22 AR-16-

78c11 AR-16-

78c41 Total composite mineralization = 48.5m 105.7m 73.5m 67.5m 55.5m 147.0m 90.0m 88.0m 138.0m 102.0m 76.0m 74.0m 93.0m 64.0m 120.5m Total Off-scale (>10,000 to 29,999 cps)3 = 5.2m 19.9m 14.8m 14.9m 6.9m 22.1m 8.8m 21.2m 17.1m 18.8m 16.0m 10.3m 7.0m 11.6m 25.8m Total Off-scale (>30,000 to 60,999 cps)3 = 4.0m 1.0m 2.8m 5.0m 0.5m 3.0m 2.3m 1.2m 9.9m 2.5m 4.7m 3.7m 0.5m 3.0m 6.2m Total Off-scale (>61,000 cps)3 = 2.5m 0.0m 5.3m 4.5m 0.0m 0.5m 2.0m 0.0m 13.9m 0.0m 5.5m 0.0m 1.7m 2.5m 5.5m Continuous GT (Grade x Thickness) = Assays

Pending Assays

Pending 762 761 203 274

and

124 Assays

Pending 160

and

35 638

and

604 172

and

92 541 338 156

and

45 485 Assays

Pending

1 radioactivity results previously released 2 radioactivity and assays results previously released 3 minimum radioactivity using RS-120 gamma spectrometer



Highlights:

A2 Sub-Zone

AR-16-76c3 (58 m up-dip and southwest from AR-15-44b) intersected 74.0 m at 10.28% U3O8 (470.5 to 544.5 m) including 50.0 m at 15.05% U3O8 (494.5 to 544.5 m) and 0.5 m at 80.00% U3O8 (515.5 to 516.0 m).

AR-16-78c1 (69 m up-dip and northeast of AR-15-44b) intersected 37.5 m at 12.94% U3O8 (443.0 to 480.5 m) including 17.0 m at 20.25% U3O8 (443.5 to 460.5 m) and 4.0 m at 59.38% U3O8 (451.5 to 455.5 m).

Arrow, Activities & Financial

The land-based and basement hosted Arrow Deposit currently covers an area of 865 m by 280 m with a vertical extent of mineralization commencing from 100 m to 920 m, and remains open in most directions and at depth.

The spring 2016 program comprising 7,500 m of drilling continues with three drill rigs active. Concurrently, preparations are underway for a large summer drill program to begin in mid-June.

The Company remains on track for release of an updated NI 43-101 resource estimate on the Arrow Deposit due in the second half of 2016.

The Company will have cash on hand of $100M upon closing of the previously announced financing with CEF Holdings.

A three-dimensional view of the A2 Sub-Zone, drill hole locations and a close-up of the A2 long section are shown in Figures 1 to 3. Assay results are presented in Table 2.

Garrett Ainsworth, Vice-President, Exploration and Development, commented: "The A2 high grade domain is demonstrating strong grade and thickness continuity of massive to semi-massive uranium mineralization, evident with these two highly ranked GT's at Arrow a considerable distance apart. Delineation drilling at Arrow continues to impress."

Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The drill assay results reported herein continue to exceed our expectations. The spring program is progressing well with currently four assays pending in the Sub-Zone and 23 in total at Arrow. Drilling for the balance of spring will continue to focus at Arrow and at the new 180m southwest extension where early indications have been very encouraging. Preparations for the summer program are well advanced which will focus on continued Arrow delineation and extensions, the 180m southwest extension as well as high priority regional targets along the Patterson Corridor on Rook I."

Table 2: Arrow Zone Assay Results









Drill Hole Athabasca Group

- Basement

Unconformity

Depth (m) SRC Geoanalytical Results Grade (U3O8%)

x Thickness (m)

(GT) Hole ID Azimuth Dip Total

Depth

(m) From

(m) To (m) Interval

(m) U3O8 (wt%) AR-16-74c3 131 -69 714.00 113.80 449.50 454.50 5.00 0.03 0.15









515.50 516.00 0.50 0.04 0.02









521.50 523.00 1.50 0.04 0.06









552.00 554.00 2.00 0.23 0.46









565.50 566.50 1.00 0.20 0.20









569.50 571.50 2.00 0.91 1.82









574.00 580.50 6.50 1.85 12.03









587.50 590.00 2.50 0.30 0.75









592.50 606.00 13.50 0.63 8.51









613.50 620.50 7.00 0.02 0.14









633.50 634.50 1.00 0.06 0.06









653.00 653.50 0.50 0.02 0.01 AR-16-76c2 140 -70 609.00 114.95 434.50 437.00 2.50 0.30 0.75









472.50 475.50 3.00 0.23 0.68









479.00 481.00 2.00 0.02 0.03









483.50 506.00 22.50 0.38 8.48









510.50 541.00 30.50 2.70 82.22









587.00 596.00 9.00 0.12 1.08









598.50 603.00 4.50 0.05 0.22 AR-16-76c3 140 -70 606.00 114.95 470.50 544.50 74.00 10.28 760.72







incl. 494.50 544.50 50.00 15.05







incl. 510.50 525.50 15.00 41.26







incl. 514.00 518.00 4.00 67.05







incl. 514.00 525.50 11.50 49.53







incl. 515.50 516.00 0.50 80.00









586.00 587.50 1.50 0.03 0.05









594.50 595.50 1.00 0.04 0.04 AR-16-78c1 138 -68 564.00 110.95 396.00 440.50 44.50 0.14 6.23









443.00 480.50 37.50 12.94 485.25







incl. 443.50 460.50 17.00 20.25







incl. 451.50 455.50 4.00 59.38









485.50 491.50 6.00 0.06 0.36





















Composite parameters:

Minimum thickness 0.5 m downhole

Cutoff grade 0.01% U3O8

Maximum internal dilution 2.00 m downhole

U3O8 analyzed by ICP-OES at SRC Laboratories, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

All depths and intervals are meters downhole, true thicknesses are yet to be determined

Split core samples were taken systematically, and intervals were submitted to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) of Saskatoon for analysis. All samples were analyzed using ICP-MS for trace elements on partial and total digestions, ICP-OES for major and minor elements on a total digestion, and fusion solution of boron by ICP-OES. Mineralized samples were analyzed for U3O8 by ICP-OES and selected samples for gold by fire assay.

All assay batches reported herein are subjected to and have passed rigorous internal QA/QC protocols that include, but are not limited to, the blind insertion of standard reference materials, blank materials and field duplicates into the sample stream at both random and systematic intervals.

The technical information in this news release has been approved by Garrett Ainsworth, P.Geo., Vice President  Exploration & Development, a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Ainsworth reviewed the data disclosed in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information contained in this news release. Mr. Ainsworth has verified that the results are accurate by reviewing the official assay certificates provided to the Company.



About NexGen

NexGen is a British Columbia corporation with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of Canadian uranium projects. NexGen has a highly experienced team of uranium industry professionals with a successful track record in the discovery of uranium deposits and in developing projects through discovery to production.

NexGen owns a portfolio of highly prospective uranium exploration assets in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, including a 100% interest in Rook I, location of the Arrow Discovery in February 2014. The Arrow Deposit's maiden Inferred mineral resource estimate is 201.9 M lbs U3O8 contained in 3.48 M tonnes grading 2.63% U3O8. Rook I also hosts the Bow Discovery which is 3.7 km along trend and northeast of Arrow and was made in March 2015.

The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, the proposed use of proceeds and planned exploration activities. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connation thereof.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price of uranium, the anticipated cost of planned exploration activities, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, and that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Company's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, pending assay results may not be consistent with preliminary results, discretion in the use of proceeds, alternative sources of energy, aboriginal title and consultation issues, reliance on key management and other personnel, potential downturns in economic conditions, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, availability of third party contractors, availability of equipment and supplies, failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE NexGen Energy Ltd.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jun 6, 2016) - Amarillo Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:AGC) ("Amarillo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract of purchase and sale with Baribras Mining Ltd, ("Baribras"). Baribras is Brazilian registered private company that owns the mineral rights at the dormant Zacarias mine 13 km to the west of the proposed Posse mine development at the Mara Rosa Project. Zacarias material was toll processed at the old Posse mine when it was operated by Western Mining 1992-1995. Approximately 360,000 tonnes of tails from processing minerals from Zacarias mine remain on the Posse mining site. These tails are still the property of Baribras.

The federal, National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM) has facilitated both parties to completed this agreement so as to simplify the title and encourage the development of the Mara Rosa project.

The agreement signed is a purchase agreement for these tails. Amarillo will gain ownership by passing this material through the proposed processing plant. Amarillo will charge an agreed operating cost per tonne for processing this material. The profit from any gold or silver recovered from processing these tails will be shared 50% by Amarillo, 50% by Baribras. Baribras will also pay the cost of removing certain structures from the site as part of the deal.

Buddy Doyle, President and CEO, commented: "Amarillo is systematically moving the Mara Rosa Project forward and this is another necessary step. Another box ticked! Having the ability to move these historic tails that sit in the blast radius of the proposed pit is a significant step towards our plans to build a mine at Mara Rosa."

Baribras have taken a number of samples from the tails and have reported an average grade of 0.48 g/t Au and 31.7 g/t Ag, (from 36 surface and auger samples). More samples and metallurgical testing will be required to obtain a better understanding of the potential recoverable precious metals content. There is also a second historic tailings pile 100% owned by Amarillo that could be reprocessed. The cost and potential revenue from reprocessing both historic tailings piles will be factored into the planned feasibility study.

The Qualified person for this report is Frank Baker, a metallurgist with over 30 years experience, a member of the AUSIMM and IOM3.

About Amarillo Gold Corp.

Amarillo Gold Corp. is focused on acquisition, discovery, and definition of gold resources in Brazil. It is the Company's policy to strive to do this in a sustainable, safe way using best practices whilst benefiting our shareholders and the communities we work in. The Company's principal projects are the Mara Rosa Project in the state of Goias, and the Lavras do Sul Project in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Posse Deposit at Mara Rosa contains 5.462MT @ 2.04 g/t Au Measured, 15.393MT @ 1.65 g/t Au indicated and 3.269MT @ 1.34 g/t Au inferred. (A NI 43-101 resource as independently determined by Australian Exploration Field Services Pty. AEFS, Keith Whitehouse QP). The Mara Rosa Gold Project has received a positive economic assessment from a Pre-Feasibility study and Amarillo is proceeding to get the project permitted. The Posse Deposit was successfully mined by Western Mining Corporation (WMC) during the 1990s (mined areas are excluded from the above-stated resource figures), and is located in an area of excellent infrastructure: approximately 35 km NE of Yamana's Chapada open pit Cu-Au operation, some 80 km NE of Yamana's Pilar Au project (in feasibility), 95 km NW of Votorantim's Niquelandia Ni laterite mine, 105 km from NE of Serra Grande's underground Au mine, and 105 km NNW of Anglo American's Ni laterite project at Barro Alto.

The Lavras do Sul Project is an advanced exploration stage property (190 sq. km.) comprising of more than 19 prospects centered on historic gold workings, with encouraging gold mineralization discovered and defined by more than 16,000 meters of drilling. The initial resource estimate at the Butia prospect reported 215,000 ounces of gold indicated from 6.4 MT at 1.05 g/t Au, and 308,000 ounces of gold inferred from 12.9 MT at 0.74 g/t Au using a 0.3 g/t cut-off grade in a NI 43-101 resource as independently determined by Atticus Consulting 2010, Anthony Amberg, QP. Lavras do Sul is also located near excellent infrastructure. The Company also has a portfolio of earlier stage projects and all properties under Amarillo's management are located in areas of good infrastructure and mining-friendly communities.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Amarillo Gold Corp.

Per: "Buddy Doyle"

Buddy Doyle, President

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:-

This news release contains Forward Looking Statements regarding our intentions and plans. Forward looking statements in this news release include plans to move ahead with the work required to obtain the LI. Various factors may prevent or delay our plans, including but not limited to, the ability to raise funds, contractor availability and performance, weather, access, mineral prices and success and failure of the exploration and development carried out at various stages of the program. Permission from the Government and community is also required to proceed with future mining production. We may not be able to fulfill our obligations under the proposed gold loan and we may be unable to raise sufficient financing to carry out our plans. Readers should review risk factors applicable to junior mining exploration companies generally to understand the variety of risks that can affect the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Vancouver, BC (FSCwire) - Golden Predator Mining Corp. (TSX.V: GPY) (the Company) is pleased to report on the initial bulk sample processing results from its estimated 750 ton bulk sample program at its 100% owned 3 Aces project. Sample processing began on April 10, 2016 with 66.65 dry tonnes (73.45 dry tons) of material processed through June 3rd, 2016. A total of 3,442.8 g (110.7 troy ounces) of a gold concentrate with an estimated gold content of 85.9% has been recovered from the processing.

The gold concentrate is estimated to contain approximately 8.1% silver and 6.0% waste. Final analysis will be announced when the material is refined. The gold concentrate consists of recovered gold grains, mostly larger than a 100 mesh screen (0.150 millimeter) size. A sulphide concentrate is also being recovered that will be refined at a later date resulting in additional gold recovery. Assaying of the sulphide concentrate will be conducted at a later date.

INTERIM RECOVERY REPORT

Head grade samples and tail grade samples were collected between April 23rd and May 5th. Sampling was conducted hourly; daily composites were made for both the head and tail samples. Head and tailings grades were determined by precious metals analysis utilizing a screen metallic gold procedure. Calculated daily recoveries (head grade minus tailings grade/head grade) ranged from 80.81% to 92.79%. Prior to April 23rd the plant was operating intermittently during startup and head grade and tails samples were not collected. Samples collected after May 5th have yet to be submitted to the lab.

The daily results are shown in the table below:

3 Aces Project, Yukon 2016 Bulk Sample Daily Heads, Tails and Recoveries Date Head Assay Gold g/t Tail assay Gold g/t % Recovery April 23rd 46.9 5.72 87.80% April 24th 46.5 6.4 86.24% April 25th 51.3 6.52 87.29% April 26th 57 6.62 88.39% April 27th 87 122.5 ** April 28th 108.5 12.5 88.48% April 29th 56.1 6.42 88.56% April 30th 84.8 6.11 92.79% May 1st 60.7 11.65 80.81% May 2nd 67 5.51 91.78% May 3rd 57.2 6.35 88.90% May 4th 57.5 5.74 90.02% May 5th 88.1 6.64 92.46%

* Calculated Recovery is determined by Head assay minus Tail assay divided by Head assay.

** Head and tails assays from April 27 are being re-analyzed.

We are pleased with the daily recoveries demonstrated during this initial phase of our processing and look forward to reporting on our progress as we better understand the nature of our bulk sample, said Janet Lee-Sheriff, Chief Executive Officer. Through testing of various parameters, we are refining the flow sheet and determining how to improve both our throughput and operational consistency while improving the gold recovery.

BULK SAMPLE PROCESSING PROCEDURES

The gold bearing quartz vein material collected in the bulk sample was transported to the processing plant in supersacks. Supersacks were weighed and fed through a hopper into a 10 by 16 inch jaw crusher to 3/4 inch minus and into a crushed material bin. Crushed material is discharged via a vibratory feeder into a 24 by 16 inch hammermill which grinds the material to 90% passing 8 mesh (2.36 mm). Ground material is processed over a pair of 4 x 8 shaker tables. The shaker tables classify the material into 4 products; a No. 1 concentrate, No. 2 concentrate, middlings and tailings portions. The highest grade material is collected in the No. 1 concentrate, it is mostly fine gold with a relatively small amount of sulfide. The No. 2 concentrate captures the coarser gold and sulfide particles, and contains a considerable amount of gold. The No. 1 and No. 2 concentrates which contain the bulk of the coarse gold were processed through a 10 inch batch rod mill designed by NEW ERA Engineering Corporation of Whitehorse. The rod mill takes advantage of the ductile properties of coarse gold and flattens it while grinding gangue (mainly sulphide) materials contained in the concentrate. Gold is separated from the concentrate by passing through 50, 70 and 100 mesh (0.300 mm, 0.212 mm and 0.150 mm) screens. Middlings are rerun over the shaker table to produce a sulphide concentrate which is then combined with the No. 1 and No. 2 concentrate which passed the 100 mesh screen. This bulk sulphide concentrate contains gold finer than 100 mesh and will be processed at a later date. The bulk of the material reports to tails and is predominately quartz but as demonstrated by the tails assays contains gold that is potentially recoverable with further refinements to the process plant.

SAMPLE PLANT OBSERVATIONS

The Company is pleased with the initial recoveries produced by the processing plant. The tune up phase of the processing plant has identified areas for improvement. The jaw crusher and the shaker tables are running at rates that would allow for 25 tons per day or more. Throughput in the plant has been restricted by the hammermill which has reduced 24 hour output to 4 tpd or less. We are currently processing material at a greatly reduced rate while we consider alternatives to the hammermill to increase throughput and achieve a more consistent grind and particle size. These improvements and other minor modifications to the plant are expected to significantly increase throughput and improve overall gold recoveries. The Company will refine its gold concentrates produced during April and May in the coming weeks and report the results along with an update on continuing activities.

SAMPLING METHODOLOGY, QUALITY CONTROL and ASSURANCE

Head samples are daily composite samples. Approximately 0.25 kg of crushed material was collected each hour from the vibratory feeder and the samples were composited over a 24 hour period. Tails samples are daily composite samples. Approximately 0.20 kg of tails were collected each hour from the tailings discharge pipe prior to entering the thickener and the samples were composited over a 24 hour period. The composite head and tails samples were collected under the supervision of company personnel and the chain of custody from the processing plant to the sample preparation facility maintained. Laboratory duplicates were performed approximately every tenth sample. The samples were delivered to ALS Minerals preparation facility in Whitehorse, Yukon where samples were crushed and pulverized and sample pulps shipped to ALS Minerals certified laboratory in Vancouver. Samples were analyzed using the Au-SCR24 method, gold by screen fire assay. The method employs dry screening of a 2 kilogram sample to 100 microns. Duplicate 50 gram assays by atomic absorption are completed on the undersize fraction and fire assay with gravimetric finish on the entire oversize fraction. The processing plant is under 24 hour/day remote control video surveillance. Gold concentrates are dried, weighed and recorded on a log sheet prior to being transported to a secure off-site repository.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mike Burke, P. Geo, Chief Geologist and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Golden Predator Mining Corp.

Golden Predator Mining Corp., a Canadian gold mineral exploration company, is focused on advancing the 3 Aces Project and Brewery Creek project in Canadas North. The Company has undertaken a bulk sampling at the 3 Aces project, focused on high grade native gold bearing quartz veins, to define the distribution and grade of gold in the veins. The Companys Brewery Creek Project is a past producing heap leach gold mine with a Preliminary Economic Assessment, next steps include advancing the project through feasibility and permitting.

For additional information:



Janet Lee-Sheriff

Chief Executive Officer

(214) 304-9552

info@goldenpredator.com

www.goldenpredator.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This press release contains forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations that the private placement will complete as described herein, that the Project will advance through permitting and feasibility. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Greg Hayes

Chief Executive Officer

(587) 524 1599





To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/GoldenPredator06062016.pdfSource: Golden Predator Mining Corp. (TSX Venture:GPY) http://www.goldenpredator.com

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Copyright  2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Phillip Rich, Shaun Presland and Chris Lucas are teaming up on a new project in Flinders Lane. Photo: Supplied





Chris Lucas has set the wheels in motion for an as-yet-unnamed Japanese restaurant at 175 Flinders Lane, almost opposite Supernormal, that's expected to open in March 2017.

Lucas, who owns Flinders Lane original Chin Chin, Baby Pizzeria and Kong BBQ in Richmond, and Hawker Hall in Windsor, is aiming for a high-end, but not exclusive, offering that's purely Japanese, "our attempt at creating a new style of fun, accessible, yet high-quality dining."

He's enticed chef Shaun Presland (who left Sydney-based Sake Restaurant in October last year) to Melbourne to head up three kitchens over three levels. 

Presland, who is fluent in Japanese thanks to a stint cheffing through Japan in the '90s, knows his way around a sashimi knife; in 2000 he set up sushi e for the Merivale Group and in 2005 was headhunted by Nobu.

A split-level main dining room at street level will revolve around a serious sushi bar ("no trains," Lucas says), and a "hot kitchen" in the basement level with combined seating for 150.

The top floor will showcase an eight-seat omakase-style bar with a kaiseki offering, a sequence of individually plated dishes balanced by taste, temperature, texture and colour, as well as a couple of private dining rooms and a standalone watering hole.

Newly appointed wine guy Philip Rich (ex-Prince Wine Store) is flying to Japan in November to nail down the wine, beer and sake list, and they're in the process of appointing a "sake master".

It's an ambitious project, particularly as the site is currently part office building, part "reptile shop", according to Lucas, but it is in good hands; elite architecture firm Wood Marsh (they designed the EastLink tollway and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art) has been appointed to begin work immediately.

This is the third proposed venture for the Lucas Group in the next year, with a Sydney Chin Chin headed for Surry Hills and plans yet to be announced for their recently acquired Smith Street location. Watch this space.
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By Glenn Dromgoole

In the first paragraph of his thoroughly researched, well-written and action-packed biography of legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, author John Boessenecker boldly states:

"He was the greatest American lawman of the twentieth century."

That's quite a claim. Whether or not that's true, Boessenecker, who lives in San Francisco, presents 460 pages of stories to back it up in "Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde" (Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, $29.99 hardcover).

The author doesn't over-glamorize Hamer (1884-1955), pointing out his shortcomings as well as his successes in this account of Hamer's five decades in law enforcement. Best known as a Texas Ranger, Hamer actually spent about as much of his career in other peace officer capacities.

In fact, he was not a Ranger but a hired special investigator when he famously tracked down and killed the murderous outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in 1934. Boessenecker separates popular myth, perpetrated by the movie "Bonnie and Clyde," from the facts of the case. Hamer's widow sued the studio for defamation for the way it portrayed Hamer in the film and collected a $20,000 settlement, the author reports.

The Bonnie and Clyde case gets three chapters (out of 23) and 66 pages in the book as Boessenecker devotes much more attention to Hamer's earlier years in law enforcement dealing with border violence, saving blacks from East Texas lynch mobs, battling the Ku Klux Klan, and struggling with political corruption.

"Texas bred tough men," writes Boessenecker, "and none came any tougher than Frank Hamer. He was to the Lone Star State what Wyatt Earp was to Arizona and what Wild Bill Hickok was to Kansas.

"His iron courage was forged in the flames of 52 gunfights with desperadoes. In an era when crooked police were a dime a dozen, he could not be bought at any price."

Boessenecker supports his conclusions with 40 pages of bibliographical notes in which he takes issue with some earlier books and accounts, especially with regard to the killing of Bonnie and Clyde.

Slow Cooker: Texas food writer and recipe developer Marye Audet has put together the "Mexican Slow Cooker Cookbook: Easy, Flavorful Mexican Dishes That Cook Themselves" (Rockridge Press, $13.99 paperback).

"Just because you love eating Mexican food," she writes, "doesn't mean you want to spend hours in the kitchen preparing and cooking ingredients.

"This slow cooker cookbook brings easy slow cooker meals to your table with the flavors of Mexico  and minimal effort on your part."

Chapters include dips and appetizers, soups, vegetarian dishes, seafood and poultry, meat dishes, sides and desserts. The focus is on the recipes themselves, with very few pictures, but the 90 or so recipes are easy to follow and don't really need illustrating. And, of course, that makes it a more affordable book.

Glenn Dromgoole is co-author of 101 Essential Texas Books. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.
A view of downtown San Angelo during the catastrophic flood of 1936.

Be careful what you wish for.

I'm sure we all must be celebrating the rains that came as a blessing.

But, back in 1936 San Angeloans were lamenting the lack of rain they had in the summer of 1936. Only 0.08 of an inch was recorded in San Angelo in August.

Then, on Sept. 15, rain finally arrived courtesy of a tropical storm. It started raining here. And rained. And rained. And kept raining. It rained 11.75 inches on Sept. 15, 1.18 inches on the 16th, 4.65 inches on the 17th and 7.64 inches on the 18th.

The result?

"Catastrophic flooding," wrote the National Weather Service's Mark Cunningham and Jason Johnson, who analyzed the '36 flood and posted their findings on the National Weather Service's San Angelo website.

Be careful what you wish for.

All three branches of the Concho, north, south and middle, brought floodwaters into town.

Back then, Twin Buttes Reservoir and O.C. Fisher Dam didn't exist.

The water from the South and Middle Conchos overflowed Nasworthy Dam, surging into town, and "backed water up the North Concho River to the center of the city," the weathermen wrote. Then, they added, "just as this water began to recede, the flood from the North Concho (the most ever measured on that river) reached the city. The river's channel was inadequate for this enormous quantity of water, and the river broke over its banks, flooding large areas of the residential and business sections of the city."

Miraculously, no one died in San Angelo's flood, despite the hair-raising rescues reported in the Standard-Times.

"When motorboats fail, cow pony rallies to rescue," read one headline on the front page of the Friday, Sept. 18, 1936, San Angelo Evening Standard.

Estimates of flood damage started at $2 million, and that was back in the day when movie admission was 10 cents for children and a nickel more for adults.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged, leaving 300 or more people homeless. The newspaper's staff did an impressive job of reporting flood damage.

"The residence of Mrs. W.H. Walraven, 522 N. Elm St. opposite the home of Mrs. Lottie Haynes, was floated halfway down the block and lodged against a tree. It was damaged extensively," one reporter wrote.

"The current went to the ceiling at the Sol Mayer home at 222 South Park. Furniture and oil paintings were damaged, an estimated $4,000." the reporter said. "Mrs. Mayer said she was grateful that no lives were lost and came down this morning to give a thousand dollar check for the relief effort."

"Rising water in the living room of George Abercrombie, porter at Cox-Rushing-Greer Co., 338 W. Ninth St., forced him to evacuate before he had time to salvage any furnishings," reporter wrote. "A few minutes after he left the house it and other houses in the block were submerged and some floating down the street."

"Dick Godwin, mechanic at Kenley Auto Co., last saw his new frame home as it was floating down a draw into the main Concho," a reporter wrote.

Rushing water and the impact of houses and other debris striking the downtown bridges disabled all but the Chadbourne Bridge.

Businesses, ranging from Shannon Hospital to cafes and movie theaters, also suffered.

"The garage of Darrell Wright, three doors north of the river on Oakes, has all gone down the river," a reporter wrote.

Water carried off everything, including the furniture, from the hamburger stand of W.F. Compton at 419 S. Oakes.

Associated Press photographer James Laughead, flying over the city, described the scene this way: "San Angelo, West Texas metropolis, was a muddy battered town from the air today, but residents thronged on the main streets. appeared cheerful and ready for work."
The Stephens Central Library, downtown San Angelo.

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By Staff Report

Retired Lt. General Ronnie Hawkins, who served as the U.S. military's Director of Defense Information Systems Agency that oversees the country's cyber security, will be the keynote speaker during a forum "The Truth About the Middle East and ISIL" scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday in the Stephens Library.

Hawkins will describe his experiences with Middle Eastern terrorist groups, what the government has done and needs to do to address threats.

The event, which is open to the public, is part of a six-part series called "The Truth About" that will address a variety of current state and national issues. The series is sponsored by the Tom Green County Democratic Party.

"Because of who he is, Mr. Hawkins is probably the most qualified individual to speak about these very critical issues," said David Currie, chairman of the Tom Green County Democratic Party. "This is not a political event. Our goal is to encourage people to think for themselves."

Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions.

The selection of invited speakers is not based on their political views, but on their experience and knowledge of topics, Currie said.

The series is an opportunity to raise people's knowledge of the county's Democratic Party.

"It's healthy to have two strong parties," Currie said. "We want to raise our profile in the community."

Upcoming topics include "The Truth About Obamacare," "The Truth About Social Security," "The Truth About Public Education and Vouchers," and "The Truth About Voter ID Laws and Voter Fraud."

More than 200 San Angelo are residents attended the May forum which addressed religious liberties.

If you go

What: The Truth About ISIL

When: 7-9 p.m., Thursday

Where: Stephens Central Library Community Room, 33 W. Beauregard Ave.

What else: Keynote speaker retired Lt. General Ronnie Hawkins, former director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, will talk about his experiences with Middle Eastern terrorists. The event is sponsored by the Tom Green County Democratic Party
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By Rashda Khan, Rashda.Khan@gosanangelo.com

The planned construction of a new Tom Green County Jail east of U.S. Highways 67/277, and northeast of the existing Roy K. Robb Mens Community Corrections Facility, will require a supporting network of streets.

City staff will be asking the San Angelo City Council on Tuesday to consider an ordinance amending the Major Thoroughfare Plan, which is a component of the San Angelo Comprehensive Plan. The amendment includes the addition of three north/south and three east/west collector roads, while eliminating two planned future collector roads.

Even though the area  bound by a future street from U.S. Highway 67 to City Farm Road to the north, and U.S. Highway 67/277 with part of North Loop 306 to the west, Farm-to-Market Road 380 to the south, and City Farm Road to the east  is beyond the city limits, it is still within the city's Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, according to city staff.

This will be the first reading and public hearing of the request. Other items on the agenda include:

Amending the city's Solid Waste Contract with Republic Services of Texas reflecting a change in trash and bulk pickup services.

Authorizing the city manager to contract with San Angelo Host, Inc., for the operations of concessions at City properties.

Authorizing the city manager to contract with Nasworthy Lake Tours, LLC, to operate an excursion paddle wheel steamboat and nonmotorized water craft rental concession at Spring Creek Park at Lake Nasworthy

First public hearing and introduction of an ordinance amending the 2015-2016 budget for capital projects and donations.

A closed session is also scheduled to deal with:

Legal issues dealing with 2013 Sealcoating Program Contract; and Templeton Construction, Inc.

The purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property related to: Lot 1, Group 7, Lake Nasworthy Addition
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The sunshine was welcome across the Concho Valley Sunday, but by Monday afternoon, one rancher said he hoped it wasn't the start of the next drought.

Nonetheless, it's a rare sight for West Texans to see water standing on saturated ranch roads several days after the last thunderstorm left the country.

Ralph Willberg of Paint Rock joined neighbors to never say "enough rain" but he was wishing for some sunshine over the weekend following two weeks of daily rain events that totaled 7.5 inches. Creeks normally dry in the area were running, even over several roadways west of Paint Rock.

"The muddy ranch roads were challenges of excitement for our grandsons," said Dee Lackey as she rode a Ranger four-wheeler with Will and Luke Taylor on the land across the fence from Willbergs.

Cornfields around Veribest, 12 miles east of San Angelo, are already supporting ears with silk strands following the rainfall.

Other crops in the area also appear to be thriving. Some cotton has been planted between rain events and is emerging. Wheat is mature and farmers are waiting for the fields to dry out so the combines can return to cutting the crop.

Even though rainfall has been inconsistent in some areas, accumulative amounts have made the difference in other areas. Floyd G. "F.G." Brown, who farms on the Lipan Flats east of San Angelo, told me Sunday he has gauged 8.5 inches of rain in the two weeks prior.

While driving across the pasture on his Six Mile Ranch west of Fort McKavett last week, Jimmie Powell said he came upon an approximate 2-mile stretch where all the leaves were gone from the live oak trees. "If it was a tornado, there was no indication that it touched the ground," he said.

Patricia Ferguson King and her husband, Tommy, also discovered a strip of leafless live oak trees when visiting their ranch in Kimble County. The old Ferguson ranch is located in the Blue Mountain area 25 miles east of Junction.

Patricia's father, Lewis Ferguson, was one of my teachers at Junction High School in the 1950s. His family moved to Kimble County from Mason County in 1927 when purchasing the ranch. When reaching school age, Lewis rode on horseback from the ranch to school in the Ivy Community.

"Most of my school years were spent in Mason County, but I returned to the Junction school in my junior year where I graduated in 1928," Lewis wrote in his memoirs.

When Lewis Ferguson died May 10, 2014, at 92, Patricia and Tommy took over the ranch which serves as their retreat.

Excuse my digression, remembering the drought that gripped the state for more than five years, cotton farmers from the Concho Valley, Big Country to the South Plains and Panhandle admit too much of a good thing like too much rain is a detriment to crops.

"Farmers don't like extremes. They like middle of the road, but the pendulum is swinging from one side to the other," said Dusty Tittle, Brazos County agricultural agent.

"It has been a very stop and go spring planting season for cotton on the South Plains," said Blayne Reed, entomologist at Lubbock.

From Plainview north, an area consisting of our usually more calendar date conscientious producers, about 70 percent of the cotton has been planted while only about 50 percent south of Plainview, Reed said.

Meanwhile, the fields around Lamesa, south of Lubbock in Dawson County, have pretty much dried out and the emerging cotton that survived torrential rains is now competing with blowing sand, said Ron Lentz of San Angelo.

Even though the Lentz farm, located south of Lamesa, is rented out, Ron continues to monitor field activities.

Jerry Lackey is the agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net.
The City Council has issued a halt to renewals of existing permits and those in the application pipeline. The moratorium, which could begin as soon as Nov. 3, would phase out nearly all 1,300 residential short-term rentals.
In Montana, the economy is in pretty good shape with an unemployment rate below the national average. The governor's approval ratings are high, too, at 60 percent or better. So why is Gov. Steve Bullock running scared as he seeks a second term?It's simple: He's a Democrat in charge of a red state.He won with only 49 percent of the vote in 2012 and faces a well-funded, well-organized opponent this time around. There haven't been any presidential polls in Montana this early, but four years ago, President Obama lost the state by 12 percentage points."Montana, all things being equal, has that Republican lean," said Jeremy Johnson, a political scientist at Carroll College in Helena. "Every Democrat has to run scared. No matter how strong a candidate is, you should treat it as the race of your life."In Montana, says Johnson, even strong Democrats are at risk, and weak GOP candidates can potentially win. But this time around, Republicans believe they have a quality challenger against Bullock in Greg Gianforte, a wealthy businessman. Both Bullock and Gianforte are set to officially win their respective nominations in Tuesday's primaries."Gianforte is by far the best candidate from the Republican side that could have come out to challenge Bullock," said Shelby DeMars, a consultant with the Montana Group, a GOP consulting firm.Gianforte made his fortune in software. Like many rich candidates before him, Gianforte suggests that because he doesn't have to solicit contributions from political action committees, he can't be bought. In addition, he argues that his business experience will help him build a stronger state economy. Although unemployment in Montana is low, the state perennially ranks near the bottom in terms of average salaries.DeMars argues that people are "very tired of the status quo," however, many give Bullock good marks in terms of managing the state. Despite working with a Republican legislature, Bullock has gotten many of his proposals enacted into law, including a modest expansion of Medicaid. "We got through the recession in pretty good order," said David Parker, a political scientist at Montana State University. "The fact that he's managed the state's expenses in a way so that there's money for a rainy day, that's a big deal -- particularly with the economic problems other states have had."Bullock hasn't achieved everything he's wanted, though. One area of notable failure has been infrastructure. Bullock is now touting a $200 million plan, but his previous packages have been rejected by legislators."Voters can reasonably ask, you didn't get it done twice, what are you going to do differently?" said Parker.Republicans are also seeking to make an issue out of Bullock having to reimburse the state for use of his official plane for campaign trips. They also note that the governor is on his third lieutenant governor, hinting at management problems.In turn, Democrats have criticized Gianforte for filing a lawsuit several years ago seeking to block access to a river on his property. Access to public lands and waterways is a big deal in Montana.Gianforte's campaign says the lawsuit is about a property misunderstanding, not public lands."The Gianfortes always have and always will be supporters of stream access," a spokesman told a reporter. "There's even a trail above the high-water mark waiting for you if you wanna come out and go fishing."Nonetheless, Democrats believe they can use this issue to make Gianforte appear unsympathetic and out of touch. They have also been hammering him about donations that his family foundation has made to conservative and Christian groups, while accusing him of ducking questions about gay and transgender rights.Some of these lines of attack may stick from either direction. But the election will likely come down to basics. Montanans may opt to re-elect an incumbent most believe has done a reasonably good job. But if voters' partisan inclinations prevail, Bullock could find himself looking for a new line of work.
When Larry Harmon tried to vote on a marijuana initiative in November in his hometown of Kent, Ohio, the 59-year-old software engineer found his name had been struck from the voter rolls.Two hours south in Zanesville, restaurant worker Chris Conrad, 37, was also told he was no longer registered.Both men later found out why: they had not voted often enough.As the Nov. 8 elections loom, officials in Ohio have removed tens of thousands of voters from registration lists because they have not cast a ballot since 2008.All U.S. states periodically cleanse their voter rolls, but only a handful remove voters simply because they dont vote on a regular basis. And nowhere could the practice have a greater potential impact in the state-by-state battle for the White House than Ohio, a swing state that has backed the winner in every presidential election since 1960.
Dr. James Gill walked through the morgue in Farmington, Connecticut, recently, past the dock where the bodies come in, past the tissue donations area, and stopped outside the autopsy room.We kind of have a typical board listing all of the decedents for the day, Gill said, pointing to the list of names on a dry erase board. Overdose, overdose, overdose, overdose overdose. Thats just for today.Gill is the chief medical examiner for the state of Connecticut, and of the nine bodies in his custody that day, four were the remains of the people who likely died from an accidental drug overdose. A fifth was a probable suicide involving drugs. It was a sad, but typical day, he explained, with a practical consequence for the states morgue: Gill is running out of room to store bodies.Weve had to buy some extra racks and things so we can store more, he told me. But we really probably need more cooler space. Were kind of outgrowing the storage space here.In the past two years, Gills office has seen a more than a 50 percent increase in autopsies. Thats mostly because of the spike in accidental drug overdoses, he said. Heroin is the big player. Fentanyl deaths have surged, too.I sat with Gill in the so-called family room just off the lobby of the examiners office. In explaining why good data on exactly which drugs killed exactly which people is important, Gill recalled a conversation he once had with a mother whose daughter had died of a drug overdose the previous year. The mother called Gill to learn more.Can you tell me, did she suffer? the woman wanted to know. Was she in pain?And I explained to her, Gill said, that, with an opioid death, the person just gradually goes to sleep and its very painless.And she started crying, Gill told me, fighting tears of his own. And it gave her some comfort.Theres another reason to get solid data  so you can craft a public health response to the epidemic. Specificity about a death today could help save a life tomorrow, he said. A death certificate needs to say more than something vague like opioid intoxication to help both law enforcement and public health officials curb the distribution  and hopefully abuse  of opioids.Well, what are those opioids? Are they heroin or are they Oxycontin?  he asked rhetorically. The precise answer can make a difference in figuring out what actions to take.But not all death certificates have as much information as they could. When Gill took the job just a few years ago, only 63 percent of Connecticuts drug deaths had specific drugs listed on the death certificate. Today 99 percent do.I found that the doctors here, a lot of them were certifying the deaths as acute or multi-drug intoxication, Gill told me. And I said, No, we need to spell out what the drugs are that are causing the death. So, it would be acute intoxication due to the combined effects of heroin, diazepam and alcohol  and thats how we certify the deaths now. Were very specific about what were finding in the toxicology.In 2014 , the most recent year that data are available, only Rhode Island did better than Connecticut in getting and passing along these sorts of comprehensive details. Conversely, only about half of deaths in some other states  including Pennsylvania, Indiana, Mississippi and Louisiana  have specific information on the death certificates.There are a lot of contributing factors that could explain the variation from state to state, Gill said.First, not all people who certify deaths have the same training.Second, when lots of drugs are involved, some people may not be comfortable singling out one or two as the cause of death. Custom could play a role, too  the Weve always done it this way factor. So might size. Connecticut is small and centralized in the way it handles these cases.All of the deaths are examined here by the same group of medical examiners, the same investigators, Gill said. So we can kind of establish that common technique and certification ability. Whereas, in a lot of jurisdictions  New York, for example  it varies by county.Margaret Warner, an injury epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focuses on monitoring trends in mortality, using death certificate data, and she agrees that lots of variables contribute to Connecticuts success in gathering better data. But one of them is pretty basic: clear communication with the people who determine and report the cause of death.The thing thats different between 2012 and the current year, Warner told me, is that Dr. Gill  who knows that we want those specific drugs written down on the death certificate  is now writing them down. So some of its about reaching out to the certifiers to make sure that they know we want the specific drugs involved.The CDC is actively working on that, Warner said.But, in Gills experience, not everyone wants all that information documented.I remember one call from a family member who was upset that we put heroin on the death certificate, he said. Their son had died of heroin, and they didnt want it on the death certificate because they were afraid that the public was going to hear about it and know that that person died of heroin. And I said, Im sorry, but this is a public health issue. And, judging from the data, it may be a big public health issue for a long time to come.
Cost of inaction

Holding to lower figure

Too little money

Replacing 13 miles of water mains every year for the next 50 years. Repairing or replacing five dams. Switching out at least 2,000 lead service lines every year for five years.Those are some of the "immediate needs" for the city of Flint's ailing water system that go far beyond removing lead particles from the contaminated drinking water supply, according to a state-commissioned report obtained by the Detroit Free Press.The new infrastructure recommendations from Flint-based engineering firm Rowe Professional Services also come with a price tag of more than $214 million, including $80 million needed to dig up and replace roughly 10,000 lead pipes carrying water to homes and businesses. The new cost estimate to replace lead-based water service lines alone is more than three times the $25-million funding request submitted under the proposed budget from Gov. Rick Snyder.And the problematic lines would not be rooted out anytime soon. The process could take as long as eight years, according to the report, if the city decides to unearth and replace leaching lead, as well as damaged galvanized steel pipes, which have been discovered to absorb lead particles almost like a sponge.Those who first sounded the alarm about the Flint water crisis are growing impatient with the pace of providing money for the city's recovery."For over two years, the people of Flint have been drinking through lead-painted straws," Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha told a business-led public policy meeting on Mackinac Island last week. She is the Flint pediatrician credited with bringing the city's crisis to the public's attention after state agencies initially dismissed her concerns.The Flint water crisis drew widespread attention last fall when government officials finally acknowledged a dangerous level of lead in water supply was likely caused by failing to add corrosion controls to a new water source.But Flint's aging water system has suffered from a lack of investment for years, a problem exacerbated by an ill-fated switch to the Flint River as a drinking water supply in mid-2014. The city switched back to its original Detroit water source late last year and added chemicals to attempt to recoat its pipes to prevent lead contamination."The water main infrastructure has been severely damaged," Virginia Tech Professor Marc Edwards, an expert on lead in water supplies who drew national attention to Flint's troubles, said during an appearance last week. "We have to get these water mains upgraded so they they are not being fixed on failure."The price of inaction could be high. Water bills for Flint residents, which are among the highest in the nation, are now projected to double over the next five years if the system is not upgraded and certain costs remain fixed, the Michigan Department of Treasury reported last month. That's even if the city switches to a new regional water source billed as a cost-savings measure for the city.The newly disclosed 63-page study from Rowe chronicles a city water system beset by a declining customer base and thousands of gallons of missing -- but paid for -- water that mean higher rates for customers who make up the difference. Other problems include a rising number of breaks among water mains nearly a century old and water-quality problems culminating in lead contamination after the ill-fated switch to the Flint River.While the costs to repair and reconfigure the entire system could approach hundreds of millions of dollars, the state and feds have yet to appropriate anywhere close to that amount of funding to an economically struggling city.One of the biggest immediate problems is that no one still knows how many lead service lines the city has.Retired Brig. Gen. Michael C.H. McDaniel, who has been advising the city and Mayor Karen Weaver, said in an interview he is now working under an assumption that Flint may need to replace an estimated 15,000 damaged lead and galvanized steel pipes. At a lower estimated price of $5,000 apiece, the total cost could be $75 million, more than $20 million above Weaver's $55-million estimate for her Fast Start lead pipe replacement program, he said."One of things that was very clear early on," McDaniel said. "is that city records are incomplete and possibly inaccurate."Subsequent studies of the system have cast even further doubt on reliability of city records, officials say, leading Rowe to guesstimate how many problematic lines they city might have.Despite the uncertainty, Gov. Rick Snyder's top aide on the Flint water crisis said he thinks that a lower cost estimate for pipe replacement still stands."I still think that the $55 million is a pretty good number and in fact, it may be even less than that," said Richard Baird, Snyder's adviser and leader of the state's Mission Flint working group.The Rowe 2016 Water Reliability Study serves as a companion to another report from the firm last month that showed the average cost for replacing a service water line in the city through a pilot project that ended this month was $7,500. That's almost double the average cost of $4,000 for each replacement estimated by the state Department of Environmental Quality at the beginning of the water crisis last fall.Baird and McDaniel in separate interviews said those figures should not necessarily be used as a sign of costs to come. The new strategy for pipe replacement will be concentrated by neighborhood and awarded in part on who has the lowest bid, they said.It is possible, though, that the city's desire to farm the work out to several local firms to boost local jobs could increase costs, officials said.McDaniel added that the city's related fees -- an additional $2,400 per site on average -- should also be much lower as Flint scales up the project and digs fewer holes to repair more pipes.The city hopes to replace as many as 500 pipes using $2 million from the state. Flint officials will accept bids for the work intended to target areas of the city with the most at-risk population for lead exposure. But the project's goals count on bids to come in around $4,000 per pipe replacement, nearly half the amount charged for replacing the first 33 lines in a pilot project that ended last month.Though Weaver and Snyder pledged to remove all of Flint's lead lines, McDaniel said last week that not all of the city's lead and galvanized lines may need to be taken out.A block with only one or two occupied homes may instead receive an in-home water filtration system rather than new pipes, he said. Another idea under consideration is putting a permanent coating on the pipes to prevent any attached lead particles from flaking off.Baird said Flint's systemic problem -- a water system nearly double the size necessary for the city's population -- could be right-sized by changing its configuration, possibly using a model embraced by some shrinking European cities.Flint's dilemma -- pressing infrastructure needs and few dollars committed to pay for them -- is hardly unique.The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates there is only $5.6 trillion in funding available for $10.7 trillion needed infrastructure repairs through 2040. Without near-term fixes including to water systems, the nation's economy could be drained of almost $4 trillion over the next decade, resulting in 2.5 fewer million jobs, according to the association."If you have been coming to this conference for 20 years, you probably spent 18 of them talking about roads," Snyder said in his keynote address on Mackinac Island on Thursday. But the governor lamented that the group of political and business leadership in the past didn't talk about infrastructure systems like water that remain largely unseen "and we should have and we need to."Residents have noticed.Infrastructure topped a list of public-policy concerns voiced by a quarterly Michigan State University survey earlier this year. Snyder in March set up a commission to examine infrastructure across Michigan. But the governor's $165-million request to launch a statewide infrastructure fund has received little traction so far among legislators in Lansing.Beyond Flint, getting lead out of water systems is also a nationwide and costly problem.Almost 2,000 additional water systems spanning all 50 states have shown excessive lead contamination in testing over the past four years, according to a USA TODAY investigation. The rating company Fitch in March estimated the cost of replacing the nation's lead pipes in water systems as high as $50 billion.The Rowe report examined Flint's water system across 34 square miles that uses 13.2 million gallons of water on an average day serving nearly 100,000 people.The city's system includes a treatment plant, a elevated storage tank, three reservoirs, four pumping stations, five dams, and over 500 miles of distribution water main. But the city's water system was developed to provide service for a city twice Flint's size.As a result, the cash-poor city that spent years in a fiscal emergency has had a hard time investing in its water system.The average age of the city's water mains is 83. The recommended life span is no more than 100 years, but main replacement has occurred at an average rate of less than a mile per year over the last 16 years.The future for Flint's water system is increasingly perilous. The city is forecasted to lose about 20% of its population between 2015 and 2040, leading to a corresponding drop in water customers.As the city has struggled economically, staff levels in the water department took a hit. There were as many as 76 budget positions according to a 2013 study of the city. But that number has since dropped to 35 people.Roughly 25% of the parcels in Flint are vacant or unoccupied and scattered throughout the city. Because water usage has dropped in part as a result, the age of the water in the system has increased, leading to health-related problems stemming from poor water quality."The corroded and pitted interior of cast iron piping can collect sediment and debris and support microbial growth, thus decreasing water quality further than the health concerns created through main breaks," the Rowe report found.Federal officials remain concerned about the city's ability to maintain safe water. The federal Environmental Protection Agency wrote to Flint and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on Friday, worried that the city and the state might not be unable to push an important disinfectant through the system and if so, "will not be capable of maintaining chlorine residuals that follow best practices and are protective of public health.""With the onset of warmer weather, the situation is urgent," the EPA wrote. The letter was first reported Sunday by Mlive.Water paid for by Flint but not used by an actual customer has also led to higher costs that are passed on to ratepayers. Part of the reason is from leakage through water main breaks as well as other mechanical problems and even theft.A typical system loses between 5% and 15% of its purchased water. Last year, Flint's water loss was 65%, up from 43% in 2010. One likely culprit? Water main breaks. They more than doubled in Flint to 296 in 2015 from 134 in 2010. (The number fell slightly to 259 last year.)Overall, the state has spent more than $20 million on the Flint water crisis, according to the Associated Press. About $63 million more will be spent. But a subsequent request from Snyder for almost $200 million to aid Flint has not cleared the Legislature amid new concerns about reduced state revenue.During the month of May, Snyder's office pledged to pay for all Flint water used in the month as part of an effort to persuade residents to flush their pipes. It was designed to speed the chemical recoating of damaged pipes and remove particulate lead from the system.And it may be working, officials said. More testing of the water due later this summer could show whether lead levels have reached federal standards.Baird said "there has been a material uptick" in water usage during the month and "directionally, it looks like it's made a difference." He added that specific numbers about water usage will not likely be available for several weeks. Officials said it is likely that the ban on pregnant women and children younger than 6 drinking filtered Flint water may soon be lifted.But no city, state or federal officials has yet to promise a date by which Flint water will be safe to drink again without the use of a filter."I don't know when that is going to happen," Baird said, adding that outside scientists studying the city's water quality will help guide the final decision. "I don't think that's going to happen for a period of months."
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order Sunday morning in Manhattan denouncing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel, saying New York state will not conduct business with companies that participate."If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you," Cuomo said.The Democratic governor called the global BDS movement "more frightening" than terrorist attacks on the Jewish nation.He spoke as the spotlight on Israel-Palestinian relations grows ahead of the national Democratic Party's presidential nomination convention in July in Philadelphia."They're going to mainstream businesses across the world to generate a corporate enemy for Israel, and we cannot allow that to happen," Cuomo said.He made the announcement hours before New York City's annual Israel Day parade along Fifth Avenue and with dozens of Democratic elected officials assembled at the Harvard Club in midtown.The BDS campaign is an economic protest of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians, according to advocates of the movement, who say they want the Jewish nation to comply with international human rights law and Palestinian rights.BDS movement opponents say it seeks to delegitimize the existence of the country.New York is the first state with an executive action against the BDS movement."As a Democrat, I always took for granted that there was a natural relationship with Israel that was unquestionable," Cuomo said. "You now have aspects of the Democratic Party that are being critical of Israel as being disproportionate in its response."Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has called Israel's military response in the 2014 war on Gaza "disproportionate," criticizing the approach that killed 2,000 Palestinians. The Vermont senator also believes Israel has every right to defend itself.He has appointed pro-Palestinian surrogates to the Democratic Party platform-writing committee.Cuomo did not mention Sanders by name in his speech, but others, including Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), condemned the senator's position on the platform.Nadler told reporters he believes the BDS movement is "insidious and anti-Semitic."
On Friday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey received Dr Bert and Mrs Eva Klug.

In the evening, at Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Governor and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended Queensland Ballets performance of Strictly Gershwin.
On Saturday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended a morning tea held for Government House Alumni.

In the afternoon, at Government House, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey welcomed members of the public to Open Day, during which His Excellency unveiled a plaque, and addressed guests, at a ceremony marking the relocation of a statute of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, from Queens Place to Government House; and then planted a Gallipoli Centenary Rose alongside 15 other rose varieties, one for each Governor who has resided at Government House.
On Sunday, in the morning, at RAAF Base Amberley, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC attended the Bomber Command Commemorative Service where the Governor laid the first wreath.
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GIS - 06 June, 2016: Thirty-seven Mauritian enterprises will participate from 7 to 9 June 2016 at the Source Africa International Fair which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. Enterprise Mauritius will be leading the delegation.

The main objectives of this participation are to maintain visibility as the Next Door Preferred Partner and to further boost exports to South Africa. Mauritius will be occupying more than 25% of the exhibition Centres floor space and the companies will be showcasing a wide range of products namely: knitwear, t-shirt, polo shirts, jeans, high-end suits and accessories. In addition to participation in the trade show, EM will be organising a Fashion Show on 8 June to showcase the Savoir Faire of Mauritian manufacturers to prospective South Africa buyers.

Following successful participation in Source Africa 2015 in Cape Town and in line with its market consolidation and expansion strategy, EM organised Buyers Sellers Meetings in Johannesburg and Durban where prospective buyers showed keen interest to do business with Mauritius.

According to the CEO of EM, Mr Arvind Radhakrishna, South Africa will be the target of consistent focused marketing actions by EM due to its proximity to Mauritius. He added that there are still ample business opportunities that remain to-date unexploited.

In 2015, South Africa was the third export market for our textile and apparel products. Exports to South Africa have increased by 500% over the last decade and last year it reached Rs 6 billion, registering a 21% increase compared to 2014.

With decades of experience and renewed investments in high end design skills and manufacturing technology, Mauritian apparel producers today supply leading fashion brands namely Calvin Klein, Adidas, Woolworths, Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, Harrods, River Island and Levis primarily in the Euro zone and USA.

The South African business community is progressively recognising the benefits of partnering with Mauritian manufacturers for their sourcing options due to the SADC preferential trade agreement and short lead time.

Enterprise Mauritius is strategically positioning itself within the region to ensure the country remains the preferred sourcing destination for South African buyers and the neighbouring countries. Other promotional events are being planned by EM to sustain marketing drives in this important market. By mid-June, EM will lead another delegation of 23 enterprises to SAITEX being held from 19 to 21 June at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. Products that will be showcased are textile, light engineering, agro and footwear. This event will be followed by further Buyers Sellers Meetings.
Description

GIS  06 June 2016: Government is committed to implement plain packaging not only because we believe in its effectiveness but we are also sure that the trend worldwide would reduce the number of people getting hooked on smoking. We will adopt all appropriate tobacco strategies to come to grips with the tobacco scourge. said the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Mr Anil Kumarsingh Gayan this morning at Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre Bornes.

WNTD is observed worldwide every year on 31st May. The 2016 theme is Get Ready for Plain Packaging. The Minister was speaking at the opening of a one-day workshop focusing on strengthening the Mauritius Tobacco Control Policies, organised in the context of a series of activities to mark World No Tobacco Day 2016 (WNTD - http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/en/ ).WNTD is observed worldwide every year on 31May.The 2016 theme is

In his address, Mr Gayan pointed out that we have to cope with a very strong and innovative tobacco industry which is relentless in its pursuit to expand its market worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Whatever the industry does, we as a Government and you as responsible Mauritians, must all together undo as tobacco in any forms kills, he stressed.

The Minister dwelt on the measures that have been taken to stand the consumption of tobacco in Mauritius such as the ban on smoking in public places, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products. Mr Gayan also urged smokers to avail themselves of the seven smoking cessation clinics around the country as smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and death.

Commenting on figures released by the National non-communicable diseases Survey carried out last year, which show that the prevalence of smoking in Mauritius has decreased from 21% in 2009 to 19% in 2015, the Minister said that a drop of 2% in five years is not significant. I only wish that the drop was far bigger and this is why we must gear up the awareness campaigns to make everyday a WNTD, he said.

Records from the Mauritius Revenue Authority also show that the importation of cigarettes has decreased from one billion three hundred thousand in 2009 to just under one billion in 2015. Nonetheless, this still means that the per capita consumption was 986 cigarettes per Mauritian and it is just so much money that goes up in smoke, the Minister pointed out.

Plain packaging of tobacco products

Plain packaging of tobacco products refers to measures that restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and products names displayed in a standard colour and font style.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), plain packaging is an important demand reduction measure that reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts the use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling and increases the effectiveness of health warnings.
The city of Sacramento, Calif., will invest in local companies and start a grant program as part of a multimillion-dollar plan to bolster the community's innovation economy, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Saturday morning.The city is going to invest $1 million in local companies this year, Johnson said. Selections will come from proposals submitted to a new mayoral tech council. The investments potentially could yield a profit for Sacramento that would be used to continually replenish the city's $10 million Innovation Growth Fund, the mayor explained.Johnson acknowledged it's unusual for a city government to be making these types of investments on its own, and that activity of this magnitude likely isn't happening elsewhere across the country."So this is kind of our first phase and our first foray into this innovative space where people around the country are starting to say, 'Sacramento is truly starting to become a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship and technology.' And it's something I'm really, really proud of," Johnson said.As part of the multi-pronged approach, Sacramento also is launching a new grants program of up to $1.5 million called "RAILS." The acronym, which purposely aligns with the city's railroad heritage, stands for Rapid Acceleration, Innovation and Leadership in Sacramento."We're trying focus on what I describe as startup enablers  so what are the different things that help startups in the city get off the ground," Abhi Nemani, Sacramento's interim chief innovation officer, said about RAILS.Nemani said those factors are leadership and training programs, funding for innovation events, and acceleration and business development programs. The application process for RAILS will open later this month; grants will be awarded in amounts of $25,000 or more to companies, nonprofits and other organizations.Furthermore, Sacramento also plans to make a $1 million strategic investment in a global accelerator and venture capital seed fund called 500 Startups. In return Sacramento-area startups will become part of the accelerator's portfolio and be able to leverage its technical expertise, Johnson said.Fueling all these efforts is the city of Sacramento's Growth Innovation Fund approved by the City Council last year. Currently at $8 million to $10 million, the fund is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in the nation. With its backing, Nemani is creating a city innovation office.Johnson, who has about six months left on his term in office, said he believes the new innovation initiative will continue after he leaves. He said the two top candidates for mayor are "fully committed" to the innovation office and to keep the fund going."You're going to have continuity. This is going to be part of the fabric of Sacramento for many, many years to come," Johnson said.The mayor outlined the new steps the city is taking to support business creation and startups as dozens of local coders gathered Saturday at The Hacker Lab co-working space in Midtown to participate in the National Day of Civic Hacking. Sacramento's version of the event challenged volunteers to build solutions for the city's federally designated "Promise Zone" neighborhoods that are economically disadvantaged.Participating teams are competing for $2,000 in prize money. The contest concludes Saturday evening.Many organizations are involved in Saturday's code-a-thon, such as Sacramento CIO Maria MacGunigal and other city staff, California Health and Human Services officials, local tech incubators, and Code4Sac.Code4Sac leader Joel Riphagen said a few days ago he received a call from the White House expressing interest in the outcome of Sacramento's coding event because it's focusing on the Promise Zone."You have national attention of what you're doing here today, and there is definitely a chance that if you come up with something good, it could spread," Riphagen said.
Thirty years ago Thursday, C-SPAN 2 took the first step in promoting transparency in government by sharing the proceedings of the U.S. Senate with the general public. At the time, sitting members of the legislative body rallied around what it would mean for transparency and accountability in American politics. Today, however, many say more work is needed to make the lawmaking process truly accessible to the citizenry.Back in 1986, televised floor sessions were a big deal that brought proceedings right into voters' living rooms  if you were into watching that sort of thing. And by all accounts, the shift away from what then-Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., called the dark ages of communications would add a layer of accountability, a permanent visual record, as it were.Today as the US Senate comes out of the communications dark ages, we create another historic moment in the relationship between congress and technological advancements in communications through radio and television, Byrd said in June 1986.Others, like Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, joked that cameras monitoring Senate members would add an element of vanity to the otherwise routine daily happenings.His comments, though sprinkled with comedy, also pointed to the importance of access and transparency for the citizens being represented.But the larger system, even in todays high-tech world, is far from perfect. Despite the great strides made in government transparency today thanks to such organizations as the Sunlight Foundation, California's Digital Democracy Project and President Obama himself, to name a few, smaller committee hearings are not always shared in a timely manner. Those with disabilities  like deafness  for instance, are often left waiting for a transcript of what happened and who said what, according to Sean Moulton with the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).In terms of individual committees in Congress, its hit or miss in terms of how well they use video  especially streaming video online now. It hasnt been without some hiccups, one of the things we hear back from Congress are concerns over access for people with disabilities and ADA compliance, he said. Technologically, its about getting the right tools in place that will address those issues, but for the most part it has been a real help to understand the discussion and decision-making that goes on in Congress.Moulton would tell you that the Senate videos have made a huge impact in the way journalists, watchdog groups and the general public access the happenings of government, but he qualifies there are gaps and improvements that need to be made  especially when it comes to a cohesive set of policies.I think it was a big step forward, he said. It allowed you, if you were in Hawaii or Alaska, you could be in the room listening to a hearing, watching people make statements on the floor, watching votes occur, and it doesnt require you to be in the same city and building at the exact same time as your representatives. It creates a sort of indisputable record as to what was said.Perhaps more than some shiny newfangled technology, Moulton argues that a well-defined set of best practices would go a long way to improve the collective permanent video record of the U.S. Congress.On the other hand, new technologies will likely play a part in opening Congress even further.In California, the Digital Democracy Project made accessing the states legislative video media easier for anyone interested in viewing them when it launched in May 2015.Through a Google-like search feature, thousands of hours of video are sortable by topic, speaker, word, bill, etc.Doctor Sam Blakeslee, who headed up the Digital Democracy effort under the umbrella of the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, said publicly available video has helped to bridge gaps in not only physical distance, but in understanding as well.I dont think theres any question that recording and archiving legislative proceedings results in a more transparent and accountable government. Broadcasts and video archives offer virtual access to the decision-making process to the millions of citizens and stakeholders who dont have the luxury of traveling to the capitol to sit through hours of hearings, he explained via email. And compared to reading the bill text drafted by lawyers or complicated budget line items, video of lawmakers and witnesses debating these issues in plain language makes government deliberations more accessible to the public.With a substantial amount of video amassed during each legislative session, Blakeslee argues much of its value is lost without the ability to syphon through it to reach the relevant content.Video recording government proceedings is necessary but not sufficient. These records must be easily searchable, and ideally offer relevant companion data and context, he said. Just as the 1.2 million terabytes of information on the Internet are virtually useless without a search engine like Google or Bing, the thousands of hours of government hearing videos are of little practical value unless they are searchable.Blakeslee, who was a former California lawmaker in both state Senate and Assembly, said that while national legislators have the likes of C-SPAN to provide valuable content to citizens, there are gaps at the state level that need to be addressed when it comes to effectively sharing video with the larger constituency.Congress has the benefit of being the focus on significant transparency efforts. C-SPAN is to be applauded for its work to make Congressional videos more accessible. C-SPAN offers transcripts, speaker identification and clip-sharing options that allow stakeholders to use this content to inform and engage their networks, he said, noting the gaps at the state level. "More attention should be paid to improving statehouse transparency policies and increasing searchable video archives.
Felipe Massa says he is unfazed by speculation Jenson Button could replace him at Williams next year.

Button, now 36, made his F1 debut as a teenager in 2000 and now rumours suggest he could end his career at the Grove team, replacing Massa from 2017.

But the Briton, who currently drives for McLaren-Honda, is not commenting.

"I haven't even thought about the next race in Canada, let alone the next year," Speed Week quoted him as saying recently.

As for Massa, the 35-year-old - who in turn is being linked with a move to Renault - said the Button rumours are not bothering him.

"We all know about rumours in formula one, and I am zero scared and worried about anything," he is quoted by Britain's Express newspaper.

"It would be nice to stay, but it would be nice to stay in a team where you really see that you can do a good job and have a good future. I am ready for everything," added Massa.

It is believed, however, that McLaren's decision to replace Button with Belgian hotshoe Stoffel Vandoorne has essentially already been taken.

But boss Eric Boullier denies that.

"No, we have not started negotiatings with any driver," he is quoted by Speed Week. "It is still far too early for this question, which would be a distraction for the team."

(GMM)
'I Will Show KCR How To Run Government'

Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman Prof M Kodandaram, who has been maintaining strategic silence against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao all these days, sprang a surprise by suddenly bursting out against the Chief Minister on Sunday.

Speaking at a conference, Kodanda said the TRS government had miserably failed to improve the living standards of the people and take up a single programme that would help the poor.

If KCR cannot deliver goods, let him step down from the government. We will show him how to run the government, he said.

Kodanda pointed out that the TJAC had been fighting for the peoples rights and aspirations.

Had we not taken up the cause of the people, we would have wound up the TJAC long ago and merged it with the ruling TRS. We are continuing our fight for the peoples welfare, he said.

He accused the TRS government of protecting the interests of real estate mafia, contractors and corporate houses, on the lines of earlier united Andhra Pradesh governments.

You cannot focus only on Hyderabad and its surroundings. Unless you protect the interests of people in the rural areas and farmers, there is no scope for Bangaru Telangana. The people will not tolerate the government any more, he said.
Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University of Adelaide have discovered that a variety of sorghum growing wild in AustraliaAruntheoretically has the potential to yield some 10,344 liters of bioethanol per hectare (1,106 gallons US per acre) from stem tissues alone.

In an open-access study published in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers assessed the stems of 12 varieties of sorghum for sugar content and ease of conversion to bioethanol. These included cultivated varieties and wild relatives, including Arun, which yielded significantly more bioethanol than other varieties.

Two key advantages of using stem (rather than leaves or grain) to make biofuel is that we can produce this material in low input systems; and as we do not eat this part of the plant we avoid the food versus fuel debate. Dr. Caitlin Byrt

Despite Arun stem containing high levels of a component thought to inhibit bioethanol production, this appears to be negated by a high level of an easily fermentable sugar.

The researchers say that a large pool of untapped diversity exists in other species and subspecies of sorghum which opens new avenues of research to generate sorghum lines optimized for biofuel production.

Arcadia Biosciencesa Davis, California-based agricultural technology companyis a partner in the Centres research and is working with the Centre to commercialise these findings.

Resources
A key outcome of the Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative ( LCTPi ), below50 is intended to grow a global corporate market for sustainable low-carbon transport fuels (LCTFs). Any company which produces, uses and/or invests in fuels that are at least 50% less carbon intensive than conventional fossil fuels can join below50.

Global companies are partnering with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) in a new global initiative called below50 , to promote the best-of-breed of sustainable fuels that can achieve significant carbon reductions, and to scale-up their development and use.

Companies must publicly commit to the campaign, show evidence that supports their claim, and disclose their progress towards achieving this goal.

The initiative was launched last week at the LCTPi5 global roundtable in San Francisco. The companies and organizations driving the initiative include ABBI, Arizona State University, Audi, CGEE, Copersucar, DSM, DuPont, GranBio, the International Energy Agency (IEA), SkyNRG, Joule Unlimited, LanzaTech, LCFC, Novozymes, Pannonia, Poet, Red Rock Biofuels, RSB, SE4ALL and Yale University.

The collaboration is designed to increase the number of companies using below50 fuels and demonstrate that these fuels make both good business and environmental sense.

The campaign will centralize resources and dialogue; produce a go-to resource for regulators and policymakers; create a marketplace for companies across the supply chain; and host regional road shows to engage financers, policymakers and companies, as well as explore how to regionally scale sustainable fuel technology.

The below50 campaign is a great example of a cross-sectoral business platform to drive growth and commercialization of sustainable technologies for low carbon transportation fuels, together with investors and policy-makers. DSM recognizes that the complexity of the issues is too big for any one party to tackle alone. These types of partnerships are a necessity to drive societal change. Rob van Leen, Chief Innovation Officer of Royal DSM

The companies that adapt and work to mitigate climate change will be the ones to thrive in the emerging low-carbon economy. A 2 C world requires deploying all the available technologies that substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With only 3% of current transportation fuels considered to be low-carbon (International Energy Agency, 2015. Energy Technology Perspectives 2015), below50 offers an untapped market opportunity for businesses seeking to flourish in a low-carbon economy.

A 2-degree rise in temperature is closer than we think. We have to be smarter than the problem. below50 is a way we can aggressively move towards a low carbon future. Together, we must act now and ignore all calls to inaction, Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of Lanzatech

Below50 is working closely with world renowned sustainability standards to ensure that key sustainability parameters (for example related to water, land use and food security) are integrated into the below50 admission criteria.
50+ Forum will offer free health screenings, workshops, refreshments and door prizes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Smith Senior Center, 2401 Fairview St. in Greensboro.

In conjunction with the event, Fit to a T, a bone-health and osteoporosis education program for men and women of all ages, will be presented by Becky Lasley from 10 to 11 a.m. at the center. Its part of the Bone and Joint Initiative USA.

The event is a project of the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Womens Services to the Aging Committee, the Color of Reason-Womens Community Council and Top Ladies of Distinction.

For information, call (336) 707-4646.

***

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is the topic of the next Nat Greene Fly Fishers meeting, at 7 p.m. June 14 at the Leonard Recreation Center, 6324 Ballinger Road in Greensboro.

The organization is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities, including education and outings.

For information, visit natgreeneflyfishers. wordpress.com.

***

A Healing Touch Clinic will be June 15 at West Market United Methodist Church, 301 W. Market St. in Greensboro.

Appointments are available at 5:30, 6:30 or 7:30 p.m.

Described as biofield therapy, it relieves pain, eases stress and assists in eliminating toxins.

Love offerings are accepted. To make an appointment, contact Lundee Amos at (336) 288-2654 or Lundeeht@gmail.com.

***

Home Instead Senior Care will hold a Job Fair Open House from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 23 at Home Instead Senior Care, 4615 Dundas Drive in Greensboro.

Interested applicants are asked to drop by at the top of each hour. Visitors will learn more about Home Instead Senior Care as well as career opportunities. Refreshments will be provided. Prior caregiving experience is preferred.

For information, call (336) 294-0081 or visit www.homeinstead.com/ 311.

***

High Point Regional and the High Point Public Library are partnering to raise awareness about health issues and are offering a free health screening event from 10 a.m. to noon June 28 at the High Point Public Library, 901 N. Elm St. in High Point.

The free screenings include glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index and a heart risk assessment.

Registration is required for the glucose screening; call (336) 878-6888.

***

In conjunction with the Natural Learning Initiative N.C. State University College of Design, the Randolph County Partnership for Children is hosting a bi-county Summer Summit on July 28 in Asheboro.

The event is designed to bring together leaders in early childhood education to discuss the importance of outdoor learning environments in the child care setting and showcase the work that is happening in Randolph and Guilford counties.

The summit includes tours of the outdoor learning environments at Friendly Avenue Christian Preschool in Greensboro, Level Cross Elementary Pre-K in Level Cross and The Growing Place Child Care Center in Asheboro.

To participate in the summit or to learn more about the partnerships work with outdoor learning environments, contact Andee Edelson at (336) 629-2128, Ext. 31, or aedelson@randolphkids.org.
I am appalled at the 24/7 coverage of the incident at the Cincinnati Zoo and all the conjecturing along with it. It was an unfortunate accident  period. If something had happened to the boy and they did not shoot the gorilla, that would have been wrong. I am sure all the screaming and excitement agitated the gorilla.
A scholar of Spanish culture and history will share his expertise on the Spanish Civil War at the next meeting of the Retired Mens Association of Greenwich.

Al Knight, a lawyer who has traveled extensively in Spain and lived therepart-time, will look at the political, economic and religious fissures that divided Spanish society before and during the war of 1936 to 1939.
It is undeniable that social media is an important PR tool. So, youd think that businesses and public figures would be extremely careful with this tool. Youd think that there is a multi-step process in place with more than one couple of eyes reading the content bound to be online. Yet, companies of all sizes still manage to land themselves in hot waters on a daily basis. Some mishaps come from accidental leaks of information, some happen as a result of simple human error, or a plain joke that went wrong.

To make you feel better, I once accidentally shared a cat video on the companys page I worked for at that time, only to be noticed by my boss. Yes, stupidity happens.

Kenneth Cole social media team learned it the hard way when they tried to tie in their spring collection and uproars in Cairo (which turned into revolution) with a humorous tweet. Needless to say, people were not amused and the company had to apologize for making inappropriate jokes about historical moments in the making.

While it seems that social media calamities come and go, they can prove really damaging to companies of all sizes. Dominos public perception dropped dramatically in just two days following their distasteful disaster.

What do you do if youve already found yourself in the middle of the PR crisis online? Here are a few best practices.

Before publishing any more posts, reevaluate.

Think about what you want to say and whether the next comment will bring about an even bigger disaster. You cannot simply ignore whats happening, so you have to comment on it either way. The best thing to post as a first reaction to crisis is to stir away from making any judgments or comments.

Publish a neutral statement showing youre aware of the situation and that youre investigating the matter. Do not go into details of what happened just yet, before you get the full picture, and dont make any comments acknowledging or rejecting any fault.

Although it seems obvious, it is especially bad to go full blast on your critics. However, heat and stress can get in a way, creating all sorts of really negative publicity and becoming an internet meme.

Related: Crafting Your Story: Public Relations Expertise For Your Business

No comments until forming a clear message.

Social media is notorious for trolls. Some people wont find anything better than to trash a company further or go straight in for personal attacks. Do not -- I repeat, do not -- engage in these conversations.

You will not achieve anything, while also running a risk of worsening the situation even further. If posts and comments are clearly offensive, defamatory or threatening, simply flag and delete them.

Yet, if youre up to the challenge and feel like you handle comments with grace, you can try to follow the famous O2 arena example. They did just the opposite by responding to individual tweets from frustrated visitors during its network outage. While its arguably not a huge PR crisis, the mishap was easily forgotten and forgiven thanks to nice and personal responses from the team.

Related: 5 PR Takeaways From Watching the NFL Fumble the Ray Rice Scandal

After an investigation, keep the public updated.

Once you feel like youve got a hang of the situation and know the root cause of the crisis, its time to update your audience. An effective post consists of any necessary details that caused the uproar, a clear strategy of handling situation and getting back on track, as well as acknowledgement of the fault you had (you probably did do something wrong to cause an uproar, even if it was minor). If youre sincere and honest in your update, it should improve the situation. Transparency builds trust.

Work on mistakes.

First things first, youve got to document the whole process of crisis handling if you dont already have one in place. Be detailed in all the necessary steps for preventing future crises and handling them if they do happen. Finally, I cannot stress enough that you can only repair your public image if you follow through on your promises. Whether its monetary compensation or community involvement, get out of your way to show you care for your reputation. However, make sure its meaningful and not just another PR trick -- people can sense it.

Related: Don't Wait for a Crisis to Put Your 'Crisis PR' Plan in Place

Finally, its important to remember to stay human even under a lot of pressure. If it was in fact an honest mistake, apologize and handle it light-heartedly. People will appreciate the warmth and empathy.

In 2011 Netflix found itself in a big scandal involving its idea to unbundle video streaming and DVD services. Here is what Netflixs CEO Reed Hastings had to say to unhappy customers: I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation. Many members felt we lacked respect and humility. That was certainly not our intent.

Related:

How to Gracefully Handle an Online PR Crisis

Pump up Your PR: Put Some Narrative into Your PR Announcements



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
In whats turning out to be a banner month for terrible new food mascots, Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Co. debuted an updated look for its Lemonhead brand at the Sweets and Snacks Expo this week in Chicago. The character is essentially the classic, beaming citrus-faced kid depicted on its packaging, but all grown up. Lemonhead 2014 is naturally all over Twitter and Facebook, posting the obligatory silhouette at sunset photo, a Millennium Park selfie, a hoodie-and-Bonobos shirt candid, and another of him entertaining some dudes with tattoos and beards on a balcony. Like any corn-syrup-addled kid his age, it appears Lemonhead is also prone to getting his feelings hurt on social media.

So far, Ferraras campaign seems to be all about trying to get people to feel sorry for its oddball mascot: Hes already been made fun of extensively on Comedy Centrals @midnight, and his response to the Mashable post that claimed hed probably haunt your nightmares was to promptly shed a sour tear, snap a selfie, and post it online. And when Taco Bell engaged, possibly for moral support, a plain white T-shirt wearing Lemonhead just let those soulful eyes do the talking, along with backdrop of some dreary, anonymous motel room curtains.

This is heavy stuff for a candy that traditionally costs less than 50 cents. So far, Lemonhead is literally the opposite of Happy, the new McDonalds mascot thats literally just a fast-food box with limbs and a face. Even in his latest selfies, Lemonhead 2014 is just sullen, not sour, and probably not cut out for this line of work. Unless, of course, the entire sad-sack narrative is a prelude to a collaboration between the candy brand and Taco Bell, its most prominent moral supporter to date. Stuft Lemonhead Nachos, anyone? Stranger things have happened.

The New Lemonhead Mascot Will Probably Haunt Your Nightmares [Mashable]

Related: Heres Happy, McDonalds Infuriatingly Ugly New Mascot
Well done, just like his steaks. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trumps attorneys have some interesting news: Trumps ongoing comments (most recently, attempts to discredit a federal judge for being of Mexican heritage) have somehow increased business at his hotels and restaurants, according to a claim in the lawyers latest salvo against chef Jose Andres.

As many will remember, Andres walked away from plans to run a restaurant in Trumps new D.C. hotel after Trump said Mexico sends its rapists and other undesirables to America. Trumps attorneys hit Andres with a $10 million breach-of-contract lawsuit, Andres countersued for $8 million, and the two are now deadlocked in court. (Trump actually has to quit campaigning for a day later this month so he can testify in the separate lawsuit his attorneys filed against Geoffrey Zakarian.)

Andress team argues that, had the chef gone through with his plans, Trumps remarks on race would have driven business down by at least 12 percent  bad for a restaurateurs already-tight margins. In this new filing, however, Trumps people claim they have analysis from hospitality-industry expert Roger Cline that proves thats a lie. Clines data show that five of the six Trump-branded hotels in the United States continue to perform well as compared with competitor hotels, and data from the signature restaurants in each of these hotels are performing better in the timeframe after the political statements than they were in the timeframe before the political statements.

CNN is quick to note their court filing doesnt bother to actually include Clines data, though, so youll just have to take their word for it that, just like Trumps steaks, people cant get enough of the mans casual xenophobia.

[CNN]
Battle Hymn is all about dancing. Photo: Camilo Fuentealba

Weve given you the best gay bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn, weve given you the best dance clubs, and now its time to combine the scenes and name the best LGBT dance parties in New York.

The Absolute Best 1. Battle Hymn

Flash Factory, 229 W. 28th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-929-9070 The city has been praying for a Sunday dance party, and now its here. Huge, vivid, and all about dancing, Battle Hymn is brashly flouting all those naysayers who complain that the city is lame and lost in luxury. The new weekly Sunday dance party harks back to Sunday rituals of the past like Body and Soul and the Sound Factory. It feels old-school, with voguers and club kids, disco daddies, straight coolios, models, the old and the young, all together getting lost and found in music. Hosted by Ladyfag (when does she get a special medal from the mayor for keeping nightlife alive?) with a rolling roster of DJs, including two of NYCs most sought-after talents: the Carry Nation and Honey Dijon. Added bonus: Flash Factory has, arguably, one of the best sound systems in New York right now. Sundays (weekly), 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.; $10

2. Hump

Rumpus Room, 249 Eldridge St., nr. Houston St.; 212-777-5153

Yes, there are still young people in this city who dress up, look great, and are staying up in the middle of the week and having fun. Here is where they go. Hosted by Hannah Shoshana Fisher and Paul Iacono, with drag shows by Blake Deadly, HUMP plays that exact mix of disco, Grimes, Bowie, and Black Box that will keep you on your feet.

Wednesdays (weekly), 10 p.m.; $5 after 11 p.m.

3. WRECKEDnyc

(Roving address)

Sweaty and deep, Wrecked has been credited as being as close to Paradise Garage as you can get without building a time machine. Its resident DJs, Ryan Smith and Ron Like Hell, know just how to create an erotic throwdown. The party recently landed a new Gowanus location, Analog NYC, which it will move into officially in the fall, but theyll be hosting their last summer party in Williamsburg during Pride.

June 25 at Output; $15 to $25

4. Pat

Union Pool, 484 Union Ave., at Skillman Ave., Williamsburg;718-609-048

The fun, flirty night PAT is reminiscent of the legendary 90s and 00s downtown apex of fabulosity, Beige. But, even better, it also feels more lady-based. With a bevy of charismatic hosts and DJs, including JD Samson and Amber Valentine, you walk in and think, Oh! So this is where all the hot fashion lesbians have been hanging out.

Thursdays (monthly), 9 p.m.; free

5. Romy and Michelles Saturday Afternoon Dance Party

Cmon Everybody, 325 Franklin Ave., nr. Clifton Pl., Bed-Stuy

Bed-Stuy needed a big, fun, friendly dance party, and here it is. The venue, Cmon Everybody, is an all-inclusive, good-energy space, and the dance party is as optimistic and bright as its daylight hours. The crowd is mixed but brings in local LGBTs who dont feel like taking the A train just to dance.

Saturdays (monthly), 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; free

6. Be Cute

Littlefield, 622 Degraw St., nr. Fourth Ave., Gowanus;

It touts itself as Brooklyns #1 Mixed Queer Dance Party, and it is. DJs Horrorchata and Uncle Larry are eclectic but never snooty about their music. There are shows, empanadas, and a trans-positive crowd that makes you feel happy to be part of the queer community.

Saturdays (monthly), 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m.; $5 to $10
LG has launched its G5 flagship smartphone in Taiwan. Carrying a model number of LG-H858, the device costs TWD 23,900 in the country, which translates into around $740 at current exchange rates.

While it's essentially the same version that's available in most other regions around the world (except that it supports 3 carrier aggregation), the phone doesn't carry the standard 'G5' moniker in Taiwan - it has been launched as the 'G5 Speed' instead. The handset is currently exclusive to local carrier Chunghwa Telecom.

This comes just days after the phone landed in India, where it carries an official price tag of INR 52,990 (which is about $790).

Source | Via
Remember the Xperia Ear that Sony unveiled back in February at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC)? Well, the company has now revealed some information on the accessory's Canadian launch.

According to Sony Mobile North Americas Senior Director of Marketing Don Mesa, the device will land in Canada this summer - "late summer" to be precise. So those in the country waiting for the device can expect it to be launched withing the next 2-3 months.

To refresh, the Xperia Ear - as the name suggests - is essentially an earpiece. Its selling point, however, is that it also doubles as your own personal assistant. You can learn more about the device in our hands-on story.

Via




Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





The US would be disappointed if the CEP announces...

Kenneth Merten special coordinator of the State Department for Haiti, indicated "We do not know when they will realize the elections but we hope they do it fast enough because we look forward to continuing our partnership with Haiti" stating that the United States would be disappointed if the CEP announces on Monday a long process.



The Deputy Printemps Belizaire (Fanmi Lavalas) satisfied and disappointed !

The Deputy Printemps Belizaire (Fanmi Lavalas) s satisfied with the work of the Independent Commission for Electoral Evaluation and Evaluation (CIEVE). However, he was disappointed not to see in this report the names of beneficiaries of fraud during the 2015 presidential election saying "We need the Electoral Decree is applied against fraudsters."



The CIEVE contradictory in its report

For

Rosny Desroches, head of the Initiative of Civil Society and a member of the previous Commission of evaluation of the October 2015 elections, the cancellation of the first round of the presidential election of October 2015 is a solution of ease. Moreover, he believes that the arguments of the Verification Commission has many weaknesses on the technical level and contradictions; for example he did not understand why the CIEVE decides to maintain the legislative and demanded the cancellation of the presidential election ?



The EU Observation Mission, active

Ambassador Vincent Degert, said that "the independent electoral observation mission of the European Union (EU EOM), deployed at the invitation of the Haitian Government, did not interrupt its observation and maintains its commitment with all actors involved in the electoral process and in the first place, with the CEP [...] more, he informed that some experts of the EU EOM, including the Deputy Chief Observer, Jose Antonio De Gabriel, will be backto Haiti shortly to assess the progress made to revive the electoral process."



Judgments of BCEN, no appeal

Cholzer Chancy, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, said he opposed the recommendations of the Commission of Verification to evaluate the decisions of Electoral Litigation offices, recalling that Article 187.1 of the Electoral Decree states that "the judgments of the National Electoral Office of Litigation (BCEN) are not subject to appeal." The deputy warns against all initiatives that go against the provisions of the Agreement of February 5, 2016 and the Constitution,

at the risk of be subject to Articles 186 (c), 189-1, 189-2 and 195 of the Constitution which expose them to prosecution.



National Day of School Statistics

This Monday, June 6, 2016, is the date that was selected for the National Day of School Statistics (JNSS) of the school year 2015-2016, this initiative is part of the data collection strategy on schools through school managers to produce regularly statistics on schools across the country.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/06/05 | Source

Ballerina Han Seo-hye has been named a principal dancer at the Boston Ballet.

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The dance company last week announced Han's promotion from soloist to principal dancer for the 2016-17 season.

She joined the Boston Ballet in 2012, and was promoted to second soloist in 2013 and soloist in 2014.

The company currently has 11 principal dancers consisting of seven ballerinas and four ballerinos.

Han studied at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul.
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Published on 2016/06/06 | Source

The episode one of KBS 2TV's new Monday & Tuesday drama, 'Baek-hee is Back' depicted the intense nerve war between mom Yang So-hee (Kang Ye-won) and daughter Sin Ok-hee (Jin Ji-hee).

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'Baek-hee is Back' is a comedy family drama depicting the story about the main character Yang Baek-hee, who launders her identity and returns to her hometown village, the quiet island, Seomwoldo in 18 years.

Baek-hee used to be the legendary figure who made the small island tumultuous thanks to her extraordinarily gorgeous appearance and unparalleled energy. She all of sudden left the island alone and returned to her hometown after she laundered her identity under her new name Yang So-hee as a naturopathy food developer and a home shopping star in 18 years, accompanied by her daughter Ok-hee.

Baek-hee wanted to live a quiet life in her hometown as she had laundered her identity. However, Ok-hee flipped over the whole school on her first day. She fought with the existing school gang, so-called Baek-hee gang and was crowned as the 19th head of the Baek-hee gang after defeating all the gang members.

As Baek-hee's daughter Ok-hee appeared in the island, the small island became noisy again. Especially, the three men, Woo Beom-ryong (Kim Sung-oh), Cha Jong-myeong (Choi Dae-chul), Hong Doo-sik (In Gyo-jin) became to believe Ok-hee was his own daughter because they had a history with Baek-hee in the past. Because of this, they tried to protect Ok-hee unconditionally although all the villagers scowled at Ok-hee.

However, Baek-hee did not reveal who Ok-hee's father was. Who her father is and whether or not Baek-hee and Ok-hee will be able to make reconciliation are creating curiosity in drama fans.
The ABS has made progress. In 2015, with women making up only 21 percent of senior executives, consultants were brought in to increase diversity. Latest statistics reveal that 42 percent of senior executives are female, an improvement but still showing an underrepresentation given that women make up 60 percent of the ABS workforce.

James Palmer, ABS chief operating officer, said that countering unconscious bias was behind the blind recruitment, and that this remains a problem for HR managers in the public services.

"Despite people's best intentions, they still operate in a way that draws on their inherent biases," he said. "It wasn't about perfect anonymity because you can't redact everything that might indicate somebody's identity or origin, you might end up with the whole application blacked out."But you can certainly remove any indication of what the person's gender is."The blind recruitment process, however, was secondary to the importance of gleaning what women want from senior executive positions, with flexibility among the key areas requiring scrutiny."We are designing jobs that are appropriately flexible, making it possible for people to work from home, or working from another office so they don't have to move to Canberra to get into the SES," Palmer said. "That's a very powerful enabler of advancement for women."The other thing I found was just the need to encourage women to apply... Women like to apply when they're very ready, blokes will often just apply if they think they've got a shot at it."So we encourage supervisors to ask, don't assume when considering which staff may be interested in new challenges or opportunities. You might find that the woman you thought was desperate to get home and look after her kid is actually up for a bit more of a challenge, so you should ask and don't make assumptions."
federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is suing the Baystate Medical Center of Springfield for allegedly discriminating against a member of the HR department because of her faith.



An article in The Boston Globe said that hiring consultant Stephanie Clarke refused to get a flu vaccine because of her Christian beliefs.



The suit said that Clarke believes her body is a temple and lives according to the precepts of the Bible. Her religious beliefs forbid all injections  meaning she rejects all drugs and vaccines.



Continuing, the suit claimed that Baystate unlawfully suspended and fired Clarke.



Like many US hospitals, Baystate requires employees to undertake an annual flu vaccine to prevent contagion. Those who refuse must wear a mask while on the premises.



While Clarke initially wore a mask according to company policy, this made it difficult for her to interview job applicants. She would thus often pull the mask away from her mouth to talk.



Allegedly the hospital suspended Clarke without pay in November last year for failing to wear the mask properly at all times. After Clarke requested an alternative solution which would not interfere with her job, the hospital then fired her in December.



Because Clarkes job did not require her to have patient contact, it would not have been an undue hardship for [the hospital] to exempt Clarke from the flu vaccine requirement, or to permit her to remove the mask while speaking, the complaint said.



The Commission claimed it had tried to reach a settlement with Baystate, asking that it stop discriminating against employees and demanding an unspecified amount of back pay and damages to Clarke.



Benjamin Craft, spokesperson for Baystate Medical Center, spoke to The Boston Globe.



Our patients safety is our highest priority, so we take all reasonable steps to minimise any risk of transmission of infectious illness such as flu, he said. That includes a requirement to be vaccinated against flu or wear a mask at all [times in] our facilities during flu season.


Appalachian Regional Healthcare System has partnered with The Williams YMCA of Avery County to host its 3rd annual Health Splash event on June 8, 2016, at the Sloop Medical Office Plaza on the campus of Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville, North Carolina. The event will take place from 8 am to 1 pm.

Free Health Screenings

Health Splash will feature a variety of free screenings valued at $300, including but not limited to: foot sensation/pulse check, back strength test, behavioral health assessment, finger stick blood glucose, blood pressure checks, pocket EKG and an opportunity to schedule a mammogram.

New to the event this year, Health Splash participants can receive a vascular screening for $20 ($80 value). Appointments for the vascular screening are limited. To schedule an appointment, participants must pre-register for the event by visiting https://apprhs.org/ healthsplash-reg . Once registered, an event coordinator will contact you to set up your appointment time.

Also, attendees may have their lab work drawn at the event between 8 am  11 am . Interested participants may choose between a basic lab package for $30 ($183 value) and a premium package for $75 ($443 value). Additionally, males may pay $25 for a PSA test ($138 value). The lab work will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Participants should fast for 12 hours prior to their lab work to ensure more accurate results.

Exercise

All Health Splash attendees are invited to take advantage of the facilities swimming pool, open track and exercise equipment at The Williams YMCA of Avery County during the event.

Lunch

Perhaps the most popular incentive to attend Health Splash is the free healthy cookout  black bean burger, fresh fruit and baked chips  offered to all participants who register/participate in the health fair. This year, the cookout will take place between 11 a.m.  1 p.m. under the covered walkway leading into the Sloop Medical Office Plaza. Door prizes for participants will include two Fitbits and an assortment of other prizes.

Register for Health Splash by visiting https://apprhs.org/ healthsplash-reg

For more information about Appalachian Regional Healthcare System visit https://apprhs.org/ . To learn more about The Williams YMCA of Avery County visit http://ymcaavery.org/

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Photos by Ken Ketchie.

The OASIS Shriners rolled into town for their annual statewide parade this weekend, which brought countless guests and a large number of American military veterans to the streets of Blowing Rock for a fun Saturday afternoon.

Retired U.S. Army Major General Chuck Swannack took the lead as grand marshal for this years parade, which focused on a very important theme: A Salute to Our Veterans.

The parade went extremely well and the weather cooperated beautifully, said Allison West of Chetola Resort, which sits at the heart of the town and played an integral role in the Shriners weekend in Blowing Rock. We had a great turnout with lots of participation. It was well received, well attended and turned out to be another wonderful day.

Its a tradition for the Shriners to do this. Everywhere they have their annual ceremonial, they always hold their Shriners parade. In giving back to the community, they also always give a donation to local organizations. This year, the Watauga High School marching band and JROTC both received donations.

Don Reid, a Charlotte resident and close friend of the OASIS organization who helps promote their activity, said he was blown away in Blowing Rock by the kindness of the community and the success of the weekend.

The event turned out very well for the Shriners, said Reid, who was exploring the town for the first time over the weekend. They were trying to have a ceremonial and a parade that would salute our veterans and also be pleasing to the people of Blowing Rock, and I think they accomplished that.

The thing that impressed me the most was what a wonderful town Blowing Rock is and how accommodating all of the people were. They acted as if they were really happy to have everybody there and they did their best. I was so impressed with everybody, but if I had to single out one person who blew us away it would be Marcia Greene at Chetola. She worked for weeks and weeks to help us get as many veterans there as we could.

For more information on the Oasis Shriners, visit oasisshriners.org.

Check out our photos from the parade and youll quickly understand the OASIS Shriners bring their annual state parade to Blowing Rock year after year.

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Riku Aalto, the chairman of Metalli, reminded in a news conference on Friday that the both agreement and the vote result will require a final approval from the council of the trade union but otherwise seemed to comment on the agreement as if it was a done deal.

The Finnish Metalworkers' Union (Metalli) has given its tentative approval to a preliminary agreement on the so-called competitiveness pact following a 128 vote by its board of directors.

Metalli states in a press release that its grand conciliation committee recommended almost unanimously that a final approval be given to the agreement.

Aalto admitted that the vote fell only narrowly in favour of the agreement and that the decision to revamp the terms and conditions of employment in order to improve the cost competitiveness of businesses was difficult also from a personal perspective.

Metalli sided with the lesser of two evils, he added.

It is now up to the employers to demonstrate that the agreement can create jobs in Finland, he states in the press release.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) wasted no time in announcing that the approval given by Metalli represents a historic turning point for the country and voicing his delight with the strength of the consensus culture amid the difficult economic conditions.

The heads of labour market affairs have done an enormous amount of work for the common good. I am sincerely grateful for that, he wrote on his blog on Friday.

Sipila also pointed out that the agreement was found seven months ahead of schedule despite several months of see-sawing.

It will enable us to introduce the tax concessions one year ahead of schedule. The pact is an attempt to make a big competitiveness leap to ensure our country remains successful. It will allow us to notably catch up with Germany and Sweden. I also feel that the pact is a gesture of goodwill from the employed to the unemployed as well as to those who graduate tomorrow, he said.

Metalli revealed that its agreement with the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries allows for a 24-hour increase in annual working hours next year, but emphasised later on Twitter that the increase is only temporary and will not be prescribed in collective agreements.

Working hours will largely be determined locally. The pact also offers a possibility to raise wages moderately, it said.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Seppo Samuli  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
'Being the best not good enough' for much-honored Boys & Girls Club

Bob Bell, accepts honor as Founders Circle inductee, as Kevin Lauritsen looks on.

Flanked by large signboards listing 77 major state and national awards the Boys & Girls Club has won, Executive Director Kevin Lauritsen declared that being the best is not good enough.

He recalled the conversation a year ago when Tom Fazio learned that the club had a growing waiting list of teenagers and younger children. Fazio, who founded the club along with his wife, Sue, in 1994, would not stand for that. The clubs supporters hatched a plan to build. Construction is now under way on a new gym and more program space.

This expansion will let everybody in the community know that we are not done, Lauritsen told club supporters during the annual fundraising dinner Saturday night. Looking at its success, people sometimes say that the club has done its job. Lauritsen and club supporters say no. Not when dozens of kids remain outside the doors, waiting for the same opportunity that has guided club teenagers to state and national recognition over and over.

Being the best, he added, doesnt mean we are good enough.

Among the inspired and inspiring leaders that have helped the club become the best was Bob Bell, who was inducted into the clubs Founders Circle.

Bell came to work at the Boys & Girls Club in 1999. Serving for the next 15 years as the clubs Teen Director, Bell worked days, nights, weekends and overnights.

The job description included teacher, guide, repairman, construction foreman, trip adviser, cheerleader, disciplinarian and more, Lauritsen said.

Bell created the Enterprise Job Prep Program, a program in which Boys & Girls club members become part-time employees.

Enterprise has been honored as best career development program among North Carolina Boys & Girls Clubs, and has been featured at the national conference of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Lauritsen said.

The energetic Bell was a geyser of ideas, sometimes testing Lauritsens boundaries.

Always searching for and striving to achieve world class, he and I had long and vigorous discussions  some would say arguments  about what world class meant, the director said. He is a man of ideas, producing dozens at a time. My job was often to rein him in  taking many, many ideas and choosing the ones that seemed to make the most sense for our kids inside these walls. He pushed out; I pulled in  the yin, the yang  making each of us and our Boys & Girls Club better.

During his time leading the teenage programs, eight club members earned state Youth of the Year and two more made runner-up. Most important, all of our youth started graduating from high school and going on to more education, he said.

Bells financial giving to the club, nearly half a million dollars, targeted gaps he knew first-hand from the inside. Although retired from the club, Bell continues to support it, helping to lead the robotics program and in other ways.

Average daily attendance at the club is 318, which is at capacity. For an inclusive fee of $5 a year, they get homework help, mentoring, a healthy after-school snack, sports, art and other activities. Seventy-one percent of club members achieve the A/B honor roll in school; 100 percent graduate from high school.

He is the most positive and optimistic person we know, Lauritsen said. He often says that it is no accident that all of us converged on this club at this time  we were meant to be together making special things happen.
This is our team! Producer Nitin quietly whispered to those of us watching along on Facebook Live. He approached the news desk, where NBC Bay Area morning television news anchors Sam Brock and Laura Garcia Cannon were seated. We continue where we left off last week: participating in a Facebook Live video broadcast from the NBC Bay Areas Today in the Bay TV news studio, as chaperoned by Producer Nitin, via his cellphone video camera. While broadcasting live on-camera to the television audience, Laura sets up a news story as the TV station switches to its prerecorded account of it. The two news anchors, now off-camera, notice the approaching cellphone pointed at them, and smile. Producer Nitin told the anchors the Facebook Live community was watching. Sam Brock looked into Producer Nitins cellphone camera and said, I was just thinking if, you know, five years ago, someone saw someone walking around with a phone, just talking to themselves . . . doing paces around a studio, you would think; what is that guy? Like, crazy? he laughed. The Facebook Live thing is pretty new, so a lot of people are kind of getting used to the idea, Producer Nitin replied. With the news anchors being off-camera, they appeared to be in a more relaxed, and jovial mood. Facebook Live users are typing out messages and comments, and my Greetings from Minnesota is usually seen and occasionally acknowledged by Producer Nitin. Close to 100 Facebook users were actively participating in this Facebook Live video feed. Lets say good morning to some of our Facebook friends, Producer Nitin said to the two news anchors, as he began reading some of the comments being typed by those of us participating in this live-feed. I quickly typed; Good morning from Minnesota! Producer Nitin saw my greeting, mentioned my name, and told the morning news anchors I was a regular viewer of their Facebook Live video feeds. They both smiled while looking directly at the cellphone camera. Sam then asked; Whats Mark . . . like, is that like Oh-leg or Ah-lig? Producer Nitin knew the correct pronunciation of Ollig was Oh-leg and told them, to which Sam smiled and nodded, while Laura grinned, and said; Ah, were learning! So, there I was; seated in front of my computer screen in Minnesota, sipping coffee, while two professional television news anchors, located in a major TV market in California, were trying to get the pronunciation of my last name right. Not too bad at all, Mark. Producer Nitin was informed by the floor director the news anchors were about to go back live on the air, so he quietly backed away from the news desk. Sam and Laura checked their paper copy, looked up into the studio TV camera, and resumed reporting the news, reading from the teleprompter. Oh, did I mention all the television cameras in the news studio were being remotely operated by folks in the control room? Producer Nitin then quietly walked through the studio exit, down a hallway, and into the newsroom production area. We watched people at work inside their office cubicles; on the phone, obtaining news from their sources, and busily typing out stories to be sent to the studio set, for on-air broadcast by the anchors. During a previous broadcast, Facebook Live viewers followed one person walking from the newsroom production area, carrying a handful of papers (news copy) to the studio news desk. The papers were given to the news anchors, while they were off-camera. Digressing back to the current Facebook Live video feed, producer Nitin walked past someone who was busily typing, and cheerfully said; Good morning, Kari Hall! Kari looked up and smiled. She has been an NBC Bay Area meteorologist since May 2015. Still walking, Nitin then stopped by morning traffic anchor Mike Inouye, who was preparing his morning traffic reports for broadcast. Inouye smiled, and gave a brief behind-the-scenes description of the current road conditions in the Bay Area, to all the Facebook Live viewers. The traffic video Mike saw was high-quality, and in real-time; not in the ten second updated screen captures I view when looking at any one of the 200 MnDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) metro area online cameras. Producer Nitin then walked into the darkened control room, where I saw many horizontal rows of television monitors on the wall, along with the folks operating the news studio TV cameras. The control room director was busy determining which TV camera, or television monitors video, would broadcast live to their television viewers. My participation on Facebook Live was not only a learning experience; it was also fun. At times, I felt like the proverbial fly on the wall during those behind-the-scenes segments. To be clear, Facebook Live is not only for the media. Its for any Facebook user who would like to broadcast live video to their followers. To learn more about broadcasting using Facebook Live, check out: https://live.fb.com. The homepage for NBC Bay Area is: http://www.nbcbayarea.com. Follow me on Twitter at my @bitsandbytes user handle.
Those planning to soak up some rays on the beach before the end of the bank holiday weekend may be forced to abandon their plans.

Four beaches in north Dublin have had to close this weekend because of huge levels of pollution.

Beaches in Rush, Balbriggan, Skerries and Loughshinny have been closed for 72 hours because of a deterioration in the quality of their water.

This is believed to be caused by "suspected sewage discharge from waste-water treatment".

A warning about the beach closures was issued to local councillors by Garry O'Brien of the Environment Department of Fingal County Council.

Health

"Pumps at the foul sewer pumping station at Hampton Cove Balbriggan failed on Saturday June 4 and the pump station has been on overflow for a period of time," he said.

"This action is being taken to ensure we are not compromising the human health of bathers."

Loughshinny Beach and Rush North Beach were closed after routine inspections, after a "significant amount" of matter including rags and sanitary towels were washed up on their shores.

Fingal Councillor Grainne Maguire told the Herald: "It's very serious because it stretches from Balbriggan all the way right to Rush. It's a huge issue."

Councillor JP Browne said it was "a real shame" and that Fingal County Council and Irish Water were working together to solve the problem.

"It's very disappointing and will have a huge affect on Fingal's tourism," he said.

The Skerries Water Festival and the Rush Harbour Festival, which take place later this summer, are expected to be affected.

Meanwhile, it's bad news for sun worshippers as searing hot temperatures are set to bring tropical-style thunderstorms to Ireland this week.

Met Eireann has issued an Orange Status weather warning that some of the downpours could bring flash floods to parts of the country. The alert is in place from noon today until midnight tonight.

"Warm humid air from continental Europe will bring heavy thunderstorms which could cause flooding and disruption in places," said forecaster Evelyn Cusack.

"There are still several orange and red status flood warnings in operation in France and Germany."

Today will see the worst of the downpours.

However, Wednesday is expected to be a hot and dry day with temperatures up to 24C and similar conditions are forecast for Thursday.

Ms Cusack warned that non-stop rain could spread countywide on Friday and continue through the weekend, while temperatures could drop 10C.
North inner-city community groups want full involvement in a task force set up to tackle the area's regeneration, following a spate of recent gangland murders.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has insisted that a task force will be put in place for the area. Now local community groups want direct communication with the Government to avoid problems similar to those encountered by Limerick when its regeneration programme was put together in 2008.

Community groups will come together tomorrow for a public meeting that will help put together a document on the issue - including ways to fight crime in the area, along with regeneration and improving education.

It is understood that at least three community groups intend to be part of the task force.

The parish priest for the Moyross area of Limerick, Fr Tony O'Riordan, told the Herald that authorities needed to keep their eye on the ball for regeneration, even if they manage to stop further murders.

He said that while the seriously violent crimes had stopped in Limerick, there was still a major drug problem, and intimidation was still rife.

"There are still huge issues to address in Limerick, even though progress has been made," Fr O'Riordan said.

"The danger in Limerick is that the focus has been taken off the area. The underlying issues still exist, even though they were identified 10 years ago. The boil has gone off Limerick.

"You need multi-decade resourcing, not something short term," he added.

Dublin city councillor Christy Burke said the north inner-city community was going into the project with a positive mindset, and expected it to be a great success.

"I believe we'll have a minister as a chair of the task force, direct link to the Taoiseach and senior civil servants.

"The community I'm representing will make sure it won't fail - there's too much to lose now. The only way is up, because they are down," he said.

Emerges

Meanwhile, Labour leader Brendan Howlin has called for an all-party agreement to a 10-year plan for the area.

"The plan that emerges from such a process must be given long-term support across the board. It cannot be a plan that is adopted in principle now, only for those responsible for implementing it, to cherry-pick the bits that suit them, and to forget those that don't," he said.
A key lieutenant of the Brian Rattigan gang, who once pulled a gun on three gardai, was shot six times in Dublin's latest murder.

The body of Neil Fitzgerald (36) was found by a passing motorist at Hills Lane, Crooksling, off the N81 road between Tallaght and Blessington at around 9am yesterday.

He was an associate of convicted killer and drug dealer Brian Rattigan, who is serving life for the murder of Declan Gavin - the first man to be killed in the Crumlin- Drimnagh feud.

Fitzgerald, originally from the South Circular Road area, was only released from jail two weeks ago.

Gardai now fear the Crumlin- Drimnagh war that claimed more than a dozen lives could re-ignite as a result of the murder.

The fact that the hit took place so soon after Fitzgerald was released from jail leads investigators to believe that whatever triggered it stems from past rival gang activity.

Feud

Information that came to light last night also suggests that Fitzgerald recently had a drugs dispute with a Crumlin cocaine dealer who is considered a key member of the Christy Kinahan cartel and a close ally of 'Fat' Freddie Thompson since the genesis of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud.

Despite the deceased's links to Brian Rattigan, the murder is not thought to be linked to the violent Kinahan-Hutch feud that has gripped Dublin's inner city in recent months and claimed seven lives since last September.

The fact that the target of last month's botched murder attempt at the Charlestown shopping centre in Finglas was also a Rattigan lieutenant leads investigators to now fear old scores in the bloody feud are being settled.

Gardai last night arrested a man and woman, both in their mid-20s, in relation to the murder. They are being held at Tallaght and Rathfarnham Garda Stations.

It is not known how Fitzgerald got to Hills Lane, but gardai are certain he was shot there because bullet casings were found nearby.

Gardai believe he was either driven there by his killers or - more likely - lured there for a meeting.

Some of the bullet casings from a handgun were found 10 metres away from Fitzgerald's body. An initial examination shows he was shot in the back of the head.

Gardai will be examining if Fitzgerald realised his life was in immediate danger and tried to escape before he was gunned down.

There was no attempt made to conceal the body, and gardai believe the killer or killers left the scene in a hurry.

Gardai are canvassing locals and trying to establish if there is any CCTV in the area that could prove useful for the investigation.

The probe is being led from Tallaght Garda Station, where Superintendent Peter Duff appealed to anyone who was in the Hills Lane or Crooksling areas, or who might have noticed anything unusual or heard gunshots on Saturday night or yesterday morning, to contact them.

Fitzgerald was released from prison two weeks ago after spending seven years behind bars for pointing a loaded gun at three detectives, driving a stolen car, and five counts of dangerous driving in July 2008.

The gardai, stationed at Kevin Street, were on duty at Dolphin House in the south inner city in July 2008 when they were approached by Fitzgerald, who was armed with a semi-automatic pistol and wearing a bullet-proof vest.

It later emerged that the gun, thought to be a Luger, was used in an attack on the family home of gangland rival 'Fat' Freddie Thompson in the Coombe months earlier.

Alarming

Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to possession of a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition and to producing a firearm while resisting arrest at Dolphin's Barn on July 23, 2008.

He also pleaded guilty to driving a stolen car and five counts of dangerous driving on July 18, 2008.

Judge Frank O'Donnell said the description from gardai of Fitzgerald's driving was among the most alarming he had ever heard. He said a crash at that speed would have been catastrophic.

He imposed consecutive sentences totalling 12 years and suspended the final two years.

The community was in shock to learn of the grim discovery yesterday.

"It's a very quiet area and people are shocked that this could have happened there," said local councillor Dermot Richardson.

A number of residents expressed the belief that those behind the killings would need local knowledge to have chosen it as a murder site.

Fitzgerald was not identified by investigating officers until yesterday afternoon and work was under way to get in contact with his family.

A post-mortem is due to be carried out today.

There have already been more gun killings in 2016 than there were in all of 2015. A total of eight people were shot dead last year, but 10 people have been gunned down in 2016.
An award-winning Irish director who was stabbed to death in Turkey has been described as "an extraordinary man, who brought people together" by friends who have worked with him.

John Donnelly (64) from north Dublin was found dead by Turkish police in the city of Bodrum on Friday afternoon.

He had a stab wound in the back.

The body was found at his holiday apartment in the resort, where he had been staying for the past three weeks.

A theatre director, Mr Donnelly had just finished a production of Evita with the Wexford Light Opera - which finished on April 30 - and had jetted off to Turkey for a few weeks before returning to Ireland to get working on his next project.

Dublin actor Simon Delaney was among those who paid tribute to Mr Donnelly describing him as "one of a kind".

The director had been heavily involved with the Association of Irish Musical Societies and the association's president Colm Moules told the Herald that he will be sadly missed.

"He was a wonderful director and a wonderful man - any show he produced, you'd know instantly that it was a John Donnelly show," Mr Moules said.

"He usually went away after a show finished for a few weeks, totally chill out, and then he'd get prepared for whatever else he had coming up.

"He wasn't showing any sign of slowing up - he always had more petrol in the can, so to speak."

Dublin choreographer Thomas Creighton hailed the tragic victim as somebody who brought everybody together.

Standards

Mr Creighton worked with Mr Donnelly on two separate productions over the years.

"It's amazing the amount of people who came together and became friends through John," Mr Creighton said.

"He introduced people to different things and different people - I'm sure people have got married because of John.

"He was always known for pushing boundaries and bringing the standards up across the board."

Investigations are ongoing into Mr Donnelly's death.
CHILHOWIE, Va.  For a group of nearly 20 veterans, the peaceful waters of South Holston Lake were the best place to spend the day on Saturday.

The group of veterans and their families gathered off Little Rock Road in Chilhowie, Virginia, for the fourth annual Wounded Warriors Fishing Day  a day of fishing for wounded warriors and disabled veterans throughout the region.

Its an event organized by Sergeant Jamie Davis, district supervisor of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and other department members, to give back to those who have served our country.

Vietnam veteran Jack Charles of Tazewell, Virginia, brought his family  representing three generations of fishermen. Charles grandson Max Stacy of Bluefield, West Virginia, was the youngest member to reel in what may have been the largest catch of the day, measuring close to 24 inches in length.

To extend his support of veterans, Mike Caudill of Caudill Taxidermy of Meadowview, Virginia, has offered to mount the largest fish caught during the event for the lucky fisherman who reels in the biggest catch.

The event is made possible by community volunteers and donations from local businesses. If it wasnt for Tim Blevins, our lead volunteer and other community helpers, theres no way we could do this, Davis said.

Eighty four-year-old Moon Mullins of Richlands, Virginia, was the oldest participant at the event. He served in the Korean War.

Mullins, who has fished since he was 3, caught a large rainbow trout in morning at a special spot along the river he calls the rock.

This event is wonderful. Were blessed to have people who take care of our fish and wildlife, said Mullins, who still enjoys serving others in his community. Mullins is director of Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Richlands, Virginia.

Thats what its all about, said Davis to the elderly man. Giving back to you guys what you gave to us. We wouldnt be here today doing this if it hadnt been for you.

James Stretch Mounts of Richlands, Virginia, is a veteran of the Vietnam War, who apparently had a good fishing day. I look forward to this day every year, said the fisherman as his net pulled another fish from the water, bringing his total to 20 for the day. Stand there a few minutes and I can catch another one, he said with a grin.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocked the water with rainbow trout purchased from a local vendor a few days before the event.

Having the opportunity to observe veterans reel a trout and see the smiles on their faces is remarkable. I feel very privileged to be a part of this and to be able to give back to them. They sacrificed so much for us, he said.

These guys like to hunt and fish, but some of the veterans have a hard time getting to the rivers and lakes due to injuries. We provided a great place for them to fish, said Davis. They love the outdoors and they just needed an opportunity to enjoy being outside.

The fishermen were allowed to keep the fish they caught, and they are planning to celebrate with a fish fry.

Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at news@washconews.com.
Though she was recently crowned 2016 Miss Tennessee International, Jurnee Carr is not the typical gowns-and-glitz gal. This young lady is more focused in the nitty-gritty work of advocating for shelter animals and acting as a voice for animal welfare.

Ever since her Girl Scout troop visited the animal shelter years ago, Carr has been on a mission to save her furry friends. The troop was delivering the product of their food and blanket drive for shelter animals.

Carr said she will never forget that visit.

"It was very overcrowded and dirty, and I thought that something was wrong here," she recalled.

Carr researched statistics about animal shelters, and discovered that crowding is a common problem and that when shelters run out of space, animals are euthanized. According to the Humane Society of the United States, 7 million animals enter shelters every year in the U.S., and a shelter animal is euthanized every 10 seconds.

So Carr decided to take action. In 2007, she founded Jurnees Journey, a nonprofit organization that provides support to humane societies and rescue groups, and promotes the importance of spay and neutering to control pet populations. To date, the organization has raised more than $47,000 to help homeless dogs and cats.

Carr hosts many events through Jurnees Journey to help raise money and awareness for shelter animals. On June 11, the group is holding the Ride to RESCUE: Cruising for Dogs and Cats event at the Appalachian Fairgrounds. The event will feature a hot rod and motorcycle show and ride, as well as lunch and other fun events, such as the Best Beard and Best Tattoo contests. The event is open to everyone and all proceeds go toward helping the animals.

"Jurnee is always fighting for the animals, and is very passionate and driven about her cause," said Jordan Stout, a volunteer with the program. "She is usually leading the way or side-by-side with the other volunteers and getting her hands dirty. She is very committed to what she is doing."

A graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, Carr found a way to serve the animals throughout her high school and college days. She served on the advisory board of the Humane Society from 2009 to 2012. Last summer, she worked an internship with the organization at the corporate headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Carr also is an official district leader for Humane Society to the Tennessee State Affairs Department.

"My mission is to advocate for, lobby and ensure that humane laws are mainstream in our area, and of course our state and our country," Carr said.

Carr has also parlayed her mission into a platform for pageants. She first competed at the age of 12 in the Pre-teen Miss Appalachian Fair pageant and was second runner up. She won the next year, and saw the potential to take her pet passion to the pageants.

This year, Carr was named 2016 Miss Tennessee International, and in June, she will go to Jacksonville, Florida, to compete for the world title of Miss International. She won Miss Teen International in 2011, and hopes to be the first to capture titles for both respective age groups.

"Its huge, that this small town girl from Gray, Tennessee, gets to go to this big pageant and make her voice heard for animals," Carr said. "People just tend to listen to you when you have this shiny crown on, so of course I am going to talk about animals."

The award would include a full scholarship to Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where Carr would like to pursue a masters degree. At just 21 years old, she finished her undergraduate degree in only three years. Her post college goal is to secure a full-time paid position with the Humane Society.

"My job is to make sure that people know that we have got to stop breeding dogs and cats and stop buying from pet stores when there are homeless animals being euthanized in shelters every day," Carr said. "We cannot sit idly by and allow this to happen. We must educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering to reduce populations and euthanizations."

Carrs efforts have been recognized in the community, and she says she often receives emails from people seeking advice, whether about a feral cat they have found or asking her to share a picture of a dog that needs adopting.

"Jurnee has always gone out of her way to help others, especially animals," said Michelle Hensley, who has known her all her life. "She has done a fabulous job and worked really hard, and I know that God has a good path for her."

For more information about Jurnees Journey or the Ride to RESCUE event, visit the webpage at www.jurneesjourney.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Jurnees-Journey-67900576555/timeline.
County GOP central committee chairman to leave after Election Day

Jerry DeWolf, Washington County GOP Central Committee chairman, says he's leaving the group after the election to spend more time with family.
Hickory Public Schools recently played host to the annual HPS Golden Apple Classified Employee of the Year celebration. The event recognizes employees who contribute excellent service to the districts children and teachers.

The nominees for the 2016 award include winners from their respective employment locations including: Patti Forbes, a teacher assistant with Jenkins Elementary; Joy McPherson, secretary/treasurer, Longview Elementary; Cathy Morris, a teacher assistant with Oakwood Elementary; Denise Brown, a teacher assistant with Southwest Elementary; Sheila Sloop, secretary/treasurer with Viewmont Elementary; Cindy Clark, secretary/treasurer with Grandview Middle; LaShanda Robinson, data manager with Northview Middle; Larry Conger, maintenance at Hickory High; Malcolm Free, the STAY coordinator, HCAM; and Wayne Alexander, technology technician, administrative services.

This years top winner is Larry Conger of Hickory High School. HPS Superintendent Robbie Adell, joined by members of the HPS Board of Education Margaret Pope and Amy Monroe, presented Conger with a Golden Apple, an engraved plaque and a check for $500, courtesy of Foothills Staffing. The judges included Kristen Wright with Workforce Development Innovation Center at CVCC, Rachel Heck with Council on Adolescents and Andrew Lackey, an intern with the Hickory Crawdads.

Adell shared quotes about Conger that were included in his nomination packet: Larry is responsive to the needs of all staff members  and he is always willing to provide assistance. He works efficiently and he takes pride in doing a good job. Larry has excellent relationships with all staff, colleagues, students and parents. He is a good listener and communicator. He cares deeply about Hickory High and makes sure that the students and teachers have a quality learning environment.

"He is knowledgeable about the history of the school and helps to keep everyone informed about the traditions.

"His work is of the highest quality and he sticks with a job until its complete. Larry is a positive, respectful and trustworthy employee and we feel fortunate to have him at Hickory High.
This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/
Prime Minister Narendra Modis summits with President Barack Obama are usually about bilateral affairs and the progress made or yet to be made on a vast dossier of issues, that investment climate, defence acquisitions, interoperability, access to high technology and so on.

Geopolitics and strategic considerations provide the context for discussions but rarely impinge directly on events as they are now. Modis visit to the US and countries like Switzerland and Mexico has been specifically timed just ahead of the June 9 meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) that will consider Indias application for membership in the group.

Read | India bids for Nuclear Suppliers Group entry via MTCR membership

Indias application is part of its objective to secure membership in the four multilateral non-proliferation export control regimes: NSG, Missile Control Technology Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group. Accession to these groups will afford different benefits to India. An NSG membership will provide India greater access to nuclear fuel and technologies, enhancing its energy capacity, reduce the quantum of its dependence on hydrocarbons over time and help meet future climate change obligations. MTCR will enable India to import sophisticated weapons like Predator drones while allowing it to export its missiles to friendly countries (like Vietnam, a prospect neighbouring China is wary about). New Delhi seeks membership of the other groups to influence global non-proliferation efforts concerning dual use technologies, armaments, chemical and biological weapons.

Read | PM Modi gets Swiss pledge on tackling tax dodgers

Membership in these groups will clearly enhance Indias international leverage and it is therefore no surprise that China is attempting to block it even though the US supports Indias membership. Beijing argues that signing the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a prerequisite for NSG membership, a claim India contests. China also reckons that if the international community makes an exception to India, then that privilege should also be extended to Pakistan  an argument that is unlikely to have traction in Western capitals given Islamabads proliferation record (via AQ Khan who sold nuclear weapons technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya).

Read | Three key takeaways from PM Modis Switzerland visit

The NSG deliberations on June 9 where member countries will discuss new applications (including Pakistans), followed by a plenary session at Seoul during June 20-24 will provide a sense as to how China will handle its relationship with India in the context of the latters pronounced tilt towards the US, with the signing of joint strategic vision for the Asia-Pacific in January 2015, which Beijing views as a balancing agreement geared to challenge its claims in the South China Sea.

All this is about jockeying for position in Asias changing security landscape, with the US trying to work with India, Japan, Australia, Singapore and like-minded countries to balance China, while Beijing uses its financial clout and international institutional processes to contain emerging powers like India.
Print Intro: The real challenge of Indias neighbourhood policy has always been in dealing with China and Pakistan. Both these relationships look as confused, uncertain and daunting as ever, writes SD Muni

Prime Minister Narendra Modis out-of-the-box foreign policy initiative of neighbourhood first seems to have run into troubled waters within two years of its execution. There have been many successes when it comes to foreign policy in general but when it comes to the neighbourhood, the expectations aroused by the initiative and the energy invested in driving it have faded somewhat.

The real challenge of Indias neighbourhood policy has always been in dealing with China and Pakistan. Both these relationships look as confused, uncertain and daunting as ever. China being in a category beyond immediate neighbours was not a part of Modis initiative, but on Pakistan, in some ways, former PM Manmohan Singh may well have a better record. He, through backchannel parleys with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, brought the Kashmir issue closer to a resolution.

In the case of Nepal, India stands largely alienated; from the hill people due to the cold and undiplomatic response to the new constitution followed by the coercive diplomacy of undeclared but calibrated trade blockade; and from the Madhesi and Janjati groups by half-hearted support to their cause. Indias sympathies in the Maldives oscillate between ousted President Mohamed Nasheed and the new regime led by President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Read | President Pranabs China challenge: Scaling the great wall of Pakistan

Relationships with Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are generally friction-free but without any significant improvement, except for the change of regime in Sri Lanka and the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

The Saarc remains a slow and uninspiring instrument of regional integration. Efforts to activate sub-regional mechanisms to enhance connectivity are being made, but results have been less than encouraging so far. An area of growing concern for India in all the neighbouring countries is their willingness to help China consolidate its fast-expanding economic and strategic presence.

It would be unfair to blame any lack of sincerity or effort on the part of Modi and his team in pursuance of the neighbourhood initiative. He travelled to these countries, including a surprise visit to Lahore, talked to them at various levels, and assured them of his commitment to their developmental aspirations. In neighbouring countries many of the pending and stalled Indian projects are being activated. When the neighbours were in distress, India was the first to reach out to them. Recall the support for Nepal when hit by an earthquake and for the Maldives in meeting the drinking water crisis. Also security ties have been sought to be expanded and revamped.

Read | Nepal: Indian embassy officials meeting with Madhesis creates furore

In spite of these efforts, the policy slipped in three critical areas. When launched, the initiative lacked adequate preparation and a credible roadmap. The visit of all the South Asian leaders at Modis swearing-in was hurriedly prepared by the ministry of external affairs. The heads of missions in neighbouring countries were called in August 2014 to prepare a 3-C mantra of commerce, culture and connectivity. But the diplomacy employed in pursuing this mantra was did not work to a plan. The Hurriyat redline for talks with Pakistan, undiplomatic and coercive moves on Nepals constitution and the postponement of Modis visit to the Maldives are just a few examples.

Then there has been a disconnect in the cultural approach with the ruling partys civilisational agenda. The parallel moves from the ruling partys interested constituencies to push for a Hindu State and monarchys revival have sent confusing signals as to what India wants in Nepal. The communal debate within India that often drags Pakistan in, in moves like stopping of cattle export to Bangladesh to save cows, grant of citizenships to migrant Hindus from Muslim neighbours and an emphasis on Hindu and Buddhist identities are also alienating moderates in neighbouring Muslim countries.

Lastly, despite their best efforts, Modi and his mandarins have not been able to bridge Indias chronic foreign policy delivery deficit. Promises made have remained undelivered, the completion dates of Indian projects have been postponed and the lack of effective coordination between various ministries, as also between the Centre and the states bordering the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, continue to come in the way of building good neighbourly ties. An early resolution of the Teesta issue with Bangladesh or the fishermens issue with Sri Lanka does not appear to be in sight.

Read | PM Modi discusses fishermen issue with Sri Lankan President Sirisena

There are two other challenges that the Modi governments neighbourhood policy has not been able to cope with yet. One is of internal political turbulence within each of the neighbouring countries where India is perceived as an inevitable divisive factor. New Delhi has not always been able to properly assess as to how close the neighbours wish to be to India in view of their identity and structural dependence dilemmas. This is reflected in the lack of a proper response to many of Indias initiatives to connect with them. The second is of Chinas aggressive push into South Asia with its economic and strategic compulsions. This push is backed by Chinas generous economic and strategic support offered either through their One Belt, One Road Initiative or through the promise of standing for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the South Asian countries against un-named external pressures. All most all of Indias neighbours are happy to work with China for its economic incentives and political promise.

The road for carrying forward the neighbourhood initiative lies through serious policy homework that must include redefining diplomatic tools and practices, as well as restraining party constituencies from constraining policy priorities. India must position itself on internal political turbulence in a manner that its vital interests are not harmed. Then it must also come up with a credible response to the Chinese push in the region.

SD Muni is professor emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University

The views expressed are personal
For two days, the body of 80-year-old Naneh Bhai remained hanging at his house in drought-hit Bundelkhands Tikamgarh district. It was only after the stench reached neighbouring hutments that locals entered the house and found that the Dalit farmer had committed suicide.

Bundelkhand region, spread over 70,000 sq km in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is battling drought for the past three years. Scanty rainfall and drought have damaged crops on hundreds of acres. This has forced large-scale urban migration and driven many debt-ridden farmers to commit suicide.

Several heart-wrenching stories of the drought-affected farmers were voiced at the Jan Samwad or public hearing held in Bhopal on Sunday to review the worsening drought situation in Madhya Pradesh.

According to social activist Pramod Khare, who works for drought-hit farmers in Bundelkhand, Naneh Bhai committed suicide on April 4 after battling hunger for nearly four months.

The farmer had to beg for food after his son left for Delhi in search of work in December last year, as there was nothing left on the parched fields or home, Khare said.

He begged for food on some daysAnd then one day, it was too much for him to continue like this. May be out of self-respect, helplessness or just desperation, the octogenarian chose to end his life, he said.

Average 3 farmers committed suicide every day in last 15 years

In last 15 years, 18,687 farmer suicides have been reported from across the state, with an average three farmers committing suicide every day.

Sukhwati Pal, a young widow from Tikamgrah, could not hold back her tears on Sunday as she spoke about her 27-year-old husband Laxman Pal Gadariya, who committed suicide after defaulting on a loan. As we couldnt repay a Rs 1.5 lakh loan, he hung himself on May 20, she said, adding that her husband had pinned hopes on the soybean crop on his two acre land, which failed due to drought.

Sagar resident Bharat Patels brother too was driven to commit suicide after their crop failed and they couldnt repay a loan taken for constructing a well and for sowing soybean in Gondia village. Three years ago, we took a loan for constructing a well. But when the well was dug, there was no water. We had to sell a part of our land. Then my brother took Rs 1 lakh loan from a local moneylender for sowing soybean crop, which was destroyed due to deficient rains. We didnt get any compensation. Our loan burden grew to Rs 3 lakh. My brother went into depression and hung himself from a tree. My bhabi (sister-in-law) also tried to commit suicide, but we saved her. She was hospitalised for some time. My brother has left four children behind. I dont know how we will survive, he told the congregation.

Eight-year old Ajeet Sor from Tikamgarh also lost his father, mother and brother in Morena, where they had shifted in search for work. The family worked as labourers at a construction site and had built a roadside shanty for shelter. My daddy, mummy and brother died when a truck hit our jhopdi (shanty) where we were sleeping in the evening. My relatives now take care of me. But I miss my mother, the tribal boy said.

Farmer suicides in the state

2005 1248

2006 1375

2007 1263

2008 1379

2009 1395

2010 1237

2011 1326

2012 1172

2013 1090

2014 826

2015 581
June 6 marks the 85th birth anniversary of veteran actor and politician Sunil Dutt.

Born in Jhelum (Pakistan), he began his career with radio and was a hugely popular voice of Radio Ceylon till he made his acting debut with Railway Platform (1955).

Two years later, he played Birju in Mehboob Khans Mother India (1957). The film changed his life. Not only did he make his mark in Indian films but he also found his way to Nargis heart, whom he married in 1958. The couple had three children, including actor Sanjay Dutt and former MP Priya Dutt.

Apart from an illustrious career as an actor, Dutt joined politics in 1984, signing up with the Congress party. He was elected Member of Parliament for five terms from the Mumbai North West constituency.

He died of heart attack on May 25, 2005.

Read: 5 films in which we fell in love with Sunil Dutt

Dutt was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1968 for his contribution to arts. With films like Saadhna, Sujata, Khandan, and Padosan, he was one of the biggest stars of Hindi cinema in 50s and 60s.

Here are some of the most memorable songs he featured in.

Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein (Padosan, 1968)

Singer: Kishore Kumar

Mera Saaya (Mera Saaya, 1966)

Singers:Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi

Saawan Ka Maheena (Milan, 1967)

Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh

Tum Agar Saath Dene Ka (Humraaz, 1967)

Singer: Mahendra Kapoor

Tumhi Mere Mandir (Khandan, 1965)

Singers:Lata Mangeshkar

Chalo Ek Baar Fir Se (Gumraah, 1963)

Singer:Mahendra Kapoor

O Gaadiwale Gaadi Dheere (Mother India,1957)

Singers: Shamshad Begum, Mohammed Rafi

Jalte Hai Jiske Liye (Sujata, 1959)

Singer: Talat Mahmood

Kaun Aaya Ki Nigaahon Mein (Waqt, 1965)

Singer: Asha Bhosle, Mahendra Kumar

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The mortal remains of Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, the maternal grandmother of Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, has been laid to rest at the cemetery of a church in Kottayam, Kerela.

Akhouri, 94, a freedom fighter, social activist and a former MLA, had breathed her last on June 3 in Mumbai.

Read: I am not expendable just because I am a woman,says Priyanka Chopra

As she had expressed her wish to be laid to rest in her home state, Kerala, her body was brought here for the last rites, family sources said.

Priyanka had tweeted, I will always remember you with that big smile on your face and the shine in your eyes. Rest in peace nani. We love you.

I will always remember you with that big smile on your face and the shine in your eyes.. Rest in Peace Nani . We love you. A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Jun 4, 2016 at 10:16am PDT

Rest in peace Nani, she said in a tweet on Sunday. Priyanka also shared a photograph of her grandmother in Instagram.

Rest in peace Nani . #Kerala #FinallyBackHome A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Jun 5, 2016 at 8:13am PDT

A number of relatives including Priyanka, flew down from Mumbai to perform the last rites yesterday.

Born as Mary in Kavalappara family at Kumarakom here, Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri had gone to Bihar as nurse and later married Dr Akhouri.

Read: Priyanka Chopra is humbled by her Time magazine cover

Besides Priyankas mother Madhu Chopra, she is survived by two other daughters and a son.

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Was it your hearts deep desire to see Fawad Khan in Dhadkan 2? If yes, then heres a news to turn your smile into a frown: He will not be seen in Dhadkan remake.

According to Bollywoodlife, the makers have not even approached the 34-year-old actor with any role.

Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra with film maker Shakun Batra and producer Karan Johar celebrates the success of their film Kapoor & Sons in Mumbai. (PTI)

Read: Women may be swooning but Fawad Khan doesnt think he looks good

Ritesh Jain of Venus films rubbished the news, saying, I dont know why have these kind of reports coming out. I havent even met these people in my life. If I will make a movie, I will surely announce it. But right now we havent approached anyone.

Earlier, reports were doing the rounds that Venus films is planning to revive its banner with a remake of the Dharmesh Darshan directorial, Dhadkan, wherein Khoobsurat actor will be portraying the crazed lover essayed by Suniel Shetty.

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The censor board has asked the makers of Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab to drop all references to Punjab from a movie that revolves around the states drug addiction problem, sources said on Monday.

The decision of the boards revising committee is possibly aimed at helping the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dodge uncomfortable questions around the mounting drug addiction nine months before the assembly polls.

It is not about cuts any more as the board want the makers to set the films plot in a fictitious place. This is very bizarre. How can they ask to remove Punjab from the film? said a film industry insider.

Read | Udta Punjab should be titled Udta India, says Ram Gopal Varma

Board member Ashoke Pandit condemned the demand and called it an insult to the freedom of expression.

If the trailer of the film was allowed, what is the problem with the film? What kind of situation are we heading to? It is a dangerous trend, said Pandit, who is not a part of the committee.

I am sure the film will be cleared in the tribunal. It is the most comic decision to ask them not to use the word Punjab, Pandit added.

Analysts say the movies portrayal of drug addiction among Punjabs youth might prove disastrous for the SAD, an NDA constituent, because of widespread discontent regarding the state governments failure to tamp down on the problem.

Anurag Kashyap, one of the films producers, thanked board chief Pahlaj Nihalani a few weeks ago on Twitter for clearing the expletive-laden trailer. Nihalani was unavailable for comment.

Filmmaker Onir, who faced a similar problem for his film My Brother...Nikhil in 2005 called the decision unfair. I think its important that we grow up and address the real problem. Why are filmmakers being penalised? There is a film which is showing the truth and now its facing so much objection.

Read | Udta Punjab gets red signal from CBFC for all the swearing, expletives

Earlier reports said the board wanted 89 cuts in the movie but sources indicated the new demand went beyond cosmetic changes or dropping the reference to Punjab in the films title.

The film depicts the hardcore reality of Punjab that was reported by the media and is well-known. The makers havent cooked up something, the insider said.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh was slated to release on June 17.

A source told HT that the demands hadnt been formally communicated and the producers will go to the censor board tribunal or the court to challenge the decision. The makers, however, were ready to talk about some cuts or demands to change the films name.

They are dilly-dallying knowing very well that the release is round the corner. To demand that all references to Punjab be removed from the film is unbelievable.

Read | Lets wait and watch: Alia Bhatt on censor issue of Udta Punjab

The producers were unavailable for comment but sources suggested the release date wont be postponed.

If the state government or any political party had objections to the film or its content, they should have gone to court, Pandit said.

The move might benefit the Akali Dal though the party never officially sought a ban on the Udta Punjab. But SAD spokesman and state minister Daljit Singh Cheema told HT the movie was projecting Punjab wrongly.

The movie is tarnishing the image of Punjab and its people by showing them as drug addicts, Cheema said.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt said that the developments shocked him. This is just bizarre. We get the government we elect. Nowadays you make a film and you dont know what you will get in return, he said.

Sources said the movie hit a hurdle because of depiction of narcotics abuse and the use of expletives, joining a string of controversial movies that underwent cuts or name changes due to cultural, political or religious reasons.

In 2009, Irrfan Khan and Shah Rukh Khans Billu was made to remove the word barber from its title after the community protested against it. The 2016 sex-comedy, Kya Kool Hain Hum 3, had to undergo massive cuts to get an adult certificate. Salman Khans 2015 blockbuster, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, had to trim several sequences involving Pakistan.

Read | Like Udta Punjab, 10 Hindi films slashed by CBFC, made to change title
Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab maybe renamed with reports suggesting a censor board panel has asked the filmmakers to drop all references to Punjab and elections from the movie that portrays drug abuse in the state.

The film, scheduled for a June 17 release, reportedly hit a hurdle because of its depiction of narcotics abuse and the use of expletives, joining a string of controversial movies that have undergone cuts or name changes in recent times due to cultural, political or religious reasons.

Veerappan director Ram Gopal Varma said a more truthful and righteous title would be Udta India since drug abuse was not limited to Punjab, but many Twitter users posted against such a move.

Read: Udta Punjab should be titled Udta India, says Ram Gopal Varma

Udta Punjab may do for Punjab what no one else has been able to do. Tragic if censored. People need to understand Punjab needs to be rescued (sic), political commentator Sunanda Vashisht wrote.

Watch the Udta Punjab trailer here

In 2009, Irrfan Khan and Shah Rukh Khans Billu was made to remove the word barber from its title after the community protested against it.

Read: Lets wait and watch: Alia Bhatt on censor issue of Udta Punjab

John Abrahams 2013 thriller, Madras Cafe, changed its title from Jaffna to sound more youth-oriented, but reports at the time suggested that it was an attempt to remove any direct reference to the LTTE militant group and former PM Rajiv Gandhis assassination.

Besides, the 2016 sex-comedy, Kya Kool Hain Hum 3, had to undergo massive cuts to get an adult certificate. Salman Khans 2015 blockbuster, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, had to trim several sequences involving Pakistan.

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The buzz around actor Kareena Kapoor Khans rumoured pregnancy got stronger at a recent event where many felt she was trying to hide a possible baby bump.

#kareenakapoorkhan on menstrual hygiene  A video posted by poonam (@poonamdamania) on Jun 4, 2016 at 1:13am PDT

In one of the videos, Kareena is walking to the podium and seen trying to hide her tummy with her dupatta. In the second video, Bebo is playing twister with some kids and is quite uncomfortable when she has to bend down. In fact, she refuses to do it saying, This is becoming a yoga session.

Read: After Shahid-Meera, are Kareena-Saif expecting their first baby now?

#kareenakapoorkhan having some fun with the girls  A video posted by poonam (@poonamdamania) on Jun 4, 2016 at 12:24am PDT

According to reports, the actor is three-and-a half months pregnant and her recent trip to London with husband actor Saif Ali Khan was to help her relax. The couple was also said to have visited a prenatal clinic during their London visit.
MELBOURNE: Adani Enterprises may walk away from its proposal to build one of the worlds biggest coal mines in Australia, citing long delays caused by legal challenges to the project brought by environmental groups.

The Adani group is battling multiple legal challenges from green groups opposed to its $10-billion (around Rs 67,000-crore) Carmichael mine, rail and port project.

The Australian on Saturday reported that the companys founder and chairman, Gautam Adani, had told the newspaper that the company may abandon the project because of long delays arising out of legal challenges. You cant continue just holding. I have been really disappointed that things have got too delayed, Adani told the publication.

Australias Queensland state government in April gave Adani Enterprises permission to mine coal reserves estimated at 11 billion tonnes and build roads, workshops, power lines and pipelines associated with the mine.

Environmentalists, however, are still fighting the approval on numerous fronts, including lobbying banks not to provide loans. They cite potential damage from port dredging, shipping and climate change stoked by coal from the mine.

With coal prices stuck near nine-year lows and demand growth uncertain as governments have committed to curb carbon emissions, analysts have said lenders will be reluctant to back Adanis mega coal project.

Adani, which aims to start building the Carmichael mine in 2017, expects to be able to go ahead eventually, as most of the coal is slated to go to its own power stations in India.
Worlds largest food retailer Nestle has struck a partnership with Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba to boost its online sales by tapping the countrys increasingly digital consumption patterns.

Under the new initiative, Nestle will launch campaign with its diverse products, spanning 30 brands from coffee to baby formula in Alibaba platforms such as Tmall.

Our partnership with Alibaba is all about the consumer. What is so exciting about China as a market is not only its size or population, but that Chinese consumers are a step ahead of consumers in other markets in the digital way they consume, Wan Ling Martello, executive vice president with Nestle overseeing the Asian, Oceanian and African markets, was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.

China is the right place to start Nestles next 150-year growth story as Chinese consumers have a more developed understanding and are quicker to adopt new consumption technologies than their global peers and have great passion for innovation, she said.

Chinas consumption pattern and manner have evolved fast and consumption is becoming increasingly digital with more young consumers choosing to shop online, Zhang Yong, Alibaba CEO said.

The volume of online purchases surged by more than 12 times from January 2011 to April 2016 in China, while per capita consumption grew by 27 per cent, according to a joint report released by Alibabas financial services platform Ant Financial and a private economics research institute.

Nestle strengthened its global capabilities in e-commerce by signing a strategic cooperation partnership with Alibaba in late last year to increase its online sales and build its brands.

Half of Nestles last year sales in China were online.
The BJP in Uttarakhand will take its top central leaders help to reverse public perception that the Centre tried to topple the states elected Congress government and stem the partys sliding popularity ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.

The possibility of snap polls has also driven the opposition party to seek its central leaderships help.

The BJP can ill-afford snap polls when its popularity has hit a trough. To resurrect its fortunes, the state unit has requested central ministers and BJP president Amit Shah to visit the state.

Shah will be in Haridwar on June 25 to address a public meeting. He will preside over the BJPs state council meeting in Haldwani the next day.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh is slated to address a public meeting in Vikasnagar on June 17 while minister of state for petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan will attend a rally in Srinagar on June 9. Union HRD minister Smriti Irani will visit Roorkee but the date of her visit is yet to be finalised.

State BJP general secretary Khajan Das said these visits will help galvanise the party cadre. This is part of our preparation for the assembly elections for which not much time is left, he said on Sunday.

Das agreed that the visits would help fight the perception that the party tried to topple the Harish Rawat government.

This false impression will be dispelled, thanks to a series of programmes our party will soon organise across the state, he said.

The programmes will highlight achievements of the NDA government during its two years in power. Besides, our leaders will explain how Rawat government was not toppled by the NDA government but it reduced to a minority owing to infighting within the Congress.

But state BJP president Ajay Bhatt articulated the partys biggest worry at the moment  that chief minister Rawat could recommend early polls as he was facing squabbles within the party.

More than that, Rawat could use the imposition of Presidents rule in the hill state for nearly two months since March 27 after nine Congress dissident lawmakers sided with the BJP to show the opposition in a poor light, sources said.

Ever since he won a Supreme Court-monitored trust vote on May 10, he has been telling the electorate how the BJP tried to shortchange his elected government. This has put the BJP on the back foot.

Read: BJP banks on turmoil in Congress to win Rajya Sabha seat

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NEW DELHI: More than 1,000 people have been fined for drunken driving in the national capital in the last three days.

Delhi Traffic Police has launched a special drive against drunken driving. Around 1,004 drunk drivers have been challaned and 432 vehicles impounded in last three days, the police said in a statement.

More than 1,600 people have lost their lives in road accidents in Delhi last year (2015). The Delhi Traffic Police has been undertaking several education campaigns and special prosecution drives to inculcate discipline among road users, the release added.

It further said that special teams are being stationed at important locations all over the city at strategic timings.

In pursuant to the recommendations of the committee for road safety set up by Supreme Court, drunken driving is one of the five traffic offences which can amount to suspension of drivers licence for three months.
Residents of gated colonies in south Delhi have got some relief from street crimes such as snatching, motor vehicle thefts and burglaries. With an aim to curb crime, the Delhi police had put in place a plan wherein barricades were installed at entry and exit gates of colonies during the night and in the wee hours. This move, introduced one and a half month ago, has helped bring down crime.

The south Delhi localities where barricading has been done include Defence Colony, Hauz Khas, Vasant Kunj, Mehrauli, RK Puram, Sarojini Nagar, Malviya Nagar and Saket among others.

The statistics provided by the Delhi police revealed that in the past 45 days, the rate of crimes such as chain and phone snatching has come down by 15-20%. The plan to put barricades was introduced after Delhi police chief Alok Kumar Verma directed district heads to lay stress on curbing street crime.

After the directions came, we conducted crime mapping of all the 16 police stations of south district. The mapping was done by a special unit, a senior police officer said.

The barricades and pickets are set up from 12am to 6am in the most vulnerable and crime-prone areas. Simultaneously, besides PCR vans, beat officers also stay put at the main entrances of all the gated colonies. Police personnel have been directed to properly check each vehicle entering the locality and maintain a record of it.

Increasing police presence acts as a deterrent against street crime. Chain snatching mostly occurs in the early hours when people are going out for morning walks or to religious places. We dont claim snatching has stopped completely, but such incidents are not being reported as often as they used to earlier. The idea is to make an atmosphere of prevention for incidents that instil fear in victims, who in most cases happen to be women, said Nupur Prasad, additional deputy commissioner of police (south).

Residents are happy as well. Defence Colonys two main entrances are now manned by police personnel. The area, residents claimed, had seen a spate of auto thefts and snatchings between March and April. The number of such incidents have now come down, they say.

Officials claim to check all vehicles. Two of the colony entries on Varun Marg  from Kotla Mubarkapur and BRT sides  remain under police vigil. Vehicles are checked at the entry. During the first 15 days of March, three cars were stolen. But the incidents have come down after that, the officer said.

According to cops, Malviya Nagar, Saket, RK Puram, Safdarjung Enclave, Mehrauli and Sarojini Nagar had seen a rise in snatching incidents this year.

We have been analysing crime patterns in these areas for some time now. The patterns keep changing from area to area. We have to keep an element of surprise in our measures of prevention each time, said Prasad.

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Bisada lynching victim Mohd Ikhlaqs family has rejected the probe report that said the meat found at his house was beef.

We feel the report is manipulated. We will seek the courts intervention. It should be probed thoroughly, said lawyer Yusuf Saifi on Monday. He said he would challenge the forensic report and demand a fair probe.

Ikhlaqs brother Jaan Mohammad said, It seems the forensic report is politically motivated. The court will deliver justice.

The fast-track court trying the case that shook the country and triggered a debate on intolerance deferred hearing till June 10.

Framing of charges against those accused of lynching Ikhlaq and brutally beating up his son may happen in the next hearing.

Today (Monday), we objected to the framing of charges as we did not get copies of the statement of Ikhlaqs daughter Shaista and the medical reports of Danish and Ikhlaq. The court asked the investigators to submit the copies and adjourned the proceedings till June 10, said Ram Sharan Nagar, counsel for the accused.

Three of total 18 accused in the case filed their bail applications on Monday. Counsel for accused Vivek and Santosh Chaudhary said he would seek changes in the sections under which the case had been registered.

The mob was agitated as a cow was slaughtered. They had no intention of killing anyone. So the section should be changed from IPC 302 (murder) to IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), said Chaudhary.

As many as 18 residents of Bisada in Dadri area, 50 km from Delhi, were booked for murder and assault on September 28 when a mob allegedly attacked Mohammad Ikhlaq, 55 and his younger son, Danish, over allegations of slaughtering a cow and storing its meat.

The mob had allegedly recovered a bowl of meat from the refrigerator at Ikhlaqs house, which they claimed was cow meat. The sample were sent for a forensic test at a Mathura lab which said the meat was of a cow or its progeny.

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DHAKA: Unidentified assailants stabbed and shot dead the wife of a police officer, and hacked to death a Christian grocer in two separate attacks in Bangladesh on Sunday.

Mahmuda Khanam, wife of Babul Akter, a superintendent of police who had acted against radical Islamists, died on the spot in south-eastern city of Chittagong after three attackers hit her when she was waiting along with her son for the school bus near her home.

The young boy was separated by the assailants while his mother was killed. The grocer, Sunil Gomes, was attacked inside his shop in the northwestern district of Natore, said Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of the local police station at Barhaigram subdistrict .

Neighbours and family members rushed to the shop, which is near his home, and found him in a pool of blood. Doctors at a local hospital later declared him dead, Islam said.

Akters colleagues are not ruling out involvement of suspected Islamist militants in his wifes killing, as he had led many raids against radical groups and helped recover arms and ammunition from their dens, which could have infuriated such groups, especially the banned Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB).

We have started our investigation and as part of that, we are collecting CCTV footage from nearby buildings and streets to find out the attackers, Paritosh Ghosh, a senior police official at Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told reporters.

Ghosh said Akter had also acted very boldly against drug peddlers in the region, which is thought to be used as a route for drug trafficking in Bangladesh. Chittagong city has the countrys largest seaport.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killings so far. Many of the previous attacks on atheist bloggers, online activists, gay rights advocates and minority groups were claimed by groups reportedly tied to the Islamic State or Al Qaeda on the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Minority groups in the Muslim-majority country say members of their communities and religious leaders received threats from suspected Islamist groups in Dhaka and outside.
A Delhi court convicted on Monday five people for gangraping and robbing a 52-year-old Danish woman in 2014. Arguments on quantum of sentence on will be heard on June 9.

Additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar had fixed the matter for judgment after he concluded hearing final arguments of both the Delhi Police and the defence counsel on May 26.

Nine men, including three juveniles, were accused of raping the Danish woman in central Delhi in 2014.

Arjun, Raju alias Chhakka, Mohammad Raja, Mahendra alias Ganja, Raju alias Bajji and Shyam Lal were accused of robbing and raping the Danish woman at knife-point near New Delhi railway station in January 2014 after she sought directions to her hotel in Paharganj area.

Shyam Lal died in February in the Tihar jail in Delhi and proceedings against him in the case were abated.

The three minors are also facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board in the case.
Are the pills you consume safe and effective? There is no way to find out. The citys drug regulatory body does not have enough officers to conduct regular inspections of all the manufacturing units, wholesale markets and neighbourhood chemist shops in Delhi.

Before we give a licence to any shop  retail or wholesale  we need to check the premises to see whether they follow the specifications mentioned in drugs and cosmetics act. If they deal in injections and vaccines that need to be kept under a certain temperature, we need to ensure that they maintain the cold chain, an official said.

Currently, there are 18,000 licensed wholesale and retail drug dealers and 63 allopathic drug manufacturers, 6 homeopathic drug manufacturers and 500 cosmetic manufacturers, who are also regulated under the same act and have to be inspected by the department. The drug control department is also responsible for ensuring the quality of blood at the citys 62 blood banks.

And, the department has only 14 drug inspectors. Seven other candidates have been finalised and their paperwork is being processed. They will join us soon but 10 posts would remain vacant even then, an official said.

If all the posts are filled, there will be a total of 31 drug inspectors. And, they will be responsible for checking all the facilities mentioned above at least once a year, according to the Dr Mashelkar Committee report of 2005, which is used to define the norms of the industry. The same report states that there should be one drug inspector for every 50 manufacturing unit and 200 licensed vendors.

Read: Govt gives free medicine, sales down at nearby private pharmacies

This means Delhi should have a minimum of 102 drug inspectors.

Moreover, the samples picked up by these inspectors for quality check are sent to the single lab at North West Delhis Lawrence Road, which is shared by Delhis food safety department for testing their food samples as well.

As soon as we receive reports of a drug being spurious or not of standard quality, we recall that particular drug of that manufacturer and file a case against them. However, it takes about a month for the department to receive results from the lab, he said.

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Starting Monday Open Days will be held at colleges across the city to provide information on the Delhi University. The Open Day will take place at Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College in north campus on Monday.

On Tuesday, the venue will shift to Sri Venkateshwara College in south Delhi. Colleges too are holding open days to assist parents and students. Lakshmibai College will hold sessions on June 6 and June 15.

Similarly, Lady Shri Ram College for Women will hold admission counselling from June 10 to 19. Open Days began at north campus on June 1. Students ask various questions from the authorities during these events.

Applicants worry the most about getting a hostel. To get a hostel accommodation, students will have to apply separately in the respective college for hostel facility and admission is granted on merit. There are few colleges that provide hostel facility such as Miranda, LSR, Hindu, IP College for Women.

Read more: Now, DU aspirants cannot block seats in multiple colleges

Another question that weighs heavily on the students mind is the calculation of marks. For Bsc (Hons) in physical sciences -- physics, the marks obtained in chemistry, mathematics (PCM) are considered. For biosciences -- physics, the marks in chemistry and biology (PCB) are considered. However, for BSc mathematics (hons), marks in a language are also considered.

Read more: Campus Calling: 6 students to Snapchat 6 most stressful weeks of their lives

For those taking admission under the sports, extracurricular activities quota, they have to upload the latest date mentioned on the certificates. Those applying under the OBC quota need to keep in mind the central list. DU being a central university only considers the central list.

Read more: Find your college on interactive map, know details
NEW DELHI: ED has summoned Raninder Singh, son of former Punjab CM Amrinder Singh, in connection with its probe into alleged forex contraventions and holding of untaxed foreign assets.

Sources said Raninder has to explain the alleged movement of funds to Switzerland and creation of a trust and a few subsidiaries in tax haven of British Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, AAP MP Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that the summoning of Raninder Singh by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 16 vindicates the partys charge against Amarinder and his family for being neck deep in corruption.

Mann said that Amrinder has no moral authority to continue in politics after ED has summoned his son Raninder Singh for foreign exchange management act violations, in which he (Amarinder) is also named.

In March, AAP had made revelations about Amarinders familys swiss bank accounts in which lakhs of dollars were transferred when the latter was chief minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007. Mann said the documents procured by AAP clearly indicated that his son Raninder Singh and MLA wife Preneet Kaur opened bank accounts in Switzerland to transfer money.
NEW DELHI: India is on course to become the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) this week as the first stage on the way to entry into the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

The MTCR membership, a move that has US support, will allow India to export and import missile technology subject to non-proliferation rules. Membership of the NSG will greatly boost Indias quest for clean nuclear power.

We expect the membership of MTCR to be announced on June 7 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Washington. India has been a unilateral adherent of MTCR since 2008 and has more than fulfilled all its commitments, including signing of the Hague Missile Code, a top Modi government official told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity.

Ministry of External Affairs officials, however, continue to be evasive, saying that Indias entry into the multi-lateral regime will be completed this summer now that the Reinforced Point of Contact meeting of MTCR officials this April has gone as per Indian plans. Unlike the NSG, China is still not a member of MTCR, a body formed by consensus.

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NEW DELHI: On October 14, 2006, suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad operative Raju alias Parvez Admad Radoo was arrested at Azadpur market, allegedly with explosives and Rs 10 lakh cash.

He was acquitted in 2013 as the court punched holes in the case. Police failed to prove that Parvez was a JeM member. Police officials also contradicted themselves about the colour of the bag which contained the cash. One officer said the cash were kept in thermocol while another said it was wrapped in clothes. A forensic laboratory report said there were no wires with the explosives as claimed by police.

The last nail was the police claim that they went to Pune in October 2006 to trace a suspect but all shops were closed due to Basant Panchami. The court said the festival is not celebrated in October.

The case was among several similar incidents highlighted by the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association in a book titled Framed Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a Very Special Cell.

Though Kazmis case was not in the book, his arrest was noticed by Mehmood Pracha, who was a successful corporate lawyer at that time.

Kazmis case made me realise that of a person like him can be arrested then what about others. I started looking for other cases and at this point of time I have 25-30 terror cases under me (now), said Pracha who has made it his lifes mission to provide legal help to people allegedly framed in false cases.

Kazmis case, he says, is not an isolated one. He is just one of the few who got bail.

The lawyer says there are many others who are in jail for 10 years while their trials are still on. Most of them are poor, illiterate and unaware of their rights and few organisations help in highlighting their case.

I travel to Jaipur, Pune and Mumbai to fight the cases. In one case, I have managed acquittal while in few cases I have filed for bail. If a person is acquitted after 14 years like Mohammed Amir, there is no value of acquittal. I fight for speedy trial, Pracha adds.

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has ordered a crackdown against the civic bodies for lack of cleanliness in various parts of the Capital. The district magistrates (DMs) of have issued 178 notices seeking explanations from Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials.

According to officials, Delhi home and PWD minister Satyendar Jain had directed the district magistrates of to issue the notices.

So far 178 conditional orders under section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been issued to concerned officials of the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) for unsatisfactory cleanliness and hygienic conditions, particularly near dhalaos (garbage dump), said a Delhi government spokesperson.

Section 133 CrPC empowers a district magistrate/sub divisional magistrate/executive magistrate to issue a conditional order on the basis of complaints or otherwise for removal of nuisance from any public place that may be injurious to the health or physical comfort of the public.

This provision in criminal law also makes it clear that if the district magistrate is satisfied and invokes this section for the health safety of general public, then it cannot be challenged even in a court of law.

With these orders, it is clear that the concerned officials of the three MCDs will have to provide reasonable explanations for the lack of cleanliness, failing which further legal action will be initiated. Delhi government will not tolerate any laxity in the discharge of duty for keeping the national capital clean, which has suffered due to the negligence of the MCDs, the spokesperson added.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay, however, said that municipal safai karamcharis have maintained a satisfactory sanitation level.

CM Arvind Kejriwal wants to defame the BJP ruled civic bodies, said Upadhyay.
NEW DELHI: To ensure grievances of people are heard and addressed personally, senior officers, including the Delhi Police commissioner, will now be available for the public during fixed hours.

All station house officers, assistant commissioners, deputy commissioner and special commissioners have been asked to spare two hours every day to hear peoples complaints.

An order to this effect passed by the Delhi Police commissioner, Alok Kumar Verma, on May 31.

The grievances of citizens need to be heard and redressed fairly, judiciously and promptly. An average citizen wants the police to be sympathetic, courteous and helpful, the order read.

An institutionalised mechanism is being set up in police stations and police headquarters where the senior officers will be available during fixed timings in their offices to listen to citizens for redressal of grievances, it said.

The commissioner of police will be available at the police headquarters between noon and 2pm. The special CPs of law and order, vigilance, crime, traffic, licensing and economic offences wing will be available in their respective offices between noon and 2pm.

All district deputy commissioners will be available in their area offices between 3pm and 5pm and all ACPs and station house officers will hear complaints in their areas during that time.

If any officer is on leave or unable to meet the complainants due to some work, the complainants will be heard by the next senior most officer of the area, the order said.

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NEW DELHI: The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the kidney racket busted on Friday by the south-east Delhi Police is conducting raids in several states to trace the donors and recipients of illegal kidney transplant done allegedly at the Apollo Hospital, senior police officers said.

Investigators have already identified and verified three donors, and they are making efforts to trace the two other donors whose kidneys were illegally transplanted to patients at the hospital.

The two, police said are natives of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and they were lured to donate their kidneys by Satya Prakash alias Ashu, one of the members of the racket. Ashu, his two aides  Aseem Sikdar and Devashish Mauli  were arrested along with two men allegedly working for a doctor at Apollo Hospital. Police said the gang was involved in illegal trade and transplant of human organs.

The hospital in its statement on Friday denied any wrongdoing on its part and said that the arrested men were secretarial staff of some doctors and not employees of the hospital. The statement said that the hospital had been a victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients.

Mandeep Singh Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said that so far five cases of illegal kidney transplant have been verified and the ongoing probe could help them unveil a few more such cases. A senior investigating officer said that the teams will also be sent to Kolkata, Nagpur, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Jaipur to trace T Rajkumar Rao, the alleged kingpin of the racket, who was earlier involved in running two similar rackets in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and Jalandhar in Punjab.

Police are also probing the role of another senior doctor of the hospital, member of the hospitals internal authorisation committee, sources said. According to police sources, the doctor will soon be asked to join probe. Two other doctors, whose names have surfaced are abroad and would join the probe once they return, a police officer privy to the probe said.

Prime facie, it looks that the doctors and members of the hospitals internal authorisation committee were unaware of the entire nexus between the gang members and office staff, said the officer.
NEW DELHI: The associate professor of Bharati College, Saloni Gupta, has written to Delhi University saying she has not received any appointment order/ letter to join as the acting principal of the college.

This was in response to the letter sent by DU to the college chairman alleging violation of rules in appointing the officiating principal. HT reported the same on June 4.

The letter sent by university to the college chairman said the appointment procedure followed was a violation of Ordinance 18 of the university statute.

But Gupta said she was not appointed and was being dragged into the issue. I had merely given my acceptance to an inquiry made from me by the chairperson of the governing body of the college regarding my willingness to shoulder the responsibility of the post offered to me, said Gupta in the letter to the joint registrar. She said she had insisted that DU approval be sought before the appointment.

The term of the officiating principal Kanta Rani Bhatia ended on June 2.

It is a routine procedure that has been followed. Now the additional charge has been given to the bursar of the college, said Sneh Mohan, chairman of the governing body.
Delhi University teachers protesting the University Grants Commissions (UGC) third amendment regulation have now threatened to boycott the admission process. They have been already boycotting the evaluation process since May 24.

The protest could delay results of DUs undergraduate courses, which are usually out by June 30. The delay will also affect students who have to apply for postgraduate courses.

With teachers threatening to intensify their agitation and boycott the admissions, the issue may snowball into a bigger controversy.

The teachers have been protesting the regulation as the terms of the notification would cause around 5,000 ad-hoc teachers losing their jobs and make promotion difficult.

On Monday, UGC called representatives of teachers across the country for a consultation on the regulation. With no concrete assurance coming from the UGC, the teachers are mulling to intensify their protest.

The entire evaluation and result declaration process takes 30 days. Now with almost two weeks lost, the results would be delayed, said an official of the examination department.

Teachers said they would decide their future course of action at the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) general body meeting on Tuesday.

Read: DU results may be delayed as teachers extend evaluation boycott

The consultations went on for more than five hours but it is extremely unfortunate the UGC chairperson was not willing to concede anything more than what the ministry of human resource development had already stated in its press release. The UGC chairperson was unwilling to give any assurance on the academic performance indicator (API), said Nandita Narian, DUTA president.

Thousands of teachers held a day-long protest as the consultations went on. They banged steel plates in a symbolic gesture to make the UGC and government hear their anguish.

DU teachers were joined by teachers from different other universities, students and even political leaders.

JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was present at the protest, was not allowed to address the gathering. Some teachers were against Kumar addressing the gathering.

Deepender Hooda, chief whip of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, told the teachers that he would take up the issue in Parliament during the monsoon session.
NEW DELHI: A 36-year-old newspaper hawker turned journalist working with a weekly newspaper was held for allegedly duping an 83-year-old retired Indian Railways employee of Rs 12 lakh on the pretext of publishing his poems through a publisher in South Africa, police said on Sunday.

The accused prepared a letter forged to appear to be from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to make the old man believe that the parcel of poetry book and the money from the royalty was stuck in the Ministry of Finance.

The fake letter and a computer used by the accused for preparing it have been seized from the office of the weekly newspaper in Jahangirpuri, said police.

Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime), said the jour nalist Munna Singh was arrested after police received a cheating complaint from Gangaram Aggarwal at the PMO alleging cheating with the help of a letter issued by the PMO.

On inquiry, the letter was found to be forged and the PMO wrote a letter to Delhi police commissioner for registration of an FIR, said Yadav.

Singhs interrogation, Yadav said, revealed that he had befriended the elderly man at Delhi Public Library in Chandni Chowk. When Singh came to know about Aggarwals interest in writing poetry, he offered him to get his poems published.

Singh also assured Aggarwal that he would get a huge amount in return in the form of royalty. He later collected around ` 12 lakh from Aggarwal. When Aggarwal pressurized him to either get his poems published or return his money, Singh forged a letter to claim that he was getting the parcel of poetry books and royalty money cleared, he said.

A native of Aurangabad in Bihar, Singh came to Delhi in 2002 in search of a job and started working as a newspaper hawker. In 2009, he joined a weekly newspaper but was not happy with his meagre income, police said.
To prevent people from dumping waste into Taimoor Nagar drain, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has planned to raise a boundary wall parallel to it. It proposes to construct a 5 foot-high wall with 3 foot-high fencing. SDMC claimed that despite regular desilting of the drain, the situation goes to square one as residents of neighbouring areas throw garbage and construction waste in it. This slows down or stops the flow of water and the stagnated water emanates a foul smell.

The agency said there was a boundary wall along the nullah but locals have breached it. A senior SDMC official said, We had planned to construct the wall three months ago, but the project was delayed due to paucity of funds. Now, an estimate has been prepared and sent to the ward committee for approval.

The official said SDMC carried desilting work just 15 days ago. But at present, heaps of debris can be seen dumped on both sides of the nullah.

New Friends Colony (NFC) residents have repeatedly complaints about the unhygienic condition around the drain. They recently spoke to SDMC officials and MLA Amanatullah Khan. Mona Srineewas, deputy commissioner, SDMC central zone, also visited recently. She promised immediate action, said Chitra S Jain, a member of New Friends Colony RWA.

Residents also said that there is only one bin in the area and said it is not enough considering the requirement. Garbage can be seen scattered around the overflowing dustbin.

NFC residents have also been requesting authorities for the widening of the road running parallel to the drain. The road is encroached, diverted towards Gurudwara Road and ends near Taimoor Nagar village. We want authorities to expand the road till Khizrabad and other neighbouring areas for ease of access, said Rohit Kumar, another member of NFC RWA. At present, those travelling towards Khizrabad and Zakir Nagar take Gurudwara Road, the excess of traffic movement leads to jams on this road.

We spoke to the MLA. He promised to discuss the matter with government agencies. But we have not yet received any feedback, said Jain. Khan could not be reached for comment.

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Commercial donation -- where recipients pay for healthy organs -- should be legalised to meet their acute shortage, say some experts. But the majority insist it will lead to the exploitation of the poor and end the donation of organs after death.

The Delhi police on Friday busted a kidney racket at Apollo hospital and arrested five for selling kidneys to recipients for R 25-30 lakh.

Every year in India, around two lakh people get listed for kidney transplants but only about 7,500 receive an organ. Of this, less than 1% is from organ donation by families of brain dead patients, says the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO), a national level transplant network.

In India, around 6,000 kidneys are transplanted from live donors and hardly any from brain dead patient, says Dr Harsh Jouhari, chairman of the department of renal transplant at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and an advisor on organ transplantation to the ministry of health and family welfare.

We have the second highest number of transplants from living donors. America has the highest but they also have around 10,000 transplants from brain dead donors, he said.

Legalising commercial donations is a strict no-no, Jouhari says. An organ cannot be a commodity. It is banned world over and should be, otherwise, people would be coerced and blackmailed into giving an organ, he said.

It will also negatively affect programmes promoting organ donation from brain dead patients. If people are just allowed to pay money for the organs, these programmes will never take off, he said.

Read: Delhi kidney racket: Raids in three cities to trace kingpin

Dr Vimal Bhandari, director of NOTTO, agreed. Legalising commercial donation may reduce the need gap but it will have a negative affect, he said. The rich will be able to pay but the poor will suffer. Most transplants will start happening at private centres and it will become a flourishing business, he said.

But director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences Dr MC Misra felt a legal tag may stop the exploitation of poor donors.

There must be a fixed price for organs and the money must be directly paid to the donor through a corpus, which can hold back around 20% of the money. This money can be used to subsidise or even completely pay for the transplants in poor patients, he said.

This, Misra says, is necessary in India because the proportion of cadaveric donation is very small.

Dr Bhandari says retrieval centres in all hospitals, motivating kins of brain dead patients and improving transportation facilities, would help. Retrieval does not happen in many hospitals even though we have so many road traffic accidents.Transporting the organ quickly is an issue. Fast air-travel and green corridors will help. Pledging of organs is the only way forward, he said.

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NEW DELHI: After the sweltering heat of the past few days, Delhi can look forward to a cooler week ahead with the Met department predicting thunderstorms and rain.

A duststorm or thunderstorm on Monday evening could set the stage for showers on Tuesday and Wednesday and marginally lower temperatures, the weatherman said on Sunday.

The day saw the mercury touch 42.6C, two notches above normal, while the minimum temperature was 30.6C, three above the average. With the humidity hovering between 45% and 85%, the day was clammy and uncomfortable.

The maximum will be around 42C on Monday and 40C on Tuesday but the rain and thunderstorm could bring the minimum down to 29C, said the forecast. The weekend is also set to be pleasant with rain on Saturday, bringing temperatures down further to 38C (maximum) and 27C (minimum).

Overnight rain last Sunday(May 29) had cooled down the city, bringing the maximum temperature down to 36.7C, four below normal. But the relief had been short-lived.

Its been a cruel summer for Delhi  and the rest of north India  with the Met last month issuing a red alert amid warnings of an intense heat wave. The Palam weather station, usually the hottest part of the city, had recorded a high of 47C in May.

As the Capital waits for cooling showers, Kerala is ready to welcome the monsoon with the Met saying on Sunday that conditions were favourable for its onset over the next two to three days, reported IANS.

The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around June 1 before advancing northwards, covering the entire country around July 15. It usually arrives in Delhi on June 29.
NEW DELHI: Two minor girls were raped by their neighbours in two separate incidents reported from north and outer Delhi areas in the past four days. In the first case, an eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her 35-year-old inebriated neighbour, a painter, in north Delhis Burari on Thursday.

The crime was reported to the police on Friday after the girl, who suffered injuries in her private parts, was admitted to a government hospital. She reportedly underwent a surgery at the hospital. Her condition was stated to be out of danger, said police.

Police on Friday arrested the accused, identified as Abdul Rahim Khan. He was produced before a city court that sent him to judicial custody. Khan lived with his wife and children in Wazirabad. The girl lived in the same lane as the accused.

A police officer said, Khan got a contract to paint a house in the locality. On Thursday, he took Rs 250 as token money from the house owner and purchased alcohol for himself. Khan consumed alcohol and went to paint the house. In the evening, his children arrived at their fathers workplace and the girl was also with them.

Khan sent back his children but lured the girl to stay with him. He raped the girl in the vacant flat and threatened her with dire consequences if she informed anybody about it. The girl returned home and narrated her ordeal to her mother who in turn approached the local police, said the officer.

The officer also said that a case under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered.

In another case, a three-and-half-year old girl was sexually assaulted by a minor boy living in her neighbourhood in outer Delhis Mangolpuri on Saturday. The alleged juvenile accused, a 12-year-old boy, reportedly lured the girl to a nearby park on the pretext of giving her sweets.

The girl was admitted to a government hospital after she complained of pain in her private parts. Police said she was playing outside her home when the boy lured her to the park. A case was registered in connection with the crime, said police.
Eknath Khadse, who resigned on Saturday as Maharashtras revenue minister, is the first to fall to allegations of corruption in the Narendra Modi era of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Probity in public life was a big part of the BJPs campaign that propelled it to power at the Centre in 2014 and the party can justifiably take credit for grasping the nettle and asking Khadse to quit. Khadse held about 10 portfolios, including agriculture, and allegations of conflicts of interest involving his family had arisen in more than one department. Delaying a decision would have only made it worse and the BJP brass stood firm in the face of attempts to raise the bogey that the OBCs would be upset if their senior-most leader in Maharashtra, who ironically led the charge against the previous Congress-NCP government on the question of corruption, was shown the door.

Read | 14 BJP corporators from Jalgaon civic body quit in Khadses support

But the days ahead will prove testing for the BJP in the state where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will now have to ensure that trouble doesnt break out within the party and the government. Already 14 corporators from Khadses home turf of Jalgaon have quit in protest. The BJP president, Amit Shah, has sent a firm message down the line that people should work for the party and not themselves. Mr Fadnavis clearly has the backing of Mr Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of whom he briefed in detail about the charges against Khadse. This should strengthen his hand in dealing with any dissent. The fact remains, however, that Khadse is one of the tallest leaders of the BJP in Maharashtra and he is known to be combative. Mr Fadnavis could be bogged down smoothing ruffled feathers in the party and also dealing with fresh charges of wrongdoing against other members of his Cabinet. There is also the matter of finding people to handle the critical portfolios held by Khadse, who was one of the few ministers in the Cabinet with enormous administrative experience.

Read | Sena taunts Khadse, says those who messes with it bites dust

For the BJP, this is a battle it cannot afford to lose, given its promise of clean and efficient governance emphasised by the prime minister time and again. It has won the first round by taking action quickly and ruthlessly. It now has to ensure that the focus returns to the governments programmes and policies. At the same it cannot afford to ignore the political undercurrents that Khadses sacking may have unleashed. Next year will show how well Mr Fadnavis, and by extension the BJP, have managed because there are crucial elections to the district councils and local bodies in Maharashtra, including Mumbais mammoth civic body. This will call for some really deft footwork on the part of the party.
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced the Class 10, or secondary school certificate (SSC) examination, results for 2015-16 on Monday.

Candidates can check their results on state boards official website.

Steps to check results:

a) Go on the official website

b) Click on Results to go to the log-in page.

c) Log in with appropriate credentials like roll number and mothers first name and click on view results.

The results will be displayed on the screen.

Or

Click here to go directly to the log in page.

The pass percentage for first-time candidates in SSC exam this year increased by 1.79% to 91.90% in Mumbai division, but a drop of 1.90% was recorded across the state.

Of the 1,609,406 students that took the exam in the state, 1,434,143 students  671,853 girls and 762,290 boys  passed from nine divisions.

Konkan division came in first with 96.56% success rate, while Latur division had the worst result at 81.54%. The results are based on the best-of-five subject policy.

Talking to HT, one of the high scorers, Sharan Shetty (15) from St Josephs High School in Vikhroli, said, Since I had to make time for studies and sports everyday, I planned my day well to make sure that I dont miss out on anything...Now I want to concentrate on preparation for MH-CET exams so that I can get through an institute of my choice to pursue engineering. Sharan scored 98.20% (including 15 marks for sports).

Sharan Shetty (15) from St Josephs High School in Vikhroli is one of the high scorers of Maharshtra SSC examination. (Handout image)

Another high scorer, Chirag Bangera (16) from Oxford Public School in Kandivli, said, I used to practice previous years question papers regularly and was very confident about scoring above 97%. The results have made me really happy as my hard work has paid off. I have already enrolled for integrated coaching for classes 11 and 12 and hope to crack the JEE examinations as well.

Chirag too has scored 98.20% (including 15 marks for sports).

Chirag Bangera (16) from Oxford Public School in Kandivli has scored 98.20% (including 15 marks for sports) in Maharshtra board SSC examinations. (Handout image)

The original mark sheets will be distributed in schools on June 15 at 3pm. This year, students will be able to apply for verification of marks immediately after the results, from June 7 to June 27. Students can also get a photocopy of the answer sheets at a minimum fee and then submit it for re-evaluation.

Read more: West Bengal JEE results declared: Engineering finds few takers in the state

The SSC exams this year offered more concessions to students, with extra facilities for special students and multiple sections for science. To reduce the examination stress, the board split science subject into two sections, so it becomes easy for students to revise. Students with special needs were allowed to use adult writers, if they were unable to find writers younger to them. Students were also given 10 minutes extra to read the question paper before they start writing.

Read more: Results of two Bihar board toppers cancelled after poor performance in re-test

The re-exams will be conducted in July, for which students will have to register online. The dates for the exams are yet to be announced.

Read more: Maha SSC: Even 99% wont be enough

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From this year, Delhi University aspirants will not be able to block seats at different colleges simultaneously. The admission and withdrawal procedures have been changed.

After the cutoffs are declared, students need not go directly to the college that they have qualified for. First, the students will have to log on to a DU portal and then select the course and the college.

Thereafter, an admission slip of the college selected is generated. The students can take this slip and documents to get admission to the college. The documents include original mark sheets, pass certificates.

Students will get three days to take admission to the colleges after the cutoff is declared. For instance, the first cutoff is declared on June 27 and the students can take admission on its basis till June 29.

Read more: Find your college on interactive map, know details

The college will retain the certificates of the approved candidate in order to avoid multiple admissions. The certificates will remain with the colleges during admission to make admission smooth for colleges. Earlier, students blocked multiple seats and withdrew their applications later, said a senior university official.

The college authorities will approve the admission on the UG admission portal.

Unlike previous years, students will not have to stand in queue to pay fees. The selected candidate can pay online.

In case, candidates want to take admission to another college, they cannot go directly to the college. First, the students will have to go to the college where they got admitted and submit an application for withdrawal.

Only after the college has approved the withdrawal and marked the same in the UG portal, the student can select another college. However, the college will have to return the documents promptly.

Read more | Campus Calling: 6 students to Snapchat 6 most stressful weeks of their lives

Such procedures have been put in place as DU colleges will release only five cutoff lists this time.

The number of registered applicants reached 1,54,026 by 6pm Sunday.

Out of which, 68,316 applicants have finished registration. The university is holding admission for 54,000 seats in 61 DU colleges. The last date to submit application is June 19.

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Someone once said that everybody dies, but not everybody lives. Not everybody takes the advantage of opportunities. Not everybody takes the time to give, or serve, or appreciate. Not everybody takes a chance at something new or something different. Not everybody acts, so possibilities slip by. Weeks and classes slip by. Friends slip by. Many of us start asking what if we missed opportunities to take certain classes, make certain friends, build certain relationships. The golden mantra for life is, carpe diem or seize the day. Fortunate is the person who learns the importance of seizing the day and taking action.

Last week, we talked about our career ambitions and how we have fared in life so far. This week, with the CBSE results out, we all have started on our arduous quest for colleges. And with this quest has begun the never-ending debate on course versus college. Unfortunately, in our society, often the decision regarding this make-or-break choice is not fully enjoyed by the students themselves. They are often under a lot of pressure from their parents, peers and the society as a whole. The uncleji who hasnt even talked to you in years suddenly appears out of the blue to advice (even impose) on what would be the best course of action for you.

Something that one needs to bear in mind here is that, nobody, not even your parents, knows you better than yourself. Listen to your heart, identify the things you like to do and the subjects you want to study. Pay heed to advice from others but never ever base your decision solely on that. At last, make a firm decision and stand by that whatever happens. If you sincerely try to persuade your parents, I am sure that at the end of the day they would approve of your choice.

Like most of you, our gang of six is also facing this dilemma. But on the behalf of my team, I am confident in saying that all those numerous pieces of advice have not clouded our reason. We are set to follow our passions and eventually hope to emerge as the best in what we aspire to do.

Read more: Campus Calling: 6 students to Snapchat 6 most stressful weeks of their lives

Akash kumar, University School of Jamia Millia

Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice

Being a student in a university school, I have thoroughly enjoyed its perks by availing the vast array of facilities otherwise available to only college students. But, there is a big downside to it as well. Jamia Millia Islamia administers its school exams on its own and the university board is traditionally a low-scoring one.

(Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

So I dont get the luxury of even dreaming of getting into the so-called top colleges of Delhi University north campus. My only gateway to DU is to take the entrance examination for the BA (hons) humanities and social sciences offered by the Cluster Innovation Centre of the university. In my opinion, its one of the most innovative and off-beat courses offered in India. Its based on the Meta college concept and has an interdisciplinary nature which helps instill the passion for research in students at the undergraduate level. Students get to choose any DU college to pursue any paper of their choice. So, one can go to Hindu College even if he has scored 70%. Interesting, isnt it?

I think that my choice of colleges and courses is unconventional. The big question for me is whether to go abroad or to stay in India. I have got an admission offer from the University of British Columbia in Canada for their international relations programme. Despite being one of the popular universities in the world, its very expensive and I have come to the conclusion that I simply cant afford it. I have also got into the University of Oregon in the US with a tuition waiver but even the living costs there are unaffordable. So, at this point of time, I am thinking of staying in India for my undergraduate degree. I have zeroed in on the integrated masters in development studies offered by IIT-Madras. Looking at the course structure, I can say that has an interdisciplinary approach and also promises to give expertise in the specialisation of my choice.

The formula for success is to be the very best in what you do no matter what it is. Taking up a course which you have no interest in would lead you nowhere even if its in a very reputed college.

Read more: Meet our campus journalists: They cant wait to get started

Just follow your heart and choose the course you love

Noor Bhatnagar, Bal Bharti Public School, Noida

The Class 12 results were declared two days earlier than expected. And at last, all apprehensions were put to rest. Now, we are approaching another cliffhanger  that of the cut-offs and college admissions and making the choice between course and college.

So, with my best-four percentage at 95.75%, I really hope that I make it to St Stephens, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, or Hindu College. Will I get into these colleges with a percentage like that? I will have to wait and watch.

In the ultimate battle of course versus college, the choice of course knocks out the choice of college in every round! I will not sacrifice my passion for just a brand name of a college, says Noor Bhatnagar. (Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

For me, in the ultimate battle of course versus college, the choice of course knocks out the choice of college in every round! I would prefer studying my choice of course, which is political science honours, in any decent college which will ignite my passion for this subject, rather than studying in the prestigious SRCC with a subject like economic honours, which has nothing to do with my career prospects. Journalism and sociology are my favourites too.

I will not sacrifice my passion for just a brand name of a college. Of course, the name of the college matters because in todays world, when someone looks at your resume, the first thing they see is the name of your university/college.

Even though the battle of course versus college might seem very unpredictable, difficult and confusing to many, it is quite easy to follow the rule  do what you love! Yes, it is risky, you might fail initially, and you might regret it too, but in the end, you can determine your career path. At times, it is better to listen to your heart than doing what your mind suggests. I would suggest that all of you too choose course over college.

Go for a course you are really passionate about

Sara Grover, Carmel Convent, Chanakyapuri

Life is an enigma and the choices we make are like pieces of the puzzle. Our choices have an inevitable impact on our lives. It wont be wrong to say that these choices shape our life. Choosing the right course and the right college are two important career decisions. However, many students make the mistake of giving more importance to college than course.

(HinduSonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

The dilemma that we all are facing at present is whether to pursue a preferred course from a less preferred college or to pursue a programme which is our second choice from a top college or university. A lot of students, when asked to choose between course and college, prefer joining a top college and taking up a course in which they have little or no interest.

I believe that such a decision is a grave error of judgement. The course plays a crucial role in defining our interests. What a course and passion for a subject can offer you, no college in the world can. I want to pursue economics honours and would not mind settling for a less known Delhi University college.

Opting for the course of your choice is all about pursuing your passion. If you have a goal in mind, know that there is a particular course that holds your interest. Giving weightage to the course over college will ensure that youll enjoy what youll be studying. It also means that you will do well academically. Studying a course that does not interest you can undermine your performance. Having an exceptional academic record in a course you love even from a not-so popular college is better than being dissatisfied with your course and not doing well in one of the best colleges.

We must realise that not faring well or not being a part of the 95 Club does not mean that you dont have anything to do. We must never give up on our course and passion just because the cut-offs tell us we cant do it.

Thomas Edison once said, I have not failed, I have found ten thousand ways that wont work. So, as a fellow student waiting not-so-eagerly for the dreaded cut-offs to be out, I say that lets hope for the best and even if we dont make it, we must not give up on our dream course. It isnt the end because success is not final and failure is not fatal. And remember never to confuse a single defeat with the final one.

I will opt for economics or BCom honours even if it means settling for an off campus college or a not-so-reputed college. Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, ended up dropping out of college to pursue his dream and ended up owning a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Take up a course that interests you

Shivam Parashar, St Columbas School

Nothing scares me more than not being able to study what I want to and it is this fear that makes me vote for course over college. After last weeks questions such as how much did you score? we all are soon going to be badgered with questions like which college did you get into?

We all will have to start worrying about college admissions. While most of us have our eyes set on a particular career we are still wondering which college to join and which course to go for. In this rush for a college, we all seem to go for the most popular college that we can get into. No doubt choice of college matters but at what cost? Is choosing the college on the basis of its brand value, rather than on the course offered, worth the sacrifice?

(Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

Getting into a first tier college does seem very tempting. However, it serves no good to get into the college only to pursue a degree that is completely out of sync with our career goals. There are always chances of someone ending up studying subjects that does not interest him only because of prioritising college over course. For the next few years, we will be studying subjects that will be determined by the choices we make now. There is no denying the fact that a good college will more often than not lead to good placements. However, as popular media very rightly teaches us, there is more to life than money. If you were to pursue a subject that you have no interest in, you are likely to end up in a job that was never your calling. On the other hand, if you were to pursue the course of your choice in a lesser known college, the various career avenues of your liking await you. Even if getting a hefty pay slip is what you desire, I promise you that the maxim  do what you love will not fail you. The Internet abounds with stories of college dropouts getting high paying jobs, not to mention graduates from a supposedly lesser known college. Trying to tidy up your CV with a fancy college name is not the only option you have when companies come calling. Irrespective of his/her college one always has the option of internships, online courses, and academic excellence in the required field to spruce up the CV. It is all a matter of finding where our passion lies and then pursuing it with vehement effort.

Another aspect that needs to be considered, especially while thinking of going to a different city for higher education is the amount of exposure that the city can offer. This factor becomes all the more indispensable when talking about career paths that are dependent solely on an individuals prowess. Here again choosing a popular college in a city that wont be able to provide you with an ample exposure in the field is not a wise choice. As I talked about it earlier, I wish to pursue law and hence I would prefer to do it in a college in the capital, simply because the presence of a vibrant debating culture, presence of prominent lawyers and several other opportunities to showcase and hone my talents that are present in the Capital, are probably unparalleled. My college experience can be enhanced by taking part in the various out of college extracurricular activities that this vibrant city offers. Its not about which college you get into, its about what you do in your college that counts.

Dream course from good college works

Ankita Raina, Shanti Gyan Niketan, Dwarka

The CBSE Class 12 results resulted in a mixed bag of emotions for me. Some of you might be satisfied with your results and some of you might not be. Some of you might be ready to join college and some of you might still be depressed over your Class 12 percentage. But, at this time, when the college admissions are approaching, is this really the time to cry over spilt milk? We are all worried about our next course of action.

Often, the counselling that we get from our family and friends leaves us more confused. The actual challenge before us is how we battle these confusions and questions and take the right decision. Getting into the best college is everyones dream, but a good college cannot alone shape your career.

(Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

A good college with the course of your choice is what serves the purpose. One wrong choice and you might regret it forever. We have a number of choices to make in life. Some are more important and some are less important. Choosing a career option is one of the most important choices in our lives. If, for example, I want to take up English honours as a course and St Stephens is my dream college. On my priority list, English honours should rank above St Stephens. Ill prefer taking up English honours from a mediocre college than doing some other course from St Stephens. Choosing the suitable course is taking a step ahead towards your dream. Passion and interest are the key ingredients to the recipe of success. If you lack even one of the two, you are not going to be as successful as you thought you would be. The subject that you choose to pursue should be the subject that you are most interested in. If I take up the less preferred course from a prestigious college, Ill end up lagging behind the students who took up the course of their choice in the college. It happens because in this situation, one has to rebuild ones interest in a new subject. You dont have a real goal set in your mind anymore. You might get a good job, but it wont ever be good enough as it would not cater to your interests. You might earn a good amount of money, but it still would never be enough. On the other hand, performing very well in the course you love even from a mediocre college is still better than following a random course half-heartedly. If you follow what you love, youll be more than satisfied with the outcome. Youll be satisfied that, at the end of the day, youre doing what youre best at.

Now, keeping all the factors of the debate in mind, it is our decision to choose the right college with the right course for ourselves and be satisfied with our choices at the end of the day.

Like for many literature aspirants, St Stephens has always been my dream college too. To be taught by some of the best teachers and to study among the best students is everybodys dream. My priority is English honours and I will take it up wherever I am eligible for admission.

Focus on your passion

Bhrigu Bagga, Presidium, Indirapuram

In the course versus college debate, colleges come second on my list. Choosing a college is a very difficult decision because pursuing a course from a very well-known institution with high fees may not guarantee a bright future.

Your passion to learn something new should be the only factor that determines your future. The simple advice I have to offer is that you should sit with your parents and discuss what is the ideal course/college for you and try and convince them about your choice.

(Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

This is the time we must start investing in our future. We all have got to invest quality time and efforts to get maximum returns. So, only opt for the course which you are interested in.

Colleges or universities are secondary, so do not be upset if you dont find your name in any of the top DU colleges because what will matter in the end is how much you have learnt. Today, there is no dearth of courses to choose from with offbeat careers also offering great scope. All you need to do is identify your area of interest, visualise yourself in that profession and, most importantly, find out if you have the aptitude for it.

The Campus Journalists picture of the week

Guiding light: The Campus Journalists picture of the week by Shivam Parashar shows a bookseller at north campus with Gandhiji smiling benignly, almost as if hes blessing the books. (Hindustan Times)
The second round of agitation demanding reservation for the Jat community in education and jobs did not create a significant impact in Gurgaon amid strong police presence on Sunday .

Taking a cue from Februarys protest, the police deployed a large force across the city to counter any incidents of violence. Major intersections and areas that protesters blocked in the first round of the stir were specially taken care of. Police personnel equipped with combat gear were seen at the railway station, bus stations and other public places throughout the day.

Members of the pro-quota associations, under the umbrella organisation Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, held dharnas at some places.

We will protest peacefully. We can intensify it if our demands are not met, Vijay Khatri, a leader of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, said, after a meeting at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi.

A group of Jat leaders called on Gurgaon deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash on Sunday morning and handed over a memorandum listing the charter of demands.

We took the memorandum from the Jat leaders. There was no blockade or violence in the city, Satyaprakash said.

Forces equipped with combat gear were seen at the railway station, bus stations and other public places on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Issuing an appeal for peaceful protests, the Gurgaon district administration had imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC for 60 days from Friday.

In February, protests demanding quota for the Jat community in education and jobs left at least 30 people dead and more than 320 injured across Haryana. Property worth crores was damaged in arson during the agitation that left the state paralysed for nearly two weeks.

Though there was no violence in Gurgaon, protesters blocked several important roads. Trains on the Delhi-Jaipur route via Gurgaon were cancelled because of track blockades. The Delhi-Jaipur railway route was shut for several days.

As a precautionary measure this time, the police monitored social media websites and free messaging mobile applications such as WhatsApp through which rumours and calls for violence generally spread .

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Captain America star Chris Evans has backed Oscar winning actor Brie Larson, who is the frontrunner to take up the mantle of superhero Carol Danvers - aka Captain Marvel.

Evans, who co-starred with the Oscar-winner in 2009 film Scott Pilgrim vs The World, described Larson as phenomenal, reported Digital Spy.

Read: Brie Larson is the frontrunner to join the MCU as Captain Marvel

I just heard about that, he revealed during a panel at Wizard World Philadelphia. I really hope that happens! I love Brie Larson. We did a movie together back in 09, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Evans said.

I cannot say enough about Brie Larson. I think shes phenomenal, and I really hope that happens. Larson, who won the Best Actress Academy Award for Room earlier this year, is the first choice to play the role in the upcoming film Captain Marvel.

Read Room review: An unforgettable film thatll be discussed for decades

No director is on board for Captain Marvel yet, although Jennifer Kent and Niki Caro are rumoured to be involved.

Read: Marvel shortlists Babadook director Jennifer Kent for Captain Marvel

Inside Out writer Meg LeFauve and Guardians of the Galaxy co-author Nicole Perlman are working on the script, with Marvels Kevin Feige producing.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
From Matt Damon starrer Jason Bourne to Tom Cruises Top Gun 2, heres a look at some of the Hollywood sequels that are releasing after a gap of five years or more.

Jason Bourne

CIA agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is back for the fifth instalment.

CIA assassin suffering from amnesia, agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is back for the fifth installment in this action spy thriller franchise. While the fourth installment in the franchise released in 2012 did not feature Jason Bourne and talked about a different spy played by Jeremy Renner. Both Damon and filmmaker Paul Greengrass return for the fifth installment, which will see Bourne resurface after he disappeared at the end of the third film .

Finding Dory

Dory the blue coloured regal tang will be on another in Finding Dory.

After helping a father clownfish reunite with his son in the animated flick Finding Nemo, Dory the blue coloured regal tang will be on yet another swimming quest to reunite with her family. Voiced by popular talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, Dory who suffers from amnesia, will return on the big screen with the popular characters including Marlon and Nemo after 13 years .

Read: Captain America, Suicide Squad, Independence Day: Summer 2016 is big

Independence Day: Resurgence

America prepares for yet another attack 20 years later in Independence Day: Resurgence.

After saving the entire world from a powerful alien attack, American soldiers and civilians prepare for yet another attack 20 years later. Independence Day: Resurgence will see the return of scientist David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and former President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) in pivotal roles. While Will Smiths character Steven Hiller will not return in this installment, his on-screen step son Dylan Dubrow-Hiller (Jessie Usher) will take his place. Actor Liam Hemswortth too will be playing another important role in the film.

Top Gun 2

Filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that he and Cruise are working on a script to the sequel of Top Gun (1986) and will reportedly see Cruise return to the Fighter Weapons School at Miramar in San Diego as an instructor.

Almost 30 years after, Maverick (Tom Cruise) will soon return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program or Top Gun. While the films release date hasnt been announced as yet, filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that he and Cruise are working on a script and the sequel will reportedly see Cruise return to the Fighter Weapons School at Miramar in San Diego as an instructor.

Bad Santa 2

Professional thief Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is back after.

Professional thief Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is back after 13 years in the second installment of this black crime comedy franchise. After the first installment received an overwhelming response, fans were waiting for the second part, which has been in the news for a long time, but was confirmed only last year.

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As many as 14 BJP corporators from Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation (JCMC) resigned on Sunday in support of former Maharashtra Minister Eknath Khadse.

Khadse hails from Jalgaon district and had won from the Muktainagar constituency in the 2014 assembly polls.

The resignations were submitted to Jalgaon city unit president and local BJP MLA Suresh Bhole.

Confirming the move, Bhole said all the BJP corporators submitted their resignations to him expressing their displeasure at the party asking Khadse to tender his resignation from the Maharashtra cabinet.

Party corporators expressed their support to Khadse. Since today is a Sunday and all party offices are closed, I will fax them (the resignations) to the state (Maharashtra) BJP leadership tomorrow, Bhole said.

Barring Bhole, no other supporter of Khadse from Jalgaon was willing to speak to the media.

Sources said that a section of the local BJP leadership and the 14 corporators loyal to Khadse felt that the party had done injustice on Khadse and that the party did not support him.

Moreover, the local BJP supporters of Khadse blamed the media for forcing their leader to resign from the state cabinet.

Sources said that strict instructions have been issued to local leaders not to speak to the media out of turn and hence no one is willing to talk on the issue.

Khadse or his closest ally BJP MLC Gurmukh Jagwani and others were not available for comment.

Khadse tendered his resignation after facing a string of allegations including irregularities in a land deal.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the allegations against Khadse, as sought by the senior leader himself.
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi is on Monday expected to announce a new outfit, making official his break-up with the Congress, which has warned its leaders against attending the meeting called by the maverick leader.

The Congress leadership has adopted a wait-and-watch approach as Jogi called a mahasabha, or a public meeting, in his native Marwahi in Bilaspur district, about 150 km from here, four days after making public his decision to float a new party.

There is no question of revising my decision now. The Marwahi meeting is going to be a turning point in the politics of Chhattisgarh state, the 70-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician told HT. We will deliberate over the name of new party, its symbol, its launch and related details.

The Congress, which is in the opposition, has warned of disciplinary action against those attending the gathering called by Jogi, whose relationship with the party has deteriorated over the years.

The BJP, in power in the mineral-rich state for more than 12 years, says Jogis decision will have no impact on its political fortunes. Congress is heading for a split and will not have any impact on our party, chief minister Raman Singh said.

Observers say it is too early to predict who will be hurt by Jogis plans. If he forms a regional outfit, it would be difficult to assess the extent of political challenges and damages that the BJP or the Congress in Chhattisgarh are likely to face, political analyst Sunil Kumar said. But Jogi factor remains relevant and his stakes are more in constituencies having substantial vote base of Dalits, tribals and villagers.

Jogi says his aim is to create a Raman Singh-mukt (free) Chhattisgarh, which the Congress cant do. The regional parties are now playing a major role in Indian politics and the influence of my political mission too will be felt in Chhattisgarh when the Congress will not be able to reach even a double-digit figure during the next election, said Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh which was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.

Many within the party see Jogis move as an attempt to insure the political future of his legislator son Amit, who was expelled from the Congress in January for allegedly trying to swing a by-election in favour of the BJP. Similar action was recommended against Jogi, too, but the partys disciplinary committee hasnt taken any decision so far.
In little known Charmeghna village in Nadias Hogolberia, bachelors are a worried lot! The reason? Seen as virtual castaways on a piece of land on the banks of Mathabhanga River and outside the fence at the Bangladesh border, the eligible bachelors of Charmeghna are having trouble wooing desirable brides.

Home to about 200 tribal households and an estimated 545 voters, the village has long been tagged a no mans land.

Living as they do on the wrong side of the India-Bangladesh border, the luckless Charmeghna bachelors are seen as outsiders and not as desirable suitors for brides-to-be in villages nearby. Suffice to say that in a land of eligible bachelors, marriage proposals dont come in a steady drip and wedding receptions are almost unheard of.

If at all a rare groom finds a bride and a marriage party has to roll into the village, those invited need to carry their voter identity cards or any other identification document and have to go through a phalanx of security personnel on vigil at the border fence. They also have to undergo rounds of checking, frisking and questioning by BSF jawans at the gate before being allowed to pass through. Moreover, they are required to be back in time before the gate shuts.

The gate stays open from 6pm to 9pm, 11am to 1pm and again from 3pm to 5pm. All guests have to leave their identity cards at the gate and sign on a register before being let in.

Fathers on the India side of the border are not willing to consider marriage proposals from Charmeghna once they know that the groom or the bride is from the ill-fated village.

Apart from being home to luckless bachelors, the village lacks basic health care services and not all homes have electricity either. Even potable water is a luxury for Charmeghna settlers.

It is alleged that the BSF men have, on occasions, turned away women who went into labour and had to be rushed to hospital. The Charmeghna residents are condemned to living a life worse than prisoners and with the village home to barely a handful of settlers, crime is rampant. Goons from Bangladesh often raid the village at night and escape with a hefty loot, mostly paddy or livestock.

The village has hardly drawn any high-profile political visits as the settlers have been consigned to their sorry fate.

Bidesh Mondal, who recently completed his MA and his marriage proposals, said: The only option left for us is to pursue higher studies and get a decent job. Only then can we purchase a piece of land on Indian territory and woo a suitable bride.

Buddhodeb Mondal, a CPI(M) panchayat member of Charmeghna, said: I can cite as many as 15 youths here who bagged government jobs, but still couldnt draw any marriage proposals. They finally settled on the India side of the border and are happily married. Similarly, there are many eligible brides here who fail to find desirable grooms.


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government with statewide protests against the collapsed law and order situation and demanded a CBI probe into the Jawahar Bagh incident.

The Supreme Court will hear the plea for a CBI probe into the matter on Tuesday.

Barricades were erected at several places in Lucknow, and the police struggled to control the crowd as BJP workers led by senior leader Shiv Pratap Shukla attempted to march up to the chief ministers residence.

The demonstrators waved BJP flags and shouted anti-government slogans, and were prevented from going further at the Kalidas Marg crossing connecting Park Road, less than a kilometre from the CM residence.

The protests were sparked after an anti-encroachment drive in Mathuras Jawahar Bagh led to a clash that left 29 people dead.

Members of a little-known armed sect that called themselves followers of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and campaigned for a bizarre set of demands, including scrapping elections and the Indian currency, were squatting in the park for over two years. They had built a self-sustained unit inside the 280-acre government park, growing vegetables and even devising their own justice system.

The police descended on the encroachers late on June 2 after a court ordered their removal. But the squatters  who had sophisticated arms with them  allegedly opened fire and killed two senior police officers, including the city superintendent of police.

The BJP has blamed the Akhilesh Yadav government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, and held demonstrations led by senior party leaders in a number of cities.

Ex-party state presidents Laxmi Kant Bajpayee, Surya Pratap Shahi and Ramapati Tripathi led the protests in Kanpur, Deoria and Maharajganj respectively. Rajnath Singhs son, Pankaj Singh, led the protest march in Ghaziabad. Similar demonstrations were reported in Moradabad and Sultanpur.
Amid speculation over Nitish Kumar becoming a Prime Ministerial candidate of a non-BJP front in the next general elections, the Bihar chief minister on Monday said he only desired to become an MP and did not nourish a dream to become a PM.

I had only desired to become an MP at least once in life... I had never nourished a dream to become a minister, chief minister or Prime Minister, the CM said at a function to launch a biography of Super-30 founder Anand Kumar here.

Read: Never projected Nitish as PM candidate, says JD(U)

Some people are trying to defame me so that I do not ever desire to become a PM... but they are doing it uselessly as I do not harbour the ambition to become a PM, Kumar said in an apparent dig at BJP leaders who have been making adverse comments on him.

While RJD president Lalu Prasad, his NCP counterpart Sharad Pawar and former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi have hailed Kumar for having potential to become PM, rival BJP and NDA leaders have been making adverse comments on the issue.
The Election Commission has asked the government to amend the electoral law to empower it to allow adjournment or countermand elections on the ground of bribery of electors.

In the letter, sent on Monday, the EC has written, that a new section 58 B should be inserted in the Representation of People Act, 1951, on the lines of section 58 A, which allows adjournment of poll or countermanding the election on the ground of booth capturing.

It has requested the government to take early action on its proposal.

ECs decision has been precipitated by the recent sting operation purportedly showing a group of MLAs from Karnataka demanding money for supporting a candidate for the June 11 Rajya Sabha biennial and the unprecedented deferral of assembly polls in two constituencies in Tamil Nadu after evidence emerged of money being used to influence voters.

Section 58 A was inserted in 1989At that point of time, booth capturing was considered to be a major malpractice in election. Over a period of time and especially in the recent years, misuse of money power is seen to be having a serious vitiating effect on the conduct of free and fair elections, the Commission says in its letter.

Flagging the Tamil Nadu case, the EC has written that there could be several cases that go undetected where bribes in the form of cash, liquor, narcotics and gifts were used by political parties and their agents.

EC has suggested that section 58 B should be invoked to adjourn or countermand election if bribery is likely to take place or has taken place in the polling area. The section can be imposed to declare elections void if evidence of bribery is presented after the conduct of polls. Further, if there is proof of bribery in large number of polling areas, EC can countermand the election in the entire constituency.

On May 27, EC had recommended to the Tamil Nadu Governor to cancel the notification to hold polls to the Arvakurichi and Thanjavur Assembly constituencies following evidence that a large sum of money was used to influence the voters there.

Tamil Nadu had gone for Assembly polls on May 16 after which AIADMK returned to power for a second consecutive term. The EC is yet to announce fresh schedule to hold elections in the two constituencies.

The Commission had used its constitutional powers in March 2012 recommending to the President cancelllation of the notification for a Rajya Sabha biennial election from Jharkhand even after the polling had concluded after it found that money was used to influence voters.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Expressing his resentment for being ignored by the party leadership, senior Congress leader and former union minister Gurudas Kamat on Monday resigned from the membership of Congress. Kamat also informed the leadership that he would like to retire from the active politics.

The decision of the senior leader comes ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled early next year. Kamat himself sent a text message to his supporters about the decision expressing his desire to retire for being ignored by party leadership.

Over the last more than 44 years, I have worked with most of you and served the Congress. For several months now I have felt I need to take a backseat to enable others to get the opportunity. I met Honorable Congress President about 10 days ago and expressed a desire to resign. Subsequently I sent letters to both Soniaji and Rahulji that I would like to exit. Since there was no reply I have formally informed that I would like to retire from Politics. I would like to thank each one of you for all the Cooperation, says the message sent by Kamat to his close aides.

Kamat held the post of general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. He was in charge of party affairs of Rajasthan where the Congress lost the assembly elections badly in 2013.

Kamat is the second high profile Congress leader to quit this month following former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi. Kamat, a former Mumbai Congress president, was also unhappy with the party over the choice of Sanjay Nirupam as city Congress chief.
The second phase of the Jat agitation, launched by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) on Sunday, has fizzled out in almost all parts of Haryana.

The response to dharnas held by the AIJASS remained muted in most areas over the last two days, with only a few hundred protesters turning up at the main protest site in Jasia village of Rohtak district  the epicentre of the quota agitation three months ago.

AIJASS president Yashpal Malik, who was supposed to address the rally at Jasia on Monday, disappointed his supporters by failing to show up. The quota stir spearhead, who overplayed his hand in the absence of support from khaps and other organisations, is suspected to have kept away over a sedition case lodged against him by the Jind police recently.

Malik, however, told HT over the phone that he had gone to attend the funeral of a relative in Delhi. I have promised (the family members of the deceased) that I will be in Uttar Pradesh for the next three days. I will come to Haryana after that, he said, blaming the hot weather for the low turnout of protesters.

Police sources said the AIJASS chief will face arrest in the sedition case if he enters Haryana during the course of the agitation.

No reports of violence emerged on the second day of the agitation, even as the size of the gatherings across the state shrunk significantly.

Khaps and many other Jat leaders have distanced themselves from the agitation, opting for the legal route instead. A law passed by the state government to provide reservation in jobs and education to the community has been stayed by the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Heavy police presence and repeated warnings by the state authorities also discouraged leaders of the Jat community from participating in the second agitation, sources said.

The Jats have now sought permission from the Rohtak district administration to protest along the NH-71A near Jasia village from 10 am to 4 pm every day. The police will not book anyone now, as long as the protest remains peaceful, an official spokesperson said.

Rohtak superintendent of police Shashank Anand said though the situation was under control, over 2,500 policemen and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the district to deal with untoward incidents.

A similar situation prevailed in other parts of the region. In Jhajjar, around 35 people collected at Sector 9 and ended their dharna by evening after submitting a memorandum to Jhajjar SP Jashandeep Singh. Agitators in Jind shifted base from Jhanjha village because district authorities denied permission to protest at the site.
When fires broke out amid the violence at Jawahar Bagh park in Mathura on June 2, it burned down two years of fortification than just encampments.

Free movement was possible once again from Sunday after police opened the gates to the park following clashes between police and park squatters that led to 27 deaths.

Inside, the remains of a movement that kept strong for more than two year, claiming to be true followers of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, are now charred vestiges.

After a 72-hour search operation, the Mathura administration let media though on Sunday afternoon, offering a glimpse of the destruction.

Burned out vehicles and utensils lay on the ground as the acrid smell of chaos hung in the air.

A look at ground zero, or rather what remains of it.

Read: Who is Ramvriksh Yadav and what is his role in Mathura violence?

Read: Fire burns out in Mathura but political smoke shrouds UP after clashes

What would have otherwise been full of fruit and leaves, are now hollow, blackened trees, a reminder of the fire and violence that quickly spread in Jawahar Bagh park on Thursday night. The mayhem ensued when police attempted to evict squatters from the park and retaliated to an attack from them. (Antram/HT Photo)

Among the hollow, burned out vehicles are Tata Safaris, Toyota Innovas, trucks, tractors, mini-DCMs and motorcycles. But more disturbing than the empty vehicle shells are the many slippers and shoes that indicate the stampede that followed when chaos broke. (Antram/HT Photo)

The squatters  members of a little-known armed sect  claimed they were followers of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and campaigned for a bizarre set of demands, including scrapping elections and the Indian currency. (Antram/HT Photo)

The Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah members squatted in Jawahar Bagh park for over two years, building a self-sustained unit inside the 280acre government park, growing vegetables and even devising their own justice system. (Antram/HT Photo)

Hundreds of burnt cylinders and utensils litter the ground while foodgrains are scattered askew. (Antram/HT Photo)

Clothes, bags and books are amid the rubble, presumably used by the children who lived with their families there. There were also burnt documents with bank account details and addresses of those staying in Jawahar Bagh park. Literature related to Bose was also found all over the place. (Antram/HT Photo)

Police descended on the encroachers late on June 2 after a court ordered their removal. But the squatters  who had a cache of arms with them  allegedly opened fire on the force and killed two senior police officers, including the city superintendent of police. (Antram/HT Photo)

Th shooting triggered clashes and rioting inside the park. More than 100 people were hurt in the melee. (Antram/HT Photo)

As police piece together information on the group, the picture that emerges is that of a rag-tag organisation which coalesced around a cult hailing Bose as their hero and a warped view of the world. (Antram/HT Photo)

Jai Hind, Jai Subhash seems to have been their motto. The group were led by Ramvriksh Yadav, presumed dead, who forged a militant outfit. The group sought to indoctrinate and give arms training to local teenagers, seeking to replace the present-day political system with their own vision of a Bose-inspired Utopia. (Antram/HT Photo)

For about two years, the Jawahar Bagh park was home to this organisation, that essentially squatted on government land. Locals said their mornings began with messages on loud speakers from inside the park. Residents around the area often called them land grabbers and thugs. (Antram/HT Photo)

A part of their makeshift micro governance included big vehicles like tractors that carried goods like rice to the families spread across the park. (Antram/HT Photo)

They built a self-sustaining unit, growing vegetables  mostly potatoes  inside the park. No one, not even police, was allowed inside. For every 10-15 hutments, the group also built toilets. (Antram/HT Photo)

The group demanded doing away with a Prime Minister and President because they perceived the parliamentary system as a hand-me-down from the British colonial rulers. (Antram/HT Photo)

Those occupying Jawahar Bagh park had arranged for electricity, despite it having being disconnected by the administration. Solar panels and huge batteries were also found. (Antram/HT Photo)

(Antram/HT Photo)

In the debris, slogans advocating their ideologies were found. (Antram/HT Photo)

With Uttar Pradesh inching towards the 2017 assembly election, political parties are attempting to leverage the Mathura violence to gain from it. (Antram/HT Photo)

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati demanded the resignation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, while BJP chief Amit Shah called for public works department minister, Shivpal Singh Yadav, to resign. (Antram/HT Photo)
India has never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with Pakistan, which is not desperate to resume peace talks, foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz has said.

Aziz, the adviser to the Prime Minister on foreign affairs, made the remarks on a TV news show on Sunday in response to Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikars statement about the slowly closing window of goodwill and dialogue with Pakistan, which separates terrorists between good ones and bad ones.

He said India had never opened a window of opportunity for dialogue and goodwill with Pakistan and all developments in this regard were sabotaged when the talks between the countries were postponed after the Pathankot attack.

Read: Will not allow any consular access for Jadhav, says Pakistan

Aziz further said, It is a very strange thing to say as it was decided here on December 9 that the dialogue would resume but then the Pathankot incident occurred and everything vanished into thin air.

At the same time, he said Pakistan is not desperate for talks and there is no restlessness on the Pakistani side for dialogue. He told the audience the region has to see dialogue first if it is to see peace.

Read: India running from talks: Pak

If India continues to repeat the old allegation of terrorism when it comes to the negotiating table, it must remember terrorism is part of the composite dialogue that Pakistan proposes, he said. They say that they will talk if we (Pakistan) make some progress on terrorism, but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues, including Kashmir, he added.

Aziz said Pakistan was aware of Indian efforts to integrate Kashmir and change its demography though such efforts by India would not succeed.

Protests against Indian policies have increased there (Jammu and Kashmir), Pakistani flags have been raised and people are supporting the Pakistani position on the issue in the region, Aziz said.

He contended the ground reality of Kashmir was against India and the people of Kashmir have not given up their struggle for self-determination. Pakistan is supporting them morally and diplomatically and will raise the issue with the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council and permanent members of UN Security Council.

Read: US wants sustained India-Pakistan talks, calls for maximum restraint
Right from when they got married in 2008, this couple, both in the Maharashtra Police, dreamt of together ascending Mt Everest, the tallest peak in the world, and even delayed becoming parents till they achieved their aim. The duo finally managed the feat on May 23.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both Maharashtra police constables, also became the first couple to reach the summit of Everest -- a feat they accomplished a few days after constable Rafiq Shaikh from Aurangabad, became the first Maharashtra policeman to reach the top of the world.

Addressing a press conference, the two, known as the adventure couple in Maharashtra police, said that they became the first Indian couple and first security personnel couple to reach the top of Mt Everest.

Read: Age no bar! Gurgaon resident Ankur Bahl scales Mount Everest at 55

We were committed that we would not give birth to a child until we climb Mt Everest, said Rathod, adding that they were immensely pleased to achieve their goal and happy to share the news with the rest of the world.

Tarakeshwari said, With pride now, we want to become parents.

Rathod however said that they were really saddened after hearing that three Indian nationals lost their lives in the climb, but once they reached at the top themselves, they were overjoyed.

Three Indian nationals from West Bengal were killed during their attempt to ascend the Everest this season.

The Rathods, both aged 30 years old, entered in police service in 2006. Before this, they had climbed the highest peak in Australia and other peaks and conducted several adventure sky diving and other mountain related expeditions.

Along with the Indian couple, two Nepali Sherpas, Furba and Fushemba, also reached the top of Everest. The trip was organised by Makalu Adventure.

Over 70 Indian nationals have successfully climbed Mt Everest this season.

The couple had planned to climb the Everest in 2015 but had to postpone their plan due to the earthquake.

Read: Death not the only challenge on Mt Everest, watch out for oxygen thieves too
Three months after an agitation for reservations left 30 people dead, leaders of the Jat community renewed their stir across Haryana on Sunday. However, police said the agitation drew a lukewarm response  restricting itself to small, eventless meetings spread across 15 districts.

Prohibitory orders were imposed on several parts of the national capital bordering Haryana. As the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS)  the organisation spearheading the agitation  has not been able to get the support of other Jat elements such as khaps, a repeat of the February quota violence was an unlikely probability. Its promise to avoid blocking roads and railway lines also contributed to making the second phase of the agitation a lukewarm affair.

The AIJASS primary demands comprise reservations for Jats in jobs and education, and withdrawal of cases against those arrested for indulging in violence during the previous stir.

Like the February episode, Rohtak remained the epicentre of the agitation.

Around 2,000 Jats gathered at Jasia village, along NH-71A, despite the administrations refusal to grant them permission to protest there.

Also read: Jat protests part II: Poor response to agitation call in north Haryana
The wrinkled face of Mangi Bai Kumawat doesnt twitch anymore as she recounts the horrors of the day in 2014 when she was accused of being a daayan or witch and branded with red-hot iron rods.

Instead, a forlorn expression clouds the face of the elderly lady who, like many other women in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, has little hope of getting justice.

A district located at the heart of the historical Mewar region, Bhilwara has seen most number of witch-hunting cases over the years in the state. Many cases are pending in courts and the accused out of jail.

Two years ago, some people from the Mali community barged into my house in Chileshwar village. They were carrying iron rods heated in the fire. Some of them held me forcibly while the others branded my hands, abdomen and ... with the rod. They called me a witch and told me to get out of the village, Mangi Bai said and showed the scars.

Her case is pending in court, with none of the accused in Jail. Since the attack occurred before the 2015 Rajasthan anti-witch-hunting legislation was introduced, the case doesnt mention that she was branded a witch and cast out of the village.

But even a year after the bill was passed, victims were awaiting justice.

A district located at the heart of the historical Mewar region, Bhilwara has seen most number of witch-hunting cases over the years in the state. (Himanshu Vyas/HT Photo)

The bill was passed last year and since then none of the victims have received the compensation amount of Rs 2 lakh that the law promises. When such incidents happen, police are reluctant to lodge a case under provisions of the new law. They often register the case under sections such as 323 and 351, which has no mention of the witch allegation, said Tara Ahluwalia, a Bhilwara-based activist and chairperson of the Bal Evang Mahila Chetna Samiti.

She said not only the woman but also her entire family bears the brunt of the daayan tag.

In many cases, newly-wed daughter-in-laws of women who have been accused as witch leave the family with their young children or start living with another man under the natha pratha because they are threatened to be shunned by the entire community if they dont severe ties with their mother-in-law, Ahluwalia said.

As opposed to official figures that show a little more than 20 cases of women being branded witch in Bhilwara, the actual figures are staggering, the activist said. There have been 61 cases of witch-hunting since 1998-2016 with three of the victims being killed. In all three cases the accused were in jail for a very short period before they got bail.

Jagdish Damami lost his mother Prem Devi in 2010 after she was stoned to death by upper-caste villagers who accused her of being a witch. He said her body was lying in the village with none of the residents offering help.

My mother went to work as a labourer at a ceremony of upper-caste people. After the function she asked for her wage. Instead of paying her, they accused her of being a witch. They took her near the edge of the village and started throwing stones at her. They couldnt digest the fact that someone from a lower caste could ask for remuneration, Jagdish said.

He alleged that the people who murdered his mother was eyeing her property and that the reason why she was branded a witch to get rid of her. They were allegedly putting pressure on her for one-and-a-half years prior to her killing to vacate a piece of land she owned.

Jagdish and his brother havent been able to return to their village. The property has been occupied by families of the people who killed my mother and we cant go back home, he said.

Perhaps one of the reasons behind Bhilwara being a hotbed of witch-hunting is the fact that traditionally Mewar used to be one of the most feudal areas of Rajasthan. (Himanshu Vyas/HT Photo)

In most cases, a pattern could be seen wherein many of the victims are from SC, ST and OBC categories. Particularly people from the Yajmani castes such as Kumhar, Dholi and Balai are common targets. Traditionally they used to work for upper castes such as Rajputs, Gujjars or Jats. It often angers the upper castes when they see these age-old caste equations faltering on the wake of education and development. This anger often results into pre-planned attacks on such people, activist Ahluwalia said.

Last October, an 85-year-old woman from a village in Bhilwara was branded a witch, tortured with hot iron rods and paraded naked in the village.

Most often the victims are widows or women with no male relatives to look after her. As a result, villagers often connive with local bhopas or religious leaders to brand them witches and usurp their property.

The latest such incident is of Parsi Devi, who had to leave her husbands house after she was beaten and branded a witch by his family. The FIR was lodged on May 4 but till now there havent been any arrests. My sister-in-law is a patwari and it was she who called me a dayaan by saying that after my marriage untoward incidents like death of cattle are happening in the house, Parsi said.

She alleged that authorities are not taking any action because of her sister-in-laws position as a patwari.

Teena Kumar, district collector of Bhilwara feels that witch-hunting can be fought only through the spread of education.

The evils generating from the age-old social structures can be eradicated only by spreading awareness and education is the catalyst to that. We occasionally visit villages and try to engage people in conversation about these issues. But these deep-rooted evils will take time to be eradicated completely. If such cases come to our knowledge we take strict action on them, Kumar said.

Police dismissed that witch-hunting is a problem in Bhilwara. There may be one or two stray cases ... Most often social organizations and NGOs blow things out of proportion, Bhilwara SP Pradeep Mohan Sharma said.

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Tagging lust for money and illegal political cloud as the reason behind the recent Mathura violence, IPS officer Amitabh Thakur on Monday launched a tirade against Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and alleged that he had given illegal protection to the culprits and had put an improper pressure on the local administration.

To me, Mathura is an incident resulted only because of lust for money and illegal political cloud, Mathur told ANI.

I personally believe that Shivpal Singh Yadav is individually and personally responsible for the entire episode because if he had not given illegal protection to the culprits and had not put an improper pressure on the local administration, this incident would have never happened, he added.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to demand the resignation of his younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, squarely holding him responsible for the Mathura violence.

If even a little bit of self-respect is left in Netaji (Mulayam), he should get minister Shivpal Yadav to resign immediately, Shah said in Kanpur.

Addressing a booth-level in-charge meet of Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions, he said: An SP is killed in broad daylight. An SHO is killed. More than 200 people opened fire on police. But a minister (Shivpal) sitting in the secretariat patronises them and does not allow police to retaliate.

Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, hit back at the BJP president and suggested him to follow positive, ideological and development oriented politics instead of misleading the people of the state.

He has become short of issues due to better working of SP government and, therefore, he is giving baseless statements, he said.

Violence had erupted in Mathura on June 2 during an operation to evict members of a religious group, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from government land.

The deadly clash between police and a cult group had claimed 24 lives and left hundreds other injured.
The commander-in-chief of the insurgent outfit Thadaou People Liberation Army (TPLA), active in Manipur, has been caught by the Army, defence sources said on Monday.

Based on inputs abouts the presence of a senior TPLA cadre at Bethel Veng village in Senapati district, an operation was launched by the troops of Armys Jwalamukhi Battalion, and the outfit leader was caught on June 3.

Sources said the insurgent identified himself as 45-year-old Nekholen Lhouvum alias Helen and said he was the commander-in-chief of the group.

He also confessed to being involved in kidnappings, incidents of shootings and extortions in Sadar Hill area along with his group members.

A 9mm pistol (US made), one 9mm magazine and five live rounds of 9mm were seized from him.

Sources said he was later handed over to the Imphal West police station.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a petition seeking a CBI probe into the clashes that erupted in Mathura last week, even as the Uttar Pradesh government transferred the areas district magistrate and senior superintendent of police in this connection.

A vacation bench headed by Justice PC Ghose ordered that the petition, filed by Delhi BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, be listed for hearing on Tuesday. The petitioners counsel, Kamini Jaiswal, had sought an urgent hearing into the matter. The petitioner said though the Centre was ready to order a probe by the central agency, the Uttar Pradesh government has developed cold feet. He also demanded uniform compensation for the families of those killed in the violence.

Read: UP govt submits report on Mathura violence to Centre

Upadhyay alleged that Ram Vriksh Yadav, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi leader and alleged mastermind of the attack, had been running a parallel government at Jawahar Bagh Park since 2014 with the backing of the local administration. Finally, when police tried to evict members of the group from the park under the Allahabad high courts direction on June 2, clashes broke out. As many as 29 people  including superintendent of police (city) Mukul Dwivedi and station house officer Santosh Kumar  were killed.

Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh government had transferred Mathura district magistrate Rajesh Kumar and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rakesh Kumar Singh in connection with the Jawahar Bagh violence. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav confirmed the action taken against the senior officials on Twitter. #UPCM @yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon, he tweeted.

Read: UP govt transfers Mathura DM, SSP after deadly violence

Senior state officials later said Jalaun SSP Babloo Kumar was appointed in Singhs place while Kumar was replaced by former Muzaffarnagar district magistrate Nikhil Chandra Shukla. Police, meanwhile, launched a statewide hunt to nab the activists of the Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagarhi, which owes allegiance to the Swadheen Bharat Subhash Sena.
The Congress government in instability-prone Meghalaya appears to have checked the forces of destabilisation, including the BJP, though dissidents hope the AICC takes a call on their demand for a change of leadership.

Chief minister Mukul Sangma is expected to reshuffle his ministry to placate some of the dissidents.

Trouble for Sangma began after his wife, Dikkanchi D Shira, lost the by-election for the Tura Lok Sabha seat last month. Former chief ministers DD Lapang and Salseng C Marak then teamed up to allegedly lead a rebellion against Sangmas dictatorial style of functioning.

Lapang, also the state Congress president, is a four-time chief minister. His last stint ended after Sangma replaced him mid-term in 2010. Marak is the only one to have completed his term (1993-98) since Meghalayas statehood in 1972.

It is not a question of dissidence but of grievances blown out of proportion because of certain disconnect or rumours that I was quitting and changing party, Sangma told HT.

There is no threat to our government, but we are vigilant because there have been instances of involvement of various forces, including the BJP, in destabilisation of the Congress government, he added. Having seen what happened in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, we are insulating ourselves from forces out to create instability.

However, Lapang denied meeting BJP leaders, including Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma  who is tasked with expanding the saffron footprint in the seven-state Northeast.

As party president, my responsibility is to keep the house in order. We will accept whatever decision the high command takes, Lapang said. His loyalists declined to disclose the size of the dissident camp.

Congress has 30 MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, and the support of 11 independent and two Nationalist Congress Party legislators.

It is not unusual for a government to come across rumble strips. With guidance from the central leadership, we are capable of resolving issues and grievances internally, Sangma said.

Congress is also grappling with dissent in Tripura, with seven of its 10 MLAs expected to join the Trinamool Congress.

Senior Trinamool leader Mukul Roy, on a visit to Agartala, was not specific but said the state would witness a poriborton [change] within two days. He said this after meeting the Congress rebels.

The seven Congress MLAs, led by Sudip Roy Barman, revolted after Congress and the Left Front struck a poll deal in West Bengal. The Left Front is Congress main rival in Tripura.

With inputs from Priyanka Deb Barman in Agartala

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will not oppose bail application of Pragya Singh Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon blast case when it comes up for hearing in a special court in Mumbai on Monday.

But as far as her final discharge in the case is concerned, the NIA will leave the decision at the discretion of the court.

The NIAs decision comes after its clean chit to Pragya in the case. We are following the precedent set in the 2006 or first Malegaon blast case wherein also the federal anti-terror agency did not oppose bail applications of nine Muslim accused, charged by the Maharashtra ATS and the CBI but absolved by the NIA, said a senior official of the federal anti-terror agency who spoke on the condition of annoymity.

Pragya emerged as one of prominent faces of what came to be known as Hindu terror cases after her arrest in October, 2008 in the second Malegaon blast case. She has been behind bars since then.

In the first incident, twin explosions left 37 people dead and the second incident left four dead and around 70 injured.

The first blast was initially probed by the Maharashtra ATS and later by the CBI and both the agencies charged same set of nine Muslims in the case. But the NIA, which was handed over the probe along with five other cases wherein involvement of Hindu extremists had been suspected, gave clean chit to the Muslim accused and charged more than half a dozen Hindu accused in the case.

After filing chargesheet against Hindu accused in the 2006, the NIA did not oppose bail applications of nine Muslims.

The court after reviewing the three chargesheets found merit in our probe and discharged Muslims on April 25. Similarly we will not oppose Pragyas bail. And as far as her final discharge is concerned, it will be decided by the court, said the NIA official.

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The Bihar government on Monday dissolved a committee constituted by Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) to probe into alleged irregularities in evaluation of marks in this years 10+2 examination.

The decision to dissolve the committee was taken after chief minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with the education ministerm Ashok Choudhary, principal secretary (education) D S Gangwar and BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

The government has dissolved the committee, Choudhary told reporters after the meeting and said it was decided to go for direct action into irregularities without any further delay by registering an FIR against education mafias.

It was discussed that the committee constituted by the Board would have taken time and arrived on a conclusion that irregularities have been committed, which prima facie has already been established. There is no point delaying action and hence, the state government decided to go for direct action by registering an FIR and initiating action against the culprits, the minister said.

Read: Bihar exam row will be investigated from criminal angle: Nitish Kumar

Later, an official statement said CM Nitish Kumar directed the education department to lodge an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in Vaishali in Intermediate exam for the current year.

The CM ordered that the entire matter be probed by the police and stern action be initiated against those found guilty, the statement said.

The CM instructed to make arrangements for continuous assessment of students in higher school levels, it added.

The BSEB had on June 4 decided to cancel the results of topper Saurabh Shrestha and third topper in Science stream Rahul Kumar after they were found not up to mark during a re-test conducted by a team of experts on 13 toppers in Arts and Science streams of Intermediate level in the current year.

Arts topper Ruby Rai, in an interview to media, had called Political Science as Prodigal Science, which according to her was about cooking, and has been directed to face experts on June 11.

Read: Results of two Bihar board toppers cancelled after poor performance in re-test
US President Barack Obama welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week in a low-key nod to the improved ties between the worlds biggest democracies.

That the pair would get along was not a given: When Obama came to office in 2009, Modi was banned from entering the United States over his role in anti-Muslim riots.

But the ban was lifted after Modi was sworn into office in May 2014 and he has since made four US visits -- two to Washington -- while Obama has twice travelled to India.

Read: Three things to expect from PM Modis Switzerland visit

Relations between the countries are not always easy -- India insists on staying out of formal alliances and forging its own course -- but both leaders can boast that ties have improved.

For Obama, who will step down from office in January, this is now a matter of his legacy -- friendship with India and inroads into its huge market are a victory for his so-called pivot to Asia.

For Modi, Tuesdays visit is a time to set the seal on what has been achieved and set the stage for what he hopes will be a mushrooming in US-India trade from $120 billion to $500 billion.

Ahead of the trip, Indias foreign secretary S Jaishankar told reporters Obama had invited Modi as one of the leaders with whom he had a close and productive working relationship.

So, in many ways you can say it is sort of a consolidation visit, he added.

On Monday, Modi will head to Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony and meet with think tank scholars.

He will have a working lunch with Obama on Tuesday, followed by a series of meetings with US business leaders and members of the three million-strong Indian-American community.

On Wednesday, he will become the fifth Indian premier to address a joint session of the US Congress, and afterwards will be hosted at a reception for dignitaries and lawmakers.

Electric deal, military memorandum

Officials played down the chances of major announcements during the visit, but noted that India is very close to a deal with US electric giant Westinghouse to build a nuclear plant.

There is a very detailed and advanced negotiation, Arun Singh, Indias ambassador to the United States, told reporters, adding that only the financing details of the scheme remain to be agreed.

The multi-billion dollar deal to provide power to Indias growing populace had been on hold because of concerns about site safety in Modis home state Gujarat.

But a new location for the six-reactor plant has been found in Andhra Pradesh and concerns about insurance have been ironed out, Singh said.

Another potential arena for greater cooperation is in the military and security arena.

India has made the United States its main arms supplier -- spending $14 billion over the past five years -- but also spends heavily with French, Israeli and Russian suppliers.

The two countries are negotiating a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), although it is not clear whether a final draft will be ready for Modi to sign on his visit.

This arrangement, long-sought by Washington, will allow the two militaries to seek supplies and spare parts from each others bases.

Singh did not say whether agreement was imminent -- India also wants deals to acquire advanced US arms technology -- but noted that Indian and US troops now train together regularly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Monday (US time) on a three-day visit, during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama to review bilateral ties and address a joint session of the US Congress.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews from Switzerland, where he secured the European nations support for Indias NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

The penultimate leg of PM Narendra Modis journey begins as he arrives in Washington D.C. on a sunny summer afternoon, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Read:China will feature high on PM Modis US visit

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal were among the top officials present at the base to receive Prime Minister Modi.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the US Congress. He will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to do so. Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Obama.

Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world, a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.

This is Prime Minister Modis fourth visit to the US. In my meeting with the President on June 7, we will seek to build upon the progress achieved in providing new vigour and momentum to our strategic partnership in diverse areas, Modi had said before departing for his five-nation tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

Modi will begin his US visit by paying tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery. He will then meet heads of a number of American think tanks and will attend an event to repatriate Indian antiquity by the US.

Read:India and US should not miss this chance to set a global example

Modi will also address the 40th AGM of the USIBC (US India Business Council) and meet US business leaders.

India and USA are natural partners, two vibrant democracies that celebrate their diversity and pluralism. Strong India-USA ties benefit not only our two nations but also the entire world, Modi said.

From the US, Modi will visit Mexico before heading back to India.

Read:Modi all set for US visit; Obama told PM he is inviting close leaders

Read:PM Modi gets Swiss pledge on tackling tax dodgers

Read:As PM Modi visits Geneva, Switzerland supports Indias NSG bid
Switzerland promised on Monday to work with Indian authorities to tackle tax dodgers who stash money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid Indian taxes.

After talks in Geneva with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann and round-table discussions with Swiss businessmen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries had agreed to make combatting tax evasion and black money a shared priority.

We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect, he said, referring to a portal supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Read: As PM Modi visits Geneva, Switzerland supports Indias NSG bid

Read: Indias NSG membership tussle is all about Asian geopolitics

Modi promised in his 2014 election campaign to recover billions of dollars sent to tax havens abroad to avoid income tax, now about 30 percent in India.

Schneider-Ammann said no figure had been put on the amount of black money to be recovered. Talks would begin later this month, he said.

Modi said Switzerland had also agreed to support its bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which it applied to join last month, having won a waiver in 2008 that accorded it the right to trade in commercial nuclear technology.

Read: Three key takeaways from PM Modis Switzerland visit

New Delhis bid for full membership of the 48-nation club, if granted, would tip the balance of power in South Asia against its arch-rival Pakistan, whose own application has been backed by China despite questions over its proliferation record.

Modi tacked on Switzerland and Mexico as extra stops on a five-country tour to seek their support on joining the NSG. He left Switzerland for Washington, where U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to offer his backing also.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Geneva on Monday on the third leg of his five-nation tour with the issues of black money and Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) high on agenda.

Modi will also hold talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Read | Indias membership for NSG on PM Modis five-nation trip agenda

Modi, who visited Afghanistan on Saturday, arrived in Switzerland after his two-day visit to Qatar during which he held talks with the leadership there on a host of issues.

Bon Soir Geneve! A late night arrival in the picturesque Swiss city marks beginning of third leg of PMs journey, external affairs ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Bon Soir Geneve! A late night arrival in the picturesque Swiss city marks beginning of third leg of PM's journey pic.twitter.com/kdIRHNzgCa  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 5, 2016

Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi described Switzerland as Indias key partner in Europe.

Read | India bids for Nuclear Suppliers Group entry via MTCR membership

In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity, Modi had said.

From Geneva, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico before returning to India.

Read | India and Qatar ink 7 agreements; to share intel on hawala, terror financing
Amid the ongoing protests by the Jats for quota in jobs and education in neighbouring Haryana, minister of state for rural development Chaudhary Birender Singh, on Monday said reservation is right of the community.

Reservation is the right of Jat community, there is no difference between Yadavs and Gujjars, Singh told the media in New Delhi.

The call for the renewed agitation has been given by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti after the Punjab and Haryana high court stayed the reservation for the Jat community in jobs and educational institutes under the other backward caste (OBC) category. However, some sections of the Jat community and its leadership have distanced themselves from the agitation call.

Over 7,000 troops of central security forces are helping the Haryana Police patrol highways, railway tracks, important government offices and public places to prevent violence.

The districts on high alert include Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Panipat and Kaithal.

A 24-hour helpline (0172-2740390) has been set up in Chandigarh. Mobile internet and bulk SMS services have been banned in Sonepat and Rohtak.

The agitation began on Sunday but has received a poor response in Haryanas northern districts of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Kaithal.

Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Tyagis and Bishnois, are seeking reservation under the Other Backward Classes(OBC) category.

They had been promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from 10 percent to 20 percent by the state government.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each for the first 50 pilgrims from the state who would embark on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra this year.

The assistance would help the pilgrims meet their travel expenses, he said at a function organised by Shree Kailash Mansarovar Seva Samiti at Mata Mansa Devi Shrine complex at Panchkula, near Chandigarh.

He added that his government was already providing financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each to 50 pilgrims on the Sindhu Darshan yatra which too is organised in the month of June.

Khattar flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for the yatra.

In all, 59 pilgrims from Haryana would embark on Kailash Mansarovar yatra this year, stated an official release.
The Art of Living foundation has paid Rs 4.75 crore environment compensation to the Delhi Development Authority for an event on the Yamuna floodplain after the National Green Tribunal rejected its plea to accept a bank guarantee instead.

[The] Art of Living has deposited compensation amount of Rs 4.75 crore to DDA account through demand draft on June 3, ANI tweeted on Monday.

The Art of Living along with legal and environmental experts will brief the media at 3 pm on Monday.

The green tribunal had in May ruled that the foundation was indulging in multiplicity of litigation to wriggle out of paying the money and imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 on the foundation as its application lacked bonafide.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living was asked to pay both the amounts within one week.

Your conscience should be clear, let people say what they want to. You fulfil your obligations, said the bench.

A group of activists had asked the NGT not to allow the event on the eco-sensitive floodplain, accusing the foundation of flattening the ground, destroying birds nesting sites and choking the polluted Yamuna with construction debris.

Before giving the go-ahead to the festival that triggered a huge row, the countrys only green court on March 9 asked the foundation to deposit Rs 5 crore as initial compensation. The remaining amount would be decided after a committee assessed the damage, it said.

The foundation paid only Rs 25 lakh, promising to deposit the remaining amount after the event.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar ordered a committee tasked with reviving Yamuna to assess the damage and submit a report.

In a hearing on May 25, the NGT asked the foundation if it had deposited the money for damaging Yamunas biodiversity. The foundation, its counsel said, was ready to furnish the amount as bank guarantee instead of payment of balance amount. A bank guarantee is a promise from a bank or a lender to pay on behalf of its account holder.

The foundation said in a statement: We find the verdict unjust and, if need be, after reviewing the order we will go to the Supreme Court. We have not violated any law or done any wrong.

The tribunal, however, made it clear that corporate entity cannot be used to promote irregularities.

With inputs from agencies
The Narendra Modi government appears to be doing better on international diplomacy and modernising the railways than on flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat and Digital India, feedback from people asked to vote in an online survey shows.

As he completed two years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited people in May to rate his governments various initiatives on the government portal mygov.in. Respondents have to evaluate 15 government programmes, with five stars being the highest rating.

Modis ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, or Clean India campaign, aimed at modernising sanitation got the top rating from only 33% of the respondents.

Read: Two cheers for two years of Modi government

Public support is crucial for Swachh Bharat that aims to make India free of open defecation by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by building toilets in rural areas and schools.

The drive to unearth black money, too, hasnt really impressed. In fact, it scored the lowest among the initiatives put to survey in a first of its kind move by a government to gauge public perception.

The governments efforts in tackling black money, both at home and abroad got five stars from only 29.18% respondents. Though it has taken a string of measures to check the widespread menace of undisclosed wealth, the government has come under attack from the opposition for not doing enough.

By Monday afternoon, more than 20,000 people had voted in the survey expected to run for at least a couple of weeks if not more.

Jan bhagidari (peoples participation) is a cornerstone of the governments governance efforts. In keeping with this spirit, here is an opportunity to give your feedback on these initiatives. Your responses will help the government in further improving these programs, serving you better and making India great, says a message posted on the website from Modi.

Read: Two years of Modi rule have changed parameters of politics, governance

(* Not all the schemes included in the survey are mentioned in this chart)

His political rivals may mock him for his frequent foreign tours, but the initiative has scored big, with 66% of the respondents giving the thumbs up to the governments efforts in creating a new world order through a proactive foreign policy.

The government also looks to be on the right path as far as infrastructure is concerned. Its efforts to turn around the railways has scored the best -- 71% respondents have given it five stars. Expansion of road and highway networks comes a close second.

Inadequate infrastructure is seen as one of the biggest reasons for India failing to achieve its economic potential.

But, the Digital India programme has a long way to go. The plan to usher in a digital revolution by moving everything online -- from education to public services to bureaucracy  was given the top rating by only 35.1% respondents.

Read: Cong releases booklet on Modi govts failures to mark two-year anniversary

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Switzerland early Monday on the third leg of a five-nation tour, delivered a joint statement with Swiss President Johann Schneider- Ammann.

During the joint address, Modi said combating problem of black money and tax evasion is a key issue for both countries.

Earlier during the day, Modi held talks with the Swiss President in Geneva to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation.

Below are the key takeaways from PM Modis Switzerland visit :

NSG membership

Switzerland is a member of the nuclear suppliers group and Modi will be seeking the European countrys support to gain entry into the elite club of 48 nations. NSG countries work together to monitor and control the export of materials or technology that can be used to create nuclear weapons. India has applied for membership but with China opposing its entry, it has its task cut out as all member countries have to agree on letting in a new member.

Black money

India is keen on an automatic exchange of information about individuals who fail to disclose their foreign assets to discourage stashing of ill-gotten wealth abroad.

The two countries are talking on the issue of black money as part of negotiations for the double taxation avoidance agreement mandate.

War on black money was one of the promises that saw the BJP being voted to power and Modi, who has been accused of going soft on the issue, is keen on setting the record straight.

Economic interests

Switzerland is Indias fifth largest trading partner and the 11th biggest investor. Areas where the two countries are looking to deepen ties include renewable energy and vocational education. Modi will want more investment from the Alpine country.

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Realty bites again in Maharashtra.

Five years after chief minister Ashok Chavan of the Congress lost his job in the Adarsh housing scandal, Eknath Khadse was on Saturday forced to quit as the revenue minister in the BJP-Shiv Sena government over charges of corruption in a land deal.

The two leaders come from rival parties but their exit has a lot in common. They stand accused of misusing the revenue ministers office to allegedly help relatives profit from prized real estate. While 57-year-old Chavan is the tallest Maratha leader for the Congress, Khadse, 63, is the BJPs OBC (other backward classes) face in the western state.

Three of Chavans relatives, including his mother-in-law, owned flats in the controversial Adarsh housing society in Mumbais upscale Colaba locality. The apartments -- meant for army officers, war widows and veterans -- were allotted when Chavan was the revenue minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukhs cabinet.

The Bombay high court in April ordered the demolition of the illegal 31-storey apartment block for various violations and also asked the Centre and state government to proceed against the politicians and bureaucrats involved in the multi-crore scandal.

Khadse, who as the leader of the opposition exposed several land scams, is accused of misusing his position to execute the sale of a land parcel in Pune in favour of his wife and son-in-law at almost a tenth of the market value.

Late Thursday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after submitting a report on Khadse to BJP chief Amit Shah.

Charges against Khadse coincided with Modi completing two years in office after sweeping to power on the promise of a clean government. The BJP, which says it has zero tolerance for corruption, was struggling to defend its leader.

Khadse sent in his resignation letter before Modi set out on a five-nation tour, including a two-day visit to the US.

Chavan met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on October 30, 2010 and offered to quit but the party delayed the decision as the US President Barack Obama was in India. Chavan resigned on November 9.

When governor C Vidyasagar Rao in February allowed the CBI to prosecute Chavan, the Congress said the alleged scam was a myth. The party has continued to back Chavan, its tallest Maratha leader after Deshmukh who died in 2012.

The party asked him to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Nanded. Chavan is one of the only two members the Congress has in the Lower House.

For the BJP, Khadse is the most popular OBC leader after late union minister Gopinath Munde, who was killed in a car accident two years ago. Khadse is from the Leva Patil community that has a strong presence in northern Maharashtra.

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The Assam Police arrested six miscreants who chased and tried to stop the official vehicle of Arunachal Pradesh governor JP Rajkhowas wife, around 30 km east of Guwahati.

Police said they were bandits, prompting Rajkhowa to seek regular patrolling to prevent highway robbery.

Three of the miscreants were from Uttar Pradesh while the other three, including the owner of the Swift Dzire car they used, were from Guwahati.

The incident took place at Sonapur on Sunday when Rita Rajkhowa, the governors wife, was travelling in a Raj Bhavan car from Guwahati to Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh capital). A personal security officer had accompanied her, a senior police officer said.

The governors wife almost stopped the first time the Dzire overtook her vehicle and waved to her driver to stop. The Dzire overtook and tried to stop her vehicle twice more before they reached Jagiroad town where they informed the police, he said.

From Nellie further east, the governors wife was provided an escort up to Itanagar.

During the chase, Rita kept her husband updated. The governor informed top police officials of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

A Raj Bhavan statement from Itanagar said: The governor suggested that the Assam Police immediately set in motion the system of highway police patrolling on a regular basis. He appealed to passengers travelling in trains to be careful as gangs of thieves and robbers may commit crimes.

Police are questioning the six miscreants for more information about a possible network of inter-state highway robbers.

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The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-led Art of Living (AoL) Foundation on Monday said it has paid the Rs 5 crore environment compensation imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) but maintained it did not cause any damage to the Yamuna floodplain in Delhi.

We are yet to produce our evidence in court. We are presenting the evidence before the media to enable the people understand we have done nothing wrong, Jaideep Nath of AoL said.

We paid the compensation to assure the NGT that we are financially good. We have paid the amount but if we win the case, we will ask for its refund, he added.

Nath said that in the first place, there was never any biodiversity on the floodplain which the World Culture Festival organised by the AoL in March would have destroyed.

Referring to Google Earths data, the foundation said: Images show that there was no biodiversity in this part of the floodplains given to The Art of Living.

Read: Sri Sris Art of Living pays Rs 4.75 crore environment compensation

The arguments against us that we destroyed natural vegetation falls flat as there were no signs of any biodiversity in the first place. Native plants and crops like cauliflower and spinach were growing there. These are not native crops. This was 10 years before we got there, Nath told reporters.

He said the AoL had constructed a seven-acre floating stage so that there was no compaction on the ground.

This is based on the principle of a persons body weight getting distributed when he sleeps on a bed of nails. The nails do not pierce the skin because the weight is evenly distributed over hundreds of nails, he said.

Nath said a photograph of the core area taken on April 17 shows growth of grass where the stage was set up. That shows that the roots have not been touched and no damage was done, the AoL member said.

He showed other photographs, pointing out that migratory birds, including some from Australia, along with buffaloes and cows had returned to the WCF area, which evidently shows that the conditions of the place had only improved.

Read: Col Purohit organised camp under guise of Art of Living event: NIA

AoL lawyer Kedar Desai said, The foundations legal team is studying the NGTs verdict and we will decide whether to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court or not, once the courts summer vacations are over.

On March 9, the NGT refused to prohibit the holding of the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplain, but slapped an environment compensation of Rs 5 crore on the foundation.

The foundation deposited only Rs 25 lakh prior to the commencement of the three-day event on March 11.

On May 31, the NGT directed the AoL to pay the remaining Rs 4.75 crore as environment compensation.
The Bombay high court on Monday asked Union ministry of road transport and highways to inform on June 20 what progress has been made in the probe made by a committee into the recall of Chevrolet Tavera cars by General Motors in 2013.

The direction was given by a bench of justices Abhay Oka and Amjad Sayed on a PIL filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar seeking a CBI probe into the recall of Chevrolet Tavera cars by the company.

The petitioner on Monday placed a letter written by the Union transport ministry to the public prosecutor in response to a direction given by the high court to the Centre to file a reply to the PIL.

The letter said that a committee had been formed to monitor the progress of recall of Tavera BS-III and Tavera BS-IV models. The additional secretary, department of heavy industry, was the chairperson while joint secretary, transport ministry, was a member of the committee.

The letter further stated that the General Motors had recalled 39,105 vehicles as on August 11, 2014. Since the action in the matter as per law was in progress, there was no need for a CBI probe, it said.

The PIL alleged that a government panels report had indicted the company for substandard engines in Chevrolet Tavera BS3 (2.5L variant) and BS4 (2.0L variant).

According to the PIL, in July 2013 GM recalled 1.14 lakh units of its multi-purpose vehicle to address emission and specification issues.

The ministry had earlier told the high court in a letter that Gujarat government had formed a special investigation team to probe the allegations as General Motors has a plant in the state, while Maharashtra government had refused to take action saying Tavera is not produced in the state.

The PIL alleged that though the government panel had indicted the company, no case was filed against General Motors because the panel was not vested with express jurisdiction to register an FIR.

CBI had filed an affidavit earlier saying it would not be able to take up the case as it is overburdened and also because the case does not have inter-state ramifications as the company has a plant only in Gujarat.

Moreover, the alleged fraud did not cause any loss to the central government necessitating a CBI probe, the central agency said.

CBI affidavit also said that the alleged offence would not attract cheating clause as attributed by the petitioner but can be treated only as an offence civil in nature. The petitioner can also file a case under Consumer Protection Act, the CBI affidavit added.
The wife of a decorated army commando who died fighting infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara last November is set to join the force after the government relaxed the selection tests age criterion, impressed by her resolve.

Swati Mahadik  wife of para-commando Colonel Santosh Mahadik  expressed a desire to join the army at her husbands cremation and applied as a special case. Her grit prompted defence minister Manohar Parrikar to grant her an age criterion exemption to appear in the Services Selection Board (SSB) test on the recommendation of army chief Dalbir Singh, sources said. She cleared the medical examination on Monday after having passed the tough five-tier SSB test for selection to the Officers Training Academy in Chennai last week, sources told HT.

If things go as planned, the 38-year-old will join the army as a commissioned officer next year.

Swati Mahadik refused to comment but a source in the army confirmed the development.

She joined me in March with the reference of a number of officers to train for the selection, said Lt Col Pradeep Brahmankar (retd), who runs Apex Careers, a training academy in Pune for military aspirants. She improved to a great extent within a month.

Read | Col Santosh Mahadik was more than just a daring soldier

Her husband Santosh Mahadik, originally a Special Forces officer from 21 Para and a Sena medal recipient, was commanding the counter-insurgency unit 41 Rashtriya Rifles when he died in an ambush near the Line of Control in Kupwara last November.

Col Mahadik and his men were combing the forests near the LOC for infiltrating militants when they were ambushed on November 17, 2015. He was cremated in his village in Maharashtras Satara with full military honours and awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously on Republic Day this year.

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Rupali Tyagi from Lucknow was deserted by her husband and in-laws after she was diagnosed with liver ailment. Doctors told her that a liver transplant is the only option. Admitted to the Institute for Liver and Bile Sciences, New Delhi, she was lucky to get a donor and has now freed herself from death and bigotry.

It has been a life-changing journey, wherein I had almost lost all hope but I was blessed with this opportunity through the initiatives of the Indore Organ Donation Society, said Tyagi during an interaction session of organ donors, recipients and doctors at Brilliant Convention Centre on Sunday as she met the family of the child donor.

Today, Indore is ranked as the second largest skin donor after Mumbai in the country. Also, in the last seven months, we have carried out organ harvesting nine times, said Sanjay Dubey, divisional commissioner.

Dubey added that the entire effort required military precision, clockwork and involved crucial roles of the police and airport authorities in clearing formalities.

Durgesh Malviya, 18, died in an accident last year and his organs were donated through the society. After meeting Tyagi, who was transplanted Malviyas organ, the deceaseds father said, Meeting Kusum Raikwar for the first time after the transplant, makes me happy to know that a part of him continues to live and thrive with me in this room.

On this occasion, medical practitioners such as Dr Balram Airan from AIIMS, Delhi; Dr Viniyendra Pamecha, ILBS; Dr Supriya Amey, Fortis Mumbai and Dr Prashant Bhangui, Gurgaon Medanta were present. Every year, a demand for around 50,000 liver transplants is raised out of which only 2,000 are fulfilled. If we start educating people, many could avail the treatment, Dr Bhangui said.

Dr Pamecha said the first preference for donation should always be given to a government institute as the transplant is expensive.
Body of a 60-year-old retired teacher was recovered from a drain in Chakraberia area in southern Kolkata on Monday morning, police said.

The deceased, Sunanda Ganguly, used to stay alone in the ground floor of an old two-storied building on Bakultala Road within Bhowanipore Police Station limits.

There was no injury marks on the womans body found but police said the way the body was lying upside down in the drain was quite unnatural.

Primary signs suggest it to be a case of murder. There are clear signs of struggle inside the room, Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police of the Special Task Force (STF) Vishal Garg, who visited the murder site said.

Sunanda used to occupy the ground floor room for the last 50 years.

Locals alleged that Ganguly was murdered by some promoters of the area who were eyeing the old building for a long time. Residents of the area also alleged that the promoters had allegedly kidnapped the old woman a couple of years back.

The promoters were also trying to prove her as insane. They were after her for a long time because she was reluctant to vacate the room of the building which was sold to them by the owner. She was threatened by the promoters and complaints were lodged at Bhowanipore Police Station regarding this though no action was initiated, a local resident said.

Talking about the alleged role of the promoter, Garg said, We are looking into all the possibilities. I have heard that there are some cases lodged in the same matter. We are waiting for the post mortem report.

Sniffer dogs, sleuths from the Kolkata Police homicide department have started investigation into the matter.
NAVI MUMBAI: Seventeen people died and 47 others were injured when a luxury bus crashed into two stationary cars on the Mumbai-Pune expressway early on Sunday.

The dead included a three-month-old girl and another aged 2. The expressway, one of Indias busiest roads, has seen an average of 125 fatalities a year between 2009 and 2015, according to figures obtained from Maharashtras Highway Safety Patrol under the Right to Information Act.

Sundays accident took place near Shivkar village, around 13 km from Panvel city. According to the police, the bus had more than 60 passengers on board and was on its way to Mumbai from Satara.

As it was crossing the village around 4.30am, it first hit a stationary Swift Dzire and then an Innova parked on the service road before it veered off the highway and fell into a 20-foot ditch.

According to some survivors, the bus driver, who was among those killed, had been speeding. Officials at the spot said that he crashed into the two vehicles as he had been driving in the wrong lane.

Driving over the speed limit and cutting lanes are two of the biggest causes of accidents on highways, most of which are owing to human error, according to traffic officers.

The Swift, also travelling towards Mumbai, had suffered a punctured tyre.

Its driver had flagged down the Innova and asked its occupants for help. The driver of the Innova, Asish Patil, parked the vehicle on the service road and got out to help him. That was when the speeding bus rammed into the Swift and the Innova. To avoid hitting people standing near the car, the bus driver took a sharp left and ended up hitting the Innova as well before the bus veered off the highway. Over 10 people traveling in the bus died on the spot, while two passengers of the Swift and Innova were injured, said Sunil Bajare, senior police inspector, Panvel city police station.

Ambulances reached the spot in 20 minutes and with the help of fire brigade officials and local villagers, the victims were taken to five hospitals in the city.

Eight of the 17 victims were women, seven were men and two were minor girls. We have sent their bodies to Panvel rural hospital for post-mortems, Bajare said.

The exact reason for the accident has not yet been determined as the bus driver also died. We think he lost control while changing lanes because he was speeding, and thus hit the stationary cars, said Vishwash Pandhare, deputy commissioner of police (zone II).

Dr KR Salgotra, medical superintendant of MGM hospital in Kamothe, said, A total of 34 people were brought to our hospital. Of them, a man, a woman and a child were already dead. The condition of three others was critical and we admitted one of them to the intensive care unit (ICU). Another 28 suffered minor injuries and 24 of them are still under observation. While three people sought discharges against medical advice, one woman was shifted to a hospital in Vashi.

Other victims were taken to Panacea Hospital, Ashtvinayak Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and Prachin hospital in Panvel, where many are still recuperating from their injuries.

Several politicians, including Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde, visited the hospitals. Our first priority is to provide the best services to the injured. If need be we will shift them to bigger hospitals. The chief minister has also promised all possible help to the victims and their families, Shinde said.

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The special NIA court on Monday rejected the bail application of the four accused in 2006 Malegaon blasts case.

The four accused are the second set of accused who are facing trial in the case after the court discharged nine accused arrested by Maharashtra ATS.

Special judge VV Patil rejected the bail plea bearing in mind the seriousness of the crime and the charges levelled against the accused persons, they do not deserve bail.

The accused are Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Manohar Singh and Rajendra Choudhary.

It appears to me that there is prima facie evidence collected by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) to show that the accused along with absconding accused prepared bombs, planted the same at Malegaon on September 8, 2006, in which 31 people lost their lives and 312 injured, the court said.

Defence advocates JP Mishra and Prashant Maghul had said there was no concrete evidence to indicate involvement of the four. The defence had challenged the evidence of identification parade of the accused for purchase of cycle on which the bombs were planted, disclosure panchanama allegedly recorded by NIA when the accused revealed about procedure of making bombs, chemical analysis report of the items recovered from the spot and witnesses statements.

Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty said the agency has submitted enough evidence to show that they were the real accused behind the blast. The court, too, discarded the defence argument and held that this was not the stage to comment on the case as it would prejudice the prosecution case.
Eknath Khadse, considered the third strongest leader in the Maharashtra BJP after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, has suffered a serious political setback. Number two in the government after the CM, he had to resign following a series of allegations of wrongdoing, including a land deal involving conflict of interest. Its too early to say if and when he will make a comeback. Though Fadnavis has announced a probe by a retired high court judge into the allegations, such inquiries take a year or two or even more. And if there are court cases to be fought, Khadse will have to wait even longer. There is no guarantee he will be reinstated even if he is cleared of the allegations.

It appears the old order in the state BJP is fading, with yet another leader from the Munde-Mahajan era sidelined. For about a decade and a half since the early 1990s, the Pramod Mahajan-Gopinath Munde duo controlled the state BJP. They junked the old leaders and promoted a new batch of leaders under Munde. Following Mahajans death, Gadkari emerged as a new leader in the state and Munde lost some ground to him. But Munde would have been CM if he hadnt passed away before the 2014 Assembly elections. The Munde-Mahajan faction became weak following his death, with Khadse its last prominent leader. Mundes daughter Pankaja (who is rural development minister in the state) is yet to prove her mettle.

The state BJP is largely divided between the two poles  Gadkari and Fadnavis. Gadkari has established himself as a key member of the Modi cabinet but keeps a keen eye on what is happening back home.

Following the Khadse episode, Fadnavis appears stronger than ever. Inside the government, Khadse was the only one who could confront him with authority. Now, barring finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, there is no one in the cabinet who can say a thing or two to the CM. But even Mungantiwar doesnt have Khadses statewide clout though he remains a contender for the top job.

Fadnavis political management skills will be put to the test in the coming days. There are chances that Khadse will play the Other Backward Classes (OBC) card in his bid to return to the state cabinet. It is not clear whether Fadnavis will promote other OBC leaders such as Pankaja Munde or Mungantiwar or encourage a new OBC leadership.

Fadnavis advantage is the strong support of PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Does this mean Fadnavis will grow even stronger and other senior leaders in the state BJP will get marginalised? It is too early to draw such a conclusion. In the parties where the central leadership is strong, leaders in the states never get absolute power.

As long as the top leadership of the party has faith in him, Fadnavis will remain strong. What will also matter is his ability to win elections for the party. So far he has not proved it. He will get that chance in 2017 when municipal bodies governing major cities including Mumbai and the district councils go to the polls. The mini-assembly elections of 2017 could be the next turning point for the BJP in the state.

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MUMBAI: Mumbai crime branchs Unit 11, along with a chain-snatching squad, nabbed a gang of four involved in six chain-snatching incidents, as well as a theft case in the western suburbs.

The accused have been identified as Mangesh Keralkar, 23, Dhanraj Kounder, 22, Kiran Sharma, 25, and Poonam Gurav, 26. During interrogation, they confessed to offences in Versova, Malad, Kandivali, Samta Nagar and Borivali.

Police constable Santosh Desai got a tip-off from his source about the four suspects who were going to meet near a hotel at Malad, said a crime branch officer.

As soon as the informant alerted us, we nabbed them while they were planning to commit another crime in the area, said Chimaji Adhav, police inspector of Unit 11.
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) is likely to file a reply on the bail application filed by religious leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon blast case today.

On May 13, the NIA recommended dropping all charges against Thakur and five others for lack of evidence, saying a shoddy probe by investigators in Maharashtra forced the U-turn. The investigators revoked provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case and alleged that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) framed one of the accused by planting explosives at his address.

The charge sheet said an assistant police inspector Shekhar Bagade went to the house of an accused, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, when he wasnt at home on November 3, 2008. But the police officer kept the visit a secret, even asking one of the witnesses to not reveal anything about the visit.

Two weeks later, on November 25, ATS officials searched Chaturvedis house and found a detonator, among other materials.

The samples on cotton swabs taken from his house  sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mumbai  revealed traces of RDX. The FSL said the explosive ingredients recovered from the blast site at Malegaon were similar to the samples from Chaturvedis house.

The NIA later examined accused Prasad Purohit and Ramesh Upadhayay, who revealed that Bagade visited Chaturvedis house  a fact corroborated by an army major and a subedar.

On considering the facts narrated by witnesses, the question arises why API Bagade visited the house of Sudharkar Chaturvedi in the absence of accused or witnesses, and why he requested one of the witnesses not to say anything about his presence in the house, said the charge sheet.

This creates doubt on this recovery of swabs of RDX keeping

This recovery becomes suspect on the ground that the ATS Mumbai may have planted the RDX traces to implicate him, and the other accused in the case, read the NIA charge sheet.

Bagade, now a senior police inspector with Navi Mumbai police station, dismissed the charges. These are wild allegations. How can somebody plant RDX? I had gone to check the address of Chaturvedi, and it is on record, he said.

Another key accused, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, was charged under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. He and nine others were named in the charge sheet.

The case was handed over from the ATS to the NIA in 2011, along with six other cases of alleged Hindu terror. The NIA charge sheet said MCOCA provisions were dropped because of procedural lapses and the ATS appeared to have filed charge sheets against one of the accused without sufficient evidence, only to fulfil conditions of the anti-terror act.

Without the MCOCA, confessions by the accused to police officers wouldnt be admissible in court. In the September 2008 blasts in the Muslim-majority town of Malegaon, six people were killed and 101 were injured.
MATHURA: The BJP alleged on Sunday that the Uttar Pradesh government was removing vital proof from the violence-hit Jawahar Bagh in Mathura after a party delegation was barred from entering the park where clashes left several dead last week.

Authorities also stopped Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti outside Jawahar Bagh, prompting the Hindu leader to allege that the Samajwadi Party was complicit in the violence during an anti-encroachment drive last Thursday.

The way our delegation was stopped indicates that the administration had the intention to remove the evidences that might have gone against them, said Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal.

But police said they barred entry to t he park due to a search operation to weed out possible land mines and explosives, adding that they found a bomb- making unit inside the premises. We found 5kg of potassium, 3kg of gun powder and 1kg of potash besides electronic plates and iron pellets used in country-made bombs, said Mathura senior superintendent of police Rakesh Singh.

Security forces clashed with squatters who were illegally occupying the park for over two years and the ensuing rioting left many dead, including two senior officers.

The encroachers belonged to Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah, a self-styled revolutionary sect whose members called themselves followers of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

The groups leader Rambriksh Ya dav was declared dead on Saturday but many of his followers still reiterated the outfits bizarre demands that include the scrapping of elections and replacement of Indias currency.

With less than a year to go for the state polls, the violence is an embarrassment for the SP administration and ammunition in the hands of opposition parties such as the BJP, which accused the state government of shielding the criminals.

The saffron party  which aims to repeat its bumper Lok Sabha poll success in the state elections next year  accuses senior UP minister Shivpal Yadav of providing cover to the squatters, who allegedly were provided ration, electricity and allowed to set up shops and grow vegetables. The state government is to blame as the local administration apprised the government that all was not well in Jawahar Bagh, said Agarwal. Jyoti echoed this view, saying the state government took no steps to remove the illegal occupants and didnt provide enough force to the police, resulting in the deaths.

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More than 17.27 lakh students from across the state, including 3.74 lakh from the Mumbai division, are waiting anxiously for the results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination for 2015-16, which will be declared in a few hours from now.

The results will be declared at 1pm on Monday, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education had announced.

This had put an end to rumours on the tentative dates doing the rounds of social media sites.

Students will be able to access the results at www.mahresult.nic.in.

The mark sheets will be distributed in schools on June 15. This year, students will be able to apply for verification of marks immediately after the results, from June 7 to June 27. Students can also get a photocopy of the answer sheets at a minimum fee and then submit it for re-evaluation.

The SSC exams this year offered more concessions to students, with extra facilities for special students and multiple sections for science. To reduce the examination stress, the board split science subject into two sections, so it becomes easy for students to revise. Students with special needs were allowed to use adult writers, if they were unable to find writers younger to them. Students were also given 10 minutes extra to read the question paper before they start writing.

The re-exams will be conducted in July, the dates for the exams are yet to be announced.
Sushma Shivankar, 30, a resident of Ghansoli, had gone to her hometown of Prabhshwar in Satara with her husband and two children about a month ago.

On Saturday night, they boarded the ill-fated luxury bus to return to Navi Mumbai as the childrens schools were set to reopen after the summer vacation. Seventeen people died and 47 others were injured when the bus crashed into two stationary cars on Mumbai-Pune Expressway around 4.30am on Sunday.

All of us were asleep when the bus met with an accident near Panvel. We woke to the sound our fellow passengers screaming as they saw the bus going off the highway. The window panes and windshield shattered as it fell into the deep ditch. Other passengers fell on us from the impact, Sushma told Hindustan Times.

My children were crying. I had no idea was had happened. After the bus came to a halt, I broke a window pane and got out. It was completely dark. I managed to rescue my children from the bus but my husband remained stuck inside, she added. It was only after she was admitted to hospital that Sushma realized she had suffered injuries to her right leg and back. Her nine-year-old daughter had suffered a severe head injury.

I have been told that my husband has been taken to Panvel rural hospital but I have no idea how he is doing now, Sushma said.Another passenger, 18-year-old Omkar Manguli from Nalasopara, was returning home from Satara with two friends. It was raining heavily when we crossed Pune around 1am. The driver was speeding and we even talked about whether he would hit someone.

The bus crashed into two stationary cars on Mumbai-Pune Expressway around 4.30am on Sunday. (Bachchan Kumar/Hindustna Times)

After the bus fell into the ditch, I got out of it through a small hole in the windshield before helped others get out. Several victims remained stuck inside until the fire brigade arrived. Thus, despite arriving on the scene quickly, ambulances could not take many of the victims to hospital during the golden hour, he added.



In pics: Bus rams two cars on Mumbai-Pune expressway

While Omkar escaped unhurt, one of his friends suffered head injuries while the other injured his right hand.

Avinash Karande, a professor with a renowned college in Mumbai, was also travelling on bus with his family. Like many others, they too had taken their children to Satara for the summer vacation. Avinash died in the accident, while his wife and children were injured. His wife and children are still recuperating at MGM hospital. They are now out of danger, said Rajesh Patil, a relative.

Siddhesh Kadam, 18, another passenger who suffered head injuries, said the toll would have been higher had there been water in the ditch. Thankfully it was dry and the injured could be rescued relatively easily, he said.

Sheetal Teli Ugle, district collector of Raigad, said, The victims are being given all possible medical help. We will propose some compensation for the victims families from the CMs relief fund.

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Manchester-based Indian DJ Surinder Rattan says the foot-tapping Bhangra genre of Punjabi music has become a significant part of the music industry in Britain.

Rattan, popular for Tappe in which he infused House Music with Bhangra, pointed out that Indian music has a strong fan base in Britain, and that it is one of the genres that is loved by the countrys people. Indian music is very popular in the UK as there is a large base of the South Asian community which has been there for long. All kind of music is welcomed in the UK and the youth culture usually tells you about the trend. Its good news that Bhangra has become an integral part of the music industry, said Rattan, also a music producer, in an interview.

Read: Rapper Raftaar vows never to work with Honey Singh

Is it important for an Indo-British artiste to club Bhangra music with other genres? It is not at all necessary and music in its purest form is also welcomed. It is my style of music to club Bhangra music and fuse Indian music with western music. At the end of the day, its the rhythm that works for you, he said.

Watch Has Has by DJ Surinder Rattan here:

He believes that there are a lot of elements attached to Punjabi music like the rhythm, the beats and the high energy vocals combined with unique lyrics that make it so appealing. It is just a go-to happy sound that makes people want to dance, he shared.

Read: Singer Benny Dayal marries long-time girlfriend Catherine Thangam

He recently dropped a happy tune titled Akhaan by the urban electronica collective Mango Beats, led by Rattan. EMI Records India - the collaborative label between Universal Music India and Bollywood film director Mohit Suri - recently presented Mango Beats, which also includes rappers Illmatik and TRIX. Mango Beats was formed after I roped in rappers to push my distinct production sound to a global audience. I decided to use long-time collaborators Illmatik and TRIX as they had built a great understanding with me, both in the studio as well as on stage performing high energy gigs, he said.

Watch DJ Surinder Rattans Flirt here:

Our major label debut single is the club banger Akhaan featuring the voice of Joga Singh. A Future House sound over a rustic Punjabi folk composition is what makes Akhaan a path-breaking track! It is a fresh new age sound, he added.

Since the project involves Suri, is he hoping to work with the Aashiqui 2 director in one of his films? Yes, Mohit Suri has spoken about including us in one of his films. However, nothing has been finalized yet. As and when it gets finalized we will make an announcement, shared Rattan, who has loads of hits to his credit including Kala kala munda, Dil de de dil and Has has.

He also has a long list of artistes he would like to collaborate with. It is a long list that includes Dr. Dre, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mika Singh, Arijit Singh and many more, he said.
NAVI MUMBAI: Seventeen people died and over 30 were injured when a luxury bus veered off into a ditch after colliding with two stationary cars on the Pune-Mumbai corridor expressway early on Sunday morning.

The bus was travelling from Satara city of Maharashtra to Mumbai when it rammed into a Swift Dzire and Toyota Innova that had stopped to the side of the road, near Shedung in Raigad district, at around 5 am.

The Dzire car had been punctured and the driver of the Innova had stopped to help change the tyre when the accident took place.

Thrown off course, the bus fell into a 20 foot ditch to the left of the highway.

The injured were immediately rushed to the MGM hospital in Panvel, a city located in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Police, who were ensuring first aid had been administered, said their first priority was to take people to hospital after which they will begin investigations.

The death toll is also expected to rise as there were several grievously injured among those rushed to the hospital, police added.
WASHINGTON: India should meet the Nuclear Suppliers Groups (NSG) standards and open talks with Pakistan and China on curbing nuclear weapons if it wants to push its case for membership in the 48-nation elite group, a leading US daily said on Sunday.

In a lead editorial The New York Times said that America should press India to adhere to the standards on nuclear proliferation to which other nuclear weapons states adhere.

Indias application for NSG is slated for discussion later this month. Obama is lobbying for India to win membership through a special exception, The Times editorial board said, ahead of the US visit of PM Narendra Modi who will meet with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

If he succeeds, India would be in a position to keep Pakistan, which has also applied for membership, from gaining membership because group decisions must be unanimous, the editorial said, adding that this could give Pakistan, which at one time provided nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran, new incentives to misbehave.

Opposition from China, which is close to Pakistan and views India as a rival, could doom Indias bid for now, it said, adding that the issue, however, will not go away. India is growing in importance and seeking greater integration into organisations that govern international affairs, it said.

If it wants recognition as a nuclear weapons state, it should be required to meet the nuclear groups standards, including opening negotiations with Pakistan and China on curbing nuclear weapons and halting the production of nuclear fuel for bombs, the editorial said.
NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should make the party battle-ready without waiting for anti-incumbency to build up against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

Ramesh said the Congress vice-president had a lot of ideas on organisational restructuring and I hope he gets into position very soon. He is de facto, but he should become de jure. Ramesh also said it was high time the Congress changed in keeping with a changing India as our communication strategy is not very effective and we need an aggressive outreach following successive poll debacles.

Challenges are very heavy but there is no room for despondency. Those who are writing off the Congress party are writing its premature obituary, the former minister told PTI, an apparent reference to Modis repeated calls for a Congress-mukt Bharat (Congress-free India) .

Making a strong pitch for Rahuls leadership, Ramesh said uncertainty does not help. He said the challenges facing the Congress were similar to those that confronted Sonia Gandhi when she took over as the party chief in March 1998.

The Congress presidentship had its institutional importance and Rahul should take charge as soon as possible, Ramesh said.
NEW DELHI: National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited is Indias leading hydropower generator. With the governments increasing focus on renewable energy, it is also diversifying into wind and solar energy, NHPC chairman and managing director KM Singh tells HT. Excerpts:

What is NHPCs position in the field of hydropower development in the country?

NHPC is Indias premier hydropower company. It was established in 1975 with the mandate of developing the countrys hydropower potential. Since inception, the corporation has been the flag-bearer of hydropower development in the country. NHPC contributes around 15% of the total hydropower installed capacity in India. It has crossed 5,000 MW at standalone and currently has 6,587 MW on consolidated basis with a total of 20 operating power stations.

What were NHPCs achievements in 2015-16?

We have achieved significant targets and milestones during this period. NHPC power stations generated 23,683 mega units in 2015-16, the highest-ever generation by us. Financial performance of the company has been commendable and we have registered a 15% annual growth.

What are the current projects that the company is undertaking and what further steps are being taken up towards increasing capacity addition?

NHPC at present is executing four hydroelectric projects with total installed capacity of 3,290 MW. These include Teesta Low Dam Stage-IV, Kishanganga, Parbati-II and Subansiri Lower. NHPC has already added 1,292 MW of hydropower capacity in Twelfth Plan (2012-2017) and by the end of the current plan, the company is expecting to add another 410 MW of installed capacity.

What are the projects undertaken as part of NHPCs diversification plans?

NHPC has signed an MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for development of 250MW grid-connected solar power projects. NHPC is also setting up 50-MW windpower projects in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on turnkey basis. MoUs for development of solar power projects have been signed with Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh governments also.

Is NHPC undertaking overseas assignments?

Our technical expertise has enabled us to provide a range of consultancy services to leading organisations. Some of the major overseas assignments include projects in Bhutan, Tajikistan, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

What is your outlook on the future of hydropower?

I see a bright future for hydropower in general and NHPC in particular. We are encouraged by the governments support.
Bisada in Uttar Pradesh is on the edge as a panchayat of nearby villages has been called on Monday evening by families of those accused in the September 2015 lynching of a man.

The kin of the accused lodged a written complaint at a police station on June 2 against the family of Mohammad Ikhlaq  the villager who was lynched on suspicion of slaughtering a cow and eating beef. They have instead demanded a registration of an FIR of cow slaughter against Ikhlaqs family.

The latest flashpoint follows a forensic report that said meat recovered from Ikhlaqs fridge at the time of the lynching was beef. One of defence lawyers representing the accused had accessed the report on May 31.

We are waiting for the police to register an FIR against the family of Ikhlaq. Now as it has been proved that he did slaughter a cow, the government must take back all the compensations they have given to Ikhlaqs family. If our children are being tried as criminals, family of Ikhlaq should also be treated like ones, said Sanjay Rana, father of key accused Vishal, who was formerly associated with the BJP.

Read more: Law says can slaughter and consume buffalo, not cow, in Uttar Pradesh

Meanwhile, in the fast track court in Gautam Budh Nagar, defence lawyers demanded a statement of Ikhlaqs daughter, Shaista, and the medical reports of Ikhlaq and his son, Danish, who was also injured in the attack. The police are likely to submit the documents on Monday in the fast track court.

The police increased their presence in the locality and asked officials of four nearby police stations to keep an eye on the situation. A company of provincial armed constabulary was also deployed as a precautionary measure. The villagers had earlier planned to call a mahapanchayat of 144 villages of Rajputs. However, the government denied permission to hold such an event.

Only peaceful meetings are allowed in the village. We have taken all necessary steps to prevent any untoward incident, said Dharmendra Singh, senior superintendent of police, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Read more: Opinion: Beef it is, but what about the guardians of culture, Dadri killers?

Following the incident on September 28, 2015, the police arrested 18 people, including three juveniles on charges of murder and assault. The issue has since spiralled into a political controversy over tolerance.

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Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday held a protest against the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh over deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The protesters highlighted last weeks clash in Mathura where 24 persons, including two police officers, were killed during an anti-encroachment drive in Jawahar Bagh and the forensic report related to the Bisada lynching case that suggested that the meat found during the incident was that of a cow.

More than 500 protesters gathered at the district headquarters and shouted anti-government slogans. Similar protests were held in Gautam Budh Nagar district as well.

Two police officers died while dealing with the land mafia and anti-social elements in Mathura. The law and order situation has deteriorated in the state and cases of robbery, rape, murder are increasing. People of the state, including women, farmers, students and businessmen are living in fear due to the rise in crime, said Pankaj Singh, BJPs state general secretary and Union home minister Rajnath Singhs son.

In Mathura, members of an armed sect, who call themselves followers of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, had been camping in Jawahar Bagh for over two years to press for their demands. These members had encroached upon the park, which is spread over 280 acres.

How were these people allowed to increase their strength and squat on the government land for two years? This is not possible without the connivance of officials. Incidents of attack on security personnel have increased during the present regime, said Singh.

The protesters demanded immediate dismissal of the state government and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the Jawahar Bagh incident.

Earlier, at an election rally in Amroha on June 5, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said if the Uttar Pradesh government wants to get to the bottom of the incident, it should ask for a CBI inquiry. He said if the state seeks a CBI inquiry, the Central government will agree to it.

The BJP protesters also demanded that an FIR be lodged against those responsible for cow slaughter at Bisada village.

On September 28, Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched while his son Danish was attacked by a mob at Bisada village in Dadri over allegations of cow slaughter.

The forensic report has indicated that it was cow meat. The police should immediately lodge an FIR against those responsible for slaughtering cow, said Ajay Sharma, Ghaziabad city president of the BJP.

The forensic report from a Mathura laboratory indicated that the meat belonged to cow or its progeny.

The families of the accused in the lynching case, facing murder charges, claimed that the meat was recovered from Ikhlaqs fridge and have approached the police with the demand to lodge an FIR against his family for alleged cow slaughter.

The two issues Mathura violence and forensic report of the meat have given the BJP the much-awaited opportunity to target the Samajwadi Party government ahead of the Assembly elections in the state next year.

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With the admission process on in full swing, the helpline numbers set up by colleges to provide assistance to students have not stopped ringing.

For instance the helpline desk at Government College for Girls receives as many as 100 calls between 9am and 12.30pm.

Harsh, who is handling the helpline desk at GCG, said, We receive so many calls a day that we have to charge our phone batteries at least three times a day.

While some students and parents are calling in with genuine queries, the helpline desk is also receiving some frivolous queries.

The questions range from What password do I have to write in the column below the username to What is the criteria for getting admission in the college.

Questions such as If I apply on June 15, which is the last date, will my form be considered? have been giving nightmares to the persons receiving these calls.

Though, colleges have made it clear that forms are to be filled online, some students are calling up to enquire whether they have to visit the college for the same, and do they need to come to college to deposit fee.

SCD College helpline numbers remain engaged At SCD Government College, the two helpline numbers remain engaged throughout the day. Vijay Sehgal, the computer faculty at SCD Government College, said, We are receiving calls every minute. We get questions such as how to fill the Class-12 marks in the column, do we have to submit the fee challan at college. A boy called and understood the complete online registration procedure, and then handed over the phone to his mother, who asked the same queries again.

HELPLINE NUMBERS

SCD Govt College: 0161-2444988 GCG: 8054515015 and 9569230052.

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The 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar passed off peacefully amidst tight security at the Golden Temple complex here on Monday even as pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by some radical Sikh groups in front of the Akal Takht ---the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.

No untoward incident was reported from on and around the shrines premises, where policemen in civil dress were deployed along with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees task force to thwart any attempt to disturb law and order.

A complete shutdown was observed in Amritsar with business and educational establishments remaining closed in support of a bandh call given by Dal Khalsa.

Also read: Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6, Amritsar a fortress

The shrine had witnessed clashes last year and a year before during the Bluestar anniversary. Security agencies were on alert, ahead of the anniversary with over 8,000 security personnel, including from paramilitary forces, deployed in Amritsar.

As soon as Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh emerged to read out his sandesh (address), some Sikh radicals --- led by SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann --- started raising slogans in favour of Khalistan and Babbar Khalsa militant Jagtar Singh Hawara.

Simranjit Singh Mann along with Sikh radical members raising pro-Khalistan slogans at Golden Temple, Amritsar on Monday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Hawara was declared as the Akal Takht jathedar during the radical sarbat khalsa held near Amritsar in November last year.

Apart from SAD (A) activists, members of the radical Sikh group Dal Khalsa were also present inside the shrine in large numbers. Slogans were also raised against the Akal Takht jathedar and the SGPC. Mann targeted the Badal government and accused it of suppressing the voice of Sikhs.

Police personnel taking Sikh radical activists, who were distributing the T-shirts having pictures of Bhindranwale, into custody in Amritsar on Monday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT Photo)

Over a dozen youths, who were allegedly distributing T-shirts having pictures of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale outside the shrine, were arrested.

When radical groups spotted some Akali leaders, including MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, his son and MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha and Harmeet Sandhu near the Akal Takht, they started raising slogans against the government. It resulted in a tiff between some radicals and Akali supporters. Soon after, Akali leaders moved out of the shrine. There were also allegations of manhandling. Amritsar police commissioner Amar Singh Chahal completely denied it, saying, Nobody was manhandled. We have a CCTV footage to prove Yes, verbal tiff did take place.

Read: Daduwal detained, released in Amritsar

Bluestar wounds still fresh: Jathedar

In his address, the Akal Takht jathedar said the wounds of Operation Bluestar were still fresh among Sikhs. Even after 32 years, we havent been able to forget the attack that took place under the Congress regime. Successive Congress governments and its leaders have told the the Sikh community to forget it (the attack). But how can the community that has suffered so much, forget this dark episode, said the jathedar.

Later, while talking to reporters, the jathedar said the central government must apologise for Operation Bluestar. He also appreciated Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeaus apology over the Kamagatamaru incident.

Read: Operation Bluestar: Damdami Taksal seeks Centres apology

Approach roads to shrine sealed

Taking no chances, security forces had in the morning virtually sealed all approach roads to the Golden Temple. Nakas were set up across the city and no vehicle was allowed inside the Hall gate.
Three months after the Jat quota agitation in Haryana had pushed the airfare of Chandigarh-New Delhi flights through the roof, the flights have again become about five times costly as the community launched the second round of agitation on Sunday.

On Monday, the private airlines were charging anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 17,000 for the one-hour flight between Delhi and Chandigarh as against the Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 on normal days, while the fare is likely to be lower on Tuesday.

As per travel websitemakemytrip.com the airfare on Tuesday is likely to range between Rs 7,000 and Rs 11,000.

The airline operators, however, said the increase was due an increase in the bookings for particular days.

A spokesperson of Spicejet on Sunday had said, Since very few seats are available, the airfare is high till Monday. For Tuesday, the bookings are not that high which is why the fare will automatically come down by half up to Rs 8,000.

Stating the same reason for the hike in airfare, an official from the Jet airways said with an increase in the bookings for particular days, the airfare foes up. The airfare varies with the demand for tickets. More the demand, higher the fare, said one of its official.

Also read: Jat protests part II: Poor response to agitation call in north Haryana

He said there were not many advance bookings from June 7 onwards and the fare would come down automatically. The official said the fare would be between Rs 5,000 and Rs 9,000 on June 7 and will go down further to Rs 4,000 later in the week.

The data from

A city resident, Shyna Jain, who is a frequent visitor to Delhi, said, As summer vacations are on, there is always a 75% increase in demand for the Chandigarh-Delhi air tickets as people who have to catch their international flights from Delhi travel from the region to the national capital. Airlines take advantage of such situations.

Similar, rather worse, situation was witnessed in February when the Jat communitys agitation in Haryana had led to obstruction of railway tracks. The airlines then had charged anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 55,000 for the one-hour flight between Chandigarh and Delhi.

Airfare for June 7

Jet Airways 11:05 AM: Rs 7,050

Vistara 3:20 PM: Rs 8,506

Spicejet 7:20 PM: Rs 8,927

Jet Airways 7:30 PM: Rs 8,321

Spicejet 8:40 PM Rs 8,927

Jet Airways 7:40 PM: Rs 9,594

Air India 1:40 pm: Rs 10, 335

Spicejet 5:40 PM: Rs 10, 726
Amid the ongoing censor issues, the upcoming movie Udta Punjab seems to have landed in another soup, as a Barnala resident has decided to move to the court against using lyrics of his song in the movie.

The movie, which is set to release on June 17, is already facing the heat of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), as the board has demanded 40 cuts in the movie.

Sarba Mann of Barnala is the lyricist of the song Chitta, which was released by SMI Music Company on December 31, 2014. The song has over five million hits on Youtube. Mann (31) claimed that the songs lyrics were his property and the company had sold the song to the makers of the movie without taking his consent.

Mann said the he got the information from the Facebook page of the company. The music company is flooded with posts of the song getting selected in the movie, he added. After coming to know about the incident through a Facebook page of the company, Mann said that he had hired an advocate to file a case against the company and the production house of the movie.

Manns lawyer, Dalvir Singh said that they were going to file a first information report against the music company for cheating. He said, they would also file a case against the production house Balaji Productions and would demand credits and compensation.

Much-awaited film Udta Punjab is still awaiting clearance from the censor board, but lead actor Shahid Kapoor hopes that the film, which addresses the issue of drug menace in Punjab, is made tax-free so that it could reach a wider audience.

The film that also stars Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh, is a story that revolves around drug abuse in north of Punjab and how the youth there have succumbed to it.
Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal and his supporters were on Monday detained on their way to an Operation Bluestar anniversary function in Amritsar.

Based on a secret input, police caught Daduwal and 10 of his supporters at about 5am near Talwandi Sabo. At about 3pm, all were released. The preacher accused the state government of attacking his personal freedom by disallowing him to visit the Golden Temple for praying, besides observing the anniversary of the 1984 military raid.
The Patiala police, on Sunday, claimed to have arrested six gangsters who were on a mission to rescue their associates lodged at Maximum Security Jail, Nabha.

The police also claimed have recovered two cars; a Honda City (PB 11 AX 9515) and a Mahindra Scorpio (PB 32 A 9999), a .32 bore pistol with nine live cartridges, a .32 bore revolver with nine live cartridges, two Chinese master cards and 27 Chinese credit cards from their possession.

The arrested people were identified as Jagseer Singh alias Seera Sidhana, Saraj Singh, Ramanjit Singh alias Romi and Mandeep Singh alias Giani  all residents of Bathinda district; Jagsir Singh, a resident of Ludhiana district; and Jagjit Singh, a resident of Kapurthala district, who had recently migrated to United Kingdom (UK).

The six gangsters had formed two groups and were separately working on their ways to rescue their accomplices from the jail. However, they were arrested separately from different locations.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan informed mediapersons that both the miscreant parties were arrested on June 3. He added that a group of three miscreants was arrested on NabhaPatiala road near Nabha and the other there was arrested from Rajpura area.

The SSP said Romi fled to Hon Kong when Bathinda police booked him in a case and he tried to gather money for criminal activities from there. He also funded huge amounts to criminal groups in Punjab. He said Romi returned to Punjab with master and credit cards to dupe Chinese banks by hacking the accounts with the help of data from the cards.

He added that various foreign links and connections with international hackers were revealed by the arrested miscreants. Further investigations are on to reveal the links and crime committed by them, he said.

The police had registered a case under Sections 379, 382, 473 and 475 of the IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act at Kotwali Nabha police station.
Facing shortage of computers to hold Punjab Medical Entrance Test (PMET) in the state, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences had made arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to accommodate nearly 4,000 applicants.

BFUHS is the body, which is responsible for conducting the PMET-2016 for admissions in MMBS and BDS courses in Punjab state.

Ambala, Hisar and Kurukshetra in Haryana, Jammu and Samba in Jammu and Kashmir and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh have been chosen to hold PMET-2016.

But now applicants are worried to take the tests in these states, especially in Haryana after pro reservation outfits have again given a call for stir. The applicants are also uncomfortable regarding J&K, where in Samba district had witnessed a terrorist attack, last year.

A parent of a candidate in Bathinda, Jagjit Chawla said that the security of their children was their biggest worry. The situation of law and order in Haryana state is not certain because of the declaration of Jat agitation, he said.

Another parent, Ramesh Kumar said that the exam centres were not even in the city headquarters, in fact were in rural areas. He said, We do not know about the accommodation facilities, the security arrangements at the exam centres. I do not want to take risk by sending my daughter to such a place. The government should shift the exam centres to Punjab state.

State chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has stated on Saturday that he had asked the BFUHS to review its decision of holding entrance test in neighboring states.

Indian Medical Association district president Gajender Singh Shekhawat said, It is shameful for BFUHS and even for state government if they do not have 16,000 computers to conduct the PMET. They are sending about 5,000 candidates to other states, why they are not taking help from other Punjab institutions?

BFUHS vice chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur said that the university was not conducting the exam on its own, a private firm would conduct the examination and university would only give the question papers to the firm just before half an hour from the exam time. It is for the first time that the PMET is being conducted online, he said.

The VC added that the agency has about 13,000 computers with internet access and other requirements needed for the exams. He said, I have received the call from chief minister, we are working on the matter and would serve in the interest of state and candidates.

As many as 1,257 students from Bathinda and Mansa would take their entrance test at three exam centers in Hisar district; 1276 candidates from Mohali and Patiala would go to Kurukshetras four exam centres; 970 candidates from Mohali will go to three exam centers in Ambala; 1,000 candidates from Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts would go to Jammu while 250 candidates from Amritsar and Gurdaspur will appear for PMET in Samba and 150 from Mohali would go to Baddi (HP).
Denying police seven more days to grill alleged Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant Arvinder Singh, a local court on Monday remanded him in judicial custody.

Since his arrest on May 24, Arvinder Singh was in police custody. Cops wanted to get more information out of him about his network but defence lawyer HK Bhambhi argued that in two weeks, police had failed to show any recovery from him. The next hearing is on June 20.

Read: With arrest of two key men, Khalistani terror cells busted in Punjab

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Snehdeep Sharma declined to share the leads gathered from Arvinder Singh with the media. Arvinders aide, Surjeet Singh, who was arrested on May 30, would be produced in the court on Tuesday. Director general of police (DGP) Suresh Kumar Arora had interrogated both last week during his visit to the district.

A case under Sections 10 (penalty for being member of an unlawful association) and 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and Section 121 (waging war against the country) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against Arvinder Singh at Rahon.
Testing times for Channi

Good news or bad, they come at the wrong time for Congress legislature party leader Charanjit Singh Channi. The news of his appointment came when Channi was due to take his MA semester exams in December last year. Channi prepared for the exams again in May when the controversy over his arranging a meeting of expelled leaders Jagmeet Brar and Bir Devinder Singh with poll strategist Prashant Kishor erupted and Channi found himself explaining to Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh if it was his doing. Hope Channi, who did not pass his exam as leader of opposition during budget session with flying colours, is able to pass his exams in political science.

Once bitten, but not twice shy

Punjab agriculture and revenue minister Tota Singh (HT File Photo)

Punjab agriculture and revenue minister Tota Singh has not forgotten the treatment he got during his visit to New York in July last year when some publicity hungry protesters had hurled a shoe and bottles at him. However, he is willing to accept the challenge again. I will go again. I am sure it will be a fruitful visit, said the minister. He said that he has many relatives and friends, besides a large number of people from his constituency, in Canada and America. I know how to manage things there, he said.

RS reward for Soni

Ambika Soni (HT File Photo)

The buzz in the Congress circles in Punjab is Ambika Soni has been rewarded a fifth term at Rajya Sabha despite not being on party vice-president Rahul Gandhis list of favourites. Also, the Punjab campaign committee chairperson, party leaders complain she has not held a single meeting on campaign strategy. Ambika was keen to keep the bungalow at New Delhi and that required being a MP. She has been rewarded for loyalty to party chief Sonia Gandhi, never mind her ability to win elections, including her own, a senior leader said. But loyalty does not always pay. Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh seems to have forsaken some of his loyalists who wanted him to oppose the fifth term for Soni. Amarinder descended from his summer retreat at Chail in Himachal after Sonis name was announced and the duo even hugged for a picture-perfect nomination. Now his slighted loyalists are heard saying, Dont be more loyal than the king.

Singing babu regales all

Bureaucrats never cease to amaze. When a 1984-batch IAS officer of Haryana retired from service last week, his department staff hosted a farewell party in Panchkula on Wednesday. Besides the minister in-charge and some other bureaucrats, excise and taxation officers, who had been called to the state headquarters from across the state for a review meeting, were present at the soiree. A big orchestra had been arranged for the outgoing babu, who is a Mohammad Rafi fan, to croon some of his favourite songs at the gettogether. The IAS officer, who has been singing at farewell parties of his bureaucratic colleagues, happily grabbed the mike, humming half-adozen Hindi songs. There was a special song dedicated to the minister as well. The party carried on till midnight and the field officers, who had come all the way, could leave for their respective stations only after it got over. A day earlier, the officer had sung Yeh Jeevan hai is jeevan ka yahi hai rangroop  a popular Kishore Kumar number  at the farewell party held by the Haryana IAS Officers Association in Chandigarh on the occasion of his superannuation from service. For those who missed them, videos are available on YouTube, a global video-sharing website.

Farmers long wait for achhe din

Union chemical and fertilisers Ananth Kumar was in Karnal recently as part of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments publicity campaign on completion of two years in power. He tried to persuade the party supporters by making a PowerPoint presentation in NDRI on the governments initiatives and then hosted a lavish lunch at a reputed hotel, but failed to give any assurance about achhe din (good days) of farmers. The minister chose to skip questions from the media regarding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. We cannot implement any report in toto, but efforts are being made to increase the farmers income by 2022, he said. The response failed to convince the supporters. We do not have anything to tell to farmers except crop insurance which only helps when bad weather ruins crops. The farmers think season to season and are not interested in what is going to happen in 2022, one of them griped.

Prakash panel silent on role of Centres officials

Prakash Singh (HT File Photo)

Retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, who probed the quota stir violence, gave a blistering report on acts of commission and omission of civil and police officials. But his silence on some top officers of the central government, including the cabinet secretary, who were in touch with the state officials, in his report has been a subject of discussion in bureaucratic circles in the state. The central team had held video conferences with the chief secretary and other state officials, and given instructions to them when the situation went out of control. Barring one or two vague references, there is nothing on effectiveness of the intervention of bureaucrats at the highest level. This, along with the addendum on the chief ministers office, has raised a few eyebrows, said an officer who was privy to the developments at that time. The ex-UP DGP does not think much of this, though. He calls these misgivings a result of idle talk.

Stinging report puts govt on backfoot

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar (HT File Photo)

When Jats took to the streets in Haryana, the Khattar government was hamhanded in its handling of the situation. After retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, who probed the quota stir violence, submitted his report to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the government has been lumbering in its response with senior ministers even speaking in many different voices. But thats just one aspect. Administratively, too, the right hand does not seem to know what the left hand is doing. The chief ministers office last month transferred an RTI application to the home department, asking it to provide information on the probe report directly to the applicant. But the home department, which had drawn flak in the report, wrote to the applicant, saying that it had not received the report of Prakash Singh committee as it was a top secret matter. Curiously, the RTI reply was sent by the department after the inquiry report had been made public by the state government.

HP guv impresses Prez

Acharya Dev Vrat (HT File Photo)

Himachal Pradesh governor Acharya Dev Vrat is known for his simplicity and inculcating good values among the youngsters. He impressed President Pranab Mukherjee with his speech at the golden jubilee convocation of Indira Gandhi Medical College the other day. A known Sanskrit scholar, he reminded students of ancient education system and importance of convocation in the Upanishads where teachers gave tips to students to serve society. Mukherjee complimented Acharya, making special mention of him in his speech. On the other hand, chief minister Virbhadra Singh, in his speech, dwelt upon his governments focus on health services. The President, however, expressed his concern regarding healthcare in rural areas.

Vikramadityas short-lived joy

Vikramaditya Singh (HT File Photo)

Chief minister Virbhadra Singhs son and Himachal Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh recently held a public meeting in Mandi to felicitate Congress-backed representatives of panchayati raj institutions. The event was attended by most ministers, but transport minister GS Bali and Himachal Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were conspicuous by their absence. Elated over the turnout, Vikramaditya appointed four youth activists  Vinod Jhinta, Yadopati Thakur, Vivek Kumar and Vikas Kalta  as general secretaries. While the event was attended by Indian Youth Congress chief Raja Amrinder Singh Warring, Afzal Ahmad, secretary incharge of HP, put the brakes on the appointments, saying that Vikramaditya had not taken approval.

(Contributed by Sukhdeep Kaur, Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Navneet Sharma, Neeraj Mohan and Gaurav Bisht)
Questions are being raised over the pace of the investigation by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) into the Rs 19-crore diamond deal fraud case. Nine months after the case was registered, police have failed to nab the main accusedPanchkula-based businessman Ashok Mittal and his wife Chetna Mittal. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had turned down Ashok Mittals anticipatory bail on Friday and the EOW officials say they would conduct raids at his residence in Panchkula.

Mittal was booked for allegedly duping an SAS Nagar-based businessman of `19 crore on the pretext of providing diamonds from Belgium at rate 25% less than the market price. The case was registered in October 2015 and since then no arrest had been made.

The complainant, Vikas Walia, the owner of Anmol Rattan Jewellers, is not happy with the pace of police investigation, saying Ashok Mittal was buying time and moving courts to get relief. He said that the accused was facing about 15 cases in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal and conducting raids only at his house is an eyewash knowing well that chances of finding him there were bleak. Mittals daughter and son have already managed to secure bail.

The complainant, Vikas Walia, said Mittal had initially got a cheating case registered against him and the police probe found that the case was filed to blackmail and extort money. The case was quashed on August 17, 2015. Subsequently, Walia, in a police complaint, stated he was cheated by Mittal and his wife, and a case was lodged against them. Walia said Mittal used to dupe people through kitty parties by taking money from businessman on interest and those seeking their money back would be threatened of filing false cases. He said Mittal was already booked in a chit fund scam in Panchkula.

Why not declared a proclaimed offender?

The police failed to start proceedings to get Mittal declared a proclaimed offender. Sources said Mittal had applied for interim bail seven months after the registration of the case and the police did little during this time. Not only this, the police failed to issue a look-out notice against the accused, a common procedure in cases of this nature.

Walia said Mittal could now approach the apex court for relief. He said that Mittal had implicated him in a false case and he had to spent 80 days in Ambala Jail.

DSP( Eow) Pawan Kumar said they were trying to track Mittal down through his mobile phone but he is changing it time and again. He said they had also conducted raids at his hideouts and a special team had been constituted to nab him.
Three unidentified miscreants on Monday looted Rs 2 lakh from the employees of a finance company from their office at Satnam Nagar in Rajpura town. The incident took place on a day when the police were on high alert in the district amid Operation Bluestar anniversary celebrations.

The finance company -- Satin Credit Care Network Limited -- operates its office from a house in the said area. The firm offers financial services to self-help groups.

Three unidentified people entered the office at around 2 pm on Monday, and enquired about the loan facilities and other services of the company. When the staff were busy telling them about the services, one of them locked the door from inside and took out his pistol and asked the employees to hand over the cash to them.

The firms manager, Sateshwar Singh, in his complaint to the police said the employees tried to negotiate but they threatened to open fire on them. He added that as one of them pointed the gun towards an employee and they were forced to give away the available cash, which was Rs 2 lakh at the time of the incident.

It is pertinent to mention that the non-banking finance company was not following the security guidelines of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and instructions issued by the local administration and the police. Neither there was any guard at the office, nor any CCTV camera was installed to vigil any unlawful activity. Some employees of the firm locked themselves inside the restrooms to protect themselves.

One of the eyewitnesses said that the robbers were not carrying any vehicle.

A case has been registered under Section 382 and 34 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Rajpura city police station.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rajinder Singh Sohal said the police were trying to trace the robbers and the process of their identification were underway with the help of sketch artists and available information. The company was also flouting the security norms advised by the police and the administration and it made it easy for the looters to escape easily from the spot, said Sohal.
Fortune seems to be favouring Faridabad. Last year it got connected to the Metro and just a few weeks ago it was listed as a fast track smart city.

A move is being made to shift the citys focus to the service industries though it is known for its core industries. Efforts are also being made to improve its infrastructure. In the process, its likely that people flocking to Millennium City Gurgaon will soon find an affordable housing alternative here.

As many as 75,000 units will be ready in Faridabad by end of next year. (HT)

Faridabad, last month, was included in the fast track list of 13 towns that will be developed into smart cities. The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad had submitted a smart city proposal projecting an expediture of Rs 2,600 crore to the union ministry of urban development earlier this year. The plan included area-based development proposals involving development of an area of 1,267 acres, including sectors 19,20, 20A, 21A and 21D.

The plan includes retrofitting these sectors surrounding Badhkal Lake. It includes three Metro stations, a Metro depot, a railway station and two urban villages (Fatehpur Chandela and Arjondi) and two regularised urban slums (Sant Nagar and Friends Colony). The ecological restoration and rejuvenation of the dying Badhkal Lake includes filling the lake with treated water - which is likely to be done in 300 days. For this an STP plant will be constructed 2 km away and a pipeline carrying treated water will be linked to the currently dry lake, explains D R Bhaskar, nodal officer of the smart city project, Faridabad.

The cost of the project, expected to be completed in two years, is around Rs 50 crore. As of now, whats known is that a water front and a forest city will be developed around the lake, which will be known as the Badkhal Marina. Its part of the Vanikaran Yojna of the government to reduce pollution and develop the area for recreational activities. The city will also go pedestrian and cyclist-friendly with cycle tracks and footpaths of 4 km length along the NH2. Faridabad Railway station has also been identified among 400 railway stations that will be developed as part of the project, he says.

Other plans include developing mixed use, high density avenues, plazas, public open spaces along Metro stations in areas along the six-lane NH2, non-motorised transport lanes, intelligent traffic management systems and smart signages.

Green projects include rain water harvesting and automated online water quality monitoring systems, revamp of sewerage and drainage network systems in these sectors, provision of smart toilets, solid waste management systems, solar rooftops and LED street lighting etc.

Extension of the Metro corridor, construction of a new hospital and the FNG corridor connecting Faridabad with Noida and Ghaziabad are the main infrastructure triggers for the Faridabad market. (HT)

Development of this smart cluster is expected to impact the realty market in the area. It will be one of the drivers that will boost the image of the city, make it far more livable, says RC Gupta, managing director, RPS Group.

The Greater Faridabad 2031 Master Plan that is yet to be notified has a provision for around 35 new residential sectors out of which five to seven are institutional and industrial, he says. Besides, the widening of the NH2 to a six-lane expressway that is under advanced stages of construction will boost connectivity with the Capital.

RPS is offering around 2,344 units in RPS Savanna project in Sector 88. Over 1,700 apartments have already been delivered and 1,000 families have moved in. The company has so far delivered 19 towers and eight towers are expected to be completed by September this year. Another project, RPS Palms, has been completed and offered for possession. This includes 456 low-rise ground plus two units. RPS Auria in Sector 88 is a relatively new project. Spread across 17 acres it is still under construction. The company plans to launch RPS Palm Extension and an RPS Auria Extension by the end of this year, Gupta says.

BPTP, another real estate company, has given around 9,000 units for possession so far and around 2,000 families have moved in. It has no new launched planned in the near future. The market has been taken over by end-users, especially those working in Gurgaon. Buyers are mostly people in the income bracket of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per annum, says a company spokesperson.

Rajiv Bhasin, broker with Bhasin Estates, says that prices of projects in Sector 88 range from Rs 44 lakh to Rs 46 lakh for a 2BHK and Rs 61 lakh for a 3BHK. A 2BHK in an under- construction project costs Rs 32 lakh . Rentals for a 2BHK in Faridabad are around Rs 10,000 per month and for 3BHK units theyre around Rs 15,000. Earlier we would strike around seven deals, now we do barely two or three. Some people prefer Faridabad to Gurgaon because it is peaceful and affordable and the sizes that are available are bigger than projects in Gurgaon. Sizes of apartments in Faridabad range from 1200 sq ft to 2022 sq ft, he says.

Arjun Puri, director of Puri Constructions, says the company plans to launch a 100-acre township in Sector 88  both plots and floors in a couple of months. The company has so far delivered close to 1,000 units in the area and 5,000 families have moved in.

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Which were the biggest real estate transactions around the world in 2015? The highest priced real estate sales worldwide in 2015, according to the latest annual Luxury Defined 2016 report by Christies International Real Estate, were steered by the record $193.5 million (Rs 1,287 crore) sale of a single-family home in Hong Kongs The Peak district.

The top five sales rounded out with the $141 (Rs 938 crore) million sale of a townhouse in London; a $91.5 million Rs 608 crore) new development penthouse in New York; a $77.5 (Rs 515 crore)million co-op in New York; and a $71.2 (Rs 473 crore) million single-family home in Palm Beach, Florida. At least four properties have sold for $50million (Rs 332.6 crore) or more around the world in 2016.

The highest performing (price performance) markets in the world include London, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore. For the fourth year in a row, London commands the top position as the worlds most luxurious property market (in terms of price performance). Despite new taxes on 1.5m-plus homes and capital gains tax, London continues to attract domestic and international buyer demand.

Hong Kong narrowly edged out New York to place second in the luxury index even with negative annual overall sales growth and pressures from a decline in mainland Chinese capital outflow. Singapore knocked Dubai where pressures from declining oil prices and an oversupply of luxury properties caused price and sales volume declines  out of the worlds top 10 luxury markets.

Which is the worlds hottest city for luxury real estate? The answer is Auckland, which posted a 63% growth in million-dollar-plus sales thanks to strong international and local demand. The findings were based on Christies International Real Estate survey of 100 affiliate markets. Auckland overtakes Toronto as the worlds hottest luxury housing market.

Traditionally strong markets are facing the heat of the downturn and giving way to creation of new markets. For instance, the traditionally strong markets for international buyers such as New York, London, and Miami have reported a decrease in buyers from countries including Russia and Brazil. Exchange rates, coupled with other financial and political concerns have negatively impacted some markets but at the same time, they have created opportunities in others, particularly emerging luxury markets such as Cape Town, South Africa; Cartagena, Colombia; and Dublin, Ireland; Argentina and Canada. Strength of the Pound and tax incentives encouraged UK investors to purchase predominantly in the US, France, Spain, Bermuda and Ireland.

Which countrys investors are the most active in global real estate? As many as 21% of all luxury markets ranked UK buyers in their top three. Of those, 92% saw an increase/ constant flow of UK buyers and only 8% saw a decrease. A weak Euro presented opportunities to purchase second homes in prime European destinations, including Paris. Chinese investors are still active despite slowdown in the economy and stock market sell off. Chinese currency devaluation, stock-market sell offs, tightening capital flow restrictions didnt slow the buying power of China UHNWIs.

Finally, who is driving the growth in million-dollar-plus homes? Despite the economic slowdown, there is a set of emerging buyers driving million-dollar-plus home sales. According to Dan Conn, CEO, Christies International Real Estate, Emerging buyers are increasingly influencing the prime property market and will continue to evolve the marketplace in the future. These up-and-coming buyers include millenipreneurs (affluent millennial entrepreneurs) and high-income workers from the burgeoning tech sector. Growth in traditional industries like automobiles has also spurred resurgence in some of these comeback markets.
With many English shows finding takers among Indian audience, there are many shows on the tube that have fresh content and hope to stand out the crowd. HT takes a look at new stories on TV that are here to entertain the audience.

Penny Dreadful

This British-American horror drama is set in Victorian London, which is haunted by monsters and demons. The show features a host of terrifying characters from literature, including Dr Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.

A still from Wayward Pines.

Wayward Pines

Season two of the psychological thriller with a sci-fi premise, which stars Jason Patrick and Nimrat Kaur, promises to have many deaths in store for the audience. The show also stars Charlie Tahan, Terrence Howard, Terrence Howard and Hope Davis.

Read: Have you seen these 5 progressive shows on web yet?

Anna Faris in a still from Mom. (CBS)

Mom

The third season follows the misadventures of Christys life (Anna Morris), who battles with alcoholism and drug addiction, while living with her mother Bonny, (Allison Janney), a recovering drug and alcohol addict.

A still from Gotham.

Read: Bring them back | 25 Indian TV shows we loved and why

Gotham

Heading into season two, Gotham will continue to follow the evolving stories of the citys most notorious villains. Catch the rise of the biggest supervillains, including The Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Mr Freeze, which eventually leads to the genesis of one of the most popular super heroes of our time -- Batman.

A poster of Supergirl.

Supergirl

Kara Jor-El, now Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist), was sent to Earth to protect her cousin, Kal-El (Clark Kent). Working as an assistant to media mogul, Cat Grant, Kara didnt feel the need to use her powers until an accident forces her to be the hero she was meant to be.

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A soldier was charred to death and thousands of people were evacuated after a fire triggered a series of explosions at one of Sri Lankas largest ammunition dumps where the army stores heavy weapons, prompting President Maithripala Sirisena to launch a probe.

The armoury at Salawa area in Avissawella, 30 kms east of Colombo, caught fire at around 5pm (local time) on Sunday, setting off huge explosions that went on through the night.

A soldier has been killed and the military has entered the premises, military spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said, adding that soldiers have doused the fire.

At least five persons have been injured in the fire and their condition remained stable.

The armoury is one of the largest ammunition storage of the Sri Lankan Army.

The cause behind the incident was not immediately known.

Residents said loud explosions were heard with raging fire within the complex which houses weapons ranging from T56 rifles to mortar bombs.

All residents within a five km radius of the complex were evacuated last night was to prevent people from inhaling fumes emanating from the fire.

People within a kilometre of the camp can now return to their homes, Jayaweera said.

Residents said the fire could be seen even this morning, more than 12 hours after the first explosions were heard.

Sirisena has ordered a probe with the polices crime investigation department carrying out investigations.
Two Hindus were among three persons shot dead when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at a licensed liquor shop in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

Three men, including the two Hindus, were at the Super Wine shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area on Sunday when the gunmen opened fire, killing them on the spot.

The owner of the shop, Taru Mal, escaped unhurt.

Apparently Taru Mal had been receiving calls from a Dubai number for extortion money and he refused to pay, Senior police official Rao Anwar said.

He said security had been increased at the two wine shops Mal owned after he got the threatening call following a shootout warning him he would be the next target.

Among the three killed, one persons identity could not be ascertained.

In Pakistan, where alcohol consumption is banned for Muslims, the government issues licenses for wine shops run by its excise department where only non-Muslims and foreigners can purchase liquor.

Most of these wine shops are run by Christians or Hindus in Karachi.
China has imposed restrictions on marking the Islamic holy month of Ramzan in restive Xinjiang province and Communist Party of China (CPC) members have been directed not to fast during the period, reports said on Monday.

Officially atheist China has a history of issuing directives against marking the holy month, which began in the country on Monday, and authorities have said earlier that fasting is illegal and against the CPCs principles.

Government officials, students and teachers were among those directed not to observe the dawn-to-sunset fast.

Party members, cadres, civil servants, students and minors must not fast for Ramadan and must not take part in religious activities, AFP reported, quoting a notice posted on the official website of Korla city in central Xinjiang.

A website run by the education bureau of Shuimogou district in the regional capital Urumqi posted a notice on Monday last week calling for prevention of students and teachers from all schools from entering mosques for religious activities during Ramadan, the report added.

The notices posted this year echo the governments earlier sentiments.

CPC and League members, civil servants and students cannot take part in fasting and other religious activities. All CPC officials and civil servants should guide family members and friends to act in line with the law and fight against illegal religious activities, said a statement from Turpan commercial bureau in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) that was quoted by state-run Global Times newspaper last year.

China has about 20 million Muslims and some 13 million, most of them Muslim Uyghurs, live in Xinjiang.

Ramzan is also observed in other autonomous regions, provinces and cities, including Gansu, Ningxia and Beijing. It is in Xinjiang, which has witnessed ethnic violence in recent years, that the curbs are mostly imposed.

Official media put out reports saying Muslims are being allowed to mark the month with religious freedom. But state media reports added the government had urged religious people to become model of integrity and fight against extremism.

Ramadan is a holy, auspicious month for Muslims during which they can reflect and spend time with their family and friends, said Zhang Chunxian, the CPC secretary in XUAR.

Zhang hoped people will take time to remember their social responsibilities, help the less fortunate to uphold righteousness and tolerance and support harmony in Xinjiang. Zhang also hoped all religious people would become models of integrity and fight against extremism, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
A Maldives court has convicted the countrys former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The decision by the Criminal Court on Sunday in a session closed to the media made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge since President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected in 2013.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, former Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim and head of a leading political party, Sheik Imran Abdulla, are the others to get lengthy prison terms. Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.

The cases have been criticized for a lack of due process violations.

Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Gayoom when an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.

Gayoom made his trusted young protege Adeeb his vice president last July after sacking his running mate in the 2013 election.

However, Adeeb was arrested just days after the September blast on Gayooms speedboat. The blast wounded the presidents wife, an aide and a bodyguard.

Later, authorities charged him with possessing firearms prohibited under the countrys terrorism law, and with corruption.

The government says the mysterious blast was an assassination attempt even though FBI investigators said they found no evidence of a bomb explosion.

Human rights groups have criticized Gayoom for jailing opponents and potential challengers in order to tighten his grip on power.

Nasheed along Gayooms running made Mohamed Jameel, who also lives in Britain, and supporters of Nazim and Adeeb formed a united opposition in exile last week with the aim to oust Gayoom.

Maldives has a long history of being ruled by autocratic leaders.

Gayooms half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the country from 1978 to 2008 until he lost to Nasheed in the countrys first multiparty election. Nasheed resigned in 2012 after weeks of public protests for his role in jailing a sitting judge.

He left for Britain in January on medical leave, apparently for back surgery, and later was given asylum.
Hillary Clinton defeated her rival Bernie Sanders in Puerto Ricos Democratic primary Sunday, US networks projected, bringing her to the brink of victory in their long-fought battle for the partys presidential nomination.

With 29 percent of the island territorys districts reporting, former secretary of state Clinton was ahead with 62.5 percent of the vote, compared to 37.1 percent for Sanders, according to CNN.

Victory in debt-hobbled Puerto Rico marked a double dose of good news for Clinton over the weekend, with another territory, the US Virgin Islands, voting overwhelmingly for her on Saturday.

The pair of wins provides a boost ahead of Tuesdays culminating vote with New Jersey and the big prize of California at stake.

We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria! -- she wrote in a bilingual tweet that thanked the Isle of Enchantment for the win.

Puerto Rico has 60 pledged delegates at stake, and Clinton will win at least 31 of them.

That would put Clinton, who amassed 2,323 delegates prior to Puerto Ricos vote, just a handful shy of the 2,383 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination, a threshold she will undoubtedly cross on Tuesday.

Sanders, however, has vowed to fight on all the way until the Democratic National Convention in July, arguing he could persuade many of the several hundred so-called super delegates who back Clinton to change their allegiance and support his campaign.

Super delegates are Democratic Party bigwigs who are not bound to any candidate or to the results of statewide votes and do not officially cast their vote until the convention.

Both Clinton and Sanders campaigned in Puerto Rico in recent weeks, and both have put forward plans to help the island emerge from a debt crisis.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation, backed by the White House, that would be charged with overseeing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its finances and restructuring the Caribbean islands $70 billion in debt.
The Islamic State group has been shooting at civilians trying to flee their nearly two-week battle with the Iraqi government forces in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, said an international aid organisation and Iraqi military.

On Sunday, the militants shot and killed seven civilians and seven IS defectors inside Fallujah as they attempted to flee, Iraqi major Ali Hanoon said.

Hanoon, who is with the elite Iraqi counterterrorism forces, today put the number of civilians killed by IS since the operation started at dozens but declined to be more specific, saying the information coming out of Fallujah is sporadic and often incomplete.

Iraqi officials say the total is likely higher.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, have been fighting to retake the IS-held city of Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance the militants have put up and because an estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped inside the city.

A member of the Iraqi government forces monitors the front line near the village of al-Azraqiyah, northwest of the city of Fallujah on Sunday. (AFP)

Iraqi forces on Sunday secured the southern edge of Fallujah, a largely agricultural area.

They know that if they trap the civilians, it will slow our progress, Hanoon said.

Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, killing two people and wounded three, according to police.

From Baghdad, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis, said late Sunday that a number of fleeing civilians have been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River.

Iraqi officials had no immediate information on the river incident.

Iraqi Sgt. Hashem Addawi, wounded during fighting against Islamic State militants, is treated for a shrapnel wound after an IS mortar attack at a field aid station at Camp Tariq outside Fallujah in Iraq on Monday. (AP)

The NRC cited interviews with some of those who fled the city.

Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety, said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC country director in Iraq. This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives.

The NRC put the total number of families who managed to flee from the outskirts of Fallujah in the early days of the Iraqi offensive, which started May 21, at 2,980. Only a couple more families have managed to escape from inside Fallujah since then, the NRC added.

The Fallujah operation in Iraq coincides with a twin offensive on IS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an IS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants de facto capital.

At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.
Pakistan on Monday handed over 18 fishermen to India at the Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completion of sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistans territorial waters.

Punjab rangers handed over the fishermen, who were released on Sunday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said.

The fishermen, who were in Malir Jail for the last few years for violating the territorial waters of the country, were allowed to cross over to the border after verification of their documents, he added.

The Edhi Foundation, which facilitated the arrangements for their return home, said each of them were given Rs 5,000 and gifts, including clothes for themselves and their family members in India.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing, since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their jail term, while over 400 others are currently lodged in Karachi prisons.
A Taliban ambush on Monday killed at least seven people, including a district intelligence chief and his deputy in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

The attack took place in Sangcharak district in the northern Sari Pul province early on Monday morning, targeting the intelligence chief and his deputy, said Zabi Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Three army intelligence officers and two civilians, including a small child, were also killed in the attack, Amani said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Amani said the Taliban are known to operate in the area.

The insurgents have become increasingly active in Afghanistans northern provinces since the U.S.-led international combat mission pulled out at the end of 2014, leaving a training and assistance mission behind.

Meanwhile, in northern Balkh province, four members of an illegal armed group were killed in a gunbattle on Monday with another group, said Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor.

The fighting in Sholgara district killed one of the groups leaders and three other men, Farhad said. An investigation was underway.

Last week, Sholgaras district police chief was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb.
Donald Trump says he made a lot of money in a deal years ago with Moammar Gaddafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

Dont forget, Im the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember, Trump said in an interview with CBS Face the Nation that aired Sunday. He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay.

He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there, Trump said. And it became sort of a big joke.

The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gaddafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattans Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trumps 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.

Read: Stop worrying and get to know the real Donald Trump

Gaddafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.

At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally - and was then re-erected, to the towns chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that hed been tricked into renting his land. Representatives of Gaddafi -- loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism -- had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had no idea that Gaddafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said. Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told The Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates.

We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now, Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.

But Trump had changed his tune two years later, when he boasted of having screwed the Libyan leader on the deal.

I dealt with Gaddafi. Excuse me. I rented him a piece of land. He paid me more for one night than the land was worth for the whole year or for two years. And then I didnt let him use the land. Thats what we should be doing, Trump said in a 2011 interview with Fox News.

He reiterated the claim on CNN that same year. Trump said he had leased Gaddafi a piece of land for his tent. He paid me more than I get in a whole year. And then, eh, he wasnt able to use the piece of land. ... So I got in one night more money than I would have gotten all year for this piece of land up in Westchester. And then didnt let him use it? Thats called being intelligent, Trump said.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to questions Sunday about whether Trump was in fact aware at the time that he was dealing with Gaddafi and how much he made from the deal.

Bedford Town Attorney Joel Sachs, who dealt with Trump directly on the issue, said that Trump insisted to town officials that he didnt know about the Gaddafi connection - and that officials suspected he was lying.

We believe that Trump knew that he had leased his property to Gaddafi, Sachs said. He definitely denied that he knew, but we had gotten a lot of evidence.

Roberts, the former Bedford town supervisor, said Sunday she didnt remember much about the back-and-forth, but agreed it was a mess. It was a very emotional time. People got very upset at the thought of him coming here, she said.

But there was also an element of the absurd. There was a goat involved. They were going to kill a goat and have it for dinner, she said. When Gaddafi didnt show, it got a reprieve.

Roberts said she was offered the goat as a souvenir of sorts, but had to turn it down.

No, we cant have a goat in my town house! she recalled with a laugh.
Donald Trump has said that he was surprised that Newt Gingrich hammered him for noting the Mexican ancestry of the American judge overseeing lawsuits against Trump University.

Trump told Fox News Channel on Monday that the former House speakers criticism was inappropriate. Trump

He said he was only defending himself against relentless questions about Trump University by questioning the impartiality of US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Trump says most customers were satisfied with the school.

Read: China-made Trump toilet papers getting popular in US: Report

Curiel was born in Indiana. Still, Trump said, the judge cannot be impartial in the cases because Curiels parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall to keep people from sneaking over the border.

Gingrich is one of several prominent Republicans urging Trump to lay off Curiel and unify the GOP.
Britains influential Home Affairs Select Committee said on Monday it had opened a full inquiry into the deportation of thousands of people  mostly Indians  on the basis of alleged fraud in a mandatory English language test.

The panel said the inquiry was launched after deciding to seriously question the Home Offices judgement in the matter.

In a damning ruling in March, the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) allowed an appeal by two students accused of cheating in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) conducted by a subsidiary of US-based company ETS.

The committee said in a new report it had undertaken a full inquiry, including on the issues of procurement and licensing, investigations, inspections and how much money was spent.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, said: We are deeply concerned with the arrests, dawn raids and aggressive deportations of students from outside the EU which have occurred following allegations of fraud at English language testing centres.

The Home Office appears not to have investigated English language testing fraud allegations themselves before undertaking heavy-handed action. Recent legal cases, with their damming criticisms from senior judges, have opened the door to a mass of expensive and damaging litigation.

Vaz added, An estimated 70% of those affected are of Indian nationality, and this debacle comes at a time when Indian student numbers in the UK are declining. The UK risks causing extensive damage to its reputation as a leading destination for international study.

As a starting point, the committee said the Home Office must set out the process for out-of-country appeals (many people were given no right of appeal before they were deported), the steps to be taken to ensure a fair hearing, and whether this will include appellants being given access to evidence against them.

The row began in February 2014, when a sting operation by BBCs Panorama programme uncovered cheating, including the use of proxies to impersonate candidates, in speaking and listening tests, and invigilators at a London centre providing correct answers.

The Home Office reacted by claiming its own investigation, conducted after the programme, had revealed 46,000 invalid and questionable tests conducted by ETS, and suspended the company.

Extrapolating fraud uncovered in one London centre by the programme, the Home Office revoked the sponsorship licence of 60 institutions and detained or removed thousands of non-EU students and migrants who had obtained the TOEIC certificate at various centres. The actions affected genuine students who had not cheated.

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So many people insist on viewing the American Civil War (or any war, for that matter) from a good-guys-won perspective. Its a sure way to obscure at least half the facts and distort the meaning of the rest. As long as Billy Yank is a hero and Johnny Reb a villain (or vice versa), the war is still going on in the hearts and minds of partisan researchers and history buffs. And in my opinion, the war can never be truly understood until it finally ends.

Patrick Carroll

Carver, Mn.

Two wrongs dont make a right, and in this case, both the Union and the Confederacy were wrong.

Matthew Silber

Kansas City, Mo.

Of course the war of the rebellion was bad. The country is still suffering from that event. Yes it freed the slaves. What was gained in the 150 years since that war ? The Southern states were decimated by vengeful Union armies. The then-known rules of war were thrown away. The Southern states were an economic wreck. Possibly still are. Just look at the latest census data. The former Confederate States, The South, lead the poverty list. One might think the newly freed slaves could leave the area for greener pastures up North. But no, this was not possible either. Read the northern papers of the 1860s and 1870s. They are full of reports of freed slaves being turned away by farmers and tradesmen.

David Heinsohn

Longview, Tx.

McCurry offers a good analysis of resistance of women and slaves to the Confederacy. But no mention was made of the approximately 100,000 white males from the 11 officially-seceded states who fought for the Union. Or the approximately 250,000 white males from the border slave states (MO, KY, MD, DE), who also fought for the Union. These men were a loss to the Confederacy, and a gain to the Union. They represented the discontent, or outright hostility, toward the Confederate States of America that was manifest in parts of the south, especially in the Appalachians and the Ozarks.

Tony Robertson

Mexico, Mo.

Professor McCurrys piece was thought-provoking and controversial. In attempting to refute the Lost Cause myth, she inevitably embraces another, the inevitability of Union and the progressiveness and benevolence of Federal policy. She takes the southern states to task for being antidemocratic, because the elections of delegates to the secession conventions excluded women and African-Americans. Im sure Professor McCurry knows that women did not vote in any state in 1860 and African-Americans voted only in five New England states and New York in 1860. By her standard, President Lincolns election was antidemocratic, as was virtually every American election to that point. It was through conventions of the people, defined as white male voters, that the Constitution itself adopted. If democracy is the standard by which we are to judge, we would do well to remember that there is something vaguely antidemocratic about killing 265,000 of ones own citizens and ejecting by military force eleven elected state governments and replacing them with eleven military governors, then disfranchising the majority of the voters of those states as they drafted new constitutions. Yet these were the inevitable consequences of the decision to oppose secession by military force. The fissures in southern society were exposed by the war, not by secession, regardless of how democratic the secession decision was, so perhaps the opposing secession through military power was Americas worst idea. As John Randolph of Roanoke said, It was always my opinion that Union was the means of securing the safety, liberty, and welfare of the confederacy, and not in itself an end to which these should be sacrificed.

D. Jonathan White

Military History Instructor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Va.

I read Professor McCurrys interesting article about the Confederacy and the noble lost cause. In my view, the appropriate words to use in describing the enslavement of one group of human beings by another group is that the slave owners and their government were amoral and evil beings. There are no excuses for this behavior and attitude.

The Confederacy lost the Civil War, and Lincoln is to be honored by this country for saving it and having the guts to persevere to its conclusion.

It is also a tragedy it took another 100 years for the wrongs and horrors of segregation and loss of basic human rights to be corrected during the Johnson administration.

Michael C. St. Vrain

Luebbering, Mo.

Thank you for the article on the Confederacy. An excellent read for those interested the Civil War is the The Outbreak of The Rebellion by John G. Nicolay, private secretary to President Lincoln. The original 1881 book might be in reprint.

Carl Vandewinckel

Williamson, NY

On page 30 of your December article on The Confederacy you exhibit a fairly well-known picture of Charles Syphax who was a slave at Arlington before the Civil War. You state that Arlington was the property of Robert E. Lee but although after his marriage Lee made it his home, Arlington belonged first to G.W.P.Custis and then to his daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis (Mrs. R.E.Lee). Sadly, Lee himself never owned a single piece of property in his entire life. In addition, you identify the child Mr. Syphax is holding as Lees grandson William. But according to Elizabeth Brown Pryor in her book Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters, (p. 139) the grandchild was Mr. Syphaxs. She includes this image in her book to suggest how intimately whites and blacks lived together at the time since the child looks entirely white, the undoubted result of intercourse between slave and master. Pryor remarks that there is no evidence that Lee himself indulged in sexual activity with the slaves though he was aware of its taking place on his father-in-laws estate. Finally, Lee did have a grandson who was born during the War but his name was Robert E. Lee III and he died soon after his birth.

Dr. Judith Farr

Professor of English & American Literature Emerita

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.
Account of the Battle Of New Market, a Civil War Battle during the American Civil War

Battle Of New Market Summary Location Shenandoah County, Virginia Dates May 15, 1864 Generals / Commanders Union: Franz Sigel

Confederate: John C. Breckinridge Soldiers Engaged Union Army: 6,200

Confederate Army:4,000 Casualties Union: 840

Confederate: 540 Outcome Confederate Victory

As the morning sun burned through the fog along the New Market Road about eight miles southeast of Richmond on the autumn morning of September 29, 1864, it revealed a scene of carnage and human wreckage. Dead infantrymen in coats that were a familiar shade of Union blue covered the slopes before New Market Heights. But most of the faces of the dead and maimed were black. Events leading to the Battle of New Market Heights began during the blistering summer of 1864, when overall Federal commander Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant directed the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, to relentlessly push the Confederates south from the Rappahannock River toward the Appomattox River. To counter that strategy and stop the Union drive, General Robert E. Lee put his undermanned Army of Northern Virginia into a complex array of trench lines and fortified strongpoints defending Richmond and its supply routes running through Petersburg.

In addition to watching Grants powerful army, Lee also had to keep a wary eye on the Army of the James, a force of 35,000 men in the XVIII and X corps and a cavalry division, entrenched in and around Williamsburg, Va. Commanded by the militarily inept but politically well-connected Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, that army boasted the largest contingent of black troops of any Union force. Butler had used his political influence to get appointed commander of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina, and then made himself commander of the Army of the James.

During the winter of 1863-64, Butler sent raiding parties beyond his fortified lines to find black recruits to bolster the ranks of his regiments of U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). General Order 46, issued December 5, 1863, made his position clear: The recruitment of colored troops has become the settled purpose of the Government.It is the duty of every officer and soldier to aid in this recruiting, irrespective of personal predilection.

Though black troops had been permitted to join the Union Army, they were not allowed to gain commissions and were led by white officers. Black units were also placed in their own brigades. In the Army of the James, black troops made up Brig. Gen. William Birneys Colored Brigade of the X Corps. Brigadier General Charles J. Paines 3rd Division of the XVIII Corps was made up of three all-USCT brigades: the 1st Brigade led by Colonel John Holman, the 2nd Brigade commanded by Colonel Alonzo G. Draper and Colonel Samuel Duncans 3rd Brigade.

Major General Benjamin Butler believed in the merits of black soldiers, but he also wanted to use their efforts to pad his own reputation. To his credit, however, he did carefully plan his late-September operation to avoid another Crater-type fiasco. (Primedia Archive)

Early in May 1864, Butler moved his integrated army up to the vicinity of Bermuda Hundred on the James River. He fortified and then made several tentative and unsuccessful attempts to breach the Richmond defenses. On May 16, an assault by Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard forced Butler back into his trenches. Grant caustically described Butlers army as completely shut off from further operations against Richmond as if it had been in a bottle tightly corked.

With Butler temporarily neutralized, Grant ordered the Army of the Potomac out of its trench lines at Cold Harbor on the night of June 12, marching 100,000 men almost 50 miles over rough and swampy terrain to the south side of the James River. With a presidential election only a few months away, Grant wanted a decisive victory to bolster the spirits of the war-weary North. Instead, he found himself in the frustrating siege of Petersburg.

Repulsed at every turn by the resourceful Lee, he finally listened to a complex plan proposed by General Butler on September 20 that Grant hoped would draw Lees attention and force him to redeploy troops north of the James, allowing the Army of the Potomac to launch a coordinated attack against the South Side Railroad, a critical supply line into Petersburg. And if Butler succeeded in capturing Richmond, Grant reasoned, so much the better.

Early on the evening of September 28, Butler called a council of war to give his commanders, Maj. Gen. David Birney of the X Corps, Maj. Gen. Edward O.C. Ord of the XVIII Corps and Cavalry Division commander Brig. Gen. August V. Kautz, the details of the operation. In Butlers mind, the primary objective remained the capture of Richmond, not drawing forces away from Petersburg.

The plan called for two divisions of Ords XVIII Corps, on the left wing, to make a surprise crossing of the James at Aikens Landing (after building a pontoon bridge across the river in the pre-dawn hours before the attack) and move up the Varnia Road to capture Confederate Fort Harrison. Ords forces would then wheel west and destroy the Confederate bridges at and above Chaffins Bluff, and race up the Osborn Turnpike for Richmond.

At precisely the same time, on the right wing, Birneys X Corps, plus Paines USCT regiments detailed from the XVIII Corps, would cross the James River, advance from Deep Bottom, carry New Market Heights and strike out for Richmond on the New Market Road. Finally, Kautzs cavalry would move to the Darbytown Road and, when New Market Heights was cleared, ride hard for the Confederate capital.

Paines black soldiers were to spearhead the attack on New Market Heights because Butler, as he put it, wanted to convince myself whether the negro troops will fight, and whether I can take, with the negroes a stronghold that had denied previous Union attack. Butler had been an early advocate for arming black men, and had done so when he was overseeing the occupation of New Orleans in 1862.

Butler was mindful of the July disaster at the Crater, where black troops had been poorly led  really not led at all  by a drunken commander, and he developed copious instructions for his plan and the proposed attack, some 16 pages worth of material. Butler briefed his generals, and the plan was put in motion. Throughout the night and into the pre-dawn hours of September 29, the narrow roads and meandering country lanes of Henrico County shuddered under the steady tread of thousands of marching men. Some units were on the move even before Butler outlined the final details of his plan to his corps commanders.

The X Corps was scheduled to arrive at Bermuda Hundred a full day before the attack in order to give it sufficient rest. But General Birney misunderstood the original order to move out, and the X Corps did not begin arriving at the rendezvous point until 2 a.m. on September 29. Tired, hungry and understrength because of stragglers, the X Corps, including the accompanying XVIII Corps USCT men detailed to storm the earthworks at New Market Heights, would be going into battle with no hot food and almost no rest.

Butler always anticipated that his attacks would catch the Confederates unaware. But the movements of so many men could hardly be kept secret, and by 4 a.m., the Rebel defenders of New Market Heights were already under arms and having a hot breakfast, awaiting the arrival of the Union attackers. The multilayered breastworks, fronted by a double line of abatis, held Brig. Gen. John Greggs 2,000 veterans, five infantry regiments from the famous Texas Brigade led by Colonel Frederick Bass, dismounted cavalry from Virginia and South Carolina under Brig. Gen. Martin Gary, and cannoneers of the Rockbridge Artillery and Richmond Howitzers.

While the Confederates breakfasted, Union officers quietly moved through the darkness and ordered the exhausted men to wake up and stand to arms. Christian Fleetwood, a sergeant major in the 4th USCT, noted in his diary: Regimental papers and knapsackspacked away. Coffee boiled and line formed.

New Market Heights, with its signal tower and batteries of artillery at each end, loomed ahead. Butler expected General Birney to have almost 16,000 troops for the attack, including Paines 3,800 USCT men, but because of the late arrival of much of the X Corps and significant straggling on route, Birney could count on only 10,300 effectives.Nevertheless, Birney formed up the X Corps in three columns. He planned to attack the Confederate defenses at New Market Heights with only one of them, Paines 3rd Division of USCT. One of the two remaining columns would be held in reserve; the other would pin down potential Confederate reinforcements and await orders before joining the assault.

Butler rode through the USCT ranks, urging the men to charge the enemy with the words Remember Fort Pillow on their lips. The first wave of attackers would be advancing without percussion caps on the locks of their rifles because Butler believed that would prevent the troops from pausing to fire and reload. He wanted to avoid confusion among the mostly untested soldiers and allow the officers issuing orders to be heard.

The men of the USCT shouldered their muskets, smartly formed ranks and passed through the defenses of Deep Bottom, heading north through the fog-shrouded pre-dawn darkness. Around 5:30 a.m., the crackling of musket fire announced that skirmishers of the 22nd USCT, part of Holmans brigade, had opened the engagement by driving back the advance pickets posted by Gregg above the Kingsland Road.

The soldiers of Duncans small brigade of the 4th and 6th USCT that followed had no way of knowing that most of the other units of Paines division that were to be in the attack had been delayed by swampy terrain, so they were spearheading the attack on their own. The geography of the battlefield would continue to work against the attacking troops. To reach the Confederate earthworks, the USCT soldiers had to cross about 500 yards of a rising plain. Across this plain ran Four Mile Creek, creating a marshy but not impassible swamp. Beyond the creek lay a deep, heavily wooded ravine that ran parallel to the New Market Road. Beyond the ravine another open plain of about 300 yards sloped northward toward the road and the Confederate breastworks.

As the sun slowly burned through the dense ground fog, the long blue lines of the 4th and 6th USCT began to emerge from the mists. The Confederate defenders put down their coffee, picked up their rifles and  peering into the gray half-light of dawn  searched for their targets. With no covering artillery barrage, the Battle of New Market Heights opened like a shadow play upon a mostly silent stage. Duncans two regiments deployed in a skirmish line about 200 yards long, the 4th leading and the 6th echeloned to the left rear. He described his men disappearing as they entered the fog that enwrapped them like the mantle of death.

The Confederates continued to hold their fire as the Federals crossed the open field, stumbled through the wooded ravine and splashed through the marshes of Four Mile Creek. Word raced through the Confederate ranks that black troops were attacking. Pickets shouted, Niggers, boys, niggers, as they tumbled into the earthworks. Without waiting for orders, reinforcements from up and down the line quickly came to the aid of their comrades.

The USCT soldiers pressed on to a line of chevaux-de-frise, implanted logs drilled with holes holding a crisscross of sharpened wooden stakes. Many of the men dropped to the ground, hesitant to make a final push to the breastworks. With most of the officers dead or wounded, the sergeants of the 4th USCT assumed leadership. After the battle, Fleetwood described the carnage in his diary: When the charge was started, our Color guard was full; two sergeants and ten corporals. Only one of the twelve came off that field on his own feet. Most of them are there still.It was a deadly hailstorm of bullets sweeping men down as hail-stones sweep the leaves from trees.It was very evident that there was too much work cut out for our two regiments.We struggled through two lines of abatis, a few getting through the palisades, but it was sheer madness.

The men in these photographs are members of the 4th U.S. Colored Troops, survivors of the fighting on September 29, 1864, at New Market Heights. Even though USCT men had fought in previous battles, doubts still existed in September about their ability to be aggressive warriors. Their performance at New Market Heights put an end to that question (Library of Congress).

As the 4th USCT became entangled in the first line of abatis, the morning calm exploded when Bass veteran gunmen opened fire. Caught in the open, the 4th USCT was blown apart in a matter of minutes. Color bearers and officers made easy targets for the defenders.

The valiant attackers meager foothold lasted only moments. Bass Texans swarmed out of the earthworks and pounced upon their adversaries. Most of the attackers were killed outright, but some were briefly taken prisoner. Confederate accounts differ about what happened to the captured black soldiers. Some reports indicate that the captives and some of the wounded were quickly shot. Other accounts indicate that the black troopers were offered the choice of Libby Prison or becoming regimental servants.

With Duncan felled by four wounds, command passed to Colonel John W. Ames of the 6th USCT. Instead of supporting the 4th USCT, the men of the 6th launched their own attack. It fared no better than the previous onslaught. With the two regiments shot to pieces, Ames began a withdrawal. The entire action had taken about 40 minutes. With the sun barely up, the Confederate firestorm had effectively destroyed Duncans brigade as a fighting unit.

Unwilling to accept failure, Birney and Paine chose to repeat the unsuccessful tactics, this time using Drapers 1,300-man 2nd Brigade. At about 7 a.m., Drapers regiments, the 5th, 36th and 38th USCT, dutifully moved out.

But unlike Duncan, Draper aligned his regiments into a column, with the 5th USCT leading, followed by the 36th and 38th. Instead of presenting a long line of targets, Drapers front was only six companies wide and 10 ranks deep.

It didnt make any difference, however. Drapers attackers marched into another devastating blast of musket and artillery fire from the Confederate position. Like Duncans men before them, the brave black troopers hacked their way through the obstacles and struggled toward the earthworks. And like Duncans company sergeants before them, Drapers sergeants took up the colors and rallied their men when their officers were killed or wounded.

Drapers is the only official after-action report filed by any Union officer in the Official Records. Submitted on October 6 while he recuperated from his wounds, it describes the second assault developing much like the first one: After passing about 300 yards through young pines, always under fire, we emerged upon the open plain about 800 yards from the enemys works.Within twenty or thirty yards of the rebel line we found a swamp which broke the charge.Our men were falling by the scores. All the officers were striving constantly to get the men forward.

The efforts of the white officers and black noncoms yielded success. After withstanding withering fire for what Draper called a half hour of terrible suspense, the Confederate fire seemed to slacken. Drapers men swept up the remnants of the 4th and 6th USCT, and the determined attackers surged forward into the Confederate positions.

Sergeants James H. Harris and Edward Ratcliff, Private William Barnes and 36th USCT Private James Gardiner were among the first to enter the Confederate trenches. Gardiner shot and bayoneted a Confederate officer trying to rally his men on the ramparts.

Corporal Miles James of the 36th lost the use of his left arm (it was later amputated) but continued firing at the enemy with his right. Barnes and Harris each suffered multiple wounds but refused to leave the field.

While it does not detract from the heroism of Duncans and Drapers regiments, New Market Heights was in fact virtually abandoned, defended only by a small rear guard, by the time the attacking Union forces spilled into the Confederate trench lines. Nonetheless, J.D. Pickens of the Texas Brigade acknowledged the fighting qualities of their attackers, writing, I want to say in this connection that, in my opinion, no troops up to that time had fought us with move bravery than did those Negroes.

Gregg had indeed ordered his men to redeploy and reinforce Confederate defenses along the Varnia Road between Forts Harrison and Gilmer. But instead of going directly to the aid of Fort Harrison, which eventually fell to Ords XVIII Corps, the Texas Brigade and the dismounted cavalry units took up positions along the Confederates intermediate line of defense.

If questions persist about how New Market Heights fell, there has never been any debate about the devastating losses suffered by its attackers. The actual fighting lasted only about 80 minutes, and when it was over around 8 a.m., Duncans brigade had suffered 68 killed, almost 300 wounded and 22 missing. Drapers brigade sustained 63 dead, 366 wounded and 23 missing. And for some of the men of Drapers brigade, the days slaughter was not yet over. For reasons never adequately explained, Paine ordered the battered remnants of the 5th USCT to withdraw from New Market Heights and move to support the attack on Fort Gilmer. The regiment suffered another 100 casualties in that ultimately unsuccessful action.

Butlers report to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton four days after the battle in part read: My colored troops under General Painecarried intrenchments at the point of a bayonet.It was most gallantly done, with most severe loss. Their praises are in the mouth of every officer in this army. Treated fairly and disciplined, they have fought most heroically. Butler had his answer as to whether black men could fight.

Northern correspondents were also captivated by the role of the USCT, focusing on their bravery and, to Butlers undoubted relief, generally ignoring the fact the attacks fell short of their goal of capturing Richmond. The New Market Heights dispatch of the New York Heralds Thomas M. Look clearly shows how the fog of battle reveals only part of what really transpires on the killing ground: Their charge in the face of the obstacles interposing was one of the grand features of the days operation.They never halted or faltered, though their ranks were sadly thinned by the charge, and the slashing was filled with the slain and wounded of their number.

Veteran correspondent Henry Jacob Wisner of The New York Times echoed the sentiment of many observers when he wrote, it was a wonderful, a sublime sight to see those black men stand up to the rack.

Thomas Morris Chester, a black reporter for the Philadelphia Press, filed an October 5 dispatch from a mere 5 1/2 miles from Richmond. In it, he declared that Paines division had covered itself with glory, and wiped out effectively the imputation against the fighting qualities of colored troops. He amplified his conviction two weeks later: One thing is certain, that the colored troops who compose this divisionconvinced the most skeptical that Negroes will not only fight, but do it desperately.

Confederates saw things in a different light. The Richmond Examiner opined that the country will be surprised that so much noise had been made and so little damage done. On October 14, Columbias Daily South Carolinian carried a letter stating, Birneys whole corps came against the position held by General Garys brigade, and was so severely handled that, when the order came for us to fall back, it permitted our thin line, though at close quarters at the time, to retire in order and without injury.

Butler wanted more than mere words to herald the sacrifices made by his black soldiers. Only two avenues were open to him. One was promotion in rank, and the other was to award a medal authorized by Congress in 1862 for bravery on the battlefield, the Medal of Honor. Privates Barnes, Gardiner and Veal, along with Corporal James, were quickly promoted to sergeants. But there were no promotions for the 10 men who were already sergeants. The surviving white officers of the 4th USCT petitioned the War Department to authorize lieutenants bars for Sgt. Maj. Fleetwood, but their request was denied. Butler tried to promote Sergeant Milton M. Holland of the 5th USCT to captain, but the War Department refused to issue the commission.

With avenues of promotion shut down, that left the Medal of Honor. The award had not yet acquired the lofty status it holds today, and the criteria necessary for recognition were very different from modern standards. During the Civil War, 1,520 men and one woman received the Medal of Honor, but only 16 black soldiers and five black sailors earned the award.

Before the Medal of Honor could be awarded, recommendations from surviving regimental officers had to first go to division headquarters and then to Butler and a team of his subordinates. They sifted and winnowed the names and forwarded those remaining on the list to General Grant, where they were further reviewed and then sent to the War Department.

For months, no word came from Washington. Finally, on April 6, 1865, the War Department bestowed the Medal of Honor on 14 black veterans of New Market Heights. The recipients, except for Sergeant Alfred Hilton who died in a hospital on October 21, 1864, continued to serve with their regiments until the war ended. Sergeants Powhatan Beatty of the 5th USCT and Fleetwood and Alexander Kelly of the 6th USCT helped capture Fort Fisher in 1865. Sergeant Miles James of the 36th USCT asked to remain on active duty in spite of losing his arm, and was permitted to serve with the regimental provost guard. James marched with his company into Richmond on April 3, 1865, making him the only recipient of the Medal of Honor to reach the objective for which he and his comrades had sacrificed so much.

Sergeant Majors Milton M. Holland, of the 5th, and Fleetwood witnessed the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston at Durham Station, N.C., on April 26, 1865. Almost 35 years later to the day, on April 25, 1898, Fleetwood offered his services to raise and equip a volunteer company of black soldiers and officers to fight in Cuba. The government never responded to his offer. Fleetwood died on September 28, 1914. His daughter, Edith, presented Fleetwoods Medal of Honor to the Smithsonian Institution in 1948.

Holland later founded the Alpha Insurance Company, one of nations first black-owned insurance firms, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Sergeant James Harris of the 38th USCT, who died on January 28, 1898, would also receive the Medal of Honor and be buried in the hallowed ground of Arlington.

Sergeant Robert Pinn of the 5th returned to his home in Stark County, Ohio, and opened a contracting business. Later he attended Oberlin College, studied law and, after being admitted to the bar, served as a U.S. pension attorney. He was active in the Grand Army of the Republic until his death on January 1, 1911. The historical record for the remaining Medal of Honor men is sparse. But when Beatty, the first of the Medal of Honor recipients to enlist and the last to die, was buried on December 16, 1916, a unique chapter in the history of black Americans in the Civil War ended.

This article was written by Gordon Berg and originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of Americas Civil War magazine.

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Sergeant Vinh Nguyen, who served with the 25th Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), is part of the group that reenacts Vietnam War missions. The group is the focus of a new documentary, In Country.

In Country opens with men in 1960s green US Army uniforms sitting in an orientation session. Then they are shown in a mission briefing, going over maps and taking notes. Soon, they are moving stealthily through tall grass and woods. They ford streams, M16s at the ready, watchful for what may be on the other side. It is very easy to believe this is a documentary about the Vietnam War, but these woods and streams are in the Northwestern United States, not in Southeast Asia. This documentary is about Delta 2/5(R), a group of men who get together to reenact Vietnam War missions.

Many Americans are familiar with Civil War reenactments or the medieval combat staged by the Society for Creative Anachronism. There are also reenactments groups for World War II and other eras. All of these groups participate in closed reenactments, tactical operations that are not open to the public, but also put on what were called sham battles in the 19th century, in which crowds of onlookers can watch the battle tactics of past wars play out before their eyes.

The crowds are absent at these Vietnam War reenactments; the public is never invited.

The men are given classes about Vietnam Warera slang and events that were happening back in the world while the war was going on, such as the Peace and Love movement. In the field, they talk as if they are in the jungles stalking Viet Cong, and they exhibit real-world battlefield tactics. During the weekend, some of them will take on the role of the VCyou cant fight a war if the other side doesnt show up. Scenarios are planned in advance, e.g., Tomorrow afternoon you will engage us but then break contact. Tomorrow night well be setting up here.

Determining when you are hit in other reenactments is often a matter of when you feel hot and tired enough that youd rather lie in the shade as a casualty. In the Vietnam reenactments, each man is given a casualty card that tells him what effect the hit had (fragment wound, left forearm; you can walk and talk). The wounded have to be carried to an evacuation point.

Dont just die, they are told, unless you see a muzzle pointed directly at you and you are sitting upsomething like that. There are no large pools of dead guys sitting around smoking cigarettes.

So why are they doing this? Thats a question all reenactors get, but perhaps it carries additional implications when the war being reenacted is one that remains controversial, a bitter memory for many Americans. The documentary tries to answer that question.

The reenactors are there to honor Americas warriorsWe take great pride and love in the men that serve this country, especially the men that served in the Vietnam Warbut also to take part in a grown-up version of playing war.

Ultimately, each is there for his own reasons. One is a high school student who has already signed up to become a US Marine upon graduation. Some are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan; some have never been in the military.

Joel Kinney, a Vietnam War equipment collector too young to have served in Southeast Asia, tells the assembled group of reenactors, I had the privilege of being an Army kid. I remember Dad coming home from war. Hed have duffle bags full of gear  We could outfit nine kids in my neighborhood. Wed have battles in my back yard. Wed shoot bottle rockets out of launchers  Were our dads kids. Most of our dads, our uncles were that age. Attach yourself to them.

Another Kinney, Matt, says, A lot of it is kind of a way to live out that childhood love of playing war in the woods  I always wanted to have experiences like that but not necessarily join the military.

Army Staff Sergeant Lucien Doc Darensburg was a US Army Medic during two tours in Iraq, 2004-05 and 2009-10. He says of veterans, Its like a big brotherhood and these guys (the people who fought in Vietnam) are like a great-uncle or something  These stories are something I can relate to because Ive been in a wara different kind of war, but some of the feelings are the same.

Hayden Bummy Baumgardner, an actual veteran of Vietnam, checks the mens equipment before they go into the field to insure they are not carrying anything that wouldnt have been carried during that war.

When I came out (to the reenactments) in 2006, he says, for a couple of hours I went back (to Vietnam)  They treat me like a king.

Baumgardner isnt the only veteran of the war in Southeast Asia who takes part in these reenactments. Sergeant Vinh Nguyen served with the 25th Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during 1970-75. When an off-screen member of the film crew asks him why he does this, does it bring back bad memories, he responds:

First time I came to this troop, first time I hear gunfire I go back, go back, go back  I dont exactly know why you said bad memories. (It was 36 years ago) but I am still whole now, I am still stronger than I was when I was with South Vietnam Army. I joined (the reenactment group) because I wanted to revisit my past, the image of what I was in the past.

We are the soldiers who for fought for freedom, side by side with the American soldiers. When returning to the past in my brain, my mind, I image some things like my fathers generation, my older brothers generation, my own generation and those younger than me, what we all sacrificed in Vietnam. This group has given me the will to think about my homeland and to continue the struggle against the Vietnamese Communist Party in different ways.

The documentary, however, seems to want to do more than just explore why these men choose to participate in these reenactments, unseen by anyone but themselves. Presented by Oscar Alpha Mopic in association with Naked Edge Films, directed and produced by Mike Attie and Meghan OHara, In Country cuts back and forth between the reenactments, archival film footage from Vietnam, and footage from battlefields of the War on Terror. Unfortunately, this often makes for a muddled message. It is jarring to have been listening to talk about Vietnam and then see footage of the Iraq War. More jarring still is the juxtaposition of elements such as the reenactors bringing in two Viet Cong prisoners, followed by scenes of American soldiers actually searching a village during the war and capturing suspected VC while women and children cry in the background.

An extended sequence covers Specialist Charles Tuna Ford, who served in Iraq with the US Army during 2008-09, and his family as they visit a military museum. He talks about his crazy spell (episodes of post-traumatic stress syndrome) that nearly led him and his wife to divorce. He talks about his dilemma of staying in the service where he will continue providing income and insurance for his family but he runs the risk of being killed. He says in the film, Its such a crazy high, just going out there, being out there. Its like some people skateboard, some people ride fast bikes, some people shoot heroin. People ask me what I do. Well, Im in the Army, and I go to war.

Staff Sergeant Lucien Darensburg, the medic who did two tours of Iraq, also talks about what could be described as PTSD: Im still the same person. I smile a lot, I joke  but real emotionshappiness, sadnessits all surface emotions. I dont know where the real emotions went.

This is part of what will make In Country difficult for many viewers to decipher. Here are veterans of recent wars acknowledging their emotional scars, yet they enjoy going into the woods to reenact battles from another era. Darensburg is shown during a reenactment pulling a wounded comrade to safety. Many viewers will be asking, Why on earth do you want to relive this? People who reenact other eras may get it, but the general public is likely to struggle with this question, despite the films best efforts to have the Vietnam War reenactors explain their reasons.

While the documentary was being filmed, Specialist Charles Tuna Ford was deployed again, this time to Afghanistan. The film includes footage of him at Forward Base Wolverine there, and it concludes with his brigade coming home to the cheers and tears of their families. Sons of the returning soldiers are shown holding their fathers rifles while they pose for grandparents to take pictures. A welcome home parade, which includes a group of Civil War reenactors, honors the returning warriors. Earlier in the film Hayden Baumgardner talks about how, within hours of coming home from Vietnam, he took off his uniform and didnt put it back on. He didnt want people to know where he had just come from; he wanted to blend in. Ending the documentary with this celebration may be intended to contrast the heroes welcome Americans give to veterans of the War on Terror with the un-welcome Vietnam veterans received, but like other elements of the film, that is open to viewers interpretation.

At times, In Country seems like a documentary melded with a French art film in which viewers are left to figure out the message on their own. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish whether scenes are from the reenactments or are archival footage. Is In Country showing us what warriors and their families sacrifice in service to their country? Is it celebrating veterans (and their families) as heroes, or is it showing us a group of guys who say they are honoring those veterans but in a way many viewers will find odd? What is the purpose of juxtaposing scenes of the horrors of real wars with scenes from the Vietnam reenactments? Why are there so many shots of kids playing with toy guns? Is it to connect the childhood affection for playing at war with the activities of the reenactors? No clear message comes through, and perhaps that is the intentionto lay out conflicting information and let viewers make up their own minds about what the film is saying. It is in some ways a disturbing film, but one you are unlikely to quickly forget; it would be best to view it with friends with whom you can afterward debate its messageor messagesand that is a rare quality in documentaries. It is worth watching, even if viewers do so only to hear the veterans stories.

In Country will open in theaters beginning April 10, 2015, and will launch on iTunes and other leading video-on-demand platforms April 28. For more information, including a list of theaters where the film will be showing, go to incountryfilm.com. Be forewarned the films dialogue includes strong language and ethnic slurs directed against the Viet Cong.
The fighting men discovered a large tepee village near a creek on the Great Plains. According to the reminiscences of one of those men, A great dance was in progress, in the center of which a small pole from which floated an Indian flag was standing. The man came up with a plan. He and several of the other well-trained fighting men would break off from the main body and surprise the Indians of the village. They would charge on horseback through that portion of the village farthest removed from the congregated dancers and do whatever was necessary to capture that offensive flag.

The charge began. As a diversion, the small party of fighting men set fire to the first lodge they came to before dashing for the flag. Although surprised by the sudden appearance of their longtime enemies, warriors in the village responded quickly. The fighting men soon faced, according to their leaders account, flying arrows and scathing bullets. The leader was about to cut the sapling that supported the flag when one of his men took a rifle bullet and started to fall from his horse. The leader and another man caught their wounded comrade and held him in the saddle as they galloped back to the main body, which had drawn off toward a bluff just west of the village.

Warriors from the village climbed on their horses and quickly gathered between their lodges and their attackers. Undaunted, the attackers came again, for they were fighting men and they had a job to do. What they did, their leader later recalled, was maneuver for a feigned attack upon the south side of the village; then suddenly changing [our] course made a charge toward the north side with all the rapidity that the speed of [our] horses could accomplish. The villagers, however, were alert for just such a move and responded with a rapid maneuver of their own, flanking the charging men. The attackers, as their leader related, were driven from [our] course over the bridge to the north of the village.

For the next two days there was fighting off and on. Nobody from either side was killed, but many were wounded, according to the one surviving account. On the final afternoon, the opposing forces had a parley from a distance. The warriors from the attacked village, though, broke off the talks. They waved a blanket, which in sign language meant, Come and fight us. The men who had so bravely charged the village two days before declined the offer. Soon, according to their leader, they were again on the move.

The 19th-century battle described above has no name. Exactly when it happened is not known. Where it happened is somewhat less vaguealong Prairie Creek, not too far from the Platte River in present-day Hall County, Neb. The names of the individuals involved, except for one, are not available. The lack of details might seem disappointing or annoying, but it cant be helped. No man in the fight was required to make an official report. Perhaps the fight sounds a bit like one of those engagements that occurred when U.S. Army patrols or columns discovered a hostile Plains Indian encampment. Well, not exactly. True, there was a leader with a plan; true, the main body divided instead of attacking as one; true, it was a surprise attack on an unsuspecting village; and true, a lodge was torched. But no soldiers were involved. Of course not, a history-minded cynic might suggest, for had the attackers been soldiers, they would have been after more than just a flag and there would have been a massacre, one way or another.

The Indians in the village were members of the Omaha tribe, who usually lived in earth lodges in eastern Nebraska near the Missouri River, but who used skin tepees whenever they ventured west to hunt buffalo. The attackers, who had objected to these easterners infringing on their hunting grounds, were among the most feared fighting men of the Plains. They were Oglalas, a subdivision of the western Teton Sioux, or Lakotas. On this occasion, the Lakotas and Omahas were of equal strength, and though the fight lasted much longer than most Indian vs. Indian engagements, it did not prove deadly. The battle is remembered today only because the Lakota leader who tried to capture the Omaha flag went on to greater military successesagainst the U.S. Army in the 1860sand then, in 1893, reminisced about his early years during visits with an old friend at the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Those reminiscences can be found in the 1997 book Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas, edited by R. Eli Paul.

Achieving great success

in his younger years as a Lakota warrior, Red Cloud became arguably his peoples greatest war leader until the rise of Crazy Horse, Paul writes in his introduction. Even people with only a passing interest in frontier history recognize the distinctive names of those two remarkable Oglalas. Yet, Red Cloud and Crazy Horse still must take a back seat in the grand Teton tepee to Sitting Bull, the militant spiritual leader from the Hunkpapa subdivision. Together, those three Lakotas must be the most recognizable Indian trio of the 19th-century West, perhaps rivaled only by the Big Three of the ApachesGeronimo, Cochise and Mangas Coloradas.

It might also be argued whether the adjective warlike has appeared in print more frequently before Sioux or Apaches. Surely in the 19th century, the Spanish, Mexicans and Americans of the Southwest would have voted one way, while the pale-skinned folks who lived in or traveled through Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana would have cast a different vote. No question, though, that when it came to history-making large-scale confrontations with the U.S. Army in the West, the Sioux were war bonnets above the Apaches. Such deadly engagements as the Minnesota (Sioux) Uprising, Grattan Massacre, Fetterman Massacre, Wounded Knee Massacre, Wagon Box Fight, Battle of the Rosebud, Battle of Slim Buttes, Battle of Blue Water and Battle of Wolf Mountain immediately come to mind, even while those labelsmassacres, fights, battles, uprisingsget lost in the fog of semantics. As for the indefatigable Battle of the Little Bighorn, well, it never really leaves the mindjust stays lodged there like a spent 7th Cavalry bullet or a Lakota arrowhead.

What sometimes does slip the mind is the fact that the Sioux were a warlike people even before they began to seriously resist Euro-American expansion into western Minnesota and the northern Plains in the middle of the 19th century. The Omaha hunters attacked by a young Red Cloud were just one of many native peoples who, over the many moons, did not see eye to eye with the Sioux. In fact, the name Sioux derives from an Ojibwa (Chippewa) word, nadowe-is-iw, meaning adder or enemy, that was transformed into something like nadoussioux by French voyageurs. Tribe members most often referred to themselves as Dakota (eastern group), Nakota (central group) or Lakota (western group)all of which mean alliance of friends in the three Siouan dialects of the same names. They also called themselves Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) because of the seven major allied subgroupsSisseton, Wahpeton, Wahpukute and Mdewakanton (the eastern group, collectively known to whites as the Santee Sioux, speakers of Dakota); Yankton and Yanktonai (central group, the Yankton Sioux, speakers of Dakota and Nakota); and Teton (western group, the Teton Sioux, speakers of Lakota). Today, the Dakota-Nakota-Lakota speakers are often collectively called Sioux, although more and more people seem to prefer Dakotas or Lakotas as the encompassing term.

In the early 17th century, the Sioux mainly occupied what would become Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, but Lakota bands began to migrate from the upper Mississippi River valley onto the Great Plains because of costly warfare with the Cree Indians, who were armed with French rifles, and pressure from the Ojibwas to the east. The lure of the great buffalo herds also encouraged the westward expansion and, after horses were acquired around 1750, the moving became a whole lot easierand so did the fighting.

The Lakotas warred against settled agricultural people such as the Pawnees and Arikaras and also against other mounted nomads such as the Cheyennes, Kiowas, Arapahos and Crows. Upon discovering the forested slopes and lush meadows of the Black Hills (Paha Sapa) around 1776, the Lakotas, now well supplied with firearms, proceeded to displace the Cheyennes and Kiowas, who had previously enjoyed the regions abundant game, timber and water. Defeating the Arikaras in 1792 allowed the Lakotas to expand into the middle Missouri Valley and what would become western South Dakota. In 1814 the Lakotas made peace with the Kiowas, who now formally recognized that their former enemies controlled the Black Hills. In the early 1820s, the Lakotas joined forces with another former enemy, the Cheyennes, to drive the Crows out of what would become eastern Wyoming. Historian Elliott West describes this expansionist burst in his award-winning 1998 book The Contested Plains. By the 1830s, he writes, the Lakotas were the preeminent power of the northern plains. With the Black Hills as their spiritual and geopolitical center, they ranged west to the Continental Divide, east to the Missouri basin, south to the South Platte and Smoky Hill Rivers, and north to the lands of two powerful rivals, the Crows and the Blackfeet.

By the 1840s the Lakotas had made peace with the Cheyennes and Arapahos, but there was no peace with those tribes to the east that ranged westward for bison (Pawnees, Osages, Omahas, Potawatomies, etc.) or with the Crows and Blackfeet to the north. Encounters with non-Indians, which had occurred infrequently in the past, now increased as Oregon-bound settlers and California-bound gold seekers began crossing the Plains. The buffalo herds were disrupted, and the Plains Indians, in turn, tried to disrupt some of the wagon trains. It was only a matter of time, writes R. Eli Paul, before Lakota expansionism came into conflict with that other great power, the United States.

At mid-century, about 15,000 Lakotas stood in the way of progress. This western group included seven subdivisionsHunkpapa, Oglala, Minneconjou, Two-Kettle, Sans-Arc, Blackfoot and Brule. Red Cloud was almost 30 at the time, Sitting Bull was not yet 20 and Crazy Horse was only about 10 and still known as Curly or Curly Hair. Even the young Crazy Horse may have already displayed bravery, generosity, wisdom and fortitudethe four great virtues of the Lakota maleby that time, and certainly Red Cloud had already made a name for himself among his Lakota peers. But the trio was unknown to the white world and would have held no interest for the white man in any case. That would only change when they became threats to that white worldor at least to that small part of the white world that passed through Teton territory.

In an attempt to head off trouble at the pass in 1851, representatives of the U.S. government negotiated the Treaty of Fort Laramie (also known as the Treaty of Horse Creek), which was signed by representatives of the Lakotas and other tribes. The treaty was designed to buy off the natives so that there would be peace on the emigrant road (the Indians were not to attack the white people just passing through) and on the Plains (the Indians were not to attack each other). It was a pipe dream. For one thing, the Indian signees did not represent all of their tribesmen. For another, a warrior culture could not be transformed overnight. Far too many Plains Indians were fighters to the bone. And far too many whites were coming.

Three years later, near Fort Laramie (in what would become Wyoming), the Lakotas had their first significant clash with the U.S. Army. In mid-August 1854, a wayward cow from an emigrant wagon train was killed by a Minneconjou man, and Brevet 2nd Lt. John L. Grattan, determined to do something about it, led an expedition of 30 men to a large Lakota camp. Negotiations with the headof the camp, Brule Chief Conquering Bear, broke down in no time, and the impatient young lieutenant tried to force the issue despite being badly outnumbered. Who fired first is not certain, but Grattan died with his boots on, and Conquering Bear died with his moccasins on. Because all Grattans men were also killed, while the cow killer got nary a scratch, the clash has been labeled a massacrethe Grattan Massacre.

Red Cloud was a witness to the killings, but he and most other Lakotas paid the skirmish little mind. They went on with their lives; skirmishes, after all, were part of life. The U.S. War Department, not liking anything about that particular skirmish, eventually called upon Brevet Brig. Gen. William S. Harney to exact revenge. By God, Im for battleno peace, Harney announced, and in early September 1855 he proved it by attacking the Brule Chief Little Thunders village on Blue Water Creek near Ash Hollow, in Nebraska Territory. Harneys force of more than 600 men destroyed the village and suffered relatively minor casualties (four dead, four badly wounded) while killing at least 85 inhabitants. Most history books call it the Battle of Blue Water, though Harneys Massacre has been suggested as an alternative by a few. Red Cloud was not a witness to General Harneys punitive action, but legend has it that Curly (Crazy Horse) was in Little Thunders camp that bloody September day. Whether he was actually there or not, the future warrior was surely affected by the unprecedented Lakota losses. His uncle, Spotted Tail, had been wounded in the Blue Water fight, and Spotted Tails wife and baby daughter were among the 70 women and children captured by the soldiers.

The ruthlessness of Harney did not drive the Lakotas to war. In fact, they apparently became better behaved because of the possibility that the aggressive general might be back in full force the following spring. For the remainder of the 1850s, an uneasy truce existed between the Lakotas and the U.S. government. Red Cloud, for one, chose to withdraw with his Oglala band to the Powder River country (in present-day north-central Wyoming and southeastern Montana), where the hunting was still good and the whites were still few.

Things changed drastically in the 1860s, beginning to the east, where starving and discontented Dakotas (Santee Sioux) led by Mdewakanton Chief Little Crow killed some 700 whites in the Minnesota (Sioux) Uprising. Little Crow himself was killed by white settlers in July 1863, and nearly all the surviving Santees were kicked out of Minnesota into Dakota Territory. By then, the Lakotas had started their own little uprising because white men were traveling to the Montana gold fields on the Bozeman Trail, which cut right through the Powder River hunting grounds. Red Cloud, ashirt wearer (head warrior) of the Oglalas who had counted coup some 80 times, would no longer have only skirmishes with Indian enemies on his mind. War against the whites was on the horizon.

Raids against white emigrants occurred in 1863, and the U.S. government sent Brig. Gens. Henry Hastings Sibley and Alfred Sully, who had subdued the Santees in Minnesota, to attack Lakota camps on the Little Missouri. Things grew worse in 1864, but mostly farther south. Lakotas raided with their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies along the Platte River Road (see related story, P. 32), and then Colorado militiamen slaughtered a village of Cheyennes at Sand Creek that November. Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho warriors responded early in 1865 by twice sacking Julesburg and generally spreading death and destruction along the South Platte. The raiders then moved north, where Red Cloud and the other Lakotas in the Powder River country seemed to have it a little better. But not for long. General Sully returned to the upper Missouri for another campaign, and even worse, Brig. Gen. Patrick Edward Connor led one of the three columns that invaded the Powder River country.

The Powder River Expedition of 1865 was a fiasco. Connor did not succeed in engaging the Lakotas in battle, but he did further stir up Red Cloud and his followers. The U.S. government now tried a different tack and gave the free-roaming Lakotas gifts, including arms and ammunition, to come down to Fort Laramie and parley in June 1866. The governments goal was a peace treaty that would allow gold seekers and others to move freely on the Bozeman Trail. Red Cloud, Man Afraid of His Horses (who was the principal chief) and other Powder River leaders proved to be tough negotiators, especially after they learned the soldiers had already made plans to build three outpostsForts Reno, Phil Kearny and C.F. Smithto guard that detested trail. The council failed, and Red Clouds status grew in the Indian world as he denounced the way the white man had treated his people and the way the peace commissioners were now treating the Lakota leaders as if they were children.

If Red Cloudwho was not actually a chiefdid not yet have a reputation in the white world, that changed in dramatic fashion on December 21, 1866, when he struck a blow that rocked the nation even more than the Grattan Massacre of 54 and resulted in the U.S. Armys most shocking defeat in the Indian wars until the debacle at the Little Bighorn in 1876. Lured away from Fort Phil Kearny by decoy parties, overconfident Captain William J. Fetterman and 80 men were wiped out by the main body of Indiansmostly Lakotas, but also some Cheyennes and Arapahosin about 40 minutes. During the Indians victory celebration, they scalped and mutilated the dead soldiers.

Best known to whites as the Fetterman Massacre, the clash is often referred to today as the Fetterman Fight or the Fetterman Disaster. The 31-year-old captain, who once boasted that with a company of soldiers he could ride through the Sioux Nation, certainly left the fort looking for a fight, and despite falling into a trap, he and his men did not go down easily. At least 60 warriors are said to have died on the battlefield. The Indians did not call it Fetterman anything, instead referring to it as the Battle of the Hundred in the Hands or the Battle of the Hundred Slain. It is uncertain whether Red Cloud had a hand in directing the action that cold December day. Historian Robert Utley contends that the Minneconjou High-Back-Bone was the man behind the plan. Crazy Horse, according to most accounts, led one of the decoy parties, but in his recent biography of Crazy Horse, Mike Sajna puts him with the main force, adding: Crazy Horses leadership of the Oglala in the Fetterman Fight could be taken as an indication that by the winter of 1866 he hadbecome head war chief of his people.

Whatever roles they played in Fettermans failure, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse and other leaders remained on the offensive, intent on driving the white soldiers out of Lakota land. On August 1, 1867, a Northern Cheyenne war party, along with some Lakota warriors, attacked a group of hay-cutting soldiers near Fort C.F. Smith. The very next day, a large war party of Lakotas, including Red Cloud and Crazy Horse, attacked the wagon camp of some wood-cutting soldiers about five miles from Fort Phil Kearny. Both attacks failed in the end because most of the troops were armed with new Springfield breechloaders and because relief columns arrived from the forts.

Although the Hayfield Fight and Wagon Box Fight were victories by the whites, the Powder River Indians were hardly defeated. They kept the soldiers bottled up in their isolated forts and continued to deny emigrants use of the Bozeman Trail. U.S. government officials became intent on reaching a settlement with the warring Lakotas and friends. But Red Cloud wouldnt come to Fort Laramie to sign the treaty. There was one big sticking point. When we see the soldiers moving away and the forts abandoned, then I will come down and talk, said Red Cloud. In the summer of 1868, he got his wish. The soldiers abandoned the three forts on the Bozeman Trail, and the Indians promptly burned down Forts C.F. Smith and Phil Kearny. Red Cloud finally arrived at Fort Laramie that November to sign the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The Lakotas were granted a great territory that included the Black Hills and hunting privileges in the Powder River country. Red Clouds War (1866-68) was over, and he had won. He was the first Indian leader to win a war against the United Statesand the last.

Between 1868 and 1876, the Lakotas wereat least to white Americansnot quite so warlike. While they continued to skirmish with the likes of the Shoshones and the Crows, they were at peace with the United States, in accordance with President Ulysses S. Grants peace policy. Relations remained strained, though, and Red Cloud did a lot of complaining in Washington and elsewhere as the spokesman not only for the Oglalas but also for the entire Lakota Nation. The Indian Bureau wanted the Lakotas to make the transition to reservation life and live like white settlers. In 1873, the government consented to build two agencies in northwestern Nebraskathe Red Cloud Agency for the Oglalas and the Spotted Tail Agency for the Brulesoutside the Great Sioux Reservation. The U.S. governments peace with Red Cloud would last, but other Lakotas rejected the forced lifestyle changes, the dependence on annuities delivered by ineffective and corrupt administrators, and the Armys reluctance to keep white gold seekers out of the Black Hills. Many of Red Clouds followers now turned to men like Sitting Bull and Crazy HorseLakotas who were still willing to fight the white intrusion with more than just words.

Sitting Bull, like most of the other Hunkpapas, had been living and hunting up in Yellowstone River country and was not directly involved in the Red Cloud War. But like the older Red Cloud, Sitting Bull was firmly against white intrusions into the northern Plains. In the aftermath of the Minnesota Uprising, he had skirmished with General Sibley during the summer of 1863 and had tried to defend the Little Missouri River camp that was successfully attacked by General Sully on July 28, 1864, in the Battle of Killdeer Mountain (near present-day Killdeer, N.D.). During General Connors three-pronged Powder River expedition the following year, Sitting Bull helped thwart the marches of both Colonel Nelson Coles column and Colonel Samuel Walkers column.

After rejecting the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, Sitting Bull became the recognized leader of not only the Hunkpapa bands but also all the other nontreaty LakotasIndians who were officially viewed as hostile once they failed to obey the order to report to the reservations by January 31, 1876. The U.S. Army sent soldiers to find these winter roamers. The Great Sioux War of 1876-77 was about to begin.

On March 17, 1876, a cavalry force led by Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds attacked a village along the Powder River. Reynolds reportedly believed it was the village of Crazy Horse, but it turned out to be the Cheyenne camp of Two Moons. The villagers lost their horse herd but regained it, and most of them were able to escape to a small camp nearbythe camp of Crazy Horse. Next, they all pushed north, traveling another 60 miles to the larger camp of Sitting Bull. Reynolds attack made the free-living bands more determined than ever to resist. When the Army sent three columns from three directions to converge in the Powder River Country as part of a spring-summer campaign to force their compliance, the Lakotas and their allies were ready for themphysically and spiritually. It helped that in early June, Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers falling upside down from the sky.

A few weeks later, in the Battle of the Rosebud, Crazy Horse and other Lakotas fought Brig. Gen. George Crooks invading force to a standstillbut that was not the great victory Sitting Bull had envisioned. The Indians greatest triumph came just over a week after the Rosebud Creek fight when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer attacked Sitting Bulls extensive village on the Little Bighorn River (known to the Lakotas as the Greasy Grass) in Montana Territory. Custer and all the soldiers in his immediate command did not exactly fall from the sky, but fall they didnever to rise again, except in a million books and a billion imaginations. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876, was of course the crowning triumph for the warlike Lakotas, even if Sitting Bull did not take part in the actual fighting and even if Crazy Horse, as brave as he was, did not make a legendary charge over Custer Hill.

Custers Last Stand, as everyone on this side of Custer Hill (and the other side, too) knows, was almost the last stand for the Lakotas. They had won the battle, but could not be expected to win this war. In the aftermath of a fight that totally overshadowed the Fetterman and Grattan massacres (and every other Indian engagement, too), the U.S. Army pursued the hostiles. On September 9, 1876, Crooks troops found the Lakota village of American Horse at Slim Buttes (in what today is northwestern South Dakota). They eventually torched it, but not before Crazy Horse, who had arrived with a band of warriors during the battle, gave them a scare or two.

That winter, Colonel Nelson Miles tenaciously tracked down Crazy Horses village near the Tongue River in Montana Territory, and on January 8, 1877, with about 3 feet of snow on the ground, the two sides clashed in what would become known as the Battle of Wolf Mountain. Blizzard conditions cut the fighting short, and casualties were light, but Crazy Horse had suffered a mighty blow. His people could run, but they could not hide. The war ended in 1877, not because Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were defeated in battle but because the hungry Lakotas were unable to hunt or gather food. In early May, Crazy Horse rode into the Red Cloud Agency to surrender, about the same time that Miles struck Minneconjou Sioux Lame Deers band on Muddy Creek, a small tributary of Rosebud Creek, in Montana Territory. Lame Deer was among the casualties in that May 7, 1877, clash, and the Battle of Lame Deer (or Muddy Creek) was the last significant engagement of the Great Sioux War.

Four months later, Crazy Horse was bayoneted to death by a guardhouse sentry at Camp Robinson. Sitting Bull, insisting that he did not want to become an agency Indian, sought sanctuary in Canada and found it for a while. But he, too, surrenderedat Fort Buford, in Dakota Territory, on July 19, 1881. By then the buffalo had all but disappeared from the homestead-infested Great Plains, and there was little choice but to forsake the nomad way of life for the reservation.

Sitting Bull lived long enough on the Standing Rock Reservation in the Dakotas to see the late Crazy Horses cousin Kicking Bear kick up his heels in the first Sioux-style Ghost Dance, a frenzied performance that frightened the Indian agent down at Pine Ridge no end. But the great Hunkpapa spiritual leader was shot down by Indian police while resisting arrest on December 15, 1890, two weeks before soldiers from Custers old regiment, the 7th Cavalry, opened up on Big Foots band along Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation. That shocking bloodbath, in which the old Minneconjou leader and at least 150 other Lakota men, women and children were killed, has come to be known as the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Organized Lakota resistance to the white world faded in the aftermath of Wounded Knee. Not all the old warriors were dead, however. Later, some of them would tell their stories, including Red Cloud, who did not die until 1909. By then, many of his earlier military accomplishments were forgotten. That was due, in part, to his long life and the fact he had not resisted and fought to the bitter end like that brave Oglala warrior Crazy Horse or that charismatic Hunkpapa hero Sitting Bull. But unlike the other two members of the most famous Indian trio, Red Cloud had faced an even more difficult task in the endtrying to meet the confusing demands of the white mans world while also trying his best to keep Lakota culture alive. Lakotas had often been warlike in the past, but war, he knew, was not everythingespecially when the odds against them were stacked higher than the Black Hills.

This article was written by Gregory Lalire and originally appeared in the April 2001 issue of Wild West magazine.

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At dawn on Friday, November 13, 1942, burning, wrecked ships littered the waters of Guadalcanal. At a cost of five ships and thousands of lives, the U.S. Navy had blunted Japans drive to break the Guadalcanal stalemate.

Despite the strategic defeat and loss of the battleship Hiei, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of Japans Combined Fleet, was determined to try again to break the deadlock and win the war.

Three months of bitter air-ground-sea action in the Solomon Islands had resulted in a stalemate. Both the Americans and the Japanese were short of ships. Their troops on Guadalcanal, the island prize of the campaign, were exhausted. Yamamoto was now taking the offensive, and his battleships and destroyers were a powerful force.

The first move had been made the night of November 12. Two battleships, under Rear Adm. Hiroaki Abe, headed for Guadalcanal with orders to shell the American air base, Henderson Field, and destroy it. Instead they slammed into U.S. Rear Adm. Daniel J. Callaghans mixed force of cruisers and destroyers.

The midnight collision saw destroyers and battleships trade salvos at point-blank range. After a wild two hours of gunfire and torpedo attacks, Callaghan was dead, and a timid and cautious Abe fled, even though he had crushed the American force.

Yamamoto acted swiftly, firing Abe and sending south a convoy of 8,000 Japanese troops under Vice Adm. Gunichi Mikawa. And the survivors of Abes group, headed by the battleship Kirishima, regrouped under Vice Adm. Nobutake Kondo, Abes replacement.

Kondo, however, was little better than Abe. He was described as an English sort of officer, very gentlemanly, and good with his staff, but better suited for training command than battle.

Nonetheless, Kondo was on hand and senior, so he took over, adding the two tough cruisers of his Cruiser Division Four, flagship Atago and Takao. One light cruiser, Nagara, and six destroyers would escort this group, called the Emergency Bombardment Force. The mission was simple: sweep Ironbottom Sound off Guadalcanal on the night of the 14th, shell the airfield, cover the convoy arrival, then high-tail it home before dawn of the 15th.

The Americans knew the enemy moves, thanks to their cryptographers. But Vice Adm. William F. Halsey, the aggressive commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater, had virtually no ships to hurl at Kondo. All his cruisers and destroyers had been used up in the Friday 13th battle. The carrier Enterprise was still only partially repaired after being damaged at the Battle of Santa Cruz, but her 78 planes could screen Guadalcanal by day. The problem would be a night surface action.

All that was left for Halseys use were two fast, new, battleships, USS South Dakota and USS Washington. Naval War College doctrine forbade the use of battleships in a tightly confined space such as Ironbottom Sound, just north of Guadalcanal, but Halsey knew that wars were won at sea, not in a textbook. He ordered the dreadnoughts committed.

Commanding the two battlewagons was Rear Adm. Willis A. Ching Chong Lee, a chain-smoking, approachable, bespectacled gunnery expert who relieved tension on the bridge by reading lurid novels or swapping sailor stories with the enlisted men standing watch duty.

Lee was mostly business, though. With Washington Captain Glenn Davis and gunnery officer Lt. Cdr. Edwin Hooper, he sat up many nights discussing gunnery problems, taking a mathematical approach. Lee also used more practical tools. He tested every gunnery-book rule with exercises and ordered gunnery drills under odd conditionsturret firing with relief crews, anything that might simulate the freakishness of battle.

Washington and South Dakota technically were outstanding ships: 35,000-ton displacements, able to race at 28 knots, armed with 16-inch guns. But South Dakota, despite her fiery Captain Thomas L. Gatch, had a reputation in the fleet as a jinx ship because of her habit of getting into collisions and suffering mechanical breakdowns at inopportune times. One breakdown had resulted in South Dakotas nearly colliding with the carrier Enterprise.

Washington, a tightly run ship, had fewer problems and sported the new SG radar. But Hooper, the gunnery officer, had noted when the radar was installed that the antenna had a blind arc of 80 degrees aft. He pointed this out to his shipboard seniors, but no changes were made.

The big ships started moving as early as November 11. Halsey cut orders for Washington and South Dakota to sail that day, escorting Enterprise to Guadalcanal. At 8:30 a.m., Washingtons bullhorn summoned the special sea and anchor details to their stations, and just as the accommodation ladder was secured, a harbor craft sped up and deposited on Washingtons deck a panting Lt. j.g. Bartlett H. Stoodley, freshly assigned to the battlewagon. The executive officer, Commander Arthur Ayrault, wasted no time with formalities. Stoodley was immediately given a damage control party to command.

That night, all hell broke loose in Ironbottom Sound. Next morning, Halsey realized he was down to his last trump card, the two battleships, 300 miles south of Guadalcanal. At noon, Halsey told Lee that he was to head a new unit, Task Force 64, and warned him to be ready for a flank-speed run to Guadalcanal. At 7:15 p.m., Enterprise blinkered Washington the message: To Commander TF 64: Proceed north with both battleships and your four destroyers at best speed.

Assigned to escort the two dreadnoughts were four tin cans [destroyers], Walke, Benham, Preston and Gwin. None had ever operated together before. They were chosen because they had the most fuel remaining in their bunkers. All were of different classes and different divisions. Commander Thomas Fraser, Walkes skipper, now headed a provisional destroyer squadron.

Command difficulties would hamper the big ships, too. Even though South Dakota and Washington were administratively Battleship Division 6, they had never before operated together. But there was no time to think about those issues just then. Everyone aboard Washington was excited. Officers and crew knew they would finally see some action.

Washington revved up to 26 knots, while navigator Lt. Cdr. Ed Schanze set a base course of 0 degrees true, straight north. On the bridge, Lee did some sums, then radioed bad news to Halsey: his ships could not be in position until 8 a.m. on the 14.

After dinner, Washingtons officers remained in the wardroom and Lee and Davis briefed their men on the upcoming battle. Lee covered everythinggunnery, damage control, navigation, even feeding the men at general quarters. Davis fretted over navigating in Ironbottom Sounds close quarters, but navigator Schanze was calm.

Two hundred miles to the north, the Japanese were swinging into action. Admiral Mikawa split off two cruisers, Suzuya and Maya, from his convoy escort as scheduled. At 12:10 a.m., those two ships swept in on Guadalcanal. At 1:30 a.m., their 8-inch guns ripped open the night. Half an hour and 989 shells later, they ceased firing. The two cruisers had wrecked three planes but had not been able to destroy Henderson Field.

At dawn the Americans retaliated. Enterprise sailed through squalls, low clouds and rain. Ten Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers splashed across the rain-slick flight deck and into the sky. At 9:15 a.m., Lt. j.g. Robert D. Gibson reported contact with enemy shipstwo battleships and two cruisers. Gibson had actually found Mikawas cruisers and destroyers.

He shadowed them for an hour, then swooped in at 9:30 on the heavy cruiser Kinugasa, dropping 500-pound bombs at 1,000 feet. The bombs hit the front of Kinugasas bridge, killing the ships captain and the executive officer and blowing holes in the ships plating. The veteran cruiser quickly acquired a 10-degree port list.

Soon after, Ensigns R.A. Hoogerwerf and P.M. Halloran arrived in their dive bombers and pounced on Maya. Halloran clipped Mayas mainmast and crashed into her port side, igniting 4.7-inch shells. Thirty-seven Japanese died, but Maya was back in business soon after the attack.

Gibsons report brought in 17 more Dauntlesses at 10:45. Cruiser Chokais boiler room was flooded, the light cruiser Isuzu lost her steering, and near-misses knocked out Kinugasas engines and rudder, opening more compartments to the sea. Kinugasa capsized at 11:22 with 511 of her crew.

Meanwhile, Rear Adm. Raizo Tanakas 23-ship convoy headed south. Early on the 14th, they were attacked by planes from Enterprise. No hits.

Around noon, Navy Lieutenant Al Scoofer Coffin led a strike force of Enterprise torpedo bombers and Marine dive bombers from Guadalcanal. Two transports were sunk and a third was sent home badly damaged.

All afternoon the Americans pounded the convoy with Marine dive bombers, Enterprise planes and B-17 Flying Fortresses. The Flying Fortresses shoved aside intercepting Japanese Zero fighters, whose guns were too light to penetrate the American planes tough hides. Those contingents started a fire that sank Brisbane Maru.

Next, at 3:30, came dive bombers from Enterprisea tough, well-trained group under Lt. Cdr. Jimmy Flatley. They crippled two freighters, which had to be abandoned, then headed for Guadalcanal. Enterprise herself turned southward. She had more than done her job.

That afternoon aircraft from Enterprise and Marine planes, both based on Henderson Field, hit the convoy, sinking Nako Maru. Zeroes shot down three dive bombers during the attack, and Ensign Jefferson Carroum spent 73 hours swimming in the sea before being picked up. Some 13 Zeroes were felled.

All day long the battle raged, creating fantastic scenesskies full of flak bursts, destroyers spewing smoke screens to cover freighters, transports exploding from bomb hits. By dusk, most of Tanakas freighters were burning or had been sunk, and his destroyers were stuffed with troops. Six Japanese transports had been sunk or abandoned, and only nine of 23 transports were still in convoy. Japanese losses had amounted to 450 men.

Tanaka blandly noted that prospects looked poor for the operation, but he plodded on toward Guadalcanal. His destroyers were so cluttered with troops that he could not fight a battle. His only chance of landing the remainder of the convoy depended on Kondos ability to clear Ironbottom Sound.

Kondo was steaming south to meet the light cruiser Sendai. On Atago, Kondo would directly lead a bombardment unit with Atago, Takao and Kirishima, his heaviest ships. A screening unit of the light cruiser Nagara and six destroyers under Rear Adm. Satsuma Kimura would protect the big ships. A sweeping unit of Sendai and three destroyers would comb the Savo waters for enemy ships. Kondos plan was simpleblast through Guadalcanal and pummel the airfield. As soon as Ironbottom Sound was secure, Tanaka would land his transports. Meanwhile, Japanese reconnaissance planes were busy. They picked up Lees task force steaming toward Guadalcanal and mistakenly identified the battleships as cruisers.

Lees sailors were having a busy day. Washington went to general quarters at 5:40 a.m., and her guns were ready in six minutes. Lieutenant Ray Hunter was officer of the deck, but he was to turn that duty over to navigator Schanze. At the last minute Davis intervened. He wanted the more-experienced Hunter to stay on the bridge, and Schanze to man the navigating table.

The task force stayed at general quarters all day, closing in on Guadalcanal. Radioman Chet Cox listened in on the continuing air-sea battle. Lee decided to wait, patiently staying 100 miles south of Guadalcanal. He noted his ships had only operated together for 34 hours of a high-speed run. Accordingly, he deployed a six-ship column: Walke, Benham, Preston, Gwin, Washington and South Dakota, with the battlewagons 5,000 yards behind the tin cans.

Both sides were bringing their favored weapons into this battle. The American edge was in their new battleships, equipped with the latest SG radar, 16-inch guns, thick armor, and an admiral who understood the use of radar and big guns.

The biggest guns the Japanese had were 14-inchers on Kirishima, a battleship that, while fast (28 knots), was also old (built in 1914). But Kondo was attacking by night with well-trained crews, lookouts whose eyesight outranged American radar, and 90 Long Lance torpedoes, the finest in the world.

At dusk Lee ordered his ships to approach Guadalcanal. Washingtons Davis told his crew: We are going into an action area. We have no great certainty what forces we will encounter. We might be ambushed. A disaster of some sort may come upon us. But whatever it is we are going into, I hope to bring all of you back alive. Good luck to all of us.

The words settled down on Washingtons 1,500-man crew. In the secondary battery fire control, Ensign Hal Berc later said: We had gone through a million drills, but who knew what a naval action was really about? When the captain finished his speech, there was a general sense of exhilaration. No one despaired.

At 7:20, Lee ordered Task Force 64 to head northeast, to run past the western end of Guadalcanal. Up in Washingtons foretop Lt. Cdr. Harry Seely, main battery spotting officer, peered through massive lenses into the gathering dusk. At 7:45, lookouts saw gunfire flashes to port. Seely looked on and saw Tanakas transports and escorts in the distance, fighting off the last air attacks of the day.

Lee steamed northeast, passed Savo Island on the starboard side and turned east. From there on, Halseys orders stopped and Lees initiative took over. The night was beautiful, moonlit, warm, and the sea was dead calm. Lieutenant Stoodley said the ship seemed toslide through the sea as though in heavy oil.

As Lees ships sped through the night, his radio operators heard American radio traffic. PT-boats were reporting Lees moves in plain English, blaring, There go two big ones, but I dont know who they are. The PT-boats swung in to attack Lees ships.

Lee personally got on the TBS voice radio and called Guadalcanal, asking that the PT-boats be ordered to pull out. Guadalcanal, however, didnt believe Lee was who he claimed to be.

Lee bellowed his Annapolis nickname: This is Ching Chong China Lee! Chinese, catchee? Refer your boss about Ching Lee. Call off your boys! Lees temper did the job. Guadalcanal answered, Identity established. We are not after you.

At the precise moment that Lee turned east, Kondos ships swept in behind Task Force 64 and split into three units. Kimura swung off in his flagship Nagara, while Hashimoto in Sendai did the same. Just as the convoy split, lookouts on the destroyer Shikinami spotted enemy ships bearing 200 degrees, just west of south. Uranami lookouts had them in sight, too, and identified them as new-type cruisers. Hashimoto took his ships clockwise around Savo, with one destroyer, Ayanami, heading counterclockwise to sweep for enemy vessels.

At 10:31, Atago, Kondos flagship, picked up the enemy. By 11 p.m., Kondo had a flurry of reports. At 11:07, Sendai flashed that the Americans were heading due west, south of Savo.

Kondo, sure that the enemy comprised four destroyers and two cruisers, ordered his light forces to attack first so that his battleship could shell Guadalcanal. Kondo was afraid that Kirishima would, as Hiei had, fall victim to enemy light forces. More important, his battleship was loaded with Type 3 14-inch anti-aircraft shells, excellent for shelling airfields, but useless for hitting armored warships. Kondo swung his ships around in a countermarch just north of Savo, back to the west.

So three Japanese daggers moved south. Kimuras group, headed by Nagara, to the west of Savo, Ayanami on her own west of Savo, and Hashimotos group, headed by Sendai, east of Savo. They knew the Americans were there. They did not know the Americans had battleships.

The battleship crews were not napping. Washington gun boss Walsh sat ready in the upper conning tower and ordered his gunners to load their 16-inch weapons. The book said it could be done in 30 seconds. Washingtons gun crews did it in 14.

At 11 p.m., Washingtons radar located a target bearing 340 true, broad on the starboard bow, 18,000 yards away. Lieutenant Hank Seely, in his spotting tower, eyed Sendai with his main director. On Washingtons bridge, Ching Lee took a long drag on a Philip Morris and said to Davis, Well, stand by, Glenn, here they come!

At 11:17 Washingtons bridge ordered, Open fire when ready. The ships electric bells rang twice, and blinding tongues of flame shot out of the main guns. Seconds later, the secondary 5-inchers opened up on the destroyer Shikinami.

Next, South Dakota fired on the same target. Her radiomen heard Japanese voices chattering on 13 stations. South Dakotas action report claimed that Shikinami sank instantly. That was not the case, however. Hashimotos ships were unhurt. Sendai was straddled, so Hashimoto made smoke and wheeled north, regrouping for a more favorable moment to attack.

It looks like hes turned around and beat it, Davis said to Lee on Washingtons bridge as they watched Hashimoto withdraw. Then Lees destroyers raced in to attack.

Seely watched the tin cans clash. It looked to him like the entire east coast of Savo erupted with white blobs of light. Actually, the Japanese destroyers Ayanami and Uranami were firing, and behind them were a cruiser and five destroyers, headed straight for Lees four tin cans.

The American destroyers lacked SG radar, night training and cohesion. Walke located Ayanami; Benham followed, while Preston spotted Nagara. Soon all four ships were firing at Nagara.

Kimuras 5.5-inch guns, armed with flashless powder, hit back. He also fired torpedoes, but the range was too close. All missed.

Some Japanese shells did find their mark. Preston was heavily hit in the two firerooms, killing everyone there. The second stack toppled over into the searchlight platform, collapsing it onto the starboard torpedo tubes and igniting their contents. The area was soon a mass of blazing wreckage. The executive officer was killed, the forward guns jammed in train, and Preston began to settle into the sea.

Commander Max C. Stormes, Prestons skipper, ordered abandon ship at 11:36. A minute later, the ship rolled over on her starboard side, then hung with her bow in the air for 10 minutes before sinking. Gone were 117 men (45 percent of the crew) and her captain.

On Washington, Seaman Naamen Berman, standing next to Lee, was stunned at the speed with which Preston went down. Sailors on Gwin watched, too, but had little time to grieve, as their ship was hit at 11:32 in the aft engine room. Superheated steam drove out the crews. The concussion unlatched torpedo restraining links, and Gwins fish slid harmlessly into the sea. Another shell hit her stern, splitting open two depth charges.

Shells hit Walke as her skipper, Commander Thomas E. Fraser, was swinging to launch torpedoes. At 11:38 she was hit by a Long Lance that exploded her No. 2 magazine and blew off the ships bow. Power and communications failed, and the ship blazed fiercely. Fraser ordered abandon ship. Four rafts got away safely, but as Walke sank, her depth charges exploded, killing 80including Fraser.

Berman, aboard Washington, saw Walke get hit. I didnt realize what it wasjust BOOM, goodbye, he said later.

Another Long Lance blasted Benhams bow, ripping off a piece of it. The ship looped to escape gunfire, then staggered back in to action at 10 knots.

All four of Lees destroyers were now out of the fight. He was down to his battleships. Lee swung in to attack, his ships racing by blazing hulks and shipwrecked crewmen floating in oily water.

Still, the destroyers sacrifice had value. Washington found Ayanami and shelled her. More important, Frasers tin cans took torpedoes Kimura had aimed at Lees battleships. It was beyond admiration, Lee wrote in his after-action report, and it probably saved our bacon.

Washington and South Dakota raced along at 26 knots. In the engine rooms, the temperature was 112 degrees. Shipfitter John Brown felt the concussions of Walkes depth charges going off.

On South Dakota, crews were patching minor holes from 5-inch hits by Ayanami when at 11:33 the chief engineer tied down her circuit breakers, violating safety procedures. The system instantly went into series, and the big ship lost electrical power. Radar, fire control, turret motors, ammunition hoists, radioseverything went out, with her guns locked in train. Captain Gatch wrote later: The psychological effect on the officers and crew was most depressing. The absence of this gear gave all hands a feeling of being blindfolded. It was worse than that. South Dakota was facing 14 ships scattered across a 12-mile box on a dark night, amid spurious reports of enemy batteries on Savo and motor torpedo boats.

Washington was now the only intact ship left in the force. In fact, at that moment Washington was the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet. She was the only barrier between Kondos ships and Guadalcanal. If this one ship did not stop 14 Japanese ships right then and there, America might lose the war.

On Washingtons bridge, Lieutenant Ray Hunter still had the conn. He had just heard that South Dakota had gone off the air and had seen Walke and Preston blow sky high. Dead ahead lay their burning wreckage, while hundreds of men were swimming in the water and Japanese ships were racing in.

Hunter had to do something. The course he took now could decide the war. Come left, he said, and Washington straightened out on a course parallel to the one on which she was steaming. Washingtons rudder change put the burning destroyers between her and the enemy, preventing her from being silhouetted by their fires.

The move made the Japanese momentarily cease fire. Lacking radar, they could not spot Washington behind the fires. Kondo had to figure out his next move.

Meanwhile, Washington raced through burning seas. Everyone could see dozens of men in the water clinging to floating wreckage. Flag Lieutenant Raymond Thompson said, Seeing that burning, sinking ship as it passed so close aboard, and realizing that there was nothing I, or anyone, could do about it, was a devastating experience.

Commander Ayrault, Washingtons executive officer, clambered down ladders, ran to Bart Stoodleys damage-control post, and ordered Stoodley to cut loose life rafts. That saved a lot of lives. But the men in the water had some fight left in them. One was heard to scream, Get after them, Washington!

Everyone wondered why South Dakotawhose electrical problems had her virtually paralyzedwas plodding along silently behind. She did not follow Washington when the flagship turned left, but sailed in front of the flaming destroyers, presenting a perfect silhouette. The Japanese reacted quickly, illuminating South Dakota with searchlights. Nagara and four tin cans raced in for a torpedo attack. They fired at 4,000 yards, but miraculously none hit.

At 11:36, a three-minute eternity, South Dakota restored partial power and opened fire on Nagara. The first salvo set three planes on the Japanese cruisers quarterdeck on fire. The next salvo snuffed out the blaze and sent the planes into the sea.

Washington opened up on the enemy searchlights. But there were dozens of blips on the radar screen, most of them Savo Island, making tracking difficult.

At 11:42, South Dakotastill having problemsfired a salvo from her No. 3 turret that set fire to one of her Kingfisher seaplanes. Once again the battleship was illuminated. Damage control crews, including a 12-year-old sailor named Calvin Grahamhe had falsified his age to join the Navyquelled the blaze.

Meanwhile, Kondos battleship and two cruisers were still marking time north of Savo. Kondo, fearing a repetition of the Friday 13th chaos, held his ships back. His convoy was coming behind them. All Japan needed to win the war was one good shove.

Lee, meanwhile, made his moves. He put Washington on course 282 at 11:35, then detached the battered Gwin and Benham to retire; the wounded destroyers were a hindrance.

Now Kondo moved. Takao sighted Washington, and Atagos lookout said the enemy vessel looked like a battleship. Kondo disagreed, but now he figured it was time to shell the airfield. At 11:54 he set course 130, right for Guadalcanal and Washington.

Washingtons SG radar had picked up Kondos force and was tracking it as it came in. South Dakota was not doing so well. Her radar had gone out again. When it came back on, it picked up Kondo forward of her starboard beam just three miles away. Kondo saw South Dakota, too, at 11:58, but even now he still did not believe it was a battleship.

At 11:40, Washington located Kondos two lead destroyers, two cruisers and Kirishima. The firing solution was sent to the guns, but just as the firing circuits were to be closed, Walsh yelled, Check fire!

Walsh was afraid radar had picked out South Dakota instead of Kirishima. The problem was the location of the SG radar. The 80-degree blind arc left a gap precisely where South Dakota was. Washingtons gunners had to wait.

Down in the engine room, Johnny Brown broke out a jug that normally stored anti-corrosive gas compounds. Tonight it held illegal raisin jack. Everyone had a swig.

Lees ships were now 11 miles west of Savo. Kondo launched torpedoes at South Dakota, but none hit. At precisely midnight, the beginning of November 15, Atagos main searchlight picked out South Dakota. Kondo and his staff trained binoculars and studied the battleships distinctive pyramid foremast.

Kondo finally believed he was facing Americas newest battleships. All Japanese ships aimed at South Dakota, and soon a variety of shells of many calibers were flying at her. So were a large number of torpedoes, but once again the Americans were lucky and the torpedoes all missed. South Dakotas Type B armor plate defeated a 14-inch shell, but 26 hits landed on her superstructure. Many rounds failed to explode. Other incoming shells were Type 3 ammunition, which could not penetrate South Dakotas armor. But damage was done, nonetheless. The shells cut up South Dakotas radar and communications cables, shattering radar plot and disabling gun directors. Four of six fire-control radars were destroyed.

More shells hit South Dakota. A 14-incher hit outboard of the No. 3 turrets roller, jamming her in train and ripping open a fuel line. South Dakota was in little danger of sinking, but she was virtually useless. Worse, her captain had lost touch with Washington. Lee wrote later that the effect of the shelling was to render one of our new battleships deaf, dumb, blind and impotent.

Washington watched all this as the quarter moon vanished, leaving behind darkness. Washington was still tracking the questionable target. It could not be South Dakota, could it? Then the target lit her searchlights, illuminating South Dakota and revealing herself as Kirishima. The Japanese ship was 8,400 yards away on the starboard beam. Body-punching range, Seely called it.

In seconds, Washingtons main battery plot had a solution from the SG radar, which was functioning perfectly. At precisely midnight, Washington fired a nine-gun salvo that straddled Kirishima. A minute later Washingtons third salvo landed fair and square amidships, causing massive explosions.

Kirishima and Washington exchanged fire. Hooper fed the fire-control data into his range finders, and shells were hurled at the Japanese dreadnought. Fire control and battery functioned as smoothly as though she were engaged in a well-rehearsed target practice, Lee wrote later.

Kirishima was covered with shells. Seely watched as three of the four main 14-inch turrets were knocked out and a dull red glow amidships began to brighten considerably. At 12:07 a.m., Washington fired the last of 75 16-inch rounds. The shells disabled two of Kirishimas main turrets, started fires, jammed the rudder, and drilled waterline holes. Kirishima started flooding and began circling to port, coughing out gusts of smoke.

Lee was still worried about the location of South Dakota. That unhappy ship was still in Washingtons blind arc. Lee planned to head north and attack the transports.

The destruction of Kirishima caught Kondo by surprise. He had been convinced that South Dakota was being sunk and was alone. Shelling Henderson Field was impossible. Atago and Takao were damaged. Kondo ordered three destroyers to remove Kirishimas crew. The rest of Kondos ships raced off to pursue Washington.

South Dakota now had a moment to breathe. Her executive officer, Commander A.E. Uehlinger, was surrounded by fires in Battle II, the alternate conning tower. For a time it seemed they were trapped, but determined shipmates doused the fires and closed open steam lines. With 39 dead and 59 wounded, Captain Gatch realized his ship was in no shape for battle. He withdrew at 1 a.m., to the great relief of the Task Force commander, wrote Lee.

Davis was less charitable in his report of the action: Retired? Hell, [South Dakota] just left the action. We didnt know anything about it, and we didnt see or hear from her until morning.

Meanwhile, Kondo raced after Washington. At 12:11 a.m., he spotted the American ship, and at 12:13 he fired eight torpedoes at 4,000 yardsall of which missedand then swung 300 degrees to face Washington broadside. Lee was now fighting six ships single-handed. His only advantage was Washington herselffast, powerful, undamaged, well-protected and well-crewed. Lee swung on course 340 at 12:20 to continue the battle.

Shells were now flying at Washington. Lieutenant junior grade Bob Macklin watchedsix white-hot shells as they left the enemy turrets. They seemed to float slowly toward us, picking up speed as they came, becoming bright red as they drew closer. Remarkably, we didnt quail at the prospect of being hit, but rather the shots were subjected to professional criticism.

Seely watched between the blinding flashes of our secondary guns, splashes close aboard, which from their size could only have been made by large-caliber projectiles. By their second salvo I could see it was the usual Jap pattern: overshorton; I awaited the arrival of their third salvo with considerable interest.

But Kondo was running out of power and time. He summoned Kimura and Hashimoto to attack, but Hashimoto was far astern of the westward-moving battle, and Kimura was racing to catch up. The only ships left were Tanakas destroyers Oyashio and Kagero, racing down from the north. Kondo swung his own ships on Washington at 24 knots but saw the American coming back, right for him and Tanakas transports. Cautious and timid, worn down from the loss of his battleship, Kondo then pulled back to cover the transports and made smoke.

On Washington, Lee watched the gray smoke mass arise ahead. He figured nothing could be gained from attacking the transports now. In any case, he had delayed the Japanese so long that the transports would have to arrive by daylight, when American air power could savage them. He had one ship left. Best not to push his incredible luck any further. He ordered Washington to withdraw.

The ship turned 180 degrees to starboard at 26 knots and raced toward more Japanese destroyersKagero and Oyashio to starboard and Kimuras ships to port. The Japanese had poor firing positions, but they launched torpedoes anyway. One exploded, sending up a 200-foot-high water mushroom just behind Washington.

To the north, Kondo decided he had had enough. He ordered a general disengagement to the north.

Kirishima, however, was still afloat. Like Hiei the previous day, her boilers and engines still worked, but seawater had sloshed into her steering machinery compartments. The rudder was jammed at 10 degrees starboard.

Captain Sanji Iwabuchi fought to save Kirishima, but the flooding defied control. Fire ripped through the magazines. Iwabuchi flooded them, but that only worsened things. Orders to evacuate the engine room came too late, and the firemen were stranded there. Nagara tried to tow the big ship home.

It was a familiar situation for the cruiser. The last time Nagara had been required to tow an ailing flagship had been at Midway, when she tried to tow the damaged carrier Akagi, which sank anyway. Now Kirishima limped behind Nagara, but the dreadnought kept listing to starboard. Iwabuchi summoned the crew to the bow for what was now becoming a familiar ritual in the Imperial Japanese Navy, transferring the emperors portrait, in this case to destroyer Asagumo. At 3:25 a.m., Kirishima sank several miles northwest of Savo Island, the second battleship Japan had lost in two days and the first enemy ship sunk by an American battleship since the Spanish-American War. Kirishimas final explosions were watched with great interest by a horde of shipwrecked Preston and Walke sailors, still awaiting rescue.

Another Japanese victim was dying nearby, the destroyer Ayanami. Forty of the destroyers crew had been killed, and most of Ayanamis remaining crew boarded Uranami, but 30 of them, including Ayanamis captain, took a boat to Guadalcanal. Ayanami sank sometime after 2 a.m. after two explosions.

Another destroyer was ailing, toothe American Benham, which was staggering home. Benhams hull was badly fractured. Her crew lightened the ship forward and tried to repair the damage. At 3 a.m., her skipper, Lt. Cdr. John B. Taylor, evacuated the ships forward half to reduce strain on the keel. Taylor radioed his situation to Lee.

Lee ordered Benham and her escort, Gwin, to Espirito Santo, but gave Taylor permission to act as to abandoning Benham. All morning Taylor nursed his ship toward home, but by midafternoon, it was too much. Gwin evacuated Benham and tried to sink heran attempt that only served to demonstrate the weakness of the American Mark XV torpedo. One exploded prematurely, the second missed ahead, the third ran erratically. Gwin shelled Benham until a 5-inch round hit Benhams magazines at 7:35 p.m. and sank her.

Washington was heading home, too. At 4 a.m., a weary Ray Hunter was relieved of the deck after 24 hours straight as officer of the deck, but the ship was still at general quarters, so he stayed on the bridge. At 6:49 a.m., when the ship secured from general quarters, Hunter staggered down to his bunk.

Crewmen came out on deck and found expended 5-inch shell casings lying all over the decks. Hal Berc rubbed his eyes in the morning sunlight, caught the sight of dawn rays glancing off Old Glory, fluttering from the mainmast, and felt proud. The only hit the ship had taken was a 5-inch shellhole in the air search radar.

At 9:51, Lees lookouts spotted South Dakota coming up, leaking oil and signaling We are not effective. She took station ahead of Washington, and her leaking oil entered Washingtons evaporators, polluting Washingtons water lines for months. That evening, three destroyers arrived to shepherd the big ships home.

The battle was still not over. Kondo ordered Tanaka to get his transports to their anchorage and beach them. Tanaka complied, but Mikawa objected, saying beaching would only make landing troops more difficult. During the pre-dawn hours of November 15, discussions between the admirals filled Japanese naval airwaves. In the end, Yamamoto himself endorsed the beaching plan. At 4 a.m., four transports ran aground. At 4:30 a.m., Tanaka took his destroyers home. Most were still jammed with soldiers from the earlier battles.

The maneuvers were watched by shipwrecked Walke and Preston sailors, still awaiting rescue. At 5:55 a.m., they watched as seven dive bombers attacked the beached transports. Ten minutes later, planes from Enterprise came in, blasting transports and unloaded gear.

Finally the U.S. destroyer Meade turned up and raked the freighters for 42 minutes, starting fires on all four. After that, Meade pulled 266 Walke and Preston survivors out of the drink.

Meade missed two survivors from Walke, Seaman Dale E. Land and Machinists Mate Harold Taylor. After two days and nights in the water they reached Guadalcanal, but behind Japanese lines. They trekked eastward, stealing food from Japanese bivouacs. After finding a Japanese rifle and ammunition bandolier, they took up a sideline of sniping, killing a number of Japanese. Taylor lost his life in the struggle to survive, but Land, who staggered to within shouting distance of U.S. lines and was picked up, delirious, with a temperature of 106, did recover from his ordeal.

Radio commentators on both sides were delirious, too, as they claimed victory. Japans claims were immense: eight cruisers, five destroyers, and two battleships damaged. This alleged triumph cost Japan one battleship, one cruiser and three destroyers, with damage to seven transports.

Japans Domei News Agency crowed: The American naval debacle in the Solomon area signified land hostilities on Guadalcanal have passed the decisive stage, having sent to the sea bottom 10,000 officers and men, more than half its battleships, almost all aircraft carriers, more than half its cruisers. The United States can no longer hope to carry out a large-scale counteroffensive against Japan. This report was posted on Washington bulletin boards and resulted in laughter.

The United States reported sinking one battleship, five cruisers and five destroyers in exchange for two light cruisers and six destroyers. After the battle, when Lee and Gatch discussed the after-action report, Gatch asked Lee to confirm some outrageous battle claims by South Dakota. Lee was astounded at the request and refused.

But South Dakota got most of the credit for the outcome of the battle. The ship went to New York for repairs, and Gatch described his ships role to The Saturday Evening Post, which published the story of Battleship Xa code name given because the Navy did not want South Dakotas name in print. A book about the incident followed, infuriating Washington sailors.

While all the claims made at the time were highly inflated, 242 Americans and 249 Japanese did perish in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The United States lost three replaceable destroyers, while Japan lost an irreplaceable battleship and a destroyer.

Also lost was Kondos career. He claimed two battleship sinkings, but not everyone swallowed Kondos gun-decked report. Yamamoto and his staff looked at the mounting toll of ships and men and recommended the unthinkable to the emperorwithdrawal from Guadalcanal. Kondo was fired.

The Japanese post-mortem also outlined other problems during the battle. One was all the torpedo misses, which were the result of poor firing angles. The failure to sink South Dakota was caused by Kondos ships being armed with contact-fused Type 3 shells instead of armor-piercing shot. Then, too, Kondo had divided his forces (a mistake since the time of Xerxes) and refused to believe his own lookouts when they identified the American battleships. A more aggressive Japanese leader might have won that night.

There was second-guessing on the American side, too. After the battle, Lees planning and execution kept Task Force 64 together. The battle never disintegrated into a brawl like the one the previous night.

The American weaknesses were many, however: the heterogeneous nature of the destroyer force; poor American torpedoes; appalling work on South Dakota that made Americas latest battleship a menace only to herself; and the gap in Washingtons radar coverage. Lee wrote: We realized then that it should not be forgotten now, that our superiority was due almost entirely to our possession of radar. Certainly we have no edge on the Japs in experience, skill, training or performance of personnel.

He did not list some other things that went right, like his own effective handling of the crisis and appreciation of radar, and Washingtons superb crew.

Still, Washington and South Dakota sailors fought pitched battles in bars over credit for the nights honors. Actually, the question of who deserved the credit was immaterial. There were plenty of heroes.

One thing was clear after the battle. The Japanese had sent a convoy loaded with an entire infantry division of 12,000 men and equipment to Guadalcanal, enough to turn the tide of battle. Only 2,000 soldiers, 260 cases of ammunition and 1,500 bags of rice (a four-day supply) got ashore, after much punishment. The Americans shattered the convoy, sank two battleships, and put ashore 5,500 men and tons of supplies. The Americans had gained the edge on Guadalcanal, would clear the island, start climbing up the Solomons ladder and win the war.

Heavy thoughts of this nature did not strike Washingtons crew on November 16. Captain Davis declared holiday routine that dayno drills, and when work was done, the crew trooped down to enjoy ice cream sodas and watch Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan in Santa Fe Trail.

At noon on November 17, general quarters sounded for entering Noumea and Washington moored at 2:20 p.m. in nine fathoms of water at the end of 360 feet of anchor chain. The officer of the deck laconically noted in his log that the tanker E.J. Henry came alongside at 5:59 p.m. to provide fuel.

A few hundred miles away, a Japanese staff officer was also penning a report, an appreciation of the Pacific war situation just before the two battles of Guadalcanal, which read, It must be said that the success or failure in recapturing Guadalcanal Island, and the vital naval battle related to it, is the fork in the road which leads to victory for them or us.

The fork in the road had been reached. After Washington headed south from Ironbottom Sound on the morning of November 14, it was clear which way the war would go.

[hr]

This article was written by David H. Lippman and originally appeared in the November 1997 issue of World War II. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!
Atlanta, GA -- Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) announced a management contract to operate the Delta Norman by Marriott in Norman, Oklahoma. The 150-room former Norman Hotel will convert to the Delta by Marriott brand as one of the first Delta hotels in the US. It is located at 1000 N. Interstate Drive, only a few minutes from the University of Oklahoma campus.

Marriott announced its acquisition of the Delta Hotels and Resorts brand at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Conference in June of 2015. The Delta brand, formerly located exclusively in Canada, encompasses a rich Canadian history. The hotel in Norman, OK will be the first of the brand located west of the Mississippi. The conversion of the former Norman Hotel is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter 2017. Premier Hospitality Management, Inc. (PHMI) is the owner of the property.

"Bringing one of the first Delta brand hotels in the nation to Norman and the University of Oklahoma, my alma mater, is exciting both personally and for our organization," said Raj Patel, President and CEO of PHMI. "Our strategic partnership with Hotel Equities has helped us secure an agreement with Marriott International to convert one of the city's largest hotels into a regional icon with this exciting new brand. It will be a pacesetter for the area."

Located within minutes of the area's top corporations, the Delta by Marriott Norman claims an ideal location that is sure to attract both business and leisure guests. The hotel makes an ideal spot for corporate events, reunions, weddings and more; supported with over 7,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and an indoor pool and fitness center. The Norman area offers University of Oklahoma Sooner sporting events as an additional draw and is complemented by several first-rate, family-friendly museums, such as the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

"We thought long and hard about choosing the right brand for this market," said Joe Reardon, HE Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Business Development. "Remembering the launch of Delta at NYU last year, we knew it would be the perfect fit. We're excited to kick it off as the first of its brand in the Midwest."

About Hotel Equities

Hotel Equities is an award-winning full-scale hotel ownership, management and development firm with a portfolio of over 250 hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada. Fred Cerrone, CHA, serves as Founder and Chairman; Brad Rahinsky serves as President and CEO. Hotel Equities is an affiliate of 33 Degrees, an integrated management platform combining market knowledge and industry experience across a broad range of CRE assets including office, restaurant, retail, mixed-use and multi-unit residential. For more information on Hotel Equities, visit www.hotelequities.com.

Sommer Shiver

Director of Communications & Marketing

+1 678 678 4444, x19

Hotel Equities
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Hilton Worldwide is pleased to announce Michael Poux as the newly appointed general manager of Hilton Bournemouth. Poux will be leading the team and overseeing activity across all areas of the hotel, including the eforea spa, meetings and events spaces, Schpoons & Forx restaurant and LEVEL8IGHT The Sky Bar. Most recently at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, Poux has a rich and varied background in the hotel industry with an international career spanning the UK, France, Central Africa and the Middle East. He has amassed over 22 years of four and five-star hotel management experience in resorts, country clubs and large scale operations. Hailing from France, Poux started his career in the 1990s as a housekeeping supervisor at the iconic Hotel Ritz in Paris. In 1997 he relocated to Aberdeen, Scotland to join the Marriott Hotels group as C&B operations manager. Over the next 12 years, he directed operations all over the UK in Coventry, Newcastle and Bristol, returning to Paris to take up the position of resident manager at Marriott Hotel Rive Gauche and Congress Centre. Always looking for a challenging new project, Poux moved to the Middle East in 2009, where he was executive assistant manager at The Regency Hotel Kuwait. He then spent a year as the general manager of The Grand Karavia Hotel based in the Congo, before managing the Noon Hotel and apartments in Dubai. Poux joined Hilton Worldwide in 2014, and will be overseeing Hilton Bournemouth, a stunning modern glass hotel that offers exemplary panoramic views of the British coastline town. For more information click here
A rare Air Jordan 9 is hitting retailers this weekend and it should appeal to every Kobe/Lakers fans, as well as those Randy Moss/Vikings fans.

The Kobe Air Jordan 9 is eerily similar to Kobe Bryants classic PE, which strongly resembled the Jordan PE cleats that Randy Moss laced up during his playing days for the Minnesota Vikings.

Just like Kobes pair, this rendition features purple patent leather and yellow accents, though these bad boys feature the #23 on the heel, as opposed to the #8 that was seen on the Black Mambas PE.

None of that shouldnt deter any Lakers fans from scooping up a pair when they release tomorrow, November 19th for $190.

Select Foot Locker locations will be implementing a Reservation system for the release so check out the Launch Locator to see how your local store is handling the Kobe Air Jordan 9 drop this weekend.

Per Foot Locker;

A new App Launch Reservation procedure is being PILOTED. This launch procedure will allow this release to be reserved through the app. App submissions open Monday 10am ET. Once the countdown clock expires, users who placed a submission will be notified via the app of their outcome. For full App Launch Reservation details see www.footlocker.com/launchreservation IMPORTANT: Once you enter your reservation submission your current VIP status will be locked.

Kobe Jordan 9
Last weeks forecast was troubling, and indeed, the skies didnt give Summer Jam much of a chance today. The Festival Stage in the MetLife Stadium parking lot, set to host acts like Chance the Rapper, Tory Lanez, Desiigner, and Post Malone, was called off early in the afternoon, but HOT 97 held on dearly to the Stadium Stage, not going down without a fight. Finally, the rain ceased and restless crowds gathered in front of the stadium, which wouldnt be ready for entry until around 9PM, a few hours behind schedule. It certainly looks like, against all odds, many memorable moments unfolded on this years Summer Jam stage, but disappointingly, the nights top headliner didnt get to perform due to New Jerseys curfew law.

The acts that did get to perform were rolled out unpredictably, starting with a few New Yorkers who werent even on the lineup: Maino, Uncle Murda, and 2Milly. Then, earlier than expected, came just about all of GOOD Music, including honorary member 2 Chainz and the biggest surprise guest of the night, Kanye West, who was supposed to have been closing out Governors Ball, which was cancelled in its entirety. They dropped an impressive setlist that included Mercy, Panda, and the brand new Champions super-collab.

After GOOD officially kicked off the night, the next choice of Bryson Tiller was rather surprising but well-received nonetheless as he brought out Fabolous for his umpteenth Summer Jam in a row. The Terror Squad also made it onto the stage, and French Montana called the sans-Hov All the Way Up remix the biggest song of the night. Next was the A$AP duo of Ferg and Rocky, and after that was the final performer of the night, DJ Khaled  not a bad ending, considering he brought out Rick Ross, Yo Gotti, OT Genasis, M.O.P., Busta Rhymes, Busta Rhymes, Mavado, and Ty Dolla $ign, Kent Jones, and The LOX.

So who didnt perform? Tinashe, Kid Ink, Young Thug, and most importantly, Future, who was the biggest name listed at the top of the bill. He wasnt happy that he didnt get to close out the night, though he made sure to point out that theres no bad blood with HOT 97.

Of course, after Summer Jam, the night didnt end for New Yorkers. Kanye West quickly sold out an impromptu show at the Webster Hall, and so many people gathered outside that Kanye couldnt even access the venue. The show was eventually cancelled, but not before Kanye attempted to keep the party going in the streets, much to the delight of his fans. Relive the madness here.

Future
Our man Colm O'Regan pulled on his dancing shoes and caught the cream of Sunday's action, as the likes of FLUME and Maya Jane Coles set the stage for a seminal headline set

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About 60 miles north of Dallas, amid green fields in the town of Gunter, population 1,486, Texas Cannabis CEO Patrick Moran has optioned to buy a former cotton gin, where he plans to grow the Cannabis sativa plant, known more commonly as marijuana.

The businessman and attorney is positioning himself at the forefront of what he estimates will be a $900 million a year industry in Texas - the recently legalized market for treating intractable epilepsy with a strain of marijuana that eases seizures without getting patients high.

Texas, as it turns out, may be one of the best states in the nation to grow pot. While the state has one of the most stringent medical usage laws in the country, it is setting up some of the cheapest licensing fees and one of the least restrictive markets for pot growers in the U.S.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation last year allowing the state to license businesses to grow, process or dispense nonintoxicating marijuana or cannabis for medical use beginning next year. Moran wants to do all three with Texas Cannabis, cultivating marijuana from seed to sale.

Moran is waiting on the state to set up its registry, slated to go live by June 2017, to put in his application. He plans to use that former cotton gin, which has sat dormant for 40 years, to cultivate, extract and dispense cannabidiol oil, or CBD oil, from low-THC cannabis plants - just around the corner from the city hall in Gunter. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive component that gives users a high when they smoke traditional marijuana.

The new market is being called the green rush.

"There's a whole other industry that is being birthed in this country, just like what happened with the dot-com boom," Moran said. "I think it's once in a lifetime."

One of 18 states

Texas is one of 18 states to approve laws since 2014 allowing some form of CBD for patients with certain medical conditions. Under the state's new Compassionate Use Program, epilepsy patients whose seizures can't be controlled by traditional medication will be allowed to take CBD-rich oil, which is believed to have therapeutic benefits for some medical conditions.

An estimated 149,000 to 160,000 Texans of all ages suffer from intractable epilepsy, a condition that can be fatal. About 40,000 of those patients are projected to benefit from the medication, according to the Texas Cannabis Industry Association.

The potential for rapid growth is tremendous, as more states lift restrictions on marijuana use and sales and as societal attitudes toward the drug relax. Legal cannabis markets nationwide are projected to yield $7.1 billion in sales in 2016, a 54 percent jump since 2014, according to a report released in February by ArcView Market Research and New Frontier Data.

By 2020, legal sales are projected to reach more than $22 billion nationally.

"No other industry in this country is making the kinds of gains year-over-year that the cannabis industry is making," said Dr. Scott Bier, an emergency room physician in Houston and CEO of Green Well Ventures, another private company aiming to be among the state's first licensed cannabis operations. "And it's just going to get bigger. ... Everybody wants to get a little piece of it."

Quiet passage

State officials have created favorable conditions for businesses seeking to enter the low-THC cannabis market, Texas Cannabis Industry Association executive director Kayla Brown said.

"I think the bill passed so quietly that a lot of people don't realize Texas actually has the most permissive licensing structure in the country," she said. "You could not choose a better market to get into."

The Texas law established narrow parameters on the type of cannabis that can be dispensed, who can take the medication and which physicians can prescribe, said Frank Snyder, a Texas A&M law professor who teaches the state's first course on marijuana law, policy and business. But it doesn't limit the number of competitors who can grow, extract or dispense.

"The process for getting a license and beginning to cultivate is probably the most liberal law of any of the medical marijuana states that I'm familiar with right now, in terms of putting up the fewest barriers to entry," Snyder said.

Applicants aren't required to have vast cannabis industry experience. They simply have to show they have the technological ability to grow, extract or dispense the product by having experience in related fields, such as cultivation, analytical laboratory methods and handling confidential patient information.

They also must show they can obtain the locations, resources and personnel necessary for operations, maintain accountability of all materials and have the financial ability to keep going for two years.

Regulations issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety in January also set fairly low licensing fees.

A cannabis operation seeking to become licensed in Texas must pay a $6,000 application fee to the state. Businesses will have to renew those licenses and pay another $6,000 application fee every two years.

That compares favorably with fees charged by some other states. Massachusetts, for instance, requires a medical marijuana dispensary to pay a $50,000 registration fee every year. Hawaii charges only a $5,000 application fee but requires a dispensary applicant to have at least $1 million in reserves, plus an additional $100,000 on hand for each retail site. Florida requires an applicant seeking a cultivation license to secure a $5 million performance bond.

Colorado, widely regarded as having some of the nation's most permissive marijuana laws, charges as much as $25,000 in upfront application and licensing fees, depending on the type and volume of pot sold, plus additional fees.

Going national?

Moran hopes to sell Texas Cannabis products at his dispensary in Gunter, other dispensaries across the state and eventually nationwide, he said.

In the meantime, he's been busy running AcquiFlow, which sells LED lighting systems to industrial agricultural customers. AcquiFlow also established an industrial-scale "grow" in Virginia, where its subsidiary company, Living Farms, plants lettuce and basil and sells them to some Whole Foods Market and Wegmans grocery stores. Moran plans to replicate that growing operation in Texas but will plant low-THC cannabis here instead.

AcquiFlow also has a partnership with two Kentucky companies licensed to grow hemp under the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Industrial Hemp Program. Moran said he's developing hemp strains specifically for the Texas market.

Texas is drawing interest from out-of-state players as well. CW Botanicals, a private company in Colorado that makes Charlotte's Web Hemp Extract products, is among those contemplating doing business here.

CEO Joel Stanley said "there's a good chance" his company may work with one of the licensed operations in Texas or perhaps jointly seek a license with another business here.

It will be some time before Texas becomes saturated like Colorado, Bier said. He predicts Texas' low-THC cannabis industry could yield $100 million to $300 million a year in revenue.

His Green Well Ventures, which also plans to apply for a license early on, is eyeing Houston as home base for its indoor growing facility and production. It plans to open dispensaries in Houston and Austin, employing up to 50 people once fully up and running.

Green Well's dispensaries won't just fill cannabis prescriptions, but also will serve as traditional wellness stores, stocking products like herbals, eastern medicine products and homeopathic products, and possibly offering acupuncture or massages.

"We may even open up before our first harvest comes through since we have other revenue streams," Bier said.

Soliciting proposals

DPS is required to license at least three dispensaries by Sept. 1, 2017, providing applicants meet its requirements.

The agency is soliciting proposals from contractors to build a secure, online registry that physicians and licensed dispensaries can use to provide the substance to patients. Once that registry is ready - by June 2017 at the latest - growers, extractors and dispensaries can begin applying for state licenses. DPS will conduct inspections to make sure applicants comply with all regulations.

The new state law forbids patients from smoking marijuana. They can use it as an oil, resin, preparation, mixture, derivative or some other compound derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. Patients with prescriptions will be able to take it orally or apply it to their skin.

Prescriptions in Texas will require the approval of two physicians. A "significant portion" of their clinical practices must be devoted to evaluating and treating epilepsy, the law states. They also must be board certified in epilepsy, neurology, neurophysiology, or neurology with a special qualification in child neurology. Few physicians in the state meet those requirements.

The Texas Medical Board could not provide any data showing how many physicians in the state meet those qualifications. Cursory research by the Texas Cannabis Industry Association indicates 45 physicians statewide might qualify to prescribe, Brown said. Sindi Rosales, founder and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas, believes the number is even lower.

DPS regulations also set tight parameters for storing and transporting CBD oil, all raw materials and any byproducts.

"Even though this has zero street value - you could drink a gallon of this and never get high - I've got to have anti-diversion protocols," Moran said. "I've got to have 24-hour security. If it's transported in a vehicle, the vehicle has to have a safe inside."

The rules assume a "worst-case scenario for those who oppose it or who have no faith in those who are in the industry," he said.

DPS has indicated it will soon propose revising those regulations to define more specific safety and security requirements, testing procedures and waste disposal measures.

Epileptic children

At the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Dr. Gretchen Von Allmen, a pediatric neurologist specializing in epilepsy, said patients' families ask her "every day" how soon low-THC cannabis will become available here.

"Most of them who are asking have already tried multiple anti-convulsant medications that are available, and their children are still having seizures," said Von Allmen, who sees 50 to 100 epileptic children a week at her practice. "These families are very desperate for any other option."

Some parents are giving their epileptic children CBD oil from companies in other states, Von Allmen said.

'Used safely'

"We need to make sure that it's being used safely and that it's not affecting the child's health otherwise," said Von Allmen, chief of pediatric epilepsy at the health science center's McGovern Medical School and director of the epilepsy monitoring unit at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Parents ordering CBD oil from companies in other states report they're typically paying a few hundred dollars a month for such products, Von Allmen said.

CW Botanicals sells a 1-ounce bottle of Charlotte's Web containing 500 milligrams of CBD for $52.49 through its website, while a 3.38-ounce bottle containing 5,000 milligrams costs $275. The larger bottle provides a six-week to two-month supply for a typical customer, Stanley said.

The low-THC cannabis authorized by Texas law won't be the answer for all patients, said Dr. Freedom Perkins, a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist at Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin.

"I think for some people this is going to turn out to be a wonderful thing," Perkins said. " ... It will not be a cure-all for everybody."

Abbott remains opposed to legalizing recreational use in the state and has drawn a hard line at easing restrictions on traditional marijuana, even for medical purposes.

Still, cannabis industry advocates plan to press the Texas Legislature to add more medical conditions to the state's Compassionate Use Program during next year's session.

"The great thing about Texas is, when it comes to the cannabis industry, it's an empty page," Bier said. "There's a lot of room, a lot of population in this state, a lot of patients that can benefit from this medicine. So I think the returns will be excellent once we're able to get a few more (medical conditions added) to the laws that already exist."
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Zuri engaged in hanky-panky with Binti.

Holli stared thoughtfully at the humans watching her, then stretched out for a few minutes of shut-eye.

In the day room a short distance away, Ajari took a few tentative steps on a rope that stretched about 15 feet off the ground. Mike seemed to greet his keepers, who were watching him from the other side of safety glass.

"When you look into the eyes of a gorilla, you see a sentient being, a soul," said Lynn Killam, curator of primates at the Houston Zoo. "Gorillas, really all primates, are our equals."

That was a fitting introduction to the new, $28 milliion gorilla habitat at the Houston Zoo, which opens to the public May 22. Officials expect 50,000 visitors over the four-day weekend and say the habitat for Houston's seven new residents is among the best in the country, if not the world.

"It's the type of habitat other zoos strive for," said zoo spokewoman Jackie Wallace.

While the Houston environment took only a year to build, the idea for a state-of-the-art gorilla facility has been years in the making.

M'Kubwa, the zoo's old gorilla, died 11 years ago in an enclosure that was all concrete and bars.

"We knew we weren't going to have gorillas if we couldn't do it right," said David Brady, the zoo's executive vice-president. "The habitat would have to be close to being in the wild."

To replicate two acres of Africa in the heart of the Houston zoo, staff members made repeated trips to the continent, studied gorillas in the wild and lent their support to conservation groups working to save them.

One of the groups educates Rwandan school children about the importance of protecting these critically endangered creatures. A second group sends veterinarians into the wild to treat sick or injured gorillas. And a third operates as something of a gorilla orphanage, which aims to relocate the primates into safe areas of western and central Africa when and if they are able to survive on their own.

Houston's western lowland gorillas came from zoos in New York, Louisiana and South Carolina in the spring, and have spent the past few months adjusting to their new environment.

"Zoo gorillas haven't come from the wild since the 1950s or '60s," said Peter Riger, the zoo's vice president of conservation. "If the numbers don't stop declining, we won't have any more gorillas in the wild."

That conservation message comes through clearly in the colorful signs posted throughout the habitat. More moving, however, are the lovely vistas and the sightings of gorillas, who look remarkably human.

Visitors enter through the "arrival building," which offers views of a rolling meadow rimmed by trees and fabricated tree trunks that make the ravine below easy to cross.

Three red river hogs rooting in the mud, Luna, Neptune and Bidalia, catch the eye first. The hogs are forgotten, however, as the gorillas bound into view. Keepers scatter fruit, vegetables and primate biscuits around the landscape, and the gorillas, who love to eat, behave as if they're on a treasure hunt.

The next stop for visitors is the "gathering tent," a covered outdoor space that provides a panoramic view of the meadow and gorillas snacking on the banana palms they love to uproot.

The path deeper into the habitat winds past a rocky pool, a 20-foot waterfall, cliffs and ends at an indoor playroom equipped with a 23-foot climbing tree, ropes suspended from the branches, hammocks, even separate "bedrooms."

Because the gorillas form two family units that don't mix, if Zuri, 31, Holli, 25, Sufi, 13, and Binti, 40, are outside, then the bachelor group lounges in the day room. Their leader is Chaka, 31. Next is Mike, 23, and Ajari, 14.

"The gorillas are friends," said Jill Moyse, primate supervisor.

"And they're altruistic," said Killam. "Zuri is the leader of his family. He'd sacrifice his life to protect his family."

When the gorillas first arrived, Killam and Moyse watched them closely, hoping that they would settle in and feel at home.

Moyse and Killam said they see many signs that they've made the transition, but the one that gives them the most joy is the sight of Chaka and Ajari playing. They even laugh, which in gorilla speak means they pant, make crackling sounds, and in the process, shake their bellies.

"That hadn't happened in years," Killam said. "We know we have happy animals."
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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is already a celebrity and an internet sensation in his own right, so it was perhaps no surprise that he had words of wisdom for some of social media's top stars in a meeting last weekend - and that a few Hollywood A-listers were also lining up for a photo op.

But as with every papal event, both encounters had a serious purpose, and Francis used the moments to highlight the plight of immigrants and the battle for peace, and he even answered questions about whether he would retire.

"I never thought of quitting being pope, or of leaving because of the many responsibilities," Francis told a dozen internet videomakers from around the world gathered for a roundtable discussion on social media.

That was in response to a question about whether he would ever retire like his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose momentous decision to step down in February 2013 - the first pope in six centuries to do so - not only opened the door to Francis' election but continues to generate debate.

Although Francis adopted a lighthearted tone in the meeting with the YouTubers - chatting and joking with his guests and thanking them for making him feel young - he also said their high profile came with certain responsibilities.

The pope called on the social-media celebs to encourage their viewers to concretely help others by offering a hug, a hand or simply remaining silent.

"We are used to using only our tongues, but what about gestures, what you can convey through actions or gestures?" he said.

"You have a great responsibility in this. You help through your virtual system to recover the language of gestures," Francis said.

He also told his guests to nourish a sense of belonging through their video blogs, which could help people who are feeling lost find an identity in the online sphere.

"You can create a virtual identity, you belong to this circle at least virtually. From that you can start taking a path of optimism and hope," he said.

The YouTube personalities included American Matthew Patrick, whose video games and critical-theory channel has attracted more than 6 million followers, and Hayla Ghazal, whose comedy videos in Dubai challenge social norms in many Middle Eastern cultures.

Ghazal said she aimed to empower girls with her Arabic-language clips. "Where I come from, in the Middle East, you don't need to shout from the rooftop to send a message. You just need to speak in a language people can understand," she said.

Ghazal, who has over 1 million subscribers, also saw Francis as having a role in the region: "It's amazing to see the impact (of the pope). You really see people responding very positively, and I also hope to use my channel for positive impact as well."

Mexican-American Dulce Candy, whose beauty tutorials reach 2 million subscribers, also was one of those invited.

Candy previously served in the U.S. Army, after arriving in the country at the age of 6 as an undocumented migrant. Francis discussed immigration with the group, recalling his time last February at the Mexican border and noting that harsh policies on immigration only create resentment.

"The problem of migration is a serious problem, not only in the U.S. but around the world," the pontiff said.

Francis spoke broadly about the need for policies to integrate refugees while enabling them to hold on to their own cultures.

"What betrays us unconsciously is the conception that unity is uniformity; it is not so. It is relations between differences," said Francis, declaring that the faithful should see themselves as brothers with the same father.

"What divides a religion from another is stressed or underlined (when) we are putting up a wall. That is when one attacks the other.

"When you bring them together through dialogue, through listening and looking at the positive things that each religious culture has to propose, that is how we find a good relationship," he said.

Divisions come not from different religious identities, but fundamentalists, the pope added:

"In all religions, there is also a group of fundamentalists that believe they are the holders of the truth."

Francis concluded the upbeat meeting by joining in a selfie with the online celebrities.

Then he headed - albeit 90 minutes late - to another Vatican conference, this one on promoting education.

It was attended by several Hollywood A-listers, none of whom seemed to mind the delay.

Actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, a human rights lawyer, were joined in the audience by film stars Richard Gere, Salma Hayek and members of the Scholas Occurrentes community, an initiative started by Francis when he was a cardinal in his native Argentina.

The program encourages a "culture of encounter" to promote peace, and Clooney, Hayek and Gere were given a "Medal of the Olive" award for their work fighting global warming, war and terrorism, reported the Catholic news site Crux.
For about 1.6 billion people across every continent, the most important month of the year begins this week.

Ramadan is not a joyous holiday but a solemn time for spiritual tune-up marked by fasting and a pursuit of purity.

"It's a period of spiritual development rather than celebration," said A.Kadir Yildirim, a research scholar at Rice University's Center for the Middle East. "The real celebration comes at the end of the month with Eid, a feast of three days."

Most of the month is focused on piety, on living the religious ideals of humility and charity that can be hard to maintain throughout life in human society. To keep this focus front-and-center in daily life, Muslims during this month turn to an ancient practice: fasting. Observers of Ramadan do not eat or drink during the daylight hours.

"Often we are comparing ourselves with people who are richer than us, and we are always running and chasing money," said Shamshad Haider, a religious scholar at the Islamic Education Center of Houston. "But in this month we see ourselves feeling the pain of hunger and thirst, the suffering of other humans who do not have what we have. We get more focus on the soul, on the spirit, on our intellect. There is more clarity in our thinking."

"We are showing solidarity with the oppressed people of the world, those that have been hurt or starved or are living in hard places or difficult circumstances," he said.

Beyond just food and drink, Muslims during Ramadan commit to avoid all bad behaviors, Haider said, like back-biting, bad intentions, jealousy, slander, accusations, bad language or bad treatment of family, friends and children.

Non-Muslim observers may have noticed that Ramadan comes at a different time each year, according to our solar calendar. That's because Ramadan is the ninth month of Islam's lunar calendar, an ancient time-keeping tradition observed in the Middle East long before the advent of the world's second largest religion.

That lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than our solar calendar, so Ramadan comes 11 days sooner each year. Last year it started on June 17th, and next year it will start in late May. Every 33 years it makes one full cycle of the solar calendar.

The month itself commemorates the date that, according to scripture, God sent the angel Gabriel to reveal to contents of the Koran to Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

How Muslims observe the month varies across the globe, from Kazakhstan and Western China to Southeast Asia, India and Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and Muslim communities on every continent.

"It would be difficult to generalize across such an area," Yildirim said.

A few things remain constant, like daily fasting and evening prayers. Even people who don't attend mosque regularly throughout the year can be expected to do so during Ramadan, when the crowded gatherings become an important social event.

In his native Turkey, Yildirim estimated that about half the people fast, with many partaking enthusiastically at first then losing steam as the month progresses.

Once the sun has set, families host friends and relatives to share meals with certain types of typical foods. Public eateries will also host evening meals for the poor.

Elsewhere in the Muslim world, especially where a hot climate reigns, city life quiets during Ramadan. Restaurants and cafes close down until sunset, and work ends early to give rest to people weathering hunger and thirst.

During three particular nights of the month, worshipers gather for special prayers. Hiader said these nights hold special significance for committing to lead a better life in the forthcoming year.

"A person who has been leading a life of sin can change course," he said. "A person who has been ignorant can educate their self."

The Islamic Education Center in Houston hosts youth lock-ins, lectures and evening meals during this time, Haider said, when the atmosphere is full of reverence and respect for community.

The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, a three-day feast to break the month-long fast. Friends, family and neighbors gather to give thanks for what blessings they have, and parents will instruct their children to reflect on the lessons learned by a month of humility, restraint and solidarity with the less fortunate.

"It's kind of a training for the soul," Hiader said.
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The allure of Gulf Coast beaches can be tough to explain to outsiders. Yes, the water is brown and bathtub-warm. Yes, the waves are tame little things. And yes, from the beach, often as not, you can spot drilling rigs or chemical plants.

But still.

Photographer Kenny Braun makes my favorite case for the Gulf Coast's peculiar pleasures. In his 2014 book "Surf Texas," his black-and-white photos capture the coast's powerful contradictions: its grit and its beauty; the joy of a wave generated by a powerful, destructive hurricane; the pure, slow buzz of surfing the wake of an oil tanker in Galveston Bay.

Through July 2, Braun's "Surf Texas" photos are on view at Catherine Couturier Gallery. So I called him. Here's an edited version of our talk.

"When I was 16, I got my first camera, my first drum set, and my first surfboard. Those three things, I'd be doing for the rest of my life. All three of them are about waves: light waves, sound waves, ocean waves. I'm not sure what that means.

"It was the mid-'70s when I started surfing. My friends and I would drive down from Houston. I did it regularly for about ten years.

"Surf Texas" What: Kenny Braun's "Surf Texas" photos Where: Catherine Couturier Gallery, 2635 Colquitt Street, (713)524-5070 When: Through July 2. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. See More Collapse

"When there's surf in Texas, you've got to drop everything and haul a-- to the beach. The really good waves only last a day or two. Hurricanes  that's the best surf.

"I moved to Austin in '86 and started my photography business in '96  20 years after I started surfing. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I think I started the project that became my book because I missed the Gulf Coast after being away from it for so long. I was having dreams about surfing. Literally: dreams. I took that as a cue.

"The beach is timeless. I wanted to show that. My daughter was born in '99. In one of the photos, she's three. In another, she's 13 or 14. We change. The beach doesn't. I wanted to show that life cycle.

"I'm not sure what it is about the beach, but it grabs you. Or at least, it grabs me.

"I really miss it. The last time I surfed was in Mexico, in December. There's a storm in the Gulf right now. There's probably good waves. But I'm not there. I'm in Del Rio, working on a job."

Bookmark Gray Matters. The really good waves only last a day or two.
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The family danced inside a tan SUV as they crossed the entrance into Katy's Typhoon Texas for the waterpark's grand opening just before 10 a.m. on May 28.

It was the first time this mom and her four children had even been to a pool - a joyful day indeed for the close-knit family. Just an hour earlier, the mother, who asked to not be identified because of her dangerous past, sat in a cramped room at the nonprofit Katy Christian Ministries describing what parts she could of the life she'd escaped.

She recalled both her parents abandoning her in El Salvador, where she eventually moved in with her grandparents. Around 2006, her grandfather was killed by MS-13, a notorious international criminal gang ethnically composed mainly of Central Americans.

Fearing for her life and exhausted from abuse at the hand of her children's father, she fled with her daughter and son toward Texas. They reached Mexico, but immigration officers captured the mother crossing into Texas. Smugglers kept her two children.

She returned successfully a short time later, but for two years the smugglers forced her into human trafficking, a frighteningly common but often ignored crime in Houston.

She finally regained her children in 2010 and spent the next several years working at a Mexican restaurant in the Spring Branch area, fearful of being found by the criminals with whom she had crossed paths. She had two more daughters here with a man who also abused her.

"My children always ask me, 'Why do some kids get to do this and that, and we don't?' " the mother said in Spanish while dabbing away tears with a tissue. "I have felt guilty."

In 2015, she heard about Katy Christian Ministries and called its 24/7 hotline.

In the past year, the nonprofit has provided the family food, counseling and financial assistance. The mother has been working for some time now cleaning offices.

She and her two oldest children are awaiting U Visas, which are given to victims who have suffered substantial abuse and are willing to assist the government in the investigation or prosecution of criminals.

The details surrounding the mother's life have caused deep wounds. But this particular Saturday was not about that for her. This day was about Typhoon Texas.

Water park officials donated a set of tickets for opening day to the nonprofit, which chose to give them to this family. The drive was only a mile from the nonprofit to the water park near Katy Mills Mall in west Houston.

The eager family arrived 30 minutes before the park opened, as hordes of people stood outside of the front gate and pop music pierced through speakers. They looked in awe of the 25,000-square-foot wave pool.

With the two youngest daughters buckled up in red life vests and the family donning swimsuits provided to them by the ministry, they walked into the pool smiling and gripping one another's hands. They would visit the wave pool more than any other attraction during their almost 11 hours at the park.

Their day took them through many firsts.

The two older children took the first plunge down the slides of The Snake Pit, an attraction with multicolored enclosed slides that twist and turn, eventually dropping off at a pool.

"That was fun!" the mother's little boy said in Spanish.

Minutes later, all but the youngest daughter climbed inside a blue circular raft for the Texas Twister ride, which dove them down a steep slide and then up an enormous wall with a Texas flag painted on it before boomeranging down into a pool.

"It was scary!" the oldest daughter said in Spanish.

The family rode almost all the nine rides and 30 slides in the 25-acre park. They hardly stopped to eat or take a break, their time being filled with laughs, smiles, hugs and small talk about how fun each experience was.

They also rode most attractions together, competing with each other down a set of race-style slides and floating the "Lazy T" river around the park in blue tubes.

In the late afternoon, while her other three children disappeared to re-ride attractions, the mother sat by a children's play area with slides, bridges and a giant brown bucket that dumps water on those below. She watched her youngest skip through the play structure, her hops signaling the delight she felt.

"Nobody has ever showed her care," said Karina Andrade, a KCM domestic violence client advocate who accompanied the family. "So, when somebody does, it means a lot to her."

The family eagerly anticipated fireworks planned for dusk. They had seen them before, but never close up. By 8:20 p.m., the family stood by lockers preparing to leave. Only sprinkles of people remained.

Then, bright colors erupted in the sky above, and the family navigated for a better view.

They stood together watching silently, the oldest daughter recording the scene on a phone and the mother gripping onto her youngest daughter's shoulders before picking her up for a better view. Then the mother cupped her right hand on her mouth and began sobbing.

"I've never seen so many lights," she said in Spanish. "It's just very special. I'm just very happy."

When the 10-minute show ended in an array of red and white fireworks, the mother hugged Andrade tightly while still wiping away tears.

"We will remember this forever," the mom said.

Soon after, they collected their belongings while excitedly discussing what they had just seen. They were among the last visitors to leave the park as night arrived and the thrills and loudness of the day settled into a quiet peace.
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Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in a murder trial that could signal how much impact the firing of a veteran Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide investigator will have in the courts.

Sgt. Craig Clopton has acknowledged having "consensual sexual contact" with a key witness in the high-profile slaying of deputy Darren Goforth. Clopton was fired last October. At the time, he was the lead investigator in at least eight pending murder prosecutions, including the one that begins this week.

Defense attorneys in most of the eight cases have received legal notifications from prosecutors citing Clopton's transgression. Under a Supreme Court ruling, prosecutors must provide defense attorneys with any information that is favorable to the accused.

Legal experts say defense attorneys in these cases could use Clopton's admission that he had sex with a witness in the Goforth case to question his ethics and potentially impeach his testimony. His misconduct, the experts agreed, will undoubtedly become a factor in the prosecution of Goforth's accused shooter, Shannon Miles.

"Putting it mildly, he has exhibited some pretty serious boundary issues," said Chris Roberts, director of the criminal defense clinic at the University of Texas School of Law. "Whether that is anything that will have an effect on any other case remains to be seen, but it is certainly possible."

Carson Joachim, Clopton's attorney, declined comment.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on any pending prosecutions or say how many other cases Clopton may have been involved in as an investigator.

***

The trial beginning this week involves a fatal stabbing nearly four years ago. Rebecca Keller, 24, is charged in connection with the slaying of her teenage girlfriend's mother. It is one of two in the eight pending cases in which Clopton initially brought murder charges that were later dropped.

Mary Ann Murphy, 48, was stabbed to death in her north Harris County home in July 2012. Prosecutors accused Keller of staging a break-in with Murphy's daughter, Keri, then 16, and also charged her with having sexual relations with the teen.

Keri Murphy also has been charged in her mother's slaying. A juvenile judge certified the teen in 2012 to stand trial as an adult. Her attorney could not be reached for comment.

Patrick Ruzzo, Keller's defense attorney, already had concerns about the quality of the murder investigation, which initially led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man. Prosecutors later dismissed the charge.

"Initally, they had charged someone who they believed had committed the murder and then, at some point, they determined that they were wrong," Ruzzo said. "That gives cause for concern in every case where there is a rush to judgment."

When deputies first arrived at Mary Ann Murphy's residence and found her body, they were told by her daughter that two men she couldn't identify forced their way inside and attacked her mother.

Days later, murder charges were filed against Keri Murphy and Zein Ahmed, the 20-year-old who lived in the same neighborhood. Court records show Clopton filed the charge against Ahmed.

Prosecutors said that Ahmed admitted to investigators that he entered Murphy's residence, in the 8300 block of Poplar Ridge Lane, with her daughter's permission and stabbed the woman. They also claimed the knife used in the slaying was found in his home.

Ahmed's attorney and family maintained that he was innocent, and that his confession was coerced after a lengthy interrogation by sheriff's investigators.

By December - more than five months after investigators accused Ahmed of the crime - prosecutors dismissed the charge against him. They determined that the details he gave investigators were wrong.

In his statement, Ahmed said he went up a flight of stairs, but it was a single-story home. He said he stabbed the woman four times, but an autopsy showed she had been slashed and stabbed 73 times. Clopton acknowledged the inconsistencies during a court hearing.

Ahmed, now 24, told the Houston Chronicle that the weapon investigators said they found in his home was a small pocketknife he used to clean dirt out from underneath his fingernails.

Prosecutors at the time said that Ahmed may have not had the education or maturity level to understand what was going on during questioning. Still, they maintained that Ahmed's statements were not coerced and said that their office accepted charges until they concluded they could not verify the details.

Ahmed remembers being questioned by Clopton in a small interview room at the sheriff's office for at least eight to 12 hours, during which time investigators swabbed his saliva, took pictures of him and gave him a polygraph.

Tired and frightened, he said he told the investigators what he thought they wanted to hear, in hopes that he could go home.

"It was really stupid," Ahmed said, adding that he wished he hadn't succumbed to the pressure. His parents sold his mother's jewelry, including her wedding ring, to pay his bond and to hire an attorney. "I was just so scared, and I wanted it to be over."

In October 2012, before the charge against Ahmed had been dismissed, Clopton filed murder charges against Keller.

Ruzzo, Keller's attorney, said that when he learned of Clopton's misconduct in the Goforth case, he reviewed Keller's records to see if the investigator's transgression would have any impact on his client's case. He would not reveal any specifics about Keller's case.

"The general idea is that when you have any law enforcement officer, especially someone who has that much responsibility, commit some act of misconduct and is then terminated, then that certainly casts a shadow on that person's work," Ruzzo said.

***

Goforth was fatally gunned down on Aug. 28, 2015, during an unprovoked attack at a gas station. Authorities arrested Miles, 31, and later charged him with capital murder in the 47-year-old deputy's death.

About two weeks later, prosecutors revealed that a woman who witnessed the shooting had been having an affair with Goforth. Clopton was assigned to interview her following the slaying, said Anthony Osso, Miles' attorney.

On Sept. 10, Clopton went to the woman's residence, where they had coffee, made small talk and engaged in consensual sex, according to a disciplinary notice sent to Clopton. The Chronicle obtained the notice through a public records request.

During criminal trials, defense attorneys can use improper conduct by an officer to impeach their testimony on the witness stand.

Ruzzo noted that when a defense attorney receives information about a law enforcement officer's misconduct in a separate investigation, he or she must evaluate whether it is relevant and then weigh how the jury might construe that information.

Prosecutors may argue that the information is not relevant to another case and ask a judge to preclude any mention of the misconduct or find a way to avoid putting Clopton on the stand at all, legal experts say.

Ultimately, whether or not Clopton's actions in the Goforth murder investigation are relevant to any other pending cases will be up to the judges overseeing each proceeding.

"It certainly calls into question his investigatory independence," said Melissa Hamilton, a visiting criminal law scholar at the University of Houston Law Center. "Now how high that rises depends on what other additional facts are there."

***

The other pending case in which charges were dropped involved a fatal night club shooting in 2009. Court records show that as lead investigator, Clopton filed a murder charge against Eli Rivera Jr., 41. Clopton based the charge on eyewitness statements, according to court records.

Attorneys in the case said charges were dismissed after it was determined that Rivera had a viable alibi. Surveillance footage showed him at a gas station miles away at the time of the shooting, Rivera said.

"It put me through a lot," he said. "And my mom and dad, too, no telling how many days that took off their life."

Nearly three years later, Clopton filed charges against Robert Gonzales, 39. The murder case is set to go to trial in July.

David Bires, Gonzales' defense attorney, said the rush to charge Rivera raises questions about how thoroughly the murder was investigated.

"As an investigator, if you hang your hat on an eyewitness identification, that is short-sighted," he said, without revealing details of his client's case. "It is a knee-jerk reaction on the part of the cops to get an eyewitness identification to solve a case and call it a done day."

Bires said he has received notice from prosecutors about Clopton's misconduct and is still determining if it will have any bearing on his client's case.

"The question will be is the prosecution going to call him to testify," he said. "And that if they don't, will we?"
As the effects of major flooding from strong storms moved south into Brazoria County, Fort Bend County shifted into recovery mode on Sunday, mapping out plans to address widespread damage to properties near the swollen Brazos River.

Strong storms pummeled the southern portion of the county, closing roadways and damaging thousands of homes. Between 25,000 and 40,000 of the county's 700,000 residents were impacted, officials estimate.

At Richmond, the river peaked at 54.8 feet on Thursday, and by late Sunday morning had fallen to 52.12 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The river was the highest the county had seen since gauges were installed in 1994, surpassing those previous levels by about 4 feet.

If the forecast remains dry over the next few days, officials expect for the Brazos to reach 50 feet by early Monday and 48 feet, the level considered to be moderate flooding, midday Tuesday. However, they do not expect to drop below a minor flood stage until Friday.

On Sunday, dozens of roads across the county remained impassable to drivers. Stretches of FM 359 and FM 723, the two major routes north out of Richmond and Rosenberg, remained closed Sunday morning. Officials hope they will be cleared by Monday.

An official with the Texas Department of Transportation says flooding has closed Highway 35 from just east of Highway 288 to just west of the Brazos River. The roads are expected to be closed until Wednesday morning.

Authorities had originally planned for 55 feet and were prepared for the situation, said county Judge Bob Hebert. Representatives from a litany of agencies converged on the flood-stricken areas, including the sheriff's office, constable's office, Department of Public Safety, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Division.

Still, 48.2 million gallons of water rushing underneath the bridge in Richmond drove home the strength of the storms, he said.

"A flood like this  is a predictable and quantifiable event. We knew approximately how much water we were going to get and approximately when we were going to get it," Hebert said. "We couldn't control it because the river does what the river does, but we could respond to it in a timely manner."

It could have been worse. On Wednesday, forecasts indicated that Fort Bend could be deluged with as much as 18 inches of rain heading into the weekend, Hebert said. The system instead fell east of Houston.

"We dodged a bullet yesterday," Hebert said. "We were very, very fortunate."

As the water slowly drains, officials are focused on clearing debris and restoring some normalcy to residents. The carcasses of numerous livestock and other animals still need to be removed. Residents in waterlogged homes will be faced with salvaging what belongings they can and discarding others over the next few days.

Hebert said instructions for sorting debris will be posted on Fort Bend's county and emergency management websites to ensure hazardous materials are disposed of properly.

Additionally, authorities plan to deploy a mosquito control operation to ward off pests that thrive in standing water and spread serious diseases like Zika and West Nile viruses.

Meanwhile, in Brazoria County, flood conditions continued to worsen.

High water forced many residents living near the Brazos from their homes. On Saturday night, county Judge Matt Sebesta issued a mandatory evacuation for Longhorn Estates and County Road 28, a day after residents north of County Road 30S had been advised to seek safety elsewhere. They were followed by evacuation orders on Sunday for Bar X Ranch and Bailey's Prairie, which is situated west of the Angleton Protection Levee.

Areas ordered to evacuate were also placed under a dusk-dawn curfew.

Near Rosharon, the Brazos crested at 52.56 feet on Saturday. By mid-afternoon Sunday, it had only fallen to 52.42 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The river has not risen to such a high level in Brazoria County since it crested at 52 feet in 1965.
The dissolution of a highly regarded investigative unit in the Houston Police Department will hurt minority advancement into the department's more prestigious investigative positions, minority officers contend.

The Investigate First Responders Division -set to close on July 1 - had been viewed as a training ground for young investigators wanting to move up the ranks, according to representatives from local minority police associations.

More than half the division was composed of minority officers, 30 percent of whom were Hispanic, city records show.

"It's hard, from my perspective, for Hispanic officers to get into good investigative divisions like Major Offenders and major task force divisions," said Domingo Garcia, president of the Organization of Spanish-Speaking Officers and a member of the IFR division. "IFR was a way for us to get into an investigative division and learn how to do all kinds of things."

Police officials defended the department, saying the criticisms are off base.

"As to IFR negatively impacting any particular group, I respectfully disagree," said acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo. "We expect the IFR investigators to take their training and skills to our streets as responding patrol officers. In essence, we are getting more experienced first responders back on the streets. Just as important, the IFR officers can serve as mentors to many of our younger patrol officers, giving them investigative training on the job."

The Houston Police Department in April confirmed plans to shut down the division, where officers worked in a hybrid role both responding to calls and investigating them, rather than passing cases off to an investigative division for later follow-up.

Even as HPD has grown more diverse - becoming a majority-minority department five years ago - the department has continued to weather criticism that the upper echelons of its command structure remain largely white. In particular, critics have pointed to the lack of minorities promoted to the rank of captain - where 41 of the department's 44 captains are Anglos.

"No Hispanic has been promoted to rank of captain in the last five years," Garcia said.

Montalvo disputes Garcia's allegations, saying that even with the closure of the IFR division, the department offers numerous opportunities for officers to gain investigative experience.

"Every officer is afforded the opportunity to work a rotation in an investigative division," she said in an emailed statement. "The department has numerous openings for patrol officer positions in some of our investigative divisions. Language skill sets can assist an officer in the selection process."

African-American Police Officer's League President Jacob Webb nevertheless echoed Garcia's concerns about the closure.

"I find it problematic because it is a vehicle that allows minority officers to advance," said Webb, a financial crimes investigator in the department's Burglary/Theft Division. "When you take that away, you actually are stagnating minority officers - because with HPD, it's been an issue of minority officers going to investigative divisions."

'Out of the equation'

Garcia said he had encouraged more than a half-dozen OSSO members interested in a career in investigations to apply to work in the division.

Garcia's concerns follow broader questions raised by critics over the department's efforts to recruit and promote minority officers, issues noted in a report presented to Mayor Sylvester Turner by his public safety transition team - a committee of civilians and current and retired law enforcement officers formed after his election as mayor to evaluate issues within the city's police and fire departments.

The report noted that "fewer minorities (are) seeking employment with the police department" and that "HPD applicant requirements seem to exclude more culturally diverse candidates."

"We serve the whole community," Webb said. "So when you take the diversity out of the equation, it causes problems."

'I don't see the route'

The criticism comes just weeks after the city of Houston lost a bid to have the Supreme Court hear a lawsuit by a Latino officer alleging HPD retaliated against him after his father - a Hispanic lieutenant - sued the city in 2007, claiming Latinos were being racially discriminated against by being denied promotions.

Separately, some have criticized the department's failure to promote a well-respected Asian lieutenant. The lieutenant was at the top of the captain's promotion list but did not move up before the list expired last month.

Police department data show that within the department as a whole, Anglos make up about 45 percent of the organization. Latinos make up 26 percent; African-Americans, 22 percent; and Asians, just over 6 percent.

Defenders of the department say the disparity between the diversity of the rank-and-file and the upper echelons of command, will ease in time, as lower-level officers move upward.

Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, said he saw "no correlation whatsoever to the advancement of minorities and IFR."

While IFR officers might have better shot of getting a position at another investigative division than someone who hadn't received similar training, he said, "There's no correlation that I can recall or see that minorities have a better opportunity to get into IFR than a non-minority. So I don't see the route there."

More patrol officers

While acknowledging the lack of minorities among the captains, he pointed to minority representation among the department's loftiest positions, of chief, executive assistant chief and assistant chief. Those positions include an Asian, three Latinos and three African-Americans, according to HPD.

"We have a very diverse command staff," Hunt said.

Turner said the main reason for closing the unit was to increase patrol officers on the streets.

"My number one priority is increasing the number of officers available to patrol our neighborhoods," he said. "At the same time, I remain committed to enhancing diversity at all levels of our police force. We would not be moving ahead if I felt this change would in any way adversely impact Latinos or any other group at HPD. I am, however, always willing to sit down and discuss any concerns."
It's a piece of advice many law enforcement officers hear early in their careers or in the academy: The badge can win you attention from the opposite sex, but you can lose it real fast if you aren't careful.

Three Harris County sheriff's deputies learned that the hard way recently when they were fired - two of them this week - after becoming entangled with a woman who witnessed the August slaying of their colleague, Deputy Darren Goforth.

Law enforcement officers, attorneys and other experts say the growing scandal, which could now affect the capital murder case against accused gunman Shannon Miles, serves as a cautionary example of why police officers must be extra careful with whom they associate, especially when it turns sexual or romantic.

"You have to be very cautious about who you hang out with because it just takes one accusation of anything improper in any way and you're toast," said Deputy Robert Goerlitz, a field training officer for the Harris County Sheriff's Office and former president of the Harris County Deputies Organization. "You're held accountable for your actions 24-7. It's not like the guy who works construction and what you do in your private life is your business."

Like musicians, athletes and other professions, law enforcement officers also attracttheir own set of admirers. Experts say it could be a draw to people in uniform or to the power police have to bring forth justice. For others, the appeal could be the prestige of those men and women dedicated to protecting the public.

"I would imagine for professional athletes, there is also probably the allure of money," said Dr. Phillip Lyons, dean of the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University, who is also a forensic psychologist. "In the context of law enforcement there is probably the allure of a protector or guardian associated with this."

Integrity jeopardized

But getting too close to those who have a penchant for the badge can sometimes become a slippery slope for police officers because it could possibly affect the integrity and credibility of their work.

"Everyone has their groupies, airline pilots, doctors, but it's only police officers who have the authority to put you in jail," said Thomas Nixon, a former Houston Police Department officer who now works as a defense attorney. He stressed that law enforcement officers in many instances testify in court and bear the burden of being cross-examined by a defense attorney, who can use any improper conduct the officer many have engaged in to question their credibility.

"That's what makes it more sensitive," Nixon said.

The recent developments in the Goforth case have prompted the Sheriff's Office to revise and strengthen its sexual misconduct policy. Previously, sheriff's officials said it only forbade sexual contact with persons in custody. The policy now requires deputies not to have sexual contact with "any individual who is a party to an ongoing active investigation."

Still, authorities say that in Goforth's case, the string of terminations connected to the witness, who authorities said was also having an affair with the slain deputy, may have complicated the court case against the alleged shooter.

Goforth was fatally gunned down in August during an unprovoked attack at a gas station. Weeks after his death, it emerged that he had been having an affair with a woman who was with him when he was killed.

About two months later, Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman fired Sgt. Craig Clopton, a veteran homicide detective who admitted to a consensual sexual relationship with the witness.

This week two more deputies were fired. On Wednesday, Hickman fired patrol Deputy Marc DeLeon for lying about having a relationship with the woman. On Friday, a third deputy, J. Goodrich, was terminated. Goodrich is accused of engaging in inappropriate communications with two witnesses in two different incidents, one being the woman in the Goforth case, authorities said. The witness, who the Houston Chronicle is not naming, could not be reached for comment.

Defense attorneys and legal experts say the misconduct found connected to the case could be used to question the credibility of the Sheriff's Office during Miles' eventual trial.

Previous cases

While the circumstances surrounding the Goforth case are unique, officers being disciplined for inappropriate sexual conduct or harassment is not unheard of - both with the officer initiating or the civilian.

In March 2014, a Sheriff's Office sergeant and deputy were suspended for an incident in which the deputy accepted an offer of oral sex. In 2013, a Houston Police Department officer was relieved of duty after he was criminally charged with telling two women, including an undercover HPD investigator, he would tear up their traffic tickets in exchange for sexual favors.

When officers make such choices, the consequences are embarrassing and reflect poorly on their department, said John Denholm, a former Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide lieutenant, who worked for the department for more than 27 years

"They have to remember public servants are in public view," said Denholm, who now works as family and criminal law attorney,stressing that law enforcement officers fall under more scrutiny than others.

Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, stressed that the onus of responsibility to not engage in inappropriate relationships ultimately falls on the law enforcement officer.

"It's the cops' responsibility to control themselves when they're on duty or there's a conflict of interest," he said.

Alpert compared the situation to a business owner offering a police officer free food.

"I've got every right to invite cops in and give them free food - it's their responsibility not to take free food - it's not my responsibility not to offer it."

Lauren Caruba contributed to this report
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Mayor Sylvester Turner has chosen to select Houston's next police chief through a private executive search firm, taking the position that the applications and resumes of job candidates do not have to be made available through the Texas Public Information Act.

The process stands in stark contrast to that used by his predecessor, Annise Parker, who in 2010 released the applications of 26 candidates for police chief in response to a records request.

"I am not going to conduct this process in the media," Turner said via email Friday. "I didn't do that with the searches for a new city attorney, the Flood Czar, the Education Director and other positions within my administration. My goal is to find the best candidate for the job and you don't get the best candidate when the search is conducted in the media, especially if the publicity could endanger an applicant's current position. It will be done on my time line. In the meantime, HPD is operating quite well under the very capable leadership of Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo."

The mayor's spokeswoman, Janice Evans, said the search for a new chief is being handled by a six-member transition team along with the executive search firm of Russell Reynolds Associates. She declined to provide any records on the city's arrangements with the firm, saying its services are being provided at no cost and without a contract.

Civil rights activists and open records advocates have been sharply critical of what they see as Turner's lack of transparency, which comes as they are demanding a new chief to reform police operations.

"This is not a transparent process they are using," said Houston attorney Joe Larsen, who heads the review committee of the nonprofit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. "Besides the mayor, the chief of police is one of the most important positions in the city, and all the stakeholders should be aware of what's going on."

Larsen said the city has a legal responsibility not only to provide records it has but also records it controls.

'Open process' backed

James Douglas, a law professor and president of the Houston branch of the NAACP, questioned the necessity of an executive search firm. Douglas said Turner's transition team has advised him he will be contacted but so far has not sought his organization's input.

"My personal feeling is I think it ought to be an open process," Douglas said.

In 2010, responding to an open records request from the Chronicle, Parker released applications of candidates who were screened by the Police Executive Research Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Washington.

Parker, who took office Jan. 1, 2010, announced the appointment of former Police Chief Charles McClelland in late March of that year.

McClelland announced his retirement shortly after Turner took office in January. Turner appointed Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo to serve as interim chief Feb. 18.

After the Chronicle made a similar open records request for chief applicants this year, Turner's staff first sought an attorney general's opinion to allow them to withhold the information. The city later withdrew its AG request, saying it had no records of any kind relating to applicants for the chief's job.

"The city does not have any responsive information," said Evans, Turner's director of communications. "As was the case with the City Attorney, this is being handled as part of the transition process."

The city charter calls for the mayor to appoint the police chief, and the City Council must vote to approve Turner's selection.

The job of running Houston's police department has been the subject of nationwide advertisements in trade publications that make note of the mayor's goal of transparency in HPD.

"Mayor Turner is committed to implementing a strong community policing model, adding new police officers and improving both transparency and accountability," the ad says.

David Mincberg, a businessman who heads Turner's transition team, also declined comment on the search or the use of the executive search firm.

Council member Michael Kubosh said he was troubled when informed of the no-fee deal, citing other problems the city has encountered using pro-bono services.

"How can I be opposed to it when I didn't even know it existed?" said Kubosh. "I was never briefed on it."

Larsen, the open records advocate, said the acceptance of free services by the mayor gives the appearance of an under-the-table deal.

"It's a lot of trouble that Russell Reynolds is going to - trouble, time and expense - to do this for the city. It's hard to imagine why they'd do that for free, unless they are expecting future business," Larsen said. "And it's hard to believe there is nothing in writing setting out what their responsibilities are. If there's some kind of dispute over this point, how is it going to be settled? Even though it is pro bono, this is a big deal.''

Refusal to comment

Stephen Newton, the Russell Reynolds executive assigned to the HPD search, said via email that his firm would not discuss any aspect of its arrangement and services to the mayor, including providing the names of potential applicants.

To date, two of HPD's executive assistant chiefs, Michael Dirden and George Buenick, along with former Metro Police Chief and ex-HPD Captain Victor Rodriguez, have confirmed they have contacted the mayor's office about the job.

Dirden and Rodriguez said they were asked to submit their resume and a letter of interest to the Russell Reynolds firm but have not been asked to fill out an application or been scheduled for an interview. Montalvo also is said to be a candidate, but she declined comment.

The successful candidate may well have to embrace historic reforms in HPD operations if a number of key recommendations by Turner's transition team on criminal justice are followed.

The team recommended revisions of HPD's policies on body-worn cameras to allow for greater accessibility of that video by the public and by defense attorneys, as well as minimizing officer control over activation of those cameras.

Another recommendation calls for the decriminalization of certain misdemeanor offenses, including possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana, criminal mischief, petty theft, producing graffiti and driving with an invalid license. Instead of being booked into jail, defendants would be given a citation to appear in court and pay a fine.

Likewise, persons arrested by city police with small quantities of controlled substances - less than a gram - would be taken to the city's sobering center to be evaluated for referral to a drug treatment program, according to the recommendations.

One citizen's group, the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, recently delivered its endorsement of acting chief Montalvo in a private meeting with Turner.

"I would expect the mayor and City Council to deal (with chief selection) openly and transparently, to let the public give input," said Johnny Mata, the group's chairman. "You're not going to satisfy everybody, but the bottom line is it's been our experience when you go and get an executive search firm, they lack ... a diversity of candidates."

Disclose the finalists

C.O. "Brad" Bradford, a former City Council member and Houston police chief under two mayors, said he doesn't see a downside to Turner withholding the list of candidates as long as the finalists are disclosed after an appointment is made.

"Once the mayor nominates someone for council approval, then that's when the questions should start - what was the process used to nominate this person, and who the other candidates were," Bradford said.

"Now is not the time to do it.''

Bradford said that before he was appointed chief in 1997, then-Mayor Bob Lanier announced the names of 12 candidates from within HPD and four from outside the department who were vying for the position.

"I recall when 12 of us were competing, there were some nasty things that happened,'' he said.

The mayor's office said thereis no timetable for selecting a chief.
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CHICAGO - The hottest advance in cancer treatment in 50 years began changing Chris Bolton's life a year ago.

Bolton had come to Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for an experimental trial testing whether a new immunotherapy - the drug nivolumab - could enlist the body's defenses to attack advanced anal cancer as effectively as it has fought late-stage melanoma and lung cancer, two of the deadliest forms of the disease. Anal cancer that has spread to other organs is no less nasty.

Immediately and since, Bolton noticed the difference: She suddenly felt good again.

"On chemotherapy, I felt like I was dying of cancer," Bolton, 67, a retired corporate trainer from Atlanta, said in a telephone interview. "On nivolumab, I feel like I'm living with cancer."

Bolton is far from cured, but she represents one of the success stories in the trial, which was presented Sunday in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the world's largest gathering of oncologists and other cancer experts. For the third straight year, immunotherapy is the conference's big story.

Immunotherapy tantalized cancer researchers for more than half a century before M.D. Anderson scientist Jim Allison made a breakthrough. He discovered a natural brake that reins in the immune system from attacking healthy cells, then translated the finding into a drug, ipilimumab, that frees the brake so the system can go after cancer cells. Nivolumab releases a second brake subsequently found in the immune system.

The approach only works in certain patients, but in those it typically produces lasting results, something that almost never occurs with chemotherapy and radiation.

In all, 1,200 research papers on different kinds of immunotherapy are being presented at the conference, a sign of the field's explosion since 2011, when the Food and Drug Administration approved ipilimumab for stage four melanoma patients in whom chemo had failed. Now it's being tested on most every type of cancer.

"It's pretty telling," said Allison, chairman of immunology at M.D. Anderson. "For years, there was no interest in immunotherapy. Then after ipilimumab was approved, many people dismissed it because it was 'just melanoma.' Then there was lung cancer and kidney cancer and bladder cancer. Now, with so many more disease sites showing promise, it's being accepted as a paradigm of cancer treatment."

The most encouraging advance may involve gastrointestinal cancers, which collectively are among the disease's most lethal, by numbers and rates. Scientists presented research showing immunotherapy's promise against anal, colorectal, stomach and gastro-esophageal cancer.

Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor in M.D. Anderson's department of gastrointestinal medical oncology, said, "GI cancers represent one of the next fruitful areas for exploration of immunotherapy." He said doctors in the field are excited about the prospect, after decades of little success with chemotherapy.

Dr. Michael Overman, another M.D. Anderson gastrointestinal medical oncologist, presented data that showed one year into the trial, nivolumab alone has stopped a rare kind of colon cancer from progressing in nearly half of patients. Nivolumab and ipilimumab together shrunk tumors in 81 percent of the same population of patients six months into treatment.

Such patients comprise only 5 percent of colon cancer patients, but a small study published last year found immunotherapy benefited 17 percent of patients with the other type of colon cancer.

The trial in which Bolton participated is the first conducted in advanced anal cancer. Doctors currently treat the disease with chemotherapy, but no previous trial had ever established a standard-of-care regimen, and the average survival time with chemo is 17 months. Bolton curled into a fetal position for three days after the original oncologist who diagnosed her told her he'd seen some patients live as long as three years.

On nivolumab, Bolton's tumors have shrunk nearly 75 percent, considered a partial response. Of the trial's 37 patients, two had tumors that disappeared, seven had a partial response and 17 had stable disease.

"These findings represent an exciting step forward for patients with no standard of care," said Dr. Cathy Eng, an M.D. Anderson professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology and the study's principal investigator.
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CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Zoo's director on Monday defended the decision to kill a gorilla to protect a 4-year-old boy who entered its exhibit, saying it's easy to second-guess after the child was recovered safely.

The male western lowland gorilla named Harambe was killed Saturday by a special zoo response team that feared for the boy's safety. Video taken by zoo visitors showed the gorilla at times appeared to be protective of the boy but also dragged him through the shallow moat.

Director Thane Maynard said the gorilla was agitated and disoriented by the commotion during the 10 minutes after the boy fell. He said the gorilla could crush a coconut in one hand and there was no doubt that the boy's life was in danger.

"We stand by our decision," he said Monday, reiterating that using a tranquilizer on the 420-pound gorilla could have further threatened the boy because it wouldn't have taken effect immediately.

Maynard said an investigation indicates the boy climbed over a 3-foot-tall railing, then walked through an area of bushes about 4 feet deep before plunging some 15 feet into the moat. The boy was treated at a hospital and released that same day.

The director said the zoo remains safe for its 1.6 million or so annual visitors, but a review is underway for possible improvements.

Kim O'Connor, who witnessed the boy's fall, told WLWT-TV that she heard the youngster say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas. She said the boy's mother was with several other young children and told him no.

Anthony Seta, an animal rights activist in Cincinnati, helped organize a vigil Monday just outside the zoo gates. He said the gathering wasn't meant to assess blame but rather to honor Harambe, who turned 17 the day before he was shot.

"People can shout at the parents and people can shout at the zoo," Seta said. "The fact is that a gorilla that just celebrated his birthday has been killed."

The Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, where Harambe spent most of his life, said Monday that its staff was deeply saddened by the gorilla's death.

Harambe was sent to Cincinnati less than two years ago in hopes he would eventually breed with females there. Maynard said the zoo has some of Harambe's sperm saved for research and possible future reproductive use.

Many social media commenters have criticized the boy's parents and said they should be held accountable. A Cincinnati police spokesman said no charges were being considered. A spokeswoman for the family said Monday they had no plans to comment.
WASHINGTON  With temperatures rising over Donald Trump's recent attacks on an American-born judge of Mexican descent, a Hispanic congressman from Texas penned an open letter to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee Monday telling him to "take your border wall and shove it up your ass."

The three-page letter, released by U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, a Democrat from the border city of Brownsville, follows a week of growing controversy over Trump's assertion that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a California judge presiding over fraud lawsuits against Trump University, should recuse himself because of his "Mexican heritage."

Vela, the son of a federal judge, wrote that while he may agree with Trump on some points about the border and U.S. relations with Mexico, "your ignorant anti-immigration opinions, your border wall rhetoric, and your recent bigoted attack on an American jurist are just plain despicable."

The letter, written in both English and Spanish, ended on an undiplomatic note that Vela suggested could not be helped. Though saying he does not speak for all Americans of Mexican descent, Vela concluded: "I am sure that many of these individuals would agree with me when I say: 'Mr. Trump, you're a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ... .'"

A spokeswoman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request or comment.

Vela, who has served in Congress since 2013, is not known as a partisan flamethrower in the House. Though he is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he undertook the letter on his own after Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would support Trump.

"It's about the fact that you have a Republican presidential candidate, with the Republican House and Senate leadership supporting him, taking on an entire group of Americans who have a history of loyalty and doing a lot of great things for this country," Vela said in an interview Monday.

Vela's letter also comes a time of rising GOP angst over Trump's attacks on Hispanics, Muslims and other minorities, groups that have been targeted in Republican outreach efforts since the party's loss in the 2012 presidential election.

A recent tweet by former National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh urged fellow Republicans to distance themselves from a new Trump remark on Sunday questioning the impartiality of a hypothetical Muslim judge.

"I don't care if he's the nominee," Walsh said, "Republicans should loudly condemn this racist, nonsensical rhetoric by Trump."

Republican Senate leaders, including Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, all have fallen in line behind Trump in the name of defeating presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

However, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, criticized Trump's attack on Curiel. "I couldn't disagree more with a statement like that," he said. Cornyn told Capitol reporters Monday that Trump's attacks on Curiel were "wrong" and "a mistake."

Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who fought a bitter primary battle for the GOP presidential nomination against Trump, has held out so far against endorsing the maverick billionaire, questioning his conservative bona fides. He also has remained silent on Trump's attacks on Curiel. A spokesman for Cruz, who is of Cuban descent, said Monday he had no comment.

Other anti-Trump conservatives have been more outspoken about his most recent racial barbs. "You own his politics," wrote longtime GOP strategist Rick Wilson, a Trump critic, in a weekend column. "You own every crazy, vile chunk of word vomit that spews from his mouth. You own his racist bleatings about Mexicans and "his" African Americans."

Some notable Trump boosters also have joined in the criticism, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who called Trump's comments "inexcusable" on "Fox News Sunday."

A number of down-ballot GOP candidates also have sought to separate themselves from Trump, most notably New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is believed to be in a tough reelection contest.

Vela, however, said that Republicans leaders seem to be "having their cake and eating it too," by condemning Trump's arguably racist remarks while rallying around his White House bid.

"It's just so hard to imagine that a presidential candidate of a major party in the year 2016 would even think about talking about an American judge who happens to be of Mexican descent the Trump has," Vela said. "What have we come to?"

In his letter, Vela chronicled the contributions of U.S. soldiers of Mexican descent  many of them decorated  who have fought "in every conflict since the Civil War."

He also recounted some personal history for Trump: "Before you dismiss me as just another 'Mexican,' let me point out that my great-great grandfather came to this country in 1857, well before your own grandfather His great-grandson, my father, served in the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, was one of the first 'Mexican' federal judges ever appointed to the federal bench."

In an interview, Vela said he hoped his vulgar insult  however justified  would not obscure the underlying message of his letter.

"There's a whole lot more to my position than the last sentence," he said. "I know the last sentence is on the edge. But when I'm back home, I run into people on the street and they're looking for those of us who represent them in Washington to speak out on their behalf against Trump's inflammatory rhetoric. It's one of those things where you have to fight fire with fire."
WASHINGTON  President Barack Obama, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him, is now ready to aggressively campaign for Hillary Clinton, starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week.

The White House is in active conversations with Clinton's campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her, according to senior aides to Obama.

Advisers say that the president, who sees a Democratic successor as critical to his legacy, is impatient to begin campaigning. They say he is taking nothing for granted.

"I want us to run scared the whole time," Obama told a group of donors Friday night in Miami.

It has been decades since a second-term president enjoyed the popularity to make him a potent force on the campaign trail and also an invitation from the candidate running to succeed him to be a major presence there.

Obama's approval rating was at 50 percent in this month's New York Times/CBS poll, and strategists close to Clinton said they would be eager to have his participation as the general election unfolds. (In contrast, President George W. Bush's approval rating was at 20 percent in a Gallup poll just before the November 2008 election, and he rarely appeared that year with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee.)

Obama is particularly enthusiastic, aides said, about taking on Donald Trump. The Republican candidate has personally offended the president with his conduct on the campaign trail  Trump referred to a black supporter on Friday in one of his crowds as "my African-American"  and as the most visible champion of the "birther" conspiracy theories that falsely hold that Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii.

Should Clinton do well enough in the primaries Tuesday to give her sufficient delegates to claim the Democratic nomination, Obama is likely to move swiftly to make a case for her.

"He has indicated he wants to spend a lot of time on the campaign trail, so when it's time to do that, we'll go out guns ablazing," Jennifer Psaki, Obama's communications director, said in an interview. "We are actively thinking through how to use the president on the campaign trail  what works for the nominee, what works for him, and how to utilize his strengths and his appeal."

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, said that Clinton hoped to earn Obama's endorsement and his active participation in the campaign during the summer and fall.

"There's no one better to lay out the two paths voters will face in the fall elections," Palmieri said, "and he is particularly strong at making the economic argument for her."

Advisers to Obama and Clinton believe that the president, who ran against Clinton in a sometimes nasty primary in 2008, can be a persuasive voice for voters who may find her difficult to relate to or who have supported the more liberal stances of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"As former opponents, they have an amazing story," Palmieri said, adding that it would be "hard to imagine a more convincing advocate for her."

The White House argues that Obama could help Clinton appeal to independent voters  particularly suburban independent women  in the Midwest, notably its northern stretch including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Obama won all three states in 2012 in part by painting Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, as a corporate raider who would shut down factories and move jobs overseas.

Officials in the White House and close to Clinton's team point to the president's appeal to African-American and young voters  groups who favor him more than her  as helpful to turning those groups out for her in November. African-American and young voters will play a crucial role, the aides said, in battlegrounds such as Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Obama won all four states in 2012.

The process comes after months of more informal contact between the White House and the Clinton and Sanders campaigns and is still in its early stages. Advisers to Obama, speaking on the condition of anonymity about his plans because Clinton has yet to secure the Democratic nomination, said the president had not begun drafting his address for next month's Democratic National Convention or finalized any particular campaign itinerary.

The first look at Obama's campaign for Clinton came this past Wednesday, when he used a speech in Elkhart, Indiana  the first U.S. city he visited as president in 2009  to lay out an argument against the Republican economic agenda and, without naming him, an indictment of Trump.

Obama signaled that day that he would soon throw his full support behind Clinton. He said Tuesday's primary contests, including California and New Jersey, would yield a "pretty good sense of who the nominee will end up being."

"He's been very respectful of both of them and careful not to put his thumb on the scale, but at some point, the verdict is the verdict, and that point is almost certainly Tuesday, which is what he was saying," said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama's presidential campaign and at the White House. "I expect that he'll be a force for trying to move this process along so the party can consolidate and unify."

White House and Clinton campaign officials declined to pinpoint any timing for an endorsement. But Obama has scheduled a trip to New York on Wednesday to attend Democratic fundraisers, placing him near Clinton's Brooklyn campaign headquarters the day after Tuesday's balloting.

Pete Brodnitz, a veteran Democratic pollster, said Obama's position and popularity makes him ideally suited to counter Trump's message of economic anxiety. But he cautioned that the president's approval rating, and his effectiveness on Clinton's behalf, could plunge if he engages in a bitter, personal back-and-forth with the Republican nominee.

"No one really rewards politicians fighting each other in a general election," Brodnitz said. "The party is full of attack dogs. I think the president is the one person who does not need to be an attack dog if he can make people feel just a little bit better about our economic future."

Clinton's advisers believe that Obama himself is the most powerful voice they can have driving home her argument that Trump is unfit to be president.

"There are only five people on the planet who understand the demands of the presidency in all its aspects, and as such, he has concerns not just about Trump's policies  although those are big  but about whether he can meet the demands of the office," Axelrod said. "The best role that he can play is to be the guy who provides reality checks, but more importantly focuses people on the stakes of this election and the stark differences between the candidates."



Obama's regular presence on the campaign trail could have some downsides. Ed Rollins, who ran Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign in 1984, said Clinton could be overshadowed by the kind of charisma that Obama showed on the stump in 2008 and 2012.

"She's tired," said Rollins, who is supporting a super PAC backing Trump. "She's not a very good candidate. There's a high risk there of her getting overshadowed."
The following are excerpts from reports generated by the Houston Police Department:

Otis W. Tripp, 83, of 20061 Highway CC at Licking, was cited for failure to yield right of way after a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 63 at about 2:15 p.m. June 3.

Patrick A. Dodson, 35, of 309 S. Second St. in Houston, was issued a citation for stealing under $500 after allegedly shoplifting a bottle of whiskey from Walmart on May 28.

Michael G. Jacobs, 37, of 14766 Walnut Grove Road in Bucyrus, was issued citations for driving with a suspended license, displaying the plates of another and failure to exhibit an insurance card after a traffic stop on Lilly Avenue at about 3 p.m. May 28.

Jackson C. Morgan, 39, of 112 N. Grand Ave., Apt. 101, in Houston, was cited for trespassing on May 17 after going to a mans apartment at the Houston Housing Authority complex where he had been previously banned.

Bethany L. Bilderback, 23, of 18440 Wren Road at Licking, was cited for driving while intoxicated, speeding and possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop on U.S. 63 at about 1:40 a.m. May 28.

Ashley N. Barton, 26, of 403 N. Grand Ave., Apt. 2, in Houston, was cited for stealing under $500 after allegedly shoplifting from Walmart on June 1.

Anthony D. Long, 34, of 614 N. Second St. in Houston, was cited for driving with a suspended license after a traffic stop on Second Street at about 2:30 p.m. May 29.

Stacy E. Bynum Jr., 25, of 510 W. Chestnut St., Apt. 2, in Houston, was issued citations for driving with a suspended license and speeding after a traffic stop on Lilly Avenue at about 9 p.m. May 28.

A 49-year-old Houston man reported May 28 that an air compressor had been stolen from a garage at his King Street residence.

A 54-year-old woman reported on May 8 that an air conditioner and a cooler with a total value of $270 had been swiped from a Fourth Street residence. There are no suspects.

Joshua J. Hebblethwaite, 29, of 249 Kelly Road at Raymondville, was cited for failure to register a motor vehicle after a traffic stop on U.S. 63 at about 9 p.m. June 3.

Christopher M. Belcher, 29, of 205 Orchard St. in Raymondville, was cited for peace disturbance after an incident at a Dooley Street residence at about 7:10 p.m. May 29.

Philip P. Benson, 36, of 820 Dooley St. in Houston, was cited for driving while revoked after a traffic stop on Dooley Street at about 6:45 p.m. May 29.
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We Canadians have been quietly congratulating ourselves about how our economy has outperformed the U.S. in recent years. We were immune to the worst of the financial crash, avoided the U.S.s housing bubble and even the oil crash hasnt hurt as much as some feared.

But maybe we should stop comparing ourselves to the U.S., and start comparing ourselves to another country whose economy is a lot like ours  but who has been kicking our pants, economically, for years.

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That country would be Australia.

Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter has been calling Oz the Lucky Country for its impressive ability to grow through thick and thin.

Australia has not been in a recession for more than 25 years now, a world record, Porter wrote in a recent client note.

That's right, the last time Australia had a recession, Vanilla Ice was topping the charts and the Soviet Union was still a year away from dissolution.

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Since the start of the century, Australia has averaged 3 per cent economic growth per year, compared to 1.9 per cent in Canada and 1.8 per cent in the U.S., Porter noted.

In those 25 recession-free years, there have been only three quarters when Australias economy shrank.

Meanwhile, if Canadas economy shrinks this quarter  as economists now largely expect  that will be the third quarter of shrinkage for Canada just since last year, Porter noted.

Similar economy, similar problems

Australias economy parallels Canadas in many ways, particularly its reliance on commodity exports (iron ore in Australias case). And in both cases, the downturn in commodity prices has hurt, but hasn't thrown these countries entirely off course.

Maybe the more notable parallel to Canada is Australia's overheated, super-expensive housing market. In Australia as in Canada, there is a lot of talk about how much foreign (mainly Chinese) investors are responsible for the price run-up.

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Those high house prices have made Australians, like Canadians, among the most indebted people in the world. And in both countries, many observers fear that huge debt could lead to an economic crisis.

When the OECD last week warned Canada to get a handle on out-of-control house prices, it gave Australia an even harsher warning: Its house prices are likely about to experience a dramatic crash, the international agency said.

But, like in Canada, Australias housing market keeps defying predictions of doom. The countrys two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, keep seeing double-digit house price growth, similar in scale to Toronto and Vancouver.

Australia's average house price now stands at the equivalent of C$550,000, compared to $508,000 in Canada.

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So when Canadians compare themselves to another country (as we like to do), at least on economic issues, maybe we should be looking at Australia instead of the U.S.

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Wood Buffalo council is facing the difficult decision of whether or not some Fort McMurray, Alta. neighbourhoods can, or should, be rebuilt.

Ten per cent of the northern Alberta city was destroyed after out-of-control wildfires swept through last month. And it's beginning to look like if some of the worst-hit communities will ever rebuild, they'll have to do so elsewhere.

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Residents of the southeast Fort McMurray community of Waterways will be allowed to briefly visit their destroyed homes beginning Wednesday, but there has been no date set for when reconstruction will be allowed.

Ninety per cent of homes in the neighbourhood were lost. The city is mulling whether it should be rebuilt  not because of wildfire risk, but of flooding.

"It's not a question of if it will flood, but when."

Waterways sits on a floodway along the Clearwater River. When the provincial government enacted a bill that prevented building in floodways, the Fort McMurray neighbourhood (and most of the city) was exempt as the area was considered a pre-existing development.

The community has flooded a number of times over the years, most recently in 2013.

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Mayor Melissa Blake says the city will consult with residents to decide whether or not Waterways should be rebuilt.

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For those who have lost their homes, it may be easier financially and logistically to relocate, which I know adds to the tragedy of leaving your neighbourhood after losing your home," Blake told Fort McMurray today.

A child's toy car remains among the destroyed buildings in Waterways, Fort McMurray. (Photo: Brad Readman/Alberta Fire Fighters Association/Handout via Reuters)

The discussion has divided some residents from the area, including Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean.

Jean has lived in Waterways for years and has already applied with the city to rebuild his home, this time with more fireproofing.

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"Well rebuild a more beautiful city," Jean said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Some residents say even though it will be hard, rebuilding elsewhere may be the right decision.

"For Waterways, it makes sense not to rebuild on a flood plain... It's not a question of if it will flood, it's a matter of when," wrote one former Fort McMurray resident on a Facebook thread about the proposal.

The 2013 Fort McMurray flood has some questioning if all of the city's neighbourhoods should be rebuilt after the wildfires. (Photo: MAviation/Twitter)

Other hard-hit neighbourhoods in the region are currently in limbo, as environmental testing has found high levels of toxins, ash and debris.

In the heavily damaged neighbourhoods of Waterways, Abasand and Beacon Hill, testing has confirmed contaminants in the ash are at levels that make these neighbourhoods unsafe for occupation until debris can be cleared," Dr. Karen Grimsrud, Alberta's chief officer of medical health, in a statement on Friday.

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The city has yet to decide on the fate of its communities.

We need to understand whether its even remotely possible that people could live a healthy, non-toxic life (in these communities)," said Blake in an interview with YMMmatters.

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Not all heroes wear capes.

But anyone who wears a hot dog costume to a princess-themed dance class is most certainly a hero.

That's precisely what 5-year-old Ainsley of North Carolina did. Rather than follow the crowd during princess week, she wore her favourite costume to her Holly Springs School of Dance class, according to Today.

It was princess day at dance and one little girl came as a hot dog I have never admired someone more pic.twitter.com/iro5mL2Bvc  Grayson Lamontagne (@graysonl3) May 9, 2016

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Atlhough photos of Ainsley in her majestic outfit were originally posted in May, they began making the rounds again this weekend.

A BuzzFeed story hailed the girl as the "hero of our modern time," while Comedy Central put her in several Disney scenes.

In a world full of princesses, dare to be a hot dog  #hotdogprincesspic.twitter.com/6AHywcjopL  Jillian Ackerman (@JillianAckerman) June 3, 2016

"She loves princesses, but she wanted to be original and wear a hot dog costume instead, her teacher Sarah Nativi told the website. "She wore a princess costume underneath it and said she was a princess on the inside!"

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The hashtag #HotDogPrincess also took off on Twitter, with many expressing their admiration for Ainsley.

Be the #hotdogprincess you want to see in the world.  badass superstar (@call_me_mitzi) June 4, 2016

Welp, now I want to be a #hotdogprincess. Love little ones who know who they are and embrace it.  Marissa Rodriguez (@MarissaRodz) June 3, 2016

Ainsley's father Brandon Turner said last week that wearing the hot dog costume to class was her idea.

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No parent is ready to learn that their daughter is trending... #hotdogprincess Best part is it was all her idea! pic.twitter.com/YBmUkRoj4y  Brandon E Turner (@turnerbrandon) June 2, 2016

What a champion.

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Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

John Oliver delivered a powerful takedown of the debt industry in Sunday night's episode of "Last Week Tonight."

And he capped it all off by buying, and then forgiving the debts of thousands of people.

In the 20-minute rant (every minute of which is worth watching), Oliver talked about how debtors borrow money from banks and payday loan companies, only for that debt to be "sold off and sold off" to other companies.

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He then forcefully attacked debt collection agencies, which have been known to use abusive tactics to get their clients' money back ("You're just a loser, why don't you just go jump in front of a train," one collector is heard saying on a phone call).

But Oliver doesn't just stop at attacking the industry. He does something about the problem.

Toward the end of the rant he explains that he had little trouble setting up a company called Central Asset Recovery Professionals (CARP), and then buying almost US$15 million worth of medical debt of almost 9,000 people  for under $60,000.

But instead of collecting the debt, he forgave it on television  and made TV history, surpassing Oprah's $8 million car giveaway to her audience in a particularly memorable episode.

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If that's all it takes, maybe people can just pool money together and buy their own debt back from the lenders.

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Animals have appeared on the witness stand before, but it would still be odd to see one man's parrot testify.

Martin Duram's parents believe that his African grey parrot Bud was in the room when the Michigan man was murdered last year, largely because of words the bird repeated in a video they took weeks later, they told WOOD-TV.

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The 46-year-old, who lived in the area of Sand Lake, Mich., was shot five times and killed in his home last May, according to MLive. His wife Glenna Duram was also shot in the head, but survived.

In video that you can see above, Bud can be heard saying what sounds like "Don't f---ing shoot" and then speaking rapidly in two different tones of voice.

Charles and Lillian Duram told WOOD-TV they think Bud was imitating their son and his wife.

That bird picks up everything and anything, and its got the filthiest mouth around, said Lillian.

Martin's ex-wife now owns Bud and told The Washington Post that he frequently mimics the sound of a man and woman bickering.

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Im hearing two people in an intense argument, said Christina Keller.

Two people that I know, voices that I recognize. She said she thinks the "don't shoot" comment was her ex-husband's last.

Wife has been identified as a suspect

Police concluded after the May 2015 shootings that there were no apparent signs of a break-in, according to MLive.

Reports obtained by the outlet also say Glenna often made comments about killing her husband or waiting for him to die. Martin had became disabled many years ago due to a traumatic brain injury.

His daughter Jessica told the outlet back in January she'd made up her mind that his wife was the culprit, but prosecutor Robert Springstead said he wasn't jumping to conclusions.

"I work on evidence and things I can prove, not gut feelings and hunches."

WOOD-TV reports that Glenna has been identified as a suspect, and Springstead told the station he will likely decide in the next couple of weeks whether or not to file charges. She denied a role in an interview with police.

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Martin Duram's parents open up about his parrot's role in their son's murder investigation.

It's hard to know whether Bud could be a witness, but as two law experts told Atlas Obscura, it's pretty unlikely.

Not only could a parrot not be called to testify because it's not a person, Animal Legal Defense Fund's Matthew Liebman told the website, but in many U.S. states you also have to prove and then take an oath that the bird can tell right from wrong.

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Prince Harry, you've officially been thrown shade at. By a 91-year-old war veteran. For not wearing a tie. Oh snap!

Last week, the 31-year-old royal attended a reception near Portsmouth, England to honour a group of British Second World War veterans who took part in the D-Day Allied invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France, which helped lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

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Prince Henry of Wales, who served in the British military himself, showed up to the event wearing a suit, yet no tie. And for that, Ivor Anderson, a 91-year-old sapper in the 591 Para Squadron Royal Engineers, jokingly told Harry off.

"Wheres your bloody tie?" Anderson said to the prince as he approached him.

"I was told not to wear a tie and then you all turn up wearing ties, I feel under-dressed," Harry, who wore a navy blue suit and open-necked shirt, told the 45 veterans in the room, as you can watch in the video above.

OH HARRY!

According to The Telegraph, as soon as Harry walked into the event, he realized he got the dress code totally wrong.

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"Are they all wearing ties in there? I should have worn a tie. Oh well, its too late now," the prince, who is fifth in line for the throne, said.

And Anderson was willing to help out Harry, telling him he had an extra tie if he wanted to borrow it.

"I told him he should wear a bloody tie. I said I had a spare one; he said he couldnt wear mine because he didnt have his wings," Anderson told The Telegraph.

Prince Harry gained his wings as a captain in the British Army. He retired last year following 10 years of service and two tours of duty on the front line of Afghanistan.

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From us to you, Prince Harry, if we could give you one piece of advice, it's this: it's always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Trust us.

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Some of Canadas top bankers are so worried the housing market has grown out of control that they are urging the government to make it harder for them to lend out mortgages.

But critics say the bankers proposal to end five-per-cent minimum down payments on insured mortgages wouldnt cool off the heated housing market  it would only delay young peoples' dreams of getting a foothold on the property ladder.

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Both the CEOs of Scotiabank and National Bank have come out in favour of raising the minimum down payment for home purchases.

For the longest time, we had minimum 10 per cent cash down and we had 25-year maximum amortization and that worked very well," National Bank CEO Louis Vachon told Bloomberg last week.

I think over a period of time thats where we need to gravitate back to."

The federal Liberals already tightened mortgage rules recently, limiting the five-per-cent down payment for insured mortgages to loans below $500,000. For any part of an insured mortgage above $500,000, the borrower has to pay 10 per cent down.

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Economists largely agree the rules have had little impact on the market so far.

'Devastating impact'

But some mortgage experts fear further tightening of down payment rules would backfire.

Were regulators to heed these bankers, it would force untold thousands of young Canadians to rent (or keep their parents company) significantly longer, mortgage expert Robert McLister wrote.

Today, the number one reason young Canadians dont buy homes sooner is the current equity requirements. Over two-thirds of CMHC insured buyers, for example, can only scrounge up 5 per cent to 9.99 per cent down payments.

McLister added: "When hearing bank bigwigs opine on down payments, one has to wonder how long its been since they were first-time homebuyers."

Dustan Woodhouse, a broker with Dominion Lending Centres, says raising the minimum down payment would cool the wrong part of the housing market  the lower end where young homeowners make purchases, instead of the high end that has seen wild price growth recently.

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A down payment hike "would have zero impact on average home prices, zero impact on the market as a whole, but a devastating impact on a few hundred, perhaps even a few thousand families that cant afford the higher down payment, he told Mortgage Broker News.

Were regulators to heed these bankers, it would force untold thousands of young Canadians to rent (or keep their parents company) significantly longer."  Robert McLister, mortgage expert

Some experts have suggested that government policy target the high end of the market, such as with a luxury tax on high-price properties, not unlike what British Columbia has introduced.

According to a report at Global News, the federal government is looking into the possibility of such a tax.

Taking foot off the gas

Scotiabank isnt waiting for government intervention, and has cut back on its own lending in Canadas residential mortgage market.

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Were a little concerned about housing prices in the Greater Vancouver area and Toronto," Scotia CEO Brian Porter told Bloomberg TV Canada last week.

We just took our foot off the gas the last couple quarters in terms of mortgage growth for the reasons I cited, in terms of Vancouver and Toronto."

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Conservatives are pouncing on a 2012 policy paper in which Stephane Dion calls for a national referendum on electoral reform, and are proclaiming hypocrisy on the part of the minister of foreign affairs whose government has so far ruled out such a step.

Four years ago, Dion advocated a change to proportional representation in a 15-page document for the Federal News, entitled "Which Voting System is Best for Canada?" At one point in the piece, he briefly mentioned unsuccessful electoral reform referendums at the provincial level.

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Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 6, 2016. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

"Precedent makes holding a referendum necessary in Canada: changing the voting system would require popular support," Dion wrote at the time.

On Monday morning, veteran Tory MP Jason Kenney and other supporters gleefully tweeted a blog post on Dion's old remarks and said that they agreed with the minister.

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In question period, interim Opposition Leader Rona Ambrose cited Dions paper while again calling for the Liberals to hold a referendum.

Ambrose to Trudeau: Listen to your minister

"If the prime minister will not listen to Canadians on this, will he at least listen to his minister and give Canadians a referendum?" she asked Trudeau.

Trudeau deflected the question by pointing to the Tories controversial Fair Elections Act. The previous Conservative government, he said, "changed our electoral processes as a way of barring, unfortunately, many people from being able to vote." He added that Liberals are committed to hearing from all voices in this new process.

In a speech Dion gave to Fair Vote Canada just a month after the paper was published, he mentions that changing the voting system is "not an easy task" and suggests that a referendum would not pass at that time due to a lack of understanding by Canadians of the various options.

Ex-chief electoral officer weighs in

While Tories keep hammering away on the issue, some are saying the referendum question is irrelevant.

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Jean-Pierre Kinsley, the former chief electoral officer, has recently stated that electoral reform does not meet l the requirements for holding a national referendum under existing rules.

"You can only hold a federal referendum in Canada on a constitutional matter. And changing the electoral system is not a constitutional matter," Kingsley told Global News' Tom Clark.

That was much the same message Green Party Leader Elizabeth May delivered in the House of Commons last week. May accused Tories of not being familiar with the Referendum Act of 1992.

"I want to ask the prime minister if he agrees with me that it appears that our friends in the Conservative Party are not interested in a referendum or they would have looked at the act," May said. "They are interested in stopping Canadians from getting what we voted for as a majority  a fair voting system."

Dion could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is evidently not worried that his government's assisted dying legislation could be unconstitutional, despite warnings from the Senate Liberal leader, a renowned legal expert, and a family behind last year's landmark Supreme Court ruling.

Trudeau faced a grilling from New Democrats in question period Monday after the federal government failed to meet the Supreme Court's June 6 deadline to have a new law in place.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 6, 2016. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The Liberals' Bill C-14 is currently before the Senate, where questions are being raised about restrictions that essentially make physician-assisted death available only for suffering Canadians who are at death's door.

Senate Liberal Leader James Cowan told The Huffington Post Canada last week the bill fails to meet the standard of the top court's Carter decision  which stated consenting adults have the right to assisted death if they suffer from "grievous and irremediable" medical conditions that cause them unbearable suffering.

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Cowan told HuffPost he believes the bill is unconstitutional.

NDP MP Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet was quick to relay the Senate Liberal leader's concerns in the House of Commons, and urged Trudeau to "listen to James Cowan and work on getting (C-14) right the first time."

PM lauds Senate reform efforts

The prime minister replied that Boutin-Sweet's remarks show his government's efforts to reform the Senate and make it a less partisan place have worked.

"There is no better example than the NDP highlighting the great work the Senate is doing weighing in on important pieces of legislation," Trudeau said.

The prime minister added that he looked forward to hearing what "independent voices" have to say about the bill. Boutin-Sweet called on the Liberal government to amend the legislation, saying warnings about its constitutionality have already come in from "all quarters."

Trudeau tries to deflect expert criticism

NDP justice critic Murray Rankin focused his remarks on Peter Hogg, a renowned constitutional scholar who told a Senate committee Monday that C-14 is simply "not consistent" with the top court's decision. He added that it will "undoubtedly" be struck down.

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Hogg told the Senate the government cannot exclude a group of people confirmed by the country's highest court to have these Charter rights, Rankin said

"Will Liberals finally respect the Charter and announce they're willing to fix this bill?" Rankin asked.

Trudeau said that Liberals took a "big step" in the history of Canada, and were able to strike a balance between protecting the vulnerable and upholding rights and freedoms.

"We allowed and encouraged a free vote in the House of Commons," Trudeau said. He said it was "disappointing" the NDP didn't allow themselves to vote freely on the issue.

"The Liberals' stubborn refusal to listen to experts and work with the opposition will mean, Mr. Speaker, suffering Canadians spending years in court defending rights they've already won."  Murray Rankin

That quip rankled New Democrats, who maintain their votes weren't whipped even though all the party's MPs voted against C-14. NDP House leader Peter Julian tried unsuccessfully to have Trudeau correct the record after question period.

"The Liberals' stubborn refusal to listen to experts and work with the opposition will mean, Mr. Speaker, suffering Canadians spending years in court defending rights they've already won," Rankin said.

Kay Carter's family 'betrayed'

The NDP critic then turned to comments from the family of Kay Carter, the 89-year-old woman who travelled to Switzerland in 2010 to end a life that was debilitated by spinal stenosis.

Carter's family told reporters in Vancouver they feel "betrayed" by C-14.

"We are ensuring that this big step that Canada is taking  despite people who think it goes too far, others who think it's not going far enough  is done the right way," Trudeau said.

Rankin said if Liberals really disagree with "Canada's foremost constitutional scholar" and the Alberta Court of Appeal that just last month ruled that feds weren't complying with the Supreme Court's ruling, they ought to table the government's legal opinion.

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"So Canadians can judge for themselves," Rankin said.

With a file from Althia Raj, The Canadian Press

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Pali Rao via Getty Images selective focus image of cigarettes against plain background

In an effort to reduce tobacco consumption, the Canadian government is considering the adoption of plain packaging requirements for tobacco products because it was supposed to be effective in Australia. Reducing smoking rates and preventing youth access to tobacco is a goal with widespread support, including from Canada's convenience store retailers.

However, a closer look at what occurred in Australia when plain packaging was introduced results in more questions than answers as to how this would meaningfully impact tobacco consumption in Canada.

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Tobacco consumption in Canada is at an all-time low, thanks in no small part to the work of convenience stores in providing controlled, regulated sale of these products across the country. Our retailers follow Canada's tobacco control measures and act as gatekeepers to age-restricted products such as tobacco, lottery and alcohol -- and this is a responsibility that we take very seriously.

At home, Canada already has a variety of measures designed to help control the sale and reduce the consumption of tobacco, especially among youth. For example, all tobacco products sold in Canada must be kept behind display flaps so they cannot be viewed by consumers (especially youth); it is illegal for these products to be advertised or marketed in our stores; graphic warning labels that depict the dangers of tobacco consumption for buyers make up 75 per cent of existing tobacco packaging space; consumers are asked for proof of age when purchasing cigarettes; and finally, tobacco products have been heavily taxed in Canada as a means to encourage reduced consumption.

All of these requirements are complemented by intensive training on age-testing and product handling for convenience store staff.

Advocates for plain packaging in Canada suggest that these measures are not enough, and that eliminating the already limited branding of cigarettes (the remaining 25 per cent of a package) will further curb tobacco use in Canada. Evidence from Australia -- the only other country in the world to implement plain packaging -- suggests otherwise.

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Australian customers also began openly asking retailers where they could purchase cheaper tobacco, including from illegal sources.

Our retail counterparts in Australia describe the post-plain packaging era as a race to the bottom. After this measure was introduced, customers began purchasing and consuming cheaper cigarettes in higher quantities, with reports indicating an increase of as much as 50 per cent in these products. Australian customers also began openly asking retailers where they could purchase cheaper tobacco, including from illegal sources.

This demand was met by a burgeoning contraband market and according to a study from KPMG -- consumption of illicit tobacco products in Australia went from 11.5 per cent in 2012 to 14.3 per cent in June 2014.

In assessing the effectiveness of this Australian policy for Canada, one also needs to consider the fact that measures such as display bans were introduced in Australia only a couple of years prior to plain packaging, making it difficult to evaluate their solitary effectiveness in reducing tobacco consumption (display bans have been around in Canada since 2003).

Meanwhile, other measures including graphic warning labels (such as those in Canada) were not present on tobacco products in Australia to the extent they are in Canada prior to plain packaging (graphic warning labels in Australia occupied only 33.33 per cent of packages before plain packaging regulation was introduced).

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Even so, the restrictions implemented in Australia have resulted in no meaningful decrease in already downwardly trending tobacco consumption rates -- and virtually no impact whatsoever in youth consumption rates in particular. Can Canada expect plain packaging regulation to offer any real improvements to smoking rates? The answer is that it is highly unlikely.

In light of the Canadian government's value of evidence-based decision-making, we should strongly consider the real evidence coming from Australia in evaluating the efficacy of this policy. Canada is not Australia. We need a solution that is tailored for us -- not a blind adoption of another country's ineffective policy.

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Jean-Pierre Lescourret via Getty Images Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, Europe

By Craig and Marc Kielburger

If you really want to rile up a Canadian, threaten to take away their library.

Craig got his first taste of activism speaking out to save our local library. We've noticed ever since then that when provinces and cities experience a budget crunch, libraries are often first on the chopping block. Yet invariably, citizen rise up to protect them from extinction.

Newfoundland's plan to shutter more than half its public libraries sparked a recent protest by thousands at the provincial legislature. Comedian and commentator Rick Mercer lambasted the government with one of his trademark rants.

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Libraries are so much more than just repositories for books.

When the town council of McNab-Braeside, a rural community near Ottawa, decided to cancel an arrangement that gave residents free access to the library in the neighbouring town of Arnprior, almost a third of the entire township signed a petition in protest. Then they voted out all five councillors in the next election.

In the age of e-readers, search engines and Wikipedia, why do Canadians still cling so tenaciously to these seemingly archaic institutions? Because libraries are so much more than just repositories for books.

Canada's libraries are vital community hubs with an ever-growing range of beneficial programs and services. Perhaps more relevant today than ever before, they are community institutions worth fighting for.

In McNab-Braeside, resident Brian Armisen tells us he couldn't imagine his community without the variety of services the Arnprior library offers. Armisen helped launch the campaign to save the library, and now serves as deputy mayor. Beyond free Wi-Fi and access to computers, there is a daytime storytelling program for preschoolers that not only promotes early childhood literacy, but provides a coveted social opportunity for stay-at-home moms and dads. A partnership with the town museum introduces school groups to local history.

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There's a wealth of services and programs at Canadian libraries, like first aid and child health classes, financial literacy, and support for new Canadians such as English language programs, says Sandra Singh, chief librarian of the Vancouver Public Library and president of the Canadian Libraries Association.

With electronic media replacing books as the primary way information is shared in our society, libraries are at the forefront of digital technology. Whether you're a high school student keen on software coding or a senior who just wants to learn to use email to talk to your grandkids, your local library likely has a course to help you.

The newly upgraded Halifax Central Library boasts music recording studios with free access to digital sound editing equipment. Last summer, the Vancouver Central Library opened its "Inspiration Lab" featuring computers with the latest in video, audio and publishing software and gadgets. Visitors to the Toronto Reference Library can use 3D printers.

As urban communities sprawl and public spaces dwindle, Singh argues that libraries fill an increasingly needed role as community hubs. Many now feature cafes and auditoriums. The Arnprior institution has bookshelves that roll aside to make room for concerts and speaking events throughout the year.

"Libraries are about the only free public spaces left in our society where you're not a consumer, pressured to buy something," says Singh.

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Perhaps most importantly, libraries provide their programs and services to those who are often marginalized or can't afford to go elsewhere for enrichment. And it's not just knowledge that libraries give to those in need. A pioneer of the sharing economy, the library lending model is expanding to create greater community access to other useful things through innovative initiatives like toy and tool libraries. We agree with Singh that libraries really are a tremendous equalizing force.

When was the last time you or your kids visited a local library to see what it has to offer? You might be surprised to discover that, far from being a community dinosaur, it's the coolest place in town.

Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger founded a platform for social change that includes the international charity, Free The Children, the social enterprise, Me to We, and the youth empowerment movement, We Day. Visit we.org for more information.

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Steve Russell via Getty Images TORONTO, ON- MARCH 22: The Toronto sign by the reflecting pool in Nathan Phillips Square is turned off for the night in memory of former mayor and sitting councillor Rob Ford who died earlier in the day of a rare form of cancer at City Hall in Toronto. March 22, 2016. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Written by Amy Terrill, Executive Vice President at Music Canada.

Mayor John Tory may soon have some competition. A vote by Toronto's Economic Development Committee has sent Toronto staff off to study the potential addition of a night mayor into the city's cadre of public officials. This is just the latest in a series of decisions as Toronto endeavours to refine its image as a Music City and its interactions with actors in Toronto's internationally-recognized music scene.

So just what is a night mayor and does Toronto need one?

Amsterdam stakes the claim as the first city with a night mayor, which was originally established as a volunteer position in 2003. In 2012, Mirik Milan accepted the position and immediately established a not-for-profit in order to enhance the authority of the position.

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The night mayor of Amsterdam is funded equally by a grant from the city and contributions from local night clubs. Milan insists this gives him the independence to advocate to City Hall but the confidence that there will always be an open door for him at the Mayor's office.

Not unlike Amsterdam, Toronto has a vibrant nightlife that occasionally comes into conflict with local residents.

The Amsterdam night mayor is dedicated to ensuring there is a dynamic nightlife, and to act as a bridge between the municipality, small nightlife businesses, and residents. Milan suggests that municipal governments are more likely to shut something down if it draws the ire of residents, whereas his office offers an opportunity for mediation and solutions. In his experience he has helped the municipality say "yes," rather than "no."

Milan can recount numerous achievements: 24-hour licenses for venues outside of the core of the city thereby dispersing the crowds exiting nightclubs over a longer period of time reducing ill effects; greater use of multidisciplinary programming in venues which involves a larger cross-section of the community; and, a pilot project for the public square that employs many fan engagement tools that are normally seen at festivals.

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Not unlike Amsterdam, Toronto has a vibrant nightlife that occasionally comes into conflict with local residents. But there are a few things distinguishing Toronto.

Firstly, Toronto has a Music Advisory Council (TMAC) populated by volunteers from the music community, including club owners, as well as six city councillors and two staff. TMAC provides advice to Toronto City Council through the Economic Development Committee. Among its responsibilities: to provide advice on "strategies and long term plans to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of Toronto for live music performances and sound recording", and "engaging the businesses and business associations, community organizations, individuals, and the public to engender support for the music industry."

Toronto has a comprehensive music strategy that was developed by TMAC and adopted by City Council. This strategy even describes the role of numerous departments in ensuring "a regulatory framework that allows a diverse range of music creators and businesses to flourish throughout Toronto."

And while TMAC is populated by volunteers who may not monitor issues full time like a night mayor, Toronto does have a full time Music Development Officer who actively acts as a mediator between the music community from whence he first came, and City Hall, his new office, as well as neighbourhood associations.

Together, TMAC and the Music Development Officer have the authority to connect City Hall to the music community and residents of Toronto, and to identify issues and solutions and bring them forward for legislative action. And it is worth noting that Mayor John Tory and several key members of Toronto's City Council have championed Toronto as a Music City and demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating a music-friendly and musician-friendly environment.

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A night mayor is certainly a growing trend, but with a many-layered approach already in place in Toronto, this may be a trend we can resist.

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Dread and despair, uncertainty and panic ebb and flow around thoughts of my medical career.

Most days clamour with stories of clinics closing, physicians leaving and patients dying on waitlists -- all flatly ignored by provincial leaders.

Some days, I even want to quit. After only six years of independent practice, I'm burning out.

The thing is, I love being a doctor. Serving my patients and my community fills my life with joy, fulfillment and meaning. Medicine is my calling.

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That's why I don't think twice about devoting hours of personal time to medicine at the expense of myself, my family and other commitments. Add politics though and I'm barely treading water.

On average, 35 per cent of Canadian physicians suffer burnout.

In Ontario, this has skyrocketed: alarmingly, 78 per cent of nearly 1000 physicians self-reported burnout in a recent survey. Why? From those nearing retirement to bright-eyed newbies pledging the Hippocratic oath, physicians blame the Ontario Liberals for unprecedented levels of occupational stress.

Why should anyone care? From a health policy perspective, burnout is a symptom of a health-care system drowning under "burdening demands and insufficient resources."

On a health human resource level, burnout leads to absenteeism, apathy, workplace conflict and high personnel turnover. At an individual level, burnout precipitates compassion fatigue in those who have "nothing more to give." Left unchecked, it escalates to hostility towards coworkers, patients and family; substance abuse; poor decision-making; medical error, and at end-stage, self-harm and physician suicide.

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Politics is decimating morale and trust among Ontario's physicians.

Unfortunately, this comes at a critical juncture. The government is fast-tracking health-care reform. Hot off the presses and devoid of detail, the proposed changes to primary care and CCAC sparkle with buzzwords: Universal digital records! Guaranteed family doctors! Appointments within two days! Actual home-care services! Quality improvement!

With clinics closing, waitlists ballooning, and patients desperate for care, this press release is a fantasy we all crave.

But front-line doctors like myself view these hollow promises with cynicism and disbelief. Years of mounting evidence prove that the Liberals have no clue how to manage health care. Attempts at holding them accountable are met with smirks and subterfuge. They spin rhetoric without conscience and play semantics when we need candor.

Physicians should be not be political puppets.

How exactly will the cash-strapped Liberals deliver this expensive wish-list when they won't even fund basic care? How exactly will they reform a health-care system affecting 13.7 million people when they have vilified and alienated front-line doctors, field experts in that very system? Why are they super-sizing "inefficient" and "ineffectual" LHINs, criticized not just by the Auditor General but by high-level industry insiders?

The proposed legislation, Bill 210 reads like Orwell's nightmare: layers of bureaucracy; intrusive government control; non-medical experts dictating medical standards of care; health service providers denied the right to reject unsafe and unsustainable contracts; removal of independent oversight by Ontario's Ombudsman... the list goes on.

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Not that long ago, hospital CEOs characterized Ontario's Ministry of Health as "bullying." Bill 210 will grant them absolute power, empowering the Ministry to unilaterally impose contracts on everyone and anyone -- not just physicians -- once negotiations fail. The word "comply" lurks everywhere: providers must comply with LHINs, who must comply with Ministry mandate -- even at the risk of patient welfare.

Physicians should be not be political puppets. But I fear that if this legislation is passed -- and it will, given that the Liberals are a majority -- gone will be the days where the doctor-patient relationship could be safeguarded against political interference.

I feel helpless, unable to bail out the sinking life raft that is our health-care system.

Physician burnout is defined by emotional exhaustion, lack of professional autonomy and efficacy, and depersonalization. Check, check and, on really bad days, check.

Ontario's health-care system is about to face the devastating consequences of a workforce in crisis. The very people holding this broken system together are about to sink under.
Kutay Tanir via Getty Images Flag of Canada

Before Standing Committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate last week, I described the federal government's agenda in the weeks ahead on national security. Two critical imperatives, which must be accomplished in lock-step together, are woven through all of our security initiatives.

First, we need to be effective in keeping Canadians safe. And simultaneously, we need to safeguard Canadian values, our rights and freedoms, and the open, generous, inclusive character of our country -- in short, the very qualities that make Canada, Canada.

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We cannot enjoy our individual rights and freedoms without effective collective security, but we must achieve that collective security in ways that do not impair the very essence of that which we seek to protect.

Built by diversity and stronger because of it, Canada is fundamentally a safe and peaceful nation. The Aga Khan has described Canada as the finest expression of pluralism the world has ever known. But we are not immune to tragedy, as demonstrated by the horrible events in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and in Ottawa in October of 2014 (and elsewhere on other occasions too).

So how should we respond? One thing is clear -- Canadians want thoughtful, inclusive consultation and dialogue. Not fear mongering. And not naivete. The public wants to be honestly informed and sincerely engaged.

There was a unique moment in the painful aftermath of the October, 2014 events when Canadians could have been gathered in common cause to find that delicate intersection between collective security and individual rights. The whole country shared in the grief of those sorry days. We leaned on each other, on all sides. There was a clear sense that laws and procedures had to be strengthened. There was palpable will to try very hard to get it right, and to do it together.

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Unfortunately, the government of the day chose to proceed unilaterally. That extraordinary moment of potential collaboration evaporated. And new legislation which many Canadians found seriously defective (Bill C-51) was the result.

Now in a new government, we are working on five things in response:

The first is a better border arrangement with the United States. The details were determined during Prime Minister Trudeau's State Visit to Washington in March. Implementing legislation is likely to be introduced in Parliament later his month.

The package is anchored by a new legal framework and business plan for "Preclearance" -- allowing more travellers to pre-clear US customs and immigration requirements BEFORE they cross the border, thus avoiding lost time on arrival and gaining direct access to a larger array of US destinations from more Canadian departure points.

We also established a new, unobtrusive system to collect basic passport information from those leaving this country, just as we do when anyone arrives in Canada. This fills a significant security loophole. Having basic departure data will help us respond more effectively to Amber Alerts about missing children, human trafficking cases, terrorist travel, immigration proceedings and visa applications.

Our arrangements also include stronger cooperation on "no fly" lists to deny air travel to those who pose serious risks to aviation security or are likely to travel abroad for the purpose of engaging in terrorism. We sought advice from the Justice Department and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to safeguard rights and privacy in our approach. We also now have a joint process with the US to deal better with situations in which innocent travellers are wrongly red-flagged as "false positives."

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Given that 400,000 people and some $2.4 billion in trade cross back-and-forth across the Canada-US border every day, these new arrangements with the Americans constitute a sound and sensible package that avoids "border thickening", enhances the smooth flow of people and goods, improves safety, and safeguards rights and privacy.

Secondly, to better scrutinize the security and intelligence activities of all departments and agencies of the Government of Canada, we will introduce legislation this month to create a new national security committee of Parliamentarians with extraordinary access to classified information.

Its mandate will be to help ensure those two critical imperatives of keeping Canadians safe while safeguarding our values, rights and freedoms. Virtually every other western democracy has such a parliamentary review body. Canada is the anomaly and we will fill that gap.

Thirdly, this summer we will launch a new national office and center of excellence for community outreach and engagement. Its purpose will be to develop and coordinate expertise in identifying those who could be vulnerable to the pressures and appeals of radicalization to violence, and to connect with them constructively in advance to head-off tragedies before they happen. As an open, pluralistic society, we need to get really good at this.

Fourthly, in partnership with many government departments and agencies, the private sector and the owners and operators of critical infrastructure systems, we will use the next few months to examine Canada's cyber security capabilities with a view to making them stronger.

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If we want to take full advantage of the best information technologies, both in our businesses and our private lives, we need to have the best defences against domestic and international hacking and scamming. From foreign governments to local criminals, there are millions of malicious cyber activities deployed every week and they cause billions of dollars in damages.

Canadians need to be acutely aware of these massive risks, and motivated to respond, but we should not be driven by fear and defensiveness. If we can develop justifiable confidence in our cyber security capabilities, we can thrive in this digital age. And more than that, we can sell our talent and innovation to the rest of the world where there is a multi-billion dollar market for cyber products and expertise.

And finally, we will intensify the national consultations that we began informally several months ago, to renovate Canada's overall national security framework. In a discussion paper soon to be published, we will describe the laws and procedures which currently exist to protect Canadians against terrorist threats and how they evolved over the past 15 years since 9/11 -- up to and including the impact of C-51.

We reaffirm our commitment to make a number of key changes, as enumerated in our 2015 platform, namely to ensure compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, full protection for advocacy and protest, the correction of appeal procedures in respect of "no fly" lists, a more precise definition of "terrorist propaganda", and a full review of all anti-terrorism laws after three years.

This is the minimum that we will do to correct the previous government's mistakes. Our consultations will ask Canadians what else they believe is necessary to keep them safe and to safeguard our democratic way of life.

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Canadians will have the full opportunity to be heard -- an opportunity they were denied two years ago.
ASSOCIATED PRESS A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump yells at protestors who were chanting

When I recently read about an Alabama teacher giving her eighth grade class a "racist math test," I had to laugh. This couldn't be for real. Do 13-year-olds even know how to quantify an eight-ball of cocaine? Perhaps this teacher was trying to "break bad" and was looking for the Jesse Pinkman to her Walter White.

When I realized it wasn't a joke -- these kids actually had to complete and turn in this test -- my feelings morphed into anger. I wasn't mad at this one teacher, but at a world where we are constantly confronted by stories of hate.

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Have more people become racist, or has the anonymity of the Internet amplified voices of intolerance? I ask myself this question more and more as examples of blatant racism and xenophobia clog my news feed. Maybe media is to blame for throwing bigots into the limelight and fanning the flames of outrage culture.

During the federal election in Canada, we witnessed the politics of division in Stephen Harper's fear campaign. As a naturalized Canadian I couldn't reconcile the image of an "old stock Canadian" with the country and the people I have come to call my own. Canadians in my mind don't share a single trait or experience. I remember growing up in Ottawa and waking up to the sound of reggaeton beats on Canada Day. My neighbours were celebrating the nation they called home by enjoying the culture of countries they left behind.

I shudder to think there are people in the world who would hate me for reasons that have nothing to do with who I am, but because I am black.

In the United States, race is a complex issue steeped in a dark history of slavery and segregation that is still felt today. Many white Americans are unwilling to sympathize or even acknowledge their privileged position for fear of having to relinquish something. But speaking up for the oppressed by acknowledging that the issues of the past haven't ceased to exist doesn't necessarily equate to taking responsibility for historical injustices.

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Last week I read that Airbnb banned a North Carolina-based host for life after he used racial slurs against a Nigerian woman who wanted to rent his home. This story is troubling for many reasons, but mostly because this host behaved as if his verbal attack was within his rights as a proud Southerner.

In Donald Trump's America, prejudice is an act of patriotism. And yet what should we expect from a man who would ask a federal judge to recuse himself from presiding over a lawsuit because of his Mexican heritage. The Republican presidential candidate acts with impunity, condoning acts of racism through alienating speeches and his borrowed campaign slogan, "Make America great again." When Ronald Reagan used this same slogan in 1980, it was meant to uplift a country reeling from a severe economic downturn; Trump, it seems, would prefer to see his nation divided and pushed into further decline.

I shudder to think there are people in the world who would hate me for reasons that have nothing to do with who I am, but because I am black. I have two younger brothers who both happen to be very tall; one is innocuously lanky, while the other is built like a linebacker. Does the colour of their skin and the build of their bodies make them a threat? I wish it didn't.

Living in a world where more than 60 million people exist in forced displacement, and nearly 46 million are modern day slaves, can make it is easy to fall into pessimism and accept inequality as an unsavoury aspect of human nature.

Still, I am inspired to believe that the world isn't going to shit when I hear courageous voices using whatever platform they have to stand up in the face of fear. When I listened to Michelle Obama's commencement speech to CUNY graduates, I felt the power of diversity in the following words:

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"Here in America, we don't give in to our fears. We don't build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home."

In the past, I've avoided wading into public discussions about race. I took pride in maintaining what I believed was objectivity. Yet the truth is I've been a coward, afraid of the ramifications of challenging dangerous opinions.

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Over the weekend my piece on why the UK government turned away more than 2,700 non-EU nurses was widely circulated on Twitter and Facebook, but after getting into a conversation with someone on Twitter, it became obvious that I hadn't been as clear as I should have been.

The NHS has a recognised shortfall of nurses; the UK simply does not have enough nurses to meet its needs, and nurses are not coming from the EU to fill that gap. Nursing is on the Shortage Occupation List, which means it is a non-EU immigration priority. Despite this recognised shortfall, last year the government turned away more than 2,700 nurses, predominantly from India and Indonesia. To be absolutely clear, these weren't individuals who were seeking to come to the UK to chance their luck and find employment - quite the opposite - they had job offers, most of them from NHS trusts. And still they were refused entry, because the government had hit its non-EU immigration cap.

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NHS Immigration Applications by Decision

Source: Migration Advisory Committee Review of Nursing, March 2016

Data: Home Office

The Tier 2 immigration cap is a paltry 20,700 per year. It covers every industry and every business in the UK that wants to bring in non-EU workers, not just the NHS. All employers are competing against each other for places within the cap and once the monthly limits have been reached, that's it. So, last year, because monthly limits had been reached, 2,700 non-EU nurses weren't able to take up their jobs in the UK with the NHS.

The non-EU immigration cap is so low because it's the only thing the UK government can control. The EU's fundamental free movement of people means that EU citizens can come to the UK regardless of their capabilities, contribution or prospects. Nobody would be foolish enough to believe that net migration can run at its current high level without impacting public services, so the government controls what it can and severely restricts non-EU migration from Africa, Asia, the Americas - everywhere that isn't the EU.

Many people from the Remain Campaign accuse those of us who want to leave the EU of being racist. I've previously written about my background, and find the accusation particularly offensive. It is an easy way to shout down debate, and dehumanise people on the other side of the argument by regarding them as morally deficient. It is far more difficult to look beyond the slogans and understand complex immigration policy to see that it is our current immigration system that is flawed and discriminatory.

The majority of people campaigning to leave are not racist, in fact, the reverse is true. We recognise that our EU membership has led to the implementation of an immigration policy that discriminates against poor, largely non-White people from the rest of the world, and these 2,700 non-EU nurses are just some of the many concrete examples of this discrimination. People on both sides of the referendum debate have been crying out for facts. The nurses the UK government rejected are 2,700 incontrovertible, specific instances of its flawed, EU-skewed, discriminatory immigration policy in action.

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It isn't just skilled non-EU workers who suffer because of the UK's discriminatory immigration policy, it's the British people. We desperately need skilled workers. In this particular case, NHS trusts across the UK identified a need for 2,700 non-EU nurses and tried to bring them into the country to address the recognised nursing shortage. They were prevented from doing so, meaning that the shortage was not addressed and the Migration Advisory Committee concludes that the shortage continues. A shortage of nurses puts additional, unnecessary pressure on existing staff and on patients.

The Migration Advisory Committee states that NHS trusts across the UK say they expect to have to bring in more than 14,000 non-EU nurses over the next four years. The long-term solution to the shortage is to reverse the cuts to nursing bursaries and give young people the opportunity to train, but in the short-term the UK has a nursing shortfall that urgently needs to be addressed. There are people who are willing to help us meet that shortfall, but they are prevented from doing so because they lack EU passports.

Our membership of the EU is directly responsible for the government's perverse non-EU immigration policy, and the fact that it is prepared to inflict hardship on NHS staff and patients in order to appear tough on immigration suggests that, as in so many areas, the government is engaged in all sorts of painful contortions in order to avoid confronting the real issue: EU membership no longer serves the best interests of the British people.

Members of Parliament are now discussing options for a post-Brexit future, and the Bank of England is planning for Brexit, both of which are good, sensible steps. They show that the mood has changed. Project Fear has admitted defeat, and the truth, which most sensible people have always known, is that the sky will not fall in if we leave. I can only hope that our democratic representatives will not betray their mandate and try to use nefarious means to keep us in the EU. Doing so, after having lost the argument in a fair contest, would only fuel popular discontent and push people towards parties outside of the political mainstream. In Scotland, Labour learned to its cost what happens when a political party does not listen to the will of its supporters; the consequences are catastrophic.

Word on the street is that if the Leave campaign continues to show such fantastic momentum, the EU will offer the UK a revised, improved deal shortly before the referendum. I sincerely hope the British people will not fall for a haggler's gambit, and, as I've noted before, will remember that this referendum is a vote on democracy. Britain needs to reclaim the power to decide its own destiny so that we never again see perverse situations such as the UK turning away 2,700 highly skilled people it so desperately needs.

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While business innovation moves at peregrine falcon speeds, our schools are still playing catch up. The academies and free school programme, first introduced in 2002, is transforming the country's educational landscape, but most schools still do not teach what should be the centrepiece of a contemporary education: entrepreneurship. This isn't to say that all schoolchildren must become entrepreneurs; rather that we want graduates able to think outside the box and equipped with the skills necessary for the modern economy.

Today, Business Secretary Sajid Javid will be launching the APPG for Entrepreneurship - of which The Entrepreneurs Network is Secretariat. The cross-party group, in the Secretary of State's words, will "make sure the voice of entrepreneurs is heard loud and clear in Parliament". One complaint we hear more often than any other from the entrepreneurs in our network is that they lack the talent they need to scale. Many feel our "antiquated" education system is to blame.

The APPG, which is chaired by Alan Mak MP, will focus on four policy areas in its first 12 months, areas we feel the government must crack if the UK is to maintain its position as one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business: exporting, female entrepreneurship, tax reform - and enterprise education.

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But we mustn't be too critical. The government is more supportive of British entrepreneurs than ever before. We have an entrepreneur-friendly tax framework and entrepreneurs here operate in an environment of business-friendly regulation. At the beginning of 2015, there were 5.4m businesses in the private sector, representing an increase of almost 150,000 from the previous four months, and an astonishing 1.9m increase from 2000.

And the UK isn't short of entrepreneurial whizzkids: the number of under-35s starting businesses in the UK rose by more than 70 per cent between 2006 and 2014, according to data from Duedil and Enterprise Nation. As more and more young role models come through the pipeline (think Nick D'Aloisio, who, aged 17, sold his news app Summly to Yahoo for a reported $30m; or Ella Woodward, whose debut cookbook Deliciously Ella flew off the shelves), we can expect future generations to follow suit and take the plunge.

However, in a recent survey of 15 to 18-year olds, 80 per cent said they would rather work for a well-established company, and half said they didn't want to take any risks when it comes to making money. Could it be that we are failing to give entrepreneurship legitimacy in our schools? At our Regional Voices roundtable last year, former education minister Iain Wright MP worried that our education system was "worse than an industrial model. It's a system that was designed for the empire."

Sarah Drinkwater, head of Google's Campus London, recently told the Telegraph that uncertainty in the job market is to blame. "In careers sessions at schools, students are finding that the jobs they will be going into five years' down the line probably haven't been invented yet." Showing entrepreneurship is a credible driver of economic growth, not as a fallback if you can't get a job with a large corporation, will help tackle this issue.

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And there are now dozens of schemes available at the national and local level to help promote entrepreneurship among young people. The School Enterprise Challenge, the Stock Market Challenge, Tycoon in Schools, the National Enterprise Challenge, the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge, Shares4Schools, MyBnk Back my Business and Speakers4Schools are all helping equip students with the skills needed to thrive in a modern workplace. We are mindful of the great work these organisations carry out, and the APPG will seek their input on where the gaps are and what the policy consensus is.

Nonetheless, the business community could be incentivised and encouraged to be more actively involved in enterprise and entrepreneurship. Founders4Schools - which gives students access to inspiring business leaders in their community who help them discover the skills and pathways that will be relevant when they leave education - is exactly the sort of initiative we need. We want all students in the UK to be well-informed about their future options, and motivated to succeed and lead enterprising lives.
I always take an active interest in current affairs. I was one of the youngest Parliamentary candidates in the country at the 2015 General Election. I was born and bred in West Yorkshire, where I currently work for a charity, having previously spent time working in London. Both of the places I have called home so far are two very different but equally multicultural societies. I am involved in my local community and have been from a young age.

Yet I find myself increasingly frustrated by the coverage of the ongoing debate on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Why?

I, like many, have had enough of the constant stream of negativity.

At the moment, it would appear that people are being told they have to make a decision between what is bad... and what is worse.

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It is a decision we are seemingly not allowed to make with confidence and optimism...but we are expected to just grit our teeth and do.

This is the biggest decision in generations... yet there is an ever-increasing apathy that has nothing to do with the vote itself, but the level of debate from both sides.

This does not wash with me.

As someone in my mid-twenties I am still full of the shameless optimism that I can make the world a better place. That we can make the world a better place. That there is a positive side to everything and if I am going to do something or vote a certain way, it will be for good reason and not for 'damage limitation'.

On 23 June I will walk confidently into my local polling station and will vote to leave the EU. I want other young people to feel they can do so too, knowing that the future is bright and that there are many positive reasons to vote to leave.

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Leaving the EU will allow us to build more relationships with many more countries. If we vote to leave the EU we will not be voting to leave Europe. People arguing EU countries would suddenly stop talking to and trading with us are clutching at non-existent straws. We would not be splitting up and drifting away on our own little island but would still be able to work with European countries. Leaving the EU will mean we are freer to build relationships with countries further afield as well. Once we leave the EU we will be able to sign trade agreements with countries all over the world. Far from isolating us, leaving the EU would make us an ever more global nation that can reach out to Europe and beyond.

Leaving the EU will allow our local businesses and industries to thrive more and more. In leaving the EU, we will have more freedom to support sectors, such as steel, which have suffered at the hands of the EU. Being from the North I have seen the effect EU rules have had on industry here. By ridding ourselves of the endless EU red tape surrounding trade and industry, but keeping the British laws that enshrine workers' rights, protect business and support industry, our local economy and small businesses will be able to thrive and provide more jobs.

Leaving the EU will give us more freedom to invest our own money how we see fit. While people argue about the exact figures, there is no denying that we give billions of pounds a year to the EU. Money the EU then dictates how is spent and we put more in than we get back out. I want us to be able to spend that money on what matters most to us. No one knows their own local area better than themselves. By taking back control of it, we have the opportunity to use that money to strengthen the NHS, cut taxes further, protect the industries that matter to us and support working people.

The list of positive reasons to vote to leave the EU is endless. Too endless to include all of them here.

It is about engaging with countries in Europe and beyond. It is about having the opportunity to build new relationships further afield. It is about giving our economy the chance to thrive even more. It is about supporting business and industry. It is about having our say on where our own investment goes. It is about having control over what immigration we do and do not allow. It is about regaining our sovereignty.

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Voting leave would be choosing the freedom of the entire world over being held by back EU red tape. We can do better than what we have now. Let our free trade be free and not dictated to us. Voting leave is not about isolation and building up walls, it is about breaking down barriers and having the freedom to develop great relationships with more countries in Europe and beyond. There is a big world out there, full of opportunity.

I hope you will join me in voting to leave the EU on 23 June. However, whichever side of the fence you are sitting on, let me end with three things.

Firstly, make sure you do vote in the Referendum on 23 June.

Secondly, whichever way you vote let it be with confidence and optimism.
"Older people who are registered will decide your future. You decide your future, get registered, get a smart phone and it just takes two minutes."

Eddie Izzard has recently backed the Stronger In campaign with a clear message for young voters before the 23 June that their voice really matters. I welcome what I call the Izzard effect; less sound bite and more genuine exuberance about what it is to be a British European today. It is well-known figures such as Izzard who are encouraging us to take control of our own destiny in a more palatable package as he tours sold-out venues such as universities in the coming weeks. This is why Izzard's message that we cannot let others decide for us resonates. The Izzard effect, travelling cheaply within the EU and good relations with our European neighbours is far more influential for a young voter in a more globalised world. It is why I will be voting for the UK to remain in the European Union.

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We currently live in a "representative" democracy where 1.5million of the six million 18-24 year olds eligible to vote are not registered to vote. They more commonly come to be known as the "missing millions", and what this means is that there is seemingly sizeable gap between awareness about the referendum and realising that, unlike a general election, every vote counts. A stark reminder - in last year's General Election 43% of those aged 18-24 voted compared with 78% of over-65s turned out to vote. We have seen politicians of every political persuasion on the referendum circuit rightfully encouraging young people to register to have their say.

What I want to argue is if the UK was to leave the European Union, travelling to study and work would be more difficult for working class students. I believe barriers for social mobility stem from financial uncertainty. It is often the case that this uncertainty affects all your decisions and makes attaining financial aid the sole focus of your decision to make the step to go abroad. It is one of the driving factors about considering university in the first place.

Eurosceptics enjoy telling us that if the UK were to leave the European Union we would still be generation "easyJet" and universities would not stop seeking our academic partnership at our world class universities. That of course would be scaremongering to argue something so simplistic. However, I benefitted immensely from the Erasmus+ grant along with thousands of other young European students.

We cannot be certain this will be renegotiated or how many thousands of students will be left in limbo because Erasmus funding will be at the back on the line. I also made a conscious decision to go to Austria - that required no visas - and this helped plan my finances and most importantly it unlocked my future prospects.

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As a young British European, the European Union facilitated my own aspirations to study abroad and do more than my parents and sister could ever dream of for me. The value I have derived from spending 12 months in another country and knowing I was one of the first in my family to attempt doing so was an important part of my life, and it has been priceless for myself and other working-class students.

The Erasmus programme is what the European Union was founded on; making the impossible seem possible. It seemed impossible that we could find peace amongst the ruins of war several decades ago but we achieved it. The Erasmus+ grant and support from the institution made going abroad not seem like such an impossible task for a young, working-class student.

I was recently discussing the EU with my mum and she asked why she should vote to remain and I simply said "look at me as an example" and she then saw what was made possible for her daughter's prospects. We should always want our children to be better off than ourselves and it is why she will be voting to remain on 23 June.

Talk to your parents, siblings and extended family. They want to know what your experience of the EU has been as a 21st century job hunter and young person has been and if you consider it more closely - we share those ideals of expanding our horizons with our European friends.

You have probably been asked by your mum if you have registered to vote yet. It will be one of the most important trips we will ever make to the ballot box - or via a postal vote - to decide whether we remain or leave the European Union.

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Last month one the largest American law firms, BakerHostetler, announced it had 'hired' a robot lawyer to assist in bankruptcy cases. The robot in question is named ROSS and is marketed as 'the world's first artificially intelligent attorney'. While ROSS may be the first, it will not be the last. AI is changing the way lawyers think, work, and interact and heralds a paradigm shift in how legal work is done. Legal professionals and law students should pay attention.

ROSS works by scouring millions of pages of case law and legal documents in seconds to offer answers to questions. Lawyers are able to upvote or downvote portions of text that are surfaced by ROSS based on program's interpretation of the question it is asked. Essentially, ROSS is a tool designed to help lawyers make better informed judgements. If ROSS continues to hold its own, it is quite likely that in the near future firms not using artificially intelligent systems will be seen as outdated, if not negligent.

What does ROSS mean for the future of the legal profession? For starters, there will be a lot less work done by human lawyers. Senior lawyers regularly expressconcern that most law students have little or no realistic hope of a career despite some amassing debts of up to 60 000. The same is more or less true for solicitors profession, which is often more procedural and bureaucratic in terms of the work that is done, just the type of work that programs like ROSS excel at.

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The reality is that this crisis is not being improved by the law schools themselves. Law schools are after all great business for universities. It costs little to educate lawyers, and the influx of foreign students from common law countries such as Canada means that foreign student fees are far too lucrative to turn away. It is easy to conclude that the number of law school places should be limited, or indexed to the availability of jobs, but that ignores the value in studying law for a number of non-legal professions. Another solution might be to move towards the American system where once you complete your law degree and pass a bar exam there is no barrier to practising law. However, that is a recipe for ensuring a glut of bad lawyers, as there is no real substitute for practical experience in the shadow of a senior professional. Chambers and firms cannot simply increase the number of students they take as the legal profession is after all a market economy where less work to go around means fewer workers. So what can be done?

As a number of recent reports suggest, it is not just the legal profession that is threatened by new technologies. Profound technological change, particularly the use of AI and robotics, is set to catalyse sweeping economic changes and alter the nature and meaning of work. The legal profession will survive in some form, but it will not be, nor should it be, immune from change. One thing the legal profession should take away from the advent of systems like ROSS is how it educates future lawyers. For all intents and purposes legal education has not changed dramatically over the centuries. Law students still learn the same core subjects, write the same types of papers and exams, answering the same types of problem questions. As anyone who has gone through it will confess, it can be a bit mechanical. And what is mechanistic can be easily be automated.

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In search of his country's Tsarist roots, Vladimir Putin has steered Russia on a course towards unforgiving political authoritarianism, buttressed by state capitalism and legitimised by orthodox religiosity and patriotism.

Towards the West, today's Russia appears prickly, often aggressive, always obstinate and pig-headed. But in the years following the Cold War, Britain and its allies vigorously encouraged Russia to join the Western alliance of democracies. Hopes and expectations ran high. Putin - like Yeltsin and Gorbachev - saw this as desirable too, but only if, in geopolitical terms, Russia could join on an equal basis with the United States.

This was, of course, utterly unrealistic, out of kilter with the new balance of power. But it was a conviction as deeply embedded in the Kremlin's psychology, as it was poorly understood in the West. Moscow was blinded by a vision of its past, the empire that, having defeated Hitler, enjoyed world power status. It felt snubbed. Western diplomacy was blinded by a vision of the future, the global triumph of liberalism. It did not get what Putin, the "spoiler", was playing at.

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For years this tension defined relations with Russia, right through the Obama reset in 2008. This proved a strange diplomatic dance, neither side quite understanding the other, and consequently stepping on the other's toes. Both sides persisted in the embrace, albeit with evaporating conviction - until the chord finally snapped, as Putin himself had warned would happen over Ukraine.

When it did happen, the cut was deep, severe and emotional. It froze Russia out of cooperation with the West. Putin was ousted from the G8 and other summits. Ties with NATO were suspended, economic sanctions imposed, the Cold War doctrine of deterrence dug up, dusted off, and redeployed on both sides.

This unequivocal response to the annexation of Crimea was necessary and inevitable. Russia blatantly flouted international law in Ukraine, showing utter disregard for territorial borders. It is indisputably correct that our Eastern European allies now ask and receive NATO reassurances, in the form of conventional military deterrence.

However, when the prime minster meets his NATO colleagues in my ancestral home of Warsaw, in a month's time, the real question is whether we should want deterrence and containment to become the new normalcy, suspending our relations with Russia indefinitely. The dramatic torrent of events in the Middle East and North Africa appears to be dragging us another way. Already, the United States and Russia are - quietly and uneasily - working together in Syria in ways unthinkable during the Cold War. In spite of the different objectives, there are common strategic interests that pull us together.

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In certain diplomatic and defense circles in Europe this may be unspeakable, but it will have to be said: at some point Britain and its allies will need to start thinking about construing a new Russia relationship, a more realistic and durable alternative to our post Cold War dance with Russia. And in the face of the political chaos on Europe's southern borders, and also Russia's southern borders, that moment may come sooner rather than later.

Putin is not going to go away soon, and even if he did, his departure is unlikely to awaken a rush of desire to embrace Western style institutions. While such institutions have support in Russia, it would be a catastrophic misreading of Russia to assume this would, following Putin's demise, lead - in Maidan style - to Russia's own Revolution of Dignity. It seems just as likely, if not more, that, following a prolonged period of disorder, revanchist patriotism would emerge triumphant.

Freezing out Putin altogether does not serve Britain's strategic interests, nor should we limit ourselves to tit-for-tat deterrence strategies. Russia's obsession with NATO and political encirclement is strong as ever. As sure as night follows day, Putin will meet our new deterrents every step of the way, until he can no longer keep up and, feeling cornered like cat, lashes out in what threatens to become a self fulfilling prophesy.

We need to find novel ways of working together with Russia, re-establishing a modicum of trust. This cannot be another "reset", nor can it lead to the rehabilitation of Russia inside the Western liberal order. Russia has placed itself outside of that order. We need to start from the assumption that for now it is going to stay there. Reviving greater expectations would be to lapse in the mistake of post Cold War idealism.

Yet this still does not make Russia Britain's perpetual enemy. Disruptive as it may be, Putin's Russia is not our ideological nemesis, to be defeated like the Soviet Union. We need to learn to look at Russia through the cold but clear prism of our interests, just as Russia's foreign policy establishment undoubtedly looks at us. Viewed through this prism, our ties with foreign states are a matter of expediency, not sentimentality, or the projection of the liberal ideal. In the nineteenth century, this was the common view. As Lord Palmerston put it, "We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow".

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Last Tuesday at 4am, I awoke from my sleep and readied myself for my first conference, representing Adris Technologies & PulseGuard. This was the 3rd annual European CDKL5 Conference in Solihull.

Like me before last week, you may not have heard of this rare disorder. In fact, the symptoms are not unlike Dravet syndrome. I will write a piece about Dravet soon, as it is also a disorder that is unheard of by many. But for now, CDKL5 is fresh in mind after hearing stories, meeting families and their wonderful children last week. Parents I met told of the fear they lived with for years, not knowing what their child was suffering from, and just knowing how to best support their children through knowing a diagnosis can bring peace of mind. It seems that many doctors around the country are unaware of the disorder and through spreading the awareness, more diagnoses are being made. So I hope this piece will help give you more insight into CDKL5, whether you are in the medical profession, awaiting a diagnosis for a condition or just a completely healthy human being.

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CDKL5 stands for cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5. It's a gene located on the X-chromosome. The gene provides information that is essential for brain development. Not much is known about its function and more information is continually being researched. Most children affected suffer from seizures that begin in the first few months of life. One parent mentioned that her child started seizing 3 weeks after birth! Can you imagine the fear they must have felt? Most cannot walk, talk, feed themselves, are confined to wheel chairs and need constant dependence on others for everything. Visual impairment, twisting and curvature if the spine, sensory issues, gastrointestinal difficulties...the list goes on.

CDKL5 mutations have been found in children with other conditions, and doctors don't know yet what causes these mutations, nor the full spectrum of symptoms. Each child I met had different symptoms. Some were wheel chair bound, some could walk, some could walk for small periods. Some could talk, others could not. Some seemed happy, others were visually distressed. Seizures were different in each, and other symptoms differed. Like epilepsy, each case is individual.

It might be that your child has severe epilepsy and disabilities, but no diagnosis. Keep pushing, keep exploring the different options, and rarer conditions like Dravet and CDKL5. But more and more children are being diagnosed with CDKL5 as awareness spreads. We can all do something to share and make others aware of these condtions

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Much like Dravet and epilepsy, good has come from bad in the shape of community. People gather, they relate, and support one other. Doctors and scientists, mixing with everyday families, to work together to help solve another of life's great mysteries. So many good things can become polluted from greed and jealousy. Its wonderfully to see a bad situation bringing out the best in human beings.

For more information on CDKL5, the symptoms and support, visit the CDKL5 UK website.

For more information on PulseGuard and seizure monitoring, visit the PulseGuard website.
As the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union draws closer, it's difficult not to be reminded of the divisiveness that pervaded the debate in the closing stages of the Scottish independence referendum campaign almost two years ago. Claims and counter-claims, both sides vying to be crowned 'the most patriotic', downright untruths and exaggerations; all features of this most recent stage in our collective history.

I've cast my vote already. For me, as a Green Party activist and trade unionist, membership of the EU is a no-brainer. The same can not be said of all of my comrades, hence the recent birth of a brand new portmanteau: Lexit.

Left-wing proponents of withdrawal from the EU refer to a 'bosses club' and often cite Greece's woes as an example of the EU's innate obsession with austerity and neoliberal economics. For them, the insidious threat of TTIP proves that the European project is unsalvageable from a progressive point of view.

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Worryingly, the Lexit camp seem obstinately blind to several realities. When Raoul Ruparel, co-director of Open Europe, an 'independent policy think tank', appeared before the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee back in May, he was asked about the potential benefits of Brexit to business. He named three principal areas in which business could 'free itself' of EU regulation: decent working conditions for agency staff, environmental protections and the Working Time Directive. In a nutshell, the business world, to which Lexit supporters so often accuse the EU of being in thrall, could disregard areas of essential regulation that could see workers' rights hugely diminished and the 'inconvenience' of environmental responsibility consigned to history.

To my mind, there is nothing left-wing about a willingness to take that risk. Are people who are admirably out on the streets almost weekly in protest at this government's attacks on workers, disabled people and the unemployed seriously prepared to risk leaving these areas in the hands of the Tory government, with no recourse to supranational justice? That's not a progressive politics that I feel able to subscribe to.

Regarding the iniquitous TTIP, it is abundantly clear that the plan lies in tatters. People power across the continent has meant that proponents of this nefarious deal have been rendered powerless before an enraged public determined to hold back the tide of deregulation and privatisation. Who's to say that the UK government, when negotiating its own post-Brexit free trade arrangements, would not seek to conceive its own version of TTIP, or worse? British progressives would find themselves isolated, devoid of the pan-European solidarity that has underpinned the paralysis of TTIP in its current form.

To be frank, it is mainly middle-class, academic progressives arguing for Lexit, i.e. those with little to lose in indulging their ultimate fantasy of an immediate global socialist utopia. Of course, their navel-gazing takes no account of one very pertinent point. The European Union as we know it reflects the philosophies of the national governments of its member states, the vast majority of which are currently conservative in nature. Are Lexiters seriously suggesting that a union of governments lead by parties such as Syria and Podemos is not possible? If so, we may as well collectively throw in the towel and give up campaigning for progressive politics. Another Europe is possible but it begins at home.

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For left-wing thinkers to support 'Lexit', in other words a leap into the relative unknown for millions of working people, feels like a betrayal at a time when so many are sadly being exploited by UKIP via their narrative of 'look, that immigrant is taking your cookie'. Given that the country's largest employers, as well as the Trades Union Congress and every mainstream progressive left-wing party in the country are emphasising the potentially catastrophic impact of a 'leave' victory on 23 June, it strikes me as short-sighted at best, and downright self-indulgent at worst, for so-called progressives to lend their voices to a campaign that would usher in the most grave period of uncertainty for workers' rights in living memory.
What's the difference between a tree and a tree?

Potentially a lot. Let me illustrate.

Meet Greta*. Greta is a Beech tree nestled in a patch of woodland on the steep slope of Borough Hill in Leicestershire. Greta's trunk has a girth of about 4 metres, and she stands 30m tall with branches reaching out several metres in all directions. She qualifies as a 'veteran tree' not only because of her age but because her huge frame has developed fissures and hollows that provide ideal habitats for birds, mammals and insects.

Greta provides habitat and food for a family of bats, a little owl, more than 100 species of insects, 200 types of lichen and algae, and several rare species of fungi. Each year she absorbs 16kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When Greta finally dies she will leave a rich legacy to the landscape as her massive frame gradually rots back into the soil, providing habitat and food for a host of other important insects, plants, algae and fungi as she does so.

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Compare Greta with Rowan. I love Rowan - she has a special significance for me as I planted her to mark one month since the birth of my daughter of that name. Perhaps when my daughter has a family of her own she will be able to visit this tree, and it will be big enough to picnic under, or to provide berries for jelly.

But perhaps not. I am realistic, and many things could happen to Rowan in the next few years while she is still a vulnerable sapling. A drought or flood could finish her off before she becomes big enough to cope with harsh conditions. A deer could trot past and chew her to oblivion. Even if Rowan does make it to maturity, when my grandchildren rest under her canopy in 50 years time she will still be providing a fraction of the benefits to the landscape that Greta does already. There will be no hollows for bats or owls, no rotting wood to support insects and fungi, and the amount of carbon dioxide she takes in from the air will be trivial in comparison to Greta.

Both trees are important. Indeed, without newly planted trees like Rowan we will not have the Gretas of the future. They are not the same, however. The names I have given them here reflects that they are unique personalities at different stages of long and complex lives.

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In policy and planning documents, however, they are both just 'trees'. That is all. And this is dangerous.

Government planting figures may sound encouraging and paint a rosy picture of the future of the UK's trees and woods, but figures can be very misleading. Even if the number of trees felled is taken off to create a figure for net increase in trees, it counts each tree equally whether it is a Greta or a Rowan. Trees whose loss is noted as a 'felling' are likely to be mature trees. Newly planted trees are no replacement for these - even in greater numbers. They simply cannot provide the same benefits to society, and will not for decades.

Furthermore, the figures do not tell the full story. Where are these new trees being planted? Who if anyone will monitor them and ensure they survive through their vulnerable early years?

This is why we should also be wary of compensation planting figures for trees and woods lost due to development. If 500 trees are planted on a motorway verge as compensation for even a small patch of woodland that was a refuge for wildlife and a playground for local children, those benefits have not been replaced. A tree becomes more than just a tree with age, and a wood is more than the sum of the trees it contains. Figures on a balance sheet simply can't tell that story.

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The Woodland Trust believes that ancient woodland cannot be replaced, nor its benefits recreated in any meaningful way. The same could be said of any woods or trees that have value to people not simply because they are trees, but because of the trees they are. Planting new trees does not make up for felling those that we have, whose roots reach into our landscape, our lives and our history.

If we want the culture to change and the true value of trees to be recognised we need to speak up for the trees in our lives and challenge the status quo. Add your voice to the call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People by sharing a story of a tree or wood that has a special meaning to you at treecharter.uk.
One of THE biggest challenges facing London's new Mayor is protection of the green belt against the need to build vast numbers of new homes. This issue requires a clear and defined approach with robust, detailed and principled policies.

Throughout his election campaign, Mr Khan promised to protect the green belt from development. Just three weeks in to his term of office he said he could not deliver. Now he's promised once again that he will deliver...

Alongside this flimsy green belt pledge, Mr Khan promised to build 80,000 new affordable homes during each of his four years in office if he became Mayor. Two weeks ago he revealed his manifesto 'has got no commitment in numbers of units a year'.

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So where are we left on these key issues which affect real Londoners and which of his manifesto commitments are we to believe?

London has a serious housing shortage - one that will only get worse as the capital's population grows. At the same time as meeting London's housing demands, our precious green belt must be protected. There is ample space in our city to accommodate the homes needed without building on green belt land. We have brownfield sites equivalent to the size of the London borough of Camden and an innovative approach could see vast areas of land used more efficiently.

To harmoniously achieve these ambitions requires principled, conviction politics - stringent and definitive guidelines around which sensible housing and planning policies can sit alongside a coherent environmental strategy.

What we have in Sadiq Khan is a Mayor who has shown willingness to flip-flop on these issues within days of taking office.

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Alarm bells are ringing in many people's minds over his apparent indifference to working up the tough details to support crucial policies.

At his first Mayor's Question Time, when quizzed over his green belt stance, Mr Khan simply declared he would be taking a 'horses for courses' approach to planning applications.

Does this sound like a man displaying conviction and a determination to abolish unwanted developments on our city's green borders?

Mr Khan has a history of flip-flopping on important issues and his approach to the green belt appears no different. Londoners need transparency and concrete guarantees over the fate of our city's green belt. So far he has been unable to provide either of these.

London is a ticking time bomb when it comes to its housing shortage. Simply abandoning his targets as soon as he set foot through the door at City Hall was disingenuous to those who voted for Mr Khan and fails to inspire confidence in those of us who did not.

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We have already seen the Mayor's lack of ambition in sticking to the principles he touted during his election campaign - now we need some decisive action.

I will be pushing the Mayor to set out some clear aims around how he hopes to protect our green spaces as well as building the homes this city needs.
Volunteering doesn't always conjure the most romantic of images. Generally it's visions of solitary trips leafleting or rattling a tin in a shopping centre. But it can and does have a massive impact on our economy and on people's wellbeing; something we at Sue Ryder know very well and want to try and celebrate this Volunteers' Week.

Over recent years new economic evidence has shown quite how effective volunteering is. Data from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations shows that 14.2m people volunteered in the UK between 2013/14 and that this contributed roughly 12.2bn to the UK economy. That's 0.7% of GDP or, in more sensationalist terms, equivalent to the entire GDP of Iceland!

However, there is another, less frequently discussed, benefit; that of the social and emotional benefits to the individual. Sounds woolly - but it's not. In fact, in 2013 the Cabinet Office published a report on the estimated monetary value of volunteering and found that it amounts to a staggering 70bn, or 5% GDP (the size of another small nation's economy no doubt).

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This resonates with our experiences of volunteering opportunities at Sue Ryder as a national healthcare charity. We have around 12,000 volunteers who allow us to deliver 2.7 million hours of care and support to 6,000 people with life changing conditions and we know that they gain from this relationship too.

Take Mary. Five years ago she was sleeping rough in London having fled Italy from a difficult relationship. She had no friends, no family or any contacts at all in the city and was going through probably the most difficult time of her whole life. And yet, after several trips to the local Jobcentre, she eventually turned up at the Sue Ryder Camden shop as a volunteer.

When she first started, Mary was still washing in the back room of the shop before shifts and didn't want to let on to her colleagues that she was homeless. She wanted to keep some pride intact.

Over time, though, she developed her skills; became better on the till, more confident with the stock and dealing with customers, and as a result gained a paid position there - a moment which still brings a tear to her eye. Now, Mary works full time in a nearby supermarket, has a flat of her own and has regained her self-respect. She still pops into the shop every week to provide the staff with some home cooked lasagne though!

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Travel up and down the country and you'll hear stories like this from Sue Ryder's shops. Jackie Howie, 52, is now manager of the Sue Ryder Rosemount shop in Aberdeen but just three years ago was facing a four year prison sentence. She had got caught up in dealing drugs in an effort to protect her son, having already lost her eldest from an overdose.

This might have been the end to an unfortunate story, were it not for the Sue Ryder Prisoner Volunteer Programme (PVP) which helps in the rehabilitation of offenders by offering them volunteer placements at their shops and offices. Jackie was chosen to take part in the programme and started volunteering for Sue Ryder at the shop in Rosemount 18 months into her sentence where she was allowed to develop new skills and start to think about working there when she was released.

And indeed, in October last year she herself became shop manager. This transition from being institutionalised as an offender to becoming a proactive, productive member of society again is not an easy one, but it was made much easier for Jackie through volunteering.
July 4th, 1800 dawned unusually warm in the western Connecticut town of Danbury where Rev. Thomas Robbins, a recent Yale graduate, looked forward to an afternoon parade honoring American independence. Hardly an hour passed when a shocking, if unfounded, report arrived. "We had news of the death of Mr. Jefferson," Rev. Robbins scribbled in his diary. "It is to be hoped that it is true."

History, Mark Twain is reputed to have said, "does not repeat itself but it often rhymes." Our current presidential campaign, for all of its turbulence, has an equally discordant antecedent in the momentous election of 1800 pitting John Adams, the Federalist incumbent, against Thomas Jefferson, leader of the nascent Republican party.

Apart from its heart-stopping drama, the "Revolution of 1800," as Jefferson later called it, was renowned for its divisiveness. In the minds of many Americans the contest involved nothing less than the survival of their infant republic. Not unlike Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, both candidates aroused intense animosity among opponents. Jefferson, architect of the Declaration of Independence, was to Federalists a radical atheist, a levelling democrat sworn to overthrow - by violence if necessary - all order, both divine and human. Nearly as sinister was the Republican view of John Adams as a haughty monarchist, whose despotic presidency, bound by the tentacles of British influence, had betrayed American liberty. At issue, fundamentally, was whether voters would continue to accept the guidance of a paternalistic class committed to the supremacy of the federal government or instead place their trust in candidates pledged to advance liberties won in the Revolution - "friends of the people" rather than "fathers of the people."

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The outcome of 2016's contest may well prove unprecedented, with the possibility of the first woman chief executive and the first spouse of a former president. Nor is it easy to identify among major candidates in the past a harbinger of Donald Trump, though the quick-tempered Andrew Jackson, a pro-tariff nationalist who championed the rise of the common man (literally), bears at least a faint resemblance. (Nicknamed "King Mob" by his enemies, he preferred the moniker "Jackass.") Still, a number of similarities exist between these contests, including the principal issues that produced such deep fissures in public opinion, both then and now.

As with print and electronic media today, newspapers, many openly partisan, magnified the bitterness of the 1800 campaign by affording a forum for debate. Their numbers swollen to some two hundred, papers exercised unprecedented influence. "The opinions of all classes arise entirely from what they read in their newspapers," a foreign visitor attested, "so that by newspapers the country is governed." Not quite, for freedom of expression suffered collateral damage. Whereas recent disagreements over political rhetoric have embroiled campaign rallies, Federalists commenced a "reign of terror" by utilizing the Sedition Act to silence criticism of the government by Republican journalists.

And like today, the parties in 1800 suffered internal rifts that gave the press added fodder. Cordial relations between Jefferson and Aaron Burr, the other Republican candidate, soured after the Electoral College awarded each an equal number of votes, ultimately resulting in Jefferson's narrow victory in the House of Representatives. More serious, Adams and the former Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, detested one another. So venomous was their relationship that Hamilton, who commanded a devoted following among orthodox Federalists, condemned his party's standard bearer in a scathing diatribe during the closing weeks of the campaign.

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Ultimately, two issues, then as now, proved paramount, effectively rendering the election, in the eyes of many voters, a battle for the nation's soul. Just as nationalism today has intensified in response to globalization, military adventures abroad, and the country's trade imbalance, nationalistic fervor in the late 1790s was fueled by threats to American sovereignty in the wake of war between England and France. Although both countries had violated United States neutrality by confiscating merchant ships in the Atlantic, more perilous to American honor, and to American lives, was Britain's relentless "impressment" at sea of deserters allegedly masquerading as US citizens. A leading cause of the War of 1812, impressment afforded Jefferson's supporters a powerful bludgeon against their domestic foes, tarred already as British sycophants. "Despicable shall we appear in the eyes of other nations," a Virginian railed, "if the idea is to go forth that an American may be robbed of liberty and held in vile bondage."

No less polarizing were fears about the impact of foreign immigration upon the nation's character. During the arrival of large numbers of Irish immigrants, especially after the abortive Rebellion of 1798 against British rule, Jeffersonians championed their plight as victims of British oppression in need of America's shelter. Federalists, who viewed Britain as a bastion of order in Europe, enacted three Alien bills, the most draconian extending the waiting period for naturalized citizenship from five to fourteen years. In nativist rhetoric like that applied of late to Mexican-Americans and, more recently, refugees from the Middle East, a Massachusetts congressman declared that he did not wish "to invite hoards of wild Irishmen, nor the turbulent and disorderly of all parts of the world, to come here with a view to disturb our tranquility" - quite a departure from Thomas Paine's iconic hope in 1776 that America would afford "an asylum for mankind." (Trump and the GOP should take note that the election of 1800 inaugurated a strong alliance between Irish Americans and Jeffersonian Republicans that assisted in the rapid demise of the Federalist party.)

With the choice of this year's candidates almost certain, only the most desperate conservative opponents of Trump still cling to the farfetched hope of running a third party candidate capable of throwing the election into the House of Representatives. Surely a fantasy, but not unprecedented. Far more likely, come January America will inaugurate a new president from one of the two major parties, bruised and battered though duly elected, with the strength of our constitutional democracy intact. The 1800 campaign, with the United States still in its infancy, was only the nation's second contested election. We are currently embarked upon our fifty-sixth. Despite today's worst fears, voters should take heart. "Every difference of opinion," President Jefferson reminded the public in his inaugural address, "is not a difference of principle." More famously he declared, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists."

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Last month, I was arrested at the US Capitol, along with more than 1300 other Americans in the largest civil disobedience action of the century.

The nonviolent protest, dubbed Democracy Spring, aimed to confront obstacles to democracy in the United States, including voter suppression and the outsized influence of big money in our political system.

The week of action kicked off with a march from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to the Freedom Bell in Washington D.C. There, marchers were joined by thousands of Americans from every state in the union. We converged on the US Capitol, where we followed the example of leaders from the voting rights to civil rights movements, sitting in en-masse. Our demand: that Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in politics and ensure free and fair elections in which all people in this country have an equal voice.

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Hundreds were arrested on the first day, and as the protests continued through the week as hundreds more people flocked to Washington, D.C. to be part of the actions. Our tactics varied. Many of us joined the mass sit-ins, while others locked themselves to the scaffolding in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building, chanting "Money ain't speech, corporations aren't people."

Over the course of 7 days, over 1300 people were arrested, making the protests not only the largest nonviolent civil disobedience action of the century, but the largest ever mass-arrest at the US Capitol complex. The protests were organized by a coalition of over 120 organizations, and were endorsed or attended by high-profile activists like Rosario Dawson, Mark Ruffalo, Ben and Jerry, and intellectuals like Lawrence Lessig and Noam Chomsky.

The issue of money in politics is one that resonates deeply with Americans across the political spectrum. Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of Americans (well over 80%) want fundamental change in the way the US funds elections.

Americans recognize that our voices are being drowned out by big money, leaving us politically powerless in our own democracy. When donors pour money into politics, they do it for a reason. We see the results of this donor influence nationally, from Big Oil-funded politicians refusing to acknowledge the science of climate change, to Wall Street-funded politicians disavowing financial regulation. Because of corruption and our unfair electoral system, state and local representatives are accountable to their big money donors, rather than their constituents--us. Through systemic disinvestment of power, the costs of corruption are offloaded onto the 99 percent-- and in particular, the working class and communities of color, who face largely inadequate, underfunded, and inhumane public services.

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We risked arrest to demand that Congress listen to the People and take immediate action to create a democracy that works for all of us. Such a democracy would provide millions of disempowered voters with opportunities for meaningful participation in our political system. This, in turn, would enliven social movements and give our society more space to create progressive and meaningful change.

The effects of this historic protest are already being felt. In the days since the sit-in, over 100 members of Congress have joined the call for hearings to be held on Democracy Spring's demands: legislation that would immediately protect voting rights and bring about real campaign finance reform.

These Congress members are calling for support for existing bills which would create a public financing system for congressional elections, overturn Citizens United and other court decisions around campaign finance, and expand voting rights and empower marginalized voters, particularly low income Americans and voters of color.

Such reforms could be implemented immediately and provide an important pathway to free and fair elections in the coming months, but the goal of Democracy Spring goes beyond short-term legislation. We are building a sustained movement that will challenge corporate influence over the decisions that govern our lives, and end the legalized corruption of big money in politics. The American public stands squarely behind these ideals, and in the coming years, a path to victory around money in politics is within reach.

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Democracy Spring participants are now calling on elected officials to sign the Equal Voice for All Declaration, which states: "Our government should be free from the corrupting influence of big money in politics and solely dependent upon the People. I declare my support for pro-democracy, anti-corruption reforms, including voting rights protections, citizen-funded elections, and a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United."

With overwhelming nationwide support, this growing movement offers candidates and elected officials a clear choice: either side with the people and fight for meaningful pro-democracy reforms that would give us a "one person, one vote" democracy--or stand with a corrupt political establishment that is dominated by big money and voter suppression.
The asbestos industry was well aware that asbestos was deadly. Yet, the companies that mined asbestos, and those that exposed workers, military personnel and consumers to it, and their insurers kept what they knew secret for decades -- endangering hundreds of thousands of Americans; many of whom perished as a result.

Even in recent years, decades after the dangers of asbestos became widely known, some companies continue trying to cover up -- even destroy -- evidence of their products' devastation to workers, their families and many others who have been sickened and died from asbestos diseases.

Today, some of the most well-known companies in the country are lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would tip the scales of justice heavily in their favor when facing lawsuits from people who are sick and dying.

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Modern knowledge of asbestos' dangers is well over a century old. In 1900, a London doctor discovered asbestos fibers in the lungs of a textile factory worker who died at the age of 33 from severe pulmonary fibrosis, leading the physician to believe asbestos was the cause of death.

By 1918, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noticed a growing number of unusual deaths for those who worked with asbestos. By the early 1930s a name was given to the disease, asbestosis, for those who died after being exposed to asbestos on the job.

While banned in more than 50 other countries, asbestos remains legal and used in the U.S. and the diseases it causes kill up to 15,000 Americans each year.

Industry Was Aware of the Asbestos Danger

In 1948, an internal memo from an insulation industry scientist warned that asbestos-based insulation caused asbestosis.

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I realize that our findings regarding Kaylo (brand of insulation) are less favorable than anticipated. However, since Kaylo is capable of producing asbestosis, it is better to discover it now in animals rather than later in industrial workers.

- Dr. Arthur J. Vorwald, director, Trudeau Foundation, November 16, 1948

Hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved and a national tragedy averted if the insulation industry responded appropriately to the science and removed asbestos from its products. It did not. Instead, it continued to manufacture one of the most widely used asbestos products without informing workers or the public.

A 1949 internal Exxon memo titled 'Company Confidential" lists "Cancer of Lungs" as a disease likely caused by asbestos.

In 1958, an inter-office memo from the National Gypsum Co., which mined and used asbestos, stamped "Personal & Confidential" reads:

"Just as certain as death and taxes . . . if you inhale asbestos dust you get asbestosis."

- M.C.M Pollard, National Gypsum Co. Sept. 22, 1958.



Hiding the Danger from Workers and the Public

Despite a litany of corporate memos acknowledging the medical literature on the affects of asbestos, most companies profiting from its use continued to expose workers and the public to it for decades.

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One of the most notorious industry memos, from 1966, shows just how callous executives were toward factory workers who were being exposed to asbestos.

The director of purchases for the Bendix Corporation (now Honeywell) wrote in a memo to an official with the Canadian Johns Manville Co.:

My answer to the problem is: if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products why not die from it.

- E.A. Martin, Bendix Corporation, Sept. 12, 1966

Today, Honeywell is one of the biggest corporate backers of legislation, the so-called FACT Act, passed by the House and awaiting action in the Senate that would delay and deny compensation to those who have been sickened from asbestos disease. Between 2010 and 2015, the company contributed nearly $250,000 to a small number of House Republicans who were instrumental in moving the bill through Congress.

An August 7, 1978 memo by an official at Babcock and Wilcox, a company that designs, engineers and manufactures boilers and other power generation equipment, acknowledged the company was aware it was violating OSHA standards set to limit worker exposure to asbestos fibers. The company decided to investigate the problem but not to warn workers who were being exposed. Instead, the company official wrote:

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The investigation is going to be handled as discreetly as possible. It is a concern of the meeting attendees that a labor violation such as a walkout or an OSHA citation would be forthcoming if the hourly labor force was aware of the apparent danger of asbestos exposure. . . . As the situation stands right now no one in the meeting wants the warning signs posted at this time.

- T.L. Wharton, Babcock & Wilcox, Aug. 7, 1978

While the death toll from asbestos-triggered diseases continued to mount, the industry remained silent on what it knew to be the truth about the risk to workers. A 1971 memo from a Ford Motor Co. executive, unearthed by the Center for Public Integrity, argued that $1.25 per car was too much to spend on safer alternatives to asbestos brakes, concluding the "cost penalty" of switching to metal or carbon brakes "is severe."

Another asbestos industry giant, Union Carbide, went on the offensive when OSHA issued its first asbestos regulations for worker safety in 1972. That same year, the company issued a memorandum to sales executives who might get angry calls from customers concerned about the new regulations.

If the customer is persistent and threatens to eliminate asbestos - a certain amount of aggressiveness may be effective. Words and catch phrases such as "premature," "irrational" or "avoiding the inevitable" will sometimes turn the table. The main objective is to keep the customer on the defensive, make him justify his position. . . . Change the mood before discussing anything pertinent about the new regulations. Alternating between an aggressive and submissive attitude is confusing and allows you to bide your time. . . . Don't cover too much ground in one confrontation. Even rabies shots are spaced at moderate intervals.

- B.L. Ingalis, Union Carbide June 22, 1972

Public Relations and Science for Sale

A speech from an asbestos industry expert dated June 7, 1973, describes a plan to sway the U.S. press, which had been increasingly reporting on the health impacts of asbestos exposure.

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The "good" that asbestos does in protecting lives and property is of no concern to the press. . . The press relations battle will therefore be won, not when the media starts to print positive or balanced articles about asbestos, but when the press ceases to print anything about asbestos at all. . . And now, having heard the bad side of the public relations problems, it's time for some good news. And the the good news is that despite all the negative articles on asbestos-health that have appeared . . . very few people have been paying attention.

Matthew M. Swetonic, executive secretary, Asbestos Information Association/North American, June 7, 1973

In the early 1980s, as the U.S. Gypsum Company was being sued by public school districts seeking compensation for the removal of the company's asbestos products, it hired the international public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton to help. The firm designed a comprehensive communications strategy to dissuade other lawsuits and shift the public's perception about asbestos and the asbestos industry. In its plan, Hill and Knowlton called for the creation of a "third-party panel of independent experts to be available for testimony, commentary and technical support in appropriate markets and forums."

By 1984 a number of asbestos companies adopted another recommendation by Hill and Knowlton and formed the front group, the Safe Buildings Alliance (SBA), that allowed the industry to pool resources to push back against its critics in a number of venues, including the media. As Hill and Knowlton described in its recommendations, the SBA "could also act to deflect attention away from affected companies," and "take the heat from activist industry critics."

In 2001, the Ford Motor Company, concerned about mounting lawsuits brought by former auto workers who blamed their mesothelioma on the asbestos-laced brakes the company once made, decided to try and shift the science in its favor in order to sow doubt into the prevailing consensus that auto mechanics are at greater risk of becoming sick with mesothelioma - a disease that the only known cause is from exposure to asbestos.

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The company hired a well-known industry consultant, Dennis Paustenbach and his then-firm Exponent and another, Cardno ChemRisk that Paustenbach started in the mid 1980's, to conduct a series of studies, articles for publication as well as expert testimony. Of course, Paustenbach's work on behalf of Ford found that those who worked with or around brake pads were not at greater risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma. All told, Ford spent more than $40 million between the two consulting firms.

In a Dec. 28, 2010 letter to a Ford attorney, Paustenbach extolled the benefits of his and his colleagues' work to Ford writing that:

...the "asbestos related research which resulted in publications which have been enormously illuminating to the courts and juries. . . In my view, these papers have changed the scientific playing field in the courtroom."

In 2005, Georgia-Pacific recruited Stewart Holm, then director of toxicology and chemical management at Georgia-Pacific, for a new position to be "specially employed to perform expert consulting services in connection with pending and anticipated litigation concerning alleged exposure to asbestos." Holm was to study the harms of chrysotile asbestos, and his work was to be "directed solely by GP's in-house counsel." He agreed to keep his work confidential from anyone outside the company.

Between 2008 and 2011, Holm co-wrote four articles on asbestos published in the journal Inhalation Toxicology that minimized asbestos risks. The articles disclosed that Georgia-Pacific had funded the research. But what they did not disclose - and what Holm later acknowledged in an Oct. 14, 2011 letter in the journal - was that Georgia-Pacific had commissioned the research specifically to address issues that had arisen in asbestos litigation. And he belatedly disclosed that his co-authors were all consulting experts retained by Georgia-Pacific to conduct the research or prepare the articles.

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Georgia-Pacific is owned by Koch Industries, which is one of the biggest financial supporters of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, that is currently pushing state legislatures to adopt laws that would run out the clock on dying asbestos victims seeking compensation in court.

Several states, including Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and West Virginia have already passed versions of the ALEC-sponsored bill into law.

Fallout from BASF/Cahill Gordon Cover Up Still Unfolding



The Engelhard Company, which would later become a subsidiary of BASF, conducted tests of its talc in the 1970s and found samples contaminated with asbestos. However, not only did the mining and use of the contaminated talc continue, the tests remained secret until they were revealed during a deposition of an Englehard executive as part of a personal injury lawsuit brought in 1979 by the family of an employee who died from mesothelioma.

In his deposition taken Jan. 28, 1983, Glenn Hemstock, then Engelhard vice president of research and development, acknowledged for the first time under oath that the company knew the talc it mined and used to manufacture products was tainted with asbestos.

In 1984, after the 1979 case was settled and the family signed a binding non-disclosure agreement, Hemstock sent a memo directing employees in possession of any documents pertaining to the company's talc and talc products to gather them up. Court documents suggest that Engelhard executives, as well as its attorneys, including those with Cahill, Gordon, & Reindel, destroyed and hid these documents. These documents suggest Engelhard and Cahill, Gordon & Reindel went to great lengths to bury any evidence of the problem and lie about asbestos that poisoned thousands - a brazen enterprise that continued well after BASF took over the company.

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By 1989, company executives were regularly making claims under oath that the talc mined and used by the company was asbestos-free. William H. Ashton, an expert witness for Engelhard, said in a sworn affidavit that "from the 1940s through the 1980s, talc mined in Vermont and specifically, the talc mined by Engelhard Corporation (and its predecessors) . . has been considered to be talc free from contamination by asbestos."

Engelhard and its successor BASF and its lawyers used this affidavit in thousands of lawsuits for decades as evidence that it did not produce asbestos-containing talc and successfully pressured hundreds of victims of asbestos-related diseases to drop their cases against Engelhard.

In 2008, Jennifer Riester, an attorney for BASF and two of its subsidiaries, urged the attorney representing a victim of asbestos exposure to voluntarily drop the lawsuits brought against both subsidiaries. Riester, in her letter to the plaintiffs' attorney, noted that more than 500 claimants in six different states dropped their cases after seeing the 1989 Ashton affidavit.

Today, a class action lawsuit has been filed in federal court against both BASF and its former law firm, Cahill, Gordon & Reindel, alleging they conspired to destroy and manufacture evidence in thousands of asbestos injury cases brought against BASF and Engelhard over the years.

BASF and Cahill, Gordon & Reindel attempted to have the case dismissed, but a federal judge denied their request in April 2016.U.S. District Judge Jose Lineras of New Jersey wrote that the defendants:

[H]ad a duty to preserve evidence when it was relevant in a prior lawsuit, and where it was reasonably foreseeable that the evidence would be relevant to anticipated lawsuits of nearly identical subject matter and similarly situated adversaries.

The Judge then found BASF and Cahill, Gordon, & Reindel had a "legal obligation to disclose evidence in connection with an existing or pending litigation." For the thousands of individuals exposed to Engelhard/BASF's asbestos-laden talc, their quest for justice, denied for decades, has now gained new hope.



The Fight to Protect Americans from Asbestos and Ensure Accountability for Those Responsible Continues Today



These are only a few examples of the 70-year conspiracy of corporations and their lawyers to hide the risks presented from exposure to asbestos.

The asbestos industry isn't finished. It is now seeking to change the playing field in court. A well-funded lobbying effort has been in full-swing at both the state and federal levels to get legislation passed that would make it much harder for asbestos victims and their families to recover compensation from these corporations responsible for their illnesses.

Roughly 15,000 Americans continue to die each year from diseases caused from asbestos inhalation, even though the amount used today is far less than was once used when the aforementioned companies and many others were mining and using asbestos.

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Diseases triggered from asbestos, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and non-mesothelioma lung cancers, remain among the leading causes of occupational illness and death in the U.S.

With the long latency period of asbestos disease, many people exposed decades ago are being diagnosed today, and diagnoses and deaths from asbestos-triggered disease will likely continue at their current levels for years to come.

Unbelievable to many, asbestos, while no longer mined in the U.S., is not banned in this country and continues to be brought in by certain industries, and it can still be found in some consumer products, including those meant for children. In 2015, laboratory tests found asbestos in several crayon sets and toy crime scene fingerprint kits imported from China and sold in stores in this country.
Jimmy Carter is the latest persona to jump on the End Demand bandwagon. In an op-ed piece for The Washington Post, he called for the criminalization of men who buy sex. Unfortunately, the former President's argument is based on erroneous information and a naive moralistic viewpoint. Carter seems to buy into the notion that all sex work is a form of violence against women. Yet if you talk to sex workers themselves, from street walkers to high-end escorts (as I did in researching Getting Screwed: Sex Workers and the Law), that is not what they will tell you. Many enjoy what they do; some find it empowering and view the work as therapeutic - they say they are helping people who have needs. Others see it as just another job, like working at Walmart but considerably more lucrative. And while Carter argues that the men who pay for sex have "power over another," sex workers say the opposite is true. They are the ones who control the transaction and they decide what they will or will not allow. As Julie Moya, a former sex worker in Manhattan told me, "I see prostitution as a way of getting back control over your body."

Research shows that sex work is not inherently violent. Indoor sex workers, for instance, are much less likely than streetwalkers to encounter violence. One recent British study of 135 indoor prostitutes found that 78 percent of them never experienced any violence. Indeed, much of the violence in the sex trade is bound up in the fact that it is illegal. Many sex workers are afraid to report violent clients to the police for fear of getting arrested themselves. This allows violent men to prey on sex workers and non-sex workers alike with impunity. In countries (such as the Netherlands and New Zealand) where sex has been decriminalized and regulated to some degree, sex workers are more comfortable reporting crimes to the police. As a result, there is an unusually low incidence of violence against all women in those countries.

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What Carter also neglects to mention is that in countries that have criminalized the purchase of sex (the so-called Nordic model), sex work has only become more dangerous and sex workers have a harder timer accessing basic health and housing services. Since Sweden adopted this approach in 1999, studies show, sex workers there have had a much more difficult time negotiating safe sex (i.e. sex with condoms) and assessing dangerous clients. They've also lost many low-risk clients, leaving them exposed to more violent clientele -- both on the streets and indoors. In addition, Swedish sex workers face heightened discrimination and stigmatization. In my book, I tell the tragic story of a Swedish sex worker who lost custody of her children simply because she had been an escort. She then lost her life when her ex-husband stabbed her to death during a supervised visit with her children.

Just last week, Amnesty International came out with a new report concluding that much the same thing has happened in Norway since it adopted the Nordic model. Amnesty concluded that the Nordic model's stated purpose of protecting sex workers while targeting their clients simply isn't working. Nor has this approach reduced the overall number of sex workers in Sweden, according to a report for the Swedish government. As the Amnesty report says, all that laws criminalizing buyers do is further endanger sex workers, impeding their ability to seek protection from violence and obtain needed housing and health services.

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By contrast, in countries that have decriminalized sex work and regulated it to some degree (such as New Zealand), sex workers are better able to protect themselves -- from physical harm and sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, New Zealand, which decriminalized adult sex work in 2003, has experienced no increase in the sex trafficking of minors and illegal immigrants, nor in the numbers of women and men who sell sex by choice. Indeed, New Zealand retains one of the most favorable rankings in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report.

If we really wanted to help young girls (and boys) who are coerced into the sex trade or selling sex for survival on the streets, we would take the money we now spend on arresting adults engaged in consensual commercial sex and put it into programs that help disadvantaged youth off the streets. As I show in my book, most of what is now called sex trafficking is a new name for an old problem: the sexual exploitation of teens running away from dysfunctional homes where many have been neglected or abused. This includes members of the LGBT community who have been evicted from their own homes or communities.

There's no question we should be devoting more resources to tackling the decades-old problem of teen exploitation, but that's not what Carter and his ilk are arguing for. They want law enforcement to continue to go after adults engaged in consensual commercial sex. What I argue in my book is that we should be putting our scarce taxpayer dollars into badly needed social programs that attack the root cause of why young people get involved in paid sex in the first place.
About Through Their Voices serial storiesMoaddamiyeh has been an early hotspot for anti-Assad demonstrations and the following government oppression. The town has endured the siege of the Assad regime since the end of 2012, and it is one of towns hit by chemical weapons in August 2013. Despite all the violence these activists believe in the principle of peaceful. And after five years of Syrian revolution their stories and experiences must be heard, their words reflect their struggles and hopes. 10 stories will be told through their voices.

This is part 2 of the Interview "The Dreamer's Voice" with Ammar Ahmad.

Ammar speaking about the "Free The Detainees"- Campaign in a video recorded to the media. Moaddamiyeh 2016 Photo: Private

Ammar continued telling me the story about his life in the besieged city:

The siege was getting worse and worse in Moaddamiyeh, and 12 civilians starved to death. People in Moaddamiyeh thought things could not become any worse until the day of the chemical attack during which the regime's forces hit the city with chemical missiles. Ammar was awake with his friends at the morning of 21 August 2013 when they heard a strange whistling to then hear people screaming for help. They rushed to the scene and found an unknown white powder covering the street. The regime hit the basements where civilians were forced to do their prayers after they could no longer visit the mosques. It was the time of Fajer, the early Morning Prayer, and the place was crowded.

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"I went downstairs and saw the people in a horrific situation, they had spasms, their irises were expanded and the way their bodies were shaking looked terrifying. Their eyes were wide open, but they seemed to be in another world. I tried to carry the person closest to me, and when I started to climb the stairs I felt I'm losing my strength. I was holding the man on my shoulder but we fell down several times. I tried to climb the stairs again, but that's the last thing I remember. I was in a coma for almost 10 days, and after I awoke I had not been able to be fully awake for another month. That is when I learned that we were attacked with chemicals!"

Ammar was one of the casualties most serious affected by the chemical attack that day, Moaddamiyeh losing 82 civilians overall in the so-called the chemical massacre.

Ammar Ahmad, 10 days after the chemical attack. Moaddamiyeh 2013. Photo: Private

After a period of time, Ammar had fully recovered and immediately went back to support the besieged city and advocate for it. But the situation was getting worse, especially for dozens of children who suffered from malnutrition during to the food blockade and the long strict siege. The regime was working on a shaky truce which stated that the regime had to release all the detainees from Moadamaiyeh, uphold a ceasefire, allow all the employees and students from Moadamiyeh to go back to their work and study, remove all of the regime's forces who had surrounded the city almost since mid-2011, and open all the crossings to the city.

The regime ended up only opening the crossings to the town for a few months; arresting more than 250 civilians who tried to get in and out of the town during that period. Meanwhile, people were allowed to bring in food, but only in specific amounts that were only enough for one or two days.

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This tactic ensured that the residents would stay hungry as they still were not able to store food, reminding them that the town's fate and their survival remained in the hands of the regime. One of the regime's conditions for the truce was raising the regime's flag on the highest place inside Moaddamiyeh considered a symbol of victory.

"That day I cried like a little baby! That wasn't what we aimed for! We lost more than 2,500 martyrs and more than 1,500 are still detained. I felt so shattered, but we didn't have any other choice after we were so utterly disappointed of the international efforts."

After a month of desperation, Ammar and his fellows decided that nothing would stop their faith in continuing what they have started in 2011. And, this is really the real accomplishment for the regime, which was defeating their determination. Ammar worked hard to put the United Nations' Damascus office under pressure to help bringing humanitarian aid into Moadamiyeh. He needed to take the risk of going into to the center of Damascus, an area controlled by the regime, in order to negotiate the aids' entering process. In July 2014, he and his fellows finally succeeded in their negotiations.

Time went by with the regime opening and closing the crossings to the city, using the threat of starvation as a weapon. For five months now, the crossings have been closed.

Ammar and his fellows are currently working to help the residents who are living under the regime's siege. The city has almost 45,000 inhabitants--a massive amount of people for these activists to help. Ammar needs to be multitasking; the people can see him everywhere as he tries to help in many areas and always lending a hand when one is needed.

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Ammar Ahmad with his daughter Mela. Moaddamiyeh 2016. Photo: Private

And yet, Moaddamiyeh, along with thirteen other areas, is currently under siege again. After all, people in Moaddamiyeh are planting to defeat the siege. Ammar is now married and he has a beautiful baby girl named Mela. Despite everything he went through life went on. But he is as determined as he had been in 2011, when he told me:

"I dream of a Syria without weapons and without oppression. We are a peaceful people, but we were forced to hold weapons to defend our lives and our families. Weapons were the last choice after almost five decades of Assad reign. It's not like any other place in the world. Dozens were killed in Syria while holding roses and banners in the demonstrations. Weapons were held in Syria to defend the peaceful life we were seeking when we demonstrated against Assad. After all that happened I still believe I might be close to my dreams, maybe closer than I've ever thought."

Ammar finished our conversation adding: "What we need in Syria is to get rid of Assad and when that happens I can assure that nobody is going to see any more weapons. The Syrians hate weapons and once we are done with Assad, they are going back to their colleges, their careers and their normal life, the normal life that they were never able to live under a regime that suspected every three people talking in street to be part of an opposition talking politics. We asked for human rights and they now forced us to ask for humanitarian aids. That was never part of our plans! Syrians need to get what they first asked for."
There's no question that Hillary Clinton's speech in San Diego last week was incredibly effective in defining the Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump as erratic, petulant, thin-skinned, dishonest, dangerous and woefully unqualified to be president. It was an evisceration of the kind not experienced by Trump during the GOP primaries. It also served as the foundation for a barrage of unrelenting attacks he can expect for the next five months. But one thing's certain: Clinton will be greatly helped during this time by Trump himself. She just needs to let Trump be Trump.

Trump simply cannot help himself. Like a child. Or an addict. Unfortunately for him, he is incredibly thin-skinned. He is super-sensitive. He cannot hear even the slightest challenge or criticism without coming out swinging like a ranting, raving, unhinged, emotional lunatic, which sends him careening off message. And that's when anything and everything can and will come out of his mouth. No matter how irrational, incoherent or offensive. No matter how un-presidential.

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Safe to say, last week was not a particularly good one for Trump. He faced a mountain of criticism over his controversial racist comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who's presiding over the Trump University civil fraud case. The case itself also took the news spotlight, with Trump accused of essentially robbing seniors and low-income folks out of their savings. Trump also imploded at a press conference he held to address accusations that he reneged on a promise to raise $6-million for veterans causes. And there was that brilliant Hillary speech, which was so unsparing and scathing that it left Trump a terrified sweaty mess the rest of the week.

The media may have also reached a tipping point with Trump. At his press conference he unleashed a tirade of insults, referring to journalists as "dishonest" and "disgusting" while calling one ABC News reporter "sleazy." At almost every Trump rally he also relishes calling them "scum" and "slime." It would seem that the media's love affair with the bloviating, sexist, racist billionaire may finally be over, in which case he will face a tsunami of scrutiny the likes of which will result in even greater Hillary-landslide-causing temper tantrums.
Let's face it. We would all love to look 10 years younger, but the vast majority of us wouldn't go under a plastic surgeon's knife to achieve it. There are many reasons why, including risk of complications, fear of anesthesia, scars, and, possibly most prominent of all, cost.

After being a plastic surgeon for over 16 years, I've come to the conclusion that virtually everyone can look ten years younger without having surgery. You don't need a facelift, eyelid lifts, or fat injections to take a decade off your appearance. In my new book, The Age Fix, I reveal an easy and straightforward plan that almost anyone can follow to achieve this. And, believe it or not, it works.

Here are seven simple steps to get you started:

1.Decrease your sugar intake -- Multiple studies have revealed that sugar is the absolute worst food to eat for your skin. It ages the skin by creating inflammation and through the process of glycation. In order to look younger and slow your skin's aging, skip sugary drinks and desserts, and make the switch from refined to whole grains.

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2.Choose healthy fats -- Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are known to soothe the skin, decrease inflammation, and moisturize the skin from the inside out. Sources of these healthy fats include nuts, olive oil, avocados, and cold water fish (like salmon and tuna). Try to avoid foods high in saturated fats (like fatty cuts of beef, dark meat poultry, and especially cured meats like sausage and bologna) since these foods can increase inflammation and speed up your skin's aging.

3.Eat colorful fruits and vegetables -- Antioxidants are your body's best defense against free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that attack the healthy cells of your body, including skin cells, causing them to be damaged and age more quickly. Therefore, eat foods rich in antioxidants, such as colorful fruits and vegetables, to slow down and even reverse the aging process. This is a great reason to visit your local farmers' market!

4.Ditch the cigarettes -- Studies of identical twins have proven that smoking cigarettes will make you age prematurely. I see this in my office almost every day. Smokers' skin is drier, less vibrant, and more wrinkled than the skin of non-smokers. Although quitting smoking won't reverse all of these changes overnight, it's the first step that all smokers should take if they don't want to age prematurely.



5.Exfoliate your skin 2-3 times per week -- When we're young, our skin turns over every 6-8 weeks. This process slows as we age, causing the upper layer of dead skin cells to clump on the surface, making our skin look drier, appear more wrinkled, and feel rougher in texture. Exfoliating the skin removes this upper layer of dead skin, revealing the smoother, healthier skin below it. There are many ways to exfoliate, but the easiest is to use an exfoliating scrub that you can buy at the drug store, or you can make one at home by combining baking soda, honey, and milk.

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6.Apply a vitamin A cream to your skin -- Prescription strength vitamin A, otherwise known as tretinoin or Retin-A, is scientifically proven to reverse aging, thicken the skin's collagen, lighten blemishes, and even reverse early pre-skin cancers. Without a doubt, it is the best anti-aging cream there is. Unfortunately, it must be prescribed by a doctor and can cause temporary but profound irritation when it's first applied. For those who can't tolerate or obtain tretinoin, there is retinol. Retinol is an over-the-counter version of tretinoin. Although it is less potent, it has many of the same anti-aging properties. Retinol can be found in the anti-aging creams of many skin care companies. Best of all, it's usually not that expensive.
As a young girl, Ramadan always brought excitement and joy. I loved waking up at the crack of dawn to enjoy my mother's homemade parathay, or South Asian flatbread, a filling meal to conquer the day with.

But as I graduated college and joined the working world, my sentiment around fasting became very different than the one you'd hear from 15-year-old me: Suddenly, fasting isn't as exciting as it used to be.

Client calls all day? Hello dry throat. On your feet for 8+ hours? Hello slowly decaying limbs. Staring at excel spreadsheets? Try not to fall asleep on your desk.

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In many Muslim countries, businesses have adjusted working schedules to accommodate for the holy month by starting and ending the work day later.

Meanwhile in the United States, many major companies host annual iftar dinners that celebrate the company's religious acceptance of the Islamic community.

But here's my issue with such events: A one-time dinner does not help your Muslim employees drive business value every day for the other 29 days of the month.

One night of Middle Eastern, South Asian, or African cuisine may garner the right amount of media attention, but fails to show a deep and authentic understanding of your Muslim employees.

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So today, I'd love to review how all companies can actually help Muslims this Ramadan by taking a page out of tech industry's book. But first, let's review some basics.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset. The website whatisramadan.com summarizes the month well:

"Each day during this month, Muslims all over the world abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, as well as participating in anything that is ill-natured or excessive; from dawn until the sun sets. Fasting is intended to educate the Muslim in spirituality, humility and patience. It is a time to cleanse the soul, focus attention on God, and put into practice selflessness."

While the exact hours vary, for American Muslims observing this Ramadan (June 6 - July 6) means fasting roughly between the hours of 3:30 AM and 8:30 PM. Here's how this schedule *roughly* looks within the United States.

It's quite the schedule, one that often leads to fewer hours of sleep than we're accustomed to.

Helping Muslim employees follow this routine is single-handedly the most valuable benefit companies can offer.

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Let's double-click on how.

A Lesson on Inclusivity From The Tech Industry

While many of my fellow Muslim professionals struggle through the tiring fasting schedule, I've been fortunate to have had a very different experience.

You see, I work at HubSpot, a tech company in Boston. And like most tech companies here and in the Silicon Valley, HubSpot has a flexible hours and unlimited vacation policy. This allows me to use my own judgement as to when, where, and how I work. I am held accountable for my results, not my hours logged.

Don't get me wrong, the fast is still draining. But the extent to which my company has helped ease the difficulty is a direct reflection of the company giving me ownership of my own time.

Here's how your company can create a similarly inclusive environment this Ramadan. One that truly makes a difference in the life of your Muslim employees.

1. Allow schedule flexibility.

Showing up to work for the sake of showing up is not sustainable -- not just during Ramadan, but at any time. In a recent Medium post on ReadThink, Corey Wainwright discussed the toxic nature of the glorified 80-hour workweek. This bit stuck out to me:

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"If you've hired professionals and given them a concrete and attainable objective to meet -- and they meet it -- there's a lot more room for people to focus on actually doing useful work instead of just looking useful."

That's why during Ramadan, I shift my work schedule to come and leave the office later. This allows me to get some needed shuteye after suhoor in the morning. And if I feel particularly drained, I leave early and catch up on my projects after sunset when I'm permitted to eat again.

Trust your employees to get the work they need to complete done, whether they're at the office for twelve, eight, or five hours. During Ramadan, give them the ownership to manage their work and time.

2. Provide a prayer space.

Not every office has the facilities to accommodate a full prayer room. Nor do I think investing in one is necessarily the right step for an early-stage startup. Larger companies that have the space and budget for such should make a space for not just Muslim workers, but all employees regardless of religious association.

My personal opinion is a Zen Room, a space that can be used to meditate, think quietly, or pray. Being inclusive means acknowledging those who may not associate with a religion but can still benefit from a spiritual space.

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3. Allow employees to work from home.

On days where it's extremely hot or I've lost some energy after a fasting workweek, I'll opt to work from home where I can work out of the comfort of my home. Instead of wasting my limited mental energy on getting ready or commuting, I can use it all on getting actual work done.

Need further validation? A Microsoft study called "Work without Walls" found that 45% of employees believe they are more productive when able to work from home.

4. Just be aware.

The most helpful thing you can do? Simply be mindful of how your diverse employees impact company programming.

For example, one of my Muslim friends works at a major U.S. company that hosts their annual team outings during Ramadan. For a once-a-year event, it's not very difficult to check the Ramadan schedule and host it before or after when that employee can truly participate in the activities and treats you have planned.

Want to go out for a team lunch? Perhaps avoid Ramadan as the time to do it. Unless your team already does lunches once a month, it's unnecessary to host a meal-focused event that could easily be scheduled for later.

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Bonus: Invest in nap rooms.

Instead of taking an hour-long lunch at noon, roughly around 2 or 3 PM, I book HubSpot's nap room to rest up. While many have mocked tech companies for having such office amenities in the startup space, I have been thankful for my company's social acceptance of nap breaks. It allows me to get the dose of energy I need midday at work to be a more happy and productive employee during the most trying month of a Muslim's year.

Thank You, Tech

The tech industry gets slammed often for a lack of diversity. But every Ramadan, I'm reminded of how fortunate I am to work at a tech company.

These businesses may not have all the answers, but at least at HubSpot, we're building a company that reflects a shift in how people live and work. Our culture and transparency around where, when, and how I work has naturally built an inclusive work environment that allows me to be me without putting my beliefs on blast.

I look forward to the day all companies can be as considerate and understanding of their employees. Until then, Ramadan Mubarak to all :)
Image: Vegetables. Stock Photo. Pixabay.com

Like savvy business tycoons, leaders in the former Soviet Union who use their positions to grab much of their countries' economic wealth know the importance of diversification.

That's why the portfolio of the typical dictator in the region includes a number of industries. Energy, banking, communications, media, retailing, real estate and construction are almost always represented. Manufacturing and technology also show up.

The reason for diversification, of course, is that if one industry's profits are down, a dictator can maintain his well-heeled lifestyle with the profits of industries having good years.

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In addition to industries with profits that can jump up and down, every prudent dictator's portfolio includes industries whose profits are stable from year to year because they produce goods everyone needs.

An example is agriculture -- since we all have to eat, and because it produces materials that go into our clothes.

One of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev's sons-in-law put this principle into action by cornering the country's sugar industry.

Rakhat Aliyev joined the Nazarbayev clan, which controls much of the country's wealth, by marrying Nursultan's oldest daughter, Dariga.

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Like other Nazarbayev family members, he staked out certain industries for his own.

To help expropriate those industries, he convinced Papa Nazarbayev to appoint him deputy director of the KNB, Kazakhstan's successor to the KGB. He used that scary position to intimidate his way into grabbing industries he wanted, including sugar production and distribution.

Long before he hanged himself in an Austrian prison on the eve of a murder trial he was facing in 2015, he had taken over Kazakhstan's sugar market, earning him the nickname Sugar.

(The trial involved allegations that Aliyev ordered the murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan. Austria decided to try him because it doubted Aliyev would receive a fair trial in Kazakhstan, where he had fallen out with his father-in-law.)

Another case of a ruler in the former Soviet Union cornering an entire agricultural commodity is Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov's cotton monopoly.

Uzbek cotton is one of the world's best, and global demand for it has long been an underpinning of the Karimov family's wealth.

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The Karimovs are notorious for a technique they've employed to squeeze every ounce of profit possible out of the annual cotton crop: forcing much of Uzbekistan's population into the fields each year to harvest cotton.

The pickers have included blue-collar and office workers, grade school, high school and university students, and even hospital patients with non-life-threatening ailments. Most of the harvesters are essentially slave laborers, receiving little or no pay for their work.

Years of international condemnation of the Karimovs' use of child labor in the harvests finally prompted the government to exempt grade-school and high-school pickers. University students weren't as lucky. They still must work the cotton fields for several weeks each fall.

Although it's still an exception in the former Soviet Union for a ruler to corner an entire farm commodity, other forms of agricultural corruption are the rule.

For example, Armenia President Serzh Sargsyan has given special tax breaks to the cucumber and tomato business of the family of Aram Gharibyan, Sargsyan's chief adviser.

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Armyanski Urazhai Ltd. both imports and exports the vegetables.

In May of 2014 the government agreed to let the company delay until 2017 paying $1.5 million in value-added tax it owed for the 2014 tax year.

In November of 2015 the government gave the company a similar three-year delay in paying customs duties for the period October 2015 to January of 2016 -- a sum that turned out to be $536,000.

The amount of the delayed value-added-tax and customs duties was relatively small -- about $2 million.

But the amount was not what was at issue for many Armenians: It was that companies with no connections to the ruling family received no tax breaks.

What comes to mind when most people think about leaders in the former Soviet Union grabbing much of their countries' wealth are industries with pizzaz: oil and gas, banking, mobile-phone communications and the like.

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Agriculture doesn't have the sex appeal of most businesses. It is old-fashioned, plodding, and with some exceptions not prone to profit jumps.

While not sexy, it does provide steady income, though.

So if you're engaging in corruption to fatten your wallet, why not have it in your portfolio?


US Secretary of State John Kerry, giving remarks at the United Nations International School's commencement ceremony on June 2, 2106, held at the UN. His niece, Iris Kerry-Kaler, was among the graduating students. US STATE DEPARTMENT

For the class of 2016 at the United Nations International School in Manhattan, graduation on June 2 was a special event, held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall. The speaker was Secretary of State John Kerry, who seized the moment in a turbulent, narrowly focused political year in the United States to praise international diversity and cooperation.

He also had something to say about one of the graduating students, Iris Kerry-Kaler, his niece. Iris is the daughter of Peggy Kerry, who is based at the United States mission to the UN as its liaison officer to nongovernment organizations, and her husband, George Kaler, a financial and administrative adviser to nonprofit groups and institutions.

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"If some of you were hoping for Beyonce, I'm sorry, here I am," John Kerry said, explaining why he left all the crises of the world behind for the day. "I want you to know that not only is Iris a proud member of your graduating class, but she is also a terrific campaigner. And she got out the vote for Uncle John when I ran for president in 2004. I should have sent her to Ohio; it might have made the difference." A controversial vote count in Ohio cost Kerry the election.

"She had more common sense even then as a 6-year-old than some more recent presidential candidates whom I could name," he said. "But I won't name him." Kerry's swerve into the bombastic politics of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican Party's presidential candidate this year, drew applause from the international audience.

The 2016 graduating class at the United Nations International School include many children who are the sons and daughters of diplomats or others working in a range of international jobs. It is an unusual New York institution, even in a city as diverse as this one.

The secretary of state, who with Peggy and his other siblings grew up in a diplomatic family, said: "This is not an ordinary school, and you are certainly not an ordinary graduating class. You represent 41 countries. You speak 38 languages -- though, hopefully, not all at once. Many of your parents sit alongside each other in the UN Security Council or right here in the General Assembly." (The event was recorded by the UN.)

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Kerry encouraged the students in the graduating class to make the most of their unique international education as they confront huge global challenges, devoting a large portion of his remarks to climate change. He also addressed the bleak prospects facing young people globally.

"Each year, about 120 million people across the globe reach the age of 16, and almost 90 percent of them are in poorer countries," he said. "Overall, the youth unemployment rate is at record levels on a global basis. And somehow, through innovation, through ingenuity, through force of will, through your efforts, we will have to generate a huge number of new jobs, even while technology makes many old ones obsolete. And that task obviously does not stand alone."

He emphasized that getting to know the world was imperative, saying not only that this was something the diverse group of graduates at the International School had already experienced, but also how life abroad had shaped him from an early age.
The United States and India share common security challenges in the Asia Pacific region, but a shared threat perception cannot be the sole pillar of a strategic relationship. China's increasingly aggressive behavior in the Asia Pacific has prompted the United States to look to other Asian nations as partners. India, because of its size, geographic location, and similar democratic structure, is a standout candidate. However, increased bilateral engagement in defense, exemplified by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's April 2016 visit to India, is not enough to sustain a lasting strategic relationship.

To fulfill the potential in the US-India relationship, the alliance must cultivate roots in both high and low politics. "High politics" largely pertains to issues of national security, while "low politics" focuses on economic issues, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural ties. Thus far, both US and Indian policy elites have segmented this relationship, prioritizing India's value as a defense partner over its economic and trading potential. But if their shared security perception erodes, the US-India partnership is unlikely to endure without other connections.

The strategic partnership between the United States and India currently consists of a meager trade relationship of $100 billion annually. In contrast, the US-China trade relationship is valued at a staggering $600 billion annually, and the India-China trade relationship is worth approximately $90 billion annually. US-India engagement in low politics remains stalled because of the persistence of an outdated cold war paradigm that effectively prioritized high politics. In India, this prism translated into a policy of post-independence non-alignment that, to a certain extent, still precludes unconstrained relations with the United States. In Washington, this prism casts India as a "balancing power" whose interests happen to align with the United States in the face of China's rise. The historic 2005 nuclear deal between the United States and India further entrenched the relationship along the same high politics trajectory.

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In recent years, Washington has surpassed Moscow as India's leading arms supplier. Meanwhile, US financial, medical, and insurance companies clamor to enter the booming Indian market. While the Indian government has raised foreign investment ownership limits for insurance companies from 26 to 49 percent, a gridlocked Parliament has stalled land acquisition bills and failed to reform an antiquated tax structure, such as the Goods and Services Tax bill or the land acquisition bill, raising questions about India's ability to implement critical reforms that would facilitate doing business in India. While anti-free trade voices in the United States are becoming louder, these voices resound in India. The finalization of a Trade and Investment Agreement Framework (TIFA), much less a Bilateral Trade Treaty (BITT), is improbable in the current political context prevailing in India. Without these reforms, many analysts believe that India will remain near the bottom of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index--currently ranked 130 of 189 countries--thereby discouraging investment.

In contrast to India, China enjoys a $600 billion trade relationship with the United States. This booming trade level tempers the tensions in the US-China security relationship. The relationship, despite its controversies, has been largely cooperative. Relative stability in the US-China relationship is predicated on the intertwined futures of these respective economies--a hallmark of their successful engagement in low politics. Business growth continues despite persistent political and military distrust, accusations of human rights abuses, digital freedom infringement, and cybersecurity concerns.

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Realizing the potential of US-India trade requires a diversified economic portfolio and an Indian financial infrastructure that emboldens private sector engagement. But unless it is anchored in commercial enterprise, the US-India relationship will be doomed to frustration at best--or disenchantment at worst.

Today, India has a business-friendly government that has made headway on key structural reforms--making India even more attractive to US investors. India should take advantage of this opportune moment by liberalizing trade restrictions. The United States, for its part, must become an eager trading partner in both high and low politics. The "defining partnership of the 21st century" may be relegated to history as a series of missed opportunities if the United States and India do not re-prioritize greater economic engagement. The forthcoming visit by Prime Minister Modi to the US provides both leaders that opportunity that will be too costly to miss.

Jon Huntsman Jr. is the Chairman of the Atlantic Council. Bharath Gopalaswamy directs the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council
PART I: The Wireline-Wireless Broadband and Internet Bait and Switch

PART II:

Let me explain why all of your communications rates keep going up or why there are 'data caps' imposed, and why many customers have overcharges on wireless. And let me explain why there is no serious competition in America to lower rates, and why high-speed broadband in America is mostly slow and expensive and not available to over 50% of Verizon or AT&T's wired territories, regardless of the hype.

And let me explain why Verizon's Boston plan, which we highlighted, represents the 'end game' - to shut off all wires except what the Wireless company will use, (with fiber-to-the-home as an afterthought), to hand over the business to the wireless company, as well as block competitors as these 'new buildouts' are not required to be 'open' to competition.

It all comes down to the fact that Verizon, AT&T and Centurylink have control over most of the wires as they are the incumbent, state-based utility companies. This has allowed them to also take control of the wireless services, (Centurylink, has a deal with Verizon Wireless) and they have been able to 'cross-subsidize' all of their other lines of business. So, there are just three very large holding companies, which do not directly compete for residential wireline services (even though every merger to make them larger was predicated on it) that control most of America's wired infrastructure (or they sold off areas they didn't want). And this also gives them control over most of the other competitors and businesses that rely on these wires, especially for "Business Data Services", formerly known as 'special access', and that includes wireless services.

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This control impacts almost all competitors offering competitive phone or broadband services, or are deploying 'DAS', (small cell 'Distributed Antenna Service')--lots of small antenna wireless services that require fiber optics, or the alarm industry, that depends on dependable wired networks, or the wireless companies who compete today. And these plans have left most cities and rural areas' broadband future incomplete and not well served. Worse, even their wireline copper infrastructure has been left to deteriorate.

But let's put some facts on the table. (We will be releasing new reports about these issues, or read our previous reports from our new series "Fixing Telecom".)

Harm to Competition

This summary of the four major wireless carriers, from the end of 2015, and first quarter, 2016 shows just how this game plan is playing out.

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This research from Chetan Sharma Consulting, indicates that Verizon and AT&T are making $16.00-$17.00 a month in profits (EBIDTA) per subscriber, while Sprint and T-Mobile, who do not have control over the wires for their own use to provide services to their subscribers, were losing money in 3rd quarter 2015. T-Mobile ended the year with a slight profit, and in 2016 they are both profitable, but the differential between the incumbent wireline-based wireless companies and the other carriers is enormous.

And it is clear from AT&T and Verizon's EBITDA wireless service margins (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) that they have had massive financial gains from the current wireless marketplace. AT&T Mobility's EBITDA service margin was 46.7% at year end 2015, up from 42% in 2014; Verizon Wireless was 55.3%, up from 48.6% in 2014.

While there are a host of other issues to consider as to why Sprint and T-Mobile are not as profitable, the one principle point is that Verizon and AT&T have been allowed to use their combined services to cross-subsidize the development and deployment of their wireless services and give their own affiliate companies advantages no other competitor has.

Here's What's Going On: It is getting Worse, Not Better.

As we pointed out in our last article, Verizon claimed in its 2015 annual report that it is a "digital-first mobile future" company while AT&T's 2015 annual report proclaims that it is "mobilizing your world". But both companies also have control over the wireline, state-based utility networks and this has helped them become the largest wireless companies - and to cross-subsidize their wireless business, as well as all of the other affiliate lines of business, including the 'Broadband Data Services' that businesses as well as competitors rely on.

The wires, fiber or copper, are part of the state-based utilities, such as Verizon NY and Massachusetts, and there are simultaneous issues.

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NOTE: "Cellco Partnership", which does business as "Verizon Wireless", is a separate legal entity from Verizon New York or Massachusetts, which are the state-based incumbent wireline utilities that control the telecommunications networks.

Verizon has been able to let the wireless company use the wireline utility construction budgets for wireless instead of upgrading and maintaining the wired networks.

Verizon has manipulated the accounting to make 'Broadband Data Services' highly profitable so any competitor or business pays exorbitant rates.

At the same time, the affiliate companies, like Verizon Wireless, do not pay market prices for using the networks, so the wireless services also have obscene profits.

Verizon NY's local phone customers had rate increases based on 'massive deployment of fiber optics' and 'losses' which are directly related to the 'affiliate' transactions, including Verizon Wireless and Verizon's Broadband Data Services.

These are some of the main reasons why they can claim that the local service networks are 'unprofitable' and can get rate increases or can 'shut off the copper'. The expenses are being placed in the state utility's Local Service financial accounting, while the fees paid by the affiliate companies are marginal--this raises the expenses and lowers the revenue to the incumbent utility.

And the cable companies? Verizon even has a deal with the cable companies, which was created when Verizon bought their wireless 'spectrum'. Verizon is now bundling their wireless service with the cable package in areas that are not upgraded. And since there is no direct competition, the cablecos can just inflate rates as well (another story).

So, data caps are created by the incumbent wireline and cable companies because they can. They can continually raise rates--for 20+ years because they can. And since they control critical infrastructure of wireline and wireless, including broadband and internet, there is no level competitive playing field. They can not upgrade areas, or 'shut off the copper' or cross-subsidize their businesses--because they can.

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And, as discussed, Boston is a model of the end game. It is Verizon's test city to see if they can get customers to buy off on having a wireless service replace the wire to the home with lots of antennas that require fiber optics--known as FTTA, Fiber-to-the-Antenna.

Here are some more facts:

Local Phone Customers of the State Utilities Were Charged for Verizon Wireless's CapEx Expenses.

Fran Shammo, Verizon's CFO, told investors in 2012 that the wireless company's construction expenses have been charged to the wireline business.

"The fact of the matter is Wireline capital--and I won't get the number but it's pretty substantial--is being spent on the Wireline side of the house to support the Wireless growth. So the IP backbone, the data transmission, fiber to the cell, that is all on the Wireline books but it's all being built for the Wireless Company."

And the New York State Attorney General in 2012 wrote that Verizon has been reducing staff and focusing on wireless:



"Rather than meet its obligations to provide wireline telephone customers with minimally adequate telephone service, Verizon is continuing to drastically reduce its workforce with the result that the company cannot meet its customers' repair needs in a timely manner. Verizon's management has demonstrated that it is unwilling to compete to retain its wireline customer base, and instead is entirely focused on expanding its wireless business affiliate."

Moreover, according to the NY Attorney General, about 75% of Verizon NY's wireline utility budget has been diverted to fund the construction of fiber optic lines that are used by Verizon Wireless's cell site facilities and FiOS cable TV.



"Verizon New York's claim of making over a 'billion dollars' in 2011 capital investments to its landline network is misleading. In fact, roughly three-quarters of the money was invested in providing transport facilities to serve wireless cell sites and its FiOS offering. Wireless carriers, including Verizon's affiliate Verizon Wireless, directly compete with landline telephone service and the company's FiOS is primarily a video and Internet broadband offering....Therefore, only a fraction of the company's capital program is dedicated to supporting and upgrading its landline telephone service."

Customers are Paying for the Fiber Optic Deployments.

As we've documented using public documents, Verizon New York (VNY) received multiple rate increases for 'massive deployment of fiber optics' and 'losses'. Local phone customers ended up paying $1000-$1500.00 extra for these rate increases that started in 2006.

In June 2009, the NY State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) granted VNY a rate increase for residential POTS customers. The NYPSC press release explains this rate increase was due to "massive deployment of fiber optics" (and the release continues, explaining that VNY was "in need of financial relief" due to major losses).

"'We are always concerned about the impacts on ratepayers of any rate increase, especially in times of economic stress,' said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. 'Nevertheless, there are certain increases in Verizon's costs that have to be recognized. This is especially important given the magnitude of the company's capital investment program, including its massive deployment of fiber optics in New York. We encourage Verizon to make appropriate investments in New York, and these minor rate increases will allow those investments to continue'." (Emphasis added)

This was the 3rd increase and every ancillary service went up 50-300%. See our last reports from "Fixing Telecom".

And the NYPSC was not 'concerned' enough, it would seem, as they never audited the financial annual reports to investigate whether these increases were justified or how the flows of money were manipulated to create these losses.

The 'massive deployment of fiber optics', then, appears to have been done, in large part, not to wire homes in New York State but to wire the cell sites; the 'losses' were created by multiple things, including the fact that Verizon Wireless didn't pay for some, most, if not all of this construction; it had nothing to do with Local Service expenses. I'll get to that in a moment.

Verizon Wireless Appears to Be Paying a Fraction of What Other Competitors Are Paying for Use of The Wireline Networks.

Based on Verizon New York's financial reports, Sprint is paying almost three times the amount Verizon Wireless (Cellco) paid, based on the number of customers in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, Verizon's Cellco paid Verizon NY, the state-wired utility company, $78 million and $95 million in 2010; Sprint paid $119 million and $104 million respectively - but Sprint had less than  of the customers.

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By 2014, we estimate that in just New York, Sprint overpaid by $60 million as compared to Verizon Wireless; nationwide, Sprint was overcharged by over $ billion annually. This also means that T-Mobile, and every other competitor, are most likely paying multiples for use of these networks, it would appear. (Note: Verizon Cellco's payments to Verizon NY are documented through 2014; Verizon stopped publishing what Sprint was paying in 2010.)

Where are the Verizon Wireless Construction Expenditures? Missing.

As previously quoted, the NY Attorney General's analysis of Verizon NY's capEx for 2011 claimed that 75% of the wireline utility budget of over $1 billion was used for the delivery of FiOS and wireless services. Let's walk through this example.

First, we present the actual numbers for VNY's capEx for 2009 and 2010 as told by the 4th Quarter SEC filings for these years. VNY reported no direct payments from Verizon Wireless, except the payments listed above. Even if this was 'amortized' over time in monthly payments for, say, three years, by 2010 there should be over $300 million as a separate payment for the work done.

However, the numbers are much, much worse. We estimate that in just 2010, Verizon Wireless's cell site construction budget was about $1.2-$1.4 billion in just New York. I.e., Verizon NY paid for the construction for the wireless affiliate and the total was most of the Verizon NY wireline capEx.

Verizon Wireless released its own press releases for these years and they show that Verizon Wireless only spent about $216 million in New York State and Northern New Jersey for 2010--However, Verizon Wireless had over $6 billion in revenues in just New York State for 2010.

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Ergo, Verizon Wireless was able to use the Verizon NY wireline construction budgets for their upgrade of the wires to the cell towers and also paid a fraction of the expenses for using the networks. Meanwhile, Sprint and the other wireless companies would pay Verizon NY retail for doing any construction and as well as market prices for using the networks--and the differences are massive, especially nationwide. We have no reason to believe this is not happening in every Verizon state, not to mention in every AT&T and CenturyLink state.

Competitors are Blocked from the New Fiber Optic Build Outs.

Adding to this, competitors, from the wireless companies to other DAS providers or companies offering broadband, and others are blocked from using the new fiber optic upgrades... even if they are being used for wireless.

In December 2015, the FCC's decision agreed with the United States Telephone Association (USTA), (the trade association and lobby for the large phone companies - AT&T and Verizon) petition and stated:

"We find that USTA has met the forbearance standard with respect to newly- constructed entrance conduit access in greenfield deployment situations."

What this says in English is--the FCC agreed with the USTA and decided that competitors should be blocked from getting access to new fiber optic build outs (known as 'greenfields') and that it 'forebeared', meaning while there are laws on the books to allow competition on the wires, the FCC will not enforce these laws.

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In short, competitive providers are screwed. Unless the incumbent deems it, these companies can't have access to these new fiber optic wires to offer their own services without the expense of laying their own 'conduit' (a term that has technical meanings too complicated to explain here).

Profit Margins on Access (Broadband Data Services) Are also Obscene.

Another part of this multi-layer puzzle are the profit margins of 'Broadband Data Services', which can be either copper or wire. These are the revenues and network expenses from Verizon New York's 2014 Annual Report, based on the financial categories: "Local Service" and "Access", which includes Broadband Data Services. This shows the massive cross-subsidies.

"Local Service" are the revenues from basic copper-based "POTS", Plain Old Telephone Service, and ancillary services, like Call Waiting, while this accounting of "Access" represent the mostly copper-based access services, with the largest sub-category being 'special access', now called "Broadband Data Services".

In 2014, in just New York, Verizon made $2.4 billion in revenue from access, which represented 45% of the revenues, but only paid 24% of the network costs, (known as "plant" and "non-specific plant") including capEx construction expenses. Local Service, which only brought in $1.4 billion, or 28% of the revenues, paid the majority, 46%, of the network costs.

This is, of course, ridiculous as Verizon has not been putting money in to support the copper local services, and it should have paid a fraction of this expense.

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Access Services, including special access, underpaid by $1.5 billion in expenses in just 2014 and in just Verizon New York. This made Access have over a 50% profit margin.

However, this does not include the "Black Hole Revenues", which are special access revenues that are not part of the accounting of the Verizon New York regulated books, but get the benefits of this manipulation of the expenses.

Consumer Federation of America's Special Access Report: $150 Billion in Overcharging and Economic Harms Over the Last 5 Years.

On April 5th, 2016, Consumer Federation of America released a report on special access overcharging.

"Consumer Federation of America (CFA) today released a study that estimates that large incumbent telephone companies have engaged in abusive pricing practices for high-speed broadband "special access" services, with overcharges totaling about $75 billion over just the past five years. As a result, CFA estimates that the indirect macroeconomic loss to American consumers doubles that damage to a total in excess of $150 billion since 2010."

In short, data caps, high broadband and wireless prices, and a lack of competition - or even a lack of broadband deployments, are all tied to one thing--AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink control critical infrastructure and have been able to cross-subsidize their other businesses, while harming competition and the public.

And they do not offer enough direct competition to lower any offerings by the cable companies--and thus there are no market forces in play--just mostly a monopoly or duopoly.

Moreover, the wireless companies are making decisions about who will or will not get upgraded.
Congrats grads! Graduation is an exciting time for any young person, but there is an overwhelming sense of unease among today's young people regarding life outside of their predictable school walls.

My non-profit teamed up with Toluna Quicksurveys.com to get a better sense of what students are facing at graduation, as part of our ongoing State of the Girl series. Our survey revealed that, no surprise, finding that first job is still the biggest challenge facing these soon-to-be graduates. What is surprising, however, is that over 80 percent of female college graduates say they are finding it difficult to land a job within their chosen field of study.

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This is an alarming statistic. It means only about 17 percent of graduates are finding jobs related to what they actually studied in school. Couple that with the fact that graduates are raking up over $37,000 in student loan debt (from a new study by Scholarships.com), students who find themselves in a bad-fit job after graduation have a difficult getting on the right path.

But good news for graduates: you have the power to change this outcome. From my experience in working with students and graduates over the years, there are several strategies you can utilize during the job recruitment process to improve your chances of getting noticed (and hired!) for the job of your dreams after graduation.

Customize your pitch

First, be smart about where you apply. Instead of sending the same, generic letter to dozens of similar companies, graduates need to select five to ten companies that look like a good fit. Next, customize your cover letters and resumes based on the employer and the specific position you are seeking. Let's get real. Hiring managers can see right through a "canned" application. Now here's where an applicant really shines--do a little research and include in the cover letter a comment related to an exciting new project or update from the company. Check recent company press releases (available on their website) or Google the company to get some ideas. From experience, this can go a long way in helping an applicant stand out. If a graduate you know needs some help perfecting their cover letter, these writing tips from The Muse can help.

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Stand out in the interview by expanding on ideas

Success! You sent the potential new employer a standout cover letter and resume that secured an interview. During the interview, your #1 task is to get them to see you as a part of the team. How do you do that? Introduce and expand on some new, creative ideas for projects during the course of the conversation. But this can only happen if you have a firm grasp of some of the company's recent news and updates (see the tip above!). The preparation and research shows the employer that you already are interested in adding great value to the company and that you are someone who is proactive in your work. Applicants who bring ideas to the table and put themselves in the position's shoes are more likely to get hired for the job.

Edge out the competition by highlighting key experiences

Now we all have to start somewhere. If you lack the specific work experience required for the position, don't stress. The better applicant will explain how they're prepared for the job in other ways. Highlight strong examples of other experiences that show you can do the job. Indeed, a previous experience in another area can show how you have core skills for the position you want. Finding similarities in those responsibilities and describing examples of how the situations were adeptly managed can show a potential employer your capabilities. By providing a reasoned case for your candidacy, you will impress any future employer, giving you an edge against the competition.
This election cycle has been heavy on rhetoric and light on policy. Given that nearly 50% of Americans consider themselves angrier than a year ago - with white Republicans being the angriest - it's no wonder that rather than having substantive discussions, most solutions being offered currently are knee jerk reactions that have little to no factual support. A prime example of this are the changes many conservatives endorse for "fixing" public education.



Consider for example the panacea of conservative school improvement ideas - charter schools. The most recent data show that around 25% outperform their local public school counterpart. This means that around 75% of charter schools are no better or actually worse than the local public school. Essentially, in locations where charter schools exist they are on average no better or worse than the average public school. If the goal is to improve education, getting the same results as local schools, deemed failing by charter school advocates, is a shockingly disappointing outcome.



Of course it should be noted that charter schools never get a foothold in areas where the schools are already high performing. Given that charters can't even outperform average public schools the fact that some of the country's best schools aren't included in this analysis only makes the results for charter schools that much more disconcerting. Perhaps, instead of spending tax dollars to spread charter schools that don't improve outcomes, we should take the model used by some of the thousands of exceptional public schools and disseminate that to the lower performing schools.



Having said that, the goal of the majority of charter schools and the politicians that support them isn't to improve student achievement. It is to siphon taxpayer money out of public schools and into the hands of wealthy donors. Because these politicians understand that the only thing that matches the Republican base's hate of government spending is their unwavering belief in the magical powers of capitalism. This mentality is why military spending accounts for 54 % of the Federal Government's discretionary spending, (more than that of the next 10 countries combined), and why few industries turned out better profits during the Great Recession than the Defense industry.



Ironically, many of the people who think that the potentially cozy relationship between some school board members and the teachers' union leads to sweetheart deals seems unfazed by the reality that corporations outspend unions 15 to 1 when it comes to political contributions. If union spending buys special treatment, then spending 15 times as much should certainly result in some ill-gotten gains for corporations.



Based on the amount of money that corporation are pouring into political coffers, it should come as no surprise that other faux-solutions to improve education such as privatization of public schools' services are on the docket for school boards across the country. While the companies offering these services and the politicians they have bought will argue that this is a way for schools to save money, the data show that in nearly every case it costs taxpayers more when a public service is privatized.



The reason private services typically cost more is that you are inserting a highly paid middle man into the process. Obviously the goal of any for-profit company is to make a profit, which means they will either cost more or they need to find savings elsewhere. These companies will try and sell schools on the idea that there are savings to be had which will come from eliminating inefficiencies; however, the reality is the reduction in cost will likely come from lowering employee wages and cutting corners - neither of which is good for the students.



Additionally, by outsourcing this work you are also removing local control. Does the company do the same background checks your local school would do or are they less diligent about preventing dangerous people from interacting with your child such as one company that provided two custodians with criminal records for drug and sex abuse? Does the company respond to the complaints from the administration and the community or are they willing to let some inappropriate conduct occur around young children such as in Chicago where privatization has resulted in dirty schools? Does the company provide the same quality of service as those employees hired directly by the school system or does it fail to meet the standards previous established such as in Michigan where the outsourcing of food services lead to maggots in the food?



Beyond that, the privatization of public schools takes money out of the local community and sends it to companies headquartered hundreds of miles away. It takes hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money out of the class room that is instead spent on advertising. It also makes it possible for foreign companies to rake in huge profits off of your tax dollars.



But perhaps the biggest question supporters of the conservative plan to convert public schools to private entities is, if outsourcing services is such a great idea then why do so many charter schools hire their own support services staff? Do the principles of economies of scale somehow no longer apply to charter schools? Is the core competency of charter schools somehow different than that of public schools? Would charter schools somehow not benefit from the competition privatization of services creates?



Most Americans want to see the U.S. towards the top of educational rankings; however, it should be noted that while politicians continue to push capitalism as a cure for our so-called "failed" public school system, every country that outperforms the U.S. on standardized tests uses a more socialist system. Now that's something to be angry about.
Melinda: "Please don't cry in front of me. Then I will ugly cry, and it will be a mess."



It's a touchy thing being a caregiver. When to step in. When to drop back.

Susan: "There will be waves of emotions. I'm crazy, but I'm not actually crazy."

The sixty-four people who participated in The Five Minute Blog at this year's CancerCon, brought to you by the fabulous Stupid Cancer tribe, taught us a lot about what goes through the mind of a cancer patient. While we discovered what patients wish they knew and what knowledge they had learned, by far the most loaded question was the last one we asked:

What do you wish your caregivers knew?

Lisa: "That I don't need you to tell me what to do. I don't need you to come up with ways to fix me. I just need you to be there to support me." Philomina: "I can make my own decisions." Allison: "I don't need advice, I don't need a lecture. Please just listen." Catherine: "It's ok for me to cry, and I don't have to always keep the happy face on."

Because if we're being honest, cancer is never fair, even if... and sometimes especially if... you're the caregiver or loved one. Your friend, your sister, your uncle, is in the throws of this disease. You want to make them feel better, but you don't know how. So you start with the basics...

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Melissa: "Stop asking me, 'How are you feeling?'" Korinne: "Stop asking me if I'm ok." Asia: "Every time they asked me how I was doing, it made me feel like less of a person and just a diagnosis."



Well, that didn't work. So you think maybe being silent is possibly the better way to go. And for some people, that's okay.

Hailey: "I shut myself out, I really wanted to keep things super private because I knew the reaction would be, 'Oh, you're dying.'" Emily: "I didn't feel like talking, so I acted like everything was fine."

But for others, silence becomes even more isolating.

Lori: "My family didn't know how to treat me, so they distanced themselves. They didn't know what to say."

It's almost impossible to know what to say, at least initially. And let's face it: this isn't an instance where you fake it 'til you make it. Most humans are really shitty at hiding what they're thinking.

Peter: "My son was 5 when I was in treatment. He was scared to death of me, so I would tell him not to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you." Angie: "I'm still a human being, I'm still alive." Sarah: "I might look like I'm sick, but I'm still me."

I knew that whenever I hung out with my friends, quite a few would look at me like I was sick. And while I didn't like it, I couldn't really blame them. I saw it as the inherent goodness in the people who cared about me. The hard part was seeing the discomfort in their faces, so I did what I could to lessen the blow.

Amanda: "I took the brunt of everything so that they wouldn't be upset." Megan: "I told them I'm going to be fine. And it was my belief that I was going to be fine that got me through."

However, this had a tendency to exhaust me; sometimes it's hard to be strong when you feel so weak.

Chad: "There are so many people who look to you to be the superhero, and I'm not trying for superhero status."

And eventually, I just stopped caring what others thought. I knew I looked like hell, mixed with sewage... plus a touch of Uncle Fester. If I saw me in the checkout line, I wouldn't know what to say either. I became fairly good at being who I was in what I felt like at any given time, which tended to fluctuate from day to day. And realizing that, I became much more understanding of how others treated me. The one thing I could never tolerate, though...

Christopher: "And you don't need to speak to me in a soft voice."

...was that.

Vanessa: "Don't treat me like I'm going to break. I'm not different." Drew, a Caregiver: "And don't give me a pity party. I will make the best out of every day." Christal: "Coming at it from a place of pity is not appreciated... don't infantilize them." Destiny: "Just treat me as normally as you would before I got sick." Sierra: "Ask questions. Ask ask ask. Ask, instead of assume." Juliana: "Whatever happens, happens. It's going to be okay." Diane: "And it's okay to cry and be scared, and it's okay to laugh."

In fact, it's more than okay to laugh... it's essential. One of my best friends, upon seeing me bald for the first time, said...

Christopher: "You know, you kinda look like the tip of my dick."

No, I'm not kidding. Of course, you really have to know the person well. Otherwise...

Holly: "I'll make jokes about cancer. Then I'll be mad at you for making jokes about cancer."

And if it's possible, it's important to shake up your daily visual.

Cat: "Don't be afraid to reach out to me." Kalina: "While I might be sick, it doesn't mean I don't like to have fun."

Just a word of caution about Tequila, however... and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Liz: "I needed my mommy group to just hang out and be normal. Many didn't know what to do."

And many still don't know what to do. Because no matter how much we try to shield our friends, the truth always breaks through the barrier.

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Alison: "You realize how many people are affected by this disease." Todd: "It's not just me going through this. It's all of us." Eden: "Your caregiver might as well have cancer too; they are helpless." Jen: "Just be there, all you need to do is be there and have an open ear." Alyssa: "I want you talk to me about your life. I'm not the center of the universe." Ali: "Life isn't just about me. And DO NOT COMPARE. Everything is relative."

Another pitfall. It's irksome to hear from a friend or loved one, "Here I am talking about my problems, when they're nothing compared to yours."

Seriously. Stop it. Right now.

Emily: "Hearing other peoples' problems makes me realize that I'm not the only one in a sucky situation. Relationships should be about sharing."

They should be about sharing, but sometimes we as patients are not good at sharing... especially when it comes to the mundane day-to-day responsibilities that can become an enormous challenge during treatment.

Johanna: "I didn't want anyone to feel obligated to help. I wish I had known how to ask for help and mean it."

I was living at my parents' house while I had cancer. Each and every day, my mom would offer to do things for me, and I would always say, "No, thanks. I've got it." My thought was that I didn't want to be a burden. What I learned, however, was that my mother already bore the burden in her heart of her son being sick. Allowing her to do things for me would have given her a higher sense of purpose... a stake in the fight... a softening of the burden she already had.

As patients, we need to remember that. Most people don't offer to help if they really don't want to help. We need to have the courage to say "yes" when our immediate reaction is to say "no."

Now for caregivers, we have a million things going on in our head. If you ask us what we need at any given moment, we are clueless. With that in mind...

Victoria: "Don't ask me what you can do to help. Just start doing them. If dishes are in the sink, just do them." Brandie: "If someone just showed up and cooked dinner, it would have been huge."

But if you have to... tough love this shit.

Jennifer: "I'm too stubborn to ask for help, so force me to tell you what I need."

So now that all of your heads are potentially swimming, and confusion has thoroughly set in, many of you have the same question: "What the %*#! do I say or do?"

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Sadly, there is no tried and true answer. But there is a good first step:

Rachel: "Take your cues from the person in treatment." Jessica: "If I'm laughing, laugh with me. I don't always have one foot in the grave." Niki: "Even though you may not understand what I'm going through, you don't have to know exactly to support me."

And to our caregivers and loved ones, we might not always show it, but never... ever... think that what you do is unimportant, or that we don't realize all you have done, and continue to do for us. You are one of the biggest reasons why many of us are still here to answer these questions.

Julie: "I appreciate them for being there and being patient with me and not holding that against me." Kaitlyn: "I thank them for their unconditional love." Joy: "I couldn't imagine doing this without them." Kim: "To my mom... thank you for stopping your life to take care of me." Betsy: "I was angry, and not able to express my gratitude." Karissa: "It's hard to be around a sick person. But I would be lost without you." Rachel: "I love you and I value you." Brittany: "Thank you for all the little things that I never seemed to appreciate, but it really meant a lot." Casey: "Thanks for coming with me on this adventure. Lets not do this again."

Until next year...

____________________________

Dan Duffy is a husband, dad, video producer, blogger, author, and accidental activist. You can find a vast selection of his blogs for the Huffington Post here. His book, The Half Book: He's Taking His Ball and Going Home, continues to get rave reviews. It is available on Amazon in both print and e-versions.
First Ebola, now Zika. In a world where the next pandemic or global emergency is right around the corner, a timely response is everything. To respond to any global emergency, whether it be nature-wrought or vector-borne, preparedness, engagement of all stakeholders, and pre-coordination of all key resources is critical.

Nearly two years ago when the Ebola crisis was escalating in West Africa, governments, civil society, and the private sector came together to react to the outbreak. However, the global community arrived late, and not completely prepared or organized. Also, due to a lack of pre-coordination, private sector relationships with key players were unutilized, preventing a quick response from companies seeking to help.

Today, the Zika virus is a pressing reminder that we must have processes in place to both ensure effective response to outbreaks and to prevent the breakdown of systems that we saw with Ebola. For Zika, this means figuring out how to protect individuals in their own homes from infected mosquitos. As was true for Ebola, the private sector has a unique role to play in enabling a fast response to this outbreak-for instance, by identifying better vector-control mechanisms like mosquito netting, larvaecide dispensers, or health awareness campaigns.

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Ebola and Zika are two specific examples that have shed light on the private sector's role in responding to outbreaks. Now private sector engagement in global pandemics and emergency preparedness and response is about to change with a cutting-edge, cross-sector endeavor called the Global Health Security Agenda Private Sector Roundtable (PSRT).

Alongside the events of this year's World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, we gathered GHSA countries and interested parties to formally introduce the PSRT, announcing both our priorities and our diverse group of members. Led by Johnson & Johnson and the GE Foundation, the mission of the PSRT is to mobilize industry to help countries prepare for and respond to health-related crises, and strengthen systems for health security. Over the past year, I've worked closely with Johnson & Johnson's Dr. Alan Tennenberg to engage and connect with stakeholders from every sector to participate in this collaborative effort.

So, what does the PSRT bring to the table for the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)? From a health systems perspective, the private sector can leverage the framework of the PSRT to bolster and strengthen three main components of health systems: 1) equipment and technology, 2) sufficient numbers of adequately trained people, and 3) strong systems to hold the elements together and advance care delivery.

The members of the PSRT are working collaboratively to help reach the goals of the GHSA's 11 Action Packages. We are engaging key players from government and many companies from health care, communications, energy, finance, technology, transportation, logistics, and other sectors to support specific countries on their journey to achieving these targets.

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We also aim to be the clearinghouse for industry to respond to public health, natural, or humanitarian emergencies in collaboration with governments and multilateral stakeholders. By preparing with our partner companies in advance, we can more easily and quickly deploy products and services in a crisis. As we saw with the Ebola epidemic, rapid deployment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was essential to treating patients and stemming the tide of the disease. By pre-committing or pre-positioning assets that the private sector can deploy, like PPE, civil society and government will know, in advance, the equipment, services, and people from the private sector upon whom they can rely during a rapidly unfolding emergency.

Recently the PSRT brought together stakeholders from every corner of the globe and every sector, each with a unique role to play in this collaborative effort. We heard from my colleague Dr. Tennenberg, who discussed our recent Boston-based Zika Innovation Hack-a-thon, a true testament to the power of collaboration and innovative ideas. At the roundtable, we also heard from leaders like Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a strong advocate and supporter of the PSRT work, Dr. Mukesh Chawla of the World Bank, which has created new, innovative financing mechanisms for crisis, and Diah S. Saminarsih, Special Advisor to Minister of Health on Partnerships and Sustainable Development Goals, which is currently leading the GHSA. I was humbled and proud to see the engagement, enthusiasm and resolve with which this group of cross-sector actors has approached the guiding principles outlined by the GHSA and now supported by the PSRT.

The progress to-date has been terrific, but we need more engagement. We are a newborn group of almost 20 passionate companies, but Alan and I envision this being a cast of hundreds of local companies and global brands, engaged in work to ensure that we collectively and more powerfully help address the objectives of the GHSA. To be truly successful, we will need many more of our global private sector partners to join us.
There's a certain Republican politician in the news lately who stubbornly refuses to acknowledge reality. He can't bring himself to admit just how many times he's been defeated in the courts.

Instead he attacks the judges who are presiding over his cases. He keeps spewing the same rhetoric that has been rejected by those judges again and again. And then, no surprise, he loses again.

No, I'm not talking about Donald Trump.

I'm talking about Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted -- and his streak of legal losses keeps getting longer.

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Two weeks ago Judge Michael Watson -- a Bush appointee and former chief counsel to Governors Bob Taft and George Voinovich -- struck down the GOP-led legislature's attempt to roll back early voting as unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Essentially from his first day on the job, Husted has been trying to cut early voting and eliminate "Golden Week," a week when Ohio voters can register and cast their ballots at the same time. According to a long-time Ohio political observer, Husted "despises Golden Week the way most kids despise cauliflower."

Keep in mind -- Husted is Ohio's top elections official.

Also worth noting -- Ohio's expansion of early voting and creation of Golden Week was a bipartisan response to the debacle of the 2004 election, "when massive lines at the polls, especially in minority- and student-heavy areas, kept an estimated 174,000 would-be voters from casting a ballot."

In an exhaustive analysis, Judge Watson concluded that African-American voters had used the opportunities of early in-person voting and Golden Week at a far greater rate (four and five times as often) as white voters. Watson found that by eliminating Golden Week, the legislature and Gov. John Kasich had imposed a disproportionate burden on African-American voters.

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The judge also found that Husted and the state's legal team had failed to show any credible justification for this discriminatory burden. Voter fraud had not occurred. Costs were minimal. Many of the excuses made no logical sense.

Husted lost -- but Ohio's voters won.

What was Husted's reaction? Was it thoughtful circumspection? Concern that the state was engaging in clear discrimination, violating the Constitution? Unfortunately, no. It was the same as always.

First, Husted ignored the law itself by whining that "for nearly 200 years, Ohioans voted for only one day. If it was constitutional for lawmakers to expand the voting period to 35 days, it must also be constitutional for the same legislative body to amend the time frame to 28 days."

Actually, that's the exact opposite of what the judge said -- and what judges have consistently said in prior Husted losses. Watson's order states that Ohio Republicans' amendments "reducing the early in-person voting period from thirty-five days before an election to the period beginning the day following the close of voter registration are unconstitutional."

As he always does after losing, Husted also pointed to other states that do not offer expanded early voting options as Ohio does. But in his decision, Judge Watson explained -- and as courts have explained again and again to the stubborn Husted -- that is not at all relevant.

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If Ohio violates the constitutional rights of its own voters in the manner that it is changing a voting law, pointing to what other states may or may not do is absolutely irrelevant. It doesn't erase the constitutional violation by Ohio officials.

Next, Husted said that it was "disappointing that a federal judge would again change the election rules."

That's rich, given the fact that Husted was smacked down just a few months ago for attempting to change Ohio's election rules. In that instance, it was a bunch of 17-year-olds who defeated Husted in court.

But this statement fits into Husted's pattern of public disdain for judges that rule against him. Earlier this year he said a judge's order to keep the polls open set a "dangerous precedent." In 2012 he was ordered to appear in court personally because he refused to comply with a judicial order. He often complains that judges are not acceding to the will of Ohio's gerrymandered legislature.

The secretary of state does not seem to understand that the court -- and the judges he disdains -- are what matter here. Federal courts are in place to protect the constitutional rights of citizens whatever the elected officials might think. Indeed, it is the elected officials who are the ones violating those rights. That is the essence of our system of separation of powers. All the name calling in the world won't change that. Husted should actually respect the system our Founders created, particularly when he takes an oath to abide by that system. And more practically, because he's often in court weeks or months later in front of the same judges he's insulting. (He is in front of Judge Watson again this week, for example).

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Husted's ineptitude would be amusing if this weren't such serious business.

Violating the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, repeatedly, is serious business. And voting rights are the most fundamental rights we have.

Ohio's reputation is serious business, and sadly, Ohio is cementing a reputation as a state all too eager to violate the rights of its own citizens. Just last week a report by Reuters found that in Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties alone at least 144,000 voters have been purged from the rolls, simply for not casting a ballot in one of the last three federal elections. Husted's response dripped with derision for Ohio voters. "If this is really important thing to you in your life, voting, you probably would have done so within a six-year period," he said. Not surprisingly, Husted is being sued for his voter purging practices, too.

The cost of these lawsuits, footed by the taxpayers, is also serious business. It's already in the millions. In any other realm but politics, Husted and his lawyer would no longer have a job after such a costly, self-inflicted losing streak.

But here we are.

This is my message to Kasich, Husted, Attorney General Mike DeWine and our Republican statehouse leaders -- please do Ohioans a favor before you waste one more tax dollar on legislation or litigation attacking voting rights.

First, remember 2004. The long lines. The national embarrassment. The questioning of Ohio's system of voting across the nation. Remember all that and then remember why Republicans and Democrats came together to expand early voting in the first place a decade ago. Good for all those who were part of those visionary changes.

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Second, before saying another word or spending more money on appeals, I suggest you actually read Judge Watson's opinion. Read OFA v. Husted, which restored weekend hours for early voting. Read Schwerdtfeger v. Husted, which restored 17-year-olds' right to cast a ballot in the presidential primary. Read NEOCH v. Husted. Read them closely. Some of these judges were Democratic appointees. Others were Republican appointees.

But they all repeated the same simple principle as they struck down your efforts to restrict voting rights: even if you don't like that voting is now easier and more open in Ohio, you can't simply roll it back. If you roll back voting in an arbitrary or unequal manner, you are violating the Constitution. And when you do that, you are violating your own oaths to uphold the Constitution.

And I will add that when you do that, groups like the Ohio Democratic Party will again challenge you in court. You will lose. And all of the blame being tossed at judges, and all of the pointing at other states, won't change the outcome. It only makes you look foolish.
The for-profit college trade association APSCU opened its conference today in Orlando, and amid sessions about dealing with increased government scrutiny after APSCU's failed lobbying strategy, there was news about two former APSCU members:

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey today announced a June 2 agreement under which for-profit American Career Institute (ACI), which shut down abruptly in 2013, has admitted to deceiving students and falsifying documents. According to Healey, in 2012 alone, ACI received more than $30 million in federal student aid, about 89 percent of its total revenue. Healey alleged, and ACI admitted, according to Healey's press release today, that ACI was engaged in "knowingly overstating the employment prospects for its graduates; falsifying student signatures, enrollment records, attendance, and grades; and using unlicensed instructors, inadequate books and instructional materials, valueless externships, and providing no meaningful career placement services."

The court judgment calls for ACI to pay more than $25 million in civil penalties, fees, restitution and injunctive relief, but Healey said those amounts were "largely uncollectible and suspended as a result of the school's insolvency." In addition, "The school's officers and directors are also permanently prohibited from operating or managing any career or vocational training school in Massachusetts." Healey said she would cite the admitted violations to request that the U.S. Department of Education cancel all federal loans from "at least" those students who attended ACI from 2010 through 2013.

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I spoke with ACI's co-owner and CEO, Andree Fontaine, on the day her school collapsed back in 2013 (see pages 40-43 here), and it seemed like a familiar tale in this industry, where the lure of fast-flowing federal money seems, to some, irresistible.

Fontaine was one of many for-profit college executives who tried, with APSCU's leadership, to prevent efforts by the Obama Administration to tighten accountability standards for the industry. In a 2010 letter to the U.S. Department of Education, Fontaine urged the administration not to move ahead with its proposed "gainful employment" rule, which will cut off federal student aid to programs that consistently leave students with insurmountable debt. Fontaine's letter claimed that the rule would threaten her school: "Our employees are vested in our students needs... One only need visit one of our campuses to see the care and attention given to our students."

This afternoon, the U.S. Department of Education announced it has doubled the amount that predatory for-profit college ITT Tech must provide in a letter of credit -- from 10 percent of the company's annual haul of federal financial aid to 20 percent. The Department said it was acting after ITT, on April 20, got a show-cause letter from its accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) stating "that a number of actions called into question ITT's administrative capacity, organizational integrity, financial viability and ability to serve students in a manner that complies with ACICS standards." Failure to meet even ACICS's historically lax standards --- that could be a problem. The new letter of credit level -- $123,646,182 -- is needed, the Department explains, as such letters "cover certain liabilities if a school closes at a time other than at the end of an academic period. Funds from the surety could be used to make refunds, provide teach-out facilities, and meet institutional obligations to ED."

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ITT Tech in recent years has been under investigation or sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the attorneys general of at least 14 states, including Massachusetts's Healey, who sued the company in April. A federal whistleblower lawsuit unsealed in January added more allegations of awful abuses, such as ITT admitting a blind student to a computer networking program that was unsuited to assisting the student, who dropped out within weeks and got stuck with the bill.

ITT denies it has done anything wrong and is contesting the pending charges.

Some experts already are opining that ITT won't be able to meet this letter of credit demand, and that the company's days are numbered.

Note that neither ITT nor ACI was thrown out of APSCU for bad behavior. ITT quit, and ACI just ceased to exist. APSCU doesn't seem to mind bad behavior.

ACI is gone, but every single day more students across the country enroll at ITT Tech and other predatory schools, including some current APSCU member schools, enticed by the taxpayer-financed grants and loans that the U.S. Department of Education continues to provide, along with the implied seal of approval from Uncle Sam.

Note, since a few people asked: I'm not in Orlando today; I'm in DC.
North Korea is a multilateral conundrum, challenging the U.S., China, and numerous countries in between. Despite enduring decades of confrontation and isolation, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continues to accelerate nuclear development, miniaturize nuclear weapons, and produce intercontinental missiles.

Failure to restrain the DPRK, along with understandable horror at its mass violation of human rights, caused some analysts to urge Washington to emphasize improving human rights and overthrowing the Kim dynasty. For instance, Carl Gershman of the National Endowment for Democracy recently argued that "human rights must come first." After all, he contended, "The basic issue, therefore, is not transactional but has to do with the nature of the North Korean regime."

Which means the existing government must go. U.S. legislation approved in February allows application of secondary sanctions against entities dealing with the North, which appears to be causing some Chinese banks and firms to drop business with the DPRK. The Wall Street Journal declared: "Now is the time to squeeze even harder with a goal of regime change."

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The North Korean nuclear crisis has been raging for more than a quarter century. Unfortunately, dealing with Pyongyang requires choosing the least bad alternative.

So far negotiations have failed. Few observers believe the DPRK is prepared to trade away its nuclear arsenal. Even if it did, the regime's manifold human rights abuses would continue.

Despite agreeing to tougher sanctions, Beijing has refused to end energy and food aid, which helps keep the Kim dynasty afloat. Military strikes against the North's nuclear facilities almost certainly would trigger retaliation and potentially full-scale war.

So the desire to change the regime is understandable and a worthy objective. But the presumption that attempting to do so would solve the North's human rights and nuclear problems is unrealistic. Unfortunately, focusing on human rights and regime change likely would fail to achieve either, while exacerbating the security threats which have unsettled the region.

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The North Korean system is uniquely odious. But like other authoritarian regimes it emphasizes the desire for self-preservation. In this sense human rights may be more important than nuclear weapons to Pyongyang. The government might trade away nukes or make other concessions to promote regime security. However, domestic politics, to which human rights is integral, is regime security. Yielding totalitarian control risks turning into political surrender.

Thus, to predicate security discussions on human rights concessions is to preclude the former. While no negotiation seems likely to strip the North of its nuclear weapons, Pyongyang might be amenable to making more limited but still worthwhile agreements--adopting limits on proliferation, restricting missile development, withdrawing conventional forces from advanced positions along the DMZ. It's a possibility worth exploring, however unlikely a positive outcome might seem to be.

Moreover, launching a human rights crusade without the means to achieve the end is little more than an act of moral vanity. Steps like increasing the flow of information into the North are neither easy to implement nor likely to threaten the regime.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government has no ability to protect North Koreans from their own government. Bomb Pyongyang? Tighten sanctions? Push Beijing to end support for North Korea? If such steps don't work for nukes, they won't work for human rights.

Indeed, as long as security issues remain unresolved, Pyongyang is unlikely to address human rights. Why would an angry, impoverished, isolated, fearful, and well-armed North Korea agree to reshape its political system to satisfy its antagonistic Western adversaries? DPRK officials would likely see more intense human rights demands as further evidence of attempted regime change.

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Forthrightly pursuing regime change would make any negotiations less likely. As oft has been said, even paranoids have enemies. The North has watched the U.S. routinely overthrow its adversaries. North Korean commentary was particularly sharp regarding the West targeting Moammar Khaddafy, who negotiated away his nuclear and missile programs. Openly attempting to overthrow Kim Jong-un would make him even more resolutely dig in and resist any liberalization.

Moreover, prioritizing human rights and regime change would push the People's Republic of China back toward the North. The PRC demonstrated more than its usual frustration with Pyongyang after the DPRK's fourth nuclear test earlier this year. Beijing agreed to tougher sanctions against North Korea--and so far has implemented them more rigorously than in the past.

However, the Chinese government oppresses its own people and is concerned about its own stability. It has routinely dealt with other abusive regimes under Western sanction, such as Burma, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. Beijing is not going to punish the North to improve the latter's human rights practices. The PRC might seek its own variant of regime change, yielding a more predictable, responsible authoritarian government ready to cooperate with its big neighbor. But China does not want a chaotic implosion, which could yield armed conflict, mass refugee flows, loose nuclear weapons, and ultimately a united Korea allies with America.

Indeed, Western governments should be careful what they wish for. The prime question for regime change should be: compared to what? Both Iraq and Libya have demonstrated how removing a dictator can create greater hardship for oppressed peoples and security threats for other nations. A messy denouement to the Kim regime would invite military intervention by South Korea, the U.S., and China, creating an explosive situation.

Or Kim might be replaced by a less confrontational dictator more willing to respect the PRC's interests--indeed, one supported by if not elevated by Beijing. Such a regime might continue to oppress the North Korean people, maintain threatening weapons programs, and challenge the Republic of Korea, while enjoying China's support. In which case the West would end up entrenching the general system if not the specific regime that it had hoped to defenestrate.

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When I think of the resilience of disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by health disparities, I think of the Arabbers of Baltimore, MD. They are not Arabic speaking people from the Middle East or North Africa, but scrappy African American entrepreneurs who started selling fresh foods in Baltimore's underserved communities in the aftermath of the Civil War.



Their relevance continued into the modern era as supermarkets divested from low-income neighborhoods, leaving struggling residents with few options aside from unhealthy fast food and carry out restaurants. Driving horses with carts laden with colorful fresh fruits and vegetables -- Arabbers sold their produce to residents literally starving for nutritious food.



Today, the number of Arabbers selling their goods on the streets of Baltimore's inner city neighborhoods have dramatically declined amid run-ins with health department regulators and increased competition from discount supermarkets, farmers' markets and other fresh food outlets incentivized by renewed city efforts to address high rates of obesity and related preventable health conditions among residents in Baltimore's food desert communities.



And while the city's response to a public health crisis was appropriate and necessary, I can't help but wonder about the lost livelihoods of the Arabbers -- a group that valued the purchasing power and nutritional needs of low-income residents even when mainstream markets did not -- and how they might have fared if the response had been framed as a broader opportunity crisis instead.



What do I mean? It's no secret that poor health outcomes experienced by low-income residents are driven by the interrelated circumstances of poverty, lack of education, and civic disenfranchisement that serve to isolate and marginalize people, often along lines of class, race, and ethnicity.



These social inequities are created and reinforced by policies and practices, such as residential segregation and the maldistribution of public resources, which drive disparities in the areas of health, education, economic security and civic power. Ultimately, these socially determined and spatially designated inequities are the reason why zip codes are a great predictor of population health, longevity, and wealth.



As new efforts to build a culture of health in America take root, it will be important to uplift "Opportunity Communities" or win-win, place-based strategies that engage and support the resilience of marginalized residents by speaking to their health, economic, environmental, and educational needs as well as the viability of their neighborhoods and indigenous institutions.



In this scenario, for example, Arabbers could have been viewed as partners in the effort to address food deserts, economic development and carbon emissions. Simple policy incentives for their businesses could have supported the distribution of more fruits and vegetables, the availability of more jobs, and the convenient and environmentally-friendly practice of delivering produce directly to consumers using horses, instead of cars.



Equity should be another central tenant for effectively advancing a culture of health. Challenging the distorted values and deconstructing and reconfiguring the policies and practices that shape our social and spatial hierarchies can help reverse centuries of structured disadvantage. Yet, centering equity within a culture of health requires attention to the following concerns:



1. Don't put lipstick on a pig. Community development is an important strategy for supporting a culture of health. Yet, while the lure of new or renovated buildings, sidewalks, or redesigned master plans can feel like positive progress, these efforts to reshape the built environment will likely remain purely cosmetic -- making little difference for the wellbeing of underserved communities -- if they fail to address the structural factors that limit opportunities.
I grew up in a home in Delaware listening to voices speak Turkish in the kitchen while I watched English television in the living room. Like many immigrant children, conversations took place in multiple languages in my house. And like many immigrant families, my parents understood that while there was no requirement to abandon their heritage when moving to America, the limited availability of foreign media in that era meant certain cultural sacrifices. Not being able to read a daily newspaper from Istanbul, hear radio broadcasts in Turkish about local politics or perhaps most significantly watch popular Turkish television shows were simply part of the trade off for the privilege of moving to America. No one complained. It was simply how it was.

Communities thrive by understanding and communicating values that are present in the culture - and these are often shared through storytelling. That's why fiction is so popular and story themes from one language can be adapted to another with great popularity. Many hit shows such as "House of Cards" and "Homeland" were North American adaptations of scripted programs from other countries. Much of the popular Netflix show Narcos is recorded in Spanish. As our story telling becomes more universal, the desire of all people to watch and share their native language content is exploding.

We are now all global citizens whether we realize it or choose to embrace it. The tension in a broadcaster's voice describing currency fluctuations overseas is the easiest indicator of how we are all connected by world economics. The urgency in a doctor's voice in front of Congress advising what resources are needed to battle Zika or Ebola is the easiest indicator of how we are all connected in public health matters. The geo-political barriers that traditionally separated us - oceans, mountain ranges, kingdoms and empires - matter no longer when we can all see and talk to each other anytime, anywhere with today's technology.

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In launching The Dr. Oz Show seven years ago I had the adventure of traveling the world as over 100 different territories started to broadcast the show. I met people from every culture, religion and race who were watching our program in their homes. This was a real time tutorial in how America's television exports have been thriving in other countries for decades, especially with cable television's expanding capabilities, satellite television's space aged solutions and now internet based services like Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and Apple TV.

As those around me were working hard to increase the reach of my daily talk show I kept thinking back to those days in Delaware hearing my father tell me about his favorite artists that I couldn't watch. I knew that somewhere in this media moonshot we are living was a way to deliver content from another country to homes like mine in North America. Millions of families- happy but longing for their culture's television media - crave this access. And cable, satellite and digital platforms are now trying to address this appetite with improving, but imperfect solutions. Some channels stream continuous programming but are expensive. Illegal pirated content is all over the web because demand is so much greater than supply, but this is unfair to the content producers and the quality is often compromised.

So what if we took newer technologies like an on-demand over-the-top service like Netflix and reversed the direction of content flow? Instead of America taking high quality scripted programming to the rest of the world, let's bring the best of the world's programs to North America.

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I set out to find a way, and discovered existing platforms that could make this content delivery not just possible, but accessible and affordable. I also learned that the market for this content has expanded dramatically. There are upwards of 60 million people in North America who are either immigrants, speak a language other than English at home or are culturally diverse enough to be eager for content from their home country in their native language. These immigrants have the same 52% rate of college education as native born Americans, and will share their thirst for the best dramas and comedies on the planet.
It's a challenging time for American Muslims, including kids. According to a recent study from Georgetown's Bridge Initiative, When Islamophobia Turns Violent: The 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections, American Muslims are 6 to 9 times more likely to experience violence than pre-9/11.





That research shows that since the start of the presidential election season both victims and perpetrators include children and youth - shockingly, as young as 12.



In Bloomington, Indiana, for instance, a 19 year-old college student violently attacked a Muslim mother dining with her 9 year-old daughter at a local restaurant. In Bronx, New York, several 12 year-old students physically assaulted a sixth-grade Muslim schoolmate during recess, punching her and calling her "ISIS." In Fresno, California, a 17 year-old (who has since committed suicide) threatened and ran over a Sikh man mistaken as Muslim. And, in Vandalia, Ohio, a seventh-grader threatened to shoot a Muslim schoolmate as they rode the school bus together.

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Additionally, the Georgetown study shows that American Muslims most often murdered are youth, aged 18 to 24. Alarmingly, as American Muslims suffer from dehumanization during a volatile election cycle, children and youth are suffering the violent repercussions.

What's to be done?





Hena Khan, 42, an American Muslim author, thinks children's books and increased religious literacy might be a partial answer.



"A lot of the Islamophobic rhetoric out there tries to paint American Muslims as a threat, or as un-American somehow. It's a dangerous and distressing narrative, and an inaccurate one," Khan, who lives with her husband and children in Rockville, MD, explains. "I hope that my books help to counter these notions and to reinforce the idea that American Muslims are as American as anyone else, that we are valuable contributors to society, and that we have made this country our home since its founding."



Khan, who holds a graduate degree in International Affairs from George Washington University, has published 13 kids books including Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, and most recently, It's Ramadan, Curious George.





Her most recent book comes at a critical time, when many American Muslim kids are struggling with social stigma, fear and rejection.



"Now, even Curious George has Muslim friends who he respects, and he happily shares in their traditions," reflects Khan. "I hope that helps to make the concept of Muslim friends 'normal' to more Americans who may not have any."



The board book wasn't Khan's idea. Last year, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the official publishing company for Curious George, approached Khan about writing the newest addition in a beloved series.

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"The book is part of a series in which George celebrates Christmas, Hanukah, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day and Parade Day," explained Khan. "And the editor told me she thought it was high time he celebrated Ramadan."



Ramadan is the Islamic holy month during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunup to sundown to help cultivate empathy for the plight of others, gratitude for one's blessings and self-discipline. A three-day-holiday, Eid-ul-Fitr, marks the end of the sacred month when Muslims celebrate with family and friends similar to Christmas and Hanukah.



In It's Ramadan, Curious George, the iconic children's character teaches readers about Ramadan and Eid in an age-appropriate manner. George helps his friend Kareem keeps his first fast, partakes in the feasting at sundown and even makes his first visit to a mosque.

In 2015, according to the Georgetown study, the American Muslim community suffered at least 54 acts of vandalism or property damage; 8 arsons; and 9 shootings or bombings, The overwhelming majority of those attacks targeted mosques, sending a symbolic message to the minority faith community that they are unwelcome (and potentially unsafe in the U.S.).

Significantly, while each of these attacks is recorded as a single event, each may negatively impact so many more who experience the threat directly as a member of the immediate or larger community. So, when a mosque in the San Francisco Bay area suffers an anti-Muslim attack, hundreds of congregants are directly affected but so are thousands of other American Muslims who may subsequently learn of the attack and experience the harm or threat vicariously.



Khan elaborates on Curious George's mosque visit, "In the story I have George go to the mosque to help make baskets for those in need, and that's where he gets into a little mischief when he adds people's shoes from a rack to the baskets. He and the man with the yellow hat also get Eid gifts from Kareem and celebrate the holiday with their Muslim friends, who are from diverse backgrounds."



It's Ramadan, Curious George was published last month in advance of Ramadan, which began this week.



"The reaction has exceeded our expectations in a wonderful way," states Khan. "Sales have been fantastic and reviews have been heartwarming."



To help overcome Islamophobia and foster mutual respect, acceptance and understanding, teachers, parents, community leaders and librarians can use books like these to educate children about Muslims while enhancing religious literacy.

Around the country, a number of American Muslim moms are already introducing Ramadan to their children's public school classrooms during special visits. They read age appropriate books like Khan's while leading related crafts and activities - in similar fashion to Christmas and Hanukah.
Regular readers will recognize a bit of an obsession with the US presidential election of 1968 and how it relates to the 2016 cycle. I've written extensively about Richard Nixon and Donald Trump's similarities in style, how Nixon's use of the language of the white backlash to the Civil Rights Movement preceded the current white nationalism of the modern GOP... well, maybe I just have an obsession with Nixon and 1968.

Point being, there are parallels here between the US political situation and presidential election in 1968 and that of today. What I've been getting wrong, though, is who Nixon most closely analogizes to. It's not Trump.

It's Hillary Clinton.

Now this isn't meant as a judgement of her policies and their relationship to Nixon's policies (though there's a lot of overlap). Rather, this is meant to situate Clinton and the race for the presidency in 2016 as they relate to the 1968 election.

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Clinton's current predicament in the primary process for her party- facing a surging upstart from the "fringe" of her party- mirrors Nixon's push for the nomination of the Republican Party in 68. Both Nixon and Clinton entered the race as prohibitive favorites, each after losing an election eight years before (Nixon lost the 1960 presidential race against Kennedy, Clinton lost the 08 primary to Obama).

Nixon would prevail and become the nominee of his party, and Clinton is assured of doing the same, no matter what snake oil certain Huffington Post writers try to sell you.

From there, Nixon would go on to win the election- and so, I believe, will Clinton. The reason for each victory is largely the same.

It's the candidate to the right.

Enter Trump. Trump's campaign for the presidency has relied on the reassertion of white nationalism in the Republican Party, a long held traditional view of the party base that has been held under wraps for years by vague and deceptive language. That language was pioneered by Nixon in 68 as a gentle "dog-whistle" to the white reactionary base.

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The dog whistle was necessary to attract more moderate whites who were not as comfortable with the language of white anger as the more conservative wing of the Republican Party and the more reactionary members of the white backlash coalition.

Despite the general understanding of white backlash to the Civil Rights Movement that exists in mainstream sources today, white anger and resistance to integration was also driven by a number of factors other than pure racial animus, such as economic anxiety and the perception (well-earned) of hypocrisy on the part of many of the architects of the anti-segregationist policies of the 1960s.

For the more extremist elements of white backlash in the country five decades ago, there was George Wallace. He launched a quixotic third party bid for the presidency in 1968 that was based purely on resistance to integration.

The parallels between Wallace and Trump are many; from personality to the protest their rhetoric provokes. But it's most clear in the unintentional provision of the same service to their respective institutional right wing opponent: cover for mainstream right wing proposals and candidates by not being quite as superficially loathsome.

In the context provided by the more extreme elements of the right as demonstrated by both Wallace and Trump, candidates like Clinton and Nixon look somewhat benign. Sure, they have some wacky ideas and it's all but certain that the US policy of war, death, destruction, and the annihilation of workers' rights will continue under their presidencies.

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But at least they're not as crude as their opponents.

This election is taking place in a very different year and with a different political culture than 1968. There will be no mainstream left alternative to Clinton, the Bernie Sanders campaign has ensured no movement to outflank Clinton will survive after the Vermont Senator's endorsement of the Democrat. It will instead be right against right, two members of the ruling class competing against each other to see who gets to sit in the White House.

But the central idea here, that Clinton and Nixon are similar and that their successful runs for the presidency were and will be predicated on the more extreme candidate to their right, is the right one.

Let's hope for a real left alternative as soon as possible.
Saudi Arabia's $3.5 billion investment in global transportation company, Uber, grabbed headlines yesterday, and rightly so. After all, it was the largest single investment ever made in a private company. The generally mixed reactions were also understandable given that Saudi Arabia has numerous critics. However, one can't help but say that some of the criticism appeared blatantly misguided and extremely far from the realities on the ground.

Specifically, there were some wild and unfounded speculations that Saudi Arabia is investing in Uber to maintain its ban on women driving. Others ridiculed Uber for seeking business, leave alone investment funds, in a country that bans women from driving.

Some activists even called for the boycott of Uber for accepting money from Saudi Arabia, a country which they said discriminates against women. Now, while one must emphasize that these activists are certainly free to say or do whatever makes them feel good about themselves, I would urge such people to first look within, before getting judgmental over "bad deals".

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As such, if the driving-ban forms grounds for these so-called activists to boycott Saudi Arabia or Uber, then I expect them to go all the way and not just do what is convenient. Otherwise, one can't help but suggest that it would be extremely hypocritical for these people not to boycott US or Chinese products too!

After all, wouldn't purchasing any American product be an endorsement of a government which uses drones that indiscriminately take innocent lives around the world? Or is that okay, because women are allowed to drive in the US?

Furthermore, these critics should immediately cease buying Nike shoes and Apple devices, unless they can assure us that they have been manufactured under international labor standards in China!

Missing the point

More importantly, such ridiculous claims miss the point and are disconnected from the realities on the ground. In my opinion, the question in Saudi Arabia was never if women will be allowed to drive but rather, when and how will they be allowed to drive.

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What stronger message could there be more than the Kingdom's powerful Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, personally and publically endorsing women's' right to drive?

Furthermore, it is not like the topic is a taboo anymore. It is regularly discussed in the Shoura Council and in Saudi media (this includes an article that I personally wrote on this website back in 2011).

As such, nobody should view the Uber investment as a way to enforce the driving-ban, on the contrary: it is an immediate and practical 'work-around' that actually empowers women and facilitates their movement and productivity.

If you are unaware of the situation in the Kingdom, you should know that 80 percent of Uber users in Saudi Arabia are women and that the introduction of this app, alongside its main local-competitor Careem, has really helped in solving a big logistical hurdle.

After all, not all women can afford hiring their own driver and male chaperons (such as fathers, brothers, husbands...etc.) are not always available. Have those who called for the boycott thought that they may be stopping a mother from taking a crying child to the hospital? Did they think that they could be preventing a perfectly eligible fresh female graduate from getting a job which may not only help sustain herself but her whole family as well?

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Just for background, public transport is sadly unreliable in the kingdom and traditional taxis are incredibly inconvenient to hail and largely unsafe to use for women. Uber and Careem, on the other hand, provide a much safer, traceable, cost-effective and convenient substitute.

A sound decision

As such, this recent Saudi investment should be taken within its correct context: the Kingdom's 2030 Vision. I say this not just because experts believe this is a sound financial decision, which serves in diversifying the Kingdom's stream of revenues, but because part of the Vision's objective is also to reduce female unemployment.

In fact, sources within the pool of consultants behind the vision suggest that Riyadh is considering paying female employees an additional allowance for transport to help them overcome this hurdle and find jobs.

I don't know if you are convinced or not, but to me, these are certainly not signs of a government that wants to further restrict women! However, if we were to go by the whims and speculations of those unreasonable critics who slammed the Uber deal, I am certainly glad that The Saudi Public Investment Fund did not invest in driverless cars.

Judging by the silliness of some of the Western analysis I read, I wouldn't have been surprised that they made an assumption that Kingdom's real intention is to eliminate women altogether!

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Rape is in the news on every continent: Korea, India, Nigeria, Brazil, and in the daily Twitter-talk but not least in the rhetorical whirlwind spinning around candidate Donald Trump. Mr. Trump rails against hordes of dark little men pouring across the Rio Grande to rape white women--even as one of the candidate's rejects confesses that she often felt "raped" by Trump in his younger self. "No, not criminally," she was forced to explain. But Mr. Trump's rape problem doesn't really concern how many starlets he has or hasn't deflowered. It's really about how he and his movement--and it is a movement--understand what makes a real man.

For the Trumpeters waving the Make America Great Again banner, the nation (maybe the world), is suffering from a collapse of masculinity. What the Donald promises is to mount up all those potentially hard males who have grown limp under the regimes of Carter, Clinton, Bush and Obama and who risk ultimate castration under a new Clinton reign. Despite his platform boasts about his own equipment, what he's really railing about is a form of collective self-violation.

It is no accident that all this locker room babble coincides with the new wave of toilet chatter over a miniscule percentage of school children who are declaring themselves as transsexuals, or more precisely as boys giving up their would-be manhood to become trans-women. (No one seems at all agitated about adolescent girls sprouting stubble and pumping up pecs.) Still, the implacable Trump has a nose for playing on both conscious and subconscious fear.

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In one sense, of course, raising rape to the top of the news agenda is a good thing in spite of the Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Indiana hallucinations. Talking about rape is surely a welcome change from the enforced silence its victims have had to suffer since the time of St. Augustine under the rule of blind and deaf Catholic bishops. Across all those centuries rape remains a crime without data, whether committed by the godly soldiers of the Conquistadors, the Communist liberators of China or the Confederate defenders of womanhood in Mississippi. Rape, more recently assumed to have been committed by darker complexions against paler ones, has been ubiquitous.

When a minor accusation against a leader of the French Ecologist party captured the headlines of the French press last month, it signaled two things: first, women's rejection of silence; second, a new readiness by a significant minority of French men to hear the charges and to react seriously. Which gets us back to what's behind the panic over junior high bathrooms.

Despite the blistering tirade from Texas's attorney general and the leaders of North Carolina's legislature, there is no reliable evidence that transgender people have any record of committing sexual assault. Undoubtedly one day such a case will surface among those who have not already been sliced by the surgeon's knife or undergone hormone treatment, but so far the ledger is empty. What then is the panic about? It's not at all about girls at risk; it's about "real masculinity" under threat.

To address the reality of transgender females, or trans-women, requires acknowledgement that a measurable minority of people born with the social privilege of carrying a Y chromosome wish deeply to relinquish that privilege. To conventional male perception, giving up such a privilege seems beyond imagining. Almost without exception (apologies to Carly Fiorina, Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel) males control the world's religions. Males run the world's most powerful corporations. Males direct the affairs of state, and they command the world's armies and armaments industries. Concretely and symbolically, to relinquish masculinity, as hard-thrusting Mr. Trump has come close to suggesting, represents collective self-annhilation. "Make America Great Again" means nothing less than restoring the penile power that the candidate has repeatedly proclaimed is his mission.

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Trans-panic in itself represents little more than a wart on the beast marching the world toward gender Armageddon. Far greater and more profound is the reality that people carrying XX chromosomes (called females) are mounting the first genuine challenge to male dominion since the mythic Allela wielded her double edged ax as leader of the Amazon warriors. XX people are now outscoring XYs (known as males) in every field of advanced university studies in every major nation around the world except those that legally block XXs from those studies. In four of ten US households, XX people are either the sole or the primary bread winners, a four-fold increase since 1960 when Donald Trump and North Carolina Governor Mat McCrory were in knee pants. Since 2000 manufacturing jobs, held mostly by men with no more than a high school diploma (and often less) have dropped from 20 percent of the workforce to 5 percent. Meanwhile wages for those mostly XY workers have fallen as industrial jobs for males have essentially disappeared and those jobs that remain have seen pay rates frozen in relation to the cost of living. (All data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Are women today paid more, job for job, than men? No. Women on average earn 81 percent of the wages earned by men in the same jobs. The gap has expanded and contracted across the last three decades, but one inescapable reality is that women have increasingly displaced men in middle management jobs since Donald Trump failed to qualify for the varsity team. Moreover, managerial and business training has increasingly shifted to women who have long ago given up the notion of depending on XY people to provide them economic security. Not only are most people in the workforce XX people; most middle-managers in American business are XXs.

A study by the Pew Research Center last fall found that seventy-nine per cent of those who lean Republican believe that their side is losing politically. A Rand survey in January found that voters who believed that "people like me don't have any say about what the government does" were 86.5 per cent more likely to prefer Trump. Trump supporters feel that they, and the country, are losing economically, too. In the Rand survey, Trump did better with the people who were the most dissatisfied with their economic situation, and exit polls from the Republican primaries show that almost seventy per cent of those who voted for Trump said that they were "very worried" about the state of the economy--as against only forty-five per cent of all voters in Democratic primaries.

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Bluntly stated, the gender threat to the XYs is greater than it has ever been in recorded history. Little surprise then that those moving toward the short end of the see-saw are angry at the inescapable evidence that the gender game is undergoing upheaval--be it in the exotic terrain of grade school toilets or in the legions of MBAs taking over the Social Security Administration in America or private business in Russia or storming the macho management gates at Walmart. Remember that the next time you count how many XYs are relegated to pushing the baby stroller while their XX mates are working late at the office writing the algorithms to predict baby stroller sales. Or, as a study by the Pew Research Center reported last fall 69 percent of Trump's backers see as themselves as political losers, while a parallel Rand exit poll survey in Republican primaries found that 70 percent of Trump voters saw their economic security in danger--despite clear and dramatic hard data showing overall unemployment having dropped by 20 percent over the last seven years. At the same time Centers for Disease Control mortality data show middle aged white males death rates rising for the first time in decades--mostly from drugs, drink and suicide.

In plain talk, everybody in America but the Trumpeters is doing better, and their justified fear is turning to rage, rage aimed mostly at anything and anyone that doesn't seem like a real hairy male.

No, Donald, your campaign is not about making America great. It's about Making America Male Again. Wave your thin, plasticized, colorized bouffant locks as hard and rhythmically as you want to, but it's not going to happen. There is no turning back. Not only is the economy changing, in ways that would be impossible to turn back. So has our basic understanding of gender and gender roles. This has been liberating for millions of women, and not a small number of men and fathers. Women are thriving. Women are proving themselves to be more adaptable and resilient than men. Women are living longer and healthier while men are dying earlier and sicker. The trick, Dear Donald, is not to turn back the clock--but to "man up" in new kinds of ways. And, this isn't just the latest trend, it reflects our new understanding of gender--not simply I Tarzan/ You Jane, not simply Nature, not simply even Nature and Nurture, but a complex fluid dance we are only beginning to understand. If you can read the science--put in a call to Stephen Hawking. He'll explain it in grade school terms.
[This is the final blog in a series of five that we have posted on grit and what it means for poor kids.]

In the first blog, we introduced the concept of grit and its importance. In the second, we placed the focus on building grit through quality early childhood education and beyond. In the third, we addressed the three essential grid-builders: communities, neighborhood schools, and families. In the fourth, we examined the crisis conditions confronting poor kids today.

We closed that blog by declaring, "The poor kids enter the educational process with an economic disadvantage and the current funding and educational system for them exacerbates this disadvantage."

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What is needed desperately at this point in time is a funding approach that eliminates that disadvantage. Nobody understands what a difference this can make better than John King, Jr. the Secretary of the U.S Department of Education (DOE).

According to Kevin Carey in a New York Times article, "Mr. King, the child of educators and an orphan by the time he was 12, credits his teacher in New York City public schools for helping him stay on track and achieve success." In other words, they engaged in "wise teaching" and helped King develop grit.

Mr. King is using his grit to try to reform the formula for funding education. Under his leadership, the DOE has proposed a new regulation that would require local school districts to give schools that have a high percentage of poor kids at least as much state and local money as other schools in the state.

It might appear that unqualified support for a provision of this support should be almost a no-brainer. But, that is absolutely not the case.

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Shortly after the new regulation was introduced in April an "unlikely alliance" of teachers unions, superintendents, principals, and governors (primarily Republican) sent a letter to DOE decrying it. In response, civil rights organizations such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Council of La Raza sent a letter supporting it.

The die has been cast. And, it has been cast at poor kids by those who would deny them a level playing field. The stated rationale for this is that there is a provision in the new Elementary and Secondary Education Action that teacher pay should not be taken into account when comparing school district spending.

There is. And, while that might make it legally correct. It does not make it morally right.

What it says about America, at this point in the 21st century, is that the interests of those in power come first and the interests of poor kids come last. Not so long ago, the United States was a nation that defined itself by its concern, compassion and courage in working to address the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged children. In 2016, in this situation, some would have the nation define itself through selfishness, callousness and indifference.

We believe the country and its citizens are better than that and the appropriate solution is to do all we can to help these poor kids in crisis by embracing DOE's regulation. In our opinion, that should only be the starting point, however.

As discussed in the third blog in this series, poor kids sit at the center of a triangle with neighborhood schools, communities and families at the tips as pivot point areas. It is essential to impact each of those pivot points.

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Fortunately, as we noted in a February blog, the "right leaning" American Enterprise Institute(AEI) and the "left leaning" Brookings Institution (Brookings) have produced a report titled, Opportunity, Responsibility, and Security: A Consensus Plan for Reducing Poverty and Restoring the American Dream (Consensus Plan) that provides a wealth of recommendations for having an impact in each of these areas.

The Consensus Plan provides recommendations in "three domains of life that interlock so tightly that they must be studied and improved together: family, work and education."

Recommendations in the family domain include: promoting parenthood, marriage and 2 parent families; delayed responsible childbearing (including support for contraception); and, increased parenting education.

Recommendations in the work domain include: improving skills to get well paying jobs; making work pay more for the less educated ( including raising the minimum wage but not to the $10.10/hr proposed by President Obama); and, raising work levels of the less well educated (including requiring those who are capable and receiving benefits to seek employment).

Recommendation in the educational domain include: increased public investment in underfunded stages of education (including pre-school); educating the whole child (including socio-emotional and character building); and, modernizing the organization and accountability of education (including supporting charter schools and focusing more attention on the performance of community colleges).

These recommendations provide the stuff for families, schools and communities to build their own grit so they can perform better in their roles as grit builders to help poor kids get grit. It is time to act on them.

Given the nature of the discourse and dialogue in this fractious presidential election year, as realists we do not expect anything to happen in 2016. But, there is next year and the poverty problem which has persisted for so long will still be with us and those poor kids in crisis will still be in that state.

Near the conclusion of a blog on poverty that we wrote in 2014 -- the 50th anniversary year of the initiation of the War on Poverty, we observed, "We need to find new and better ways to fight the War on Poverty that transcend political and ideological boundaries."

The AEI/Brookings Consensus Plan provides a bold new framework for collaboration. It can be used as a touchstone by those political leaders who have "true grit" to set their ideological blinders aside and to use their collective passion and perseverance to shape and implement a comprehensive agenda that will help poor kids.

Those kids need and deserve it. Our nation needs it. As Tug McGraw says in his popular country song, we need kids -- regardless of their socio-economic status -- who grow up to "always stay humble and kind."

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And, most importantly for the poor kids, as noted early-childhood psychologist and "pre-kindergarten apostle", Bettye Caldwell who died in at 91 in April of this year, told The Post Standard in Syracuse in 2013:

They need to be loved. They need to be spoken to all the time. They need opportunities to explore. They need to be safe and to feel safe. They need stable figures in their lives. They need new experiences. They need to repeat experiences they enjoy.

It's time to give those poor kids in crisis what they need. It's time to help them get grit.
Clinical studies are a vital part of our medical system. Not only do they help the doctors understand how medication can affect our bodies, but it also helps them determine how effective they can be. These studies help them determine what treatment would work best for a certain group of people or illness. Clinical studies have helped advance our knowledge and ensure that doctors can give their patients the best possible care for whatever ails them.

There is a problem with clinical studies however, and it could be very harmful for certain groups of people. Clinical studies are lacking diversity, and it's a major issue. Groups like minorities, women, poor, and the elderly are underrepresented in clinical studies, and it can compromise how effective their treatment is for some diseases. Certain groups are more prone to different ailments, and treatments may affect them differently. Since they are underrepresented in clinical studies, it's likely that we don't know the best way to treat them. Everyone is made up of different genetics, and these differences could mean that our bodies do not have the same reaction to drugs.

Because our bodies all react differently do drugs, it can be dangerous to prescribe them to groups of people that do not have the same genes as those who they were tested on. There are many known examples where issues have already arisen due to the differences in genetics. African Americans have a different side effect to a schizophrenia drug, for example. They were more likely to get the urge to move constantly after taking the medicine. There have also been issues in labeling, because men and women require different doses of some drugs. If clinical study groups were more heterogeneous, these issues would be easier to predict ahead of time.

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So, why is it that minorities are not participating in clinical studies? Well, there are a couple of different reasons. First, some are afraid of being exploited by the medical professionals. Simply put, there is not a lot of trust because of poor ethical decisions in clinical studies in the past. Another reason is that it takes a little more time and money for the researchers to recruit minorities. While it's pretty discouraging to know that our medical research may be lacking, there is hope.

Saleh Stevens, CEO of Continental Clinical Solutions, a research company focused on minority participation says, "With the connectivity that social media platforms afford us, it is incumbent upon us to communicate the changing landscape to patient populations who are left either unaware or out of the study pipeline." Saleh found that by using social media, minorities that are misrepresented can be reached and informed about clinical studies. By helping them learn to trust the researchers and see the fiscal value in participating, it may be easier to recruit minority groups.
Every day, 129 of our fellow Americans die from drug-related overdoses. It is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States -- more than car crashes. That's why last week in Washington, I joined 128 other families who have lost loved ones to addiction -- all of us there to represent the 47,000 lives lost each year. Our goal was to push federal lawmakers to finally do something about it.

Fortunately, Congress seems to have realized the magnitude of this crisis. Both chambers have passed legislation to help, but now they must come together on a final bill to send to the president for his signature. Every day Washington waits, another 129 families' lives are destroyed, shattered forever

As the former CEO of several businesses, I understand that in order to make change, we need a clear plan and sufficient resources. While there is no easy fix to stop addiction, there are some simple steps policymakers can take right now to dramatically slow this preventable loss of life. So here's what we need Congress to do:

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1)Reconcile the House and Senate bills and send to the President immediately.

This is the most basic. House and Senate lawmakers are currently negotiating a final bill, which should include the best parts of each. There is no time to waste. Our elected representatives must finish their work and send it to the President's desk by the beginning of June.

2)Tie incentive grants to required use of state-run prescription drug monitoring programs.

The final bill must include a clause that limits federal grants to states that require doctors to use a state-run prescription database to check a patient's prescription history before prescribing a dangerous drug. That check will help doctors detect early signs of addiction, such as requesting painkillers from multiple doctors. And it can prevent doctors from accidentally prescribing a drug that could be lethal in combination with another drug the patient is taking (for example, combining an opioid like Vicodin with a sedative like Xanax can quadruple the risk of overdose). This is common sense, and will save thousands of lives. It was included in the Senate bill, but not the House version.

3)Provide the funding this crisis deserves.

The current versions of the Senate and House bills do not include any additional funding. I cannot fathom that. Compare it to Ebola -- a horrible illness that took 11,000 lives worldwide in 2014. Congress quickly appropriated $5 billion in emergency funding. Well, the disease of opioid addiction has taken 200,000 lives and counting --15 times the toll from Ebola. And it receives zero emergency funding.

I refuse to sit back and watch more families suffer the same fate as mine. I lost my son Brian in 2011. He had finally conquered a decade-long battle with addiction, but after being substance-free for more than a year, he took his own life. My son could not escape his emotional scars, and the stigma of living with this disease.

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I often think of the last time I saw Brian, just a few weeks before his death. We were sitting on the back porch, talking about the Mets and the Giants, and the conversation turned to addiction and the stigmas and insecurities he still grappled with.

"Someday," he said to me, "someday, people will realize that I am not a bad kid. I just have a disease and I am trying my hardest."

While that "someday" couldn't come soon enough for Brian, it can for so many others. So to the 100 senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives: please help save more lives from being shattered.
While some claim the U.N. official's promise to fully commit to ensuring the organization fulfills its human rights obligations concerning the cholera epidemic in Haiti as a potential breakthrough, I remain rather reserved with tremendous trepidation because, to use an old cliche, actions speak louder than words.

I am not a pessimist. Far from it, but the fact remains that the United Nations has yet to take the step most crucial to rectify this problem for which they are responsible. Until the organization assumes full liability for the disease brought into the fragile republic by their peacekeepers, any promise is empty. Accountability remains elusive and Haitians, once again, are left alone to bear the brunt of the burden of another catastrophe that is not of their causing.

To date, over thirty thousand lives have been lost to the cholera epidemic. The trail of evidence, revealed by persistent investigative journalists and scientists since its inception in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, has been denied by the international organization, and in some cases decried by others as an outright cover up. Until now, the number of dead has been mounting as the U.N. becomes better adapted to deflecting responsibility. As it has been repeatedly reported, their meager responses to containing the disease do not scratch the surface and make a total mockery of the severity of its continuous impact. This 'massacre of negligence', as Slate dubbed it, is a cleansing of a particular kind.

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Could the exchange value of Haitian lives on the geopolitical futures market be that low?

Author of The Big Truck that Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster, journalist Jonathan M. Katz, recently told NPR, "The U.N.'s position essentially hasn't changed for five years now... At the very beginning, they were extremely actively involved in a cover up -- literally destroying evidence and putting out press releases disclaiming any possibility that they could be responsible, [all] based on evidence and assertions that just weren't true." As this story unfolds, Haitians continue to pay the price with their lives. Efforts to redress this have been full of fits and starts. The lawsuit currently in effect in the U.S., that has prompted the sense of optimism reported in the Guardian, is the second attempt by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) to hold the UN accountable. The first attempt, a class action lawsuit, was dismissed in 2015.

In April, in reference to the newly re-postponed presidential elections, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon issued a warning to Haiti wrapped in a benevolent narrative too typical of mighty Northern superpowers. He called "on all Haitian actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order, as the country can ill afford a period of prolonged transitional governance while facing major socio-economic and humanitarian challenges." There is irony in his deprecation of this electoral stalemate--a small win for the Haitian people's infinite pursuit of democracy, who dodged the 'selection' of yet another head of state, amidst the most brazen internationally sanctioned fraudulence. His caution contained a dose of audacity, expressed as deep concern, that the international community could tighten its purse strings.

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The symptoms of RSV in babies and children may look like the common cold, but there are a few additional things to watch out for, as well as ways to help prevent infection.
Let's start with the obvious: The person at the top of the ballot is going to get the most attention in any presidential election year. Donald Trump being what he is only exacerbates that reality. The Democratic nominee, presumably Hillary Clinton, should focus most of her energy on explaining why she would be a better president than Trump.

However, there are hundreds of House seats up for grabs, not to mention one-third of the seats in the U.S. Senate. In close races, most if not all of the Republican candidates already appear to be running away from Trump. The most endangered Republican Senate incumbents are all finding excuses to miss Trump's Cleveland coronation, including John McCain, Ron Johnson, Kelly Ayotte, Mark Kirk, and even Rob Portman, whose state is actually hosting the Republican National Convention. Portman apparently plans to host his own "miniconvention" down the road from Trump's.

These Republicans will attempt to fool voters into believing that even though Trump is the leader of their party, they will somehow provide an independent voice. Democrats need to be able to counter that attempt. Fortunately, in addition to candidate-specific responses, we have a clear argument to make that is easy to understand and will move chunks of voters away from any Republican--if we take advantage of it, that is. The argument is: Kansas.

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Give Republicans credit--they know how to take an argument and make it stick. Republicans spent years shouting "Remember Jimmy Carter" at every Democratic presidential nominee after 1980. And it worked, for a while at least. They also shouted "Look at California," at least until Democrats actually, finally, got control of the governor's mansion and won the necessary supermajorities in the state legislature to make real changes, including raising taxes on the wealthy. After they did so, California became one of the most successfully governed states in the union, paying down debt and turning huge deficits into multibillion dollar surpluses, all while achieving above average economic growth. Thanks to Kansas, Democrats across the country have the opportunity to make a similarly powerful argument, one that has the advantage of being, well, true.

In January 2011, Gov. Sam Brownback took office, and his arrival gave the Kansas Republican Party control over the legislative process. They proceeded to implement the Republicans' wet dream agenda: They passed huge tax cuts for the wealthy along with tax cuts on business profits, significantly reduced business regulations, and at the same time cut spending on welfare, rejected federal Medicaid money, and put the delivery of Medicaid services into private hands.

One of Brownback's advisors was Republican economics charlatan Arthur Laffer--the guy behind the idea that cutting income tax rates, at least to a certain, never-defined level, would increase revenue. In other words, the guy behind the Reagan tax cuts that helped create the contemporary era of income inequality. Mr. Laffer called what Kansas Republicans did "a revolution in a cornfield."

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Brownback's budget director was Steve Anderson. Who is Mr. Anderson? He's the guy who created a budget model for Americans for Prosperity. That's the organization the Koch Brothers founded to advocate for their right-wing, Ayn Randian vision of America. Brownback wanted to take his Kansas vision nationwide: "My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, 'See, we've got a different way, and it works.'"

If you define "works" as "sucks," then Brownback was 100 percent right. By implementing the conservative Republican blueprint for governing--what the governor called a "real live experiment"--Kansas has run itself into the ground:

Marginal gains at the municipal level were dwarfed by the $688 million loss that Brownback's budget wrought in its first year of operation. Meanwhile, Kansas's job growth actually trailed that of its neighboring states. With that nearly $700 million deficit, the state had bought itself a 1.1 percent increase in jobs, just below Missouri's 1.5 percent and Colorado's 3.3. Those numbers have hardly improved in the intervening years. In 2015, job growth in Kansas was a mere 0.1 percent, even as the nation's economy grew 1.9 percent. Brownback pledged to bring 100,000* new jobs to the state in his second term; as of January, he has brought 700. What's more, personal income growth slowed dramatically since the tax cuts went into effect. Between 2010 and 2012, Kansas saw income growth of 6.1 percent, good for 12th in the nation; from 2013 to 2015, that rate was 3.6 percent, good for 41st. Meanwhile, revenue shortfalls have devastated the state's public sector along with its most vulnerable citizens. Since Brownback's inauguration, 1,414 Kansans with disabilities have been thrown off Medicaid. In 2015, six school districts in the state were forced to end their years early for lack of funding. Cuts to health and human services are expected to cause 65 preventable deaths this year in Sedgwick County alone. In February, tax receipts came in $53 million below estimates; Brownback immediately cut $17 million from the state's university system. This data is not lost on the people of Kansas -- as of November, Brownback's approval rating was 26 percent, the lowest of any governor in the United States.

In comparing the economic performance of Kansas along with Wisconsin, another state that swung to Republican control after the 2010 elections, to the performance of California and Minnesota (another state that switched from a Republican to a Democratic governor in 2010), the Democratic-run states did far better in terms of job creation and overall economic performance. And as previously mentioned, California is now running budget surpluses while Kansas' debt grows month after month, as revenues keep on falling short of expectations month after month. That's some real live experiment.

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We could also talk about the radical steps Kansas has taken to suppress the vote, but let's stay focused on its economic performance for now. Just this week in fact, Kansas' "red-state model" has created a "constitutional crisis" over the state's failure to provide adequate funding for public education. Red-state model, indeed.

Every Democrat running for the House and Senate needs to explain what happened in Kansas, and explain to voters that this is exactly what will happen to our country if we elect Donald Trump along with a Republican House and a Republican Senate.

Trump isn't interested in particular budget details, which means that if Republicans win, the Congress--which would be dominated by right-wing conservatives who think just like the Koch Brothers and their puppet Sam Brownback--will pass a budget that will bring the Kansas meltdown to all 50 states. Democrats should hang Brownback's quotation around the neck of every GOP candidate: "My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, 'See, we've got a different way.'"
A woman holds a placard reading 'Human rights are for all' as she takes part in a rally of Ukrainian activists and representatives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, in front of the parliament in Kiev during a hearing on November 10, 2015. Ukrainian lawmakers debates prior their voting a bill banning discrimination against gays at work -- a precondition for visa-free travel to most EU nations. AFP PHOTO/ SERGEI SUPINSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

While a pro-LGBT amendment was adopted, two discriminatory amendments were, too, poisoning the appropriations bill.

If you haven't been paying attention, the past few weeks have seen several high-profile legislative fights on LGBT rights break out on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) offered a worthy amendment to a military construction and veterans' affairs appropriations bill on May 19 that would have simply reaffirmed President Obama's 2014 executive order, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. After initially having the votes to win, House Republican leaders cajoled and twisted enough arms on the floor to flip the vote with the amendment losing by a single vote. Chants of "Shame! Shame!" quickly broke out on the House floor.

While Rep. Maloney was outraged by what happened, he did not give up. He offered the same amendment on an energy and water appropriations bill. Given the blowback that followed the prior week's vote, the result this time was very different. His amendment was adopted on a vote of 223-195, with strong bipartisan support. Forty-three GOP members voted in support.

So what's the problem? Isn't this a great result since LGBT protections were added to the bill? The problem lies in two other, very bad amendments that were added to the appropriations bill on the House floor.

Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) offered an amendment that would have prevented the federal government from withholding or revoking federal funding to North Carolina, in response to the Justice Department's lawsuit against the state for its sweeping, discriminatory H.B.2. This law bans trans people from accessing restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity and blocks local governments from protecting LGBT people against discrimination in a wide variety of settings. (It also rolls back nondiscrimination protections for all people under North Carolina law.)

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For the past half century, one of the most important tools the federal government has had to enforce compliance with civil rights laws is the risk that violations could result in a loss of federal funds. His amendment was designed to provide North Carolina with a get-out-of-jail-free card to violate federal civil rights laws that protect transgender people, facing no financial consequence for doing so. This proposal was adopted on a vote of 227-192.

Complicating matters further, Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) offered an amendment to require federal agencies to allow religiously affiliated contractors to discriminate in hiring with taxpayer funds. The Byrne amendment posed particular dangers to LGBT and women workers, sanctioning taxpayer-funded discrimination under the guise of religious liberty. The amendment was adopted on a vote of 233-186.

Even after the inclusion of two extremely anti-LGBT amendments in the appropriations bill, the inclusion of Rep. Maloney's amendment, simply reaffirming nondiscrimination protections that are already in place, was, apparently, a bridge too far for many of the House's most conservative members. Last Thursday morning, the entire bill went down to defeat on the House floor.

While it is certainly beyond absurd that so many members of Congress, in the year 2016, could be so strongly opposed to the most basic nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people, it is a good thing that this particular appropriations bill went down to defeat. The inclusion of the amendments from Reps. Pittenger and Byrne would have significantly rolled back the clock and tied the hands of the administration to enforce our nation's civil rights laws.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stands on stage at the Union of Carpenters and Millwrights Training Center during a campaign stop in Louisville, Ky., Sunday, May 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

With his complete disregard for political correctness, outrageous comments, and unending promises for a better America, Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump has tapped into something truly powerful and equally destructive: an emboldened vocal base of young, discouraged, and angry men.

While it may seem ludicrous that a group of men, at a time when men are largely still in power, are feeling voiceless and disenfranchised, Trump is embracing them with open arms and taking advantage of their frustrations for campaign momentum.

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Sadly, the press is eating it up, bringing Trump and his angry male supporters, young and old, into the spotlight. Even as political pundits and news media continually debunk Trump's viability as president, they have contributed to his impact by activating a mostly male voter constituency that has previously lacked any political news value.

On the surface, this may seem to be a good thing for America. Young men have become a hot topic in media after decades of being completely ignored in political campaigns. As usual, though, political coverage has been largely sensationalist, focusing on the controversy, instead of offering balance and perspective. If Hillary Clinton, as the likely Democratic nominee, hopes to capture a sizable majority of the male vote -- overcoming low favorability ratings among men -- and set herself apart from this destructive group, she needs to activate the still-ignored majority of men.

Her first step must be to launch her own attack on the press and point out the biased coverage of Trump's male supporters, which has focused on violence and hostility, instead of unearthing the real issues confronting American men today. Because she has little hope of gaining the support of Trump's main constituency, it is time to call these angry men out, identify them for who and what they are, and instead shift focus to positive male role models, who represent that vast majority of American men today, including those who are out-of-work and economically struggling.

Here are five steps for Clinton to regain her momentum and generate the vocal and active support of men, and especially young men.

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1. Speak directly to men who are struggling economically. With manufacturing jobs rapidly declining and women capturing 60 percent of the college degrees required to succeed in today's economy, many of today's young men are feeling displaced, ignored, and disadvantaged. Twenty-five percent of white men without a college degree, and a higher percentage of non-white men, who could once make a decent wage in labor-related fields, are now unemployed, fueling the frustration and resentment that Trump has effectively exploited. Clinton needs to openly acknowledge these men and the new realities they're confronting as legitimate and important issues. She must assure potential voters that job creation for men and women, educational opportunities, and educational loan relief will be a top priority of the Clinton administration. Just as Clinton often speaks to groups that are primarily women, she must renew focus on men who are struggling economically, speaking directly to them with authenticity and clarity and demonstrating a genuine understanding of their challenges.

2. Empower men who support women. When Trump declares, "You know what? The women get it better than we do, folks," it's clear that the "folks" he's referring to are angry men, who are still clinging onto an outdated masculine ideal. Clinton must identify and empower men who already support her and who are more likely to vote for her than Trump in the general election. Standard political rhetoric around jobs, education, and economic growth will not work. Instead, Clinton's campaign requires a call-to-action that embraces men who support women's rights, pay equality, LGBT rights -- but who also care about job creation, education opportunities and educational loan relief. The Clinton campaign needs to create advertising and social campaigns that highlight a diverse group of young male Hillary supporters with whom other young men can identify.

3. Create a Better Men for Clinton organization that empowers a political base of positive male role models, stay-at-home dads, men who are primary caregivers, and men who care about being better dads, better husbands, better boyfriends, better co-workers, and better Americans. Call them "Better Men" with intentions of casting angry, male Trump supporters in a negative light. In order for this to work, Clinton must own the differentiation between her male supporters and Trump's.

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4. Attack the press for their obsession with Trump and his base of angry male supporters and their failure to fairly present America's "better men" who reflect the best qualities of modern masculinity compared to those, personified by Trump's most vocal advocates, who would prefer a return to outdated -- and even immoral -- social and political policies. A "real man" today is not defined by his control and authority; he's defined by his support for human equality and positive humanistic advances. These men are in the majority, and the press is tacitly advancing Trump's campaign through a failure to equally cover and honor them.

5. Don't debate. As a final recommendation, Clinton should dismiss Trump's viability as president and announce that she will not be disrespected or disgrace the presidency by being subjected to his demeaning, derogatory, defamatory, and incendiary politics. Clinton should refuse to participate in debates, which will be no-win events for her and will only increase Trump's standing as a viable presidential option because of the mere fact that he is on stage. Instead, she should dismiss Trump entirely and invest heavily in direct and authentic communications with voters through social media platforms.
House said the party is not a racist group, but added that there is a difference between racism and racial insensitivity.

"The Republican Party itself, we're anti-racism every day of the week," House said. "But if there are racial insensitivities out there, we need to bring them up, we need to talk about them, we need to make sure everyone is educated about it, and then we need to go forward. Burying our heads in the sand or not talking about it is not going to help anybody. There's no room for racism in our party."
My twin's premature birth rocked my world. Micah and Zachary were born at 27 weeks gestation, weighing only two and a half pounds each. As the twins fought to live, our family, friends, neighbors and colleagues surrounded us with love and support.

During the twin's hospitalization, my husband Noah and I received beautiful, generous gifts, one of which changed our family's life: the skill of babywearing.

Micah and Zachary were nearly three months into their hospitalization when my friend Becca asked if she could visit us in the NICU to show us how to wear our babies in a wrap. I hesitated. Zachary was stable, even though he was connected to lines and monitors, but Micah was struggling just to live after developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Micah was in renal failure, intubated, and recovering from a major abdominal operation.

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I didn't want to have to answer any of Becca's questions. I didn't want Becca to see Micah in such a terrible state of health. I didn't want to have to explain that Micah might die.

Thankfully, I mustered up some courage and arranged for Becca to visit.

Becca walked into Zachary's room, her arms overflowing with two wraps, a ring sling, gifts for the boys and food for us. Zachary was tethered to his monitors, snuggled with Noah in a chair. Becca stretched out a rainbow carrier and asked if she could wrap me up with Zachary.

Moments later she began her magic and Zachary was securely wrapped on my chest, just under my chin, leaving my hands free. I stood up, paying attention to Zachary's cords and wires, and instantly fell in love with babywearing.

With Zachary wrapped on my chest, I reclaimed so much that had been taken away from me just by being in the NICU: the ability to be close to my babies, the ability to care for them, and the feeling of being a competent mother.

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I asked Zachary's nurse if we could walk across the hall to Micah's room for a visit. Micah and Zachary had been separated since birth, each of them independently too sick to leave their room to visit the other. But now, Zachary was stable, and securely wrapped on my chest. The nurses had never seen one of their patients in a wrap, and inspected Zachary's airway and lines before they agreed to allow me to carry Zachary into Micah's room.

For the first time since giving birth, I made physical contact with my twins at the same time. Even though Micah was too sick to be held, I could reach my hands into his isolette and touch his soft skin, while Zachary slept on me. From that moment on, I knew I needed to perfect the art of wrapping my fragile infants so that I could be close to both of them. For months, we had been separated. Babywearing enabled us to reconnect, bond, and nurture one another.

I practiced wrapping stuffed animals, watched instructional videos, and soon became competent in wrapping Zachary. Weeks later, Zachary was discharged, yet Micah's hospitalization continued. Once Zachary was strong enough to be worn on my back, I learned how to tandem carry, with Micah wrapped in front. Babywearing became an integral part of our journey.

Babywearing my medically fragile infants required me to communicate and demonstrate to the medical team that I knew how to keep my babies safe. Here's my advice for babywearing medically fragile babies. You must:

Demonstrate that you have the skills to keep your baby safe while wrapped. You may need to build confidence in your baby's care team.

Understand how to protect your baby's lines, wires, cords, and medical devices.

Understand how to read your baby's monitors and be attuned to your baby's signs of distress.

Know how to keep your baby's airway open and unobstructed.

Be skilled at wrapping and unwrapping.

A medically fragile infant may be ready to be wrapped if s/he:

Does not have breathing/other episodes.

Can be easily moved and carried.

Has central, PICC, or other lines that are secured and protected.

Is stable and predictable.
Recently a flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse was delayed two hours, stalled on the runway, because one passenger became concerned when she perceived a man of Middle Eastern descent scribbling what appeared to be Arabic on a piece of paper. Was he an Islamic terrorist? Was he scrawling out his intentions to hijack the flight and create mayhem?

It turns out the man was an Italian economics professor at University of Pennsylvania who was scribbling an algebraic equation. He wasn't a terrorist; he was a math nerd.

This story is more than a case of mistaken identity. It illustrates something about the "fear of Islam" that grips many in our society. While Islamophobia obviously has something to do with Islam--or, at least, certain kinds of Islam--it is the fear factor that often develops a life of its own. In other words, Islamophobia often has less to do with Islam and more to do with fear.

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This reality is prevalent among Christians, despite what the faith teaches. In the New Testament, Jesus continually exhorts his followers, "fear not." It is his most repeated exhortation and thus reveals something fundamental about the Christian faith. Unfortunately, when it comes to current concerns about Islam, many Christians are doing exactly what Jesus warns against: They are giving into fear which produces the fruit of anxiety, judgment, anger, hatred, self-protecting isolation and/or militant aggression. When this happens, we betray ourselves, fail our Muslim neighbors, and botch our Christian witness.

Such fear was on display after last year's Paris attacks, in a sermon by the evangelical pastor, Robert Jeffress. At one point, Jeffress claimed that Muslims follow a warrior prophet who killed his enemies and called his followers to do the same, while Christians follow a loving savior who called his followers to love their enemies. While his characterization of Islam is deeply problematic, what is more relevant here is what he says a few minutes later when he vigorously wags his finger in the air and declares, "it is time to start bombing the 'you know what' out of ISIS. That is a Biblical response!" How did Jeffress get from point A (love enemies) to point B (bomb enemies)? He did so through exegetical gymnastics that short-circuit Christian love and grant impunity to the U.S. government to do, in his words, "whatever is necessary" to destroy radical Islam. (Interestingly, his language closely parallels Malcolm X's infamous call to oppose racial injustice "by any means necessary").

But the heart of Jeffress' comments surfaces when he declares, "If we do not confront and defeat the evil of radical Islam, [it] is going to confront and defeat us!" In that statement, the true colors of the pastor's anger are revealed and any trace of righteous anger for victims and injustices gives way to fearful anger ready to fight for self-preservation. To many, that is a "natural" response to threat. But is it Christian? Remarkably, while the pastor's earlier statements about Jesus' love and peace received nonchalant responses from his Sunday morning crowd, this stomping call to militant action evoked a standing ovation.

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There is much that needs to be said, but I will limit myself to three brief reflections.

First, whatever a Christian response to Islamophobia should be, if it is not drenched in radical love, then it is not Christian. Only theological contortionists can align fearful, self-preserving violence--whether by individuals or governments--with the teaching and call of the "crucified one." Even when defiant action against injustice is required, such action can only be considered Christian when love for enemies--whether real or perceived--transcends base desires for self-protection and preservation.

Secondly, Christian responses to Islamophobia must be hopeful. At its core, the Christian faith is a conviction that God has acted definitively in the person of Jesus Christ to overcome the powers of darkness that suck life and instill fear. This is announced as "good news" to the world and invites people to respond with trusting hope. Given the extravagance of this claim, critics might reasonably accuse Christianity of being naive. What is not reasonable, however, is to declare belief in Jesus and then respond in fear. If, as Christians claim, evil, sin, and death are on their last legs and God promises a peaceful and redeemed future, then we are freed to love, serve, and forgive, despite rejections and sufferings. We are freed to be strong in grace, defiant in love, courageous against injustice, all because we have nothing to fear. As a contemporary urban prophet has declared in a different context, "if God got us, then we gon' be alright."

Finally, Christian responses to Islamophobia ultimately have little to do with the "nature" of Islam. Much of our current discourse is obsessed with trying to pin down this nature. Is Islam inherently peaceful or violent? Is Islam compatible with modern liberal values? Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? I am interested in those questions and participate in the discussions. However, for those seeking a Christian response to Islamophobia, those questions are largely irrelevant since Christians, by definition, take their cues only from Jesus.

I think Christians and Muslims share remarkable opportunities and resources for mutual respect, peaceful collaboration, civil debate, and genuine friendship. In the end, however, whether I am right or wrong, whether Islam is violent or peaceful, liberal or medieval, terrorizing or misunderstood, or whether Muslims are seen as neighbors or enemies, the Christian response remains the same:

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The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a 15th century yoga text, describes the ideal setting for practicing yoga. It encourages yogis to find a "quiet country, free of political disturbance and removed from all anxieties."

Clearly the authors weren't describing 2016 election season in America.

For those of us who value the peaceful principles that yoga embodies and simultaneously find ourselves caught up in the mayhem of this election cycle -- in which anxieties are higher, tempers hotter, and old wounds more raw than they've been in recent memory -- it can be a confusing time.

How do we reconcile the yogic teachings on inner calm with the anxiety we feel at the state of the world? How do we quiet our mind when... Trump? And should we quiet it at all? Isn't our outrage at the current situation a catalyst for change? Shouldn't we be out in the streets and in the back alleys of the Twitterverse calling for a better world? Or would that be decidedly "un-yogic" of us?

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The teachings of yoga have a lot to offer those of us who live -- as the old Chinese curse goes -- in "interesting times", and are struggling with the question of how to involve ourselves in the current political maelstrom.

Here are a few things to remember as we navigate this fall of reality-TV candidacy, bloated demagoguery, poisonous commentary and heated protest. And try to, as the overused meme so yogically states -- "keep calm."

First, take a deep breath.

Whatever the situation, however annoying the comment thread you just saw, however much the article that your one-time-friend posted that slams your candidate makes you want to repost a scathing article in response, however much the current vitriol makes you want to get out in the streets and start ripping up pavement stones, it is probably going to be better met with a few deep breaths.

When things get hectic, it's easy for us to get caught in a wave of anxious energy. From that place. We react without thinking. We say things we don't mean. We lash out. We deepen rifts that already exist. We blame others instead of turning our own gaze inward at how we can be better agents of peace, and none of this serves to further what we as yogis and human beings really want, which is a harmonious world.

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The teachings of yoga remind us to ask ourselves: is there any situation in which being ruled by anxiety has helped me? Is there any situation that will not be better dealt with from a place of calm? In the face of ignorance and intolerance and mud slinging, does it better serve to dive into the mud pit myself? Am I "winning" by doing this? Do I need to be right on the internet? Who suffers most from my anger and agitation?

It's worth reflecting on who really gets poisoned by the acidity of our rage. Almost inevitably, we do. Rarely does our anger have an impact on the object of that anger. If you lean progressive, then most of your anger is probably directed towards the orangest of all the candidates, Donald Trump, who, granted, spouts inanities that could cause the most stoic forest monk to reconsider his vows of non-violence.

But guess what? Trump doesn't feel how worked up you're getting about him. In fact, he's usually quite well-guarded behind the TV screen or people who tell him he's wonderful or behind lines of riot-gear-sporting police officers.

When we allow ourselves to get so thrown off center by one of his Trumpisms that it causes us to be testy at work or more irritable towards those we love or more intolerant of the views of others, then who has won and who has lost? Rage has won, calm has lost. Intolerance has won, love has lost.

Ok, you may ask: but why should we be calm in the face of such hypocrisy, racism, environmental destruction, and misogyny? Shouldn't we be outraged?

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To be calm doesn't mean we can't be active. And to be active doesn't mean we can't still come from a place of calm.

It is one of the deep misunderstandings of how energy works that we tend to think of calm and active as two different things. You're either a go-getter or a slacker. You're either producing something or you're lazy. If you're not worked up, then you really don't care. If it doesn't come with a boatload of drama, then it's really not love.

I mean really, calm? Calm sounds so... boring.

From a yogic perspective this couldn't be further from the truth. Yoga works to cultivate what can be called "radiant calm." This is recognizing that in the truest sense, love is both calm and active, it is relaxed and present, it allows when it needs to allow, and it most definitely takes a stand when it needs to take a stand.

Guess what? Yogis protest.

From a yogic perspective, conducting oneself from a place of calm and following the core principle of ahimsa -- non-harming -- does not mean shying away from action, involvement, and protest. Quite the opposite, karma yoga, or the yoga of action, is one of the primary methods of yogic practice.

There is sometimes a sense in the yoga world that yogis should be apolitical or at the very least keep their political views to themselves. This is not reflected in the teachings of yoga or in Indian history, which has seen many politically active yogis. 18th century hatha yogis trained people to resist the rule of the British and formed a key part of the resistance themselves. Mahatma Gandhi acted from a place of deep inner calm and also had no qualms about standing up, very directly, to injustice. Gandhi calmly marched people headlong into British cavalry charges and calmly resisted hypocrisy and oppression wherever he saw it. If Gandhi were alive today, I have zero doubt that he would be out protesting.

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Non-harming does not mean not getting involved.

In fact, ahimsa means being willing to look unflinchingly into the root cause of violence and take decisive action to uproot it.

In a world that is built upon deeply entrenched systems of environmental, racial, sexist and classist harm, to resist and to protest is to practice ahimsa. To remain apathetic in such times, or to label non-action as "yogic" is to directly participate in harm.

From a yogic perspective, the support of policies that further wreak environmental havoc on the planet, that further marginalize already marginalized groups, that favor bombing over negotiation, that create divisions rather than build unity, and that glamorize the unchecked accumulation of material possessions have deep karmic consequence. We're not betraying ahimsa by shouting our viewpoint from the streets. But we may be by not doing anything at all.

What we can do is make sure that as we resist, we embody the same qualities in our own hearts that we want to see reflected in the world. We can protest and still listen, we can protest and still seek to understand, we can protest and still respect one another. We can ask ourselves, continually, diligently, "what would love do in this situation?"

Yoga has a political viewpoint.

Yoga has crossed all boundaries, and is now practiced by people from across the political spectrum, from anarchists to socialists to liberals to whatever Hillary is to conservatives.

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This is a very good thing. At its heart, yoga is for everyone. But it is also very important for yogis to understand that their tradition has a viewpoint on human conduct. There is no getting around the fact that the historical teachings of yoga are pro-environment, pro-inclusivity, anti-class division, anti-war, and anti-materialism.

So if you are a yoga practitioner or teacher, and simultaneously a supporter of policies that favor the construction of big walls between us and our neighbors, you may need to evaluate if your life practice is really, at its heart, yoga.

Clearly, not every yoga practitioner has to share a common political view. That is one of the beauties of yoga practice. But it is important for modern yogis to gain some historical perspective on their tradition, which, if it had to be placed on the political scale, aligns with inclusivity rather than separation, ecology rather than destructive development, equality rather than class divide, and, yes, socialism rather than unchecked capitalism.

Practice is for when things get real.

We practice specifically to better deal with life's agitations. Hatha Yoga Pradipika aside, times like these provide us no shortage of opportunities to practice love, compassion in action, and inner calm. So rather than be discouraged, try to see this election season as part of your practice. If what Russian mystic G.I. Gurdjieff said is true, and "annoying people are the yeast in the bread of our spiritual practice", then this election season should provide us the opportunity to start our own bakery.

Take a deep breath, get involved, recognize that it deeply matters, and also recognize that this too shall pass and the breath remains the breath and love remains love.
America's kidney transplant system is in a state of permanent crisis. Over 100,000 people need new kidneys, and their ranks are growing quickly. Each year, 35,000 more are added to the list, and only 17,000 come off by receiving transplants; 4,400 drop off the list by dying, and 4,000 more exit because they have become too sick to transplant.

What is our country doing about this tragedy? Not enough. Donation rates have stagnated and in some ways declined. In 2001, 6,000 Americans became living donors. Last year, it was only 5,600. In between, the waiting list doubled. We need new solutions.

On Thursday, May 26th, Congressman Matthew Cartwright, who represents Scranton, Pennsylvania, introduced the Organ Donor Clarification Act to Congress. This act would allow pilots of non-cash incentives for organ donation, like tax credits and charitable donation. These pilots would be highly regulated and carefully controlled under the supervision of rigorous medical ethics boards--the kind we already trust to make hard decisions about health care.

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There are not enough champions for patients with kidney failure in Congress. Cartwright, also a sponsor of the Living Donor Protection Act, is one of the most passionate. As a kidney donor who knows that some day my recipient, John, will likely need another transplant, the Congressman has my deepest appreciation.

In the days ahead, some will claim that piloting incentives for organ donation is an extreme or even repugnant solution. Don't believe them. Carefully testing incentives has broad support in the transplant community, including from past presidents of leading professional societies and from the directors of transplant programs like Mt. Sinai, Weill-Cornell, the University of Minnesota, and Ohio State.

I admit that treating organ donation like a market exchange raises troubling questions. Could it cheapen the act of donating, crowd out existing altruistic reasons to give, or confer favor on those most able to pay? This is why pilots need to be carefully designed. But given the death toll, it would be almost criminal not to test every possible ethical solution.

Yet there is another, better way to offer benefits to kidney donors: not as payment for their organ but as recognition for their public service. If there is any problem with the Cartwright proposal, it is its market purchase approach.

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We should focus instead on what society owes kidney patients-- on treating kidney donors with the respect they deserve. This is not something that would need to be tested with pilots. Repaying this debt cannot wait.

Right now, kidney donors bear the financial costs of donation. We bear the medical risks entirely on our own. International standards call for lifetime donor follow-up, but the United States requires just two years, which is unacceptable. Our country has failed to respect the dignity of living donors.

And to be fair, part of this is because we donors haven't spoken up. For many of us, donation was among the proudest moments in our lives. We don't want to say anything negative that could be misinterpreted to imply we think people shouldn't donate.

Donation's not for everyone, but studies repeatedly find more than 95% of all living donors are satisfied with our decision. The long-term risks of donation are real but manageable. Donors are healthier than the average American before they donate and remain so afterward. Lifetime risk of kidney failure is lower in kidney donors (~1-2%) than it is in the general population (~3%).

But what demands we donors speak out are all the people who need a transplant and can't find a living donor. That's six out of seven patients on the waiting list. I picture their loneliness, their feeling like seeking donation would make them a burden to those they love; I think about their family members who attend funerals and wonder if they could have done more. It's heartbreaking.

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Clearly, potential donors don't feel that society is doing everything it can to support their decision. And people who need kidneys are afraid to seek living donation as a result. Something needs to be done.

That something is justice for kidney patients. It requires a GI Bill for donation: free, lifetime health insurance for donors; payment of our lost wages; lifetime follow-up care and annual stipends for those who participate in research. It also means supporting the recipient by educating patients and their families about donation. Right now more than 75% of transplant recipients feel inadequately educated about living donation. Those are the people who get a kidney. Just imagine what it's like for everyone else.

By increasing donation, these policies would save taxpayer money. Each transplant saves the federal government nearly $150,000, far more than what the transplant support program above would cost per donor. Treating kidney patients with dignity would save both money and lives.
Drawings depicting French far right leader Marine Le Pen, left, and Italian Northern League leader Matteo Salvini are attached to a truck during a demonstration against the 2-day convention of European nationalists, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. The rally is being billed by organizers as the first congress of the Europe of Nations and Freedom group within the European Parliament, which was formed last year. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

On Sunday, May 29, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande attended an event commemorating the Battle of Verdun's 100-year anniversary. It was an opportunity to acknowledge the immense loss of life incurred during World War I (1914-1918).

The shot that unleashed the Great War came from the gun of Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who murdered the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand of Habsburg, and his wife, Sophie Chotek, on June 28, 1914.

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On a recent official visit by a European Parliament delegation to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina -- which is now in the process of submitting its official application for EU membership -- I had the chance to visit the exact place, on the banks of the Miljacka River, where the tragedy began.

Bosnia and Herzegovina -- a country that integrates two territories, the Federation of Bosnia and the Republika Srpska -- is an enclave in a mass of green mountains and valleys in the heart of the Balkans. It is also a hotbed of ethnic and religious diversity and a microcosm of European complexity. In every country in this region, there is a plurality of identities, leading to tension. Minorities in need of protection -- against majorities with blood on their hands -- are present in every European country.

The path that leads from Sarajevo (where the 100-year anniversary of the Archduke's assassination was commemorated in 2014) to Verdun, where the nightmarish slaughter (300,000 soldiers, French and Germans, were killed in their trenches, and over half a million were injured) was just commemorated, is a symbol for European fratricide in our collective memory.

Verdun is also a symbol for how extreme nationalism -- aggressive or defensive, expansionist or irredentist -- can and does lead humanity towards catastrophe. It is a reminder that millions of human beings die in vain, and are driven to their graves by mad, irresponsible hierarchs. Kings, emperors, aristocratic field marshals and generals have often been caught in spirals of delirious ambitions and miscalculations, as a result gambling the lives of millions of innocent people away.

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In that way, millions of innocent people -- millions of poor people, peasants and workers -- were victims of the blind nationalism and militarism of their leaders for four years. And the Austro-German armistice in November 1918, followed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, together led to a second and worse version of the worst nightmare a mere 20 years later: World War II -- which killed 60 million people.

Nationalism is now reemerging throughout Europe. Across the European Union, there has been a significant growth in the electoral influence of nationalist rhetoric.

I always emphasize the decisive implications of the death of the World War II generation on Europe's future. It brings to mind the passing of the generation that lived through the Spanish Civil War.

It is therefore imperative that a new generation of Europeans -- Erasmus students, researchers, volunteers, activists, and the entrepreneurs behind companies that no longer recognize borders or national barriers -- construct their own narrative. But it must be a European, pro-European narrative.

A repeat of the 20th century disaster has not been ruled out forever. "Never again, Never again" can't become a vacuous mantra. To prevent a similar tragedy, we need new Europeans who are committed to Europe in every election and every ballot box: On June 23rd, in the United Kingdom, for the vote on the Brexit referendum; and on June 26th, for the vote on the general election that will determine the next government of Spain.

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When previous trips have left you sick of packing and unpacking luggage, of dragging large bags over cobblestones, and of carrying them up staircases that never end, cruises can look good. Suitcase weariness was why I decided to try another cruise this spring. Shipboard closets are reliably large and come with drawers. I unpack once and that's it. And after a few days of walking six to seven hours on land, I find that returning to my stateroom really does feel like going home. The plumbing is reliable and I don't have to keep figuring out how to flush the toilet or operate the sink, and sometimes I might even get a bath tub. What luxury! And then there's the verandah -- good for private moments with the ocean.

But cruising has its down sides, too. I don't have time to soak up the cities I visit. It's in and out. So it's best to save cruising for places that are hard to get to over land. Pompeii, for example, involves a long trip to Southern Italy, Positano, an unnerving drive along what the Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel called "the most precipitous road in Europe with vertigo-inducing vistas plunging down jagged cliffs to the azure Tyrrhenean Sea." Not for those inclined to attacks of acrophobia when looking down stairwells. Still, just dipping in for a day does give me an experience of the place. I wade into it enough to know whether I like it enough to come back. Pompeii, yes! St Malo, France, not so much.

It can be lonely on cruises, too, unless you're traveling with a large group of family or friends. Yes, I do participate in Cruise Critic, an online site where people on the same cruise sign up for small group excursions with people they've never met. And those strangers can feel like friends during the moments we travel together or maybe dine together once. But, by and large, I don't meet many people with whom I can relax. It's an unspoken rule that fellow travelers don't discuss politics, but there is often an underlying politically-based strain. I've found it hard to warm up to those who let it drop that they park their money in Nevada to avoid paying taxes. Perhaps I'm on the wrong kind of cruise. Perhaps I need one of those educational (and truly expensive cruises) led by Berkeley Ph.Ds.

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Ah, but the food! The master chef on our ship was Jacques Pepin, and the dining was sublime. My husband, who at home refuses to let anything containing sugar sully the stern chastity of his lips, ate a variety of chocolate desserts every single night. That's Chocolate Dessert with a capital C and D. I mean Nine Minute Baked Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Raspberries and Vanilla Ice, Milk Chocolate Mousse Macadamia Dacquoise, Dulce and Dark Chocolate Brownie Souffle, and Raspberry Caramelized Mille Feuille with Madagascan Vanilla Cream, covered in chocolate.

I, in contrast, desperate to balance caloric intake with caloric expenditure, decided before I took off to eat lobster every chance I got, thus combining a protein-rich, relatively low-calorie food with a bit of gourmandizing. I never order lobster in the States because of its hair-raising cost. Maybe European lobsters are less expensive? At any rate, it's possible on board to eat lobster at every meal. And so I ate lobster omelets, lobster salad, grilled lobster, lobster thermador, lobster risotto (a carbo slip), and lobster and mascarpone pancake with baby carrot emulsion and rock chive cress. I paid for all of this in advance, of course, but eating a fancy dinner every night without seeing a bill made me feel like I was rich.

And so did the ship's decor. The two-story, Lalique, double-curved grand staircase, a mad explosion of red, black, and ivory marble with intricate balustrades of scrolled iron and medallions, lit by a 1,300 pound Italian crystal chandelier, and ending in a towering, flower-filled crystal vase had surely been designed to leave the grand staircase of the Titanic in its wake.

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And there's the rub. Cruising also felt downright colonial. Even though my ship was purported to have better labor conditions than do more famous cruise lines, even if I rationalized that the hundreds of wait staff, from all over the world, were at least employed and that the staff were receiving what seemed to be some elegant training, even though I was charged a thirty dollar tip every single day, I never felt comfortable with a uniformed army of staff attending to my every need. The more expensive staterooms on ship came with butlers. The very idea of a butler made me break into a sweat.

So, once again, I've decided to return to packing and unpacking or perhaps to finding a low cost river cruise on which passengers serve themselves from a buffet. Or since the terrible labor practices on cruise lines are being exposed and since current protests might someday actually improve the status quo, maybe I can return to cruising at sea in greater comfort. How many rivers are there to navigate, after all? Or, more to the point, how soon will suitcase weariness return and settle in?

Earlier on Huff/Post50:
Charlotte was seven years old when she became in her words the "death dealer" on her family's makeshift farm. At her mother's insistence, the family moved from D.C. to acreage in rural Virginia and embarked on a grand experiment as DIY farmers. Having no experience to guide them, they began collecting animals, from cows and horses and pigs, to sheep and goats, to cats and dogs, and all manner of poultry.



Charlotte's first time watching chicks hatch lurched from delighted wonder to a harsh lesson in the dirty work of farming and a prescribed part in the family script that would shape her life. After one of the chicks emerged deformed and quivering with its stomach outside of its skin, Charlotte's mother leaned into her daughter, just home from second grade, and hissed, "Get rid of it -- it won't live." When Charlotte asked what she should do with the misshapen chick, her mother snapped, "Figure it out!"



Charlotte was good at figuring things out, and her resourcefulness made her the go-to "super" kid in a family with an abusive narcissist mother who hit, insulted, rejected, and neglected her two daughters. Charlotte said her older sister, Maggie, adopted "learned helplessness" to cope, while Charlotte became hyperresponsible. "Our mother smacked me around more, but she criticized Maggie the most, constantly telling her she was useless. Maggie went 'spaghetti legs,' so I was the one who had to deal with stuff."



Charlotte's appointed role as scapegoat became a terrifying matter of survival when she came upon her mother slaughtering a pig one day. "She had suspended a large boar upside down in a tree," Charlotte said. "Blood was filling a bucket below a gaping slash in his throat. Entrails were spilling out like snakes. The other pigs were screaming. She yanked on my arm and told me, 'Shut up and do what I tell you or you go in that tree with it.'"



Faced with botched castrations, fumbled births, interrupted fox attacks, and "butcheries gone horribly wrong," Charlotte became the family finisher, the one who completed the job, no matter how gruesome, and buried the dead. "I was accurate with a pistol and hatchet, strong for my age. I had to be. It takes a lot of digging to bury a 2,000-pound cow. As I looked into her huge liquid eyes I felt guilt and shame at what I was made to do -- and terror over what would happen to me if I didn't," she said.



Charlotte's father was gone a lot, working a job with a long commute. At home, Charlotte said, he fought constantly with her mother, who vented her anger at her kids and slipped into alcoholism. "Dad was clingy with my mother but also critical of her -- he was a dependent narcissist who wanted attention and needed everyone to do things for him," she said.



Charlotte said her father turned a blind eye to his wife's abuse of their kids and didn't have time for her unless he needed to vent about her mother. "I remember once he took me for a drive and started crying about Mom. I was terrified, because I was maybe 6 or 7 and had no idea what he was talking about. He was so out of control. I needed him to be the adult, and he was looking to a child for comfort. Thinking back on it makes me want to vomit. He didn't touch me, but it felt like emotional incest."



Charlotte's father continued to "parentify" her until at about 16 she told him she would no longer listen to him talk about her mother. Around the same time, when she was finally the same height she stood up to her mother's raised hand and said, "Are you really gonna hit me?"



Her mother's abuse lessened somewhat after that, but her father continued to bait and manipulate her. "He told rude jokes and tried to convince me to convert to this extremely bigoted church he'd joined." Now, decades later and several years since Charlotte severely limited contact with her father, he still sends her racist and sexist spam, she said, "to elicit a response."



When Charlotte was 11, her brother came along, at which her father announced, "A son! I finally got it right." By then Charlotte was doing most of the cooking and laundry, paying bills, and fielding calls from creditors. She started caring for her brother when her mother complained that he was "a screamy baby." She said, "My plan was to graduate early and go in the military for school and freedom. I put my plan aside to look after my brother because I was afraid of what could happen to him."



Little brother quickly became the family "golden child," indulged and absolved from responsibility. Their father in particular infantilized him, overlooking it when his son would steal from the family, not making him do chores, giving him cars, bailing him out of jail. "I resented my brother, but what made me most angry was how my father made him helpless," Charlotte said. "My father needed to be needed. He never encouraged his son to go to college. Dad has him and his girlfriend and their kids set up in a house next to his. My brother doesn't know how to hold down a job. His wife has never worked. Dad made him arrogant, but he didn't give him confidence. He's a slave to our father's issues. I feel terrible for my niece and nephew."



Charlotte eventually left home and worked her way through college and then graduate school, the first in her family to do so. In time she went into the field of counseling. "I didn't consciously pursue it as a way to heal myself, but I've found that the most valuable part of my work has been the unexpected benefit of gaining education and insight about my family dynamics and spreading this to others. This insight has allowed me to see that I did not cause these events and that as a child I was an innocent in this chaos, simply trying to survive."



Like so many children of narcissists, Charlotte and her sister have struggled with self-esteem and health problems that Charlotte believes are related to early trauma. Neither had children for fear of continuing the family legacy. Charlotte has had symptoms of PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), an autoimmune thyroid disease, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), fibromyalgia, and gallstones.
There are numerous reasons to journey to the Palm Springs area -- the sophisticated-yet-chill vibe, the stunning mid-century modern architecture and landscaping, gorgeous deserts, and evolving food, hotel and art scenes -- but one of the best is a chance to pay a visit to the classic, old-school Palm Springs that earned it the nickname "Hollywood's Playground."

The Donald Wexler-designed home of Alan Ladd, film noir and western star of the 1940s. Photo by Karin E. Baker

The first Palm Springs hotel opened in 1886, but the area became a favorite getaway for Southern Californians beginning in the 1920s, when Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow flocked to the desert enclave for relaxation, recreation and privacy. Removed enough from Los Angeles to give a sense of escape, it was a mere two hours away if the likes of Louis B. Mayer or Jack Warner summoned you back to the studio for a reshoot.

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If you'd like to explore Palm Springs through the lens of the Golden Age of Hollywood, you can visit anytime, but Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week. running through June 12, is a delicious excuse for making your way to the desert. Over 100 attractions, restaurants, and hotels are participating, offering three-course prix-fixe menus at $28, $38 and $48, and several of them have ties to classic Hollywood.

Purple Room

This supper club, opened in 1960, was a Rat Pack hangout that continues to attracts tons of locals after a recent decor and sound system update that refreshed the place while maintaining a swanky, 1960s vibe. Here you can enjoy dishes like risotto with wild mushrooms and English peas, or bananas foster bread pudding in the same room where Frank, Dino and Sammy dined and imbibed.

Copley's on Palm Canyon

Walk in Cary Grant's footsteps at Copley's, a top-rated restaurant and bar that was formerly a guesthouse on Grant's estate. The spacious courtyard is perfect for lounging, cocktail in hand, as you take in the fire pit's licking flames and the sun slowly setting over the San Jacinto Mountains. The ahi tacos and the Australian baramundi topped with crab and lemon aioli are particularly noteworthy.

Mr. Lyon's

The Bee's Knees cocktail at Seymour's at Mr. Lyon's. Photo by Karin E. Baker

Though not a classic per se -- that title would go to the site's predecessor, Lyon's Englsh Grille -- Mr. Lyon's retains the glamour and style of a mid-century restaurant. Lyon's Englsh Grille opened in 1945 and was a favorite of celebrities and locals alike until shutting its doors in 2014. Mr. Lyon's, opened in 2015, has been beautifully updated but still retains a classic feel with its plush green-velvet booths and burnished woods, and a steakhouse menu that, while modern, includes throwbacks like Beef Wellington and a twice-baked potato.

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Mr. Lyon's brand-new bar, Seymour's, is a gorgeous speakeasy tucked away in the back of the restaurant. Just opened in May 2016, it has a vintage feel thanks to its walls covered with framed haberdashery illustrations from 19th-century British magazines, '60s-ish bar stools made of brass and black leather,

the geometric-pattern inlaid bar, a TV playing muted black-and-white Japanese movies from the 1950s, and elevated well-crafted cocktails like a bottled-on-site French 75, a Pineapple Tequila Sour, or the Bee's Knees. Feel free to step out to the back patio to play some bocce ball.

Melvyn's

Melvyn's is located in the Inglenook Inn, a hotel built in the 1920s that was a popular destination for Tinseltown luminaries like Clark Gable and Greta Garbo. Most famous for frequent visits from Frank Sinatra -- in fact, his face is imprinted on the bar napkins placed beneath your martini or old fashioned -- Melvyn's is a virtual homage to old-school Continental dining. The pace is leisurely, the service attentive, and you can still get Sinatra's favorite dish here, Steak Diane, prepared tableside. This is where you go for old-school dishes like trout almondine, chicken pot pie, and even more tableside preparation in the form of dessert: Cherries Jubilee, Bananas Flambe and Crepes Suzette.

Wally's Desert Turtle

Though not quite of the classic era -- Wally's opened in 1978 -- this fine-dining establishment in Rancho Mirage hosted top stars of the classic era like Bob Hope, Sinatra, Carol Channing and more. Though the menu is mostly contemporary California cuisine, Wally's has retained some old-school restaurant customs you just don't see much of anymore, including silver service (during which the server transfers food to a guest's plate from the left with a silver fork and spoon) and weekly fashion-show luncheons, which were popular in the '50s and '60s.

Palm Springs Celebrity Homes Tour

Palm Springs is known for its architecture, most notably its huge number of mid-century modern homes. See some of the city's most noteworthy homes, many of them owned by classic stars, during the Celebrity Homes Tour led by Desert Adventures Jeep Tours.

The Elvis Presley Honeymoon House, also known as "The Home of Tomorrow," in Palm Springs. Photo by Karin E. Baker

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The tour's first stop is outside Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms, located in the Movie Colony and named for the estate's pair of majestic palm trees. Sinatra lived in this striking mid-century modern house, completed in 1947, for seven years, eventually sharing it with his second wife, Ava Gardner. Here Frank hoisted a Jack Daniels flag in the afternoons to let his neighbors know it was cocktail time, fought with Ava, crooned with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., and played host to Hollywood luminaries including Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner, Cary Grant and Bing Crosby. Frank allowed the exteriors of the house to be used in the 1950 Joan Crawford film The Damned Don't Cry.

Also featured during this tour are homes that were owned or rented by Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Debbie Reynolds, Kirk Douglas, Ann Miller, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Liberace and more. You'll see the batwing-roofed "house of tomorrow" where Elvis honeymooned with Priscilla, the iconic Donald Wexler that Dinah Shore called home that's now owned by Leonardo DiCaprio, and much more during this delightfully gossipy and informative tour.
"Julie, we are moving again," her father echoed those words every few years of her school life.

Most kids would have found the regular school changes and making new friends too intense. Julie was different. She thrived on that change, taking her chances and embracing variety.

In her words, "I knew nothing better. I absorbed what I saw - my mom's bubbliness and my traveling salesman dad's self-belief. I am from the Midwest with deep roots in a small town called Watertown in Wisconsin. I am the fifth generation in my family who was born there."

For a moment, I forgot I was speaking with one of the senior women executives at the multinational company - SAP. Her enthusiastic earthliness reverberated on the phone.

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I had my reasons for talking to her. Before I share that, first, her back-story.

Julie always embraced change that was counter to the mainstream. In 1988, her high school counselor at her Cincinnati school zoomed in on her Math and Science success and recommended Engineering. She chose to pursue civil engineering - among the few women in her class at Purdue University.

She found her bearings at Bristol-Myers Squibb in the package engineering section where she met her husband, Mike Roehm. In time, he chose to forgo his career to raise their two boys. With his unflinching support, she completed her MBA at The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and torpedoed her way to success in the marketing world through her edgy ads - first for Ford and later for Chrysler. The famous ad, "That thing got a Hemi?" was from her stable that propelled Chrysler's profits. That championed her next move to Wal-Mart. After ten months, she was out.

Lot has been written about her short stint at Wal-Mart. That did not interest me. What interested me was something different. Something that is valuable for you and me - her introspections from her re-nourishing years. I also wondered why she chose storytelling in her second avatar. She pleasantly surprised me with her candor laced with insights.

Her life ah ha - in her words

"I was young and naive to believe that the best outcome of change was action. The early racy ads were all action outcomes - stretching the boundaries of what was possible. I took risks and a super majority of them worked out. Until then, I saw a fearless person in the mirror.

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Post Wal-Mart, I had to face my fears. I am optimistic by nature. Having said that, mortgages had to be paid, our single income was uprooted, experience at a behemoth left a bitter after warmth - I leaned in to face my fears and persevere. My dad's words - "remember where you came from" resonated. Beautiful moments happened -people I knew and many of whom I did not know reached out and offered support in profound ways.

I ventured on my own and learnt a lot more without the corporate job cushions. I started to see things differently. What stuck with me were the humanizing relationships. As I reflect, the impact of those relationships created the best, lasting memories.

My big ah ha moment - all along, I had thought that the best outcome for change was action. I stand corrected. The best outcome for change is something subtler, it is the positive impact on our minds. And stories have this simple and elegant charm about them. They create "mind seeds" for positive impact - from cave dwellings to digital walls.

Why should something that is so pervasive and impactful be in the background in corporate America? When SAP CEO Bill McDermott offered me the moniker - chief storyteller, way before storytelling became more readily accepted in the corporate world, I was ready for this change. I embraced impact through storytelling with gusto."

"Stories As Mind Seeds" - My Relatable Experience

When Julie talked about "mind seeds", something in me clicked. I involuntarily nodded my head in affirmation. My own experience surfaced back.

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I had been at the receiving end of recognition while working at GDF SUEZ (now Engie). The current Chairman and former CEO, Gerard Mestrallet had instituted a unique annual tradition inspired by the Oscars. Few dozen projects were culled out from a global workforce of 200,000+ and invited to Europe for innovation awards.

When my team was invited for five consecutive years, friendly coffee table discussions centered on, "What made you tread this path?" I pondered. That question, took me back to my childhood years in India. I was on a train ride, reading a comic book - Tinkle. One story caught my imagination.

A king wanted nothing to stick to his feet. Wherever he walked, subjects went on a hyper drive to ensure his pathways were spic and span. One man came up with a clever, practical solution. He cobbled together the first ever slippers/shoes to cover the king's feet.

I did not think much about the story until I reflected on the impact and connected the dots, after the fact. That story created "mind seeds" for the sheer simplicity of the solution that was easily implementable for a seemingly complex problem.

Bringing it all Together

I had a dream - to ask Steve Jobs first hand on what the years between the two Apple gigs instilled in him. I am glad with the first hand chance to do just that with Julie.

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Julie's life story, like many well told ones is like a three quarter picture of the double hump of a camel - the rise and fall of the first hump and the rise of the second.

The constancy in her story was change- by taking chances and embracing new arenas. Her first rise was symbolized by action. In contrast, her second rise personifies impact through stories - crafted with the wisdom gleaned through her experience. That made me think.
Reducing harms of "harmless" pleasures

My effort to learn as much as possible about international drug policy brought me two interesting films last week, Sicario and Cartel Land. The following reflections are based on what I got from those films: first, both made it clear that people in high income countries who use illicitly produced and trafficked drugs recreationally (non-problematically) are accessories after the fact to drug war violence/harms in producer and transit communities, including urban neighborhoods. Engaging in political action to promote decriminalization and regulated access to what are now illicitly sourced psychoactive substances could be a powerful form of drug user harm reduction. Supporting civil society activities in countries where CSOs are weak or repressed, while personally boycotting illegally sourced substances altogether until goals are achieved, is another. Ethical consumerism must, after all, extend to our guilty pleasures.

The harm to be reduced arises from the illicit drug market, or "state of nature," where personal security is non-existent, and life "nasty, brutish, and short." Such is the existential context of producer and transit environments. When governments themselves cannot provide security for their citizens, the state of nature prevails, and people must defend themselves in the "war of all against all," until a new "sovereign" emerges to protect them.

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The invisible hand of the market created by recreational and problematic users in high income countries generates these violent parallel "states" [of nature] in producer and transit countries where governments are weak and often illegitimate. The law of the strongest and best supplied -- Thomas Hobbes' war of all against all -- co-exists alongside the laws of governments selected by citizens via elections, or appointed by military coups.

Their social contract duty to protect citizens renders governments that tolerate, let alone profit from, the existence of parallel states, liable for drug war damage to their own citizens, as well as to citizens of other states. Governments and agencies that fail to protect forfeit domestic obedience and legitimacy in the international community.

Other narratives of transnational ethics of solidarity and mutual aid, which can provide protection for vulnerable communities, are possible. The Michoacan self-defense forces in the documentary film Cartel Land did exactly that at first, providing security for communities ravaged by cartel violence and unprotected by official forces. "There is no government. The government is often working with the criminals," said the people. Citizens in towns that were not so hard hit, who continued to believe in the state, took the opposite perspective and refused to join the Autodefensas, saying "If we don't believe in the institutions of the state we are finished as citizens."

Members of drug policy reform organizations in the high income countries can act as responsible global citizens by acknowledging their consumer communities' partial complicity in the cycle of violence. Civil society organizations that take responsibility for their part in strengthening the "invisible hand" of the market for illicitly trafficked substances can work authentically to end the cycle of violence. After all, it is demand from the rich countries that keeps the cartels in business and the state of nature flourishing.

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Taking an ethical/political stance doesn't mean playing the blame/victim game or stigmatizing people who use drugs, but acknowledging responsibility for consumer habits that expose "bystander" individuals and communities to cartel violence and government repression. Those vulnerable 'other' communities are found in what Latin American theologian Jon Sobrino SJ calls "entire crucified continents".

Cartel Land drives home how ordinary people, usually poor people, pay with their security, peace of mind, and their lives, to satisfy the northern hunger for their products. Participating in consumer advocacy initiatives to change repressive drug control laws that benefit the cartels would be one way recreational users could take responsibility, pay for pleasure bought with blood money.

Media induced hype about the so-called "opioid abuse epidemic" in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, is already damaging patients and families in countries with low to no access to medical opioids for pain and palliative care. The exaggerated threat posed by prospect of widespread non-medical use of opioids now supports governments' unwillingness to identify and remove barriers to legitimate access, making advocacy much more difficult.

Organizations in high income countries with strong civil society sectors can campaign to pressure governments to reduce the harms of the drug war and support NGOs in countries where they are weak or suppressed. They can also facilitate inter-governmental and UN agency collaborations for good public policy outcomes, requiring political appointees and bureaucrats to step out of institutional comfort zones.

Advocacy means active and responsible participation in institutions such as the Civil Society Task Force organized for UNGASS2016, and hopefully set to continue until the next drugs UNGASS in 2019. The CSTF can remind governments whose citizens use illicitly sourced drugs either recreationally or problematically, that they have a duty of care to support evidence-based policies that reduce the harms of such use. Policies include decriminalization, prevention, treatment, harm reduction, reintegration services, and the rational use of controlled medicines for the treatment of pain and suffering.

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Governments that promote hard line, exclusively supply control, drug policies at the UN, clinging to the largely fractured "Vienna consensus," and boycotting the health and human rights based approach promoted by the Geneva institutions, claim to be "protecting" their citizens from these parallel governments. As they are often besieged from within and without, such governments use their monopoly of "legitimate" violence to suppress the trade, failing to produce the desired effect while generating multiple harms. One way to diminish these harms is to build the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to hold governments accountable, an approach that does not appeal to countries ruled by precarious elites.
(Photo Credit: Dan Winters)

In continuing with my coverage of my trip down to Columbus, Ohio for Rock on the Range, I was able to chat with Jean-Paul Gaster, the drummer of the Maryland-based multi-faceted rock band Clutch. Getting their start in the hardcore scene around Baltimore, they were always that unique sounding band everywhere they played fusing bluesy, psychedelic elements into heavy, hard rock music. With early trips spanning all across the northeastern part of the nation and the Midwest, including their first gig in Detroit at Saint Andrews Hall in 1993, Clutch was successful able to break out of their locale and consistently stay relevant over the past 25 years.

Last year, Clutch released their eleventh studio album Psychic Warfare. Here's my interview with Jean-Paul Gaster.

Looking back, what were you some of the best memories with just starting this band back in the early 90s?

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The things I remember most are the very first shows that we played. We came up in the east coast hardcore scene. I don't think we necessarily sounded like a hardcore band but we used to go to a lot of shows and the hardcore scene at that time was a very active community. It was easy to get shows, trade shows with other bands, so I can remember traveling down to Richmond, going up to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, going up to Boston. Those first trips are the ones you really, really remember. You sort of can't believe you're doing it. Here's we are 25 years later still making trips, still going on tour.

Being that you were a different sort of band in that hardcore scene, how were you able to fit in?

We had a very heavy sound to begin with so the hardcore scene kind of embraced us right away. At the same time, we sounded a lot different then the other hardcore bands, so I think we stood out in that regard. So very early on, we had a buzz locally around Baltimore and in D.C., and that quickly spread to Philly, and then eventually even going out to Detroit. We had a great first gig in Detroit. We played at Saint Andrews Hall in '93.

How were all the members of this band able to stay together for so long?

When we started the band, we had two intentions: that was to play good shows and to make good records. That really was the beginning and the end of it. We did not think about making a career out of this in any regard. Speaking for myself, I figured out early on that I really love the drums and I wanted to play drums. I don't think any of us really thought that this band would be a band that would be able to, in 25 years, build a career for us and visit all these fantastic places that we've been able to visit. The intention really was just to do, as I said, just make good records and do good shows. We still do that to this day. When you have those two goals in mind, it really cuts out a lot peripheral nonsense. There's an awful lot of stuff that happens around a band that is not necessarily related to music, whether you are talking about business or you're talking about logistics or touring. There's a whole bunch of stuff and there's whole bunch of distractions out there. We've really tried to, at the end of the day, just still focus on those two things and those have been the beacon for us.

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How did everyone in the band originally meet?

We were in high school together. We were in a terrible hardcore band senor year in high school. Tim [Sult], our guitarist, actually graduated a year before we but he went to the same school. That's how we met.

How were you able to break out of your own local in Maryland back then?

The first opportunity we had to go out on tour, we did. We took that opportunity and we just went out and played our asses off. Played as hard as we could. We played with a lot of different kind of bands early on. We quickly moved away from the hardcore scene. We retained a lot of those fans but then we went on tour with bands like Monster Magnet, Prong, Sepultura, Bad Religion, eventually Marilyn Manson, Tad, Pantera. I could go on and on. The thing is we don't necessarily don't sound like those bands but there would always be a core group of people who heard something in the music, something resonated with them. Then, they showed up to the next gig that we came to town. I can remember doing that Manson tour in particular, and at that time, we weren't really excited about. Looking back at it now, it was probably the best thing we ever did. We came back to town 3-4 months later and there's a bunch of Marilyn Manson t-shirts out there. So, thank you Marilyn Manson. That was a great tour.

What was so attractive about Clutch that all these fans of bands you toured with that you wouldn't necessarily be lumped together with liked you guys?

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There's an honesty in the sound. We don't try to pretend to be something that we are not. There's not a lot of posing going on. We don't really look cool. I mean, look at us! (laughs). There's a lot of bands here today that spend an awful lot of time picking out wardrobe and putting on makeup. I prefer to spend my time in the trailer warming up. That's what I do. I play drums all day. I think people relate to that. I see that there's an honesty in the music. It works the other way too. Often times, we go out and headline a tour and we have to bring other bands with us to open the show. We try to bring the very best bands that we can, either friends of ours or guys who we think are good players. But that doesn't always work out, sometimes you have to do a favor for somebody, and sometimes that favor means there's going to be a band up there who doesn't necessarily do music like Clutch does. The fans see through that immediately. They can see when somebody is faking it. In that respect, I'm very proud of our fan base. I think that our fan base is a very musical one. They probably have a wide variety of records in their collection.

After 25 years, how do you keep everything fresh musically?

The most obvious thing is that we change the set list every night. Every night, we take turns making a new set. That in itself shakes things up enough to keep things fresh. We try new songs. There's new segues, little improv sections that we come up with. All that stuff is new. When we get into actually writing new material, we always try to challenge ourselves, try to find something new, try to find a new thing. For me, that's the best thing about being in this band is that we really do try to keep things as fresh as we can and try to experiment with different stuff. It doesn't all work. That's part of the beauty of it.

The newest album Psychic Warfare, what was the mood of the band going into writing and recording it?

I think that we were all very surprised by the success of Earth Rocker, first of all; the record that preceded it. That record did very well for is. We were able to play places to hadn't played before. Play in front of crowds that were bigger than ever. It was a very exciting time. We knew going into write Psychic Warfare that we set the bar high. We needed to make a better record even than Earth Rocker. We challenged ourselves quite a bit. One way that Psychic Warfare is quite different than Earth Rocker though is that we spent a lot of time, once we had the arrangements of the tunes solidified, playing those songs, whether it was on tour or even just in the rehearsal hall or even once we got into the studio. We would start each day in the studio by playing all the songs, not worrying about recording anything, not worrying about micromanaging every bar and beat; play the damn song and make it feel like a song, play its like a set. So that brings a lot of fresh energy to Psychic Warfare.

Even after 25 years, how does it feel that there's room for new levels of success and acclaim?

Sure, this band continues to grow. It blows my mind. Its something that we don't take for granted, I can tell you that.

How do you stay a band and be sustainable?

That can be very difficult. When money troubles start, internals in the band can get tough. Luckily, we've been, knock on wood, quite successful these last few years. As I said, we don't take that for granted. We tour a lot. We play a lot. We know that each gig is just as important as the last one and so we're going get up here this afternoon and we're going to play this gig as if it will be our last gig ever. Then, we're going to get on the stage in Wichita and we're going to do it again there. You have to maintain that intensity and you can't let the size of the crowd influence how you feel about it. You can't let the weather, if you're hungover, you're tired, or you ate a shitty sandwich, whatever, you can't worry about that. Those people paid hard earned money, you got to up there and you got to make the rock-n-roll.

What inspires you and the band the most when writing and playing music?

Music. We listen to a lot of music. All kinds of music. We don't listen to a lot of loud stuff or heavy stuff. On occasion, we still do. Speaking for myself, as a drummer, I try to study the history of the instrument. I listen to a lot of jazz. I listen to a lot of funk.

I felt that vibe on this latest album, this sort of bluesy funk vibe.

I think that's what makes it fun. You got to bring all those other influences into what you do and that's what makes the music exciting. There's a whole lot of musicians out there these days making music and its like they are only paying attention to their specific genre, and even more narrow, their specific genre that happened in the last ten years. The music they are exposing themselves to is quite limited. You're really doing yourself a disservice. The wider variety of music that you bring, the more exciting it is to play music. For me, the more fun it is. I'm not interested in trying to play the dudes from last year. I want to explore new things.

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What are your aspirations for the future?

I want to continue to make records that we're proud of and I want to continue to tour. Play for more people than we ever had. Get to new places. Just challenge ourselves as musicians. This band I think about first think in the morning and the last thing at night. Its something that we don't take for granted.

What do you think is the scariest thing about being a musician?

Just putting it all out there and knowing that it's a ballsy move to say I want to make music for a living. You really have to put your whole heart into it. You can't half-ass this stuff. I had drum teacher, Walter Salb, who once said 'If you want to be a musician, that has to be your plan. If you have a plan B, that's really your plan.' I still think about that. There's other shit I could do, but this is what I do for a living. I put my whole heart into it.

What's the most rewarding?

Getting up on stage and playing drums for a living, it's ridiculous! It's my favorite fucking thing to do and I get to do it every night.

Ultimately, what do you want the legacy of Clutch to be?

That we made honest music and that we played the best shows that we could play. That's the beginning and the end of it. There's lots and lots of legendary bands that have had amazing songs, that have touched a lot of people's lives, my goal is not to be a virtuoso musician, my goal is to play music.
David Bowie was one of those figures that we all felt like was immortal, something beyond just a regular human. He lived life outside of the social bounds of gender, sexuality, understanding, and love. He transcended the ideals of life, using music, film, fashion, and simply his heart to change the world, and on January 10th of 2016, David Bowie left this plain of existence, but left us with so much than we could have ever ask of him.

On July 10th at the Meadow Book Amphitheatre in Rochester Hills, Michigan, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, led by guest conductor Brent Havens, will perform The Music Of David Bowie, a one-night show celebrating the wonders of this legendary music artist. Havens has previously arranged/conducted a whole series of rock symphonies across the nation including the works of Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Eagles, Queen, Michael Jackson, The Who, Whitney Houston, The Rolling Stones, and U2, along with writing music for other orchestras, featured films, and television.

Recently, I was able to talk with Brent Havens and we discussed all the intricacies and obstacles that go into these rock symphony programs and why David Bowie's music lends itself great to orchestration.

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How did this program come about doing the music of David Bowie with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra?

Well, we've played there I don't know how many times, half a dozen shows maybe with them? We have a whole series of shows. We play with orchestras all over the nation. We do everything from Led Zeppelin shows to Queen, Eagles, Pink Floyd, even Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. We've been looking to do a David Bowie show since about last June. I was having a hard time finding data about his US sales. It's a little interesting but one of the things we look at is how artists do in the US because that's our main market. When he passed away in January, we were getting a lot of calls from orchestras asking if this is something that we were going to be pursuing, and we basically said we were. One of the orchestras on our list to always let them know what we we're doing is the Detroit Symphony. Obviously, they're a spectacular orchestra, so we wanted to let them know and that's how they found out about it.

You've already done so many symphonic rock programs, how do you go about figuring what songs are included and how to sequence them?

That's a very difficult thing for us because most of the artists we've done have massive catalogs and invariably, we get asked "Why didn't you do this tune!?". Well, we only have two hours on stage! A lot of these groups we could spend four hours on stage and I'd still get somebody saying "Why didn't you do this tune!?". They're massive catalogs and the artists are so well-loved and their fans certainly know every tune that's on every album and every guitar lick that's on every album, so it's really difficult to do that. Obviously, I look at their greatest hits, their albums that sold the most, stuff like that. I take a listen to all of their tunes. I try to listen to as much as their catalog as I can and pick tunes out of it by listening to it and determining do I think this will really lend itself to orchestration and will it work well? Obviously, you got to do the big hits. Like with Zeppelin, you are not getting out of the building without doing "Kashmir" if you're playing with an orchestra or "Stairway To Heaven". So Bowie, it's the same kind of thing, you're now getting out of the building without doing "Space Oddity" or "Changes", the best hits that he's had over the years. It is a very difficult thing. Somebody's always going to be a little upset that their particular tune didn't get played, but at the same time, they're big enough fans to go "You know what? I loved all of the tunes that you did, I was just disappointed that I didn't get to hear this one."

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What sort of other obstacles if any do you face when trying to do rock symphonies like this?

Occasionally, there have been a couple of times where there's a song that only has two chords or maybe three chords (laughs). What do you do with a full orchestra for five minutes with two chords? Occasionally, there are some orchestration issues where I really have to try to figure out do I do counterpoint lines here? Do I have them play with the guitar players playing? Do I write some counterpoint to them? Whatever it is, that's always a challenge if the music has a tendency not to lend itself or a particular song might not have lend itself to orchestration. Again, if it's a huge song, you really have to make it work. That's a challenge for me. I think over the years with the experience that I have doing this over the past 20 years; I've learned how to make those things work.

With the spirit that David Bowie already had in his music, what was your perception of what you could do with his music using an orchestra?

His music is rich with harmonies and melodies and counter-melodies, its just great structurally. I think his music lends itself very well to orchestration and playing with a full orchestra. Just listening through the music now, it doesn't seem like that's going to be too much of any issue. There's so much richness in his music that I think it will lend itself very well to the orchestra.

With someone like David Bowie, having left us so much amazing music, what sort of story are you trying to tell with this program?

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We are not trying to tell a story per se, what we're trying to do is celebrate the works of this artist. It's almost like going into a museum and looking at all the works of a particular artist. In this case, the people are coming to the concert hall to take a listen to some of the greatest works that this artist has done. My job is to present what I think is the best of each of the eras of his life. With some of the bands, there's not so much of a line of demarcation against this period of this group's like they did this kind of music, then later they did this kind of music, and then later they did this. Whereas Bowie, I think did actually have a whole lot of that. He had so many aspects to his life and to his music that you can almost here the difference as you're going through. Its almost like a timeline without telling a story necessarily, but there's a timeline to his music and you can almost hear the difference in his music as you are going through the programs, going through the albums over the years. What I'm trying to do is celebrate each of those sections and really make those particular tunes stand out by having a full orchestra behind them.
(Chad Nicefield of Wilson // Photo Credit: Kelly Frazier)

Sometimes, even "Detroit Rock City" doesn't get the best rock music events and festivals coming to town, so you have to venture out to the other parts of the Midwest and that's exactly what I did recently for the 10th annual Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio. While Ohio might be Michigan's bitter rivals in the world of college sports, many towns in the state have embraced Midwest rock and metal bands from all over; a sort of regional community.

With this year's Rock on the Range, the popular festival included some Michigan flavor over the three-day extravaganza. Rock On The Range was a prime example that right now Michigan has a collection of great hard rock bands that don't necessarily sound like each other, but continually cross paths whether its during festivals or even touring together. With bands like We Came As Romans, Pop Evil, Wilson, and Citizen Zero, they all took that first and sometimes hardest step to just hit the road and stay touring, being extremely confident in their talents, while still outwardly representing their home to the fullest.

None of this is possible without a love for the music and bringing an optimistic light back to their home in Michigan. "Just to see all the Michigan bands starting to spread, its always a positive thing to bring more attention back to Michigan," says Leigh Kakaty of the Grand Rapids-based rock band Pop Evil. "With all the issues we've had with the economy and of course the water in Flint, any positivity is always welcome."

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No matter what part of the state there from, whether it's Detroit or all the way out in Grand Rapids like Pop Evil, there's a true connection between of these cities. "Any time a band can make it out of the city it's a good thing for the city," explains Dave Stephens, vocalist of We Came As Romans. "Its cool because I feel like whenever bands do come out of Detroit they always represent the city well. They are proud to say they are from Detroit."

(Josh LeMay of Citizen Zero // Photo Credit: Kelly Frazier)

Even if Detroit or Michigan is not pumping out successful rock bands continuously, there is a clear sense of creativity that goes on within the scene. The hard working aesthetic of an area known for its struggles and its industrial roots garner an innate feeling that there is always somewhere else or some place else you can go with your art. "It's a real sense of community in that aspect that we have in our city and in Michigan in general," describes James Lascu of Wilson. "Michigan bands are pretty supportive of each other. It's really strange how different every band is in Detroit. There's a lot of cities you go to and bands are kind of similar flavor going on. Everyone, instead of stealing or taking from other bands, they are like that's pretty cool but I want to do my own thing. I like that."

And for those just forming a band and finally hitting the road, or even still playing shows in their own city, the supportive nature of the artists out their touring regularly can be quite motivating. Only a few years in thus far, Detroit area rock band Citizen Zero is finally starting to get their footing in this rock world, and finding themselves in the same places as their Michigan peers. "Its really inspiring just to see what they've done with their careers and to know that we could be doing that next," states Josh LeMay of Citizen Zero about crossing paths with other Michigan bands on tour. "That's just our goal to get our there and do what they're doing."

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Even some of the most known rock bands still have to tour extensively these days to remain sustainable. It's tough out there and bands need to know that they have to continuously put in hard work and tour to keep it all going. As different as many of the bands are in Michigan, there is no one way to really go about it. Some bands have to instantly leave their own area to eventually get acceptance and some have to make a name in their home first, but in the end, they all need to spread their wings and hit as many towns and cities that will have them.

With We Came As Romans, they hit the road as soon as they could and its fact that their second gig was outside of Michigan. Not any easier of a route, they just went elsewhere and it paid off for them. "I don't think we started gaining momentum in Detroit until we started gaining momentum in like some of the surrounding cities," says Dave Stephens. "As soon as we could, we bought a van and started renting a trailer and whoever would book us, we would go and try to play, often times we wouldn't even have enough money to fill up the tank. We would have to stop at malls and sell t-shirts and ask for donations."

(James Lascu of Wilson // Photo Credit: Kelly Frazier)

Pop Evil took another route. They played the local shows, gained popularity among their own area, and even with the help of radio stations like 97.9 FM in Grand Rapids, were able to make a name for themselves locally first. "It's a slow and steady thing," says Matt DiRito, bassist of Pop Evil, about breaking out of their locale. "You have to conquer your hometown, then you have conquer your region, then got to conquer Michigan, then you have to hit the other states around there. It's slow and step by step."

Whatever way it takes to get out of your city, it's also important that if you do make it out, that you don't forget where you come from. A band like Wilson that originally was just started for a way that the guys could get free beer eventually took to the road, but never forgot where they've come from. "It was about pounding the pavement and getting in the van and driving really far away from home," explains James Lascu, bassist of Wilson. "Also, making the conscious effort to come back and play shows. There's been periods of time where we've been on tour for 5-6 months or so with a few weeks in between where we realized we haven't played at home or Michigan in 6 months and we need to put on a show. That's something we are pretty conscious of. We don't want people to think we've forgotten about them. We don't forget about anything like that."

While Michigan hasn't been this huge bastion of movers and shakers in the music industry since the Motown days, all the struggles and negatively that people have to endure if you're in any way associated with Detroit or any of those other outlying cities has only deepened the pride for people that call Michigan home. Whether you're from Detroit or Grand Rapids or any other city in between, it isn't just a place that you call home, there's an engrained culture that speaks through all of the art. With an album like Wilson's latest, Right To Rise, it's a dedication to their city and that through all of the negativity that is said about Detroit, it isn't all bad and that there's some cool shit that happens here. "There's a lot of hard rock roots in the city," explains James Lascu. "There's a lot of hard working people, blue collar people in the city and that's pretty much what we do. We do that except in a van. Our music is just a lot of old school influences, just keeping it straight forward simple just bang your fuckin head. You work your job then you want to party. That's what we do."
Photo: Nepalireporter

-A Dalit woman had been beaten for touching the water pipes in Tokha of Kathmandu. Kamala Nepali a long time resident of the area was in a dispute with Shanta KC of the same place over filling water at tap near Shanta's house for some time. -Six Dalit women were beaten for using public well in Siraha district of Nepal. This incident happened when a Dalit woman had a small argument with a man, while using a public well to fetch drinking water. -The 'so-called' upper-class people of Suga VDC (Mahottari district of Nepal) resorted to dirty tactics to pressurize the Dalits to renounce their decision traditional work of clearing carcass. -A landlady expelled a Dalit student preparing for MBBS on the basis of his caste. The landlady, Jamuna Bhattarai, a health worker, ousted student, Ganesh Pariyar of Lamjung, although she had already agreed to rent a room in her house in Syuchatar, Kathmandu to the student.

Caste discrimination is the shame of modern Nepal, and those are just a few examples.

In 1962, a law was passed making it illegal to discriminate against other castes led all caste to be equally treated by the law. However, the Nepalese caste system is still thriving and discrimination is deeply rooted in the Nepalese society.

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Dalits are at the bottom of the caste system in Nepal. They still face widespread discrimination in Nepal. They are also known as so-called 'Untouchables'.

They are not allowed to enter temples. They are not allowed to touch food at common gatherings. And they are not allowed to use the public taps and drink water.

Dalits are still beaten by upper caste people in Nepal. Caste-based discrimination and untouchability are also in practices within Dalit community that is intra-Dalit discrimination. However, the constitution has banned the practice of untouchability.

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Documentary about Bishnu Maya Pariyar. This documentary follows human rights activist Bishnu Maya Pariyar as she journeys across Nepal to return to the village where she was born and raised.

Trumpeting Against DiscriminationBishnu Maya Pariyar, a woman from so-called untouchable family, one of the famous activist, is trumpeting against this discrimination, which is remarkable from Nepal to the USA. She suffered a nightmare childhood where she was heavily discriminated against for belonging to the Dalit.

For her being the champion of improving lives of marginalized women and children in Nepal, Pine Manor College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts had awarded her honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.). After that, she is famous as 'Dalit and Women Activist Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar'. Doctor of Letters is an academic degree, a higher doctorate that may be considered to be beyond the Ph.D. and equal to the Doctor of Science (Sc.D. or D.Sc.).

Dr. Pariyar is well known because of her dedication to protecting Untouchable and Dalit women's rights, domestic violence victims, and basic human rights, and because of her bravery in surmounting discrimination. She overcame many hurdles to receive her powerful position as both a social activist and an advocate for human and women's rights.

Dr. Bishnumaya with Dalit Women in Nepal.Photo: EDWON

A Fight For Right

Dr. Pariyar was born in Gorkha district of Nepal. Dalit literally translates to "oppressed," which is a fitting description for Dr. Pariyar's early life. While this oppression was horrible for her, it inspired her passion for fighting for rights.

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Being part of the Dalit caste meant that Dr. Pariyar grew up in poverty and her parents struggled to support her and her eleven siblings. Her parents encouraged her to one-day break free of the hurtful traditions of the Nepalese caste system. Their encouragement enabled her to fight against discrimination.

According to her, She was active in social work since her childhood. When she was 10 years old, there was discrimination even when playing with friends. They could come inside her house but she couldn't go inside their houses because she was a Dalit. The experience hurt her very much.Struggle For Education

After completing her primary and middle school study at her village, she went to another school where she trekked 4 hours every day from her home. While in school, she continued to face great financial difficulty as well as discrimination. Despite her struggles, she always placed first in her class. After high school graduation, she had nowhere to go, as her parents could not afford to send her further study. But, She moved to Kathmandu and joined a college there.

While attending college in Kathmandu, she faced great financial difficulty, forcing her to cook food for twelve people who worked in a garment factory. She also worked at a restaurant. Later, an American peace corps volunteer started sending money via another American woman. That was a major turning point in her life. Their investment in her future was the key factor to her being able to complete her studies and gain the relevant connections and experience she needed to begin her human rights work.

Dr. Pariyar came to the USA in 1999, with the help of an American woman named Eva Kasell. Eva was like her godmother, who helped and supported her a great deal. During her first semester of college in the USA, she attained fluency in English. After that, Pine Manor College awarded her a full scholarship for earning top grades. In 2004, She earned her Bachelor's degree in social and political science with many awards including President's Cup Award, Excellent in Political Science.

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The following year, Dr. Pariyar had started working as an advocate against domestic violence at Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. There, she attained much experience and learned many things related to abuse of women and domestic violence.

In 2005, she joined for her Master's degree study with the full fellowship at Clark University from where she eventually graduated as an International Development and Social Change major.

Commend Her Struggle For Untouchable Women's Rights

Dr. Pariyar's life has seen many ups and downs but, despite its difficulty, she has received more than twenty-five awards nationally and internationally. She was awarded the Perdita Huston Activist for Human Rights Award by United Nations Association of the USA, Washington DC in recognition of the life and work of outstanding advocacy for women's rights in the developing world.

In 2006, she was also a recipient of Bridge Builder 2006 by Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, which recognizes grassroots leaders in the international development and community organizing.

In 2007, World Bank Family Network, Washington DC awarded her Margaret McNamara Memorial Award which is awarded to women committed to improving the lives of women and children in their home countries.

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Likewise, in 2015, City of Louisville, Kentucky, United States has announced "Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar Day" on September 27 to commend her struggle for women's rights and domestic violence in Nepal as well as in the USA.

Since 2004, Dr. Pariyar has been working for domestic violence and Dalit Women's Rights. During her professional career as domestic violence advocate, she had worked with Asian Taskforce Against Domestic Violence, Neponset Health Center and HaborCov in Boston area. In 2015, she moved to Jersey City, New Jersey where she works as Outreach Educator at CarePoint Health Group.

Tirelessly Working For Dalit Women And Children

Dr. Pariyar has been tirelessly working for Nepal's rural marginalized and Dalit women and children since 1996. She co-founded ADWAN, which stands for Association for Dalit Women Advancement of Nepal. She is the founding and current President of ADWAN.

In the USA, she also co-founded EDWON (Empower Dalit Women of Nepal) in 2003. Her organizations helped over thirteen thousand Nepalese children go to school and helped over ninety-seven girls go to college. Out of those, twenty-two graduated with B.Ed.

ADWAN has 64 women groups in seven districts in Nepal and it is helping thousands of women by empowering financially, educationally, and socially. They now become the agent of change. Her organization ADWAN helped hundreds of earthquake victims by providing relief packages and building homes. Dr. Pariyar hopes to help Nepalese overcome the hardships imposed by the unfair caste system.

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While the caste system is no longer legal in Nepal, its stigma is still deep-rooted in the culture there, and Dr. Pariyar would like to see an end to the suffering that she herself endured as a child.
Ever since Manuel Aviles was a teenager in his native Guayaquil, Ecuador, he was known in his high school as the one to help out whenever there was a need. By 17, he was committed to the idea of becoming a Catholic priest, but after volunteering one and a half years as a missionary in the Amazon rain forest and seeing how lonely the way of life can be, he opted to pursue another new found passion - photography.

Aviles had gone on his high school senior class trip to the Galapagos Islands with the new camera his aunt had gifted him. He immediately fell in love with capturing images of the lush landscapes of his beloved country. At 41, he is now a renowned professional photographer in Ecuador - spending his days touring the country for various projects.

Although many years have passed since his time as a missionary, Aviles' innate desire to help people never left him. Ever since the devastating 7.8 magnitude Ecuador earthquake on April 16, which killed more than 650 and displaced nearly 73,000, he has devoted all of his waking hours traveling city to city along his country's coast - from Manta to Portoviejo - bringing food, supplies and good cheer to the devastated people there.

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Aviles says many of the victims are still sleeping outside where their houses once stood to take care of their belongings.
Demonstrators hold Turkish and German flags in front of the Reichstag, the seat of the lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, June 1, 2016, as they protest against a disputed vote in Germany's parliament on Thursday, on a resolution that labels the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

On Thursday, June 2, Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, adopted a resolution formally commemorating "the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916."

If supporters of justice and morality are delighted by this (belated) political recognition of historical truth, those interested in international relations must be wondering: Why was this resolution adopted now, when German-Turkish relations are more strained than ever? They may even be thinking that this resolution would have had a greater impact a year ago, on the 100th anniversary of the genocide.

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The answer is in fact in the question: Political developments have necessitated this policy advance. The resolution had been prepared a while ago, but German politicians found it would be most effective if passed this month.

This resolution is a way for Angela Merkel and her government to say "stop" to Turkey's gradual shift towards autocracy. It's also a way for Germany to assert its power, and indirectly send a message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he has gone too far in his blackmail on the refugee crisis.

This resolution is a way for Angela Merkel and her government to say "stop" to Turkey's gradual shift towards autocracy.

Unsurprisingly, the Turkish strong man has retaliated with strong threats. But it's hard to imagine that Ankara will fall out with Berlin after cutting ties with Moscow and losing its influence in the Middle East.

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A similar resolution had been withdrawn from the Bundestag's agenda in 2015, under political pressure. However, on the centennial of the genocide, German President Joachim Gauck President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert used the term "genocide" publicly.

It is plausible that in 2015, German politicians still believed that Turkey had a genuine desire to limit the flow of refugees. Clearly, this is not the case today.

But the fact still remains that the terms of this resolution are remarkable. First, the entire German political class -- conservatives, socialists, Greens and the radical left -- supported the initiative through two separate resolutions.

The political progress of the Greens and the German Socialists is particularly notable: Throughout the 2000s, the Social Democrats and the Greens overwhelmingly supported Ankara's denial policy, blinded by the AKP's promises about democratizing Turkey. In recent years, clearly, these progressive movements have been less wide-eyed. President of the German Greens, Cem Ozdemir, is a good example for this shift. Ozdemir, who is of Turkish heritage, once regarded the AKP as a force for democratization. Today, he is one of the staunchest critics of Ankara's treatment of minorities and dissidents.

Germany knows better than any other country that the only way out for Turkey is to fully recognize the Armenian genocide.

The content of the resolution is also impressive, especially when compared to the resolution that had been passed 11 years ago. In the 2005 text -- a time marked by rising conservative power -- the German parliament refrained from using the word genocide altogether.

Instead, the resolution adopted this year appears flawless: Not only does it unequivocally employ the politically significant term "genocide," but it also stresses the need for education. It states that "German universities should teach students about the deportation and extermination of Armenians in the context of ethnic conflicts of the 20th century, in order to inform future generations."

Germany knows better than any other country that the only way out for Turkey is to fully recognize the Armenian genocide.

And far from placing blame on the Turks alone, the resolution points to "the partial responsibility of the German Empire" and the "unfortunate role" played at the time by Germany, in order to encourage "the federal government to continue to devote attention and memory to the deportations and massacres of Armenians in 1915."

We can only praise the Bundestag and the political courage it took to adopt such a strong resolution. Germany knows better than any other country that the only way out for Turkey is to fully recognize the Armenian genocide.

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That's why the resolution stated: "Our own historical experience in Germany shows how difficult it is for a country to work through a dark chapter of its own past. Nevertheless, an honest evaluation of history is the the best tool for reconciliation both within a country and with others."

Moreover, the German intelligentsia has been asking why Germany must continue to apologize to Jewish victims of Nazi crimes and carry out reparation programs while Turkey does no such thing for Armenians. In early May, a hundred German intellectuals called on Merkel to support the resolution adopted last week.

Despite pressure from a strong Turkish minority in the country, this bold resolution was necessary for various reasons, among them this particular German sensitivity and the current context of German-Turkish relations.




Personal narratives: David Strathairn is a doctor, Dan Clegg his patient

Photos by Kevin Berne

Two exceptional actors, two compelling characters, two distinct narratives that eventually interlock: That's the essence of Joseph Dougherty's Chester Bailey, which delivers 90 minutes of absorbing drama in its world premiere in ACT's Strand Theater in San Francisco.

Most of the 90 minutes is spent in monologues that struggle with illusions, delusions and uncomfortable realities that bring together a catastrophically injured young man, Chester Bailey, and a relatively remote psychiatrist, Dr. Philip Cotton, who is assigned to treat him. Bailey's account is by far the darker, and the brighter.

Superbly played by Dan Clegg, Bailey tells of a horrific accident in which he lost his eyes and hands at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where he was working during World War II. He took a job there, at the urging of his mother, to avoid the perils of military service.

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Initially treated for the physical injuries, he is later transferred to a psychiatric hospital because of his inability to come to grips in any rational way with his infirmities. Rather than accept his disfigurement, Bailey insists that he can see and feel, and his memory of events past -- except for the accident -- seems perfectly lucid.

Conflicting realities under discussion by Strathairn and Clegg

ACT's staging, under Ron Lagomarsino's astute direction, lends credence to Bailey's belief. Nothing about his appearance, movement or speech patterns suggests physical impairment. Nothing about his attitudes suggests depression or any sense of victimhood. Clegg plays a well-groomed, bright-eyed, articulate personality who not only describes his world with clarity and frequent smiles but also moves with grace when he leaves his steel-framed hospital bed.

Dr. Cotton, in contrast, is a subdued personality who has endured struggles that pale in comparison to Bailey's. Among them were an affair with his boss's wife and his transfer from New York City to a Long Island hospital, where he meets and attempts to treat Bailey. Strathairn's performance is first-rate, projecting sincerity and intelligence along with undercurrents of discouragement.

The doctor's technique involves efforts to convince Bailey to understand and accept his condition. It's a conventional approach, perhaps even a duty for a psychiatrist who is trained to believe that connection with objective reality is necessary for a sane and functional life.

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But is it? That's the question playwright Dougherty raises, but leaves viewers to resolve for themselves. Where does imagination end and hallucination begin? Must the answer be the same for all people, and does it matter? I think the playwright's belief is fairly obvious, but not delivered with didactic assurance.

The narratives unfold in a tall, dimly lighted setting that suggests the steel framework of New York's old Penn Station, the site of significant memories for both men. Variations in lighting, shifting between warm and cool hues, serve to define the boundaries of reality and fantasy. Nina Ball designed the set and Robert Hand did the lighting, in both cases contributing effectively to the play's shifting tones.

If there's anything regrettable about the production, it's the very short run. Even with an extra performance added, it closes Sunday evening.
We know that the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but worlds will never hurt me" is utterly false. There is tremendous power in words, in our speech. Sure, we can use words to express love, praise and wisdom. But we can also use words to hurt, to criticize, to scold, to define-both ourselves and others. Therefore, it is important that we work on the things we say to clean up our speech. And I don't mean just not using bad language.

Words are how we communicate and it is only through communication that we form relationships- in work, at home, in life. And relationships are the foundation of what brings us connectedness, a sense of belonging and forms the basis of how each day in our lives play out. More true than "happy wife, happy life" is "good relationships, happy life." Words are also a large part of how we present ourselves to the world.

In Buddhism there is something called Right Speech. Right Speech provides powerful lessons we can use to change the way we speak, recognize the power of words and think before speaking. Yes, in this age of the post, the tweet, the text-all quick ways to put words in the world-it is critical to actually think about what we are saying.

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There are four aspects of Right Speech. These are not easy, but ways of speaking to strive for.

1)Avoid all lying, pretending, and any false speech. Which means to speak the truth and be firm, reliable, and no deceiver of the world. Think about how lies come back to haunt us. How deception usually leads to hurt or anger. And really, is this not part of every movie we see or story we read. Telling the truth is not always easy but it is right. And people can handle it.

2)Abstain from any kind of divisive or splitting talk. What this means is that we don't talk about people to other people behind their backs. And we don't talk badly about people to others or tell other things like "So and so does not like you" or "so and so and so thinks you are incompetent." Not only does divisive speech bring negativity into relationships, it also fosters bad feelings. In Buddhist teaching it explains it as breaking people apart. And the purpose of speech is to reconcile those who have parted, cement those who are united, and speak things that create concord.

3)Refrain from all aggressive, abusive or irritated scolding. We know we should not use hurtful, damaging words. But all of us have used them. And mostly when we are angry. Those times we did not breathe and clam down and think before we spoke or wrote. Those words that when they leave your mouth you wish you had a Wonder Woman magic lasso to catch them and put them back in. Those posts or tweets or texts you cringe while you reread and know that really there is no such thing as deleting a FB post. According to teachings of the Buddha we should strive to "speak words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large."

4)Still any idle and empty gossiping or idle chatter. My partner's mom calls this "talking just to hear your brains rattle." It is the blah, blah, blah or the yada, yada, yada in our speech. I tend to call them throw away's. This is a hard one because now so much of what we post or tweet or text could be considered idle chatter. And admittedly there is amusement in idle chatter and gossiping. It is distracting in what we think is a good way. Bu ultimately it wastes our rime and other's time and can be hurtful. So here is what Buddhist teachings say about what is not at all idle chatter. It is "words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal."

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And we can clean up our words through working on not only what we say, but when and how we say it. Right Speech also involves considering using words that are spoken at the right time, in truth, affectionately, beneficially, and with a mind of good-will. The idea of speaking with good will and only when it is helpful or beneficial is particularly game changing. Think about how that would advance and deepen relationships as well as lead to better results in just about anything.
by Debilyn Molineaux

To be precise, there were over 3,500 conversations, involving 55,000 people. All on one day, in and around Chicago. Wow.

I was an invited guest...along with another 60 or so people from around the country. Our mission? To witness the event and learn how it was done. It got me thinking...what if the entire country could be invited to have a conversation about what matters most to them?

Pop Quiz!

What is a conversation?

A. Two people speaking at the same time

B. People talking while another person is present, but not really listening

C. Preparing to respond before the other person finishes speaking

D. Arguing, even if no one is shouting

E. All of the above

F. None of the above

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I prefer to think of conversations as mini-dialogs. One person speaks at a time. Other people listen (and I mean really hear them), and the conversation adds to each person's understanding of each other, a situation, a belief, etc. From Wikipedia: Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people. Typically, it occurs in spoken communication.

With our busy lives today, we are less likely to have spontaneous conversations with people. So where have all the conversations gone? (I suspect we now spend time online, but that's not really a conversation.) What was great about On the Table is the creation of a shared experience. 55,000 people took time to have a conversation with each other, about topics they care about in and around Chicago. It's time we did this as a country.

Here's my dream* (and nascent plan):

-Coordinate with organizations and people around the country who will HOST one or more conversations.

-Invite the media to host their own conversations, with their readers/audiences and report on them.

-Offer online and phone support for hosts to customize each event. An online toolkit is a given.

-Partner with one or more research universities and firms to gather what was talked about, who talked and look for patterns.

-Offer awards for good ideas that need a little money to get off the ground. (Not every idea costs money, but sometimes it helps.)

Are you in? What topics do you care most about? Safe Communities? Taxes? Healthcare? Personal and/or National Debt? Education?

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Whatever you care most about, wouldn't it be great to dedicate at least one day each year (more is better), to gather with friends, neighbors and family...or even complete strangers, to take a deep dive into that topic? And if we did, how would our country improve? This is where I get excited.

So much of our disconnect, our "living in different narratives" is a direct result of neglected or absent relationships. We the People can do something.

When we wake up on November 9, 2016, at least half of our country will feel like they "lost" the Presidential election. Some will breathe a sigh of relief that they didn't lose more, but are less than satisfied. And a few will feel like they "won."

Instead of crying, being depressed or gloating the day after the election, what if we started planning to all host our friends for National Conversation Day? Say on February 2nd? Yes, this is Groundhog Day. And like the Bill Murray movie of the same name, we can change what we do, every day, until we get it right.** We can restore our communities and our country through our own relationships.

*The Chicago Community Trust shared their plans for On the Table, and it looks a lot like this. OK, I stole it. With permission. ;)

**Idea adopted from John Oliver's rant on May 22, 2016
Anchor of CBS Evening News, Katie Couric, takes part in a plenary session on empowering girls and women during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York September 21, 2010. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Our lives changed in an instant when a murderer shot and killed our 24-year-old daughter, Jessica Ghawi, in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater in 2012.



We are gun owners, and we were forced to confront the infuriating truth that our daughter's killer was able to build an arsenal for his slaughter simply by going online and ordering over 4,000 rounds of metal-piercing ammo, tear gas, body armor, and a 100-round magazine without even showing his driver's license. We believe the easy accessibility of firearms in America played a critical role in our daughter's death.



Jessi's death catapulted us into a new life as gun violence prevention activists. We travel the country with the mission of changing hearts and minds about our nation's gun laws. We sold all of our belongings, bought a travel trailer, and are touring America to speak out against the egregious laws that have been put into place by the corporate gun lobby. We are signing up victims/survivors who are willing to stand up to the NRA and its "guns everywhere" mantra.



We have learned that the gun lobby uses tactics which most decent Americans would agree are beyond the pale. The NRA and its minions use intimidation and even threats of death. One online troll for the NRA wrote to us, "Your daughter deserved to die because you are Gun Grabbers."

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Whenever the "guns everywhere" zealots feel threatened, their modus operandi is to attack, and to attack in the most vicious way possible.



Again, we are gun owners; we believe in the Second Amendment right to own guns. We also believe, as Justice Scalia reasoned in the Heller decision, that the Second Amendment supports longstanding prohibitions on gun ownership by dangerous people, such as felons, fugitives, and the severely mentally ill; and that the Second Amendment also allows reasonable restrictions on carrying guns in sensitive places, such as schools and government buildings. The Supreme Court's Heller decision undercuts the fallacious "guns everywhere" mentality pushed by the corporate gun lobby.

But some trolls spoon-fed on NRA propaganda don't listen to reason, don't respect the Supreme Court's reasoning, and sometimes make up their own conspiracy theories and pretend they are factual.

For example, another "guns everywhere" troll told us to our faces -- outside the Colorado courtroom where our daughter's killer was on trial for murdering her and 11 others, and wounding many more -- that he believed Jessi never existed. Based on no evidence, he claimed that we were paid by the federal government to stage the "Aurora shooting" as an excuse to confiscate all guns.

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And now I'm watching the same kind of conspiratorial nonsense and hyperbole flung at the filmmakers of Under the Gun, Katie Couric's documentary film about gun violence, directed by Stephanie Soechtig. We appear in this film and find it to be fair-minded overall and factual about our experience, despite the controversy over an eight-second pause after Couric asked whether a terrorist or felon should be able to own guns. She has since posted the transcript of that exchange with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, in which one man ignored whether a terrorist should be able to buy guns, but responded, "If you're a felon and you've done your time, you should have your rights."

In our opinion, that eight-second pause saved the dignity of "guns everywhere" proponents. To us, it made them seem more human and thoughtful. After listening to the tape, we were not surprised to hear the NRA bumper sticker mythology that they regurgitated in response.



We do find it amusing that people who believe the big lie "more guns make us safer" had such a huge problem with an eight-second pause that kept them from making mythological statements that we could refute with the facts and data from years of research from respected researchers. The truth is the filmmakers didn't have to edit Under the Gun to make "guns everywhere" proponents look silly. They do that on their own every day! The filmmakers could easily have made caricatures out of them, but they didn't. They tried to offer viewers a look at multiple varied, nuanced and opposing perspectives on the debate.



We would welcome the opportunity to meet with the Virginia Citizens Defense League and debate each and every question that they were asked on camera. Let the camera capture their response and our rebuttal. This film is so good it scared the NRA and the rest of the corporate gun lobby. They reacted in their usual way, which is to intimidate, bully, discredit, and silence anyone who might start a conversation on how to save some of the lives of the 33,000 people who die every year due to gun violence.



Let's debate the merits, instead of making personal attacks in an attempt to deflect from the facts about how 33,000 Americans die every year due to gun violence, and that many of these deaths can be prevented by keeping guns out of dangerous hands.



The shameless gun lobby and its allies don't want to have a serious conversation about the ways to reduce gun deaths.



Instead of engaging in reasonable debate on substantive issues about how to save lives by keeping guns out of dangerous hands, numerous "guns everywhere" trolls have attacked the filmmakers on social media in the most vile ways imaginable. They are clearly threatened by the truths revealed in the film. They are focusing on eight seconds of silence because to focus on two hours of irrefutable facts would dismantle the pro-gun ideology to which they cling.

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What we have come to realize is that whenever the "guns everywhere" zealots feel threatened, their modus operandi is to attack, and to attack in the most vicious way possible. We are parents (and a fellow gun owner, no less) who are simply trying to prevent other parents from suffering the type of loss we have. The vitriol hurled at us is not only senseless, it's inhuman.

One Twitter troll, @charle5manson, tweeted to Couric: "I would like to shit on your chest you lying trashbag." Another troll, @calibeaner, piled on: "F--k you lying bitch." Not to be outdone, @wiseoldgrizzly, tweeted: "You lying c--t. Get the f--k out of the USA."

We encourage you to see Under the Gun yourself and make up your own mind. You might find it illuminating. As Womens eNews has stated in its review, this is a must-see film:



Under the Gun, a documentary directed by Stephanie Soechtig and executive produced by Katie Couric, who also narrates, focuses on gun violence in the U.S. It spotlights the lack of any legislative response to the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, where 20 school children were gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut. The film gives voice to grieving parents of murdered children, experts in civil law and NRA members who disagree with its opposition to mandatory background checks for gun buyers and other measures. Even if you think you already know all about this issue, the film is a must-see and a must share.



Having lived in this gun activism world for more than three years we can say that we are not the least bit surprised by this drummed up controversy. The shameless gun lobby and its allies don't want to have a serious conversation about the ways to reduce gun deaths. They prefer to shout down anybody who tries to bring attention to the carnage.

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So we have to shout louder -- and shout truth and stick to the issue of how to reduce and prevent gun violence. Their cowardly attempts to deflect, disparage, and distract miss the mark. The real controversy here is how the corporate gun lobby and its spoonfed trolls promote a "guns everywhere" mentality instead of working to save more lives by keeping guns out of dangerous hands.
Hepatitis C and Zika virus have something in common: both belong to the virus family Flaviviridae. (Zika belongs to the genus Flavivirus; hepatitis C belongs to the genus hepacivirus). Yellow fever virus is also a member of the Flaviviridae family and yellow is the link here. Flavus means yellow in Latin, and Yellow fever was named because of its tendency to cause jaundice in people. New hepatitis C antiviral drugs may unlock the door to treatment for Zika.

But I want to talk about something green -- money. Recently, President Obama requested 1.9 billion dollars to fight Zika virus. The US House approved 622 million dollars; the Senate approved 1.1 billion dollars.

Compare this to funding for viral hepatitis (hep B and C). In fiscal year (FY) 2015, the CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis received 31.3 million dollars from Congress. That number was increased to 34 million dollars in FY2016. This year, the President requested 39 million dollars for FY2017. Hepatitis C advocates lobbied for 62.8 million dollars. However, this falls short of 170.3 million dollars that would cover the bare needs.

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Granted, the two viruses aren't the same, so let's look at the numbers, keeping in mind that numbers are people with the tears wiped away.

Zika

On May 18, 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported the following about Zika in the US:

544 travel-associated cases reported

0 locally acquired vector-borne cases reported

10 sexually transmitted reports

1 case of Guillain-Barre syndrome

157 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection

In US Territories

4 travel-associated cases reported

832 locally acquired cases reported

Total: 836

5 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome

122 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection

Roughly 850,000 to as 2.2 million are infected with hepatitis B; 3.5 to 4.7 million are estimated to be living with hepatitis C

New hepatitis C infections increased 150% from 2010 to 2013; new hep B infections just saw its first rise in twenty years

In 2014, there were an estimated 19, 659 deaths from hepatitis C; 1843 people experienced hepatitis B-related deaths

Hepatitis C-related mortality in 2013 surpassed the total combined number of deaths from 60 other infectious diseases reported to CDC, including HIV, pneumococcal disease, and tuberculosis. Data from death certificates shows that hepatitis C is often underreported, so hepatitis C-related deaths are likely higher than these numbers suggest.

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If far more people are injured or killed by viral hepatitis, why is Zika getting more funding?

If I were to guess why Zika virus is getting attention and money, my guess would be babies. Take a look at the photos of the more than roughly 5,000 babies in Brazil with microcephaly and it is tragic. Consider the reports about other birth defects, such as vision problems, and it is heartbreaking. We can't turn our backs on Zika.

But we also can't turn our backs on those with viral hepatitis. This is not a "Zika" versus "viral hepatitis" issue; this is a "let's do the right thing for everyone" issue.

Writing in the Daily Signal, Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma wrote, "The threat to adults from Zika is relatively small, but the threat to pre-born children is very high. Our national priority rightly focuses on protecting the life of these young children in the womb, since each child has value, no matter their age or size."
I spent many years of my life very socially active in the evenings even while I was busy building my companies by day. It was a mark of pride that we could be out all night long and work hard the next day. In its own way, it was an exciting life.

Then I married a man who was very committed to getting a good night's sleep. Although I loved him, at first I saw this trait of his as a distinct disadvantage. I mean, who needs sleep?!? Then gradually, as I developed the ritual of sleeping deeply and well, I discovered what I had been missing. I began feeling SO much better each day. I had not even realized how out of it I had been until regular sleep became the norm. Then on days when I didn't get a good night I realized that I was only operating at a fraction of my real capacity.

When I was a young girl in Senegal, real, deep, community sleep was the norm. It was only after years of conditioning in France and then the U.S. that I had become accustomed to busyness as the norm instead. Once I returned to dreamland I realized that was the world that was right for me, for my culture, and for humanity. I created a company, Tiossan, meaning the "origins of humanity" (in Wolof, the main indigenous language of Senegal) and developed a line of sleep products to share with the world.

Senegalese women are beautiful in part because they are healthy, happy, well rested women and therefore powerful women!

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In her book, Sleep Revolution, Arianna Huffington makes a compelling case that deep, satisfying sleep is the next revolution in health and well-being. In the past few decades, we've learned to eat healthier foods. We've focused on the importance of fitness. Many of us have benefited from yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. We're all aware of the deleterious role of stress in our lives. And yet millions of Americans do not get adequate sleep and often wear their exhaustion as a badge of pride.

Huffington cites that the annual cost of sleep deprivation in the U.S. is $63 billion due to absenteeism and employees showing up for work but being too tired to get much done. She quotes Harvard Medical School professor Ronald C. Kessler,

"Americans are not missing work because of insomnia. They are still going to their jobs, but they're accomplishing less because they're tired. In an information-based economy, it's difficult to find a condition that has a greater effect on productivity."

Have you ever simply stared at your screen because you were too tired to get anything done? Sadly, the cost of lost productivity due to sleep deprivation is comparable to the lost productivity due to diabetes.

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Moreover, sleep deprivation is more harmful to women than to men. Eduard Suarez, head of a Duke Medical Center study on sleep summarized the results, women, poor sleep is strongly associated with high levels of psychological distress, and greater feelings of hostility, depression and anger." The same associations did not hold true for men.

What can we do to promote the Sleep Revolution and thereby lead our society towards greater well-being?

Of course the first step is to recognize the importance of sleep and validate it socially. Let sleep matter in your own life and support your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues in their needs for sleep. Huffington also provides a list of "12 Steps for Better Sleep" including,

1. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool.

2. No electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime.

She then moves on to elements of what I like to call a

"Sleep Ritual,

7. Take a hot bath . . .

9. Do some light stretching, deep breathing, yoga, or meditation . . .

11. Ease yourself into sleep mode by drinking some chamomile or lavender tea.

12. Before bed, write a list of what you are grateful for. . . .

As an indigenous African, I'm a great believer in the power of rituals. While I love many things about the U.S., one of the elements of life that is too absent in the U.S. is respect for rituals.

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When I was growing up, the dark nights in my family compound in Senegal were filled with singing, chanting, talking and laughing together. The air was filled with magical scents from the beachside and beautiful floral notes wafting over the smells of the shea butter that mothers and grandmothers rubbed on their babies. It was a peaceful, sensorially rich experience that left us all ready for a deep and peaceful sleep night after night.

For some time I've wondered how I can help the rest of the world experience the calming rituals of a Senegalese evening. I can't bring the laughter from my family's compound into your home, yet. But I have been working towards bringing some of the ambiance and scents from my native Senegal so that they are available. More importantly, I'm trying to communicate the importance of having a healthy sleep ritual. Huffington's marvelous book is promoting the science and personal experiences behind the importance of good sleep.

The next step is to integrate her elements of "12 Steps for Better Sleep" into a personal sleep ritual. Each of us has a different lifestyle, so it doesn't make sense to have one sleep ritual. But let's begin sharing our diverse sleep rituals, always respecting the importance of sleep and the importance of ritual. In a few years, instead of bragging about how little sleep we got, we'll be serenely sharing the details of our sleep rituals to explain our bright, fresh glowing look each morning.

#sleeprituals for #sleeprevolution!
All of us have bragged about the great teachers we have had who have helped us along in life, but not every teacher is wonderful. Some teachers just don't strive to improve and help kids. According to About Education, ineffective teachers share similar characteristics. They lack the ability to manage their classrooms. If they can't control the students in their classrooms, they won't be able to teach them effectively. Poor teachers lack real content knowledge. They will quickly lose credibility with their students if they do not know what they are teaching, making them instantly ineffective. Lack of motivation, where teachers do not challenge or stay engaged with their students, is an issue. Lack of organizational skills will quickly make a teacher unproductive and overwhelmed. And poor people skills, which effect students, parents, other staff members and administrators, can quickly become the downfall of a teacher.

On the other hand, greatly effective teachers love to teach and have a passion for teaching young people. Effective teachers demonstrate a caring attitude, can relate to their students one on one, think outside the box, are willing to be creative and adaptive to individual needs, are proactive rather than reactive, are excellent communicators to everyone who surrounds a student, and challenges their students to do better.

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In today's America, why would anyone ever want to become a teacher? The budgets for our classrooms dwindle each year, and teachers continue to take money out of their own pockets to provide their students with supplies. The schools are getting older, and fewer new schools are being built annually. Based on the school shootings over the last few years, teachers must now worry every day about the security of their students and themselves. Who would want to work in this tough environment?

But, dealing with all these issues, these teachers continue to inspire and new idealist college graduates are joining their ranks. This year 284,000 new teachers joined public schools, compared to 222,000 a decade ago according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. Public schools employed 3.1 million teachers this year, putting the average pupil to teacher ratio at 16 to 1, which is the same as it was in 2000. Public school expenditures this year were $634 billion. This works out to $12,605 for each student. The overall average of high school dropouts is 6.8%, which is a welcomed decline from the 10.9% in 2000. The percentage of students enrolling in college in the fall immediately following high school completion is 65.9%, when back in 1976 it was 48.8%. Looking at the decline in dropouts and the increase in kids starting a college career, our current crop of teachers must be doing something right.

It does pay to stay in school. Today's working adults aged 25 to 34 with a bachelor's degree earn around $46,900, while those with an associate's degree earn around $35,700. High school graduates earn around $30,000, and the median is $22,900 for those without a high school diploma.

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The fact that the United States is ranked the fourteenth best educational country in the world, according to Pearson, is a real wake-up call for all of us. South Korea is ranked first, followed by Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, the United Kingdom and Canada. Pearson found the top-ranked countries offer teachers higher status in society and have a culture emphasizing education. Society's attitude about education and its underlying moral purpose seems to be stronger in the top-rated countries. And to think that just three decades ago the U.S. was ranked first in the world.

It continues to amaze me that people want to become teachers. New teachers make around $36,000 and can earn $58,000 after 20 years, so striking it rich does not seem to be the reason to pursue this noble career. These teachers have a spirit that the rest of us just don't possess. This school year, teachers took an average of $513 out of their own pockets for classroom supplies, food for hungry kids in their classes, instructional materials and books for their students. So we are asking our honorable teachers to perform this self-sacrificing act of reaching deep into their own pockets to help solve what is the responsibility of all of us.

It is up to concerned citizens and parents to make a difference for our kids and give teachers more help. The National Teacher Assistance Organization gathers donations from you and me for professional assistance to teachers. At Donors Choose, public school teachers post classroom project requests, and you can donate to the project that most inspires you. At Class Wish, you can help fund any teacher in the country. And at DollarDays through the contest on our Facebook page, we are giving away $5,000 worth of products to help teachers across this great country. Please nominate your favorite teacher for this giveaway!
In May 17, 2016, Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, presented to congress a series of initiatives aimed at promoting greater inclusion and equality in defense of the LGBT community. Among his proposals was the constitutional reform to legalize same-sex marriage across the country, in an attempt "to recognize as a human right that people can enter into marriage without any kind of discrimination".

As of today, only nine states recognize same-sex marriage in spite of Mexico's Supreme Court decision last year that it was unconstitutional for the country's states to ban such marriages.

The proposals shocked many given that Mexico remains a socially conservative country. Mexico has the world's second-largest Catholic population (96 million). Only Brazil, another South American country, has a larger number of Catholic adherents at over 120 million accounting for over 60% of the population.

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Although same-sex civil unions had been legally recognized in Mexico City since March 2007, it was only until 2009 when legislators enacted Latin America's first law recognizing gay marriage.

As of today, four countries have legalized same-sex marriage - Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. Argentina was the first in Latin America to do so in 2010, followed by Brazil and Uruguay in 2013 and Colombia earlier this year. Same-sex unions are also recognized in Chile and Ecuador.

Argentina and Uruguay are two of the least religious countries in Latin America, but Brazil on the other hand, while highly devout has already approved same-sex marriage. So a decline in religious belief is not necessarily the liberalizing factor, or is it?

While the South America region has the largest concentration of Catholics in the entire globe, accounting for almost 45% of the world's Catholics, in recent years many Latin American countries have adopted socially liberal policies ranging from marijuana legalization, to abortion, and same-sex marriage etc... but the Church is still adamant in defending its position in a wide range of issues.

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Nonetheless, religious belief in Latin America is in decline and plenty of liberal Catholics have allowed contraceptive use and divorce, and support ordaining women as priests and allowing priests to marry.

In general, Catholics in Latin America tend to be less conservative than Latin American Protestants regarding social issues. Catholics are less morally opposed to abortion, homosexuality, artificial means of birth control, sex outside of marriage, divorce and drinking alcohol than Protestants.

And while the Pope has maintained a traditional stance on marriage and views of family structure, he has been more accepting of divorced Catholics, gays and lesbians.





Many might recall the Pope's astonishing comment back in 2013 when he was asked about homosexuals to which he replied, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Whether Pena Nieto's constitutional reform proposal will be approved by congress or not remains in doubt. Mexico still remains a fairly socially conservative country. Many of Mexico's social organizations have pleaded to obstruct any measure promoting marriage to same-sex couples.

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Moreover, many groups and over fifty religious leaders requested the withdrawal of such initiative.There has been massive protests against it. Religious leaders heavily criticized the proposed constitutional reforms, considering it an outrage as it goes against traditional family structure and values, and even some leaders have called it an irresponsible attempt to impose different values on a traditionally Catholic society. While others have raised concerns about Mexico's more urgent problems such as corruption, drug cartels, economic inequality etc...

It is no surprise that the initiative has meet resistance in congress as well-some opponents even belong to the President's ruling party, the PRI. His popularity seems to be in decline even among his own, a poll in April indicated the lowest approval rating so far for Pena Nieto at a historic 32%, the lowest since he took office in 2012, and the lowest approval rating of a president in almost two decades.
Kudos to Secretary Clinton for her foreign policy speech in San Diego last week. She affirmed her credentials as a visionary leader on the world stage and made a strong and convincing case for why a Trump presidency would be catastrophic for our nation. Judging by his reaction, she clearly hit some nerves beneath his thin skin. Our next Commander in Chief is committed and qualified, and offers a compelling plan to protect our security and growth which, as she highlighted, includes "strong alliances, clarity in dealing with our rivals and a rock-solid commitment to the values that have made America great. We lead with purpose," she said, "and we prevail."

At this critical moment in our history, however, it is how we lead that will determine the success of our foreign policy today and far into the future. The manner in which we engage citizens around the world and demonstrate American leadership will be one of the most important tasks for our next President as she puts forth a plan that not only embraces our exceptionalism but also demonstrates an awareness of and sensitivity to our place in the world.

We must collectively pause and take stock of our successes as well as our errors. I vehemently disagree with Trump's outlandish statement that "the world is laughing at us." The world is not laughing at us, nor has it ever done so. Having said that, we must reckon with a new reality: our credibility has greatly diminished. Our intentions are doubted and our priorities questioned. Citizens at home and around the world are perplexed by our lack of consistency as they observe our billion-dollar military aid to Egypt, a country crushing all political dissent, or our alliance with Saudi Arabia, a government violating the basic rights of its own citizens.

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The current engagement paradigm is falling short. At the same time, Isolationism in the face of growing fundamentalism around the world is not an option. Our increasingly myopic foreign policy of countering terrorism puts our nation in a precarious position and must be reevaluated. Secretary Clinton rightly pointed out that "we are not a nation that cowers behind walls." However, we are digging ourselves deeper and deeper into a morass.

It is time for a return to a stronger value-based foreign policy - a policy that does not forsake our belief in liberty and democracy and keeps the United States safe. Secretary Clinton should be applauded for emphasizing "the need to embrace all the tools of American power, especially diplomacy and development." This, coupled with a commitment to stay true to American core values will no doubt strengthen our mission abroad. We must strike a balance between promoting these values and protecting our national security interests, which will result in a robust doctrine that allows the United States to reinvigorate its democratic and moral leadership while fighting extremism both at home and abroad.

In the coming months, we must carefully examine and assess our relationship with allies and rivals and formulate a more deliberate, innovative and consistent approach: a new framework for principled engagement. "We need to be firm but wise with our rivals," as Clinton stressed, and earn back the respect of the community of nations by demonstrating that the priorities of other countries are also relevant to our long-term strategic thinking. Only then can we seed relations based on mutual trust and respect, as well as the principles and values that define us as a nation.

As Secretary Clinton concluded, the United States of America "represents something special, not just to us, to the world. It represents freedom and hope and opportunity." Citizens around the world must trust once more that our leaders can inspire and that we stand in defense of their freedoms, hopes and opportunities as well. This is principled engagement.

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As I sat in the San Diego sunshine on Sunday listening to Bernie Sanders outside of Qualcomm Stadium, I was struck by the stunning contrast between the senator and Donald Trump, particularly on the issue of race.

Sanders emphasized racial justice, citing the courage of African Americans and their allies who fought against racism and bigotry during Jim Crow. He talked of the thousands of undocumented workers who are ruthlessly exploited, overworked and underpaid, vowing to end the current deportation policies. Sanders seeks to "unite, not divide families." And he wants to "fundamentally change" the federal government's oppressive relationship with the Native American community.

There are more people in U.S. prisons than in any other country in the world, Sanders noted. Those imprisoned, he said, are disproportionately African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans. The senator wants to invest in "jobs and education, not jails and incarceration."

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Sanders was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He served as president of the Congress of Racial Equality at the University of Chicago, organizing pickets and sit-ins, which led to his 1963 arrest for "resisting arrest."

When Dr. Cornel West, author of the book Race Matters, introduced Sanders; he said the senator stands on the shoulders of Martin Luther King Jr., Edward Said and Cesar Chavez. Said, a professor at Columbia University, was a path-breaking Palestinian-American activist scholar, who decried the "dehumanization of Palestinians to the level of beasts virtually without sentience or motive."

The overwhelming popularity of Sanders prompted the Democratic National Committee to invite him to nominate several members to the platform committee for the Democratic Convention. Much to the consternation of Hillary Clinton, Sanders' choices included Dr. West, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Keith Ellison, and Arab-American Institute president James Zogby, all staunch supporters of Palestinian rights.

Sanders called out Donald Trump for his bigotry, saying, "In the year 2016, the American people will not accept a bigoted president." He added, "We are not going back. We will not accept a candidate that insults Latinos, Muslims, women, veterans and African Americans." Sanders reminded us that Trump was a leader of the birther movement, whose aim was to delegitimize Barack Obama as president because he is black.

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Trump has a nasty habit of attacking people based on their race. His most recent assault was on Gonzalo Curiel, a well-respected federal judge in San Diego, who is presiding over a lawsuit filed by people claiming they were scammed by Trump University. When Curiel ordered the unsealing of documents in the case, Trump mounted a double-barrel assault on the judge, stating that Curiel had "an absolute conflict" that should disqualify him from the case. Trump's reasons: "He is a Mexican." Trump said, "I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest." Curiel is a U.S. citizen born to Mexican immigrant parents. Trump also maintains that a Muslim judge might treat him unfairly because the latter has advocated the temporary exclusion of most foreign Muslims from entering the United States. But federal courts have roundly rejected the claim that the ethnicity of a judge disqualifies him or her from hearing a case.

Trump has also vowed to deport 11 million undocumented workers from the United States.

The overt racism of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate is causing hand-wringing in GOP circles. Republican strategist Brian Walsh characterized Trump's comments as "racist, nonsensical" and "the definition of racism."

Veteran GOP operative Rick Wilson is also alarmed at Trump's racism, noting that [the Republican Party] "own[s] the racial animus that started out as a bug, became a feature and is now the defining characteristic of his campaign." Wilson said that Trump's comments about Curiel and Muslim judges are "overtly racist."

Trump's racism is also evident in his pandering to people based on their race. He recently pointed out a black man in the crowd, declaring, "Oh, look at my African American over here - look at him."

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Sanders has cited Trump's demagoguery, which, the former thinks, is a reaction to fear and anger that many people feel, leading them to embrace scapegoating.
LISTEN HERE:

By Mark Green

True, all pundits mis-overestimated the Republican base. But as the General Election de facto now begins, Shrum & Frum discuss Trump's cumulative "Joseph Welch" moment due to four re-enforcing events: Clinton's pounding, Trump U fraud of average people, attack on a "Mexican" judge, and media shift from complicit to critical. Then: We analyze trends and odds for anticipating Nov 8. And is an implosion more likely than a comeback?



Clinton-Trump Turning Point? We listen to Clinton tear the bark off Trump, citing his bizarre tantrums as termperamentally disqualifying him from being President and Commander-in-Chief. His response: "She's pathetic... a low-life... should go to jail." Q.E.D.

Shrum agrees that Clinton was very effective "at blending humor and critique in her San Diego speech" especially as contrasted with a GOP presumptive nominee "who has not made the pivot to a general election candidate." Frum views this from his own personal perspective: "I'm a target of her speech. If we look at a brick and plate glass window, do I want someone to throw the brick when I'll have to pay to clean up the glass? America has a lot more to lose from a bad president than a gain from a good one."

Shrum suggests that Clinton also needs a positive vision for her candidacy so that people can trust her as running "for a reason beyond just herself."

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Then a consensus: a cumulative shift this week based on corroborating events that'll likely result in a 5-10 point Clinton win.

First -- beyond Hillary's haymaker -- they agree that, like Bain Capital to Romney, his Trump U. problem exposes an Achilles heel that proves him to be a "con man" (Romney) and "Cheating Donald" (Nader). Second, Trump's unhinged comments that a federal judge of Latino descent cannot fairly hear the Trump University case confirmed his explicit racism and disdain for the rule-of-law Third, his presser attacking the media for questioning his Veterans donations seemed to spark a change from treating him as an entertaining joke to a serious threat to our governing system, especially after he called journalists "disgusting, disgraceful, sleazy." Live by the sword...

Frum adds one footnote: Could the violent protests aimed at Trump supporters in San Jose enable him, as Nixon & Wallace did in 1968, to counter-attack against "thugs"? Bob adds that he's dismayed by "people deluded into thinking that psychic satisfaction is a political strategy" and hopes that Sanders and Clinton repeatedly denounce that approach.

Two final variables: Can credible ex-GOP-governors at the top of the Libertarian ticket potentially hurt the Republican nominee - yes IF they somehow get to the 15% test to get into the Fall debates. And mutual charges of "lies!" probably won't count for much given the content bias of each side that the other lies, even though Politifact added up its surveys and found that Trump said untrue things three-fourths of the time he spoke and, of 10 candidates reviewed, Clinton was the most honest.

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Given a widespread hand-wringing among Clinton supporters because of close national polls, do Shrum-Frum agree with the Host's LATimes analysis this coming Tuesday that, based on trends and this particular pairing, she'd win easily? Bob concurs because "of Trump's obvious terrible temperament and the demographic corner he's painted himself into." But while he predicts a possible10 point margin, Frum thinks it'll be closer to a five point one.

Host: If the real comparison of Joseph Welch doesn't illuminate readers, please consider Elia Kazan's 1947 film, A Face in the Crowd. It follows a quick-talking entertainer who chats/sings his way on TV and Radio to enormous national popularity among working stiffs...until he betrays himself as a gifted charlatan. Did Trump this week conclusively show that he's an erratic bully without the record, experience, judgment to be President? Let's see what early week polls say......and then whether Trump can even stay as nominee and survive the backlash after being exposed as an erratic, bullying racist who could sink his party for a generation.

Bernie, Again. There's still a split whether Sanders should or will announce Tuesday/Wednesday that his successful insurgency was at a mathematical end, or keep pushing to gain more leverage in any talks about uniting before or at the Philadelphia Convention.

Explained Shrum: "Sanders is leading not just a campaign but a movement and he has to now say that he'll keeping fighting for votes to gain leverage to bargain for process and policy changes at the Convention.." Bob bets that he acknowledges the math and ends his attacks on his party's presumptive nominee shortly after Tuesday though some of his supporters won't be as acquiescent (Cornell West - how long after HRC's nomination will it take for him to hold a presser to denounce her for some heresy?) Frum's not so sure.

Host: Some positions are hardening as the contest comes to a close. Susan Saradon, an ardent Sanders supporter, announced that "Hillary is more dangerous than Trump" and she'd start a war in Iran in a few minutes as President (despite being influential supporter of the Iranian nuclear arms deal that aims to do the exact opposite). Justice Sarandon added that Hillary would be indicted over her email server. My friend Allen Roskoff, a Sanders delegate, was quoted in Politico as threatening to disrupt the Convention (like animal rights purists charging a Sanders stage this week, alarming Secret Service men?).

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On the other side, one disgruntled Sanders supporter wrote that he thought his candidate was turning into a Tanya Harding who couldn't win her ice-skating competition so she encouraged others to knee-cap rival Nancy Kerrigan (which happened). http://bit.ly/1PdtUIy

And an African-American Sanders backer support thinks that it's white privilege and indulgence for Bernie Bros to hate-on Hillary because they won't suffer like minority Americans - especially deportable Hispanics -- if a person appealing to racism actually becomes president. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/05/the-white-entitlement-of-some-sanders-supporters.html
When Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) takes over your life, it's hard to think about the beautiful things that exist in this world... especially things like art. That thought is what is so profoundly powerful about "Art for ALS" - artists and creative people touched by ALS coming together for one common cause - to fight the horrific disease.

That spirit of beauty overcoming the beast is what charged ALS activist Suzi Hoffman-Kipp to create an LA-based Art for ALS auction featuring works by more than 55 artists and celebrities. Kicking off this month, people can visit the online Art for ALS auction on BidPal or the Arena 1 Gallery in Santa Monica, CA, to buy art and make a difference. Funds from the auction will go to raising money for ALS.net and the research it supports directly at the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a Cambridge, MA-based non-profit biotech 100% focused on a treatment and cure for ALS.



Photo Courtesy of Art Streiber

Artists lending their support to Art for ALS include Art Streiber, Shepard Fairey, David LaChapelle, Cryptik, Peggy Sirota, Kim Gordon, The Most Famous Artist, and Anthony Carbajal and Tucker Stilley, both living with ALS. Also included in the auction will be hand-painted wooden ALS ice buckets created by real-life ALS "superheroes," including Ben Affleck (who provided a signed batman-themed bucket), Taye Diggs, Jennifer Garner, Michael Muller, Lance Bass and Pat Quinn (co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge).

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Photo Courtesy of Ben Affleck

"I lost my husband Peter to ALS in 2013 and instead of giving up, I am doing everything in my power to fight back," said Hoffman-Kipp. "This auction is literally bringing together those affected by ALS to use the power of creation and art to raise funds for research, to find a treatment and cure."

Along with Hoffman-Kipp, those instrumental to launching Art for ALS include Brian Fender and Paul Greene. All three have had their lives drastically altered by ALS and are fighting back. Following his own ALS diagnosis, Fender, an artist whose vibrant photography is included in the auction, founded the concept of "Art for ALS" with his organization, Artists Lend Support. Greene, an accomplished actor and philanthropist, lost his father Earl to ALS in 2013 and has helped to bring together the Hollywood creative community to support the auction.
Beth Robinson and Susan Murray were on my mind last spring as I prepared to argue the case for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court. From a snowy drive to a meeting in Vermont to a steamy June day in D.C. when the Court announced its decision in Obergefell, I had travelled many miles and put in many hours with these two brilliant, brave, determined, and compassionate lawyers.

We met one December 1996 day at Beth's house to confirm plans about going forward with what some thought to be a crazy dream: securing marriage equality in Vermont. They had already been at work in building community and legislative support and the legal memos were thick even then. We agreed to team up and co-counsel in the first freedom to marry case since Hawaii. The national environment wasn't great: it was just six months after Congress had passed the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and states had started passing policies against "same-sex marriage." We thought Vermont was in a different place. For all of the angst on this issue, we saw only double standards, different treatment of same-sex couples, and no argument that could hold water against our constitutional claims. In July 1997, Beth and Susan at Langrock, Sperry & Wool and GLAD filed Baker v. State of Vermont. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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The making of the documentary The State of Marriage enabled me to spend more time with Beth (now a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court) and Susan (still providing insightful and first rate legal services to her clients), enjoying their camaraderie, reviewing the building blocks and breakthroughs, and reflecting on the many roads that brought us to this moment. And of course we talked about how much work there is still to do!

The movie lifts up the human drama and painstaking work that social justice movements demand. For even before Baker was filed, Beth and Susan had been criss-crossing the state to help Vermonters get to know and understand their gay and lesbian neighbors. Long after the decision in Baker was announced in December 1999- granting full rights to same-sex couples but not the word "marriage" - Vermonters worked nearly another decade to achieve full marriage equality. The moment of its arrival was dramatic. In April 2009, the legislature overrode the governor's veto by one vote to become the first state in the nation to enact a marriage law, something our opponents vowed would never happen.

I cherish the time we spent preparing the legal arguments in Baker, both at the trial court and at the Vermont Supreme Court. It was a different era and we exchanged marked up copies of drafts by fax machine followed up by hours-long conference calls. Beth brilliantly carried the day at oral argument in the state high court in November 1998, with me and Susan at her side. I am very grateful for those experiences - not only for the friendships, but because the Vermont experience informed me and GLAD as we prepared to file Goodridge in Massachusetts and in all of our legislative and public education work on marriage and DOMA. We knew that winning in court would not be enough; we would have to win hearts and minds, and we would have to win at the statehouse as well.

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In Vermont, I saw firsthand the power of keeping the focus on the people seeking to marry and their various stories. That case was very much about Stan Baker and Peter Harrigan, Lois Farnham and Holly Puterbaugh, and Nina Beck and Stacy Jolles, even as it was about all of us. All three couples lived in the greater Burlington area. Two of the three couples were parents. Their sharing the story of their love and their families allowed others to consider the fairness issues from our points of view. Nina and Stacy described how, for example, during their son Noah's birth, hospital agents had challenged Stacy's right to be there even with her documents in hand. Holly and Lois and Stan and Peter repeatedly shared their lives throughout the litigation. Tragically, early in the litigation, Noah's heart failed and a donor heart never came. After a period of grieving, Nina and Stacy returned, determined to make this a case for the benefit of all children of LGB parents. I am still amazed at their courage.

Exquisitely well told, The State of Marriage shows how pivotal Vermont was in getting us the freedom to marry. With thoughtful treatment of both sides, it is riveting, and full of drama.

The year since the Obergefell decision has been transformative. It has also been very hard. There's been tremendous pushback focused not just on marriage equality but on transgender people and attempts to put non-discrimination laws out of reach. Racial and economic disparities persist; LGBTQ youth are disproportionately homeless, and the high HIV rates among young black men are unacceptable. While the pushback is real, so is our knowledge of what we can do when we work together. Remember what we won last June 26! Let's use the tools we've acquired and the skills we've learned to keep moving forward, with all the urgency the moment demands.

--

Mary Bonauto is the Civil Rights Project Director for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. THE STATE OF MARRIAGE is now available on iTunes and Digital Platforms.
ADEN, YEMEN - MAY 23: Yemeni people inspect an incident area after a car bomb attack in Aden, Yemen on May 23, 2016. At least 30 civilians killed and 35 others were wounded in the attack, reported. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

You can always tell a policy development is significant when it's released late Friday afternoon - and before a holiday weekend to boot. The decision by the United States to "hold" further transfers of CBU-105 cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia is a perfect example. In this case it was even more obscure than usual since the information was leaked rather than announced by news release.

It shows the Obama administration isn't impervious to the rising chorus of criticism against its generous backing of Saudi Arabia's military operation in Yemen. That refrain has only gotten louder as civilian casualties have mounted in the thousands and the country's infrastructure and economy have been decimated.

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It shows how the 2008 treaty banning cluster munitions signed by 119 countries is having an impact as states that haven't joined begin to adjust their attitudes toward these weapons. Cluster munitions spread thousands of submunitions, or bomblets, over a wide area. The unexploded bomblets from cluster munitions effectively become landmines that threaten every man, woman, and child in the area until and unless they are cleaned up.

The use of CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons and other banned cluster munitions for the past year in Yemen by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of states has ignited a firestorm of concern. In tackling cluster munition transfers, the White House has touched on sensitive aspects of US policy that remain out-of-line with the emerging international norm against the weapons.

If we rewind to 2007-2008, the United States sat out the Oslo Process to negotiate an international treaty banning cluster munitions in protest. It objected to the unconventional diplomatic process led by Norway outside the hallowed halls of the United Nations (UN). And, having produced, transferred, and used cluster munitions extensively, the US clearly saw military utility in these weapons.

So the US expressed its concerns about the treaty through the back door, via allies participating in the negotiations such as Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Two weeks after the treaty was adopted by more than 100 nations in Dublin on May 30, 2008, the Bush administration agreed to a little-noticed Pentagon policy directive on the weapons. The policy commits the US to not produce, transfer, or use cluster munitions after 2018 that leave more than 1 percent unexploded ordnance.

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Implementation of this policy is believed to be on track, despite a lack of information from the Department of Defense on the process. The implications are significant as 99 percent of existing US stocks do not meet the 1 UXO percent requirement and must be destroyed. By February 2015, the Pentagon had removed approximately 221,502 tons of cluster munitions from active stocks and placed them in the demilitarization account for eventual destruction, while an additional 250,224 tons will be added by the 2018 policy deadline.

The US last budgeted funds to produce new cluster munitions for its own stockpiles in 2007. It still permits transfers of these weapons under export law regulations dating to December 2007 that are conditional on two requirements. In addition to the requirement that after arming, the submunitions must not fail and create unexploded ordnance (UXO) more than one percent of the time, the recipient must uphold restrictions on how they are used. Specifically, these weapons must not be used in civilian areas and only against clearly defined military targets.

Since 2008, the CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon manufactured by Textron Systems has been the only type of cluster munition exported by the US, as the Pentagon determined that it meets this standard. The weapon is prohibited by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions but the US hasn't joined - nor have Saudi Arabia or other countries that have received these weapons.

Since 2008, Congressional notifications show how the US has exported CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons to India, Saudi Arabia South Korea, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan.

Saudi Arabia is the first of these recipients to admit to using them. The first evidence came just two weeks after the air campaign in Yemen began at the end of March 2015. Photographs and video of the weapons taken by locals in Yemen circulated swiftly on social media. The locations of attack were identified and combined with satellite imagery analysis.

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Over the past year Human Rights Watch researchers conducted four research missions to Yemen and found evidence of at least five attacks involving the use of CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons in four governorates, while Amnesty International recorded a June 2015 attack involving the CBU-105. The evidence has been published in several reports that have attracted strong media coverage, provoking public outcry and widespread condemnation.

Many have contributed to increasing the drumbeat of alarm at the use of cluster munitions in Yemen over the past year, and especially in recent weeks. Congressional supporters of barring the export of these weapons --both Democrat and Republican--embarked on several legislative initiatives after MoveOn petitioned them to stop cluster munition transfers to Saudi Arabia.

Local activists held multiple demonstrations outside Textron's corporate headquarters in Rhode Island -- three were arrested. The US non-governmental organizations that make up the Cluster Munition Coalition-US have engaged with diplomats and other officials to seek an end to the cluster munitions transfers in light of the civilian casualties. Reporters from national and regional media outlets have kept up a steady stream of inquiries to White House, State Department, and Defense Department officials.

One lesson from the US suspension of cluster munition transfers to Saudi Arabia is the futility of technical fixes favored by the United States in its pursuit of ever-improved weapons. The CBU-105 is the only type of cluster munition exported by the US since 2008 because it supposedly solved the kinds of failures rife among its predecessors, which will all be completely prohibited by the US in less than two years.

Our researchers found multiple examples of CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons not functioning in ways that meet the required one percent reliability standard. They documented canisters from the weapons with all four "skeet" or submunitions still attached. Or with two attached.

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They found individual "skeet" or submunitions that were still intact, containing explosives. During a visit to investigate an attack on a remote village, a boy of about 10 came rushing out when he heard the researchers were there, and tried to hand them an unexploded "skeet."

Textron's chief executive officer argues that these remnants demonstrate that the weapons functioned "exactly as designed and with no threat to civilians" because "a munition did not locate a target vehicle while in the air, and then disarmed itself on the ground."

But a dud must still be considered hazardous regardless of the technical fix. US government officials involved in funding clearance and destruction of landmines and explosive remnants of war acknowledge that any unexploded ordnance should be "treated appropriately." That means they should not be handled or approached by anyone other than a trained technician. Even the Pentagon's own policy states, "self-deactivated submunitions will still be considered UXO."

Three Yemeni deminers died in the course of duty last month and those left can't keep up with the new contamination requiring clearance. This leaves locals with only one "safe" option: leave the remnants in place until help comes. Civilians have no way to evaluate the status of failed submunitions from the CBU-105.

Countries not wanting to be stigmatized will often deny using banned weapons or argue they are not covered by the prohibition. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied using the six other types of cluster munitions that have been documented in Yemen. It has asserted that CBU-105 are not banned cluster munitions as its manufacturer Textron also argues.

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But the Pentagon describes the CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon as a cluster munition even though it had not treated it as "banned." Saudi Arabia's coalition partner the United Arab Emirates, acknowledges it has received CBU-105 in the past but emphatically denies using them in Yemen because they are banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Instead of making excuses, the US now has taken a principled route in response to the criticisms raised about civilian victims of the US cluster munitions used by the Saudi-led coalition. The US acknowledged concerns of civilian harm and suspended future cluster munition transfers to Saudi Arabia.

This shows how global perception of these weapons has shifted, even among nations that remain outside the international treaty to ban the weapons.

Under the Obama administration, US officials have made statements and supported resolutions expressing concern and/or condemning recent use of cluster munitions, for example in Syria and Ukraine. The US has only used cluster munitions once since the 2003 invasion of Iraq--in a 2009 attack by cruise missiles equipped with submunitions in Yemen.

The CBU-105 is the last barrier left in the way of US accession to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

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The US remains the largest contributor to mine and explosive remnants of war clearance programs around the world. The decision to stop transfers shows how any cluster munition use is incompatible with its growing moral obligation to help deal with the unexploded ordnance left by its weapons in conflicts around the world.

Does the US still view the military utility of cluster munitions as outweighing the harm caused to civilian populations? In listening to humanitarian concerns, the Obama administration has taken a tentative step in the right direction.
For a long time I thought it was a joke. When Donald John Trump announced his candidacy for the 2016 United States presidential election in June 2015, I figured he was looking to set a new personal record of his greatest troll yet. I mean, really, come on . . . president? Leader of the free world? I can't recall a time that I've heard Trump speak and didn't instinctively think of Frank Caliendo's dead-on impersonation of him. Or when Mexican drug lord El Chapo escaped from prison, for the second time, last year and it was rumored that he was looking to settle a score with the business magnate -- via a $100 million bounty -- social media's finest ran amok with memes. Then there's the one thing that's been the subject of much speculation and amusement for years; the crown jewel of Trump's comedic appeal--his hair. But when April Fools' Day came and went with no suspension of his campaign, the jokes got less and less funny. When Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race on May 3 making Trump the presumptive GOP nominee, the joke was over.

The statement, "If Donald Trump is elected president, I'm moving" or a variation of the sort, has been spoken many a time since Trump threw his slogan-embroidered rope hat in the presidential ring. While some speak it in jest, others see leaving the country as a very viable option. This could be most true for the Latino community, considering the Republican nominee generalized Mexican immigrants as criminals, killers, drug dealers and rapists. Additionally, he's promised to force the people of Mexico to build a border wall if he were to become president. Trump hasn't shied away from his opposition to Muslims, either, calling for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the U.S. His unabashed vendetta against Latinos and Muslims feels reminiscent of former Alabama Governor George Wallace's racist views in his 1963 inaugural address: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." But Trump's demagoguery slips under the radar when it comes to his dog-whistle tactics against Black Americans.

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"Make America Great Again."

Donald Trump's campaign slogan is adopted from Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign. In Reagan's quest to regain America's greatness during his administration, the war on drugs he expanded decimated Black communities. By adopting Reagan's slogan, Trump could, in turn, adopt his policies. If elected, there's a possibility that he could carry the torch from Reagan like Reagan carried the torch from Nixon. The thought alone is like whistling Dixie to right-wing extremists.

When was America great?

During slavery? During racial segregation? America has always been known as the "land of opportunity." But the idea that Black people should dismiss years of oppression and be grateful for the opportunities we create for ourselves is not only utterly disrespectful, it's asinine. Krystal Lake was right; America was never great . . . at least not for Black people.

For those who are serious about moving, and have a nest egg ready to hatch, Investopedia has compiled a list of countries where you can stretch your retirement money. While leaving the country may escape tyrannical rule, it certainly won't solve all of your problems--no matter what race you are.

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My how our expectations of our government have fallen over the past year.

A year ago, Gov. Bruce Rauner rejected nearly all of the Democrats' budget, citing its $4 billion imbalance. While acknowledging a need for more tax revenue to get state finances in line, Rauner said he would not discuss those options until Democrats passed government and business reforms that made up his Turnaround Agenda.

Passing a piecemeal budget was not an option, Rauner said, because it would take the pressure off for reform.

This was when House Speaker Michael Madigan began holding weekly press conferences at the Capitol, repeating his pledge to work "professionally and cooperatively" with Rauner, emphasizing that the House was in "continuous session" and chastising the governor at every turn for attempting to bring "non-budget issues" from his agenda into budget talks.

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In the months to come, Madigan would sharpen his criticism of Rauner and his policies, which Madigan said sought to revive a vision of government that predated the New Deal. Rauner's ultimate plan, Madigan said, was to "lower wages and the standard of living of the middle class."

I can assure you that no one with a background in state government ever envisioned we'd be where we're at today, with Rauner and Democrats pushing for a temporary plan to allow them to continue their protracted feud through January. That's because those who know the Illinois Constitution are familiar with its appropriations clause:

The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations for all expenditures of public funds by the State. Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year. Illinois Constitution, Article VIII, section 2 (b)

"All expenditures of public funds" includes the paychecks of all Illinois state government employees. In early summer 2015, the notion of paychecks halted for thousands of state workers -- leading to a shutdown of state government -- meant that the Rauner-Madigan standoff could last at most a few months. Public pressure when state facilities closed would be too great and the damage too obvious for an extended impasse. (Rauner cannily had headed off another potential source of untenable public pressure by signing the budget bill authorizing funding of K-12 education, thus ensuring elementary and high schools would open on schedule in the fall.)

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But we did not anticipate the bizarre legal crossfire that would ensue in courtrooms in Cook and St. Clair counties in which the Rauner administration and organized labor became allies in the fight to ensure that state employee paychecks continued even without a state budget to authorize them.

The fight ended in a St. Clair County judge's ruling that failure to issue paychecks would violate protected contractual agreements. Attorney General Lisa Madigan had argued that issuing payroll without a budget appropriation was illegal, but she opted to not pursue an appeal after the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear the case on an expedited schedule.

So the "government shutdown" didn't happen in a sudden, widespread burst. Instead, it slowly crept through social services providers for the disabled and elderly, who stopped receiving payment for contracted work. Public universities were left to fend for themselves, and by winter were facing severe hardship.

At the same time, roughly 90 percent of the spending from FY 2015 was continuing because it was covered by continuing appropriations passed by the General Assembly or was required under court order. With the governor and lawmakers having neither made spending cuts nor approved new taxes, state spending was on auto-pilot and exceeding revenue by $13 million a day.

Now our leaders are working on competing stopgap plans to keep government minimally functioning through the end of the year.

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Folks, what we've come to call the "Illinois budget impasse" is on the verge of becoming standard operating procedure in Illinois. This state can't afford seven more months of operating with no plan, or with a "plan" whose goal is merely to let state government limp through another half-year.

The end to this crazy of Illinois non-governance may have been written in an Illinois State Supreme Court decision in March that, in essence, said the St. Clair County ruling that allowed continuous state payroll without budget authorization was wrong.

In a case in which AFSCME Council 31 sought to recoup raises that had been promised to its members in 2011, the court cited "a well-defined and dominant public policy under which multiyear collective bargaining agreements are subject to the appropriation power of the State, a power which may only be exercised by the General Assembly."

So collective bargaining agreements -- union employment contracts -- don't supersede the appropriations clause of the state constitution. The opposite of the St. Clair County ruling of last July.

This would appear to be an invitation for Attorney General Madigan to revive her effort to halt state payroll pending approval of a state budget. So far, Madigan's office has said only that it is reviewing the decision.

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I don't like the idea of bringing financial hardship onto state employees, and missing even a single paycheck will do that for many. But the new front in the budget battle that now has opened -- that of finding a way to extend the impasse through the end of the year -- makes me think that a real government shutdown is the only thing that can force a real solution.

Lisa Madigan, of course, is the daughter of one of the combatants in the budget struggle, but it's hard to make a case that her reiterating her original position tips the scale politically to her father or hurts Rauner's position. An election season with state government in chaos wouldn't serve Madigan's Democrats or Rauner's Republicans well.

And besides, I really don't care about the politics. That's what got us here. Rauner and Madigan have been gambling for a year now that they'd win the public opinion jackpot if they just outlasted their opponent. They both have lost and Illinois can't take another six months of trying.
Last month, 76 members of the Maryland General Assembly sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan supporting the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their state. The letter is a response to Governor Hogan's statements-- in line with those of other governors in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last fall--that he would oppose resettling refugees into the state.

The state lawmakers decried the Governor's words, writing that America was founded, "as a haven of refuge (...) for people all over the world seeking a new life free from repression and war."

Now more than ever before, governors and state officials have inserted themselves in the refugee conversation, therefore putting their stances up for scrutiny. If governors and state officials feel comfortable vocalizing their opposition to resettling refugees, it is integral that representatives across the country that support resettlement also speak out, therefore leveling the playing field. This is why we want to publicly applaud the 76 Maryland representatives who recognize America's moral alignment to refugees.

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The letter comes on the heels of a series of formal letters and resolutions in support of the resettlement of Syrian refugees to Maryland. These letters and resolutions have been formulated by Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Howard County, Takoma Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Rockville, and College Park, as well as local organizations and Mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Judging by the diverse range of Maryland proponents, the state clearly touts a robust appetite for humanitarianism.

The Maryland letter was drafted by Senator Jamie Raskin. He details the rigorous vetting process that refugees undergo to ensure they do not pose any threat to the country. The refugee resettlement program is actually the most arduous route with which to enter the country. This, in part, is why national security experts have endorsed refugee resettlement, despite statements from lawmakers like Governor Hogan.

The letter also stresses Maryland's tradition of welcoming refugees fleeing crisis, saying "there is no justification for us to cut and run from our basic values today."

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Representatives in other states like Hy Kloc in Idaho or Gayle Goldin in Rhode Island have also declared their endorsement for resettling refugees to the United States and their home state. Kloc argues the U.S. must play a role in the current refugee challenge, and called upon citizens to request that lawmakers support resettlement.

Although refugee policy lays solely in the power of the federal government via the annual presidential determination, the state's role in supporting resettlement is crucial. States can employ rhetoric that embraces refugees, and aligns programs to help them through the integration process. Those states receive the contributions of refugees, while those who seek to reject refugees only hurt their ability to integrate them successfully.

Moreover, since last fall, governors and local lawmakers are taking a closer look at the U.S. resettlement process. If governors and local lawmakers feel empowered to state their objections to refugees, those in support have an obligation to voice their endorsement of resettlement.

Such increased activism of state representatives might contribute to a discussion on refugee resettlement that not only focuses on security concerns raised by certain governors, but also spotlights the U.S.'s tradition of being a haven for refugees and their contributions to our country.

It should also be noted that the letter was spearheaded the by Maryland Welcomes Refugees group--a group of citizens and activists committed to Syrian resettlement. It is important that more citizens take a cue from these peers and speak out about resettlement. There is no shortage of support around the nation, as a poll conducted by Amnesty International found that 71% of the U.S. citizens support letting refugees into the country. The pro-refugee sentiment is popular in America.

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While opponents of resettling refugees tend to be the shrillest voices in these discussions, pro-refugee advocates --including state and local representatives and citizens--should not be afraid to also speak up and highlight that the opponents hardly speak out for all Americans. They are actually in the minority.
Early morning. June. Isigny sur Mer, Normandy. Birds chirp and twill and hoot greetings of the day. A cow lows, and a duck or a goose or perhaps both. It's just before 6 a.m. on a morning not unlike the one seventy-two years ago, when the first U.S. Rangers began the D-Day assault on the 100-foot high cliffs at Point du Hoc.

I'm sitting at a table in the Vouilly Chateau, which was the U.S. First Army press camp during the Normandy campaign. Out the window, across the moat and a field enclosed in stone walls, stands a charming little outbuilding. It looks like a perfect writing for anyone undaunted by the writers whose words have passed through it. During the war, antennae sprouting from its roof allowed the press to transmit their work to the world. Journalists and photojournalists like A.J. Leibling, Andy Rooney, Robert Capa, and Ernie Pyle, wrote their war pieces here.

The wall beside me once sported maps used to show war correspondents where they might find the war on any particular morning. Now a photo takes the maps place: Pyle writing at a table by the windows as I do, a wine bottle behind his typewriter, or perhaps something stiffer, it's hard to tell in the photographs. Perhaps he is writing "Anybody Makes Mistakes," his moving piece about the short-bombings, Allied planes accidentally bombing Allied soldiers at the St. Lo-Perriers Road. "I'm sure that back in England that night other men--bomber crews--almost wept, and maybe they did really, in the awful knowledge that they had killed our own American troops."

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There was a lot to forgive in that war.

The French seem mostly to have forgiven now. As I traipse around France, that is one of the things that strikes me, much the same way it struck me when I visited Vietnam. It's hard enough to imagine men speaking another language than mine arriving in tanks and bombers and uniforms to take over my world, to send my neighbors off to certain slaughter, to build concrete bunkers encasing 155 millimeter guns that left no doubt they meant to stay. Harder still--quite impossible, really--to imagine forgiving and moving on.

Certainly the birds would have been chirping the morning of June 6, 1944, just as they are now. What choice would they have had? If there were cows, they would have eaten the grass, and given up their milk for soldiers fighting the war. We are left with no body counts for them--for how many birds and cows and other animals died along with the sixty million Allied and Axis soldiers and civilians. The poor animals would have had no idea what was happening to them.

Already by this time of the morning on June 6, 1944, the D-Day assault had begun. Craters deeper than the moat out this window had been made in the earth at Point du Hoc, just eight miles to the north, by bombs meant to take out as many German guns as possible, to prepare for the 150,000 men coming ashore along a 60-mile stretch of coast in the next 24 hours.

Madame Havel, who owned this chateau at the time, would have been in her kitchen, with no idea what was coming. Her daughter-in-law, already pregnant with her son James--who now owns this chateau and opens it to folks like me who need a place to stay for the night--would have had no idea. Even the journalists who would find their way here days later had little idea.

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Of the 225 Rangers who made the initial assault on the cliffs at Point du Hoc on D-Day, only 90 remained able to bear arms by D-Day+1.

The cost to the journalists, who could pick their path through the war, was less steep. Still, fifty-four of the five hundred American journalists covering the war died doing so. Ernie Pyle himself, who was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on Ie Island in the Pacific on April 18, 1945, was the last to die.

That was the first major war after the war to end all wars. Before Korea and Vietnam. The Arab-Israeli War. Afghanistan. Iraq. As I listen to the birds and the cows and the ducks and geese on this peaceful morning, I wonder what kind of world, if any, we will leave for them when the true war to end all wars is finally won.
Though authorization is not an easy thing to come by, too much delay and resting on laurels can result in an authorized school that never opens for students. So, we spent every day after our authorization preparing to clear the hurdles that stand between getting the permission to have a school and actually having one. From nothing, we have had to recruit students, find a building, hire staff, and plan for the actual day-to-day of the school. Nothing along that journey was simple or came easy--for instance, our start-up year coincided with a tension-filled and controversial redistricting process within APS that placed charters (particularly new ones) under an increased level of public scrutiny. We also had challenges finding a suitable facility--we did not learn that we would have a place to open in until the 2nd week of July.

Regardless of those challenges, we have managed to overcome each one--we have all of our students, we have all of our wonderful staff, and we do have a building. Though that is a significant accomplishment, it is not enough, and it is not why we have undertaken this work. All the work over two years that we've done to create Latin Academy was only so that we could have an opportunity to address the real issue that brought us to this work--the significant academic challenges of our southwest Atlanta children.
"Live every day as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." -- Muhammad Ali

Just over three years ago, a large man with a broad smile and easy manner approached me during a job interview in Richmond, Kentucky, and told me we had something in common. I had no idea what he was talking about until he exclaimed: "We both blog on The Huffington Post!" His name was Don McNay, and that first encounter led to our becoming fast friends as I became president of Don's alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University, a few weeks later.

A few days ago, Don died unexpectedly during a visit to family in New Orleans. He was 57 years old.

This was after Don, a prolific writer and renowned expert on financial planning and structured settlements, lost over 100 pounds. He chronicled his commitment to a healthier lifestyle -which culminated in a recently completed 5K race in Lexington -- in his book, "Brand New Man: My Weight Loss Journey."

During funeral services for Don, many recalled his broad reach and extensive circle of friends noting that he "never met a stranger."

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On average, nearly 150,000 people die every single day around the world. Among these tens of thousands, nearly all of whom will remain unknown to most of us, it seems as if we have lost some we thought would be among us forever.

Last summer, I attended probably the greatest concert I have ever enjoyed and soaked up all the songs I grew up on, performed by the best-selling American rock band in history: the Eagles. To think it was the second-to-last public appearance with the Eagles for Glenn Frey was the furthest thing from the minds of the thousands of loyal fans who packed Rupp Arena. My friends and I left the performance that night completely flabbergasted by how good the Eagles were live as evidenced by their unmatched musicianship. But less than a half-year later, one of the band's co-founders was dead of complications from pneumonia and arthritis. Glenn Frey was 67 years old.

A few weeks before Frey's death, I read the obituary of the last remaining survivor of President Harry S Truman's White House: advisor George Elsey who would later become president of the Red Cross. I interviewed Mr. Elsey first in 1994 and then again in 1997 while completing my book and other writings on our 33rd president. Never have I met a more gracious and accommodating gentleman than Mr. Elsey. For many years, Elsey embodied that last living link to my hero, Harry Truman, and his presidency which spanned so many critical years in our nation's and the world's history.

A few weeks later came the tragic passing of Prince, the multi-faceted musician whose work and impact seemed to transcend generations. His gifts were endlessly recounted by all who appreciated his unique brand of music. The man, known by one name and then a symbol and then back to his name, seemed to defy any sort of musical zeitgeist as his influence was felt by all types of performers regardless of their grouping or orientation. Prince Rogers Nelson was 57 at the time of his death.

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When news that the "Greatest of All Time" had passed last week, all the tales of Muhammad Ali have flooded the airwaves and dominated the talk shows. To now live in Mr. Ali's home state of Kentucky has made the events of the past few days even more impactful. It reminded me of my days in Washington, D.C., as a lowly intern in the office of Senator Orrin Hatch. Late one fall afternoon, one of our office mates put out an urgent all call that "The Champ" was in the office to check on -- as Ali himself called Hatch -- his "favorite politician." We all hustled down to the Russell Senate Office Building to catch a glimpse of the man we had only read about or seen on TV. That Muhammad Ali, a devout Muslim, would request that Senator Hatch, a committed Mormon, to speak at his funeral service is evidence of Ali's global and ecumenical appeal.

Musicians, politicians, athletes, global figures -- the passing of these individuals whose lives and work are known the world over are often the ones who glean all the attention and grab all the headlines.

But when it happens close to home among one's circle of friends and family -- as was the case with our friend and colleague, Don McNay -- a profound sense of one's own mortality seems to strike with even more force and impact.
Bronze statuette of justice (focus on face)

We always have prided ourselves on the American criminal justice system. It has been honored as embodying the principles of fairness, equity and due process. Trends over recent years oblige us to reexamine that belief. This commentary considers two juxtaposed reasons for doing so.

Illicit financial behavior has been decriminalized in the United States - for all practical purposes. Despite the revelations of massive misconduct by banks and other financial services businesses, criminal investigations are rare, indictments exceptional and guilty judgments extraordinary. Most potentially culpable actions are overlooked by authorities, slighted, reduced from criminal to civil status when pursued, individuals evade penalties much less punishment, and the appeals courts take extreme liberties in exonerating culprits when and if the odd conviction reaches them. The last mentioned are establishing new frontiers in the formulation of ingeniously sophistic arguments to justify letting financial malefactors off the hook.

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Our elected officials, our regulators, our politicos and the media have come to accept this as the natural order of things. Business Sections of newspapers, like The New York Times, read like the gazette for the world of organized crime in its heyday when the five Mafia families were on top of their game. (substitute Goldman Sachs, Chase Morgan, Bank of America, CITI, Wells Fargo). As for the Wall Street Journal and the legion of business magazines, they blend features of VARIETY and Osservatore Romano.

The reasons for this phenomenon are multiple: the rule of money in our politics; the neutering of regulatory bodies by the appointment of business friendly officers in symbiotic relationships with former or prospective employers**; a wider culture in which the cult of wealth pervades all; and the timidity of a political class that defers to the power centers who enjoy rank, status and respect.

Such is the privileged status of our largest financial institutions that the Obama administration has amended, de facto, the Constitution to accommodate their claim to being above the law. Former Attorney General Eric Holder is the author of the doctrine that posits the principle of "too-big-to-prosecute." Holder's publicly stated view is that he, the Justice Department and the Executive Branch generally have a right to exempt financial institutions from criminal prosecution when they believe that doing so would cause "unacceptable" damage to the national economy. It first took shape when Holder was during the Clinton administration. At that time, ...Eric Holder presented the full-blown doctrine in a startling confession during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 5, 2011. (The Hill March 7) "I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy," Holder said, according to The Hill. Holder's comments don't come as a total surprise. His underlings had already made similar confessions to The New York Times the previous year, after they declined to prosecute HSBC for flagrant, years-long violations of money-laundering laws, out of fear that doing so would hurt the global economy. Lanny Breuer, formerly in charge of doling out the Justice Department's wrist slaps to banks, told Frontline as much in the documentary "The Untouchables" which aired in January 2011. **

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Holder offered this further rationale for giving the banks a free pass in an address at NYU in September 2014, saying:

"Responsibility remains so diffuse, and top executives so insulated," Holder said, "that any misconduct could again be considered more a symptom of the institution's culture than a result of the willful actions of any single individual."

During his years in private practice, Holder represented the Swiss private bank UBS. Because of this, he had to recuse himself from participating in the historic Department of Justice investigation of UBS's abetting of tax evasion by U.S. account-holders and the prosecution of the UBS executive and whistleblower whose disclosures led to a massive fraud charges.

The Holder-Obama doctrine concentrates heavily on the disruptive effects on the nation's (and the world's) financial system were any of the too-big-to-fail banks brought low by a combination of criminal convictions and financial penalties that were greater than the profits made from systematically skirting the law - as currently done. That is a highly debatable proposition on purely technical grounds. Whatever the appraisal one makes, there are two straightforward solutions to the problem as stated. First, one should break them up so that were they to "fail," the systemic consequences would be manageable. Second, risk is increased rather than lowered by following a legal cum political strategy that has the effect of encouraging the managers of mega financial institutions to play fast-and-loose in their financial maneuverings.

To return to the analogy of the five Mafia families, a law enforcement strategy that favored civil action over criminal prosecution, that entailed fines rather than prison time, and that kept those fines at a level where they could be calculated as a cost of doing a very lucrative business would result in a flourishing of criminal organizations - at great cost to society. Moreover, were there a practice of Mafia bosses and police commissioners/district attorneys parachuting from one sphere to another, the collateral damage inflicted on all law enforcement would be enormous.

The Holder claim for corporate immunity is unsustainable by any reasonable legal standard and reading of the Constitution. Such reasonableness, though, no longer prevails. Witness the widespread passive acceptance of this novel revolutionary doctrine when it was pronounced - and its only slight rhetorical qualification since.

II.

The radical idea that nominally criminal acts should be understood contextually and that judgment as well as punishment should be administered accordingly opens up a wide of questions about the conduct of our judicial system. There is no reason why it could not be applied generally to the entire range of criminal conduct and proceedings. Following the Holder-Obama logic, this should be done at every stage of jurisprudence: indictment, trial, judgment and punishment. A recent case in New York City illustrates what the implications might be.

In that instance, a woman was arrested at Kennedy airport for possession of 500 grams of cocaine. She was detained, indicted and convicted of a felony. All that followed the well-trod legal path. It was the sentencing that broke the mold. Judge Frederick Block placed the woman on probation rather than throwing her into the slammer. His main argument, developed in a closely reasoned 46 page opinion, concentrated on the "collateral consequences" of her conviction. Those consequences were deemed adequate punishment to meet the requirements of the law, society and the felon's long-term integration into the community. The addition of prison time would have would make the punishment disproportionate to the crime. It would have exceeded - not fit - the crime.

What the judge pointed out is that so many legal disabilities attach to anyone convicted of a felony as to deny the person a reasonable chance of pursuing a normal life upon release. Those disabilities include disqualification for all kinds of access to government assistance programs which cover education, housing and employment. The net result would be a high likelihood of recidivism. From society's perspective, that translates into a higher likelihood of costs associated with welfare, medical care, and possible re-institutionalization. In addition, there are the tangible and intangible costs for possible maintenance of any children she might bear.

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The woman in question lives with her mother in New Haven where she was enrolled in college and was working part time as a nail technician. For her, the collateral consequences could be expected to be particularly high. The underlying logic, though, applies generally.

What about the "systemic consequences?" Isn't punishment for the commission of a crime supposed to act on a deterrent for others? Yes - in principle. That consideration, however, did not figure in the Holder-Obama doctrine as applied to financial misdeeds whose perpetrators are in a more visible position to set an example. Indeed, one could argue that the sense of entitlement and expectation of having a right to act with impunity free of worry about accountability is far more pronounced among Wall Street executives than it is among inner city poor. (Consider, by way of contrast, the treatment of UBS - Union de Banque Suisse - which routinely laundered billions for transnational drug cartels but escaped without any criminal charges being brought - corporate or individual). Thereby, the positive value of criminal conviction followed by individual punishment would be commensurately greater in terms of a benefit to society.

The case cited above involves a felonious criminal act whose commission was proven in a court of law. American prisons, today, confine hundreds of thousands who crimes are of a lesser order. Indeed, a significant percentage may not have committed any crime at all but rather are victims of police campaigns to cleanse the streets of those who allegedly have committed relatively minor misdemeanors. Draconian enforcement of "zero tolerance" philosophies has led to widespread abuse of the police power in cities like New York. The absurd "three strikes and you're out" strategy initiated in California and promoted nationwide by President Bill Clinton, has had even more dire results in spiking the incarceration rates, for longer terms - jailing mainly marijuana and other drug users who are a threat only is to themselves rather than to society.

Much has been made of the dogmatic claim that a crackdown on misbehavior is the reason for the drastic drop in urban violent crime. This is an urban legend. In NYC, former Mayor Rudi Giuliani and his Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, have been lionized for this supposed achievement. Yet, the story is pure fiction. The unprecedented sharp decline occurred under David Dinkins, his black predecessor who was widely criticized for being "soft on crime" and stinting in his support for the police. The truth is that violent crime was closely correlated with the crack epidemic and its recession - reinforced by other trends that registered nationwide.

For these categories of criminals and alleged criminals whose misdeeds fall in the category of misdemeanors, Judge Booker's concept of "collateral consequences" is even more compelling. The concept, in fact, should be broadened to pertain to arrest and prosecution as well as sentencing. The consequences to be taken into account properly should aggregate their weight for both the individual and society. Conviction without imprisonment generates them over time; imprisonment generates them immediately and over a lifetime - not to speak of the lifetime of family members.

Then there are the intangible costs of mass criminalization and imprisonment. Those who sympathize with the Holder doctrine talk about the unsettling effects on investor confidence and markets from casting a dark cloud over "Wall Street." Again, this is dubious on technical grounds; and the logical responses obvious. Let us shift ground and think of the unsettling effects produced by legally stigmatizing a considerable slice of inner city populations. Disruption of families, instilling widespread feelings of persecution, aggravation of relations with the police, more estranged race relations, etc. It may be difficult to place numbers on these costs, but the negative consequences for society are great.

The full extent of the decade-long police "zero tolerance" campaign, and its demoralizing impact on largely minority neighborhoods, is one of the great unreported stories of our times. Corruption was its hallmark: in its misleading justifications, in its methods that systematized entrapment and fabrication of charges*, in its degeneration into a crass quota system, in its abuse of the criminal justice system that jailed hundreds of thousands of innocents who couldn't met bail or hire a lawyer, in forcing them to admit to misdemeanors that leave a permanent stain on their records in order to be released, in its exploitation by cynical politicians. The one first-hand account that tells the tale is Matt Taibbi's deeply disturbing DIVIDE (Spiegel & Grau 2014). It deals with New York City. The same phenomenon is visible across urban America.

Collateral consequences is a valuable concept - one that has multiple meanings. It should be applied where it serves justice not iniquity.

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The phrase "changing people's lives" is spoken daily in the world of education and advocacy. I, myself, have been saying it for years. And though I've meant these words sincerely on every occasion, it wasn't until I'd met a truly extraordinary One Million Degrees Scholar that I really understood the two-way street all of us are traveling down within this special community.

On a Saturday morning in 2008, during an OMD mentoring session on the 4th floor of the City Colleges of Chicago headquarters, I met Jarrett Adams. Jarrett was in our first class of scholarship students at South Suburban Community College, all of whom were the recipients of grant funding OMD had secured in an exciting new partnership with the state of Illinois.

As I read through Jarrett's bio, and then spoke with him about his life, I was nearly speechless (rare). Jarrett had endured the ineffable horror of being wrongfully convicted for an assault crime he did not commit, and then served nine years in a federal penitentiary. Had it not been for his remarkable survival instinct to learn the law - in prison - and then participate in his own defense appeal, he would have lost many more years of his life to that phantom felony. I am continually stunned and inspired by his strength and resilience.

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As I took an active interest in Jarrett's pursuits, we got to know each other not only as colleagues in a scholarship program, but as friends. I'm glad to say that some advice and introductions led to Jarrett earning and succeeding in a full-time investigator position in the Federal Public Defender's Office. I will never forget the first time Jarrett proudly flashed his badge at lunch with me - a badge given to him by the same U.S. Justice Department that stole nine years of his life. The irony is thicker than quicksand.

And then over the years, I attended Jarrett's South Suburban graduation, his keynote speech when he graduated Roosevelt University with a B.A. in criminal justice, and the award ceremony in 2012 where he was honored with the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Law Scholarship - to attend Loyola Law School. Jarrett recently graduated from Loyola, and three weeks ago, he passed the New York Bar exam. And somehow, during whatever spare time he can find, this survivor has started a "Life After Justice" program to help his fellow exonorees. Not only has Jarrett transformed his own life - he is dedicated to changing others'.

Jarrett often thanks me and expresses his gratitude toward One Million Degrees. But I do not pretend to think that he could not have achieved all of this without the academic and financial supports provided by our OMD program. I know for a fact that he would have. And this is where that "two-way street" comes more clearly into focus. Last November, Jarrett joined my loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday. And as I looked across the room to see him bouncing my baby cousin on his knee, what I saw was a picture of family.

Jarrett and I are the brothers we each never really had, and we say this to each other often. But the truth is, even though I don't know them all in the same way I know Jarrett, each and every scholar, staff member, board member, and volunteer in the OMD community feels like family. This weekend, Jarrett returns to his Chicago OMD family to deliver the keynote address at our 9th Annual Food & Wine Tasting Event. Another highlight in a journey where there's been no shortage of them.

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Ten years ago, five founding board members sat in a small downtown conference room and mapped out the future of One Million Degrees. We discussed how the program would empower students to succeed both in school and in life. How we could help as many as possible. Why it was so important to us. The seminal spirit behind those original principles of teamwork and achievement has only mushroomed as our program has grown.
Italian spaghetti with meatballs

Everyone loves a big bowl of pasta, and luckily, lots of restaurants are crafting lighter, warm-weather versions of this comfort-food classic. So fear not, noodle lovers! There are plenty of great vegetable-forward, herb-driven pastas that'll help you keep a spring in your step.

Dating all the way back to 1154 in Sicily, Italy, today's pasta -- a noodle typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs -- comes in over 310 lovable shapes and varieties and is known by over 1,300 different names! From penne with peas to macaroni and mint, this delicious Italian staple lends itself to all kinds of fresh, seasonal possibilities.

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Here are 13 pastas that'll keep you smiling from spring till summer. Buon appetito!

Photo provided by Osteria Morini. Photo by Ted Axelrod.

Osteria Morini's renowned chef, Michael White, dishes out fantastic Italian pastas made fresh in-house and inspired by the Emilia-Romagna region, like the Garganelli pasta quills made with cream, peas, truffle butter and prosciutto.

Photo provided by Brass Union.

Brass Union features delicious bistro fare, such as their Mussels & Linguine dish with spring garlic, cream and roasted tomatoes -- a lovely dish befitting the chic, tavern-like space.

Photo provided by Sbraga. Photo by Michael Persico.

Sbraga, a modern American favorite in Philadelphia, delights with its famed Saffron Spaghetti -- made with fresh king crab, tomato butter and Calabrian chili.

Photo provided by Myriad Gastro Pub.

At Myriad Gastro Pub, Chef/Owner Trish Tracey dishes out globally inspired comfort food classics finished with fresh California twists like in one of her favorites, the Pappardelle Pasta, prepared with pork cheeks, peas, kale, brown beech mushrooms, tarragon and pecorino.

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Photo provided by Le Virtu.

Le Virtu showcases the cuisine of central Italy -- Abruzzo specifically -- highlighting the region's love of pasta. Try their Maccheroni Alla Mugnaia, made with hand-pulled, single-strand pasta, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, hot pepper and pecorino, for a bold and spicy spring kick.

Photo provided by Casa Luca.

Laid-back, rustic Italian eatery Casa Luca offers a variety of pastas under the "Pasta Fatta in Casa" -- meaning "pastas made daily in house" -- section of its menu, such as their Ravioli San Leo, Smoked Potato Gnocchi and Trenette Nere (squid ink pasta).

Photo provided by Pastoral.

Serving irresistible Italian fare, Pastoral creates artisanal wood-fired pizzas and handcrafted pastas, including Tiny Veal Tortellini, made with 'Nduja meatballs, English peas, mint and capon reduction.

Photo provided by Monteverde. Photo by Ashley Ryann.

Top Chef alum Sarah Grueneberg's new restaurant, Monteverde, replicates an at-home dining experience. She takes a modern approach to authentic Italian cuisine with dishes such as the Cannelloni Saltimbocca, made with merguez lamb sausage, manchego, peas, harissa (Tunisian hot chili pepper paste) and balsamico (balsamic vinaigrette).

Photo provided by Jardiniere.

Jardiniere serves French-California fare made from sustainable and local ingredients with deliciously exotic twists, like a tagliatelle pasta with sea urchin.

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Photo provided by Amis Trattoria.

Amis Trattoria brings Roman-style Italian flavors to life with zesty pastas like the Bucatini with Jalapeno and Almond Pesto, one of many fresh dishes prepared in the open kitchen of the loft-like space.

Photo provided by Sessanta.

Inspired by the flavors of Southern Italy, Sessanta serves an array of crudo, seafood and creative pasta dishes, including the Linguine A.O.P. with garlic, olive oil, pepperoncini (hot chili peppers) and toasted bread crumbs; Ravioli with burrata, almond pesto, mint and lemon zest; and a Pasta Con Sarde (pasta with sardines) with fresh fennel, raisins and pine nuts.

Photo provided by Tosca.

Delivering Northern Italian cuisine, Tosca focuses on local produce and fresh house-made pastas, such as their Tortelloni Maine -- lobster- and burrata-stuffed pasta served with heirloom cherry tomato, braised leeks and lobster bisque.

Photo provided by Drago Centro.

With fresh twists on authentic Italian dishes, Drago Centro offers various pastas under the "Primi Piatti" -- meaning "first course" -- section of its menu, including a pappardelle with mushrooms, fettucine with black pepper and pecorino, and spaghetti with Sicilian almond-tomato and basil pesto.
With the weather finally heating up, we're going crazy for everything coconut! From the super-hydrating water to the luscious meat inside, coconuts are chock-full of refreshing flavor -- and lots of restaurants are taking note. Check out a few great coconut-driven cocktails being shaken up at some ultra-cool NYC spots.

Photo provided by Mission Chinese Food.

For an unexpected twist on a traditional Tom Collins, the Phil Kallins from Mission Chinese Food never fails to delight. Served in a Chinese soup bowl, the Asian-inspired drink is a riff on a creamy Tom Kha coconut soup and made from gin, coconut, kaffir lime, ginger, fried chilies and sesame oil.

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Photo provided by The Lucky Bee.

The Lucky Bee on the Lower East Side shakes up the lightly spiced If You're Lucky -- fresh coconut water with clove, star anise, and cinnamon-infused rum -- and delivers it in a young coconut. Though it comes with a straw, the friendly staff might just give you a spoon to scoop out the tender flesh (if you're lucky).

Photo provided by Major Food Group.

Simply called "Coconut" on its lengthy list of inventive cocktails, ZZ's Clam Bar in Greenwich Village shakes up a tropical treat of Trinidadian rum, acacia honey and smoked cinnamon and serves it in a real coconut on ice.

Photo provided by Mission Chinese Food.

Another winner from that local favorite for Sichuan heat and spice, Mission Chinese Food delivers Dr. Jacoby's Coconut. The refreshing elixir of scotch, coconut, green tea, pineapple and lime juice finished with a togarashi salt rim is just the thing to cure any warm-weather blues.
"Why does such a large gap exist between what donors say they would like to achieve with their philanthropy and where they actually make their biggest bets?"

That question--posed in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) article, "Making Big Bets for Social Change"--is an important and timely one that warrants exploration.

Why aren't more philanthropic gifts being focused on powerful social change?

After all, large problems usually require large investments. Significant, multi-year funding has the greatest potential to transform and solve society's most pressing challenges. And yet, only a small proportion of big bet gifts--investments of at least $10 million--are actually targeting societal change.

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But the SSIR analysis misses an important source of big bets. Foundations, corporate donors, and individual givers are certainly the biggest investors in the philanthropic space, but they are hardly alone.

Nonprofit organizations, themselves, are investing in social change giving--making big bets on unlikely partnerships and other nonprofits to magnify their impact and drive profound change.

The work being done to support America's service members provides some good examples. This generation's veteran population is diverse and dynamic. While many veterans are able to apply their unique skills and experiences from the military with great effect, many live with the visible and hidden wounds of war.

They feel alone, isolated, and mission-less. Nearly 15 percent--or approximately 378,000 post-9/11 warriors--meet symptom criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the Rand Corporation's study, Invisible Wounds of War. As many as two million veterans struggle to reintegrate and thrive in their post-deployment lives.

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There isn't one solution for fostering the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history. Accomplishing this vision requires big bet philanthropic investment.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was founded 13 years ago to start making those big bets. Recent press coverage on questionable spending and inappropriately skewed overhead ratios is, unfortunately, masking a more fundamental story of programmatic impact and aggressive funding of other veterans service organizations, relentlessly focused on transforming the lives of this generation's injured veterans and their families.

Today, the impact of our direct support is profound. Through 20 free programs and services, we put money in the pockets of injured veterans, save lives, rebuild crumbling families, ensure long-term care for our most seriously wounded veterans, and help our nation's heroes re-enter the labor force and broader community.

WWP provides cutting-edge mental health support to wounded veterans struggling with depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other mental health challenges. We invest heavily in continued education and employment support, helping tens of thousands earn advanced certifications, college degrees, and careers. We offer physical health and wellness programs to increase activity and reduce obesity. And we established a trust to ensure the catastrophically wounded always have the care they need and deserve.

The impact of this direct service provision would, in and of itself, be significant. But WWP also understands that institutional giving and funding, alone, isn't enough. As a single organization, WWP is unlikely to create the radical social change needed to transform the lives of an entire population.

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And so, between 2015 and 2020 WWP is investing more than $100 million in the wider veteran service community to be deployed in ways very similar to the big bets outlined by SSIR.



A compelling example is WWP's Warrior Care Network. This year, WWP launched an initial three-year $100 million initiative with some of America's greatest academic medical research hospitals. The investment is designed to launch the program with partners Operation Mend at UCLA, Rush University's Road Home Program, Home Base at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Emory Healthcare's Veterans Program. Ultimately, the program will reduce the gaps between mental health diagnosis, referral, world-class treatment, and essential follow-up support.

Warrior Care Network is designed to provide smoother and more efficient treatment that can save marriages, help veterans sleep through the night, reduce suicide ideation amongst patients, and in the case of UCLA, combine mental health treatment with transformative surgeries to help veterans live more complete lives.

But what makes Warrior Care Network so unique is how its impact is multiplied. The program, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is creating a better mental health treatment system, forged through an unusual alliance between the government, leading academic medical centers, and a nonprofit.



WWP is also making big bets on a wide variety of veteran service agencies that in any other sector would be considered competitors. Team Rubicon and The Mission Continues are dynamic, emergent veteran service organizations whose ability to reconnect veterans with their hibernating sense of "mission, purpose, and service" is unparalleled in the veteran's space.

Our emerging partnerships break down traditional organizational barriers to put veterans first. We are stronger when aligned, and more effective at helping wounded veterans and their families heal and contribute. WWP will, when all is said and done, have invested more than $125 million in these impactful organizations since the program's inception through 2020.



By blending finance with our skills in benefits, employment, physical and mental health care, we will create opportunities that generate a new and powerful ripple in the philanthropic investment space.
As tensions surrounding the controversial issue of the three bills passed by the Manipur State Assembly in August last year continue to grip the state, relations between the peoples of the hill and the valley are gradually becoming divisive.



The movement for implementation of the bills, which has been spearheaded by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), took another turn when its convener Khomdram Ratan was declared wanted by the Manipur police on June 3.



I have previously argued that the fundamental problem of the bills lies in its interpretation. The valley people, who are predominantly Meiteis, view the bills as a mechanism to protect the state and its people from outsiders.



On the other hand, the hill people (the Kukis and the Nagas) see the bills as a threat to their rights over identity and land. They fear that the bills would legally allow the valley people to encroach their land.



The hill people also fear that if the Manipur People, 2015 bill becomes law and is implemented strictly, many of them could be excluded as the bill requires a person to have been enumerated in all three registers - the National Register of Citizens, 1951, the Census Report 1951 and the Village Directory of 1951



Whatever the misconception and misperception are, one thing is clear that the Manipur government is making a faux pas on the issue.



The state government (dominated by the majority Meiteis) and the valley people argue that the bills are largely misunderstood and misinterpreted by the hill people. They claim that the bills would not disadvantageously affect the hill people.



But the irony is that the government has not taken the necessary measures to convince the tribal people, not even the Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills (JACAATB), which is spearheading the agitation.



The state government, chaired by Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, met an 18-member delegation from the JACAATB on December 29 last year but did not follow up with any seriousness.



In the meeting, the JACAATB delegation requested the chief minister to convene a special session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly to review the concerns and apprehensions of the hill people.



Ibobi Singh then requested the delegation to give in writing about their concerns regarding the three bills that would potentially affect the interests of the hill people.



Subsequently on January 11 this year, the JACAATB submitted a six-page document outlining the points which they see them as 'anti-tribal' and an infringement on the constitutionally guaranteed tribal rights.



Since then, there has been no substantial talk between the two sides. While the state government claims that the JACAATB is refusing to talk, the tribal leaders say they have not received any invitation for talks from the government. The state government is also against holding any tripartite dialogue with JACAATB and the central government.



As the hill-valley confrontation continues in Manipur, an all-party delegation led by the state chief minister has reached the nation's capital to meet with the central leadership, including the prime minister and the home minister.



The only two tribal legislators in the delegation are Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and President of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee T.N. Haokip.



Volunteers of the Manipur Tribals' Forum, who are opposing the three bills, welcomed the arrival of the all-party delegation with protest in front of Manipur Bhavan. Another group of students from Manipur gathered in support of the bills.



Meanwhile, the JACAATB, which refuses to bury the 9 tribal dead bodies, in its meeting on June 3 reiterated its demand for the immediate withdrawal of the three bills.



The other demands of the JACAATB are the implementation of sixth schedule in the hill areas as a short-term measure and a separate administration from Manipur which they believe is the only way forward to bring lasting peace and development in their region.



One major weakness of the hill people, particularly the Kukis, is that their representatives in the state assembly did not oppose the passage of the three bills. Nor do they speak out publicly in support of the agitation led by the people who elected them.



Given the deep division between the hill and valley people on the issue, it would be an ill-advised action on the part of the central government to accept the bills in its present form.



The Modi government should advise leaders of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, who are camping in New Delhi, to return back to Imphal and hold dialogue with leaders of both JCILPS and JACAATB to come to some sort of agreement.
Co-authored by Julia Radomski, Information Services Coordinator at Bank Information Center

The World Bank has been reviewing its environmental and safeguard protection policies for the past four years. Nearing the end of the process, the political battle over these policies is far from resolved. Last week four U.S. Senators directly entered the fray. Members of U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee are asking the U.S. Treasury to take a strong stance on the World Bank's environmental and social safeguard policies, pointing to significant flaws in the proposed draft. Their opposition may even affect the monetary contributions of the U.S. government to the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries.

The policies in question are the primary path through which the World Bank identifies and minimizes harm to people and the environment resulting from the projects that they fund. U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer, Benjamin L. Cardin, Robert Menendez, and Edward J. Markey released a letter they sent to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew calling on the Treasury to prevent the impending dilutions to these environmental and social safeguard policies.

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Video caption: World Bank Safeguards Explained (Video credits: Bank Information Center)

The World Bank's safeguards review will change the ways international institutions are held accountable for the problems caused by development projects, including resettlement, labor issues, environmental degradation, and harm to vulnerable groups like children and persons with disabilities. Aside from the inherent value of protecting communities and ecosystems, the Senators pointed to legal requirements mandated by the U.S. Appropriations Acts of 2014 and 2015. These requirements state that the U.S. Treasury must vote against any weakening of World Bank environmental and social protections, and must vote against all projects proposed under weakened safeguards.

The letter points to controversial problem areas in the most recent draft of the safeguard policies, including transparency, accountability, and protections for human rights. For instance, the policies should require transparency on key project documents, allowing communities to voice their concerns before projects are approved. The Senators also believe that the World Bank's accountability mechanism will be weakened under the proposed safeguards policies, because of muddled language on the responsibilities required of the World Bank and of borrower countries. Because of the weaknesses in the proposed safeguards policy, the Senators' argue that the U.S. Treasury is obligated by law to oppose the draft.



Photo caption: Protesters in front of the World Bank office in Brussels (Belgium), September 2014. Civil society groups have been protesting the proposed policy dilutions in many countries around the world. (Photo credits: Arnaud Ghys)

The fact that the eighteenth replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries, is currently underway is a connection that should not be ignored. Donor governments are currently considering the public monies they will contribute to IDA, and what development issues they want to be prioritized in return. If the U.S. insists on the importance of human and environmental protections, the hint of losing contributions may catch the attention of the World Bank in ways that civil society voices have not. By hitting the Bank where it hurts (the pockets) the U.S. contribution to IDA has the potential to strengthen the safeguards - if the U.S. government will take a stand.

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Senators Boxer, Cardin, Menendez, and Markey urge Treasury Secretary Lew to "maintain U.S. leadership at the World Bank to prevent the dilution of existing protections." By doing so, the Treasury will be "protecting our investments as well as social and environmental interests."
Like bacteria that mutates in order to thrive against powerful antibiotics, threats in today's cyber-environment are constantly changing to exploit new vulnerabilities. But just like antibiotics must evolve, our systems for protecting digital security - at personal, commercial and government levels - must change with the times and be equally active, robust, and innovative.



The latest reminder are recent reports that cyber criminals stole $81 million in funds from the central bank of Bangladesh, as well as a bank in Ecuador and at least one other country. The brazen theft is a painful lesson showing that the bad guys never sleep, and what was once "good enough" in terms of digital security is no longer so. To perpetrate this brazen, film noir-worthy heist, digital thieves snuck into what was thought to be the most secure financial messaging system in the world, known as SWIFT, a Belgian co-operative owned by member banks and used by 11,000 financial institutions globally.



The attack on the SWIFT banking network did not showcase a new type of computer attack, but it did reveal a shrewd scheme combining several existing attack methods in a devious, sophisticated, and unique way. SWIFT said the thieves stole legitimate operator credentials allowing them to send seemingly authentic messages that were used to conduct fraudulent transfers. Then they installed malicious software on bank computers that allowed them to manipulate printers and hide traces of the fraudulent messages.



"The attackers clearly exhibit a deep and sophisticated knowledge of specific operational controls within the targeted banks - knowledge that may have been gained from malicious insiders or cyber attacks, or a combination of both," said SWIFT in a statement.



Protecting SWIFT and its members, or any similarly interconnected eco-system, today requires a collaborative, multi-faceted approach that must be managed like a serious business challenge, not simply a technological issue.



First, social engineering of human foibles by the bad actors must be fought with social engineering by the good guys. Previous attacks on payments networks have often involved so-called "spearfishing" attacks in which criminals lure people into opening fake emails and clicking on links that download malicious software on the user's computer allowing fraudsters to steal credentials as they log on to systems.



In addition to the malware, the cybercriminals deployed hacking tools, including key-logger software that monitors and records strokes on a keyboard, to steal Bangladesh Bank's credentials from the SWIFT system.



Ongoing education both within and outside of the technology organization about the latest spearfishing techniques will help drive awareness and reduce fraud. Mobile devices and other connected devices in the Internet of Things are new points of vulnerability and must be locked down. The bank thieves also took advantage of a weak link in the security chain-a lowly PDF reader used to generate reports of payment confirmations. A regular portfolio review approach focused on security across the entire business will help identify emerging threats, gaps, and mitigation strategies.



We also need to understand that the security perimeter is no longer the walls of the castle, no matter how fortified the castle. The new perimeter is identity. It's that point where the user - the millions of users - is accessing any given system on the edge of the network. Companies must be sure that users are who they say they are, and that the information and services they can access exactly matches their role.



Usernames and passwords are no longer sufficient for sensitive communications. Augmenting basic identity with advanced authentication protocols such as multi-factor authentication can help ensure identity authenticity, helping smaller banks upgrade their security in a relatively easy and cost-effective manner.



Some data and services may also need greater security than others. For example, a simple password may be sufficient to for a consumer to access balance information in an online banking scenario. But transferring funds by bank employees should require additional identity verification in order to complete the transaction.



And importantly, we also need to increase the monitoring and analysis of privileged user accounts. The increasing interconnectedness of our commercial, financial, and even government systems means that more users than ever before are being granted privileged access to run those various systems.



Privileged access should be given for only as long as necessary and needs to be monitored at all times. And activity must be monitored closely, especially as much cyber crime is perpetrated by insiders. Fraud detection software can recognize anomalous behavior like attempts to escalate privileges, or behavioral changes from these accounts. And if privileged access is compromised, account access histories will help you better understand what happened and why.



The SWIFT attacks are significant not just because a large amount of money was stolen, but because the attackers used a combination of well-known methods to compromise a financial system operating in the central nervous system of the global economy. Businesses must learn from this and carefully examine their own practices. We need to ask ourselves if we are going beyond "good enough" security to stay vigilant in maintaining the health and security of our systems. And we need to fight fire with fire by using a proven combination of well-known security antidotes to contain and prevent the spread of another SWIFT attack. Otherwise, the Bangladesh caper will only have more sequels.
When it comes to app promotion, Facebook and Google rule the world. Just as they tend to be key players in a variety of fields related to tech, social media, and online communications--the two heavy hitters continue to take the mobile advertising arena by storm--reeling users in with their unique ads, individualized algorithms, and simply because they dominate the internet.

Of course, there are many reasons they are kings of the industry including their reach, influence, and prowess in the field; however, just because they are the biggest doesn't mean they are the best. In fact, there are actually many areas that Facebook and Google need to work on in order to become stellar app promotion platforms. Here are just a few from the top of my head.

Not Quite Mobile First

The world is becoming more and more mobile-centric everyday. In fact, nowadays people are

. In addition, mobile media use has now reached 51% of the total media consumption, making it more urgent than ever for ads to be focused on mobile users, especially when we are dealing with something as mobile oriented as apps.

Particularly for Google, ad real estate in the mobile sphere is a challenge. Facebook has the advantage in this realm because their news feed supplies a seemingly endless amount of ad space as the user can continue to browse and scroll down. However, with regards to Google, if you are not on the first page or two, your ad will have significantly lower clickthroughs.

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While this can be true for desktop as well, the situation is even more magnified when it comes to mobile. While desktop users might have the patience to go through a few pages in a search engine, mobile users in particular are looking for something fast and convenient. Therefore, they are less likely to continue clicking to new pages and as a result, the amount of space Google can offer to their partners is highly limited.

Less Capacity for Targeting

While Facebook is a great platform for targeting due to the ample amount of personalized user data they have access to, Google is still lagging behind. Though Google does consider both context and search intent, Facebook is able to delve deeper since they have insights on specific people, their location, gender, age, jobs, schools, and more. But since Facebook knows it has this power, they will make you pay for it. That's why other app promotion technologies have come into fruition, providing savvy mobile app developers a means to hyper target their ads without breaking the bank.

"Although Facebook has built an incredible app discovery business model translated into the new Audience network, they are currently failing on delivering scale of new users at an affordable way. Their effective interests, demographics targeting, and user acquisition costs are reaching high prices very quickly and many small and indie developers aren't able to afford the cost." says Elad Natanson of Appnext.

Clearly, while targeting is necessary, the financial barrier that Facebook ads has created turns away many of the newer, less established apps due to lack of budget.

The Price is not Right

This leads us to the pricing issue. There is no denying that Facebook's ad platform has a lot of benefits, but only for those that can afford it. The cost per CPI on Facebook is around $2, significantly exceeding the prices on competing mobile ad networks. Furthermore, since Facebook ads are becoming increasingly prominent, many millennials and younger users will filter them out, making it not worth the hefty price if this is your target audience.

Don't Always Take Advantage of Native Formats

Native mobile ads are the wave of the future. Since these types of ads can easily blend into the context of the surrounding content, users don't view them as being annoying or obtrusive. In fact, many even find them entertaining, especially if they are in

.

While Google does use native ads for searching, they still have not developed the same for display footing. The closest they have is their Lightbox ads, which are essentially banner ads with the capability of becoming full screen. Without being on trend with regards to creating user-friendly app formats, advertisements will be far less effective than they could have been.

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They are Stretched to Capacity

As we know, both Facebook and Google are gigantic corporations. This means in terms of reach and technology, they excel. However, with regards to their ability to maintain knowledge of the industry and specialize in the problems experienced on the day to day, they fall short. Nobody can do everything and do it perfect, not even Mark Zuckerberg.

In contrast, when ad networks are smaller, and specialize in this specific niche, they understand the industry and make the needs of developers their number one priority. They are easy to reach, easy to work with, and value your business. For me, this is a huge consideration when formulating business partnerships.
Ocean waves

Ocean acidification. Plastic pollution. Overfishing. Sea level rise. When it comes to the challenges facing our ocean, it's easy to become overwhelmed. As a frequent witness to these issues, I, too, am often distraught over this dire state of affairs; reminded that we are in desperate need of problem solvers and innovators who aren't afraid to take bold action, and who aren't encumbered by political or financial agendas. The good news for all of us is that these environmental and ocean champions exist in growing numbers. They are committed, focused, formidable, and many of them haven't even graduated from high school. The bad news is that we as an ocean conservation community largely continue to ignore this powerful constituency.

My grandfather Jacques Yves Cousteau once said, "Before we can talk about conservation we must talk about education". My team and I at EarthEcho International work with youth around the globe. We regularly hear from these young people; not the sense of acceptance and resignation that stalls so many environmental efforts, but a profound belief that they can and will change our planet for the better. I believe that part of the reason for the lack of progress on many ocean issues is because the conservation community has made the mistake of dismissing this dedication and passion as youthful enthusiasm--of assuming that youth are merely the hands and feet of the environmental movement when they have the capacity to be the hearts and minds as well.

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Take high school junior Delaney Reynolds, for example. She is a published author and illustrator of three children's books, as well as a comic book on environmental and ecology topics. Delaney is a graduate of the University of Miami's Summer Scholar's Program, where she earned a Certificate in Marine Biology, as well as in former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Leader Training. She sits on The Cleo Institute Youth Task Force, is a Dream in Green Youth Ambassador and gave her first TEDx talk last February at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami about her work on sea level rise. Delaney is the founder of The Sink or Swim Project and www.miamisearise.com, a community educational program focused on the risks of global warming and sea level rise as well as the solutions that her generation must undertake to prevent catastrophic disaster. Over the past two years Delaney has presented to nearly 10,000 people of all ages, with audiences as far away as Saigon South International School in Vietnam, proving her key point--KIDS GET IT.

Eighteen-year-old ocean conservationist D'amy Steward provides another example of the level of work undertaken by the growing youth-led environmental movement. Participating in beach clean-ups from the age of three in her hometown of Coronado, CA, she learned at an early age the importance of ocean stewardship. D'amy reached out to Sailors for the Sea [SFTS]--a non-profit ocean conservation organization--in 2014 with ideas to spread its message to the boating community about reducing plastics in the ocean. Subsequently appointed the first SFTS student ambassador, D'amy educates children and adults by speaking at regattas, schools, and yacht clubs, and writing articles; she also created a handbook for future SFTS ambassadors and advises regatta organizers all along the West Coast.



Voyacy Ventures

All too often I watch as many of my peers in large ocean conservation organizations continue to dismiss youth as a questionable investment. It reminds me of the old adage: insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Anyone who is being honest will admit that our oceans (and thus humanity) are in crisis and yet, in many ways, those who lead this movement continue to succumb to the blinding self-righteousness of adulthood by believing that, as adults, they hold all the answers. A friend once lamented to me that society has the technology and scientific knowledge to solve many of these problems, and that the true restriction was politics. He is wrong: we don't have a political problem, we have a constituency problem.

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If you don't believe me then just follow the money. These are complex problems with complex systems-based solutions. Yet instead of empowering a movement by INVESTING IN and GROWING the constituency of citizens who are equipped to understand them, charitable giving continues to invest overwhelmingly in short-term legislative and technological solutions.

Thank goodness there is a small but growing phalanx of groups dedicated to recognizing the importance of youth when it comes to the health of our ocean. In addition to EarthEcho, The Ocean Project has emphasized the importance of a youth voice, as has Blue Frontier Campaign, which annually awards a youth ocean champion. And there are several youth-founded and youth-run organizations making names for themselves including the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, The Big Blue & You, and the Georgetown Sustainable Oceans Alliance.

Of all the resources at our disposal to correct the damage we've inflicted on this beautiful and complex life-support system, I'm convinced these young leaders provide us with our greatest source of hope. It is our job to recognize their power, and give them the tools, investment, and respect they need to succeed...and then get out of their way.

To learn more about the efforts of youth acting now for a sustainable future, go to www.earthecho.org
While the forty fourth president Barack Hussein Obama weaves his historical legacy to the tune of reconciliation with enemies, celebrating the end of America's wars to appease public opinion, US public resentment and even wrath is growing against government policies and political influence, with growing racism, vindictiveness, and arrogance in the American arena. The forty fifth president, be it a man or a woman, will therefore not inherit the US that Barack Obama thinks he has moulded with his policy of appeasement and non-aggression. The new president will inherit an America divided about its options, gloomy about its conditions, paranoid about the world, and reluctant to exercise its superpower role and unique position in the unipolar era that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The next US president, be it the Democrat Hillary Clinton or the Republican Donald Trump, whose candidacy will come against the will of the Republican party, or be it a "distinguished" Republican personality that could come as a deadly surprise to Donald Trump, will not be an appeasing president. Most likely, it will be a confrontation president who will seek to restore America's prestige and firmness, breaking away with dithering and prevarication. Perhaps the US needed the eight years of appeasement and de-escalation that the Barack Obama era represented, keeping America out of others' wars though at the cost of the erosion of principles and values the US long boasted of having. This was the choice of a majority of Americans whose demands Obama fulfilled. But today, political populism is angry and begrudged. A segment identifies with Donald Trump, who has adopted anger, hatred, and racism as a political platform reflecting part of the American mood as he saw it. Another segment of the popular pro-Trump base supports him because he represents their aspirations and promises to revive them, including their aspirations for a return to the original capitalism: the capitalism that gives citizens opportunities not the capitalism that has been hijacked by major corporations. For their part, young Democratic voters are leading an important revolution calling for socialism in the United States. It is an incomplete revolution, however, because America is angry against the exploitation by the government and the corporations of capitalism, but is not ready for socialism, even if it is indeed a panacea. For this reason, Bernie Sanders will not be the next president or even vice president. America is not ready despite its absolute dissatisfaction with its political and financial leaders, as the polls show, where both Hillary Clinton and Trump seem to have popularity and trust problems with the electorate.

Republicans have voted down the Bush dynasty, not only because of the unpopularity of George W. Bush and anger against his aggressive policies, pre-emptive doctrine, and his wars, but also because Jeb Bush's personality as seen on TV during the debates was obnoxious. The Bushes were voted down because Americans are averse to dynasties that might come to believe they are entitled to own the US presidency.

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Democrats, meanwhile, have not been won over by the Clintons, especially as reports emerged Bill and Hillary were grooming their daughter Chelsea for senior political positions. Bill Clinton became president thanks to his competence, personality, and charisma, but he would not have never become president without his ambitious political partner and wife Hillary. Then Bill stood behind Hill - as they are nicknamed - the day she fought the election for the New York Senate seat and then the presidential primaries that she lost to Barack Obama. Today, Hillary Clinton is vying for the Democratic nomination for the presidency against an older, socialist competitor who has proven to be a tough nut to crack. She had grown complacent thinking the nomination was guaranteed, but accusations against her and her husband of having a cosy relationship with major banks through the Clinton Foundation (which they deny) have left her battered. She remains relatively unpopular, while lacking the charisma of her husband and his talent for winning over people.

But Hillary Clinton will still reach the Democratic convention next month carrying a number of delegates enough to secure the nomination. So far, it appears that Clinton will be the one to face off with the Republican nominee. Some don't believe this, however. They believe it's not possible for America to topple the Bushes but keep the Clintons. They point to the investigations into her use of unsecured e-mails during her tenure as secretary of state, and say the outcome will hurt her. Others have cited her health issues, including an episode during which she fainted and fell almost two years ago. However, the majority think Clinton will be the Democratic candidate, and that her battle, which she believed would be easy, will be very difficult against the presumed Republican nominee, who snatched the needed delegates this week but who remains under threat until the Republican convention is held in mid-July, days before the Democratic convention.Donald Trump, once known as The Donald, has taking a liking to now being called Mr. Trump. He is a phenomenon that most Americans and most in the world belittled, thinking it was temporary, until it snowballed and became a firm reality.

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The Donald was a figure known for his acumen, talent for negotiations, and deal-making abilities, a successful businessman. Ordinary Americans are impressed by him because he is a rich, successful man who marries supermodels. Many ordinary Americans wish they were like the Donald, smiling, boastful, and happy about his success.

When Trump entered the election battle, some were astonished, others dismissed him. He said he would fund his own campaign, something that deeply impressed those who were already fans of the Donald. Trump then shed his smile and laugh, and adopted anger and condescension, either as a temporary mask for the elections or as an official trait for his Mr. Trump character or as President Donald Trump.

The tactic he has chosen is challenging and tackling just about anyone. He made his ego a successful marketing ploy. He used his startling stances against Muslims, Mexicans, women, and African Americans as a shock publicity tactic. He injected hope among the frustrated, in a way that left no room for logic, as his followers in their enthusiasm forgot to ask about the difference between fantastic promises and empty rhetoric.

One Trump supporter showed off his collection of mugs, t-shirts, and similar items all branded with the word Trump. He said he bought them all to support Trump. To be sure, since Trump is funding his own campaign, he cannot receive donations, but he found another way to raise money: selling Trump paraphernalia for profit. Many supporters are convinced Trump would be a president for small businesses and will not be the Establishment's man, having challenged it all the way to the White House.

In truth, Donald Trump has started reaching out to the poles of the ruling establishment in the United States, which comprises top companies, intellectuals, capitalists, defense industries, banks, oil companies, and technology companies. Trump's current tactic is to challenge the establishment to appease ordinary Americans angry at their dismal economic conditions in the country of the super-rich. But Trump, preparing for the near future, is seeking reconciliation and partnership with the same establishment, beyond his current tactics. Like Clinton, he understands the structure of power in America.

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It is Bernie Sanders who has brought about a significant change in the American landscape, by declaring with confidence and unequivocally that he adopts European socialism, along the lines with socialism in a country like Sweden. Barack Obama had paved the way for this, but he did so subtly without admitting to any socialist tendencies. America's youths have supported both men, and Hillary Clinton has been struggling to catch up in both instances.

The Trump and Sanders phenomena have demonstrated that average Americans have lost trust in Washington, and want to send out a clear message that they are angry and want to rebel against the status quo and against the performance of the politicians and the government in the US capital. The two phenomena also suggest average Americans have had enough of the major corporations' sway over the economy and decision-making.

The difference is that Sanders might leave his mark on the Democratic party without snatching an official post, while Trump has caused a radical shakeup of the Republican Party, and now he seems determined to fight the election to its bitter end.

If Republicans choose another candidate, Trump fears this could cost him greatly in a tripartite battle. He believes he can fight and win against Hillary Clinton today.

What will happen come January? Undoubtedly, despite all the global coverage of the US election, it is early to predict which way the election will go, and who will it favour, Hillary or Trump. From now until October, there may be many surprises. Pressures will increase on the candidates, each will be tested in various ways. But from now until mid-July, it is also a mistake to discount any event that could hurt Clinton and Trump, because everything is possible in US elections.

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Those who support the death penalty are accepting a practice that is both ineffective and fundamentally flawed. It means supporting a system that not infrequently kills those with serious mental illness. It means supporting a system in which an execution is far more likely to take place when the convicted murder is black and the victim is white, than it is when the victim is black and the killer is white. It means supporting a system that has sentenced, and continues to sentence, innocent people to death. In our impulse to rid the world of those we find reprehensible, we forget that we are also ridding the world of those who have done nothing wrong.

Additionally, to call Roof uniquely evil, as Ta-Nehisi Coates has also pointed out, is to ignore the history that made him possible. Roof is not a historical anomaly as much as a representation of a past that America prefers to sweep under its rug rather than commit to cleaning up. When Roof told Tywanza Sanders, one of the victims in the church, "You rape our women and you're taking over our country and you have to go," he was echoing a vast history that has used such rationale to decimate black lives. Killing Roof does nothing other than soothe the moral conscience of a country that would rather not reckon with the forces that created and cultivated his ideology.
Paradigm Shifters is a series of interviews with a select group of women and men from eclectic walks of life. It will highlight unspoken, real-life insights on how they have been able to turn weakness into strength. A naked soul point of view of how their breakdowns were really a preparation for breakthroughs. They are your quintessential paradigm shifters; internal shifts converted into genuine change.

Everything I have ever done has been focused on this underlying theme of shifting the paradigm because, "What we think determines what we feel and what we feel determines what we do." Hence, why Empowered by You takes lingerie, which has traditionally been seen merely as a tool of seduction and redirected that energy as a tool of empowerment.

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I hope from these stories you will look at your own situations, struggles and accomplishments through a different lens. At the very least you will be more equipped with real life tools to change your own paradigm. At the end of the day, we are our own Alchemist turning the silver we were born with into the gold we are destined to become.

Dana Spinola - Founder & CEO, Fab'rik

What was the inspiration behind opening your boutique? What was the plan and how did that happen?

I was lucky to grow up with hippie artist entrepreneur parents who always told me, "If you love what you do, you'll never work another day in your life."

We didn't have a lot of money so mom made all my clothes. I didn't see it as a negative, it was like I had a personal stylist. But my parents wanted me to pick a career that would be more lucrative so I wouldn't go through the same hardships they did.

I walked into college the first day and said, "What's the major that I will make a lot of money in?" So I choose management information systems and got an incredible job in consulting and everything was going according to plan, until one day : I broke up with who I thought was going to be the guy.

I had to reevaluate my whole life and ask myself, "What do I love?" "What's important?" I knew it wasn't the money so I went back to my passion. I was that little girl that wallpapered her room from floor to ceiling with fashion magazines. My heart went straight back to fashion, but wondered if this could be a career. But I was going to start with one little store.

What do you feel is the DNA of Fab'rik today? What is the ethos?

I don't want it to be a pretty woman boutique. I think it came from how I grew up. I wanted to create a place where everyone could afford to feel that beautiful feeling. What does pioneering into that affordable luxury market look like? Our DNA is about making every single person feel beautiful inside and out whether they are getting ready for a first date or going through a divorce.

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You have a very strong grounding in your unique selling point, which is amazing customer service and building relationships. How do you maintain that with 40 stores?

We have 40 stores and we are opening 10 more in the next couple of months.

So the challenge is to keep what makes fab'rik unique in the stores as we grow. I've learned "What you reward your team will know is important to you." For us we call them "Wows.

"Wows" are little and big things we do everyday to show our customers how important they are to us. At our conference, we reward the best Wows of the year honoring people who have gone above-and-beyond. The first step is making sure the team knows our expectation and that Wows are part of our interactive with all customers, that it is a priority. We reward their great service instead of simply rewarding the store with the highest sales. The other part is hiring people with big hearts. During the recruitment process we try to figure out if the person loves to serve. The last piece is to build it not only into your culture, but into your process. We put it in our operating manual and our fab'rik formula that you are required to wow customers. It's not as organic and as fun, but we train on lists of "Wows." Our customers are the single most important reason we're here so we want to make sure everyone is focusing on making each persons experience the best it can be.

Tell me about your trip to Africa and journey towards adopting your daughter?

I was sitting in church about 6 years ago and my pastor Andy Stanley said, "Do for one what you wish you could for many." My whole heart stopped. I like to go big or go home, but I asked myself, "What if I slowed down and did this for just one person?"

It took us 4 years to adopt and my fab'rik team went through this whole process with us. Finally we got to bring this little girl, Asher Adera, home. My daughter was abandoned in Ethiopia when she was maybe 6 months old. Her cry is the reason the officers found her. I look at her as this inspiring strong warrior, which I think so many woman are. I now have a clothing line named after her. The proceeds from the sales of the line go towards missions that empower young girls to believe in themselves. We are currently working on opening an orphanage in Asher's honor in Africa.

It's a beautifully addicting way to live when you realize the impact that one can have on the world. I see not only the impact that I had on one life, but the impact she has on everyone she meets.

You're in the position to be able to have an impact and that really inspires other people. How have you found that experience?

I selfishly started this business for myself. It was all about my dream of having a clothing store.

Then about 5 years in, and a few hundred 20-30 year old girls asking me questions, such as "Why do you do it?" I realized that I have a responsibility to show these girls that it's not necessarily about how great your butt looks in jeans and how high your heels are, there is so much more to learn about what we do at fab'rik.

I urge them all to volunteer with free fab'rik and meet the girls who are suffering as well as invite our team on our annual Africa trip. "I love when they come to Africa with me and see how these women live, it always changes perspectives."

How have you managed with opening the orphanage?

I was in a meeting yesterday and the group I was talking with told me all these reasons why it is going to be hard and I shouldn't do it. I said, "I totally agree, but someone has to do it, why not me." What's the alternative? Not doing it? Someone has to love these little ones until they find a home and family. I'm willing to take the chance knowing it will be messy, complicated and probably break my heart. They said that they hoped they didn't break my spirit and I thought, "Oh God, no. I see that you're not going to do this, but I've got some work to do."

How is the clothing line? Are the proceeds a percentage of the sales?

It started off as a small percentage of the sales. We've been discussing it fully funding our giving projects such as free fab'rik and orphanages, so that probably is the direction we are going to go in. I wanted to inspire people to buy the line more, but I also wanted to make sure it is super authentic and everyone knows where the money is going. We have also explored micro-finance and supporting the knitting facility we work with in Africa. When we are there we teach business classes to the women. It's incredible how quickly they pick up on everything from SWOT analysis to marketing plans.

What would you say in a nutshell is the legacy that you want to leave behind?

God leads my life. My leading verse is Proverbs 31:25, "She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs at the days to come."

My legacy is focused all around the customers fab'rik serves, the victims of sex-trafficking free fab'rik serves and the woman in Africa our mission teams serve and every hard working fab'rik employee that I serve. The legacy I would love to leave is that I in someway inspired all of these women to mine out their dreams that God put in their heart and go for it. Follow that dream. Live it out and serve others through it. I believe people should live out what they were put on earth to do. As far as the "laughs at the days to come" part, well If you do it all and you don't feel the joy in it, then what's the point?

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If your life was a book, what would your title be for 2015?
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 18: US Capitol Police give protesters a warning to move away from the front of the Capitol or get arrested, April 18, 2016 in Washington, DC. Protest groups Public Citizen and People for the American Way have been protesting the influence of money in politics over the last week, with more than 900 arrests reported. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

For the past few months, I've been attacked for coming out against the corruption that I see in our party, starting with "Please-Ignore-the-Fact-That-I'm-Under-Criminal-Investigation" Sen. Harry Reid. But despite what the Lie Factory at the top may want you to believe, I love the Democratic Party. I just hate what these Mafia accountants with Napoleonic complexes have done to it. In fact, it's because I love the party that I so much hate what they have done.

I have listened to so many Democratic activists, as you have reached out to express your anger, your frustration, and your worries. You have felt ignored, belittled, and betrayed. So have I.

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The disenfranchisement of Democratic voters in choosing our candidates has been largely ignored by the complicit national media. Leaders have been replaced or squelched by corporate bag men. We have been directed to sit down, shut up and do what we are told. Or, as Archie Bunker used to say to Edith, "Stifle!"

Up for grabs, right now, is the very notion that candidates matter, that programs matter, that government matters, and that democracy even exists. Any candidate who shows the slightest commitment to Democratic principles is condemned by the party overlords and their media stenographers as "unelectable," or "ideological," or "unrealistic." In fact, the one last thing that the Democratic Politburo is good at is defeating progressive Democratic candidates. Lord knows that they don't have a clue about how to beat Republicans. In Florida, a very purple state, party bosses have delivered the nomination in statewide races to right-wing Democrats virtually every time this century. And we have lost 14 of those 15 races.

I cannot with good conscience stand by and watch our party abandon the progressive principles and grassroots activists who have built the party we know and love today. I cannot stand by and watch our party recruit and promote candidates who betray the very people our party is supposed to serve, by eschewing the progressive values that working families so desperately need.

Once upon a time, our party was about so much more than the color blue. This party was about recognizing that many working families and seniors are struggling, and about making things better for them. It was about recognizing the injustice and inequality in our society, and then DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

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When I was growing up, my parents were Democrats, not because it was trendy, but because they counted on the Democratic Party to improve their lives. They counted on the Democrats to fight for the healthcare benefits I needed to stay alive as a sick child. They counted on the Democrats to fight for the public housing we lived in, instead of the slum my father grew up in. They counted on the Democrats to protect their right to organize, and fair compensation to them as public employees.

What our corrupt, decrepit, and power-mad Democratic Establishment seems to have forgotten is the people like my parents today, the people who would like to vote for Democrats, feel that way because they need our help. Every time our self-appointed "leaders" ram through the nomination of a sellout corporate Democrat, another angel in heaven dies, and (perhaps more importantly) another 100,000 more Democrats flee the un-Democratic Party. Yes, the lobbyists are pleased, and they will keep those PAC checks coming, but our soul is gone. As Walt Kelly used to say in Pogo, "we have met the enemy, and he is us."

I'm trying to change that. I'm trying to remind our party that we don't have to be Republican to beat a Republican - that never works -- and that we can still be champions for the People. But there's only so much I can do alone.

Despite what our party Politburo may think, there's a lot more at stake this year than which party gets to kowtow best to the 1 percent. This election season, we will decide what kind of party we want to be from here on out. We're fighting for the soul of the Democratic Party. I hope you'll join us.

Courage,
Methodork (METH-uh-dawrk) noun A Methodist who knows well and takes an interest in the structure and polity of their denomination. If you're a Methodist who knows what "polity" means, you're probably a Methodork.

Book of Discipline (buk uhv DIH-suh-plin) proper noun A book of theological standards, social principles, and laws that govern the United Methodist denomination. A true Methodork Book of Discipline will contain a number of sticky notes, highlights, and opinionated expressions like exclamation marks and the occasional smiley face.

annual conference (AY-nyu-uhl CON-frens) noun The yearly gathering of clergy and laity of a Methodist region, which is also (confusingly) called an "annual conference". The bar at the Marriott Hotel fills up with Methodorks when the annual conference is in session.

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BOOM (BOOM) proper noun Board of Ordained Ministry, an annual conference board that credentials United Methodist clergy and holds them accountable. One of many many many acronyms in the United Methodist Church. Yelling "BOOM!" at a young Methodork in the ordination process and then laughing when they wince is a mean joke.

When you think of United Methodists, the word ritual may not be the first thing that comes to mind. We don't do incense or anointing or gilded clergy regalia very often or well. Our rituals more often involve things like deviled eggs, singing in spontaneous four part harmony, and...well...meetings.

I'll let you in on a little insider information. One of the highest privileges of being a member of the United Methodist clergy is sitting once a year in a regional ritual meeting known as the annual conference "clergy session". Being a relative newbie to this elect clergy group, I have only experienced the ritual seven times. And, from my humble perspective, it is probably the most boring two hours of my entire year. Real Methodorks might disagree with me, but basically, we all crowd into one room while various people take turns reading legalese from the Book of Discipline, interspersed with long lists of names. It's kind of like sitting in a church service in which there is a 2 hour not-so-dramatic reading of Biblical genealogies and Levitical laws.

But this year is an exception for me. This year, I am full of emotions about this most boring event. I might even cry. You see, one of the things that happens at clergy session is that people who are answering a call from God to become new clergy stand before the body, and we vote on whether or not we will allow them to join our ranks. Each of these folks has been through a rigorous process of evaluation, including an extensive psychological exam, long and profound theological papers, days of in-person interviews over the course of years, and seminary education. And, if they get through all of THAT, they stand on the stage in front of all the clergy and wait for us to vote on them.

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In my experience, it usually goes like this. The bishop invites the year's class of five to ten candidates to walk up onto the stage. They're sharply dressed and really embarrassed. Videos are played of each person smiling and talking about what they are excited about in their future ministry. And then the bishop asks them to turn around and face the back of the stage as a cutesy way of keeping the vote "secret" from them. Finally, the bishop says, "All who affirm these folks, say 'Hallelujah'!" And everyone says a boisterous "Hallelujah!" The candidates turn around, the bishop announces the "results" of the vote, and we all clap and sing for ten minutes while the candidates receive hugs and prepared gift bags. It's one of the less boring moments of the whole ordeal.

But a few days ago, that joyful ritual was disrupted at the Baltimore-Washington annual conference, when one candidate was isolated, a real vote was taken, and she did not receive enough support to join the clergy ranks. There was no "Hallelujah", no joyful hug, and no prepared gift bag for T.C. Morrow at this year's clergy session. And the reason? She is married to another woman. T.C. is a known and respected chaplain, advocate for social justice, and founding staff member at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. This year, the Baltimore-Washington Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM), which evaluates candidates for ordination, publicly declared that they were recommending T.C. to the clergy session, in spite of United Methodist law, which bars "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from ordination. But, in the end, her clergy session refused to act with the same courage.

I am angered and disappointed by what happened to T.C. last week, but my heart is aching for what will happen this week. You see, this week, my New York Annual Conference will meet, and on the first night, our clergy session will pile into a room and take similar votes for our candidates, many of whom are beloved friends of mine.

I know how hard these friends have worked. I know how relieved many of them were when our own Board of Ordained Ministry, just weeks before some of their interviews, defiantly declared that they would not be considering sexual orientation in their deliberations. I know how liberating it was for them to finally feel safe enough to come out to their church. I know how courageous they have had to be and how wrong it is that we asked them to summon such courage. And I KNOW that they have been called by God, and I KNOW that I need them by my side as we lead the church into the future. And I also know that they saw what happened to T.C., and that they will walk onto the stage this Wednesday with some fear that they should never have to experience in the presence of their colleagues and mentors and "church family".

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This year, the clergy session will not be boring. It will be sad and anxious and sickening. No matter what happens. Because of the legal discrimination in our denomination, because T.C. Morrow experienced spiritual violence last week, some of my friends will have an unjust experience on that stage this week.

I am also feeling feelings because I know that our New York Annual Conference clergy session can be a place of courage and just struggle. And the defiantly hopeful side of my faith believes that it will be again this week. In 1978, our clergy session voted against the wishes of our bishop, who was attempting to remove a beloved pastor from ministry because of his sexual orientation. The pastor's name was Rev. Paul Abels. Paul had been serving Washington Square United Methodist Church in New York City's Greenwich Village for five years and had publicly come out as gay the year before, making him the first pastor of a mainline local church to come out. While there was, at that time, no restriction on gay clergy in our denomination (the "good old days"), the bishop sought to remove him from ministry. But our Board of Ordained Ministry reported to the clergy session that Paul Abels was in good standing, and, after much debate, the clergy session voted to accept the report. Paul continued to faithfully serve Washington Square until 1984.

Washington Square has since merged to become The Church of the Village, where I now serve as a pastor. Paul Abels' work at Washington Square is still felt among older members of the church, and I am so honored to be a descendant of his ministry. It was significant and courageous and full of principled spirituality, and our church, our annual conference would be diminished if not for the sacred and prophetic vote of that 1978 clergy session.

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Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, delivers a national security speech at Balboa Park in San Diego, California, U.S., on Thursday, June 2, 2016. Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, is arguing that Donald Trump is 'fundamentally unfit' to be president and detailing what she sees as the dangers of the presumptive Republican nominee's approach to national security. Photographer: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The 2016 presidential election is unfolding like a Greek tragedy. With a few changes.

A tragic hero, burdened by a fatal flaw, inexorably strides toward destruction; unstoppable, resolute and impervious to those who beg him to change. Thus proceeds the Donald.

I hasten to stipulate that the word "hero" is hard to apply. We commonly associate the word with bravery, intelligence and vision. With Trump, not so much.

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But the past week has shown us a leader, and a leader he is, with a fatal flaw: an inability to adjust his character to reality. His campaign is one of personal insult, ethnic divisiveness and blatant disregard for the norms of political discourse. On the one hand, this is what got him the nomination. On the other hand it cannot possibly broaden his appeal to undecided voters. Those who already support him find it comforting. Those who need persuasion to vote for him will be repelled. It will destroy him.

Last week, two dynamics unfolded. Hillary made her best and most persuasive case why she is the safer, smarter choice as Commander-In-Chief. Trump responded with name-calling and criticism of her use of a teleprompter. Evidence in the Trump U case was released. Trump responded with an attack on the Federal judiciary, arguing that ethnicity disqualified the judge in his case.

No need to explain why he's wrong, everyone understands. What is puzzling is why he thinks that his outbursts are good for him. Even if he's right, even if it pleases his base, it's politically untenable if he wants to win the election.

Remember, he could win. Hillary has deep problems with the electorate, and political lightning, emails or otherwise, could strike. Trump has an opening to the White House. He needs to persuade undecideds that he is a disrupter, but a safe one. That he can make their lives better. That there's more to him than bellow and attack. Trump needs to learn how to close the deal. And it turns out that closing a political deal is not the same as closing a real estate deal.

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Don't bet on it. Trump will likely keep insulting Hillary. He will likely keep raising issues of ethnicity, race and gender. He will lash out at opponents and shrug off specific plans. Hillary, having found her voice, will pound on the Commander-In-Chief issue, and the economy. Her own unpopularity will recede. Undecideds will break toward Hillary. Republicans will stay home in droves. Trump will win the Old Confederacy and a few Rocky Mountain states, but not by a lot. Hillary will win comfortably elsewhere. And the Senate and the House? Gone.

This inevitability of this outcome is dawning on Republicans everywhere. What you are smelling is primal fear. They can see it coming, an inevitable tidal wave sweeping them from power. The Senate: Gone. The House: Gone.
Donald Trump has entered a new phase of autocratic weirdness. His attack on Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding in the lawsuit against Trump University, was a trifecta. It combined outright racism with an assault on the independent judiciary and a clear warning that Trump would use the presidency to settle personal business scores.

His rants at reporters display contempt for the role of a free press. He would govern like a spiteful tyrant, with all the awesome powers of a president of the United States -- settling scores, punishing enemies, making impetuous, ignorant decisions.

As this reality sinks in, Trump's campaign should be imploding about now. And it might be -- if other Republican leaders displayed a modicum of concern for the future of the Republic. But with a few notable exceptions, the GOP leadership is either giving Trump a pass, or just taking a pass.

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You can count the exceptions on the fingers of one hand (and still have the middle finger left over for other uses in this campaign). Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse is one. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is a second. And the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, a third. All have spoken out against Trump. Rick Synder, the Republican Governor of Michigan who in big trouble at home, declined to make an endorsement, but otherwise doesn't comment.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, chair of the Republican Governors' Association and the rare high-ranking Latina in Republican politics, has traded gibes with Trump. But lately, she and Trump have been trying to make nice.

Jeb Bush has said he will not vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton, but has not spoken forcefully against him. Karl Rove, who has called Trump "a complete idiot," says he is undecided. Likewise John Kasich and Ted Cruz.

Other Republican elected leaders who grasp just what Trump represents are showing their quiet displeasure only by staying away from the convention. That includes several GOP incumbent senators in tight races -- all of whom have nonetheless endorsed Trump and will vote for him. Susan Collins of Maine, the last Republican moderate in the Senate, supports him.

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Even worse, several Republicans who were savaged, slandered and humiliated by Trump have lined up to endorse him. That craven group includes House Speaker Paul Ryan, his wetness Little Marco Rubio, and John ("I like people who were not captured") McCain.

Do these people have no self-respect, and no concern for their country? Surely, they have not had a conversion experience and concluded that Trump will be a great leader.

Still worse are people like Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, who provide excuses for Trump's outbursts. After Trump's attack on Judge Curiel and threats to use the presidency to go after him, McConnell helpfully explained that a President Trump would be constrained by the advice of a White House Counsel -- as if Trump's inner staff would be anything but Putin-style flunkies.

These are the same people who rail at Barack Obama's supposed abuses of executive power -- for benign and carefully wrought orders like giving more workers overtime pay protection or staying the deportation of exemplary immigrants brought here as young children. What sort of executive do they think Donald Trump might be?

One of these senior Republicans should break ranks and demonstrate some concern for the larger stakes by giving a major address warning against the menace of Trump as an incipient fascist.

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Why doesn't that happen?

First, these cowards don't want to face the wrath of pro-Trump voters. Second, they are worried that intensifying the split in the Republican Party will only lead to a bigger November victory for Democrats. And third, some of them think, opportunistically, that a President Trump might be used to further Republican goals, even though he has displayed nothing but contempt for core Republican principles.

The trouble with these calculations is that the split is already there. A figure like John McCain, in a close Arizona re-election battle, is already in trouble with the GOP Tea Party base. Endorsing Trump, after having been savaged by Trump, just makes McCain look like a sad old man.

John Kasich, the rare contender in the Republican primaries who accurately called out Trump for who he is, will not save his own skin by going wobbly on Trump. He only comes across as weak.

Trump is a threat to the American Republic, as real as a terrorist attack or an invasion. If elected, he will set off the gravest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. The Republican leaders who are backing him surely know that. I'd like to believe that at least some of them got into politics for principled reasons. Where are those principles now?

Profiles in courage are rare in politics. Recent ones include acting attorney general James Comey's refusal in 2004 to sign off on a key aspect of the Bush Administration's illegal domestic spying program; the 1996 resignation in protest by three top Clinton officials (Peter Edelman, Mary Jo Bane, and Wendell Primus) when Clinton decided to sign a Republican bill destroying the federal guarantee of aid for the needy; and the 1973 "Saturday Night Massacre" resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, when Richard Nixon ordered them to fire special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. It fell to Nixon loyalist Robert Bork, then solicitor general, to do the deed.

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There are few if any Republicans today with the stature and dignity of Elliot Richardson, and one can imagine even fewer in a Trump Administration. A decision by major Republican leaders to call Trump what he is, to say so out loud in a major speech or statement, would be a courageous decision to put country above party.

If, through a chain of mishaps, Trump actually became president and America's first dictator, the more principled of these leaders would be wracked with regret. Many more, I'm sad to say, would be scrambling to get into the new Administration. Should the story be written that America lost its democracy, the sheer cowardice of mainstream Republican leaders will be a sorry chapter.

--


At the sprawling Johns Hopkins University and Health Care System, support for breastfeeding employees is not just a one-off policy or accommodation, it's a comprehensive program. And it's been some time in the making.

Johns Hopkins comprises both a string of health care facilities, including Johns Hopkins Hospital, itself, and the university, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs across six campuses (plus some additional facilities) in Baltimore, the District of Columbia, and surrounding areas. A stipulation of the founder's will keeps the business aspects of the health care and university organizations separate, but fortunately, the university's Office of Work, Life and Engagement serves employees of both sectors.

Johns Hopkins employs about 40,000 people, and first started assessing how it was doing with lactation support about six years ago, in response to new regulations included in the Affordable Care Act. The health care system already had some lactation rooms and even lactation consultants, but they didn't serve employees working in the many university-based buildings. So a first step to comprehensive breastfeeding support was to transfer ownership from the hospital's Pediatrics department to work-life. This is where Meg Stoltzfus came in. Meg's title is Lifespan Services Manager, and she and her team were tasked with creating a more holistic, all-encompassing approach to supporting the breastfeeding moms on staff.

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First, the rooms ...

The team quickly realized that many employees didn't have access to lactation rooms (which are called "mothers' rooms" at Johns Hopkins). So they worked with leadership to greatly expand the number of rooms across their many locations, and ensure both new and existing rooms were well equipped.

Today, having added 16 rooms to the existing three--with an additional three under construction--this part of the job is nearly done. All the rooms now have hospital-grade breast pumps, and nearly all are equipped with refrigerators, sinks, and microwave ovens. In addition, women can use an employer-provided discount to purchase the personal accessory kits needed for breast pump use.

...and then still more

But Meg and her team were determined that support for new mothers would not stop at mothers' rooms. They developed break time policies tailored to the separate staffing situations of the health system and university. They created a guide for managers and supervisors, including not just information about policies and programs but the business reasons behind those policies.

They even created a sheet of tips by managers, for managers. This last was serendipitous. As part of her research for the managers' guide, Meg reached out to women who had used the mothers' rooms, asking them to identify managers who had been particularly supportive. Then she contacted those managers to see if they had advice to share with their colleagues.

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"My email blew up," she says. "I got so much information and so many wonderful tips about how managers actually make this work that I decided to develop a separate tip sheet just to share them!"

Finally, in order to ensure that employees saw all of this as a comprehensive program, they put effort into branding it, coming up with a logo and a specific, consistent look for all related materials.

It's all about the data.

Women who want to use the mothers' rooms are asked to register in advance, giving the work-life team an opportunity to send them details not only on how to use the rooms but on other aspects of the program, such as the personal kit discounts and breastfeeding classes. But the registration serves another purpose, too.

Johns Hopkins is a research institute, and data plays an important role in decisions about programs and policies. So data collection is built right into the lactation program. Once women are registered, they swipe their ID cards to get access to the rooms. The result is a gold mine of data--not just how many women are using the mothers' rooms and how often, but which locations are getting the biggest usage and where new rooms might be needed. And all this data has been hugely helpful in "selling" the program to senior leadership.

But the most innovative feature of all is the vending machine.

That's right, the vending machine. Moms, Meg comments, are exhausted. When they're home, they're thinking about being with their new baby. When they head to work, it may be all they can do to remember to pack lunch.

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As the main contact for the breastfeeding program, Meg found herself getting frantic calls at all hours: a mom had forgotten the breast pump tubing, or a bottle, or the whole personal kit. Since the majority of employees work in the hospital, most of the calls came from there--and they came at all hours. Meg' office is in another location, but she found herself stockpiling supplies, then regularly jumping into her car to bring them to mothers in need.

Something needed to be done. She tried stocking the lactation rooms with basic supplies, to be taken on the honor system, but the supplies regularly diminished, nobody notified her, and she was back to square one. The problem was too big, and she was at a loss to solve it.

Then one day, hurrying to catch a plane, she noticed an airport vending machine that sold not food, but items like earbuds and iPods. Eureka!

"I need a self-service option that's available 24 hours a day--that's a vending machine!" she thought.

As soon as she returned from her trip, Meg started researching. She discovered that one can buy a vending machine and customize it to sell just about anything. Nonetheless, arranging for a customized machine that would meet employees' needs would turn out to be a two-year process.

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Once she had chosen a vendor, Meg had to work through all kinds of questions: what should she stock it with (the size and shape of items stocked would affect the design), who would keep it stocked, how would users pay? (In the end, she opted to do the re-stocking herself, and went for a credit/debit card- only, system.)

Even when the machine was finally installed, in the room with the second-highest usage (thank goodness for all that data), Meg continued to tinker. Employees loved it, but they also had a lot of comments and requests; between this and usage data from the machine, itself, she revised--repeatedly--the stock. This, in turn, required working with a local technician from the vending machine company to adjust the actual machinery.

After nearly two years, Meg is getting ready to expand: she's working on adding machines at a few more high-usage locations.

Meg notes that if an employer wanted, they could probably make up the cost for purchasing, customizing and servicing the machine through sales. Johns Hopkins decided on a different model, however, treating the vending machine as a benefit, and selling items at cost--which, given that the hospital can order supplies at a bulk discount--is considerably less than they'd pay retail. The result truly is a benefit to employees, many of whom use the machine not just as an emergency fallback but as a convenient place to shop on a regular basis.

While the vending machine has been a huge success, Meg stresses that it is just one aspect of a comprehensive program:

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Fertility in black women is rarely discussed or acknowledged as a problem. Breeding myths from slavery perpetuate the stereotype that black women do not have problems conceiving. Studies have shown that when it came to infertility and IVF treatments, black married women had a harder time. Recently, I pondered the idea of whether I should have children. I never cared before. It came up as part of a relationship discussion. When a girlfriend was told that she could not have children I realized how I assumed that it would not be an issue. Sure, I was in my 40s but the women in my family were rather fertile and always had healthy babies. I'm probably the only one to wait so late in life to consider it.

Supermodel Tyra Banks admitted that she had trouble conceiving and used a surrogate. Janet Jackson's pregnancy announcement at age 49 had many scratching their heads at what wonder science was performed to achieve that feat. Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall's upcoming movie, When the Bough Breaks, addresses the issue of infertility and surrogacy, probably affirming our worst fears. With more professional black women getting married and having children later in life, I spoke with Dawne Collier MD, an OB-GYN who practices in Chicago, about fertility in black women.

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Let's start from the beginning.

Women are born with around 1-2 million follicles (immature eggs). You don't make more. At puberty, it's down to about 400,000. Whereas, men constantly make more sperm as long as they have testicles, which explains 80 year old men fathering children.

Do we have a biological clock?

With each menstrual cycle up to 1000 follicles begin getting ready for ovulation. Only 1 becomes mature enough to do so. The other "999" or so are lost, so once you start your regular menstrual cycles, you begin to lose eggs on a monthly basis.

Do our eggs stop being fresh?

Because we are born with a limited quantity of eggs, there is a "shelf life." Your eggs in your 20s are "fresher" than in your 30s and 40s. The "older" the eggs, the higher the chance of chromosomal or genetic abnormalities.

At what age is conception problematic? I've heard tale that in maternity wards they refer to pregnant women over 35 as elderly.

The older you are during pregnancy, the higher the risk for gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and other factors. After 35, you have increased chances of miscarriage. Also, a younger uterus is better than an older uterus.

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What questions should we be asking our OB-GYNs if we are over 30 and not sure if we want kids?

If you aren't sure if you want kids, start the dialogue with your OB-GYN in your early 30s. Some women are waiting until after their career has taken off. I've met women who have never considered kids then later meet someone and they want to have kids, but cannot. Delay works against you. Therefore, it is better to start the dialogue with your doctor. Take active movement to preserve your eggs. Think about saving/freezing your eggs. Some people worry about frozen eggs versus live eggs. Better to think about it this way. If your eggs are frozen in your 20s or 30s, they are younger "fresher" than live eggs in your 40s with less chance of chromosomal/genetic abnormalities.

If a woman is over 40 and wants to conceive what should she do?

If you have not taken steps to preserve your eggs, conceiving can be difficult even with IVF or surrogacy. Additionally, IVF is expensive and most insurance policies do not cover in its entirety. It costs upwards $9k to receive IVF hormone treatment (shots) to make more eggs more mature (superovulation). IVF maximizes what your body normally does during the ovulation process times twenty. If your eggs are mature enough, then you pay an additional $10k for the surgery to remove the eggs to become fertilized by the sperm then placed back in the uterus. Even if your eggs become mature and the surgery is successful, you are never out of the woods. A fertilized egg doesn't always result in a live birth due to miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities, or other problems during pregnancy. Most women have to do IVF twice before it takes - around $30k for each treatment. Surrogacy is an option where you can have donated egg or sperm.
'Mayor Bill de Blasio's promise to ban New York City's iconic horse-drawn carriages could backfire, exposing what the newly-elected mayor's critics suggest is a corruption scandal masquerading as an animal-rights crusade.' The American Spectator January 6, 2014

On February 4th, when the Teamsters pulled support from a bill, they never agreed to in the first place, the Mayor sat in his SUV for 16 minutes, rather than face the men and women in top hats on the steps of city hall.

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The spectacular arrogance of Bill de Blasio, to think the carriage industry wouldn't fight back, with everything they had - for their very existence.

And, if it weren't for the Teamsters, carriage drivers, all media, Liam Neeson, the City Council, an overwhelming majority of New Yorker's and an unprecedented grassroots movement, he might have succeeded.

The fix, was apparently in, by March of 2013. When, chomping at the bit, an eager, de Blasio, was asked about banning the horse carriages, at the NYCLASS Mayoral Candidate Forum,' First day I'm Mayor, I will ban them'.

But, three years after he promised to ban the horses, he'd never seen, from the stables he'd never visited...the manure hit the fan.

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Now he knows how the drivers, he never talked to, felt, when their children asked, 'Daddy, why are you on TV?', 'Why is Mayor de Blasio trying to take away daddy's job?'

And what it's like to be the brunt of a relentless campaign, of malicious innuendo, meted out by the Mountebanks of misinformation, flipping the script, and PR spin, NYCLASS.

Who, along with their minions, have falsely accused innocent drivers of animal cruelty, and raised donations doing it.

When, by the city's own admission, at the hearings, on the carriages, no horse has died while working, and there has never been a case of animal cruelty, in over 100 years.

In the two years, I've been filming my documentary on the horse carriages, and posting hundreds of videos on YouTube, I've been hit, spit on, called an 'animal abuser', 'f****** carriage whore', 'wrinkled old hag', 'crazy alcoholic', and '100 year old Annie Hall'.

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Poor NYCLASS, spent all that money, and all they got was this lousy, "Horse Carriages Are Sooooo Last Century" tee shirt, and a subpoena from Preet Bharara.

Now that the Mayor 'failed to deliver' on his promise to ban the horses, his supporters are flipping faster than free pancake day at IHOP.

Liam Neeson was right.

It was never about the horses, it's about where they live. The inconveniently located stables, in the biggest privately owned real estate development in US history, The Hudson Yards.

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They were just a smoke screen, collateral damage. Because you can't just take people's personal property and private businesses away for no reason, so one had to be manufactured

'It's not about the horses. It's about money, power, politics, radical animal rights, and real estate', carriage driver, Christina Hansen told me in 2014 when we first met, but it backfired.

And the steady, clip-clop, clip-clop, of tabloid wood, suggest his, alleged, fuzzy money moving to ban the horse carriages, just might be, patient zero, signalling, how Team de Blasio was to do business, 'day one'.

As of today, the 'seventh, pay-to-play scandal engulfing the de Blasio administration' has come to light.

'A Classic Shotgun Wedding'

An audible gasp, could be heard from a veritable, who's who, of the animal rights movement, jammed into City Council chambers, for the big day, as Rory Lancman effectively knee capped their three year, raisons d'etre.

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On January 22, during the 'disastrous' six-hour Transportation hearings on the carriages, for which they had two years to prepare, the council appeared weary of having to repay the Mayor's, serial obsession, tweeting #whyarewehere, with more prescient matters facing the city. The one-liners were flying faster than Don Rickles, could zing them, at a Friar's Roast.

'What you're asking us to buy, is an empty bag with a hole in it' chided Queens Councilman Barry Garodenchik.

The amended, Intro 573B, was to build a stable in the park- but first get rid of half the industry, by limiting the licenses, reducing shifts, then cutting the number of horses from 220 to 70. A wink and a nod to the animal activists.

The bill, so punitive, so arbitrary, it was nothing more than a slow, painful ban, by attrition, crafted as if to maximize the most suffering, for the imposition and embarrassment the carriage industry had caused him, by fighting back.

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'We Put Him In Office'

'Mayor de Blasio made a promise to us, I was there. They said, 'Anybody But Quinn'. It was the animal rights community, that brought along the gay community, that created a campaign, that put him in office. 'Anybody But Quinn' is an animal rights slogan. I met with Christine Quinn, and she didn't realize how powerful we were...and we said - next'.

~NYCLASS Rally, July 23, 2015

According to vegan, hip hop mogul, Russell Simmons, the animal rights community, put de Blasio in office, to ban, the 'worse disaster in the history of mankind' ...after Christine Quinn, refused.

This corroborates carriage driver Christina Hansen's tapes, when she bravely, went undercover, for 4 months, infiltrating, to see what NYCLASS was up to, in their attempts to ban the horses and acquire the stable property.

Animal rights and real estate lobbyist, Steve Nislick, had met with the drivers in 2008, making his intentions known, for the stables that were rezoned for 70 floor high rises, and his plan they buy his electric car to replace the carriages. He left behind a pamphlet.

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'Currently, the stables consist of 64,000 square feet of valuable real estate on lots that could accommodate up to 150,000 square feet of development. These lots could be sold for new development.'

The American Spectator January 6, 2014

She secretly recorded Steve Nislick at the Stitch Bar on May 19, 2011 after a Christine Quinn fundraiser. She was shocked at what she heard.

'But what we want is we want this done in the next year. If this doesn't happen within the next year, we're in a total and absolute war with her. It's a war. Remember we have de Blasio on our side...'

When Quinn heard the tapes, she gave the money back...'Next'

'Stand Up To Bullies, New York'

The horses were supposed to be an easy hit, banning a thriving and robust industry, which pre-dates the Civil War, to appease the 'save-every-single-gnat', animal activists, of NYCLASS, who bankrolled his campaign.

An alphabet soup of acronyms, comprise the animal rights groups. Most of them don't get along, but can be marshaled when they need numbers, like when Christine Quinn received 2,000 calls in two days from screaming activists, or Fashion Week, or, when they shut down my Twitter account for four months.

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They are a deep pocketed, cabal of lobbyists, political operatives, who inform, sincere foot soldiers, true believers, that the 'poor horses' are 'enslaved' and 'abused', and that it is their moral imperative, to 'set them free'.

They stand on street corners and yell at tourists taking carriage rides, saying they support animal abuse. Brandishing misleading posters of dead or fallen horses, that in fact aren't dead, or from another city, or 20 years ago, or got up 2 minutes later... with talking points on the back. "Fear porn", as one former animal activist calls it.

NYCLASS had assured de Blasio they had the votes in the City Council - and Nislick was convinced, the Teamsters would never take this on, and jeopardize relationships with whomever became Mayor.

'...at the end of the day, the Teamsters can't care that much about this issue.

Not enough to lose the relationship with three or four perspective mayors. And we're offering them a better business where they can

sell their real estate, make a ton more money.'

They were wrong on both counts.

At the 1916 Teamsters Convention, it was proclaimed, 'The horse would always be the heart of the union'. The original Teamsters, the horses, Thunder and Lightning, remain to this day.

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In fact, the Teamsters were so committed to saving the horse carriages, Jimmy Hoffa Jr, personally, sent his top conflict negotiator, Bernadette McCulloch Kelly.

Bernadette is the one they bring in, when all talks break down.

Armed with her prodigious organizing skills, the full faith and mighty muscle, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a systematic, sober and steady, campaign of education, facts, and the truth to lies, was begun, to neutralize the bullying, disinformation, and hate speech.

As carriage driver Stephen Malone told me once, 'We always had the truth on our side.'



A dedicated, and growing army of truly courageous, and devoted, Trojan warriors, tweeters, letter writers, bloggers, citizen lobbyists, joined the men and women in top hats, and for the next two years, pushed back every, anthropomorphic projection of perceived misery - with fact. Every misinformed, celebrity endorsement - with science.

But the night it started in earnest, was outside the Hippodrome, on December 4, 2013.

Bernadette, Kevin, Ariel, Eli, Tony, Paul, Conor, Adrian, Christina, Walker, Jill, and a group of carriage drivers and carriage advocates, handed out flyers telling the facts, 'as animal lovers who treat our work partners, our horses, with love and respect'.



'We share NYCLASS's scorn for those who abuse and bully others', sending a message about the standing up to bullies, to the bullies...inside the Hippodrome.

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Paul and Bernadette handed out flyers inside... but were kicked out.

Inside the Mayor-elect, was being honored at the NYCLASS, Animal Heroes of NYC Awards Fundraiser, for his compassion to animals. An odd choice, in that he'd never owned a pet, and was about to become PETA Person of the Year, and kill the groundhog. Personally, I always thought Charlotte took one for the team.

'I didn't start with a full understanding of these issues', he admits. 'I had some positions that were a little more narrow minded' .

...'and I ran into John Phillips on the steps of City Hall about 400 times,

I got regular lectures from my children, especially

my daughter Chiara. So I had a nice echo chamber.' 'We're going to start with horse carriages and we're going to proceed though that agenda together, to make the changes we need in this city. 'I'm so proud to be associated with NYCLASS, I'm so

proud to be part of this movement.'

And that's how it began, how we saved the horses.

And it grew steam. Liam Neeson came to the stables, and lent his, very particular set of skills to the fight, and the Daily News started its 'Save Our Horses' campaign.

Seven consecutive Quinnipiac polls said, 64% of New York loved our horses. 200 articles and op eds, were written the first month, and in the following years, thanks to Twitter and social media, bloggers, and some good old school, gumshoe reporting, which has been inked, some me of the best investigative journalism, since Watergate.

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It became one of the most historic grassroots movements in the history of our city, and a monumental victory for animal welfare and inspiration across the country and world, against the radical animal rights groups. New York will stand as an example, you can fight City Hall...and win. Some say, it's the reason for all the Mayor's troubles today.

'Agents of the City' and What the Definition of 'Pending' Is

Mayor de Blasio and his posse, aka, Agents of the City, have tirelessly fought for progressive change, against the dark forces of the status quo, to save a thankless Gotham.

The finest journalists in the city, perhaps the country, comprise the New York press corp. Pulitzer, Peabody and Emmy winners. And the best of the best are the political reporters in Room Nine.

One would have thought, a Mayor, with six or seven, potential, criminal investigations in the works, might be a little more contrite. Especially to a room full of press, whom he'd effectively ignored for two and a half years, and who'd been stalled or stonewalled for the better part of a year, trying to get FOIL requests.

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'It is absolutely permissible, under the ethics rules, for a city official to request donations, for people who have business before the city. The distinction here that is complex and is getting lost is, 'pending transactions'.

Mara Wiley, Counsel to the Mayor

On December 8, 2014, Intro 573 to ban the horse carriages introduced to the Transportation committee, 'pending' getting the votes in the Council, would come to a vote. Having catastrophically failed, budget week of 2015, when NYCLASS's $500,000, pornographic postcard, turned off the Council supposed to woe them during budget week, it was 'pending' for another year, until he got the bright idea, a hail Mary pass, to put a stable in Central Park, without telling anybody.

So Intro 573B was introduced again. This time, NYCLASS and all the animal activists had a sudden change of heart, about the poor abused horses and backed the bill, two days before the 'pending' hearing on January 22 of this year.

Back on February 27, 2015, Steve Nislick and Wendy Neu had a meeting with the Mayor and three days later, each deposited $50,000 into the, now defunct Campaign For One New York.

A month or so, after that, an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) was awarded to Langan Engineering. No red flags here, except their CEO David Gockel appears on the NYCLASS website as an early supporter.

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Such a flagrant violation of conflict of interest and First Amendment, as to merit a schooling on the Constitutionality, by non other than, Norman Siegel and Ron Kuby. It now appears almost $200,000 was paid to a 'tainted' report.

Like a bad magician, showing how he does his tricks, the appearance of impropriety in the de Blasio administration, makes you wonder, what the real deception is.

My documentary, two years filming on the frontlines of the story of the horse carriages, 'My Horse For A Kingdom', in post production.
Photo credit: Zaman, Selahattin Sevi

The Turkish government's war on the Gulen movement has shown no signs of ebbing. Ankara is so determined to crack down on this loose network that its top security council framed it as a terrorist group last week.

This puts the Gulen movement on par with a Kurdish rebel group that has waged a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state as well as the Islamic State. Listing the Gulen movement as a terrorist group is part of a campaign led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to go after its followers in other countries, where they found relative peace from increasingly aggressive government that has put more than 4,000 people in jail so far, all of whom are accused of being a Gulen movement sympathizer.

While delivering the news report to its subscribers last week, Reuters described Fethullah Gulen as a cleric who is "preaching Sunni Islam with a message of interfaith dialogue."

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Gulen is a scholar currently residing in a secluded and rural area of Pennsylvania, in Saylorsbourg to be exact, just two-hour drive from New York. Many Turks believe that Gulen's compound is the headquarters of a movement that unsuccessfully engineered a coup to bring down the Erdogan's government. Of course, with the help of the Uncle Sam and Israel.

Gulen is loved and loathed by many. But is it fair to designate a movement that vociferously renounces violence a terrorist group?

Erdogan has long had a trouble in defining terrorism. He has not refrained from calling his critics as terrorists, including anti-government Gezi protesters, let alone sympathizers of violent groups such as the PKK. The broad definition of terrorism is exactly the sticking point that put Turkey's visa talks with the EU on a stalemate. It is not surprising that the Turkish government framed the Gulen movement as a terror group. Human Rights Watch senior Turkey researcher Emma Sinclair-Webb said on her Twitter feed before the designation that "Erdogan smears non-violent Gulen movement with a terror label."

Gulen's followers argue that the confrontation with the Turkish ruling party AKP dates back as far as 2010, when Gulen criticized a Gaza-bound flotilla. But the fissure between the former allies was laid bare after Erdogan publicly accused the movement for orchestrating the twin corruption investigations in December 2015 that targeted Erdogan and his inner circle.

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Since then anyone praising the preacher or donating to a charity group affiliated with the movement faced criminal charges for "spreading terror propaganda" or "financing a terrorist organization." From housewives to a 91-year-old businessman, an estimated 4,100 people were jailed since summer 2014.

Last year, Erdogan ordered all Turkish ambassadors in the world to go after individuals and institutions affiliated with the Gulen movement. He hired a British law firm headed by Robert Amsterdam to pursue the Gulenists in the US and in Africa, where they established hundreds of schools, orphanages, hospitals and aid centers. Only in the US, the Turkish government hired ten lobby groups to monitor Gulen movement's activities, and if possible, to block them. In New Zealand, for instance, the Turkish ambassador sent a bulk email to dozens of senior officials, including members of the Parliament, to ask them not to attend a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner organized by the Gulen movement, sources said.

Wherever Turkish officials go, host countries ask: Do you have a court decision that says the Gulen movement is a terror group? Every time the answer is: We're working on it.

Ankara believes that the latest security council decision will be more convincing in blocking the Gulen movement's activities abroad. Yet a day after the decision, the US State Department announced that it does not view the Gulen movement as a foreign terrorist organization and that it "is up to Turkish officials" to do so. Even worse for Ankara, President Barack Obama sent a message to a culture festival organized by the Gulenists. So did UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and French President Francois Hollande.

Gulen is considered to be one of the world's leading moderate voices of Islam. His iconic "A Muslim cannot be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a Muslim" quote came to symbolize how he and his followers view the link between Islam and terrorism in post-9/11 world. In his opinion piece published by the NY Times last year, Gulen said the core tenets of a functioning democracy -- the rule of law, respect for individual freedoms -- are also the "most basic of Islamic values bestowed upon us by God."

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He then chronicled his movement's achievements in the world: "[Movement's sympathizers] have committed themselves to interfaith dialogue, community service, relief efforts and making life-changing education accessible. They have established more than 1,000 modern secular schools, tutoring centers, colleges, hospitals and relief organizations in over 150 countries. They are teachers, journalists, businessmen and ordinary citizens."

In Wall Street Journal, he asked Muslims to denounce violence, demonstrate flexibility to accommodate individuals with diverse backgrounds, publicly promote human rights, provide educational opportunities to every member of their communities and said it is imperative that Muslims support equal rights for women and men.

A separate statement in which he condemned ISIS appeared in many US and European newspapers last year.
OAKLAND, CA - Democratic Candidate for President former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to Californians at Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Oakland, California on Sunday morning, June 5, 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

If you've followed this year's presidential primary debates or town halls, you've seen moms everywhere on the campaign trail.

From volunteers with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, who have been a visible force at primary events, asking all candidates how they will address the gun violence crisis that kills 91 Americans a day, to the Mothers of the Movement, African-American moms on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton, many of whose children were killed by gun violence.

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Hillary has made mothers fighting for gun sense a key part of her policy platform.

And that's why, after months of asking tough questions and carefully considering the positions of all candidates, Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. We are the country's largest gun violence prevention group with more than three million supporters -- and we're with her.

Hillary is the only candidate who has consistently stood on the side of gun safety. She's the only candidate has stood with gun violence survivors. And she's the only candidate who has shown the backbone to stand up to the gun lobby's extreme "guns everywhere" agenda.

In November, moms and women will elect Hillary Clinton as the first gun sense president. We will prove that gun safety is a winning issue because Americans, particularly women, demand it.

Volunteers with Moms Demand Action have already become a fixture in state legislatures, beating back bad gun bills and supporting gun safety legislation. Just this year, we helped defeat dozens of dangerous NRA-supported bills to allow guns in schools, guns on college campuses, and guns without permits. And in November, we will pass critical ballot initiative victories in Nevada, Maine and Washington state to help keep our families and communities safe from gun violence.

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Why are mothers such a powerful political force? It's simple: women vote. There are 80 million mothers in America and women are the majority of the voting electorate. As such, we are putting politicians on notice:

We will use our voices and votes this year to change our country's culture of gun violence. We will not stand by while our children, families and communities are put in the line of fire by a greedy gun lobby.

Already moms and gun violence survivors have moved the needle on the issue of gun violence prevention in presidential politics, making it a top-tier issue instead of a political no-fly zone. And we did it in less than four years.

That's the power of moms... that's the power of women.

Even when an unrelenting gun lobby with extremist followers taunted and harassed us, we didn't give up. And we won't.

Lockdown drills should not be part of our children's school day. We should not fear the threat of gun violence at the movies or in the sanctity of our houses of worship. We shouldn't have to encounter the crossfire of bullets on our city streets or assault weapons in the aisles of our grocery stores.

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As long as gun violence continues to threaten our children, our schools, our streets and our communities, moms will be at the voting booths every election, supporting only those candidates who stand up for our children so they don't have to stand up to gunmen.

And it's not just our children's best interests we have in mind when we go to the polls. Gun violence is a women's issue, full stop. It affects ALL women: married, single, with children--or not. Some 51 women are shot to death by a spouse or intimate partner each month. More women are killed each year by dating partners than by spouses, yet the "boyfriend loophole" in our current gun laws allow these abusers to remain armed.

It is for these reasons women and mothers with gun sense will be the force in making sure that gun violence prevention is the defining issue in this election.

We are the largest grassroots movement of Americans fighting for common-sense measures to end gun violence. We are non-partisan, but we are single-issue voters--and we are just as passionate about strengthening gun laws as the gun lobby's extreme leadership is about weakening them.
"An MSF assisted cholera treatment center in Mandera, Kenya". June 03, 2016 - Photo credit : @unfpaken

Mandera's double whammy, the concurrent outbreaks of cholera and chikungunya, is bringing to the fore the need for accelerated epidemic preparedness and prevention systems.Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated.Chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These are the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue ,yellow fever and zika virus. Its symptoms include high fever, joint pain, rash and headache. There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infection.

The twin epidemics have hit the expansive north-eastern county in Kenya, with half the population coming down with chikungunya virus infection. Since April, almost 1,103 cases of cholera has been reported in Mandera including 16 deaths, 3 being children.

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For about 17 months, several areas in Kenya have reported cholera outbreaks, but the outbreaks in Mandera present special challenges in a region where one health worker serves about 2,000 people and half the population has no access to clean water.

Almost 80 per cent of the Mandera residents are down with the outbreak - which has adversely affected health care workers and the livelihoods of many vulnerable urban poor, especially women and children.

Even the Mandera county Governor Ali Roba became a victim of chikungunya and spoke of the "excruciating and intolerable pain in his joints" for nearly a week.

The current cholera outbreak, in Mandera has been worsened by the immobilized health work force due to chikungunya outbreak and hence slowing response efforts from the local capacities.

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While chikungunya infection is often self-limiting and rarely fatal, the cholera outbreak is the more worrying, given the limited access to clean water and health facilities and a poor communication infrastructure that complicates efforts for tracing, diagnosis and isolation of cases.

There is a realistic fear that the outbreaks could spread to other regions, for instance in the coastal region if urgent action is not taken now. That would portend ill especially for the country's tourism sector that has just recently began recovering from a debilitating slump.

With half of Mandera's health workforce working at less than ideal capacity due to chikungunya infection, it is time for more hands to quickly be put on deck. The Mandera Referral Hospital is already overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of patients turning up with cholera and chikungunya symptoms.

Though the Kenya Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Switzerland have stepped up to bolster the county's health facilities to deal with the cholera outbreak, and support the Ministry of Health with response measures, gaps abound.

County health authorities are appealing for more health personnel, supplies such asintravenous fluids, antibiotics and water treatment chemicals. Public education efforts are also being cranked up.

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The array of needs was clear today, June 03, 2016 as a team composed of UNICEF, WHO, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the United Nations Population Fund, AMREF, Kenya Red Cross, MSF, government officials and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) led by the Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr. Cleopa Mailu visited Mandera East sub-county, the epicentre of the twin outbreaks.

As per reports the chikungunya virus was imported by infected travellers from Somalia. The team conducted a quick assessment to identify current response inputs and gaps, but more importantly to establish cross-border coordination links with partner agencies in the neighbouring countries of Somalia and Ethiopia.

While the prevailing circumstances call for emergency measures, the lesson must be that disease agents with pint-size virility like chikungunya can wreak havoc on an unprepared health system.

Health system strengthening approaches such as well-functioning surveillance and response systems will reduce the reliance on emergency measures. Dr Mailu said today, "the twin outbreak of cholera and chikungunya poses a real threat to public health not just in Mandera and the neighbouring counties but to all of Kenya. I am determined to make our health systems resilient and versatile to prevent disease outbreaks."

Building the capacity of health staff and use of community-driven prevention measures will prepare the local systems for quick response before external support is mobilised. Public-private partnerships and cross-border collaboration will neuter the viruses before they can spark multiple new chains of transmission.

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Stopping outbreaks quickly at source must be the target for health systems. This means such systems must be equipped to detect early signs of unusual disease patterns, they must have quick-response teams to track and investigate cases, and there must be laboratory services to help diagnose and confirm outbreaks promptly.

A public-private initiative where the Government of Kenya, county governments, UN agencies a number of private organizations have coalesced around improving maternal and child health, is already making encouraging progress in six high-burden counties in Kenya.

This inclusiveness must be the new paradigm in health systems development. The response to this twin outbreak in Mandera should lay the foundation for building a robust health system capable of preventing future outbreaks and build back better.
This Sunday's New York Times piece by Gretchen Morgenson on the eerie connection between the percentage of women on leading public boards and higher CEO compensation is headlined, "When a board has more women on it, the boss may make even more money." I was excited to read it, since it was clearly yet another proof point that increasing the proportion of women, as with other forms of diversity, is good business. It takes up half of the front page of the Sunday business section. Big news!

But Morgenson is after a different story, based on selective data, disheartening for my paper of record. For starters, she states at the outset, "I had expected women directors to stand tougher on pay issues" -- setting up the assumptions that 1) all CEO pay is too high at leading public companies; maybe, but she doesn't explore stock performance as a consideration, or anything else that would help us consider that in context, other than run her column next the actual take-home pay of the CEOs from the 200 largest firms; and 2) that women board members should exercise their authority -- their moral authority, as women? financial acumen, as women? -- around compensation issues, and, like Mom, be the disciplinarians. She finds a (female) expert on corporate governance to tsk-tsk with her, albeit in sympathy: "The culture of the boardroom is to vote yes. You want to stay on the board, don't you?" Does that sound like Meg Whitman or Ursula Burns to you, sitting in the back row and afraid to speak up? And isn't there a chance that the men newly appointed to boards also feel "under pressure to get along and go along?" Finally, how many women members of boards of the top 10 companies with the greatest gender diversity (having more than one-third women, 46 out of 124 total seats) actually serve on the compensation committee, the body that provides the informed recommendation on executive pay for the board to approve? Answer: 14, out of 46 (less than one-third); and the number of women on those highly diverse boards who chair the compensation committee? Two.

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So even should women on public boards all agree that CEO compensation is too high, and exercise their know-better feminine instincts -- overcoming their natural tendency to go along, as women -- to say so, how much pull would they have with such under-representation at the compensation committee level? Morgenson concedes that this could be a factor, while writing that both chair women "declined to comment" on their roles in rewarding their CEOs (Accenture and AT&T) higher compensation than the median for the top 100 companies. AT&T is #38 on the New York Times list of highest-paid CEOs, Accenture, #114. Might other compensation chairs on that list have anything to say? We don't know, because she doesn't ask.

There's clearly a correlation that research company Equilar uncovered in finding that among the 100 largest companies they studied, 57 percent have boards where women make up more than a fifth of the members (a fifth being the average percentage of women directors at S&P companies); and that median pay among the CEOs of those companies vs. those with 20% or fewer women was some $2M higher. Might there be other firm characteristics, such as stock performance or talent retention, reflecting guidance from a CEO and board that pushes for greater gender diversity than those with different priorities? We don't know, because we don't go there.

She cites that most of the top 10 most diverse boards (6) paid their CEOs more than average; but 4 did not. Well, that's a majority. Macy's is at the top of that most-diverse board list, with 6 out of 13 board seats held by women. Its chief executive, Terry Lundgren, was paid $11.6M last year -- not even enough to make the rankings of the 200 highest paid CEOs on the list that the Times published. Is this an outlier example of women delivering on their natural promise to limit take-home pay?

Morgenson concludes the piece by saying that, for those who had hoped women who are directors would rein in executive pay, "the data indicates that gender diversity in the boardroom just doesn't translate into meaningful change." I suppose; but as Catalyst and seemingly countless others have said, gender diversity correlates into the most meaningful kind of change, which is improved business results. What the corporate world needs are more women, and more diverse, leaders. The assumption that they will all think alike defies the nature, and value, of diversity itself.

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Californians, our turn at Super Tuesday is imminent. If you think the delegate counts are in and the nominees chosen, so why bother voting, you are wrong.

Sure, the delegate numbers are stacked against Senator Bernie Sanders and there is no Republican alternative to Donald Trump, but it would be foolish to surrender our Constitutional right to choose the leader of the free world for the next four to eight years. Believe it or not, there are verifiable times in American history where a nominee has won the popular vote but lost the election, and vice versa. More importantly, it is not a guarantee of democracy that citizens get their way. A pillar of democracy is free and fair elections, and citizen participation in elections is a necessary function of that process. In order for elections to be fair, people must participate. Boycotting, on the other hand, is voting by omission, not participation.

It has been argued that the rise of Trump is an expression by Republican voters of their frustrations with their party. The argument is not that Republicans are elated with Trump, but that rather, to his supporters, he represents change. Meanwhile, Republicans who don't care for Trump continue to vote for Cruz and Kasich, candidates that have suspended their campaigns. Why do they do so when Trump is the presumptive nominee? Don't they know?

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Of course they do. They actually know what those who boycott or surrender don't know, which is that voting for another candidate, even one that has opted out of the race, sends a message to their political party. Members of the Republican Party are unhappy with the party and the party presidential nominee does not represent everyone. The same goes for Democrats. Choosing to vote for Sanders, despite the numbers, sends a message to the Democratic Party that its members are not any more satisfied with its performance than the members of the Republican Party. Regardless of who wins in November, both parties should be left with the scars of trying to reconcile the will of the voters versus the dogged pursuit of their own agendas. That would be the truest indicator of democracy.

Voting is a platform for the citizens' voice. The collective voice of the people is what propels change. It is what this country and so many other countries are founded on, from the suffragettes and civil rights movements to the Arab Spring. Citizens deciding it is time for change, and thereby mobilizing to demand that change from their government, is the kind of action that makes leaders tremble and oftentimes, do everything in their power to silence the people and crush their will. President Maduro of Venezuela, in the face of massive national protests, is trying to block a referendum that would force him out of office. Violent clashes with the police continue while the country's southern neighbor saw its own protests last month lead to the successful impeachment of Brazilian President Rousseff.

The decision to vote or not to vote is a first world privilege. Voting, on the other hand, is a right. A right for which people around the world risk their lives. From Syria and Egypt, two countries wrought with decades of authoritarian dictatorships to Afghanistan, where the Taliban still controls large swathes of the country. Post-Arab Spring, we see President Assad of Syria continuing to massacre his people in retaliation for protests from the five years prior. Scenes from Egypt after Mubarak stepped down from office showed endless lines at the polling stations. People waiting in the hot sun just for the opportunity to vote after thirty years without real elections. On the other hand, the June 30, 2012 elections that declared Mohamed Morsi the new President of the country in what the government claimed were free and fair elections, looked different behind the scenes. As it turned out, less than a quarter of the voting population decided for a country of over 85 million people. The reason for the low turnout? Everyone else boycotted the election. Essentially, the remainder of the voting population either boycotted or didn't bother to show up. It is then understandable that the government could subsequently make the argument that the elections were democratic. Two years ago, journalists documented the Afghan elections with pictures of elderly voters whose fingers had been sliced off by the Taliban for voting. When Vice journalists asked an elderly farmer if he regretted voting, he had the audacity to reply that he would have been willing to lose all ten of his fingers to exercise his right to vote.

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Fortunately, in the current American elections, we don't have to face such atrocities. Eligible voters don't even have to get off their couches - just simply mail in their ballots. Having access to an abundance of information on the candidates, from policy stances to tax returns, is a privilege. To choose from a group of successful, well-educated candidates is a privilege. The mere fact that political participation is a protected right is a privilege. A privilege that many Americans do not value.
If the "Baltmain Army" isn't walking in your fashion show it can be challenging to gain notoriety for your clothing brand. This is one of the many obstacles emerging designers face and strive to overcome. Luckily, entrepreneur and philanthropist Maxine Viktor has come to the rescue with Metropolitan International Fashion Week Miami. MMIFW has been called the "one stop shop for designers looking to promote themselves and their lines". Having fashion buyers, celebrities and industry elite in attendance would make any emerging designer anticipate next year's show.

With a strong background in special event planning and public relations, Maxine Viktor decided to take on the challenge of running, organizing, and planning a fashion week. In 2012, MMIFW debuted with an array of domestic and international designers some of whom have gone onto NYFW and other notable fashion weeks. In order to organize this event Maxine had to acquire event spaces, conduct model casting calls, arrange pre-event media interviews for designers, oversee marketing and event preparations, attain event sponsors such as Beauty School of America and Vita Coco, and sponsor visas of foreign designers. With perseverance and many cups coffee, Maxine was able to successfully pull off her first of many fashion weeks.



On May 11, 2016, Metropolitan International Fashion Week Miami had their main event "A Night of Fashion" showcasing the collections of 10 designers from all over the globe. The selected designers competed to have their garments appear in a US chain store, allowing them to spread their influence in new markets. Sandbar Collection designed by Ana Araujo was the first line to walk the runway. The swimwear company turned heads with inventive designs and textiles. The next collection on the catwalk was Kimii LOO by Argentinean designer Lorena Avalos. Her designs rocked the runway with nature-inspired garments that were adorned with her interchangeable leather accessories.

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Brazilian designer Lorena Prado presented her brand Mohit Swimwear, that was filled with ornate cutouts, fluid silhouettes, and original prints. Catwalk Generation by New Yorker Vanessa De La Torre was next to walk the runway. The line, comprised of men and women's RTW clothing, caught and held viewers attention since of the backs of the garments were as unique as their fronts. US men's swimwear and loungewear designer CJ Golden revealed his latest collection "Just Call Me Spaceman". The diverse line used edgy textiles with metallic weaves and galactic prints, as well as using jersey knits- keeping CJG's sexy yet comfortable feel.



Canadian designer Al Shakour impressed crowds with her eye-catching patterns and flowy silhouettes in her Arabian Nights inspired collection for men and women. Uzbekistani womenswear designer Elena Milberger showed off her sense of femininity with her latest collection. Her whimsical designs would be a go-to for salsa dancing or an elegant night out. Next on the catwalk was Argentinean swimwear and activewear label OMAGUA by Lucia Beramend and Priscila Tartaglia. The collection's color palette conveys the senses through vibrant patterns and details. The last collection to walk the runway was RSP Fashions by designer Rosaura Sias-Pipenburg. Using the finest materials and workmanship, Rosaura created garments with silhouettes ranging from rompers to evening gowns- perfect for a night out on the town or a walk down the red carpet.

The true beauty of Metropolitan International Fashion Week Miami is that it gives foreign designers the opportunity to expand their presence in US markets. Also, MMIFW allows fashion buyers to find exquisite pieces for their stores, allowing shoppers to break away from overused styles and textiles and have a better retail experience. Consumers want something unique, and by increasing the amount of international clothing brands in the US market could be the solution retailers and fashionistas have been looking for.

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Nearly 250 million video surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the world, and chances are you've been seen by several of them today. Most people barely notice their presence anymore -- on the streets, inside stores, and even within our homes. We accept the fact that we are constantly being recorded because we expect this to have virtually no impact on our lives. But this balance may soon be upended by advancements in facial recognition technology.

Soon anybody with a high-resolution camera and the right software will be able to determine your identity. That's because several technologies are converging to make this accessible. Recognition algorithms have become far more accurate, the devices we carry can process huge amounts of data, and there's massive databases of faces now available on social media that are tied to our real names. As facial recognition enters the mainstream, it will have serious implications for your privacy.

A new app called FindFace, recently released in Russia, gives us a glimpse into what this future might look like. Made by two 20-something entrepreneurs, FindFace allows anybody to snap a photo of a passerby and discover their real name -- already with 70 percent reliability. The app allows people to upload photos and compare faces to user profiles from the popular social network Vkontakte, returning a result in a matter of seconds. According to an interview in the Guardian, the founders claim to already have 500,000 users and have processed over 3 million searches in the two months since they've launched.

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What's particularly unsettling are the use cases they advocate: identifying strangers to send them dating requests, helping government security agencies to determine the identities of dissenters, and allowing retailers to bombard you with advertisements based on what you look at in stores.

While there are reasons to be skeptical of their claims, FindFace is already being deployed in questionable ways. Some users have tried to identify fellow riders on the subway, while others are using the app to reveal the real names of porn actresses against their will. Powerful facial recognition technology is now in the hands of consumers to use how they please.

It's not just Russians who have to worry about the implications of ubiquitous facial recognition. Whenever a technology becomes cheap and powerful, it begins to show up in the unlikeliest of places.

Microsoft has patented technology that can allow a billboard to determine who you are and show you personalized advertisements. British authorities are using facial recognition at music festivals to spot troublemakers, while brick-and-mortar stores worldwide are racing to adopt the technology to track loyal customers. Even some high schools and churches have started to use facial recognition to take attendance.

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This leads to a situation that conjures up our worst fears with surveillance. You have no control whether your face is linked to other databases -- such as loyalty rewards programs or police watch lists -- or how that information is shared. Facial recognition is usually done without your permission, and there is no established way to opt out.

Tracking people in the real world might start to look more like it does online, causing changes to our behavior. That's no small adjustment. Just as with social media, we will continually have to worry about what footage will be preserved forever and how it will shape our reputation.

We've already seen how stalkers and criminals use enormous amount of personal data on social media to learn everything they can to target their victims. It's not hard to imagine a company's human-resources department in a few years searching for your face on YouTube when you apply for a job. They can observe how you behave in public, find you in a crowd, and access videos and photos where you appeared but weren't tagged -- and which you may not even know exist.

To be clear, the technology still has some major hurdles to overcome: it's far less useful in poor lighting, at strange angles, and when video quality is low. But we leave our "faceprints" everywhere we go, which means our movements can be tracked and stored on an unprecedented scale. We'd be wise to start preparing for the consequences now.

That involves dealing with the thorny legal and ethical issues of notice-and-consent, data ownership, and our relationship to the devices around us. We could choose to expand the classes of protected uses -- such as we do in the U.S. with health data -- or follow the European model of creating more expansive laws around personally identifiable information in general. We may also overhaul privacy protections to allow people new rights to their request their data be deleted and impose limits on what third-parties can do with our information.

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But the reality is that it's nearly impossible to stop the use of a technology once it's available to everyone. Losing anonymity comes at a cost. We will have to decide whether we really want a world where there are no more strangers and everything we do in public is analyzed indefinitely.

This article originally appeared on MarketWatch.
The agnostic wants more evidence and is therefore unsure; the atheist insists there is ample evidence and is therefore certain. What follows is a dialogue between an Agnostic (AG) and an Atheist (Ath), who eventually come to a meeting of minds...

but not without struggle.

......................................................................................................................................

AG:Agnosticism is more reasonable and more logical than atheism. Your absolutism is simplistic and the certainty of atheism is impossible.

Ath:You're right that I cannot be certain that there is no God in the same way that I can be certain that two plus two equals four. But lack of mathematical certainty does not preclude me from drawing conclusions with a high degree of confidence.

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AG:So you are agreeing that you can't be certain, in which case it turns out that you are conceding agnosticism!

Ath:The reverse. I can insist it is provisionally true that there is no God, while admitting the possibility that I'm wrong, just as I can insist on being certain that neither Zeus nor leprechauns exist, notwithstanding the possibility that they might. I am not certain in the hard mathematical sense, but in the softer scientific sense.

AG:Well you're just trying to have your cake and eat it too by playing with the word "certain" - claiming you don't believe in God but admitting that you're not absolutely positive.

Ath:Acknowledging the possibility of being wrong neither makes me agnostic nor undermines my atheism. We're quibbling about what it means to be certain, but this confusion is why I argue that our difference is merely semantic, and when this confusion is eliminated, agnosticism is not compelling.

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AG:The term agnosticism was coined by biologist Thomas Huxley in 1869 to refer to the insoluble nature of metaphysical matters, specifically spiritual ones. Huxley was adamant that you can't claim certainty about something unless there is sufficient evidence to justify it. So he rejected atheism on the same grounds that he rejected theism. He would not be on your side.

Ath:I'd like to think he could be convinced on the basis that there is sufficient evidence because our understanding has come a long way in the past 140 years since Huxley was writing.

AG:What evidence?

Ath:I think there are three strong lines of evidence - not proofs in the mathematical sense, but support in the scientific sense. The first relates to the concept of God.

AG:I assume you're going to argue that suffering and evil render a benevolent god impossible, but a theist would simply counter-argue that suffering is the cost of freedom and that, as God taught Job, humans are not endowed with sufficient wisdom to understand His reasons: God offers his presence, not answers to our questions.

Ath:That's my point exactly - as mysterious as God may claim to be, it's unintelligible that he would limit knowledge of his presence to a very select group. The evidence against a caring god is not so much the problem of evil or suffering, but the fact that billions of people don't believe in God. If belief in God is the sine qua non of human meaning and purpose, not to mention the gateway to a rewarding afterlife, why would a benevolent god deny this privilege to billions of people? In fact, why did God ignore all the Homo Sapiens who lived for tens of thousands of years prior to His revelation to Abraham?

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AG:You've merely demonstrated the intellectual difficulty, not the impossibility, of the Abrahamic version of God, but there are other ways of thinking about god - as a causal, organizing spirit, or as a life force, or as...

Ath:"God" connotes specific traits that are shared among monotheists, and is problematic enough without aggravating the semantic chaos by suggesting that "God" can mean whatever imaginative thing that anyone stipulates.

AG:Fair enough. But humans have believed in some version of a god for a long time, so there is clearly something at the root of this belief.

Ath:Of course there's something, but it's not a supernatural something. The second line of support for atheism is basic human psychology: animals such as us, with complex brains that seek to understand in order to feel in control of our environment, will always yearn for ways to make sense of and cope with the existential anxiety of life's day-to-day stresses, not to mention the dark cloud of impending death. On top of that, religion was presumably useful to us, as we began living in larger communities - religion served group cohesion and rule-making. There are many outdated superstitions that we pass on for no other reason than cultural habit.

AG:Ok, but an antiquated need for believing does not disprove God.

Ath:Not on its own, but it's the second of three insights, the third being the evolution of religion over millennia, including the relatively recent invention of monotheism. Homo Sapiens have been around for about 200,000 years, with fully developed consciousness for about 50,000 years and elements of spiritual-based rituals since then. But monotheism didn't come until much later. It was likely the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE that gave monotheism a boost, as a way for the exiled Jews to re-invigorate their religion. During this period, much of the Hebrew bible was compiled, singling out "YHWH" (Yahweh), who was likely named after the patron god "YHW" of the Shasu people. But Israelites initially worshipped multiple gods and monotheism competed with polytheism for a long time.

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AG:And of course the resurrection of Jesus complicated the issue of monotheism.

Ath:It took nearly three centuries after Jesus' death, when the Nicene Creed was formulated, to establish agreement on the status of Jesus' divinity as equivalent to God's. Scholastic consensus is that the historical Yeshua of Nazareth was a Jewish, itinerant, apocalyptic preacher - one of many at the time who rallied against corruption by the high priests of the Temple and, in the spirit of Second Isaiah, preached God's imminent creation of a perfect human society on earth. The first Christians were Jewish Christians and the two religions only began a gradual separation after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. Most Romans considered the Christians to be atheists since they didn't worship the pagan Roman gods and Christianity may have disappeared altogether if it weren't for Constantine's legalization of and conversion to it, likely in order to unify the sprawling Roman Empire.

The origin of Christianity is parallel to the origins of Buddhism and Islam: neither Siddhartha Gautama nor Muhammad ibn Abd Allah aspired to start new religions. In the latter case, Muhammad wanted to bring Judeo-Christian monotheism to the Arab people. He grafted his revelations onto popular rituals of the time, including the Arab pilgrimage to worship at the Kaaba in Mecca, as well as the Jewish ritual of fasting. And parallel to the evolution of Christianity, many Islamic tenets were formulated after Muhammad's death.

AG:As intriguing as the history of the Abrahamic religions is, I'm not clear why you think it proves God's non-existence.

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Ath:Most theists don't appreciate how contingent and path-dependent the development of their religious tenets has been. By understanding how monotheism arose and morphed over the past 2500 years, it becomes clear how God is a cultural invention. Together, the three main arguments suggest an extremely low probability of God's existence.

AG:"Extremely low" is not the same as "zero."

Ath:And we're back to my original point - that any difference between our views is superficial because the distinction between "extremely low" and "zero" is not meaningful. It's a distinction without a difference. What separates a learned agnostic from an atheist is nothing more than an irrelevant dispute over what it means to be "certain." I can make the argument for the impossibility of a specific god, such as the Abrahamic God, on the basis that it is incoherent, self-contradictory and unintelligible. But I can also make the argument for the improbability of any god, on the basis of the evolution of religious belief, explained by our natural, psychological need to make sense of our predicament. Whether God is impossible or improbable, the agnostic credo "we can't be certain" is a weak rejoinder that relies on a far too restrictive definition of certainty.

AG:Even if I acquiesce that the evidence favours atheism, I feel a visceral reluctance to embrace the certainty of atheism, even with your more flexible definition of certainty. Your arguments are persuasive, but I'm more comfortable concluding with the softer version: "I highly doubt there's a god."
"The government you elect is the government you deserve." - Thomas Jefferson

The faint pulse of the health of the American democracy is indicative of a serious systemic dysfunction suggesting the need for a major surgery, or at least an end to the two-party monopoly. There is a daunting disconnect between the American people and their politicians. The deceptive tune of this serenade of the ancien regime seduces the American electorate into thinking that this government by the two parties is actually a government of the people, as the Constitution claims it to be. Yet, there is no mention of political parties anywhere in the Constitution of the United States.

For far too long our election cycles have produced politicians beholden to the military-industrial-congressional-prison complex rather than the ordinary people whom they claim to represent. Much like the ancient two-face Roman god Janus, we get a new face at the helm every four or eight years, but unlike Janus who symbolized change and transition, the two-headed American monster charms the public by promising change. At the end the public get a promise, but the politicians "keep the change."

For far too long the two-party monopoly has denied Americans a real alternative and in desperation they have often voted for the lesser of the two evils. In a situation akin to the communist era one-party hold on power, a third-party candidate doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning an election. This political frustration and social alienation is met with revulsion by the public and has resulted in massive voter apathy.

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The haze of unpredictability in the 2016 election is symptomatic of that revulsion where the mainstream politicians are left at the altar as the left and right extremes run away with the bride, shocking the flower girls and political pundits alike.

This trend in antidisestablishmentarianism indicates that Americans are tired of singing "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" in every election cycle, only to end up with a government that is the epitome of deliberate systemic dysfunction where stagnant obstructionism defines the Republicans and feckless conformism describes the Democrats. Not much of the concept of "demos" is left in the ideals of the Democrats and no real "public" interest is served by the Republicans. The dismal 11 percent approval rating of the U.S. Congress, according to Gallup, attests to this sad reality and is reason enough to throw them out just like the corrupt politicians who were literally dumped in trash bins in Ukraine and just as people's power sent 26 corrupt bankers to 74 years in prison in Iceland. Nothing short of such a drastic measure will remind them that "We" as in "We, the People..." represent the American public and not the political parties or the 'personhood' of corporations.

This is why it is time to crash these two parties in order to salvage America's dysfunctional democracy so that no longer could the House Republicans deny the president his mandate; so that no longer would the Senate indefinitely delay judicial appointments at all levels of the judicial system thereby denying the American people the speedy due process they are entitled to. Nearly half of all the 168 presidential nominees in all of U.S. history since George Washington have been filibustered and blocked during Obama's term, according to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact.

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This is why the electoral landscape has changed completely in 2016. The emergence of Sanders and Trump at the opposite extremes of the political spectrum is symptomatic of the state of our system. Donald Trump's fascist spatters smudge the windshield of a Republican Party train that has already been derailed by the Tea Party obstructionists and the evangelical extremists. For political prudence Sanders has grafted himself onto the Democratic Party, a party that is treating him like a stepchild out of spite because the party sides with corporate greed rather than the working class need. The Democratic establishment resents Bernie Sanders' success as much as the Republicans are thrown aback by Trump's shenanigans and demagoguery.

This state of affairs suggests to many that it is time not to just change horses, but to change the course. While some Americans seem resigned to the status quo, the majority sees the vulnerability of the two parties and their internal disarray and division as the best opportunity. Evidence has shown that short of a Constitutional Convention there are still ways to give the public their voice and their vote:

The non-party preference voting in the California Senate race where top-vote-getters regardless of party affiliation, can be elected.

The California Proposition 11, the Voters First Act, put redistricting in the hands of a citizens' commission where decisions are guided by public testimony.

The concept of raising the winning threshold for incumbent candidates progressively in each subsequent election in order to level the playing field in competitive elections and would at the same time eliminate the need for term limits.

The prospect of a non-party campaign finance reform, once the party monopoly is over, and we would have salvaged our sovereignty from the grip of the party bosses who are beholden to their corporate donors rather than to the 99 percent of Americans.

All of these changes would take us once step closer to a Constitutional Convention for a 21st century system update. Most important of all we Americans would have buried the stigma that our government system is 'the best democracy money can buy.'

In the meantime however, during this 2016 election, Americans would be served better by a real choice as in "none of the above." In a more leveled playing field that would ideally serve the interests of the American people better, Hillary Clinton could run as a Democrat, Bernie Sanders as a Socialist, Ted Cruz would run as a Republican alongside the Libertarian Gary Johnson, and Donald Trump barking fascist ideals would be simply another independent candidate.

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The party pundits would do everything possible to prevent this from happening unless such an effort is preempted by a declaration on the part of the present field of candidates like Bernie Sanders, and possibly Donald Trump, to run on separate tickets this November. This will give the American electorate a real choice, where the public will be voting for ideas and ideals, instead of idols and idiots.
Just recently, Iran enforced a strict ban forbidding any of its citizens from participation in Hajj, the annually offered and once-in-a-lifetime required major Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This proceeds a ban placed in April on the minor pilgrimage Umrah, which can alternatively be performed by Muslims any time of the year. This early spring motion had no effect on the major Hajj, which takes place later in September this year, but did largely materialize out of a series of complaints against Saudi officials by Iranian pilgrims.

Both restrictions substantiate an aggressive 2016 between the two rivals, which inaugurated with the Saudi government executing of 47 Shiite clerics, including the prominent Nimr al-Nimr. The two main denominations of Islam, Sunni and Shia, compose about 85-90% and 10-15% breakdowns of the faith respectively. While Saudi identifies as heavily Sunni, Iran is the known Shiite powerhouse in the region. The resounding difference between the two sects originates in the exact lineage of rightful caliphates following the Prophet Muhammad his death, though the delineation has historically offered an arbitrary excuse to point fingers in the name of religion.

Despite the urgent significance of the Umrah ban earlier in April, the Hajj prohibition marks complete lack of respect and cooperation between the two nations.

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Following the January executions - which also happened to be Saudi's largest set in almost four decades - citizens flooded Tehran in protest, which included setting fire to the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital. The incident led Saudi to announce an official severing of diplomatic ties with Iran, officially escalating yet another set of alarming affairs plaguing the Middle East.

Though no ban had been set on pilgrims at the time, many Iranian travelers on Umrah soon after reported unfair, offensive, and harmful treatment by Saudi officials while in the Kingdom, including a notable instance of sexual assault by Saudi airport workers targeting two teenagers. Such a headline, however, was reported as just one of many by pilgrims throughout their times in not only the airports, but also hotels, city centers, markets, mosques, and around the Holy Kabah.

The exact stated rationale for the ban follows Iran's claim that Saudi rejected its requests to ensure the safety of its citizens in demands the Saudi labeled as consisting as far too special of treatment, especially compared to any other nation participating.

No clear timeline had been set for the ban, though it is stopping this the 2016 set of 600,000 Iranian travelers who constitute a distinct portion of the 18 billion dollars Saudi accumulates for pilgrimage tourism annually.

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VCG via Getty Images BEIJING, CHINA - JUNE 3: (CHINA OUT) An Apple logo is seen on June 3, 2016 in Beijing, China. Apple Inc. was recently listed as an enterprise of serious dishonesty and fined 50,000 yuan (about 7,612 USD dollar) by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics due to some discrepancies in their financial status and retail status in 2014. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

After flatly denying permission to Apple Inc to open its own retail stores in India unless it met local sourcing norms, the government of India seems to have softened up and might grant the tech giant a waiver of 2-3 years to meet its sourcing obligations.

The government might relax the 30% local sourcing norm for Apple to begin with. This will give the Cupertino, California, based company time to figure out its local sourcing in India. Apple originally applied forpermission to open stores in India in January.

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A report in the Times of India suggests that the finance ministry and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has already been considering giving smartphone makers relief from local manufacturing norms.

"It is only fair to insist on some local production and two-three years is a reasonable period. Five years may be too long," said a source to TOI.

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In 2015, the government had set up rules for foreign companies to open their own branded stores in India.That included a clause requiring sourcing 30% of the total product from India. The finance ministry had previously rejected DIPP committee's recommendation to relax the rule for Apple.

Last week, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested that the norms might be relaxed for Apple in a press conference.

"When you offer such a large market to a foreign supplier, it's only fair that you expect him to create some jobs in India. Otherwise, we will become a nation of traders," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said last week.
Mail Today via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 20: BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi during a press conference at BJP office in New Delhi. (Photo by Qamar Sibtain/India Today Group/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- In one sweeping remark, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has betrayed the ignorance with which his party approaches the governance of Kashmir Valley, the Muslim-dominated part of Jammu and Kashmir State.

"Youths in Kashmir earlier joined ISIS. They have now started joining the IAS (Indian Administrative Service). The second-ranker in this year's civil services examination is a Kashmiri," Naqvi, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, said at a public meeting in Noida on Sunday, while elaborating on the achievements of the Modi government over the past two years.

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Following the State Assembly Election in November, 2014, the Peoples Democratic Party and BJP forged an alliance to form the government, marking the first time the Hindu nationalist party came to power in conflict-ridden Jammu and Kashmir State, which has a Muslim majority even though Jammu has more Hindu inhabitants.

Unwittingly perhaps, Naqvi intoned the prejudice and ill-feelings which many people harbor against Kashmiri Muslims. This mindset is deeply hurtful and frustrating for young Kashmiris who try to fashion the best lives for themselves even as a low-intensity conflict plagues the Valley.

Naqvi's first sentence suggests that Kashmiri men are lining up in droves to join the Islamic State. This is hardly the case.

Out of the 30,000 foreign fighters estimated to have joined the Islamic State, there are around 25 Indians, which includes men of Indian origin. India is one of the lowest contributors to the ranks of foreign fighters.

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So far, The Times of India reported, not a single case has been filed against a Kashmiri for joining IS.

While several countries dole out harsh punishments for those who try to join IS, India does not have a - one punishment fits all approach - and cases of attempts to join the terrorist group or return are decided on a case-to-case basis.

On Friday, the National Investigative Agency filed its first charge-sheet against Naser Packeer, a 23-year-old from Tamil Nadu, for allegedly conspiring to commits acts of terror and recruiting others to join ISIS. On Saturday, the NIA also charged Mohammed Sirajuddin, a 33-year-old from Karnataka, for trying to recruit for IS.

Naqvi also suggests that Kashmiris have "started joining the IAS," referring to Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan, a 23-year-old from Anantnag, who grabbed the second position in the Civil Service Exam, this year.

Muhammad Shafi Pandit is the first Kashmiri Muslim to have joined the civil service in 1968, securing the third rank. Shah Faesal, became the first Kashmiri to top the 2009 Civil Service Exam, and Ruveda Salam became the first woman from the Valley to become an IPS officer in 2013 and an IAS officer in 2015 after she took the exam again.

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In between these three landmark moments, there have been a steady stream of Kashmiri men and women cracking the Civil Service Exam with growing frequency. The BJP coming to power has had no discernible impact on this.

Mr. Naqvi has got it completely wrong.

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MOHD RASFAN via Getty Images This picture shows an area where British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle roamed the streets taking pictures of children in this predomintly poor Indian community, according to witnesses, in Kuala Lumpur on June 3, 2016. British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle, who preyed on children in an impoverished Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood, will be sentenced on Monday, a judge said June 3. / AFP / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

A notorious British paedophile who is accused of raping and sexually abusing numerous children in Malaysia's impoverished communities, some even as young as six months old, allegedly posed as a volunteer at an orphanage in Bangalore and wanted to take photos and videos of children, according to reports.

In a series of chilling letters published by the Daily Mail, Huckle approached Indian pastor George Fernandes, 37, for a trip to his New Hope for Children Orphanage in June, 2013 after finding the name on Facebook. The unsuspecting pastor allowed Huckle, who introduced himself in the mail as "originally from UK but am studying an IT Degree in Malaysia", to visit New Hope.

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(This picture shows an area where British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle roamed the streets taking pictures of children in this predominantly poor Indian community, according to witnesses, in Kuala Lumpur on June 3, 2016. MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

WASN'T LEFT ALONE WITH THE CHILDREN

"I'm very much interested in visiting your orphanages in Bangalore and Ambur. It would be a great experience for me to visit your orphanages, meet and help the children, and would be more than happy to use my photography and video editing skills to help make some promotional material for your ministry. God bless your ministry and I look forward to hearing back from you," he wrote.

Fernandes even allowed Huckle to stay at his house, but according to the Daily Mail, at no point was he left alone with the children during his two-day stay and he is not believed to have abused any children at the orphanage.

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Recalling the visit, Fernandes told the online newspaper Huckle "would not speak much or tell anything about his past. He was very quiet and very different than other western volunteers we had in the past and he would hardly opened up even during dinner at my home. He had very good knowledge of photography and taught us many new thing and we learnt a lot from him but he seemed disoriented and won't look straight into our eyes ever during his short stay."

(This picture shows an area where British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle roamed the streets taking pictures of children in this predomintly poor Indian community, according to witnesses, in Kuala Lumpur on June 3, 2016. MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images)

WANTED TO MARRY UNDERAGE INDIAN GIRL

According to the New Straits Times, Huckle wanted to marry a young Indian girl at a Christian home in Setapak. The online paper quoted an eyewitness as saying that the manager of the home shouted at Huckle, who would always be seen walking around the small village and a Hindu temple, for wanting to marry the girl who was underage at that time.

The manager said Huckle was a troublemaker. He was volunteering there and had caused many arguments among them (the volunteers and social workers). When I asked why the manager was screaming and cursing at Huckle, he told me that the Englishman wanted to marry one of the Indian girls there. He had asked to marry her many times I think she may have still been underage at that time, the eyewitness, named as Siva (not his real name), told NST.

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Reuters reported that the 30-year-old freelance photographer had abused numerous Malaysian children while he worked in the country for nearly a decade. Malaysian police said they were seeking details on the man's victims from their British counterparts while the Malaysian government set up a hot line for members of the public to phone if they had information.

Huckle, who was arrested in London when he was returning home for Christmas in 2014, began exploiting children and documenting his activities in 2005 when he first visited Malaysia. His victims were aged between six months and 12 years, according to a British court document.

(British national Richard Huckle is seen after his arrest on multiple charges of sexual abuse of children in an image handed out by Britain's National Crime Agency June 2, 2016. Huckle pleaded guilty to multiple charges of abusing children as young as six months old in Malaysia and will be sentenced on Friday, according to local media.)

WROTE PERVERT'S GUIDE TO ABUSE

Media reports said Huckle had gained the trust of people in Christian-dominated communities in Muslim-majority Malaysia and also lived in churches in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

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He was charged with 91 offences, including 14 counts of rape of a child under 13 years old. His victims included five children aged between 3 and 12 at the time of the abuse, and a baby believed to be six months old, the document said.

He is believed to have abused up to 200 children, the BBC reported. Huckle pleaded guilty to 71 offences. British authorities recovered more than 20,000 indecent images of children from Huckle's computers and cameras after his arrest. Huckle allegedly kept an online blog and penned a 60-page perverts' handbook titled 'Pedophiles & Poverty: Child Lover Guide'.

INDIAN CONVICTED IN UK OF RAPING 6-YEAR-OLD CHILD

In another horrific case, the Indian Express reported that a global hunt is on for an Indian-origin man accused of sexually abusing a six-year-old child in the UK. Vijesh Kooriyil, 29, who fled to India just before his trial was to begin, was convicted of two rapes and sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images DADRI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 10: A Muslim woman pray in her home at Bisada village on November 10, 2015 in Dadri, India. Residents in Bisada village are not celebrating Diwali this year as they believe there is no charm in the village left after the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in the month of September. (Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Dadri is yet to bury the ghost of its violent past, but Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Sanjeev Balyan, has reportedly made communally-charged comments that have the potential to once again trigger tension in the village where last year a Muslim man was dragged out of his home and lynched by an enraged mob on the suspicion that he and his family slaughtered and consumed a cow.

"Akhlaq couldn't have eaten the full cow all alone. The meat would have gone to 20 families there. It's time to track them down and ensure justice is done to the other side," Balyan was quoted as saying by the Economic Times.

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The Dadri issue is certainly going to be raked up by politicians such as Balyan who have their eye on the Uttar Pradesh elections, just around the corner.

Akhlaq couldn't have eaten the full cow all alone. The meat would have gone to 20 families there. It's time to track them down and ensure justice is done to the other side.

"The killing is not justified even if it was beef, but it is important that justice is delivered. If beef was found, then the slaughter has happened there. Who did it? Who apart from Akhlaq's family had it in their houses?" the minister told ET.

The Bisada village remained tense after its residents met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP yesterday to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter. Sanjay Rana, the father of Vishal Rana, an accused in the lynching of Akhlaq, said he would call a 'mahapanchayat' (grand council), a move seen as a deliberate attempt to disturb the peace of the village reeling under the gruesome violence last September.

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(Family members of Mohammad Akhlaq mourn during his funeral at their village in Bisada on September 29, 2015 in Greater Noida, India. Akhlaq was beaten to death and his son critically injured by a mob over an allegation of storing and consuming beef at home, late night on Monday, in UPs Dadri. Police and PAC were immediately deployed in the village to maintain law and order. Six persons were arrested in connection with the killing of man. Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Akhlaq and his family have remained in the village for five generations. Yet on that fateful night of September 28, the mob scaled the walls of their house and dragged him out and bludgeoned him to death. The SSP, Dharmendra Yadav, said a case will be registered only if the charge that the meat found in Akhlaq's home was beef was found to be true.

A report issued by the forensic laboratory of the Uttar Pradesh University of Veterinary Services (Animal Husbandry) has claimed that the meat found in Akhlaq's home belonged to "cow or its progeny".

Section 144 has now been imposed in Dadri, according to several media reports, and security has been increased after Hindu organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini said they will participate in the panchayat, the Hindu reported.

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(Danish, injured son of Mohmammad Akhlaq at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of Kailash hospital on October 8, 2015 in Noida, India. Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

"The villagers have decided to hold a maha panchayat tomorrow as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it," Rana said.

VHP leader Surindera Jain had yesterday said that the accused had been falsely implicated. NDTV reported that border towns of Rohtak and Sonepat have been also placed under Section 144.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images MATHURA, INDIA - JUNE 2: A fire breaks out after clashes between police and encroachers, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, who were being evicted from Jawahar Bagh on June 2, 2016 in Mathura, India. 21 people including two senior police officers died in violence that erupted during a police drive to evict about 3,000 people who had encroached into the Jawahar Bagh Park. The squatters belonged to Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi group and claimed to be true followers of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose have illegally occupied public land from last two years. A cache of arms and several spent bullets of AK-47 assault rifles were seized by police from the site of the deadly clashes. (Photo by Anant Ram/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The clash between members of the Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi sect and the Uttar Pradesh police that killed 29 people in Mathura has led to some startling revelations about this group, which had encroached land in Jawahar Bagh since March 2014.

While the local police were reportedly never able to enter the encroached land, and had no idea that the inhabitants were so well-armed and had training in combat. Following the violent clash, this is what we now know about the cult.

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1. It is a registered political party

The cult has a political party Swadheen Bharat Subhash Sena registered in 2013. They claim to be true followers of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and had even demanded the declassification of documents relating to him in Madras high court in 2014. Not only did they devalue Indian currency, alleging it was 'British currency', they wanted to establish a new political order under the 'Azad Hind government', reported The Indian Express.

2. An isolated community

The 3,000-odd members of the sect weren't "allowed outside", according to reports, and there was only one entry and exit to the plot they had taken over. Most of them worked as security guards within the community, or worked in the canteen or flour mill or performed functions within the community setup, some of the rescued children told journalists. In fact, if someone wanted to leave, they were threatened by others, the children claimed, and cult members were told they would be beaten by police if they ventured outside the community space at Jawahar Bagh.

Injured being treated after clashes between police and activists, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, at a hospital on 2 June, 2016 in Mathura, India.

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3. It gave children arms training

According to investigations, children as young as eight were given weapons training in the sect. They were apparently promised gold coins and told they would 'free' India.

4. Taking people towards religious terrorism

The sect leaders wanted to take its followers towards religious extremism or religious terrorism, the Agra Division Commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar said. In fact, they were even starting their own currency, he claimed, and didn't want to follow the Indian constitution or its laws.

Children as young as eight were given weapons training in the sect.

5. They were Netaji followers

Every morning, the squatters would wake up to slogans celebrating Netaji, and sing revolutionary songs.

They would sing: Sankalp hai shaheedon ka, deshbhakton ki manzil, swadhin Bharat ka jhanda lehraane laga (This is a resolution of the martyrs, the destination of the patriots, the flag of independent India has started unfurling).

6. Their leader was an arms expert

The sect's leader Ram Vriksha Yadav, who was killed during the clash, was reportedly 'a maverick politician, a megalomaniac and a murderer'. He was apparently an arms and ammunition expert, and had a private army and a security detail following him everywhere.

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A cache of arms and several spent bullets of AK-47 assault rifles were seized by police from the site of the deadly clashes.

Yadav was reportedly drawing pension from the state government under a scheme that is for those who were jailed during the Emergency. DNA reported that he had Maoist connections and had apparently supplied them with guns produced by the members of his cult.

7. Their guru died in 2012

The cult is believed to have been started by a godman named Jai Gurudev. He was reportedly a failed politician, who instead turned to spiritual work that helped him amass a huge fortune  touted to be around 12,000 crores in real estate and cash. Followers who joined the cult in Jawahar Bagh believed that Yadav had been made the 'new guru' after the former leader's death in 2012.

8. People from across the country funded the sect
Stephen Lam / Reuters Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the Facebook F8 conference in San Francisco, California April 12, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Facebook may well be a very secure website but turns out its CEO is not 'unhackable'. Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn accounts were hacked by a group called OurMine.

The OurMine group boasted of having hacked Zuckerberg's Twitter and Pinterest accounts after logging in from those accounts. Zuckerberg was probably using the same password for both the accounts. Following the hacking, OurMine's twitter account was suspended. It is revealed that his password for those websites was 'Dadada'.

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Last month, LinkedIN had contacted everyone on their website to urging them to change their passwords. This followed a large dump of LinkedIn email and password data that appeared online and is believed to have been gathered as a result of a hack into the LinkedIn site in 2012.

It appears that Zuckerberg's LinkedIn account might have been among those compromised in the 2012 hack and he might have had the same or similar passwords for his three hacked accounts.

Ouch. Mark Zuckerberg's social media accounts have been hacked pic.twitter.com/KvVmXOIg5s  Ben Hall (@Ben_Hall) June 5, 2016

"No Facebook systems or accounts were accessed. The affected accounts have been re-secured," said one of the spokesperson for Facebook in a statement to Venturebeat.

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This year many instances of hacking have been reported in India and outside. The most notable hacks in India were of the telecom regulator TRAI's website and those of several universities at the start of the year. The remote access provider Teamviewer's services were also hacked recently, giving its users a scare.
ANI

Gyandev Ahuja, the BJP legislator from Rajasthan, has been in the news of late.

A couple of months ago, Ahuja exposed one of the biggest cover-ups in the then ongoing crisis at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. Apparently, Ahuja and his men found that 3,000 condoms were used on campus everyday, along with, among other things, 500 'abortion syringes'.

Vexed by his bizarre pronouncements, BJP President Amit Shah had summoned Ahuja then. The MLA from Ramgarh in Alwar district, may be in for some more trouble after his latest statement.

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According to reports, the BJP legislator has admitted that he accepts illegitimate money. However, he likens himself to a latter day Robin Hood, claiming to spend that money on worthy causes.

On Friday, Ahuja said that he uses the do number ka paisa on noble causes like offering help for the wedding of girls from poor families and saving cows. The BJP legislator also said that he gives the donor a receipt for the black money he receives.

Whenever someone offers it to me, I ask them to spend it on some good cause, like on the upkeep of temples and gurdwaras I also give them a receipt. Some people ask me, why a receipt if it is illegitimate money. I say they have spent it on a good cause, so what is the harm in giving them a receipt, he told Indian Express.

The MLA has a history of distinguishing himself..

In the 1990s, while he was a member of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the RSS, Ahuja allegedly slapped a cop on duty. He was booked by the police and a warrant was issued. But he refused to appear before the police for almost a decade and remained on the list of people wanted by the cops.

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While still wanted by the cops, Ahuja contested three elections, losing two (1993, 2003) and winning one (1998). In 2003, when the BJP came to power, Ahuja petitioned then home minister to ask the cops to drop the case against him.

Ahuja is a self-proclaimed protector of cows and makes no bones about his support for vigilantes in his village.

"I give them money, I give them support, I hold classes on the virtues of cow," he had said in an interview to the BBC.

Ahuja also boasts of his grasp on all things connected to gau mata. A sample of his knowledge: "California is entirely electrified by cow dung fuel or bio-gas, cow milk contains traces of gold; and foreign experts say killing cows in India will "lead to volcanoes, earthquakes and drought".

Also See On HuffPost:
YASUYOSHI CHIBA via Getty Images A screen shot of the popular WhatsApp smartphone application is seen after a court in Brazil ordered cellular service providers nationwide to block the application for two days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 17, 2015. The unprecedented 48-hour blockage was to implement a Sao Paulo state court order and was to take effect at 0200 GMT Thursday, although it was not immediately clear if service providers would acquiesce to the order.The court said WhatsApp had been asked several times to cooperate in a criminal investigation, but had repeatedly failed to comply. AFP PHOTO / YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP / YASUYOSHI CHIBA (Photo credit should read YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

Like Xerox, Hoover and Google, brand WhatsApp has made the transition from noun to verb. Very often now, we don't send messages to people from our mobile phones, we 'WhatsApp' them. This ultimate signifier of success follows from the fact that the WhatsApp mobile messaging app now has a billion active users across the globe. India comprises a big chunk of this user base, with almost 70 million users . Here are some cool tips and tricks you can use to make your WhatsApp-ing experience richer.

1. Save data.

Whatsapp uses up a lot of data with the amount of content -- images and videos -- downloaded through it. You can turn off the auto downloading of media easily to save data. Under settings, there is a data usage menu which lets you customize the downloading when you are using up mobile data, WiFi or when you're 'roaming' out of your home network. You can also tick the option of 'Low Data Usage' under call settings of the same menu to save data during WhatsApp calls.

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2. Privacy

There are times when you may not want someone to see when you were online last. The privacy menu gives you many options. You can turn of the 'last seen' option for everyone or just the people who are in your contacts list. You can also turn off the blue tick which tells the sender that you have seen and read a message they sent to you. But that would also mean that you can't see blue ticks for messages that you send.

3. Bold, Italics, and strike-through text

Recently WhatsApp introduced text formatting in messages. You can make the text bold by inserting text between '*asterisks*'. Or, use' _underscore_ 'for italics and '~tilde~' for the strike-through text.

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4. Send documents

WhatsApp can now act as your business companion as well. No need to use email or any other services as you can send a document from the messenger service itself. Click on the upper right attachment icon and you will find the 'Documents' option. You can use this to send any document stored in your mobile. You can send practically any type of document including those in the PDF, Word, Excel or Presentation format.

5. See media, links and documents sent to a contact.

While chatting you might need to refer to an image or a document you sent or a link you posted to a group or a contact. You don't need to scroll up and down to find it. You can click on the menu in the top right corner and see the option called media (in groups it will be named as group media). Under that, you will find media, documents and links you have exchanged with the contact or the group.

6. Archive chats

If you are not backing up your data daily there is a chance that you might lose your old chat records. So WhatsApp gives you the option of archiving a chat. Under the chat tab, you can long-press on any chat and, click on the archive chat icon above, to save it. You can select multiple chats as well to archive them.

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7. Backups

When you switch to a new phone or you wipe out all data from your current phone, all WhatsApp chats also get deleted. To avoid this you can use the backup facility. To set up the backing-up process, go to settings > Chats > Chat backup. Here you can see when was the last time you used backup, its integration with Google drive, backup schedule and more. You can also define when you want your chat backup to be performed and whether you want to include videos or not.

8. Message favorites

You click on a message in a chat session and press star on the menu above the chat and make that message a 'favourite'. You can then refer to it under starred messages in the main menu.

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9. WhatsApp on Desktop

You can actually use WhatsApp in multiple ways on your desktop computer. WhatsApp has a web version where you can just scan the QR code from the app and you're good to go. You can also use the apps released by the company on Mac and Windows.

10. Hide notifications

In iOS you can go to Settings>Notifications and toggle off the 'Show preview' button that will stop the previews which pop-up on the screen. On Android, you have more options. You can go to the notifications menu where you can define the notification pop-ups and tone according to your needs for the groups and the individual contacts.

Tell us more about what you use WhatsApp the most for.

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Contact HuffPost India
Hutchinson firefighters responded to five fire calls over the weekend

Area was under extreme fire risk due to high winds and drough condtions, but all the fires were quickly contained
Weeks after agreeing to issue separate capital requirements for insurance firms singled out for heightened oversight, the Federal Reserve has released its proposals.The new standards, approved unanimously by the central bank Friday, tag Prudential Financial and American International Group as systemically important to the US and global economy, and subject them to tougher financial rules. However, key details  including specific numerical capital requirements for the group  have yet to come.The standards do ask that Prudential and AIG maintain enough safe assets to cover cash flows for 90 days and that they run stress tests periodically to ensure those cash-flow needs are met.Public comment on the preliminary blueprint is being requested before publishing a draft rule, though the new standards are expected to take effect before the capital rules. The Fed said it expects the firms will be able to meet the requirements fairly easily, referring to them as existing best practices.I believe this proposal is an important step toward capital standards that are both appropriate for our supervised insurance firms and that enhance the resiliency and stability of our financial system, said Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen.Other Fed officials said the rules would have addressed the risks posed by AIG in 2008, before the company was subject to capital and liquidity rules.Insurance industry representatives, meanwhile, are having mixed reactions to the rules, which ask firms to continue operating without knowing full details of the forthcoming requirements.Howard Mills, leader of the global insurance regulatory practice at Deloitte LLP, told the Wall Street Journal that the Feds proposal will largely be welcomed by the US insurance industry, but that it is premature from the US industry perspective to declare victory.Insurers still need to be prepared for a great deal of uncertainty, and they need to remain very engaged, Mills said.The rules will notably not include 12 insurance companies that own banks, such as Nationwide Mutual or State Farm
US and international underwriters are to be briefed on the progress of Space Xs Falcon 9 rockets.The firm, headed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, plans to extend its satellite-launching capabilities by reusing rockets but it must convince insurers that doing so is safe.Successful launches have cut insurance rates by almost 50 per cent in the last 2 years, according to an article in the LA Times.Jeffrey Poliseno, chief executive of Aon International Space Brokers, who will attend the meetings with insurers said that the cut in rates, now in line with the French rocket Ariane 5, is a vote of confidence from the insurance industry.Two associates of Maryland-headquartered insurance firm GEICO have been recognized for their voluntary work in support of their communities.Jayna Owen, a continuing unit claims examiner at the firms Arizona regional office in Tucson received the John Thorne Corporate Community Citizens (GCCC) Award for her involvement with the Big Sisters/Little Sisters organization.Meanwhile, Marcia Grady of Hicksville, NY a quality performance underwriter in GEICO's Woodbury, N.Y., regional office, was named the GEICO Volunteer of the Year for her work with the HorseAbility Center for Equine Facilitated Programs.Its the 23year that the insurer has held the annual awards.Foresters Financial is to end sales-based travel incentive conferences for its independent advisors in Canada. The Toronto-based firm said its Elite Producers Conference in 2018 will be the last."This decision gives us the ability to best support our clients and agents as the industry continues to evolve," said Robert Baboth, Vice President Canadian Sales, North America Life Insurance and Annuity Division. "It's also an exciting opportunity to redesign how we deliver advisor education and development events."Recent advice from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association was that such conferences could create a perception of a conflict of interest.
Monument Mountain Graduates 'One of a Kind Students'



Monument graduates were told to remember the past and to not stress too much about the future. See more photos here.

LENOX, Mass.  Monument Mountain Regional High School's class orator Emma Adler wouldn't be the same Emma if it weren't for band director Jeffrey Stevens.



Adler found her passion in music through her six years of working with Stevens. But she wasn't the only one. Stevens has been part of the school's Music Department for 34 years and is now retiring. Adler contacted thousands of musicians who were inspired by Stevens and collected letters of thanks.



For Adler, music is what helped build who she is today and on Sunday, she was just one of 132 students graduating who were inspired in some way by the teachers at Monument Mountain.



"Beyond academics, beyond standardized testing, and beyond grades that put labels on our self worth, we are a class of one-of-a-kind students," Adler said.



She read off qualities a number of students possess  athletes, artists, musicians, scientists, and writers  and questioned what those people would be like without the teachers who didn't just grade papers but saw "genius" in each student. Now those students will be heading in different directions as the class of 2016 received diplomas during the Great Barrington school's 49th commencement.



On the stage of the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood  a place where Adler herself has performed  the students entered a new chapter in their lives.



"We depend on you. We need your goodness in the world," Superintendent of Schools Peter Dillon told them.



For each and every student, the time in high school meant something different, said salutatorian Caroline Sprague.



"I can never speak to the experiences of everyone here. For some, myself included, high school was a safe haven. But for others it was hell," Sprague said.



Sprague asked her class to put off thinking about the future for a moment and recognize the past.


Message of Hope for St. Joe Graduates



Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski called on the graduates to be 'people of hope.' See more photos here. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The optimism that pervades all high school graduations took on a theological dimension at Sunday's St. Joseph Central School commencement.

The Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski had his homily teed up by a Gospel reading that focused on the healing power of God.

"Today's readings are filled with hope," Rozanski told the graduates and communicants at Sunday's baccalaureate Mass and commencement. "Today's graduation is a sign of hope.

Rozanski told the 34 graduates that they need to be people of hope as they leave the confines of high school and head into the world.

"As we gather here this afternoon, we do so with that great sense of hope in our hearts for the graduates of the class of 2016," Rozanski said.

"What does it mean to live as a person of hope?  A person of hope takes in the wider perspective. When you hear accounts of survivors of the Nazi death camps in World War II, it seems as though they had the optimism to know that they would live beyond the horrible situations they were in. They took in a larger picture, and through their optimism, they brought forth to others the gift of hope."

Rozanski encouraged the graduates to learn from that extreme example of hope.

"People of hope bring a presence that uplifts other people in the room," he said. "As graduates of St. Joseph, you are called to be those people of hope."

Valedictorian Edouard Tremblay provided a hopeful message for his classmates, telling them how special each of them is.

Tremblay used the metaphor of an orange to describe the class of 2016, saying they may look like a bunch of rowdy teenagers on the outside, but peel back the layer, and you find something special, "a multipurpose entity with unlimited potential."

Tremblay said that, like the orange, St. Joe's graduating class is greater than the sum of its parts.

"If you remove a section, it no longer looks whole," he said, demonstrating on the orange he held aloft at the pulpit of St. Joseph's Church. "Every single person has been an integral part of the class of 2016."

St. Joe's principal and salutatorian emphasized the the role that each of the graduates have and will play in the lives of the others.

"Every colleague is a companion on life's pilgrimage," Principal Amy Gelinas said. "They will be with you however far you travel  in both joy and hardship."

Salutatorian Elizabeth Bean told her classmates that everyone they meet in life will leave footprints. Some won't make much of an impression at all, and the footprints will wash away quickly. Others will be as if they were made in concrete.

Bean left little doubt that her classmates, teachers and family fall into the latter category.

"Your footprints will leave enduring memories," Bean said.

She expanded the metaphor to remind her classmates of the "Footprints in the Sand" poem that reminds people of faith that Jesus is there to carry them through their most trying times.

And, as Bishop Rozanski would do a little later in the Mass, Bean challenged her classmates to do good.

"You will all make many more impressions wherever you go," she said. "The most important thing to keep in mind is what kind of footprint you want to leave on the world."

St. Joseph Central High School's class of 2016:

Colleen Marie Baker

Caitlin Broderick Bean

Elizabeth Broderick Bean

Chloe Alizabeth Boehm

Andrew Steven Cella

Wanquin 'Rachel' Chen

Ilyssa Paige Creamer

Anita Catherine Curtin

Ruinan 'Katherine' Feng

Christopher Robert Garrity

Camila Andrea Gomez

Leanne Kathryn Hamilton

Jinhui 'Ann' Hu

Taylor Nichole Jordao

Antonio Malik Lewis

Zhiling 'Will' Liang

Jiabin 'Carl' Liu

Joey Tyler Maynard

Olivia Grace Mazzeo

Canh Thien Nguyen

Michael Steven Peplowski

Casidy Nicole Starbird-Healy

Nicholas James Terpak

Edouard Tze-Heng Tremblay

Cody Robert Tynan

Papachaya 'Pookie' Vongprommool

Yinghao 'Andrew' Wang

Cole Theodore Werhan

Kaitlyn Luminita Wiles

Peiyuan 'Penny' Wu

Xu 'Mao Mao' Wu

Dianqi 'Eric' Zhang

Jun 'Jason' Zhang

Zixu 'Benny' Zhao
Sydni Jamros, Nick Alibozek and Emily Godfrey from Hoosac got an honorable mention at the state science fair.

Berkshires Beat: Local Students Compete in Science Fair

Good job: Several middle schoolers from Berkshire County placed at the State Science and Engineering Fair at Worcester Technical High School on Saturday.



Noah Pereault from St. Agnes won a second place for his project, "The Sugar Situation."



Sydni Jamros, Nick Alibozek and Emily Godfrey from Hoosac got an honorable mention for "Hoverboard," as did BaRT student Fransisco Alicandri for "Which Alloy Conductors Conduct the Best?" and St. Agnes student Emma Kotelnick for "Do You See What I See?"



The Massachusetts Middle School Science & Engineering Fair is a forum for students in grades six through eight to explore "real world" science and engineering discovery through hands-on experience. There were 288 projects at the fair from more than 100 schools across the state.





Summer reading: The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfields public library, will once again be offering a Summer Reading Program to patrons of all ages. The purpose of the Summer Reading Program is to encourage continued reading throughout the busy days of summer.



Readers of all ages are encouraged to register on or after June 27 and set personal reading goals. The Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, perennial supporters of the Childrens Summer Reading Club, are providing Friends memberships as raffle prizes for Adult readers. The raffle prizes for Teens are gift baskets containing movie tickets to the Beacon Cinema or gift cards to Ayelada.



To qualify for the raffle, registered readers should pick up a BINGO style card at the Athenaeum, customized separately for Teens and Adults, with suggested reading genres. Completed cards are dropped off at a library service desk; each completed card qualifies as a raffle entry. Participating readers have the option of tracking their reading progress through the online program; access to the online program will be through the Pittsfieldlibrary.org website.



The Summer Reading Programs will run June 27 through Aug. 20.





Youths needed: As summer draws near, BerkshireWorks wants to raise awareness about its Youth Works program which helps under-resourced city youth access summer employment in Pittsfield.



To date, there are more than 20 Pittsfield employers available to be matched with youth for the program, which will run from July 18 to Aug. 26. Participating youth must be 16-21 years old and residents of Pittsfield. Other eligibility requirements include proof of income level, proof of I.D. (photo ID, social security card, birth certificate if under 18), work permit, physical and letter of recommendation.
Biz Briefs: Fairfield Inn & Suites Honored for Performance

What a performance: The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Great Barrington has been presented with the Performance Award.



Receiving the Silver award the Fairfield Inn & Suites/Great Barrington is thrilled to share this remarkable achievement with the Marriott International and Fairfield Inn & Suites community as well as all of Great Barrington.



Our dedicated team is making a difference by consistently putting the guests needs first, enabling them to make the most of their time in the Berkshires. We are very proud that the associates create an atmosphere that our visitors can call home, said Patty Jordan, general manager.



In addition to the Silver Performance Award, the Fairfield Inn & Suite also was recently rated #1 hotel in Great Barrington on Trip Advisor. Located at 249 Stockbridge Road the 93-room Fairfield Inn & Suites/Great Barrington operates as a Marriott franchise, owned by the Mahida Family, Great Barrington, MA, and managed by Emerald Hospitality of Westlake, Ohio. The hotel is perfect for reunions, wedding blocks, corporate meetings, functions and families.





Going, going ...: The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce has launched its popular annual online auction to raise funds for community events and promote local business in the Southern Berkshires.



This fourth online auction is once again hosted on the Bidding For Good site - www.BiddingforGood.com/SouthernBerkshires - and runs through June 27 at 9 p.m.



More 200 businesses have donated items and one-of-a-kind experiences: everything from popular restaurant gift certificates to cooking classes; home items to camp vacations; unique prints to cultural events; tickets to professional sporting events; antiques; and much more.



Items will continue to be added to the auction throughout the month so check back often.





The champions: Berkshire Bank and The Berkshire Bank Foundation received eight Financial Marketing Awards for their work in the community and leading edge products.



The bBank received the following prestigious awards:
 on being a serious tinkerer, if not a serious student

In middle school and high school, I perhaps didnt pay attention in class like I should have! But I loved technology and mechanical things. Through my father, who repaired all manner of electrical equipment, I was building electronic circuits, radio-controlled planes, all sorts of things  even taking apart batteries to turn acid into hydrogen (which I dont recommend trying at home).

Eventually, though, the math and physics courses at the French missionary high school I attended did grab my attention. And at American University, I was part of the first generation of students who could speak French and English, in addition to Arabic. This ability is what opened the door for me to study in the US.

 on switching from signals of zeroes and ones, to subjects and verbs

Electrical engineering is about understanding signals being sent within a machine and between machines. To a machine, language and speech are just signals. And that was my first job at a research firm in Boston  working on the analysis of speech signals. I essentially developed call-center technology that lets people say one or operator instead of pressing 1 or 0 on their phone.

From this work, IBM Research invited me to speak at a conference in Austria, which then parlayed into a job offer. Now, this was almost 30 years ago. It was the beginning of machines being able to understand natural language  baby steps compared to what Watson does today. In order to accomplish an accurate level of speech, we built databases full of words and phrases of what people might say in a specific domain. For example, in the late 1990s my team developed a system for T. Rowe Price that could understand phrases like move money to an account. Then we annotated the words with semantics, like cash is also money so their customers could make financial transactions over the phone.

 on trying to develop a digital Rosetta stone

I moved to language translation a few years after joining IBM. And one of my first big projects was to develop Direct Translation Model (DTM), an Arabic-English speech-to-speech translator.

The projects major aha! moment in 2003 was when we got the computer system to handle multiple parameters. This meant it could learn to translate quickly because it searched thousands of parallel sentences, using 200 million words of parallel phrases of Arabic and English.

The Direct Translation Model is still the most accurate system in the market and has since been scaled to support 12 language pairs. Today, its better-known as Watson Language Translation on the Watson Developer Cloud, and can be customized by domain.

 on translating difficult language pairs

Another wrinkle to machine translation is producing fluent translations, especially between English and many Asiatic languages that have different sentence structures. This requires software to analyze the source language words and sentences. Given that information, the input sentence is translated to produce the target language, incrementally. After translating an initial fragment, or even a word, the machine looks for the next thing from the input to translate  which might not be the next fragment in the input.

Behind the scenes, the system is trying all translation possibilities because it doesnt know which one is correct. Based on context, a sentence could have multiple meanings. Which ones should the machine pick? The system tries all of them. The end of this pruning process should be an accurately translated document. But we still have a tremendous amount of work to do in terms of quality and accuracy. Japanese and Chinese are still challenging languages for a machine to translate to another language. And in some domains, like healthcare, we must have very high, perhaps 99 percent, accuracy if a translation system is to be used.

My goal is that whatever a users native language is, they can get information from a machine, independent of the language or format of the source information.

 on languages he wants to learn

I would like to learn Chinese. My team has worked on Chinese-English translation, and Chinese is a language where the speaker assumes context  so not everything that is happening is actually spoken. This makes it hard for the machine. Plus, Chinese does not use pronouns or gender  another challenge for a machine. It would be great to know enough Chinese to understand the process of how Chinese speakers speak, and are understood.
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Achieving Sustainable Social Spending, Keynote Address at Tokyo Fiscal Forum 2016 by Mitsuhiro Furusawa

Mitsuhiro Furusawa, IMF Deputy Managing Director

Tokyo, June 6, 2016

As Prepared for Delivery

On behalf of my colleagues at the IMF, it is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the second Tokyo Fiscal Forum. I would like to thank the Policy Research Institute of Japans Ministry of Finance, and the Asian Development Bank for organizing this conference.

The aim of Tokyo Fiscal Forum is to facilitate exchanges among policy makers to improve growth-friendly fiscal policy formulation and implementation. This year we focus on healthcare and public pensions as the principal themes.

Why now? This is an appropriate moment to discuss these topics because many Asian countries face the unaccustomed challenge of sustaining long-term, inclusive growth in the face of rapidly changing demographics and rising income inequality. Already in some countries, aging populations and falling birth rates have become a bottleneck for economic growth with important implications for public finances. Some of the widest income disparities in the world are in this region.

Slower Asian Growth

The current global economic situation is germane to this discussion. Global economic prospects remain challenging, and downside risks have become more prominent. Although Asia remains the most dynamic region of the global economy, its growth is expected to decelerate slightly to 5.3 percent during 201617. It is essential that we work together to lift global growth, to strengthen resilience to vulnerabilities and risks.

Our work at the IMF has shown that rising income inequality can be harmful for economic growth. It is therefore essential for policy makers to balance the appropriate policies to cope with demographic transitions and increasing income inequality with the imperative of maintaining sound fiscal management.

In order to achieve sustainable, inclusive, and long-term growth, policymakers need to push ahead with structural reforms, supported by appropriate monetary policies and well-designed fiscal policies. Health care and pensions are an important piece of the structural reform agenda in Asia. I will talk about each in sequence.

Health Care

Let me turn first to the issue of health care. In the past several decades, significant improvements in health indicators have been achieved around the world, but there are still large gaps between developing and advanced economies. Strengthening health care systems can help reduce theses gaps and generate significant economic benefits. Better health care can enhance human capital, improve productivity, and strengthen the social safety net. Over the medium term it can help reduce income inequality. The provision of health services and expanded health insurance programs to all citizens can contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development, particularly the objective of achieving universal health coverage.

But doing this in a fiscally sustainable manner is necessary to ensure the future viability of health programs. Many developing countries currently have limited fiscal space due to relatively low ratios of government revenue to GDP. They face competing development needs from other areas, such as infrastructure, education, and other social spending.

Meanwhile, controlling health spending growth by improving program efficiency will be a key fiscal challenge in the coming years. In advanced countries, health care costs have been growing rapidly in the past several decades. Spending pressures are expected to intensify, not only in advanced, but also in emerging and in developing countries. This will be driven by aging, income growth, and technological advances.

Cost-effectiveness needs to be taken more seriously in determining the coverage of services under universal health care. Recent technological progress gives rise to more attractive, but more expensive healthcare options. Health technology assessments, which evaluate value for money of clinical procedures, are expected to play a more critical role to deciding the coverage to achieve a balance between taking advantage of innovations and fiscal sustainability.

Pensions

Turning now to pensions, it may be useful to ask what its role is. I see two main objectives: to protect people against poverty and to ensure that there is no abrupt and large decline in consumption during old age. Because the design of pension systems affects decisions regarding participation in the work force and savings, it has implications for economic growth. If designed well, pension systems can enhance growth and improve welfare and equitybut design shortcomings can impose unnecessary fiscal burdens and welfare losses.

In many Asian countries, increasing pension coverage in an affordable way remains a key challenge. This reflects, in part, the size of the informal sector, so promoting greater formalization of the economy would help close the coverage gap. To reduce poverty among the elderly, pensions providing a flat benefit financed by general tax revenues could be considered. To contain costs and enhance formalization of the economy, such plans should be well targeted.

A common challenge is to prepare pension systems to accommodate demographic transitions in a sustainable way. Aging population will increase the costs of pension benefits, while lower fertility rates will result in a smaller labor force and reduced revenues. However, demographic trends are subject to uncertainty and many countries have experienced unanticipated demographic shifts, which have imposed unexpected fiscal burdens on public pension systems.

The pension systems can be designed to respond to future demographic changes. The Japanese system, for instance, automatically slows the growth of benefits to offset increases in life expectancy and changes in the labor force. The notional defined contribution system, first adopted in Sweden, also has an automatic balancing mechanism.

For countries facing a clear mismatch between life expectancy developments and retirement ages, raising the statutory retirement age has clear advantages over reducing benefits. It would guarantee adequate benefits to future retirees, extend the productive life of individuals, and enhance labor participation.

Finally, I would emphasize that reforms of public pension systems take years, even decades, to fully implement. Therefore, reform goals should be well communicated to the public to achieve broad and lasting support.

I hope that this conference will provide a better understanding of the need to take a holistic approach to evaluate the fiscal and welfare consequences of various policy options for health care and public pension systems. Appropriate design of these programs is key for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth. The IMF is committed to continue supporting member countries efforts in this area through advice and sharing of experiences, and with technical assistance. I would like to thank you again for your participation, and wish you two productive days in Tokyo.
UK Train Passenger Praised for Refusing to Give Up Her First Class Seat to Old Woman
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Quentin Tarantino is a director who enjoys making films that flirt with controversy - and now, a project he's associated with has drawn criticism before it's even been made.

While there are no key details about what the filmmaker's next film will be, he will be on producing duties for a new Western that is set to shoot in Los Angeles later this month - and it's already generated vitriol through its casting call alone.

In a Facebook post from an LA-based casting agency, the bulletin begins: Casting Whores for Quentin Tarantino project."

Women and Hollywood caught a screengrab before the post was promptly deleted.

The agency reportedly assumed the word would be okay to use considering its presence in the film's script; a spokesperson also confirmed the project is to be directed by a woman. It's important to note that the casting call would have had nothing to do with Tarantino himself.

It was later requested that applicants have "natural breasts" and that, to put themselves forward for the role, they reply with a post titled 'whore.'

The feminist blog who caught the screengrab commented: Putting a casting call out for, or including women in your script with the description of whores, is not ok. Nor is asking actresses to submit their photos and information for consideration with the subject line Whore."

"Aside from the fact that there are better words to use if one is looking to cast women who work in the sex industry, this description is actually a typical example of Hollywood sexism, particularly as it pertains to roles for women.

Which recent movies will become classics? Show all 21 1 /21 Which recent movies will become classics? Which recent movies will become classics? Birdman - Undoubtedly Alejandro G. Inarritus masterpiece will surely be remembered for years to come - fiercely original in its concept, brave in its single take(esque) format and the perfect satire of a very specific and bizarre era of cinema we find ourselves in. What perhaps was so astonishing about this Best Picture Oscar winner was that in spite of its experimental format and lofty intentions, it still also managed to be hugely entertaining, and is eminently rewatchable. - Christopher Hooton Fox Searchlight Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? There Will Be Blood - Potentially Inherent Vice feels like its been forgotten already, The Master was great but too weighty for some, but There Will Be Blood is the Paul Thomas Anderson film that comes up time and time again in pub film conversations, whether theyre between cinephiles or more casual fans. A blank yet brutal indictment of lucre, Daniel Day Lewis gave one of his best ever performances as oil man Daniel Plainview, and Jonny Greenwoods fearsome score is still being performed live several years after its release. But mainly, I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP! - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Avatar - Probably not Its undeniable that James Camerons gargantuan blockbuster Avatar will find its place in the cinematic history books. With a worldwide gross of over 2.7 billion, its currently the highest earning film of all time - even Star Wars' The Force Awakens return couldn't topple it. But will it actually be remembered fondly? Its ground-breaking special effects already betray the first signs of aging, and though its use of 3D was revolutionary at the time, its now so pedestrian as to be found in a Glee concert movie. What is there to revere then? The patronising narrative re-hash of the plot to Dances With Wolves? Or the bit where two cat-aliens had sex by plugging their hair braids into each other? - Clarisse Loughrey Which recent movies will become classics? Whiplash - Within its own genre at least Whiplash was perhaps the most buzzy, "have you seen it yet?" film of 2014, and winning major Oscars off a budget of $3.3 million was no mean feat. Damien Chazelle managed to make a film about drumming absolutely edge-of-your-seat stuff, and succeeded by not patronising his audience - trusting that even if they didnt understand the music theory detail, they would still be able to revel in it. Unfortunately, it might just be too small a film to be remembered as a classic, but will certainly be circling the top of best movies about music lists for some years to come. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Skyfall  Depends whos Bond next Best Bond of all time? Skyfalls slick, true, but its status as an icon seems heavily premature. Were still clinging onto the Craig era, and its hard to argue that Skyfall doesnt do the same; trading its entire dramatic tension on the premise that weve long been deeply attached to this grizzled Bond and equally grizzled M. In Silvas personal vendetta, or in the neat metaphors of Skyfall Lodges crumbling exteriors and Bonds crumbling interiors of a post-Vesper Lynd world; its only once the franchise has moved on to new pastures that well truly start to see whether Skyfall can go the distance. Doesnt help that Spectre was a bit of a disappointment, though. -CL Which recent movies will become classics? Mad Max: Fury Road - A gutsy yes Yes, its a madly confident move to already claim Fury Roads going to a bonafide classic within its first year of release, but Fury Road is a mad movie. 36 years after its original incarnation, George Miller returned to the wasteland to conjure the greatest adrenaline hit of the cinematic decade. Breathlessly edited, hued with the colours of dust and dirt and rage; packed to the brim with practical stunt work unseen in the digital age. Plus, its a film that actively dismantles the patriarchy through a gun-slinging, metal-armed Charlize Theron. If its not remembered as one of the greatest blockbusters of its time, itll certainly be remembered as one of the gutsiest. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Great Beauty - No, but it damn well should be It won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2014, but this Paolo Sorrentino masterpiece is still unknown to most. It centres on a group of aging intellectuals partying on rooftops across Rome to Eurodance, and within this frame of superficiality it manages staggering profundity. The dialogue is rich, the cinematography sumptuous, and if Fellini is considered classic, this fellow Italians work certainly should be too. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Little Miss Sunshine - Within its own genre, yes The Sundance Effect has unfortunately developed a near plague of insufferable, self-conscious mawkishness over the years. Misfit boys finding new meaning to their existence in the arms of pink-haired manic pixie dream girls; sun-dappled bike rides as the latest band to feature a ukulele solo play softly in the distance. Some have indeed come off this false and cloying (Zach Braffs Garden State), others smarter and keener (last years Me and Earl and the Dying Girl); but as the fires of kook devour all in sight, there will always remain one film left standing in the ashes: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine. One scene that guarantees its elevation above the rabble sees teenager Dwayne (Paul Dano) realise hes colour-blind, and thus will never be able to achieve his dream of becoming a jet fighter. Danos meltdown here is so raw, and so positively tragic, that itll be a hard job to ever forget that epic f-bomb as the years pass. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? Lost in Translation - I'll still be watching it in my 80s at least Really a perfect movie. The casting couldn't have been better and Sofia Coppola conveys the choking feeling of an overly air-conditioned hotel room like no-one else. So many of the shots were beautiful in their simplicity. Bill Murray making a nice crisp, clean golf shot before walking off down the course. The flower arranging scene. Bill lightly grabbing Scarlett Johansson's foot and this subtly serving as the film's 'kiss'. It's the unconventional romance at the heart of the film that makes it so great, though, which is as much about companionship as physical and emotional love. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Crash - Hahahahahahahahaha Seriously, how did it win that Oscar? Even the director doesn't know. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Pans Labyrinth - Absolutely Guillermo del Toro dreams on celluloid; hes a weaver of fairy tales in an age where innocence is presumed dead. Its through innocence, through innocent eyes, that we witness the darkest excesses of human nature in a way that so exposes the incomprehensibility of evil committed in the pursuit of power. Through young Ophelias perspective we watch the horrors of Francos Spanish regime play out, the barbaric cruelty of her stepfather Captain Vidal; she fears not the horned faun who lives in the labyrinth when its so clear her own patriarchal figurehead is the true monster. And though its finale may be heart-breaking, del Toro still allows innocence a certain victory. Victory through Ophelias eyes, those pure and hungry enough to see beyond the borders of her bleak reality to find an escape from the seemingly unstoppable monstrosities of adulthood. - CL Warner Bros. Which recent movies will become classics? Im Still Here - When everyone realises its genius Initially admonished for being exploitative of Joaquin Phoenixs condition, it was astonishing that, when this Casey Affleck-directed mockumentary was revealed to be a hoax, most critics didnt give it a second review, and those who did still disliked it. In hindsight this was so much more than a prank. Phoenix stayed in character as a failed actor turned hip-hop artist for months on end. This dedication wasnt for nothing either (unlikely say, DiCaprio in The Revenant), Im Still Here is actually a very funny, moving and subtly satirical film, and definitely original. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Boyhood - I doubt it While it too was an unprecedented piece of cinema, Boyhood for me faded from the memory very quickly. Dismissing this film as essentially a puberty timelapse might be a little harsh, but the set-up did ultimately come off gimmicky and as a coming of age story it failed to resonate. Admirable, but not a classic - CH Universal Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? The Social Network - Yes I was less than thrilled at the prospect of a movie about Facebook, but then pleasantly surprised upon watching it. A holy production trinity of David Fincher (director), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter) and Trent Reznor (score) told a story that changed all of our lives with such panache. Texting, the internet, social media etc are so prosaic that many authors and filmmakers disingenuously leave them out of their stories, but here they were central and yet still the film was engrossing, stylish and human. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Django Unchained - Hell yeah/hell maybe Swiping its titular characters name from a 1966 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci, Tarantino utilised his trademark flair for ultra-violence and nihilistic humour to create the perfect meeting point between revisionism and classicism. Django channeled brutality in the name of righteous fury, allowing the freedom fighting slaves of a pre-Civil War Deep South their own legendary cowboy of the John Wayne or Clint Eastwood type. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Tree of Life - A few people will kid themselves its classic Terrence Malicks experimental drama couldnt really have been more ambitious or tried to chip away at a bigger chunk of existence. As such, it was automatically lauded by many who didnt really know what to make of it, but looking back, was it worthy of the praise? The Brad-Pitt-is-a-family-man-in-the-50s plot strand was actually pretty unremarkable, and were it not for the brazenness of the extended shots of the universe being formed I doubt it would have made top ten lists the way it did. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Her - Yes, as a historical document Films depicting the future remain fascinating decades later because they show, in retrospect, how we wanted the world to progress and what developments we simply couldnt have conceived. As such Her will definitely still be getting talked about in years to come, whether or not we do indeed end up falling in love with our computers. (Also see: Ex Machina) - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Any of the space movies? Maybe Interstellar We seem to get a big budget space movie annually these days, and while none of them really have the creativity of Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar stands a chance of staying atop VOD libraries. Gravity and The Martian, while technically brilliant, were pretty forgettable, and dont get me started on Sunshine. Interstellar was very impressive though, and if a Christopher Nolan films going to stand out Id rather it be this one than - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Inception - Please no Yes, its insanely watchable and the plot zips along nicely, but seriously, can we stop pretending people falling backwards off chairs and out of camp, alpine sub-dream worlds amounts to anything more than an overly convoluted, albeit pretty, action movie? - CH Which recent movies will become classics? The Wolf of Wall Street - Not compared to Scorseses earlier work If theres a burden of the artistic revolutionary, its that revolution is only ever momentary in its form; Martin Scorsese made his mark back in 1973 with Mean Streets, and its one thats been difficult to paint over in the 43 years which have since passed. The Wolf of Wall Street faults itself only in being pure Scorsese; its a film which trades purely in the breathless, macho style already so entrenched in cinematic culture. Essentially, Scorseses own genre-defining genius has doomed to obscurity any latter work which dares to fold into the directors own natural form of expression; its made derivative any work which doesnt actively rebel against what hes been most celebrated for. A tough reality, but a reality nonetheless. - CL Paramount Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? Nymphomaniac - Maybe if Part II hadnt happened Even the truest of arthouse directors are culpable for the whims of Hollywood franchises. Yes, with his dual Nymphomaniac films, Lars von Trier managed to ruin the potential classic of his career by needlessly stretching his narrative across two films; churning out the NC-17 answer to Peter Jacksons Hobbit trilogy in the process. Strip Nymphomaniac of the controversy and media hysteria surrounding its use of pornographic actors in its sex scenes; and theres a torn, throbbing soul at its centre. For all its salaciousness, von Triers exploration of the crippling effects of shame society burdens those, especially its women, who dare seek sexual pleasure is genuinely haunting. Thats in Part I, however; by the time Joes life story sees her grow from Stacy Martin into Charlotte Gainsbourg, von Triers epic dissolves into the bang of a drum in continuous, endless cycles. Shes horny and sad; we got it, Lars. - CL

No such film currently appears on Tarantino's list of upcoming credits but we'll share more details as and when we know them. Later on this year, 21 Years: Quentin Tarantino will chart the filmmaker's rise over the past two decades. Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Christoph Waltz are all involved.

Complex has reached out to Tarantino's representatives for comment but they are yet to provide any word.
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The James Bond franchise has descended into a kind of mania of late.

The world is scrambling to crown the new 007, favours flitting from actor to actor; all while it still remains officially undecided whether Daniel Craig will even be leaving the franchise in the first place.

Tom Hiddleston, however, has become somewhat of a mainstay of people's lists; yet the actor himself is keen to temper the hype currently surrounding him. Appearing on a panel at Wizard World Philadelphia, Hiddleston responded to Bond rumours (via ComicBook.com); "I don't think that announcement is coming, but I am very gratified to hear the enthusiasm. Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest."

That certainly makes it sound as if those reports of the actor meeting with Bond producers are unfounded; then again, Hiddleston is best known for playing the trickster god Loki. So, maybe he's just deep in character for Thor: Ragnarok and is getting a lot of pleasure from pulling everyone's leg on this.

Honestly, it does seem incredibly unlikely Hiddleston will be snapping up the role; as pointed out by Sam Mendes, who has definitely left the franchise, Bond actors are never the expected choice.



Bond on screen through the years Show all 8 1 /8 Bond on screen through the years Bond on screen through the years Barry Nelson The first ever Bond on screen, Nelson played James Bond in 1954 in Climax! Casino Royale Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years Sean Connery The Scottish actor first played Bond in the 1962 'Dr. No'. He portrayed the secret agent from 1962 until 1967, although he reprised the role twice: once in 1971 for 'Diamonds Are Forever' and again in 1983 in 'Never Say Never Again' Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years David Niven Niven was 007 the time of one film; the 1967 'Casino Royale' Roy Jones/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years George Lazenby Lazenby played Bond in the 1969 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' Larry Ellis/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years Roger Moore Moore's Bond started with 'Live and Let Die', the 1973 film directed by Guy Hamilton. He was the face of 007 for 12 years, when his tenure finished with the 1985 'A View to a Kill' Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years Timothy Dalton Timothy Dalton was James Bond in 'The Living Daylights' and 'Licence to Kill' Mychele Daniau/AFP/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years Pierce Brosnan Brosnan took over the role in 1995 when he played the spy in 'GoldenEye'. He played in a total of four films, and his last time playing 007 was in 2002 'Die Another Day' Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bond on screen through the years Daniel Craig Daniel Craig was announced as the new James Bond in 2005. His first appearance as the secret agent was in the 2006 'Casino Royale'. He has since starred as Bond in 'Quantum of Solace' and 'Skyfall'. He is expected to appear once again on screen in 2015 for 'Bond 24' Greg Williams/Getty Images



It would really mark a first in the series for taking on an established actor, especially one with several franchises already on his hands; Daniel Craig came to Bond fairly untethered by his past experience, a relative unknown who was actually quite the unpopular choice at first, before he won over audiences with his bravado performance in Casino Royale.

Indeed, anyone looking for a likely candidate would perhaps be better off with Jamie Bell, following rumours the Billy Elliot star has met with producers to discuss the possibility of being Craig's heir to the role.

Also on the rumour mill is who will be replacing Mendes as director for the next instalment, with The Night Manager's Susanne Bier a reported frontrunner for the job.
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Earlier this year, all four members of the 70s pop-wonders ABBA reunited for the opening of Stockholms Mamma Mia! The Party. It was a wonderful occasion for fans, showing the members were seemingly on better terms.

Over the weekend, Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad once again reunited, this time performing ABBA songs for the first time in 30 years.

The Swedes were celebrating their 50th anniversary in Stockholm, band members Ulvaeus and Andersson having met on 5 June 1966, forming a friendship that would one day lead to the groups creation.

Two pictures of the event have been shared on social media, while no video of the performance has yet emerged.

When previously asked whether an ABBA reunion would ever happen, Ulvaeus said it was highly unlikely - yet, with this latest performance, could something be in the works? The last time all four performed music by ABBA together in public was in 1986.

The pop group is one of the most successful acts in the world, their compilation ABBA Gold, released 10 years after their 1982 split, being the second-highest-selling album of all time in the UK. In total, ABBA has sold 380 million records worldwide.
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Rain couldnt stop the rage on Sunday.

After the potential for inclement weather brought this year's Governors Ball to an abrupt halt before the final day, the Prophets of Ragethe Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy rock-rap supergroupbooked a surprise pop-up show at the Warsaw in Brooklyn. New York.

Governors Ball attendees who had their plans thwarted were rewarded with discounted $10 tickets to the show, but some fans werent fully satisfied.

Kevin McCollum drove in from southern New Jersey specifically for Kanye Wests closing performance but said the Prophets of Rage setwhich was added to the festivals lineup as a surprise on Friday eveningwas also something he was looking forward to.

Its kind of lifted my spirits about it, but I would have rather seen Prophets of Rage and Kanye, McCollum said.

Chuck D and B-Real perform in Brooklyn. Jordan Uhl for The Independent (Jordan Uhl for The Independent)

The band of thunderstorms that swept across the northeast and midatlantic on Sunday caused Governors Ball organizers to cancel the final day in its entirety, with some acts scheduling make up shows.

McCollum and even Chuck D, Prophets of Rage vocalist and Public Enemy front man, voiced disgust from the stage during the set, playing on the festivals name with genital-oriented wordplay.

The setlist was heavy on Rage Against the Machine hits, with a few Public Enemy and Cypress Hill tracks. The band opened the set, fittingly, with the Beastie Boys classic No Sleep Til Brooklyn.

Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Show all 13 1 /13 Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Alana Haim at Governors Ball 2016. Gabby Fellows/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 HAIM performs at Governors Ball 2016. Gabby Fellows/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-10.jpg Miguel performs at GovsBall 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-15.jpg Against Me! performs at GovsBall 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-2.jpg Action Bronson performs at Governors Ball 2016. Gabby Fellows/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-7.jpg Action Bronson performs at Governors Ball 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-4.jpg Years & Years performs at Governors Ball 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-3.jpg Years & Years performs at Governors Ball 2016. Gabby Fellows/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-6.jpg Of Monsters and Men performs at Governors Ball 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-1.jpg Of Monsters and Men performs at Governors Ball 2016. Gabby Fellows/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-9.jpg Of Monsters and Men performs at Governors Ball 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-8.jpg A mad fly Statue of Liberty wears her sunglasses at night. Jordan Uhl/The Independent Best photos from Governors Ball 2016 Govsball-5.jpg People sit at Governors Ball 2016. Jordan Uhl/The Independent

DJ Lord, the turntablist from Public Enemy, readied the at-capacity venue with a deafening mix of 90s hip hop, both classic and modern rock, and a peppering of todays hits.

The supergroup, which has promised to cause a ruckus near the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next month, is set to embark on a national tour with proceeds benefitting homeless charities in each city.
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"Man flu" is a colloquial term based on the idea that men respond to symptoms of the common cold so exuberantly it is interpreted as the more severe and life-threatening influenza. Possibly they do it to get attention from loved ones.

Descriptions of classic symptoms of this common affliction range from inability to move off the bed or couch (whichever is nearest the television) to the more serious losing the ability to do anything except groan in agony and claw at the uninfected.

But is there any scientific evidence to support its widespread use in popular parlance?

Evidence from the social sciences

In 2015, the Personality and Health Satisfaction Project data suggested men cope less well than women when confronted by more than one physical illness.

Thus it is possible men and women have a different threshold for perceiving symptoms, especially when clustered as in the common cold. This was supported by research from the University of Glasgow. This suggested men may report symptom severity differently from women  with men being more likely to overrate their symptoms.

Psychologically speaking, men may be less in touch with their biofeedback signals (the body letting itself know how its feeling). That leaves them unable to interpret the severity of symptoms when theyre sick.

What basic science says

In 2010, a group from Cambridge University published seminal work on the evolutionary basis for gender differences in the immune system. They propose, since males were more likely to be required to devote disproportionate levels of physiological resources to survival while foraging for food for the family, they would have to accept a weaker immune system and thus be more susceptible to infections.

There are physiological explanations for the male-female divide in variations of the immune system.

Researchers have found oestrogen, the main female hormone, has a role in modulation of immunity. This is evidenced by the higher numbers of women with auto-immune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, where the immune system has been inappropriately activated and is causing self-harm. Recently, oestrogen has been associated with an increased ability to affect viruses by impairing their ability to reproduce.

Men also have an impaired response to viruses. In 2014, influenza vaccine research showed the main male hormone testosterone enhances the action of a set of genes that impair the bodys capacity to fight off viruses.

Research suggests males have larger pre-optic areas in the brain, which is the area involved in the production of fever during inflammatory illnesses. Perhaps this could mean men have stronger inflammatory responses when ill? There is no epidemiological data, however, to show difference in temperature trends during influenza among men and women.

Studies in experimental animal studies of severe bacterial infections show the innate immune response (the bodys first defence against infectious attack) is more robust in females. They have higher production of cytokines, the molecules the immune system uses to create inflammation. It is not clear if this extends to viral illnesses.

This highlights a key gap in the literature: if man flu exists, is it because men have a more prominent response to viruses in terms of symptoms? Or a weaker immune system?

Prevalence studies

Data gathered from a wide group of community-based general practitioners in Australia is used to collate the annual report of the Influenza Surveillance Scheme. In 2008, the last year a collated annual report is available, men presented to general practice with equal frequency as women for laboratory-proven influenza throughout the year.

Hospital data in a younger cohort showed boys between the ages of 15 and 25 years were less likely than girls (with the reverse in younger children) to be admitted to hospital with respiratory tract infection.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that, in 2008, the standardised death rate from influenza and pneumonia was higher among the fairer sex.

While it has yet to become a formally diagnosable condition, there is increasing research to support the view that man flu is likely to be a real entity  reassuring indeed.

Sergio Diez Alvarez, Director Of Medicine, The Maitland and Kurri Kurri Hospital, University of Newcastle

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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This years rebound in oil prices has an unlikely victim: the dessert plate.

To understand why, look no further than Usina Batatais, a sugar-cane processor in Sao Paulo.

Enticing fuel margins mean the company is using a bigger cane crop to produce more ethanol, while keeping its raw sugar output unchanged.

(Bloomberg)

Even after sugar prices surged recently, theres no time and cane anymore to make a switch, said Bernardo Biagi, Batatais president.

Its a story thats being played out across Brazil, the worlds biggest sugar producer and exporter. That could exacerbate the global supply deficit after droughts already hurt crops in India and Thailand, the second biggest shipper. Prices are trading near the highest in almost two years, and hedge funds are making a record bet that the rally will continue.

The ethanol margins have been good, and its been directing more of the sugar cane in the direction of the ethanol industry, said Arlan Suderman, the chief commodities economist at INTL FCStone Financial in Kansas City, Missouri.

If you look at global sugar production, the Center-South area of Brazil is really the only bright spot in world production right now. Therefore, the worlds looking to them.

Price Rally

Raw sugar has jumped 23 per cent this year to 18.75 cents a pound on ICE Futures US in New York. Prices on Friday touched 18.79 cents, the highest since 23 June 2014. Hedge funds and other large speculators boosted their net-long holdings in the commodity by 4.9 per cent to 222,686 US futures and options in the week ending 31 May, Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed three days later.

Thats the highest since the data began in 2006.

Analysts and traders are also expecting more price gains. Futures could reach 19.9 cents by the end of the year, according to the average of 15 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.

More than half of the participants predicted that the sweetener will touch 20 cents, which would be the highest since October 2013.

Weather issues and the shortage will keep the market in an uptrend, said Donald Selkin, the chief market strategist at National Securities in New York who helps manage about $3bn. He predicts July futures will reach 20 cents within a few weeks.

Prices have already advanced for four straight months amid drought conditions in Thailand and India, the second-biggest grower. For farmers such as Prabhu Chougule, who grows sugar cane and peanuts on 45 acres in Indias state of Maharashtra, the dry weather can have devastating consequences for his crops. Without rains coming soon, he estimates that his output will drop 25 per cent from last season.

Really Bad

The situation is really bad, Chougule said. Everyone is anxiously looking at the sky waiting for the rain.

While output was declining from Asia, analysts had thought that a big crop from Brazil could help buoy supplies. That outlook has changed amid worsening expectations for Indian and Thai output.

Exports from South America wont be enough to balance the global market, according to Citigroup. On 18 May, Green Pool Commodity Specialists, based in Australia, raised its projection for this seasons global deficit by 28 per cent.

The firm also increased its outlook for next years shortfall.

The amounts of sugar in food and drink Show all 6 1 /6 The amounts of sugar in food and drink The amounts of sugar in food and drink Minstrels A 42g bag contains 28.9g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Dairy Milk A 49g bar contains 26.8g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Skittles 45g of Skittles (about a quarter of a large 174g pouch) contains 40.4g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Ribena A 500ml bottle of Blackcurrant Ribena contains 23g of sugar, down from 50g/500ml after it was reformulated to avoid the government's tax on sugary drinks The amounts of sugar in food and drink Coca Cola A 330ml can of Coca Cola contains 35g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Innocent Smoothies A 250ml bottle of strawberries & bananas Innocent Smoothie (the middle size) contains 26g of sugar

Adding to the supply squeeze, heavy rains are now disrupting harvesting and shipping in Brazil. The port of Santos had its wettest May since at least 2013. The showers also hampered cane crushing in the Center-South region during the second half of May, said Antonio de Padua Rodrigues, technical director at industry group Unica.

Still, the shipping backlog in Brazil could prove to be temporary. At the same time, the recent gains for sugar prices could prompt millers to rethink their move to produce more ethanol, and instead turn to the sweetener.

In the second half of May, processors used 56 per cent of the cane crop to make ethanol, down from 62 per cent a year earlier, data from industry group Unica showed on 1 June.

Also helping to ease the deficit, demand growth for sugar has been tepid amid slowing global economies and consumer health concerns.

The outlook is really two-pronged" according to Lara Magnusen, a California-based portfolio manager at Altegris Advisors, which manages $2.44bn. Youve had this crazy weather driven by El Nino, which has really hit India in particular. Brazil has actually produced quite a bit. But overall we still have a sugar deficit, and thats assuming average demand. If we start to see China ratchet up their imports, then you could really see sugar prices take off. By the same token, if demand stumbles into China  that could spell trouble for sugar.

 2016 Bloomberg L.P
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For about a year, nurses at the Svartedalens retirement home have worked six-hour days on an eight-hour salary. They're part of an experiment funded by the Swedish government to see if a shorter workday can increase productivity. The conclusion? It does.

As with any cultural shift in the workplace, the six-hour day has to prove itself more than just humane. For any employer, in Sweden or elsewhere (and perhaps especially in the U.S.), an abridged workweek can't damage productivity if it's going to have a chance. A year's worth of data from the project, which compares staff at Svartedalens with a control group at a similar facility, showed that 68 nurses who worked six hour days took half as much sick time as those in the control group. And they were 2.8 times less likely to take any time off in a two-week period, said Bengt Lorentzon, a researcher on the project.

"If the nurses are at work more time and are more healthy, this means that the continuity at the residence has increased," Lorentzon said. "That means higher quality [care]." Less surprising was that the nurses were 20 percent happier and had more energy at work and in their spare time. This allowed them to do 64 percent more activities with elderly residents, one of the metrics researchers used to measure productivity.

 Sweden's 6 hour work day explained

Svartedalens is part of a small but growing movement in Europe. Sweden has dabbled with shorter workdays before: From 1989 to 2005, home-care-services workers in one Swedish municipality had a six-hour work day, but it was abolished due to a lack of data proving its worth. The Svartedalens experiment is designed to avoid that problem: "This trial is very, very clean because it's just one homogenous group of workers," said Lorentzon. In Sweden's private sector, the practice is taking root in places such as Toyota service centers in Gothenburg. In the U.K., a marketing agency adopted a staggered schedule to allow for reduced work hours while ensuring coverage; a survey last month found that six out of 10 bosses in that country agreed that cutting hours would improve productivity.

The key result of the Swedish study--that productivity can increase with fewer hours worked--eliminates a major stumbling block to globalizing the shorter work day. "The six-hour work day has not been well accepted in many countries because organizations are worried their productivity might fall," said Pramila Rao, an associate professor of human resource management at Marymount University.

Even with encouraging results, it's unlikely that the U.S. will soon shift to shorter days. Americans work around 38.6 hours per week, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. They get, on average, fewer than eight paid vacation days a year; only about three-quarters of workers get any paid time off at all, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. "The Swedish model will not be easily accepted in the U.S. because we are a nation of workaholics," said Rao.

The 10 happiest countries in Europe Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 happiest countries in Europe The 10 happiest countries in Europe Denmark Coulourful houses and boats seen in the Nyhavn district in Copenhagen The 10 happiest countries in Europe Switzerland The 10 happiest countries in Europe Iceland Iceland, Northern Lights The 10 happiest countries in Europe Norway Wheel deal: cycling in Norway Visit Norway The 10 happiest countries in Europe Finland Getty The 10 happiest countries in Europe The Netherlands The 10 happiest countries in Europe Sweden AFP The 10 happiest countries in Europe Austria Sean Gallup/Getty Images The 10 happiest countries in Europe Germany Getty Images The 10 happiest countries in Europe Belgium The city hall on Brussels' Grand Place is illuminated during a light show, December 30, 2015 Reuters

"In many companies today, you still see that mentality that you have to be in the office," added Carol Sladek, work-life consulting lead at Aon Hewitt LLC. "Reducing the workday is very foreign to our overall values."

John Maynard Keynes didn't think so. He famously predicted that technological progress would lead us to shorter weeks and abundant leisure time; a 15 hour workweek should be the norm by 2030, he prognosticated. The prophecy was echoed by Herman Kahn, who in the 1960s said Americans would one day have 13 weeks of vacation and a four-day work week. That's definitely not the reality in 2016 America.

The Swedish study isn't the first that made a connection between happier, rested workers and better outcomes for employers. Any link between hours worked and productivity was shown to be weak in a 2014 paper from Stanford University. The research found a "non-linear" relationship between hours worked and output: Results start to slide around the 50-hour-per-week mark. In fact, too much work can damage productivity. People who feel overworked said they make more mistakes at work, according to a study by the Families and Work Institute.

While the Svartedalens experiment offers evidence that shorter hours improve productivity, nursing as an occupation may be more analogous to that of medical residents, rather than a desk job. The study equates productivity with quality of care, which doesn't necessarily translate to white-collar work.

Then there's the math problem. Cutting worker hours can cost employers money if increased productivity saves less than the cost of hiring additional workers. Svartedalens had to hire an additional 15 nurses, which cost 6,000,000 Swedish krona (about $735,000). About half of that expense was offset by the decrease in sick days and time off. That said, the experiment didn't measure how the improved care affected the overall bottom line.

In the U.S., companies have sought to show flexibility by adopting a four-day workweek, albeit with the same total amount of hours. In a sort of workplace sleight-of-hand, the prospect of perpetual long weekends keeps people motivated. "It helps them stay more focused," said Rao.

About 30 percent of 1,060 employers surveyed by Aon Hewitt offer a compressed workweek. Almost 60 percent of organizations that were surveyed offer flextime, which allows people to decide what time they arrive and leave. Research has found that workers who have control over their schedules report lower levels of stress, burnout, and higher job satisfaction.

"Employees would rather have more time off, but absent that, giving a little control is a good substitute," said Sladek. "We're like toddlers: As long as we have control over our environment, we feel good."

Copyright: Bloomberg
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A campaigner has urged Sky News to drop a segment which shows the face of a girl as she undergoes female genital mutilation (FGM) in Somalia.

Leyla Hussein, the co-founder of anti-FGM campaign Daughters of Eve, said she had been asked to appeared on the television channel for an interview following the report about the prevalence of the practice in Somalia.

Bu Ms Hussein asked to see the footage beforehand and said she saw a little girl of about six or seven, being held down and cut,

She said: You can see her face.

People are watching. The film crew are filming. No one intervenes  when I was cut I remember that most of all, no one intervened.

FGM - which is also known as female circumcision - is where girls have their external genitalia either partially or totally removed with a small hole left for urination and sexual intercourse.

Unicef estimates that 200m women have undergone the procedure - which is done for cultural rather than religious reasons and has no health benefits - in 27 countries in Africa as well as parts of Asia and the Middle East.

In Somalia and surrounding countries the rate of women between 15-49 who have been cut is estimated at around 98 per cent - the highest in the world.

Ms Hussein said she refused to take part in the report when she saw the footage of the girl - saying she was around the same age when she was cut.

Leyla Hussein said although she had used images of FGM she thinks they need to protect children first and foremost (Getty Images) (Getty)

She said she asked Sky News not to use the clip as part of the story which was scheduled to be broadcast on Monday evening which the Guardian reports has now been delayed.

The campaigner said she had been guilty of showing images of the abuse herself in the past to get people to pay attention but had time to think.

We are supposed to be protecting children. How is this protecting children?, she said.

Recommended Read more One chart that shows the horrifying scale of FGM around the world

Now several other anti-FGM campaigners, including charity Equality Now, have joined Ms Husseins plea, saying the such a segment could be harmful and stigmatising to FGM victims in the UK and Somalia.

Dr Comfort Momoh, an FGM specialist at Londons Guys and St Thomas hospitals, told the Guardian victims had been contacting her about the clip: They are unanimous. They want the clip to be withdrawn.

For them it is about consent. Some of them are very angry.

One can argue that there is a place for showing these kind of images, for training and to show the extent of damage and give an insight but this isnt it.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters 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. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA

You have to listen to the survivors. It is their story and we have to go by how they want that story to be told.

A Sky News spokesman told the newspaper: This week Sky News will broadcast a powerful report from Somalia which sheds new light on the subject of FGM.

He said the report treated the subject sensitively and captures the stark reality of this widespread practice.

(It) will help our viewers to understand the issues surrounding FGM and its social and cultural acceptability in some parts of the world.
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Piers Morgan has responded to the ongoing dispute between him and Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.

The controversial columnist, who is the US editor-at-large for MailOnline and a presenter on ITVs Good Morning Britain, prompted criticism for saying Muhammad Ali said far more inflammatory/racist things than Donald Trump.

Morgan claimed the presumptive Republican nominee's comments about Muslims in the aftermath of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks were less racist than Alis own views about white people.

Muhammad Ali said far more inflammatory/racist things about white people than Donald Trump ever has about Muslims #fact, Morgan wrote on Twitter on Sunday morning.

Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Won Gold at the 1960 Olympic Games Still called Cassius Marcellus Clay, he won six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title. He rose to international fame, however, after winning the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Threw Gold medal away Clay claimed in his 1975 autobiography that he threw his Gold medal into the Ohio River after being outraged that he and his friend were refused service in a 'whites only' restaurant. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures 19-0 record Following the Olympics, Clay amassed a stunning record of 190 with an even more astonishing 15 wins by knockout. Beating his former trainer and veteran boxer Archie Moore along the way, he was fast becoming the most feared boxer in the world. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Heavyweight champion In 1963, Clay became the youngest boxer (22 years old) to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion after defeating Sonny Liston in perhaps the biggest upset in the sport's history. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Heavyweight champion If winning Gold didn't do it, then Clay had finally become the most famous boxer on the planet. Famed for his controversial 'labelling' of his opponents during the fights, he was also one of the most iconic. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Changing his name Shortly after becoming world champion, Clay (often nicknamed The Greatest) changed his name to Muhammad Ali. After joining the Nation of Islam, he switch to Ali from his 'slave name' and later converted to Islam in 1975. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Defending his title against Floyd Patterson After branding Floyd Patterson a "white man's champion", it was perhaps no surprise that the former heavyweight champion attempted to take his title - to no avail. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Refusal to join the armed forces Ali continued to attract controversy and refused to join the armed forces because of disagreements with the Vietnam War. As a result he was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport. As a result, he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970from ages 25 to almost 29. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Fight of the Century Ali eventually returned from exile and took part in the 'Fight of the Century' with Ali-Frazier II. Eventually knocked out, losing by a unanimous decision, Ali was handed his first professional defeat. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Defeating George Foreman Ali recovered in stunning fashion, however, in The Rumble in the Jungle. Knocking out George Foreman, he regained his title by knockout. Foreman later said: "I'll admit it. Muhammad outthought me and outfought me." Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Thrilla in Manila In temperatures above 38C, Ali defeated Joe Fraizer but later said the fight "was the closest thing to dying that I know". Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Losing - and regaining his title After losing to Leon Spinks at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Ali admitted that he had underestimated his opponent. A rematch was quickly arranged, which broke attendance records, and Ali become the first boxer to win the title three times. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Final blow Ali lost to Larry Holmes in 1980 in a fight which actor Sylvester Stallone at ringside said was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive. Angelo Dundee finally stopped the fight in the eleventh round, the only fight Ali lost by knockout. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures Parkinson's Disease Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease linked to head trauma. Around 1987, Ali was selected to personify the vitality of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Getty Muhammad Ali  career in pictures A sporting legend Ali continued to make public events and, in 1999, was awarded a Sports Personality of the Year award by the BBC. Getty

Morgans remarks prompted outrage on social media and were lambasted by Legend and his wife Teigen. While Legend said, You could test us by announcing your retirement, Teigen chipped in and asked, From what? trolling isn't a job (I've tried).

Piers then hit back at Teigen by mocking her modelling career, writing, Maybe I should take up a proper job, like modelling? In response, Teigen said modelling kept her not-racist so perhaps Morgan should give it a try. Morgan responded by saying he wasnt racist.

When asked to comment on the row, Morgans publicist sent the following statement to The Independent: Ms Tiegen is a very accomplished swimsuit model.

Representatives for Teigen and Legend did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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Scientists have begun the process of trying to grow human organs inside pigs in an attempt to solve the worldwide shortage for transplants.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis have injected human stem cells into pig embryos to produce human-pig embryos known as chimeras.

The human-pig chimeric embryos will look like a normal pig's embryo, but one of their organs - the pancreas - will be made completely from human cells, the team said.

They will be allowed to develop in the sows for 28 days before the pregnancies are terminated and the tissue removed for analysis.

Pablo Ross, a reproductive biologist who is leading the research, told the BBC: "Our hope is that this pig embryo will develop normally but the pancreas will be made almost exclusively out of human cells and could be compatible with a patient for transplantation."

The plans are controversial and last year the main US medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health, banned funding for such experiments.

Critics say the research could lead to the development of organ farms.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

Peter Stevenson from Compassion in World Farming told the BBC: "I'm nervous about opening up a new source of animal suffering.

"Let's first get many more people to donate organs. If there is still a shortage after that we can consider using pigs, but on the basis that we eat less meat so that there is no overall increase in the number of pigs being used for human purposes."

Other concerns relate to the possibility that the implanted human cells might migrate to the developing pig's brain and make it more human.

Professor Ross said this was unlikely but was a key reason why the research was proceeding with such caution.

"We think there is very low potential for a human brain to grow, but this is something we will be investigating," he said.

To create the chimeras - named after the creatures from Greek mythology made up of more than one animal - scientists use CRISPR gene editing to remove DNA from a newly-fertilised pig embryo that would enable the resulting foetus to grow a pancreas.

This creates a genetic "niche" or void. Then, human induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells are injected into the embryo. The iPS cells were derived from adult cells and "dialled back" to become stem cells capable of developing into any tissue in the body.

The team behind the research hopes the human stem cells will take advantage of the genetic niche in the pig embryo and the resulting foetus will grow a human pancreas.

The research will be outlined in Panorama - Medicine's Big Breakthrough: Editing Your Genes on Monday at 8.30pm on BBC One.

PA
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A British man - said to be the country's most prolific ever paedophile - has been jailed for life after admitting 71 sex crimes against children in Malaysia.

Richard Huckle, from Ashford in Kent, admitted to an unprecedented number of child sex offences involving up to 200 Malaysian children and babies.

The 30-year-old freelance photographer has been given 22 life sentences and will serve a minimum term of 23 years.

He clasped his hands in prayer as his sentence was read out.

In sentencing Huckle, Judge Peter Rook QC said: "It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this."

A practicing Christian, Huckle found his victims in poor neighbourhoods of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Posing as English teacher doing good works, he abused children from the age of six months to 12-years-old over a nine-year-period.

Since admitting to the charges, Huckle expressed a "deep remorse" for his actions, claiming he was "gullible" and "easily influenced" by external forces.

Investigators discovered he had written a manual for paedophiles entitled "Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide" available via a hyperlink over the "dark web".

Huckle had also tried to earn money by crowdfunding videos of him abusing a three-year-old girl.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters 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. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA

In a letter to the court dated May 23, he described himself as having "low self esteem and lack of confidence with women", although he said that was "no excuse".

He wrote: "I am regretful, remorseful and eager to be rehabilitated from this offending behaviour."

Huckle was arrested by the National Crime Agency when he landed at Gatwick airport en route to spend Christmas at home with his family in 2014.

More than 20,000 indecent pictures and videos were found on his computer. Officers also searched the home of Huckle's parents.
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At least 37 passengers and six crew members were hurt after a Malaysian Airlines flight from London Heathrow hit severe turbulence.

People on board the plane posted photos of damage in the planes cabin after it landed safely at its destination of Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Images show broken food trolleys, debris in the aisles and damaged overhead lockers.

Harith Azman, who was returning from a family holiday in London, wrote on Facebook: "I was one of the passengers in the plane and I think the pilot did the best they could to take us all home safely.

"My parents were in the toilet at that time and my father hit his head on the ceiling of the plane.

"The plane went into a very bad weather and cause the plane to free fall. The food weren't served because the trolley was damaged."

The world's safest low-cost airlines Show all 8 1 /8 The world's safest low-cost airlines The world's safest low-cost airlines WestJet, a low cost Canadian carrier, was voted one of the safest low-cost airlines Alasdair McLellan/Creative Commons The world's safest low-cost airlines Virgin America was named as a low cost carrier by airlineratings.com Virginamerica.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Thomas Cook airlines were ranked highly on the world's best low cost carriers by airlineratings.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Boeing 737 Boeing 737 is part of TUI Fly, a German based subsidiary of Thomas Cook Tuifly.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Volaris, a low-cost Mexican carrier, has been rated one of the safest airlines to fly Volaris/Carribeanairlinenews The world's safest low-cost airlines HK Express was rated highly in the rankings HKExpress The world's safest low-cost airlines Aer Lingus was rated as one of the safest low-cost airlines in the world. The world's safest low-cost airlines America's low-cost carrier has been rated as super safe.

According to Mr Azman, the turbulence got so bad, passengers floated in the air for 10 seconds before some landed painfully.

He told the Evening Standard: "It was very scary and chaotic at that time as it was a very sudden move.

"There were also childrens in the plane who were sleeping and most of them woke up with terror and cried

"I passed out as soon as the plane regained control.I sprained my ankle as all the passengers floated in the air for about 10 seconds.

Medics and Malaysia Airlines senior managers met the aircraft on arrival at Kuala Lumpur, the airline said.

The airline said in a statement: "During the flight over the Bay of Bengal the passenger seatbelt light was switched on due to air turbulence.

"A small number of affected passengers and crew have been treated by medical officers.

"Malaysia Airlines has assisted the 378 passengers and crew onboard MH1 and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by this weather event, which was entirely beyond our control."
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An increase in the number of people falling into the gap between the train and the platform on certain London Underground lines has been blamed on the introduction of new Tube trains.

The S-stock trains, which have walk-through carriages and are lower than older Tube trains, have been designed to allow proper wheelchair access to the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines, but the new design means that a wider gap is created when the train is on a curved platform.

The data, uncovered through a Freedom of Information request by the Evening Standard, showed a total of 307 incidents were recorded across the Tube lines in 2015, an increase of a third since the new trains started to be rolled out in 2010. Before the introduction of the 1.5bn fleet the average number of gap-related accidents was between 90 and 100 a year.

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Baker Street recorded the highest number of accidents, rising from five incidents each year before the new trains started running on the Metropolitan line to a high of 52 people last year.

Finn Brennan, the district organiser of train driver union Aslef, told the newspaper that overcrowding was contributing to the issue.

The figures demonstrate the pressure that train drivers and other staff are operating under as levels of overcrowding increase. It is only their professionalism that has meant many more people have not been seriously injured or killed when these incidents happen, he said.

Gallery: 150 years of London underground Show all 27 1 /27 Gallery: 150 years of London underground Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube8.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground Untitled-1.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube18.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube17.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube5.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube12_1.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube1_1.jpg AFP Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube14.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube3.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube4.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube9.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube13.jpg AFP Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube2.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube7.jpg AFP Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube11.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube10.jpg PA Gallery: 150 years of London underground tube19.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 141007280.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 141007351.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 141007639.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 143711297.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 149562350.jpg GettyImages Gallery: 150 years of London underground 155708342.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 155708347.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 158719828 (1).jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 140839627.jpg Getty Images Gallery: 150 years of London underground 140839693.jpg Getty Images

A spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL) told The Independent that before the introduction of new trains each platform is individually risk assessed with ways to mitigate accidents regularly reviewed. But while the S-stock trains enable step-free access for mobility-impaired passengers, it is not yet possible to eliminate the gap at curved platforms.

TfL has been trialling flashing blue lights to draw attention to the gap at Baker Street, alongside additional announcements, signage and staff on platforms to minimise falls, the spokesperson added.

Steve White, London Undergrounds operations director, said: While the Tube is rightly recognised as one of the safest metros in the world, we are not complacent and are working hard to further minimise accidents and injuries. This includes introducing flashing blue lights to draw attention to the gap at Baker Street, adjusting platform edges to narrow gaps at some stations and encouraging customers to take care getting on and off trains.
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The father who won a high court battle over taking his daughter on holiday during term time will fight on behalf of other parents who believe they were wrongly fined for doing the same.

In May the High Court ruled in favour of Jon Platt, who took his youngest daughter on a family holiday to Florida without permission, after he refused to pay a 120 fine from the Isle of Wight Council.

Now, the businessman has set up a company whose sole purpose is to help people, via group litigation, recover money where they have been unlawfully fined.

Recommended Read more Number of pupils taking unauthorised time off school soars

He was aware of "dozens of cases" of parents being wrongly issued with penalty notices, Mr Platt told the BBC Radio 4 programme You & Yours.

"Parents are contacting me in their hundreds about this. Local authorities are fining people based upon a single day - or two days, or sometimes five days - of unauthorised absence when they had no reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence had been committed.

"And hundreds of thousands of parents have paid millions of pounds in fines when they did absolutely nothing wrong. The only reason they paid them was the fear of the consequences of going to magistrates' court."

He warned that if local authorities do not comb through their records of penalty fines and "do the right thing", his new company School Fines Refunds Limited was prepared to take on thousands of claims.

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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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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"This idea that local authorities took upon themselves that they were obliged by national statute or national guidelines to issue mass numbers of these fines is a fallacy," he said.

"We will take tens of thousands of cases through the courts and local authorities will have to explain to a judge why they thought it was within their power to fine parents who had done nothing wrong."

Mr Platt has denied that he took set up the company purely for profit.

In a post on the Facebook page for School Fines Refunds Ltd, he wrote: There are people out there who will say that I only set out on this course of action so I could make money from the action I am now taking. I did not at any time choose to be prosecuted by the Isle of Wight Council.

He continued: I am not at all certain I can make a penny at this, indeed it might cost me tens of thousands of pounds of my own money. Anyone out there who thinks that they might be able to do this then please feel free to jump in. I will sell you this company for exactly what I have invested to date.

Press Association
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A student fell to his death from a bathroom window after getting hammered with his father in Edinburgh, an inquest has heard.

Andreas Christou plunged from a window in his fourth floor Victorian flat after drinking heavily during an evening out with his father, Christos, who was visiting him at university in October last year.

Andreas, who was studying English and History at Edinburgh University, was found to have very high alcohol levels in his system.

In a written statement to Croydon Crown Court, Mr Christou, said he had never seen his son drink red wine before and had tried to stop him when he realised how drunk he had become.

Mr Christou took Andreas back to his flat where the student passed out on the floor.

Andreas flatmate Isabel Jahnke described Mr Christou attempting to rouse him by speaking to him in Greek and gently slapping his cheeks.

She said the 20-year-old, who was originally from Norbury in south London, then woke up some time later and ran to the bathroom saying he was going to be sick.

He locked himself in and did not return for a long time and was not responding when he was asked to open the door.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters 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. 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Eventually, Ms Jahnkes boyfriend kicked the door open and found the bathroom empty with the large sash window fully open.

Andreas was pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital with catastrophic head and neck injuries after falling between 50 and 60ft from the window, the Croydon Guardian reports.

His friend Lila Grandgeorge said Andreas was an occasional drinker, who tended to binge drink on nights out.

"I really can't explain it. It was just sudden madness", she said.

Recommended Read more Calls for better health warnings as some men drink to excess

Coroner Selena Lynch recorded an open verdict and ruled out both suicide and an accident saying there were no drugs in his system and you would need to be quite nimble to go from that toilet seat out to that window.

She said: "There is no room for this being an accident, but it would be wrong for to say this was a case of suicide.

"I just don't have enough evidence.

"He's gone to some trouble going out of the window.

"Some people do get very distressed when they drinking and are just not in charge of themselves - he was highly intoxicated and may not have understood the nature and quality in his acts", she explained.
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MPs who back the UK staying in the European Union may attempt to keep the country inside the single market even if there is a vote for Brexit.

The pro-Remainers, who include most Labour MPs, a large number of Conservatives, and the SNP, hold a strong House of Commons majority.

Many are already planning to use their votes to push for the UK to remain inside the European single market, while accepting the publics decision to exit the EU, in the event of a Leave victory in the 23 June referendum.

 EU Referendum: Latest Poll

However, such a compromise would be highly controversial. Other countries which have access to the single market but are not EU members, like Norway, have to pay into the EU and accept the free movement of people  two of the key concerns raised by Leave campaigners in the referendum debate.

One minister told the BBC: We would accept the mandate of the people to leave the EU. But everything after that is negotiable and Parliament would have its say.

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Many Remain MPs expect that the likely economic shock following a Brexit vote would increase pressure on any post-referendum Conservative government to seek access to the single market outside the EU. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told the BBC "If the British people voted to leave the EU that's one thing.

"But can we really say that they voted for the devastation and destruction of the entire exporting sector of our economy? I don't think you can necessarily say that there's a democratic mandate for that."

Countries like Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein that already have such a relationship are exempt from many EU regulations and dont have to cooperate on justice or foreign affairs issues.

The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit Show all 7 1 /7 The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 22 May 2015 In his regular column in The Express Nigel Farage utilised the concerns over Putin and the EU to deliver a tongue in cheek conclusion. With friends like these, who needs enemies? PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 13 November 2015 UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Mike Hookem, was one of several political figures who took no time to harness the toxic atmosphere just moments after Paris attacks to push an agenda. Cameron says were safer in the EU. Well Im in the centre of the EU and it doesnt feel very safe. Getty Images The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 19 April 2016 In an article written for The Guardian, Michael Gove attempts to bolster his argument with a highly charged metaphor in which he likens UK remaining in the EU to a hostage situation. Were voting to be hostages locked in the back of the car and driven headlong towards deeper EU integration. Rex The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 26 April 2016 In a move that is hard to decipher, let alone understand, Mike Hookem stuck it to Obama re-tweeting a UKIP advertisement that utilises a quote from the film: Love Actually to dishonour the US stance on the EU. A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 10 May 2016 During a speech in London former work and pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith said that EU migration would cause an increasing divide between people who benefit from immigration and people who couldnt not find work because of uncontrolled migration. The European Union is a force for social injustice which backs the haves rather than the have-nots. EPA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 15 May 2016 Cartoon character Boris Johnson made the news again over controversial comments that the EU had the same goal as Hitler in trying to create a political super state. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 16 May 2016 During a tour of the womens clothing manufacturer David Nieper, Boris had ample time to cook up a new metaphor, arguably eclipsing Goves in which he compares the EU to badly designed undergarments. So I just say to all those who prophecy doom and gloom for the British Business, I say their pants are on fire. Lets say knickers to the pessimists, knickers to all those who talk Britain down. Getty Images

Even in the event of a vote for Brexit, the referendum will not be the the end of the EU debate. Britain would have to activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, triggering withdrawal from the EU within two years. However, it is not clear if it would be activated immediately, or after Britain had negotiated a new relationship with the EU. Leave campaign figurehead Michael Gove indicated on Sunday that Britain would not have left the EU by the end of this Parliament in 2020, even in the event of a Leave vote.

Vote Leave today claimed that a vote to Remain would cost the UK billions in extra EU costs in the years ahead. Boris Johnson will say later that 2.4bn EU bill could result from increased budgets in Brussels and potential future bailouts of Eurozone countries.

David Cameron called the claims simply wrong.

We are not part of bailout schemes, he said. We also have a veto over any EU budget increases.

 What to believe about the EU referendum

Mr Cameron will deepen Tory divisions over the EU debate today when he appears alongside the leaders of the Liberal Democrats, the Green party, and former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman to argue against Brexit.

Conservative leave campaigners have already criticised the cross-party move. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will not attend the event, having said in the past that he will not share a platform with Mr Cameron.
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One of Britains most trusted financial experts Martin Lewis is planning to vote to remain in the European Union  but has urged his readers to make their own mind up.

In his unspun guide to voting in the referendum the financial guru, who founded MoneySavingExpert.com, claims the upcoming referendum is the biggest consumer decision any of us will ever take and effects the economy, foreign policy, immigration, security and sovereignty.

Im generally risk-averse, Mr Lewis wrote on his website. That pushes me just towards an IN vote for safety, maybe 55% to 45%. Yet just as my dream holiday isnt necessarily yours, no more is my choice of whats right a call for you to follow me.

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If youve already made up your mind how to vote, good. Im not campaigning  I dont want to change it. If you havent, my aim is to help you ignore the spin and sales to weigh up the right decision for you, your community, our nation and the wider world too, he adds.

According to one poll published in November last year, Mr Lewis is one of the most trusted individuals on the EU referendum. The research claimed that Mr Lewis was the most trusted figure by 71 per cent of those polled  well ahead of Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn.

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In his blog post, published on Monday, Mr Lewis adds that a vote for Brexit is unquestionably economically riskier than a vote to remain. But, he adds, dont automatically read risk as a bad thing.

It simply means theres more uncertainty  a greater variance of possible outcomes.

Leaving the EU risks us being left on the sidelines. A shrinking power, spurned after a bitter divorce from our neighbours, who, wanting to discourage other leavers, offer us hideous trading conditions, while the rest of the world sees us as too small to bother with.

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.

Or we could in the long run become a nimble low-tax, low-regulation, tiger economy. Trading unfettered with all nations across the globe, able to create our own rules and speedily reacting as a niche player to a changing world (though whether thats good or bad depends whether youre a Brexiteer from the political left or right).

The likely truth is of course somewhere between the two. But most independent analysis suggests Brexit will be detrimental to the economy, and on balance I think a wobble of economic uncertainty is more likely, at least in the short to medium term. Though again, its about chance, so it doesnt mean its definite, and of course money isnt the sole issue.

He adds: If youre thinking you dont want to take the risk the economy could go bad, Vote IN If youre thinking things are so poor already, that youre willing to take the chance it could get worse, in the hope that it could get better, vote OUT.

Mr Lewiss intervention comes on the same day the pound fell to fresh lows after polls showed support for the Leave campaign was growing ahead of the EU referendum. Polling firm TNS said that the Leave campaign had a two-point lead over the Remain campaign while YouGov showed that the Leave campaign was up four points.
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Britains housing shortage has led to most people under 45-years-old putting major milestones in their life on hold, new research has suggested.

The charity Shelter found that 59 per cent of people in that age group had put off major life decisions like marriage, starting a family, or moving into a job.

The research, conducted by pollsters YouGov, showed the far-reaching effects on the housing crisis beyond simply having somewhere to live.

Recommended Read more Government plans to scrap lifetime tenancies in social housing

House prices have continued to rise in recent years, with the average house price in London passing 600,000 for the first time at the start of this month.

Statistics from late last year also saw private rents rising at their fastest rate in around three years, putting even further pressure on anyone thinking of saving for a mortgage deposit.

Britains housing shortage is so acute that first time house buyers are now 38-years-old, on average.

That number is expected to rise to 41 by 2025, according to financial services firm London Victoria. The lack of affordable housing is having an increasingly far-reaching effect on personal lives.

19 per cent of people under 45 surveyed by YouGov said they had experienced a delay finding a job, while 16 per cent said they had postponed getting married.

In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties A "cosy" flat in an upmarket area of west London is available to rent for a reasonable 520 a month, provided the tenant doesnt mind showering under the bed In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties Located on Castletown Road, the advertisement on Zoopla boasts: "A cosy, single studio located in the heart of Londons fashionable and up-market area of West Kensington, this compact mezzanine includes not only a fully furnished living area including table, chair, wardrobe and chest of draws [sic] but also a personal shower and kitchenette complete with storage" In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties The property is recommended for "students, working professionals and those looking for a thriving London life at an affordable rate" Rightmove In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties A studio flat for rent in Kember Street, north London was advertised for 737-a-month Rightmove In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties The 'well-used' kitchen of a flat in Hoxton, which was on the market for 997 per month Zoopla In pictures: Tiny London flats to rent London properties For only 125 per week you could be the lucky owner of this single studio flat, complete with shower and kitchenette, located between Barons Court and West Kensington Zoopla

22 per cent said they had put off having children because of their housing situation. Around one in ten expected to delay any eventual retirement from work.

The Government has unveiled a Starter Home scheme which it has said will help boost home ownership. But, the scheme has been criticised because the houses are still out of the reach of most people on ordinary incomes.

Other recent government policies include the removal of security of tenure for new social housing tenants and the sell-off of high value council homes.

Campbell Robb, Shelters chief executive, said young people had been left in limbo because of the shortage.

Everyone deserves the chance to have a home where they can put down roots and build a life for themselves, he said.

But our ever-growing housing crisis means millions of young people are being left behind  unable to reach many of the crucial life milestones that were taken for granted by the generations who came before them.

As Shelter reaches its 50th year, its heart-breaking to see so many young people still living in a housing limbo, facing a frustrating lifetime of instability where they feel unable to move forward with their lives.

We cannot make this crisis someone elses problem, and its the responsibility of all of us to help fix it.

A DCLG spokesman said: Were supporting homeownership with 291,000 people buying through government-backed schemes since 2010.

Through Help to Buy Shared Ownership people could open the door to their home with a deposit of as little as 1,500.

Furthermore, were delivering 200,000 Starter Homes exclusively for first-time buyers with at least a 20% discount.
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Leave campaigners within Labour have accused its MPs of failing to properly represent its eurosceptic supporters and members.

Former Labour business minister Nigel Griffiths, who is campaigning for Brexit as part of Labour GO, said 92 of the partys MPs should by rights be backing a Leave vote.

Polls suggest around 40 per cent of Labour voters are backing a Leave vote, but the partys 232 MP parliamentary caucus is overwhelmingly in favour of EU membership.

Millions of Labour voters believe that Brussels has betrayed our steel workers and manufacturing and our farming and fishing communities - taking 10 billion net every year. Our money is being spent on the infrastructure and citizens in other countries instead of here, Mr Griffiths said.

Many Labour voters are appalled that our NHS, schools and roads are short of money because we give Brussels 10 billion. They want their Labour representatives on their side on this, one of the most important issues of our time.

And Labour voters fear the consequences of the new EU/USA trade treaty TTIP, being negotiated in secret, which threatens to allow private contractors in the NHS and railways to block attempts to return their services to the public sector.

Anyone who thinks the EU is protecting workers' rights is living in the past - Brussels has forced zero hours contracts on Greece. Ireland was forced by the EU to abandon free collective bargaining, as savage wage cuts were imposed as a condition of their bail-out. The Viking Line judgement threatens hard-won rights of UK trade unions.

The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit Show all 7 1 /7 The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 22 May 2015 In his regular column in The Express Nigel Farage utilised the concerns over Putin and the EU to deliver a tongue in cheek conclusion. With friends like these, who needs enemies? PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 13 November 2015 UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Mike Hookem, was one of several political figures who took no time to harness the toxic atmosphere just moments after Paris attacks to push an agenda. Cameron says were safer in the EU. Well Im in the centre of the EU and it doesnt feel very safe. Getty Images The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 19 April 2016 In an article written for The Guardian, Michael Gove attempts to bolster his argument with a highly charged metaphor in which he likens UK remaining in the EU to a hostage situation. Were voting to be hostages locked in the back of the car and driven headlong towards deeper EU integration. Rex The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 26 April 2016 In a move that is hard to decipher, let alone understand, Mike Hookem stuck it to Obama re-tweeting a UKIP advertisement that utilises a quote from the film: Love Actually to dishonour the US stance on the EU. A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 10 May 2016 During a speech in London former work and pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith said that EU migration would cause an increasing divide between people who benefit from immigration and people who couldnt not find work because of uncontrolled migration. The European Union is a force for social injustice which backs the haves rather than the have-nots. EPA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 15 May 2016 Cartoon character Boris Johnson made the news again over controversial comments that the EU had the same goal as Hitler in trying to create a political super state. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 16 May 2016 During a tour of the womens clothing manufacturer David Nieper, Boris had ample time to cook up a new metaphor, arguably eclipsing Goves in which he compares the EU to badly designed undergarments. So I just say to all those who prophecy doom and gloom for the British Business, I say their pants are on fire. Lets say knickers to the pessimists, knickers to all those who talk Britain down. Getty Images

Other than some outspoken voices such as Kate Hoey, Frank Field, and Gisela Stuart, few Labour MPs have been publicly campaigning for Brexit.

But Harriet Harman, former interim leader of the party, today said Labour had in fact appeared too equivocal in its support for Remain.

Labour strongly believes that its in Britains national interest to remain in the European Union, she said at a joint press conference with David Cameron, Tim Farron and Natalie Bennett.

I want people who back Labour and Labour values to know why Labour backs us being in the EU.

Its not surprising that Labour supporters have struggled to catch a glimpse of why Labour backs the EU as the media has been dominated by the row in the Tory party.

Mr Corbyn, who has previously criticised the EU but is backing a Remain vote, skipped that rally.

He last week dismissed warnings that Brexit would cause a DIY recession but said there were other reasons to remain in the bloc, such as wanting to safeguard workers rights.
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He will lie, sir, with such volubility, that you would think truth were a fool, says Parolles to Bertram in Alls Well That Ends Well. And how appropriate such words might have been, on the day the EU referendum came to the Bard's home of Stratford-upon-Avon, if Messrs Gove and Johnson had not chosen to repair directly to an out-of-town distribution warehouse for toilet cleaner, Pot Noodle, Lynx Africa and a shower gel by the name of Fruity Passion Splash.

So then, once more unto the bleach dear friends! And with more than two weeks still to go, who could blame you?

It was in one sense, Shakespearean. There were no seats. Just a concrete floor upon which an audience mainly of fork lift drivers gathered to gaze upon of a towering wall of Enliven handwash and Listerine mouthwash to listen to the sad soliloquising of a host of tragic heroes. Within fifteen seconds theyd opened the Brainwash.

Albania, Macedonia and Turkey are all likely to have joined the EU within ten years, the warehouse boss Denys Shortt OBE breezily and falsely told them before introducing his guests.

John Longworth was next, that former head of the British Chamber of Commerce who became famous for less than fifteen seconds when he stood down from his post so he could take the fight to Europe.

He wasted no time in explaining how being in the EU was like being stuck in a room with a giant German spider and an unexploded single currency bomb.

That is the double jeopardy of Remain, he warned, gazing with due foreboding at the industrial shrink wrapping machine at the back of the room. The justice secretary Michael Gove was standing to his left and nodded along in agreement. You dont need a law degree to know that double jeopardy means if youve already been eaten by a German spider you cant then also get blown up by a euro bomb. You just need to have seen the 1999 crime thriller, Double Jeopardy, in which Ashley Judd plays a giant German spider armed with a euro bomb and a determination to enforce economic austerity on Southern Europe, represented by an icy cool Tommy Lee Jones. And if you've not seen the film, you can just write a few columns on the subject for The Times, get yourself a gold brocade frock coat and everything should be fine.

Perhaps thats unfair. There were at least three members of the audience whose faces remained unglazed as Mr Gove explained the fundamentally political agenda of the European Court of Justice to further the cause of European integration no matter what democratically elected legislatures think".

Now, Im no snob. Ive worked as an industrial cleaner at Dagenham Fords, albeit not for very long. I say this with due trepidation but all over the country, all you hear anyone normal say is, Give us the information.

This was a group of people who, for the most part, move palates of Fruity Passion Splash about a warehouse all day. Its possible the primacy of ECJ legislation may not be what fires their interest in a debate that has in itself been forced upon them against their will.

Immigration might be, at least if half the staff werent economic migrants whod been forced to spend their morning listening to a load of politicians and their boss having a go at immigrants.

It's possible they're not hugely concerned about the EU's "democratic deficit" that Boris Johnson moved on to, railing against the undemocratic courts and the unaccountable parliament. It is the very absence of democratic control that is having all sorts of disastrous economic consequences, both for Britain and for the EU, he said.

Theyre words that might be worth remembering, come 24 June. The absence of democratic control and its disastrous economic consequences might just seem a pithy summary when the financial markets have gone mad and  hang on  whats this? Weve not had an election and that bloke whos spent the last three months going on about the "undemocratic EU" is padlocking his bicycle to the Number 10 railings like Bullingdons own Frank Underwood.

Parolles continues: He has every thing that an honest man should not have. What an honest man should have, he has nothing.

Still, alls well that ends well. We hope.
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Labour supporters have struggled to discern whether their party supports or opposes EU membership, Harriet Harman has said.

Ms Harman, who led the party for an interim period last year, made the comments on Monday while standing in for Jeremy Corbyn at a pro-Remain event.

Mr Corbyn skipped the cross-party presentation, which was otherwise attended by leaders of the other main parties: David Cameron of the Conservatives, Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats, and Natalie Bennett of the Green Party.

She cited a media focus on Tory infighting during the referendum as the main reason for the disconnect.

Labour strongly believes that its in Britains national interest to remain in the European Union, she told the event.

I want people who back Labour and Labour values to know why Labour backs us being in the EU.

Its not surprising that Labour supporters have struggled to catch a glimpse of why Labour backs the EU as the media has been dominated by the row in the Tory party.

Mr Corbyn last week made a speech in defence of the EU, saying Labour supported remaining in the bloc because it guaranteed workers rights and environmental protections.

Coverage of that event was however dominated by a row over Labour supporters hissing a BBC journalist who they perceived as providing hostile coverage.

The Labour leader was criticised by GMB general secretary Tim Roache last week who argued that Mr Corbyn had not done enough to make Labours; support clear.

Jeremy Corbyn backs the Remain campaign (Reuters)

A YouGov poll for the Times last week found that 45 per cent of the partys voters believe it either backs Brexit or were unsure.

A leaked memo from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign also found that Labour supporters in focus groups were uniformly uncertain about the party's stance on the EU.

At todays cross-party rally, David Cameron made no reference to Mr Corbyns absence and instead described the gathering as an unprecedented show of cross-party unity.

The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit Show all 7 1 /7 The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 22 May 2015 In his regular column in The Express Nigel Farage utilised the concerns over Putin and the EU to deliver a tongue in cheek conclusion. With friends like these, who needs enemies? PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 13 November 2015 UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Mike Hookem, was one of several political figures who took no time to harness the toxic atmosphere just moments after Paris attacks to push an agenda. Cameron says were safer in the EU. Well Im in the centre of the EU and it doesnt feel very safe. Getty Images The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 19 April 2016 In an article written for The Guardian, Michael Gove attempts to bolster his argument with a highly charged metaphor in which he likens UK remaining in the EU to a hostage situation. Were voting to be hostages locked in the back of the car and driven headlong towards deeper EU integration. Rex The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 26 April 2016 In a move that is hard to decipher, let alone understand, Mike Hookem stuck it to Obama re-tweeting a UKIP advertisement that utilises a quote from the film: Love Actually to dishonour the US stance on the EU. A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 10 May 2016 During a speech in London former work and pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith said that EU migration would cause an increasing divide between people who benefit from immigration and people who couldnt not find work because of uncontrolled migration. The European Union is a force for social injustice which backs the haves rather than the have-nots. EPA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 15 May 2016 Cartoon character Boris Johnson made the news again over controversial comments that the EU had the same goal as Hitler in trying to create a political super state. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods. PA The most scaremongering arguments for Brexit 16 May 2016 During a tour of the womens clothing manufacturer David Nieper, Boris had ample time to cook up a new metaphor, arguably eclipsing Goves in which he compares the EU to badly designed undergarments. So I just say to all those who prophecy doom and gloom for the British Business, I say their pants are on fire. Lets say knickers to the pessimists, knickers to all those who talk Britain down. Getty Images

We dont agree about, many things we argue about, but on this we are absolutely united  Britain is stronger, better off, and safer inside a reformed European Union, he said.

At the same event the Prime Minister accused the Leave campaign of being undemocratic and reckless by refusing to lay out a full vision of what Britain would look like outside the EU.

Undemocratic, because its the duty of anyone seeking votes to tell you what theyre asking you to vote for, especially when its on something as important as our economy, he said.

Reckless, because by refusing to set out an economic plan, they are playing with peoples jobs and peoples livelihoods.

Theyve lurched from one idea to another: first they said we should be like Norway, then Canada, then Albania, then America. Along the way theyve taken us from Iceland to the Isle of Man and Morocco and Moldova. They are sticking pins on a map: they add up to zero concrete plans.

Tim Farron said the gathering was an unprecedented and frankly pretty unlikely showing of cross-party consensus and went on to describe the Leave campaign as absurd.

Meanwhile Boris Johnson has today claimed the EU will force Britain to pay more money into its coffers, which he says will amount to a "triple-whammy of woe".

"The risks of remain are massive. Not only do we hand over more than 350m a week to the EU, but if we vote to stay the British people will be on the hook for even more cash," Mr Johnson said.

Boris Johnson said the bill for staying in the EU would increase (Getty Images)

It is a triple whammy of woe: the eurozone is being strangled by stagnation, unemployment and a lack of growth, it could explode at any time and we will be forced to bail it out.

The botched bureaucratic response to the migration crisis means the Eurocrats are demanding even more of our money.

You have Days Hours Minutes Seconds left to register

And now we find that there is 20bn billion black hole in the EU's finances.

Today's developments come as two new poll show leads for the Leave campaign, while others show Remain ahead. The EU referendum will take place on 23 June this year
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The prosecutor in charge of the Harambe gorilla shooting at Cincinnati Zoo said the nastiest emails sent for an idiotic reason came from Europe.

Joe Deters, who investigated the mother of the three-year-old boy who fell inside a gorilla enclosure, told 700WLW radio: Europe are beside themselves."

The nastiest emails we got were from Europe," he added.

Recommended Read more Mother of boy who breached gorilla enclosure will not face charges

His comments came just one hour after he held a press conference to announce that the childs mother would not face any charges.

Mr Deters added that the emails from Europe were sent due to an idiotic reason.

They think the gorilla should not have been taken out, but for the safety of that three-year-old, it had to be, he said.

A vigil for the gorilla was held shortly after he was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo.

Anger was quickly turned on the mother and the zoo staff, accusing the mother of not keeping a close watch on her children and the zoo for raising a gun too quickly.

 Cincinnati zoo gorilla shot dead as boy falls into enclosure

The prosector, who has over 25 years of experience, said he had never seen such a reaction to a case.

Everyone was looking for someone to blame, he explained.

Mr Deters was investigating a possible child endangerment case after the mother of four turned her back for a moment and one of her children slipped over a low barrier and into the gorilla enclosure.

After falling 15 feet, the child was dragged around in the water by Harambe the gorilla, but remarkably was not hurt. The gorilla was then killed by zoo staff.

At the press conference, Mr Deters said he questioned some folks' moral equivalence of human life and animal life.

Its wrong, he said simply.
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The mother of the three-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure in Cincinnati Zoo will not face any charges, according to the local prosecution office.

Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters told reporters that the mother of four was not to blame for the incident, which led to the gorillas death and triggered a massive public backlash against the zoos actions and the mother.

But the prosecutor insisted there was nothing the mother could have done, as the incident took place within seconds, according to the witnesses.

A child scampering away - its not foreseeable he will fall into the encampment," said Mr Deters.

For people who have never had kids, children do that sometimes," he later added.

[She is] A very attentive mother who simply turned her back to take care of another child and that child went through the fence."

He praised the mothers attentiveness to her children and said that social services were impressed with the family environment. He said he did not think the childs father had been interviewed at all.

 Cincinnati zoo gorilla shot dead as boy falls into enclosure

I think ultimately the child may need to get some kind of therapy to make sure hes ok, he said, referring to his experience in the enclosure.

Mr Deters said he was not swayed by the public reaction, but said he had never seen so much attention to a potential child endangerment case in his life.

Ive been a bit taken aback by some folks' moral equivalence of human life with animal life, he said. "This is a beautiful little boy. Had they not acted and this animal behaved like some animals behave we could have had a genuine tragedy here."

He weighed the mothers actions, witness accounts and police documents.

The three-year-old climbed over the low barrier to the gorilla enclosure, made his way through the bushes and fell 15 feet into a moat. He was unhurt minus a few scrapes and bruises, according to Mr Deters.

The 400-pound silverback gorilla was shot dead after it was seen dragging the child around the enclosure.

Cincinnati police said they would focus the investigation on the childs parents and turn the results to the prosecution office.

Federal investigators will also review the zoo, the operation and the safety for which falls under the authority of the US Department of Agriculture and is inspected twice a year.

A new barrier has been put in place at the enclosure.
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Donald Trump and his potential running mate Newt Gingrich have locked horns in a battle of inappropriateness surrounding the nationality of the judge who is ruling over the Trump University scandal.

Mr Gingrich, who is a Republican contender for vice president, said his colleagues comments about judge Gonzalo Curiel being biased and unfair in the Trump University lawsuit due to his nationality are inexcusable.

Recommended Read more Donald Trump seeks to discredit judge in Trump University case

Mr Trump said judge Curiel, who was born in Indiana, is a Mexican and would therefore be biased against Mr Trump.

"Were building a wall," Mr Trump told CNN. "Hes a Mexican. Were building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is he is giving us very unfair rulings."

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Gingrich said: This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think its inexcusable."

[Judge Curiel] is an American. Period, the former house speaker added.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

I hope it was sloppiness. He says on other occasions that he has many Mexican friends etc, but thats irrelevant. This judge is not Mexican.

Mr Trump, who said he would have the same concerns of bias if the judge was Muslim, responded in a separate interview with Fox that Mr Gingrichs comments were inappropriate and he was surprised at Newt.

Mr Gingrich has joined several other top Republicans who are rebuking Mr Trumps comments.

Democrat Hillary Clinton also said on twitter that Mr Trumps disbanded University, which was accused by former staff of mis-selling expensive real estate courses to financially vulnerable students, would make readers feel nausea.

Judge Curiel is as American as I am and certainly as American as Donald Trump is, Ms Clinton said on ABCs This Week, arguing that his attack on the judge was a way to divert attention from the very serious fraud charges against the real estate school.

Trump's continuing ethnic slurs and rants against everyone, including a distinguished federal judge, I think makes my point rather conclusively, Ms Clinton said.
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The father of a former Stanford University student convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault on an unconscious woman has caused outrage after he reportedly said his son did not deserve to be sent to prison for 20 minutes of action.

Brock Turner, 20, was found guilty of three felony sexual assault counts for the January 2015 attack, which was interrupted by two graduate students who saw him assaulting a partially clothed woman behind a trash bin. Turner tried to flee, but the students tackled and pinned him down until police arrived and arrested him.

He was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.

An extract of Turners fathers statement to the judge, in which he pleaded for his son not to be imprisoned and to instead be given probation, was tweeted by Michele Dauber, a law professor at Stanford University.

Dan Turner claimed his sons life had been deeply altered forever by the events and that his every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression.

He continued: His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minute of action out of his 20 plus years of life.

People reacted with anger on Twitter, calling Mr Turners offensive comment shameful, chilling, and the worst combination of terrifying and unsurprising.

The judge said that Turners fathers statement, along with other positive character references, his age, the role played by alcohol in the crime and his not having previously committed a criminal offence, were mitigating factors.

Judge Persky said he believed Turner would not be a danger to others, claiming that a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him.

Turner, who withdrew from Stanford after his arrest, faced a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison but was given six months in a county jail with three months probation. He must also complete a sex offender management programme and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Palo Alto District Attorney Jeff Rosen said he was disappointed the judge did not sentence Turner to prison, adding that the punishment does not fit the crime.

The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victims on-going trauma. Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape.

Mr Turners statement, which is understood to have been read out in court, added that his son can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and is totally committed to educating other collage age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity.

Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Show all 19 1 /19 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Afghanistan Recommendation: I urge the Government of Afghanistan to adopt legislative reforms to ensure that sexual violence offences are not conflated with adultery or morality crimes and to establish infrastructure for the delivery of protection, health and le gal services to survivors. I call on the Ministry of the Interior to accelerate efforts to integrate women into the Afghan National Police, thereby enhancing its outreach and its capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Central African Republic Recommendation: I urge the authorities of the Central African Republic to ensure that efforts to restore security and the rule of law take into account the prevention of sexual violence and that monitoring of the ceasefire and peace agreement explicitly reflects this consideration, in line with the joint communique of the Government and the United Nations on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence signed in December 2012. I further encourage the authorities to make the rapid response unit to combat sexual violence operational and to establish a special criminal court Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Colombia Recommendation: I commend the Government of Colombia for the progress made to date and its collaboration with the United Nations, including through the visit of my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict in March 2015. I encourage the authorities to implement Law 1719 and continue to prosecute cases of sexual violence committed during the conflict to ensure that survivors receive justice and receive reparations. Conflict-related sexual violence should continue to be addressed in the Havana peace talks, as well as in the resulting accords and transitional justice mechanisms. Particular attention should be paid to groups that face additional barriers to justice such as ethnic minorities, women in rural areas, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and women abused within the ranks of armed groups. I encourage the Government to scale up its protection measures and share its good practices with other conflict-affected countries Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Congo Recommendation: I urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure full implementation of the armed forces action plan against sexual violence, to systematically bring perpetrators to justice and to deliver reparations to victims, including payment of outstanding compensation awards. I call on donors and the United Nations system to support the Government in its efforts and to pay increased attention to neglected areas, including unregulated mining regions Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Iraq Recommendation: I commend the Government of Iraq for its national action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and urge its swift implementation, including by training its security forces to ensur e respect for womens rights. Programmes to support the social reintegration of women and girls released from captivity by ISIL are urgently needed, as is community-based medical and psychological care. The capacity of the United Nations system should be enhanced through the deployment of Womens Protection Advisers or equivalent specialists Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Libya Recommendation: I urge the national authorities in Libya to implement Decree No. 119 and Resolution 904 of 2014 to ensure redress for all victims, including those affected by the current conflict, through the establishment of multisectoral services and the adoption of legislation to categorically prohibit sexual violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Mali Recommendation: I urge the Government of Mali, with support from United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat sexual and gender-based violence and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers so that services can reach remote areas. I further call on all parties to ensure that conflict-related sexual violence is addressed in the inter-Malian dialogue and that perpetrators of sexual violence do not benefit from amnesty or early release Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Myanmar Recommendation: I urge the Government of Myanmar to continue with its reform agenda and, in the process, take practical and timely actions to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to ensure that security personnel accused of such crimes are prosecuted. Sexual violence should be an element in all ceasefire and peace negotiations, excluded from the scope of amnesty provisions and addressed in transitional justice processes. It is critical that women be able to participate consistently in and influence these processes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Somalia Recommendation: I reiterate my call to the Federal Government of Somalia to implement the commitments made under the joint communique of 7 May 2013 and its national action plan to combat sexual violence in conflict, including specific plans for the army and the police. I encourage the adoption of a sexual offences bill as a matter of priority Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life South Sudan Recommendation: I urge the parties to the conflict in South Sudan to adopt action plans to implement the commitments made under their respective communiques. I call upon the Government of South Sudan to address the negative impact of customary law on womens rights and to reflect international human rights standards in national law. I also encourage the African Union to make public and act upon the report of its Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sudan (Darfur) Recommendation: I call upon the Government of the Sudan to grant the United Nations and its humanitarian partners unfettered access for monitoring and the provision of assistance to people in need in Darfur. Given that there has been grave concern over sexual violence in Darfur for more than a decade, I encourage the Government to engage with my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to develop a framework of cooperation to address the issue comprehensively Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Syria Recommendation: I acknowledge the Governments invitation to my Special Representative to visit the Syrian Arab Republic and call upon the authorities, in the context of such a visit, to agree on specific measures to prevent sexual violence, including by members of the security forces. I condemn the use of sexual violence by ISIL and all other parties listed in the annex to the present report and call on them to cease such violations immediately and allow unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Yemen Recommendation: I urge the authorities in Yemen to undertake legislative reform as a basis for addressing impunity for sexual violence, ensuring the provision of services for survivors and aligning the minimum legal age of marriage with international standards. I further call on the authorities to engage with local community and faithbased leaders to address sexual and gender-based violence and discriminatory social norms Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Bosnia and Herzegovina Recommendation: I urge the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to harmonize legislation and policies so that the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to reparations are consistently recognized and to allocate a specific budget for this purpose. I further call upon the authorities to protect and support survivors participating in judicial proceedings through, inter alia, referrals to free legal aid, psychosocial and health services, as well as economic empowerment programmes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Ivory Coast Recommendation: I urge the Government of Cote dIvoire to ensure the effective implementation of its national strategy to combat gender-based violence and the action plan for FRCI, and call on the international community to support these efforts. It is critical to accelerate disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and strengthen law enforcement to ensure that ex-combatants who have been reintegrated into the transport sector do not pose a risk to women and girls who are reliant on those services. The Government and the international community must provide monitoring and awareness-raising to mitigate the possibility of a recurrence of sexual violence in the context of the presidential elections to be held in October 2015 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Liberia Recommendation: I call on the Government of Liberia to continue its critical efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence including through the United Nations-Government of Liberia Joint Programme, and in the context of recovery from the Ebola virus epidemic Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nepal Recommendation: I encourage the Government to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are recognized under the law as conflict victims, which will enable them to access services, judicial remedies and reparations. I further call on all parties involved in the transitional justice process to ensure that the rights and needs o f survivors of sexual violence are addressed in institutional reforms and that these crimes are excluded from amnesties and statutes of limitations Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sri Lanka Recommendation: I call upon the newly elected Government of Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of sexual violence, including against national armed and security forces, and to provide multisectoral services for survivors, including reparations and economic empowerment programmes for women at risk, including war widows and female heads of household Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nigeria Recommendation: I encourage the Government to implement its national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) to ensure that womens protection concerns are mainstreamed throughout its security operations. I also call upon the authorities to guarantee security in and around internally displaced persons camps and to extend medical and psychosocial services to high-risk areas

The victim of Turners multiple sexual assaults wrote a powerful letter to her attacker that was read out in court. In her statement, she described how the attack left her emotionally scarred.

"My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition. I became closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty," she said.

She also questioned Turners intention to establish a high school programme to speak out against college campus drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that.

Her statement read: Campus drinking culture. Thats what were speaking out against? You think thats what Ive spent the past year fighting for? Not awareness about campus sexual assault, or rape, or learning to recognize consent. Campus drinking culture. Down with Jack Daniels. Down with Skyy Vodka. If you want talk to people about drinking go to an AA meeting. You realize, having a drinking problem is different than drinking and then forcefully trying to have sex with someone? Show men how to respect women, not how to drink less.

Read the victim's letter in full:

Your honor,

If it is all right, for the majority of this statement I would like to address the defendant directly.

You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today.

On January 17th, 2015, it was a quiet Saturday night at home. My dad made some dinner and I sat at the table with my younger sister who was visiting for the weekend. I was working full time and it was approaching my bed time. I planned to stay at home by myself, watch some TV and read, while she went to a party with her friends. Then, I decided it was my only night with her, I had nothing better to do, so why not, theres a dumb party ten minutes from my house, I would go, dance weird like a fool, and embarrass my younger sister. On the way there, I joked that undergrad guys would have braces. My sister teased me for wearing a beige cardigan to a frat party like a librarian. I called myself big mama, because I knew Id be the oldest one there. I made silly faces, let my guard down, and drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college.

The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway. I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow. I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus. I was very calm and wondering where my sister was. A deputy explained I had been assaulted. I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. I knew no one at this party. When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing. I still remember the feeling of my hands touching my skin and grabbing nothing. I looked down and there was nothing. The thin piece of fabric, the only thing between my vagina and anything else, was missing and everything inside me was silenced. I still dont have words for that feeling. In order to keep breathing, I thought maybe the policemen used scissors to cut them off for evidence.

Then, I felt pine needles scratching the back of my neck and started pulling them out my hair. I thought maybe, the pine needles had fallen from a tree onto my head. My brain was talking my gut into not collapsing. Because my gut was saying, help me, help me.

I shuffled from room to room with a blanket wrapped around me, pine needles trailing behind me, I left a little pile in every room I sat in. I was asked to sign papers that said Rape Victim and I thought something has really happened. My clothes were confiscated and I stood naked while the nurses held a ruler to various abrasions on my body and photographed them. The three of us worked to comb the pine needles out of my hair, six hands to fill one paper bag. To calm me down, they said its just the flora and fauna, flora and fauna. I had multiple swabs inserted into my vagina and anus, needles for shots, pills, had a nikon pointed right into my spread legs. I had long, pointed beaks inside me and had my vagina smeared with cold, blue paint to check for abrasions.

After a few hours of this, they let me shower. I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I dont want my body anymore. I was terrified of it, I didnt know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else.

On that morning, all that I was told was that I had been found behind a dumpster, potentially penetrated by a stranger, and that I should get retested for HIV because results dont always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life. Imagine stepping back into the world with only that information. They gave me huge hugs, and then I walked out of the hospital into the parking lot wearing the new sweatshirt and sweatpants they provided me, as they had only allowed me to keep my necklace and shoes.

My sister picked me up, face wet from tears and contorted in anguish. Instinctively and immediately, I wanted to take away her pain. I smiled at her, I told her to look at me, Im right here, Im okay, everythings okay, Im right here. My hair is washed and clean, they gave me the strangest shampoo, calm down, and look at me. Look at these funny new sweatpants and sweatshirt, I look like a P.E. teacher, lets go home, lets eat something. She did not know that beneath my sweats, I had scratches and bandages on my skin, my vagina was sore and had become a strange, dark color from all the prodding, my underwear was missing, and I felt too empty to continue to speak. That I was also afraid, that I was also devastated. That day we drove home and for hours my sister held me.

My boyfriend did not know what happened, but called that day and said, I was really worried about you last night, you scared me, did you make it home okay? I was horrified. Thats when I learned I had called him that night in my blackout, left an incomprehensible voicemail, that we had also spoken on the phone, but I was slurring so heavily he was scared for me, that he repeatedly told me to go find my sister. Again, he asked me, What happened last night? Did you make it home okay? I said yes, and hung up to cry.

I was not ready to tell my boyfriend or parents that actually, I may have been raped behind a dumpster, but I dont know by who or when or how. If I told them, I would see the fear on their faces, and mine would multiply by tenfold, so instead I pretended the whole thing wasnt real.

I tried to push it out of my mind, but it was so heavy I didnt talk, I didnt eat, I didnt sleep, I didnt interact with anyone. After work, I would drive to a secluded place to scream. I didnt talk, I didnt eat, I didnt sleep, I didnt interact with anyone, and I became isolated from the ones I loved most. For one week after the incident, I didnt get any calls or updates about that night or what happened to me. The only symbol that proved that it hadnt just been a bad dream, was the sweatshirt from the hospital in my drawer.

One day, I was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone, and came across an article. In it, I read and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair disheveled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist, that I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart, and had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize. This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me. Thats when the pine needles in my hair made sense, they didnt fall from a tree. He had taken off my underwear, his fingers had been inside of me. I dont even know this person. I still dont know this person. When I read about me like this, I said, this cant be me.

This cant be me. I could not digest or accept any of this information. I could not imagine my family having to read about this online. I kept reading. In the next paragraph, I read something that I will never forgive; I read that according to him, I liked it. I liked it. Again, I do not have words for these feelings.

At the bottom of the article, after I learned about the graphic details of my own sexual assault, the article listed his swimming times. She was found breathing, unresponsive with her underwear six inches away from her bare stomach curled in fetal position. By the way, hes really good at swimming. Throw in my mile time if thats what were doing. Im good at cooking, put that in there, I think the end is where you list your extra-curriculars to cancel out all the sickening things thatve happened.

The night the news came out I sat my parents down and told them that I had been assaulted, to not look at the news because its upsetting, just know that Im okay, Im right here, and Im okay. But halfway through telling them, my mom had to hold me because I could no longer stand up. I was not okay.

The night after it happened, he said he didnt know my name, said he wouldnt be able to identify my face in a lineup, didnt mention any dialogue between us, no words, only dancing and kissing. Dancing is a cute term; was it snapping fingers and twirling dancing, or just bodies grinding up against each other in a crowded room? I wonder if kissing was just faces sloppily pressed up against each other? When the detective asked if he had planned on taking me back to his dorm, he said no. When the detective asked how we ended up behind the dumpster, he said he didnt know. He admitted to kissing other girls at that party, one of whom was my own sister who pushed him away. He admitted to wanting to hook up with someone. I was the wounded antelope of the herd, completely alone and vulnerable, physically unable to fend for myself, and he chose me. Sometimes I think, if I hadnt gone, then this never wouldve happened. But then I realized, it would have happened, just to somebody else. You were about to enter four years of access to drunk girls and parties, and if this is the foot you started off on, then it is right you did not continue.

The night after it happened, he said he thought I liked it because I rubbed his back. A back rub. Never mentioned me voicing consent, never mentioned us speaking, a back rub.

One more time, in public news, I learned that my ass and vagina were completely exposed outside, my breasts had been groped, fingers had been jabbed inside me along with pine needles and debris, my bare skin and head had been rubbing against the ground behind a dumpster, while an erect freshman was humping my half naked, unconscious body. But I dont remember, so how do I prove I didnt like it.

I thought theres no way this is going to trial; there were witnesses, there was dirt in my body, he ran but was caught. Hes going to settle, formally apologize, and we will both move on. Instead, I was told he hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses, private investigators who were going to try and find details about my personal life to use against me, find loopholes in my story to invalidate me and my sister, in order to show that this sexual assault was in fact a misunderstanding. That he was going to go to any length to convince the world he had simply been confused.

I was not only told that I was assaulted, I was told that because I couldnt remember, I technically could not prove it was unwanted. And that distorted me, damaged me, almost broke me. It is the saddest type of confusion to be told I was assaulted and nearly raped, blatantly out in the open, but we dont know if it counts as assault yet. I had to fight for an entire year to make it clear that there was something wrong with this situation.

When I was told to be prepared in case we didnt win, I said, I cant prepare for that. He was guilty the minute I woke up. No one can talk me out of the hurt he caused me. Worst of all, I was warned, because he now knows you dont remember, he is going to get to write the script. He can say whatever he wants and no one can contest it. I had no power, I had no voice, I was defenseless. My memory loss would be used against me. My testimony was weak, was incomplete, and I was made to believe that perhaps, I am not enough to win this. Thats so damaging. His attorney constantly reminded the jury, the only one we can believe is Brock, because she doesnt remember. That helplessness was traumatizing.

Instead of taking time to heal, I was taking time to recall the night in excruciating detail, in order to prepare for the attorneys questions that would be invasive, aggressive, and designed to steer me off course, to contradict myself, my sister, phrased in ways to manipulate my answers. Instead of his attorney saying, Did you notice any abrasions? He said, You didnt notice any abrasions, right? This was a game of strategy, as if I could be tricked out of my own worth. The sexual assault had been so clear, but instead, here I was at the trial, answering question like:

How old are you? How much do you weigh? What did you eat that day? Well what did you have for dinner? Who made dinner? Did you drink with dinner? No, not even water? When did you drink? How much did you drink? What container did you drink out of? Who gave you the drink? How much do you usually drink? Who dropped you off at this party? At what time? But where exactly? What were you wearing? Why were you going to this party? Whatd you do when you got there? Are you sure you did that? But what time did you do that? What does this text mean? Who were you texting? When did you urinate? Where did you urinate? With whom did you urinate outside? Was your phone on silent when your sister called? Do you remember silencing it? Really because on page 53 Id like to point out that you said it was set to ring. Did you drink in college? You said you were a party animal? How many times did you black out? Did you party at frats? Are you serious with your boyfriend? Are you sexually active with him? When did you start dating? Would you ever cheat? Do you have a history of cheating? What do you mean when you said you wanted to reward him? Do you remember what time you woke up? Were you wearing your cardigan? What color was your cardigan? Do you remember any more from that night? No? Okay, well let Brock fill it in.

I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life, inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who didnt even take the time to ask me for my name, who had me naked a handful of minutes after seeing me. After a physical assault, I was assaulted with questions designed to attack me, to say see, her facts dont line up, shes out of her mind, shes practically an alcoholic, she probably wanted to hook up, hes like an athlete right, they were both drunk, whatever, the hospital stuff she remembers is after the fact, why take it into account, Brock has a lot at stake so hes having a really hard time right now.

And then it came time for him to testify. This is where I became revictimized. I want to remind you, the night after it happened he said he never planned to take me back to his dorm. He said he didnt know why we were behind a dumpster. He got up to leave because he wasnt feeling well when he was suddenly chased and attacked. Then he learned I could not remember.

So one year later, as predicted, a new dialogue emerged. Brock had a strange new story, almost sounded like a poorly written young adult novel with kissing and dancing and hand holding and lovingly tumbling onto the ground, and most importantly in this new story, there was suddenly consent. One year after the incident, he remembered, oh yeah, by the way she actually said yes, to everything, so.

He said he had asked if I wanted to dance. Apparently I said yes. Hed asked if I wanted to go to his dorm, I said yes. Then he asked if he could finger me and I said yes. Most guys dont ask, Can I finger you? Usually theres a natural progression of things, unfolding consensually, not a Q and A. But apparently I granted full permission. Hes in the clear.

Even in this story, theres barely any dialogue; I only said a total of three words before he had me half naked on the ground. I have never been penetrated after three words. He didnt claim to hear me speak one full sentence that night, so in the news when it says we met, Im not sure I would go so far as to say that. Future reference, if you are confused about whether a girl can consent, see if she can speak an entire sentence. You couldnt even do that. Just one coherent string of words. If she cant do that, then no. Dont touch her, just no. Not maybe, just no. Where was the confusion? This is common sense, human decency.

According to him, the only reason we were on the ground was because I fell down. Note; if a girl falls help her get back up. If she is too drunk to even walk and falls, do not mount her, hump her, take off her underwear, and insert your hand inside her vagina. If a girl falls help her up. If she is wearing a cardigan over her dress dont take it off so that you can touch her breasts. Maybe she is cold, maybe thats why she wore the cardigan. If her bare ass and legs are rubbing the pinecones and needles, while the weight of you pushes into her, get off her.

Next in the story, two people approached you. You ran because you said you felt scared. I argue that you were scared because youd be caught, not because you were scared of two terrifying Swedish grad students. The idea that you thought you were being attacked out of the blue was ludicrous. That it had nothing to do with you being on top my unconscious body. You were caught red handed, with no explanation. When they tackled you why didnt [you] say, Stop! Everythings okay, go ask her, shes right over there, shell tell you. I mean you had just asked for my consent, right? I was awake, right? When the policeman arrived and interviewed the evil Swede who tackled you, he was crying so hard he couldnt speak because of what hed seen. Also, if you really did think they were dangerous, you just abandoned a half-naked girl to run and save yourself. No matter which way you frame it, it doesnt make sense.

Your attorney has repeatedly pointed out, well we dont know exactly when she became unconscious. And youre right, maybe I was still fluttering my eyes and wasnt completely limp yet, fine. His guilt did not depend on him knowing the exact second that I became unconscious, that is never what this was about. I was slurring, too drunk to consent way before I was on the ground. I should have never been touched in the first place. Brock stated, At no time did I see that she was not responding. If at any time I thought she was not responding, I would have stopped immediately. Heres the thing; if your plan was to stop only when I was literally unresponsive, then you still do not understand. You didnt even stop when I was unconscious anyway! Someone else stopped you. Two guys on bikes noticed I wasnt moving in the dark and had to tackle you. How did you not notice while on top of me?

You said, you would have stopped and gotten help. You say that, but I want you to explain how you wouldve helped me, step by step, walk me through this. I want to know, if those evil Swedes had not found me, how the night would have played out. I am asking you; Would you have pulled my underwear back on over my boots? Untangled the necklace wrapped around my neck? Closed my legs, covered me? Tucked my bra back into my dress? Would you have helped me pick the needles from my hair? Asked if the abrasions on my neck and bottom hurt? Would you then go find a friend and say, Will you help me get her somewhere warm and soft? I dont sleep when I think about the way it could have gone if the Swedes had never come. What would have happened to me? Thats what youll never have a good answer for, thats what you cant explain even after a year.

To sit under oath and inform all of us, that yes I wanted it, yes I permitted it, and that you are the true victim attacked by guys for reasons unknown to you is sick, is demented, is selfish, is stupid. It shows that you were willing to go to any length, to discredit me, invalidate me, and explain why it was okay to hurt me. You tried unyieldingly to save yourself, your reputation, at my expense.

My family had to see pictures of my head strapped to a gurney full of pine needles, of my body in the dirt with my eyes closed, dress hiked up, limbs limp in the dark. And then even after that, my family had to listen to your attorney say, the pictures were after the fact, we can dismiss them. To say, yes her nurse confirmed there was redness and abrasions inside her, but thats what happens when you finger someone, and hes already admitted to that. To listen to him use my own sister against me. To listen him attempt to paint of a picture of me, the seductive party animal, as if somehow that would make it so that I had this coming for me. To listen to him say I sounded drunk on the phone because Im silly and thats my goofy way of speaking. To point out that in the voicemail, I said I would reward my boyfriend and we all know what I was thinking. I assure you my rewards program is non-transferable, especially to any nameless man that approaches me.

The point is, this is everything my family and I endured during the trial. This is everything I had to sit through silently, taking it, while he shaped the evening. It is enough to be suffering. It is another thing to have someone ruthlessly working to diminish the gravity and validity of this suffering. But in the end, his unsupported statements and his attorneys twisted logic fooled no one. The truth won, the truth spoke for itself.

You are guilty. Twelve jurors convicted you guilty of three felony counts beyond reasonable doubt, thats twelve votes per count, thirty-six yeses confirming guilt, thats one hundred percent, unanimous guilt. And I thought finally it is over, finally he will own up to what he did, truly apologize, we will both move on and get better. Then I read your statement.

If you are hoping that one of my organs will implode from anger and I will die, Im almost there. You are very close. Assault is not an accident. This is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. Somehow, you still dont get it. Somehow, you still sound confused.

I will now take this opportunity to read portions of the defendants statement and respond to them.

You said, Being drunk I just couldnt make the best decisions and neither could she.

Alcohol is not an excuse. Is it a factor? Yes. But alcohol was not the one who stripped me, fingered me, had my head dragging against the ground, with me almost fully naked. Having too much to drink was an amateur mistake that I admit to, but it is not criminal. Everyone in this room has had a night where they have regretted drinking too much, or knows someone close to them who has had a night where they have regretted drinking too much. Regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault. We were both drunk, the difference is I did not take off your pants and underwear, touch you inappropriately, and run away. Thats the difference.

You said, If I wanted to get to know her, I should have asked for her number, rather than asking her to go back to my room.

Im not mad because you didnt ask for my number. Even if you did know me, I would not want [to] be in this situation. My own boyfriend knows me, but if he asked to finger me behind a dumpster, I would slap him. No girl wants to be in this situation. Nobody. I dont care if you know their phone number or not.

You said, I stupidly thought it was okay for me to do what everyone around me was doing, which was drinking. I was wrong.

Again, you were not wrong for drinking. Everyone around you was not sexually assaulting me. You were wrong for doing what nobody else was doing, which was pushing your erect dick in your pants against my naked, defenseless body concealed in a dark area, where partygoers could no longer see or protect me, and own my sister could not find me. Sipping fireball is not your crime. Peeling off and discarding my underwear like a candy wrapper to insert your finger into my body, is where you went wrong. Why am I still explaining this.

You said, During the trial I didnt want to victimize her at all. That was just my attorney and his way of approaching the case.

Your attorney is not your scapegoat, he represents you. Did your attorney say some incredulously infuriating, degrading things? Absolutely. He said you had an erection, because it was cold. I have no words.

You said, you are in the process of establishing a program for high school and college students in which you speak about your experience to speak out against the college campus drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that.

Speak out against campus drinking culture. Thats what were speaking out against? You think thats what Ive spent the past year fighting for? Not awareness about campus sexual assault, or rape, or learning to recognize consent. Campus drinking culture. Down with Jack Daniels. Down with Skyy Vodka. If you want talk to high school kids about drinking go to an AA meeting. You realize, having a drinking problem is different than drinking and then forcefully trying to have sex with someone? Show men how to respect women, not how to drink less.

Drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that. Goes along with that, like a side effect, like fries on the side of your order. Where does promiscuity even come into play? I dont see headlines that read, Brock Turner, Guilty of drinking too much and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that. Campus [Sexual] Assault. Theres your first powerpoint slide.

I have done enough explaining. You do not get to shrug your shoulders and be confused anymore. You do not get to pretend that there were no red flags. You do not get to not know why you ran. You have been convicted of violating me with malicious intent, and all you can admit to is consuming alcohol. Do not talk about the sad way your life was upturned because alcohol made you do bad things. Figure out how to take responsibility for your own conduct.

Lastly you said, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life.

Ruin a life, one life, yours, you forgot about mine. Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again. You knocked down both our towers, I collapsed at the same time you did. Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.

See one thing we have in common is that we were both unable to get up in the morning. I am no stranger to suffering. You made me a victim. In newspapers my name was unconscious intoxicated woman, ten syllables, and nothing more than that. For a while, I believed that that was all I was. I had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity. To relearn that this is not all that I am. That I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All-American swimmer at a top university, innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake. I am a human being who has been irreversibly hurt, who waited a year to figure out if I was worth something.

My independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition. I became closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty. The isolation at times was unbearable. You cannot give me back the life I had before that night either. While you worry about your shattered reputation, I refrigerated spoons every night so when I woke up, and my eyes were puffy from crying, I would hold the spoons to my eyes to lessen the swelling so that I could see. I showed up an hour late to work every morning, excused myself to cry in the stairwells, I can tell you all the best places in that building to cry where no one can hear you, the pain became so bad that I had to tell my boss I was leaving, I needed time because continuing day to day was not possible. I used my savings to go as far away as I could possibly be.

I cant sleep alone at night without having a light on, like a five year old, because I have nightmares of being touched where I cannot wake up, I did this thing where I waited until the sun came up and I felt safe enough to sleep. For three months, I went to bed at six oclock in the morning.

I used to pride myself on my independence, now I am afraid to go on walks in the evening, to attend social events with drinking among friends where I should be comfortable being. I have become a little barnacle always needing to be at someones side, to have my boyfriend standing next to me, sleeping beside me, protecting me. It is embarrassing how feeble I feel, how timidly I move through life, always guarded, ready to defend myself, ready to be angry.

You have no idea how hard I have worked to rebuild parts of me that are still weak. It took me eight months to even talk about what happened. I could no longer connect with friends, with everyone around me. I would scream at my boyfriend, my own family whenever they brought this up. You never let me forget what happened to me. At the of end of the hearing, the trial, I was too tired to speak. I would leave drained, silent. I would go home turn off my phone and for days I would not speak. You bought me a ticket to a planet where I lived by myself. Every time a new article [would] come out, I lived with the paranoia that my entire hometown would find out and know me as the girl who got assaulted. I didnt want anyones pity and am still learning to accept victim as part of my identity. You made my own hometown an uncomfortable place to be.

Someday, you can pay me back for my ambulance ride and therapy. But you cannot give me back my sleepless nights. The way I have broken down sobbing uncontrollably if Im watching a movie and a woman is harmed, to say it lightly, this experience has expanded my empathy for other victims. I have lost weight from stress, when people would comment I told them Ive been running a lot lately. There are times I did not want to be touched. I have to relearn that I am not fragile, I am capable, I am wholesome, not just livid and weak.

I want to say this. All the crying, the hurting you have imposed on me, I can take it. But when I see my younger sister hurting, when she is unable to keep up in school, when she is deprived of joy, when she is not sleeping, when she is crying so hard on the phone she is barely breathing, telling me over and over she is sorry for leaving me alone that night, sorry sorry sorry, when she feels more guilt than you, then I do not forgive you. That night I had called her to try and find her, but you found me first. Your attorneys closing statement began, My sister said she was fine and who knows her better than her sister. You tried to use my own sister against me. Your points of attack were so weak, so low, it was almost embarrassing. You do not touch her.

If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken. Nobody wins. We have all been devastated, we have all been trying to find some meaning in all of this suffering.

You should have never done this to me. Secondly, you should have never made me fight so long to tell you, you should have never done this to me. But here we are. The damage is done, no one can undo it. And now we both have a choice. We can let this destroy us, I can remain angry and hurt and you can be in denial, or we can face it head on, I accept the pain, you accept the punishment, and we move on.

Your life is not over, you have decades of years ahead to rewrite your story. The world is huge, it is so much bigger than Palo Alto and Stanford, and you will make a space for yourself in it where you can be useful and happy. Right now your name is tainted, so I challenge you to make a new name for yourself, to do something so good for the world, it blows everyone away. You have a brain and a voice and a heart. Use them wisely. You possess immense love from your family. That alone can pull you out of anything. Mine has held me up through all of this. Yours will hold you and you will go on.

I believe, that one day, you will understand all of this better. I hope you will become a better more honest person who can properly use this story to prevent another story like this from ever happening again. I fully support your journey to healing, to rebuilding your life, because that is the only way youll begin to help others.

Now to address the sentencing. When I read the probation officers report, I was in disbelief, consumed by anger which eventually quieted down to profound sadness. My statements have been slimmed down to distortion and taken out of context. I fought hard during this trial and will not have the outcome minimized by a probation officer who attempted to evaluate my current state and my wishes in a fifteen minute conversation, the majority of which was spent answering questions I had about the legal system. The context is also important. Brock had yet to issue a statement, and I had not read his remarks.

My life has been on hold for over a year, a year of anger, anguish and uncertainty, until a jury of my peers rendered a judgment that validated the injustices I had endured. Had Brock admitted guilt and remorse and offered to settle early on, I would have considered a lighter sentence, respecting his honesty, grateful to be able to move our lives forward. Instead he took the risk of going to trial, added insult to injury and forced me to relive the hurt as details about my personal life and sexual assault were brutally dissected before the public. He pushed me and my family through a year of inexplicable, unnecessary suffering, and should face the consequences of challenging his crime, of putting my pain into question, of making us wait so long for justice.

I told the probation officer I do not want Brock to rot away in prison. I did not say he does not deserve to be behind bars. The probation officers recommendation of a year or less in county jail is a soft time-out, a mockery of the seriousness of his assaults, and of the consequences of the pain I have been forced to endure. I also told the probation officer that what I truly wanted was for Brock to get it, to understand and admit to his wrongdoing.

Unfortunately, after reading the defendants statement, I am severely disappointed and feel that he has failed to exhibit sincere remorse or responsibility for his conduct. I fully respected his right to a trial, but even after twelve jurors unanimously convicted him guilty of three felonies, all he has admitted to doing is ingesting alcohol. Someone who cannot take full accountability for his actions does not deserve a mitigating sentence. It is deeply offensive that he would try and dilute rape with a suggestion of promiscuity. By definition rape is the absence of promiscuity, rape is the absence of consent, and it perturbs me deeply that he cant even see that distinction.

The probation officer factored in that the defendant is youthful and has no prior convictions. In my opinion, he is old enough to know what he did was wrong. When you are eighteen in this country you can go to war. When you are nineteen, you are old enough to pay the consequences for attempting to rape someone. He is young, but he is old enough to know better.

As this is a first offense I can see where leniency would beckon. On the other hand, as a society, we cannot forgive everyones first sexual assault or digital rape. It doesnt make sense. The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly, we should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error. The consequences of sexual assault needs to be severe enough that people feel enough fear to exercise good judgment even if they are drunk, severe enough to be preventative. The fact that Brock was a star athlete at a prestigious university should not be seen as an entitlement to leniency, but as an opportunity to send a strong cultural message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class.

The probation officer weighed the fact that he has surrendered a hard earned swimming scholarship. If I had been sexually assaulted by an un-athletic guy from a community college, what would his sentence be? If a first time offender from an underprivileged background was accused of three felonies and displayed no accountability for his actions other than drinking, what would his sentence be? How fast he swims does not lessen the impact of what happened to me.

The Probation Officer has stated that this case, when compared to other crimes of similar nature, may be considered less serious due to the defendants level of intoxication. It felt serious. Thats all Im going to say.

He is a lifetime sex registrant. That doesnt expire. Just like what he did to me doesnt expire, doesnt just go away after a set number of years. It stays with me, its part of my identity, it has forever changed the way I carry myself, the way I live the rest of my life.

A year has gone by and he has had lots of time on his hands. Has he been seeing a psychologist? What has he done in this past year to show hes been progressing? If he says he wants to implement programs, what has he done to show for it?

Throughout incarceration I hope he is provided with appropriate therapy and resources to rebuild his life. I request that he educates himself about the issue of campus sexual assault. I hope he accepts proper punishment and pushes himself to reenter society as a better person.

To conclude, I want to say thank you. To everyone from the intern who made me oatmeal when I woke up at the hospital that morning, to the deputy who waited beside me, to the nurses who calmed me, to the detective who listened to me and never judged me, to my advocates who stood unwaveringly beside me, to my therapist who taught me to find courage in vulnerability, to my boss for being kind and understanding, to my incredible parents who teach me how to turn pain into strength, to my friends who remind me how to be happy, to my boyfriend who is patient and loving, to my unconquerable sister who is the other half of my heart, to Alaleh, my idol, who fought tirelessly and never doubted me. Thank you to everyone involved in the trial for their time and attention. Thank you to girls across the nation that wrote cards to my DA to give to me, so many strangers who cared for me.

Most importantly, thank you to the two men who saved me, who I have yet to meet. I sleep with two bicycles that I drew taped above my bed to remind myself there are heroes in this story. That we are looking out for one another. To have known all of these people, to have felt their protection and love, is something I will never forget.

And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought everyday for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you. Lighthouses dont go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining. Although I cant save every boat, I hope that by speaking today, you absorbed a small amount of light, a small knowing that you cant be silenced, a small satisfaction that justice was served, a small assurance that we are getting somewhere, and a big, big knowing that you are important, unquestionably, you are untouchable, you are beautiful, you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you. To girls everywhere, I am with you. Thank you.
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The US Secret Service agent who first raised concerns about Monica Lewinskys access to the White House is set to publish a book claiming Hillary Clinton lacks the integrity and temperament to serve as president.

Gary Byrne, who also claims to have personally observed Bill Clintons infidelities, has blasted Mrs Clintons appalling leadership style, describing her as volcanic, impulsive, enabled by sycophants, and disdainful of the rules set for everyone else.

The book, which is due to be released on 28 June, a month before Mrs Clinton is likely to be named the Democratic presidential candidate, also alleges Mrs Clinton gave her husband a black eye during a fight in the White House while he was president.

In the first chapter of the book, Crisis of Character, which can be read on an Amazon.com preview, Byrne, who is now retired, claims an especially big argument between the Clintons ended with a crash, and a vase was found smashed on the floor.

The next day President Clinton emerged with a shiner, a real, live, put-a-steak-on-it black eye, the book says.

Byrne said that when he asked what it was, Mr Clintons secretary told him it was an allergic reaction to coffee.

The book also says Mrs Clinton showed a disdain for the little people.

Byrne claims to have no political agenda, but says he is revealing the unvarnished true story of the Clintons, the real damage they inflicted via the presidency and the real damage they again pose.

What I saw in the 1990s sickened me, he writes.

Recommended Read more How Bernie Sanders missed his chance to beat Hillary Clinton

In the introduction to the book, he claims he even disposed of evidence relating to the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton sex scandal.

Out of a sense of loyalty to our First Family I even secretly disposed of sordid physical evidence that might later have been used to convict the president. The blue dress wasnt the only evidence of his misdeeds.

Byrnes attack on Mrs Clinton ahead of her White House bid could prove to be troublesome for her campaign. While White House insider accounts about the Clintons are plentiful, Byrnes credibility is bolstered by his recorded involvement with the Monica-Lewinsky-Bill Clinton sex scandal.

Hillary Clinton in quotes Show all 11 1 /11 Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton After losing the 2016 election: 'To all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.' Getty Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On running for President in 2016: 'I'm going to decide when it feels right for me to decide. ... certainly not before then [the end of 2014].' AP Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On the Monica Lewinsky affair: 'Its liberating to be able to reach the point in your life where you feel you can forgive. Everybody feels they have been trespassed upon and nearly everybody has trespassed on somebody else, maybe not intentionally.' Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On news and hair: 'If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On being asked which fashion designers she preferred: 'Would you ever ask a man that question?' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On equality: 'Well I'm very conscious of how important it is for us to shatter that glass ceiling in my country. A country that has done so much for so many women and really has set the standard for women's rights and responsibilities, and I do want to see that glass ceiling shattered.' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On not winning in 2008: 'I think because I really didn't have a good strategy for my campaign. I didn't plan it the right way. ... As a candidate who was already so well known ... I don't think I ever said, 'Yes, you may have known me for eight years, but I don't take anything for granted. I have to earn your support.' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On self-confidence 'You have to be true to yourself. You have to be enough in touch with who you are and what you want, how you want to live and what's important to you, to make your decisions based on that. Sometimes that's very difficult.' AP Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On 9/11: 'Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price.' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On women around the world: 'If women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations will flourish.' Getty Images Hillary Clinton in quotes Hillary Clinton On her political life: I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life. Getty Images

A New York Times article in 1998 named Byrne as a uniformed member of the Secret Service assigned to the White House, and said he had told a deputy chief of staff in 1996 about concerns he had regarding Ms Lewinskys access to the West Wing of the White House.

In addition, a CNN article from 1998 said Byrnes complaints about Lewinsky ultimately led to her being transferred to the Pentagon.
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A man who repeatedly raped a 14-year-old girl in exchange for protection from local street gangs has been jailed for 25 years.

Eric Noe Araujo Flores, a Salvadoran national who was living in the US state of Virginia, contacted his former nanny in his home country and asked her to help him find friends. She put him in touch with her 14-year-old niece, who was being threatened by local street gangs.

Flores, 34, offered to protect her and her family if she had sex with him.

In 2013 Flores made three trips to El Salvador to have sex with the girl, paying her and her mother in cash and buying the family jewellery, food and clothing.

Read more

He told the girl he was the only thing standing between her and the gangs.

After the girl attempted suicide, Flores decided to smuggle the girl, then 15-years-old, and her mother into the US, where he put them up in an apartment close to the home he shared with his wife and two daughters.

There, Flores repeatedly forced himself on the girl, telling her he would stop paying for rent and food, and that she would be evicted and deported if she did not give in.

Flores was found guilty of sex trafficking and sex tourism in February, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday. He was also ordered to pay $40,370 (28,100) to the victim.

Sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Frank said: Sex trafficking and sex tourism are hidden crimes, and thats what the defendant was counting on in this case.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

At the trial, prosecutors said the girl was continuing to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the case almost collapsed due to doubt over whether she would be able to testify.

Frankly, her life is a mess, Frank said in court.

Flores only spoke once in court and said: What has been said is not fair.

He plans to appeal the verdict, his attorney confirmed.
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New York governor Andrew Cuomo has mandated any agency under his control to divest from companies which are aligned to a Palestinian-backed boycott of Israel.

Mr Cuomo signed an executive order - the first of its kind, according to NY1 News - on Sunday.

The order affects most of state government, public boards and public-benefit corporations.

He made the announcement at the Harvard Club in Manhattan before marching in the citys Celebrate Israel Parade.

If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you, he said at the private club. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) was launched in 2005 and aims to put economic and political pressure on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories. The order targets BDS but also any other boycott against Israel.

New York senator Chuck Schumer said on Sunday at an unrelated press conference that he would like to implement the order on a federal level.

I think that the state (of New York) should not do any business with any company that participates in BDS, and I am looking at introducing a federal law to do the same thing. BDS is a movement that is just totally unfair to Israel, he told reporters.

Omar Barghouti, a BDS founder, told the New York Times that Mr Cuomos order is in reaction to decreasing popular support for Israel.

Having lost many battles for hearts and minds at the grass-roots level, Israel has adopted since 2014 a new strategy to criminalize support for BDS, from the top, Mr Barghouti wrote in an email.

The executive order will involve compiling a list over the next six months of any groups in the BDS movement, and it will be made available to the public, based on credible information.

Avi Posnick, managing director of international Israeli organisation StandWithUs in New York, told The Independent: "New York does hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic trade with Israeli entities, in addition to business done with many other partners who have commercial interests in Israel. This trade encompasses many of the states most important economic sectors. Governor Cuomo is defending the state's economic interests against attempts to weaken its ability to conduct trade with Israel."

Mr Cuomo has banned other things in the past based on certain political allegiances.

He implemented a travel ban on nonessential government travel to North Carolina in protest of a new bill which legalizes discrimination of transgender people. New York passed similar travel bans to Mississippi and Indiana.
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The co-founder of a Florida yoga studio has died after her car plunged 200-feet down the side of a cliff in Hawaii, leaving her twin sister in critical condition.

Anastasia Duval, 37, died after her white Ford Explorer collided with a rock wall on the Makai side of the Hana Highway, landing on the rocky shoreline below.

Ms Duval was pronounced dead at the scene. Another 37-year-old woman, believed to be twin sister Alison Duval, had been driving. Police said she was airlifted to the Maui Memorial Medical Centre in a critical condition.

Recommended Read more Irishman among five dead in Hawaii after skydiving tour plane crashes

Both women were from the Haiku area, Maui police said.

Police said elements surrounding the incident were still being investigated, including any possible involvement of speed, drugs and alcohol.

The twins were known for their yoga business in Florida, Twin Power Yoga, which they ran under the names Ann and Alison Dadow. In December 2014 the pair reportedly left Florida to move to Utah.

The two women plunged 200 feet off the cliff onto the rocky shoreline below (YouTube)

They were reported to have relocated to Hawaii in January this year, when Anastasia apparently appeared at a homeless shelter in Maui.
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Roger Clinton, the younger half-brother of former President Bill Clinton, has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Southern California. Mr Clintons arrest on Sunday night came less than 48 hours before polls open in the Golden States Democratic primary, where his sister-in-law, Hillary Clinton, hopes to edge out her rival Bernie Sanders to claim the partys presidential nomination.

According to the Associated Press, Mr Clinton, who is 59, was taken into custody in Redondo Beach, a coastal town 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles - hours after his half-brother had been campaigning in the city on behalf of Ms Clinton. Roger Clinton was expected to appear at a court hearing on Monday. An actor and musician, he once performed the voice of the former President for an episode of The Blues Brothers: The Animated Series.

As he left office in 2000, President Clinton controversially pardoned his half-brother for a 1985 drug charge for which he had already served his full sentence. The younger Mr Clinton was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving a year later, in 2001, but in that instance pleaded guilty to a different charge, reckless driving.
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Bernie Sanders and his supporters have warned the media from announcing that Hillary Clinton has clinched the democratic nomination due to her lead on the number of super delegates before they have even voted at the convention.

Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14th, said Mr Sanders at a rally on the West Coast.

When I hear media talking about, well, 'were going to announce it at 8 oclock Eastern Standard Time that its all over', well, youre wrong, he added, referring to the closing of the polls of the New Jersey primary.

Cenk Uygur, host of online news show "The Young Turks", said in an interview with CNN that the media is not portraying the facts and is placing too much emphasis on super delegates ahead of the remaining primaries and the convention.

I mean CNN and all of the establishment press totally tilted the playing field from day one, he said.

Pledged delegates are bound by the vote of the people to choose a particular candidate, whereas super delegates are nothing to do with the state primaries.

CNN host Brian Stelter responded that the super delegates are "all establishment" democrats therefore nothing is likely to change their minds and make them vote for Mr Sanders.

Mr Uygur said that it was journalistic malpractice to count super delegates in the official tally towards a candidate when super delegates can vote for who they like at the convention, even if they have expressed preference for another candidate beforehand.

If they are not at the convention, their vote does not count.

Hillary Clinton had a lead of around 100 super delegates in 2008, which Mr Uygur said totally vanished as they switched to Barack Obama.

In 2016, he said there are extraordinary circumstances in which super delegates could change their allegiance, including if Ms Clinton is indicted for the misuse of her personal email account.

You guys keep assuming she will not be indicted, said Mr Uygur.

Hillary Clinton needs 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination, which is unlikely to happen in the primary in California on 7 June.

She has 1776 pledged delegates, and 554 super delegates have indicated they will vote for her at the convention in late July.

 Sanders Criticises 'Super Delegate System' Ahead of Kentucky Primary

Bernie Sanders has 1501 pledged delegates and 46 super delegates.
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As he took the stage at the Casa del Mexicano cultural centre in Boyle Heights on Saturday afternoon, Bernie Sanders began by tying his experiences to those of his audience in this historic Latino neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The presidential hopeful is the son of a Polish immigrant, he explained, who was a proud American because of the opportunities this country gave him.

While his bid for the Democratic nomination may be nearing its end, the progressive Vermont Senator is hoping for a photo-finish at Tuesdays primary in California, where his month-long campaign slog has slashed Hillary Clintons poll lead to within the margin of error, and given the 74-year-old a healthy Golden State tan in the process.

The Hispanic vote is key to the California result, which is why both Mr Sanders and Ms Clinton made their case on immigration at campaign events throughout the weekend. Latinos comprise a larger share of the states population than non-Hispanic whites, and in 2008 Ms Clinton swept the California primary in part by winning twice as many Hispanic votes as Barack Obama.

This year, however, the picture is not so clear. The former Secretary of State has tended to overshadow Mr Sanders in states with large Hispanic populations, such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and New York. But in California her lead among Latinos is down to just a handful of percentage points.

Mr Sanders believes his progressive policy promises  a $15 (10.40) minimum wage, criminal justice reform, free college tuition  ought to appeal to a Latino community that is largely working-class. But the Hispanic vote is itself diverse, consisting of multiple immigrant communities whose voting preferences are not always uniform.

During this years Democratic primary race, the starkest divide has been generational. A poll released last week by USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times found that Ms Clinton dominated among older Latino voters by 69 to 16 per cent, while Mr Sanders led among Latino voters younger than 50, by 58 to 31 per cent.

Sanders greets people outside Aunt Mary's Cafe in Oakland (GETTY)

Bernies campaign resonates with the young because so much of the insecurity about the future rests with that generation, said Arizona congressman Raul Grijalva, who joined the Senator at the Boyle Heights town hall event. Theyre more progressive. In this election, people arent just voting for somebody because they know them. Its a fight about ideas.

Both candidates are broadly aligned on immigration policy, but Ms Clinton faces criticism from activists for her part in the Obama administration. President Obama has tried and failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform and taken executive action to defer deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants. Yet he has also presided over a record 2.5 million deportations.

Like Mr Sanders, Ms Clinton has vowed to curb those deportations. Speaking in Oxnard, California at the weekend, she also pointed out that she had voted for a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2007, which Mr Sanders opposed. That ended what many people... said at the time was the best chance we had. It was heartbreaking, she said.

For his part, Mr Sanders claims the 2007 bill would have allowed further exploitation of low-income immigrant workers. His supporters also hark back to a 1996 immigration act, signed by Ms Clintons husband, then-President Bill Clinton, which dramatically lowered the bar for deportation of undocumented immigrants and legal immigrants who committed crimes.

On Sunday, it was former President Clintons turn to campaign on behalf of his wife in Boyle Heights, where he was introduced by Kevin de Leon, president of the California state senate, and by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is himself half-Mexican. Mr Clinton pointed out that Ms Clinton and her challenger had voted the same way 93 per cent of the time when she was in the US Senate.

Speaking to a modest crowd in Mariachi Square, where the traditional bands for which it is named still gather daily, Mr Clinton was interrupted by shouts from a group of Sanders supporters. I dont want to pick a fight, he said of the hecklers, but if I were them Id be screaming too, because theyre toast for election day.

LA Congressman Xavier Becerra has also endorsed Ms Clinton. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he warned Sanders supporters that any Democratic president would be more likely to improve immigrant rights than a Republican, let alone the GOPs presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. Dont compare me to the Almighty, he said. Compare me to the alternative.

Protesters gather outside the San Jose convention centre where Donald Trump held a rally (GETTY)

In spite of their increasingly fractious rivalry, Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders have both reserved their strongest criticism for the billionaire Republican, whose California rallies have been met with protests that, in some cases, turned violent. I will do whatever I can to combat the bigotry and ignorance of Donald Trump, Mr Sanders said on Saturday.

Regardless of how they vote in Tuesdays primary, Mr Trumps race-baiting rhetoric and his promise to build a wall the length of the US-Mexican border have ensured that California Latinos are more likely than ever to turn out for the Democratic nominee in November.

High school student Tiffany Fernandez, a Sanders supporter who had brought her mother to the Boyle Heights town hall, said she would vote for Ms Clinton in November if she was the nominee. If Trump tries to compete in California for the presidential election, she said, hes going to regret it.
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The US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Google over a class action lawsuit from advertisers who accused the internet company of displaying their adverts on low quality web sites.

The judges decided that the lawsuit, which represents hundreds of thousands of advertisers using Googles Adwords program, could continue.

Google had tried to argue that a federal appeals court in San Francisco should not have approved the class action because damages should be calculated individually for each advertiser.

Recommended Read more Google removes racist Chrome extension used to target Jewish people

The appeals court responded that Google should use a formula to calculate damages based on the average advertisers experience.

The court's decision leaves in place a September ruling which allowed Californian advertisers, who used the Adwords program between 2004 and 2008, to press ahead with the lawsuit.

Google is part of Alphabet Inc and generated $67 billion in revenue last year, according to the Associated Press.

Google has been battling multiple lawsuits across the US recently.

Last month the tech giant was cleared in court and escaped $9 billion worth of damages over claims from Oracle that it violated copywrite laws by using a section of its Java code.

In a separate case, a federal judge in Florida ruled that a SEO-marketing company which accused Google of improperly censoring its search results for "economic reasons" has been allowed to go forward with its lawsuit.

It was a rare instance in which Google's "First Amendment" argument - protecting the company's opinions as to what should be included in search results - was dismissed.
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A British backpacker has gone missing after falling while climbing the Fansipan Mountain, near Sa Pa, northwest Vietnam.

Aiden Webb, 22, has not been heard from since Friday when he was supposed to meet a friend at the bottom of the mountain following his climb.

His girlfriend, Bluebell Baughan, said on Facebook she lost contact with him after he called her to tell her fell and couldn't find the trail again in.

She said he had injured his arm and knee in the fall.

A Go Fund Me page set up to raise money to help pay for the search received over 1,800 in donations in 22 hours.

The page says it costs 12 per person per day to hire for search and rescue.

"What Aiden needs is as many experienced locals as possible looking for him", the page adds. "We are asking for anything you can give, but 12 is an extra set of eyes for a day."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Webb's father, Trevor, and his uncle, Michael, flew out on Sunday evening to help in the search, his aunt Lisa Webb said in a Facebook post.

On Monday, two teams began to search along the streams Mr Webb may have followed down the mountain. A team of forest rangers will begin a search of his last known location at 8am on Tuesday.
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An Indian court has found five men guilty of gang-raping a Danish tourist at knifepoint in New Delhi.

The 52-year-old got lost on the way back to her hotel in January 2014, and stopped to ask a group of men for directions.

But the men she asked for help instead lured her to a secluded area, where she was raped over a three-hour period, robbed and abandoned.

India protests against sexual violence Show all 20 1 /20 India protests against sexual violence India protests against sexual violence April 2015 School girls wear black bands on their faces during a protest rally against the rape case of a 16-year-old girl at Dhupguri town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal Reuters India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Students of Convent of Jesus and Mary School participate in a protest against the alleged gang rape of a nun in her 70s AP India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Official figures for the number of women raped in India are often disputed by Women's Rights experts who claim the numbers are far higher SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Women protest after the horrific rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in India BBC India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Women in India protest against rape and other attacks on women and girls in the country AP India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout slogans against the state government in protest against the gang rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and recent rapes in the eastern state of West Bengal, in Kolkata AFP/Getty India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were protesting against the rape and hanging of two girls Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2014 Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union shout slogans during a protest against a gang rape of two teenage girls in Katra village, outside the Uttar Pradesh state house, in New Delhi. A top government official said the northern Uttar Pradesh state has sacked two police officers who failed to respond to a complaint by the father of the two teenage girls who went missing and were later found gang raped and killed. The placard at right reads, "Punish the culprits of gang-rape and murder of two Dalit girls" AP Photo/Manish Swarup India protests against sexual violence January 2014 Student protesters outside a Suri hospital where a rape victim is being treated Andrew Buncombe India protests against sexual violence January 2014 West Bengal Women's Forum activists walk a protest rally against a rape case in Calcutta, eastern India. A young girl was gang-raped on October 25 and afterwards repeatedly threatened by the accused, following which the disturbed girl set herself on fire December 23. She was admitted to the hospital with 40 percent burns and finally succumbed to her burn injuries on 31 December EPA India protests against sexual violence August 2013 Republican Party of India supporters protest in Mumbai against the rape of a female photographer Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2013 Indian demonstrators shout slogans at the police during a protest calling for better safety for women AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence April 2013 An Indian woman holds a poster as she protests with others against how Indian authorities handle sex crimes near the Parliament in New Delhi, after a second suspect was arrested in the rape of a 5-year-old girl. Child rights activists say the rape of the girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives AP India protests against sexual violence March 2013 Indians protests against all-too-common gang-rapes in their country Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian students of various organisations hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Hyderabad Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 A protester chants slogans as she braces herself against the spray fired from police water canons during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, in front of India Gate on December 23, 2012 in New Delhi Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the 23-year old rape victim. Her statement was used in the trial AP India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indians hold a candlelight vigil in Delhi in memory of a gang-rape victim. Five men have been charged with murder AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters are escorted by police as they demonstrate against the brutal gang-rape of a woman AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters destroy a police van during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus AP

Of the nine men who participated in the attack, five were found guilty in a New Delhi court. One suspect died before the trial concluded, while three others are being tried in a juvenile court.

Following the attack, the unnamed victim made her way back to the Amax Hotel, where the owner alerted the police.

The victim returned to Denmark after providing a statement to police, but flew back to India in July 2015 to record a statement in the presence of a judge and identify her attackers.

All five men pled not guilty, and their defence counsel has said he is still trying to reopen the trial on appeal, claiming his clients were framed by the government.

 Modi Says India Is Shamed By Rape In Independence Day Speech

India's rape laws were toughened following a highly-publicised attack in 2012, when a New Delhi student was gang-raped, beaten and tortured on a moving bus. She later died of her injuries in hospital.

As the case made international headlines, Indian women took to the streets to protest the state's failure to provide adequate protection against sexual violence. The victim of the bus assault, Jyoti Singh, is now known across the nation as "Nirbhaya', or "fearless".

Legal reform soon followed, and gang rape now carries a minimum sentence of 20 years, with a maximum tariff of life imprisonment. The five men found guilty following the latest trial will be sentenced on 9 June.

However, despite the number of reported rapes doubling since 2012, conviction rates remain low.

In 2012, only one case out of 706 filed in New Delhi resulted in a conviction, and in following years only 0.7% of allegations of sexual crimes have even led to an investigation. A women's safety fund set up by the government in Nirbhaya's name remains largely unspent.

Nirbhaya's parents have since said in a statement: "Nothing in India has changed since December 16, 2012. All promises and statements made by our leaders and ministers have turned out to be shallow."
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The seven-year-old Japanese boy who was found alive six days after being left in bear-inhabited woods by his parents has said he forgives his father.

Yamato Tanooka's parents made him get out of their car as punishment for throwing stones during a family trip to the woods of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

However, his parents found he was no longer there after they returned to the spot a few minutes later.

Yamato was eventually found by a soldier inside a building at a military base near the town of Shikabe, 2.5 miles from where he was left by his parents.

Takayuki Tanooka, father of 7-year-old boy Yamato Tanooka who went missing on May 28, 2016 (Reuters)

His father, Takayuki Tanooka, 44, told the TBS network: "I said to him, 'Dad made you go though such a hard time. I am sorry'.

"And then my son said, 'You are a good dad. I forgive you'."

The boy tried to chase his parents' car but became disorientated and went the wrong way, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported.

His parents initially told police he had got lost.

Brown bears are reputed to be common in the mountainous forests of Hokkaido, Japan (Getty)

More than 180 people were involved in the search for the young boy, including troops. The remote area where he was abandoned is home to brown bears.

The soldier who found Yamato said the boy had told him he had spent several days at the army base after wandering alone in the forest.

Other than suffering from dehydration, doctors found the boy had only a few minor scratches to his arms and feet.

Police have reported the case to a child welfare centre as possible mental abuse, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reports.
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Rodrigo Duterte, the new and controversial leader of the Philippines, has called for vigilante justice to deal with the countrys rampant drug trade. In a nationally televised address, Mr Duterte invited any member of the public who encounters a drug dealer to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun  you have my support. If the suspect resists, he went on, You can kill him. Shoot him and Ill give you a medal.

Speaking on Saturday to a vast crowd in Davao, the southern city where he spent two decades as mayor, Mr Duterte reportedly said he would offer a bounty of five million pesos (74,000) for a drug lord, if he is dead. If he is alive, only 4.999 million. According to the Associated Press, he also claimed drug addicts were incapable of rehabilitation, warning: If you are involved in drugs, I will kill you. You son of a whore, I will really kill you.

Known by his nickname, "The Punisher", the tough-talking Mr Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in May after a campaign in which he vowed to tackle the countrys crime and corruption problems. He is due to be sworn in on 30 June. He made international headlines a week ago after a reporter was shot dead in the capital, Manila, part of a spate of journalist deaths. Mr Duterte was not exactly sympathetic. Just because youre a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if youre a son of a bitch, he said.
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A Sikh man has been praised after using his turban to save the life of a drowning dog.

Sarwan Singh, 28, spotted a crowd of onlookers looking at the stricken animal as he was driving past an irrigation canal in Indias Punjab region.

Mr Singh decided to act and used his holy garments to lower himself towards the canal and drag the dog out.

Mr Singh said: I stopped my car and went over to check what was happening. I was shocked to see that there was a dog drowning but no was actually helping.

The moment I started taking off my turban, people watching around were shocked. They thought I was disrespecting my faith, he added, but what was important at that point was to save the animals life.

The Sikh dastaar  as the headwear is known  is worn by Sikhs out of love and obedience to the wishes of the founders of their faith. The Sikh Coalition describes it as having an immense spiritual as well as temporal significance.

Punjab, where the video was filmed, is the birthplace of Sikhism.

The dogs from Instagram Show all 6 1 /6 The dogs from Instagram The dogs from Instagram Noodle the Dachshund is just over a year old and comes with her own hashtag (#OodlesOfNoodle) The dogs from Instagram Three-year-old Staffie Ramsey was malnourished when he was adopted as a puppy but is now big and boisterous with ripped muscles and a cheeky grin The dogs from Instagram Winny the Welsh Corgi has been credited with the breed's upsurge in popularity The dogs from Instagram Bruno the miniature Dachshund has 66,700 followers The dogs from Instagram Mika the Husky has 58,900 followers The dogs from Instagram Elle the French Bulldog has 8,868 followers

Mr Singh added: The dog wasnt comfortable. He was not coming to me at all. We had to follow him for around 200 metres before I was able to wrap my turban around his neck and pull him to safety.

He was frightened, so I fed him some biscuits and let him go on his own.

His actions were praised by others on social media. This is the true faith - being humane, said Sanjay Kapur.

"Respect to Sarwan Singh for his kindness," said Michael Nash

I am sure no leader of the Sikh faith would decry what this noble soul Sarwan has done. Full credit to him, very heart warming.
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A veteran award-winning US news photographer and video editor has been killed along with a translator on an assignment in southern Afghanistan.

David Gilkey, who worked for National Public Radio (NPR), and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were travelling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah, Helmand province, when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was hit.

Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were unhurt.

Mr Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the 11 September 2001 attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes said.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," he said.

Mr Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, the network said.

Mr Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq.

He won numerous accolades, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy.

The White House News Photographers Association named Mr Gilkey Still Photographer of the Year in 2011, and in 2015 he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna. Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," he once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Mr Gilkey started his journalistic career with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

 Associated Press
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The 60-year-old woman who was killed by a shark in Australia has been named as Doreen Collyer, a British grandmother and University lecturer living in Australia.

Ms Collyer was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth on Sunday when she was attacked by a 16 ft (five metre) great white shark, ABC reported.

She was an advanced open water diver and a nursing lecturer at Edith Cowan University. She and her husband David, originally from Chester, moved to Australia around five years ago.

Mr Collyer said in a statement: "Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife."

 Divers death treated as second fatal shark incident near Perth in a week

Edith Cowan University's acting vice chancellor, Arshad Omari, described her as "a much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher".

Dozens of Ms Collyer's colleagues, students and friends paid tribute to her on social media.

"RIP Doreen, you were an amazing lecturer, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge," Kelly Mills wrote on Facebook, while Nikki Vickers said: "Condolences and deepest sympathy to all family, friends and colleagues from ECU Nursing and Midwifery.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The beaches and water in the Minidarie area, where the attack took place, have been closed to the public. The Department of Fisheries in Australia have issued an order to deploy capture gear to catch the shark.

It is the second fatal attack to hit Australia in less than a week.

 Australia: Shark attacks 29 y/o surfer south of Perth

On Tuesday, a surfer's leg was bitten off by a shark about 60 miles south of where Ms Collyer was attacked.

The surfer, Ben Gerring, later died of his injuries.

Sharks attacked a record 98 people around the world in 2015, researchers said, while 13 people have died from bites in Western Australia since 2000.

Additional reporting by PA
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Adolf Hitler had a disabled younger brother named Otto, an Austrian historian has claimed.

It had been thought Adolf Hitler, born in Branau am Inn in April 1889, was his parents' fourth child after Gustav, Ida and Otto, who all died in infancy.

But Florian Kotanko, the chairman of the Branau historical association, now claims parish records show Otto was born in June 1892, having lived just seven days.

Mr Kotanko said this discovery might mean the then three-year-old Adolf was aware of his mother's pregnancy and his disabled brother.

The local historian also found evidence Otto died of hydrocephalus, which is a build up of fluid on the brain, the Times reports.

This revelation may cast new light on the Nazi leader's later policies regarding people with disabilities.

Adolf Hitler circa 1890

Mr Kotanko told Austrian newspaper Oberosterreichischen Nachrichten: "The conclusions of many biographers about the psychological development of Hitler - who was said to have received special care from his mother, Klara, as the sole surviving child after the death of three siblings - is no longer tenable.

"To what extent this (the brothers condition) affected the subsequent behaviour of Hitler towards people with disabilities is an open question."

In 1939, Adolf Hitler signed an order to euthanise patients suffering from life-threatening disabilities.

The birthplace of Adolf Hitler in Braunau, Austria (Rex Features)

Paula Hitler, the dictator's younger sister, had told Allied interrogators in 1945 that Gustav and Ida had died of dipheria followed by Otto, without mentioning how he died or his alleged disability.

Paula was the only child of Alois and Klara to survive the Second World War with the youngest and sixth child Edmund having died from measles in 1900.

Between 1940 and 1941, approximately 70,000 German and Austrian disabled people were euthanised mostly using mass extermination techniques such as poison gas.

While Hitler officially ordered a halt in August 1941, the killing continued and an estimated 275,000 people with disabilities were murdered before the regime fell from power in 1945.
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A large-scale military training exercise involving more than 20 NATO and partner countries has kicked off in Poland, part of efforts to reassure east European nations rattled by Russia's actions in nearby Ukraine.

For more than 10 days, 30,000 troops backed by large numbers of vehicles, aircraft and ships will be deployed in one of the biggest exercises on NATO's eastern flank since the end of the Cold War, a move likely to put further strain on the already-tense relations between the Kremlin and the West.

The Anakonda-16 exercise, which includes manoeuvres such as a night-time helicopter assault and the dropping of US paratroopers to build a temporary bridge over the Vistula river, is being held one month before a NATO summit in Warsaw that will approve more troops to be stationed in eastern Europe.

The goal of Anakonda-16 is to "train, exercise and integrate the Polish national command and force structures into an allied, joint multi-national environment," the US Army Europe said.

The United States will provide around 14,000 troops for the exercise, the largest foreign contingent. Non-NATO countries such as Sweden and Finland are also taking part in the exercise.

Poland joined NATO in 1999, a decade after the demise of Moscow-backed communism in eastern Europe. Warsaw has been very critical of Moscow's actions in Ukraine and has repeatedly urged NATO to boost its presence on Polish territory.

 NATO suspends practical cooperation with Russia over Ukraine

Russia has accused the US-led alliance of threatening its security by expanding eastwards and has warned of retaliation.

NATO says exercises such as Anakonda-16 and plans for the deployment of more troops to the region are a defensive response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Polish honour guard march during the opening ceremony of the the Anaconda-16 military exercise in Rembertow (EPA)

NATO officials have also expressed concern about Russia's own military exercises in which thousands of Russian troops conduct war games without giving the alliance any prior warning.

For the sake of transparency, the bi-annual Anakonda exercise, which was first conducted a decade ago, has been registered with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Polish army said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Tensions between Russia and NATO have been highlighted by recent encounters of their armed forces. In April, two Russian warplanes flew what U.S. officials described as simulated attack passes near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

Russia, in turn, accused the United States of intimidation by sailing a U.S. naval destroyer close to Russia's border in the Baltic region and warned that it would respond with "all necessary measures" to any future incidents.

Moscow also accused Washington of attempting to blunt the Russian nuclear arsenal after it switched on an $800 million missile shield in Romania and broke ground on a similar site in Poland. Washington says the shield is vital to defend the United States and Europe from so-called rogue states.

Reuters
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Politicians in Germany say they have received death threats after voting to recognise the Armenian genocide.

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused German MPs of Turkish origin of having "impure blood", and some have been given additional police protection amid fears of attacks.

At a rally in Turkey, Erdogan described MPs who backed the Armenia motion as "the long arm of the separatist terrorists in [Turkey]", in remarks broadcast on state television.

According to the motion, the Armenian Genocide "is exemplary for the history of mass destruction, ethnic cleansing, expulsions and genocides which marks the 20th century in such a terrible way." It also acknowleges that Germany stood by and allowed the massacre to occur.

Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Show all 10 1 /10 Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian people carry torches during a march to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian people take part in a march in commemoration of the 101th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces in 1915 Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide People hold a flag during the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide President Serzh Sargsyan and actor George Clooney attend the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian clergymen, US actor George Clooney, center, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, second right front, and guests attend a ceremony at a memorial to Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks, in Yerevan AP Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian (C,R) and US actor George Clooney (C) attend a ceremony at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide A general view of attendees and mount Ararat during the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Lebanese of Armenian descent burn an effigy of Turkish president Erdogan during a protest in front the house of Turkish Ambassador to mark the 101st anniversary of the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, near Beirut, Lebanon EPA Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Activists hold portraits of victims during a silent demonstration to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in Istanbul Reuters Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Activists hold portraits of victims during a silent demonstration to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in Istanbul Reuters

Green leader Cem Ozdemir and his fellow party member Ozcan Mutlu are Turkish-born politicians now resident in Germany, who have both received death threats at the culmination of their campaign for the incident to be recognised.

"I am seriously worried," Mr Mutlu told German broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening. I've never experienced this. Some manic, crazy person might hear that and think 'the leader has given his orders'.

More than one million Armenians lost their lives in the massacre at the hands of the Ottoman empire, between 1915 and 1916.

 101-year-old survivor remembers Armenian mass killing

France, Italy, Canada and Russia are among 29 nations that have explicitly acknowledged the existence of the slaughter known to Armenians as the "great crime".

But the Turkish state does not acknowledge the events.

The UK, the US and most other countries have failed to adopt an official position on the matter.

Despite Erdogan's comments about separatism, there are now only 70,000 ethnic Armenians living in Turkey. He has previously torn down a statue intended to mark a tentative rapprochment between Turkey and Armenia, describing it as a "freak", and claimed it is "not possible for a Muslim to commit genocide".
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Footage taken of a captive SeaWorld killer whale beaching itself at the side of a Tenerife water park pool has ignited calls for the creature to be returned to the wild.

The orca, called Morgan, is seen fully out of the water at Loro Parque, a popular tourist destination on the Canary Island, in the video taken anonymously by Morgan Monitors.

Morgan is understood to have been out of the pool for at least 10 minutes while visitors took pictures of the animal in the background, according to The Dolphin Project, a group campaigning against the whale and dolphin captivity industry who shared the footage.

One viewer commented: Looks to me as if she was trying to take her own life, I dont blame her.

Morgan was taken from the wild in 2010 when she was rescued in an emaciated condition in the Netherlands by a local theme park, Dolfinarium Harderwijk, under a Dutch Government issued rescue, rehabilitation and release permit, explain Free Morgan  a group attempting to free the orca.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

She was transferred to Loro Parque in 2011 by a Dutch court order after it was concluded she was not suitable to be released.

Some orca populations do occasionally beach themselves for very short periods of time while hunting, but usually remain constantly in motion in the water, even swimming while sleeping.

The Dolphin Projects Ric OBarry said: While we cannot explain the reason for her behaviour, the juxtaposition of a previously-wild orca against the stark backdrop of the parks performance area is unsettling, to say the least.

Some people took selfies with Morgan in the background. Sadly, Morgan was still out of the water.

Responding to the video, Loro Parque said it was absurd to draw conclusions from a short video and said activists were viewing the footage with an anti-zoo objective.

A statement published by Sky News said: "The orcas at Loro Parque are trained to leave the water on their own accord. This behaviour is used for manifold purposes, for example, for presenting the animals to the public, for conducting corporal check-ups, for inspecting their blowholes, as well as for testing hearing abilities of the orcas.

"Pretending that's a stress test shows an enormous ignorance about the behaviour of these animals."

Since the footage has emerged, renewed calls for the park to free Morgan has ignited in Twitter.

Loro Parque received six orcas on loan from SeaWorld in 2006. Since then there has been a number of births and deaths at the park so the number of orcas remains at six.

The park has had its share of controversial incidents, including the death of 29-year-old trainer Alexis Martinez in 2009, who was crushed to death in the jaws of Keto, a male orca .

Last year, PETA called for Spains Nature Protection Service to launch an investigation of Loro Parque after a visit by the group allegedly revealed orcas with marks from aggressive attacks, missing or broken teeth and some floating listlessly and exhibiting atypical behaviour.

In April, members of Free Morgan visited Loro Parque and claimed Morgan had a fractured tooth, hypertrophic tissue damage on her lower jaw and was observed thrashing around inside the medical tank". Staff at the park denied the whale had any health problems.

There has been a global backlash against keeping marine life in captivity following the 2013 release of Blackfish, an influential expose of orca captivity at SeaWorld in the US.

In March, SeaWorld announced it is ending its controversial orca breeding programme, meaning the 24 killer whales currently at the company's theme parks in California, Texas and Florida will be the last generation of orcas at the venues.
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In a victory for parents struggling to support burdensome adult children, Spanish courts have upheld appeals against a civil code requiring divorced parents to support their grown-up offspring.

Known as Ninis, from ni estudia ni trabaja (not studying or in work), some older children in Spain lived extensively off their parents for many years while not studying or searching for a job. As people attempting to claim benefits in Spain must have worked for at least six months, many Ninis are not entitled to them, leaving the burden on their parents.

The country has the second-highest youth unemployment rate in Europe at 45 per cent, second only to Greece. Like Greece, Spain has been hard-hit by the financial crisis and eighty per cent of Spaniards under 30 still live with their parents.

Recommended Read more The UK is the third best country in Europe in which to find a new job

According to La Tribuna de Toledo, 19.4 per cent of 15 to 29-year-olds fit this category, amounting to one in every five young people. In contrast, the rate of this demographic in the UK  known as Neets (Not in Employment, Education or Training)  was 12 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The economic crisis has undoubtedly led to a rise in what are known as parasite children who are happy to live off their parents, said Maria Dolores Lozano, president of the Association of Family Lawyers, to The Times.

She added: There is a generation of young people who see no problem with living off their mothers and fathers without making any effort to live independently. Some of these parents are being exploited and abused.

21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Show all 21 1 /21 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Portugal drinks more wine than France Tindo - Fotolia 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Young Italians, by some distance, are the most likely to live at home with their parents 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Britain is on course to overtake Germany as Europes most populated country 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Greek workers work the longest hours in the EU 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Estonia has, per capita, more drug-related deaths than anyone else 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe The fastest download speeds are to be found in Romania 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Slovenia, Malta and Poland have the smallest gender pay gaps 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe France hates its leader more than other European countries 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Eastern and Western Europe are very divided on the issue of gay marriage 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Germany has the most millionaires 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Everyone likes Christmas, apart from France 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Germany accepts by far the most asylum applications 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe The UK and France have some of the most positive views of Muslim people 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Europe's largest Muslim population is in Germany 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Danes are the most trusting Europeans, and Cypriots the least 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Finland has the worst economy in the EU 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Italy has cut back its military spending more than any other major European Nato member 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Everyone is sad about the refugee crisis 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe People in Spain are also the most likely to live in flats (Brits are most likely to live in houses) 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Spain is the most likely to feel neighbourly 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Luxembourg is home to the highest proportion of foreign nationals

In May, in Girona, the father of an 18-year-old boy who had made no attempt to find work or training won the right to give reduced funding for food.

He did nothing to help his mother and only did occasional jobs so he could finance his whims, said a judge, the newspaper reported. The father should not have to pay for a child who made no attempt to finish his studies or find work.

In the same month, in Pontevedra, a court upheld a fathers case to stop financially supporting his 24-year-old son, who had only worked on 40 days since 2009, when he left school. In addition to two training courses he took, he only showed 20 hours of dedication to work or study, according to the Spanish La Vanguardia newspaper.
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Isis is said to shooting and killing civilians as they try to flee from Fallujah  with Iraqi government forces battling the group to re-take control of the city.

Aid group the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which works with refugees and internally displaced Iraqis has said that a number of fleeing civilians had been killed as they tried to cross the Euphrates River while looking to escape the city.

It appears the latest example of civilians paying a price for a number of offensives across both Iraq and Syria by a number of groups and the Syrian regime, that looks to regain more of the ground that has been lost to the group.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, have been fighting to retake Fallujah since late May but the advance stalled last week because of heavy resistance from Isis and the presence of an estimated 50,000 civilians trapped inside the city.

The threat faced by civilians if they tried to leave the city is something that The Independent reported on at the end of last month with Isis death squads appearing on the streets as government forces advanced.

Nasr Muflahi, NRC country director, said: Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety.

 Iraqi civilians recount horrors of battle for Fallujah

This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives, he said.

On Monday, an Iraqi Major, Ali Hanoon, claimed to the Associated Press that dozens of civilians had been killed by Isis since the Fallujah offensive started.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of Fallujah, but Maj Hanoon said that if Isis trap the civilians, it will slow our progress".

Sunni politicians have voiced concern that the presence of Shia militias alongside the army in the battle could lead to an increase in sectarian violence (GETTY)

There were also reports on Monday of suspected torture of civilians by Shia militia forces that are advancing on the mainly-Sunni Fallujah.

Sunni politicians have voiced concern that the presence of Shia militias alongside the army in the battle could lead to an increase in sectarian violence. Such violence is a major concern for the Iraqi government, particularly as Sunni-majority cities are retaken from Isis.

Inside Isis secret tunnels Show all 7 1 /7 Inside Isis secret tunnels Inside Isis secret tunnels Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters Inside Isis secret tunnels An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground Inside Isis secret tunnels The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Inside Isis secret tunnels Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Inside Isis secret tunnels Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives

Shia militias have denied previous accusations of abuses against Sunni citizens, but such concerns have also played into the slowing of the advance to retake the city.

Elsewhere, A leader of one of the Shia militia groups also appeared to criticise the Iraqi government on Monday over tactics in the battle to defeat Isis.

Hadi al-Amiri, told Reuters that in moving an armoured brigade to the Makhmour area near Mosul  the other large Iraqi city held by Isis  was a betrayal of the battle for Fallujah. US officials have made no secret of their desire to re-capture Mosul, and US-backed Kurdish forces have seized villages to the east of Mosul in recent weeks.

Due to its proximity to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, it is only an hours drive away, some of those fighting Isis see Falllujah as the more pressing battle  particularly given the recent rise in Isis bombings in Baghdad.

Some of those fighting Isis see Falllujah as the more pressing battle - due to its proximity to Baghdad (GETTY)

Isis is also under pressure in Syria, with the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), including a Kurdish militia and Arab allies that joined it last year, having launched an attack on the Isis-held city of Manbij last week. The aim being to drive the jihadists from its last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish frontier. If successful it could cut the main access route Isis has to the outside world.

The US-backed SDF have now surrounded the city on three sides, according to a spokesman for the group, although civilians are again at risk with more than 200,000 citizens thought to be at risk of being displaced due to the fighting.

Syrian government forces also announced it has captured more ground on Monday in their push toward the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Isis Caliphate.

The Syrian government push came two days after the troops first reached the edge of the northern province of Raqqa. The Syrian government has had no presence in the province since August 2014, when Isis captured the Tabqa military air base and killed scores of government soldiers.

The Syrian government and Russian aerial forces have been striking in a number of areas, including around Aleppo. However there were reports yesterday [MON] that warplanes believed to belong to Russia or the Syrian army killed at least 17 people in an air raid on a market in the Isis-held town of Ashara in the eastern province of Deir Ezzour on Monday, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The province links the Syrian territories held by Isis with its Iraq strongholds. Moscow denied its planes had flown in the area near the reported strike.
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Isis militants have publicly executed 19 Yazidi women by burning them alive in Mosul, Iraq, local activists report.

The women were burned to death in iron cages because they refused to have sex with Isis fighters, the Kurdish ARA News agency reported.

They were punished for refusing to have sex with Isis militants, Abdullah al-Malla, a local media activist, told the agency.

Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Show all 15 1 /15 Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp at Derike, Syria. In the camps here, Iraqi refugees have new heroes: Syrian Kurdish fighters who battled militants to carve an escape route to tens of thousands trapped on a mountaintop Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A pilot based at RAF Marham entering a Tornado GR4 prior to taking off for the reconnaissance mission over Iraq. Several RAF Tornado jets set off from RAF Marham in Norfolk this afternoon to travel to a "pre-position", from where they will fly to northern Iraq to provide improved surveillance of the situation on the ground. The jets, fitted with Litening III targeting and surveillance pods, will be able to fly over the crisis area to provide intelligence and help with the delivery of humanitarian aid Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft equipped with the Litening III pod from RAF Marham, eastern England, on their arrival at RAF Akrotiri Cyprus for their reconnaissance mission over Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Aid inside a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J aircraft before being airdropped to civilians in Iraq Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules C130 J military transport plane at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Britain made a third round of airdrops of supplies to aid refugees stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq, officials said, as Tornado fighters arrived at an RAF base in Cyprus preparing to provide surveillance support for the humanitarian effort Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR4 aircraft, flown in from Britain, stand on the tarmac at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis A displaced man helps a woman, both from the minority Yazidi sect fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Isis in Sinjar town, as they make their way towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Iraqis including Turkmen, Shabaks, Kurds, Yezidis and Christians, fleeing from assaults of army groups led by Isis, take shelter at Bahirka Camp in Arbil Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community look for clothes to wear among items provided by a charity organization at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Syrian Kurdish Peshmerga fighters take a sick Iraqi Yazidi woman to the clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria Iraq crisis: Yazidi nightmare on Mount Sinjar Iraq crisis Sick displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community wait for treatment at a clinic at Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria

An eyewitness in Mosul told ARA News: The 19 girls were burned to death, while hundreds of people were watching."

"Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment."

Thousands of Yazidi women were taken captive when Isis seized control of Sinjar, in north western Iraq, in August 2014.

 Yazidi women speak of rape and beatings at the hands of Isis

The Iraqi army is preparing for an assault on the Isis stronghold of Fallujah.

Soldiers have secured a neighbourhood to the south of the city and are poised to enter the centre of the city.
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British special forces are reportedly operating on the front line against Isis in Syria.

The Times reports they have been defending a rebel unit under daily attack by Isis.

First Lieutenant Mahmoud al-Saleh told the paper British troops crossed from Jordan to help the New Syrian Army (NSA) rebuild their defences in al-Tanf after a suicide attack damaged their base.

They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe, he said.

Inside Isis secret tunnels Show all 7 1 /7 Inside Isis secret tunnels Inside Isis secret tunnels Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters Inside Isis secret tunnels An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground Inside Isis secret tunnels The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Inside Isis secret tunnels Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Inside Isis secret tunnels Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives

The NSA consists of former Syrian special forces who defected from the Syrian army and have been retrained by British and American forces.

They libereated the southeatern village of al-Tanf in March. The village is considered strategically important because of its location near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

The NSA base was reportedly attackd by an Isis armoured vehicle packed with explosives last month, killing 11 of the rebels and injuring 17.

The attack damaged the structure of the al-Tanf base, prompting British special forces to help them rebuild.

 Isis destroy satellites

The rebels now face regular missile and suicide attacks from Isis.

They [Isis] attack us at all times, 3am, 5am, 4pm, 11pm," First Lieutenant al-Saleh told The Times.

"If you look at the timing of the assaults its clear they dont want us to get any rest. Theyre using missiles, mortars and many suicide bombers."
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At least one assailant armed with automatic assault weapons has attacked a local office of Jordan's national intelligence agency, killing four guards and a receptionist in what the government called a terrorist attack.

Government spokesman Mohammed Momani suggested Islamic militants were involved, describing the attackers as criminal elements who don't represent our moderate religion.

Those involved remained at large hours after the morning attack, which came on Monday - the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the intelligence office on the edge of the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, near the capital, Amman.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Jordan, even though the pro-Western kingdom is on the front line in the military campaign against Isis extremists who control large areas of neighbouring Syria and Iraq. The country is part of the US-led military campaign against Isis

The shooting attack took place before 7am, Mr Momani said. He added that it involved one or more attackers armed with at least one automatic weapon.

The targeted security office is a two-story building facing the Baqaa camp, which was established almost half a century ago for Palestinian refugees displaced in the conflict with Israel. The camp has a population of tens of thousands, including many Syrian refugees who have settled there since the start of the Syria conflict in 2011. A main road separates the security compound and the camp.

Several hours after the attack, the access road to the security compound was closed. Security agents were visible outside the building, including masked members of the counter-terrorism squad.

Monday's attack came three months after Jordanian special forces clashed with Isis-linked gunmen at a hideout in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid. Seven suspected Isis activists and a Jordanian officer were killed. The Isis cell had planned attacks on military and civilian targets in the kingdom, officials said.

Over the past two years, since Isis made swift land gains in Syria and Iraq, Jordan has cracked down on suspected sympathizers to prevent the extremists from recruiting inside its borders.

Several hundred Jordanians have been sentenced to prison by special military courts for expressing support for Isis on social media.

Associated Press
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Late news: the airlines are missing a trick. By failing to target tardy business travellers, they are ignoring an opportunity to make money, and deliver better service.

You may have seen the story broken by The Independent about easyJet persuading Gatwick airport to block the progress of passengers running late for their flights. Britains biggest budget airline is cracking down on travellers who arrive at the barriers leading to the security area less than half-an-hour before their flight.

Recommended Read more EasyJet to turn away late arriving travellers from flights

Until now late-running passengers travelling only with cabin baggage have had a second chance. A pre-printed boarding pass, or one saved to your mobile phone, is your get-out-of-jail free card. You can switch instantly from suave, sophisticated business traveller into a HAG (airline slang for a Have A Go passenger).

Have a go heroes (or dunces) are often to be seen at airports up and down the land, sprinting for the gate. If you know an airport well, you probably know you can safely disregard the absurd signs warning that its a 20-minute hike to the most distant gate, and cover the distance in five minutes.

Often, in my experience, HAGs often arrive in an unbecoming lather of panting and perspiration a few minutes ahead of a dreamy couple who dawdled in duty-free.

No more, according to easyJet. If you get held up on the M25 on the way round to Gatwick, or find your just-in-time train cancelled as a result of the long and bitter industrial dispute prevailing on Southern Railway, you will be invited to return to the easyJet desk to discuss your travel arrangements.

The move is intended, according to easyJet, to benefit passengers  no longer will they have to experience the frustration of missing a flight and then having to be extricated from the Departures area.

Instead, you get to experience the frustration of being deprived of the chance of running for the Edinburgh, Amsterdam or Munich flight  even though you know from experience that you can pass through security and reach any gate in nine minutes flat.

You may also regard easyJets assertion that boarding ends half-an-hour before departure as pure tosh, and reckon that a 10-minute cut-off is more like it. Tough: the airline can impose whatever rules it likes.

Suppose, though, that when you scan your boarding pass at the barrier and discover you are passenger non grata, a fairy godmother (or godfather) appears at your side, inviting you to Have A Go with them, in an aeronautical sense.

How much would you pay to be accelerated through fast-track security and ushered past the loitering leisure passengers, while your accomplice says important-sounding things into a walkie talkie? I am willing to bet that, depending on circumstances, it could be more than the 80 rescue fee that easyJet charges to re-book late passengers on the next available flight. Many business travellers, faced with the possible embarrassment of missing an important meeting, or the frustration of being late home, would happily pay 100 to make the flight.

Better still, airlines could offer premium passengers the privilege of arriving later at the airport than leisure travellers. On the rails, Eurostar already does so, with business passengers able to breeze along up to 15 minutes before departure, rather than the half-hour cut-off for travellers in the cheap seats.

When easyJet and Ryanair first started flying, their deadline for check-in was just 20 minutes ahead of departure. The airlines would do well to reward business travellers on higher fares with an extra 10 minutes of leeway.
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British holidaymakers should be given advice on sexual health when they book their travels due to the substantial numbers of people  old and young  who are having sex with new partners while abroad.

In the past five years, one in 12 UK travellers had sexual contact with a stranger while on holiday, according to a major new study.

Those who reported having sex with a new partner while overseas were also much more likely to report other high-risk behaviours, such as not using a condom, illicit drug use or excessive alcohol intake.

Information on safer sex should be included in routine advice to travellers before they depart, the studys authors said, regardless of the persons age, destination or reason for travel.

Male respondents were more likely to report having sex with someone new while abroad, the equivalent of roughly one in 10 men. The figure was closer to one in 20 for women. But both men and women who said they had done so were also more likely to have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection at some point in the last five years.

The warning to Britons comes from two studies published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, part of a suite of publications produced by the British Medical Journal.

In a second study, British nationals were second only to Swedes in reporting inconsistent use of condoms while having sex with new partners during trips abroad.

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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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By contrast, German and Canadian travellers reported having more sexual partners while on holiday but better practices in terms of safe sex, according to a survey involving a relatively small number of backpackers to Thailand.

And crucially, the studies combined show it is not just young backpackers who are engaging in potentially risky sexual behaviours abroad. Older men were actually more likely than younger men to report having paid for sex outside the UK, for example.

The dramatic increase in international travel has huge potential to boost the sexual mixing of different nationalities and, in turn, spread antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, the studies authors warned.

The consequences on STIs could be substantial, said Alberto Matteelli and Susanna Capone of the University of Brescia, Italy, citing the example of how syphilis may have been introduced to Europe by conquistadors returning from the Americas.
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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With my experience of social media, said JK Rowing, discussing the casting of Swaziland-born, Olivier award winning actress Noma Dumezweni in the stage role of Hermione Granger, I thought that idiots were going to idiot. But what can you say? That's the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.

Rowling went on to describe critics of the choice as a bunch of racists. She is, to my mind, completely right, and her devil-may-care attitude to causing a social media rumpus is relentlessly pleasing.

On Twitter, Rowling is forthright on Scottish politics, sporting loyalties and her regrets over Harry Potter plots. She speaks without fetter, riding each ensuing 72 hours of rapey backwash and bile from mums box bedroom with a steely, nay, raffish veneer.

 JK Rowling on Trump

In the case of Harry Potter and the upsettingly non-Caucasian Hermione, Rowling is perfectly right to deem those moaning as racist. Its pure, Category A, slack-jawed beginners level, I-Spy Big Book of old-school Racism. Its up there with Why cant I sell grinning gollies in my regional gift shop? and Chelsea fans helping with Paris Metro overcrowding.

Whining and claiming your special thing will be 'spoiled' and threatening to boycott a film or play due to the inclusion of a brown-skinned person is reminiscent of Alf Garnett coughing up derisory phlegm behind his newspaper.

Your brain was willing to relish tiny wizards running headlong through a wall at a busy London commuter station, and being transported to a magical world of curses, ghouls and broom-riding contact sports. But brown people? No, no, no  its just a bit far-fetched.

Floating the notion of Idris Elba as the next potential James Bond has an equally toxic effect. Its like leaving a jam sandwich out in hot weather and waiting for an ant-hill. All racists will re-route there, claiming their interests are patently due to dramatic authenticity.

The dilemma with naming and challenging rock solid cases of racism  just as Rowling is  is that we live in an era where the r-word has lost its punch.

Over the past six months Ive heard that Mexican Monday at Wetherspoon is borderline racist and being punched by Jeremy Clarkson is racist too. Doing yoga in a community centre while not being a genuine Hindu Upanishad is racism and singing Shaddupya Face by Joe Dolce is essentially a racist act.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Show all 5 1 /5 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Jim Kay's illustration of Draco Malfoy in the new Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone edition Jim Kay Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Jim Kay's illustration of Rubeus Hagrid in the new Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone edition Jim Kay Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Jim Kay's illustration of Hermione Granger in the new Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone edition Jim Kay Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Jim Kay's illustration of Ron Weasley in the new Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone edition Jim Kay Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustrations Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Deluxe edition will cost 150 and a more affordable 30 version will be published alongside it Bloomsbury

Being Andy Murrays girlfriend and muttering something sweary at his Czech opponent? Racist. Enjoying the work of 1970s Disco sensations Village People without first checking if Filipe Rose had the cultural background to dress as a Native American? Racist.

What about claiming any of the above arent really racist? Well, thats the most racist thing of all.

Trying to weed out true racism from petty grievance in the modern age often reminds me of the stoning scene in Life of Brian. I only said to my wife, explains the supposed blasphemer, This piece of Halibut was good enough for Jehovah. But theres no time for nuance or explanation before the patently gleeful lobbing of stones.

If this makes claims of racism soporofic at times, then the response to Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, or Idris Elba as 007, should act as a jarring prod.

Recommended Read more Idris Elba is the only man who can shake up the Bond franchise

Rejecting Noma Dumezweni suggests that it is beyond your human reckoning that there are many young, clever women of colour attending British public schools. It also suggests that you see a brown woman in this role, rather than as a casting decision based on merit but instead as part of a PC agenda you refuse to stomach.

It suggests an inability to simply forget what colour people on stage or screen are, and instead sit fuming each time they appear because someone with better skin should be playing the role. It suggests that, even when youve paid hard cash to be immersed and intoxicated by the joy of drama and youre sitting on a velour-covered seat, clutching your programme, you refuse to leave your prejudice in the foyer because its seeped into every nook and cranny of your blood, guts and bones.

JK Rowling is right. Thats racism. The show will go on without you.
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I love curry, though it brings out my very worst eyes bigger than my tummy characteristic. I cannot order an Indian takeaway without massively overdoing it, so that half an hour in Im torn between the kind of gluttony that begets serious regret, and the prospect of next day scraps. But hey, what better than some saag aloo for breakfast?

The subject of reheating leftovers comes with all sorts of caveats these days (even putting aside the obvious impossibility of re-crisping a poppadum). Spinach in particular is the source of some quite feisty debate, with the Dutch said to be especially suspicious of it. In a recent news piece, based on advice from the Food Standards Agency and the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), we listed spinach among five items that were better binned than hotted up after a night in the fridge.

An eagle-eyed reader, however, was having none of it and complained via our online form. When we pointed him to EUFICs advice, he took up the challenge directly with the agency, explaining why he believed its arguments about spinach  and its supposed cancer-causing properties  were flawed.

In particular, he suggested that it was disproportionate to advise against reheating a generally beneficial foodstuff on the basis of a theoretical risk about the conversion of nitrate into nitrites and nitrosamines.

EUFIC, rather wonderfully, backed down and acknowledged that the advice was out of date and no longer reflected current recommendations from European authorities. It removed the content from its website and somewhere across the pond Popeye breathed a sigh of relief. In response to the change in official advice, we updated our story too.

Food trends in 2016 Show all 11 1 /11 Food trends in 2016 Food trends in 2016 Celeriac root We had a kale obsession in 2015, but 2016s vegetable sine qua non is predicted to be the knobbly celeriac root. Celeriac milk (Tom Hunt at Poco in Bristol serves it with winter mussels and wild water celery), celeriac cooked in Galician beef fat (from Adam Rawson of Pachamama, hot new chef in the capital) and salt-baked celeriac (to be found in Matthew and Iain Penningtons kitchens at The Ethicurean in the West Country) are just a few examples. Getty Images Food trends in 2016 Middle Eastern food The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook (24.95, Phaidon) by grand-dame Salma Hage, author of the bestseller The Lebanese Kitchen (whose halva is pictured here), is out in April  Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton Food trends in 2016 Non-alcoholic cocktails Grain Store mixologist Tony Conigliaro has created Roman Redhead, a riot of red grape juice, beetroot, pale ale and verjus, and Rose Iced Tea (black tea, rose petals, anise essence, pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Gin The discerning will be slurping Hepple gin  from chef Valentine Warner and cocktail guru Nick Strangeway  which is punctuated with bog-myrtle nuances Food trends in 2016 Argyll and Bute Restaurant followers are getting in a froth about Pam Brunton in Scotland, who opened the Inver restaurant in Argyll and Bute to acclaim last year Food trends in 2016 Andy Olivers Som Saa One of the most eagerly awaited restaurants of 2016 will be the permanent incarnation of Andy Olivers remarkable pop-up Som Saa opening very soon in east London. Oliver, who worked at Thai god David Thompsons Nahm in Bangkok, raised a whopping 700,000 through crowdfunding, and is renowned for his piquant Thai flavours and obsessive attention to detail, including in his home ferments and DIY coconut cream  Adam Weatherley Food trends in 2016 Venison Another ruminant in vogue is venison, with Sainsburys doubling its line for 2016. It provides a protein-packed punch, with B vitamins and iron, and its low in fat. Its entry into the mainstream is in part thanks to the Scottish restaurant Mac and Wild, just opened in London, whose Celtic head chef Andy Waugh (who also runs the Wild Game Co) has been touting it as street food for years (his venison burger pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Goat From Brett Grahams The Ledbury to Angela Hartnetts kitchens at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, Cabrito is the go-to goat supplier among the chef cognoscenti (roasted loin of kid pictured here)  but this year, domestic cooks can get in on the action, as Sushila Moles and James Whetlor of Cabrito offer their meat through Ocado Mike Lusmore / mikelusmore.com Food trends in 2016 Coffee Coffee sage George Crawford is launching the much-anticipated Cupsmith with his partner, Emma. Crawford believes that 2016 is the year purist coffee will finally meet the masses; Cupsmiths mission will be to make craft coffee as popular as craft beer on the high street. The company roasts Arabica beans in small batches, improving its quality  but sells it online, at cupsmith.com, in an approachable way: expect cheerful packaging and names such as Afternoon Reviver Coffee (designed for drinking with milk  no matter how uncouth, most of us want milk) and Glorious Espresso Julia Conway Food trends in 2016 120-day-old steak Hanging meat for extremely long lengths of time has become an art. In Cumbria, Lake Road Kitchens James Cross is plating up 120-day-old steak (pictured here). The beef is from influential ager Dan Austin of Lake District Farmers, who is currently investigating the individual bacterial cultures that go into this maturing process Food trends in 2016 Lotus root Diners can expect root-to-stem dining - cue the full lotus deployed by the Michelin-starred Indian Benares in its kamal kakdi aur paneer korma Getty Images

This episode is excellent in many ways. Most obviously, it shows why we should all challenge information we believe is erroneous, even when it comes from an apparently impeccable source.

From The Independents point of view, there is no shame in receiving a complaint: if we ourselves have made an error, we want to know about it so we can set things right. It is for that reason we offer a straightforward means by which readers can alert us to problems. We actively welcome people getting in touch.

As things stand, The Independent remains currently outside the system of press self-regulation overseen by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We still follow the industry-wide Editors Code of Practice, which IPSO oversees, in addition to our own Code. But in the absence of an external regulator, it is imperative that our in-house system for handling complaints is effective. We believe it is, but we have made a few changes to the process recently in an effort to streamline it further.

More broadly, spinach-gate ought also to encourage us in that it shows how even a seemingly faceless, international agency can be responsive and open to reform.

The EU referendum debate has encouraged a narrative in which pan-continental organisations are synonymous with bureaucratic torpor and red tape. In this case, EUPIC (which receives some of its funding from the European Commission) was admirably receptive to consumer feedback. Take note, Jean-Claude Juncker.

Best of all, though, the change of heart regarding the outrageous demonisation of reheated spinach provides a degree of relief that, among all the other things we can spend our time worrying out, warming up pre-cooked leafy greens isnt among them. Im pretty sure the anxiety was giving me an ulcer  or perhaps thats just the pain from a surfeit of lamb jalfrezi.

Will Gore is deputy managing editor of The Independent and the London Evening Standard

To write to The Independent, please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk
Around 6,000 properties were impacted by the storms in the midlands

Thousands of homes were left without power in the Irish midlands after thunder and lightning storms shattered a period of fine weather.

Around 6,000 properties were impacted.

Trim in Co Meath and Tuam in Co Galway were among the places worst affected.

ESB said it was working to restore supplies.

"A lot of #lightning damage in the North West and Midlands," the network operator tweeted.

Met Eireann issued an orange weather warning, forecasting very heavy and thundery downpours, with a risk of localised flooding, in the midlands and north west.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning in Northern Ireland.
'The EU suits big UK corporates, banks and professional firms, as Brussels-based lobbying and red tape keeps smaller challengers at bay' Photo: PA

Why am I voting for Brexit? Why, as a citizen of both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, do I think Britain should leave the European Union?

I'm certainly not backing Brexit to be popular. While British voters as a whole remain evenly split, most of my London-based media colleagues staunchly back Remain. "Only the old, racist or stupid want Brexit," is the basic view of the British media class.

It strikes me this bien pensant consensus is wrong. It was wrong when "most economists" and media-types wanted the UK to join the euro in the late 1990s - which I strongly opposed. It was wrong, also, ahead of the Iraq war - which I also opposed.

I'm backing Brexit because, as an economist who's studied the EU for years, doing so is common sense. I back Brexit because, while it's a shame people in both the UK and Ireland ridicule me for wanting Britain to leave, that's not a good enough reason to stay silent.

The EU accounts for 45pc of all UK trade and falling, down from 55pc five years ago. Europe is the world's slowest-growing continent, apart from Antarctica. The Treasury claims British households will be 4,300 a year worse off by 2030 with the OECD's 'Brexit shockwave' casting us into penury. These ridiculous rigged 'studies' are all part of Project Fear - designed to scare voters.

Economists at the Treasury and EU-funded OECD do whatever their political masters tell them. And right now David Cameron's premiership, and the 'European project' in its current form, would be upended by the Brexit.

The UK, free from onerous EU regulations and the common tariff on non-EU imports, could well grow faster outside. A Brexited Britain would focus more on trade with fast-growing and populous emerging markets in Asia and elsewhere - nations set to dominate the global economy.

The EU suits big UK corporates, banks and professional firms, as Brussels-based lobbying and red tape keeps smaller challengers at bay. A large majority of small- and medium-sized firms, though, accounting for much of Britain's creativity and innovation and two-thirds of all employment, want Brexit.

Europe simply isn't working. The central pillar of "ever closer union" - the euro - is doing untold damage. Locked in a high-currency straitjacket, Greece and Spain are suffering 40-50pc youth unemployment. Italy, having barely grown since the euro's 1999 launch, is on the brink of a major banking crisis. Unable to depreciate their currencies, such economies are being sacrificed on the altar of "more Europe". When the euro implodes, as it will, the big EU economies will pick up the tab. Britain is better off out.

"Free movement of people", meanwhile, sounds good in theory - but is naive. Massive wage differentials between member-states have driven record migration. UK net immigration rose above 330,000 last year - more than twice that if gauged by new national insurance numbers. Just last year, Cameron was re-elected on a pledge to bring the figure below 100,000 - impossible as long as we remain in the EU.

Hailing from a long line of Irish builders who came to London, I always back immigration. But when the pace is as fast as it is now, big firms prosper while economically vulnerable working people see their wages flattened. That's why, across Europe, nasty parties opposing all immigration are rapidly attracting voters. Unless "freedom of movement" is modified, restoring public trust in immigration, British and European politics will get ugly - and dangerous.

Irish people needn't fear Brexit. While I understand concerns among Border communities, Anglo-Irish relations are better than they've perhaps ever been. These are issues we can solve. And while the UK accounts for a fifth of Irish trade - 1bn a week - that will continue. Ireland has no trade deal with America, which generates a similar share of Irish commerce.

Britain and Ireland have traded for centuries, through thick and thin, due to mutual benefit. These two great peoples, entwined by culture, history and blood, don't need the permission of Brussels to maintain the two-way flow of goods, services and people across the Irish Sea.

Liam Halligan writes his weekly 'Economics Agenda' column in the Sunday Telegraph

The evidence says 'stay in' - Stick with the EU, says Ronan Dunne

In just three weeks, British citizens across the UK and Ireland will decide whether or not Britain should remain in the European Union.

If you listen to the breadth of voices in the preceding debate, there is one point that is consistently raised: this is without doubt the most important decision the UK has faced in a generation.

I moved to the UK from Ireland in 1987. As an Irishman, running a British business, owned by a Spanish company, I'm personally pro-European. I believe that Europe would be a poorer place without Britain and Britain would be a poorer place without the ability to help lead Europe.

I also think Ireland has greatly benefited from its EU membership. Ireland today is very different to the Ireland I left 30 years ago. Relationships have improved, the economic environment is stronger and there is a growing sense of a greatly maturing society. While a lot of this is down to the great work of our nation, it has also happened within a context set by the European Union.

I believe that the development of the Good Friday Agreement and the broader peace process has been supported by access to the European market and the resulting improvement of economic circumstances for people, both north and south.

The truth is, Britain in Europe is a more attractive investment opportunity for European and international businesses. It is undeniable that being part of the European family promises far greater prosperity for UK industry. That said, I'm not naive enough to think everything is working as it should, and I certainly don't think it's for businesses to tell people how to vote.

Instead, my wish is for business leaders to actively contribute to the 'fact pack', so there is a properly informed debate on the issues.

It should be the depth of insight and evidence in this fact-pack that helps people draw conclusions and make a final decision.

For my part, I believe there are two key areas where I can offer a view: firstly, in addressing the broader economic benefits and, secondly, by contributing to the specific business case for the UK.

Earlier this year I put my name to a letter published in the London Times alongside hundreds of other business leaders. We said: "Britain will be stronger, safer and better off remaining a member of the EU" - and my primary reason for doing so was the economy.

Britain needs unrestricted access to the European market in order to compete effectively. Without this, we risk serious harm to our economy. The threat to jobs, house prices and welfare cannot be overlooked.

But don't just take my word for it. This economic assessment is being made by an increasing list of stakeholders including Britain's previous four prime ministers (of varying political hues), the Bank of England, the IMF, and a healthy coalition of British businesses owners and leaders.

As a UK business leader, I regularly witness the benefits of being part of the free-trade single market. In addition, my business profits greatly from the wealth of talent this country so keenly needs.

To put that in some context, in order to capitalise on the opportunity promised by the digital economy, UK businesses need an additional 2.3 million digitally skilled workers by 2020 - a tough ask of a Britain on the outside.

If Britain were to exit, British business simply wouldn't get access to the same hi-tech European skills as its competitors. This would put us at a competitive disadvantage and in turn affect thousands of domestic businesses and exporters alike.

Granted, there is still a significant amount of work to do within the EU, not least in further reducing red tape and bureaucracy. But my hope is that the UK will have a guiding influence in that restorative process.

So my view is clear and grounded in the evidence from my motherland, homeland and the business I lead.

But it is for each individual to decide where Britain's future lies. I hope people take time to understand the issues at play and ensure their vote is registered and voice is heard on what will be a truly landmark day for the Republic of Ireland, Britain, Europe and indeed, the world.

Ronan Dunne is the CEO of Telefonica UK and you can follow him on Twitter @RonanDunneO2
For the southwestern city of Kunming, China's plan to extend a high-speed rail link 3,000km south to Singapore is already a boon: pristine expressways, a gleaming station and something of a real estate boom, as young buyers crowd property showrooms.

In Laos, work has yet to start on what should be the first overseas leg of a rail line stretching throughout Southeast Asia. The country, one of the region's poorest, could struggle to finance even part of the $7bn cost and has yet to agree financial terms with China.

From Laos, the railway would enter Thailand. But Beijing's negotiations have soured there as well, highlighting the sort of problems Beijing may face as it develops its economic highways beyond Southeast Asia and across Asia under its "One Belt, One Road" project.

The plan to build land, sea and air routes reaching across the continent and beyond was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013. As China's economic growth slows, Beijing is encouraging its companies to win new markets overseas.

But across the Southeast Asia border, neighbours protest what they say are excessive Chinese demands and unfavourable financing conditions.

They have resisted Chinese demands for the rights to develop the land either side of the railway. Beijing says turning a profit on land development would make the rest of the project more commercially viable and allow it to make a greater upfront financial commitment. Myanmar, in addition, had environmental concerns and cancelled its part of the project in 2014.

For China, Southeast Asia's concerns are "going to be the first significant hurdle as they implement One Belt, One Road," said Peter Cai, a research fellow at Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

In 2013, all signs pointed to fast completion of the Laos leg. China offered to loan most of the project funds. In November, construction on the line's terminus in Kunming began.

The high-speed rail station in Kunming is now months from opening. Yet, there is no action in Vientiane despite an elaborate groundbreaking ceremony in December.

Without significant help from China, Laos lacks the finance for the project, diplomats said.

It is unclear why China, which has been vying with Vietnam for influence in Laos, could not offer terms acceptable to Vientiane.

The Laos government did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Diplomats though say the inaction reflected an internal Communist Party rift over how the negotiations with China were handled.

They said a shock decision in January by the politburo to exclude Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad from the top decision-making body in part indicated concern at senior levels that the deal's terms were too favourable for China.

Somsavat had led negotiations on China-related projects and had faced internal criticism for being too pro-Chinese.

"The terms were good for Laos," Somsavat told Reuters. Construction was delayed because Laos was still "researching some details" and because of local opposition of land issues.

Holding the ground-breaking ceremony on December 2 also raised eyebrows in the leadership because the date clashed with celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Laos People's Democratic Republic, diplomats said.

With Somsavat out of the government, "moves internally by the Laos government have been to renegotiate the terms of this rail agreement," a diplomat said.

Zhao Jian, transportation professor at the Beijing Jiaotong University, said China offers concessionary loans of between 2pc and 7pc, so any country pushing for cheaper loans was being "unrealistic".

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a meeting in Hainan in March that Thailand would go it alone on financing and for now build only part of the project. The Thai line would stop well short of the Laos border, however. ( Reuters)
'The paper said Accors chief executive Sebastien Bazin (p) hoped to prevent Jin Jiang from increasing its stake to 29pc which would trigger a public offer.' Photo: Getty

The head of hotels giant Accor has held talks with China's HNA to try to thwart an attempt by another Chinese group Jin Jiang to increase its stake in the company, French newspaper 'Le Journal du Dimanche' reported yesterday.

The paper said Accor's chief executive Sebastien Bazin hoped to prevent Jin Jiang from increasing its stake to 29pc which would trigger a public offer.

Jin Jiang holds 15.6pc of Accor shares, according to Thomson Reuters data. Accor shares rose 3.3pc and were the biggest gainers in the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index on Friday, after another paper 'Le Figaro' said Jin Jiang planned to increase its stake in Accor to 29pc.

"According to our information, the CEO of Accor Hotels, who declined to comment, is in contact with another Chinese group HNA, to counter Jin Jiang," 'Le Journal du Dimanche' reported without citing its sources.

The French newspaper said that another option, backed by several ministers, would be for the French state to take a 10pc stake in Accor.

HNA already has a 10pc holding in holiday group Pierre et Vacances and is in exclusive talks to takeover Servair, Air France's catering subsidiary.

Meanwhile, Chinese diversified group Fosun is reported to be in advanced talks to take a 10pc to 15pc stake in tourism and leisure group Compagnie des Alpes.

Compagnie des Alpes specialises in ski resorts, family parks and attractions.

The company, in which French state-owned bank Caisse des Depots (CDC) holds a 39.54pc stake, is looking for partners to beef up its capital and accelerate overseas expansion. (Reuters)
There are two threads that run through Linda Gray's new book, The Road To Happiness (Is Always Under Construction). One is resilience - and this turns out to be a life with far more knocks than I would have expected - the other is a strong, instinctive championing of the rights of women: the right to work, to make choices, to make waves. To be happy. Because Linda, it turns out, knows plenty about the fight to achieve and succeed. At 75, she is still beautiful - this is what natural beauty looks like, when it starts from a very good place (there is no denying the bone structure, or those remarkable eyes; the legs that featured in that iconic poster for The Graduate) and is helped by a healthy lifestyle and cheerful, open frame of mind. You would be forgiven for thinking that she always had it easy; that opportunities tumbled into her lap. Not so.

Alongside the usual run of battles fought by any ambitious woman working and bringing up children in the 1970s and 1980s, Linda had to contend with a mother who was an alcoholic in an era where such a word was never used, followed by a husband who was controlling to the point of being abusive. But first, as a five-year-old, there was polio. Long before her legs were famous, they were paralysed, just like her paternal grandfather, who spent his life in a wheelchair.

"I came down with a bad sore throat and was sent to bed. The next day, I couldn't move my legs," she writes. For months she was confined to bed, until gradually - unexpectedly - sensation returned. This, she says now, was the beginning of what has been a consistent approach to life: find the good. Accentuate the positive. "I remember with the polio, that started me on a very positive approach, because my parents were devastated, but I wasn't. I decided I could ride with grandpa around the city in my own wheelchair. I'd probably have painted it pink, or polka dots, something eccentric, so I was ready. And I wasn't feisty at all. I was very shy. It wasn't like I was this precocious young girl, I was a shy little girl, but I was boosting up my parents, and my grandma. That seems to be a great turning point."

Another early turning point was a school dance recital, in which she walked on stage, and froze, unable to remember her steps. At the time, she was what so many beauties claim to have been - awkward and odd-looking, "an alien from Planet Amphibian," as she describes it. Often, the beauties are protesting too much, but actually, if the photos are anything to go by, Linda had a point; until the age of 15 she was snaggle-toothed and stick-thin, with lank hair and eyes that were far too big for her face. "I was doing my dance recital, and I forgot my routine," she says. "But rather than running off stage in tears, I remember standing there, waiting, until I remembered. That was my persistence and my stick-to-it-ness. That's how I've been all my life, just persisting."

But far more difficult than any of the external knocks she took and re-modelled, was the pain of Linda's home situation. "My mother was an alcoholic," she says now, "although the word 'alcoholism' didn't compute till later." All she knew as a child was that, too often, there wasn't food when she and her sister Betty needed it, there were no clean clothes, the routines of domesticity were neglected. "She wasn't a falling-down drunk; she just lived in her own blurry world," is how Linda describes it. She tries hard to make excuses - before marriage, her mother was an illustrator, designer and ballerina; after marriage, her sole creative outlet was to decorate the front of the jewellery store Linda's father inherited from his father.

But despite her efforts to understand, Linda is entirely honest about her reaction to her mother. "It was difficult," she says. "I didn't like her. I loved my father, but I didn't like her. I was aware that I didn't warm to this person who was my mother. That was challenging." What was also challenging was the level to which Linda forced herself to take over the mothering role. "I was too responsible too young," she says now. "I tuned into being a mother to my sister. I used to tell her 'no, don't do this, you have to do this . . .' I was that person, and I wanted to not be that person. I wanted to be the young girl that I was; nine, maybe ten years old. It's not like I said, 'Oh, this is happening because my mother is an alcoholic,' it was just this weave-y little trail I was on. I'd say, 'Okay, there's no food for dinner, I'd better cook something', 'I'd better take care of that, because nobody is here to do it . . .'"

When she was 14, Linda and her sister Betty confronted their father, and begged him to divorce their mother. "We don't like her and we think she should leave," they said. Their father's response? "I love her." That refusal, to do anything about a damaging situation, left its mark, particularly when Linda went on to have two children of her own. "Parents are sort of a weird barometer, [they] show you where to fit in, and so [without the example], you don't know much about the mothering and the loving, the how does that happen. That was a hard thing for me." She made her own way to being a good mother, but it took effort.

Another undesirable repercussion was to be found in Linda's relationship with her husband, Ed Thrasher, an art director who worked with Frank Sinatra and Prince (he shot the cover for Purple Rain). They met when Linda, by then 19 and a successful model who had talked her way into TV commercials - again, persistence was key; it took years before she cut through the prejudice that said 'models can't act' and landed the first of what would be over 400 TV ads - was sent for a job at the record company where he worked. Ed was "the first man to make an obvious pass at me," Linda claims, saying that during her college years she was "a loner . . . eating alone in my car at lunchtimes." He introduced her to George Harrison, Bobby Darin, Sinatra and Dean Martin, and showed her an exciting time. He was charming, forceful, determined. Within a few months, having never done more than kiss, they were married. Sex, she writes, was "a crushing disappointment, I felt hollow, empty, unloved." She knew, she says, from the very first night together, that "my marriage was not a love match."

How did that feel, I ask? "Devastating," she says slowly. And yet they stayed together for 22 years; "I was very Catholic." But it was more than that. Ed quickly began to manifest very controlling tendencies, Each day, he would leave a list of chores for Linda to do, written on the pages of a yellow legal pad, stuck to the fridge: 'Call the plumber. Iron shirts. Polish shoes.' The lists got longer and longer, and soon were written in angry capitals. If everything on the list wasn't checked off, despite the fact that Linda soon had two small children, he would demand to know why, quizzing her about what else she had done that meant she couldn't complete the assigned tasks. "It was kind of a continuation of my mother," she says. "I settled, I rationalised, I did all of that stuff, and it was a continuation of how I was raised. I wasn't conscious of it in the moment, I didn't go, 'Oh, look what I've done, I've emulated the same thing,' but there was a sameness to it when I removed myself and looked at it. It was controlling, it was never abusive physically, but emotionally . . . and that can be hard because there is nothing to show. No bruise, no cut. It took me a long time [to understand]. I didn't have the tools, I didn't have the communication skills. I didn't know how to say 'this is hurting me.'"

Eventually, she took one of the yellow legal pad pages into a group therapy session she was attending, and gave it to the therapist. By then, the family were living a kind of Good Life scenario, in a house with a barn, chickens and horses outside Los Angeles. "That was the only thing I knew how to do," she says now. "I thought 'I can't have these yellow legal pads on the refrigerator any more,' so I took it to the therapist, because I thought, 'maybe she can figure it out for me.' There was a disconnect in the way I felt, in the way I communicated - or not - with my husband. There was this constant disconnect between the authentic me, and the person that I was being."

Women, she points out, can have a problem with asking for what they want. The children of alcoholic parents, even more so. "We edit, from the gut to the mouth, it goes through some weird editing process on the way out: 'oh no, that's not nice to say.' 'That's very rude.' We go through this whole, stupid nonsense, and we don't even know who we are anymore. It gets you so crazy! That's what I went through, this whole muddle of 'I feel this way, but I don't know if I can express it . . .'"

That day, Linda's therapist explained what emotional abuse was, and the ways in which Ed was guilty of it. Then she called Ed and said that Linda had a problem, and the group needed him to attend a session with her. Ed arrived in, and was ambushed. "How dare you treat her like that?" he was asked, by one group member after another. He was furious, but there were no more notes.

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If there can be anything positive in being the daughter of an alcoholic mother, Linda is inclined to look for it, and find it. If nothing else, her mother served as a perfect example of What Not To Do. In this case, not to give up your independence, your creative dreams to become a wife and mother. "I think that all of us have people in their path that are there for the biggest lessons of all," she says. "I bless my mother, for being that person. I mean, it was a little tricky" - she laughs ruefully - "a little challenging to do. That was a hard relationship, but those are the big lessons, the big learnings."

And so she stuck with her dream to take an acting class, despite Ed's disapproval, and then took the role of Sue Ellen when it came up. By dint of sheer will and talent, she transformed the part from supporting bit-player - the alcoholic wife of JR, fumbling with a bottle and glass in the background - into a major starring role. She drew on what she knew of her mother, and her own work ethic, to make the part her own, at a time when America was finally acknowledging the existence of this unspoken evil. Barely two weeks after the premiere of Dallas, in April 1978, the New York Times reported that Betty Ford, wife of Gerald, had checked herself into hospital, saying, "I'm addicted to alcohol."

Dallas was also a way to reconnect, finally, with her own mother, by then 60. Linda gave her the scripts to read, before the premiere, and the two finally began an honest conversation that would culminate with her attending AA. By the time her mother was in her 80s, Linda was her sole carer - her father had died; so too, tragically, had her sister Betty, of breast cancer, something that brings very obvious tears to Linda's eyes when I mention it. "My life changed that day in the hospital," is all she can say about Betty's death. "Standing there, in front of her bed, I realised, 'Oh my God, the fragility . . .'"

After 22 years together, she and Ed divorced. Even here, she is determined to be fair, to be generous. "I just didn't like myself with Ed," she writes in The Road To Happiness, adding, "He was my husband for a reason and he was one of my greatest teachers . . . Ed has to be honoured for following his path, his dreams, for being a great father and the best husband he knew how to be." Her talent for forgiveness is considerable, thanks to the continuous philosophical work she did in trying to understand herself, and the world around her. And it worked, after the divorce, she and Ed remained close as friends, and Linda was with him when he died, of cancer in 2006.

"I delved deeply into a different life," she says now of that process. "I wanted to know who I was, very deeply. I wanted to know, 'why did these things happen, what is this for?' I took a leap into metaphysics. I felt there was a balance I needed to find for myself. I didn't have time for therapy, I didn't have time to have a guru, so I thought, 'roll up your sleeves, because you're going to work.' And all of a sudden I was filled with a sort of radiance. I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I have to turn this over to a higher power. I need help. I have to find out who this woman is.'"

Did she like herself as a person, I wonder? "I was on the fence with myself at this point. I didn't even know who I was. I thought, 'Okay, who are you, girlfriend? I want to know you, but I don't know quite where to start . . .'" And when she did begin to find out? "I felt this lightening feeling, like rocks were going off my shoulders. There was this freedom and this airy-ness. All of a sudden, the child that I wanted to be when I was 8, 9, 10, was emerging. And there was this wonderful thing: I wasn't critical of things, myself included, I wasn't judgemental. I saw that we are all here on this planet to do the very best that we can, so stop judging yourself and others."

She writes briefly of men after her divorce from Ed, of boyfriends and relationships, but with far less than the enthusiasm she shows for her emotional discoveries, her work - she played Mrs Robinson on stage in The Graduate, in London in 2011 - even a cat. Was there no great love affair in her life, I wonder? "Not really," she says, perhaps a little sadly. "Because of me, probably because of not trusting 100pc, of feeling that I could not fully, heart, mind, body, soul, give myself. There have been lovely men, not a lot, but lovely, but no. I just sort of dropped that idea. It may still come, and that would be lovely, but I will not settle. I had to take a deep breath, and let that go."

'The Road To Happiness (Is Always Under Construction)' by Linda Gray is out now, published by Regan Arts, 29.50. Located within the Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre, the Museum of Style Icons boasts one of the world's largest and most unique collections of style and cinema memorabilia. A one-hour guided tour costs 5 and can be booked at: www.newbridgesilverware.com
In The Simpsons, when Homer meets the man who boasts of inventing "that thing where people jabber back and forth annoyingly on the radio", he quite rightly punches the character.

The makers of Best of Enemies, however, clearly expect that we will be awestruck at the story of Gore Vidal and William F Buckley, who are credited with inventing election-time punditry during their epic 1968 debates on ABC. At the time, the network was the poor third wheel in the nightly news wars between NBC and CBS and needed something innovative to spice up their coverage.

Their solution was to hire two diametrically opposed intellectuals - Vidal and Buckley - to voice the ideals of conservatism (Buckley) and progressivism (Vidal). Their politics were poles apart but what really makes the debates dramatic is the mutual revulsion, inspired, the film posits, by the overwhelming similarity of their backgrounds. It also sets the scene well in describing the cultural foment of 1968 and the emergence of identity politics in America. Where it rather falls down is that the zingers that fly back and forth sound a little tame and gentlemanly when compared to the type of punditry we have today, especially on American television.

Scream Season 2

10 episodes, available now

So how to put this? If you weren't mad about the first season of Scream (which aired in the US on MTV), you probably aren't going to like the second season (or at least as much as we've seen). This new series retains its adolescent melodrama reminiscent of a soapier than usual episode of Pretty Little Liars, but does up the violence to please those who like their horror meat served red. After being met with lukewarm ratings and some criticism from fans after the first season, the second season was actually something of a surprise. The opening sequence of Scream season 2, like the opening of season 1, pays homage to classic horror movies. However, while the old series was directly influenced by the original Scream film, season 2 is more of a parody: A teenaged girl is murdered in her home by her best friend, "Why?" the friend asks rhetorically. "Because I'm so sick of your slut-shaming!" However, this sequence is revealed to be a movie within the TV series and the real opening follows the central character through the cinema as she and a classmate, are chased by a killer. From there, it's the usual smorgasbord of gore and irony intermingled with some juicy teenage love stories. It's all brainless good fun.

Bo Burnham

Available now

Bo Burnham made his mark as a YouTube teen sensation, but you'd never have known it from the confident performer on his Make Happy tour.

The show encompassed a theatricality that audiences hadn't previously seen from the writer and actor, who was the youngest person ever to record a Comedy Central special, aged 18. Amy Schumer was once asked what was the difference between professional comedians and amateurs and she replied "the amateurs still have hope". Burnham seems to embody this comedic existential bleakness on his tour. "Y'all ain't never seen a comedy show like this in your life," he promises, "and probably for good reason."

Here he mocks the corporate influence in his work while lamenting that he's not getting any corporate freebies and struggles with his version of fame. "Give up on your dreams," he tells the audience. "I am not happy." What makes Burnham special though is his theatrical element. It's rare that a show can take you from an elaborate call and response rap opening number to a solid six minutes of meme jokes and still feel like an hour of comedy, but that is exactly what this does. There are lighting cues, miming, physical comedy and a piano to punctuate the punch lines. It all meshes well with Burnham's introspection and makes this special well worth a look.

Catch up now

Emily Hourican

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Blue Eyes

Channel4 On Demand, until June 26, episodes 1-10

Essential viewing this, as we face into the possibilities of Brexit, with a fast-growing refugee problem and the rise of Europe's extremist parties. This 10-part Swedish drama is a tense, well-written political thriller, an examination of the rise of the far right, who have indeed gained considerably in Sweden since this was written in 2014. Created by Alex Haridi, who wrote Real Humans, the drama that Channel4's Humans was based on, this follows two female politicians at opposite ends of the spectrum. The story begins with a doting mother and grandmother, who is also the local extreme right candidate, murdered after an inflammatory speech, whereupon her daughter steps into her place, determined to understand and avenge, against a backdrop of exactly the kind of crises that Europe is currently facing. All 10 episodes are available until the end of the month.

Storyland

RTE Player, until January 2017, 5 episodes

There is no rush on this, but consider making time over the next while to watch the complete run of five episodes of Storyland currently on RTE Player. The award-winning strand is now into its sixth season, conceived as a way to encourage and trial original Irish drama. Each drama is up to 20 minutes long, and acts as a showcase of what the writer, director and producer are capable of, with the idea being that the most successful will lead to bigger things, as happened with Hardy Bucks, which became a series and a feature-length film. Or Rob Cawley and Gary Duggan, who made Happy Slapper as part of Storyland, and then went on to write RTE's Amber. This season, there is a comedy about mismatched cops, a family trying to adapt to an apocalyptic scenario, a woman who discovers she's pregnant the same day her boyfriend disappears, a skateboard fanatic with family troubles, and a detective garda released from prison for a crime she didn't commit.

Spot the next big thing.

Podcasts

Emily Hourican

Costing The Earth

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r4wn/episodes/ downloads

So much material devoted to the natural world is deeply depressing - vanishing species, endangered ice caps, irreversible climate change, not to mention the constant procession of idiotic 'deniers' - that it is wonderful to encounter something positive for a change.

This BBC podcast looks at man's effect on the environment, but focussing on the positive efforts being made.

Hosts Tom Heap and Dr Alice Roberts talk about initiatives and projects aimed at solving the challenges facing the natural world, including the Chinese billionaire harnessing solar power, the ways in which New York is cleaning its filthy waterways, the story of coal from the Industrial Revolution to now, and a debate into methods of reducing our carbon footprint.

Tiny Spark

www.tinyspark.org

Subtitled 'investigating the business of doing good,' this is an independent, non-profit news programme reporting on philanthropic and social initiatives, created and presented by Amy Costello. Since it was set up in 2011, Tiny Spark stories have included an investigation into the idea of HIV disclosure in Africa, and exposed the harm caused by medical volunteers in post-quake Haiti, and been cited by news outlets including The Huffington Post and The Atlantic. This is where to go for a different view of the world and off-the-beaten track reports, as well as interviews with leading voices from the world of philanthropy, international aid and development.
Star Luke Grimes as he appears in Chanel's new Allure Homme Sport Cologne campaign. Grimes got the acting bug at seven while watching Macaulay Culkin at the Golden Globes Awards.

Like the song goes, actor Luke Grimes is the son of a preacher man and he has the kind of son-of-a-preacherman presence that reaches people.

With model looks and an alluring aloofness, he's probably best known for the role of Christian Grey's brother, Elliot, in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, but tipped for even bigger things. Still, the Ohio-born actor likes to play it low-key, and something of the country boy remains in him, despite spending most of his years in New York and LA.

Luke Grimes was on holiday with his family when he was first bitten by the acting bug. He was about seven, and watching TV in a hotel room, when he saw a very young Macaulay Culkin presenting an award at the Golden Globe awards. "I want to do that. Kid's got nothing on me," Grimes, now 31, thought. He decided to become an actor and that was that, with "no plan B."

As the son of a pentecostal preacher, one can imagine that Grimes had the kind of straitlaced, Midwest upbringing that doesn't often bring a boy all the way to Hollywood. Acting was what he wanted, though, and his parents mortgaged their house to pay for him to attend the prestigious American Academy for Dramatic Arts in New York.

It wasn't just his commitment, it was a family commitment and maybe the determination to have no plan B spoke of that. This had to work, and, so far, it has.

Having grown up in a tight-knit Pentecostal community, Grimes found the anonymity of New York and LA tricky to navigate.

Above all, it was lonely; but he's an old-school kind of actor, who believes that everything informs and is about the art.

"I would have no idea who I was, or what it is like to be in the shoes of another person unless I had gotten close to being completely alone," Grimes has said of his early days in LA. "I was socially awkward, and constantly embarrassed. No one understood me, and I didn't blame them. I felt like David Brent from The Office except there was no delusion. I knew exactly how pathetic I was, and now I can draw on that experience for the rest of my life and career," - self-awareness and sense of humour, as well as those brooding, almost James Dean looks.

The latter two qualities may be what swung Grimes's gig as part of Chanel's new Allure Homme Sport Cologne campaign, in which he rides out as a sort of modern-day cowboy. He's the horse man of the campaign, while Hugo Parisi and Adam Crigler are the professional diver and skater, respectively, of the piece.

"Riding horses is something that I've kind of come into more recently," he said, "I just find a way to sort of connect with nature and history, really."

LA life, you could say, lends itself to neither and Grimes is the kind of thoughtful soul who needs a break from that. In the past, his holidays between movies have included going on classic hunting and fishing trips with his dad. It's a reconnect with his past and a touching base with a very different world to that of auditions, brand-building and the show business of LA.

Grimes loves the acting life, though, and has been lucky in his career. He has made an impact in TV series such as Brothers and Sisters and True Blood, but movies are where his heart lies.

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He has had roles in Taken 2 and Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, where the veteran director taught this young blood the value of stillness in a scene, but it is in the first Fifty Shades movie that he has made real impact - and he will appear in the sequel, too, which is now filming.

Surprisingly, however, for a young gun with big ambitions, Grimes turned down the lead role of Christian Grey.

"It just wasn't for me and I knew that," Grimes has said. "I wouldn't want to get myself in a position where I'm bumming people out because I'm not performing the way they want me to." He thinks Jamie Dornan is the perfect guy for the job and confesses: "He's a braver man than I."

Brave to know your boundaries, too, one imagines, particularly in the unpredictable acting world where the temptation is to say yes to everything for fear that you'll make a mis-step.

Luke Grimes, however, seems to be a man of convictions, even from that early determination to be better than Macaulay Culkin. He is a man of faith, even if he's no longer "a fan of organised religion" that was his first foundation.

He has a plan A and he's sticking to it and so far, it's working out well for this Midwest boy.

For Chanel's new Allure Homme Sport cologne, brownthomas.com
This is the moment two brave fire officers barely escaped injury as they battled a large blaze in Galway on Monday night.

The video, captured by Connacht Tribune Assistant Editor Enda Cunningham, shows emergency workers battling a blaze at the former Sacre Coeur Hotel in Salthill.

As two officers attempt to gain access to the building a large flame bursts out of the structure.

In a second video three officers are seen holding back a steel sheet as a large fire erupts from the abandoned building.

The fire at the former Sac in Salthill pic.twitter.com/GsnZixM1lS  Enda Cunningham (@endacunningham) June 6, 2016

Mr Cunningham wrote: "Just goes to show how dangerous a firefighter's job is ..."

He explained that the hotel has been empty since it closed in 2005. The fire broke out just before 7pm yesterday evening.

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No one was injured in the fire.

At least four units of Galway Fire Brigade attended the blaze

In Dublin eight fire units dealt with a large fire at an unused house in Rathcoole.

The property, believed to have up to 10 bedrooms, was engulfed in flames and emergency services were alerted shortly after 7pm.

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A number of fire crews began tackling the blaze at what was described as "a large derelict structure."

Eight units of Dublin Fire Brigade went to the scene, including fire engines from Tallaght, Dolphin's Barn, Rathfarnham, Dun Laoghaire and from the brigade headquarters in Tara Street.

Firefighters spent over four hours battling the blaze before it was brought under control.
Four beaches in north Co Dublin have been closed for swimming on the hottest weekend of the year so far because of suspected sewage pollution.

Swimming at beaches at Rush, Balbriggan, Skerries and Loughshinny has been banned for 72 hours because of a deterioration in the quality of the water.

This is believed to have been due to a "suspected sewage discharge" from a waste water treatment plant, according to the local council.

A warning about the beach closures was issued to local councillors by Garry O'Brien of the Environment Department of Fingal County Council.

"Pumps at the foul sewer pumping station at Hampton Cove, Balbriggan, failed on Saturday June 4 and the pump station has been on overflow for a period of time," he said.

"This action is being taken to ensure we are not compromising the health of bathers."

Loughshinny Beach and Rush North Beach were closed after inspections revealed a "significant amount" of matter, including sanitary towels , had washed up on the shores.

Fingal Councillor Grainne Maguire said: "It's very serious because it stretches from Balbriggan all the way to Rush. It's a huge issue."

Councillor JP Browne said it was "a real shame" and that Fingal County Council and Irish Water were working together to solve the problem.

"It's very disappointing and will have a huge affect on Fingal's tourism."

This year Portmarnock beach, also in Fingal, lost its Blue Flag, while Skerries lost its Blue Flag the year before.
Faugheen ridden by Ruby Walsh on their way to winning the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2014 (Photo: David Davies/PA Wire), Inset: Dr John Waldron

TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known horse breeder who was killed in a crash over the bank holiday weekend.

Dr John Waldron from Tuam, Co Galway was killed after his car collided with another vehicle at Fortmoy Cross, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary on Sunday evening.

He was returning home from a point-to-point meeting in Ballingarry when the incident occurred.

Dr Waldron was well known in horse racing circles. He bred horses for much of his life and had been heavily involved in horse racing.

Among the horses that he bred was the famous Faugheen, who won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last year, as well as a number of other high-profile races. Dr Waldron sold the gelding for just 3,500.

Dr Waldron been the on call doctor at the Ballingarry point-to-point on the day of his death.

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Dr Waldron was also involved in bringing family planning to Ireland. In late 1975 the Galway Family Planning Association was set up and Dr Waldron was among the first volunteer doctors to run the clinic - in the face of vocal protests from Catholic conservatives.

The popular Tuam doctor, who was in his early 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene at Borrisokane and his body was taken to Limerick Hospital.

Local Fianna Fail councillor Donagh Killilea paid tribute to Dr Waldron, saying he was a man who lived his life to the full.

"He was a well respected doctor who made great advances in family planning and he bred horses all his life but above it all he was an adventurer more so than anything. He lived his life to the full," he added.
A couple accused of slashing a woman's face in a hate crime attack for being in a relationship with their teenage daughter must remain in custody, a High Court judge has ruled.

Refusing bail to the pair, Mr Justice Colton expressed shock at the "callousness" of a stabbing apparently fuelled by prejudice.

The victim was cut repeatedly with a knife after allegedly accepting she was to be punished at a meeting with the parents close to a police station in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Prosecutors said she will probably be permanently scarred from the wounds inflicted on May 29.

The husband and wife, aged 43 and 44, face charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

They are not being named to protect the identity of their 16-year-old daughter.

Prosecution counsel Conor Maguire said the victim claims to have known they were planning to harm her because of her relationship with their daughter.

She evaded them for three days before going to Lurgan Police Station in fear and an attempt to find a safe place, the court heard.

According to her account she was then phoned by a co-accused and told: "We are coming to get you, if we have to stay here a month we will get you."

Mr Maguire claimed she told police she was afraid and knew she was going to be punished, but gave up and left because she just wanted it over with.

"She said these people wouldn't relent until they had found her," the barrister added.

The victim said she walked to a nearby car park where the waiting couple both grabbed her amid attempts to pull her into a vehicle.

At that point the man allegedly urged his wife: "Cut the face off her or I'm going to do it."

It was claimed the female accused then produced a carpet knife and slashed the woman's face several times.

"She said she pleaded with (the wife) not to cut her, and that she was screaming and struggling," Mr Maguire added.

She claimed to have fled when the couple eventually let her go.

Mr Justice Colton was told the woman sustained several lacerations to her face, requiring a total of 14 stitches.

Her wounds will require further medical treatment and are likely to result in permanent scarring, according to the prosecutor.

All of those involved are said to be members of the Traveller community.

Mr Maguire also submitted: "An aggravating feature of this offence is that it's motivated by hate as a result of the applicant's daughter having been in a same-sex relationship with the injured party."

Seeking bail, defence counsel Peter Coiley argued that his clients posed no further risk to the victim because they don't know where she's living.

He also contended that it would be foolish of them to try to find her.

But refusing the application, Mr Justice Colton held there was a risk of re-offending.

The judge said: "These are serious, shocking offences. I'm struck by the callousness of what occurred and the fact it appears to be motivated by prejudice."

Referring to the victim, he added: "She was actually seeking sanctuary in the police station proximate to the time she as assaulted."
A pixelated picture of the man arrested in Gorey, Co Wexford

A child rapist who fled the UK during his trial last year has been arrested in Ireland.

Independent.ie can reveal that the man, who is in his mid 50s, had been hiding out in a home in Gorey, Co Wexford.

He was arrested in the town over the weekend on unrelated matters and it is now believed that police will attempt to have him extradited back to the UK where he is awaiting a 17-year-sentence.

Last year a police force in England issued an alert to say that the man had fled during his trial.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 17-years in his absence after he was found guilty of raping one youngster and indecently assaulting another.

The young girls were sexually assaulted in the 70s and 80s.

The suspect had been living in Dublin when he was first arrested for the crimes in 2013.

He was brought back to the UK to stand trial but fled before his sentence.

During the trial the jury heard that the man, who was 15 or 16 at the time, indecently assaulted a girl in the mid-70s while he was babysitting at her home when she was about five. But the most serious offence, the rape, was committed against another girl when the man was 19 or 20 and she was aged between five and seven, and he was babysitting while her parents were out.

He was bailed during his trial and he absconded a short time later.

Independent.ie can reveal that gardai in Gorey called to a home in the town over the weekend where the man was believed to be staying with a relative.

He was arrested for unrelated offences and gardai subsequently discovered that he was the man sought by UK police.

A spokesperson for the police service said this morning that they were unaware of the arrest.

However she added that they are keen to extradite the individual.
Another view of the man who climbed to the top of Dublin's Samuel Beckett Bridge Photo: Conor McCabe

This man takes his life in his hands as he climbs the stay cables of Dublin's Samuel Beckett Bridge Photo: Conor McCabe

Don't try this at home. The moment a mystery daredevil scaled Dublin's Samuel Beckett Bridge was recorded by passing photographer Conor McCabe.

The man - apparently in a prank carried out without any safety precautions - climbed to the top of the 48m high bridge at approximately 9.30 last night, prompting passers-by to stop and watch.

He walked to the top of one of the bridge's stay cables while holding tightly to the one above before climbing back down.

Gardai and Dublin Fire Brigade last night said they were not aware of the incident taking place but warned of the obvious dangers of the prank.
An award-winning Irish director, who was stabbed to death in Turkey, has been described by friends who worked with him as "an extraordinary man, who brought people together".

John Donnelly (64), from Coolmine, Dublin, was discovered by Turkish police in the city of Bodrum on Friday afternoon.

His body was found with one stab wound in the back at his holiday apartment in the resort where he had been staying for the past three weeks.

The investigation is ongoing.

The director was involved with the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) and its president, Colm Moules, told the Irish Independent that he would be sadly missed.

"He was a wonderful director and a wonderful man.

"Any show that he produced, you would always know instantly that it was a John Donnelly show."

Dublin choreographer, Thomas Creighton, said: "He introduced people to different things and different people.

"I'm sure that people have got married because of John.

"He was always known for pushing boundaries and bringing the standards up across the board."
Education Minister Richard Bruton will not be tackling the so-called 'baptism barrier' that allows Catholic schools to give priority enrolment to children of their faith.

The minister has announced a new initiative to speed up the process of reducing Catholic Church dominance of primary education, where it controls 90pc of schools.

But it does not include any moves to end the 'Catholic first' policy, which sometimes means children cannot attend their nearest school because they have not been baptised.

The 'baptism rule' can cause an issue in about 20pc of schools which are oversubscribed and where it is used to prioritise admissions.

Last year, the then Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan sparked a row with Fine Gael by insisting that no one should be forced to baptise their child to get them into a particular school.

But with no Labour influence within the new Government, the issue is set to be sidelined.

Mr Bruton also pointed to the constitutional right of denominational schools to protect their ethos - and the need to balance that with the rights of parents. He said it was something that "we will have to sit down with the (Oireachtas) committee to discuss".

A new type of primary school, under the joint control of the Catholic Church and the State, is among the options being considered.

Mr Bruton is exploring new ways of offering parents greater choice and meeting demand for greater diversity among the country's 3,200 primary schools.

New Church-State partnerships are most likely to happen where small, Catholic-run schools amalgamate, with the local education and training board (ETB) coming in to share control. ETBs are already running 11 schools, known as community national schools, but want to expand in this sector.

The minister is keen to break the impasse that has arisen over the initiative started by former education minister Ruairi Quinn five years ago. A move launched by Mr Quinn to divest some Catholic schools to other patron bodies has moved at snail's pace - only eight transferred between 2013 and 2015.

Mr Bruton said he wanted to accelerate the divestment process in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government that 400 schools provide non- or multi-denominational education by 2030. That would represent a four-fold increase on current provision.

The minister said there was a need for a range of models to advance the process and, up to 2020, he has set a target of 20 non- or multi-denominational schools opening every year.

Some of those would be brand new schools, in areas of population growth. However, with primary enrolments due to peak in 2019, the need for new builds is already reducing.

While new schools have been used to create choice in new neighbourhoods, the challenge has been of offering diversity in long-established communities.

Struggling

The Catholic Church is open to the idea of joint patronage with ETBs, in the context of small school amalgamations. A benefit for a Church struggling with falling priest numbers would be the ETB taking on administrative functions.

The Church would also favour the model of religious education provision in community national schools, which allows for faith formation during school time, compared with Educate Together schools, where there is no religious instruction.

Aside from the question of joint patronage, Mr Bruton said that he believes community national schools would be attractive for a lot of parents and is a model he wants to see develop. He said there would be potential for partnerships among a range of different patron bodies.
Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Picture: Gerry Mooney

Asssistant state Pathologist Michael Curtis at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Asssistant state Pathologist Michael Curtis at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Forensic Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Photo: Gerry Mooney.

A man has been stabbed to death in an attack at a Finglas traveller halting site overnight.

The victim, named locally as Wesley Mooney (33), was knifed once at St Josephs Park on Dunsink Lane shortly after 12 midnight.

He died at the scene despite the efforts of the emergency services to save his life.

Mooney did not live at the site, and it is unclear what he was doing there at the time, but locals said they heard no argument or row and were only alerted to the incident when emergency services arrived at the scene.

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Mooney lived on nearby Abbotstown Drive where his family today told the Herald they do not know what happened or why.

We know as much as the Gardai, and we dont think they know what happened either, said one man as he was comforted by family and friends who gathered at the house.

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Mooneys body remained at the scene this morning pending the arrival of the garda technical bureau and a pathologist.

A post mortem is expected to take place on the body later today as Gardai continue to gather physical evidence and carry out local enquiries.

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Whatsapp Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Picture: Gerry Mooney

An 18 year-old man was arrested at the scene in the early hours of this morning and is currently detained under Section 4, Criminal Justice Act, at Finglas Garda Station.

Wesley Mooney, a father of two, was known to Gardai but mainly for motoring and public order offences.

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In February of this year he received a suspended sentence at Blanchardstown District Court where he pleaded guilty to possession of a claw hammer and threatening and abusive behaviour.

The court heard he picked up a claw hammer and started waving it about after he was asked to leave an apartment at Prospect Hill Apartments in Finglas on August 3 last year.

Expand Close Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Picture: Gerry Mooney / Facebook

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During the drunken row Mooney left the apartment and, from outside, started waving the hammer and shouting abuse at the man who asked him to leave.

The hammer had been thrown out of the window by the other man.

A garda said officers were on patrol at around 11.45pm when they received a call about a man with a hammer. The garda said Mooney was shouting at an upper window and waving a hammer which he then threw into a hedge when he saw gardai.

The court heard Mooney had 57 previous convictions, mostly for road-traffic offences.

Expand Close Forensic Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Photo: Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Forensic Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Dunsink Lane in Finglas. Photo: Gerry Mooney.

Judge David McHugh gave him a four-month suspended sentence.

After another incident in 2008 Mooney received a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his former partner and their child because he was not allowed access to the infant.

He also pleaded guilty to acting as lookout during a robbery of Terry Rogers Bookmakers, on Glasnevin Avenue, on August 24, 2010 while he was on bail.

Mooney pulled what looked like a gun out of a sock and pointed it at his partner, Kim Murphy, at her Clondalkin home, asking her did she want him "to put the three of us asleep together?"

Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to six years for both offences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court but suspended it on strict conditions.

The court heard the relationship between Mooney and Ms Murphy had broken up four months previously when he arrived at her home banging on the door and her younger brother let him in.

Ms Murphy was at the top of the stairs holding their 14-month-old child when Murphy approached her and pulled a realistic imitation gun from a sock.

Murphy was terrified and believed Mooney was going to kill them all.

Her brother alerted gardai, who arrived and found Mooney sitting at the kitchen table with Murphy and their child.

He became agitated when Gardai started to search him and found what looked like a black gun and a balaclava in his coat pocket.The firearm was tested at the Ballistics Department where it was found to be a black toy cap gun.

Mooney was a close friend of armed robber Declan Curran who was found dead in a prison cell at Cloverhill in 2004. Curran was a notorious member so-called 'Filthy Fifty' Finglas gang who were responsible for a series of crimes and attacks in the area.

Gardai are today appealing for witnesses who were in the area of Dunsink Lane between 11.30pm last night and 12.30am this morning to contact them at the incident room in Finglas Garda Station on 01 6667500, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
A man has suffered serious injuries in a stabbing in Cork city shortly after 11.30pm.

The incident followed a row between two individuals at Tuckey Street just off the city centre.

One man sustained a stab injury to the abdomen during the confrontation.

He was rushed to CUH where his condition is understood to be serious but stable.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to the incident to contact them to assist their investigation.

Detectives will today begin a careful examination of CCTV security camera footage from the area to identify those involved.
Forensic officers at Hills Lane in Crooksling, Co Dublin, yesterday, where the body of a man was discovered Photo: Damien Eagers

A man who was shot six times in a country lane had previously been linked to an attack on the gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thompson.

Neil Fitzgerald (35), from Dufferin Avenue, off Dublin's South Circular Road, spent several years in prison for pointing a loaded gun at three gardai.

He was only released two weeks ago.

Fitzgerald was involved in the deadly Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, which claimed more than a dozen lives. Gardai regarded him as a close associate of one of the feud leaders, Brian Rattigan.

Expand Close A garda at Hills Lane yesterday morning Photo: Collins / Facebook

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Whatsapp A garda at Hills Lane yesterday morning Photo: Collins

He was let out of jail last month after completing a sentence imposed after he had pleaded guilty to pointing a loaded firearm at three gardai while resisting arrest.

Yesterday evening, gardai arrested a man and a woman, both in their mid-20s, in relation to the shooting. They were held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act in Tallaght and Rathfarnham garda stations.

Fitzgerald was shot in the head and chest after being lured into Hills Lane at Crooksling, off the N81 between Tallaght and Blessington.

Gardai believe the murder may be linked to a feud-related incident in which shots were fired into the home of Freddie Thompson in the south inner city in February 2008.

The gun used in the attack on Thompson's house was found in the possession of Fitzgerald when he was arrested the following July, five days after being spotted by officers at a checkpoint, speeding on the wrong side of the road.

Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to possession of a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition and producing a firearm while resisting arrest at Dolphin's Barn on July 23, 2008.

He also pleaded guilty to driving a stolen car and five counts of dangerous driving on July 18, 2008.

Bullets

However, despite the deceased's links to Fat Freddie, the murder is not thought to be linked to the Kinahan-Hutch feud that has gripped Dublin's inner city in recent months.

"There is nothing to indicate at this stage that it is connected to the recent killings in other parts of the city," said Superintendent Peter Duff of Tallaght garda station.

Fitzgerald's body was discovered by a passer-by in a rural laneway about 5km outside Tallaght yesterday morning.

It is understood that he was shot six times in both the body and the head.

Bullet casings were discovered near his body by gardai but no weapon was found after a search of nearby fields.

A local woman in Crooksling heard "rapid fire" gunfire shortly after midnight but wrongly assumed that it was hunters in the area.

"Because we are in the country it (hunting) is not unusual," she said. "You don't expect that on your doorstep. It's dreadful, that's someone's son.

"As soon as I saw all the vans (in the morning), I knew instantly. Whoever brought him up there knew exactly where they were going, they knew that lane," she said.

"It's a very quiet area and people are shocked that this could have happened there," said one local man.

A post mortem is due to be carried out today.
Thunderstorms have hit parts of the country

Thousands of homes were left without power in the Irish midlands after thunder and lightning storms shattered a period of fine weather.

Around 6,000 properties across the country were impacted.

Trim in Co Meath and Tuam in Co Galway were among the places worst affected.

ESB said it was working to restore supplies.

"A lot of lightning damage in the North West and Midlands," the network operator tweeted.

Met Eireann issued an orange weather warning, forecasting very heavy and thundery downpours, with a risk of localised flooding, in the midlands and north west.

Mostly dry with hazy sunshine this evening but heavy thundery downpours continuing in the north and northwest for a time.  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) June 6, 2016

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning in Northern Ireland.

Thunderstorms are ongoing in areas of Kildare and Meath. Theres also thunderstorms coming in off the Irish Sea , heading into North Wicklow & South Dublin this evening.
ONE person has died and three others were injured in a collision between a van and an ambulance in Cork.

The accident occurred in thick fog shortly after 1am on the N20 Cork-Limerick road near Bottlehill some 12km north of Cork city.

The driver of a van, believed to be a middle-aged man, suffered multiple injuries in the collision and died before he could be transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Three people travelling in the ambulance, two paramedics and a patient, were also injured.

However, it is understood that none suffered life-threatening injuries.

All were transferred to CUH for treatment.

Multiple units of Cork fire brigade, Health Service Executive (HSE) ambulances and Cork Gardai attended the scene.

The road was immediately closed and motorists were warned to avoid the area.

It was reopened on Monday afternoon.

Gardai have appealed for any witnesses to contact them.

However, thick early morning fog was reported on most roads around Cork city early this morning with visibility dramatically reduced.
Communications Minister Denis Naughten was forced to skip a European Council meeting because he was needed in Dublin for a crunch Dail vote on water charges.

The minority Government's tight numbers meant Mr Naughten couldn't travel to Brussels. Senior diplomat Tom Hanney attended the meeting in his place.

The Sinn Fein bid to abolish water charges was defeated on May 25.

That was after a Government amendment - in line with the plan to suspend water charges pending an expert review - passed instead.

The Government couldn't secure a 'pairing' for Mr Naughten, in which an opposition TD agrees not to vote, giving both TDs an opportunity to be absent.

Fianna Fail abstained from the vote and Labour refused a pairing, according to Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty. She didn't ask Sinn Fein for a pairing, saying there "wasn't much point in asking them not to support their own motion".

Fine Gael TD Ms Doherty said she wasn't ruling out seeking such arrangements with Sinn Fein or any other party in future and that she "absolutely" hoped to avoid ministers missing EU meetings. Sinn Fein said the party would consider pairing requests as they arose.

The Government lost its first Dail vote last week when Fianna Fail TDs backed a Labour motion on workers' rights.

Ms Doherty says she's working to ensure that TDs are in the Dail for such votes.

"I don't want us to get into a habit of losing votes on a week-in, week-out basis because I don't think that's healthy," she added.

Mr Naughten said it was possible to secure pairings with opposition TDs, citing one with Independent Mattie McGrath, allowing the minister to attend an event in Tipperary highlighting the trading online voucher scheme to improve businesses' internet presence.

He said Mr McGrath "saw what I was doing was important . . . and was willing to facilitate that pair."
It is five years since Denis Naughten was expelled from Fine Gael for voting against the last government on cuts to hospital services in his native Roscommon. He previously backed the wrong horse in the ill-fated heave against party leader Enda Kenny.

So now, as a newly appointed Communications Minister, how does he get on with the Taoiseach? "Well, look, my relationship with Enda Kenny is workman-like," he says, adding: "I've no difficulty rolling up my sleeves and getting on with it."

Mr Kenny, we learned in these pages on Saturday, insists they get on "very well".

Mr Naughten's description of their relationship doesn't exactly make it sound like they'll be going to the pub together.

"Ah no, I wouldn't be going off for pints with Enda Kenny. No. But look, we're both professionals. We've a job of work to do and we'll do it," he says.

He's still disappointed at the downgrading of the Emergency Department in Roscommon, which came on the back of a Hiqa report outlining concerns about smaller hospitals.

It was also a U-turn on a pre-election 2011 promise by Mr Kenny to maintain the services in Roscommon, though the Taoiseach's spokesman later said any pledge came before the Hiqa report.

"I think that what was done was wrong," Mr Naughten says - adding that there is a mechanism in the new Programme for Government for reviewing medical assessment units in Roscommon and elsewhere that could see services increased.

Now that he's in Cabinet with several former party colleagues, is there any prospect of returning to the Fine Gael fold?

"No, look, I gave a commitment to the people of Roscommon-Galway that if I was elected as an Independent TD I would serve as an Independent TD and I'm quite happy with that. I have absolutely no intention of going back on my word."

Asked if he'd rule it out, he says he has "no plans whatsoever to join any party".

But he acknowledges that "in politics you can't rule anything in or out. You don't know what can happen in 10, 15 years' time".

"But is it on my radar? No it's not on my radar... but no one knows what comes down the road."

As one of the so-called 'Rural Five' group of Independent TDs, Mr Naughten was a key participant in the talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail about forming a minority Government.

He found himself at the centre of controversy within days of the Programme for Government being published over his suggestion that child benefit payments be linked to school attendance.

As the proposal made headlines, Fine Gael ministers distanced themselves from the plan. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar later said he had discussed the idea with the Education and Children ministers - and that officials who monitor truancy don't believe the measure would be useful.

Crazy

Mr Naughten still stands by the idea and wants to see it implemented to help end the "crazy situation" that sees more than a hundred families a year being pursued through the courts over poor school attendance. He gave the example of one case that cost the State 25,000.

He says there is the potential to save 75m if computer databases at the Departments of Social Protection, Education and Children are linked.

"All I'm looking for is to enforce the existing law. The existing law is that in order to avail of child benefit, your child must be receiving an appropriate education.

"And that is enforced from the age of 16 on, but it's not being enforced under the age of 16 and I think that's wrong."

He said Mr Varadkar wasn't present at the negotiations where the plan was discussed. "I think when there is a proper understanding of what exactly we're trying to do here, we will get it implemented."

He adds: "I've had quite a number of Fine Gael TDs coming forward saying they're very supportive of what I'm trying to do and a huge number of teachers saying the same thing."

In terms of his own brief, Mr Naughten, a former scientist, says his priorities at the new Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment are bringing broadband to rural communities and delivering on Ireland's climate change targets.

He has already spoken of his pledge to negotiate the "most aggressive" timeline possible for the roll-out of high-speed internet for the million Irish people who don't have it.

In relation to the climate change agenda, he's surprisingly grateful to Danny Healy-Rae's infamous Dail remarks that mankind has had no part in global warming and "God above is in charge of the weather".

"I didn't agree with him," Mr Naughten says when asked about the Kerry TD's comments.

"However, I think that Danny Healy-Rae's intervention was useful from the point of view of bringing the debate into the mainstream."

He says that people do need to be more aware of the dangers of climate change. And Mr Naughten himself is putting his money where his mouth is.

He uses Dublin Bikes to get around the city and he plans to buy his own hybrid car. As a rural TD, he is conscious of unrest over wind turbines, but he concedes that they are the quickest way for Ireland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. On the row over how far turbines should be from homes due to noise issues, he quotes Fr Ted, saying: "that's an ecumenical matter".

He's discussing it with his officials and other ministers, and stresses that he's aware there is a lot of public concern.

"Where we can address these concerns in a practical, sensible manner, I intend to try and do that."

He said wind power will be one of a suite of renewable power options he wants brought in so that Ireland lives up to climate commitments by 2020.

The minority Government suffered its first Dail defeat last week. Mr Naughten says he's surprised it took that long. But he still thinks it's a "positive omen" that it did take that amount of time. He acknowledges that the new Government will have to listen to the Opposition far more, and sees that as a positive thing.

He's optimistic about the Government's chances. "I think it could last, believe it or not, for five years.

"I know that everyone thinks I'm off the rails thinking that," he adds.

Naughten on . . .

"I wouldn't be going off for pints with Enda Kenny" - On his 'workman-like' relationship with the Taoiseach.

"I have absolutely no plans to join any party Fine Gael or otherwise but no one knows what comes down the road" - On staying as an Independent.

"There's no point in me lecturing people about energy efficiency and me driving down the road in a fuel guzzler" - On his plan to buy a hybrid car - funded from his own pocket.

"I didn't agree with him anyway" - On Danny Healy-Rae's infamous Climate Change remarks.

"That's an ecumenical matter" - On the thorny issue of set-back distances for wind turbines from homes.

"There are risks in relation to it and the public are opposed to nuclear" - On the one carbon-neutral power source he definitely won't be considering to tackle climate change.

"We have to live in the real world. It is not going to be possible to bring legislation along those lines through in the current Dail" - On the scrapping of the last government's plans for a broadcasting charge to replace the TV licence fee.

"What surprised me was the fact that it's taken three weeks for the government to lose its first vote" - On the minority's government's defeat last week.

"I think this government will last at least three years and I think it could last, believe it or not, for five years. I know everyone thinks I'm off the rails thinking that" - On the government's projects of long-term survival.
Unseasonably hot temperatures are set to bring us tropical-style thunderstorms, which have already caused havoc in France and Germany, forecasters have warned.

Met Eireann has issued an orange status weather warning as some of the downpours could bring flash floods to parts of the country over the next week, following the glorious sunshine of the past week.

Forecaster Evelyn Cusack said isolated showers yesterday would become more widespread today, potentially hitting many Bank Holiday festivals across the country.

The weather alert is in place from noon today until midnight tonight.

Ms Cusack said the downpours would lead to treacherous driving conditions, especially in the midlands, west and north west.

"Warm humid air from Europe will bring heavy thunderstorms, which could cause flooding and disruption," she said.

"There are still several orange and red status flood warnings in operation in France and Germany and we too are getting into this warm, humid air mass."

The worst of the downpours will be today, with further thunder and lightning storms tomorrow.

She said Met Eireann may issue further weather warnings this morning.

Potato farmers are also being warned that this week's humid conditions could spread blight in their crops.

However, a new high pressure that is building will bring a hot and dry day on Wednesday, with temperatures topping 24C.

Most of the country will be hot and dry on Thursday too, but an Atlantic weather system is set to bring rain to the northwest and southwest later in the day.

Ms Cusack warned that the weather system could bring non-stop rain to the whole country on Friday and continue through next weekend. Temperatures could drop by 10C.

"That is not certain as yet but it's our best guestimate based on current weather models," she added.

Thunderstorms in France have left four people dead, with Paris seeing its worst floods in decades.
Family and colleagues of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe will gather in the early morning light at Adare to mark the exact moment he was shot dead, 20 years on.

The garda's family - led by his widow Ann - will lay a wreath at 6.50am at the spot where the merciless attack took place on June 7, 1996.

Four men served time for their involvement in the raid but two other senior Provos who were involved in the attack are still officially wanted by gardai.

However, intelligence sources say that both men have regularly returned to Ireland since the killing.

Det Garda McCabe and his colleague Ben O'Sullivan were escorting a truck delivering cash to post offices in County Limerick when they were ambushed.

Seconds after they stopped behind the An Post truck in Adare, their unmarked squad car was rammed from behind by a stolen Pajero jeep.

Two masked IRA men, armed with AK47 rifles, jumped out and one of them, gang leader Kevin Walsh, fired 15 rounds at the gardai - killing Jerry McCabe and leaving his colleague critically injured.

Walsh, who was in command of the IRA's Munster brigade, subsequently pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for 14 years. Three other IRA members, Pearse McAuley, Michael O'Neill and Jeremiah Sheehy, were also jailed.

McAuley was subsequently jailed for 12 years for stabbing his wife several times in an attack on Christmas Eve, 2014.

However, two other men fled the country - Gerry Roche from Dun Laoghaire and Corkman Paul Damery - who were both aged 45 at the time.

Gardai believe that Roche was the second armed man who jumped out of the jeep and surrounded the squad car.

A founder member and subsequent leader of the INLA, he later defected to the IRA and moved to live in Shannon, Co Clare.

In 1991, a Belgian court convicted the lifelong terrorist of conspiracy to attack British bases in Europe. Roche had admitted being the leader of an IRA gang plotting the attacks.

Security sources believe that he has been living on the European continent but regularly returned to Ireland in secret for talks with Sinn Fein on the peace process.

Wanted

The second man still wanted is IRA bomb maker Damery, whose fingerprints were found on an incendiary device which had been intended to destroy the gang's getaway car, but which failed to go off.

Damery had spent several years working in Central America, where he forged links with several terrorist groups, including Farc in Colombia, which controlled one of the biggest cocaine-production operations in the world. Intelligence sources revealed at the time that he had been back in Ireland a few months before the Adare attack.

It is understood that he fled to Central America to live with his Venezuelan wife and has remained there since.
US authorities are refusing to name an Irish tax official who responded to their queries about the tax affairs of businessman JP McManus.

Mr McManus claims he is not liable to pay tax on $17.4m won during a game of backgammon because he had paid a flat charge of 200,000 to the Irish government that year.

The horse racing owner and philanthropist is seeking the refund of $5.2m (4.7m) in taxes taken from his gambling winnings in 2012.

JP McManus claims he's not liable to pay tax on the winnings because of a double taxation treaty between the US and Ireland. This means he should only be taxed in one of the two countries, and he had been taxed in Ireland.

Lawyers for Mr McManus have argued that Mr McManus can't be liable for US tax because he paid a "domicile levy" to the Revenue Commissioners in Ireland in 2012.

That is a flat charge of 200,000, which is paid by a person whose permanent home is in Ireland, whose worldwide income exceeds 1m and who holds Irish property worth at least 5m, and whose liability to Irish income tax in a relevant tax year was less than 200,000.

But in a written motion to the United States Federal Claims Court, the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS) argued that the "domicile levy" paid by Mr McManus in Ireland does not mean he gets the benefit of the cross border double taxation treaty. The businessman was not tax resident in Ireland in 2012, they say, he was not liable to Ireland for any income tax on his worldwide income during that year, filed no Irish income tax return that year and paid no Irish income tax during that year.

"Accordingly, he did not qualify as a 'resident of a Contracting State' whose gambling income was exempt from United States tax under the Treaty," lawyers for the IRS claimed.

The US court papers show that Irish tax authorities told their American peers that the Limerickman has not been registered for income tax or capital gains tax in Ireland since 1995.

The IRS told the court that Irish tax authorities share their understanding, that payment of the domicile levy does not entitle Mr McManus to benefit from the double taxation treaty.

The American tax authorities also rejected a demand from lawyers for the Irishman to name the Irish Revenue official who had provided details about his tax status, in response to their formal request.

Evidence

The letter from tax officials here included in the court evidence was partly redacted, meaning Mr McManus could not see the name and signature of the sender, case numbers, dates and other information.

The redactions meant the court should give the letter no weight, Mr McManus argued, saying he needed to "investigate and take the deposition of the persons in Ireland who claim to have written" it. The IRS refused, saying nothing would be served by disclosing the name.

The case continues. It dates back to $17.4m Mr McManus won from businessman Alec E Gores playing backgammon.

Mr Gores withheld 30pc of the total and paid it to the US government, reporting that Mr McManus had an address in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.
Siobhan O'Connor: 'During my pregnancy journey I have never had so much advice thrown at me'. Photo: Aileen Dillon.

Nothing could have prepared Siobhan O'Connor for the indignities of the pregnancy and baby club.

Siobhan O'Connor: 'During my pregnancy journey I have never had so much advice thrown at me'. Photo: Aileen Dillon.

It's an exclusive society and until you get in, you're in the dark.

The pregnancy and baby club has various levels of entry - mothers on their third or fourth kid are the gold members; their accolades are their burgeoning brood, and they have dozens of stretch marks to prove their merit. The newbies like me are bronze members; we need to suck it all up and take guidance from the experienced ones who have seen it all before. It's a daunting club to join. The ultimate unknown.

The joy when you see those two coloured lines popping up on the pregnancy test is like nothing on Earth. I felt blessed, and now, seven months into my pregnancy, every time I feel a little nudge or a soft kick in my stomach, I thank the man or woman upstairs for the tiny miracle inside me.

But rarely are you told that this elite club, which so many women my age desperately want to access, can be terrifying, and the way people react to you is mind-boggling. I came off the pill aged 36, and two months later, I fell pregnant. I was one of the lucky ones, and I still have to pinch myself, because after age 35 your chances of conceiving are almost halved and the term 'geriatric mother' is bestowed on you.

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Whatsapp Nothing could have prepared Siobhan O'Connor for the indignities of the pregnancy and baby club.

Once you get into the club, the rules are blurred, and the members vary profoundly. You have the hard-core, scaremongering mothers who are dying to tell you the gory details of childbirth; and then the placid, hippie-dippy earth moms who tell you how much they miss being pregnant and how they adored being big and beautiful.

Type B swear by a 'natural birth' without heavy-duty pain relief. "Gas and air is all you need," they say. Who needs an epidural when you can hypnotise yourself through the torture and really feel every agonising push? Seriously, though, are we regressing to the cavemen era? Why punish yourself further by being a martyr and refusing the pain relief on offer?

During my pregnancy journey I have never had so much advice thrown at me. It's flabbergasting how everyone has an opinion, and they're simply bursting to tell you how hard it will be, and how your life will be over once your offspring arrives. They always end on a positive, though, saying, "But it's worth it; the best thing I ever did was have my baby".

"Say goodbye to lie-ins and get all the rest you can now, as you'll never sleep again," said one knowledgeable club member; "Buy dark pyjamas and towels for the hospital bag, and big black knickers to fit the sanitary pads," said another.

On the upside, this is one of the only prestigious clubs in the world in which you don't need to worry about your weight. You grow and you glow.

However, it doesn't mean you don't feel self-conscious. Pregnancy should be a time where you throw caution to the wind and relax about your body image, but then society expects you to slim back down to your previously svelte shape within weeks of giving birth. Even my doctor has been warning me about how tough it will be to shed the pounds I've already amassed.

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Whatsapp Siobhan O'Connor: 'During my pregnancy journey I have never had so much advice thrown at me'. Photo: Aileen Dillon.

Twenty-nine weeks on - which is when these pictures were taken - I'd already put on two-and-a-half stone. When I hopped on the scales in the surgery and saw 79 kilos [12st 6lbs], I turned to the doc and said, "Sure, that's not too bad, is it?" She was being cruel to be kind and responded, "If you continue like this, it will be a nightmare to get the weight off - you should really only put on two stone for the whole term."

The issue for me is I never had a sweet tooth until I became pregnant, and now all I want to do is scoff cakes, down tubs of ice cream and mill into chocolate. I want to do the whole 'eating for two' thing and succumb to the cravings. For God's sake, booze is gone, so gluttony is all I have!

You feel like you're walking in quicksand as you carry your bundle around. There's nothing attractive about being pregnant. Gone is the sexiness, and I've found a new word creeps up when people want to say something about my appearance. "Aww, you look lovely!" It's as if I am some sort of fat, cute, cuddly, china doll.

People don't know quite how to react to a pregnant woman whose body is housing a human, and the comments have been, quite frankly, extraordinary.

"How are you going to carry that around for another three months, the size of you!" said one randomer, adding, "My God, you are blooming - you are just so huge, you mustn't have long left?" To which I responded, "I'm only halfway there."

The worst experience was when a fellow journalist, who prides herself on her lean physique, uttered in front of a showbiz reporter, "It's so funny, we've never seen Siobhan fat until now." I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or punch her in the face.

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Whatsapp Siobhan O'Connor felt uneasy at first but as the camera clicked she felt surprisingly at ease. Photo: Aileen Dillon.

At a same-sex wedding recently, I was struggling to manoeuvre myself off my seat to go to the loo. Trapped nerves are a common pregnancy symptom, I've discovered, and as I hobbled along attempting to shake off the pain, a male wedding guest, who was half-cut, laughed in my face, slurring, "What's wrong with you, ya big lump ya?" while another jokingly said, "Do you have to hold in your tummy now that you are damaged goods, so the fellas will look at you?"

When I decided to write about the baby club, I had an offer to do a specialised pregnancy photo shoot. Aileen Dillon could not have been more reassuring when she called me to discuss her style. Her passion for these intimate shoots was palpable, even on the phone.

For well over a decade she lived in LA, where pregnancy shoots are really popular, and many of her clients made her sign non-disclosure agreements. I was hemming and hawing as to whether to do the photos; I guess when your body is changing, you feel very self-conscious. The idea of baring all was daunting, and I was nervous. But I gave it a go.

I felt vulnerable at first in Aileen's studio, with only a chiffon scarf or my hands to cover my modesty, but then, as the camera clicked away, I felt surprisingly at ease.

It was, in fact, empowering. I felt the shots were artistic, a celebration of life.

It wasn't about how perfect my body was. I just figured that I may never get this opportunity to do such special pictures again, to document this incredible miracle growing inside me. I was smiling, thinking, "There are two of us in these pictures", and I felt proud.

Besides folks commenting on the bump and my body, another common societal norm is the feeling of the belly. I thought this phenomenon was gone with the Flood and people had more cop, but I swear I seem to attract a flock of feelers.

At a charity function one evening, an ould lad called me over for a chat. I assumed I knew him, but when I got up close, I realised he was a stranger. He hurled himself at me and started rubbing my stomach as if he was blessing himself - I swear, some punters think the baby is the second coming of Christ.

The gatekeepers of the prestigious club are the 'all-knowing' midwives. Unlike the obstetricians, these pragmatic characters give you the real deal, and there are no holds barred when it comes to the truth about the labour ward.

Expand Close Siobhan O'Connor and John Norton at Leigh Arnold's FirstLight Charity lunch at Fade Street Social Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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The early pregnancy class in Holles Street is designed for first-time clueless parents; it's a one-hour, one-stop-shop jobbie - I was so excited.

As I'm in the 'geriatric mother' category and have waited until my 30s to become a mom, I wanted to absorb as much information as possible.

The senior midwife welcomed our group into the lecture theatre and it felt like we were in the wrong room; had we descended on a comedy gig? "Don't cross your legs, ladies; avoid the varicose veins, you don't want to look worse off when you finish the pregnancy than when you started." This wacky lady meant business, and had the room in hysterics. "This is a bottom hospital, not a brain hospital, folks. Get used to it."

The hour-long crash course was jam-packed with invaluable titbits on what to expect during pregnancy and its aftermath, peppered with colourful demonstrations from the larger-than-life midwife. Lifting her leg up onto the stool, she drew our attention to her nether regions, much to our shock and amusement.

Pointing to the aforementioned area, she boomed: "Lads in the room, listen up, as you'll have to help. The perineum is the area here between the legs. Massage this area to prevent tears during the birth," adding, "There's no need to be squeamish, ladies; it's perfectly normal and natural, and if you do tear, you'll heal easily after delivery."

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a girl in her early 20s bawling. Her young boyfriend had his arm around her. "Ah pet, it's a shock to the system, I know, but having a baby is the best day of your life," said the gregarious midwife.

As I sat there with my partner, John, nervously chuckling along in the most entertaining class I'd ever been to, it hit me - we had reached the point of no return. We were in the club, and there was no going back.

This was our new reality, and despite the trials and tribulations of the never-ending nine months and the fear of God being instilled in me, I couldn't be happier.

Robbie Williams compared the birth of his two children to his favourite pub burning down; my dignity will be left at the door of that delivery room, but the sacrifice will be worth it. All we pray for is a healthy baby, and I'm so glad I'm finally in the club. You cannot buy happiness, happiness is born.

Expand Close Siobhan O Connor on the Red Carpet at The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards 2015 at The Marker Hotel,Dublin. Pictures Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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Photography by Aileen Dillon, see aileendillon.com, or tel: (086) 880-2819

Hair by Niamh Patterson at Aidan Fitzgerald, 12 Main St, Blackrock, Co Dublin, tel: (01) 288-6479, or see aidanfitzgerald.ie

Make-up by Lisa O'Connor, War Paint Inc, Belmayne, Dublin 13, tel: (087) 295-5521, or see warpaint.ie
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John Downing Opinion New British prime minister Rishi Sunaks succession proves an important milestone in British political inclusivity

There is an old saying in British politics that goes: The right looks for converts while the left seeks out traitors. It comes to mind when one reflects upon the election of Rishi Sunak as the UKs first non-white prime minister in a party traditionally seen as most opposed to mass immigration and the dilution of national identity via multiculturalism.
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Mary Kenny Opinion If men want to yammer on about sport, then let them  it helps them connect emotionally

I was travelling on a train from Dublin to Cork, and near me sat two Dublin men. Throughout the entire journey they managed to keep up a fluent dialogue about English football teams. From Aston Villa to Sheffield Wednesday, from Crystal Palace to Manchester City the conversation flowed eloquently. I was in awe at the minutiae of their knowledge and expertise. And if the topic of their discourse lacked a certain variety, it was nonetheless better than sitting in sullen silence, or glued to their phones.
Michael O'Doherty: 'Flashy, shallow and full of cliches - Lord of the Dance perfect for Trump'

It's unusual for an organisation to publicly deny it was involved in one of the highest-profile events of the year. However, this was the course of action adopted by the Riverdance people who, on their official Twitter feed last Thursday, stressed that they were not performing at Donald Trump's inauguration party. For good measure, they said it again on Saturday.
For every woman, falling pregnant is a life-changing occurrence. Arguably, for a model, this change can be felt more dramatically.

A pregnant model stops working after the first trimester, and as a self-employed person with no maternity leave, there can be added pressure for a miraculous body bounce-back post-baby.

When you pay your mortgage with your appearance, it's obvious that a model has to mind her looks. Throughout my career I became wholly used to the notion that my face and body were essentially my work tools and I believed that I had total control over them.

When I became pregnant, however, my attitude to my body fundamentally changed - but in the loveliest way.

I've always loved pregnant women. I think they are very powerful yet disarmingly vulnerable looking, all at the same time.

While pregnant, I simply made peace with the fact that my body, skin and hair was not my own anymore and that my body was doing what it was designed to do - create, grow and nurture my little baby. I relinquished control over my body, and just let the ego fade away when I realised that I was creating a perfect little human for whom I could create food/milk to nourish! A little miracle, really.

Pregnancy changes our bodies (I gained nearly four stone!) but also our skin, hair, nails and emotions. I have a few stretch marks, or as Joyce Amor describes them "pregnancy service stripes" - I would gently encourage women to celebrate these bodily reminders of what a mother does.

Yes, I realise that every woman and her pregnancy is different: some sail through unscathed and others can suffer throughout the nine months.

My personal advice for Mama Bears is to eat well, enjoy your treats, rest and go easy on yourself as much as possible.

Don't give in to societal pressures and give yourself a year to get back to feeling yourself after the birth. A happy mama makes a happy baba.

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"Making the decision to have a baby is momentous. It is to decide to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body." Elizabeth Stone

Pregnancy Muse

Chrissy Teigen (pictured)  always hilarious and willing to make fun of herself, her growing bump and her pregnancy food cravings  while still looking glowing and gorgeous throughout her pregnancy

6 of the best pregnancy products

TIP TO TOE

This is the perfect kit to nourish your pregnant skin from tip to toe. Mama Mio products are rich in organic omega oils that hydrate and elasticise, antioxidants that strengthen skin and stop sagging and green cabbage leaf extracts to help ease swelling. Mama Mio Pregnancy Essentials Kit, 40, from pharmacies nationwide

UDDERLY FRESH

Excessive perspiration is a common pregnancy side-effect. MooGoo, an aluminumfree, roll-on deodorant, will keep you dry and confident without the chemical nasties. MooGoo fresh cream deodorant, 8, pharmacies nationwide

QUEEN BEE

This nourishing, all-natural option from Burts Bees will help soothe tight pregnant skin. Remember to smoothe this not only over your growing bump but also over breasts, nipples, thighs and back area. Burts Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm, 16.95, pharmacies and health stores

NAIL IT

For pregnant ladies who love a good manicure but want to eliminate the chemicals  get your mitts on butter London. This brand doesnt add formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP or any other nasties to their nail products. butter London nail polish, 16.95, Boots

NATURAL BLONDE

For a chemical-free hair dyeing option during pregnancy, look for your nearest Aveda salon  its products and dyes are 97pc natural. If youre looking for a DIY hair dye alternative, check out vegan brand Surya Brasil  its formulas are free of any harsh chemicals and safe to use during pregnancy and/or while nursing. Surya Brasil hair colour, 13.80, pharmacies and health shops nationwide

SKIN FOOD

Tracey Ryan, creator of bia beauty, came up with the idea for her all-natural Irish beauty brand when she was pregnant with her first child. Its no surprise then that her Mom & Baby set is an inspired gift for new mums. The set includes multi-purpose baby cream, shea body butter and a soothing eye gel. bia beauty Mom & Baby Gift Set, 45; biabeauty.com, Avoca, and selected health stores
Jennifer Aniston does not have an account on Twitter or Instagram

Jennifer Aniston has branded social media "distracting" and "time consuming".

The actress does not have an account on Twitter or Instagram, although her husband Justin Theroux regularly posts images on the photo-sharing app.

Aniston told the Press Association: "I think it's really distracting.

"The amount of time it takes people to probably post all of that stuff, it feels very time consuming. It's just not my thing."

Jason Sudeikis, Aniston's co-star in the new film Mother's Day, said his fiancee Olivia Wilde had changed his opinion of social media.

Wilde, who has 1.7 million Twitter followers, famously got into a spat with Justin Bieber fans on the site after she criticised the pop star for going shirtless on a night out in London.

Sudeikis told the Press Association: "She's good at it. It's not an all-day, every-day thing. She's funny. She speaks about issues.

"I would say she changed my personal opinion of it. I have nothing against it for other people. They can do whatever they want.

"A photo with a comment? Easy. I can handle that. The effort doesn't hurt my feelings. The content? Possibly. It's just not my bag."

Speaking ahead of the release of Mother's Day, Aniston said she agreed to star in the film before reading the script because she wanted to work with Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall.

"It was a fun ensemble, a great group of people involved and it was something fun to be a part of," she said.

Mother's Day is released in the UK on June 10.
Firefighters in London have to flush out trapped youngsters about four times a day

An average of four children in London a day get stuck in objects like railings, potties and toilet seats, according to new figures.

In 2015 in the capital alone there were 1,499 incidents of under 18s being stuck or trapped and 7,526 call-outs to children in the last five years.

The London Fire Brigade released the numbers ahead of Child Safety Week and is asking parents to dial 999 only in an emergency.

It was also revealed that some of the most unusual call-outs from the last five years include rescuing a child with a toy train stuck on a finger and removing a toilet seat wedged on a child's head.

The brigade spent 488,674 on call-outs to under 18s who accidentally locked themselves in rooms or got trapped in objects last year.

This figure is based on 326 per call-out, which is the rate used to recover costs charged for services such as repeated calls to lift releases and false alarms from automatic systems.

Mark Hazelton, the brigade's community safety group manager, said: "I'm a father so I know it's impossible to watch your children every second of the day but with a bit of extra forethought and careful supervision it's far better to prevent youngsters getting in a tight spot in the first place.

"Many of the incidents we get called to could be avoided with a little bit of common sense.

"I would ask parents to keep an eye on their children and only call 999 if it is a real emergency."

The brigade also released details of some of its most unusual child rescues in the last five years.

Crews have been called out to help:

:: A child with its head stuck in a potty;

:: A child with a finger caught in a tumble dryer;

:: A child with a foot stuck in a manhole cover;

:: A child with its hand stuck in a door;

:: A baby with a leg stuck in a cot;

:: A 13 year old stuck in a baby swing in a park;

:: A child trapped under a slide;

:: A toilet seat stuck on a child's head;

:: A child with a toy train stuck on a finger;

:: A child with a knee stuck in a park merry-go-round;

Child Safety Week takes place between June 6 and 12.
University lecturer Doreen Collye was scuba diving off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, on Sunday morning when she was reportedly attacked

A "devoted and loving" British grandmother has been killed in a shark attack off the coast of Australia, according to reports.

University lecturer Doreen Collyer, 60, was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, on Sunday morning when she was reportedly attacked.

It is thought she was killed by a 16ft (five-metre) great white shark, according to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

Ms Collyer and her husband David, originally from Chester, moved to Australia around five years ago, ABC said.

Mr Collyer said in a statement: "Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife."

Her diving partner managed to pull her from the water but she died of her injuries at the scene, it was reported.

Fisheries advise Mindarie beaches to stay closed Tues after fatal shark incident on Sunday. See more: https://t.co/h5VEj6ftyV  Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) June 6, 2016

Fishermen who came to the pair's aid told ABC the shark was bigger than their 5.3-metre boat.

Ms Collyer, a nursing lecturer at Edith Cowan University (ECU), was reportedly a keen diver and held an advanced open water qualification.

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The university's acting vice chancellor Arshad Omari described her as "a much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher".

Dozens of Ms Collyer's colleagues, students and friends paid tribute to her on social media.

"RIP Doreen, you were an amazing lecturer, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge," Kelly Mills wrote on Facebook.

"Condolences and deepest sympathy to all family, friends and colleagues from ECU Nursing and Midwifery," Nikki Vickers said.

The beaches and water in the Mindarie area, where the attack took place, have been closed to the public.

An order has been issued by the Department of Fisheries in Australia to deploy capture gear to catch the shark.
The banks of the Seine river next to the Bir Hakeim bridge and the Eiffel Tower (AP)

France will set up an emergency fund to help people who lost everything after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said, after a government meeting, that a "return to normality will take time" and that "solidarity is called for".

He said the fund will be credited with "several tens of thousands euro" to provide quick help to people with no resources.

About 7,000 French homes remained without electricity on Monday and the Louvre museum will stay closed until Tuesday.

In Paris, several train stations and roads remained closed and emergency crews were pumping water out of a key highway interchange.

At least 18 people died as a result of the flooding in Germany, France, Romania and Belgium.
Former president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has been granted asylum in Britain

A court in the Maldives has convicted the country's former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The decision by the Criminal Court in a session on Sunday which was closed to the media made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge since President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected in 2013.

Former president Mohamed Nasheed, former defence minister Mohamed Nazim and head of a leading political party Sheikh Imran Abdulla are the others to be given lengthy jail terms. Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.

The cases have been criticis ed for a lack of due process violations.

Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Mr Gayoom when an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.

Mr Gayoom made his trusted young protege Adeeb his vice president last July after sacking his running mate in the 2013 election.

However, Adeeb was arrested just days after the September blast on Mr Gayoom's speedboat. The blast injured the president's wife, an aide and a bodyguard.

Later, authorities charged him with possessing firearms prohibited under the country's terrorism law, and with corruption.

The government said the mysterious blast was an assassination attempt even though FBI investigators said they found no evidence of a bomb explosion.

Human rights groups have criticised Mr Gayoom for jailing opponents and potential challengers in order to tighten his grip on power.

Nasheed along with Mr Gayoom's running mate Mohamed Jameel, who also lives in Britain, and supporters of Nazim and Adeeb formed a united opposition in exile last week with the aim to oust the president.

The Maldives has a long history of being ruled by autocratic leaders.

Mr Gayoom's half-brother, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, ruled the country from 1978 to 2008 until he lost to Nasheed in the country's first multi-party election. Nasheed resigned in 2012 after weeks of public protests for his role in jailing a sitting judge.

He left for Britain in January on medical leave, apparently for back surgery, and later was given asylum.
This undated photo provided by NPR shows Zabihullah Tamanna, left, and David Gilkey. Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and Tamanna, an Afghan translator (Monika Evstatieva/NPR via AP)

A veteran award-winning US news photographer and video editor has been killed along with a translator on an assignment in southern Afghanistan.

David Gilkey, who worked for National Public Radio (NPR), and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were travelling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah, Helmand province, when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was hit, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement.

Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were travelling with them and were not hurt.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defence and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists - and their interpreters - who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world".

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, calling it cowardly and "completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws".

In a statement from the presidential palace on Monday, Mr Ghani was quoted as saying the Taliban do not distinguish between the military, civilians and journalists, and that they killed Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna as they were reporting on the war.

Expand Close NPR photojournalist David Gilkey is pictured at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in this May 29, 2016 handout photo. Michael M. Phillips/Wall Street Journal/Handout via Reuters / Facebook

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Mr Ghani on Monday visited Helmand province, where the fatal attack took place, offering his condolences to the families of the two killed journalists.

The deputy spokesman for the 215 Army Corp in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, Major Abdul Qader, said that the vehicle Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna were travelling in came under sustained Taliban attack not far from the main army base in Marjah. He said their vehicle was "only 300 to 400 metres from the army base when suddenly they came under attack".

The car was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, he said. A total of five people were in the vehicle at the time - Mr Gilkey, Mr Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof of the vehicle, as well as an Afghan army soldier and driver.

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Along with Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna, the driver and the machine gunner were also killed, Major Qader said. The attack lasted 30 to 40 minutes, he said, during which time army helicopters were called in to provide air support.

"The bodies were taken to the army base immediately after the attack, and then transported by helicopter to the corps command," he said. Later Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna's bodies were taken to Camp Bastion, the main army base in Helmand, formerly under the command of US Marines. The US-NATO mission in Afghanistan later said the bodies had been flown to Kabul.

Mr Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the September 11 2001 attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Mr Oreskes said.

Mr Tamanna, 37, was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Ms Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he had many years of experience working as a cameraman and photographer for international news organisations in Afghanistan.

He worked in Kabul as a photographer for China's Xinhua news agency and also reported for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president, to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country. He leaves a wife and three young children, two boys and a girl.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Mr Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague".

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Mr Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Mr Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognised with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Mr Gilkey the Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), not counting Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Mr Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Mr Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.
British special forces have reportedly been operating on the frontline in Syria.

Elite UK soldiers crossed from bases in Jordan to help a unit of the New Syrian Army (NSA) rebel group being attacked by Islamic State, according to the Times.

It comes after reports that UK special forces units were on the ground in Libya, where they blew up an IS suicide truck in May.

MPs voted against British military action in Syria in 2013, but the use of special forces does not require the approval of Parliament.

NSA First Lieutenant Mahmoud al-Saleh told the Times that British troops had provided logistical help to rebuild the defences at a base in a village called al-Tanf, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq - including after a suicide attack which killed 11 rebels.

He told the paper: "They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe.

"They (IS) attack us at all times, 3am, 5am, 4pm, 11pm. If you look at the timing of the assaults it's clear they don't want us to get any rest. They're using missiles, mortars and many suicide bombers,"

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said they do not comment on special forces operations.

In December, MPs vote by 397 to 223 - a majority of 174 - to back David Cameron's plan to extend airstrikes against Islamic State from Iraq into Syria.

But that came more than two years after the Prime Minister was defeated in his attempt to gain support for military intervention, which has now endured five years of conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and sparked the refugee crisis spreading from the Middle East into Europe.

Mr Cameron was defeated by 13 votes, the first such reverse on foreign policy for at least 150 years. He immediately ruled out action, and a proposed US-led intervention against the regime of Bashar Assad was abandoned soon after.

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Crispin Blunt, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs select committee, said he would be "not particularly concerned and not at all surprised".

"This kind of operation has been, to a degree, briefed out by His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan. it is part of a series of operations in support of the Jordanians and the Jordanians supporting elements of the Free Syrian Army," he told BBC Radio 4's Today.

"This seems to be a small set of operatives who deserted from Assad's army some time ago and got trained up by the Americans and ourselves."

Asked about Parliamentary approval, he said: "We are in this Alice in Wonderland world where Parliament has approved a motion saying it 'notes the Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations'.

"It doesn't say in brackets 'not special forces', but the convention is that it is .. because we don't comment on special forces operations.

"If you run an operation for a long time, as we have here and in Libya, eventually newspapers like The Times report it and then the Defence Secretary can't talk about it and we can't have a proper conversation about how it fits in a wider UK strategy."

Mr Blunt said the country still lacked "a proper UK role within a proper international strategy that is - together with the Russians and other people effective on the ground - about defeating Isil and al Nusra".
The former governor of Mosul has formed his own personal militia to try to liberate his city from Isil - but while he wants the jihadists overthrown, he said there were things to be learned from their rule.

Atheel al-Nujaifi has recruited a cadre of Sunni former Iraqi generals and displaced residents for his army, Hashd al-Watani, or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).

At their base in Bashiqa, 18km east of Mosul in northern Iraq, they have begun training for an offensive to retake the city, which has become the heart of Isil's "caliphate".

The group, which is thought to number nearly 10,000 men, is being advised by Turkish troops on the ground and has received help from the US-led coalition, Mr al-Nujaifi said.

Whatever combination of Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga and sectarian militias free Mosul, in theory it will be the PMF that will then hold the Sunni-majority city, which is now home to some 1.5 million people.

"The people from Mosul must be the ones to liberate their city," said Mr al-Nujaifi, who fled when the jihadists raised their black flag over Mosul in June 2014 and now runs his office from the Kurdish capital of Erbil, 80km away.

He has since been dismissed as governor by the Iraqi parliament, which claimed that he bore some responsibility for the city's fall.

"While some residents of Mosul just want to be free from Daesh (Isil) at any cost, the majority believe it's better to be trapped under them then freed by a Shia army," said Mr al-Nujaifi, who is in regular contact with people there.

The Iraqi army, made up mostly of Shias, is highly feared by most Sunnis, particularly after reports of killings and destruction when they retook the city of Tikrit further south.

"Daesh managed to take Mosul in 2014 because at the time the people thought their government didn't care about them.

"They saw the Iraqi army as an occupying force which did not represent them," said Mr al-Nujaifi. "For many, the idea of an Islamic caliphate led by Sunnis was appealing."

Isil took hold in Iraq at a time when the country's Sunni minority was ripe to accept the group as a bulwark against the political marginalisation and persecution by the then prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.

While acknowledging that life has been tough for people living under Isil's brutal rule, which sees residents flogged, imprisoned and executed for crimes as minor as smoking, the former governor said the city had in some ways flourished.

"What Daesh has managed to do is decentralise governance," he said. "No longer is Mosul's future determined by politicians in Baghdad.

"We agree with some of the things they (Isil) have done and don't agree with others," he said. "But we need to follow the changes, not to go back to what we had before."

Asked what he would do with Isil leaders should they be caught, he said: "Only the people (of Mosul) know who the criminals are and they will be brought before a judge."

When he fled the city that summer, Mr al-Nujaifi never imagined that he would be gone for two years.

"I couldn't believe that Iraq and the world would just let it fall," he said. "If they had intervened then, Daesh wouldn't be so entrenched."

He can see himself returning to govern a newly liberated Mosul, but said he would first want to hold elections to determine whether he still had the popular support.

Mr al-Nujaifi wants a federalised northern Iraq made up of three semi-autonomous cantons: one Sunni, one Shia and one Kurdish, which he said would help enfranchise the country's minorities and sap power from prime minister Haider al-Abadi's government.

Mr al-Nujaifi said he welcomes support from Washington, despite their past differences.

"The Sunnis in Iraq were treated badly after the US invasion in 2003 but they should back us now if they want to see a free and stable Mosul." ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Hillary Clinton is on the cusp of securing the Democrats' presidential nomination (AP)

Hillary Clinton has overwhelmed rival Bernie Sanders in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary, putting her within striking distance of capturing her party's nomination.

After her unanimous victory in the US Virgin Islands on Saturday and the decisive win in Puerto Rico, Mrs Clinton is now less than 30 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.

"We just won Puerto Rico! Gracias a la Isla del Encanto por esta victoria!" Mrs Clinton tweeted, thanking the Island of Enchantment, as Puerto Rico is known, for her victory. As the race was called, the former US secretary of state was on stage in Sacramento, rallying California voters for Tuesday's Democratic primary .

While Puerto Ricans cannot vote in November's general election, the island's politics could reverberate into the autumn campaign. Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have left the island to escape a dismal economy, with many resettling in the key electoral battleground of Florida.

Eight years ago, with the presidential nomination slipping from her grasp, Mrs Clinton rolled through the streets of San Juan on the back of a flat-bed truck, wooing voters to a soundtrack of blasting Latin music.

She beat then-Illinois senator Barack Obama with nearly 68% of the vote.

"I'm for Hillary, girl," said 83-year-old Candida Dones as she cast her ballot. "I can't wait for a female president. She's one of us. She wears the pants. If we don't look out for our own interests, who will?"

Both Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders spent Sunday in California, the biggest prize among the six states voting on Tuesday. Socialist contender Mr Sanders shook hands and stopped for photos during a stroll of more than an hour along the shops, restaurants and amusement park rides of the Santa Monica Pier.

Mr Sanders made little mention of the outcome in Puerto Rico's primary. He said during an evening rally in San Diego that Democratic leaders should take notice that the "energy and grassroots activism" that will be crucial to the party in the fall "is with us, not Hillary Clinton".

He pointed to polls showing him faring better than Clinton in head-to-head match-ups with Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his strength among Democratic voters under 45.

"If the Democratic leadership wants a campaign that will not only retain the White House but regain the Senate and win governors' chairs all across this country, we are that campaign," he said.

But while those watching the results in Puerto Rico focused on their impact on the race for the Democratic nomination, the focus of many voters on the island was its ongoing economic crisis.

Both Mr Sanders and Mrs Clinton had pledged to help as the island's government tries to restructure 70 billion dollars' (48.2bn) worth of public debt the governor has said is unpayable.

Two weeks before the primary, Mr Sanders criticised a rescue deal negotiated by US House of Representatives leaders and the Obama administration as having colonial overtones.

In a letter to fellow Senate Democrats, he said the bill to create a national control board and allow some restructuring of the territory's debt would make "a terrible situation even worse".

He later promised to introduce his own legislation to help the island, promising to fight against "vulture funds" on Wall Street that he said would profit off the fiscal crisis.

Mrs Clinton has said she has serious concerns about the board's powers, but believes the legislation should move forward, or "too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer".

Among those voting Sunday was Democratic Party superdelegate Andres Lopez, one of the party insiders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention. He had remained uncommitted, but said on Sunday he would support Mrs Clinton.

Mrs Clinton has 1,807 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses; Mr Sanders has 1,516. When including superdelegates, her lead over him is substantial - 2,355 to 1,562.

With Mr Lopez's endorsement, all seven of Puerto Rico's superdelegates have pledged their support for Mrs Clinton.

"It is time to focus on squashing El Trumpo," he said, referring to billionaire Mr Trump.
Turkish rescuers lift a bus from a canal near Osmaniye, Turkey (DHA via AP)

Fourteen people, including six children, were killed when a bus carrying schoolchildren, teachers and parents crashed into a car and fell into an irrigation canal, officials said.

Kerem Al, governor for Osmaniye province, said 26 others were injured in the accident which happened in southern Osmaniye province as the bus was returning from a school trip to a national park and museum.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the bus collided with a car, lost control and veered into the irrigation canal.

At least one of the injured passengers was in a serious condition.

The children were from a school in Hatay province which borders Syria and lies just south of Osmaniye.
A veteran award-winning US news photographer and video editor has been killed along with a translator on an assignment in southern Afghanistan.

David Gilkey, who worked for National Public Radio, and Afghan translator Zabihullah Tamanna were travelling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah, Helmand province, when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was hit.

Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were unhurt.

Mr Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the September 11 2001 attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," he said.

Mr Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, the network said.

Mr Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq.

He won numerous accolades, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy.

The White House News Photographers Association named Mr Gilkey Still Photographer of the Year in 2011 and in 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Mr Gilkey and Mr Tamanna. Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," he once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Mr Gilkey started his journalistic career with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.
Ivy Stevens

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Pendleton High School student Ivy Stevens, a member of the U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC, gives a big smile while getting ready to take her first airplane flight. Her flight was piloted by Major Barry Stewart of the Anderson Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol.

The U.S. Air Force provides funding to the high school to give participating students an orientation ride in CAP airplanes. The volunteer pilots hold a Mission Pilot rating achieved through constant training. Their job is to make the flight as enjoyable and instructive as possible. "Many of the students are a little nervous at the beginning, but once in the air they seem to have a lot of fun."
WSPA NEWS CHANNEL 7 Authorities work at the scene were a Texas man drowned in Lake Hartwell in Townville, South Carolina.

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By Frances Parrish, Independent Mail

A 47-year-old man from Brownsville, Texas, drowned Sunday afternoon in Lake Hartwell in Townville, authorities said.

Divers found Juarez Jose Luis somewhere between 50 yards and 75 yards away from the shoreline near a boat ramp at Ponderosa Point, said Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore.

Anderson County deputies, technical rescue team members and medics responded to the scene.

Luis had been camping with co-workers at the site, Shore said.

A welder who was doing work at a Duke Energy steam plant in Belton, Luis was swimming across the cove when he got into trouble in water about 9 feet deep, Shore said.

Luis went underwater and did not resurface, the coroner said.

The drowning appeared as of Sunday evening to have been an accident, but the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as well as the Anderson Coroner's Office are still investigating, said Capt. Garland Major of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Independent Mail coverage partner WSPA News Channel 7 contributed to the report.
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The Anderson County Republican Party will host forums Thursday for candidates running for election to Anderson County Council and South Carolina House of Representatives seats.

The forums will happen at Concord Community Church, at 610 Concord Road in Anderson.

The forum for Republican county council candidates will start at 5:30 p.m. The forum for GOP candidates for House seats will start at 7 p.m.

Staff report
Christopher Chase Trinidad

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By Independent Mail

Anderson County Sheriff's Office investigators have charged a man in a shooting that happened Saturday night on Whitner Street.

Christopher Chase Trinidad, 24, of Azalea Drive in Anderson, was charged after another man was shot in the leg and torso, according to a statement Sunday from the Sheriff's Office.

Around 7:08 p.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies were called to 2300 W. Whitner St., at Chapel Avenue, in Anderson. Authorities found a 46-year-old man with gunshot wounds. The man was taken to AnMed Health Medical Center for treatment, according to the Sheriff's Office statement. Authorities had not released the victim's name as of Sunday evening.

Trinidad, who was out of custody on bond after being charged with armed robbery in January, was arrested Saturday in the shooting case. He was charged with unlawfully carrying a pistol.

As the investigation progressed, Trinidad was also charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the Sheriff's Office statement.

Trinidad remained in custody Sunday evening at the Anderson County Detention Center, and a bond hearing will be scheduled.

The investigation is continuing to determine whether others were involved in the shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office statement.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact investigator Juvan Chau at 864-260-4435 or jchau@andersonsheriff.com, or to call Anderson Area Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Callers to Crime Stoppers may remain anonymous, and if a tip leads to an arrest, the person who provided the information could be eligible for a cash reward.
SHARE James Glenn Hart Sandra Jones

By Ray Chandler, Special to Independent Mail

Whichever way the June 14 Republican primary vote goes, a new person will fill the Oconee County Council District 5 seat.

Sandra Jones and James Glenn Hart are vying for the nomination to fill the seat that two-term veteran Reg Dexter is vacating at the end of the year with the close of his current term.

District 5 covers southern Oconee County. The GOP primary winner is not expected to face opposition in the November general election.

Hart, a farmer and land surveyor, ran against Dexter unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 2012.

Jones, a retired business executive and former executive director of the Greater Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, is seeking elected office for the first time.

Hart's platform essentially repeats his views of 2012 and centers on rolling back regulations, such as zoning, that he considers onerous and keeping taxes low. He has said he would vote for a tax increase only if there was no other alternative.

He also favors efforts to attract jobs to the county and preserve the county's natural resources and beauty while supporting efforts to encourage tourism.

Jones has been more expansive with her platform, laying out her positions on a broad array of issues.

She supports the investments in infrastructure the county has made to attract industry and sustain existing industries in the interest of job creation.

Jones has voiced support for agribusiness in the county, and considers supporting its future development a priority along with other economic development efforts, she said.

She also favors strong efforts to preserve Oconee County's natural resources while also supporting the Destination Oconee tourism initiative to market Oconee County as a prime spot for outdoor recreation.

Jones differs sharply from Hart on zoning. She said at a recent forum that she believed that zoning offers a way for landowners in a community to protect and preserve their property, especially in terms of farmers and rural areas protecting themselves from encroaching urbanization.

She said she was also a firm advocate of private property rights and did not see zoning  the type she is discussing  as an intrusion.
SHARE Jared Ketterman Wayne McCall

By Ray Chandler, Special to Independent Mail

The Republican primary for the District 2 seat on Oconee County Council pits a two-term incumbent against a young retired businessman.

Wayne McCall faces his first serious challenge for the District 2 Republican nomination since being elected to the council in 2008.

Jared Ketterman is looking to become one of Oconee County's up-and-coming leaders.

District 2 covers central Oconee County. Whoever wins the Republican primary is not expected to face opposition in the November general election.

McCall has made his mark over the last seven years as a populist and a hard-nosed opponent of zoning and tax increases. He's very proud, he said recently, never to have voted for a tax increase.

He has been a strong advocate for public safety issues on the council and has led the council's public safety committee, dealing with law enforcement and emergency services, his entire tenure on the council.

McCall, 67, has voiced his support for recruiting industry to the county but has been critical of some of the policies pursued by his colleagues that involve investing in real estate and infrastructure.

He has supported the encouraging of tourism to Oconee County but has also criticized some of the methods the county has adopted, such as the supporting the Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A welder and machinist by trade, McCall and his brothers also own a diving business near Salem. He was born in Charleston, but has roots in Oconee County.

Ketterman is a an Oconee County native who, after becoming a welder, went to work with a large firm in the St. Louis, Missouri, area, for 14 years, rising to general manager.

He retired in 2015 at age 36 and is now an aspiring musician with albums and concert performances to his credit. He now lives in Mountain Rest.

Ketterman lays out a platform stressing sound financial management and accountability coupled with open communication with the public.

On the issues of taxes and zoning, Ketterman has said that is open to some zoning issues but not others, and eschews a one size fits all approach while holding that zoning has a role in preservation.

"I'm not 100 percent for it, and I'm not 100 percent against it," he said at a recent forum.

Regarding taxes, he has said that cutting county projects may not always be in the best interest and said he favors ways to bring new revenue into county.

He said recently that he supported a countywide hospitality tax, such as the municipalities in Oconee already have.

Ketterman is a firm advocate stimulating tourism while also preserving the county's natural resources, he said.

"We need to step back and look at how we're going to handle the influx of tourism," he said recently.
SHARE Dennis Ted Grindstaff Blake Parker Jay West Poll Who will you vote for to fill the SC House District 7 seat? Dennis Ted Grindstaff Blake Parker Jay West vote View Results Dennis Ted Grindstaff: 34% Blake Parker: 18% Jay West: 48% Total Responses: 79

By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

Voters will select a new face to serve in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 7 seat.

Belton City Councilman Jay West and two political newcomers, Iva resident Dennis Ted Grindstaff and Honea Path businessman Blake Parker, are competing in the June 14 Republican primary to replace Mike Gambrell. Gambrell gave up his House seat after winning a special election last month to serve the final months of the late Billy O'Dell's term in the state Senate.

The winner of this month's primary is not expected to face any opposition in the November general election for the seat that represents eastern and southern portions of Anderson County.

West, 51, is the co-owner of a real estate appraisal firm in Anderson who was elected to the Belton City Council in 2012. He previously served as vice president of institutional relations and at Erskine College in Due West before working as the chief operating officer for two fledgling pharmaceutical companies.

He said his extensive experience in economic development would be an asset as a legislator.

Parker, 25, is a self-employed real estate investor. His campaign has focused on the need to reduce mismanagement in state government.

"I am tired of seeing my tax dollars wasted," Parker said in an interview Monday.

Grindstaff, 37, works as an electrical mechanical maintenance technician with Milliken & Co. He said he wants to bring more transparency to the General Assembly and has pledged to pursue meaningful reforms of state agencies like the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

He pointed out that he is the only candidate in the race who signed a no-new-taxes pledge.

While stressing that he does not consider himself to be a politician, Grindstaff characterized Parker as a recent college graduate who is trying to make a name for himself.

Parker said his lack of political experience could work in his favor.

"I honestly think people are ready for something different," he said. "It is a year for outsiders."

Grindstone described West as a career politician who has been biding his time on the Belton City Council until a new opportunity came along. Noting that West ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against O'Dell in 2004, Grindstaff questioned his commitment to Republican ideals.

West said Grindstaff sounds like a desperate candidate who is resorting to false attacks.

West said he has always been a fiscal conservative. He added that his decision to run against O'Dell was a mistake.

As for his time on the Belton City Council, West said, "I have given 150 percent."

According to state financial disclosure reports, West has received $9,984 in campaign contributions. Parker has spent $3,200 of his own money on his campaign and Grindstaff has spent $345 to self fund his campaign.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
SHARE PHOTOS BY FRANCES PARRISH/INDEPENDENT MAIL Karla Grooms, coordinator of the National Cancer Survivor Day celebration in Anderson, leads the parade of cancer survivors around the Civic Center of Anderson. Eddie Saddler and his wife, Pearlie Stuart Barnes Kathy Moore

By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail

Nearly 200 cancer survivors wearing flowers around their necks paraded around the Civic Center of Anderson on Sunday afternoon and cheered for each other's accomplishments.

Some participants had survived cancer for nearly 30 years while others were diagnosed just 9 months ago.

Sunday was National Cancer Survivors Day, and Karla Grooms, AnMed Health event coordinator and eight-year breast cancer survivor, made sure other cancer survivors in the Upstate had a chance to celebrate with music, dancing and food.

"It's a day for my survivors to get together," Grooms said about the beach-themed celebration. "This is the one day they can have fun. They don't have to think about the treatment they just had on Friday. We just have fun."

Several of those in attendance shared their stories.

Celebrating in faith

Eddie Saddler is a cancer survivor.

He suffered a sore throat over a weekend 22 years ago at the end of March. His boss wouldn't let him come back to work until he had seen a doctor.

Within a couple of weeks, Saddler had seen a throat specialist, been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and been sent to University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

After 25 days in a germ-free environment, he came home to Anderson, where he was treated for four years.

His faith in God, the support of his wife and the care from his doctors helped him in his battle.

"I'm a real strong believer in the power of the Lord. Even though they told me I had three months, I have no fear of death. If God says it's my time, then it is," Saddler said. "My wife took good care of me. Between my wife and doctor, I didn't have to do anything but survive."

He returned to the Upstate from Texas the first week of June those many years ago.

"This party is always at the beginning of June, when I came home," Saddler said about National Cancer Survivors Day. "It's like celebrating me coming home. I think about it every year."

Celebrating by serving others

Dr. Stuart Barnes of Anderson is a seven-year cancer survivor, and he gives all the credit to his wife.

He started feeling tired one day, and after awhile, his wife told him to go get a physical.

"That's when we discovered the stomach cancer," Barnes said.

His stomach was removed, and for months he ate using a feeding tube. For three months he had chemotherapy treatments. Then he had more than 40 radiation treatments. But he looked forward to the day of his last treatment.

"It's a great day when you can ring the bell," Barnes said. "I dressed up for the occasion. I dressed in a suit and a Panama hat. I had a lot of fun."

Ringing a bell at the AnMed Health Cancer Center in Anderson signified the end of his cancer treatments.

Now he practices internal family medicine again and works for AnMed Health.

"I was given a great gift. I was given my life back," Barnes said. "I felt like I wanted to give back. ... I find some way to serve God every day."

How often does he celebrate being cancer-free?

"I celebrate every day," Barnes said. "I try to practice what I preach: seek joy in each day."

Celebrating normalcy

Kathy Moore of Iva is a seven-year uterine cancer survivor.

One day she realized something wasn't right with her health, so she went to a doctor. Within several days she had been diagnosed with cancer. She had a complete hysterectomy and went through chemotherapy.

Moore was no stranger to the effects of cancer. At age 9 she lost her mother to ovarian cancer. That experience motivated her through her own treatments.

"I went to as many exercise classes as I could. I did everything I could to be healthy," Moore said, fighting back tears. "I believe in prayer ... but I knew I needed to do my part too. I wanted to be an example for my daughter, so she wouldn't have to lose her mama. What kept me strong was my God, prayer, my church and my family."

While her world was in chaos during treatments and surgery, her husband took care of their household. That gave her some sort of normalcy in her life. Six months later she was declared cancer-free and went back to work at the AnMed Health Sleep Center.

"It's total freedom," Moore said about being cancer-free. "The best day I had was the day I didn't have to think the word cancer in the back of my mind. I looked forward to that day. I have gone back to normal."

Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM
Digital Equalization Levy of Six Percent from June 1, 2016

The Finance Act 2016 has introduced a digital equalization levy, or Google tax, of six percent, with effect from June 1. It is applicable only in the case of business to business transactions. When a person makes the payment to a non-resident (without permanent establishment) that exceeds an aggregate of US$ 1493 (Rs 1 lakh) a year, a withholding tax  at six percent of the gross amount paid  is imposed as equalization levy.

RELATED: Pre-Investment Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates

Compliance will require companies to file an online form stating the specified services provided by June 30, 2017. There are other online forms available in case of disputes, better enabling the assesse to appeal against the order of the assessing officer. Specified services that are covered by the levy include online advertising, provision for digital advertising space, rights or use of software for online advertising, including advertising on radio and television, designing, hosting or maintenance of websites, digital space for website, e-mails, blogs, facility for online sale of goods or services or collecting online payments.

The move is aimed at taxing digital portals and foreign e-commerce companies that get significant online advertisement revenues from India, like Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc., and Twitter Inc. etc. Moreover, the new rules are in keeping with the Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) action plan proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They are also said to have incorporated the recommendations of a panel set up by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which included industry representatives.

Startups with Marked Down Valuations May Face New Tax

The income tax department is proposing a controversial levy on firms whose valuations have been marked down. The rationale is that since their valuations have fallen, the first premium exceeded the startups fair value. Such excess consideration is taxable in the hands of the startup, as an income, as mentioned in Section 56 (2) (vii) (b) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Tax officials have requested that several startups provide their detailed valuation reports for each round of investment. Also, the income tax department has defended the tax move stating that their objective is to track the flow of black money  whereby unaccounted cash is invested in a startup at a premium to get converted into legal money.

Though a formal notification of the new tax levy is yet to come, it is a double whammy for startups in India. Many of them (including a few unicorn firms like Flipkart) are already facing downward valuations and declining funding prospects due to fears of lack of profitability, unrealistic growth plans, and intense competition. Nevertheless, the new tax could only impact those investments made by angel investors and funds not registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI); those who are funded by registered venture capital funds may be safe.

RBI Asks Commercial Banks to Implement Cyber-Security Policy Immediately

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has advised all scheduled commercial banks in the country to immediately implement a cyber-security policy. The directive towards cyber-security preparedness comes in the light of the increasing vulnerability of financial institutions to online attacks.

In its notification released on June 2, the RBI said Banks should immediately put in place a cyber-security policy elucidating the strategy containing an appropriate approach to combat cyber threats given the level of complexity of business and acceptable levels of risk. Commercial banks are now required to identify potential risks as low, moderate, high, and very high and report all unusual cyber-security to the RBI. The cyber-security policy should also be distinct from the banks broader IT policy.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.





Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we spotlight three issues that financial management teams for India should monitor. Firstly, we examine the new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) system, which is expected to be a boon for foreign companies in India. We then highlight common filing dates for most companies with operations in India, and lastly examine procedures and regulations for remitting profits from India.

Using Indias Free Trade & Double Tax Agreements

In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we take a look at the bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that India currently has in place and highlight the deals that are still in negotiation. We analyze the countrys double tax agreements, and conclude by discussing how foreign businesses can establish a presence in Singapore to access both the Indian and ASEAN markets.

Passage to India: Selling to Indias Consumer Market In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we outline the fundamentals of Indias import policies and procedures, as well as provide an introduction to engaging in direct and indirect export, acquiring an Indian company, selling to the government and establishing a local presence in the form of a liaison office, branch office, or wholly owned subsidiary. We conclude by taking a closer look at the strategic potential of joint ventures and the advantages they can provide companies at all stages of market entry and expansion.
Hotel Leela Venture Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 17.85, up by Rs. 0.7 or 4.08% from its previous closing of Rs. 17.15 on the BSE.

The scrip opened at Rs. 17.45 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 18.2 and Rs. 17.45 respectively. So far 1146333(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 800.23 crore.

The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 2 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 24.1 on 05-Jan-2016 and a 52 week low of Rs. 16.55 on 29-Feb-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 17.9 and Rs. 17.1 respectively.

The promoters holding in the company stood at 63.88 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 5.61 % and 30.5 % respectively.

The stock is currently trading below its 200 DMA.

Hotel Leelaventure Ltd stock was up by 4% at Rs. 17. The Leela Group and Qatars Al Faisal Group signed an agreement to build a five-star hotel near Taj Mahal in Agra with an FDI of about Rs.500 crore, says report.
Very hopeful of getting the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST passed in the next session of Parliament, said Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, while addressing a very large gathering of Japanese Business leaders at a Seminar titled India: Investment Promotion Seminar in Osaka, organized by CII in partnership with the Indian Embassy in Japan, JETRO, Kankeiren, JICA and Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today.

With the kind of reforms that have picked up pace, the Indian economy is well on course to touch USD 5 trillion in size in the foreseeable future, Mr Jaitley said.

Indias failure at controlling population has resulted in the creation of a very large and young population, which is not only one of the largest markets of the world, but also a potential supplier of trained and skilled human resources for the world, which is one of the reasons why the size of the Indian diaspora has been increasing in most countries, Jaitley said.

The government is also ensuring that making in India becomes a new deal, Mr Jaitley said and went on to add that lot of actions have been taken to improve ease of doing business. In the most recent measures focus has been on enforcement of contracts, which is an area of improvement and opportunity for India. In fact, while India has moved up in the ease of doing business rankings, the changes in ranking do not fully reflect the improvements that have taken place, he added.

Similarly, the environment of labour relations is improving as man-days loss owing to strikes are becoming very rare, the Finance Minister said.

Innovations have to be rewarded and therefore, just protection must be provided, said Mr Jaitley referring to the Intellectual Property ecosystem of India. He emphasized that the IPR framework in India is now globally benchmarked.

Commenting on opportunities for Japanese businesses, Mr Jaitley said that India has embarked on a mission to address the huge infrastructure deficit, which has been a result of decades of neglect. This is a tremendous investment opportunity.

No other economy presents this size of market, this scope of investment, with this kind of returns, the Finance Minister said.

Speaking earlier in the session, Mr Sujan Chinoy, Ambassador of India to Japan referred to the 3 Ds of democracy, demand and demographics to present the India opportunity.

In her remarks, Ms Shobana Kamineni, President Designate, CII said that Indian industry has greatly benefited from the Japanese commitment to our development. Our deployment of technology and commitment to quality management imbibed much from Japanese inputs. Today, top Indian companies are leveraging their competitiveness, productivity and technology strengths to become powerful players in global markets, matching the best global benchmarks across sectors such as automotives, space sciences, nuclear energy, biotechnology, drug development, and other knowledge-intensive industries.

The Seminar was also addressed by Ms Ravneet Kaur, Joint Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Dr Saurabh Garg, Joint Secretary, DEA, Ministry of Finance. They spoke on Make in India and NIIF respectively.

From the Japanese side, the Seminar was addressed by Mr Masayuki Matsushita, Vice Chairman, Kankeiren and Vice Chairman, Panasonic Corporation; Mr Minoru Furukawa, Vice Chairman, Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Chairman, Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Mr Yasushi Akahoshi, President, JETRO among others.
Kwality zoomed 2.8% to Rs.117. KKR India is set to invest about Rs.600 crore in Kwality Ltd, as per a report. KKR India will invest through a structured debt transaction.The scrip opened at Rs. 116.5 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 119.9 and Rs. 116.1 respectively. So far 355420(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 2662.53 crore.The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 1 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 153.7 on 28-Dec-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 41.1 on 15-Jun-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 121.5 and Rs. 104.7 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 64.95 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 1.8 % and 33.26 % respectively.
Minister of State(Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas. Government of India Dharmendra Pradhan accompanied by others senior officials from MoPNG organized an interactive meet in the financial capital of India - Mumbai on 6u' June. 2016 to showcase and invite the prospective investors for the upcoming Discovered Small Field Bid Round 2016. This event had valuable content being presented covering highlights of the new policy, regulations, grants and implications thereof. The Model revenue sharing contract was also launched by the minister as part of the event.

The grand event was held at Hotel Taj Lands End. Mumbai. As part of the Discovered Small Field Bid Round 2016. 46 Contract Areas are being offered consisting of 67 different small fields across 9 sedimentary basins to investors from over the world for extraction and exploration of oil and gas. Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH). the technical arm of the Ministry is inviting bids for developing and monetizing these contract areas having 650 Million Barrels of Oil and Oil Equivalent Gas (0+0EG) in-place volumes spread over 1500 square kilometres in Ontario'. Shallow water and Deepwater areas. The Bidding process shall start on 1r July 2016 and will end on 31m October 2016.

The Bid Round aims to boost the oil and gas production in the country owing to the growing energy demand and is in line with the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission of reducing India's energy import dependence by 2022. This is being done through an investor friendly policy which allows for ease in administering single license for extraction of all types of Hydrocarbons and a Revenue Sharing Contract Model.

Some of the key features of the policy include no upfront signature bonus, freedom in pricing, no oil cess. custom duty exemption and graded royalty rates. Investors will access information dockets through the e-bidding gateway. Also. Physical Data Centers with Interpretation Facility would be set up in the DGH office and other international locations where prospective bidders can access the data.

The Minister re-iterated the vision of the Hon'ble Prime Minister and said that -Systems need to be made sharp. effective, fast and flexible-. In line of this. MoPNG has introduced a new policy framework called Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP), for the E&P sector in India which will provide the much needed operational flexibility to market players to do better and deliver better.

Post the completion of the event, the Minister of State and his delegation of senior dignitaries interacted with some of India's prominent business leaders, start-up firms looking for venturing in the Oil and Gas sector among others to scout for new business associations for the project and invited them to come and invest in the fields.

Fueled by the initiatives of the Honorable Prime Minister. such as Make in India. Ease of Doing Business and Start Up India. the Ministry wants to leverage the entrepreneurial culture to expand the hydrocarbon base in the country.

Other speakers at the event included Secretary. MoPNG. Shri. K.D. Tripathi and Additional Secretary, MoPNG. Shri. A.P Sawhney. Director General. DGH Shri Atanu Chakraborty delivered a presentation on the highlights of the Bid Round, including the timelines for bidding and details of the e-bidding portal. ONGC representative made a presentation to highlight the Infrastructure & facilities available near the offered fields.

The Minister also announced that more such National and International roadshows will be held in the forthcoming months. The Ministry looks lanyard to an enthusiastic response from the bidders to be associated with the India's 125 year old Hydrocarbon Industry.
Al Sawari Holding, one of Qatars leading private companies with interests across hospitality, real estate and education sectors today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and management agreements to mark its entry into India. The collaborations were formalised on the occasion of Honble Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modis visit to the State of Qatar.An MoU has been signed by H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal Holding and Mr. Vivek Nair, Chairman & Managing Director, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. Under this agreement, the Al Sawari Group will purchase a 6 acre site from The Leela Group in the historical city of Agra to develop a hotel complex. The hotel complex will include 2 hotels - a 100 room Leela Palace Hotel and a 150 room Aiana Hotel on the same plot. Al Sawari Holding has also entered into management agreements with both the Leela Group as well as Aiana Hotels and Resorts to operate the respective hotels.Qatar has a long history of bilateral relations with India and there is a lot of synergy between the two cultures. We are delighted to enter into these landmark agreements with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Aiana Hotels and Resorts during the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar. We are confident that Al Sawari Holdings foray into the Indian hospitality industry will further enhance the economic and culture relations between the two countries, said H. E.Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal Holding. In line with our strategy to acquire key assets in strategic global locations, the property is located less than 1 kilometre from the Taj Mahal and will offer unparalleled views of the historic monument.The two new hotels will offer a host of signature restaurants and lounges along with spacious banquet halls and state of the art health centres and spas. Both hotels will cater to the upmarket leisure tourists and the MICE segment. Construction is expected to commence soon and will be completed within 36 months.These agreements are the first of many that we as a group plan to enter into in India. We firmly believe in the potential of the Indian market and will continue to seek growth opportunities to create value and expand our portfolio in India, said Mohammed Shafiek, Managing Director, Al Sawari Holding.We are delighted to partner with Al Sawari Holdings, and view this agreement as a forerunner to several other developments in India and overseas. The proposed Palace hotel will combine unparalleled views of the Taj Mahal with a truly luxurious hospitality experience in Agra. We are also looking forward to further strengthening our presence within the golden triangle by adding a Palace hotel in Jaipur and will continue our efforts to expand in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, said Vivek Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.We are delighted to announce the expansion of the AIANA portfolio in India with the signing of a management agreement with Al Sawari Holding to operate AIANA Agra - a 150 room hotel in one of the most visited leisure destinations in India., said Amruda Nair Joint Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Aiana Hotels & Resorts L.L.C. With the signing of our 6th hotel in India, we will continue to follow the cluster strategy that has been successful for the AIANA brand in India. Our next focus will be to complete the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and further enhance our existing developments.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd: Sun Pharma announced that as a part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into an agreement with Frontida BioPharma.



Excel Crop: Sumitomo has acquired 44.98% stake in Excel Crop Care for around Rs. 623.44 crore, says report.The company also announced launch of Rs.415.80 crore open offer to acquire further 30 per cent stake in the company.



Gammon India Ltd: The company said its board has approved amendment to an agreement signed with its arm Gammon Retail Infrastructure for transfer of EPC business.



Zydus Cadila: Zydus Cadila has received approval from the US health regulator to initiate a phase II clinical trial of Saroglitazar in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) of the liver.



Yes Bank: Yes Bank is planning to raise USD 1 billion from overseas investors in the current fiscal as it has recently got government approval for increasing foreign investment to 74 per cent, says report.



Biocon: Mylan and Biocon Ltd announced the presentation of data from the HERITAGE study at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, June 3-7. The study confirmed the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of MYL-1401O, the proposed biosimilar trastuzumab co-developed by Biocon and Mylan, in comparison to branded trastuzumab.



Adani Enterprise Ltd: Adani Enterprise may walk away from its proposal to build one of the world's biggest coal mines in Australia, says report.



Lupin: Lupin is planning to launch up to 30 drugs in the US market in the current fiscal, says report.



Indiabulls Real Estate: The company has announced that Tapir Realty Developers Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of the company, has entered into a joint development agreement with Oricon Properties.



Natco Pharma: The company received US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval for Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a cancer drug.



Force Motors: Force Motors has announced its sales performance for the month of May 2016. The company sold 1,588 SCV, LCVs & 923 UV, SUV Tractors in May 2016.



Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd: The company has informed BSE that on account of financial difficulties faced by Leitwind Shriram Manufacturing Ltd., Chennai, the EPC Contractor, the date of commissioning of the 51 MW Wind based Power Project in Gujarat has been delayed.



Kwality: KKR India is set to invest about Rs.600 crore in Kwality Ltd, as per media report. KKR India will invest through a structured debt transaction.



Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd: The company has received ANDA final approval for Levetiracetam Injection USP, 500 mg/5 mL (100 mg/mL), the generic version of Keppra Injection 500mg/5mL (100mg/mL) of UCB, which is used for the treatment of epilepsy.



Oriental Bank of Commerce: The bank is planning for a credit growth of 12% in the current fiscal with focus on retail and SME lending.



Vakrangee: Vakrangee announce Corporate Agency tie up with CIGNA TTK Health Insurance Company issued by Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India to distribute Health Insurance product through Vakrangee distribution network.
Sun Pharma gained 1% to Rs.746 after the pharma company announced that as a part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has entered into an agreement with Frontida BioPharma.The scrip opened at Rs. 750 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 750.25 and Rs. 740.4 respectively. So far 323535(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 177678.61 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 1 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 965.15 on 20-Aug-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 706.4 on 24-Nov-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 842.05 and Rs. 735.3 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 54.97 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 35.37 % and 9.65 % respectively.
Kune Gueye came from Senegal to Nashville for a better life, but she had to overcome yards of red tape to earn her American dream.

To make a living, she turned to a skill she had honed over years of practice in her homeland  braiding hair. With a strong back and a talent for creating beautiful styles, combs and hair oils, Gueye began braiding at her Louisville, Kentucky, home  frequently working 12-hour days. Within weeks, she was able to pay her bills and send money to her family back home.

Years later, Gueye moved into a shop. She was married and had three children by then and wanted to expand. She was working in her salon  Kine Hair Braiding  one day when an inspector knocked.

She told me she was from the state Board of Cosmetologyand that I was not allowed to do hair without a license, Gueye said. I told her I had been braiding for years, and I did not know you had to have a license.

Gueye and other braiders in Kentucky won the right to braid without a license when Republican Governor Matt Bevin signed a law in April to exempt them from the cosmetology school and license requirement. Nebraskas legislature passed a similar measure in March.

These victories aside, braiders in several states still battle regulations that require them to undergo up to 2,100 hours of instruction at cosmetology schools. These can cost more than $12,000, even though few such programs teach braiding.

Seventeen states regulate braiding the same way they do traditional cosmetology, and 16 states require a special braiding license. Eighteen do not regulate braiding, said Paul Avelar, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, a self-described libertarian law firm in Arlington, Virginia.

It has helped braiders fight such rules in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Washington, D.C., since its founding 25 years ago.

The institutes first case, in 1992, was Taalib-Din Abdul Uqdah v. District of Columbia, in which Uqdah and his wife, Pamela Ferrell, the nationally-recognized owners of Cornrows & Co., successfully challenged Washington, D.C.s cosmetology code, which was adopted in 1938. They claimed that they should have been exempt because they used no chemicals, dyes, sharp objects or other items that alter hair structure, as traditional stylists often do.

This issue is about race, control, power and politics, Uqdah said. You and I wouldnt be having this discussion, but for the fact that African-style braiders are making money hand over fist.

A Kentucky cosmetologists trade association complained that the exemption legislation allows braiders to style hair without learning about disorders of the skin and scalp that can result from improper styling, according to news accounts.

Nina Stribling, 38, of Louisville, said she has been going to Gueye for 18 years for micro braids. Her daughter, 23, is also a long-time client. When the family moved to Kansas for four years because of her husbands military service, Stribling drove 11 hours back to Louisville every six months to get her hair done.

She said shes never had a problem with her hair or scalp and credited Gueye with taking special care after her hair grew fragile from the medicine she takes for lupus.

Stribling said she has become close with Gueyes family, including Gueyes mother, who moved to Louisville and started braiding a few years before her daughter did.

Shes very good, said Stribling. There has never been an issue with my scalp being red or my hair being braided too tight. She knows what shes doing and is very professional.

Avelar said few states set out to regulate hair braiding, but problems occur, when officials try to apply broadly worded codes penned decades ago, to braiding.

Then they gave the power to enforce this law to a regulatory board and required that the regulatory board be made up of members of the regulated industry, Avelar said, adding a financial incentive to the enforcement of these laws.

Uqdah called licensing an infringement on the economic liberty of braiders, many of whom are black or African-born female immigrants whose opportunities for gainful employment would be limited but for braiding.

Avelar said there is a consensus forming among liberals, libertarians and conservatives that licensing requirements for workers need to be pared back.

Gueye, who testified before the legislature on the exemption, never wanted to speak for a cause.

She just wanted to disentangle braiders from impediments to their work.

We are free now, she said. Thats what we wanted  to be free to just braid hair and help our families.
Osman Couey is a New York City teacher who allegedly threw KaVeon Wilson, a 7-year-old special-needs student, across a hallway at Harlems Public School 194.

Couey allegedly had manhandled his students before. There was the 2013 incident in which a parent complained that Couey grabbed her son by the ear and hurled him down a flight of stairs. He also was reprimanded three times in 2004 and 2006 for corporal punishment and verbal abuse.

But the KaVeon Wilson episode was different. The schools security cameras captured this incident. That recording gave the New York Police Department enough evidence to arrest Couey.

As shocking as it is to hear of a teacher hurting a child, this alleged assault occurred in an environment in which student-on-student and student-on-teacher violence is pervasive. Few transgressions are caught on video, and others go unreported. Nonetheless, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into New York Citys government schools reveals widespread brutality, involving perpetrators and victims across many ages and sizes.

I have seen staff provoke kids, said one 30-year veteran Manhattan teacher, who requested anonymity. This teacher and other school professionals have experienced school violence first-hand.

In one incident, a 180-pound eighth-grader pushed her at the top of a stairwell, this teacher said. She grabbed the railing and stopped herself from tumbling down the stairs. She reported the unprovoked attack. Nothing happened.

As this instructor attempted to protect one innocent student from a tormenting elementary school classmate, the aggressive school boy caught the teacher off balance, rammed into her and kicked her, she said. A lasting scar bolsters this educators story.

At the parent-teacher conference, the parent used F-bombs in front of her son but still threatened to file a lawsuit against me for allegedly abusing her son in the past, said the teacher. But the worst part, she said. There was no support from the administration.

She said the principal and staff all told her that it was her fault that she did not know how to handle these kids.

To cope, keep peace and not endure violence, Teachers find ways to appease youngsters with candy, favors, and benefits, she said.

In another Brooklyn school, a child was reported for disrupting a class. The student was assigned to in-school detention and then threw every chair in the room. The child was just 4.

On one Bronx campus, Assistant Principal Mary Negron-Biancaniello broke both of her arms while protecting her face from a flying chair. She since has retired from Gothams school system.

Last month, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report that criticized the citys public schools for not reporting violent outbreaks. The audit also found numerous unauthorized student departures. It sampled 10 city schools and discovered 177 cases of students leaving the premises without permission. School officials made no apparent effort to retrieve these students.

The audit also uncovered 400 unreported violent incidents. Among these, 126 involved reckless endangerment, sexual offenses, weapons possession and assaults with physical injuries.

New York Citys Department of Education is mandated to update accurately the State Education Departments Violent and Disruptive Incident Report. Albany uses this document to calculate each campuss School Violence Index. This determines whether a school is persistently dangerous.

Thirty-two schools landed on New York states persistently dangerous list in 2015. Of these, 27 (84 percent) are in New York City.

If a school has a lot of suspensions, instead of fixing the problems, the schools try to hide them, said Francesco Portelos, a tenured instructor and candidate for president of the United Federation of Teachers. Many teachers also are afraid to report classroom incidents because they wind up being blamed for them, Portelos said.

In one reported event in Staten Island, a male teacher was struck in the back of the head by a classroom door. Two students were suspended for this, but the teacher was written up for poor judgement.

Teachers do get hurt. But what about the violence that they commit?

We dont want to defend teachers who are hurting children, but we know what it is like to be accused of something while being innocent, said Portelos. He said he has withstood 37 investigations in his 10 years as a Big Apple teacher. All of these allegations against him proved false.

Meanwhile, Osman Couey awaits trial for assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child under 16. A video brought his alleged violence to light. But plenty of brutality in Americas largest school system remains in the dark.
If youre someone who is a firm believer of Netflix and chill motto, this news will make you very happy.

Netflix has just announced Indias first original series and it will be based on Vikram Chandras critically acclaimed novel Sacred Games. Wait, there is another exciting thing about this project! This series will be in collaboration with Anurag Kashyap's Phantom Films.

Set in Mumbai, Sacred Games delves into the citys intricate web of organized crime, corruption, politics and espionage that lie beneath Indias economic renaissance. It is an epic masterwork of exceptional richness and power that interweaves the lives of the privileged, the famous, the wretched and the bloodthirsty. .

Based on the critically-acclaimed best-selling novel Sacred Games by Indian author Vikram Chandra, the series would be mainly shot in India and this Hindi-English series would be available to Netflix members globally upon completion.

The plot that is an interesting take on changing scenario of contemporary India is critically acclaimed and has also bagged several awards like the 2006 Vodafone Crossword Book Award, the novel earned Chandra a million dollar advance from publisher HarperCollins.

Vikram Chandras Sacred Games is set in a 19th-century backdrop and is mainly a gangster detective thriller. Talking about his collaboration with Netflix and Phantom Films, he said:

Livemint

Over the last few years, Ive watched with great excitement and pleasure as Netflix has transformed narrative television with its ground-breaking, genre-bending shows. Im confident that all the colour and vitality and music of the fictional world Ive lived with for so long will come fully alive on the large-scale canvas provided by Netflix. Im thrilled to be working with Netflix and Phantom Films.
1. Salman Khan broke his silence on the Rio Olympics controversy and lashed out at the media.

DNA

Salman subtly questioned the appointment of A.R Rahman and Sachin Tendulkar as the Goodwill Ambassadors of the upcoming tournament. He said "The media should have done the same when Sachin and Rahman were roped in. Why didnt that happen? Why didnt the media give them the same coverage that they gave me?"

2. RGV has a new name for Udta Punjab - Udta India or Udta World!

Ram Gopal Verma has suggested a new name for the film, which is caught in the tussle with the Censor Board. The film tribunal had yesterday asked the makers to drop the word "Punjab" from the film's title.

For what it actually represents Udta Punjab Is diminutive.. A more truthful and righteous title would be Udta India or Udta World  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) June 5, 2016

3. Shah Rukh Khan's role in his upcoming with Imtiaz Ali might remind you of Dev Anand!

According to reports, SRK's role is inspired from Dev Anand's iconic act in Guide. A source said "Shah Rukh plays a tourist guide. Like Devsaab in Vijay Anands film, there are many twists and turns in the Shah Rukhs character graph. He has a moral epiphany that changes his life and that of others he encounters."

4. Dia Mirza has been named the brand ambassador for Swachh Saathi programme.

fashionlady

The actress feels the youth-based programme is one of the most important initiatives by the government till date. It is the Swachh Bharat Mission's student internship programme. As its part, more than 2,000 interns would be enrolled, who would coordinate with around 10,000 schools across the country and ensure that all students in these schools take the pledge for Clean India.

5. Aamir Khan is unhappy with the comparisons being made between Sultan and Dangal.

The superstar has until now remained quite supportive towards his friend Salman's upcoming wrestling film Sultan. But seems like the ever increasing comparisons being made between Sultan and his own wrestling film Dangal, has miffed him. Reportedly, Aamir is unhappy with the "dhobi-pachad" move which Salman is seen doing in Sultan's trailer, which plays a key aspect of his own film Dangal. Inside sources claim there might be a possibility that Aamir will postpone the release of his film from December to next year.
Unlike other places, a posh residential complex in Diamond City, Kolkata takes their "appearance" too seriously. The residents of the complex kept complaining about the number of ugly street dogs that kept roaming in their compound and when efforts by the security guards to keep them off the premises did not have the required effect, they employed a few outsiders to "take care" of the matter.

Gopa Ganguly

Gopa Ganguly - a resident of the posh complex - noticed that some of the stray dogs that were spotted here, had not been for the past few weeks. Soon, another resident reported having spotted a few men trying to take away a puppy in a gunny bag. She confronted the men who dropped the bags and ran off. The resident found another dog tied up in the gunny bag.

The word spread around the complex and it was discovered that a few residents had been illegally torturing, relocating and in all probability killing the strays to keep their complex "neat".

Gopa Ganguly

To gather evidence, Gopa Ganguly, started documenting the movements of the men and the dogs. She was soon threatened to stop doing so and her teenage daughter was harassed and forced to stay out of the complex. The police was called in to intervene and the girl managed to get home.

16 dogs had been killed, one dog rescued from inside a gunny bag died within hours of the rescue.

Gopa Ganguly

According to Shalmali Basu, "Next day the various NGOs of the city filed a FIR against the authorities of the said complex and a dog-loving minister, Debasree Roy, came to talk to the residents along with around 30 dog lovers. As soon as she left, a few of the residents got violent. One man tore up a female protesters salwar during the scuffle and even gave her a bleeding ear. Another female protester's phone was smashed to pieces when she tried taking a video. One particular lady even declared that they did the right thing killing the dogs and will again do so if another dog enters their complex."

"Later the residents filed a complaint alleging that the animal lovers were hired goons brought by the minister. I was there and so were my friends and we are not associated with any political party and nor were we paid to attend," she stated.

Shyamali Basu

On being approached, the residents who filed the complaint against the animal-lovers claimed that the dogs were sent with permission from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation but the KMC has denied knowledge of any such permits.

Gopa Ganguly

The animal lovers have even tried to organise a candle-light protest of the vicious attack on the dogs but it had to be called off when the police was tipped off about a possible violent outburst at such an event. No action has been taken on the residents of Diamond City complex so far but the police is looking for more clues to connect the residents who working on the case.
Former topper and the newest victim of Bihari jokes, Science stream topper Saurabh Shrestha said he'll commit suicide - for being cross-examined.

This comes after the state education board ordered that the toppers' results be evaluated, after videos showing how clueless Saurabh, and 'Prodigal Science' topper Ruby Ray were.

A 14-member panel of experts examined all toppers individually for 20 minutes to ascertain whether they actually deserved the honours. The interviews started around 3.30pm and continued till late in the night.

The Bihar state education board cancelled his result from the science stream after he failed the re-examination: "The BSEB has decided to cancel result of science topper Saurabh Shrestha and another rank holder in the same stream Rahul Kumar as their performance in Friday's re-test was found not up to mark," BSEB Chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh said. Read more here

Here are 5 other stories that you will like from today:

1.Made in China Toilet Paper With Donald Trump's Face Is A Bestseller In America

crooksandliars

There's no easy way to say this, but a LOT of Americans begin their morning by using the face of Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump to clean their asses. For those familiar with Trump's rallying cry of 'bringing our jobs back' from the likes of China, irony might be palpable as the toilet paper is made in China. Read more

2. Man Who Slept With 400 People Calls Out To Slut-Shamers, Says There's No Such Thing As Too Much Sex!

Dylan Jones

So heres introducing Mr. Jones. He likes sex.

No, scratch that. He loves sex.

In fact, hes had more sexual partners than he can remember and he has no qualms about it. None, at all. In a recent blog, Dylan explains why he doesnt care about people criticizing him for his highly active libido.

Comparing himself with the iconic Samantha Jones from Sex And The City, he said, Its not a boast or bravado or anything. Its a fact. Ive had that same moment in the STI clinic that Samantha had in Sex and the City: silent, confused head-counting when the nurse asks how many sexual partners youve had. I actually still wouldnt be able to figure it out, even if I sat down and made a spreadsheet. I imagine its somewhere around the four hundred mark. An average of two every week for four years. And thats not even counting weekends. Read more.

3. German Music Festival Gets Cancelled After Lightning Strikes And Injures Over 80 People!

Rex/Shutterstock

In a freak accident, a German rock festival got cancelled when lightning dropped hard on the concertgoers and left dozens injured. Massive thunderstorms storms followed by heavy flooding left over 80 people maimed at the famous Rock-am-Ring festival in Germany.

Eight people were reportedly hospitalized after getting hurt in the thunderstorm. A man even suffered severe burn holes along with scorch marks. Read more

4. Saudi Businessman Pays Rs 3.3 Crore For A Car License Plate With Number 1, Because He Wants To Be Number 1

AFP

A car registration plate with just the number 'one' fetched AED18m (3.4 m) at at United Arab Emirates auction.

The winning bid was placed by Emirati businessman Arif Ahmed al-Zarouni, who told Gulf News: My ambition is always to be number one. Read more

5. For The First Time In India, Male Students Can Now File Sexual Harassment Complaints Against Women, Men And Transgenders

huffingtonpost

While India's rape laws still remain biased against men, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has established new regulations which allow male students to file cases of sexual harassment against men, women and transgenders.

The UGC's Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment regulations have made sexual harassment gender-neutral, mentioning that it's not only women and transgenders who are susceptible to sexual harassment, the Telegraph reported. read more
In a tragic example of the loyalty and unconditional love of man's best friend, a dog who lived with a farmer in a village near Dudhwa National Park here fought with a tiger to save its sleeping master, giving up its life in the process.

bccl/Represenatational image

The incident occurred on Friday night at Barbatpur village near Khutar town, 52 km from here. The farmer, Gurdev Singh, was sleeping in the open outside his house, with the four-year-old Jacky lying next to him. On smelling a tiger approach from the forest of South Kheri nearby, Jacky tried wake up his master, alerting him to the danger.

Google map

While the sleepy farmer awoke and was still trying to gather his wits, the tiger attacked. Jacky then took on the big cat, giving its master just enough time to grab a stick, raise the alarm and prepare to defend themselves. Meanwhile, the tiger had severely injured the dog and dragged it away.

Reuters/Represenatational image

After Gurdev's family rushed to his aid, they began a desperate search of the surrounding area for the missing dog. Later in the night, they found its body some distance away. While forest officials were informed of the presence of a tiger nearby, the grieving family members and villagers buried the heroic dog.

bccl/Represenatational image

The grieving farmer said "Jacky's mother was a street dog and my children, Supreet and Gulshanpreet, took it in four years ago as a pup. It was a part of our family and used to follow them to school. Gulshanpreet is inconsolable and didn't eat for a day. Jacky returned the favour of a few chapatis a day by giving up its life. I wish humans could learn from it how to love others and show devotion"

"Barbatpur is very close to South Kheri forest, which is a part of Dudhwa National Park. A large part of the forest land has been encroached upon by humans and the forest area is fragmenting by the day. The entry of a tiger in a village is not surprising. The population of big cats in this part of the forest is very high and they sometimes come out looking for food," said forest ranger S N Yadav, talking to TOI.

Also Read: Max, The Four-Legged Hero Who Saved Several Lives In The 26/11 Attacks, Passes Away
While the outcry over both certain temples and all mosques not allowing women to offer prayers has not reached any conclusion, the Jamia Masjid in Jaipur has quietly made special arrangements for the women to offer 'individual Namaz' at a separate section in the Mosque.

bccl

Haji Ali Dargah + 6 Religious Places That STILL Dont Allow Women

There are two kinds of Namaz, one that is read along with an Imam can be read only by males."

reuters.com

The Jamia Masjid's joint secretary Mohammed Tahir Azaad, spoke about the arrangements made for women: "As far as women offering Namaz is concerned, they cannot offer Namaz along with the Imam. They can offer individual Namaz in the Mosque. There are two kinds of Namaz, one that is read along with an Imam can be read only by males."

He said such an arrangement has been made so that Muslim women do not miss out on Namaz because they are outdoors or busy in work.

AFP

"Now, when women are outside, doing some work, and there is a risk of Namaz being missed, then they can offer prayers here after the males finish their prayer. A place has been designated for it where they can come and pray individually," he added. He further said Namaz is a right of every follower of Islam, whether male or female. According to reports, women are allowed to enter mosques that have a separate space for them, but most mosques in India do not.

A 1000-Year-Old Kerala Mosque Opens Its Doors For Women For The First Time
Former topper and the newest victim of Bihari jokes, Science stream topper Saurabh Shrestha said he'll commit suicide - for being cross-examined.

This comes after the state education board ordered that the toppers' results be evaluated, after videos showing how clueless Saurabh, and 'Prodigal Science' topper Ruby Ray were.

A 14-member panel of experts examined all toppers individually for 20 minutes to ascertain whether they actually deserved the honours. The interviews started around 3.30pm and continued till late in the night.

The Bihar state education board cancelled his result from the science stream after he failed the re-examination: "The BSEB has decided to cancel result of science topper Saurabh Shrestha and another rank holder in the same stream Rahul Kumar as their performance in Friday's re-test was found not up to mark," BSEB Chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh said.

Saurabh frankly sounds legitimately crazy. Here's a sample from the exam:

Question: what is the formula of Integration by Parts (Calculus)

Answer: According to a report, Saurabh said he'll commit suicide, adding that he was under massive pressure, and "not in a mood to answer any question from the panel."

But when he came out of the panel's room, he was suddenly confident: "My exams have gone well and very soon the world will come to know the truth."

That was Calculus. What about India's favourite student of 'Prodigal Science'?

Meet Bihar topper in 'Political Science' who thinks that the subject is about 'cooking' #ITVideohttps://t.co/4sXTCBzAcZ  India Today (@IndiaToday) May 31, 2016

Ruby Ray, another class XII student had in a video called political science 'prodigal science', and said the subject was about cookery. And the Bihar 'Prodigal Scientist' skipped the test, claiming she was depressed!

Bihar Board's Class XII arts topper Ruby Ray skipped the re-evaluation interview planned - her father said she was depressed. Ray had scored a 91 out of 100 in political science, and a 444/500 overall score - she didn't even know the maximum marks. "It is 600," she said after a family member prodded her while talking to a TV channel on Monday.

According to Board sources, both Ruby and Saurav were from Vishun Ray College in Vaishali. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has initiated the process of cancellation of its affiliation to Vishun Roy (VR) College at Bhagwanpur in Vaishali district.
On Operation Blue Star's 32nd year in observance, the holy city of Amritsar is offering its prayers at the Golden Temple. Pilgrims have gathered at the Akal Takht complex of the holy shrine to observe the occasion peacefully.

Operation Blue Star was a military operation that was employed in 1984 when the Indian Army had to be called at Amritsar's Golden Temple to eradicate Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his militants from the complex who had taken it as their headquarters in 1983.

ANI

Following threats issued by Sikh extremist groups, Amritsar has been put on high alert to ensure minimum disturbances on this day. Paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure the same.

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The extremists had cautioned the Akal Takht chief to refrain himself from addressing the gathering at the Golden Temple. A radical organization known as Dal Khalsa had even called for a complete shutdown of the city.

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However, Police Commissioner AS Chahal assured that complete law and order will be maintained; that no one will "force shopkeepers to shut down their shops and brandish swords" and "devotees coming to Golden Temple will not face any problem."

ANI

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was quoted telling media, "The state government is keeping a strict vigil over the entire situation and every effort would be made to maintain law and order."
West High students who set out to determine who owns the Yellowstone River found out that theres no fill-in-the-bubble answer.

Instead, the competing interests they explored are on display in an exhibit that flows through the Western Heritage Center, detailing the rivers history, ecology and use demands. The display is the culmination of more than a year of work by teacher Bruce Wendts American Studies class.

It was more just trying to help people find their own opinion, junior Tyler Gurchiek said.

Visitors at the Western Heritage Center are greeted by a mock newscast, in which students take on a role representing the interests of a recreational user, landowner, farmer and city administrator.

Junior Zach Bruley donned water wings and floaties while campaigning for fishing and recreational access.

If I wanted to, I could swim this river down and back, he declares in the video.

He later concedes that while wearing a floatie around his waist, I had to waddle around everywhere.

The use of Montanas waterways is a subject thornier than riverbank brush; the governors race was pulled into the current by a 2009 lawsuit involving an access easement through land owned by Republican candidate Greg Gianforte.

Placards lead visitors through the exhibit, drawing heavily upon the "Yellowstone River Cultural Inventory" led by Montana State University Billings associate professor of environmental studies Susan Gilbertz. Students met with Gilbertz last fall. Montana PBS helped students learn filming techniques.

The exhibit contains the testimony of dozens of stakeholders, while adding historic, geographic and biological context. Below the placards, a painting of the Yellowstone winds through the room, traced from maps, with population changes in riverside communities listed.

Students broke into several groups, researching different areas and performing different tasks for the exhibit, which is on display until Dec. 19.

This is a cross-disciplinary class, Wendt said.

Western Heritage Center director Joyce Mayer described the work as college level. The center has partnered with schools on exhibits for the past 15 years or so.

The last three have been the best, said community historian Kevin Kooistra, focusing on rascism, immigration and now water rights. These arent easy topics. The kids are challenged.  They come in, and they basically say 'tell us what to do.' By the end of the time, theyre telling us what to do.

Some students found that the project changed their own views.

At first I thought maybe recreation owned it, said junior Shayna Kersten. But after reading landowner testimony about trespassing and trash left on their property, its unfair to them.

A second video features a sit-down chat among the role-playing students, which offers more reasoned discussion and fewer passionate declarations.

Taking on a year-long project and putting it on display was scary for sure, junior Kyla Gause said. But it was also motivating.

What you put into it is what you get out of it, she said.

Youre asked to think about budget, youre asked to think about time constraints, youre asked to work with people you wouldnt normally work with, Kooistra said.

It was a heck of a lot more unique than the general classroom experience, Bruley said.
Notorious British paedophile Richard Huckle, recently convicted of raping and sexually abusing numerous children in Malaysia, allegedly visited a Bengaluru orphanage posing as a volunteer. According to the Huffington Post, he visited the orphanage to take photos and videos of kids.

God bless your ministry

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Huckle reportedly approached Indian pastor George Fernandes to visi his New Hope for Children Orphanage in June, 2013. The pastor didnt know of Huckles past, and allowed him to visit, Huckle had written to the pastor, introducing himself "originally from UK but am studying an IT Degree in Malaysia". "I'm very much interested in visiting your orphanages in Bangalore and Ambur. It would be a great experience for me to visit your orphanages, meet and help the children, and would be more than happy to use my photography and video editing skills to help make some promotional material for your ministry. God bless your ministry and I look forward to hearing back from you," he wrote.

Fernandes allowed Huckle to stay at his house, but he was never left with the children unsupervised during his 2 day stay, and he is not believed to have abused any children at the orphanage.

Fernandes remembered that there was something off about Huckle: ...he seemed disoriented and won't look straight into our eyes ever during his short stay."

Huckle also wanted to marry a young Indian girl at a Christian home in Malaysia

The manager said Huckle was a troublemaker. He was volunteering there and had caused many arguments among them (the volunteers and social workers). When I asked why the manager was screaming and cursing at Huckle, he told me that the Englishman wanted to marry one of the Indian girls there. He had asked to marry her many times I think she may have still been underage at that time, the eyewitness, named as Siva (not his real name), told the New Straight Times.

Huckles sordid past

Huckle was arrested in London when he was returning home for Christmas in 2014. He began exploiting children and documenting his activities in 2005 when he first visited Malaysia. His victims were aged between six months and 12 years, according to a British court document. Media reports said Huckle had gained the trust of people in Christian-dominated communities in Muslim-majority Malaysia and also lived in churches in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

He was charged with 91 offences, including 14 counts of rape of a child under 13 years old. His victims included five children aged between 3 and 12 at the time of the abuse, and a baby believed to be six months old, the document said. He is believed to have abused up to 200 children, the BBC reported.
As a sense of deep sadness ran through her close friends and family on the eve of her third death anniversary (June 3), Jiah Khan's ex-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi continues to fight for his innocence.

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10 days ago, he wrote a letter to the Juhu Police Station, CBI and the Mumbai Police Commissioner intimating them of the new evidence that they have laid their hands on. We are told that a few weeks ago, they found out that a London-based business tycoon, D Bloom had written to the Mumbai Police in February 2015 stating that his son faced similar accusations in 2001 by the Khans. At that time, the deceased was 14 and her mother had filed a complaint against the tycoon's son for sexually assaulting Jiah.

The trial court in London later acquitted him on the basis of substantial evidence that stated they were in a romantic relationship and whatever transpired between them was consensual. During the trial, the London police documented evidence that Jiah had attempted suicide by slitting her wrist.

We reached out to Sooraj, but he declined to comment as the matter is subjudice. However, his lawyer Prashant Patil spoke to us about the new twist in the tale.

"Jiah's history is of no relevance to us otherwise. But here, we are citing instances from her past to reveal some vital information that was hidden by the complainant (Rabiya Khan). In 11 Supreme Court and two Bombay High Court judgements, it was noted that if a suicide victim suffers from any hypersensitive tendency, it needs to be brought to the Court's notice. In three years she has never in a single statement said that Jiah had attempted suicide thrice before. We have documented evidence of the same, which we will be producing before the Court. We have never intervened during the investigation and done our best to be supportive and let law take its course. But for a fair trial, the whole truth should be out. We object to the fact that Rabiya did not come clean on her side of the story," he says.

From the first day itself, this case has been a bundle of contradictions. The first charge that Rabiya called for was under section 306 (abetment of suicide) based on the suicide letter of the deceased. But she quickly changed her stance and alleged that a case needs to be filed under section 302 (punishment for murder ).

Refraining to comment on the anomalies, Patil simply states,

"We will be filing the complete transcripts of the London case and Mr D Bloom is willing to personally come down and record his statement with the Mumbai police. It was in February 2015 that he had written a mail to the Mumbai Police with information about Jiah's background that could prove to be strong evidence in this case. All along Rabiya has said how the deceased had a strong support system in her family. Bloom claims that Rabiya would frequently leave Jiah and her younger sister Kavita in London and stay away from home for days at stretch, leaving the kids to fend for themselves. In fact, transcripts also reveal that when Jiah was a minor, she had undergone an abortion. These are details documented in the transcripts that are in his possession. It is unfortunate that the Mumbai Police ignored that mail in 2015."

BT is in possession of Bloom's documents that will be produced before the court during the next hearing.

Suppressing information could amount to Rabiya facing perjury charges but the kind of allegations levied against her and Jiah could also make a potent case of defamation against the dead. To this, Patil reacts strongly by saying,

"We are not trying to defame the dead. Under the Evidence Act, we have every right to file additional evidence that could give some context to the case. We don't want trial by media. It is eventually up to the court to decide whether the information is of any relevance here. It was only when rape charges were levied against Sooraj by the prosecution that we were compelled to explore more. Why is a charge this gruesome being made without any substantial evidence? Her letters have been read and interpreted multiple times before, then why is this charge coming three years too late? We only believe that truth must prevail and justice be delivered, without vendetta colouring anyone's perception. If Sooraj has committed a heinous crime, he will be convicted. If not, he will walk out a free man. The crux of the matter now is that the victim had a suicidal pattern, she was undergoing therapy for depression and she had tried to commit suicide many times before she actually did."

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We contacted Rabiya for her version as well and she told us, "This is absolutely ridiculous. The defence is trying to destroy the actual case. All these allegations are baseless. It is being done only to distract the High Court. I am seriously contemplating legal action against the people responsible. Besides this, I have no other comment to make."

(Originally published in The Times Of India)
At first glance people in his city might confuse him for a Lucha Libre wrestler, but we all know he's your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Or at least a man dressed up as the Marvel superhero.

His name though is Spider-Moy, and he's a computer science teaching assistant at the Faculty of Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Reuters

Moises Vazquez, 26, said he was inspired to pull on the tight blue and red suit of the superhero after reading in comics that the Marvel character behind the mask, Peter Parker, worked as a science teacher after his time as a freelance photographer.

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"I do the same job as anyone else, I don't think it's the best class in the world just because I put on a suit. But I assure you I want to be the most honest and dedicated there is, I just want to make the classroom a better place," he said.

Reuters

Vazquez's family originally thought that pretending to be Spider-Man could hurt his career when he started donning the suit for class a year and a half ago - but instead the unusual turn has gone down well with students and other teachers, he said.

Reuters

"Obviously they reacted with surprise, but they were happy too," Vazquez added. "Everyone was smiling at me."

Reuters

On the streets of the megalopolis, people are generally surprised to learn the Mexican superhero is a university lecturer, assuming that his outfit is part of a film shoot.

Reuters

When giving class at the National Autonomous University of Mexico as the superhero, Vazquez leaves home in eastern Mexico City with his mother's blessing, and rides in public transport to the prestigious seat of learning dressed as the Avenger.

Reuters
Warmongering Clinton Accuses Trump of Madness By Finian Cunningham



June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik " - Presidential contender Hillary Clinton has warned that if her Republican rival Donald Trump makes it to the White House, its time to kiss goodnight to the world. Paradoxically, it is Hillary the voice of reason Clinton who is the proven warmonger and who would more likely be a bigger threat to world security. Less Commander-in-Chief, and more Commander-in-Grief. That the Western mainstream media can invert that fact shows how twisted and unreliable their information is. Democrat Clinton came out rhetorical guns blazing this week, excoriating the billionaire property tycoon for espousing dangerously incoherent ideas on foreign policy; and that his bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies would spark a nuclear war. This is not someone who should ever have the nuclear [weapons] codes  because its not hard to imagine Donald Trump leading us into a war just because somebody got under his very thin skin, Clinton said to rapturous applause at a rally in California. Lets be clear. This columnist is no fan of Donald J Trump. The real estate magnate's views on international politics are as dodgy as a business degree from his so-called Trump University. But one thing that can be said in Trumps favor with regard to Clinton is this: he is not responsible for inciting a catalog of wars and millions of deaths in the way that Hillary Clinton actually has. Clintons track record as US First Lady, when her husband Bill was in the White House in the 1990s, followed by her years as a Senator, and then as US Secretary of State has accumulated enough evidence that would arguably allow her to be convicted as one of the biggest war criminals in recent times. She's publicly admitted to exhorting her husband to launch an illegal NATO war in the Balkans when US warplanes bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, in 1999. That led to the unlawful secession of Kosovo, which today is a breeding ground of jihadist terrorism and Mafia corruption, according to a recent report in the New York Times. It was the Clintons more than any other international figures who created the failed state of Kosovo and the current instability in the Balkans  on the doorstep of Europe and Russia. As a congressional Senator, Hillary Clinton backed both the illegal US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which not only caused more than a million deaths and destroyed those societies, but in addition those wars exploded the phenomenon of jihadist terrorism across the globe. In her failed bid for the US presidency back in 2008 against Barack Obama, Clinton warned that she would order the obliteration of Iran in order to defend Israel if she were to become Commander-in-Chief. She was obviously alluding to her willingness to use nuclear weapons to destroy Iran, yet this is the same person who says that Donald Trump should not be let anywhere near the nuclear keys to Americas arsenal. During her four years as Secretary of State under Obama, Clinton was the stand-out gung-ho senior member of the White House administration. It was she who pushed for the disastrous war for regime change in Libya and boasted after the murder of the countrys leader Muammar Gaddafi by US-backed jihadists in 2011. Clintons policy turned a once-prosperous North African nation into a charnel house, which continues to destabilize the entire region and Europe from terrorism and refugees, who are dying by the thousands as they attempt to cross the Mediterranean. It was Clinton who colluded with the Central Intelligence Agency, and with Arab and Turkish despotic rogue states to ship weapons and terror brigades from Libya into Syria in order to instigate another war for regime change. That war has caused as many as 400,000 deaths and up to 10 million displaced people, compounding the mayhem of instability in the region and for Europe that was unleashed with Libya. Hillary Rodham Clinton is also responsible for the lamentable downturn in relations between the US and Russia, after she began falsely accusing Moscow of trying to resurrect the Soviet Union and threatening its neighbors. Clintons reckless provocation of a new Cold War led to the Ukraine crisis, the US-backed coup detat in Kiev in 2014 and the ongoing bloody aggression against the ethnic Russian population in the east of that country. That in turn has created the worst tensions between Russia and the US and Europe in decades, to the point where many commentators fear that a nuclear war could break out. If Clinton were to get elected to the White House in the November presidential contest, the prognosis for world relations is even grimmer. In her latest foreign policy showcase speech this week, in which she lambasted Trump, Clinton snidely referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a tyrant. She also said that if Trump should win the presidency, then the Kremlin would celebrate  inferring that Russia harbors irrational enmity towards the US. Trump may have many faults and vulgarities. His demagogic views seem off the wall and at times repugnant. Whether he would be a danger to world peace is moot. But one thing is sure about Clinton. She is a warmonger of the highest order whose criminal interventions have led to millions of deaths and a world haunted by terrorism and the specter of nuclear war. Trump maybe a huckster, but at least he does not have blood on his hands. Clinton is provably far more dangerous than Trump. Laughably, she poses as a foreign policy mandarin and a reliable pair of hands for national security, against Trumps incoherent rantings. The only thing reliable about Clinton is that she will serve Wall Street banks, the Pentagon and CIA as a rubber-stamp Commander-in-Chief to facilitate whatever overseas agenda furnishes maximum profits for these secretive power entities. Her so-called Clinton Foundation, set up with her husband, has received millions of dollars in grants from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf dictators. Any wonder that her foreign policies and penchant for murderous operations concurs with the regional machinations of these same despots. The ongoing FBI investigation into Clintons violation of classified government information from using her private, insecure email account is but one illustration of just how dangerous this person is. She considers herself above the law, and given her propensity to sell her policies to the highest bidder that makes for a highly corrupt and unscrupulous leader of the worlds biggest nuclear power. Clinton or Trump for president? Its an abject choice either way, which shows just how degenerate American democracy has become. A recent poll indicates that most American voters do not support either candidate. Democrat contender Bernie Sanders is still in the race of course. Admittedly, if Sanders or Trump were to get elected, the prospect for America becoming a law-abiding peaceful nation is not much brighter, such is the endemic criminality of US foreign policy. However, if Hillary Clinton makes it to the White House, the outlook for the world is a whole lot worse. If she can start so many wars as a diplomat, one shudders to think of what she will be capable of as Commander-in-Grief? Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.
'March of Silence' In Uruguay

Sends Message Of Remembrance To South America By Andre Vltchek June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT " - They were marching shoulder-to-shoulder, young and old, in absolute silence. Some were carrying small placards with names and photos of their loved ones, who disappeared four decades ago, during the pro-Western dictatorship here in Uruguay. The entire center of Montevideo came to a standstill. Blocks and blocks of this marvelous city were literally inundated by the river consisting of human bodies. Then, in front of the municipality, the silence was broken. A huge screen above the square lit up, and photographs of each man and woman who disappeared, suddenly emerged, one by one. When no photograph was available, a gray contour was projected on the white screen. Two voices, one of a man, and one of a woman, were reading names of the victims. And the crowd chanted back in unison: Presente! One block further, the March of Silence ended. The national anthem of Uruguay resonated across the old city. Some people stood still, in silent salute and reverence, others fell into each others arms, weeping openly and uncontrollably. Uruguay, at least to some extent a socialist country, was still standing. All over the continent, however, left-wing governments were collapsing, under the terrible weight of constitutional coups as well as the media and business manipulations of the elites and the Empire. Argentina was crying out in pain under the neoliberal President Mauricio Macri, while the great Brazilian nation - fooled, cheated and spat at - was just slowly and painfully waking up after the long night of a shameless coup that brought a corrupt lackey and snitch of the West  Michel Temer  to power. But even in Uruguay, the old establishment was still clinging to power, blocking many essential changes, resisting and silencing the calls for justice. Around 300 people disappeared in tiny Uruguay during the extreme right-wing dictatorship (1973-85), of course much less than in Argentina or Chile. But that is enough. Enough! An old lady who was holding a placard with the image of her sister told me. 300 are much more than enough. We want justice and truth. Because without those, there could be no real progress in this country. One of the posters read: AGAINST IMPUNITY OF THE PAST AND PRESENT! TRUTH AND JUSTICE! Other placards were much more explicit: NO FORGETTING NO FORGIVENESS! And an even stronger one: THEY ARE INSIDE US, SHOUTING REVOLUTION! This is so impressive, so touching! whispers my friend Lilian Soto, a leading Paraguayan left-wing politician and former MP and Presidential candidate. I have already participated in this march on several occasions. I really love this country! I briefly speak to my colleague and comrade from TeleSur, who is covering this great event for the entire Latin America and the world. This year, after what happened in neighboring Argentina and Brazil, the march is gaining great symbolism. Cuban flags are flying, not far from the great Uruguayan Cinemateque, where my film about the US-backed 1965 coup in Indonesia had been shown, many years ago. In front of the statue of Socrates, a man poses, proudly, wrapped in a huge Brazilian flag. Those flags were just personal statements by several individuals, explains my friend, Uruguayan journalist and activist Agustin Fernandez. The demonstration was still mainly about the crimes committed by our past dictatorship. Mainly, yes; but those men and women I spoke to, on the night of 21 May, in the center of Montevideo, appeared to be extremely concerned about the macabre developments shaking the neighboring countries. In Latin America, as well as all around the world, everything is clearly inter-connected. The West; the Empire, are behind almost all the horrid crimes against the humanity. A great Greek film director, Costa Gavras, depicted the Uruguayan dictatorship and the Yankee involvement (a story of a US diplomat and expert in torture, who was kidnapped by the Uruguayan resistance group Tupamaros), in his iconic film State of Siege (1973). The US and the West were behind the disappearances and torture in this historically peaceful and democratic country... as they were responsible for the horrors of fascist dictatorships in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere... and just as they are accountable for the recent events in Argentina and Brazil. Who said that the US was too busy in the Middle East, while also provoking Russia and China? Who said that the Empire finally closed its eyes, stopped looking south? It never does! It never sleeps! Walking down the streets of Montevideo, photographing and talking to the marching masses, on several occasions I was tempted to shout: Hugo Chavez Frias! And: Salvador Allende Gossens! Expecting to hear those loud, clear and proud voices replying to me: Presente! Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. His latest books are:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire  and  Fighting Against Western Imperialism .Discussion with Noam Chomsky: On Western Terrorism . Point of No Return is his critically acclaimed political novel. Oceania  a book on Western imperialism in the South Pacific. His provocative book about Indonesia:  Indonesia  The Archipelago of Fear . Andre is making films for teleSUR and Press TV. After living for many years in Latin America and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides and works in East Asia and the Middle East. He can be reached through his website or his Twitter .
Lead by Poland, the European House Negroes Compete for the Darwin Awards By The Saker And now, when all of these benefits and all this aid has been lost and discarded, England, leading the France offers to guarantee the integrity of Poland  the same in Poland, which just six months ago with greed hyena appetite took part in the robbery and destruction of the Czechoslovak state. -Winston Churchill, The Gathering Storm June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Unz Review " - We really live in a crazy world. In preparation for the next NATO summit in Warsaw, already announced as landmark summit, kids in Poland will be submitted to 4 hours of NATO propaganda a week for the next two months. Apparently, the Poles believe that their safety will be greatly enhanced if they succeed in creating the strongest possible tensions between NATO and Russia. Either that, or they think that the Russians will be absolutely terrified, that they will return the Crimea to the Ukronazi junta in Kiev, abandon the Donbass and unilaterally demilitarize. There is nothing new here. Poland  the country which Winston Churchill called a greedy hyena  has a long history of trying to attack Russia when Russia is at her weakest, and the greatest Polish heroes are famous for attacking Russia in the times of internal trouble. Except that this time around Russia is not weak and the Russian people are solidly behind the Kremlin. You could say that the Russian bear is utterly unimpressed by the Polish hyena, especially when it hides behind the American eagle to bark at Russia. The polish view of history is nothing short of bizarre. For example, Polish politicians constantly blame the Soviet Union for the 1939 Soviet-German non-aggression Treaty (aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) of 1939. They conveniently forget that a full five years before 1939 Poland was the first to sign the 1934 Polish-German non-aggression treaty (for some reason not known as the Pisudski-Hitler Pact). Speaking of Pisudski, take a look at this (very politically correct) summary of his life and actions and you will see that having megalomaniacal Fascist national heroes is not only a Ukrainian feature. Apparently, history taught the Poles absolutely nothing. They are hardly alone. Most of Eastern Europe seems to be seized by a militaristic frenzy and a genuine fear that the Russians are about to invade. Just enter Baltic invasion drills in your favorite search engine and see for yourself how the imperial propaganda machine is constantly discussing whether an (apparently imminent) Russian invasion can be stopped or not and how the US tanks will save the Baltics from the Russkies. Russians, who are constantly informed about these developments which are discussed on an almost daily basis in the Russian media, are absolutely baffled by this paranoid hysteria. In fact, they have a hard time believing that anybody could take that kind of nonsense seriously. At the same time, however, the Russians are also realizing that what is taking place now is very much like what preceded the German invasion of the Soviet Union: a mix of rabidly russophobic rhetoric and an increasing concentration of military forces along the eastern borders of the Soviet Union. So even though the notion of Poland or anyone else actually preparing for a Russian invasion elicits only baffled reactions and giggles in Russia, the Russians are also assuming that the current militarization is only the first step in a much longer and larger process and are actively preparing for war too. What will happen next is hardly a surprise: the toxic mix of US Neocons and East-European russophobes will result in first and foremost a lot of paranoid rhetoric and grandstanding and in an increase of US and NATO forces in Eastern Europe. That, in turn, will result in the inevitable increase of Russian military capabilities directed at NATO, which will give the NATO officials even more reasons to speak of a Russian threat and give more paranoid nightmares to the East-Europeans. There is no way to deny that this is a huge victory for the US Neocons: they have finally created a situation in which East-Europeans are so terrified that they are unable to thinking logically. West Europeans are maybe capable of thinking, but cannot take any action. All EU countries will increase their military spending and purchase mostly US weapon systems (to meet NATO standards); the US MIC will make a killing. NATO will find a new (old) role for itself. Russia will be further decoupled form the EU, especially economically. Europeans will be further terrified by predictions of war and further convinced that NATO is the indispensable alliance lead by the indispensable nation. Russia will be further surrounded by new US protectorates (Finland and Georgia are probably next) If this is a huge success for the Empire, this is also a huge failure for Russia. However, I dont think that anybody could have prevented this outcome. Lets be honest here: there is nobody for the Russians to speak to in Europe (except, maybe, Hungarian President Orban). The Russians tried everything they possibly could to try to revive a modicum of common sense into the European politicians, but to no avail: the Europeans simply dont have the brains, the spine or the balls to dare to have an opinion of their own. Instead, their opinion is whatever the White House says. I know, the argument will be that its only the leaders, that the people of Europe dont support these policies. But how is it that millions of Europeans took to the streets during the so-called Euromissile crisis or to oppose the war in Iraq, but have absolutely nothing to say about their sovereignty being turned into a farce, about their leaders supporting a Nazi regime in Kiev and about being used by the USA a cannon fodder in possible continental war? I can only conclude that the Europeans deserve the leaders they have. They also all deserve a collective Darwin Award. Especially the East-Europeans who have painted a bullseye on their heads just to please of Uncle Sam. One Polish official denounced the Negro mentality of his colleagues and one ex-foreign minister even spoke of giving oral sex and getting nothing in return, a very apt image indeed. But these outbursts lead to nothing. If McCain compared Russia to a gas station masquerading as a country then I would compare EU as a brothel masquerading as a continental alliance, a brothel where Americans get serviced for free. Despised by all, feared by none could become the new EU motto. At the NATO summit in Warsaw the Americans will try hard to treat their EU NATO allies with absolute courtesy and respect, but in reality they will view them exactly as what Malcolm X called the house negro. Let me quote him in full as it is a perfect description of the modern European: So you have two types of Negro. The old type and the new type. Most of you know the old type. When you read about him in history during slavery he was called Uncle Tom. He was the house Negro. And during slavery you had two Negroes. You had the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negro usually lived close to his master. He dressed like his master. He wore his masters second-hand clothes. He ate food that his master left on the table. And he lived in his masters houseprobably in the basement or the atticbut he still lived in the masters house. So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, We have good food, the house Negro would say, Yes, we have plenty of good food. We have plenty of good food. When the master said that we have a fine home here, the house Negro said, Yes, we have a fine home here. When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master hed say, Whats the matter boss, we sick? His masters pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the masters house out than the master himself would. But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The massesthe field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that hed die. If his house caught on fire, theyd pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze. If someone came to the house Negro and said, Lets go, lets separate, naturally that Uncle Tom would say, Go where? What could I do without boss? Where would I live? How would I dress? Who would look out for me? Thats the house Negro. But if you went to the field Negro and said, Lets go, lets separate, he wouldnt even ask you where or how. Hed say, Yes, lets go. And that one ended right there . Is that not a prefect description of the new European towards the USA? And I am quite certain that US officers will have far more respect for their Russian adversaries than for their NATO allies (I have often noted that attitude in US servicemen). Still, I am not losing all hope. First, I want to believe that the Neocons can still be defeated in the USA and that what I call the old Anglo guard can give them the boot. Second, I have not lost hope in two European nations: France and Italy. I might be mistaken, but it seems to me that the French and the Italians are, in Europe, those who are least influenced by the imperial propaganda machine, maybe because of their complex and rich history, who knows? I think that there is a typically Latin (I mean that culturally, not religiously) spirit of resistance and revolt which has not been completely blotted out of the French and Italian people. I might be very naive of course, and totally wrong. I had high hopes for the Greeks, and all they could muster was the resistance power of a wet firecracker. Even the always proud Serbs appear to have been put down on their knees, at least for the time being. It is a very sad spectacle indeed. In the meantime, there are signs that Russia is coming out of the recession. The Russian armed forces are planning over 2000 military exercises just for 2016. As for the Russian people, they still overwhelmingly support Putin. After the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, this popularity is likely to soar even higher.
Syria: The U.S. Is Unwilling To Settle - Russia Returns For Another Round By Moon Of Alabama June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - The Obama administration does not want peace in Syria. The Russians finally have to admit to themselves that the U.S. is no partner for a continuation of a cease fire, a coordinated attack against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda and for peace in Syria. Indeed, as Lavrov explains, the U.S. has again asked to spare al-Qaeda from Russian air strikes even as two UN Security Council resolutions demand its eradication. Huge supply convoys (vid) from Turkey are again going to the "rebels" who will, as always, share them with al-Qaeda and other terrorists. The current renewed Syrian Arab Army attack towards Raqqa is being obstructed not only by sandstorms but also by a timely attack of al-Qaeda, Ahrar al Sham and Turkestan Islamist Party forces against government positions in the south Aleppo countryside. More than 1,000 militants have begun an offensive against Syrian army positions southwest of Aleppo, the Russian ceasefire monitoring center in Syria said in a statement on Saturday. The center also reported civilians in Aleppo as saying armed groups partly made up of Turkish soldiers had appeared north of the city. The exactly same scheme happened in March and April when a move towards eastern Syrian by the Syrian army had to be stopped to prevent further losses against al-Qaeda south of Aleppo. It seems obvious that these moves U.S. supported forces are planned to prevent any gains of the Syrian government in the east. Today Lavrov again talked to Kerry: "Lavrov expressed concern about attempts to delay the resumption of political negotiations under various pretexts," the [Russian foreign] ministry said. As the U.S. is unwilling to settle the Syria conflict Russia will have to retake the initiative. Is this a trap? Does the U.S. want Russia to sink into a quagmire in Syria? That is certainly a possibility but it is hard to see how this could happen when Russia comes back with a vengeance and strikes hard and fast. Russian airstrikes against terrorists in Syria have tripled over the last days. Additional resources have been silently dispatched: Without stirring a buzz similar to that of their first military intervention in Syria, the Russians this week disembarked ground forces and paratroopers in the port of Tartus to support more than 3,000 Russian volunteers dispatched to the region in the past few weeks, in a bid to revive coordination with the Syrian army.

...

Syrian sources stated that the Russian joint command staff, which coordinated aerial support operations last fall, had returned to the Hmeimim military base in Latakia province to begin preparations for new operations. One can only hope that the Russian leadership has learned its lesson. That it will not stop to pursue the enemy for no political gain when it is again, as it likely will soon be, on the run.
A Billings man faces multiple charges after an early Monday wreck in downtown that sent a woman to the hospital.

Benjamin Mills Jr., 40, is accused of felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor aggravated driving under the influence, according to charging documents filed in Yellowstone County Justice Court.

At about 12:20 a.m., emergency crews responded to the crash on First Avenue North near North 35th Street.

Court documents said Mills was driving a 29-year-old woman home from a night of drinking when he crashed a 2002 BMW into a 2008 Honda CRV and a 1994 Subaru legacy that were parked on the north side of First Avenue North.

The BMW spun into the center of the street and the force of the collision knocked the Honda onto its side. The BMW was so heavily damaged the front passenger side wheel was almost completely ripped off the vehicle.

Zach Rodriquez said he was in a pickup down the road when the crash occurred. He was one of the first people on scene and called 911.

It was pretty much a normal night. Then I heard tires screeching and a big crash, Rodriquez said.

He ran to the BMW and found a woman unconscious in the passenger side having a hard time breathing. The man in the drivers seat quickly came to and ran to the other side of the car.

Court documents said responding officers found Mills holding the 29-year-old woman in the passenger seat. She had severe head injuries, a dislocated hip and a compound ankle fracture. Medical staff later told police the woman could have internal injuries as well.

Billings Firefighters extricated the woman from the passenger side of the BMW and she was taken to Billings Clinic.

According to the documents Mills smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were red and glossy. He became belligerent at the scene of the crash, refusing to obey officers orders. He was handcuffed and taken to Yellowstone County Detention Facility where he registered a blood alcohol content of 0.19 percent in a breath analysis test.

Mills made his initial court appearance on Monday, where his bond was set at $6,000. If released, he will participate in the 24/7 sobriety program. He is scheduled to appear in Yellowstone County District Court on June 13.
NY Gov. Signs Pro-Israel exec. Order Punishing BDS Boycott Movement



Andrew Cuomo pushed through discriminatory policy to punish groups that boycott Israel for Palestinian human rights



By Ben Norton June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Salon " - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a pro-Israel executive order on Sunday that will punish people and groups who support a boycott of Israel on behalf of Palestinian human rights. Legal experts have described this long pending anti-boycott policy as 21st-century McCarthyism, warning it would effectively create a discriminatory blacklist of Palestinian human rights advocates who endorse boycotts like those organized in order to combat U.S.-backed apartheid in South Africa. Prominent legal organizations including the Center for Constitutional Rights, National Lawyers Guild, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal say these politically motivated anti-boycott policies constitute an unconstitutional attack on the freedom of speech. The New York legislature has unsuccessfully tried to push through anti-boycott legislation for months, amid intense pressure by pro-Israel lobby groups. Now it appears that Gov. Cuomo has decided to instead circumvent the legal process and implement the policy on his own. I am signing an Executive Order that says very clearly we are against the BDS movement, Cuomo tweeted on Sunday. If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you, he added. I am signing an Executive Order that says very clearly we are against the BDS movement. If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you.  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2016 We made a unity trip to Israel because they were under attack. Today, Israel is under attack on a different level, he tweeted before. Cuomo then announced that he would be marching in a pro-Israel parade in New York City. At 11:15am, Im marching in the @CelebrateIsrael parade in NYC. #TogetherOnFifth  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2016 After marching in the pro-Israel parade, Gov. Cuomo signed the executive order in solidarity with Israel. Today's Executive Order directs state entities to divest all public funds supporting the BDS campaign against Israel pic.twitter.com/rCRXXN2uIv  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2016 New York stands in solidarity with Israel today and always. Photos from today's EO signing: https://t.co/mp78LCiNXT pic.twitter.com/0E377IhodW  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2016 Cuomo subsequently retweeted Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, who applauded the New York governor for his strong stance against the BDS movement. BDS refers to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, an international grassroots movement that promotes nonviolent economic means to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. It was called for by Palestinian civil society in 2005. The executive order states that the State of New York will not permit its own investment activity to further the BDS campaign in any way, shape or form, whether directly or indirectly and adds that the State of New York unequivocally rejects the BDS campaign and stands firmly with Israel. It refers to Israel as a critical and invaluable ally of the United States and notes the State of New York and Israel enjoy a special historical relationship and share a commonly forged cultural bond. Unconstitutional and McCarthyite In states throughout the U.S., dozens of bills are pending that would effectively create a blacklist of and punish people and groups who support BDS. Its frightening to think there could be New York state employees scouring the internet for pro-BDS Facebook posts, tweets and news articles, and blacklisting individuals based on their political viewpoints, Rahul Saksena, a staff attorney at non-profit advocacy organization Palestine Legal, told Salon in January. Its 21st century McCarthyism, he added, noting government policies that punish citizens who endorse boycotts are disturbing attempts to punish and chill constitutionally protected speech. The government cannot punish individuals and entities because of their speech and political views, Saksena said. We believe that under a courts scrutiny, these bills would be found unconstitutional. In May, an anti-boycott bill pending in the New York senate was pulled, after advocates from New Yorks Freedom to Boycott Coalition delivered a letter signed by more than 100 organizations to the Albany offices of all New York state assembly and senate members. The letter expressed strong opposition to pending bills that would create unconstitutional blacklists, adding, State legislators pushing this McCarthyite, anti-democratic and unconstitutional legislation are out of touch with shifting opinion among growing numbers of New Yorkers and Americans. In a statement accompanying the letter, Melanie Trimble, the director of the New York Civil Liberties Union Capital Region chapter, stressed that government policy punishing New Yorkers for engaging in political speech degrades our states values and traditions and violates the Constitution. New Yorkers have a long history of bringing about social change through politically-motivated, collective actions like boycotts, Trimble added. For months, nevertheless, anti-boycott legislation has remained in the New York legislature. Senate Bill S6378A, whose assembly counterpart A9036 is also in committee, passed the senate and is in committee in the assembly. This bill, which was sponsored by Republican Jack M. Martins and has bipartisan co-sponsor support, would punish those who boycott Israel but simultaneously allow a boycott of U.S. enemies. It singles out Venezuela as an example of a country Americans could boycott, whose democratically elected socialist government the U.S. helped overthrow in 2002. Earlier this year, the National Lawyers Guild, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal issued a legal memorandum to New York state legislators in response to the state senates vote on S6378A. The legal organizations called the two bills McCarthyist, noting they harken back to the McCarthy era when the state sought to deny the right to earn a livelihood to those who express controversial political views. Gov. Cuomo is going around this long pending legislation and pushing through a policy legal groups warn in unconstitutional and discriminatory. Right-wing pro-Israel organizations like StandWithUs and conservative Christian Zionist groups like Christians United for Israel and Proclaiming Justice to the Nations have organized anti-BDS campaigns, and have called on U.S. politicians to pass anti-BDS legislation. Social justice group Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, has strongly advocated against the anti-BDS legislation. The groups five New York state chapters, along with the national organization, signed the Freedom to Boycott Coalition letter in May. New York may blacklist me for working for justice for Palestinians, JVP Executive Director Rebecca Vilkomerson wrote in Salon in February. She defended boycotts as a protected form of political speech that have a long history of being an effective tool to pressure the powerful. Alana Krivo-Kaufman, JVP East Coast regional organizer, noted that activists work for justice and equality for Palestinians follows in the footsteps of other progressive movements for racial and economic justice that have used the tactics of boycott and divestment to create political change. The National Lawyers Guild, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal also spoke of this long historic precedent in their memo. Those who support human rights boycotts  like the boycott of Israel  see boycotts as a peaceful means of putting an end to injustice, just as supporters of the Montgomery bus boycott in the 1950s, of the California grape boycott in the 1960s, and of the boycott of apartheid South Africa in the 1980s saw those boycotts as a means of overcoming other forms of injustice, the legal organizations wrote. They added, While some may disagree that one or another of those boycotts addressed injustice, just as proponents of these bills presumably disagree with those promoting the Palestinian cause, the law is well settled that participation in and support of such boycotts is a form of political expression fully protected by the Constitution. (This article was updated after it was published with follow-up tweets from Gov. Cuomo.)
How Americans Came to Kill in the Middle East By Craig Cantoni June 05, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - The writing of this historical synopsis began yesterday, Memorial Day. It is an attempt by this former artillery officer with a father buried in a veterans cemetery to understand why brave Americans were sent to their death in the Middle East and are still dying there. The hope is that we finally can learn from history and not keep repeating the same mistakes. Its important to stick to the facts, since the history of the Middle East already has been grossly distorted by partisan finger-pointing and by denial and cognitive dissonance among the politicians, foreign policy experts (in their own minds), and media blowhards and literati on the left and right, who now claim that they had nothing to do with grievous policy mistakes that they had once endorsed. The key question, as in all history, is where to begin the history lesson. We could go all the way back to religious myths, especially the ones about Moses and the Ten Commandments and about Mohammed and his flying horse. Or on a related note, we could go back to the schism that took place between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the seventh century. Such history is relevant, because American soldiers have been foolishly inserted in the middle of the competing myths and irreconcilable schism, but without the inserters acknowledging the religious minefields and steering clear of them. We also could go back to the First World War and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, when France and Britain carved up the Middle East into unnatural client states, when Arabs were given false promises of self-determination, when American geologists masqueraded as archeologists as they surreptitiously surveyed for oil, and when the United States joined Saudi Arabia at the hip through the joint oil venture of Aramco. Another starting point could be 1948, when the United States, under the lead of President Truman, supported the formal establishment of the Jewish State of Israel, thus reversing the longstanding opposition to Zionism by many (most?) American and European Jews and non-Jews. One can endlessly debate the plusses and minuses of our alliance with Israel, as well as the morality of Israels violent founding and the violent Palestinian resistance. But its undeniable that the alliance has led many Muslims to put a target on Uncle Sams back. Still another starting point could be the 1953 coup detat against the democratically-elected Iranian President Mohammad Mosaddegh, orchestrated by the CIA in conjunction with the Brits. The coup was triggered when Mosaddegh demanded an auditing of the books of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, a British company known today as BP. He threatened nationalization when the British refused to allow the audit. He was replaced by the Shah of Iran, who was seen by many Iranians and Arabs as a puppet of the United States. (Ironically, during the Second World War, Great Britain and the Soviet Union had occupied Iran and deposed an earlier shah.) Its considered unpatriotic to ask how my fellow Americans would feel if the tables had been turned and Iranians had deposed an American president and replaced him with their lackey. Therefore, I wont ask. It also would be unpatriotic to ask how wed feel if Iranians had shot down one of our passenger jets, as we had shot down one of theirs in 1988 as it was crossing the Persian Gulf to Dubai from Tehran. Again, Im not asking. Anyway, lets return to the Shah. Starting with President Nixon and continuing with President Carter, the USA sold weapons to the Shah worth billions of dollars. There was even an agreement to sell nuclear reactors to him. Those weapons would later be used by Iran against the U.S. in the Persian Gulf after we had sided with Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran. At a state dinner in Tehran on December 31, 1977, the Shah toasted President Carter. Carter responded effusively, saying that Iran was an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world. He went on to say: This is a great tribute to you, Your Majesty, and to your leadership and to the respect and the admiration and love which your people give to you. Actually, most Iranians hated the Shah. Two years later, on January 16, 1979, the unpopular Shah fled into exile after losing control of the country to Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his Iranian Revolution. Then in October of that year, Carter allowed the Shah to come to the USA for medical treatment. Responding with rage, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took embassy personnel hostage, in a hostage drama that would last 444 days, including a failed attempt to rescue the hostages that left dead American soldiers and burnt helicopters in Iran. The drama ended on the day that Carter left office. But none of the above events is where our history of American lives lost in the Middle East should begin. It should begin in the summer of 1979, with a report written by a low-level Defense Department official by the name of Paul Wolfowitz. His Limited Contingency Study assessed the political, geopolitical, sectarian, ethnic, and military situation in the Middle East and recommended a more active American involvement in the region, including possible military intervention to blunt the Soviet Unions influence, protect our access to oil, and thwart the ambitions of Iraq under its dictator, Saddam Hussein. Wolfowitz would later become a deputy to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld under the presidency of George W. Bush. Note that Wolfowitzs paper was written long before 9/11 and long before the toppling of Saddam Hussein in the Second Gulf War after he was accused of having weapons of mass destruction. Until the Wolfowitz report, the USA had taken a rather passive and indirect role in the Middle East, placing it secondary to other geopolitical matters and using proxies and intelligence spooks to protect its interests in the region. Of course this low-level interference in the affairs of other nations was not seen as low level by the targets of the actions. To use common vernacular, it pissed them off, just as it would have pissed us off if the roles had been reversed. But again, its unpatriotic to consider the feelings of others, especially if they are seen as the enemy, or backwards, or religious zealots. Strategic and tactical thinking began to change with the Wolfowitz paper. Plans started to be developed for military action to replace more benign approaches. Eventually, the plans indeed resulted in military actions, ranging from full-scale war to bombing from the air to drone warfare, in such places as Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia (the locale of Blackhawk Down), with side actions outside of the Middle East in Bosnia and Kosovo. In each case the American military performed admirably and often exceptionally, but less so for Defense Department analysts, for Congress and the White House, for the press on the left and right, or for the public at largemost of whom got caught up in the passions of the moment and didnt understand the cultures they were dealing with and didnt think through the unintended consequences of military actions in lands where Western concepts of justice, fairness, equality, tolerance, pluralism, religious freedom, diversity, and multiculturalism were as foreign and out of place as an American tourist wearing flipflops and shorts in a mosque. Americas involvement in Afghanistan is instructive. Our interest in the godforsaken country began with the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion that was triggered by Soviet concern that the instability of the country would spread to the nearby Soviet Union. Trapped in a cold war time warp, the USA mistakenly thought that the invasion might be a precursor to the Soviets advancing through Iran to capture oil fields in the Persian Gulf. Both the conservative and liberal press advanced this notion and accused President Carter of being weak. It was a variant of the domino theory that had led to the Vietnam War, and it grossly overestimated the military and economic prowess of the Soviet Uniona myth that continues today with ludicrous concerns that enfeebled Russia will use the North Caucus region as a springboard to conquer Europe. The outcry over the invasion of Afghanistan led Carter to issue the Carter Doctrine, which essentially made the Middle East a protectorate of the United States. Arrangements began to be coordinated with allies in the region to build American military bases in the Persian Gulf and increase arms sales and foreign aid. Countervailing views were ignored, including the opinion of Hermann Eilts, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Saudi Arabia and a negotiator who had helped to broker the Egypt-Israel peace agreement. He warned that American military action in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere would be viewed as blatant imperialism and feed anti-Americanism. In any event, instead of sweeping through Iran and into the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the Soviets became mired in the land of poppy seeds, goats, and tribal hatreds, just as we would later follow suit and where we remain mired to this day. The costs of the Soviet war in Afghanistan was a factor in Perestroika and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Unionevents that probably would have happened on their own without President Reagans efforts to bankrupt the Soviet Union through an arms race and proxy wars. Speaking of Reagan, there is a famous photo of him meeting in the White House in 1983 with Afghan jihadists in their beards and traditional robes and turbans. At the time, the USA was arming its future enemies in Afghanistan, at a total cost of over $4 billion. Conservative talk-radio hosts would be apoplectic if there were such a meeting between President Obama and jihadists, but they have conveniently forgotten the photo of Reagan. Also forgotten is the Reagan administration referring to the mujahedin as noble savages who were fighting for an abstract idea of freedom. Afghanistan Day was added to the official state calendar as a way of showing support for the freedom fighters who were defending the principles of independence and freedom that form the basis of global security and stability, including the right to practice religion according to the dictates of conscience. Reagan even dedicated an upcoming flight of the space shuttle Columbia to Afghans who demonstrated mans highest aspirations for freedom by resisting the Soviet occupation. After the Soviets departed from Afghanistan, Americans on the left and right celebrated what supposedly had been done by America to speed the departure. Even Hollywood got into the act with the movie Charlie Wilsons War. But as Andrew J. Bacevich writes in Americas War for the Middle East, A raging bout of victory disease had made them [American policymakers] stupid. (Parts of this commentary are based on the superb book.) Afghanistan wasnt the first or last time that the USA would arm terrorists, despots, and future enemies. Another time was the Iran-Contra affair, in which the Reagan administration unlawfully funneled arms to Iran. Still another was the arming of Saddam Hussein in his long war with Iran from 1980 to 1988. While we were arming Hussein, our ally Israel was selling U.S. arms and spare parts to the Khomeini regime. Yet another time was the arming of Saudi Arabia and the expansion of an American military presence in the kingdom, especially after Saddam attacked Kuwait in 1990 and President George H. W. Bush responded with the First Gulf War. A wealthy Saudi took exception to the American presence in his country and Americas interference in what he saw as a matter between Arabs. His name was Osama bin Laden. It didnt matter to the USA then, and doesnt seem to matter now, that Saudi Arabia was a major exporter of terrorism and the home of the radical sect of Islam known as Wahhaism, or Salafism. Later, of course, 15 of the 19 terrorists involved with the 9/11 terrorist attack would be Saudis. Yet Saddam Hussein and Iraq were to be blamed as the haven of al Qaeda. Notably, once the Iraqi army was defeated in the First Gulf War, the senior Bush did not go on to occupy Iraq and depose Saddam. Having once headed the CIA, Bush no doubt understood that doing so would remove the Sunni counterbalance to Shiite Iran. His son, George W. Bush, apparently had no such qualms in 2003 at the start of the Second Gulf War, which not only resulted in the occupation of Iraq but also removed the Sunni counterbalance to Shiite Iran, as well as creating a power vacuum in which ISIS (aka ISIL) took root in Iraq and Syria. Most of the American media also had no qualms about the Second Gulf War. Max Boot, the former editorial editor of the Wall Street Journal, was typical. He wrote in the Weekly Standard that historians would see the invasion of Iraq as the moment when the powerful antibiotic known as democracy was introduced into the diseased environment of the Middle East, and began to transform the region for the better. An acquaintance of mine, Charles Goyette, saw things differently. A talk-radio host on conservative KFYI in Phoenix, Goyette was learned in history and understood the folly of the invasion, which was such blasphemy in talk-radio circles that he was replaced by a true believer. But Im getting ahead of myself. Lets return to President Reagan, and in particular, his foray into Lebanon in 1982, a foray that followed Wolfowitzs script for projecting U.S. power. At first, the insertion of Marines into the middle of the Lebanon civil war seemed to be a success. Reagan and the media celebrated, just like George W. Bush and the media would later celebrate the American victory in the Second Gulf War, until the blowback from the victory rained on the celebrations. There were two blowbacks to the intervention in Lebanon. The first was Israel standing by and doing nothing as Christian Phalangists massacred Palestinians in a refugee camp. The massacre would lead to the establishment of Hezbollah and to Reagan angrily denouncing Israel. By comparison, President Obamas later snubbing of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would look like a childrens game of friendly patty cake. The second blowback was the terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 service personnel. To his credit, Reagan withdrew American troops from Lebanon after the bombing. Tellingly, he wasnt excoriated by the conservative press for doing so, unlike the outrage that would have occurred if President Obama had been the one turning tail. Then there was Reagans hatred of the nut job and Libyan dictator Muammar Ghaddafi. Reagan thought that killing the head of Libya would stop the country from financing and exporting terrorism and would enable the blossoming of democracy. Reagan didnt succeed in killing Ghaddafi, but if had succeeded, no doubt the outcome wouldnt have been much different from when Obama would later be encouraged to come to the aid of Libyan rebels as part of the so-called Arab Spring. Ghaddafi would be captured and killed by rebels in 2011, after a convoy he was riding in was bombed by a French fighter jet as part of NATOs military actions in the country, led by the United States. Libya soon descended into chaos, civil war, and anarchy. Those who had encouraged Obama to take action in Libya would quickly forget their own complicity and blame Obama for not doing enough to stop the resultant bloodshed. Once again, it was believed that removing a strong man would magically enable the flourishing of Western-style liberty in Muslim lands. To summarize, from when Wolfowitz wrote his paper in 1979 to the present, the following military campaigns and operations have taken place: Iraq : Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Desert Strike, Northern Watch, Desert Fox, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Inherent Resolve

Iran : Eagle Claw

Afghanistan : Cyclone, Infinite Reach, Enduring Freedom, Freedoms Sentinel

Pakistan : Neptune Spear

Persian Gulf : Earnest Will, Nimble Archer, Praying Mantis

Syria : Inherent Resolve

Saudi Arabia : Desert Shield, Desert Focus

Yemen : Determined Response

Somalia : Restore Hope, Gothic Serpent

Bosnia : Deny Flight, Joint Endeavor

Kosovo : Allied Force, Joint Guardian

Lebanon : Multinational Force

Libya : El Dorado Canyon, Odyssey Dawn

Egypt : Bright Star

Sudan : Infinite Reach Source: Americas War for the Greater Middle East The cost of the foregoing campaigns and operations were 7,421 Americans killed, 52,278 Americans wounded, trillions of dollars spent, and Veterans hospitals overflowing with veterans with physical and psychological wounds. Yet with few exceptions in the Middle East, terrorism still thrives and democracy and liberal values have not. Maybe its time to question our assumptions and premises regarding the use of military power. On second thought, maybe I shouldnt have begun my history lesson with the Wolfowitz paper. Maybe I shouldve started over one hundred thousand years ago, when Homo sapiens stood upright, walked into the African savannah, and organized into clans and tribes to fight other clans and tribes over resources. Those with bones through their nose became the enemy of those with bones through their lip, just as todays Crips and Bloods are enemies, just as Sunnis and Shiites are enemies, just as Israelis and Palestinians are enemies, and just as Islamists and American infidels are enemies. Maybe humans are hardwired to fight other tribes. Maybe the reason that so many Americans have died in the Middle East is as simple and discouraging as that. Craig J. Cantoni is a former military officer whose father is in a veterans cemetery. This artice was first published at "MishTalk" https://mishtalk.com/
The Federal Government has asked the former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, to defend himself in his ongoing trial for money laundering at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The former governor is standing trial before the court on three-count charges of money laundering and false asset declaration brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ohakim, who was governor of Imo between 2007 and 2011, was accused of purchasing a property at 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Plot No 1098, Cadastral ZoneA04, Asokoro District, Abuja, with a cash payment of $2.29million (N270 million) in November 2008.

He was also accused of failing to declare the property as part of his asset to the anti-graft agency.

The prosecution lawyer, Festus Keyamo, on Monday urged the court to reject the no-case submission made by Ohakims lawyer, Awa Kalu (SAN).

According to Keyamo, the prosecution had shown sufficient evidence to establish its case against the defendant.

Keyamo, who adopted his written submission in opposition to Ohakims no-case submission, pointed out that the defendant had in his statement to the EFCC admitted making payment for the property in dollars, but later changed it to say payment was made in naira.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola reserved June 30 for ruling on the former governors no-case submission.
The people of Yobe were shocked yesterday after a baby was born with the heart outside his body (a rare case of disorder) at a local hospital Gaidam area of the state. The baby was immediately rushed to University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State -for a life-saving surgery.

Source: BreakingTimes
The defection of the member representing Ukum/Logo/Katsina-Ala federal constituency in Benue State, Emmanuel Udende, from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to All Progressives Congress, APC, has been hailed by youths in the state as a giant step in the right direction.

Rep. Udende, who is deputy chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, last Wednesday in a letter read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara during plenary, announced his decision to quit the umbrella party, citing the ongoing leadership tussle in the PDP as reason for his defection to the APC.

He was not alone as the member representing Anambra-East/West Federal Constituency in Anambra State, Tony Nwoye, also dumped the PDP for APC same day.

Hailing Udendes move, the youths under the aegis of APC Youth Agenda (AYA), noted that the lawmaker had always advocated and practiced the unique brand of progressive, forward looking and grassroots oriented politics that the APC is well known for.

The AYA in a communique signed by its publicity secretary, Comrade Tor Uja on Saturday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, stressed that the lawmakers unequivocal rejection of the parochial, corrupt and oppressive policies of the PDP has placed him unwaveringly on the side of the people of his constituency.

It further applauded the dynamic and people oriented leadership style of Udende, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs in the state and a two-term member of the lower legislative chamber, noting the numerous constituency projects and welfare schemes he has initiated to provide succour for the teeming youths, women, farmers and the physically challenged members of society.

We sincerely urge him to continue in his progressive and compassionate activities and endeavours while pledging unflinching support for his future political aspirations in the present and upcoming dispensations, the AYA said.
The Presidency on Monday insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari was not ill, despite confirming that he is suffering from an ear infection.

The Presidency predicated its stance on the fact that Mr. Buhari was not incapacitated as a result of the ear infection for which he will see Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T) specialists during his 10-days vacation in London.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who spoke with newsmen at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as the president was leaving for London Monday, said that it was wrong to refer to the ear infection as illness.

According to Adesina, there is nothing wrong for a president to take 15 days rest in one year in office.

He said: The buzz going round town is that the President is ill, but ill will be a misnomer, it should not be the right word to use.

The President is going for a 10 day rest and during that period he will see specialists who will look at his ear because he has been treating that ear locally for some time.

Nigerian physicians have looked at it and now they have said you are going to UK, now that you will be there let specialists look at the ear. They have treated it locally so it is not a question of whether the President is ill. If he is ill, it presupposes that there are certain things that he cannot do.

Till the very last minute that he is traveling, the President performed the duties and functions of his office as the President.

So illness is not the issue, but as a human being yes he can rest. He has been President for one full year, you know that in February he took 5days leave, he is taking another 10 days now that means 15 days leave in one year.

You and I take more than that, so it is natural that the President as a human being is taking 10 days rest but he is not ill, he added

Rather than going into frenzy, Mr. Adesina called on Nigerians to show goodwill and patriotism by praying and wishing the president well.

Things about health life and death are in the hands of God, but I believe that all is well with our President and God will take care of him and take care of the country, he said.
The political battle between the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, and senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, assumed a frightening dimension on Monday as the latter vowed to hold the governor personally liable should any harm befall him.

Shehu, who recently joined other stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kaduna State chapter, to form a splinter group APC Akida, against El-Rufais hijack of the party, stated this in a statement by his aide.

The statement reads: Our attention has been drawn to a hate speech and threat to life made by Governor Nasiru El-rufai against distinguished Senator Shehu Sani in the Governors circus christened as Town Hall meeting in Giwa Local Government on 4th June 2016.

The Governor reliably and evidently referred to Senator Sani, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Isa Ashiru Kudan as Ants he will match and crush. We could have easily dismissed or ignore this statement as Tantrums of an accidental Governor high on weekend Marijuana, but we decided not to take things for granted in view of the petit Governors mean and vicious history and his allergy to criticism. Also fresh in our mind is the mass killings and burial of members of the Islamic movement in Zaria last December.

We view his unguarded and provocative utterances as nothing but a hate speech and a direct threat to the Life of Senator Sani and others whom the Governor perceived as his enemies. We will hold Governor Nasiru El-rufai personally responsible for any harm done on Senator Sani.

This statement is to publicly alert security agencies and the General public that in the event of any injury or assassination of Senator Shehu Sani, no one should be held responsible but Governor Nasiru El-rufai.

In Kaduna, a journalist, Dickson, was jailed and a University lecturer, Dr. John Danfulani, was jailed and suspended for criticizing the Governor. Killing Senator Shehu Sani will not give him the quiet he so much desires to continue with his anti-peoples programmes and policies in Kaduna State.

It will interest the general public to know that after the dubious condolence visit by the Governor over the death of the Senators mother, Governor El-rufai continue to use state funds to sponsor attacks against the Senator on local radio stations: He has even recently granted a personal interview on TVC television channel where he reigned invectives against the distinguished senator.

El-rufai is a desperate and drunken power maniac. He is a Lilliputian despot whose hearts and liver cannot take or stand criticism. He is a man angry with his height and frame. He is a man desperate to outshine PMB and all out to crush human beings he calls Ants on his way.

El-rufai claimed he wants to make Kaduna great again but he actually want to make it grave again, proven by his lethal threats against his perceived opponents.

We wish to advice El-rufai that he doesnt need to crush Ants or spill the blood of Senator Shehu Sani and others to realize his political ambitions. El-rufai is not appeased with his suspension of Sen Sani from his pocketed state APC he has now resorted to threats of Crushing and matching.

El-rufai is an affliction to the people of Kaduna; he is at war with Clerics, Teachers, Workers, Traditional rulers, Physically challenged, Journalists, Doctors, politicians and the poor. The accidental Governor used the ladder of criticism to mount to power and now he is afraid of his shadow. We advise El-rufai to use the waters of River Kaduna to build Kaduna of his dream and if he must use blood he should use the blood of the abundant crocodiles in Kaduna River and not that of distinguished Senator Shehu Sani.

Nigerians should ask E-lrufai why does he wish death for those who he perceived as his enemies; First he told his critics to climb Kufena Rock and die and now he calls them Ants he wants to crush.

El-rufai abused IBB, PMB, Atiku, Obj, Yaradua, GEJ and they never called him an Ant that they must crush but he now wants to crush.

We wish to let Governor El-rufai know that threats of crushing or execution cannot deter us from our noble path in protecting our people.
Politically exposed persons, former military chiefs, electoral officials and government agencies topped the list of those behind the N115billion refunded to the federal government in the last one year, it has been revealed.

The revelation came less than 24 hours after the federal government released what it called an interim report on the financial and assets recoveries made by the various government agencies.

The report fell below expectation of some Nigerians, who anticipated that identities of those behind the alleged looting of the treasury would be named and shamed.

However, a glimpse of the likely list of some of those behind the huge refund has been published as follows: $3.1b from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) accounts (the money was paid to the government-owned oil company by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited); $1m seized from a former Chief of Air Staff; National Broadcasting Commission (N10,061,172,600); another ex-Chief of Air Staff (N2.3b); an ex-presidential aide (N900m); a businessman (N750m); an ex-governor of Delta State ($15m); an ex-Chief of Staff and others (N420m); an ex-Minister (N140m); and an ex-Military Administrator (N100m).

Others are officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo and Ogun (N359millon); a former Minister (N2m); a former state Speaker N1m; and N580 million (2 million) in jewelry, allegedly from a former minister.

Justifying governments decision to reverse itself on naming and shaming the alleged looters, an EFCC source said: We cannot release the names of those affected because some of them are already on trial before the court. We do not want to take any prejudicial action. We have been advised against doing so.

As soon as it is legally convenient, we will release the full list.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayoses eldest brother, Oluwasegun, has given him knocks over his recent call on Ekiti residents, particularly farmers and hunters, to terminate the lives of armed herdsmen attacking communities in the state.

The governor also banned cattle grazing in the state in response to the killing of two persons in Oke Ako by suspected herdsmen.

But Oluwasegun condemned his brothers directive as aggressive and unbefitting of a true leader.

Speaking yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the eldest Fayose said the governor was embarrassing the family by some of his actions and utterances.

According to him, leaders are not supposed to make comments that are capable of inciting the public or bringing their familys name into disrepute.

I totally disagree with him. I do not like what he is doing. He is dragging the family name in the mud. I read in national dailies that Ayo Fayose was inciting Ekiti people against herdsmen.

I have never seen where a leader talks like this before. I spent most of my life in Europe. I left Nigeria in 1976. My children are still there. I want them to be able to come home. I do not want to be harassed. Let it be on record that I do not support this kind of aggressive method of governance. He is too vulgar for my liking.

Mr. Oluwasegun further advised his governor brother that rather than make utterances that do not portray him and the Fayose family as noble, he should keep quiet.
A parade in Pablo is a highlight of Denise Juneaus eight years as Montanas top K-12 education leader. Students wearing bright green T-shirts signed pledges to graduate from high school. Then they paraded through their small town.

Parents came out to cheer for the children. Horns honked. The whole community joined in the Graduation Matters event to support education.

That pledge idea came from my student advisory board, my very first one, Juneau said on a recent visit to Billings. Now we have more than 11,000 pledges engaging students and parents.

One Fort Belknap parent proudly told Juneau that her student displays his graduation pledge on a wall in his room.

Graduation pledges are just one idea that communities across the state have adopted for their Graduation Matters programs. Graduation Matters started in Missoula, and Juneau promoted the program statewide.

Fifty-eight communities now have Graduation Matters, including all the largest districts and schools educating 80 percent of the states K-12 students. Juneau said the strength of the program is engaging local community members who decide whats needed to help their students.

The state graduation rate has increased every year since 2010 when Graduation Matters Montana was launched. The 2016 graduation rate was 86 percent, the best ever  a significant improvement over the 2009 rate of 80.7 percent.

The states dropout rate has been reduced by a third. Native American students still graduate at a much lower rate than other students, but this groups graduation rate is trending upward.

We have work to do, said Juneau, who has focused on lifting up Montanas lowest performing public schools by introducing the Schools of Promise program.

Among the tasks not yet complete is bringing Montana education statutes into the 21st century. The Legislature repeatedly rejected Juneaus proposals to raise the legal dropout age from 16 to 18 and to count 19-year-olds as students for the purpose of state funding.

Montana is the only state that doesnt provide funding for students over age 18, Juneau pointed out. That policy creates a dilemma for local school districts that receive no money to serve students who started school late, repeated a grade or continue to need special education. The dropout age hasnt been changed since 1921.

Graduation Matters Montana has received no funding from the Legislature. It has depended on private grants and gifts.

Graduation Matters Montana grant recipients include districts in Billings, Laurel, Lockwood, Hardin, Colstrip, Crow Agency, Miles City, Lame Deer, Livingston, Sidney and Wolf Point. The grants of $2,500 to $6,500 will help pay for locally devised projects such as events linking career mentors with students, a peer tutoring program, reading tutors, Saturday and after-school tutoring and summer school for seniors who did not graduate with their class.

Every year, there are new students and new challenges to help each one graduate college and career ready. Meanwhile, every Montanan who earns a high school diploma is much more likely to be successful and contributing to our state for a lifetime.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has predicted that the economic downturn currently being witnessed in the country will last for the first four years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and eventually lead to its downfall.

The governor gave the prediction on Sunday at a Thanksgiving Service to mark the first anniversary of the 5th assembly of the Ekiti State House of Assembly at the Government House Chapel, Ado Ekiti.

Mr. Fayose also claimed that his decision to embark on solidarity strike with workers in the state was informed by his discovery that the All Progressives Congress-led federal government had failed and would continue to fail in reviving the nations economy.

I am not a prophet of doom, but I must tell you the truth. It is this economic downturn that will pull down the Buhari-led government. Mark my word. The economy will improve, but it will be too late in the life of the Buhari-led government.

God is angry with the Buhari-led government. It is shedding the blood of too many innocent people.

Soldiers would enter the home of poor village people and gun them down in cold blood. There is too much of blood-shedding. Look at what they did to that innocent woman in Kano.

I am telling you that God allowed them to get into government so that they would be exposed; so that everyone would see their inability and hypocrisy, a statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Speaker, Stephen Gbadamosi, quoted the governor as saying.

Earlier, Speaker of the Ekiti State Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, explained that the principle of separation of power did not envisage bickering among the arms of government.

He said: When people say we are Fayoses boys in the House, I just watch them display their ignorance. A journalist once asked me such a question. I just told him that God will make him a state governor one day, and that when he gets there, he should put his enemies in the Assembly.

Our enemies did not want us to get to the Assembly, let alone clocking one year in office or getting the Assembly to stand.

When you say someone is a rubber stamp, it means that person is a fool or slowpoke. By all standards, members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly are no fools or morons. We have virtually all professional callings represented in the House. Only morons can be rubber stamp.
Students in Oyo State, Monday took to the streets protesting and vandalising property over the move by the state government to involve the private sector in public school administration.

The students from various schools across the state went round the city to register their displeasure over the governments plan to introduce Public-Private Partnership in public schools.

Reacting to the protests and destruction of public property by students in the state, the Oyo State government condemned strongly the violent protest.

The government further ordered the immediate shutdown of all primary and secondary schools in the state to avoid any further breach of peace.
Nairobis police chief has issued a warning to opposition supporters not to take part in their planned protest today in the Kenyan capital. Although the police brutally attacked them during their last protest last month, they still plan to step out for another protest today.

They have been protesting every Monday for several weeks about the electoral commission, which they claim is biased.



Speaking to BBC Africa yesterday, Japheth Koome said police were prepared to use lethal force if necessary. He said, No demonstration. Thats the message. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. It will not be allowed. Thats why Im questioning those who have intentions of demonstrating tomorrow. Dont come, then you start talking about police brutality. Life is dear! Please, if you value your life, dont attempt it that way. You will be dealt with firmly.

Opposition politician James Orengo however said the rally would go ahead as there was no legal justification for banning it.

Source: LIB
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has expressed solidarity with Muslims in the country as they joined their counterparts the world over to commence this years Ramadan fast on Monday.

To ensure a peaceful month of Ramadan across the country, Mr. Arase directed all state commissioners of police to personally ensure that key and vulnerable points, all places of worship, recreation centres, resorts and other public places are adequately and effectively protected.

This, he said, was to enable worshippers and the general public enjoy maximum fulfilment during and after the period, which will lead to Eid-el Fitri celebration.

A statement issued in Abuja by the force spokesperson, ACP Bisi Kolawole, said IG Arase sought the prayers, support and understanding of Nigerians, assuring that by Gods grace, the battle against crime and criminality will eventually be won.
The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday dismissed the petition filed by Hon. James Faleke against the candidacy of Yahaya Bello in the November 21, 2015 governorship election in Kogi.

Faleke was running mate to late Abubakara Audu, former All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in that election.

Following the death of Audu at about the time the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared the poll inconclusive, the APC nominated Bello as its substitute candidate for the rerun election on December 5, 2015.

With the APC already leading the poll, the rerun was a mere formality as Bello coasted to victory over the then incumbent and Peoples Democratic Party flag bearer, Idris Wada.

But Faleke approached the tribunal with a petition alleging that Bello ought not to have been nominated or declared a winner of the rerun election becase he was not a registered voter in Kogi state among other reasons.

Dismissing the petition for lacking locus standi, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, declared that deciding the candidate of a political party is not under the jurisdiction of a court,

The judgment reaffirmed that it is the prerogative of the political party to decide its candidate in an election.
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant presidential pardon to 54 soldiers jailed for refusing to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the spirit of Ramadan.

The Muslim group made the plea in a statement by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, on Monday in Lagos.

A military court martial found the soldiers guilty of mutiny and sentenced them to death.

Mr. Akintola, however, argued that the ongoing trial of ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, had revealed that the Nigerian soldiers were deprived of needed arms and ammunition at the time while the top echelon mishandled the money meant for the procurement of military hardware to prosecute the war against Boko Haram.

This may have informed the decision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to commute the death sentence to 10 years imprisonment for each of the soldiers.

Leveraging on the Ramadan season as the divinely acknowledged month of mercy (rahmah), we appeal for presidential pardon for the soldiers, he said.

The MURIC director pointed out that Prophet Mohammad said that the beginning of Ramadan is a blessing, its middle is forgiveness while its end is freedom.

In the light of the foregoing, Akintola appealed to President Buhari to allow these three qualities of Ramadan reflect fully in his actions and utterances, particularly regarding the case of the 54 soldiers.

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is in dire need of prayers today. We are plagued with the problems of insecurity, insurgency, militancy among other problems, he added.

According to him, our leaders always ask religious leaders to pray for the country, even as our imams and pastors are praying.

The best assurance that Allah will answer this countrys prayers is for our leaders to show remorse and seek Allahs forgiveness for our collective trespasses, he said.

So what better way is there to seek Allahs forgiveness than by first forgiving our own perceived offenders?

A nation that seeks divine blessing must first purge itself of its judicial wrongdoings. We contend that the 54 soldiers among some other prisoners are innocent souls.

Prof. Akintola also called on the state governors and Chief Judges to seize the opportunity of this month of mercy to visit prisons and set large numbers of innocent prisoners free.

This is one of the steps which our leaders must take to secure Istijaabah (Allahs positive response to prayers).

It will show that we, as Nigerians, confess our sins before Allah. We are showing remorse, asking for forgiveness.

We are forgiving those who actually offended us collectively as well as our perceived offenders.

So that Allah may close the doors of our countrys travails and open the doors of peace, blessings and prosperity for us. Nigeria will be great again.

(NAN)
THE Niger Delta Militant group, the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, on Monday reiterated its decision to unleash six missiles on the country.

The missiles, according to the JNDLF last week, would be released on Tuesday (tomorrow).

In a statement on Monday, the group named its targets, advising those occupying the buildings to vacate them.

Top on the list of the target of the militants, according to the statement, are the Presidential Villa in Abuja; the headquarters of the Department of State Services, also in Abuja; the Defence Headquarters, Abuja; National Assembly, Abuja; and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Towers, Abuja.

Others include the Police Headquarters in Abuja; Central Bank of Nigeria; headquarters of some multinational oil companies; and the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal headquarters.

The statement, signed by General Akotebe Darikoro, Commander, General Duties; General Torunanaowei Latei, Creeks Network Coordinator; General Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro, Pipelines Bleeding Expert; and General Pulokiri Ebiladei, Intelligence Bureau, said the decision to notify the occupants of the buildings to vacate them was because the aim of their struggle was not to destroy lives.

The statement, unedited, reads in full: In our final meeting, it was resolved that the Nigerian Communication Satellite Orbit should be shut down so that it will avoid the cause of electronic radiation to human lives.

Also, the followings occupants of these buildings should as a matter of urgency vacate in them immediately IN THEIR OWN INTEREST to save their lives because our fight is not for ANY HUMAN BLOOD but to destroy all those infrastructures that were built with our oil and gas monies in this country. We will make federal government and oil companies suffer as they have made the people of Niger Delta region suffers over the years from environmental degradation and environmental pollution. They include:

1. STATE HOUSE, VILLA- ABUJA

2. DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS

3. DSS HEADQUARTERS

4. POLICE HEADQUARTERS

5. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

6. NNPC TOWERS

7. CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

8. SUPREME COURT/APPEAL COURT

9. AGIP HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA

10. SHELL HEADQUARTERS, LAGOS

11. CHEVRON HEADQUARTERS, LAGOS

12. EXXON MOBIL, LAGOS

13. NLNG, LAGOS & ABUJA OFFICES

14. KADUNA REFINERY

15. ALL MILITARY FORMATIONS IN ABUJA, LAGOS, KADUNA, BENUE, ETC.

We shall fire these Missiles simultaneously at the night, as this will enable every Nigerians to see the movement of the MISSILES and equally to believe us of our seriousness attached to the final breakup as predicted by the United States of America (USA).

We equally advise the Diplomatic Community to be neutral on this issue as wrong comments against us will be seen as saboteurs. Where they are staying presently will not be affected which is not part of our targeted areas of destruction in the country.

We shall embarrass the self-acclaimed Nigerian Air Force with their recent deployment of fighter aircraft, helicopter gunship and surveillance aircraft when at this digital age, countries are talking about Missile development, and they still condescend so low of their present obsolete equipment. This is sad indeed!

Note, we are going to destroy the ones they have deployed to Escravos, Forcados in Delta State; Bonga oil field, Agbami offshore and Brass in Bayelsa; Bony in Rivers; Qua Iboe Terminal in Akwa Ibom State, and Opuekeba in Ondo State if they fail to remove them before time. Our crack team has taken inventory of their equipment. Even the present suffering from a rare ear disease known as Menieres disease by President Muhammadu Buhari will not win any sympathy to save our action against the federal government. The name Nigeria as a country will come to an end this week.

The so-called military operations code named OPERATION PULO SHIELD in the Niger Delta region who our partners in the oil bunkering activities, because presently without been told the former JTF Commander, Major-General Emmanuel Atewe who was arrested by the EFCC last week over pipelines surveillance contract amounts to N8.2 billion in the region, is an eye opener to the federal government that the military are fully involved in illegal bunkering in the area. They only destroy those who could not afford their bidding and further lobby to come to the Niger Delta region because of what they are gaining from the area.

Imagine, an Army privates and corporals from the North could build business plaza of 3 storeys with several estate and other buildings including exotic cars to the detriment of the region? The Pharaoh of Nigeria (Buhari) should take the counsel of parasites and actors around him of the region especially Mr Ayiri Emami and Professor Ita Sagey who are presently in our searchlight.

The founder of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, Israel Akpodoro, is a dead man and that he should not hide for linking former President, Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson with the Avengers. We are not in ANY community, the Military cant locate Tompolo but we have identified where he is now.

Presently, Tompolo is in Libya and well get him dead or alive for betraying us in supporting the federal government against us.

Nigerian Military has weak intelligence gathering mechanism hence they could not identify our modu oparandi. Nigerian military is only good for carrying AK47 to harass innocent people and raping young girls and women.

If the oil companies especially Shell and Chevron spent billions of naira to only undertake repairs of damaged oil and gas pipelines in the region, when such funds were better channeled for the payments of Bonga oil spill in 2011 and Chevron gas explosion in Koluama, Bayelsa state in 2012 would have saved them from these bombing and their present predicament would have been a thing of the past. Since they dont want to hear, well continue to break the pipelines until they do the needful for our old parents at home because that is the only language the companies and federal government hears in the country from the region

when such funds were better channeled for the payments of Bonga oil spill in 2011 and Chevron gas explosion in Koluama, Bayelsa state in 2012 would have saved them from these bombing and their present predicament would have been a thing of the past. Since they dont want to hear, well continue to break the pipelines until they do the needful for our old parents at home because that is the only language the companies and federal government hears in the country from the region.

Source: BreakingTimes
Punch

The Ogun State Police Command in a new offensive has arrested six pipeline vandals in various locations in the state.

Vanguard

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Sunday in Maiduguri alerted Borno residents that kerosene mixed with petrol is currently in circulation in the state.

Thisday

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has joined workers of the state civil service on indefinite strike. Fayose said the solidarity strike became expedient to show concerns with the workers, who have been on strike for more than a week.

The Sun

A federal lawmaker in northeast Nigerias Adamawa State has raised concerns over recent Boko Haram attacks in his constituency.

Guardian

Eni, the parent company of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), said the oil firms production had been cut short by 65,000 barrels per day following Fridays attack on its pipeline in Bayels

Daily Trust

Mr. Kenneth Imansuangbon is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State

Leadership

Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom may soon sack some of the top government functionaries that were arrested by the police and are being interrogated over the gruesome murder of his security aide, Denen Igbana, should the appointees fail to resign voluntarily.

Tribune

LAGOS State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday berated the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government over non disclosure of identities of those it recovered the looted funds from, which it made public last Saturday, declaring that the talk about looted funds had now been confirmed to be hype, political vendetta and insincerity on the part of the government.

The Nation

Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday attributed last Fridays commotion at his mothers residence in Gbagada to unruly soldiers.
As President Muhammadu Buhari departed Nigeria Monday via the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for London, he declared that nobody, not even the president, is immune to sickness.

The president today began a 10-day vacation that his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said was to enable him (Buhari) to rest and see Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T) specialists in London for a persistent ear infection.

During a brief interaction with journalists before leaving the Presidential Wing of the airport, Buhari was asked to react to the uproar that greeted disclosure that he was sick and in need of medical attention.

Responding, the president fired back at the reporters rhetorically: Is there anybody that doesnt fall sick?

When asked what his message to Nigerians would be at this time, he simply said, I have already told Nigerians that I am going for 10 days to get my ear checked.

In further response to questions if he had communicated his decision to go on vacation to the National Assembly as stipulated by law, President Buhari said, The National Assembly knows; they have been formally informed.

With the formal notice to the National Assembly, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo automatically becomes Acting President for the duration of Buharis vacation.
Who can deny the value of competition? In sports, the worlds greatest athletes go toe-to-toe and make each other better. In business, competition rewards innovative ideas and helps entrepreneurs flourish. In both instances, consumers benefit.

But not when the federal government skews the rules. Thats whats happening with U.S. energy policy right now  to the detriment of taxpayers, energy consumers and free enterprise.

Take the recent bankruptcies of some of the worlds largest coal companies. Several factors created the economic turmoil the industry is facing. Market demand for metallurgical coal, primarily used to make steel, dropped considerably. Cheap and abundant natural gas supplied from the shale boom in the U.S. resulted in fuel switching.

If market factors result in a transition away from coal and toward more economical sources of energy, the economy will stand to benefit. More cost-effective electricity, whether its derived from natural gas, nuclear power or solar, will save families money and lower the cost of doing business.

But thats not entirely whats happening here. One culprit that cannot be overlooked in coals reduction as an affordable, reliable power supply is burdensome federal government regulations.

According to a recent report by the Energy Information Administration, more than 80 percent of the nearly 18 gigawatts of electric generating capacity retired in 2015 was conventional steam coal. The Environmental Protection Agency cites the Mercury Air & Toxics regulation causing 30 percent of U.S. coal retirement in 2015.

The EPA estimates that the regulation would have cost $10 billion per year in compliance expenses. Other estimates have been higher. Regardless, were already seeing power-plant closures, pushing energy costs higher for families and businesses.

According to the EPAs own analysis, the rule would generate $53 billion to $140 billion in annual health benefits. But the actual mercury reductions (the direct benefits of the regulation) would produce at most $6 million in benefits. In other words, 99.9 percent of the claimed environmental benefits are covered by existing regulations.

The same holds true for the Obama administrations global-warming regulations. No matter what your position on mans contribution to global warming is, the federal governments regulations would have a negligible impact, at best, on global temperatures.

But they do carry significant costs. One cog of the administrations assault on coal will effectively prohibit the construction of new coal-fired power plants. And the global warming regulations for existing power plants called the Clean Power Plan, which the Supreme Court could very well judge to be illegal and unconstitutional, will prematurely force more power plant closures.

The costs have tremendous rippling effects. Because energy is a necessary input for almost all goods that consumers buy, households are hit by higher prices multiple times over. Global-warming regulations will increase electricity expenditures for a family of four by at least 13 percent a year. Cumulatively, they will cost American families more than $20,000 in lost income by 2035 and impose a $2.5 trillion hit on the economy.

Heres the other issue with the Clean Power Plan: Power plants in America are already clean. Theyre not operating like those in China. Through a combination of regulations and technological innovations, the U.S. industry has dramatically reduced hazardous air pollutants. But the theme behind the federal governments new regulations is to ignore any reasonable risk assessment and add increasingly stringent rules that put hardworking Americans out of a job, drive up energy bills and force companies to close their doors for good.
So many stylish stars turned to Oscar de la Renta when they wanted to make a statement on the red carpet.

From first ladies to a-list celebs, Oscar was the go-to designer for so many of fashions elite.

No wonder Fashion blogger Temi Otedola reached out to the worlds leading luxury goods brand to make her look glamorous for the Bvlgari Gala launch of their new jewelry collection at the Villa Rothschild, in London recently.

Temi, who is also one of the daughters of Nigerian billionaire, Femi Otedola looked gorgeous in the pictures she posted on Instagram.

In another picture, the fashion blogger was seen with Bvlgari CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party alleged last week that President Muhammadu Buhari was critically ill and would travel abroad for medical treatment.

Barely 4 days after they made the allegation, the federal government announced that President Buhari would travel to the UK on 10 day vacation and would also visit Ears, Nose and Throat (E.N.T) specialists for a persistent ear infection. INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you the things the PDP has to say about President Buharis trip and a certain cabal.

Read Also: Is President Buhari Critically Ill ?

FLASH: just like we said last week, president Buhari is going to London to see his doctors. He has been critically ill for 14days now.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 5, 2016

FYI: President Buhari is very sick. It is not an ear infection. The presidency as always lied. He is in our prayers.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 5, 2016

The Same Buhari who detained Metuh, barred him from going abroad to seek medical attention is being ferried out to London. iMPUNITY/Tyranny  The Nigerian Wailers (@NGRWailers) June 5, 2016

According to the PDP there is a certain cabal running the country and that the President is just a puppet in their hands. The cabal according to the PDP have warned Buhari not to reveal to Nigerians that he is sick and finally allowed him to travel so they can rule Nigeria for 10 days.

The cabal are the ones running the country. They have turned the president into a prisoner.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 4, 2016

The cabal have convinced the president not to come clean and tell Nigerians that he is sick. They are managing the president secretly.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 4, 2016

The cabal will now get to run the country for 10days without interruption or dialogue with their prisoner president Buhari.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 5, 2016

There is a cabal around the president who are trying to plunge Nigeria into serious crisis. Mamman Daura is the head of that cabal.  PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) June 4, 2016

What do you think?
Getty Images WhatsApp don come back up afta e go down worldwide. Meta, wey get...
The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello will know his fate today as the Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja delivers judgment on a petition filed by James Faleke, challenging Bellos election.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Halima Mohammed, had on April 6 reserved her judgment after all parties to the case had filed their final written addresses.

Notices for judgments between Tuesday and Thursday have also been served on parties in the other four pending petitions on the controversial Kogi guber polls.

Mr. Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives and running mate to late Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21, 2015 governorship polls on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, challenged the nomination of Bello as substitute candidate of the party following the demise of Audu a day after the election while votes were still being compiled.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, later declared the election inconclusive and ordered a rerun election in some polling units.

The APC presented Bello as its substitute candidate for the rerun polls following approval by the electoral commission. Faleke, however, rejected his retention as running mate to Bello.

In his argument at the tribunal, Faleke, through his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), argued that Bello ought not to have been nominated or declared winner of the rerun election of December 6, 2015, because he was not a registered voter in Kogi State.

While maintaining that the choice of Bello was unconstitutional, he also contended that it was the first time in the history of democracy that somebody will contest an election without a running mate.

He further argued that Mr. Bello was not even a registered voter in Kogi state, saying his nomination was therefore, unconstitutional.

The constitution said that you should vote and be voted for which the 2nd respondent does not even meet up with any of the provision, he said.

However, counsels to Bello and INEC, Joseph Daudu (SAN), and Alex Izinyon (SAN), respectively, asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lack of merit.

In their separate submissions, the counsels argued that the votes cast for the late Audu at the poll belonged to the APC, not any individual.

They further argued that Faleke did not withdraw his nomination as a running mate in the December 5 governorship rerun election in the state.

Meanwhile, Gov. Bello has denied a claim by the Kogi Patriotic Front that he bribed the tribunal judges with N1.5billion to deliver judgment in his favour.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bello, Kingsley Fanwo, dismissed the allegation as false, saying those behind it were out for mischief and blackmail.
The election of Yahaya Bello as governor of Kogi state has been upheld by the Kogi State governorship election tribunal, sitting in Abuja.

James Faleke, had filed a petition challenging the emergence of Mr. Bello as governor and asked the tribunal to declare him governor because the election of late Abubakar Audu was almost concluded before his death. However, Chairman of the Tribunal, Halima Mohammed, who read the judgment said the petition for lacked merit.

Mr. Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, ran as deputy governorship candidate with Mr. Audu, who died suddenly before the election was concluded.

Unfortunate, Faleke who was already coasting to victory with Audu before his death was dropped when INEC asked the APC to nominate a replacement for the deceased after they(INEC) declared the election inconclusive. Mr. Yahaya Bello was nominated and Falake was nominated as his deputy, a decision which was promptly rejected by him.

The Chairman of the Tribunal said on Monday that the fact that INEC declared the first election held on November 21, 2015 inconclusive meant no governor or deputy governor-elect had emerged.

She also stated that all votes cast belong to political parties, it is the political party, through the instrumentality of its candidate that runs for election.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has described his victory at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday as confirmation that his mandate is from God.

Bello, who was reacting to the tribunals judgment, which dismissed the petition filed against his candidacy by Hon. James Abiodun Faleke of the All Progressives Congress, APC, dedicated the victory to the people of Kogi State and the APC.

I thank Almighty God for today. Today being the first day of the holy month of Ramadan and todays judgment is a confirmation of the divine mandate from Almighty Allah that I as a common man is holding the forth for the good people of Kogi State.

Anything from God is good. I knew that this mandate is from Almighty Allah and I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to have this victory today. It is victory for Kogi and for our party, he told reporters in Lokoja, the state capital.

The governor used the occasion to call on those bent on causing division within the APC to drop such idea and join hands with him in moving the state forward, adding that the people of the state are expecting a lot from the present administration.

Bello, who reaffirmed his commitment to work for the development of the state, however, pleaded for more understanding and patience with his administration, pledging to take painstaking efforts to tackle the challenges presently confronting the state.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan signed a law criminalizing same-sex marriages, gay groups and public displays of affection by homosexuals in 2014. Now, frequently sitting in the midst of top leaders worldwide, Jonathan thinks he might have been wrong to do so.

When it comes to equality, we must all have the same rights as Nigerian citizens, Jonathan said at a forum held at Bloombergs European headquarters in London today.

In the light of deepening debates for all Nigerians and other citizens of the world to be treated equally and without discrimination, and with the clear knowledge that the issue of sexual orientation is still evolving, the nation may at the appropriate time revisit the law, Jonathan said added.

Nigeria is a highly religious country with more than 90 percent of its population adhering to either the Christian or the Islamic faith. Both religions abhor homosexuality.
Although a host of West African nations have endorsed the the initiative, Nigerias Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said that Nigeria would not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States in a hurry.

INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you in this piece the 3 reasons he gave.

He said the Federal Government was consulting the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and some other key economic players on the agreement.

He also said that there is the need to be careful as this agreement could hinder some of the local manufacturers trading activities and the federal government does not want that to happen.

He equally said that Nigeria would not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States until the country ends its ongoing consultations on the agreement.
Meet your newest employee, Amelia. She's intelligent, well groomed, and responsive to your moods. If she seems a little robotic, well, that's because she's actually an artificially intelligent entity living inside a software platform.

From Alexa to Viv, the world is now full of voice-enabled cloud-connected assistants. But Amelia is more than merely a series of speech-savvy algorithms -- she's Siri with a doctorate in psychology.

Thanks to advances in semantic analysis, Amelia can step you all the way through a sophisticated business process, like purchasing insurance. By analyzing the language you use and your tone of voice, Amelia can also detect when you're unhappy and pass you immediately to a human. Then, as you're unspooling your anger to a long-suffering support agent, Amelia listens and applies what she learns to future interactions.

One day, Amelia or one of her artificially intelligent cousins might become your indispensable IT assistant.

"Amelia is not just another fun and friendly chatbot," says Ben Case, solutions architect for IPsoft, the digital labor company that created her. "Her goal is to be practical and pragmatic; to answer questions, retrieve information, and solve problems using her semantic network and sophisticated sentiment analysis."

Today, Amelia is being trained to help sell insurance, prequalify people for mortgages, and provide customer support. While most of these efforts remain pilot programs at the time of this writing, Amelia is starting to emerge into the business world. In May, Accenture launched a dedicated Amelia practice to help its clients deploy virtual agents across their organizations.

One day, Amelia or one of her artificially intelligent cousins might become your indispensable IT assistant, taking on the work of level-one tech support, troubleshooting problems, or detecting security anomalies. Then again, she might replace you entirely -- or you could end up working for her.

Here, we take a look at AIs evolving role in the IT workplace, with an eye on how it might impact your career in the years ahead.

What artificial intelligence in the workplace really looks like

Everybody thinks they know what AI is. It's the thing that enables computers to defeat chess champions and win at "Jeopardy." It's what allows Siri and Alexa to understand what we're saying to them and respond in a humanlike manner.

When exposed to the dregs of the Internet, AI can also be turned into a Nazi-loving hate-spouting sex bot. And thanks to Hollywood, we know AI as the thing that will eventually attempt to enslave and/or exterminate humanity.

The classic notion of AI is a machine so smart it fools you into thinking it's a person. But "artificial intelligence" has become a catchall for a jumble of technologies -- such as machine learning, natural language processing, cognitive computing, and robotic process automation -- that automate rote tasks and help people make better decisions.

"AI doesn't have to pretend to be a person to have a huge value to the world. It's about providing information and insight to humans so we can do a better job." -- Scott Crowder, CTO and VP of technical strategy and transformation, IBM Systems

"AI doesn't have to pretend to be a person to have a huge value to the world," says Scott Crowder, CTO and vice president of technical strategy and transformation at IBM Systems. "It's about providing information and insight to humans, so we can do a better job."

That's one reason why IBM prefers the term "intelligence augmentation" -- IA, not AI -- and defines its "Jeopardy" champion Watson supercomputer as "a cognitive computing technology that extends and amplifies human intelligence, working in partnership with professionals."

AI is already serving on the front lines of service and support via voice-enabled virtual customer agents like Amelia. But because it also excels at analyzing massive amounts of unstructured data, the technology is ideally suited for identifying potential security threats or helping drive business decisions.

That -- theoretically -- can free up IT professionals to spend time on higher-level tasks.

"Fundamentally, AI changes the business and operational dynamics in any industry by enabling machines to find answers and make decisions that humans make," says Tim Tuttle, founder and CEO of Mindmeld, makers of a conversational AI platform. "For example, AI can help field a much larger range of problems and answer those not requiring a person's time, giving IT people more time to focus on the difficult questions machines are not equipped to answer.

Virtual engineers

Early forms of AI, like robotic process automation, will have its greatest impact on IT, says Rob Brindley, a director at consulting firm Information Services Group. RPA will be deployed to automate mundane and highly repeatable tasks, such as monitoring systems, distributing software, rerouting workloads, support, and provisioning.

"Fundamentally, AI changes the business and operational dynamics in any industry by enabling machines to find answers and make decisions that humans make." -- Tim Tuttle, founder and CEO, Mindmeld

That process is already well underway. For the past eight years, IPsoft has been applying machine learning to problems like remote management of networks and other IT infrastructure. The company has created more than 20,000 "virtual engineers" -- AI-driven processes that can diagnose common problems and apply known solutions -- for clients like Cisco and IBM.

IPsoft's virtual engineers can handle nearly 60 percent of all incidents with no human intervention, says Jonathan Crane, chief commercial officer at IPsoft. When a virtual engineer runs into a problem it can't solve, it escalates to a human specialist who's trained in that particular issue.

Eventually, some low-level IT functions, such as problem management or provisioning of new employees, could be handled by an AI-based front end like Amelia, says Crane.

"You'd tell her you need equipment for three people you just hired, and she could look up their information in the personnel database, figure out which equipment and security codes they need, and configure them appropriately," he says. "This is where you really start to save money and speed up the management of your IT environment."

While automation like this will likely replace employees on the lower end of the IT spectrum, these are jobs that have largely been outsourced or offshored already, Crane adds.

"Front-line support people typically escalate 80 to 90 percent of the problems they encounter," he says. "Why not use computer diagnostics for that process?"

Smarter security

Another area where AI will change the lives of IT pros is its ability to sift through petabytes of data, identifying patterns and looking for anomalies.

"Some IT departments have to examine billions of actions a day from log files or streaming events, such as network security on connections," says Nik Rouda, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "Humans can look at perhaps a few hundred a day. AI will be able to learn whats suspicious, flag it, and even respond."

That makes it a prime candidate for identifying zero-day vulnerabilities and defending against botnet attacks, says Carl Herberger, vice president of security solutions at Radware, a cloud-based security service.

"We live in a world where machines are going to continue to squeeze out humans. That's definitely going to happen." -- Anant Jhingran, vice president and CTO, Apigee

Most of the major security threats -- like application DDoS, brute force, and SQL injection -- are executed at least in part through botnets designed to select actions based upon the anticipated responses from a human defender," says Herberger. "As people have become increasingly predictable in detection and mitigation, the bad guys are designing tools to adjust to our defenses faster than we can detect their changes. AI and automation will be critical in fighting back.

But with the number and seriousness of attacks growing daily -- and an estimated 209,000 openings for cybersecurity professionals yet unfilled -- AI would serve to supplement security officers, not replace them, says Brad Lovering, co-founder and chief engineering officer at IT security firm SignalSense.

"I dont think anyone working in cybersecurity right now is worried about losing their job to AI, because expert human insight is still so highly valued and the field is so drastically understaffed," says Lovering. "But I certainly see a future where AI can sense, signal, and squash these issues with little or no human intervention."

Big data, big brains

Likewise, gathering and analyzing massive amounts of data from disparate sources is a prime candidate for applying intelligent algorithms. That's why AI will play a big role in assuring compliance for companies in highly regulated industries, like health care or finance.

"Armies of people are necessary today to handle the increased regulatory pressures the financial industry is facing," says Dan Adamson, CEO of OutsideIQ, which develops AI solutions for risk assessment. "Those processes can be done in a more auditable and consistent manner through AI."

For example, under Dodd-Frank, financial services firms may be asked by regulators to "play back" a trade made months or years in the past. Traditionally, compliance officers would have to manually sift through communications data from a wide range of sources -- email archives, phone records, chat logs, document management systems, and social media posts, as well as various trading systems -- to re-create the transaction.

"Simply trying to normalize all that data and place it on a timeline is extraordinarily difficult and time consuming," says Harald Collet, global head of Bloomberg Vault, an information management and analytics service that uses machine learning. "It's a scenario where it might have taken two months to respond to a regulator, and now the regulators are saying you have to respond within 72 hours."

Collet says more than 1,000 financial firms have deployed Bloomberg Vault so that they can monitor and archive trading activities and respond to regulators quickly. But the larger goal is to use machine learning for predictive analytics, so Vault users can identify potential issues before they become regulatory headaches.

"Firms want to detect patterns across large data sets and flag irregular trading patterns," he says. "For example, they want to be able to see chats where a trader has given a price quote to the customer, then immediately compare that quote to the actual price in the market at the time. The ability to see the connections between price points, chat, and trading patterns is what our clients are looking for."

Over the long term, systems like Bloomberg Vault can help optimize business processes and identify new opportunities, says Collet. As AI drives more decisions, the role of technologists in the organization will also change, notes Steven Hillion, chief product officer at Alpine Data, an advanced analytics platform for enterprises.

"IT's role is moving from one of data governance and security to one where they think about how data is delivered, how data provides insights into business operations, and how to operationalize those analytics into strategies that will positively impact the company," Hillion says.

Working for AI

It's been true since the industrial revolution: As technology replaces low-level workers, new jobs are created to service and improve that technology. AI is no different.

"We live in a world where machines are going to continue to squeeze out humans," says Anant Jhingran, vice president and CTO of Apigee, a maker of intelligent API platforms. "That's definitely going to happen."

But AI is also likely to create new jobs. IPsoft's Crane says organizations may end up hiring digital compliance officers who can make sure systems like Amelia are making the right decisions, especially when it comes to regulatory issues. Organizations may also need a digital marketing officer who can come up with new ways to respond when Amelia detects that a customer is delighted and primed to spend money, adds Crane.

AI will put a lot more pressure on IT infrastructure, especially in the areas of data storage, memory, and compute power, says IBM's Crowder. But it'll also require existing tech pros to master new skills, such as the ability to integrate intelligent voice-enabled user interfaces into existing applications.

"There will be a huge demand for specialists who can 'teach' bots by designing for conversational UX," says Ilya Gelfenbeyn, CEO of Api.ai, a platform providing tools for building speech and text interfaces. "These bots will replace a large number of GUIs and act as interfaces for devices without screens, especially for the Internet of things."

Ultimately, the secret to survival in this brave new world is bringing AI to everything you create, says Jhingran.

"The more intelligence you build into your code, the more secure your job will be," he says. "If you bring intelligence into all code you write, you won't just be secure in your job, you'll be a superhero."
Cattle Fade on Tuesday Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT Live cattle futures stalled the rally on Tuesday with the front months having pulled back 17 to 82 cents. October, which expires next Monday, saw a 7 cent gain to $151.67. The weekly FCE auction saw no... LEV22 : 151.675s (+0.05%) LEZ22 : 153.300s (-0.54%) LEG23 : 156.700s (-0.18%) GFV22 : 176.600s (+0.53%) GFX22 : 177.925s (-0.68%)

Hogs Firm Up for Close Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT Lean hog futures bounced back in the afternoon to close the day +$1 off the lows and 5 to 52 cents in the black. The Feb contract remains a $2.25 premium to spot December. The USDA National Average Base... HEZ22 : 88.450s (+0.60%) HEJ23 : 93.950s (+0.05%) KMZ22 : 97.525s (-0.23%)

Cotton Futures Bounce Back Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT Turnaround Tuesday action pushed cotton futures back up by 78 to 234 points. December printed a wide 304 point range on the day, from -8 points to +296. The Cotlook A index was 175 points stronger on... CTZ22 : 78.60 (+0.17%) CTH23 : 78.18 (+0.31%) CTK23 : 77.27 (+0.14%)

Wheat Markets Fade on Tuesday Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT The domestic wheat complex pulled back some on Tuesday, with CBT futures ending the day fractionally to 4 cents weaker. Dec SRW is now at a 16c loss for the week. KC futures closed with front month losses... ZWZ22 : 833-4 (-0.15%) ZWH23 : 853-0 (-0.15%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.6818 (-0.67%) KEZ22 : 932-4 (-0.21%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9275 (-0.38%) MWZ22 : 950-0 (-0.24%)

Beans Bounce on Meal Strength Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT Soy futures ended the Tuesday session higher. For beans and meal that was a turnaround from Mondays weakness, as Nov beans are now a 13 1/2 cent loss for the week and Dec meal is $2.30 in the red. Soy... XSX22 : 5,433s (-1.75%) KOF23 : 4,220 (+2.25%) ZSX22 : 1386-4 (+0.33%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.3595 (+0.67%) ZSF23 : 1396-6 (+0.32%) ZSH23 : 1405-2 (+0.30%)

Corn Markets Gain on Tuesday Barchart - Tue Oct 25, 4:42PM CDT Turnaround Tuesday corn gains bounced the market back up by 3 1/4 to 4 3/4 cents. The March contract stayed 7 cents under the $7 mark at the days high, and remains a 6 cent carry from Dec. Dalian Corn... XVF23 : 2,862s (-0.69%) ZCZ22 : 685-4 (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7636 (+0.75%) ZCH23 : 690-6 (-0.22%) ZCK23 : 690-2 (-0.25%)

Livestock Report Walsh Trading - Tue Oct 25, 4:28PM CDT Cattle Markets pullback
HAMILTON  The Ravalli County attorneys office is not interested in giving Dr. Chris Christensen a second continuance on his trial for 400 felonies, including negligent homicide.

Christensen recently asked for a six-month stay in his case, a years delay in the trial, return of cash and other items seized from his office and relief from his $200,000 bond.

Deputy County Attorney Thorin Geists response to Christensens motion last week could be summarized in a word  no.

Christensen was arrested in August 2015 for allegedly providing hundreds of illegal prescriptions to his patients, including two who died from an overdose.

Initially, Christensen was represented by a public defender, but District Court Judge Jeffrey Langton concluded that he was not indigent and allowed the Office of Public Defenders to rescind their appointment last December.

During four status hearings since that decision, Christensen said he was still seeking legal representation and claimed that he was considering filing bankruptcy, which could reopen the potential of requesting a public defender.

Geists response said Christensen has yet to file for bankruptcy or reapply for a public defender or hire a private attorney.

At several hearings, Christensen has maintained that he had no desire to represent himself in the complicated case.

Geist asked the court to set a hearing in which Christensen should appear with counsel to show why the matter shouldnt proceed to trial.

If Christensen fails to appear with counsel, Geist said he will ask the court to conduct an inquiry into Christensens level of diligence in finding an attorney.

If the court finds that Christensen hasnt been diligent in finding an attorney, then Geist said the court should conclude that he has waived his right to counsel.

In his motion, Christensen said that he essentially faces a death sentence in this case because if hes convicted, he would likely die in prison.

Christensen faces a prison term of up to 388 life terms, plus 135 years and a fine of up to $20 million if convicted on all charges.

In his response, Geist agreed that Christensen will, more probably than not, die in prison if he is convicted, but the sentencing range hasnt changed since the day he was charged.

The fact that the defendant (Christensen) has elected to play Russian roulette  by not taking the simple step of retaining counsel  does not constitute good cause to continue the trial date a second time, Geist wrote.

Christensens trial was originally set for February, but was continued to Oct. 20 at Christensens request at a time when he was still being represented by the state Office of Public Defenders.

Geist said Christensen has had five months to retain an attorney, but, by his own admission, has only interviewed three in that time period.

Christensen has also told the court that he plans to file for bankruptcy and believes that will help his chances of getting a public defender. Geist said he hasnt done that either.

The defendants lack of diligence does not constitute good cause to continue the trial date again, Geist wrote.

Geist also objected to giving Christensen back $2,000 seized from his business. He said that money is proceeds from drug sales and will be used as evidence in the trial.

Considering the charges and the potential sentence, Geist said Christensens request for exoneration of bond should be denied as well.

Nothing about the defendants conduct in this case merits the Courts trust,  Geist wrote. The District Court originally set bail in the amount of $200,000 and imposed certain conditions of release including that he would not practice medicine without approval from the Montana Board of Medical Examiners. The defendant almost immediately violated the District Courts order and started practicing medicine without the approval of the MBME.
Robert "Bob" Hughes recently took the helm of the K-12 funding program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  at a time when the world's largest funder looks to be in some rough waters.

Costly missteps in the foundation's education reform agenda and a growing backlash against what some see as excessive influence by wealthy philanthropists over the nation's K-12 system will mean a series of challenges for Hughes, who comes to Gates from New Visions for Public Schools, the NYC-based nonprofit where he served as president. New Visions manages dozens of NYC schools, including seven charter schools. Here are some issues and subjects that are sure to keep Hughes busy as he begins his tenure at Gates.

Course Correction

Gates strives to be a "learning organization," one that course corrects and transforms itself in response to empirical evidence. As Hughes adapts to his work at Gates, it will be important for him to fully understand the funder's well-publicized missteps in the K-12 arena, what factors caused those failures, and how he can steer the work in a better direction.

In a recent annual letter, Gates CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann acknowledged some hard lessons learned from the implementation of the Common Core Standards, admitting that the foundation underestimated the level of resources that would be required for successful implementation of the standards. She further admitted that Gates did not do enough to engage educators, families, and communities to generate buy-in for the standards. This lack of engagement allowed critics to take control of the debate, defining the Common Core on their own terms. Conservative critics claimed the Common Core represented excessive federal intrusion into education, while liberal opponents decried the emphasis on standardized testing.

Stakeholder engagement presents a real opportunity for Hughes, whose reputation is that of a collaborator who knows how to unite disparate groups behind a common goal. At New Visions, Hughes brought together a range of educators, community organizations, teachers unions, and government partners in New York. If engaging partners and building support has been lacking in past Gates efforts, Hughes is well positioned to make improvements in that area.

Positioning Gates as a Partner

A recent backlash against philanthropic influence in education arises from the recent reporting of mistakes in Common Core implementation, coupled with assertions that Gates' overall education funding efforts have underdelivered. Education scholar Diane Ravitch is among those leading the critique of the excessive influence that Gates and other members of what she calls the "Billionaire Boys Club" hold over U.S. education policy. And she has plenty of company.

In a recent pointed editorial, the Los Angeles Times argued that Gates' failures show that funders should not have such sway over the nation's education agenda. The editorial concedes that foundation money has an important place in education, but states that funders should not act as if they possess the cure for what ails America's schools. Frederick M. Hess and Jeffrey Henig, authors of The New Education Philanthropy, have voiced similar concerns about funder influence over K-12 schooling and have noted that media coverage of philanthropic efforts in this area have taken an increasingly negative tone.

To stem this criticism, Hughes will need to fight the perception that Gates controls the education reform agenda and position the foundation as a partner  albeit a very well-resourced one  that can provide valuable support. Last year, the foundation suggested it would do more in the area of early education. This moves makes sense, as research has shown that quality early education, such as pre-kindergarten, is an investment that pays huge dividends in future academic success, especially for students from low-income backgrounds. But there is sure to be wariness if Gates, a 900-pound gorilla, shows up in the pre-K space in a big way. To succeed in this area and avoid past mistakes will require all the collaboration and engagement skills that Hughes brings to his new position.

Getting Personalized Learning Right

The Gates Foundation is now deep into studying personalized learning, in preparation for what may be a huge grantmaking push. This is another area that Hughes needs to get right  this means correctly interpreting emerging research and betting on the right models going forward. As we've reported, Gates has commissioned RAND to conduct ongoing research to ensure that any ramp-up of personalized education funding is backed up by solid research and measurable results. The series of reports is intended to identify the most promising and important features of personalized learning models, to document the challenges schools face in implementing these models and to learn which components of personalized learning are most critical in the success of these new models of teaching and learning.

The research published so far by RAND demonstrates what the Gates Foundation has called "promising evidence" that this approach can boost student achievement. More findings are in the pipeline, and the challenge for Hughes and the K-12 team at Gates will be figuring out how to translate these results into success at a larger scale. The foundation hasn't always been so good at this critical step. As we've reported, it has jumped the gun in some cases, putting big money behind approaches that were later revealed as flawed.

Don't Forget the Teachers

Funders often discount the expertise of teachers and their role as classroom gatekeepers. Hess and Henig have called this mistake a contributor to the failure of many funder-driven efforts. As Gates refocuses its efforts toward developing Common Core-aligned materials for classrooms, it should pay close attention to teachers' feedback, as the success of these materials and their use in the classroom will depend greatly on the men and women who lead America's classrooms each day.

Gates and other funders should also continue their efforts to increase the number of quality teachers. Hughes will have a lot to offer in this area as well, if his track record at New Visions is any indication. There, he championed the Urban Teacher Residency, a partnership between New Visions and the Hunter School of Education to create a teacher preparation program that combines graduate-level coursework at Hunter with a one-year residency at a school.

There is no doubt that Hughes will have a lot on his plate as he leads the Gates Foundation in its quest to learn from past mistakes and reposition itself as a true partner in education. We'll be watching as events unfold.

Related:
Bishop Self Storage in Pine, Ariz., is supporting the Riff Raff Naked Yard Sale by donating two self-storage units to store goods for the organizations June 18 event. Held at Payson Concrete & Materials in Pine, the event is referred to as naked because vendors are prohibited from selling clothing. Computers and TVs will also be excluded from the sale. Donations can be dropped off on Saturdays at 3617 AZ-87, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit the communities of Pine and Strawberry, according to a Facebook post from the Riff Raff Club, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that has served the area for more than a decade. The money will be donated to the library, Pine/Strawberry Food Bank and school lunch programs. It will also fund holiday projects and provide college scholarships.

Bishop Self Storage offers a variety of unit sizes and property amenities, including video surveillance.
@FTMSpeedway  Even with the threat of rain Full Throttle Motor Speedway was the place to be on Saturday, June 4. The Georgian Bay Chemical Jr. Late Models, Mini Trucks, Street Stock,Pure Trucks,Outlaw Late Model, Crazy Trains and Canadian Vintage Modifieds 25 laps were scheduled to battle it out.

The first class of cars to hit the track was the Georgian Bay Chemical Jr. Late Models who were scheduled to run 15 laps. Cody Wilds in the #14 from Exeter ON would jump out to an early lead. However on lap eight #44 Jacob Campbell from Komoka passed the #14 and led right to the checkered flag. #14 Cody Wilds came in second. Third went to the #15 of Kaisha Zimoch. Fourth was Austin Arnel in the #29 from Thedford. And #63 Cole Burrows from Guelph would come over the line in fifth.

The first travelling class to visit us in 2016 was the Canadian Vintage Modifieds. Their first heat race would be led out by #29 Daryl Henwood from St.George. Daryl would lead all ten laps of the Canadian Vintage Mods first heat. Second would go to the #7 of Mike Williams. And third was the #19 of Mike Westwood from Milton.

The Second Canadian Vintage Modified heat would be led out by the #25 of Cassidy March from London. March would lead to lap seven when Jason Keen from Oakville would make the pass in his #18 car. Keen would go on to win heat one. Second was Cassidy March. And rounding out the top three was #5 Mike Podd from Burlington.

The Mini Trucks came onto the track next for their first 20 lap feature. Right out of the gates Kendra Cassidy from Cambridge ON would jump to the lead in her #75 truck. However an early caution for the #49 of Hayden Sim Komoka having a mechanical problem let the #67 of Rick Basket from Clinton get past Kendra on the restart. A lap 10 caution for the #75 of Kendra Cassidy due to a blown tire set up #88 Bubba Brown from Kitchener on the outside of row number one for the restart. Bubba however could not get past the #67 and would come in second. Third was the #44 of Jacob Campbell. Fourth belonged to the #7 of Keenon Ash.

The Street Stocks who are always a fan favourite made their way onto the racing surface next for their first feature. Immediately Billy Alderson, Jr. from Mount Forest would jump into the lead in his #18 car. An early caution on lap three was no problem for Billy as he would hold the lead on the restart. However lap nine would see the #27 of Jeff Hooper from Durham ON spin out of four bringing the caution out for the second time. This restart proved to be a challenged due to #20 Ryan Edwards-Kiss from Londesboro and Mike Thebeau from Mitchell charging from behind. Even with the tough competition Billy would lead the rest of the feature. Second would go to Ryan Edwards-Kiss. Third was the #17 Jared Gill from Waterloo. Fourth was #1 Bob Parsons from Princeton. And to round out the top was the #05 of Steve Brook from Hillsburgh.

The Pure Trucks would hit the speedway next for their first feature race. #34 Tyler Arnold from New Hamburg would lead the field for six laps before Mike Becker in the #34 from Cambridge took the lead. Mike led the truck to the checkered flag. Second was Arnold. Third belonged to the #07 of Keenon Ash. Fourth was the #04 of Rick Book from Caster Center ON. And to round out the top five was the #95 of Steve Schnurr.

The Outlaw Late Models would take the spotlight next. T.J. Edwards from Fergus would prove to be too much competition for the rest of the field as he would lead from start to finish. Second belonged to the #11 of Cole Weber from New Hamburg. Third was the #40 Mark Dixon from Durham ON. Jeff Dafoe from Listowel came over the line in fourth. And #3 of Todd Dafoe from Listowel would round out the top five.

The always exciting Crazy Trains would be next to take to the speedway. Jim McTavish would be to much for the rest of the trains to handle as he would lead his train set around the speedway for all 12 laps. Second would belong to the #12 of Mike Becker. Third was the #13 John Bates and the Rockford Rednecks. Fourth was the #34 of Tyler Arnold. And fifth was the #95 The Angry Birds of Johnathon Bates.

After Intermission a threat of rain would force the Canadian Vintage Mods took the green flag for their 25 lap feature. When the green flag flew #25 Cassidy March would take the lead and hold it until lap 10 when Jason Keen would take the lead. A lap 11 caution for the #7 and the #25 would stack the field back up. On the restart Keen would jump out to the lead and would lead to the checkers with major competition from the #57 of Steve Trendell from Fergus. In the end Trendell would come second, third would go to the #92 of Brian Atkinson from Millgrove. Fourth was the #5 Mike Podd from Burlington. And #29 of Daryl Henwood would round out the top five.

The Georgian Bay Chemical Jr. Late Models would be next for their second feature. Cody Wilds would jump out to an early lead but would lose control out of turn four and spin into the infield bringing out the caution. On the restart #29 Austin Arnel would take the lead for two laps before #44 Jacob Campbell would take the lead. The field would stay close together in a four car battle for the lead. In the end Jacob Campbell would cross the line first. Second was the #29 of Austin Arnel. Third was the #15 of Kaisha Zimoch. Fourth belonged to Cody Wilds. And Cole Burrow would round out the top five.

The second Mini Truck feature would be a hard battle throughout the course of the race. Immediately from the green flag Bubba Brown #88 would take the lead. Rick Basket would pass him in the #67. Jacob Campbell would then challenge the #67 and eventually get by him in lap 18 and win the feature. #49 Hayden Sim came second. Third was Rick Basket in the #67. Fourth belonged to the #88 of Bubba Brown. Rounding out the top five was the #75 of Kendra Cassidy.

The Pure Trucks were next onto the track. #12 Mike Becker would lead the field to green. Mike would have no problem holding off the rest of the field and took feature two. Second was the #34 of Tyler Arnold. Keenon Ash would round out the top three in the #07.

The Street Stock came next out of the pits for their second feature. With one lap completed the caution would come out due to the #05 Steve Brook and the #29 Kevin McMillen would come together and spin in turn four. When the green flag came back out Travis Farrow would battle the #20 around the track for the rest of the feature swapping positions and paint battling for the checkered flag. When the checkered flag flew the #20 of Ryan Edwards-Kiss would take his first checkered flag of the year. Travis Farrow would come in second. Third was the #18 of Billy Alderson Jr. Fourth was the #17 of Jared Gill. And to round out the top five was #29 Kevin McMillen.

The Outlaw Late Models would hurry onto the track to try and get their feature in before the rain fell. In the pace laps coming out of turn two Cole Weber would suffer a mechanical failure and would be hit by the #3 of Todd Dafoe taking both cars out of the race. When the green flag the new pole sitter Mark Dixon jumped to the lead and battled it out for all 20 laps with the #34 T.J. Edwards. In the end Mark would bring the #40 in first. Second was T.J. Edwards. Third was the #85 Jeff Lotspeich from Rockwood. Fourth was the #00 of Jeff Dafoe. Fifth was the #4 of Bruce Hutchison from Palmerston.

The Crazy Trains would wrap up the evening. In the action packed final feature which would see John Bates #13 and the #12 battle it out throughout the feature. With the cars coming in contact throughout the feature and swinging into each other the fans were left to wonder who would win. In the end the #13 The Rockford Rednecks would win. Mike Becker would come in second. The Dragon Express would take the third spot. Fourth was the #95 The Angry Birds, and the #34 would round out the top five.
PLAINS  In the chaos that enveloped Sherwood Drive during a house fire Memorial Day weekend, Janet Culver kept hollering.

There are four kids! There are four kids!

In the darkness, Tim Lane could only count three children he and other neighbors had gotten out of the burning duplex, along with their mother.

As Lanes visiting friend, Army recruiter Jerry Hayes of Missoula, directed CPR efforts by more neighbors on the rest of the family, the bare-footed Marine headed back into the duplex yet again, this time in search of the smallest child, a 2-year-old boy.

This is not a story with a happy ending  a 6-year-old child is dead  but it is one where the tragedy could have been almost incomprehensible.

Instead, neighbors on a block-long street of four duplexes here broke down the front door and saved the lives of the 6-year-olds mother and his two brothers, who are now recovering at two Seattle hospitals.

The neighbors got 6-year-old Richard out as well, but he didnt survive. The three boys 7-year-old sister escaped out a window at the rear of the duplex.

The neighbors believe the mother of the four children, Diana Lynn Elrod, was trying desperately to alert her children to get out of the house when she was overcome by smoke. Lane, neighbor Jake Glace and Plains Police Officer Christopher Reyna found her lying unconscious in a hallway by the bedrooms.

The two older boys, 8-year-old Stephen and 6-year-old Richard, were in their bedroom, and also unconscious. Neighbor Jasmine Brooks, Glaces girlfriend, was with Lane on a second sweep of the smoke-filled interior when they found the boys. Brooks grabbed Stephen; Lane picked up Richard.

Seven-year-old Hila, meantime, was able to climb out a window into the back yard. Lane says she may have had help from residents on a different street closest to the back of the duplex, who also rushed to the scene. In the darkness and confusion and thick smoke that clogged the interior, he knows there were other people inside, he just doesnt know who they were or what they did.

He does know those other neighbors broke through the back door while the residents of Sherwood Drive were breaking down the front.

As the mother and the oldest boys were carried out of the burning home and into the front yard, Hayes took charge.

He had three people on each person, telling them what to do, Culver, who lives in the other half of the duplex that caught fire, says. He had one person doing the heart, one person doing mouth-to-mouth and one talking to them, I guess hoping they could hear, even though they were all unconscious.

Were from different branches of the service, but wed had the same training and knew what we had to do, Lane says. While we brought them out, Jerry was directing people on how to do CPR on everyone.

The neighbors worked furiously on Diana, Stephen and Richard Elrod, while others tended to Hila.

But where was little R.J.?

It was about 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, when the small neighborhood went from quiet to chaotic.

Jake Glace and his children had gotten home from a movie just a short time earlier. Diana Elrods duplex was dark, he remembers, and there was no sign that a fire was burning inside.

Next door in the same duplex, Culver  she calls herself the single old lady of the neighborhood  was in bed watching TV.

All of a sudden my dog started going nuts, and then I heard an explosion next door and glass shattering, she says.

Culver grabbed a flashlight, went out her back door, saw flames inside the adjoining duplex, and ran back inside her home to call 911.

Across the street, Glace heard noise too, and walked outside to investigate. As soon as he realized the duplex was on fire, he ran and tried the front door.

It was locked.

I tried to kick in the door about eight times, but all I had on was flip-flops, he says. Another neighbor joined him and they tried to break the door down with a 2-by-4, with no luck.

Glace ran back across the street, grabbed a chopping mallet leaning against his duplex, and returned. He began beating on the front door with the tool.

He doesnt know how many times he swung the mallet over his shoulder and crashed it into the door.

Tim Lanes wife, Jacklyn Deery, was at work at the Montana Mint Casino, but his buddy Hayes was hanging out with him in his duplex, also across the street.

They never heard an explosion, but the incessant banging noise  Glace hammering with his mallet  certainly caught their attention.

They, too headed outside to investigate. Lane didnt even have shoes on.

I saw Tim and told him, Im about out of breath,  Glace says. He took over, and one or two swings later he had the door open.

The smoke was immense and overwhelming, Culver says. Lane says it was so dense above his waist he couldn't see a thing.

Lane, Reyna and Glace got Diana out. More flashlights appeared out of the neighborhood, and Lane dropped them at strategic points on the floor to help guide rescuers inside the house.

Even at floor level, The visibility was very, very low, Lane says.

The flashlights helped Lane and Jasmine Brooks as they extricated the two oldest boys next.

The girl was safe, Lane saw after he exited with 6-year-old Richard. Even as Culver yelled that four children needed to be accounted for, the man who served as a Marine from 2008-10 was well aware the youngest one still must be inside the burning duplex. Lane lives directly across the street from the Elrod duplex. He knew the family, knew Diana and her boyfriend Robert Rasmussen had served as EMTs themselves; knew R.J. was Rasmussens son.

Thered been no sign of R.J. on Lanes first two trips into the duplex.

Where on earth was the 2-year-old boy?

Back into the suffocating smoke, for a third time, went the bare-footed Lane.

It was very difficult, he says days later, still hacking up phlegm from the time he spent inside the duplex. The two older boys wed found in the room closest to the living room, and the mom was in the hallway. I just started searching the place.

Finally, he discovered the toddler in the master bedroom.

R.J. had crawled underneath the bed. By now, he also was unconscious.

I honestly cant tell you how long it took to find him, Lane says. It seemed like forever.

In reality, people outside told Lane later, he, Brooks, Glace and Reyna  and any other neighbors who might have aided 7-year-old Hilas escape  had all five members of the family out less than five minutes after the front door was broken down.

As Hayes got CPR started on the youngest child, Lane went back into the duplex a fourth time, just to make sure all rescuers were out.

The first ambulance on the scene took Stephen and Richard to Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains.

Lane says he and Hayes rode in the second ambulance with Diana and R.J. They continued to perform CPR on both mother and son on the way to the hospital, and in the emergency room as well until doctors and nurses could take over.

Diana, Stephen and R.J. were quickly life-flighted to Seattle. Culver says Diana and R.J. wound up at Harborview Medical Center and Stephen was sent to Seattle Childrens Hospital. All, she and other neighbors understand, are expected to survive.

Hila, the 7-year-old, apparently did not require hospitalization. Sadly, 6-year-old Richard did not make it.

R.J.s father, Culver says, was visiting his parents in Trout Creek at the time of the fire. Hayes, she says, bought Rasmussen a plane ticket to Seattle the next day so he could get to his family.

Smoke provided the most imminent danger to all, Culver feels. Few flames were visible, she says, and yet another person  a woman visiting someone else in the little neighborhood  knocked those down with a fire extinguisher soon after the front and back doors were broken down.

The cause of the fire, and whether the duplex was equipped with working smoke detectors, apparently remains under investigation. Deputy State Fire Marshal Dawn Drollinger of Kalispell, whose investigative territory includes Sanders County, did not return a phone message this week.

The thing is, the neighbors and two of our military trained men saved most of this family, Culver says. One rescuer told me it appeared the oldest son might have succumbed (to the smoke) trying to help his younger brother, who might have fell and hit his head getting out of his top bunk bed. And the young daughter woke up hearing her mom yell to open her window and get out, before (Diana) succumbed trying to reach them all.
The entry into power of a pro-independence government in Taiwan led by President Tsai Ing-wen has raised political tensions between the island state and China, but the head of Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp. (TWSE) is an optimist when it comes to reading the political tea leaves across the Taiwan Strait.

China is the No. 1 trade partner of Taiwan, exchange president Michael Lin tells Institutional Investor. Everyone sees the importance of strong and positive ties. I am sure the new president and her administration will be pragmatic when dealing with sensitive issues regarding China. I dont believe global investors have anything to worry about.

So far, the market appears to share Lins optimism. The Taiwan Stock Exchange Weighted Index closed at 8,597.11 on June 6, up 10.8 percent since the January 16 election, which saw Tsai rout the Kuomintangs presidential candidate, Eric Chu Li-luan, and her Democratic Progressive Party win a solid majority in Parliament. The Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index, by comparison, was up just 1.9 percent over that period.

Looking ahead, Lin regards technology and connectivity as vital to the health of the Taiwan exchange. Thats not surprising given that foreign investors have at times owned as much as 40 percent of the exchanges $750 billion market capitalization.

Over the past three years, the exchange has invested nearly $100 million to upgrade its technology, including the development of a data center that can handle much greater trading volumes and is designed to withstand Magnitude 7 earthquakes and flooding. Lin is preparing to launch a partnership agreement with Singapore Exchange that will allow members of the Taiwan exchange to directly trade securities listed on the Singapore market; the two bourses envisage a reciprocal arrangement at some point in the future that will give Singapore brokers direct access to the Taiwan market. A two-way deal, if complete, would be akin to the Stock Connect programs that allow direct trading between the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and the two leading Chinese exchanges, in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Lin doesnt want to stop at Singapore, though. He aims to integrate the Taipei exchange into the greater China market, including direct trading links with the Hong Kong exchange and, politics permitting, with the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets. Charles Li and I communicate regularly, he says, referring to the CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which operates the Hong Kong bourse. It is quite easy for us to form a Hong KongTaiwan linkage.

Whether Taiwan can ever link up with its mainland counterparts is far more difficult to predict because it will depend on political considerations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, says Lin. The technical aspects of exchange linkages with China would be the easy part, he says.

Lin, 65, is a veteran observer of relations between Beijing and Taipei. Taiwan has operated under self rule since 1949, when the Kuomintang fled to the island after losing a civil war on the mainland to Communist forces led by Mao Zedong. Beijing continues to regard Taiwan as a renegade province and threatens to invade if Taipei ever declares formal independence.

In 1990, when Lin was working as a system engineer at the islands postal service, he says he got a lucrative job offer from a U.S. software company but turned it down to join Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corp. I always believe in Taiwan, he explains. He advanced to become a senior executive vice president, then joined the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 2006 in the same position. He rose to the top job when former president Samuel Hsu left the exchange in 2013.

Whether the Taiwan exchange can ever open a direct link to either of the mainland exchanges will depend on whether the new government and the legislature ratify the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, which was negotiated by the previous, Kuomintang, government of Ma Ying-jeou, whom Tsai succeeded as president last month. The agreement would allow Chinese companies to seek public listings in Taiwan; it also would allow Taiwanese brokers to formally gain renminbi quotas from Chinas central bank and to begin offering offshore renminbi-denominated investment products. The legislature has never ratified the deal, however.

Tsai is reappointing some officials from the Ma government, several of whom were involved with negotiating previous trade agreements with China, Lin notes. Of the 900 companies listed on the Taiwan exchange, about 80 percent have a significant presence or investments on the mainland, he says. The new government will be focused on livelihood issues and cannot afford to alienate major business groups or the financial markets, he contends. Global investors need not worry, Lin says. Taiwan is export-oriented, and it is easily impacted more by global markets than its ties with China.

Anshuman Jaswal, a New Yorkbased senior analyst with financial market research firm Celent, says Lin has his work cut out for him. TWSE has certainly made the right moves in terms of improving its attractiveness in the Asian market, Jaswal says. But the region is highly competitive. Major exchanges on the mainland; in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore; and across Southeast Asia have been adding products and improving their technology, he notes. The stronger economies in the region are expected to see greater inflows, Jaswal says. Hence in spite of all of these improvements, TWSE will find that it is still operating in a tough market environment.

Lin plays down the idea of direct competition among exchanges. Many of the Asian exchanges are national symbols, and no two exchanges are the same, he says. That said, Lin notes he has been pushing for improved corporate governance so more foreign fund managers will invest in Taiwan. In 2015 the exchange launched the TWSE Corporate Governance 100 Index, which assigns performance measures to listed companies. Such moves are meant to improve governance in the marketplace, Lin says, adding that both domestic and foreign fund managers have welcomed the index as a means of improving transparency.

Such measures will have a greater bearing on the health of the local market than politics will, asserts Lin. The new president and her financial and economic policies, of course, will have an impact, but the most important element determining the success of the exchange has more to do with what we do to improve the exchange, he says. As long as we continue to improve the exchange and corporate governance in Taiwan, foreign fund managers will be pleased.

Follow Allen Cheng on Twitter at @acheng87.
The program insurance segment has been an attractive area for property/casualty carriers in recent years and interest doesnt appear to be faltering. While carriers have been eager to snatch-up mature and profitable programs for years, interest is gaining among program carriers to invest in more startup programs.

Brian Molusis, founder and president of Vital Insurance Partners LLC, a Glastonbury, Conn.-based consulting firm that helps wholesale brokers, retail agencies and program administrators with the process of building new programs, says the market is seeing carriers take a closer look at startup programs than before.

Molusis, who also serves as the chair of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) program committee, says program business carriers have become more open to the idea of startup ventures during in the past couple of years. One obvious reason: programs continue to be the fastest-growing segment in the property/casualty insurance market.

Program business premium revenues increased by 7.4 percent reaching $32.3 billion in 2014 up from $30.1 billion in 2013, according to the most recent Target Markets Program Administrators Association State of Program Business Study. In five years, total program business insurance revenues nearly doubled. The first study reported $17.5 billion in commercial insurance premium revenue in 2010.

The program market has repeatedly been the fastest growing segment of the P/C market because everyone is looking to specialize and they are looking for specialists.

The program market has repeatedly been the fastest growing segment of the P/C market because everyone is looking to specialize and they are looking for specialists, Molusis said. But in order to keep growing at that same pace, carriers and program partners have to create new programs. To do that you have to look at general wholesalers and their books of business. Where can they carve out niche books of business? Thats where you get the new program opportunities from.

In his view, AAMGA is the perfect organization to seek out those opportunities. You have an organization that has hundreds of general wholesalers that fit this model so the next step is to look at their members. Thats one reason why AAMGA tasked Molusis to help develop a program focus at its recent annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late May. The association designated a program-specific meeting room to transact business, offered 27 different company presentations from program business carriers and held an executive program panel where executives in the program space discussed issues facing the program marketplace today.

What Carriers Want

Not every startup opportunity is the same and some interest carriers more than others, Molusis said. There are different levels of startup opportunities for programs. First, carriers want to know that theres some expertise before developing a new program.

They also want to know that theres a controlled book of business that can seed premium into a new program and its not just starting from scratch.

If you are starting from scratch, where you have an idea for a book of business, thats a real tough proposition for a carrier, he said. You would have to have a very good business case on why a carrier should invest in a scratch proposal. But, Molusis said, if an agency or wholesaler has a good niche book of business that is not already a program today, but is instead written though various markets, and that agency has expertise in that segment with a solid controlled book, building a startup program could be a good option.

Not every program carrier will consider startups, however.

David Lupica, president of ACE Commercial Risk Services, ACE Group, a panelist on the AAMGA Program Panel, said startups take more resources and have a lower chance of success. But every program is a startup at some point, he said.

According to Lupica, ACE looks for balance when examining program opportunities. We dont want to be over-weighted and we want to look for a good value proposition and a good business plan, he said. I dont believe in the field of dreams program  if you build it they will come.

Instead, Lupica takes a common sense approach when examining program opportunities.

Whos the partner? Have they demonstrated success? Whats the connection on the distribution side? Are they well-known, do they have a relationship with an association, and/or a relationship with a wholesaler. In Lupicas view, someone that comes from the targeted niche industry is a bonus. We are looking to insure programs where there is specific industry knowledge who understands the risks that the niche industry faces, and the challenges that niche has.

Lupica said its also very important to have a solid business plan going in and good data is key. We are harvesting a lot of information in terms of the different types of risks that exist within different classes, Lupica said, so having good, solid data is critical. Then we have to overlay that data with the competitive landscape. Where are those insureds geographically? Are there other players doing it well? Those are the opportunities we will focus on.

Molusis said there are quite a few general wholesalers in the market currently looking to move away from a typical wholesale model and start specializing. Some wholesalers now have pockets of business within each organization that moving those pockets to the program administrator model for specific niche segments makes sense. It will help them grow and fill that space with new programs.

This same group needs help with the process of building out and submitting a program proposal to carriers, he said. With a little data gathering., building up the underwriting guidelines and putting together a submission its possible to get a carrier give them a contract.

Building Out a Program

Its not an easy task to build out a program and it takes time and most importantly, good data.

Brian Norman, president of Norman-Spencer Agency Inc., said it can easily take 12 months to launch a new program but hes worked on some that have moved much quicker.

Norman admits, 12 months is a long time and market cycles and economic changes can and do change. But if you have a program that you are looking to expand, 12 months to get the forms right and the rates right may not be that long.

Norman says its very important to a program administrator like Norman-Spencer to have the right partners that can move quickly. You need those carrier partners in your stable so that they can turn something around quickly for you.

For those retailers and wholesalers new to the program space, finding the right partner to guide them through the process can be key.

Molusis recommends finding a consultant or an intermediary that specializes in building out programs. At the very least, look and see if you have some sort of niche book of business and ask, Can I seed the program with at least $3 million or so of premium of controlled business. 

If you are at $1 million its probably not big enough yet for a program, but if you are between $2 million to $3 million worth of niche business that could be a good start, Molusis said.

Topics Carriers InsurTech Property Casualty
South Carolinas coastal property insurance market is strong, but the states significant catastrophe risk remains an ongoing threat and not one that should be taken lightly. That is the message South Carolina Insurance Director Raymond Farmer hopes to get across to residents as the 2016 storm season gets underway.

South Carolina is heading into its first storm season since floods ravaged the state last October. The mega-storm dumped nearly two feet of rain in some parts of South Carolina over a 48-hour period and causing billions of dollars in damage to autos, homes, businesses and crops.

While the crisis is over and 95 percent of the states flood claims have been closed, Farmer said, the lessons learned from the event will live on.

South Carolina suffered a tremendous flood last October, primarily in areas not flooded before and not in a flood zone, Farmer said in an interview with Insurance Journal. This hurricane season we are encouraging citizens to plan, prepare and protect their families.

Farmer said the devastating floods from last fall havent changed how the Department will approach this years hurricane season, but everyone is now more mindful that catastrophes can occur in areas where they havent in the past or where you may not expect them.

It emphasizes the importance for the citizens in our state to consider if they should purchase flood coverage, he said.

SCDOI kicked off the start of hurricane season with events targeted towards educating consumers on the importance of disaster preparedness. On June 2, it hosted a coastal property insurance market hearing and information session in Bluffton, where it presented highlights of the states Status of the South Carolina Coastal Property Insurance Market, released in January.

Farmer said the goal was to show consumers that the states homeowners market is as competitive as it has ever been, with 67 new companies licensed to do business in the state since 2010. Farmer said a number of those companies are also doing business on the coast.

SCDOIs annual coastal property report shows that the portfolio of the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (SCWHUA)  the states residual property insurance market  is decreasing after reaching its high point in 2011. The Associations total insured limits, or exposure, decreased by almost $5.7 billion since August 31, 2011, the considered highpoint of the SCWHUAs book of business.

According to the SCDOIs data call of 89 personal lines carriers in the states admitted market, the total number of new policies issued in the wind pool area increased by 11 percent for the first three quarters of 2015 compared to 2014.

Overall, the report concluded that the coastal property insurance market is stable, and there is ample capacity from admitted insurers along South Carolinas coastline.

Our objective is to get as many competitors in the marketplace and make sure rates are not excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory, Farmer said.

On June 4, SCDOI held a home expo with insurance representatives, as well as state and local emergency preparedness organizations, to offer ways homeowners can protect their homes against storm events and lower their insurance costs.

Farmer says the department will continue its efforts throughout storm season by visiting all 46 South Carolina counties and holding information sessions for consumers where residents can talk with local officials and law enforcement.

SCDOI has also been urging consumers to ensure their insurance policies are adequate to cover them in the event of a catastrophe. Consumers can shop coverage through SCDOIs Market Assistance Program, which serves as an insurance rate comparison site for state residents. Farmer encouraged carriers and agents to sign up to participate in the marketplace.

Farmer said last years flood gave him confidence in how the industry will respond should another devastating catastrophe event occur. After last years floods, SCDOI and insurance reps pulled together to help state residents.

I think the industry excels at the time that you really need them  at the time of a catastrophe, Farmer said. Our industry showed upinsurance companies brought in over 600 emergency adjusters to add to the already 2,500 adjusters in the state. This was a flood event that was primarily not covered by homeowners policies, but [the industry] got out there in a timely fashion and was ready to start handling claims.

Topics Catastrophe Flood Agribusiness Property Market South Carolina
Information about pill shipments that prescription drug distributors being sued by the state had sought to keep secret show that the firms flooded rural West Virginia with hundreds of thousands of painkillers.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports a Boone County judge on May 23 ordered the release of previously sealed court documents about prescription pain pill shipments to the state.

The drug distributors had been fighting to keep the pill shipment numbers under wraps in a lawsuit filed by the attorney generals office and other agencies, alleging the firms helped fuel the prescription drug problem in West Virginia. The state has the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation.

Court records show the drug distributors shipped large quantities of oxycodone and hydrocodone tablets to small towns like War, Kermit, Oceana, Van and Crab Orchard, supplying mom-and-pop pharmacies that filled prescriptions from doctors.

The records show one distributor shipped more than 300,000 hydrocodone tablets over four years to a pharmacy in War, population 808.

Records show another distributor supplied 149,000 hydrocodone pills to a pharmacy in Williamson in 2009.

The distribution of vast amounts of narcotic medications to some of the smallest towns and unincorporated rural areas of our state should have set off more red flags than a school of sharks at a crowded beach, said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne.

One distributor, AmerisourceBergen, issued a statement regarding the information.

At AmerisourceBergen, we are committed to the safe and efficient delivery of controlled substances to meet the medical needs of patients, said Lauren Moyer, a company spokeswoman. We work diligently to combat diversion and are working closely with regulatory agencies and other partners in pharmaceutical and healthcare delivery to help find solutions that will support appropriate access while limiting misuse of controlled substances.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Virginia Drugs
Legislation before state lawmakers in New York would significantly change medical malpractice law by allowing patients to sue years after an alleged misdiagnosis or mistreatment.

Patients currently must file lawsuits within 2 1/2 years after the alleged malpractice.

The bill would amend the statute of limitations on such cases to start the clock when a patient first realizes they were possibly misdiagnosed or harmed by a medical professional  as long as the lawsuit is filed within 10 years of the original incident.

The Medical Society of the State of New York opposes the change, saying it would make medical malpractice insurance far more expensive and lead to disastrous increases in health care costs.

Supporters of the change say that when it comes to complex conditions such as cancer, it can take several years for a patient to realize they were misdiagnosed or otherwise mistreated by a physician or other medical professional.

Elissa McMahon was treated for what doctors told her were benign uterine fibroids in 2012 at a New York City hospital. In 2014, however, she learned she had advanced uterine cancer that already had spread to her liver and spine. She said her new doctors told her the disease should have been caught in 2012  but since it had been almost three years it was too late to file a malpractice suit.

Shes now a leading supporter of the effort to pass the bill.

The window was closed before I even knew, said the 46-year-old single mother, who lives in the Boston suburbs. I may not live to see this law passed, but if I dont, and I helped pass it, then Im glad I did it.

Many states allow lawsuits for one to three years following the discovery of an alleged injury, though most require them to be filed within five years of the incident, regardless of when it was discovered. Supporters of the bill argue New York has one of the strictest windows in the nation, preventing many patients from having legal recourse.

The Medical Society, however, contends the New York bill would go too far by allowing date-of-discovery cases to be filed as long as 10 years  far longer than most other states. The state already has among the highest rates for medical malpractice insurance, said Elizabeth Dears, senior vice president and chief legislative counsel at the Society.

She said many states with more liberal statutes of limitations on malpractice claims also have caps on damages for pain and suffering  something New York does not have.

Given that many hospitals and physicians all across New York State are barely able to keep their door open now  any increases of this nature would prompt a very serious access-to-care problem, she wrote in the Societys formal response to the bill.

The bill has broad support with the state Assemblys Democratic majority and passed that chamber last year. But it faces obstacles in the Republican-led Senate. No vote is scheduled, but lawmakers intend to adjourn their session for the year later this month.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation New York Medical Professional Liability
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs $34 million budget request to address Pennsylvanias opioid abuse crisis is a start as the state begins to understand the scope and need of a statewide epidemic, he told reporters on June 2.

Speaking briefly to reporters at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at Temple Universitys Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Wolf acknowledged that we in Harrisburg are just waking up to the problem.

The question is, why do we have this crisis of opioid addiction? Wolf said. And second, what are we going to do about it?

If approved by the state legislature, Wolf said his request  along with approximately $16 million in Medicaid funding  would help fund the creation of 50 outpatient treatment centers across the state that could serve up to 11,000 people a year. But he called the funding a down payment that only begins to address the scope of heroin addiction.

This is something we really need to address in a much more comprehensive way, he said. Thats a placeholder.

Wolfs call for heroin funding comes in the wake of a record budget standoff and months before many lawmakers face re-election this fall. The GOP-controlled Legislature has only a few weeks left to pass a budget before the start of the 2016-17 fiscal year on July 1.

Still, the Democratic governor suggested the issue is one that should transcend politics.

This is something that cuts across party lines, class lines, geographical lines in Pennsylvania, Wolf said. I think there is real interest in doing something about this.

Opioid and heroin abuse has become an issue of increasing concern in Pennsylvania. The state ranks among the top in the country for drug overdose deaths. The governors office says that heroin overdoses kill at least seven Pennsylvanians a day.

Wolf, who took office in 2015, has said the crisis is a top priority for his administration. Addiction treatment is part of a larger approach that also includes addressing the excessive availability of prescription drugs  seen as a major gateway to addiction  overdose prevention and treatment of incarcerated addicts.

But the lack of treatment centers has been a common refrain across the state. On June 2, Wolf did not say how many more beds the state needs or where they will be.

One of the things we have to do is find out what that need is, he said. We need to get a better answer to the question. The problem is all over the state.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pennsylvania
When discussing his career as a chief financial officer, Patrick Regan, group chief financial officer for QBE, emphasizes the importance of people and the team the CFO builds.

Youre only as successful as the team of people you build around you, how well you mobilize them and the vision you set of what youre trying to achieve, he said in a recent interview.

Rather than micromanaging, he lets his team of professionals around the globe do what they do best because they know how to do their jobs 100 times better than I could. While he makes sure theyre on track and have the help they need, he lets them fulfill their goals without hand holding.

Regan, born and raised in Norfolk, a county on the eastern side of England, has leadership experience in finance roles on three continents: the U.K. (Aviva, Willis Group, RSA Insurance and AXA), the U.S. (GE Capital and Grant Thornton) and now in Australia with QBE. In three of those rolesat QBE, Aviva and RSAhe has been involved with major transformation projects.

Youre only as successful as the team of people you build around you, how well you mobilize them and the vision you set of what youre trying to achieve.

He said there are loads of smart people in the industry who are great individual contributors but who will find it difficult to be good leaders unless they know how to build great teams and work cooperatively with people across the organization.

Indeed, he listed team building as one of the top skills a CFO needs, along with decisiveness, being analytical, strategic thinking, and being comfortable with presenting to internal and external stakeholders. You need to be a good communicator because thats such a big part of what we do, he said.

You need to understand the complex industry dynamics and how to help position the company within that environment.

As strategy is a big part of his job, he likes to allocate some thinking timeif possible on a daily basiswhen he blocks off time on his calendar. Its easy for a CFO to get caught up with the rather unglamorous projects required of finance, such as reporting, but time needs to be taken for more strategic thinkingon behalf of the company and of finance, he emphasized.

You might have gotten to the end of your day and plowed through your to-do list and delivered some of your deliverables, but the question he likes to ask himself is whether he has made the company any better at the end of today, or the week, or the month?

Regan said he took the job at QBE in 2014 because it felt like there was something we could create that was different and distinctive. He previously had been CFO at U.K.-based Aviva, where he also was involved in a major transformation project.

QBE began its transformation in 2012 with the appointment of John Neal as CEO. He initially made changes to the management team and improved underwriting standards. Since Regan has been on board, the company has been involved with selling businesses to get back to its core skills, raising capital and getting on top of its reserving.

Now that those resets are largely completed, we are focusing on how we run the business better in a thousand smaller ways and mobilizing the organization to carry that forward with enthusiasm, he said, noting that QBE has an interesting franchise because it is one of the few global insurers that just do P/C, and in our case primarily just writes commercial lines.

QBE Finance

Even QBEs finance department has kicked off its own transformation initiative, which aims to modernize and automate processes across the 40 countries where the company operatesusing Oracle technology to replace legacy systems and manual processes. The intent of the project is to do what we do in finance better, more efficiently in order to add value and help the business effectively deliver its strategy, Regan said.

Indeed, he said that the use of datahow information is collected and analyzedis one of the biggest challenges facing CFOs and the companies they work for. There is an expectation from business leaders for faster, better information, and finance teams therefore have to step up to the plate to deliver faster and better information.

Previous Experience: 1988-1998: Grant Thornton, various roles from investigations senior manager to partner designate.

1998-2001: General Electric Co., various roles including controller, global consumer finance (Stamford, Conn.) and U.K. controller, GE Capital Bank.

2001-2004: AXA SA, Finance & Claims director, U.K. General Insurance.

2004-2006: Royal & Sun Alliance plc, group financial controller.

2006-2010: Willis Group Holdings, group COO and CFO.

2010 to 2014: Aviva plc, CFO.

2014-present: QBE, group CFO.

World economic volatility post-2007 is profoundly different, he affirmed, which means that boards are much more active than they were 10 years ago with the information theyre seeking and what they need to help them be stewards of the company, Regan went on to say.

Our job as CFOs is to provide information to our colleagues, to our teams, to our external stakeholdersand the bar is being raised continuously, he said. We have to make sure we can keep pace with that as finance teams and genuinely add value and provide information as quickly as possible.

Every CFO has to have strong partnership with the CEO; youre their wingman. Youre trying to help them fulfill their strategic goals. Ive always thought that, he said.

Similarly, there is a natural partnership with the chief risk officer. In many ways, you want the CRO to be provoking you with thoughts, challenges. COOs typically have a big cost agenda or efficiency agenda, which can be quite complementary to what the CFO is trying to do. They generally are natural bedfellows.

While being collaborative and collegiate should be the default style for a CFO, he or she also has to be brave enough to disagree with people and to push things a bit as well.

Do you need to work in property and casualty to be a CFO? No, he said, but it certainly helps because the expectations of the role expand over time. I have a very leading hand in the strategy function. A hugely important part of my job is to spend time communicating what were doing to the board, to the regulator, to the ratings agencies and particularly to the investors. If you dont really understand how the business works, its harder to do that.

Co-Locating Processes

Another big job for QBE Finance over the next year is to co-locate more processes, which means streamlining processes to be handled in the Philippines.

We have a QBE-run facility there called the Group Shared Service Centre, which has been hugely successful since it was created in 2013. Finance would like to co-locate to the Philippines different accounts payable processesas an examplefrom different areas around the world to make these processes more efficient and provide a better service for the global teams.

QBEs global finance function is about 1,200 people, with 200 of those working in Sydney. The functions that report to Regan are finance, internal audit, actuarial, tax, treasury and investor relations. We have a separate team doing financial planning and analysis. Im a great believer that you really need a dedicated group doing financial planning to get high-quality, dedicated thought processes.

Reinsurance Buying

Regan said the finance function is heavily involved with reinsurance buying decisions, which is hugely important for QBE because it spends a lot of money on reinsurance. We spend more money on reinsurance than we do on our expense base. Its a huge source and form of capital and a huge source and form of risk management and volatility of earnings management.

In 2010, the company decided to parcel out its risk around the world into five main programs, including bundling multiperils and multiterritories into a single global catastrophe program.

In the past several years, Regan said the company has seized pricing opportunities to buy more comprehensive and unique reinsurance programs, which have given us a lot of earnings stability at a time that is really quite valuable to us.

Why are they unique? We bought big aggregate treaties, which means all risk claims and all catastrophe claims of more than US$2.5 million fall into this treaty once they accumulate up to a bit over a billion dollars, he said.

As a result, in 19 years out of 20, QBE knows that the cost of large risk claims and cat claims will be about 9 percent of net earned premiums whether theyre in a light cat year or a heavy cat year.

Career Advice

Regan got into finance and ultimately the insurance industry by becoming an accountantand he admitted he first became an accountant because he wanted to work in London.

He laughed, saying, it wasnt a particularly well-thought-through career plan, but Ive really enjoyed financial services. For me, its got such a nice mix of financial complexity and strategy, which I really enjoy.

He recommended that a young person who wants to enter the industry and get into executive roles should take a foundation qualification (such as accountancy or an MBA), get as many career experiences as possible and stretch themselves as much as they can.

Regan chose the variety and benefit of working in three countries, when he often had the opportunity to step outside his comfort zone. Working in different places, different cultures, different company styles, challenges you enormously.

He recalled his role as group controller for GE Capital in Stamford, Conn., which he described as a great job. But in his first three months, he felt like he had been thrown into the deep end.

GE has real people bravery and puts people into roles that will stretch them, he affirmed.

GE Money, the successor to GE Capital, had been buying banks around the world. We had to establish finance teams around the world for all these businesses we bought.

There were results to deliver and zero tolerance for anything going wrong, and stuff was going wrong all the while, he said. In addition, he had to familiarize himself with some very technical U.S. GAAP rules.

The first three months there were horrendous, and I was thinking, Am I ever going to get through this?' Regan continued. But looking back on it, it was the best job I ever had because I learned so much about how do you work with a group of people who work for you who you cant see down the corridor because theyre on the other side of the world.

This experience taught him that if you apply yourself well, you really can learn to do almost anything. Im a huge believer in that. But he emphasized, You must ask lots of questions; you must ask for help. Put aside your pride and ask for as much help as you can. Theres always somebody who knows how to do what youre trying to do.

Career Accomplishments

Regan said his two major career highlights were at his most recent role at Aviva, where he was CFO between 2010 and 2014 and closely involved with its turnaround, and his current role at QBE.

There were a lot of people involved in Avivas turnaround, including current CEO Mark Wilson, he said. But as part of the team, Regan helped Aviva reset its strategic direction, which like many companies it had grown a lot in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

I was responsible for helping set the strategy, getting back to the core businesses and selling business such as Aviva USA, he said. And within the finance team, he helped to build a world-class finance function. I was very proud of what the team didall the team, not just me or my part in that.

While QBE is only part way through its transformation story, Regan said he is really pleased with what the team has collectively accomplished.

Weve moved from a period of quite big instability, with the collection of businesses that John [Neal, group CEO] inherited, and have created a very stable and well-capitalized, much more predictable, interesting set of businesses with some really interesting market positions around the world.

He says he has really enjoyed being part of that. And were just getting started in other ways, so Im excited about the next chapter as well.

Biggest Influences

When asked who were the biggest influences in shaping his leadership style, Regan, without hesitation, points to Joe Plumeri and Andy Haste. Plumeri was the former chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings, and Andy Haste was the former chief executive of RSA Insurance. Regan worked with Haste at RSA (where he was part of another transformation project) as well as AXA and GE Capital.

Plumeri had vision, energy, passion and knew how to energize an organization, said Regan, chuckling when he recalled that Plumeri would come in every day with a new idea. He added: I learned a ton working for Joe.

Regan said Haste was also influential and imparted a way of measuring his days, weeks, months and job successes. Haste was not only great at focusing on the things that really mattered, Regan said, but he always asked: What can we do to make us better next week than we are this week? And now it is what Regan often asks himself.

Best Advice

Regan said the best piece of advice he has been given is to show your heart.

Its easy in this kind of job, or for me as an individual actually, to come across as all business focused, especially when you get in a senior role, he said. If you give the impression of intensity and being aloof, there is a danger that you dont show your heart to people, that you care about them.

Measuring Success

How does Regan measure his career successes? For most people, he said, it is the roles they achieve that become their measure of success. But I think trying to make a difference in an organization is the best measure for me.

He is pleased with his involvement in transformation projects at Aviva and now QBE because theyve been challenging and interesting and, most of all, a lot of fun.

Regan no doubt will continue to stretch himself in his future career, wherever it may lead him. I dont really mind whatever way it comes. I could be working in a different country again, or a different culture. I could be doing a CEO role, rather than a CFO role; I dont really mind. It would be interesting to challenge myself and see what I can do.

A version of this article first appeared in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management, which recently published a group of articles on CFOs in the re/insurance industry.

Topics USA Claims Reinsurance
The Michigan Legislature is close to repealing an annual tax break worth tens of millions of dollars that was inadvertently given to auto insurers four years ago, a move agreed to as part of a state budget deal.

The Republican-led House gave initial approval to two bills to ensure the industry is no longer eligible for the tax credit, effective this tax year.

This is the biggest and worst example of corporate welfare I have ever seen, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville. The companies got the tax credit, and the citizens of Michigan got diddly in return, he said.

Industry leaders have conceded that the credit was awarded by mistake, but they warn premiums will go up.

This legislation results in a $40 per car increase in auto insurance premiums, which are already some of the highest prices in the nation, with no real effort to reform a system with skyrocketing costs, said Mark Fisk, spokesman for the Michigan Insurance Coalition.

Michigan has what is called an assigned claims plan to cover medical care for people injured in accidents who do not have auto insurance. It initially largely covered pedestrians and bicyclists. But the benefits increasingly also help passengers injured while riding in uninsured vehicles.

The secretary of state managed the program from the 1970s until 2012, when a law transferred the plan to the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility, which sells insurance to people unable to buy it from insurance companies. The move was intended to gain efficiencies and get a better handle on claims  the cost of which are borne by insurers and passed along to motorists.

But the switch meant insurers, who receive a tax credit against payments to the group, were credited for a quarter of $239 million in assigned claims paid out in 2015, about $60 million. The break is now estimated to be worth $80 million a year, according to the House Fiscal Agency.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder proposed ending the credit in his budget proposal for the fiscal year that will start in October, and legislative leaders agreed. The legislation, which was approved 78-30 and 79-29, is expected to be taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate before lawmakers begin their summer break in two weeks.

Rep. Jim Townsend, D-Royal Oak, said he was hopeful that Republicans are listening to our message of tax fairness and may address other business tax breaks.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Carriers Legislation Auto Michigan
Illinois lawmakers have convened a task force to investigate a spike in the theft of recyclable metals.

There was a spike in thefts a few years ago when the price of copper and other recyclable metals rose. Copper wiring and pipes have been ripped from homes, signs and air conditioners have been stolen, and even metal grates over storm drains have been taken.

As a result, the Recyclable Metal Theft Task Force formed, in an effort to look into what can be done about all recyclable metals. Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel, who sits on the task force, told the (Peoria) Journal Star that its working with law enforcement, utilities, the scrapping industry and insurance associations to determine how the thefts can be reduced.

Potential ideas are enforcing tougher prosecution and establishing better lines of connection between scrap yards and police, Fengel said a report is due in the fall.

Detective Dave Hoyle of the Peoria County Sheriffs Office supports an approach similar to the one used to combat methamphetamine manufacturers. He believes scrap metal can be monitored in the same way authorities track the purchase of cold medicine, which can be used by meth makers for ingredients.

Chad Batterham of the Peoria Police Department said law enforcement officials often have a sense of whos stealing recyclable metals. He says its a specialized and hard way to make a living.

The law enforcement official said a small 2-pound coil of copper wire from a truck usually goes for about $10 to $12 and an air conditioner thats been completely stripped can yield about $100.

The theft of copper alone has amounted to a loss of as much as $500,000 per year across Illinois.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Law Enforcement Illinois
Grange Insurance launched new cyber coverage for businesses that offers protection against potential data breaches.

The new coverage offers limits ranging from $25,000 to $1 million, first- and third-party coverage and breach response planning and reputation management from cyber security firm IDT911.

Granges offering will cover the following:

First Party: Data breach expense coverage for items such as notification letters to customers and call handling and reporting.

Third Party: Third-party liability coverage including media wrongful acts, network security wrongful acts and privacy wrongful acts.

Ransomware and Extortion: Protection against criminals who install malware on personal devices and demand payment to remove it.

Granges partnership with IDT911 provides information that to help keep online information secure including:

Building a data breach response plan.

Receiving guidance on the best breach response strategy.

Protecting business reputation.

Help preventing regulatory sanctions or fines.

Grange Insurance is an insurance provider founded in 1935 and based in Columbus, Ohio. Through its network of independent agents, Grange offers auto, home, life and business insurance protection. The company and its affiliates serve policyholders in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Topics Cyber New Markets
BUTTE  A pretrial hearing for ex-Navy SEAL Rob ONeill, who denied driving under the influence in April, has been continued for two weeks, according to Butte city court records.

A hearing date was not scheduled as of Friday, when a pretrial hearing had been scheduled.

ONeill, 40, told Butte-Silver Bow police that he took a prescribed sleep aid before he was found sleeping behind the wheel of a Nissan Sentra at a Town Pump convenience store on April 8. Several customers had alerted a clerk that a man was asleep in the running vehicle.

A police report stated that the Butte native was hazy about whether he had imbibed or taken Ambien, a prescription drug used to treat insomnia, and where he had traveled from to his hometown.

ONeill was arrested and later refused a Breathalyzer test. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor DUI, a first offense, the day of the incident.

In a statement released by his public relations firm, ONeill said he took a prescribed sleep aid to help with long-standing insomnia.

While the timing was bad and I highly regret this decision, I am innocent of the charge and have entered a plea of not guilty. I am confident I will soon be cleared of this matter, he said.

Montana State University canceled a speaking engagement after ONeills arrest, citing unforeseen circumstances. His speaking fee of $28,000 was paid from a taxpayer-supported general fund.

ONeill has claimed he killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a U.S.-led attack in Pakistan in 2011.
Sharing economy workers best shot at suing to rewrite the rules of their employment may soon pass them by.

As judges last Thursday considered settlements that will leave Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. drivers as independent contractors, two of the biggest names in the on-demand economy are likely to avoid policy changes that would force them to rethink their business models.

Uber and Lyft can also keep using a play borrowed from the traditional economy by requiring drivers to take disputes to private arbitration rather than court. Such agreements, coupled with provisions blocking workers from using the leverage of class action lawsuits like the ones filed by Uber and Lyft drivers, are now ubiquitous among U.S. employers. The drivers cases were allowed to proceed only because their lawyer found holes in earlier versions of company contracts.

The ride-share companies have since closed those gaps. That means Ubers $100 million settlement with 385,000 current and former drivers in California and Massachusetts and Lyfts $27 million agreement may mark the last of such courtroom battles in the U.S. Ubers revised driver contracts have already allowed it to smother similar challenges in Arizona, Ohio, Florida and Maryland, with federal judges in those states upholding its arbitration agreements this year.

What the Uber settlement really demonstrates is that the solution to the misclassification of workers as independent contractors cannot be in the hands of private attorneys, said Beth A. Ross, an employment lawyer who settled a case against FedEx Corp. on behalf of about 2,000 drivers for $227 million. If a company like Uber can avoid public enforcement of Californias employment laws through arbitration agreements, where does that leave workers for whom those laws were passed? The only solution is legislation and governmental regulatory enforcement.

One such bill has languished in Congress. Senator Al Franken last year attempted to revive the Arbitration Fairness Act, which would rein in mandatory arbitration in employment and consumer cases. The Minnesota Democrat introduced the bill in 2011. Related legislation was proposed in February by Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Settlement Objectors

Meanwhile, the fight in two San Francisco courtrooms isnt over just yet.

Objections to Ubers settlement with its California and Massachusetts drivers have been collecting for weeks in preparation for U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen deciding whether to give the deal a preliminary stamp of approval or send lawyers back to the negotiating table.

Uber, whose $62.5 billion valuation makes it the biggest sharing-economy company, agreed as part of the deal to let drivers solicit tips and allot payouts based on the miles theyve driven. The accord also prohibits Uber from firing drivers without a reason, relying on a two-step process for terminated drivers to appeal their dismissal through peer review.

The judge has revealed some of his worries about the deal, including whether signs saying drivers accept tips could lead to lower customer ratings and, as a result, deactivation by Uber. Chen also ordered the drivers lead lawyer, Shannon Liss-Riordan, to further justify her 25 percent share of the deal by detailing the hours worked by her and her staff.

Critics, including the driver whose name is listed first in the case, have filed more than 30 objections, far more than the handful filed in some other class actions. That reflects the intense interest among lawyers and academics as well as drivers, some of whom planned to protest Thursday outside the federal courthouse.

Sell-Out Accusation

Some of the drivers accuse Liss-Riordan of selling them out for the sake of her own fees. More importantly, they say, she failed to deliver on the lawsuits core purpose  to give them the protections enjoyed by employees.

One concern shared by Chen is whether Liss-Riordan and Uber are improperly trying to release the company from claims in other lawsuits that werent part of the dispute before him.

According to one objector, the settlement seeks to co-opt the claims of 16 different lawsuits because Uber wants a global release of employment claims against it in two states in one fell swoop.

Liss-Riordan said the settlement is a good one when weighed against the risk of losing a trial that was set for this month or the danger an appeals court would wipe out an earlier victory that allowed drivers to sue as a group. Either way, drivers might have been left with nothing.

The case was at risk of being gutted, she said. I believe the settlement was in the best interests of the class, in light of the risk we faced of having the case pulled out from under us.

Heartfelt Notes

More than 2,500 drivers have contacted her office, Liss-Riordan said. While most simply wanted to know when they would get their money, some wrote heartfelt thank you notes, she said.

Even if Chen rejects the settlement as unfair to drivers, no one expects the company to budge on keeping them independent contractors and requiring private arbitration.

Ted Boutrous, a lawyer for Uber, said the settlement is fair, generous and, combined with the non-monetary compromises, is particularly significant in a case where we believe the class action should not have gone forward at all.

Boutrous has argued throughout the case that under federal law, Uber is entitled to enforce arbitration to avoid the time, expense, and inefficiencies of traditional litigation. In December, Uber made its driver agreement bullet proof by addressing every single concern Chen expressed about it, he said. Our arbitration agreement is state of the art, plus more.

An appeals courts decision to review Chens rulings that Ubers arbitration agreements were unenforceable and allowing a class action was monumental, Boutrous said. Uber had the stronger hand in the case, he said.

Lyft Revision

Liss-Riordan, who also represents Lyft drivers, originally reached a $12.5 million deal with the second-biggest ride-share company in the U.S. After U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said that amount would shortchange drivers, Liss-Riordan came back with the $27 million agreement that was considered by Chhabria Thursday.

If the judge approves that sweetened deal, 163,000 current an former California drivers will be told they can claim their share of the settlement, object to it, or opt out. In any event, the agreement will allow Lyft to continue treating its drivers as contractors.

As a result, workers pressing their cases in court must also push lawmakers for a change at the Supreme Court or legislation to improve their lot, said Katherine Stone, an employment law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The question of whether theyre employees or not is now being relegated to private, invisible arbitration tribunals, she said. Even if one wins, it doesnt affect how the others are decided. It becomes a roll the dice situation.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits California USA Legislation Contractors
Illinois-headquartered global insurance broker Hub International Limited reports that it has acquired certain assets of FirstBank Insurance Agency Inc.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, FirstBank is a general agency providing property/casualty insurance. It is a subsidiary of First Bancorp, a diversified financial institution also based in San Juan.

Acquired assets will be a part of Hub Puerto Rico, according to the announcement.

Source: Hub International

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions
Three Oklahoma energy companies want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit demanding they reduce injection volumes at wastewater disposal wells that could be triggering earthquakes.

The lawsuit was filed in February by members of the Oklahoma Sierra Club. It asks that Devon Energy Corp., Chesapeake Energy Corp. and New Dominion LLC reduce production waste at wells.

But the companies say in legal filings that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is already taking action to reduce volumes of wastewater in disposal wells, The Oklahoman reported.

The commission has issued a series of voluntary directives covering more than 600 disposal wells. In addition, the Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity brings together regulators, researchers and energy industry representatives to respond to seismicity.

Through the efforts of the governor, the state Legislature, the OCC and other state agencies, Oklahoma is in the midst of implementing a coherent, well-coordinated and comprehensive public policy to address seismicity, Chesapeake Energy said in a court filing.

While the three companies were responsible for about two-thirds of the wastewater injected in 2014, they said any injunction against them wouldnt cover other operators who might also be contributing to induced seismicity.

The companies also said anybody with concerns should go through the OCC to modify injection well permits.

In response, the Sierra Club said it had no issues with the states response, but believes more could be done. It said commission action hasnt stopped the earthquakes, with more than 300 recorded since the beginning of the year with magnitude greater than 3.0.

The group said it hasnt had any opportunity to oppose permits because all the volume reductions so far have been voluntary.

The OCC has not yet issued a mandatory order to reduce injection, the Sierra Club said. In addition, the voluntary directives issued to date have not stopped the earthquakes, or even reduced their frequency or intensity.

In its answer to the lawsuit, Devon disclosed it is selling some disposal wells as part of a previously announced $200 million deal to sell noncore assets in Oklahomas Mississippian formation. White Star Petroleum LLC, formerly American Energy-Woodford LLC, is the buyer.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Oklahoma Earthquake
A court clerk said thousands of drivers across North Carolina have mistakenly lost their drivers licenses because the state Department of Motor Vehicles isnt properly handling paperwork.

The DMV for months failed to properly update when drivers deal with a missed court date or unpaid fine for a ticket before their licenses are supposed to be suspended, Forsyth County Clerk of Court Susan Frye said.

So instead of erasing the item from their records, the errors stayed on records and caused the automatic suspensions.

Weve had people lose their jobs over this, Frye told the Winston-Salem Journal.

A backlog of court records led to DMV employees not processing the reports in a timely fashion, DMV Commissioner Kelly Thomas told the newspaper in an email.

He said the problem is fixed. But Frye, who was getting dozens of calls a day at the peak of the problem several months ago, said she still is hearing from concerned drivers. Frye estimated thousands of drivers were affected, but the DMV has not released an exact number.

Frye said her office was told a disgruntled DMV employee shredded some of the error reports, adding to the problem.

DMV spokesman Steve Abbott would not comment on those allegations because the North Carolina Department of Transportations Office of Inspector General is investigating the problems with the DMV.

And to make things worse for the drivers caught up in the mistakes, some are having to pay a $100 fee to restore their licenses even if the suspensions were not their fault, public defender Nathan T. Schaal Wilsons said.

Its virtually impossible if the DMV is not reflecting what theyve done, he said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Personal Auto
Lisa Davis, a cashier at a Foodvalu grocery store in rural north Alabama, spent Friday, June 3, ringing up bottled water sales after a local utility declared its tap water unfit to drink because of chemical contamination.

Some customers got a six-pack; others bought jugs or a whole case. The scene was the same across the street at a Dollar General store, where a big metal cart once full of bottled water stood empty.

The run on water began June 2, when officials with the West Morgan-East Limestone Water and Sewer Authority held a news conference to warn the utilitys 10,000 residential and business customers in parts of two counties to not drink or cook with tap water because of chemical contamination.

Davis, 41, said she and her two children will be fine during a dry spell that officials said could last until fall. But shes worried about the less fortunate and elderly who may not have extra money to spend on bottled water.

These older people who are on a fixed income cant just go out and buy water, she said. They are paying water bills.

The scare comes as other states are dealing with serious water-contamination issues: In Flint, Michigan, where tests found lead in tap water earlier this year, officials are still distributing bottled water to residents. In West Virginia, lawsuits and an investigation are ongoing over the release of toxic chemicals into the Elk River in 2014.

The West Morgan-East Limestone utility has long been aware of the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate in its water system, but the levels of the chemicals were within acceptable levels defined by former Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Last month, however, the EPA lowered its recommended levels for the chemicals. It said water systems with combined levels of 70 parts per trillion of the chemicals in drinking water should advise customers of the potential health risks and take steps to reduce the chemicals.

The chemicals, commonly called PFOA and PFOS, have been used to make fabrics, packaging and coatings for cookware, according to an EPA fact sheet. Studies indicate that exposure to PFOA and PFOS above certain levels may result in problems including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, cancer, liver damage and immune-system effects, according to the EPA.

Under its new guidelines, the EPA says pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should not drink the water and that it should not be used in baby formula.

West Morgan-East Lawrences general manager, Don Sims, went further after recent tests of the local water found levels almost 60 percent higher than the new EPA limit.

I would rather be overcautious than under-cautious, Sims said during a news conference. Im not a doctor; Im not a chemist. But when they tell one class of people the water is not safe, I dont want to be the one to say, `You drink it and you dont. So I said, `Nobody drink it.

A temporary filtration system to purify the water wont be ready before September, officials said, and a permanent solution could be three years away.

Dr. Jim McVay, a spokesman with the Alabama Department of Public Health, said the authority made the announcement without consulting health or environmental officials. The Health Department is sticking with EPA guidance that warns only some to avoid the water, he said.

Thats the best science we have, McVay said.

Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement that the local decision effectively turned an advisory into a regulation.

Based on my current understanding, I am confident that there is no health-related crisis based on the water quality of the West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority, Bentley said.

The utilitys latest warning comes amid an ongoing lawsuit that it filed against 3M and other manufacturing companies along the Tennessee River last year, blaming them for polluting the river with industrial chemicals.

A Texas law firm representing 3M in the lawsuit released statements defending the companys actions and saying the EPA was being overly conservative with its advisories about the chemicals.

3Ms activities in connection with these materials were not only fully permitted but entirely appropriate, said company attorney William A. Brewer III. In any event, we believe the claims against 3M _ and recent actions taken by the water authority _ are based upon the mistaken belief that the mere presence of these chemicals equals harm.

That may be true, but Davis said she isnt taking chances. The cashier doubles as a secretary at the volunteer fire department, and she said she plans to spend the weekend notifying older residents not to drink their tap water.

___

Associated Press Writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pollution Alabama Chemicals
For the second consecutive year, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has vetoed a bill that would have enacted a statewide ban on red-light traffic cameras.

Hickenlooper said he agrees with lawmakers that photo enforcement tools should only be used for public safety, not to generate income.

But he said a bill passed by the Legislature this year robbed municipalities of the power to decide whether to use the often-unpopular cameras.

Hickenlooper vetoed similar legislation last year.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Colorado
Thousands of people driven from their homes in the hills northwest of Los Angeles were allowed to return Sunday night after crews working in steep canyons took advantage of cooler temperatures and calmer winds to beat back a brush fire.

The fire near the prosperous and semi-rural neighborhoods of Calabasas was 80 percent contained by sunset  up from 30 percent at daybreak.

Firefighters using aircraft made water drops along the eastern and southern edges of the blaze, which was held to just over 500 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

All the evacuations, most of them in Calabasas but some in nearby Topanga, were canceled starting at 6 p.m.

At the height of the fire, about 3,000 homes were threatened and about 5,000 residents were under evacuation orders. It was sparked by a car crash that downed power lines.

The fire destroyed one commercial building, according to fire officials, who had previously said three homes had been damaged, but closer examination as the fire calmed showed that was not the case.

Fifty-foot-high flames erupted on ridges, and embers turned trees into torches Saturday afternoon. The fire flared as Southern California sweltered under temperatures that hit the 90s in many places.

Flames raced through drought-dry brush and came within yards of million-dollar homes. The smoke could be seen across the region, and a dusting of ash rained down on neighborhoods more than 30 miles away.

More than 500 firefighters, aided by bulldozers and water-dropping helicopters, were on the scene, but the numbers were decreasing by the end of Sunday.

To the southeast, a smoky wildfire burning in Riverside County was 65 percent contained Sunday. The blaze that broke out a day earlier along Interstate 15 in Temecula charred about 140 acres of dry brush. No structures were threatened.

Associated Press writer Robert Jablon and photographer Richard Vogel contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California
(Bloomberg) -- Tony Fadell is stepping down as head of Nest Labs, just over two tumultuous years after selling the smart-home gadget maker to Google.

Fadell will leave Nest immediately and be replaced by Marwan Fawaz, former executive vice president of Motorola Mobility where he served as CEO of Motorola Home, Nest said in a statement. Fadell will still advise Alphabet Inc. and Larry Page, the Google co-founder and chief executive officer of the holding company.

The departure, and problems that precipitated it, are a blow to Google, which purchased Nest in 2014 for $3.2 billion, its third-largest acquisition ever. The deal brought in a proven technology hardware executive to help the internet giant design better devices and integrate its web services deeper into peoples homes.

Nest became part of Alphabets new corporate structure, unveiled last summer, where independent businesses with their own CEOs were supposed to run more efficiently without involvement from the main Google internet operations.

In early 2015, Fadells star was rising at Google as he took on responsibility for hardware projects beyond Nest, such as the troubled Glass wearable computing effort.

But Nest took longer than expected to release new hardware products and a smoke and carbon monoxide detector was recalled due to software problems. When the company did release an updated product, the Nest Cam security camera in June 2015, Fadell admitted it had been a grueling year.

In recent months, some Nest employees complained publicly about Fadells management, while claiming the business had missed sales targets, botched upgrades and delayed future products. (Other staff members spoke out in favor of Nests work culture).

The struggles show how difficult it has been for technology giants, like Alphabet, Apple, Samsung Electronics Co., and Microsoft Corp., to develop hot-selling connected home devices. Nest made early headway with its smart thermostat, but later products have not been as popular. Amazon.com Inc.s Echo voice-based search device has been a recent surprise hit, but thats about it so far.

How does Nest come up with the next devices and get them to work well with its thermostat and other home devices which often use different communications standards? They havent answered that yet, said Chris Jones, an analyst at technology research firm Canalys. This is still a huge opportunity and maybe under new leadership they will have more success.

Fawaz, Nests new CEO, has experience with connected devices and Internet infrastructure and services. He led Motorola Home from June 2012 to May 2013, when Google owned Motorola, according to his LinkedIn profile. That Motorola division, which focused on broadband infrastructure during that time, now makes connected security cameras, baby and pet monitors and modems for homes. His four years prior to that were spent as chief technology officer of Charter Communications, a cable and broadband provider. He has also advise companies working on internet-connected services, such as ADT Technologies.

Alphabets Page said in a statement he was confident Fawaz can deepen Nests partnerships, expand within enterprise channels, and bring Nest products to even more homes.

Two signs of Nests potential: The company said its third-generation thermostat, introduced in September, reached 1 million units sold in half the time as the previous model. And since it started shipping products in October 2011, Nest has generated annual revenue growth of more than 50 percent, on average.

Career Dip

Fadells departure is an unceremonious dip in an otherwise successful career. The Silicon Valley executive was instrumental in the development of Apple Inc.s iPod, helped design the iPhone, and started Nest in 2010 to modernize home gadgets before selling it to Google.

While conceding Nest could have shipped more products, Fadell said the business has generated strong revenue growth and has many new products and services coming.

I dont know of any regrets that I have, he said. To do what we do at the level we do it, no ones done it before. So youre bound to make mistakes.

Even as Fadell moves on, hardware remains an important component of Googles ambitions, ranging from self-driving cars to robotics research to a growing suite of gadgets overseen by recent hire Rick Osterloh.
MISSOULA  Some 119 years of institutional knowledge will be out the door during the next few months at the University of Montana, according to an estimate from President Royce Engstrom.

In addition to other departures, the upcoming leadership changes amount to an overturn of some 30 percent in the president's cabinet with a series of retirements he says came about without his influence.

Provost Perry Brown retires after 22 years at UM.

Bill Johnston retires as head of the Alumni Association after 36 years with UM.

Teresa Branch, vice president for student affairs, retires after 13 years at UM; in the announcement about her departure, Engstrom noted her job would shift to include enrollment.

Peggy Kuhr, vice president for integrated communications, leaves after nine years at UM, her alma mater.

"They have committed a great deal to this institution, each in their own way," Engstrom said. "And I'm very grateful for what they've done."

A couple new deans are coming on board in the next school year as well. In at least two cases, for provost and director of Alumni Relations, UM will appoint interim leaders as it searches for permanent hires.

The turnover in leadership takes place less than a year after the president announced UM needed to make major faculty and staff cuts  to contribute to an estimated $12 million shortfall  to align its spending with an ongoing drop in enrollment.

Last month, the College of Humanities and Sciences experienced another budget squeeze worth "several million dollars."

The major transition in leadership comes at a time of change at the University of Montana.

"It's a very important time in the life of the university," Engstrom said. "We do have an opportunity here to move forward on many fronts."

In the year ahead, some imperatives are in order for UM, for its leadership, and even for the community.

For the university, the priority will be enrollment, Engstrom said.

For its leadership, honest and transparent communication is a must, according to a faculty leader and an organizational expert.

For the community, patience is key, according to the workplace specialist.

Karen McNenny, an expert in the field of organizational psychology and leadership development, said institutional crisis brings opportunity, and stakeholders in the community should know that transformation comes with growing pains.

McNenny, who spoke about organizations in general and not about the university specifically, said society is not always gracious in its expectations of its leaders.

"We're very demanding of our leaders," she said. "People often want to know all the answers immediately."

She suggested another approach, though. Missoula residents as well as UM employees and students could see themselves as partners in the transformation.

"Corporate evolution, in my opinion, also never rests on the shoulders of one person," McNenny said.

Engstrom said the changes in leadership came about after deep conversations between himself and those who are retiring. He declined to share the nature of the conversations or whether he told any of his cabinet members the university needed fresh insight at this juncture.

The departing cabinet members announced different reasons for retiring, and Engstrom stressed that he has been pleased with their contributions to UM.

"This isn't a wholesale change-out of administrators. It's individuals coming to a decision about their career, their life," he said.

In 2012, UM was in a similar situation, with Engstrom needing to hire four new vice presidents in the midst of federal investigations into how the school handled rape reports. At the time, he revamped a cabinet post to emphasize communications in order to improve discourse with the public.

This year, UM hired Tom Crady as the vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, and he'll start in early July. Beverly Edmond will serve as interim provost for a year, and the president will select an interim head of Alumni Relations as well.

The communications position is changing again.

To fill Kuhr's departure, the president promoted Mario Schulzke as associate vice president for integrated communications and chief marketing officer, overseeing the communications sector; he also created a director of communications position, who will report directly to him and serve as a lobbyist to the Montana Legislature, a role previously filled by the head of Alumni Relations.

A search for the communications director is under way, and both communications officers will serve on the cabinet.

Overall, Engstrom said, the number of administrators at UM remains the same, and it may "save a little money" by having one fewer vice president.

Engstrom anticipates the new leaders will sign onto his priorities for UM and also help shape a strategic plan with their own ideas.

"Whenever you have change of any leadership position, and particularly when several at a time occur like now, that does create an opportunity to bring in new ideas, new experiences," Engstrom said.

Now that the planned budget cuts are being implemented, the top goal for the new team is to push enrollment, the president said.

"That will be priority No. 1. I don't think there's any two ways about that," Engstrom said. "At the same time, we will continue to focus on providing an exceptional experience for our students."

Last year, faculty made important recommendations about the academic portfolio UM offers, he said, and his team will work to implement the ideas. For example, a report on academic innovation noted UM's Big Data program should grow.

"We will move as aggressively as possible to adjust that portfolio to make it as attractive as we can to today's students," Engstrom said, speaking in general about the report.

The president also wants to ensure the new team comes together.

While the loss of institutional experience is great, Engstrom said he was taking time this week to visit with retiring leaders to "download" their ideas, challenges and concerns. Also, he said, many more people with history at UM are staying than leaving, so the university won't be devoid of administrators familiar with its practices.

At the same time, it will have some fresh eyes looking at the campus.

"I want to convey the sense of excitement and opportunity that these new people will bring," he said.

The president doesn't anticipate budget cuts next year, but he said UM's budget is tied to enrollment, like every other system school in the state.

"So this isn't fundamentally a budget issue. This is an enrollment challenge for us," he said.

In times of change, strong communication is essential from a leader for employees and affiliates of the organization, said McNenny, who is based in Missoula but works throughout the country. Those looking for direction need a safe environment, and communication creates that security.

"I think one of the most essential duties of a leader during what you've just described (significant budget cuts and leadership turnover) is transparent communication," McNenny said.

Typically, she said, when leaders are silent, others believe those in charge are keeping secrets, and they begin to feel unsafe. The other thing that happens is people start to create their own stories, which don't always fit the facts.

"What I have found with other clients and other industries is that what people make up tends to be more drama-driven, wrong and misguided than actually what the truth may be," she said.

The challenge for the leader is that people want answers right away, even when the answers take time to develop, she said. But change at a large institution doesn't happen overnight, and it's complex.

"It's a renovation, and renovation always takes longer and costs more than you think," she said.

John DeBoer, chair of the Faculty Senate, said he's looking for leadership for the long term. If the president told him he had a plan to get past the crises at UM in one year, he wouldn't believe it.

"Large crises sometimes need long-term solutions," DeBoer said. "So what I'm looking for is a strategic plan to move us forward in a logical way that allows us to fulfill our mission in the present but also allows us to fulfill our mission 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and when all of us are long dead and gone."

He sees a solid mix of institutional memory and fresh energy on the cabinet. DeBoer was involved in the new hires to varying degrees, and he said Engstrom and vice president of finance Mike Reid will ensure institutional memory continues.

"There's going to be enough consistency to move forward while also bringing in new energy and new ideas, we hope," DeBoer said.

One message he's hoping to convey from the Faculty Senate is the need to move past the sadness people on campus experienced after the president announced the faculty and staff cuts last year.

"We really want to change the tone on campus and get us through the sorrow of the last six months," he said.

At this point in UM's history, he's also interested in honest communication from its administrators.

"I don't want them to protect us from bad news," he said. "If enrollment is going to drop, and they tell us, we need to hear that, even if it's hard."

A recent change the president made to his cabinet will bring about more transparency, DeBoer said. Last year, in response to feedback from the campus community, the president augmented his cabinet to include chairs of the faculty, staff and student senates.

"That doesn't mean everything that gets learned in cabinet is public information that I can share with my constituents right away, but that we're not caught off guard," DeBoer said.

It also means a faculty representative  and representatives for staff and students  will share with administrators the way decisions from Main Hall impact teachers and students and other employees.

DeBoer declined to comment on whether he believes Engstrom has the skills to take UM all the way through the storm, saying he needs to wait and see. In general, though, he said he's going into the year with an open mind and remains optimistic about the institution.

"I as a faculty member remain hopeful, but that's part of my job, to be critical and hopeful at the same time as I head into the cabinet," DeBoer said.
Afebbraio 2018 le vendite al dettaglio registrano un aumento, rispetto al mese precedente, dello 0,4% in valore e dello 0,9% in volume. Ad aumentare sono sia le vendite di beni alimentari (+0,4% in valore e +1,2% in volume), sia quelle di beni non alimentari (+0,3% in valore e +0,7% in volume). Lo rivela l'Istat.

Nel trimestre dicembre 2017-febbraio 2018 l'indice complessivo registra un calo congiunturale dello 0,7% sia in valore che in volume. Nello stesso periodo diminuiscono sia le vendite di beni alimentari (-0,8% in valore e -0,9% in volume), sia quelle di beni non alimentari (-0,6 in valore e in volume).

Calo in un anno

Rispetto a febbraio 2017, le vendite al dettaglio diminuiscono dello 0,6% in valore mentre il volume rimane stazionario. Il valore delle vendite di prodotti alimentari non subisce variazioni, mentre il volume aumenta dello 0,9%. Le vendite di prodotti non alimentari diminuiscono sia in valore sia in volume (rispettivamente -1,1% e -0,6%).

Sempre a livello tendenziale, il valore delle vendite al dettaglio non registra variazioni per la grande distribuzione, mentre e in calo per le imprese operanti su piccole superfici (-1,7%). Sostanzialmente stabile il commercio elettronico (-0,1%).

Confcommercio

Il nuovo governo deve sterilizzare le clausole di salvaguardia evitando l'aumento dell'Iva dal primo gennaio 2019''. E' l'avvertimento e al contempo il consiglio mosso dal presidente di Confcommercio Carlo Sangalli a margine del convegno Il negozio nell'era di Internet  distribuzione tra intelligenza artificiale, ecommerce ed abitudini di consumo che si svolge stamattina presso la sede di Confcommercio a Roma. Il convegno verte sui temi dell'influenza di internet sul contesto competitivo del commercio al dettaglio e del futuro per i punti vendita tradizionali.

Crescita rallentata

Intervenendo alla presentazione del nuovo libro della collana Le Bussole  manuali editi da Confcommercio per assistere gli imprenditori nell'incremento di competitivita e innovazione  Sangalli ha avvertito che un aumento dell'Iva comporterebbe un colpo mortale per la crescita e i consumi. In un contesto  sottolinea concludendo  nel quale si sta registrando un rallentamento dell'economia.
Fidelity and Vanguard are two of the largest investment companies in the world. Fidelity boasts 40 million individual investors and $9.9 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Meanwhile, Vanguard has more than 30 million investors and $8.5 trillion in assets under management. Both brokers have solid industry reputations and offer a large selection of low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, advice, and related services.

Founded in 1946, Fidelity offers a robust trading platform, excellent research and asset screeners, and terrific trade executions. Vanguard was introduced in 1975 and offers an impressive lineup of low-cost mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) aimed at buy-and-hold investors. While Vanguard and Fidelity have a few similarities, we'll compare the two to help you determine which broker might be a better fit for your investing needs.



Account Minimum : $0

: $0 Fees: $0 for stock/ETF trades, $0 plus $0.65/contract for options trade Read full review

Get $100 when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply. Offer Disclosure.

Account Minimum : $0

: $0 Fees: $0/stock and ETF trade, $0 plus $1 per contract for options Read full review

Usability

You can open and fund a Vanguard account online, but there is a several-day delay before you can log in and start investing. It's easier (and faster) to get started at Fidelity. With either broker, you need to sign more documentsand wait a bit longer for your application to be approvedif you want to trade options or have access to margin.

Vanguard's website has (finally) been updated and is now more user-friendly and modern-looking. However, there's still work to be done to make the website easier to navigate, and you can't get very far unless you log into your account. Fidelity's website offers far more tools and resources to support a broader range of investor types.

Overall, we found Vanguard is an excellent choice for long-term and retirement investorsespecially those who want access to professional advice and some of the lowest-cost funds in the industry. At the same time, Fidelity is better for casual investors and traders who wish to access more tools, charting, and technical analysis.



Trade Experience

Desktop Trade Experience

Vanguard's platform is geared toward buy-and-hold investors, not active traders. While the platform gets the job done (i.e., you can enter orders), there aren't any bells and whistles. The order entry process is clunky and not particularly intuitive, and there's no real-time data until you open a trade ticket. Overall, the trading platform is adequate for passive investors, but it falls predictably short for traders and investors who want a responsive and customizable experience. Of course, keep in mind that Vanguard is, by design, not intended for frequent traders or short-term investors, so this should not be viewed as a shortcoming for the company.

Fidelity offers a better trading experience for every type of investor. Buy-and-hold investors should find Fidelity's web-based platform more than adequate. However, quotes are delayed by 15 minutes unless you sign up for real-time quotes. More active and technical traders will appreciate Active Trader Pro's charts, technical indicators, screeners, advanced order types, and more. In addition, recent dashboard enhancements, new thematic baskets, custom indexing, and robust rebalancing features make Fidelity a solid choice for more sophisticated investors. Overall, when compared to Vanguard, Fidelity is the clear winner in terms of trading experience.



Mobile Experience

Vanguard's mobile app is a bit outdated and light in terms of features. There is no charting, and the quotes are delayed until you open an order ticket. Still, you can monitor your positions, analyze your portfolio, read the news, and place basic ordersalbeit for limited asset classesas a buy-and-hold investor.

Fidelity's mobile app is easy to navigate, and you can manage orders, check pending transactions, and place trades. Where the app falls short is in its fundamental research and charting, which are very limited. Mobile watchlists sync with desktop and web applications, and you can use most of the same order types on mobile as on the web or desktop platforms.

While both apps are well-rated on the App Store, Fidelity has far more reviews. Vanguard has 4.7 stars from about 170,000 reviews, while Fidelity has a 4.8-star rating from some 1.9 million reviews. Overall, we found that Fidelity's app offers more functionality and will be valuable to a greater range of investors.



Range of Offerings

Compared to some large brokers, Vanguard and Fidelity have a limited range of offerings. Both brokers offer equities, bonds, options, ETFs, and thousands of no-load, no-fee mutual funds. However, neither supports futures, options on futures, or cryptocurrency trading, and only Fidelity offers Forex, precious metals, OTCBB, and fractional shares for purchase.

Order Types

Predictably, Vanguard supports only the order types that buy-and-hold investors typically use, including market, limit, and stop-limit orders. You can't stage orders for later entry (you can with Fidelity), but both brokers let you select specific tax lots before placing orders. Fidelity's web platform and Active Trader Pro support a better variety of order types, including conditional orders such as one-cancels-the-other (OCO) and one-triggers-the-other (OTO).

Trading Technology

Vanguard does not use smart order routing technology, and customers can't route their own orders. Still, the broker reports an average net price improvement of $2.31 per 100-share lot for eligible marketable orders. We did not find any ready details about Vanguard's execution speed, which is not surprising considering the broker's target customer is playing the long game. Although its approach to routing is basic compared to many other brokers, it scores points for not accepting payment for order flow.

Meanwhile, Fidelity's smart order routing technology seeks the best price available and can access all types of market venues, including dark pools, exchanges, and market makers. The company reports a net price improvement of $19.24 per 1000-share equity order and an average execution speed of 0.05 seconds. Like Vanguard, it does not accept payment for order flow for stocks or ETFs.

Overall, Fidelity wins in the trading technology department due to its smart order routing technology, superior price improvement, and transparent execution speed statistics.

Costs

Vanguard and Fidelity charge $0 commissions for online equity, options, and ETF trades for U.S.-based customers. Fidelity has a $0.65 per contract option fee; it's $1 at Vanguard.

Fidelity will set you back more for broker-assisted stock trades ($32.95 versus Vanguard's $25. Fidelity charges $49.95 for mutual fund trades that fall outside the no-transaction-fee family. At Vanguard, you'll pay $0 to $20 per trade, depending on your account balance. The margin rates at both brokers are close, with Vanguard charging 10.75% for $10,000 and Fidelity charging 10.575% for the same. Overall, you might save money at Fidelity if you trade options, but Vanguard will be cheaper if mutual funds are your focus.

Account and Research Amenities

Vanguard offers basic screeners for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. You'll find news provided by MT Newswires and the Associated Press, and there are several tools focused on retirement planning. Charting is limited, and no technical analysis is availableagain, not surprising for a buy-and-hold-centric broker.

Fidelity comes out ahead in this category. Its research offerings on the website include flexible screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and fixed income, as well as a good selection of tools, calculators, and news sources. Its web-based and Active Trader Pro platforms offer customizable charting with technical indicators, drawing tools, and historical data. Another plus: Fidelity offers portfolio margining.

Portfolio Analysis

Vanguard and Fidelity both provide access to real-time buying power and margin information, internal rate of return, and unrealized and realized gains. Both offer tax reports, and you can combine holdings from outside your account to get an overall financial picture. Something missing from both brokers is the option to calculate the tax impact of future trades. Overall, the portfolio analysis offerings are too similar to pick a clear winner.

Education

The focus of Vanguard's educational content is to help you set and reach your financial goals. Much of the content is in the form of articles. Still, you'll also find commentary and research papers, videos, and webcasts on investment products, retirement, industry news, financial planning, and the economy.

Fidelity's online Learning Center has articles, videos, webinars, and infographics covering various investing topics. There are regular webinars and online coaching sessions for more advanced topics, and learning programs aimed at beginning investors on the app. Overall, Fidelity takes the lead here by offering content that appeals to a larger investor population.



Customer Service

Vanguard offers phone support from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern) Monday through Friday. Live chat isn't supported, but you can send a secure message via the website. Fidelity has a 24/7 phone line, an online chat feature (limited hours), and a secure email portal. Overall, Fidelity's customer service is more flexible, but you can count on reliable help from either broker.



Security

The security at Vanguard and Fidelity is up to industry standards. You can log into either broker's app with your fingerprint, both brokers allow you to activate voice recognition technology for calls, and both brokers protect against account losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity.

Funds in brokerage accounts at both brokers are covered by Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) insurance which provides up to $500,000 coverage for securities with a $250,000 limit on cash. Think of it as being like the FDIC for brokers. Both Fidelity and Vanguard carry insurance that protects clients beyond the limits of the SIPC coverage. Vanguard does not disclose the details of their coverage. Fidelity's excess of SIPC insurance policy has a per-customer limit of $1.9 million on uninvested cash and a total aggregate limit of $1 billion. Overall, investors can be confident in the security standards of either broker.



Account Types

Fidelity and Vanguard both offer the full range of commonly used account types. This includes:

Taxable brokerage accounts

Traditional, Roth, inherited, SIMPLE, and simplified employee pension (SEP) individual retirement accounts (IRAs)

Corporate accounts

Custodial accounts

529 college savings accounts

Trusts

Although both brokers offer all the standard accounts and more, Fidelity has some additional options like health savings accounts (HSA) and a new offering called the Fidelity Youth Account. This will, of course, only matter if you intend to make use of those particular account types.



Final Verdict

In our 2022 Best Online Brokers reviews, Fidelity earned higher scores than Vanguard in every category we ranked. To be fair, it isn't easy to compare two brokers that have distinct business models and different target customers. Overall, however, Fidelity is a better fit for investors and traders who want a more high-tech experience, technical analysis tools, advanced charting, and access to a broader range of offerings. In fact, Fidelity is our overall pick for the best online broker in 2022, so it is very hard to beat. All that said, Vanguard still offers some of the lowest-cost funds in the industry and will appeal to buy-and-hold investors, retirement savers, and investors who want access to professional advice.
When purchasing shares of a security, there are two key dates involved in the transaction. The first is the trade date, which marks the day an investor places the buy order in the market or on an exchange. The second is the settlement date, which marks the date and time the legal transfer of shares is actually executed between the buyer and seller. The time frame between the trade date and settlement date differs from one security to another, due to varying settlement rules attached to different types of investments.

Key Takeaways Purchasing a security involves a trade date, which signifies the day an investor places the buy order, and a settlement date, which marks the date and time the legal transfer of shares is actually executed between the buyer and the seller.

The lag time between the trade date and settlement date differs from one security to another.

Settlement dates were originally imposed in an effort to mitigate against the fact that in earlier times, stock certificates were manually delivered, leaving windows of time where a stock's share price could fluctuate before investors received them.

Consider the following timetables:

For bank certificates of deposit (CDs) and commercial paper, the settlement date is the same day as the trade or transaction date

For mutual funds, options, government bonds, and government bills, the settlement date is one day after the trade date

For foreign exchange spot transactions, U.S. equities, and municipal bonds, the settlement date occurs two days after the trade date, commonly referred to as "T+2"

In most cases, ownership is transferred without complication. After all, buyers and sellers alike are eager to satisfy their legal obligations and finalize transactions. This means that buyers provide the necessary funds to pay sellers, while sellers hold enough securities needed to transfer the agreed-upon amount to the new owners.

A Look Back at Settlement Dates

As previously explained, the current financial markets rigidly establish the number of business days after a transaction that securities must be paid and delivered to investors. The lag time separating transaction and settlement dates were originally attributed to the fact that settlements were previously confirmed manually, by the physical transport of stock certificates. Only after receiving the document related to a security, would the investor issue payment. But due to fluctuating prices and the uncertainty of delivery schedules, regulators imposed a set time period in which those securities and the cash spent on them, had to change hands. Presently, stock sales are transacted electronically, with much shorter processing times. But vestiges of earlier settlement rules can still be felt in modern-day trading.

Failure Is an Option

Although it happens rarely, there are two ways in which settlements can go south. The first is called a long fail, where the buyer lacks adequate funds to pay for the purchased shares. The second is called a short fail, which happens when the seller does not have the necessarily available securities on the settlement date.
The NASDAQ came into existence in 1971. That may seem like a long time ago, but it is a baby compared to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which was established in 1792. While the NASDAQ is known as a tech-heavy exchange, the NYSE is known for housing older brick-and-mortar companies. Companies trading on the NYSE are often larger, bottom-line-focused companies that pay dividends and grow their top lines slowly but steadily. Companies trading on the NASDAQ are usually more growth-oriented. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides.

That perception does play a role for some companies when choosing between the NYSE and the NASDAQ. For example, LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) chose the NYSE because it didnt want to be grouped with social networking sites. This isnt to say companies listed on the NASDAQ should be seen as inferior. Thats not the case at all. Its just a different environment. If a company like LinkedIn wants prestige, it will list on the NYSE.

However, information technology, biotech, and other small-cap tech companies have no interest in prestige. Their goal is to keep costs low so they can maintain more capital in order to help fuel growth. In most cases, the difference in fees between listing on the NYSE and NASDAQ wont make or break a business, but if a smaller company lists on the NASDAQ, it's still a cost-efficient decision.

Cost Differences

If you look for listing cost differences between the NYSE and NASDAQ, you will find a lot of different information. You might even find yourself confused. To simplify, it comes down to how many shares a company is listing.

In this example, lets assume a company is listing 75 million shares. On the NYSE, this would cost $360,000, plus an annual listing fee of $71,000.(According to the NYSE Listed Company Manual, the price per share listed is $0.0048.) Its a little more complicated on the NASDAQ because there are three submarkets: Global Select Market, Global Market, and Capital Market. If listing 75 million shares on the Global Select Market or Global Market, the listing fee is $295,000 plus a $79,000 annual listing fee. If listing 75 million shares on the Capital Market, the listing fee is just $75,000 plus a $79,000 annual listing fee.

Prestige and cost are the two biggest factors for a company when deciding between the NYSE and NASDAQ, but there are a few other factors to consider as well.

Important Factors

Any company listed on the NYSE must have an independent compensation committee and an independent nominating committee. This is not required on the NASDAQ, where companies have the option of executive compensation and nominating decisions made by a majority of independent directors. Companies listed on the NYSE must also have an internal audit function and corporate governance guidance. Neither of these is required for companies listed on the NASDAQ.

The NASDAQ does come with another advantage that some people overlook. It has an electronic billboard in Times Square, which lists its companies and their products. This is one of the reasons Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (KRFT) switched to the NASDAQ in 2012 (increased exposure for its products).

The Bottom Line

The NYSE is more expensive and offers more prestige. However, in todays tech-heavy world, many companies see listing on the NASDAQ as a logical option considering the cost savings. To date, companies listed on the NASDAQ are seen as more growth-oriented, which means more volatility to go along with increased upside potential.

Dan Moskowitz does not own any shares in LNKD or KRFT.
Dow component Apple Inc. (AAPL) may be at or near a long-term top that won't be challenged for months or years to come. The potential downside would finally acknowledge long-term damage to the iconic brand as a result of the pandemic and tens of millions of job losses. Specifically, those folks won't have the resources to keep up with the company's endless upgrade cycles, instead choosing to apply limited funds to household essentials.

The stock's price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) has lifted to a lofty 30 in recent weeks, despite obvious headwinds. More importantly, speculation by so-called "Robinhood traders" has driven much of the upside, with younger Americans using stimulus checks to open commission-free trading accounts. The upside explosion in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 reflects this speculative fervor, widening the performance spread with the S&P 500 to historic levels.

Mean reversion has proven to be the market's most reliable force in the past 100 years, with counter-trends alleviating extreme price action to the upside or downside. We saw this mechanism in all its glory after the March lows, with extremely oversold technical readings yielding one of the strongest rally impulses on record. However, the sword cuts both ways, and the same technical measurements have now lifted into extremely overbought readings.

Market insiders also view the Robinhood crowd as "dumb money" despite their short-term profits, setting the stage for hedge funds to directly target this supply in an effort to empty their growing accounts. The strategy shouldn't be too difficult because the vast majority of these folks have no risk management skills. We've also been here before  in 1987, 1999, and 2007  although we really don't know how things will turn out this time around.

Apple Long-Term Chart (2007  2020)

TradingView.com

Apple stock broke out above the 2007 high in the upper $20s in 2010, entering a strong uptrend that topped out just above $100 in 2012. A decline into the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA) found support in the second quarter of 2013, while the subsequent uptick hit new highs about 18 months later. It topped out once again in the $130s in 2015, while the subsequent pullback ended at the same moving average in 2016.

That support level worked just as efficiently for the third time in December 2018, setting the stage for a November 2019 breakout that stalled above $320 in February 2020. The stock posted a higher low in March and turned sharply higher into the second quarter, breaking out once again in June. This buying impulse posted an all-time high on Monday, ahead of a wide-range intraday reversal that could signal the end of the current rally wave.

Apple Short-Term Chart (2018  2020)

TradingView.com

Price action since December 2018 has carved a classic Elliott five-wave rally pattern. Admittedly, the structure fulfills most but not all of Elliott's requirements because the bottom of the fourth wave overlaps the top of the first wave, which "shouldn't" happen. However, this occurs frequently in the real world because support and resistance levels have widened due to the influence of algorithmic trading routines in the past two decades.

Parabolas and buying climaxes are closely associated with the fifth wave, and Apple's 2020 action is no exception. It's the longest of the three impulse waves by a wide margin and hasn't carved a single major support level between the inception at $212 and the (unconfirmed) termination at $400. In turn, this can yield volatile downside action that has the potential to give up 100% of the final rally wave.

While it's too early to look at worst-case scenarios, shareholders and other interested parties should pay close attention to price action near the rising 50-day EMA at $340, which would mark a first downside target if selling pressure continues. If that level breaks, the red line at $328 will mark the bulls' line in the sand because a violation would generate a failed breakout that sets off an additional round of sell signals.

The Bottom Line

Apple stock may be close to a long-term top that won't be challenged for months or years.

Disclosure: The author held no securities in the aforementioned securities at the time of publication.
Brexit: Winners and Losers

When the United Kingdom (U.K.) and European Union (EU) announced their trade agreement on Dec. 24, 2020, officials, business leaders, and private citizens in both areas were relieved. The worst outcomethe U.K. departing the EU without a trade deal, a no-deal Brexithad been avoided. While Brexit likely presents more challenges for the U.K. economy than for the EUs, both jurisdictions face new administrative burdens and uncertainty due to unresolved issues.

With the announcement of the trade deal, the pound rose on the U.K. market by approximately 0.47% against the U.S. dollar and 0.46% against the Japanese yen. However, markets already had taken into account the expected cost of Brexit to the British economyincluding, to some extent, the possibility of a no-deal outcome. Therefore, this was less a bullish rally than markets partially rebounding after having expected the worst. It is expected that it will take years for the British markets to overcome Brexits adverse economic effects.

The current economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions on trade in the U.K. and the EU probably outweigh Brexits immediate impact. Therefore, it may be be difficult to determine the full extent of Brexits effects on different sectors of the U.K. economy. With that said, there are definitely things that we can say about which sectors are likely to be more or less affected by Brexit. The overall upshot is that there are few winners from Brexit, and not all them are in the U.K. Meanwhile, the losers economically harmed by Brexit are plentiful.

Few Winners

U.K. and EU Manufacturers of Specialized Machine Parts

New product origin, or content source, requirements for qualifying as U.K. or EU products will require adjustment by some manufacturers, such as automakers, that currently rely heavily on other regions of the world for parts in their finished products. These businesses are likely to seek alternative European or British sources for such parts so that their products contain the mandatory content-source percentages for treaty benefits. With some companies, such as Nissan and Toyota, likely to seek qualified sources for parts currently obtained from Asian countries, local U.K. and EU manufacturers might enjoy new sales opportunities. However, nothing about the rules means that the manufacturers will need to be specifically British, so it is ambiguous if these rules of origin will help the U.K. or the EU more.

U.S. Bankers

Because London-based banks are losing free access to the EU market, theyll have to establish new branches or offices in the EU to operate there. Because U.S. banks never had that free access, they already have passporting rights and/or operate registered companies that have such offices set up in both the EU and the U.K. This situation leaves U.K. financial services firms at a disadvantage until they are able to fully re-establish themselves in EU markets. Therefore, U.S. financial firms may be able to draw away business and clients from U.K. firms in the meantime.

Many Losers

Brexit will complicate U.K.-EU cross-border relationships in every sector with new administrative and regulatory burdens. New requirementslocal licenses, visas, border checkpoints, personnel relocation, etc.affect all types of businesses, from agriculture to finance. Many sectors of the economy found themselves unprepared for the new regulations and are concerned about the costs of compliance.

In addition, the trade agreement seeks to establish a level playing field to ensure fair and open competition and to prevent businesses in one area from undercutting businesses in the other. This provision requires that the two jurisdictions have similar rules relating to workers rights, social and environmental protection, taxation, and government subsidies for business. However, the rules only need to be similar, not identical. Therefore, the U.K. is unlikely to reap substantial competitive advantages but will still suffer from the increased administrative burdens of two sets of rules.

Fishing Industry

Despite only making up 0.1% of the U.K. economy, negotiations around the U.K. fishing industry were one of the largest obstacles to reaching a trade deal. On the surface, the trade deal would seem to be a win for the U.K. fishing industry. According to the U.K. government, the agreement will increase the quotas for British fishermen over five years by an amount equal to 25% of the value of the EU catch in U.K. waters, which is estimated to be worth 146 million ($205 million). However, to call this an unalloyed victory ignores two major factors.

The first factor is that the U.K. fishing industry had expected far greater concessions from the EU. Representatives of the fishing industry say that the deal cannot be considered a success because its relatively modest gains fall so far short of what the pro-Brexit campaign had promised them. The National Federation of Fishermens Organizations, a fishing industry group, published a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the they consider the trade deal to be a failure as far as fishing is concerned. The second factor is that the majority of seafood caught in the U.K. is exported to the EU, and the new nontariff barriers that have sprung up in the wake of Brexit make things especially hard for exporters of perishable goods. More on that below.

Food and Agriculture Sector

Regulations and border controls affecting agricultural exports and imports create issues for everyone in the EU and the U.K.: farmers, distributors, grocery store chains, restaurants, and consumers. In advance of Brexit, U.K. retailers and consumers stockpiled food, resulting in shortages and supply chain problems and prompting warnings about panic buying. Because the U.K. relies on deliveries of fresh food from or via the EU in the winter, delivery delays immediately created problems. Scottish exporters complained about delays in transport of fresh seafood at border controls in Scotland and France. Sainsburys supermarkets blamed the new and complex arrangements affecting Ireland for their need to obtain alternative sources of goods. Tesco supermarkets ran into shortages, leaving shelves empty.

However, supply chain and logistics challenges extend beyond agriculture to all industries.

Manufacturing Sector

As noted, logistical challenges similar to those facing agriculture are affecting manufacturing. Because modern manufacturing uses complex supply chains that stretch across different nations, even nontariff barriers to goods can significantly complicate manufacturing. Even before the deal was concluded and tariffs were officially avoided, significant companies in automobiles, aerospace, and industrial suppliesincluding Honda, Nissan, BMW, Toyota, and Jaguar Land Roverhad to cut jobs and close plants in the U.K. Panasonic and Sony planned to move their European headquarters from London to Amsterdam. Almost two years earlier, Dutch conglomerate Phillips closed its only U.K. factory.

As noted previously, the agreement imposes substantial controls on goods transported between the EU and the U.K. It establishes rules of origin mandating that goods contain a percentage of locally sourced content, generally more than 50%, to qualify for free trade and other benefits of the deal. Larger manufacturers with complex products containing parts acquired from other areas of the world likely will need to make sourcing adjustments. While this may potentially benefit some specific local manufacturers down the road, sorting out rules of origin has placed enormous administrative burdens on businesses in the EU and the U.K., which have not made sufficient preparation and auditing to establish origin of goods. This has emerged as one of the largest impediments to trade post-Brexit.

Financial Services Industry

Financial services companies recognized that Brexit likely would require the relocation of significant operations and personnel from London to EU locations and would mandate local registration and licensing to conduct business in the EU. Major banks, including JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, NatWest, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, UBS, and Credit Suisse, moved hundreds of employees and large quantities of assets from London to other European cities in advance of the Dec. 31, 2020, deadline for a trade deal. Similarly, insurers based in London set up EU locations, including Lloyds of London in Brussels and Aviva in Ireland. Approximately 1.2 trillion ($1.6 trillion) in financial sector assets left London between the 2016 Brexit vote and the end of 2020. More than 7,500 financial sector jobs have been relocated from London to other European cities.

Brexit ended U.K. investment houses passporting rights, which permitted companies registered in one EU member to operate in the others. As a result of Brexit, to conduct EU business, U.K. investment banks will need to obtain EU equivalence rulings that recognize regulations in a companys home country as sufficiently similar to those of the EU. Although European firms will be allowed to continue using London clearinghouses at least until June 2022, the EU has not provided any plan or schedule for issuing equivalence rulings on trading of derivatives and stocks, portfolio management, investment advice, underwriting, and trade execution.

Moreover, most core banking business, such as deposit-taking, investment services to retail clients, and other lending services, are not included in the equivalence system. Thus, U.K. banks must establish EU offices to continue these activities with EU clients. While London will continue to be a major financial center, its status will be diminished, especially if equivalence rulings are not soon forthcoming and clients turn to institutions in other countries, including the U.S., that already have the rights and ability to operate in the EU.

Pharmaceutical Industry

Pharmaceutical companies are concerned about potential differences in EU and U.K. standards for medicines. In anticipation of diverging rules, U.K. pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline established parallel labs in the EU. For medicine, the imposition of border checks and dispersion of manufacturing are expected to cause delays in distribution. Both the EU and the U.K. reported drug stockpiling in advance of Brexit because of concerns about prompt access to medications.

Transit, Transport, and Freight Industries

Brexit creates legal and logistical challenges for travel and shipping. Both the EU and the U.K. have allowed a six-month grace period for flights between and within the two areas under present licensing and safety qualifications. But future flights within the EU, across and within member states borders, will be restricted. Generally, only airlines that are majority-controlled by the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA), and/or Swiss nationals will be allowed to fly between EU airports. However, a special provision allows U.K. airlines that are controlled by a combination of EU and U.K. shareholdersfor example, the Madrid-based International Airlines Group that owns British Airwaysto continue to operate in the EU. The application of this special rule to majority-U.K.-owned airlines EasyJet and Ryanair may require further study of their ownership.

Movement of people and goods, whether by air, water, or Channel Tunnel, will entail time-consuming procedures. Passport requirements will apply to travelers between the EU and the U.K., and business personnel, students, and others who stay abroad for a period of time will need visas. Many U.K. freight haulers will not be able to obtain permits to operate on EU roads because the EU has authorized only 2,000 permits for 2021while 10,000 are needed. Permits and border checks could require approximately 250 million pieces of paperwork each year and 50,000 customs agentssix times the present number.
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas owes its tax haven status to its tax- and business-friendly laws for foreign investors. This is because citizens of the Bahamas and resident aliens pay no taxes on personal income, inheritance, gifts, or capital gains. Instead, the government derives revenue from other forms of tax, including value-added tax (VAT), property taxes, stamp taxes, import duties, and license fees.

The Bahamas is an international center for banking activities that attract foreign financial institutions because of its reputation for stability. The parliamentary democracy of the Bahamas has governed the island nation continuously since 1729. The Bahamas is also one of the wealthiest countries in the New World, with a per-capita GDP of $28,239.4 as of 2021. Their official language is English.

Key Takeaways Citizens of the Bahamas do not pay taxes on income, inheritance, gifts, or capital gains.

The Bahamian government uses revenue from sources like VAT and stamp taxes.

There are strict laws prohibiting illicit financial activity such as money laundering.

Offshore Financial Institutions in the Bahamas

More than 250 banks and trust companies representing 25 countries are licensed to do business in the Bahamas. Bahamian laws protect the right to privacy of bank clients. Strict Bahamian laws also prohibit any illicit financial activity, such as money laundering. The Central Bank of The Bahamas regulates foreign financial entities by providing a secure environment for banks specializing in private banking, mutual fund administration, and portfolio management.

Financial institutions doing business in the Bahamas represent the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Japan. Major international accounting firms, including Deloitte & Touche, KPMG International Cooperative, and PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited have offices in Nassau.

Offshore Companies in the Bahamas

The Bahamas offers foreign companies seeking a tax haven the convenience of easily setting up a business entity. One example of business entities for foreign individuals and businesses is the international business company (IBC).

Bahamian IBCs do not have to pay corporate tax unless the revenue is derived locally. IBCs are also exempt from stamp and estate duties and other taxes for 20 years from their incorporation date. The benefits of IBCs established in the Bahamas also include exemptions from corporate reporting requirements and shareholder privacy. IBCs are required to list one director, and a copy of the register of directors and officers must be open to the public.

Sole Proprietorships for Foreign Investors

Bahamian law allows foreign investors to establish businesses as sole proprietors. Investors need to obtain a business license and register their businesses.

Foreign sole proprietors also enjoy the same tax exemptions as foreign individuals and business entities. Investors must get approval from the Bahamas Investment Authority for business ventures, as some business areas are reserved for Bahamian citizens.

Real Estate Tax

Foreign investors can buy property in the Bahamas without restrictions. The government levies a graduated stamp tax on all real estate transactions. The stamp tax is between 2.5 and 10%. Property tax on investment properties is based on assessed value. For investment properties valued under $500,000 Bahamian dollars, the tax rate is 1%. The tax rate is 2% for properties of more than $500,000. There is a maximum annual property tax of $60,000 on owner-occupied properties.
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There's a lot to be said for Irish men and women once you start dating in New York

The notion of dating recalls, at times, feelings of adventure and excitement. Getting dressed up; butterflies in your stomach; opening the door to a new, attractive person with new stories and jokes. That buzz you get from mutual interest and flattery.

At other times dating is a hopeless chore. A daunting, frustrating and confusing affair. The guy sitting across from you is coming on too strong. He has no sense of humor. And when you finally meet a great catch, he doesnt call you because by next weekend hes already found a new date via a phone app.

As a 20-something-year-old New Yorker living in Dublin, the first scenario sounds more like dating in Dublin. The second, New York City. Of course, there are outliers, and Im speaking generally. But theres more to dating beyond the date itself, and Ive noticed some cultural differences between courtship in Dublin and New York City.

The intention

Its no secret that young New Yorkers are some of the busiest people around. Juggling long work hours, projects, networking groups and the like, theres hardly time for a big fat relationship. New York City is a frontrunner in one night stands and casual sex; a typical Tinder date is scheduled for 9 or 10 PM at a local bar. With that said, the NYC dating pool is so massive that people are less likely to want to settle down before seeing more of whos out there.

Dublin moves a little slower, and people are generally looking for something a little more serious. Whether that means consistently dating one person, finding someone to shack up with for the dark and cold winter, or someone to bring home to Mam. If an Irish guy digs you, hes more likely to just tell you. Hell play far fewer mind games than the typical New York male, which may lead to an actual relationship much sooner.

The publicity of your fling

In Ireland, one casual aspect of dating is the guys approach to bringing you into his circle. Men here would be more willing to bring you home to meet the almighty Mam or siblings at the start and would have no reservations in introducing you to his friends  depending on if you can have good banter, of course.

Maybe its the endless movie plots surrounding the subject, but meeting the parents is a far more serious ordeal in the US, signifying the next step. Additionally, the typical New York male might have reservations in introducing you to his friends until you can label your relationship. When he does invite you out for a night out with his pals, hell probably ask you to bring your girlfriends along.

The date itself

An ordinary date in Dublin takes place in the daytime. While youll definitely go for pints at the pub, its not nearly the only option. On a Dublin date, you will walk, talk, adventure, and seize the day. You might go to a festival or take the DART out to lunch in one of Dublins coastal villages. I even went to breakfast on a first date once. I find that in this city, dates are less typical  theyre more like hang-outs.

As I mentioned, most NYC dates take place at a bar, late at night. Ive never really heard of a date without alcohol; even grabbing a meal seems a little too serious for New York first date standards. And in New York, your date will be far more candid about wanting to take it to the bedroom. If you dont end up going home together, s/he may take it as a sign that youre not interested.

The Mam

How can I not mention the force of the Irish mother? Here in Dublin, it, unfortunately, matters what your guys mother thinks of you. These days, if youre dating in New York, youre likely dating someone from Elsewhere, U.S., and so hangouts with your S/Os family arent common because they dont live nearby.

While being genuinely lovely and hospitable, Irish mothers may, behind the scenes, be skeptical or wary of your intentions with their beloved son  especially if youre not Irish. To use a personal example, my partners mother (who I now spend time with regularly), has told me numerous times that shes relieved I didnt turn out to be a typical American (Im still not really sure how to respond). However, she also says shes relieved Im not like his typical South Dubliner ex-girlfriend, who was materialistic and wore too much makeup. I guess its the mothers way of saying I like you, while also saying I have some expectations. No pressure!

The Craic

While Irish guys generally may be looking for something more special than a one night stand, hookup culture still exists. But theres a less serious approach to the whole game of getting the shift or scoring in a club or bar. Here its more about the chats or banter, and the back and forth of jokes and laughter. The actual journey toward the score is almost more fun and important than the score itself. Ultimately, in all scenarios, Dubliners are just up for having the craic!

The same cant really be said for New York City. What can I say? New Yorkers are a goal-oriented people. For someone on the prowl, its almost as if the conversation doesnt matter unless youre sure its going to end in the way you want.

Rejection

This leads me to the dates that dont amount to anything or the advances that dont make it to the next level. This might be the biggest difference in my opinion because it speaks to the general character of each city.

Dublin has a no hard feelings character. If a guy flirts with you or asks for your number to no avail, hey, no hard feelings. Off he goes, dancing his way to someone else  but not before a self-deprecating comedy routine. And if you go on a date without quite hitting it off, no hard feelings! Because its such a small city, I sometimes bump into former dates that never amounted to anything, and we always stop for a chat. When I first moved back here a year ago, I went out for a pint with a guy, but we didnt hit it off in any personal way  it was mutual. However, from that point on, would invite me to parties and events where he knew I could meet people. What a gent!

New Yorkers, on the other hand, dont take kindly to rejection. You might get cursed out if you snub someone, and you certainly wont speak with the person again if the date didnt go too swimmingly. Its a city where men take themselves very seriously and have an air of self-importance. It may lead him to react adversely if he doesnt get his way.

Do you have experience dating in Ireland vs dating in the US? Share your thoughts in the comment section, below.
One hundred and fifty years ago, several Irishmen were killed in the worst mining disaster in England's history, and now descendants are searching for answers.

On December 12, 1866, an explosion killed nearly 400 boys and men at the Oaks Colliery near Barnsley. Dozens of rescuers were killed in another explosion the next day, during efforts to search for survivors.

Researchers have found information on two men born in Cork who are known to have died. Many of the other victims were known to have been second-generation Irish.

William Barry, 27, from Cork, died in the main explosion at 1pm on December 12. Census records show that he was already working as a coal miner in 1861 and living on Barnsleys Baker St with his parents James and Mary. His sister Ellen worked as a winder in a sinew factory.

William was employed at the colliery as a hurrier, responsible for bringing the mined coal to the surface. He was one of an estimated 169 victims whose bodies were never brought out of the pit after the accident.

The Irish Examiner reports that among more than 20 of the dead who had Irish parents was John Coughlan, whose great-great-granddaughter Lynda Pickersgill. She a member of the team of volunteers that has devoted more than 3,000 hours researching the disaster.

John was just 22 when he was killed at the Oaks Colliery. His father Jeremiah Coughlan had left Cork in the early 1800s and had a sister called Catherine, she said.

Lynda found that he lodged with a family called Rowlinson in the town before marrying Mary Firth on July 27, 1863.

Lynda said: I would love to find out more about John and Jeremiahs background from Cork, and would welcome any light that could be shed on the Coughlan family.

Some of the names of those killed are not entirely certain, such as a 30-year-old Cork-born miner whose name was most likely Thomas Hiland or Hyland but is registered in the records of a local cemetery as Thomas Ireland.

Stephen Miller, community officer with Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership which organized the project, said researchers discovered Thomass burial, which was shared with another victim, was paid for by another Irish coal miner, Andrew Moffatt.

He was visiting Thomas Hilands home on Albert Street on the night of the 1861 census so they were probably friends. The fact there are nine people born in Ireland on that one census page with 23 names gives an idea of the population in the area at the time, he said.

In 1861, the Hiland family included Thomass parents, James and Jane, who appear to have emigrated during the famine. They had a daughter Ann, 18 at the time, who was born in Ireland, but their youngest child , Margaret, was born in Barnsley in 1847 or 1848.

Miller said they have plans for an exhibition in December and that any information about the victims or family photos from Ireland would be greatly appreciated.

Details on the 384 victims can be seen at www.discoverdearne.org.uk.

Anyone with feedback or information can contact the project at DVLP@barnsley.gov.uk
This website is intended for U.S. visitors only.
The Minister for Education Richard Bruton has said the Government will push ahead with plans to divest patronage of Catholic schools.

Mr Bruton said he wanted to see the process accelerated and to increase the number of multi-denominational schools to 400 within the the next 15 years, to cater for parental choice.

More than 90% of the State's 3,200 primary schools are currently managed by the Catholic Church.

Minister Bruton (pictured) outlined plans for an average of 20 new multi-denominational and non-denominational schools per year between now and 2030.

He has asked his Department to set targets for each of the next five years, including newly built schools and divested ones.

Mr Bruton said he particularly wanted to see the development of state-run primary schools known as Community National Schools, which provide for preparation for the Catholic sacraments during the school day.

Community National Schools (CNS) are run by the country's Education and Training Boards or ETBs, formerly known as VECs. The CNS model was first announced in 2007 by then Minister for Education Mary Hanafin TD and was developed following consultation with education partners and church groups.

The Educate Together body has raised concerns about the Community National School system, saying it continues to segregate children on religious grounds for religious instruction.

Mr Bruton said he would like to see CNS schools develop as "a more flexible model", including exploring the possibility of joint patronage between them and other patron bodies. Educate Together has ruled out joint patronage with any body that offers faith formation during the sachool day.

Update 10.30am: In a statement released later this morning, the voluntary group Education Equality said it was "disappointed and concerned" at Minister Brutons announcement that Community National Schools are his preferred school model to which to divest Catholic schools.

"(We) question the validity of a consultation with stakeholders undertaken by the Minister if conclusions have already been drawn," the group said.

The statement goes on: "Education Equality has concerns that Community National Schools do not treat children of all beliefs with equal respect because of the way in which children are divided up during the school day.

"Community National Schools currently operating separate children up into separate groups for religious teaching during the school day: Catholic children into one group, other Christians into another, Muslims into a third, and humanists, Buddhists and Hindus into a final group."

Education Equality chairperson April Duff said: "Any school that divides children up according to their religion must give rise to serious concerns.

"Segregation is something we should working against, rather than actively encouraging. Would this appear to be an acceptable model if children were divided according to their race or their skin colour?

"Anecdotal evidence gathered by Education Equality from parents reveals that these divisions are carried through into the playground, where children stick to groups of their own religions.

"Those belonging to the smaller religions feel alienated and different. The troubles in Northern Ireland ought to teach us a lesson about the wisdom of dividing people, particularly children, according to religious beliefs."

Chairperson of Atheist Ireland Michael Nugent said the process was creating a more divisive environment.

"Although it seems on the surface to be addressing the problem, it's actually making the problem worse," he said.

"What the Catholic Church is trying to negotiate is that in return for (some divestment), they will have a stronger Catholic ethos in the schools they retain.

"This means most families will not only not have access to schools that don't indoctrinate, but will in fact only have access to schools that have an even stronger Catholic ethos."
True, there have been improvements, but some of the paint is peeling. Gutters are blocked. A lot of heat is escaping through chimneys and draughty windows.

A car in the garage belches out dirty diesel when the ignition key is turned.

But will the owners make that trip to the bank manager to secure the necessary funding for the changes, or will they sit back and watch the place gradually deteriorate while they fritter money away on pleasurable activities?

The message being put forward by Engineers Ireland is clear.

We, as a country, need to double the national spend on key infrastructure if we are to remain an attractive location for foreign investment and if we are to meet increasingly challenging climate-related renewable energy targets.

The bodys State of Ireland report certainly makes for interesting reading. Its focus, this time around, is on the energy sector.

In part, this is due to the publication, last Christmas, by the Government of a white paper on energy, the first since 2007.

The Institutes new president, Dermot Byrne, was head of Eirgrid up until 2012 following a long career in the ESB.

The promotion of renewable energy is, for him, a major priority.

While keen to promote the use of renewables, energy conservation is also seen as a key goal, helping us along the road to meet our energy consumption commitments by 2020.

As things stand, we will fall well short of meeting those targets. So, how can we get back on track?

The Institute report calls for deep retrofits of domestic, commercial and public buildings.

While 300,000 out of 1.7m Irish homes have been re-adapted, much more needs to be done.

According to Sustainable Energy Ireland, a staggering 35bn should be spent, over the next 35 years, reducing levels of house-based carbon consumption, at an average cost of 200,000 per dwelling.

The challenge is daunting. The recent white paper has set a target of moving the equivalent of 300,000 homes, or 200 large industrial sites, to carbon efficiency by 2020.

The public sector must lead the way, according to Dermot Byrne, who believes that tackling the looming challenges posed by climate change should be given absolute priority.

Take Irish hospitals. They are among the most intensive users of energy accounting for half a million tonnes of carbon emissions, each year. A target has been set to halve this figure by 2020.

In Mr Byrnes view, the public sector needs to set an example.

With this in mind, an objective of a one third increase in energy efficiency (through reduced consumption) has been set.

New technologies will play a key role. Cork is a major hub of innovation through the Cork Institute of Technology and the Tyndall Institute.

An energy research strategy is due for publication shortly. Expect more emphasis on the development of smart grids, for example.

Investment in new capacity will have to continue and if anything, be enhanced as the economy grows.

A new national planning framework is reaching the consultation stage. Its aim will be to properly plan for the increase in the population and its most efficient dispersal. We have been here before. A national spatial strategy was put in place in the early years of the Celtic Tiger.

It fell victim to localist political pressures along with the very integrity of our planning process.

We are living with the consequences of a scatter-gun approach to development.

The roll-out of new capacity in wind generation and in the electricity network has been attended by much controversy, with local communities often fiercely opposed, sometimes with good reason, to the construction of pylons and wind farms.

A major plus point is that Ireland is not faced with the same looming problems in relation to electricity generation that our near neighbour, the UK, is burdened with. But major investments in further interconnection will be required if the full benefits of our renewable resources, such as wind, in particular, are to be captured.

Energy prices here remain high by European standards. In part, at least, this is due to the dispersed nature of our population. Splendid residential isolation comes at a cost.

The reality is that we are unlikely to relocate any time soon into compact settlements.

The promotion of energy efficiency in heating and transport is a more attainable goal over the short to medium term. To date, we have largely fallen down, here.

As much as 80% of all journeys are made by road, and three quarters by private car.

Dirty diesel accounts for 56% of transport-related energy consumption.

A vanishingly small number - 0.06% - use plug-in electric vehicles.

Most of our houses remain carbon inefficient along with many public offices.

The engineers body proposes a mix of exhortation/education, aimed at individuals and bodies, along with financial incentives and best practice.

A requirement for energy audits, currently in place for public sector and large commercial entities, would extend to cover smaller enterprises and retail centres.

There would be a new system of accelerated capital allowances to promote investment in energy efficient equipment.

The report welcomes the commitment of key players  corporate thought leaders  such as Apple and Facebook to carbon free energy use.

New forms of energy generation such as anaerobic digestion plants for the manufacture of biogas are suggested.

But innovations must make sense. Eight years ago, the ESB and Department of Energy began promoting electric vehicles with a 5,000 subsidy, VRT exemption and promise of low road tax. Today, just 1,700 EVs are registered in this country.

Concerns about battery life and the initial vehicle cost has stymied this initiative so far.

Investment must be carefully prioritised and co-ordinated.

The public must be brought on board. It is a battle of heart and minds. As Dermot Byrne puts it: We need to engage with communities. Climate change is coming at us.

The Government needs to get really serious about the transport and heating sectors. There needs to be a fundamental understanding of where we are heading if we dont act. There needs to be more urgency.
How did Huma begin?

Originally, the idea came from when I was in my final year in college and just about to graduate.

I had become pretty frustrated about how difficult it was to find out what companies were out there for people looking to break into different industries.

So the idea behind Huma, which started out firstly as being Shake, was to help students find jobs that they would love in companies that would love them.

Effectively, what we needed to do was create a two-sided marketplace to connect and match those people with jobs.

What did you see the future of this being?

I saw it as a step in the direction of where recruitment was going.

For the last decade and more all the focus had been on the employer and you meeting the criteria for their company.

Whats happening now is that its changing towards a candidate-driven market where the person looking for the job has more selection and more opportunities.

The power has shifted to the prospective employee and what direction they want to go.

The bigger vision for us was, not just creating a marketplace for jobs, but being able to help millions of students around the world.

Im sure you know people, as well as I do, who took their first job out of college and two years later are unhappy and disappointed with where they are.

You spent your last amount of capital on incorporating in the US. Was that a big risk?

It was part of the risk at the time, but it was also kind of crazy because we had just run out of money.

I ended up having to sell my car and put the rest of the cash from that into the company. I moved out of my apartment in Dublin and basically ended up living out of a suitcase for a year.

Its much more difficult than people might think, going out and raising venture capital in Silicon Valley from an Irish perspective.

There is a huge amount of groundwork that has to be done in building a network of people.

You need to be there a while in order to afford the time to people and really make sure that you get to know people who you can connect with or are investors themselves.

So I lived without a salary for many months and managed to get a couch with some friends I had met out there for a while.

You managed to raise investment, but were warning signs already appearing?

At the time when we raised the money, we had already seen our own progress. People were getting hired through the platform and companies were engaging with it.

We were seeing the early signs that this had real potential.

What we were also seeing was that the market was getting more competitive.

We had competitors in the US and other parts of Europe and they were already backed by millions of dollars of funding.

We were a small Irish start-up trying to wriggle our way into the US market as fast as we could so we could compete.

We used our money to put more experience into the team and develop the knowledge base within the company.

It helped us launch the product, which we did earlier this year.

When did the cracks begin to emerge, there seemed to be a huge amount of mental pressure?

It was probably last year. The first year in I had noticed that it was beginning to have an impact.

I had no home, I was living out of a suitcase, I had no car and at one point ended up going back to live with my mother. All of those things just trash your confidence.

You are literally there with nothing in hand except your passion for solving the problem. I tell this to founders all the time.

If you 110% care and have a belief about solving the problem, then that will be your only shining light when everything goes dark.

That is the way I saw it, so I was still okay at the time. I kept telling myself that I could deal with the stress so long as it meant getting to the next level. A year later and that stress hadnt really subsided.

We had raised around $300,000 and that was still nothing compared to the $7m that one of our competitors had raised.

So we constantly had to push and push and push in order to get ourselves to raising a substantial seed round of $1-$2m.

There is a certain time you can do that. Every founder goes through a stage of sheer hardship where youll do anything and everything, hit rock bottom and then work your way up to the top.

For me, the realisation came when I was coming back from San Fransisco on a flight.

It was going to be September before we could raise a bigger round again and it would be January 2017 before we got that.

Then maybe I might be able to pay myself a liveable salary.

That was hard because as a CEO of a start-up you always put yourself last, but at some point, it has to come down to what youre getting out of it.

Did you sacrifice too much or is that just the way it has to be for a start-up?

I think there are lessons there, of course.

I could have done things differently in raising money much sooner in the process.

There is a certain level of sacrifice that goes into it, but there needs to be a good reason behind it.

For me, putting my health at risk was just not an option. No company is worth being burned out for.

For me what has changed is whether or not I would put myself through that again.

For everything I got told about running a start-up, I could never have imagined how stressful it would be and how much it takes from you.

I think what happened was that I also stopped drinking my own kool-aid for a while. I began to think more critically about the business. As a start-up, you say to yourself that you get through anything no matter what, but then I took my own health into perspective and asked if that was really true.

We also had more frank and honest conversation within the company. Conversations we probably should have been having a year ago.

At this stage my co-founder had run out of energy too and it was beginning to take its toll.

We knew within the company that we were going to need a huge amount of energy to go and take a run at the kind of funding that we needed.

We also knew what impact that would have on us.

In the end, the decision came about from the team as well, we talked about it amongst us all.

They were very supportive of us and knew that we had to put our health first in all of this. If we didnt, something was going to break.

So youve been closed a month, have seen an improvement in yourself?

In the space of a month I feel totally different, much better.

A lot of the problems I talked about have subsided and in fact, the time has given me a better perspective that I made the right decision.

At the worst of it, I was getting panic attacks. Ive had the time to get back running and to eat properly as well. So I do feel much better.

Ive also had a few job offers that I am thinking about. However, itll be while before I make any decisions on those.

I would say that if you look at what happened to us, there are more teams in the start-up community who need to have the same frank conversations that we did.

There is a point where you need to ask about where the company is going and the reality of where youve come from.

I think in Ireland and in Dublin, there are a lot more honest conversations that need to start happening.
The formal signing of the agreement  a significant step in developing a wind-energy policy in this country  will take place on the fringes of the latest Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council meeting in Brussels.

Ireland will join Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Luxembourg in the initiative.

The aim is to grow the use of renewable energy in northern Europe and boost affordable energy supply from offshore outlets, particularly windfarms.

It should also prompt more multi-country co-operation and reduce the cost of wind turbines.

The EU says it will deliver further integration and increased efficiency of wholesale electricity markets in the longer term, contributing to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the average wholesale price spreads, and enhanced security of supply in the region.

The EU sees offshore renewables as key to the achievement of its goals of reducing gas emissions by 80%-95%, in 2050, compared to 1990. Ireland is likely to fall short of its target of meeting 16% of its total energy needs from renewable sources, by 2020, and will face a challenge to meet its 2030 target of 27%, if the Government doesnt put in place a definitive policy around renewable energy, according to the National Offshore Wind Energy Association (NOW Ireland).

NOW Ireland council member, Aidan Forde, said Irelands inclusion in the North Seas countries energy pact is welcome news, in that Ireland needs to become actively and deeply involved in such initiatives. He said that without harnessing the 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind power in the Irish Sea, there is no way Ireland will reach its 2030 targets.

Mr Forde said that the new agreement should force the Government into developing real policy for the renewable-energy sector and help it to develop a route to market for energy produced by offshore wind farms.

To this end, NOW Ireland has suggested that the State agree a set price, per kilowatt hour, with independent energy firms operating turbines in the Irish Sea, with either side making up the difference, depending on movement in wholesale electricity prices.

Meanwhile, energy storage group, Gaelectric, yesterday announced that it has reached financial close on a portfolio of five onshore wind farms in the North.

Total senior debt of 67m (86m) has been arranged through the London office of German bank, Nord/LB, to fund the five farms from construction to operation.

The portfolio consists of wind farms at Monnaboy, Cloonty, Inishative , Corby Knowe and Cregganconroe, with a total installed capacity of 51.5 megawatts.

Monnaboy is operational, with the remaining wind farms scheduled to be energised by the end of the year. The portfolio represents a capital investment of 96m. The majority of the senior debt has been advanced on an 18-year-term loan basis.

These projects also represent a significant milestone towards our near-term goal of achieving around 400 megawatts of generating wind assets, on the island of Ireland, by 2017, said the companys chief operating officer, Barry Gavin.
This has refuelled hopes that a two year old Russian Federation ban on the import of certain food products from the European Union might be discussed.

Moscow imposed the ban in August 2014 in response to penalties imposed on it by the United States and the EU over its actions in Ukraine Forum organisers have confirmed the Russia-EU relationship will be very prominent on the agenda for the June 16, 17 and 18 gathering which will held undet the auspices of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Cork actor is currently starring as ruthless mob boss Thomas Shelby in the third series of the award-winning period drama, which draws to a climax on Thursday.

But the 40-year-old will return for two further seasons of the Birmingham-based period drama, after the BBC gave the green light for a fourth and fifth season.

The gritty 1920s drama, created and written by Steven Knight, kicked off on BBC2 in 2013 and has since gone on to become a global hit after Netflix bought it two years ago.

The hugely-popular series has also transformed the fortunes of unfashionable Birmingham, with tourist chiefs reporting that the show has helped revitalise the citys fortunes, with the number of tourists surpassing the one million mark for the first time last year.

The show has also been credited with a surge in the sales of old-fashioned flat caps, as worn by Murphy and his cronies in the drama.

Father-of-two Murphy has admitted in the past that the physical demands of his most famous TV role have taken their toll on his body.

And despite attracting overwhelmingly positive reviews for his portrayal of the gang leader, he recently admitted he almost missed out on the role because casting directors thought he was too skinny.

The final episode of the third season of Peaky Blinders airs at 9pm this Thursday on BBC2.
Division reunion

The Second (Indianhead) Division Association is searching for anyone who served in the Army's Second Infantry Division at any time. For information about the association and its 95th annual reunion Sept. 20-24 in Springfield, Mo., contact secretary-treasurer Bob Haynes at 2idahq@comcast.net or 224-225-1202; or visit www.2ida.org.

New commander

Lt. Col. Tracy Bridwell, Bismarck, is the new commander of the North Dakota Army National Guard's 136th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Rear Detachment (136th CSSB), which is based in Devils Lake. She assumed command of the unit May 20 from Lt. Col. Davina French, also of Bismarck, during a change of command ceremony at the National Guard armory in Grand Forks.

Bridwell, who serves full-time as the officer-in-charge for the North Dakota National Guard's Bismarck-based 68th Troop Command, brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Enlisting in the Guard's 231st Engineer Battalion as a legal specialist in 1990, Bridwell attended basic combat training at Fort Dix, N.J., and advanced individual training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.

In 1993, Bridwell transferred to the 957th Engineer Company (Assault Float Ribbon Bridge), and became the unit's full-time clerk. Two years later, she transferred to the 164th Engineer Group as an administrative noncommissioned officer. When the unit converted to the 164th Engineer Brigade in 1998, she was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant and assigned as the brigade's legal administrator.

Bridwell graduated from North Dakota's OCS program in 1996 and held a certificate of eligibility until she commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1999. Since then, she has served as a platoon leader for the 957th Engineer Company, executive officer for Company B, 142nd Engineer Battalion, rear detachment commander and executive officer for the 142nd Headquarters' Support Company, administrative officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 164th Engineer Battalion, company commander for Headquarters Company, 68th Troop Command, executive officer for the 231st Brigade Support Battalion, mobilization planner for Joint Force Headquarters, and most recently executive officer of 68th Troop Command.

In 2009, Bridwell deployed to Kosovo, where she served as an aide-de-camp for Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant general, in support of Kosovo Forces, or KFOR, 12.

Serving full time, Bridwell was assigned as a budget analyst, after her commissioning, for the Engineer Brigade, 34th Infantry Division, until 2004, when she accepted a position as a contracting officer for the U.S. Purchasing and Contracting office. In 2005, she was hired as the mobilization planner for the North Dakota National Guard. In 2012, Bridwell assumed duties as the state's mobilization and readiness officer, and, in June 2015, she was assigned to her current position as the OIC for 68th Troop Command.

French, a native of Auburn, Wash., enlisted in 1989 as a movement control specialist in the Washington Army National Guard's 1444th Transportation Detachment. She deployed with this unit in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990. In 1993, French was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. After transferring to the North Dakota Army National Guard in 1995, she served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 with the 957th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge) and later deployed to Kosovo in 2009 with the 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade for an international peacekeeping mission.

She has previously served the North Dakota Guard full time as an organization development officer, a state transportation officer, a technician training officer and a recruiting and retention operations officer. Her current full-time assignment is the Guard's government affairs officer and she resides in Bismarck.
A man in his 30s was discovered dead at the side of a narrow road south of Tallaght with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.

His death is not being linked to the Kinahan-Hutch gangland feud that has claimed seven lives in recent months but detectives do believe the victim was deliberately targeted and murdered at the secluded spot with no effort to conceal the crime.

A man and woman, both in their mid-20s, were arrested yesterday evening and were last night being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Tallaght and Rathfarnham garda stations.

The victim was identified yesterday afternoon but gardai did not release his name as some family members had yet to be informed.

The mans body was spotted at Hills Lane, Crooksling, Co Dublin, at 9am yesterday by a member of the public who thought he was the victim of a hit and run.

Superintendent Peter Duff of Tallaght said it appeared the victim had sustained a number of gunshot wounds. A full postmortem is to be carried out at Tallaght Hospital this morning.

Supt Duff said: We have recovered a number of bullet cases from the ground. Theyre currently undergoing forensic examination.

Theres nothing at this stage to indicate it is connected to the recent killings in other parts of the city.

The latest shooting comes as this year shapes up to be one of the worst on record for gun killings with nine people shot dead since February.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is due to show his support for the worst affected community, the north inner city, by visiting residents and local activists this week.

Supt Duff appealed for the publics help with the latest investigation, asking anyone who saw anything suspicious or heard gunshots in the area to come foward.

The area is only 5km from Tallaght, just off the N81 between Tallgaht and Blessington in Co Wicklow, but it is quite rural in nature with a scattering of detached houses surrounded by farmland where locals may not have considered the sound of gunshot unusual.

Much of the area remained sealed off last night as gardai searched the roadside and fields and conducted house to house inquiries.
Adopted people currently have no legal right to their birth certificate or the medical history.

Legislation has been seen as a priority by every Government since 1997, but all have cited the 1998 Supreme Court ruling as a stumbling block. This found the natural mothers constitutional right to privacy had to be balanced against the childs constitutional right to identity.

A bill introduced by the last Government in July of last year required adopted people to sign a statutory declaration stating they will respect the wishes of their natural parents if they do not wish to be contacted.

It is also planned to place a new adoption contact register will be placed on a statutory basis and operated by Tusla  the Child and Family Agency.

The previous Government took almost its full term to draw up the bill. Taoiseach Enda Kenny had claimed that a referendum may be needed to give adopted people basic rights  a claim that was rubbished by one senior constitutional lawyer.

In response to a question on a timescale as to when the bill will become law, childrens minister Katherine Zappone last week refused to give a definitive date, stating only it would be as soon as possible this year.

Claire McGettrick of Adoption Rights Alliance said adopted people would not accept a law which offered them anything less than full equality.

Any legislation which affords anything less than full equality to adopted people is completely unacceptable to Adoption Rights Alliance and those in contact with our organisation, she said.

Paul Redmond of the Coalition of Mother and Baby Homes Survivors (CMABS) said the bill needed to be passed as a matter of urgency. Mr Redmond said three campaigners in the adoption activist community had died in recent months.

For every survivor we know has died, hundreds more are dying. CMABS cautioned last year that our community would end up reunited with headstones in cold and lonely graveyards if the new Adoption Bill was not passed as a matter of urgency, he said.
The Irish Examiner understands the Conor Dignam report, which is examining the Grace controversy, is set to be handed to new Health Minister, Simon Harris, and Disability Minister, Finian McGrath, freeing up the Government to act on its pre-election commitment to a full inquiry.

As previously reported by this newspaper, the Grace case involves a single foster-care family, in the south-east, which looked after 47 children and adults with severe intellectual disabilities, between 1983 and 2009.

In 1992, the then South Eastern Health Board became aware of concerns about the family, and in 1995 removed all of the people in their care.

However, one woman, given the pseudonym Grace, and who turned 18 in 1996, was left with the family for 14 more years, and suffered severe sexual abuse as a result.

The woman, who is mute and has the mental capacity of a young child, is believed to have been repeatedly raped, assaulted with a blunt object, and forced to live, at times, in the cubby hole under the familys stairs.

A second woman, whose family was not told of the allegations, was also later found to be receiving care at the home.

Last June, on foot of claims that the case had been covered up by senior officials, then health minister, Leo Varadkar, and then minister of state for disabilities, Kathleen Lynch, appointed independent senior counsel, Conor Dignam, to review two HSE-commissioned reports into what happened.

Neither of the reports, which cost in excess of 300,000 and which were drawn up by individuals with links to health-service management in the south-east at the time of the scandal, have ever been published.

Mr Dignam was due to complete his work by last December. However, because of the scale of the information involved, he was given extra resources and also given a new deadline, of June, to complete his work.

In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson confirmed that this report is expected to be handed over to Mr Harris and Mr McGrath over the coming days.

The spokesperson said it will be key to informing a promised, State commission of inquiry into the events, and is expected to now be signed-off by cabinet this month, before its terms of reference are put to the Dail and Seanad.

On February 2 last, the last government approved, in principle, the establishment of a commission of investigation, relating to a former foster home in the south-east of the country.

The Governments approval was given, subject to a further decision on detailed terms of reference, timelines, and costs, which are to be informed by the work being undertaken by Conor Dignam, senior counsel, into related matters, the spokesperson said.

Following the decision by government, concerning the establishment of a statutory commission of investigation, in early February, additional resources were allocated to Mr Dignam to allow him to accelerate the completion of his report.

Mr Dignam was also asked to identify matters that would assist in framing the terms of reference for the commission of investigation, and to take take that into account in undertaking his work.

On April 27, Minister of State Kathleen Lynch granted a request from Mr Dignam for some additional time to finalise his report. It is now expected at the end of May and will be considered in detail at that point, she added.

The Dignam report  which is based on a review of the existing case files and on interviews with people central to the allegations  will be key to outlining the scale and scope of the State inquiry into the Grace foster-care abuse claims.

Despite being promised on February 2 this year, such an investigation has not been possible, because the report has yet to conclude and the Governments cabinet must sign off on setting up any inquiry.

The Irish Examiner understands that the planned commission of inquiry will be strongly influenced by the Dignam report, and will either limit or extend its own terms of reference, if the senior counsel finds a wider examination of Irelands foster-care system is also required.

The Department of Health has held off on confirming whether it will expand such an inquiry to examine other cases. This is despite further concerns, earlier this month, about a person with significant disabilities who remained at a separate foster home for 19 months after sexual abuse allegations were made.

This separate case, based in Cork, is now the subject of another review by the HSE and Tusla.
The Irish Examiner has learned the complex legal situation is blocking the possibility of examining whether the individuals pose any potential risks to other children, four months after their names were first sought by child protection watchdog Tusla.

During a Dail meeting last February, HSE director general Tony OBrien confirmed that senior Tusla staff were involved in the Grace controversy while working with the South Eastern Health Board in the 1990s.

As previously reported by this newspaper, the case involves claims a woman with severe intellectual disabilities called Grace suffered sexual abuse at a foster home between the late 1980s and 2009.

While all placements with the family were meant to end in 1995, Grace continued to stay at the home until 2009 while a second woman called Anne stayed for respite care until 2013.

As a result of Mr O Briens comments in February, Tusla requested the names of the individuals involved in order to ensure there was no risk to other children in its care.

This information was sought because of allegations made under Dail privilege that senior South Eastern Health Board officials failed to remove Grace in 1995 and then attempted to cover up the situation when it emerged in 2009.

However, in a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the child protection group said because of ongoing legal difficulties the HSE has been unable to provide it with the names  meaning no risk assessment has taken place.

The information furnished by the HSE on the handling of the case of the woman known as Grace did not include the names of the staff members involved, due to the Garda investigation.

The primary concern for Tusla and the HSE is to ensure no child is put at risk while the investigation is ongoing.

Legal advice has been sought in order to identify a solution that would allow Tusla to conduct a risk assessment of the staff and, if necessary, to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place without adversely affecting the ongoing garda investigations, the spokesperson said.

It is understood that while Tusla has been unable to carry out any risk assessment, its own internal structures mean no one individual has sole control over any case file.

.In a statement , a HSE spokesperson said the organisation is prevented from sharing the information due to ongoing live Garda investigations: The Conal Devine and Resilience Ireland reports, with permission of An Garda Siochana, have been provided to Tusla.

The HSE has sought permission from An Garda Siochana that the actual names of the individuals could be provided to Tusla in circumstances where Conal Devine presented those names in an anonymised format.

The HSE is willing to provide the identification key used in the Conal Devine Report to Tusla once An Garda Siochana has given permission for this to happen.

A report central to establishing a promised commission of inquiry into the case will be finished in the coming days.

The Irish Examiner understands senior counsel Conor Dignam  who has spent a year examining the Conal Devine and Resilience Ireland reports, and cover-up claims made in the Dail  is due to provide his findings to Health Minister Simon Harris and Disability Minister Finian McGrath.
Emergency services descended on the house in Blainroe, Co Wicklow, early on Friday evening after neighbours were alerted that the siblings, two boys and two girls aged from 11 to three, had been hurt.

Two of the children were airlifted from the scene as a precaution due to fears of spinal injuries but all four were discharged on Saturday after treatment at Tallaght Hospital and all are expected to make a full recovery.

The incident has caused deep shock in the locality which lies in tranquil coastal countryside half way between Wicklow town and Brittas Bay where the family are well-known and active in the community.

Just a week earlier they had celebrated one of the childrens first communion with a gathering of family and friends.

The childrens 35-year-old father, Stephen Harnett, was arrested and held for questioning overnight at Wicklow Garda Station.

He was brought before a special sitting of Bray District Court on Saturday night. Mr Harnett, of Kilpoole Upper, Blainroe, was charged with four counts of assault causing harm to the children under Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Arresting officer, Garda Neil Doyle, told the court that the accused made no reply when each of the charges were put to him.

Superintendent Paul Hogan asked Judge Gerard Furlong to remand him in custody and said no application for bail was being made. Mr Harnett, an electrician, was granted legal aid and assigned solicitor Kieran Conway.

Mr Conway said there was no objection to a remand in custody but he requested that his client undergo psychiatric evaluation as soon as possible.

The accused, who wore a grey t-shirt, grey sweatpants and white runners, sat for the most part with his head in his hands and did not speak throughout the brief proceedings.

Judge Furlong remanded him to appear before Cloverhill District Court in Dublin this Thursday and ordered that he receive psychological and medical assistance and a psychiatric evaluation in the meantime.
Forget handbags, this is hairdryers at dawn. Its what happens when a hardworking dairy farmer from Mitchelstown in Cork goes head to finely-coiffed head with two hair salon owners and some bad book-keeping in the Dublin suburbs. And its coming to a TV screen near you.

On one of the mornings I found myself treating a lame cow at milking time cleaning out her hoof a few hours later I was in Tallaght putting shellac nails on a woman, laughs star of the show and the farmer in charge, Maurice Walsh, who was spotted by researchers on the website of dairy farming equipment company Dairy Master. I know the art of a good cow but Ive no idea about how to judge a haircut, he says during the show.

The shows researchers first rang him and asked him to get involved: Then they sent a very nice chap down two hours later in an Opel Corsa with a pair of white shoes on and an iPad, says Walsh. Where in the name of Jaysus are you going in the white shoes?! I said to him, says Walsh with trademark good humour.

Farmer in Charge is essentially a cross between At Your Service , Mary Queen of Shops and Spring Watch with cameos by celebrity hair dressers, interior designers, beauty bloggers and, a goat farmer from Oldcourt Hill Farm in Tallaght. That the researchers managed to find this goat farmer in such proximity to the hair salon points to the closeness of the mountains and Tallaghts ancient heritage. But the biggest comparisons struck between country and city life in the programme are farming business tips and Walshs wise cracks about blue hair chalk, bulls and the female of the species.

On paper this programme shouldnt work but in reality it does; not least for the frustrating salon owner who would be horizontal if he was any more laid back (and is bound to induce more than a few eye rolls among the television viewing public) and the business-savvy Maurice Walsh, whose frustrations become increasingly clear as the programme goes on.

Even though hes very laid back, hes not lazy, says Walsh of salon owner Nick Reddin. He had too many irons in the fire. Im a dairy farmer. I produce the highest standard milk possible but itd be like me being a sheep farmer, a tillage farmer, a dairy farmer and a fruit and vegetable farmer  you cannot do it all. You have to do one thing and do it well.

During the course of the show we meet salon owner Nick and Claire Reddin, owners of Angel Hair and Beauty in Old Bawn in Tallaght. Its clear that the business is not going well. Employees are not getting paid on time and are fearful for their jobs, theres little money left at the end of the month for the couple and their small children despite Nick also working night shifts in security. As the programme goes on it becomes clear that the business is in even deeper manure.

Its obvious on the phone that Maurice Walsh is a great talker with an astute sense of humour. In the programme he comes across as warm and witty, but also down-to-earth and to-the-point. You also get the impression that he takes no prisoners and believes that people in any business could learn a lot from farmers: getting up early, being prepared for the busy periods of the year and managing their accounts.

Farmers are the CEO of their companies and they can really make a business work. The most important point when running a business is cash-flow, whether youre running a farm or a hair salon, says Walsh. Im a dairy farmer and I have to balance my books because the winter months bring no income. Youve got to keep on top of your bills. Christmas was the bumper time for the hair salon but they werent thinking of the quieter months.

He says that his experience of the programme was one of the best in his life, despite the fact that his wife and grown-up sons originally thought he needed help for getting involved. Talk about being a fish out of water. I saw how the rest of the country lived too though for me to go to work is two minutes across the field in a pair of wellies. If youre in Dublin you could be sitting in traffic for an hour and a half to get to your workplace. I really appreciated going back to the farm, he says.

Walsh says he was aware of a Jackeen/ Culchie divide when he arrived in Tallaght initially: Im sure they were saying What does your man know about hairdressing and who does he think he is coming up here telling us what to do? but when they saw that I really was interested in getting the business up and running it really was appreciated.

He says he was surprised how attached he became to the Claire and Nick and their staff over the filming period. I couldnt believe how these people brought me in and let me take over their business. Theres a great saying Dont cry because its over, smile because it happened . It was an experience Ill treasure. Im sure friends of mine will see it on Monday and say You eejit what were you doing?! but I was what I was, I am what I am, I did what I did and wouldnt change it for the world.

Farmer in Charge airs on RTE One, Monday June 6th at 6.30pm.
WEVE just enjoyed our first real taste of summer  a prolonged period of sunshine, blue skies and the obligatory splash in a paddling pool followed by a barbequed feast.

But there will undoubtedly be scores of people up and down the country with sunburned faces, red, painful looking torsos and of course the ubiquitous farmers tan  because despite melanoma being the biggest cancer killer, many are still wary of sun cream.

Perhaps we dont think the sun is hot enough in Ireland to do any damage, or maybe we simply lose the run of ourselves and after a quick slather at the beginning of the day, completely forget to re-apply.

According to a new report from consumer advocate Which?, sun-worshippers of the lazier kind who thought they had struck gold with the introduction of the once-a-day sunscreen will be disappointed as the UK Consumer Association group have found that these creams do not offer sufficient protection against the harmful rays of the sun.

Having tested the claims of leading high-street brands of once-a-day sunscreens, Which testers saw an average decrease in SPF protection of 74% after six to eight hours.

This meant that the once-a-day product claiming a SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 would drop to a factor 8 over the course of the day. The company also tested a wide selection of standard sunscreens to see whether or not they all met the SPF30 claim and all but one (Hawaiian Tropic) passed the test.

The British Association of Dermatologists recommend using high protection, broad spectrum sunscreens (offering protection against UV (ultra violet) A and B), with an SPF of at least 30 and high UVA protection, in addition to protective clothing and shade.

Boots Soltan Protect and Moisturise lotion SPF 50 200ml, 7

Clare OConnor, sun expert for Boots Ireland, says it is important to check the label before buying sunscreen to ensure it has the protection you require.

The most important thing to look for in sun protection is the right SPF level for your skin type, she advises. Secondly you need to look for the level of UVA protection as SPF is only half of the story  so look for products with a five star UVA rating.

The SPF on the front of the pack indicates the level of protection the product provides and whatever the format, this doesnt change.

Then it really is down to consumer preference whether they prefer a lotion or a spray to apply sun protection.

The sun care expert also says that sunscreen doesnt have to be expensive and choosing a product with extra moisture will benefit skin which has been exposed to the sun.

A higher price doesnt necessarily indicate better protection, she says. However, sunscreens should only be bought from a reputable source so the product can be traced back to the supplier.

Ms OConnor also points out that, while

you may think all sun cream has moisturising properties, a sun lotion with added moisturisation can provide better protection for your skin.

This is because the addition of a long-lasting moisturiser helps protect the skins outer barrier which in turn protects its deeper layers, preventing the long-term signs of damage such as wrinkles and brown spots.

But wrinkles may the least of your worries as the most recent figures from the National Cancer Registry show that in 2013 there were 984 cases of melanoma 9,791 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Eucerin Sun Spray Transparent SPF50, available at Boots, 20

Kevin OHagan, cancer prevention manager at the Irish Cancer Society, explains exactly how sunscreen helps to protect against melanoma.

Whether used as a lotion, spray, gel or other topical product, sunscreen absorbs or reflects some of the suns ultraviolet (UV) radiation and helps protect against sunburn, he says.

It acts like a very thin bulletproof vest, stopping the UV rays before they can reach the skin and cause damage, and it contains organic sunscreen particles which absorb UV and inorganic pigments that absorb, scatter and reflect UV.

To provide a high level of protection, a sunscreen product must have adequate quantities of these protective agents and it must equally distribute over the skin. Products with a higher SPF allow fewer of the UV rays that produce sunburn to strike the skin.

Dr Mark Murphy, chairperson of the Irish Association of GPs, says there is no real evidence to suggest that the more money spent on sunscreen, the better the protection.

Despite advertising claims, there doesnt seem to be much proof that expensive sunscreen is better than cheaper varieties, he says.

Basically if it has been passed and approved by the relevant bodies then they should all offer the protection level as stated on the bottle. The only difference may be if some are scented or cause allergies so it really is down to individual preference and I would advise people to check for sensitivity to certain products by trying out on a small patch of skin before using all over in the sun.

Finbar McCarthy, group buying director at Aldi said, Providing the public with great quality products at exceptional prices is at the core of our business, and our Lacura range of sun cream offers protection against the sun, at a fraction of the price.

Aldis Lacura sun care range has prices ranging from 2.99 to 5.99

But makers of one of the more expensive brands on the market, Eucerin, say their product has an added bonus which reflects in the higher price.

Even if you use the highest SPF possible, there is no such thing as 100% protection for your skin against UV rays, says a spokeswoman.

That is why Eucerin Sun has an added layer of protection: Biological Cell Protection.

Using antioxidants from different plant extracts, the formulations support the skins own protection system against UV rays and help protect skin cells against sun-induced damage caused by free radicals, added the spokesperson.

SUNSCREEN EXPLAINED

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and shows the degree of protection the sunscreen provides against UVB only. It is rated on a scale from 2 to 50+.

The higher the factor, the greater the level of protection against UVB.

UVA Star ratings range from 0-5 and indicate the level of protection the sunscreen provides against UVA, compared with the level of protection it provides against UVB.

Sunscreens with a low SPF can still have a high number of stars, not because they are offering high UVA protection, but because the ratio between UVA and UVB protection is the same as offered in sunscreens with higher SPF. This is why it is very important to choose a sunscreen with a high SPF as well as high UVA protection (ideally 4 or 5 stars).

The UVA protection offered in a sunscreen should be at least one third of the SPF. Sunscreen products meeting this requirement are eligible to display a UVA logo, with the letters UVA enclosed within a circle.

An open jar symbol on the container indicates the period of time after the product is first opened, that it is safe to use. This is usually specified in months or years and if storage instructions are followed, the product should remain effective during this period.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority recommends checking the label of the sunscreen for a European address  if a product has been imported from outside the EU, it may not meet European safety assessment requirements.

See www.cancer.ie/sunsmart

The SunSmart Code

For best protection, follow the Irish Cancer Societys SunSmart code.

SEEK SHADE: When UV rays are at their strongest generally between 11am and 3pm.

COVER UP: By wearing a shirt with a collar and long shorts. Also wear a hat that gives shade to your face, neck and ears.

WEAR WRAPAROUND SUNGLASSES: make sure they give UV protection.

SLOP ON SUNSCREEN: Use sunscreen with SPF 15 (SPF30 for children) or higher and UVA protection 20 minutes before going outside and re-apply every two hours  more often if swimming or perspiring.

CHECK the UV index  www.cancer.ie/uvindex

Keep babies under six months out of the sun.
IT WAS shocking, horrific. This mute, intellectually disabled woman arrived at her day care centre only to take off her underwear and adopt a sexual position on the utterance of a particular phrase.

She needed to have seven teeth removed because of the neglect she endured.

Deeply alarmed, her carers immediately sought to intervene.

This was in 2009. The young woman, who we now know as Grace had been left to languish in a foster home for 20 years, despite major concerns about the safety of that home being known by authorities since 1992.

Allegations of the most profound rape, abuse, and neglect of some of the most vulnerable people in our society are now under criminal and civil investigations.

The house involved is unremarkable from the outside. A modest country cottage which to the outside world looks like many others. But what is said to have gone on in that house has led some of the most experienced politicians to say it is the most harrowing case they have ever encountered.

The HSE has this year finally apologised to Grace and 46 other children and young adults who went through this home, but seven years later after whistle blowers involved sought to highlight the abject neglect of Grace, a commission of inquiry is about to commence into what happened in this Waterford foster House of Horrors.

Against all the odds and repeated attempts by the system to cover this up, brave individuals risked their careers in order to speak out in order to obtain justice.

Lifting the lid

A detailed dossier, compiled by one of Graces social workers, which was later sent to members of the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC), revealed the full extent of the horror experienced by Grace and others who were placed by the State in this home.

This dossier, seen by the Irish Examiner, detailed how the whistleblower was assigned to Grace in 2008 and how immediately she was concerned as to Graces state of neglect. She began examining her new clients medical and care history.

What she found rocked her to her core.

According to the health board files, the foster home at the centre of the allegations was located in an isolated area in Waterford and was run by a couple who set up home there in the 1970s.

Children were placed there by the health board and the Brothers of Charity, while some families used it privately. It is now known that the Brothers of Charity ended its association with the foster home in the early 1990s after becoming aware the family had been dishonest about the number of children in their care.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the then South Eastern Health Board had known of allegations of sex abuse at the home since 1992, but nothing was done.

Concerns were expressed by a family about their daughter and an allegation of sexual abuse was made. The complaint was dropped due to a threat of legal action by the foster family and the health board did not investigate the issue further.

But then, in late 1995 or early in 1996, a further allegation of sexual abuse was made.

According to the social worker, documentation from that period showed the health board decided, on the basis of information known to it, to cease placing children in the care of the family.

But one child, who had been in the home since 1989 and was living there full time was allowed to remain. That child was Grace. Incredibly, she would be left to languish in the home for another 13 years. Thirteen years.

According to the whistleblower file, while on a visit to a day service for people with intellectual disabilities, a 17-year-old Grace was said to be wolfing down her dinner, stealing food, stripping off her clothes, banging her head against the wall, screaming, and laughing uncontrollably. She was also found to have bruising on her body, which could not be explained by her carers.

A report from the health boards area medical officer stated she weighed five stone.

But this is the most incredible part.

It has since emerged that in 1996, the health board decided to end Graces foster care arrangement at the home. As revealed by the Irish Examiner earlier this year, the foster father wrote directly to the then minister for health, Michael Noonan, appealing to have the decision overturned.

Mr Noonan, according to other documents seen by this newspaper, queried the matter and handed it over to his junior minister Austin Currie. Whatever happened, the decision to remove Grace was overturned and she remained at risk until the whistleblowers intervention in 2009.

According to the dossier, the social worker was concerned Grace may have suffered internal damage and that objects may have been inserted in her back passage.

She contacted Graces mother, who was living in the UK, seeking permission to have her removed, but did not tell her of the sex-abuse concerns.

It has also been suggested by the dossier that between 2001 and 2007, nothing happened to ensure Graces safety.

No-one from the health board or the HSE visited Grace, and her case file lay dormant in a cabinet until August 2007.

At that stage, her mother rang to inquire about her wellbeing.

At that point, the HSE requested that a local disability organisation hold a residential bed open for her, at a cost of 120,000 per annum. However, she still wasnt moved.

Concerns were then raised by the author of the dossier after Grace turned up for a day-service appointment in August 2008 with a black eye.

The following March, she was found to have bruising on her breast and thigh. She was brought to a sexual assault treatment unit but became distressed and would not cooperate with an examination. The whistleblower in her dossier claimed gardai did not fully investigate these incidents.

Finally, in July 2009, Grace was removed from the home after her mother was informed of the bruising and demanded action be taken.

The fight for justice

While the HSE commenced an investigation in 2009 into what was raised by the whistleblower, the nature and the strength of those inquiries has been severely criticised.

The whistleblower has alleged criminal negligence by the former health board and the HSE, with recommendations to remove the girl from the home not acted upon.

The former chairman of the PAC, John McGuinness, and his vice-chair John Deasy, accused a clique of HSE managers of covering up what went on in the foster home.

Issues surrounding the care of Grace and other intellectually-disabled children have been subject to a number of Garda investigations and three HSE-commissioned reviews, which have seen external consultants and law firms paid in excess of 500,000.

But the chances of successful prosecutions were rated as low, as the key witnesses would not be able to give evidence, as they are non-verbal.

In 2012, consultant Conal Devine produced his report for the HSE into the allegations, but as yet his report has not yet been published. A second report, conducted by Resilience Ireland, into the foster home allegations was completed in 2015. It too has not yet been published.

Becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress, the whistleblowers looked to the new protected disclosures legislation to bring the horrific abuse to light.

At the end of their tether, they directed their pleas to members of the PAC, using the issue of procurement irregularities relating to the 100,000 Devine report as a way in.

But quickly, Deasy and McGuinness realised the much wider issue and began to ask very uncomfortable questions of the HSE.

They demanded answers and McGuinness himself went to Pearse Street Garda Station to make his own protected disclosure on the matter in March 2015.

But again they were stonewalled. The HSE said it could not comment in detail as the matter was under criminal investigation, to the frustration of those seeking answers.

But then in January, the HSE produced a 24-page report for the PAC about the case.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) for the first time admitted significant failings in cases of savage rape and physical abuse of disabled children in a foster home in the South-East, seven years after allegations were first raised.

Following an appeal to the Information Commissioner before Christmas, the HSE has sent a limited amount of the Devine Reports findings and recommendations to the PAC.

In these documents, obtained by the Irish Examiner, the HSE apologised for the first time to the victim of the abuse for the failings in care standards.

The HSE has made arrangements to meet with the service user who was the subject of the Devine report to apologise for the significant failings of the service in meeting the service users needs over such an extended period of time, the report stated.

The HSE also in public comment is apologising to all those who received poor care when placed with this foster family, the report added.

However, one of the whistleblowers said no such apology has yet been given directly to the alleged victim of the abuse.

After six years of raising concerns, I welcome at long last that the HSE have acknowledged the significant failings in what happened, said the whistle blower. What is the apology for, if they cant tell us the findings, or who is responsible?

A botched apology

Despite the whistleblower insistence that no apology was given, the HSE continued to claim otherwise, putting forward a detailed account of when and where it was given.

The denials of the Irish Examiner story were sent to the PAC.

But, Mr Deasy and Mr McGuinness having been in contact with the whistleblower, were outraged at what they saw as a blatant attempt to hoodwink the PAC.

They demanded answers. Sure enough, the HSE was forced to relent and admit the apology had not been given as claimed.

At the height of the Irish Examiners coverage, Fergus Finlay, CEO of the childrens charity Barnardos, wrote a powerful column and decided to give the woman at the heart of this crisis the name Grace. It stuck and she has been referred to as such ever since.

An emergency meeting of the PAC was convened with the HSE on February 3.

They got pasted.

Mr OBrien spoke of those who constructed the two-page rebuttal to the Irish Examiner. Frankly, if Daniel McConnell had not written that story in the Irish Examiner, we would not be sitting here talking about this today.

Of Mr OBriens two-page detailed rebuttal with regard to individuals, how they did it and what they said, is he comfortable that he was given the correct information? He stated that it was a misunderstanding, etc. I do not believe that, said Mr Deasy.

Through the course of the maelstrom of the meeting, the HSE admitted that yet another woman was left in the foster home until 2013. They sought to deflect criticism because the person was there in a private capacity, but it cut little ice with PAC members.

For several days, as the country geared up for a general election, pressure mounted on Government ministers to act to address the expanding crisis.

Mr Noonans intervention as health minister in 1996 came back into sharp focus following publication of the letters by the Irish Examiner.

He said he handed the matter over to Austin Currie and denied any wrongdoing.

But on foot of the botched apology, junior health minister Kathleen Lynch and her senior Minister Leo Varadkar came under fire to announce a commission of investigation into Graces case and that of the other 46 children.

Commenting on the unfolding crisis, McGuinness said: This is the worst case of incompetence and mismanagement within the HSE I have seen. We want full disclosure from them on Tuesday. As an organisation, it appears to be in disarray, and they simply failed to look after some of the most vulnerable children in the country.

Firmly in the crosshairs, and not wanting to overshadow the beginning of the general election campaign, Ms Lynch and Mr Varadkar relented to the pressure and announced a commission of investigation would be launched into Graces case.

But even as he was announcing the commission, Varadkar cautioned that the allegations have not been proven and remain simply that  allegations.

Noonan, under fire during the election campaign, issued the same caution, that not one of the allegations had yet been proven.

Given the HSE had already apologised publicly for the failings in care, such a stance from the two ministers appeared strange.

Justice at last?

While the outgoing cabinet approved the commission, because of a technicality, it would not be formally established until after the general election.

This was because Ms Lynch had asked senior counsel Conor Dignam to undertake a scoping exercise into the allegations at the home.

The Dignam report is due back to Government imminently and will be handed to new Junior Minister Finian McGrath.

Since the election, all parties and independents have committed to ensure the commission is established, but there are still no guarantees justice will be served.

TIMELINE OF HORROR

1983-1995  A total of 46 children and young adults, most with intellectual disabilities, are placed with foster family in Waterford.

1992 - South East Health Board becomes aware of concerns about the standards of care in foster home, but continued to send children to home.

1995  Following concerns are raised by the Brothers of Charity in the UK, who also used the home for foster care, placements by the then Health Board stop. The concerns centre around allegations of sexual abuse of the children. However, one child, Grace who was placed there full time, remained in the home.

1996  SEHB decide to move Grace from home.

1996  The foster father writes a letter to then Health Minister Micheal Noonan who then referred the matter to his officials and junior minister Austin Currie.

1996  Following the intervention, Grace is ultimately left in the home and will remain there until 2009.

2009  On foot of whistleblower concerns about Graces care, in which she displayed sexualised behaviour, she is removed from the foster home and moved to an appropriate care setting. Gardai and HSE begin investigations.

2012  Conal Devine is commissioned to conduct an investigation into the foster home and Graces care and produce a report. His 100,000 report has not yet been published.

2013  Another child is only finally removed from the home in 2013, despite all of the concerns and investigations. It is later claimed that the child is a private patient.

2014  The PAC first hear of issues around the procurement of services relating to reports into foster home.

2015  Documents obtained by the PAC allege some of the most savage rape and abuse of those in the care of the home. Grace was found to be adopting sexual positions on the command of a phrase.

2015  Calls for a Commission of Investigation come as PAC hears a clique of HSE managers covered up allegations of abuse.

Jan 2016  Irish Examiner revealed that HSE finally admitted liability in relation to failures of care at foster home. However, claims of an apology given to Grace are contested.

Feb 2016  HSE caught misleading Irish Examiner and PAC over apology claims, and eventually apologise for doing so.

Feb 2016  After 10 days of controversy, Health ministers Leo Varadkar and Kathleen Lynch relent and announce Commission of Inquiry.

June 2016  Conor Dignam scoping report due to Government on foster home allegations.
It can be bewildering this time of year. There are reams of newsprint to wade through, hours of radio, minutes of snippets of news reports on the television. The Leaving Cert media cycle is a lot of work, so in case you dont have time, this is all of it condensed into a small area. There are a few broad categories of item.

Reminiscing: People say that the Leaving Cert doesnt prepare you for real life, that it doesnt develop the skills that are really needed, that it is merely an obstruction along the path linking you and your dreams about the future. I say nonsense. The Leaving Cert is a great way to follow your dreams, particularly if your dream is to appear on the media every June talking about what it was like in your day. Its usually a businessman who got 7 points (in old money) and is now worth millions. You dont need a piece of paper to prove your worth or ability. You just need a father whos already in business to give you a start.

Advice grip: There will be a lot of advice over the next few days. Some well-meaning experts will imply that by this stage your study should be done and the emphasis now should be on getting plenty of rest. This may be the right advice in the ideal world but actually you should be spending your time on Snapchat speculating with friends on which poet is coming up and based on their opinions, go hell for leather on that one.

The postmortem: If you do have a bit of time as a student to relax before the exam, why not use that band-width to prepare your post-mortem quote. The media will be looking for quotes and this is your chance to shine. Dont mess it up with So basically like, it was, I dunno, like, ok I guess. Thats what everyone will say. In order to stand out, prepare something that may make you the voice of a generation: Nothing surprised me about Irish Paper 2. Its just another example of the neo-liberal consensus that seeks to divide society and prevent people from seeing whats really happening: The ransacking of public services by the military industrial complex.

The multi-barrelled exam diary: Someone with a name like Emily Fitzhenry-DeCourcey-OFlanagan may write a column in the Irish Times chronicling her experiences. It will start with Here it comes  the Day of Judgement. I sit down and my hands sweat as each sentence I write will decide the course of my life. Aspiring writers of all ages (including me, from age 16 to now) will be consumed with jealousy about how did she get that gig? It must have been pull. I would have done a much better one.

Heartbroken students and Its a disgrace Joe: At some point there will be a surprise. Students and teachers who had been given to believe a particular poet/letter to French penpal/differential equation/geographic feature/1930s dictator will come up will be astounded to see that the other poet/letter to hotel/Newtons law of cooling/Swedens industries/Korean war came up instead.

The cruel nature of the news cycle: The media is an unforgiving, heartless machine. At the start of the exams, double page spreads, photographs, analysis and reaction will give students comfort that their experiences are being shared with the world. English, Maths, Irish? Dont worry students, were all in this together. But as time goes on, the Leaving Cert will slip down the priorities list and those studying Hebrew, Bulgarian and Applied Maths will finish up the most important test of their young lives so far in stony silence. Just a janitor sweeping the floors.

Its the best preparation for real life they could get.
STOP me if youve heard this before. Many years ago, the late comic genius, Bill Hicks, was in Tennessee in a waffle restaurant. He took out a book and began reading. What are you reading for? asked the waffle waitress. Not, what are you reading?, Hicks recounted, but what are you reading FOR? I guess I read for a lot of reasons, he said. And the main one is that I dont end up being a fuckin waffle waitress. Its probably just as well Hicks is dead, because the possibility of a waffle waitress running the White House would have killed him. Since his death, in 1994, a thick layer of stupidity has spread across the entire US, if not the whole of Western civilisation.

Or anti-intellectualism, as its politely known, defined as a hostility or indifference to culture and intellectual reasoning, says the Oxford Dictionary, but, then, who bothers with dictionaries anymore? Or any kind of books? Why read, when you have selfie sticks, Instagram, and reality TV?
Trump has accused US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of harbouring a bias against him in lawsuits involving fraud allegations against Trump University, the New York business mans now-defunct real estate school.

The presumptive Republican nominee has suggested Curiels Mexican-American heritage had influenced the judges opinion because of Trumps campaign pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he couldnt disagree more with Trumps comments about the judge.

I am concerned about the Hispanic vote, America is changing, McConnell told Meet The Press.

I think its a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans. I am concerned about that and I hope he will change his direction on that.

Democrats have accused Trump of racially tinged rhetoric about Latinos, including his description of Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists in the speech he gave a year ago launching his campaign.

Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, called Trumps comments about the judge inexcusable.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made, Gingrich told Fox News.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-immigrant parents.

He is a member of a club very strongly pro Mexican, which is all fine. But I say hes got bias, Trump said.
Iraqi special forces, also known as its counterterrorism forces, have secured the largely agricultural southern neighbourhood of Naymiyah under cover of US-led coalition airstrikes, Lt Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi said.

Special forces are now poised to enter the main city, al-Saadi said.

The Fallujah operation coincides with a twin offensive on IS-strongholds in neighbouring Syria.

Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an IS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants de facto capital.

At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.

A top Syrian Kurdish commander died last night, several days after sustaining injuries during a US-backed campaign to unseat the Islamic State group (IS) from its Raqqa stronghold.

Abu Layla, who commanded a brigade inside the predominantly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), was hit by IS sniper fire on the outskirts of Manbij, an IS-controlled areawhich is key to the supply route between the Turkish border and Raqqa.

He was evacuated by US forces to a hospital in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, where he died.

Nearly 50 air strikes hit rebel-held areas in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday in some of the heaviest recent raids by Russian and Syrian government aircraft, residents and a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said an unidentified war plane had crashed in countryside south of Aleppo, in an area where Islamist rebel fighters are battling the Syrian army and Iranian-backed forces.

It had no information on what caused the crash.

A civil defence worker said at least 32 people were killed in the rebel-held parts of the city during the air strikes, with 18 bodies pulled from flattened buildings in the Qatrji neighbourhood.

The slow-moving Iraqi operation was announced in May. An array of troops had cleared IS from the majority of Fallujahs suburbs.

Last Monday, Iraqs special forces began pushing into the city centre, but they have faced stiff resistance as Fallujah has been under IS control for more than two years, and the militants have erected complex defences.

Vibed! Vibed! shouted an Iraqi air commander from a small mobile base on Fallujahs southern edge.

Using an acronym for a car bomb, the Iraqi special forces officer called to Australian coalition forces over a hand-held radio.

Moments later, plumes of smoke appeared on the horizon. Commanders at the scene said the explosion was created by a coalition rocket destroying the incoming car bomb.

Car bombs were once the most deadly form of IS counterattack for Iraqs special forces, who have taken the lead in a number of anti-IS operations, including in the cities of Tikrit and Ramadi.

Al-Saadi says coalition air power in Fallujah has prevented car bombs from inflicting casualties, but they have still succeeded in slowing progress.

We are expecting many more, once inside the citys more urban neighborhoods, al-Saadi said.

Fallujah is one of the last strongholds of IS in Iraq. While the militants once held nearly a third of the countrys territory, their grip has slipped to less than half that, according to the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

IS still controls patches of territory in northern and western Iraq, as well as its second largest city, Mosul.
Asia Hong Kong Students Split from Tiananmen Anniversary Vigil

While Hong Kongers commemorated the Tiananmen Square massacre, there were signs of a widening rift in the citys pro-democracy movement.

HONG KONG  While Hong Kongers crammed into a park Saturday to remember the victims of Chinas bloody crackdown on protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square 27 years ago, many student groups held rival events in a sign of the widening rift in the citys pro-democracy movement.

The annual evening vigil at Victoria Park is the only large-scale public commemoration on Chinese soil of Beijings brutal crackdown. About the only sign in Beijing that it was the anniversary of the event was the tightened security around Tiananmen Square.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed as tanks and troops converged on Beijing on the night of June 3-4, 1989. The topic remains taboo in China and any form of commemoration, whether public or private, is banned.

Organizers in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous city that enjoys many civil liberties not seen in mainland China, said 125,000 people attended Saturdays vigil, but the crowd appeared to be smaller. Police gave an estimate of 21,800.

Missing from the crowd were the student groups that had been longstanding supporters of the annual vigil. Instead, a dozen student organizations held discussion forums on Hong Kongs future. The move underscores the split that emerged between younger and older generations of pro-democracy activists over Hong Kong identity following 2014 protests against the Chinese governments decision to restrict elections in the city.

Student leaders decided to abstain from the vigil after they quit the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in Chinathe vigils organizerin April because they felt one of the alliances main aims, fighting for democracy in mainland China, was no longer realistic.

Vigil leaders on Saturday evening laid a wreath at a makeshift memorial. The crowd, holding candles that turned the park into a sea of flickering lights, observed a minute of silence. The start of the event was briefly disrupted by activists, some wearing masks, who tried to storm the stage. They yelled slogans and carried flags calling for Hong Kongs independence. Police said they arrested a 24-year-old man.

Lily Wong, a 21-year-old legal assistant, attended the vigil with her friend Cecilia Ng, 19, a recent high school graduate. They didnt disagree with some of the criticisms leveled by the student groups, such as a format that is repeated every year and doesnt appeal to the younger generation, but they said it remained vital for the pro-democracy movement.

This is not a perfect event, but there are some meaningful things for us, Wong said. It is very important for Hong Kong.

In Taiwans capital, Taipei, Wuer Kaixi, one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen protests, was among about 200 people who gathered at Liberty Square for a memorial event.

The spirit of June 4 is an act of courageous humans pursuing the universal value of freedom, Wuer said. This spirit will not be crushed under machine guns and tanks. It will not die because of [the Chinese governments] suppression.

In Beijing, police checked IDs and searched the bags of anyone seeking to enter the environs of Tiananmen Square, where thousands of students, workers and ordinary citizens gathered in 1989 to demand political reforms. Journalists from The Associated Press were stopped, filmed and ultimately forced to leave the area, ostensibly for lacking proper permission.

Ahead of the anniversary in China, family members of those killed in the crackdown were placed under additional restrictions. At least half a dozen people were reportedly detained in recent days for attempting to commemorate the events.

The US State Department called for a full public accounting of those killed, detained, or missing and for an end to censorship of discussions about the events of June 4, 1989, as well as an end to harassment and detention of those who wish to peacefully commemorate the anniversary.

Asked Friday about the anniversary, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had long ago reached a clear conclusion about the political turmoil at the end of 1980s and other related issues.

Chinas explosive economic growth in the years that followed proves that the path of socialism with Chinese characters we chose to follow  is in line with the fundamental interests of the Chinese people, and it represents a wish shared by them all, Hua told reporters at a daily news briefing.
Burma Activists Urge Government to Enact Gender Quotas

Womens rights activists urge legislators to enact a gender quota system to increase womens representation in political leadership.

NAYPYIDAW  Womens rights activists urged legislators to enact a gender quota system to increase womens representation in political leadership at a panel discussion in Naypyidaw on Saturday.

The Womens Empowerment Leads to True Transformation workshop was organized by the Womens Organizations Network (WON) and the Gender Equality Network (GEN), and attended by about 300 participants including legislators and activists.

Gender equality activists said that political parties should initiate progress by instituting internal quota systems, and then introducing quotas to political leadership once in office.

The panel discussion focused on gender quotas, which we need laws and policy for, said Nang Phyu Phyu Lin, steering committee member of the GEN. For this, we rely on the legislators.

She said the groups shared research findings on the advantages and disadvantages of gender quotas at the introductory meeting between new government representatives, lawmakers and womens rights groups.

Despite Aung San Suu Kyis prominent leadership role as State Counselor, foreign affairs minister and chairwoman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, women hold drastically less than 30 percent of the positions in the legislative and executive sectorsthe goal outlined in the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action, to which Burma was party along with numerous other countries.

After Novembers general election, women parliamentarians hold 13 percent of elected seats in the Union Parliament. When included with the military appointees to Parliament, that number drops to about 10 percentdouble what it was in the last session of Parliament after the 2012 by-election. Burmas cabinet currently contains only one woman: Suu Kyi herself.

Rights activists said that gender quotas would be an immediate response to overcoming the injustice of the former system. Quotas would play a key role in improving womens opportunities for political leadership, said Nang Phyu Phyu Lin.

The quota system that we have been asking for is temporary. We will not accept the argument that quotas may bring unqualified women into leadership roles. Nobody was born with these skills; we have to be empowered and learn them through experience, she added.

Campaigns to set a minimum quota for womens representation at 30 percent have been active, predominantly with previously exiled womens rights groups such as Womens League of Burma (WLB). Gender rights activists have increasingly raised the issue within Burma since the shift to a quasi-civilian government in 2011 and throughout the democratic transition.

Last year, lawmaker Khin Saw Wai from the Arakan National Party (ANP) raised the issue in Parliament, but to no avail. In Burma, some lawmakers still view gender equality as a taboo subject.

Shwe Shwe Sein Latt, NLD lawmaker and renowned womens rights advocate said gender inclusion in every sector, from grassroots to Parliament, is a delicate matter that requires a careful approach.

Awareness about gender equality needs to be introduced to the new parliamentarians, as we [rights advocates] did in the past with lawmakers from the first-term parliament, she said. We need to build greater awareness by sharing with the new lawmakers.

She echoed the importance of political parties initiating the quota system internally as a first step.
Burma Burma Army, Arakan Army Soldiers Clash Again in Arakan State

A Burma Army battalion and Arakan Army soldiers engage in another clash near Arakan States Rathedaung Township, local sources say.

A Burma Army battalion and Arakan Army (AA) soldiers fought for around half an hour on Sunday afternoon near Rathedaung Townships Kharu Chaung and Rakaung Chaung villages in Arakan State, but no casualties from either side were reported.

Wai Hun Aung of the Wunlark Development Foundation said that it took upward of an hour for the fighting to fully cease but that it was not as serious as previous incidents of conflict.

He said that the residents of the villages 200 households had already fled because of previous skirmishes between Burma Army and AA troops.

The Arakan State government and local civil society organizations recently collaborated to secure emergency response and humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rathedaung Townships villages, having built 17 temporary tents in Rakaung Chaung, 30 in Pae Thadu, 64 in Rayso Chaung and 20 in Kyauktan. Five primary schools were also built.

More than 2,000 villagers are sheltered in temporary camps in Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung and Mrauk-U townships in Arakan State.

AA Col Nyo Twan Awng confirmed the fighting on Sunday, noting that this particular area is especially prone to conflict since both sides operate in the vicinity. Recently, fighting broke out unexpectedly when the two armed groups were discovered to be patrolling the same territory.

Last week, President Htin Kyaws chief peace negotiator Tin Myo Win convened a delegation to re-start negotiations with non-signatories of the 2015s nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), reportedly including the AA, the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), who were previously excluded from NCA talks.

These three armed organizations are working with the government to set a date and venue for a meeting. Col Nyo Twan Aung said that a greeting of sorts between the two sides could happen within a week.

A greeting is better than no meetingits like something is better than nothing, the AA colonel explained, adding that details of the encounter would be revealed in due course.

Col Nyo Twan Aung also criticized Burmas previous government for failing to achieve peace in a country long plagued by civil war.

Peace was at the top of the agenda, and it was a very popular goal in Burma. But despite several government attempts, peace was never realized, because their [government officials] dishonesty prevented them from reaching this goal, he said.
Burma Ethnic Armed Groups to Meet Before Panglong

The United Nationalities Federal Council will host a summit of ethnic armed groups as worries about inclusiveness loom over the governments peace conference.

RANGOON  The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) plans to hold another summit to find common ground among all ethnic armed groups in the run-up to the 21st Century Panglong Conference to be hosted by the government.

Htun Zaw, secretary of the UNFCan alliance of ethnic armed groups that opted out of signing last years so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the Burma Armysaid that the eight groups that signed the NCA will also be invited to join the summit.

It is better for us to facilitate the ethnic armed groups discussion [of] issues first among themselves before we go to the Panglong Conference, said UNFC Joint-Secretary Htun Zaw.

The UNFC did not set a date or location for the summit yet. But some sources close to ethnic leaders said that the UNFC may hold this ethnic conference in Mai Jai Yang, which is in Kachin Independence Army-controlled territory.

We ethnic armed groups should find our own common ground so that we can speak with one united voice, said Htun Zaw. That is why we have decided to have another summit.

A peace delegation from the government recently met representatives from the UNFC in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The non-state armed group leaders said they will encourage their members to attend the Panglong Conference after the Burmese government officials told them that all ethnic armed groups were welcome.

But whether all ethnic armed groups will be actually invited to Panglongwhich is based on an interethnic conference by the same name held in 1947remains a matter of debate.

During NCA talks last year, the Burma Army intentionally excluded three groups with which they had been engaged in active conflict: the Arakan Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. And despite faith in Aung San Suu Kyis new peace effort, skepticism pervades regarding the National League for Democracys ability to incorporate these ethnic armed organizations into the Panglong Conference.

The Burma Army has kept quiet about the inclusion of these three groups, who have recently clashed with government forces. But the UNFC has not stayed silent.

They have to let all of our members attend the conference, said UNFC Vice Chairman Nai Hong Sar to Voice of America over the weekend. But if the Burma Army still does not accept these three members, we may reconsider attending [the Panglong Conference].
Burma Ma Ba Tha Calls For Release of Jailed Nationalist

Burmas Buddhist extremist group pushes for govt to drop charges against Nay Myo Wai, head of a nationalist party, who is accused of defaming Suu Kyi.

RANGOON  Buddhist extremist group Ma Ba Tha issued a statement Sunday in support of nationalist provocateur Nay Myo Wai, who is under arrest and facing trial for allegedly defaming Burmas president, state counselor and army commander-in-chief on social media.

The Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, better known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha, released an eight-point statement after the conclusion of their annual conference on Sunday, saying that someone had created fake Facebook accounts to implicate Peace and Diversity Party Chairman Nay Myo Wai in the defamation of President Htin Kyaw, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The statement warned that the detention of Nay Myo Wai would damage the image of the new government that has vowed to prioritize the rule of law, complaining that the politician has been denied bail.

The authorities should avoid this kind of unjust action, and we strongly urge them to promote the rule of law by reviewing U Nay Myo Wais case, the statement said.

The party chairman has been detained since May after Wai Yan Aung, an executive member of the Burma Teachers Federation, filed a lawsuit against him under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law and accused him of defaming the most powerful trio in Burma.

The Ma Ba Tha also urged the government to protect Buddhism as it is the faith of the majority of the Burmese citizens, and called on the government to declare there are no Rohingya in the country and implement the 1982 Citizenship Law, which denies the ethnic groupwho are Muslim and reside in Arakan Statecitizenship in Burma.

Ma Ba Tha on Sunday urged its followers to support the controversial Protection of Race and Religions Laws, which place new sanctions on polygamy and adultery, add restrictions on religious conversions and interfaith marriage and give the government new powers to implement birth control measures. The association was behind drafting the laws and lobbied hard for their enactment.

Rights groups and other observers have alleged that the laws, passed by the Union Parliament under the previous government, were aimed at the perennial target of the Ma Ba Thas propaganda, Burmas Muslims, which are estimated to comprise about 5 percent of the countrys population.

Founded in 2014, Ma Ba Tha is made up of a group of nationalist monks who view themselves as the guardians of Buddhism. They are accused of spreading anti-Muslim sentiment throughout the country. Currently, it has nearly 300 branches across Burma.

In their Sunday directive, Ma Ba Tha encouraged all 300 branches to open Facebook accounts for information sharing and collaboration on the issues of race and religion.
Burma Mandalay Journalist Sentenced on Police Assault Charges

A Mandalay-based journalist working for BBC News was sentenced on police assault charges to three months in prison with hard labor.

RANGOON A Mandalay-based journalist working for the BBCs Burmese language news service was sentenced on police assault charges to three months imprisonment with hard labor by Mandalays Chanmyathazi Township court on Monday.

Forty-year-old reporter Nay Myo Lin was charged with Article 332 of Burmas Penal Code, which covers voluntarily causing hurt to deter [a] public servant from his duty, and carries a punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine.

The initial complaint was filed by Lance Corporal Ba Maw over an alleged altercation between the policeman and the journalist during a demonstration last year. The 2015 protest was held by several dozen Mandalay-based students and activists demanding the release of those arrested in the Letpadan crackdown, in which students were imprisoned in Pegu Division for demonstrating against Burmas controversial National Education Law.

According to a claim made by police, authorities tried to stop protesters on motorbikes and caused several drivers to fall. Nay Myo Lin was among those who were caught up in the accident, after which he allegedly hit one of the officers.

Defense lawyer Thein Than Oo told The Irrawaddy that the jail term was an unexpected punishment as the court could have chosen to impose a monetary penalty instead.

Three months imprisonment is too much, he said. He was caught up in a complicated collision and supposedly hit an officer [by] accident.

The lawyer said that the reporter has the right to lodge an appeal against the conviction, and that he will act on Nay Myo Lins behalf after hearing from the family.

Nay Myo Lin is the husband of Zarni Mann, a Mandalay-based reporter for The Irrawaddy.
Burma Suu Kyi to Meet With Migrant Workers During Thailand Visit

Aung San Suu Kyi will meet with Burmese migrant workers during her visit to Thailand in late June, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

RANGOON  Burma State Counselor and Foreign Affairs Minister Aung San Suu Kyi will meet with Burmese migrant workers in Thailand during her visit to the country in late June, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kyaw Zeya, a director-general from the foreign affairs ministry, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that specific itineraries have yet to be finalized; the two countries officials are still hashing out the details for the three-day visit scheduled from June 23 to 25. Suu Kyi will reportedly visit the fishing town of Mahachai in Samut Sakhon, which is home to a large Burmese migrant worker community.

In promoting mutual relations and cooperation between our two countries, Burmese migrant worker issues also play an important role, Kyaw Zeya said.

She will go and meet them in order to hear their experiences and the difficulties they are facing, he added, regarding Suu Kyis trip.

Kyaw Zeya also said that Suu Kyi has plans to visit Thailands refugee camps, but he was unable to confirm further details. Zaw Htay, the President Offices spokesperson, declined to comment on whether President Htin Kyaw would join Suu Kyi on the trip.

A Thailand-based migrant workers rights activist, Andy Hall, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the visit would be a dual opportunity for Suu Kyi to tackle the issue of migrant worker exploitation in Thailand and to keep a promise she made during a visit to Mahachai in 2012.

Suu Kyis 2012 trip to Thailand was her first outside of Burma after being released from house arrest, under which she was first placed in 1989. During this visit, she vowed to help Burmese migrant workers once she was in a position to do so.

This time, she would go back to Mahachai. [I think] she wants to keep her promise to the migrant community, Andy Hall said. I think Suu Kyi will be trying to push the Thai government to give more training [to migrant workers] to increase [their] skills so that they can come back home to [Burma] and help build the countrys economy.

Sein Htay, president of the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN), said that Burmese migrant workers in Thailand believe that Suu Kyi will take the issue of migrant worker exploitation seriously, given her powerful position in Burma.

Burmese migrant workers hope that she will help to improve legal protections for them, something that needs to be addressed urgently, he said.

Sein Htay also emphasized the importance of skills training and the need for access to education and healthcare for migrant workers and their children, and how these issues need to be worked into long-term plans between the two countries.

According to MWRNs estimation, there are some 3 million Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.
Business US Investment in Burma Forecasted to Increase

At a seminar jointly staged by the US and Burma chambers of commerce, participants point to growing American support for Burmas private sector.

RANGOON  US investment in Burma has strong potential to increase this year, experts said at a US-Burma Economic Relations seminar in Rangoon on Monday.

Entitled US-Burma Economic Relations: The Next Phase, the seminar was jointly organized by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the United States Chamber of Commerce. With the former playing host at their Rangoon head office, local and foreign experts attended alongside government officials and US Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel.

Most US investors are interested in investing in services, IT and the telecommunications sector [in Burma]. I expect there will more US investors coming this year after the Myanmar Investment Commission is reconstituted [under the new government], said Aung Naing Oo, director general of the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration.

Though there has been little US investment here so far due to sanctions and other remaining restrictions, after the easing of some sanctions and investment limits this year, I expect more US investors will come, he added, citing recent meetings between US business groups and local investors, as well as members of the government, since April.

Aung Naing Oo said that, since April, the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has scrutinized 102 investment proposals (around 50 local and 50 foreign, including some from the US). The MIC is currently being reconstituted and is scheduled to resume its work in mid Juneafter which, these proposals will be approved as soon as possible, he said.

US Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel told the seminar attendees that the American government strongly supported both Burmas transition to democracy and its economic reforms. He said he believed the US private sector could play a role in fostering broad-based growth with what he described as its high standards of transparency, good corporate governance and American access to superior technology.

Marciel added that support for the private sector in Burma, particularly in trade and investment, would be crucial for the new governments success.

Marciel said that the US was not directing sanctions at the Burmese economy; instead the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) was in place to target specific individuals known to be involved in illicit activity or to have close links with Burmas military, which remains beyond civilian oversight. However, the ambassador acknowledged the outsized influence that many on the SDN list still have on Burmas economy.

Marciel also defended the ongoing ban on gem imports from Burma to the US, due to the gem industrys role in fueling conflict in Burma.

Dr. Aung Tun Thet, an advisor to the UMFCCI, said in the seminar that US investors should come quickly, and invest in the right areas. It is time to invest in Myanmar, he said.

Dr. Maung Mg Lay, vice president of the UMFCCI, told the seminar that the government needed to untangle more of its cumbersome bureaucracy in order to attract more foreign investors.

Maung Mg Lay also stressed that the ultimate goal of the US in Burma should be to lift all sanctions and reinstate the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a preferential tariff system from which he said Burma would stand to benefit.

For the US to bring to technology and skills [to Burma] is important, Maung Mg Lay said.

John Goyer, senior director for South East Asia for the US Chamber of Commerce, released a White Paper at the conference that included policy recommendations aimed at both the American and Burmese governments.

Burma has an ambitious and daunting economic agenda, John Goyer said at the seminar. The US business community fully supports [Burmas] efforts to modernize and open [its] economy and wants to be a partner in these efforts.

In 2015, US exports to Burma were at US$227 million while imports were at $144 million, according to figures from Burmas Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration. The total approved US investment in Burma stands at US$248 million.
North Dakotas congressional delegation praised a move by President Barack Obamas administration Monday to include a tribal group here in an initiative to help combat poverty in communities nationwide.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians was among nine communities named as Promise Zones. The nine were chosen from among 82 applications from 38 states and Puerto Rico.

The designations still must be approved by Congress.

Two reservations, tribal and trust-owned land, and Rolette County are included in North Dakota's Promise Zone.

The zones are designated by the heads of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The purpose is to have the federal government coordinate with leaders in communities with high levels of poverty to stimulate economic activity, improve schools, reduce crime and improve quality of life.

Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., along with Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., pushed for the designation in February letters of support to the heads of both agencies.

Turtle Mountains designation as a Promise Zone is a big step toward promoting greater opportunity and prosperity throughout the region through education and workforce development, improved access to housing and health services, and increased economic activity, Hoeven said in a release.

He said the designation should allow for better cooperation among local and federal officials as well as the private sector and other stakeholders. He said programs undertaken through the designation can help break the cycle of poverty on the reservation.

Heitkamp agreed.

North Dakota must have economic growth throughout every region, including Indian Country, to support a high quality of life that everyone deserves, Heitkamp said in a release. The designation of Turtle Mountain as a Promise Zone will invest much needed resources in a community that has long experienced high rates of unemployment and insufficient access to services.

Heitkamp said the tribe will be able to make use of services such as AmeriCorps and have access to potential tax incentives, if the zone is approved by Congress. The Promise Zone designation lasts for 10 years.

This Promise Zone designation will help the members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa use their tenacity and strength to make a better life for future generations, Cramer said in a release.

The nine communities named by the administration join 13 others that were approved in 2014 and 2015.

According to the USDA, the goals at Turtle Mountain will include working to improve housing development, develop small businesses to stimulate more employment, and push for improvements to health care.

USDA figures put the poverty level in the Promise Zone area at nearly 39 percent and unemployment at about 6.8 percent.

The USDA data on the Promise Zone can be found at portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=TurtleMountainSpotlight.pdf.
Ethnic Issues Arakan State Government to Enumerate Displaced Muslims in Camps

Muslims residing in displaced persons camps in three townships of Arakan State, are to be officially counted after being left out of the 2014 census.

The Arakan State government has said that it will begin counting the Muslim populations still residing in displaced persons camps in Kyaukphyu, Ponnagyun and Myebon townshipsso as to facilitate planning and development, the state government claims.

Many of Arakan States Muslims were left out of Burmas 2014 census because they refused to identify as Bengalis, the term used by members of the government and the general public to refer to the countrys stateless Rohingya minority concentrated in northern Arakan State. The term implies they are illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Min Aung, a spokesperson for the Arakan State Government, told The Irrawaddy that the enumeration of Muslims in camps in the three townships would begin on June 7.

Besides the Rohingya, Muslims in the Kyaukphyu, Ponnagyun and Myebon camps also include those of the Kaman ethnicitya community which, unlike the Rohingya, form an officially recognized group in Burma and are eligible, in theory, for automatic citizenship. However, many Kaman were victims of the 2012 and 2013 anti-Muslim riots in Arakan State; in the camps, they face the same restrictions on movement and on access to employment, education and healthcare as the Rohingya.

We already have population numbers for the [Buddhist Arakanese] people in the three townships. We will now collect information from Muslim communities who disputed [their ethnic designation in the 2014 census], said Min Aung, in reference to the insistence of the government that Rohingya could not self-identify as such in the census, but had to accept being enumerated as Bengalis as a condition of their inclusion, which many refused outright.

We wanted the total population for the three townships. It would be hard to implement future development projects if we did not know exact population sizes, he said.

Aung Lwin, an ethnic Kaman from a Myebon camp, appeared to consider the enumeration exercise as a precursor to the government granting opportunities to apply for citizenship. To this end, he said he would be prepared to identify as Bengalian illustration of how this term can be arbitrarily applied to other Muslims in Arakan State besides the Rohingya. Aung Lwin said that officers from the Immigration Department would be coming to his camp on Tuesday.

However, the link between this enumeration exercise and the reported resumption last month of a previously stalled citizenship verification drive in Arakan State, which allows stateless Muslims the opportunity to apply for citizenship (with Rohingya having to identify as Bengali), is not currently clear. Arakan State government spokesperson Min Aung did not draw this connection in his statements to The Irrawaddy.

As part of the former governments Rakhine State Action Plan unveiled in 2014, a pilot citizenship verification program was carried out in displaced persons camps in Myebon Township. Out of the 1,094 Muslims applicants, 209 were declared eligible for citizenship in September 2014although most were reportedly Kaman, and a large majority, 169, qualified only for naturalized citizenship. After an outcry from Arakanese Buddhist residents in Myebon and the state capital Sittwe, the program was swiftly suspended.
10 Best Tech Jobs in the U.S. in 2016

One of the really cool things Ive been able to do over the years in this job is speak with people who played a role in shaping the software industry. Those are invariably fascinating conversations, so I had very high expectations when I was invited to speak with George A. Santino, who retired as partner engineering manager after a 20-year career at Microsoft. I wasnt disappointed.

Santino was one of the early insiders at Microsoft, and the individual who created and led Microsofts Enterprise Engineering Center, the lab that expanded Microsofts influence from desktop kingpin to enterprise linchpin. His is a rags-to-riches story thats chronicled in his forthcoming book, Get Back Up: From the Streets to Microsoft Suites. After growing up in the projects of South Philadelphia, and with only a high school education, Santino tried and failed at a number of ventures before finally landing a job at Microsoft at the relatively ripe age of 35. But he was nothing if not persistent.

Santino was rejected by Microsoft four times before finally being hired, so I opened my conversation with him by asking him why he had his sights set so firmly on Microsoft. He said originally, it was just to mess with them:

Its interesting, in that the main reason I interviewed with Microsoft was more out of anger than anything else. I actually didnt want to work for Microsoft. That was back in the fairly early days of software  the big guys were WordPerfect and Lotus and so forth, and Microsoft was coming on big. They had launched Windows, but it wasnt doing all that well  it wasnt until Windows 3.1 that it really took off. Microsoft was the Evil Empire  companies like Ashton-Tate [where I worked] were falling apart. When Ashton-Tate got bought out by Borland, I needed to find another job. So I started looking at other companies in the [Silicon] Valley, and it wasnt until people from Ashton-Tate told me one by one that Microsoft had turned them down that I realized Microsoft had a presence there.

So I basically really did apply just to kind of mess with them. My assumption was, I would apply, and they would want me, and I would turn them down [saying], Finally somebody you wanted from Ashton-Tate said no to you, then I would go on with my life. I was absolutely shocked when they turned me down the first time.

Santino worked on a lot of projects over the years at Microsoft, and I asked him what his favorite was. He said it would have to be creating and leading the Enterprise Engineering Center:

That was an opportunity to really be almost an entrepreneur in a company like Microsoft. I did a lot of entrepreneurial things early in my life, none of which worked out, other than as learning experiences. But to be able to do an entrepreneurial-like thing with Microsofts money greatly enhanced the chances of success. Microsoft really at that point had won the desktop  they had a 90-plus percent share in operating systems, word processing, and spreadsheets. But they didnt own the enterprise  frankly, they knew very little about going after the enterprise.

So we needed to build a facility like the Enterprise Engineering Center from scratch  basically, a lab that would allow us to replicate the network topologies of enterprise companies, and install their in-house applications, our software, as well as our competitors software. We could build out these environments and truly get an understanding of how corporations were using our software, and do it at a time when the software was still under development, giving us an opportunity to fix any issues. Im sure youre aware that over time, Microsoft would release a product, and customers would report some issues that were missed, and wed do a service pack. After a while, corporations would learn, dont install the first one  wait for the service pack, and let somebody else be the guinea pig.

So here was our opportunity to work directly with the enterprises, bring them to our lab, and then ship products that are deployable from Day One. That was an amazing accomplishment, and the fact that the company allowed me to spend that kind of money building something at a time when the market around us was crashing, and companies were going out of business, was just fantastic  it was like I owned my own business, in the middle of Microsoft.

Given Santinos entrepreneurial spirit, I asked him if he ever considered leaving Microsoft to start his own tech company. He said he didnt, and he explained why:

I went to work for Microsoft, in spite of the fact that I didnt really like them, and I learned very quickly that the company was all about results  if you worked hard and got great results, you could do very, very well there. I used to tell people, if youre going to work in software, theres no better company to work for than Microsoft. There was no reason for me to go off and try to do something on my own. I was working for a great company that provided me with great support, paying me extremely well  I didnt need to take that risk. The entrepreneurial period of my life was over. I tried many, many different businesses, some that worked better than others. But now I had the opportunity to have those same sorts of entrepreneurial feelings, but with no risk of having to close the business. It really was the best of both worlds.

I asked Santino if he had it all to do over again, what he would do differently. He said hed try to get to Microsoft sooner:

All the years I spent as an entrepreneur were great fun, except the way they ended. I learned a great deal from it. But the success and fun and opportunities I had at Microsoft truly were a great experience. It was an opportunity to touch a lot of peoples lives. Im glad I retired when I did  I was 55, and it was time to do a lot of things that I had been putting off because I was working as hard as I was. I started at Microsoft when I was 35, when a lot of people start there straight out of college. It would have been nice to get there sooner, and be a part of that early growth.

But I really dont have any regrets, because each one of those things, no matter how much of a failure they felt like at the time, was along that path that got me where I was. Frankly, if the shoe repair business didnt collapse, and we didnt declare corporate and personal bankruptcy and load up a U-Haul truck and move to California, I never would have gotten to work for Microsoft. So even though it sucked at the time, it was a very important step along that path.

Santino said now that his book is finished, hes eager to do some professional speaking:

I want to talk to people when theyre young about the opportunities out there in the world. Sadly, were hearing a lot these days, especially from politicians, about how the American Dream is dead, how the deck is stacked against you, how its unfair, the systems rigged, vote for me and Ill fix it all, because you dont stand a chance. Thats such bull. I still think that in America, you can get out there, and if you work hard and put in the effort, you can still go from rags to riches. But you have to be willing to take on that ownership, and get out there and make things happen for yourself.

That was a great segue to my next question: Whats his advice for young people who aspire to make it big in the tech world? He said the first thing to do is to get an education.

Though I didnt get a college degree, the competition out there is absolutely fierce. So get into a decent school, acquire those skills, and make sure you do internships. Its so hard to come straight out of college and apply to some of these companies. Make sure you get the summer internships, and start to forge those relationships with the company. Once you get in there, bust your ass. Find out from your boss what the company values, and what it rewards. Do those things, and do them better than everybody else. Dont do anything halfway. Give it your all.

Santino also shared a fascinating inside look at the culture within Microsoft, and how it changed over the 20 years he was there. Ill cover that in a forthcoming post.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up and thumbs down on the issues from the past week.

Up

Its been a busy time for seniors in the Bismarck-Mandan area with graduations spread over the last three weeks. Students from the Dakota Adventist Academy, Shiloh Christian, St. Marys Central High School and Mandan High School graduated May 29. They were followed by South Central High School and the Adult Learning Center on Thursday. The last graduates, from Bismarck and Century high schools, got their diplomas on Sunday. Its an exciting time for them and their parents. They are beginning a new phase in their lives, a time of more independence and responsibility. They deserve our congratulations.

Down

For the last four years, U.S. flags have lined State Street from East Boulevard Avenue to Interstate 94 on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day. The flags, sponsored by the Bismarck Optimist Club, are intended as a simple reminder of the sacrifices of the nations service members. The flags dont come free and theres time involved by volunteers to put up and take down the flags. For many people its uplifting to see the flags waving as they drive down the street. So its pretty low for someone to consider stealing some of the flags, but thats what happened. Six of the 120 flags were stolen, with an estimated loss of $300. More than monetary value was lost, theres an emotional attachment that many feel for Old Glory. Hopefully, whoever stole them will have the decency to return them.

Up

Working behind a desk can take a toll on a persons body. The Central Dakota Communications Center is doing something about that with a grant from Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health through the North Dakota Comprehensive Cancer Network. The grant allowed CenCom to install a treadmill desk. So far 18 CenCom communications specialists have been using the treadmill while they work. The employees work eight-, 10- and 12-hour shifts. The workers wore activity trackers to monitor step counts and usage. The results have been submitted to the state Health Department. It seems smart, and healthy, to allow workers to get exercise while they work.

Down

Two moose wandered into Bismarck last week and checked out some neighborhoods. They provided an unusual and interesting sight for residents. Bismarck police herded the animals back to the countryside without incident. Police did well when they moved the moose without injury to man or critter. Its too bad the moose environment is shrinking and they are tempted to visit the city. If all goes well they will remain in a more moose-friendly area.

Up

North Dakota likes to think of itself as being fiscally solvent. Now theres a study to back that up. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranked North Dakota fourth nationally in fiscal solvency in a study released Wednesday. North Dakota is fourth out of 50 states and Puerto Rico in terms of overall fiscal solvency, based on 2014 numbers. North Dakota ranked second the previous year. North Dakota ranked fourth in cash solvency, meaning having money to pay off short-term liabilities and debt. These numbers came before oil prices and state revenue took a dip. However, even with the slump, its hard to believe the states ranking would change much. The study is a credit to the state.
Flash Storage Architecture: Whats Available and Why It Matters

By this time, its not much of a secret that Lenovo has had designs on being a major player in the data center, ever since it moved to acquire the x86 server business of IBM.

Today, in advance of a Lenovo TechWorld event this week, Lenovo revealed that it has developed a new implementation of its network operating system (NOS) for data center environments while refreshing its own line of servers.

Lenovo also unveiled a V-Series family of 12Gb SANs that can be configured as all-Flash arrays or as hybrid storage systems capable of supporting both Flash and magnetic storage devices, while formalizing alliances with Cloudian and Nexenta Systems under which software-defined storage (SDS) software will be bundled with Lenovo x86 appliances. The Nexenta software enables Lenovo to add a unified storage appliance capable of supporting both block and file storage running in all-Flash, hybrid or magnetic storage configurations, while the Cloudian software provides Lenovo with an object-based storage system.

Radhika Krishnan, executive director and general manager for converged infrastructure and networking in the Lenovo Data Center Group, says the Lenovo Cloud NOS will become a core element of Lenovos approach to making it possible for IT organizations to build and manage software-defined data centers. The reason Lenovo built its own NOS, says Krishnan, is that such environments require networking environments that can scale to support tens of thousands of systems. The Lenovo Cloud NOS will be deployed on top of data center switches from Juniper Networks that Lenovo previously agreed to resell.

On the server side of the data center portfolio, Lenovo refreshed its x3850 and x3950 X6 servers by adding support for the latest Intel Xeon E7-4800 and E7-8800 v4 processors, which Lenovo says deliver up to 39 percent more performance than the previous generation of Intel servers. This line of servers can be configured with up to 12TB of memory and features what Lenovo describes as a modular compute book design that makes it simpler to upgrade and maintain these systems.

Lenovo also unveiled the ThinkServer sd350, an ultra-dense, 2U four node (2U4N) system designed for data centers that require maximum processor density in a finite amount of space.

Finally, Lenovo this week is showing for the first time 1u and 2u hyperconverged appliances it has developed with Nutanix.

While Lenovo is certainly upping its game in the data center, it clearly has a long way to go before usurping server leaders such as Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Dell, which will soon include EMC. But for the first time, its also starting to look like Lenovo has the product portfolio in place to make that challenge more serious than its been to date.
No industry has ever computerized its operations with the goal of reducing productivity and efficiency; that would be absurd. Yet we see countless articles and complaints from health care professionals about the fact that certain systems, especially electronic health records (EHRs), have made physicians less productive, less efficient, and potentially less effective. If computers performed similarly for knowledge workers in other industries, theyd still use paper.

While an EHR is supposed to automate and streamline the clinicians workflow, most systems are not living up to the promise. Counterintuitive workflow, extensive training and alert fatigue are just a few of the hurdles care providers must jump over when going about their daily tasks. These challenges among many others can hinder patients from receiving the best possible care.

In this slideshow, PatientKeeper, a leading provider of health care applications for physicians, shares six reasons why IT is contributing to health care inefficiencies and what can be done to rectify the problems.

Tackling Health Care Tech Inefficiencies

Click through for six reasons IT is contributing to health care inefficiencies and how the problems can be corrected, as identified by PatientKeeper.

Counterintuitive Workflow

Hospital EHRs impose an unfamiliar workflow on physicians, dictated not by what the physician knows about treating patients (and has been doing for years), but rather by the processes that exist deep inside the hospital. If technology was designed with more input from physicians, providers workflows would be more intuitive, more personalized, and would more easily fit into their specific work style. Tailoring the user experience would allow providers to review their patient lists and charts in the most convenient way.

Time-Consuming Training

Typical hospital EHRs require extensive classroom training that often takes physicians away from their patients for days at a time. If anything demonstrates how non-intuitive most EHRs are, its the training required to use them. As the chief executive of the physicians group at Mass General Hospital, speaking about its new EHR, recently told the Boston Globe, Its not an intuitive program, its incredibly complex. Not everything is Uber or OpenTable. This reality speaks to the value of purpose-built systems designed specifically for physicians, with extensive input from physicians that can integrate with a broad-based EHR. Systems developed in this way would likely be more intuitive and would make lengthy training a thing of the past.

Siloed Data

Physicians waste a lot of time clicking around the hospital EHR to find all the information they need about a particular patient. Thats because the data may live in multiple systems/modules, and the systems are structured in a process-centric way rather than a patient-centric way. By providing physicians with tools to easily find the information they need instead of shackling them to outdated processes, they can become better problem solvers and spend more time delivering high-quality patient care.

Alert Fatigue

Many alerts issued by computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems are unnecessary or irrelevant, and fail to take into account the physicians specialty, knowledge and patient situation. As a result, physicians no longer pay attention to them. This can lead to relevant, perhaps critical, alerts being missed, putting patients at risk and defeating one of the main purposes of CPOE. By streamlining alerts and tailoring them to each physician, hospitals will more consistently put CPOE technology to its intended use and support patient safety goals.

Documentation Bloat

Many computer systems make it easy and seemingly encourage physicians to dump large amounts of clinical information into progress notes, providing little value for the next clinician who reads them. As a result, physicians are spending more time sifting through lengthy clinical documentation trying to discern the vital nuggets of information necessary to inform their care decision making. In order to combat this bloat, documentation software design should include customized note types, quick text, and integrated links to clinical data, all of which (used properly) can help physicians to create more meaningful and valuable documents.

Integration Challenges

The lack of interoperability among health IT systems has been in the news a lot recently. It was spotlighted at the annual HIMSS conference in March, where HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced the national interoperability pledge; and it was raised again by Vice President Joe Biden at the Health Datapalooza in Washington in May. Clearly, the push for standards to facilitate data interoperability in health IT is in high gear. Even as that effort progresses, vendors and provider organizations must continue to prioritize system integration to ensure that within a hospital or an IDN there is a smooth flow of clinical information that physicians need in order to provide the best patient care possible.
The reality of super intelligent robots that can wipe out the human race is getting closer and closer at hand. The fear is so real that Google's AI division is developing ways and means to stop errant machines in case they start to act against humanity. One of the solutions is a "big red button" that will stop them in their tracks.

Laurent Orseau, researcher at Deep Mind, and Dr. Stuart Armstrong of Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University said in a paper that robots built with AI will probably not behave all the time. The researcher suggests that there will be instances when a robot could misbehave.

The paper, via Daily Mail, continued, "Now and then it may be necessary for a human operator to press the big red button to prevent the agent from continuing a harmful sequence of actions - harmful either for the agent or for the environment - and lead the agent into a safer situation."

However, the researchers also agree that not all systems of the AI can be controlled and shut down. They said, "It is unclear if all algorithms can be easily made safely interruptible."

The Telegraph notes that intelligent robots could misinterpret instructions like "prevent human suffering" as an order to "kill all humans," which by default ends all suffering altogether.

Additionally, Dr. Armstrong said in his book "Smarter Than Us: The Rise of Machine Intelligence" that development of AI is going at such a rate that slowing down its progress would "seem unrealistic."

Another possible solution is to teach AI robots a moral code. The difficulty, however, would come from humanity itself. Armstrong quipped, "Humans are very hard to learn moral behavior from. They would make very bad role models for AIs."

Google already set up an ethics board that oversees the development of their AI. It acquired Deep Mind, a British firm that creates software to think like humans. One of the founders of Deep Mind, Shane Legg, said that AI is the number one risk of this century and could usher in the extinction of humanity. Legg predicts, it is highly possible that technology will play a vital role in human extinction.
E-commerce solutions provider Azoya has been selected by Sigma Pharmaceuticals to provide a fully managed e-commerce platform that will enable it to expand its Australian retail pharmacy brands into Chinas e-commerce market.

To meet growing demand from Chinese consumers for high-quality and ethical products from Australia, Sigma has announced it is expanding its footprint to capitalise on the booming cross-border online shopping market in China.

Rather than selling through Chinas major e-commerce marketplaces, Sigma has chosen to establish a direct market presence and expand its own brand.

Given the language and cultural barriers, we wouldnt have been able to fulfill our Chinese expansion plans without a local partner, said Mark Hooper, chief executive officer of Sigma Pharmaceuticals.

Azoyas innovative e-commerce platform and expertise dispels our concerns over business expansion into a market we barely know.

Hooper says Sigma is leveraging a fully managed e-commerce platform built and tailored by Azoya.

The Chinese version of the Amcal online store launched today enables Chinese customers to choose from its range of products and place orders, which will be shipped from Australia.

Don Zhao, co-founder and executive director at Azoya, said that, in addition, Azoya is providing a wide range of turnkey solutions and services to connect Amcal directly with the Chinese market, as well as with the global cross-border e-commerce ecosystem.

Zhao said the services include marketing campaigns, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer service, among other operational work. With Azoya taking charge of the operational groundwork in China, Sigma avoids all the nuisances arising from traditional international expansion, such as setting up a local business entity, confusion over government policies and market adaptation.

Deterred by safety and quality issues with domestic products, particularly for healthcare and food supplements, Chinese consumers are increasingly looking to Australia to buy directly through cross-border e-commerce.

We are excited to be able to offer leading Australian e-commerce businesses like Sigma a cost-effective and risk-free approach to break into the Chinese market to meet growing demand from consumers.

Sigma will also sell its products through Azoyas proprietary cross-border online shopping platform Haituncun.com, which provides another channel to sell to Chinese consumers.
Small business is in the sights of Vodafone as it unveils a new range of flexible plans and an expanded portfolio of Ready Business Apps, featuring a selection of the what the telco calls the worlds best mobile business tools.

According to Vodafone, its new range of Ready Business Apps have been handpicked to help businesses save time, engage better with their employees and customers and deliver better operational agility.

With Mondays announcement, mobile applications Dropbox Business, Xero, MozyPro, Norton Small Business and Office 365 now feature on Vodafones Ready Business apps platform, while Google Apps for Work and GoDaddy will launch in mid-June.

Vodafone executive general manager for enterprise business Stuart Kelly says Vodafone offers a single convenient portal to access your subscriptions for most Ready Business apps, and offers a free two-month subscription on selected Ready Business Apps.

Kelly says cloud services have proven to be a benefit to small businesses as they provide almost instant access to the latest technology, without the need of an IT consultant or the expense and hassle of having to deploy servers and storage systems.

And, according to Kelly, while business mobility is now mainstream, enabling teams of different sizes and job functions to work efficiently and effectively across various devices remains a huge challenge for businesses today.

Many companies see the value in truly mobilising their workforces, yet many are faced with the difficulty of making information accessible to employees across different teams, functions, and devices.

We recognise that businesses need a simple way to capitalise on mobile technology and manage these solutions securely and quickly, and this is where we believe Vodafone can help.

Tara Commerford, country manager, GoDaddy Australia & New Zealand, said, We are delighted to partner with Vodafone to help Australian SMBs recognise the benefits of an online presence. While creating a website can seem like a daunting task for many SMBs, our domain and website builder solutions are easy-to-use and affordable, empowering SMBs to establish and grow their business online. We look forward to working with Vodafone to provide small businesses with a one-stop-shop experience.

Kelly says Vodafone selected its range of Ready Business Apps following a comprehensive review of the core communication requirements and needs of Australian small businesses.

We found through our research that mobility and office enablement were common needs across numerous industries and business sizes, so we have designed our Ready Business Apps range to ensure that whether youre a graphic designer, a plumber, a retailer or real estate agency, your business has the tools it needs to help grow and run more smoothly, all at the touch of a button.

Heres what Vodafone says its Business Flex solution, along with other services, offer businesses:

 Infinite standard national calls and TXT as well as generous data allowances of up to 20 GB to use in Australia

 A variety of plans and price points ranging from $30 to $150, and the ability to earn up to 10,000 Qantas Acquire points for Acquire members

 The freedom to add standard international call or data add-ons to use in Australia

 The ability to share all inclusions among employees using Business Flex, offering even greater flexibility and value for money. An Australian-based, personal account manager for businesses with 10 or more connections

 A Network Happiness Guarantee giving customers 30 days to decide if they love the network (T&Cs at Vodafone.au/guarantee)

 Access to Vodafones award-winning $5 Roaming, and on the $150 Business Flex 24 month Plan, and $105 Business Flex SIM Only 24-month plan complimentary access for the first 15 days per calendar year (saving $75) (normally, $5 extra per day for up to 90 days)

 An optional Technology Fund to help businesses purchase the latest devices

Total minimum cost for the plans ranges from $720-$3,600. Additional data is charged at $0.0098/MB (charged per KB)
Internet Australia chief executive Laurie Patton thinks Mitch Fifield, the Minister for Communications, missed an opportunity while election campaigning in his hometown of Ballarat last week to engage with the citys burgeoning digital and ICT community.

According to Patton, a Ballarat local, George Fong, who owns and operates a local ISP located in the Ballarat Technology Park  which he describes as one of the most successful ICT hubs in regional Australia  had said he would have particularly welcomed the opportunity to discuss the NBN rollout and its potential impact on the economic and social fabric of rural and regional Australia with Senator Fifield.

The IA chief quotes Fong as saying, This would have been the ideal opportunity for the minister to speak first hand to people who need fast broadband and have the evidence to prove it, and to hear their stories not the filtered reports ministers traditionally receive.

"Internet Australia has been in touch with Minister Fifields office on a number of recent occasions asking to meet with him. Wed like to provide feedback on the NBN rollout and relay the genuine concerns of our members. On a personal basis, Im keen to share my experience as a long time regional ICT practitioner", Fong says.

Patton also points out that Ballarat is also home to Stuart Benjamin who chairs auDA, the organisation that administers the .au domain space.

Patton goes on to say that, coincidentally, on the same day that he visited Ballarat the minister issued another news release about how the Coalition is delivering broadband to businesses and homes in regional Australia. However, according to Mr Fong the reality is more complex than the government seems to appreciate.

Said Fong: Its a shame we werent able to show Senator Fifield some of the success stories unfolding here for those businesses that have already been connected to the NBN.

Those parts of Ballarat that have been provided with the high speed fibre-based FTTP version have already benefitted greatly from the NBN rollout. Businesses there are now able to undertake tasks never before possible. The parts of our city that have FTTP provide a benchmark for operational delivery of high speed NBN services across regional Australia.

On the other hand, under the Coalitions controversial multi-technology mix (MTM) model parts of Ballarat (and in other regional centres) are now slated to have the inferior copper-wire based FTTN version run out to residences where the other side of the street has for some time been connected to the NBN via FTTP.

We are on the verge of creating a two-class city, Fong concludes.

Patton reiterates previous statements that Internet Australia continues to urge the government and the opposition to put politics aside and agree on a bipartisan NBN strategy, citing the availability of new, lower-cost, optical fibre and a survey of members that found 80% dissatisfied with the copper-based MTM model.

Patton has previously noted the opportunity for what he says is a reassessment of how we build the most appropriate broadband network for the 21st century. "New technology has provided a viable alternative to the copper-based fibre to the node (FTTN) rollout. A recent hearing of the Senate NBN Select Committee was shown so-called 'skinny fibre' that NBN is now using. This was not available when the decision was made to adopt FTTN, which underpins the MTM model".

Both the government and the opposition have highlighted the need for Australia to become an innovation nation. IA believes that this will require high-speed Internet connectivity on par with countries in our region also seeking to be innovation hubs. This includes businesses in rural and regional centres.

"One of our biggest competitors in the tech field, Singapore, already provides consumers with Internet access at speeds 100 times faster than ours. New Zealand is in front of us in a number of rankings and is well ahead in its overall broadband rollout. Over the last few years Australia has dropped 30 places and ranks a lowly 60th on global Internet speed rankings.

Our aim is to promote informed debate on both the immediate and long-term benefits of a broadband enabled society. We argue that our politicians should look at the countrys long-term needs, not on the constraints of a short-term budget cycle. We ask that they do this in the national interest.
I read with deep interest a letter from Susan McGaffigan where she wonders where Wayne Stenehjem was as attorney general in addressing criminal justice reform issues.

Well, she should have done her homework before writing the letter. I worked as a corrections officer and I know what Stenehjem has been doing. I know he has been a longtime supporter of substance abuse treatment programs and criminal justice reform. His record is full of indications of this support even going back to his days as a state legislator where he sponsored major legislation mandating mental health and substance abuse treatment as part of insurance coverage.

When Stenehjem was elected to serve as our attorney general, he fought the meth lab problem from the beginning with tough law enforcement, treatment options and public education. Today, the number of meth-producing labs is significantly diminished thanks to his sharp focus on the problem. Stenehjem was also an early supporter of a program to establish drug courts in North Dakota and was instrumental in supporting the 24/7 sobriety program as an effective treatment option.

The list of Stenehjem's actions to show his support is long, so these were just a couple of examples.

The program that Stenehjem announced is not just a campaign talking point. Its a commitment for action to address an ever-growing problem. Ideas, commitments of action and statements of priority should be the substance of political campaigns today. We need to know and understand the priorities of our candidates in order to make the best choice on June 14. Im voting for Stenehjem; hes telling us whats important to him. We need to demand the same information from the other candidates in the governors race.
The Telecommunications Association, TelSoc, is holding its third annual Henry Sutton oration in Melbourne today with Professor Alex Grant  an ex-academic and, like Henry Sutton, a serial inventor  giving this years oration.

Professor Grant  the founder of Cohda Wireless, currently chief executive at Myriota and previously professor of information theory at the University of South Australia  follows in the footsteps of well-known ABC Science Show broadcaster, Robyn Williams, who gave the first Henry Sutton oration. The second was given by then-CEO of Ericsson Australia, Hakan Eriksson.

Professor Grants oration topic is Satellites, Cars and the Internet of Things: The challenges and rewards of crossing the boundary between academia and industry. The oration is being held at the Telstra Conference Centre in Melbourne.

TelSoc executive director, Tim Herring, says Henry Sutton  a self-taught engineer and inventor from Ballarat  is one of the greatest Australians and scarcely known to the public, yet he was famous in Europe and America 120 years ago, and a friend to Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.

And, to mark todays oration, Suttons great granddaughter, Lorayne Branch  who has written a book on Sutton  will attend, and TelSoc has kicked off a fund to raise money to help her get it published with an initial $1000 donation.

For donations of $1000 to $2000, an autographed copy of the book will be donated in the donors name, or the donors company or organisations name, to a high school of their choice.

And, for donations over $2000, an autographed copy of the book will be donated in the donors name, or the donors company or organisations name, to a high school of their choice, plus the donor or their company or organisation will be acknowledged in Branchs book.

In promoting todays oration, and Branchs book on her great grandfather, Herring cites an endorsement by Professor Mark Dodgson of the University of Queensland Business School who says he has no hesitation in claiming Henry Sutton is Australias greatest ever inventor and, one of the greatest inventors the world has ever seen.

Professor Dodgson says the range of Suttons inventions is extraordinary, including in lighting, batteries, telephony and wireless telegraphy, photography, flight, microscopy, and car engines.

Yet he remains shamefully unheralded. Admired and befriended by some of the great scientists and engineers of his time, such as Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell, his achievements are largely unrecognised. This Australian inventor, working in isolation in Ballarat in the decades around the turn of the 20th century, deserves a place in the pantheon of contributors to the modern technological age.

According to Professor Dodgson, Branchs book  a history of a great Australian  is, and of itself, a valuable contribution that should be widely available, but there are also important contemporary issues it raises which continue to need to be addressed.

And, in a period now when innovation is the buzzword of government and the ICT industry, Professor Dodgson says Australian culture still does not encourage and celebrate inventors and entrepreneurs, and government policies designed to support innovation remain piecemeal, uncoordinated and capable of producing the sorts of bureaucratic hurdles Sutton faced.

Australian businesses still arent making the investments in research and technology that our international competitors think are so obviously necessary.

We in Australia venerate our great achievers  our sportsmen and women, politicians, soldiers and public figures, and even the occasional scientist. We have a strong urge to demonstrate our abilities and relevance on the world stage. It is high time our inventors and innovators were also suitably celebrated.
st month, at s annual I/O developers conference, the company announced it would add the ay Store into Chrome OS, allowing Chrome OS users to download run Android apps on their Chromebooks. A video published to the Developers YouTube channel on Friday gives us a closer look.

The 23-minute video provides an overview of how Android apps work in the Chrome OS universe (jump to around the five-minute mark to get to the heart of the matter). In the presentation, stressed how seamlessly Android apps work on Chrome OS: For example, Android app notifications will appear as Chrome OS notifications in the lower right corner of the screen.

Of course, there are reasons why you may not want to run an Android app on your Chromebook. As Engadget points out, Android apps on a Chromebook that lacks a decent touchscreen probably wont be very fun to use. Its also worth noting that not all Chromebooks will gain support for Android apps.

Android app support for Chrome OS wont arrive until this fall. In the meantime, though, if you want to toy around with Android apps on Chrome OS, you can try out s ARC lder tool run Android apps on your Chromebook that way. Its a development tool, it doesnt work quite as smoothly as what demonstrated at I/O, but itll give you a feel for whats coming.
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The Broncos began well and only trailed last year's Cup Champions 4-2 at the break.

But the second half saw the Rhinos run in six tries and the Broncos could only reply with a consolation try by Dom Peters.
LAMOURE -- Leonard Peterson wants farmers to know that if they're wrongly accused of a Swampbuster, a national law prohibiting farm program payments if farmers drain wetlands to plant crops, they might be able to win in court.

Peterson was accused of violating the law in 2009, and after two unsuccessful national administrative appeals, he took the case to federal court.

In the end, the court ruled U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service had improperly denied him benefits for converting a wetland. Judge Ralph Erickson, in Fargo said there was "insufficient evidence from which a fact-finder could conclude" that Peterson's scraping of field drains led to an increase in production of crops or "had the effect of making the production of an agricultural commodity possible."

At most, Erickson said, the manipulations "simply allowed the farmer to traverse the wetland portions of the property without damaging farm equipment."

The government had collected $434,443 from Peterson through checks or set-offs in payments he'd received they said he wasn't eligible for, because of the alleged conversion of wetlands. In addition, they withheld at least $135,959 in payments to which he was entitled.

Eventually, Peterson received all of his money. The last checks came to him in late 2015.

While under appeal, the federal government required that Peterson pay interest on any money they had been "overpaid" during the period the alleged infractions covered. When USDA reimbursed him for any money he was ultimately owed, their interest payments were calculated only from 30 days after Erickson's decision.

A wet period

Peterson, 57, farms on the east edge of Grand Rapids -- population 10. He and his sons, Dustin and Cody, farm together but are individual entities for USDA purposes.

Leonard says his legal troubles started in August 2009, but his water problems started before that.

In 2007 and 2008, with the 100-plus inches of snow and the 2- to 4-inch rains the Peterson land received that summer, the water ran down the hill and created washouts across a field the Petersons couldn't safely cross with their machinery.

"I broke a $5,000 GPS globe off the sprayer hitting one of them in 2009," Peterson recalls. "That's when I figured we have to do something about this."

He contacted LaMoure County NRCs District Conservationist Darin Hirschkorn. He asked Hirschkorn if the Petersons could "pull the shoulders off" these washouts, so they could cross them with machinery. He says Hirschkorn initially said they could, but they could go no deeper than the washouts.

"This quarter was farmed in three different fields because we couldn't cross the washouts," Peterson says. "In July, after we harvested the field of winter wheat, I talked to him again. He said he'd forgot (to come out), I think it was. But he told us we could pull the shoulders off."

Peterson hired a neighbor, Bruce Shockman, who had a laser device on his scraper, to go no deeper than the bottom of the washout. There were places where the washout was deeper than the grade, so the Petersons filled some of those spots. Even with Hirschkorn's verbal approvals, Shockman was worried about inadvertently doing something wrong and being turned in for a Swampbuster violation. So he also contacted Hirschkorn to make sure his actions were legal.

On Aug. 18, 2009, Shockman started working with Cody to smooth the edges on the washout. Within an hour, Hirschkorn appeared at the scene.

The 'OK'

Concerned about Hirschkorn's presence, Cody and Bruce called Leonard. Leonard, who was traveling in Iowa, told them to speak to Hirschkorn. "But as we went forward in the tractors to talk to him, he started driving away," Cody recalls.

Shockman, who was a friend of Hirschkorn's, called him. Shockman reported to Cody that Hirschkorn saw nothing wrong with what they were doing, and that's why he drove away. Meanwhile, Leonard told them to cease further work until he could talk to Hirschkorn at length. The next day, he spoke to Hirschkorn and got the OK to proceed. "He told me twice, we were doing nothing wrong," Leonard says.

They completed the work the following day and planted winter wheat in late September.

According to the record, on Nov. 30, 2009, Peterson was notified the NRCS received a report of a potential wetland violation.

On Dec. 2, 2009, NRCS employees visited the farm to start a compliance review. Peterson told them they had to leave when he discovered they'd dug more than 25 holes in his winter wheat field, and to come back after harvest. "It looked like pocket gophers all over the field," he recalls. "I asked them to leave. I didn't appreciate them digging holes in my crop, so that's when they left."

In the NADs

In September 2010, NRCS employees performed an additional on-site inspection.

On Oct. 18, 2010, the NRCS issued a preliminary wetland determination, which became final 30 days later.

Leonard received a letter from USDA stating he had to pay back payments from 2009, because he had denied access. "Anybody else who goes out into a seeded crop gets in trouble, except them," he says.

Soon, Peterson hired Beth Baumstark, who has experience with USDA. Baumstark Braaten Law Partners filed a county appeal and eventually went to the National Appeals Division.

NRCS used aerial photographic evidence to allege that Peterson had manipulated a number of wetlands, starting in 2006, and then in 2009.

Peterson hired Frank Beaver of GeoDynamics Inc. in Grand Forks. With a doctorate in geology and a master's degree in geological engineering, Beaver conducted a field investigation and submitted photographs taken nine days before the hearing, showing the wetland was operating as it had for the past ten years. A photo from 2011 showed the water reached the same weed outline it had in 2006, even though they said Shockman's work had drained it.

Rod Dahl, an NRCS state appeals specialist in North Dakota, showed aerial photos in 2006, but photos from 2007 and 2008 were unavailable as a result of clouds or other weather problems.

David Brecker, an NRCS resource soil scientist, said the Peterson's land "cannot wash, will not wash" because of the soil type and land slope. Mark Anderson, another NRCS state resource conservationist, testified he'd found "fill," in the wetland that was 4 inches deep, but he couldn't say how wide or how long the fill was.

In Aug. 18, 2011, Peterson lost his first NAD appeal. A hearing officer who came to LaMoure agreed with the NRCS that Peterson had illegally "converted" a wetland by the alteration of a drain.

On June 18, 2012, he lost a second time, this time to director of the NAD.

Federal court

On May 23, 2013, the Petersons filed a federal lawsuit against the NRCS in U.S. District Court in Fargo.

On Sept. 26, 2014, Judge Ralph Erickson agreed with the Petersons, overturning the NRCS decision. Erickson questioned NRCS methods, saying the evidence wasn't substantial in 2006. The judge said the work Peterson did in 2009 didn't make it possible for farming because the wetlands were still there. All it did was make it possible to cross it, which is what Leonard said was his intended purpose.

The NRCS filed a notice to appeal the case to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis, Mo. On Feb. 13, 2015, NRCS filed a motion to dismiss their appeal, without explanation.

"I would surmise they thought they didn't have a case they were confident in," Braaten says. "They may have been worried about the precedent it would set."

The court said even though the Petersons' work might have affected the ponding of water, the NRCS had misapplied the rules and failed to prove the completed work was for production of an agricultural product. The court said the so-called Swampbuster provisions are designed to prevent draining, dredging or filling a wetland for production of an agricultural product.

'I'll show you'

Baumstark and Braaten in 2015 applied for attorney fees through the Equal Access to Justice Act. The NRCS argued Leonard should be considered an "individual" and not eligible because his net worth exceeded a $2 million cap. Baumstark successfully argued he was instead a sole proprietor of an unincorporated business -- eligible for a $7 million cap.

Baumstark says other clients have been denied attorney fees for similar reasoning, so the decision "opens up the possibility for fees under the EAJA to a large number of farmers who had previously been denied fees when treated as an individual."

Leonard thinks he knows why the government pursued the Swampbuster case. "They were on an 'I'll show you' mission, because I'd kicked them out of my field," he says. "They were going to show me that you do not do that to them."

The Petersons say the case has soured their opinion about the government works.

"I don't believe a blankity blank word the government says," Leonard says.

He wrote numerous letters to politicians and government officials, up to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking for their help. He dealt with aides who told him "Washington" wouldn't let them intervene.

"These politicians did absolutely nothing," he says. "I didn't hear a response from any of them, really. And I've decided we don't need politicians running this country, we need business people."
North Dakota Democratic leaders are raising alarms about whether the state will be able to continue to provide property tax relief during tough fiscal times, but others don't appear worried.

The state has eased property taxes, which are levied by local governments, through a 12 percent buydown. For the current two-year budget cycle, the state set aside $250 million for the buydown.

But reduced tax revenue, largely attributed to a slowdown in the oil industry and lower farm commodity prices, led Gov. Jack Dalrymple to order a 4.05 percent budget cut in February. That slashed about $10 million from the $250 million the Legislature planned for the property tax relief credit.

But Pam Sharp, director of the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, said it appears the state will have enough money to cover it. She pointed out this year's bill was $116 million, giving the state about $124 million left when the check comes due early next year.

"If the bill comes in more than $124 million for that 12 percent, the Legislature is in town and they would deal with that," Sharp said, referring to the legislative session that begins in early 2017.

Still, Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider, D-Grand Forks, said policymakers shouldn't cross their fingers. Democrats have called for a special session in which legislators would, among other things, transfer more than $10 million from a tax relief fund to the state's general fund to make sure the state has enough for the buydown.

Dalrymple has declined Democrats' call for a special session.

"There may be enough money to fund the whole 12 percent property tax credit," Schneider said. "I think it's possible, if not probable that there won't be enough money to fund that whole 12 percent tax credit this biennium."

'A sensitive matter'

The 12 percent buydown is one way the state provides property tax relief, Sharp said. Another is through the state's K-12 school aid formula, which isn't affected by the allotment process.

Since the 2007-09 biennium, the Legislature has set aside almost $2 billion in property tax relief programs, according to a breakdown provided the North Dakota Legislative Council. That number doesn't include property tax relief from the school aid payments during this budget cycle, however.

"We understand that property taxes are a very sensitive matter," Grand Forks City Administrator Todd Feland said. "That's why I think the state has gotten involved in helping lower those."

Still, some have raised frustrations that a number of local governments have used the state tax relief to raise spending.

Lawmakers are also eyeing a takeover of county social services programs as a way to lessen property tax burdens. The Legislature already approved using $23 million to transfer some social service costs to the state.

"That's our main goal, that they would provide the same services but then also give the citizens permanent property tax relief," said Rep. Jason Dockter, a Bismarck Republican who is chairman of the interim committee exploring the idea.

The change would mean counties would no longer be able to levy for social service programs, but the state would provide funding through a formula that's similar to the one that exists for K-12 education, Dockter said. But whether the state can go through with the plan is unclear, given its estimated cost.

"The $1 million question is, 'What's our budget going to look like?' " Dockter said. "Because once we take this over, the state will have these liabilities for the future."

Despite those budget questions, Terry Traynor, assistant director of policy and programs for the North Dakota Association of Counties, cited OMB projections in arguing "the revenue is expected to be in place to continue property tax relief."

"Obviously there's going to be greater pressure from all sorts of directions to maybe reprioritize that. However, I think the Legislature has made a commitment in the area of property tax relief," he added.

Candidates' views

Fargo businessman Doug Burgum, who is challenging Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem for the Republican nod in the June 14 primary election, said property tax relief will be "competing" with other services as long as it's a line item in the state's budget.

"Until we figure out a way to make it permanent, it's always going to be at risk," he said.

Stenehjem was optimistic about the state's ability to continue providing property tax relief, adding he supports the 12 percent buydown. Burgum supports property tax relief, but said the current format is "not perfect" and has some mechanisms that need to be looked at.

Both candidates said it's worth looking at the county social service takeover.

State Rep. Marvin Nelson, the Democratic candidate for North Dakota governor, shared Schneider's concerns about the future of property tax relief if tough economic times persist.

"The easy thing for the Legislature to do is to not raise taxes and push the responsibility to the local level, and force the local level to pay for it," Nelson said. "Without a substantial raise in state taxes, one that I don't think is going to happen, it's almost impossible that we would not have a substantial increase in property taxes."

Meanwhile, local government officials such as Feland are keeping an eye on the state's budget situation and how it will trickle down to their towns. But he appeared cautiously optimistic about property tax relief.

"I think it's everyone's concern," Feland said. "But what I've heard from our local legislators is that's one of the last things they want to have to cut."
About 20 years ago, I was a French teacher in a girls high school outside of Philadelphia and was picked to chaperone 40 of my students on a class trip to Paris. I spent two nights at the local gendarmerie trying to calm several girls who had slipped out of the hotel with the intention of losing one thing and instead, lost something infinitely more replaceable: their passports.

I accepted the responsibility, because thats what I was raised to do. Fortunately, my negligence resulted only in a lecture from my supervisor, and pursed lips from the nuns. The girls were fine, and to this day I believe that being raked over the coals by French police officers scared them straight.

As we all know, because we all spend so much of our lives on social media, a rare and endangered gorilla housed at the Cincinnati Zoo was euthanized over the weekend when a 4-year-old boy fell into its preserve. The child had either jumped over or under a fence on the perimeter of the preserve, and had fallen into the actual pit where the gorilla, named Harambe, lived. Video of the incident shows the little boy being dragged by the gorilla some distance, and then sitting in front of the animal almost as if they were having a discussion. It is a surreal circumstance, and one which should strike fear into the heart of anyone who has ever loved a child.

Ultimately, the gorilla was shot and killed, and the little boy was taken to the hospital where he was treated for non life-threatening injuries.

As expected, there was outrage on the Internet. There were the usual suspects who believe that zoos are horrible places and that these majestic animals of the wild should not be caged for our human enjoyment. I always discount them as the PETA crazies, who have no problem with trashing medical laboratories that house experiments that might yield a cure for cancer, simply because some of those experiments are being performed on animals. Im sorry, but while I adore my dog Chance and dont want to see any animal suffer, Im of the surprisingly controversial opinion that human life is more valuable than that of an animal.

For that reason, while I mourn the loss of that majestic primate, I understand why the zoo took the steps it needed to. So do renowned animal rights activists like Jack Hanna and Jane Goodall.

But I am convinced that none of this would be necessary and that the tragedy could have been avoided if the mother of this hapless child would have done her job, which is to make damn sure her child is not placed in danger unnecessarily.

To me, when your child falls into a primate pit at the zoo, it is prima facie evidence of negligence. I dont care if you have other kids with you, I dont care if you are momentarily distracted, I dont care if you are otherwise mother of the year. If your toddler tumbles into a pit with a wild animal, your maternal instinct isnt as developed as that wild animals.

Some may see this as woman bashing, but Id say the same thing if the father were in charge. This is not a gender thing. This is a common sense thing.

Some have tried to blame the zoo by saying the primate exhibit was poorly designed. That might be the case. But if so, it is even more incumbent on a parent to make sure their child is insulated from that heightened danger. This is not the lawyer in me speaking. This is the human being with a fully functional brain.

I am not a mother. But it is ridiculous to believe that you have to give birth to understand the consequences of even momentary neglect. We can wring our hands and say all we want that its impossible to be perfect, but when an innocent child depends upon you for his safety, you damn well better be as close to perfect as possible.

Letting a child fall into the arms of a gorilla doesnt come anywhere close to satisfying that standard.
Today

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Chance of a morning shower. Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Startup Milwaukee said Monday it is planning a first-ever Milwaukee Startup Week, an event that will include many entrepreneurial organizations and a variety of sessions.

Milwaukee Startup Week 2016 is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 1-6 at locations around the region, said Matt Cordio, a Startup Milwaukee co-founder.

"This is about the Milwaukee Waukesha area  the same are that was ranked 31st for entrepreneurship in a recent Kauffman Foundation report," Cordio said. "We have to work together to address this situation and the effort has to be led by entrepreneurs."

The event will aim to bring entrepreneurs, investors, local leaders and start-up enthusiasts together to try to build momentum and celebrate southeast Wisconsin's entrepreneurial identity, Cordio said.

Startup Milwaukee will be "extremely inclusive" toward groups interested in hosting events and already has partnered with a number of organizations, he said. They include CrafterSpace, gener8tor, NEWaukee, Milwaukee Tech Engine, BizStarts, Ward 4, Granular Marketing, IdeaWake and The Commons.

Session topics will include speed mentoring and corporate innovation, and organizers are planning to have a one-day flagship conference, Cordio said.

For more information about Milwaukee Startup Week, go to the Startup Milwaukee website. To apply to host an event during the week, go to startupmke.org/msw16/.

The full schedule for Milwaukee Startup Week will be released in August.
Dylan Flores (from left), Austin Wagner and Collin Grudzinski pull metal cutouts off a CNC machine at Hustisford High School. The school has a student-run business, Husty Heavy Manufacturing, which performs machine shop work for area manufacturers. Credit: Sam Caravana

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Targeting the skills gap in manufacturing, some Wisconsin high schools have launched for-profit businesses that give students experience in areas such as product design and metal fabrication.

One of those student-run businesses is Husty Heavy Manufacturing, at Hustisford High School, which is gearing up to do work for area companies.

The projects could be something simple like cutting, grinding and sanding metal parts for a manufacturer. However, the work also could include creating custom products using 3-D printers.

Either way, students will gain valuable experience on the shop floor. They also will work with engineers and other business professionals.

It's about "relevance to manufacturing," said David Jasperson, a Hustisford High School technology education teacher and the adviser to Husty Heavy Manufacturing.

"My job is to develop the aptitude, skills and drive to want to work in this industry," Jasperson said.

Technology has eliminated some jobs in factories, and it doesn't bode well for the future of low-skilled positions where the work can be done by robots.

However, it's just the opposite for high-skilled manufacturing jobs as a wave of retiring workers  and a lack of interest in manufacturing from young people  has resulted in many unfilled positions.

Moreover, people entering the field today often don't have the skills or experience needed to run complex machines in an environment with little room for error.

Husty Heavy Manufacturing recently completed its first project of building metal-sculpture topiaries and planters for the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Adding equipment

Gearing up for more work, the student-run business has acquired a $10,000 metal cutter, three milling machines, two lathes, a grinder and various other power tools.

The business is taking metal-shop experiences to a higher level that includes areas such as budgeting, marketing, product design and real-world problem solving.

Students are gaining "soft skills" such as communication with clients, as well as technical training, according to Jasperson.

The experiences could serve them well after graduation.

"In our high school, more than half of the kids are not going on to a four-year college. After graduating they're going to work or to get some type of certification, but they haven't necessarily had hands-on, real-life experience," Jasperson said.

For-profit businesses at some schools have generated enough revenue to pay students something for their efforts and buy additional equipment.

That's the case with student-run Cardinal Manufacturing at Eleva-Strum High School in Trempealeau County. In 2015, it brought in $118,000 from work for area companies and individuals, plus fundraising events.

Through a profit sharing plan, each of the students in Cardinal Manufacturing received up to $2,000. In addition they received work gear such as welding helmets, shop clothing and measuring tools.

"Most of the students also walk away with $4,000 to $7,000 in scholarships" funded by the business, said adviser Craig Cegielski, who teaches technical education at Eleva-Strum.

Cardinal Manufacturing has done low-volume production runs for other companies. The student-run business isn't taking work from other manufacturers, according to Cegielski.

"We are doing the work that most local manufacturers don't want. Sometimes they're oddball, one-of-a-kind jobs," he said.

Business experience

Students make business decisions in addition to doing the metal fabrication work. There are real customers, real deadlines and real quality issues that have to be addressed.

"We have to be professional and communicate properly. On a regular basis, the students call customers, engineers and other professionals and work in their realm," Cegielski said.

Cardinal Manufacturing has helped inspire other student-run businesses across the state and nation, including Husty Heavy Manufacturing.

"We would like to see one of these implemented in every state," Cegielski said, so the model could be replicated.

Too often, high schools have reduced their classes in the skilled trades, according to manufacturers.

The result is a generation of young people lacking in mechanical skills, and that's not good, said Mike Ebben, president of Berlon Industries, a Hustisford manufacturer of attachments used on skid-steer loaders.

Berlon Industries has donated equipment to Husty Heavy Manufacturing. Ebben said he's been impressed with the pride that students have shown in their work.

"We didn't contribute to this to get something back. But at the end of the day, if we get some good workers, that would be a great result," Ebben said.

Austin Wagner, a junior at Hustisford High, has landed a summer job at Berlon Industries as a result of his work at Husty Heavy Manufacturing.

He likes seeing the results of his work, including the items he helped make for the Milwaukee County Zoo.

"It's nice to know I am a part of something like that. ... And there aren't too many 17-year-olds who get to run a $10,000 CNC plasma cutter," Wagner said.

In addition to Berlon Industries, other Wisconsin firms including Mayville Engineering Co., Krueger Bearing Inc., Associated Engineering and Reich Tool & Design have donated equipment to Husty Heavy Manufacturing.

Currently, Reich Tool has job openings in machining, quality control and engineering. Often it's difficult to fill those types of jobs because there aren't enough young people interested in manufacturing careers.

Reich Tool would consider hiring someone coming out of a student-run business like the one at Hustisford High, said company President Brett Reich.

"They might not get an apprenticeship right off the bat, but we could take them on as a trainee and work them around the shop to see what they enjoy doing," he said.

Husty Heavy Manufacturing employed about 10 students in the Milwaukee County Zoo project. The fledgling business is still in need of equipment, and participation is voluntary.

Still, like Cardinal Manufacturing, the business wants to be self supportive and not rely on school district funding.

"We are going for a profit," Jasperson said.
No verdict reached after first few hours of deliberations in Darrell Brooks trial

Jurors began deliberating in the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., accused in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade attack that killed six and injured dozens more.
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Milwaukee police on Monday identified the victims of a double homicide over the weekend, but the circumstances around the killings remain unclear.

One of the victims' bodies was found early Saturday in a trash container in the 4100 block of N. 21st St., and a second body was found nearby. Both had been shot several times.

Police identified the victims as Westley T. Barksdale and Diamond R. Webb, both 31. Investigators are searching for suspects and a motive in the killings.

Also Monday, police identified the victim of a May 27 homicide in the 6300 block of W. Appleton Ave. as 18-year-old Demarion D. Allen. He was found dead in a fire.
Correctional officer Denise Taylor, an instructor in the jobs center within the Milwaukee County House of Correction, shakes hands with Travis Johnson on graduation day. Credit: Michael Sears

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"Pomp and Circumstance" didn't play.

Students tossed no tasseled caps, wore no flowing robes.

No proud parents looked on.

But for 15 inmates at the Milwaukee County House of Correction, it was graduation day, just the same.

"This class has made me wiser, smarter. It's helped me get a different aspect on life and changing my life," said Kentray Jones, 18, who had just received a certificate for completing a job-readiness course called Preparation for Success.

Jones and the others who graduated on a recent Friday  a total of 10 men and five women  are among hundreds of offenders who have new opportunities for education and employment thanks to a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Milwaukee County was among just 10 recipients nationwide to get the grant, which it is using to operate an American Job Center inside the House of Correction in Franklin.

The goal of the center, which opened in April, is to help about 1,000 inmates make the transition from incarceration to employment over the next two years. For about 750 of those offenders, the assistance will take the form of access to an online jobs portal that can help connect them with businesses willing to hire people with criminal records.

A smaller group, considered unlikely to reoffend and in need of more help to prepare for the world of work, may participate in more intensive programming, both inside the House of Correction and later, in the community.

Upon release, they will receive help to obtain housing, transportation, health care and counseling.

The job center is a partnership that includes the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, Employ Milwaukee, United Migrant Opportunity Services and the YWCA, along with other nonprofits and employers.

Preparation for Success, a key component of the program, aims to build students' self-esteem and to improve their communication skills. They also learn about interviewing, resume writing and job etiquette. Of the 34 offenders who enrolled in the six-week course that just ended, 15 completed it.

"These people are serious," correctional officer and instructor Denise Taylor said of the graduates. "These people put forth all their effort."

In 2013, a judge ordered Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. to give up control of the House of Correction, where most inmates are eligible for work release. When Michael Hafemann took over as superintendent in May of that year, about 20 inmates had jobs, he said. Now, about 200 are employed.

The Job Center aims to find work for even more of the facility's some 1,400 inmates, which they can start while in custody and continue after serving their time.

For some, such as Jones, the process began with earning a GED. Other options include a class in basic computer skills or a course called Makin' it Work, designed to help people understand employers' expectations and solve workplace conflicts.

Inmates also receive job training inside the institution. While in custody, people can earn certification as forklift operators or food service workers. They also can learn commercial printing and silk screening, among other skills.

Travis Johnson, 28, has been working as a forklift operator at Opportunities Inc. in Fort Atkinson during his incarceration. Because more than 30 inmates from the House of Correction work there, the company provides transportation. Johnson hopes to keep his job there when he is released.

"You get the same respect when you're working a job as you do by being on the block," Johnson said.
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I find it hard to understand the logic of Christian Schneider's June 2 column "Time to ban 'Ban the Box.'" It seems to say that since many employers use racial profiling in hiring, we should just give up because bias can't be changed. With that logic, we'd still have "white" and "colored" drinking fountains.

I'm glad to say that history has proven this view to be wrong. I personally don't give up on people that easily. I think that people with criminal records deserve a second chance and that employers will  and have  changed their views of people with records and are able to look beyond race once there are laws in place that require them to do so. Employers as well as working people deserve a second chance.

Schneider's opinion piece is also missing key parts of the picture for Milwaukee and for the population of people who struggle to get jobs and to improve their lives and communities.

The study quoted by Schneider focuses on African-American and Latino men. As an organizer with 9to5 Wisconsin, I work with a huge population of women who are struggling to turn their lives around; to get and keep jobs after returning from prison. Shantel Carson is one of these women who deserves a second chance.

"As a young, misguided woman of 23, I made a bad decision," she told me in a discussion session. "I was present, but not a participant in an incident that resulted in a felony conviction. I served my time, which was reduced by good behavior. I have earned six certificates, two internships and three training programs. I put on talent shows for youth and serve as a community spokesperson. The 'box' on job applications identifies a past flaw and hides all my accomplishments. It instills fear and holds back so many women who like me have reformed and are ready to move forward."

Contrary to what Schneider's opinion piece would indicate, there are many employers right here in Milwaukee that have voluntarily taken the box off of their job applications. These include local establishments of national employers including Target, Starbucks, the City of Milwaukee (which now considers this a "best practice"), Bed, Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

They also include Project RETURN, a local nonprofit that helps men and women who have been incarcerated.

"Through this ministry we have assisted thousands of people make a permanent reintegration from incarceration," said Wendel Hruska, executive director. "Our work would not be nearly as successful without our own policy to hire people who have been incarcerated."

I agree with Schneider that banning the box alone is not enough to address the serious issues in many of Milwaukee's neighborhoods that lack support, training and opportunity for those who have served time for a past mistake and are ready to move forward. We need more programs such as Project RETURN, more access to housing for those with criminal records and more family-supporting jobs.

We also need serious enforcement of current anti-discrimination laws that ban the types of racial profiling described in the study cited by Schneider. In fact, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued strong guidelines in 2012 against discrimination resulting from criminal background checks. Like Carson, our communities are ready to move forward. Ban the Box policies are not the only answer, but they are an important first step.

Nancy Yarbrough is an organizer for 9to5 Wisconsin.
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Green Bay  The state has begun going after assets of some of the suspects arrested in March in a major multicounty methamphetamine bust.

Criminal cases for the suspects largely remain unsettled as they continue to move through the Brown County court system. But prosecutors have initiated court actions to seize the assets of at least nine suspects, including those of suspected kingpin Bill Yang.

Thirty-eight people were arrested during the raids in Brown, Oconto and Kewaunee counties. Authorities called it the largest dismantling to date of a drug trafficking operation by local law enforcement.

The investigation took more than seven months. It involved 25 controlled drug buys and eight confidential informants, and culminated in the execution of 20 search warrants in the early morning of March 22.

Yang, 35, was arrested in a storage shed he rented on Velp Ave., where investigators also found guns, drugs and $10,000 cash, court records say.

He faces 51 felony counts. Investigators have identified him as the head of the drug trafficking operation, which moved methamphetamine, marijuana and other drugs from Minneapolis and Milwaukee into the Green Bay area. No hearing is on the calendar for Yang's criminal case.

Criminal cases were being conducted secretly, with prosecutors obtaining court orders to seal the complaints and other court records. While many of those court records have since been opened, or, as in Yang's case, partly opened to the public, the civil cases have all been sealed.
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Two people were found dead Sunday after a one-vehicle accident on County Highway F north of Portage in Columbia County.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Department was called to the scene around 5:30 p.m. and arrived to find the vehicle off the roadway, against a tree. Two people were found apparently deceased in the vehicle, the Sheriff's Department reported.

Speed and alcohol appeared to be factors, the agency said. Both people were wearing seat belts.

Authorities did not give the victims' genders or ages, and names were being withheld until family was notified.
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By of the

A 9-year-old boy, missing since Sunday evening, has been found safe.

The boy was reported missing after he was last seen around 8:30 p.m. at the Mitchell St. Sun Fair on Milwaukee's south side.

Milwaukee police, who had asked for the public's help in locating the boy, issued an update just after 9:30 a.m. saying that he had been found safe at a home in the 1700 block of S. 16th St.

The department didn't elaborate on the circumstances of the boy's disappearance or discovery.
06/06/2016



JSU students distribute food at the Jacksonville Community Center as volunteers with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. (Angie Finley/JSU)

By Heather Greene

When Stephen Tsikalas, JSU assistant professor of geography, began volunteering at the Community Food Bank in Birmingham with his wife Jade Patolo, an adjunct instructor of geography currently serving in the Peace Corps, he was inspired to bring a similar program to the Calhoun County area.

After some research, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama gave Tsikalas permission to proceed with planning a distribution site for this area of the state. Now, on the last Friday of the month, food is distributed at the Jacksonville Community Center and First Baptist Church of Williams by JSU faculty and students.

Ben Williams, a 22-year-old music education major and drum line section leader for the Marching Southerners, started the Secular Student Alliance at JSU last year as an outlet for community service. When he first heard about the new food distribution center, he knew it was something the club would want to support.

Volunteering is important to me because I believe American college students are some of the most privileged people on the planet, said Williams. While thats a great thing, we also need to remember that the vast majority of people on Earth dont get the opportunities we have. Working in service of others is my way of paying it forward.

For Allen Jones, a 26-year-old senior majoring in geography, the mission of the Community Food Bank hit close to home. At age 20, he quit college and got a full-time job. Despite working 40 hours a week, he had a hard time making ends meet.

After paying rent, power, water and internet, it did not really leave much for food, said Jones, who volunteers at the distribution center as a member of Geography Club. Knowing how hard it can be to provide food for just myself, I cannot imagine the stress involved with trying to provide food for an entire family. This food bank is important to me because most people have a lot of stress in their lives, and I feel like food should not be something people have to stress about.

The food distribution center is always looking for volunteers, whether theyre JSU faculty, staff, students or members of the community. To lend a hand, come out to one of the distribution sites at 2:15 p.m. on the last Friday of the month. Those in need of food are invited to either site at 3 p.m. Grocery boxes are distributed on a first come, first served, basis. Sites are open until 5 p.m. While proof of need is not required, anyone receiving or qualifying to receive SNAP/Food

Stamps, TANF, SSI, or meeting certain income guidelines is eligible to receive food.

Jon Barnacastle serves as the primary contact for the Jacksonville Community Center and Les Honts is the primary contact for the First Baptist Church of Williams. For more information on how you can get involved, please email Stephen Tsikalas.

JSU students, along with Dr. Stephen Tsikalas (second from right), volunteer monthly for the Community Food Bank. From left are Thomas Bell, Jacob Bramlett, Allen Jones, Rodney Tillery, Lynsey Hall, Torie Watson, Nick Gray, Tsikalas, and Ben Williams. (Angie Finley/JSU)
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

After New York governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order directing the state to monitor and sanction activists in the Boycott, Sanctions and Divest Movement (BDS) against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, critics complained that the order is McCarthyism. They objected that social and economic boycotts have been used in instances such as South Africas racial segregation or Apartheid. Interference in such a social and political movement in protest of injustice, they aver, is contrary to the first amendment. (Cuomos executive order will certainly be struck down by the courts). The order is creepy, since it suggests that Cuomo will have New York state bureaucrats combing through citizens Facebook and Twitter accounts to see if they support BDS, and then find ways of punishing them (no contracts from the state, no state jobs, no internships).

The objections of Cuomos critics are often naive, given the actual record of the Israel lobbies in the United States, some of which have sometimes played Sen. Joseph McCarthy all on their own.

The Anti-Discrimination League (ADL), for instance, only poses as a human rights organization. It has at least sometimes functioned as an intelligence organization working on behalf of a foreign state.

Back in the late 1970s and through the 1980s, at the height of the anti-Apartheid movement, the Israeli government was a firm supporter of the racist faction of Afrikaaners. The Israeli government even offered nukes to the white supremacist South African government for use on its African neighbors if they became too uppity. It appears to have instructed the ADL in the US to spy on anti-Apartheid activists, who were engaged in a boycott, divest and sanctions campaign against Praetoria. Many of the same groups were also involved in pro-Palestinian activities.

The ADL in the San Francisco Bay area carefully compiled files on 10,000 Americans and 600 organizations. One ADL secret agent leaked the files on the anti-Apartheid activists, and South Africans in political exile, to the Apartheid government, with potentially dire consequences for any of them that the South African secret police could get hold of.

It is worth noting that President Barack Obama gave his first political speech, in 1981 on the Occidental campus, against Apartheid. Maybe the ADL has a file on him somewhere.

Jeffrey Blankfort reports, based on the dossier of ADL activities ordered released when it lost the suit the activists brought against it, that The ADL supplied confidential information to foreign governments that it obtained from police and federal agencies in the US.

One of the people on which the ADL was spying, the non-violent activist Alex Odeh of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, was assassinated in 1985; (there is no evidence of a connection).

The same wealthy funders who payed the ADL to undertake this vast domestic spying operation on behalf of two foreign governments underwrite Andrew Cuomos political campaign, and have bribed him to turn the state of New York itself into an ADL San Francisco style monitoring and punishing organization.

The point of spying on people is not only to gather information on them but also to intimidate and block them. That is the point of knowing who they are, where they live, and of keeping files on them that can be slipped to a potential employer at the appropriate moment.

Many US ethnic lobbying groups are driven by foreign nationalisms and many of them engage in smear campaigns and dirty tricks. The Israel lobbies arent distinctive in this regard, though they are typically better heeled and better organized and better connected politically.

Personally, I dont support boycotts of Israel proper, though I think the West Bank squatters on Palestinian territory have to be boycotted as a matter of international law. But the Israel lobbies are making a huge error in having Cuomo play Sen Joe McCarthy for them. They will enlist on the side of the BDS activists a whole phalanx of civil and human rights organizations that might otherwise not be sympathetic to them. They have made Israel even more unsympathetic after years of far right wing Likud government and senseless violence against Palestinians and fruitless assaults like those on Gaza. And they have positioned the pro-Israel cause as a danger to the US constitution.

Attorney Joseph Welch became famous for standing up to Sen. McCarthy. What is often not realized is that Welch was the attorney for the US Army. Thats right, the lunatic McCarthy was investigating the alleged Communist activities of the US Army.

This was the moment when Welch began bringing the country to its senses:

Mr. Welch: Youve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?

And thus we all say, who care about the first amendment and American civil liberties and basic human rights thus we all say to Andrew Cuomo today.

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

Wochit News: New York To Sanction Israel Boycotters
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TeleSur _  

California is in its fifth year of a severe drought. While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lied to a crowd in Fresno on May 27 declaring that there was no drought in the Golden State, the U.S. Geological Survey report indicates that the state is still in a drought based on below-average rainfall and snowpack. Over 300,000 acres will not be farmed in California this year because of a lack of water, and the state is facing a catastrophic fire season. Dwindling water resources and dry weather are a consequence of climate change.

On Tuesday, voters in California will head to the polls, and those who care about the environment will be taking a hard look at Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The League of Conservation Voters, an organization that works to turn environmental values into national, state, and local priorities, issues an environmental scorecard that provides factual information about the environmental legislation considered by members of Congress. The National Environmental Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from about 20 environmental and conservation organizations that have examined key votes taken by congressional representatives. Bernie Sanders received a perfect score from the League of Conservation Voters for his environmental voting record in 2015, and his lifetime score is 95 percent. Hillary Clinton was not in office in 2015, so she doesnt have a score for last year, but her lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters is 82%.

During the past few weeks, Sanders has targeted Clinton for her position on fracking, the process of injecting high-pressure water into the earth to extract natural gas. Earlier this year in a debate, both Clinton and Sanders were asked if they supported fracking. Sanders offered a succinct no, while Clinton offered a meandering answer that she opposes fracking when any locality or state is against it and that weve got to regulate everything that is currently underway, and we have to have a system in place that prevents further fracking. In essence, Clinton was putting qualifiers on her answer about when fracking might be allowed.

When Clinton was Secretary of State, the State Department worked closely with oil and gas companies to spread fracking to countries all over the world through the Global Shale Gas Initiative. Charlie Cray, a senior researcher at Greenpeace USA told The Intercept, That it was one of States highest priorities undermines their credibility as leaders in the global effort to prevent the calamitous threats of climate change. Given the opportunity to be a leader opposing fracking on a global scale, Clinton worked to promote the practice abroad.

Although the fracking that Clinton promoted wasnt in California, where the practice is further complicated by current restrictions on water availability and existing fault lines, natural gas is a potent greenhouse gas that escapes into the earths atmosphere. Increasing greenhouse gas levels contribute to rising sea levels, reduced snowpack, and higher temperatures. Rising sea levels already threaten Californias coastal regions. In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, $21 billion worth of planned real estate developments along the waterfront could be in jeopardy if sea levels rise. Rising sea levels could damage already weakened infrastructure, the fresh water supply, and popular tourist attractions.

Last week the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund endorsed Hillary Clinton citing a recent speech by Donald Trump as being one of the main rationales for the announcement. Trump recently told an audience in North Dakota that he would abolish environmental and climate regulations and revive the coal industry. The NRDC Action Fund endorsement appears to be more motivated by the fear of Trumps disastrous plans for the environment than from Clintons actual environmental advocacy.

Californians have a history of leading in conservation and climate change. For environmentally-concerned independent voters and Democrats who are deciding between Clinton and Sanders, the choice on Tuesday is to vote their conscience or to vote out of fear.

Via TeleSur

=====

Related video added by Juan Cole:

End Fracking Now  I Hope Clinton Joins the Fight | Bernie Sanders
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA / June 6, 2016 / MGX Minerals Inc. (MGX or the Company) (CSE: XMG / FKT: 1MG) is pleased to report the Company has acquired intellectual property and design rights (the Rights) to a proprietary processing design that proposes to reduce lithium brine evaporation times by >99% over standard solar evaporation pond processes, from approximately 18 months to 1 day.

The design was developed as part of the previously announced Design and Scoping Study. All intellectual property rights have now been acquired from the inventor. The Company has retained Fasken Martineau, an international business law firm, to conduct an intellectual property assessment and prepare documentation for the filing of a patent.

MGX currently controls a land package of approximately 300,000 hectares (1,150 square miles) of lithium brine bearing properties in Alberta. This includes 14 of the 24 highest grade (>=90mg/L) lithium assays throughout the Province as reported by the Alberta Geological Service. The production process was designed specifically for the highly mineralized brine associated with MGX'S lithium properties.

"This proprietary design process, combined with vast existing infrastructure in Alberta, positons MGX at the forefront of the rapidly developing lithium brine industry," stated MGX President and CEO Jared Lazerson. "The potential advantage of using a new design to reduce lithium brine processing time is significant. Solar evaporation is necessary due to a deficiency of infrastructure that existing lithium brine producers face, particularly in the remote high altitude deserts of South America where options are extremely limited. As well, the cost/revenue model has shifted dramatically due to surging demand for lithium compounds, creating an opportunity to change how lithium is produced moving forward. There are a number of areas for improvement including the elimination of solar evaporation. We believe the Company has solved the issue of very long production times, relatively low recoveries (40-50%) currently associated with lithium brine processing, and real estate requirement of lake size solar evaporation ponds. We are now moving to protect this intellectual property as it may have great value to MGX and the lithium industry moving forward."

Contact Information

Jared Lazerson

Chief Executive Officer

MGX Minerals Inc.

Telephone: 604.681.7735



Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - June 6, 2016) - Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:AVU)(FRANKFURT:8AM) is pleased to report progress on its exploration projects available for joint venture in southern Portugal. The Company is currently directing its efforts to form new exploration JV's on these projects, all of which have drill-ready targets:

Alvito - This license contains a large iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) target in the Ossa Morena Zone, the mineral district sandwiched between the Iberian Pyrite Belt to the south and the Montemor orogenic gold district to the north.

Marateca - The license covers at least 12 copper- and zinc-bearing massive sulfide targets in the Pyrite Belt on the northerly extensions of the same trends that host the giant Neves Corvo and Aljustrel mines in Portugal and the Rio Tinto, Aguas Tenidas, and Las Cruces mines in Spain.

Mertola - This license contains copper- and zinc-bearing Sao Domingos massive sulfide deposit mined in the 19th and 20th centuries in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal.

Alvito

The main target on the Alvito license is the Alcacovas iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) prospect. Soil sampling, geological mapping, prospecting at and around old workings, and short-hole drilling (in lieu of trenching) have delineated an initial IOCG footprint of 2 x 4 kilometers in size. Further groundwork in the area is likely to increase the size of the target area, though the present size of the known IOCG alteration and mineralization footprint at Alcacovas is already similar to that of the Candelaria deposit in Chile, presently being mined by TSX-listed Lundin Mining.

To view Figure 1, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure1603.pdf

To view Figure 2, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure2603.pdf

There are other targets on the Alvito license. Recent follow-up soil sampling at the Romeira gossan target, located 18 km east of Alcacovas, shows a developing copper-lead-zinc target, presently over 500 meters long, 100 meters wide, and open on both ends. Soil sampling is continuing in order to better develop the target. Outcropping limonitic gossan is present, and is apparently the source of the soil anomalism.

In addition, soil sampling at the Agua de Peixe carbonate-hosted massive sulfide target, located 2 km southwest of Romeira, has shown an open-ended zone of possible lead-zinc-silver mineralization over 350 meters in strike length. Historic scout drilling in the area suggests the presence of base metal and silver mineralization. There is also potential for nearby precious metal-bearing vein mineralization in the Agua de Peixe district. Two sub-parallel quartz veins, up to 10-15 meters wide, and outcropping over 2 kilometers in length, have been investigated, to date, only in a preliminary manner.

Marateca

The Pego do Altar gossan zone in the southeast corner of the license is a drill-ready target located in the Sao Domingos mineral trend of the Portuguese Pyrite Belt, and approximately 50 kilometers north of the Sesmarias massive sulfide discovery. The host rocks at Pego do Altar are similar to those at Sesmarias, and Avrupa's geological targeting vectors indicate strong drill target possibilities. The gossan zone outcrops over a length of one kilometer, carries elevated copper, lead, and zinc rock sample anomalism, as well as leached rock textures, suggesting potential for mineralization down dip from the surface exposures.

To view Figure 3, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure3603.pdf

Previously, in 2011-12, the Company drilled a series of exploratory holes in the Serrinha target area, located 15 kilometers northwest of Pego do Altar. Best results at Serrinha hill, itself, included +30 meter intercepts of strongly altered volcanic rocks in the same package of rocks that hosts mineralization in the other Pyrite Belt deposits. The Company sampled the sequence of altered rocks, and sludge samples in zones of poor recovery from twinned Serrinha hill drill holes ran 263 ppm silver over 11.3 meters in SE-011 and 17.7 ppm silver over 33 meters in SE-011A (first reported August 23, 2011). It is likely the Serrinha holes intersected a strong zone of stockwork quartz-pyrite mineralization hosted by strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks.

Two other holes were drilled in 2011-12 at the Sao Martinho and Volta targets on the west and south flanks, respectively, of Serrinha hill. Drilling problems caused abandonment of both holes short of geophysical and geological targets.

In addition to re-working the targets at Serrinha, first-pass geological mapping, anomalous soil geochemistry, and basic mineral prospecting have highlighted obvious geological targets at other exposures of Pyrite Belt VS rocks within the Marateca license area. The three main mineral trends in the Pyrite Belt of Portugal cross through the Marateca license, allowing for over 50 kilometers total length of exploration potential.

To view Figure 4, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure4603.pdf

Mertola

The Mertola license is the least explored by Avrupa geologists. Even so, commencement of re-logging of historic core from the Chanca prospect, located in the northeast corner of the license immediately adjacent to the border with Spain, has already brought to light one potential drilling target between historic copper-zinc mineralized drill holes. Both drill holes, spaced over 1,000 meters apart, contain visible stockwork and semi-massive sulfide mineralization over intercept lengths of 30-40 meters. Re-interpretation of the geology in these holes and others in the same area indicates that previous drilling, for the most part, appears not to have reached the proper target rocks, leaving significant space between the mineralized holes for more massive sulfide potential.

The historic Sao Domingos Mine, located just six kilometers southwest of the Chanca prospect, has been mined intermittently since Roman times. Modern summary reports, though not 43-101 compliant, estimate that previous operators mined approximately 25 million tonnes of massive sulfide averaging in excess of 1% from only one lens. Subsequent exploration did not uncover further mineralization, even though it is usual to find multiple sulfide lenses at a single mine in the Pyrite Belt. Further re-interpretation of the geology and structure, as the Company has done in other parts of the Pyrite Belt, via field mapping, re-logging of historic drill core, and review of all the other available historic data is expected to lead to new drill targets in the Sao Domingos-Chanca areas.

Most of the rest of the license has only be reviewed in a cursory, first-pass manner, but Avrupa geologists have already identified a number of obvious target areas where altered and weakly mineralized VS rocks outcrop.

To view Figure 5, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure5603.pdf

More detailed technical information concerning these licenses can be found on the Avrupa website at the following link: http://www.avrupaminerals.com/available_for_jv/.

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and development company focused on discovery, using a prospect generator model, of valuable mineral deposits in politically stable and prospective regions of Europe, including Portugal, Kosovo, and Germany.

The Company currently holds nine exploration licenses in three European countries, including six in Portugal covering 3,821 km2, two in Kosovo covering 47 km2, and one in Germany covering 307 km2. Avrupa has three joint ventures, two in Portugal and one in Kosovo:

The Alvalade JV, with Colt Resources, covering one license in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal, for Cu-rich massive sulfide deposits;

The Covas JV, with Blackheath Resources, covering one license in northern Portugal, for intrusion-related W deposits; and

Avrupa's partner at the Slivovo Gold Project in Kosovo is presently advancing the Project by funding and operating a pre-feasibility study.

Avrupa is currently upgrading precious and base metal targets to JV-ready status in a variety of districts on their other licenses, with the idea of attracting potential partners to project-specific and/or regional exploration programs.

On behalf of the Board,

Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director

This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content. Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a Licensed Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society of Mining Engineers, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has reviewed the technical disclosure in this release. Mr. Kuhn, the QP, has not only reviewed, but prepared and supervised the preparation or approval of the scientific and technical content in the news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture NExchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, June 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd. (TSX:GQM; OTCQX:GQMNF) (the "Company" or "Golden Queen") wishes to provide an update of its operations at its 50%-owned Soledad Mountain gold-silver project (the "Project") located south of Mojave, California.

The Company is pleased with the commissioning progress at Soledad Mountain. Recent highlights include:

May production was approximately 1,260 oz of gold and 15,000 oz of silver, totaling approximately 2,370 oz of gold and 26,000 oz of silver since the inaugural pour;

Mining and processing activities are now operating 7 days per week;

Agglomerate quality continues to be excellent. Porosity and permeability of the heap-leach pad remain extremely high;

The High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) performance is exceeding expectation, with 70% to 75% of the output passing  inch;

There are 140 full-time employees on site; and

Safety remains a high priority and there have been no lost-time accidents since operations began.

The Company anticipates achieving commercial production in the second half of 2016. In accordance with US GAAP, the Company expects to begin recognizing revenues and expenses related to the sale of metals in the second quarter of 2016.

Mining

A total of 397K tons of ore has been mined to-date during the second quarter with a strip ratio of 1:7 waste to ore. A total of 2,337K tons has now been mined since January 2016.

North West Pit

The mining of the North West Pit commenced in 2015 and the mine rock has been used to construct the heap leach pad, the inter-pit access roads and the East Pit access road. The average assayed gold grade was lower than projected by the initial block model in this section of the ore-body mostly due to comparatively limited drill data in the near-surface part of the deposit. The mine plan has been adjusted to access the known higher grade zones and the Company anticipates the ore grade will improve in the second half of 2016. Mining of the North West Pit will continue until the end of 2016.

Main Pit

Mining in the Main Pit, Phase 1 area commenced in early January of this year. The average assayed ore grade to date has been slightly lower than projected by the initial block model but there is an increase in the tons of ore that off-sets the lower grade in terms of mineable gold and silver per bench. Mining of the Main Pit will continue into 2017.

East Pit

The construction of the East Pit access road is advancing on schedule. The East Pit in-fill drilling program is anticipated to commence later this month. The $960,000 drilling program is expected to confirm our current mineral reserve and resources located in the East Pit. The additional infill drilling data will be used to optimize the mine planning for the next 5 years.

Processing Plant

The crushing-screening plant's daily average throughput during the month of May was 8,580 tons per operating day. The design throughput rate per hour is approximately 700 tons per hour. The plant has operated above that level for the past two months at 730 and 750 tons per hour for April and May respectively. The focus now is on raising the run-time per day to improve the pad-loading results. Thus far in the second quarter, there has been over a 40% improvement in average daily run-time compared to the first quarter. The HPGR is performing better than expected, with 70% to 75% of the output consistently passing  inch.

As of the end of May, a total of 737K tons at a grade of 0.01 oz per ton is currently leaching on the heap-leach pad from ore stacked since the first of the year. Agglomerate quality continues to be excellent and the porosity and permeability of the heap-leach pad remain extremely high. The Company forecasts the 150-day recovery of the first lift to be approximately 70%.

A total of approximately 2,370 oz of gold and 26,000 oz of silver has been produced to date. The mining costs for the month of April were $1.63 per ton mined and site operating costs were $11.40 per ton processed.
An Associated Press (AP) investigation has found [AP report] that thousands of police agencies across the country do not submit hate crime reports to the FBI. Although many agencies and departments would only file zeros, federal guidelines call [Indianapolis Star report] for reports to be submitted. Underreporting may mask the extent of bias crimes nationwide and may also show the low-priority some agencies and departments place on hate crimes. Also, victims are limited to relying on the FBI to investigate and bring charges in states that do not have a hate crime statute. Hate crime reports aid [AP report] the Department of Justice (DOJ), journalists and researchers in tracking hate crime patterns nationwide. The AP report showed that 17 percent of all city and county law enforcement agencies nationwide have not submitted hate crime reports for the past six years.

The AP report comes at a time where the relationship between police and race has been questioned on a national scale. Last month Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed [JURIST report] into law an amended hate crime bill that adds police, EMS workers and firefighters to protected categories. Also last month a Baltimore judge acquitted [JURIST report] police officer Edward Nero on all counts for his role in the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who was injured in police custody and later died. In February the DOJ began its review [JURIST report] of the San Francisco police department. In December an Ohio grand jury decided [JURIST report] not to indict two officers involved in a 2014 shooting resulting in the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
A Chinese official said Saturday that China will ignore a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague over the South China Sea dispute. The Philippines filed a case [materials] against the Peoples Republic of China with the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration [official website] in 2013 disputing the latters territorial claims in the South China Sea (SCS). Chinas territorial claims in the SCS overlap with territory claimed by other Asian countries. At the Shangri-La Dialogue [official website], Chinese military officials maintained [AP report] that the tribunal has exceeded its jurisdiction. The US has vowed [Reuters report] to take action with other nations if China does not stop constructing on territory claimed by others in the SCS.

China claims nearly the entire 3.5 million square-kilometer SCS, a region rich in oil and minerals, to the detriment of political stability in Asia and the world. In January the Supreme Court of the Philippines approved [JURIST report] a deal that would extend US military presence in their country. In October the PCA ruled [JURIST report] that it has jurisdiction to hear the dispute between the Philippines and China. In July Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua said [JURIST report] that the country would not participate in PCA hearings over the dispute between China and the Philippines.
[JURIST] A Cairo appeals court on Saturday acquitted 33 protesters previously sentenced to two years in prison. The protesters were among 300 others who were arrested [AP report] in April for holding a large scale public demonstration against the surrendering of the Red Sea Island to Saudi Arabia. While the government cracked down on the demonstration, one of the largest since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was elected, the majority of the protesters have been freed, acquitted or released on bail.

Egypt [BBC profile] has been internationally scrutinized in recent months over allegations of human rights infringements and free speech violations. This week an Egyptian court began the trial [JURIST report] of a journalist union leader as well as two board members who were charged with spreading false news and harboring wanted reporters. Last month more than 100 Egyptian demonstrators were convicted [JURIST report] for peacefully assembling without a permit. Three UN rights experts recently urged [JURIST report] the Egyptian government to end its oppressive response towards human rights advocates in the country. In early May an Egyptian court sentenced [JURIST report] six people, including three journalists, to death for allegedly leaking state secrets to Qatar. Last month Egypts Court of Cassation overturned the five-year prison sentences of 35 Al-Azhar students, ordering a retrial [JURIST report]. Earlier in April three UN human rights experts urged Egypt to cease [JURIST report] its ongoing crackdown on humans rights defenders and organizations.
[JURIST] Three Taliban gunmen on Sunday attacked a court building in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven people including a newly appointed chief prosecutor. Authorities state [AP report] that 21 others were injured in the attack before the gunmen were shot dead by policemen. The attack follows an incident last week when four disguised Taliban gunmen attacked another court building in the eastern Ghazni province. Recent attacks have been perceived as a war against judicial officials incited by the execution of six convicted insurgents last month. In light of these attacks, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) [official website] has stressed the importance of securing judicial institutions and protecting judicial officials and civilians.

Civilian casualties continue to be a primary issue in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. In February UNAMA reported [JURIST report] that civilian casualties in Afghanistan had reached a record high 11,000 in 2015. In November the US Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] and Pentagon officials completed their investigation [JURIST report] into the October 3 bombing of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) [advocacy website] hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, and announced [statement] that it was an avoidable accident caused primarily by human error. In October MSF called for an independent investigation [JURIST report] into the attack by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission. Also in October the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an investigation [JURIST report] into the Kunduz hospital attack and for the results of an investigation to be made public. Several days prior to the hospital attack, the UN rights leader also requested that all parties in the Taliban attack in Kunduz attempt to keep civilians out of harm [JURIST report]. In August the UN said that a new report shows a significant increase in the number of women and children being hurt or killed [JURIST report] in Afghanistans war against the Taliban and other insurgents. In June the UN Secretary-Generals Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mark Bowden, stated that the hostilities in Afghanistan are leading to the killing and wounding of thousands [JURIST report] and the forced relocation of families into neighboring countries.
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The boom in tourism in Myanmar has inflated local demand for international food brands, while the local food manufacturing base remains very limited in scope. Tourism is expected to continue to grow after the countrys first democratically elected government came into power in April. Myanmars ministry of hotels and tourism announced a record 4.6m international tourists in 2015, which was up from 790,000 in 2010.

Myanmar is a challenging market but infrastructural and regulatory improvements could promote a local branded food manufacturing base, which may ultimately serve domestic demand for branded food, as much as visiting consumers.

just-food spoke to four Myanmar food industry experts about the potential of this burgeoning market.

Wang Ji Lun, operations director at Premium Distribution in Myanmar

For the last four years this branded food distribution companys sales have grown at an annual rate of 30%-40%, explains Wang. New products have motored this growth. In the past, not many people knew about Myanmar but more and more companies now want to export. We have a lot of new lines and were seeing increasing demand for existing products. There is a growing expat population and the local consumer class is starting to be exposed to new brands because regional travel is so much easier than in the past. When local consumers return home, they look for a specific brand of food, she says.

Europe, China and Thailand are Premium Distributions three top sourcing locations. Premium handles more middle to high-end imported products. We are starting to see that there is a customer base that wants items such as artisan cheese, fresh oysters and truffles.

Wang says 70% of the companys products go to major urban centres Mandalay and Yangon. She adds there is now a huge demand in other areas due to the increase in tourism.

Customs delays remain a constant challenge, with ever-changing regulations being hard to follow. One such change concerned meat imports, notes Wang. Wed been importing meat for a year and then overnight a new regulation came into effect that only allowed imports if you operated a farm in Myanmar. This happened at the end of last year. It was very difficult for our customers whose whole business is about meat.

Looking ahead, she predicts continued growth in the market for international food brands that deliver consistent quality. But it will take time. Myanmar is the sort of place that requires patience, she says. And while there are customers who are willing to pay a premium price for quality, at present, she does not think the middle class has grown very much. For this to happen, there are still many things that the government needs to do, she suggests. The manufacturing sector is very limited but I think there will be an explosion in the range of products made in Myanmar in the coming years.

Oliver Esser, president of the Myanmar Chefs Association

The rise in tourism has resulted in growth in the Myanmars foodservice sector  an area of demand that food makers are increasingly working to meet.

The increase in competition between local and international branded foods began two-and-a-half years ago, when the government relaxed import policies, Esser notes. Several countries, especially Australia and the US, started exporting beef, lamb and poultry to the country.

I came to Myanmar 21 years ago, shortly before the military government banned all [food and drink] imports except for beer and soft drinks. This caused certain industries, such as dairy, to grow domestically  although it never met local demand.

Today, international beef and lamb brands are in strong competition with each other within Myanmar, he says, which has led to brands undertaking more advertising and vocational training for chefs.

Thailands CP (Charoen Pokphand Group) has the biggest share in the poultry market, he notes, which has historically been strongly linked to the Myanmar military.

Our association welcomes international brands because of the training they provide to local staff in cooking and hygiene. However when it comes to fresh items, I think that a brand such as Fresco [locally sourced, organic fresh produce] should be protected. Myanmar should think twice about flying things in  and Fresco creates local jobs, he tells just-food.

However, his sympathy for local manufacturers only goes so far: There are a lot of local companies in various sectors complaining that they cannot compete against foreign companies and that they lose staff to them. My response is that they had decades of isolation, during which time they could have brought in experts to develop their sectors but nobody made the effort. Big business remains in the rich peoples hands but when land prices start to drop, I think well see a lot of foreign companies buying land to build factories.

Ko Kyaw Zaya OO, manager of New Age Food Products, Myanmar

Ko Kyaw Zaya Oo set up a branded food import business seven months ago because it seemed a more efficient way to supply the five hotels he owns outside Yangon. He and his business associates now plan to start supplying branded foods to Myanmar retailers via the business, New Age Food Products.

New Age Food Products already supplies restaurants in Yangon and other hotels. The familys company also runs a travel agency and with tourism booming due, its managers identified a gap in the market between hotels and suppliers. Our hotels are three and four-star and we like to use only quality products for our guests, but sometimes we found that we couldnt get the brands we wanted, says the executive.

We import directly from manufacturers and distributors in the region, he adds, noting the companys exclusive rights to distribute preserves, jellies and savouries made under the Tiptree brand by Britains Wilkin & Sons.

Most of our suppliers are from Singapore because the goods arrive here quickly. The company imports the UKs Taylors of Harrogate teas from distributors in Singapore, for example, to avoid direct freight charges from Britain.

But in future, if we have the demand, we might contact UK suppliers directly. Our biggest problem is with Myanmars FDA [food regulator]: they require a lot of documentation and sometimes it takes two-to-three months to get the recommendation letter. We also have to provide the FDA with a sample weighing 1.5kg, which is a lot. We prefer UK products because the quality is the best and the price is affordable.

Patricia Ho, market development manager for Asia Pacific, McCormick & Co.

Patricia Ho, Asia-Pacific market development manager for US-based flavourings manufacturing company McCormick & Co. tells just-food that the company has witnessed growing demand for its products in Myanmar.

McCormick began exporting herbs and spices to Myanmar several years ago when a demand for these products started increasing. McCormick will continue to look at Myanmar as a potential growth market in the long term, she says.

Myanmars consumer spice market is somewhat crowded. Local cuisine is heavily reliant on a variety of herbs and spices and the sector is marked by a large number of cheaper well-established domestic players as well as a host of international ones, Ho says. However, she notes: McCormick offers some specialty seasoning blend products that are not available from domestic spice manufacturers.

She also observes that products from the US are generally well-positioned to export high quality herbs and spices, with many brands being well known in Myanmar, despite its relative isolation from global consumerism.

She adds that McCormick is the only imported herbs and spice brand in Myanmar to distribute and market its products both to supermarket chains and foodservice customers.

McCormick promotes its products through in-store displays, cooking demonstrations and in-store sampling.

When asked what the most challenging aspect of doing business in Myanmar is, Ho replied: Every region or country has their own opportunities in doing business. McCormick works with local partners to familiarize and educate the best practices in each region.
The Atlantic published an article by Dylan Walsh about the growing fight in many states for the right to legal counsel. This article focuses on the state of Louisiana, and looks specifically the Concordia Parish along the Mississippi river. Like many poor, rural areas of the country the Concordia Parish suffers from drug problems and the local courts see a high volume of cases involving illegal substances. The districts chief public defenders office handles around 3,300 cases per year, three times what the state recommends. Therein lies the problem.

The spiraling problem in the arena of public defense is the growing number of cases and the parallel need for more lawyers and more funds to pay them. One example given in the Louisiana case claims that some lawyers were being paid $1,000 for 100 cases, or just $10 per case. With this level of income, public defenders in his parishes often need more than one job to cover costs and cannot live on their salary as a lawyer. In one parish, the office stopped representing some accused of certain misdemeanors because of financial needs and understaffing. Walsh quotes the Louisiana Public Defender Board (that oversees each district office) which predicts the systemic failure in the public-defense system this summer. The failure began months ago when New Orleans public defenders office announced it would begin refusing certain cases, even serious felonies involving murder and rape.



Without the funds to pay lawyers, states like Louisiana provide no incentives for those attending law school to become a public defender. It is less a question of serving the community, and more a question of being able to provide for yourself on the incredibly low salaries when compared to other areas of the law. The defendants that need the service of public defenders often have similar traits. To qualify you must be poor, and because of aggressive policing in poor neighborhoods, especially in poor minority neighborhoods, the need for quality public defenders and the funds to pay them is rising. The problem is that even with the court provided attorneys, the quality of defense is much lower than that received by citizens that can afford their own lawyers. Public defenders receive minutes to review cases, sometimes do not even get to meet the individuals they are defending. This creates a system where the rich receive better defense than the poor, skewing the justice system against the less fortunate.

With the number of cases increasing, and the number of public defenders decreasing, the ability of public defenders to do their job and defend the rights of the poor and marginalized becomes even harder. Louisiana is only one of the many states fighting against these costs, but the deck is certainly becoming increasingly stacked against those who cannot afford a proper defense across the United States. The current system is unstainable which raises this key question: should the government be providing public defenders in the first place? Government is proving and again to be incapable of providing for the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. There must be a better way. Leaving the poor to hands of the state in cases like this makes them vulnerable to injustice.
MOBILE, Ala. - University of Mobile is one of the top two four-year colleges in Alabama, according to the 2016 Best Colleges ranking for campus programs by BestColleges.com.

The rankings measure a school's academic quality, affordability and student experience, according to BestColleges.com, which compiles user-friendly guides and rankings to help students find the school that best meets their needs and educational goals. BestColleges.com evaluates over 2,400 higher education institutions and lists 213 rankings for different aspects of the college experience.

UMobile ranked second in Alabama out of over 80 collegiate institutions in the state for its on-campus program, and fifth in Alabama for its online program.

Regarding the on-campus program, BestColleges.com noted, "UMobile is acclaimed as one of Alabama's best colleges not only for its affordable cost, but also for its wide variety of academic offerings and 14:1 student-faculty ratio. As a private Baptist institution, strong Christian values are reflected in the lifestyle and curriculum of the university."

The online ranking cited the university's "unique distance education program" that offers degree programs fully online, with options for on-campus coursework as well. Typical online courses last eight weeks.

The 2016 rankings are based on statistics from the 2013-2014 academic year. Currently, UMobile's student-faculty ratio is 13:1, a ratio that means students have small classes and easy access to professors.

The complete list is posted at http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/best-colleges-in-alabama/

University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Founded in 1961, University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's and master's degree programs in over 40 areas of study, with an 880-acre campus located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama.

For more information about University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
 For Memorial Day, CAIR Official Avoids Honoring U.S. Fallen | Main | Yahoo News, Russia Today, Misreport Tel Aviv Terror Attack 

June 06, 2016

Harvard Professor is Worried About Jewish Threat



Ali Akbar Alikhani, an Iranian academic who is currently a visiting scholar at Harvard University, has warned about the Jewish threat,? according to Adam Kredo, a reporter for the Washington Free Beacon, a D.C.-based online news media outlet.

Alikhani, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, is currently employed by Harvards Center for Middle Eastern Studies.



Kredo noted that Alikhani is a member of Tehran Universitys Faculty of World Studies, which is closely tied to the Iranian ruling regime and has supported scholars who espouse the regimes hardline ideology.?

Alikhani has praised an Arabic language book titled The Jewish Threat-Danger to Christianity and Islam as strong and good.? In his Farsi language review translated by the Free Beacon, Alikhani said the book should show the quality and the method of the Jewish threat.? The Harvard scholar also stated, Considering the practical perspectives of this book, it was expected that the author at least in the areas of thoughts and beliefs, would provide practical and noticeable solutions or reject and refute the foundations of Judaism and Zionism itself.?

Alikhani is not the only academic with ties to Tehran who has been hired by a U.S. university. As CAMERA has noted (Iranian Agent Hides in Washington Post as U.S. Prof,? Sept. 8, 2015), Seyed Hossein Mousavian, currently a research scholar? at Princeton University, was previously Irans ambassador to Germany in 1992 when Iranian agents assassinated dissident Iranian Kurdish leaders in a Berlin restaurant.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that Alikhanis scholars work hews closely to the Islamist philosophy of Irans theocratic, totalitarian rulers and has been critical of Israel and Zionism.? Despite his ties to the mullahs, the Free Beacon said that Alikhani has writtenwithout a trace of ironythat Israel is a country that from its inception was based on force, coercion and oppression of others.?

The Free Beacon added that the Harvard staffers works have cited Roger Garaudy, a Holocaust denying French academic and Rachid Ghannouchi, a Tunisian Islamist figure who has promoted violence against Jewish people and heads a group that is accused of having ties to Hamas.? Ghannouchi has been described, as has been his Ennahda (Renaissance) Party, as a moderate in the West, including by The Washington Post (see, for example Tunisias Acclaimed Moderate Islamist Party has Troubling View of Israel,? Oct. 26, 2011). Hamas is the U.S.-designated terrorist organization in charge of the Gaza Strip; its charter calls for the destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jews.

Alikhani has argued that the Jewish dissidents of Zionism? were actually created by the Jewish government? in order to pretend that Israel is a free country.? This conspiratorial thinking is a staple of the Iranian regime. As CAMERA has noted (see, for example The Media and the Myth of the Moderate Mullahs,? March 2, 2016), current Iranian President Hassan Rouhanifrequently described by news media as a moderate?has suggested that the U.S. government was responsible for shooting down United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought the hijackers, during the Sept. 11, 2001 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks.

On May 29, 2016, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg gave a Harvard commencement speech in which he bemoaned the rise of antisemitism. Spielberg told the graduating class, We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.? One small but insidious example is Harvard University scholar? Alikhani.





Posted by SD at June 6, 2016 03:25 PM

If Ali Akbar Alikhani warned against any other threat, be it Christian, Islamic, Black, the news wires would be humming. Since it's "only" anti-Jewish rhetoric, the academic world applauds. Disgusting !

Posted by: Len Blaifeder at June 7, 2016 09:29 AM

Look how stupid the lying Iranian media is. http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/11/iranian-news-claims-jews-had-advanced.html 

Iranian news claims Jews had advanced notice of Paris attacks, just like 9/11

November 15, 2015

-------------------- The state controlled Ayatollah media in Iran are racist liars. .

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/04/major-iranian-news-outlets-publish.html#.VTPP__nF_lt

Major Iranian news outlets publish updated antisemitic blood libel

April 19, 2015

------------------------ What happens to people in Iran who criticize the Ayatollah's? http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/27/rouhani-zarif-state-department-human-rightsiran-wins-world-record-for-most-executions-per-capita/

Iran Wins World Record for Most Executions Per Capita

U.N. human rights monitor claims Iranian nuclear deal has not resulted in an improvement on Tehrans human rights record.

OCTOBER 27, 2015

---------------------------- Iran loves killing Iranian kids

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/middleeast/iran-still-a-leading-executioner-of-minors-report-says.html?ref=world&_r=0

Iran Still a Leading Executioner of Minors, Report Says

By RICK GLADSTONE

JAN. 25, 2016

----------------------------- The terrorist leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei ordered the bombing of the Israel embassy in Argentina in 94 which murdered 85 civilians.

From the article Alberto Nisman committed suicide? Lets kill that lie

1/20/2015

http://www.timesofisrael.com/alberto-nisman-committed-suicide-lets-kill-that-lie/#ixzz3PPnZtxUl The AMIA case was emphatically solved, by Alberto Nisman. As I detailed Monday, he traced the orchestration of the bombing all the way back to the August 1993 meeting of Irans leadership at which it was commissioned, and identified the key conspirators to the satisfaction of Interpol. We know who ordered the bombing  an Iranian government committee headed by supreme leader Ali Khamenei and then president Hashemi Rafsanjani. We know who arranged it  the late and unlamented Hezbollah terror chief Imad Mughniyeh. And we know all about Ibrahim Berro, the suicide bomber who drove the explosives-filled Renault Trafic van into the building on July 18, 1994, killing 85 innocents. All thanks to Alberto Nisman. Solving the case, I should note, is not the same as bringing the culprits to justice. Despite Nismans efforts, the Iranian conspirators have not been indicted, tried and jailed  in good part, he was about to allege, because of Fernandezs duplicity.

------------------------------------

Posted by: Ken Kelso at June 7, 2016 12:08 PM

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I still remember her clearly. She was a wonderfully vibrant 68-year-old woman from Haiti. She was always impeccably dressed, loved to talk, and had an incredibly infectious laugh. Whenever I walked in to the clinic to see her, her eyes always seemed to smile as broadly as she did.

Nice to see you, Doc! she would say. I would return the greeting, and then we would talk business: her metastatic endometrial cancer.

She had undergone surgery for this two years ago and was deemed cancer free. Then, without warning, she started to have vaginal bleeding. Her exam was worrisome, and a biopsy of a mass at the vaginal vault confirmed a recurrence. It was fairly advanced, so she was sent to me to try medical treatment. I had given her combined chemotherapy, aiming for a response if not clinical remission. After three months, we were meeting to review her scans.

Unfortunately, the mass is bigger, I told her.

She furrowed her brows then and began, That cannot be  I feel so good. The bleeding has stopped, there is no pain. How can it have grown?

I explained that her tumor had not responded, but it still was locally confined. I suggested she see her surgeon once more, to see if it could be resected. She wasnt sure about that option  surgery seemed too aggressive  but she acquiesced, and as she was leaving, she turned to me and said, I trust you, and I know God will not desert me.

After seeing her, my surgical colleague paged me. Don, that mass is not responding to your treatment, and I think we should resect it. Given its size, she will need an exenteration.

I paused before I responded. I had not expected him to propose an exenteration. Instead, I had hoped he could just locally resect the mass and not take her vagina, her colon, and her bladder. In addition, given her lack of response to chemotherapy, I was skeptical that a cure was possible for her even with this radical approach. I worried she would not do well with the surgery and would not be prepared for life post-exenteration, especially because I knew she lived alone and that most of her family was in Haiti and could not be relied on to assist during her recovery. But, at the time, I was quite junior in my career, and this surgeon was one I had respected, even admired. Hence, I did not voice my concerns.

Shes agreed to it, and I will be doing the surgery later this week. OK? he asked.

All I said was, Thanks for telling me! I will be sure to see her in the hospital.

I later heard that surgery was successful  the tumor was removed entirely. I was relieved to hear it, but the next day I heard that she was refusing to leave her bed or talk to anybody. Psychiatry had been called, but she refused to see them. All of this had concerned me, so I went to the hospital to see her.

As she lay in her bed, I was struck by how different she looked. Gone was the smile, the dancing in her eyes. Instead, she scowled, brows furrowed, refusing to meet my gaze. I knew she had a urinary conduit and colostomy in place, but I didnt see them. Instead, she had her blanket grasped tightly in her hands, pulled up to her shoulders.

I said hello quietly as I headed towards her. How are you? I said, because I didnt know what else to say.

She looked at me then with anger in her eyes. How am I? How am I? she said angrily. Look at what youve done to me. These bags are not natural! How do you expect me to live like this? And I have no vagina: Youve made me into a Barbie doll! She talked about the shock of waking up, looking so different from how she was. Butchery, she called it.

I tried to talk with her about the big picture; that the surgeon had successfully removed her cancer, and that the hope was that she would be cured and could live now without needing chemotherapy.

Live? she asked. I cannot live like this. I cannot. At that point, she cried, looked away, and refused to answer any more of my questions.

Maybe it was a language barrier; maybe it was because of her trust in us  that blind trust that prevents one from actually hearing what is being said, because of who is saying it. Whatever the reason, it was clear to me that she was unprepared for the surgical result, the deformity, and the change  and that it didnt matter that her cancer was removed.

That hospitalization was the last time I saw her. She did not show up to her clinic appointments with me or her surgeon. Attempts to call her went unanswered. Less than a month later I received word that she had died. Apparently, she had refused to leave her bed even at home and died in her sleep, probably from a pulmonary embolus, I thought.

The news devastated me. We had cured her (I think), but the result was unacceptable. It was as if the decision to proceed with surgery was made for her, not with her. That we had not given her enough time to consider alternative options, including the one not to do any further treatment. Because of her, I have learned to voice my opinion and to engage my colleagues in a truly multidisciplinary way. Mostly, for women in whom an exenteration is being discussed, I have advocated for more than just surgical counseling. Social work and psychosocial support must be in place preoperatively, and it must continue even after surgery.

Knowing my patient died so soon after surgery was a sobering experience and a reminder that, even if we can do something, sometimes its better to take a step back and ask the more important question: Should we?

Don S. Dizon is an oncologist who blogs at ASCO Connection. This article originally appeared in the Oncologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Be careful. Hes violent. That was the way sign out began for Mr. T. The intern continued, He has been in the hospital forever because he was kicked out of his nursing home. Good luck. And, oh yeah  hes blind. Puzzled, I looked at my list of patients and, not sure whether I should write violent by this patients name, I decided instead to write blind. I paused. The intern said, Dont worry, he hit someone with his cane. When you enter his room, just keep your eye on the cane.

The next morning, as I approached the room, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. When I knocked on the door, I was greeted sharply with a bit of a grunt, and a quick Is that my breakfast tray? I quickly responded no and that I was the new doctor on the team. Knowing that a hungry patient can be tricky to warm up, I decided to sit down first. I found a very tall African American man sitting near the window, listening to the radio. Mr. T appeared much older than his stated age, and he wore a spirit of fatigue that was heavy and ominous. I could also sense his strong feelings of distrust, which I often see in African American patients, but his inability to see his surroundings presented an even higher barrier for me to climb.

During my first two days of taking care of Mr. T, I didnt examine him. I just sat there with him. Shamefully telling my attending on both days that the patient was on his way to dialysis when asked why I was unable to examine him. I knew he felt violated and distrustful, so I wanted to wait for him to trust me. First, I started with asking about the music he enjoyed, since he was always listening to the radio. Through his love of music, I begin to learn about his life. I found out that he grew up in the foster care system, that he had been homeless for a year, and that, at the young age of 40, he lost his vision due to diabetes.

While getting to know Mr. T, I also began to learn the dynamics of the unit. Mr. T had been labeled as violent, and there was no turning back. The nurses didnt take to Mr. T, and he didnt like the nurses. The doctors stayed away from his room and only entered with a quick hello in the early morning during rounds. The most striking thing I observed was how people would talk about Mr. T very loudly near his room and as he walked the halls, as if he were both deaf and blind. The nursing assistants would say loudly, I had Mr. T yesterday, I want a different patient today.

The phlebotomists would ask the nurse next to his open door, Is this the blind man? Do you think he will let me get his blood today?

I often would get a frantic call to Mr. Ts room to find him in a yelling match with a team member about his food tray and why his breakfast never came before dialysis. At first, I didnt understand: This was not the gentle Mr. T that I knew from our afternoon chats. But then, I realized that it was.

I realized that Mr. Ts greatest problem was that he didnt feel in control. He could not see, he was in unfamiliar surroundings, and his housing security had disappeared abruptly. One day, after I was able to calm him down from yet another shouting match with food services, I finally asked him, Mr. T, why are you so angry today?

He said to me, I hear how yall talk about me around here. These people come in my room with an attitude and an opinion of me before they even meet me. And yall wonder why Im so angry. I just want to be able to get my breakfast before I go to dialysis. I come back 4 hours later, hungry and tired. Dont you get your food when you want it?

I had no response to make. Although I did not know all of the background about what had caused his displacement, I knew we were failing him. Failing him as a team, as a unit, and as a health care system. I also questioned how we formed our opinion of him in the unit. Were most of our opinions and feelings toward him formed before we even met him? Did we let our professionalism level slip as a medical unit because of our biased opinions? Isnt true professionalism defined by our insignificant daily activities? We were anchored into our opinion of him as violent, similar to how to a doctor can be anchored in a diagnosis of pneumonia. When presented with new information on Mr. T, were we able to reassess our position towards him?

With time, Mr. T began to mellow out and became less angry about his breakfast. Less because he trusted the staff and more as a sign of defeat because the prospect of him finding a long-term home became dimmer. His fear, which initially was displayed as anger, transitioned more into withdrawal and quiet spirit. Despite this change in spirit, the unit continued to label him as angry and, each shift, the nurses and doctors would sign out, Hes violent. Watch his cane. Without any mention of his distrust, loss of control, and the effects that his vision impairment had on his interactions with the staff.

Finally, a nurse came up to me and said, I dont know how you deal with Mr. T. He seems to only like you. Frustrated with the stigma surrounding my patient, I wanted to ask everyone on the unit, Why have we let our professionalism suffer when faced with the demands of a difficult patient?

But I was too exhausted and weathered from the dynamics of the situation. I simply answered, Im not sure either.

Briana Buckner is an internal medicine resident who blogs at Insights on Residency Training, a part of NEJM Journal Watch.

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A controversial new rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor aims to improve the quality of advice that investors receive regarding their retirement accounts. The rule requires that financial professionals who give advice on retirement accounts act as fiduciaries for their clients, meaning that they must put their clients best interests ahead of their own financial gain, disclosing their forms of compensation and any conflicts of interest. Heres what you can expect.

1. Whats behind this new rule? Today, brokers are generally not required to put their clients interests first when recommending investments. Rather, they merely need to suggest products that are suitable for their clients based on the clients goals, age, risk tolerance and so forth. By contrast, registered investment advisers, another class of financial professionals, are always required to put clients interests first, even though these advisers provide exactly the same services as brokers (whether someone is a broker or an adviser depends on how they are licensed and regulated). Because of that, it can be difficult for the average investor to glean whether a financial professional is offering objective advice with no financial interest or is acting more like a salesperson.

2. What does the new rule do? Essentially anyone who provides investment advice for a retirement account in exchange for compensationincluding brokers, advisers and insurance agentsmust act as a fiduciary. In other words, financial professionals who have acted as salespeople must now consider whats best for your finances, rather than whats best for their own.

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Although the rule will have repercussions across all sorts of retirement accounts and products, it primarily targets (and will have the greatest impact on) high-commission products sold for rollover IRAs. Rollover IRAs have become hot spots for high-fee, poor-performing investments, such as variable annuities and nontraded real estate investment trusts. The rule doesnt bar an adviser from recommending any of those products, but it does limit them to charging reasonable fees, and it requires firms that charge commissions to jump through some cumbersome hoops. As a result, such products may disappear from IRAs altogether.

3. How does the rule affect me if I invest through a discount broker, as opposed to using a full-service broker? Its unlikely that anything will change for you if you manage your own IRA with a discount broker and no one gives you investment advice. Because financial firms are still trying to determine their responsibilities in light of the new rule, its less clear what will happen if you work with a full-service broker. One possibility is that brokers who currently rely on commissions generated through transactions (the purchase and sale of stocks, for example) will gravitate toward charging clients a percentage of the assets they manage. Some financial-industry observers predict that the rule might force full-service firms to jettison customers with smaller accounts. Registered investment advisers who charge commissions will face similar pressures.

4. Will I see new paperwork? If you work with a broker, adviser or insurance agent who plans to continue charging commissions or receiving other compensation that could create a conflict of interest, your contract with that person will change to reflect additional requirements of the new rule. (If you are an existing customer, this will likely show up in your mailbox as a proposed amendment to your current contract; if you are a new client, it will likely be rolled into your other account-opening paperwork.) In particular, your adviser, broker or agents firm will have to commit to providing advice thats in your best interest and to charging reasonable fees. Plus, firms will have to adopt policies and procedures to minimize the effects of potential conflicts of interest (the rule doesnt specify exactly what these policies and procedures should entail).

5. What does this mean for my 401(k)? If any financial professional gives you individual investment advice about your 401(k), that person must, under the new rule, act in your best interest. Otherwise, the rules impact on your 401(k) will probably be fairly subtle. The main change is that some financial professionals who previously didnt have fiduciary obligations when working with your plan sponsor (that is, your employer) will now have such responsibilities. For example, a broker who recommends a specific menu of investment options to your employer might not have had fiduciary duties in the past but will be obligated to act in the best interest of the plan under the new rule.

6. Does this mean Ill earn more on my retirement investments? The rule will make a big difference in the returns of those people who might otherwise, because of bad advice, have purchased high-fee products such as variable annuities or nontraded REITs in their IRAs.

For everyone else, the rules effect on returns will likely be more modest. The rule reduces the chances that anyone will advise you to do a rollover. Keeping money in a 401(k) instead of rolling it into an IRA can boost your returns slightly because 401(k) mutual funds typically charge lower fees than funds available in an IRA. If you work with a full-service broker or adviser who currently charges commissions, its possible that the fee structure on your account or the mix of investments in your IRA could change. Whether that hurts or helps your returns will depend on your individual situation. If you already work with an adviser who charges fees instead of commissions and who recommends low-cost products, the rule likely wont affect your returns at all.

7. So does my adviser have to recommend the lowest-cost products now? Not necessarily. The rule effectively establishes a loophole for firms that sell only proprietary productsinvestments that are managed in-house or by affiliated entities (for example, Wells Fargo funds are proprietary to Wells Fargo Advisors). Under the rule, brokers and others who sell only proprietary products arent required to recommend or even mention competitors products, even if they carry lower fees.

But the rule could save investors money by reducing the use of mutual funds that levy charges known as 12b-1 fees on top of management fees and other costs of doing business. These fees, which run as high as 1% of assets annually, are used to compensate brokerage firms and advisers. Consumer advocates have long decried 12b-1 fees because, they say, the charges are difficult to understand.

In any case, financial professionals wont be required to recommend the lowest-cost options. Theres no obligation for fiduciaries to automatically recommend the lowest-cost products, but if theyre recommending pricier products they have to have legitimate reasons for doing so, says Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago lawyer who represents investors in arbitration disputes with their brokers. Legitimate reasons might include, for example, recommending a fund that provides exposure to emerging markets or another asset class that offers extra diversification but typically charges above-average fees. We dont think the new rule will bar brokers from recommending actively managed funds with reasonable fees, even if those charges are well above those of comparable index funds.

8. When does the rule take effect? Its main provisions, including imposing a fiduciary status on advice providers, take effect on April 10, 2017. The extra requirements for financial professionals who accept commissions dont fully kick in until January 1, 2018.

Whats Not Covered

Taxable accounts. The new rule covers only advice pertaining to retirement accounts.

Educational materials. Furnishing objective information on certain topics, as long as an adviser or broker isnt making an investment recommendation, doesnt trigger a fiduciary relationship. Such communications could include information on hypothetical asset allocations and worksheets to estimate your retirement-savings needs.

Advice that predates the rule.Advice provided before April 10, 2017, isnt covered by the new rule, and your adviser or broker can continue to receive compensation after that date for recommendations made before that date. However, any advice given after that date regarding your old investments would be held to the new rules standards.

A hire me recommendation.Professionals can urge you to invest your retirement accounts with them or with their firms even if doing so is not actually in your best interest.
The Department of Labors new fiduciary rule runs to 1,000 pages and more, and the file Im keeping on it seems almost as hefty. At first glance, the rule seems straightforward enough: Brokers and other financial professionals who offer investors advice on retirement accounts401(k)s, IRAs and rollover IRAsare being required to act as fiduciaries, putting clients best interests ahead of their own financial gain, a stricter requirement than the current suitability standard for brokers.

But in the real world, the devil is in the details, and this rule seems particularly devilish. As Elizabeth Leary writes in her story on this topic, financial firms are still trying to determine their responsibilities in light of the new rule. The Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund industrys trade group, denies the Labor Departments assertion that assets invested with brokers underperform their benchmarks. And the ICI says that IRA investors pay about half the average annual expenses charged overall for stock mutual funds: 0.71% of assets versus 1.33%. The ICI has asked Congress to reject the rule and pass a bipartisan bill to adopt a best interest legal standard instead.

Although the rule doesnt take effect until April 2017, our story can help you prepare by explaining how you might be affected and what you can do on your own to protect your retirement investments, rule or no rule. For example, Elizabeth points out that although the rule is far-reaching, it is particularly aimed at high-fee investments in rollover IRAs, such as variable annuities and nontraded real estate investment trusts. Fees aside, those investments are often risky and illiquid, and you should always approach them with caution, whether theyre inside or outside retirement accounts (see our story on variable annuities, Income Guarantees, With a Catch).

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What you should know. Assuming the rule stands, it could change the way your money is managed. Stockbrokers and money managers would have an incentive to switch from charging commissions to using asset-management accounts that levy a flat feesay, 1% a year. That might save frequent traders money on commissions but increase costs for buy-and-hold investors. Brokers would be able to continue charging commissions, but youd have to sign a separate contract that imposes more regulatory requirements. So you need to know which type of financial arrangement with your adviser suits you best: an annual fee, commissions or perhaps an hourly fee for a particular service, such as retirement planning.

Because of the rules complexity, theres speculation that some brokers and advisers could drop small accounts or shy away from accepting 401(k) rollovers, meaning that more money would stay with employer plans, assuming employers permit it. Keeping money in your employers plan can give you the advantage of lower costs on larger institutional accounts, but the investment options may be poor or more limited than youd like (see How to Withdraw From Your 401(k) Plan in Retirement (opens in new tab)).

No guarantees. And be aware of what a fiduciary standard doesnt do: It doesnt guarantee that the advice you get will be any better or that you wont lose money. In the end, nobody has a bigger stake in your money than you do. That means you should understand and feel comfortable with what youre investing in, know how much youre being charged and match your investments with your appetite for risk. As always, were here to help youand well do it in less than 1,000 pages.
A guest post by David Garrett:

Why were Mokos killers charges reduced to manslaughter?

It is now almost a month since it became publicly known that the people who stomped and bashed and strangled little Moko Rangitoheriri to death over a two week period had had their murder charges reduced to manslaughter, to which they no doubt very gratefully pleaded guilty. Despite commendable media scrutiny, the public are still none the wiser as to how this seemingly inexplicable decision came to be made.

And inexplicable it is, to a number of senior criminal defence barristers I have consulted. The statement of facts has now been leaked. I am told it is a dreadful tale of lengthy abuse and multiple life threatening injuries, any one of which could have caused Mokos death. There is absolutely no doubt that all of those injuries were inflicted by Tania Shailer and/or her boyfriend David Haerewa. Unlike the Kahui twins debacle, no-one else is in the frame.

One early story quoted a family member having been told by the Crown Solicitor in charge of the prosecution that because Moko did not die immediately, but later in hospital, a murder charge could not be pursued. The Crown Solicitor emphatically denies that any such conversation took place, and confirms that any such downgrading of murder charges to the lesser charge of manslaughter must be approved by the Solicitor General, and that is what happened in this case. In other words, the buck stops with the person effectively in charge of all Crown prosecutions, the Solicitor General Una Jagose. But neither she nor anyone from her office are talking.

I am aware of many media enquiries being made seeking an explanation from Ms Jagose. Apparently more than one reporter now cannot speak to anyone at the Solicitor Generals office, let alone the woman herself. When I called seeking an e-mail address for her I was grilled as to who I was, and why I wanted it. In my view this is outrageous  it should not matter if I was the barrister from Auckland that I am, or a concerned truck driver from Timaru.

The Solicitor General is a public official, not the Queen. She is appointed to fill the highest non political legal office in the land. It is ultimately she who provides legal advice to the government, and oversees all serious criminal prosecutions. It is to her we entrust the prosecution of the evil persons among us who commit heinous crimes, rather than take the law into our own hands. She ought to be accountable to us, the people on whose behalf she acts.

She is not a Judge. It is an important constitutional convention that Judges occupy an exalted status above the rest of us  both barristers from Auckland and truck drivers from Timaru. No-one writing to a Judge seeking an explanation for a sentence will get a reply. If the writer of such a letter was a lawyer, he would probably have a complaint laid against him with the Law Society.

But there is a very important difference between the decisions of Judge and the decisions of a Solicitor General. Judges issue sentencing notes which explain in sometimes tedious detail how a particular sentence was arrived at  an addition for this aggravating factor, a deduction for that supposedly mitigating factor. Here we have absolutely nothing from the Solicitor General  no explanation, not even a statement.

It is not as if this explanation will come on 27 June, the day Shailer and Haerewa receive their now unavoidably inadequate sentence. The Judge will simply see the summary of facts, and be told that the Crown has accepted a plea of guilty to manslaughter. Neither he nor any other Judge has had any involvement with the plea bargain which has preceded the fait accompli he will be presented with. It is very unlikely he will even comment on it.

It is simply not right for the Solicitor General to maintain an imperious silence in her office in Wellington. Politicians explain the reasons for their support of or opposition to laws being passed in parliament. Judges explain the reasons for their decisions in open court for all to hear, and in their sentencing notes. If there is a reason or reasons for this seemingly inexplicable decision then lets hear it. The people ought not to be treated with such disdain. They have a right to know.
The Guardian reports:

Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to give the entire population of the country enough money to live on, according to exit polls.

A projection provided to the public broadcaster RTS said 78% had voted against all Swiss citizens, along with foreigners who have been residents in Switzerlandfor at least five years, being given a universal basic income, or UBI.

Supporters said providing such an income would help fight poverty and inequality in a world where good jobs with steady salaries are becoming harder to find.

The result comes as no surprise, however opinion polls ahead of the vote had indicated more than 70% of Swiss voters opposed the measure. The Swiss government and nearly all the countrys political parties had urged voters to reject the initiative.

Critics have called the initiative a Marxist dream, warning of sky-high costs and people quitting their jobs in droves, to the detriment of the economy. If you pay people to do nothing, they will do nothing, said Charles Wyplosz, economics professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A chancery court judge has ruled that all of Ocean Springs' East Beach is a public beach and not the property of two homeowners who claimed ownership of the sections of beach in front of their homes.

City Attorney Robert Wilkinson told The Mississippi Press Monday afternoon the City, joined in the case by Jackson County and the Secretary of State's office, "won on all grounds. It's been declared a public beach."

In his ruling, Chancellor Hollis McGehee wrote "Therefore, the court finds as a matter of fact and law that the current existing sand beach at the area known as East Beach, Ocean Springs, MS is a man made beach. The beach is held by the State as a trustee for the use and benefit of the people of the state of Mississippi. The prior grant of injunctive relief is set aside and held for naught."

The long odyssey to determine East Beach ownership began in 2009 when the Secretary of State's office granted a lease to the City to allow construction of a sidewalk along East Beach.

A number of East Beach homeowners objected to the idea, but local attorney Buddy Gunn and Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Neil Harris took it a step further, seeking injunctive relief through the courts.

A chancery court judge initially granted a temporary injunction and later a permanent injunction, but the Mississippi Supreme Court vacated the permanent injunction, but reinstated the temporary one, while remanding the case back to the lower court.

The county and state joined the City of Ocean Springs in the lawsuit in 2010.

Harris and Gunn obtained a summary judgment from the court in August 2012, but again the Supreme Court overturned that ruling, saying the chancellor had erred in granting the judgment and again remanded the case back to the lower court, this time for a full trial on the case's merits.

That trial ended with Monday's ruling by McGehee.

This story will be updated.
A survey by First Advantage Corp. of Atlanta finds that embellished work histories are common among job seekers. (Credit: First Advantage Corp.)

I had to write a resume recently, recalls Nedalee Thomas, CEO of Chanson Water USA Inc., in Laguna Hills, California. Thomas markets a brand of specialty medical devices, water ionizers, internationally. With a two-year degree followed by staying at home with 19 kids for 22 years, there wasn't much else to list, although I launched and headed several successful companies after my divorce. In the end, I was honest on my resume and received certification.

Thomas dodged the temptation to embellish her resume. Embellishment reeks of a lack of integrity through exaggeration or falsification. An international survey of more than 2,881 employed adults on three continents finds embellishing widespread, according to Atlantas First Advantage Corp., which does background screening globally. The survey found almost 25 percent of respondents culpable in resumes or job interviews.

How can you avoid misrepresentation on your resume, especially if you have little or poor experience vis a vis a position?

1. Accept your experience as it is, without burdening your resume to make up for it. Be inspired by facts and utilize other opportunities to self-promote -- from cover letters, telephone calls and emails to in-person conversations.

2. Tell it like it is rather than might be. Avoid self-aggrandizing statements, indicates Susan Peppercorn, CEO of Positive Workplace Partners LLC, a career consultancy in Newton, Massachusetts. Peppercorn says to focus on achievements, which make empty words and phrases such as "proven track record of, results-oriented" or "self-starter" redundant. If the concepts arent obvious, rewrite your resume!

3. Use real numbers. Mike Doonan, a partner at San Francisco-based executive search firm Schweichler Price Mullarkey & Barry Inc., indicates that your most powerful information will be statistics, such as revenue and profit growth or number of products released. My rule of thumb is: Did you make your last boss or company money? If you had a staff job or entry-level job, you might have to think hard about how to express any impact you might have had. Well, then, rise to the challenge!

4. Dont clutter your resume with irrelevant information now that youve convinced the reader that youre an asset.

5. Show spirit. Humility is a key hiring variable, notes Dave Popple, president of New York Citys management consulting firm Psynet Group Inc., yet the resume writer needs to show capability. It can be a tricky catch-22. This perspective allows you to demonstrate modesty combined with your likelihood of contributing to an organization.

6. Remember to keep it short, Doonan advises. Your resume is just a first step in a lengthy selection process, not the process itself. If the bullet point describing your current position contains more than 20 words, delete and start over.

Then, when you think youve done everything correctly, check it out with the real world. The best way not to embellish on a resume is to give it to your spouse, partner, best friend or parent to vet, says Pierre Tremblay, director of HR at Dupray Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, which sells steam cleaners and irons internationally.

Most people share their work stresses and work life with the people closest around them, he explains, who usually have the personal knowledge to garner whether youre embellishing or not. They (likely) have great understanding of what your job entails and what you actually do. Theyre the best qualified people to figure out if youve been naughty on your resume!

(Knoxville News Sentinel syndicated columnist Mildred Culp, Ph.D., welcomes your questions. Contact her at culp@workwise.net.  2016 Passage Media.)
SHARE Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announces a federal lawsuit against four phony cancer charities Tuesday, May 19, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. The Federal Trade Commission and all 50 states filed a federal lawsuit against four phony cancer charities - including Knoxville-based Cancer Fund of America - and their operators, accusing them of scamming more than $187 million from consumers across the country. (Michael Patrick/Knoxville News Sentinel)

Tennessee economy grows for 18th month in row

A Tennessee quarterly business and economic indicators report shows the state has experienced 18 consecutive quarters of economic growth, as evidenced by new business filings.

According to the report, which is published through a partnership between Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research, there were 9,546 new business entity filings during the first quarter of 2016, a 9.9 percent increase over the first three months of 2015.

Davidson County led the way with the most initial filings among the state's four largest counties with 2,265 new business entity filings, followed by Shelby County with 1,716, Knox with 756 and Hamilton with 595.

Domestic limited liability corporations (LLCs) showed the largest year-over-years gains with a 16.1 percent increase, when tracking annual report submissions. Foreign entities followed (11.2 percent) along with domestic nonprofit corporations (8.3 percent).

Kroger announces local plans to hire up to 250

The Kroger Co. announced plans to hire up to 250 workers in East Tennessee over the next few months. Up to 100 employees will be needed for Kroger's newest Knoxville-area store, scheduled to open in Powell in early fall. Another 150 employees will be needed at Kroger's other area stores.

The nation's largest supermarket chain said it is planning to hire up to 700 people in its Nashville division, which includes Knoxville, and about 14,000 new workers nationwide in its latest employment effort.

TeamHealth expands headquarters, hiring staff

TeamHealth officials announced that the health care solutions company is investing $6.7 million in expanding its Knoxville headquarters and hiring 250 employees over the next three to five years.

The project calls for renovating a 62,000-square-foot building next to TeamHealth's headquarters on Brookview Centre Way. Hiring for new management and office positions will begin in December.

"In order to continue providing best-in-class service and support to our clinician community across the nation, we are expanding our home office in Knoxville," TeamHealth president and CEO Michael D. Snow said. "The building adjacent to our existing home office will house our growing nonclinical team members that serve our more than 18,000 clinicians that provide care in approximately 3,400 acute and post-acute facilities and physician groups across the country."

TeamHealth is one of the largest physician services companies, providing staffing services for hospitals in the U.S. for multiple service lines, including anesthesia, emergency medicine and hospital medicine.

Knoxville hosts Mad, Bad and Dangerous conference

Several hundred women and girls attended Knoxville's first Mad, Bad and Dangerous conference, aimed at inspiring and advising female entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs in the greater Knoxville area.

The event, hosted by the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, featured nationally known keynote speakers and the 24Hour Generator, a competition for high school girls in which teams are tasked with finding solutions to real-world business issues.

Emily Skaar, director of entrepreneurship for the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, said the response from attendees was "fantastic."

Clayton Homes acquires Gallatin's Goodall Homes

Maryville-based Clayton Homes has acquired Gallatin-based Goodall Homes, expanding Clayton's reach into the site-built home market. Goodall Homes has been a builder of single-family homes, town homes and condominiums since 1990. It is the second site-built housing company that Clayton Homes has acquired.

The acquisition of Goodall Homes includes about 3,600 lots and 180 homes under construction in a five-county area of Middle Tennessee. Goodall closed 436 home sales last year.

Cherokee Health to grow clinic with help from grant

Cherokee Health will expand its East Knoxville clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue with help from a $1 million grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services.

The clinic, which operates five days a week, benefited from a 2012 HHS grant for $875,417. Cherokee Health already receives a recurring grant of $650,000 from HHS for daily operations of the clinic, which serves about 2,000 patients each year.

This grant was part of $4,232,706 awarded to five Tennessee health centers for "facility renovation, expansion and construction." The money is from the Affordable Care Act's Community Health Center Fund, authorized in 2015.

According to Dr. Dennis Freeman, CEO of Cherokee Health, the $1 million grant will be used to connect the two side-by-side buildings, more than doubling usable space to 8,200 square feet. It will expand the lobby area and add three exam rooms, four behavioral health offices, and a large conference room that can be used for group therapy or community meetings.

Local Motors will use Siemens' software platform

Phoenix-based Local Motors, which has operations in Knoxville, has formed a partnership with German global engineering firm Siemens to make use of that company's Product Lifecycle Management software platform that will allow its 60,000 designers and engineers around the world to collaborate on the design of its 3-D printed cars.

Local Motors, which has a showroom in Knoxville and is building a micro-factory in West Knoxville, is using open-source labs from around the world to contribute to the design of its LM3D Swim and other 3-D-printed cars.

The Siemens software platform, which has been used by Ford, Maserati and others, is meant to make the process easier and quicker. The Swim, which is slated to be available later this year or in early 2017, will be produced in Knoxville.

Rural/Metro of ET improves ISO fire safety rating

Rural/Metro of East Tennessee has improved its ISO fire safety rating, meaning lower insurance premiums for more than 26,000 Knox County homeowners outside city limits.

The Rural/Metro fire department rating has moved from a Class 5 to a Class 3, according to the Knox County Fire Prevention Bureau, which could mean a savings of about $140 a year on a homeowner's policy for a $150,000 house. This is on a 1-10 scale, with the lower the number the better the quality of fire protection.

The amount a property owner will save because of the new rating will depend the value of the property, its age and other factors.
FILE PHOTO/NEWS SENTINEL Denso Manufacturing Tennessee in Maryville has taken a proactive approach to educating current and future employees.

SHARE Rigatti Brahams Wise

By Steve Trosky of the Knoxville News Sentinel

With a low unemployment and jobs that can be difficult to fill, Denso Manufacturing Tennessee Inc. in Maryville has figured out a way to help close the skills gap that exists between open jobs and the ability of available workers to do the job.

It has partnered with Pellissippi State Community College, and it has been a win-win situation for both.

"Unemployment is really low right now," said Laurie Rigatti, manager of Education and Development at Denso. "It's very clear to us and other businesses. Skill trades are hard to come by anyway, so we work together very closely with Pellissippi with some skill trade activities."

More specifically, Pellissippi State's automated industrial systems program, which prepares students for a future in modern manufacturing control systems with courses related to the design, application, and maintenance of industrial process controls, robotics and automated manufacturing systems.

"It aligns very well with our apprenticeship program," Rigatti said. "In collaboration with them, we have created a collat program. During (the student's) time there, before they graduate, there is an opportunity to co-op here. We just had a gentleman complete his co-op program and he has been hired here. That's win-win."

Pellissippi State president Dr. Anthony Wise and Teri Brahams, the school's executive director of business and community services, have made a conscious effort to work closely with businesses in the area.

Pellissippi State is one of the founding members of the Global Corporate College, an organization formed by community colleges in an attempt to be responsive to the needs of companies with multiple footprints nationally and globally. Brahams is on the board of directors.

"For Denso, we created a program for their existing workers and they want to have that training replicated across their other facilities," Wise said. "The Global Corporate College contacts community colleges in other areas to make sure the training is the same across the board at the other facilities.

"It's critical because things are changing so quickly. Whether it be equipment, processes or dealing with the next generation of workers, it truly is critical that learning continue long after somebody gets a degree or certificate."

Pellissippi State also worked with Denso to crease an in-house leadership program. The week-long workshops take place at the Pellissippi State Blount County campus.

"It's win-win," Rigatti said. "It's down the road, but it gives that feeling of being off-site. We really want them to be all-in and not worried about what's happening on-site. This is a nice environmental change for us. We are continuing our education and Pellissippi is assisting us with our leadership development as well as skill trades."

Aside from Pellissippi State, Denso also has worked with Tennessee Tech and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

"(They) are probably our biggest cohorts," Rigatti said. "TCAT supports some of our apprentice training as well."

Internally, Denso continues its education by offering apprenticeship programs and basic skill training.

"We're trying to align with community colleges in the area to see how they can help get some of these students ready," Rigatti said. "One of the skill sets is how to act in a professional environment. It's a broad scope. Kudos to Teri Brahams. She's helping us make connections at Walters State and in Nashville so we can understand their programs and what they're teaching, and is there something they could tweak or something they could add to help somebody gain employment here."

Denso also is trying to create a pipeline to employment. There was a time when going to work in a manufacturing plant was less than desirable for some. Rigatti hopes to change that by reaching students in high school and middle school.

"Denso has a presence in Blount County, but we want interest from people in other areas, too," she said. "Can we get Blount County Schools, Knox County Schools, and others to help prepare kids? Communicate to kids and communicate to their parents, what it could mean to work in a manufacturing environment. How can we make manufacturing sexy again? We need to educate future employees and their parents."

Rigatti said many area students get to Denso by using their school counselors or relying on their families.

"We want to make Denso more visible," she said. "With Pellissippi, we want to see how we can connect all the entities so we can continue to grow our communities. In a company like Denso, we have our own education department. Sometimes, to outside people, to the outside world, we're an engineer or manufacturer worker."

Dr. Stephan Turnipseed, the executive vice president and chief strategy offer for Destination Imagination, said that 65 percent of all future jobs have not yet been invented. As technology constantly changes, so do equipment and the jobs needed to either run or repair the equipment. Getting ahead of the curve is extremely difficult, so Denso is doing its best to keep pace.

"We have a good relationship with our engineering group, so we can try to know (the technologies) in advance," Rigatti said. "How can we prepare them for a different challenge? Being prepared is the challenge. We've talked about automation, interfacing. For automation, you need the stuff, so it's hard to train when you don't have it yet."

For Pellissippi State's part, tweaking educational programs to support the needs of business is part of the mission.

"Denso is a good example of this," Wise said. "Yes, we have a 20-year history of non-credit training. Automated industrial systems is now a credited course. Our faculty also work with local employers. How can we direct students toward those positions? It's a big part of what we do, what we think about and how we position our institution."

"That's a continual thing," Brahams added. "It may not be as a dramatic change or as automatic. Employers are kind of designing their own programs. Two employers that I know of, will look at what we offer and say 'I need my employees to have those five classes.' They took them, then got promotions."

Pellissippi State will continue to offer its manufacturing programs to help high school or community college students learn how to work the manufacturing process.

"It's simply not training to a skill," Wise said. "It's a process that leads to creative thinking, to learn new processes as you go through any field. We hope that in addition to learning that skill, you learn to think. It's an adaptive process.

"One of the ways to teach students about the manufacturing process is to put in a fault. They have to figure it out. The people who are working equipment have to work programming and problem solving."

That philosophy fits hand-in-hand with the realities of working in a manufacturing environment.

"I think continuing education is very important. Our jobs aren't static any more. They're ever-changing," Rigatti said. "Even with diversity in the workforce, communication always comes up as a very important skill, and the way we do it seems to be evolving more with more generations in the workplace. With the constant changes that are going on in our daily lives with gadgets and things of that nature, how we fulfill our jobs sometimes requires that ongoing education.

"I think we see a lot of value in it here at Denso. In my section, we're doing a lot of regional activities. As I kind of scope across the region and see the different trainings, I ask, 'Why did we ever choose that? Was it to say we educated them?' I don't believe in that at all. I think there is always going to be some gaps, either in specific areas or in soft skill sets. We try to maintain, what skill set did they come in with? As we talk about aligning with high schools and things, the skill sets are different. There is less vocational training in schools. I think some things that changed over time impact what we do. We have to continue training our associates."

Which means Pellissippi State has to adapt its programs as well.

"It's a challenging proposition," Wise said. "We've always had a strong relationship with industry. In the current environment, we have close relationships with local businesses, the community and technical colleges to ensure we have the right kind of curriculum and activities. How do we help get the kids the training and educational opportunities to support workforce development? If we're going to be training people in advanced robotics, it takes resources to do that. We need the support of businesses to do what we need to do."

Denso, meanwhile, is happy being on the front lines of continuing education and workforce development.

"I'm proud of the activities Denso is doing as a whole human resource development, what recruiting is doing, what education is doing," Rigatti said. "We're really trying to understand this next generation coming in, what the needs of our existing folks are, trying to scope what our future needs are, and they all align a lot in that education realm. I think it's awesome that we're not just sitting and having interviews. We're really investing in our future."

Brahams is pleased, too.

"There was a time when employers weren't as engaged in the educational process as they are now," she said. "And clearly we're all benefiting from that engagement."
SHARE Mary Bogert Jamie Cunningham Wynne Caffey-Knight Miaofang Chi

Absolute Communications won a Merit Award during this year's Pinnacle Awards program. The company was honored for the creation of a printed guide, which promotes community and economic growth through local Greene County tourism.

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.

Miaofang Chi, a researcher at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received the Microscopy Society of America's Burton Medal, which is awarded annually to an early career scientist. Chi is a research staff member at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL. Her current research focuses on understanding atomic-level mass and electron transport behavior.

Elliott Davis Decosimo recently was presented with the Associate Award by the Tennessee Association of Manufacturers. The award honors the efforts of an Elliott Davis Decosimo team led by shareholder Jennifer Goodman for periodic consultations on accounting, tax preparation and associated services provided to TAM, as well as the firm's continued support of the manufacturing community.

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.

Clarity Pointe, a dedicated memory care community in Knoxville, received the Outstanding Sales Achievement Award and the 100 Percent Sold Award at the Life Care Services' biennial sales conference in Chicago. The honor recognized marketing director Mary Lynne Payne and executive director Kathy Coffey for having met or exceeded budgeted gross sales or movein goals over 24 straight months.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has appointed retired community organizer Gloria Garner to complete a partial term left by a vacancy on the board of commissioners of Knoxville's Community Development Corporation. Garner's term will conclude in June 2017. Garner retired from the Knoxville Area Urban League in 2006 after a 38-year career.

Grow Bioplastics, a Knoxville-based startup that makes biodegradable replacements for farmers, won the $7,500 grand prize at the 15th annual Charlotte (N.C.) Venture Challenge.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation awarded George J. Hyfantis Jr., PhD, P.E. an award for long term contributions to the environmental industry and TDEC's annual conference entitled "Environmental Show of the South." Hyfantis is president of QE2, and has served as an adjunct professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for nearly 40 years.

Susie Giddens Kelley, Ossoli Circle member, was awarded the GFWC of Tennessee Tribute of Honor in recognition of her outstanding service and dedication to the General Federation of Women's Clubs 2016.

Averitt Express honored associate Howard Smith Jr. of Powell for 20 years of safety.

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.

The East Tennessee Historical Society awarded Johnson Architecture an Award of Distinction for the firm's restorative design of Anderson Hall at Maryville College. The honor was presented as part of the society's Awards of Excellence Program.

Nelson Patterson, senior vice president-investment officer for Wells Fargo Advisors, was designated a member of the firm's Premier Advisor Program for the fourth year in a row.

RCN Technologies of Farragut was honored as an Emerging Partner at the 2016 Cradlepoint Partner Summit. Cradlepoint is a global leader in software defined 4G LTE network solutions for enterprises.

ACS Document Imaging, Inc., president Kirk Roegelein won the 2016 Small Business Impact Award from ORNL.

The Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association has recognized Erika Tookes, senior sales development representative with Merial Incorporated, with the Outstanding Commercial Representative Award for 2015. This award recognizes outstanding service to Tennessee's veterinary community.

University of Tennessee system president Joe DiPietro was named Executive of the Year and Cathy Ackermann, president of Ackerman PR, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America's annual V Awards. Ellie Amador, assistant director of communications for the UT system, received the first Lorna Norwood Excellence in Mentorship Award. Other individual award winners included Helen Ross McNabb Center for community service and Blackberry Farm received the overall J. Carroll Bateman Award of Excellence for the 2015 Blackberry Year Campaign. The President's Plaque was presented to Emily Scheuneman with Helen Ross McNabb Center for her service to the Volunteer Chapter. Project winners were: University of Tennessee System, UT Conferences for Counselors, Events & Observances, More Than Seven Days, Associations/Nonprofit Organizations; Mary Beth West Communications, LLC, "The Grass is Greener Where You Water It" campaign; Integrated Communications, Associations; Helen Ross McNabb Center, Why Create a Crisis? Media Relations, Nonprofit Organizations; Pellissippi State Community College, Presidential Visit for America's College Promise, Events & Observances, Seven or Fewer Days, Government; Designsensory, STEM Scouts Campaign, Integrated Communications, Nonprofit Communications; Dollywood, Introducing Dollywood's Lightning Rod, Press Conferences.

Workspace Interiors, Inc. has been designated a 2016 Steelcase Platinum Partner Award recipient for the third time in the five-year history of the award. Workspace Interiors met or exceeded all eight award criteria, including financial strength, community involvement, sustainability initiatives and customer satisfaction.

Y-12 took six National Nuclear Security Administration Sustainability Awards this year, half of all 2016 NNSA honors. The site won awards for change agent, water, waste reduction and pollution prevention, performance-based contracts, and greenhouse gas scope.
SHARE Jessica Gibson

The numbers should be familiar by now: by the year 2025, an estimated 55 percent of jobs in Tennessee will require postsecondary education.

Right now in Tennessee, only 39.3 percent of adults hold a postsecondary degree or credential. In order to meet our workforce and economic needs, Tennessee is implementing the Drive to 55, an initiative spearheaded by Gov. Bill Haslam to equip 55 percent of adult Tennesseans with a degree or credential by the year 2025. The Drive to 55 is not just an education initiative; it is a workforce and economic development initiative.

In Tennessee, there are more than 900,000 adults who have some college credits, but no degree. Reaching these adults is imperative if Tennessee will meet the Drive to 55. Even if every Tennessee student that graduates from high school between now and 2025 goes directly to college and gets a degree, Tennessee still won't meet the goal.

Adults returning to college or attending for the first time  many of whom are already in the workforce  will play an important role in reaching our state's education and economic goals. Tennessee Reconnect is an initiative focused on reaching these 900,000 adults to "reconnect" with higher education and gain the credentials they need to be competitive in the workforce and meet the needs of current and future employers.

So, what do the Drive to 55 and Tennessee Reconnect mean for you? As business leaders and employers in your community, you are in a position to emphasize the importance of education to your industry and to the local workforce. By prioritizing education in your community and to your employees, and even going the next step to investing in your employees' education, you can not only help to grow your business, but you can provide a major benefit to the people that bring your business to life.

Recent studies, including one that focused on employees at Cigna, show that investing in education is good for employees and good for a business' bottom line.

You can be a voice in your community to promote education for adults. Highlight the resources available to adult learners at TNReconnect.gov. Encourage employees and stakeholders in your community to learn about scholarships and grants available from the state of Tennessee that can help adults go back to college tuition-free. Talk to your employees, customers and community members about why your business supports education and the Drive to 55. Tell the stories of your employees who went back to college and what it meant for them and their families, and celebrate their successes.

The state of Tennessee and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission have put together a series of resources for business and industry to develop education initiatives and help Tennessee reach our education goals.

For more information on the benefits of going back to college and the resources available for adults looking to complete a degree or credential, visit www.TNReconnect.gov. To learn more about tools and resources for developing an employee education program at your business, visit the Tennessee Talent Toolkit at www.TNToolkit.gov. Information on the Drive to 55, including individual county profiles, are available at www.Driveto55.org.
SHARE Michael Collins, Scripps Howard News Service Washington, DC, correspondent. Photo by Paul Efird, Knoxville News Sentinel staff

By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Brad Allamong understands the concerns about a proposed $100 million wind farm to be built near Crossville. He has heard directly from some who fear the project's impact on the community.

But Allamong is urging everyone not to jump to conclusions until they get a full understanding of the project's pros and cons.

"I don't know at this point whether or not a greater calm should prevail so the facts of the project could be understood," said Allamong, president and CEO of the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce.

The Crab Orchard Wind Project, to be built across 1,800 acres atop the Cumberland Plateau, has come under fire from residents who are worried that it would destroy the beauty of the scenic mountain landscape.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and U.S. Rep. Diane Black recently added their voices to the chorus of opposition.

Alexander, no fan of wind energy, attacked the proposed wind farm last month in a speech on the Senate floor. The Maryville Republican said the project's massive turbines would spoil the area's scenic mountain beauty and would produce a small amount of power.

"I hope that citizens of Cumberland County  and all Tennesseans  will say a loud 'no' to the out-of-state wind producers who are encouraged by billions in wasteful taxpayer subsidies to destroy our mountains," he said.

"If there is one thing Tennesseans agree on, it is pride in the natural beauty of our state," Alexander said. "There are few places in our state more beautiful than Cumberland County. We should not allow anyone to destroy the environment in the name of saving it."

Black, a Gallatin Republican, also urged the Tennessee Valley Authority to reject the wind farm, saying she has heard complaints about the project from her constituents in Fairfield Glade, a retirement community that has attracted retirees from northern and midwestern states to the Cumberland Plateau.

"I am hopeful we can stop this unsightly and needless project from taking place in Cumberland County residents' backyards," Black said.

The Crab Orchard Wind Project, which would be capable of producing 71 megawatts of electricity, would be constructed by Apex Clean Energy, which is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va. The project, which would be built on private land, includes the construction of up to 23 wind turbines and is slated for completion in 2017.

Apex says the project will create jobs and a source of long-term revenue for schools, government and landowners while creating jobs and boosting economic opportunities for local businesses.

During construction, the project is estimated to produce $27.3 million in economic output for Cumberland County and create roughly 111 jobs, half of which are expected to come directly from the county, according to a study last year by the University of Tennessee's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.

Over the long term, the project will generate $1.4 million in annual economic output and host seven permanent jobs, the study said. Tax revenues for Cumberland County are expected to total $362,000 annually.

The chamber has helped Apex get out word about what the project entails, Allamond said. Apex has been open to holding a dialogue with people who have raised concerns about the project, he said.

Questions about the wind turbines' impact on the area's natural beauty should be taken into consideration when evaluating the project, Allamond said, but so should the project's economic impact on the community.

Allamond fears that some of the opposition to the project may be based on misinformation.

"We could get into nitpicking about the various points of discussion," he said, "but I think it's a good time for folks to have a better understanding and make their own judgment."
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- A group of people interested in learning more about the mythical creature Bigfoot gathered Saturday for the 10th annual Down South Bigfoot Rally.

The event was held at the Paul B. Johnson Park.

Don McDonald, from the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, hosted the event. He told WDAM television that he has spent 20 years trying to track down the creature he calls Bigfoot. Every year he hosts this event as a way to educate people and for people to share their encounters with Bigfoot with a larger audience.

McDonald says he's been called "crazy" for his beliefs but he's not worried about what people think of him.

"I've been told I'm on drugs. I've been told I'm bat crap crazy, but I want to help these people with encounters," McDonald said.

During the event, he showed what he described as evidence of Bigfoot, including footprints and a recording of the creature's whistle. He showed a map with places where Bigfoot has been sighted in Mississippi, adding that one of the hotspots is southwest Meridian and south of Forrest.

Bigfoot is a mythical apelike creature also referred to as Yeti or Sasquatch. Events like the one Saturday in Hattiesburg are held around the country.

The Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization was founded in 1997 as a way to focus attention and research on Bigfoot sightings in the south, the organization says on its website.
SHARE MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL Doug Lawyer, vice president of economic development for the Knoxville Chamber, during the presentation of the Livability Report Card to attendees at the Knoxville Chamber Market House Room on March 6, 2015. CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL Randy Boyd, commissioner of Economic and Community Development for the State of Tennessee speaks at the dedication ceremony of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the Haslam College of Business on April 15.

By Mamie Kuykendall of the Knoxville News Sentinel

When it comes to economic development, Tennessee is killing it.

In a good way.

Nearly 26,000 committed jobs and $5.5 billion in fresh capital investments were brought to the state last year, and Tennessee is quickly finding itself a national leader for economic and industry growth.

According to industry experts, the success largely is due to the cooperation between governmental entities and a strong financial position. Both factors are drawing new businesses and investments to the Volunteer State.

"We have the best balance sheet in the country, and we're keeping our promises," said Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. "That always goes over well."

This year, Site Selection Magazine presented the Mac Conway Awards for Excellence in Economic Development, given to top development agencies chosen from around the country.

Tennessee clinched three of the 11 metro awards and one micropolitan award.

The magazine looked at the number of jobs created and investments in each area, as well as how agencies address major issues. With a population of nearly 860,000, a per-capita income of just under $40,000, and an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, Knoxville made the cut. Other chosen Tennessee cities were Nashville and Chattanooga. McMinn County's Economic Development Authority also was chosen for the magazine's micropolitan picks.

"In the Site Selection Magazine, they looked at per capita numbers, growth and investment," said Doug Lawyer, vice president of Economic Development for the Knoxville Chamber. "It speaks well for Tennessee that there is a strong team approach right now. Everyone's collaborating, promoting the state."

Boyd said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's business-like mind and strong focus on development are important aspects of the state's success. According to Boyd, Tennessee "speaks the language of business."

A driving incentive for companies looking at the state as a potential home base is the focus on workforce development, realized by the newly implemented Drive to 55 and Tennessee Promise programs. The goal of these initiatives is to have 55 percent of all Tennesseans earn a higher education certificate or degree by 2025, in anticipation of the rapidly growing need for technical skills.

Without such advancement, the state will not be able to meet the employee demand for companies by the year 2025. Many states are looking for solutions to the problem, but Boyd said Tennessee is one of the few with a solid, sustainable program, funded by consistently growing lottery money. The boost in skilled workers is luring new companies en masse.

"When I'm talking to business recruits, anytime I mention Tennessee Promise, the companies and the HR folks' ears perk up," Lawyer said. "Every community, every state is struggling with workforce development, and Tennessee is doing something in a big way.

"It's good for the people coming in and the people already here."

The plans for education are long term. According to Lawyer, the workforce pipeline is a major factor, and Tennessee's leaders realize that appropriately developing today's middle schoolers into skilled future workers is of primary importance. To this end, local leaders are looking into educational changes and enhancements that will better prepare children for technical schools and college.

Other entities also are getting involved in attracting new jobs to the area. The Tennessee Valley Authority, for example, has helped communities dress up available commercial properties for new business recruitment. Such intrastate partnerships are making the state's development a great success.

"(Boyd) calls it 'Team Tennessee,' " Lawyer said. "I've been in business development for almost 20 years and this is the strongest I've ever seen it.

"I think Tennessee is certainly in the top five (states in the country) for development. We're getting national attention."
SHARE MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL Two students make their way toward Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus on May 24. UT admitted a higher percentage of in-state students in fall 2016 and about the same percentage of out-of-state students.

By Mamie Kuykendall of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Unless the educational system changes, Tennessee's workforce will be unequipped to meet employer needs within 10 years, according to industry experts.

The state's business landscape is rapidly evolving. Advancements in technology and production are causing a heightened need for skilled workers, and jobs that only require a standard high sachool education are on the decline.

Enter the newly implemented Drive to 55 and Tennessee Promise education initiatives. Funded by the Tennessee Lottery, the programs were created to encourage 55 percent of Tennesseans to earn a college degree or technical certificate by 2025. The goal is to prepare the workforce to meet the requirements of a continuously changing job market.

Tennessee Promise is an extension of Knox Achieves, a scholarship program created in part by Gov. Bill Haslam, then mayor of Knoxville, eight years ago. Funded through donations, Knox Achieves provided students with free higher education.

The program was expanded to cover 14 counties around Knoxville two years later, and in 2015, the newly created Tennessee Promise took over scholarship payments for students in all 95 counties.

Through Tennessee Promise, high school graduates can attend a technical school or community college for two years, free of charge. Students then often transfer to four-year institutions to finish their bachelor degrees.

"The realistic option of Tennessee Promise as the bridge for education is great," said Larry Long, assistant director of transfer holistic review and recruitment at the University of Tennessee. "It's giving students institutional choices. They can do what's best for them and get what's best for them."

At first glance, it may seem that free community college tuition would lower university student numbers, but four-year institutions are reporting a higher number of pupils.

The ability to have two years of school paid for, coupled with community colleges' often less rigorous entrance requirements, are opening educational doors to students who did not consider college as an option.

It is the entrance into higher education and eventual transfer of these students that is boosting university numbers, according to the University of Tennessee.

"These students are conscientious about planning forward, and where, and they're contacting us more and engaging us earlier," Long said. "It's a very savvy bunch coming out of these initiatives."

The program shows promising figures. According to a study released in May by the Department of Economic and Community Development's Center for Economic Research in Tennessee, if the goal of 55 percent is achieved within the next 10 years, more than 528,000 additional certificate holders will work in the state.

Theoretically, these employees will earn $9 billion more than they would have been earned without additional education, and the generated state and local taxes will equal more than $760 million per year.

Though the response has been positive, the state has a long way to go to meet the numbers. Last year's figures show that a little more than 1,337,000 residents between 25 and 64 years of age have advanced degrees, which is about 38.7 percent of the state's working-age population. This number needs to increase to more than 1,984,000 to reach the 55 percent mark by 2025.

Last year, 49.9 percent of working-age residents in Knox County had advanced degrees. In order to raise that to 65.2 percent, more than 43,800 Knox County residents need to earn degrees or certificates in the next 10 years.

According to education experts, the goal is achievable, and UT is seeing a yearly rise in student numbers.

"As we compare our fall 2016 applicants to the fall 2015 cycle, this year we admitted a higher percentage of in-state students and about the same percentage of out-of-state students," said Kari Alldredge, associate provost for enrollment management and assistant dean and director of undergraduate admissions for UT. "We will certainly know more following summer orientation and in the fall when students arrive on campus."

UT brought in 1,460 transfer students last fall, according to university numbers.

In a year with dismal college entrances nationwide, the figures are heartening, according to Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

"Freshman college entrance declined 1.7 percent nationally last fall," Boyd said. "In the state of Tennessee, it increased by 24 percent, and all public institutions increased by 10 percent. That's something to be proud of."

All of this is primarily funded through the Tennessee Lottery, which covers expenses not paid by students' other scholarships, and the widely used Hope Scholarship, also drawn from the lottery.

"We were blessed with having excess funds from the lottery, around $320 million," Boyd said. "We took that money along with another small portion and created an endowment of over $350 million."

The money is increased through investments, and any lottery excess is swept into the account each year, according to Boyd.

Because lottery money, and not taxes, funds the programs, they are maintainable, according to Boyd, who said other states are attempting to create similar programs using tax money with little success.

Boyd said the tax-funded format is much less reliable, because when tax revenue decreases, so does educational funding.

The lottery may create a stable environment, but the key to success lies in working partnerships between two- and four-year schools.

Pellissippi State Community College and UT are prime examples of such a union. The schools collaborate on student recruitment and jointly design course structure to ensure each institution's classes meets the requirements of the other.

Each year, UT receives about 500-600 transfer applications, or about 20 percent of the university's total transfer requests, from Pellissippi State.

Students don't just transfer from community colleges to universities, however. They have the option to do a reverse transfer, going from four-year to two-year schools, an option often attractive to non traditional students or those seeking an associate's degree.

"As an educational institution, you always have to be evolving," Long said. "We redesigned our transfer class website to keep students on track, addressing things like transfer scholarships and things on a broader scale.

"We have a workshop with 60 faculty and staff from across the state from community colleges to come and meet with our advising community, to empower our community college partners."

The success of transfer students is a driving concern for Pellissippi State.

"We have students on pathways," said Ted Lewis, vice president of Pellissippi State's Academic Affairs. "(Universities) will look at each of our courses and make sure they're equivalent to theirs, and they are.

"If a student starts with us and wants a UT course, we will transfer them so they can get the associates and bachelors. If students transfer to UT and can't complete the bachelors, they can come back and earn their associates with us."
SHARE Lee Cromwell

By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel

CLINTON  A third lawsuit has been filed against an Oak Ridge man facing criminal charges over a death and injuries that occurred in a crowded parking lot after a fireworks display in Oak Ridge last July 4.

Janicia Henderson of Anderson County filed the lawsuit against Lee Harold Cromwell, 65, of Oak Ridge, on behalf of herself and her four children.

According to the Anderson County Circuit Court complaint, Henderson and her children were preparing to leave the city's fireworks display. They were inside a 2007 Honda CRV when they "heard and felt a substantial and life-altering impact when the large Dodge pick-up operated by Lee Harold Cromwell crashed violently into their vehicle."

The incident occurred in the crowded parking lot of the Midtown Community Center after the fireworks, which were detonated across Oak Ridge Turnpike in the city's A.K. Bissell Park. "The collision caused the children to fly around the vehicle and impact themselves on one another and inside the vehicle," the legal action states.

The children in particular sustained "great psychological injuries" when they "were exposed to another victim of the Defendant's negligent and reckless conduct who had perished," it continues.

Knoxville resident James Robinson, 37, died of injuries he received when he was hit by Cromwell's pickup after he pushed his older daughter to safety, authorities said.

The lawsuit seeks a judgment "in a fair amount to fully compensate them in an amount to be determined by a jury "

Cromwell allegedly backed up his truck at high speed and struck seven vehicles that in turn hit other people. He is charged with homicide, 12 counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and driving on a suspended license.

Robinson's widow, Julia Robinson of Knoxville, in May filed a $7 million wrongful death lawsuit against Cromwell. The complaint states that Julia Robinson and her daughters "suffered severe mental anguish from witnessing the wrongful death of their husband and father ..."

A $450,000 complaint was filed in March by Michael and Elizabeth Eldridge of Oak Ridge. The Eldridges' complaint states they were sitting in the bed and tailgate of their vehicle when Cromwell negligently drove his truck into theirs, and they suffered leg injuries.

Cromwell's arraignment on the charges was postponed Friday after Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Don Elledge recused himself because Cromwell  who identifies himself as a sovereign citizen  filed an $8 million lien against Elledge's property. Elledge said as a result of the lien, he couldn't be fair and impartial.

The state's Administrative Office of the Courts will be asked to appoint a special judge to preside.
SHARE photos by CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL Veterans move the casket of Frank Traxler, one of six veterans from East Tennessee being honored during a memorial service at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery-John Sevier on Monday, June 6, 2016. Staff Sergeant Jeff Slover, of Knoxville, hands a flag to Sergeant William Broyles, of Morristown, during a memorial service for six veterans at the East Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery on Gov. John Sevier Highway Monday, June 6, 2016.

By Kristi L. Nelson of the Knoxville News Sentinel

The flag was at half-staff, the parking areas overflowing, many cars bearing military and veteran plates or insignia.

Around 200 people gathered Monday afternoon to ensure that six East Tennessee military veterans who died unclaimed were remembered in death.

Active-duty servicemen and servicewomen from each branch of the military escorted the remains of Sgt. Deborah Elaine Easler; Spec. 4th Class Leonard David Fairchild Jr.; Seaman Recruit Michael Lee McRill; Pvt. Calvin Coolidge Cherry Jr.; Pvt. Richard Eugene Traxler; and Fireman Robert Lowell Burk into the chapel at East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery on Gov. John Sevier Highway.

Cesar Correa, pastor of NorthStar church's South campus, delivered a eulogy, reading names, dates and branches of service, and what few other details were known.

"As I thought about these men and this woman, I couldn't help but wonder, what were their stories?" Correa said. "We know so precious little about these veterans, their lives, their hopes, their struggles.  How sad it is for us that we know so little of them."

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, whose father served in World War II, said he is "in awe" of veterans and expressed remorse that untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues might have marred their years after service.

"As a nation, this is an indictment of us, that we have homeless veterans who are not getting the care they need," Burchett said. "This should never happen in this great country of ours."

Speakers broadcast the service to those who came to pay their respects but couldn't squeeze inside. Flag-holding veterans circled the back and sides of the building through the ceremony, as six shots were fired, "Taps" played, and six doves released.

As the service concluded, the veterans' flags were presented. Representatives of the local Women's Veterans of America and Volunteers of America, respectively, accepted Easler's and Cherry's flags. Burk's flag went to the staff of East Tennessee Regional Forensic Center, which works to identify unclaimed dead who might be eligible for burial with military honors. And retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ken Guest accepted McRill's, which will be sent to a recently located sister in Colorado.

Libby Huffaker came to accept Fairchild's flag. Huffaker graduated with Fairchild from Fulton High School in 1963 and plans to display his flag there.

"We have little mini-reunions about every six months, and David always came," Huffaker said. "When I read this in the paper, I was just heartsick."

Maryville Mayor Ed Mitchell accepted the flag for Traxler, who died May 21 at Blount Memorial Hospital.

Friend Kenneth McCollum said Traxler last resided at Liberty Assisted Living.

"I called him 'Pop,' and he called me 'Son,' " McCullom said. "We went places and did things together. I'll miss that smile. He'd always light up with that smile."

This is the sixth such ceremony Berry Funeral Home has helped coordinate in Knoxville.
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By Lance Coleman

SEVIERVILLE  A Sevier County judge has sentenced Jacob Stanton to 25 years in prison for the 2009 shooting death of his girlfriend, Leah Avril.

A Sevier County jury found Stanton, 23, guilty of second-degree murder in April. Circuit Court Judge Rex Ogle sentenced him following a three-hour hearing Monday.

Assistant District Attorney Barry Williams argued for the maximum sentence of 25 years because Stanton had a previous misdemeanor conviction and a firearm was used in the crime.

Defense attorney Joseph Baker has asked for a hearing to request a new trial. No hearing date has been set yet, according to the Sevier County Circuit Court Clerk.

"At this point, we've identified a few issues we hope will lead to success in a motion for a new trial," he said. "It would be premature to get into the particulars prior to the hearing."

Stanton was 21 when he was arrested and charged in the death of Avril after she was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at Stanton's Murrell Meadows Drive apartment on Nov. 17, 2009.

While prosecutors said it was an intentional killing, Stanton said the shooting happened when he reached for a .45 caliber handgun when Avril asked him to move it and the gun accidentally discharged.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. (Photo: Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)



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By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers and animal-rights activists who have pushed the federal government to crack down on an illegal practice that's sometimes used to give Tennessee walking horses their exaggerated, high-stepping gait are feeling encouraged that President Barack Obama's administration appears ready to act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture served notice in April it is proposing a new rule to strengthen federal requirements aimed at eliminating the practice known as "soring."

The proposed changes would update the existing Horse Protection Act and would affect everything from inspection procedures to the responsibilities of managers of show horses, exhibitions, sales and auctions. The agency said it's also looking at devices, equipment, substances and practices that can cause soring.

In late May, a bipartisan group of House members urged the administration to move as quickly as possible on the new rule so it can be finalized before Obama leaves office next January.

"These changes will not destroy the Tennessee walking horse industry, as you may hear from opponents of the proposed rule, but will instead save this industry from imploding because of the bad actors who continue to abuse horses at the expense of the breed's reputation," the lawmakers said in a letter to Shaun Donovan, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Donovan's office is reviewing the proposed changes, a key step before the proposal is released to the public for comment.

The letter to Donovan was signed by 175 House members, including U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat. Cohen was the only Tennessean whose signature appeared on the letter.

"Soring horses is both illegal and morally unacceptable, but some trainers are clearly taking advantage of lax oversight and wide loopholes to do it anyway," Cohen said last week. "We need to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act and ensure that trainers are following the law to finally put an end to this terrible abuse."

Cohen is one of the lead sponsors of pending legislation that, if approved, would take several steps to end soring. The bill has stalled in a House subcommittee, as did an earlier version of the legislation, so the regulation the Obama administration is proposing is probably the best shot at cracking down on soring.

Already illegal under federal law, soring is still used by some trainers to deliberately injure the legs and hooves of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to create the animals' high-stepping gait and give them an advantage at horse shows.

Chemical agents, chains, pads and other devices are used to inflict pain to the horses' legs and feet so that when they touch the ground, the animals kick up their feet higher and faster than normal.

Federal law already bans the use of chemical agents but not the chains, hoof bands and other devices used to cause soring.

Exactly what the Obama administration is planning is not yet clear because the proposed rule hasn't been released for public comment.

But animal-rights groups and others hope the new rule will ban all equipment used in soring and eliminate the industry's self-policing system, which critics say has been a failure rife with conflicts of interest.

"The industry groups don't have the incentive to find violations and keep horses out of the race," said Keith Dane, the Humane Society of the United States' senior adviser for equine protection. "They want to let as many horses into the race as possible."

The Humane Society and other groups would like to see the self-policing replaced with a system in which inspectors would be licensed, trained and supervised directly by the Agriculture Department.

Supporters are racing against the clock to get the new regulations enacted because, in just seven months, a new president will take office. If the changes aren't implemented before then, the transition to a new administration could significantly impede the process, Dane said.

But, "there's still plenty of time to get this rule finished this year," he said. "We are hopeful and anticipating that will happen."
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IN GOOD HANDS

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is in China this week for a climate change conference, but she assured us here at PolitiKnox that the city is left in good hands while she's gone.

On another oversees trip in 2014 was when she learned the McClung Warehouses on Jackson Avenue had caught fire. Rogero was speaking to a group of military families at a U.S. base in Turkey at 11:30 a.m. time  seven hours ahead of local time in Knoxville  when her phone started ringing.

"I said, it's 4:30 (a.m.) in Knoxville and this is my deputy calling. I better take this," Rogero recalled last week. "I actually knew what was going on in Knoxville before most people there did."

Rogero returns from her latest trip Sunday.

WEST KNOX GOP

All four candidates in the Republican primary for Tennessee's 18th District House seat will be at the The West Knox Republican Club meeting on Monday, according to Knox County GOP Chairman Buddy Burkhardt.

That group will include Rep. Martin Daniel and Steve Hall. Daniel unseated Hall two years ago for the job. Other candidates in that primary race, including Bryan Dodson and James Corcoran, also will be there.

"All four of them will be speaking," Burkhardt said.

The meeting is open to the public.

JUST CASUAL

Knox County Commissioners Amy Broyles and John Schoonmaker are planning to meet up at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Starbucks, 4924 Kingston Pike.

Such meetings are common among commissioners, and each one must be publicly announced. Topics can range from technical to topical and even delve into the personal lives of elected officials.

The purpose of Broyles' meeting with Schoonmaker is "to socialize and discuss general county business."

Like all such meetings, the event is open to the public. It can be a good time to get to know your elected officials, too.

EARLY VOTING RALLY

Knox County Democratic Party Chairman Cameron Brooks said that there will be a rally the day before early voting starts in the Knox County general election and state primary.

"And all of our candidates will be there, and (Mayor) Rogero as well," Brooks said.

The rally is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. July 14 at the local party headquarters, 311 Morgan St.

"We just want to raise the profile of our candidates and give everyone the opportunity to speak," Brooks said, "and encourage Democrats and folks inclined to vote to get out early and vote."

Early voting for the federal and state primaries, the Knox County general election and the town of Farragut begins July 15.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (AP Photo/John Locher)

From the USSR to Venezuela, experience reveals Sanders' policies wouldn't enrich anyone but a ruling elite.

It is a common misconception that socialism is about helping poor people. Actually, what socialism does is create poor people, and keep them poor. And thats not by accident.

Under capitalism, rich people become powerful. But under socialism, powerful people become rich. When you look at a socialist country like Venezuela, you find that the rulers are fabulously wealthy even as the ordinary citizenry deals with empty supermarket shelves and electricity rationing.

The daughter of Venezuelas socialist ruler, Hugo Chavez, is the richest individual in Venezuela, worth billions of dollars, according to the Miami-based Diario Las America. In Cuba, Fidel Castro reportedly has lived  pretty much literally  like a king, even as his subjects dwelt in poverty. In the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as Hedrick Smith reported in his The Russians, the Communist Party big shots had lavish country houses and apartments in town stocked with hand-polished fresh fruit, even as the common people stood in line for hours at state-run stores in the hopes of getting staples.

Theres always a lot of talk about free health care, but its generally substandard for the masses and fancy for the elite. (The average Cuban or Venezuelan peasant  or Soviet-era Russian  doesnt get the kind of health care that people at the top get.)

In the old Soviet Union, the new communist nobility, whose positions and influence seemed to run in families somehow, were called the Nomenklatura (from the Latin word for a list of names). Despite all the talk about equality, etc., they generally did a lot better than people who didnt have the right connections. Dissident Milovan Djilas referred to these managers and apparatchiks (another Soviet-era word) as the New Class. Where socialist equality was supposed to eliminate the distinction between exploited workers and peasants and their capitalist exploiters, it instead produced a new distinction, between exploited workers and peasants and their New Class socialist oppressors.

Well, this is old news: George Orwell explained the phenomenon in his Animal Farm many decades ago. But people keep falling for it: Like Ponzi schemes, socialism is an evergreen form of fraud, egged on by suckers eager to believe the lies hucksters tell them.

Which brings me to Bernie Sanders. The Washington Post recently ran a piece originally entitled "Bernie Sanders plans have surprisingly small benefits for Americas poorest people." Among other things, it noted that in general, though, Sanders health care plan would benefit affluent households more than it would poorer ones.

Likewise, a paper from the left-leaning Brookings Institution notes that the biggest beneficiaries of Bernies free-college proposal would be rich kids: "Families from the top half of the income distribution would receive 24% more in dollar value from eliminating tuition than students from the lower half of the income distribution.

Well, America isnt socialist  though, these days, were not really capitalist, either, if by capitalist you mean a free-market economy without much government direction  but we do have our own New Class. And those people tend to be Bernie supporters.

Americas New Class isnt the super rich (they tend to donate to Hillary Clinton); it's the upper-middle-class employees of non-profits, universities and government agencies. They benefit twice from the kinds of programs that Bernie supports: Often, theyre employed to administer them, or receive funds for providing services (think college administrators who, unsurprisingly, heavily support Bernie and Hillary), and then they also receive the benefits because their kids are more likely to go to college than, say, a Kroger cashiers. (And if we ever wind up with government-run health care, ask yourself wholl get the hip replacement first  a woman who works as a cashier at Kroger or a senior bureaucrat in the Department of Health and Human Services.)

Higher up the political scale, of course, the powerful really do become rich: Bill and Hillary Clinton are likely worth about $45 million, paid a lot for boring speeches given to people who are really just buying influence. But at least in America, becoming powerful isnt the only way to become rich. Under socialism, youre either powerful, or youre poor.

But poverty isnt a byproduct of socialism: Its a requirement, as illustrated by Cato Institute analyst Juan Carlos Hidalgo's report concerning Venezuela:

A couple of years ago, the then minister of education admitted that the aim of the regimes policies was not to take the people out of poverty so they become middle class and then turn into escualidos (a derogatory term to denote opposition members). In other words, the government wanted grateful, dependent voters, not prosperous Venezuelans.

As the Rainmakers sang, back in the 1980s, Theyll turn us all into beggars 'cause theyre easier to please. Thats socialism in a nutshell. The equality talk? Thats just for the suckers. Dont be a sucker.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor and the author of The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself, is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.
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The Tennessee Office of Open Records Counsel confirmed citizens' "overwhelming concern" about government transparency in its report on input at meetings concerning fees for public records requests.

Key findings included citizens wanting transparency; no fees for viewing records; termination of ongoing double billing for requests involving already taxpayer-funded public records operations and staff time; and fair, courteous treatment of those requesting records.

The office's personnel and their bureaucratic and political bosses defended and promoted ongoing double billing for even normal retrieval, review and redaction operations. This discriminates against taxpayers because open record requests by government bureaucrats and politicians (which make up 40 percent of requests) are free. Who pays for theirs? Taxpayers, of course.

Reports of barriers, hostility and exorbitant fees demonstrate that requests, irrespective of size, complexity and sophistication, are treated as intrusions and opportunities for bill windfalls. Rather than working with those requesting records, the approach is impede, delay and pad the bill.

The report's 12 recommendations laid bare the poor state of public records request operations. They showed the needed for very basic defining, clarifying, providing, considering and addressing of embarrassingly fundamental operational aspects.

The March OORC annual report makes our government's response clear: "As reflected in the recent audit finding, the Office is struggling to fulfill its statutory responsibilities within the appropriated resources. ... Additionally, the Office submitted to the Governor a request for two additional positions, which were not included in the Governor's 2016-2017 budget proposal."

One commenter, attorney Herbert S. Moncier, raised a fundamental topic: Tennessee's Constitution seems to prohibit restricting citizen inspection of government records. Deafening silence on that one.

Tom Gangwer, Farragut
Rob Gronkowski 2.jpg

New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski took part in an annual fundraiser Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

(AP Photo)

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski shaved his head as part of the One Mission Cancer Buzz Off Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

This has become an annual event for Gronkowski, who, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss, has attended six years in a row.

"This is just an unbelievable event," Gronkowski told the crowd, per ESPN. "Just seeing kids, what they're going through, puts a feeling in you that you want to help them out. You want to raise awareness for all the kids going through the hard times, the struggles, to know that there's someone there at all times for them."

The money raised from the event helps children battling cancer at the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana Farber, Boston Children's Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital and the Family Reach Foundation.

Patriots tackle Nate Solder also participated Sunday, according to Channel 7.

Some photos of Gronk at Sunday's event:

#Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski shaves his head at the 5th annual One Mission Kid's Cancer Buzz-Off at Gillette Stadium. https://t.co/Y51sguDLkH  Eric J. Adler (@EricJAdler) June 5, 2016
Strategy and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho makes his opening remarks at a workshop for CEOs of state-owned enterprises in this February file photo. The government is planning to share its knowhow in public sector reform with developing

countries. / Courtesy of Ministry of Strategy and Finance



By Yoon Ja-young



Reforming the public sector has been one of the key goals for the President Park Geun-hye administration. The government is now focusing on sharing its knowhow in public sector reform.



Part of this move will be made at the OECD Global Knowledge Sharing Network on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises, whose first meeting will take place in Mexico City on June 7-8 supported by Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance.



More than 110 government representatives from all over the world as well as state-owned enterprises, international organizations and corporate governance practitioners are expected to participate in the inaugural conference.



It aims at supporting ongoing efforts for governments to identify priorities for the reform of state-owned enterprises, through knowledge sharing among decision-makers. Bringing together existent OECD regional networks for state-owned enterprises active in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, it builds on the key pillars of the recently revised OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises. The guidelines since their inception in 2005 have served as a global benchmark for countries reforming their ownership and governance practices in the state-owned sector.



At the meeting, the OECD will also introduce for the first time a Spanish version of the guidelines, noting the continued economic significance of state-owned enterprises in Latin America.



"Governments in both advanced and emerging economies are important owners of commercial enterprises and corporatized assets. These state-owned enterprises often supply fundamental services such as water, electricity and transportation that private companies depend on for their competitiveness, and on which the citizens depend for their quality of life," said Cho Im-gon, a director of a research center for state-owned entities at the Korea Institute of Public Finance (KIPF).



"Ensuring that governments efficiently manage these assets is therefore crucial for the competitiveness of the broader enterprise sector, economic growth and sustainable development more generally," he said.



"In this context, I am proud to say that the KIPF has been involved in the OECD's various initiatives on the governance of state-owned enterprises. The meeting seeks to identify common challenges related to ownership and governance, to share good practices and to develop recommendations for effective reform and performance management of the enterprises," he added.



An official at the finance ministry said that Korea's experience in developing and implementing an online repository of both financial and non-financial information of all public institutions is considered a best practice in state-owned enterprise disclosure in the international community.



"We hope to continue to share our experience with other countries and I believe this OECD conference is a great opportunity for achieving this objective," said Lee Hoo-myung, director-general for public institutions policy at the ministry, who is attending the conference as a speaker.



The first day of the conference will be a plenary session, inviting representatives of governments, state-owned enterprises and relevant experts to discuss policy challenges such as organizing the ownership function, fighting corruption, improving the practices of boards of directors and establishing comprehensive transparency and disclosure measures.



On the second day, there will be an open exchange on good and bad practices for governance reform of state-owned enterprises, including specific steps that governments can take in their role as enterprise owners.
By Nam Hyun-woo



A designer in Gwangju, surnamed Shin, had an embarrassing experience on Sunday when she found her KEB Hana debit card wasn't working when she tried to her pay for her lunch.



Then she remembered receiving a lengthy text message written in English from KEB Hana Bank last week. Since she has no command of English, she did not know that it was an important notice that bank transactions with her account would be suspended.



"It was embarrassing," she said. "Then I vaguely remembered news reports that KEB Hana card services would be suspended during the weekend and the message. Since the message in English was the only notice I got from the bank, I didn't know about the service suspension."



KEB Hana Bank, Korea's largest bank, suspended all banking transactions from Saturday to integrate the systems of the former KEB and Hana banks, which merged on Sept. 1, 2015. Currently, former KEB Bank customers still cannot make transactions at Hana Bank outlets.



The suspended services include online, mobile and phone banking and cash machines. Purchases through credit cards are available, but check cards attached to the bank's accounts and card cash advances from the bank's cash machines are not. The services will be back on track by 6 a.m. Tuesday.



The bank has been trying to inform its customers about the service suspension since April through various means including text messages, notices on its website, SNS and other "physical means." However, there were many KEB Hana customers like Shin who forgot or were out of the bank's notice coverage and found themselves in trouble amid the three-day long weekend.



Over the weekend, many customers shared their inconveniences related with the service suspension on Twitter.



One of them is a 20-year-old university student surnamed Kwon, whose holiday trip to Busan was jeopardized as text messages from the bank had been blocked as spam.



"All the money I have is in my KEB Hana account and it was completely unreachable," said Kwon. "Sadly, I found my check card was not working after I arrived in Busan." He added that he could only get back to Seoul after borrowing money from friends through an account at another bank.



He said he was aware of the suspension, but forgot about on which days the suspension falls, while the reminder messages sent last week were in the junk folder.



"I don't want to blame the bank, because it's my fault for forgetting about the date, but I think it is inconvenient for retail customers like me that the bank set the date on the long weekend," Kwon said. "Huge transactions between companies are made during business days, but general customers use cards more often on holidays or weekends."



An official at the bank said: "Not only KEB Hana Bank but also other banks make amendments to IT systems during holidays, such as Lunar New Year's Day or Chuseok, in order to minimize customer inconvenience."



"We feel sorry about the inconveniences they may experience, but we hope customers understand it is an effort to provide better services," the official said.



The bank said its customers will be exempted from commissions in remittance and other services from Tuesday to June 13.




By Nam Hyun-woo



Woori and NongHyup Banks are being pressured to embrace performance-based salary systems, as the government seeks to expand meritocracy in commercial banks.



The pressure came after Financial Services Commission Chairman Yim Jong-yong urged all financial firms in Korea, Thursday, to adopt the system.



"The adaptation of a performance-based salary system among public financial firms will serve as fertilizer to create more value and jobs," said Yim. "One remaining task is to expand meritocracy to the entire financial sector and complete financial innovation."



As of May 30, when the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) decided to adopt a performance-based pay system, all nine major public financial firms have completed talks over embracing the system.



Of them, the Industrial Bank of Korea's (IBK) adaptation on May 24 bore more meaning to commercial banks than others, as IBK's business model is similar to that of a commercial bank.



"IBK is a barometer for commercial banks in terms of a performance-based salary system," said a source asking not to be named. "After IBK's adoption, commercial banks believe it is their turn and are looking at how to begin talks on meritocracy with their unions."



According to industry insiders, the Korea Federation of Banks has requested consulting firms to come up with guidelines for a performance-based salary system in commercial banks. They believe the banks closest to adopting the system are NongHyup and Woori because they have "public blend" in them.



A 51 percent stake in Woori Bank is held by the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), which was the first public financial firm to adopt the system. KDIC is expected to report to Cheong Wa Dae on the agreement between its union and management.



Also, the bank has set up a task force to study the system, though it said it cannot disclose any details.



The bank said it is true that it is looking into the issue, but does not consider it a matter of urgency, citing its push for privatization.



"The bank is now paying attention to privatization," said a Woori official. "CEO Lee Kwang-goo will hold the bank's third IR (investment relation) event this year in Japan on June 15 to draw institutional investment."



NongHyup is said to be another candidate among commercial banks for swift adoption of the system, as calls are growing for the bank to increase efficiency in management. The bank is having to set up loan-loss provisions due to its exposure to restructuring in the shipbuilding industry.



Foreign banks in Korea are relatively "open" to performance-based salary, but their employees say they will only accept the system if there is an objective standard for performance assessment.



"Since the adoption of a performance-based salary system requires agreement between unions and management, a feud between them could be massive," a source close to the matter said.




Incheon's Songdo region is pushing to attract a Chinese international school as part of its ongoing effort to transform itself into a truly global hub for business, learning and research, local authorities said Monday.

According to the Incheon Free Economic Zone, (IFEZ), 71,700 square meters of Songdo city has been newly set aside for an international school.

It said various schools are eligible to invest in the region, although a Chinese educational institution wanting to expand overseas is more preferable for diversity purposes.

Songdo is already the home of the Chadwick International School that opened in 2010, and currently has over 1,000 students. There is another foreign educational institution in nearby Cheongna International City.

"Because Chadwick is an English-U.S. school, attracting a school with similar curriculum or educational philosophy could trigger excessive competition and not be conducive to growth for all sides," an IFEZ insider said. He said this is the reason that a Chinese international school is being sought.

Despite such goals, the free economic zone authority conceded that high initial investment cost, due to steep land prices in Songdo that could exceed 80 billion won (US$67.5 million) may be a stumbling block.

"Past talks have made limited headway because of high land prices so the matter needs to be discussed with the New Songdo International City Development that owns the property earmarked for the school," the economic zone official said.

IFEZ currently has plans for five international schools and designated related plots of land for their construction. The free economic zone is attractive because of its proximity to Seoul, South Korea's capital city, and Incheon International Airport. From the airport, most major cities in Northeast Asia can be reached within two hours. (Yonhap)
By Choi Sung-jin



Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate for U.S. presidential election, has reiterated his intention to negotiate with North Korea if elected.



While campaigning in Redding, Calif., on Friday (EST), the GOP politician targeted at foreign policy experts criticizing him, saying, "They say if I have qualms about bargaining with North Korea. No problems at all. Who in the world cares about it?"



Trump's stance toward North Korea comes in stark contrast to that of President Barack Obama, and de facto Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who stick to sanctions until the recalcitrant regime begins to denuclearize itself.



"I may not go to North Korea but will negotiate with it," he said. "They (the critical experts) say we would never, ever, talk (with the North).' How foolish they are!"



The real estate magnate-turned-politician went on to say, "Who knows whether dialogue will have effects? It may have some effects or not. If you want to know the truth, however, there will be some effects." He then attacked his critics, claiming they are "mucking around with our nation and wasting money."



Trump's repeated expressions of willingness to talks with North Korea is noteworthy as the outsider politician can reflect them on his foreign policy platforms, which will take concrete shape later, diplomatic watchers here said.



The U.S. Republicans have traditionally preferred policies to contain and pressurize foreign adversaries while Democrats tended to put the priority on settling problems through dialogue and negotiations, or so the theory has gone, the observer said. In reality, however, it often gets difficult to discern who's who.



For example, it was the Republican George W. Bush administration that resumed the six-party talks to denuclearize the North while the Democratic Barack Obama administration has placed focus on pressure tactics under the pretext of "strategic patience."



Meanwhile, North Korea, which initially downplayed the Republican runner's comment as a vote-getter, has recently more turned more favorable to Trump's stance.



In an article contributed to DPRK Today, a North Korean scholar praised Trump, calling him a "wise politician."



Han Yong-mook, a North Korean expert on international politics, said, "In my opinion, there are many positive aspects to the Trump's inflammatory policies.'" Some of these positive aspects the article cited are Trump's willingness to talk directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and his threat to pull out U.S. troops from South Korea if Seoul does not pay more for his national security.



The piece also called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "dull Hillary" and slammed her Korean Peninsula policy.



"The president that U.S. citizens must vote for is not that full Hillary  who claimed to adopt the Iranian model to resolve nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula  but Trump, who spoke of holding a direct conversation with North Korea," Han wrote.




By Jun Ji-hye



South Korea has found itself "sandwiched" between the United States and China over two sensitive issues  the possible deployment of a U.S. missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea dispute.



The 15th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, which wrapped up Sunday, only exposed Seoul's embarrassing position, while the so-called G2  the two major world powers  were struggling for supremacy.



Seoul apparently had to walk a tightrope during the forum as it was unable to confidently take sides with Washington, its military ally, or Beijing, its biggest trade partner.



The three-day summit held in Singapore is an annual gathering of defense officials in the Asia-Pacific region; and the G2 were engaged in a war of words throughout.



U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters on his way to Singapore, Thursday, that he was planning to discuss the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on Korean soil with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo during talks on the sidelines of the summit, a remark that apparently provoked China.



Then on Saturday, Carter said China was pushing hard to expand its military presence across the South China Sea.



In response, China's Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, openly expressed his country's opposition to Washington's plan to deploy THAAD on the peninsula. He also said the United States is "an outside country" that is not directly linked to the South China Sea issues.



Seoul was busy responding to the arguments from the two nations.



On Friday, South Korea said that it had no plan to discuss THAAD deployment with Washington during the forum, denying Carter's comment. Then, the following day, Minister Han surprisingly said that Seoul "undoubtedly has the will to allow THAAD deployment."



The two remarks that came in two days sounded radically different.



Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES), a research arm of Kyungnam University, told reporters that Seoul was vacillating between Washington and Beijing.



Regarding the South China Sea friction, South Korea has been taking a neutral position, only remarking that it should be resolved in accordance with international norms.



While Washington and Beijing were trading barbs, and Seoul was being caught in the middle, the North Korean nuclear issue and the need for countries to cooperate in pressuring it, which Seoul wanted to give prominence to during the forum, drew less attention.



Experts say that the South's diplomacy is facing a serious challenge as the friction between the two powers is expected to continue for the time being  the two nations are expected to confront each other again at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) scheduled to take place in Laos in July.



Seoul has been utilizing the forum as a place to seek cooperation from other nations in working together to make Pyongyang give up its nuclear ambition.



Kim Han-kwon, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told reporters that Seoul needs to view the situation from a wider perspective, including talks between Washington and Beijing, and take a judicious approach.



The South China Sea dispute, an ongoing security issue in the Asia-Pacific region, concerns China's claim over territorial waters around new manmade islands.



Beijing is strongly opposed to THAAD deployment out of concern that its AN/TPY-2 radar system could snoop on the country's military activities and missile capabilities.




Seoul, Havana hold 1st foreign ministerial talks



By Jun Ji-hye, Joint press corps



South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Seoul is willing to establish diplomatic ties with Cuba during ministerial talks in Havana, Sunday.



Yun, South Korea's first foreign minister to visit Cuba, met with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, behind closed doors at the Palacio de Convenciones for talks originally scheduled to last for 30 minutes, but which lasted 75 minutes.



The talks broke a decades-long absence of formal diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. Ties between Seoul and Havana were severed in 1959 when Communist revolutionary Fidel Castro took power and aligned with North Korea.



Yun told reporters after the meeting that the two spoke to each other frankly and earnestly.



"We had a broad exchange of views on bilateral, regional and global issues," Yun said.



The minister did not elaborate on what was said about normalization of ties, but apparently took an optimistic view of the future.



"I expect there to be follow-up talks at various levels under a vision for the future," he said. "Our government plans to put in a lot of effort for that vision and an improvement in bilateral ties in mind."



Yun noted that he stressed the need for "giving tangible shape to the potential that the two sides have."



The remark was construed as delivering a message on the need for formal diplomatic ties.



From the point of view of South Korea, the betterment of bilateral relations with Cuba can considerably help Seoul increase pressure on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons program, given that Havana has maintained ties with Pyongyang.



The United States' normalization of relations with Cuba last year, after a 53-year estrangement, has led to expectations that South Korea, a U.S. ally, could also establish diplomatic relations with the island nation.



The government has cautiously increased nonpolitical exchanges in culture, economic and trade sectors with Cuba since the late 1990s in an effort to pave the way to normalizing bilateral ties.



In February last year, Minister Yun officially expressed the government's willingness to improve ties during a session at the National Assembly.



Yun's historic visit could be a crucial point for Seoul to establish diplomatic ties, observers say.



But critics have guarded against such optimism, citing the strength of the Cuba-North Korea alliance.



Yun arrived in Cuba Saturday for a two-day visit, during which he also attended the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) summit. Seoul was invited as an observer country by the 20-member ACS, which was established in 1995.



Seoul has been forging stronger ties with countries that have traditionally had close relations with North Korea, such as Uganda and Iran.



Yun's visit to Havana comes after the North conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch the following month, posing a serious threat to the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community.



In response to the provocative actions, the United Nations Security Council imposed its harshest sanctions yet on the Kim Jong-un regime in early March.



The government apparently expects that improving ties with countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the North will further pressure the repressive state, as its international isolation has already deepened following the sanctions.




A view of the Han River seen from Lotte World Tower is clouded by fine dust in Jamsil southern Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min

The Seoul Metropolitan Council is seeking to halt outdoor activities when the weather agency issues a fine dust alert, in a move to help minimize exposure to this health hazard.

Councilor Nam Jae-kyong presented a draft ordinance to the city council on Monday that would ban or delay city-organized events when the Korea Meteorological Administration issues a fine dust or ultrafine dust alert, except on occasions when the mayor allows them. Nine other councilors joined the move.

If the draft is approved, the city government will also be allowed to recommend that other public or private organizations halt their outdoor activities under similar conditions.

"We are seeking to help citizens avoid participation in mandatory outdoor events during fine dust alerts," Nam said.

"We are also seeking to set an example for other municipalities as well as for the private sector."

Presently, when the second-highest alert level is issued, children and the elderly are advised to stay indoors, with kindergartens and elementary schools advised to cancel field trips. Outdoor public facilities are also partially shut down.

When the highest alert is in effect, kindergartens and elementary schools have to either shut down or reduce class hours and secondary schools are advised to cancel field trips. Also, outdoor public facilities are completely shut down.

The move comes amid heightened public concern about potential health risks posed by inhaling fine particulate matter that is known to cause respiratory ailments and weaken the body's immune system, among other health risks.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization (WHO), small particulate matter is classified as carcinogenic to humans.

Inhaling fine particles is particularly dangerous because it affects healthy people, according to pulmonologists.

A study by Korea Health Promotion showed that particulate matter inhaled into the lungs, one of the most vigorous blood-circulating organs of the body, infiltrates blood vessels and circulates around the body, resulting in systemic inflammation. This may contribute to the hardening of the arteries and even lead to strokes.

According to data by the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), the incidence of acute lung distress among healthy adults rises by 10 percent when the level of fine particulate matter concentration in the air increases by one level.

Fine dust refers to particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers and are not caught in the mucous membranes of the nose, but penetrate into the lungs. If a particle is smaller than 2.5 micrometers it is called ultrafine dust.

Last week, the government rolled out measures to increase air quality including subsidizing small barbecue eateries to set up filtering vents reducing the amount of dust particles, replacing diesel buses with those powered by natural gas and shutting down old coal-fired power plants.
By Kim Bo-eun



The government's plan to build a new airport in the southeast region of the nation has reignited conflicts between residents of Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province and Busan.



The government commissioned a feasibility study by ADPI  a French company specializing in airport architecture and engineering, and a subsidiary of Aeroports de Paris Group  to determine which of the two would better serve as the location for the airport, with the results to be announced on June 24.



Busan is backing Gadeok Island near the nation's largest port city, while Daegu, Ulsan and North and South Gyeongsang provinces are backing Miryang.



An association of civic groups in Busan is demanding that details of the study should be made public.



"If the government persists with its secretive study  despite the announcement of the final location approaching  we will not accept the decision," a spokesman said



However, supporters of Miryang claim the Busan-based civic groups are taking issue with the study because they know Gadeok Island will get a more unfavorable assessment than Miryang.



"Busan supporters have determined that the results of the study will not be in their favor and are doing what they can to reject and thwart the plan," said Choung Tae-ok, a Saenuri Party lawmaker from Daegu, at a press conference Friday.



Civic groups backing Miryang issued a statement denouncing the tactics of the Busan supporters.



"Busan's campaign to have the airport built on Gadeok Island has crossed the line to the point it has become ridiculous," a spokesman said, demanding the Busan group immediately stop "playing tricks" which are obstructing the new airport plan.



Experts express concerns that the cities and provincial governments will continue fighting with each other even after the selection of the host city is made later this month.



The plan was initially proposed in January 2011, but was scrapped in its early stages based on poor commercial viability. However, it was revived the following year.



Gimhae Airport in South Gyeongsang Province has reached its capacity in terms of passengers, justifying the call for the construction of a new airport in the region, experts say.



According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of passengers at Gimhae Airport rose 22.3 percent from a year earlier to 5.9 million in 2015. The yearly capacity of the airport is stated to be 5.4 million.



While studies conducted in 2009 predicted the number of passengers would exceed Gimhae Airport's capacity by 2020, this has occurred much earlier, attributed to the increase in budget carriers.



In addition, international flights departing from Gimhae have grown to 38 cities in 12 countries from 14 cities in seven countries in 2000  raising predictions that it may soon face a shortage in runway slots due to the increase.



In 2011, the government had cited enormous construction costs as one of the reasons to scrap the plan, but it is now pushing ahead with it as costs have been cut with the size of the airport being scaled down in the renewed plan.




By Kang Seung-woo





President Park Geun-hye delivers a speech at a commemoration ceremony of the 61st Memorial

Day at Seoul National Cemetery, Monday. / Joint press corps

President Park Geun-hye urged North Korea Monday to rejoin dialogue with the international community, warning that its continued pursuit of its nuclear weapons program would doom the repressive state.

"The North must realize that its nuclear ambitions will face stronger sanctions and pressure from the international community, which will eventually lead the nation into diplomatic isolation and self-destruction," Park said in a speech during a ceremony marking the 61st Memorial Day at Seoul National Cemetery.

"North Korea's nuclear weapons program is a critical provocation against our security as well as the peace of Northeast Asia and the world. It is also a hurdle for inter-Korean reconciliation and unification."

Park also said her government is set to continue pressing the North to take the path toward denuclearization in close cooperation with the international community, while maintaining a firm combined defensive posture with the United States to immediately strike back against Pyongyang in the event of provocations.

Her speech came one month after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared his country as a nuclear power during the Seventh Workers' Party Congress despite fresh United Nations (U.N.) sanctions imposed on the North in March following a nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch in February, both of which violated U.N. resolutions.

In addition, the North is believed to be technically ready to carry out a fifth nuclear test at any time.

The President then called for national unity to pave the way for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

"There cannot be differing views between the ruling and opposition parties, between regions and between generations when it comes to national security," she said.

Also, Park pledged that the government will provide retired soldiers with better welfare.

According to the President, the government plans to open a medical institute and a veterans' hospital in Incheon by 2018. In addition, it will create 50,000 jobs for veterans, inducing local solid companies to hire more retired soldiers by 2017.
By Kim Hyo-jin



The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) plans to propose a bill by next week aimed at treating corruption in the defense industry as a criminal act benefiting the enemy, a lawmaker said Monday.



Should it pass as planned, people in the defense industry involved in corruption scandals may face the death penalty as a maximum punishment.



"We should take it seriously that defective military supplies such as bulletproof jackets could inflict fatal damage in a wartime situation," said Rep. Byun Jae-ill, referring to a recent corruption scandal in which military officials signed a deal with a defense contractor that produced flak jackets that were not bulletproof in exchange for cash.



"It is possible to apply the crime of benefiting the enemy to those involved in corrupt military deals as we can view their consequences in the context of a wartime situation."



The legislative move seeks to revise the Military Criminal Act to be applied to military officials, civilians or private firms involved in crooked defense procurement deals.



Military officials can only be convicted under the Military Criminal Act Article 80, which mandates punishment of a person who, by negligence in the performance of duties or gross negligence, commits the crime of divulging military secrets. The penalties are either imprisonment for up to three years or a 7 million won fine.



Byun said the party's legislative move would seek to add the phrase, "a person or a defense contractor that undermines the nation's defense" in the article to include "acts benefiting the enemy," so that they will face tougher punishment.



Article 14 of the Military Criminal Act states that a person who commits any act benefiting the enemy shall be sentenced to death, or imprisonment with hard labor from five years to an indefinite term.



The move illustrates the party's will to uproot rampant corruption and irregularities in the defense industry by strengthening punishment, according to the MPK.



Enabling a death sentence even goes against the party's platform  which stipulates the abolition of capital punishment. Byun's office said the contradiction however has yet to be looked into.



The party pledged to devise policies to root out defense corruption during the campaign for the April 13 general election.



It came after shady dealings between the military and the defense industry came to light over the past year.



A special investigation team made up of government and military officials, and prosecutors found irregular deals related to the supply of parts for military vehicles and body armor which amounted to about 980 billion won. Forty-one high-level military officials and 74 civilians were prosecuted.




By Kim Hyo-jin



U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet with independent lawmaker Lee Hae-chan, the de-facto leader of Roh Moo-hyun loyalists, in New York, Wednesday, a lawmaker said Monday.



Lee, a seven-term veteran politician and chairman of the foundation named after the late president, is visiting the United States at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State.



The meeting was arranged at Ban's request, according to Rep. Do Jong-hwan of the Minjoo Party of Korea, who is accompanying Lee.



"Secretary-General Ban asked to have tea with Lee first," Do said.

It will be Ban's first time in nine years to meet a former member of the Roh administration.



Ban was elected as the U.N. chief in 2006 after serving as Roh's foreign minister.

Lee, who was the prime minister at the time, helped Ban's worldwide campaign.



Political watchers believe the meeting reflects Ban's resolve to run in the presidential race next year.



Ban, the most-favored presidential candidate of all potential runners at this point, already fueled speculation that he was eyeing a presidential candidacy during a visit to his home country late last month.



The ruling Saenuri Party, which is struggling to field a competitive candidate after some of its presidential hopefuls lost in the April 13 general election, hopes to woo Ban to its side.



Speculation was further fueled as his itinerary focused on meeting loyalists of President Park Geun-hye.



Lawmakers in the opposition affiliated with the late President Roh have taken offense at Ban for the perceived political move.



Hwang Tae-soon, a senior analyst at Wisdom Center, called this latest visit "a symbolic gesture to soothe the discontent toward himself from the Roh faction."




/Courtesy of Twitter



The Japanese parliament is moving to ban hate speech against Koreans and other foreigners in the country.

The anti-hate speech bill is pending in the lower house after passing the upper house on May 13. The bill will be put to a vote this afternoon. Experts predict the bill will pass without any hiccups because it was proposed by the Liberal Democratic Party that holds the majority.

Koreans living in Japan would benefit from the legislation because they have been a frequent target of hate speech by conservative politicians and activists, especially when Seoul-Tokyo relations sour.












Of all the mistakes, misstatements, and assorted bloviations issuing from Donald Trump during the current Presidential campaign, surely one of the leading head-scratchers is his May 27 assertion to the effect that there is no drought in California.

Lets consider a fuller quote from Trumps appearance (see the video below ):

Were going to solve your water problemyou have a water problem that is so insane, it is so ridiculous, where theyre taking the water and shoving it out to sea. And I just met with a lot of the farmers who are great people, and they're saying, we dont even understand it.They have farms up here, and they dont get water. I said, Oh, thats too bad. Is it a drought?' No, we have plenty of water.We shove it out to sea..The environmentalists dont know why. Theyre trying to protect a certain kind of three-inch fish...My environmental standard is very simple. I want clean air and clean water.

This was a typical Trump liturgy, in that he took an extremely complicated problem and caricatured it as a simple problem, easily solved. It was also typical in that, while masquerading as the peoples friend, he actually was parroting the position of vested interestsin this case, Central Valley growers and their water suppliers, especially the giant Westlands Water District, who have been grousing for years about their drought-related reduced allocations from the federal Central Valley Project. We can glean this from the fact that Trumps meeting with farmers had been arranged by Johnny Amaral, a local political figure who is the deputy general manager of Westlands.

I said, Oh, thats too bad. Is it a drought?' No, we have plenty of water.We shove it out to sea.  Donald Trump, May 27

Amaral says the attendees at the meeting came from all parts of the Central Valley, not merely Westlands, and that he was the only Westlands employee in attendance. But its proper to observe that the politically-connected Westlands usually has the political clout to get what it wants , and roping in Trump comes right out of its playbook. More on that in a moment.

A few important points leap out from Trumps speech. First, its basic theme was that among all stakeholders in the states water supply, farmers should come first. This was undoubtedly gratifying for Trumps Central Valley agricultural audience, but not especially useful for more than 30 million residents who depend on the same water sources to live on, or those who gain their livelihoods from fishing, whether in rivers or, um, the sea.

SNAP Video Video clip of Trump in Fresno on May 27, displaying how little he knows about water and the drought Video clip of Trump in Fresno on May 27, displaying how little he knows about water and the drought See more videos

Second, Trump was parroting an old, discredited line of chatter about how environmental uses of water are all about protecting the delta smelt, that three-inch fish. Sadly, no. Its about protecting salmon and other commercial fisheries, and the entire ecosystem on which millions of residents around and south of the Sacramento delta rely. Shortchanging that ecosystem means dirtier water and dirtier air, which Trump claimed to be serious about.

Finally, the drought is real. The farmers who got Trumps ear managed to fill it with abject flapdoodle about how 2016 isnt a drought year, since some reservoirs have filled so high theyve had to be siphoned down to make room for spring runoffs.

But only an innocent would take this at face value. The truth is that the state has been in severe drought for five years straight, and indications are that the coming year will again be dry, thanks to the periodic Pacific condition known as La Nina (think of it as the mirror image of wet-year El Ninos).

Amaral told me, indeed, that the 50 farmers who met with Trump on May 27 gave him a more nuanced view of the situation than he gave to his audience in Fresno.

Over the long term, Amaral acknowledges, everyone should expect a shortage of water. And 2012, 13, 14those were dry years. But anyone who talks about a drought in in 2016 isnt being fair with the public.

Drought still grips much of the West and Southwest. Oregon State University Drought still grips much of the West and Southwest. Drought still grips much of the West and Southwest. (Oregon State University)

Amaral says he reached out to both the Trump and Clinton Presidential campaigns, offering to introduce them to the growers viewpoint, which is that the Central Valley is not out of water because of the drought, but because the water is mismanaged. Only Trump responded. But surely Amaral had to know that when the farmers views got passed through the Trump wringer, theyd come out hopelessly twisted: the idea that 2016 is a wet year transformed into there is no drought.

The viewpoint of the growers and Westlands that theres enough water in the state for people, farms, businesses, and fish to coexist peacefully, as Amaral put it--if only bureaucrats (and federal law) get out of the way---also warrants critical examination.

Amarals take might be accurate, if all the stakeholders could sit down and jointly work out new allocations of existing supply, while agreeing on just compensation for transfers of historic water rights. Thats a tough job, made even tougher when uninformed politicians like Trump airdrop into the Central Valley and declare farmers to be the most deserving water users and that allocating supply to anyone else is ridiculous and insane.

Some Northern California reservoirs are well-filled after a rainy 2016, according to this map from the state Dept. of Water Resources. But statewide storage is still at a low ebb. DWR Some Northern California reservoirs are well-filled after a rainy 2016, according to this map from the state Dept. of Water Resources. But statewide storage is still at a low ebb. Some Northern California reservoirs are well-filled after a rainy 2016, according to this map from the state Dept. of Water Resources. But statewide storage is still at a low ebb. (DWR)

Water officials in the state have been trying to work out a sustainable agreement on intrastate allocations from the Colorado River since the so-called Quantification Settlement Agreement was reached under the federal governments gaze in 2003. Theyve been trying to solve the issues of statewide transfers from the Delta since at least 1982, when voters rejected the Peripheral Canal for moving water from North to South.
A hate-speech group is met by citizens protesting the group's rally in Nakahara Peace Park, Kanagawa Prefecture, on May 5. / Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

By Lee Han-soo

In a heartwarming scene, hundreds of Japanese citizens from Kanagawa Prefecture were first on the scene to stop a hate-speech rally formed by an anti-Korean group.

Anti-hate-speech groups shouted "stop hate speech" and "return" as the hate-speech group tried rallying in Nakahara Peace Park to start their protest at 11 a.m. on Sunday. This was the first hate-speech rally after the anti-hate-speech bill passed on April 24. The anti-Korean group rallied after being denied the use of a park in Kawasaki last month.

The anti-Korean group was blocked by hundreds of counter-protesters, according to the Huffington Post. The group dispersed within an hour after strong persuasion from the police who restricted them from coming within 10 meters of the park.












An artist's conception of the indigenous fighter jet, dubbed the KF-X / Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Industries



By Jun Ji-hye

The nation's heavy dependence on U.S. weapons has reemerged in its indigenous fighter jet development project as the state arms procurement agency and the aircraft maker are apparently seeking steady progress by using familiar U.S. products rather than choosing a new path.

But critics are raising concerns that the overdependence on the Washington's products and technologies could put Korea into an unfavorable position in the future when exporting jets.

The so-called KF-X project is aimed at locally developing twin-engine combat jets equipped with state-of-the-art aviation electronics equipment by 2026, which would replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.

Developing the fighter jets is estimated to cost 8.5 trillion won ($7.2 billion), and an additional 10 trillion won is needed to produce 120 jets by 2032.

On May 26, U.S.-based General Electric (GE) won a bid against European rival Eurojet to supply twin engines for Seoul's fighter jets.

GE's F414-GE-400 engine was picked over Eurojet's EJ200 engine, increasing the U.S. influence on the project, which had already been pushed forward with the help of the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin.

The U.S. government agreed in December to allow Lockheed Martin to transfer some 21 technologies related to the F-35 fighter jet, including the flight control system, to Korea, in exchange for Seoul's purchase of 40 F-35 Lightning II fighters in 2014.

During the bid between GE and Eurojet, some critics called on the government to choose the European company; otherwise, they said, Washington might restrict Seoul's export of the aircraft to countries that Washington deems a threat.

They also cited Eurojet's promise to transfer several technologies to Korea if it was selected as the engine provider.

But GE won as expected.

Observers in the defense sector said that GE's victory was predicted to some extent, as the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) apparently attempted to make a safe choice to reduce the risk as much as possible.

KAI, the nation's sole aircraft maker, is already familiar with GE's products, having used them when developing the T-50 supersonic trainer and the Surion utility helicopter.

KAI signed a contract with the DAPA at the end of last year to manufacture the fighter jets.

Observers say such risk-averse attitude that opts for the familiar path is expected to continue in future selections of other equipment for the KF-X, such as the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

On April 20, Hanwha Thales, the defense arm of Hanwha Group, was selected as a preferred bidder to produce the AESA radar for the KF-X.

The DAPA said the Korean company, under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), will forge ahead with developing and producing the AESA radar, essential equipment that helps a pilot identify friend or foe in battle and find targets on the ground.

Then on May 18, the DAPA also left open the possibility of buying the AESA radar from foreign countries in the case that the domestic development fails.

"I still believe Korea can domestically develop the AESA radar, but if we fail to reach the goal, we will consider buying it from foreign countries," said an official from the DAPA on the condition of anonymity during a meeting with reporters.

Earlier, in January, KAI President and CEO Ha Sung-yong made a clearer comment regarding the ASEA radar during a media interview.

Ha said the nation can buy the radar and use it first if the domestic development makes little progress. He also said the nation will push forward with localizing the equipment and replace the exported products.

When asked where the nation will buy the radar from, Ha simply answered, "The United States."

The response sounded too certain, given that the U.K.'s Selex, Sweden's SAAB and Israel's ELTA have been also known to be interested in developing the AESA radar for Korea.

When asked why the KAI president put his finger on the U.S. for the development of the product even though companies around the world have also shown their interest, an official from KAI said, on the condition of anonymity, "That was probably because we already have been in partnership with the U.S. companies since pushing forward the previous projects, which means that we are familiar with the U.S. products."

But critics say that Korea could be confronted with a difficult problem due to its heavy dependence on U.S. weapons and technologies in the KF-X project when it attempts to export the jets to foreign countries.

A source in the defense sector cited the export of the T-50 supersonic trainer as an example.

KAI co-developed the T-50 Golden Eagle in 2006 with Lockheed Martin, using the U.S. firm's core technologies, including the avionics system and engine.

Because of this, Korea needs to get approval from the U.S. government to export the aircraft in accordance with the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.

"Lockheed Martin's technologies were included in the development of the T-50. So, Korea's attempts to export the trainer to certain countries often face restrictions due to the Washington's refusal to issue an export license," the source said.

Indeed, last year, the U.S. government reportedly refused to allow Korea to export $400 million's worth of the T-50s to Uzbekistan, citing possible technology leakage and diplomatic policy, according to sources.

"The U.S. hegemony involving defense technologies is very strong, and the entry barrier is very high," Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the Justice Party told reporters. "Diversifying the weapon system would mean breaking down such barriers."

Korea has heavily depended on U.S. weapons since the 1970s.

According to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a Swedish think tank on security affairs, 80 percent of weapons that Korea imported from 2008 to 2013 were produced in the United States.

As to why Korea has depended on U.S. weapons, Korean military officials often cite the weapons' interoperability with the existing systems.

"The dependence on U.S. weapon systems originates from a number of complicated situations, such as division and tension between the two Koreas, the Seoul-Washington alliance, pressure from the U.S., and the lack of domestic technologies," said a military official on condition of anonymity.

But experts said overdependence on Washington could weaken the nation's military independence and result in economic losses if the nation continues to be dragged by the U.S. during the process to purchase weapons.

"The government should refrain from being hasty to produce tangible results in a short period of time and should create a long-term road map to develop domestic technologies," said Kim Dae-young, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that Washington and Beijing "stand firmly" on North Korea's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons, calling for the North to stop all activities that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.



Kerry made the remarks at the opening of the two-day U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which is the highest-level regular dialogue channel between the two countries.



U.S. and China have been at odds over China's aggressive military behavior in the South China Sea, cyber-hacking, and trade disputes, as well as human rights issues, but they have struck a cooperative tone over North Korea.



Kerry called for North Korea to stop "all actions that threaten" peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.



Chinese President Xi Jinping said, in his opening speech, Washington and Beijing have been in cooperation over regional security issues, including nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula and Iran.



This week's talks come amid deepening tensions over China's ongoing construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea in an apparent bid to bolster its territorial claims in the waters also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam.



China stepped up its island-building activities in the South China Sea as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is expected to rule on a case brought by the Philippines in the coming weeks. China has said it would not recognize the international court's ruling over its territorial claim in the South China Sea.



During a regional security forum in Singapore over the weekend, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned that China risks building a "Great Wall of self-isolation" with its aggressive military activities in the South China Sea.



U.S. officials said Washington would also call for Beijing to increase its pressure on North Korea to help give up its nuclear weapons ambition.



China supported tougher U.N. sanctions following North Korea's fourth nuclear test in January.



In a sign of repairing political ties that were soured over the North's nuclear ambition, Ri Su-yong, a top official in North Korea's ruling party, met Xi last week in Beijing.



During the meeting with Xi, Ri said North Korea would stick to its policy of simultaneously pursuing both economic and nuclear development. (Yonhap)




By Lee Sun-ho

On April 28, a dozen of my university classmates including myself had an opportunity to view an amazing exhibition to introduce the life and art of Pen Varlen (the Russian pronunciation of Byun Wol-ryong). Although my group had met to experience historical and cultural sightseeing tours, this exhibition, which ran from March 3 to May 8, was organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's Deoksugung Museum, in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the birth of the ethnic Korean in the former Soviet Union (Sept. 29, 1916-May 25, 1990), who is not well known to Koreans as yet.

Born in Promsky Krai, he was educated and spent most of his life in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) behind the Iron Curtain. Sadly, he died the year before Perestroika and Glasnost in 1991. His life and art penetrate not only the modern and contemporary history of Korea, such as Japan's colonization, the liberalization from colonial rule (1910-45), the division of the Korean Peninsula following the Korean War (1950-53) and the ongoing seven-decade-long ideological conflict, but also that of Russia such as the Communist-led October 1917 revolution, World War II (1939-45), the Lenin-Stalin totalitarianism, the Cold War and the transformation of the socialist system.

Among Pen's accomplishments across his 74years, I happened to find two identical months I vividly remember: July 1953 and May 1990. July 28, 1953 was the day when the armistice treaty that ended the Korean War took effect. Pen visited North Korea for the first time some days shortly before the armistice, so he was able to draw a picture of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) at Panmumjeom. For me, I stayed in Leningrad for a couple of days during mid-May 1990 as the chief of a dozen-man Korean banking survey mission just a week ahead of Pen's demise there.

As a Korean painter and graphic artist of Soviet nationality and a member of the Leningrad Union of Artists, Pen grew up as an important figure in Soviet socialist realism art. Even though his parents were resettled in Central Asia as part of Stalin's plan to deport minority groups to remote areas in 1937, he was able to study at the prestigious IlyaRepin Leningrad Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, established in 1764. His artistic life took place mostly in the Soviet Union and briefly for 15 months in North Korea, and he observed major historic upheavals inside the two Communist states.

The highlight of my interest goes naturally to his link to North Korean art. The Soviet Cultural Ministry sent Pen to North Korea to help its satellite state re-establish the Pyongyang University of Fine Arts, which was destroyed during the Korean War. His connection with North Korea offers a glimpse of the unknown aspects related to North Korea, preparing to present good works for the 10th anniversary of the independence from Japanese colonial rule slated August 15, 1955. However, Pen could never return to North Korea for unknown political reasons behind the Iron Curtain.

He painted many imaginary landscapes of the North, including the gorgeous Mt. Diamond and beguiling rural and urban scenes. In addition to the picture for North Korean POWs going back to their side, I felt an ideological limit from Pen's picture showing the barbed-wire demarcation line where a humble-looking North Korean woman is looking for her family member over the unwanted wire border among a group of South Korean men under the surveillance of an American military police. Feeling homesick for North Korea, Pen continued to keep in touch with many North Korean artists even after he returned to Russia. They are dancer Choi Seung-hee, writer Han Seol-ya, painter Kim Yong-joon and novelist Hong Myong-hee, aside from the well-known Boris Pasternak. He painted their portraits. I was deeply impressed by Pen's accurate and bold expressiveness on canvas with a faithful abundance of colors.

In the end, I would like to extend my sense of gratitude to the hospitality of Pen's son Sergei, his daughter Olga and the exhibition's curator Kim Hye-young of the national museum. They made it possible for me and my 11 colleagues to retrospect and awaken the historical imagination and duties of current Koreans toward the understanding of the communist-socialist encampment in bygone days, aiming at realizing the peaceful unification of our divided fatherland.

The writer is an ombudsman columnist to The Korea Times in Seoul. Contact him at kexim2@unitel.co.kr.
By Shin Jang-sup

The Korean economy is currently undergoing major corporate restructuring in the shipbuilding and shipping industries. Once symbols of the mighty Korean economy, these industries are now bleeding heavily. Reasons for them being in trouble are of course complex  the collapse of oil prices, the global economic slowdown and the consequent shrinking of shipping volume, management failures, alleged collusion between business and government in prolonging some "zombie" companies and so on. The restructuring also involves a complex array of players, encompassing not only companies and banks but also financial authorities, labor unions, and politicians, as it will incur a huge amount of tax-payer money as well as massive layoffs. It is thus not surprising that restructuring has become a political issue in Korea.

However, it will be worthwhile to borrow the wisdom of a businessman purely from the business perspective of reviving troubled operations since this is the ultimate aim of corporate restructuring whatever the surrounding circumstances are. The businessman I am quoting anonymously here is a chief executive officer (CEO) of a major flagship company of Korea whose name is very well-known to the public. He has been frequently involved in reviving troubled business operations in his career.

When he starts at new posts and is briefed of the situation by managers of the troubled operations, it is mostly the case that they ask him,"Will you give us the overall direction to move forward?" He invariably answers to them, "I am not here to give you direction. You are the ones to set the direction and solve the problems." He then offers them three options. First, "If you find a solution and you are capable of executing it, you will work with me." Second, "If you find a solution but you are not the appropriate person to do it, I'll move you to another operation." Third, "If you cannot find the solution and cannot do it, you will be fired."

He gives these options to them mainly for two reasons. First, he is convinced that it is crucial to draw the voluntary initiatives of managers in reviving the troubled operations. He said to me, "High-ranking officers of big corporations are well-trained and capable of making good decisions at least 70 percent of the time when they are engaged in a completely new business to them. If they insist solely on their judgment, however, they lose chances to draw the remaining 30% that they might have missed. If the top guy is imposing his judgment on the mangers, they do not raise different views of their own and simply do as they are told, even flattering him withYes, your opinion is great!'"

How could those who are responsible for the problem dare tell the top guy who came to resolve the mess, "You got it wrong"? If the top guy behaves as if he knows everything, this shuts up his subordinates and blocks the opportunity to draw on their ideas and energy. Even if they are responsible for the problems, they are experts who know the business better than most of the others. If they set a new direction and mobilize their accumulated resources in full, they may come up with good solutions that outsiders hardly think of.

Secondly, he gives the options to managers in order to minimize negative fallout in the process of restructuring. If the managers are simply treated as incompetent trouble-makers, they are disgruntled. Their dissatisfaction can be channeled through informal outlets. It is also possible that, rather than trying to solve the problems of the company, they would try to find ways to save themselves, and important assets or information about the company may spill over to others in the process.

He boasts that he has hardly faced such negative fallout in the troubled operations he was in charge of. This is because, being given the options, managers clearly understand what they should do to save the company and themselves. They then make their best efforts to do so. Even if they are fired, they accept it with hardly any grudges.

The current corporate restructuring in Korea involves a lot more complex issues and participants than restructuring within a firm. It may be stretching it to apply this businessman's wisdom to the problem as it is. Restructuring is also already in progress and there are surely some matters that cannot be reversed. However, at least one lesson can be learned from his wisdom. If one wants to revive the company, it is essential to draw voluntary initiatives from managers as much as possible.

Doing business is never about finding "correct" answers from textbooks. It is an ongoing process of providing customers with cost-competitive quality products and services through creating and mobilizing internal and external managerial resources in response to changes in business environments. It involves numerous pieces of innovation and efforts that may not be seen by outsiders. The task is more daunting in reviving troubled corporations. They cannot be revived simply by cutting down their debts and shedding the workforce. Managers and workers of the company should combine their resources, ideas and determination earnestly for the common good of the company.

In Korea at the moment, it is regretful that the voices of those who treat managers of troubled corporations as if they are criminals or incompetent are too loud. They are surely responsible for the current problems. But one should also consider the fact that they are the ones who were responsible for dominating the world's shipbuilding and shipping industries for a long period. Their competence and contribution should be evaluated in a balanced manner.

It is urgent to configure their commitment and competence into the overall design of the corporate restructuring process.

Shin Jang-sup is an economics professor at National University of Singapore and former economic adviser to the Finance Minister of South Korea. Contact him at ecssjs@nus.edu.sg.
Time to wake up from fantasy of living by extortion



First, it was Iran and then Uganda. Now, Cuba, North Korea's "brother nation" is leaning toward to South Korea. Pyongyang and its young dictator Kim Jong-un should wake up from the fantasy of living in isolation and thriving by threatening neighbors with nuclear weapons and missiles.



There can be no denying that now is time of increasing the national interest through cooperation  the era of ideological confrontation has ended.



Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made a two-day visit Saturday to Cuba at the invitation of President Raul Castro to participate in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) summit. This was the first visit by a foreign minister since the two countries' diplomatic ties were severed after Fidel Castro took power during the 1953-1959 Cuban Revolution.



Ever since, Cuba has been one of the staunchest allies for Pyongyang. Havana didn't even send a team to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the first Olympics to be participated in by both the free world and the communist bloc after an exchange of boycotts in Moscow and Los Angeles. Seoul made one of numerous serious efforts to normalize relations in 1997 without success. The latest try was announced last February when Minister Yun broached the idea of giving it another go.



Yun's efforts coincided with U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit to Havana last year. It came to pass by the meeting of mutual conditions: Cuba wants to get out of its decades-long slumber that froze it in the 1950s and the U.S. no longer wants Cuba to remain a thorn in its side.



If Seoul-Havana ties are restored, the number of the countries that have ties with the North to the exclusion of the South would drop to three  Syria, Macedonia and Kosovo.



Obviously the North has been alerted by Seoul's expansionist diplomacy for fear of deeper isolation and the further perdition of pariah status. It reacted strongly by trying to downplay the South's tangible diplomatic results, while sending high-profile delegations to reinforce ties with its friends.



That's the wrong approach.



First of all, Yun's Havana visit by itself conveyed a strong message of condemnation against the North's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, which are under the strongest-ever sanctions by the United Nations.



The Yun visit should be seen in the context of what has happened lately.



Uganda, a long recipient of the North's aid in Africa, has just switched sides to the South, supporting the global effort to separate the North from its WMDs and severing military and security cooperation.



Before that, Iran, the North's partner in the nuclear and missile development, chided the North for its nuclear tests. President Park Geun-hye recently visited Teheran in the first-ever visit by a Korean head of state and signed billions of dollars worth of deals to help Iran revitalize its economy after a decades-long embargo. The embargo started in a standoff with the U.S. after Iran's religious revolution and then continued due to its nuclear program, which is now mothballed.



To top it off, China, Korea's biggest trading partner and the world's superpower, has been drastically moderating its relations with the North in what was once called the blood-sealed alliance. Nowadays China deals with the North as if it were a strategic asset bordering on being a nuisance rather than an ally.



The North should realize that its model of business based on extortion is not working, cease nuclear and missile threats, and take the WMDs-for-survival deal from the global community. Time is not on its side.




An LG Electronics employee inspects OLED TVs at a manufacturing facility in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. The company employs two-track inspection processes for newlyproduced OLED TVs, as a core procedure to bring them to perfection. / Courtesy of LG Electronics



By Lee Min-hyung

GUMI, North Gyeongsang Province  LG Electronics introduced a two-track inspection process ahead of the launch of its organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) TVs, which the firm says was the key to perfection.

The company holds the world's largest OLED TV-manufacturing facility here. In an organized factory tour with reporters, the company shared details on the production of OLED and LCD TVs.

At the G3 and G4 production lines of the Gumi factory, the company manufactures some 10,000 OLED TVs each month, with all of them shipped instantly to key global markets in the Middle East and Asia.

One notable feature of the factory is its thorough and time-consuming inspection procedures.

"We call the Gumi manufacturing facility the mother factory, as LG adopts new manufacturing processes and tests them here," said Lee Byung-chul, vice president of the company's TV and monitor production division.

He stressed the firm's 16 manufacturing facilities both at home and abroad apply new production processes only once they succeed in the Gumi factory.

In particular, the OLED TV production lines here have to pass a thorough two-track inspection procedure, which is different from those of LCD TVs.

The first "aging test" takes place on a conveyer belt beside where employees take 15 minutes to check new OLED TVs for any malfunctions  including color distortion or picture fading.

Packaged OLED TVs are then unpacked for a second inspection.

The company explained that it unpacks the packaged products on purpose, as the process helps employees double-check new devices from the customer's perspective.

LG then turns on the unpacked OLED TVs for 72 hours at room temperature, as part of a measure to detect any tiny malfunctions in new products.

For new OLED TV models, the company extends the period to 168 hours. After two to three months, the test period is reduced to 72 hours.

An LG Electronics official said, "Random sampling tests are not allowed, so all OLED TVs should be under the same thorough inspection processes."

OLED: next TV standard

The LG Electronics executive dispelled concerns over the lifespan of the OLED TVs.

"When we first started manufacturing OLED TVs in 2013, their lifespan was some 36,000 hours," Lee said.

"Technological development has extended it to 100,000 hours now. This is equal to 30 years, if a user watches our OLED TV for 10 hours a day."

He also expressed confidence in OLED's competitive edge over its rivals  including Samsung's SUHD TVs with quantum dot display technology.

"LCD-based quantum dot TVs cannot compete with OLED TVs," he said.

The latter can deliver high contrast and deep black shades, as OLED displays do not require backlighting, according to the LG executive.

LG Electronics had sold some 113,000 OLED TVs in the first quarter of this year, securing a 96.4 percent share in the global OLED TV market, according to market researcher IHS.

The market researcher expects the OLED market to grow 116 percent each year on average from 2013 to 2020.
By Yoon Sung-won





A sign outside Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

Google has submitted a request to the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) again for approval to host the nation's geographic data overseas, government sources said Sunday.



The sources said Google made the request last week, which is the IT giant's second official attempt to obtain map images of Korea, aiming at extending its Google Maps service to cover the country.



The current law stipulates that the NGII is to organize a committee with related government agencies including the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Intelligence Service and reach a decision on approval within 60 days after receiving the application.



However, Google has not accepted the Korean government's precondition of blurring map data for sensitive areas such as Cheong Wa Dae and military bases for the sake of national security, making the company's second proposal unlikely to be approved.



"We understand that Google and the Korean government have not reached a definite agreement about excising map information for the nation's security facilities," said an official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which oversees the NGII.



Since 2008, Google has sought access to Korea's uncensored geographic images to provide all the functions of Google Maps including 3D satellite maps, real-time traffic information and automobile navigation service.



As Google does not have a data center to store the geographic information in Korea, it needs to host it overseas. But unlike those of many other countries such as the United States, Korea's security laws prohibit this.



Despite Google Maps being one of the world's most sought-after online map services, it has only provided limited and inaccurate 2D information of Korea as it lacks the detailed and up-to-date geographical data provided by the government.



Unlike Google, Korea's map information service providers such as Naver, Kakao and SK Telecom provide detailed maps with 1:5,000 scale as they have agreed to censor the sites of key national security facilities, usually by covering up the locations with forests.



Google has complained that the government's stubborn regulations are biased against foreign businesses and called for more openness.



The NGII has offered map images with a scale of 1:25,000 to businesses seeking to send them overseas. But Google has refused because the data is not detailed enough to provide advanced functions such as its navigation service.



As a move to ease the regulation, the government established a committee led by the NGII in 2014 to discuss ways to send the nation's map data overseas. It has approved several applications made for academic but not for commercial purposes.
A legislative deal to rescue the debt-ridden Detroit public schools has passed the states House of Representatives, but faces an uncertain future.

The $600 million-plus legislative package, which now faces consideration in the state Senate, proposes sending $467 million to help pay off the districts debt, and $150 million in transition costs to create a new debt-free district to educate students.

The old district would exist solely to collect taxes, retiring $467 million in debt over roughly 8  years, the Associated Press reports.

With the district expected to run out of money by the end of June, the clock is ticking on the deadline for a new deal. The Republican-controlled Senate could vote on the package as early as next week.

This plan saves Detroits school system and returns local control to the city, preventing a disastrous bankruptcy that would have affected every community in the state, state House Speaker Kevin Cotter said in a statement . We also included key academic and fiscal reforms to protect the massive investment by Michigan taxpayers and ensure the school district stays strong for years to come.

Despite the looming deadline, House Democrats and the Detroit Federation of Teachers staunchly oppose the plan. The plan would force the closure of Detroit schools, opening the door for expansive charter school growth in the city.

House Republicans are forcing the closure of public schools while allowing failing charter schools to proliferate, House Democratic leader Tim Greimel said in a statement . Republicans are making it clear who they serve: charter school operators, not children.

The House plan vastly differs from a plan passed by the Senate in March that includes the Detroit Education Commission, which would be appointed by Detroits mayor and have some authority over public and charter schools, especially on where the schools are located in the city.

State-appointed emergency managers have run the district since 2009.

In the House-backed plan, an advisory council would produce reports on where schools and transportation are needed in the city, but their recommendations wouldnt be binding. A school board, to be elected in November, would return the district to local control, with some state oversight of the school systems finances. The Detroit News reports that a state-appointed transition manager would run the new debt-free district until the until the school board assumed office January.

Duggan told the Detroit News that the proposed aid package would be a waste unless there is a commission to help stabilize the districts enrollment and finances.

The Senate plan, which has been endorsed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, received support from both parties in the Senate.

Instead of joining us at the table to create a workable plan for Detroit Public Schools, House Republicans are once again insisting on going their own way and doubling down on ideas that are bound to fail, state Rep. Brian Banks, the chairman of the Detroit caucus, said in a statement .

The House Republican plan would also disband the states Education Achievement Authority , which Gov. Snyder set up in 2012 to try to turn around the states lowest-performing schools. All 15 EAA schools are in Detroit, but are separate from the rest of the citys school system.
New York City-based New Leaders has been training principals and school leaders to work in high-poverty schools for the past 15 years.

In April, the organization published its first major book, Breakthrough Principals: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Stronger Schools, which explores the practices of high-performing school leaders and provides a frameworkcomplete with case studies and action stepsthat other school leaders can use to improve their practice and their schools.

The authors advance some new ideas about how to think about school improvement, including viewing it through a stages of school development lens. In the same way that there are stages of human development, schools and leaders are at different points of growth and need to take different actions, depending on where they are and where they want to go, the authors argue.

The book comes as school leaders continue to juggle a host of responsibilities that werent on their plates two decades ago and as the landscape shifts from the era of the No Child Left Behind Act to one governed by the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Benjamin Fenton, one of the books co-authors and the co-founder of New Leaders, said that this is an optimistic time for school leaders. Fenton, who now serves as New Leaders chief strategy officer, said the organization was already putting some of what emerged from the books research into its training programs.

Fenton took time recently for a Q & A with Education Week. The conversation has been edited for length.

What led you to undertake the work in Breakthrough Principals?

We started the research that became this book back in 2006, 2007. At the time, we had been training principals for high-poverty schools for six years, and we were beginning to see the different results they were getting in schoolsin terms of student outcomes, teacher-quality, teacher-retentionand we wanted to go in and begin studying the practices of the principals who were seeing the greatest improvements in each of those [areas]. With the support of a number of federal grants, we were able to study principals beyond our community.

We ended up studying over 200 schoolslooking at their gains in student achievement, identifying those that had seen success over multiple yearsand then we took a long look at their leadership practices and how those schools were developing.

What is the transformational leadership framework, and how does it drive school improvement?

The transformational leadership framework lays out the practices that we saw in the schools that were demonstrating consistent improvement in student outcomes. In addition to showing what the school practices are, [the framework] also shares the associated leadership actions. In particular, what are the leaders doing? We found through our research that the role of the leader was crucial, particularly in high-poverty schools, in demonstrating consistent improvement.

The framework lays out five big areas of focus for any school leader: learning and teaching; school culture; talent management; planning and operations; and a personal leadership category. [It] gives them a sense of the key practices in each of those areas that we saw consistently in place in high-performing schools. It also shows what those practices look like across the stages of the schools development. The framework lets a principal and her team identify where there is a need for focus...and then focus their time and energies in that place.

One of the questions you asked going into this work was what distinguishes principals of high-performing schools from others? What did you find?

One of the surprising findings for us in our research was that as we watched schools develop from these historically low-performing schools and up to the trajectory to improving student outcomes, we saw a very consistent pattern of the kinds of things those schools did first, and then once theyd built those skills what they did nextwhat we eventually called stage one practices, stage two practices, stage three practices.

At the principal level, we certainly found a couple of crucial characteristics around personal leadership. There are strong beliefs that every child can succeed regardless of background and [an] ability to inspire others around that set of beliefs. They brought a strong sense of communication and transparency. They were very self-reflective. They were strong in terms of resilience. Even as challenges came up, their vision never left of what they wanted to see on behalf of students and their communities...

The framework includes learning and teaching; school culture; talent management; planning and operations. Why is personal leadership important?

Its a great question, one that we debated as a team. We consistently found that beyond the school practices in the other four categories, there were a set of actions that leaders were taking that were more about how they did the work and how they led the school. We felt that we wouldnt actually be telling the full story of success without including that personal leadership category.

As we talked to staff and as we talked to parents and students, many of them brought up how important personal leadership was. A couple of the pieces in our leadership category [are]: leading with a strong set of beliefs about what is possible for every student [and] the school community [and] maintaining a strong sense of positive beliefs and confidence in whats possible in the future. Thats something the principals are constantly doingreinforcing that through their language, their modeling, talking to others.

The second big category we focused a lot on is communication and trust-building. Beyond any of the particular practices around instruction or culture, the leader is constantly thinking about their consistency in communicationhaving good two-way communication with everyone involved in the school: staff, students, parents, communityand their ability to create the right facilitation structures and the right transparency of results and progress so that everyone can really stay engaged.

Then a last piece that we focused on is the ability to be an adaptive leader. How do they help recognize the people who are struggling with change? How do they help people understand and move through the major changes needed for improvement? How do they themselves keep looking for feedback and understanding what still needs to change? Those are a couple of the things that we didnt feel like they fell in any of the other specific categories, but were crucial to what we were seeing as successful leadership of improving schools.

How are you hoping that principals and other school leaders will use this book?

Our hope is that principals would first use it to get a great overview of all the major areas of focus for them as school leaders. There are great resources in the field on any of these particular areas. But we wanted the framework to help principals see all the different areas of school practice in one place. Second, we wanted to give them these tools...to be able to diagnose where their school is in terms of the stages of school development in each of these different categories and be able to choose a couple of important focus areas.

Image: Benjamin Fenton, co-founder and chief strategy officer of New York City-based New Leaders.
The price of LITRO gas cylinders would be further reduced in the first week of November in accordance with the

Read more
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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David Gilkey, a much-awarded photojournalist on assignment for NPR in Afghanistan, was killed when the unit he was traveling with came under attack. Gilkey was 50. NPR's Afghan interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna, 38, also died. The photo here is by Monika Evstatieva/NPR.

From NPR's story:



David was considered one of the best photojournalists in the world  honored with a raft of awards including a George Polk in 2010, an Emmy in 2007 and dozens of distinctions from the White House News Photographers Association.

It is fair to say that David witnessed some of humanity's most challenging moments: He covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He covered the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa. He covered the devastating earthquake in Haiti, famine in Somalia and most recently the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. His images were haunting  amid the rubble, he found beauty; amid war, he found humanity.



And noted: CBS LA managing editor Pete Wilgoren writes about finding out Friday that he was out of a job. From his post at his blog Dadmissions:

Ive gone through a lot of emotions in the past couple of days: shock, anger, sadness. You see, when I went to work Friday, I didnt know it would be my last day at work after 16 years with the company. But it was. And its over. And its just a part of the changing business I chose. Nothing is forever.

Media notes

Eric Wemple, media writer for the Washington Post, says the flackage in which Tribune Publishing announced its name change to Tronc was the worst press release in the history of journalism. Excerpt:

Far worse than the name and punctuational idiosyncrasies is the direction in which Ferro is pushing the company. The vision calls for perhaps the most concentrated mess of buzzwords that digital publishing has ever seen, and thats some feat.

Also: The rookie digital journalism titans at Tronc neglected to secure the Twitter handle @tronc before they went public. They apparently have it now. Wash Post

And this: I'm flying home. Sitting next to a high-ranking media exec who'll remain nameless. When she read about #Tronc, she started laughing out loud  Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 3, 2016

Russ Mitchell, the former technology editor at the LA Times before leaving to be managing editor at California Healthline, is returning to the LAT on June 13 in a new role. Based in the Bay Area, Mitchell will be covering automobiles, the future of mobility and the strengthening relationship between Silicon Valley and the auto industry. Via release

The LA Times did not have a front page mention of Muhammad Ali's passing due to the paper's unusually early deadlines  and readers noticed. The LAT came back with a big Sunday package. Co-bylines on the A-1 obituary of Muhammad Ali were Thomas Curwen, who is a staff writer now, and J. Michael Kennedy, who has had several jobs since leaving the Times I don't know when. LAT amazing work @latimes @tcurwen J Michael Kennedy & @dwyrelatimes in @latimessports today. spectacular Ali coverage. pic.twitter.com/EtlUQEfzOp  Evan Lovett (@EvanLovett) June 5, 2016

And this from the former LA Times reporter and editor of the opinion pages, now at UCLA: So weird not to have Ali's obit on the LATimes' front page. I get press deadlines, but what a sadness. Great American, not given his due.  Jim Newton (@newton_jim) June 5, 2016





David Remnick's profile of Ali in the New Yorker in 1998.

And this from Vin Scully. Vin Scully on 'The Greatest of All Time', Muhammad Ali.https://t.co/A8eH3SEM47  Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2016

Paul Waldman, a senior writer at The American Prospect and contributor to the Washington Post's Plum Line blog, argues that "its possible that when we look back over the sweep of this most unusual campaign, well mark this week as a significant turning point: the time when journalists finally figured out how to cover Donald Trump."

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the watchdog group that reported the Panama Papers, is being forced to cut costs. NYT

Los Angeles Magazine editor and writer Amy Wallace was married over the weekend to Dale Harvey.



There is at least one new thing about the Orange County Register under new ownership: its formerly libertarian editorial pages have endorsed Rep. Loretta Sanchez for the first time, and surprised followers with an endorsement for the school board.



Next week the most gripping news for the music industry may come out of a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. There, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin will be defending themselves against a lawsuit claiming that parts of Stairway to Heaven were copied from Taurus, an instrumental tune by the lesser-known group Spirit. NYT



Hollywood's New Problem: Sequels Moviegoers Don't Want. THR



Zocalo columnist Joe Mathews finds the four-hour commute from Pasadena to Santa Monica via the Expo Line way too slow and hard on his body. Don't believe the LA transit hype





The Coalition to Preserve LA, which kicked off signature gathering in hopes of qualifying a measure for the 2017 city ballot, is run by former LA Weekly managing editor Jill Stewart. The group's communications director is John Schwada, the former Fox 11 and LA Times reporter.

Former LA Times TV and media critic Howard Rosenberg has a two-part piece of fiction now running at Nikki Finke's Hollywood Dementia website.

Another editor and reporter have left the flailing Las Vegas Review-Journal. Politico

The Center for Investigative Reporting added ESPN's Rob King to its board of directors.







Media people tweets

We Topangans are deeply grateful to the LA County firefighters (and their brothers and sisters https://t.co/74YX5PnDdk  Celeste Fremon (@WitnessLA) June 6, 2016





When you're at dinner and Bernie Sanders sits down. #BernieInLA pic.twitter.com/P3lWfkM8VB  Matthew Belloni (@THRMattBelloni) June 5, 2016




PRESS RELEASE

Ash Carter Calls for New NATO in the Asia-Pacific

June 4, 2016 (EIRNS)Speaking today at the Shangri-La Dialogue (15th Asia Security Summit), U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter called for the creation of a U.S.-led security architecture in Asia. While lamenting the fact that there has never been a NATO in Asia, he then went on to explain his intent in building the various U.S. alliances into such a structure, of course, aimed at no one in particular! He also said that China could be a part of this new and glorious pact if they dont isolate themselves by building a "Great Wall" with their territorial claims. By making so blatant the goal of the re-set policy, he no doubt wants to undercut Chinas proposal, to be presented tomorrow, of a community of common destiny in the Asia-Pacific.

Carter also reiterated the ridiculous U.S. claims that the U.S. security alliances provided the oxygen for the Asia-Pacific to grow, this at a time when the U.S. economy is virtually on life-support. He went so far as to issue a not-so-veiled threat if China refuses to back down from its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Any action by China to reclaim land in the Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop in the disputed sea, would have consequences, Carter said.

"I hope that this development doesnt occur, because it will result in actions being taken by the both United States and ... by others in the region which would have the effect of not only increasing tensions but isolating China,"

Carter said. He no doubt sees himself as the Roman consul creating his creating his praetorian guard in order to defend the limes (border dedense) against the barbarians. While not fingering China as the target, he did indicate that this alliance would be directed, among other things, against possible Russian aggression.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Chinese greeted Carters proposal with skepticism, reports Xinhua. Rear Adm. Guan Youfei, director of the foreign affairs office of Chinas National Defense Ministry, said Beijing welcomes the U.S. establishing close relations with Asian countries. But he urged Washington to scale back its military exercises in the region and to reduce "provocations" such as operating military aircraft and ships in close proximity to other countries. "I believe this will help the U.S. play a better role in the region," he said.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, or Asia Security Summit, is sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), itself founded in Britain in 1958.
In late 2014, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana indicated that his state would not apply for federal dollars that were available to expand preschool, saying that the state would stick to its pilot program.

But Pence, a Republican, has shifted his stance, saying that the states experience with its On My Way Pre-K program has prepared the state to take advantage of federal assistance. And, a letter Pence wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell also explains why Pence held his state back from applying for the money earlier, even though that move earned him criticism from Indianas education chief .

By not expanding the preschool program prematurely, I kept a promise I made to key legislative leaders in order to gain their support for my prekindergarten program, Pence wrote in a June 2 letter to Burwell . Keeping our word will be critical as we again look to the legislature next year to help us expand prekindergarten programs for those children in need.

In the letter, Pence asked for details about how to apply for the funds in preparation for the states next budget session, which begins in January.

Indianas preschool pilot program is open to children from low-income families who live in the counties that include Evansville (Vanderburgh County), Fort Wayne (Allen County) Gary (Lake County), and Indianapolis (Marion County.) Rural Jackson County is also a participant. Demand for the slots has far outstripped supply .

(Indianapolis also has a preschool program funded by the city and private partners. Unlike the state program, Indy PSP enrolls 3-year-olds as well as 4-year-olds.)

ESSA Creates Preschool Development Grant Program With New Rules

The federal Preschool Development Grant program was maintained in the Every Student Succeeds Act, the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. However, it has changed from when it was first introduced. The first incarnation of the grants divided $80 million among 18 states. Some of the states had well-developed programs, and others had preschool programs that were just getting off the ground.

Under ESSA, the new preschool grant program has been authorized for $250 milllion, and will be jointly administered by HHS and the Education Department. However, the new program limits the federal governments role in mandating rules that states must follow in order to get the money. For example, the federal government cannot tell a state that in order to get the money, it has to have a full-day program, that it has to use certain metrics to evaluate effectiveness, or that it must hire teachers with at least a bachelors degree.

Those changes were intentional. The Every Student Succeeds Act includes a statement that "[i]t is the Sense of the Congress that a state retains the right to make decisions, free from federal intrusion, concerning its system of early learning and child care ... States, while protecting the rights of early learning and child care providers, retain the right to make decisions that shall include the age at which to set compulsory attendance in school, the content of a states early learning guidelines, and how to determine quality in programs.

Photo: Gov. Mike Pence of visits Day Nursery in Indianapolis in October 2013. Courtesy Indiana Governors Office.

Related stories:

for the latest news on policies, practices, and trends in early childhood education.
PRESS RELEASE

UN Human Rights Expert Warns European Institutions that Their Austerity Policies Violate Human Rights

June 4, 2016 (EIRNS)Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights for the UN Human Rights (UNHR) Council Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky has once again denounced both the Greek bailout policies as a violation of human rights, as well as the EU austerity policy throughout Europe. At a press conference in Brussels, Bohoslavsky denounced the European Unions disproportionate emphasis on fiscal adjustment.

"I am concerned about a policy shift undermining the previously balanced approach of ensuring economic stability, equality and social cohesion, in favor of a disproportionate focus on budgetary stability," warned Bohoslavsky in a statement issued by the Office of the UN Human Rights High Commission yesterday.

"Poverty has been on the rise in one of the most affluent regions of the world," Bohoslavsky stressed. About 121 million people in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the UNHR statement said: Their number has in particular increased in countries that underwent a financial crisis and structural adjustment, such as Greece and Spain.

"It is unlikely that the European Union will reach in 2020 its official target to reduce the number of people at-risk-of poverty and social exclusion by 20 million people," he said while noting that there are around 21.4 million unemployed persons in the EU, 4.7 million more than in 2008, before the financial crisis spread. "It is unacceptable that some people do not have the ability to buy food, lose access to basic healthcare or are unable to have a roof over their head,"

said Bohoslavsky, an Argentine native. He underlined that upholding human rights was the responsibility of everyone, including financial institutions and EU member-states implementing fiscal adjustment programs."

Commenting on the Greek debt, he said that the proposals by the creditors were "too little too late." He said that it was widely accepted that a debt relief was necessary, adding that it was time for action in this direction. Bohoslavsky said the package of measures passed by the Greek government recently under the pressure of its lenders would have medium- and long-term effects on human rights in the country.

Issuing a strong warning Bohoslavsky said

"while member states of the European Union are primarily responsible for adherence to their international human rights obligations, international institutions, including the EU, its bodies and financial institutions are not beyond the reach of international human rights law.

"When making policy recommendations or setting binding conditionalities for providing loans, EU institutions and bodies haveat an absolute minimumto respect international human rights treaties to which all their member states have become a party,"

Bohoslavsky underscored.

He denounced that fact that,

"when it comes to internal macroeconomic policies human rights standards are not explicitly used as benchmarks against which structural program reforms are assessed."

Bohoslavsky will present his final findings and key recommendations in a comprehensive report in March 2017.
PRESS RELEASE

Ongoing Media Coverage of Jobs Crash in May

June 4, 2016 (EIRNS)There continues to be wide coverage of the shocking jobs data for May, reported Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. John Crudele, writing in Saturdays New York Post, says "ugly jobs report is even worse than it looks," noting that of the 38,000 net jobs created that month, only 25,000 were in the private sector and furthermore, the March and April stats were reduced by 59,000 jobs when more data was later reviewed. The participation in the labor force rate fell by another 0.2% (Crudele didnt bother to mention that there are now close to 95 million working-age Americans who are not in the labor force), he noted, and added that the Wall Street fall on Friday reflected greater worry about the real economic downturn than the "good news" that the Fed wont likely raise rates in June at the FOMC.

CSN News picked up on the real horror, headlining its coverage "Record 94,708,000 Americans Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Drops in May," covering the fact that the 62.2% labor participation rate is near a 38-year low. Since Obama took office, the number of working-age people not included in the labor force went from 80,529,000 to 94,708,000an increase of 14,179,000. The labor participation rate has fallen for the past seven years, since a peak in February 2009, the first full month of the Obama administration, from the peak of 65.7% down to the current 62.6. The BLS said that in May, 5,923,000 people were seeking work, up by 130,000 from the previous month. The unemployment rate for teens first entering the labor force was listed by BLS at 16%. There are also, according to the May statistics, 6.4 million people working part time "for economic reasons"i.e., they cannot find full-time work. That number increased from April to May by 468,000. Durable goods employment in the manufacturing sector fell by 18,000 in May.

In the face of this reality, President Obama traveled to Indiana last week and delivered a lying speech on the U.S. economic recovery under his administration, claiming he halved the unemployment rate and oversaw a boost in manufacturing.
PRESS RELEASE

Russians Insist on No Delay of Syria Talks

June 4, 2016 (EIRNS)Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone, yesterday, on the Syrian situation. "Lavrov expressed concern about attempts to delay the resumption of political negotiations under various pretexts," said the Russian Foreign Ministry reports Reuters. Lavrov said, in an interview afterwards that the U.S. has asked Russia not to bomb Al Nusra in Syria. "They [the U.S.] are telling us not to hit it [al-Nusra Front], because there are also normal opposition groups [on those territories]," he said. He stressed that "such opposition groups should leave terrorist positions," adding that "we have long agreed on that."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed, yesterday, that the U.S. has indeed made such a request. Kerry, he said,

"conveyed to Russia and the Assad regime that they need to carefully distinguish between these terrorist groups operating on the ground and those parties to the cessation of hostilities,"

Toner told reporters during the regular State Department briefing.

Lavrov stressed, in his interview, that terrorism is the common threat that everyone should focus on. "It is important to provide humanitarian access to the settlements blocked by one side or another, to secure the ceasefire and to prevent its violation, as well as to launch the political process but, as important as these goals are, terrorism is our common threat, and there should be no doubt about that." He also said that the political process in Syria

"is being held back by radical opposition groups that refuse to come to the negotiating table and set preconditions for peace talks."

Lavrovs remarks on preconditions followed those of Russias UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin, yesterday, who charged that imposing preconditions on resuming talks is immoral.

"It is wrong and immoral to say that the real [intra-Syrian] talks will not start until all humanitarian issues have been resolved,"

he said following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on Syria. "Real talks must continue" without any preconditions.
PRESS RELEASE

China Delivers Strong Rebuke to Carter at Shangri-La

June 5, 2016 (EIRNS)The Chinese have responded to Ashton Carters claim that the Chinese are in the act of self-isolating themselves with their activities in the South China Sea. "Carters claims are incorrect and do not accord with the actual situation," Guan Youfei, director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese Central Military Commission, told the media, yesterday. Guan said the United States should learn lessons from the wars it had waged in the Asia-Pacific region after World War II and play a constructive role in the region.

Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of Chinas Central Military Commission, also delivered his speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, in which he directly addressed the Carter rant from Saturday, from a much higher level.

"The world today is undergoing historic changes as never before and the Asia-Pacific countries share good times and bad times together," he said. China thus advocates a new security outlook, featuring inclusive, shared and win-win security cooperation, he said. In order to lay a solid foundation for security governance, Sun also called for nations to seek mutual understanding and accommodation through dialogue and consultation. "The jungle law goes against the trend of the times and belligerence does not make peace," he said. "The Asia-Pacific countries should refuse the Cold War mentality, deepen and expand security cooperation featuring no-conflict, no-confrontation, no targeting against a third party, mutual benefit and win-win."

On that theme, he said that

"The Asia-Pacific countries have constituted a community of shared destiny, interdependent and inseparable. The bright future for the Asia-Pacific region has to be facilitated by common development and common security of all regional countries."

Instead of the NATO-type alliance that Carter called for yesterday, Sun advocated a new security outlook, featuring inclusive, shared and win-win security cooperation by all.

"From the defense and military perspective, China believes that countries in the Asia-Pacific region should work together to promote security governance,"

he said. As for Chinas claims in the South China Sea:

"China will not bear the consequences, nor will it allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interest, or stay indifferent to some countries creating chaos in the South China Sea,"

Sun said.

Sun also addressed American plans to deploy a THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. "This will erode the security of the (Asia-Pacific) region," he said.

"As a soldier myself, I am well aware of the meaning of (the deployment). Deploying THAAD in the Korean Peninsula is an excessive measure that by far exceeds current U.S. defense capabilities,"

he noted. "Non-conflict, non-confrontation as well as non-targeting for a third country should be pursued," he added, apparently accusing the U.S. of zeroing in on China. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo countered that "The discussion of THAAD deployment originated in a move to defend against North Koreas nuclear and missile threats." Han stressed that "THAAD would only be aimed at North Koreas nuclear and missile threats that are becoming more sophisticated." He also stressed that South Korea "undoubtedly has the will to deploy THAAD."

Russias Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov echoed Admiral Sun on security arrangements for the Pacific in his remarks to the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit.

"The existing regional security system based mainly on a network of closed military alliances does not contribute to creating an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, nor does it meet the interests or concerns of all Asia-Pacific states,"

he said. "Closed military blocs are a relic of the past," Antonov said.

"Instead we suggest mutually respectful partnership, recognition of nations right to determine their fate independently, renouncement of any attempts to ensure ones security at the expense of the others."

John Kerry is not in Singapore, but he issued a warning to China anyway, from Ulan Baator, in response to rumors reported in the media that China might be on the verge of declaring an ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) in the South China Sea. "We would consider an ADIZ ... over portions of the South China Sea as a provocative and destabilizing act which would automatically raise tensions and call into serious question Chinas commitment to diplomatically manage the territorial disputes of the South China Sea," Kerry said. "So we urge China not to move unilaterally in ways that are provocative."

Kerry arrived in Beijing Sunday from Mongolia, where he made a short stop-over. He will be co-chairing the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which will take place June 6-7.
Of all the mistakes, misstatements, and assorted bloviations issuing from Donald Trump during the current presidential campaign, surely one of the leading head-scratchers is his May 27 assertion to the effect that there is no drought in California.

Lets consider a fuller quote from Trumps appearance:

Were going to solve your water problem  you have a water problem that is so insane, it is so ridiculous, where theyre taking the water and shoving it out to sea. And I just met with a lot of the farmers who are great people, and theyre saying, we dont even understand it. They have farms up here, and they dont get water. I said, Oh, thats too bad. Is it a drought? No, we have plenty of water.  We shove it out to sea.  The environmentalists dont know why. Theyre trying to protect a certain kind of three-inch fish.  My environmental standard is very simple.  I want clean air and clean water.

This was a typical Trump liturgy, in that he took an extremely complicated problem and caricatured it as a simple problem, easily solved. It was also typical in that, while masquerading as the peoples friend, he actually was parroting the position of vested interests  in this case, Central Valley growers and their water suppliers, especially the giant Westlands Water District, which has been grousing for years about its drought-related reduced allocations from the federal Central Valley Project. We can glean this from the fact that Trumps meeting with farmers had been arranged by Johnny Amaral, a local political figure who is the deputy general manager of Westlands.

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I said, Oh, thats too bad. Is it a drought? No, we have plenty of water. ... We shove it out to sea.  Donald Trump, relaying a conversation with California farmers

Amaral says the attendees at the meeting came from all parts of the Central Valley, not merely Westlands, and that he was the only Westlands employee in attendance. But its proper to observe that the politically connected Westlands usually has the political clout to get what it wants, and roping in Trump comes right out of its playbook. More on that in a moment.

A few important points leap out from Trumps speech. First, its basic theme was that among all stakeholders in the states water supply, farmers should come first. This was undoubtedly gratifying for Trumps Central Valley agricultural audience, but not especially useful for more than 30 million residents who depend on the same water sources to live, or those who gain their livelihoods from fishing, whether in rivers or, um, the sea.

Second, Trump was parroting an old, discredited line of chatter about how environmental uses of water are all about protecting the delta smelt, that three-inch fish. Sadly, no. Its about protecting salmon and other commercial fisheries, and the entire ecosystem on which millions of residents around and south of the Sacramento delta rely. Shortchanging that ecosystem means dirtier water and dirtier air, which Trump claimed to be serious about.

Finally, the drought is real. The farmers who got Trumps ear managed to fill it with abject flapdoodle about how 2016 isnt a drought year, since some reservoirs have filled so high theyve had to be siphoned down to make room for spring runoffs.

But only an innocent would take this at face value. The truth is that the state has been in severe drought for five years straight, and indications are that the coming year will again be dry, thanks to the periodic Pacific condition known as La Nina (think of it as the mirror image of wet-year El Ninos).

Amaral told me, indeed, that the 50 farmers who met with Trump on May 27 gave him a more nuanced view of the situation than he gave to his audience in Fresno.

Over the long term, Amaral acknowledges, everyone should expect a shortage of water. And 2012, 13, 14  those were dry years. But anyone who talks about a drought in 2016 isnt being fair with the public.

Amaral says he reached out to both the Trump and Clinton presidential campaigns, offering to introduce them to the growers viewpoint, which is that the Central Valley is not out of water because of the drought, but because the water is mismanaged. Only Trump responded. But surely Amaral had to know that when the farmers views got passed through the Trump wringer, theyd come out hopelessly twisted: the idea that 2016 is a wet year transformed into there is no drought.

The viewpoint of the growers and Westlands that theres enough water in the state for people, farms, businesses, and fish to coexist peacefully, as Amaral put it  if only bureaucrats (and federal law) get out of the way  also warrants critical examination.

Amarals take might be accurate, if all the stakeholders could sit down and jointly work out new allocations of existing supply, while agreeing on just compensation for transfers of historic water rights. Thats a tough job, made even tougher when uninformed politicians such as Trump airdrop into the Central Valley and declare farmers to be the most deserving water users and that allocating supply to anyone else is ridiculous and insane.

Water officials in the state have been trying to work out a sustainable agreement on intrastate allocations from the Colorado River since the so-called Quantification Settlement Agreement was reached under the federal governments gaze in 2003. Theyve been trying to solve the issues of statewide transfers from the delta since at least 1982, when voters rejected the Peripheral Canal for moving water from north to south.

The truth is that climate change will likely make drought a close to permanent fact of life in California, and wet years such as 2016 merely short-term feints by Mother Nature. As water expert Jay Famiglietti of NASA and UC Irvine observed in a recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, so much water disappeared from the states major watersheds from 2011 to 2015 that it would take two to three more winters of at least average precipitation to bring an end to the current drought.

Westlands, the district that Amaral represents, knows that its legal rights to available water are junior, by history and law. Unsurprisingly, it has a blinkered view of the situation, which it plainly articulated quite effectively to Trump, who came into the discussion knowing nothing. When Amaral says that the available supply is being mismanaged, he really means its not being managed in a way that Westlands prefers  one that would increase its draw or perhaps make its purchases from those with senior water rights more economical. Westlands is famous for its ability to squeeze every possible drop of water from its legal rights, and to extend those rights to the breaking point, as one can see from the extraordinarily advantageous litigation settlement it extracted from the federal government last year. (See my coverage here and here.) When it cant operate legally, its not above a little Enron accounting, either. But its users place in the hierarchy of California water rights was fixed decades ago, and in some respects as long ago as the 19th century. Complaining about the delta smelt today isnt going to fix that.

That doesnt mean the state and federal governments have hit on the indisputably best way to allocate an ever-scarcer resource among ever-more demanding users. Much more work has to be done to solve the riddle of California water in an era of drought. Putting ones trust in Trump is the wrong place to start.
The gig: Thao Pham, 44, is the vice president of community at Clif Bar & Co. and the executive director of the Clif Bar Family Foundation. Her team of eight people works with non-profits, organizes volunteers and ensures that the Emeryville, Calif., food company gives back to the communities from which it draws.

Vietnamese roots: When Pham was 4 years old, her family fled Vietnam. It was 1975  only days before the fall of Saigon. As they headed for the coast, her parents and five siblings dressed in beachwear so as not to rouse suspicions. They boarded a Vietnamese naval ship, which took them to the Philippines where they transferred to a U.S. Navy ship bound for the U.S. It was a close call, Pham said of their escape. We were very lucky.

Loose Creek: The family resettled in Loose Creek, Missouri, a farming town of 350 families where Pham said she got her first taste of the meaning of community. The Pham family didnt speak English and arrived in the U.S. with only each other. Everyone in Loose Creek came together to help us, she said. They taught us English, they found us a place to live, they made sure we had enough food, they found a job for my dad in a garage. To me, that was the meaning of community.

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California-bound: Phams family moved to the Bay Area in 1977 to be closer to the Vietnamese community that had formed in Northern California. Her father started a food truck business in Alameda, where she lives today. Pham studied Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. As a student at Cal, she worked at the student union and at a real estate law firm. There, I was exposed to what it means to be good with time management, she said. Despite pressure from her parents to become a doctor or a lawyer, neither profession felt right for her. After graduation, she spent a few years as a legal analyst for Levi Strauss, but was less interested in the legal side of things and more interested in helping people.

Clif Bar: Pham remembers the day she joined the human resources team at Clif Bar & Co.  Oct. 9, 2000  because the company was deciding whether to sell or to stay private. It ultimately stayed private, turning down a multimillion-dollar acquisition. It gave me insight into how things are not just business as usual here, Pham said. They wanted to keep it private, because they knew a business could do what a philanthropist could do.

Community leader: After working in HR at Clif Bar & Co. for six years, Pham was tapped to lead its community efforts in 2006. I felt it was my calling, she said. As the Vice President of Community, she partners her firm with communities to offer financial support for infrastructure and organizes the company-wide local volunteering program. Her team monitors the community and identifies ways Clif Bar can be a positive force. She draws on her experiences in Loose Creek to inform her approach. Its through the simple act of lending a hand, she said. That experience of connecting with people and supporting people you dont even know  it moves you. As a child, I was a translator for my parents. And now Im a translator for the community.

Food future: Pham also runs the non-profit Clif Bar Family Foundation, which is funded by the food company. She directs financial support for small to mid-sized non-profits working to strengthen the food system. The foundation has made investments in organic seeds and farming, and Pham thinks of it as succession planning for the planets food future. We need to leave them something much better than what we have now, she said.

Seed Matters: Under Phams directorship, the Clif Bar Family Foundation invested $1 million in Seed Matters, a non-profit that promotes farmers roles and rights as seed stewards, conserves crop diversity and helps fund public seed research. According to Pham, such investments dont necessarily affect Clif Bars day-to-day operations, but theyre an example of how the company looks to give back to and improve the communities that are in some way connected with its operations.

Advice: For companies that want to be more involved in the community, Pham suggests creating a community service program and getting employees involved. Its more than just writing a check, she said. Get your employees engaged and let them choose the organizations they want to support.
This post is by Adriana Martinez, Senior Associate, Innovation Labo Network, Council of Chief State School Officers.

When I first arrived, Cedar Rapids, Iowa seemed like a sleepy town surrounded by expansive fields. I had just returned from a trip in Tokyo and the Iowa Department of Education invited a group from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to visit some schools in the area. It didnt take long to shake off the jetlag, because once we started talking to teachers we found Iowas schools filled with excitement, buzzing with energy and pushing boundaries. As a member of CCSSOs Innovation Lab Network , Iowa is paving the path for student-centered learning through their focus on competency-based education (CBE). Schools visits such as my trip to Cedar Rapids always provide valuable experiences because its difficult to grasp innovation in education until you see it in action. This visit, in particular, opened a window into a topic the ILN is tackling this year: leadership for student-centered learning.

Our itinerary took us to Iowa BIG , a joint partnership between Cedar Rapids Community School District and the College Community School District, is a competency-based program where high school students can opt to complete community-based projects to meet their school credit requirements. This program embodies personalized learning, and its first tenet is that the student must choose and love the project. During our visit, we learned about the unique learning experiences BIG gives to its students that offer voice, choice and ownership of their learning.

Many things struck me about our visit to Iowa BIG--the beautiful space Iowa BIG shares with other startup companies and entrepreneurs; the many partnerships the program fosters with their local community; the diverse and creative projects students are leading and the challenges theyre still tackling. High school students from Cedar Rapids public schools may choose to enroll in the program and alternate their time with their school, which they endearingly call the mothership, and Iowa BIG. You will see few students walking the halls of the building because theyre mostly busy working with industry or community partners to complete their projects. As they work on projects, students must demonstrate that they are learning and applying academic content and skills they would normally learn in a traditional school setting--and they have to prove it through specific tasks as part of a project, and through the projects successful completion. For example, some students were building a water drone to measure water quality, which theyre constructing in the workshop space of the building. Another exciting project launched by Iowa BIG is the Minnow Tank , a pitch competition to encourage middle school girls to develop leadership skills (check out this news clip to see it in action). Learning in Iowa BIG differs dramatically from most schools, and theyre able to do so by leveraging state policies that create flexibility and support CBE.

Iowas journey in CBE began several years ago when the legislature eliminated the requirement to use the Carnegie unit as the basis for credit in high schools and launched a task force to investigate CBE. The work of the task force culminated in a report with recommendations for developing CBE in the state. In 2013, in response to the task force recommendations, the legislature allocated funds for the Iowa CBE Collaborative to engage in collaborative inquiry to investigate, develop, and implement competency-based educational pathways for their students and create a framework to guide the statewide implementation of CBE. Cedar Rapids is one of 10 participating districts piloting CBE and building tools and protocols that will help others engage in CBE in the long-term. Trace Pickering, Iowa BIG co-founder and the associate superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District, clearly emphasized the importance of this legacy during our visit: without CBE policy, Iowa BIG would not be possible.

Despite the exciting policy developments in the state, policy rarely creates change by itself. Educators, teachers and administrators are the catalysts that take traditional models of teaching and learning and transform them to student-centered models. As I reflect on my visit, what impressed me the most was the passion and vision of the school leaders and teachers who opened their doors. They capitalized on CBE policy change to reimagine what learning could be for students.

The teachers and leaders we met at Iowa BIG provided insight on leadership in the context of a personalized, competency-based program and exemplify many qualities of transformational leadership. These leaders are driven by a sense of urgency to do things differently, not to reform or improve the current system. Shawn Cornally, for example, one of Iowa BIGs co-founders and teachers, embodies this characteristic. Before Iowa BIG, he was in a high-performing high school teaching Advanced Placement. Shawn left because he believed that the traditional structure of school wasnt designed with the needs of all students: not all students learn within the constraints of block schedule, not all learning needs to happen within school walls. As a result, Iowa BIG was designed to push anytime, anywhere learning. This doesnt mean that a student gets to do what they want whenever they want; rather, they work with advisors to plan their schedules so that they best fit the projects that interests them and fit their learning needs.

The teachers and leaders of schools and programs such as Iowa BIG create a vision focused on long-term goals and aspirations for their students. Success for these leaders is not only focused on student achievement, its also focused on cultivating deeper learning skills and dispositions. This implies that schools must create environments where students can develop skills through real-life, hands on learning experiences. These leaders believe that we cannot expect our students to become independent, critical thinkers if their learning is always prescriptive. Students who participate in Iowa BIG have an advantage as they transition to college and/or career, because they can demonstrate with concrete examples that theyre problem solvers, they can collaborate with different communities and stakeholders, they can manage their time and they learn from their failures. The teachers we met are committed to this approach because they witness the potential of students when you give them the opportunity to drive their own learning.

Finally, leaders create the safe space teachers and students need to take risks, try new solutions and learn from failure. Not everything at Iowa BIG is perfect, and they acknowledge that. The student who spoke with us shared with us his struggle to manage his time because he would work on his projects until late at night. Now, he and his advisors are working to improve his school-life balance and help him be smarter about how he uses his time. Systems transformation is inherently messy; and educators and leaders must empower students and be comfortable navigating through the ambiguity and adversity.

The teachers and leaders in Cedar Rapids showcase the knowledge, skills and mindsets necessary to transform a traditional system into something like Iowa BIG--qualities that a new project launched by CCSSO, Jobs for the Future, and the Center for Innovation in Education will try to define and help multiply. This project, Leadership Competencies for Personalized, Learner-Centered Schools, launched in May with a group of thought partners, state leaders, and local education practitioners. Our goal is to create a set of competencies that describe the skills, mindsets and dispositions leaders need in personalized, competency-based settings. If states want to advance student-centered approaches to teaching and learning, then we need to understand, incentivize, and grow transformative leadership. Learning from ILN programs from across the country will be crucial to this project, so if you have examples youd like to share, let us know on twitter using the #ccssoILN tag.
Welcome to California Inc., the weekly newsletter of the L.A. Times Business Section.

Im Business columnist David Lazarus, and heres a rundown of upcoming stories this week and the highlights of last week.

Investors had little to cheer Friday after it was reported that job growth ground nearly to a halt in May, with the U.S. labor market having its worst performance in more than five years. The economy added just 38,000 net new jobs last month, a steep drop from Aprils 123,000 and well below analysts forecasts.

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LOOKING AHEAD

Shut the faucet: Changes to Los Angeles Green Building Code aimed at reducing water use go into effect Monday. The changes will require that new buildings, additions or alterations valued at more than $200,000 incorporate water-conservation measures that have the effect of cutting indoor use by 20%. New multifamily dwellings and commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet will be required to install sub-meters, giving each occupant an incentive to save water.

Viacom battle: The latest episode in the high-level fight for control of media companies CBS and Viacom will play out Tuesday in a Massachusetts courtroom. Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams are suing to block their dismissal from a seven-member trust that oversees Sumner Redstones controlling stakes in the two companies. Redstone, 92, moved to oust Dauman and Abrams on May 20. Dauman and Abrams allege Redstone is mentally incapacitated and is being unduly influenced by his daughter Shari Redstone, vice chairwoman of the media companies.

Decision time: Tuesday is election day and the focus is on the Democratic presidential primary, but down-ballot, several California cities will be considering serious pocketbook issues. In San Diego, voters will decide whether to increase the citys minimum wage to $11.50 an hour. Long Beach voters will weigh in on whether to raise the sales tax 1 percentage point to hire police, fix streets and pay for water-system updates. In Glendale, voters may rescind the utility users tax, which delivers more than 15% of the citys general fund revenue.

Physician-assisted suicide: A new era in California healthcare begins Thursday when the states End of Life Option Act goes into effect. The law will allow terminally ill Californians to request prescriptions from physicians for medication that would end their lives. A patient must be deemed terminally ill and mentally competent by two physicians to receive a prescription. California joins four other states  Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana  in allowing physician-assisted suicide.

Smoking limits: Despite resistance from the tobacco industry, new California laws that restrict smoking will go into effect Thursday. The laws raise the smoking age statewide to 21 from 18, restrict the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and expand no-smoking areas at public schools. The changes were backed by a coalition of medical groups including the American Heart Assn., the American Lung Assn., the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Assn.

THE AGENDA

Mondays Business section asks the question: Why does the economy feel so weak even after an 84-month recovery, the fourth longest since World War II? Among the reasons are subpar job creation, highlighted by Mays dismal numbers; disappointing wage growth; high housing costs; and a troubled global economy. Weve come a long way from the bottom of 2009, said David Shulman, senior economist at the UCLA Anderson Forecast. But compared to the historical growth track, were so far below it that its staggering, and thats the unease the public feels.

STORY LINES

Here are some of the other stories that ran in the Times Business section in recent days that were continuing to follow:

New jobs: Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created in L.A. County over the next four years, most of them low-paying, according to a report from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Most of the jobs added in the county by 2020 will pay below the median wage, the group said. Office administration and food services will add the most positions to their ranks through 2020, combining for about 93,000 new jobs, according to projections. The county will gain only about 19,000 jobs in engineering and manufacturing and machine operation.

Scopes deaths: Pasadenas Huntington Hospital broke state law by not quickly reporting a suspected deadly outbreak last year, according to a letter by city officials. The hospital released the letter last week, as well as the results of the citys investigation into the outbreak caused by dirty scopes, which sickened 16 patients, including 11 who died. City health officials did not investigate the cause of the patients deaths, many of whom were seriously ill. The officials noted in the report that only one patients death certificate listed as a cause the dangerous drug-resistant bacteria that contaminated the scopes and sickened the patients.

Drug delay: More than a decade ago, researchers at Gilead Sciences thought they had a breakthrough: a new version of the Foster City companys key HIV medicine that was less toxic to kidneys and bones. In 2004, Gilead executives stopped the research. More than six years later, though, in 2010, Gilead restarted patient trials. The new version of the drug, which the company says is safer, was approved in November under the brand name Genvoya. That has stirred criticism that the new, less harmful form of the drug could have been developed sooner  and wasnt because the company wanted to extend its patent-protected profits.

Final frontier: Now that SpaceX has made rocket landings somewhat routine, the next step is to prepare the recovered rockets for reuse to launch commercial satellites. Some of the technical hurdles it must clear also have financial implications. In the next two weeks, the Hawthorne space company will brief domestic and international insurance underwriters on its progress. As part of that regular annual review, they will discuss upgrades to the companys Falcon 9 rockets, as well as its plans to reuse them. SpaceX will need to determine how many launches it can get out of each reusable rocket as well as the costs of refurbishing them.

Cecil Hotel: The Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A. is set to undergo a $100-million renovation by a New York City developer, which aims to transform the former den of prostitution and drugs into a hip boutique hotel and micro rental units. The plan for the hotel is yet another example of the development boom sweeping downtown, where old buildings are being revamped and new hotel and condo towers erected. The Cecil, a 600-room tourist and residential hotel, has been the subject of litigation in recent years as housing advocates looked to preserve cheap residential hotel units in an increasingly gentrifying downtown.

WHAT WERE READING

And some recent stories from other publications that caught our eye:

Healthcare marriage: The International Business Times delves into the wheeling and dealing that goes into huge companies tying the knot. Cigna and Anthem are spending big to push regulators to approve a giant merger  one that could drive premiums up and limit treatment and coverage options.

Learning curve: Does it pay to attend a for-profit college? Maybe not. A new report, says the Atlantic, finds that students pursuing bachelors and associates degrees at for-profit colleges saw their earnings drop, compared to before they started the program.

Youve got funding: AOL has raised the bar on tech-industry perks. According to Quartz, employees and potential hires will create business plans and pitch them to AOL executives and the venture capitalists the company backs. The winners will be given funding and up to six months to develop their projects.

Bad vibes: Donald Trump focuses on what America has lost  and its turned into a winning strategy. As the New Yorker puts it, Trump is playing to one of the most powerful emotions in our economic life  what behavioral economists call loss aversion. The basic idea ... is that people feel the pain of losses much more than they feel the pleasure of gains.

Restless tech: Sleep is a hot topic these days  and a business opportunity for makers of sleep-related technology. But as Fast Company reports, data from sleep trackers cant solve deeper problems. At least not yet.

SPARE CHANGE

Speaking of a good nights rest, let us pause to appreciate the genre of bad mattress commercials  a consumer product that routinely brings out the worst in TV pitchmen. Such as this one from Mattress Ranch in Alaska. Or this Austin Powers-themed effort from Trent Bedding in Kentucky. Or this Star Trek mattress mind meld from Dodds Furniture in Canada.

For the latest money news, go to www.latimes.com/business. Until next time, Ill see you in the Business section.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
In January 2014, Delos released a solo recording by a 26-year-old Ukrainian pianist, Vadym Kholodenko, who six months earlier had taken gold at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. On it is a lovely performance of an untroubled Tchaikovsky-Rachmaninoff lullaby that Kholodenko had likely played for his young daughter.

Nobody could have expected Kholodenko on Saturday night, in his Los Angeles (but not Southern California) debut at the Valley Performing Arts Center, to look or sound untroubled. Three days earlier, the pianists estranged wife, Sofya Tsygankova, had been indicted in Texas on capital murder charges in the deaths of their two daughters, ages 1 and 5. Kholodenko had discovered the girls suffocated in their beds in March and Tsygankova bleeding from possibly self-inflicted stab wounds when he went to visit at their home outside of Fort Worth. Tsygankova has pleaded not guilty.

It would be disingenuous not to acknowledge that Kholodenko had to be an object of a certain sensationalist fascination for much of the audience Saturday. He is a physically undemonstrative player, but his performances of works by Liszt and Scriabin -- two composers and great pianists for whom sensationalism was not a foreign concept  were emotionally draining.

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His first encore was none other than that Tchaikovsky lullaby, this time played with almost unbearably grave solemnity. I cannot say whether this was an act of psychological courage, pianistic therapy or simple, if profound, professionalism. Possibly, it was a rare combination of all three.

One of Kholodenkos two most notable qualities as a pianist are his stunning ringing tone, which allows him to leave notes hanging in the air longer than the physics of acoustics would suggest is possible. The other is an opposite crisp and spectacular digital speed. Both were on display Saturday in far more extreme ways than can be heard on his recordings, including the impressive live performances from the competition that the Cliburn has released.

The Liszt/Scriabin program tied into the American Liszt Societys annual Liszt Festival, held this year at Cal State Northridge and focusing on Liszt and Russia. Thoughts about Liszts influence were in the air.

The latest recording by maverick Italian pianist Marino Formenti, Liszt Inspections, focuses on how the Hungarian composer foreshadowed the avant-garde likes of Ligeti, Berio, Stockhausen, Feldman and even John Adams China Gates (which Kholodenko happened to play with extraordinary luminosity in the Cliburn). The featured Scriabin work on Kholodenkos recital was an early set of 24 preludes. It just so happened that another new recording by an Italian pianist, Vanessa Benelli Mosell, released Friday, pairs these Opus 11 Preludes with Stockhausen.

Kholodenko, however, seemed understandably less interested in where the music might have been historically leading than where it personally had led him, which was all over the place. He began a strangely skewed Liszt first half with three works from the composers pilgrimage series by bringing a deliberate slowness to character pieces inspired by Petrarch Sonnets 104 and 123. Here, Kholodenko seemed reluctant to let go of each gorgeously rounded note he produced. In a nocturne evoking the bells of Geneva, he then turned each into an epic tolling.

That led to the 19th and last of Liszts Hungarian rhapsodies. Rather than being treated as a great showpiece, it became dark and tense, even a little ominous. Kholodenko ended where others would have begun, with the Invocation that opens Liszts series called Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses. It too was slow and subdued, but the climax had majestic power.

In the short, early Scriabin preludes -- which are as much Chopinesque as they are Lisztian -- Kholodenko became more manic. Slow ones were unrelievedly elegiac; fast ones, too furious to make out the details. In Scriabins Fantasie, Opus 28, the Russian composers more ecstatic and mystical sides begin to show themselves. From this, Kholodenko used every ounce of passion he could find, as though losing himself in an overpowering Scriabin trance.

The encores following the lullaby were Purcells Ground, with the Baroque score allowing surprising wit and flair as though by a pianist reborn, while a movement from Schumanns Night Music, exquisitely concentrated, quieted nerves that very much needed quieting.

We will need time to see in what directions Kholodenko develops as an artist. His Valley recital was likely a special case. But there is little doubt that he is a pianist of stature. He will return to Southern California for a recital at the Ventura Music Festival in July and as a soloist with the New West Symphony in November.

mark.swed@latimes.com

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Lawyers for Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman assert in new court papers that ailing Sumner Redstone should submit to an immediate medical evaluation by a neutral doctor to determine the media moguls mental capacity.

Dauman and his legal team are preparing for an important court appearance in Massachusetts on Tuesday  the first hearing in the matter brought by Dauman and fellow Viacom board member George Abrams. The two men filed a lawsuit two weeks ago to contest their removal as trustees of the trust that will oversee Redstones business holdings and as board members of the Redstone family investment vehicle, National Amusements Inc.

National Amusements holds the Redstone familys controlling shares of Viacom and CBS Corp. The high-stakes court proceeding is expected to decide who will make decisions about Redstones more than $40 billion media empire long after the mogul is gone.

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In their court documents, submitted Monday morning, Dauman and Abrams say that Redstones precarious health necessitates an immediate examination to determine the extent of his neurological disorder.

The filing also notes that Redstone was hospitalized in the last few weeks.

Time is of the essence. ...There is grave risk that Sumner Redstone will not be able to provide any evidence in this case, said the filing signed by Dauman lawyer Joseph L. Bierwirth Jr.

He is a 93-year-old man suffering from overwhelming physical ailments, including an inability to speak, stand, walk, eat, write or read. He suffers from a progressive neurological disease characterized by dementia, the filing reads.

Daumans documents attempt to counter court papers filed Friday by lawyers hired to represent Redstone. In those documents, a UCLA geriatric psychiatrist, Dr. James Spar, detailed two recent visits with Redstone  on May 20 and May 24  and verbal exchanges the two men had. Spar determined that Redstone had legal mental capacity to make changes to his trust.

1 / 10 Media magnate Sumner Redstone attends the dedication of the Sumner Redstone Production Studios at USC on Feb. 5, 2013. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 10 Sumner Redstone, right, and members of the USC marching band are shown at the dedication of the Sumner Redstone Production Studios at USC on Feb. 5, 2013. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 10 Sumner Redstone, seated, was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 30, 2012. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times) 4 / 10 Philippe Dauman, left, now the chief executive of Viacom, and Sumner Redstone are photographed at Redstones home in Beverly Hills on September 27, 2007. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 10 Sumner Redstone and his then-wife, Paula Fortunato, attend the premiere of Paramounts Zodiac in Los Angeles on March 1, 2007. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press) 6 / 10 Paramount Pictures Chief Executive Brad Grey, from left, Sumner Redstone and producer Brian Grazer attend the Friends of the Los Angeles Free Clinic annual gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Nov. 20, 2006. (Phil McCarten / Associated Press) 7 / 10 Actor Clint Eastwood, from left, businessman Sumner Redstone, director Steven Spielberg and Paramount Pictures Chief Executive Brad Grey attend the Paramount Pictures premiere of Flags of Our Fathers in Beverly Hills on Oct. 9, 2006. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) 8 / 10 Sumner Redstone poses with his then-wife, Paula Fortunato, at their Beverly Hills home on June 10, 2005. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 10 Businessman Sumner Redstone is photographed in a screening room at National Amusements on Oct. 2, 1998. (John Blanding / Boston Globe via Getty Images) 10 / 10 From left, Sumner Redstones then-wife, Phyllis Raphael, poses with Sumner Redstone, Sherry Lansing, Wendy Neuss and Patrick Stewart at the National Conference of Christians and Jews annual Humanitarian Award Dinner on April 23, 1998, at which businessman Sumner Redstone was honored. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The UCLA doctor, Spar, presents a one-sided, uncross-examined and distorted view of Mr. Redstones mental condition, the filing said. Dr. Spars submission  reads like an interview or deposition summary, as if Mr. Redstone was capable of conducting a conversation.

Redstones legal team fired back.

Sumner Redstone is physically stable, engaged with legal counsel, and participating in strategic decisions, a representative of Redstones legal team said. Hes making his views clear, as Dr. James Spar indicates in his report filed with the court.

The moguls lawyers argued that Spar wasnt just some hired hand, that he was a respected geriatric psychiatrist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and author of three books and dozens of articles, with a specialty on capacity and undue influence.

He is highly qualified to provide expert observations on this matter, and has evaluated Sumner Redstone several times over the past two years, the representative said. We look forward to upcoming legal proceedings, so the truth can come out.

In fact, as even Dr. Spar effectively acknowledges, Mr. Redstone is unable meaningfully to speak at all, the filing said.

Dauman and Abrams suspect that Redstone is acting under the influence of his long estranged daughter, Shari Redstone, who returned to his life late last year after Redstone expelled his former companion, Manuela Herzer, from his life.

Dauman, other Viacom board members and one of Redstones grandchildren, Keryn Redstone, say they have not been allowed to see the mogul for more than two months.

Dauman and Viacom directors have repeatedly sought to meet with Mr. Redstone to discuss business matters including a potential Paramount [Pictures] transaction. They have been rebuffed, the filing said.

Sumner Redstone is said to be furious over Viacoms plan to sell a minority stake in the Los Angeles movie studio.

The court documents also assert that Massachusetts  not California  is the proper jurisdiction for the matter since many of the Redstone trustees live in Massachusetts and because National Amusements is based in Massachusetts.

In addition, they say, Sumner M. Redstone National Amusements Trust was formed under Massachusetts law.

MORE REDSTONE:

Sumner Redstone says Philippe Dauman has done a bad job running Viacom

Keryn Redstone to join legal battle along with Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman

Shari Redstone has no desire to run Viacom, says spokesperson

Drama, Sex and Millions at Stake: Key players in the Sumner Redstone Saga

Sumner Redstone says his former girlfriends received $150 million from him

meg.james@latimes.com

@MegJamesLAT

UPDATES:

12:55 p.m.: This article was updated to include a statement from a representative of Sumner Redstones legal team.

This article was first published at 8:27 a.m.
Do kids whove committed terrible crimes deserve a second chance?

In his feature directorial debut, the documentary They Call Us Monsters, Ben Lear tackles that thorny issue through the stories of three juvenile offenders facing sentences of up to 200 years for violent crimes they committed between the ages of 14 and 16. Lear follows these teenagers  Jarad, Juan and Antonio  as they take a screenwriting workshop in a Los Angeles County prison and try to express themselves through art while waiting to learn their fates.

With the film set to make its world premiere Monday night at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the 27-year-old Lear discussed why he decided to take on this difficult subject, his own family legacy as the son of celebrated TV producer Norman Lear, creator of such shows as All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and what he hopes audiences will take away from his film.

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How did this movie come about?

Three years ago, I was interested in writing something that had to do with the prison system. I didnt have any intention of making a documentary. Gabe Cowan, who teaches the [screenwriting] class in the film, and I met Scott Budnick, whos a Hollywood producer whos at the moment a full-time juvenile and criminal justice advocate. We told him what I was trying to do and we made a plan to visit six or seven different juvenile facilities in about a two-week period.

I went into a juvenile hall and sat in on a writing class, expecting to meet these intimidating gang members who I felt would want to beat me up. And instead I met these wide-eyed, excitable teenagers who wanted to know everything about the world and themselves  all the while knowing they were facing life in prison and most likely were not going to be able to do any of the things they were dreaming about.

Through the course of that experience, what had originally been a plan to write this screenplay about prison became a plan to tell the story of the work Scott was doing around juveniles who were tried as adults, providing second-chance opportunities for kids facing extreme sentences.

As these three kids were going through this screenwriting class, what were you anticipating would come out of it?

I always knew that creative process was going to lead to interesting insights into their personalities and them as teenagers. But neither Gabe nor I had any idea they were going to want so passionately and immediately to tell their own story.

The way Gabe set up the class, he said, You can write a movie about whatever. You can write an animated movie about, like, some sci-fi thing. And from the beginning, they were like, No, I want to tell my story.

It quickly became clear that they all had experienced this loss of innocence around the age of 12 or 13. So their film became about them putting their stories into one 12-year-old boy and his loss of innocence.

On the one hand, these are young guys from tough backgrounds whose impulse control and sense of consequences havent fully developed yet. On the other, theyve committed serious crimes, including attempted murder and first-degree murder. What are you hoping audiences will take away from their stories?

First of all, I want people to just be aware that we try juveniles as adults. In California, a juvenile can go to prison for the rest of his life. Until the bill that we followed in the film passed, SB 260, he could never have an opportunity to get out again. The film is trying to show these kids as people and present the idea of offering them a second chance.

But while I talk with so much affection for these guys and want so much for them to succeed, I never want to get too far away from the reality of the crimes they committed. Thats the whole other side of this issue. Thats why were talking about them in the first place. They made horrible, heinous mistakes with real victims.

Yeah, I believe they should have an opportunity to live their lives again one day. But I think, in coming to that conclusion, you have to face the impossible task of reconciling what they did with their humanity. Thats the challenge that provoked me into telling this story and that I want to pass on to everyone who sees the film. These are kids who committed crimes ... but theyre kids  but they committed horrible crimes. Wrestle with that.

You obviously have this immense family TV legacy through your dad. Were you always more interested in making movies?

I found a passion for movies and filmmaking at a really young age. I started making little short films around 10 or 11 and continued to do that really seriously, at least for a middle schooler, until I found rock n roll. Then my band kind of took over and I got really into playing music and studied music composition at NYU.

Part of what Ive worked on as the son of someone in the same industry whos done so well is that, for whatever reason, growing up I put an insane amount of pressure on myself to match that success. I had no sense of how to do it. It was just this idea.

And it was a really tough process, starting with music and then into film, realizing that just because youre born into a really awesome opportunity with an amazing mentor and someone you can learn so much from, that doesnt mean youre on top of the mountain. Youre still at the bottom of the mountain. You may have the nicest ice picks but youve got to start from the same place and climb. And now, honestly, I wouldnt have it any other way.

Are you still in touch with the three kids from the movie?

Yeah, I stay in pretty good touch with them. Antonio is in a jail in Ventura and is most likely getting out in the next few months, so hell have another opportunity. And Juan and Jarad are doing a lot of time at Ironwood State Prison.

Juan and Jarad saw the film a couple of weeks ago. I had sent a DVD to the prison and I got a phone call from them and they both said they loved the film. Juan sent me a little piece of paper that was scanned that said, I approve of everything  which was just the sweetest gesture. I had no idea how much that was going to mean to me until I got that approval.

Twitter: @joshrottenberg
The last time Zabihullah Tamanna spoke to his friend Sultan Faizy, he told Faizy he was about to head to Afghanistans southern Kandahar province. The 38-year-old photographer and married father of three would be there on assignment with NPR, along with three other journalists.

Stay safe, Faizy said. I will see you when you return.

Faizy, a reporter, tried to call Tamanna over the next few weeks to check up on him, but with mobile phone service often shut off in conflict-ridden areas of southern Afghanistan, he could not reach him.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

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Then came the late Sunday night call.

Faizy once worked for NPR and had recommended Tamanna to the news organization. Now he was being told that Tamanna and award-winning NPR photographer David Gilkey, 50, had been killed in Marjah, in Helmand province. The Afghan army convoy with which they were traveling came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades fired by Taliban militants, NPR said.

Gilkey is believed to be the first American journalist working for a news organization to be killed in the 15-year war in Afghanistan. The two other NPR journalists were unharmed. An Afghan soldier also was killed.

Faizy said NPR frequently praised Tamannas work.

David Gilkey at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan on 29 May 2016. (Michael M. Phillips / The Wall Street Journal via EPA )

Every time someone from NPR would see me, they would thank me for recommending Zabih, Faizi said, using Tamannas nickname.

Remembrances poured in Monday for the two journalists, whose deaths added to the toll of the war in Afghanistan. Prior to Sundays attack, 27 journalists had been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

It is a great loss for the journalists, media community and the notion of freedom of expression in Afghanistan, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said in a statement.

NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, who was on assignment with Gilkey, said in an emotional Monday morning broadcast that Gilkey was a real complete artist.

Any story you did, he made it better because of his pictures, Bowman said.

Gilkey, who joined NPR in 2007 from Knight Ridder newspapers, made numerous trips to Afghanistan and other conflict zones. He won the George Polk Award, an Emmy Award and was named the still photographer of the year by the White House Photographers Assn. in 2011.

Bowman said their convoy came under machine-gun fire in an area of Helmand known to be a Taliban stronghold. Mortar rounds followed. Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva were traveling in another vehicle, which turned around and headed back to the armys headquarters.

Zabihullah Tamanna at the Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul on July 10, 2014. (Parwiz Sabawoon / AFP / Getty Images )

When they arrived, Bowman said he asked the Afghan general: Where are our friends? They were told Gilkey and Tamannas armored Humvee, also driven by an Afghan soldier, was at another army checkpoint down the road.

After an hour or two passed, an Afghan army truck arrived with Tamannas body in the back. Bowman and Evstatieva were completely distraught, he said.

A short time later, another vehicle arrived at the base carrying Gilkeys body.

As Faizy waited for Tamannas body to be brought to Kabul, he said he was still reeling from the shock.

The Afghan journalists committee described Tamanna as one of the most experienced journalists in the country. The son of a well known writer from the northern province of Faryab, he previously worked with Chinas Xinhua news service in Kabul, eventually running the agencys bureau in Afghanistan.

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Friends said he left Xinhua in 2010 after he began to receive threats from unknown people for working with a Chinese company.

He freelanced as a reporter, photographer, producer and translator for local and foreign news outlets before starting work with NPR in 2014.

Tamanna had lately been working to establish a project he called Afghan Multimedia, an agency that would sell photos and videos to news organizations.

He was always smiling, always happy, said Ahmed Buhari, a journalist who knew Tamanna for 15 years.

Latifi is a special correspondent. Staff writer Bengali reported from Mumbai, India.

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What nomination? Neither Clinton nor Sanders seems interested in her history-making moment

It was the biggest news of the Democratic primary season: The Associated Press declared Monday that Hillary Clinton had clinched the partys nomination, becoming the first woman in U.S. history to claim the mantle of major-party nominee.

But neither she nor rival Bernie Sanders seemed much interested in acknowledging it.

Clinton briefly referred to the AP count Monday at a rally in Long Beach but downplayed its significance ahead of Tuesdays spate of primaries, including Californias.

According to the news, we are on the brink of a historic, historic, unprecedented moment. But we still have work to do, dont we? Clinton told several hundred cheering supporters in a college gym in Long Beach. We have six elections tomorrow and were going to fight hard for every single vote, especially right here in California.

.@HillaryClinton on "brink of a historic, unprecedented momentbut we still have work to do" https://t.co/RohDiUYLRF https://t.co/OnmZUqhswe  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 7, 2016

She didnt bother mentioning the development at all during a fundraising concert later at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

And at Sanders rally in San Francisco on Monday night, it was as though the call was never made.

Sanders did not once cite the APs report  later echoed by NBC and CNN  during a 45-minute speech. Instead, he stuck with familiar themes such as income inequality, swiped at Donald Trump for his bigotry and contrasted himself with Clinton on issues including the minimum wage, fracking and the use of super PACs.

Above all, he insisted that Tuesdays primary in California would be pivotal.

Tomorrow, as you all know, there is a very important primary here in this beautiful state, Sanders said, standing in San Franciscos Crissy Field with the Golden Gate Bridge cloaked in fog in the background. This is the most important primary that we have had in the entire Democratic nominating process.

Neither candidate wants the perception of a settled contest to muffle their supporters turnout Tuesday in Californias close race.

A loss for Clinton in the state with the most delegates at stake in the primary season would be an embarrassing end to the spring campaign. And for Sanders, a win here would strengthen his influence over the party platform to be decided at the Democratic National Convention next month.

Sanders said his chances in California hinged on turnout, insisting he will win if the number of ballots cast is high.

Our job is tomorrow to make certain that here in California, we have the largest voter turnout of any Democratic primary in the history of the state, he said.

Attendees at his rally, where the Dave Matthews Band performed and campaign surrogates including Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner warmed up the crowd, said they saw no need for Sanders to weigh in on todays development.

Why dampen the crowd? said Joe Merer, 58, an IT specialist from San Francisco.

Merer said he had expected Clinton would be declared the presumptive nominee Tuesday.

Still, he said, he hoped Sanders would not concede.

Theres no reason for him to bow down, Merer said, adding it would be really, really hard to vote for Clinton in November.

I dont like being held hostage, he said.

Philip Dinolfo, 24, sounded more open to vote for Clinton in a general election, saying she did not pose the existential threat to the country that he believes Donald Trump does.

But he predicted that APs call for Clinton on Monday would affect turnout Tuesday.

All of us here are fairly loyal to Bernie Sanders, Dinolfo said. But for other Democrats or independents who may be on the fence, there may be a certain realization: Why vote your conscience when you can vote for the winner?

Times staff writers Seema Mehta in Long Beach and Kate Linthicum in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
A small army of Hillary Clinton supporters had taken over Mary Jane Wagles home in the Venice canals. It was nothing new for her.

Wagle, 65, a former president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, is a longtime Democrat activist. She was happy to see so many like-minded people on her couches, at her dining room table, in her study, on her staircase, in her garage, and on her spacious front deck.

The volunteers tapped numbers into their cellphones. They ran their fingers down lists. Every once in a while, a voice would rise above the chatter, Tell me what you like about Hillary? Tell me what issues are important to you?

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And, weirdly, I thought: What time of day do you usually vote?

This was an old-fashioned political phone bank, one of the most venerable get-out-the-vote tools in the modern politicians bag of tricks. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may be a master of Twitter, but even his campaign has phone banks. Talking to individual voters, as Wagle told the volunteers, is where the rubber really hits the road.

Using lists provided by the Clinton campaign, 52 volunteers made 2,706 calls. They know Clinton is locked in a tight California primary race with her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, and they know calling is important. Research has shown it can be critical.

Noelle Fletcher, a 37-year-old Venice therapist who also practices in county jails, had found a spot on the narrow sidewalk in front of Wagles house. With one hand, she pushed a stroller back and forth to pacify her 9-month-old daughter, Quinn. With her other hand, she made calls.

Calling people is not the most fun thing to do, but it feels important, Fletcher said. I felt that way in the first Obama election, but now it feels even more important, if you care about our planet.

Karen Schuler, 66, had squeezed a chair next to a marble side table in the entryway to Wagles dining room. I think this helps jog people, she said. Im surprised how many people are saying theyre still uncommitted.

Pam Koslow, 71, a former Broadway producer, who had taken over an end table in the living room, said she sometimes reaches Democrats who turn out to be Sanders supporters. When that happens, she said, she thanks them, refrains from arguing, and moves on. It is imperative not to alienate Sanders fans, Wagle told her volunteers. If Clinton gets the nomination, she will need them in November.

Bernie is very seductive, Koslow said, who was a producer of the hit musical Jellys Last Jam with her former husband, the late Gregory Hines. He says a lot of good things. But I love Hillary. I have a daughter and a granddaughter and I want a woman president.

Cold-calling voters sounds like a fools errand. Who likes being interrupted at dinner time by a phone solicitor, even one pushing a cause you support? But social scientists have discovered that when done correctly, phone banking has the power to increase voter turnout, sometimes by margins that can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Pam Koslow, a former Broadway producer, staked out a corner of Mary Jane Wagles Venice living room at a phone bank for Hillary Clinton. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times )

::

Researchers who study voting habits have learned that asking people to vote, or even reminding them to vote, is not an effective way to boost turnout. This was a reason I heard Wagles volunteers asking people what time they vote.

The idea is to prompt people to make a plan, said Todd Rogers, a behavioral scientist who teaches public policy at Harvards Kennedy School. Most people say they intend to vote, but only half do. Its not that they are deceiving you, they just dont have a plan.

People, bless them, just dont grasp how hard it is to follow through on their intentions.

This kind of psychological intervention helps people follow through, Rogers said.

In an experiment conducted during the 2008 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary, between Barack Obama and Clinton, Rogers and a colleague found that asking likely voters to talk about how, exactly, they planned to vote increased turnout by 4.1%. By contrast, the standard encouragement call, as he described it, had no impact.

In other experiments, he discovered that lamenting low turnout actually encourages voters to stay home.

We tend to conform to the behavior of others, Rogers said. Its a travesty that so few people vote, and we think we should convey this fact, which makes us angry and motivated. But most people hear that and say, OK, then, its OK not to vote. (We are sheeple, not people.)

Rogers has also found that introducing the prospect of accountability  for example, telling voters, We may call you after the election  also increases turnout. Bernie Sanders script, he noted, includes that now.

Researchers have found its not enough to ask people to vote, you have to help them visualize a plan. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times )

::

At Wagles house, it was pretty clear that Clinton supporters know they are facing a big enthusiasm gap. In some liberal circles, they have discovered, its almost unfashionable to discuss their passion for Clinton, who has been demonized by both sides now for months  well, if not years.

When Tara Zaccagnino, 47, told her 23-year-old son, a UCLA student, that she had seen Clinton speak in East Los Angeles last month, he asked, Did you see her horns come out?

Can you believe he said that to me? she asked. .

Of course. Sexism is so ingrained in this culture that people dont know when they are parroting it. Also, unlike Sanders, who is, metaphorically at least, a shiny new object, Clinton is thoroughly familiar.

People are very out about their support for Bernie, said Nika Dunne, 46, a Venice stop-motion animation producer who helped organized the phone bank. Most people who follow Hillary are very pragmatic. We dont want to get into fights. We just want her to win.

If Clinton beats Sanders on Tuesday, they will have the satisfaction of knowing they played a part.

Two last things: Do you know where you are voting Tuesday? And how do you plan to get there?
As a new law goes into effect in California allowing terminally ill patients to take medicines to kill themselves, physicians are contemplating whether they would ever write a prescription for death.

For Dr. Neil Wenger, an internal medicine doctor and director of the UCLA Health Ethics Center, physician-assisted dying blurs what had once been a clear distinction for physicians.

We have always, up till now, been able to say we will never hasten a death, Wenger said. Suddenly, that bright line is not so bright.

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He added that the Hippocratic Oath doesnt just say that doctors shouldnt harm patients but specifically forbids providing poison to kill someone.

Wengers stance is common among doctors in California: He accepts that physician-aided death is now legal -- in fact, hes in charge of implementing the new law at UCLA -- but remains unlikely to participate himself, saying it goes against his oath to save lives.

For most of us this may be a once or twice in a lifetime, or in a career, situation.  Dr. Jay Lee, head of the California Academy of Family Physicians, on the likelihood of doctors encountering patients seeking their aid in hastening death under Californias new law

Though both advocates and opponents of doctor-aided death call Californias legalization a big step -- either forward or backward  for medical care, experts predict that it would probably be a marginalized practice within the healthcare system, with few patients asking for lethal medications and few doctors furnishing them.

For most of us this may be a once or twice in a lifetime, or in a career, situation, said Dr. Jay Lee, head of the California Academy of Family Physicians.

When the End of Life Option Act goes into effect Thursday, California will become the fifth state in the nation to allow patients with less than six months to live to request end-of-life drugs from their doctors.

The law is intended to help terminally ill patients avoid suffering. When he signed the bill into law in October, Gov. Jerry Brown wrote that he believed it would be a comfort to have this option if he were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain.

More than three-fourths of Californians were in favor of such a law, including 82% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans, according to a poll conducted last year by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley.

But doctors tend to be more wary. Neither the American Medical Assn. nor the California Medical Assn. support such legislation.

Physicians have no obligations under Californias law; they dont have to prescribe such medications if asked or refer patients to colleagues who will. They dont even have to discuss aid-in-dying if a patient approaches them about it.

But leaders of physicians groups say they want doctors to be able to talk about the treatment so they can properly address patients concerns and questions.

For the last several months, these organizations have been holding webinars and training sessions and providing educational materials about the law. The California Academy of Family Physicians launched a podcast in April about end-of-life care options.

Lee said they want doctors to be better at talking about all treatment options around death, as well as physician-aided death specifically.

Not everyone feels entirely comfortable yet, because its been, kind of, in the medical community, a taboo topic, Lee said.

Some doctors object to the idea that a patients pain could be so great that they would choose to die. Its unlikely for pain to not be controlled with palliative care or other treatments, they say.

Wenger said that sometimes a patient feels so much pain that they need to be sedated to a point of unresponsiveness. But hes only seen one or two patients like that in his more than 20-year career, he said.

In Oregon, only 25% of those who died from lethal medication said they were worried about pain control, according to data from the states public health department.

More common reasons for choosing aid-in-dying were loss of autonomy (92%), being less able to engage in activities that made life enjoyable (90%) and burdening family or caregivers (41%).

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That reveals a need for improving quality of life and social support, not legalizing aid-in-dying, said Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a UC Irvine psychiatrist and director of the universitys medical ethics program.

Its really another Band-Aid solution, he said.

But Dr. Ben Rich, a professor of medicine and bioethics at the UC Davis School of Medicine, said that other kinds of suffering should be considered just as painful as physical discomfort.

He also pointed out that physician-aided death has typically been a last resort for patients who feel as though they can get no more comfort from medical care. More than 90% of Oregonians who chose aid-in-dying were already on hospice care, according to state data.

People dont get these prescriptions and then automatically use them without thinking, without going forward and seeing how hospice and palliative care measures can give them an acceptable quality of life, he said.

Under the law, healthcare systems can choose to opt out and prohibit their employees from writing such prescriptions.

Catholic and church-affiliated hospitals, which make up 13% of all acute care hospitals in the state, will not allow their physicians to prescribe such medications, said Lori Dangberg, vice president of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care.

Most hospital systems, including L.A. Countys public hospitals and Kaiser, say they will allow physicians to participate.

But Rich said he thinks that not all doctors who support the practice will write prescriptions, reluctant to wade into a hot-button issue.

In the first three years that Oregons aid-in-dying law was in effect, the majority of patients who received prescriptions for lethal medications were turned down by the first doctor they asked, state data shows.

Even last year, 106 doctors wrote 218 prescriptions, with at least one physician writing 27, state data shows.

Rich said that doctors who prescribe lethal medications could have to endure backlash from the community and opposition from colleagues, like those that perform another controversial medical procedure: abortions.

In a certain sense, thats going to be true of physicians who are willing to offer this, he said. Theyre simply going to have to exercise moral courage and the courage of their conviction and say, I think this is a legitimate end-of-life option.

Overall, physician aid-in-dying is extremely rare. Fewer than 1,000 people have died from lethal prescriptions in Oregon since aid-in-dying became legal there in 1998.

Based on Oregons experience, California analysts estimate that 1,476 Californians will obtain prescriptions in the state in its first year.

The state health department will collect data on who takes advantage of the new law and release the first batch next July. The End of Life Option Act will expire in 2026 if the Legislature doesnt choose to renew it.

Experts say that even organizations that forbid their doctors from prescribing lethal medications need to be able to discuss aid-in-dying now that its legal, otherwise they risk having dissatisfied customers.

Dangberg with the Alliance of Catholic Health Care said the group was educating physicians about the law. Its not just a matter of saying No, we wont do something, she said.

Theyre focused on teaching physicians to ask about the concerns and fears that lead terminally ill patients to ask to end their lives.

If were doing our job well, well be able to address those reasons, she said.

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soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla
Two of the nine soldiers killed when a military truck overturned in an overflowing creek on the Ft. Hood military base in Texas last week were Southern California residents, officials announced Sunday.

Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, a 27-year-old motor transport operator, was a resident of Twentynine Palms. Spc. Yingming Sun, 25, was a resident of Monterey Park.

Armstrong was born in Camp Lejeune, N.C., to a father who was a Marine, said her sister Tabatha Yeampierre. The family moved around a lot, living on military bases in North Carolina, Arizona and Massachusetts before moving to Twentynine Palms.

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The sisters were inseparable, and they had both talked about joining the military together to carry on their fathers work, but Yeampierre met her husband before it happened. Armstrong, the youngest in her family of five, enlisted on her own at age 24.

If I could make people see who she was, Id want them to know how kind and generous and friendly and happy she was.  Tabatha Yeampierre

She was a generous, friendly person who always tried to look after everyone around her, said Yeampierre, 30. She gave her nephews piggyback rides and was great with kids. When theyd talk on the phone to stay in touch, Armstrong would always spent more time talking about the people she was trying to help and the problems they were having, rather than her own, Yeampierre said.

If I could make people see who she was, Id want them to know how kind and generous and friendly and happy she was, Yeampierre said.

During her career, Armstrong earned the National Defense Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

Sun, whose family could not be reached for this article, was a heavy equipment driver and joined the military in March 2013. He had been stationed at Ft. Hood since August 2014.

During his career, he earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

Sun and Armstrong were among a group of soldiers who were training Thursday in a wooded area along Owl Creek about a dozen miles north of the main post in an 11-ton Light Medium Tactical Vehicle, a flatbed truck with a walled bed used to carry troops. They were off-road, on a tank trail, traversing a low-water crossing when they overturned about 11 a.m., according to Ft. Hood spokesman Tyler Broadway.

Anywhere theres a low-water crossing, it usually floods, Broadway said, and though the tactical vehicle is equipped for tough terrain, he added, you cant underestimate what water can do.

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frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong
After several unsuccessful attempts, a swath of South Los Angeles won a hard-fought battle to receive Promise Zone designation, a move that pushes the neediest neighborhoods to the top of the list when applying for competitive federal grants to tackle issues related to poverty.

Federal and local leaders made the announcement Monday at a news conference, flanked by college and high school students from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. They hugged and cheered over an accomplishment that had become something of a mission.

We have been able to clear the mission to improve the lives of brothers and sisters in need, said Councilman Curren Price, who represents parts of the area. We will soon have another powerful tool under our belt to rewrite the South L.A. story.

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Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement that this will bring new resources, energy, and urgency into our movement to expand opportunity in all of L.A.s neighborhoods.

In 2014, when President Obama created Promise Zones to help struggling communities recover from the Great Recession, South L.A. did not meet the requirements, according to officials.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

The city was one of five in the U.S. to earn the status, but for neighborhoods bounded by Hollywood, MacArthur Park and Koreatown. Some South L.A. residents and community leaders were angered at falling short.

We thought that the way that Promise Zones were organized that we would be prime in South L.A. to get the Promise Zone, Congresswoman Maxine Waters said at Mondays announcement. However, we learned a lot about the criteria and how it was all put together. 

That fall, Larry Frank, president of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, led the charge in putting in a second application with support from USC, the Los Angeles Unified School District and more than 40 other community partners. But, once again, South L.A. didnt make the cut.

After the failed attempt, the Department of Housing and Urban Development met with Frank and others to show them where their application was failing. It turned out South L.A. had scored low points in the areas of housing need and unemployment.

Unless we changed the way they were going to score these Promise Zones applications, we were dead, Frank said.

The way the federal government evaluated housing need was based on the number of foreclosures that sit empty.

Thats a Detroit measure, not a South L.A. measure, Frank said. In South L.A. we have three families fighting for a single apartment and living in a single apartment. We have the worst homelessness in America. We have an unaffordability crisis in L.A.

U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro took a tour of the region to better understand the problems that plagued the community. Over the next year, the community leaders refined their application for Promise Zone status and lobbied the federal government to change the way it graded South L.A.s bid.

This time South L.A. was chosen.

South L.A. is one of 13 communities in the nation picked in the final round of Promise Zones designations. Los Angeles is the only city to have had two designations within its city boundaries.

The new zone will straddle major transit lines of the Exposition, Blue and Crenshaw/LAX lines as well as the proposed Vermont bus rapid transit line. The boundaries include about 200,000 residents living in parts of Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Exposition Park, University Park, Historic South-Central, Central-Alameda, Florence and downtown Los Angeles.

One of the goals is how does the community realize opportunities of the transportation investments without having mass displacement, said Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents parts of South L.A.

Harris-Dawson worked as the president of the Community Coalition, a South L.A.-based nonprofit organization, when South L.A. was skipped over in the first round of designations.

We thought it was definitely an injustice, he said. But we licked our wounds, we got in the room, and tried to come up with something so innovative and so powerful that the federal government cant resist and that has been accomplished now. Its a really bright and shiny moment.

These are the final nine Promise Zones across the country in high poverty areas, according to a release by the U.S. Department of Housing. Eight other communities include Atlanta; Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; Evansville, Ind.; Southwest Florida Regional Planning Commission; Spokane Tribe of Indians, Washington state; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Rolette County, N.D.; and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.

MORE LOCAL NEWS

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After failed attempt, South L.A. wins Promise Zone designation, which could bring in money

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For more California breaking news, follow me on Twitter at @AngelJennings. She also can be reached at angel.jennings@latimes.com.

UPDATES:

5:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.
Teachers in five rural eastern Washington school districts will receive help preparing their students for college through a new partnership between the districts and local community colleges, according to the Pacific Northwest Inlander.

Community Colleges of Spokane, a network of two community colleges and six rural education sites, will send faculty members to work with teachers in local rural districts and help those teachers identify and teach struggling students. The partnership aims to boost college-readiness so more students will be successful in college. Officials involved with the program say it could also boost the number of students who are able to enroll in dual-enrollment courses and earn college credit while still in high school.

Rural students tend to lag their urban peers when it comes to college enrollment and persistence. They are also less likely to attend four-year, private, or selective colleges . A 2015 study of rural Pennsylvania students suggested that students in non-rural schools have access to more resources, which boosts college enrollment and persistence. The study cited research that has found certain aspects of high school, such as a sense of school valuing and belonging and student-teacher ratios, can influence college aspirations among rural students.

A 2013 study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that there are other variables that could impact college enrollment among rural communities , such as the income level of students at those schools. Students at high-income rural schools, for example, are more likely to attend college than their peers at low-income rural schools, and are also more likely to continue on to their second year of college.

Colleges and universities in other states have also tried to combat low enrollment among rural students. The Carolina College Advising Corps, which is run by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sends advisers to rural school districts to help students with financial aid, college applications, and organize college field trips. Utah and Colorado have recently launched or expanded dual-enrollment programs in the hopes that students will be will be more likely to enroll in and persist in a higher education program.
Californians likely will be asked to decide in November whether to expand parole to thousands more inmates in what would be the states biggest change in sentencing law in decades.

The proposed reworking of the parole system cleared a key hurdle Monday, when the California Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that the proponents of a ballot measure backed by Gov. Jerry Brown did not violate a state election law. The ruling, a victory for Brown, gives the attorney general wide latitude to accept last-minute, major changes to proposed initiatives.

If enough petition signatures are validated, a measure would be placed on the fall ballot to allow a parole board to consider early release for thousands of inmates not currently eligible for parole -- a step Brown has said is needed to comply with a federal court order to reduce the prison population.

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Browns proposal is the latest of several recent measures intended to reduce lengthy sentences in the state. In 2011, the state shifted lower-level prison felons to county jails, worsening local overcrowding and forcing widespread local releases but only temporarily reducing the prison population.

A year later, voters passed a measure to limit the tough three-strikes sentencing law. A third strike must be violent to justify a life sentence.

In 2014, voters adopted a measure that reduced some felonies to misdemeanors. Certain drug possession felonies became misdemeanors, as did petty theft, receiving stolen property and writing bad checks for less than $950. That measure led to the release of 4,000 inmates.

But Browns proposal goes further. Nearly four decades after signing a law requiring strict sentences  a move that Brown now laments had unintended consequences he wants voters to permit a possible early release on parole of felons whose primary crime was nonviolent.

The tough-on-crime laws of previous decades, including the one Brown signed, produced severely overcrowded prisons, and the state is under a federal court mandate to bring down the prison population.

To accomplish this, Brown would vastly expand parole opportunities.

Inmates would be eligible for parole after serving only the sentence for their core crime, negating time tacked on for gang membership, a gun or prior offenses.

Inmates would also receive increased credits for good behavior, and a judge, instead of a prosecutor, would decide whether to try someone as young as 14 in juvenile court or adult court.

By allowing parole consideration if they do good things, they will then have an incentive  to show those who will be judging whether or not theyre ready to go back into society, Brown said in announcing his plan.

The conservative Criminal Justice Legal Foundation has estimated that 42,000 inmates would be eligible for early parole under the initiative.

Under threat of court-ordered mass releases, the state now relies on contracts to hold thousands of inmates in private prisons as far away as Mississippi. But the prison population is once again rising, after reaching a low of 127,272 in February.

A year ago the governor telephoned Mike Ramos, the chief prosecutor for San Bernardino County, telling him: Weve got a problem. Your county is sending too many people to prison.

Ramos said he tried to discourage Brown from launching what would be another major shock wave to local law enforcement agencies.

I understand where the governor is coming from, Ramos said, but generally speaking this initiative is going to put career criminals back on the streets.

Former Gov. Pete Wilson called Browns prison crowding solution a great leap backwards. He said the initiative overrides decades of penalties added by lawmakers under multiple governors, including himself, in answer to specific crimes.

So-called enhancements include the two to four years added to sentences for gang-related crimes, and five to 25 years tacked on to crimes where a gun is used. The terms for the enhancements can exceed the sentence for the primary crime.

An analysis by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation predicts the sharpest reductions -- cutting sentences by up to two-thirds -- for some of the most common crimes: residential burglary, assault and drug trafficking. The group said it is unclear if actual parole boards would be asked to consider those releases, or if eligible inmates would be paroled automatically.

Prosecutors say the Brown measure would make Californias tough sentencing laws meaningless, though there is no guarantee that a parole board would recommend release or that the recommendations would be accepted by governors.

The campaign has raised $5 million, though much of that was spent on gathering signatures. Most of the money has come from Browns own political war chest, the rest primarily from unions. Robert Downey Jr., whom Brown pardoned on Christmas Eve, contributed $35,000.

The latest count shows that the measure received 1,003,001 signatures  far more than the 585,407 required. It must be certified for the ballot by June 30.

Brown unveiled his parole plan in late January. To get it on the November ballot, he folded into an existing proposed ballot measure on juvenile justice.

An association of district attorneys sued, charging that Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris should not have accepted such sweeping changes to an initiative that was in the final stages of review.

In a ruling written by Justice Carol A. Corrigan, the state high court said the election law was intended to help initiative proponents, not restrain them.

As long as amendments are reasonably germane to the topic of an initiative, they are allowed, even if they are added after the end of a 30-day public comment period, the court said.

There is no question that the changes the proponents made to this initiative measure were, in certain respects, quite extensive, Corrigan wrote.

But she said they satisfied the reasonably germane requirement.

In a dissent, Justice Ming W. Chin suggested the parole measure was poorly drafted and would have benefited from public comment. Unlike the juvenile justice proposal, Browns revision would amend the California Constitution, a major change, Chin said.

Dramatically changing the sentencing laws  by permitting early parole for some offenders, contrary to the detailed sentencing scheme currently in effect  is not reasonably germane to changing the treatment of juvenile and youthful offenders in the criminal justice system, he wrote.

Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan

paige.stjohn@latimes.com

Twitter: @paigestjohn

UPDATES:

5:45 p.m.: This article has been updated with new information throughout.

10:48 a.m.: This article has been updated with additional details about the ruling.

This article was originally published at 10:33 a.m.
Diana Ware didnt think shed live to see her stepdaughters killer brought to justice.

In the decades since 23-year-old Barbara Ware was shot and killed in 1987, Ware had gotten used to waiting. Waiting for phone calls from detectives, staring at the phone as the years went by until, eventually, it stopped ringing. She tried to stay hopeful but felt crushed when her husband died without knowing who took his daughters life.

Even after she learned police had arrested the man they believed was responsible in 2010, the waiting continued, year after year, as the case dragged on through the courts.

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But on Monday, a Los Angeles County jury brought an end to Wares wait, deciding that the man known as the Grim Sleeper serial killer should be put to death for a series of murders he committed while stalking South L.A.

Jurors rejected defense arguments that Lonnie David Franklin Jr., who was convicted last month of 10 murders between 1985 and 2007, should spend the rest of his life in prison rather than face execution.

Im just glad its over and that hell never get out to hurt anyone else, Ware said. Justice was served.

The verdict closed an important legal chapter in the story of one of Los Angeles most prolific and elusive serial killers, who preyed on some of the citys most vulnerable.

As Franklin entered the courtroom, victims relatives cried and others prayed silently, rocking back and forth. Donnell Alexander, whose 18-year-old sister, Alicia, was among the victims, turned to look at Franklin.

Dead man walking, he muttered aloud.

As the court clerk announced the death verdicts for each of the murder counts, Franklin, 63, stared blankly, as he had throughout much of the trial.

Alexander, who spent the nearly four-month trial sketching the happenings in the courtroom, creating a chronological catalog of the evidence and proceedings, sighed and scrawled a note in his journal: Death. Death. Death.

He locked eyes with an alternate juror and mouthed, Thank you.

She held her lips in a tight smile and nodded.

The Grim Sleeper attacks failed to raise alarms the way other famous serial killers such as the Hillside Strangler or the Nightstalker did.

The deaths in the mid-to-late-80s coincided with a surge in slayings linked to the crack cocaine epidemic. In addition, several other serial killers were operating in the same area in those years. Michael Hughes was convicted of killing seven women; Chester Turner of 14 women and a fetus. Both are on Californias death row.

But the Grim Sleeper proved to be the most persistent. He targeted women who were drug addicts or prostitutes, and often dumped their naked bodies on the side of roads or in trash. Many of the women were initially listed as Jane Does. The deaths drew little, if any, media attention.

Police kept the slayings quiet despite suspicions that a serial killer was stalking black women  a decision that led to outrage and condemnation from many who attribute Franklins longevity as a killer to police indifference.

Outside the downtown L.A. courtroom where Mondays verdict was read, relatives of Franklins victims hugged prosecutors and wiped away tears.

We got what we came to get, said Porter Alexander Jr., whose daughter Alicia was killed in 1986.

Kenneitha Lowe, right, sister of victim Mary Lowe, wipes a tear after a jury ruled for the death penalty. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman became emotional when talking about the relationship she developed with the victims families during the years-long court proceedings.

Theyve been in our lives and weve been in their lives in a very intimate way for the past six years, and thats not something for us that ends, she said. We did what we could do to bring this chapter to a close in the best way we could.

During the penalty phase of the trial, prosecutors connected Franklin to an additional five killings. The district attorneys office decided not to charge him with those crimes because he was already facing the death penalty and prosecutors did not want to further stall a trial that had already been beset by delays.

In all, investigators think Franklin may have killed at least 25 women. When police raided his home in 2010, they found hundreds of pictures of women  many of them naked and with their eyes closed.

LAPD Det. Daryn Dupree, the last remaining detective on the task force that arrested Franklin, said that police have yet to identify 34 of the women.

We dont know if theyre dead or alive, Dupree said.

In her closing argument to the jury last week, Silverman gave a blistering recounting of each victims final moments, speaking with a palpable disdain for Franklin. The defendant, seated near a projector that displayed pictures of his victims battered and bloody bodies, never looked up.

They were so vicious, they were so calculated, and they were so demeaning, Silverman said of the killings. The way that these women ended up, half of them naked  all of them in filthy alleys.

Defense attorney Dale Atherton countered by appealing to the jurys conscience in a plea for mercy. Executing Franklin, he said, would only delay the healing process for the victims families.

Every time they think of the approaching execution date, it will be like opening the wounds again, he said.

Atherton did not attend the reading of the verdict. Seymour Amster, another one of Franklins attorneys, called the verdict unfortunate and said he expected the case to continue dragging through the legal system.

Now what happens is millions will be spent on appeals, he said.

Amster criticized the government for what he characterized as its inaction in helping people in South L.A. during the crack cocaine epidemic and shot down the death penalty as an unnecessary drain on resources.

Isnt that a shame, were going to spend all this money on him now? Amster said, adding that hes still considering filing a motion to seek a new trial.

Californias death penalty has been the subject of intense legal battles in recent years. No one has been executed in the state since 2006.

Silverman did not mince words when asked if the simple pronouncement of a death sentence was enough for the prosecutors and the victims relatives.

Am I satisfied? No, she said. I think that at the end of the day the jurors have determined what the sentence would be, and I think that the state has an obligation to carry that out.

The victims listed in the charges against Franklin, in the order in which they died, were: Debra Jackson, 29; Henrietta Wright, 35; Barbara Ware, 23; Bernita Sparks, 25; Mary Lowe, 26; Lachrica Jefferson, 22; Alicia Alexander, 18; Princess Berthomieux,15; Valerie McCorvey, 35; and Janecia Peters, 25.

Most of the women were shot to death, and Berthomieux was strangled.

1 / 1 Janecia Peters, a 25-year old woman, was found dead Jan. 1, 2007, in the 9500 block of South Western Avenue in Los Angeles. Laverne Peters, holds a photograph of her daughter, Janecia when she was a senior at Inglewood High School. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Franklin initially earned the Grim Sleeper nickname because a gap in the killings between 1988 and 2002 suggested he had gone dormant. But detectives believe Franklin never really slept. Georgia Mae Thomas, 43, one of the five additional victims presented to jurors during the penalty phase of the trial, was killed in 2000.

Prosecutors said the other additional victims were Inez Warren, 28; Rolena Morris, 31; Sharon Dismuke, 21; and Ayellah Marshall, 18.

Morris vanished in 2005 and Marshall disappeared in 2006. Their bodies were never found.

Op-Ed: Relative to ordinary homicides in South L.A., the Grim Sleeper case got a lot of attention >>

Marshalls Hawthorne High School ID card and a photograph of Morris, along with her drivers license, were found inside a garage refrigerator in Franklins house stuffed with a morbid cache of items, including womens underwear and other photographs. Prosecutors called it Franklins trophy case.

With a lengthy appeals process likely, Ware doesnt believe she will ever see Franklin executed. But with the convicted serial killer locked away, she said she can sleep better knowing no one else will have to share her pain.

The result is all that matters, Ware said.

james.queally@latimes.com

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT and @marisagerber for crime and courts news in Southern California.

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UPDATES:

3:51 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from prosecutors and Franklins attorneys.

1:35 p.m.: This story was updated with details about the reaction of victims relatives after the court hearing.

1:14 p.m.: This story was updated to add more details from court.

12:55 p.m.: This story was updated to include the verdict.

This story was originally published at 11:29 a.m.
Sometimes Red Bull doesnt give you wings.

That was certainly the case for three Oakland men and two teens who were arrested on suspicion of swiping $4,700 in Red Bull drinks this weekend.

Red Bull gives you wings or in this case, a pair of shiny bracelets and some time in jail, the Vacaville Police Department said in a statement.

The group was spotted Saturday night wheeling cases of the energy drink from a grocery store in Vacaville, police said.

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After making it out of the store, they loaded the beverages into a rented U-Haul van and sped out of the parking lot, according to the police department.

The van sped through a stop sign and red light, but was eventually pulled over on Interstate 80, police said.

A Vacaville police officer searched the van and found a lot of purloined drinks.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

After searching the van, it was evident that our local grocery store was only one of many the crew had graced with their presence, the police department said.

Ronnie Yarbrough, 30; Jafar Neal, 29; Jabari Neal, 29; Torn Saelee, 19; and another teen were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, police said.

The second teens name was not released because he is a minor. He was taken to the juvenile detention center.

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Hillary Clintons brother-in-law Roger released from jail after DUI arrest in Redondo Beach

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
Hillary Clintons brother-in-law Roger was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Redondo Beach on Sunday night, police said.

Roger Cassidy Clinton was arrested about 8:05 p.m., according to police. He was released on $15,000 bond late Monday morning.

His arrest was prompted by a 7:20 p.m. call from a motorist who reported a driver headed southbound on Pacific Coast Highway who was possibly drunk and was driving in an erratic manner, police said in a statement.

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The report was he was driving erratically, violating multiple traffic laws, said Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman.

The caller followed the car until police caught up. Officers also witnessed the car driving erratically, Hoffman said. Police pulled over the vehicle at Torrance Boulevard and South Prospect Avenue.

There were three other people in the car with Clinton, police said. They were released and caught a taxi, according to Hoffman.

Officers gave Clinton a series of field sobriety exams, Hoffman said. In Redondo Beach, the exam typically involves walking a straight line and turning around, standing on one leg, the horizontal gaze nystagmus test  in which an officer observes whether the eyes move smoothly as they track an object side to side  and the Rhomberg balance test in which a person stands with their feet together and eyes closed and attempts to touch their nose.

Clinton failed the tests, Hoffman said. When he was taken to the police station, he refused a breath and blood chemical test to detect his blood alcohol content  which triggers an automatic one-year suspension of his drivers license by the Department of Motor Vehicles under a law passed in 1990 to deter drunk driving.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

He was explained the law and chose not to provide chemical testing, Hoffman said.

Clinton has 10 days to appeal the suspension, according to the DMV website.

Roger Clinton is Bill Clintons half-brother. He was arrested in 2001 on suspicion of drunk driving in Hermosa Beach but ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. Clinton was pardoned for a 1985 cocaine distribution offense by President Clinton before he left office.

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For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

UPDATES:

9:51 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information from police.

This article was originally published at 7:55 a.m.
The Supreme Court said Monday it will reconsider two Texas death penalty cases and rule on whether evidence of racial bias and mental impairment calls for removing the defendants from death row.

Separately, the justices took up a political redistricting dispute, which asks them to take a stronger stand against racial gerrymandering.

The two death penalty cases will be heard in the next term beginning in the fall. Neither asks the high court to strike down the death penalty, but they have the potential to set stricter limits on executions and the use of capital punishment.

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In one case, a man convicted of a 1980 shooting during a store robbery in Houston says he suffers from a mild mental disability. The justices agreed to hear his claim that prosecutors and judges in Texas have ignored earlier rulings that barred executing inmates with a mental impairment.

The other case involves an African American defendant who was sentenced to death after the jury was told he may be especially dangerous in the future because of his race. The justices agreed to hear his claim that such racial bias is cause to set aside his death sentence.

Last year, liberal Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg said they now believe the death penalty system is so badly flawed as to be unconstitutional. There has been no sign a majority agrees with them.

But if a liberal justice were to join the court in the next term, there may well be a five-member majority to enforce tighter limits on the use of capital punishment.

The February death of Justice Antonin Scalia has left the court with a vacancy, and the GOP-controlled Senate is refusing to consider President Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, saying the decision should be left to the next president.

Since Scalias death, the eight justices have steered clear of taking new cases that could provoke an ideological divide or a 4-4 deadlock. But the Texas cases may be the exception and lead to rulings that sharply split the court.

Lawyers for Bobby J. Moore, the inmate who suffers from a mental impairment, also complained to the court that he had spent 35 years on death row, including 15 years in solitary confinement, and that such treatment represents cruel and unusual punishment.

The court initially issued an order Monday morning saying it would hear his appeal on both questions, mental impairment and solitary confinement. But several hours later, the court clarified it would rule only on the issue of his mental impairment.

Two years ago, Justice Anthony Kennedy joined the four more liberal justices to strengthen the ban on executing inmates with an intellectual disability. He said states should not rely on a single I.Q. test, but instead should use broader measures to exclude inmates who have a significant mental impairment.

Moores lawyers said Texas officials have not followed that approach.

In the second case, lawyers for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund urged the justices to set aside the death sentence for Duane Buck because of trial testimony suggesting that black people are more dangerous.

Trial counsels knowing reliance on false, inflammatory and deeply prejudicial evidence explicitly linking Mr. Bucks race to his likelihood of future dangerousness is plainly extraordinary, they said in the case of Buck vs. Stephens. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will correct this egregious error, and that Texas will acknowledge Mr. Bucks right to a new sentencing hearing free of racial bias.

The redistricting dispute comes from Virginia, where Republican lawmakers decided that 12 of its districts for state house delegates would each have at least a 55% minority population. GOP lawmakers said they did so to comply with the Voting Rights Act and to protect the seats of minority lawmakers.

But a coalition of blacks and Democrats sued, alleging this rigid use of race was unconstitutional. Last year, the high court in a 5-4 decision had condemned the use of mechanical racial targets in a case from Alabama.

A federal court in Virginia upheld the GOPs plan, but the high court said it would hear the case of Bethune-Hill vs. Virginia Board of Elections.

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

UPDATES:

2:15 p.m.: This article has been updated with more details about two cases the Supreme Court is reconsidering, and a separate redistricting case.

This article was originally published at 9:55 a.m.
Last December, an independent consultant hired to analyze the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power recommended a ballot measure to overhaul the governance of the nations largest public utility. It was the fifth attempt in less than two decades to reform the DWP, which has lurched from controversy to controversy. But something unusual happened this time: The City Council and mayor acted on the recommendation.

Earlier this year, Councilman Felipe Fuentes proposed a slate of changes that he said would result in a more transparent, efficient and accountable utility. Council President Herb Wesson then held eight meetings across the city to collect opinions on how to fix the DWP, as well as behind-the-scenes negotiations with the mayor, council members and others interests. The result, released last week, is a compromise proposal for the November ballot that offers a hodgepodge of fixes, some good, some worrisome.

But would these reforms actually solve the DWPs biggest problems? The report released last year said the utility is unable to do a better job delivering water and power because managers answer to multiple layers of political and bureaucratic bosses. Those include Mayor Eric Garcetti, his five appointees on the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the City Council, plus the Civil Service Commission and Personnel Department, which control hiring, and City Halls financial and legislative analysts, who scrutinize DWPs proposals on behalf of the mayor and council. Intended to provide checks and balances for the $5-billion public utility, the multiple layers have instead yielded competing agendas and a lack of accountability. The results at the DWP include a new customer billing system that was rolled out before it was ready, a massive backlog of maintenance work, and concerns about the utilitys ability to evolve to meet green energy and water conservation goals.

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Its hard to tell whether the proposal would create clearer lines of authority so the people in charge recognize problems and take responsibility.

Its hard to tell whether the proposal would create clearer lines of authority so the people in charge recognize problems and take responsibility for fixing them. The measure aims to empower the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, which is charged with direct oversight of the utility, by enlarging it to seven members and requiring the City Council to ratify any attempt by the mayor to remove commissioners. Thats fine.

But the proposal would shorten the commissioners five-year terms to three years and give the City Council the power to remove them too with a supermajority vote. Weve seen what can happen with term limits and frequent turnover among decision makers  theres a loss of institutional knowledge and greater reliance on staff or lobbyists. If the goal is to have savvy, experienced and independent commissioners overseeing the DWP, then why give them such short terms and have them worrying about being fired by the council?

The answer is probably that the mayor doesnt want longer terms for commissioners he can no longer yank at will, and the City Council also wants the power to oust commissioners. This is the tension that has plagued the DWP for decades. Elected officials are loath to loosen their grip over the DWP because Angelenos have so much at stake in the utilitys successes and failures. (Rate hikes, water main breaks, power outages  the DWP has a direct impact on residents lives.) But all that meddling, the layers of bureaucracy and the political interference weakens the utility and, ultimately, hurts ratepayers. In the effort to fix the DWP, the mayor and City Council shouldnt break it even more.

There are some good ideas and necessary changes in the councils proposed ballot measure. It would make it easier for the general manager and the board to approve business deals. It opens the door to changing Civil Services rules, ostensibly to make it easier for the utility to hire the specialized workers it needs. It would establish a new procedure for rate hikes. The DWP would have to prepare a strategic plan every four years, outlining the rate increases needed to pay for the planned projects and programs. Once the City Council and mayor approved the plan, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners would have the authority to raise rates within the plans limits of the plan with no additional council vote required. At the very least, such an approach could force policymakers to recognize and approve the costs of their policies.

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With national polls unexpectedly tight, Democrats are worried that an erratic bully  who exploits racial anxiety and rubs his fingers in the wounded psyche of the white working class  might actually win the presidency. Because no one like Donald Trump has previously secured a major party nomination, predictions are difficult.

Yes, there could be a major terrorist attack in the U.S. that shifts swing voters to the strongman. Yes, theres a slim chance the FBI will push the Justice Department to indict Hillary Clinton for her private email server. Yes, there clearly is some Clinton fatigue. And yes, nonexistent income growth over 40 years and Fridays dismal jobs report could create space for an outsider.

But several trends and facts in Clintons favor are starting to harden:

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Who wins a race for both POTUS and SCOTUS between a tough-love mom and your crazy uncle?

Democratic nominees have won the popular vote in five of the most recent six elections, including Obamas four- and seven-point majorities. And every cycle sees a point or two gain in the Democratic base because of the steady rise of minorities and millennials. While only 10% of the electorate was nonwhite in 1992, that figure will grow to about 30% this November  and Clinton leads that group, 7-1, after Trumps birther and deportation comments.

The electoral college has a Blue Wall (Ron Brownsteins phrase) of 18 states where Democrats won six of the last six presidential contests, totaling 242 electoral votes. Thats a hell of a likely head start to 270.

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Favorability ratings can vary, but it takes a lot for them to flip. (Two months after killing Osama bin Laden, Obamas numbers settled back to where they had been.) As of now, the presidents net favorable is plus-6. The Democratic Party is minus-5. Clinton, minus-14. Trump, minus-27. The Republican Party, minus-29.

The potentially first female president should do far better among white women than Obama, who lost them by 14 points to Mitt Romney in 2012. Already, Trump has a staggering minus-40 favorability among single women, who arent impressed by his caveman persona or his suggestion that women should be punished for having abortions.

Most angry white guys love Trump. But since Romney walloped Obama 65%-35% among this cohort, there arent many more for Clinton to lose.

Bernie Sanders could keep hounding Clinton, all the way to the convention, but he wont want to risk costing her the election and tainting his successful insurgency. After he grumpily embraces her, shell get 90%-plus of committed and leaning Democrats (50% of the country, based on registration). In a far more bitterly divided GOP, Trump will get perhaps 85% of committed and leaning Republicans (only 40% of the country).

Compared to Trump, who so far has done without a developed fundraising operation, the Clinton campaign will have more money and better analytics to pull voters. The disparity could be as great as 2-1, an unheard-of edge for a Democratic nominee.

Trumps smear-and-fear debate tactics worked in the GOP primaries, but they are unlikely to succeed against a poised, savvy politician with dozens of debates under her belt.

In political ads, Trump will try to define Clinton as crooked and an enabler. Thats the best hes got. Meanwhile, Clinton can pummel Trumps unpresidential temperament, ignorance about nuclear weapons, business sleaze that hurts real people, misogynistic comments and endorsements from Klansmen.

Remember how the economy nearly collapsed and $14 trillion of wealth vanished under the last Republican president? Under Obama, the economy has grown for 75 straight months, and the unemployment rate fell from 10% to less than 5%. Clinton should not lose the economic argument to a one-percenter who wants to cut his taxes.

How can Trump pass the commander in chief test? America ultimately will conclude that an experienced former secretary of State is more trustworthy than a tantrum-prone narcissist, as Clinton effectively explained in her San Diego address last Thursday.

While third parties sink in polls closer to Election Day (see Ralph Nader in 2000), its looking like the impressive Libertarian Party ticket (which takes largely from the Republican side) will significantly outperform the Green Party (which takes mostly from Democrats).

After giving him saturation coverage in the nomination race, the media  perhaps sensitive to appearing complicit in his rise  may be turning on Trump. Consider, for example, recent aggressive reporting on Trumps (suspiciously timed) donations to veterans charities and condemnation of his attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Live by the sword, die by the sword, especially after calling the sword disgraceful, dishonest and disgusting, as he did at a recent news conference.

Who wins a race for both POTUS and SCOTUS between a tough-love mom and your crazy uncle? Based on historic trends and their comparative assets, my best guess is that Clinton prevails by at least 53% to 46%, perhaps even a double-digit landslide. The most unpopular presidential nominee ever wont be elected president. At least not if Democrats remember Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes admonition: The way the inevitable came to pass was effort.

Mark Green hosts the nationally syndicated radio show Both Sides Now. His 23rd book was published last month, Bright Infinite Future: A Generational Memoir on the Progressive Rise.

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PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel likes his privacy. Angry at Gawker for discussing his sexuality in 2007, he paid $10 million in legal expenses to finance several lawsuits brought by others against the gossip site. But Thiel claims he wasnt just out for himself. Its less about revenge and more about specific deterrence, he said, and called his move against Gawker one of my greater philanthropic things that Ive done.

If Thiel really wants to make the world safe for privacy, he might consider laying off the media and laying into his Silicon Valley colleagues, many of whom are rather dismissive of the notion that privacy matters.

As Reddit CEO Steve Huffman recently boasted to an interviewer in explaining his companys business model, We know your dark secrets. We know everything.

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Gathering and repackaging personal information is a multibillion-dollar business, and a number of tech companies have been bold in their efforts to make sure it stays that way. Indeed, legions of lobbyists for the tech industry have aggressively worked around the country to undermine privacy protections for consumers of all stripes, including children.

In Illinois, for example, privacy advocates won an important victory with the passage of a law that offers strict guidelines for how social media companies can use facial recognition technologies to identify users online and off. Companies can use this technology to send targeted ads and create consumer profiles, without the consumers knowledge. But recently, tech lobbyists succeeded in introducing new legislation that would weaken the law, creating an exception for existing photo-tagging technology and preempting several class-action lawsuits.

In North Carolina, a bill influenced by tech industry lobbyists would seriously compromise student privacy protections in that state, allowing education companies to repurpose and reuse sensitive information, like teacher evaluations, socioeconomic data and geolocation information.

Too many in Silicon Valley appear to be guided by the desire to put profits and business innovation above all else.

Tech companies are meddling with privacy rights in California too. Before the ink was dry on the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act, which prohibits education software vendors from selling student data and using the information to market to kids, an industry trade group backed by the nations largest tech companies introduced new legislation in Sacramento that would have weakened many of the key protections in the original bill. The industry-backed proposal stalled in the Legislature, but advocates are bracing for another fight.

When the tech industry loses a privacy fight, it tries again; but often it doesnt lose. Also in California, tech interests succeeded in thwarting a 2015 attempt to limit the ability of companies to track the whereabouts of kids and other consumers. The proposal would have required companies to clearly explain to customers how their location information would be used and shared when they installed a new app. It also would have required companies to obtain consent before collecting their customers geolocation data.

Too many in Silicon Valley appear to be guided by the desire to put profits and business innovation above all else. They operate like the robber barons of our past, with little or no regard for the best interest of future generations.

In a recent speech in Hiroshima, Japan, President Obama offered a reminder of the fundamental moral responsibilities of those at innovations cutting edge.

Technological progress without an equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us, the president said, citing the need for a moral revolution to match our rapid societal change.

The next revolution in Silicon Valley must be one that ensures the right to privacy.

Jim Steyer is the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.

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Hillary and Bill Clinton kicked off their final campaign sprints by worshiping in the pews of historic African American churches Sunday morning  an indication of the importance of African American voters to her hope of winning a potentially tight California primary.

I promise you I will work my heart out for you, Clinton told congregants at Greater St. Paul Church in Oakland, where she swayed in her seat as she listened to a choir sing.

About 375 miles south, at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, Bill Clinton blasted presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trumps slogan, Make America great again.

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Thats a code slogan for, Were going to make it great the way it was 40 or 50 years ago, Clinton said, drawing applause as he added, Well, it wasnt so great for a lot of people 40 or 50 years ago.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

Clinton and her supporters are counting on voters in those and similar churches to form a bulwark in Tuesdays primary, much as black voters elsewhere have done throughout the primary season.

Clintons strong support among black voters has offset losses among millennials and independents, who have swung to her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Were going to make sure we deliver her and carry her across the line, said state Sen. Isadore Hall of Compton when he attended the opening of Clintons South Los Angeles office in mid-May. There is no question, the Clintons have done themselves right by the black and brown communities for years.

The Clintons have a long, close relationship with African American voters, to the point that novelist Toni Morrison dubbed Bill Clinton the first black president.

Gwendolyn Cross, a Riverside activist, said she would vote for Bill Clinton for a third term if term limits allowed it.

Hillary is the best candidate for president, she said. And she has an ace in the hole, and thats Bill. Everybody loves Bill.

During the contentious 2008 Democratic primaries, Clinton overwhelmingly lost black voters in California and elsewhere in the country to then-Sen. Barack Obama.

The rivalry got tense, notably when Bill Clinton questioned Obamas experience, compared his campaign to the ones waged by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and declared, This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale Ive ever seen.

Several black voters and elected officials who supported Obama in 2008 said that such friction is natural in a competitive campaign and that hurt feelings had been soothed by Hillary Clintons actions in the aftermath of her loss.

After it was clear Obama was going to be the nominee, who nominated Obama at the convention in 08? It was Hillary Clinton, said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), who backed Obama in that race and is supporting Clinton now.

Not only did she nominate him to be the next president, he appointed her to be secretary of State.

A crucial question to the outcome of the primary here is how much support among younger black voters Sanders has pulled from Clinton. Polls have shown Sanders winning a majority of younger Latinos, but most public polls do not include a large enough pool of black voters to draw a firm conclusion.

The Clintons schedule this weekend, however, made clear that African Americans are not a community the campaign is taking for granted.

In addition to the church visits, Clinton spoke throughout the weekend about the toll that gun violence takes on African American communities. Bill Clinton campaigned in Inglewood and Compton, visiting a school that bears his name  the first to do so outside Arkansas  and traveled through Los Angeles alongside Earvin Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

After church, Clinton and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) stopped in for breakfast at the Serving Spoon, an Inglewood restaurant, where one voter was brought to tears as she posed for a picture with the former president.

Among the diners Clinton greeted were Shani Jones, 31, Yeheyis Taye, 30, and their family. The couple told him they are getting married on Tuesday.

Its Super Tuesday, joked Jones, adding she already had mailed in her ballot because she will be too busy to vote in person.

I like that, Clinton replied.

Once the former president was out of earshot, Jones made a confession: She had voted for Sanders.

Hes more grass-roots, said Jones, who said she liked Sanders critique of the banking system and was impressed that he had embraced the ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement.

She said she has argued about the election frequently with her father, a Clinton supporter who was at the diner.

He was a part of the Clinton era she said. There is a split between like the younger and the older people on this.

Her father, Martin Jones, 73, told Bill Clinton he is with his wife 100%.

She would be coming from a laboratory of experience, he said afterward. Its about time we have a woman in charge of our government instead of our kitchen.

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For the latest on national and California politics, follow @LATSeema on Twitter.
Several natural resource-dependent states are still debating spending plans for the 2016-17 school year. Last week, legislatures in Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia all agreed on budgets that will pull millions from their rainy day funds but wouldnt raise taxes. It remains to be seen whether all of the budgets will be signed into law by the states governors.

I wrote in January about how oil industry woes have impacted these states budgets this year.

Politicians were faced with either raising income or sales taxes, closing tax loopholes, making dramatic cuts to state agencies budgets, or pulling from their rainy day fund. With the hopes that oil revenue will make a rebound in the coming years, most of the states avoided tax increases.

In Louisiana, which faced a $600 million shortfall because of a loss in oil revenue and a series of untimely tax cuts, legislators will send to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards a $26 billion budget that results in $44 million in cuts to the states K-12 school system. (The state spends around $3.4 billion a year on K-12 schools.) That could mean teacher layoffs, cuts to programs, and cuts to the states department of education, several education leaders there predict. An effort to shutter the states education department to spare the states schools failed early on this session. Edwards released a statement Sunday saying he wasnt pleased with the budget and called for a second special session.

In Oklahoma, legislators managed to avoid any major cuts to the states school system by pulling more than $140 million from its rainy day fund and $335 million from other bond accounts. They tossed an initiative from Republican Gov. Mary Fallin to institute a cigarette tax to pay for $3,000 teacher raises. The state faces a large teacher shortage, and several education organizations are leading an initiative to raise taxes by a penny to provide teachers with a $3,000 raise. The state spends around $1.8 billion a year on K-12 schools. Fallin, who said she was disappointed with some aspects of the budget, is expected to sign it into law.

Alaska legislators passed a budget that pulls more than $3.2 billion from its rainy-day fund to keep education spending flat. That means the state shelved an Democratic initiative to increase per-pupil spending. Alaska Republican Gov. Bill Walker has not indicated whether he will sign the budget proposal.

Finally, West Virginias Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he will veto that state legislatures $4 billion spending plan that would pull more than $182 million out of its rainy-day fund to fill a $270 million budget gap caused by the collapse of the states coal-mining industry. The states K-12 system, which in recent years has undergone a decline in enrollment, would have taken a 2 percent hit to its $1.1 billion spending plan .

Dont miss another State EdWatch post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox. And make sure to follow @StateEdWatch on Twitter for the latest news from state K-12 policy and politics.
Defying critics across the political spectrum, Donald Trump insisted that the ethnicity of a Latino judge should disqualify him from presiding over a fraud lawsuit against the business mogul and suggested that no Muslim could oversee the case either.

Trump told CBS News that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel was a member of a club or society very strongly pro-Mexican and thus cannot be impartial with a presidential candidate proposing a border wall.

If it were a Muslim judge, would you also feel like they wouldnt be able to treat you fairly because of that policy of yours? news anchor John Dickerson asked Trump in a Face the Nation interview that aired Sunday.

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Its possible, yes, said Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Yeah, that would be possible, absolutely.

Even for a man who launched his candidacy by accusing Mexico of sending rapists and drug dealers across the border, Trumps recent remarks about Latinos and Muslims were extraordinary, sparking fresh accusations of bigotry.

His comments came after months of violent and racially charged clashes at his rallies between his overwhelmingly white supporters and protesters, many of them Latino or African American. Riot police are routinely deployed outside Trumps events to keep the two sides apart, a sign of potential trouble at next months Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Aside from the social implications in a nation with a wrenching history of racial strife, Trumps escalating attacks on the judge have unsettled top Republicans who are fretting over the partys fate in November. They fear Trump will damage GOP candidates nationwide if he fails to tone down the rhetoric that drew a big following among Republican primary voters but might backfire in the general election.

GOP allies quickly criticized Trump for charging that the judges Mexican ancestry poses a conflict of interest.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who begrudgingly endorsed Trump on Thursday, said Friday that he disapproved of Trumps remarks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press that I couldnt disagree more with what he had to say. He refused to answer whether he saw Trumps attacks as racist.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called the statements inexcusable, saying they were one of the worst mistakes Trump has made.

Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level, Gingrich told Fox News on Sunday. This is no longer the primaries. Hes no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States, and hes got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.

Trumps unwillingness so far to heed such warnings underscores his lack of self-restraint as he shifts focus to the broader electorate. He has stepped up his belligerence toward the news media, describing reporters as scum, sleaze and bloodsuckers in recent days.

Curiel, born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants, is presiding over a San Diego fraud lawsuit against the candidate and his defunct real estate school, Trump University. A former narcotics prosecutor, Curiel was appointed to a state judgeship by former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and to the federal bench by President Obama. Trump has accused the judge of showing bias against him, but only in the last few days has he identified Curiels ethnicity as the reason.

Political scientist Julia Azari of Marquette University in Milwaukee said it was easy to forget that the kind of overt prejudice expressed by Trump was the norm in American politics before the civil rights movement took hold in the 1950s.

Look at my African American over here. Look at him. Are you the greatest?  Trump, at a rally in Redding

Its only fairly recently that these things have been frowned on in public discourse, and weve assumed that politics and public life would be inclusive regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, she said. You dont erase a history of oppression or exclusion in 60 years.

As Trump wrapped up a California campaign swing on Friday, he stirred up more charges of racism at a rally in Redding when he called a man in the crowd my African American.

Trump was praising a black supporter who had slugged and kicked a protester at his March rally in Tucson, calling him a great guy, when he interrupted the story to point to an African American in his mostly white audience.

Look at my African American over here, Trump shouted. Look at him. Are you the greatest?

Critics on social media charged that Trumps language evoked slavery.

Unbelievable, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile wrote on Twitter.

But its Trumps attack on Curiel that has drawn the most attention.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton rebuked Trump on Sunday for what she called his ethnic slurs and rants, and denounced him for bigotry in a scathing speech last week detailing her case against him. She pursued that line of attack as she campaigned across California, highlighting Trumps criticism of Curiel.

This is not just another outlandish, insulting comment from Donald Trump, and it is not normal politics, she said at a stop Saturday in Oxnard. This is something much, much more dangerous.

When Dickerson challenged Trump on CBS to explain what Curiels Mexican parents had to do with his ability to be impartial in the fraud case, Trump said, Excuse me, I want to build a wall.

We have to stop being so politically correct in this country, Trump said. And we need a little more common sense.

In another interview that ran Sunday, CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Trump, If you are saying he cant do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?

No, I dont think so at all, Trump said.

He is a Mexican, Trump added. We are building a wall between here and Mexico.

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Im Christina Bellantoni. This is Essential Politics, and Californias primary is tomorrow.

Its been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, from feeling too far away to matter to being the last stop for the Republican contenders, to not mattering and back to proving both decisive and symbolic for the future Democratic presidential nominee.

It winds to a close this evening with competing concerts in support of Hillary Clinton at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and Bernie Sanders at Crissy Field in San Francisco.

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Californias total voter registration is 17,915,053, officials announced Friday. Thats the largest number ever registered heading into a primary election.

As the countdown clock we have running on our Politics page ticks down to polls closing at 8 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, well cover every last twist and turn.

Track the presidential race on Trail Guide, learn about the state campaigns via our Essential Politics news feed and make sure youre following @latimespolitics.

OVER THE WEEKEND

The weekend was a blur of campaigning, as Clinton and Sanders headed up and down the state, and Bill Clinton kept his own full schedule on the stump.

Sanders greeted Angelenos in Echo Park and rallied with celebrities.

Clinton talked about water in Fresno. The former president joined NBA greats in East L.A. and was shouted down by Sanders fans in Boyle Heights.

Cathleen Decker sums up the weekend and what each campaign must do in hopes of securing a Golden State victory.

CLINTON ALMOST THERE

A win in Puerto Rico on Sunday and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday put Clinton just shy of the 2,383 required for the nomination, meaning she is poised to clinch the magic number when polls close in New Jersey at 5 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow.

Clintons total includes pledged delegates and super-delegates, who are party leaders and elected officials who can decide which candidate to support at the Democratic National Convention in July. She is beating Sanders in both categories. She also has won more states, and more votes, than Sanders.

Track the delegate race in real time.

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR TRUMP

Defying critics across the political spectrum, Donald Trump continued to insist that the ethnicity of a Latino judge should disqualify him from presiding over a fraud lawsuit against the business mogul and suggested that no Muslim could oversee the case either. Even for a man who launched his candidacy by accusing Mexico of sending rapists and drug dealers across the border, Trumps recent remarks about Latinos and Muslims were extraordinary, sparking fresh accusations of bigotry, Michael Finnegan reports.

Plus, dont miss Greg Morans profile of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel.

WHERE THINGS STAND

On Friday, my colleague David Lauter detailed the top results from our USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Well have more in tomorrows newsletter, but if you missed it, the dead-heat race between Clinton and Sanders all hinges on which voters show up.

STATUS OF THE SENATE RACE

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchezs chances of finishing in the top two in Tuesdays primary, which would win her a ticket to the November general election, may depend on turnout among Latinos and Sanders supporters, according to the USC/LAT poll. The survey found that the Orange County congresswoman had strong support among Latinos and was statistically tied with Democratic rival Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris among Sanders supporters. Harris has solidified herself as the frontrunner. And while Sanchez is in the No. 2 spot, Republicans Duf Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro could be within striking distance.

Will Tuesday spell the end for GOP hopefuls looking to succeed Sen. Barbara Boxer? Some say its time for California Republican candidates to adapt to the political Darwinism of the states top-two primary system, George Skelton writes in his Monday column.

ON THE SENATE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles in Inglewood was a popular place among Californias U.S. Senate hopefuls this weekend. Harris and Sanchez both stopped by the L.A. institution to hobnob with potential voters. The stops were among the flurry of campaign events by Senate candidates during the home stretch to Tuesdays primary election.

As she has done in previous races, Harris spent Sunday morning campaigning at black churches.

Our team was all over the state this weekend tracking the flurry of activity in what has mostly been a quiet contest.

THE MOST INTERESTING CONGRESSIONAL RACES

California voters are confronted with congressional races that involve vulnerable incumbents, competitive open seats and intra-party fights this Tuesday.

We broke down some of the most interesting, and most closely watched, races in the state, including the big open-seat contests in Southern California, the rematch between Democrats Rep. Michael Honda and Ro Khanna and the handful of seats the political parties are hoping to flip in November.

One of the most competitive open seats is along Santa Barbaras coastline, where there is no clear picture of which candidates will finish in the top two.

Javier Panzar noticed a strange pattern with donors to 28-year-old Justin Fareeds campaign, and his investigation found nearly $200,000 of his $1 million has come from donors with ties to two of the states largest nursing home operators.

One of those races is to replace outgoing Rep. Janice Hahn an intraparty battle between state Sen. Isadore Hall III (D-Compton) and Nanette Barragan, an attorney and former member of the Hermosa Beach City Council. As Panzar reports, the contest touches on the environment and race, and is fraught with accusations of political misdeeds and carpetbagging.

Barragan has mounted a sharp primary campaign in part by hitting Hall for his ties to special interests in the oil, alcohol and tobacco industries. Last week her campaign accused Hall of violating federal election law by spending general election money in the primary. Panzar truth-squadded the claims, and its a bit more complicated.

THE MOST INTERESTING LEGISLATIVE RACES

Weve compiled a roundup of Californias most interesting and competitive legislative races as a handy guide ahead of Tuesdays primary.

There are 26 seats up for grabs due to term limits or incumbents leaving office, and 59 other lawmakers are defending their seats. Fifteen are running unopposed. The races include fierce fights among Democrats, wide-open seats where anything could happen and re-matches with ousted lawmakers hoping to reclaim their seats, Christine Mai-Duc reports.

With Trump sure to have an outsize impact on downticket races this fall, state Democrats will be angling to restore their super-majority in both houses  or get as close as they can.

PATTY LOPEZ DOESNT FEEL RESPECTED

One of the races were watching is a rematch between Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, who never expected to win in 2014, and former Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, whom she ousted from his seat by 466 votes that year.

Lopez, who failed to capture the state Democratic Party endorsement, is running with few of the advantages that incumbents typically enjoy and says she doesnt feel respected as a member.

Asked why he was helping Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown and not Lopez, Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) told The Times his hands are tied by party rules that preclude him from using caucus resources to help a candidate who hasnt been endorsed by the party.

FULL LOCAL BALLOTS UP AND DOWN THE STATE

Theres only one statewide measure on the ballot Tuesday -- an effort to penalize misbehaving legislators -- but local ballots have a number of hot-button issues on them.

As Liam Dillon reports, San Francisco will be deciding on police accountability and low-income housing ballot measures. San Jose will be one of many cities dealing with medical marijuana. And billions in bonds for schools are among the interesting local ballot measures in our roundup.

LATINO ACTIVISM WITHIN THE CAMPAIGNS

The prominence of Latino activists who criticize President Obamas record on immigration within Sanders campaign underscores how much the race between the Vermont senator and Clinton has become entangled in another fight  a long-running battle between Obama and his partys left wing over immigration enforcement.

CLINTONS CALIFORNIA LOYALISTS

Eight years before die-hard Sanders supporters started declaring Bernie or bust, there were ardent Clinton allies who refused to accept her loss to Obama in the Democratic primary.

Now theyre enjoying a reversal of fortunes as Clinton comes closer to clinching the presidential nomination on Tuesday, Chris Megerian reports.

TIMES ENDORSEMENTS

Our editorial board put all of its election endorsements in one handy spot.

PODCAST: TURNOUT, TURNOUT, TURNOUT

One of the key issues were watching in Tuesdays primary is turnout: How many voters cast ballots, and who are those voters?

On this weeks California Politics Podcast, John Myers leads a discussion on how a rather tepid state primary has been supercharged by the presidential battle. And he offers some of the more interesting races to watch once the returns start coming in after 8 p.m. on election night.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- President Obama is likely to play a more active role in the race to succeed him than any other outgoing president in the modern era. But in addition to campaigning for fellow Democrats, hes also aiming to ensure a lasting footprint for his governing philosophy, Mike Memoli reports.

-- The Clinton campaign is counting on turning out black voters in California to offset the potential loss of young voters to Sanders. The Clintons have a long history with black voters  from Bill being labeled the first black president in the 90s to Hillary all but clinching the 2016 nomination thanks in large part to turnout among African American voters. But some households are divided.

-- With the primary election almost here, no clear front-runner has emerged in the crowded race for the seat being vacated by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

-- The Assembly passed a bill requiring police officers to be able to view body camera footage before writing their reports.

-- The state Senate voted to approve a bill that would prohibit the filing of criminal charges against minors for prostitution.

-- Immigrants living in the U.S. illegally could have chance to buy health coverage if Gov. Jerry Brown signs legislation approved by the Senate. The bill would seek federal approval to let undocumented immigrants pay full price for health coverage from Californias healthcare exchange.

-- The state Senate approved a bill that would require cigarettes to be sold in tobacco-only stores in California.

-- A proposal to put ads on 832 electronic freeway signs operated by the state failed to win enough votes in the state Senate after some lawmakers said they were concerned it would lead to distracted driving and visual blight.

-- Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) dropped his plan to ask voters to approve an expansion of the boards of supervisors in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties from five members to at least seven. He did not have the votes after some Los Angeles County supervisors opposed the plan.

-- What do you think of Trump? Readers can weigh in with our quick survey.

LOGISTICS

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Former Democratic Assemblyman Tom Calderon on Monday pleaded guilty to one felony count of money laundering as part of an agreement in which federal prosecutors offered to seek a prison sentence of no more than 12 months.

The plea settles his part of a criminal case that also alleges that his brother, former Democratic state Sen. Ron Calderon, accepted bribes, according to a court filing released Monday by the U.S. attorneys office.

Accompanied only by his attorney, Tom Calderon, a Montebello resident, stood before U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder in a nearly empty courtroom. His brother, Ron, who was the main target of the FBI sting operation and still faces a slew of bribery and laundering charges, left the courtroom as soon as his business before Snyder was done.

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Calderon spoke clearly and without hesitation as Snyder reviewed the terms of the plea deal with him and peppered him with questions to ensure he understood the implications of his decision to plead guilty.

Outside the courtroom, Ron Calderons attorney Mark Geragos, was critical of the plea agreement, calling it a sweetheart deal that was meant to put pressure on his client. Tom Calderon is not required to testify against his brother under the terms of the agreement. It is uncertain whether prosecutors will be permitted to tell a jury in Ron Calderons trial about the guilty plea.

Geragos said a plea agreement for Ron Calderon was not being discussed and expected the case would proceed to trial.

Tom Calderon recently underwent heart surgery that forced a delay in his trial. He admits in the plea bargain that he and his brother, Ron Calderon, hid bribe money through laundering to his company.

Prosecutors agreed to drop six charges against Tom Calderon as part of the agreement.

In accepting Calderons guilty plea, Snyder emphasized that she is not beholden to the terms of the deal he struck with the government. While the maximum punishment for a count of money laundering is 20 years imprisonment and $500,000 in fines, sentencing guidelines make it far more likely that Snyder would increase the sentence for Calderon by a matter of months instead of years  if she decides to depart from the plea agreement at all.

The plea agreement was signed Monday by Tom Calderon and his attorney, Shepard Kopp.

I have nothing to say, Tom Calderon said when reached at home Monday. Kopp declined comment.

Ron and Tom Calderon were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2014. Ron Calderon was charged with 24 felony counts that include accepting $88,000 in bribes in exchange for official actions. He has pleaded not guilty and there is no plea agreement in his case, officials said Monday.

The former state senator is accused of accepting bribes from an undercover FBI agent posing as a film industry executive in exchange for advocating for an extension of tax credits for film productions. Investigators also allege he took bribes from the owner of a medical firm in exchange for action on legislation involving workers compensation.

The plea agreement says that Tom Calderon admits that he founded a political consulting company, Calderon Group Inc., and also became an executive officer of Californians for Diversity, a nonprofit group.

In or around April 2013, defendant and his brother Ronald S. Calderon agreed to conceal the fact that Ronald S. Calderon was receiving bribe money from undercover FBI agents, the agreement alleges, adding that Tom Calderon agreed to allow bribe money to be funneled through the Calderon Group in order to conceal and disguise the fact that the money represented the proceeds of bribery.

The agreement mentioned that Ron Calderon allegedly directed an undercover FBI agent to make a $30,000 payment to the Calderon Group on April 16, 2013.

The plea agreement signed by Tom Calderon on Monday says he understands that he willfully caused to be conducted a financial transaction involving property that represented the proceeds of bribery, and that he knew that the transaction was designed to conceal the source of the bribery proceeds.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Follow @mcgreevy99 on Twitter

ALSO

California Senate OKs bill targeting activities of indicted Calderons

Tom Calderon nonprofit received $25,000 from Latino caucus panel

Updates from Sacramento

UPDATES:

6:27 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the judges sentencing of Calderon.

This article was originally published at 2:51 p.m.
State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris campaigns across Southern California

With just days left before polls close, campaigns across the state are knocking on doors, calling supporters and doing whatever they can to get out the vote.

On Saturday, Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris stopped by a half-dozen family owned businesses in Southern California to remind patrons to vote.

The day started with a breakfast-time stop at Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles near Los Angeles International Airport. Customers paused to chat with Harris or take a photo.

Start-up manager Michael Tuso, 27, of Playa del Rey, leapt from his meal when Harris neared his table. Hes already voted for her, but wanted a photo and a chance to talk to a woman he thinks should run for president one day. He said he was eager to vote for her in the Senate race.

Shes a pragmatic, solutions-based person, he said. Ive known about her for a long time, and was kind of hoping shed jump into the race.

Tuso said he, like Harris, backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president.

I strongly support powerful female voices leading the country, he said.

The chicken-and-waffles chain is becoming a popular stop for politicians. President Obama made a suprise stop in 2011. Harris opponent, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange), will stop at Roscoes in Inglewood tomorrow morning as she works to get out the vote for her campaign.

.@KamalaHarris gets a tour of the San Pedro Fish Market. It smells so good in here. pic.twitter.com/wM7mQVia49  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) June 4, 2016

At the San Pedro Fish Market, Harris got a tour of the raw fish for sale before making her way to the sun-baked patio to talk with families tucking into platters of crab, squid and oysters. More than a few tables of people were drinking from hollowed out pineapples.

A family of 20 or so crowded together with Harris and yelled Warriors! as photographers snapped away. Harris volunteers arranged for lunch and broke out a deck of playing cards as she moved from table to table.

After Harris cooed over the infant she was holding, Krystle Green, 29, of Ontario said in an interview that she plans to vote for Harris on Tuesday.

She seems very personable and like she actually wants to do something, she said.

Green said shes leaning toward Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the presidential race.

Honestly, my opinion right now is anythings better than Trump, she said.

Harris lunch of calamari, shrimp and scallops under a Tecate banner fluttering in the light breeze was put on hold repeatedly as people stopped by the table.

At Lolas Mexican Cuisine in Long Beach, Harris had barely stepped off her campaign bus when Marie Deary, 48, of Long Beach came running up, yelling to her niece, Bring the phone, bring the phone. Its Kamala Harris!

Deary said she likes that Harris worked to hold banks accountable after the housing crash and tried to keep Californians in their homes. Dearys been a supporter since Harris first attorney general race in 2010.

Inside Lolas, the crush of staff and local politicians that followed Harris from table to table kept Barry Cox, 41, of Long Beach from being leaving, so he ordered a drink.

Cox said he was impressed with Harris record, though he doesnt like her stance on gun control.

Im proud of her accomplishments, she believes in what shes doing, shes moved by her convictions and I like that. Shes broke ground as a woman, as a black woman at that, or a woman of mixed heritage, Cox said.

Hes leaning toward supporting Republican businessman Donald Trump in the presidential race, saying he was disappointed in Clintons time as secretary of state.

Nonetheless, he said he hasnt had time to study the candidates and doesnt plan to vote.

Im not as educated as Id like to be. When it comes to the presidential race, Im a little bit more knowledgeable. In California though, I wont waste my vote. California always goes to Democrats, Cox said.

Love this beautiful Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate cake from @portos in Downey! #gotv pic.twitter.com/AMbeQ7W8PF  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 4, 2016

Harris weaved through the bustling crowd at Portos Bakery in Downey and got a quick tour of the kitchen  and a cake theyd made with her campaigns logo.

Harris said in an interview it was important to her to stop in at family-owned businesses so close to the election.

Thats always important to me. Truly our small businesses are really a part of the economic engine of our state and I think that they need to be seen and highlighted more, she said.

As she left the restaurant to head to a walk along the Los Angeles River with supporters, she prodded patrons to remember to vote.

Jonathan Saavedra, 31, of Whittier said he plans to vote for her Tuesday because he like Harris experience as attorney general. Hes also leaning toward backing Clinton because of her experience.

She seems like a tough politician and she knows what shes doing, Saavedra said of Harris. Shes going to get the job done and is a good successor to Barbara Boxer.
Law in School: Top 9 Student Rights Issues

We want our kids to get the best education possible, and to be nurtured and safe while they're in school. So how do schools balance the educational, interpersonal, and safety concerns of their students, while also taking into account their legal rights and Constitutional protections?

Here's what you need to know about a student's rights in school, and what to do when legal issues arise on campus.

Schools have an obligation to keep all of their students safe. But do they need to comply with the 4th Amendment's rules on search and seizure in doing so?

Maybe you gave your daughter a phone so she can keep in touch after school. But if she gets in trouble using it in class, is the school allowed to confiscate it?

And if so, for which drugs may schools test? And do tests need to be random? How old do students need to be before getting tested?

Cyberbullying happens. But how much responsibility do schools share to prevent their students from committing criminal acts online?

If you thought keeping an eye on Facebook was bad, wait until school officials tell a girl she can't wear her dress to prom.

Every child has a right to an education, and many schools have an obligation to provide certain services to special needs children.

Students also have the right to use the bathroom corresponding to their preferred gender identity.

Maybe you have a hard time taking notes as fast as your teacher speaks. Or your teacher says some particularly wacky things. Does that mean you can record lectures?

Graduate students do a lot of work: for their professors, other students, and graduate departments as a whole. But does all that work make them employees?

The intersection of law and education can get tricky. If you have more questions or concerns about student rights, you can consult with an experienced education attorney in your area.

Related Resources:
Californias primary election Tuesday is shaping up to make history. Its likely to be the first time that voters send two candidates from the same party to the November runoff for a U.S. Senate seat.

Or for any partisan statewide office in California, for that matter.

If several polls are correct, all Republican Senate candidates will be eliminated Tuesday. And in the fall, the voters only choice will be between two Democrats for one of the most potent elective offices a state can offer.

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The other powerful office is governor. And get ready for a potential Democrats-only runoff for that post in 2018 when Gov. Jerry Brown is termed out.

The two probable Senate finalists are state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, 51, a former San Francisco district attorney, and 10-term U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, 56, of Orange.

Theyve been running first and second, respectively, in a far-flung field of 34 mostly unknown candidates.

In a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll last week, Harris held a comfortable 34%-14% lead over Sanchez among likely voters. No Republican had more than 7%.

But in a low-profile race submerged by the presidential primary, it is still theoretically possible for a longshot Republican to finish second.

In a recent Field poll of likely voters, Harris led Sanchez by 30%-14%, with no Republican above 4%. But 27% were undecided.

An all-Democratic runoff is probable because of Californias relatively new open primary system. No longer are there party nominations. All voters, regardless of party registration, get one ballot that lists every candidate. The top two finishers advance to the general election.

Voters authorized that system in 2010. But this is the first election when its impact likely will be felt in a statewide contest.

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxers pending retirement provided a rare opening for ambitious politicians. And the California GOP has fallen on such bad times it no longer seems able to compete statewide.

Democrats account for 44.8% of registered voters, and Republicans only 27.3%. Unaffiliated independent voters  registered as no party preference  are 23.3%, and they lean strongly Democratic.

Republicans are badly outnumbered in the states congressional delegation and both legislative houses. But theyre still strong in some regions.

In fact, there were seven congressional and legislative races in 2014  out of 153 total  where both general election finalists were Republicans. In 17 races, however, both runoff contestants were Democrats.

So how do voters feel about a system in which they sometimes are stuck with just one party  usually Democratic  to choose from in November? Not surprisingly, Democrats and independents like it much better than Republicans.

In the USC/Times poll, the top-two primary was favored 51%-41% among all voters. But among Democrats and independents, 56% supported it, while only 37% of Republicans did.

The goal of the open primary was to elect more pragmatic centrists who are less inclined to gridlock.

To win, candidates need to appeal to a wide range of voters. In the primary, that means not just pandering to party ideologues. And in the general, the more moderate candidate  Sanchez in the Senate race  can seek support from the other party. Once elected, those candidates are more apt to compromise.

Explain to me how Sanchez and Harris are different. I wont vote for either. Both want Hillary Clinton to be president.  Jon Fleischman, blogger and former state Republican official

That was the theory. And it seems to be gradually working in the Legislature, combined with honest redistricting. Gerrymandering to protect incumbents has been eliminated, and there are more competitive races.

Weve definitely seen positive benefits, says Marty Wilson, political strategist for the state Chamber of Commerce.

He gives an example: Four Assembly Democrats emerged from the 2010-11 legislative session with at least a 40% pro-business rating. That is, they voted with business 40% of the time. During the 2014-15 session, the pro-business group had grown to 20 Democrats.

Were also beginning to see the effects in the Senate, Wilson says.

Democratic consultant David Townsend, who advises moderates, says, Its like night and day. There now are 23 Democrats who are willing to listen to anyone on issues about jobs and the economy.

Democratic strategist Garry South argues that California has become such a blue state that a Democrat is guaranteed victory in most races. Better to have two to choose from, he says, than one strong Democratic and a weak Republican.

But conservative Jon Fleischman, an influential blogger and former state Republican official, detests the top-two system.

It reduces voter choice in November when most voters turn out, he argues. It creates an election with two candidates who are ideologically similar. Explain to me how Sanchez and Harris are different. I wont vote for either. Both want Hillary Clinton to be president.

Whats missing for my party is a mechanism to consolidate behind one candidate.

The GOP had better figure out a way, says research fellow Bill Whalen of Stanfords Hoover Institution, a former speechwriter for Republican Gov. Pete Wilson.

Hes not ready to judge the top-two system yet.

But it does force your party to do a better job of organizing, to get better candidates and limit the field, Whalen says.

The Republican Party needs to step up its game. Democrats seem to have their act together. Republicans have to adopt their message to changing times in California [and] not be running on bitterness and anger.

Its political Darwinism, he adds. Adapt or die.

In California, the party is dying. And on Tuesday, its weak Senate pulse is likely to flatline.

george.skelton@latimes.com

Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter

ALSO

Poll finds Senate hopeful Loretta Sanchez strong among Latino voters but few others

Senate hopeful Tom Del Beccaro is forging his own version of the California GOP

Duf Sundheim resists the moderate label

Controversial English-only crusader sets his sights on Californias Senate race

Updates from Sacramento
In Thailand, some Buddhist monks and laymen want to formally establish Buddhism as the countrys national religion in its next constitution. But one prominent Buddhist scholar is warning against such a decree, saying that it would do more harm than good, Khaosod English reports.

Sulak Sivaraksa called for those promoting the cause to consider their fellow Thais of other faiths.

Its most inappropriate and will do more harm than good. Dont we recognize the value of Muslims? Sivaraksa said. Its because this country has taught people to be nationalistic, so they think we must have a national religion too.

Q: What do you think of the situation? What do you think of a country having a national religion?

Mixing church and state, as we call it here in America, is never a wise idea. I am speaking as a humanist as well as a secular Buddhist who admires the Buddhist way of being in the world and would love government to adopt the attitude of loving kindness that Buddhism teaches. However, that is quite another thing from officially endorsing one religion over another, pitting people of different faiths and cultures against each other and essentially compelling a proclamation of belief.

When government sponsors any religion at all, it harms everyone, including and especially the religious. It disenfranchises those who believe and associate otherwise as well as those who disbelieve. Certain people will falsely profess faith in order to gain power and position, which dilutes sincere religious association. One of the most problematic issues in America today is the call for declaring the U.S. a Christian nation. It is completely un-American and would be terribly detrimental. Even in a country like Israel, which leads the world with many progressive policies, the fact that they have a state religion retards their progress and potential enormously.

In Thailand, it seems likely the movement is born more of nationalism. Knowing something of Buddhist thought, I would imagine its against creating a state religion. If true Buddhist scholars are consulted, the call for establishing any national religion will reasonably and rightfully dissipate.

Joshua Lewis Berg

Humanist Celebrant

Glendale

--

The prominent Buddhist scholar is right: having a so-called national religion would do more harm than good. It is amazing how many people dont learn from the lessons of history. One reason we have freedom of religion in America is that our founders had learned from the religious wars of Europe that recommending or espousing one religion over another inevitably leads to conflict.

Some in this country have tried to argue that we were founded as a Christian nation, but I disagree. Certainly we have Judeo-Christian values, but have you looked at the big buildings in our nations capital? They look more Greco-Roman than Judeo-Christian! Seriously, we are free here to worship (or NOT!) as we choose. Who cares in America what religion you are? (I am of course excluding extremists of any stripe, including Christian extremists; those wackos are suspicious if you dont believe as they do.)

So without trying to seem superior to our Thai brothers and sisters, I would urge the government there to try to come up with something that our Founding Fathers did in the 18th century: freedom of religion and tolerance for those who may not believe as you do.

The Rev. Skip Lindeman

La Canada Congregational Church

--

Considering the current state of Thailands religiously diverse society, I believe making Buddhism the national religion would do more to divide their country than it would to strengthen it.

I suppose the practical consequences of having a national religion vary according to the desires of each country that chooses one. I wonder, would all citizens be considered members of that faith by default? Would the state financially support the chosen religion? Would the beliefs of that religion become the actual laws of the land? Would other religions be granted freedom to practice and freely preach their beliefs?

God established a theocracy when he formed the nation of Israel after the Exodus. Israel had a national religion and her national laws were given by the revelation of God, straight out of the Torah. Non-Jews were welcomed to join the nation as proselytes, but they were required to conform to the national religion. I believe that this theocracy was good because our good God established it. But I dont read anywhere in Scripture that God requires other nations to establish his worship as a national religion. Certainly there is a promise that: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). Also, every nation will give account to God for their governance because there is no authority except from God, and those [governing authorities] which exist are established by God. (Romans 13:1). Every nation is accountable to God to praise its citizens who do good and bring wrath on the one who practices evil (Romans 13:3-4).

My personal belief is that democracy is the best option in a fallen world where men are given rule over others. But ultimately the best government over man will be to have an absolutely wise, loving and universally sovereign king whose reign will never end. The only person qualified for that position is Jesus Christ, and I eagerly anticipate the day when God establishes his kingdom on Earth. Every presidential election process makes me long for this day more, the current one more than all the others combined. Come, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Jon Barta

Burbank

--

Im reminded of an episode in our denominational conference where establishing a standard Bible translation was discussed. It was heated, as ministers have their favorites and they value their personal choice, so mandating someone elses preference wasnt especially welcome. Is it bad to establish standards? No, and theres nothing that says anyone would have had to embrace that version for their own personal use. It would simply provide a common text for choral reading and reference when the divines are tracking together. Anyway, the idea was killed.

Ive always believed that America should have officially made Christianity its religious standard, but that too was not done, and I think were suffering for it. Many perceive America to be a Christian nation because of our myriad churches and majority faith, but thats changing because we only presumed a Christian ethic at our founding. Our creeds and declarations reference the biblical God, and there were no others in consideration. However, todays religious diversity is overwhelming, and Christian sensibilities are being eclipsed by contrary philosophies. The day may come when morals we derive from Western Civilizations most profound and influential rule book may yield to foreign and pagan ideologies. Why is it wrong to lie, cheat, steal or murder? Because the Bible (God) tells us so. Without that standard, anythings possible, even a completely opposite morality. A standard national religion need not (and cannot) command faith in citizens, but it can standardize moral civil law under which all religious persuasions may thrive.

Todays question asks whether Buddhism should be Thailands national religion. Perhaps its too late to suggest such a standard; perhaps not. Ninety-five percent of Thais practice Buddhism (highest anywhere) with the remainder being religiously theistic. While I wouldnt vote favorably for godless religion to represent any people, Thailand overwhelmingly seems committed to this spiritual philosophy, and they already live accordingly. Establishing Buddhism as Thailands official faith, presupposing that doesnt mean obligatory faith, would hardly change anything except to arrest change; it would safeguard Thailands culturally Buddhist entrenchment. Whether its right for them is going to be up to them, but I think itll be far more difficult for missionaries to reach them with the salvation of God, when the entire notion of a personal God conflicts not just with their religion, but also with their nationalism. Pray for their deliverance.

Rev. Bryan Griem

Tujunga

--

One of the great evils of our times is the idea that ones beliefs are closer to God than others. To have a national religion would be tantamount to saying that that religion is greater than any other, just as in ones country the national brand is the greatest brand. To paraphrase Patrick Henry, I know not what path other countries may take but as for my country and myself, give us the liberty of choice or give us the death of free will!

Rabbi Mark Sobel

Temple Beth Emet

Burbank

--

I look around the globe at countries where the dominant religious belief is intertwined with their government and I do not see a pretty picture. Better that religion is a personal matter, and while I am all for people living their beliefs openly  I know that I strive to  to me a strictly secular government is preferable over institutionalizing one official national religion.

When Thailand was taken over by a military junta in May 2014, the former constitution which stated that the government must patronize and protect Buddhism and other religions was thrown out. The first attempt at a new constitution was rejected by the regimes appointed legislature body as undemocratic and a new version is apparently coming out next month. (The dictators may want to watch their backs if they cant control their own puppets.)

It is only because of some quick online research that I am willing to risk saying anything at all about Thailand. I recommend Thai Nationalism and the Rise of Buddhist Extremism, a posting by David Hutt in the Southeast Asia Globe, Feb. 11th, 2016. (The Globe is directed toward businesses needing to stay current with affairs in the region, and in my view capitalisms need to make money no matter what comes politically tends to produce unvarnished and unbiased reporting.)

Thailands first military coup occurred in 1932 and since then there have been 12 more coups and 18 constitutions. They have endured one political crisis after another, along with being hit by the worldwide impact of globalization and technological change, as are we all. Some think that affirming Buddhism, the religion of at least 90% of the population, as a national religion will bring stability and fend off what is seen as the threat of a minority religion, Islam.

Witnessing these so-called followers of the Buddhas way of acceptance, now being described as extremists and even Buddhist terrorists, I can say only oy vey. Nothing good can come of this for Thailand.

Roberta Medford

Atheist

Montrose

--

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A Newport Beach doctor facing child pornography charges claims FBI agents found potentially incriminating photos by illegally searching his home and improperly seizing a cellphone on which prosecutors allege they found hundreds of images of young girls along with snapshots of gynecological exams.

Dr. Mark Rettenmaier, 63, a gynecological oncologist who treated patients at Hoag Hospital, was indicted last year in federal court in Orange County on two felony counts of possession of child pornography.

He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $100,000 bail, although he has temporarily stopped seeing patients.

Prosecutors allege that a computer repair technician working on Rettenmaiers computer found child porn on its hard drive and alerted the FBI, prompting agents to search the drive and Rettenmaiers Laguna Hills home in 2012.

Rettenmaiers lawyer, James Riddet, asked a judge on Friday to throw out any evidence the FBI gathered, partially because he claims the agency deliberately left out crucial information when asking a magistrate to authorize the searches.

According to Riddets motion, agents omitted that the images found on the hard drive were remnants of deleted files that required specialized computer forensics tools to view.

That also means, Riddet argues, that nobody can be sure exactly when the images were placed on the drive, when they were deleted or whether Rettenmaier ever viewed them.

The motion also contends that FBI agents looked at only one image on the hard drive before requesting the warrant and that the picture they looked at is not technically child pornography because it doesnt show a sexual act, even though it depicts a naked girl.

In a phone interview, Riddet said he was confident the magistrate who authorized the search warrant would have rejected it had FBI agents provided all the facts.

When you boil it all down and you put all the facts together, there is no probable cause, Riddet said.

Beyond that, Riddet asked the judge to throw out any evidence gleaned from the original hard drive because, he argues, the FBI had an ongoing relationship with the technicians doing the repairs and essentially had deputized them to look for child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anthony Brown declined to talk on the record about Riddets motion. Brown will have the chance to file a written response before a hearing in February.

A judge has barred Rettenmaier from treating minors and has ordered hospitals to restrict his Internet access until the case is settled. Riddet asked the judge in March to ease those conditions so Rettenmaier could continue to practice, but the prosecution pushed back.

The U.S. attorneys office wrote that investigators found more than 800 pictures of naked or partially naked girls on Rettenmaiers iPhone in a password-protected application that allowed him to double-tap the phones screen to replace the pictures with a benign image in case he needed to hide them quickly.

Prosecutors wrote that the iPhone also contained what appeared to be pictures of gynecological exams or surgeries that Rettenmaier performed.

These facts suggest that defendant used his personal iPhone to look at child pornography at work and to take and store pictures of his own patients undergoing medical procedures, they wrote. The former is illegal; if the latter is not illegal, it implies a deep disregard for the dignity of his patients. Both illustrate defendants willingness to cross the line of what is appropriate.

Riddet ultimately withdrew the request to ease the restrictions.

Riddet said Rettenmaier has taken a leave based primarily on the reluctance of insurance to cover him while this indictment is pending and the skittishness of hospitals he has privileges at.
Core Commercial Bank gets conditional approval to establish corporation

The organizers of Core Commercial Bank announced that they have received conditional approval from the California Department of Business Oversight to establish a California banking corporation, subject to approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other standard conditions, according to a news release.

Core Commercial Bank, to be headquartered in Newport Beach, is planned to be a business bank serving small and midsize enterprises, with a focus on professionals, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties.

CCB is the first new commercial bank to be approved by the California Department of Business Oversight since 2008, the release states.

Over the past several years, mergers and other consolidations have greatly reduced the number of banks in California, Orange County and across the country, Mark Simmons, the proposed board chairman for Core Commercial Bank, said in a statement. CCB aims to reverse this trend by providing relationship-driven banking services delivered by a highly experienced leadership team, a strong value proposition and a clear path to financial stability.

CCBs senior management is led by initial organizers Darrell Daniel III as chief banking officer and Jonathan Sigal as chief credit officer.

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Newport pub crawl to benefit Project Access

The 10th annual Newport Beach Santa Pub Crawl will run from 9 p.m. Saturday to 1:30 the following morning.

It will benefit Project Access, a Newport Beach-based nonprofit that provides health, education and employment services to low-income people.

The pub crawl has two routes near the Balboa or Newport piers. Participating bars will have drink specials for those wearing event wristbands and holiday attire.

Wristbands cost $15 in advance and $20 on Saturday and will be available for pickup from 9 to 10 p.m. that day at Newport Landing, 503 E. Edgewater Ave., or Woodys Wharf, 2318 Newport Blvd.

For more information or to buy wristbands, visit nbsantapubcrawl.com.

Last years event raised more than $9,000 for Project Access.

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Doughnut sales to benefit Miracles for Kids

Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa is donating 10% of the proceeds from sales of its gingerbread doughnut in December to help Miracles for Kids.

The Tustin-based nonprofit aids children with life-threatening diseases and their families.

Sidecar is at 270 E. 17th St.

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The Joint Chiropractic opens second location in Costa Mesa

The Joint Chiropractic has opened a second location in Costa Mesa.

The new clinic at 281 E. 17th St. is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The other Costa Mesa site is at 2701 Harbor Blvd.

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Vitra Eyewear to host first trunk show

Vitra Eyewear in Costa Mesas South Coast Plaza mall will host its first trunk show from 2 to 8 p.m. Dec. 18 and noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 19.

The event will showcase the Chrome Hearts designer brand.

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Girl Scouts selects design firm for new Newport center

Girl Scouts of Orange County has selected Ontario-based Perera Construction and Design Inc. to build a 6,100-square-foot Girl Scout Leadership Center in Newport Beachs Marina Park.

The center is scheduled to open in early 2017. The park opened last weekend.

Perera will be responsible for constructing the building, plus site utilities and improvements, including hardscape, planting and irrigation, according to a news release.

The facility will include INSPIRE, a multimedia program intended to fuel girls passion for science, technology, engineering and math through the Girl Scouts Career Exploration and Take Action programs.

Girl Scout troops also will be able to participate in activities focused on the environment, conservation and sustainability, go sailing and kayaking and even roast marshmallows for smores on the 2,000-square-foot patio, the organization said.

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Hoag Hospital recognized for safety, neurosurgery and spine programs

Hoag Hospital facilities in Newport Beach and Irvine recently got an A rating for safety from the Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes health-care safety, quality and affordability.

The selection was based on the results of Leapfrogs annual measure of hospitals performance on patient safety and quality, according to a news release.

Hoag is honored to be recognized as one of the top hospitals in the nation for patient safety and quality, Robert Braithwaite, Hoags president and chief executive, said in a statement. We pride ourselves on providing the highest-quality health-care services to the communities we serve, and it is a privilege to be acknowledged for that nationally by Leapfrog.

Hoag also received distinction for the second year in a row from Beckers Hospital Review as one of the 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Neurosurgery and Spine Programs, according to a news release.

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Pelican Hill names director of sales, marketing

The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach announced the appointment of Virgil Napier as director of sales and marketing.

Napier, who brings more than 15 years of experience in luxury hospitality to the role, will oversee leisure sales, weddings, group meetings and catering and conference services.

From staff reports
Only 11 days before a Glendale Democratic Club forum featuring candidates expected to vie for state office in 2016, Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale) announced on Wednesday he will not run for state Senate next year, citing many factors that influenced his decision.

He said the main reason was that campaigning at this time would not be in my familys best interest.

Gatto, who will be termed out of his Assembly seat next year, said his two young daughters are crestfallen when he is away from home for long periods.

The assemblyman said he and his wife also plan to have a third child in the immediate future, and he cited the unsolved November 2013 murder of his father as another reason he decided to focus his priorities on his family and not to run.

Gatto, who had been raising money for a Senate campaign and was expected to face former Assemblyman Anthony Portantino of La Canada for the Senate seat currently occupied by Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge), said the Democratic party needs to focus on the big picture, instead of costly internecine fights, according to a statement.

I believe the last thing the voters of my district need is a divisive campaign, Gatto said.

A slate of mostly Portantino supporters defeated Gattos allies in an election of local delegates for the 43rd Assembly District in July, a fracas that was considered by some to be a proxy battle between the politicians and which was a redo of an earlier election that had been contested.

Running or not running for office is a major decision for anyone to make under the best of circumstances, Portantino said in an email. Mr. Gatto put his family first, which is very laudable. I wish him well and know he has much to offer the residents of California in the future.

Gatto never formally announced that he would run for the seat, but according to filings with the California Secretary of State, he had raised $1.9 million by the end of June through a committee for a Senate campaign. Portantinos Senate campaign committee had raised more than $900,000 by that time, according to filings.

Other Democrats raising money for the 2016 race for Lius seat include Phlunte Riddle, Katherine Perez-Estolano and Chris Chahinian. Combined, the three candidates committees have reported raising nearly $110,000, though more than $90,000 of that has gone to Riddle, a former Pasadena police officer who has been endorsed by several local police unions.

Michael Antonovich, Los Angeles County mayor and longtime member of the Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth Supervisorial District, is expected to run on the Republican ticket seeking Lius seat. His Senate campaign committee had not reported any contributions, so far, according to the Secretary of States office.

Gatto touted his accomplishments in the more than five years since he was elected to the Assembly in June 2010 in a special election to fill a vacancy left when then-Assemblyman Paul Krekorian stepped down to serve on the Los Angeles City Council.

Gatto said hes not disappearing  he has flexibility and options, he said  though he did not say specifically what he plans to do when his Assembly term ends next year.

Filings with the Secretary of States office indicate Gatto may be exploring a run for lieutenant governor in 2018. A committee for that campaign had raised roughly $48,000 as of June 30, filings show, and Gatto could add his Senate campaign war chest to that amount.

The 41-year-old said hes tried to be a different kind of lawmaker during his tenure, including attempts to engage the public through social media and crowdsourcing legislation. He said hes answered every email sent by constituents, has never taken an out-of-state junket and has never missed a vote in 9,370 opportunities.

Among the legislative accomplishments Gatto cited was his work to pass a tax incentive bill to encourage film and television productions to stay in California and a statewide alert system to catch hit-and-run drivers.

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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland
The City Council wants to uphold its strict local ban on medical marijuana dispensaries and is working to beat a deadline that could hand over regulatory control to the state.

With a 4-0 vote, council members introduced amendments to the city code, tightening the prohibition of not just selling, but also cultivating and delivering medical pot.

The ordinance before you really preserves your ability to control on a local level, Philip Lanzafame, the citys community development director, told the council.

The amendments will be brought back for a final vote later this month.

Last October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act to regulate the sale and distribution of medicinal marijuana through a state department.

The law also afforded cities the right to adopt ordinances stating theyd prefer to manage such transactions on their own or not at all. Either way, every municipality has until March 1 to act.

In 2011, Glendale adopted its ban on medical-marijuana dispensaries, along with the ability to cultivate, deliver and distribute within the citys borders.

The proposed code amendments get much more specific to ensure the state gets the message by expanding the definitions of what it means to grow marijuana and how to process or clean or cure it.

One crucial part of the amendments outright states that no permit, variance or license would allow for any of the aforementioned practices within Glendale.

Its a safety net for us, said Councilman Vartan Gharpetian. It cannot be interpreted in any different way.

However, the upgraded code might not mean a permanent ban on medical marijuana in Glendale.

You have to make an affirmative action to maintain that control and, in the future, you can change your mind and allow one or more of these [uses], Lanzafame said.

Councilwoman Laura Friedman, who said during the meeting that she voted in favor of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed for the use of medical cannabis in California, said the discussion of its retail use could wait for another day.

Recreational use remains prohibited in California.

The day Friedman referred to could be sometime after the March 1 deadline.

I think we need to see what the state does first. We need to see what the regulatory framework is for the whole state before we can have a discussion about changing our ordinance, Friedman said. Today, were preserving our ability to weigh in.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian
A man in a stolen car led Glendale police on a pursuit through surface streets Thursday afternoon after officers tracked his location using the cars GPS system, police said.

Police believe that earlier, the suspect broke into cars in a subterranean garage in Hollywood. In one car, he reportedly found keys to a BMW belonging to the owners roommate.

See more stories from the crime and public safety desk >>

After he discovered that the BMW was parked in the next stall over, he loaded it with things hed stolen and drove off, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Robert William.

Los Angeles police tracked the car on Thursday to the 200 block of North Central Avenue and notified Glendale police.

Officers attempted to stop him just before 1 p.m., but he fled, leading police on a short pursuit through surface streets before crashing into a parked car and an electrical post near Doran and Louise streets, William said.

Police reportedly chased him on foot before arresting him on suspicion of several charges. An officer was injured during the chase, though details on his injuries were not available.
What began as an attempt to shoplift alcohol from Gelsons on Foothill Boulevard turned into a strong-arm robbery March 8, when two suspects struggled with a store employee over the lifted goods, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

The Gelsons employee notified deputies that around 7:30 p.m. that night, two adult males entered the store and went to the alcohol section, said Lt. Chad Sauter, a watch commander for the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station.

NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >>

It was hard alcohol they were trying to steal, Sauter said.

An employee whod seen the two men  both were described as being in their early to mid 30s  followed them out into the parking lot and confronted them about the theft, Sauter said.

There was a brief physical struggle over the pilfered alcohol, which the suspects eventually left behind before fleeing. The men got into a white four-door sedan, possibly a Toyota Corolla and exited the property, according to Sauter.

They left the alcohol behind and took off in their car, he said. Since they did struggle over the alcohol, [the crime] becomes strong-arm robbery and not shoplifting.

Neither of the suspects were seen in possession of any weapons. While the two men were not located following the incident, the details reported by the employee were recorded, in the event that information might be linked to other similar crimes in the area, Sauter said.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine

--

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Question: My wife and I have recently traveled several times from the East Coast and the Midwest to Southern California. On at least four of these flights, we have been stuck in small regional jets. The flights have at times lasted three hours and are cramped and hard on the back, and the planes have limited restroom facilities. Apparently these small planes are wonderful for the airlines bottom lines. Have travelers responded to this behavior by the airlines?

Hans Palmer

Claremont

Answer: Google I hate regional jets, and youll find that Palmer has plenty of company.

The good news: The turbo props that used to provide domestic regional service have mostly gone the way of the dodo.

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Then 50-seat jets became the norm even though theyre cramped and not terribly fuel efficient.

Meanwhile, more good news, said Seth Kaplan, managing partner of Airline Weekly, for anybody who hates 50-seat jets: Theyre not being manufactured anymore.

The airlines are not being generous, he added. The economics were such that  [airlines] are generally retiring them.

That doesnt change this fact, which sounds like a no-duh, although the statistics dont necessarily bear this out. Regional jets  or RJs, as theyre called  even the larger 76-seaters, arent an Airbus.

Overhead storage is so limited that youll probably have to gate-check your carry-on bag. I can stand up straight in one, but if youre more than 6 feet tall, youll have to hunch over to walk down the aisle. Wi-Fi isnt a norm.

I speak from recent experience. Last week, I flew from LAX to Wichita, Kan., and home on American. My elation at flying an A321 to and from Dallas turned to dismay when I read this line on my reservation: The Wichita segment would be operated by Mesa Airlines as American Eagle. Mesa is a regional carrier for American.

I was on a Bombardier CRJ900, where the hip room is 17.3 inches and the pitch (which Seat Guru defines as  the distance from any point on one seat to the exact same point on the seat in front or behind) is 31 inches, according to that websites seat maps. The pitch is the same as the A321, and I have only .7 of an inch less hip room, although, at a certain age, that becomes more important, thank you very much.

The RJ flight was fine, to my surprise. My seatmate, who said she stands 5 feet 1 inch, smacked her head as she took her seat but attributed it to klutziness. The flight arrived on time, and I could hear myself think.

Heres what I was thinking: Im a whiner who wants everything, including schedules when I want them and the conveniences of a larger aircraft.

But we dont get to have it both ways. At least, not for now.

Regional jet travel continues to grow as business travelers ask for more flexible schedules, and airlines realize that it can be less expensive to use a regional jet than one of the big jets, where empty seats represent lost revenue.

Its not Palmers imagination that regional jet travel has grown. Citing Department of Transportation data, the Wall Street Journals Scott McCartney wrote in 2013, Passenger traffic on RJs  has more than tripled since 2000. Flights last longer too, McCartney noted, citing stats from the Regional Airline Assn.

About 10% of flights at LAX and nearly a quarter at Burbank and Ontario are regional jets, said Kaplan, who is also the co-author of Glory Lost and Found: How Delta Climbed From Despair to Dominance in the Post-9/11 Era. He cited Diio Mi data for those stats as well as numbers that show Orange Countys John Wayne has only 4% regional service, thanks to lots of flights by Southwest, which isnt built on regional jet use, and some capacity constraint at the airport.

As airline profitability improves, bigger jets may increasingly take over for their smaller kin on some routes, known as upgauging, Kaplan said. But dont count out the smaller craft.

Airlines are still quite happy with 76-seat jets for a lot of missions, Kaplan said in a later email.

If it werent for the smaller jets, Kaplan said, some rural areas would have no airline service.

And that would be something to complain about.

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.
A local villager who did not want to be named told KIC News on 31 May that at about 1.30pm on 29 May eight soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 62 (LIB-62) under Military Operations Command (MOC-19) led by Deputy Battalion Commander Maj Nyunt Win Hlaing demanded wood from villagers running a sawmill near Maw Khee Village. When the villagers refused an argument ensued and the soldiers fired their weapons.

He said: At first, they asked for 10 tons of logs. They also asked for one ton of sawn wood. Ten tons [of logs] had already been given. The villagers have to think about the cost so they refused to give them more. Besides threatening to close down the sawmill, they also fired two shots.

Residents of Maw Khee Village also claimed that soldiers from an LIB-62 military base that has been set up near to the village forced villagers to carry water from 27 to 29 May and also fired shots along the road where the villagers carry water.

Lieutenant-Colonel Saw Buu Phaw from Battalion 201 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), which is active in the area, said: It is true that shots were fired because the soldiers couldnt get wood from the villagers. Also, its a common practice to order the villagers around. As for the issue of firing shots, I dont want to say anything if they were shot in the area far from the village. This time, it happened near the village so the villagers were scared. This seems like they are threatening and provoking the villagers.

The nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), signed between the Burmese Government and eight ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) on 15 October 2015, states that the Tatmadaw (Burma Army) and EAOs must not forcibly take money, property, food, labour or services from civilians.

According to KNLA soldiers from the local area, over 30 soldiers including Deputy Battalion Commander Nyunt Win Hlaing, Company Commander Tun Oo Lay, Company Commander Captain Phyo Win Lay, Captain Thant Zin Tun, Captain Aung Myint Tun, and Captain Lu Min Myat are stationed at the LIB-62s military base which has been set up between Ka Ne Lay and Maw Khee villages in the Waw Lay area.

KIC News was unable to contact any Burma Army officials who would talk about these incidents.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
There are whale people  and then theres the rest of the world.

Whale people dont always signal their status, although some can be seen sporting fluke earrings or T-shirts with sayings such as I speak whale. If you need to find a member of the Cetacean Nation in a crowd, you need only mutter: Im going on a whale-watching trip where you get to watch mothers and babies frolicking nearby.

Dissolution into a puddle of goo will follow.

I had a chance to join their ranks in March at Kuyima Eco-Lodge, a whale camp at San Ignacio Lagoon, about 560 miles south of Tijuana on the Pacific side of Baja California. I emerged a convert, but I dont think Im going to be wearing the T-shirt.

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Statement-making clothing doesnt do justice to watching gray whales as they spy-hop (a feat that vaguely resembles treading water) and open their mouths to have their tongues scratched. It was strange  otherworldly  and, in the end, enthralling.

Star attractions

A friend proposed the trip last summer. Are you guys interested in a serious Baja whale-watching trip? " she asked in an email. You get to pet baby whales three days in a row.

We booked the three-day trip in October for seven people. The camp, which sits on a windswept beach, is part of a larger area thats a UNESCO World Heritage site. It can accommodate 25 or so visitors at a time and is open from mid-December to the end of April.

The star attractions, of course, are the eastern North Pacific gray whales that winter in the (relatively) warm waters. Males and females without offspring typically start their journey north to Alaska in February; some mothers and babies linger a bit longer.

Kathy Kelleher watches a whale from a safe distance. Most of the liquid is formed when the warm air from inside the whale hits the cooler outside air. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times )

We saw plenty of whales on our first outing, which began about 90 minutes after arriving at the camp. We climbed into a panga, an open motorboat that carries six to eight passengers, a guide and a panganero, and the nonstop chatter began.

I cant wait to kiss a baby whale one of my traveling companions said, and almost everyone on the boat seemed to share her enthusiasm.

I didnt quite get it.

Surely the whales didnt get close enough for such intimate contact. Surely my boat-mates didnt really want to let their lips touch whale skin.

They did.

Everyone leaned over the side of the panga, crooning and splashing the water in the hope that the commotion would attract friendlies that would swim close enough to touch. The tactic was effective, especially when it came to the babies.

The more determined observers managed to contort their bodies until they were halfway out of the boat, put their hands on either side of a calfs head and smooch it on the snout.

All of us had read about this phenomenon, but it was still astonishing  and more than little bewildering. The grays are among the largest animals on the planet.

Were they really creatures that wanted to commune with us? And why would they?

Whale kisses

After we landed at the airport in Loreto, a town on the Gulf of California, we drove, in two rental cars, on Bajas Highway 1 to tiny San Ignacio (about 40 miles from the Pacific Coast ), where we would spend the night at the Desert Inn San Ignacio.

After we checked in at the Ecoturismo Kuyima office the next morning, we headed west to the lagoon. For the first 50 minutes, we drove on a paved road that carved through elephant cactus and scrub.

The cactus eventually disappeared, and the landscape evolved into acres of mud flats and salt ponds, an appropriate setting for the next Mad Max movie. It looked as though it couldnt nurture any life form.

We were wrong, of course, as we learned during our three-day stay.

Upon arriving at the camp, staff members greeted us warmly but firmly noted that we would eat here, use the composting toilet here and, if we desired, use 3 gallons of water a day for a bucket bath. Of the 12 huts, two were for staff and the rest for guests. Most of them accommodated two people.

As for the whales, we could not feed them or touch them on or near their blowholes, fins, tails and eyes. We must allow them to approach us. Our daily outings, scheduled for each morning, would last 90 minutes, minus travel time.

When we werent on the lagoon, most of us took at least one long walk each day, returning with reports on a small, aggressive coyote, pelican conventions on the beach and ospreys looking to build their nests out of coyote range.

We found something to scrutinize at every turn: a whale skeleton, bleached by the sun; stacks of scallop shells, their mother of pearl shimmering; sunsets that defined  and defied  cliche.

The meals  three a day  were bountiful; the nightlife, minimal. Almost everyone disappeared into their huts by 9 or 10 p.m., and we had to content ourselves with the roar of the Pacific. But that wasnt a burden.

One of the main activities was recalling the details of that days adventure, sharing photos and contemplating the next whale outing: Would there be more physical contact and more kisses?

That kissing thing just wouldnt go away.

Wonderment

Our last full day at whale camp started like the others  a walk on the beach, breakfast and a whale-watching excursion.

But the seas were choppy, and the grays were a little standoffish. We were content to observe without the usual frenzy of coaxing and touching. As we headed back to camp, we were offered a second trip (for $45). I wavered. What else could we possibly see?

Plenty.

The winds had died down, and, for almost the entire 90 minutes, we were shadowed by a mother and her calf swimming nearby, rolling in tandem, circling the panga.

The mother nudged her offspring right up to the boat, although it didnt take long for baby to figure out things on its own.

As we all leaned over one side of the panga, the calf would swim alongside it, opening its mouth for a tongue scratch. Then it would disappear for a few moments and resurface on the other side.

When the baby opened its mouth, revealing the baleen and its enormous tongue, it looked as though it was grinning.

I still had no desire to kiss a baby whale, but the sense of wonderment in our tiny boat was universal. The mother was presenting her offspring to us. My resolve to avoid anthropomorphizing vanished.

Everyone in the panga  even the guides  was quiet as we watched the calf swim upside down, right itself, then drape its body on top of the mother.

On a trip where there was no shortage of rewards, this was the biggest.

Im pretty sure that baby smiled at me.

What to know about whales

A visit to whale camp offers an immersion in all things Eschrichtius robustus. At Kuyima, on Baja Californias San Ignacio Lagoon, we spent hours with the knowledgeable staff and the panganeros, the fishermen who piloted the boats.

Some of their observations  and a few of our own  are indelible:

The grays are large  really large. Adults can grow to 45 feet or more and weigh as much as 40 tons. Babies, known as calves, are relatively petite (15 to 16 feet long and as much as 2,000 pounds).

Their skin is scratched and mottled even at an early age. If you choose to touch a gray, you will discover it feels a bit like Naugahyde. All of them  even the infants  have patches of skin that are covered with lice, which actually are tiny crustaceans that will happily climb up your arm.

The first time a gray opens its mouth, you will notice several rows of baleen (bristles) attached to the upper jaw. Are they sharp? Can they destroy small marine mammals in a nanosecond? Not exactly. Grays are filter feeders and, after scooping up water and sediment, they use the baleen, which feel like toothbrush bristles, to hold the crustaceans, tube worms and krill they eat.

And, yes, they blow. Whats more, if you find yourself within a few yards of a gray, its quite possible you will be showered with whatever comes out of the blowholes. (Grays have two of them.) Most of the liquid is formed when warm air from inside the whale meets the cooler outside air, and the condensation mixes with whale mucus. (Just another reason you may appreciate a bucket bath after returning to shore.)

The eastern North Pacific gray whales that ply the waters between Alaska and Mexico twice a year were hunted almost to extinction. Thanks to marine biologists, conservation organizations and the Mexican government, the population is now estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.

Some whales want to be touched. Steven Swartz, a marine biologist who has studied the whales of the San Ignacio Lagoon for 40 years, writes about a 1977 encounter with Gracie in Lagoon Time: A Guide to Gray Whales and the Natural History of the San Ignacio Lagoon:

Rolling under the boat, she would turn belly up with her flippers sticking 3 to 4 feet out of the water on either side of the craft, then lift us clear off the surface of the lagoon, perched high and dry on her chest between her massive flippers. After such gymnastics, Gracie would often lie quietly alongside the boat to be rubbed.

The reports of such behavior  from tourists, locals and experts  are almost universally enthusiastic. But experts, including Swartz, urge visitors to use common sense when approaching marine mammals.

Its all about a balance between the human experience and whale protection, said Penny Ruvelas, who leads the Long Beach branch of the Protected Resources Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

Without the possibility of experiences that allow humans to interact with whales, she said, Those of us who are doing [conservation] work  wouldnt be here.

Its really important to walk a line.

::

Through the cactus fields and along the dirt road to serenity outside of Mulege, Mexico

The road to the Playa Frambes Lighthouse Resort. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times )

Mulege, Mexico  As my traveling companions and I were planning our visit to the Kuyima whale camp in Baja California, we agreed that three days in Mexico werent enough.

Our flight home would allow us to spend four more days in Mexico  but where?

We wanted to a spend a couple of nights in the middle of (almost) nowhere, and Mulege, a town about two hours north of Loreto, seemed like a good choice. Google led us to the Playa Frambes Lighthouse Resort, about a 15-minute drive south of town.

Resort wasnt the first word that came to mind as we approached it on a dirt road through cactus fields, but the hotel does have a beach, a lighthouse (with two sleeping areas) and a beautiful view of the Bay of Conception.

The property also includes three detached suites and a kitchen/dining room. Each suite has a sitting room, a bathroom and two bedrooms.

What they do not have are walls that connect with the roof. Theres a 2- or 3-foot gap throughout, which was cause for some dismay among the travelers who shared the building.

Breakfast is included at Playa Frambes, but the kitchen closes after that, which meant we were on our own for lunch and dinner.

In a what-to-do notebook (provided in each suite) we read about Juan Carlos Osuna Ortiz and his El Burro Baja Tours and agreed to meet him the next morning for a four-hour boat ride that would include lunch.

The Bay of Conception was calm as we motored into miniature inlets and around tiny islands too small and rocky for anything but birds and sea lions. We encountered no other humans, making do with cormorants, gulls, rays, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and a sleek whale shark, about 20 feet long, swimming lazily in a cove.

Some of us went snorkeling while Carlos donned a wetsuit and went in search of clams, scallops and fish that he reeled in a few minutes later.

Our next stop was a slip of a beach on another tiny island where we pushed the boat onto the sand and Carlos started to prepare the first course.

He carved the scallops into thin slices and served them raw with lime juice and sliversof red onion. The clams were next; we consumed some of them raw, served in their gleaming brown shells. Then he cooked the rest of the mollusks with the fish, onions and peppers on a tiny grill that he had wedged in the cleft of a large rock.

This last course was also served on clam shells, and we left with a new understanding of what a small-plates menu can and should be.

travel@latimes.com

If you go

THE BEST WAY TO LORETO, MEXICO

FROM LAX, Alaska offers one nonstop flight to Loreto on Sundays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Restricted round-trip fares from $402, including taxes and fees.

WHERE TO STAY

Kuyima Eco-Lodge, 011-52-615-154-00-70 (Ecoturismo Kuyima office in San Ignacio), www.kuyima.com/whales. Four-day/three-night gray whale adventure at whale camp $594 per person, double occupancy; all meals included. Open mid-December through April 2017.

Playa Frambes Lighthouse Resort, www.mulege.org. Twelve miles south of Mulege on Highway 1. Two-bedroom suites (four-guest maximum), $160 a night, including breakfast. Lighthouse (maximum two people and including breakfast), $160 a night, including breakfast.

El Burro Baja Tours, Carretera Transpeninsular, Mulege; elburrobajatours.com. Rates vary, depending on duration of the trip, for a maximum of eight people

TO LEARN MORE

American Cetacean Society, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, the Ocean Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are among the many organizations with information on eastern North Pacific gray whales.

Marine biologist Steven Swartz writes about years of observing the grays in Lagoon Time: A Guide to the Gray Whales and the Natural History of San Ignacio Lagoon.
Islamic State claimed responsibility Sunday for the killing of a Christian grocer in northwestern Bangladesh. Earlier in the day, the wife of a top anti-terrorism police official was also killed.

Sunil Gomes, 65, was stabbed to death at his store in the village of Bonpara, local police superintendent Shafiqul Islam told Agence France-Presse. Family members found him lying in a pool of blood. The attack took place close to one of the predominantly Sunni Muslim countrys oldest Christian neighborhoods.

Hours later, the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group reported that Islamic State had claimed responsibility for Gomes slaying via its Amaq News Agency.

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Also Sunday, the wife of a top anti-terrorism police official was stabbed and shot to death in the port city of Chittagong. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for her death, authorities suspect Islamist militants may be involved.

Mahmuda Khanam Mitu was walking her son to the school bus stop near their home about 6:45 a.m. when three assailants rode up on a motorcycle and stabbed her and shot her in the head, said Mohiuddin Mahmud, officer in charge of Panchlaish Police Station in Chittagong. She was just 300 feet from her home at the time of the attack, Mahmud said, citing local sources.

Its inhuman, terrible and a hateful act of murder.  Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal

Mitu was the wife of Babul Akter, superintendent of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police based in Dhaka. He had led raids against the radical group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, as well as against drug cartels. Investigators were probing whether militants were involved in his wifes death, said Police Commissioner Iqbal Bahar.

We do not rule out involvement of any militant groups or drug cartels, said Paritosh Ghosh, a senior police official in Chittagong.

His wife was attacked in his absence, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters at an event in Chittagong a few hours after Mitus death. Its inhuman, terrible and a hateful act of murder.

Islamist militants have carried out several targeted killings in Bangladesh in recent months. Rezaul Karim Siddique, an English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death while waiting for a bus near his home on April 23. Islamic State accused him of advocating for atheism.

Days later, Xulhaz Mannan, the editor of Bangladeshs only LGBT magazine, was stabbed to death in his apartment along with a friend, Tanay Majumder. The local branch of Al Qaeda, Ansar al Islam, claimed responsibility for the attack.

On April 30, Nikhil Joardar, a Hindu tailor, was dragged out of his shop in central Bangladesh and killed with machetes in another attack claimed by Islamic State. Police suspect he may have been targeted because he was accused of making derogatory comments about the prophet Muhammad.

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Kader is a special correspondent. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Leah Siangco, a 34-year-old California native, and her husband, a pastor, put out a call recently to members of their congregation, Neighborhood Church Okinawa. Join us, they said, for a silent memorial along Route 58, a busy thoroughfare on the southern Japanese island where tens of thousands of American troops are based.

The couple felt moved to action by their faith, they said, disturbed by news that a former U.S. Marine-turned-civilian contractor had been arrested by Japanese police and acknowledged abducting and killing a 20-year-old local woman.

So they prepared some posters at the church office, with simple messages in English and Japanese like We mourn with Okinawa, alongside a heart formed by the U.S. and Okinawan flags. The idea was to stand by the road with the signs, heads bowed in prayer, to express their grief and solidarity with the local community.

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Almost anywhere else, such a gathering would be considered a kind and natural  even routine  neighborly gesture after a brutal and senseless crime. But until they walked out to the highway, the Siangcos felt extremely anxious about how theyd be received. I was super nervous, said Leah Siangco, who hails from the city of Orange. Almost sick to my stomach.

Because Okinawa is not just anywhere. A diminutive tropical island paradise ravaged in the final months of World War II, Okinawa has long been a nexus for U.S.-Japanese cooperation  and conflict.

Following Japans surrender, Okinawa found itself transformed into one of the most extensive overseas U.S. military installations in the world. In 1972, Washington handed administrative control to Tokyo, but the islands have continued to host a vast network of bases used by the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines as well as Japans Self-Defense Forces.

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in the middle of a dense urban area, is slated to be closed and its functions relocated elsewhere on Okinawa. But opposition to the new facility has stalled the move. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times )

Over the last seven decades, Americans and Okinawans have worked together, worshiped together and wed one another, forging a codependent community even as politics have cycled through episodes of confrontation and collaboration.

But anti-base sentiment has been festering in recent years, fed by concerns over the environment, economy and crime, among other issues. In the aftermath of the homicide, many here are wondering whether the situation has reached a tipping point.

We are at a new low, said Robert D. Eldridge, an American scholar who has researched Okinawa extensively and served as a senior public affairs official for the Marines from 2009 to 2015. In a nutshell, its unsustainable here ... operationally, strategically, fiscally and politically.

The case has put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a staunch proponent of strengthening defense ties with Washington as Chinas military flexes its muscles, in a tight spot.

U.S. officials have scrambled to try to contain the damage, with President Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter offering apologies and Marine Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, the top commander in Okinawa, announcing a monthlong mourning period, a temporary curfew and new restrictions on drinking off-base.

A protest against U.S. bases in Okinawa in front of Camp Schwab. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times )

Okinawa politicians, though, are not satisfied, passing a resolution calling for Marines to withdraw completely from the island prefecture. Anti-base activists, meanwhile, have ramped up their protests and stepped up pressure on Abe to cut, at long last, what they say is Okinawas disproportionate burden for hosting U.S. troops in Japan. They are trying to organize a large rally on June 19.

But many ordinary islanders  Americans and Okinawans  say the increasing polarization is in neither sides interest. The swirl of events has left them wrung out, suspended in a matrix of frustration, sadness and uncertainty.

Christian Siangco, the pastor, said he fielded numerous phone calls warning him that his plans for a silent memorial could be construed as being anti-base, and suggesting it might be better to lie low.

But I had just been preaching on standing firm in ones faith, said Siangco, a retired Navy chief petty officer. Someone needs to stand up for hope.

+++

Rina Shimabukuro vanished in late April while out for an evening walk. It took three weeks for police to find the young womans corpse, dumped along a bend in a wooded area in the village of Onna.

Authorities found the body after questioning Kenneth Shinzato, a 32-year-old ex-Marine who was working as a computer and electrical contractor at Kadena Air Base. Security camera recordings showed his car near the site where Shimabukuro disappeared. Local media reports say she was sexually assaulted.

The case has sparked incredulity not least because Shinzato, a civilian employee born Kenneth Franklin Gadson, seemed to personify the close relations in Okinawa between Americans and Japanese. Married to a local woman and the father of a newborn, he had taken his wifes last name and lived off-base.

The case immediately dredged up memories of a litany of crimes committed by U.S. servicemen in recent decades, from the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three Americans in 1995, to robberies and a March incident in which a U.S. Marine pleaded guilty to raping a woman he found asleep in the corridor of his hotel. This past weekend, a 21-year-old Navy petty officer second class was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing her car into two vehicles while traveling the wrong way on Route 58.

------------

FOR THE RECORD

June 7, 6:28 a.m.: This article said that a U.S. Marine pleaded guilty in March to raping a woman he found asleep in the corridor of his hotel. The man was a U.S. Navy sailor.

------------

Though Shinzato was no longer a member of the military, that distinction matters little to many Okinawans. He works on the base. Before, he was a Marine, said Hiroji Yamashiro, 63, an activist who has spent 700 days protesting plans to expand the Marines Camp Schwab in the village of Henoko to allow the closure of Futenma Air Base, situated smack in the middle of Ginowan City. Its the same force.

Before, people didnt think we should close all the bases, Yamashiro added, sitting in a sweltering tent encampment across from Camp Schwab. But after this incident, people are afraid, and really angry.

On weekends, Yamashiro flies to one of Japans main islands and delivers speeches anywhere he can  at train stations, or conference halls  discussing what he sees as the onerous U.S. military presence in Okinawa. He has nothing but disdain for Abe, who has fought for the expansion of Camp Schwab and modifications to Japans postwar pacifist constitution. I think Abe wants to start a war with China, he said.

Hiroji Yamashiro, 63, is campaigning against plans to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko Bay. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times )

++

Eisaku Yara, now in his sixth term as a Naha City assemblyman, said it would be dangerous for all U.S. troops to be suddenly booted from Okinawa. Though anti-base forces have found an energetic advocate in the current governor, Takeshi Onaga, Yara believes not even half of Okinawans want all Americans gone.

Personally, Id be sad if they all left, said Yara, who thinks a gradual reduction is the most prudent approach. After 70 years, we are all family here.

But Yara said more needs to be done to deepen understanding between Americans and Okinawans. Even as a local assemblyman, he said, he has scant substantive contact with U.S. military officials. Some come to the citys annual holiday party, but theres little follow-up after business cards are exchanged.

As a junior high school kid, I remember doing a weekend home stay on one of the U.S. bases. I stayed with a black serviceman, his wife and two kids, recalled Yara. It was a chance to experience American culture, which I only knew from TV and movies.

More such programs are sorely needed, he said. And Okinawans, he added, could do more to introduce Americans to Japanese culture and language.

Eldridge agreed. More needs to be done, he said, to publicize the good things Okinawa-based troops do, both on and off duty  from volunteering to disaster-relief missions after earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis.

If you get the community relations right, the politics fall in place, he said.

Particularly unsettling to many locals are provisions of the Status of Forces Agreement that can shield U.S. service members, civilian employees and some contractors from prosecution in Japan if, for example, they are on duty when an alleged crime is committed, or if they hightail it back to base after breaking the law.

Shinzatos case shows that base workers, to some extent, are indeed subject to the Japanese justice system. But Ryota Shimabukuro, a reporter who covers the U.S. military for the local newspaper Ryukyu Shimpo, said Okinawans increasingly feel that any exemptions at all may encourage service members to engage in riskier behaviors. This creates a situation of moral hazard.

+++

Back on Route 58, the silent memorial organized by Neighborhood Church Okinawa went ahead despite the Siangcos trepidation. The response, they said, made them feel all was not lost.

People, not even church members, stopped their cars, parked and joined us, said Sylvia Runyon, a 39-year-old photographer who was previously in the military. Local people pulled over to offer water and tea, and some motorists were even moved to tears. It was overwhelming, she said.

Pictures of the event went viral. Church members are now trying to think of ways to capitalize on their momentum. They are considering selling stickers with their heart logo and donating the proceeds to the victims family.

There is a need to create a dialogue, to bring unity, said Christian Siangco. That is where God is challenging us.

julie.makinen@latimes.com
A prolific British pedophile who posed as an English teacher and kept a meticulous ledger of his crimes was sentenced Monday to 22 life terms in prison after admitting to 71 charges of sex abuse against children, some only 6 months old.

Richard Huckle, 30, abused both boys and girls while volunteering in Malaysia, sometimes bragging about his crimes in online posts, prosecutors said.

Impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle-class Western kids, he wrote in one post

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And in another, he seemed to talk freely about one of his victims: Id hit the jackpot, a 3 yo girl as loyal to me as my dog and nobody seemed to care.

Authorities said Huckle kept meticulous notes of his abuse in a document he called his Pedopoints leger and shared graphic images and videos with other pedophiles on a website web called TLZ  The Love Zone.

Huckle even tried to profit from his crimes by using a crowdfunding model to release indecent images, prosecutors said. For one photo of a 3-year-old girl he was able to achieve 105% of his financial target in bitcoin, authorities said.

Huckle was arrested in 2014 after police in Australia tracked down the creator of TLZ and were able to gather information about the sites users.

During his trial, the court heard that his parents were so disturbed and horrified by their sons crimes that they implored the police to take him away.

Huckle confessed to abusing at least 23 children aged between 6 months and 12 years but police believe his true tally could be close to 200 because of the meticulous notes they found of his crimes.

When police seized his computer they found more than 20,000 indecent images and videos of his sexual assaults with 1,117 of them showing him raping and abusing children in his care, the National Crime Agency said. Prosecutors believe there could be more within hidden files with encrypted passwords that they were not able to access.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

Investigators also discovered a 60-page manual, entitled Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide that they said Huckle was compiling when he was arrested.

It was a document that Judge Peter Rook described as truly evil while sentencing him in Old Bailey, Englands central criminal court.

Huckles victims were mainly from poor Christian communities around the Malaysian capital city, Kuala Lumpur. It was a country he first visited in 2005 when he was 19 to teach after high school. He returned to Malaysia repeatedly between 2006 and 2014, and started to groom children by posing as a practicing Christian and taking up voluntary English teaching posts to gain the trust of communities, authorities said.

The National Crime Agency said he abused young people living in a childrens home, took indecent images of a 3-year-old while staying in the family home and sexually abused a 5-year-old after taking her out to celebrate her birthday, among others.

Richard Huckle spent several years integrating himself into the community in which he lived, making himself a trusted figure. But he abused that trust in the worst possible way, said James Traynor, from the National Crime Agency.

He deliberately traveled to a part of the world where he thought he could abuse vulnerable children without being caught.

As the judge sentenced Huckle to a minimum of 23 years behind bars, one woman in the public gallery yelled out: 1,000 deaths is too good for you.

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Two sides to Indias growth story play out on opposite sides of a busy intersection in central Mumbai.

Inside a motorcycle showroom beneath posters of beaming, windswept riders, young salesmen in crisp polos run their hands over shiny Hero motorcycles designed and built in India.

Steps away, men of similar age wait inside a sweltering recruitment agency with their passports and medical papers. Many have traveled on overnight trains from far corners of India with one hope: to leave the country and become laborers in the Middle East.

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The dual realities reflect both the excitement and the uncertainty wrapped up in Indias impressive economic growth statistics, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi carries with him to Washington this week on his latest mission to strengthen ties with the United States.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

The Indian government reported last week that its gross domestic product  the total value of goods and services it produces  rose by 7.6% from the previous year, cementing its status as the worlds fastest growing major economy.

Amid a slowdown in China and crises in Brazil, Russia and South Africa, India is a bright spot for global investors and an increasingly important market for U.S. technology, defense equipment and capital investment. In a three-day visit including a luncheon with President Obama and a speech to Congress, Modi is expected to tout the expansion on his watch and make the pitch for more U.S. involvement.

But if the growth in Asias third-largest economy has put motorcycles, modern apartments and other middle-class dreams within reach for millions, it is also leaving large numbers of Indians behind. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Mumbai, Indias most mashed-up megacity, where lavish penthouses with private pools overlook seas of tin-roofed shanties where half the 12 million residents live.

In the bayside neighborhood of Mahim, the Hero motorcycle dealership abuts a construction site where strands of steel rebar stick out of half-built concrete pillars like fistfuls of uncooked spaghetti. Developers are planning a 24-story, ocean-themed luxury tower dubbed Miami, one of dozens of deluxe high-rises that have erupted around what was once a cluster of fishing villages.

At street level, the view is more modest but the changes equally striking.

Vikesh Shukla, 25, surveyed the motorcycle showroom where he has worked for six years since coming from a village in northern India. From a trainee job that paid less than $100 a month, Shukla is now in charge of the showroom and earns nearly $400 a month after bonuses.

The son of a farmer, Shukla said there were few jobs in his native Uttar Pradesh state. Hundreds of his college classmates applied in vain for government jobs or slid into struggling family businesses.

Shukla didnt know anything about motorbikes when he started, but they have become one of the most prominent symbols of Indians expanding wallets. More than 16 million motorcycles were sold in the most recent fiscal year, a 40% increase from five years earlier, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

I like this job because I get to interact with different kinds of customers, from all different social classes and age groups, said Shukla, who has the earnest eyes and neatly parted hair of an eager salesman. On a recent weekday, he helped a middle-aged oil rig worker and his wife purchase a red scooter priced at about $750.

You see all of India here, Shukla said.

Shukla struggled at first because he didnt speak Marathi, the lingua franca of blue-collar Mumbai, but his loneliness eased after his younger brother followed him to the city. They shared a one-room suburban apartment, and Shukla used part of his earnings to enroll him in an engineering college.

This summer, his brother will start a training program at the Indian tech giant Infosys. Their father back in Bhadohi, a district about 400 miles southeast of New Delhi, could not be happier, he said.

Weve both come a long way from our village, Shukla said.

The brothers are emblems of the improvements in domestic manufacturing and technology services that Modi has pushed for since taking office two years ago.

Yet economists worry that Indias economy still faces deep structural problems and isnt creating enough jobs for the 7.5 million Indians who come of working age every year.

Obviously it is very good news that the numbers are showing a clear uptick, said Santosh Mehrotra, an economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. But there are still major weaknesses.

According to official statistics, India created only 135,000 new jobs in eight labor-intensive industries in 2015, the lowest figure since records started being kept in 2009. Some of the fastest growing sectors are finance, real estate and retail sales  not traditionally big employers.

Automobile sales are growing, cellphone sales are growingbut these will not create jobs for the vast masses, especially with education levels increasing, Mehrotra said.

Half of Indias workforce is still in agriculture, leaving millions of families vulnerable to drought and other climate shocks. While access to highways and electricity has improved across much of rural India, many people continue to toil in Indias vast informal labor market, excluded from the glossy portrait of the new economy.

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If there is growth, why are there no jobs for us? said S.K. Chinu, 31, a laborer from north of Kolkata, 1,000 miles away. He was standing outside a recruitment agency on the other side of the street in Mahim, where flies buzzed around a fallen mango pit and a man slept on the pavement.

Chinu, who has shaggy hair and betel-stained teeth, had a high school education but could only find odd jobs in his native town. His father had given up a fruit-selling business and there were no factory jobs nearby, Chinu said.

He had already done one stint as a migrant laborer in Saudi Arabia on a cleaning crew at the airport in Jeddah. His employer confiscated his passport  a common practice  but he made nearly $300 a month, three times what he figured he could earn back home.

Now he was headed back to Saudi Arabia, leaving behind his wife and two young children. He clutched a sheaf of medical records to submit to the agency, which told him to be ready to leave within a week for a job he didnt yet know.

No one likes to leave his country, Chinu said. But there is money abroad, so its worth it.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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A Jordanian government spokesman said Monday that terrorists attacked a local intelligence office near the capital of Amman, killing five employees.

Such attacks are rare in pro-Western Jordan, a key member of the U.S.-led military coalition against Islamic State extremists in neighboring Syria and Iraq.

Mohammed Momani, the government spokesman, said the attack took place before 7 a.m. on Monday, the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa.

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Momani said the assailants, whom he described as terrorists, killed three guards, a handyman and a receptionist, but didnt clarify how they carried out the attack.

He suggested that the attackers were Islamic militants, saying they displayed the criminal behavior of people who are outside of our religion.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

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David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the networks spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were unharmed.

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry called the attack a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world.

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Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPRs senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

This May 29, 2016, photo shows David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. (Michael M. Phillips / The Wall Street Journal via Associated Press )

As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes, Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, taking pictures for Chinas New China News Agency and writing for Turkeys Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him a great colleague.

He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country, Reeves said in a statement. He clearly loved his family.

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPRs website.

The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic. But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort.  David Gilkey

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House Photographers Assn. named Gilkey their still photographer of the year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Not counting Gilkey and Tamanna, 27 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for the Associated Press who was shot to death in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. Kathy Gannon, AP special correspondent for the region, was also in the car and was wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have been killed since 1992, according to CPJs website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic, Gilkey once said of his work. But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort.

Gilkeys first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

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UPDATES:

7:05 p.m.: This article was updated with more biographical information about Gilkey and Tamanna and comments from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

This article was originally posted at 5:05 p.m.
There were reports of scattered, election-related violence Sunday as Mexicans went to the polls to elect new governors in 12 states.

Sundays voting, in states that are home to almost one-third of the nations population, was widely regarded as providing a preview of presidential elections slated for 2018.

Exit polls released after voting booths began closing indicated close races in a number of heavily contested states, including the violence-plagued gulf states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas, the latter on the border with Texas.

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Both are historic bastions of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

Mexican media reported that some vehicles were burned and gasoline bombs thrown in Veracruz, but no injuries were reported. A driver for an opposition lawmaker was reported kidnapped.

But Mexican election authorities said the voting had largely proceeded in a peaceful fashion.

Leaders of the PRI and its chief rival, the National Action Party, or PAN, both declared the elections a success, even before most official results were released. Early exit polls seem to indicate that the PRI had won most of the governors seats up for grabs.

Manlio Fabio Beltrones, president of the PRI, told reporters that his party was leading in nine states, though he did not name them. The PRI currently governs in nine of the 12 states where governors were being elected.

A coalition of convenience between the PAN and the left wing of the Democratic Revolution Party currently holds the governors seats in the other three states. The opposition alliance was hoping to chip into the ruling partys dominance.

Both the PRI and PAN appeared to be claiming victory in governors races in the closely watched states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas. But exit polls showed tight races in both states.

In Tamaulipas, both Baltazar Hinojosa of the PRI and Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca of the PAN-led opposition coalition said they had triumphed. Exit polls show the race too close to call. It featured accusations from both camps that the other sides candidates had links to drug trafficking mafias.

In Veracruz, where a pair of cousins vied for the governors seat, both Miguel Angel Yunes Linares of the PAN-led coalition and Hector Yunes Landa of the PRI claimed victory. The Veracruz race played out against public accusations of corruption, pedophilia and secret deals.

The president of the PAN, Ricardo Anaya, said victories Sunday in several states put the party in a strong position to recapture the presidency in 2018.

The current president, Enrique Pena Nieto, a member of the PRI, was elected in 2012, ending 12 years of PAN control of the presidency. Pena Nieto, who is more than halfway through his six-year term, has seen his approval ratings slide because of a sluggish economy and residents worries about crime and corruption, polls indicate.

A strong PRI showing in Sundays races would put the ruling party in a good position to retain the presidency in 2018, analysts say.

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

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State and local elections held across Mexico appeared to be turning into a major defeat for the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, according to partial results released Monday.

The voting, held Sunday in states that account for slightly more than one-third of Mexicos population, were viewed as leading indicators for the presidential election in 2018.

The ruling party, or PRI, appeared to be leading in only five of the 12 states where voters were electing governors, according to the partial count. The PRI went into the elections holding the governors seat in nine of the 12 states.

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The big winner appeared to be the PRIs chief rival, the National Action Party, or PAN, which was leading in seven states, sometimes in coalition with the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD.

Most significantly, the PRI gubernatorial candidate conceded defeat in Veracruz and appeared to be trailing in another closely watched election in Tamaulipas, which is on the northern border with Texas. The two critical gulf states  longtime bastions of the PRI  featured hard-fought gubernatorial contests.

The Veracruz race, which featured dueling cousins as the two leading candidates, was viewed as the most polemical in this years elections, featuring allegations among candidates of corruption, links to drug mafias, secret deals and even pedophilia. The PAN candidate said he was the victim of a dirty war waged by the PRI, which was keen not to lose leadership of the oil-rich state.

With almost 80% of the votes counted in Veracruz, Miguel Angel Yunes Linares, candidate of the PAN-led opposition bloc, had garnered 33.86% of the vote, compared with 30.01% for his cousin, PRI candidate Hector Yunes Landa.

Cuitlahuac Garcia, candidate of a relatively new left-wing political bloc known as Morena, had garnered 27.96% of the vote.

The PRI candidate, Yunes Landa, acknowledged his defeat. There is a clear message here not just for the PRI, but for all of our governments. he said. Lets assume responsibly this message.

Along with Veracruz and Tamaulipas, the PAN or PAN-led alliance was leading in five other states  Puebla, Chihuahua, Durango, Quintana Roo and Aguascalientes  according to partial results.

The PRI was leading in five states: Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas.

In a radio interview, the president of the PRI, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, seemed to acknowledge that things were not going well.

What we have to do is observe these elections and take into account the message that the electorate has given the PRI, Beltrones said. There are actions to improve and change and reconnect with the citizens.

Analysts said the results in Sundays vote could point to the difficulty facing the PRI in retaining the presidency in 2018.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is more than halfway through his six-year term, faces low approval ratings amid voter discontent with a sluggish economy, unchecked violence and corruption.

Pena Nieto won back the presidency for the PRI in 2012 after a 12-year hiatus in which the PAN held the nations top office. Officials of the PAN were celebrating their apparent triumphs this week and proclaiming that their chances for recapturing Los Pinos, the Mexican White House, had improved substantially.

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Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.
Hillary Clinton has built a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in their widely anticipated presidential showdown.

According to a new Reuters/Ipsos national poll, the Democratic front-runner now leads the presumptive Republican nominee 46 percent to 35 percent, with 19 percent of voters insisting they will not support either candidate.

Clinton's 11-point bulge comes just days after the same poll showed Trump having pulled into a statistical deadlock with her among likely general election voters.

Clinton Steps up Attack

The latest swing also coincides with Clinton's stepped up attacks on Trump over policy positions that include a vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he is elected.

In recent days, Trump has also been dogged by developments surrounding an upcoming fraud trial he faces in connection with his namesake Trump University and the pace at which he dispersed money he raised to aid U.S. veterans.

In the Trump University scandal, a trio of litigants allege they were misled into paying up to $35,000 for courses billed as offering the secrets of Trump's lucrative investment strategies.

More recently, Trump has ripped the Mexican judge overhearing the case as displaying a "conflict of interest" in allowing the case to continue.

The controversial New York City real estate mogul has all but sealed his rise as the face of the Republican Party with a string of big wins in several state elections, forcing the likes of party rivals Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Jeb Bush to the sidelines.

Clinton Closing to Wrapping up Nomination

Meanwhile, Clinton is hoping to formally bag the democratic nomination in California's upcoming primary. Voters there go to the polls on June 7, and word is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is facing mounting pressure to drop out of the race if he does not fare well there.

During a recent foreign policy speech in the state, Clinton tore into some of Trump's proposed policies as "dangerously incoherent," before further ridiculing him as both frightening and laughable.

Later, Trump insisted the former secretary of state had distorted many of his positions.
Dr. Cynthia Maung, the founder and director of Mae Tao clinic told reporters at the new clinics opening ceremony on May 28 that they will continue to offer healthcare services to displaced people and Burmese migrant communities on both sides of the border until the political and health care reformation improves in Burma.

Dr. Cynthia Muang said that despite the changes currently taking place inside the country many services will take years to improve.

These people will still be around and they will still need healthcare services. We believe that Mae Tao Clinic is the most accessible healthcare center for them.

Dr Cynthia said that the clinic is also coordinating with other healthcare providers to help these community access the available healthcare system in both countries.

Dr. Cynthia said that in the future, when the healthcare provision of Thailand and Burma can cover Burmese migrants and the displaced communities on both sides of the border, the clinic can then work more on prevention and promotion, leaving the treatment with the mainstream healthcare systems.

The opening ceremony was attended by Thai government officials, U Kyaw Thu from Burmas Free Funeral Services Society, Ko Min Ko Naing and members of of the 88 Generation Students, political parties, civil society organizations, INGOs representatives and students from migrant schools in Mae Sot  a total of as many as 3,000 people.

U Kyaw Thu, the chairman of FFSS said that there are still many things need to be done in the country which had been under tight control by military government and urged the international communities and the Burma government to support Dr. Cynthia efforts.

As you all know, Burma just opened up and there are still a lot of public services need to be done for the people. Under former governments, we experienced a lot of restrictions, as did Dr.Cynthia Maung. Especially on the border, it is very necessary for continued support given by INGOs, international governments and even the Burmese government for the sake of the people.

The newly open MTC building is equipped with 150 beds and is situated near the Mae Sot highway, about four kilometers north of the old clinic compound.

Dr. Cynthia said that it is an honor to have a new clinic after the 28 years since the original clinic was opened. She said that this has been possible because of the cooperation and support from the local Thai community, donors, friends and colleagues. The new clinic ground cost 50 million Thai Baht (around USD$ 1.5 million) and this is the result of 10-year preparation period.

After 1988 student uprising in Burma, Dr.Cynthia Maung and colleagues who fled to the Thai-Burma border opened the Mae Tao Clinic in 1989 working out of a house. Now, Mae Tao Clinic treats as many as 140,000 patients every year, including migrant workers, displaced people, refugees and people from inside Burma.
The results are slowly trickling in but it does appear Hillary Clinton will win her second Puerto Rico presidential primary.

2016 Primary Results Slowly Favor Clinton

It's been almost 24 hours since voting in Puerto Rico concluded and only 69.25 percent of the precincts have been reported. As of 1 a.m. on Monday, Clinton leads Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., with 59.38 percent to 37.53 percent.

Clinton and Sanders are seeking to win the commonwealth's 67 delegates, which includes 60 pledged delegates that will be split proportionally. Based on CNN projections, Clinton has 34 pledged delegates and Sanders will win 20 pledged delegates.

With slightly over 69 percent of the votes counted, Clinton has been named the winner of the island's primary but the vote count appears to be lower than her previous run for president.

2008 Primary Results Comparison

Although not all votes have been counted yet, Clinton so far received over 36,000 votes, while Sanders attracted over 22,700 votes from the 69 percent of the reported precincts.

During the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primary, Clinton also won Puerto Rico, defeating then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., with 60.32 percent to his 26.98 percent. In terms of votes, turnout appears to be lower in 2016. Clinton's popular vote count is recorded at 263,120 votes in Puerto Rico's 2008 election, and Obama received over 121,000 votes.

Again, the vote count in the 2016 Puerto Rico primary is not done yet, but it appears turnout is lower than 2008. Despite the lower turnout, long lines were still reported in the island. The Puerto Rico Democratic Party said voting locations were reduced, even stating that the Sanders campaign was a reason for the decreased voting locations.

Per @tonydokoupil, Puerto Rico's Democratic Party is blaming Sanders's campaign for long lines & confusion today: pic.twitter.com/fesxBnfkJ7  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 6, 2016

The Sanders campaign responded to the allegations in a statement on Sunday:

"Some Puerto Rico Democratic officials are claiming that the Sanders campaign requested fewer polling places in today's primary contest. That's completely false. The opposite is true. In emails with the party, Sanders' staff asked the party to maintain the 1,500 plus presidential primary locations promised by the Puerto Rico Democratic party in testimony before the DNC in April, when the party was asking to have its caucus changed to a primary. They cannot blame their shoddy running of the primary on our campaign. This is just one example of irregularities going on in Puerto Rico voting today. We are the campaign that has been fighting to increase voter participation."

Puerto Rico's election came ahead of six primary contests on June 7, in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
Students in a North Carolina High School made a controversial move when they decided to build a wall of boxes in their school, as part of a prank, that resulted in offending their Latino classmates, who saw it as an act of support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his racist ideals.

According to a local news reports, students at McDowell High School were supervised by teachers as they built a wall of cardboard boxes that blocked access to one of the school's common area.

They then took a photo in front of the wall, with one student wearing a Trump t-shirt, and shared it on social media, adding the caption "We built the wall first."

The photo has also been shared on the pro-Trump Instagram account, "Students 4 Trump."

A photo posted by Students For Trump (@students4trump) on Jun 2, 2016 at 2:50pm PDT

McDowell student Marta Guardian expressed how hurtful the prank was and why it sends the wrong message.

"My Mom and Dad have done a lot for me. And other families do that too. But people seem to see them as bad people," said Guardian. "That's why the wall at school, and the one Trump wants to build, is so offensive, she said.

A school district representative, Brian Oliver, revealed that the students will not be facing any disciplinary action because there was no harm committed.

"There was no offensive activity at the time. What became offensive or concerning was what took place on social media afterwards," said Oliver. "So, it's hard for the school to have control or to take action against something that happened on social media that was outside school hours and outside any school network."

Johnny Campos, the president of the Hispanic Youth Club at McDowell, spoke out about the offensive prank and met with Principal Edwin Spivey, who promised to handle the situation in the best way possible.

"McDowell High School is a great place, and I want the Class of 2016 to be known for building bridges for a better tomorrow, not judged by the insensitive actions of a few people," said Campos.

Trump's entire campaign has been filled with controversial ideals and plans, including his promise to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.
Further signaling her focus on the general election against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has tapped on Cristobal J. Alex as her campaign's deputy director of voter outreach and mobilization.

An Appointment During "Incredible Urgency"

Alex, who serves as president of the Latino Victory Project, an organization co-founded by Eva Longoria and Henry R. Munoz III, that aims to politically engage Latinos, will temporarily vacate the position to campaign for Clinton. Alex, with the Latino Victory Fund, has been campaigning for Clinton for several months.

In a statement from the Latino Victory Project, Alex's appointment in Clinton's presidential campaign comes "a time of incredible urgency and danger for our community," and he will develop strategies and programs to energize, mobilize and engage communities that will be critical in winning the general election.

On Monday morning, Leopoldo Martinez, board chair for the Latino Victory Project, said the organization is excited for Alex's work to elect Clinton as the next U.S. president, and acknowledged the former secretary of state as "the most qualified candidate who will stand by our community" -- referring to the Latino community.

"Cristobal's hire speaks to the incredible work that Latino Victory has done, and we look forward to continue to fight to empower Latinos and elect candidates who will represent the best interest of our community across the country," said Martinez. "Our staff will continue to grow this organization, fight hate, and build Latino political power in elected positions across the country, and in the ballot box in November."

With Alex temporarily absent from the Latino Victory Project, the organization's political director, Cesar Blanco, will take on an interim role in overseeing the Latino Victory Project's daily administration along with Vice President Sara Le Brusq. The organization also announced its director of communication, Pili Tobar, will take on an expanded role as their director of communications and advocacy.

Support for Clinton

The Latino Victory Fund, which takes on a more partisan approach from the Latino Victory Project, endorsed Clinton for president last February. In a statement about the endorsement in February, Alex said Clinton, while not being Latina, supports the issues that matters most for Latinos.

"Since the beginning of her career, Hillary has been a champion for Latinos. She is the best person for the job, and we know she will deliver solutions for our community and for all Americans," Alex said. "The stakes are simply too high in the 2016 election for Latinos to sit on the sidelines. That's why Latino Victory Fund is taking a stand and proudly endorsing Hillary Clinton for President."

The Latino Victory Fund supports Clinton's stance on immigration reform, affordable education, health care, climate change and economic policies.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
More than 150 Karen representatives traveled to the Karen National Unions Law Khee Lar, Hpa-an District to discuss major issues critical to Karen people.

Among the attendees was Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein, vice-chairperson of the KNU. Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein said that the National League for Democracy led Burma government was elected by the people, but was having to work under the 2008 Constitution. Ms Sein pointed out that the military was effectively pulling the strings and had kept most of the decision making power on major issues.

Speaking to Karen News, Ms Sein said.

When we look at this new government, we can say that they are a democratic government, as they were elected by the people. When we look at their [NLDs] policies, theyre not so different from what ethnic nationalities want. The problem is that they are working under the 2008 Constitution which puts the governing system under the influence of the military  the military still has the power.

The Karen representatives including politicians, academics, activists, religious leaders, military, civil society and community-based-organizations attended the five-day Karen National Consultation Conference held on the third week of May, 2016.

The aim of the Karen conference was to encourage Karen people to express their views and opinions on important issues to try to find a common position on issues such as political, security and defense, governance and social affairs, the economy, land rights and natural resources.

Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein said that the conference was helpful for the future work needed to be done for the peace talks.

Karen representatives enthusiastically took part in the meeting. The results should form a platform where we can work together in the future. This is the step where we came up with a common position. The next step, we need to meet with Karen communities in different places to collect their views.

Mahn Kyaw Nyein, general secretary of the Irrawaddy Delta based Karen National Party who attended the conference said that he was happy to see there was more inclusiveness of Karen people.

I am so glad to come here to discuss about our Karen future. We openly discussed what we hoped for our people. We discussed five main topics essential for our Karen peoples future. I was glad to see that Western-Pwo Karen from the [Irrawaddy] Delta join our discussions.

Mahn Aung Pyi Soe, vice-chairperson, of the Karen State based Plone Swor Democratic Party and a member of the Karen Unity and Peace Committee said that Karen leaders need to be brave when talking about Karen affairs with the government.

We tried to get common position on the five topics which we will take to the next level. I want to suggest to our representatives at the political dialogue that we need to be courageous to speak about Karen affairs and repeatedly talk about it.

The KNUs Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein said that the NLD led government has policies that are similar to the ethnic nationalities, but the success of any future political dialogue will be determined by how much the military will compromise.

One of the basic principles that they [government] made clear is the establishment of a Federal Union. It is not just the NLDs policy, it becomes the ruling governments policy. We consider this as the guaranteed direction where this government is heading. In terms of changing or amending the 2008 Constitution, their position is the same as that of our ethnic nationalities.

Despite her optimism about the NLD election win Ms Sein pointed out that the military involvement and influence had a bearing on how the NLD governed.

We cannot say that all our hopes are now a reality because the military still has 25% of parliamentary seats and [to move forward] it depends on the cooperation of the military.
The statement, released on 1 June, said the abuses happened during a Burma Army offensive against the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA). SHRF suggested that the army are trying to gain further control of the area to facilitate the construction of the Upper Yeywa dam on the Namtu River.

The SSPP/SSA, which controls some areas in the vicinity of the dam project, signed a ceasefire with the central government in 2012 but did not sign 2015's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The group has been on the receiving end of repeated attacks from the Burma army in northern Shan State over the past few months.

Eyewitnesses interviewed by SHRF claim they saw Burma Army troops arrest three villagers from Nawng Kwang Village on 14 May. According to the SHRF statement, the bodies of three villagers identified as Sai Aik Naung (also known as Sai Arjina), Sai Aik Mart and Sai Aik Dink were later found south of Parng Law Village on 19 May.

SHRF alleges that they were the victims of an extra-judicial killing carried out by army troops.

According to SHRF, a total of 43 people were used as human shields during May, by army troops engaged in the offensive against the SSPP/SSA in Kyaukme Township. In one incident alleged to have occurred on 11 May a group of more than 100 troops are said to have arrested 30 villagers from Nam Oon Village and then ordered the villagers to lead them to Pha Learm Village.

According to SHRF the detained villagers were forced to march ahead of the troops and carry the soldiers bags during the long march which lasted more than 24 hours.

SHRFs statement links the recent clashes to the increasingly controversial Upper Yeywa Dam project which began in 2008 and is expected to be completed in 2018.

The statement said: SHRF also wishes to highlight the proximity of the fighting to the Upper Yeywa dam site. Locals have voiced strong opposition to the project, and a likely reason for the latest offensive was to seize control of the area to provide security for ongoing construction.

The dam is being funded by Chinas state run Exim Bank, with construction headed by Chinas Zhejiang Orient Engineering Co., Ltd. which serves as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project. As the EPC contractor Orient Engineering Co. has overall responsibility for the dams construction.

Upon completion the project will be handed over to the state run Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE), who will operate the dam.

The German firm Lahmeyer International GmbH and the Swiss firm Stucky SA, are providing consulting services for the Upper Yeywa Dam project. Both these European firms are, according to information available on the Lahmeyer website, working on the project in a range of capacities. This includes the preparation of construction drawings, site supervision, and quality management.

When finished the dam will form a reservoir that is expected to be at least 60 kilometres long and, according to a report issued by SHRF earlier this year, will wholly submerge Ta Long, a Shan village of 500 people. Parts of Hsipaw Town are also expected to be flooded by the dam.

SHRF critical of EU diplomats approach to conflict in Shan State

SHRFs statement also took issue with the way in which a recent European Union (EU) diplomatic delegations visit to northern Shan State responded to the ongoing conflict in Shan State.

The statement noted: SHRF regrets that the EU diplomatic delegation which visited Hsipaw (east of Kyaukme) on 16 May laid no blame on the Burma Army for the fighting, and made no mention of their ongoing atrocities.

A statement posted on the EU Mission to Burmas Facebook page noted that the delegation which included the EU ambassador to Burma Roland Kobia and other EU diplomats, including Polands ambassador Miroslaw Zapata, met with a number of people during the visit including both political and military representatives as well as community leaders and civil society groups. They also met with refugees displaced by the conflict.

In the EU statement Kobia said: Fighting was ongoing just a few kilometres away from our meetings. We hope that the conflict parties in Shan State will soon lay down their arms and return to the negotiating table.

He added: We came here to learn more about the reasons and root causes of the conflict. The ones who suffer most are always the civilians. In all our encounters with local leaders here we sent out a message that it is time for reconciliation, peace and ensuing socio-economic development.

BY Staff / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Purpose of the trip

The trip is aimed at exploring the best way how we can get all the non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on board the peace process with pride and dignity.

Now that the political landscape has changed, it has provided an opportunity for all to seize, which we should not miss, given the time limit.

The NCA

There is little likelihood that the government will agree to amend the NCA. Firstly, it was jointly drafted by 16 EAOs including those who became non-signatories. Secondly, it was signed by top government leaders including the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Thirdly, it was ratified by the Union Legislature. Fourthly, it has become the monument of trust between the government the signatory EAOs.

However, a lot of different definitions exist when it comes to interpreting the text. Both sides can therefore sit down together to deliberate on the matter in order to reach common interpretation.

Signing the NCA

If other EAOs can participate in the political dialogue without signing the NCA, then all the signatories will become a laughing stock for signing it.

Time frame

The State Counselor has urged the Committee to find the best way to bring around all the stakeholders. But that doesnt mean the government will be waiting indefinitely. We will only have a few months to accomplish it.

The JICM

The Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) formed by top leaders on both sides has not gone away, contrary to concerns expressed by EAO leaders. In fact, we may be in need of it sooner that we think due to complex issues faced by the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) in its restructuring.

Dealing with Three EAOs

On the issue of AA-MNDAA-TNLA (Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Taang National Liberation Army), the CinCs policy is twofold: Issue a statement abandoning the armed struggle and deposit their weapons away along the border under their own lock and key. They wont be called upon to surrender their arms.

The military doesnt view them in the same way as it does to other EAOs. It hadnt mind when the AA and TNLA were fighting alongside the KIO/KIA (Kachin Independence Organization/Army) But when they came to fight as allies of the MNDAA (more commonly known as the Kokang Peng Jiasheng group), it was different. The army suffered heavy casualties. Moreover losing Kokang, to the military, means giving away all the territory east of the Salween to another country. And if the CinC just let it happen, what would the Tatmadaw think of him?

Thats why the three are set apart by the military from other EAOs.

The two sides also discuss funding and local issues, among others.

The 21 CPCPC is meeting the non-signatory Delegation for Political Negotiations (DPN) today at 10:00 at Shangrila Hotel, Chiangmai.
An Allentown man caught with child pornography on his computer told agents his interest in children started when he was 13, according to authorities.

Jacob Torres, of the 100 block of Penn Street, was under investigation since November 2012, after FBI agents allegedly discovered him downloading child pornography from a peer-to-peer network.

Torres, 25, was arrested Friday on 20 counts of child pornography, five counts of disseminating recordings of child sex acts, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. He was sent to Lehigh County Jail in lieu of 10 percent of $50,000 bail.

Agents from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said they received information from the FBI in April 2016 regarding the bureau's investigation into Torres. The FBI raided Torres' residence back in January 2013, when he lived in the 600 block of Cedar Street in Allentown, prosecutors said.

After the raid, Torres was interviewed by FBI agents. Torres reportedly told agents, "I was stupid for doing that," and admitted downloading the illicit images for about one month.

Agents said Torres reported he became interested in minor children when he was 13.

"For years, he had felt he was 'stuck' at the age of 13," according to court documents.

Multiple computers were seized, but the forensic analysis wasn't available until April 2015, investigators said. Agents found 10 pictures and 10 videos of child pornography on Torres's devices, authorities said.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A one-vehicle crash at 8:47 a.m. Monday on Route 22 East near Christian Springs Road in Hanover Township, Northampton County, slowed traffic and hurt one person, authorities say.

Route 22 traffic is backed up eastbound Monday morning east of the Route 512 interchange in Hanover Township, Northampton County. (PennDOT traffic camera photo)

The were still emergency responders on the highway at 9:30 between the Route 512 and Route 191 interchanges, a Northampton County emergency dispatch supervisor said.

One person was transported to a hospital, another supervisor said.

The SUV had significant front-end damage. The Hanover township Volunteer Fire Co., two ambulances and Pennsylvania State Police were on the scene at 9 a.m.

The left lane was closed by the crash.

Traffic by 9:45 was clearing out where it was jammed five minutes before on Route 22 east of Route 512.

Managing Producer Nick Falsone contributed to this report.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A man found sleeping in a hallway of a Bethlehem apartment building on Friday afternoon spit on first responders who were trying to help him, city police said.

Harold M. Darden, 38, of the 700 block of Aaron Street in Bethlehem, faces charges of aggravated assault in connection with the incident inside an ambulance. He's also charged with several other offenses, including drug violations.

Officers responded to a 4:38 p.m. call about a trespasser in the apartment building in the 1400 block of Philip Street. They said they found Darden sleeping in a common hallway inside the building and woke him.

Darden complained about shoulder pain but was unable to give coherent responses to questions about his health, court records say.

One of the responding officers found a bag containing crack, cocaine and heroin behind a garbage can near the area where Darden had been sleeping. Darden's ID was inside the bag with the drugs, according to court records.

An ambulance responded to treat Darden, but he allegedly became combative while inside the ambulance. Police said he kicked his legs at officers and paramedics and was then restrained. While in restraints, he allegedly spit at two officers and also spit multiple times on medical equipment inside the ambulance.

Darden was later arraigned before District Judge Daniel Corpora and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

In addition to aggravated assault, he's charged with defiant trespass, possession with intent to deliver drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Britain faces a major maths challenge. The challenge involves a stock of people and a flow of learners.

First, the stock. About 10 million adults in Britain have gone through the education system without gaining confidence in maths at Level 2 (this is the level that a 16-year old British school pupil would be expected to reach, although many do not), suggests the OECD's 2013 Survey of Adult Skills. This systemic lack of maths fluency in the adult population holds back people and their employers.

Secondly, the flow. Colleges and other learning providers in many countries are faced with a large number of Level 2 maths learners, with tight funding. In some countries the problem is compounded by a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced maths teachers.

Citizen Maths is a free open online Level 2 maths course for people who want to improve their grasp of maths. We've been developing Citizen Maths over the last two years, with funding from the Ufi Charitable Trust, working with the UCL Institute of Education, and OCR (part of Cambridge Assessment), and with advice from the Google Course Builder team. The overwhelming bulk of Citizen Maths is CC-BY licensed, meaning that others can reuse the content with ease.

We have designed Citizen Maths using the OECD's PISA 2015 Mathematics Framework, which defines the mathematical literacy assessed in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

We chose the PISA framework partly because of its international reach, and partly because it has been based on the view that a "growing proportion of problems and situations encountered in daily life, including in professional contexts, require some level of understanding of mathematics, mathematical reasoning and mathematical tools, before they can be fully understood and addressed". We therefore believe that someone who has learned maths through Citizen Maths will have gained economically and socially valuable skills in mathematics.

We have just launched the final two parts of the course. These parts, which cover pattern and measurement, are added to existing parts on proportion, representation and uncertainty.

Each part of the course covers one powerful idea in maths. Each has been designed to take between 5 and 10 hours to complete. Each shows the idea in action in several different contexts. For example, uncertainty involves the following situations:

making decisions  value of insurance, risk comparisons;

judging  the meaning of cancer screening results;

gaming  appreciating odds in roulette, dice, horse-racing;

modelling  the uncertain prediction of the weather.

The powerful ideas and the situations in which they are shown in action have been selected in consultation with maths teachers, and with organisations familiar with the learning needs of adults.

Learning about each idea is supported with a mix of short video tutorials and with practical activities and quizzes.

The video tutorials are by experienced maths tutors Paula Philpott (from South Eastern Regional College in Northern Ireland), and Noel-Ann Bradshaw (from the University of Greenwich, in London).

The practical exercises use a range of approaches including:

tools like spreadsheets;

purpose-built "apps"  mainly built in the free MIT-developed educational programing language Scratch  enabling learners actively to experiment with the maths (there is also a small amount of coding in Scratch);

pen and paper, and calculator tasks.

We've just released this three minute video. In it, helped by Professor Dave Pratt from the UCL Institute of Education, and by adult learner Thariq Khan, we aim to give a clear sense of Citizen Maths to potential learners, to employers, to learning providers. and to community organisations.

Citizen Maths is but a small contribution to tackling the twin challenge described in our introduction. To find out more about the course, go to https://citizenmaths.com. For more information on becoming a Citizen Maths partner see https://www.citizenmaths.com/partner. To follow our updates on Twitter go to @CitizenMaths.

(Image: Jonathan Worth, CC BY-SA 4.0)

By John Rees (Principal and CEO of Calderdale College) and Seb Schmoller (Citizen Maths Project Director)
LEIXLIP Town Council chairman, Cllr. Colm Purcell, last week officially opened a new charity shop in Leixlip which will raised funds for St. Brigids Hospice.

LEIXLIP Town Council chairman, Cllr. Colm Purcell, last week officially opened a new charity shop in Leixlip which will raised funds for St. Brigids Hospice.

The shop, being managed by Della Griffin, one of 12 volunteers, is located near Bewleys House on the Dublin end of the town.

It opened its doors on 13 February but on Friday, 1 March, the balloons went up  and burst  for the official opening.

The Friends of St. Brigids run another shop in Kilcock.

Cllr. Purcell said he had no doubt the shop would be a big success, on account of the volunteers who had agreed to help out. We have the crop of Leixlip here. This will be the best charity shop in Leixlip. This is going to be a real charity shop dedicated to St. Brigids Hospice, he said.

Well-known Leixlip St. Brigids hospice campaigner, Dr. Ena Hanlon, thanked everyone for their support.

Della rang me in mid January with a view to setting up a shop for the hospice. It was the fastest business start Ive seen. We really appreciate all the efforts, she said.

Dr. Hanlon said the the Hospice had built up a 2m fund for developments but it needed 200,000 each year for the next five years to the extra beds and services going.

The service provided by the Hospice included bereavement counselling, headed up by an experienced counsellor from Celbridge, Nuala Harmey.

Della Griffin said of the volunteers. They are all fantastic, hardworking and we have a great craic.

Anybody with any questions can contact the shop on 089-4035802.
Doug Costello, 66, sold a printer on craigslist for $40. The buyerdescribed as a "prolific, abusive litigant"alleged it was broken and sued him claiming astronomical damages. The resulting artisanal interstate legal snarl has cost Costello $12,000 so far. USA Today reports on a mess that's still not over after 7 years.

The printer's buyer was Gersh Zavodnik, a 54-year-old Indianapolis man known to many in the legal community as a frequent lawsuit filer who also represents himself in court. The Indiana Supreme Court said the "prolific, abusive litigant" has brought dozens of lawsuits against individuals and businesses, often asking for astronomical damages. Most, according to court records, involve online sales and transactions.

Small claims court wasn't interested, but Zavodnik's pro se actions were relentless. Even though they were insane, that's the point: Costello's failure to respond meant a default verdict for the plaintiff.

Zavodnik also had sent Costello two more requests for admissions. One asked Costello to admit that he conspired with the judge presiding over the case, and that he was liable for more than $300,000. Another one requested Costello to admit that he was liable for more than $600,000.< Because Costello did not respond to all three requests for admissions within 30 days of receiving them, and did not ask for an extension of time, as required by Indiana trial rules, Costello admitted to the liabilities and damages by default. He also did not appear at a July 2013 hearing, according to court records.

And so was necessitated the hiring of very expensive lawywers. Zavodnik appears to be a master of plinking the legal system until he shops his way to a useful-enough judge.

Wuertz said the case went through several Marion County judges, many of whom recused themselves. At one point, Zavodnik sought to have a judge removed, and the Supreme Court appointed a special judge from Boone County. Finally, in March 2015  six years after Costello sold the printer  Special Judge J. Jeffrey Edens issued a ruling. He awarded Zavodnik a judgment of $30,044.07 for breach of contract.

The ruling was overturned on appeal: "the trial court abused its discretion," wrote Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik, issuing an award "with no basis in reality" using logic that "would have granted Zavodnik a judgment for $600,000, or $6,000,000, or $60,000,000, if Zavodnik had simply linked such an amount to the phrase "for breaching the legally binding contract.""

Seven years of this.
Its a referendum about Britains future, at the risk of being decided by the prejudices of past generations. Both Labour and the Conservatives are divided, facts are manipulated to suit the needs of the day and the voices of the young are generally being drowned out by those of the old.

The outlook is bleak for young and first time voters, but more than anything else related to the EU referendum I am disappointed by the amount of fearmongering and negativity that has dominated the Brexit campaign.

Financially speaking, Boris & Gove dont have much left to stand on. Reasonable discourse and sensible debate have been thrown to the wind as the Brexit economic argument collapses under the weight of its own incoherence. Now, in tried and tested fashion, those politicians who would have us withdraw from the EU are turning to the politics of fear and division. The anti-immigration rhetoric has been stamped in bold all over this referendum for the world to see, almost at the cost of any other pro-Brexit sentiment. Should we, as a nation, decide to leave the European Union on June 23rd, the message that decision will send to the continent and to the world will not be one of national pride of reclamation of sovereignty it will be one of collective xenophobia and isolationism.

We are surely better than this. Thats why, when Brexit point the finger at foreigners we have to speak out and challenge the narrative that we are somehow not masters of our own fate.

It is successive governments, not successive waves of migrants, that are to blame for Britains ongoing housing crisis. It was the bankers, not immigrants that caused the collapse of 2008 and plunged the nation into recession. It is governments who preside over the welfare system, not foreigners and it is this government that has chosen to slash benefits for local authorities, the disabled, parents and young adults. In demonising immigrants in this way, Brexit are attacking the basic EU principle of Freedom of Movement, yet their campaigns shamefully neglect the fact that the freedom works both ways. How can we let this go unchallenged when millions of our fellow countrypeople use that same freedom in order to work, live and love across the continent?

Sadly, hostility towards outsiders seems to be heavily entrenched in our society. Pandered to by self-serving politicians and perpetuated by the predominantly right wing media, this paints a grim image of what it is to be British. Most unpalatable of all is the assertion that the Brexit argument holds the monopoly on patriotism, that to be internationalist is to be anti-British or that somehow we betray our country by acknowledging the benefits others might bring to it. In a time of unparalleled uncertainty on the continent, the need for Britain to play a positive role in a progressive Europe is clear. The appetite is there for it. YouGov suggests that upwards of 60% of those under 30 are pro-EU whereas a similar percentage of those over 50 would vote to leave.

Unfortunately, the young are far less likely to vote than the old. In order to change this the positive case for the EU needs to be made loudly. The dangers of leaving alone are not enough. We need to challenge the divisive notion that our nations problems can be blamed on immigrants across the channel. Instead we should look to our own government, to reforms closer to home and to the people who represent us in Brussels.

* Shaun Ennis is a Lib Dem campaigner for Trafford in Greater Manchester and part of the team organising the Shirley Williams Lectures.
Here is Tims message at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

As-Salamu Alaykum

Today I join the many Muslims in the UK and across the world in welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan.

We in the UK are privileged to have in our society the benefit of many religions and many cultures, that have weaved over several decades, in a rich tapestry of friendship and togetherness.

I know that for all of these communities, and especially for Muslims during Ramadan, the refugee crisis is at the forefront of our thoughts, with Ramadan reminding us all to remember the daily struggles of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable people.

As we make collective efforts to bring to an end the refugee crisis, let us hope that when the moon appears for Eid-ul-Fitr in a months time common humanity will compel more of the nations leaders to do more.

As the month of Ramadan begins, may the special message and the celebration of these holy days uplift each of you and add to the vitality of our community.

Thank you and Ramadan Kareem.
LOCAL Labour stalwart Joe Kemmy has lashed out at his partys executive in Limerick, accusing them of having a biased, petty and childish attitude.

It came after they issued a statement in the wake of Alan Kellys dashed leadership challenge last week insisting that Mr Kemmys comments made on RTE Radio One were made in a personal capacity.

On Today with Sean ORourke, he said local Labour members felt totally disenfranchised by the lack of a [leadership] contest, adding the plot from the partys parliamentary party would outdo Machiavelli.

As Mr Kelly failed to secure a seconder, multiple sources indicated the new leader Brendan Howlin would have withdrawn from any leadership contest anyway.

The lack of a contest caused division locally, with many Labour figures sympathetic to the Tipperary TD.

While Mr Kemmy did not issue any further statement last week, this Wednesday, he said while the Labour executive was correct to state he was speaking in a personal capacity, they did not make a similar intervention for Cllr Frankie Daly.

The northside member, Labours leader on the local authority, said he favoured a consensus candidate in the form of Mr Howlin, rather than a leadership contest.

Mr Kemmy said: I was speaking in a personal capacity, and I never claimed otherwise. However, the executive made no comment on the fact Cllr Daly, who was the first person in Limerick to issue a statement on the leadership was also speaking in a personal capacity. Unless of course the fact he took a contrary view to mine had something to do with it.

He added: I find it interesting and amusing that the executive would comment in such a biased, petty and childish way when their silence on the state of our hospitals, the fact that people are losing their homes every day, the fact Tesco workers are facing cuts to their wages in this city and throughout the country, and more and more families are homeless is deafening.

In terms of the initial interview on RTE, Mr Kemmy said he was contacted by the state broadcaster  not the other way around.

In response, Jan OSullivan said: I think the executive took the view, because they felt there was an impression that Joe was speaking for the members in some official capacity. It was simply to clarify that.

In a statement, the partys local PRO Tom Shortt said the first intervention was to address one issue: The executive was satisfied with the extensive process of consultation conducted by Deputy Jan OSullivan concerning the selection of a new party leader. Joe Kemmy was away for a few days, the Labour party has moved on, and the Labour parliamentary party in the Oireachtas is united behind Brendan Howlin.
WHAT began as a research trip to Nepal for a University of Limerick psychologist has turned into a mission to help some of the poorest people in one of the worlds most remote places.

When Orla Muldoon, Professor of Psychology and director of the Centre for Social Issues Research at the University of Limerick, travelled to Nepal in late 2015, she and others had received a grant from the Irish Research Council to investigate how adversity and trauma arising from extreme situations can impact upon a persons mental health.

But soon it was their own mentalities that changed. When the group arrived many villagers believed they were there to help them rebuild their lives, which she said was excruciatingly embarrassing.

You would want to have very little social conscience not to want to help after seeing what they have gone through. Thankfully many of the children in the school were spared their lives as the earthquake hit on a Saturday, but some have lost their parents.

It was a real eye-opening experience for all who went and very educational for the students [in psychology]. The children lost everything  their school, their books, the blackboards. We had to do something, as to us it felt like shocking little money to rebuild a school for 800 kids, and the implications of not having kids going to school has more implications than not being educated. Many mothers for instance cant go to work if their children arent in school, she told the Limerick Leader.

The research is to be published in the European Journal for Social Psychology towards the end of the year.

The Sangachok school  some six hours from Kathmandu and located in high altitude - was completely demolished in the second earthquake to strike Nepal last year. The children, aged three to 18, are now being educated in corrugated iron sheds.

With some 27,000 now raised, largely through the Gladrags4Earthbags ball in the Strand hotel, staff across a number of UL departments, including its outdoor pursuits club, are hoping to rebuild the school, once all the building regulations  including post-earthquake disaster specifications are in place.

The school will be rebuilt using earthbags, which are filled with rubble from the original build to create building blocks that are used to rebuild. Donations at www.ul.ie/csi-r
Gardai have launched an investigation after the body of a man was recovered from the River Shannon this Monday evening.

The man, believed to be aged in his 30s, was seen entering the river at Harveys Quay just after 6pm.

Emergency services including members of Limerick City Fire and Rescue, emergency paramedics and the underwater dive unit of the Limerick Marine Search and Rescue all attended the scene.

Rescue 115  the Shannon-based coastguard helicopter also provided assistance as did gardai.

Crowds gathered around Harveys Quay, as the boardwalk, and the area where the man was seen entering the water  at the step entry to the river  was sealed off.

Personnel from Limerick City Fire and Rescue maintained a presence at both Harveys Quay and OCallaghan Strand on the opposite side of the river.

A recovery operation was launched as the man was submerged underwater for more than 20 minutes and was taken down stream in the tidal flow before rescuers could get to him.

It is understood another person entered the river in a bid to pull the man out, but returned to land a short time later.

Members of Limerick Marine Search and Rescue recovered the body of the male shortly after 7pm.

The mans remains have been removed to University Hospital Limerick for identification and a post-mortem examination.

Body of a man, believed to be in 30s, recovered from River Shannon, and will be removed to UHL for post-mortem.More @Limerick_Leader shortly  Nick Rabbitts (@Nick468official) June 6, 2016

Separately, a woman was placed in the care of HSE ambulance personnel following an incident at Baals Bridge at around 8pm.

Members of Limerick City Fire and Rescue service who were in the area at the time responded and made contact with a woman after a passerby reported that she was threatening to jump from the bridge.

However the woman, who is aged in her 40s, did not enter the water and emergency services were stood down a short time later.

For updates, stay with limerickleader.ie or follow the Limerick Leader on Twitter or like us on

Facebook.
An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more.

But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be  and shouldnt be  bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre.

Have an interest in what youre writing about

Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show.

If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words  within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating.

Include fascinating details

Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to.

Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting

When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read.

Borrow some creative writing techniques

Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting.

consider your own opinion

Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others.

Cut the waffle

Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem.

Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose.

employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing

Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them.

You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect.

Avoid repetitive phrasing

Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable.

Use some figurative language

Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know.

As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts  mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy.

Employ rhetorical questions

Anticipate the questions your reader might ask.

One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration.

Proofread

Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them.
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With such a high interest in vampires these days  they're all over television, movies, and bookstore shelves  many people may be wondering if humans really can survive as vampires.

Turns out, sucking blood isn't just fiction fun: In 2011, a 19-year-old Texas man named Lyle Bensley allegedly broke into a woman's apartment and bit her on the neck. This was not bedroom playacting between lovers; Bensley claimed to be a centuries-old vampire who needed blood to stay alive. The woman escaped and called police, and Lyle the would-be vampire was arrested for assault.

But is it safe to drink blood?

Related: How much blood is in the human body?

In very small amounts (say, a few teaspoons), and if the blood is free from pathogens (such as the many blood-borne diseases), blood might not harm you. Beyond that, watch out.

The strange fact is, blood, when drank, is toxic. When confined to places where blood is supposed to be  such as the heart, vessels, and so on  it is essential for life. But when ingested it's a very different story. Of course all toxins have doses, and just as a tiny bit of poison won't necessarily harm you, the more you eat or drink, the greater the danger.

Related: 7 strange ways that people act like vampires

(Image credit: Isabell Schatz)

Because blood is so rich in iron  and because the body has difficulty excreting excess iron  any animal that consumes blood regularly runs a risk of iron overdose. While iron is necessary for all animals (and indeed most life), in high doses it can be toxic. This condition, called haemochromatosis, can cause a wide variety of diseases and problems, including liver damage, buildup of fluid in the lungs, dehydration, low blood pressure, and nervous disorders.

Even so, blood-feeding in humans seems to be more common than one might expect. John Edgar Browning of Georgia Tech, who has researched the practice, suggests in a BBC article that thousands of people across the United States drink blood for various reasons. Some of these people say the oxygen- and iron-enriched substance gives them energy, and none of the drinkers interviewed by Browning have had any ill effects from their behavior, so perhaps they didn't overdo the blood meals: "No vampire Ive interviewed has complained of any medical complications as a result of consuming blood," Browning said, according to BBC.

Unlike humans, the bodies of animals that digest blood have adapted specialized digestive mechanisms. According to Katherine Ramsland in her book "The Science of Vampires" (Penguin Putnam, 2002) the vampire bat, "requires an enormous intake of iron, which helps make hemoglobin for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. Yet the iron intake is generally higher than what the bat needs, so it has a special process for secreting the excess. When ingested, the blood goes through a tract that's adapted for extracting nutrients. Research on this system suggests that bats have a mucous membrane along the intestinal tract that acts as a barrier to prevent too much iron from getting into their bloodstreams."

You, however, are not a vampire bat. Because humans did not evolve such an iron-extracting mechanism, drinking blood can kill us.

If you're thinking of sampling human blood, make sure there's a doctor handy  for you, not your victim.

Editor's Note: This article was first published on Sept. 2, 2011.

Originally published on Live Science.
Between their pincers and venomous stingers, scorpions are formidable arachnids that few people would volunteer to tangle with. But for two scorpions looking to mate, "tango" is absolutely necessary. So just how do scorpions do it?

Scientists have identified about 2,200 species of scorpions across the globe, though the biology is only known for about 50 to 60 species, said scorpion expert Wilson Lourenco, emeritus research fellow at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.

Given this extensive family tree, it should come as no surprise that there are a number of distinctive behaviors across species. But scorpion mating behaviors do share some general characteristics.

Mating among scorpions is associated with seasonal periods, with those animals living in temperate regions typically mating in the spring or summer and those in tropical regions mating during the rainy season.

During these sexually active periods, male scorpions use pheromones (chemical cues) to search for females, Lourenco told Live Science.

If two or more males stumble upon one another while hunting for mates, they may get into skirmishes. But this is unlikely to happen often in the wild and is generally a phenomenon related to captivity.

"Many scorpion populations are so scarce that few individuals will meet in the field," Lourenco said.

Scientists know very little about scorpion sexual selection  that is, which qualities the arachnids find attractive and how sexually active individuals choose their mates. In some populations in which males come in various sizes, Lourenco said, the males of a "normal" size may have more reproductive success.

Whatever the case, once a male and female find each other and decide to mate, they engage in a complex courtship ritual called a "promenade a deux."

For this dance, the male will grab the female's pincers, or pedipalp chelae, with this own. He will then lead his dancing partner around as he searches for a suitable spot to deposit his spermatophore, or sperm packet.

In some cases, the female may resist the male's smooth moves by refusing to dance, trying to push him away, or even trying to sting him. [Sting, Bite & Destroy: Nature's 10 Biggest Pests]

The male may try to appease her with a "kiss," in which he grasps her chelicerae (pincer-like mouthparts) with his own. In at least one species, Megacormus gertschi, the male may sting the female in a soft part of her body, leaving his stinger in the female for up to nine minutes; it's unknown if he's actually injecting her with venom or some other substance to try to pacify her.

Once the male deposits his spermatophore, he leads the female over it so that she can take it up into her genital opening.

In all, courtship and mating normally lasts from 23 to 1015 minutes, Lourenco said, adding that researchers have documented much longer periods in captivity but these cases were due to having improper substrate conditions (males couldn't find suitable spots for their spermatophores).

Deed done, the pair halts their dance and goes their separate ways.

Sexual cannibalism does sometimes occur (with the female attacking and eating the male), but this generally only occurs in species in which cannibalism is a normal part of "population regulation," where the animals live in high densities and potentially see each other as prey, Lourenco said. This temperament is rare, and some scorpions even show some social behavior, such as sharing burrows and food.

Interestingly, some species of scorpions also reproduce via parthenogenesis, in which the ovum develops without fertilization (no sexual activity required).
Is it possible to develop bombproof underwear? And why is it so difficult to perform a whole-body transplant? These are just some of the fascinating questions tackled by science writer Mary Roach in her new book, "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War."

The book, published by W. W. Norton & Co. and scheduled for release tomorrow (June 7), dives into the science of the military  a world that encompasses research on everything from heatstroke to the medical benefits of maggots (yes, maggots). In her characteristic up-for-anything approach, Roach takes readers into the labs of the unsung heroes who are working to keep U.S. soldiers alive and safe while they're deployed. [Flying Saucers to Mind Control: 7 Declassified Military & CIA Secrets]

Roach caught up with Live Science recently to talk about her new book, why she decided to delve into military science and the weirdest chapter of World War II history that she stumbled on. (This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.)

Live Science: What got you interested in looking at the science or warfare?

(Image credit: Mary Roach/W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

Mary Roach: I was reporting a story in India on the world's hottest chili pepper. There's this particularly brutal chili pepper-eating contest, and while I was there, I learned that the Indian military had weaponized this chili. They made a nonlethal weapon  kind of a tear gas bomb. So I contacted the Indian Ministry of Defence  one of their science labs  and went over there. And while I was there, just spending time there looking around and seeing what they've been working on  leech repellent, [for example]. Another lab was looking at some swami that had claimed to had never eaten in13 years. And they were like, "What if we study his physiology? Maybe this would be helpful when troops are in remote areas and there's no food." And I was like: wow, military science is pretty esoteric and pretty interesting and [there's] kind of Mary Roach potential there. So that's where I got the notion to look into it.

Live Science: I'm going to quote you from the book here: "Surprising, occasionally game-changing things happen when flights of unorthodox thinking collide with large, abiding research budgets." Did you find that in the military there was this wealth of really interesting, sometimes verging on weird, projects that people were working on?

Roach: Yes. When I started the project, I thought I'd be spending a tremendous amount of time with DARPA. DARPA is kind of the outside-of-the-box thinkers, and I would read papers about ways you could modify the human body to make a more effective soldier, like surgically installed gills for swimming underwater or unihemispheric sleep, where one part of the brain would be awake and the other part would be asleep. And I thought that's really out there if they're doing this, but they're not. It's so futuristic. They write papers about it and, for example, with the unihemispheric sleep, there are some ducks and geese and some marine mammals that sleep with half the brain at the time, so they can be awake, because in the case of the free males, they can breed while they're sleeping. So, they fund research in basic science in that area with the hope that maybe there will be some discovery that might lead to something, but it's very futuristic, and I like to find things where it's happening now and I can go to a lab and see it, experience it and smell it. [Humanoid Robots to Flying Cars: 10 Coolest DARPA Projects]

Live Science: You spent some time talking about transplants in the book, especially penis transplants. The first penis transplant happened recently in the U.S., but it was performed by a different team of doctors than the ones you spoke to. Did the researchers in the book get in touch with you again after that happened?

Roach: Yeah, I've been keeping in touch with Dr. Rick Redett [director of the Facial Paralysis & Pain Treatment Center at The Johns Hopkins Hospital] just because I wanted to be able to provide people with an update when the book came out and I went on tour. They have a patient selected. He is a veteran. I can't remember if it's Afghanistan or Iraq  probably Afghanistan. So, they have a recipient but they don't have a donor. They didn't have a good match for a donor. So they're still waiting. It could happen any day. I think they're ready to go, but the folks at [Massachusetts General Hospital] got there first.

Live Science: With all the people you spoke to, and all the research you did, what did you learn about why it's so challenging  or even if it's possible  to do a whole-body transplant?

Roach: Essentially you'd be taking not just one organ or one limb, but taking a whole body and giving someone a whole new body. And the reason is that, with the example of the penis transplant, it's two major nerves that they're hooking up. Or with a limb transplant, the peripheral nerves, it's just like a telephone cable, and when you cut it, and reattach it, it's a fairly straight process for the nerve to regrow in its new home. When you're talking about spinal nerves or an eye, it's not a phone cable. The analogy is more like a computer system, and the body doesn't know what to reattach where. It's way too complex.

Plus, it's just such a massive  the more different types of tissues in the transplant, the more opportunities for rejection and the immune system saying, "No, this is foreign. I don't want it." With [hand and face transplants], there are a lot more rejection issues than with a liver, say. It just amps up the level of complication. And those are just the basics. I'm sure there are a dozen other things that are problematic in trying to hook up an entire body.

Live Science: Another thing that I never thought was such an issue for the military is diarrhea. You spend a whole chapter on this topic. How did you find out it was such a big problem, and how did you end up going in that direction?

Roach: That came about because someone at the Mayo Clinic Research center, the public affairs person, she would send me little summaries of what's going on in all these different units. And there was one that talked about the work of this one Navy captain who was looking at diarrhea. Like you, I kind of went: huh? Diarrhea? But of course, since I covered extreme constipation in "Gulp" [a 2013 book by Roach about the alimentary canal], it seemed like a natural follow-up to that. I can't not write about diarrhea, that would be unthinkable. So I contacted the researchers and as it turns out, they were heading off to Djibouti to work on this project called TrEAT TD, and they were looking at a faster treatment regimen for traveler's diarrhea, which can be pretty extreme. Depending on what pathogen you have, it can really take you out of commission. And he said, "Sure you can travel all the way to Djibouti to talk about diarrhea, if you can get approval." Thus began this two-week frenzy of emails flying back and forth. No one was saying "no," but none of them had the authority to say "yes" and they didn't know who did, because they don't often get a request to have someone go into Camp Lemonnier to write about diarrhea. [Top 7 Germs in Food that Make You Sick]

Live Science: As I was going through the book, it occurred to me that there are some ties back to your previous work, like you mentioned with "Gulp" and also with some of the cadaver studies that you mentioned. How much did your previous work help or inspire what was going on in "Grunt?"

Roach: I guess I have a fairly predictable range of curiosities. "Stiff" has always been my most popular book. It's the one most people have heard of and/or read over the years. I get a lot of notes from people asking, "When are you going to do a Stiff 2?" Or if I'm going to do a follow-up. And now, I don't want to do another whole cadaver book, but I know that was a popular book, so when I came upon a cadaver study  and there were two, coincidentally, in this book, of course I jumped at the opportunity, because I'm Mary Roach and if there's a cadaver within 100 miles, I've got to be there.

Live Science: Another somewhat surprising thing that seemed very classic Mary Roach was the maggot therapy that was discussed in this book.

Roach: Again, yes! It's funny because people wonder why I'm so obsessed or interested in these things that I come back to them. It isn't so much that. It's just these were the things that seemed to be popular with my readers, and I'm writing books for my readers, so I kind of feel like I'm giving you people what you want! It's not that I'm a weird person, I'm very normal. (laughs)

But I like the things that fall through the cracks, and the things that other people turn away from and don't really cover. I like to explore those because once you start to look into them, they stop being simply gross, and they become fascinating. A maggot is an amazing little eating machine. It breathes through its butt and it eats nonstop, preparing for this very weird, sci-fi transformation into a fly. It's so weird. Maggots, when you peel away the maggoty-ness of them, are really interesting. So, I'm trying to share that kind of sense of wonder and curiosity.

Live Science: And this wasn't just one person experimenting with maggots. This is something that is actually done in some hospitals.

Roach: Oh, yeah, the maggot is an FDA-approved medical device. You have to have a prescription for maggots, and there's a proper dosage. There's a company that raises them, packages them and ships them out, along with a little maggot cage dressing that keeps them on the wound and not crawling all over our home. So, yes, there's an industry. It's mostly for foot ulcers in diabetics  they don't heal well, or at all, sometimes. And rather than heading into an amputation scenario, maggot therapy has been really effective in those folks. So those folks are big fans of maggots. [Ear Maggots and Brain Amoebas: 5 Creepy Flesh-Eating Critters]

Live Science: I also wanted to talk to you about the chapter on the stink bomb, because this seemed like a strange part of World War II history. How serious did this research get? Did it actually get to the point where these were being deployed?

Roach: They were not deployed, but it was two years [of research]. There's a big fat file in the archives of the OSS [the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency], and there were two years of coming up with some of the worst possible combinations of smelling compounds. And then they had to figure out deployment of this little nonlethal weapon. They had a lot of problems with backfire: you squeezed the tube and it would spray backwards and get all over you, the operator. It was something to be handed out to groups in occupied countries in World War II. Motivated citizens would sneak up behind a German officer, and spray his shirt of jacket with this, and he would stink, be humiliated and his morale would be weakened. It was a very subtle, bizarre approach.

It just doesn't seem like it would have merited so much time and money, but it did. And then, ironically, the final report was issued 17 days before the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, so there wasn't any call anymore for the stink paste. The same groups were involved with the stink paste and the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, so it's a weird, very strange chapter of military history right there. [10 Epic Battles that Changed History]

Live Science: Did you get a chance to smell any of the scents that they were working with?

Roach: I did. I smelled that very item. The odors may have shifted and broken down somewhat. It was a very  to me, it wasn't a fecal smell, which was the original design plan. They wanted to make it smell like you pooped yourself. The nickname was "Who Me?" As in, "Not me, I didn't do it." It doesn't smell like that at all. It's kind of sulfur-y, onion-y, kind of prickly. It's bad smelling but not like a latrine or anything like that. It seems to have morphed quite a way from the original intent of Stanley Lovell, the guy at the OSS.

Live Science: Each of the chapters in the book felt like its own little mini book. Were there things that you wanted to include but they had to be left out?

Roach: Yeah, I had a lot of false starts. I wanted to embed. It was approved by the U.S. military but ISAF, the group that is part of the coalition body, which is higher than the U.S., they didn't support the embed, because it was during the drawdown in Afghanistan. They were just doing very few embeds because they're expensive and a pain.

And I had wanted to cover "Care in the Air." I wanted to cover medevac and planes or helicopters that are outfitted for medical procedures  to actually be on board when something like that is happening, which would have meant significant time invested because, at that point, there were thankfully very few medevacs of U.S. personnel. So, the timing was not good for it, and also the embed wasn't approved.

I also wanted to write about the Army blood program. Blood is a perishable item, so how do you make sure you have enough where you need it? And how do you get it to these sometimes remote areas? The Army has a whole network in place for doing that, and I was going to include a chapter on that. But again, I couldn't sort of get inside that world. I wouldn't necessarily have to embed, but I would have to get myself there, and this was logistically not working out, and there wasn't much call for  they call them "vampire flights," when they're getting blood where it's needed  they weren't really doing that anymore because there were so many fewer injuries.

Live Science: The last thing I wanted to ask you about is the humor in your writing, because you weave it so deftly throughout the book, and even when you're talking about some very serious topics. Is humor something you actively think about while you're writing?

Roach: I think about it more in the planning stages of a book, because it totally depends on the material. Particularly with this book, there are just things that aren't going to lend themselves to humor. It's not appropriate and it doesn't even suggest itself as an option. The "Who Me?" chapter, I wanted to include it anyway, but it was an opportunity to have a little fun, because in the correspondence back and forth, some of the problems they were having with this stink paste, it was hilarious. Historical elements are a little safer and then also I try to poke fun at myself as this clueless outsider, which I so very much was in this book. It's a culture I'm not familiar with. So I'm just bumbling around as a stupid outsider, so some of the humor comes from that.

So in choosing the content of the book, I definitely have that in the back of my head. Would this be something that would make for an entertaining, fun read? And I like to have some of that in the book. And sometimes it's footnotes. Footnotes are a little removed form the narrative, and those can be funny and, hopefully, not too jarring with the tone of the rest of it.

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Original article on Live Science.
Aggrieved motorists from Longford and across the country are to mount a major demonstration next month against the rising cost of car insurance premiums.

An online group dubbed, Underground Ireland are spearheading the charge to force the Governments hand to step in and aid cash strapped drivers facing ever increasing renewal costs.

More than a dozen regional organisers have been handpicked from various locations up and down the country with retail employee Stephanie Hayes leading the Longford charge.

Formerly the owner of a 1.9 Opel Vectra with a 1600 premium to her name, Stephanie suddenly saw her insurance costs spiral following a minor accident.

A broken wrist was the injury I got, she explained.

I was off the road for a year, but when I went to ge t insurance after all that I was told my no claims (bonus) had expired.

They also told me that would have been the case even if there hadn't been a claim so I was effectively a new driver starting out all over again.

After some legal tooing and froing, Stephanie was eventually given with an insurance quote of 9,500.

After being told that her 05' registered car was 'too old' to insure, she bought a newer car.

Now she wants those in a similar position to join a campaign she believes is only getting started.

It only really started off as a Facebook profile page with people going on about how they couldn't get insurance and from there it has just grown legs and snowballed.

The campaign is certainly gaining traction and Stephanie comes home from work to 50 or 60 messages from motorists each day.

That said, she issued a plea this week for disgruntled motorists to get in touch ahead of the July 2 march to Leinster House.

It's all well and good for them (government) to say we have created so many hundred jobs down here but how are we supposed to get to these jobs?

Do they expect us to go back to hundreds of years ago when people had to cycle 400 miles a day to get around?

To get in contact with Stephanie with a view to joining the Undergound Ireland protest on July 2, you can contact her on (086) 6664234.
An Aughnacliffe woman who returned to the workforce after spending 20 years at home rearing her children has just signed off on a deal with a French designer, Delphine Grandjouan, to make dresses for the international catwalks.

Ann OReilly has also worked with Siobhan Quinn of Ballyboy Design in Abbeylara who last year launched her capes onto the domestic market.

Siobhans capes are now taking flight on the international markets and, it would appear that Anns career is on a similar trajectory.

When her three daughters were reared, Ann, who is married to Thomas, decided that she would like to go back to work having secured a degree in fashion design over 20 years ago.

It was a journey that would open up doors and bring Ann to a place where she found herself doing what she loved most - creating beautifully crafted, quality clothing for women across the world.

And it all began when Ann attended a course at the Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon being run by Eddie Shanahan in January 2015.

The course, she added, centred around renewing the skills in design.

Traditional skills are declining not just in Ireland but right across Europe so there are efforts being made now to bring the skills of the one time dressmaker back.

It was while attending one of these courses that Ann met Siobhan Quinn who was bringing Ballyboy Design to life.

After attending another course at Farmleigh House, Ann met with Delphine and together the women began a journey of designing, sewing and creating a complete garment.

They created a selection of winter 2016 dresses that have already received much acclaim after they made an appearance on the catwalk at the recently held ARC fashion show in Dublin. .

Delphine, meanwhile, has returned with the creations to Paris where no doubt they will be a big hit on the European fashion scene.

Ann is currently creating dickie bows for Ronan Hanna of Donegal Tweed and believes that despite the economic climate, there are genuine opportunities for everyone.

She is particularly grateful to Michael Nevin and Catherine Kane of Longford Enterprise Office and to Mary Mulvey in ACORN for all the support they have given her,

Its wonderful to see your creations on the national stage, smiled Ann.

It is also great to be back doing something that I have always been so passionate about.
Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 06 2016

If youre heading to Citi Field next week to see Beyonce in concert, MTA Long Island Rail Road is offering plenty of train service to the big show from Penn Station and points east.

Long Island, NY - June 3, 2016 - If youre heading to Citi Field next week to see Beyonce in concert, MTA Long Island Rail Road is offering plenty of train service to the big show from Penn Station and points east. The concert starts each night at 7:30 p.m.  the lone New York City stop on The Formation World Tour.

Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, opens to concert-goers at 5:30 p.m. The LIRRs westbound service will begin with the 2:40 p.m. train from Port Washington. Eastbound service will begin with the 2:52 p.m. train from Penn Station. A total of 23 trains will make the Mets-Willets Point stop in each direction and after the concert has ended, trains will continue to stop at Mets-Willets Point until concert-goers have been accommodated.

Customers from eastern Long Island should consult branch timetables for service to Woodside Station in Queens, where transfers can be made to Port Washington Branch trains on Platform B for service to Mets- Willets Point Station. Please remember to take your train ticket when transferring at Woodside and have it ready for presentation at Mets-Willets Point.

For More Information

Consult the LIRR website or customers may call the LIRR Customer Service Center at 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and say Long Island Rail Road, when prompted. The deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the LIRR at 511.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, its truly my pleasure to be back, and let me second what has been said about the LIA and Kevin Law. The organization does great work, it is a prime mover for Long Island and Kevin Law is a phenomenal leader, so lets give him another round of applause. To Chairman Prendergast and to the MTA, which is probably one of the toughest jobs, I think, in public service is running the MTA because it is massive, it is difficult, and he has done an extraordinary job. Tom Prendergast.



Commissioner Matt Driscoll, as Kevin said, he was the former Mayor of Syracuse. When you are a mayor, when you are a local elected official, you have a totally different orientation. You know that government has to work, and it has to perform because youre on the front line of government. Its engrained in mayors, and thats just what he brought to the Department of Transportation -- he makes things happen. We were together yesterday up in Cattaraugus, we were blowing up a bridge to build a new bridge. People love when you blow up a bridge, by the way. It really is  and its nice, because it worked! They give you that plunger, and I said Matt, if we push this plunger, and this bridge doesnt blow up, you have a problem. Hes doing a great job, and you can see what he did here, Commissioner Matt Driscoll.



Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball whos going to take over the operation of the Welcome Center. The Department of Transportation builds it and then the actual operation of the centers is done by the Department of Agriculture. So Richard Ball is here, lets give him a round of applause. And my colleagues, Assemblyman Lupinacci and Assemblyman Raia who have been extraordinary and Frank Patron, and Ill have more to say about them in a moment but its a pleasure to be with them, Assemblyman Raia and Assemblyman Lupinacci.



These two projects, individually, are important and then they make a statement together. The Welcome Center is obvious, my daughters would say Its a no-brainer, it is long overdue. I didnt know that it was proposed during my fathers administration, Kevin, so let me revise my thinking  this is my fathers idea, I am just completing it. But it is a long time coming, it was an obvious innovation on a lot of different levels.

First, as a Welcome Center for Long Island itself, to introduce people to Long Island, to promote the Long Island market. Tourism is big, big business for us, and we have invested a lot of money in tourism, the I Love NY campaign, weve gotten very creative with it, and it is one of the most successful economic ventures this state has entered into. We invested $60 million in the I Love New York campaign, which sounds like a lot of money, because it is a lot of money. But the legislature authorized $60 million to invest in I Love New York promotion of tourism. TV commercials, local tourism, tourism packages, etc. $60 million investment, how much did tourism increase? $4 Billion in this state. Okay? So we know, if you invest in tourism and you market what we have, it will generate the economy.

Tourism on Long Island is a $5 Billion dollar industry. We can make that $5 billion $6 billion. I know we can. Because we have not been promoting Long Island the way we should promote Long Island. And thats first and foremost what this is. Welcome Center slash promotional marketing device for Long Island. Second, it serves as a convenience rest stop.



It will allow them to coordinate there is also an emergency function to this site that I appreciate probably more than most as we know storms, hurricanes, floods, hurricane Sandy, snowstorms are becoming more and more prevalent. The Long Island Expressway becomes a point of exposure what you do with drivers who are on the LIE, people who are possibly stranded, this will have an emergency backup function as a refuge in case of a serious storm. And by the way, I have been out there in a number of serious storms where you  people are stranded in cars, they need a place to go and this will also serve that function. Again with the police on site, so it makes total sense.



Second, on the second track, double track, this is again a no brainer. You cannot operate one track for a portion of the system without experiencing delays. Something goes wrong on that one track, one train gets stuck on that one track everything is stopped. So of course it had to be done and it is another project that we have been talking about for twenty years that just never happened and now the contracts are getting let and that is being expedited and the second track is happening and has been advanced in the timing and in the schedule. As Kevin mentioned we are also working on the third track so both projects in and of themselves make tremendous sense and are long overdue and are obvious advantages. They also make another statement together which is that it is about getting things done right? Government is about getting things done.



Going back to the rest area at exit 50. That rest area is terrible. I mean it is currently terrible. I had an experience with that rest area myself several years back, my brother and I had the great idea that we purchased a historic car on EBay. And a sight unseen we bought it on EBay, we had it shipped, pick it up in New Jersey and driving into Manhattan it gets stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel, the new car. Then gets stuck in Manhattan. The car turns out to be a piece of junk and our plan is to bring it to my brothers garage in South Hampton and leave it there to figure out what to do on another day. I get charged with the responsibility of driving it out because he doesnt believe it is going to make it to South Hampton. I wait for a Friday night, late because the traffic is light and I start to drive it out. My brother was right it doesnt make it, I get stuck but I make it to the rest stop at exit 50. Now it is very late on a Friday night, you have to get a tow truck to come to exit 50, this is a nightmare from hell with this car and I am upset but I get the opportunity to spend several hours on a Friday night at the exit 50 rest stop.

It was like being in some movie of land of the lost, where you saw things that you were not supposed to see in life. I mean you would have liked to have lived your whole life and not had seen these things or experienced them because then you cant get them out of your mind once youve seen them. I mean it was terrible. The criminal activity that went on in the open. The total lack of services, the truckers who are staying there wind up being very creative in there finding uses for the functions that they need to fulfill. Im telling you there was prostitution there, there were drug sales there because I saw it, and I mean I was there.



I brought it up, I then become governor, I am now in a point where I can make change and I brought it up to people because it is one of those situations where you say to yourself, why do we let this continue? Right? Why do we let this happen? And it is one of those situations that makes people upset and frustrated. It is one of these bizarre situations where you say, Anyone with commonsense would have done something about this and why would we allow this to continue? It is infuriating. It really is infuriating.

We talk about the political anger that is out there now: voter anger, citizen anger. Who wouldnt be angry? Look at the dysfunction of government, the lack of common sense, the gridlock. So I become Governor and I say at Exit 51  the LIE is a state road  why do we allow that? Its always a long story, by the way. There are no short stories in government The community this, the community that, we tried, there was unhappiness. I said it cant be. They cant want to protect what is there because it is terrible what is there. And they said, But theyre afraid of change and this and that. I said it cant be and we cant take that as an obstacle. That started a long series of working through change.



Matt Driscoll did a great job because he went, he showed up, he talked people through the fear, through the anxiety. Assemblyman Andrew Raia is a hero. Why? Because pandering is very, very easy. Pandering to a communitys fears is very, very easy. And when this community said, Im afraid of whats going to happen, it takes courage to stand up and say, You know what? This situation is not good. We should change, we should have the courage to change, and rather than just saying no, lets work with the process to say yes to something that is smart. Andrew Raia did that. Most politicians would have just pandered to the fear. Thats safe. He had the courage to stand up and work with the community and work with the commissioner to come to a yes. Lets give him a round of applause.



But the rest area says for twenty years it was an intolerable situation. We should have had this for Long Island and now its going to be a reality. The Double Track, the Second Track should have been done twenty years ago. There was opposition, it was difficult, and were going to do it and that was the commonality between the two. Both project say, Do it right. But do it.



Kevin called me Rocky Moses. It sounds like a boxer from the 1950s. We were out at Jones Beach and we announced a $65 million renovation program of Jones Beach which is  you want to talk about long-overdue. If you grew up in my generation, all you saw was the degradation of Jones Beach. I went to Jones Beach as a kid and all through as a teenager and I remember just seeing the facilities deteriorating. It was another one of those situations of why did they let this happen? Why didnt anyone fix the building? It was just a constant, slow decline of the facility at Jones Beach. We were walking through the renovation and the restoration and we are now bringing it back to what it was. A good part of the facility, they just basically closed off or they renovated it 1960s style. Were now taking down drop ceilings etcetera, and renovating what was. It was magnificent what they built.

When you look at their ambition for what they did at Jones Beach  the entire barrier island had to be raised 14 feet. Think of that. All of Jones Beach is raised 14 feet because it was just about at sea level. If any of the ambition of that project is breathtaking  if anyone stood up before the LIA today and said, Were going to take an entire barrier island, were going to add fill for 14 feet, and then were going to have seven miles of facilities and different attractions, spend an exorbitant amount on architecture and carvings and stone work. I mean we couldnt even contemplate.

Now, Robert Moses was frankly too far the other way. He was, we are going to get it done and we are going to get it done my way and consultation is secondary. But frankly we have gone the other way. Paralysis doesnt work either my friends and we are close to paralysis especially on Long Island it cant always be no and it cant always be that we run away from the hard projects because I have news for you, they are all hard projects. Anything you go to do is hard. It is all complicated, it is all difficult. The second track is hard, the third track is hard Jones Beach is hard, the welcome center is hard it is all hard. It is all hard but if you shrink from hard, if you shrink from difficult, you run then it is it over. Because other spaces are developing.



We just announced LaGuardia Airport. You want to talk about a metaphor for what should have been done twenty years ago. Penn Station, Moynihan Hall named for Moynihan that is when the idea came up under Senator Moynihan and nothing has happened. It is all hard but our job, our challenge, the fundamental role of government is to get it done even though it is hard not to get done what is easy but to get done what is hard and to accomplish it and to make it happen. That is what government is all about and that is what government today is all about. And when they look back and they judge the Kevin Laws and the LIA and the Governor Cuomos and the Prendergasts and the Driscolls and their positions, the question is going to be what did they get done? What did they accomplish and what did they achieve?



New York what we are, this is all about super achievement. When you look at how we made this state, the number one state in the country, number one state on the globe it was by refusing to take no for an answer. Everything we did was hard, was difficult, was impossible. The longest bridge, the tallest building, hundreds of miles of subways, the Long Island Expressway coming out, the Northern State Parkway, Jones Beach, all of these things were super achievements, they were ambitious and a sense of belief in us as New Yorkers and of course we can get it done, of course we can get it done!



These are reminders of that. The Jones Beach revitalization to bring it back to its former glory  of course we can get it done. A welcome center to Long Island to tell our story and to clean up a mess that should have never been there in the first place  of course we can get it done. The second track, the third track, because if you want Long Island to grow and prosper, you need mass transit because the answer is going to be getting on that LIE and driving in your car. You have no future for growth if that is the answer. So you need the LIRR to become more sophisticated, even though its hard. This says there is a different culture, its a different day. We can do these things if we have the courage to go forward together. These two projects are an example of that. The LIAs leadership, the LIAs partnership in advocating these projects was vital to it and if we keep the energy up and if we keep the partnership up, the sky is the limit.



Were not just going to rebuild and replace. Were going to make this place better than it was before. The way our parents left it better than they found it, our job is to improve it to a point that is better than we had it. Thank you and God bless you.
Nature & Weather, Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 06 2016

Environmental groups are applauding the Cuomo Administration for announcing that the state will participate in a federal auction to obtain a lease for offshore wind energy development in an area 11 miles off the Rockaways.

A large-scale commitment to offshore wind power will be needed to ensure New York becomes a global climate leader by meeting Governor Cuomos goal of producing 50% of the states electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Albany, NY - June 3, 2016 - Environmental groups are applauding the Cuomo Administration for announcing that New York State will participate in a federal auction to obtain a lease for offshore wind energy development in an area 11 miles off the Rockaways. By signaling their intent to pursue this lease and facilitate the development of an offshore wind project, the Cuomo Administration is showing much-needed innovative leadership to finally launch an offshore wind industry for New York.

A large-scale commitment to offshore wind power will be needed to ensure New York becomes a global climate leader by meeting Governor Cuomos goal of producing 50% of the states electricity from renewable sources by 2030. This action offers a promising opportunity to begin building the large-scale, long-term offshore wind program necessary to unleash the many benefits responsibly developed offshore wind power will bring to New York.

Following are comments from leaders in NYs environmental community applauding this action:

Kit Kennedy, Energy & Transportation Program Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council said, The vision of a cleaner, renewable energy future for New York is another step closer to reality with word that there will be a federal lease auction for the New York Wind Energy Area and that the State of New York intends to be one of the bidders in order to expedite the process of opening the states vast offshore wind market. New Yorks commitment to developing responsibly sited offshore wind is yet another commitment to the states climate and clean energy leadership. Governor Cuomos bold leadership is a vital step in helping the state meet its 50 by 30 clean energy goals, ensuring cleaner air and lower electricity systems costs for all New Yorkers.

Catherine Bowes, Senior Manager of the National Wildlife Federation said, New Yorkers have much to celebrate with Governor Cuomos announcement that New York State will bring new, bold leadership in pursuit of offshore wind power. With a massive, untapped pollution-free energy source available right off our shores, we have no time to waste. Moving an offshore wind project forward off the Rockaways can be a critical first step in building the large-scale, long-term offshore wind commitment needed to truly launch offshore wind power for New York. We look forward to working with both state and federal leaders to bring responsibly developed offshore wind power to New York.

Conor Bambrick, Air and Energy Director for Environmental Advocates of New York said, Everyone that breathes the air in New York can thank Governor Cuomo for immediately seizing this opportunity to develop offshore wind. This abundant and clean source of power will directly offset the fossil fuel-driven pollution that threatens the health and quality of life of the very communities on the front lines of climate change.

Lisa Dix, Senior New York Representative of the Sierra Club said, We applaud Governor Cuomos announcement that the state will take a step in the right direction to seize the opportunity to move offshore wind forward, further building New York into an economic powerhouse fueled by renewable energy. Committing to a long term, large scale offshore wind program is an essential next step for the Administration to ensure the state achieves the Governors 50 x 30 renewable energy target. Offshore wind has the potential to power millions of homes while creating tens of thousands of new jobs in the state, all while protecting our environment and coastal communities from the worsening impacts of climate disruption.

Gordian Raacke, Executive Director for Renewable Energy Long Island said, "NYSERDA's announcement is a clear signal that New York State is serious about harvesting our abundant offshore wind power off the coast of Long Island and building an industry here. With two large offshore wind areas now available, Long Island could soon become the cradle of the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry."

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment said, Offshore wind is an abundant, clean and sustainable power source that is currently untapped. This long stymied project has been given new life and NYSERDAs announcement represents a substantial opportunity for New York to take a gigantic step forward in advancing our states critical clean energy goals and help fight climate change. Long Islanders know all too well the damaging impacts of intense storms and rising sea levels. Offshore wind must be part of our battle to fight climate change.

Patrick Robbins, Co-Director of the Sane Energy Project said, "It's great to see that NYSERDA is going all in on offshore wind power - we know this is necessary if we're going to have any chance at a stable climate. Offshore wind power can put huge numbers of New Yorkers back to work and help us move away from dirty fossil fuel projects that disproportionately pollute and impact the health of low-income communities and communities of color. With this news, almost all the pieces are in place to jumpstart a major offshore wind industry in New York State. All we need now is for Governor Cuomo to finish the job by making a major, long-term commitment to purchasing offshore wind power through policies like the Clean Energy Standard."

Heather Leibowitz, Director for Environment New York said, "We commend Governor Cuomo and New York energy officials' decision to join in the auction of offshore wind leases off of Long Island. Its a critical step forward that makes it much more likely we can meet our environmental challenges and our clean energy goals. We look forward to working with state leaders and other stakeholders in the efforts to capture this immense pollution-free resource and move the Empire State to 100 percent renewable energy.
Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 06 2016

After a six-day trial Ronald Cianciulli is convicted for his role in the illegal dumping of construction debris in 2014 in Deer Park, Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota said.

Deer Park, NY - June 3, 2016 - State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho today convicted a Brightwaters man, after a six-day trial, of four criminal charges, two of them felonies, for the defendant Ronald Cianciullis role in the illegal dumping of construction debris in 2014 in Deer Park, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Justice Camacho convicted Cianciulli, 49, the owner and operator of Atlas Asphalt in Deer Park, of three charges of endangering the public health, safety or the environment and one count of operating a solid-waste management facility without a permit. The Justice acquitted Cianciulli of criminal mischief in the second degree and of engaging in regulated activities within mapped freshwater wetlands without a permit, a violation.

The criminal probe by the District Attorneys Office of the dumping of toxic construction materials trucked into Suffolk from New York City began in April of 2014 and culminated in the indictment of Cianciulli, Thomas Datre Jr. and others seven months later. The indictment, District Attorney Spota said at the time, details a portrait of greed that has left Suffolk County with an environmental catastrophe.

Two months ago, Cianciullis codefendant Thomas Datre Jr. pleaded guilty to four felony charges of endangering the Public Health, Safety or the Environment in the third degree for the dumping of the contaminated debris at the Deer Park site and three other locations, including a town park in Brentwood.

Todays guilty verdict properly establishes Mr. Cianciullis responsibility for his role in the contamination of this fragile marine environment in the watershed of the Great South Bay, an ecosystem that is protected under federal and state law, District Attorney Spota said. During the trial, a DEC official testified that approximately over 2,000 cubic yards of toxic debris were dumped in the wetlands area.

Justice Camacho scheduled sentencing for Cianciulli on August 9.

Cianciulli was charged with six crimes related to the dumping of construction debris on a protected wetlands parcel on Brook Avenue in Deer Park. Todays verdict:

Endangering 3rd degree: Reckless Release of a Substance Acutely Hazardous:

for the reckless release of the insecticide Dieldrin. Because of concerns about damage to the environment and potentially to human health, the EPA banned all uses of Dieldrin in 1987. One count, Guilty.

Endangering 3rd degree: Reckless Release of more than 2,000 pounds of aggregate weight of a substance hazardous: One count Guilty.

(Both Endangering in the third degree charges are class E felonies punishable by a maximum prison term of one and one-third to four years and a maximum fine of $225,000. Upon conviction, the law calls for the defendant to pay for the cost of legally disposing of the hazardous waste unlawfully possessed and restoring to its original state the area where substances were released unlawfully.)

Endangering 4th degree: Reckless Release of a Hazardous Substance: For the reckless release of Asbestos. Highly regulated by both OSHA and the EPA because epidemiologic evidence has increasingly shown that all asbestos fiber types cause mesothelioma and cancer of the lung in humans. One count Guilty.

(Endangering in the fourth degree is a class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum jail term of one year and a maximum fine of $150,000. Upon conviction, the law calls for the defendant to pay for the cost of legally disposing of the hazardous waste and restoring to its original state the area where substances were released unlawfully.)

Operating an Illegal Solid Waste Management Facility: Causes the Release of more than 70 cubic yards of solid waste into the environment: One count Guilty. (Operating an Illegal Solid Waste Management Facility is a class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum jail sentence of one year and a fine of not less than $3,750 per day nor more than $37,500 per day of violation.)

Criminal Mischief 2nd degree: One count Not Guilty.

Freshwater Wetlands Violation: One count Not Guilty
School & Education, Nature & Weather, Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 06 2016

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded an additional $1,019,197.14 in disaster relief funds to the Lawrence Union Free School District.

Lawrence, NY - June 3, 2016 - U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded an additional $1,019,197.14 in disaster relief funds to the Lawrence Union Free School District for emergency repairs and electrical work at Lawrence High School, which was temporarily forced to close after flooding from Superstorm Sandy corroded the buildings electrical wiring.

This is the second funding installment awarded to reimburse the school district for repairs made to Lawrence High School in the aftermath of Sandy, following the first installment of more than $2.6 million awarded in March, 2015.

Theres no better federal investment than one that helps educate students in a safe and learning-friendly environment, said Senator Schumer. More than $1 million in federal funds will help reimburse the cost of Sandy-related repairs to Lawrence High School in a way that does not leave local taxpayers footing the bill.

I am pleased Long Island will get this federal funding from FEMA to help cover the cost of renovating Lawrence High School damaged as a result of Superstorm Sandy, said Senator Gillibrand. The school suffered severe structural and electrical damages, and this critical funding will help ensure that local taxpayers arent left to foot the bill alone as recovery efforts continue. I will continue to fight for funding so we can rebuild even stronger and be ready for when the next storm hits.

The Lawrence High School community has stuck together and worked hard to rebuild after Sandy damaged the school building, destroyed electrical wiring, and temporarily forced the school to close, causing a significant disruption for students, parents, teachers and school officials, said Representative Kathleen Rice. Im proud of the work theyve done to recover, Im pleased that this second reimbursement has come through, and Ill keep working to secure the final funding installment the district needs to complete their recovery efforts.

We certainly appreciate the efforts of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representative Rice in securing this latest funding installment, and we look forward to their continued support as we keep working to fully restore the high school and fully recover from Superstorm Sandy, said Lawrence School Board President Murray Forman.
Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: June 06 2016

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that two design-build contracts have been awarded for work that will significantly advance the LIRRs Double Track project.

Albany, NY - June 3, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that two design-build contracts have been awarded for work that will significantly advance the Long Island Rail Roads Double Track project. When completed, the project will dramatically increase capacity of the Ronkonkoma Branch along 18 miles between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma.

The addition of the second track will allow the LIRR to provide more frequent off-peak service to the Ronkonkoma Branch in both directions and will increase flexibility and reduce delays associated with service disruptions. Completion of the Double Track project is targeted for the end of 2018.



This is a major step forward in our plan to modernize one of the Long Island Rail Roads busiest lines, Governor Cuomo said. The Double Track project will increase the reliability of our mass transit system, improving the commute for thousands of Long Islanders and helping to facilitate future economic growth in the entire region.



Contract For 7.4 miles of track between Farmingdale and Central Islip



The first contract awarded is to design and construct a total of 7.4 miles of track between Farmingdale and Central Islip. The contract has been awarded to Skanska-Posillico II Joint Venture, and is valued at up to $59.7 million. The joint venture will design and build 6.1 miles of trackbed between Farmingdale and Deer Park, and 1.3 miles of trackbed between Brentwood and Central Islip. Under the Design-Build Contract for Phase 1 previously approved by the MTA Board, the civil work is nearing completion on 5.2 miles of the second track between Ronkonkoma and west of Central Islip. As a result, the project will add a total of 12.6 miles of track to an existing 5.4 miles of track, creating an 18 mile-stretch of double track.



Signal System Contract



The second contract is to design and build a new signaling system that will use computer-based train control software to better coordinate train movement when the second track is activated. The contract has been awarded to Ansaldo STS USA, Inc., and is valued at $44.8 million. The work will include final design, fabrication, delivery and system integration, and testing of new components, including transmitters and 28 new wayside huts, and other infrastructure associated with new interlockings at Farmingdale, Wyandanch, Deer Park, and Central Islip, and a modified interlocking at Ronkonkoma.



Design-Build Contracts



At the direction of the Governor, the LIRR is using design-build contracts for both projects. Design-build contracts call for a single team of contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.



MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said, By using design-build contracts, we can eliminate a host of delays. When one team handles both design and construction it eliminates the all-too-common disconnect between various phases of a project, and helps move the process along at a more rapid clip. Thats good for the LIRR, good for the contractors and, most of all, good for New Yorkers.



President of the Long Island Association Kevin Law said, Over the past five years, weve strengthened Long Islands economy by focusing on what works  like investing in world-class infrastructure, attracting first-rate jobs and driving smart growth in communities from Montauk to Melville. This new Welcome Center will build on that progress, further boosting tourism and showcasing all that Long Island has to offer. I commend Governor Cuomo for his dedication to investing in this regions infrastructure and strengthening our local economy.



Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said, I commend Governor Cuomo and the Long Island Rail Road for their efforts to add a second track to the Ronkonkoma line. This project will not only make the commute more efficient for thousands of residents, but it will continue to spur economic growth, create jobs and bring more opportunity throughout the entire region. Today we reached another important milestone in the Double Track project and I look forward to seeing it progress and create a brighter future for the entire Long Island community.



Construction work on the Double Track project is already in progress. By the time the entire project is completed, the LIRR estimates Double Track will have injected close to $100 million into the Long Island economy.



Double Track is one of seven major LIRR construction projects subject to an innovative Project Labor Agreement with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The unions signed an agreement that will result in an estimated direct labor savings of over $6 million or about 11 percent of the total labor cost of these capital projects. The pact also provides opportunities for minorities and women to enter the trade union apprentice program and includes non-discrimination provisions in union hiring and job placement practices.



Ridership on the LIRRs Ronkonkoma Branch is more than 48,000 each weekday. With just one track along most of the 18-mile route between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, the LIRR can operate a limited number of trains and lacks operational flexibility in the event of a disruption. If one train becomes disabled, all other trains (east and west) have no way around the problem. The construction of the Double Track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma will also support Long Island-wide resiliency by enabling the LIRR to provide better Main Line Service options in conditions where either the Montauk Branch or Port Jefferson Branch is compromised because of severe weather.
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Columnists Press Releases
Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)  Qods, has been photographed several times during his latest visits to the front lines of Fallujah, Iraq, where Iranian-backed Population Mobilization Forces (PMF) are operating. He has been photographed alongside PMF commanders such as Abu Mehdi al Muhandis and Akram Abbas al Kaabi. He is also shown with officers wearing Iraqi Security Forces uniform, such as the one above.

But last week, this photograph of Soleimani surfaced with an unusual companion: the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour. A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, Pakpour has had a long and distinguished military career, taking over as commander of the Ground Forces in 2009. Pakpour is not known to have visited the front lines in Iraq or Syria where militias operate. What was he doing there? His presence in Fallujah underscores the importance of operations in Iraq to the IRGCs leadership.

In the past month, at least two IRGC members have been killed near Fallujah. On May 25, Iranian media reported IRGC Basij paramilitary member and veteran of the Iran-Iraq War Ghorban Najaf (Abu Sobhan) succumed to injuries sustained in Fallujah the month before. On May 14, another Basij member, Alireza Babaei, was announced killed by an IS IED in Fallujah. The regular Ground Forces are deeply involved in Syria, losing 400 men in the past four years.

Soleimani was spotted at the front lines of Fallujah on May 23, when Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the city from the Islamic State. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have bombarded militias and have captured areas in the vicinity of the town, but they have not entered Fallujah city, per an arrangement with the Iraqi government. Soleimani then traveled to Tehran on May 27 to brief a group of newly-elected parliamentarians on the regional situation.

Amir Toumaj is a independent analyst and contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.

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A senior al Qaeda religious official in Syria has returned to social media in the past 24 hours after a prolonged absence. The jihadist known as Abu Sulayman al Muhajir launched a new Telegram channel and Twitter feed.

We are working on a way to administer your questions to be answered through this channel, Abu Sulayman wrote to his followers in his third message on Telegram.

The US Treasury Department added Abu Sulayman to its official list of designated al Qaeda terrorists on May 19. Treasury said that he occupies a senior leadership position in Al Nusrah Front, which is al Qaedas official branch in Syria. Abu Sulayman has recruited Australians for the jihad in Syria and has also solicited funds to finance the groups terrorist activities, according to Treasury. [See LWJ report, Treasury sanctions al Qaeda, Islamic State financiers and facilitators.]

Thus far, Abu Sulayman has posted only a few messages on Twitter and Telegram. He has maintained an active presence on social media in the past, but Twitter has repeatedly suspended his accounts.

It does not appear that Abu Sulayman has been active online in many months, perhaps longer than a year. In one of his first tweets back, Abu Sulayman posted a link to a collection of his old tweets. The last tweet is dated Nov. 12, 2014. On Sept. 11, 2014, the al Qaeda ideologue praised the 9/11 hijackings.

The Long War Journal has reported on Abu Sulaymans activities on multiple occasions. He was an extremist preacher in Australia before relocating to Syria. Al Nusrah first publicly promoted Abu Sulayman in Mar. 2014, when the group released a video of his testimony against the Islamic State. Abu Sulayman said he attempted to mediate the dispute between the Islamic State and its jihadist rivals in Syria. [See LWJ report, Al Qaeda official in Syria was extremist preacher in Australia.]

The Long War Journal believes it is likely that Abu Sulayman was an al Qaeda official before he relocated to Syria. Al Qaeda chose only its most trusted personnel to take part in the mediation talks with the Islamic State. It is highly unlikely that someone like Abu Sulayman was unknown to al Qaedas leadership prior to his inclusion in the mediation team, which failed to bring about a resolution to the dispute in 2013 and early 2014.

In a subsequent Al Nusrah Front video, released in Apr. 2014, Abu Sulayman explained al Qaedas global strategy. The jihadist demonstrated that he has detailed knowledge of al Qaedas international network.

Al Qaeda draws up its plans and its strategy based on what we call al Qalim, or locations, Sulayman said in the video. And a leader, or emir, is chosen to oversee each of these locations. The regional emir swears a bayah to al Qaeda on behalf of his branch that binds them to the group and means that they owe allegiance in the matters of jihad, because the oath ties them to one unity, one group called al Qaeda. Abu Sulayman claimed that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who leads the Islamic States so-called caliphate, was himself a regional emir before he broke his bayah to al Qaeda. [See LWJ report, Al Nusrah Front official explains al Qaedas strategy, conflict with former branch.]

Abu Sulayman has appeared in other Al Nusrah Front videos as well, including one that celebrated the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

As in the past, Abu Sulayman is using social media to provide ideological guidance to jihadists.

Even though we aim at gradual change depending on our abilities, this religion is not a peaceful reform movement, Abu Sulayman wrote in one of his first messages on Telegram. He continued: Islam came to unroot all forms of falsehood that exist in society and firmly establish a lasting, sustainable, just system. Half solutions are never the answer, as truth can never exist with falsehood, and falsehood is the mere absence of truth. For this to happen, the most noble of men must sacrifice their wealth and lives.

It remains to be seen how long Abu Sulaymans new accounts are allowed to remain active.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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The US government continues to underestimate al Qaedas strength in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US Department of State noted that a severely degraded al Qaeda was able to operate a large training camp inside Afghanistan, one of three that were known to be in operation inside the terrorist hotbed over the past year.

State noted the al Qaeda camp and and a secondary facility, plus the raid to destroy them in Country Reports on Terrorism 2015, which was released last week.

While al Qaeda (AQ) has been severely degraded in the region, its regional affiliate, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), continued to operate in Afghanistan, State reported. Notably, AQIS members were active at a large training camp in a remote area of Kandahar Province. On October 11, U.S. and Afghan forces conducted a coordinated joint operation that successfully destroyed the AQIS training camp and a related facility, and killed dozens of AQ-linked trainees.

The camps that State referred to were located in the Shorabak district in Kandahar. In October 2015, a large US military strike force took four days to clear two al Qaeda camps in Shorabak. One camp covered over 30 square miles, and included large caches of weapons, ammunition, and other supplies. An al Qaeda media cell was also based there. [See LWJ reports, US military strikes large al Qaeda training camps in southern Afghanistan, and Al Qaedas Kandahar training camp probably the largest in Afghan War.]

After the Shorabak raid, General John Campbell, then the commander of Resolute Support, noted that US military and intelligence officials were surprised that the camp even existed.

Its a place where you would probably think you wouldnt have AQ [al Qaeda]. I would agree with that, Campbell said, according to The Washington Post. This was really AQIS [al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent], and probably the largest training camp-type facility that we have seen in 14 years of war.

Al Qaeda has not been severely degraded in the region

States insistence that al Qaeda has been severely degraded in the region is at odds with recent evidence from Afghanistan and Pakistan. For more than six years, The Long War Journal has warned that official estimates of al Qaedas presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan are inaccurate. The jihadist group remains a significant threat to this day and bonds between al Qaeda and the Taliban remain strong.

The US military has targeted at least three known al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in the past year. Evidence used to target the Shorabak camp was obtained during a raid on another al Qaeda camp in Paktika province in July 2015. Abu Khalil al Sudani, one of al Qaedas most senior figures, is thought to have been killed during that raid. Al Qaeda clearly assessed the situation in Paktika as being safe enough to place one of their top leaders there.

The US raided another al Qaeda facility in Afghanistan this year. On May 9, US special operations forces rescued Ali Haider Gilani, the son of Pakistans former prime minister, during a raid against an al Qaeda safe house in Paktika province. Gilani was held by al Qaeda for more than three years.

Additionally, Resolute Support, NATOs mission in Afghanistan, was forced to admit that previous long-held estimates on al Qaedas strength in Afghanistan, were wrong. Since 2010, US officials have claimed that al Qaeda has been decimated in Afghanistan and has maintained a consistent minimal presence of 50 to 100 operatives. In April, Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, the top spokesman for Resolute Support, told The Washington Post that al Qaeda has forged close ties to the Taliban and is resurgent in the country.

Additionally, Buchanan told CNN that al Qaeda may have upwards of 300 operatives in the country, but that number does include other facilitators and sympathizers in their network. [See LWJ report, US military admits al Qaeda is stronger in Afghanistan than previously estimated.]

Buchanan said the military was forced to revise the estimate upward after the Shorabak raid, where more that 150 al Qaeda were at a single location.

If you go back to last year, there were a lot of intel estimates that said within Afghanistan al Qaeda probably has 50 to 100 members, but in this one camp we found more than 150, Buchanan told CNN.

In addition to al Qaedas presence in Afghanistan, the group has a significant base in Pakistan, and not just the tribal areas where the group is always assumed to operate. Last week, The Washington Post published a disturbing report on al Qaedas growing presence in Karachi, Pakistan. Hundreds if not thousands of al Qaeda operatives and recruits are thought to be operating in that Pakistani city.

Counterterrorism officials in Karachi have a list of several hundred active al Qaeda members, which makes them assume there are at least a few thousand on the streets, the Post reported. In Karachi, AQIS has divided itself into three operational segments  recruitment, financial and tactical  made up of four-to-six-person cells. The recruitment cells work in madrassas and schools, casually preaching Islam before targeting certain students for potential recruitment, officials said.

Al Qaeda is executing its strategy of incorporating elements from the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, Harakat-ul-Muhajideen, Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Brigade 313, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Indian Mujahideen, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Turkistan Islamic Party, Junood al Fida, and other groups based in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. This vision was outlined by Ayman al Zawahiri in September 2014, after he announced the formation of AQIS. [See LWJ report, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent incorporates regional jihadist groups.]

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
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Interview with FOX Business Network's Trish Regan

It's been a terrific year. We are the fastest growing network in cable and my program has skyrocketed - up 185% in total viewers since I started it. We got tremendous exposure with our two Republican Presidential debates and I was thrilled to be a moderator for them. People found us on the dial -- and they've been coming back as loyal viewers every single day. It's wonderful to see and an exciting thing to be part of.My program is dedicated to the intersection of the economy, the markets and politics. Given the news these days, there is no better beat to have! We look at politics through the prism of what it means to you as a voter. For example, I examine the economic proposals that will truly make a difference to our country, I look at the policies that will effect taxes and employment, and I look at the costs of securing our nation. I often say - the economy and security goes hand and hand. We must have a thriving economy to pay for security -- but we must also be secure in order to create an environment in which our economy can truly prosper.I will! Both conventions should be pretty interesting.I love Italy. I studied Italian and opera and so I love getting the chance to speak it a little. My husband, James, and I were married in Italy on Lake Como -- and we've since spent time in the Cinque Terre, Rome, Milan and the Amalfi Coast. I love opera and it was a huge treat a couple years ago to go to La Scala for the first time.Well, I suppose have two categories-- With or without kids (we have three.) Eden Roc in St. Barth's and explora in Patagonia, Chile are amazing. And, when we're with our little ones visiting my home state of New Hampshire, we like to go to the North Country to ski and we always stay at the Omni Mt Washington-- there is a great ski school for kids and they have loads of activities for them.I do! It's beautiful. I grew up on the coast and there is no better place to spend the summer! We were just there over Memorial Day weekend and we'll be back there again in July.One of my most favorite trips was hiking in Patagonia, Chile. My husband and I spent a week there and the scenery was truly incredible. I can't wait until the kids get a little older because I really want to take them too. Being outdoors like that is my most favorite thing to do on vacation.Ahh- definitely my trip to the Canadian oil sands way up north in the sub-arctic. It was for work - I was filming a documentary piece on the industry and I had packed all kinds of special cold weather gear because it's literally freezing that far north. But, guess what? The airline lost my luggage! I got stuck not able to travel north for a day until they found that. The good news is: I learned a valuable lesson and have never checked a bag since!Kiehl's lip balm and Lubriderm body lotion. The air on a plane can be pretty dry. I also make sure to hydrate by drinking lots of bottled water. I've learned you feel a whole lot better when you land.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Africans in Complexion-crazy India

We are appalled that leaders of Indias ruling establishments and law enforcing agencies are not ashamed at what happened on January 31, 2016 night to a Tanzanian girl student of Bachelors of Business Administration in a college at Bangalore. The car in which she was returning in company of her friends to the city was attacked, she was dragged out, stripped and paraded naked in public for no rhyme or reason. When she ran to board a bus passing by the place of occurrence, its passengers did not extend a helping hand; rather they threw her out of the running public vehicle. Police personnel present on the scene of her humiliation did not intervene. A good Samaritan, who offered a shirt to the victim to cover herself, was subjected to physical torture. The wronged girl was asked to bring the driver responsible for a road accident to the police station when she went to lodge a complaint.1 She was absolutely unaware of what had happened half-an-hour before she was subjected to shame and humiliation by a mob on the same spot. The State Home Minister did not consider the ugly incident as a racist attack.

In the meanwhile another tragedy has struck a Congolese national in Delhi. A 23-year-old Masonda Ketanda Olivier, a French teacher of a private institute since 2012, was beaten to death by a group of men following a brawl over hiring an auto-rickshaw in the Capital.2 Why such enormous tragedy over a trivial issue for hiring an auto-rickshaw on a Delhi road must torment us. This suggests perhaps that our law-enforcers are incapable to touch the offenders if the victim(s), a native or a foreign national, is a disadvantaged one. The country has no proud record to provide justice and protection to the weak and vulnerable.

Many might recall a car accident that claimed six lives on the Gurgaon-Delhi road 17 years ago. In 1999, one Sanjeev Nanda, son of industrialist Suresh Nanda, had ran over six persons, including three police officers, killing them on the spot under the speeding wheels of his luxurious BMW car. The trial court had acquitted the accused and his accomplices in 1999. But Nanda was later found guilty in 2008 and sentenced to two years imprisonment, which was reduced to time served, a large fine, and two years of community service by the Supreme Court of India in 2012. The case had attracted extraordinary public and media attention. It was viewed as a test of the judicial systems ability to take on the powerful.3 Strangely, no mob blocked the road, nor attacked any passing vehicle, nor pelted stones at anybody even hours after the fateful accident. India is a paradise for the rich and powerful offenders and lawbreakers who are pampered and handled with kid gloves. They can bend, break, twist or violate any system to their advantage with perfect immunity. Long ago this was candidly acknowledged by Andrew Jackson, (March 1767-June 1845), the seventh President of the USA (1829-1837): The rich and the powerful too often bend the Acts of government to their own selfish purposes. We, Indians, know too well the inherent significance President Jackson wanted us to appreciate. And the sufferers of injustice have witnessed miscarriage of justice helplessly over and over again all over India times without number.

The public stand taken by the Tanzanian Embassy on the treatment of its student in Bangalore appeared to many as enigmatic, if not intriguing. According to a leading newspaper,

In what can only be seen as a volte-face, Tanzanian High Commissioner to India John W.H. Kijazi said in Bengaluru that the attack on the Tanzanian woman last Sunday was not racist. He told the media on Friday (January 31, 2016), after being briefed by the state govern-ment, What has happened is very unfortunate. We had a meaningful discussion with the state government and I am happy with the action taken against the policemen and we were told nine persons have been arrested. I have got a clear picture of what happened prior to the accident and after that. It is not a racist attack. It is a case of friction between the local community and the students.

The indignity and humiliation of the victim, I am afraid, has been swept under the carpet. Would India be happy had such an incident happened to an Indian national abroad?

According to the 2012 census, Tanzania boasted of a total population of 44,928,923, which works out to 3.6 per cent of the Indian population. The African nation is too tiny to exert influence and get justice for its citizens humiliated, outraged or murdered in India. The countrymen have, by now, forgotten the whole episode. Some action is under way in the murder of the Congolese teacher in Delhi. Rendering justice to a victim of atrocities and injustice is not Indias forte.

Is telling Lies and making False Claims in Indian DNA?

A junior official of the External Affairs Ministry has blamed the media for hyping the incident as a racist attack. He advised the media to refrain from being judgmental and sending out a wrong message. Our government is very sensitive, if not scared, about its image abroad. They do not relish negative publicity on the social front getting public attention abroad. So resorting to lies or indulging in prevarication is a vital necessity. Our governments, State or Union, always shy away from admitting internal or domestic weaknesses, troubles or deficiencies in public or international fora. So lies or distortions are common.

India presented a pathetic show at the World Conference at Durban in 2002. There Omar Abdullah, the junior Minister of External Affairs, blatantly denied that Indians were racists or casteists. His statement thenand more parti-cularly even over a decadenow sounds like a bundle of blatant lies. The Ministers statement read: ......in the run up to the world Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimi-nation, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance there has been propaganda, highly exaggerated and misleading, often based on anecdotal evidence, regarding caste-based discrimination in India. We in India have faced this evil squarely. We unequivocally condemn this and, indeed, any other form of discrimination. The issue has remained at the top of our national agenda. Brave words to push truth beyond public eyes under a colourful tapestry.

Touching on our constitutional, legislative and administrative framework Omar claimed that our affirmative action programmes for the uplift of the members of the historically disadvantaged castes made positive difference. The institutions of our democratic polity, the progressive removal of poverty and the spread of literacy have empowered and given a voice to millions of the weaker sections of our society. We are determined to continue this national endeavour..... there is no state-sponsored, institutionalised, discrimination against any individual citizen or groups of citizens. This voluble script appears to have been prepared by gifted men, bereft of sensitivity, sitting in a safe haven of ivory towers. The Minister further roared: We are here to ensure that states do not condone or encourage regressive social attitudes. We are not here to engage in social engineering within member-states. And finally his script underlined: We are firmly of the view that the issue of caste is not an appropriate subject for discussion at this Conference.... We are here to ensure that states do not condone or encourage regressive social attitudes.4 What are regressive social attitudes? The Indian statement at the world conference was silent.

The cardinal principle of foreign policy of any nation is dictated by the interests and aspirations of the people at large. India did not have the honesty to tell the truth at the world conference at Durban how caste-based hatred, prejudice, discrimination and untouchability have enslaved about one-fourth of its population and they are treated worse than lepers. According to Patrick French, To equal the number of Dalits in India, you would need to add together the populations of Albania, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, the Netherlands, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.5

The society then and even now is the home of extreme intolerance, violence, repression, vulnerability and discrimination against its underprivileged population. The wrong-doers, violators, murderers, rapists and arsonists, encroachers of properties of the weak are patronised and/or courted as well as sheltered more often than not by the powerful authorities from behind the screen. The judiciary fails to punish the criminals for providing justice to Indias victims from the disadvantaged sections. The deplorable record of administration of justice to the victims of massacres of Dalits by powerful upper castes from Tsundur in Andhra Pradesh to Laxmanpur Bathe in Bihar, Tamilnadu to Haryana tells the tale. Speaking factually, Indian policy-framers preach what they do not believe. Call it state-sponsored and institutionalised discrimination against any individual citizen or groups of citizensor not, this is undeniably the depiction of ground realities without any remedy.

Do the Africans know the Indian Ethos?

The Africans would do well to note and appreciate the dominant Indian ethos over caste and colour or complexion of skin. They suffer from compulsive obsession for caste superiority which they equate, by and large, with men and women of fair complexion. The autochthonous Indians are dark in complexion whereas the emigrants who colonised India in ancient times were fair complexioned. Their complexion is the basis of claiming superiority in every sphere of life. They created the fiction of caste with themselves at the summit of the heap. All those below it, in their eyes, are object of hatred, prejudice and discrimination. In every socio-cultural norm and practice, they evolved spaces in the top to ensconce themselves.

On Indian soil, justice is normally denied to the Dalit and tribal even for criminal actions by fair complexioned Indians. Injustice is the certainty in every situation. People all over the world would do well to note what is not acknowledged publicly is that they esteem white-skinned men and women in preference to dark-skinned natives. Africans have been subjected in the past to miserable treatment. I have no reason to believe they would not do otherwise as a mark of respect in future as well. The boys and girls from the North-Eastern States studying in the national Capital region as well as Bangalore received, as a routine, treatment no less worse than their African counterparts. (Refer Requiem for Nido http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article4748.html)

Their DNA Speaks

Only recently the Indian media reported the sad tale of Mahesh, a mining engineering student of IIT-Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh. He wanted to sell his kidney for repaying a loan worth Rs 2,70,000 he had taken to defray expenses for his technical education. Doctors in the hospitals had told him plainly that his kidney would have no takers. Nonetheless, he went ahead to sell his organ in five hospitals in Banaras and Alwar, Rajasthan.6 The prospective buyers, if any, would first of all ask to know his caste. A Balmiki, Mahesh is a Dalit, whose ancestral occupation is sweeping the streets and cleaning toilets. So his organ was not in demand. In dire straits, he dropped out of IIT and took to sweeping for a monthly salary of Rs 4000 with a view to augmenting the family income. Dejected and desperate, he once even contemplated committing suicide.

When in June 2015 news of two Dalit brothersRaju and Brijesh of Pratapgarrh district, UPcracking the IIT entrance exami-nations securing 167 and 410 positions respec-tively in merit were flashed, my spontaneous concern was about their security. In an online comment, I had written that the two Dalit stars needed security and protection more than media adulation, lest their envious villagers, neigh-bours and countrymen harmed them. Lo and behold! The next day, the media reported that their house was brickbatted by anti-social elements and miscreants obliging the authorities to deploy police for their security and protection. This happened much before they enrolled themselves in IITs where even graver danger might be in store for them.

All over the country, tragedies have struck Dalit and tribal students doing medical, engineering, management etc. in institutes of excellence or higher studies in other departments of knowledge. (Refer Merit, a curse for dalit? http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article3390.html) In campuses unsuspected underprivileged students have been driven to commit suicides in dozens. How can they be protected and secured from the predatory caste fanatics and supremacists in the garb of teachers, non-teachers and fellow students is the moot question. They must get security cover until they pass out of the institutional dark clouds hovering over their heads. Dead bodies have emerged from the laboratories, libraries and hostels, or classrooms of universities, IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, even IISc. which can be equated with glamorous morgues for underprivileged students. Those without an iota of conscience behind their deaths are infernal butchers. None of the heads of these institutions ever showed uprightness to assure justice for the vulnerable students. The case of the research scholar of Hyderabad Central University, Rohith Vemula, is still playing out in the public domain ever since his suicide.

No Buyers for Dalit Kidney?

The Indian organ market is a thriving one. The black market is expanding because the demand far outstrips the supply of organs. According to a World Health Organisation WHO report in 2007, the underground organ market is still resurgent in India, with around 2000 Indians selling kidney every year. Donors regularly put their lives at risk for just $ 5000 ( 3000) from unscrupulous gangs who then sell the body parts for prices up to $ 200,000 ( 130,000) a time. A Chennai based broker boasted in 2015: If you have the money and want it (organ) fast, you come here. I will find you a donor and you can go home with a new kidney in a month. Another was quoted as saying, You can get a kidney for 1.7m rupees ($25,700) in West Bengal. The WHO is of the view that South Asia is now the leading transplant tourism hub globally, with India among the top kidney exporters. Each year more than 2000 Indians sell their kidneys, with many of them going to foreigners. The illicit kidney trade in South Asia has exploded as brokers use social media to find donors.7 Yet another broker told the same electronic media that many agents in India and Bangladesh were working at the behest of individual doctors or hospitals based in Colombo who offered complete packages to foreign recipients, with prices ranging from $ 53,000 to $ 122,000. Higher demand pushes the market price for kidney prohibitively conforming to the simple norm of economics.

Nevertheless, Mahesh had no buyers. This exposes the bare truth: his low caste status. A kidney might be necessary for his healthy life, but he would abhor to breathe his last with an organ of a low-caste man. The Hindu pathology of hatred springs from their religious notion which is subordinate to caste rules. In this background, no African under the sun can expect better treatment from Hindus anywhere in the globe, not to speak of India. The emigrant Bengali bhadralok in the USA, it is pertinent to note, were not at all enamoured about Barak Obama when he contested and ultimately won the US Presidential election. They despised his dark skin much before they witnessed his quality of leadership and broad mindedness. These NRIs play a tremendous role in influencing Indias social, economic and political fabric. Britain had passed the Equality Law in 2012 by incorporating caste discrimination as a crime. But the financially affluent Hindu upper caste ganged up against the new provision of law and opposed its implementation to safeguard the numerically larger British Dalit population. The UK Government, under David Cameron, kowtowed majestically before the Hindu black-mail. What an about-turn of the British Govern-ment! Winston Churchill, we may remember, about 80 years ago had observed: .......These Brahmans, who mouth and patter the principles of Western liberalism, and pose as philosophic and democratic politicians, are the same Brahmans who deny the primary rights of existence to nearly sixty millions of their own fellow countrymen whom they call untouchable, and whom they have by thousands of years of oppression actually taught to accept this sad position. They will not eat with these sixty millions, nor drink with them, nor treat them as human beings. They consider themselves contaminated even by their approach. And then in a moment they turn round and begin chopping logic with John Stuart Mill, or pleading the rights of man with Jean Jacques Rousseau.8 Hypocrisy of the caste system of the Hindus cannot be better illustrated and more succinctly elaborated to match Churchill. The Indian intellectual class never rates Churchill anything other than an arrogant and imperialist British overlord. But the truth of this assessment can barely be brushed aside. The same Empire has become the guardian and protector of the caste system much to the chagrin of millions of British citizens.

On February 7, 2016, the media reported that the police had registered a case against the guide of a Dalit mathematics scholar who committed suicide at the Central University of Rajasthan (CURAJ). The student, Mohit Kumar Chouhan, had alleged harassment by Vidyottma Jain. Vidyottma was his guide.9 He had formally requested the Vice-Chancellor twice for replace-ment of his guide who had harassed him. Replacement of a research guide, it may be mentioned, is not unknown nor against the university statute. His requests did not receive the attention of the Vice-Chancellor.

The life of a Dalit, scholar or illiterate, is cheap in monetary terms. The Vice-Chancellor, Central University, Hyderabad had put a price tag of Rs 800,000 ($ 11,700) for Rohith Vemula who committed suicide in the University hostel room. Those who are responsible for driving Dalit and tribal students to commit suicide are also the people putting tags on their life. The scholars were not murdered by assassins; nor did they fall victim to the bullets of supari (contract) killers. They were not lynched in frenzied mob violence. Nor did extremists or terrorists have any hand in their deaths. These talented scholars ended their lives in laboratories, libraries or hostels in the face of unabated persecution from mostly their gurus. This underlines a game-plan befitting the pernicious Hindu philosophy. Harvard University Professor Myron Weiner (1931June 3, 1999), an American political scientist and renowned scholar on India, ethnic conflict, child labour, democratisation, political demography, and the politics and policies of developing countries, had appropriately deciphered and diagnosed the cancer two-an-half decades ago. The Indian position rests on deeply held belief that there is a division between people who work with their mind and rule and people who work with their hands and are ruled, and the education should reinforce rather than break down this division. These beliefs are closely tied to religious notions and to the premises that underlie Indias hierarchical caste system.10

With this diabolical game-plan playing out in the educational field, we have reasons to believe and apprehend tragedies befalling Dalits and tribals have not come an end. More might be in the pipeline. Only time will reveal the continued ferocity against them.

The American scholars final verdict is further alarming. Officials regarded education for the masses not as liberating but as destabilising.11 What is at risk of destabilisation? What is at risk of destabilisation is the Hindu social set up created by long efforts of fabrication, suppression, domination, exploitation and, above all, total denial of opportunity for expression with the aid of education that facilitated wholesale prevarication. Denial of education is in the cardinal principle in Hindu religion. The tenacious attachment to caste for the Hindu arises from the chaturvarna vyavyastha.

The Dalits and tribals who went against this LOC (line of control), prescribed by the Hindu saints and sages, have hitherto paid heavy prices. Rohith, Mohit, Chuni, Pradeep, Jaspreet etc. are instances. Hindu India cannot yield space to Dalits and adivasis for their upward mobility in life with knowledge and skill which they believe and proclaim as their sole inheritances. They, therefore, encounter armed Hindu brigade like the German Fascist Gestapo everywhere. Not an inch of space is allowed for them voluntarily.

Footnotes

1. The Deccan Chronicle, Mob strips Tanzanian girl, torches her car as police watch, February 3, 2016.

2. The Huffington Post, Congolese man beaten to death in Delhi over auto-rickshaw spat, May 22, 2016.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Delhi_hit-and-run_case

4. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India,

Statement by Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for External Affairs, India at The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Durban, September 2, 2001.

5. Patrick French, India: A Portrait.

6. The Times of India, IIT pupil tries to sell kidney to repay loan, but no takers for dalit organ, January 23, 2016.

7. Al Jazeera, Need a kidney? Inside the worlds biggest organ market, October 8, 2015.

8. Winston Churchill, Our Duty in India, March 18, 1931. Albert Hall, London.

9. The Times of India, Guide who harassed Rajasthan scholar booked, February 7, 2016.

10. Myron Weiner, The Child and the State in India, OUP, 1991, pp. 4-5.

11. Ibid., p. 17.

The author is a retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor, B.R. Ambedkar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He can be contacted at biswasatulk@gmail.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Indira and the Legacy

From N.C.s Writings

One of the striking impressions of the AICC pilgrims returning from Bombay is about the Prime Minister style in dealing with the critics of government policies.

This question is not something which came up all of a sudden at the Bombay AICC. In fact it has become the subject matter of avid gossips and discussions in the Capital for the last few weeks, particularly since the Prime Ministers return from the USA. From the person-to-person broadcast to the press conference, Smt Gandhi has shown an extraordinary measure of sensitiveness to the criticisms levelled against the governments policy-stand on issues connected with our relations with the USAfrom the proposed Foundation to the Fertiliser Deal and in that context, the wider implications of dollar aid. Sri Subramaniam and Sri Asoka Mehta have come to be known as closest to the Prime Minister among all her Cabinet colleagues; inevitably, the performance of the Food and the Planning Ministers, particularly their calculated moves to facilitate the inroad of American influence into the countrys economic and cultural life, has had their impact on the Prime Ministers own standing in the country.

Although Sri Krishna Menon and the other well known cities of these pro-West postures (like Sri K.D. Malaviya and Sri Bhagwat Jha Azad) have been scrupulous enough to confine their criticism to policy-matters instead of dragging in personalities, many in New Delhi have been surprised at the vehemence of the Prime Ministers attack on her criticsnot necessarily a sign of strength of the governments position but rather its nervousness. And this element of surprise was replaced by one of bewilderment when at the last weeks press conference she claimed that she had been misunderstood and that she did not have the Left-wing elements in the Congress at all in mind when she had asked the critics to quit the party as she did at the last meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on the eve of the closure of the Budget session. But in the eyes of the public, it was the Left-wing elements who have come to be regarded as the main critics of the governments policies.

Although the picture seems confusing from outside, careful observers in the Capital know who the Prime Minister has in mind when she lashes out every time against her critics. It is known, for instance, that more than once in recent weeks she, in private talks to a number of MPs as also to others in her confidence, has expressedannoyance with Sri Morarji Desais supporters for having actively taken up the cudgel against her government. This sense of worry was conveyed also to one of the Left-wing stalwarts inside the Congress Parlia-mentary Party.

Her contention appears to be that taking advantage of the difficulties facing the country, the Morarji group has been trying to discredit her Cabinet and thereby making it more difficult for it to tide over the present economic crisis. Secondly, she seems to be under the belief that Sri Desais followers have been using Leftist arguments even though such arguments do not tally with their own political convictions.

In this way Smt Gandhi seems to be rather obsessed about the Morarji lobby; and this approach is perhaps making it difficult for her to realise that the sharp criticisms against Sri Subramaniam and Sri Asoka Mehtas political line have evoked widespread spontaneous response all over the country and in circles which are normally regarded as a-political.

Although it is true that some of the prominent luminaries of the Morarji campSmt Tara-keshwari Sinha for instancehave been making the most out of the present climate of resentment against the distinctly pro-US slant in some of the major economic decisions of the government, hardly any responsible observer in the Capital would like to give the entire credit for the spontaneous chorus of disapproval against these policy decisions to Sri Morarji Desai and his circle. By no stretch of imagination can Sri Krishna Menons attacks be ascribed to any inspiration from Sri Morarji Desai. The Prime Minister will therefore be ill-advised to suspect every critic of the government policies as Morarjis supporter.

Such a lop-sided view of current develop-mentsreportedly doled out by some of the leading lights in her entouragecan in the long run prove disastrous both for the Prime Minister and her government, since this will lead to a tendency of equating every manifes-tation of mass discontent with the activities of her opponents inside her own party, thus giving them credit which really is not due to them.

Those who have been crusading in defence of Smt Gandhis position raise three sets of explanations on her behalf. First is that she has inherited most of the ailments for which she is being blamed most at the moment; the second is that the economic crisis has become so acutely intense that there is no way out except to bow to American pressure in order to secure aid, and what she has been desperately trying to do is to bow as decently as possible; and the last point is that what is happening in India today is but the usual working of the process of growth of capitalism and that those who have been getting distressed over these developments are really infantile since they have no idea of the enormity of capitalist exploitation.

The last argument is, strangely enough, raised both by the parlour socialists in the Prime Ministers camp as also by the extremist wing of the Left Communists. In fact, it provides an easy alibi for a programme of inaction, trying to make out that no amount of mass pressure or Left-wing criticism can halt the juggernaut of capitalism.

The theory of acute economic crisis being responsible for the slide-back in policies with regard to the West has carried little conviction, judging by its impact both in Parliament and the AICC. For one thing, the accentuation of the crisis with regard to food or foreign exchange does not warrant its over-publicisation since such a step can only worsen the situation. The manner in which the Food Minister has gone about magnifying the food deficit, and the Planning Minister enlarging the quantum of foreign aid in his Fourth Plan calculations, has only strengthened the suspicion that these have been done with almost cold-blooded deliberations to prepare the country for the induction of US wheat and dollar under conditions which were never before acceptable to the country. This way the line of resistance to the World Bank pressures has been sought to be undermined.

The remaining argument that the cross that Smt Gandhi has been forced to carry today has come to her only as a heirloom has been repeated by herself. The most conspicuous example of this was provided by Smt Gandhi who at her last press conference significantly gave out that the Indo-US Foundation had been agreed upon as early as March 1965, that is, a little before her predecessors projected visit to the USA which was unceremoniously called off by President Johnson.

There is no doubt of the fact that most of the major concessions to Washingtonaround which have been raging a stormy controversy todaywere initiated during Shastris Prime Minister-ship, a rather uncomfortable discovery for those who had been trying to boost the Lal Bahadur regime as being almost equal to that of Nehru.

Presumably to ward off this stigma from Shastris record, a new move is afoot in New Delhi to show that the idea of the Foundation had been first mooted as early as April 1964; in other words, Nehru himself should be blamed for having allowed it to come up. It is, however, to be noted that in April 1964 it was the US initiative that had led to the despatch of a noted American educationist to New Delhi to do some exploratory work to sell the Foundation project, and there is no proof of Nehru having in the least shown any interest in it. There is no gainsaying the fact that by far the major share of responsibility, if not its monopoly, for having agreed to the Foundation project has to fall on Shatris shoulder as the Prime Minister.

Incidentally, observers in the Capital are certain that Smt Gandhis disclosure of the date of birth of her Foundation would touch off a powerful demand both in Parliament and outside for the release of all Indo-US diplomatic exchanges on the project. If Nehru could be attacked for having kept Parliament in the dark about China building the Aksai Chin road, there is no reason why the same charge should not be levelled at the authorities for having secretly agreed to such a controversial deal behind the back of the entire nation.

With all the lavish protestations by the Prime Minister that there has been no deviation in policy, the biggest refutation of it comes from Sri S.K. Patils spectacular return to political eminence as demonstrated in the Bombay AICC. While there is a tendency in some quarters in the Capital to discuss Sri Patils victory in the contest for the Central Election Committee as a case of brilliant manipulation of the oars of power, that is, of group votes in the AICC, careful observers would prefer ascribing this Patil triumph mainly to the favourable current that prevails in the pro-US politics under the present dispensation.

While Smt Gandhi has not infrequently been complaining in private about the growth of Rightist forces as personified by Sri Morarji Desai, it has come as a surprise to many in the Capital that Sri Patil has throughout been in her good books, claiming to be an almost regular caller at the Prime Ministers residence.

More important is the fact that with Smt Gandhi taking upon herself the task of defending the pro-American bias of the Subramaniam-Asoka Mehta combine, there remains little ground for any political resistance to Sri Patils re-emergence in High Command politics, since it is he who can claim to be the architect of the pro-Washington strategy that is being pursued today by the Food and the Planning Ministers.

In Bombay, it was clear as daylight that Sri Patils main target was Sri K.D. Malaviya, and for that he could mobilise the Syndicate as a definite political crusade against the Left in the Congress. Against this, Sri Kamaraj did not hesitate to let it be known that he favoured Sri Malaviyas election, but Smt Gandhi was conspicuously silent: in fact, if she had taken the least interest in Sri Malaviya candidaturehalf of what she did for Sri D.P. Mishrathere is no doubt that Sri Malaviya would have been definitely elected.

It was not a mere case of personal preference; Sri Malaviyas inclusion in the Central Election Committee would have meant the restoration of the political balance between the Right and the Left that Nehru often tried to maintain at crucial junctures. Smt Gandhis failure to comprehend the political significance of the CEC contestas also her noticeable aloofness from Sri Kamaraj is interpreted in New Delhi circles as a measure of her inability to grasp the true character of Right-wings realpolitik in the Indian scene today.

In the bargain, it is the Left that suffers in the organisational set-up of the Congress, and the Right that profits by corroding the governments basic policies. It is time Smt Indira Gandhi realised that not by words alone but by rallying the forward-looking forces can she defend the great Nehru legacy in partnership with the millions of this great nation.

(New Delhi Skyline, Mainstream, May 28, 1966)
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Goebbelsian Doublespeak: B.R. Ambedkar and the RSS

by N. Sukumar

The model State, Gujarat, has long been considered the social laboratory for Hindutva. Jan Bremem1 has analysed the well-entrenched nature of the Hindutva movement and its predecessors in Gujarat, strongly opposed to communal harmony and to the design of society as a melting-pot of diverse and open-ended social segments. The mobilisation of low and intermediate castes to participate in the activities of the Sangh Parivar organisations in the last two decades has broadened the base of Hindu fundamentalism as a social-political force.

The price these previously denigrated segments have to pay for their acceptance within the Hindutva fold is their willingness to express antagonism to Muslims as members of the religious minority and, in brutal acts of confrontation, to do the dirty work of cleansing on behalf of their high-caste brothers and sisters. The dynamics of inclusion and exclusion are intricately interwoven.2 The battle for the hearts and minds of the Dalits has undergone a tectonic shiftfrom their physical labour to their cultural/religious subservience. One of the most revered icons of modern India, who sought to unravel the hegemony of religion and culture over the people, Babasaheb Ambedkar, has been given a makeover by the Hindutva spin doctors.

Deifying Ambedkar

The Panchajanya issue3 commences with a hyperbolic and effusive praise for Babasaheb, a great leader who sought to organise and strengthen society on the basis of social harmony; a foresighted leader who strived to mould his country to meet the future challenges; a patriot, in short a seer of his age. A lot of water has flowed down the Ganges since the appearance of Arun Shouries Worshipping False Gods4 wherein Ambedkar was vilified as a traitor, as a supporter of Pakistan etc. Now, Sri Guruji (Golwalkar) argues that after Buddha it is only Ambedkar who discoursed about social welfare and religious interests, to get rid of social evils. Indeed, Ambedkar is the true inheritor of Buddhas legacy and I heartily endorse his purity.5

The above mentioned journal quotes Ambedkar on various issues without giving any reference as to its authencity. A blanket claim is madethrough his various writings and speeches (no reference to volume or book), Ambedkar engaged with savarna Hindus. In one article (no source is cited) Ambedkar wrote that Hindu religion believed that every man is a microcosm of the divine and every man is entitled to dignity. However, savarna Hindus have ill-treated Dalits. If Dalits are maltreated then even God is displeased. On the contrary, Ambedkar was very conscious of the insidious operation of the Hindu religion. Hinduism is not interested in the common man. Hinduism is not interested in society as a whole. The centre of its interest lies in a class and its philosophy is concerned in sustaining and supporting the rights of that class. That is why in the philosophy of Hinduism, the interests of the common man as well as of society are denied, suppressed and sacrificed to the interest of this class of Superman.6

In yet another writing (again no source is cited), the same journal tries to put words in Ambedkars mouth. He pointed out that till Hindu society is organised, justice and humanity will not be worshipped and till then indepen-dence is incomplete. However, for Ambedkar, Hinduism is inimical to equality, antagonistic to liberty and opposed to fraternity.7 Inequality is the soul of Hinduism. The morality of Hinduism is only social. It is unmoral and inhuman to say the least.8 As mentioned by the journal, at a speech in Amaravati (again no source as to the date and occasion for the speech), Ambedkar argued that even Dalits have rights on Hindutva. In order to establish the Hindutva philosophy, Valmiki, Chokhamela, Rohidas etc. Dalits have contributed in great measure and numerous Dalits have sacrificed their lives to safeguard this philosophy. Hence, if Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas can enter temples, why cannot Dalits do so?9 In one of his abhangas, Chokhamela calls to God, Why have you given me this birth if you have to give me birth at all? You have erred in giving me this birth; you have been unkind.10 Chokhamela questioned his origins within the contours of the caste hierarchy (the bedrock of Hinduism) and this has been transformed into an advocate of Hindutva.

The attempt to falsify history is very evident in the above mentioned arguments. No distinction is made between Hinduism and Hindutva and both concepts are used as similes to one another. A linear trajectory is sought to be created between the Bhakti saints and Ambedkar, with scant regard for historical authenticity. The semiotics of deifying Ambedkar is apparent when the claim is made that the Indian Constitution is a new Manusmriti or even Bheemsmruti11 On December 25, 1927, Ambedkar burned the Manusmriti, a symbol of enslavement for a majority of the denizens of India.

Similarly, he considered any form of hero worship as detrimental to democracy, acquie-scing to the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interested in the maintenance of democracy, namely, not to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enable him to subvert their institutions. There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered life-long services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness. As has been well said by the Irish Patriot Daniel OConnell, no man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, no woman can be grateful at the cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty. This caution is far more necessary in the case of India than in the case of any other country. For in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.12 Its an anathema to ponder that Ambedkar would have even considered the Constitution as Bheemsmruti. This is nothing but giving a saffron spin to the nations secular ethos.

Peddling Falsehoods

Another RSS mouthpiece, Organiser, assimilates the value systems of Hinduism, Buddhism and Democracy into an indissoluble whole.13 For them, Buddhism is inseparable from Hinduism and along with democratic values, the trinity endeavour to establish righteousness.14 In the article Buddha and the Future of His Religion, Ambedkars perspective of a true religion consists of four characteristics: a) it must remain the governing principle in every society in the sense of morality; b) it must be in accord with reason which is merely another name for science if it is to function; c) its moral code must recognize the fundamental tenets of liberty, equality, and fraternity; and d) it must not sanctify or ennoble poverty. He said further that only Buddhism can satisfy all these tests, and it is the only religion the world can have.15 In a clever sleight of hand, the Organiser quotes Ambedkar on the four characteristics of religion but omits to mention the crucial conclusion.

The effort to saffronise Ambedkar is very palpable when it is claimed that Ambedkars fundamental thinking has always remained Bharatiya despite his critique of Hindu society in the name of religion.16 Its declared that he was a follower of Ram.17 His Riddles in Hinduism was first banned in Maharashtra (contrary to the claim that the text was kept in his cupboard till the last breath of his life).18 Rama holds no attractions for Ambedkar, for whom the most significant event in the Ramayana has to be Ramas decapitation of a Shudra for practising asceticism. Ambedkar calls this the worst crime that history has ever recorded.19

While toying with Ambedkars beliefs, the RSS ideologues have eschewed any historical veracity. In his work, Who Were the Shudras? How they came to be the Fourth Varna in Indo-Aryan Society, Ambedkar argues at length on the origins of Chaturvarna. However, for the Sangh Parivar scholars, caste crept into Indian society with the Islamic invaders. Very subtly, they not only lay the sin of introducing untouchability into India on Islam but also play up the fear of Hindu women being violated by the mlechha invaders.20

While expurgating Ambedkars ideas, the Organiser is also editing generously the political terminology espoused by Ambedkar. Their antagonism to the English language is well known as also the reluctance to use the term India; so the All India Schedule Castes Federation, founded by Ambedkar in April 1942, is transformed into the Bharatiya Scheduled Caste Federation. The conversion to Buddhism was not merely a challenge to the Hindu caste supremacy but Ambedkar provided a well-thought-out rationale for his act of conversion.21 The journal cooks up a novel myth that Ambedkar promised Gandhi that he would leave Hindu Dharma but would see to it that the least damage was done. When he embraced Buddhist faith in Deekshabhumi, Nagpur on October 1956, he said, I had kept my promise to Gandhiji.22 Neither in Gandhis writings nor in Ambedkars writings and speeches does one come across any such conversation.

Along with Ambedkar, the Organiser is also misquoting Gandhi23 on the question of untouchability. Apparently, Ambedkar believed that untouchability is inscribed on the Dalit body rather than a blot on Hinduism and we (untouchables) have to clean it. It means that we ourselves will have to fight this social slavery.24 The narrative gives the impression that Ambedkar was apologetic of the caste system rather than its fiercest critic. At one point he says that the Bhagvad Gita is my inspiration. He writes, Jai Bhavani on his newspaper. He was proud of calling himself a Hindu.25 If one were to go by the evidence, as reflected in Ambedkars own writings, the truth is diametrically opposite. Ambedkar affirmed on October 13, 1935, at Yeola in Nasik district: Unfortunately, I was born a Hindu untouchable. It was beyond my power to prevent that, but it is within my power to refuse to live under ignoble and humiliating conditions. I solemnly assure you that I will not die a Hindu.26

The Propaganda War

Once they succeeded in ending democracy and turning Germany into a one-party dictatorship, the Nazis orchestrated a massive propaganda campaign to win the loyalty and cooperation of the Germans. The Nazi Propaganda Ministry, directed by Dr. Joseph Goebbels, took control of all forms of communication in Germany: newspapers, magazines, books, public meetings, and rallies, art, music, movies, and radio. Viewpoints in any way threatening to Nazi beliefs or to the regime were censored or eliminated from all media.27 Being very astute students, the RSS is also traversing the same path. Its political front, the Bharatiya Janata Party is now the worlds largest political party with 8.8 crore members28. Gradually, all dissent is being stifled and landmark changes in the polity and society is being ushered in through ordinances, bypassing parliamentary debates.

One of the harshest critiques of the Hindu social order was Ambedkar who sought to transpose the caste society through legal, rational and constitutional norms. His followers have struggled to create an Enlightened India by interrogating the social, cultural, political and economic domains controlled by entrenched interests through political struggles, revolutionary poetry and prose, new iconography and symbols. The appropriation and deliberate misreading of Ambedkars life and vision will delegitimise his egalitarian ideas, demolish and demoralise the struggles to usher in justice and fraternity and lead to the continued enslavement of the marginalised groups. The subversive and deliberate gesture of misquoting Ambedkar reveals the lack of historical and scholarly authenticity in the intellectual projects of the RSS.

However, the Dalit-bahujan citizens would not accept any tampering with the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and would offer a befitting response.

Endnotes

1. Jan Bremen, Communal Upheaval as Resurgence of Social Darwinism, www.epw.org, accessed on 17/05/2014, 11.30 pm.

2. For Further details refer, Communalism as a Political Strategy, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/india0703/Gujarat-10.htm, accessed on 20/05/2014, 12.15 am.

3. Panchajanya, April 19, 2015, Bharat Prakashan, Delhi.

4. Arun Shourie, Worshipping False Gods: Ambedkar, and the Facts which Have Been Erased ASA Publications, 1997.

5. Ashok Modak, Bharat Bhumi ka Bhakt: Bharat Ratna,Panchajanya, op. cit., p. 21.

6. Ambedkars Writings and Speeches, Government of Maharashtra, Vol 3, 1998, p. 77.

7. Ambedkar, op. cit., Vol 3, p. 66.

8. Ambedkar, ibid., Vol 3, p. 87.

9. Panchajanya,op., cit., p. 22.

10. Eleanor Zelliot, Ambedkars World: The Making of Babasaheb and the Dalit Movement, Navayana, 2013, p. 54.

11. Suvarna Rawal, Two Stalwarts, Revisiting Ambedkar, (Collectors Edition), Organiser, April 2015, p. 58.

12. Friday, the 25th November, 1949, Constituent Assembly Of IndiaVolume Xi, http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol11p11.htm, accessed 16/4/2015, 9.45 pm.

13. Bhimrao Bhosale, Enlightened Thinker, Revisiting Ambedkar, Organiser (Collectors Edition) April 2015, p. 78.

14. Ibid., p. 77.

15. Ahir, D.C., Dr Ambedkars Pilgrimate to Buddhism in Dr. Ambedkar, Buddhism and Social Change. (ed. by A.K. Narain and D.C. Ahir), 1-16. Delhi, India: B.R. Publishing Corporation, 1994, p. 8.

16.Organiser,op. cit., p. 19.

17. Ibid., p. 19.

18. Ibid., p. 19.

19. Hinduism and Modernity, David Smith, John Wiley & Sons, 2008, p 197.

20. Organiser, p. 15.

21. Speech delivered by Dr Ambedkar to the Bombay Presidency Mahar Conference, May 31, 1936, Bombay. Translated from the Marathi by Vasant W. Moon. The typescript of the translation, with handwritten emendations, was presented by the translator to Eleanor Zelliot on January 25, 1988, and has been contributed by her for this website. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_salvation.html, accessed or 16/4/2015, 11.30 pm.

22. Organiser,op. cit., p. 58.

23. Organiser, p 15. For the exact quote, refer, M. K. Gandhi, Untouchability, Harijan, 11/2/1933, http://www.mkgandhi.org/journalist/untouchablity.htm, accessed on 16/4/2015, 11.45 pm.

24. Organiser, p. 15.

25. Ibid., p. 15.

26. Ambedkars Writings and Speeches, Government of Maharashtra, Vol 17, (111), 2002, p. 95.

27. Nazi Propaganda and Censorship, United States Holocaust Memorail Museum, Http://Www.Ushmm.Org/Outreach/En/Article.Php?Moduleid=10007677, Accessed 17/4/2015, 12.15 Am

28. With 8.8 Crore Members, the BJP is Now the Worlds Largest Party, http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/with-8-8-crore-members-bjp-is-now-the-worlds-largest-party-750679, Accessed 17/4/2015, 12.20 am.

Professor N. Sukumar belongs to the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Delhi University. He can be contacted at skn70@yahoo.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Right to Opium: Women, Holy Places and God

WOMENS WORLD

by Pradeep Nair, Navneet Sharma and K.B.S. Krishna

Karyeshu dasi, karaneshu manthri; bhojeshu mata, shayaneshu rambha; Roopeshu lakshmi, kshamayeshu dharitri; shat dharmayukta, kuladharma pathniNeetisara

(Works like slave, helps like minister, cooks like mother, beds like a consort, beautiful as goddess of wealth, is as bearing as the earth, carries hundred religious virtues, is the righteous familial wife.)

The above pearls of wisdom not only eulogise the idea of ideal woman but simultaneously places men at the centrefold of the very existence of women.

The physiology and psychology of women has always been shrouded in mystery as stated in the proverb: triya charitram, purushasya bhagyam, devo na janati kashchit manushya (womens character/trait/behaviour and mens destiny is unknown to god even, how the mortal man can fathom). In every mythological explanation of the genesis and origins of earth and humankind women have been portrayed as playing second fiddle to men and most of the time are depicted as secondary creations of the divine self. The women are not even, according to Hindu mythology, directly the atman as a part of parmatman. They have to approach god via men or it is better if they perceive man as god. The pati-parmeshwar idea succinctly expresses this. Women, moreover, are not entitled to swarg (Hindu-heaven) as they cannot pay back three rinas (debts), namely, Guru-rina,Matri-rina, and Pitra-rina, which, as per the scriptures, clears the path to heaven. Women and non-dwijas cannot seek education/knowledge, as it is in Samskrita (dev-vani  language of gods), and women were forbidden from learning the language. In fact, there were specific provisions in Manus constitution on how to punish women and non-dwijas who learn/hear Sanskrit whether inten-tionally or even by chance. Matri-rina/Pitra-rina (debt to mother and father) cannot be paid back as women again cannot perform the last rites (antim sanskara/shraddha) of their parents. At the best what a pious, chaste, and devoted woman can get is to be re-born as a dwija-man (Brahmin in particular) to seek salvation and heaven. Women across religions and mythologies are portrayed as sinful or satanic; it is even suggested in Christian mythology that every month they bleed (menstrual cycle) as punishment for not obeying god and persuading Adam to eat the forbidden apple. Across civilisations menstrual bleeding is treated with different and multiple taboosmost prominent being banned from worshipping gods, touching pickles, entering kitchen, seeing mirror, and prohibiting sexual intercourse. These taboos vary and are weird in many cases, and have given rise to numerous superstitions such as if a menstruating women makes papad, they all will turn red or if she touches a banana she will be impregnated. Moreover, people have started looking for scientific explanation of these taboos and construct and establish theoretical linkages to pre- and post-menstrual syndromes. The menstrual blood is considered not only impure but as having strange powers and is used for certain tantric rituals and hypnotism. Menst-ruating women (or for that matter women as a homogenous entity) are not allowed to enter temples or at least the sanctum-sanctorum of most of the religions across the world.

Women and Religion

Women have always been central to religion, and historically, they have played significant roles in religion. Nuns, in the Christian tradition, had huge power at certain times in history. They worked as independent groups without having clerical control. They have also played important roles in faith communities. But what we see today is male leaders, clergy and others having control over the religion and over womennotably in fundamentalist movements. In Britain, the Church of England denied the demand of women to have equal positions and leadership as bishops -as they have in the United States Episcopal Church. In Buddhist countries, from many decades bhikkhunies have been demanding equal status to monks. In Islamic countries, educated women who are interpreting the Quran are challenging men for leadership position. Hence, there is a struggle for power in religious places.

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre, religion is a significant part of womens lives. The study says that 80 per cent of women are religiously affiliated and they consider religion as an important part of their lives. But when it comes to their role in religion, they are mostly assigned the duty to teach children, maintain a godly household, refer to husband on familial and religious matters and maintain social and volunteer groups in places of worships. In Islam, they are active in politics and religious organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, but are still assigned the role of assisting their men in political and religious decisions and retain and care for familial assets. In Judaism, as far as female responsibilities are concerned, interestingly, less emphasis is laid on gender roles, as God is considered both male and female. However, women are expected to perform more intellectual tasks, while men take care of physical tasks. Same is the case with Buddhism. Although, women have defined responsibilities, scriptural presence and specified role in all religious realms, but equality and authority for women in religion is still a contested terrain.

In advanced civilisations, women are fighting for religious rights, but the older theories of the Church and other religious entities largely remain the same even today. Christianity down the ages has tried to sustain the concept of superior and inferior sex possessing different rights in Churches across the world, assigning different code of morals to men and women. Women are mostly viewed as a creation of god to serve men and they found excuses in the Bible for illicit conduct.

Simultaneously, in Hinduism, women were created by the Brahman as part of the duality in creation, to provide company to men and to facilitate procreation, progeny and continuation of family lineage. The Vedas suggest that a womans primary duty is to help her husband in performing obligatory duties and enable him to continue his family tradition. Her primary duty is to give birth to his children and take care of them. More or less, whether it is Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism, every religion is male-dominated to the core. where women always play a secondary role. All the religions had placed greater duties and responsibilities on the shoulders of men and exhorted women to help men perform those duties. In every religion, the religious ceremonies and sacrifices revolve around men, they are mostly performed by men for men, and if women were involved, it is for the welfare of men. In Hinduism, women cannot officiate in any Vedic ceremony. They can perform only domestic rituals such as puja or perform austerities, but the host of a sacrifice shall always be a male.

Women and Holy Places

While answering a question raised by the Bombay High Court on the rules barring women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah of 15th century Sufi saint Haji Ali, the trustees of the dargah said that entry of women in close proximity of the grave of a male Muslim saint is a grievous sin in Islam. The trustees further defended that Article 26 of Indian Constitution confers upon the Trust a funda-mental right to manage its religious affairs on its own. The Trust, which manages the shrine, argued that the ban on entry of women is meant to protect women from uncomfortable situations and is restricted only to the sanctum sanctorum. Such incidents happened earlier as well. In 2012, the authorities of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari banned women from entering the sanctum while giving the reason of appropriate clothing. Later on it was revealed that they were banned to protect the area from a potential dangerwomen can at any time have menstrual periods. For the same reason, the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabrimala bans girls and women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering the temple. Women are also not allowed to enter the Jain Temple, Renakpur because of the same old reason of menstruation.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiru-vananthapuram has an odd rule when it comes to women: the temple authorities permit women to pray but they are not permitted to enter the temple vault. Simultaneously, the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu monastery in AssamPatbausi Satrahad no written instructions or decisions not to allow women to enter the sanctum sanctorum, but it was the tradition practised from centuries that women dont come to the holy place. When in 2014, Assam Governor J.B. Patnaik took a group of women into the temple, they felt guilty due to the reactions of the locals. Indias largest mosque, the Jama Masjid, allows women, but only if they are accompanied by a male. Furthermore, they are not allowed to enter the mosque after the maghrib (evening) prayers.

Interestingly, in Lord Kartikeya temple in Pushkar, there is no official restriction regarding women entering the temple, but the temple mythology/legend has a story which warns them off: when Lord Kartikeya was doing meditation, Devraj Indra got jealous that Brahma might give him more power than himself, and sent some beautiful Apsaras to distract him. By this act, Kartikeya got angry and cursed that any woman who comes to this place in future will turn into stone. Now this story has become a belief and women dont enter this temple out of fear that they might be cursed instead of being blessed. While taking a serious note on the religious customs and temple-entry restric-tions, the Supreme Court of India said that no temple or governing body of holy places can bar a woman from entering the place as it is a serious violation of womens constitutional right and also the violation of Articles 14 (equality before law), 25 and 26 (freedom of religion) of the Indian Constitution. But serious efforts are still required to draft guidelines regarding gender inequality in religious practices at places of worship.

Mythologies: Practising Religion

Women are given a short shrift even in mytho-logybe it Occidental or Oriental. In Hindu mythology, the abandonment of Sita by Ram, and Damayanti by Nala in the forest are regularly considered as examples of renun-ciation and sacrifice on the part of the males, rather than instances of oppression of women. While Ram is worshipped as a god by Hindus, the Nishada king Nala is eulogised no less. However, it is the poor women abandoned in the forest who actually suffered for no fault of theirs. Similar is the case of Draupadi and Taramati: both were treated as property by their husbands; while Yuddhisthira waged and lost Draupadi in a game of dice, satyawadi Raja Harischandra sold his wife to the highest bidder as a slave to pay off a debt of honour.

Greek mythology, too, treats women in an equally shabby manner. The apple of discord given by Zeus to the three goddesses results in their behaving in a petty manner and they attempt to bribe Paris to win the fruit. This event culminates in the war between Greeks and Trojans. Such depiction of women as given to jealousy and desire shows them in a poor light. Furthermore, the portrayal of Helen as a frivolous woman who is seduced and taken away to Troy suggests the lack of respect that women are given in Greek mythology. The case of Eve being tempted by Satan to eat the fruit of knowledge, and how she later blackmailed Adam to taste it in Christian mythology, is yet another example of how women are portrayed as weak, not just physically but also psychologi-cally and morally. Women in mythology, hence, are regularly portrayed as negative sources of energy. However, it is undeniable that this is only in later additions to mythology.

The earliest depiction of woman in Hindu mythology is, for instance, as Shakti or the goddess of power. She is depicted as someone who is stronger than the gods, and more competent than them in her ability to destroy demons. She was considered as the hub of learning, strength, and wealth. Following closely on this is her portrayal as Prakrati, or nature. While man or Purusha was considered as one half of the universe, Prakrati was the other half. However, just as man had colonised wild nature through domestication and cultivation, Shakti also was considered to be too powerful and hence the gods deemed it necessary to subdue her. Hence, they divided her into Lakshmi, Parvati, and Saraswati, and shared the spoils amongst themselves.

This is uncannily similar to the manner in which Lilith is exterminated in Christian mythology. Lilith was first created by God in a manner similar to Adam, from the soil of the earth. However, the strength she possessed frightened even God. Hence, he destroyed her, and created a docile version called Eve from the rib of Adam.

What these tales bring to light is how women have always been suppressed by men. This oppression is a result of the fear of the Saidean other. This fear has led to the creation of women as ornamental, fragile, vulnerable, yet dangerous. This last portrayal of women seems paradoxical and strange, as the term dangerous suggests that women are depicted as strong. Sadly that is not the case, as even in such portrayals women are depicted as rather wily and vicious, and thus radiating negative energy. Examples of these are the depiction of women in mythology as Kamini or Succubus. Kamini or Mohini in Hindu mythology is not to be confused with Vishnus avatar, but as a femme fatale out to harm men in the world with her charm and guile. Kamini is depicted as the embodiment of lust, and considered as an evil form out to lead men to their doom. Succubus of Western mythology is a parallel creature that visits men in their dreams and sucks their life-blood leading to dissipation and eventual destruction.

Women: Multiple Positionalities

A frequent error made in the studies of women as discriminated against, vilified by, and subsequently oppressed by the other, that is, men, is to consider them as homogenous. Just as it is with men, women too belong to various groups and cannot be classified as a single entity. The identity of a woman is not restricted to her sex and gender, but is also based on her class, religion, region, race, caste and sexual orientation.

It is silly to assume that the Queen of England would face the same kind of problems or discrimination as an illiterate tribal girl living in the hinterlands of India. Of course, even the queen might have experienced certain restrictions on her activities and proclivities due to her gender; however, such impositions are hardly comparable to those faced by a woman who is discriminated against not only on the basis of her gender but also due to her class, caste, region, etc...

This has led to critics such as Frances Beal to come up with terms such as Double Jeopardy in their feminist studies. Beal coined this term to explain the kind of problems faced by women on the basis of their race along with gender, mainly African women; but this still ignores the vast divisions that exist in our world. Hence, the term Multiple Jeopardy, coined by Deborah King, suggests the numerous discriminations that a woman has to face in everyday world. Yes, it is true that men too face discrimination based on their economic class, their skin colour, the place where they live in, the kind of education they have, the gods that they worship, and the person they hope to love; but, women, in addition to such discrimination, have to live with the burden of being the other in a patriarchal world.

This discrimination is nothing new. Even in the mythologies hitherto mentioned, women have been classified. Hence, the treatment meted out to Sita is different from Surpanakha, Putana is distinguished from Yashoda, and Athena from Hera. While Sita is depicted as the epitome of feminine virtue, Surpanakha is portrayed in Ramayan as lustful and spiteful. Similarly, though Yashoda and Putana both nurture Krishna in Mahabharat, Yashoda is the loving foster-mother, while Putana is a demoness sent to kill the little baby with poisoned milk. The Greek goddesses, Athena and Hera, too are depicted likewise. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage, is regularly portrayed as just and helpful. On the other hand, Hera, the goddess of marriage, is depicted as petty and vengeful. In Christian mythology, the case of Eve and Lilith, as noted earlier, runs on parallel lines. Such classification of women is a convenient way for patriarchs to impose a code of conduct on women, coercing them to behave in a meek and obedient manner.

The current divisions are different, and are formed due to hegemony arising out of various factors such as caste, creed, race, class, etc. It is not only being simpleton but also irresponsible to ignore these divisions, and treat women as a homogenous entity. The Bhoomata brigade which steered the campaign for the entry of women into temples was nowhere and has no concerns about the issue of entry of Dalits into temples.

The very idea of religion and its institutiona-lised form is a piqued one for women. In religion you either follow the dictum or you are blasphemous. One cannot ask questions in religion. It is more of contradiction to ask a constitutional right from a religion. Religion and Constitution both are about the code of an individual and the social conduct whereby the former establishes hierarchy and the latter denigrates it. Even if one gets and achieves the constitutional right from a religion s/he is no more a religious one as being devoted and a devotee one should not question the lord and his incarnate agentsmen. One cannot ask for a 17th century right to liberty and equality from a religion which emerged and evolved aeons ago. Women cannot challenge the patriarchy which institutionalises itself by and via religion by asking entry into holy places but by rejecting them in totality; at least, till a machine is invented which can detect a Dalit woman from a non-Dalit woman, and/or a menstruating woman from others.

References

Beal, F.M. (1969), Black Womens Manifesto; Double Jeopardy: To be Black and Female, New York: Third World Womens Alliance.

Hargrove, B., Schmidt, J.M., and Davaney, S.G. (1985), Religion and the Changing Role of Women, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Religion in America Today, 480: 117-131.

King, D.K. (1988), Multiple Jeopardy, Multiple Consciousness: The Context of a Black Feminist Ideology,Signs, 14 (1):42-2. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Lefkowitz, M.R. (1985), Women in Greek Myth, The American Scholar, 54 (2): 207-219.

Pintchman, T. (2007), Womens Lives, Womens Rituals in the Hindu Tradition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Said, E.W. (1978), Orientalism, New York: Pantheon Books.

Pradeep Nair, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor and Dean, School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala.

Navneet Sharma, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, School of Education, Central University of Himachal Pradesh.

K.B.S. Krishna, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and European Languages, Central University of Himachal Pradesh.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > In Bengal the Election was Violent; in Kerala Modi made a Mistakea Bad (...)

IMPRESSIONS

A disturbingly turbulent election season has come to an end. It was characterised by campaigns that often broke the letter of the law, to say nothing of its spirit. Violence was its signature tune in West Bengal. Illegal flow of unaccounted money marked the campaigns in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Overall, it was an election that again exposed the manner in which democracy was losing its soul in India.

The polling process itself went off well, showing that the Election Commission continues to be efficient, a model for the world. The way T.N. Seshan mobilised the Commissions forgotten powers has proved lasting. But the political class has not shed its devious ways. It continues to employ every weapon in its arsenalfrom murder and mayhem to bribing and deception. This means that, despite the correctness of the polling/counting exercises, the outcome of the elections will not in any way improve the quality of our politics.

That the Election Commission chose to conduct polls in West Bengal in six phases over a month-and-a-half was a pointer to the inflammable nature of Bengali politics. The Commission secured the presence of one lakh security forces to ensure peaceful polling. The actual polling was indeed peaceful by West Bengals standards. But before and after polling, violence prevailed.

Assaults were prompted by two factorssheer anger against opponents and the desire to intimidate voters. Marauding goons kept warning villagers that if they did not vote for the ruling party, they would have hell to pay. The Commu-nists, veterans in the use of threat and intimi-dation, used the same tactics. This time the BJP fielded its gangs, too, trying to keep up with the others. Result: Continuous clashes across the State during the election weeks. Twelve killings were reported, which were twelve more than in the other States that went to polls. With that record, what does it matter who wins? For, whoever forms the government, the first priority will be settling of scores. Whichever party gains, Bengal will lose.

Tamil Nadu was perhaps the luckiest of the States because there the people were winning already irrespective of the fortunes of the parties. People were winning television sets, and jewellery, and cycles, and mixies, and scholarships and cash in a political race of competitive populism. Only Anpumani Ramdas decried the freebie culture, saying that it made people beggars, alcoholics and lazy. He had nothing to lose because he was going to be nowhere near his goal: Chief Ministership.

Kerala went into an unaccustomed spin this time because the set pattern of Congress-Communist monopoly was challenged by the BJP. This seemed a propitious moment for the outsider. Public disgust with the Congress-led coalition had reached unprecedented levels, largely because of the corruption scandals surrounding the Oommen Chandy Government. In the other camp, Pinarayi Vijayans dictatorial ways of enthroning himself as the Big Brother of the communist coalition alienated large numbers of people. The BJP was justified in thinking that it had the opportunity at last to open its account in the State Assembly. And it did!

But it suffered from a lack of credible local leaders. The available ones were constantly at war with one another, forcing Delhi to take decisions on its own. Delhi, true to form, was both unable and unwilling to understand local realities. So it made costly mistakes, like allying with the most discredited political pretender of the State, a toddy contractor-turned-leader of a section of the Ezhavas. But the biggest setback for the BJP came unexpectedly from its star campaigner, Narendra Modi.

He compared Kerala, of all places, with Somalia, of all places. BJP spokesmen later explained that the Prime Minister was only referring to the infant death rate among a section of Adivasis in Kerala. But even that offered no scope for comparison because Somalia was way down. The important thing is that people got the impression that Modi was comparing Kerala, Indias number one State in socio-cultural parameters, with a country that had collapsed into wretchedness on all counts.

The angry uproar that erupted would have prompted any electoral tactician to make amends quickly. Modi had a golden opportunity to do so when he addressed another rally a day later. But he said not a word about the Somalia faux pas. That added fuel to the anger of voters. The BJP did open its account this time in Kerala, but that was, in spite of Narendra Modi. What happened to the Modi who worked magic in the 2014 parliamentary election?
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Assam: Crafty Coalition of Conflicts

by Joydeep Biswas

The BJPs emphatic victory in Assam is not only the tale of two tall leaders, fallen apart, contrary to what the media would have us believe. This electoral spectacle is scripted by a complex social engineering whereby Assamese regionalism, ethnic assertion and Hindutva could be rallied successfully against the perception of a Muslim demographic invasion

Out of the four States and a tiny Union Territory which went to Assembly polls during April-May, only Assam appeared high on the possibility frontier for the BJP. In this traditio-nally Congress-dominated State, the BJP could be off-the-mark only in 1991 when it managed an encouraging number of ten Assembly seats riding on the back of the nation-wide polarisation over the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi controversy. Since then the party could never consolidate its organisational base in Assam till the last Assembly hustings. The total tally of the BJP in the five Assembly elections between 1991 and 2011 was a meagre 37 seats, and in between it could touch the double-digit mark only once in 2006.

But the 2014 Lok Sabha polls proved to be a watershed for the BJP in Assam much like on the national electoral map. Not only did the vote-share of the saffron party phenomenally shoot up to 36.5 per cent from a modest 11.47 per cent it had garnered in the 2011 Assembly polls, the ravaging Modi-wave was successful in bagging seven of the fourteen parliamentary constituencies in the State for the BJPs kitty. During the two-year-period from May 2014 to May 2016, interestingly enough, the BJP had more MPs from Assam than they had MLAs in the State Assembly!

HBS Factor

The third edition of the Congress-led government in Assam plunged into a serious crisis around midway through the term when the undeclared Number Two of the State Cabinet, Himanta Biswa Sharma, challenged the leadership of the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, his one-time mentor, on the ground of what the former called inefficiency and under-performance of the latter. What had initially looked like a manageable problem of intra-party dissidence, not unheard of in the Congress, reached its crescendo when this de facto Chief Minister of Assam failed to convince 10 Janpath in New Delhi that not the octogenarian at the helm, but a Himanta Biswa Sharma in his mid-forties would be required by Rahul Gandhi to install a Congress Government in the State for a record fourth time on the trot. The intransigence of the Congress High Command coupled with the recalcitrance of Tarun Gogoi and the obstinacy of Himanta Biswa Sharma culminated in the latter joining the BJP in the summer of 2015.

The mediaboth regional and nationalhad already been closely following the high-voltage dissidence drama in the State Congress. Having defected from the Congress, of which he had been a member of for more than two decades, Sharma picked Sonia-Rahul as his targets for political tirade in sync with the BJPs national vendetta against the dynastic politics of the Nehru-Gandhi family which instantly fit the media-bill as well. The Assam State BJP, under the new-fangled aura of Sharma, was witty enough to manufacture an Assamese version of the dynastic politics pointing to Tarun Gogois son, Gaurav, an MP from Kaliabor seat in central Assam. The media-savvy BJP was successful in cashing in on the individual popularity and charisma of Sharma throughout the campaign trail and till the two-phase polls on April 4 and 11. The historic win for the BJP on May 19 is being sought to be explained in a very reductio-nist manner. The over-simplistic explanation made available in the public domain is that the defeat of the Congress at the hands of the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance is solely because of the HBS factor. While the cutting-edge advantage of having a deft election-manager like Sharma in the strategy room of BJP can surely not be explained away, more objective analysis of the electoral victory for the alliance is visibly missing.

Stitching the Alliance

Initially, the poll pundits failed to find any psephological logic behind a purported pre-poll patch-up between an upbeat BJP and an off-colour AGP given the extreme form of existential crisis the latter as a political formation was facing on the day. Since 1996, the last time this regional party came to power in Guwahatis Janata Bhavan, the electoral prospect of the AGP had been steadily on the slide in the subsequent elections till 2011 in terms of both the number of seats won and the vote-share.

In 2011, the AGP could manage only 10 seats with a vote-share of 16.29 per cent in the Assembly elections. The partys worst ever performance was recorded in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in which it drew a blank with a paltry vote-share of 3.8 per cent. The obvious question then arose as to why the BJP, fresh from its brilliant performance in the 2014 general elections followed by another splendid display of electoral success in the 2015 civic polls, needed a morbid AGP to play the second fiddle in the Assembly hustings. Why couldnt the BJP dare to go alone to take on the one-and-a-half-decade of anti-incumbency of the Congress and Tarun Gogoi?

Neither the BJP State President, Sarbananda Sanowal, nor a sizeable section of the AGP top-leadership was convinced of the prospect of this tie-up. On this corridor of confusion stepped in Himanta Biswa Sharma. He provided the answer to the BJPs central leadership that such an alliance was indeed potent to reap political dividend. He could perhaps impress on Amit Shah and Ram Madhav that the raison detre of the BJP-AGP alliance lay not in electoral, but ideological logic. A robust BJP did not perhaps require the seats of the AGP to add to its tally in the fourteenth Assembly that much. What it urgently needed at that moment was a loud and clear message to the Assamese middle class that the BJP was very much with the Assamese regional nationalism, a force which has dominated the State politics in the post-colonial period.

The Bodoland Peoples Front, a political formation in the BTC area in western Assam, was born out of a protracted violent battle with the Indian state for a separate Statehood for the Bodos. This party, which represents the assertion of an ethnic identity even older than that of the Ahoms, was a coalition partner of the Congress Government in Assam. Himanta Biswa Sharma was instrumental in brokering the Congress-BPF seat adjustments on more than one occasion during 2001-2011. This time he made use of his old personal rapport with the BPF chief, Hagrama Mohilary, to bring this Bodo party on board for his new masters.

How it worked

Assam exhibits such a complex demography and conflicting sectarian interests that devising a win-win dispensation on an electoral agenda is always an uphill task for a political party. The Congress, by dint of its accommodative and inclusive policies, could manage to rule the State for a better part of the post-independence period. But for a pro-Hindutva brigade like the BJP it was never thought possible to win Assam on its own. With non-overlapping constituencies like Hindu Assamese, Hindu Bengali, Muslim Bengali and various tribal groupseach of which is capable of tweaking a verdict either waythe prime task of the BJP was to pick the friends and foes, and then to draw the battle-line accordingly. The standard strategy for the the BJP in the Hindi heartland works in consolidation of the Hindu votes across caste divides. This modus operandi was successful in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the 2014 parliamen-tary elections, but failed in the subsequent Bihar Assembly polls.

For Assam such a greater consolidation of the electorate in the name of Hindutva did not seem possible for the BJP given the demographic distribution and diverse cultural contexts of the State. Hence the party think-tank apparently took a detour by picking the foes first, and the friends later, by a method of simple subtraction. Immigration from across the Bangladesh border has always been a big issue in Assam politics. In fact, the genesis of the major alliance partner, the AGP, is found in the six-year long violent anti-foreigner agitation led by the All Assam Students Union in the eighties. This regional outfit was born after the signing in 1985 of the Assam Accord which declared the post-1971 Bengali migrants foreigners in Assam. The AASU leader, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, went on to become a two-time Chief Minister of Assam during the AGP rule in 1985-1991 and 1996-2001.

The foreigners question in Assam has a linguistic angle. The Assamese nationalism has always considered both Hindu and Muslim Bengali equally qualified to be branded as foreigners in Assam, and their existence on the States soil has been construed as detrimental to the cultural, linguistic, economic and political interests of the local Assamese and tribal groups. But the BJP, under the RSS diktat, was compelled to infuse a religious dimension to the immigrants issue. Two Central notifications from the MHA dated September 7, 2015 incorporating suitable changes to the relevant provisions contained in the Foreigners Order 1948 and the Passport (Entry into India) Rules 1950, allowed the non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh (and also from Pakistan), who came to India upto December 31, 2014, to stay back in India. This effectively meant that the BJP was not in favour of deporting the Hindu Bengali migrants from Assam.

The BJP had to do it because of two reasons. One, as a policy, the RSS considers India as the natural refuge for the persecuted Hindus from all over the world. Two, for sheer electoral expediency, the Hindu Bengali voterswho constitute a decisive chunk in more than twentyfive Assembly segments in the Statewere given such a legal safeguard as a quid pro quo for their unstinted support to the BJP since 1991. But such an arrangement did not expectedly produce Pareto-optimum state as the move irked the votaries of Assamese chauvinist sentiments like the AASU and AGP. Here came the master-stroke from the BJP back-office. They successfully persuaded the AASU to withdraw the petition it had filed in the Supreme Court challenging the September 7 Central notifications regularising the stay of the Hindu Bengali migrants in Assam. In the bargain, however, the BJP sharpened its attack on the Muslim migrants, ostensibly to nurse the bruised Assamese emotion.

But the strategy worked wonders in the BTC area as well which saw brutal anti-Muslim pogrom on numerous occasions in the last decade. The Bodo ethnic identity also found a common enemy in the Muslim neighbours. The entire campaign language was craftily drafted in such a manner that the resulting sharp religious polarisation could push the Congress in a cul-de-sac. The Battle of Saraighat of 1671 was used as an allegory to foment the theory of Muslim invasion. The 2016 Assembly poll was named as the LastBattleofSaraighat so that the indigenous Assamese and tribals could be pitted against the invaders (read the Muslim settlers) for electoral vengeance. The retaliatory gesture from the AIUDF, which claims to represent the rights and interests of the migrant Bengali Muslim in Assam, added grist to the Hindutva mill. The end-result was the worst possible for the Congress. Already suffering from anti-incumbency of fifteen years and a defection of ten MLAs including Himanta Biswa Sharma from its fold on the eve of a crucial election, the Congress leadership, both in Delhi and Dispur, appeared just clueless as to how to hold on to its secular vote-bank. This century-old party had run dry of any counter-narrative to this smart social engineering by the BJP.

Joydeep Biswas, an Associate Professor of Economics in Cachar College, is a scholar with the Department of Political Science in the Assam (Central) University. He can be contacted at joydbiswas@gmail.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > The Bengal Verdict: Challenges and Opportunities for Mamata (...)

by Purusottam Bhattacharya

Contrary to all speculations and a certain degree of wishful thinking on the part of her opponents, Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamul Congress have created an electoral record in the annals of Bengal politics by winning 211 seats for the TMC alone in an Assembly which has a strength of 294. The alliance of the Congress and Left Front secured only 77 seats and the BJP increased its tally from one to three.

The TMCs numbers are a record in the sense that no single party managed to win so many seats on its own since the elections of 1972 which was vitiated by charges of electoral fraud of all kinds (the current elections have been described by a leading Bengali daily as the freest in 50 years). The TMC has got the support of nearly 45 per cent of the electorate while the Left Front received only 25.9 per cent, the Congress 12.3 per cent and the Bharatiya Janata Party 10.2 per cent of the votes cast. Again, in terms of the percentage of votes polled, the TMC has created a record as no single party received such a high percentage of votes on its own in recent memory. The Left Front managed to reach a higher figure during its 34-year rule several times, but only as a combine. The CPM by itself never reached such a figure.

So what explains the scale of such a triumph for the TMC and Mamata Banerjee personally? A lot has already been written by political analysts of all hues since the election results were declared on May 19. What is clear by all accounts is that in spite of the barrage of negative publicity mounted by her political opponents and a section of the media it was the sheer will power, energy, dogmatic determi-nation and last, but not the least, her tremendous charisma and popular appeal that carried Mamata Banerjee to this record-breaking election triumph. As one paper put it, if there was one explanation it was Mamata Banerjee alone who scripted this grand success of the TMC. When the various charges of corruption, syndicate raj and adoption of high-handedness were mounting against the TMC during the weeks preceding the elections, held in seven phases over a period of one whole month, Mamata, in sheer desperation, appealed to the voters that they should treat the elections as a referendum on her personal honesty, integrity and credibility and that they should vote for her as if she was the candidate in all the 294 seats by herself. Incredible as it might sound, the election results bear out the cold fact that the electorate responded in overwhelming numbers to that clarion call by Mamata disregarding some very damaging television footages showing some of her trusted lieutenants in compromising positions of accepting cash beamed repeatedly on television screens throughout the State and the country during the run-up to the polls. The matter is now before the Calcutta High Court and the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee and the veracity of the footages is yet to be established.

However, the personal appeal and charisma of Mamata Banerjee alone does not fully explain the magnitude of her victory. There is no doubt that if Mamatas electoral success in 2011 when she ousted the Left Front from power was essentially a negative verdict against the 34- year Left Front rule, this time she has ridden some of the positive achievements of her government during the last five years, much touted by the Chief Minister herself and her publicity machine and much derided by her political opponents as well as an influential segment of the electronic and print media. There is no question that a large, possibly a majority, segment of the rural population have been hugely benefited by many of the welfare schemes introduced by the TMC Government such as kanyashri (Rs 25,000 to girl students for continuing their education), sabuj sathi (free bycycles to girl students in rural areas), rice at Rs 2 a kilo for the rural poor, a perceptible improvement in the rural as well as urban infrastructure like roads and electricity gene-ration and distribution, free medicines at speci-fied medical stores in government-run hospitals and the like. Many questions were raised about the actual credibility of these schemes, mainly by the Opposition parties and an influential section of the media. However, the veracity of these claims has received the positive impri-matur of the electorate which is clear from the electoral verdict.

It has been argued by many analysts that the formation of the electoral alliance between the Left Front and Congress only a few weeks before the elections did not go down well with many voters in the State; that the alliance was seen as opportunistic and formed only with a single agendaremoval of Mamata and the TMC Government. There is much strength in this argument. Notwithstanding the arguments favouring such an alliance between two politically and ideologically antagonistic forces (that the Mamata Government has unleashed a reign of terror where no one starting from her political opponents to women and others opposed to her rule were safe and that it was a save Bengal platform), it should have been formed much earlier based on a common agenda for governance and emphasising the areas where the alliance thought the Mamata Government had gone wrong and promising to rectify such omissions if a government for the alliance came to power. That would have been a much more positive approach to the elections rather than relying on the barrage of negative campaigning against Mamata and her government. There is still doubt if even such a campaign would have opened the doors of Nabanna (the Secretariat of the West Bengal Government) to an alliance government given the level of popularity enjoyed by Mamata as already analysed above. However, there was a possibility that some voters disenchanted with the TMC would have voted for either the Congress or the Left Front if they had contested the polls independently. A post mortem and a blame game has already started between the Congress and LF with the latter suggesting that while the LF voters voted for the Congress candidates where they were in the fray, the Congress voters did not vote for the LF candidates where they were in the fray. On the face of it, it might seem logical to assume that many Congress voters could not bring themselves to support LF candidates when their memories went back to the days of the LF in power when the principal adversary of the LF was the Congress and many Congress activists were persecuted by the LF, especially the CPM, cadres. The alliance also found it difficult to explain satisfactorily how they reconciled with the contradiction that while in Bengal they were in alliance they were the principal adver-saries in Kerala which also went to the polls simultaneously.

As things stand, the TMC (read Mamata Banerjee for she has once again proved beyond any shadow of doubt that the TMC is synony-mous with her) is assured of an almost unbridled reign of power for the next five years with all Opposition (Congress, LF and BJP) virtually decimated in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The question arises: would such a brute majority in the Assembly and the huge popular support base throughout the State inject a degree of humility and self-introspection in Mamata as the leader and the TMC as the ruling party? Seasoned watchers of Indian politics over decades are fully conversant with the phenomenon that once they win power Indian politicians begin to behave like feudal satraps paying only lip-service to democracy and the rule of the law. While this is not a space to start a discussion on this much-debated issue, it may be worthwhile to remember that Bengal is also not immune to this much- witnessed democratic disease. Even the highly respected Bidhan Chandra Roy, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, was often accused of high-handedness though his stewardship of the State during the 14 years he was at the helm still remains, to many, the golden years of West Bengal since independence. So the moot point is that, armed with such power reinforced by the massive electoral mandate, would Mamata Banerjee give greater space to dissent and develop a modicum of tolerance towards her defeated adversaries and critics rather than taking shelter behind conspiracy theories and so-called slander-mongering allegedly being indulged in by her opponents? She really has nothing more to fear from her political opponents as the road for the next five years remains pretty smooth except for a few caveats.

However, the reality is that the Chief Minister is virtually unrepentant on everything she and her party have done or said in the past five years. She declared point-blank that there is no corruption either in her party or government and therefore no action is necessary. She is on course in reversing all the transfers at the administrative level enacted by the Election Commission to conduct a free and fair poll. The attacks on Opposition party activists and sympathisers, which started even before the poll (and which has been a feature of the rule of the TMC Government during the past five years) and persisted when the poll process was on, have increased in intensity since the elections ended on May 5 and the declaration of results on May 19. Mamata Banerjee appealed for peace at the post-declaration press conference she held on May 19. However, the violence continues unabated and there is no perceptible attempt on the part of the government and administration to stop the mayhem.

So the new government needs to demonstrate that it is keen on starting the next term on a clean slate by showing greater tolerance to dissent, upholding the rule of law, especially when it comes to allegations of police inaction with regard to crimes against women, indul-gence of unlawful and undemocratic practices by ruling party activists and sympathisers. This is not to say that the activists of the Oppo-sition parties are entirely without any fault in this regard. However, as the largest political force, a great deal of the onus rests with the ruling party and it can be said with confidence that if a climate of healthy politics free from violence and intimidation is created at the instance of Mamata Banerjee, Bengal will be the beneficiary generating greater confidence among the business community to come forward with new proposals for investment in the State which will be the harbinger of change on all the fronts, political, economic, social and commercial.

The Chief Minister has all the options wide open for an all-round regeneration of Bengal which she wants to turn into the Number One State in India. That can only happen when there is peace and security in the State and all sections of the society feel that the gover-nment is working for everybody irrespective of any political colour. The crying need of the State is generation of jobs for the youth, many of whom have to move to other States or even abroad in search of jobs and livelihood. The TMC Government has done well in promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as self-employment. However, jobs on a bigger scale can only be created by bringing in large entrepreneurs in manufacturing as well as service industries in which West Bengal lags behind States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and a few other advanced States of India. The huge debt burden of Rs 3088 billion as of March 2016which rose from Rs 2000 billion in 2011 will be a gargantuan challenge for Mamata. The TMC Government has always blamedand rightly sothe Left Front Government for leaving it with this unresolved debt when it first assumed power. Since then both the governments of Dr Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi have failed to offer a solution acceptable to the State as well as the Centre. The matter is riddled with enormous technical complications and repeated pleas of Mamata to the Centre for a moratorium on the interest payments have drawn a curt response on the ground that if it was granted to West Bengal, it would create a precedent and other debt-stressed States would also clamour for a similar treatment.

The 2016 elections have been a milestone in Bengal politics. While it has empowered the TMC and Mamata Banerjee with the largest majority for a single party in recent history, the challenges for the incoming government are also aplenty. It now remains to be seen how the most iconic and powerful woman leader that West Bengal has thrown up since independence can turn these challenges into opportunities to carve out a niche not only for herself and her party but also for the State of West Bengal.

Former Professor of International Relations and erstwhile Director, School of International Relations and Strategie Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, Dr Purusottam Bhattacharya is currently a Visiting Professor of Political Science, Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Our Chabahar: Where fantasy ends and reality begins

Addressing Pakistani think-tankers and the strategic community in Islamabad on May 27, Irans ambassador Mehdi Honerdoost disclosed that:

Chabahar was first offered to Pakistan and China (before India came into the picture) but they were disinterestedand the offer is still open.

Chabahar is not a rival to Gwadar; on the contrary, Iran sees advantages of a link-up between the two ports that are separated by only 70 kms.

The (Chabahar) deal is not finished. We (Iran) are waiting for new members. Pakistan, our brotherly neighbour, and China, a great partner of the Iranians and a good friend of Pakistan, are both welcome.

We are ready for any rapprochement between regional countries which directly impact the interests of the people of our countries. Trade and business is business, and politics is politics. We should separate them.

The above remarks become a reality check on the virtues of pragmatism in economic diplomacy. (Dawn)

This is not to decry Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit to Iran. Without doubt, of all the 25 visits abroad Modi undertook so far, the recent one to Tehran was the most productive. The calibration was commendable, toono grandstanding, very focused and ultimately productive and satisfying. The fact that the PM took with him Nitin Gadkari, one of the two or three dynamic Cabinet colleagues in his lacklustre government, underlined forcefully that this time around he meant business.

The fragility of the Indian-Iranian relation-ship was always that civilisational affinities and strategic congruence on regional security issues aside, it was an airy partnership bereft of content other than the oil trade. No strategic partnership can survive on love and fresh air. Thus, compared to the halcyon days in the nineties when there was the shared antipathy toward Pakistan, the atrophy of the relationship was almost inevitable with the American intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 and the commencement of the (tragi-comic) US-Indian dalliance in the Hindu Kush.

Iran is endowed with vast resources and is potentially a very rich country amassing much surplus of capital. And, of course, we are now dealing with an altogether new Iran, which is free from UN sanctions and is raring to integrate with the world market.

The highlight of Modis visit was the signing of the documents relating to development of the Chabahar Port with an Indian investment of $ 500 million. Chabahar could offer India a gateway to access the Afghan border up north (once a railway line is completed in the hinterland). Chabahar can also be used to evacuate Irans natural gas to India either through an undersea pipeline or as liquefied gas. So far so good.

However, the Iranians probably feel embarrassed that Indians could make crude propaganda stuff out of their Prime Ministers visit to a friendly country, simply to balance the score-card with Pakistan on the famous spy affair involving Kulbhushan Yadav (who apparently operated out of Chabahar).

The plain-speaking by the Iranian envoy in Islamabad ought to give food for thought. Tehran and Islamabad are working hard on improving their troubled relationship. Pakistan kept distance from the Saudi-led proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, and its cooperation is needed for ending the cross-border terrorism by Wahhabi terror groups destabilising Irans eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province. Today, Irans policies toward Afghanistan are not Taliban-centric; Iran does not vie with Pakistan for influence in Kabul.

Most important, Iran is keen to tap into Chinas Silk Road projects in Pakistan. One major project could be the extension of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor leading to Chinas Xinjiang province.

Thus, it is easy to understand what Irans motivations are in developing the Chabahar Port:

One, Sistan-Baluchistan province is a backward region, which also happens to be Sunni-dominated, where Wahhabbi terror groups supported by Saudi Arabia have been operating from across the Pakistani border. Certainly, economic development of the region is a priority.

Two, Iran needs foreign investments in a big wayand from all available sources.

Three, infrastructure development is a top priority for Tehran and Iran is conscious of its geography offering scope to emerge as a regional economic hub.

Four, Iran is conscious of Indias rapidly growing market and Chabahar enjoys proximity to Kandla and Mumbai ports.

Finally, Iran sees long-term advantages in getting India involved in a big way in its economy as an investor, builder and end-user alike.

We will do well to factor in that China could turn out to be a principal user of Chabahar. In a down-to-earth commentary on May 27, the Chinese Communist Party tabloid, Global Times, pointed out that this is not a zero sum game, and commended India for contributing to regional connectivity.

Indeed, Chinese factories in Xinjiang and Central Asia will seek to export their products to the Indian market via Chabaharin which case, Chabahar could eventually end up as a splendid pearl in the necklace of Chinas One Belt One Road.

Clearly, the time is overdue for India to take a realistic view of regional connectivity instead of hiding its head in the sand. The Chinese caravan is on a roll in our region. We cant stop it. The sensible thing is to climb on board and see how far we can use it to our advantage.

For a start, Modi should take away the compass from the hands of the finicky South Block mandarins twiddling with it, and set sail himself on a journey of discovery on Chinas Silk Road. Read a Chinese commentary last week, here, on how Ranil Wickremesinghes Sri Lanka is a step ahead of us, the regime change in Colombo and our best efforts to be the spoiler notwithstanding.

Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including Indias ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001).
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Gulbarg Judgment and Khadse Affair

EDITORIAL

As we go to press, two issues have come to prominence.

A special court today convicted 24 persons while acquitting 36 people in the Gulbarg Society massacre in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. Former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was among those killed in that incident. As for the remaining 13 persons, they have been convicted for rioting and on other charges but not murder.

The sentences for those convicted are to be pronounced by the court on June 6. What is significant is that the court has ruled that the massacre was not the consequence of a pre-planned conspiracy, a point repeatedly underscored by activists like Teesta Setalvad indefatigably fighting for justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat carnage including those who perished in the Gulbarg Society massacre.

It is also noteworthy that BJP councilor Bipin Patel and former police inspector K.G. Erda, whose names were added as accused in the case by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Apex Court to reinvestigate the nine most crucial cases of the Gujarat happenings, were among those acquitted.

Reacting to the verdict Zakia Jafri, wife of Ehsan Jafri, said she would continue to fight for justice as many accused have been acquitted by the court.

No I am not satisfied with the verdict. I did not like it. All should have been given punishment for what they did and what they did not. I know it all and as I have seen the massacre, I expected all to be convicted... how they killed people, how they made them homeless, I saw it myself.

And Teesta Setalvad informed that we will study the judgment in depth and thereafter appeal to a higher court. She said she was convinced this is a case of criminal conspiracy.

Interestingly, the SIT, appointed by the Supreme Court in 2009, had submitted that the massacre was a pre-planned conspiracy as the rioters had targeted the minority-dominated housing society in the area. This was contested and refuted by the lawyers appearing for the accused.

As for the second issue, after Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis meetings with the PM and BJP President today in New Delhi, the former said the BJP will decide appropriate action with regard to the States Revenue Minister, Eknath Khadse.

Khadse is under fire not only from the BJPs political opponents but also its ally, the Shiv Sena, over several charges of corruption, notably the alleged impropriety over purchase of a land belonging to the government-owned MIDC at Pune at a throwaway price.

Fadnavis statement has given rise to the speculation that Khadse is on his way out, perhaps in a couple of days. Observers of the Maharashtra political scene point out that Khadse being senior to Fadnavis, the CM was not prepared to take action against him keeping the national figures in the partys central leadership in the dark. Hence his trip to the Capital.

Nevertheless, even if action is belatedly taken against Khadse, the latters activities and his defiant continuance in power have only exposed the hollowness of Narendra Modis tall claim that the ruling party is immune to any form of corruption unlike its predecessor in office.

June 2 S.C.
"THE Alliance" forged by six of the worlds largest multi-services shipping companies would challenge the dominance of global giants such as Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (2M).

The new partnership, is an expanded alliance of G6 and CKYHE, is expected to revolutionize the maritime industry in the next five years and beyond. THE Alliance is expected to add a seventh member due to ongoing merger discussions between Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Company.

The carriers involved in THE Alliance - Hanjin, Hapag-Lloyd, KLine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Yang Ming - said that the binding agreement is scheduled to be implemented in April 2017 subject to approval of all relevant authority.

Industry commentators were quick to note that the large number of carriers in THE Alliance, would make cooperation highly complex.

The move, they said, will build one of the leading networks in the container shipping industry combining approximately 3.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) which reaches 18 percent share of the global container fleet capacity.

All six partners operate advanced and competitive fleets with a total of more than 620 ships, which will be the basis of a dedicated fleet deployed into the groups future service portfolio. THE Alliance will boost a total carrying capacity of more than 4m teu.

The new grouping closes a circle of new partnerships that will dominate the movement of global cargo over the coming years. It is subject to regulatory approvals by U.S., Chinese and European maritime watchdogs.
Britain on Monday proposed expanding a United Nations Security Council mandate for a European naval operation to allow it to crack down on arms smuggling in the high seas off war-torn Libya, though Russia voiced concerns about the idea.

Britain circulated a draft resolution to approve the measure to the 15-member council, diplomats said. In October, the council authorized the European naval operation to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers.

"Now once again, we are asking this council to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told the council.

"I can only hope that this council will once again do the right thing and help us make the Mediterranean a safer place for everyone," she said.

The U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Libya in 2011 when former leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Libya's government is allowed to import arms with approval of the council's sanctions committee.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that Moscow was not opposed to allowing the European naval operation to search vessels for illicit weapons but that "we need to be very careful about it."

"Everything must be done in a way which does not create any suspicions among any of the Libyan parties," Churkin told reporters.

The fall of Gaddafi in 2011 sparked chaos with two competing governments backed by militias scrambling for control of the oil-producing country. A power vacuum has allowed Islamic State militants to gain a foothold.

A U.N.-backed unity government formed earlier this year is seen by western states as the best hope for uniting Libya's many political factions.

Churkin said he valued the work done by the EU's Operation Sophia to save the lives of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, but noted that this year more people had drowned than in the same period last year.

"The legitimate question arises - how suitable is it in this situation to broaden the mandate of the Sophia operation with additional, while important, oversight functions over the illegal flows of weapons?" he asked the council.

This year nearly 50,000 migrants have arrived in Italy from North Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration, while some 2,000 have died trying.







(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Tom Brown)


The member national shipowners' associations of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have agreed to commence a co-ordinated campaign aimed at European Union (EU) institutions, including Member States, Parliament and the European Commission.



The goal is to persuade the EU of the vital necessity of aligning its unilateral regulation on the monitoring of shipping's CO2 emissions with the mandatory worldwide CO2 reporting regime that has been agreed by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).



In addition to working closely with the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), ICS says it intends to enlist the support of non-EU governments including the United States, China and other Asian nations.



Speaking after the ICS AGM in Tokyo last week, the (newly elected) ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson, explained, Shipping is a global industry requiring global rules, in order to have a truly level playing field otherwise we have chaos. ICS members greatly welcome the IMO CO2 reporting regime that was unanimously agreed by all IMO Member States in April, as a precursor to further measures that will hopefully deliver a serious contribution from shipping towards reducing the world's CO2 emissions.



Mr Poulsson continued, "While ICS fully supports the mandatory IMO data collection mechanism, many non-EU governments initially had some reservations which were only overcome by the industry arguing that the alternative to IMO making progress would be a unilateral regional regime being imposed by the EU. The EU needs to live up to its side of the bargain and align its regime with the IMO system that's now been agreed by the entire international community.



The EU Regulation on the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of ships' CO2 emissions was adopted in 2015 and will be fully implemented in three years time. But all ships trading to Europe, including non-EU flag ships, will be legally required to comply with some of its provisions by as early as 2017.



Significantly, however, the EU Regulation contains a provision to the effect that the European Commission can propose adjustments to ensure alignment with any similar regime adopted by Mr Poulsson added," It is vital that the Commission now commits to the task of modifying its regime to make it compatible with the global system which is about to be adopted by IMO. Quite frankly, the regional verification mechanism being developed by the EU will not be compatible with the way in which the IMO regime will be enforced by maritime flag states. It's therefore going to be completely unfit for purpose. We also suspect that many non-EU shipping nations will be strongly opposed to their ships being required to submit commercially sensitive information for publication by the Commission, at variance to what has been agreed at IMO.



Mr Poulsson stressed, The key thing that really concerns the shipping industry is that if the EU refuses to realign its regime with IMO, as its own Regulation permits it to do, this will be perceived by other governments as a sign of bad faith, which could then potentially inhibit the consideration of any additional CO2 reduction measures by IMO.



ICS says it is deeply committed to supporting the development of further CO2 reduction measures by IMO, on top of the mandatory IMO CO2 reduction regulations which have been in force worldwide since 2013.



Immediately after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, in December last year, ICS proposed that IMO should develop an 'Intended IMO Determined Contribution' to reduce CO2  a suggestion that will be discussed further by the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in October 2016.



Mr Poulsson commented, The international shipping sector has cut its total CO2 emissions by around 10 per cent since 2007, despite increased maritime trade. With oil prices having risen some 80% since January, this reinforces how it is truly in every shipowner's interest to do everything possible to further reduce fuel consumption and thus cut CO2.Further measures at IMO will help the industry deliver this. So the last thing we want is intransigence from EU climate change officials that will seriously frustrate and complicate this IMO process, which is what we fear will happen if the EU refuses to do what it promised to do.Its worth reiterating, yet again, the industry's strongly held view that as a global industry we need a global framework. Only IMO is equipped to provide this.
The member national shipowners' associations of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have agreed to commence a coordinated campaign aimed at European Union (EU) institutions, including Member States, Parliament and the European Commission.

The goal is to persuade the EU of the vital necessity of aligning its unilateral regulation on the monitoring of shipping's CO2 emissions with the mandatory worldwide CO2 reporting regime that has been agreed by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).

In addition to working closely with the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), ICS says it intends to enlist the support of non-EU governments including the United States, China and other Asian nations.

Speaking after the ICS AGM in Tokyo last week, the (newly elected) ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson, explained, Shipping is a global industry requiring global rules, in order to have a truly level playing field  otherwise we have chaos. ICS members greatly welcome the IMO CO2 reporting regime that was unanimously agreed by all IMO Member States in April, as a precursor to further measures that will hopefully deliver a serious contribution from shipping towards reducing the world's CO2 emissions.

Poulsson continued, While ICS fully supports the mandatory IMO data collection mechanism, many non-EU governments initially had some reservations which were only overcome by the industry arguing that the alternative to IMO making progress would be a unilateral regional regime being imposed by the EU. The EU needs to live up to its side of the bargain and align its regime with the IMO system that's now been agreed by the entire international community.

The EU Regulation on the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of ships' CO2 emissions was adopted in 2015 and will be fully implemented in three years time. But all ships trading to Europe, including non-EU flag ships, will be legally required to comply with some of its provisions by as early as 2017.

Significantly, however, the EU Regulation contains a provision to the effect that the European Commission can propose adjustments to ensure alignment with any similar regime adopted by IMO.

Poulsson added, It is vital that the Commission now commits to the task of modifying its regime to make it compatible with the global system which is about to be adopted by IMO. Quite frankly, the regional verification mechanism being developed by the EU will not be compatible with the way in which the IMO regime will be enforced by maritime flag states. It's therefore going to be completely unfit for purpose. We also suspect that many non-EU shipping nations will be strongly opposed to their ships being required to submit commercially sensitive information for publication by the Commission, at variance to what has been agreed at IMO.

Poulsson stressed, The key thing that really concerns the shipping industry is that if the EU refuses to realign its regime with IMO, as its own Regulation permits it to do, this will be perceived by other governments as a sign of bad faith, which could then potentially inhibit the consideration of any additional CO2 reduction measures by IMO.

ICS says it is deeply committed to supporting the development of further CO2 reduction measures by IMO, on top of the mandatory IMO CO2 reduction regulations which have been in force worldwide since 2013.

Immediately after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, in December last year, ICS proposed that IMO should develop an 'Intended IMO Determined Contribution' to reduce CO2  a suggestion that will be discussed further by the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in October 2016.

Poulsson commented, The international shipping sector has cut its total CO2 emissions by around 10 per cent since 2007, despite increased maritime trade. With oil prices having risen some 80 percent since January, this reinforces how it is truly in every shipowner's interest to do everything possible to further reduce fuel consumption and thus cut CO2.

Further measures at IMO will help the industry deliver this. So the last thing we want is intransigence from EU climate change officials that will seriously frustrate and complicate this IMO process, which is what we fear will happen if the EU refuses to do what it promised to do.

Its worth reiterating, yet again, the industry's strongly held view that as a global industry we need a global framework. Only IMO is equipped to provide this.
1850 - The brig USS Perry, commanded by Lt. Andrew H. Foote, captures American slaver Martha off Ambriz (near the city of Luanda), Angola, Africa.

1918 - After Allied troops take Hill 142 at Chateau-Thierry, France, during World War I, 12 enemy soldiers crawl in a position to counter attack with five light machine guns. Realizing his company might withdraw if fired upon, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Maj. Ernest A. Janson, quickly rushes and bayonets two enemy leaders, forcing the rest of the enemy attackers to withdraw. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.

1918 - During World War I at the Battle of Belleau Wood, Lt. j.g. Weedon E. Osborne is killed in action while attempting to rescue a wounded officer. For his "extraordinary heroism" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1942 - During the Battle of Midway, planes from the U.S. carriers Enterprise (CV 6) and Hornet (CV 8) pursue the retreating Japanese fleet, sinking the heavy cruiser Mikuma and damaging the destroyer Mogami. The abandoned USS Yorktown (CV 5) is reboarded and salvage attempts begin. However, a successful torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-168 sinks the destroyer USS Hammann (DD 412) and forces the salvage party to leave Yorktown.

1944 - Allied forces land troops on Normandy beaches for the largest amphibious landing in history, Operation Overlord (D-Day), beginning the march eastward to defeat Germany.

1957 - Two F8U Crusaders and 2 A3D Skywarriors fly nonstop from USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) off the coast of California to USS Saratoga (CVA 60) off the east coast of Florida. This is the first carrier-to-carrier transcontinential flight. The F8Us take 3 hours and 28 minutes and the A3Ds completed the crossing in 4 hours and 1 minute.

1987 - USS Antietam (CG 54) is commissioned at Baltimore, Md. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser is named after the 1862 Battle of Antietam in Baltimore during the Civil War. The cruisers first homeport is Long Beach, Calif.

(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
GAC EnvironHull has announced that its pioneering hull cleaning system, HullWiper, will be available to shipowners berthing in the Port of Rotterdam next month.



HullWiper - which will be demonstrated at an event co-hosted by GAC EnvironHull and the Port of Rotterdam at the port on 23 June - is a diver-free remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that eliminates the need for divers to clean the vessel, cutting costs and reducing the risk to human life.



Unlike other cleaning solutions, HullWiper uses seawater under high pressure as a cleaning medium, instead of brushes or abrasives, minimising damage to the antifouling surface. This optimises performance and creates energy efficiency savings for ship owners, as well as reducing expenditure needed to recoat the hull.



Removed residues and harmful materials are collected in a special waste unit connected to the ROV, so waste is not discharged into the sea to ensure it meets local and regional environmental regulations  a key focus for the Port of Rotterdam.



Christer Sjodoff, GAC Group Vice President, Commercial, says: As the gateway to the European market and a port that pioneers new thinking around the environment, Rotterdam is the perfect location for HullWiper. We believe that European ship owners will continue to see the commercial and environmental benefits of the technology, as already seen in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.



Our upcoming launch event and panel discussion, organised in conjunction with the Port of Rotterdam, further underlines GAC EnvironHulls commitment to the service in the Netherlands, and sends the message that the GAC Group is pushing the boundaries of innovation and environmental compliance.



The panel discussion, titled Smart Ship Technologies and Measures for Greener Ports, will include the first live demonstration of HullWiper in the Netherlands. The event will take place on Thursday, 23 June at Rotterdams Drijvend Paviljeon from 15:30-18:00.



Representatives from the Port of Rotterdam, shipping industry figures and environmentalists will gather to discuss the challenge of pollution in port waters, give an update on the regulatory landscape, and showcase solutions to reduce hull degradation and improve energy efficiency.



A demonstration of GAC Environhulls latest free online fuel savings calculator will also be carried out at the event. This will enable participants to get an instantaneous and accurate calculation of how much they could save using Hullwiper, compared to traditional methods.


The design and technical features of Finland's newest icebreaker Polaris were presented on Monday, June 6, in Helsinki as part of the CIMAC World Congress.



IB IB Polaris is the most environmentally friendly diesel-electric icebreaker ever built. It uses both low sulphur diesel and LNG as fuel, which significantly reduces its emissions. The special hull form and propulsion arrangement will minimize ice resistance and maximize the icebreaking capacity of the vessel.



The main purpose of IB Polaris is icebreaking and assisting of other vessels in ice conditions in the Baltic Sea. IB Polaris is also able to perform oil spill response operations, emergency towing and rescue operations at open sea all year round.



Finland's newest icebreaker Polaris will enter into service at a historical time. Next year Finland celebrates its 100 years as an independent nation. The theme for Finland's big year, "Together", is also an appropriate term to describe the design and building process of the new icebreaker. IB Polaris is the result of combined efforts by Finns and world-famous Finnish knowhow in designing, building and operating icebreakers.



Polaris will be powered by Wartsila's dual-fuel engines capable of operating on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low sulphur diesel fuel. Wartsila's industry leading track record in dual-fuel engine technology and the impressive power output per cylinder of the Wartsila engines was a crucial factor in the award of the contract. Wartsila's scope of supply consists of one 8-cylinder Wartsila 20DF, two 9-cylinder Wartsila 34DF, and two 12-cylinder Wartsila 34DF engine. Additionally Wartsila has 5 years maintenance agreement for all engines and generators including spare parts, remote online support, CBM monitoring and training services.



The new icebreaker's design and technical features were presented to media attending the CIMAC World Congress in Helsinki by experts from ABB, Arctech, the Finnish Transport Agency, Aker Arctic, Arctia, Wartsila, ILS and Lamor.
With the successful completion of a pilot-program at five terminals, the new initiative will be in place across the entire APM Terminals Global Terminal Network by year-end.



The Hague, Netherlands  APM Terminals announces a new Truck Safety program featuring carefully researched and tested standard operating procedures for outside truck drivers delivering or picking up containers will be put into effect by the end of 2016 throughout the companys Global Terminal Network.



Our goal is to ensure we have safe operations. The basic concept here is to eliminate the risk of accident or injury to the thousands of truck drivers who enter our facilities daily by strictly enforcing a Stay in the Cab mandate for external truckers, with clearly identified Designated Safe Zones in non-operational areas specified for those occasions when leaving the truck is necessary, said Kevin Furniss, APM Terminals Vice President for Health, Safety, Security & Environment. This program reflects the tremendous team work from various terminal functions collaborating to develop a systematic approach to Safety.



A pilot program at APM Terminals facilities in Rotterdam, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Callao (Peru), and Apapa (Nigeria), including 100 hours of safety observations and 160 identified risk situations was performed and the data analyzed to review existing procedures and risks. Reasons for drivers leaving their truck cabs, and thus increasing the risk of accidents with container handling equipment or other trucks, included document handling, looking for containers, asking for directions, inspecting chassis, guiding equipment operators, and securing loads while in the yard.



Implementation of the program, now underway, requires all APM Terminals facilities to provide specially designated, physically protected areas for drivers conducting required operational activities outside of their truck cabs, by the end of the year, and offer safety instructions specific to each facilitys layout and traffic flow.



What the project really does is to put in place much more structure and with specifics regarding expectations; this is a call to action, stated APM Terminals Vice President and Global Head of Operations, Jack Craig.


The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is set to launch a mission to recover the voyage data recorder (VDR) of sunken cargo ship El Faro.

The VDR, belonging to U.S. flagged El Faro which sank during Hurricane Joaquin last October, was located April 26 in about 15,000 feet of water near the Bahamas. The El Faro wreckage was positively identified on November 1, 2015, during the NTSBs initial mission to locate the wreckage.

Video gained from remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) during the initial search revealed the El Faro's navigation bridge structure and the deck below it had separated from the hull, NTSB said. The missing bridge structure included the mast and its base to which the VDR was mounted. The navigation bridge was found November 11, but searchers were not able to locate the mast or the VDR.

The NTSB announced February 11, 2016, that it would launch a second search mission to locate the VDR and document the wreckage and debris field. That effort succeeded in locating the VDR and completing video- and photo-documentation of the accident site. Shortly after the VDR was located, the NTSB announced that another mission to recover the VDR would be launched.

After investigators collaborated in May with scientists and deep water recovery experts, to determine how the VDR could be recovered given its proximity to nearby obstacles, the NTSB contracted with the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage to assist in the recovery effort.

The naval resources participating in the recovery effort include the USNS Apache and CURV-21, a remotely operated underwater vehicle. CURV-21 is the same equipment used to locate the El Faro wreckage in November.

Investigators from the NTSB and the U.S. Coast Guard, and engineers from the U.S. Navy and Phoenix International, the operator of CURV-21, will be aboard USNS Apache when it departs in early July for the accident site near the Bahamas.

The trip to the accident site is expected to take three to four days, followed by five days on scene to recover the VDR. After the VDR is recovered and USNS Apache returns to shore, the VDR will be brought to the NTSB laboratory here, where investigators will examine the VDR and download and analyze any information it may contain.
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to monitor and respond to the motor vessel Roger Blough after the vessel ran aground May 27 on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.

Lightering operations continue while the vessel is anchored in Waiska Bay to transfer its cargo to the Philip R. Clarke and Arthur M. Anderson.

The Arthur M. Anderson joined the cargo transfer efforts Saturday.

A detailed damage assessment will be conducted once the iron ore is completely off-loaded from the Blough. Results from the assessment will determine the extent of repairs and mode of transit to its final destination.

The Waiska Bay anchorage area remains closed to all vessels not part of the operation.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided assistance during the initial lightering operations and have confirmed the Birch Point Range channel is safe for navigation.
Goodwood Ship Management, the Singapore based management company, has expanded its seafarer training facilities in Mumbai.



A new training center and office has been equipped with the latest training simulation software and tools for Goodwood to further nurture its pool of seafarer talent.



We are delighted that a MAN B&W ME Electronic Engine Simulator has been successfully installed in our new training center in Mumbai. This is the latest version of such simulator commissioned in India, said Capt Ashok Sabnis, Goodwood Managing Director.


Though the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council decided not to name its state-of-the-art polar research ship Boaty McBoatface (instead opting to name the ship David Attenborough, and calling its remotely operated undersea vehicle Boaty McBoatface), the name lives on.

Another Boaty McBoatface will set sail virtually from Southampton today thanks to an initiative from international maritime charity Sailors Society and vessel tracking website MarineTraffic.

The virtual Boaty will visit locations where Sailors Society has port chaplains and ship visitors, such as Cape Town and Odessa, with the aim of raising awareness about the sacrifices made by the worlds 1.5 million seafarers.

Stuart Rivers, Sailors Societys Chief Executive Officer said, Although there is a fun element to Boaty, the message behind it is a more serious one. Seafarers make huge sacrifices to transport 90 per cent of the worlds goods; seeing the distance Boaty travels will highlight how they can face months of isolation.

Seafarers typically spend 270 consecutive days at sea away from their families, and face challenging conditions, loneliness and the threat of piracy.

In the last year, Sailors Society and MarineTraffic have worked together to produce two apps that improve seafarers welfare .The Ship Visitor app enables port chaplains and ship visitors to deliver more effective care to the worlds seafarers.

In April, the Society launched its Wellness at Sea app, which puts health and wellbeing at sea in seafarers hands. The app seeks to combat issues such as fatigue, poor mental health and stress, which affect seafarers on a daily basis and can be the difference between safe transit and a major incident.

Boatys progress can be tracked at www.marinetraffic.com or via Sailors Society Wellness at Sea app, which can be downloaded for free on the Google Play and Apple stores.
Shipping must prepare for stricter black carbon emission regulations; Finns improve the reliability of international measurement techniques

A new global challenge and a compliance monitoring market are emerging, due to tightening environmental regulations. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Tampere University of Technology and the University of Turku have joined forces in an international project  Shipping Emissions in the Arctic  with the aim of making the measurement of black carbon emissions from shipping more reliable. The initial results show that engine loads and fuel types have a major impact on black carbon emissions from ships.

Pressure is mounting, because no common international environmental targets have been set for reducing black carbon emissions from shipping  and no standardized measurement techniques have been developed. Incomplete combustion generates soot containing black carbon, which warms the atmosphere and causes health problems. A reliable method of measuring black carbon emissions from shipping is sorely needed, now that the IMO (the International Maritime Organization) is evaluating the need to control such emissions, but no reliable measurement technique has been identified, said Research Team Leader Jukka Lehtomaki of VTT.

Alongside the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Tampere University of Technology and the University of Turku, VTT is seeking a straightforward and reliable way of evaluating and measuring black carbon emissions from ships, through the two-year 'Shipping Emissions in the Arctic' project launched in early 2015. The initial results have already revealed critical parameters in the measurement of black carbon; such parameters can be used to achieve more reliable results. Engine loads and fuel types had a major impact on black carbon emissions from the engine we studied, explained Principal Scientist Paivi Aakko-Saksa of VTT.

The study will enable preparations to meet tightening international environmental regulations. Finnish businesses and industry can prepare now, by investing in research and development and new business activities. More precise information on the emissions impact of different fuel types is helpful for developers of fuel and engine technology. The results can also be used to improve the accuracy of ship emission models and global emission inventories.





From an engine laboratory to a real ship

Last autumn, emission tests were performed at VTTs engine laboratory in Espoo, using a 1.6-megawatt diesel engine which corresponds to a typical auxiliary ship engine. The test matrix was extensive enough to make the results internationally applicable. Four marine fuels were tested, of which three contained varying amounts of sulphur (0.1 percent, 0.5 percent and 2.5 percent), whereas an oxygen-containing bio-component accounted for 30 percent of the fourth fuel. The next step will be to validate the results in a real ship equipped with the latest technology, including a desulphurizing exhaust scrubber. The project also explores the business potential of emission measurements. In addition, the engine measurement tests leveraged the results of another measurement technology research project  HyperGlobal; a multicopter equipped with sensors was used to measure sulphur dioxide levels in the vicinity of a exhaust pipe during the tests.

The critical examination and measurement of maritime black carbon emissions is made all the more urgent by the fact that black carbon is a major contributor to Arctic warming. New shipping routes are opening up due to the melting ice caps, which will prove detrimental to the climate as emissions from shipping extend to the highly vulnerable Arctic region. Even small deposits of black carbon accelerate melting and climate change, by reducing the reflectivity of snow and ice.

VTTs 'Shipping Emissions in the Arctic' project is part of the Tekes 'Arctic Seas' program. With a budget of EUR 700,000, the project was launched in January 2015 and will end in December 2016. VTTs partners in the project include the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Tampere University of Technology, the University of Turku, Wartsila Finland Oy, Pegasor Oy, Gasmet Technologies Oy, VG-Shipping Oy, Port of HaminaKotka Ltd, Oiltanking Finland Oy, Kine Robot Solutions Oy and VTTs spin-off Spectral Engines Oy. AVL List GmbH from Austria also assisted with the measurements. The multicopter project was coordinated by Aeromon Oy as part of the HyperGlobal project, which belongs to the Arctic Seas program.
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell slightly on Monday on weaker demand for panamax vessels.



The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was down three points, or 0.49 percent, at 607 points.



The capesize index gained nine points, or 0.99 percent, at 922 points.



Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, were up $35 to $6,789.



The panamax index was down six points, or 1.09 percent, at 544 points.



Average daily earnings for panamaxes, which usually carry coal or grain cargoes of about 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes, decreased $44 to $4,349.



Among smaller vessels, the supramax index and the handysize index both fell four points to 570 points and 345 points respectively.





Reporting by Nithin Prasad
France aims to push European Union countries to coordinate navy patrols in the disputed South China Sea, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at the Shangri-La Asian defence forum in Singapore on Sunday, according to Bloomberg.

A senior French official travelling with the minister said France will discuss plans with EU partners in coming weeks, with a focus on guaranteeing that EU navies regularly crisscross the waters.

"Could we not have the European navies coordinate in order to ensure a regular visible presence in maritime areas in Asia? Soon I will be detailing this proposal to my European counterparts," Mainichi quoted Le Drian as saying.

He said the South China Sea issue "directly concerns" France and other EU members not only because of their economic interest in maintaining freedom of navigation, but also because of their belief in "firmness when the rule of law is violated."

Le Drian's proposal echoes the U.S. justification of its enhanced naval presence in the South China Sea to protect vital commercial shipping lanes through which an estimated $5.3 trillion worth of trade flows annually.

Le Drian said he regretted that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had not made substantial progress toward a code of conduct with China on the South China Sea.
Statistics show an increase in the UK registered trading fleet for the first time in four years, rising by 8%. However, the figures also show a fall of 18% in UK owned tonnage.

UK Chamber CEO, Guy Platten has welcomed these signs of nascent recovery in the UK Ship Register, but has expressed concern over the stark decline in the UK owned fleet.

The figures show:

The total tonnage of trading vessels on the UK Ship Register has risen from 12.6 to 13.7 million deadweight tonnes (dwt) from 2014 to 2015

However, between 2010 -2015 the UK Flag declined at an average rate of 3% per annum, whilst over the same period the total world fleet grew by 5% per annum

UK direct owned tonnage - in that the registered owner of the vessel is a company registered in the UK  declined by 18% year on year, from 16.5m to 13.5m dwt

Between 2010 and 2015 UK owned tonnage has declined by 36%

The UK managed fleet fell by 1% to 53.4m dwt and parent owned fleet rose by 3% to 31.0m dwt.

The annual Shipping Fleet Statistics are produced by the Department for Transport and reflect tonnages as at the end of December 2015.

Commenting on the UK Ship Register figures, UK Chamber CEO, Guy Platten remarked: The rise of 8% of UK Flagged tonnage, for the first time in four years, is a positive sign of the nascent recovery in confidence in the UK Ship Register, and follows the governments commitment to undertake significant reform of the Register and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)."

That the UK share of the global fleet has fallen significantly at a time when global tonnage has increased by 5% clearly demonstrates the necessity of these changes and highlights the urgent need for these reforms to be delivered. It is also clear that if the UK is to reach the governments own target of 2% of world tonnage and reverse the recent decline of the UK Flag, that there remains a long way to go."

Reform of the MCA and the Register must be pursued quickly and ambitiously in order to ensure that the UK Flag is a competitive and commercially attractive register for the global industry, or we risk losing further ground to our global maritime competitors. The UK Chamber, and the industry as a whole, remains committed to the vision of a vibrant, competitive and attractive UK Flag, which is the destination of choice for global shipping businesses, but decisive action will be required by government if this is to be achievable."

On the decline in UK ownership, Platten added: There is no doubt that shipping is a global sector, but if the UK is to truly lead the world and deliver sustainable economic growth we must back British businesses to succeed. If we are to compete and grow as a maritime nation we must build a business environment where shipowning is attractive to entrepreneurs and investors, and ensure that these businesses are given the necessary support to enable them to grow into the major shipowners of the future."

That the UK is open to international investment is one of the great things about our economy, but the government must recognise the serious long-term threat the decline in UK ownership represents, and work with the industry to ensure that we do not loose further ground to our global competitors.
Global shipping and logistics firm Maersk is looking at ways to use drones for delivering equipment to ships and is planning to conduct a test later this year, after using the technology in January for delivering cookies to a tanker at sea, says a report in PTI.

"The company is evaluating ways to expand its use of drones and plans a bigger test later this year," said Markus Kuhn, a supply chain manager at Maersk.

In January, the company made a drone fly 250 meters from one of its barges to a tanker and drop off a batch of cookies. It's now looking for a drone-making partner for a test flight that would haul a 10-kilogram package for 10 kilometers.

That test would illustrate a key use case for Maersk, that of resupplying its fleet of tankers, oil platforms, container ships and other craft. The roughly 22-pound cargo in the next test would serve as a key proof of concept for getting more important gear to remote ships. That weight would cover a lot of the important equipment deliveries it makes to ships.

According to a IDG News Service report, the test would help in highlighting a key usage for Maersk, that of resupplying its fleet of tankers, oil platforms, container ships and other craft.

It would serve as a key proof of concept for getting important gear to remote ships. That 10-kg weight would cover a lot of the important equipment deliveries it makes to ships.

The benefits of using drones to resupply ships are obvious enough. If it works, Maersk will be able to save massively on the costs of sending out an entire resupply ship to carry equipment to a tanker thats far out to sea. This happens more than one might think, because each country has its own regulations about protecting volatile cargoes.
Rickmers-Linie, a heavylift and project cargo liner specialist has appointed Oceanway S.A. in Buenos Aires as its sales agent for Argentina with immediate effect. Oceanway will focus on sales of Rickmers-Linies services to and from Argentina, especially where Argentinian companies are involved.

Gerhard Janssen, Director Global Sales and Marketing of Rickmers-Linie, commented: With the nomination of Oceanway we are taking further steps to reinforce our activities in South America. With our westbound Round-The-World Service making regular calls at ports on the South American East Coast we have gained a foothold on the continent. Together with Oceanway we will continue to develop our business further.



Muriel Maurizzio from Oceanway continued: We have staff with vast experience in bulk, breakbulk and project cargoes. They will assist all of our present and future customers in their enquiries and in the development of new projects.
As the treacherous Mediterranean Sea claimed more than 1,000 lives over the past few weeks, Mission to Seafarers has praised seafarers in their efforts in helping save the lives of many, but more must be done to support seafarers in the deepening crisis, they warn.



During its seminar during Posidonia, entitled: Plans for the Eastern Med and Assistance to Crews Affected by the Refugee Crisis, The Revd Canon Ken Peters, Director of Justice and Public Affairs at The Mission will address industry concerns, including how refugees and seafarers are regarded and treated under international law.



The past few weeks have seen the biggest death toll during the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. There are many cases when those that are rescued outnumber the ships resources. The industry must pull together to offer a safe environment for both seafarers and rescued migrants. Irrespective of the laws that are in place, seafarers are proud to render assistance in the protection of life at sea, Canon Peters said.



Also on the panel for the seminar, Bridget Hogan, Director of Publishing and Marketing at The Nautical Institute, said: Ships Masters and crews face traumatic scenes as they try to help those in peril on the sea through the actions of criminals and others who trade in human misery. They cannot be certain who they are inviting onto their vessels  whether people are genuine asylum seekers or criminals or terrorists.



Birgit Liodden, Director of Nor-Shipping, said ahead of her appearance on the panel: Even though everyone at sea is well trained and used to dealing with challenging situations in their profession, these tragedies are utterly extreme and traumatic for the men and women who are at the frontline when a refugee boat sinks. In many cases crew members have to choose between which lives they can rescue, and who they have to leave to drown. It is of key importance that our industry recognises the impact this has on our colleagues at sea, and that we strive to ensure strong and joint support from the industry in ensuring that their crucial role in saving lives doesnt cause long-term traumas.


[email protected], the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania journal, says that the transformation Panama Canal expansion project will bring to Panamas domestic economy and society have been largely overshadowed by the historic expansion.

With the opening of the long-awaited Panama project this June, all eyes are on the impact the $5.25 billion engineering marvel will have on maritime traffic across the vital international lanes that link the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

The expansion has already bolstered Panamas efforts to become the Singapore  or perhaps Dubai  of Central America. It also promises to help to transform the role that Panama is playing for many U.S. and other foreign firms that are doing business in Central and South America.

There are several factors that make Panamas prospects promising for many multinationals. Blessed with a unique geographical position, Panama is one of the fastest-growing economies worldwide.

According to the World Bank, between 2001 and 2013, its average annual growth rate was 7.2%, more than double the average in Central and South America. In 2014, growth slowed to 6.2%. It was 5.8% in 2015, a year in which virtually all the regions economies either slowed down or contracted.

When there is a $25 million investment in New York, Buenos Aires or Mexico City, nobody sees it. In Panama, an investment of this amount, the restaurants, the stores and even the taxi drivers [feel] the impact, says C.E. Maurice Belanger, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Panama.

The expansion of the Canal will enable longer, wider and heavier ships to transit; it is expected to open for commercial traffic on June 26. Although thats far behind the original target date of August 2014, the delay has given U.S. East Coast ports and businesses more time to get ready.

The expansion includes two larger sets of locks on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides, new access channels, dredging and improved water supply along the length of the 50-mile waterway.

Observes Philip Nichols, professor of legal studies and business ethics at Wharton: The Canal is the advantage that Panama has over everyone. Its like oil, but its even better than oil.

Beyond using Panamas convenient location for managing regional distribution, an increasing volume of manufacturing takes place here. At Panama Pacifico, 3M produces lines for its automotive division, including paint guns and plastic bottles.

Tourism is another sector growing at a rapid rate. According to Panamas comptroller general directorate, income from tourism is now nearly double what the country earns from the iconic Panama Canal itself.
The 22nd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise series between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations began June 1 with a commemoration ceremony for the Malaysia phase in Sandakan.

As the premier naval engagement in South and Southeast Asia, CARAT provides a regional venue to address shared maritime security priorities, enhance interoperability among participating forces, and develop sustained naval partnerships with nations across South and Southeast Asia.

Our persistent engagement with our allies and partners through CARAT builds trust and creates strong relationships that endure beyond the exercise series, said Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Task Force 73. This translates to increased readiness and interoperability that allows us to work closely with navies across the region and enhance cooperative maritime security.

CARAT Malaysia will take place on the ground in Sandakan and in the waters and airspace of the Sulu Sea. The Malaysian Armed Forces have participated in CARAT since the exercise series began in 1995 and this years exercise reflects more than two decades of increasingly complex training ashore, at sea and in the air.

The harbor phase for CARAT Malaysia will feature an amphibious landing, as well as explosive ordnance training, medical and dental capabilities seminars and a civil -engineering project. At sea, flight operations, coordinated gunnery drills and surface warfare maneuvers will highlight an exercise that continues the trend of increasing complexity each year.

Weve been working very closely with the Malaysian Armed Forces for 22 years as part of CARAT, said Capt. H.B. Le, commodore Destroyer Squadron 7. Over that time weve developed a familiarity with each others capabilities that allows us to push the envelope with the planning and execution of each exercise, something that is important in such a diverse maritime environment.

U.S. ships and units participating in CARAT Malaysia include the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), the expeditionary transfer dock USNS Montford Point (T-ESD 1), a P-3C Orion, staff from CTF-73 and CDS-7, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 1 and Marines from 3rd Marine Division.

Following CARAT Malaysia, additional bilateral phases of CARAT will occur from June through November 2016 with Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

While the exercise series remains bilateral at its core, elements of CARAT 2016 will include multilateral cooperation ranging from observers to training activities.

Phases vary based on exercise locations, mutual training goals and participating assets. Many CARAT phases feature a broad range of naval competencies including surface warfare; undersea warfare; air defense and amphibious warfare; maritime security operations; riverine operations; jungle warfare; and explosive ordnance disposal; combat construction; diving and salvage; search and rescue; maritime patrol and reconnaissance aviation; maritime domain awareness; military law; public affairs and military medicine; and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

CARAT 2016 will be the most complex series to date. Its continuing relevance for more than two decades speaks to the high quality of exercise events and the enduring value of regional cooperation among allies and partners in South and Southeast Asia.

As U.S. 7th Fleet's executive agent for theater security cooperation in South and Southeast Asia, Commander, Task Force 73 conducts advanced planning, organizes resources and directly supports the execution of maritime exercises, such as the bilateral CARAT series, the Naval Engagement Activity with Vietnam, and the multi-lateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
Stocks Report, European Commission in Panic Over New Brexit Opinion Poll

In 17 days time, on the 23rd. of June, Britain goes to the polls to decide whether to stay in the European Union or not. Should Great Britain opt to leave it will send financial and political shock waves around the world. Many believe a win for the leave faction would put Europes stressed banking system under such pressure that a Lehman Brothers type event could occur, the main candidate being Deutsche Bank with its 75 trillion derivative exposure. Thus June 2016 could turn out to be one of the most volatile trading months in financial history.

Last week the Guardian Newspaper in London reported that for the first time the leave campaign had moved into the lead in a poll of polls. This news sent the European Commission into a blind panic and a secret meeting was called at the highest level to set in place plans to deal with Englands potential exit. Up until now the Commission refused to admit it had any such strategy in place, as they believed such a statement would add credibility to the leave camp.

This is what Daniel Boffey of the Observer had to say this Sunday:



Opinium survey suggests remain camp has lost four points in two weeks, as Boris Johnson (Mayor of London) prepares to campaign on immigration and security.



The leave campaign has picked up momentum and taken a three-point lead over remain in the latest Observer/Opinium poll on the EU referendum. The Brexiters now stand on 43%, while 40% say they support the campaign to keep the UK in the union.



The potential in the leave campaigns strategy is reflected in responses suggesting that two in five voters (41%) cite immigration as one of their two most important issues when deciding how to vote. Just over a third (35%) cite Britains ability to make its own laws without EU interference and 29% cite the impact of leaving on the UK economy.



Half of the 2,007 people surveyed said they believed immigration would be under better control if the UK did leave the EU. Twelve percent felt the UK would have more control if the country retained its EU membership, and 24% said there would be little difference.



Johnson is expected to launch a campaign to highlight the security dangers of EU membership, including the possibility of Turkeys accession to the EU, this weekend.



However, the leave campaign also believes that, if it can keep the headline polls close, a relatively poor turnout among Labour voters who support remain could deliver it victory. The findings came as Johnson, who has been posing increasingly as a prime minister in waiting, told the Observer that he believed no genuine liberal internationalist could support the EU.



The former mayor of London joined forces with Gove, the justice secretary, to suggest that a vote for Brexit could deliver improved social justice. He added: The impact of EU-enforced uncontrolled immigration to the UK  made worse by the euro crisis  has been to depress the wages of the low-paid, while fat cat FTSE-100 chiefs have seen their pay packets soar to 150 times the average pay of their workforce. It is time that liberals everywhere saw the EU for what it is: essentially a stitch-up between the very biggest corporations, their lobbyists and the commission to frame regulation in such a way as to keep out the competition, especially  from start-ups and innovators.



The poll by Opinium also issued a different set of figures using an alternative methodology to try to reflect the fact that online samples are sometimes seen to over-represent socially conservative respondents, who may be more likely to favour Brexit.



With the adjustments to the make-up of the sample surveyed, remain keeps its lead. Opinium found that 43% of UK adults said they would vote to remain in the EU in a referendum, while 41% would vote to leave the EU and 14% dont know how they would vote. Generally the polls show an electorate split by social class, region and party political affiliation. The more affluent favour staying in the EU, while older people are typically more likely to back Brexit. London is a stronghold of the remain camp, while the East Midlands tends toward leaving. Areas such as north-west England are more evenly poised.



Nearly half (48%) say Cameron should resign if Brexit occurs, 32% that he should not. Remain voters are evenly split (42% either way) while leave voters overwhelmingly say he should resign (65% to 22%).



Technically Speaking:



Short Term Trend: Flat

Medium Term Trend: Bullish

Long Term Trend: Flat

Long Stochastics: Overbought

Short Stochastics: Overbought

Vix: Very Low/Market Risk High

McC. Oscillator: Bullish

A/D Line: Bullish

The Vix, Slow Stochastics and Fast Stochastics indicate that the market is very much overbought with risk growing with every upward move. However, given that the McClennan Oscillator is in its mid-trading range, prices may easily move higher without too much resistance.

Given the risk involved with the upcoming Brexit poll it is hard to see Janet Yellen doing anything to rock the boat for the British Prime Minister David Cameron. Thus I would expect her to hold on any interest rise this June. This realisation, should it become generally accepted over the next week or so, could definitely propel the market to new highs.

On the other hand a high volume break below the 17,000 level on the Dow Industrial would indicate that the next leg downward has commenced. Should this happen I reckon it could be very ugly indeed given the compressed nature of the 100 and 200 Daily Moving Averages at this price point and given that there is no real technical support until the 15,000 price level where a double bottom occurred earlier this year.

Charts Courtesy of StockCharts.com

Christopher Quiqley

B.Sc., M.M.I.I. Grad., M.A.

http://www.wealthbuilder.ie

Mr. Quigley was born in 1958 in Dublin, Ireland. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Management from Trinity College Dublin and is a graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland. He commenced investing in the stock market in 1989 in Belmont, California where he lived for 6 years. He has developed the Wealthbuilder investment and trading course over the last two decades as a result of research, study and experience. This system marries fundamental analysis with technical analysis and focuses on momentum, value and pension strategies.

Since 2007 Mr. Quigley has written over 80 articles which have been published on popular web sites based in California, New York, London and Dublin.

Mr. Quigley is now lives in Dublin, Ireland and Tampa Bay, Florida.

 2016 Copyright Christopher M. Quigley - 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 trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

Christopher M. Quigley Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




A Martinsville man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Danville to possessing a firearm on July 22, 2014, after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, according to a plea agreement.

Tevin OBrian Dickerson pleaded guilty Thursday to count one of a two-count indictment.

Count two alleged that Dickerson possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Under the plea agreement, if the court determines Dickerson has had at least three prior convictions for serious drug offenses and/or violent felonies, he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for a term of 15 years and a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life. He will be subject to a period of supervised release of five years.

If the court determines he does not have at least three prior convictions for serious drug offenses and/or violent felonies, there will be no mandatory minimum sentence and the maximum term of imprisonment will be 10 years, and he will face a period of supervised release of three years. In any event, the maximum fine is $250,000.

Restitution may be ordered, his assets may be subject to forfeiture and fees may be imposed to pay for incarceration and supervised release. In addition, a $100 special assessment will be imposed per felony count of conviction. His supervised release may be revoked if he violates terms and conditions. A violation of supervised release increases the possible period of incarceration.

I am pleading guilty as described above because I am in fact guilty and because I believe it is in my best interest to do so and not because of any threats or promises. There has been no promise made whatsoever by anyone as to what the final disposition of this matter will be, says the plea agreement, which was initialed by Dickerson.

By voluntarily pleading guilty, Dickerson waives and gives up these constitutional rights: to plead not guilty and persist in that plea; to a speedy and public jury trial; to assistance of counsel at that trial and in any subsequent appeal; to remain silent at trial; to testify at trial; to confront and cross-examine witnesses called by the government; to present evidence and witnesses in his own behalf; to compulsory process of the court; to compel the attendance of witnesses at trial; to be presumed innocent; to a unanimous guilty verdict; and to appeal a guilty verdict.

The plea agreement also says: If I comply with my obligations under the plea agreement, the United States will move, at sentencing, that I be dismissed as a defendant in any remaining count(s). I stipulate and agree the United States had probable cause to bring all the counts in the Indictment, which are being dismissed under the agreement, these charges were not frivolous, vexatious or in bad faith, and I am not a prevailing party with regard to these charges. I further waive any claim for attorneys fees and other litigation expenses arising out of the investigation or prosecution of this matter.

Brian McGinn, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorneys Office, Western District of Virginia, said Dickerson has not been sentenced yet and that a sentencing hearing will be scheduled sometime soon. The guilty plea hearing was in front of Judge Kiser in Danville, McGinn said.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com
United Way of Henry County & Martinsville presented Eastman Chemical with its highest honor, Spirit of United Way, in recognition of Eastmans exceptional campaign excellence and community commitment.

Speaking at United Ways annual meeting and recognition luncheon on Friday, 2015 Campaign Chairman Tommy Hudgins said Eastman Chemical employees volunteer to serve on United Ways board and committees, actively participate in United Ways annual Day of Reading and Day of Action and host numerous fundraisers throughout the year to support United Ways annual campaign drive.

Eastman also held an agency fair so that their employees could learn firsthand how their dollars were being put to work in the community, Hudgins said.

Hudgins also presented Hooker Furniture with the Chairmans Award for employee campaign excellence. Each year, Hooker Furniture gives a generous corporate gift and encourages their employees to volunteer in United Way initiatives, including participating in campaign activities, he noted.

Both Eastman Chemical and Hooker Furniture demonstrate what it means to Live United. Live United encompasses the philosophy that in helping one, we are helping all; that in giving, we receive and that by coming together, we can make a difference, Hudgins said.

Board President Dale Wagoner reported United Way exceeded its campaign of $700,000 and achieved several milestones, such as:

 Through its partnership with Smart Beginnings Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, each month more than 350 children in Martinsville-Henry County received a book in the mail and will continue to receive a book until they turn five years old.

 Also with Smart Beginnings, nearly $170,000 in additional funds were leveraged into the community for early childhood development and cumulatively over the last three years, more than $500,000.

 A foundation from outside of the area awarded United Way $150,000 to sustain its Help Engage Youth initiative for another two years.

 Through United Ways Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, more than 2,000 tax returns were filed, which is the second highest filing amount in Virginia. Norfolk reported the highest. Also through this VITA program, $2.6 million in federal and $317,000 in state refunds were returned into the community.

Other award recipients included the following:

 United Way Community Partner to the Lester Group for donating space for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and SunTrust for awarding United Way a grant to help sustain its Dollar and Sense Reality Fair and Free Income Tax Preparation program.

 Outstanding Campaign Excellence to Henry-Martinsville Department of Social Services for increasing employee giving by 171 percent and HanesBrands for hosting an employee sale and directing all proceeds of this sale to the United Way campaign.

More than 60 people attended the event at 37 East in uptown Martinsville. The 2016 campaign kicks off Sept 9.
MONDAY'S WORD is jubilated (joo-buh-layt-id). Example: The crowd jubilated as the base runner slid across home plate with the winning run.

SUNDAYS WORD is cadence (keyd-ns). It means the beat, rate or measure of any rhythmic movement. Examples: 1. Stephanie relaxed at the beach, listening to the cadence of the surf. 2. "The app detects your natural cadence when you walk or run, and cues up a playlist that matches your rhythm."Alison Sweeney, Redbook, 1 Apr. 2016

The Crooked Road All Star Music Camp, a one-day minicamp, will be presented at the Wayne C. Henderson School of Appalachian Arts in Marion, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14. The camp is designed for students of all ages who play traditional and bluegrass music at intermediate to advanced levels.

Several young musicians from Patrick County have attended this camp in the past.

The All Star Music Camp will feature instruction in fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, songwriting, and performance techniques by The Crooked Road All Star Bluegrass Band: Billy Baker (fiddle), Shawn Lane (mandolin), Linda Lay (bass), Sammy Shelor (banjo), and Junior Sisk (guitar). Assistant teaching artists will be Blake Collins (mandolin), Meredith Goins (fiddle), Jim Lloyd (guitar), Sandy Shortridge (songwriting), and George Smith (banjo).

"This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn from some of todays great bluegrass and traditional music artists in an up close and welcoming environment." said Jonathan Romeo, program manager for The Crooked Roads Traditional Music Education Program. "The artists are looking forward to sharing their talents and to passing along the tradition."

The cost of the camp is $45 per student, which covers admission to this one-day camp (music instruction, lunch, performance and discussion of performance techniques, songwriting workshop, and an afternoon jam) and also includes one ticket for the Crooked Road All Star Bluegrass Bands concert at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion that evening.

The Crooked Road All Star Music Camp is sponsored by Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, Southwest Virginia, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Wayne C. Henderson School of Appalachian Arts, and Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc.

As part of a history lecture series, the Blue Ridge Regional Library in Martinsville will host the program "Japan and Germany: The Rise of the Axis Power" presented by Colin Ferguson, professor of History with more than 40 years of experience. The program will be from 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 13, in the meeting room at the library.

A reminder that Fairy Stone Parks annual Childrens Fishing Day is Saturday, June 11. The fishing clinic is for ages 4-12. Participants will learn fishing skills such as casting, knot-tying, and basic water safety at various stations; then they will go fishing. Although children must be accompanied by a parent, volunteers always are welcome to help out. Call the park at (276) 930-2424 for more information.

The Hot Fun in the Summertime Beach Music Festival, sponsored by the Patrick County Jaycees, will be held June 9-11 at Wayside Park in Stuart.

The band to perform on Thursday will be U.B.U. The Band; Friday, Carolina Soul Band and The Night Move Band; and Saturday, Band of Oz, Carolina Soul Band, The Castaways Band, Ken Knox & Co (Chairman of the Board), The Tams and The Night Move Band.

A weekend pass for all three days costs $45 in advance and $55 at the gate. Daily advance tickets cost $15 for Thursday, $20 for Friday and $30 for Saturday, with an additional cost of $5 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased at The Old Country Store in Horsepasture; On the Run in Ridgeway, Stuart and Martinsville; The Village Spa in Collinsville and Martinsville; River Bank in Martinsville and Stuart; and Stuart Communications, All Seasons and Hazelwood Trucking, all in Stuart.

The camping charge is $30 each night. To camp at Wayside Park, call Patty Hazelwood at 692-5239 or send an e-mail at hazelwoodtrucking@embarqmail.com.

We get more response from humor stories about kids than most anything we put in the Stroller. Enjoy this one:

A little boy was attending his first wedding.

After the service, his cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry?"

"Sixteen," the boy responded.

His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. "How do you know that?"

"Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is add it up, like the Bishop said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer."
Though small in number, incidents of murder and manslaughter, kidnapping, arson and gambling all increased sharply in Henry County from 2014 to 2015. The county also saw increases in the number of aggravated assault cases, along with incidents of burglary, larceny, embezzlement, stolen property, prostitution and fraud. The number of fraud cases alone rose 44 percent.

The information comes from Virginias annual crime analysis report, released on Thursday by the Virginia State Police. It provides statistics throughout 2015. The news wasnt all bad, however. The number of robberies dropped 39 percent, while reports of rape, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, forgery, drug and nonviolent sex offenses also dropped.

By press time, the Henry County Sheriffs Office had not responded to a request for comment about the report.

The news was better in Martinsville, where charges of murder, rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping and motor vehicle theft were all down from 2014.

I think this shows we are moving in the right direction, Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn said. In 2015, we put a tremendous effort towards targeting mid-and-upper level drug dealers. There is no doubt that this made a positive impact on the violent crime situation in Martinsville and will most certainly continue. I firmly believe that gun-related violence in many communities has, for some years, been associated with illegal narcotics distribution.

Under the Uniform Crime Reporting program, Part 1 offenses are serious crimes such as murder and non-negligent homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft and arson, according to a U.S. Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation website.

There were a few issues in the city, however. The number of arson charges doubled, from just two in 2014 to four this past year. Also the number of larceny incidents climbed from 313 in 2014 to 345 in 2015. Other crimes that rose in number include forgery, from 12 to 15; aggravated assault, from 29 to 38 and simple assault, from 227 to 244.

The best way for us to keep our community safe is to go after those involved in drug distribution, Dunn said. We have a number of great citizens who continue to put their own lives in grave danger to assist us with ridding our streets of drug dealers. To those citizens, we are grateful.

He added that the department also put an emphasis over the last year on cracking down on shoplifters.

In addition to increased uniformed and plain clothes presence in stores and strengthened relationships with our business community, we aggressively follow up on shoplifting investigations when video is available, Dunn said. We continue to post shoplifting suspects on our social media to help deter shoplifting. We will continue to aggressively target shoplifting.

Overall, Dunn said he felt the community policing efforts and strengthened relationships with citizens and business owners proved to be extremely valuable, as the department looks to cut down on crime.

Most folks know that our citizens are working very closely with us and are thinking twice before they commit crime here, Dunn said. When crimes occur, we generally receive information from several different sources about who committed the crime. We are very fortunate to have this type of relationship with our community and will work hard to ensure this relationship continues.

In 2015, we responded to 213 domestic-related calls for service and made over 120 arrests for domestic assault. We also identified 60 percent of our reported incidences of aggravated assault to be domestic related. Tragically, the single murder in Martinsville last year involved a woman who was stabbed to death by her boyfriend. We are working very closely with the Commonwealth Attorneys Office, Victim Witness, Citizens Against Family Violence, Piedmont Community Services, Social Services, M-HC 911 Center, Adult Probation & Parole and the West Piedmont Health (District) to develop strategies to reduce domestic violence. Our goal is to collectively develop mechanisms to address the offender and ensure the household gets the services they need to break the cycle of violence. Our first Domestic Violence Coalition meeting occurred last month with the goal of strengthening families and (building) stronger homes. We are committed to breaking the cycle of violence that occurs in our homes.

In Patrick County, the numbers were down as well in regards to murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, simple assault, blackmail, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, fraud, embezzlement, vandalism, drug offenses, prostitution, weapons violations, forcible sex offenses and forgery. Charges of robbery, pornography, aggravated assault and rape were all slightly up from 2014 numbers.

The data shows our crime rate is the lowest it has ever been, said Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith in an email. This is a testament to our law enforcement professionals and to the citizens they serve.

By comparison, Patrick Countys incident rate per 100,000 people is 2,373.98. According to the 2015 report, Henry Countys incident rate stands at 4,785.88, and Martinsvilles rate is 8,008.01.

Overall in 2015, statewide there was less than a 1 percent increase in violent crime (including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault). Property crime, including burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, decreased 2.2 percent from 2014, while the number of homicides increased from 337 across the commonwealth to 382 or an increase of 13.4 percent.

Motor vehicle thefts and attempted thefts increased 7.4 percent compared with the previous year.

Drug and narcotic offenses showed virtually no increase (up .03 percent) compared with 2014. This is in contrast to increases ranging from 2.5 percent to 9.4 percent in recent years.

Fraud offenses increased by 7 percent compared with 2014, while the number of robberies increased 3.4 percent.

There were 155 hate crimes reported in 2015. Almost two-thirds (62.5 percent) were racially or ethnically motivated. Bias toward religion (14.8 percent) and sexual orientation (14.2 percent) were next highest. The remaining 8.4 percent reported was attributed to a bias against a victims physical or mental disability.

Per state mandate, the Department of Virginia State Police serves as the primary collector of crime data from participating Virginia state and local police departments and sheriffs offices.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
On Monday 30th May, a special tribunal in Dakar, Senegal, convicted former Chadian dictator, Hissene Habre on several criminal charges including crimes against humanity, committed during his brutal eight years in power. He was also convicted of war crimes, rape, sexual slavery, torture and kidnapping. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The regime of Hissene Habre (1982-1990) was one of the most heinous dictatorships in African history. The exact number of people who were killed, tortured or murdered during his reign of terror will probably never be known. Human Rights Watch estimates at least 40 000 people were murdered during his eight years in power and tens of thousands were kidnapped and tortured.

During the eight-month trial from 20 July 2015 to 11 February 2016, 93 witnesses testified to the crimes which were perpetrated by the regime of Habre. One after another they described the horror which they were subjected to at the hands of Habres secret police, the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS). The DDS acted with complete impunity. No method of torture that was spared. Anything was permissible from beatings, whippings, waterboarding, electric shocks, rape and mutilations.

Some torture methods were particularly gruesome; forced asphyxiation on the exhaust pipe of a car, hot objects were used to burn genitals and other sensitive parts of the body, and in the method of Arabatchar binding arms and ankles of the victim were bound together behind the back, causing the chest to hyper-expand and arch. The victims were often left deformed and paralyzed.

Together with this, the court also heard of the deplorable conditions which prisoners were kept in, including overcrowded cells together with a lack of food and medical services. Prisoners were also kept in places without proper ventilation and lacking basic sanitary conditions. In addition to that prisoners were also forced to bury the dead. One witness testified that it was a relief to bury someone because it meant that more space would become available. That was the extent of the dehumanising effects the regime of Habre had on its victims.

Africas Pinochet

The case against Hissene Habre was the culmination of 26 years of relentless campaigning by survivors of his heinous regime and by human rights activists. However, the real reason why it was even possible to arrest Hissene Habre in the first place is to be found in the events which took place in Senegal four years ago. Habre fled to Senegal in 1990 when his regime was overthrown and settled in the upmarket suburb of Ouakam. Countless attempts by human rights activists to have him arrested by Senegalese authorities fell on deaf ears.

But the tide began to turn in March 2012. In the first wave of the recent revolutionary mass movements to sweep across many African countries, the corrupt former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, was voted out of office after mass mobilisations led by Yen a Marre, a group of youth activists similar to Balai Citoyen in Burkina Faso. In an attempt to pacify the masses, his successor Macky Sall, introduced measures like reducing term limits and clamping down on corruption. As part of his attempts to prettify the regime, he introduced the principle of universal jurisdiction into the Senegalese law. This meant that a court in Senegal could hear the case against Habre even though the crimes were committed in Chad. It formed the basis for the creation of the Extraordinary African Chambers within the judicial system to prosecute the crimes committed between 7 June 1982 and 1 December 1990 in Chad. The conviction and sentencing of Hissene Habre is therefore a by-product of the mass mobilizations of the Senegalese masses.

The verdict against Hissene Habre has been 26 years in the making. Ever since he was overthrown by his former protege, Idris Derby, in 1990, survivors of his regime have worked tirelessly to bring him to justice.

During his eight year rule as dictator of Chad between 1982 to 1990, Hissene Habre presided over one of the most reactionary and despotic regimes in African history. His reign of terror was often equated to that of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Habre was also an extreme reactionary. He consolidated his power by putting in place a monstrous dictatorship through his National Union for Independence and Revolution (UNIR).

The UNIR created the special police, the DDS, who were responsible for the bulk of the atrocities committed by the regime. Like all despotic regimes, it kept meticulous records and it created an elaborate network of spies and reported on every minor detail to Habre himself. The DDS also had an armed wing called the Special Rapid Action Brigade (BSIR) which carried out arrests and the tortures in the detention centers.

Quintessential desert warrior

Hissene Habre came to power in Chad after overthrowing the regime of Goukouni Oueddei. At the time, Chad was engaged in a fierce civil war in the north and south of the country. This was the legacy of French Imperialism which pitted tribes against each other and constructed arbitrary borders between a Muslim north and a Christian and animist south.

The country was also a battleground for a proxy war involving US Imperialism, French Imperialism and the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. Goukouni Oueddei was an ally of Gaddafi and his overthrow was a boost for US Imperialism.

Photo: Public DomainGaddafi wanted to intervene militarily in Chad. Chad has a common border with Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Sudan. A successful campaign in Chad would have been detrimental to US Imperialism, especially in the Sudan which was a key US ally and the largest African recipient of American aid after Egypt at the time. Sudan was the only Arab country to stand by Egypts Anwar Sadat after he signed the Camp David Accords with Israel.

In 1980 Gaddafi invaded Chad and took control of more than half of its territory, and in 1981 he talked of a merger with Chad. That set the alarm bells off in Washington. These events also came on the back of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and the new American president, Ronald Reagans desire to restore the prestige of US Imperialism.

Soon CIA director William Casey, ordered a campaign to supply weapons to the rebel fighters of Hissene Habre from the Sudan.The CIA would send supplies to Sudanese intelligence who would move them by train to Nyala, the former British Administration Headquarters in Darfur. From there Habre would pick them up and drive them across the border to Chad.

On 7 June 1982, thanks to American arms, Habre dealt the decisive blow when he captured the capital NDjamena from the Gaddafi-backed Goukouni Oueddei. That was only the start of US involvement in the proxy war. Massive stockpiles of weapons were delivered to the Habre regime. According to John Propst Blane, a U.S. ambassador in Chad from 1985 to 1988; there were times that the NDjamena Airport looked like Rhein-Main. I mean, I had C-5s and C-141s lined up on that runway. We were running an airlift in that place you wouldnt believe.(Quoted in Foreign Policy).

After a setback on the war in 1983, the US provided Habre with military trainers and portable surface-to-air missiles. It also deployed surveillance aircrafts, fighter jets and a tanker aircraft together with hundreds of military personnel to the Sudan to support the Habre regime. Reagan also approved $25 million in overt emergency aid.

But the decisive stage in the war came when the US started to supply Habre with Toyota pickup trucks mounted with 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. The mobility provided by the trucks dealt a heavy blow to the Libyan-backed forces. The successes scored by Habre in the so-called Toyota Wars endeared Habre to the Americans. The CIA called him the quintessential desert warrior. The Chadians received a reputation as some of the most rugged desert fighters in the world.

During all this time the Habre regime was directly supported and funded by US Imperialism. On 19 June 1987, in a statement by Ronald Reagan after having received Habre at the White House, Reagan congratulated Habre on his stunning victories and on how Chad had preserved freedom. Reagan spoke of his admiration for the Chadian regime: Chad's accomplishment is admired by the free world and will benefit all of Africa. By shoring up regional stability, Chad has helped its neighbors, who now can focus more of their energy and resources on country-building endeavors. Unfortunately, Chad and neighboring countries must remain vigilant against new threats, but Chad now knows it can count on its friends. For our part, the United States is committed to maintaining an appropriate level of security assistance to Chad.

And while Habre was committing some of the most despicable crimes in Chad, the former US president painted an idyllic and rosy picture; In our meetings, President Habre and I also looked to his country's future economic and development needs. Years of warfare have left Chad's economy in ruins. Reconstruction efforts have been set back by a cycle of severe drought, locust plagues, and other problems. For our part, the United States has tried to help to the degree possible in each emergency, yet the challenge remains great. Today we maintain an innovative, flexible program of development aid and budgetary support for Chad in an effort to move its fundamental economic situation.

Today President Habre emphasized that his government is committed to building a better life for the Chadian people, committed to reconstruction and economic growth. I assured him that we will continue to do our best, to work with France and other steadfast partners in the international effort to help reach President Habre's laudatory goals.

US Imperialism supported Habre personally right up to his overthrow by rebels on 30 November 1990. In fact, on that same night, the imperialists were still considering sending military aid to Habre. In the end, they decided against it. Instead they assisted Habre to flee the country. Habre reportedly drove his mercedes into a Lockheed L-100 Hercules transport plane which took him to Senegal where he lived comfortably for two decades. While Habre fled to Senegal, his regime simply melted away. The detention centers where the victims were kept were opened and thousands of inmates with scares, mutilated bodies and other cripples streamed into the streets of NDjamena,

But for all the claims of personal bravery, Habre was also an extreme reactionary. When he came to power in the north, he immediately sent his forces to the south where he unleashed an unprecedented reign of terror. In September 1984 his regime destroyed whole villages, killing thousands of civilians including children and raping countless women and children.

The regime carried out a series of atrocities against other ethnic groups like the Hadjaras and the Zaghawa. In 1984 he launched a whole campaign of murder against the Hadjaras because he became wary of the popularity of his foreign affairs minister, Idriss Miskine.

The western media put great emphasis on the extraordinary nature of the case: Habre became the first head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity by a court of another country. He was also the first head of state to be convicted of rape in his personal capacity and he became the first African head of state to be convicted of such crimes inside the African continent. But what the media rarely mentions and glosses over is the fact that the hideous regime of Habre would not have survived the length of time it did without the direct and active support of US Imperialism.

When the media feels compelled to say something about US and French involvement, it does so only briefly and vaguely, like in this example from The Guardian:

Many questions still remain unanswered, including several concerning the responsibility or complicity of western countries, such as France and the US, which actively supported Habre during the cold war years, turning a blind eye to his methods. Nevertheless, the trial brought the victims a long awaited moment of truth. This weeks verdict was the only way to bring closure. It sends a strong message to dictators everywhere. Africa has now set an example that others should follow.

In a three paragraph statement, US Secretary of State John Kerry, only had this to say about US involvement: As a country committed to the respect for human rights and the pursuit of justice, this is also an opportunity for the United States to reflect on, and learn from, our own connection with past events in Chad.

After decades of horror in Chad in which victims were mutilated, raped, tortured and murdered at the hands of the what US Imperialism called the quintessential desert warrior, all John Kerry can do is release a cowardly statement calling for the United States to reflect on. This is the kind of thing the bosses say which makes your blood boil.

But while the US capitalists are reflecting, the American working class and youth are beginning to stir. The Bernie Sanders campaign has turned American politics upside down. No matter what happens next, the campaign has given a glimpse of the enormous revolutionary potential of the American working class. Together with the masses from Chad and Senegal, the American working class is fighting a common enemy and together with workers from the world, the American working class will overthrow the monstrous US Imperialism which has supported every despotic regime imaginable.
With an unemployment rate hovering at 3.7 percent, Idaho has about 28,500 people out of work and looking for a job.

But Idaho employers have left about 22,000 jobs vacant, Gov. Butch Otter said Wednesday, "because we did not have the talent for them."

During his annual address to the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, Otter touted education as the key to developing a work force that can meet the needs of employers.

Kevin Richert

Full Story: http://www.idahoednews.org/news/otter-decries-talent-gap-state-work-force/
Adelos Inc. was recently awarded a Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) contract from the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Valued at just under $2.5 million, the funding will facilitate the transitioning of technology utilized in the Adelos Strategic Area Intrusion Detection System (ASAIDS) for use by the Air Force. The system provides situational awareness and early warning/intrusion detection capabilities and may be deployed at Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch facilities.

"Our Adelos technology is the third iteration of the product, with predecessors being installed and tested at Idaho National Laboratory and the U.S. Navy in Keyport, Washington," said Scott Colton, Adelos, Inc. CEO. "Were also happy to have the unit manufactured locally by another small business, S&K Electronics, Inc. http://www.skecorp.com/ , one of our original partners on the project."

By Amy Schlatter

Full Story: http://www.sktcorp.com/adelos-awarded-rapid-innovation-fund-contract-usaf/
n observation of Eid-al Adha, Fakih IVF Fertility Center, one of the leading Infertility, Gynecology, Obstetrics, Genetics and IVF centers in the GCC Region seeks to reach out to many more couples that are struggling to fulfill their dream of starting a family.

As part of this effort, the fertility center is running an Eid Campaign that promises to extend their services to everyone in need. As part of this initiative patients will be offered a generous discount on all IVF-ICSI package along with an additional discounts on all other infertility packages. This offer can be availed until 31st August 2019 at the centers branches located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain.

Dr. Michael Fakih, Medical Director of Fakih IVF said, We understand the importance of wanting to have ones own child, and this campaign is once again one of our efforts in reaching out to everyone wishing to start a family of their own. We know its an uphill task and want to make sure we stand by each family from the beginning until the very end.

Whilst rolling out this campaign, experts at the clinic are also looking to raise awareness on the importance of egg freezing. The procedure involves preserving a womans reproductive potential to ensure their ability to get pregnant or have a biological child in the future. To emphasise its importance the clinic will also be offering egg freezing packages at discounted rates where interested women can learn more about the procedure, its impact, and the reasons they may choose to opt for it.

Women these days wish to delay their pregnancies due to several factors such as undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments etc., career, or just perhaps the need to spend more time with their partners. So that they do not face any complications when they wish to conceive we want to provide them a comprehensive breakdown of how egg freezing can be done, Dr. Fakih added.

Fakih IVF Fertility Center is one of the leading Infertility, Gynecology, Obstetrics, Genetics and IVF centers in the GCC region with centers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. With several state-of-the-art technologies, the center is continually advancing in the field of reproductive medicine across the region.

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Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
by Tim Krozek , Op-Ed Contributor, June 6, 2016

On May 24, 2016, Google announced the most significant changes to AdWords since, well, the invention of AdWords. Its the second momentous change Google has made this year, after phasing out of the right-rail ads that started testing at the end of 2015 and became official this February. Now were looking at a substantial redesign. It begs the question Why do these changes matter? There are an incredible nine billion text ads on Google. These ads are a lifeline for innumerable businesses, and any change to them means these advertisers -- mom-and-pop shops, mid-market businesses and and billion-dollar global brand giants -- will have to react quickly, and probably spend more marketing dollars, to adjust and profit.

Most of what youve read so far about why Google decided to do this is accurate. User behavior has changed due to the searchers move to mobile, which has outpaced desktop searches. Right rail -- or sidebar -- ads dont render properly on a mobile device. These ads arent maximizing clicks or transactions -- which doesnt bode well for Google or advertisers. Ads on the top of the search results page make everyone happy: consumers click and transact, while Google and advertisers profit.

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But with this change come challenges and opportunities. With Googles new format, there are only four ads on the top of the search results page versus up to three ads on top, with another seven ads on the sidebar with the old format. With less real estate to compete with, advertisers that respond quickly to the changes will win big.

Image source: Google

First-Mover Advantage

The new ad format allows for expanded text on the top line (headline) of over 30 extra characters, an extra path on the URL (line 2), and extra characters totaling 80 on the last line (description line). But advertisers, be warned: mushing line one and line two descriptions together wont work. Most advertisers write the two lines of text as separate ideas, and when they are pushed together these logically dont flow as a cohesive message.

Advertisers that move quickly and adapt to the new format stand to benefit in two ways. First, advertisers that leverage the additional creative real estate can weave in new messages as they communicate to their customers that result in more clicks and purchases. Second, ads in the new format will look more aesthetically appealing compared to the older ads that do not read properly, which are displayed by advertisers that dont switch over.

More Work Than You Think

As mentioned, Google has more than 9 billion ads at its disposal. Sure, some are created by templates so the number of unique ads is smaller, but were still talking about rewriting billions of ads, no matter how you slice it. Google has not publicly offered assistance for advertisers to tackle this issue. A significant amount of rewriting is required no matter how many unique or templated ads online advertisers use in their campaigns.

Dont bet on technology to solve this for you either, given the aforementioned challenges with merging two separate ideas together. Ive personally tried this approach, and it wont work. Ive spoken with big companies in the search ecosystem that cant get this to work either. Google has indicated that the deadline for completing the rollover to the new formats is some time this fall. Multiple ads per ad group, multiple accounts, and many, many templates can only mean one thing: lots and lots of work.

It Will Cost You

Enterprise and SMB companies dont have resources waiting on standby for work like this to pop up. Googles AdWords change will mandate hiring internally, or partnering with an existing agency or starting a new agency relationship. Lets do some math:

Writing costs on average 20 cents per word for time for the writer. The average word has six characters, and there are approximately 45 extra characters that Google is offering up (5 extra characters for Headline 1; 30 extra characters for Headline 2; the extra path on the URL line; 5 extra characters on the longer description line). Extra time and writing are also required to ensure that the new ad makes sense. The cost of redoing one ad is at least $1.40 for the writing, and then some larger expense well say $2.00  to ensure the ad is logical. That comes down to $3.40 per ad. If an advertiser has 5,000 ads in her account thats over $15,000 of expense.

Whats the lesson for advertisers? Start looking for budget. Oh and get ready. You can bet that if Google is doing this now, their cousin in Redmond will follow suit in the next few months.
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, June 5, 2016

Ogilvy has appointed Gerald Lewis to the position of worldwide executive creative director for Dove. He will join Ogilvy immediately and report to Ogilvys Worldwide ECD for Unilever, Andre Laurentino.

Lewis will oversee all of the agency's work for the Dove brand. He will be based in London, the global hub for Dove, and will replace Maureen Shirreff, who returns to Ogilvy Chicago, where she joined two years ago.

Lewis began his career at Ogilvy in New York, where his work for IBM and The New York Times quickly landed him on the Art Directors Clubs Young Guns List. Over an 18-year career he has worked at agencies including BBH, McCann Erickson and 72andSunny, on brands including Axe, Microsoft, Levis and Johnnie Walker.

In 2010, Lewis set up boutique creative studio Grand, launching new brands for the Whole Foods market and creating multi-channel communications for the city of San Francisco, Visa, Google and Microsoft. While at Grand, Lewis also worked on the launch of Unilever-backed skincare brand Own, creating fully integrated communications, web and app design. In 2014, Grand merged with John McNeil Studio, where, until recently, Lewis held the position of Executive Creative Director.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, June 6, 2016

Ad fraud is likely to exceed $50 billion globally by 2025, according to a new report from the World Federation of Advertisers. The report said that ad fraud should be considered a form of organized crime and that the activity is second only to the drug trade as a source of income.

The $50 billion figure is a conservative estimate, per the report, which advises that without sufficient counter measures, its easy to produce scenarios where ad fraud revenues equate to $150 billion per annum in the same time frame.

The report, compiled by the WFA in conjunction with the Advertising Fraud Council and Botlab.io, concludes that virtually any programmatic buy can be exposed to ad fraud.

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The report also asserts that viral spam sites, providing little to no opportunity for advertising effectiveness, are endemic across the internet.

Ad fraud is also found among premium publishers, for example. in the form of sourced traffic. Low quality sourced traffic has become common place among publishers, often as a means to deliver campaign targets to advertisers.

Until the industry can prove that it has the capability to effectively deal with ad fraud, advertisers should use caution in relation to increasing their digital media investment, to limit their exposure to fraud, the report surmises.

The WFA recommends a number of actions to help brands to reduce their exposure to ad fraud, including:

The development of in-house expertise to support vendor selection, work with cyber security partners to help understand common threats and demand full transparency of investment, including full disclosure of the Web sites being used to promote their products or services.

Brands should set appropriate metrics that, where possible, relate back to business outcomes. They should also encourage open information sharing related to preventing ad fraud.

Marketers should avoid run of exchange buys in favor of databases of safe sites. Advertisers that need to hit digital investment targets may have to accept that these will not be achievable without exposing themselves to high levels of fraud.

Contracts with agencies and vendor partners need to be revised to ensure that there are clear penalties for misallocating spend to ad fraud related inventory, where preventing it could be reasonably achieved.

Advertisers are the sole victim of ad fraud and the WFA wants to equip them with the tools to minimize their exposure, stated, Stephan Loerke, CEO, WFA. There is much that advertisers can do to improve the situation in terms of setting new standards, contractual changes and increased transparency, but ultimately behavior change is required across the industry, Loerke added.

A full copy of the report can be viewed here .
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, June 6, 2016

Alphabet, Inc. announced Friday that Apple veteran and Nest founder and CEO Tony Fadell would be leaving the IoT company that Google bought for $3.2 billion in 2004. Coverage immediately cited the very public complaints of a few employees and colleagues over Fadells management style, coupled with some purported blown deadlines and dampened performance.

The sharpest attack came from Greg Duffy, the founder and former chief executive of Dropcam, the home video camera and cloud-computing service that Nest acquired for $555 million in 2014, about six months after Google bought Nest, Steve Lohr writes in the New York Times, which cites other criticisms as well.

But Fadell seems to have preempted the negative commentary he anticipated in his chat with Lohr, which was conducted before his departure on the condition that the story not be published until the announcement was made.

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Fadell characterized Nest as healthy, with 1,100 workers and strong teams in design, software and services around its three product families  its learning thermostat, smoke detector and video camera, Lohr writes.

Im a guy whos at the beginning of things, Fadell tells Lohr. I dont like to do maintenance mode. Its not what gets me out of bed.

In his own blog post, Fadell states: Nest revenue has grown in excess of 50% year-over-year and today, millions of people in more than 190 countries use Nest products, which include hardware, software, services, and the Nest-backed Thread wireless protocol. In 2015 alone, we shipped four new hardware products and five significant App releases, and the Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen reached the one million unit milestone in half the time as the previous generation!

Fadell also expressed no regrets in a candid interview with Bloomberg Friday, saying Nest has shipped products that millions of customers have rated highly. Trotting out the you cant make an omelet without breaking eggs argument, he also points out that the people who worked with him at a previous venture 25 years ago have their kids working for me now.

To me, its truly, whats your mindset? Are you coming to work? Are you truly respecting the mission were on?, he tells Ashlee Vance.

More intriguingly, he reveals that he has invested in more than 100 companies very secretively over the past decade that have incredibly just disruptive ideas that can change the world in a positive way, whether its in medical or its in consumer products or energy. Among them, according to several sources, are Phononic, Flexport, Airware, Bump (acquired by Google), ZEP Solar (bought by SolarCity), Actev, Mousera and Impossible Foods.

In some cases hes on the board; in others, he helps find funding or works on the marketing angles for them, the messaging, the product designs, he tells Vance.

CNETs Richard Nieva reports that Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson said the split was necessary because of the increased tension between Fadell and Alphabet's management, and the outsized media attention it was getting. This should allow Nest to move on without the distraction of the recent news stories and criticisms, he said.

But Fadell will remain an adviser to Alphabet and CEO Larry Page praised him Friday as a true visionary he looks forward to continuing to work with.

Marwan Fawaz was named CEO at Nest. He has extensive experience in executive positions, having worked at Charter, ADT and Motorola Home. He served as CEO of the latter, back when the company was still a part of the Google family, a position that no doubt helped qualify him for his big new gig, Brian Heater observes for TechCrunch.

Fawaz may be an experienced executive in the cable and telecommunications industry, but he's not the media darling that Fadell was, Dan Seifert writes for The Verge.

Fadell himself cited Fawaz extensive technology and engineering knowledge, his experience with global service providers, as well as his background in connected home platforms.

As well as, one would expect, a higher tolerance for maintenance mode.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, June 6, 2016

Microsoft's search engine Bing will display more detailed warnings when users encounter potential phishing and malware sites, as incidents continue to rise.

The news reported Friday in a blog post details how the search engine will change the way it communicates potential threats in search engine query results to individuals using its engine and webmasters using its ad and site tools.

The most significant change involves how Webmasters will receive notifications when a site becomes infected and by what type of infection. Bing will send a notification through the search engine's dashboard when a threat is detected on a company's site. After the webmasters addresses the concern, users can request a review of the status.

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For those searching on Bing, the engine will identify whether the page ahead contains a phishing scam and in some cases will explain how the site might trick the individual into disclosing financial, personal, or other sensitive information.

Previously, Bing warned individuals using its search engine with a generic warning covering all of the different malware threat types.

Microsoft will allow the user to click through to the site, but will recommend that the individual pick another result.

Poisoning search results through search engine optimization (SEO) has also been identified by Infoblox, a firm offering security appliances for large companies, as a technique to drive traffic to malware exploit kits, as have several large spam attacks.



A Infoblox white paper calling out Google -- which also has been working to stop malware and phishing through search results -- cites Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that ransomware attacks cost U.S. victims $209 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared with $24 million for all of 2015.

Google began urging Web site operators to sign up for security notifications after a study of 760,935 hijacked sites conducted with the University of California, Berkeley, between late 2013 and early 2014, revealed the difficulties in cleaning up infections that expose visitors to malware.

Fast forward to 2016 and the problem continues to escalate in a variety of media. AppRiver quarantined more than 2.3 billion messages and virus with more than 1.7 billion occurring in March 2016, already surpassing last years total virus traffic according to the companys Q1 Global Security Report.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 6, 2016

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear Google's appeal of a decision that granted pay-per-click marketers class-action status in a long-running AdWords battle.

The move means that Google must now face a class-action from marketers who say their ads were placed on "low quality" sites.

The dispute dates to 2009, when several pay-per-click marketers -- including law firm Pulaski & Middleman and retailer RK West -- alleged in a class-action lawsuit that ads on Google's AdSense for Domains and AdSense for Errors programs resulted in fewer purchases than ads on Google's search results pages.

The marketers, who are seeking restitution, accused Google of violating California's unfair competition and fair advertising laws by misleading them about the nature of the sites where the ads would appear. The marketers also alleged that ads on parked domains "could damage their brands."

Google has revised its ad policies since the case was filed.

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In 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila in the Northern District of California rejected the marketers' bid for class-action status. Davila ruled that a class-action would be inappropriate because "individualized issues of restitution permeate the class claims."

Last year, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit reversed, ruling that the marketers had presented legitimate proposals for determining restitution on a class-wide basis. The appellate judges appeared to endorse at least one proposed methodology -- the "Smart Pricing" approach -- which the opinion describes as "the difference between the amount the advertiser actually paid and the amount paid reduced by the Smart Pricing discount ratio."

Google then asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, arguing that restitution can't be calculated by a one-size-fits-all formula.

The company said in its petition to the court that many advertisers, including RK West, "achieve higher conversion rates on parked domains and error pages than on the Smart Pricing benchmarks."

Google also argued that the 9th Circuit's ruling could result in "thousands" of advertisers suing Google for alleged violations of California's unfair competition laws.
This is the most creatively ambitious branded project weve embarked on to date, stated Bob Sauerberg, president and CEO of Conde Nast.

The four episode series is created by the 23 Stories x Conde Nast studio and directed by Gia Coppola.

The full series is available across Vogue.com, VanityFair.com, GQ.com, NewYorker.com, WMagazine.com, Pitchfork.com and Gucci.com.

Joe Libonati, VP of corporate communications at Conde Nast, told Publishers Daily that the series will be marketed globally across these Conde Nast digital brands, both online and on social media, as well as across Vogue China and Vogue Japan.

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In a statement, Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri suggested that this type of digital narrative content is a way to attract millennials, a demographic which primarily prefers to engage with video and social media.

This type of innovative approach to digital marketing will certainly play an increasingly important part of our strategy going forward, he stated.

Bizzarri added that the reach of these six Conde Nast brands will help target the right audience across geographic regions and platforms in an authentic way.

The series is described as a modern interpretation of the classic Greek romance The Legend of Orpheus and Eurydice," set in present-day New York City.

Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele was also behind the project, starring Lou Doillon. Academy Award-nominated costumer Arianne Phillips styled the series, which was shot in five different locations across New York City and the surrounding area.
by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, June 6, 2016

While that nations chattering classes profess to be shocked by the rise of Donald Trump, whose meteoric campaign is now veering increasingly into hot-button racial issues, few news media sites have taken a principled stand by refusing to accept the real estate mogul and reality stars political advertising.

BuzzFeed became the first national news outlet to swear off Trumps ad dollars.

In an email to BuzzFeed employees also published on the site, CEO Jonah Peretti said the company had canceled a $1.3 million contract with the Republican National Committee to run political ads for Trumps presidential campaign beginning in the fall  in the final key months before the election on November 8.

Peretti cited Trumps inflammatory statements and insulting language about Muslims, Mexicans and women, among other groups, as reasons for terminating the deal with the RNC.

He argued that Trumps policies would directly harm BuzzFeeds own employees or impede its ability to continue publishing.

Taking Trumps proposed ban on Muslim immigration and international travel as an example, Peretti wrote: The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.

Peretti added: We certainly dont like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company. However, in some cases, we must make business exceptions: We dont run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we wont accept Trump ads for the exact same reason.

On the editorial side, BuzzFeed will continue to cover the Trump campaign, editor-in-chief Ben Smith affirmed in a separate email to staffers, noting of the decision to reject RNC ads: This was Jonahs call, and the prerogative of a publisher.

While rejection by one publisher is unlikely to spell success or failure for a presidential campaign  especially when its a left-leaning progressive outlet like BuzzFeed  the sites rejection of Trump ads highlights the mounting obstacles the Republican Party faces in connecting to millennials. They are a politically engaged, if often unreliable voting bloc, who have also displayed a fairly strong aversion to Trump.

In April, a poll by the Harvard Institute of Politics, voters ages 18-29 preferred Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump as president by 61% to 25%.
by Jess Nelson , June 6, 2016

Email marketing company Bluecore announced the launch of Bluecore Ads on Monday, an extension of the companys personalization technology to additional advertising channels beyond email.

Bluecore Ads marks Bluecores entrance into the advertising world. The cross-channel marketing platform streamlines customer data to offer a consistent messaging experience across email, display advertising, Facebook and Google AdWords.

With Bluecore Ads, display advertising is transformed from simply showing products that a customer has already viewed to offering a more engaging experience by highlighting product changes, inventory drops and promotional discounts on display advertisements.

Bluecore offers a customer experience platform that helps marketers discover valuable insights from large volumes of data. Bluecores data services analyze consumer behavior alongside product catalogue information, enabling marketers to quickly deploy advertising messages based on real-time actions.

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Fayez Mohamood, CEO and cofounder of Bluecore, asserts that one of Bluecores distinguishing characteristics is its ability to easily ramp up client accounts quickly and to align varying types of data.

Additional product features include advanced segmentation, syncing audiences across channels and an easy integration into marketing and advertising platforms.

Personalization is no longer simply in the wheelhouse of email marketing, and cross-channel personalization is now the expectation of consumers.

The rise of the cross-channel marketer is a discussion topic at this weeks Email Insider Summit, hosted by MediaPost at The Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Florida, and with representatives from Adobe, Visa, PGA Tour and Etsy participating in the conversation.
A new review of research into anxiety disorders has reported that women and adults under the age of 35 are more likely to experience anxiety than other groups.

Share on Pinterest The researchers found that women, young adults, and people with other medical conditions were most at risk for anxiety disorders.

In particular, the researchers state that women are almost twice as likely to be affected as men. This difference did not change over time.

The aim of the review was to understand the prevalence of anxiety disorders in both the general public as well as among specific groups of people.

Anxiety disorders can make life extremely difficult for some people and it is important for our health services to understand how common they are and which groups of people are at greatest risk, explains first author Olivia Remes, of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorders present in the general population. Examples of anxiety disorders include post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder.

The CDC estimate that the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders is more than 15 percent .

Typical symptoms of anxiety disorders include increased worrying, tension, tiredness, and fear. These symptoms can prevent people from keeping to their everyday routines. The study authors report that the annual cost of these disorders to the United States is estimated to be $42.3 billion.

Many more scientific reviews have examined the effects of depression than the effects of anxiety, despite this impact on society. The new review, published in Brain and Behavior, aims to shed further light on this area of research.

The team, led by the University of Cambridge, examined the findings of 48 reviews of anxiety studies. These included reviews on the development of anxiety, anxiety in relation to addiction, and anxiety alongside other conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

The reviews also looked at anxiety in different settings  both clinical and in the community  and in different places across the globe.
The results of a small clinical trial offer hope for people left with motor impairment following a stroke, after finding that an injection of adult stem cells into the brain restored motor function for such individuals, to the extent that some patients regained the ability to walk.

Share on Pinterest Researchers found that injecting SB623 stem cells into stroke-damaged brain areas restored motor function for patients.

Lead study author Dr. Gary Steinberg, professor and chair of neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, CA, and colleagues publish their findings in the journal Stroke.

While the trial only included a small number of stroke participants, the results have been met with much positivity, with some health experts claiming the findings could lead to life-changing treatments for stroke patients.

In the United States each year, more than 795,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke.

Ischemic stroke is the most common form, accounting for around 87 percent of all strokes. It occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain becomes blocked, primarily due to blood clots.

Hemorrhagic stroke accounts for around 13 percent of all strokes, arising from leaking or ruptured blood vessels in the brain.

Exactly how stroke affects a person is dependent on what side of the brain it occurs and the amount of damage it causes. Some individuals may experience temporary arm or leg weakness, for example, while others may lose the ability to speak or walk.

According to the National Stroke Association, around 2 in every 3 stroke survivors will have some form of disability, and stroke is the leading cause of disability among American adults.

There are treatments available for stroke, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)  considered the gold standard treatment for ischemic stroke. It works by dissolving the blood clot that is blocking blood flow to the brain.

However, tPA needs to be administered within hours of stroke occurrence, in order to maximize the likelihood of recovery  a time period that Dr. Steinberg and colleagues note is often exceeded by the time it takes for a patient to arrive at the hospital.

If the treatment is not received in time, the chance of a full recovery from stroke is small. But in the new study, researchers found stem cell transplantation improved patients recovery when administered up to 3 years after stroke.
An existing cancer immunotherapy drug reduces tumor size in some types of rare connective tissue cancers, called sarcomas, report researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). Additional analyses of tumor biopsies and blood samples, which will help the researchers better understand which sarcoma subtypes will benefit most from the new treatment, are underway.

Interim results from the phase II clinical trial were presented at the 52nd annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago by principal investigator Hussein Abdul-Hassan Tawbi, M.D., Ph.D., formerly of UPCI and current associate professor, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Sarcoma is a rare disease, encompassing less than 1 percent of adult cancers, and the available treatments are limited, so the need for new therapies is high, explained the current lead investigator for the Pittsburgh site, Melissa Burgess, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at UPCI.

"This is a pivotal trial for sarcoma, the first and largest trial to be conducted using this specific immunotherapeutic approach. What makes this trial special is that we collected biopsies and blood samples to really study how the treatment is working or not working in these patients. These immune monitoring studies will offer unique insights into the biology of immunotherapy in sarcoma," Dr. Burgess said.

Immunotherapies work by using a patient's own immune cells to target cancer cells. The new trial examined the safety and effect of pembrolizumab, which currently is approved for use in advanced melanoma and certain types of advanced lung cancer, on tumor size in four types of soft tissue sarcomas and three types of bone sarcomas.

UPCI, the first of 12 sites to enroll subjects, contributed approximately one quarter of the 80 total patients. Patients received the drug every three weeks. Tumor assessments began at eight weeks and were conducted every 12 weeks thereafter. The trial enrolled on a rolling basis, and is still in progress, so in these results, not all patients have received the drug for the same amount of time.

About 20 percent of patients in the combined soft tissue sarcoma group showed a reduction in tumor size during at least one time point. However, when the researchers looked at the sarcoma subtypes individually, they found one with especially promising results: 44 percent of patients with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma experienced a reduction in tumor size. Encouraging improvements in tumor size also were found in two subtypes of bone sarcomas, osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma, Dr. Burgess noted.

"Unfortunately, these early results suggest that there is limited efficacy of pembrolizumab in the patient population as a whole. However, it's promising that the drug seems to be beneficial in specific sarcoma subtypes. Our ongoing immune monitoring studies will allow us to better characterize the patients who will most benefit from this therapy for future clinical trials," said Dr. Burgess.

Funding for the trial was provided by Merck & Co., the maker of pembrolizumab, Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration, Sarcoma Foundation of America and QuadW Foundation. Funding for the ongoing studies was partially provided by local philanthropic support group Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma.
NEW YORK

June 6, 2016

June 3, 2016

Nevada

June 28, 2016

Any lists / documents which set forth the name, contact information, and number of shares owned by each beneficial owner of common stock who has not objected to having his/her name disclosed (commonly referred to as NOBO materials for "non-objecting beneficial owners.")

A list of all owners who hold common stock in the name of Cede & Co. or any other clearing agency of other similar nominees.

Nelson Obus

Michael Christodolou

Gary Ermers

$168 million

$7

Michael Christodolou

Joshua H. Landes

Nelson Obus

Michael N. Christodolou

David H. Clarke

May 31, 2016

June 1, 2016

Mark Semer

Daniel Yunger

/PRNewswire/ -- Wynnefield Capital and its affiliates (collectively, "Wynnefield"), longstanding stockholders of Omega Protein Corporation (NYSE: OME) ("Omega" or the "Company") with a 7.9% ownership interest, was forced onto file a complaint against Omega instate court, seeking that Omega be compelled to produce all the stockholders lists that Omega has in their possession and that Wynnefield has requested under the relevant Nevada Regulatory Statutes. The complaint additionally seeks to enjoin or temporarily stay Omega's Annual Meeting until Wynnefield has had an opportunity to inspect all such requested books and records and thereafter communicate with its fellow stockholders. Omega's Annual Meeting of stockholders is currently scheduled forAmong the materials that Omega refuses to provide for inspection, include:Wynnefield believes that Omega has repeatedly and improperly refused to provide Wynnefield access to these commonly provided materials in order to create an unlevel playing field to give the Company a distinct advantage in this proxy contest. Indeed, the requested materials are in Omega's possession / control and would not require Omega to expend any additional time or costs to produce. Moreover, the Company is actively using these same materials to directly communicate with Omega stockholders., President of Wynnefield, said "We are entitled to inspect and copy the books and records that Omega has failed to provide and, therefore, we will see this litigation through to ensure that stockholder rights are not compromised."Wynnefield has done all in its power to follow customary practices in requesting these materials in order to save Omega's stockholders from bearing the burden of needless expense of litigation, but strongly believes that Omega's sole objective is to prevent Wynnefield from effectively making its case directly with its fellow stockholders.As noted in the complaint, because a large percentage of Omega's shares are likely held by nominal holders, the materials sought include Cede and NOBO materials, which are necessary to discover the identity of certain beneficial owners of Omega shares. Without such normal course information, Wynnefield cannot contact Omega's full stockholder base, and therefore, cannot run an effective proxy campaign.Mr. Obus noted, "Wynnefield is determined to give Omega stockholders the opportunity to electto the Company's Board to replace. Mr. Ermers has never been elected by stockholders, has no prior public company board experience, helped fuel the Company's disastrous foray into the Human Nutrition business and seemingly either endorses the Company's corporate governance failures or is afraid to object to them.""No one should be surprised by the Omega Board's most recent blatant obstructionist tactic. This is the same Board that has historically been unresponsive to stockholders' concerns and has put their interests before stockholders. Over the last year the Omega Board has, in our view, done everything it can to impede the will of its stockholders, particularly the ability to nominate independent directors. This is the same Board that has on multiple occasions unilaterally amended its By-Laws for what appears to be the sole purpose of entrenching itself at the expense of stockholders. This is the same Board that ran what we believe to be a sham strategic review process that took nine months and resulted in nearly nothing, including a discretionary stock buy-back program. And this is the same misaligned Board that has endorsed a business strategy reliant on capital misallocation and the squandering ofper share) into a failed Human Nutrition business."Omega's Board desperately needs fresh and experienced voices. Stockholders now have an exceptional opportunity before them to strengthen the performance and governance of their company through the election of highly qualified nomineeto the Board. Wynnefield looks forward to directly engaging with stockholders, who will ultimately decide on the best course for creating  and the leadership that will drive the strategy to achieve  sustained value for Omega and its stockholders. But stockholders need Omega to play fair and square, and to fulfill its legal and governance obligations," Mr. Obus concluded.Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P.; Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. I; Wynnefield Small Cap Value Offshore Fund, Ltd.; Wynnefield Capital, Inc. Profit Sharing & Money Purchase Plan; Wynnefield Capital Management, LLC; Wynnefield Capital, Inc.;; and(collectively, "Wynnefield") together withare participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") of Omega Protein Corporation (the "Company"). On, Wynnefield filed a definitive proxy statement and related materials (the "2016 Proxy Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting unless it withdraws its nominations.Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of Wynnefield's definitive proxy statement and related materials (if and when available) filed with the SEC by Wynnefield through the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.A summary of Wynnefield's analysis of Omega's capital misallocation and critique of its governance deficiencies, as well as biographical information of each of Wynnefield's proposed nominees, is contained in the 2016 Proxy Statement, which can be found at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1053650/000114420416105680/0001144204-16-105680-index.htmWynnefield may be deemed to beneficially own 1,752,636 shares of the Company's common stock, representing approximately 7.9% of the Company's outstanding common stock. None of the other participants own any shares of the Company's common stock. Additional information regarding such participants, including their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be included in the 2016 Proxy Statement and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting.On or about, Wynnefield commenced mailing of the definitive 2016 Proxy Statement and an accompanying proxy card to some or all stockholders pursuant to applicable SEC rules. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE 2016 PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT THE COMPANY WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain, free of charge, copies of the definitive 2016 Proxy Statement and any other documents filed by Wynnefield with respect to the Company with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov).orKEKSTmark.semer@kekst.com / daniel.yunger@kekst.com212.521.4800

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wynnefield-capital-compelled-to-sue-omega-protein-for-failure-to-make-available-full-set-of-books-and-records-300279901.html



SOURCE Wynnefield Capital




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Promising responses observed in four cancer types, including carrier-specific molecular alterations, have already helped widen the cohort of patients participating in this clinical trial, the researchers said."With genomic testing of tumors becoming increasingly available, studies such as ours will help more patients benefit from precision medicine approaches," said lead study author John Hainsworth, senior investigator at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville."Although it is still early to draw conclusions, our findings suggest that, for example, HER2-targeted therapy could be expanded beyond the current indications of HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers."Mutation in the HER2 gene favors the growth of cancer cells.The most promising results of this approach have been reported in patients with HER2 mutation, seven out of 20 suffering from colorectal cancer, three out of eight with bladder tumors and three out of six biliary tract cancer.They all showed a reduction of at least 30 percent of their tumor. Based on the data, researchers recruited more patients for the study, which is ongoing and expected to reach 500 participants.- Keeping cells healthy -Another group of patients with lung cancer with genetic mutations in the BRAF gene, which regulates proteins involved in the processes of division and cellular differentiation, has also been expanded, given the encouraging data.A meta-analysis of 346 Phase 1 experimental trials with more than 13,000 patients also presented at ASCO showed similar results.In 58 of the precision medicine studies, cancerous tumors shrunk by more than 31 percent when the molecules used for the treatment specifically targeting the weaknesses of the tumor, against 5.1 percent when that was not the case, said lead study author Maria Schwaederle, an expert on personalized cancer therapy at the University of California, San Diego."Targeted drugs in and of themselves were not effective. They absolutely need to be given to the right patients," Schwaederle said."A biomarker-based approach was the most significant independent predictor of improved outcomes in Phase I studies."Certain types of biomarkers triggered even higher response rates for those patients treated via a personalized approach -- 42 percent, against 22.4 percent for those chosen via protein expression.Sumanta Kumar Pal of City of Hope National Medical Center, who did not take part in the research, said the study also "underscores the need to explore this genomic-based testing and treatment approach in a learning environment, like a clinical trial."Source: AFP


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Mastoiditis, the infection of mastoid bone just behind the ear, is often the result of middle ear infections (acute otitis media) spreading to the surrounding bones.(1  Trusted Source What is Mastoiditis? Go to source ) Infection or inflammation of mastoid cells can be classified as acute mastoiditis or chronic mastoiditis. When mastoiditis occurs together with middle ear infection , it is termed as acute otomastoiditis.(2  Trusted Source Acute Mastoiditis Go to source )

Mastoid process is the conical prominence that extends from the temporal bone, just behind where the ear is located. The neck muscles are attached to the mastoid process. It is filled with cavities similar to the sinuses. The spread of infection from the mucosa of the middle ear to the sinuses of the mastoid process results in the infection of the mastoid bone. Untreated mastoiditis can spread to the surrounding tissues and cells and even to the brain.

Mastoiditis is usually the result of an untreated middle ear infection. Sometimes cholesteatoma (an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear) can erode into the mastoid process, resulting in mastoiditis and other complications.

The causal organisms include:

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Symptoms of mastoiditis are similar to those of the middle ear infections. The honey-comb like structure of the mastoid bone fills up with the infected material leading to redness and pain behind the ear.

Other symptoms include:

Ear discomfort. Fever, which can be sudden and high.

Toothache just below the infected mastoid.

Swelling behind the ear, making the ear stick out. Draining of fluid from the ear.

Hearing loss in the affected ear.

Some symptoms may be non-specific to mastoiditis but occur as a part of the infection.

Diarrhea

Irritability

Malaise (feeling of general discomfort)

Loss of appetite

Headache, more concentrated behind the ear and radiating towards the sides of the head.(   Trusted Source

All You Need To Know About Mastoiditis



Go to source Trusted Source

Clinical diagnosis of mastoiditis includes:

Medical history of ear infections.

Patient symptom presentations like headaches and ear discharge.

Physical examination to look for redness, tenderness and swelling behind the ear.

Blood tests show:

Excessive leukocytes.

Elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

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Computerized tomography (CT scan) reveals:

Opacity of the mastoid air cells - air cells appear clear with there is no infection.

Erosion of the mastoid bone.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful in confirming:

Opacity of the mastoid air cells.

Presence of fluid in mastoid air cells.

Culture tests:

Culture testing of the ear discharge reveals the type of bacteria present.(   Trusted Source

About - Mastoiditis



Go to source Trusted Source

Untreated mastoiditis can cause many complications.

Dizziness or vertigo as it affects the vestibular system which maintains body balance.

Destruction or erosion of the mastoid bone.

Subperiosteal abscess (pus formation in the inner layer of the bony tissue).

Cranial nerve involvement. Gradenigos syndrome  Facial nerve paralysis, deep facial pain and otitis media.

Meningitis (inflammation of membranes of the brain).

Brain abscess.

Bezold abscess (collection of pus behind the muscle of the neck)

Moderate to severe hearing loss.

Various options may be considered for the treatment of mastoiditis depending on the severity of the condition.

Medicines:

High dose of broad spectrum antibiotics is given orally or intravenous. Vancomycin and ceftriaxone are included in the treatment.

Painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen are given.

Surgery:

Insertion of tube via the eardrum to drain out the excess mucus and pus.

Mastoidectomy:

Simple mastoidectomy  surgical removal of the infected mastoid air cells.



Radical mastoidectomy  surgical removal of the tympanic membrane and other middle ear structures and closure of the Eustachian tube.



Modified mastoidectomy  all other parts except a part of the tympanic membrane and the tiny middle ear bones are removed.

The spread of the infection to brain and surrounding areas may require drainage of the abscess in those areas or neurosurgical intervention.(5 Trusted Source

More Information on Mastoiditis



Go to source)

Do not leave any infections of the head and neck untreated.

Avoid swimming pools that are not cleaned regularly.

Avoid water retention in the ear canal.

Keep yourself away from allergies as they can cause inflammation of the mucus lining that in turn get infected.
In the early morning of May 19, 2016, EgyptAir Flight 804, en route from Paris to Cairo, crashed in the Mediterranean, killing all 66 passengers and crew. Western media immediately began speculating about the cause of the crash - whether it was due to mechanical failure, a terrorist attack, or pilot suicide. Official elements in Egypt were furious at the profusion of unconfirmed reports in Western media even prior to the launch of the investigation. For instance, Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Sharif Fathi said he was surprised at reports of smoke in the plane prior to the crash or of suicide by the pilot. He added sarcastically that perhaps space aliens had shot down the plane, and demanded a halt to all the theories until the results of the official investigation were released.[1]

Additionally, several Egyptian politicians and journalists were quick to blame various elements for the crash, namely the U.S., Britain, Turkey, and Israel. Some Egyptian writers claimed that the plane was downed as part of a "Satanic plot" by the West, aimed at damaging Egypt's stability, economy, and ties to other countries, leading ultimately to the country's collapse. Some claimed that the U.S. and Britain were behind the crash as well as behind other disasters that had struck Egypt over the past year, because, they argued, these two countries provide aid and support to terrorist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the Islamic State (ISIS), which target Egypt. Some blamed Israel, arguing that it had conducted aerial maneuvers near the crash site, while others accused Egypt's rival Turkey.

On the other hand, Egyptian journalist Dr. 'Omar Al-Shoubaki, vice president of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, published two articles rejecting claims of a global conspiracy against Egypt, claiming that Egyptians should stop believing in such theories as a way to excuse their failures, and should instead start trying to understand the true reasons for these failures. However, Al-Shoubaki himself theorized that such conspiracy theories serve the interests of the aircraft manufacturers, which do not want to talk about any mechanical failures of their aircraft.

Following are excerpts from various articles in the Egyptian press regarding the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804:



Egypt mourns EgyptAir Flight 804 (Makkah, Saudi Arabia, May 22, 2016)

U.S., Britain Support Terrorist Organizations That Carry Out Attacks On Their Behalf

Al-Ahram Columnist: The Plane Crash - Like Other Disasters That Have Struck Egypt - Is Made In The U.S. And U.K.

Mohammed Sabrin, a columnist for the official Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, argued that the string of recent crises in Egypt - including the downing of Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai in October 2015, the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, and the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 - were connected, and hinted that they were all carried out by terrorist groups that are mercenaries of the U.S. and Britain. He wrote: "Another disaster places Egypt in the eye of the storm, like some ongoing nightmare that weighs heavily on Egyptians' hearts - [from] the disaster of the Russian airliner [downed] over Sharm Al-Sheikh, through the death of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, and now with the crash of the Egyptian airliner arriving from Paris. Also, we obviously have the unending terrorism in Sinai and the wave of fires [recently taking place in Egypt]...

"What is happening on the ground is far removed from any emotion or morality, and is subordinate to the interests of countries and the industrial, military, and financial complex of the world's strongest superpower [i.e. the U.S.] and its subordinate - Britain. They do not know the meaning of compassion, even though they are good at expressing condolences, [while at the same time] carrying out despicable actions by means of agents. Those who do not wish to see the truth [should ask], who benefits? Would any reasonable person seek to harm tourism and drive a wedge between [Egypt] and Putin's Russia, Italy, France, and the Gulf states?...

"Indeed there is [an element] that insists that we reintegrate the MB into our political life, speaks of 'the greater Middle East,' and has been accused of interfering in South American nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, and elsewhere, and of fomenting coups using democratic tools and causing social upheaval. [This element] also has a long history of violent intervention in countries and regimes that were never communist but rather nationalist, and that merely wanted a small measure of national independence...

"In his famous book Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam, British researcher Mark Curtis revealed that British governments, whether Conservative or led by Labour, aspired to implement national interests outside [their borders], and therefore have spent decades secretly collaborating with the forces of radical Islam, including terrorist organizations... Curtis also states that the U.S. sponsored and nurtured Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda terrorist [group], and that there are currently many stories of signs that the U.S. and Turkey are sponsoring ISIS and its ilk...

"Is anyone asking what is behind this Western, and particularly British, embrace of the MB and its leaders and other extremist organizations - and did the term 'Londonistan' come out of nowhere?... And why do the Americans, and especially the British, insist on integrating the forces of political Islam into politics?!... We must not forget that these terrorist organizations have never, over many years, shied away from using violence and terrorism to achieve political goals that benefit their masters. Yes, they are mercenaries, fighting others' wars against their own homelands and peoples, as happened in Afghanistan..."[2]

Egyptian Writer: U.S. Supports Terrorist Organizations In Order to Sow Chaos In The Arab Ummah - Particularly In Egypt

Wagdi Zein Al-Din, writing in Al-Wafd, also attacked the U.S. and accused it of sponsoring terrorist organizations and of being "behind all the plots." He wrote: "The American position regarding the airliner's explosion over the Mediterranean [possibly a reference to the CNN report that the pilot committed suicide] is not strange. I personally was not surprised by the U.S.'s foolish behavior on this matter, as many were. The reason is very simple: The terrorism currently afflicting the world is an American-Western product.

"Why does the U.S. support terror organizations? And what are its intentions in doing something this stupid? What does it stand to gain? All these and other questions have one answer: The American-Western plans regarding the Middle East are imperialist plans... and there are many traitors and conspirators who are facilitating this new imperialism, even offering themselves willingly [to this end,] like the MB. The new imperialist is taking advantage of this, on the pretense of the liberty, democracy, and human rights for which Third World countries yearn...

"Thus, it is no wonder that we see this shameful American position regarding the Egyptian airliner disaster. It is also no wonder that we are condemning Washington, because it created the extremist and terrorist organizations. Moreover, it is their chief supporter, with the aim of sowing chaos throughout the Arab ummah, particularly in Egypt, which has thwarted all satanic plans to divide it - whether by the U.S. and the West from without, and the terrorist MB from within... This is all the U.S. - expect nothing good from it, because how can good come [from it], when it is behind all the plots[?]...."[3]

Egyptian Journalists: Downing The Plane Is Part Of A Plot To Sabotage Egypt's International Relations

Many claimed that the crash was part of an international plot against Egypt. Egyptian MP Suleiman Wahdan said that "it is currently clear to the Egyptian public that there is a global plot against Egypt." Similarly, MP Khaled Youssef warned that "foreign tourist companies will use this disaster to cancel flights using the Egyptian airline" and thus "participate in the plot against the Egyptian economy."[4]

Some articles argued that there was a meticulous plan to harm Egypt's economic, military, and political ties with its allies, thus causing its ultimate collapse. Al-Watan columnist 'Imad Al-Din Adib wrote: "It is no accident that a criminal act was carried out against an EgyptAir jet that left the Paris airport. [This was done in order] to thwart the largest military-economic cooperation agreement between Egypt and France [that was signed] two weeks ago during a visit by President Hollande in Cairo. This is an attempt to harm Egypt's [foreign] relations and crumble all foundations of its might or stability in all fields. This is a policy of collapsing the home [i.e. Egypt] on top of the president, the government, the army, the police, and the people, at any cost..."

He added: "Are we [facing] a criminal plan to down EgyptAir jets or a devilish plan to topple the Egyptian regime? Are we [facing] a criminal plan to burn Egypt's sources of income, its homes, and the people living there, or a destructive plan to burn the [very essence] of the Egyptian state? This is a meticulous plan devoid of improvisation, meant to systematically thwart Egypt's regional and intentional ties, on which the June 30 Revolution regime [meaning the Al-Sisi regime] leans on.

"It is no accident that the calls to end the rule of 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi came following [the agreement] to return the two islands [of Sanafir and Tiran] to Saudi Arabia and it is no accident that the issue of the Italian student [Giulio Regeni] reemerged after ties between President Al-Sisi and the Italian prime minister developed, and after the Italian firm ENI announced [the discovery] of a gas field with 32 trillion square meters [of natural gas]. It is no accident that the Russian airliner blew up [over Sharm Al-Sheikh] after the understandings and strategic coordination carried out by presidents Putin and Al-Sisi and after the signing of large-scale military agreements..."[5]



Only a donkey would fail to see the conspiracy. Reading about the "crash of the Egyptian Airliner," the donkey says: "I don't see any conspiracy or [conspiracy] attempt" (parlmany.com, Mat 21, 2016)

Egyptian Journalist Warns: Germany Could Be Terrorists' Next Target Due To Agreements It Signed With Egypt

Similarly, Egyptian journalist and historian 'Abbas Al-Tarabili wrote in the daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm that there was a plot to harm Egypt's economic and military ties with other countries, chiefly Russia, Italy, and France. He even predicted that Germany could become the terrorists' next target due to its arms deals with Egypt. He wrote: "I do not rule out the possibility that the terrorists are planning to harm our relations with other countries, notably Germany, due to [German] tourism [in Egypt], and more importantly, due to the arms deals between Germany and Egypt, chiefly one to [supply] Dolphin-class submarines and other [weapons] to Egypt, [so that] Israel will not get ahead of us in this field. Here [is the place to also] mention the increase in German investments in Egypt and the Egyptians' positive attitude towards the German people, its industry, and its culture. Therefore it is crucial to warn against this..."[6]

Egyptian Historian: Turkey May Be Behind Downing Of Egyptian Airliner

In a separate column, 'Abbas Al-Tarabili suggested that Turkey might be behind the crash due to the historic animosity between the two countries and because Turkey, he said, is fertile ground for the activity of terrorist organizations, particularly the MB: "In any crime, logic dictates that you ask 'who benefits?' Events meant to destroy Egypt and blacken its name must prompt us to search for those who benefit from blows delivered to Egypt. First we must identify Egypt's current enemies, at least in the region. [We might say] that there is more than one benefactor, meaning more than [one] enemy - there is Israel, and Hamas, but what about Turkey?...

"Turkish hostility towards Egypt is thousands of years old... [The wave] of current Turkish animosity towards Egypt comes as part of attempts by the new Ottoman Sultan, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to rebuild the Turkish empire. To that end, he helps anyone [considered] an enemy of Egypt, chiefly the MB, supports them, protects them, and enables them to operate against Egypt from Turkish soil... The events taking place in Egypt have one goal, which is to harm Egypt and all Egyptians. The minute we emerge from [one] crisis that they [the Turks] created, we find [ourselves] in [another] crisis that they created as well. Similarly, the downing of the Russian airliner over Sinai [was meant] to drive a wedge between Moscow and Cairo, and as we know, in its previous leg, that Russian airliner took off from a Turkish airport!!..."[7]



"Crash of the Egyptian Airliner." Fortune-teller to figure who represents Egypt: " The catastrophes that are befalling you will continue, but in the end there will be joy" (copts-united.com, May 21, 2016)

Egyptian Journalists, Politicians: Israel Downed The EgyptAir Jet

Egyptian Writer: Israel Held Aerial Maneuvers In Greek Airspace And Is Responsible For Downing The EgyptAir Jet

Several politicians and journalists blamed Israel for the crash. Former justice minister Ahmed Suleiman published a post on Facebook arguing that Israel downed the jet during aerial maneuvers it held in Greek airspace.[8] Journalist Sameh Al-Laboudi likewise implicated Israel and mentioned various details regarding its aerial maneuvers which, he said, prove a connection between the maneuver and the plane crash. He wrote in the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm: "There are numerous speculations regarding the circumstances in which Egypt[Air] flight 804 [crashed]. Did it crash or was it downed? However, the plane's crashing near the boundary between Greek and Egyptian territorial waters led to talk of a scenario in which the plane veered 90 to the left and then 360 to the right like a combat jet evading an approaching danger...

"The official declarations issued by Greece on the incident and its circumstances did not refer to the military air maneuvers that Israel had begun conducting south of Crete, [reports on which] were published this month. According to the NOTAM [Notice to Airmen published by the aviation authority in every country alerting pilots to potential hazards], the maneuvers by Israeli combat aircraft began on the night preceding the crash of the Egyptian plane, as part of the Israel Air Force's training program that utilizes Greek airspace near the Egyptian-Libyan border... A map of the area in which the maneuvers were held indicates that the Egyptian plane's flight path passed through it... The maneuver was supposed to start just as the Egyptian plane entered Greek airspace, and [the plane] vanished 27 minutes after the Israeli combat planes began [their] aerial maneuver.

"According to the OnAlert.gr website dealing with military affairs, the Greek authorities gave the dates of the military maneuver in a license whose serial number is NOTAM A0992/16, which allowed the Israeli planes freedom of action to conduct [their] military maneuvers in Greek airspace between May 18 and June 6... The OnAlert website also published a copy of the of A0992 flight plan, [issued by] the American Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] that is authorized to publish the NOTAM agenda. A Google search confirms that this notification [on the maneuver] appears on the American [FAA] website. However, an examination of the site following the Egyptian plane [crash] incident reveals that the [serial] number for the air control plan for Israeli maneuver A0992 was omitted, leaving only the timetables of the other [flight] plans A0991 and A0993..." [9]

Egyptian Journalists: Israeli Defense Minister Resigned Because He Opposed Downing The Jet

Egyptian media figure Muhammad Al-Muslimani also claimed that new findings suggest that Israel was responsible for the crash. He pointed to the Israeli aerial maneuvers that took place in Greek airspace near the airliner's flight path, and even added that some political analysts believe that the resignation of Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon the following day was related to the affair: "Some analysts claimed that Ya'alon resigned because he opposed Israel's involvement in the downing of the Egyptian airliner and did not desire it. Others believe he was fired for failing to manage the military maneuvers in the Mediterranean that caused the crash of the airliner..."[10]

Political commentator Nabih Al-Wahsh also claimed that Israel was behind the crash, arguing that it had launched a missile that hit the plane, and that Defense Minister Ya'alon resigned in protest of the incident. Al-Wahsh called to kill Israelis in response to the incident. See MEMRI TV Clip #5481, Egyptian Political Commentator Al-Wahsh: Israel Behind Plane Crash, We Must Form Death Squads That Will Kill Israelis, Mutilate Their Bodies, May 20, 2016.

Egyptian Journalist Rejects Conspiracy Theories: West Not "Plotting To Destroy Us, But Rather Keeps Us Alive"

Dr. 'Omar Al-Shoubaki, vice president of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, published two articles in Al-Masri Al-Yawm rejecting the conspiracy theories surrounding the crash and claims of a global plot against Egypt. Al-Shoubaki also proposed his own theory, which is that aircraft manufacturers are to blame for a large portion of aerial crashes, but try to avoid responsibility due to political and business interests, instead blaming the airlines or maintenance crews. He claimed that this is also true of the EgyptAir crash, and that Egyptians should learn how to defend themselves in the global struggle of interests in a logical and professional manner instead of adopting conspiracy theories as they have become accustomed to doing. He wrote: "Aerial disasters have only two possible [causes]: the plane either crashed due to mechanical failure or due to a terrorist attack. But we [Egyptians] have... conspiracy theories and nonsense talk, [in addition] to the civil aviation minister, who proposed that space aliens attacked the plane. We also [heard] of the 'likely possibility' that this was a terrorist act, but no [talk of it being] a terrible disaster afflicting the victim's families and the state...

"The experience of the world's countries with the companies manufacturing aircraft is not good. These firms fight hard to disprove their guilt in any aerial incident. They always try to blame the pilots or the airline mechanics or airport maintenance crews, in order to deflect blame from themselves and preserve their sales... The EgyptAir jet that crashed was an Airbus 320, manufactured in France in July 2003 and added to the EgyptAir fleet in November of that year. We also know that this model is among those most plagued by accidents and mechanical failures. Furthermore, the manufacturer was often involved in legal and media battles meant to clear [its name] of allegations that the mechanical failures originated in its own factories...

"What occurred is not a global plot against us. Furthermore, France, which within a year has become Egypt's largest source of armament, has no interest in destroying Egypt or conspiring against it... The entire West is not preoccupied with us and plotting to destroy us, but rather keeps us alive and prevents us from becoming exporters of terrorism and refugees. Our struggle is not one against a fictional global plot, but rather against the interests of multinational corporations who wish to promote the theory that the plane crashed as a result of terrorism or suicide by the pilot... or as a result of a negligence on the part of the Egyptian maintenance crews - all in order to clear Airbus of culpability..."[11]



Various elements blame each other for the plane crash; each says "you are responsible" (Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Egypt, May 22, 2016)

In his second article, Al-Shoubaki added that the common practice of adopting conspiracy theories prevents Egyptians from grasping the true reasons behind their crises and failures: "We have grown used to turning to conspiracy theories after any accident or grand crisis, and repeat the same media and political discourse on how the world is conspiring against us and how we are the victims of unending global plots, even by our own allies...

"True, imperialism has conspired against us and others using many plots... But this is totally different from our claim that a global plot is behind the EgyptAir crash...

"[Our habit] of resorting to claims of an international plot after every accident or crisis in this immature and hurtful manner... only keeps us from discussing the true reasons [behind them] and dealing with the aspects of incompetence that caused them... Some repeat the global conspiracy theory without understanding or addressing the fact that there is a struggle of interests among many parties, and that our mission is to deal with this [struggle] in order to defend our own interests... Continuing to claim that there is some Western plot and talking nonsense, instead of acquiring tools to handle this international political, legal, and media conflict... indicates that we are on the wrong path.

"We need professional discourse and not just blanket statements, since recognizing the reasons for our failures and dealing with them is to our benefit, and not some plot against us. Screams [of outrage] and shrill voices will only lead us from one failure to the next, greater one..."[12]

Endnotes:
Introduction

The contacts with Israel, and especially the security coordination with it, are the topic of an ongoing internal debate within Palestinian political circles and among the Palestinian public. Calls for ending the security coordination and severing the ties with Israel are heard from time to time from officials in the various Palestinian factions within the PLO.

The debate on the security coordination reached a turning point on March 3, 2015, when the PLO Central Council resolved to "end all forms of security coordination with the Israeli occupation authorities," on the grounds that Israel was not complying with agreements it had signed with the Palestinians.[1] Following this decision by the Central Council, calls were heard to implement it in practice, including from prominent Fatah members such as Marwan Al-Barghouti, 'Abbas Zaki and Tawfiq Al-Tirawi. However, Fatah movement chairman Mahmoud 'Abbas, who is also president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, refrained from taking any action to stop the security coordination, and even clarified that it continues as usual.[2] As the largest faction in the PLO, it is Fatah that determines the policy of the movement as a whole. Hence, in the absence of any action to implement the Central Council's decision by either the Fatah leadership or the PA (which is Palestinian executive authority), the Central Council's decision remained effectively meaningless.

Recently, the PLO Executive Committee also announced that it decided, in its May 4, 2016 session, "to immediately begin implementing the Palestinian Central Council's decisions regarding limiting the political, economic and security relations with the occupation authorities [i.e., Israel]," and this due to "Israel's disregard of signed agreements and its insistence on destroying the two-state solution."[3]

The PLO Executive Committee's decision apparently reflects a change in Fatah's policy that was decided upon in a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee on May 2, 2016. According to Fatah official Saeb Erekat, who is also the PLO secretary-general, in this meeting the Fatah Central Committee decided to advise the PLO Executive Committee to implement the PLO Central Council's decision from March 2015 by ordering to end the economic and security ties with Israel. Erekat explained that the Fatah Central Committee's decision was a response to measures recently taken by Israel that threatened the vision of an independent Palestinian state - including Israel's rejection in April of the French initiative for convening an international conference on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; Israel's refusal to refrain from entering Area A territories, an well as reported initiatives by Israeli politicians to apply Israeli law in some Area C territories.

Mahmoud 'Abbas, who has so far pursued a policy of continuing the security coordination, refrained from commenting on the Executive Committee's decision, except in a speech on the occasion of Nakba Day, in which he implied that the decision would be implemented if Israel failed to comply with signed agreements. He said that the Palestinian leadership would continue "to implement the directives of the PLO Executive Committee to limit relations with Israel in accordance with [Israel's] degree of commitment to the signed agreements."[4] Another PA official that commented on the decision was the head of the Palestinian national accord government, Rami Al-Hamdallah, who said on May 16, 2016 that "the PLO's decision requires establishing mechanisms for implementing it in practice, and therefore the security coordination with Israel still continues."[5]

The Executive Committee's decision to limit the relations with Israel sparked a heated debate in Palestinian society, with many figures calling to implement the decision and others speaking against it. An unusually harsh response came from the former mayor of Nablus, Fatah member Ghassan Al-Shak'a, who is himself a member of the PLO Executive Committee. He argued that it is neither possible nor desirable to sever the economic and security relations with Israel, since such a move would adversely affect the lives of the Palestinian people. Palestinian National Council (PNC) member Faisal Abu Khadra, and another Palestinian official who declined to identify himself, likewise criticized the decision, saying it was unrealistic. Talal 'Okal, a columnist for the PA daily Al-Ayyam, wrote that even the Palestinians do not believe that the decision can be implemented, and therefore Israel certainly can't be expected to believe it.

This criticism of the decision, and especially Al-Shak'a's statements, sparked counter-criticism from people who called to implement the decision and rebuked Al-Sha'ka for his position and the PA for refraining from actualizing it.

The following are translated excerpts from some of the critical responses to the Executive Committee's decision, and from some of the counter-criticism published in the Palestinian media in response to Al-Shaq'a's statements.



The PLO Executive Committee (image: alray.ps)

Criticism Of PLO Executive Committee's Decision: It Is "Neither Feasible Nor Desirable"

Former Nablus Mayor Ghassan Al-Shak'a: The Security Coordination Serves The Palestinian Interest

As stated, the Executive Committee's decision sparked unusually harsh criticism from former Nablus mayor and Executive Committee member Ghassan Al-Shak'a. He said that the Central Council's decision had been taken by members who were out of touch with the day-to-day reality in the Palestinian territories and who had acted out of emotion. He explained that the Palestinian economy is completely dependent on Israel and that the security coordination with Israel serves Palestinian interests. Hence, he said, it is neither feasible nor desirable to sever the economic and security relations with Israel. Al-Shaq'a added that, since the negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships have failed, dialogue should start at the level of the people and only later expand to involve the leaders.

Al-Shaq'a's statements were published on local news websites, such as the Nablus city website Nablus Live, as well as on the Kofia Press website, which is associated with 'Abbas's rival, former Fatah official Muhammad Dahlan.

Al-Shaq'a was quoted as saying: "The decision taken by the Palestinian Central Council in its latest session [on March 2015], namely that relations with Israel must be severed, was an emotional decision, since most of the Central Council members came from abroad, from Chile, Romania, Australia, America and other countries, and their view of the Palestinian issue is more emotional than it is practical and realistic - unlike [the view taken by] us, the members [who live] inside Palestine... [True,] the job of the PLO Executive Committee is to implement the Central Council's decision, and not to reject it, accept it or vote on it, but in our last session we [nevertheless] expressed our reservations regarding it and our opinion about it...

"[I maintain that] we kid ourselves when we say we are able to boycott Israel or sever our relations with it, especially in the two domains of security and economy, which are fundamental to the lives of the Palestinian people and the residents of the occupied West Bank... [If we sever these relations] how can we bring fuel and flour [into our territories] and how can we keep the power running, etc.? Israel controls us on land, in the sea and in the air. If we decided, hypothetically, to sever our economic relations with Israel and cancel the Paris Protocol on economic [relations], could we actually live without them? That is the question we must put to those who demand day and night to end the economic and security coordination and to sever the relations with Israel...

"When Israel wants to enter a village, city or refugee camp, it does not care whether they are in area A, B or C, because we have no sovereignty over the land, with or without security coordination. Security coordination serves our interest. If the PA wants to launch a security campaign to enforce law and order, as it did in Nablus when it brought in 1,500 security officers [from all over the West Bank] - would it be able to do this without security coordination with Israel? Of course not. [Furthermore,] there are 1,000 individuals wanted [by Israel] who are [held] in bases of the [Palestinian] security apparatuses throughout the West Bank. If we suspend the security coordination, Israel will surely arrest them immediately, and that will be to the detriment of our young people...

"In deciding to sever relations with Israel, we in the Central Council and the Executive Committee went too far, because as a leadership, government and authority we are unable to implement such decisions at this stage. [Implementing them] will harm our people, their [daily] lives and their interests, and we do not want to make things even harder for them [than they already are]...

"The alternative is negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis that will begin at the bottom, at the level of the people, [and only later involve] the leadership. The other kind of negotiations [i.e., negotiations between the leaderships] failed in the past because the people did not believe in them... I am against bilateral meetings and negotiations [between the leaders] because they will ultimately fail..."[6]

Palestinian Official, PNC Member: The Decision To End Security Coordination Is Unfeasible

Criticism of the PLO Executive Committee's decision was also expressed by other elements. A Palestinian official who declined to identify himself told the London-based Al-Hayat daily, "The PA is incapable, at this stage, of stopping the security coordination with Israel." He assessed that the scope of the security coordination would be reduced, but that it would not be stopped altogether.[7]

Palestinian National Council member Faisal Abu Khadra, who writes for the Al-Quds daily, called the Executive Committee's decision unrealistic, said it shouldn't be implemented, and called for going back to the outlines of the Oslo Accords. He said: "With all due respect for the Central Committee's decision to end security coordination, it is a complete mistake, because the Palestinian police strength does not compare to that of the occupying army - and, furthermore, ending the security coordination would mean ending the Oslo Accords, which constitute the only agreement that recognized the PLO. This [agreement] is an accomplishment that cannot be denied, and Israel longs for the implementation of this decision [stopping security coordination] so that it can cancel the Oslo Accords. In light of the Palestinian schism, the Arab schism, and the Arab Spring that destroyed everything that was built over seven decades, we have no choice but to implement the Oslo Accords..."[8]

Columnist For PA Daily: The Executive Committee's Decision Is Inappropriate In Light Of The Difficult Situation Of The Palestinian People

Talal 'Okal, a columnist for the PA Al-Ayyam daily, also criticized the Executive Committee's decision, stating that it was inappropriate in light of the difficult situation of the Palestinians, and adding that Israel cannot be expected to believe in the decision because the Palestinians themselves do not believe in it. He wrote: "Personally, I don't know how it is possible to make decisions that are so important and grave while the Palestinian situation continues as it is. As far as I'm concerned, despite the danger in the PA's continuing to act in accordance with what is set out for it in the Oslo Accords, I don't think that a change in this situation [i.e. ending security coordination with Israel] will be right, in light of the tragic and difficult situation of the Palestinians today...

"The question is, how is it possible for the Palestinian leadership to escalate the conflict [by means of stopping the security coordination] while the Palestinian fortress is weak, fragile, and conflicted at home, and the schism within it is harming it so severely?

"Whoever decides to escalate the conflict must [first] restore national unity and national decision-making unity; he must rebuild the Palestinian leadership institutions, from the PLO to the PA, and must regain the trust in Palestinian society, that is always suffering from being ignored and marginalized. Whoever decides to escalate the conflict must allow the power of the intifada to be realized, as a popular, peaceful intifada against the occupation, and must do so within an inclusive national strategy agreed upon by the entire national [public]...

"The truth is that if we, the national Palestinians, do not believe [in the PLO Executive Committee's decision], then how can we expect the occupation to believe what it hears, while [on the ground] it sees things that contradict [this]?"[9]

Reactions To Al-Shak'a's Statements By PA Elements And Palestinian Public Figures

As noted, criticism of the PLO Executive Committee's decision, and particularly the statements of Ghassan Al-Shak'a, sparked counter-reactions from the Palestinian media and public. In the media, this came from three main elements: a) supporters of 'Abbas and the PA who defended the decision as a political choice by the Palestinian leadership; b) Palestinian elements identified with Fatah who advocate stopping security coordination with Israel and were overjoyed at the Executive Committee's decision; and c) Hamas elements, which also want an end to security coordination and which seized on Al-Shak'a's statements as an opportunity to criticize PA policy.

Additionally, Al-Shak'a statements about the Executive Committee decision were met with mixed responses across social media. For example, the Facebook page of the Nablus local news website (Facebook.com/NablusCity) published comments taking issue with his statements. While many Palestinian readers supported Al-Shak'a, saying that he had made "realistic statements that are far from imaginary" and are "logical and convincing," many others objected to what he had said and attacked him personally, posting comments such as "Negotiations always lead to a dead end. We need a real and honorable intifada. The homeland needs sacrifice."[10]

Columnist For PA Daily: The Executive Committee's Decision Was A Bold Step, Criticism Of It Is Objection For Its Own Sake

In his column in the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, 'Omar Al-Ghoul, who was an advisor to former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad, justified the Executive Committee decision, saying that the criticism of it was unfounded. He said that all the Israeli government operations and statements by its ministers indicated that "the Israeli leadership is not interested at all in opening any window to the option of a political arrangement. Therefore, the [Palestinian] leadership, headed by President 'Abbas, must implement the Executive Committee's decision, and limit political, economic, and security relations with the Israeli state [which] reneges [on agreements]. True, every Palestinian knows in advance that this decision will bring the opposite result [that is, negative consequences] to the Palestinian people, particularly since the coordination has not been limited only to security coordination but includes all aspects of Palestinian life. [But it was the actions of Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu and his extremist ruling coalition... that brought the Palestinian leadership to take this bold step. Yes, [this decision is] bold, because of the dangerous and difficult consequences that it will have, that will harm all the Palestinians no matter what their political, social, economic, religious, and cultural status. But this step is [also] bold because it will hurt the Israeli side, that never for a moment thought that the Palestinian leadership would dare to take it.

"The Palestinian leadership will express its skill with its ability to creatively implement [the decision concerning] ending the coordination in a way that will, to the greatest extent possible, not harm the interests of the people... Those who doubt the leadership's decision are not doing so for any grounded reason, but are objecting for the sake of objecting. Unfortunately, some of those who are raising doubts [i.e. Al-Shak'a, who was head of the PLO international relations department during the Oslo negotiations] were part of the negotiating team at Oslo. Nevertheless, the leadership must continue to adhere to, and to reexamine, the supreme national interests of the people, and must throw the ball into the court of Netanyahu and its backers."[11]

Former Arafat Advisor: "We Oppose The Dissemination Of A Culture Of Defeatism Instead Of The Culture Of Resistance"

In contrast to Al-Ghoul's moderate criticism, Hanan 'Awad, a member of the PNC and former advisor to Yasser Arafat, launched a scathing attack on Al-Shak'a's statements. Addressing Al-Shak'a, 'Awad pointed out that his statements were disseminating defeatism and weakness, and reflected the Palestinian leadership's deception, since this leadership was not really taking steps to oppose the occupation and gain independence for the Palestinians.

With regard to Al-Shak'a's argument that PLO representatives abroad were making emotional, irrational decisions, 'Awad answered: "The Palestinian people within [Palestine] and abroad is one, and bears the spirit of the [Palestinian] cause and struggle. The Palestinians who live abroad are originally from Palestine. It is they who have lost their homes, and been forced to emigrate, and it is they who are waiting to [actualize] their right of return... The emotional and conscience aspect [of the decision] is the main basis of the practical aspect, because the national identity comprises raging emotions that connect the Palestinian to his national land and culture, and they are the collective conscience of the masses.

"With regard to the security aspect and our need for security coordination with Israel..., we want to continue the achievements of the president, so that [we will be able to] declare a state and mobilize international support for this move. By means of this achievement, the Palestinian state will have full control over its borders, crossings, air[space], and sea, and the occupier will have no right to invade its territory."

She continued: "Your declarations, [Shak'a], regarding protection of the wanted men contradict your initial statement that Israel can invade any territory and arrest and kill as it wishes, as it does every day... We know that our battle against the occupation is not easy. We oppose the dissemination of the culture of defeatism instead of the culture of resistance, in all its forms...

"What popular negotiations do you want [there to be] after 22 years of a war of elimination, horror, targeted killings, arrests, and expulsion? This, as the Israeli government, which has the support of its people, turns to extremism and to putting down roots in our land. How [can] we call for more submission and normalization [with Israel] while the global boycott movement has managed to influence the countries of the world to boycott Israel politically, socially, and economically?

"Thank you. Thank you. We have been deceived."[12]

*B. Shanee is a research fellow at MEMRI.

Endnotes:
ANN ARBOR (AP)  The University of Michigan has repeatedly requested delays in turning over thousands of documents sought by federal investigators looking into sexual assault complaints on campus, emails obtained by the Detroit Free Press show.

The documents obtained by the Free Press through a Freedom of Information Act request also indicated the university has sought to limit the scope of the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Education by asking investigators to review fewer incidents than requested, emails show.

The investigation started on Feb. 21, 2014, after the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights received a complaint alleging the university mishandled a sexual assault case. Two more complaints were received in October 2014 and the following month.

While the investigation initially focused on those three cases, investigators have said they want to look at documents related to about 180 cases, a standard practice for such cases. The emails show the university sought at least a dozen extensions to provide those documents.

University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the university is fully cooperating with the investigation "and is interested in resolving the matter as quickly as possible.

"It is routine for this process to involve detailed back and forth discussion and information sharing," he said.

The average investigation completed by 2014 took more than four years, the Office for Civil Rights said earlier this year. An analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education said the average case takes 1.3 years.

The federal Department of Education declined comment on the emails or the process, but emails suggest they are tired of the delays.

"We need all the data we requested," they wrote in a Feb. 24 email to the university. "We cannot agree to narrow it any further. . We had hoped that the university would be actively accumulating this data since our (request)."
The museum has partnered with Brewery Vivant on the "Beer Explorers" classes, which are inspired by the "Earth Explorers" exhibit that's at the museum. The classes are being held in conjunction with the museum's Science Tuesdays programs.

Classes will be held June 21, July 19 and Aug. 16. They're titled "Science of Beer," ''Science of Flavor" and "Yeast Science/Wild Fermentations," respectively. Each class includes general admission to the museum  as well as three beer samples.

The "Earth Explorers" exhibit is designed to bring adventures of National Geographic to life. The exhibit is on display through Sept. 4.
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.
Proud veterans in their 90s and families of fallen soldiers Monday are commemorating the D-Day invasion of Normandy 72 years ago that helped the Allies defeat Hitler in World War II. They're holding small ceremonies and moments of remembrance along the wide beaches and cliffs where thousands of U.S., British, Canadian and French troops landed as dawn was breaking June 6, 1944. It was a pivotal moment in the war.

"The allied army, more specifically, the American Army, they came to liberate, not to conquer," Denis van den Brink, communications officer of the city of Carentan, France, told DVIDS. "That says it all, for the very first time in the history of mankind, they came to fight, die, win, victory, and then go home," he added. "That's the one and only example in the history of mankind and we had all these foreign soldiers coming and dying and to fight for our land and then to free our land and then instead of staying they just went away." Henry Breton of Augusta, Maine, was among the shrinking number of survivors of the landings to come for Monday's anniversary. Speaking from the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, 91-year-old Breton recalled the fierce German counterattack and ensuing violence and valor he experienced at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. "It's all worth it," he said. "It brings back so many memories." Vincent Haag, a 2nd Ranger Battalion veteran who scaled the cliffs at Point du Hoc on D-Day and is in Normandy to speak about his experience, said his fellow soldiers were expecting a tough fight. "We all knew some of us were going to be wounded, we all knew some of us were going to be killed, but we knew it was a job that had to be done," Haag said, according to DVIDS. --The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Employers often turn to veterans for their sense of discipline, timeliness, and dedication to mission accomplishment. The government may provide tax credits to companies that hire veterans, and in many ways hiring a veteran can be a good business decision.

With this in mind, employers would do well to put the extra energy into their recruitment strategies when it comes to bringing highly qualified veterans on board. One way to recruit veterans early in the separation process is to offer training opportunities through the DoD SkillBridge program.

The DoD SkillBridge Program

The program offers training programs in the form of internships and apprenticeships, with the hope that the employer will be able to hire the veteran when the training is over. Companies such as General Motors, Georgia Power, and Microsoft are already participating. Service members continue to receive their military pay and benefits while participating, so the training provider does not pay anything.

High-demand industry sectors are likely to do particularly well with this program, and recently President Obama announced a SkillBridge program (Solar Ready Vets) that trains service members for jobs in the solar industry.

What Veterans Are Eligible?

The requirements for the program state that the service member must be within 180 days of being discharged, and have served 180 days of continuous active duty. Their ability to participate in training is second to mission requirements, meaning their command has the right to rescind their approval at any time.

To discover the training and development opportunities that you and other companies offer, service members visit their installation transition office. SkillBridge has also developed a DoD SkillBridge App, where veterans can set up email and Twitter notifications based on opportunities that match their profiles.

Employers: How to Leverage Service Members

Service members will be coming to you for not only training, but in hopes of landing a job when the training is done. This can be your opportunity to have free help from a dedicated worker and to mentor young minds to grow them as part of your organization in a meaningful way.

How to List Opportunities

If your company would like to offer training programs, fill out a SkillBridge application. Optimally, training providers would already have training programs in place for prospective or new employees, and should be within 50 miles of an installation.

For More Information

Go to the program's website to learn more about the DoD SkillBridge program.
The Skoda Yeti

Czech automaker Skoda appears to be considering an entry into the U.S. market.

(Courtesy image/Skoda)

DETROIT - Czech automaker Skoda is considering an entry into the U.S. market.

A spokesman for the company told Automotive News Europe it is looking into sales in North America, but has not yet made a final decision.

The company has reportedly filed several trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including for the names of its Superb sedan, Octavia hatchback and Yeti compact SUV.

Skoda is a 120-year-old company based in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, but has been a subsidiary of Germany automaker Volkswagen for the last 25 years.

The report in Automotive News Europe notes that VW has underpinned Skoda vehicles with quality, but the German brand is suffering the poor publicity that has accompanied a diesel emissions scandal in the U.S.

At the same time, Skoda has performed well in diverse markets such as Germany and China, but sales have waned in Russia due to macroeconomics, leaving the Czech car company looking for new places to sell its wares.

The company's Yeti compact SUV is pictured above.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Switch, the Nevada company building a giant data center in the former Steelcase Inc. pyramid in Gaines Township, is taking the first steps toward cashing in on the tax breaks it won in Lansing late last year.

Switch is requesting "Renaissance Zone" status for its Supernap Michigan Data Center from the Kent County Board of Commissioners. A board subcommittee will review the request on Tuesday, June 7 before passing it along to the full county board on June 23.

If granted, the designation will allow Switch to forego personal property taxes and state sales taxes on its purchases of data processing equipment as its creates what it has billed as the largest data center in the eastern half of the United States.

The company estimated it will save about $1.1 million in personal property taxes if its Renaissance Zone designation is approved at the state and local level.

Unlike previous Renaissance Zones that waived all state and local taxes, the new designation only waives sales and personal property taxes on equipment purchases. It was approved by the state Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder late last year after Switch executives made it a condition of their arrival in West Michigan.

"The renaissance zone is necessary and important as it simply finalizes the competitive tax policies approved by the Legislature and governor in December," Switch spokesman Roger Martin said in a statement on Monday, June 6.

"The application specifies that Switch will pay all but two of the local and state taxes and fees. It also demonstrates that in just the first five years during Phase 1 development, Supernap Grand Rapids will bring the world's highest-rated data center ecosystem, hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital investment and hundreds of good-paying jobs to West Michigan."

According to its application, Switch will create 103 company jobs over the next five years while its clients and customers are expected to create another 100 jobs at the data center. Switch estimated it will spend about $151.9 million in renovations and new equipment during the first five years.

The company also estimated its overhaul of the facility will create about 300 construction jobs as it remodels the pyramid and another 400 construction jobs as it builds new facilities on the property.

Over the next 10 years, Switch executives have said the project will create 1,000 jobs and $5 billion in new investment in West Michigan.

"All initial budgets and benchmarks for Supernap Grand Rapids remain unchanged and will be achieved in future phases of the development," Martin said.

Steelcase built its Corporate Development Center in the late 1980s for more than $100 million. After abandoning the 663,000-square-foot structure in 2011, the company sold it for $4 million last year to California-based Norman Properties, which is selling the property to Switch.

Switch's general contractor for the project will be The Christman Co., the Lansing-based contractor whose West Michigan projects include the $150 million Michigan Street Medical Development, the $90 million Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, the $50 million Michigan State University College of Medicine's Secchia Center and the $35 million expansion of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Christman Co. has built data centers for Auto-Owners Insurance Co. in Lansing and Traverse City and for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Jackson National Life Insurance Company.

Progressive AE of Grand Rapids is working on a demolition contract in the interior of the office building along with Triad Fire Suppression Inc., according to building permit records at Gaines Township Hall.

Switch also is working with Consumers Energy to purchase 100 percent renewable energy for the facility.

Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.
copper-river-salmon-fish-lads.jpg

Amy Sherman and John Gonzalez of MLive stopped by Fish Lads in the Downtown Market Grand Rapids to learn more about the popular Copper River Salmon. They interview owner Jeff Butzow, who shows then how to break down a fish.

(John Gonzalez / MLive)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- As we get ready to announce our next Michigan's Best search, Amy Sherman and I stopped at Fish Lads in the Downtown Market Grand Rapids to learn more about the popular Copper River Salmon.

For the record, I wouldn't read anything into the fact we were sampling fish. (We make our announcement on Tuesday, June 7.)

Simply, Amy and I ran into Fish Lads owner Jeff Butzow on an earlier visit, and he invited us to return to learn more about Alaska's Copper River Salmon, which is considered by most as the world's best salmon.

It's a short season for this hearty, fatty and and flavorful fish. Now is the time to get out there to find it, filet it and savor it.

"As a chef, this is one the best products you can get out there," said Amy, who is a chef by trade and recent addition to the MLive Michigan's Best Team.

"If you're into salmon, this is so good."

Jeff took us behind the scenes at Fish Lads to show us how to break down 45-50 pound fish, and then filet it before pan searing it and finishing it in an oven.

We were impressed with his skill, which he learned while working for 15 years at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. The Traverse City native returned to West Michigan about three years ago to open Fish Lads, which flies in its fish daily and supports local fisherman as well.

Butzow said the appeal of King and Sockeye Salmon comes from the amount of fat the fish must store to make it upstream of the Copper River.

It's a 300-mile river, Butzow said, and each mile of the river increases by 10-feet in elevation.

"This particular group of salmon that's coming back to spawn has to gorge themselves more than a typical river fish...due to the arduous journey," Butzow said.

"They fatten up as much as they possibly can because once they start that journey they stop eating. So its all fat reserve."

A typical ocean run salmon comes in at about 8 percent body fat, and the Copper River salmon has about 12 percent body fat, Butzow said.

"It makes a huge difference. That's where you get that really meaty flavor."

Most people are familiar with farm raised or fresh water salmon, he said.

"If you've never had Copper River Salmon its a totally different animal than what you're used to."

The King Salmon runs about $45 a pound.

We sampled a small, pan-seared filet that was prepared in the kitchen and served on a bed of seasonal hash and rhubarb vinaigrette salad.

It was prepared medium rare, and oh so good!

John Gonzalez is a member of MLive's Life + Culture team. He covers food, beer, travel, events and coordinates Michigan's Best with MLive's Amy Sherman. Email him at gonzo@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Complete Michigan travel, destination and event information available via Michigan.org
EASTMANVILLE -- A barn that serves as the centerpiece in Ottawa County's Eastmanville Farm Park has won the 2016 "Barn of the Year Award" in the category of non-profit or adaptive use by the Michigan Barn Preservation Network based in Mt. Pleasant.

The Ottawa County Parks Department took over the 229-acre site in 2005. It had previously been the Ottawa County Poor Farm and home to the Community Haven Nursing Home.

Most of the buildings on the site have been removed, but parks officials took care to maintain and restore the 10,000-square-foot barn, which typifies the "Jamesway" style of barn.

Currently, the West Michigan Agricultural Education Center leases property on the "farm park" and plans to turn more than 80 acres of the 229-acre site into a working farm and education center so generations to come will understand where their food comes from.

The barn was rebuilt in 1928 after a fire destroyed the original barn and eventually housed the farm's dairy herd. The Eastmanville Farm barn was likely built after a plan from the James Manufacturing Company (Jamesway) and features a "T"-shaped, gambrel-roofed, plank frame building.

According to county historical records, the milk house, located on the southwest corner, was added in the 1950s and the silo, silo shed, and large east shed were added in the 1970s.

County Parks spokesperson Jessica VanGinhoven said Parks Department officials hope the barn's features, preserved as part of the Eastmanville Farm County Park, will serve to keep alive the memories of a unique part of Ottawa County's past. The Ottawa County Poor Farm and Community Haven celebrates its 150th anniversary on Oct. 1 with a ceremony at the park.

Eastmanville Farm includes an array of rolling open fields, steeply sloped stream corridors, and 1,367 feet of Grand River shoreline.

Also on the property is a historic cemetery.

In addition to the historic remnants at the site, park visitors can enjoy hiking trails, equestrian trails, and picnic areas.
Mysteries of the Titanic, music of yesteryear and the impact of worldwide missions highlight the program of the 2016 biennial alumni gathering of the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music on Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25.

The reunion will be held at Jenison Bible Church, 6360 14th Ave., Jenison.

Featured at this year's reunion is Mark Middleton, class of 1975, at the 7 p.m. Friday opening session; and Lowell Lytle, class of 1955, at the 7 p.m. Saturday musical. The public is invited to attend these two free events.

Born in Ethiopia of missionary parents, Mark Middleton is the president of GlobalTalk, executive director of the Canadian Centre for World Mission, and an advocate of world Christian perspectives.

Lowell Lytle, Christian entrepreneur, has impersonated Captain E.J. Smith of the ill-fated Titanic all over the world, including the Grand Rapids Public Museum in 2013, for 19 years. He was chosen for the job at the Titanic exhibit in Orlando, Florida, because of his striking resemblance to Captain Smith. Clad in authentic garb and speaking as the captain, Lytle will present the historic account of the Titanic disaster, including the heroic effort of Rev. John Harper, who sacrificed his life by giving his life vest to another man.

There is no admission charge. Donations will be accepted.
UPDATE: Police release photo of suspect in Ann Arbor credit union robbery.

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Ann Arbor police are looking for a suspect in a credit union robbery on the south side of the city.

A little after 2 p.m. Monday, June 6, a man walked into Lake Trust Credit Union at 2222 Packard Street and passed a note to a teller demanding cash, said Detective Lt. Matthew Lige.

The suspect walked out with the note, an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen heading westbound on foot from the credit union, he said. The man did not display a weapon and no one was injured. Three customers and an unknown number of Lake Trust employees were in the building.

K-9 units are looking for the suspect, Lige said, and police are looking at video from the credit union.

FBI officials are on the way to the scene, he said.

Staff writer Darcie Moran and photographer Melanie Maxwell contributed to this story.

Lindsay Knake is a cops and courts reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.
Glori Singh.JPG

Glori Singh, a senior marketing major at Eastern Michigan, has endured extensive mental and physical therapy over the past nine years since suffering a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in 2007. Singh has found her calling as a marketing student at Easter Michigan University, recently winning one of the highest scholarship awards presented by the Adcraft Foundation of Detroit. Photo/Eastern Michigan University

YPSILANTI, MI - Glori Avneet Singh would prefer those around her not know of the car accident that turned her world upside down nine years ago.

At the same time, the Eastern Michigan University student from Canton understands the power behind her story of recovery from a traumatic brain injury caused by the crash.

Though she endured extensive mental and physical therapy over the past nine years, it hasn't stopped Singh from pursuing her passion as a marketing student at Eastern. She recently won one of the highest scholarship awards presented by the Adcraft Foundation of Detroit.

"I don't want people to feel bad for me," she said. "I want to continue being treated as if people don't know about my situation, just to feel normal. But I also know I can be an inspiration, letting people know they can do what they want and not be limited by any restrictions they might have."

Sheila Sasser, a professor of marketing and integrated marketing communications at the College of Business at EMU, nominated Singh for the Adcraft scholarship, noting that the EMU senior's perseverance has been an inspiration.

"Glori's passion and resiliency is a highlight of her extraordinary life, as she often goes out of her way to help others," Sasser said. "I believe Glori shows that anything is possible and her vision, humanity and humble nature are refreshing - all values we desperately need as future leaders in the advertising industry."

The accident

Singh doesn't remember much about the car accident in 2007 that changed her life as a 14-year-old in Toronto, Canada, but she's heard the story many times. Sitting in the back seat behind her father, who was driving, their van was T-boned by another van, whose driver was texting while driving through a red light.

Their van spun around, hit a light pole, ejecting Singh and her brother, Savi, from the vehicle through separate windows. Both were rushed to the hospital, where Singh suffered several basal skull fractures, a left frontal lobe contusion and a leak in her right internal carotid artery.

Singh said the injury damaged the part of her brain that serves as the filter, "preventing me from thinking before I speak." Had the artery been torn another millimeter over, she would have died instantly.

Unconscious and unresponsive for 14 hours with her mother, Raj Dhillon, at her side, Singh mustered up the energy to squeeze her hand, eventually writing the letters "M.O.M." on the top of her hand.

"I just remember waking up at one point in the hospital, not being able to move, and feeling pain throughout my whole body," she said. "I was restricted by a neck brace, and the rest of my body was in too much pain to move. I remember at one point trying to run my hand through my tangled hair and just saw blood."

As a 14 year old girl, she admits feeling apprehensive about seeing her face in the mirror. It was the first time she had to confront her injuries.

Her new reality hit her like a ton of bricks, she said.

"When my family finally let me see myself, I just broke out in tears. For the first time I saw my new reality, and actually saw what happened to my body," she said. "I didn't look the same, I didn't feel the same, I couldn't think the same way I used to. It was at this moment it really hit me that nothing in my life would be the same."

Road to recovery

Singh had to relearn how to walk, talk and think again.

With the help of her physical therapist, doctor and case manager, she was able to return to school a few months later for a couple of hours a day and started attending school full time by her junior year.

The setbacks began to take their toll on Singh, though. She couldn't play sports, which was devastating to her.

She remembers having difficulties being able to read and process material. The biggest struggle she had trouble coming to grips with, she said, was her inability to do her math coursework.

"I think that was one of the biggest things that frustrated me, because I was in advanced math," she said. "I went into algebra class thinking I'd be fine because I had done it before. I remember sitting in class hearing the concepts, but it was just not registering.

"I remember trying to read a book and then think about what I just read a few pages later and I couldn't remember anything," she added. "I would go to class and then not remember much of what happened afterward. It was a weird experience where I felt like I had been born again, trying to relearn these things you learned as a kid."

Despite falling behind her friends after the accident, Singh persisted to take independent studies and summer school, eventually graduating with her classmates in June 2011 in Canton.

Being able to graduate high school provided Singh with the confidence she needed to pursue a college degree. Singh enrolled in Schoolcraft College the following fall. It was there that she finally accepted that her accident had happened.

"I realized that I needed to accept the fact that my car accident happened and that I could either dwell on the fact that it happened and that I wouldn't be the same person I used to be, or I could accept it and move on," she said. "Once that happened, I really saw the immense growth I made."

Time to thrive

She graduated from Schoolcraft College with an Associate of Science in December 2014 and transferred to EMU, majoring in marketing with a concentration in integrative marketing communications.

The major made sense to Singh and her family members, who encouraged her to pursue the degree after talking about her lifelong love of selling things.

Things began to click for Singh once she dove into the curriculum. She made the Dean's List and currently carries a 3.61 GPA. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and also is the vice president of membership events for The American Marketing Association at EMU.

Her latest achievement was receiving the $6,000 scholarship from the Adcraft Foundation, which awards cash grants to worthy advertising and marketing students at Michigan universities.

"The cool part about winning was it made me feel like I'm actually getting by," Singh said. "It was a sort of validation that I'm good at marketing. It boosted my confidence."

Sasser said Singh's persistence is an inspiration to all of the students she encounters.

"I was proud to nominate Glori," said Sasser. "In spite of everything that she has been through, Glori has persevered. She is smart, hardworking and a very motivated student who loves the advertising business. She is one tough cookie."

Singh plans to graduate next spring, with the hope of pursuing a master's degree from Michigan State University. She would eventually like to become a strategic planner or a marketing strategist, developing and executing dynamic marketing campaign plans.

It's sometimes hard for Singh to comprehend how much her life has changed in the nine years since her accident, she said. Ultimately, the incident she feared would alter her life forever ended up doing just that - for the better.

"I am a more assertive person that voices my opinion," she said. "I have become a harder worker and developed an inner drive that does not allow me to get discouraged, or to give up. I have changed, but I am happy with the person I have become."

Martin Slagter covers higher education for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at mslagter@mlive.com or on Twitter.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Before they headed upstairs to the city clerk's office on Monday afternoon, citizens hoping to prevent a high-rise development on the downtown Library Lot passed around a thick stack of papers inside city hall.

"Feel the weight of the will of the people," Alan Haber told fellow members of the Ann Arbor Committee for the Community Commons as he let them each hold the hundreds of pages of petition signatures -- the collective fruits of their labor over the last several months.

They took a moment to do a final calculation, determining they had 5,779 signatures in support of putting a proposal on the November ballot to let voters decide the future of the city-owned property on Fifth Avenue.

They need 4,616 of those to be deemed valid in order for their proposal for a downtown central park and civic center commons -- as opposed to selling the property to a private developer -- to go on the ballot for voters to decide.

It was expected that a sale agreement would go to the City Council for approval in April, but the developer is still fine-tuning the development plans, taking into consideration feedback from city officials and residents.

Luke Bonner, a local consultant working with Core Spaces, said in an email on Sunday that the development team had a great discussion with residents who attended a public input session last Thursday night. The meeting was intended to discuss the proposed building massing and exterior.

One of the

by Core Spaces and Myefski Architects at the meeting attempted to show the site's constraints, indicating there is only about 4,600 square feet of ground-level space that could be used for a park in addition to the 12,000-square-foot plaza that Core Spaces already proposes.

Supporters of the petition drive who were on hand inside city hall on Monday included Haber, Wilhelme, Lynn Borset, Kathy Griswold, Mary Hathaway, Odile Hugonot Haber, Libby Hunter, David Olson and Barbara Stahler.

"It's just one step in the process," Hathaway said of the submission of the signatures. "If these signatures are honored by the city as valid, then we have a campaign to occupy us for a few months. But the experience of those of us who circulated petitions was always that people were eager to sign. Very few want a tall building. We're confident that the voters will decide to pass this."

Haber said the next step in the campaign is to work with the community to advance the design for a downtown park and civic center commons that would make the most beneficial use of the Library Lot.

Asked on Monday if Core Spaces is willing to wait out the results of a November vote on the Library Lot, Bonner said the team at Core Spaces is patient and willing to continue to work with the city as long as it takes to put a quality project together that the community really wants and supports.

The City Council voted 7-3 in January to start negotiations to sell the Library Lot to Core Spaces. Any eventual sale would require eight votes.

The City Council voted 6-5 last fall against putting the question of developing the Library Lot to an advisory vote of the people, forcing Haber and his group to continue collecting petition signatures.

Voting against going to voters were Mayor Christopher Taylor, Julie Grand, Graydon Krapohl, Stephen Kunselman, Chuck Warpehoski and Kirk Westphal.

Voting for going to voters were Mike Anglin, Sabra Briere, Jack Eaton, Sumi Kailasapathy and Jane Lumm.

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
Russia and Myanmar will establish a working body this year for using nuclear technology, Russian officials said at an exhibition and forum in Moscow last week.





The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in June 2015.

This was the first step to building a legal foundation for interaction between Russia and Myanmar in the area of nuclear technology including research, radioisotopes production, nuclear medicine, radioimmunotherapy, nuclear safety, radiation risk assessment, and training scientists and administrators, according to Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation.

Nikolay Drozdov, director of international business at Rosatom, told The Myanmar Times in Moscow, We are planning to create a working body and are making a roadmap for the realisation of our project.

Russia and Myanmar first signed an inter-governmental agreement to cooperate in nuclear technology and build a nuclear research centre in 2007, Mr Drozdov said. Russia has trained a large number of Myanmar students in nuclear technology over the past 10 years.

This year, we have three scholarships for students from Myanmar for nuclear degrees. More than 700 students from Myanmar have graduated in Russia, studying nuclear-related fields but not nuclear physics, he said.





The Russian state corporation is seeking potential investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian region, and is offering comprehensive nuclear technology and experience, according to a statement on the companys website.

Rosatom opened its regional headquarters in Singapore in 2012, and has since organised a number of visits to Russian nuclear power plants, for officials from the region, it said.

The company is building two nuclear power units with water-cooled and water-moderated (VVER) reactors in Vietnam, and has also won a tender for the preliminary design of a 10- megawatt reactor in Indonesia.

We are not sure yet which ASEAN country will be the next newcomer to develop a nuclear power plant after Vietnam. We are also discussing possible participation in nuclear programs with Indonesia and Malaysia.

Regionally, the company has signed cooperation agreements with Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia for nuclear technology, said Mr Drozdov. The next steps depend on the countrys needs.

The construction of nuclear power plants is a very serious step in developing a nuclear industry, but first a country must take a number of important steps such as writing nuclear legislation, creating nuclear civil infrastructure and joining the International Atomic Energy Agency, the main global intergovernmental organisation that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Myanmars biggest neighbours, China and India, are using nuclear technology for power generation, while the IAEA reviewed progress at Bangladeshs first nuclear power plant earlier this year.

Bangladesh has established a nuclear safety regulatory body and Rosatom has agreed to build the plant in Rooppur in Padma district, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Dhaka, according to the IAEA.

China has 33 operational nuclear power plants and 22 under construction, while India has 21 operational plants and six under construction, according to a recent IAEA report.

Rosatom is actively seeking new business opportunities and organised a large number of international delegations and media from across the world to the 8th Atomexpo International Forum in Moscow. During the event, the company signed 30 agreements with a number of countries, worth a total of US$10 billion.

Worldwide electricity generation from nuclear power was 10 gigawatts in 2015. This figure is expected to reach 1000GW by 2050, said experts during a plenary session at the forum.

Nuclear power is good as base load power generation. The difference between nuclear and renewable energy is base load generation. And nuclear energy can be the basis for a carbonless power balance, said Sergey Kiriyenko, general director of Rosatom.

There are 444 nuclear power reactors worldwide in operation with total net installed capacity of 386,276MW and 65 more plants under construction, according to the IAEA.

The market response to nuclear power has been slow, as it is going through a period of readjustment and rebalancing, said Anna Bryndza, vice president of US-based Ux Consulting Company.

Worldwide production of uranium, the main fuel for nuclear power, jumped from 13 million pounds to 158 million pounds in 2015, according to Ms Bryndza.

Given the continued growth of the global energy matrix, the case in favour of nuclear power reminds strong, she said.
Yangon Heritage Trust awarded a commemorative blue heritage plaque to the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon yesterday.





The plaque was installed at the synagogue to remember the Jewish community who lived in Yangon for many generations and to recognise the diverse faiths still alive in the city today, said YHT founder U Thant Myint-U.

The synagogue was part of a once-flourishing Jewish community in Yangon and a reminder that Yangon has always been, since its founding in the 1750s, home to people with connections across the world, he said yesterday.

We have dozens of religious sites, belonging to all major religions, in downtown Yangon, and this is something to be proud of and celebrated.

The first known Jew to have lived in Myanmar was Solomon Gabirol who was a commissar in King Alaungpayas army, but it is very likely that Jewish links to Myanmar go much further back, perhaps to the time of the first Roman trading missions to the East nearly 2000 years ago, he said.

Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue was built in Yangon between 1893 and 1896 to replace a wooden structure from 1854. The Jewish community at that time was around 2500 but today there are only a handful of Jews native to Yangon, he added.

The Samuels family takes care of the synagogue, cemetery and what remains of the Jewish community in the city, said U Thant Myint-U.





I am very proud and very excited for this blue plaque. It does not just show the architectural significance but also recognises the dedication of families and individuals to preserve these buildings, said caretaker Sammy Samuels.

Monuments and buildings around the city hold the stories of all its different communities, he said.

Ma Shwe Yin Mar Oo from YHT said the organisation has chosen five more heritage buildings to receive blue plaques. Eleven buildings across the city already carry them, including City Hall, AYA Bank headquarters, the Armenian Church, the Central Fire Station, the General Post Office, Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank, the Central Press Building and the Indian Embassy.
Many artists have depicted Yangons heritage of historic buildings in different styles. Artist Zwe Yan Naing invented his own technique in drawing colonial-era buildings. He used accidental colour effects produced by mixing different hues.





His fifth solo exhibition entitled Blending Colours in Urban Art, featuring views of the Secretariat Building, Rowe Company and the now-demolished Win Cinema, is showing from June 4 to 7 at Gallery 65 (Yaw Min Gyi Road).

Ive been inspired by the architecture of colonial buildings in Yangon. I want to raise public awareness about the importance of these buildings and stimulate interest in preserving them through my artworks, said Zwe Yan Naing.

A native of Rakhine State, where he had trouble finding an art teacher able to help him pursue his passion, he left his home town Taunggok to study at the State High School of Arts in Yangon, where he graduated in 2009. He learned how to blend colours while studying and applied it to his representations of colonial buildings.

The architecture and past history of these buildings hold great appeal for people both here and from abroad. I want people to value and treasure them, he said.





Before he started to paint the series, he executed many paintings on the theme of politics. His paintings portray a convocation robe hanging inside a prison cell and a graduate driving a trishaw, depicting the meagre liberties and job opportunities for people trying to better themselves. Those paintings are being exhibited along with his colonial building series at the gallery.

One of his distinguished paintings is a portrait of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Htin Kyaw created from cancelled kyat notes, which collectors used to sell him when they found he loved creating artworks with these notes.

Zwe Yan Naings paintings have been displayed at galleries in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Germany.

I was sad to see old buildings being demolished. They should have been preserved for the next generations, he said.
When Myo Arkar returned to his home in Yangons North Dagon township after working through a long, hot day, he opened a cold bottle of purified water to quench his thirst. But as he drank he sensed a rusty smell and taste, and then noticed brown particles swirling in the bottle.





Disgusted, he threw it away. I informed everyone I know of this incident, and reminded them not to drink that brand, he said of the water, which is produced at a small purifying facility in Shwe Pyi Thar township.

Many residents in Myanmars towns and cities consume bottled water that they presume is properly purified. But a rapid growth in demand for such water and a lack of government oversight means many small, unlicensed operators produce questionable-quality water that regularly leaves consumers with a bad taste in their mouths.

I have used more than four brands of drinking water last year. The new brand that I am using now has had no problem yet, said Thura, a taxi driver from Sanchaung township, who said he switches brands after drinking bad-quality water rather than file a formal complaint with health authorities.

Among Myanmars towns and city residents, around one-third drink bottled water, according to data from the 2014 census, as urban water supply systems are often of a poor standard. Though urban consumers drinking water problems pale compared to those in the countryside  where many poor households rely on tube wells, ponds and lakes that might be unclean or even toxic  they could easily be consuming an unlicensed brand.

Dr Tun Zaw, director of the Ministry of Healths Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said an inspection of markets in Yangon and Mandalay in December 2015 found 21 unlicensed bottled water brands on sale.

A countrywide FDA survey of bottled water conducted early last year approved some 750 brands, but found 73  or close to 10 percent  of brands lacking in quality, or having failed to register with the FDA. The FDA subsequently released a list of these banned brands and their production locations.





By law, drinking water producers are required to register with the FDA and allow it to inspect their facilities for hygiene, production methods and quality tests.

Dr Kyaw Linn, a former FDA director, told Myanmar Now that consuming unlicensed drinking water could carry health risks. Fungus and bacteria in this drinking water can pose health hazards, such as diarrhea and worms, as well as other bad consequences depending on the harmful chemicals in the unhygienic water, he said.

More needs to be done to improve enforcement of FDA standards, he said, adding, Unregistered brands will not guarantee hygiene. They might even use tap water.

Myanmars economic growth of recent years has led to rising demand for bottled drinking water in both urban and rural areas, said Ba Oak Khaing, chair of the Consumer Protection Association of Myanmar. Setting up a small-scale purification facility is fairly simple and can even be done in a residential house or a compound, he said, adding that small facilities produce about 50 to 100 20-litre bottles per day.

Dr Tun Zaw said such facilities had proliferated in recent years and it was impossible for the FDA to inspect all new brands coming on to the market, adding that enforcing a ban on brands was also difficult. If we announce that a brand name produces unhygienic drinking water, they will just change their name, for example from Sein to Shwe, he said.

Dr. Tun Zaw said the FDA works with municipal authorities to enforce drinking water controls. The agency conducts tests and checks, and issues recommendations, while local authorities are responsible for granting licences and implementing a ban and shutdown of facilities.

Ba Oak Khaing said his association, the FDA, staff of Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) and the police conducted surprise inspections of water producers facilities in Yangon in February and found that 13 failed to meet hygiene standards.

These small water-purifying facilities are built in the compound of regular houses. They do not observe the rules of hygiene, he said, explaining that some operations were situated in the open air, sometimes even near grazing cattle or sewage run-off.

Ba Oak Khaing said the FDA and municipal authorities issued bans against the 13 companies, but no further checks have been carried out since to enforce the order.

Ar Kar, the owner of Pin Lone Water, a large, licensed purifying plant in Yangons Hlegu township, said many small operators had entered the growing drinking water market in a bid to capture a share, and some cared little for quality and hygiene standards.

Some purified water might be tainted with dust and smells because the old water bottles were not thoroughly cleaned when they were re-used, he said. Such small water-purifying plants are copying our brands and these things may tarnish our popularity.

One small, unlicensed bottled water producer from South Dagon said his facility turned out about 50 20-litre bottles per day, which were sold in two residential quarters in the township. The man, who asked not to be named, admitted to not registering with the FDA, but said consumers of his water have nothing to fear.

Most of the market for my brand is only in the nearby area, and I am focused on the hygiene of the water, he said.

 Republished with permission of Myanmar Now
Just a few days after a hideous discovery in Thailand exposed the dark depths of illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia, artist Daw Khin Than Phyu has joined organisations around the world in celebrating World Environment Day, held June 5.





At the Myanmar Banks Association office on Sinbin New Road in Yankin township, the eco-friendly artist is hosting a Green Future Art & Environment Festival, running through tomorrow afternoon. It is her sixth time organising the event, which focuses this year on the illegal wildlife trade.

She said the exhibition is an important opportunity to reach out to Myanmar citizens that wouldnt otherwise think about the environment.

Most of the people in our country dont understand or care about environmental conservation, Khin Than Phyu said. They also lack perception about going to events like Green Future. That is the reason why we are emphasising this event  to get public attention on an important issue.

On June 1, more than 40 dead tiger cubs were discovered in a freezer in Thailands infamous Tiger Temple, where monks stand accused of deep ties to illegal wildlife traffickers in China.

Other evidence, such as a bull skull and a dead boar, were more than enough to allow roughly 1000 police and wildlife officials to remove 137 live tigers from the monks care.

The discovery brought to light a much larger battle being fought by conservationists across Southeast Asia, to stem the flow of illegal and often endangered animal trading.





The Green Future festival aims to further illuminate trafficking. Featuring nine paintings and five installation art and multimedia presentations from six artists  including Daw Khin Than Phu  the exhibition carries the slogan Go wild for life.

The slogan encourages us to spread the word about wildlife crime and the damage it does, as well as to challenge all those around us to do what they can to prevent it, Daw Khin Than Phu said.

Having been held at Summit Art Gallery last year, the festival moved to the MBA thanks to a donation from U Thein Tun, the owner of Myanmar Consolidated Media and Tun Foundation Bank. Khin Than Phyu said she hopes the new location can help the artists to sell some of the works, a goal which has not been achieved in previous iterations.

Every year we have discussion sessions about environmental issues but do not sell any artwork, she said. So some people are no long interested in participating in Green Future  thats why there are fewer artists and artworks than last year.

She added that she would do the event every year regardless of sales.
[This article was written and first published in 2004  The Myanmar Times reposts it now as a comparison piece to our updated best burger list]





One night a few weeks ago I settled onto my sofa to enjoy another instalment of Stupid Movie Night on satellite TV and was treated to a cinematic masterpiece in which mutant killer bees terrorized a small American town until they were lured to their doom by their love of hamburger meat.

Thinking long and hard about the movie afterwards, I would have liked to believe that, had I been one of those bees, I would have been too smart to follow the raw meat into an enclosed space in which a deadly trap was sprung by crafty humans. But I love hamburgers as much as the next mutant killer bee, and the fact is nothing would have prevented me from following those delicious patties into darkness and death along with the rest of the hive.

The hamburgers depicted in the Hollywood-made killer bee movie were of course all-American summer holiday cookout burgers. Hamburgers in Myanmar can be a whole different ballgame.

Seems like every time I order a hamburger here, theres something a little weird about it. There are the cheeseburgers with cheese but no meat. There are the burgers whose patties are so small the meat seems to be a condiment to accompany mayonnaise and tomato sauce rather than the other way around. And there are the ones that come with no bun at all, requiring of the diner the unnatural, even profane, act of eating a hamburger with a knife and fork.

All this weirdness prompted me to embark on a daring quest to sample the vicissitudes of burgerdom in Yangon and report my findings to the armchair hamburger eaters of the world. Following is a catalogue of my experiences. To save space I have limited the survey to beef burgers and therefore have excluded a number of venues that listed beef burgers on their menus but in fact served nothing of the sort.

Burger Busters (114/B Inya Road)

Enticed by words like BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes interspersed among the Myanmar-language description on the special menu, I ordered a cheese beef burger for K3000. What I got was a large beef patty whose mushy consistency was mostly caused by a Texas-sized slathering of Texas-style BBQ sauce. It was topped by a slice of cheese but came with no bun. Beneath the watchful gaze of the other patrons at the restaurant, I fixed this problem by cutting the patty in half and making two sandwiches using the garlic toast that came as a side (along with the mashed potatoes). The result: passable burgers that were hard, crunchy and garlicky on the outside and soft, chewy and BBQ-ey on the inside.

Cafe Aroma (Sule Pagoda Road near Nay Pyi Taw Cinema)

The beef burger (K1700) is described on the menu as being topped with minced beef, tomato, cucumber, lettuce and pickles. Cucumbers are not a regular ingredient in American hamburgers but they are common in Yangon. Although many true US patriots would remove them and fling them away in disgust, cursing dang ferners for sullying an American icon, to me they seem a fine supplement to the repertoire of burger ingredients, adding a bit of crunchy freshness to the mix.

The ingredients at Aroma add up to a fairly tasty burger even though the patty is a bit too small. They come with potato chips but no fries. To get them, order the finger potato deepfried with tomato sauce (K650) from the menu. I would recommend it. They are very crispy and quite yummy.





Excellent Burgers and Snacks (182, corner of Anawrahta Road and 33rd Street)

This small, narrow restaurant looks more like a typical downtown biryani shop (complete with tiled walls) than a burger joint. It is open to the street and therefore has no air con but there are electric fans aplenty. There is also upstairs seating but downstairs you can watch VCDs of lovelorn girls clutching roses and crying into the sky.

The beef burger (K1000) is served with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, coleslaw and chilli sauce on a sesame seed bun. Oh yeah, there was a beef patty somewhere in there as well. It was tiny, adding virtually no flavour to the burger. There was, however, a tangy aftertaste that had me fearing for my health until I opened the bun and identified it as originating from the coleslaw-like substance spread on the bun.

The burger comes with a few crispy fries. More can be ordered for K900.

Feel Burger and Snack (Yankin Centre, basement level)

Feel offers all sorts of burgers: chicken, pork, beef, fish, sardine, vegetable and more. There are no prices on the menu, but fear not  a jumbo burger will set you back a mere K1150, fries an additional K900.

Burgers come with mayonnaise (see below), onions, cucumbers and tomato sauce. The jumbo option adds egg and cheese. Double burgers are also available.

The burger was brought to me on a plate with a knife and fork. Now I know the concept of eating a burger with a knife and fork is an invention of the Prince of Darkness himself, but in this case the grease factor prompted me to use them (Lord have mercy on my soul). Despite my general proficiency with silverware, it was not long before my dinner was an unwieldy mess on my plate, prompting my girlfriend to comment, The burgers I make are more beautiful.

In-depth analysis points to the abundance of mayo and its lubricating properties as the main culprit in the cosmetic degeneration of the burger. Those who dont like mayo (once described to me as something the French invented to hide the horrible taste of their food) might want to point this out to the server, as it had been slathered on at least two, possibly three, separate locations throughout my burger.

Despite the mess, the Feel burger was among the best Ive had in Yangon.

50th Street Bar and Grill (50th Street, lower block)

The atmosphere at 50th Street Bar and Grill is like a seductive dream, with comfy seating, a pool table, darts board and satellite TV. Its all designed to make you forget you are in Yangon so you dont think twice about spending US$6 on a bacon and cheese beef burger with lettuce, tomato and BBQ sauce. And while the burger is pretty good, it is not $6 good. The meat has an odd texture and sharp taste, and the bacon can be molar-achingly tough to chew. The accompanying fries are big and the salad is small. If you find yourself at 50th Street, my suggestion is to stick with the pizza, which is among the best in Yangon.

MacBurger (Pansodan Street)

Heres what happened: I ordered a Mac Ham and Cheese (K900) and Mac Fries (K400), the latter of which were a bit tortured looking but not nearly as tortured as the sound of karaoke from upstairs, which we could hear over the Chinese DVD playing on multiple screens in the cafeteria-like dining room, whose off-off-white walls were decorated with pictures of Julia Roberts, Hollywood movie posters and a bundle of dried cornstalks (?). The burger itself consisted of a tiny patty of some chewy, vaguely meat-like substance besieged by lettuce, tomato, cheese and coleslaw. It tasted better going down than it did coming back up later, but only a little. Conclusion: Eating at MacBurger is a dangerous experiment not worth repeating; the aftermath made me rue the day I embarked on my foolish burger quest.

Onyx (near the corner of Inya and Dhammazedi roads)

My first visit to Onyx occurred during monsoon season on a night when the driving rain had turned the dirt driveway into a slop trough. The effort to slog to the other end and into the restaurant was well worth it, though. I have been back many times since. The beef burger steak (K4000) is made with chopped beef, herbs, onion and garlic and is served with a small salad, potatoes, steamed vegetables and bread on the side. Again I was faced with the unsavoury experience of eating an open-faced burger with knife and fork. But you know what? I didnt care! Onyx burgers are severely delicious and well worth eternal damnation. See you in Hell.
Myanmar is opening its borders to international caravaners, the government has announced. Procedures for entering the country by road have been simplified and abbreviated, allowing many travellers to pass within a day or so.





Tourism ministry director U Myint Htwe told The Myanmar Times yesterday that the authority to issue entry visas at the border gates has now been granted to regional governments.

Under the law passed by the old government, caravan travel and tour companies had to apply for the visa more than a week in advance of the trip.

Caravaners can apply directly to the regional Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, Home Affairs, Defence, or Hotels and Tourism instead of the central government. If their documents are in order, it should take less than a week, he said.

However, major entry points to China and India such as Muse and Tamu are not considered international borders, and applicants must deal with Nay Pyi Taw, he said.

The law that would allow caravaners to pass through those gates has not yet been amended, he said. But entry via Myawaddy, Tachileik, Htee Khee and Kawthaung international border gates can be authorised within two days.

We expect a rise in caravan tours because of the new political situation, said the director.

Daw Aye Sandar, director of Mother Irrawaddy travel and caravan tours company, said the procedures were much easier than those under the former government.





We used to have to submit a week in advance and it was not easy to add more people to the application list, but its much more convenient now. Independent travellers can apply to the respective regional government, she said.

The tourism ministry said independent caravaners could apply either through tour companies or direct at the border gate.

Caravan tours started in Myanmar in 2000 operated by Myanmar Travels and Tours under the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. The tours were not initially very popular, with agents blaming strict document requirements.

Though restrictions began to ease under the previous government, and private companies were granted permission to run the service in 2012, only a handful of the 1900 registered tour operators offer caravan tours. The tours can normally stay from five to 15 days in Myanmar depending on their destinations.

Last year, 152 caravan tours groups visited the country, primarily with tourists from Thailand and China.
The Chinese ambassador is lobbying Kachin State officials and residents in an attempt to drum up support for restarting the suspended Myitsone dam.





The Chinese-backed mega-project has come up for reconsideration by the new government and is a pivotal test of relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Hong Lang met with state government representatives in Myitkyina on June 3 to convince them of the merits of the US$3.6 billion hydropower project. The ambassador also visited relocation sites and met with residents moved beyond the anticipated flood-line into Chinese-built model villages, according to officials in the state government office.

U H La Aung, state minister for the environment and natural resources, confirmed the ambassadors weekend field campaign, and said the state government responded by insisting the wishes of the local people be respected.

We told him that we need to ask the local residents, he said. We also have no authority to make a decision on the dam; it will depend on instructions from the Union government.

While State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has penned letters against the project arguing it suffers from a lack of planning, she has more recently hedged on questions about the hydropower dam project. After her April meeting with the Chinese foreign minister she told reporters she had not yet read the contract, and so could not say anything definitively.

Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay yesterday told The Myanmar Times he was not aware of a final decision on the dam. The government is in the process [of] reconsider[ing] the project, he said.





The Myitsone dam  which would flood a confluence of historic importance to ethnic Kachin people  is one of several Chinese-backed projects under review by the new government, including a copper mine in Sagaing Region that was given the green light to relaunch on May 5.

Much of the public opposition against the proposed Myitsone dam has focused on the fact that around 90 percent of the power generated would be sent to China. Other criticism includes the dams environmental impact and effect on local communities.

Residents removed from around the dam have said the remote relocation sites are infertile and the promised food subsidies fell far short of the required amount.

The Union Daily quoted Kachin State Chief Minister U Khet Aung on June 4 as saying that if China wants to restart the dam then the ambassador must continue mediating negotiations between the two countries.

He [the ambassador] told us if [our government] failed to resume the project, the two countries relationship will be affected, said U Khet Aung.

Dam developer China Power Investment (CPI) has also pushed for a restart, arguing that it did not get a fair opportunity to disseminate information about the dams benefits before it was called to a halt by U Thein Seins administration in 2011.

CPI, which could not be reached for comment yesterday, has also told media that it faced losses after the dams suspension. Should the new government choose to terminate the contract, it would have to reimburse the developer for any investments.

If the Myanmar government cancels the project, we can demand compensation. But we dont think it will be stopped, because this compensation would be a huge amount for the Myanmar government and people, said ambassador Mr Hong.

Myanmars military government and the Chinese company cut a deal over the 6000-megawatt dam in 2006. Starting in 2009, CPI began relocating thousands of villagers beyond the 766 square kilometres (almost 190,000 acres) to be inundated. But conflict between ethnic Kachin and the military was reportedly exacerbated in 2010 after work began on the Myitsone project, and clashes in 2011 ended a nearly two-decade ceasefire. Shortly thereafter, U Thein Sein suspended the dam.

On June 4, activists and locals protested the Chinese ambassadors visit. Last month, the residents wrote a letter to President U Htin Kyaw requesting him to resolve the problem by ending the project for good.

Daw Ja Hkaung, whose farmland in Tan Hpre village was confiscated since it fell within the flood-line, said locals wont accept the hydropower dam.

We havent gotten any response from the president yet, but we wont ever accept it [the dam]. China should know that, she said.
Nationalist monks gathered at a monastery in Insein township over the weekend to mark the three-year anniversary of Ma Ba Tha.





The monks vowed to continue protecting race and religion under the new government, while also maintaining the fight against citizenship for those who self-identify as Muslim Rohingya.

The two-day event reviewed the achievements and future vision of the controversial Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion as Ma Ba Tha is called in English. Organisation chair U Tilawka Bhivamsa, also known as Insein Ywama Sayadaw, told over 1000 monks and supporters that the group must focus on uniting the 135 recognised ethnic groups of Myanmar.

Whatever the party and whoever the president is running the government, Ma Ba Tha shall protect nationalism for future generations, he said.

He added that Ma Ba Tha must protect the four race and religion laws backed by the organisation and passed into effect last year, as well as the 1982 Citizenship Act. Ma Ba Thas controversial legislative package has been slammed by local and international rights groups for discriminating against women and religious minorities.

If they attempt to touch those laws, we must protect them using any means necessary, said Insein Ywama Sayadaw.

Another issue that needs attention is the Rohingya issue, he said. I heard now the Myanmar government has stopped building the border fence in Rakhine State due to a lack of funding under the current budget. We must support its completion if the current government cant implement the needs of the countrys security.

Sayadaw Eindaparla said, Ma Ba Tha was started after the Arakanese woman case, said, referring to the 2012 murder that helped spark sectarian riots across Rakhine State. Now, we have more achievements in protecting nationalism than any group, he said.
The mutilated bodies of two Taang men were found in Namkham township in Shan State, where heavy fighting between the Tatmadaw and ethnic armed groups has been raging for months.





On June 3, the bodies of 32-year-old Mong Aik Tun Oo and 34-year-old Mong Nyi Ja Win were found with stab wounds in their necks and on the rest of their bodies. The men had been missing for two days after they had gone to their farm located between Naung Ann and Man Aung villages.

The search for the two men was hampered by a landmine explosion on June 1 that killed a young man from Quu Sai village.

A funeral for Mong Lu Aung Kyi, who was only 22 years old, was held the next day and attended by many ethnic Taang villagers.

We were so busy because of the mine we found in Naung Ann and the next day we had the funeral so we couldnt go and look for the missing men, said Mong Than Nyunt, who lives in Man Aung village and is a Taang youth leader.

The mens motorbike was found on June 2. The next day the bodies of the two farmers were found by villagers, according to Mong Than Nyunt.

Locals accused the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA-South) for the killings, saying Shan-speaking armed forces had entered Naung Ann village on June 1 and detained a Taang resident. A local sayadaw secured his release by explaining that the man was not a soldier for the Taang National Liberation Army.

Between June 1 and 3, four landmines were found in Naung Ann village. Villagers asked the police to cooperate with the army to demine the area but the police didnt do it. We solved it ourselves by throwing tyres on the landmines from far away. One mine exploded because of a cow, said Mong Than Nyunt.





Several calls from The Myanmar Times to the Namkham police station for information went unanswered.

Mong Than Nyunt said most villagers are afraid to leave their houses because of a lack of security in the area, despite the presence of a military battalion that was supposed to protect them.

Around 25 members of an armed group are patrolling the village. They detain and kill villagers if they suspect [them of belonging to another armed group], and they laid landmines in the area. The military does nothing. We are helpless, he said.
Preconditions will be set for the inclusion of three armed ethnic groups that have thus far been excluded from the peace process, according to government negotiators.





Members of governments peace team visited Thailand from June 3 for a meeting with most of the non-signatory groups that are members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). The negotiators explained their plans for the governments 21st-century Panglong Conference.

U Hla Maung Shwe, a member of the governments peace team, said the government is still trying to reach out to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA) for talks. None of them attended the meeting in Chiang Mai.

The three groups were excluded from talks held by the previous administration because of the MNDAAs military offensive against government troops in Laukkai, the capital of the Kokang region, together with its allies the TNLA and the AA. The government did not recognise the three groups as negotiating partners as it deemed the attacks to be against the peace process and the countrys democracy.

I think we will have talks concerning preconditions for the three groups. There can be alternative ways to solve the problem, U Hla Maung Shwe said.

Last month, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing demanded at a press conference that the three groups refrain from engaging in fighting against the Tatmadaw and surrender their arms.

Though the preconditions of the new government have not been laid out yet, U Khin Zaw Oo, a member of the governments peace team, said solutions would be sought in talks with the groups.

Armed ethnic groups had asked then-president U Thein Sein for political and military guarantees for the three groups before the signing of the ceasefire accord last year but he refused. As a consequence, only eight out of 15 groups invited to sign the agreement did so. The government has also not yet set a date for a meeting with the Mongla and Wa forces based near the Myanmar-China border.





U Naing Han Thar, deputy leader of the UNFC, said they had told the governments peace negotiators that they would pursue their all-inclusive stance for the peace process.

It depends on how the ruling [National League for Democracy] government can negotiate with the Tatmadaw leaders on the inclusion issue. If they accept our all-inclusive stance, it would be much easier to participate in the peace process, he said.

Concerns have arisen about whether the UNFC leaders will be able to persuade the TNLA and the MNDAA to participate in negotiations with the government, as they renewed their request to resign from the ethnic block last month. The groups said the UNFC had failed to provide them with military support while they were fighting with government forces.

The UNFC has not decided yet how to respond to the request for resignation from the ethnic bloc.
Japan has upped its development assistance in Myanmar with a US$1 million agreement to help fund several rule-of-law centres.





The centres, set up by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) last year, are based in Yangon, Mandalay, Myitkyina in Kachin State and Taunggyi in Shan State.

The initiative provides training for police, township officials and lawyers. According to a UNDP statement, the centres enable legal professionals, community leaders and civil society organisations to access knowledge and to nurture skills and general awareness of the law.

Japanese ambassador to Myanmar Tateshi Higuchi said that a correct understanding of the concept of rule of law is needed in both judicial professions and ordinary people in society for the establishment of true democratisation.

Focus areas for the centres include drugs, labour laws, squatters rights, land-related issues, violence against women and children, and the new legal aid law.

These institutions give communities a chance to interact and to question police officers and other senior officials  something that would have been unheard of only a short while ago, said UNDP country director Toily Kurbanov.

The move marks another step in Japans burgeoning development assistance to Myanmar.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida visited the country last month, during which he pledged further aid for the employment, education, agriculture, infrastructure and financial sectors. At the time, the United Nations issued a statement thanking Japan for its $31.7 million donation to their operations in Myanmar.





Japan pledged $219 million to Myanmar for the 2015-16 year, up from $85 million the year before.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly requested aid from Japan in February.
A development company in Mandalay wants the government to give the green light to a tourist resort already approved by the former administration. Officials of the Taungthaman Village Resort, which is under construction near Taungthaman Lake in Mandalays Amarapura township, said they want a second opinion as to whether the project could damage the environment or the historical heritage.





The Mandalay Region government has so far suspended a part of the total project after a site inspection by the chief minister, according to state media.

Information officer for the project U Khin Maung Tun told The Myanmar Times the scheme had already been approved by the outgoing regional government, and environmental and social impact assessments had been performed earlier this year.

We would be glad if the new administration would take another look so that we could continue in peace. We have received no official request to suspend the project, and were still working on the six buildings. But we have stopped making further site clearance preparations, and laid off 100 workers. We would invite the government to come and check, for the benefit of local people, said U Khin Maung Tun last week.

Mandalay, a daily newspaper distributed by Mandalay City Development Committee, said that on May 28 Mayor U Ye Lwin had ordered the suspension of work at the site to analyse environmental and land issues, to check whether the work was compliant with the conditions set, and to reconsider the project in the light of its value to the public.

The former regional government permitted the Taungthaman Village Resort on two plots. The first, a 40-acre (16-hectare) plot surrounded by the villages of Taungthaman, Nwarnotawsu, Tenanttha and Ywarthit southeast of the lake, only 1900 feet from Amarapura townships historic U Bein Bridge, was given the go-ahead in March 2015. The second, a 58-acre (23-hectare) parcel, was approved on March 28, just before the administration changed hands.

Once the capital of the Konbaung Dynasty, Amarapura is home to several historic sites, including Pahtodawgyi, Bagaya Kyaung, Maha Gandha-yon Kyaung and Kyauktawgyi Paya.





Weve completed clearing the site 90 percent and done 5pc of the building work. Local residents have no objections as far as agricultural land use is concerned. Were ready to undergo an inspection by the new government, said U Khin Maung Tun.

Development requires more than foreign investment. Local businesspeople must invest as well. Everybody must cooperate, so long as they have government support for investment, he added.

The Taungthaman Thitsar company began developing Taungthaman Village Resort in April last year. It will showcase Myanmars cultural heritage, with a traditional handicrafts market and a relaxation park for visitors. The K10 billion resort project was slated for completion within three to five years.

Mandalay Regions minister for resources and environmental conservation, U Myo Thit, told the media last month that projects permitted by the previous government had to be scrutinised from the point of view of the benefits they brought the country and the people.

Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin
On World Environment Day yesterday, President U Htin Kyaw spoke against the ills of endangered wildlife poaching and trading.





While looking at photos after the ceremony, he told officials at the conservation department, You must take action to stop it. You really need to do it.

Wildlife poaching and smuggling could damage the ecosystem and fuel gang crimes, the president said.

Until the past decade, we knew very little about the effects of illegal trading of wildlife on the environment, business sector and social community.

But today, due to advances in technology and knowledge, we can assess the situation. And, as it is a worrisome situation, we need to conduct preventative measure effectively, he said.

Illegal wildlife trading proliferates across Myanmars borders. Mong La in Shan State is known as a transit haven for poachers, and a hot spot for trading in endangered pangolins. Reports suggest there is also significant trade in elephants, Asiatic bears, sun bears, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, cloud leopards, turtles and tortoises from Myanmar to its neighbours.

In Asias smuggling market, a kilogram of ivory is priced at US$220, while a kilogram of rhinoceros horns is about $60,000. They are more expensive than gold and platinum, U Htin Kyaw said.





The amount of money spent on transactions involving wildlife across the world is $20 billion a year. It is the fourth-biggest trafficking business after the trade of drugs, weapons and persons.

In 1994 Myanmar enacted the Protection of Wildlife and Wild Plants and Conservation of Natural Areas Law, which forbids the possession, sale or export of endangered animals or their parts and carries fines of K30,000 to K50,000 or imprisonment of up to seven years.

Myanmar is also a signatory of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species.

Translation by Thiri Min Htun
A new jetty proposed near Botahtaung Pagoda, Yangon, could damage the structure of the building and disturb worshippers, an MP has warned. Seikkan township MP U Tin Maung Win told the Pyithu Hluttaw on June 3 that the government should postpone construction, or even build the jetty somewhere else.





The Myanmar Investment Commission gave the project the go-ahead last March. But U Tin Maung Win said construction on the 20-acre (8-hectare) government-owned site would lead to the demolition of homes and constant site traffic, worsening congestion.

There is also a risk of forming more sandbanks in the river. The destruction of homes would reduce the number of Yangon townships from 45 to 44, he told MPs.

He added that prayers at the pagoda will be disturbed, first by construction and then by the noise of ships coming in and out.

Kaung Myanmar Aung company is responsible for construction.

Pabedan township MP U Nay Phu Ba Swe agreed that the hluttaw should discuss the proposal, adding that implementation of the project could damage the caves beneath the pagoda due to the vibration caused by driving piles for constructing the jetty so close to the shrine. Besides, he said, ships drawing 3 metres or more could not use the jetty, casting doubt on the economic benefits expected for the project.

Why should we build a jetty in such shallow water? Its better to build it at Thilawa. The current plan will benefit only the company, and Myanma Port Authority income will fall, U Tin Maung Win told journalists.

MPs wishing to discuss the proposal were invited to register by June 7.





Translation by Emoon
This years World Environment Day has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in wildlife. The problem has particular significance in Asia, which is the destination for most of the ivory taken from 20,000 to 25,000 elephants and the horns of more than 1200 rhinos killed in Africa every year. Demand in the region is driven by fast-growing middle and upper classes with an appetite for exotic pets, decor, food and fashion.





While several iconic species including rhinos, tigers and elephants are now in decline  with some populations pushed to the brink of extinction  it is actually less-known species such as pangolins, turtles and reptiles that are most frequently smuggled across borders in Southeast Asia. And although it is difficult to obtain an accurate valuation of the regional wildlife trade, it is known that prices of some species are subject to speculation  often driven by proximity to extinction  and that the profits made by organised crime are significant.

Despite a variety of national and international instruments to counter the problem, transnational criminal groups have been able to circumvent regulations and to launder illegally sourced wildlife into legal markets. This often happens through fraud, advanced smuggling techniques, or more simply with corruption. The size of some recent seizures  several tonnes of ivory were intercepted over the past few years in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam  and the variety of nationalities of the couriers arrested leaves no doubt about the organised and transnational nature of wildlife trafficking.

We are paying a heavy price. The illegal wildlife trade undermines our ability to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda adopted last year. Ivory from a poached elephant is worth about US$21,000 a kilogram while a living elephant can generate more than $1.6 million in economic activity. The illegal wildlife trade also has serious negative impacts on biodiversity, leading to the extinction of species and damage to habitat. The environmental impact of the illegal wildlife trade also goes beyond the immediate detrimental effects on target species, and can result in the spread of diseases or introduction of invasive species when live animals are moved across international borders.

In a landmark resolution last year, the United Nations General Assembly called on countries to declare the illegal wildlife trade a serious criminal offence. Discussions at the second United Nations Environment Assembly that has just taken place in Kenya on May 23-27 reaffirmed the urgency of stepping up efforts to combat wildlife crime through concrete actions at the national level and through expanded international cooperation.

There are also signs that leaders in this region have started recognise the significance of the problem  the last ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime added trafficking in wildlife and timber to the list of priority transnational crimes for the region to address. Given the size of the market for wildlife in Asia it is important that political statements in the region are followed up with concrete actions, and that the illegal wildlife trade is treated as a serious organised crime like drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, terrorism, and arms smuggling.

Addressing the illegal trade in wildlife will require collective coordinated action, working across source, transit and destination countries, in the most strategic hotspots across the supply chain. It is important to shift the focus of the criminal justice response from couriers and poachers to trade controllers and corrupt facilitators. Legal loopholes need to be closed and laws and penalties made tougher in conjunction with anti-corruption provisions. And hopefully greater public awareness will bring pressure to bear on governments to enforce laws.

As we mark World Environment Day, the United Nations is calling on everyone to stop wildlife trafficking. Everyone has a role to play, from lawmakers, community leaders, police and customs officers, prosecutors and judges to businesses and average citizens. We urge you to join us in calling for zero tolerance. Wildlife trafficking needs to be stopped.





Isabelle Louis is the acting regional director for the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Jeremy Douglas is the regional representative at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
On November 6, 2005, the capital officially shifted from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw. I know it is a curious habit, but I think of that day often.





At the time, it was almost impossible to assess the significance of the pivotal move.

For a start, very few people were privy to the generals grand design for the new city. Even those who went on to play key roles in the development of Nay Pyi Taw were in the dark about the purpose of the new constructions at the Pyinmana site or their relationship to the proposed political transformation.

Much of the worlds initial information about Nay Pyi Taw came from distant musings and well-intentioned conjecture. With strict censorship and deep suspicion of so-called destructive elements, very few people in Myanmar could adequately interpret what was going on.

The move to Nay Pyi Taw was a time when the shadows around the military regime lengthened, and the top leaders bunkered down. The best guess back then was that the army would struggle to ever share power with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD).

Internet discussion forums echoed with the shrill speculation of those who anticipated an abrupt end to military dictatorship. Revolution still seethed at the margins. At the time, many people imagined a final, and violent, verdict on the decades of army rule. It was not to be.

Five years and one day later, on November 7, 2010, the people of Myanmar went to the polls for the first time in a generation.





We know the NLD boycotted the election, and the vote was neither free nor fair. Unsurprisingly, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) picked up the vast majority of seats.

The USDPs strong electoral showing gave a generation of top military figures a further half-decade to mould the direction of reform.

We can now appreciate that some key players also worked hard to rehabilitate the countrys sputtering economy. A great deal of energetic and productive work occurred.

After the 2010 election, every aspect of society morphed, often for the better.

It was also in these years that Nay Pyi Taw, once a secret city, became much more accessible. Restrictions on access to the so-called abode of kings melted away, as its civilianised custodians revelled in their new roles as reformers-in-chief.

The business of legislative creativity and constitutionally defined executive authority gave the city a pulse. People flocked from around the world to see for themselves whether Myanmars changes were for real.

The jury, throughout these years, equivocated about whether or not the generals could be finally trusted to deliver a more democratic tomorrow.

Then, on November 8, 2015, after another five years and one day, the NLD triumphed in an election called by the USDP government. For many people, this marked the final stage of the militarys guiding role in national politics.

When the first results came in, celebrations reverberated around the country, and around the world. It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the moment. It was a day for the history books.

The months since that vote have seen the NLD take the top positions in government and move, gradually, toward embedding a political arrangement that restores popular legitimacy and national pride.

Naturally enough, the cheerful images of an NLD president and state counsellor, now tasked with reinforcing the tentative moves toward a more democratic regime, get so much warm attention.

Of course, over the next few years, U Htin Kyaw and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi have an unfair amount of work to do. It will take luck, timing and some auspicious confluences for the NLD to deliver on its mandate for genuine and long-lasting change.

So, what might happen on November 9, 2020, five years and one day after the 2015 vote? It will be a Monday. Beyond that, I have not the faintest idea.

But I can imagine that somebody, somewhere, is already planning the next steps in their efforts to further shift Myanmars political direction.

People make their decisions, especially big decisions, based on all sorts of evidence and often seek to find meaning in patterns across time and space. Calendrical knowledge plays a big part in how human societies manage the vagaries of life.

Myanmars battalions of fortune-tellers and numerologists know that it is good business to make culturally attuned claims to support political and personal decisions. Many Myanmar people consult their favourite seers in the hope of better handling what the future has to offer.

With this background, and given the pattern of change since November 6, 2005, I would certainly draw a circle around November 9 on the 2020 calendar.

Obviously, it is a mistake to believe that everything happens for a reason. We also make an error if we gormlessly judge that there is no plan.

 New Mandala

Nicholas Farrelly is director of the Myanmar Research Centre at the Australian National University and co-founder of New Mandala. His column appears each Monday.
[June 06, 2016] MTS Announces the Availability of ADSs

MOSCOW, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PJSC MTS (NYSE: MBT, MOEX: MTSS), the leading telecommunications operator in Russia, announces that it has amended its Depositary Agreement to provide MTS's depositary bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., (the "Depositary"), the ability to accept additional deposits of up to 87,929,284 MTS shares (the "Shares") represented by 43,964,642 additional American Depositary Shares (the "ADSs") on an equitable basis. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121115/AQ14468LOGO )

Under recent changes to its Depositary Agreement, MTS and its Depositary have established procedures to process future deposits to provide equal opportunity for interested investors to deposit Shares under the Depositary Agreement. During the period from 09:00 EST (New York City time) on June 9, 2016, through 17:00 EST June 16, 2016, the Depositary will accept binding indications of interest through the proper completion and timely submission of a form of application which may be downloaded at https://www.adr.com/Home?cusip=607409109. The full text of the amendment to the Depositary Agreement is available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001115837&owner=include&count=40&hidefilings=0 Upon the completion of the application window indicated above, the Depositary will determine if all or a portion of the Shares included in the binding indications of interest that were properly and timely submitted may be deposited with the Depositary's account with Sberbank of Russia (the "Custodian"), the Depositary's custodian bank in order to receive ADSs. If in aggregate the number of Shares indicated in all of the accepted binding indications is not more than 87,929,284, investors whose binding indications were accepted will be advised accordingly by the Depositary and will be obligated to comply with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement regarding the issuance of ADSs and promptly deliver that number of Shares indicated in such investor's binding indication to the Custodian. To the extent the number of Shares sought to be deposited based upon all binding indications properly and timely received during the indication period exceeds 87,929,284 Shares, the number of Shares accepted for deposit from such binding indications shall be reduced by the Depositary on a pro rata basis. Each investor whose binding indication was pro rata accepted will be advised by the Depositary of the number of Shares required to be deposited by such investor, each of whom will be obligated to comply with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement regarding the issuance of ADSs and to promptly deliver to the Custodian for deposit under the Deposit Agreement the exact number of Shares indicated by the Depositary. Deliveries of Shares shall be required within three (3) business days of the date on which the Depositary first notifies the investor that all or a portion of such investor's binding indication has been accepted.



For every two (2) Shares accepted by the Depositary for deposit at the Custodian, the depositing investor (or such person or entity directed by such depositing investor) will receive one (1) ADS. Learn more about MTS. Visit the official blog of the Investor Relations Department at www.mtsgsm.com/blog/



For further information, please contact in Moscow:

Joshua B. Tulgan

Director, Department of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC

Tel: +7 495 223 2025

E-mail: [email protected]

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS" - NYSE:MBT; MOEX:MTSS) is the leading telecommunications group in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe. We provide wireless Internet access and fixed voice, broadband and pay-TV to over 100 million customers who value high quality of service at a competitive price. Our wireless and fixed-line networks deliver best-in-class speeds and coverage throughout Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. To keep pace with evolving customer demand, we continue to grow through innovative products, investments in our market-leading retail platform, mobile payment services, e-commerce and IT solutions. For more information, please visit: www.mtsgsm.com.



Any investor who wishes to deposit Shares in return for ADSs should not consider any information in this announcement or the amendmetns to the Deposit Agreement to be investment, legal or tax advice. An investor should consult its own legal counsel, financial adviser, accountant and other advisors for legal, tax, business, financial and related advice regarding submitting an indication of interest for and receiving any ADSs. Neither MTS nor the Depositary makes any representation to any investor who receives the ADSs regarding the legality of the receipt of the ADSs by such investor under any securities, investment or similar laws which may be applicable to such investor.



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After leaving government in 2015, Isaac Zida went to Canada to be with his family. By Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

06.06.2016 LISTEN

Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has ordered former prime minister Isaac Zida to return to the country where he is accused of corruption.

Kabore warned Zida -- a former military officer who took power after president Blaise Compaore was ousted by a popular uprising in October 2014 -- that he may consider his absence from the country as "desertion."

After leaving government last year, Zida went to Canada to be with his family who moved there when he was still in office.

An official report from the country's anti-corruption authority accuses him of misappropriation of public funds and illegal enrichment.

"We have given a leave of absence to prime minister Zida which expired on February 19," Kabore told reporters on his return late Sunday from a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"I have always said... that it is extremely essential and mandatory that he (Zida) return because when you take on responsibilities at a certain level, you have a duty to report, a duty to explain."

He did not however set a deadline for Zida's return.

Zida, a former number two in the presidential guard, took power on November 1, 2014. following Compaore's ouster.

But following pressure from political parties and the international community he ceded power later that month to retired diplomat Michel Kafando, who was named transitional president.

Kafando in turn named Zida as his prime minister.

The transitional regime was replaced by Kabore's government which was elected in November last year.

Asked whether Burkina Faso has made a formal request to Canada to extradite Zida, Kabore said, "We are not there yet."
Bela Bela (South Africa) (AFP) - Sedated, blindfolded, her ears plugged with cotton-wool, "Hope" the rhino breathes heavily as veterinarians work to repair a gaping wound left by poachers who hacked off her horns.

A year after being left for dead on a game reserve outside South Africa's southern city of Port Elizabeth, Hope has undergone about 15 operations to reconstruct her ravaged face.

Veterinary surgeon Johan Marais sounded optimistic after examining the wound, originally one metre in length after the attack.

"It has healed 60 percent," he said with satisfaction, stressing that the pioneering medical procedure continues to be a risky experiment.

"We don't know which antibiotics to give, at which dosage, which painkillers to give, we don't even know the basic anatomy," he admitted.

Hope, aged six, has been treated by South African veterinarians organised by Saving the Survivors, a non-profit organisation that focuses on rhinos and other wild animals subject to brutal attack or injuries.

South Africa, home to around 20,000 rhinos, or 80 percent of the worldwide population, has borne the brunt of a recent boom in international poaching syndicates.

The rhino are slaughtered for their horns in the supposed belief that they cure diseases such as cancer in Vietnam and China. Also believed to be an aphrodisiac, the horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails.

From under 100 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2008, nearly 1,200 were killed by poachers in 2015 in carnage driven by the soaring price of horn which is estimated to be up to $60,000 a kilogramme.

Hope survived her attack, and for the past 12 months, Marais and his team have exhaustively tried often unconventional techniques to try to heal and re-seal the gruesome cavity in her face.

Materials involved in the procedures have included elephant skin, nylon fishing thread, and steel wire mesh.

But keeping the dressings and bandages in place has been a major problem as the wound gets itchy, so Hope scratches away against fence posts.

"So whatever we put in there she just tears it out," said fellow surgeon Gerhard Steenkamp. "She is so powerful, weighing two tonnes."

- 'Every individual counts' -

The latest attempt to pull together the edges of the wound uses special elastic bands in a technique developed for post-abdominal surgery in humans.

Marais starts off cleaning Hope's wound while chasing away flies attracted by the stench from the wound.

He drills small holes in the skin and sews an elastic band along the wound.

With the anaesthetics wearing out, Hope's ears twitch -- signalling that the surgery must be wrapped up quickly.

A mosquito net is stapled over the wound, and covered with a large bandage which is then secured with blue duct tape.

Within seconds the rhino hops to her feet, and the surgeons back off quickly, crossing their fingers that the latest dressing will stay in place.

It has so far cost $45,000 to try to reconstruct Hope's face, but for Saving the Survivors, it is money well spent.

"When a species becomes endangered, every individual counts because it is genetic diversity," said anaesthetist Jana Pretorius.

"If we had 100,000 rhino, then we would probably never do this. But because it is becoming critical, then it makes sense."

With around 25,000 rhino left in the world, Hope embodies the survival of the species.

"We don't just want to treat her because we want to close a hole, she has to fit into the whole conservation of rhinos," said Steenkamp.

"What would be success for us is the day Hope has a baby and the day she can be part of the renaissance of the rhinos."

These doctors may be at the cusp of a medical victory, and they plan to release Hope back into the wild.

In a sign of life after death, a small re-growth of her horn has been detected.
The running mate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has promised that under an Nana Akufo-Addo government, there would be a revamping of the Tema industrial sector to stimulate industrialization that will produce the needed jobs and prosperity for the people.

When Tema is suffering, it means Ghana is suffering because Tema is really the heartbeat of the Ghanaian economy The Port is very key, the fishing activities, the industries, the businesses are very key to the Ghanaian economy and this is why we have some major things we want to do to make the Port for example a first class Port to really do globally competitive business. Our import duties are also too high, way too high he noted.

The economist said this when he visited the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjetey Kraku II, where he underlined the importance of Tema to the Ghanaian economy.

Tema Mantse, Nii Adjetey Kraku II

Dr. Bawumia said the NPP will initiate several growth boosting policies that will greatly benefit the business community and workers to improve their lives.

Dr. Bawumia, who began a two-day tour of the three Tema constituencies, Tema East, Tema West and Tema Central on (Friday), said Our message to the people of Tema is simple and it is that Nana Akufo-Addo wants to really rebuild the economy of Ghana. So far, we have seen the economy going backwards. The fishing community is suffering, workers are suffering; traders are suffering, the business community is suffering; that is the reality of what we have in Ghana today.

According to Dr. Bawumia, there is the need to revamp the economy because it has stagnated under the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and this has led to massive unemployment and decline in businesses.

We want to build an economy which will produce jobs for our youth; a lot of the youth are finishing school today and they cannot find jobs because the economy is not growing  manufacturing is growing at minus 2% and agriculture is growing at 0% and so we really need to revamp the economy and this is our message to the people of Tema

An NPP government will institute major policies that will revamp Tema. Tema may be the first major beneficiary of some of the policies because if you revamp the ports, you change the import duty structure and give incentives for people to hire the youth, Tema will feel it quicker than anywhere else and this is why we are here, he stated.

The Tema Mantse, Nii Kraku II, commended Dr. Bawumia for respecting the Tema Traditional Authority and for seeking its blessings before proceeding to campaign, wishing the NPP well.

Dr. Bawumia was accompanied by the three NPP Parliamentary Candidates in Tema, Titus Glover, MP and candidate for Tema East; Kofi Brako, MP and candidate for Tema Central; and Carlos Ahenkorah, Tema West.

By: Awudu Mahama/election.citifmonline.com/Ghana
06.06.2016 LISTEN

Growing up in a typical Ghanian traditional community in the northern part of the country, I was literarily inundated with fairytales upon fairytales as to how the world came into existence through supernatural means. Sometimes, the stories were told with a seemingly level of certitude as if the narrators were there when this bourgeoning bouleversement of the universe commenced.

The dominance of boogeyman and his eventual effacement from the earth to pave the way for human rule of the universe was convincingly narrated. I was also told that he was the lethal obverse of God. My late father, late uncle and my grandmother were always at the centre of these historical accounts in the antiquities. It was the first point of coming to the knowledge of the need for beliefs in spirituality.

Even though I never had my own gods to worship - since I was still too young - I instantaneously believed in the powers of gods, which I personally witnessed and the powers of the dead relatives, especially grandparents and parents, who oughted to be worshiped, feared and respected since they are supernaturally omnipotent and omnipresent. As a young man in the village, my faith grew unprecedentedly in the powers of gods, idols and charms and saw them as the surest way to enjoy spiritual immunity against witches and wizards, curses, natural disasters and what of you. The upsurge of my spirituality was not just based on pastoral narratives, I personally witnessed some unfathomable manifestation of powers - people mightily invoked gods and spirits from the air which spoke in human language and I could loudly hear them. I also personally witnessed instances where these spirits and gods punished their adherents who went

contrary to the credos or broke the convenants they had with them, sometimes by throwing them up the roofs and gliding them down the floor.

At the age I had to go to the Junior High School, I left the village to a far bigger town where I was initiated into christianity. It was such an enticing faith I got! First, I felt that I became a civilized man because I was told that was the faith of even the WHITE MAN himself. Secondly, I learned to dress neatly, pray and read the Bible, a practice that was not part of the faith I was born with. More importantly, I also saw that this faith also had some powers in it which could cast out demons, curb witchcraft invasion and lead me to heaven. Wow! what a victory in Jesus! I irrevocably became entangled and enchanted in this faith and made it my duty to convert the whole village, where I was born. My parents and many other people never, however, ceased to tell me that christianity was a religion of modernity which had no potency to immune me in any spiritual battle. I remember the day my late father vividly told me that he would throw me into the depth of the thick forest if I died because I was offending our gods and also jeopardizing my security by believing in such blatant falsehood propagated by the money-seeking miscreants! He also added that I was desecrating the sacristy of our ancestry and that could bring me an unappeasable curse more devastating than death.

My rapport with my family, especially my late father, became more and more embittered to such an extent that I felt ostracized and attempted throwing in the towel to the dictates of the invincible voices! Luckily enough, here comes the escape: I had to move to a far bigger town to attend Senior High School. Freedom to enjoy the fellowship in Christ! Here, I practised my beliefs with no restraint and decided not to return to the village even during vacation under pretext of attending extra classes. My parents loved me, wished my success and easily understood my decision to remain in the city. My mother in particular would overtly tell me that she was happy that I was not frequenting at the village because doing so could expose me to the dangers of the evil ones: witches and wizards.

I however found something funny, intriguing, contradicting, or better still inexplicable in my courses as a literature student. The academic moguls of African and Ghanaian origins who espoused their knowledge through literary works accentuated the essence of Negritude, and the need for Africanism. Most of them went as far as painting my faith and other faiths which are not of African origin hitherto as the lethal plagues that have ever visited the African continent. They viewed supposedly non African religions as an interlacement of colonialism, slavery, and mental enchainement. Surprisingly, these highly literary giants thoughts seemed to align with those of my parents and many more that I deemed primitive in their belief system.

After all, I had intermingled with university graduates, elders of the church and many more awakened folks who told me that African way of knowing God was evil. But how come there is such an extreme convergence of thoughts and beliefs between most highly regarded academic luminaries and the unsung village folks? I can still clearly remember how An African Thunderstorm demonizes christianity and the Westerners. Though I enjoyed reading their works, I began to loathe these poets and the likes and regarded them as a an insidious debacle to my faith.

Seemed confused and ambivalent, I reassured myself that I would continue on this road less travelled by and drew a conclusion that their philosophies, thoughts and erudite pieces were just ones of those writings churned out by frustrated and emotionally imbalanced residuum of colonialism. After all, how could Africa have its own God or religion whilst I did not see any HOLY BOOK written to that effect. Seeing is believing and I have seen and read the Bible myself. Gods in Ghana are manufactured by man and I have personally seen people, including my own late father, mould some. So what is there to convince me that they are the true gods whilst I have seen man build and craft them? However, I would never be able to debunk the powers these African gods possessed because I witnessed their manifestations, influence and even penalties they meted out to the deviants. Nevertheless, I would not be cowed or induced into believing in their might as they are the prototype of Satan, the recipe for eternal death and the belief system for the primitive man - something I have come to believe through teachings by other religions.

In my quest to unveil the mendacity and the insidiousness of the defunct faith I left behind, I read around the African Traditional Religion only to discover a mass of materials mostly written by the Westerners which described it as a barbaric, harmful and primitive religion. They portrayed in it human sacrifice, disrespect for women and children and one that inhibits scientific thinking and evolution. I however did not stop there: I decided to read around other religions like Christianity and Islam. Amazingly, I unearthed that African Traditional Religion in its barbarism compared to that of the aforementioned religions in their crescendo of primitivity, especially before the explosion of industrial revolution, could, in our modern days, be seen as an angel that is being obliged to wear a black dress.

Clearly, one could recall the quasi annihilation of Native Americans by the Protestants and the Modernists who claimed they could not coexist with the Animists, lest the latter gave up their faith. Such sociological and literary works as The Rush to the West, The Betrayal, etc. by Monica Genuist and Laurier Gareau respectively attest to this fact. In Africa, the faith I vociferously cling to was simply a cat that mischievously built amicability with a mouse. Here comes a heart wrecking testimony: They seize numbers of our free or freed black subjects, and even nobles, sons of nobles, even the members of our own family.

Excerpt from letter from Affonso, King of Congo, to King of Portugal Joao III, 18 October 1526.



The irredeemable scar of Arabs invasion of North Africa to impose their religion stretching from Byzantine Province in Egypt in 642 to the establishment of The Fatimid Dynasty controlling the whole of North Africa from 909-1171 can never be underestimated. Historical accounts of Berbers and many other indigenous North Africans bespeak volumes of the suffering they went through in the hands of Arab invaders.

Whilst the likes of Christians, Muslims and even other western minor religiously affiliated groups are often seen as sedate, modern, meticulous and pristine, African Traditional Religion affiliates on the other hand are seen as mundane, antiquated, primitive, sadistic, misanthropic and infelicitous. It is however, not the dereliction of our generation to have come to the admittance of what these religions stand for; Western and Eastern religious iconoclasts - Europeans and Arabs - from the time immemorial, have succeeded in enchaining the mindset of our great grandparents into believing that anything African is a reincarnate of Lucifer and should therefore be abhorred. Unfortunately, the Herculean task a lot of us encounter is, not learning the present but, unlearning the past to free up our subconscious. Our own inferiority on what is naturally African is imprinted like an indelible ink that can no longer be wiped out by ordinary water; we can no longer emancipate the mental slavery by gusting out literary verbosity. Unlike our pastors, imams and other religious leaders, African traditional priests are a pittoresque scene of Satan. It is against this background that a lot of adherents to African traditional faith even including our politicians, business men, imams and even church leaders who are syncretic and polytheist in nature turn to consult African gods in concealment. When caught, they are quick to deny the fact that they are adhering to the demon-baptized faith.

The forlornness of the Africanism is that, our cultural and religious inferiority seems to have permeated every corner of the continent. On Monday May 30, 2016, a Ugandan leading newspaper Daily Monitor, reported that the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, is syncretic and meddles in devil worshipping. The accusations have been engendered on the basis that the latter went to a cultural site on Nhyenda Hill in Nakigo Sub-county in Iganga District. After the visit, she said on camera that she had gone there to inform her ancestors of her triumph in retaining the post of Speaker of Parliament. After the video went viral with sections of society accusing her of practising witchcraft, Ms Kadaga later said she was promoting cultural tourism.  reported, Daily Monitor, Uganda.

The question that still lingers is why should consulting her ancestors be tantamount to witchcraft? Because it is not the WHITE MANS way of expressing the existence of a supernatural being? I remember similar accusations that were raised about some of the New Patriotic Party members in Ghana on July 3, 2015 by a cross section of media arsenals including www.graphic.com.gh , for going to shrines in the Upper East Region of Ghana in the run up to the by-elections that were held in that part of the country.

Chairman Wontumi and his cohort expeditiously rejected the allegations. Eh! But how can one ever hide his tongue from the mouth which houses it? Who doesnt know the fact that majority of African BIG MEN are only the adherents of polytheism and swerve their allegiance as and when necessary? There is no need denying what you have convictions in. Be yourself, achieve your personal autonomy and act accordingly. I sometimes wonder what would be the case if the WHITE MAN had the likes of my great grandfather, Kwaku Bonsom, Gurmade, Antua Nyama, etc as their prophets and gods. We probably would still negotiate some quid pro quo; give them our resources and take home their gods and prophets.

The seminal influence of culture on religions can never be underrated. When practising ones faith, we are either consciously or unconsciously imbibing, and even possibly getting assimilated , their culture as well. Hence, most Africans are either a conflation of Afro-Arab or Afro-European depending on their faith. It also comes with its consequences; religious upheavals wobbling the Middle Eastern states are being reproduced in Africa as in the case of Nigeria, Central African Republic, Mali, just to mention but a few, because when the roots of a tree are getting rotten, it certainly affects it s fruits as well. Sadly enough, our political leadership and even the general populace often now and then talk about PROMOTING MADE IN AFRICAN GOODS AND PRODUCTS. Really? Do we even have an identity as a people let alone our goods, services and products? Havent we bartered our identity for the goodies of the White Man? It is only cultural consciousness that can translate to economic reality.

Another crestfallen reality that has consumed the self-awareness of a Black Man is the fact that we have come to accept that the nocuous doings of a WHITE MAN once he says is SAINT must be SAINT. Consequently, even in terms of killing humanity, the so called HOLY WARS and CRUSADES are indeed HOLY once our MASTERS say so. Millions of people have been effaced in their quest to propagate their faith and yet we have not come to see the evil that we live with. Hardly will any WHITE MAN see Leopold II of Belgium, a King and a catholic who murdered over 15 millions Congolese, as the devil reincarnate because he is WHTE.

And need I say much about the EASTERNERS? Definitely not; their plague is glaring everywhere in the world! As a matter of fact, when they were transporting their faith to us, they held their HOLY BOOKS in their left hands and the GUN in their right hands in that we either accept the HOLY BOOKS amidst torture, slavery and exploitation or we go into our precocious grave with the might of the GUN. The likes of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was wise that he accepted the GUN so that you and I might live today. They only dictate to us what must be practised and what shouldnt. Hence, we may accept the conditions and the practices of LGBT but not polygamy.

Ironically, the Arabs and the West have taught us how to know God, go to heaven but have succeeded in making our dwelling HELL ON EARTH! Where from the ceaseless wanton terrorisms, sponsored coups, harsh IMF conditions, inter alia? They love us alright? Why havent they taught us how to build our own trains, planes, automobiles etc. after having decimated the booming civilization of Africa that was not even known in their part of the world?

It has brought us so much mental etiolation that we think GOD WILL DO IT ALL FOR US EVEN IF WE DONT WORK! How? We only pray, reject scientific thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship which THE WHITE MAN quickly went back for and turned down the very faith he brought to us after he realized his dream and said to himself: I have manacled their mindset, now let me get back to ultra-practical innovations.  Now our brains are locked out of memory! Sad to say. Just the other day, one of my very good White friends who also happens to be my supervisor at workplace asked me why someone should believe in such things that are not scientifically proven, that it was the thought of the rudimentary evolution, not in the 21st century. I was baffled and confused! But that should be his own faith.

There is something I even fear more for Africa. According to PEWS International research, more than half of the world Christians and Muslims population will be in Africa by 2050 because we produce a lot and do not generally have non-religiously affiliated folks, unlike it happens in the West. Good news? Shall we not have the replicate of Israel-Palestine relationship on our continent since these two faiths always appear like the cat and the dog bouncing into each other in many parts of the world from the time immemorial? It would not naturally be baleful to have these TWO FORCES dominating our landscape, but the problem is we Africans are prone to fighting for these faiths on behalf of their proponents under pretext of religious expansionism, even to the point of cold-bloodedly murdering our own brothers and sisters. With obtuse suspicions, acrimonies and accusations and counter accusions in these two competing forces of the West and the East, I would rather wish to hear that by 2050 Africa will have the most technologically and scientifically advanced sphere of influence on the global stage.

The bottomline is: the sorrowful loss of our identity is afoot and is almost irredeemable unless there comes out a new generation of mental revolutionaries who would not kowtow to the whims and caprices of the West. By mere observation, one would come to accept the fact that we can only maintain our identity by clinching to our religions and cultures. No wonder Judaism is to Jews, Shintoism to Japanese, Hinduism to Indians, as Islam and Christianity hitherto to Arabs and Westerners respectively. Each race seems to have their own gods and prophets. The big question is WHO THEN IS THE BLACK GOD? Perhaps HE existed but no more because they have enslaved and murdered him just as they did to our great grandparents. We may never have HIM again but whoever has assumed HIS patriarchal role, be it ARABS GOD or WESTERNERS GOD all is still not lost.

In our daily preachings in our mosques and churches, may we preach the love for humanity, the need for peace and harmony, the minatory effects of corruption and bribery and the need for hard work, commitment and patriotism. May we not ceaselessly accuse our poor old women of witchcraft and blame our retrogression on them. That may we not fight in the name of any GOD but preach against hate speech and terrorism, religious bigotry and disdainfulness. Shalom!

JACOB KANYIB

[email protected]

The author is a freelance writer from the Northern Region of Ghana, based in Canada




The author/columnist is the Executive Director of Ghana Blind Union who holds a Doctorate Degree from the University of Ghana. For some time now, he has been working with people with disability and therefore is qualified to offer suggestions on inclusive education needed to ensure that many disabled persons would become professionals and be able to hold their own in society: Now read on

In this modern world, it goes without saying that education is the key to development of every nation. Ghana is a nation that has chosen this path. In line with this, policies and programmes are being rolled out to ensure that our country moves along with the rest of the world in terms of use and access to quality education. As we roll out such policies and programmes it is of crucial importance however to ensure that those learners with disability or any form of special educational needs are not left behind in this regard.

The challenge we face as a nation is how to make education accessible and available to all children including those with disabilities and special educational needs. As stipulated by our 1992 constitution; Education is a fundamental right of all children including those with disabilities and special educational needs. This category of our citizenry also has the right to achieve their own aspirations and be given the chance to contribute to the development of the Nation. If this purpose is to be realized, it is apparent that the effort requires to be coordinated within the guiding framework of a National Policy. It is only then that Ghana as a Nation will be able to level the playing field and achieve equalization of opportunities for all segments of the populace.

In unison with other progressive nations of the world and in analysing our own situation as a nation, the most appropriate response to this situation is by adopting Inclusive Education as a strategy for development. Inclusive Education is an educational system where every child shares in all facets of the educational process with facilities that address the specific unique needs of the individual as a matter of basic rights and not charity. As such, each learner irrespective of disability or circumstance has an equal opportunity to reap maximum benefit from the educational system. This approach is about structuring the cultures, policies and practices in schools so that they respond to the diversity of needs in their locality. In effect, Inclusive Education is an approach that seeks to address the learning needs of all children, youth and adults with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion.

Over the years, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education has explored various ways of meeting the education of persons with disability and those with special educational needs. In 1994, Ghana, along with other progressive nations, became signatory to the Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Needs Education and a Framework for Action. This pledge is to set in motion mechanisms for creating an inclusive education system in Ghana. Stemming from this, the Government of Ghana through the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education service has implemented Inclusive Education on pilot basis in selected districts in three regions namely the Central, Greater Accra and Eastern Regions and later to the remaining 7 regions in the country. The pilot was based on best practices around the world. By the end of 2011, the Special Education Division had implemented Inclusive Education on pilot programmes in 529 schools in 34 districts. As a result of this pilot programme with technical, financial and logistical support, I. E implementation has been extended to 14 more districts bringing the I. E districts to 48. In the 14 focused districts, all schools in the districts are implementing I.E concept and practice. Itwas made apparent that there was need for a policy framework which would provide a more harmonized and strategic approach to planning and financial prioritization to roll out the necessary activities in order to reach all learners with special educational needs.

Today, Ghana as a nation has developed its own national policy on Inclusive Education. The policy marks a watershed in our educational process and will transform Ghanas educational landscape for ever. Additionally, the policy will point the way in our quest to harness national resources for the development of this hitherto excluded section of our potential human resource. No doubt, Ghana has taken her rightful place in the community of progressive nations and subsequently, has proven her international and national commitments in respect to education for all persons. It is most appropriate to acknowledge the massive support provided to this entire process by development partners; Strengthening Transparency Accountability Responsiveness (STAR- Ghana) and the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF).. Ii is also important torecognised the contributions of civil society organisations like the Ghana Blind Union, Inclusion Ghana, World Education Inc.,National Education Coalition Commission and notable stakeholders like the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service and the Universities who diligently supported the Ministry of Education on this journey.

The policy will provide a guiding framework for the roll out of a system which takes into account the peculiar needs of all Ghanaian learners. Inter alia, this Policy acknowledges that:

Every child has the right to quality education; thus all children should have equal opportunity to access education.

All children can learn and benefit from education.

No child should be excluded from, or discriminated against within, education on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, age, class or social group, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic origin, poverty, disability, birth, or any other status.

Changes need to be made throughout the educational system and with communities, to ensure that the education system adapts to the learner, rather than expecting the learner to adapt to the system.

All aspects of education, including the curriculum, teaching methods, assessment, school culture and environments, present opportunities for promoting inclusion.

Individual differences among learners are a source of richness and diversity and should be celebrated.

The diversity of needs and patterns of development of children should be addressed through a wide and flexible range of responses.

Regular schools with an Inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discrimination, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all.

The need to promote a universal design for learning (UDL) and learner friendly and safe school environment.

Training and development of all the human resource cadre or personnel in the education industry.

Getting the resources to finance and sustain innovative Inclusive Education best practices.

At this juncture it is important to point out that the benefits to be derived from inclusive education makes it one of the most effective tools for national development. Firstly it allows government to provide facilities for all learners at a relatively lower cost. This is because they share the same facilities. Thus in one major plan, government can provide facilities that would meet the requirements of all segments of the population.

Again, with the adoption of inclusive education, where practicable, persons with disability will be educated alongside their non-disabled peers. In the quest for academic survival, learners with and without disabilities develop a mutual dependency. The appreciation and respect for each other takes the centre-stage. Issues stemming from misconceptions of disability are relegated to the background. Such a situation is indeed the first step towards the demolition of the social barrier.

Next, Inclusive education also allows for the educational process to be taken to the doorstep of the people by equipping the local schools with the facilities to enable them respond to the needs of the learners with special educational needs. Our practical experience as a nation shows that we cannot afford to limit the education of persons with disability to the walls of a few brick and tile institutions. As you may be aware, persons with disability and special educational needs are located all over the country at various places.Taking education to their doorstep has proved to be the most effective way of ensuring that they are not denied the basic right to education.

Dear readers, Inclusive Education will remain just a dreamif the requisite practical steps are not taken to enhance and ensure the implementation of the policy. This is crucial to address issues pertaining to the training of teachers and the provision of adequate support systems for the target groups. There is the need for the dedicated political will to guarantee effective implementation. Inclusive Education is the only way we as a nation can realize true and comprehensive national development that will ensure that all members of the social collective are part of the process.

Executive Director

Ghana Blind Union

Tel: +233244753570

Skype: pobengasamoa

Through :

EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

0244 370345/ 0274853710/0208844791

[email protected]/[email protected]
06.06.2016 LISTEN

Kenyan law Lecturer, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba once said, Africa can only realize her potential if we only recognise that the boundaries bequeathed to us by the colonialists are artificial. And the sooner we begin to engage as one people the safer we are.

Quite understandably, Kwame Nkrumahs speech in Addis Ababa in 1963 cant be left out. I am happy to be here in Addis Ababa on this most historic occasion. I bring with me the hopes and fraternal greetings of the government and people of Ghana.

Our objective is African union now. There is no time to waste. We must unite now or perish. I am confident that by our concerted effort and determination, we shall lay here the foundations for a continental Union of African States.

A whole continent has imposed a mandate upon us to lay the foundation of our Union at this conference. It is our responsibility to execute this mandate by creating here and now, the formula upon which the requisite superstructure may be created Paraphrase.

On this iconic speech from the truly sons of Africa. I write the good, the bad and the ugly in 53 years existence of Africa Union.

Many had been comprehend and yet to be materialize in the democratic regime of Africans independence in socio-economic, political and cultural stability.

To what extends are PRE-INDEPENDENCE and POST-INDEPEDENCE contrast in Africa today?

I.... refer to this independence as Noisy Politics. Economic Caesarism from International Monetary Fund (IMF). What does todays generation hope for in this International Monetary Fund (IMF) tyranny economy?

BELIEF PROFILE OF AFRICAN UNION.

The African Union was established in 2002 to replaced The Organization of African Unity (OAU). It was created on May 25th 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. By 32 African Heads of states who have achieved independence .

On July 9th 2011, South Sudan became the 54th African Union (AU) member. This agenda was aimed to focused on liberation struggles from colonial rules, apartheid, forward-looking, dynamic and integrated Africa".

The hope is to foster unity and solidarity between African countries, accelerating political and socio-economic integration, and promoting peace, security, democracy and human rights in the continent.

This initiative has moved from the center left-to right with anything to write home about. Malfeasance has embedded the four cardinal point of Africa countries. 21st century African leaders assume public offices to create family wealth. Administer the country on series of dogmatic and cheap political sentiment. Next is to empower vigilante groups to play politricks.

The objective of African Union and its reality on Africans is to promote cordial unity and solidarity between Africa states. Coordinates and intensify their cooperation to achieve a better life for the people of Africa.

Safeguards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member States. Rid the continent of colonization and apartheid. Promote international cooperation within the United Nations framework.

And harmonise members politics, diplomatic, economic, educational, cultural, healthcare, welfare, scientific, technical and defence policies.

How is this objective important to Africans? This reminds me a quote from Pan-Africanist... Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.

In this case, How, then does Africans conduct their own SWOT analysis, uncover and embrace what they have? How best can Africans exploits and utilize this resources in its totality? Solutions to these questions are yet to be known.

OAU AND AU RESTRUCTURING AND TRANSITIONAL POLICY.

In regards to transition, The Organization of African Union operated under the basis of charter. This charter was created in 1991 as African Economic Community.

It was later known to be the Abuja Treaty. The charter had have Assemblies of organs made up of Heads of States/Government, Council of Ministers and General Secretariat. Others including Commission of Mediation, Conciliation, Arbitration; Socio-economic; Educational, Scientific, Cultural, Healthcare and Defence Commissions.

In 1993, the Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration was replaced by Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution.

Although, there was well structured institutions at a time of establishment of The Organization of African Union. But in ...90s, the 32 Heads of States debated during assembly meeting to amended policies that would reflects the current challenges in the world. The leaders issued Sirte Declaration in 1999 to called for establishment of a body that could accelerate the process of integration in Africa.

This aimed to supports the empowerment of African States in economic globalization and addressed multifaceted political, and socio-economic chaos facing the continent.

There are four summits that lead to the launched of African Union. These are; Sirte Summit (1999), which adopted the Sirte Declaration calling for the establishment of the AU, Lome Summit (2000), which adopted the AU Constitutive Act; Lusaka Summit (2001), which drew the road map for implementation of the AU; Durban Summit (2002), which launched the AU and convened its first Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Government has hit back at the New Patriotic Party Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over claims that President Mahama and his administration are confused.

Nana Addo told a group of Ghanaians in Italy that the NDC government is confused over reports of the imposition of pension tax.

Finance Minister Seth Terkper reportedly hinted of the introduction of such a tax, but President Mahama later refuted such reports.

However, Nana Addo in a speech in Italy said for the president to wade in to clarify matters after Mr. Terkper had spoken about the intended tax, smacks of incompetence and confusion at the apex of government.

"Mismanagement, corruption and incompetence have brought us to where we are today. When the word 'incompetent' is used to describe his government, the President gets very upset. But this week we have seen another example.

"The Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, told us that he is preparing to tax pensions and allowances. And his President, two days later, stated that they were not going to do anything like that. If this is not confusion in his government, then I don't know what it is; and if this is not a sign of incompetence, then you would have to tell me what incompetence means."

But Deputy Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu in an interview with Starr News said the claims of the NPP flagbearer are not accurate.

According to him, Nana Addo must crosscheck reports before he makes inaccurate claims.

It appears that the confusion exists only in the mind of Nana Akufo-Addo. We have long known that he has poor leadership skills and the state of his party bears ample testimony to this.

Increasingly, he has shown that he has no regard at all for the truth, facts, accuracy and research and so when he hears any media report without bothering to crosscheck the facts, he simply jumps onto the rooftop and makes claims that are completely false.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo is urging Ghanaian Muslims to use the holy month of Ramadan to pray against corruption and evils that plague our society.

Muslims in Ghana are joining millions across the world to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan Monday June 6. In a national broadcast late Sunday evening, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu informed the general Muslim public that the moon has been sighted locally.

The sighting of the new moon marks the beginning of the Muslim lunar month that varies between 29 and 30 days. Ramadan is a time marked by intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

In his Ramadan message, Nana Akufo-Addo said: Ramadan should unite us and instil in us fellow-feeling, so that we can create a society where Allah is truly our anchor against the storms of life.

Below is the full statement:

I extend fraternal greetings to Muslims in Ghana and across the world as they prepare to start the fast of Ramadan.

Ramadan is a period of intense devotion and reflection- a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Quran over the course of the month. The rigours undertaken by devout Muslims inspire respect for Islam among people of all faiths and this can bring hope of greater understanding for good will.

Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may ward off evil so states the Quran. It is therefore my prayer that Muslims will use this holy month of Ramadan to pray for Allah to ward off the evils that plague our society and draw us back- corruption, nepotism, ethnicity, unprincipled politics, poverty, ignorance and disease. Ramadan should unite us and instil in us fellow-feeling, so that we can create a society where Allah is truly our anchor against the storms of life.

Fasting is also a celebration of commitment and obedience to God and also of Gods mercy and provision for all of us. It is a time of family, community and charity.

I therefore believe in the possibility of the overflow of old boundaries when wholehearted devotion to ones own faith is matched with a devout respect for the faith of others and I call on all our Muslim brothers and sisters to demonstrate continually this sense of unity and oneness in the years ahead.

I pray, particularly, for my running mate, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and his wife, Hajia Samira Bawumia, as they commemorate the first anniversary of their pilgrimage to the Holy Places of Mecca.

Once again, I wish all Moslems Allahs guidance and peace as you observe this truly unique month of blessing. Salamu Alaikum!

......signed......

Nana Akufo-Addo

2016 NPP Presidential Candidate
06.06.2016 LISTEN

-The Closing Part Of Votes Rigging And The Need To Be Vigilant

It would seem inconceivable for anybody to repudiate the proven cases of voracious votes rigging in contemporary elections, given the electoral fraudsters demonstrable infernal instruments of votes rigging.

Verily, there have been instances of electoral fraud in elections across the world. In the 2015 UK general elections for instance, the Daily Express newspaper reported that Police were called in over suspected electoral fraud at Glasgow East polling station.

The paper reported that all the cases were about personation, where people pretended to be someone else and cast a vote, and then the real person turned up.

There were also anecdotal reports of ten similar cases in Glasgow during last Septembers independence referendum.

This followed several Scottish newspapers reports prior to the Scottish referendum on how children as young as three to eleven years old were being handed with ballot cards.

The newspapers alleged that the parents of the innocent children however reported the cases to the authorities.

The UK Electoral Commission chairwoman, Jenny Watson, delivering a keynote address prior to the 2015 general elections, observed: "Proven cases of electoral fraud remain rare, but it is important that no-one underestimates how serious it is when it does occur.

"We have long known that, when electoral fraud is committed, candidates and campaigners are the most likely offenders and voters are the victims (Watson 2015).

The facts, though, remain that electoral fraudsters will go to every extent to ensure victory for their preferred candidate, especially, in our part of the world-developing countries (Ames 1995).

Thus the incumbency, with the able connivance of the electoral officials, would roll up a fiendish and operable plan which may include caging, spoiling, computerization, tossing and rejecting.

Caging

In most advanced democracies for example, caging may be used by the electoral fraudsters to suppress the opponents votes. The election officials would often draft do-not-forward first-class letters to selected groups, and would diabolically use letters returned to evidence that voters' listed addresses are fraudulent. The partisan election officials can then strike out the voters' names from registration rolls and/or throw out their mail-in ballots.

For instance, this can happen to Service Men and Women serving overseas, and choosing to exercise their absentee voting from their home addresses. In the same vein, this may happen to students away at school and even to voters whose addresses on registration rolls contain fatal typos made by the election officials.

Spoiling

Ballot spoiling on the other hand, may be carried out in a number of ways, a popular one, for example, is to put punched-card voting setups in constituencies, or strongholds of the opposition party. Then disqualify all votes where the voter did not manage to punch the hole all the way through, as in the infamous hanging chads" in Florida in 2000.

Computerization

Computerization is used in most democracies. Computerization is the process of using computerized "black box" voting machines. These machines are notoriously subject to sophisticated, vote-changing "hacking".

But then again, a great deal of damage is affected just by "glitches", where the machines simply fail to record votes. This is taken advantage of, in the simplest case, by placing the oldest and least reliable machines in the opposition partys precincts or strongholds.

Tossing

Tossing is the fate of many/most provisional ballots. A wrongfully-purged voter, challenged at the polls, is given a provisional ballot. When the registration is checked later, the original, bogus, reason for purging is uncovered, and the ballot is tossed. And, there is no arrangement for seeking out and correcting invalid purging.

Rejecting

In some democracies for instance, rejecting happens to mail-in ballots when partisan election officials can find excuses, often frivolous, for not recording the ballots. An 'X' in a box instead of a filled-in box, for example, or a stray mark in some inconsequential place. Or simply "losing" the ballot outright; and the best part is the voter never learns what happened.

And who informed you that elections are not susceptible to ravenous rigging?

As a matter of fact electoral malpractices are rampant in both advanced and emerging democracies. However, if such obnoxious practices failed to have any significant effect on the outcome of the elections, then it can be overlooked. Having said that, it becomes very alarming if the said contemptible practices do turn out to be too costly to a particular party or candidate.

There is no denying of the fact that electoral cheats will do everything possible to devise a scheme to gain electoral advantage over their opponents. A typical example is when in 2013, a Councillor from Manchester in United Kingdom disowned his daughter who was his opponent in local council elections due to electoral fraud.

His daughter, who represented the Labour Party, came victorious in the county council elections. However, her father who was the incumbent and the representative of the UK Independent Party uncovered electoral malpractices and reported the matter to the police.

Her father discovered that she had earlier registered four voters from another country in her home address.

In an attempt to exonerate themselves from the opprobrium, the leadership of the Labour party went ahead and dismissed the ignominious electoral fraudster.

The worst part of votes rigging, though, is the deserving winners may never know they ever won. How cruel, how pathetic and how unfair that would be?

In my opinion votes rigging has perceptible likeness to the violation of allegiance towards the nation. Therefore such a high crime must not and cannot be overlooked with a stark perfunctory.

It is indeed unfortunate that the electorates would go to the polls with a view to voting for their preferred candidate and only for the people behind the scenes to select who should become a winner.

And, if those people are not criminally minded, what are they then?

I shall return, until then, the watchword is VIGILANCE.

K. Badu, UK.
Prophet Kobi

06.06.2016 LISTEN

The bible tells us that the Baal prophets would only prophesize the messages that the Kings would like to hear but not what (the truth) they should hear hence they were tagged as false prophets. They never told the Kings the unpalatable truth for the fear of being persecuted or executed. They always prophesized false messages that gave the Kings false hopes until the Kings and the Baal prophets met their sad end when the wrath of God ominously descended upon them.

If they had told the Kings the truth, they would have refrained from their bad ways to walk in the path of God. Had they walked in the path of God, they would not have encountered the calamities that befell them; ending up dying miserable deaths.

Similarly, Prophet Kobi, in spite of all the uncountable problems faced by Ghanaians as a result of the poor administration of the nation by President John Dramani Mahama and his NDC government and party, he still has sweet prophetic revelations for them. He claims God has revealed to him to tell Ghanaians that President Mahama will win presidential election 2016 at the first round, thus, one touch. Find his prophesies by the web link below.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/2016-Election-is-one-touch-for-Mahama-Prophet-Kobi-444680

Has God appointed President Mahama, a totally clueless, incompetent and markedly corrupt person, to punish Ghanaians because of our sins or the sins of our forefathers? If not so, how would God in the face of all the hardships Ghanaians are going through as a result of the deliberate misapplication of policies and procedures by President Mahama and his tribally-inclined incompetent government, assure him of another four-year term in office, if Prophet Kobi's revelations were true?

Is God deaf to the supplications to Him by the numerous suffering Ghanaians entreating Him to effect a change in government from NDC and President Mahama to a more competent, honest, dynamic and dedicated person and government? Is it what Prophet Kobi is telling Ghanaians by what I see as his Baal-like prophesy in favour of President Mahama?

Prophet Kobi goes on to say NPP will shoot people when they go to election 2016 and come out vanquished. This is according to the prophetic revelations made clear to him by God. Read the web link below for the details of his claims.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/I-saw-NPP-shooting-and-creating-problems-after-elections-Prophet-Kobi-444860

By Prophet Kobi, a very popular presidential candidate from a very famous political party will collapse and faint during the 2016 electioneering campaign. This is according to the revelations made transparent to him by God.

He subsequently entreats all Ghanaians to pray for Ghana and that individual to avert the calamity that will befall the nation and that individual.

If my views were sought on Prophet Kobi and his prophesies, I will say the following:

 He is not any credible prophet of God but a complete fame-seeking and a stomach prophet who is worse than the condemned biblical Baal prophets.

 He is making his predictions which he claims to be prophetic revelations following the unfolding events of late, where the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, is stubbornly putting in place structures that will facilitate the rigging of election 2016 in favour of President Mahama. She has refused the registration of almost all the students of the tertiary institutions on to the voter register during the recently limited registration exercise. The IGP plans to gag the media and also block all social networks during the election. These are just two of the pointers clearly forming the solid foundations of the claims by Prophet Kobi who attributes them to revelations from God.

 He is one of the numerous false prophets in Ghana who stands to claim credit for their prophesies as having come to pass whichever way it goes, thus, whichever side the coin falls. They always say, God has revealed that this calamity will befall this person or that person but if we intercede through the power of earnest prayer to God on their behalf, the calamity can be averted. When nothing happens to the person as he had predicted, he will take credit by saying because they prayed for him or her. If something happens to him or her, the prophet will still take credit by saying I warned you all about what was going to happen. These false prophets, as psychologically astute as they are, are always in a win  win situation.

 Is it not normal for exhaustion to take its toll on people engaged in across the country extensive electioneering campaigns with the possibility of one fainting but not dying? If that happens, is it prophetic revelation? Is it not more of practical situation than prophetic? Oo hoo, Prophetic Kobi!

I do not trust Prophet Kobi one bit! Yes, there will be a problem should NDC clearly be seen to rig the election in their favour. Many a Ghanaian suffering from the economic hardships under President Mahama has decided to vote for a change in government come the conduction of election 2016 scheduled probably for 7 November 2016. These people will not keep quiet and sit on their arse doing nothing. They will react angrily. This is just common sense and human nature. Why should Prophet Kobi let it come across as a prophetic revelation from God?

To me, he is simply a quack prophet who is far worse than the Baal prophets of ancient times.

He is seeking favour from President Mahama. He wants to be in the good books of the corrupt President in order to receive his fair share when the President is creating, looting and sharing some State money among his favourites.

No wonder that many a Ghanaian has truly lambasted Prophet Kobi when he came out with his doubtful prophesies. His alleged prophesies are indeed the fruits of the figment of his warped imagination.

Rockson Adofo
File Photo

06.06.2016 LISTEN

Which serous and visionary leader will re-commission a factory just for it to be shut down in less than forty-eight (48hrs)? This can only happen under the watch and supervision of an unfocused President, John Mahama. Did He and his government really think this through? Is it a confirmation that he lacks a tactically competent team to get the work done? Was He just trying to gain the lost trust and love of the people of Central region because a lot of questions bothering the death of the late President John Attah Mills are re-surfacing?

It is despairingly absurd, strategically infantile and a waste of resources to re-commission a factory and shuts it down with no productivity all in the name of maintenance. Who does that? Who does that? We cant take this for a reason, Ghanaians are smarter than that. They should let the good people of Ghana know that the real problem is because theres no adequate supply of sugarcane to be processed in the large quantities expected and that the NDC government has failed the good people of this once a great a nation.

Ok, granted that the real reason for the shutdown is to allow for maintenance, then what at all were they doing after the sod cutting was done for the factorys revival by same President Mahama in 2014? What took place after the sod cutting? How do you even maintain something that hasnt started producing results necessitating a breakdown? They should cut the crap and be responsible enough!! Im trying so hard not to use any foul language but this government is incessantly disgusting and infuriating!

Frankly, until now, little did I know, that re-commissioning of a factory meant initiating a process that shuts down a factory in less 48hours to allow for maintenance to take place! President Mahama and his NDC government taught me that.

Its so amazing how the NDC prior to the re-commissioning were jubilating but had soon forgotten it was collapsed by the PNDC government, the mother party of the NDC in the 1980s as results of low funding and gruesome love for bad policies. My point is, why should Ghanaians even praise you for trying to resurrect something that you messed up? Even with that, its still a no positive show.

If people could blow a whopping $20,000 (COCOBOD) just for a signing ceremony, then you can imagine the amount that went into the organization of the re-commissioning ceremony.

Assuming without admitting that the amount is a meager sum, it could have still been invested into another avenue to yield results or returns whilst waiting for the maintenance to be done and a subsequent re-commissioning. Six months is enough to even opt for a treasury bill. I can however understand that, this is an election year hence the various acts of desperation to cling onto power.

This kakai NDC government really has a very huge problem. They should decouple the finance ministry from the planning unit. Theres the need because theres virtually no economic planning. If there were, they wouldnt have resorted to increasing taxes and over dependence on Eurobonds as the only income generation sources. They should explore other avenues such as job creation, strengthening the private sector and many others.

I will be grateful to get reasonable answers from the government regarding the following;

1. Does the komenda sugar factory currently provide jobs?

2. If it does for what population?

3. Is the 7000 jobs astronomical figure part of the current workforce(thus if theres a current work force)

4. If theres no current work force, when and how will the 7000 people get the jobs?

We need the statistics. This government is habitually good at misleading Ghanaians most especially when it comes to figures. We were in this country when a deputy minister told us that 2.5million jobs have been created by the NDC as then. We never saw those jobs.

I have always said and maintained my stands on the current gross predicament this country is faced with. It all boils down to the leadership of this country. Ghana is a messed up country facing a lot of artificial challenges and not a single breakthrough has been made for nearly a decade now.

We need the taste of a new committed and competent leadership. Election 2016 is just at our doorstep. Take the chance and join the train for positive Change. Lets do ourselves this favor, lets do it for our children, our family, our jobless friends most especially graduate nurses, and for the next generations. Nana Addo Danqua Akuffo-Addo is the man we can trust, He believes in you and me, He believes in Ghana.

Lets do this for God and country. We must stand united for change in these trying times.

Raphael Kumah Abolsom

FMR. SRC PRESIDENT UDS-TAMALE

[email protected]

Sent from my iPhone
We are outraged by attempts of some international organisations and corporations to arm-twist Parliament into passing the Ghana Plant Breeders Bill (PBB) into law with all the negative implication to the Ghana agricultural development.

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana on behalf of Ghanaian Farmers, Faith-Based Organisations, Traditional Authorities, Civil Society Organisations, NGOs and Consumer Groups believe that the insidious methods being adopted by these otherwise respected institutions are troubling, if not disappointing.

Ghanaian farmers are profoundly grateful to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho, the leadership and the entire Parliament of Ghana for remaining resolute and steadfast in not bowing to pressure from any quarters in handling the Ghana Plant Breeders Bill (PBB) which was smuggled into Parliament in 2013. Parliament after receiving credible information from Farmers, Civil Society Organisations, Faith Based, Traditional Authorities, Pressure groups and other pressure groups decided to suspend the Bill for further consultation. We still hope the House would do the right thing by consulting the key stakeholders of which we are part.

The Bill in its current form is inimical to Ghana and injurious to the hopes and aspirations of the poor Ghanaian small scale farmer. It is so lob sided and unconscionable. The Bill does not recognise the right of indigenous seed growers, the right of local farmers, the right to plant and replant seeds, the right to save seeds and the right to market and share seeds (clause 58). The Bill insulates in a very blanket manner, foreign breeders from any liability in Ghana. That is, no law within Ghana can regulate their activities in the event of risk to environment and human health (clause 23). The Bill allows foreign breeders/corporations to grow any seeds including Genetically Modified Organism(GMO) seeds in any part of the world and dump them in Ghana (clause 9). The Bill strictly prohibits any Ghanaian farmer from planting, saving, replanting or sharing with their neighbours any seeds produced by these foreign seed companies (clause 58). On the bases of these and many other issues, we called for a new Bill; a sui generis, that meets our local conditions, motivates local breeders, rewards local seed growers and researchers for innovations and leads to knowledge transfer so as to create jobs for Ghanaians when such breeders grow the seeds in Ghana. Because of this the Honourable Speaker deferred consideration of the Bill for further consultation of which we indicated our willingness to engage with the House on this crucial Bill but then nothing has been heard. Farmers and other groups have made several efforts to create a platform for such a discussion but to no avail.

The current Plant Breeders Bill is only protecting the interest of foreign merchants and corporations who are finding difficulties in marketing their GMO seeds and agro chemicals because of health related issues discovered by scientists in developed countries. Because these poisonous products are now being rejected by farmers and consumers leading to an imminent collapse of the businesses of these merchants and corporation, the African market has become the next target.

These foreign interests have often used arguments like poverty, food insecurity, hunger, growing populations and climate change in Africa as some of the reasons why African farmers should adopt GMO. We believe strongly that all these challenges can be successful addressed by biotechnology that is suitable to our norms and environment. Our local Scientists are already doing a good job. Ghana must have control of its seed systems and food sovereignty. However, this will be a mirage if this Bill is passed in its current form and grants total protection to foreign breeders.

PFAG and the Food Sovereignty Platform are aware of the power and influence these multinational corporations have over governments and we can only remind Parliament that they are representing the people of Ghana and therefore, must put their people first even in the face of mounting pressure from powerful governments and multinationals seeking their own interests.

Whilst we pray for Gods guidance and wisdom for the Speaker and the entire Members of Parliament to take decisions in the interest of Ghana, we promise them of our full support in providing them with credible information on the PBB for the development of Ghana agricultural sector.

We further urge Parliament to ignore any calls by anybody claiming to be coming from farmers for the Plant Breeders Bill to be passed since no real farmer or seed grower will call for a law that will take away their right to save seeds, replant seeds and market seeds in their own country.

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana

Signed by:

Abdul Rahman Mohammed

The National President
Nairobi (AFP) - One man died and six were injured as Kenyan police opened fire on an anti-government rally on Monday in the western city of Kisumu, witnesses said.

The violence occurred as the opposition CORD alliance resumed weekly protests aimed at seeking a shake-up of the country's electoral commission, which they accuse of bias.

A bullet wound was visible on the corpse, which was laid outside a hospital morgue by protesters, who said he was hit when police opened fire.

There was no immediate response from police.

The Red Cross said six protesters had been taken to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds.

"This is not fair. We cannot have police shooting people every other time they are exercising their rights, this man has been shot dead while protesting," said protester Michael Omondi.

"Last time they shot someone dead and claimed he suffered injuries as he was falling down. What will they say today after the death of this man because he was clearly shot?" said another Kisumu resident, Charles Otieno.

Protests organised by the CORD grouping began in April to force a change of leadership at the country's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of presidential polls due next year.

The protests were briefly suspended late last month to allow for talks with the government but resumed on Monday.

Nairobi's police chief Japheth Koome warned over the weekend that police were prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

"No demonstration. That's the message. If you have nothing else to do, sleep. It will not be allowed," Koome told the BBC.

"That's why I'm questioning those who have intentions of demonstrating... Don't come, then you start talking about police brutality. Life is dear! Please, if you value your life, don't attempt it that way. You will be dealt with firmly."

However, the High Court said early Monday that the protest was deemed legal.

CORD leader Raila Odinga has blamed the commission for his defeat in 2013 by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Next year's August election is shaping up as a replay of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga again aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

The 2013 election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence.

More than 1,100 people were killed in 2007 after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.
President John Mahama has entreated Muslims in Ghana to appeal to Allah to grant the nation a peaceful election come November 7.

He said the holy month of Ramadan should be used to intensify the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and other believers since that is crucial for development.

I appeal to my Muslim brothers and sisters that during this month of Ramadan they should remember to pray to Allah to open the windows of heaven and shower on us his choicest blessings and also grant us a more peaceful 7th General Elections than we have ever witnessed, Mahama said in his Ramadan statement.

Below is his full statement:

Once again, we are in the ninth month on the Islamic calendar  the holy month of Ramadan dedicated to fasting, prayer and alms-giving as commanded by the Holy Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him).

This spiritual time of introspection and self-restraint also requires of all Muslims to welcome each new day by sacrificing their earthly desires of food, water and other worldly pleasures for the spiritual life of prayer, alms-giving and the general realisation of Gods presence in all places and at all times.

A higher form of spiritual life is demonstrated by our Muslim brothers and sisters during this period with ever more reverent practices of virtue espoused by almost all religions.

This fosters a period in which compassion and empathy leads the devout Muslim to the realisation that he/she cannot sit in one corner unconcerned about the wellbeing of his/her neighbours and friends but as a religious command must reach out in charity and goodwill.

There is a beautiful story in a famous book Kimiya-e Sadat written by Imam al-Ghazzali of which a certain Shaykh [Junayd al-Baghdadi] gave his disciples a fowl each and asked them to kill it in a place where no one could see them. His numerous disciples all returned after killing their fowls except one who returned with a live fowl. When the Shaykh asked why, the humble disciple replied, I could not find a place where Allah would not see me.

This exemplary story should prompt us to at all times conduct ourselves in a manner that acknowledges the presence of our maker. And there is no better time to observe this than during the holy month of Ramadan where peaceful coexistence with neighbours and friends is ubiquitous.

True to the injunction by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) that Muslims should be ambassadors of peace and love to the world, our Muslim brothers and sisters, like the followers of the other religions, have contributed tremendously to the peace and security that has provided the foundation upon, which our nation Ghana is rapidly developing.

Indeed, I am in no doubt that in the whole world, we Ghanaians in particular, practice Islam in its truest and purest form, and as President, I am proud to preside over a country where there is perfect peaceful co-existence among people of different religious faiths.

As a nation, we have always welcomed this period with great anticipation due to the increased solidarity and goodwill that manifests among others.

At this time Muslims set the tone for piety across our villages, towns and cities; and all others join in, ensuring that the country experiences the peace that Islam promises.

Our new National Mosque, which will soon be commissioned, will serve as the custodian of the tenets of this beautiful religion and help us shut-out the doors to extremists' influence of radicalisation and terrorism.

I appeal to my Muslim brothers and sisters that during this month of Ramadan they should remember to pray to Allah to open the windows of heaven and shower on us his choicest blessings and also grant us a more peaceful 7th General Elections than we have ever witnessed.

May Allah answer our prayers and may his Peace envelope this Nation. Ramadan Mubarak
Allotey Jacobs

06.06.2016 LISTEN

The National Democratic Congress, NDC-U.S.A Chapters attention has been drawn to the unfortunate news making rounds in the social media that the NDC Central Regional Chairman, Hon. Allotey Jacobs was arrested at Heathrow Airport in United Kingdom (UK) by the National Crime Agency officials of UK on allegation of money laundering on May 29th 2016.

The reckless news had it that Hon. Allotey Jacobs carried on him over 500,000 British Pounds Sterling that triggered the arrest.

NDC-U.S.A Chapter would want to set the record straight and put the facts bare as they are, so that discerning readers can identify the truth from the fiction that is being circulated by NPP.

NDC-U.S.A Chapter, wishes to categorically state here that Hon. Allotey Jacobs has not been arrested for any alleged charges. The alleged arrest story was a fabrication by NPP to tarnish the image of Hon. Allotey Jacobs, and to mislead the public.

Hon. Allotey Jacobs arrived in the United States on Sunday evening via America Airlines. He left Ghana on Saturday night, May 28, 2016 and connected flight at Heathrow airport to the United States of America on Sunday May 29, 2016. He was welcome and received by the NDC-U.S.A Chapter women organizer, Madam Janet Wilson in Dallas the very day he was unjustly reported to have been arrested.

He is currently staying in Dallas, Texas. Since his arrival in the USA, he has been on various radio stations defending the good work of his Excellency John Dramani Mahama. The following radio stations in the USA; Akwaba Radio, Sankofa Radio, and Obimanso Radio can confirm that Honorable Allotey Jacob appeared on their radio station. He also participated in NDC USA executive committee meeting which was held on Wednesday June 2, 2016, at 8pm ET.

The news about his arrest was not factual, rather, a propaganda by NPP propagandists aimed to undermine and diverts the attention of the public from the commissioning of Komanda Sugar factory, which was commissioned by the President, Osadeyor, and Ajumawura John Mahama on June 1, 2016.

One would wonder why NPP would want to peddle such wild falsehood of money laundering against an NDC member. Nana Addo and his surrogates are desperate and frustrated by the gargantuan development projects ongoing all over the country. Instead of Nana Addo and his surrogates to tell Ghanaians what they have to offer, they resorted to fabricating stories about hardworking NDC members just to score cheap political points.

Ironically, NPPs association with drug barons and money launderers is well known to everyone in this country. It was as a result of the following events that Ghana was nicknamed Cocaine Coast under the Kufuor reign in replacement for the more enviable name Gold Coast in diplomatic circles;

How 30 slabs of cocaine, retrieved from MV Benjamin got missing.

The arrest of the three NPP women at the Kotoka International Airport who were executives of the Dzorwulu Constituency of the NPP and how their docket mysteriously got missing from either the Police files or the Attorney-Generals Department.

The arrest of Venezuelan nationals at East Legon with huge tons of cocaine.

The release of frozen assets of one Raymond Amankwah by Nana Akufo-Addo when he was the Attorney-General. Amankwah is Akufo Addos in-law.

The chief of all was the arrest of Amoateng, the sitting NPP Member of Parliament who was arrested in USA for dealing cocaine

The public is hereby advised to disregard any news of arrest of Hon. Allotey Jacobs, as it is baseless and misleading.

Long live NDC, long live NDC-U.S.A Chapter, and long live the President. Eye Zu.

Signed

Moses K. Mensah

Deputy Secretary; NDC-USA (Media Relation)

Phone # 914-924-5624
File Photo

06.06.2016 LISTEN

Onece Upon a time, I was assigned by my News editor, Erastus Asare Donkor to attend a press conference at the police Regional Headquarters in Kumasi.

We were informed that there will be press briefing concerning some Fulanis that were busted in a swoop at Agogo. By then, the fulani issue at Agogo was at its peak.

I set off by foot from Ellis Avenue, Nhyieso where our office is located. In less than forty minutes, I was already at the headquarters.

When i got there, about 21 Fulanis were actually arrested from their hideout in Agogo. They were arrested with pump action guns, machetes, condoms, and surprisingly pants in their custody.

What a shock!

Upon my arrival at the police headquarters, i saw thousands of young men and women gathered at the headquarters in the scorching Sun waiting patiently for whatever purpose for which they were there for.

I have no option than to go to the Public Relations Department for some interrogations before the press briefing by the Regional Commander.So I got the opportunity to speak to the second-in-command, Corporal Godwin Ahianyo (now Chief Inspector ).

Mr. Godwin Ahianyo explained that the police administration was embarking on a recruitment process and that the people I saw were actually gathered at the headquarters to buy the form to try their luck or partake in the exercise.

He then advised that I can equally buy the form to try my luck as well. I didn't hesitate at all. I proceeded to secure the form genuinely.

Personally, I was not fully focused on the process because of the perception that police enlist people based on protocol. I was actually trying to ascertain the myth and truth behind the process to see if there is any veracity about what I hear about Police enlistment process. Even though, I met all the requirements to be enlisted, I knew it was not going to work because of the perception that police recruit people on protocol bases.

My story vehemently debunked the above allegation against the police administration.

After filling the form, I duly posted it to the prescribed address.

One day, whiles gathering stories for our Midday news, I had a call that I'm having a letter at the post office. After the Midday news, I hurriedly rush to the post office for the letter. I opened the letter and to my surprise, it's a letter from the police administration inviting me for Body examination and selection. It also includes examination and inspection of academic and personal documents. Successful candidates in the above exercise shall be made to write aptitude test. I went numb after seeing the letter because I was not expecting it all.

On the day for the body selection, it was trouble considering the number of people I met. Initially, I went there as early as 5:30 am in order to finish my part as quick as possible so I can rush back to the office at Nhyieso. But looking at the crowed I met at the Kumasi Police Training Academy, I realize the exercise was going to take the whole day. So i have to play along.

The body selection exercise was an interesting exercise to behold. There was a gentle man who claim to be good at blowing a trumpet but when he was given the opportunity to demonstrate his talent, you can't laugh. Lol. When he blew the trumpet, we heard nothing, I mean no sound from the trumpet.

Now, it got to the turn of the exam. There were two types of exams we had to write. They were dictation and comprehension. I called the dictation "knock out" because if you fail, you will not get the chance to proceed to the next level.So it was a total knock out for some fellows.

For the dictation, one is required to obtain certain marks. If you fail to obtain the required marks expected, that is the end of the road for you. Fortunately or unfortunately, after the dictation, about thousand of people were sacked for their failure to meet the required marks leaving few of us.

Those of us who were able to sail through the dictation stage proceeded to write the comprehension with ease. The day went well, and we passed through the process successfully.

Now, after the one week body selection exercise, we were asked to go and pray and that we will hear from the police administration when the time is due.

Once again, i was schocked when after some few months, we were called again to turn up for a medical examination. Here, we had a difficult time, going through the process. But with determination again we sailed through.

I was covering a program one day in the Amansie West District in the Ashati region, when a friend called that she received a call from the police headquarters to come for her appointment letter at the Police Headquarters. I have not had any call but I told myself if police recruitment process is really honest-to-God and anything to go by, my letter will definitely be there.

So I set off from Kumasi in the evening and arrived at Accra late night.Early in the morning, I was at the police Headquarters where I met other guys on the same mission.

Whiles standing in front of the Headquarters, an officer came to park his car and asked what we were doing there and we explained our mission. He then asked us to follow him. When we got to the office and they finally brought the list out and My name happens to be part of the several others who were recruited.

This looks like a dream to me. So i started asking myself some few questions; I thought it is said police enlistment process is about knowing influential people in this country?

Or were those attacks meant to calumniate or denigrate the Police administration? These two questions keeps me thinking. I went through the police enlistment process without paying a dime to anybody.

Upon receiving my appointment letter, I decided to serve this country as a police officer.

The heart and soul of this script is to inform you that not all that you hear about Police Service is true. The police enlistment process is always genuine even though I believe there might be some machiavellian or boorish individuals that would want to take the name of the service to the gutters. You might have your opinion but the fact remains that the police does a clean job when it comes to enlistment of potential candidates into the service.This is evidenced in the current online enlistment process which has little human interference as compared to the previous process.

That is my story.

Ghana Police Service, Service with Integrity!
06.06.2016 LISTEN

Today marks World Environment Day 2016. It is another reminder to humanity to safeguard the environment and protect and preserve the planet for future generations.

The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM) and key allies Ghana Youth Climate Coalition (GYCC), Green African Youth Organization (GAYO-Ghana) and Hipsters of Nature acknowledge the role that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is mandated to play in this regard.

We strongly urge the EPA to put the interest of people and the environment first in all decision-making concerning the 2x350MW coal fired power plant project led by the VRA and Shenzhen Energy Group to commence in April 2017. We particularly encourage the EPA to reject the clean coal myth preached by proponents of the plant in an attempt to give impetus to importing coal pollution into Ghana. The Environmental Movement is adequately informed by available research information that:

Designation of a technology as a 'clean coal' technology does not imply that it reduces emissions to zero or near zero. For this reason, the term clean coal is misleading

No clean coal technology sufficient to cut emissions from current generators by up to 50 per cent is economically viable at industrial scale or expected to become viable within the next five years

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), state-of-the-art, Ultra-Supercritical (USC) plants can run at up to 46 per cent efficiency. On World Coal Association estimates, those efficiency gains mean a USC plant could emit up to 40 per cent less than a regular, existing power station. It is important to note that the USC technology is even an upgrade over the Supercritical technology to be deployed in Ghana. This technically means the proposed technology in Ghana is likely to be shrouded with more emissions.

On the other hand, investments and employment in renewable energy around the world are rising against all odds:

1. US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) have provided $704k for a100MW solar power project in Ghana

2. The worlds largest coal supplier The Shenhua Group of China is partnering with SolarReserve, a Carlifornia company to build a giant 1000MW solar plant in China

3. Portugal reached a zero emission milestone on May 7, 2016 as the whole country was powered by just wind, solar and hydro-generated electricity for 107 hours

4. Solar generated more power than coal over a 24hr period in early April 2016 to set a new British record. Meanwhile, coal-generation hit historic low several times few weeks after in what experts say are the only occasions since the first coal-fired generator opened in London in 1882

5. On Sunday, May 8, Germany hit a new high in renewable energy generation. Germany had so much renewable energy on Sunday that it had to pay people to use electricity

6. Renewable energy surges to record levels around the world. New solar, wind and hydropower sources were added in 2015 at the fastest rate the world has yet seen.

These are just examples of the path the whole world is taking a transition from dirty energy to clean energy. The World Bank last month offered stark warnings that proposed power plants in India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia would blow Paris climate deal if they move ahead. We believe Ghana should also listen to this counsel.

GYEM will continue to urge the EPA to be firm on its mandate and responsibility to protect the environment without compromising on the health of the people of Ghana and the integrity of our ecosystems.

Cc: Ministry of Energy

Ministry of Power

Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI)
06.06.2016 LISTEN

The Chiefs of Koffekrom and Bidieso in the Obuasi Municipality, Nana Nuamah and Nana Sarfo Kantanka respectively, has praised the Obuasi office of the Information Services Department, an agency under the Ministry of Communication. The Department's core mandate is to serve as the principal public relations department of the government.

The two traditional leaders' felicitations come in the backdrop of the department's flagship public education campaign dubbed "W'ASETENA MU NSE" which is the first of its kind in the Obuasi Municipality. The year long public education campaign is designed to be rolled across all the thirty-eight (38) electoral areas in the Municipality. The highly educational campaign features institutions like the Ghana National Fire Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) ,national Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Electricity Company of Ghana (E. C. G), Rent Control, Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSSU), Municipal Election Security Taskforce and Population Awareness Promotion (An HIV/AIDS awareness group) among others.

Narrating the rationale behind the program, the Municipal Information Officer, Mr Sampson Manu said, the time has come for the Information Services Department to prove to the world that the department is still in existence and going about its duties effectively, especially at the district level contrary to misconceptions about the existence and operations of the department. He continued that, the success of the month old public education program is a clear vindication of the relevance of the department in the District Assembly system.

Mr Manu said the program will serve as the one-stop shop for public education by the departments and public institutions within the Obuasi Municipality. He thanked the management of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for supporting such a useful program which will go a long way to increase awareness among the people of Obuasi in order to have an enlightened society.

The program began on Thursday, 5th May, 2015 and has so far travelled to the Central Market electoral area, the Gauso North electoral area and the New Nsuta electoral area respectively. The response from the public to the program so far, has been encouraging.
Accra, May 31, 2016 The Executive Director of Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, Mrs. Emma Wilhelmina Halm Danso has called on society to support people afflicted with the autoimmune disease known as lupus.

Lupus has been a mystery and a silent killer in our society for a long time. OYEMAM believes that the time to give it the needed attention is now, she stated.

She said lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that manifests in so many different ways that it could be very difficult for family, friends and society in general to really understand what their loved ones with lupus go through. Education is therefore key to bring a change in the status quo.

Lupus symptoms range from mild to life-threatening and may change over time. Some of the symptoms include chronic and extreme fatigue, organ damage, hair loss, blood clotting, inflammation of joints and muscles, anaemia, fever, general malaise, chest pains, headaches, confusion, memory loss, depression, dry eyes, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal problems, and thyroid problems among others.

Some medications for lupus treatment include corticosteroids e.g. prednisolone; anti-malarial drugs e.g. hydroxychloroquine; anti-inflammatory drugs e.g. aspirin; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) e.g. ibuprofen; immunosuppressive drugs e.g. methotrexate; anticoagulants e.g. warfarin; and monoclonal antibodies e.g. belimumab. Some patients may require chemotherapy or organ transplant.

She elaborated further that the standard therapies for treating lupus are generally aimed at helping patients feel better, inducing and maintaining a remission and preventing organ damage. These, she said are very expensive and tend to be extremely burdensome on the patient and loved ones because of the chronic nature of the condition. This has unfortunately led to some patients being abandoned and left to their fate.

According to her apart from the standard medications and other complimentary therapies, support and love from people and society are very vital in inspiring hope in persons suffering from lupus.

Mrs. Danso also explained that about 90 percent of lupus sufferers are women and, needless to say, it is these same women who are needed and expected to support families that constitute our society. Yet there is very little known about this debilitating health condition that afflicts our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends, employees etc in Ghana.

World over, Mothers Day is celebrated during month of May. Incidentally, May also happens to be Lupus Awareness Month. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus is one of the worlds cruellest, most unpredictable and devastating diseases that has brutal impact from those that suffer from it. The Executive Director of the OYEMAM noted that just like in other parts of the world, the prevalence of lupus is alarmingly on the increase and there it is very crucial therefore that all aspects of the Ghanaian society also show commitment to help fight lupus.

She said the Foundation remains committed to inspiring hope through advocacy, education, awareness creation, counselling as well as fundraising to provide medical assistance among others for people with autoimmune disorders particularly lupus.

Having suffered from various life-threatening flares from the condition for many years, Mrs. Danso together with her husband Mr. Kwasi Addae Danso have set out on a mission to be part of the solution to others (especially young people) going through similar challenges.

Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation will continue to advocate for a National Autoimmune Commission to address the issues of autoimmunity in Ghana, Mrs. Danso stressed.

Mrs. Danso said that in 2015, the Foundation through the benevolence of some individuals, donated medicine to a teenage lupus patient who was reacting to medication that was given her while on hospital admission. Though she recovered for some time, she still passed away from a flare-up after some months because of inadequate support. She again encountered another teenage girl who passed away around the same time and was deeply saddened that lives which could have been saved were being so easily lost because their cries for help were not heard.

We are calling on policy makers, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection, corporate organizations, religious organizations, the media, civil society groups and the general public to join in the effort to inspire hope and bring relief to the many Ghanaians that are suffering in silence.

Mr. Danso on his part thanked those who have and continue to do help the Foundation in its work. He encouraged more supporters and donors to get on board.

Contact:

[email protected]

www.oyemamfoundation.org

Phone: +233 243145616 / +233 555017190

Facebook: Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation

Twitter: #oyemamautoimmune

Instagram: #lupusawareness
06.06.2016 LISTEN

Few months ago, the International Center for Transitional Justice made a publication titled peace versus justice: A false dilemma in which it noted that, for a long time, making compromises on justice with powerful perpetrators of mass atrocities has been an integral part of peace negotiations in ending conflicts. The immediate concern of ending the violence often resulted in amnesties for war crimes and crimes against humanity, sometimes even presenting the calls for justice as obstacles to peace.

It noted however that in recent years, there has been marked shift away from the practice of providing immunity from prosecution to those responsible for mass atrocity. This has parallel a growing understanding that the two goals of peace and justice, rather than being exclusive, are mutually reinforcing. Peace, when understood as enduring and long- term peace, goes beyond the immediate goal of ending a conflict and relies on justice and accountability to ensure sustainability. Where mass crimes are not addressed, when the root causes of conflict are not sought out and removed, when victims calls for justice are not heard, the danger of violence recurring remain high.

Few weeks ago, while on social media encouraging friends to join our new peace advocacy campaign tagged,  promoting peace through social media, a maiden project by our new Ngo Foundation For Peace. A respected senior friend, Barrister Samuel Opeyemi made some remarks on the promotional post which later led to an elaborate interaction between me and the respected human rights lawyer.

According to him, the name of our new organization Foundation For Peace didnt appeal to him, instead, he wrote, Maybe foundation for justice would have interest me. He ended the first comment by saying, there can be no peace, where justice is denied.

From that point onward, our interaction became a little bit more elaborate.

As much as I believe justice cannot be made a secondary priority if lasting peace is to be achieved, i pointed out that, there cant be justice, unless there is peace, because even justice need a peaceful atmosphere to take its due course.

Not satisfied with my response to his comment, the human rights lawyer responded with another critical poser in which he asked a very important question. He said, where did you see peace reign in the midst of Injustice except the peace of the graveyard?

My response to his question followed similar pattern as I wrote, where have you also seen justice done in the midst of violent conflict or war? I maintained that, the first step is temporal peace, and then, justice should follow for durable and sustainable peace.

Again, not convinced or comfortable with my response, the respected barrister countered once again that, we are not at war and if there is bickering as we have in Nigeria now; it was caused by injustice perpetrated by others. He maintained that, except there is redress, no peace can be achieved.

While I agree with him completely that the bickering in the country is caused by injustice and that there must be redress for us to achieve lasting peace, I equally maintained that, we are already in the state of war and violence. From war against boko haram, to war against kidnapping, herdsmen, militancy etc, all these are issues that cannot be adequately addressed unless there is an atmosphere of peace. I concluded that, justice cannot be done, in midst of all these conflicts and violent confrontations.

It is important to note that, to address any real or perceived grievances and bring under control, any kind of war or violent conflict, there is need to facilitate or give room for temporary peace, so as to ultimately bring about true justice. There must be peace, whether durable or temporary, for justice to be done. For without peace, even those who seek to do justice may become victim of violence.

After our engagement on the social media, I reflected over our interaction which circled around peace and justice, and I asked myself once again, is it peace or justice that we need to live a fulfilled life as a community of people?

It occurred to me that, finding an appropriate answer to the question seems to be an uneasy task because, for every resolution one arrived at, there is something vital still missing. It was this observation that me concludes that, peace and justice are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot be relegated for the other as both are mutually complimentary. Where durable peace is enjoyed, justice made it possible and wherever justice prevails, that's where peace resides.

I must however note that, peace attain more importance in the sense that, a peaceful atmosphere is needed for justice to take effect. Violence never solves a problem, it compound the problems and breed more violence. This universal truth was embraced by all civil right leaders in world history and it ultimately accounted for their success in social crusade. Those who did the contrary were eventually consumed by the violence they perpetrated.

Let us consider the example of Niger Delta militancy in Nigeria. In 2010, former president Umaru Musa Yaradua, while searching for peace in the Niger Delta region granted amnesty to militants involved in all sorts of criminality without holding them accountable for their crimes. Ensuring justice at that time was considered an obstacle to peace, forgetting that without justice, peace cannot be sustained. The region got 13% derivatives, a specialized Niger delta development commission to address development in the region, amnesty program which sent the militants to all sorts of training abroad and their States earn more than every other states, despite their small sizes. Yet , the militants are back in their usual acts of criminality, but whether the government would pursue peace or justice this time remain to be seen.

My view however is that, government must use justice as its guiding principle towards peace. For no reason should government grant amnesty for deliberate criminality in the name of peace, as such peace can only leads to more criminality. Whenever any group engage in acts of criminality, I hear this statement over and over again from people who said they wish the country well. They say government should dialogue with cruel insurgents, dialogue with destructive militants, dialogue with inciting ipob, dialogue with heartless treasury looters, but nobody is talking about dialogue with the peace loving Nigerians and men of integrity.

If those who are destroying the country continue to get required attention over those who are working to build peacefully, the country would most likely not head to the right direction. This is so because, for every special attention accorded to criminal elements in the society, more than 10 of such elements would emerge. Ugoji Egbujo, a public analyst had stated that, peace makers often have heavy moral burdens imposed on them by the complexity of the endeavor. Because, many times, peacemaking involves some compromise with justice, fairness and other lofty values. And justice trampled or shortchanged, leaves the conscience a bit sore. But without peace, does anything else really worth it? We must ask, can there be true, sustainable peace without justice?

Social contract theory would support the view that justice serves to preserve and promote societal peace. Justice and peace are therefore not mutually exclusive entities. However, social situations sometimes demand that justice in legality be sacrificed to further peace.

This led to the questioned that, Is it just to allow a few corrupt people go unpunished in exchange for tranquility for millions of Nigerians? Is it just to grant Boko haram, mass murderers amnesty and stop the killing of thousands of innocent people, if the government cannot contain boko haram immediately? Is it just to enter into discussion with militants committing treasonable offenses through act of economic sabotage? And should we accept the sort of peace purchased at such ransom? Ugoji concluded by asking that, what precedent would we set, if leaders must retire to peace and comfort with their loots while poor Nigerians die from easily curable and preventable diseases? Let me also add that, what kind of peace can be achieved by granting militants amnesty, when they can simply wake up tomorrow and pick up arms again?

It is clear here that these militants are not in anyway, interested in peace, justice or development to the Niger Delta region, all they wanted is access to state resources for personal benefits. Many of those who benefitted from previous amnesty programs didn't invest in the region, they went outside the country. One of them even boasted of owning a University in Benin Republic. So, should the entire resources of the region be handed over to these elements, they would not only complicate the already worse situation of the people, they people would have no hope whatsoever in a better future.

And to make matter worse, all the sympathy they get now would no longer be there. Let it be known that, no matter what is done to develop the Niger Delta region, provided it would not place state resources directly in the hands of these militants and their sponsors, whatever is done wont be enough to make them renounce militancy. Government must therefore deal with these militants using justice as its guiding principle to achieve peace.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat is a peace Professional and Conflict Transformation Expert. He is also the President, Foundation for Peace Professionals. He writes from Abuja and can be reached on [email protected] .
One of the leading oil and gas global service providers, Echendu Oil and Gas Limited (EOGL) UK, has announced plans to set up a branch in Ghana, to service the countrys growing oil and gas economy.

The company with its headquarters in the United Kingdom, and offices in Ireland, Norway, and the United States, hopes to conclude this expansion before the end of 2016. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Nigerian British citizen, Echendu Ndubuisi Endy, disclosed this in an interview with Rok FM in Takoradi.

We are really intending to establish a branch in Ghana despite the difficulty in the economy. But I believe in what my company can do, so we are hoping to establish here in about three months time in order to create some job opportunities.

Mr. Echendu Ndubuisi Endy said The Company offers a variety of services by providing drilling tools; other logistics, and we serve as agency to refinery for oil explorations. We are best partners to NMPC in Nigeria, Hesse and other oil servicing companies around the world so we offer our best services to them.

The Chemical Engineer noted that, we dont do what others do. We try to bring the latest oil tools to any oil company. We only have partners in Nigeria and not a branch of the company there. For instance, NMPC is a big oil refinery company so we do our best for them in providing everything they need. Every year, we try to get the latest of oil drilling machines to satisfy our customers he noted.

Aside seeking to participate in the oil and gas industry in Ghana, Mr. Ndubuisi Endy said in Ghana and other parts of the African continent, the company will also invest heavily in real estate, with the best values of a real estate home and warehousing among others.

About Echendu Oil and Gas Limited (EOGL)

Echendu Oil and Gas Limited (EOGL) UK, is a private registered company in the United Kingdom, London, founded in the year 2009 by a vibrant young Nigeria/British citizen Echendu Ndubuisi Endy. It is a leading oil and gas service provider serving the upstream gmnt f th oil and gas ndutr.

It is a premier national company that provides oil drilling tools services, logistics of heavy equipment and services company delivering comprehensive latest solutions. It is glbll recognized for their proven expertise in exploration, production, and allied services.

Echendu Oil and Gas Limited places value on quality customer service, with experts and professionals in oil field services, commercial supply logistics, technology and real estate.

The CEO said we set the pace for Innovation, Integrity, and reliability in the oil and gas world. The flexibility we provide empowers our customers and helps give a boost to their business process. We provide the best technology in keeping with the demands of todays oil and gas field service. At Echendu Oil and Gas Limited, we pursue the understanding of each individual business, so we can deliver the solution thats needed in a timely manner. We are always looking for more innovation, more flexibility, and more integration to ensure businesses growth.

Echendu Oil and Gas Limiteds home office has a related link to about 10 production oil drilling tools materials company and consist of a team of about 65 professionals, experts with extensive knowledge of advisory transactions and experience working in the oil and gas industry with a fleet of state of the industry equipment and national network of premium third-party relationships guaranteeing seamless, consistent and industry leading experience at every point.

Echendu Oil and Gas Limited has been serving a wide range of oilfield services companies, national oil companies, independent exploration and production companies and integrated corporations worldwide.
Global Media Alliance has announced the list of award categories for the maiden edition of Ghana Beverage Awards (GBA).

GBA is the newest Ghanaian award scheme designed to honour the beverage industry of Ghana. It is set to take off in September this year and is expected to gather all the big names in the industry.

GBA, organized by Global Media Alliance (GMA), an integrated media and communications company in Ghana, is under the themeInspiring excellence in the beverage industry in Ghana.

The Awards, which encompasses both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, has been categorized into product specific categories and general categories, affording beverage producers the opportunity to bag many awards at the event.

Head of Creatives and Productions at Global Media Alliance Mr. J.O.T Agyeman said The organisers are looking at instituting a credible award scheme that helps standardise the practice of the beverage industry. We are also interested in engaging the media and all other stakeholders who enable the beverage industry thrive directly or indirectly.

In all, 18 awards will be given out and these include; spirit of the year, wine of the year, beer of the year and bitters of the year while the general categories include; product of the year, manufacturer of the year, ad campaign of the year, innovative product of the year amongst others.

All applicants may access entry forms and other information online at ghanabeverageawards.com.
06.06.2016 LISTEN

In this Fourth Republican Constitution, it should be made clear that the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) was established under Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana as part of the executive; with the NDPC Act, 1994 (Act 479) providing the core legal framework for the establishment of the Commission and the performance of its functions.

In accordance with the provision under Article 87 of the Constitution, the core mandate of the Commission is to advise the President on development planning policy and strategy and, at the request of the President or Parliament, or on its own initiative, perform five main functions; which includes studying and making strategic analyses of macro-economic and structural reform options; making proposals for the development of multi-year rolling plans taking into consideration the resource potential and comparative advantage of the different districts of Ghana etc. The Commission has three technical divisions in the area of development policy, plan coordination, monitoring and evaluation and a fourth division responsible for administration.

Furthermore, Chapter Six of the 1992 Constitution operationalizes Articles 34 to 41 by pigeonholing state policy in terms of Economic Objectives, Social Objectives, Educational Objectives, Cultural Objectives and International Relations. Imperatively, Article 34 says the directive principles of State Policy shall guide all citizens, Parliament, President, Judiciary, Council of State, Cabinet, Political Parties and other bodies in applying or interpreting the constitution and in making any policy decision for the establishment of a just and free society. After reading all of these, the obvious question that will arise shall be, why are political parties not presenting manifestoes on how they hope to work closely with the National Development Planning Commission this goal through a National Manifesto?

Well, many of us know that manifestos are drafted in election year, with the view of capturing the imagination of voters. Disappointingly, Political Parties have over the years used this long document; which is sometimes about 300 pages as a decoy in winning political power; at times, voters never get the opportunity to even glance through the document until elections are over and beyond. Similarly, after the victory in the elections, the party which gets the mandate from the electorate to rule for a term, normally of four years, forgets to put into practice what it promised before the elections. Some connoisseurs have even suggested that if Political Party manifestos were earnestly meant to be implemented, Ghana would have become paradise on earth. The current state of not placing any obligation on the political party which eventually wins power for failing to implement the manifesto it promised has reduced election manifestos to a mere rhetoric of political parties to hoodwink the unsuspecting electorate.

We must demand that all political parties present a platform on how they intend to implement plans of the National Development Planning Commission and Chapter six of the 1992 Constitution, so that this becomes constitutionally and legally binding on the political party which shall emerge victorious after the election. In other words, what is now looked upon as a mere moral responsibility must be tied to the Constitution to ensure that no party takes any voter for granted. This will also ensure that new governments do not truncate projects initiated by their predecessors as provided in Article 35 (7 & 8) of the constitution where it states inter-alia, As far as practicable, a government shall continue and execute projects and programmes commenced by the previous Governments.

Some have advanced a specious argument that it is alright to promise anything since the electorates themselves understand that such promises cannot be fulfilled. Well, this seemingly fair argument, rather seeks to reinforce the perception that political parties are good at making lofty promises; only to amass wealth thereafter with impunity and without regret, once the election is over. It is true that some parties have managed to implement at least a fraction of the plans they promised in their election manifestos. However, observers are apprehensive that the zeal with which manifestoes are propagated prior to elections is entirely different as compared with its implementation in power.

It is interesting to note that in the 2008 Manifesto of the NDC, the party promised inter alia to separate the Attorney Generals Department from the Ministry of Justice, establish a pre-school training college in each of the ten regions, provide every Ghanaian with a job from which they can earn their livelihoods and, not to introduce any new taxes. Similarly, in the 2000 Manifesto of the NPP, they promised to replace slums with high-rise buildings, cut rice importation by 30%, make Ghana a leading agro-based industrial country in Africa by growing what we eat, eating what we can and can what we cannot, introduce a Farmers' and Fisherfolks Security Trust to cater for them in their times of need and in their old age. Can anyone say that the NDC and NPP were able to fulfill these promises? Certainly not!

And here again, how can we take such highly alluring promises like Dumsor shall be a thing of the past, We shall transform lives, We shall reduce fuel drastically, We shall eradicate unemployment, and We shall root out corruption, while in fact and indeed, they are growing, or more precisely, have reached alarming proportions? It is very obvious that many party manifestoes are filled with lies, mediocrity and populist appeal.

Due to the high unemployment rate in Ghana, many political parties have shifted their message to job creation. Our journalists should ask the politicians the most critical question on how they intend to create jobs. Will it be the NDC pot-hole filling jobs, the NPPs cocoa spraying jobs or the PPPs Groupe Nduom practicality? Who is thinking about graduate unemployment?

It is instructive to note that the promise by the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) to provide quality education for every Ghanaian child, standardize school facilities from kindergarten to Senior High School with libraries, toilets, classrooms, kitchen, housing for teachers, playground, etc; and ensure free and compulsory education in public schools from kindergarten to Senior High School including computer training by deploying an Education Police to enforce the compulsory aspect of the policy perfectly fits into an objective which is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and constitutionally relevant.

The ostensibly divine principle that if the party in power fails to implement its manifesto, it is up to the electorates to vote it out of office in the next elections may not help our development, because we live in a country where a vast majority of voters allow themselves to be carried away by the passing and material temptations thrown at them due to the economic insecurity, ignorance and illiteracy.

Sadly, majority of voters remain the same old folks, who easily become victims to the worldly freebies like bags of rice, saucepans, IPADs, cars, roofing sheets, mobile phones, flat screen TVs, fertilizers and cash from political parties. It is quite possible, of course, that some voters generally lack the dissective faculties to assess the relative merits and demerits hidden in political party manifestos. Such voters are likely to succumb to fiscal allurements; and this sort of intellectual deprivation is likely to land the entire country in troubled waters.

Considering the fact that a vast majority of our population are uneducated, we have an uphill task to educate them on a war footing to ruin the evil effects of this anathema and to ensure that we elect only those deserving and qualified to rule this country.

It needs to be emphasized that the mere expression of a mans feelings on a vital matter, so important to the democratic functioning of our governments, should not be misconstrued, as a downright disregard for the verdict of the majority of the people as expressed through the ballot. On the contrary, the views reflect the deep misery of many silent observers at the abyss between the promise and action in its fulfillment thereafter, once the ritual of elections is over.

We should not allow any party in power to put forth lame excuses, like, the plans in the election manifesto could not be implemented because they inherited an empty coffers, juju men use dwarfs to affect the currency, the picture is different when you are outside, and a thousand other impediments. This growing menace of presenting a rosy picture in a manifesto and tempting the electorates with a cozy life must be checked to ensure that there is some semblance of respect, honesty, probity and accountability in public life.

It is rewarding for political parties to be realistic and pragmatic in presenting their manifestos and promise only what they can implement in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Constitution. Ghanaians should endeavour to vote for a political party with the wherewithal and capability to improve their standard of living and not just a party they think could win an election.

As the countdown to election 2016 begins, all Progressives look forward to the dawning of good judgment so that our country shall earn a fair name, as one free from all sorts of vices in elections and become a real beacon of hope.

Paa Kow Ackon

Director of Communication, PPP

[email protected]
Ghanaian Beverage producers and stakeholders will have the opportunity to vie for honours as Global Media Alliance announces the opening of nominations for the maiden edition of Ghana Beverage Awards (GBA).

GBA is Ghana's first award scheme designed to honour the beverage industry in Ghana. It is scheduled for September this year and expected to bring together the big names in the industry.

The awards scheme is organized by Global Media Alliance (GMA), an integrated media and communications company in Ghana. The theme for this year's edition is Inspiring excellence in the beverage industry in Ghana.

The Head of Creatives and Production at Global Media Alliance Mr. J.O.T Agyeman said GMA is excited about this initiative because it goes beyond the funfair of an awards event and seeks to raise standards in beverage production in the country.

We are eager to work with our local industries to showcase what Ghana has to offer and to reveal the hardwork of our beverage producers he added.

The nominees would be required to meet certain specific benchmarks to win the awards. Judges would be looking out for quality, adherence to industry best practices, product visibility, product contributions to society, product innovation, product popularity amongst other yardsticks in determining winners.

Nomination forms and other information are can be found online at ghanabeverageawards.com. Alternatively, interested individuals and oragnisations may call the office of Global Media Alliance for all enquiries on GBA.

All beverage producers in Ghana are encouraged to be a part of Ghana's first beverage awards.


In 2015, the United Nations officially recognized and commended Ghana for meeting the millennium development goal on universal primary education and gender parity in primary schools. Two major primary education improvement policy interventions initiated in 2004/05 academic year namely the Capitation Grant Scheme (CGS) and the National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) might have significantly contributed to this success story. The CGS is a school tuition fees abolition policy that seeks to facilitate the attainment of universal access to primary education. The NSFP, on the other hand, was initiated in collaboration with the Dutch Government with the immediate objectives of reducing hunger and malnutrition among school pupils, and increasing school enrolment, attendance and retention, which have a relationship with improved pupils learning outcomes. Despite this remarkable feat, there appeared to be a significant number of school-age children who were not in school (approximately halve a million), resulting in the governments formulation of the complementary education policy with the view to teaching out-of-school children at designated centers so they can subsequently be integrated into the formal school system at primary 3 or 4.

However, there is still considerable evidence to suggest that children typically from the poorest rural and hardest to reach communities in Ghana are more likely to be kept out of school due to financial issues, lack of proper school facilities and quality teachers, raising public concerns about limited school access to and quality of education for disadvantaged children. This comes at the back of considerable investment in education with the Government committing up to 20% of its annual budget and around 6% of GDP to education. In most cases over 80% of such budgetary allocations have gone into payments of emoluments for staff and officials (including ghost workers) as well as inefficient public financial management practices, leaving very little funds to be invested into infrastructure and instructional resources to improve access and quality especially in the deprived communities. This has potentially rendered the cost of education quite expensive in Ghana, and with the poverty gap widening, children from seemingly low-income backgrounds appear to be the most affected ones. Unemployment issues among graduates are also high on the table with many parents questioning the returns on education and potentially providing basis to show little interest in their childrens basic education.

A stakeholders consultation exercise VIAM Africa conducted in April 21-22, 2016 tends to point towards these views, in addition to other concerns raised about pupils retention and success, and quality of education in the country. The main purpose of this consultations was to support ongoing steps, by the United Nations Education Commission, to improve financing of education through the development of a renewed and compelling investment case, and financing pathways for achieving equal educational opportunity for children and young people. VIAM collated the views of over 50 participants comprising technocrats and consumers of public education at selected communities in Accra, Ghana. Consultation sessions were held at three different locations, of close proximity to the settlement of participants. The first two sessions were in the afternoon and the last session, in the evening. Each session began with an overview of the Commissions work as required, after which discussions around key questions ensued. Owing to differences in literacy among participants, some of the discussion questions had to be rephrased in a local language (predominantly Ga, Twi and Ewe) semi-literate and illiterate participants can understand.

From interactions with participants, it was obvious that parents and guardians were very much interested in the education of their children. For some, it is an issue of giving their children a privilege they [the parent] never had. For others, it is about preparing their children for future demands and opportunities. Their interest is however attenuated by economic and socio-cultural considerations. Unemployment, poor family planning, broken homes as a result of divorce, among others were some reasons parents found it difficult to educate their children. A more pervasive constraint was the skepticism in the importance of education due to the prevailing condition of graduate unemployment in Ghana. This was, however, an expression of frustration than an outright devaluation of education. Participants further highlighted poor community involvement, retrogressive socio-cultural norms, outdated and loaded curriculum, harsh economic conditions, and poor parental supervision, among others as obstacles to raising educational quality in Ghana.

They projected that, by 2030, school fees will skyrocket beyond the reach of parents especially those from low-income background, confidence in public schools will plummet, private schools would outnumber public ones, technical and vocational education will gain momentum, and wholesale education finance for both the rich and the poor will cease. The skepticism and negativity can however be assuaged if requisite reforms and financially viable alternatives for the funding of public schools are developed and implemented, they argued. Participants also perceived that across board financing of education has proven expensive and ineffective over the years, thus government should cross-subsidize and develop a special programme for people to received quality education. This includes especial grants to students from disadvantaged backgrounds or low income homes, especially in a country like Ghana where about 24 percent of the people, measuring some 6.4million are living below the poverty line, and cannot afford to spend GHS3.60 (less than $1) on food a day.

In conclusion, although there are many barriers to school access and success, cost is widely acknowledged as a major impediment. Given the present high cost of education in Ghana relative to family incomes, the Government of Ghana will have to intervene with more appropriate and effective financial support arrangement for most families, but in a way that would not suffer political abuse as previous schemes have experienced.

The Author is an Educational Consultant and the Executive Director of VIAM Africa Centre for Education & Social Policy
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini asked the UN Security Council Monday to authorize the EU naval force in the Mediterranean to enforce the arms embargo on Libya.

The appeal came as the 15-member council was considering a draft resolution that would allow Operation Sophia to intercept vessels suspected of transporting weapons to Libya.

"We ask this council to adopt a resolution on authorizing Operation Sophia to enforce the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya," Mogherini told the council.

Operation Sophia's enforcement of the arms embargo would help shore up the UN-backed national unity government by cutting off the flow of weapons to the various militias.

Established in Tripoli more than two months ago, Libya's unity government has been trying to unify violence-ridden Libya and exert its control over the entire North African country.

An arms embargo imposed on Libya in 2011 during the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi remains in force.

The draft resolution prepared by France, Britain and other European powers would build on a previous measure that gave the EU naval force UN backing for its mission to combat migrant-smuggling.

Addressing the council, Mogherini expressed hope that council members would "once again do the right thing and make the Mediterranean a safer place, starting for our Libyan friends."

The draft measure was expected to run into some resistance from Russia and Egypt, which views the new unity government as fragile and in need of more political legitimacy.

- Russian concerns -

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow is not opposed to expanding the mandate of the EU naval operation, but added that he was concerned about the response from various Libyan sides.

"We are not opposed to it but we need to be very careful about it," Churkin told reporters.

"Our concerns is that everything must be done in a way that does not create any suspicion against any party."

"The greatest priority should be to make every effort in order to finalize the creation of proper authorities in Libya," said Churkin.

International powers have said they would be willing to consider an exemption to the arms embargo to allow the new government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to purchase weapons.

That request, however, is expected to take some time after the Security Council sought assurances from the Tripoli government that the weapons deliveries will not fall into the wrong hands.

The council has asked the new government to provide assurances of secure storage of the weapons and to clarify the chain of command of the various militias backing it.

The European Union has launched a program to train the Libyan coastguard and navy to bolster security on the coast and in Libya's territorial waters.
Prophet Kobi

06.06.2016 LISTEN

I have decided to restrain the tongue of my pen, because he is on Ground Zero, or the home turf, and thus can see happenings in the country better that I can from my relatively distant perch abroad. I must also hasten to add that as a diehard Christian of Presbyterian heritage, going back to the early 19th century, I have firm belief that religion and religious leaders have an important role to play in the construction and development of every nation, even in modern postcolonial states like Ghana.

However, such leadership, as is widely acknowledged to have been preordained by Divine Providence, ought to be wielded or maintained with great responsibility and even-mindedness. This is where I envisage the leader of the Glorious Waves Church International to be in egregious breach of his moral authority and confidence with the people.

For instance, as staunchly attested by the Supreme Court in the 2012 Presidential-Election Petition, where was Prophet Emmanuel Badu-Kobi when the Mahama-led government of the National Democratic Congress bulldozed its way to victory by criminally packing our National Voters Register with a remarkable percentage of foreign citizens? Was this also part of the Divine Prophecy that the founder of Glorious Waves, as the church of popularly known, claims to have been receiving from God? (See I Saw NPP Shooting and Creating Problems, After Elections  Prophet Kobi GhanaPoliticsOnline.com /Modernghana.com 6/5/16).

It also strange that Prophet Badu-Kobi has yet to comment on the bloody past of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), including the brutal assassination of Accra High Court judges exclusively on grounds of ethnicity and ideological suasion, and not because these slain judges had committed any abominable crimes for which they deserved to be abducted from the homes and families and summarily executed Mafia style. Even assuming that, indeed, Justices Sarkodie, Agyepong and Koranteng-Addow had committed any acts of felony or high treason, wouldnt it only have been fair and just for them to have been afforded the inalienable opportunity to defend themselves in a legitimately constituted court of law?

Prophet Badu-Kobi clearly seems to be only interested in deep-sixing or railroading the leadership ambitions of the three-time Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Needless to say, as a political figure, the character of Akufo-Addo, as well as his conduct, may be remarkably flawed. But equally flawed is the character of President John Dramani Mahama and the rest of the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress.

For instance, what has Prophet Badu-Kobi got to say about the scandalous official conduct of pathological scofflaws like Messrs. Edward Omane-Boamah and Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, who flagrantly and criminally thumbed their noses at the Supreme Courts order to return the legitimately acquired landed and real-estate properties of the late Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the former National Chairman of the main opposition New Patriotic Party?

Messrs. Okuzdeto-Ablakwa and Omane-Boamah would thumb their noses at the apex court with the overt and very public complicity of then-President John Evans Atta-Mills, also deceased. If, indeed, he really wants Ghanaians to know why Akufo-Addo lost two straight presidential elections back-to-back, Prophet Badu-Kobi would have equally questioned why Mrs. Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, the Electoral Commissioner, staunchly backed by the leadership of the National Democratic Congress, has flatly refused to clean up the National Voters Register by expunging the names of persons who registered to vote by the illegitimate use of their National Health Insurance (NHIS) cards? And if he had also cared to ask Mr. Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, the NDCs General-Secretary, he would have learned to either his great amusement or delight that Akufo-Addos polling agents had not been vigilant enough.

Rather, Prophet Badu-Kobi appears to prefer to bury his head and conscience in the proverbial sands of cultivated ignorance by pretending as if there was something psychically and psychologically amiss with Nana Akufo-Addo. The founding leader of Glorious Waves must also be fully aware of the fact that most the guns and bullets so far intercepted by Ghanas border guards have crossed into the country from the NDC stronghold of the Volta Region, to wit, Aflao; and yet Prophet Badu-Kobi has been smugly, luridly and hypocritically chanting All-Die-Be-Die, fully aware of the fact that no other major political party in the country has the unenviably bloody political track-record of the National Democratic Congress.

And so who is this so-called Prophet Emmanuel Badu-Kobi? A Saint or Satan?

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
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Carsaless.Com Ltd [ASX:CAR] was trading relatively flat by afternoon trading today. By 3:25pm, the stock was down marginally by 0.12%.

What happened to the CAR share price?

Carsaless.Com Ltd [ASX:CAR] was trading relatively flat by afternoon trading today. By 3:25pm, the stock was down marginally by 0.12%.

After a solid 20% gain over the last six months, CAR continues to be a favourite among momentum investors. But with a much more expensive valuation than before, the market consensus on the stock is now a Hold.

Why did CAR shares do this?

CARs value creation has been driven by sales growth and earnings expansion. Those have been driven by the companys global strategy, particularly in emerging markets. Carsales.Com Ltd is leveraging on its successful model in Australia and creating subsidiaries in countries such as Korea and Brazil.

It is true that emerging markets have been going through a tough period since last year. However, investors need to know that the real fundamental growth story of emerging market is still an appealing one over time. Emerging markets will still be driving global growth more than developed countries in the years to come. From that angle, what CAR is doing is correct for the long term.

Recently, market excitement has been heating up over the potential for Carsaless.com to take over the Asia-market-focused iCar Asia Ltd [ASX:ICQ]. Again, investors should understand very clearly the expansion plan of CAR. It means to expand its long term value geographically. Investors should feel confident with a company that has a clear plan; an expansion into markets where car penetration is still low is a good logical choice, which will lead to bigger markets and growing sales.

What now for CAR?

The market recognises CARs management vision and its future plans. That is why the share price of CAR has been gaining. I believe the company is well on its way to generating positive sales growth and earnings growth in 2016 and 2017. However, I think the market has been pricing in that momentum for some time.

I do believe the stock still has more to offer for medium to long term investors. However, you will want to keep an eye on its emerging market and Asia expansion plans. The success of those plans will have a meaningful impact on the price of the stock in the short term.

Ken Wangdong+

Emerging Market Analyst, New Frontier Investor
Pssst wanna buy some art? Artist Lilly Piri created this amazing Art Dealer coat to get her artworks seen at exhibitions



Readers may remember our first Lilly Piri interview when she talked about her surreal and magical pencilled world of huge eyed-girls and animal friends. Her style as an artist has since evolved to include an increasing focus in still life painting, and her current glorious mission is to make a painting a day (shes currently on day 116!).

Known for her Little Galaxie world and book cover illustrations, including Friday Barnes  Girl Detective, Lilly Piri has recently invented an AMAZING new way to present her artworks when attending exhibitions and gallery openings. Check out the superbly sneaky sumptuosity of her Art Dealer coat!

A video posted by Lilly Piri (@lillypiri) on May 6, 2016 at 4:20am PDT

I wanted to have a bit of fun with going to an art opening, do a little performance art, and take advantage of coat weather (a bit rare in Queensland), said Lilly Piri when we asked her how shed come up with the idea.

She first mooted the idea on Facebook to see what people thought, because the hivemind always helps: If I tape a bunch of my small paintings to the inside of a coat and walk around the gallery tonight, intermittently opening my coat and asking people if they want to buy some art, will I get kicked out?

Everyone naturally thought it was an awesome idea. No-one thought she would be kicked out.

So I put a bunch of my daily paintings in snap lock bags and pinned them to the inside to make the Art Dealer coat, explained Lilly.

Then I wore it to an art gallery opening and flashed people.

It was very fun. My targets were amused and impressed, and it was fun to have an ice breaker, too.

Who would be so mean as to kick Lilly out? No-one, were delighted to say for her idea was just TOO awesome.

The Art Dealer coat is currently a standard coat once more, but Lilly did tell us she might recreate it for the next art opening on her calendar.

You can meet Lilly Piri at the Brisbane Finders Keepers event on 2-3 July 2016, when shell be sharing a stall with fellow art superstar Mel Stringer. Also, RA Spratts

fifth Friday Barnes book will be out in August with Lillys illustration is on the cover.

You can also check out Lillys Etsy store for enchanting Rainbow Love Deer stickers and more.
Junes edition of the Morningstar Europe Core List features the most attractively valued European-domiciled companies that possess sustainable competitive advantages. This months list saw increased turnover, with six new companies entering the list. These latest changes were evenly spread across multiple sectors.

Firms that left our list this month included Syngenta (SYNN), Pearson (PSON), Diageo (DGE), Technip (TEC), Elekta (EKTA B), and Safran (SAF).

The Morningstar Europe Core Pick List features our most attractively valued European-domiciled names with sustainable competitive advantages, or economic moats. Our top picks across each sector are chosen based on their uncertainty-adjusted discounts to their intrinsic value.

How are European Stock Markets Faring?

The FTSE 100 decreased by 0.18% in May, while our overall European coverage became ever so slightly less expensive than last month and now trades at an average of 102% of our fair value estimates.

While earnings season was gradually winding down, turnover increased for our June pick list. A large reason for this was increased volatility in the prices of several of the stocks leaving and entering the list. Elekta is ever the rollercoaster ride, and May was no exception; at least for May, however, the rollercoaster was climbing higher, with shares rising 12% during the month.

This positive change in share price caused Elekta to leave our list. Morningstar analyst Alex Morozov acknowledges that risks remain, but with the long-term opportunities for radiotherapy in general and wide-moat-rated Elektas strong competitive positioning within the space, he still believes that shares are meaningfully undervalued and that they offer a compelling long-term reward profile.

Safran also saw its share price rise during the month, posting an increase of 4.7%. While shares remain undervalued with a fair value estimate of 71, they have at least been moving in the right direction and are leaving the list this month for positive reasons. Pearson experienced similar outcomes during the month, with shares increasing in price by 4.2%.

Analyst Philip Gorham has reiterated his fair value estimate for the firm, and believes that Pearson remains a business with structural but fading competitive advantages within its higher-education publishing business, earning the firm a narrow moat and a negative trend rating.

Diageo is Dropped from Undervalued List

Diageo, a large player in European consumer staples, is also leaving the list this month, but this is largely due to Danone BN becoming a higher-conviction idea from our analysts, as Diageo remains an interesting opportunity for long-term investors.

Morningstar analyst Philip Gorham believes Diageo has several self-help levers it can pull in the medium term to help offset recent headwinds, including cutting costs, to which management has already made a commitment. Developing a coherent beer strategy in Africa is another potential lever, and the recent move to take greater control of Guinness Nigeria is an opportunity to squeeze out costs and develop better long-term brand management.

Which New Stocks Make the List?

Recent results show that this could be in the very early stages of playing out. Other drops from the list were primarily the result of other names decreasing in price and therefore becoming more undervalued than previously listed names. New additions to the list this month include Air Liquide (AI), Burberry Group (BRBY), Danone, Bureau Veritas (BVI), SSE (SSE), and Bayer (BAYN), as they represent some of the cheapest European names on an uncertainty-adjusted price/fair value basis.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
A new private company funded by the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. (bcIMC) is set to test its mettle against Canadas highly competitive commercial real estate sector, the industry giant announced on June 1.



As reported by Garry Marr for the Financial Post, bcIMC will utilize the $18 billion in real estate assets under its management and form QuadReal Property Group, which would be managed by its own board of directors.



Jumping into the fray with a war chest of assets totaling $123 billion, QuadReal will aim to expand across Canada and even overseas. Projections are optimistic in the short and medium term, with assets expected to grow to around $150 billion and real estate allocation to increase 18 per cent in the next four years.



We expect there will be assets for which we compete and opportunities for tenants which we compete, co-president Remco Daal said. Its all fair game.



QuadReal emphasized that its asset classes would be market driven and not reliant on a few property types.



The domestic portfolio is of a quality that we cant replicate. The income stream is solid, solid and thats ultimately what our clients want, Daal stated.



The project has been in the works since last year, with the bcIMC conducting an in-house study of the internalization.
Foreign buyers interest in US homes increasing

Foreign searches for US homes on Trulia increased by almost 14 per cent in the three months to May 1, 2016 compared to the same period of 2016.



The firms data shows that Canadians were the most active searchers on the site (13.8 per cent of all international searches) but down 3 percentage points from a year earlier. A decline in searches from Canada for homes to buy was partly offset by a rise in searches for rentals.



UK-based searches made up 12.1 per cent followed by Germany (5.4 per cent) with Brazil and Australia (4.1 per cent each) completing the top 5.



Chinese buyers slipped to 0.8 per cent of all international searches on the site, while India saw the largest increase in traffic, up 47 per cent year-over-year but still representing a small proportion of overall international search activity.



J-Lo heads for $28 million home in Bel-Air

Jennifer Lopez is moving further from her days as Jenny from the block with the purchase of an 8-acre estate in Bel-Air. The LA Times reports that Jens new home cost her $28 million but was bought by actress Sela Ward and her husband 10 years ago for $3.8 million.



J-Lo will have 4,000 square feet of living space including 7 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. There is also a pair of cottages for guests, a swimming pool and a 100-seat amphitheatre. She is currently selling her property in Hidden Hills.



Small land sales lead Texan real estate

The highlight of the Texas real estate market in 2015 was small land sales according to new data from the Texas Association of Realtors.



There were 6,281 small land tracts sold in Texas in 2015, an 18.91 per cent increase from 2014. The average price per acre for small land sales also increased, rising 10.21 per cent to $5,657 per acre statewide.



Despite sluggish performance for Texas agriculture and oil-and-gas sectors, Texas land sales continued to be incredibly strong in 2015, said Leslie Rouda Smith, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors. As our states population and economy have continued to grow, so has the number of Texans looking for getaway homes or development opportunities.

Investing in Texas land can yield higher returns than traditional investment options, according to Charles Gilliland, economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. More Texans are purchasing land for recreational purposes or a vacation property, knowing that if they sell in a few years, theres a good chance they will see a strong return.
The former CEO of a California mortgage brokerage is headed to jail for, essentially, stealing homes out from under their owners and then renting them right back.



David Singui, 52, was sentenced to 94 months in federal prison last week. He was also ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution. Singui is the former CEO of Direct Money Source (DMS), a company prosecutors say promised to help distressed homeowners avoid foreclosure, but instead stole the equity in homes and served as the homeowners imposter landlord.



According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, homeowners were induced to sell their homes to straw borrowers sponsored by DMS on the understanding that the company would hold the properties for one year while they repaired their credit. The homeowners would then be in a position to repurchase the properties. Instead, DMS and Singui took permanent title to the homes and misappropriated the equity. DMS and Singui served as landlords for the distressed properties, collecting rent from the homeowners for more than five years. The scheme cost homeowners more than $4 million and lenders more than $11 million, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.



Mortgage rescue schemes cause significant harm to distressed homeowners, as well as to financial institutions that are often defrauded in the scams, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. These schemes target vulnerable victims who are already in financial jeopardy and make their plights even worse. Some of the victims in this case were left homeless by the financial predators who targeted them, including Singui.



DMS took the title to about 50 distressed homes, prosecutors said. The company usually ended up with about $100,000 equity per transaction, plus an average of $35,000 in fees and commissions. Meanwhile, the companys straw borrowers usually ended up owing around $300,000 or more on loans that defaulted, since DMS didnt make mortgage payments as promised.



The defendant preyed on struggling and trusting homeowners, literally stealing the American Dream out from under them, with no remorse, said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony J. Orlando. Todays sentencing exemplifies the continued effort by federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who commit mortgage fraud. IRS-CI is committed to pursuing those who line their pockets with profits from these schemes.
Theres reason to celebrate rents dropping to a more manageable level.

Its not only proof that supply and demand does indeed work, but there are a lot of people in our community who needed a little relief.

ApartmentList data reports a 20 percent drop in apartment rents since October 2014, the peak of Midlands housing market. The average one-bedroom can be had for $820, the average two-bedroom for $1,030 and the average three-bedroom for $1,600. And allegedly rents havent hit rock bottom yet.

We dont feel bad for property companies that are getting less money for their rentals. They gouged Midlanders for years, putting our community behind the eight ball when it came to providing a needed workforce. Even today while rent in cities like El Paso, Lubbock, Abilene and San Angelo is between 81 and 93 cents a square foot, Midland rents typically are $1.12 per square foot, according to ALN apartment data from earlier this year.

We are appreciative that council members answered the call of former Mayor Wes Perry, who a few years ago told the Reporter-Telegram housing was a top priority of the community. Councils followed approving apartment complexes that we needed and are still being used. The Texas Tribune reported in a recent story about Midland and that the occupancy rate here is still around 80 percent.

When it comes to short-term and more permanent housing, this community is in better shape than 2010. Should the price of oil climb higher, this community will see the benefit of that.

No matter what the price of oil is, our community needs housing for people of all income levels. Workforce housing always will be a key. If you dont have workforce housing, good luck filling up your restaurants, stores, teaching positions and other areas that impact our communitys ability to educate and residents quality of life.

Yes, today we can celebrate rents that allow many Midlanders to get more bang from their paychecks. Sure there is still room for improvement but its been worse, much worse.
Houstons C&J Energy Services reached a new forbearance agreement that runs through June 30 in order to, for now, avoid default and a potential bankruptcy.

The once rapidly growing oil field services company is exploring potential assets sales and restructuring as alternatives to filing for Chapter 11 protection.

In a prepared statement, C&J CEO Randy McMullen said he appreciates the support of the companys lenders for giving the company more time.

We believe that this forbearance agreement will provide us sufficient time to work with all stakeholders to address our liquidity issues and high debt levels with a solution that de-levers our balance sheet, strengthening our ability to weather this downturn and ensuring we are strongly positioned to capitalize on the eventual market recovery, McMullen stated.

Since the end of March, C&J has operated in violation of its loan agreements without enough cash coming in to service the debt. The company previously had until May 31 to find a way to satisfy lenders until the new agreement was announced.

In its last quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, C&J acknowledged a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing may prove necessary.

Greater tragedy struck earlier in March when, amid widespread job cuts, C&Js 46-year-old founder and CEO, Josh Comstock, died after being found unresponsive in his home on March 11. His death was ruled natural and caused by acute bacterial pneumonia, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

C&J was one of the industrys fastest-growing oil field services companies, acquiring the well completion and production businesses of Nabors Industries, which has its U.S. headquarters in Houston. C&J took on a large amount of debt to make the acquisitions just as the oil bust got underway more than a year ago.

C&J grew to about 10,000 employees in early 2015 but later slashed nearly 4,000 jobs to bring employment to about 6,100 at the end of February. More jobs have been cut since then, but the company wont disclose the number.

The companys stock has traded for less than $1 a share since May 10.

Although McMullen still speaks in favor of the long-term value of the Nabors deal, he said the deal brought in substantial debt during an industry downturn that has proven worse and longer than almost anyone expected.
Norways oil companies and the industrys biggest union had set aside two days to negotiate over wages for offshore workers. Instead, the talks broke down after less than a minute.

The failure shows the width of the gap that will need to be bridged in state-backed mediation if Norway, western Europes biggest producer of oil and gas, is to avoid strikes that would deepen the crisis provoked by the collapse of crude prices since 2014.

The breakdown of wage talks for offshore workers on production platforms, where a strike would have immediate consequences on output, comes after negotiations stranded earlier this month for workers on oil-rigs and onshore supply bases. The risk of several strikes comes as Norways economy is already suffering more than during the financial crisis, with offshore investments set to drop for a third consecutive year in 2017 and about 40,000 jobs lost in the oil industry.

The situation is the most deadlocked in a long time, Leif Sande, leader of the Industry Energy union, said about the talks that broke down on Monday. The differences were so obvious so early on that it was just as well to make an appointment with the National Mediator right away rather than sit here for two days.

Oil producers, represented by the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, are seizing on the difficult market situation to break down a model of stable wage increases separated from economic fluctuations, Sande said. Neither oil companies or rig owners offered a wage increase, while the unions want to negotiate based on a benchmark accord between employers and workers in export-exposed industries reached earlier this year, he said.

Industry Energy, which covers more than half of Norways 7,500 union-affiliated offshore-platform workers, was followed Monday in breaking off talks by two smaller unions, SAFE and the Norwegian Organisation of Managers and Executives.

The demands were unheard of, Hilde-Marit Rysst, head of SAFE, said in a statement. The employers sought to reduce workers rights and compensations, she said.

The employers group, which represents companies like Statoil, BP and ConocoPhillips, said there was no room for increases in a situation where producers were trying to reduce costs even before prices started falling.

Were in a very challenging situation, Kolbjoern Andreassen, a spokesman, said in phone interview. It will get worse before it gets better.

No date has been set for the state-backed mediation, a last-ditch effort led by the National Mediator to reach an agreement and avoid a strike. The mediation in the rig-worker negotiations will take place June 20 and 21. Energy Industry has said 190 of its workers would strike if a deal isnt reached, while the SAFE union has said as many as 2,456 members could walk out. It wasnt immediately clear which drilling rigs or production ships would be affected.

A rig strike would deepen the worst market downturn in a generation in offshore drilling, Jakob Korsgaard, the lead negotiator for the Norwegian Shipowners Association said in an interview last week. It could also over time have consequences for production, he said.

The last strike to affect output in Norway was a 16-day stoppage by oil-company workers in 2012. Actions that would have affected production have been avoided on several occasions through mediation in recent years.

While Korsgaard was worried rig owners and unions would still fail to see eye to eye during the mediation, the Norwegian Oil and Gas Associations Andreassen said there was always room to find solutions.

It will surely be a very challenging mediation, he said. But its usually easier to split money than to split principles.
Alex_Schmidt

HOBBS, N.M.  Authorities say a Midland motorcyclist was killed and his passenger seriously injured when the motorcyclist laid his motorcycle on its side to avoid hitting a closed gate at a closed port-of-entry near the New Mexico-Texas line.

New Mexico State Police say the crash occurred late Sunday on westbound U.S. 62 east of Hobbs.
This July, Michigan Technological Universitys Summer Youth Programs (SYP) will host 24 exceptional middle school students from five Midwestern states. Ten of them have won a new, competitive scholarship called Junior Women in Engineering, funded by $10,000 from the Ford Motor Company.

The weeklong program will take place on the Michigan Tech campus in Houghton, Michigan, July 24 to 30, 2016.

The program is an exploration of the various types of engineering, showcasing future career paths. During the week, the students will stay in the residence halls, enjoy meals in the dining hall and attend class across campus, enabling them to get a feel for the independence that comes with attending college. The main purpose of the program is to help girls learn what engineering entails and help them to envision their future as women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

Exploring Engineering Fields

Participants from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Illinois will be challenged to design and implement

various projects from many different fields of engineering, including civil, environmental, mechanical, electrical, materials and more. The students will problem-solve, create, work in teams and learn to overcome obstacles, much the way engineers do in their careers.

Ford Motor Company also provided $10,000 in funding towards each of Michigan Techs Women in Engineering (WIE) and Women in Computer Science (WICS) scholarship programs. STEM at Ford is committed to helping develop a skilled workforce, said Alison Bazil, co-lead of the companys STEM Advisory Council. The Michigan Tech summer engineering program is a great way for Ford to support students exploring the STEM fields.

Ford also gave $10,000 to help support WIE in 2015.

Women in Engineering

WIE is a highly competitive, engaging week-long look at engineering careers in areas such as mechanical, computer, environmental, electrical, chemical, biomedical, civil, geological and materials engineering. One hundred and fifty high school students from across the country and around the world will participate in the program, which features engineering sessions, group projects and special topic presentations. Participants this year include high school students from Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Illinois, Georgia, California, Arizona, Alabama, Wisconsin, Washington, Virginia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The WICS program includes an exploration of computer programming, artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, visualization, networks and cybersecurity. Twenty four young women will learn about career opportunities in computing and the excellent job prospects in a wide range of industries. Participants this year will travel from Missouri, California, New Jersey, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Summer Youth Programs also offers a variety of other camps and explorations, including business, computing, engineering, humanities, leadership, social sciences, outdoor and environmental studies, and science and technology. Each camp is one week long, beginning June 21 and ending August 1, 2016.

For more information on SYP camps or scholarship opportunities, visit https://www.mtu.edu/syp/ or call the Center for Educational Outreach office at 906-487-2219.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
"If it requires removing all cabinet ...
A former congressional candidate from Winter Park who Alan Grayson once called a "tax cheat" faces up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to failure to pay federal payroll taxes.

William Bruce O'Donoghue pleaded guilty to failure to pay payroll taxes

Court documents say he withheld tax from workers but didn't pay IRS

Prosecutors: O'Donoghue used money to fund congressional campaign



William Bruce O'Donoghue, 61, was indicted Feb. 3, 2016.

O'Donoghue was the president and majority owner of Control Specialists, a traffic engineering company, Justice Department court documents state. From 2009 to 2010, O'Donoghue had Control Specialists withhold payroll taxes from employees but didn't pay those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service, prosecutors said. The withheld money was about $220,000.

He also spent thousands of dollars of the company's money for his own benefit, including using $125,000 in cash to fund his congressional campaign, court documents said.

In August 2010, while O'Donoghue was one of several Republicans on the ballot trying to replace Grayson, Grayson's campaign released a statement calling O'Donoghue a "tax cheat."

"Nothing surprises me. Alan Grayson is pretty bizarre with his antics and behavior," O'Donoghue said at the time, adding that the tax issue dealt with a former employee of his traffic engineering company who stole from the company.

The Justice Department case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation division.


Emergency management leaders say now is the time to get prepared for Colin and any other storm that heads our way this hurricane season.



New Smyrna Beach city workers will stage pumps in flood prone areas Monday morning.



They will also distribute sandbags at the Maintenance Operations Department on Industrial Park Avenue.



There are also locations in Brevard and Lake counties for residents to pick up free sandbags Monday.



Osceola County workers helped residents out Sunday, shoveling sand into bags and loading them into cars.



More than a thousand sandbags were handed out.



Residents say even through the storm may not make a direct hit on our area, its still good to be prepared.



The way that its landscaped, yeah my patio gets flooded often, said Buenaventura Lakes resident Inez Collins, because of the rain and the way it pours.



City staff in New Smyrna Beach will also check to make sure all their pumps and chainsaws are in working condition before the worst of the storm hits.

And in one day alone, Osceola County gave out more than 7,000 sandbags.

We are expecting anywhere from 4-6 inches of rain, so there is a potential for flooding throughout certain low lying areas of Central Florida, like Buenaventura Lakes.

Brevard County

Residents can pick up sandbags daily at the Sheriff's Work Farm, 2955 Pluckebaum Road in Cocoa. You can get sandbags between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Only 10 sandbags are permitted per car.

Lake County

Residents in Lake County can fill sandbags at four locations throughout the county:

ASTOR

Fire Station 10

23023 State Road 40

Fire Station 10 23023 State Road 40 ALTOONA

Fire Station 14

42700 State Road 19

Fire Station 14 42700 State Road 19 FRUITLAND PARK

Fire Station 53

2505 Spring Lake Road

Fire Station 53 2505 Spring Lake Road CLERMONT

Fire Station 110

6234 County Road 561

Residents must bring their own shovels. They are allowed to take up to 20 bags of sand per household. Hours of pickup are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice.

Clermont

Clermont's Public Works Dept. will make sandbags available to residents starting Monday at 9 a.m.

The bags will be available at the department's offices located at 400 12th Street.



Osceola County

Residents in Osceola County can fill and make sandbags at several locations from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovel and someone to help fill the bags.

There is a 25-bag limit. Help will be available for those unable to fill the bags themselves.

Road & Bridge Department 3850 Old Canoe Creek Road

Road & Bridge Department 1698 S. Hoagland Boulevard in Kissimmee, 34741

Poinciana Library 101 N. Doverplum Avenue in Poinciana, 34758

Robert Guevara Community Center 501 Florida Parkway, 34743

Kenansville Community Center 1178 S. Canoe Creek Road in Kenansville, 34739

Holopaw Community Center 8801 Community Center Road in Holopaw, 34773

Celebration Library 305 Campus Street, 34747

City of Kissimmee Residents:

Residents in the City of Kissimmee will be limited to three sand bags. Proof of residency with the city limits must be provided.

The Corner of Mabbette Street and Alaska Avenue, across from the YMCA

City of St. Cloud Residents:

No locations have been listed. St. Cloud residents are encouraged to use the above county sites.



For more information, residents are encouraged to visit osceola.org. The Citizen Information Center will also open Sunday at noon. To contact, call (407) 742-0000.

Volusia County



Volusia County has not opened sandbag locations. However, they say they will if conditions escalate.

The county will, however, open a Citizens Information Center that residents can call for updates starting at 9 a.m. Monday. The number to call is 866-345-0345.



City of New Smyrna Beach Residents:

Residents can pick up sandbags on Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sand and bags will be provided, but residents must bring their own shovels and fill their own bags.

Proof of New Smyrna Beach residency required.

New Smyrna Beach Maintenance Operations Department 124 Industrial Park Avenue

For more information about sandbags, residents can call 386-424-2209 during business hours.


After more than a generation of handing out medicine, bandaging cuts and fixing tummy aches, longtime Plainview ISD nurses Charlotte Adams and Nancy Cox have decided to hang up their stethoscopes as they announced their official retirement after the 2016 school year.

"You just kind of know when it's time," said Cox, who has worked as a district nurse for the past 23 years.

Working primarily with elementary children, Adams devoted 31 years to helping PISD students feel better at school.

"I guess my favorite part is the feeling you get when you know you've made a difference. That you've made them feel a little better, or at least put them on that path to feeling better," said Adams as she described the rewarding feeling associated with being a nurse.

Though she really couldn't explain why, Adams said even as a little girl she always knew she was called to be a nurse.

"I just knew I always wanted to be a nurse. I really didn't know why. I don't even think I knew any nurses," Adams said with a laugh.

Graduating from Plainview High in 1975, Adams went straight to West Texas A&M to pursue her nursing degree.

After completing the nursing program, she returned to Plainview where she quickly landed a job in 1979 at the Central Plains Hospital, now known as Covenant Health Plainview.

"I worked on the fourth floor, which was a general medical floor back then," Adams said.

Cox's career as a nurse started a little later when she decided to go back to school at the age of 39.

She had already earned a college degree in horticulture. However, to bring in extra income and take care of her child, Cox was working as a bookkeeper and receptionist in a doctor's office.

"Naturally, I was needing a job that would be pretty flexible because I had a little one at that time," Cox said.

"But that medical aspect has always been in her blood," joked Adams, who explained that Cox's parents were both doctors in Plainview.

Believing that nursing could allow her the flexibility she needed, Cox opted to go to nursing school.

"I went to the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing," she said.

Cox said she took care of her family during the day and late at night she would study nursing before waking up early to go to school.

"I suggest if you're going to school, do it early when you're single and young," Cox said with a laugh.

After finishing school, Cox landed a part-time job at Plainview's hospital in the early 1990s. By that time, Adams was already working for Plainview ISD.

A few months after starting at Central Plains Hospital, Adams was moved to the labor and delivery ward.

"Everything I've ever done in nursing has been my favorite," Adams said. "But that was pretty cool because every day there was a miracle, every day and every baby is a miracle and it's also the happiest day of somebody's life. It was a cool thing."

But soon, like Cox, Adams' family grew and she needed more flexible hours.

"We had young children and hospital hours aren't very family friendly," Adams said.

Adams said she learned from a family friend that a well-known school nurse by the name of Mrs. Baker was retiring, so she opted to fill the vacancy.

In 1984, Adams was named the school nurse of Thunderbird Elementary.

Seeing an ad in the newspaper, Cox decided to apply for a school nurse position at PISD nearly 10 years later.

Cox started working part-time at Hillcrest Elementary. In 1995, she became a full-time school nurse after PISD's Houston School was opened.

The transition from the hospital to the school campus took some getting used to for both nurses.

"I was really concerned about that. But someone at the central office just said, be a mother to them. And I kind of feel like I have been," said Cox, who spent her last four years as the high school nurse.

"I was really nervous too," Adams said. "Because it wasn't clear what I was supposed to do. You know when you're in the hospital, everyone has an acute need. But in the school, they're mostly not sick."

Adams said she received a crash course in being a school nurse, setting up eye and ear checkups and even learning how to pull a tooth.

"I never did that in nursing school," she said with another laugh.

But both nurses say the fell in love with the schools and students immediately, agreeing they had found their calling.

Adams spent her entire school career at Thunderbird, but she also served as the school nurse for Lamesa and at Edgemere.

The memories were too many to count for both nurses as they cared for generations of students.

In their own right, Cox and Adams were just like teachers, instilling hygiene and first-aid education to students and parents, while also sharing their wisdom and compassion.

"I think that has been one of the attributes that I could give to these students besides being a nurse to treat cuts and bruises," Cox said. "Be somebody they could talk to."

After their decades of service, Adams and Cox praised Plainview's school district for enacting such a strong nursing program over the years.

"I've always been proud of Plainview ISD for their position on school nurses because there are a lot of districts that don't have as many nurses as we have; some don't have any because in Texas you're not required to have one," Adams said.

"Overall, I think they've kept that as a priority and I think that's been great. School nursing is very important and people need to know that. An estimated 20 percent of children have some kind of chronic health condition; asthma, diabetes, autism or ADHD. And that's a lot to ask teachers and administrators to handle that and monitor all that, so school nurses are very important."

Adams said last year, the district welcomed new nurses to replace departing positions.

Both women agreed they have been very impressed with the devotion the nurses have had for the children.

"I had been thinking about retiring for a while. And just seeing these nurses' youth, enthusiasm and nursing skills. I just thought, I can retire and leave my kids in good hands," Adams said.

Both women said they plan on staying in Plainview after retirement and becoming more involved in the community and local programs.

"This is home," Cox said.
Amanda Bradshaw of Plainview had no doubt of the reason she was present at Lloyd Woods Park for the Society for Creative Anachronism practice fights Saturday.

Im going to fight, she said.

Bradshaw showed up in jeans and sweatshirt, hardly equipped for fighting. The society members worked to remedy that by producing rattan swords and protective gear, all made in the style of the period before 1600, as well as a waiver form.

Although Bradshaw had never fought with weapons before, she had taken Tai Kwan Do. Experienced fighters Lord Gabriel Thomas (Thomas Schroeder of Midland) and the Baron of Bonwicke (Chris England of Odessa) instructed her, and Lady Alys Anna (Rachel Schroeder) checked to make sure that her borrowed helmet fit correctly and that she would be safe during the skirmish.

If its not safe, then its not practicing, remarked Robert Holland of Lubbock, who grew up as a member of SCA and recently rejoined.

Once Bradshaw was properly equipped, she chose to fight Florentine style, using double swords against her instructor and opponent Thomas Schroeder.

England served as seneschal, or safety officer, watching closely to make sure the battle was fought cleanly and occasionally stepping in to instruct. The participants themselves determine whether or not a hit is good by saying whether or not they felt it through the armor. A knight may indicate that the hit is good by kneeling on the field. If the hit is a coup-de-grace, the opposing knight falls to the field.

SCA members take pride in making their own costumes. A blacksmith who currently works in the oil fields, Schroeder estimates that he took 40 hours to construct his helmet and 80 hours to complete the rest of his suit of armor, which is made of 18-gauge stainless steel held together by bits and pieces of leather.

These days, almost everything can be purchased through the internet, and Schroeder says he gets the stainless steel through race car outlets.

During the duels, Lady Eleanor (Zeina Khan) of Lubbock sat under a shelter hand-sewing an underdress out of handkerchief-weight linen. She wore a green cotehardie, a garment popular in the 1400s, along with cowl and veil. She proudly pointed out her gold veil pins made of material as fine as mud from the Thames. Khans mundane job is assistant professor for mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University.

Her friend Lady Kristyan (Kristy Cook) wore a garment from a later period, approximately 1580s, that consisted of a white shirt, dark skirt and red doublet. Cook said she made her clothing with the help of Ye Olde Sewing Machine. Her favorite medieval craft is hat-making.

A stay-at-home grandma, Cook is from Lubbock with roots in Plainview, where her grandparents farmed until she was in her teens.

Siegfried Von Wustdrake (Thomas Berger) of Lubbock, who has been with SCA about five years, points out that a variety of skills can be learned through the organization.

We have women that fight, men that sew and knit. I made my own bag at a major event, said Berger, who is adept at many types of fighting.

Recently the Lubbock group took up mead-making. Mead is a honey-based alcoholic beverage.

The first batch was really good, said Rachel Schroeder.

The wife of Thomas, Schroeder was sitting out the fighting due to an injury. Ordinarily, she fights in many different styles including the long glaive, or pole-arm, and two-handed with shorter weapons.

A stay-at-home mom, Schroeder grows her hair long specifically to be able to wear period styles. She is a graduate of Angelo State University and says interest in SCA is growing in that city.

They have a bardic (story-telling) group, and theyre starting a fighting group, she said.

Following the teaching fights, Thomas Schroeder and England went after one another in a fast-moving duel while Rachel Schroder acted as seneschal.

England, who works at Barnes & Noble in Odessa, has been an SCA member for 25 years. He does a little of everything including working with chain mail, jewelry, leather and armor construction. His current project is making a book with linen paper, the way they were made before the printing press in 1450-1500 period style.

The very first SCA meeting in Berkley, California, included an invocation from Winnie-the-Pooh in Latin, so theres some real history there, he said.

Lady Beatrix Funteyn (Sarah Fountain) of Plainview organized Saturdays event. A member of the Lubbock group, Fountain said she wants to start a group in Plainview if there is enough interest shown, preferably with paid membership.

For more information, find Barony of Bonwicke on Facebook or go to bonwicke.ansteorra.org. For more information on the national group, go to SCA.org.
MILFORD  A Connecticut teenager who fatally stabbed a classmate the morning of their junior prom because she turned down his invitation is scheduled to be sentenced.



A judge is expected to sentence 19-year-old Christopher Plaskon to 25 years in prison on Monday in Milford Superior Court.



Plaskon pleaded no contest to murder in March in the killing of 16-year-old Maren Sanchez inside Jonathan Law High School in Milford in April 2014.



Plaskons attorneys have said he showed signs of psychosis and they considered an insanity defense.



Sanchezs parents filed a lawsuit accusing the school system of negligence, saying she told a guidance counselor that Plaskon was troubled and capable of hurting others. School officials have declined to comment.






MERIDEN  Two New Britain men face charges after police said they were found in a vacant house on Saturday with two teenage girls.



Jarrezz Edwards, 25, of 13 Nash St., New Britain and Tyshawn Acluche, 21, of 13 Jerome Dr., New Britain, were arrested on Saturday and charged with risk of injury to a minor, criminal trespass and interfering with an officer. Edwards was also charged with carrying a dangerous weapon.



On Saturday around 12:34 a.m., officers responded to a trespassing complaint at a house on James Street that is vacant and in foreclosure. Officers arrived and saw a car parked in the driveway, a broken rear window and an unlocked rear door, according to a police report. Officers found two teenage girls, Edwards and Acluche on the second floor, the report said. They also found a BB pistol in a bedroom.



The teens were issued a summons for trespassing and released to their parents. Acluche posted $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at Meriden Superior Court on June 14. Edwards was held on bond and arraigned at Meriden Superior Court on Monday. Judge Sheridan Moore set bond at $7,500 and continued his case to June 16.










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Lamar State College-Orange officials broke ground Thursday on a $12.3 million multipurpose building, making it the first of three local colleges and Lamar University to start on a $100 million package of projects approved in February by the Texas State University System's Board of Regents.

The projects will be mostly funded by tuition revenue bonds approved by state lawmakers last summer.
From a Prom Do-Over Party to a special dance party dedicated to Prince, it was a weekend to dance pants off.

Friday Night kicked things off with a snazzy '20s style boardwalk party at the NcNay Art Museum, then continued as Luminaria raised the roof during a special fundraiser at Broadway Lofts.
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Mark Boughton is taking a lesson from Donald Trump.

Grab your campaign website while the getting is good or wind up like Jeb Bush.

Danburys eight-term Republican mayor has renewed the domain name teamboughton.com, the strongest signal yet the 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial candidate could run again for the states highest office in 2018.

Were looking very closely at the 2018 race, Boughton told Hearst Connecticut Media. Were gearing up. I think, by the fall, Ill make a decision whether Ill jump in our not.

Boughton said he spent a couple of hundred bucks of personal funds re-registering the site, which Trumps rivals such as Bush would probably consider money well spent.

Once considered the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, the former Florida governor was forced to use the website jeb2016.com for his doomed campaign website after Trump snagged jebbush.com. Ted Cruz suffered a similar indignity when political foes bought tedcruz.com and displayed the message, Support President Obama. Immigration Reform Now!

The preemptive jockeying by Boughton comes after state Rep. Jason Perillo, of Shelton, a fellow Republican, stockpiled website domains bearing the names of rumored suitors for the governors office in 2018 on both sides of the aisle.

With all the cybersquatting going on, we thought it would be prudent to lock up the teamboughton website, Boughton said.

Private eyes

The healing powers of yacht rock shouldnt be underestimated in Donald Trumps inner circle.

Trumps campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and communications director, Hope Hicks, were spotted speaking together on friendly terms in the VIP tent during Hall & Oates performance at the Greenwich Town Party.

Thats a stark contrast from a Page Six item in the New York Post last month that reported a screaming match between the pair, which the newspaper attributed to Lewandowskis diminishing role in Trumps campaign.

Hicks, 27, a former Ralph Lauren model-turned-publicist first for Ivanka Trump and then The Donald, is from Greenwich. Chatting the pair up in the VIP tent was Drew Marzullo, a Greenwich Democratic selectman and paramedic who works with Hicks sister, Mary Grace Hicks, an EMT. Hicks was at the concert with her parents and sister, as well as several other Trump campaign staffers.

Cashing in

Remember when lawmakers figured they could squeeze savings out of Connecticuts publicly funded elections program?

Neither do they.

Seventeen candidates for the Legislature have already qualified for Citizens Election Fund grants, including Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. The second round of grants was announced last week by the state Elections Enforcement Commission, which administers the program.

Senate candidates can receive $95,710 for the general election and $39,410 for a primary if they raise $15,000 from at least 300 contributors in their districts. House candidates can get $28,150 for the general election and $11,260 for the primary if they raise $5,000 from at least 150 contributors in their city or town.

The state is expected to pay out $10 million to $11 million this election cycle, which will feature 151 House and 36 Senate races. But grappling with a $1 billion budget deficit, Democrats and Republicans targeted the program for cuts, only to stand down.

The goal of the program is to wean candidates off special-interest money and free them from the time required for fundraising. It came into existence a decade ago following the resignation and imprisonment of Gov. John G. Rowland for accepting bribes from state contractors.

Name dropping

Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were relegated to Archie Bunker status by the Connecticut Democrats at their annual fundraising dinner last week.

For the first time in the 68 years of the event, its two presidential namesakes were eliminated from the program. In addition to both owning slaves, Jacksons role in the persecution of Native Americans in the Trail of Tears led to the state party renaming the event as the Connecticut Democratic Progress Dinner. Jacksons image is being replaced on the $20 bill by Harriet Tubman.

The event, a traditional showcase for the partys rising stars, was formerly known as the Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner. The events third namesake, John Bailey, who led the state party and then the Democratic National Committee under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, was preserved in a new award for service to the party.

We dont have any names on this dinner anymore, but lets remember that we are a party with so many heroes in whose footsteps we walk, said Luke Bronin, Hartfords first-year mayor and a Greenwich native. This is still the party of Roosevelt, Franklin and Eleanor. This is the party of Kennedy, the party of Barack Obama, the party of Bailey, the party of (Abraham) Ribicoff and so many others.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
On this date in ...

1916: A young woman found partly submerged in an Erie, Pennsylvania lake by a group of fisherman gave her name as Bernice St. Mary and later Bernice Murray and said she was from Albany. No person of either name was listed in the Albany directory. She was being treated at Hamot Hospital there for a fractured thigh she said she suffered after falling off a cliff near Crowley Farm, but authorities doubted the validity of her story.

1966: Richard Eberhart, professor of English and poet-in-residence at Dartmouth College, spoke to a class of 280 Skidmore College graduating seniors and predicted an increase in the number and quality of women poets. He was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree in recognition of his "disciplined and striving spirit" as a poet and "in the conviction that such spirit and discipline were among his proper ends of education."

1991: An 11th-hour call from the governor granted at least a temporary reprieve  provided the state Legislature gave its blessing  to the 1991 Empire State Games. Gov. Mario Cuomo said he would introduce legislation to restore funds slashed from the Empire State Games budget, an action that was expected to allow the 14th annual games to go on as scheduled July 24-28 in the Capital Region.

Want to read more about the Capital Region's past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today's events? See http://blog.timesunion.com/history/.
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Parents were terrified. A deadly virus was striking their children, and there was no vaccine, no cure.

But the worries were not today's concerns about Zika or other debilitating disease.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Bayou City - and the nation - feared polio.

The polio epidemic made 1943 to 1954 a frightening decade in the Houston area, but it also begot TIRR Memorial Hermann, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital, as well as medical innovation, a spirit of community unity and a health museum that endures to this day.

Texas was hit hardest in the nation, and Harris County's crisis was unmatched in the state. A polio epidemic swept through the Houston area every other year during those years, a regularity second only to Los Angeles County, Calif., according to "The Polio Years in Texas: Battling a Terrifying Unknown," a 2009 book written by Houston-area historian Heather Green Wooten.

Polio vaccine researchers and namesakes Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin consulted colleagues in Houston.

More Information POLIO IN HOUSTON 1937: The beginning of "the polio years" in Texas when cases first emerge. 1940s-1950s: A polio epidemic sweeps through the Houston area every other year. 1950: The Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center - the nation's first dedicated to caring for polio patients - opens at Houston's Jefferson Davis Hospital in cooperation with Baylor College of Medicine. 1952: The most devastating polio year in the nation; of 58,000 cases nationwide, 4,000 were in Texas, with more than 700 in Harris County. 1955: The introduction of the Salk vaccine, used for widespread children's inoculation campaigns. 1959: The Southwestern center evolves into the Texas Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, or TIRR. Today it is known as TIRR Memorial Hermann. See More Collapse

Jack Emmott knew a little about polio as a young boy and the terror that swept the community. A neighbor girl had been struck and was living at home.

"I remember going to see her with Mother when I was 4," he said. "I was really glad I wasn't going to have polio or be in an iron lung like her."

Two years after visiting his friend, in August 1954, floodwaters likely carried the illness to Emmott. He was 6 years old.

"I'd run a fever for a few days, and over a period of one day, I gradually lost the use of my feet and my legs and my arms, and by the time the doctor paid the house call, I was paralyzed from the neck down," he said. "I remember it like it was yesterday."

He was taken to Hedgecroft Hospital in Houston in the Montrose area and spent first grade there.

Rocky McAshan was 5 years old in September 1951 when his family spent a weekend at Addicks Reservoir. That may have been where he was infected with the virus.

"I was feverish and was starting to have trouble moving my legs," said McAshan, now 70, of Houston, the last president of the now-defunct Texas Polio Survivors' Association.

He also went to Hedgecroft, and spent nine months in the hospital. He went to kindergarten there and returned home on crutches with leg braces.

In the 1960s, both boys underwent back surgery by Dr. Paul Harrington, an orthopedic surgeon at TIRR who invented the Harrington rod, a stainless steel implant that stabilized spinal curvatures and fought scoliosis.

"The benefits of Houston as a medical community meant that if I needed to go see a doctor, I could go see one and they would help me," said McAshan, an investment manager for decades who now uses a powered wheelchair.

Emmott, 67, a lawyer, said Houston responded in ways many communities could not.

"In Houston, we had all the resources to bring the best out of the worst," said Emmott, who uses a wheelchair for mobility. "We had the best medical facilities, and we had great doctors that helped us."

The epidemic was finally intercepted by the Salk vaccine, an injection first used in 1955 for widespread children's inoculation campaigns. The Sabin oral vaccine, which was often administered on sugar cubes, debuted in 1961 for commercial use.

Polio treatment made Houston an early leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

In 1950, the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center - the nation's first dedicated to caring for polio patients - opened at Jefferson Davis Hospital in cooperation with Baylor College of Medicine. Led by Dr. William Spencer, a pediatrician, the highly specialized medical team eventually handled about 10 percent of the nation's new polio cases, Wooten's book said.

The center was in place to face 1952, the most devastating year for the infection. There were 58,000 cases reported nationwide, including 4,000 in Texas and more than 700 in Harris County. The wave began around Memorial Day, peaked in July and abated by October. Fewer than 20 people locally, however, lost their lives that year.

Despite customs of the day that included an annual white patient with polio in ads for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (later known as the March of Dimes) and a separate "Negro Poster Child," Spencer insisted on treating black and white youngsters side by side.

Southwestern's admissions crossed the color line "in stark contrast to the policies of most medical institutions in Texas" and despite "the segregated world that was Houston in the early 1950s," Wooten wrote.

Spencer's work and the Southwestern center evolved into the Texas Institute of Rehabilitation and Research or TIRR in 1959. The center was known as The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research by 1978 and is now TIRR Memorial Hermann.

"The polio institute was a leader then and we are still a leader in having a team-based rehabilitation approach to taking care of our patients," said Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, a physical medicine rehabilitation specialist and clinical co-director of the TIRR Memorial Hermann outpatient clinic.

The epidemic also left a mark on public health education in the Houston area. Local fundraising for "Victory Over Polio" campaigns organized by the Harris County Medical Society and the Rotary Club of Houston led to the city's first health education effort.

Leftover money plus a grant were used as seed money for a building on Hermann Drive that now houses medical society offices and the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, according to Dr. Kenneth L. Mattox, a former medical society president. As a medical student in the 1960s, he met Spencer and remembers iron lungs lined up in the parking lot of Jefferson Davis Hospital.

"Polio was a tremendous scourge on this country," said Mattox, now a distinguished service professor at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of staff and chief surgeon at Ben Taub Hospital. "You could almost say that what we learned during 'Victory Over Polio' also led to a confidence that when we wanted to do it for another disaster, such as hurricanes Katrina and Allison, we could do it."
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While many have expressed outrage over the lenient sentencing of a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault, his father wrote a letter saying his son is "paying a steep price for 20 minutes of action."

Brock Turner, 20, was found guilty Thursday of raping a woman on the night of Jan. 17 and sentenced to six months in a county jail with probation.

Brock's father, Dan Turner, said in the letter submitted to the court before sentencing that a lengthy prison term was "inappropriate" for someone who has "no prior criminal history and has never been violent with anyone including on the night of January 17."

The letter begins: "As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of January 17th and 18th."

It goes on: "He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile.

"His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression.

"You can see it in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, and depression."

The father goes on to share that his son has become so stressed that he has lost his appetite.

"Brock always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook himself," he writes.

"I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or to get his favorite snack for him.

I had to make sure to hide some of my favorites pretzels and chips because I knew they wouldn't be around long after Brock walked in from a long swim practice."

"Now he barely consumed any food and eats only to exist."

When Turner, an all-American swimmer who was an Olympic hopeful, was convicted in Santa Clara County Superior Court of three counts of sexual assault in late March, he faced up to 14 years of prison.

The judge, Aaron Persky, opted for a lighter penalty, saying a stiffer sentence would have a "severe impact" on the 20-year-old.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen was disappointed in the outcome. "The punishment does not fit the crime," Rosen said in a statement after the sentence was announced Thursday. "The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault, or the victim's ongoing trauma. Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape."

Many others objected and the decision spurred outrage on social media. An editorial in the San Jose Mercury News called the six-month county jail sentence "a slap on the wrist."

"Brock Turner's six-month jail term for sexual assault of an intoxicated, unconscious woman on the Stanford campus last year is a setback for the movement to take campus rape seriously," the Mercury News said. "If Turner's slap on the wrist sentence is a setback, activists can take some comfort that the jurors at the trial in March saw what happened as a very serious crime."

But Brock's father feels his son has received more than a slap on the wrist. He writes that the verdict has "broken" and "shattered" Brock and his family. What's more, he says his son's life will never be the same.

"The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life forever alters where he can live, visit, work and how he will be able to interact with people and organizations," his father writes. "What I know is that incarceration is not the appropriate punishment for Brock."

District Attorney Jeff Rosen told the Washington Post the father's letter "was submitted to the court before Turner's sentencing last week and criticized it for reducing a brutal sexual assault to 20 minutes of action."

The father's letter transpired three days after the court released a 12-page impact statement from the victim, who has not been identified. The letter was published in full on Palo Alto online and went viral in social media.

The victim read an abbreviated version of the statement in court and began by addressing Turner directly: "You don't know me, but you've been inside me, and that's why we're here today."

The woman went on to tell the story of what happened to her that night. She's not a Stanford student and said she was visiting her younger sister at the party.

"I made silly faces, let my guard down, and drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college," she said.

"The next thing I remember I was in a gurney in a hallway. I had dried blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and elbow.

I thought maybe I had fallen and was in an admin office on campus. I was very calm and wondering where my sister was.

"A deputy explained I had been assaulted. I still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person.

"I knew no one at this party. When I was finally allowed to use the restroom, I pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear, and felt nothing."

Early in the morning on Jan. 18, 2015, two graduate students called police when they found Turner thrusting his hips against a partially clothed unconscious woman lying in a field on campus.

Turner was arrested and told police he consumed seven cans of beer at a Kappa Alpha fraternity party and was having consensual sex with the woman. According to police, the woman was "completely unresponsive" at the time.

The woman didn't remember anything beyond the beginnings of her evening at the party and told investigators that she had "four whiskey shots and two shots of vodka."

The victim addressed the issue of drunkenness in her statement, saying it's unfair for Turner to use it as an excuse for sexually assaulting her.

"Alcohol is not an excuse," the victim said. "Is it a factor? Yes. But alcohol was not the one who stripped me, fingered me, had my head dragging against the ground, with me almost fully naked. Having too much to drink was an amateur mistake that I admit to, but it is not criminal. Everyone in this room has had a night where they have regretted drinking too much, or knows someone close to them who has had a night where they have regretted drinking too much."

She goes on: "Regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault. We were both drunk, the difference is I did not take off your pants and underwear, touch you inappropriately, and run away. That's the difference."

District Attorney Rosen said the victim's letter was "the most eloquent, powerful and compelling piece of victim advocacy that I've seen in my 20 years as a prosecutor."

With reporting from the Associated Press
The Houston-based nonprofit group Children at Risk has released its 2016 rankings of the state's public schools. The criteria mostly involved student performance on standardized exams. Each campus received a letter grade, from A+ to F, and a rank, with No. 1 representing the top rating. Elementary, middle and high schools were ranked separately.

Search the interactive database below to see the rankings for the eight-county Houston region or see the top 10 elementary, middle and high schools in the gallery above. The regional list includes 857 elementary schools, 303 middle schools and 171 high schools. The state rankings are based on 4,188 elementary schools, 1,670 middle schools and 1,159 high schools.
A Northeast Independent School District police officer was arrested Sunday morning and charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor.

San Antonio police arrested Juan Antonio Pacheco Jr., 28,around 3 a.m. Online court records indicate his blood-alcohol level was more than 0.15, almost twice the legal limit of 0.08.
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An Odessa teen was arrested last Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting his relative, according to Ector County records.

RELATED: Austin pedicab driver assists police in tracking down rape suspect

Josmasy Josel Cespedes, 17, was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony, after reportedly admitting to raping his relative, according to media reports. He is being held on a $40,000 bond in Ector County Detention Center, said Sgt. Gary Duesler. Duesler said the case is still under investigation.

RELATED: Waco man accused of trafficking minors, sexually assaulting them at his home

Requests for information made to Ector County were not immediately returned.

RELATED: Texas couple's 'suicide pact' to 'stab one another until they died' detailed in police report

The victim told Harmony Home Crisis Advocacy Center employees May 23 that Cespedes "penetrated her sexual organ with his sexual organ," according to an affidavit report. Ector County officials were alerted to the suspected criminal offense that took place in August 2015 on May 19.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
A South Texas police officer is facing a misdemeanor cruelty to a non-livestock animal charge after his police dog died in his unattended police cruiser last week, a news release stated.

According to a McAllen Police Department release, San Juan Police Department Officer Juan Luis Cerrillo, 37, called police around 5:30 p.m. on June 3 to notify them he left his dog in the car alone. By the time police arrived at the 2400 block of north I street, the Belgian Malinois was dead.
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SAN ANTONIO  The names of two men detained after several people were injured Monday morning when a party on the South Side spiraled into a melee have been released.

Christopher Dandre Bean, 19, and Demetrias Viesca, 17, were both charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

At least three people were hospitalized after the brawl, one with life-threatening stab wounds, according to the San Antonio Police Department. Officers received reports of a shooting in progress in the 200 block of East Dullnig Court around 3:20 a.m., police said.

As they arrived at the location, they saw numerous individuals running away from the address.

RELATED: Police searching for suspects in two separate shootings

A homeowner approached officers and told them that several people crashed the party after details of the event were posted to Facebook.

An argument ensued inside the house, which quickly turned physical.

Police said a punch was thrown, then several of the party crashers pulled out knives and handguns.

While shots were fired at the home, no one was hit by gunfire, according police.

RELATED: Vigil held for 7-year-old girl killed in shooting Wednesday night

Three people, however, were stabbed during the incident. Two of them managed to run away and get help from officers after arriving at different locations and calling for assistance.

The third victim, identified by police as Steven Hernandez, 21, received a life-threatening stab wound and was taken to the San Antonio Military Medical Center for treatment.

According to SAPD, numerous partygoers were punched and pistol whipped as well.

The two suspects were detained by authorities shortly after the brawl and taken to Public Safety Headquarters for questioning.

Staff Writer Quixem Ramirez contributed to this report.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
This community talks a big game about valuing multimodal transportation, or at least aspiring to value it one day. But when there are opportunities to make a bold statement, our leaders always balk.

The latest example of self-induced haplessness? The citys Advanced Transportation District Ad Hoc Committees inability to recommend a transfer of ATD dollars to better support VIA Metropolitan Transit, the communitys grossly underfunded bus system.

Its been well-documented that VIA is dramatically underfunded compared with other major Texas cities. Its also been well-documented that the region is going to continue to grow, and we cannot simply build more roads to meet our transportation needs. Yes, we will need roads. But we also need a quality public transportation system that entices drivers to get out of their cars.

The question the ATD committee has been considering is whether to shift the city of San Antonios portion of ATD sales tax dollars, about $15 million, a year to VIA. It is an idea that City Councilman Rey Saldana has championed. Its also an incredibly modest proposal. It will take far more than an additional $15 million to make VIA the public transportation system this community needs, but the additional funds would dramatically increase frequency on a number of routes.

Routes that run at 60-minute intervals would be reduced to 30-minute intervals, which is barely adequate. But barely adequate is better than basically intolerable. There is also the possibility of increasing frequency on VIAs busiest routes to 12 minutes. The proposed improvements would benefit about 60 percent of VIAs riders, officials have said.

But the committee waffled and ultimately punted on the issue. The funds are dedicated to sidewalks and traffic signals, and city staff would like to keep it that way. In turn, the committee is now discussing the prospect of asking the Legislature to increase the citys sales tax to generate more funding for VIA, a ridiculous idea. This is the Legislature focused on capping city property tax revenues, and the city is going to ask that it allow the city to increase sales tax?

As Saldana said, If were waiting for Superman to come in from the state, we may be waiting longer than 10 years in our current climate.

That sounds optimistic.

Improving the bus system, which has economic and social value, should be a community priority, not an afterthought. The community has to start somewhere, and transferring ATD dollars to VIA is as fine a place as any.
San Antonio turned down a proposal for a streetcar system that would relieve traffic congestion and improve the inner city. The objections were primarily that the city could use that money to repair streets and byways.

Many people supported the measure, but for those who didnt, wouldnt you like to see exactly where those dollars were spent? Certainly not anywhere I can see! The city streets are just as bad as a year ago.

Streetcars wouldve meant progress; instead, nothing!

Rick Garcia

Character counts

Donald Trump supporters live in a make-believe world. Somewhere in this narrative, we fail to realize that our country is not a dictatorship and, thank God, there is a Congress that limits what a president can and cannot do.

To assert that all terrorist acts will disappear if immigrants are prohibited from entering our country is an illusion. Apparently, the terrorist research was limited, because most of the hate crimes in this country are perpetrated by domestic terrorists. An example is what occurred in Oklahoma and in many schools.

To say that character is not an important virtue of the office of the president is offensive and disrespectful.

D.M. Lopez

Classroom woes

Re: For U.S. workers, a constant decline, Scott Burns, Business, May 25:

Everything pointed out in this fine column is true, but the main cause of our decline is our educational system.

We have a nine-month school year, followed by three months in which the brains of our kids vegetate. I know of other nations that have 10- or 11-month school years, and they are pulling ahead of us. For instance, the U.S. helped pioneer the invention of the television set, but how many people own an American-made TV set nowadays?

The money leaving this country could be paying wages, pensions and other benefits.

Gordon Boerwinkle

Bravo to theaters

We wish to thank the staff of the Majestic and Empire Theaters for their unwavering support for our recent performance, Buttercup: A Musical Journey.

Our ambitious idea involved moving a crowd of more than 100 audience members onto both stages of the Empire and Majestic, and underneath, exploring backstage and normally off-limit areas that connect the two spaces. The show would ultimately traverse 40,000-plus square feet and feature cameos of area musicians. Hector Saldana wrote an excellent piece explaining the concept (Art rock band Buttercups magically mysterious tour, May 19).

It is remarkable that the Majestic folks, especially Emily Smith, Mike Rilley and Brittany Garcia, grabbed this idea and threw the full support of the theater behind it.

The Majestic/Empires large and talented staff of ushers and stage hands expedited the audiences progress. The theater took out extra insurance because of the unusual nature of the performance. They promoted it via social media. It sold out, and it went off without a hitch.

This show, as well as their Two Ten Empire series featuring San Antonio bands, are clear proof of the Majestic/Empires deep commitment to original music in our fine city.

Erik Sanden and Joe Reyes
STAMFORD-City police said a bloody melee where three women used shattered beer bottles to stab each other in a West Side bar early Monday morning led to two arrests and and emergency surgery for a third woman whose wounds nearly claimed her life.

Lt. Diedrich Hohn said police were called to the Discovery Cafe on Stillwater Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Monday on a report of multiple women assaulting one another with beer bottles.

Hohn said that New York City resident Jenely Holguin-Munoz came out to Stamford to visit the Discovery with some friends to celebrate her 18th birthday. But sometime just after midnight, Holguin-Munoz reported to police that she had been disrespected by a woman named Tanya Pichardo, 34.

At first the fight was verbal, with the two woman yelling at each other. But the fight then became physical after Helguin-Munoz three a punch at Pichardo and the two began beating each other. Then the two grabbed beer bottles and smashed them on the floor and began stabbing each other. At one point another woman -the sister of Pichardo- Yakaryra Mercedes, 20, of The Bronx, stepped into the fray and began stabbing Holguin-Munoz in the stomach with a broken beer bottle, Hohn said.

Holguin-Munoz recieved multiple, severe lacerations to both arms and a severed artery, as well as cuts to her stomach and upon arrival at Stamford Hospital had to undergo emergency surgery for her life-threatening wounds.

Pichardo received three stab wounds to her abdomen, which were closed with staples and she was treated and released.

Pichardo and Mercedes were charged with first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct and will be arraigned at the Stamford courthouse on Monday.

Holguin-Munoz, who will be spending the next few days at Stamford Hospital will also be charged with first-degree assault and reckless endangerment upon her release, Hohn said.

jnickerson@scni.com;
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STAMFORD  A New York woman was nearly killed following a bloody fight with shattered beer bottles at a West Side bar early Monday morning.

Lt. Diedrich Hohn said Jenely Holguin-Munoz, of New York City, was celebrating her 18th birthday with friends at Discovery Cafe on Stillwater Avenue when she said Tanya Pichardo, 34, disrespected her just after midnight.

The verbal dispute became physical when Holguin-Munoz threw a punch at Pichardo and the two began beating each other, Hohn said. The two then grabbed beer bottles, smashed them on the floor and began stabbing each other with them, Hohn said. The bars head of security, who was also struck with a bottle during the fight, said Holguin-Munoz was the main aggressor in the fight, according to the report.

Holguin-Munozs sister, Yakaryra Mercedes, 20, of Bronx, N.Y., then stepped into the fray and began stabbing Pichardo in the stomach with a broken beer bottle, Hohn said. When officers arrived, employees were cleaning up the blood and broken bottles on the floor of the bar.

Pichardo sustained a deep cut to her right hand and left forearm, which severed an artery. The bar bouncer told police Pichardo could have walked away from the initial confrontation, but decided to jab and throw bottles back at Holguin-Munoz and her sister, Hohn said. Pichardo was taken to Stamford Hospital and underwent emergency surgery for life-threatening wounds.

Holguin-Munoz suffered three stab wounds to her abdomen, which were closed with staples before being released from Stamford Hospital. Mercedes was taken directly to Stamford police headquarters.

The sisters were charged with first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct and were arraigned Monday at the Stamford courthouse where they were ordered held in lieu of a $50,000 court appearance bond. The two were sent to the York Correctional Institution for women following their arraignments.

Pichardo, of New York City, told officers the fight began because one of her friends and one of Holguin-Munozs friends were dating the same man, Hohn said. Pichardo told officers she tried to break up the fight when several women got into her face, Hohn said. She said she wasnt sure who stabbed her, Hohn said.

Pichardo will be also be charged with first-degree assault and reckless endangerment when she is released from the hospital, Hohn said.

jnickerson@scni.com;
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DANBURY  A Sherman man who escaped from a Georgia prison camp nearly 50 years ago will spend at least two more months in Connecticut.

Robert Stackowitz, who is trying to avoid extradition by citing his health problems, appeared Monday morning in Superior Court, where his case was continued until Aug. 1.

The frail-looking fugitive sat in a wheelchair and with casts on his legs as he faced a judge. Outside the courthouse, the 71-year-old man told reporters that he is struggling with kidney and heart problems.

They had me in jail in Bridgeport, he said. I got out and ended up in the hospital with kidney failure. I have some heart problems and both my legs are in casts.

Stackowitz, known by neighbors as Bob Gordon, was arrested last month after officials processing his Social Security application discovered a warrant for his arrest.

Federal authorities said he escaped from Carroll County Prison Work Camp in Carrolton, Ga., in 1968. He had been convicted of robbery two years earlier and was serving a 17-year sentence.

Defense attorney Norman Pattis has urged Connecticut authorities not to extradite his client and plans to ask the state of Georgia to commute the rest of the sentence. Pattis said returning Stackowitz to prison could amount to a death sentence.

Danbury States Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III requested the two-month continuance so he can review Georgias request to have Stackowitz extradited. The attorneys still havent met to discuss the case because Pattis is still collecting detailed medical records.

But the medical records we have assembled affirms the fact that Mr. Stackowitz suffers from serious heart disease and this (extradition) would endanger his health, Pattis said. Our objective is to keep Mr. Stackowitz in Connecticut.

Asked if he was scared of going back to Georgia, Stackowitz said, Wouldnt you be? Of course I am.

Stackowitz, who is out on $75,000 bond, ran a repair business out of his home at on Route 39 South. For a time, he taught auto mechanics at the Henry Abbott Technical School in Danbury.

The 48-year-old case was re-opened several months ago when investigators in Georgia began taking another look at some of their cold case suspects. Georgia authorities obtained a photo of Stackowitz from the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles in April and noticed he looked like the Georgia prisoner in the late 1960s.

noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson
San Antonio developer GrayStreet Partners, which has invested millions of dollars in several high-profile projects downtown over the last year, is planning a new 27.5-acre multifamily project on the Northwest Side near Ingram Park Mall.

Two companies run by Kevin and Paul Covey, GrayStreets father-and-son leadership team, are asking the city to rezone the vacant land from a business park to multifamily, allowing for 33 units an acre. The city Zoning Commission will consider their request Tuesday, and city staff has recommended approval.
SACRAMENTO  Legislation that passed the California Senate last week is moving to ban tobacco sales from convenience and grocery stores and restrict the sale of tobacco products to cigar shops.

State Senator Bob Wieckowski authored the bill (SB 1400), which would make c-stores and grocery stores ineligible to sell tobacco products by changing the definition of a retail location thats able to obtain a license to sell tobacco. The bill would change the definition of an eligible retail location to businesses that generate 60% or more of gross revenue annually from tobacco-related products, reports KCRA.com.

This is a huge step forward in protecting Californias children because 90% of smokers start before they are age 18, Wieckowski said in a statement.

Sunil Tandel, whose family has owned the Fremont Market in Sacramento for 20 years, told the news source that not being able to sell tobacco products would be a huge hit for his business. The whole convenience factor is out the door, he said, adding that sales of tobacco products are often accompanied by purchases of other in-store merchandise.

Once you buy cigarettes, everyone will be like, Oh I need a lighter, oh let me grab some energy drinks or beef jerky, or a lotto ticket, Tandel told the news source. We'd take like a 25% hit just from cigarettesand then on top of that, whatever else that goes with it.

E-cigarettes would also be banned from c-stores and grocery stores should the bill become law. If the bill is enacted, it would take effect January 2019.
The last-mile delivery service is intended to help Walmart go head-to-head with Amazon.

NEW YORK  The Wall Street Journal reports that Walmart is expected to begin testing a grocery delivery service with ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, an effort to help the retailer compete head on with Amazon.com.

Last-mile delivery, writes the news source has proved a hotly contested battleground. Dozens of startups like Instacart Inc. and DoorDash Inc., the U.S. Postal Service, Uber and Amazon are all vying for accounts with retailers, restaurants and grocery stores to bring goods to peoples homes.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon discussed the pilot project during the companys annual shareholder meeting on Friday. A Walmart spokesperson told the news source that the grocery delivery service will be available later this month in the Denver and Phoenix markets.

The Journal writes that the service will allow shoppers to place a grocery order online and Walmart employees will select the merchandise and package the order. Walmart will then hail an Uber or Lyft driver to pick up the order and deliver it to the customers location. Delivery will cost $7 to $10, and customers will pay Walmart, not the drivers.

Well start small and let our customers guide us, but testing new things like last-mile delivery allow us to better evaluate the various ways we can best serve our customers, Michael Bender, chief operating officer of Walmart Global eCommerce, told the news source.
Obama touts legacy of renaming wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying he would close Gitmo Duffelblog (Jim M)

What really happened at Thailands Tiger Temple? AlJazeera

The Hidden History of Muhammad Ali Jacobin

I recommended the documentary When We Were Kings, on the Rumble in the Jungle over the weekend. Kevin C provided links to Part 1 and Part 2.

Bid to grow transplant organs in pigs BBC. This is mean to pigs.

Rethinking Knowledge in the Internet Age Los Angeles Review of Books (resilc)

Mossack Fonseca

Panama Papers Show How Rich United States Clients Hid Millions Abroad New York Times. Lead story. Weird timing.

Foreign Students Are More Likely to Cheat, Say U.S. Universities Wall Street Journal

China?

How China Fell Off the Miracle Path New York Times (David L) Beijing unmoved by South China Sea rebukes Financial Times U.S. to Press China to Curb Industrial Output New York Times. Lordie, so now we think we can tell China how to run its economy? Aside from Who the hell do you think you are? the next retort is, We had to stimulate like mad because you blew up the global financial system. Reputable economists acknowledge that only China did enough in the way of deficit spending. So now you are complaining after you not only created a huge mess but failed to do enough in the remedy phase?

The eurozone cannot escape political and fiscal union Wolfgang Munchau, Financial Times. Important.

Switzerland rejects unconditional basic income in vote CBS

France: Looks a Lot Like 1968 Defend Democracy

Imagine being responsible for the balance sheet of the company driving the nuclear fiasco slowing deployment of green energy in the UK Jeremy Leggett

Switzerland Votes to Reject Basic Income Initiative Wall Street Journal

MERKEL COMPARED TO HITLER BY TURKISH NEWSPAPERS Politico

Italys 5-star has big lead in Rome mayoral election: exit polls Reuters

Brexit?

How Corruption And Oil Crime Are Tearing Nigeria Apart Oil Price (resilc)

Fixing Latin America for Hillary? failed evolution

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Imperial Collapse Watch

The US is Raiding its Global Bomb Stockpiles to Fight ISIS Defense One. Resilc: Maybe we can have a public radio-like pledge drive.

Made In America: How The US Dominates The World Arms Trade Information Clearing House (resilc)

At least 33 US cities used water testing cheats over lead concerns Guardian (resilc)

Clinton E-mail Hairball

Which Clinton Aide Arranged the Private Email Server? Government Executive. Important. Note that IGs can subpoeana for documents but cannot depose witnesses, while the FBI can. This means things are going to get much uglier between now and November. HOW HILLARY CLINTONS LOYAL CONFIDANTS COULD COST HER THE ELECTION Vanity Fair. Donna M: While this is an old article [October 2015], I found it useful in understanding Clintons current short-comings [at least some of them]. Moi: You can also see the sycophancy, which is what leaped off the pages when I read some of the State Department e-mails.

2016

The Post-Election Political Revolution Reader Supported News (martha r)

See What Happens When Barack Obamas Teleprompter Breaks Down During Trump Speech The Duran (guurst)

A major Native American site is being looted. Will Obama risk armed conflict to save it? Washington Post (furzy)

Cuomo bans business with Israel-boycott companies, swipes at Sanders Politco. Lambert: Ugly. More purging of the left. Trying to get them to die on the wrong hill, too.

Fed Rate Plans Sidetracked by Weak Jobs Data Wall Street Journal

Does Iran Have The Upper Hand In OPEC Oil War OilPrice. Makes an interesting point about Iran having an advantage via greater economic diversification.

College Loan Glut Worries Policy Makers Wall Street Journal. Inaccurate subhead: Massive investment in improving skills turns sour, echoes of housing crisis. Should read: Massive investment in adminisphere bloat turns sour.

THE VALEANT MELTDOWN AND WALL STREETS MAJOR DRUG PROBLEM Vanity Fair. Richard Smith: Cameo appearances by John Hempton and Roddy Boyd.

Guillotine Watch

Class Warfare

Bill Maher Blasts Capitalism  Real Time Host Takes Socialism Critics to Task Danielle Henderson, Esquire (resilc) Saudi Arabia invested $3.5 billion in Uber. That could be bad news for the global economy. Vox (resilc). Very dumb money investing in Uber is a sign its sell-by date has passed. But that does not necessarily mean the downside will be all that large. Note the article focuses on different issues re what the valuation implies. But worrying about valuation also confuses the financial economy (and fads therein) with the real economy.

Antidote du jour. From the heifer fair in Brattleboro, Vermont (resilc):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
A matter of orientation (Nanowerk News) Many artificial materials can be built on the particle level. The properties of this material - whether it is hard or soft, electrically conductive or insulating, water-repellent or magnetic -- are determined by the properties of the particles themselves, and especially by the arrangement of the materials' building blocks.

This phenomenon regarding directional properties is called anisotropy. Those who can control this arrangement can produce customized artificial materials with completely new properties.

The Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1214 "Anisotropic Particles as Building Blocks: Tailoring Shape, Interactions and Structures" brings leading researchers in the fields of chemistry and physics together in order to carry out pioneering work on so-called anisotropic (directionally dependent) properties of particles and the resulting structured material structures. (Image: University of Konstanz)

In order to carry out research on the controlled arrangement of particles, the German Research Foundation (DFG) approved the creation of a new collaborative research centre (SFB) at the University of Konstanz on May 25, 2016. The Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1214 "Anisotropic Particles as Building Blocks: Tailoring Shape, Interactions and Structures "brings leading researchers in the fields of chemistry and physics together in order to carry out pioneering work on so-called anisotropic (directionally dependent) properties of particles and the resulting structured material structures.

The collaborative research centre is funded with a total of around 7.5 million euros and includes 15 sub-projects as well as a new Centre for Particle Analysis and a Research Training Group for doctoral students at the University of Konstanz. The SFB 1214 will begin its work on Juli 1, 2016 and will be initially funded for four years.

Nature offers intriguing examples of materials with outstanding performance. In many cases, nature has been unrivalled so far. Wood and bone are prominent representatives: The properties of these materials are based on a precise and complex, directional arrangement of their particles.

"A comparable organization of synthetic matter is far beyond the current state of the art", explains Professor Helmut Coelfen, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Konstanz and speaker of the SFB 1214. "Our initiative aims to lay the foundations for understanding and utilizing structural anisotropy in order to make a new generation of material with tailor-made properties possible," Coelfen says.

Anisotropic particles are especially interesting for material science, as they offer a promising spectrum of mutual particle interactions. Nevertheless, this pioneer area of material science has hardly been explored.

To reach the goals of the SFB, comprehensive expertise in synthesis, analysis and theory is required, as well as the link between the research areas hard and soft matter.

"This multi-faceted basis is uniquely provided in Konstanz, building on long standing research in soft matter physics recently complemented by chemistry specifically directed towards the planned SFB," explains Coelfen.

The collaborative research centre is part of the research area molecular nano and material science, one of the four profile areas of the University of Konstanz.
Researchers can now build an inexpensive and flexible micro-Raman system (Nanowerk News) Raman spectroscopy provides detailed chemical information, and when combined with a microscope, it can non-destructively analyze biological samples. While commercial research-grade Raman microscopes have been available for some time, they have tended to be both inflexible and very expensive. In a paper in the current issue of Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging ("Design and first applications of a flexible Raman micro-spectroscopic system for biological imaging"), researchers from Germany and Serbia describe an inexpensive, versatile micro-Raman system that can be assembled from readily available components at a fraction of the cost of a commercial tool.

(A)  N-FINDR end-members that represent spectra of lipid and protein/DNA mixture. (B)  concentration maps of the end-members in cells of Jurkat and MIA PaCa-2 cell.

Because micro-Raman spectroscopy combines chemical characterization with imaging in a label-free way, it is particularly well suited for biological research because it can detect variations in biomolecular composition and correlate that information with corresponding biological changes due to metabolism or pathology. It also holds promise for rapid clinical diagnosis in living cells and a host of applications, such as observation of cell metabolism, growth, and aging, studies of drug resistance or drug uptake, chemical mapping of cells, and many others. Since disease typically originates at the cellular level, this capability could help us understand how changes within an individual cell could lead to disease development.

To build this microscope, the authors obtained more than 20 components, ranging from mirrors and filters to cameras, lenses, and a motorized table. They estimate that their design could be built for about 10,000 and requires only normal expertise in optical assembly.

In terms of flexibility, this microscope can be switched from an upright to an inverted configuration, an unusual and important advantage for analyzing biological samples. It is particularly effective for hyperspectral imaging, through which the chemical composition of each pixel in a scanned image can be determined. In addition to Raman spectroscopy, the system can be combined with other modalities such as fluorescence imaging.

The microscope was used to collect Raman maps of individual cells from two different cancer cell lines, MIA PaCs-2 pancreatic cancer and Jurkat, T-Lymphocytes. By collecting the spectra at each point, the relative concentrations of lipids vs. proteins/DNA were mapped.

According to lead investigator Prof. Jurgen Popp, PhD, of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology and the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, University Jena (Germany), the development of this instrument embodies their institutes mission, From ideas to instruments. The responsible researcher Christoph Krafft, PhD, explained that We acquired Raman images of single human cells with a custom instrument. These data demonstrated that the instrument provides spectra of sufficient quality to distinguish the cell type. This result will be exploited in projects about identification of tumor cells circulating in blood.

Along with coauthors Roman Kiselev and Iwan W. Schie, from the Leibniz Institute, and Sonja Askrabi?, of the Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, Prof. Popp and Dr. Krafft hope that any interested user can construct a similar flexible and inexpensive tool to conduct critical and potentially ground-breaking research.
Engineered E. coli vesicles act as vaccine deliverers

(Nanowerk News) Mention E. coli and what pops into most peoples heads are bacteria, tainted food, a rush to the hospital  basically, fear.

E. coli gets a bad rap  and rightfully so, said Matthew DeLisa, the William L. Lewis Professor of Engineering.

But, as with many things, there are good varieties of E. coli and dangerous ones. And DeLisa, whose research focuses on developing tools for investigating and manipulating biological machinery directly in living bacterial cells, is working on a way to use a domesticated lab strain of E. coli to create and deliver vaccines.

A multi-institution effort  involving researchers from Cornell and the universities of Iowa, Texas and Georgia  has resulted in a paper that details how antigen-coated membrane vesicles derived from the surface of E. coli cells protected mice from a deadly pathogen, and how that system could work against other pathogens, as well.

The groups paper, Outer membrane vesicles displaying engineered glycotypes elicit protective antibodies, was published online June 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

DeLisa, a member of the editorial board of the journal Cell Chemical Biology, has been engineering bacteria cells to do things they dont normally do for quite some time. His startup company, Glycobia, was the first to commercialize the use of engineered bacteria to make human glycoproteins  a protein modified with a carbohydrate attachment.

DeLisa and co-author David Putnam, associate professor in the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, have been working together for a decade on glycoproteins, or glycans  a protein with a carbohydrate attachment, which can be used to bind to certain protein receptor sites and, for example, block cancer cells from multiplying.

In this latest work, DeLisas group has taken a similar approach to generating designer carbohydrate structures in E. coli, but instead of transferring the glycan to a protein, the cells assemble the glycan on a specific lipid carrier molecule. From there, the molecule is shuttled to the outer membrane of the E. coli cell, which then sheds small portions of that membrane.

So you start with a 1-micron bacterial cell, and following vesiculation you get these small nanometer-scale spheres known as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that come off, DeLisa said. Because they shed directly from the outer membrane of the cell, these OMVs are membrane-based nanostructures whose outer surfaces mimic the originating cell. So whatever is on the surface of the bacterial cell  say, an engineered glycolipid  becomes present on the surface of these vesicles.

These conjugate vaccines were injected into mice infected with the Francisella tularensis Schu S4 bacterium, the causative agent of tularemia and a feared bioweapon. That particular pathogen was chosen, DeLisa said, because of its potency and the lack of an existing vaccine.

We might have chosen easier, lower-hanging fruit in terms of target pathogens, he said, However, the lethality of Schu S4  less than 10 colony-forming units are enough to kill you  made this organism a more interesting challenge.

Infected mice treated with the conjugate vesicle vaccines survived much longer than the control group. And in separate challenge experiments with a less virulent strain of Francisella, the vaccinated group saw 100 percent protection and survival of all mice.

A major advantage of OMVs as vaccine candidates is that they are potent adjuvants, which means they enhance the bodys immune response to the co-delivered antigen.
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Clinton and the Democrats' 'what-if' scenarios

Some believe that soon after Tuesday's final presidential primaries the FBI will interview Hillary Clinton about her handling of emails while she was secretary of state. What comes next is the subject of much speculation.

One of the better speculators is Bradley Blakeman, who served as a member of President George W. Bush's White House staff.

We spoke in the "green room" at Fox News before our separate interviews. The following is culled from our conversation.

Blakeman says the FBI has deliberately waited to interview Clinton until after the primaries because the bureau did not want to interfere with the nominating process. He thinks the FBI is "likely" to recommend to the Department of Justice whether or not she should be indicted for violating what she says are agency rules and what others call the law between now and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, which begins July 25.

If she is indicted before the convention, Blakeman says, it will give the party an opportunity to make changes in the rules that could result in an alternate nominee.

Here is the intriguing part about Blakeman's scenario: "If a grand jury is empaneled, or if she were to be indicted before the convention, the Democrats would have to let her go." If an indictment were to come after the convention, he says, it presents a different problem because each state needs to certify their ballots before November. If an indictment occurs after the states have certified their ballots, it would be nearly impossible to replace Clinton with another candidate.

Here's where things might get even more interesting. In states where ballots have been certified, the party would have to go to court to ask that Clinton's name be replaced. "They also have another problem," said Blakeman. "Once the convention ends, how do they reconvene to substitute Hillary? They have no rules for that."

What if a court denies a ballot change? Blakeman says the Supreme Court would almost certainly have to decide. That might look to many like a replay of the 2000 election in which the court certified Florida's vote count, awarding the state's electoral votes  and the election  to George W. Bush.

But what if the court  with its one vacancy  divides 4-4? In that case, the lower court ruling would prevail and if that court decided to strike Clinton's name from the ballot, a write-in would be the only option.

"Timing is not on Hillary's side," said Blakeman, who thinks "the silver lining for Hillary is that, if she were indicted, there is no doubt President Barack Obama would pardon her on Jan. 19 as he walks out the door. She will never have to answer for her crimes."

What about any others who might be indicted, such as top aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills? If they are indicted, but not pardoned by the president, will they go public? It's the stuff of big book contracts.

Should any of these scenarios prove true, as Blakeman thinks they might, Obama, unlike President Gerald Ford and his pardon of Richard Nixon, will never have to face the voters and be held accountable for his action.

In this unpredictable election season, any one  or all  of these scenarios are possibilities, including the ultimate scenario: the delegates turning to Vice President Joe Biden to save them from Hillary and defeat in November.

Tribune Content Agency
Jamal Ditta, center right, smiles while talking with friends after prayers and worship at the Islamic Center.

SHARE Followers of Islam pray June 3, 2016 at the Islamic Center of Naples, Fla. About 75 males and 10 females came out to pray and listen to passages read from the Quran during a month of fasting and prayer " Ramadan. The observance commemorates the first revelation given to Muhammad in the Quran. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Shakhzod Najmiddinov prays as his son Biloljon Mukhtorov, 9 months, looks on as a framed tapestry of Dome of the Rock, hangs June 3, 2016 at the Islamic Center of Naples, Fla. About 75 males and 10 females came out to pray and listen to passages read from the Quran during a month of fasting and prayer - Ramadan. The observance commemorates the first revelation given to Muhammad in the Quran. "We pray for forgiveness, blessings and strength - like any prayer in all religions," Najmiddinov said. (Corey Perrine/Staff) A digital clock revels the Islamic calendar June 3, 2016 at the Islamic Center of Naples, Fla. About 75 males and 10 females came out to pray and listen to passages read from the Quran during a month of fasting and prayer " Ramadan. The observance commemorates the first revelation given to Muhammad in the Quran. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Mohammad Usman, President of the Islamic Center of Naples, speaks to the congregation June 3, 2016 at the Islamic Center of Naples, Fla. About 75 males and 10 females came out to pray and listen to passages read from the Quran during a month of fasting and prayer " Ramadan. The observance commemorates the first revelation given to Muhammad in the Quran. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Related Photos Photos: Observing Ramadan in Southwest Florida

Ramadan dawns with the new moon

By Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News

Mujib Rahman has prayed in the parking lot of a plaza along U.S. 41 North.

He's prayed in the grassy median outside of a McDonald's while a small crowd of curious passers-by gathered. He's prayed in the Everglades in the middle of a drive home from Miami.

Once, he prayed while a customer at his Marco Island convenience store nearly contemplated dialing 911 after he found Rahman kneeling on the ground, his forehead pressed to a mat.

"The next day he said I'll guard your door for you while you pray," Rahman said, laughing. "Now we're friends."

Muslims stop what they're doing five times a day to pray while facing Mecca. In the mornings and evenings, they usually pray from home. In the afternoons, some will try to leave their jobs and head to the nearest mosques. Others find quiet places at work where they kneel for five to 15 minutes before resuming their duties.

It's a strict schedule made all the more important during Ramadan, which incorporates a month of daily fasting on top of the prayer. The monthlong observance marks the time of year when the Quran, the Muslim holy text, was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

So not only is Rahman, the imam who leads prayers at the Islamic Center of Naples, pausing throughout the day to turn toward Mecca, he's doing it on an empty stomach.

"When you're hungry and thirsty, you're more in touch with your inner self," he said. "It's a spiritual thing. You learn how it feels to be starving. Starving in places like Africa. Starving just to have a bite."

In other countries where Islam is more widely practiced, it's easier to eat only before the sun rises and after it sets because most people around you are doing it, too. In the United States, it can be difficult. Some Muslims are chefs in restaurants and can't taste-test their dishes during Ramadan. Some teens are in school, trying to get through a day of classes and testing. Others work past sunset when they are allowed to eat but can't take time away from their jobs for a bite.

"It's difficult because 75 to 90 percent of other people here are eating and drinking," Rahman said. "It's out of the norm."

But what Rahman has noticed since he moved here from Pakistan is that employers and those curious passers-by have become more accepting and accommodating toward the culture.

"There used to be less of a presence, but people are becoming more aware," he said.

He has Muslim friends whose employers have made special concessions to allow them the short daily break. A worker at Publix is given a key to a back office for prayer. Another at Panera Bread thought he would have to quit but a manager agreed to allow him two 15 minute breaks in addition to the required 30 just to keep him. Another man whose boss was Jewish so admired his employee's dedication to the religion that he encouraged the practice when he found his worker sneaking into the office basement to kneel on a piece of cardboard.

It's very logical," Rahman said of the growing acceptance. "It doesn't take a lot of time, maybe five to 10 minutes."

Throughout Ramadan, some communities will hold nightly potluck dinners where, after the sun has set, they break their fasts together. At the end of the month, they hold a big celebration at the mosque.

It's not just foods that Muslims must refrain from during Ramadan. The month is also about restraining from all indulgences. They must not smoke; they shouldn't swear. They aren't to have sexual relations throughout the day. And they try not to fight or complain or backbite.

The Quran says this month is one where God is watching closely to see who obeys and who does not. For those who show a genuine dedication, God promises to reward them greatly on the day of judgment at his own discretion.

"The rewards are fixed year round until this month," Rahman said. "Then God says, 'It's up to me.' "
By Thyrie Bland, The News-Press

How do you motivate students to graduate in four years? Florida Gov. Rick Scott recently asked public universities to join a program to encourage students to do just that.

And Florida Gulf Coast University has launched its own initiative  a freshman tuition rebate program  that has the same mission.

But Florida's performance-based funding program doesn't use four-year graduates as one of the metrics for determining how state schools are performing and how much funding they should get. It uses six-year graduation rates.

Not everyone agrees that the six-year graduation rate is the right one to measure. Some point out the extra costs associated with graduating in six years.

"When you think in terms of cold hard dollars and cents, it's $100,000 in their pockets just by getting out of school in four years rather than sticking around five years or six years," said Tom Grady, a former FGCU board member and state representative.

Florida does track its universities' four-year graduation rates. But the six-year rate has become the national measuring standard, and that's partly why it's one of the metrics used in the state's performance-based funding program, said Marshall Criser, chancellor of the State University System.

"It's the one that allows us as a state to benchmark how are our students are doing compared to other states and other systems," he said.

Criser said there is plenty of discussion within the state system about finding ways to encourage students to graduate in four years. He also noted a metric used to evaluate schools is the percentage of students who graduate without excess credit hours.

Criser pointed to Scott's Finish in Four, Save More challenge as an example of the state pushing schools to get students to graduate in four years. Scott has asked Florida's public universities to take four actions, including removing fees for online classes and telling freshmen how much money they will save by graduating in four years.

"I suppose you will never hear me defend a six-year rate from the perspective that I am actually an advocate for four-year graduation," Criser said. "I think that we ought to do everything we can to help our students graduate in four years."

"We also have to recognize that some students may not be able to," Criser said. "They may be at home raising a family, working and coming to school."

Grady said when he served on the FGCU board, he was surprised to learn that universities were measured by six-year graduation rates.

Grady is chief executive officer and chairman of the board for Quest for Success, a Naples organization that helps high school students prepare for college. The program, which started in 1993, starts preaching to students in the ninth grade the importance of graduating in four years.

Quest recently launched a new website  quest4.com  to get its message out about graduating in four years to an audience other than its students. The site includes a calculator for students to figure out how much it will cost them to stay in school beyond four years.

"Everyone has said it's a good idea," Grady said. "Some folks have said it will change the face of higher education."

Quest also is planning to start asking its students to sign a pledge to graduate in four years and track how many of its students do so.

At FGCU, the school's board and administration have been discussing changing the culture at FGCU and making the school's four-year graduation rate the center of its focus.

Joe Negron, who is the president-elect of the Florida Senate, visited all the state universities in April. When Negron visited FGCU, one of the things he discussed with FGCU's administrators and board members is the school's four-year graduation rate.

"I have very little interest in six-year graduation rates," Negron said during the visit. "I think that statistic was created to deflect the attention from where it should be, which is on a four-year graduation rate."

Negron said he understands there are circumstances that prevent some students from graduating in four years and that he knows some students enroll in programs designed to take longer than four years.

"The bottom line for me is if you enroll in a four-year program at a university you need to finish in four years unless something unusual has happened," Negron said.
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Jay Kaplan, M.D., Washington, D.C.

President

American College of Emergency Physicians

ER visits

This letter is in response to "Lee County program reduces emergency room visits by focusing on patient needs."

Psychiatric emergencies in Southwest Florida mirror what's being seen nationwide.

Millions of people are in emergency departments with psychiatric emergencies because there are severe shortages of mental health resources in the United States. Many of these patients repeatedly return to the emergency department because they have no other options for care.

According to a recent poll, nearly nine in 10 emergency physicians reported that patients with psychiatric illness were being "held" in their emergency departments  often for days  until behavioral health beds became available for them.

We applaud what the ECHO (Extended Community Health Outreach) program is doing for patients, but lawmakers at both the state and national level need to provide more in terms of resources and legislation to combat the mental health crisis that is only getting worse.
Republican Francis Rooney formally announced his candidacy for Floridas 19th Congressional District today, surrounded by his wife, Kathleen, their family, and nearly 100 supporters from throughout Southwest Florida.



During the event, Rooney announced his policy priorities for District 19, including creating favorable business conditions that lead to good-paying jobs; removing onerous government regulations to help stimulate the Southwest Florida economy; working every day against the exploding national debt; fighting to preserve local water quality; securing the nations borders; fighting ObamaCare, and staunchly defending conservative policies including the Second Amendment and the sanctity of life.



I understand why people are tired of the political class, because I am, too, Rooney said. Im not a politician and never thought Id run for office. But I know as a successful businessman with a proven record of getting things done, I can do the same in Washington for the good people of Southwest Florida who deserve principled, conservative leadership in Congress.



Francis Rooney is a successful businessman who is running for Congress to bring his decades of private sector experience to Washington. Through hard work and perseverance, Francis built an internationally recognized investment company based in Naples that has created jobs and economic opportunity in Southwest Florida. As a business leader, Francis has signed both sides of a paycheck, learned how our economy works and how to bring people together to get results.



In addition to his career in business, Francis has also dedicated his time and energy to public and community service. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as U.S. Ambassador to The Holy See from 2005 to 2008. He has also served as 2nd Vice Chair of the Board for Naples Community Hospital and currently serves as a Trustee of The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and as a member of the Council of American Ambassadors.



As a lifelong Republican, Francis has also worked tirelessly to elect likeminded conservatives to office on both the state and national levels. Ambassador Rooney has served on the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Executive Finance Board, the Jeb Bush for President Florida Executive Finance Council, and was co-chair of Catholics for Jeb Bush and a member of the campaigns Religious Liberty Advisory Committee.



Francis is dedicated to advancing higher education initiatives as a board member of the University of Oklahoma College of International Studies, the Rooney Center for American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame, and the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation.



Ambassador Rooney is a graduate of Georgetown University (A.B. 1975) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1978). He and his wife, Kathleen, live in Naples, Florida, and have three children: Larry, married to Porscha; Michael; and Kathleen, one grandson, Beckett, and one granddaughter, Bergen.
Rotary District 6960 District Governor Cyndi Doragh is pleased to announce that the district has donated more than $140,000 to the Wheelchair Foundation in the past year. This level of funding will provide mobility to approximately 1,400 people in need through the foundation, which aims to provide a free wheelchair to every child, teen and adult worldwide who needs one but cannot afford one.



Since the early 2000s, Rotary has partnered with the foundation, which in 2015 delivered its one-millionth wheelchair since its inception. Upon assuming her position as District Governor, Doragh named the Wheelchair Foundation as the beneficiary of her year-long community service project, which culminated at the District Conference last month.



While most of District 6960s wheelchairs had been delivered to needy countries in the Caribbean, Central America and parts of South America, Doragh turned the focus to the need within the Southwest Florida community. Under her leadership, the districts 50 Rotary clubs accepted the challenge to provide 1,100 wheelchairs, at a cost of $110,000, over the course of the year. By the first of May, funding for approximately 900 wheelchairs had been raised.



At the District Conference, held May 12-15, Wheelchair Program Chairman Steve Agius presented 30 wheelchairs to Rev. Dr. Israel Suarez, founder and CEO of Nations Associations Charities, who introduced two of the recipients, Maria and Francisco. Ten wheelchairs were presented to Ralph Santillo, founder and president of Invest in Americas Veterans.



Conference attendees rallied to raise enough additional funds to purchase 200 more wheelchairs, surpassing Doraghs goal, with donations continuing even after the conference to exceed $140,000 as of June 1.





Rotary is an international organization of business and community leaders working together through friendships and building relationships in an effort to serve others and do good in the world. It is a secular organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender or political preference. There are more than 32,000 clubs worldwide composed of 1.2 million individual members. Rotary District 6960 in Southwest Florida has more than 50 clubs.



Rotarys purpose is to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. Rotarys primary motto is "Service Above Self;" its secondary motto is "One profits most who serves best. For more information visit RotaryDistrict6960.org.
Weather radar for Southwest Florida for Monday, June 6, 2016.

Just before 3 p.m., the National Weather Service in Miami issued a tornado warning for west central Collier County. The warning is through 3:15 p.m.

At 2:55 p.m., severe thunderstorms capable of producing a tornado were located from southwest of Lovers Key State Park to near East Naples.

The warning includes Naples, Naples Park, East Naples, North Naples and Pelican Bay.

The National Weather Service is urging residents in the area "to take cover now," and to move into an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News

With so much rain lately, flooding is a concern from Tropical Storm Colin in Collier County.

Although no tropical storm warnings or watches were issued for the county, Colin could dump 2 to 3 inches of rain here through Tuesday night, said Barry Baxter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

As of Monday morning, Naples Municipal Airport had received 1.23 inches of rain in five days, so the ground was already "somewhat saturated" as the tropical storm approached Florida's west coast.

As the rain picked up Monday afternoon, Goodland Road, the only road in or out of the small Goodland neighborhood south of Marco Island, quickly flooded. Standing water forced cars off the two-lane road, which is in sore need of repairs.

"All of our docks are flooded, too. It's a mess down here," said Mike Barbush, who has lived in Goodland for more than 30 years.

Collier County also reported flooding on San Marco Drive near Goodland as well as on Riverside Drive, Plantation Parkway and Kumquat Street in Everglades City and on Copeland Avenue South near Chokoloskee.

The South Florida Water Management District started opening floodgates and spillways Sunday to lower water sitting in the local canals in anticipation of heavy rains.

The coastal control structures will discharge water into the ocean to protect neighborhoods and businesses, said Randy Smith, a spokesman for the water district.

"We need to be ahead of the game," he said.

The storm triggered tornado and water spout warnings and flood watches in Lee and Collier counties. It brought strong gusts of wind, along with heavy rains.

Coastal flood advisories were issued due to concerns about storm surge, which were expected to remain in effect until at least 8 a.m. Tuesday. Rip currents also remain a concern.

Naples Harbormaster Roger Jacobsen closed the Naples Pier at 2:30 p.m. Monday after waves came crashing over it, with plans to keep it shut the rest of the day and overnight.

The fuel dock at Naples City Dock closed Monday, too, due to flooding. The front of the city dock was submerged in more than 2 feet of water.

Early Monday, long before Tropical Storm Colin neared landfall, a gust of wind snapped a dock piling, sending a 50-foot trawler smashing into the city dock and damaging the boat, Jacobsen said. Those same unexpected winds also shredded boats' sails and tarps.

An eyewitness reported a waterspout might have landed on Bonita Beach late Monday afternoon and then moved inland as a tornado, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado was wrapped in rain, so the weather service could not immediately confirm whether the funnel touched the ground.

"It was hard to see," said Rodney Wynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa.

Early Monday, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 34 counties in Florida, from the Big Bend region to northeast Florida. Lee and Collier counties weren't included in the declaration.

Scott's emergency declaration will allow him to ask federal agencies for help and prompted the activation of the Florida National Guard.

"It is important for all families to remain informed of the storm's movements and continue to exercise caution before leaving home as rain chances are expected to remain high throughout the week," Scott said in a news release.

School districts in Hillsborough, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Taylor and Wakulla counties closed Monday. The Lee County School District canceled all outdoor after-school activities due to the weather.

Though residents and boaters were encouraged to stay away from the Gulf of Mexico on Monday with warnings of rip currents and high winds, some ignored those warnings.

Surfers took advantage of the bigger-than-usual waves at Naples Beach.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, Florida Power & Light had seen no big outages in Lee or Collier counties as a result of the tropical storm. At that time there were fewer than 50 customers without service in Collier, out of 207,000.

FPL increased its restoration staff throughout the state and put additional resources on the west coast of Florida, where the biggest impact was expected. The utility did see big outages in Broward and Sarasota counties Monday that affected more than 8,000 of its customers.

The Naples Municipal and Southwest Florida International airports saw little impact from the storm.

With the storm tracking well north of here there were no mad rushes to buy supplies at home improvement and hardware stores.

Lenny Gabourel, a manager at the Home Depot off Pine Ridge Road in North Naples, said at his store it was business as usual, with no extra storm supplies packed in the aisles. However, he said residents should always have batteries, water and tarp on hand in case there's a bad storm with high winds, which can hit at any time.

Restaurants on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples got a taste of what the storm might bring over the weekend when unexpected wind gusts blew some of their umbrellas for outdoor seating into the road.

Stefania Martin, an owner of Bellini on Fifth, said her restaurant left its umbrellas inside Monday after one blew away and had to be chased down the street Saturday.

Though she wasn't too concerned about the tropical storm, Martin took extra precautions to keep customers safe, putting everything she could under the protection of its outdoor awnings. She still remembers Hurricane Charley, which hit in 2004, as the most damaging to her business.

"We have been here for 21 years," she said. "So we've been through Charley ... which took off our awnings. We were without power for 10 days."
'It's true this time'

Humans will have to constantly reinvent 'usefulness'

(NaturalNews) The Age of Robotics truly is upon us , and while this kind of technology will prove useful in any number of ways, it will also usher in a massive wave of unemployment that will destabilize scores of nations, as tens of millions of human workers are replaced by machines.As noted by the UK's, the rise of machines and artificial intelligence could very well create a much worse scenario than any doomsday movie you might have seen. Instead of being wiped out by dangerous robots that kill, humans may essentially become "eternally useless" because of the rising capabilities of AI  and whole societies may destroyas billions of people around the world who only have rudimentary skills that can be easily replicated by a machine find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of hopelessness.At least, that is according to bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari, who explores this scenario and humankind's bleak future, as well as "the rise of the useless class," in his upcoming novel,As reported by, Harari  a historian and lecturer at Hebrew University in Jerusalem  compares the fate of humans to the doomed protagonist in the fable of the boy who cried wolf. While humans have long said that machines would eventually take over a multitude of societal tasks and employment, thus far, those forecasts remain unfulfilled. But clearly, the age of robotics is only just beginning. And the resulting dramatic societal shift will likely leave most humans aimless and unemployed,reported."As the self-made gods of planet earth, which projects should we undertake, and how will we protect this fragile planet and humankind itself from our own destructive powers," his book asks. But again, as Harari warns, these "destructive powers" have already begun to take hold.reports further:"In a nutshell, as artificial intelligence gets smarter, more humans are pushed out of the job market. No one knows what to study at college, because no one knows what skills learned at 20 will be relevant at 40. Before you know it, billions of people are useless, not through chance but by definition.""I'm aware that these kinds of forecasts have been around for at least 200 years, from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and they never came true so far. It's basically the boy who cried wolf," says Harari. "But in the original story of the boy who cried wolf, in the end, the wolf actually comes, and I think that is true this time."He noted further: "Children alive today will face the consequences. Most of what people learn in school or in college will probably be irrelevant by the time they are 40 or 50. If they want to continue to have a job, and to understand the world, and be relevant to what is happening, people will have to reinvent themselves again and again, and faster and faster."That means that human beings will have to continually figure out,, how to remain relevant. That won't be easy, and considering how rapidly technology already advances, the gap between useful and non-useful will constantly shrink, Harari warns.All of this begs the question: what should we do? "First of all, take it very seriously," Harari told. "And make it a part of the political agenda, not only the scientific agenda. This is something that shouldn't be left to scientists and private corporations. They know a lot about the technical stuff, the engineering, but they don't necessarily have the vision and the legitimacy to decide the future course of humankind."
Nearly all tea contaminated

Illegal pesticides still found on tea

(NaturalNews) The Tea Research Association (TRA), a partnership between the Indian government and the tea industry, has announced the development of an "e-nose" that can "sniff out" pesticide residues on tea leaves , thus ensuring that contaminated leaves are not sold to consumers.The research, which has led to the development of a prototype device, was carried out by researchers from the TRA and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, with support from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. Pesticide contamination of Indian tea is an issue of global concern, as India grows the bulk of the tea consumed in nearly all global markets, including the United States.The CDAC announced the successful testing of the "e-nose" in a paper provided to India's Union Commerce Secretary. The method consists of cutting the tea leaves into small pieces, washing them, then treating them with a chemical process that causes pesticide-tainted leaves to change color. The tainted leaves are then fed into the "e-nose" device, which provides readings on the residue levels present.India has struggled with the problem of high pesticide residues remaining on tea sold to consumers, including to global markets. This problem is partly the result of poor agricultural practices; farmers are supposed to pluck leaves at least six days after the last application of pesticides, but many do not follow this practice.In a 2014 study, Greenpeace tested 11 brands of tea made by eight manufacturers: Hindustan Unilever Limited, Tata Global Beverages Limited, Wagh Bakri Tea, Goodricke Tea, Twinings, Golden Tips, Kho-Cha and Girnar. A shocking 94 percent of samples tested contained pesticide residue . Sixty percent of samples contained residues from more than 10 separate chemicals, while one sample contained 20.Fifty-nine percent of samples tested contained residues of at least one pesticide at levels exceeding the maximum safe levels set by the European Union. Forty percent contained residues at more than 1.5 times those limits.The chemicals detected included neonicotinoids  notorious for destroying pollinator populations  and pesticides classified as "highly hazardous" by the World Health Organization, including the organophosphate triazophos and the neurotoxin monocrotophos.The problem with India's tea farming practices is obviously not just limited to poor timing of pesticide application or harvest  as evidenced by the presence of the monocrotophos, which is not approved for use on tea at all.The Greenpeace study also found that 67 percent of samples tested  two out of every three  were contaminated with DDT, which is illegal in both India and the United States. DDT is a potent neurotoxin that was banned due to its cancer-causing effects in humans and devastating effects on the environment.One of the samples also contained tebufenpyrad, an illegal pesticide suspected of being poisonous to the liver."Indian tea is a national pride and it should not be the one linked to toxic chemicals with serious environmental and health risks," said Neha Saigal, a senior campaigner for Greenpeace India. "All stakeholders in the tea industry should come forward and take steps to safeguard the reputation of our national drink."Numerous companies responded to the report by promising to make their tea cultivation sustainable by 2020.The "e-nose" may be one of the first steps down that road. The developers are now planning to move on to the next phase of testing."We now need field-trials before this system can be taken up for developing a commercially viable bio-sensing system," said Joydip Phukhan of the TRA.The final product will also need to be developed into a form that is simple to use and requires minimal maintenance, Phukhan said, since tea growers often live in remote and relatively inaccessible areas.
Fraudulent signs manipulated study participants to choose GMO seeds

40 respected scientists, politicians, and policy experts call for fraudulent study to be retracted

(NaturalNews) A study published in 2004 received an award from the(BFJ) as the "most outstanding paper" of the year has been exposed as a total fraud. Authored by biotech hack Shane Morris, the study, entitled, used deceptive and undisclosed methods to sway buyers toward genetically-modified (GM) sweet corn seeds, only to later claim that consumers voluntarily chose the "frankenseeds" over the natural ones.Known today as the "wormy corn" scandal, the original publishing of the paper back in 2003 was met with outrage after it was determined that Morris, who at the time was employed by the government agency Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, intentionally manipulated the views of his participants to achieve a predetermined study outcome. According to the public investigations group Powerbase, Morris and his co-authors posted whiteboard signage above natural sweet corn seed bins at a farm store that swayed farmers toward the GMO seeds.The question "Would you eat wormy sweet corn?" was positioned directly above the non-GMO seed bin, followed by a detailed listing of all the pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and fertilizers that would need to be applied to this non-GMO seed. These warnings, which were not disclosed in the study, unfairly pointed shoppers toward the "quality" GMO seed been where over 50 percent of participants ended up pulling their seed.Based on this fraud, Morris and his team were able to make the claim that GMO corn seed is preferred by a majority of farmers, a spurious conclusion that has ever since been a self-fulfilling prophecy within the general farming community. It wasn't untilreporter Stuart Laidlaw uncovered the use of the signs that this failed study was finally exposed as industry propaganda."The case is a flagrant fraud," stated Dr. Richard Jennings, a lecturer on scientific practice at Cambridge University. "It was a sin of omission by failing to divulge information which quite clearly should have been disclosed."When news of the fraudulent study went public, many people demanded that it be immediately retracted.ran a full expose in 2006 demanding that BFJ take responsibility for failing the scientific community by publishing the study. The Canadian government even tried to distance itself from Morris, claiming that he wasn't their employee at the time the study was conducted.When this failed to spark action at BFJ, 40 scientists, including leading experts in the fields of science policy and research ethics, as well as two members of Parliament, issued an open letter in 2008 to the editor and editorial board of the journal calling for the study's retraction. These experts hailed from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Norway, France, Italy, Brazil, Indonesia, and Japan.This letter, which openly called the paper a "disgraceful incident," coincided with a fruitless attempt by Morris to sue his exposers for alleged libel. Morris attempted at the time to shut down both GMWatch and GM-Free Ireland for criticizing his immoral actions. He also tried to sue Tim Lambert, a computer scientist from the University of New South Wales, who was the first to prove the legitimacy of the deceptive signage."Shane Morris must be fairly desperate to create such melodramatic lies seven years after the fact," stated Michael Khoo, a Greenpeace campaigner who Morris had irrationally accused of tampering with the whiteboard signs during the course of the study. "If any of these things had actually happened, wouldn't he have been the first to call the police or tell the press?"
Suicide risk conveniently omitted

Four out of five antidepressant studies had industry ties

(NaturalNews) It is no secret that the internet is littered with misinformation, whether it's a matter of simple ignorance or people spreading falsehoods for their own agenda. Many people consider scientific journals to be among the most credible sources available, but it turns out that they, too, fall into the latter category; they've become yet another forum for parties to spread whatever information supports their financial interests. In this case, it's Big Pharma.Take, for example, a 2006 study that looked into the impact of psychiatric medication on clinical trials. The researchers found that industry-sponsored trials came to favorable conclusions a whopping 78 percent of the time, while just 48 percent of independently funded trials reached a favorable outcome.One of the most brazen examples of this is Study 329. In this 2001 study by SmithKline Beecham, which is now GlaxoSmithKline, it was claimed that paroxetine, the drug in Paxil and Seroxat, was a "generally well tolerated" cure for depression in both adolescents and children. Over the course of the following year, around 2 million young people were prescribed the drug.However, the study glossed over the fact that this drug has the potential to cause some very serious side effects and even lead patients to suicide. When independent researchers re-analyzed the study, they discovered that the drug wasn't any more effective than the placebo. Moreover, they found a significant risk of harm. At least 12 of the 93 children who took it had developed suicidal thoughts. In what ended up being one of the biggest frauds in the history of American healthcare , GlaxoSmithKline was ultimately fined $3 billion.Editor Fiona Godlee said it was just another example of how drug regulators are routinely failing people. She said: "This long running saga has within it all the seeds of our current discontent - industry malpractice, paid opinion leaders twisting the results of trials, hidden data allowing manufacturers, academics and clinicians to overstate the benefits and underplay the harms of treatment."Therecently published an evaluation of 185 meta-analyses that involved approved antidepressants and were published between 2007 and early 2014. They found that a third of them were actually written by people who were employed by the pharmaceutical industry. These authors were a whopping 22 times less likely to make a negative statement about a drug than those who were not affiliated with the pharmaceutical company.In addition, almost four out of five of these studies had an industry tie. This could mean that the study was written by industry employees, a pharmaceutical company sponsored the study, or the industry supported the researchers via grants or speaking fees.Antidepressants are a huge pharmaceutical market, racking up sales of $9.4 billion the United States in 2013 alone.Stanford University School of Medicine Epidemiologist John Ioannidis, who co-authored the study , said: "We knew that the industry would fund studies to promote its products, but it's very different to fund meta-analyses," as they "have traditionally been a bulwark of evidence-based medicine."He feels that the only way to curb this is by banning pharmaceutical companies from funding meta-analyses. After all, countless human lives are at stake
Yamato Tanooka, who had been missing for almost a week in a forest, managed to survive without food and water and wearing only a t-shirt, sneakers and a pair of jeans.

More than six days after his parents left him in a forest in Hokkaido as a punishment for misbehaving, seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka was found alive and unhurt on Friday morning in a military barracks 5 km from where he was last seen.

While Yamato, who suffered minor scratches and exhaustion, was being kept in the hospital, details of his ordeal in the bear-infested forest emerged. And his survival was quite extraordinary.

With no food and water, Yamato took the path down the mountainous forest instead of the road. He came across the entrance gate to a self-defense force training ground in Shikabe town in Hokkaido.

According to a report in The Guardian, he either climbed the fence or went through the bushes to get to the military hut, which became his home for the next few days. The hut, which could have been locked when not being used by soldiers, was fortunately open. Outside the hut was a solitary faucet, and this became his only source of sustenance as there was no food anywhere.

Three soldiers from the 28th Infantry Regimen at a nearby camp in Hakodate were seeking shelter from the rain early Friday morning. They opened the door of the hut to find Yamato curled on a mattress. To keep warm during the night, he said he would huddle between two mattresses.

The soldier asked him: "Are you Yamato?"

The boy, who did not shed a single tear upon seeing a rescuer, gave a composed answer: "Yes, I am."

According to the soldier, who had not been part of any previous efforts, Yamato looked a bit worn out but was "genki," which is a Japanese word that describes healthy children.

The soldiers gave him two rice balls, which the boy ate ravenously, and called for a helicopter to take the boy to Hakodate Hospital.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Yamato had suffered from mild dehydration and malnutrition, and had a mild rash and scratches on his arms and legs. There were no serious health risks found, and the boy is incredibly calm and showed no signs of panic, the doctors said.

Parental discipline should have limits

This incident had prompted a debate in Japan about how parental discipline can get out of hand and turn into abuse. The whole nation - and even the world - was riveted by his disappearance, and questions were raised about the extent on which parents should discipline their child.

Takayuki Tanooka, 44, admitted that he had gone too far when he let his son out of the car and abandoned him in the woods. When he returned to get him, he was gone. He said he apologized to the boy upon his family's visit in the hospital.

"We've raised him in a loving family, but from now on we'll try to do a better job and give him even more attention as he grows up," he said in an article in The Guardian. "Our behavior as parents was excessive, and that's something I'm extremely regretful about. I thought that what I was doing was for his own good, but, yes, I realize now that I went too far."

But Yamato's discovery wasn't enough to quell criticisms thrown at the boy's parents. People have taken to social media to express their anger and disbelief at the actions of Yamato's parents, some saying that the boy could have been "heartbroken at being discarded in the mountains" and others debating whether the boy should be given back to his parents.

According to Kyodo News, police are considering filing neglect charges against the boy's parents, but it's still not clear as to when they are planning to take action.
The Solar System is parading some of its planets to the Earth sky this June. Visible to the naked eye throughout most of the month are Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

This June, there will be a "celestial extravaganza" to look forward to. Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, accompanied by four of its moons, will be visible everywhere during the night, according to Space.com.

What's Up for June? Saturn at its best! Plus good views of Mars & Jupiter from dusk to dawn https://t.co/YKoymG5ARQhttps://t.co/B2uPrEeDwf  NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) June 2, 2016

The three planets will be visible from June 1 to 30 this month as soon as sunset occurs, according to NASA. Jupiter will be visible in the western sky all evening, to the left of the moon. But that's not all, four of its moons are also visible this month but binoculars and telescopes have to be used to identify Europa, lo, Ganymede and Calisto. The moons are all lined up perpendicular to Jupiter.

Meanwhile, the Mars opposition, the closest approach of the red planet on Earth, occurred on May 30. As the month of June passes by, Mars slowly starts to fade away as it goes farther away from Earth, giving the limelight to Saturn, which will be the brightest planet visible from Earth this month.

"This month Saturn reaches opposition, when Saturn, Earth and the Sun are in a straight line, with Earth in the middle, providing the best and closest views of the ringed beauty and several of its moons," said Jane Johnson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a report.

Cream and butterscotch color will be predominant when Saturn shows itself in the sky. When using a telescope, a more detailed view of Saturn's ring is possible. The gap between Saturn's ring is called Cassini division and it can also be explored when using a telescope. The gap and NASA's spacecraft were both named after the person who discovered both, Giovanni Domenico Cassini. The Cassini spacecraft will orbit the ringed planet until 2017.

Some of its moons can be spotted using a telescope, including Titan, which is 50 percent bigger than Earth's moon. These planets will be visible in the night sky anywhere in the world according to a report by Boston Globe.

And if the parade of planets is not enough for space and galaxy enthusiasts, the comet PanStarrs is also visible this month, according to NASA.

The brighter and the nearer these planets to Earth are, the easier they are to see. Scientists advise students and professionals alike to take advantage of this month's celestial show to study Mars, Jupiter and Saturn while they are still visible from the Earth.
The world's anticipation towards the Juno Mission to Jupiter is getting more intense as the spacecraft is less than 30 days before reaching its target planet.

Juno is expected to enter Jupiter's orbit on July 4 and NASA is well prepared for the feat as it releases the timeline for Juno's arrival in Jupiter.

The solar-powered Juno spacecraft is tasked to help understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter; NASA launched the mission in 2011. The mission will also be responsible for looking for the planetary core, mapping the magnetic field and measuring water and ammonia content in Jupiter's deep atmosphere.

After a journey of more than four years, Juno will finally reach Jupiter's orbit on July 4. In line with the monumental event, NASA arranged for full media and public access to the event. The Earth-borne headquarters and the key location of the event will take place at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

Juno is expected to insert Jupiter's orbit in a suspenseful maneuver, a 35-minute burn of its main engine, in the evening of July 4. The engine has to slow down to 1,212 miles per hour so it can enter the planet's orbit.

"Once in Jupiter's orbit, the spacecraft will circle the Jovian world 37 times during 20 months, skimming to within 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) above the cloud tops," said NASA in a statement.

Come fly with me! Ride along from Earth to #Jupiter via @NASA_Eyes. Orbit arrival in 33 days https://t.co/4Zka7S9vIJ pic.twitter.com/iEvzb1xI6I  NASA's Juno Mission (@NASAJuno) June 1, 2016

For the first time, a spacecraft will orbit the giant planet and scientists are hopeful that with this feat, more information about the planet will be provided. NASA wants to share this milestone with mankind thus providing a clear and uninterrupted live streaming through NASA JPL's website.

Because this is an event anticipated worldwide, NASA also released a schedule of activities so the media, scientists and the public can be educated as early as today with the event. The initial briefing will be held on June 16 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. By June 30, briefings and press conferences will be held at NASA's JPL in California. A live commentary will air while Juno's "insertion to orbit" occurs on July 4.

Mark Zuckerberg's brainchild, Facebook, also serves as a venue for the proliferation of information and was seen partnering with NASA with various projects. The philanthropist recently held a Facebook Live chat connecting the world to the International Space Station (ISS). And during Juno's arrival, the whole event will also air on Facebook Live at NASA's official Facebook page. This gives the public an easy access to the event, by simply using just their mobile phones and data connection.

Although this event is practically open for everyone to see, NASA requires media accreditation. For inquiries, interested parties may contact NASA here.
Ever wondered where man's best friend originated? Researchers have recently solved a long-time mystery of where wolves were domesticated first, saying that dogs originated independently from two different places.

According to Smithsonian, a University of Oxford study published in the Science journal and funded by the European Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council, dogs originated from wolf populations that are living in West and East Eurasia.

The researchers were able to identify the dog's origin by comparing genetic data with a key archeological piece -- a 4,800-year-old bone from a medium dog discovered at the Neolithic Passage Tomb of Newgrange, Ireland. The team then sequenced the genome of the said fossil and collected data of mitochondrial DNA from 59 ancient dogs living between 14,000 to 3,000 years ago. These were then cross-checked and compared with the 2,500 modern dogs.

The Newgrange dog bone had the best preserved ancient DNA we have ever encountered, giving us prehistoric genome of rare high quality. It is not just a postcard from the past, [but] rather a full package special delivery," said Senior author Dan Bradley from Trinity College Dublin.

Dublin further discussed that gene reconstruction using modern DNA is painstaking as he has no idea if crucial parts in the sequence have gone, Gizmodo notes. The researchers found out that there was a difference between the dogs living in the East and West. They also explained that Eastern dogs spread to Europe and bred with other dogs.

Reconstructing the past from modern DNA is a bit like looking into the history books: you never know whether crucial parts have been erased, said lead author Laurent Frantz.

Present day dogs are a hybrid of eastern and western dogs, which explains why scientists had a hard time identifying their origin through DNA.

Scientists say that the recent discovery, though astonishing, needs more evidence. The researchers are hoping to establish a clear timeline by combining ancient and modern genetic data through physical analysis and research.
Amid increasing number of Zika cases in the world, scientists are now raising the possibility that the virus may be transmitted not only through vaginal sex but also by oral sex and kissing.

In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists cited a case in France where a 24-year-od woman was infected with the virus after having sex with her partner, a 46-year-old man who returned to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, which has the most number of infected people.

While in Brazil, the man had experienced Zika symptoms, such as fever, headache and rash, which ended when he reached France.

According to the report, the couple had sex seven times between February 11 and February 20, each involving vaginal sex without ejaculation and oral sex with ejaculation.

On February 20, the woman became ill, and both were tested for Zika on February 23. The man was said to have high levels of the virus in his semen and urine, but none in the blood and saliva. The woman had traces of the virus in her urine and saliva, and antibodies in her blood.

However, after a vaginal swab, she tested negative for the virus.

In the report, the scientists said that they "could not rule out the possibility that transmission occurred not through semen but through other biologic fluids, such as pre-ejaculate secretions or saliva exchanged through deep kissing."

They noted that the man's saliva tested negative for the virus after he started exhibiting symptoms, although it was not tested earlier. They said that Zika has been detected in saliva, but there haven't been any cases of transmission through saliva documented yet.

"I don't think this changes anything, but it shows you how elaborate the number of avenues of possible transmission can be," Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School, told The New York Times.

According to Schaffner, the transmission route was most likely oral sex, but he also said that it was possible that the woman got infected through pre-ejaculation during vaginal sex. It is also possible that the couple might have recalled each sex act wrongly.

But Dr. Yazdan Yazdanpanah, an infectious disease specialist at the National Institute of Health and medical Research in Paris and one of the authors of the report, said that the two were interviewed separately and their accounts matched.

Dr. John T. Brooks, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studying sexually-transmitted Zika, told The New York Times that he was "not particularly surprised" on transmission by oral sex.

However, he pointed out that transmission of the virus through kissing is unlikely.

There are already confirmed cases of sexually-transmitted Zika in the United States, prompting the CDC to release prevention guidelines earlier this year.
Ancient underwater structures thought to be remnants of a "lost city" were actually created by nature, researchers said.

Divers found the structure off the Greek island of Zakynthos. It had what looked like cobblestone floors and bases of Greek colonnades, which made it appear to be remnants of a long-forgotten civilization.

But in a study published in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, researchers from the University of East Anglia and University of Athens found that the structures were actually a result of a geological phenomenon millions of years ago.

"There were what superficially looked like circular column bases, and paved floors, but mysteriously no other signs of life - such as pottery," lead researcher Julian Andrews wrote in a statement published in Time.

Andrews and his team of researchers analyzed the formations and discovered that the structures were the work of microbes.

"This kind of phenomenon is quite rare in shallow waters. Most similar discoveries tend to be many hundreds and often thousands of meters deep underwater," Andrews said.

Researchers said in a press release that the structures were likely a result of their location, which is directly a subsurface fault hidden by the seabed where methane seeps out of the Earth's crust in different ways.

The carbon contained in the methane is used by microbes in the sediment as fuel, and this changes the composition of the sediment and forms a kind of cement. Water currents erode the surrounding sediment over time, which reveals the harder and naturally-formed structures.

According to researchers, the different forms were likely the result of the various formations of the methane leaks. The process, which is known as concretion, commonly occurs in ocean depths and rarely happens in shallow waters. Therefore, it is easy to mistake these formations for human-made structures.

When Greek authorities examined the site after it was discovered by snorkelers, they found no signs of human life, such as pottery, shards or coins, or any indication that it was human-made.

The site is near Alikanas Bay and was examined by the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of Greece.
A rocket powered by toxic fuel officially took off from the Russian base, and in the days coming, a stage of the Russian rocket is expected to crash in Canadian territory.

Over the past week, environmentalists had been angry and highly concerned as the second stage of the rocket's missile, which carries potentially highly toxic chemicals, is expected to plummet in a biodiversity hotspot, specifically into Baffin Bay between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. Baffin Bay is outside Canada's territorial waters but inside an economic zone that the country partially controls.

"The idea of dropping a missile full of toxic chemicals in the Arctic waters off Baffin Island is just as preposterous as drilling for oil there," Greenpeace Arctic campaigner Alex Speers-Roesch told CBC News.

"Dumping these chemicals from a ship would be a clear violation of international and Canadian law, and it is no more acceptable when it is dumped from the air," he added.

Michael Byers, a professor of international law and an Arctic expert at the University of British Columbia told the Canadian Press that Russia is complying with the rules by notifying aviation authorities of the launch and the splashdown.

The space debris is a stage from a rocket set off under Russia's Rokot program.

According to Russia's space launch report, Rokot is a small expendable space launch vehicle derived from Russia's UR-100NUTTKh (or UR-100NU) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The missile, called the SS-19, use hydrazine for fuel.

Hydrazine gives the best performance as a rocket fuel but it is considered highly toxic. According to Toxipedia, hydrazine exposure is toxic to blood, kidneys, lungs, the nervous system and mucous membranes.

In addition to its effect on health, it poses ecological concerns as well because of its highly corrosive properties.

However, since it is expected to land in an icy region, it is not definite how hydrazine will completely react. Also, there is no information regarding how much unused hydrazine will be dropped down.

The water where the debris will splash is rich in plankton, which seals, seabirds and polar bears eat. It is also a habitat for narwhal, beluga, walrus and bowhead whales.

According to The Globe and Mail, the most high-profile controversy over Russian space debris in Canada occurred nearly 40 years ago which cost taxpayers $9 million.
Two people who were initially thought to be swept out to sea at San Francisco's China Beach Monday morning turned out to be endurance swimmers who weren't in distress, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

The incident was reported to the Coast Guard at 11:55 a.m. at the beach in the city's Sea Cliff neighborhood, Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough said.

Coast Guard and San Francisco fire crews responded and contacted the two people, determined they were not in distress, and cleared the scene

as of 12:45 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.
A San Francisco man arrested for stealing an FBI agent's gun, badge and credentials over Memorial Day weekend has been identified.

Michael Delfon Gregory Jr. has been charged and faces up to 30 years behind bars, the Mercury News reported. The theft of U.S. property comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years, but Gregory was also found to be in possession of 5.4 grams of cocaine and $1,400 in cash, which could add 20 additional years to his sentence.

The gun was stolen from an agent's car in San Francisco's Alamo Square over the holiday weekend and was recovered from the city's Bayview District on Tuesday, FBI officials said.

An FBI SWAT team served a federal search warrant at a house near the intersection of Keith and Thomas streets in San Francisco around 10:30 a.m. based on information obtained from surveillance footage near where the weapon, a .40-caliber Glock 27, was originally stolen from on Sunday afternoon.

Gregory was taken into federal custody at the house at 1832 Keith Street in connection to the stolen weapon.

San Francisco police Officer Carlos Manfredi said the FBI agent reported his vehicle was broken into on Hayes and Pierce streets between 12:30 and 12:40 p.m. Sunday.

Neighbors who live near the popular Painted Ladies know all too well that any car parked in the area is a target for thieves.

"Ours was broken into so many times the man at the glass repair place starting giving me a discount," said resident Sue Valentine.

An NBC Bay Area investigation earlier this year revealed that more than 500 weapons have gone missing from local and state agencies since 2010, either stolen or misplaced.

That had other Alamo Square residents wondering why a federal agent would leave his gun and badge in his car in an area known for theft.

It is unknown whether the agent in question will face discipline for leaving his weapon in his car.

A bill by Senator Jerry Hill would require all law enforcement officers to safely stow any handgun left in a car by placing it in a locked box or trunk, out of sight of passersby. Hill introduced SB 869 in January after firearms stolen from the vehicles of law enforcement officers were used in two murders.

In October, three homeless drifters stole a gun from a civilian's car in San Francisco and used it to kill a backpacker and a yoga instructor.

In July, a gun was stolen from the vehicle of a federal agent with the Bureau of Land Management and used to kill 32-year-old Kate Steinle in San Francisco's Embarcadero.

Nine handguns, including the most recent theft over the weekend, have been stolen from law enforcement officers vehicles in the Bay Area in the past year.

Passed by the Senate in April, SB 869 is currently before the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
The vice chair of California's Republican party supported a rally on Monday at San Jose City Hall to demand answers to the violence that erupted at the Donald Trump rally last week.

Harmeet Dhillon, who is a Trump backer and an attorney in San Jose, said she is in favor of a group called Silicon Valley Vet, who is asking San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo how the Thursday rally got so out of hand. Trump's critics were seen as the main antagonists of the raucous behavior, which included egging, bruising and punches.

Trump himself posted a strong statement criticizing the way Liccardo handled the situation, saying: "San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo did a terrible job of ordering the protection of innocent people. The thugs were lucky supporters remained peaceful!"

Dhillon, who said she will not personally attend the Monday event, said she was at the Trump rally outside the San Jose Convention Center and witnessed "the violence" and is "shocked police stood by and did nothing." The mayor, she said, "only made self-serving comments criticizing Trump, when thugs were attacking innocent people. Trump is not to blame for criminal behavior in San Jose."

Liccardo spoke out against both camps last week, criticizing Trump for whipping up the nation with his antagonistic rhetoric, but also condemning anyone who quashed First Amendment rights with aggression. San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said officers purposely hung back during the rally  and only intervened if they saw serious and physical trouble  so as not to further incite the crowd and be seen as an "occupying force."

Still, there's an online petition spreading, calling for Liccardo to resign. As of Monday, 7,000 people had signed it.

"I'm not terribly persuaded by calls for resignation from Plano, Texas," Liccardo said.

The mayor concedes his initial statement after the melee could have been clearer in his condemnations of the violence, and he said there are undoubtedly lessons learned from the event to make sure the incident does not repeat itself.

"What we saw was a violent situation from a few thugs," Liccardo said. "And we're going to do everything we can to follow up and make sure we make more arrests."

San Jose police said Monday arrests are imminent in the aftermath of the melee, and are asking for victims and witnesses to step forward.

The protesters in San Jose last week were not the typical leftie-Bernie Sanders supporters wearing Bierkenstocks and tie-dye T-shirts. The crowd comprised a mixture of people, but anecdotally, were predominantly made up of the citys large first- and second-generation Mexicans.

Some kept it peaceful, shouting No hate in the 408, referring to San Joses phone prefix. But others added the chant, F___ Trump, F___Trump, to their cries, contributing to the negative atmosphere, where some Mexican-Americans, such as 15-year-old Juan Castro, told NBC Bay Area that Trump fans were screaming racial epithets back at them. Specifically, the teen said, the woman who was egged outside a hotel where Trump was speaking was also using the F-word and saying things to him and his friends, like "You Mexican," he recounted.

Video taken by San Jose State University students showed a young man spitting on her the moment after she was egged.

That's when Trump critics, many of them the same people who were taunted, egged her, and also were seen jumping on cars, ripping off Trump hats and burning them.

Many in the crowd didnt specifically wear their political affiliations on their sleeves, other than to express a deep mistrust and disdain for Trump and his desire to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. Thats what really set off some in the crowd, observers said.

I saw a couple kids that I knew from the neighborhoods that I know run with the local Nortenos and Surenos, and they were just there to fight, James Anderson, who lives in San Jose and was attending a protest organized by a Dump Trump Facebook group, told the New York Times. They werent there to protest anything. They were just there to cause havoc and fight.
A woman has filed a claim against the Los Angeles Police Department alleging she was beat up by officers in her church parking lot.



Ok Jin Yun alleges the incident happened when she drove to church for a prayer service on April 14 at 5:30 a.m.



"She's scared. She's scared," said her son, David, translating for her from Korean.



The incident was captured by surveillance cameras at Oriental Mission Church.



Yun was followed into the parking lot by two officers  male and female  in a police SUV with no siren and no roof lights visible.



She said she doesn't know why they followed her, but believes it may have started seconds earlier, when she had pulled up behind their patrol vehicle, southbound on Western Avenue.



"She honked, thinking it was, you know, a black SUV," her son said.



The video shows officers getting out and approaching Yun. Words are exchanged. And then she appears to be forced to the pavement. Photos taken after the incident show facial lacerations that she said came from the altercation.



"They injured her back, her neck, her shoulders," said Antonio Kizzie, Yun's attorney. "She still feels some pain nowadays."



Yun admits she attempted to make a cellphone call during her interaction with officers, which may have played a role in what followed. Her son says she speaks enough English to turn over license and registration, but not much more.



"Who was she calling on the phone? She was calling 911, requesting a Korean language speaking officer," Kizzie said.

"I was beyond angry," Yun's son added.



David Yun said he contacted police for an explanation after his mother was released from the hospital. She was neither arrested nor charged.



"Their reaction was that the officers were trying to 'help' my mom," David said. "Help her? Do you believe that? I don't."



A LAPD spokesman said a use-of-force investigation has been launched, but would not comment further, pending a complaint Yun is filing.



She claims excessive force and unreasonable detention.



The department spokesman said there is dashcam video from the police vehicle with sound that tells a different story about Yun's interaction with the officers that morning. But it will likely not be released.
A move is underway to oust the California judge who sparked outrage when he sentenced a former Stanford University swimmer to just six months in jail for raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster outside a campus frat party, NBC News reported.

The sentence Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky imposed on Brock Turner, 20, has been blasted by the victim as a "mockery of the seriousness of his assault" and called a "slap on the wrist" by the San Jose Mercury News.

In their recall petition, Change.org noted that "Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency. He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors."

Persky, 54, did not immediately return a call for comment about his controversial sentence or the drive to remove him from the bench.
A triple-shooting suspect was charged with first-degree murder Sunday in the death of a Memphis, Tennessee, police officer who was struck and killed, NBC News reported.

Justin Smith, 21, also faces three other charges of attempted first-degree murder, one charge of vehicular homicide, theft, reckless driving and evading arrest.

Justin Smith is accused of striking and killing Officer Verdell Smith, 46, when he sped off in a stolen car from a bar where two people were shot. Police said he stopped at a fishing shop, as well, and shot one employee.

Verdell Smith had been with the Memphis police for 18 years and left behind his fiancee, children and his father, according to the department.
An American sailor was arrested Sunday on suspicion of drunken driving causing an accident on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, where public anger has run high over crimes by U.S. military personnel.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Aimee Mejia, 21, assigned to Kadena base in Okinawa, was arrested after driving the wrong way on a freeway and smashing head-on into two vehicles late Saturday, said police spokesman Takashi Shirado. Mejia was not hurt, but two people in the other cars were injured, one in the arm and the other in the chest, he said.

The U.S. military said it was cooperating fully with the Japanese investigation.

"We deeply regret this incident and express our heartfelt sympathies for the accident victims and their families. We wish them a fast recovery," Lt. Gen. John Dolan, the commander of U.S. Forces in Japan, said in a statement.

Dolan spoke with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris, and held an emergency meeting with commanders of the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines, the statement said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also spoke with Kennedy, and asked the U.S. to do more to prevent a recurrence of the incident, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Kennedy offered her regrets to the families of those injured, the ministry said.

Okinawa is home to more than half of about 50,000 American troops based in Japan. Protests are common on the island, where residents feel they are being forced with an unfair burden of housing the U.S. troops under a bilateral security agreement.

American military personnel are under a midnight curfew and off-base drinking is banned through later this month in Okinawa after a former U.S. Marine who worked on an American military base was arrested after he led police to a woman's body. He is being held on suspicion of abandoning the body, while police investigate.

The suspected murder of the woman was such a critical issue it came up during President Barack Obama's recent visit to Japan. Obama offered his condolences and promised that the U.S. would fully cooperate to have the man prosecuted under Japanese law.

Japan and the U.S. have been working together to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps air station from a densely populated neighborhood in central Okinawa to another part of the island, but the project has repeatedly been delayed. Protesters are demanding that the facility be moved off Okinawa.
David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were unharmed.

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email, but offered few details. He also worked in Afghanistan for NBC News. Last year, he contributed to NBC News' coverage of the U.S. military plane crash in Jalalabad airport.

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House Photographers Association named Gilkey Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015 he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."
It may not be hump day, but its International Ungulate Day, and Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating it in a historic way.

The Chicago zoo announced the name of its new Bactrian camel calf Monday, a day celebrating ungulates, or animals with hooves. Zoo officials revealed the little one will now be called Alexander Camelton.

The zoo called the name a nod to the Founding Father and the hit musical.

The calf, the first camel calf born at the zoo since 1998, was born May 9 and made its official debut on May 18.

The baby was 4 feet tall and 81 pounds at birth, but Bactrian camels can reach 7 feet in height and weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

It is currently visible at the zoo along with the rest of its herd, including his parents and two additional adult females.

Alexander Camelton is the first successful offspring for mom Nasan and her mat Scooter.
A Chicago teenager accused in his friend's shooting death admitted to the killing in a Snapchat video, according to prosecutors.

Anthony Mendoza, 17, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Christian Bandemer, 16, who was shot in the chest Friday in the city's Bridgeport neighborhood.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Anna Sedelmaier said in court Sunday that Mendoza posted the video on the social media app from the back of a police car after he was arrested, the Chicago Tribune reports.

"I killed Chris and now I'm going to kill myself," the teen said on Snapchat, according to Sedelmaier.

Snapchat videos can be viewed once, then disappear. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said Monday she didn't know how authorities accessed the video.

Defense attorney Mike Johnson described the shooting as accidental and said Mendoza had no ill-will toward his friend.

But Sedelmaier said in court the suspect was the only one in the room with Bandemer at the time of the killing and allegedly told a 20-year-old cousin "not to snitch" about the crime, according to the Tribune.
A Wisconsin man is getting a lot of attention for his mugshot, where he's seen sobbing after being arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman.

Anthony Zingale, 19, is accused of threatening a woman with a knife in a bathroom at a holiday party on May 28 so she would have sex with him, according to police.

The criminal complaint says the woman was able to scream and escape before getting the help of other partygoers and alerting authorities.

When officers arrived to the Plymouth home, Zingale walked out with his hands on his head, telling police he had been drinking that day and only went to the bathroom and dropped his pants "because he had to urinate badly," NBC 5 affiliate WTMJ reports.

The 19-year-old acknowledged he was under 21, but said his mother had been at the party as well, according to the Sheboygan Press.

Zingale faces charges of attempted first degree sexual assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

If convicted of the crimes, Zingale could serve up to 40 years in prison.
A teenager from Milford, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder in the stabbing death of a classmate at their high school hours before junior prom in 2014.

Christopher Plaskon, 19, pleaded no contest to murder in March in the killing of 16-year-old Maren Sanchez.

Sanchez was stabbed to death in a stairwell at Jonathan Law High School in Milford on April 25, 2014. Plaskon's family and friends have said he was upset Sanchez turned down his prom invitation.

A judge sentenced Plaskon to 25 years in prison Monday morning, calling the sentence "appropriate, just and fair."

Plaskon, who chose not to address the court at his sentencing, will remain at Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire until he is 22. He will be eligible for parole in 13 years, after 60 percent of his sentence, because he was a minor at the time of the crime and has served two years.

Sanchez's mother, Donna Cimarelli-Sanchez, made emotional statements about her daughter in court before the sentencing.

"She was my partner in crime, my best friend, my greatest joy," Cimarelli-Sanchez said.

Her daughter was the sunshine of her life, Donna Sanchez said, calling Maren a hard-working and kind girl who had a profound impact on so many lives.

Maren loved music and inventing things, She learned to play guitar using the Internet, started a dog-walking business at the age of 9 and volunteered at the VA Hospital, her mother said.

Sanchez's father. Jose Sanchez, called the 25-year-sentence too lenient.

"My daughter is not walking out of her grave. Her mother and I will not get her back," he said.

Before the sentencing, Plaskon's attorney apologized to the Sanchez family on behalf of his client and his client's family.

Defense attorneys have said Plaskon showed signs of psychosis and they considered an insanity defense.

State's Attorney Kevin Lawlor said the sentence issued was the best they could hope for based on the facts of the case, the defendant's age and changes in state law on sentencing juveniles in serious cases.

Sanchez's parents have filed a lawsuit, accusing the school system of negligence, saying she told a guidance counselor that Plaskon was troubled and capable of hurting others.

School officials have declined to comment.
The younger brother of former President Bill Clinton was arrested on suspicion of DUI Sunday in Redondo Beach, California, according to police.

Jail records show Clinton, 59, of Torrance, remained in custody Monday morning. He was released on $15,000 bond.

He was arrested after a "concerned citizen" called police Sunday night to report a possible DUI driver, according to a statement from the Redondo Beach Police Department. The caller reported the vehicle traveling south on Pacific Coast Highway in an "erratic manner."

The driver followed the vehicle until police stopped the car near Torrance Boulevard and Prospect Avenue.

A court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 2. It was not immediately clear whether Clinton had obtained an attorney.

The arrest of Hillary Clinton's brother-in-law came two days before the California primary in which the former secretary of state is locked in a tight race with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Hillary Clinton won the Puerto Rico primary on Sunday, bringing her closer to becoming the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. She also scored a win in Saturday's U.S. Virgin Islands caucuses.

Voters is six states, including California, head to the polls Tuesday.

Roger Clinton, the former president's half brother, was also arrested in 2001 on suspicion of DUI in Hermosa Beach.

He was pardoned in January 2001 by President Bill Clinton on charges stemming from a 1985 arrest for distribution of cocaine.
A Connecticut man who spent 48 years on the lam after escaping from a work camp in Georgia has not entered a plea and his case was continued until August.

Robert Stackowitz, 71, was arrested at his home in rural Sherman, after officials processing his Social Security application discovered a warrant for his arrest.

Imprisoned on a robbery conviction, he escaped in 1968 from a prison work camp in Carrolton, Georgia. He's now detained on $75,000 bail and an extradition hearing was held today, where the case was continued until Aug. 1.

Stackowitz's lawyer, Norman Pattis told the Associated Press his client is in poor health.

Pattis provided previously undisclosed details of Stackowitz's life before the robbery and his time on the lam, including stints as a high school auto shop teacher, Ford dealership mechanic and boat repairman.

Pattis gave the following account:

Stackowitz grew up in Bridgeport and did modeling work as a child. He later got married and had a daughter. He divorced at age 22, which broke his heart and prompted him to hit the road traveling for a while.

Stackowitz ended up in Georgia in 1966, where he met two other men who asked him to be the getaway driver for a home burglary in Henry County, Pattis said, but the homeowner was there, and the burglary turned into a home invasion robbery. Pattis said no one was injured.

All three men were arrested and sentenced to prison.

While in prison, officials learned of Stackowitz's mechanic skills and allowed him to tune up the warden's car and work on school buses at a facility next to the prison camp, Pattis said. It was at the bus facility where he escaped from custody.

Stackowitz, apparently with enough cash to buy a plane ticket, went straight to an airport and flew back to Connecticut and went on to teach automotive class at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury and worked at a few Ford dealerships, Pattis said.

He eventually settled in Sherman, a small town in western Connecticut along the New York border where he repaired boats at his home. In Sherman, he went by the alias Bob Gordon, but some people also knew him as Bob Stackowitz, Pattis said.

Stackowitz never remarried, but lived for several years with a woman who later died of cancer, Pattis said.

"This is a great guy who made horrible mistakes as a young man," Pattis said. "He would freely admit that what he did was wrong. My hope is that Georgia officials will be inspired by a realistic view of justice."
Two cars collided on Starkweather Road in Plainfield, sending three people to the hospital on Monday.

The cars hit head-on around 12:30 p.m., according to police.

The driver of one car, Stephanie Januszewski, 29, of Salem, was seriously injured and taken to Backus Hospital in Norwich before being flown by Life Star to Hartford Hospital.

The second car was being driven by 76-year-old Marcia Huhta, of Moosup. She was flown by Life Star to Rhode Island Hospital. Her passenger, 76-year-old Matti Huhta, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Interstate 95 South was closed in North Stonington after a tractor-trailer carrying plastic bottles rolled over and down an embankment between exits 93 and 92.

Traffic was backed up into Hopkinton, Rhode Island because of the crash and crews dealt with a fuel spill.

No injuries were reported.
The Baltimore police officer who drove the van in which Freddie Gray broke his neck waived his right to a jury trial on Monday, instead opting to place his fate in the hands of a judge.

Officer Caesar Goodson, 46, faces charges of second-degree "depraved-heart" murder, manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment stemming from Freddie Gray's death on April 19, 2015. He has pleaded not guilty.

Gray, 25, died a week after he suffered a critical spinal injury in the back of Goodson's transport wagon.

Goodson opted to have his case heard by a judge rather than a jury at a motions hearing Monday before Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

Prosecutors said Goodson is the most culpable in Gray's death. They allege Goodson was grossly negligent when he failed to buckle a handcuffed and shackled Gray into a seat belt and call an ambulance when he indicated he needed medical aid.

Goodson is one of six officers charged in Gray's arrest and death, but the only one who didn't make a statement to investigators. He is facing the most serious charge.

Gray's death last year prompted protests and rioting across vast swaths of the city, and his name became a rallying cry in the national conversation about the treatment of black men by police in America.

In the wake of Gray's death, the city's police commissioner was abruptly fired. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who was widely criticized for her handling of the civil unrest that followed, announced she wouldn't run for re-election.

Williams ruled Monday on several pretrial motions. He granted a defense bid to prevent Syreeta Teel, an investigator who interviewed another officer charged in the case and took the stand during his trial, from being called as a witness against Goodson.

Teel is one of two departmental investigators who interviewed Officer William Porter, whose first trial ended in a mistrial in December. Before Porter made an official taped statement to Teel, the two spoke on the phone informally.

Gray said he couldn't breathe during one of the transport wagon's stops, Teel testified, citing her conversation with Porter. In his official statement, Porter made no mention of Gray's complaint.

An appeals court ruled that the officers in the Gray case can be forced to testify against each other, and Porter could be called as a witness against Goodson, Williams said Monday.

But Teel's statements are only relevant to Porter, according to Williams, who agreed with the defense that Teel should be excluded from the upcoming trial.

Williams sided with the state on most of the remaining motions, denying the defense's request to dismiss the assault charge and to suppress portions of the autopsy report.

Gray was arrested April 12 outside the Gilmor Homes housing complex in West Baltimore. Prosecutors said he was handcuffed and placed inside a transport wagon with Goodson at the wheel.

A few blocks away, the wagon stopped and three officers took Gray out, secured him in leg shackles and slid him back into the wagon's compartment, head-first and on his belly. He was never strapped into a seat belt. The wagon made three more stops before its final destination of the Western District station house. At that point, Gray was unconscious.

Goodson is the only officer who was present at every wagon stop, and other officers have testified that it was his responsibility to ensure the safety of the prisoner in his custody.

Last month, Williams acquitted Officer Edward Nero, who faced misdemeanor charges in the Gray case and also chose a judge trial.

After the hearing on Monday, a small group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse, holding yellow signs and banners calling for justice for Freddie Gray.

The Rev. Cortly "C.D." Witherspoon, a vocal activist against police brutality in the city, said he was deeply disappointed with Goodson's decision to waive his right to a jury trial and instead proceed before a judge.

"We've suffered so much already in the midst of this trial that we would hope that we would have had Baltimore City residents be part of a jury process, to have an opportunity to decide this officer's guilt or innocence," Witherspoon said Monday. "We've already suffered so much, we've been through an ordeal and the decision is devastating."
Authorities activated a Silver Alert after a 78-year-old man went missing in Edinburg Sunday afternoon.

Hidalgo County Sheriffs deputies said Jose Loera was last seen at 3:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of Raul Longoria Road.

Loera was described as white, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 180 pounds with gray and black hair and brown eyes. Authorities said he was diagnosed with a cognitive impairment.

Deputies said he was last seen wearing a green cap, blue striped shirt and khaki pants. He was driving a green 1997 Chevrolet Silverado with camper and the Texas license plate BMW5742.

Anyone with information about Loera's disappearance was asked to call the Hidalgo County Sheriffs Office at 956-383-8114.
A Lancaster High School student is headed to one of the country's most prestigious military schools for college.



Renita Williams recently received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point.



"It's a little overwhelming. I think my mom cried more than I did," she said. "It was a long process so just the idea that it's actually happening now, it's pretty cool."



Whereas most colleges ask for teacher recommendations, applying to West Point takes the nomination of a member of congress.



After receiving her nomination from U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Williams applied and was accepted. She plans to study computer information systems and computer programming.



Williams leads the Tiger Battalion at Lancaster High School, but her accomplishments extend well beyond the drill field.



"I ran for student council in 7th grade, so I've been class president for six years in student council," said Williams. "I'm in year book. I'm in ROTC. I was a debutante. I was on the wrestling team."

The medals adorning her uniform show Williams' commitment to the Tiger Battalion, but her interest in the military started well before high school when she met Sergeant First Class Lee Ferrell.



"Leadership skills, character, everything. She has it all," Ferrell said. "When you find a student that has it , or has everything, it's pretty special."



On Friday, Williams marched with her co-cadets for possibly the final time. As she prepares to walk across the graduation stage Monday night she had one parting message for her classmates.



"Some of you have told me you want to go to a military academy. Go for it," she said.

"It starts early. It's a long process, but go for it."
A 30-year-old man is in good condition after being shot by police behind a Family Dollar Store along Ferguson Road in East Dallas.

Police said the incident started around 7 p.m. Sunday when a woman called police, saying a man had assaulted her.

Officers said they tried to pull over suspect Steve Hames in the parking lot of the Mesquite Inn and Suites in the 4600 block of Interstate 30. When police arrived, they said Hames sped off from a traffic stop.

Officers said the vehicle pulled in behind the Family Dollar in the 8000 block of Ferguson Road in Dallas. Officers reported Hames drove his car in reverse and began driving towards the officers and that's when they opened fire.

Hames was taken into custody and transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas where police reported he is in good condition.

Police have not yet released what charges Hames could face.

No officers were injured.
They ranged in age from 19 to 38 but most were in their young 20s.

They came from all corners of the country, from New Jersey to Florida, from Texas to California, united by a desire to serve their country, and now, tragedy.

Profiles are emerging of the nine soldiers killed in a training accident when their truck overturned in floodwaters at Fort Hood Thursday.

Here is the information as released by the U.S. Army and their families:

PVT Eddy Raelaurin Gates

PVT Eddy Raelaurin Gates, 20, was from Dunn, North Carolina andjoined the Army in December 2015. Im hoping that this is still a dream, Gates mother, Marlene Strongs, told WRAL-TV.

Gates was the homecoming queen at Triton High School.

I cant say enough good things about her, said principal Chip Magnum.

PVT Isaac Lee Deleon

PVT Isaac Lee Deleon, 19, was from San Angelo and the only native Texan among the victims. His Facebook page shows he was engaged to get married.

Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez

Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38, the oldest of the victims, was from Brooklyn, New York. He served two tours in Iraq in 2005-2006 and 2011, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008-2009 and 2013-2014.

SPC Christine Faith Armstrong

SPC Christine Faith Armstrong, 27, was from Twentynine Palms, California. Her mother, Yolanda Armstrong, said, We are very proud of her courage and compassion.

Serving in the U.S. Army was her passion, she said.

Armstrongs sister Tabatha Yeampierre said Armstrong was the most caring person youll ever meet. She will be missed greatly.

PFC Brandon Austin Banner

PFC Brandon Austin Banner, 22, was from Milton, Florida. He joined the Army in March 2014.

PFC Zachery Nathaniel Fuller

PFC Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, 23, from Palmetto, Florida, entered service in November 2015 and was assigned to his current unit at Fort Hood two months ago.

PVT Tysheena Lynette James

PVT Tysheena Lynette James, 21, listed her hometown as Jersey City, New Jersey. She entered the Army in November 2015.

Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey

Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, 21, of Valparaiso, Indiana, was a West Point student and was at Fort Hood participating in leader training. He was a member of the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2018.

He was clearly a rising leader in his class and a friend to everyone who knew him, said West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

SPC Yingming Sun

SPC Yingming Sun, 25, was from Monterey Park, California and joined the Army in October 2013.
The Class of 2016 at Young Women's Leadership Academy celebrated history Sunday.

The 32 students were the first-ever to graduate from the all-girls school in the Fort Worth ISD.

"Being the very first class means that we've had the chance to kind of pave the way," class president Margie Ruffin said.

"Honestly, it's a feeling that you can't even describe, like you just feel proud of yourself," said Adriana Rodriguez. "You're trying to take it in and it's just so exciting. Everything is so exciting at this point."

YWLA opened in August 2010 with sixth and seventh graders. All committed to college and focused on leadership and wellness. Rodriguez was one of those seventh graders and is now a member of the inaugural graduating class.

"The best thing to happen at this school was being elected vice president for student council," she said. "When I first started this school, I wasn't really outgoing. And then I just got a little bit out of my comfort zone. I started attending student council and I started feeling that I actually had a voice and being a leader."

Rodriguez will take that leadership experience as she transitions to Stephen F. Austin University in the fall.

"College was always in the plan. I'm going to be a first-gen student, so I'm very excited about that as well," she said. "It was always in the plan and definitely our college advisor she made it happen for all of us."

All 32 girls have plans after high school. Thirty one will head to college and one will head to the U.S. Air Force.

"The numbers behind the class are awesome," said Kendra Strange, the college-bound advisor. "They have over $6 million in scholarships and I'm still counting. They've applied to almost 300 colleges."

Strange starts preparing the girls for college as soon as the sixth-grade year. Through middle school and high school, she guides them in selecting a college, applying and finding financial aid. She also helps their parents understand the expectations and manages fears about sending their daughters away to college.

Of the more than 300 sixth through 12th graders, more than 60 percent are from economically-disadvantaged homes. Most girls will need financial help. Most will be first-generation college students.

"I'm going to Southern Methodist University," said Kennedy Woodard. "I'm on mostly scholarship. Right now, my cost of attendance is $6,000. It started out at $69,000."

"I think it just really reinforces the fact that college is important and that it can be done. You just need the right tools," said Strange. "We want to set that expectation, to show them that they can. So, the class of 2016 has just done an amazing job really showcasing that its possible."

And, they've done it together. Girls find a sisterhood at YWLA that encourages and empowers.

"I am the senior class president, and I was voted president because I ran unopposed because my sisters felt like the position was made for me," said Ruffin. " And that is the greatest thing, the greatest feeling anybody could ever have is to have a support system filled with people that know that you can do the things that they want you to do."

Ruffin already knows where the future will take her. "In the year 2020, I'll be graduating from the illustrious Spelman College," she proudly announced at Signing Day where all 32 girls publicly declared where they will go after high school.

"It was so empowering because I fought for it for such a long time to get to Spelman," she said. "I didn't think I would be able to go for a long time because of financial issues but eventually I just felt like the faith was there."

"Future? Getting my bachelors in mechanical engineering then getting a master's in business." said Woodard who credits the support at YWLA for a huge decision in her sophomore year. She skipped her junior year to graduate early, joining her sister Alexis to be among the first students to get a high school diploma from YWLA.

In the process, Kennedy also become the valedictorian.

"Just knowing that I could get out a year early and just be an example for the girls coming up to know like if you really wanna do something, you can really do it." said Woodard. "Just keep persevering and don't give up on whatever you wanna do."

"You know that's the amazing part of my job. I get to see them grow from 6th grade to high schoolers, and now most of them are 18. They're young women," said Strange. "Helping them to really stand on their own two feet, not just in college but in life.

YWLA is one of seven all-girls public schools in Texas under the umbrella of the Young Women's Preparatory Network. YWPN was founded in 2002 and provides funding to seven schools with about 4,200 students in sixth through 12th grades. Each school prepares girls for college and emphasizes a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math.

The Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School in the Dallas ISD and the Young Women's Leadership Academy at Arnold in the Grand Prairie ISD are also part of YWPN.

Like YWLA in Fort Worth, each school has a college-bound advisor on campus, a critical part of success.

"Oh my goodness it just shows how well it works," said Strange. "I really hope people can see that these 32 young women have accomplished so much and know that this set up works perfectly for these students."

Online

Young Women's Leadership Academy: Web | Facebook | Twitter

Young Women's Prepatory Network: youngwomensprep.org

Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School: www.dallasisd.org/rangel

YWLA at Arnold: www.gpisd.org/Page/3826
At age 11, Tanishq Abraham became the youngest student to graduate with three degrees in the 60-year history of his Sacramento college.

Now, at age 12, he will be among the youngest students to ever attend the University of California at Davis  as a junior. The youngest student ever to attend, was 12-year-old Nicole Tan of Byron in 2000, who graduated in May 2004, according to school spokeswoman Julia Ann Easley.

The brainy pre-teen will study bio-engineering, his mother Taji Abraham told NBC Bay Area on Monday.

Tanishq has already racked up two years of credit while studying at American River College, where he earned three associates degrees in math and physical science, general science and language studies, enabling him to enter UC Davis as a junior.

Tanishq was also accepted to UC Santa Cruz, but his family, which lives in the Sacramento area, chose the closer school in Davis. Abraham said she didn't want to send the pre-pubescent boy to live in the dorms by himself. This way, she can drop off Tanishq on campus, run some errands and come back for him.

"Location, location, location," Tanishq said as his main reason for choosing the UC school closest to his home.

Tanishq's 10-year-old sister, Tiara, is now currently attending his alma mater of American River College. Uprooting the family to Santa Cruz would have been more difficult for everyone, Abraham said.

As for summer plans, Abraham said Tanishq will simply be taking more classes. He's been out of school for two weeks, she said, and "he's been bored to death."

The age of the youngest student in the history of UC Davis was not immediately known.
Donald Trump's campaign is a bare-bones effort debilitated by infighting, a lack of staff to carry out basic functions, minimal coordination with allies and a message that's prisoner to Trump's momentary whims, sources told NBC News.

Three Trump aides and two sources working closely alongside the campaign requested anonymity in order speak freely about the campaign to NBC News.

"Bottom line, you can hire all the top people in the world, but to what end? Trump does what he wants," a source close to the campaign said.

Trump's campaign is lacking a communications team to deal with the hundreds of media outlets covering the race, no rapid response director to quickly rebut attacks and launch new ones, and a limited cast of surrogates who lack a cohesive message.

The campaign is bringing on a new senior staffer Jim Murphy, according to The New York Times, and a source told NBC News more communications hires are expected to follow. But they lag far behind the Clinton campaign.
Donald Trump said Monday it was "inappropriate" for Newt Gingrich to demand he drop the subject of an American judge's ethnicity and start acting like "a potential leader of the United States."

But Trump let stand widespread scolding from other Republican leaders who want him to lay off the jurist  a sign that the GOP presidential candidate doesn't want to blow up the fragile truce he has struck with the party establishment.

Trump insisted that his comments about the judge came in defense against relentless questions from reporters and others about lawsuits against Trump University. Trump said U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel can't be impartial in the suits because his parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall along the border.

Curiel is a former federal prosecutor who was born in Indiana to parents who came from Mexico in the 1920s. He has not responded to Trump's attack, and Trump's legal team has not sought his removal from the case. Judges generally are thought to have conflicts of interest only in more specific situations, such as a financial interest in the outcome of the case.

Nonetheless, Trump says the public discussion about Trump University requires a response.

"All I'm trying to do is figure out why I'm being treated so unfairly by a judge," Trump said Monday on Fox News Channel.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits  in San Diego and New York  which accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied.

A day earlier, Gingrich said Trump's focus on Curiel's ethnic background was "inexcusable" and Trump's "worst mistake." He was one of several Republicans who publicly demanded that the presumptive GOP candidate move on and unite the party.

Across the Sunday talk shows, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he "couldn't disagree more" with Trump's statements about Curiel's impartiality, adding that "we're all behind him now"  an implicit warning that such unity might not be the case for long.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said he doesn't condone Trump's statements about Curiel, then complained that his interview was supposed to be about foreign policy.

The message was repeated Monday, this time from House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz.

"Why doesn't he just say, 'look it's up to the attorneys' ... and leave it at that?" Chaffetz said on Fox News Channel. "And then you move on."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Monday added his voice, saying on Twitter that his former GOP presidential rival should apologize to the judge.

"Attacking judges based on their race &/or religion is another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong," Kasich wrote.

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom they've made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump already has rejected calls for him to adjust his approach.

"I'm not changing," he said Tuesday at a fiery news conference at Trump Tower.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on the idea. Asked on CBS whether a Muslim judge would be unfair given Trump's plan to ban Muslims from the U.S, Trump responded: "Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely."

That puts Trump in significant conflict with the Republicans he hopes to lead  including many who have opted to support him.

For example last week, House Speaker Paul Ryan tepidly endorsed Trump  but 24 hours later disavowed the billionaire's remarks about Curiel.

For a party that in 2012 explicitly pinned its survival on drawing support from Hispanics, Trump's words create an ugly series of headaches.

Asked three times whether Trump's attack on Curiel was racist, McConnell thrice refused to respond directly and repeated a statement about disagreeing.

"I think it's a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans," said McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

Like Ryan, all of the Republicans delivering the move-on message to Trump have endorsed him. But their comments carried the implicit caveat that their support depends at least in part on Trump dropping his criticism of Curiel. All three also suggested ways Trump could move beyond his legal issues.
A pregnant woman is fighting for her life after an unlicensed driver, suspected of driving under the influence, collided with her car on a San Diego freeway Sunday, Escondido Police said.

Police responded to the crash at Broadway and State Route 78 in Escondido, about 33 miles north of Downtown San Diego, at approximately 2:05 a.m. Sunday.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Jose Uriostegui, was driving a black 2005 Ford F150 eastbound on Highway 78 at Broadway when it collided with a grey 2013 Nissan Altima heading northbound on Broadway, according to witness statements and physical evidence police gathered at the scene.

The driver of the Altima, 27-year-old Lucrecia Vasquez, is six months pregnant and now "fighting for her life," a spokesman at Palomar Medical Center said. She was transported to the center with serious, life-threatening injuries, police said. A second passenger in the Altima, a 24-year-old woman, was also taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

"I went over to the car, I lifted the airbags. There was a lady...She was yelling 'Oh I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant,'" a witness who called 911 and helped catch Uriostegui said.

Uriostegui tried to flee the scene of the crash on foot and was detained by the Good Samaritans, who held him until police arrived. Uriostegui was treated for minor injuries at the scene and arrested.

"James catches him, wraps him up, grabs him and we drag him back out onto the street until police get here," one of the Good Samaritans explained.

Uriostegui was charged with felony DUI, felony hit-and-run and driving without a driver's license. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility and is being held on $1 million bail. He is expected to appear in court for an arraignment Tuesday.

The investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have additional information to call officer Mike Nelson at (760) 839-4407.

We are seeking the public's help in looking for any witnesses or anybody who may have seen pre-impact, so before the two vehicles collided, or saw the actual collision," Lieutenant Mike Kearny said.
Dozens of animals were reunited with their owners Monday after being forced to evacuate due to a massive blaze that burned more than 500 acres in the hills above Calabasas.

Pets, livestock and shelter animals were taken to Los Angeles Pierce College and Agoura Animal Care Center over the weekend to escape the so-called Old Fire that, at one point, forced 5,000 residents and their animals to evacuate their homes.

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control set up the emergency centers, where animals got round-the-clock care, heating and air conditioning.

The tally included nine goats, 37 chickens, a bunch of cats, dogs and birds, and 87 horses.

"I think all the domestic dogs and cats and small animals are home. About half of the horses went home," said Marcia Mayeda with the LA County's Animal Care and Control.

Mette Tosencrantz, who runs the Mill Creek Equestrian Center in Topanga dropped off 70 horses at Pierce College due to the fire.

While picking them up on Monday, she felt a sense of relief and was grateful all the animals were doing fine.

"Now, we have to sign out again and take them home," Tosencrantz said "Hopefully, life just goes on like normal."

The 516-acre, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, destroyed one commercial building and damaged four other structures. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, fire officials said.

Authorities were investigating whether the fire sparked after a driver lost control of a sport utility vehicle and crashed into power poles, downing lines in three different places, according to LA County Fire.

All evacuation orders and road closures had been lifted as of Sunday evening. The fire was 80 percent contained.
Neighbors in a Hancock Park neighborhood were shocked and disgusted as they gathered around an SUV Friday, discovering a spray-painted swastika on the vehicle in the predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

But some weren't just calling it vandalism  they were calling it a hate crime.

"Living in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, it's scary," Alison Graham said.

Graham said the entire ordeal began when her husband and daughter awoke Friday to a small crowd gathered around the SUV at 124 South Mansfield at 6 a.m.

With the crudely painted swastika staring back at them, the owner of the SUV called police.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire Station officers arrived and took a police report, filing it as a hate crime, Sergeant Matt McNulty confirmed.

The victim was not Jewish, and believes the vandalism was not meant for him.

He left the truck parked on the street the day before, and when the neighborhood woke up, there the graffiti was.

Though the victim doesn't feel personally targeted, many neighbors do.

Graham said she believes the SUV was picked, not because it could be owned by a Jewish person, but because it was the largest car parked out on the street  a billboard, almost.

"I had a visceral shock reaction," Antony Gordon, Hancock Park resident said. "Like, 'Is this Los Angeles? Is this happening, not only in our neighborhood, but on our street?'"

The LAPD was investigating who may be responsible.
Amid a report that she has already effectively won the nomination, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton continued efforts Monday to lure California voters as the state's primary election looms, while her foe -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders -- stumped in the Bay Area.

Clinton began the day with a get-out-the-vote rally at La Fachada, Plaza Mexico, in Lynwood, where she continued to direct her political ire at presumptive Republican nominee Donald J. Trump.

"We also believe that California represents the future, and it's a bright future, a positive future," she said. "I am tired of Donald Trump insulting Americans. I am tired of Donald Trump talking down America.

"I am confident and optimistic about our future, but we're going to have to do some things -- like elect the right person to be president of the United States," she said.

The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state also attended a get-out-the-vote rally at Leimert Park Village Plaza, then headed for a late-afternoon rally at Long Beach City College.

Monday night, Clinton spoke at a concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, with Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Andra Day, Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera among those taking the stage.

"California is going to help us make the future that we want for every person in this country and we're going to come out of the primary even stronger to take on Donald Trump," Clinton said.

As of Monday, Clinton officially needed 23 delegates to clinch her party's nomination -- a number she could easily achieve with a win Tuesday in New Jersey, before California polls even close.

Late Monday, however, The Associated Press reported that based on its count of pledged delegates and a survey of superdelegates, Clinton already has commitments from the needed number of delegates to claim the nomination.

Sanders, however, is counting on a California win to keep his candidacy alive heading into next month's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

He said today his fate in California will likely hinge on voter turnout.

If it's high, he will win, Sanders said, but if it's low, Clinton will likely take the state.

Sanders' last-day campaign stop Monday was an evening concert at San Francisco's Crissy Field, featuring recording artist Dave Matthews heading a list of performers and speakers, including actors Danny Glover and Shailene Woodley.

In Northern California today, Sanders also took shots at Trump, saying the Republican's campaign has been largely based on bigotry, and he again touted his grassroots support.

"The energy and the grassroots activism in this campaign is with us, not Hillary Clinton," he said.

Trump made no Southern California appearances during the weekend or Monday even though he has said he could put staunchly Democratic California in play in the general election -- a claim about which some GOP strategists have expressed doubt. The last Republican presidential candidate to carry California in a general election was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy was injured in a motorcycle crash on the 710 Freeway in South Gate, prompting lanes closures during the Monday morning commute, authorities said.

The collision occurred just before 5:30 a.m. on the southbound 710 Freeway north of Imperial Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The deputy, who was on duty at the time of the crash, collided with another vehicle and was thrown off his motorcycle, Ramon Montenegro with the Sheriff's Department said.

He was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Montenegro said.

It wasn't immediately known if the driver of the second vehicle involved was injured.

Three lanes were blocked during the investigation and were reopened around 8 a.m.

No further details were immediately available.
A 51-year-old tattoo artist was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a customer at a Ventura shop, and now police are seeking additional victims, authorities said.

Jaime Garza, of Camarillo, was taken into custody May 25 on multiple charges relating to the sexual assault, according to a press release by the Ventura Police Department.

Detectives conducted a yearlong investigation after a 20-year-old Oxnard woman reported she was sexually assaulted while getting a tattoo at High Class Tattoo located at 51 South Victoria Avenue in March of 2015, police said.

Police are seeking to identify others who may have been victims of Garza.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim or has any information is asked to contact Det. Hibdon of the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4443.
Conservative writer and lawyer David French says he will not seek a White House bid, NBC News reported.

In an article posted on the National Reviews website Sunday night, French said hes opposed to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but after serious study, determined he was not the right candidate for the job.

"[G]iven the timing, the best chance for success goes to a person who either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve my country, and I thank God for the successes I've had as a lawyer and a writer, but it is plain to me that I'm not the right person for this effort," he wrote.

Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard hinted that anti-Trump forces were about to put a major candidate forward to run as an independent. News broke last week that Kristol was considering French.

Had he ventured with an independent run, French would have had the daunting task of raising massive funds while entering the arena with virtually no name recognition.
Coast Guard officials are encouraging boaters to stay off the water at least until Tuesday, due to the developing tropical depression that's expected to impact Floridas Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center reports high winds up to 25 knots, heavy rain and rising waves up to 12 feet that may affect the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Boaters and beachgoers are urged to monitor weather conditions as the depression is expected to develop into Tropical Storm Colin.

"Mariners and beachgoers should avoid unnecessary risk and use extreme caution if heading out on the water," said Lt. Cmdr. Holly Deal, Sector St. Petersburg's deputy response chief. "Unfavorable weather conditions could limit or delay Coast Guard search and rescue efforts."

Tropical depression #3 is expected to reach areas under tropical storm warnings, which includes Florida's west coast, by Monday afternoon.
At least two of the nine Fort Hood soldiers killed last week when their tactical vehicle was swept away in a rain-swollen creek in Texas are from the tri-state region, according to a list of names released by military officials.

Staff Sgt. Miguel Colon-Vazquez, 38, of Brooklyn, and Pvt. Tysheena James, 21, of Jersey City, New Jersey, died in the incident, officials said.

Nine soldiers died in the training accident on Thursday, when their vehicle overturned at Owl Creek. The cause of the accident is being investigated by a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Alabama.

Colon-Vazquez became an active-duty soldier in 2003 as a motor transport operator. He was deployed in Iraq in 2005 and was there for a year, military officials said. He was sent to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008 for three months and again in 2013 for about eight months.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to receive contributions to help his wife and four children.

James became a military transport operator in November and had been stationed at Fort Hood since April.

"This is a tragedy affecting not only Jersey City, but all of the communities who have lost a soldier as a result of this accident at Fort Hood," said Mayor Steven Fulop. "Our deepest condolences go to the family and loved ones of Pvt. James."
An assistant principal at an elementary school faces charges accusing him of stabbing a man in a shopping center parking lot on Staten Island, police said Sunday.

Vincent Scotto, 43, an administrator at PS 22 in Graniteville, stabbed the 59-year-old victim in the torso and arm at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Evergreen Shopping Plaza in Great Kills, police said.

The victim was taken to Staten Island University Hospital. His injuries weren't life-threatening, investigators said.

Scotto was charged with first-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

The city Department of Education has removed Scotto from his position at the school.

"This individual has been reassigned away from the school, and he will remain reassigned pending the resolution of this criminal case," said Department of Education spokesperson Devora Kaye.
What to Know Around 276 small dogs, about 20 of them pregnant, were seized from a Monmouth County home Friday

One of the owners, who was said to be in tears as the dogs were taken, had not been seen by neighbors in years

Charges are expected to be filed against a couple who had 276 dogs living in their bi-level home.

Ross Licitra, executive director and police chief of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said he hopes to meet with the county prosecutor's office this week. Officials said the home was in deplorable condition when they found the dogs last week.

Licitra said he doesn't want the Howell couple sent to jail, noting they have cooperated with authorities. But he feels some form of punishment is needed, such as a ban or limit on how many animals they can own.

"These people have very limited means, and we understand that," Licitra told the Asbury Park Press. "We have to send a message that this is unacceptable. In the overall picture, the sheer magnitude of this, that the dogs had to live in those conditions, it's not OK."

Licitra says the dogs are small breeds and are doing well and will be put up for adoption. But two have since given birth, and officials say as many as 25 more may be pregnant. That could yield about 100 more dogs, SPCA officials said.

All the dogs are being cared for at shelters.

"This is the first time out of that house in their lives, but they are adjusting nicely," Licitra said.

St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center is currently fostering 141 dogs, some of which gave birth. The shelter is hoping to put some up for adoption.
NYPD hate crime investigators are looking into an attempted fire-bombing of a Staten Island church Sunday afternoon.

Someone tossed an incendiary device at about 2:20 p.m. into the historic St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church in the Stapleton neighborhood, investigators said.

"They tossed in through that window, and you can see where it landed here and burned out," Fr. Frederick Schraplau said Monday, showing the charcoaled stain of the burned slate floor tiles.

No one was injured.

Schraplau said he doesn't know who would want to destroy the landmarked building built nearly 150 years ago, but said there was someone angry with the church: a homeless man who had been staying in the dilapidated shed on their property. The church forced him to leave two weeks ago.

"The shed is very dangerous. And he was there all winter and we said, 'He's gotta get out of there because it could collapse with him in it,'" he said.

Police wouldn't confirm they're investigating the possibility he's involved. Hate crime investigators were there Sunday, though police have not officially declared it a hate crime.
The primary season is about to wrap up as New Jersey voters go to the polls Tuesday to pick their party's candidates for president and in 12 U.S. House races.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has already sewed up the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, while Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton could have the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination after results in New Jersey are announced.

She is just 26 delegates shy of the 2,383 needed to win, according to an Associated Press count, and there are 126 pledged delegates at stake in New Jersey.

The congressional contests have drawn less attention, mostly because it looks unlikely that any incumbents will lose, but a couple of races have gotten interesting. There are no Senate contests or state-level races this year in New Jersey.

A closer look at races voters will decide at the polls, which are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday:

ABOUT THE VOTERS

There are more than 2.6 million unaffiliated voters in the state, compared to 1.8 million Democrats and about 1.1 million Republicans, according to state data released in April. Unaffiliated voters can choose a party at their polling place Tuesday to vote in New Jersey's closed primaries.

The deadline to change from Republican to Democrat or vice versa has already passed.

CLINTON VS. SANDERS

Clinton is leading Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state, according to recent polls.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted last month showed Clinton leading Sanders by 14 points. That poll surveyed 1,989 people and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

Clinton has deep connections in New Jersey. She has the backing of most of the state's Democratic congressional delegation and party chairmen in all the state's counties. She also captured the state against Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential primary.

HOUSE RACES TO WATCH

In southern New Jersey's 1st District, Democratic incumbent Rep. Donald Norcross, the brother of insurance executive and party powerbroker George Norcross, faces a challenge from 25-year-old Sanders supporter Alex Law.

Norcross has loaned his campaign about $235,000 and gotten a tail wind from an outside group that is spending $215,000 to help him. Law got about $10,000 in outside backing from another group.

It's the only congressional primary in the state to have outside spending.

Norcross has the party's support, including a recent endorsement from Obama, and is favored to win, but the contest has gotten personal, with both candidates using family members to attack each other.

In the Burlington and Ocean County-based 3rd District, Democrats are vying to replace Republican incumbent Rep. Tom MacArthur, who contributed $5 million to his campaign in 2014. Tavern owner Jim Keady, whom Republican Gov. Chris Christie told to sit down and shut up during a 2014 news conference, is taking on Frederick John LaVergne, who lost two previous contests for the seat.

Keady has been endorsed by the Ocean County Democrats and the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, while LaVergne was endorsed by Burlington County's party.
A New Jersey woman sentenced to serve 12 years in state prison for fatally stabbing her boyfriend with a steak knife says she's still loves him.

NJ.com reports Tynesha Lewis was sentenced on Friday in Salem for the March 2015 stabbing death of 27-year-old Brandon Spence.

Lewis must serve more than a decade of that before she can become eligible for parole.

A statement Lewis wrote says she apologizes for the "tragic accident" and that she never meant to stab Spence. "I never meant for any of this to happen," she said in a note read by her attorney. "I am still in love with him."

A trail of blood led from the outside steps of the third-floor Salem apartment to a nearby sidewalk and into the street where Spence fled to seek help. A passer-by took him to a hospital where he eventually died.

Prosecutors had asked for the maximum 30-year sentence.
In Camden, named the most dangerous city in the country last year, many elementary and high-school students are forced to walk two to two and a half miles to and from school each day.

Now, as the city's homicide rate climbs, more than doubling what it was this time last year, officials and activists are calling for funding that could help keep students safer by providing better transportation.

Camden's school district superintendent and other officials joined a city high school student on his more than two-mile trek home on Monday to illustrate the need for more school transit. NBC10's Cydney Long was there.

Currently, New Jersey state law provides no school buses for K-8 students who live within two miles of their schools or high school students who live within two and a half miles, meaning students within those ranges are forced to walk to school or find alternate modes of transportation.

In a city where the poverty rate hovers around 40 percent, according to U.S. Census statistics, car rides or other ways of getting to school aren't available to many students.

"A majority of them are living in poverty. A majority of them are coming from single-parent homes in which the parents are working one more more jobs. They don't enjoy the same support system that their counterparts have in suburbia getting to and from school," Camden Metro Police Chief Scott Thomson told Cydney Long.



Thomson, Camden City School District Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard and Assembly Member Arthur Barclay, a Camden High alum who walked to class each day when he attended school there, will join community members on the 2.4-mile walk with a Camden High student after school.

Camden officials said not all walks in New Jersey are created equal, so the current law doesn't work for students in cities like Camden.



"The argument the community group is making and the argument the superintendent supports is not all walks are the same, and a walk two miles in certain parts of Camden requires more safety supports than a walk in other communities across the state," school district spokesman Brendan Lowe said.

"A one-size-fits-all approach is not gonna work in a place like New Jersey," Thomson said. "A two-mile walk in a place like Camden is gonna be far different than a two-mile walk in Cherry Hill or Moorestown."



Camden recently tallied an uptick in homicides that brought murder rates in the city to 22 this year, more than double where they were last year at the same time. Police said they've seen an increase in daytime shootings.



"We take student safety extremely seriously. It's the first area we focus on in our strategic plan, and we have a partnership with the police department to have extra patrols on routes students are most likely to take to and from school," Lowe said. "We think that increased funds for transportation would be one way to increase safety."



He said that students reporting feeling safe around their schools has improved over the last three years, but there's still work to be done.



"There's progress to be made," he said. "Especially with the events of this spring."



There are five high schools and 15 K-8 schools in Camden. Lowe said he did not have an exact number available of how many students walk to and from school.
Liviu Holca was a perfect example of a doctor feeding the growing opiate epidemic, according to the charges lodged against him in 2014.

The 25-count indictment painted him as a legalized drug dealer, freely prescribing unnecessary opiates to patients with admitted pill addictions.

The case was meant to set an example for others who might be tempted to break the oath to "do no harm," but it instead may point to some gaps that remain in how drug cases are charged, the prosecutor said.

While the Stafford Township doctor lost his license, he kept his freedom.

A plea deal could have given him 364 days in jail. Last week, a judge suspended that sentence, meaning  as long as he doesn't violate his three years of probation  Holca will serve no time behind bars.

Superior Court Judge Wendel Daniels' decision was within the legal parameters. Since Holca pleaded to a third-degree crime, there is no presumption of incarceration, especially for someone without a criminal record.

"I think, just for the purpose of sending a message, some jail time would have been appropriate," said Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato told The Press of Atlantic City. He has targeted the drug problem during his tenure as the county's top law-enforcement officer.

"I just thought the facts in this case were so that it could send a clear message both to the medical community and also to society," he said. "I think the message was blurred."

NBC10 investigated the opioid epidemic and its effects on our communities in an in-depth report, Generation Addicted. We found tragedy and a public health and law enforcement system that is trying to stem the tide of death from painkillers and heroin. See the reporting here.

Judges are not permitted to comment on cases.

Two of Holca's charges were second-degree crimes, which could carry sentences of five to 10 years each. But First Assistant Prosecutor John Corson said there was concern that a jury might not uphold the higher charges, which were based on the total amount of drugs prescribed.

To rise to a second-degree crime, the case must involve more than an ounce of a controlled dangerous substance.

"An ounce is a lot of drugs," Corson said. "It's not often easy to get someone over those limits."

Especially a doctor whose defense could possibly prove that at least some of the prescriptions were made with "a good-faith belief that it was medically necessary."

Coronato said he thinks the Legislature needs to revisit the laws surrounding drug violations, with the focus taken off weight. He noted that, when he was a deputy attorney general in the 1970s and 80s, the purity of drugs topped off at about 20 percent. Now, he says, the low side is 65 percent, with some as high as 83 percent. Synthetic opiates are bringing that even higher.

Ocean County Prosecutor's Office

"It's something I would definitely look into," said Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo. The Atlantic County Democrat said he has looked into ways to help curb the problem.

"I think it has to be a group effort, with law enforcement, legislators, the doctors and patients," he said. "We have to focus more on the bad doctors trying to make a buck and actually harming people."

Mazzeo said he talks to families every day that are crushed by the epidemic.

"This is a very complex issue," Coronato said. "Just putting a doctor in jail isn't, of itself, going to solve the opiate problem. But one thing that would have helped would be sending that message."

Holca lost his license and was fined $300,000.

"There's more than just money that's concerned here," Coronato said. "It's people's lives that are being affected. I think the message was blurred."

He said doctors need to understand the addictive nature of the opiates they are prescribing and the problems it causes.

The prosecutor has been a leader in the fight, charging dealers when fatal overdoses are tracked to them, providing naloxone to first-responders to reverse overdoses and introducing a pilot program in the hospitals to help those saved get into recovery.

"I'm more interested in trying to save lives than put people in jail," he said. "I'm also interested in going after the true predator. People don't wake up and say, 'I want to be a heroin addict.' It all starts from prescription pills."
A North Philadelphia homeowner confronted a burglar who broke into his house overnight and stabbed the burglar several times, police said.



Police responded to a house on Master Street near 11th overnight to find a man estimated to be in his 50s suffering from several stab wounds to his chest and upper back.



The man was taken to Hahnemann Hospital, where he remained in critical condition Sunday and was being held as a prisoner, according to police, after officers determined that the man had apparently broken into the house when he was confronted by the homeowner, who stabbed him.



Police recovered the knife used at the scene, they said.



An investigation into the incident continued Sunday.
What to Know Joseph Daly, 78, was found dead in a pool of blood inside his Southwest Philadelphia home last week.

Police on Monday identified Quintis Clark, 18, as a suspect in the murder and publicized his mugshot, announcing they had a warrant for him.

Clark surrendered at Police Headquarters Monday night.

An 18-year-old man surrendered to police on Monday night in the murder of a 78-year-old Southwest Philadelphia man. His surrender came several hours after police released his mugshot and said he was wanted in the killing.

Quintis Clark, of Vandike Street near Cottman Avenue in Tacony, faces charges including murder, criminal conspiracy, robbery, burglary and related offenses. Police say Clark broke into the home of Joseph Daly, on Theodore Street near 73rd in Elmwood, through a rear window and beat and strangled Daly to death before stealing his Ford E150 van.

A 78-year-old neighborhood handyman was beaten and strangled inside his home. Police say the killer is a teenager. NBC10s Monique Braxton is at Police Headquarters with the latest, including what neighbors think happened before the man was killed.

Police identified Clark as their suspect in the break-in and murder on Monday and released his mugshot to the public, saying they had a warrant for his arrest. Within hours, Clark showed up at Police Headquarters to surrender, authorities said.

Daly's murder was discovered after his son contacted police when he didn't hear from his father for a few days and grew worried.

Police recovered Daly's van unoccupied at Griscom Street and Oxford Avenue in Frankford on Thursday, two days after his body was discovered.

As with any homicide in the City of Philadelphia, a $20,000 reward is up for grabs for anyone who provides a tip leading to an arrest and conviction.

Tipsters should call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or 3335.
A young Philadelphia woman who admitted to stabbing another teen girl to death during a brawl after Fourth of July fireworks last summer will spend at the next eight years in prison for the killing.

Keyarra Frisby, 19, received a sentence of eight to 16 years behind bars from a Philadelphia judge on Monday for killing Anita Cotton, a 17-year-old mother from Philadelphia's Nicetown neighborhood. Frisby pleaded guilty earlier this year to voluntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime in connection with Cotton's death.

Family Photo

Frisby admitted to stabbing the teen in the neck during a fight among girls in the parking lot of a Hunting Park Walgreens early July 5. Police checking out the crowd outside the drugstore found Cotton lying in a pool of blood and took her to a nearby hospital, but doctors were unable to save her.

Friends and family gathered to mourn a teen mom who was stabbed to death over the weekend. An anti-violence rally was also held in her memory.

Friends and family said Cotton was on her way home from watching Fourth of July fireworks when she was killed. She left behind a young daughter.
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Hostess Brands is recalling snack cakes and donuts because they may have come in contact with peanut residue.

The company said it was recalling 710,000 cases of different brands of snack foods out of an abundance of caution.

The products affected include single serve (snack cakes and donuts), multipack boxes and bagged donuts. Brands include Ding Dongs and Zingers.

They were sold in grocery stores, dollar stores, drug stores and convenience stores across the United states and Mexico.

The products, Hostess said in the recall, were produced using flour that came into contact with peanut residue.

Anyone with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts who consumes any of the snacks involved in the recall may run into the risk of a serious or life-threatening reaction. Hostess has only received notices of two allergic reactions related to the products to date.

The company urges anyone who bought the affected snack items to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

The full list of products is on the FDA's website.
Giants are coming to San Diego -- music giants. Rage Against the Machine's new iteration as Prophets of Rage, which includes Public Enemy's Chuck D. and Cypress Hill's B-Real, will play Sleep Train Amphitheatre on Oct. 16, it was announced on Monday. In other news, Mumford & Sons will also be coming to the South Bay venue, for a show on Oct. 6. As if that weren't enough to make your ears and hearts throb, Alice in Chains will be breaking their surly bonds at Copley Symphony Hall on Oct. 2.

Earlier this year, Prophets of Rage created instant buzz when they announced their formation. Turns out the new Rage formation leaves out Zack de la Rocha (maybe he can start a project with former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge) and is described by guitarist Tom Morello as an elite task force of revolutionary musicians determined to confront this mountain of election year bulls---. Formed largely as a reaction to this year's election, the Prophets of Rage kick off their Make America Rage Again tour July 19 at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

For the less politically active and more romantically inclined, Londons folksters Mumford & Sons announced the Austin 5000 tour, which will take them around the Southwest in just eight days. The journey will end a year of international touring for their 2015 album Wilder Mind and their forthcoming album, Johannesburg, which will be released this month.

Starting this October thumping will be Seattle grungers Alice in Chains. While plagued by tragedy, drug use and break-ups (what band isnt?), the group is rumored to be working on another album. They will kick off their summer tour supporting Guns n Roses before transition to a headlining spot July 6 in Portland.

Tickets for all three shows go on sale Friday, June 10, at 10 a.m. (noon for Prophets of Rage) on Ticketmaster. Get 'em quick and get 'em early.
What to Know Hundreds of people showed up at Webster Hall in the East Village for a pop-up Kanye West concert.

The concert was announced late Sunday following the cancellation of the Governors Ball Music Festival due to bad weather.

There was chaos outside Webster Hall as energetic fans climbed on cars and light posts. No arrests were made, but some cars were damaged.

Hundreds of people packed the streets outside Webster Hall in Manhattan's East Village after Kanye West teased a surprise concert there early Monday  but the concert was ultimately canceled as the crowd grew and grew, leading to a frenzied scene that left behind smashed cars and piles of trash.

Despite high energy at the unplanned event and a heavy police presence, no one was arrested, according to the NYPD.

Photos and video posted online show hundreds, possibly thousands, of people gathered outside the concert venue. Some fans climbed on top of cars and others scaled poles and light posts. East 11th Street was jam-packed end to end down the block as people clapped and cheered.

Hundreds flocked to a would-be Kanye West concert at Webster Hall in a frenzied scene early Monday morning. Tracie Strahan reports.

A police car and a taxi cab could be seen trying to make their way through the throng of people. East 11th Street was ultimately closed between Third and Fourth avenues as more fans streamed in.

Concertgoers said other rappers and West's management gave clues something would happen at Webster Hall around 2 a.m. Within minutes, the streets were packed with fans and police.

West took to Twitter at 1 a.m. to announce that the 2 a.m. pop-up concert had sold out. But by 1:45 a.m., Webster Hall tweeted, "There is no late show at Webster Hall tonight. Please get home safely."

A Webster Hall employee said the concert was never officially scheduled. One employee was seen with a bullhorn telling the crowd: "Go home! Go home!"

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/739683751127568384

No official announcement was made about what led to the show's cancellation, but it was likely the enormous crowd, which ballooned quickly after word of the concert got out.

"It was an energy. It wasn't that people were bugging out, but it wasn't that people were calm. People just saw their idol, so it was almost like excitement," said Dante Moreno, from New Rochelle.

As the energy grew, West appeared on top of a car that was quickly surrounded by fans. The musician could be seen driving by amid a wave of cellphones as fans tried to get a photo of the Grammy Award-winning musician.

By 3:30 a.m., East 11th Street had cleared out and re-opened to traffic  but smashed cars were left behind. Some of the vehicles had shattered windows and others had dented roofs. The crowd also left heaps of trash.

Nareem Rigaud, of Brooklyn, said despite some destruction, a positive atmosphere surrounded the event.

"It wasn't a crazy riot or anything. People was just eager to see Kanye. The energy was high but there wasn't fighting or anything like that," Rigaud said.

But East Village resident Michael Gomez saw it differently. He said that both of his cars were vandalized during the chaos. Now, he said, he's stuck paying his insurance deductibles.

"They are animals," Gomez said. "No reason to do something like that. No reason at all."

It's unlikely West or Webster Hall will be culpable for any of the damages, however. Attorney Michael Bachner said that he could have let police know he was going to announce the performance, but there was know way he could have predicted the crowd's behavior.

"The only way to hold Kanye West liable would be to prove he had knowledge or intention or at least acted negligently," he said.

Later on Monday, Mayor de Blasio tweeted to West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, urging them to plan future events with the city.

".@kanyewest @kimkardashian Great block parties are planned. @Chirlane & I can throw one w/ you to benefit NYC kids," he tweeted.

.@kanyewest @kimkardashian Great block parties are planned. @Chirlane & I can throw one w/ you to benefit NYC kids. pic.twitter.com/lfGMOGiEYq  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 6, 2016

West's surprise announcement came after the third day of the Governors Ball Music Festival was canceled due to stormy weather. West was scheduled to perform at the Randall's Island event before it was rained out.
What to Know Lonnie Franklin Jr. was sentenced to death for the killings of nine women and a teenage girl.

The killings spanned from 1985 to 2007.

They were dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" killings after an apparent 14-year gap in the violence.

Jurors recommended the death penalty Monday for the South Los Angeles man convicted of the "Grim Sleeper" killings of nine women and a teenage girl.

Lonnie Franklin Jr. stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as a court clerk read 10 death penalty verdicts.



Family members of the victims cried as the verdicts were read. One rocked back and forth, while another whispered to himself, "Thank you."

"We got what we came to get, a just verdict," said Porter Alexander, the father of 18-year-old victim Alicia Alexander. "I'm glad I lived to see it. It's a long time coming."

Franklin, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police, was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder last month for crimes dating back more than 30 years.

A prosecutor had asked jurors to show Franklin the same compassion he showed his victims and give him the "ultimate penalty."



An emotional defense lawyer asked jurors to sentence him to life without parole to hasten the healing process for the victims' family members.



Franklin's only words during the proceeding Monday were, "Yes, your honor." As he walked into court, family members of the victims whispered, "Dead man walking."



Samara Herard, 45, the foster sister of the youngest victim, 15-year-old Princess Berthomieux, said the verdict was bittersweet.



"This closes out a chapter and you have to go on ... but I'll never get my sister back," Herard said. "She'll never get a chance to grow up. She'll never go to college, she'll never be married ... At 15 years old it was stripped from her."



The judge set formal sentencing for Aug. 10.



During the trial, defense lawyers questioned forensic evidence and said DNA from other men was also found on several bodies.



They suggested a "mystery man," possibly a relative of Franklin's, was the real killer.



On Monday, Franklin's defense attorney slammed the amount of money prosecutors spent on the case and the costs associated with the death penalty.



"Now what happens is millions of dollars will be spent on appeals because we have no choice but to do that," lawyer Seymour Amster said, adding that money would be better spent in the neighborhood where the killings happened.



He declined to speak about Franklin, saying the concentration should be on healing society.



Franklin is unlikely to be executed. Nearly 750 convicted killers sit on California's death row, the largest in the nation.



But because of legal challenges, no one has been executed in over a decade and only 13 have been put to death since 1978. Far more have died of natural causes or suicide.



Most of Franklin's slayings fit a similar pattern. Women were either fatally shot, choked  or both  their bodies dumped in alleys and trash bins.



Police didn't connect the crimes to a serial killer for years, and victims' families and community residents complained the killings weren't thoroughly investigated because the victims were poor and black, and some were prostitutes who had been using cocaine.



Franklin came under suspicion after a task force began re-examining the cold cases following the final killing in 2007 and DNA from his son showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the victims.



A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor later collected utensils and crusts from Franklin while he was attending a birthday party. Lab results connected him to the bodies.



The culprit had been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because of an apparent gap in slayings between 1988 and 2002.



Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman was able to introduce evidence of four additional slayings during the penalty phase, including one that linked Franklin to a killing in 2000. She also presented evidence of a 1984 slaying  a year before the first murder he was convicted of.



Prosecutors said they didn't charge Franklin with the additional killings because it would have delayed the case that took nearly six years to bring to trial.



The survivor who Franklin was convicted of attempting to murder helped prosecutors establish the killer's modus operandi.



Enietra Washington described getting a lift from Franklin in his orange Ford Pinto and then having him shoot her in the chest while she sat in the passenger seat.



As she was losing consciousness, he sexually assaulted her and she remembered seeing the flash from a Polaroid camera.



A photo of a bleeding and partly nude Washington was later found hidden behind a wall in Franklin's garage. Police found photos of other victims in the home.



Nearly 30 years after Washington was left for dead on the side of a road, she pointed at Franklin in court and said: "That's the person who shot me."
A Southern California boy was killed and his mother was hospitalized when a truck racing in the Baja 500 drove off the course in downtown Ensenada.

The crash occurred just after 10:30 a.m. Saturday at a spot in the famous off-roading course, ZetaTijuana.com reports.

Screams can be heard from the crowd as the truck turns a corner and then drives along the edge of a hillside only to then continue down the hill into a crowd below.

Eight-year old Xander Hendricks, from San Clemente was killed. His mother, 28-year-old Melissa Hendricks, suffered head and leg injuries but is back in the United States.

NBC Los Angeles went to a San Clemente home connected to the victims. A family member would not talk about the crash.

The driver of the truck, identified by race organizers as a Utah man, issued a statement.

"I'm devastated by the tragic accident that happened this weekend. My heart goes out to the family at this time, said Todd Pedersen of Orem, Utah.

Race organizers said Pedersen struck three spectators while negotiating a turn entering an area called the Ensenada wash.

Authorities recognized that it was an accident. No charges were filed.

Pedersen is the CEO of a Utah-based company, Vivint, Inc., the Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday.

The news report said the victims were standing outside the restricted area for spectators.

Bloggers covering the event also reported the victims in the crash were standing in an unsafe area.

The Baja 500 has been running for 48 years. The competition has held its start and finish lines in the city of Ensenada dozens of times.

Score International, Off-Road racing, the company that organizes the annual event, publishes information for fans on their Spectator Safety Guidelines page.

Because vehicles can easily reach speeds of over 100 mph, spectators are advised to stay at least 100 feet from the course at all times.

Children under the age of 16 and infants should ALWAYS be accompanied by adults who are responsible for their behavior, the site states. At no time should adults allow children to play within 100 feet (30 meters) feet of the race course.
A remark by San Diego mayoral candidate Ed Harris in which he described San Diego police as stormtroopers in their response to the Trump protests has drawn the ire of the departments union.

Harris, who is vying to replace Mayor Kevin Faulconer, made the comment during a mayoral debate televised on NBC 7 on Friday evening.

Asked his opinion of the polices militant response during the May 27 protests in downtown San Diego during Donald Trumps rally, Harris called it not respectful.

Its not respectful to march into Barrio Logan when people come out their houses when they hear the stormtroopers coming down the street, Harris said.

San Diego police officers were seen in riot gear trying to keep separate Trump supporters and protesters; they eventually declared an unlawful assembly as the incident wore on and protesters refused to leave downtown.

The protesters were ultimately pushed to the Barrio Logan neighborhood south of downtown.

In response, Faulconer said he thought police did a remarkable job in keeping the protests from escalating.

We treated protesters and supporters with respect, the mayor said.

Later Friday evening, the San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA) took to Twitter to criticize Harris choice of words.

We strongly encourage Ed Harris to retract his characterization of San Diego PD officers as stormtroopers,the SDPOA tweeted.

[1/2] We strongly encourage #EdHarris to retract his characterization of @SanDiegoPD officers as 'stormtroopers.' @nbcsandiego #SDmayor  San Diego Police Officers Association (@SDPOA) June 4, 2016

[2/2] This characterization disparages our ofcrs who placed themselves in a dangerous situation in order to protect our community. #SDMayor  San Diego Police Officers Association (@SDPOA) June 4, 2016

Harris remarks also surprised several of the NBC 7 panelists, including Voice of San Diego Editor in Chief Scott Lewis:

Surprised @EdHarrisSD and @Lori4Mayor came out so critical of @SanDiegoPD Trump protest response. Harris called them stormtroopers!   Scott Lewis (@vosdscott) June 4, 2016

In a follow-up statement, Harris said he wasnt retracting his statements. He noted he wasnt criticizing police, but the mayors office in the protest response.

During the debate, Harris blamed the promotion of inexperienced officers for how he thought things were handled.

He issued this statement on Sunday:

"As a public safety officer, I have the utmost respect for our men and women in the San Diego Police Department. My reference was solely aimed at the poor management decision to send armored police and vehicles into the Barrio Logan neighborhood a mile away from the protest."

In a debate televised on NBC 7, San Diego mayoral candidate Ed Harris criticized San Diego polices tactics during Trump protests in downtown on May 27.
Mission San Antonio de Pala celebrated its bicentennial Sunday.

The Mission was established on June 13, 1816 as one of the "sub-missions" to nearby Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside.

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy celebrated a special bilingual outdoor Mass at the Mission, attended by a crowd that overflowed the grounds.

The Mission continues to serve local Native American tribes, including the Pala, Pauma , Rincon, Pechanga and San Pasqual.

The congregation participated in a traditional one-third-mile procession on the streets around the church after the Mass.

The mission is located on Pala Mission Road in Pala.
Family members of two people killed in a wrong-way collision on Interstate 15 say many lives have been changed because of a young man's decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while he was under the influence of alcohol.

This needs to stop, Claudia De La Torre said Monday. One life taken is one life too many.

De La Torre was speaking outside a San Diego courtroom downtown after the judge sentenced Shane McDonald roughly 10 years in prison.

McDonald was driving a black Audi A4 in the wrong direction in the express lanes along Interstate 15 on May 2, 2015 when he collided head-on with a vehicle carrying five people.

Rodolfo De La Torre, 55, of Escondido, was behind the wheel of the Honda Civic. He and Teresa Esparza Hernandez, 84, of Escondido died in the crash.

Torre changed lanes to avoid the collision but McDonald did the same maneuver and the vehicles collided head-on, CHP officers said.

The family was driving to the Tijuana airport to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Torre's wife and two children were in the back seat of the Civic. All suffered head trauma. Two suffered broken necks and severe abdomenal injuries from the seatbelt.

CHP officials said McDonald had admitted to being under the influence of marijuana and alcohol.

In court, McDonald apologized to the victims' families.

"Knowing that I put innocent people through something no one should ever experience fills be with sadness every single day," McDonald said.

He was sentenced to 13 years 8 months in prison with eligibility for parole after 85 percent of the sentence is served.

De la Torre's sister Marcela Robles said the collision and the court case have been beyond challenging for the family.

This has been a very long, emotional year for the family. Today were able to move forward, Robles said outside court.

Weve had so much support, Robles said. Thats what has gotten us through it.

The sisters said they received support from the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) immediately after the crash.
A firefighter was injured battling a nearly 140-acre fire that sparked Saturday near Interstate 15 in Riverside County.

The fire broke out before noon Saturday in unincorporated Temecula and sent heavy smoke into the air in San Diego's North County.

The latest update from Cal Fire reports the fire as 65 percent contained as of Sunday evening.

While fighting the blaze, one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to the agency.

Authorities initially issued a SigAlert, shutting down all lanes of southbound I-15 at Front Street and Temecula Parkway as firefighters battled the blaze.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, there was no closure on I-15 connected to the fire.

This raw video clip submitted to NBC 7 by Linda Meadows show the fire burning in Temecula, off I-15, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a fire also burned in Pala, California, approximately 13 miles southeast of Temecula. That blaze, dubbed the Pala Fire by officials, scorched 70 acres and was 95 percent contained as of 6 p.m. Sunday. The Pala Fire has been burning since Tuesday. Winds and hot temperatures caused the blaze to flare up once again Friday night, prompting evacuations in the area.

Temecula is located approximately 60 miles north of downtown San Diego.
What to Know The eaglets first flight is a typical developmental milestone for eagles at 11-to-13 weeks old.

The eaglets will likely hang around the nest as they ease into life as independent adults.

It will take about four or five years for them to reach full maturity, including their white head and yellow beak.

It appears that Mr. President and The First Lady are empty-nesters once more after the first flights of their 11-week-old eaglets on Sunday.

Video captured by the beloved DC Eagle Cam shows the eaglet, Freedom, leaping from the nest in the National Arboretum for the first time on Sunday afternoon. By Monday, neither Freedom nor her brother Liberty were visible in the livestream.

The eaglets first flight -- called "fledging" -- is a typical developmental milestone for eagles at 11-to-13 weeks old, according to American Eagle Foundation president Al Cecere. Freedom and Liberty were well-equipped for their adventure thanks to their brown "flight feathers" and their successes in tearing and eating their own food, Cecere said in a statement.

But Mr. President and The First Lady are not quite off the hook yet. Like new college students who head home on the weekend for parental laundry services, Freedom and Liberty will likely hang around the nest as they ease into life as independent adults.

"Once these juvenile eagles make their first flights, they'll probably stick around the area for a few days or even weeks, returning to the nest for a free meal now and then while still learning how to successfully hunt on their own," Cecere said.

Over 50 million people have tuned in to the Eagle Cam to bask in the adorable, fuzzy happenings of the eaglets in the months since their birth, and Cecere assured the livestream lovers that the birds are never far from the nest, even if theyre not on camera.

The not-so-little ones still have plenty of growing to do, too, as Cecere said it will take about four or five years for them to reach full maturity, including their white head and yellow beak.
A writer was able to follow Prince George's County homicide investigators' every move for months -- and what he saw may shed new light on the 2012 killing of high school student Amber Stanley.

Del Quentin Wilber, a former reporter for The Washington Post, shadowed detectives for six months in 2013. He focused on the month of February.

"Not only were they getting slammed with homicides and police shootings, but they had a red-ball [high-profile] murder that they were trying to solve, of Amber Stanley," he said.

Stanley, an honors student who aspired to become a doctor, was found shot and killed in her bed in Kettering, Maryland, on Aug. 22, 2012. Her death was the first of six fatal shootings involving high school students in a six-month period.

As Wilber tells in the book, "A Good Month for Murder: The Inside Story of a Homicide Squad," he was with detectives as they uncovered more about the killing.

"He was in there during the time when we got the new information ... on the DNA evidence in this case," Capt. Brian Reilly said.

DNA evidence pointed in a direction connected to Stanley's foster sister, police said.

"She has a foster sister that was assaulted a couple days prior to Ambers murder," Reilly said. "We know this person was involved in that assault, so its just someone were looking at to see where he was at the time of the murder and if he has any involvement."

The investigation into Stanley's murder is active. Police were unable to say when they will be able to file charges in the case.
Nearly a dozen bus passengers were taken to a hospital Monday afternoon after a Metrobus crashed with a pickup truck and then slammed into a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland, officials said.

The J2 bus headed to Montgomery Westfield mall crashed with the truck Monday afternoon on East-West Highway at Grubb Road. The sound of the collision could be heard for blocks, people in the area at the time said.

"The driver of the bus was trapped for about 15 minutes. There's not much of a front of a bus," Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.

The bus driver was severely injured and taken to a hospital. Ten passengers were taken to a hospital with lesser injuries.

Police reviewed surveillance video from the bus and focused on the actions of the white pickup truck in the moments before the crash.

The driver, Rudy Vasquez, received a citation for reckless driving. He told News4 he plans to contest the citation.

East-West Highway was closed in both directions near the site of the collision.
A 17-year-old boy beat a 14-year-old to death in Virginia last month after he asked the younger teen to smoke marijuana with him and the younger boy told an adult, law enforcement sources told News4.

Luis Coca-Crespo was found dead May 12 in the bedroom of the townhouse in Dale City, Virginia, where his family rented an apartment.

The 17-year-old boy, whose family lived in the lower level of the house, confessed to the crime, a Prince William County detective testified in court Monday at a preliminary hearing.

News4 is not naming the teen suspect because he was charged as a juvenile.

Det. Giannina Pinedo, who investigated the killing, testified that Coca-Crespo's sister called 911 after she discovered her little brother dead in his room.

The 17-year-old neighbor quickly became a suspect.

"He told me the reason he'd been planning the killing for a while was because [Coca-Crespo] told on him," Pinedo said in court.

The 17-year-old attacked the eighth-grader, who went by Erick, when Coca-Crespo's grandfather died and his parents traveled to their native Boliva for his funeral.

Police said the two families were distant relatives.

The teen suspect told the detective he attacked the boy with a hammer, hitting him at least four times, and then tying his arms and legs with cord. Coca-Crespo suffered blunt force trauma to his head and torso.

"While the victim was still alive, he said, 'I don't want to die, bro. Don't kill me,'" Pinedo testified.

A family friend previously told News4 that Coca-Crespo was friendly and kind.

"For such a good kid, who would want to hurt him? You know, he's so soft-spoken," Liz Padilla said.

The 17-year-old will later be tried as an adult, Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said. The case will be heard by a grand jury July 5.

The teen's mother wiped away tears in court as she heard details of the attack. She declined to comment on the charges.
A solemn ceremony was held Sunday to honor a Prince George's County firefighter shot and killed while responding to a call to check on a man's welfare.

John Ulmschneider was a 13-year veteran of the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department. He was known as "Skillet" to his colleagues.

"It's very personal for me. I was very close with John Ulmschneider, Skillet, and he worked for me for several years. We were great friends at work as well as off work," said Prince George's county Fire and EMS Assistant Fire Chief Alan Doubleday.

Ulmschneider's widow and 2-year-old daughter unveiled a plaque bearing his name at the Maryland Emergency Services Memorial Park, which honors emergency workers who have died in the line of duty.

The 37-year-old husband and father was shot and killed while checking on the condition of a Temple Hills homeowner on April 15. Volunteer firefighter Kevin Swain was also shot.

The homeowner who shot the firefighters told police he thought they were intruders. He has not been charged.

"It is unfortunate. I think it's a reflection of a national trend of all emergency workers whether it be fire, EMS or even police officers that really do not know what they're responding to anymore and the ensuing violence that can occur at any given time," said Lt. Joe Cvach, with the Maryland Fire and Rescue Services Memorial Foundation.

Dozens of Ulmschneider's family and friends attended the memorial.

"Nothing prepares you for this, though. Whether it's just another event or it's just the shooting. Nothing prepares you for this and we'll get through it," said Prince George's County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor.

Swain survived and was released from the hospital a couple of weeks after the shooting.
What to Know Ridership was only down overall about 1 percent from a typical Monday morning for this time of year.

More Metro personnel will be at the Ballston-MU Station to help riders get to their trains.

Problems during the AM rush had a big effect on a commute. which riders had already been bracing.

Riders coping with the first rush hour commute of Metro's massive SafeTrack repair plan Monday morning found themselves dealing with additional delays because of a switch problem and a train with a malfunctioning door.

Monday afternoon, Metro leaders felt confident about the way the day progressed despite the issues. They said ridership was only down overall about 1 percent from a typical Monday morning for this time of year.

"I want to urge everyone, whatever you did today, do tomorrow, do Wednesday do for the duration of this surge," said Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans. "Because it worked OK today."

Metro's general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, said riders will only have to deal with major SafeTrack maintenance during the time allotted for work, and nothing more.

"We've scheduled this, basically, to get in and do the core of what we need to do in those windows," Wiedefeld said.

Metro personnel were assigned at some stations to assist riders in finding their train. But some platforms, particularly the Ballston-MU Station, were more confusing than others, causing riders to miss their trains.

"I just missed three trains in the last five minutes," said Metro rider Amy Fleischer.

"I don't know where to go right now," said Metro rider Bruce Burns. "I don't see anybody (to help). All I see is passengers and not transportation people."

Wiedefeld said more Metro personnel will be at the Ballston-MU Station to help riders. They said stations to the west of Ballston saw 26 percent lower ridership.

While many riders early Monday morning reported a slightly slower but still acceptable commute, Metro told Orange and Silver line commuters about 8 a.m. to "expect additional delays" after a switch problem outside the East Falls Church station.

After that, delays stacked up for the remainder of rush hour.

"Has now been 1hr since I stepped onto Wiehle-Reston East platform," a rider named Allison tweeted. "My train just departed East Falls Church." Those stations are normally about 22 minutes apart.

Orange and Silver line riders found packed trains and the option of shuttle buses during the first commute of Metros new SafeTrack plan. News4s Kristin Wright reports.

In addition, an Orange Line train offloaded after several riders reported on Twitter that the train stopped between Dunn-Loring and West Falls Church due to an open door signal. One rider tweeted that the train operator was asking passengers to look for an open door.

"THIS is going to be the worst part about #safetracks: regular equipment failure on top of reduced #safetrack work," a Twitter user named Anna wrote.

The extra problems had a big effect on a commute for which riders had already been bracing. Before the switch problem, some Metro riders had reported delays and crowded trains Monday morning, while many others said their trips were relatively easy during the first commute of SafeTrack, Metrorail's aggressive, unprecedented overhaul.

The plan's impact is expected to ripple across the entire D.C. area over the next year -- but the first big test was Monday.

"I'm close to retirement and this could put me over the edge," a rider named Eric said of SafeTrack.

Many riders are planning ahead for their first commutes during Metros massive safety overhaul, said Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld. News4s Molette Green reports.

Nearly 150 people bought single-trip Capital Bikeshare passes Monday before noon, a spokesman said. More than 260 people took advantage of Capital Bikeshare Corral Service, which lets riders drop off bikes at certain locations even if station docks are full.

During the first of Metro's "safety surges," Orange and Silver Line trains are single-tracking for 13 straight days between Ballston and East Falls Church, and running less frequently along much of those lines.

Monday morning, many commuters planned ahead. One man said he shifted his work schedule an hour earlier, while another rider, Wayne Klopsenstein, was outside the East Falls Church station shortly before 5:15 a.m.

Klopsenstein said he'd headed out an hour earlier than usual.

"I expect long delays," he said. "Not so much crowded trains at this time, perhaps, but definitely the delays."

WMATA warned that Orange and Silver line trains may be very crowded, especially during rush hour, and riders should expect significantly longer wait times at multiple stations in Northern Virginia.

As expected, some riders expressed frustration. Ana Fernandez said she has no alternative to Metro, calling SafeTrack "poor planning" and "inconsiderate."

Alain Sellier said he waited 20 minutes for a Silver Line train. "They could've prevented this by having ongoing maintenance at night like other cities," he said.

Metro says its 10-month SafeTrack plan is needed to make up for years of maintenance that had been deferred or delayed, and that evening track work simply didn't give it enough time to catch up with the projects.

Addy Kennedy said there simply weren't enough buses to handle the demand Monday. "Not enough buses for the 5A from Dulles/[H]erndon," she tweeted.

While some riders reported slowdowns and crowded trains, other riders said their commutes weren't that bad. When asked to rate their commutes on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being least disruptive, many gave their commutes a 3 or 4.

"Just pretty slow," said rider Valerie Ehimhen, who rated her commute a 3.

But Sellier, the man who said he'd waited 20 minutes for a Silver Train train, ranked his an 8, much closer to the disruptive end of the scale.

Other commuters opted out of Metrorail entirely.

"Took 2 buses to work to avoid #SafeTrack delays and got to work in half the time as my normal commute," Cassie Fadeley tweeted.

Rob M tweeted, "A busy W&OD trail tells me a ton of people started biking to work today to dodge #SafeTrack."

But it didn't work for everyone.

Meredith Asbury tweeted that her attempt at avoiding Metrorail by trying to take a bus "resulted in a full bus speeding past us waiting..."

Big Changes on Orange, Silver Lines

The first of Metro's 15 "safety surges" began Saturday, with 13 straight days of single-tracking on the Orange and Silver lines between Ballston and East Falls Church -- yes, even during rush hour -- through June 16. That means reduced service on those lines, and a severe impact at and west of Ballston. (View map of impact.)

On weekdays:

Orange Line: before 10 p.m., trains run every 18 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton, with more frequent trains between Ballston and New Carrollton: every six minutes during rush hours every 10 minutes during midday and evening

before 10 p.m., trains run every 18 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton, with more frequent trains between Ballston and New Carrollton: Silver Line: before 10 p.m., trains run every 18 minutes between Wiehle and Largo Town Center

before 10 p.m., trains run every 18 minutes between Wiehle and Largo Town Center Both Orange and Silver lines: from 10 p.m. to midnight, trains run every 20 minutes

On weekends, trains run every 18 minutes before 10 p.m., and every 20 minutes from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Tens of thousands of Prince Georges County residents use Metro every day. And some are concerned the county isnt prepared for the impact of SafeTrack. But as bureau chief Tracee Wilkins reports, the county says it does have a plan to help you get to work.

Riders should expect significantly longer wait times at multiple stations, WMATA said. The affected stations are:

Wiehle-Reston East (Silver Line)

(Silver Line) Spring Hill (Silver Line)

(Silver Line) Greensboro (Silver Line)

(Silver Line) Tysons Corner (Silver Line)

(Silver Line) McLean (Silver Line)

(Silver Line) Vienna (Orange Line)

(Orange Line) Dunn Loring (Orange Line)

(Orange Line) West Falls Church (Orange Line)

(Orange Line) East Falls Church (Orange/Silver lines)

(Orange/Silver lines) Ballston (Orange/Silver lines) -- Trains headed east through Ballston may be especially crowded, WMATA said. Riders arriving Ballston should consider using the extra train service that originates at Ballston and will board on the opposite platform. This may make your trip longer, but will likely provide riders with less-crowded trains.

Limited shuttle bus service is available between Ballston and East Falls Church, and Ballston and West Falls Church.

WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld holds press conference before SafeTrack begins this weekend, which is expected to cause major disruptions for commuters on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines.

Another 14 safety surges will have major impacts around the region for an entire year. See the entire SafeTrack schedule here.

Metrobus & Fairfax Connector Enhance Service

WMATA is encouraging riders to try to use buses as much as possible. To find a bus-only trip, use WMATA's online trip planner and choose the "bus only" option. See Metrobus timetables here.

Metrobus is offering extra rush hour service in areas affected by the first safety surge (stay tuned for info on the next surge):

Regular Metrobus fares are $1.75, and 85 cents for seniors and people with disabilities. Express bus fares and airport express routes cost more. Bus-to-bus transfers are free if you're using your SmarTrip card.

Fairfax County's Fairfax Connector bus is also beefing up its rush hour service.

Herndon to/from Pentagon: Route 599 (PDF) will have extra trips between Herndon and the Pentagon.

Route 599 (PDF) will have extra trips between Herndon and the Pentagon. Vienna to/from Pentagon: A new route will be created between Vienna and Pentagon; see the schedule here.

Other Ways to Avoid Metrorail

In addition to taking the bus, here are more options for getting around without Metrorail:

Emmanuel Ayisi, Ellie Hartleb, Dystany Muse and Brooke Wivagg contributed to this report.
Police in Canton, Massachusetts, are on the hunt for a pair of men accused of robbing a convenience store Saturday.

The robbery happened Saturday afternoon at Andalus Variety on Route 138.

Police say the pair entered the store with a gun and handcuffed the clerk.

The clerk told police he was able to call 911 after the suspects left.

The suspects were wearing dark pants and sweatshirts.

If you have any information, you are asked to call Canton Police.
Two residents were bound during an armed home invasion in Seekonk, Massachusetts, Sunday night, according to police.

Two individuals broke into the center-Seekonk home, one of them reportedly armed with a gun.

They bound the residents, who were not injured, and stole a number of items from the home.

Police believe they targeted the home.

The incident remains under investigation.
Police say six people were injured in a weekend road rage brawl in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Police say the incident happened around 11 a.m. Sunday in the area of Farrington Street by Elmwood Avenue.

Police say two cars nearly collided, and then everyone exited the cars and got into a fight. All seven adults were shouting and shoving each other.

Police say a pregnant woman who came out of her home after hearing the commotion was pushed to the ground.

Four people were taken to Quincy Medical Center and two others went to South Shore Hospital with minor injuries.

Police say all parties involved have been summonsed to court for Affray, fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace.

The operator of the vehicle traveling on Farrington Street was summonsed to court for Assault and Battery, as was the passenger of the vehicle exiting the driveway.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is heading to China this week to talk about the challenge that climate change poses to urban areas.

The Democrat will join a delegation that includes officials from 20 U.S. municipalities taking part in a low-carbon cities summit in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Walsh says Boston has made significant progress, but is always looking for other ways to better prepare for and adapt to the consequences of climate change.

The summit is billed as an opportunity for officials to exchange best practices between U.S. and Chinese cities. More than 40 Chinese cities are expected to attend.

The summit is organized by the United States and China in part to promote the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made by the countries' leaders in 2014.
Family members and neighbors are remembering the Manchester, New Hampshire, family that lost their lives in a fast-moving fire early Monday morning. The community came together earlier tonight, as they honored the four lives lost during a vigil.

Clutching crayon drawings created by her little brothers, Amy Moody wants to know why her family is gone.

"These brothers were my life, they were my children," she said.

Joshua Harrison and Aileen Moody were killed this morning in the fire, along with two of their children 10-year-old Joshua Harrison the Second and 8-year-old Jay Michael Garon. Amy Moody is the sister of the little boys and lives down the street.

The boys regularly attended the after-school program called Roca Kids Club, where tonight about 200 people gathered to share memories.

Jamie Wintle of Roca Kidz Club said, "They were happy boys...always willing to help out to do something."

Close family friend Jimmy Day told necn he just saw the family on Sunday.

"They always helped people out. They gave people a place to live when they needed it," he said.

Meanwhile, Rick Botkin says the children's mother worked at his dry cleaning business for years.

The brothers attended Wilson Elementary School, where some students left early so parents and grief counselors could help them process the loss. Faith leaders at a community center where the brothers also spent time, said they are also trying to be there for everyone.

The Manchester community center will host parents and children for a pizza night, and use it as a time of prayer and remembrance for the victims.

It's unclear what caused the fire, which is still being investigated. The blaze also left 30 people homeless.

I wanna know whyno one really knows yet," said Keyanna Martel, a friend of the victims.

Surveillance video showed the fire broke out at the Wilson Street apartment building around 5 this morning.

Residents started frantically escaping.

Firefighters said they got there three minutes after the call came in, but it was too late. The family couldnt get out in time.

This is something I wont be able to get over. I just know that for a fact," said Amy Moody.

Family members and neighbors are remembering the Manchester, New Hampshire, family that lost their lives in a fast-moving fire early Monday morning. The community came together earlier tonight, as they honored the four lives lost during a vigil.

Clutching crayon drawings created by her little brothers, Amy Moody wants to know why her family is gone.

"These brothers were my life, they were my children," she said.

Joshua Harrison and Aileen Moody were killed this morning in the fire, along with two of their children 10-year-old Joshua Harrison the Second and 8-year-old Jay Michael Garon. Amy Moody is the sister of the little boys and lives down the street.

The boys regularly attended the after-school program called Roca Kids Club, where tonight about 200 people gathered to share memories.

Jamie Wintle of Roca Kidz Club said, "They were happy boys...always willing to help out to do something."

Close family friend Jimmy Day told necn he just saw the family on Sunday.

"They always helped people out. They gave people a place to live when they needed it," he said.

Meanwhile, Rick Botkin says the children's mother worked at his dry cleaning business for years.

The brothers attended Wilson Elementary School, where some students left early so parents and grief counselors could help them process the loss. Faith leaders at a community center where the brothers also spent time, said they are also trying to be there for everyone.

The Manchester community center will host parents and children for a pizza night, and use it as a time of prayer and remembrance for the victims. It's still unclear what caused the fire, which is still being investigated. The blaze also left 30 people homeless.

I wanna know whyno one really knows yet," said Keyanna Martel, a friend of the victims.

Surveillance video showed the fire broke out at the Wilson Street apartment building around 5 this morning. Residents started frantically escaping.

Firefighters said they got there three minutes after the call came in, but it was too late. The family couldnt get out in time. This is something I wont be able to get over. I just know that for a fact," said Amy Moody.
Two adults and two children were killed in a 4-alarm apartment building fire Monday morning in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Investigators said they don't know how this fire started here, but have surveillance video from a nearby business that may give an idea.

Two people died as they were pulled from the building and two others died at Elliot Hospital, according to Manchester Police.

"It's certainly tragic," Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan said. "It's tragic for us, it's tragic for the families, it's tragic for the neighborhood and it's tragic for the city."

Thirty others were rescued from the building and the American Red Cross is now working to find them temporary housing. A neighboring apartment building at 210 Wilson St. was also temporarily evacuated during the early stages of the fire.

Resident Rodolpho Paradas said, He told me 'let's go, the building is on fire.'"

Two firefighters were injured, one minor, and one with a non-life-threatening leg injury suffered during the rescue operation.

Chief Dan Goonan said, "We initially pulled out four people. Two were pronounced dead at the scene and two at the hospital."

About 12 apartments were inside the building. Seven were occupied. Fire officials said the top two floors were destroyed. The total damage is estimated at about $750,000.

District Chief Michael Gamache arrived at the scene within three minutes of the initial call. He said the house was "fully involved," with heavy fire conditions and thick, black smoke. People were in the street telling firefighters that there were residents trapped inside, he said.

Firefighters entered and removed two victims from the second floor but were forced out by the flames.

"The fire was progressing so quickly we had to retreat," Gamache said.

They were eventually able to reenter the building and found the other two victims inside.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials said the investigation is centering around the back porch of the building. Goonan said he did hear smoke alarms sounding inside the building.

Derry and Nashua firefighters assisted at the scene. Other surrounding towns provided station coverage for Manchester.

The Bureau of Alcohol Fire Tobacco and Explosives is helping investigators.

While investigators believe the fire started on the back side of the property, it's unclear when they will know how it sparked, because of the damage.

At this time the investigation is ongoing and its very early in the investigation," said state fire marshall William Degnan.

Officials in Manchester, New Hampshire, say two adults and two children were killed in a 4-alarm apartment building fire Monday morning.

Manchester Fire is still on the scene at 197 Wilson St. The fire has been knocked down and crews are monitoring hot spots.

Two people died as they were pulled from the building and two others died at Elliot Hospital, according to Manchester Police.

"It's certainly tragic," Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan said. "It's tragic for us, it's tragic for the families, it's tragic for the neighborhood and it's tragic for the city."

Thirty others were rescued from the building and the American Red Cross is now working to find them temporary housing. A neighboring apartment building at 210 Wilson St. was also temporarily evacuated during the early stages of the fire.

Two firefighters were injured, one minor, and one with a non-life-threatening leg injury suffered during the rescue operation.

About 12 apartments were inside the building. Seven were occupied. Fire officials said the top two floors were destroyed. The total damage is estimated at about $750,000.

District Chief Michael Gamache arrived at the scene within three minutes of the initial call. He said the house was "fully involved," with heavy fire conditions and thick, black smoke. People were in the street telling firefighters that there were residents trapped inside, he said.

Firefighters entered and removed two victims from the second floor but were forced out by the flames.

"The fire was progressing so quickly we had to retreat," Gamache said.

They were eventually able to reenter the building and found the other two victims inside.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials said the investigation is centering around the back porch of the building. Goonan said he did hear smoke alarms sounding inside the building.

Autopsies are scheduled to be conducted on Tuesday morning, and the names of the victims are expected to be released at that time.

Derry and Nashua firefighters assisted at the scene. Other surrounding towns provided station coverage for Manchester.
Police are searching for a driver who hit a pedestrian early Saturday morning in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The victim, a 25-year-old man, was walking on the sidewalk when he was struck around 4:40 a.m. on Main Street, near the intersection of Wellington Street and Charlton Street.

When responders arrived, the man was found with a leg injury. As of Sunday, police say, he is in stable condition.

Worcester Police shared a surveillance photo of the car that is believed to have struck the man. It is thought to be a green Honda Accord or Toyota Celica of an older model year.

The car would have damage on the front passenger side, police say.

Anyone with information is asked to call (508) 799-8674.
A man accused of crashing into a Massachusetts State Police trooper on his motorcycle while drunk over the weekend is due in court Monday.

Police say Danilo Diroche was riding his motorcycle in Revere on Saturday night when he allegedly slammed into the trooper, who was getting out of his cruiser on Revere Beach Boulevard.

Authorities say the motorcyclist hit the trooper, then struck a car and tried to run away on foot before officers arrested him.

Procopio says Danilo Diroche has been charged with operating under the influence of liquor and leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury. The 26-year-old Lynn man was also taken to a hospital with unknown injuries. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

The trooper suffered injuries to his head and upper body.
"This project is a fiasco," said demonstrator Jane Palmer of Monkton. "It's not for Vermont or Vermonters; it's for a big corporation that's looking to make money."

With 11 miles of pipeline already laid from Colchester to Williston, this year, it's 30 more miles to Middlebury to go for the utility, which has the approval of top state regulators.

"Our work is moving forward," Vermont Gas spokeswoman Beth Parent said, noting the protests Monday did not entirely halt progress because crews could focus their energies elsewhere. "There is definitely a need for this project. This is a good project for Addison County and the state of Vermont."

Parent insisted the pipeline will extend a fresh choice to thousands of customers in the Middlebury area, who are eager to ditch propane or oil for heating their homes and businesses.

But for years, environmentalists with Rising Tide Vermont have blasted the $154-million project as too expensive, too harsh on the landscape, and too stuck in the past, for continuing the use of fossil fuels.

"Folks have their opinions of what the project is, and they need to be heard," Williston Police Chief Todd Shepard told necn. "But on the same token, work does have to continue, and the workers have the rights to be here to do their project. They should be entitled to also continue their job."

Williston Police said five protestors were arrested and released with citations to appear in court at a later date to face charges of trespassing and resisting arrest.

The protestors receiving citations, according to Williston Police, were Barbara Alsop, 64, of Huntington, Karen Bixler, 74, of Bethel, Christopher Schroth, 29, of Plainfield, Geoffrey Gardner, 73 of Fairlee, and Sophia Wilansky, 21 of the Bronx, New York.

Parent said Vermont Gas is maintaining a laser focus on safety for its workers, contractors, and for any protestors who may show up at work sites. Parent said Vermont Gas has, where possible, agreed to set up safe protest zones for demonstrators to voice their opposition to the construction.
A routine traffic stop in Rhode Island ended with the arrests of two brothers from Pennsylvania suspected of stealing about $10,000 in non-prescription medication.

State police say a trooper stopped a vehicle in West Warwick just after 3 p.m. Saturday after noticing that a front-seat passenger was not using a seat belt.

The trooper spotted tin foil duct tape and steel mesh often used to make so-called "boost bags," used by shoplifters to bypass store security systems. The suspects also lined their pants with duct tape.

Police found three trash bags in the car filled with medications thought stolen from four area stores.

Thirty-two-year-old Vincent Lawson, of Ringtown, and 30-year-old Christopher Lawson, of Philadelphia, face several charges including felony shoplifting and receiving stolen goods. It's not clear if they have lawyers.
Police in Chelsea, Massachusetts, continue to ask for the public's help in locating a vehicle and driver they say fatally struck a man in a hit-and-run crash.

Authorities say 25-year-old Marco Cruz was hit by a vehicle on Washington Avenue at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Police are searching for the vehicle involved in the crash. It's believed to be a light-colored sedan and should have front-end damage including a broken headlight.

Cruz was taken to Massachusetts Hospital, where he died from his injuries on Sunday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Chelsea Police at 617-466-4855.
Police in Watertown, Massachusetts, are looking for the public's help in identifying the owner of a severely emaciated pit bull that wandered into a local Home Depot store over the weekend.

Police said the dog wandered into the Home Depot on Arsenal Street around 6 a.m. Saturday.

The animal had numerous lesions that might be cigarette burns and each ear has a small notch cut into it. The dog weighs 26 pounds, which police said is less than half of what a healthy weight would be for this breed.

Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn said, "He's doing well but he's in poor condition. He was a body score of one which means he has no fat or muscle on his body"

Watertown Police

The dog is very friendly, and is being called "Sully Doe" until police can positively identify it.

Animal Control Officer Karen O'Reilly said, "We're interested in where the dog came from, who is the caretaker, just to make sure no other animals are being abused as well."

Anyone who recognizes the dog or has any information that could help identify the owner is asked to call Watertown Animal Control Officer Karen O'Reilly at 617-972-6446.
The dog that killed a 7-year-old Maine boy over the weekend was a pit bull, according to a law enforcement official.

The adult male pit bull has since been euthanized at its owner's request, Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton said at a press conference Monday.

The child killed has been identified as Hunter Bragg of Bangor. Morton said Bragg was playing in the yard at 207 Moody's Mill Road in Corinna at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday with two other children when the dog attacked him. The boy was already dead when first responders arrived at the scene. No one else was injured.

Hunter's father, 35-year-old Jason Bragg, was in the residence at the time. The dog's owner, Gary Merchant, 45, of Corinna, was also inside.

Morton said Hunter was a student at the Downeast School in Bangor and school officials were notified of his death.

Morton said his office continues to investigate the death. At this time it isn't known what might have prompted the attack.

The town manager in Corinna told WCSH-TV on Monday that the dog was not registered.

Neighbors on Moody's Mills Road said the family is quiet and keeps to itself, but has loud dogs that can often be heard barking.

The victim's cousin, the dog's former owner, told WCSH the animal "was a good and loving dog" and showed no previous signs of being aggressive.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been established for the Bragg family to help cover the costs of Hunter's funeral.

"He was loved by so many family and friends. He had a charisma about him that would put a smile on anyone's face and he always had a smile on his face," his aunt Jennifer McClure told necn in a statement. "He had a bubbly personality and amazing sense of humor and was a very smart kid. He acted a lot older than he really was. He was my cutie patootie and a lot of people's buddy."
An 18-year-old reported missing from Bristol was found in Bridgeport and police have canceled the Silver Alert for her.

Ashley Tanguay's father reported her missing on Sunday morning after she failed to arrive on a bus to Clarksville, Tennessee, to meet her mother.

Police said Bridgeport police found her at 2:15 p.m. on Monday and she is safe.

Police said Tanguay is autistic and suffers from mental health issues and a social skills disorder and her father told them he believes these issues left her vulnerable and that she has engaged in dangerous behavior in the past.
The U.S. government has told the European Commission that a proposal to ban imports of American lobster isn't supported by science.

Eileen Sobeck, the assistant administrator for fisheries from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wrote to the commission on Monday. She says there's too much at stake to proceed with the proposed ban without "robust, peer-reviewed science."

Sobeck noted that the U.S. and Canada together export $200 million worth of lobster to European markets each year.

Sweden has asked the European Union to bar imports of live American lobsters into the 28-nation bloc after 32 of them were found in Swedish waters.

It's unclear how the American lobsters got there but Sweden believes they could spread disease and outcompete the European variety for food.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is the latest Republican to reject GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments about the ethnic background of an American federal judge.

Trump is insisting that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whose parents were born in Mexico, cannot be impartial overseeing the class action lawsuits against Trump University. Curiel's ethnicity, Trump says, puts him in conflict with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's plan to build a wall with Mexico.

The Maine senator Monday called Trump's comments "absolutely unacceptable" and in conflict with what she called, "American values."

"Donald Trump's comments on the ethnic heritage and religion of judges are absolutely unacceptable," Collins said in her statement. "His statement that Judge Curiel could not rule fairly because of his Mexican heritage does not represent our American values. Mr. Trump's comments demonstrate both a lack of respect for the judicial system and the principal of separation of powers."

Other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, have rejected Trump's remarks and urged him to unite the GOP.

Curiel has not commented and Trump's legal team has not sought his recusal from the case.

Trump on Monday said he's only defending Trump University from relentless questions from reporters and others.
Warm welcome at Norwich Christian-run guesthouse



Local Christian Loren runs a bed and breakfast business just outside Norwich and has has many opportunities to share her faith over the years. She is keen to pass the business on to somebody who will continue the work she has built up.
Although vendor-written, this contributed piece does not promote a product or service and has been edited and approved by Network World editors.

Today, its rare to encounter a company that doesnt use the cloud. According to a recent RightScale report, 93% of organizations surveyed are running applications in the cloud or experimenting with infrastructure-as-a-service, and 82% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy, up from 74% in 2015.

As cloud adoption rises, employees skilled in cloud development and management are finding themselves a hot commodity in the job market. In fact, many organizations are fighting for highly-coveted cloud computing experts to optimize cloud performance and help them better compete in their respective markets.

In the early days of cloud, startups were the only ones willing to take a chance on the technology, resulting in cloud computing experts flocking to startups. As enterprises saw the cloud model validated and began to trust it, they sought new hires to help them harness the clouds positive benefits, and the first place many enterprises looked for potential cloud computing recruits were those startups.

Cloud computing experts are beginning to leave the startup world for tech behemoths like MetLife, Fidelity and GE that can offer higher salaries, brand recognition, enticing benefits, elevated titles and a more stable environment. As a result, startups are struggling to retain the cloud computing talent on which they once enjoyed a virtual monopoly. They are now tasked with competing to preserve in-house talent, while simultaneously recruiting new hires to meet growth goals.

The inability to retain top talent has a measurable impact on a business of any size. Expertsestimateit can cost anywhere from 30% to 400% with the average being 150%, of an employees annual salary to replace them, depending on their level, experience and skill set.

To land and keep cloud talent, startups must put their best foot forward and remind employees and prospects why starting out in the startup world is a good thing for their professional development, personal job satisfaction and career path. Here are the top three differentiators startups can highlight in the next job interview to maximize their chances of securing employees with a strong cloud skill set:

* The unicorn experience: Hiring smart, creative and innovative people who are going to add value to the company is a key aspect to the success of a so called unicorn business, one that has a valuation of more than $1 billion. Having the opportunity to contribute in growing a successful business from the ground up is an extremely rewarding experience for many people, and something that cannot be replicated at a tech giant. The ability to make a direct impact on the business is often far greater at smaller companies.

* Broad tech exposure: Due to the less formal structure and more opportunity to be hands-on, tech employees in startups often wear many hats and have the opportunity to work with an array of technologies. As a result, employees gain deeper knowledge and understanding of diverse aspects of the business, and gain insight into the overarching IT strategy, rather than just one piece of it.

* Less bureaucracy, more creativity: Startups are almost always less bureaucratic than large organizations. Startup employees have the opportunity to gain a sense of ownership over their work and get the freedom to bring creative ideas to the table  instead of feeling like they always need to color within the lines.

In this cloud-first world, its a race to get the best cloud experts on any given team. In order to preserve talent, its essential that startups be vocal about the unmatched value of joining their teams. Staying silent could cost them dearly.
Security researcher Ken Munro of Pen Test Partners hacked the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). He discovered several vulnerabilities, including being able to disable the anti-theft alarm from a laptop.

U.S. drivers may be unfamiliar with the vehicle. Had Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid sales started in 2013 as originally proposed, it would have been the first plug-in hybrid SUV available in the U.S. But it didn't. The 2017 model is expected to hit showrooms late this fall, with an estimated $42,000 as a base price. In the U.K., it is the bestselling hybrid.

Unlike most remote control apps for cars that use GSM to communicate, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a wireless access point on the SUV. To use the app, you must disconnect from any other Wi-Fi and connect to the SUVs AP. Although that might have been a cheaper solution for the car manufacturer, Munro said the system has not been implemented securely.

Mitsubishi Motors Example of the Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid PHEV app. The "hack" was done with a laptop, not the app.

The SUVs AP has a unique SSID, in the format of [REMOTEnnaaaa] where n are numbers and a are lower case letters, making it easy for a site like Wireless Geographic Logging Engine (WiGLE) to track the location of the vehicles. Put another way, Munro said, A thief or hacker can therefore easily locate a car that is of interest to them.

In the Mitsubishi Outlander hack video, Munro said some of the vulnerabilities are funny but others are really quite nasty.

The PSK is too short and cannot be changed. Pen Test Partners used a relatively low-powered rig and cracked the key to a SUV that cost them about $60,000 in a mere four days. Crank up the cracking power, such as using a cloud service, and it would take considerably less time  about a day or so.

The researchers then launched a MiTM (man-in-the-middle) attack to check the security between the phone and the SUV. They discovered they could take control of many functions of the car with nothing more than a computer.

Without using the app, they could control the lights, control pre-cooling and pre-heating to drain the charge, and otherwise tweak the charging schedule. But those are relatively minor things when compared using a laptop and replay attack to disable the anti-theft alarm and unlock the doors.

Once the SUV is unlocked, an attacker can access the OBD-II (on-board diagnostic) port, and thats where you can really start messing around with the cars systems, Munro said. Although they didnt try it, the researchers mentioned how BMWs OBD-II port can be used to code new keys for the car.

If I was a thief, Munro said, I would geo-locate it, using resources like WiGLE; Id find your car  crack your Wi-Fi key. Then Id send the code required to disable the alarm from a laptop  or maybe a hacked mobile device. After that, a thief could jimmy the door or smash the window to reach inside, unlock and open the door, and then access the OBD port inside. Ive potentially got your car.

Mitsubishis response

Mitsubishi was reportedly disinterested when the researchers attempted to privately disclose the flaws. That changed, however, once the BBC got involved.

After Mitsubishi was given a demonstration of the hack on June 3, the company said, This hacking is a first for us, as no other has been reported anywhere else in the world. Mitsubishi then seemed to downplay the vulnerability, telling the BBC, It should be noted that without the remote control device, the car cannot be started and driven away.

The short-term solution proposed by the car manufacturer is for owners to deactivate the onboard Wi-Fi via the cancel VIN Registration option on the app or by using the remote app cancellation procedure. Munro said to do it unless you want someone to come along and potentially pinch your car.

Munro wishes Mitsubishi would take the vulnerabilities more seriously. He suggested to the BBC, New firmware should be deployed urgently to fix this problem properly, so the mobile app can still be used.

On Pen Test Partners, Munro said Mitsubishi needed to re-engineer the odd Wi-Fi AP. A GSM module/web service would be better yet. For the long term fix, Munro said, words like recall spring to mind.
There is one inevitable real-world reality when it comes to virtual reality: you need high-end gear. Its no accident that VR headsets like Oculus Rift and Vive are taking off this year because both Nvidia and AMD are launching very powerful video cards that can generate the realistic graphics needed to make VR work.

There are more low-cost VR alternatives, such as Google Cardboard and Samsungs Gear VR, but they dont give the same experience as Oculus and Vive. However, Microsoft Research may have come up with a workaround that can lower the barrier to entry for VR systems and make underpowered devices viable VR platforms.

FlashBack is a new system from Microsoft Research that eliminates real-time frame rendering and instead relies on cached, pre-rendered frames that are displayed based on the users actions. According to a research paper just published (PDF), the system provides eight times improved frame rate, 97 times less energy consumption and a 15-fold latency reduction in mobile devices.

+ More on Network World: 40 virtual reality predictions +

In some cases, Microsoft claims Flashback delivers even better frame rates and responsiveness than a tethered HMD configuration on graphically complex scenes.

The FlashBack system uses something Microsoft calls megaframe, where dynamic objects, which are supposed to be moving, can be fully pre-rendered. It then only displays the frames needed relative to the users position.

Flashback compresses and stores megaframes either in the GPUs VRAM, in regular memory or on the SSD of the device. The frames are decompressed in the GPUs memory when they are needed. The compression algorithms are impressive. The paper states that a decoded 4K texture consumes up to 8MB of memory, but in its compressed state, it needs only 100KB.

Since its a research project, its still in an early state. No doubt the researchers will improve its ability to handle multiple dynamic objects through caching and compression, and advances in smartphone technology will only help. Microsoft has no tentative release date for Flashback, but thanks to Satya Nadella lighting a fire under these guys, maybe well see it sooner rather than later.
Who is The Daily News Athlete of the Week? Here are the 7 nominees.

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Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of light rain late. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of light rain late. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
(BARR-ah-klude) Entecavir (en-TEH-cuh-veer) Consumer Medicine Information

What is in this leaflet Read this leaflet carefully before taking Baraclude. This leaflet answers some common questions about Baraclude. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist. All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Baraclude against the benefits they expect it will have for you. If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.

What Baraclude is used for Baraclude contains entecavir and belongs to a group of medicines called antiviral medicines. Baraclude is used to treat adults infected with hepatitis B virus.

How Baraclude Works Infection by the hepatitis B virus can lead to damage to the liver. Baraclude reduces the amount of virus in your body, and has been shown to improve the condition of the liver. It is not known how safe Baraclude is when taken for long periods. Your doctor may have prescribed Baraclude for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Baraclude has been prescribed for you. Baraclude is not addictive. This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription. Baraclude is not recommended for use in children under 16 years, as there have been no studies of its effects in children.

Before you take Baraclude It is important that you check the information below before you take Baraclude.

When you must not take Baraclude You must not take Baraclude if you have a history of severe allergic reactions to Baraclude or to any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction may include; chills, fever, fast heart beat, wheezing or coughing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, flushing, sweating and swelling of the face, tongue or other parts of the body. Do not use Baraclude after the expiry date printed on the back of the pack. If this medicine is taken after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well. Do not take Baraclude if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.

Before you start to take Baraclude It is important to remain under the care of your doctor during Baraclude therapy and after stopping Baraclude. You should report any new symptoms, medications or any other aspects affecting your health to your doctor. Your hepatitis B virus infection may get worse if you stop taking Baraclude. If your doctor advises you to stop Baraclude, they will monitor your health and perform regular blood tests to monitor your liver. Tell your doctor if you: 1. have allergies to: any other medicines you have been given or purchased substances such as foods, preservatives or dyes; Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction may include; chills, fever, fast heart beat, wheezing or coughing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, flushing, sweating and swelling of the face, tongue or other parts of the body. 2. are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Experience is limited with the use of Baraclude in pregnant women. Therefore, it should not be used during pregnancy unless it is clearly needed. If there is an urgent need to consider Baraclude during pregnancy, your doctor will discuss with you the benefits and risks of taking it. If you take Baraclude while you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about how you can take part in the Baraclude Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of the pregnancy registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. 3. are breast feeding or planning to breast-feed. It is not known whether Baraclude passes into breast milk. Therefore to avoid possible side effects in the nursing infant, mothers should stop breast-feeding if they are taking Baraclude; 4. currently experience or have experienced any medical conditions especially any problems with your kidneys. 5. have HIV and you are not currently on HIV treatment. Baraclude is not recommended in patients who have both HIV and Hepatitis B and who are not currently receiving anti-HIV treatment. Baraclude may affect your HIV virus which could impact on future treatment options for HIV. 6. are lactose intolerant. Baraclude tablets contain lactose. Baraclude tablets should be used with caution in patients who are lactose intolerant. Speak to your doctor if you are lactose intolerant. If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you use Baraclude.

Taking other medicines Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including vitamin supplements, herbal preparations or any medicines you buy with or without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Your doctor and pharmacist may have more information on medicines to be careful with, or to avoid while taking Baraclude.

How to take Baraclude Baraclude should be given only when prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

How much to take The usual dose of Baraclude is 0.5 mg (one white tablet) or 1 mg (one pink tablet) once a day. If you have a medical problem with your kidneys your doctor may need to change how often you take your Baraclude tablets. Your doctor will tell you what dose to take and how often you should take your Baraclude tablets. Please talk to your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

How to take it Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water. The dose of Baraclude should be taken on an empty stomach.

When to take Baraclude Baraclude may be taken at any time of day provided it is taken on an empty stomach. Empty stomach means at least 2 hours after a meal and at least 2 hours before the next meal. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to work out when it is best for you to take your dose of Baraclude.

How long to take it Baraclude helps control your condition but does not cure it. Therefore you must take Baraclude every day as directed by your doctor. Continue taking Baraclude for as long as your doctor tells you to. Your doctor has prescribed Baraclude to prevent hepatitis B virus from further damaging your liver. Baraclude is a very important treatment that can improve the inflammation and scar tissue caused by the hepatitis B virus in your liver and may reduce the chance of developing cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. It is extremely important that you do not stop taking Baraclude without discussing it with your doctor. If Baraclude is suddenly stopped, the hepatitis B virus can become very active again and lead to sudden development of severe liver failure. There is a high risk of dying if liver failure develops and liver transplantation may be necessary to save your life. It is important to take Baraclude every day or as directed by your doctor, to not miss medicine doses, and to make sure you have enough supply until you next see your doctor. Do not stop taking Baraclude or change the dose unless asked to do so by your doctor, even if you feel better, as it can be very dangerous.

If you forget to take it If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take the next dose when you are meant to. Otherwise take it as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking it as you would normally. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist. If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints and inform your doctor that you have missed a dose. It is very important not to miss your doses of Baraclude.

If you take too much (overdose) Immediately call your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre on 131126 in Australia or 0800 764 766 in New Zealand, or go to the Accident and Emergency Centre at your nearest hospital if you or anyone else takes too much Baraclude. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

While you are using Baraclude

Things you must do If you become pregnant while taking Baraclude, tell your doctor immediately. If you are about to start taking any new medicines, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking Baraclude. Baraclude may interfere with the medicine you are taking. If you are about to have any medical tests, tell your doctor that you are taking Baraclude. Baraclude may interfere with the results of these tests. If you plan to have surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Baraclude.

Things you must not do Do not give Baraclude to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you. Do not use Baraclude to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to. Do not stop taking Baraclude or lower the dosage without checking with your doctor. Your hepatitis may worsen after stopping treatment.

Things to be careful of Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Baraclude affects you. Some patients taking Baraclude have experienced dizziness. It is not known if this was caused by Baraclude. Make sure you know how you react to Baraclude before you drive a car, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy. Make sure that you visit your doctor regularly throughout your entire course of treatment with Baraclude. When your treatment with Baraclude is stopped, your doctor will continue to monitor you and take blood tests for several months. There is no evidence that Baraclude reduces the risk of infecting others with hepatitis B through sexual contact or body fluids (including blood contamination). Therefore it is important to take appropriate precautions to prevent others being infected with hepatitis B. Talk to your doctor about safe sexual practices that protect your partner. Never share needles. Do not share personal items that can have blood or bodily fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades. A vaccine is available to protect those at risk of becoming infected with hepatitis B.

Side effects Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Baraclude. Baraclude helps most people with hepatitis B infection but it may have unwanted side effects in some people. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. Some very important side effects are listed below. Tell your doctor immediately, or go to accident and emergency at your nearest hospital if you notice any of the following signs of a sudden life-threatening allergic reaction: chills, fever, fast heart beat, wheezing or coughing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, flushing, sweating and swelling of the face, tongue or other parts of the body. Some people who have taken Baraclude or medicines like Baraclude have developed a serious condition called lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can cause death. Lactic acidosis must be treated in the hospital. Reports of lactic acidosis with Baraclude generally involved patients who were seriously ill due to their liver disease or other medical condition. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms of lactic acidosis: Feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or light-headed, fast or irregular heartbeat. Some people who have taken medicines like Baraclude have developed serious liver problems called hepatotoxicity, with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). Hepatomegaly with steatosis is a serious medical emergency that can cause death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: Your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice), urine turns dark, bowel movements (stools) turn light in colour, you don't feel like eating food for several days or longer, nausea, lower stomach pain. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking medicines, like Baraclude, for a long time. The most common side-effects are diarrhoea, indigestion, tiredness and headache. This is not a complete list of side effects, other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. Tell your doctor if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell. Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them or only some of them.

After using Baraclude

Storage Store Baraclude tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30C. Keep your tablets in the blister pack until it is time to take one. If you take the tablets out of the pack they may not keep as well. Do not store Baraclude or any other medicine in the bathroom or near the kitchen sink. Do not leave it in the car. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Do not keep Baraclude tablets where children can reach them. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop taking Baraclude, or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with what is left over.

Product description

What it looks like Baraclude tablets come in two types: Baraclude 0.5 mg tablet - white, triangular shaped tablets with 'BMS' on one side and '1611' on the other Baraclude 1 mg tablet - pink triangular shaped tablets with 'BMS' on one side and '1612' on the other

Ingredients Each tablet contains: Active ingredients: Baraclude 0.5 mg tablet - 0.5 mg of entecavir per tablet Baraclude 1 mg tablet - 1 mg of entecavir per tablet Other ingredients: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, povidone, and magnesium stearate. The 0.5 mg tablet coating contains titanium dioxide, hypromellose, Macrogol 400, polysorbate 80, and the 1 mg tablet coating contains titanium dioxide, hypromellose, Macrogol 400 and iron oxide red CI177491.

Registration Numbers Baraclude 0.5 mg - 30's - AUST R 116852 Baraclude 1 mg - 30's - AUST R 116853
As concerns about the Zika virus rise among women of childbearing age in the United States, Joseph Biggio, M.D., director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, wants those who are pregnant or trying to conceive to take precautions.

Risks and Recommendations

The greatest risk for Zika is in the first trimester of pregnancy. Women who are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant should avoid exposure to the virus by limiting travel to areas where Zika is being transmitted. There is not definitive proof of how Zika is transmitted from mother to fetus, but it is related to the levels of the virus in the mother's blood.

Women who are traveling to tropical or subtropical areas should discuss plans with their physician prior to going on these trips. If a woman is pregnant or is trying to become pregnant, travel may need to be delayed, and those who have recently traveled to such an area should contact her physician for testing, whether symptoms are present or not.

As of today, all of the Zika viruses reported in the United States have been associated with travel to countries where Zika transmission is happening. According to Biggio, the risk of acquiring Zika in the United States is very low.

Still, Biggio recommends women take precautions.

"If you are pregnant, I recommend protecting yourself and your baby by using insect repellents," Biggio said.

Insect repellents that contain DEET and picaridin are thought to be safe for pregnant women. Concentrations of DEET are less than 30 percent for the majority of insect repellents. Picaridin has not been associated with birth defects. Spray the insect repellent on clothes instead of the skin to try to decrease some absorption.

Zika in Men and Women

A man or woman will have the virus in his or her bloodstream for one to two weeks after infection. The virus circulates in the body through various organs where it can be shed for another one to two weeks.

It is unknown how long the Zika virus is shed in male semen, but the current recommendation is that men who have traveled to areas that have seen Zika transmission should abstain from intercourse or use condoms regularly to avoid exposing a pregnant partner or a partner who may become pregnant. If the male partner has had symptoms, this practice should be continued for at least six months; in the absence of symptoms, the time period for abstinence is a minimum of eight weeks.

For couples trying to conceive, the best recommendation is to avoid travel to Zika-transmission areas to prevent early exposure in pregnancy. Couples in which the female partner is pregnant but the male partner has traveled to a Zika-affected area should either abstain from any type of intercourse or use condoms correctly and regularly with all sexual activity throughout pregnancy.

"It is believed that the Zika virus is transferred from maternal bloodstream to fetal bloodstream through the placenta, where the virus stays for a long period of time, providing continuous exposure to the fetus," Biggio said.

During pregnancy, the placenta may harbor Zika allowing it to be present for a longer period of time and causing harm to the fetus. After delivery, the woman should not experience additional symptoms related to Zika, and the virus should not affect future pregnancies.

Zika and Babies

Initially, microcephaly was the main concern in relation to Zika. The virus seems to affect the brain tissue, preventing normal growth and provoking an immense immune response affecting other developing tissues. Because of the high viral levels in the placenta, Zika can cause other brain abnormalities, damage to the eyes and hearing, as well as stillbirths.

The long-term impact of microcephaly on a child depends on the cause of microcephaly and the underlying problems in the brain.

"Most infants who have microcephaly from Zika virus may have severe neurologic issues and be at increased risk for seizures, developmental delay and other neurologic abnormalities," Biggio said. "If Zika is diagnosed during pregnancy, treatment is based on symptoms for the mother and surveillance for the baby through the remainder of the pregnancy."

For infants born with microcephaly, there are no particular treatments that can be done to reverse the effects of the viral infection. Early intervention can be provided based on the symptoms with which a baby is born to address the special needs of the child.
A new University of Leicester study has confirmed the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage combinations to treat highly infectious bacteria C. difficile infections (CDI) while retaining a healthy gut.

A team led by Martha Clokie, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester's Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, demonstrated that bacteriophage combinations significantly reduce growth of C. difficile cells and proliferation in complex models, whilst retaining healthy gut by preventing destruction of beneficial bacteria caused by traditional antibiotic treatment.

The study, which was funded by AmpliPhi Biosciences, is published in the peer-reviewed publication Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

CDI is responsible for approximately 39% of the cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in the Western world. Ten percent of CDI patients die due to lack of effective therapies. The main obstacles to preventing CDI are the existence of diverse C. difficile strains that vary in their response to antibiotics and the impervious nature of the C. difficile spores.

Results from studies carried out by Dr Janet Nale in Professor Clokie's laboratory demonstrated that specific phage combinations caused the complete destruction of C. difficile and prevented the appearance of resistant bacteria, while results of the complex models work showed that oral delivery of optimised phage combinations resulted in reduced C. difficile spread at 36 hours post-infection.

Additionally, the phage combination was able to kill 12 of the 13 C. difficile variants that are most prevalent in the UK, and were effective against the emerging variants that are increasingly causing concern in the UK, the US and more widely. The phage combination also reduced or completely prevented regrowth of C. difficile when compared to treatment with individual phages.

"Our data supports the therapeutic potential of phage combinations to treat C. difficile infections," said Professor Clokie. "In particular, combinations of phages optimised in the laboratory setting were shown to be effective in the treatment of C. difficile in animals. Further refinements to our bacteriophage cocktails can be explored to maximise phage efficacy and to target the most dominant C. difficile variants."

"Lab experiments, like this, allow us to see what effect specific phage combinations have on C. difficile in complex models. To see the effect of specific phage combinations in humans we would run an experimental trial with people."

M. Scott Salka, CEO of AmpliPhi Biosciences, added: "The prevalence of C. difficile, the high costs of infection control and the challenge of finding alternative treatments, all contribute to the significant clinical and financial burden that CDI imposes on healthcare systems. The positive outcomes of these studies validate phage-based therapy as a promising approach that has the potential to address the growing challenge of CDI. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Professor Clokie to develop tailored and customised phage therapies for future clinical trials in humans."
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends that colorectal cancer (CRC) screening begin at age 50. This means that less is known about the occurrence of the disease in people under age 50. Unfortunately, one thing that is known is that while the overall rate of colorectal cancer continues to decrease, the incidence of the disease in patients under 50 is, in fact, on the rise. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2016 seeks to understand this rise in a regional sample of 39,575 patients, finding that in Colorado patients over 50, the rate of CRC is falling at 2.5 percent per year while the rate of CRC in patients under 50 is rising at 0.8 percent per year. The increase in incidence appeared to be driven mostly by an increase in late-stage CRC in the under-50 population with an increase of 2.4 percent per year from 2003 through 2013.

"We hear patients under fifty saying they were told they were too young to have cancer, so not to worry about symptoms. We want young people to be aware that it can happen to them, too. If people are aware of the possibility for colorectal cancer, they're less likely to miss it," says Christopher Lieu, MD, investigator at the CU Cancer Center and assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

The study used data from the Colorado Central Cancer Registry. Overall, the incidence of CRC was about 20 times less in patients under age 50. However, not only is the incidence of young CRC rising, but the majority of these cancers are diagnosed only once they have reached stage IV disease. In fact, the diagnosis of late stage CRC in young patients is rising more than three times as fast as diagnosis of early-stage disease in the same population.

"We're finding this later in young people," Lieu says. Again, this is most likely due in part to screening guidelines that lead to earlier discovery in the over-50 population. Lieu also points out that younger patients (and their doctors) may overlook or discount CRC symptoms that would have been treated more carefully in older patients.

"I think the implication is not that screening age should be decreased. We don't want to do colonoscopies on people who don't need it, which could do more harm than good. What we need is awareness," Lieu says. He points out that awareness can include recognition of symptoms, but may also include awareness of the need for increased care in genetically predisposed populations or those with a family history of the disease. At ASCO 2016, Lieu will also present results showing that CRC in young patients may be genetically distinct from the disease in older patients, leading to a more aggressive profile.

"This is an important finding for the state and an important finding for young patients in general," Lieu says.

Source: University of Colorado Cancer Center
HAVING radiotherapy once a day for six and a half weeks or twice a day for three weeks -- when combined with chemotherapy -- is equally good at treating small cell lung cancer that hasn't spread.

These results -- from a Cancer Research UK-funded clinical trial presented at the ASCO cancer conference today (Sunday) -- mean patients and doctors can choose together which treatment suits them best.

The CONVERT clinical trial-- the largest trial ever completed in this group of patients -- looked to find the best way of giving radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy for patients with small cell lung cancer.

The trial also found that small cell lung cancer patients live longer and with fewer side effects than previous studies suggested which is likely to be because of the modern radiotherapy techniques used.

Around 550 patients from around the world were split into two groups -- one receiving radiotherapy twice a day over three weeks and the other once a day at a higher dose over six and a half weeks. All patients also had chemotherapy.

Scientists from the University of Manchester and the Christie Hospital with others in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Canada compared survival and side effects for both groups.

They found that survival in both groups was similar with 56 per cent of patients who had radiotherapy twice a day surviving for two years compared with 51 per cent of those given it once a day.

Importantly, the majority of side effects from radiotherapy were similar in both groups, apart from neutropenia -- weakening of the immune system - which happened more often in twice daily treatment group (in 74 per cent of the patients who had twice daily radiotherapy compared with 65 per cent of the once daily group).

The trial results support the use of either once daily or twice daily radiotherapy with chemotherapy as standard treatment for small cell lung cancer that hasn't spread. This means that individual patients' treatment can be planned with their doctor according to what works best for them and their hospital.

Previously there was no agreed dose for giving radiotherapy once or twice a day, but this trial has identified the best amounts as 66 grays once a day and 45 grays twice a day.

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Although the trial will still be followed up for the full five years, the results have already changed clinical practice within the UK and internationally.

Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn, trial lead and Cancer Research UK-funded scientist from the University of Manchester and the Christie, said: "Before this study it was unclear whether having radiotherapy once or twice a day helped more patients survive for longer and what level of side effects was expected with modern radiotherapy techniques.

"We're pleased to provide answers to these questions and our results have already begun to change practice around the world. Based on our findings, small cell lung cancer patients will be able to choose between a shorter course of radiotherapy given twice a day and a longer course given once a day."

Jane Jepson, a 51 year-old grandmother from Southport, who took part in the CONVERT trial four years ago and had radiotherapy twice a day for three weeks, said: "It's great to hear the good news from this trial, and I'm really pleased to have been involved in something that will change how other patients like me are treated. I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in August 2012 -- I was initially admitted to hospital with a kidney infection but an X-ray showed something on my lung.

"Since my treatment I have got married, my granddaughter has turned four and I've got another grandchild on the way. I shouldn't be here really but I am, and I'm eternally grateful to everyone involved in my treatment."

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical research, said: "Finding the most appropriate way to give treatments like radiotherapy is a crucial part of treating cancer. Before this study began there had been few large clinical trials of this type in small cell lung cancer. "Outcomes for lung cancers have been very poor for a long time, so at Cancer Research UK we're dramatically increasing the amount we're spending on research in this area, and we're delighted that the CONVERT trial is making a real difference in how we treat these patients."

Source: Cancer Research UK
Call them the Brain Generation -- the tens of thousands of college and graduate students working toward degrees in neuroscience, and the high school students who want to join them someday.

They've grown up in a time when exciting new discoveries about the brain come out every day, fueled by a revolution in scientific tools during their short lives. And that has fueled a boom in students choosing to work toward a neuroscience degree.

But even as they study and train, they're worried about their futures - and whether they'll get to use their brains to the fullest in a time of tight research funding.

Top senior neuroscientists are worried too. That's why a team of them has just published a report filled with recommendations about how neuroscience education must change. Only by doing so, they say, will we keep the discoveries coming while preparing these bright young people for many paths - not just the traditional university research career.

Writing in the journal Neuron, they present key insights and recommendations that grew out of a fall 2014 workshop held by the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

"This should be the best of times for both the scientists and the field," they write. "The shared task of all the stakeholders  academia, government, industry, scientific societies, foundations, and other components of the private and

public sectors  is to ensure that we do not kill this hope."

Huda Akil, Ph.D., a University of Michigan Medical School neuroscientist who's the paper's corresponding author, looks back on the incredible growth in the field over the past two decades and sees reason for hope, not pessimism, for the new generation. But, she says, it's up to university programs to adapt to the new reality that more than half their graduates will someday work outside academia, and train them appropriately.

"The number of opportunities is huge, within and outside academic institutions," she says. "This is a perfect moment for neuroscience in particular, when the field is blossoming and growing with many ideas, tools, approaches, and intersections with other fields, and huge interest among young people. It's a perfect recipe for success - the question is how to proceed so we don't squash that opportunity."

Akil and her co-authors, who come from industry, government, universities and a private foundation, lay out some key calls to action, including:

incorporating more computational science, statistics and programming into neuroscience training, to help students handle with the massive amounts of data generated by modern tools including brain imaging, genetic sequencing, molecular analysis, bioinformatics and more

promoting skills that can help students communicate with and work in teams with researchers from other fields, from genetics, math, physics and engineering to the social sciences and philosophy, or even other sub-fields of neuroscience

informing students about the range of careers available to them, and the challenges and opportunities involved in each, through courses and internships -- while still keeping the path to academic research careers strong

developing two types of training programs - one to prepare traditional "neuroscientists" who will focus on making basic discoveries about the brain and its disorders, and one for those who will go into a more "applied" field in industry, nonprofit, policy and other areas - to ensure they get a solid background in neuroscience

improving the representation of women and diverse groups in neuroscience careers, and better support for the personal life trajectories of all students, especially in academia where women are underrepresented on the faculty despite making up the majority of graduate students

finding new ways for universities to fund graduate training in the biosciences, beyond the usual federal grants, and assisting young scientists in finding private funds to offset the declining supply of federal research dollars

creating career path of "staff scientists" in American universities, who can work on the teams of traditional neuroscience professors without having to climb the traditional academic ladder

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"We are likely losing promising scientists from the academic career path," the authors write, because of the stagnation in federal research funding, and the perception by younger neuroscientists that the path to academic success and secure funding has become nearly impossible to climb.

They point with hope to efforts made by U.S. federal research funding agencies to provide innovative funding for training. But they say universities and other sectors must also change, at a time when many nations have launched massive neuroscience efforts such as the U.S. Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, China Brain, the Japan Brain/MINDS Project, and the Human Brain Project in Europe.

"We need to be giving out hopeful signals that it's not a horrible risk to get a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and that you can make discoveries about the brain and apply them in many ways," says Akil, a past president of the Society for Neuroscience and co-director of U-M's Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute. She holds the Gardner Quarton Distinguished University Professorship in Neurosciences and is a member of the Medical School's Department of Psychiatry faculty.

Akil especially points to the growing role for neuroscience-trained professionals in the technology sector - not just the traditional biotechnology and pharmaceutical path, but high-tech computing-based companies that want to use new knowledge about behavior in apps and gadgets.

"The more people in society want to understand their own behavior, control their behavior such as eating and exercise, improve their memories and attention, and more, the more we can apply what we're learning in neuroscience about brain function and how it changes with various conditions or natural aging," she says. "We have a lot to figure out going forward, and we needs all hands on deck. Anyone smart enough, passionate enough and willing to be flexible and bring ideas together, we need them to stay with us."
GIVING chemotherapy after radiotherapy delays further growth of a rare type of brain tumour, increasing the number of patients alive at five years from 44 per cent to 56 per cent.

These results - from a clinical trial for patients with anaplastic glioma run by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and funded in UK by Cancer Research UK - were presented at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago today (Friday).

The phase III clinical trial compared survival for patients whose tumours were thought to be less likely to respond to chemotherapy because they did not have mutations in two genes called 1p and 19q.

750 patients from institutes around the world were split into four groups and either given:

1.Radiotherapy alone

2.Radiotherapy at the same time as chemotherapy

3.Radiotherapy then chemotherapy

4.Radiotherapy at the same time as and followed by chemotherapy.

Giving chemotherapy after radiotherapy (groups three and four) halted tumour growth for 43 months after treatment, compared with 19 months for those who only had radiotherapy (groups one and two).

This improvement resulted in 56 per cent of patients given radiotherapy then chemotherapy surviving for five years, compared with only 44 per cent of those who did not.

While giving chemotherapy after radiotherapy has improved survival and is now standard care for these patients, the benefits of chemotherapy at the same time as radiotherapy are still unclear and need further follow-up.

Around 280 people are diagnosed with anaplastic gliomas each year in England.

UK trial lead Dr Sara Erridge, consultant oncologist at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, said: "Our important study showed that giving temozolomide chemotherapy after radiotherapy delays progression and significantly improves survival for this group of patients. This trial has changed the way we manage patients with this type of tumour with radiotherapy followed by temozolomide chemotherapy now being the standard of care."

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Martin van den Bent, member of the EORTC Board and study coordinator, said: "This study demonstrates the value of collaborative academic research in improving the standard of care for rare cancers. Through this partnership between EORTC, Cancer Research UK, North American and Australian study groups we were able to involve a large enough group of patients with this rare tumor type, allowing us to draw definitive conclusions that guide future treatment decisions in this disease."

Cancer Research UK scientists led the development of temozolomide chemotherapy, including its discovery in the lab and the development and first clinical trials of the drug in cancer patients. The treatment is used worldwide to treat glioblastoma - the most common type of adult primary brain tumour.

Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical research, said: "The data from this trial is an important step forward for patients with anaplastic glioma. Many types of brain cancer are difficult to treat which is why we have committed to investing in more research in these hard-to-treat cancers. It wouldn't have been possible for our researchers to discover and develop temozolomide without the generous donations of our supporters. And thanks to research like this we hope to be able to increase survival for more patients in the future."
Joint research between scientists from Kumamoto University, Japan and Imperial College London, UK has revealed the mechanisms of persistent latent infection of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). This is an important achievement that may contribute to the prevention of refractory leukemia, a form of leukemia in which leukemic cells do not respond well to treatment.

HTLV-1 is a type of retrovirus that has co-existed with humans for several thousand years, and is thought to be transmitted either through sexual contact or from mother to child through breastfeeding. It is currently estimated that there are at least 30 million infected people in the world. Most are asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers who won't be affected by further disease, but a few (3-5%) will develop leukemia or chronic inflammatory disease.

The main trait of a retrovirus infection, simply put, is that the virus DNA integrates with the original DNA of a host cell, thereby making it extremely difficult to recognize and treat. Virus DNA that is incorporated into a host cell's DNA is able to avoid the immune mechanism and the actions of antiretrovirus drugs since the host cell considers the virus DNA as its own. This is a major obstacle in attempting to completely eliminate the virus from the body of an infected person.

A recent collaboration between researchers from Kumamoto University and Imperial College London has revealed that the key factor in HTLV-1 infection is CTCF. CTCF is a type of cell-derived protein with the important function of determining how genes are sterically folded into DNA. The research collaboration revealed that CTCF binds directly to the already integrated viral DNA of HTLV-1 and controls the mechanisms that promote persistent infection.

"When the virus enters the human body the immune system begins working," said lead researcher Associate Professor Yorifumi Satou of Kumamoto University. "However, to escape the immune system, HTLV-1 integrates with human DNA and uses the original folding system of the human cells. Thus, the virus is able to stealthily survive in the body of infected person."

"Adult T-cell leukemia developed from HTLV-1 is an intractable blood cancer with a low incidence rate but poor prognosis," Dr. Satou continued. "The results of our study illustrate an important mechanism used in the persistent latent infection of HTLV-1 and should contribute to the development of new forms of prevention and treatment." Although HTLV-1 is one of the oldest retroviruses, it was not discovered until 1980. Since then, researchers from Kumamoto University have been contributing to HTLV-1 research, working toward prevention and eventual cure of the disease.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine have found that adding increasing doses of an approved Type 2 diabetes drug, metformin, to a chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen in head and neck cancer patients is not well tolerated if escalated too quickly, but allowing slower escalation could be beneficial.

These findings are being presented via poster June 4 at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting: Collective Wisdom, being held June 3-7 in Chicago.

Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology at the UC College of Medicine, a member of both the Cincinnati Cancer Center and UC Cancer Institute and principal investigator on this study, says retrospective studies have shown improved outcomes in tumors treated with chemotherapy and radiation if they were also on metformin for diabetes.

"In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which develops in the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and throat, diabetic patients taking a medication called metformin had better overall survival compared to those not on metformin when also treated with chemotherapy and radiation," she says. "Additionally, pancreatic cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and metformin required higher doses of metformin--1,000 milligrams twice a day--to experience positive results.

"In basic science studies, metformin has been shown to stop mTOR, a molecular pathway present and active in this type of head and neck cancer, and pretreatment with metformin resulted in a decrease in the occurrence of oral cavity tumors in animal models. In this study, we wanted to see if the combination of escalating doses of metformin with the chemotherapy agent cisplatin and radiation for head and neck cancer tumors in non-diabetic patients would be effective."

Wise-Draper says that metformin, which is an approved Type 2 diabetes medication, was provided by their investigational pharmacy. Metformin was administered orally in escalating doses for 7 to 14 days prior to starting the cisplatin and radiation and continued throughout standard treatment. Blood samples were collected before and after metformin treatment as well as during chemotherapy. Flow cytometry, a technique used to count cells, was used to detect the percent of circulating immune activated cells, and clinical laboratory tests including glucose, B12 and C-peptide (an amino acid that is important for controlling insulin) were performed.

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"This is part of an ongoing clinical trial," says Wise-Draper. "We found that eight patients with advanced head and neck cancer have been enrolled so far; we plan to have 30 total. Due to the relatively quick escalation of metformin, the patients' tolerance was poor with higher doses of metformin when initiated 7 days prior to their chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimen.

"Therefore, the protocol was modified to allow slower escalation over 14 days. The most common toxicities observed included nausea (71 percent of patients) and vomiting (43 percent of patients), increase in creatinine (57 percent of patients), decreased white blood cell count (43 percent of patients) and pain when swallowing (43 percent of patients) with only nausea being directly attributed to metformin and the rest attributed to cisplatin and radiation."

She adds that there wasn't a substantial change in T cell or glucose levels with administration of metformin in the small sample of patients but that there were increased C-peptide levels in response to metformin administration.

"These results show that the combination of metformin and cisplatin and radiation was poorly tolerated when metformin was escalated quickly. However, there has been no significant increase in side effects thus far with the addition of metformin," Wise-Draper says. "The trial is continuing with escalation of metformin over a longer period of time to provide more data; we will also try to increase our sample size."
Nanoparticles are increasingly being used in a wide range of sectors. This article evaluates particular mechanisms through which nanoparticles are uniquely developed and formulated. It also discusses the important role of nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) in the field of nanomedicine.

Banerjee et al. (2010) studied magnetic nanoparticles and their role and applications in nanomedicine; Villaverde (2011) assessed the emergence of nanoparticles in both medicine and translational science; and Stanishevsky et al. (2011) reviewed the effect and biomedical applications of nanostructured carbiobeads, which are a subset of nanoparticles.

While analyzing the issues and opportunities in the development of nanomedicines, Wei et al. (2012) identified a number of requirements, including general and powerful techniques for the precise characterization of shape, size, and composition of nanoparticles, and also particle engineering to ensure adequate stability during storage and to sustain low levels of nonspecific cytotoxicity.

Both DLS and NTA techniques were compared when performing size analysis of nanocarriers that contained 50:50 poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and commercial liposomes as well as trimethyl chitosan. The results showed that DLS often fails to report precise data, except in the case of a monodisperse samples.

Recently, Bai et al. (2012) showed that uniform submicron particles can actually affect the growth of larger sized articles following long-standing storage in a temperature-dependent way. This implied product stability at which point Interferon-beta-1a was stressed thermally at 50C temperature for a period of 6 hours and then subsequently defined by means of circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, a microflow digital imaging (MFI), and NTA techniques.

The role, effect, and characterization of the NTA technique was recently investigated, after an early review of NTA as an evolving method (Filipe et al., 2010). Cho et al. (2013) also talked about the emerging technologies and challenges related to nanoparticle characterization, as these technologies have been shown to be a promising tool towards improved drug delivery and diagnosis.

This article gives a critical review of in vivo and in vitro methods that are presently being employed to assess nanoparticles, and also discusses new modes and methods, including NTA, which may be complementarily utilized.

Liposomes, Microvesicles and Micelles

Sorrell and Lyon (2008) analyzed the deformation-controlled arrangement of binary microgel thin films following a prior work, in which NTA was used for the characterization of casein micelles and in the dispersion of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) in organic liquids.

Micellar systems have low light scattering properties, and therefore cannot be easily detected on an individual basis. Despite this fact, NTA has been effectively utilized to define these types of structures, and specifically in the development of drug delivery micellar formulations for the encapsulation of mithramycin and for the regulated release of doxorubicin that is covalently entrapped.

This work showed that when compared to batch systems, microfluidics represents a robust technique for microfluidic nanoprecipitation-based formulation of drug-loaded polymeric micelles, as it facilitated improved control, homogeneity, and reproducibility of the size properties of the produced micelles.

Morton et al. (2012) applied EM, DLS, and NTA techniques to define the product's monodispersity in order to enhance the homogeneity of nano-sized lipid vesicles as drug delivery systems. NTA was also used by Wrenn et al. (2012) to find out the number of liposomes and their related diameter under an ultrasound. This was done to differentiate the mechanisms as well as to measure the contributions of liposome destruction against nanoparticle diffusion via the bilayer.

It was observed that the overall number of liposomes reduced with ultrasound exposure time; however, the most marked decrease was seen in the initial four minutes of ultrasound exposure. This indicates that some vesicle destruction does takes place and this was found to be consistent with the earlier work. NTA was also used by Brinkhuis et al. (2012) to determine the zeta potential of polymersomes and to ultimately demonstrate that size indeed affects the pharmacokinetics. As a result, long circulating preparations must be less than 100nm.

Encapsulation

In yet another study, curcumin-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules (C-LNC) were developed to improve the antiglioma activity of this type of polyphenol. Here, NTA was used to view the C-LNC, and the data thus acquired indicated that the curcumin nanoencapsulation in LNC is a key approach to enhance its pharmacological efficacy in glioma treatment.

In a case study using BaTiO 3 , the surface functionalization of the metal oxide nanoparticles was studied using biologically active molecules comprising phosphonate moieties. Through a variety of methods such as energy dispersive spectroscopy/scanning electron microscopy, IR and NMR spectroscopy, pH-metric titration,  potential, DLA, thermogravimetric analysis, NTA, and radiometric measurements, it was observed that using amino phosphonic acids as surface ligands rendered significant solution stability to the nanoparticles under an aqueous medium and at neutral pH conditions, and most importantly in the presence of electrolytes. These results offer many potential applications for nanoparticle dispersions in the fields of nanomagnetism and nano-optics.

While designing and developing drug delivery systems that are capable of buccal delivery, Mazzarino and her team devised a chitosan-coated nanoparticles that were loaded with curcumin for mucoadhesive applications. At varied concentrations and scattering angles, DLS studies revealed that the nanoparticles are indeed monodisperse. NTA was applied to assess the nanoparticle systems, and the results were found to be consistent with those acquired by the DLS method. When coated with chitosan, the nanoparticles were effectively able to interact with mucin, thus suggesting their utility for mucoadhesive applications.

Delivery and Controlled Release

One of the major challenges and opportunities in nanomedicine is to design nano- and micro-particles that can release drug cargos in a certain location at a particular time. A better understanding of the number concentration, size, and size distribution profile is important in the design and development of such systems. In this regard, NTA has been shown to be useful in providing this data at all stages of the production process. Therefore, the behavior of complicated multifunctional structures in biological environments, core particle size, and the efficiency of addition of functionalized coatings has been extensively studied. Some examples of NTA applications are discussed in the following sections.

Previous studies suggested the potential applications of NTA in the analysis of complex and multifunctional nanoparticles, and the subsequent work dealt with different types of particles and applications. Park et al. (2011) addressed nanoparticle functionalization in their work, which was focused on the improvement of surface ligand display on PLGA nanoparticles having amphiphilic ligand conjugates, and Kusters et al. (2011) reported their study on the immobilization of biological membranes in hydrogels. In both these examples, NTA was employed to track particle size during all stages of development.

Recently, advanced applications and structures have been developed, wherein NTA was applied to establish their structure and thus improve the production method. Chang et al. (2013) described an aggregation-induced photodynamic therapy improvement, which was built on nonlinear and linear excited FRET of fluorescent organic nanoparticles, demonstrating that a binary molecule can assemble on its own to form fluorescent organic nanoparticles. Here, NTA was used to determine nanoparticle sizes as well as the sizing partition curves.

According to Reis et al. (2013), although formulation for protein and peptide delivery via the oral route has always remained a key strategy with the development of biotechnology, ineffective absorption, enzymatic degradation, and stability are some of the common issues that are seen in traditional dosage forms. These observations highlight the requirement for novel drug-delivery methods that could overcome these restrictions, and thus improve oral drug delivery.

Design and Formulation

NTA was used by Khan et al. (2011) to determine particle sizes and concentrations and to reveal the effects of His-affinity tags on levels of protein expression, secondary structure, solubility, aggregation, thermal denaturation, as well as the effect on cellular and humoral immune responses in mice. These outcomes indicated that the utility of protein tags may be offset by their probable effect on function and structure, thus underscoring the need to exercise caution while using them.

Sunshine et al. (2012) used NTA to characterize the samples, and demonstrated that both uptake and transfection with polymeric nanoparticles rely on polymer end-group structure, but is mostly independent of chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles.

Liling (2008) had used NTA in his analysis of bio-responsive peptide-inorganic nanomaterials, and Troiber et al. (2012) reviewed NTA among three other sizing methods during the comparison of four different types of particle sizing techniques for the characterization of siRNA polyplex.

Zhuang et al. (2013) used NTA to assess macromolecules and their corresponding assemblies to define micelles under fluorescent as well as light scatter modes so as to elucidate the origin of the mechanisms of stimuli responsiveness. All these data can provide a guideline to develop futuristic multi-stimuli responsive materials.

Conclusion

Nanoparticles are playing a major role in the emerging field of nanomedicine. Since the size, number concentration, and size distribution profile is key to the development of target-specific drug delivery systems, NTA, in this regard, has been shown to be extremely useful during all stages of the manufacturing process.

References

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Amritsar: Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by members of a radical Sikh group on the premises of Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday as the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar was observed amidst tight security.



No untoward incident was reported from on and around the temple premises, where policemen in civil dress were deployed along with SGPC's task force to thwart any attempt to disturb law and order.



Over 8,000 security personnel, including from paramilitary forces, have been deployed in Amritsar.



Supporters of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by its president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann raised slogans of 'Khalisthan Zindabad' and 'Punjab Sarkar Murdabad'.



Addressing the gathering from the ground floor of Akal Takht, Mann accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs and those of SGPC, the apex religious body of the community.



Mann asked SGPC to reinstate Sikh priest Balbir Singh who denied 'Siropa' (robe of honour) to the Chief Minister at the Golden Temple recently.



Addressing the gathering, Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh lashed out at the then Union Government and said, "Sikh community will all over the world remember the unhealed wounds of Operation Bluestar."



Memorial dedicated to those killed during 1984 Army action on the Golden Temple witnessed sizeable footfall on Monday.



A bandh was also observed in the holy city on the call given by radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa.



Tight security arrangements were made by the Punjab police to prevent any untoward incident.
Five persons have been convicted by a Delhi court for gangraping and robbing a 52-year-old Danish woman in 2014. The arguments on quantum of punishment will be on June 9.



According to the prosecution, the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014.



The crime was committed after the woman was taken to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near New Delhi Railway Station.



All nine accused were arrested. The five adult accused - Mahendra alias Ganja (26), Mohd Raja (22), Raju (23), Arjun 21), Raju Chakka (22) - are in judicial custody.



One of the accused 55-year-old Shyam Lal, who was in judicial custody, died in February. Proceedings against Lal were abated following his death,



Three other accused were juveniles against whom inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board is in progress.




Ties between India and Pakistan continue to remain sour. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has blamed India for never opening a window of opportunity for talks.



"There is only one issue in India, end terrorism. For God's sake, which country has been able to eradicate terrorism," he said. He added that comprehensive talks should cover all issues, including Kashmir and terrorism, instead of sticking to a particular issue.



His reaction comes after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had recently stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened a "window of goodwill and dialogue" with Pakistan but there has been a lack of sincerity by Islamabad.



"Prime Minister Modi opened a window of opportunities when he visited Pakistan Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif). I think that window is slowly closing. Before it closes, Pakistan needs to develop that trust with India on its sincerity on the approach," Parrikar said.



The India-Pakistan talks, which had started during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Islamabad for the Heart of Asia conference, was stalled after the January 2 attack on Pathankot airbase in which seven Indian security personnel were killed.



India has accused Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group for the attack and has linked the resumption of the dialogue process to the action taken by Pakistan against the group.




Washington: India should meet the Nuclear Suppliers Group's standards and open talks with Pakistan and China on curbing nuclear weapons if it wants to push its case for membership in the 48-nation elite group, a leading US daily said on Sunday.



In a lead editorial 'The New York Times' said that America should press for India to adhere to the standards on nuclear proliferation to which other nuclear weapons states adhere.



India's application for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is slated for discussion later in June.



"Obama is lobbying for India to win membership through a special exception," 'The Times' editorial board said, ahead of the US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will meet with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday.



"If he succeeds, India would be in a position to keep Pakistan, which has also applied for membership, from gaining membership because group decisions must be unanimous," the editorial said, adding that this could give Pakistan, which at one time provided nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran, new incentives to misbehave.



Opposition from China, which is close to Pakistan and views India as a rival, could doom India's bid for now, it said, adding that the issue, however, will not go away.



India is growing in importance and seeking greater integration into organisations that govern international affairs, it said.



"If it wants recognition as a nuclear weapons state, it should be required to meet the nuclear group's standards, including opening negotiations with Pakistan and China on curbing nuclear weapons and halting the production of nuclear fuel for bombs," the editorial said.



The report alleged that for years the US had sought to bend the rules for India's nuclear programme to maintain India's cooperation on trade and to counter China's growing influence.



"As part of the 2008 deal, the Indians promised they would be 'ready to assume the same responsibilities and practices' as other nations with advanced nuclear technology.



"But they have fallen far short by continuing to produce fissile material and to expand their nuclear arsenal," alleged the editorial board of the newspaper.



The NSG governs trade in nuclear-related exports and aims to ensure that civilian trade in nuclear materials is not diverted for military uses.
New Delhi: Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the RSS, on Monday raised their voice against 'The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation' for pushing 'corporate' agenda before the central government.



They also demanded that the Modi government should immediately ban the organisation for the larger interest of the society.



National Co-convenor of SJM Dr Ashwini Mahajan said, "Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi should free the health sector from foreign influence. The NGO is pushing corporate interest in the garb of philanthropy and is pushing up the price of essential vaccines."



"They (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) are here to serve the interest of the corporate houses. The government should immediately intervene. We would also like to request our PM to raise the issue with the US," he added.



The SJM's also questioned Centre's green signal to ROTA virus vaccine soon after the meeting between the Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Melinda Gates (Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation).







SJM's protest against 'The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation' came in the midst of Modi's trip to US.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an urgent plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Jawahar Bagh violence in Mathura in which 29 people, including two policemen, were killed.



A vacation bench of Justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy listed the matter for Tuesday after the plea was mentioned for urgent hearing by advocate Kamini Jaiswal.



Twenty nine people, including an SP and an SHO, have been killed in the massive clash between police and encroachers that broke out in Mathura on June 2 when police were trying to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Allahabad High Court orders.



Meanwhile, the political drama continues over the violence as Bharatiya Janata Party workers took out a march to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's residence demanding a CBI probe.



IPS Amitabh Thakur has also hit out at the Samajwadi Party government claiming that senior party leader and state's revenue minister Shivpal Yadav pressured the administration not to take action against rioters.







On Thursday, the mastermind behind the violent clashes was confirmed dead. Police said Rambriksh Yadav, the leader of the splinter group of supporters of so-called spiritual teacher Jai Gurudev was among those killed in the violence.



The violence is allegedly linked to the dispute between supporters of a so-called spiritual guru Jai Gurudev whose empire is estimated to be worth over Rs 12,000 crore. His supporters belonging to a splinter group, known as Swadheen Bharat Andolan, clashed with the police on Thursday when the force tried to evict them from Jawahar Bagh which they had been illegally occupying since 2014.
The CBSE Class 12 results 2017 are scheduled to be declared by Sunday noon. Millions of students are awaiting their admission to colleges and universities across the country  with most institutions judging them solely on the basis of their Class 12 marks.The results this time will include the five-point moderation policy, as ordered by the Delhi High Court. The court quashed the CBSE's decision to do away with the policy, saying that students who appeared for exams in March did so with the knowledge that moderation or grace marks policy would continue.The moderation policy has in the past, however, made for some interesting number crunch, including the curious case of 'Magic Mark 95'. Here's a look:Notice the extremely large spike at 95? This shows that the total number of students scoring exactly 95 is more than the total number of students scoring any other particular mark between 0 and 100.And here are the graphs for the Maths, Physics, Economics and Accountancy papers among others Notice the similarity? In almost all of them, the 95 is a skyscraper, towering above all the marks next to it.Dheeraj Sanghi, professor at IIT-Kanpur, explains why its odd that 95 is the number awarded to the highest number of people in almost every CBSE exam, year after year."This bunching up or moderation is done in a way that a lot of people have been given 95 marks. Now these people in reality must have got 94, 93, 92, 91, something like that and all of them have been bunched with 95. This is really unfair because different people have been given different increases."This unusually high 95-spike has been observed across 10 of the 12 most-studied subjects of the CBSE every year since 2008. Thats almost every exam, every year, for the last nine years.In the day and age of cut-throat competition for college admissions, a difference of 2 to 3 per cent in your marks often determines whether you make the list or miss out.If person A scores 92 and his marks are increased to 95, whereas person B scores a 95 and his marks stay as they are, that takes away the advantage of the person who actually scored higher.Mukta Nain, Principal of the CBSE-affiliated Birla High School for Boys in Kolkata is not impressed. "It's a little unfair. In this stiff competition where even half a mark is important, I feel this affects the admission of some good students to various courses they want to take up.A former exam controller for the CBSE, Pavnesh Kumar, had this to say. "The 95-spike is because the highest number for moderated scores is 95. It is unfair to say that people who are scoring 95 without moderation are being disadvantaged because their scores are not being reduced. It's only that the marks of those below 95 are being increased."Former Chairperson of the CBSE, Ashok Ganguly, agreed with CNN-News18's data analysis and said that the CBSE should try and avoid bumping up marks in the 90s."How is it that students attempting only 90 marks in an exam end up scoring 94? We need to differentiate between grace marks and standardisation. The processes of standardisation employed need to be revisited. Lack of transparency is a major concern."But the CBSE isnt the only board exam with a seemingly flawed marking process. Lets now look at the other big national board  the ISC.In the ISC examinations of 2016, no student in any paper scored an 81 or an 82 or an 84 or an 85. Nor would you find a single person with an 87, an 89, a 91 or a 93.These eight numbers feature in a list of 24 numbers between 40 and 100 not to have been scored by any student not just this year, but for all the years for which we have data (that is, from 2012 to 2016).The CISCE, which administers the ISC examinations, chose not to respond.
Chennai: Filmmaker Trivikram's latest Telugu drama A...Aa has struck gold by minting $1.5 million in its opening weekend in the US, despite earning mixed reviews from critics.



"Despite releasing on a weekday, it's exceptional that the film collected $1.5 million in the opening weekend. It will easily rake in $2 million to become one of the top five Telugu grosses in the US," trade analyst Trinath told IANS.



Also starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Anupama Parameswaran, Nadiya, Naresh and Rao Ramesh, the film is performing decently at the Indian box-office.



Produced by S. Radha Krishna, the film has music by Mickey J. Meyer.


With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections around the corner, it seems Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress are gearing up for an alliance.



In an exclusive interview to CNN-News18, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari has said that Mayawati's BSP is likely to support Congress leader Kapil Sibal's candidature for the Rajya Sabha. He said the Congress has supported Sibal after assurance of support from other secular parties in Uttar Pradesh.



"We are the largest party right now. Sibal is a senior leader and top most lawyer in the country. So we will not give him a ticket till we are sure of the victory. We welcome all who give support. The final outcome will be known on June 11," Tiwari said.



The BSP supported the Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Vivek Tankha in Madhya Pradesh. It also came at Congress's rescue during the floor test in Uttarakhand.



In Uttar Pradesh, contest was forced by the presence of 12 candidates for the 11 Rajya Sabha seats as the two extra aspirants remained in fray at the end of withdrawal on June 3.



The contest became interesting after Independent candidate Preeti Mahapatra, a social worker, filed her papers at the last moment as the 12th candidate for the 11 seats going to polls next week, thereby forcing voting.



Several BJP MLAs and members of smaller parties besides some Independents have signed Preeti's nominations, raising the possibility of cross-voting.



Congress has accused Preeti of being a BJP candidate who could encourage horse-trading that might queer the pitch of Sibal who needs five extra votes for victory. Congress has 29 MLAs and each candidate needs 34 votes for Rajya Sabha win. This is where the role of BSP's surplus votes will matter.
Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday accused the Centre of being "inactive" so far as Mathura violence was concerned and demanded proper constitutional and legal action against the Akhilesh Yadav government.



In a statement, she said while BJP was indulging in "gimmickry", the Centre was "inactive" and the Governor was "silent".



"The Centre should stop making statements and instead take proper constitutional and legal action against the SP government," she said.



"It is a known fact that encroachment on government land and those staging dharna had government patronisation, otherwise it would not have remained silent for two years. Laxity on the part of the Centre and its intelligence agencies is no less," the BSP supremo claimed.



Accusing SP and BJP of having "tacit understanding" in view of state Assembly elections in 2017, she questioned as to why the Centre has not taken initiative for a CBI inquiry into the Mathura clashes as it did during Malda violence in West Bengal.



She said BJP was only making statements, proving it has joined hands with SP against BSP in view of Assembly elections in 2017.
Moscow: New Russian technologies, including phonecall interception and a facial recognition app, have stirred a fierce debate about privacy and data monitoring.



Infowatch, a Moscow-based IT security company managed by businesswoman Natalya Kasperskaya, found itself in hot water last month after it revealed it had invented a system that companies can use to intercept employees' mobile phone conversations.



Companies outside Russia have also devised call interception software, and Infowatch already markets products that monitor employees' e-mails, USB keys and printers.



But Kasperskaya says she was taken aback by the storm that surrounded the mobile phone innovation.



"We weren't expecting this. For us it was only another channel of communication," Kasperskaya told AFP in an interview.



The Russian authorities and members of the public lashed the invention as a breach of law or infringement of privacy.



Infowatch traces its origins back to 1997, when Kasperskaya and her then-husband, now divorced, Eugene Kaspersky co-founded the Kaspersky Lab security software company, which has gone on to global success.



The goal behind phonecall interception, Kasperskaya said, is to provide large businesses with a tool to prevent information leaks, including companies whose success depends on protecting corporate secrets.



Communications minister Nikolai Nikiforov said a court ruling was needed to get permission to tap phones.



The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Sergei Naryshkin, said he feared such technologies could be used to malicious ends.



Facing objections from the authorities, the company has refrained from designing a voice recognition system, even though there is demand from sensitive sectors including banking, the oil industry and large public companies.



Monitoring of communications by private corporations touches a nerve in a country where the shadowy KGB security service once monitored dissidents and where the state is keen to retain its grip on citizens' personal data.



The KGB's post-Soviet successor, the FSB, has long used a sophisticated system called SORM to carry out surveillance communications by telephone or on the Internet.



The revelations of whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that the US National Security Agency also carries out surveillance on a mass scale.



Human rights advocacy group Agora has said that nine million Russians, including opposition figures and political activists, have come under state surveillance since 2007.



Their mobiles have been taped, their e-mails read and their movements tracked by what Agora calls a "political policing instrument."



Infowatch has tried to assuage concerns, insisting its new system is still at a preliminary stage.



The company said that only a restricted number of telephone lines will be targeted and monitored with the employee's consent.



The monitoring is done by software that picks out key words from the phone conversations, it said.



"We have to prove that our system does not constitute phone tapping. We would by no means release on the market a system that does not respect the law," Kasperskaya said.



In any case, Kasperskaya observed, new technologies are nudging us toward a world where there are "no secrets."



Finding faces



Another debate has been stirred by a new Russian smartphone app known as FindFace.



It allows users to photograph strangers on the street and identify their pages on social network site VK, Russia's equivalent of Facebook, which hosts 350 million accounts.



The app has had staggering success, with a million downloads since it was made available in February.



In half a second, the app can peruse a database of 300 million pictures and match one to a stranger's photograph, said one of the creators, 26-year-old Artyom Kukharenko, who co-founded Moscow's NTechLaB.



But in its first few weeks, the app has already brewed controversy.



Some users used it to identify the VK page of a porn actress and bombarded her with threatening messages.



On the other hand, police caught arsonists who set fire to a Saint Petersburg construction site after identifying their images on security camera footage using FindFace.



"This is a demonstration of our technology," Kukharenko told AFP, adding that his app had garnered interest from companies throughout the globe.



"The real use of the algorithm will be for security services, banks, distributors and for leisure activities," as well as for dating services and those who wish to meet strangers they saw on the street or even someone who just looks similar, he said.



IT security specialist Mikhail Yemelyannikov told AFP that FindFace does not violate any existing legislation because the social media pages it trawls contain pictures with unrestricted access.



"The problems start later: what will the result be used for?" he said. "Legislation will never evolve as fast as technology."
He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there," Trump said. "And it became sort of a big joke."



At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land.

Trump says he made 'a lot of money' in deal with Gaddafi Jersey City (US), Jun 6 (AP) Donald Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Moammar Gadhafi,despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New Yorkestate."Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Trump said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" that aired yesterday."He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay."The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gaddafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York.Gaddafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle. Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that waslined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables.At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally and was thenre-erected, to the town's chagrin.Representatives of Gaddafi loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had "no idea" that Gadhafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told The Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates."We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.
The Campbell County Board of Supervisors will hold five public hearings on various rezonings for current businesses, the six-year transportation plan, and financing for Evington Volunteer Fire Departments new truck.

Dale Hull, the owner of County Line Flea Market, has applied for a special-use permit and rezoning request to expand the flea market into an indoor facility and expand the parking options. The flea market is located off U.S. 460, west of Turkey Foot Road, in the Timberlake District.

The flea market occupies two parcels of land, one zoned Agricultural, Conditional, Industrial  General, Conditional, and Business  General Commercial.

Jonathan Hollie, the agent for Beverly Parish, requested a special use permit to operate an automobile and truck rebuilding business at the 800 block of Hawkins Road, Evington. The property is currently zoned as agricultural.

Hollie currently lives at the Hawkins Road property that is owned by his mother in the Spring Hill Election District. If the special use permit is approved, Hollie would construct a metal storage building behind the existing dwelling and operate an automobile and truck rebuilding, reconditioning and body and fender work business inside the building.

Vehicles would be stored either inside the building or in the designated parking area.

Calvin Smith submitted a request to rezone about 2 acres of land in the 3800 block of Waterlick Road from residential to business in order to operate a landscape and logging business.

The rezoning would allow the current tenant to continue to operate the logging business. The work is done completely off-site, but the tenant does store large equipment on the property.

The fourth public hearing Tuesday will be with the Virginia Department of Transportation on the countys annual review of the six-year secondary road plan. The current plan includes improvements scheduled for FY 2017-18 through FY 2021-2022.

Improvements to Lynbrook Road, the bridge on Tardy Mountain Road, resurfacing of Top Ridge Road, Hurt Road, Wyndolm Road, and Elliott Road are included in the plan.

During the public hearing, citizens can comment on the six-year plan and request road improvements or road additions to the secondary road system. VDOT officials will be available for additional questions following the public hearing in the board conference room.

The final public hearing will be on a tax-exempt purchase agreement between the Evington Volunteer Fire Department and First Citizens Bank and Trust Company to purchase a rescue/pumper truck.

The board of supervisors appropriated $350,000 toward the purchase, and they are seeking to finance the remaining cost of approximately $105,000. The fire department would be required to pay all payments for the property, and the county would be under no obligation for the payments.
For the first time, the names of all 2,499 American soldiers who died on D-Day were read aloud at the National D-Day Memorials observance Monday of the invasions 72nd anniversary.
Winners of Lynchburg entrepreneurial program announced

The Lynchburg Office of Economic Development has announced the winners for the first cohort of CO.STARTERS.

Through the program, residents who are working on developing their businesses enrolled in a nine-week course and competed for grant money to help launch their businesses.

CO.STARTERS is an absolute conduit for entrepreneurs to grow in the City of Lynchburg, said Lynchburg Economic Development Director Marjette Upshur.

Economic Development Authority consultant Alex Johnston said the programs first cohort represented a wide range of city residents and areas of business.

We had everything from food service to health services, Johnston said.

The winners are:

The Craft Crucible, a fine craft and woodworking incubator in Midtown: $12,000

Good Karma Tea and Wellness, a tea and wellness boutique in Riverviews Artspace: $10,500

Mrs. Joys Absolutely Fabulous Treats, a boutique bakery on Commerce Street: $5,000

Golf Park Coffee Company, a wholesale and retail coffee firm: $5,000

Benny Scarpettas, a pizzeria coming to downtown Lynchburg: $5,000

Staff reports

CVEC announces solar project

Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Nelson County, announced it will install two five-megawatt, solar electric generating facilities along the Interstate 64 corridor, with a projected completion date of mid-2017.

Once operational, CVEC will receive the energy output under a power purchase agreement for distribution to a portion of the cooperatives 36,000 member accounts.

The first photovoltaic generation facility has been approved by Goochland County and will be located near the Shannon Hill substation. The second facility is under review and, once approved, will feed another cooperative substation.

The 10 megawatts of solar energy will meet the energy needs of more than 1,200 homes, or about 3 percent of the not-for-profit utilitys member owners.

Bruce Maurhoff, CVECs chief operating officer, said in a news release the energy output from the project will account for about 3 percent or more of the cooperatives energy needs during non-peak periods but will save the cost of transmission and other charges when demand is high across the region since the energy is being generated locally.

Staff reports

Appomattox Kroger adding pharmacy

Kroger has added a pharmacy to its Appomattox store, offering prescriptions, immunizations, medication counseling and other pharmacy services.

The store is in The Shoppes of Appomattox at 7789 Richmond Highway.

The pharmacy manager will be Nicole Harlow, who is coming from a Kroger in Lynchburg. The staff pharmacist will be Greg Barton, coming from Lynchburg, and the pharmacy technician will be Stephanie Barton of Appomattox.

Staff reports

Virginia tourism revenues increase to $23B in 2015

Gov. Terry McAuliffe says Virginia tourism revenues increased more than 2 percent last year over 2014.

McAuliffe says tourism generated $23 billion in revenues in 2015. Thats up 2.3 percent from the previous year.

The Democratic governor says the tourism industry supported 222,600 jobs in Virginia last year, which is an increase of 5,700 jobs from the previous year.

McAuliffe says 41 million people from across the country visited Virginia last year. Domestic travelers spent $63 million per day in the state.

Associated Press

Warm winter helps curb honey bee losses

Virginia honey bees are still on the decline, but the losses have not been as significant due to a warm winter, agricultural officials say.

As essential pollinators, bee populations are of interest not just to farmers but to consumers of fruits and vegetables as well. Bees sustain the heaviest losses during tough winters, like 2015.

A recent survey conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of beekeepers found a yearly decrease from 8,000 hives down to 6,500 in Virginia. While this number might seem alarming, it represents only a 17 percent drop instead of the 28 percent decline recorded following the winter of 2015.

Virginia bees are most afflicted by insect pests and several other diseases. Several of these factors can combine making it so a colony is abandoned.

To help rejuvenate the honey bee population, the Virginia General Assembly created a grant program in 2012 to help jump start new beekeepers. The next round of money for the program will be disbursed July 1.

Staff reports
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Dont look now, but hoverboards are angling for a comeback.

Months ago, the powered scooters  which balance themselves but dont actually hover  largely vanished from the U.S. market after they exhibited a distressing tendency to burst into flame. Now, though, Segway and other manufacturers want consumers to give hoverboards a second chance.

Segway  which also makes the eponymous upright scooter beloved by mall cops and airport security  has begun taking Amazon pre-orders for a new hoverboard, the MiniPro. Although the boards wont actually ship until July, its a significant step, given that Amazon, Walmart and other retailers dumped the products months ago after videos of burning hoverboards went viral.

The MiniPro and other new scooters have passed new safety standards designed to prevent fires. But that doesnt mean theyre completely safe  nor that manufacturers like Segway can overcome their enormous image problems.

Few consumer products have zoomed in from nowhere, only to literally crash and burn, as quickly as hoverboards did. Produced by little-known companies, the scooters shot to prominence late last year after a host of celebrities from Justin Bieber to Jamie Foxx were seen riding on them. Small manufacturers in China, which can quickly clone popular products, flooded the market with lookalikes.

Then came the fires and embarrassing falls by the likes of Kendall Jenner and Mike Tyson. Since last August, the Consumer Product Safety Commission counts at least 62 hoverboard-related fires and an estimated 7,200 falls that required emergency-room visits. Its still investigating 13 hoverboard makers, including Chinese companies such as Yooliked and Keenford Ltd. Many municipalities, airports and college campuses still ban the gadgets.

Turning all that around will be a challenge. Brand consultants point to the incredibly damaging nature of safety issues: Chipotle is still recovering from a 40 percent drop in sales after federal investigators probed the chains E. coli outbreak last year.

On the other hand, hoverboards earlier problems were mostly associated with no-name brands, making it possible for more reputable manufacturers to establish a better safety record, says Laura Ries, an Atlanta-based brand consultant.

Thats what Segway, now a subsidiary of Beijing-based Ninebot , is counting on. Its solution starts with safety certification by UL (formerly Underwriters Laboratories), a venerable Northbrook, Illinois, firm that tests everything from toasters to outlet extenders. Among other tests, UL submerged the MiniPro in water, dropped it on concrete from a height of three feet and disassembled it to ensure its wiring wouldnt cause a short.

Several other manufacturers, including Razor USA, a private California company known for its kick scooters, have also received UL certification, and plan to relaunch hoverboards in the U.S. market soon.

The next step for Segway: making hoverboards easier to ride. Your typical board is little more than a skateboard turned sideways, with a large wheel on each end. Leaning forward causes you to accelerate; leaning back slows you down or starts a backward roll. (Gyroscopes and electronics keep the board upright.)

Segways MiniPro adds a steering stick  a vertical padded bar in the middle of the board. Pushing one way or the other with the inside of your legs turns the board. If youre a skier, its like carving around a mogul. Getting on isnt any more difficult than jumping on a skateboard.

Segway says the stick makes its board more of a personal transporter similar to its classic upright, handlebar-equipped Segway. It plans to lobby local governments to reclassify the MiniPro in order to sidestep existing hoverboard bans in some subways, universities and airports, says Brian Bucella, Segways vice president of marketing and business development.

Hoverboards, however, may still have more hurdles to clear. The federal product-safety commission says its looking into whether the scooters need to have settings that adjust to the riders weight before zooming forward, back and turning in order to reduce the number of falls.

AP Business Writer Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report.
New businesses are coming to the historic Fifth Street Corridor in downtown Lynchburg, with a small grocery market open for business and a bourbon bar and restaurant, Family Dollar and health clinic on the way.

The restaurant, Fifth and Federal Barrel Station, is under construction and will be housed in an old gas station at 801 Fifth Street, at the roundabout intersection of Fifth and Federal Streets.

Its going to be a combination bar and restaurant serving sophisticated Southern cuisine, said John Read, one of four owners. We will also have over 100 bourbons available in the bar.

In addition to the bar area, there will be a private dining space, a fire pit dining area and the grassy lawn along Fifth Street will be available for recreation.

We really liked the garage space, Read said. That way we can open the big glass garage doors when the weather is nice so diners can enjoy the weather.

Fifth and Federal Barrel Station is working on establishing a relationship with a local brewery to offer a proprietary craft beer aged in bourbon barrels.

The restaurant is scheduled to open at the end of July or early August.

While the City of Lynchburg has invested resources in the area since the Fifth Street Corridor Development Master Plan was enacted in 2006, residents of the area still are in need of groceries and other services.

Newly opened on May 15, Friendly Market at 406 Fifth Street had been operating as No Strings Wireless electronics repair shop but has expanded to sell groceries. Its managers hope to hire residents from the nearby community to work in the store and in a chicken franchise soon to be up and running.

We already had the store which was running as a cell phone and computer repair shop with the rest of the store empty, said store manager Paul Chona. So why not open the store to make things better for the customers?

Marjette Upshur, Lynchburgs Director of Economic Development, said she hopes people take advantage of the resource.

I think peoples access to fresh food is really important, she said.

The first two phases of the Fifth Street master plan were completed in 2014, which included the construction of the new roundabout at the intersection of Fifth and Federal streets and the replacement of deteriorating area water and sewer lines. Phase Three is a continuation of the same projects between Jackson and Taylor Streets and is projected for completion in fall 2017.

The new Family Dollar is going in at the roundabout across the street from Fifth and Federal Barrel Station. The store is scheduled to open in August, according to Brett Milke, director of development for Clearwater, Florida-based Boos Development. It will measure about 8,300 square feet and will employ eight to 10 people.

Centra is in the final stages of design for its Fifth Street clinic. The new Critical Access Clinic will be located at 808 Fifth Street on the previous site of Adams Used Cars. Construction is slated to begin in early fall and is projected to be completed during the last quarter of 2017.

Just down Fifth Street from the roundabout, two new units of a historic building have been newly renovated and are ready for business.

The Secret Place, an art gallery and worship space, occupies one of the renovated spaces at 701 Fifth Street. The other, at 703 Fifth Street, is empty. Developer George Sanchez hopes people will be drawn to Fifth Street as more redevelopment is completed.

People fail to have a vision for Fifth Street, said Sanchez. Its a great space that is well set up for whatever business wants to come in.

Besides the new businesses, the street will have two new apartment complexes by the end of the summer. The building that once housed a hosiery company that produced socks, parachutes and other items for the troops during World War 2 at 410 Court Street is being converted into a small apartment complex, and the neighboring lot at the corner of Court and Fifth streets has a new apartment building going up.
Stone Brewing Co.s announcement a year and a half ago that it would open its East Coast expansion brewery in Richmond was widely celebrated as a win for the city, which beat out dozens of other municipalities to land the San Diego-based company.

But its a victory that appears to have come at a high cost to taxpayers  especially when compared with the incentives offered by the Roanoke area this year to lure its own major breweries.

To seal the deal with Stone, Richmond put up more than three times as much public money and incentives  a total of $33 million  than the city of Roanoke and Botetourt County combined committed to secure new facilities planned by Oregons Deschutes Brewing and Californias Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits.

Richmond got a worse deal, said Kenneth Thomas, a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who studies government assistance to corporations. But why it did, precisely, I dont know. ... Im struck by how these facilities could be valued so differently.

Roanoke has agreed to an incentive package worth just under $8 million for Deschutes, which ranked as the eighth-largest craft brewery in the country in 2015.

And late last month, nearby Botetourt offered an incentive package worth $2 million to land Ballast Point, which was ranked as the 11th-largest craft brewer in 2015, though it no longer is considered craft by the Brewers Association due to its purchase late last year by Constellation Brands, the U.S. seller of Corona and Modelo.

Why did Richmond need to put up so much more money to get Stone, a similarly sized outfit that weighs in as the countrys 10th-largest brewer?

City officials attribute the difference to the way the respective deals were structured and a lack of available industrial real estate in Richmond.

Unlike Roanoke and Botetourt, Richmond agreed to finance and oversee the construction of Stones brewery and a companion destination restaurant. Its a commitment worth $31 million, financed through general obligation bonds issued by the city last year.

On top of that, the city agreed to provide Stone with about $2 million in grants and performance incentives.

Botetourt, on the other hand, had an empty industrial facility that Ballast Point is buying from a private seller for an undisclosed sum. The county is putting up about $600,000 in cash grants and offering $1.4 million in local tax breaks.

In Roanoke, Deschutes is constructing its own $85 million facility on city land. The brewer is buying the parcels for $2.75 million but, as part of the deal it worked out with Roanoke, the purchase price will be forgiven during the first five years of operation.

The remainder of the cost to Roanoke is made up of road improvements around the facility and cash grants of under $500,000.

Botetourt estimates it will break even on its deal with Ballast Point after five years. Roanoke puts its break-even point at nine years.

In Richmond, the city breaks even after 25 years. It will recoup its costs through lease payments from Stone to the Richmond Economic Development Authority, which owns the brewery.

***

Richmonds top economic development official, Lee Downey, said the city looks at the deal as an investment in a valuable industrial asset. The only risk to the city, he said, is if Stone goes out of business before the lease ends.

But even in that worst-case scenario, he said, as long as Stone survives 10 years, the city is unlikely to lose money on the deal.

We looked at that, he said. We own the building and can sell it for about half its value, so somewhere around year 10, the value of what we owe versus what the building is worth blankets itself out. We can put another brewery in it; we can put another industry in it. We own that asset.

He also noted that, because the bonds are backed by a revenue source  Stones lease payments  they do not count against the citys nearly maxed-out debt capacity. Thats a looming issue, with the citys school system saying it needs more than $100 million to update its decrepit facilities.

Given those facts, Downey said the citys financial pledges to Stone are not entirely comparable to the brewery deals announced this year. He said that, if you only consider the $2 million in more traditional grants and incentives, Richmond got a great deal.

***

Garry Larrowe, the county administrator in Botetourt, said he agreed with Downey that, to some extent, comparing the different brewery deals is difficult.

He said one reason Botetourt was able to put up relatively little in incentives was because, as a rural county, the tax rate is comparatively low. He also said the county benefited by having a building in place  though Ballast Point is paying the private seller a market rate for the facility.

But, he said, Botetourt never would have been able to stomach the risk of covering $31 million in construction costs to bring any industry to the county.

That would be a huge, huge, huge burden if something happened, he said. I suspect nothing will happen, but you never can tell. And if we were going to spend that kind of money, I suspect it would be on police and schools.

In Roanoke, the citys director of economic development, Wayne Bowers, said its offer to Deschutes was not considered controversial, with the Roanoke City Council providing quick and unanimous approval. Thats in contrast to Richmond, where council members deliberated over Stone for months after some city business owners began to question the deal.

In all, Bowers said incentives never were a major factor for Deschutes.

They said they were looking at the feeling of the community and for a place that reminded them of Bend, Oregon, he said. Roanoke was the best fit.

Thomas, the professor who studies government assistance, said that, despite what Richmond officials say, the difference between the deals mostly comes down to risk. And Richmond, he said, appears to have taken a big one.

Of course, craft beer is mushrooming right now, but at some point theyre going to saturate the market, he said. So these projects wont all work out. These three in Virginia could, but all the projects being built around the country wont. So its hard to say.
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Maracas Bay going to the dogs

Wothke spoke to Newsday last Friday at the launch of a three-day Veterinary Clinic at the Maracas Bay Community center where he called for more rigid enforcement of existing animal welfare laws and urged pet owners to show greater responsibility for their animals.

Here in Maracas the two reasons why there are stray dogs are because there are dogs that run away from homes and there are persons who intentionally drop their dogs here and abandon them.

The same thing happens in Maqueripe on a large scale and the surrounding communities complain about it. Security on the beach has also been notified to take pictures of anyone dumping animals, because it is illegal to do so, you can be charged for animal cruelty if found. The event which sought to improve local and international visitor experience, while also humanely controlling the population of stray dogs along the Maracas Bay/ Las Cuevas areas, was funded by the Tourism Development Company (TDC). Wothke went on to explain that tourist arrivals were directly linked to animal welfare within a country.

There are studies that show that about twenty percent of tourists would avoid tourist destinations which are facing animal welfare issues, so tourism and animal welfare go hand in hand. Local as well as international tourists are not having a good experience when they are at a destination be it a town or a beach and see starving, sick or injured animals. While for us sometimes this is a regular part of our lives, foreign tourists are not accustomed to seeing such things. Wothke added that his organisation has partnered with several other animal welfare groups, which have engaged the Maracas bay community various outreach programmes, providing veterinary services for pets and bringing greater awareness to the importance of animal welfare and its impact on communities.

The approach that we are doing is to first talk to the community groups and explain the importance of pet ownership and spaying and neutering dogs, for the community and also for your pocket. We reached out to the community house by house, meaning we met with every house in the Las Cuevas and most of Maracas and we explained the importance of Animal Welfare and its linkage with Tourism. Also those who had pets and wanted treatment a team of vets visited the homes and treated them last week, and anyone who wanted to spay or neuter their dog they now have the opportunity to do this for free so all the services were provided for free.
UTC shows its caring side

Marking the fourth year the Corporation has participated in this event, over two hundred UTC volunteers banded together to spend time with the elderly, organize a day of fun for a group of children and orchestrated a beach clean-up. The outreach activities spanned the entire country with projects being executed in Port-of-Spain, Arima, Central, San Fernando and Tobago.

This year, the Investment Centres were split into five teams tasked with diverse projects.

Volunteers from the Arima and Sangre Grande investment centres spent the day at the Charles Pius Rigsby Home for the Aged.

The volunteers brought smiles to the elderly as the engaged and socialized with the residents.

Volunteers from the Chaguanas and Couva area spent their Sunday organizing and putting on a Day of Fun Under the Sun for the children of Ezekiel Home for Abandoned Children.

The children had the chance to spend time with volunteers creating arts and craft, playing in outdoor games and received assistance with their homework.

Sixty-one staff volunteers from the Port of Spain and One Woodbrook Place Investment Centres made their way down to Chaguaramas to do their part for the environment, coordinating a successful beach clean-up.

San Fernando and Point Fortin Investment Centre staff volunteers visited the Vance River Village Roman Catholic School, where they lent a helping hand sprucing up the school, as they spent the day painting the outside walls and the schools guard booth. And our staff from the Tobago Investment Centre reached out to residents of neighbouring communities to educate them on the importance of cancer screenings, and who were encouraged to visit the Division of Health & The Bella Forma Foundation for prostate testing.

Staff voiced support for the initiatives and trumpeted the role volunteerism played in their communities.

They continue to see their efforts as making a tangible contribution to making a positive change to peoples lives.
Recall of Sleep

Apnea Device

Is Not Going Well
The presumptive nominee of the Republican Party for the 2016 Presidential elections, Donald Trump is known to often land in hot water due to his rather outspoken views has done it again and considering his stance on Muslims, it would not do him any good as far as public perception is concerned. Trump is currently embroiled in a lawsuit against Trump University and since the judge presiding over the case is a man of Mexican origin named Gonzalo Curiel, he believes that the judge would not be fair in his verdict.

Trump had earlier stated that he would like to build a wall in order to stop illegal entry of immigrants from Mexico and thinks that the judge might no be fair towards the university in the trial. On Sunday, he appeared on Face the Nation on CBS and said, "He is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine. But I say he's got bias. I want to build a wall. I'm going to build a wall. I'm doing very well with the Latinos, with the Hispanics, with the Mexicans - I'm doing very well with them, in my opinion."

However, Trump was not done yet and as expected, the host of the show John Dickerson threw him a curveball asking if he would react in the same way if the judge was a Muslim. Trump had earlier stated that he would like to ban anymore Muslims from entering the United States due to internal security fears and had created one of the biggest controversies during his extraordinary campaign. Trump seemed completely unfazed by the question and replied, "It's possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely," Earlier, Trump had been relentless in his attack on Judge Curiel and when asked if it would affect his goodwill with the Hispanic population, he said, "I think I'm going to do very well with Hispanics, but we're building a wall. He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings, rulings that people can't even believe. This case should have ended years ago."
In Taiwan's EBC (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation) reported on June 5 that the Korean boy group BIGBANG will be having a concert in September with the title "2016 BIGBANG MADE V.I.P TOUR IN TAIPEI & KAOHSIUNG".

The concert in Taipei will be holding on the dates September 9-10 at the Multipurpose Gymnasium National Taiwan Sport University. And on September 11, their third concert will be happening at the Kaohsiung Arena.

EBC also indicates that these concerts might be the last concert of BIGBANG in Taiwan since the members is set to be enlisted in the mandatory military serves. This gives the fans in Taiwan great excitement and anticipation to really not miss the concert.

EBC also stated, "Fans will regret not being able to get tickets to the BIGBANG concerts in Taiwan."

"2016 BIGBANG MADE V.I.P TOUR IN TAIPEI & KAOHSIUNG" will be in celebration of the 10th year Anniversary of BIGBANG.

Recently it was reported that BIGBANG will have an upcoming movie "BIGBANG10 THE MOVIE" casting their selves. This is a special treat for fans in celebration for 10th year Anniversary. The film will hit theaters on June 30.

The group officially debuted on August 19, 2006. Predominantly a hip hop group, their debut was a moderate success, with their first self-titled Korean album selling 48,000 copies.

Labeled as the "Kings of K-pop" and "Nation's Boy Band," the members' involvement in composing and producing their own music, most notably G-Dragon, has earned the group respect and praise from the music industry. Since the release of the Gaon Chart, Big Bang, including their solo releases, has sold over 79 million records.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 17F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 17F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a five-nation tour reached Switzerland on Monday during which he will hold talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann on various issues. Modi arrived here after his two-day visit to Qatar during which he held talks with the leadership there on a host of issues.

He is likely to seek support for India's membership to the elite 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG. One of the most important issue of black money stashed in Swiss banks may also be raised by PM here.

Bon Soir Geneve! A late night arrival in the picturesque Swiss city marks beginning of third leg of PM's journey, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. From here PM Modi will travel to US and then to Mexico after which he will return to India.

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New Delhi:

On the 32nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star, security has been beefed up in the state. Three-tier security has been put in place in Amritsar. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar also appealed to all sections to exercise restraint and observe the anniversary peacefully.

Nearly six companies of paramilitary forces and 8,000 police personnel have been deployed. SGPC decided to allow media coverage in the Golden Temple premises, while requesting to maintain the sanctity of the Golden Temple.

Earlier, SGPC chief secretary Harcharan Singh had sought police help to keep the media away from the periphery of the Golden Temple on June 6.

On this day in 1984, over 1,000 lives were claimed during Operation Bluestar, the raid on Sikhs holiest shrine Golden Temple to cow down extremists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale.

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Washington:

Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their shared leadership on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival here.

This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in US-India ties. Over the last seven years, the United States and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order, a senior administration said.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital tomorrow afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office. The President will host a lunch for the Prime Minister after the meeting.

The Prime Ministers visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage, the official said.

From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the United States and India lead together, the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile two leading US dailies the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders have each invested in developing a close relationship, Benjamin J Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is Chinas growing footprint in Indias traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, WSJ reported.

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Washington:

Greeting Muslims on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan, US President Barack Obama affirmed his commitment to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans, regardless of their religion or appearance.



As Muslim Americans celebrate the holy month, I am reminded that we are one American family. I stand firmly with Muslim American communities in rejection of the voices that seek to divide us or limit our religious freedoms or civil rights, Obama said yesterday in a statement.



I stand committed to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans no matter their religion or appearance. I stand in celebration of our common humanity and dedication to peace and justice for all, he said.



In this month of reflection, Obama said, one cannot forget the millions of lives that have been displaced by conflict and struggle, across the world and in the US. Far too many Muslims may not be able to observe Ramadan from the comfort of their own homes this year or afford to celebrate Eid with their children. We must continue working together to alleviate the suffering of these individuals, he said.



Obama said the US would continue to welcome immigrants and refugees, including Muslims. This sacred time reminds us of our common obligations to uphold the dignity of every human being, he said.



Extending his wishes to Muslims across the United States and around the world, he said the month is an opportunity to focus on reflection and spiritual growth, forgiveness, patience and resilience, compassion for those less fortunate, and unity across communities.



He said the US was blessed with Muslim communities as diverse as the nation. There are those whose heritage can be traced back to the very beginning of our nation, as well as those who have only just arrived, he said.



Its also a time of year that brings some of the best dishes to the table across the world as families and neighbours gather for iftar, he said. US Secretary of State John Kerry also greeted Muslims in the US and around the world on the occasion.



Ramadan is a cherished month in Islam. It is a sacred period of prayer and fasting, offering hospitality, and remembering those who are less fortunate, he said in a statement.



Through our embassies and consulates around the world, we recognise these important values through Ramadan events, which demonstrate our commitment to promoting social cohesion, diversity, and welcome within our communities. During this month of peace and renewal, we wish the 1.6 billion Muslims around the world a joyful Ramadan Kareem, Kerry said.

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New Delhi:

As the Jat leaders in Haryana have launched fresh stir over quota, prohibitory orders have been imposed in several parts of the national capital, covering over one-fourth of the city, Delhi Police said. Most of the areas, in which prohibitory orders were imposed, are either located in the border areas near Haryana or inhabited by a large number of people belonging to the Jat community.



"Delhi Police imposed CrPC section 144 in the bordering districts of Delhi and other parts of the city which are likely to have protests in connection with Jat quota demand," a statement by Delhi Police said on Sunday. Jat quota demand," a statement by Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The prohibitory orders have been implemented in 18 police sub-divisions -Dwarka and Najafgarh in South-West Delhi, Alipur and Bawana in outer Delhi, Mehrauli and Vasant Vihar sub division in South Delhi, Sarita Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar sub division in South-East Delhi, Gokalpuri, Seemapuri and Khajuri Khas in North-East Delhi, Madhu Vihar and Kalyanpuri sub division in East Delhi, Mukherjee Nagar in North-West Delhi and whole North Delhi, the senior police said.



These five sub-divisions, which have under its jurisdiction over 54 police stations, covering over one-fourth of the land area of the city. In the first phase of the Jat agitation, violence was witnessed in and around Mukherjee Nagar and Najafgarh areas.

"Adequate arrangements have been made to ensure no law and order issue occurs," the official added.

In February, the agitating members of Jat community had held demonstrations at several places in the city, leading to severe disruption of traffic on key arterial roads.

Damage to public property by the protesters, who blocked major state border entry points, including Sindhu border, Nangloi-Bahadurgarh Road, Karnal road, Tikari, Jharoda and Madhuban Chowk in the southwest and outer Delhi, creating major traffic snarls which affected many areas in the city.

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New Delhi:

The government on World Environment Day on June 5 termed urban forestry as its new thrust area and announced it would take up soon a massive plantation drive in 200 cities. While highlighting the need for increasing green cover and protecting wildlife, Union Minster for Environment asked people to take selfies and share it on wedselfie.nic.in.

Urban forestry is the new thrust area and we will be taking up massive tree plantation drive in as many as 200 cities and towns across the country, Javadekar said at a function at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.

Ministry will also launch the Urban Forestry Scheme in Pune, where 6000 saplings will be planted to create an urban jungle on about 80 acres of land, he added. He also drew attention towards active participation of people without which it would not be possible to save the environment.

While speaking on the seminal importance of environment, green cover in the country he also drew attention towards this years Environment Days theme: Go Wild For Life.

Government this year began celebrations of World Environment Day by launching Asia's first Vulture Re-introduction Programme at Pinjore in Haryana, he said.

He talked about the decrease in the number of vultures in the country. the true 'Swachch Bharat' volunteers, had become endangered since 1990, after eating carcasses of cattle which were injected with Diclofenac.

He also urged the people not to buy any product made from body parts of a wild animal. Talking about the government measures for the protection of wildlife, he spoke of several measures to curb the wildlife trade. To send a message to end the wildlife trafficking, Javadekar, later burnt the confiscated wildlife products in the open.

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Puducherry:

Use of siren in cars of VIPs, including the escort and pilot vehicles of the Lieutenant Governor, has been banned in Puducherry. However, emergency services like ambulances and fire service vehicles, will be exempted from the restriction on the use of siren. The ban order has been issued by Puducherry Lt Governor Kiren Bedi, a retired IPS officer.



Bedi, who had overseen traffic arrangements for the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi and the 1983 CHOGM meet in Goa, has also directed that no special privilege will be accorded for cars of VIPs such as stopping of traffic, so that peoples right to freedom of movement is not hindered in any manner.



Traffic police will also ensure that sufficient number of personnel are present for regulating traffic without halting it or inconveniencing commuters, according to a press release issued by the Secretary to the Lt Governor yesterday.

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Hyderabad:

A local court today adjourned to July 5 its order on two cheque bounce cases filed against beleaguered industrialist Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

The III Special Magistrate Court here is yet to pronounce its order on the quantum of sentence for Mallya, who was convicted in two cheque bounce cases.

On April 20, the court had convicted Mallya and others in connection with bouncing of two cheques of Rs 50 lakh each under relevant sections of Negotiable Instruments Act.

It had issued warrants directing the police to produce Mallya before it to pronounce the quantum of punishment, as the industrialist, who left the country, was not present in the court.

The Mumbai Police had earlier filed a report before the court saying the warrants could not be executed on the address of the accused as it was sealed by a bank and there were no Kingfisher officials/ employees at the premises, and hence the warrants were returned.

Following this, Judge M Krishna Rao today adjourned the matter to July 5 with a direction to the complainant (GHIAL) to furnish correct address of the accused for issuance of fresh warrants.

Earlier, during hearing on quantum of sentence, GMR lawyer G Ashok Reddy had insisted that the court pass the sentence against Mallya, citing certain provisions of CrPC and saying the court has power to impose sentence even in absence of accused.

The matter relates to cheques issued by Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to GHIAL, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, towards charges for using the facilities at the airport for its Kingfisher Airlines flights.

The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against the Kingfisher Airlines, its chairman Vijay Mallya and senior company official A Raghunathan.

As per the GMR counsel, a total of 17 cases have been filed against Kingfisher Airlines in different courts over outstanding amount of Rs 22.5 crore which it owes to GMR, and the cases are in different stages of trial.

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Islamabad:

Hafiz Saeed, the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief and the alleged mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has spewed venom against India once again. This time, he has warned India of dangerous consequences if it gets involved in any act of aggression against Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed has also threatened to attack India with Pakistan's nuclear-powered drones.



If any drone attack takes place against Pakistan from Indian bases, we have enough drones for whole India, a TV news channel report quoted Hafiz Saeed as saying.



Hafiz Saeed, who has the backing of Pakistan's ISI and its Army, earlier this year had launched a massive recruitment drive of terrorists to execute its anti-India plans. According to reports, he had visited various locations from where terrorists infiltrate to India. Hafiz Saeed had made provocative speeches in several villages during his two-day stay near border.



Back in December 2008, JuD was declared a terror organisation by the UN, while Saeed was individually designated as a terrorist. A $10 million bounty has already been put on his head by the US.

Saeed is the alleged master mind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, which had left at least 166 people dead.

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New Delhi:

The police and administration in Uttar Pradeshs Greater Noida was on high alert on Monday after Mahapanchayat call in Bisahada village, an official said. A meeting was expected to be organised by a panchayat on Monday after the refusal of police to file a case of cow slaughter against the family of Mohammad Akhlaq.



According to officials, some Hindu frontal organisations  Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini  have announced their participation in the panchayat, following which the security has been increased.



A delegation of villagers, including the family of those who have been accused of lynching Akhlaq, reached out to the SSP of Gautambuddh Nagar Dharmendra Singh. They carried the forensic report of a lab in Mathura, which had said that the meat that was found at Akhlaqs home was beef. The investigation agencys recovery memo had revealed that the sample of the meat was collected from the place where the mob had allegedly attacked Akhlak and not from his house.



Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding the release of the 17 accused allegedly involved in the killing of Akhlaq.

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New Delhi:

In a breakthrough advance, researchers have identified an enzyme that may help protect against the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease, a progressive disease that destroys mental functions. According to scientists at Indiana University (IU) in the US, NMNAT2, or nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferase 2, is a key neuronal maintenance factor. Many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by accumulation of proteins in the brain.

Researchers believe that these conditions, called proteinopathies, occur when proteins "misfold," causing them to grow sticky and clump up in the brain in a form often referred to as plaques, or tangles. And as a molecular chaperone, NMNAT2 binds to misfolded proteins to prevent or repair the errors that cause these clumps.

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases come under the category of common proteinopathies. In the study, it was found that people with lower NMNAT2 were more likely to suffer from dementia, suggesting that the protein helps preserve neurons related to learning and memory. These findings were published in the journal PLOS Biology.
New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose the bail application of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon blast case during the hearing in a special court in Mumbai on Monday. However, the NIA has left the decision of her final discharge in the case at the discretion of the court.



On May 30, the bail plea was filed by Pragyas lawyer Prashant Maggu after the NIA decided to drop her name from the list of accused in its chargesheet. The NIA had decided not to name Pragya in its chargesheet in the case on May 13. Also, the charges against her under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were dropped by the NIA.

In its chargesheet, the NIA had recommended discharging four accused  Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Shyam Sahu, Shiv Narayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takkalki  saying there was no evidence to prosecute them.

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Mumbai:

Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has been named the ambassador for Swachh Bharat Missions youth-based Swachh Saathi (student internship) programme.

The Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein star will take forward the message of the governments Swachh Saathi programme, which she hails as the most important part to realise the dream of a clean country.

Swachh Bharat is among the most important initiatives taken up by the government and I believe that the Swachh Saathi programme will be an extremely important part of our dream to realise a clean, healthy and environmentally conscious youth and country, Dia, 34, said in a statement.

Under the Swachh Saathi programme, more than 2,000 interns would be enrolled, who would coordinate with around 10,000 schools across the country and ensure that all students in these schools take the pledge for Clean India, the statement read.

Dia is a youth icon and has been an active campaigner for Swachh Bharat. We felt that she would be the best person to help us reach out to more youngsters. Our aim is to make it a viral youth led movement, Swachh Bharat mission director Praveen Prakash said.

As the ambassador, the actress would interact with school and college students from across the country through awareness sessions, community cleaning activities and motivational videos.

Over the years I have tried to engage as many minds as possible to understand that our planet and our country need the immediate involvement of all its citizens, so that we can take responsibility and make our world a better place to live in, Dia said.

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Geneva:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann here today to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation. Modi arrived in Geneva late last night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

A late night arrival is followed by an early morning engagement.PM @narendramodi meets Swiss Prez Schneider-Ammann, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. The two leaders thereafter led delegation-level talks.

A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland, Swarup said in another tweet. Ahead of his five-nation tour, Modi had described Switzerland as Indias key partner in Europe.

I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity, he had said.

The Prime Minister is likely to raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

Modi is also likely to seek Switzerlands support for Indias membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as it is a key member of the elite grouping. He began his five-nation visit in Afghanistan. From here, Modi will travel to the US and then to Mexico.

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Beijing:

Amid deepening divisions over the disputed South China Sea, China and US will hold their high level annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue here tomorrow during which a host of issues including differences over Indias entry into the NSG are expected to be discussed.

Billed as the most comprehensive dialogue between the worlds two largest economies, it will be attended by top officials from both sides, including US Secretary of State John Kerry.

While South China Sea (SCS) issue which has now become a major flash point between the two countries is expected to dominate the two-day talks, a host of other issues including Taiwan, Tibet and Indias inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) are also expected to figure.

While the US has expressed its firm backing to Indias inclusion into the 48-member nuclear club building on the India-US nuclear accord, China has been insisting that there should be consensus among the members about inclusion of countries who have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

India has not signed the NPT on the ground that it is discriminatory.Officials here are hopeful of a solution as China-US dialogue is taking place ahead of two of NSGs key plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul during which the issue is expected to come up.

As India pressed its case, Pakistan too has applied amid reports that China is trying to push the case of its all-weather ally.

India itself has taken up this issue with top Chinese leadership as part of high profile diplomacy, specially during last months President Pranab Mukherjees visit here.

However, China last night said that differences still prevailed among the NSG members about non-NPT members.

Discussion within the NSG is still going on about the accession of non-NPT countries, and NSG members remain divided on this issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry told PTI.

Still sticking to its stand that that new members should sign the NPT, the Ministry said the NSG is part and parcel of the international non-proliferation regime.

About the Pakistan application which China is reportedly backing, the Ministry said China has noted Pakistans official application for NSG membership. Pakistan is not a party state to the NPT.

Ahead of the US-China dialogue, Chinese officials said besides the SCS, China will bring up topics related to its major concerns, including the Taiwan question, Tibet and maritime security.

The two countries have differing pursuits on major issues at the strategic level. However, the two still have many common interests, official media here quoted Chinese officials as saying.

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Srinagar:

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today sparred in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly which witnessed noisy scenes over the issue of setting up of Sainik Colony in the Valley.

Accusing the opposition and some media outlets of raising a non-issue which can lead to disruption of peace in the state, Mehbooba lashed out Omar for his tweets but the former Chief Minister hit back, saying it was to make her accountable and he wont back down from speaking on issues of public interest through the social media.

My small tweets prick you. Your mood gets spoiled. If I make you accountable by tweeting, I will continue it. I wont stop and I wont apologise for it, Omar said.

The issue of proposed colony for armed forces personnel was raised by Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rasheed. Waving a copy of the newspaper, the legislator stormed into the well of the House and sought a statement from the government on the issue.

Last time the Chief Minister said there was no Sainik Colony being set up in the Valley and now we have this report. What is the truth? he asked.

An agitated Mehbooba said there was no truth in the story as the photograph published in the newspaper was that of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) quarters being constructed for married serving personnel of the unit.

I do not know what these newspapers want? Do they want to put the state on fire? They should have investigated before publishing the story.

The opposition members bring in these newspapers which I will not name as they want to get publicity. If anyone tries to disrupt peace, they will be dealt with sternly, Mehbooba said.

Targeting Omar, she said despite having been in the chair earlier, he has been tweeting about the issue.

Omar Abdullah attended four meetings (of the Sainik Board as CM) and in all four meetings, he directed that land be identified for setting up of the Sainik Colony.

Now, there is tweet, tweet, tweet, she said about the former chief minister frequently using the social media to put forth his opinions. The opposition benches protested against the Chief Ministers outburst saying everything was not media created.

Responding to Mehboobas charge, Omar said he has never denied being part of the meetings for setting up of Sainik Colony but had never passed any order like the one he had posted on twitter earlier last month.

If there is any such order issued during my tenure, please bring it forth. If you are here for welfare of the people, I am also here so that people are benefited, he said.

I think when the Chief Minister is talking about setting the state on fire, she is confusing herself with me. My tenure is witness.... If we follow your footsteps, the state will be on fire, Omar said. The NC leader said he will continue to raise such issues.

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Geneva:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann on Monday delivered joint statement in Geneva. Earlier, Modi met Johann Schneider-Ammann in Geneva to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the key European nation. Modi arrived in Geneva late last night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Here are the LIVE updates:

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Mumbai:

In a fresh development in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, the CBI today told a special court here that it has no objection in making key accused Indrani Mukerjeas former driver Shyamvar Rai an approver in the case. Rai had expressed his readiness to disclose all truths regarding the crime.

We have filed our reply and have said that we dont have any objection in making Rai an approver provided that he reveals all the truth in connection with the case, said a CBI official. Rai, one of the accused in the case, had last month told the court that he wanted to turn an approver.

Special CBI prosecutor Kavita Patil, on May 17, had sought more time to file its reply on the desire expressed by Rai, following which special Judge H S Majahan adjourned the case till June 6.

Expressing his desire to turn approver, Rai had said he wanted to disclose all truths as he had taken part in Sheenas killing by strangulation and was present at the time of the murder in 2012.

Recording his statement before a special CBI court then, Rai said he was under no pressure, threat or coercion to reveal the facts in the case and was repentant about his act.

The turn in the case came after Rai wrote a two-page letter to the court last month seeking pardon in the case while stating that he wants to tell all.

Rai was the first to be arrested in the case in August 2015, taking the lid off the murder, after he was picked up in connection with an arms case.

Rai last year had recorded his confessional statement before the magistrate under the provisions of section 164, which unlike the police statement, is admissible in the trial.

Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and Rai had allegedly strangled Sheena (24), Indranis daughter from an earlier relationship, inside a car in April 2012.

Sheenas body was found in a forest in Raigad. The crime, which came to light in August last year, is allegedly linked to certain financial dealings.

The trio were arrested in August last year while Indranis husband and former media baron Peter Mukerjea was arrested in November. According to CBI, Peter was part of the murder conspiracy. While Peter and Khanna are lodged in Arthur Road prison, Indrani (43) is in Byculla womens jail in Mumbai

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Mumbai:

The wait of students was finally over on Monday after the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced the MSBSHSE SSC Class 10th Result 2016 or Maharashtra SSC Results 2016. The Maharashtra SSC exams 2016 were held in March this year. An overall pass percentage of 89.56 has been registered this year, with the girls outshining boys.



Around 17 lakh students appeared for the SSC examination. 87.98 per cent boys were successful, while girls outshined them with a passing percentage of 91.49. The exams by the Maharashtra Board are conducted through nine divisional boards at Pune, Mumbai, Latur, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Amaravati and Konkon.

Below are the division wise SSC results 2016:

Konkan: 96.56; Kolhapur: 93.89%; Pune: 93.30%; Mumbai: 91.90%; Aurangabad: 88.05%; Nagpur: 85.34%; Amravati: 84.99 %; Nashik: 89.61%; Latur: 81.54.



Last year, the Maharashtra SSC Class 10th Board Result was announced on June 8, while it was declared on June 17 prior to last year. Students who appeared for the Maharashtra board class 10th examination 2016 can logon to the official websites to access their results. Maharashtra SSC Results 2016 have been published online on the boards websites  mahresult.nic.in and mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in.

Formed under the provisions of the Maharashtra Act No. 41 of 1965, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education conducts SSC Exams through the nine Divisional Boards of Maharashtra State located at Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nasik, Amravati, Nagpur, Latur and Ratnagiri.

Here are the steps to check Maharashtra SSC Class 10th Board Result 2016:

Logon to any of these official websites  mahresult.nic.in or mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in

Enter your details like Roll Number, Name etc

Click Submit button

The results will be displayed on your computer screens

Take a print out of your result for further use

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Lucknow:

In the first major fallout after the Mathura clashes, the Uttar Pradesh government today shunted out the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura even as it dismissed BJPs charge that there was political pressure on police to not evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh.

#UPCM@yadavakhilesh instructions, DM/SSP Mathura has been transferred. New incumbents will join soon, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who has been under attack over the violence, tweeted.

'@UPGovt will ensure the strictest action under law against the perpetrators in the Mathura incident. Speedy prosecution of the accused'-CM  CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) 3 June 2016

SSP Rakesh Kumar Singh has been replaced by SP Jalaun, Babloo Kumar, an official statement said. The name of the new district magistrate, who will replace Rajesh Kumar, is yet to be announced.

In its report to the Union Home Ministry, the state government rejected BJPs charge that there was political pressure on police to not evict encroachers from Jawahar Bagh park and said the recent violence there was the result of the failure of local authorities.

Links to Naxals have not been ruled out given the quantity and type of weapons used by Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi - an outfit that claimed to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

In its report, the state government has said last Thursdays clashes between the police and squatters belonging to the cult at the public park was the result of the failure of the local police to assess the situation.

The report said the police was forced to act before they had made adequate preparations following an attack by the cult members.

According to reports, a police contingent led by Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi had gone to Jawahar Bagh on June 2 for a recce when it came under attack. In the clashes that ensued 29 people, including Dwivedi and the SHO of the local police station Santosh Kumar, were killed. Cult leader Ram Vriksh Yadav was also found dead.

The members of the obscure cult were heavily armed and outnumbered the police force which went to evict the encroachers from the Jawahar Bagh park last week on a court order, the report said, noting that grenades and automatic weapons were freely used against the police.

Chief ministers uncle, Shivpal Yadav, who is a minister, has been accused by BJP of being a patron of the cult which moved into the 280-acre park in 2014.

Shivpal has denied any links to the cult, demanding that the BJP either prove its allegations or apologise publicly.

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Mumbai:

Former Union Minister and ex-Congress Mumbai chief Gurudas Kamat today announced that he was quitting politics. The move comes ahead of next years Mumbai civic elections, where Congress would be seeking to dislodge the incumbent Shiv Sena-BJP combine.

In a statement to media this evening, 61-year-old Kamat said, Dear friends, over the last more than 44 years I have worked with most of you and served the Congress. For several months now I have felt I need to take a backseat to enable others to get the opportunity.

I met the honourable Congress president about 10 days ago and expressed a desire to resign. Subsequently I sent letters to both Soniaji and Rahulji that I would like to exit.

Since there was no reply I have formally informed that I would like to retire from politics. I ... wish the best to the party leadership and each one of you, he said in the statement.

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New Delhi:

Art of Living (AOL) today refuted the allegations that its three day mega event had damaged Yamuna floodplains and hinted that it may approach the Supreme Court against the National Green Tribunals order which asked it to pay Rs 5 crore as compensation. AOL claimed that there has been no scientific assessment of pre and post situation of the floodplains till now.

Stating that they were sensitive towards environment and can never cause any irreversible damage to the floodplain, AOLs legal and environmental experts also displayed satellite images and photographs to claim that no environmental damage was done.

Our legal team is studying the NGT order. Supreme Court is on vacation. We will soon take an appropriate step, AOL spokesman Kedar Desai told reporters here.

Noting that the matter was still subjudice with the NGT, AOL experts said that they are yet to present their evidence to the tribunal that there was no ecological damage done to the Yamuna floodplains.

There is no scientific assessment of the pre and post situation at Yamuna floodplains where World Cultural Festival was held. The judicial process in on and if we win, the money (Rs 5 crore) will be returned to us, Desai said.

Environment consultant Prabhakar Rao also showed a 1986 Survey of India map and claimed that the allegation of damage to wetland along Yamuna was wrong since no such wetland existed there.

He also refuted other allegations of change of land form at Yamuna floodplains and damage to local biodiversity showing satellite images and site photographs of flora and fauna.

The charge of damage to Yamuna floodplain is not correct since the World Cultural Festivals core venue was spread over just 24.44 acres, he said claiming that no harm was done to local flora and fauna during WCF.

AOL expressed disappointment over controversy surrounding WCF which was held at Yamuna floodplains on March 11-13, saying even foreign countries were interested in hosting the event.

Even while WCF was going on here, we were invited by three countries including Australia to hold such event there.

It feels bad, as a country we should have felt proud over the event which was participated by people from 155 countries, Desai said.

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Mumbai:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has convened a meeting of BJP ministers to discuss the strategy in the wake of the resignation of senior minister Eknath Khadse on charges of impropriety. The meeting, to be held in a day or two at Sahyadri state guest house here, is also likely to discuss much-awaited expansion of Cabinet.

According to sources, BJP ministers are tense following resignation of Khadse, the senior-most cabinet member and Revenue Minister.

Monday is a day when usually most ministers come to Mantralaya and meet people. But after Khadses resignation and after being asked to keep mum over the issue, not a single minister has visited the state Secretariat, a senior minister said here today.

He said the period after Khadses resignation is the biggest challenge for BJP.

After the media trial against him, the CM has called a meeting of all ministers where the cabinet expansion is expected to be discussed, the minister said.

He further said there are also chances of redistribution of portfolios that Khadse had held and a strategy will have to be decided for the upcoming monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature.

Meanwhile, a Kalyan-based outfit Khandesh Heet Sangh held a brief demonstration outside state BJP head office near Mantralaya this afternoon.

The protesters raised slogans and demanded justice for Khadse who in turn has urged partymen from Jalgaon not to resort to any demonstrations.

In the afternoon, BJP deputed another senior minister from Jalgaon, Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan to meet agitated party cadres who were coming to the party office.

Khadse, facing a string of allegations including the demand for a hefty bribe made by his PA in a land matter and purchasing a reserved land near Pune in name of his kin for a throwaway price, resigned on Saturday.

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Trump continues to win over union labor and other traditional Dem voters because his message make America great is resonating

(Trump.news) Presumptive GOP nominee Donald J. Trump is doing something that none of his predecessors in modern political history have managed to do: actually expand the Republican big tent with voters who have not traditionally supported the party.

This is evident by the increasing number of union members  most of whom are lifelong Democrats  who have said they will support Trump in November against his likely Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for possible violations of the law regarding racketeering laws.

As reported earlier this week by The Daily Caller, much to the chagrin of dyed-in-the-wool Leftist union leaders, rank-and-file members are moving over to support Trump in numbers not seen in decades.

Since he began leading the once-crowded GOP presidential field, national union leaders have opposed Trump over what they say are extremist and bigoted views. They disagree with him over trade and immigration, as well as the tone and tenor of his campaign  all of which has gained him significant support from union members. So much so that union leaders now think they may have lost a large portion of the to the Republican candidate.

Everybody recognizes the enormous threat Trump poses, Communications Workers of America Political Director Robert Master told The Wall Street Journal. Theres an element in that right-wing populism that is appealing to some of our members, theres no question about that.

Not surprisingly, national union leaders have overwhelmingly supported Clinton. That said, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that Clinton and Trump are actually tied with 44 percent support each from union households. AFL-CIO Political Director Mike Podhorzer said that union members became less supportive once they learned where Trump stands on workplace issues, but the fact that he is holding on to as much support as the prospective Democratic nominee is remarkable in and of itself because it just hasnt happened with a Republican candidate in generations.

Trump has voiced support for right-to-work laws and has said that minimum wage laws should be left to individual states; as for the latter issue, in many places around the country, union wages are tied to the minimum wage, meaning when it goes up, so, too, does union pay.

That said, Trump also has said he opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and illegal immigration, both of which points cause many union workers to fear for losing their jobs. Clinton, meanwhile, supports TPP and generally has backed President Obamas constitutionally and legally questionable executive actions on immigration.

One union group in particular that is shifting away from Democrats this year and leaning towards the GOP are coal miners  workers in an industry hard-hit by Obamas regulatory regimes via the Environmental Protection Agency and others.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the political wing of the United Mine Workers of American has endorsed Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, for reelection, which dealt a blow to his Democratic challenger, Ted Strickland. That is a major departure for the union because it has a history of backing Strickland, a former governor, as well as fellow Democrats.

We very much appreciate the support you have given both active and retired coal miners and their families, especially in such difficult times as the coal industry is experiencing today, National Council of Coal Miners Political Action Committee (COMPAC) International President Cecil Roberts and International Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Kane wrote in a letter to Portman.

Ted Strickland likes to remind people that hes from southeast Ohio, but he has a record of turning his back on Coal Country. Even though coal is a proven source of relatively inexpensive energy that supports thousands of jobs across Ohio, and even though Ohio relies on coal for approximately 70 percent of our electricity, Ted worked on behalf of a liberal special interest group in Washington that is dedicated to ending coal jobs, Portman said in a statement of his own.

Obama has made it his mission since before taking office to decimate the coal industry, as you will see from a 2008 interview (below) with the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle. More and more union members obviously see Trump as the better gamble over a women  Clinton  who is likely to be Obamas third term.

Sources:

DailyCaller.com

WSJ.com

Submit a correction >>
Health experts are struggling to narrow the gaps in Connecticuts geriatric care to meet the needs of the states rapidly aging population.

Only 134 certified geriatricians are practicing in the state, caring for a 65-plus population that topped 577,000 in 2015, according to the American Geriatrics Society. That population is expected to grow to 956,000 by 2030  and require an estimated 340 geriatric specialists to meet treatment its needs.

Aging is an area where there will be tremendous opportunities for those with specific training in care of older adults, especially as we boomers enter our golden years, said Nancy Lundebjerg, chief executive officer of the Geriatrics Society and a Connecticut native.

Overwhelmed And Underpaid

More Information Too many patients, too few doctors There are 134 certified geriatricians are practicing in Connecticut. The state's 65-plus population topped 577,000 in 2015, according to the American Geriatrics Society. The number of those 65 and older in Connecticut is expected to grow to 956,000 by 2030. In 2030, 340 geriatric specialists will be required to treat that expanded elderly population. See More Collapse

There are multiple reasons why its so difficult to recruit and train geriatricians, said Dr. Gail Sullivan, director of the geriatric medicine fellowship at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Primary care is unpopular due to its comparatively lower pay combined with what she calls the hassle factors  too much paperwork, confusing government information technology requirements, and keeping abreast of the myriad medications for multiple chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

If you realize that youre going to work really hard and be pretty miserable and also not get paid for it, its a potent combination, especially when coupled with our youth-obsessed society, Sullivan said.

Many students go into medicine because they want to cure disease, but thats often not possible in a geriatric population, said Dr. Bruce Koeppen, dean of the School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. What geriatrics is all about is the management of chronic disease. For a good portion of students and young physicians, that doesnt excite them.

He thinks medical schools need to demystify what geriatric practice is really like. At Quinnipiac, students spend time embedded with primary care physicians in the community. This allows them to actually deal with geriatric patients. An elective in geriatric medicine, which encompasses hospice and palliative care, is offered to fourth-year students.

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Tinetti, chief of geriatrics at Yale University School of Medicine, said a way to remedy the shortage is to train all practitioners in the fundamentals of elder care. Tinetti, who directs the Yale Program on Aging, said most older adults dont necessarily need a geriatric specialist. Rather, they need caregivers who are trained in geriatric principles and who can provide geriatric skills.

Most older adults, even if they have multiple conditions, can still be taken care of by a well-trained and skilled generalist  an (advanced practice nurse) or physician, she said. Its only a small group of people who are beyond the capabilities of general practitioners and thats when there needs to be a referral to a geriatric specialist.

Its About the Money

Loan forgiveness may tilt the scales toward geriatrics for some prospective physicians. Most medical students face upwards of $200,000 in loan payments after graduation. Loan forgiveness is already an option for some graduates working in underserved communities, Tinetti said. So perhaps physicians who agree to take care of vulnerable older adults could get part of their student loans forgiven.

Another part of the solution, she said, is changing our cultural perceptions of aging and paying those who care for the elderly more. We live in a country that doesnt want to accept growing older or death, Tinetti said. If you paid some of the other specialists less and paid geriatricians more, it would change things overnight. Its about the money.

The current reimbursement system rewards procedures, rather than patient management. If doctors sit down, talk to a patient and manage their medicines, but dont do a procedure, reimbursement rates are drastically lower than if you spent the same time doing a procedure, Koeppen said. Theres a lot of talk about reforming the reimbursement system, but the problem I see is that it will become very divisive, because I dont see the pie getting any bigger.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team ( www.c-hit.org ).
OTTAWA, June 4, 2016 /CNW/ - Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde expressed condolences yesterday to the family and friends of Len Marchand, the first status Indian in Canada to be elected as a Member of Parliament, hailing him as a leader for First Nations and Indigenous peoples.

"I am very saddened by the news of the passing of Len Marchand," said National Chief Bellegarde. "Len Marchand was an inspiration and a groundbreaking leader for First Nations and all Indigenous peoples. He was a man of many firsts and we will always remember his work, his life, his dedication and his achievements. This is a tremendous loss for all of us and, on behalf of the AFN National Executive, we send our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and community."

Len Marchand was born in Vernon, B.C., in 1933. In 1968, he ran for the Liberals in the Kamloops-Cariboo riding and became the first status Indian elected as a Member of Parliament, serving from 1968 to 1979. During his career Marchand served in Cabinet holding a number of portfolios, including minister of state for small business and environment minister. In 1984, he was appointed to the senate and became only the second Indigenous senator in Canada. Marchand retired in 1998 and received the Order of Canada in 1999. He passed away yesterday at the age of 82.

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Comms, @AFN_Updates.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations

For further information: Alain Garon, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-241-6789, ext 382; 613-292-0857 or [email protected]
TORONTO, June 6, 2016 /CNW/ - June 6 to 10 is National Sun Awareness Week, and together with partners across the country, Cancer Care Ontario has released new sun safety recommendations to help Canadians reduce their risk of skin cancer and minimize harmful exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Canada, and the incidence rates for melanoma, the most deadly form of the disease, continue to increase.

"Many people don't realize that UV rays from the sun can damage the skin and eyes even when it's cloudy," says Dr. Loraine Marrett, Senior Scientist, Cancer Care Ontario. "These recommendations will help provide Canadians with the information they need to protect themselves against skin cancer."

Twenty-eight national and provincial organizations participated in a consensus process to update national public education messages for skin cancer prevention and eye health protection, including Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Dermatology Association.

"Consistent sun safety recommendations are critical to improving sun safety behaviours," says Robert Nuttall, Assistant Director, Health Policy, Canadian Cancer Society. "Skin cancer, including melanoma, is one of the most preventable types of cancer. By providing consistent recommendations, Canadians can still enjoy the sun by protecting their skin and eyes."

Key sun safety recommendations:



Protect your skin: When the UV Index is three or higher, generally from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. between April and September, even when it's cloudy, protect your skin as much as possible by:



Seeking or making shade



Wearing clothes and a hat with a wide brim, preferring clothes to sunscreen



Using plenty of sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher, water resistant and broad spectrum on skin not covered by clothing



Don't seek to tan, from the sun or from tanning beds, and avoid sunburns.





When the UV Index is three or higher, generally from between April and September, even when it's cloudy, protect your skin as much as possible by: Protect your eyes: Wear sunglasses or prescription eyeglasses with UV-protective lenses and a hat with a wide brim. The sun's rays can be harmful to the eyes all year round and throughout the day, even when it's cloudy. Eye protection is required around highly reflective environments, such as snow, sand and water.

The facts about skin cancer:



The single most important risk factor for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer is exposure to UV radiation, which is also known to cause harm to the eyes.





National Sun Surveys showed that between 1996 and 2006, Canadians generally increased their time in the sun without improving protective behaviours.





Melanoma is the most dangerous of the three types of skin cancer and incidence is on the rise. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, in 2015, an estimated 3,250 new cases of melanoma (1,750 males and 1,500 females) were diagnosed.





Studies have shown that frequent sunburns  even if they occurred years ago when you were a child or teenager  increase the risk of melanoma.

My CancerIQ is a confidential online tool that allows Ontarians to determine their personal risk factors for six types of cancer  melanoma, breast, cervical, colorectal, kidney and lung cancers. To learn more about your risk for melanoma and what you can do to prevent it, visit My CancerIQ today and complete a personalized risk assessment.

About Cancer Care Ontario:

Cancer Care Ontario plays an important role in equipping health professionals, organizations and policy-makers with the most up-to-date cancer knowledge and tools to prevent cancer and deliver high-quality patient care. It does this by collecting and analyzing data about cancer services and combining it with evidence and research that is shared with the healthcare community in the form of guidelines and standards. It also monitors and measures the performance of the cancer system, and oversees a funding and governance model that ties funding to performance, making healthcare providers more accountable and ensuring value for investments in the system.

Cancer Care Ontario actively engages people with cancer and their families in the design, delivery and evaluation of Ontario's cancer system, and works to improve the performance of Ontario's cancer system by driving quality, accountability, innovation and value.

Version francaise disponible.

SOURCE Cancer Care Ontario

For further information: Erin MacFarlane, Communications Advisor, Cancer Care Ontario, Phone: 1.855.460.2646, Email: [email protected]
MONCTON, NB, June 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Earlier today, Skills/Competences Canada hosted the official launch of the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC), at the Moncton Coliseum. This important event creates awareness of the incredible career opportunities available in the skilled trades and technologies across Canada.

Special guests included Larry Slaney from UA Canada and Rob Sillner from TransCanada, the presenting sponsors of the Skills Canada National Competition, and several industry celebrities including Paul Lafrance, host of HGTV Canada's Disaster Decks, Decked out and Custom Built, Kate Campbell, a host on HGTV's Custom Built and owner of KateBuilds Inc. and Line Pelletier, celebrity chef and runner-up on MasterChef Canada. This event featured an exciting bricklaying challenge, one of the many contest areas that will be showcased at SCNC.

This event launched the two-day competition, which will feature over 500 competitors from across Canada who will compete in over 40 skilled trade and technology contests for the opportunity to be named the best in the country in their chosen field. The Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) will also feature over 40 interactive Try-A-Trade and Technology activities where visiting students and the general public will get the opportunity to try their hand at different trades and test their skills.

"Events like the Skills Canada National Competition are a great way for Canadian youth to discover the many diverse career opportunities available to them in the skilled trades and technologies", said Shaun Thorson, Chief Executive Officer of Skills/Competences Canada. "Young Canadians being informed about the numerous educational pathways and career options will position Canada well for economic growth."

There are several Skills Canada events happening in conjunction with SCNC including Try-a-Trade and Technology activities, Essential Skills presentations and activities, the Essential Skills Educator's Forum and a live Essential Skills Webcast on June 6th and 7th. The Closing Ceremony, where the results of the competition will be announced, will take place on June 8th, from 12:00pm  3:00 pm, at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre.

About Skills/Competences Canada

Skills/Competences Canada was founded in 1989 as a national, notforprofit organization that works with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trades and technology careers among Canadian youth. For information on Skills Canada's programs and competitions visit www.skillscanada.com. For more information about SCNC visit: www.skillscompetencescanada.com/en/programs/skills-canada-national-competition .

SOURCE Skills/Competences Canada

Image with caption: "Special guests participate in the bricklaying challenge during the Official Launch of the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition. (CNW Group/Skills/Competences Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160606_C5737_PHOTO_EN_706679.jpg

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Michele Rogerson, [email protected], 613-266-4771.
OTTAWA, June 5, 2016 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Ramadan:

"Muslims in Canada and around the world will embark upon a month-long spiritual journey of fasting, prayer, and reflection to commemorate the revealing of the Qu'ran to the Prophet Muhammad.

"During Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours to increase their patience, closeness to God, and generosity towards those less fortunate. It is a time of community, when Muslims invite neighbours and friends to share their evening meal  iftar  recite prayers together, and encourage each other to give to charity.

"Ramadan reminds all of us to show appreciation for the countless blessings we enjoy and to put the needs of others before our own.

"Let us take the time to recognize, and show gratitude for, the invaluable contributions of our Muslim communities that enrich our national fabric each and every day. Canada's cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and sources of pride.

"On behalf of our family, Sophie and I wish all those observing this holy month a blessed and peaceful Ramadan.

"Ramadan Mubarak!"

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca/

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

For further information: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555
Water, snacks and more supplies for clients at branches, with healthy food available for free at the Wood Buffalo Food Bank

FORT MCMURRAY, AB, June 3, 2016 /CNW/ - Team CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) is pitching in to help make the transition home easier for clients after the re-opening of its two Banking Centres this week.

Both branches have bottled water and snacks, as well as supplies of hand sanitizers and air pollution masks to give out.

CIBC has also been working with the Alberta Food Banks. Together, with its employees, Team CIBC donated nearly $400,000 to support an emergency food drive. To help the people of Fort McMurray refill their fridges and restock their cupboards with healthy food, CIBC encourages residents to visit the Wood Buffalo Food Bank when it reopens. Follow @WBFoodBank to keep apprised of updates.

"We've been part of the community for 52 years and we are here to help Fort McMurray recover and rebuild," said Tom Weber, Senior Vice President and Region Head, Alberta, CIBC. "In times of need, we have a strong tradition of pulling together."

The branches are open from 12-5 p.m. through Sunday, and will resume normal business hours on June 6. To support our clients with any financial questions upon their return home, both branches will also open on Sunday, June 12 from 12-5 p.m. In addition, clients are invited to call 1-877-454-9030 to discuss their specific financial concerns.

Branch Locations:

CIBC Fort McMurray Banking Centre

8553 Manning Ave.

CIBC Stoneycreek Village Banking Centre

104 Riverstone Ridge

The branches had been closed since wildfires in the community prompted an evacuation order on May 4.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units  Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets  CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre/ or by following on Twitter @CIBC, Facebook (www.facebook.com/CIBC) and Instagram @CIBCNow.

SOURCE Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Image with caption: "(From left) John Mbirimujo, general manager Cecily Clarke, Maria Umbalin, Gaye King and Hillwie Fayad fill client care packages at the CIBC Fort McMurray Banking Centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Codie McLachlan (CNW Group/Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160603_C2857_PHOTO_EN_706123.jpg

Image with caption: "CIBC general manager Cecily Clarke, left, and Gaye King fill client care packages at the Fort McMurray Banking Centre on Friday, June 3, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Codie McLachlan (CNW Group/Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160603_C2857_PHOTO_EN_706125.jpg

For further information: Caroline Van Hasselt, Director, External Communications and Media Relations, at (416) 784-6699, [email protected]
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says 2,304 delegates will be electing a gubernatorial candidate for the party in Edo on June 18. Th...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says 2,304 delegates will be electing a gubernatorial candidate for the party in Edo on June 18.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja reports that 12 delegates from a 192 wards in 18 local government areas will converge on Benin to choose a candidate out of the 12 aspirants angling for the top job in the state.NAN also reports that of the 12 aspirants, 11 bought their expression of interest and nomination forms for N5.5 million each while one, a woman, got hers for free.Some of the aspirants confirmed the allegation that some fellows were buying up Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) ahead of the Sept. 10 election in the state.An aspirant, Mr Charles Airhiavbere, told newsmen at the APC secretariat that such acts were fraudulent, despicable and shameful.That information is correct. Delegates have reported some elements buying up PVCs for N5,000.This is a gross abuse of human rights. Its a challenge a leader has to face in the future. Its painful to hear.One aspirant had to post an advert that people should not sell their birth rights. In Owan, one buyer was driven out of that area, Airhiavbere said.On another allegation that the aspirants were being pressured to step down, Airhiavbere said: I will not be in that category of people stepping down for other aspirants.Aside that where is the democracy if I step down; that is a psychological warfare but for me I wont step down for anyone.Another aspirant and incumbent deputy governor, Mr Pius Odubu, told newsmen that Ive heard that allegation too but I cannot confirm whether it is true or not.In any case if anyone does that, its just a wasteful exercise because there are other forms of identification aside from the PVCs.What you need is to properly identify yourself at the polling unit through the voters register so anybody buying up PVCs doesnt believe in the tenets of democracy.For Mr Chris Ogiemwonyi, the I-G, Independent National Electoral Commission and the APC should look into the allegation before the primary.He condemned the action that a lawmaker, Rep. Phillip Shuaibu, allegedly invited members to his house and mandated them to come with their PVCs for an exchange of N10,000 each.The lawmaker called the delegates to his house requesting, threatening and intimidating the delegates to submit their PVCs to him with an intent to disenfranchise voters and use the PVCs for other purposes.As we speak the process is ongoing. This is wrong, it is not the democracy we fought for. We do not want PDP to take over the state.I call on the APC leadership not to allow a process that is flawed and challengeable in court to produce the next gubernatorial candidate.Im equally surprised that today, the Edo House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, never sat.We are raping democracy. Are they supposed to be here with an aspirant. That is disgraceful, unacceptable, shameful and wicked.We believe the process can be managed and that is why we are talking with the APC leadership, he said.Reacting to the allegation, the aspirant, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said: I dont believe that Ogiemwonyi with his standing will say that. I hold him in high esteem.I can tell you that nothing like that happened. For someone to make such a flimsy, unguarded statement is quite unfortunate.Everybody has a right to prefer somebody in a race. Having worked with everybody if the governor decides to choose someone is there anything wrong with that.What has put me at an advantage is the skills and quality I have as a person. The governor did not appoint any of these people, they chose me so that says a lot.He said it was very erroneous to say nothing had been done in the state for the past eight years because if the government before us did a tenth of what Oshiomhole did with the allocation the state had then, we would have had a platform or something tangible to work with.
Various pro-Biafra groups in Nigeria and the Diaspora have resolved to come together under a body known as the Biafra Peoples National Cou...

Various pro-Biafra groups in Nigeria and the Diaspora have resolved to come together under a body known as the Biafra Peoples National Council.Biafra Peoples National Council is to form a collegiate parliament composed of representatives of Biafra ethnic nationalities and pro-Biafra groups.The formation of the BPNC and the plan to set up the Biafran peoples parliament were disclosed in a communique issued at the end of a conference, which held in Accra, Ghana, between May 27 and 31, 2016.The conference was put together by the Organisation of Emerging African States.A copy of the communique, in which the secessionists demanded Nigerias expulsion from the Commonwealth of Nations, was made available to our correspondent on Sunday.The communique was signed by Mr. Uchenna Madu on behalf of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, and the representatives of the other pro-Biafran groups, including Eastern Peoples Congress, Biafra Liberation Council, Salvation People, Ekwenche Organisation, Biafra Nations Youth League and Biafra Revolutionary Organisation.Other groups that signed the communique were the Biafra Liberation Crusade, Biafra Movement for Solidarity, Biafra Regional Emancipation Movement, Billie Organisation and Representative of Biafrans in the Diaspora.The communique disclosed that, in line with the principles of equity, fairness, justice, participatory democracy, egalitarianism, the administrative and political capitals of Biafra would not be concentrated in one location but shall be spread across Biafra land.Going by the plan of the activists, as revealed in the communique, Biafra would have different capitals for the executive, judicial and legislative arms of government.The proposed country would also have separate capitals for culture, economy, science and technology, agriculture and defence.According to the communique, the conference agreed to draw up a legal framework for the New Biafra State.In the same vein, the secessionists accused the Commonwealth of Nations of double standards for failing to sanction Nigeria for the extra-judicial killings of more than 700 civilians of Biafran origin and pro-Biafran activists by various Nigerian security agencies.The Biafra agitators, in the communique, noted that the Commonwealth of Nations had, in 1995, suspended Nigeria after the execution of nine Ogoni activists, including the playwright, Ken Saro-Wiwa.The conference strongly rejects the blatant double standards of the Commonwealth of Nations and the attitude of individual member states of the Commonwealth.The conference recommends to the Commonwealth of Nations to immediately begin the process of expelling the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the Commonwealth of Nations in compliance with the Harare Commonwealth Declaration and the norms and principles of respect to peoples and human rights, the communique said.The activists also expressed reservations at the silence of the global Christian leadership over what they described as the continuous attack on men and women in Biafra land.Also, the conference demanded an immediate and unconditional release of detained pro-Biafra activists, including the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi, Benjamin Onwuka and Chukwuebuka Ikenwa.
Soldiers, yesterday morning, swooped on oil-rich Ogulagha, an Ijaw kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, arresting six p...





Soldiers, yesterday morning, swooped on oil-rich Ogulagha, an Ijaw kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, arresting six persons, including a chief, in connection with the bombing of Forcados 48 Export Line belonging to Shell Nigeria Petroleum Company, SNPECo, last Thursday, by the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA.Among those seized were a notable leader in Ogulagha Kingdom, Chief Peter Tuasinde; chairman of Ogulagha community, Captain Prebor Solomon and Public Relations Officer of the community, Henry Agedigba, who went to find out from the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta, why they raided the community and apprehended his kinsmen.Also arrested were a staff of S. J. Abed Catering Company in Forcados Terminal, Mr. John Borme; a businessman, Mr. Clement Ibada, and Ejor Burutu, who reportedly showed them the houses of persons they mentioned.Vanguard learned that soldiers of the JTF invaded the community at 8.20 a.m on suspicion that some members of the community were involved in blowing up the crude oil pipeline.Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the attack on the Forcados 48 export line, saying it was because the company acted against its warning not to repair the facility, earlier bombed by the militant group.
Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari will take a 10 days off and travel to London to rest, as well as see an Ear, Nose And Throat specia...

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari will take a 10 days off and travel to London to rest, as well as see an Ear, Nose And Throat specialist (E.N.T) for a persistent ear infection.President Muhammadu Buhari will take 10 days off and travel to London on Monday June 6th to rest. During the holiday, he will see an E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear infection. The President was examined by his Personal Physician and an E.N.T Specialist in Abuja and was treated.Both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation purely as a precaution, noted Femi Adesina, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the president, in a statement.There have been speculations over the Presidents state of health since he shelved his scheduled two-day official visit to Lagos State at the last minute and directed Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to represent him.The Presidency had attributed the development to what it called scheduling difficulties.The issue resonated on Thursday when Buhari again shelved his trip to Rivers State during which he would have inaugurated the clean-up of Ogoniland and other oil-impacted communities.He again sent Osinbajo to represent him at the event with the Presidency saying there was no big deal in the Vice-President representing Buhari at functions since the Presidency is one.Over the weekend, Buhari again put off his scheduled trip to Dakar, Senegal for the 49th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States, asking Osinbajo to once again represent him.In all, the Presidency had claimed that the President was fit as a fiddle until Sunday when it finally admitted the ill-health.This is the second time Buhari will be proceeding on vacation this year.The President had earlier embarked on a six-day vacation between February 5 and 10.He remained in London throughout the first vacation.He had earlier granted an interview where he said the doctors he had been consulting since the 1970s were based in London.
The Federal Government, Monday, said it is considering scaling down military operations in the offensive against Niger Delta militants f...

The Federal Government, Monday, said it is considering scaling down military operations in the offensive against Niger Delta militants for about two weeks to allow for dialogue with the militants and other aggrieved groups in the region. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, called on the militants to shelve violence, sheathe their weapon and embrace dialogue with government. He said the planned suspension of military offensive is to allow for individuals in the creeks to converge for the dialogue.
Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, believes that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves commendation for ...





Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, believes that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves commendation for rescinding his initial decision to name those who returned ill-gotten wealth to the government.When the issue of publishing recovered assets first came up back in May, Buhari promised to disclose the identities of those who returned what they took illegally.So far, what has come out, what has been recovered in whatever currency from each ministries, departments and individuals, I intend on the 29th to speak on this because all Nigerians are getting from the mass media because of the number of people arrested either by the EFCC, DSS. But we want to make a comprehensive report on the 29th, he had said.However, he refused to fulfill his promise on May 29 and rather transferred the responsibility to Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture.Mohammed had earlier hinted Nigerians that the names would not be given, and the names were withheld when the list was eventually made public.This has led to a wide range of reactions, with Socio Economic Right Accountability Project (SERAP) insisting that the government cannot justify its action in that regard.But speaking when he featured on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Adesina disagreed with those who were unhappy with the president.Well, the president said he will mention names, but even if he erred, its better to err on the side of caution. Its always better to err on the side of caution. It (naming those who returned stolen assets) came up and legal opinion was that it was premature to mention those names, he said.So, for me I think its a demonstration of strength for the president not to have mentioned those names again, contrary to what he said earlier. It shows that he buys into the opinion of other people. Legal minds came up to say: Dont mention these names of these people yet. It would have implications if you do so, and he bought into it.I think rather its something that we must commend and applaud rather than condemn. These recoveries were made from May 29 last year to May 25 this year. A large number of them are fresh loot, outside the Abacha loot.He added that mentioning the names would discourage persons who had the intention of returning funds from bringing them forward.Adesina also said if the president had gone ahead with his earlier plan and it backfired, it would have amounted to a major distraction for the government.What if at the end of the day the court decides that those people are not guilty and that the money should be returned, then you will have legal cases on your hands and that will constitute distraction to the government.At the end of the day, we will lose monies that would have been recoverable for the country. What of the situation of those who want to return monies because the government has been precipitate in mentioning names, those funds will not be returned to the coffers again.I think it is better to err on the side of caution and that was why eventually the president agreed with those who said the names should be withheld.Adesina also said that the recovered funds could be used to make up for the deficit in the 2016 budget, which has over two trillion naira deficit.If you look at the 2016 budget, you will see that it anticipated this eventuality. There is a provision, I think about N380 billion which say would be provided for from recovered funds. So the budget anticipated this.When he visited the UK in February, the president said much of the money that would have been borrowed to fund this budget may not be borrowed again because of recovered funds and monies that were housed through the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Vice President, Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele yesterday expressed disappointment at the news of President Muhamma...





Vice President, Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele yesterday expressed disappointment at the news of President Muhammadu Buharis10-Day medical trip to London for an Ear, Nose and Throat, E.N.T, infection, saying, it as a tragic blot on Nigerias collective professional and National image.The former President, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, who condemned frequent medical trip by government officials, said Nigeria has suffered a great loss to medical tourism in recent past.I am very constrained to state that this foreign medical trip flies in the face of the Federal Governments earlier declaration of her resolve to halt the embarrassing phenomenon of outward medical tourism, which as at the end of the year 2013 had led to a humongous capital flight of about $1billion dollars, particularly from expenses incurred by political and public office holders and their accompanying aides, whose foreign medical trips most of which are unnecessary, were financed with tax payers resources, he said.Osahon who advised the president Buhari to live by example at curbing medical tourism and saving Nigerians this great loss incurred through numerous trips abroad for medication stated that the President has lost a golden opportunity to assert his change mantra through a clear demonstration of leadership by example, by staying back to receive medical treatment in Nigeria.He added that receiving treatment in Nigeria would inspire confidence in the health sector which currently boasts of medical experts that favourably compare with medical experts anywhere in the world, if not better.Mr. President should make a clear public pronouncement on his resolve to show leadership by example with respect to the utilization of the medical expertise and facilities that abound in Nigeria by him and other members of the Federal Executive Council, particularly in concrete expression of section 46 of the National Health Act which seeks to address the abuse of tax payers resources through frivolous foreign medical travels embarked upon by political and public office holders.He said: It is on record that most public and political office holders who seek foreign medical care abroad are handled by Nigerian trained doctors in foreign lands particularly in the United Kingdom which has over 3000 Nigerian trained medical doctors, United States of America with over 5000 Nigerian trained medical doctors, amongst other foreign countries, most of whom left the shores of Nigeria on account of governments perennial failure to address the various push and pull factors which have consistently driven this yearly brain drain phenomenon in Nigeria.Available records show that last year alone, 637 medical doctors emigrated due largely to poor working conditions and health facilities, insecurity, unpredictable and poor funding of Residency Training Programme, uncompetitive wages and job dissatisfaction.The former NMA president said; Without prejudice to the expert recommendation of Presidents Personal Physician and the ENT specialist said to have examined and treated him in Abuja, I consider it a national shame of immense proportions that Mr. President had to be recommended for foreign medical care despite the presence of over 250 ENT specialists and professors in Nigeria, as well as a National Ear Centre located in Kaduna state. He recommended that the presidency should consider other options such as inviting a consortium of Nigerian trained ENT specialists in Nigeria to Abuja to re-evaluate and treat.If it is determined that the medical expertise is not available in Nigeria, any identified Nigerian trained ENT specialist practicing anywhere in the world should be invited to Abuja for re-evaluating and treating him.If it is a case where the health facilities/equipment are unavailable then the President should have used his current medical situation, though unfortunate, to commence the Federal Governments plan to re-equip Nigerian hospitals with modern state-of-the art health facilities, by ordering for the needed medical equipment to enable the locally available Nigerian trained ENT specialists to attend to him, and thereafter use same facilities to attend to other Nigerians with similar conditions.Indeed, it will be a win-win situation for Nigeria as Mr. President will not only get managed with the imported medical facilities and expertise; he would save Nigeria the capital flight that would result from his planned foreign medical trip.
Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, have pleaded with the United N...

Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, have pleaded with the United Nations, UN and other world leaders to divide Nigeria into six geo-political zones as a permanent solution to the myriad of problems facing the nation.The groups noted that granting the six geo-political zones in Nigeria self-rule would be the only solution to the many challenges.In a statement signed by the Director of Information of the pro-Biafra group, Chris Mocha, the two groups called on the UN and other super powers to consider the lives of people that are killed on a daily basis in Nigeria arising from insurgency in the North East and Fulani herdsmen and respond to their call.Mocha said the proposed nations include South East, (Biafra), South-South (Niger Delta), North East, North West, South West, (Oduduwa) and North- Central.He added that no amount of preaching on nationalism can change Nigeria as it is today.Mocha further explained that when the said zones are given independence, assets of the citizens of the different countries will be protected by international laws, just as bilateral agreements will guide the future relationship of the new republics.The group, however, insisted that several members of BIM/MASSOB were killed last week during the Biafra anniversary at Nkpor and Onitsha.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has praised the unwavering contributions of Alhaji Aliko Dangote towards the ...

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has praised the unwavering contributions of Alhaji Aliko Dangote towards the industrialisation of the country. Fashola said this during the handing over of a 25 kilometer concrete road at Itori, Ibeshe, Ogun State constructed in collaboration with AG Construction Company Limited.The road was constructed with concrete as opposed to the use of asphalt. He added that in an historic sense, it is the first time a road of such size will be constructed in Nigeria using cement concrete.Fashola also stressed the efforts of the government in alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians by fast-tracking infrastructural development, adding that government would soon commence an aggressive road construction and maintenance programme across the country.In his words: I want to use this medium to assure Nigerians that the present challenges being experienced, especially in the power and road sectors of the economy will soon be a thing of the past. We are working round the clock to deliver lasting solutions to the challenges in these sectors.Speaking at the event, Aliko Dangote urged government to review existing methods of road constructing in the country.He pointed out that construction of concrete roads was a more viable alternative to asphalt laid roads, adding that concrete roads were about 20 per cent cheaper than conventional asphalt roads and that they were easier to maintain and more durable.At the event, Dangote also announced the reconstruction the Ijora Apapa Wharf Road in Lagos State, using cement concrete.He stressed that cement which constitutes the raw materials for the construction of concrete roads was locally available compared to bitumen which is imported, especially now that there is greater need for foreign exchange control.
Eldest brother to Ekiti State governor, Oluwasegun Fayose, has condemned the instruction given to farmers in the State by the governor to ...

Eldest brother to Ekiti State governor, Oluwasegun Fayose, has condemned the instruction given to farmers in the State by the governor to attack herdsmen.He said the directive did not show that the governor was a true leader.Oluwasegun, was speaking in an interview with The Nation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where he said his brother was embarrassing the family by some of his actions and utterances.He said, leaders are not supposed to make comments that are capable of inciting the public or bringing their familys name into disrepute.I totally disagree with him. I do not like what he is doing. He is dragging the family name in the mud. I read in national dailies that Ayo Fayose was inciting Ekiti people against herdsmen.I have never seen where a leader talks like this before. I spent most of my life in Europe. I left Nigeria in 1976. My children are still there. I want them to be able to come home. I do not want to be harassed. Let it be on record that I do not support this kind of aggressive method of governance. He is too vulgar for my liking.Rather than making utterances that do not portray him and the Fayose family as noble, Oluwasegun advised the governor to keep quiet.
Despite the ferocious wave of attacks on indigenous communities by rampaging herdsmen in some parts of the country, the Federal Government...





Despite the ferocious wave of attacks on indigenous communities by rampaging herdsmen in some parts of the country, the Federal Government has ruled out the possibility of deploying military option to quell such violent activities.It said since the police have not been overwhelmed by the attackers, military option is not on the table. Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd) stated this on a Sunday midnight television programme Question Time on Channels TV.We must protect the country which is the main function of the police. The Civil Defence are there to complement them too.This is a non-military issue that borders on law and order. It is not every security issue that you call in the military. It is the responsibility of the police to maintain peace. I believe that if we put the police in proper position in terms of discharging its functions, then there would be no need for military option. The police are equal to the task. If you have to deploy the army, then you are going above board (sic).In any case, I do not even have the power to deploy the military for anything. It is only when the situation gets out of hand that you invite the military, he said. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2015 report, Fulani militants killed 1,229 people in 2014  up from 63 in 2013  making them the fourth most deadly terrorist group globally.Privatization of Prisons, an option Dambazau also hinted the possibility of privatizing Nigerian Prisons, saying the only challenge with the proposal is that most prison inmates are not serving their sentences but awaiting trial.Privatization is an option. How we go about doing that is another thing. Outside the country, for instance in the United Kingdom UK, they rely on Prisons Labour to do that and it is from prisons labour they do that to recoup their investment.Here, 70 per cent of our inmates are awaiting trial and by international law, you cannot engage inmates who are awaiting trial in such labour, but it is still something that we can sit down with those who are interested, he said.FG not spending N14, 000 on prisonersThe minister however dismissed reports that government was spending N14, 000 to feed each prisoner on a daily basis, but said Nigeria currently spends about N10.6 billion feeding over 65, 000 prisoners yearly.It is not sustainable given that we have about 65, 000 to 70,000 prisoners. If you have 65, 000 prisoners, the feeding that was approved by former President Jonathan, you raised the feeding to N450 per day including gas; if you multiply it by 65, 000 prisoners in 365 days, you get roughly N10.6 billion. That was what we met and there was no budgetary provision for that. This was why we said there was need to look into prisons farms so that prisons can feed themselves, he stated.
Pep Guardiola will commence his spell at Manchester City with a friendly against former team Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on July 20.Guardiola led Bayern to three straight Bundesliga titles in his three seasons at the club before moving on to City.Bayern will begin preparing for the new season under manager Carlo Ancelotti on July 11, but, like City, will be without the players that compete at Euro 2016.Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "We are looking forward to welcoming Pep Guardiola and his new team so soon in Munich again."City will then fly out to Beijing to face Manchester United in the International Champions Cup on July 25 before travelling to Shenzhen to take on Borussia Dortmund in the same pre-season competition three days later.Guardiola, who replaced Manuel Pellegrini on a three-year deal, has wasted no time in starting his work at City and has already secured the services of Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Dortmund in a deal worth 21m.
Allegation of faking miracles to defraud unsuspecting church members and the public has hit a Pentecostal church in Benin, the Edo State...

Allegation of faking miracles to defraud unsuspecting church members and the public has hit a Pentecostal church in Benin, the Edo State capital.An aggrieved member of the gang performing and staging fake miracles for the ministry reported himself and the church to the police in the ancient city.Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) from the police commands headquarters have reportedly begun investigation into the allegation.Sources at the police command headquarters said the founder and General Overseer of a popular church had been invited and quizzed.The member, who allegedly reported the self-proclaimed evangelist to the police, said the cleric owed him N48,000, being the agreed fee for sitting in a wheelchair as a cripple for six days before he received his healing during a recent church deliverance programme.It was learnt that the man, who is currently the main complainant and suspect, also alleged that the evangelist bought him a ram for thanksgiving in the church.He added that the preacher collected from him a suit he presented to him as the church gift, in front of the congregation, shortly after he gave his false testimony.When our newsmen approached the complainant at the police command headquarters in Benin, he said he wanted to use the money to buy drugs because he was on medication.He said: It was N8,000 per day; the programme was for six days. He collected the suit from me and gave it to another person.But a police officer prevented him from giving further details on the matter, saying: The matter is still under investigation.Visits to the church on The Limit Road, off Sapele Road in Benin, revealed a large congregation of worshippers, most of whom appeared hypnotised and desperately seeking miracles.In separate chats with newsmen, some members noted that since God used our daddy (the General Overseer) to deliver a woman who carried a horse in her womb for several years, deliverance has not ceased here. Just sow a seed in the church and watch out for your miracle.But others conceded that the church membership had reduced considerably because some members left when they felt conned or did not get expected miracles.Penultimate Sunday, the overseer told the congregation: Run to the altar with your tithe. It will turn to alligator pepper in your pockets if you go home with it.This happened during the second service at the church.The old and the young in the church rushed to meet the evangelist on the altar in response to his statement.Several attempts to obtain comments from the founder and General Overseer of the church did not yield any result.A lady, who claimed to be the churchs Public Relations Officer (PRO) but refused to disclose her name, said: Journalists always work with rumours.Contacted, police spokesman Osifo Abiodun, a Superintendent (SP), said: The case has been transferred.
His Royal Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi paid Nigerian international Obafemi Martins a rare at his home in Lagos over the weekend.The 31-year-old striker has been enjoying his time at Chinese Super League side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua but found the visit of the paramount ruler to be more exciting.The former Inter striker took to instagram to share the moment with the Oba with his fans.Martins has three goals in all competitions for the Chinese outfit this season and should increase his haul with the visit and blessings of the royal father.
The national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in conjunction with its Oyo state chapter on Monday ordered workers in th...

The national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in conjunction with its Oyo state chapter on Monday ordered workers in the state to begin an indefinite strike on Tuesday.Solomon Adelegan, national vice-chairman of the NLC, gave the directive after a congress held at the labour secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.Adelegan said the strike action would continue until labours demands were met.Among demands listed are the withdrawal of all charges levelled against seven NLC leaders by the police, and the reversal of the decision of Abiola Ajimobi, governor of the state, to hand over government schools to missionaries.Labour also said government should immediately pay workers and pensioners their six months outstanding salaries and pensions, while rescinding its decision to sell-off any public school in the state.Also on the demand list is proper and adequate funding of the education sector, including payment of a living wage and other incentives for workers in educational institutions.We condemn Oyo State governments plan to sell our public schools. Education is not a commodity but a social responsibility of the government, Labour said in a statement.I think it will be better for the state government to sell the Government Secretariat and Government House.It is also unfortunate that the state government owes workers more than six months salaries.In the light of all these, we order that all government activities as from Tuesday should be grounded through a sit-at-home action, he said.He added that all former correspondences and agreements signed with the state government had became null and void.Waheed Olojede, the state NLC chairman, and six other labour leaders were arraigned for organising a protest against governments perceived move to hand over mission schools to their original owners.The labour leaders were arrested and detained by the police on Thursday.Although they were granted bail, they were to be remanded at Agodi prison until they could meet their bail conditions.But speaking after his release on Monday, Olojede said the campaign against the state government was in line with the fact that education was a social responsibility of government.Olojede cautioned prospective beneficiaries of the school initiative not to waste their money, calling on traders to join in the campaign.Olojede also urged workers in the state to comply with the sit-at-home order.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has expressed solidarity with Muslims as they commence this years Ramadan fast.

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has expressed solidarity with Muslims as they commence this years Ramadan fast.To ensure a peaceful fasting period across the country, the IG has directed State Command Commissioners of Police to personally ensure that key and vulnerable points, all places of worship, recreation centres, resorts and other public places are adequately and effectively protected.This, he said was to enable worshippers and the general public enjoy maximum fulfillment, during and after the period, which will lead to Eid-el Fitri celebration.Arase in a statement on Monday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, sought the prayers, support and understanding of Nigerians, assuring that by Gods grace, the battle against crime and criminality will eventually be won.
The Senate has disclosed that a total of $72 bn was lost to counterfeiting, just as it set aside Life Imprisonment for Culprits of Sale an...





The Senate has disclosed that a total of $72 bn was lost to counterfeiting, just as it set aside Life Imprisonment for Culprits of Sale and Production of Fake Drugs.According to the Senate, it was disturbed by the increasing spate of the production and sale of fake and counterfeit drugs as well as processed foods and the adverse effects on the citizenry. This was disclosed weekend in Abuja at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Health on a new bill, entitled: A Bill for an Act to Amend the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods.Speaking at the opening of the public hearing, Senate President Bukola Saraki stressed that once the bill was passed into law, anyone convicted of counterfeiting will be sentenced to life imprisonment and also pay a fine of N2 million. Senator Saraki who noted that beyond life Imprisonment and fines, all assets, investments and property of such convicts aquired through illegal acts of sale and production of counterfeit items would be lost to the federal government.According to him, the ongoing amendment of the Act is meant to strengthen punitive measures against persons involved in such unwholesome practices. Saraki said, In 2008, thousands of Nigerian children started taking a teething medicine that contains toxic chemicals. By February 2009, over 90 Nigerian babies had died from consuming the mixture. This is despicable and to say the least unacceptable.According to him, the amendment of the bill would guarantee food security, disease-free-society and simultaneously uphold the required standard for food processing and sale and production of fake drugs. Earlier in his remarks, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuosho who spoke on the adverse effects of fake drugs on the nations economy, however recalled how the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported the loss of $32 billion to drug counterfeiting business and another $40 billion in 2006.Tejuosho said there is need to enact new legislations or amend the weak or already existing ones to see that the lives of citizens of this nation are protected.He lamented the increasing spate of fake products in Nigerian market, saying, there are several fake products like fake cosmetics, fake registered appliances, fake spare sparts, fake brushes, fake designer shoes and the list is literally endless.The effect is far reaching because it is a matter of life and death. Some of the major causes of fake drugs and counterfeiting include corruption, inadequate technology for the protection of the identity of genuine drugs as well as lack of vigilance and advocacy by healthcare providers. Combating this menace requires serious efforts.According to Tejuosho, about 50 per cent of drugs used by patients were purchased from privately owned pharmacies, patent medicine stores and street vendors which he said are usually invaded by agents of counterfeit drugs unlike the case in the public sector.He also recalled the comment of the late former Director General of National Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili, that the negative impact of fake drugs on the society is more than that of either narcotic agents or the combined effects of malaria, HlV/AIDS and armed robbery.He said, Made in Nigeria drugs were officially unaccepted in other West African countries like Ghana, Sierra Leone, et cet era.
One James Onuh, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, was at the weekend reportedly killed by gunmen in Obele, a suburb of Y...

One James Onuh, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, was at the weekend reportedly killed by gunmen in Obele, a suburb of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital.Onuh who until his death was attached to the state Ministry of Works, was a civil engineering graduate of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.According to reports, gunmen suspected to be cultists, accosted him close to his residence in Obele area of the state on Saturday and shot him at a close range.The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the incident said,Gunmen, suspected to be cultists, attacked and shot him.He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa where he later died.We are trailing the suspects and investigation is ongoing, Butswat stated.Meanwhile, authorities of the NYSC in the state are yet to comment on the incident.
The President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday said burglars stormed his country home in Ilorin, Kwara State, and cart...

Mr. Saraki said the incident occurred 2 weeks ago at an administrative quarters in the house. He said the incident had been reported to the police.In a statement signed by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the lawmaker said a report that his domestic aides were responsible for the theft is not true; saying the perpetrators were yet to be identified. He also said the money stolen was N12 million and not N300 million.Mr. Olaniyonu did not disclose why the Senate President, who is being prosecuted for false asset declaration, needed that much cash in his house. He, however, said the money was not public funds.The latest heist of Mr. Sarakis funds is coming 6 months after two State Security Services agents in his security detail allegedly participated in an armed robbery of a bureau de change operator.The two officials, Ahmadu Maigari and George Ibbi, colluded with other colleagues in the service and military personnel to carry out the heist, the SSS saidPreliminary investigations have revealed that Abdulrasheed Ahmadu Maigari of the DSS, conspired with four other colleagues of his namely: Solomon Inusa, Peter Okoye, Patrick Ishaya and George IBBI, to carry out this reprehensible act.While three of the DSS staff are now at large, the Military Authorities have commenced a detailed investigation of five of its personnel involved in the crime, the security service said in a December 6, 2015 statement.SaharaReporters Story Full of Falsehood and ExaggerationThe report yesterday by SaharaReporters about a burglary in the Ilorin home of Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki contained series of falsehood and at best an exaggeration of an incident which happened two weeks ago in which N12 million was stolen by some unknown persons inside the Administrative Office located next door to the house.In a statement, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity stated that the unknown persons broke into the safe in the Administrative Office and stole the N12 million. The incident had since been reported to the police and the Kwara State Police command are investigating the matter with a view to nail the culprits.There is therefore no truth in the claim by SaharaReporters that the money ran into hundreds of millions, that it was in foreign currency or that the incident happened in Dr. Sarakis room. The amount was simply in Naira. Also, the money has nothing to do with Kwara State Government.For the umpteenth time, we need to reiterate the fact that SaharaReporters fixation that any money spent by Saraki or that is in his possession is from Kwara State Government is unfounded, unwarranted, lacks any basis and irresponsible.We wonder whether Saraki was such a poor man before 2003 when he was elected Governor that he could no longer own any money without SaharaReporters attributing the source to the State Government.In its usual unethical and disgraceful haste to assassinate the Character of the Senate President, SaharaReporters ignored the simple professional practice for it to contact the Police to find out the facts of the incident. It merely created its own usually fictional story and published it. This is an online publication that cares not about its credibility or the journalism credo that facts are sacred and opinion is free.We call on all members of the public to ignore all the claims in the story. Dr. Saraki will allow the police to do their work and unravel the person or persons behind this theft in the Administrative Office, he stated.




English Premier League champions Leicester City are preparing to sign Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama from Southampton if they lose NGolo Kante to Paris Saint-Germain.Kante has emerged as a major target for the French champions following his superb season for the Foxes.Should the French midfielder leave the King Power Stadium, it will leave a massive hole in the engine room of Claudio Ranieris side.However, Wanyama is seen as the perfect replacement and he could available for sale given that he has turned down a new contract offer with the Saints.Yet if Leicester are to land Wanyama, they will have to beat off some stiff competition from Tottenham Hotspur, who have been strongly linked with the player.Wanyamas price would be in the region of 25-million.
The popular comedian probably out of concern for the masses took to social media to rant about the present situation of the country. He a...

The popular comedian probably out of concern for the masses took to social media to rant about the present situation of the country. He appealed to those in power to address the present situation in Nigeria. Read his article below
The immediate past President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has given reasons why he had to concede victory to President Muhammadu Buhari, during t...

The immediate past President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has given reasons why he had to concede victory to President Muhammadu Buhari, during the 2015 presidential elections, while the election results were still being collated.Jonathan said that having helped to stabilise democracy in four other West African countries including Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote dIvoire, he decided to leave a stable country by ensuring peaceful transition of power in his belief that his political ambition was not worth the blood of one Nigerian.Jonathan made this known at the Bloomberg Studios Event Space, London, United Kingdom.In his speech entitled, Civis Nigerianus Sum- (I am a citizen of Nigeria), Jonathan pledged to channel his energies towards upholding democratic principles, promoting peaceful political transitions and supporting citizen entrepreneurship and intra-Africa trade through the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.The former President also said that his administration fought corruption in the areas of finance, agriculture and petroleum and was able to drastically reduce the menace in the agricultural sector with the help of a simple mobile phone, adding that, Our ambition to sanitize the corruption in petroleum subsidies by completely deregulating the sector was frustrated by unhealthy political resistance.His words, Since leaving office one year and one week ago, I have had the luxury of time to reflect on the future of my great country, Nigeria.So, today is not about my personal memories or a litany of what ifs. No! Today I would like to share with you what I believe is the key learning from my experiences for the future of democracy not only in Nigeria but across the entire continent of Africa.I said before the last election that my political ambition was not worth the blood of one Nigerian.I was true to my word when on March 16, 2015, just after the election, when the results were still being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, I called my opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, to concede, in order to avoid any conflict and ensure a peaceful transition of power.This was without precedent in my country and I am proud that it achieved my goal of no conflict arising from the result of the election.Some may think, it is ironic that perhaps my proudest achievement was not winning the 2015 presidential election.By being the first elected Nigerian leader to willingly hand over power via the ballot box, to the opposition party; without contesting the election outcome, I proved to the ordinary man or woman in the country that I was his or her equal.That his or her vote was equal to mine and that democracy is the government by the will of the people, and that Nigeria, and indeed Africa is ripe for democracy. It is my sincerest wish that democracy is being consolidated in the continent of Africa and it will even get better.For it has always been my consistent desire to help consolidate peace and cultivate democracy in Nigeria and across the continent.In fact, it was the key foreign policy objective of my administration when we were able to help broker peace and restore democracy in Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote dIvoire.
Jersey City officials take pride in the notion that sooner rather than later the city will overtake Newark with the largest population in New Jersey.

PATH officials don't share in their excitement, the Wall Street Journal reported. More people mean the trains -- namely the PATH system that connects Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken to Manhattan -- will get even more crowded in the coming years.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the PATH system, says that Jersey City is recklessly overdeveloping, and that's causing a strain on the system, the report said.

"It's irresponsible for a city to allow indiscriminate growth that's going to tax public infrastructure beyond its capability," Port Authority Chairman John Degnan told the Wall Street Journal.

It's true that the crane has become of the unofficial city bird, with numerous high-rise residential buildings going up Downtown and in Journal Square. But Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop isn't apologizing.

He says it's Port Authority responsibility to keep up with the growth of Hudson County.

The Wall Street Journal report says that upgrades to the PATH system aren't expected until 2018 at the earliest.

So, there may be little relief for people like 24-year-old Elliot Kelly, a regular on the PATH.

"It's never nice to make a commute when you're 3 centimeters from someone else's body," he told the newspaper.
JERSEY CITY -- The victim of a fatal shooting on West Side Avenue this weekend has been identified as a 25-year-old Bayonne man.

Davon Gordon was shot multiple times in the torso at about 2:45 a.m. on Saturday near Fairview Avenue. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health, where he died at about 9:15 a.m., Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

A second victim, a 25-year-old Roselle man, was shot once on the lower part of his body. He has since been released from the hospital, Suarez said.

No arrests have been made in the double shooting. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office along with the Jersey City Police Department is continuing the investigation.

A neighborhood resident said he heard about five or six shots fired during the incident.

Investigators from the Prosecutor's Officer were canvassing the area this afternoon hoping for tips from residents, many who have been on edge with a recent spike in violence on West Side. Last weekend, a teen shot himself in the foot less than a block away from Saturday's homicide.

"I want to move," said a Duncan Avenue resident who only identified himself as Luis. "I need peace in my life."

This is the 10th homicide in Jersey City this year and 11th in the county.

About a half-hour earlier, a man was shot in the back on Bidwell Avenue. Police in a radio transmission said three men wearing sweatshirts were seen leaving the scene on bicycles.

Anyone with information may call 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office official website. All information will be kept confidential.
The students of Jersey City's Dickinson High School celebrated their senior prom Friday night at the Fiesta in Wood-Ridge.

Photographer Roy Caratozzolo III was there for The Jersey Journal, documenting the seniors' and their dates' big night.

Be sure to browse our photo gallery from Dickinson's night of dancing and fun, as well as check out our complete prom coverage around the state at nj.com/prom.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @jerseyjournal and @njdotcom, and on Instagram @njdotcompix. Then tag your photos #njprom. We'll retweet and repost the best pics!

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS ON NJ.COM

You can upload photos directly to nj.com by visiting our upload page, signing in with your nj.com or social media account and choosing the Prom 2016 gallery.
Jersey City police car

A 27-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after attacking his younger brother with a box cutter inside their Woodlawn Avenue home, according to a police report.

(Journal File Photo)

JERSEY CITY -- A 27-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after attacking his younger brother with a box cutter inside their Woodlawn Avenue home, according to a police report.

At about 5:15 a.m., police arrived at the house to break up a fight between the man and his 26-year-old brother. The younger man was bleeding heavily from the right side of his face, police said.

The sibling's mother said the older man attacked the 26-year-old with a box cutter. Two other siblings, a 37-year-old woman and 31-year-old man, were both injured trying to break up the fight, the report states.

Police arrested the 27-year-old and charged him with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, simple assault, and possession of a weapon. His name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victims.

The two oldest siblings were treated at the scene and the 26-year-old was transported to Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health.
JERSEY CITY -- At a young age, Tysheena James knew she wanted to serve her country.

When she was a student at Dickinson High School, James joined the school's ROTC program with hopes of joining the U.S. Air Force after graduating in 2012.

Instead, she went on to work for UPS for three years before enlisting in the U.S. Army last September.

At 2:25 a.m. Friday morning, servicemen knocked on Essie James' door to tell her that her 21-year-old daughter was one of nine soldiers who died in a training accident at Fort Hood in Texas.

"She was very determined to serve," Essie James said of her daughter. "It was her passion."

James, an Army private, was killed June 2 when her light medium tactical vehicle overturned amid flooding at Owl Creek. She entered active military service in November.

One of seven children, James always had a "big beautiful smile" on her face, her mother said, and loved spending as much time as possible with her father, James Hilliard.

Hilliard said he was just as excited as his daughter when she enlisted in the Army.

"She always wanted to go," her father said.

James was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Her mother said she was one of three soldiers whose bodies were immediately recovered from the flood waters.

During boot camp, James sent home letters telling her parents how excited she was to be learning how to fire different weapons, drive military vehicles and participate in intense workouts.

"Every day was exciting for her," Hilliard said. "She loved it."

During her short time in the service, James worked to learn the ins and outs of the Army and was ready "to do anything to get to where she wanted." She was awarded a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and Army Service Ribbon

"She was like a pitbull. She locked on and kept going," her mother said.

Funeral services in Jersey City are pending.

James planned on spending at least 20 years in the Army, her family said.

"She had no plan on exiting," Essie James said. "This was her career. This was her job. This was her life."
Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures to his camouflaged "Make America Great" hat as he discuses his support by the National Rifle Association at a campaign rally in Redding, Calif. last week.

(Associated Press Photo)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy, but he's been involved in one of the biggest in his campaign when he said an American-born judge who is presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University "is a Mexican'' and is biased against him because of Trump's plans to build a wall to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. at the Mexican border.

On CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday, presumptive Republican presidential nominee suggested that "it's possible" a Muslim judge could also be biased against him.

The comment came in response to a question from host John Dickerson amid Trump's latest defense of the controversial claim that he's received unfair treatment in the ongoing civil lawsuits against Trump University because of the presiding judge's Mexican heritage.

On "Fox News Sunday," former House Speaker and Trump supporter Newt Gingrich joined critics from both sides of the aisle in calling the candidate's comments "inexcusable" and "one of the worst mistakes Trump has made."

U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel is a U.S. citizen who was born in Indiana. But according to Trump, the fact that Curiel is the son of Mexican immigrants makes it impossible for the judge to act impartially in the Trump University case.

"I'm building a wall," Trump told the Wall Street Journal last week, following an order by Curiel that internal Trump University documents be released. "It's an inherent conflict of interest."

By that logic, Dickerson asked, might Trump's proposed ban on Muslim travel to the U.S. also cause a Muslim American judge to treat him unfairly?

"It's possible, yes," Trump replied. "Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely."

The White House hopeful has remained obstinate in his attack against Curiel despite widespread backlash from Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, fellow Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, as well as a number of legal experts.

Saturday's results:
WEST NEW YORK -- A new partnership between Holy Name Medical Center and the town of West New York will offer free health services targeted for the town's Hispanic community.

The "Familia Y Salud" initiative, which was announced Friday at a joint press conference at the town's Municipal Building, will see the Teaneck-based hospital work in conjunction with the West New York Department of Health to offer medical screenings and exams, as well as educational Spanish-language events and lectures.

Holy Name Medical Center says the program was introduced as a response to the growing Hispanic population of Hudson County, and the need to address their socioeconomic and cultural needs while providing essential education.

According to a 2010 U.S. Census, 78 percent of West New York residents are Hispanic or Latino, while Hispanics and Latinos made up 42 percent of the Hudson County population as of 2011.

"Residents of Hispanic origin are twice as likely as other ethnic groups to be diagnosed with diabetes and are at much higher risk for asthma, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer," Dr. Henry Fernandez-Cos, the founder of the program, said in a statement.

"The disparities are driven by genetic predisposition as well as cultural and socioeconomic barriers that make it difficult for some Hispanics/Latinos to practice preventative care or access treatment," Fernandez-Cos added. "Familia Y Salu educates our patients about how to manage or prevent the onset of disease, to empower the community with the information necessary to take a proactive approach to healthcare."

Among the first events of the program is a June 20 lecture at the West New York Middle School on the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. The discussion will be held at 6 p.m. and will be conducted in Spanish and English.

West New York Mayor Felix Roque, Holy Name's CEO Michael Maron, and other officials from the town and the hospital spoke about the reach of the initiative.

Roque, a doctor himself, who recently had his 1-week-old son Felix delivered at Holy Name, told The Jersey Journal after the conference that the partnership was a "no-brainer".

"To have them here is a home run for the community and for me," Roque said.

"It's all about prevention. With all these diseases like Zika and Hepatitis, we need to have prevention and education, and Holy Name is doing that, and they're going to be be providing that to the community for free. So, I'm ecstatic today."
For more than 65 years, the volunteers of the Lebanon Boro Parade Committee have been hosting the oldest, continuous 4th of July Parade in Hunterdon County.



Celebrate with us this year as we celebrate volunteering and community support with the theme of "Pictures of Patriotism."



Festivities will begin with the children's parade. Registration commences at 8 a.m. and is open to all children from birth to 10-years old.



Children may participate riding on a decorated bicycle or float - No motorized vehicles. Be as creative and unique as you want.



Judging takes place at 9 a.m. - so please arrive early.



The children's parade commences at 9:30 a.m., at Sutton Place (across from police aeadquarters), with a short procession up Main Street for about 1/2 a block.



There will be Awards for: Most Patriotic and Best Theme Representation.



Residents of Lebanon Borough are urged to decorate their homes for inclusion in the house decorating contes. First and Second Place awards will be presented for the best patriotic or theme-related decor.



The presentation of the Lebanon Borough School Safety Patrol will commence at 9:50 a.m. on Main Street in front of the Fox and Hound Tavern.



The parade line up will commence between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Enter Main Street from Route 22 at the East end of town (by Stewart's Root Beer Stand), no later than 9 a.m., as the roads will be closed at that time. There will be numerous Celebration Committee members to assist in finding your place in the parade line-up.



Boy and Girl Scouts and Indian Guides: Muster with their troops at the Old Brick Post Office Building at 123 Main St.



The main parade will step off promptly at 10 a.m. and follow West along Main Street, down Myrtle Avenue and then down Brunswick Avenue.



Festivties in the Park: Join us at Holjes-Sheppard Park following the parade, for festivities including singing of "The Star Spangled Banner," the flag raising ceremony, presentation of awards, refreshments, games and friendly competition for folks of all ages.



General Parade Trophies: Judging takes place during the parade, with winners awarded in the park for Best Theme Float/Unit, Best Children's Float/Unit, Most Patriotic Float/Unit and Most Original Float/Unit.



Antique/Classic Cars, Trucks and Tractors: The Lebanon NJ 4th of July Parade Committee is inviting all antique and class cars (pre-1980) to participate in othe annual parade.



Cars will not be judged nor will trophies be awarded. The first 50 antique/classic cars (no tractors or street rods) to arrive by 9 a.m., at Lynwood Drive will receive a participation award. Car owners will have a chance to join the celebration and share their special vehicles with the community on this historic holiday.



Any questions you may have can be sent to Linda Kennedy at lebanonparadeantiquecars@gmail.com



Fire Company and Rescue Squad Trophies: To thank all Emergency Service personnel, each company will receive a trophy of Recognition, Thanks, and Gratitude for their years of volunteer service protecting the communities at large, and their dedicated support and participation in the Lebanon Borough Fourth of July Parade and Celebration.



*** Participation is limited to 2 vehicles per Fire Company or Rescue Squad.***



Please Note:

 For safety's sake, there will be absolutely no throwing/handing out of candy or items from floats, cars or by marchers.

 This parade is a self-supporting event. Donations are our only means of support.

&bull All roads into Lebanon Borough close at 9 a.m. Arrive early.



For further information, contact Parade Chairman Sam Berger at sberger56@aol.com or email us at info@lebanonboro4thofjulyparade.com Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

This item was submitted by Mark Paradis.
james

Tysheena Lynette James, 21, of Jersey City, was killed during a training accident in Texas. Facebook photo

A Jersey City native has been identified as one of nine soldiers killed during a training accident at a Texas army base.

Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, 21, was killed Thursday when a light medium tactical vehicle overturned at Owl Creek. She entered active military service in November, according to the U.S. Army.

During her service, James was awarded a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

She was assigned April to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood.

On Thursday morning, Fort Hood Emergency Personnel were called to rescue the soldiers after their vehicle got stuck near East Range Road. Wide spread flooding was reported across Texas at the time of the accident, the Army Times reported.

The other victims have been identified as Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, Pfc. Brandon Austin Banner, Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, Pvt. Isaac Lee Deleon, Pvt. Eddy Raelaurin Gates, and Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey.

The ninth victim's name has not been released pending notification of the solider's family. Six soldiers were reported missing after the accident with three confirmed dead. Three other soldiers were rescued and survived.

"This is a tragedy affecting not only Jersey City, but all of the communities who have lost a soldier as a result of this accident at Fort Hood," Mayor Steve Fulop said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go to the family and loved ones of Pvt. James."

Additional information surrounding the incident has not been made available. The accident is under investigation by the Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, Ala.
HAMILTON -- Two township police officers who shot a man as he repeatedly stabbed his father last year were justified in their actions and the case will not be presented to a grand jury, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.

The officers have never been publicly named.

They each shot Shawn Clyde once on April 1, 2015 inside a Nottinghill Lane apartment as he repeatedly knifed his father and did not respond to the officers - who yelled "drop the knife" several times.

Hamilton Police file photo.

Clyde lived in the apartment with his mother and father, who were not named in a statement the prosecutor's office made public Monday.

The 36-year-old son suffered from mental illness and the prosecutor's investigation into the incident said he stopped taking medication for schizophrenia about two weeks before the shooting.

He never recovered from his wounds, and died April 15, 2015.

Clyde's mother was also wounded int he attack. His father suffered the brunt of the assault, and suffered a heart attack while being stabbed, the prosecutor's office said.

Both have recovered.

In the statement, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said the investigation determined the undisputed facts in this case determined the use of deadly force was legally justified and the incident did not need to be presented to a grand jury.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General also agreed with those decisions, the prosecutor's office statement said.

Investigators interviewed Clyde's parents, the two officers, other offices and a neighbor witness.

The statement gave this account of the shooting:

Hamilton officers responded to the apartment at about 5:20 p.m. on April 1, 2015 for a reported stabbing in progress.

The officers, identified only as officers 1 and 2, were in the parking lot of the Colonial Fire Co. nearby when they heard the call on police radio.

When they arrived, officer 2 heard a female yell "over here" and saw the female victim, Clyde's mother, with blood on her face and clothing.

Officer 2 asked her where the suspect was and if he was still armed, and she pointed then to the apartment and said Clyde still had a knife.

Officer 2 drew his weapon, entered the apartment and saw Clyde stabbing a male victim, his father, who was bleeding profusely. Officer 2 approached and ordered Clyde to drop the knife.

The officer was approximately 13 feet from the suspect. After ordering Clyde to drop the knife numerous times, officer 2 later said Clyde gave no response and continued to stab the male victim.

Officer 2 said officer 1 was to his left and was also yelling for the suspect to drop the knife. At one point, Clyde stopped stabbing the victim, looked back at the officers with a cold stare, said nothing and continued stabbing.

Officer 2 then said to officer 1, "We are going to have to do this."

Officer 2 waited for Clyde to raise the knife and fired one shot. Officer 1 immediately fired a shot as well.

At that point, Clyde stopped stabbing the victim, and fell over onto his father.

The prosecutor's office said officer 1's statement was consistent with officer 2's account. Officers 1 said he was in fear for the victim's life, his own life and officer 2's life.

Statements from a neighbor and several other Hamilton police officers all reported they heard the officers say "drop the knife" before firing.

Clyde's mother also heard the officers yelling "drop the knife," and the commands were recorded on police radio.

To detectives, Clyde's mother said she was scared of her son and concerned for the officers during their encounter with him.

She later told detectives that for two weeks before the incident, Clyde began acting out, crying a lot, laughing inappropriately and having time periods of blank stares.

And he had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia.

When she arrived home on April 1, 2015, her husband told her that Clyde had been crying. When they went into the kitchen, Clyde was saying "yes, yes, yes."

Then he became silent, picked up a knife from the table and began stabbing his father. Clyde did not say anything as he continued to stab and slash him.

She attempted to stop Clyde, but he turned the knife on her and stabbed her twice.

She was able to call 911 and flee the apartment.

"The undisputed facts of this matter reveal that the officers were acting to protect themselves and others, and used deadly force pursuant to a reasonable belief of immediate deadly force being used on the male victim," Onofri said in the statement.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- A Trenton man recently indicted for a robbery in which he impersonated a police officer has been charged with killing a man in Chambersburg last week, authorities said.

Seth Bowers, 21, of Anderson Street, allegedly gunned down 25-year-old Zaire Gibbs last Wednesday afternoon during an argument on Washington Street.

Seth Bowers

Gibbs was wounded in the torso and died the next day at a city hospital.

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Monday they have charged Bowers with murder and firearm possesion charges.

He was served the criminal complaints Friday evening while incarcerated at the Mercer County Correction Center in Hopewell Township, where he was lodged on an unrelated case.

Bowers was given an additional $1 million cash-only bail, set by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jimenez.

Coincidentally, another judge issued a bench warrant for Bowers Thursday - the day Gibbs died - when he did not appear in court for a December 2015 robbery he's charged with committing, officials said.

In that case, Bowers was allegedly one of three males who robbed a man on Charles Street, in Chambersburg.

Officers on patrol happened upon the robbery victim, who pointed out Bowers as one of his assailants, Trenton police said in December.

The police spotted Bowers walking briskly from the scene and pulled alongside him. He ran and officers arrested him at gunpoint following a foot pursuit, police said.

Officers found Bowers with a wallet - with $2 inside - along with a chain with a charm on it and a house key - all of which belonged to the victim.

The victim told police that moments before they arrived, three people, including Bowers, approached him and Bowers showed a gun and claimed to be a police officer.

Bowers was charged with robbery, weapons offenses, impersonating a police officer and obstruction.

He was indicted in the case in April of this year, the prosecutor's office said.

The murder charges against Bowers come as a result of an investigation by the city police's Shooting Response Team and Robbinsville Detective Adrian Markowski, a member of the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A Georgia police officer who grew up in Middlesex County was killed in a motorcycle crash last week, according to reports.

David L. Hough, 31, was off duty when he crashed near an exit ramp along Interstate 20 west in Newton County on Memorial Day afternoon, according to 11Alive.com.

New Jersey native David Hough, a sergeant with the College Park (Ga.) police department, died in a motorcycle crash last week.

The College Park officer was born in Perth Amboy and grew up in Piscataway, according to MyCentralJersey.com. His parents still live in town.

Hough is also survived by his sister, maternal grandmother and many aunts, uncles nieces, nephews and cousins, his online obituary said. He is a graduate of North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.

A funeral will be held this morning in Piscataway.

The fallen officer was honored with a memorial procession Thursday in College Park, where he had recently been promoted to sergeant.
OLD BRIDGE -- A raccoon found in a township resident's yard May 28 has tested positive for the rabies virus, according to the Middlesex County Office of Health Services.

It is the second rabid raccoon in Old Bridge in 2016 and the fifth in Middlesex County, Lester Jones, the county health officer, said.

The raccoon was killed in a fight with the owner's dogs, according to a statement released by the health services office Monday.

The statement said the animal was acting strangely and aggressively before the fight with the dogs.

The dead animal was sent to the New Jersey Department of Health Laboratory for testing and the results came back positive for rabies on Friday, the statement said.

The two dogs at the residence, in the vicinity of Matchaponix Road and Englishtown Road, have been placed on 45-day quarantines and the owners have been notified to consult a physician regarding potential post exposure treatment, Jones said.

He said specialists from the health services' registered environmental health unit will be distributing rabies fact sheets within the neighborhood where the infected animal was found.

Jones said residents should report wild animals showing signs of unusual behavior to the police department. Officials recommend that residents avoid contact with wild animals and immediately report any bites from wild or domestic animals to their local health department and consult a physician as soon as possible.

Health officials also recommend pet owners make sure that their animals are up to date with their rabies vaccinations and licenses.

Rabies is caused by a virus that can infect all warm-blooded mammals, including humans. The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite, or possibly by contamination of an open cut.

Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SPRING LAKE -- They ran into burning buildings in Long Branch and chased gun-toting suspected gang members in Asbury Park. Others were able to safely rescue a woman held at knifepoint by a robbery suspect, and another traded gunfire on dimly lit street.

Scores of police officers and firefighters in Monmouth County were honored last week at the 2016 Valor Awards.

"All of you sitting here today are invested in making New Jersey a safe and secure state," said Christopher Rodriguez, director of the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Rodriguez was the keynote speaker at the award ceremony. The event is hosted each year by the 200 Club of Monmouth County, which was created to raise money for the families of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Asbury Park police Sgt. Kamil Warraich was on patrol May 30, 2015, when he got a tip that rival gang members would be attending a family day event. Warraich spotted a reputed member of the Crips street gang and noticed the man continued to adjust his waistband. When Warraich attempted to stop him, the man fled with a revolver in his hand.

Warraich said there's always the threat that a "dangerous suspect" could shoot at him in a chase like the one that ensued.

"That wasn't going through my head," he said. "It's part of the job."

Warraich eventually caught the suspected gang member and arrested him, while Officer Carl Christie located the suspect's handgun. The gun had three live bullets in the chamber, police said.

Asbury Park police Officer Terrance McGhee was faced with a similar situation one evening last fall. He would wind up engaging in gun battle with the suspect, who was eventually arrested by McGhee. Authorities said a bullet from McGhee's gun hit an 8-year-old girl who was sitting in her home. The officer who administered first aid to the child, Allen Williams, was also honored.

Other honorees included members of the Long Branch Fire Department who forced their way into a burning home on Joline Avenue last summer. A man who lived at the home, later identified as Lyndon "Shane" Beharry, had shot his girlfriend and the couple's two young children before setting their home ablaze. All of the victims died in what authorities ruled a murder-suicide.

Several officers with the Neptune Police Department were also honored for locating and arresting a robbery suspect armed with a knife after she fled and held her mother hostage.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
MORRIS COUNTY -- Morris County voters will have plenty to consider beyond the presidential races on Tuesday, with heavily contested primaries on the ballot for the offices of county freeholder and county sheriff.

In the Republican freeholder primary, seven candidates are vying for three open seats. The three incumbents are facing challenges from a three-person slate as well as from a former freeholder who was narrowly defeated a year ago.

And while Democrats haven't won a county office in more than three decades in heavily Republican Morris, and sometimes have trouble finding candidates willing to run, there are five Democrats seeking the three freeholder nominations. They include three candidates supported by the County Democratic Committee, and two who are affiliated with the presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In the sheriff's race, two Republicans are vying for the position that has been held for the past 24 years by Edward Rochford, who chose not to seek a ninth term. A Democrat is also running.

The incumbent freeholders -- Douglas Cabana of Boonton Township, Thomas Mastrangelo of Montville and Kathy DeFilllippo of Roxbury -- are emphasizing their record in preventing an increase in the tax levy three years in a row, a streak that ended this year with a 2.39 percent increase.

DeFillippo, in a statement, said the board wanted a fourth consecutive budget with no tax increase, but "doing so would have harmed the county's long-term fiscal interests and could have jeopardized our long-held, top-ranked Triple A bond rating."

Meanwhile, they say, the freeholders continue to "deliver responsive, quality services to residents" while also cutting the county's debt by $30 million during the same time period.

Running as "Team Morris 2016," the incumbents are stressing their endorsements by 25 of the county's 39 mayors.

Cabana, by far the longest-serving member of the freeholder board, is seeking his seventh, three-year term, while Mastrangelo is running for his third term and DeFillippo is seeking her second term.

In an open letter to the County Republican Committee, the slate stated, "Our party's continued leadership of Morris County will depend upon electing leaders up and down the ballot who hold to Republican principles, manage our tax dollars well and stick to conservative policies."

Their challenging slate, running under the banner "Morris United," include Parsippany Council President Lou Valori, Randolph Mayor Roman Hirniak and Peter King, an attorney who lives in Denville and has worked in municipal law and as a municipal prosecutor.

Morris United cites recent rancor and conflicts on the freeholder board that has resulted in two sheriff's officers stationed in the freeholder meeting room to maintain order, and says it would be best equipped to restore "consensus building" to the board.

In a statement provided to the website Tap into Montville, Morris United cites last year's takeover of the county jail's financial management by the freeholders, who criticized Rochford's management of the jail that included overtime costs more than doubling over five years along with contracts the sheriff negotiated independent of the freeholders.

In their statement, members of Morris United said the incumbent freeholders made a "politically motivated decision" to use the jail "as a tool to punish our sheriff for supporting their campaign opponents."

Morris United predicted the jail's rating as one of the nation's top correctional facilities will drop as a result of this decision and also criticized the freeholders for "disregarding" long-term financial issues in its efforts to cut costs at the county's residential Morris View HealthCare Center.

Team Morris said it favors a fiscally conservative approach that is "strategic, as opposed to tactical."

Also running in the Republican freeholder primary is John Krickus of WashingtonTownship, another fiscal belt-tightener who is running as a Conservative Republican.

Krickus, an architect of the no-increase budget during his term on the board, was narrowly defeated for re-election a year ago in a split vote that saw his ally, Deborah Smith of Denville, elected to the board for the first time.

In a statement, Krickus said he ran to provide a true conservative choice after uncovering $28 million of spending reductions that could have restored the "zero tax policy" of his era. The zero-percent-tax increase could have continued for another year, he maintained.

Krickus criticized the incumbent team for allegedly trying to conceal a resolution made public by Smith that would have mandated union labor through an apprenticeship program on certain county contracts -- a measure that Krickus said would have cost the county $1.5 million on just one project, had it been adopted.

On the Democratic side, the freeholder candidates endorsed by the Democratic Committee include Rozella Clyde of Chatham, Mitchell Horn of Montville and John Van Achen of Parsippany. Running under the Sanders banner are Charles Bogusat of Rockaway Township and Carl Fenske of Morristown.

Clyde, a retired New York City schoolteacher, would like the freeholders to focus more on public health issues, including testing of water pipes for lead, the toxicity of landfill areas and the Zika virus. She said the apprenticeship program could be a "win/win situation" under certain conditions.

Bogusat, also a retired teacher, also emphasized the MorrisView facility, saying he favors "a cost-effective way to continue the quality care." The Sanders supporter said he favors the apprenticeship program opposed by Krickus, saying "Learning a trade is a great opportunity for a proud and financially secure lifestyle, especially now that manufacturing jobs have been lost."

The sheriff's race on the Republican side has also seen a split between supporters and critics of the outgoing sheriff, Rochford.

James Gannon of Boonton, a retired deputy chief investigator for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, as well as a former member of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, has won endorsements from most of the freeholders, some of whom were supporting him even before Rochford announced he would not be running.

Meanwhile, his opponent, John Sierchio of Boonton Township, a former Bloomfield police officer, is a Rochford ally and was accompanied by the outgoing sheriff when he announced his candidacy in Februrary.

The sheriff's job focuses mainly on providing security at the county courthouse in Morristown and running the county jail in Morris Township on a day-to-day basis.

During the campaign, Sierchio has focused on combatting the county's heroin crisis, while Gannon has emphasized strengthening the county's preparedness for a terror attack, along with eliminating wasteful spending.

If elected, Sierchio said, he would appoint a committee made up of law enforcement officials, community leaders and former addicts who would have 100 days to come up with an education plan "to aggressively combat heroin addiction in Morris County."

Their difference in priority came to a head at an April debate in Montville, when Sierchio likened the chances of the terror group ISIS attacking Morris County to "winning the lottery," according to Gannon.

Gannon commented, "Anyone running for Morris County sheriff who is so flippant about the threat of terrorism" is effectively "disqualified" from running for the office.

On the Democratic side, Mark Dombrowski of Budd Lake, a former sheriff's officer who also ran for the office in 2013, is unopposed in the primary.

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- After a flurry of legal filings in recent weeks, oral arguments in the Bridgegate case about whether the names of the unindicted co-conspirators should be made public will take place Monday before the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

A consortium of news organizations, including NJ Advance Media, has been fighting in court to reveal the names -- those who federal prosecutors said had conspired in the bridge scheme, or in the subsequent cover-up, but had not been charged.

The co-conspirators were mentioned in indictments brought by the U.S. Attorney's office last year against two former associates of Gov. Chris Christie, charging that they had used the bridge as a vehicle for political retribution with the intent to cause massive traffic tie-ups in Fort Lee to punish the Democratic mayor who had declined to endorse Christie for re-election.

The following is a review of the issue and what will happen in court.

What will happen in court Monday?

Lawyers representing three sides -- the federal government, a consortium of news organizations, including NJ Advance Media, and an unnamed individual known as "John Doe," who does not want his alleged role in the Bridgegate case to become public -- will state their cases before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. They will argue whether the names of unindicted co-conspirators in the George Washington Bridge lane closure scheme should be made public. (John Doe is one of those individuals.) The news media says yes, the other two sides say no, at least for now.

How did the case get to appellate court?

As part of the process for preparing for trial, federal prosecutors identified those co-conspirators -- people who they say participated in the alleged scheme to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich in 2013 for failing to endorse Gov. Chris Christie or in its coverup, but were not criminally charged -- and presented them to the court under seal. A federal judge ruled last month that the public interest in the identities of those unindicted co-conspirators outweighed their right to stay anonymous. Hours before those names were to be released, John Doe intervened, asking for reconsideration. The judge, U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton, maintained her position, and John Doe then filed the motion to the appellate court.

What is the issue?

John Doe, through his attorney, former federal prosecutor Jenny Kramer, says naming the unindicted co-conspirators would ruin their reputations. The names may or may not come out in public during the trial of the two Bridgegate defendants, Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff for Christie, Kramer has said in legal briefs. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, representing the federal government, also says the names should not be made public, at least for now.

The news media, led by attorney Bruce Rosen -- a former news reporter -- argue that the list of names is part of the public record of the case. The individuals likely are public employees or officials, increasing public interest in the matter, the media group says.

What are the legal arguments?

In essence, John Doe and the government say the list of names are part of the routine, non-public exchange of information between parties before trial. The news media say the list is part of the public record, and that the government failed to file a formal motion to keep the names under seal.

What will happen in court?

Attorneys will not have a lot of time to state their case. They will be on a tight clock, with the court dividing up a total of 45 minutes for oral arguments among the three sides.

When will the court make a decision?

That's up to the judges.

What comes after this?

The losing side could take the question to the U.S. Supreme Court. Meantime, Baroni and Kelly's lawyers later this month will be fighting lawyers representing Christie's office over their demand for more possible evidence in the case, including Christie's cell phone.

In any case, the trial pitting the government against Baroni and Kelly, who are both charged with nine counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy against civil rights, deprivation of civil rights and misapplying property of an organization receiving federal benefits -- is scheduled for Sept. 12.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Last week, John Brooks Recovery Center in Atlantic City sent out a news release that unintentionally encapsulated the strife facing New Jersey substance abuse treatment.

The release feted two new outpatient treatment centers, slated to open this week. But the last line noted that it's residential treatment center, the largest serving the poor and uninsured in South Jersey, was still securing financing to remain open and relocate.

In November, CEO Alan Oberman said the facility would close this year if funding was not secured.

New Jersey's substance abuse treatment network has undergone a major upheaval in the last five years, with beds for the neediest disappearing, expensive for-profit institutions moving in and the state's outpatient capacity skyrocketing, data obtained by NJ Advance Media shows.

The state has lost more than 40 percent of its substance abuse treatment beds for the poor and uninsured since 2010, a blow to the indigent population as a heroin epidemic that has enslaved at least 128,000 and killed thousands rages on.

According to the state Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the state is currently funding 619 beds for the indigent, down from 1,098 in 2010. It represents a dramatic shift in how access to substance abuse treatment has changed in New Jersey in recent years, with the most intensive treatment, increasingly, only available to the rich and well-insured.

"I've never had anyone call me and ask for a favor to get someone into outpatient," said Earl Lipphardt Jr., Chief Residential Officer at Integrity House, the largest residential treatment provider in the state. "Nobody pushes for outpatient. They all want them in residential."

In the same timeframe, outpatient services have tripled, with more than 6,000 state-funded slots now available.

"The national trends and best practices encourage outpatient treatment over inpatient," said Nicole Brossoie, a spokeswoman for the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

The efficacy of outpatient versus inpatient treatment has been debated for decades, with no scientific consensus reached. It is, however, far cheaper and more openly supported by insurance companies.

State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), himself the author of more than 20 bills addressing addiction, rejected the state's interpretation that a shift to outpatient is the result of "best practices."

"Some people can be treated in intensive outpatient, but most of the folks who have a serious addiction need inpatient ... for 30 days or more," he said. "If you're in this state and you haven't committed a crime and are uninsured your chances of getting a bed aren't very good. We need to do more to address that."

Committing a crime may allow entry into the state's drug court program, which sets aside beds for residential treatment if an alleged perpetrator is willing to accept it in lieu of jail time. But Lipphardt said during the first several months of 2016, referrals from drug court were down more than 10 percent.

Brossoie said It isn't that the state isn't willing to fund more beds. Rather, she said, the market has changed.

In the past year alone, treatment centers like Sunrise House in northern New Jersey and Lighthouse Treatment Center in the southern half of the state, have been purchased by larger for-profit providers. In doing so, they've eliminated state-funded beds in favor of serving more commercial-insurance backed clients.

"It comes down to a funding issue," said Michael Cartwright, CEO of Addiction Centers of America, which purchased Sunrise house last year. "Addiction in one of the few diseases that's underfunded at every level and those funding streams have not changed in 15 years. It's not even so much a New Jersey problem as it is a United States problem."

The trend could have a particularly significant impact on heroin users. Heroin users not only are the largest group seeking treatment for substance abuse in New Jersey, but they also have the highest rates of unemployment and homelessness.

From May 1 of 2013 to April 30 of this year, more than 75 percent of heroin users at state facilities came in unemployed or out of the work force, while more than 23 percent were homeless or dependent on an institution for housing.

"The demand for services is largely for indigent care. There's a huge indigent population and there's insufficient capacity," said Tony Comerford, CEO of the New Hope Foundation.

Overall, the federal government estimates more than 76 percent of illegal drug users in New Jersey did not receive addiction treatment in 2015.

A long-awaited change may soon alter the treatment dynamic, or at least has providers optimistic. Gov. Chris Christie has proposed raising the state reimbursement rates for substance abuse treatments as part of his state budget.

If it passes, it would raise the reimbursement for long-term residential treatment for the indigent, for example, from $68 a day to $102 a day. It's not exactly ideal, treatment providers say, but it helps.

"It's not going to be a negative, we'll put it that way," said Lipphardt.

Comerford said it could make providing care to the poor and uninsured more attractive to for-profit providers who have shunned it.

"Right now, they're fighting for a limited number of clients," he said. "We might see them start to take on a few of these clients once the rates go up."

In the meantime, however, finding a bed as a down and out heroin addict in New Jersey continues to be difficult. Lipphardt can rattle off the amount of time and number of patients waiting for a bed on any given day.

For several years, the time has been measured in weeks and the list of names has been several dozen long.

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.
NEW YORK--A West Virginia man whose threat to blow up the Statue of Liberty forced the evacuation of more than 3,200 people from Liberty Island last year pleaded guilty Monday to a one-count indictment in federal court.

Jason Paul Smith admitted making the 911 call from his iPad, using a service that assists hearing-impaired individuals with making and receiving telephone calls.

The call shut down the Statue of Liberty as police and canine units, along with the National Park Service, responded to the threat. The New York Police Department also brought in harbor units and a bomb squad. Nothing was ever found.

Prosecutors said Smith, 42, identified himself as "Abdul Yasin," described himself as an "ISI terrorist," and threatened that "we" are preparing to "blow up" the Statue of Liberty.

An FBI agent, in a court affidavit, noted that Abdul Yasin is the last remaining fugitive charged in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. The agent said Smith had also attended a school for the deaf.

Federal prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan said the iPad that had been registered in Smith's name had also been used to make at least two 911 calls in May 2015, also using the service for hearing-impaired users, from someone who identified himself as "Isis allah Bomb maker." They said the individual threatened to attack Times Square and kill police officers at the Brooklyn Bridge.

Smith of Harts, W. Va., pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick in New York to one count of conveying false and misleading information and hoaxes. He faces up to five years in prison when he appears for sentencing in September.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK--The killer or killers of Dawn Reddick--a 29-year-old third-grade teacher from Charlottesville, Va., who was fatally shot outside a Chinese restaurant in Newark four years ago--have never been arrested.

No one has ever been charged with the February 2013 shooting of 26-year-old Bruce Santos, gunned down at a bus stop on Broad Street in Newark on his way home from Newark Liberty International Airport where he held down two jobs. Authorities said the unidentified assailant, described as his early 20s with shoulder-length dreadlocks, tried to rob Santos at gunpoint before fatally shooting him. The gunman was last seen driving away in a silver or light-colored Thunderbird with a sunroof and a missing front left hubcap.

And the murder five years ago of Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine, the 71-year-old owner of the Kenvil Diner in Roxbury found slain inside his restaurant on Memorial Day, still remains unsolved, said officials in the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of whoever was responsible.

Despite advances in forensic analysis and the growing use of video security cameras, more than four in 10 murders in New Jersey go unsolved, according to an examination of a decade's worth of statewide crime reports.

In 2015, slightly less than half of the 357 homicide cases were considered "cleared"--typically by arrest, according to the New Jersey State Police. The numbers were even lower in Newark, which reported the most murders statewide and cleared only about 30 percent of those cases, the numbers show.

"CSI make you think you can solve any murder in 52 minutes," said Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly, referring to the popular CBS police procedural television drama. "But you still need witnesses. And you don't always get DNA."

Even when authorities think they know who did it, they may not charge someone unless they know they can convince a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the person they nabbed is the one who actually pulled the trigger.

The number of people murdered in New Jersey declined over the past decade, from 427 in 2006 to the 357 homicides reported in 2015. Indeed, for the first three months of 2016, the number of murders statewide dropped by nearly half, to 35 compared to 67 for the first three months of last year.

Part of that is due to improvements in emergency medicine. Shooting victims who make it alive to a hospital today are more likely to survive than they were 30 or 40 years ago, noted Wayne Fisher, a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers.

But law enforcement authorities are under no illusion that deadly violence is going away. In New Jersey, someone is murdered every 24 hours and 45 minutes. In more than 70 percent of all homicides, a gun was the weapon used.

In just this past week, Brent Dickson, 25, of Newark, was fatally shot near 11th Street and Avon Avenue. The owner of a Power Gas Station, Davinder Singh of Iselin, was killed at his business on West Market Street in Newark. In Trenton, police responded to an incident in the city's Chambersburg neighborhood, where they found a man with a gunshot wound, slumped in a car. Rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, he later died.

"The bottom line is there's way too many guns. There's way too many guns in the city," said Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. "We recovered 200 guns (so far) this year. That's more than a gun a day."

And far too many young men want to carry guns, he added, ticking off the big caliber weapons they favor. "They have no fear of dying," said Ambrose, a former Newark police officer who went on to become chief of police and police director, before later serving as the chief of detectives with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

In Newark, Ambrose said he has been focusing on the issue of guns by beefing up the number of detectives on the shootings squad.

Many motives

What sparks one to kill is most often a quarrel or a robbery, state statistics show. Drug or gang related incidents account just 7 percent of all murders.

"There's always a dispute that starts small and leads to a shooting," said Ambrose. "It's not so much about drugs and gangs. It's personal vendettas. A lot of it is someone saying 'he disrespected me.'"

But in more than three out of 10 cases, detectives are never able to determine a motive. Fisher, a former chairman of the New Jersey Police Training Commission, said the circumstances of the crime will largely determine how hard or difficult it is to ultimately solve it.

"Domestic violence or an argument in a bar is more likely to be solved," he said. "But think about the drug trade--unbridled capitalism where market share is protected by violence and there are no rules. The homicide in Short Hills is a far easier solvable crime than a gang- related shooting in the Fifth Precinct in Newark."

A domestic shooting will typically have a short list of suspects and no shortage of evidence. But he said detectives may have far more trouble finding witnesses willing to testify in a gang shooting or drug deal gone bad.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said that can weigh heavily in whether a case is ever brought to a jury.

"It's frustrating for the people living there. It's frustrating to us as prosecutors. We try to encourage witnesses to come forward and tell them they are not the sole proof in the case," she said.

The CSI effect

At the same time, she said the impact of how television drama shapes public opinion plays out as well in the jury room, where many want to see the same kind of forensic wizardry that solves television crimes.

"The technology is often helpful. But it's overstated I the minds of the jury of how helpful it can be," she remarked. "In some cases, the expectations of the jurors have been artificially raised by CSI."

Even a murder caught on video does not always lead to an arrest. Prosecutors continue to look for the individual who shot James Wilson, 28, of Hillside, who was killed in an apparent robbery attempt on April 22, 2011, while working at Chestnut Wine and Liquors in West Orange. The shooting was captured on security cameras within the store.

Video cameras also caught the September 2015 fatal beating by two unidentified men of Arthur DeMarsico, 68, of Newark after he left a dollar store. Detectives have the video, but have yet to arrest anyone.

Still, there is no statute of limitations for murder, and no unsolved case is ever closed, said Quovella M. Spruill, chief of detectives at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. She said if a dead end is reached in an investigation, a new set of eyes will look at the case. There are tip lines, improvements in technology, and sometimes just new evidence. Back in the days of answering machines, someone listened to an old recorded message after their parents died--a voice from the past that revived an investigation into an old murder.

"Any time we get new information, we act on it," said Spruill.

Murray, though, acknowledged that some cases will never be solved.

"Every murder is investigated as if it were a family member. People might be surprised at the commitment detectives have even toward very unsympathetic victims--people who died with guns in their hands," she said. "But it's still someone's son or father and creates fear in the community. They want to close these cases."

She said her office continues to meet regularly with families of murder victims, even long after unresolved homicides become cold case files.

"It's a very difficult conversation. We've had mothers we contact twice a year for ten years. It's a very hard thing for family members to accept and we know that," she said.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
LEVITTOWN, Pa.-- A man who was shot and killed as he attempted to rob a Pennsylvania pharmacy on Friday has been identified as a New Jersey man, according the Bucks County District Attorney's office.

Willie Bozarth, 33, whose last known address was in Sewell, is the man who was shot and killed in the Pennsbury Pharmacy in Levittown.

Bozarth wore a Halloween mask and was carrying a shotgun when he entered the store and a clerk at the store saw him enter on a surveillance video and grabbed his handgun, NBC 10 reports.

The clerk warned him numerous times to stop, but when Bozarth jumped the counter, he fired, the report continued.

Kim Goldsboro, who was acting as the getaway driver for the robbery, was arrested outside the pharmacy in a van stolen from New Jersey.

The two also had zip ties and were planning on tying up the clerk, police told NBC.

District Attorney David Heckler said at a press conference Friday that Bozarth "Asked for what he got and got it," according to 6 ABC.

"From what I can see, he performed a public service in taking out this fella," he continued when asked if the pharmacy owner would face any charges.

Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand.Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the Republican Party is a done deal, and a landslide win for him in New Jersey's primary Tuesday is a sure thing.

No matter what happens in November, this is going to leave an ugly stain on the party.

If you are Muslim, the Republican Party now wants to use the machinery of government to discriminate against those of your faith. If you are Mexican-American, the party has just embraced a man who has slandered your countrymen as rapists and criminals. And if you are in either group, Trump just declared you unfit to sit as a judge on any case that involves him. Because it is you who are biased, inevitably, thanks to your race or religion.

The damage to the Republican brand doesn't end with Muslims and Mexicans. Because many millions of Americans who pass this new test of ethnic and religious purity are appalled as well.

African-Americans are no doubt most alert to the wreckage this brand of thought leaves in its wake. But America is full of ethnic and religious groups that can remember when the finger was pointed at them. It is unnerving to hear Holocaust survivors say they hear an echo of fascism in the ranting of the new Republican standard-bearer.

Put aside the bigotry, and you find more reasons to be shocked and appalled. He would abandon the effort to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, and has not remotely prepared himself to be commander in chief. His promise to impose 45 percent tariffs on Chinese imports would ignite a ruinous trade war. His bluster about pulling back from NATO can only encourage Russia to be more aggressive and reckless. His plan to abandon the fight against climate change would cripple the global effort just as it gains a foothold.

Trump would hand out tax cuts to the rich, and abandon efforts to contain entitlement spending. He would kill Obamacare, depriving 20 million people of coverage with no hint where they could go next.

It is flat-out depressing that the bulk of Republican voters are embracing this man, and to see party leaders fall in line, one by one.

Gov. Christie Whitman is a brave exception to the rule. But where are the others?

MORE: Recent Star-Ledger editorials

Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
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Leniency for Stanford rapist confirms prison is for the little people
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
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.
Welcome to nonleaguedaily.coms news provision, your go-to source for all non league updates, rumours, interviews, and much more besides.

Founded by a team with a genuine passion for the world of non league football, nonleaguedaily.com understands exactly what supporters of the so-called lower leagues are looking for. You want the high-quality reporting, in-depth analysis, and match reporting that matches that is more commonly found in the journalism for the top flights, but with the focus firmly fixed on the national leagues.

We understand that your passion, interest, and dedication is constant, and we believe you need a news service that matches that commitment with its own dedication and thoroughness  so thats what you can expect from our site.

The latest non league news, as and when it happens

Conventionally, non league news has always travelled fairly slowly, especially when compared to the instantaneous, constant breaking news cycles found in the upper leagues. Tales are told on terraces, rumours passed between pub patrons and circled between supporters at the latest game, often forced to remain somewhat local initially before word eventually spreads to other locales.

For us, this slow spread may be fairly organic in nature, but it simply isnt compatible with the modern football environment. Its also not conducive to the current fast-paced, always-available media landscape, nor the way that people tend to consume news nowadays. Thats why we have put together a non league news source that fans can turn to for the latest updates, as and when they happen, and as and when you want to read them. Non-league news now is the only acceptable speed at Betting.co.uk.

We update our non-league football news coverage constantly, bringing you all the latest developments and seeking to spread the word as quickly and accurately as possible. So if youre wondering whats happening both with your local team and with the lower leagues as a whole, you can visit us for non league news now, and be confident the stories you find are completely up to date.

News reported by passionate fans

Our efforts to bring you the very best non league football news are undeniably a professional concern, and one that we take seriously. We are  if youll excuse the uncharacteristic tooting of our own horns  good at what we do, and we know that the efforts we make in this regard are one of the reasons our site has enjoyed such success thus far.

However, everyone who writes for us also shares our readers enthusiasm for non league football. Were not just churning out content in the hopes of cashing in on a professional dream; were here because we want to be, and will always be dedicated and committed to non league football as an entity and thriving in the experience of being able to talk about our favourite subject whenever we can. We create non-league news now that is written by genuine fans and enthusiasts, for fans. We know what you want to know and what matters most to an ardent non league supporter, and we always ensure that focusing on these elements is our guiding principle as we seek to solidify our status as an online non league paper fans can always rely on.

When compiling non league news, we think with the mind of a fan first and foremost. We cover the angles and stories that we find compelling and that we know our fellow non league enthusiasts also care about. News doesnt have to be dry and formulaic, in our opinion. When its written by people who are genuinely as fascinated by the stories they are reporting on as their readership will be, we believe news can be interesting, compelling, and even have a sense of personality and humour.

News content written with passion and expertise

We believe that thanks to our dedication, insightfulness, and commitment to our subject matter of non league today, we are offering the best of both worlds to those searching for an online non league paper. We give you the professional approach we feel is appropriate for news about one of the most intriguing aspects of UK football; an aspect that we genuinely feel does not receive the interest and plaudits that it should be generating. Nevertheless, we dont let that professionalism take over everything we do: we remain committed fans, nurturing our own personal interest in non league football and ensuring every word we compose is infused with a sense of passion and dedication that enhances the posts we create.

Its therefore obvious that our non-league content today isnt ever going to be dry, basic, or put together by a tired staff writer who has never heard of any team below the Championship before they rush off to the pub for the evening. Our writers are genuine experts: were covering non league football because we want to, because we believe in it, and because its where our strengths lie. The result is informed content that capitalises on our deep knowledge of the history, as well as the present-day realities, of non league football in the UK.

Beyond news: the nonleaguedaily.com interview series

One of our goals with nonleaguedaily.com is to not just dryly report the news from an outsiders perspective, effectively regurgitating press releases that are devoid of genuinely illuminating information. We also go right to the source of the stories: the managers and club insiders who have direct experience, and often influence, on the sport and how it is managed.

We regularly conduct interviews as part of our news provision, asking the questions that are on everyones lips and providing the best possible view into the non league world. We have reporters pitchside at matches, microphone to hand and plentiful questions ready to be asked. The end result for you, the reader, is the kind of information and close-up looks into the non league world that just cant be found anywhere else.

As our commitment to providing interesting interviews amply demonstrates, we want to be involved in breaking the stories that everyone then talks about, rather than following along and focusing solely on what everyone already knows. If youre looking for leading content that you cant find anywhere else, and that goes right to the centre of the non league world, then you can turn to nonleaguedaily.com for all the benefits of a conventional non league paper, but in electronic, easily-accessed form.

A host of other content to enjoy alongside the non league today

Our focus on providing non league news will always be maintained: we consider this aspect the most important of what we do, and it will always be the recipient of our time, dedication, and interest. Well be here, a consistent and trustworthy news portal, for as long as non league football news exists.

With that said, when you have read up on the latest goings-on, were here with further content for you to enjoy. Naturally, given our partnership with leading brand Betting.co.uk, we provide guidelines for those interested in the world of sports betting. Well help you find the best UK bookmaker with our plentiful coverage of existing brands; ideal if youre looking to put your newfound knowledge, courtesy of us, about non league to use and place a few bets.

Furthermore, we also provide highlights of all the latest UK betting offers, so you can ensure youre achieving the best value with all the latest betting deals whenever youre betting on the latest non league matches. Youll find all of this coverage is as consistent and reliable as our non league news provision,

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Roosters prop Dylan Napa is set to miss next week's match over a careless high tackle after being charged by the NRL match review committee.

Napa was charged over a hit on Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco in the first minute of Sunday's clash at ANZ Stadium and with 50 carry-over points to his name will miss one match if he pleads guilty or is found guilty at the judiciary.

Panthers forward Sam McKendry faces a two-match ban for a shoulder charge on Melbourne's Cameron Munster on Saturday.

McKendry will miss Penrith's next two matches if he pleads guilty to the charge, and because of 76 carry-over points to his name risks missing three matches if he challenges the charge at the judiciary and is unsuccessful.

Raiders pair Jack Wighton and Shannon Boyd both face the prospect of missing at least one week after Canberra's clash with Manly on Friday night.

Boyd was cited for a shoulder charge on Sea Eagles lock Jake Trbojevic, while Wighton was charged for contact with match official Brett Suttor in the 37th minute.

The Raiders will have until midday on Tuesday to enter a plea for both players.
Canberra Raiders duo Jack Wighton and Shannon Boyd will both miss the Round 14 Telstra Premiership clash with Brisbane after entering early guilty pleas to match review charges.

Raiders fullback Wighton accepted an early plea for making contact with referee Brett Suttor during Canberra's win over Manly while front-rower Boyd pleaded guilty to a shoulder charge on Manly forward Jake Trbojevic.

With Canberra having a bye in Round 15, both players will be eligible to return to NRL action for the Raiders' Round 16 clash with the Titans.

Sydney Rooster Dylan Napa and Penrith's Sam McKendry have until midday Tuesday to enter pleas to the other charges from the weekend's games.
ArcelorMittal plans to close several finishing lines at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor in East Chicago as part of a restructuring effort to make its North American operations leaner and more efficient.

The Luxembourg-based steelmaker reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers union to idle the 84-inch Hot Strip Mill at Indiana Harbor West, the No. 1 aluminizing line at Indiana Harbor West, the No. 2 Steel Shop at Indiana Harbor East, and the No. 5 Continuous Galvanize Line at Indiana Harbor East, according to a union contract summary.

Hundreds of workers would be displaced, but the USW says the company agreed to no layoffs. Affected workers would be able to transfer to other positions in Northwest Indiana or Riverdale.

Steelworkers still must approve the tentative contract, though ArcelorMittal already went ahead and idled some of the finishing lines.

"We are unable to comment on specific details related to the tentative labor agreement until it has been ratified by our USW-represented employees," ArcelorMittal spokesman William Steers said.

About 300 workers were displaced when the steelmaker idled the 84-inch Hot Strip Mill, and another 80 when it idled the No. 1 aluminizing line in February. No timetable was immediately available for when the No. 2 Steel Shop or the No. 5 Continuous Galvanize Line would be shut down.

ArcelorMittal lost $7.9 billion last year during the global import crisis, when around 30 percent of the nation's steelmaking capacity wasn't being used. It hoped to improve capacity utilization and lower its fixed operating expenses by closing some finishing lines, the way it previously did when restructuring its European operations a few years ago.

The union got the company to agree to invest $2.5 billion in its North American operations, including more than $200 million to upgrade the 80-inch Hot Strip Mill and casters at Indiana Harbor. The USW wanted the job security that comes with a big capital investment, and ArcelorMittal wanted to make its remaining lines more productive.

As part of the tentative deal, ArcelorMittal plans to upgrade the No. 3 Steel Shop at Indiana Harbor West by adding a new caster, increasing steelmaking at the No. 4 Steel Shop at Indiana Harbor East, and restarting the No. 2 Continuous Galvanize Line.

The steelmaker employs more than 5,000 workers at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, which is the former Inland Steel mill on the east side and the former Youngstown/J & L/LTV Steel, ISG mill on the west side.

The massive steelmaking complex in East Chicago has numerous finishing lines, including five continuous casting machines, a slab dimensioning facility, an 80-inch hot strip mill, a pickling line, a five-stand tandem mill, batch annealing, continuous annealing, a temper mill, and a hot-dip galvanizing line.
The tentative agreement between ArcelorMittal and the United Steelworkers union includes significant investment in Northwest Indiana mills, job security, bonuses tied to steel prices, and the current 90/10 health care plan with increases in co-pays.

Union locals have been meeting with the 9,500 ArcelorMittal employees in Northwest Indiana to explain the proposed contract, which members still must vote to approve. The USW said the hard-fought deal preserves pay and benefits, including no premium contributions for health insurance and a prescription drug plan with co-pays of $10, $20 and $30. ArcelorMittal had initially wanted employees to chip in up to $3,000 a year for their health insurance benefits, which would have resulted in an effective pay cut and which was one of the thorniest issues during negotiations that stretched on for more than a year.

Under the tentative agreement, steelworkers at Indiana Harbor, Burns Harbor and other local ArcelorMittal facilities also wont have to pay deductibles of up to $400 a year for in-network care if they get a free annual physical by Sept. 30, according to a USW contract summary. Out-of-pocket maximums would be $1,500 for individual workers or $3,000 for families.

Steelworkers would not get any raises over the next three years, but the deal includes bonuses if the price of hot-rolled steel averages more than $600 per ton per quarter, according to the summary.

For example, steelworkers can make $0.50 per work hour if steel prices fall between $600 a ton and $650.99 a ton, and more as the price rises. ArcelorMittal will pay workers as much as $1.25 per eligible hour if hot-rolled prices average over $751 a ton the previous quarter.

Such bonuses have become increasingly popular in the automotive industry, so automakers can insulate themselves against high labor costs when times are tough but everyone shares in the bounty when theyre profitable.

Hot-rolled steel prices have been climbing as a result of tariffs and tougher trade laws, and reached $684 a ton in May, according to Steel Benchmarker. They fell below $400 a ton last year, but steelmakers would have made an average of $1,257 per year over the last four years if the bonuses had been in place then.

The USW says the deal also includes more job security, including for the hundreds of workers who will be displaced when ArcelorMittal idle four finishing lines at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor in East Chicago, where its looking to cut operations costs. ArcelorMittal for instance agreed to employ no more than one non-union worker for every four union workers.

To protect jobs over the long term, the union also convinced the company to invest $2.5 billion in its American operations, including $200 million at the 80 Hot Strip Mill and casters at Indiana Harbor West.

The tentative agreement also includes an extra six weeks of family leave after the birth of a child, an experimental program that would reimburse employees up to $1,800 a year for child care and a new wellness program that may include flu shots and a tobacco cessation program.
PORTAGE  An 18-year-old Portage man was arrested Friday evening after police said he threatened to shoot a man.

Lawrence Klemoff faces charges of felony intimidation and misdemeanor minor consumption.

According to a police report, Klemoff and three others were walking along Willowdale Road, when Klemoff allegedly picked up a rock and threw it at a stop sign. A resident of a nearby home, sitting on the front porch, yelled at Klemoff. Klemoff allegedly threw another rock and began walking toward the home.

Once in front of the home, Klemoff allegedly got into a verbal argument with the people on the porch, stated he had a gun and threatened to shoot one man.

One witness said Klemoff stated, I know where you live and will take care of you later before they ran from the home.

Police went to Klemoffs home in the 5600 block of Independence Avenue, but he wasnt home.

Klemoff later contacted police to come back to his home to talk about the incident. While talking to police, he allegedly admitted he had been drinking. A portable breath test indicated a blood alcohol content level of 0.075.

He was transported to Porter County Jail.
PORTAGE  A Hobart woman was arrested Saturday afternoon after she allegedly got into a minor crash while on amphetamines and opiates.

Police received a call about 2:30 p.m. Saturday of a possible intoxicated driver in the area of Central Avenue and Willowcreek Road. The caller said the driver had gone off the road at one point and was driving down the middle of Central Avenue.

Police caught up with Melissa Tungol, 34, when she pulled into a business in the 6300 block of Central Avenue, nearly striking another vehicle.

Tungol told police she had slid off the road a few miles back on Central Avenue, but had been able to pull out of the bushes and continue her trip. Her car had light damage to the passenger side mirror and scratches. She denied drinking alcohol, but allegedly told police she took antidepressants.

Tungol failed field sobriety tests. She did not register any alcohol level during a portable breath test, but allegedly told police she performed poorly on the tests because she had taken Seroquel, Elavil and Wellbutrin. Police also found several other medications in her possession.

She was taken to Portage Hospital for a blood test which came back positive for amphetamines and opiates. While there, according to police, she began yelling and physically resisting officers.

She was charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and operating while intoxicated. She was transported to Porter County Jail.
EAST CHICAGO  Class of 2016, be proactive -- even if it means ruffling feathers, said Dr. Shaunna Finley, principal of East Chicago Central High School, guided the Class of 2016 on Sunday.

At the 30th annual commencement of East Chicago Central High School Class of 2016, more than 170 graduates were greeted by standing cheers and energetic applauds from proud family and friends.

Dr. Finley related a quote from Rosa Parks to the lives of her students.

When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you must have the courage to stand up, to speak up, and find a way to get in the way, said Finley. Convention and inactivity are often barriers to progress. Get in the way to force change. The world may be better off because of it. I am proud of each and every one of you.

Finley introduced, Salutatorian, Jessika Alcantar, to the podium who never thought this bittersweet moment would finally come.

Seniors, the moment we so long yearned for is finally here. Dont be afraid to get out there, be yourself and chase your dreams because we all have the capability to do great things, said Jessika Alcantar. Africas first woman president, Ellen Johnson once said the size of your dreams most always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.

Alcantar then introduced Valedictorian, Paola Navarette, to address her final words of wisdom for her classmates. Jessika and Paola exchanged a strong embrace on stage.

Id like for us to acknowledge and thank all those who impacted our lives and ultimately have taken part in molding the person we are today, said Paola Navarette. All great things take time.

Navarette had to pause mid-speech to hold back emotional tears as she began to thank her family in Spanish. After stumbling on her words, the crowd cheered her on to continue and parents wiped tears from their eyes.

Gracias a mis queridos padres, los quienes me dieron y continual dandome su apoyo incondicional, Navarette said. Los cuales dan todo y darian todo por verme feliz y superada.

Class President, Jaylan Robinson, closed with a final message to his fellow classmates.

In closing, I want us all to remember our class Motto: Sometimes you will never know the value of moment until it becomes a memory.
MICHIGAN CITY  Sunday was a proud day for the 62 graduating Marquette Catholic High School seniors.

The graduation ceremony began with a traditional baccalaureate Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. Donald Hying, bishop of the Diocese of Gary. He spoke to the students about the opportunities they have had.

Isn't it amazing that we are here? Hying said.

Hying also spoke about remembering what is important in life and loving what you do.

After the baccalaureate service, Principal James White welcomed everyone and thanked the staff, students and their parents. He also thanked and gave flowers to Superintendent of Schools Barbara OBlock for her hard work.

Graduate Abigail Garza spoke about the wonderful experience Marquette offers its students and recalled memories of each school department.

As much as we can owe our success to ourselves, we could not have succeeded by ourselves, she said.

Principal White and Hying then presented the graduates their diplomas.

Graduate Quinn White addressed the class of 2016 about the highs and lows of life and the importance of remaining hopeful and humble.

We need to constantly remain hopeful, he said.

After his speech, the students' dedication song, Hallelujah, was sung by the Marquette Music Ensemble.
MICHIGAN CITY  This Sunday in the Michigan City Area High School gym, 325 students processed in for their graduation to the classic Pomp and Circumstance.

The principal, Wendel McCollum, welcomed everyone, saying, Please do not forget to thank your family, friends, teachers, classmates and others who supported you.

Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Superintendent of Michigan City High School, congratulated the students and listed off the accomplishments of the class such as a Lilly scholar and two students who graduated with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Class of 2016, you are indeed college and career ready she said.

Mohammad Ibrahim Hakim, class president, then spoke about the journey that his class has gone through, stressing how much his class has accomplished.

We have left our mark on Michigan City High school in a positive and influential way said Hakim.

Hakim then proudly brought up friend Livan Arteaga to lead the class in a final, enthusiastic roller coaster cheer.

Then, Kyle Patrick Wallace Hurt, student council president, gave a speech about how hard work and struggles will lead them to now and their celebration. '

Yes, bad moments will appear but please do not let the bad moments consume you said Hurt.

Both Hakim and Hurt thanked administrators, teachers, and students for all of their hard work and their large influence on their high school careers.

After the speeches Honors students, class officers, and distinguished graduates were recognized and then the Michigan City Area High School class of 2016 crossed the stage.
VALPARAISO  Promoting diversity, tolerance, and understanding is the goal of the Summer Global Leadership Institute at Valparaiso University.

Institute coordinators Tatiana Cochran and Joe Frake, of Valparaiso University, presented information about the program at the Valparaiso International Centers Fourth Friday series recently at the VIC.

In the program, high schools students from around the world spend a week at the university attending daily classes and hands-on seminars taught by VU professors that focus on building leadership and communication skills. Community leaders often serve as guest speakers, and evening and weekend outings to area attractions add an element of fun and develop social skills.

We want students to learn what it means to be a leader in the community, especially globally, said Frake, VUs assistant director of International Students and Scholars. We keep the kids very, very busy. After day one, we start off full steam. For two weeks, we are going at it nonstop.

Students study one of two academic tracks  entrepreneurship, law and media; or science, technology and innovation  in which instructors emphasize healthy debate and discussion.

Many come from academic backgrounds where they sit in the chair and listen to what the professor says, said Frake. Being asked to contribute their opinion is slightly scary, but also exciting.

Outside the classroom, students create lasting relationships, said Cochran, the university's director of summer programs. Team-building activities encourage student to talk and share ideas.

Students stay in university dormitories and eat their meals together on campus while interacting with each other and university students.

It makes them feel like they are part of a university, said Frake. Many of these students are considering college in the U.S.

Former VU professor Alan Bloom and Holly Singh started the program in 2011. When Bloom died in 2014, the program took a one-year hiatus, and in 2015, Frake and Cochran restarted the program when Singh handed the reins to them.

At the first institute, 15 students from one country attended, but by 2015, up to 40 students from four countries participated in the program. At this years institute July 13 -27, 70 students, including those from Pakistan, China, and Rwanda, will attend.

Because the university has established recruiting relationships in China and Pakistan, most students hail from those countries, but Frake hopes to recruit students from other countries, particularly those in Latin America.

Our long-term goal is maximum diversification, said Frake. Our program is better when it is more diverse.

At the end of the session, students prepare cultural dances and performances for an international cultural night.

Its a nice way to end the program and to go back to the cultural roots of each country and showcase that heritage, said Cochran.
INDIANAPOLIS  Top Indiana Democrats denounced Gov. Mike Pence and the state's Republican congressional delegation Monday for remaining silent as Donald Trump continued his racist attacks on a California federal judge born and reared in East Chicago.

Former state Rep. John Aguilera, D-East Chicago, and state Democratic Chairman John Zody said the failure of Indiana Republicans to stand up for U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel when he's being "bullied" by the presumptive GOP presidential nominee "should be a wake-up call for Hoosiers."

"To describe the judge as someone foreign and not from the United States because he is of Mexican descent  Mr. Trump, you again have crossed the line," said Aguilera, a former four-term state lawmaker and two-term member of the Lake County Council.

"Gonzalo is a Hoosier. We must work together to defend one of our own."

Curiel is presiding over a class-action fraud lawsuit filed against Trump by former students at Trump University, an online real estate marketing program that shut down in 2010.

Trump claims Curiel is biased against him due to Curiel's family origins in Mexico and Trump's plans to dramatically reshape foreign policy between the United States and its southern neighbor if he's elected president.

"He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico," Trump said Sunday on CNN.

National Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich quickly declared Trump's remarks unacceptable.

But Pence, who recently asked a federal appeals court to permit him to bar war refugees lawfully admitted to the United States from entering Indiana based on their national origin, so far has refused to comment on Trump's attacks against Curiel.

The governor said after Trump effectively clinched the Republican nomination last month in Indiana that he plans to vote for Trump in November, notwithstanding Trump's prior claim that most Mexicans entering the United States are "criminals" and "rapists."

Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell also refused to condemn Trump on Monday.

Instead, Cardwell called the plea for Hoosier unity a Democratic "stunt" aimed at distracting Indiana voters "from real issues that impact their lives."

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Jimtown, later became the first Hoosier Republican to defend the Indiana-born judge.
HAMMOND  Three candidates have applied to become the next Hammond City Court Judge following the April death of longtime jurist Jeffrey Harkin.

Background

Harkin died April 22 after an extended illness. Remembered as a conscientious judge by Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, Harkin had served in the post since April 2001. He was re-elected to another four-year term in office in November.

Late last year, the court was the subject of complaints about long lines, but Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said the lines were reduced in the weeks prior to Harkin's death. The court handles both criminal and civil cases, including local traffic and ordinance violations as well as evictions and collections.

Harkin was assisted by two court referees, Gerald P. Kray, who handled criminal cases, and Nathan Foster, who handled civil cases. Shortlly before his death, Harkin had appointed Kray to serve as special judge for the court. Around that same time, McDermott issued an executive order transferring the personnel and equipment assigned to the court's graffiti removal program to the city's Public Works Department, which he felt was a more appropriate place for the program.

Following Harkin's death, the Indiana Supreme Court on April 26 appointed Kray to serve as temporary judge until a new judge is appointed by Gov. Mike Pence. In addition to performing the duties of judge of the court, during his stay in office Kray is entitled to the same compensation as Harkin received. According to a Times story last year, Harkin was the fourth highest paid city court judge in the state in 2014 with an annual salary of $80,377. The governor's office sought applications earlier this month for a permanent replacement, the deadline for which was May 27.

What's next

The three people who have an interest in becoming the next judge are Nathan Foster, Amy Jorgensen and Diana Gonzalez, according to Pence's office, which did not have a timeline for when the appointment may be made.

Foster currently is the civil referee at the court, but also has served as a criminal referee there. He has served in that position for the past 11 years. Gonzalez is a Hammond attorney who previously ran for the office of city judge. Jorgensen is an attorney and St. John Republican chairwoman.

Pence's appointee will serve in the position for the remainder of Harkin's four-year term.

Have an idea of story for us to update? Send tips to newstips@nwi.com with Follow-up File in the subject line.
MERRILLVILLE  Fellow Republican Donald Trump's verbal attacks on U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel are "way out of bounds," Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said Monday.

Zoeller, in an exclusive interview with The Times, said the presumptive GOP nominee's remarks about Curiel's ethnic background threaten to undermine Americans' faith in the judicial system.

Trump has repeatedly said Curiel is biased against Trump, because Curiel is "of Mexican heritage." Curiel is presiding over one of the class-action lawsuits targeting Trump University.

Zoeller said every attorney, as an officer of the court, is obligated to publicly denounce Trump's remarks about the East Chicago native.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted that Curiel is a "very biased and unfair judge."

Trump's attorneys should have shut him down immediately, Zoeller said, because those are dangerous remarks.

"Our institutions are all under attack," Zoeller said. "Without the rule of law, you've got chaos, a point that needs to be remembered.

"If there's a legitimate question of bias, there is a professional way to raise that without showing disrespect for a judge and the system generally. This is nowhere close."

Every attorney should say this is out of bounds, he said. Zoeller hopes the American Bar Association will become vocal.

"The whole system is based on a trust of the process, so we all have an obligation to do justice. It's not just win at any cost," Zoeller said.

"I'm very sensitive to this, and I'm upset that members of the profession have not all come out and said this is what we don't allow. We would all like more civility, that's what we're shooting for, and this is going in the wrong direction."

Zoeller has worked with Mexican prosecutors and judges as they move from the old Spanish Inquisition judicial process, where charges and testimony are on paper, to the more open process followed in the United States, where defendants can meet their accusers face to face.

Mexicans had lost faith in their system, which is why the judiciary there is changing to the U.S. methods.

Americans need to retain their faith in the judicial system here, he said, and that begins with showing respect for judges and other aspects of the process.

"You have to show your respect for the court," he said.
The contract, for $25,359, went to Christopher Burke Engineering. The entire project is budgeted for $187,000, the bulk of which will be paid for by federal funds. The town may be on the hook for roughly $10,000 of that amount, although Jill Murr, town administrator, will contact the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission to see if it would be willing to pick up the tab for all or some of that $10,000.
Southlake County Reporter

Carmen is an award-winning journalist who has worked at The Times newspaper for 20 years. Before that she also had stints at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., The Post-Tribune and The News Dispatch in Michigan City.
A Gary rapper was arrested Thursday in Toulouse, France, on charges stemming from a rape allegation dating back to August 2015 in Austria.

Freddie Gibbs was scheduled to perform Friday night at Toulouse's Le Rex when he was detained.

According to media reports, an arrest warrant was issued for Gibbs. He has denied the allegations.

The Times previously reported that Gibbs, who grew up as Fredrick Tipton on Gary's east side, was formerly signed to Interscope Records.

He released the critically acclaimed "Shadow of a Doubt" in 2015.

Gibbs' lawyer Scott Leemon issued a statement to Billboard magazine that read Freddie Gibbs adamantly denies the allegations that have been levied against him by Austrian authorities."
HOBART  The city's police officers are getting a new lifesaving tool.

The Board of Public Works and Safety has given its authorization to a program that will allow officers to administer Narcan to reverse illegal drug overdoses.

Hobart Police Capt. Greg Viator said officers are often the first to arrive to scenes. If an officer is the first to a situation involving a drug overdose, the officer could dispense Narcan, which quickly neutralizes the effects of heroin and other opioids.

It's a valuable tool, he said.

Many police departments in Lake and Porter counties already have provided officers with Narcan, and there have been numerous successful cases in reversing drug overdoses with it, Viator said.

He said 30 officers from Hobart will receive training regarding how to use Narcan. He said a New Chicago officer, who also is a paramedic, will provide the training. In addition to Hobart police, 25 officers from Lake Station and five officers from New Chicago also will be trained.

Viator said the St. Mary Medical Center is providing Narcan to officers at no cost.

He said police will have Narcan in their squad cars, so it will be available when they are off-duty and there is a situation involving an individual suffering an overdose. It also will be available in the city's jail.

Viator said Narcan is sprayed in nostrils of victims. He said it won't cause stress if it's provided to a person who isn't suffering an overdose.

In addition to the Narcan initiative, the Hobart Police Department has provided CPR training and other programs so officers can assist with lifesaving efforts.
MERRILLVILLE  Many communities in America are being ravaged by an opioid epidemic, and Northwest Indiana is not immune.

The question is, what to do about it?

Federal, state and local officials met Monday in Merrillville to discuss how they can work together to reduce both supply and demand for heroin and prescription painkillers in the Region.

Every day, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

Everybodys in this to make sure our young men and women have a chance to live out their lives in a long, productive way rather than being tied down with drug abuse, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., said after the meeting held at the Merrillville school districts administrative offices.

Donnelly noted the Senate recently passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which continues a trend of taking a public health approach to substance abuse. The law would divert more criminal offenders into treatment, increase access to overdose-reversal drugs and expand medication-assisted therapy for opioid users.

The measure also would further tighten rules for prescribing opioids, a tactic that already may be bearing fruit: Donnelly noted that Indiana recently saw its first drop in opioid prescriptions in decades.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller noted that while the U.S. makes up 4 percent of the worlds population, it consumes 80 percent of the planets opioids.

He said the crisis is a man-made problem, pointing to the former head of the Food and Drug Administrations comments that the epidemic is one of the great mistakes of modern medicine.

There is a lot of finger-pointing we can do, Zoeller said.

But right now were in the triage stage, where youve just got to try to save as many lives as possible while we try to get out ahead of having fewer people enter the addiction cycle.

Zoeller, a Republican, said Congress should act on President Obamas request, back in February, to spend $1.1 billion to increase access to substance abuse treatment. Indiana has the fourth-largest shortage of substance abuse specialists of any state, according to Pew. A local illustration: The Porter County Jail is thats countys de facto detox center.

While some parts of the state and country struggle more with prescription opioids  southeast Indiana last year experienced a large HIV outbreak caused by widespread use of the painkiller Opana  in Northwest Indiana, heroin rules.

Clearly heroin is the No. 1 drug as of right now, said Chuck Porucznik, executive director of the Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, an organization Donnelly said will see increased funding to tackle the epidemic.

Its all been coming out of the southwest side of Chicago from the southwest border of Mexico. ... Chicago is our gateway.

Local educators are working to prevent youths from getting addicted to substances in the first place. Ric Frataccia, superintendent of Valparaiso Community Schools, said his district is implementing a pilot program where teachers get to better know and mentor students, so the kids have more adults to turn to when their peers pressure them to use drugs.

We have a heroin epidemic in this Region, said Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds.
Working as a nurse in the emergency room at a hospital is always a difficult job, but becomes even harder after a spouse or a loved one is brought in needing immediate care.

Juli Verkler, who helps coordinate the Porter County Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive, experienced that in 2003, when her husband Bryan Verkler, a Mishawaka Police Department officer at the time, was brought in with a gunshot after responding to a dispute where shots were fired. He died two hours later.

After her husbands death, Julie Verkler began working with the Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drives. I thought what can I do? Verkler said.

Verkler became friends with Janice Starnes, the founder of the Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive, who also lost her husband, Sgt. Dan Starnes, when he was shot and killed in action.

Our tragedies bond us together Verkler said. Verkler began working with the organization, and helped it expand in the Porter Region.

Anything that we can do thats positive, that lifts up our officers who are out there is a plus, Verkler said.

The blood drives aim to help save lives of patients in Indiana hospitals while also showing respect and honoring all of our Indiana fallen officers, said Trish Cochan, a Red Cross account manager.

They are very important at this time of the year due to a drop in blood supplies because  twenty-five percent of blood supply comes from high school and college students, Cochan said.

There will be blood drives held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at Christ Lutheran Church, 2610 N. Campbell St., in Valparaiso; noon to 6 p.m. June 21 at the Porter County Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 26 at Nativity of Our Savior Church, 2949 Willowcreek Road, Portage.

For more information or to make a reservation, call (800) RED-CROSS, or go to redcrossblood.org.

The biggest thing you can do is sign up to donate, Cochran said.
VALPARAISO  Most who visit Indiana Dunes State Park this summer to soak up the sun and cool off in Lake Michigan will probably overlook it.

Yet a lone marker commemorating Northwest Indianas role in the Revolutionary War is posted near the main pavilion.

The marker, erected by Daughters of the American Revolution, commemorates the Battle of Le Petit Fort, fought Dec. 5, 1780, between Revolutionary forces under Lt. Thomas Brady and Jean Baptiste Hamelin, and British forces and their Potawatomi cohorts.

A poster commemorating the battle  in the style of the iconic South Shore posters  was unveiled, as an Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project, Thursday at the Porter County Museum.

The acrylic-on-canvas piece, created by Michigan City artist Connie Kassal, evokes the difficulties of the small skirmish on the snow- and ice-covered dunes.

Kassal started the piece by researching the battle, including the time of year and time of day it occurred, how the participants would have been dressed, and how plundered furs were packed on the horses.

Kassal portrayed the point in the battle where the British and Potawatomi burst over the hill and came toward the fort, within which Brady and Hamelin and their men had taken cover.

I chose what I thought might be the most dramatic and interesting moments, Kassal said.

Kassal said the project made her appreciate the difficult task of those in the fight, who had to run up and down the dunes, during the skirmish.

You really have to feel for them and how tired and exhausted they may have been, Kassal said.

In the end, the British won the battle, Hamelin and three other men were killed, and Brady was captured.

Guest speakers, including Catherine Hamelin, of Kansas City, Missouri, who is a direct descendant of Jean Baptiste Hamelin, provided history and perspective at the presentation. It was hosted in cooperation with the Indiana Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Memorial Opera House.

The museums mission is to connect the rich past to the evolving present to educate, enrich, and inspire our Porter County communities, said Megan Telligman, the museums interpretation and communication coordinator.

Tonight is a great example of that work. This presentation looks at a unique, historic moment of Porter Countys past, and connects those involved with their descendants here today.

Members of SAR, DAR, and Children of the American Revolution were present to comment and celebrate the unveiling.

This is certainly something that excites us, said Greg Dolezal, president of the Alexis Coquillard Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution in South Bend. This is a direct link between Indiana and the Revolutionary War.

A performance by young members of the Voyageur Ancient Fife and Drum corps provided period music at a reception at the Memorial Opera House following the unveiling.

Telligman said the unveiling itself was a unique moment ... an historical moment, which allowed visitors to respect the difficult decisions those who came before us ... were forced to make.

Here at the museum, we are dedicated to telling the stories of Porter Countys residents, past and present, to inspire new understandings of history, Telligman said.

Kassal said the project, which took about four months, has been an interesting adventure and quite a responsibility.

I hope viewers enjoy my vision of the battle of the dunes, she said.

Copies of the commemorative poster of the Battle of Le Petit Fort are available at Porter County Museum for $20.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump says he was surprised that Newt Gingrich hammered him for noting the Mexican ancestry of the American judge from East Chicago overseeing lawsuits against Trump University.

Trump told Fox News Channel on Monday that the former House speaker's criticism was "inappropriate."

Trump said he's only defending himself against relentless questions about Trump University by questioning the impartiality of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Trump said most customers were satisfied with the school.

Curiel grew up in East Chicago and practiced law in Dyer before moving to California in the 1980s. Still, Trump said, the judge cannot be impartial in the cases because Curiel's parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall to keep people from sneaking over the border.
Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: U.S. Senators.

Indiana and Illinois are each represented by two members elected by voters to six-year terms in the 100-person U.S. Senate.

Both states currently have one Republican senator  Dan Coats, R-Ind., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill.  and one Democratic senator  Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

But when it comes to living former U.S. senators, Illinois is one ahead of Indiana.

Illinois' recent past senators are: Adlai Stevenson III (D), age 85, served 1970-81; Carol Moseley-Braun (D), 68, 1993-99; Peter Fitzgerald (R), 55, 1999-2005; Barack Obama (D), 54, 2005-08; and Roland Burris (D), 78, 2009-10.

The four living former Hoosier senators are: Birch Bayh (D), 88, 1963-81; Dick Lugar (R), 84, 1977-2013; Dan Quayle (R), 69, 1981-89; and Evan Bayh (D), 60, 1999-2011.

Coats is not running for re-election this year and should join the Indiana former senator list in 2017.

Kirk is facing a tough contest to maintain his seat, but his defeat would keep Illinois one ahead.
East Village residents are tallying up the damages after Kanye West suggested he would stage a surprise concert at Webster Hall early Monday morning  before fans descended on the venue hoping to see him. NY1's Michael Herzenberg has the story.

More than four thousand people gathered outside Webster Hall on East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenue in the East Village, expecting an impromptu Kanye West concert that didn't happen.

However, the concert hall holds only 1,500.

"There were people climbing up the walls. There were people on every mail truck. There were people on top of cars," one man from the neighborhood said. "I've never seen anything like it.

Residents on the block between 3rd and 4th Avenues watched in disbelief. Others woke up to find half a dozen vehicles with thousands of dollars in damage.

Some vehicles were vandalized, and some people climbed on top of fire escapes, scaffolding, postal trucks, and cars, caving in the roofs of six automobiles.

The crowd trampled the roofs of Michael Gomez's two vehicles that he thought would be parked safe for the night.

"I'm in a state of shock right now," Gomez said.

He says he has insurance, but probably not for this damage and he can't afford the repairs.

"It's destroyed," Gomez said. "And they cracked my windshield too. Why would they do something like this?"

West announced the pop-up show after Sunday's Governors Ball music festival on Randall's Island, where he had been scheduled to perform, was cut short due to inclement weather. West was supposed to be the headline performer.

He did take the stage in New Jersey at Summer Jam and hinted he'd hit Webster Hall next:

Show at 2am SOLD OUT  KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) June 6, 2016

West did show up, standing up in his vehicle and talking to fans, some of whom mobbed him, but he did not stop to perform.

The manager of Amsterdam Billiards, which is across the street from Webster Hall, said he shut down two hours earlier because so many people on the street were pressing against his doors and windows.

"I saw people ripping their antennas  I mean, their windshield wipers  off their cars, probably their antennas too," Joseph Perrotta said about the rush of people overall. "Mirrors, they were climbing up onto fire escapes, they were up on our marquee."

Webster Hall may have had similar concerns, as it closed for the night too, just before the expected 2 a.m. start for the pop-up show.

Police then moved in to disperse the crowd, according to officials.

"At first it was kind of overwhelming and then it kind of got frightening, but once the police cars came it was like, OK, it's going to be subdued," one attendee recalled about the crowd.

"They're animals," Gomez said. "There's no reason to do something like this."

Police made one arrest for disorderly conduct and officers have been showing up Monday to write incident reports for those who suffered property damage.

Photo above courtesy @jhsisk via Twitter.
Police are investigating after four people were shot on a street corner in Coney Island on Sunday, not far from the popular amusement park, according to the city police department.

Police said two men were shot in the hand, one was shot in the shoulder, and one in the thigh around 2:45 p.m. on West 16th Street between Mermaid and Neptune Avenues.

Two of the victims were taken to Lutheran Hospital, according to the police report, while the others were taken to Coney Island Hospital.

The victims are expected to recover, according to officials.

Officials said a gun was recovered at the scene, but no arrests have been made.
The designer Telfar Clemens creates clothes that are difficult to define. In the 11 years that have passed since he presented his first collection, his designs have been interpretations of basic, gender-neutral garments  an aesthetic Clemens describes on his website as neither conceptual nor accessible  but both in extremis. Or, as the designer along with the brands creative director, Babak Radboy, have termed it: Extremely Normal.

I really dont like fabric, the Liberian-American designer admits. Id rather just have a rough Hanes T-shirt and denim and I can make you anything out of that. Whether its a crewneck T-shirt transformed into an off-the-shoulder top, a pair of street-ready cotton boxer shorts with utility pockets or a white button-up with armpit holes, Telfar clothes are forward-thinking takes on straightforward styles. I know people arent going to get the concept Im doing, but I think it is get-able, he says. I have always wanted to be mass-market.

Despite his list of high-fashion stockists including Opening Ceremony and Dover Street Market (which will pick up his line for the first time this fall), Clemens has consistently taken inspiration from big-box retailers such as Sears and J.C. Penney. Since the brands beginnings, Telfar has been on the forefront of several contemporary trends, such as oversize sportswear (his first collection consisted of baggy hoodies and T-shirts) and normcore. Over the years, the brand has won fans including the artists Josh Kline and Xavier Cha and the musicians Fatima Al Qadiri and Dev Hynes.

Telfar further plays on the tenets of mass fashion by acting as the face of his own collections in seasonal art and video collaborations with artists including Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin. Each season, Clemens and Radboy evolve the lines fictional figurehead  a smiling, clapping, hyper-happy version of Clemens himself  that permeates the brands website, film projects and fashion-show visuals. Its funny, people expect me to be really nice, the designer jokes, referring to his cheerful alter ego.
The Bureau, Eric Rochants spy thriller and one of the most popular shows in France, infiltrates the United States. UnREAL returns with a Peabody Award and an African-American suitor. And Rizzoli & Isles begins its final season.

Whats Streaming

THE BUREAU on iTunes. An undercover agent (Mathieu Kassovitz of Amelie and Munich fame) for the French intelligence service returns home to Paris after a six-year mission in Damascus, where he struggles to relinquish his alias  and a forbidden affair with a married Syrian woman  in this spy thriller from Eric Rochant (Mafiosa). This Canal Plus smash, at once cerebral and gadget-filled, won best television series from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics and incorporates an American-style showrunner structure and writing room, which had access to the D.G.S.E., Frances equivalent of the C.I.A. (Image: Mr. Kassovitz)

Whats on TV

UNREAL 10 p.m. on Lifetime. This recent Peabody Award winner returns as Everlasting, its Bachelor-esque show within a show, casts its first African-American suitor (B. J. Britt) and incites racial mayhem in the mansion as a black activist, a Southern belle who favors a Confederate-flag bikini and a woman of Pakistani heritage forced to wear a head scarf compete for his affections. Meanwhile, the shows creator, Chet Wilton (Craig Bierko), tries to reclaim his on-set power from the producers Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), his onetime lover on whose idea he built his empire, and Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby), her protegee and nemesis. Both a workplace power drama and a laser-focused work of media criticism, James Poniewozik wrote in The New York Times, UnREAL remains one of TVs most sharp-minded and -tongued escapes, a heart-shaped box full of chocolate and razor blades.

THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY PEABODY AWARDS 8 p.m. on Pivot. Keegan-Michael Key hosts this ceremony recognizing the best in electronic media as bestowed by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Among those honored are David Letterman, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Beasts of No Nation, Glen Campbell: Ill Be Me and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. (Image: Mr. Campbell)
Loyalty programs do attract customers, according to a report to be issued on Tuesday by Bond Brand Loyalty in collaboration with Visa. About 80 percent of the roughly 19,000 consumers in the United States and Canada who responded to an online survey said they were more likely to continue doing business with brands that offered loyalty programs.

But to be successful, the programs can no longer offer just a discount or a free dessert.

If somebody were to ask me if I should start a loyalty program, I would say they need to manage it right, said Yuping Liu-Thompkins, a professor of marketing at the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. Its not just about gaining new customers, she said, but crucially, about effectively using the important data you receive from those customers. Its about persuading people not only to buy more, she said, but to change their behavior and habits  and to share that with friends and family.

Brian Gregg, a partner at McKinsey and Company, the management consulting firm, offered an example. When people get a dog, he said, they go on a big shopping spree  buying the bed, the collars, the food and all the other dog necessities. But then there is a big drop-off in their purchases.

If that person signs up for a loyalty program, Mr. Gregg said, the company should use that information not just to offer a discount on the next purchase for the dog, but to build a relationship so that the dog owner will come back month after month for dog food.

Research also shows that while people say discounts are important, they also overwhelmingly say they want special treatment and offers not available to others in a loyalty program, Ms. Collins said. They come for the perks, but they stay for the experience.
Your smartphone allows you to get almost instantaneous answers to the most obscure questions. It also allows you to waste hours scrolling through Facebook or looking for the latest deals on Amazon.

More powerful computing systems can predict the weather better than any meteorologist or beat human champions in complex board games like chess.

But for several years, economists have asked why all that technical wizardry seems to be having so little impact on the economy. The issue surfaced again recently, when the government reported disappointingly slow growth and continuing stagnation in productivity. The rate of productivity growth from 2011 to 2015 was the slowest since the five-year period ending in 1982.

One place to look at this disconnect is in the doctors office. Dr. Peter Sutherland, a family physician in Tennessee, made the shift to computerized patient records from paper in the last few years. There are benefits to using electronic health records, Dr. Sutherland says, but grappling with the software and new reporting requirements has slowed him down. He sees fewer patients, and his income has slipped.
In his latest swipe at Mayor Bill de Blasio, the State Senate majority leader, John J. Flanagan, introduced a bill on Friday that would extend mayoral control of New York City schools by only one year, while allowing the governor to appoint an education inspector with substantial power to interfere in the management of the schools.

The bill prompted swift criticism from both Democratic members of the Assembly and the Partnership for New York City, a business group, which warned that it would return the schools to a chaotic and dysfunctional form of governance.

Mr. Flanagan, a Republican, has in recent weeks made something of a sport of tormenting Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, as the mayor seeks a renewal of mayoral control, which otherwise will lapse on June 30. He has questioned Mr. de Blasios knowledge of the schools, accused him of not being forthcoming with information, and expressed indignation when the mayor, after testifying for nearly four hours at one Senate hearing, did not attend a second one.

Mr. de Blasios predecessor, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, was the first mayor to win control of the citys schools, which he did in 2002. The Legislature granted him seven years, with strong support from the Senates Republican majority, and then a six-year renewal in 2009. But Mr. de Blasio made an enemy of Mr. Flanagan in his first year in office, when he tried to help the Democrats win a majority in the Senate. As a result, last year, when Mr. de Blasio asked for permanent control, he got only a one-year renewal.
In July 1910, a teenager named Myron Surmach left his village in Ukraine, boarded the ship Atlanta with a third-class ticket and headed across the ocean to an improbably big city called New York. For 21 days, Mr. Surmach sucked on a lemon to stave off seasickness until he reached Ellis Island. There, he told an interviewer decades later, he was shocked to find an American guard welcoming him to the United States in perfect Ukrainian.

Mr. Surmach began his new life in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., but within a few years, he made it back to New York. Eager to preserve his native culture, he opened a small shop on Avenue A in Manhattan where he sold records, books, clothes and other trinkets from the old country to other Ukrainian immigrants. He named the store Surma  after an old woodwindlike instrument  and for 98 years it has operated at various addresses in the East Village, settling in 1943 at 11 East Seventh Street.

The family business has outlived Myron, and his son, Myron Jr. It has outlived Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, who bought embroidered blouses there during the folk revival of the 1960s, when the peasant look was all the rage. But recently, patrons learned that Surma has only a few days left, when Mr. Surmachs grandson Markian announced that he would close the shop this month.
Michel Temer, Brazils interim president, displayed poor judgment on his first day in office last month when he appointed an all-white, all-male cabinet. This understandably angered many in racially diverse Brazil.

Their outrage was compounded by the fact that seven of the new ministers had been tainted by a corruption scandal and investigation that have shaken Brazilian politics. The appointments added to the suspicion that the temporary ouster of President Dilma Rousseff last month over allegations that she resorted to unlawful budget-balancing tricks had an ulterior motive: to make the investigation go away. Earlier this year, Ms. Rousseff said that allowing the inquiry into kickbacks at Petrobras, the state oil company, to run its course would be healthy for Brazil in the long run.

Two weeks after the new interim government was seated, Romero Juca, Mr. Temers planning minister, resigned after a newspaper reported on a recorded phone conversation in which Mr. Juca appeared to endorse the dismissal of Ms. Rousseff as part of a deal among lawmakers to protect everyone embroiled in the scandal. That was the only way, he said, to assure that Brazil would return to being calm. Late last month, Fabiano Silveira, the minister of transparency, charged with fighting corruption, was forced to resign after a similarly embarrassing leak of a surreptitiously recorded conversation.

This forced Mr. Temer to promise last week that the executive branch would not interfere with the Petrobras investigation, which so far has ensnarled more than 40 politicians. Considering the men Mr. Temer has surrounded himself with, that rings hollow. If the interim president is to earn the trust of Brazilians, many of whom have been protesting Ms. Rousseffs dismissal as a coup, he and his cabinet must take meaningful steps against corruption.
To the Editor:

President Obamas visit to Hiroshima should also reawaken us to the peril of nuclear weapons. (Obama: Abes enabler, Opinion, June 1)

Whats really striking is that Japan has taken a leadership role in encouraging nations to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear test explosions. However, the United States is among the eight nations that are preventing this treaty from taking effect. China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Israel are the other seven nations that have yet to approve the treaty.

The Republican-led Senate has the power to ratify the test ban treaty. It can finish a journey started by one of their own, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who believed that ending testing was a step toward global disarmament. Ike did not want Americans to have carry the expensive burden of nukes forever.

But with President Obama ordering a massive nuclear spending spree, we need some basis of hope to get out of this expensive and dangerous business. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty gives us an opening that we should take.
To the Editor:

New Yorks Outdated Knife Law (editorial, May 31) states that in New York City gravity knives account for more than two-thirds of arrests under an unspecified weapons law.

But prosecutions for the possession of gravity knives are hardly as prevalent as the editorial suggests: In 2015 in Manhattan, fewer than 2 percent of all misdemeanor prosecutions were for the possession of gravity knives.

The editorial supports a bill that would legalize the possession of knives that can be flicked open with one hand. The ban on such knives has been in effect since 1958, and its constitutionality has been uniformly upheld.

The ban has enhanced public safety, and ending it now amid highly publicized slashing incidents in our citys streets and subways is not advisable.
WHEN Muhammad Ali said, I aint got no quarrel with them Vietcong. No Vietcong ever called me nigger, he spoke for many of the black soldiers and Marines who were in Vietnam fighting for an America that continued to oppress and marginalize them. One night in Chu Lai, I heard a black Marine say to a white one, Look, I dont want to hear gook or dink cause I dont know what youll call me tomorrow.

I was in Vietnam  a reporter for the military newspaper Southern Cross  two years after Ali had been convicted of dodging the draft in the summer of 67. Thousands of black soldiers were fighting in Cu Chi, Phu Bai, Long Binh, Da Nang and hundreds of landing zones and firebases pockmarking South Vietnam, some wearing black unity wrist bands braided out of boot laces. Most received news of the civil rights movement  sit-ins, bombings, struggles with the police and dogs in the streets of cities and towns across America  in letters from home and in magazine headlines in those rare moments of stand-down at division headquarters.

Racial tension would often flare up in the rear. We knew the uniform or code of conduct couldnt erase what was in the hearts or on the lips of troops at the enlisted mens clubs where they guzzled 3.2 beer. Then the next day, the soldiers and Marines would plunge back into the leafy quagmire of the jungle or climb the bald hills of firebases for another deadly encounter with the Vietcong or North Vietnamese Army.

Ali was more than life-size in the psyche of the black soldier. Other conscientious objectors were in Canada or Sweden, but here stood a black man, the heavyweight champion of the world, saying, Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? Of course, some black soldiers knew this fueled North Vietnams propaganda, and Hanoi Hannahs radio rants across the rice paddies, but they also knew the hard reality of race and politics transported overseas.
ISTANBUL  THE Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins today and with it the long hours of fasting by hundreds of millions of Muslims. The daylong fast during the lunar month in which we Muslims believe that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a way for Muslims to show their devotion to God, and, some say, to understand the suffering of those who have no choice but to go without food.

The Ramadan fast is not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Muslims are not supposed to eat, drink or smoke, and abstain from sex. For hours, they dream about a sip of water or a bite of bread. Then comes the iftar, which means breakfast, but which is often a heavy dinner with family and friends. Then come a few hours of freedom from deprivation, until the sunrise, when the next days fast begins.

Muslims around the world observe this 1,400-year-old practice, from the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, where it originated, to Scandinavia, where the latitude has forced some scholars to issue fatwas to accommodate the Qurans prescription to fast from dawn until dusk.

But no matter where they are, Muslims should be able to fast according to the dictates of their conscience. Unfortunately, some authoritarian governments violate this fundamental freedom. Some ban the Ramadan fast, while others impose it.
Prosecutors are the most powerful players in the American criminal justice system. Their decisions  like whom to charge with a crime, and what sentence to seek  have profound consequences.

So why is it so hard to keep them from breaking the law or violating the Constitution?

The short answer is that they are almost never held accountable for misconduct, even when it results in wrongful convictions. It is time for a new approach to ending this behavior: federal oversight of prosecutors offices that repeatedly ignore defendants legal and constitutional rights. There is a successful model for this in the Justice Departments monitoring of police departments with histories of misconduct.

Among the most serious prosecutorial violations is the withholding of evidence that could help a defendant prove his or her innocence or get a reduced sentence  a practice so widespread that one federal judge called it an epidemic. Under the 1963 landmark Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, prosecutors are required to turn over any exculpatory evidence to a defendant that could materially affect a verdict or sentence. Yet in many district attorneys offices, the Brady rule is considered nothing more than a suggestion, with prosecutors routinely holding back such evidence to win their cases.

Nowhere is this situation worse than in Louisiana, where prosecutors seem to believe they are unconstrained by the Constitution.
To the Editor:

Re Trumps ungreat America, (Opinion, May 18): Eliot A. Cohen treats the U.S. foreign policy consensus as sacrosanct. Dare one mention Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya?

For too long, the Washington-led West has ignored Saudi Arabias promotion of Wahhabism and its playing of the destructive sectarian card against apostate Shiites. Moreover, terrorists attacking Westerners are often Sunni jihadis of a Wahhabist persuasion.

Worse still, Saudi Arabia and the NATO member Turkey helped facilitate the emergence of the Islamic State. The Wests response was to give priority to toppling Syrias secular regime.

The Saudi war of aggression against Yemens Shiite Houthis has the Wests backing. The resulting turmoil has enabled the sworn enemies of the Houthis, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to consolidate their foothold in Yemen.
London was my dream place to host the show, says Nina Yashar, the grande dame of the Milanese design scene whose gallery, Nilufar, has decamped to London for the fifth iteration of its traveling exhibition Squat. Its the place for talent. So many of my designers are based here  Martino Gamper, Bethan Laura Wood, Michael Anastassiades. Its incredible. Its already popped up in Paris and been to Beirut, but now Nilufars eclectic offerings of historical and contemporary design objects inhabit the first floor apartment in a Victorian terra-cotta building above Erdems store in Mayfair. The sumptuous space, which couldnt be further from the threadbare realities that its title summons, has over the last five months been restored by the interior and architectural designer Shalini Misra. There are gems at every turn, and everything you see is for sale, from the floral configurations of Gio Ponti ceiling lights to the customized Dedar curtains and elegant Matisse sketch that hangs discreetly on the reception room wall  to even the property itself.

The space feels so finished and refined, says Yashar, gesturing to the high-spec series of rooms that open from the monochromatic marble-floored atrium. Weve never had a perfect bathroom or kitchen at Squat before. Thanks to Shalini, its so complete I could actually sleep here tonight! Yashar first came to the British capital some 30 years ago on the hunt for Aubusson carpets. I remember it very well, she explains of her visit to the citys back-room dealers for the antique French carpets that she still sells. It has changed so much since then. It has become so important for art, for exhibitions, for museums  but there are not so many design galleries here. Theres Fumi and Kreo and David Gill, but for some reason the wealth of London talent seems better translated elsewhere.

Its this gap that Yashar is on a mission to bridge. Squat will remain open into the fall, with the intention of attracting the same serious investors who flock to fairs such as Frieze, PAD London and Masterpiece. But though the influential gallerist enjoys the village-y feel of Hackney, and loves exploring the Royal College of Arts graduate shows, she admits to feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the city: Im always relieved when I get back to Milan. Its more provincial. I feel at home there. I get lost in London, says Yashar, who wears a Prada coat covered with motorcars. A warm and commanding presence, she is unequivocal in her assessment of the design market whose exponential growth shes observed over her long career: Suddenly people understood that they cannot have nice artworks at home with bad furniture, she says. You have to have important design pieces to match those five-million-dollar works of art.
PASADENA, Calif.  The future of computing may be in its past.

The silicon transistor, the tiny switch that is the building block of modern microelectronics, replaced the vacuum tube in many consumer products in the 1970s. Now as shrinking transistors to even more Lilliputian dimensions is becoming vastly more challenging, the vacuum tube may be on the verge of a comeback.

In a darkened laboratory here, two stories beneath the California Institute of Technology campus, two students stare through the walls of a thick plastic vacuum chamber at what they hope will be the next small thing  a computer chip made from circuits like vacuum tubes whose dimensions are each roughly one-thousandth the size of a red blood cell.

At stake is the future of what electronic engineers call scaling, the ability to continue to shrink the size of electronic circuits, which is becoming harder to do as they become as small as viruses.

It has been more than half a century since the physicist Richard Feynman predicted the rise of microelectronics, noting theres plenty of room at the bottom. He used the phrase in 1959 when he speculated about engineering with individual atoms. Several years later, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, wrote that the number of transistors that could be etched into silicon wafers would double at regular intervals for the foreseeable future.
The Democratic race may already be over by the time the California polls open. According to The Associated Press, Hillary Clinton has already earned the 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination. Yet in some ways California is still the most interesting contest between her and Bernie Sanders so far.

Its hard to know how much the news may depress turnout, but it has easily been the closest contest in a big state, at least in the pre-election polls. And even though the election result wont affect the outcome of the race, the stakes are nonetheless real: the chance for Mr. Sanders to continue making his case to change the minds of superdelegates heading into the convention.

High-quality polling provides a big picture

Mrs. Clinton leads Mr. Sanders in all the polls. But the polls are close enough that he could win.

On average, she leads by six percentage points among the six surveys that have been conducted over the last month. Four of them show an extremely tight race, with Mrs. Clinton leading by two points. The other two show her with a double-digit lead among likely voters.

Its worth noting that we have the benefit of two of the most reliable polls in the business: the Field Poll and the Los Angeles Times/U.S.C./GQR poll. They show Mrs. Clinton with a two- and a 10-point lead, respectively. The P.P.I.C. poll, which has her up by two points, is also very well regarded.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  President Obama is opposing suggestions to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the health care that veterans receive.

In an interview with The Colorado Springs Gazette, he said that his administration had made progress modernizing the department and providing veterans with more timely care. Privatizing the agency would delay that progress, Mr. Obama said.

The department was criticized when it was disclosed that secret wait lists were uncovered at a veterans health care system in Arizona amid reports that several veterans had died waiting for care. Government investigations found significant system failures.

The notion of dismantling the V.A. system would be a mistake, Mr. Obama told The Gazette, referring to the Veterans Administration, which the department was known as until 1989. If you look at, for example, V.A. health care, there have been challenges getting people into the system. Once they are in, they are extremely satisfied and the quality of care is very high.
Thomas E. Schaefer, a retired Air Force colonel who endured death threats, harsh interrogation and solitary confinement as the ranking military officer among the 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days in Iran in the closing stages of the Carter administration, died on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 85.

The cause was congestive heart failure, his son David told The Associated Press.

Colonel Schaefer was the American military and air attache in Tehran when Iranian students stormed the United States Embassy on Nov. 4, 1979, nine months after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had returned to Iran from exile in Paris to lay the groundwork for a revolutionary government.

The protesters seized 66 Americans and demanded that the shah of Iran, who had left the country in January as his government crumbled and had been admitted to the United States for cancer treatment in October, be returned to stand trial.

Colonel Schaefer showed defiance early on, beginning a hunger strike on Thanksgiving to protest deprivations, including the lack of mail.
RICHMOND, Va.  On the night Barack Obama became the nations first black president, Leah Taylor, a fast-food worker and African-American mother of six, stayed up until 2 a.m. watching the election returns. I knew that was history, and I wanted to be a part of it, she said. But she did not vote.

Ms. Taylor, 45, has never voted. In 1991, when she was 20, she was stripped of her voting rights after being convicted of selling crack cocaine and sent to jail for a year. So she was stunned when an organizer from a progressive group, New Virginia Majority, showed up one recent afternoon at the church soup kitchen where she eats lunch and said he could register her.

Your rights have been restored! the organizer, Assadique Abdul-Rahman, declared with a theatrical flourish, waving an executive order signed in April by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Ms. Taylor, so moved she nearly cried, promptly signed up.

Thus did Ms. Taylor join a wave of newly eligible voters, all with criminal pasts, signing up in Virginia. But what Mr. McAuliffe granted, the Virginia Supreme Court may now take away.
But in all but a few cases, the allegations languish, are dismissed or are reclassified. The impunity is a loud signal that crimes against humanity are being committed, Mr. Goldston said.

The Justice Initiative report is the first time an international group has made a public legal argument that the pattern of abuses amounts to crimes against humanity. The finding is significant, Mr. Goldston said, because under the lens of international law, an investigation would seek to determine the chain of command behind the policy.

The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto rejected the conclusions.

Based on international law, crimes against humanity are generalized or systematic attacks against a civilian population which are committed in accordance with a state policy, the government said in a statement. In Mexico the immense majority of violent crimes have been committed by criminal organizations.

The report does not dispute that last point. Its analysis, which covers the six-year administration of former President Felipe Calderon and the first three years of Mr. Pena Nietos government, also looks at the Zetas, the most violent of Mexicos drug gangs. Their brutal actions constitute crimes against humanity as well, the report concludes.

The government said that in the exceptional cases in which public officials have been shown to be involved in the use of excessive force, human rights abuses or torture, they have been tried and sentenced.

But human rights and international organizations have argued for years that these cases are not exceptional.
LIMA, Peru  An economist who served as Perus prime minister held a razor-thin lead in the presidential contest on Sunday against the daughter of an imprisoned former president who was seeking to return her family to power.

A partial count released by the government on Sunday night put Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, 77, with about a 1 percent advantage over Keiko Fujimori, 41, whose father, Alberto, ran the country in the 1990s. Officials said the result amounted to a technical tie and said they would keep counting throughout the night.

While both candidates campaigned on similar free-market platforms, many in the region saw the election as a referendum on the legacy of Mr. Fujimori, whose rule turned authoritarian as he suspended the countrys Constitution in a conflict with the Shining Path, a Marxist rebel group.

Years later, while trying to return to power, he was convicted of corruption and human rights abuses and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
KABUL, Afghanistan  An American journalist for NPR was killed on Sunday afternoon along with his Afghan translator in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan military confirmed. NPR also confirmed their deaths on Sunday.

The victims were identified as David Gilkey, a photographer and videographer who was part of a four-person NPR team embedded with Afghan Special Forces in Helmand Province, and his translator, Zabihullah Tamanna. The other two American journalists on the team were unhurt.

Mr. Gilkey was the first civilian American journalist killed during the 15-year-long Afghan conflict; since 1992, at least 27 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In 2010, James P. Hunter, a staff sergeant and journalist with the 101st Airborne Division, was killed by an improvised explosive device.
Or, as in Ms. Katsuras case, they followed their husbands from Japan to Korea.

Once in Korea, these women often discovered that their husbands families had found them Korean spouses in their absence. Many also lost their husbands during the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 until 1953.

By the time many tried to return to Japan, it was too late. Japan and South Korea did not re-establish ties until 1965, and, even then, some of the women had no relatives to sponsor their return and resettlement.

Emotions run high when South Koreans talk about their countrys historical disputes with Japan, especially the enslavement of Korean comfort women in front-line brothels for Japans Imperial Army during World War II. But society has paid little attention to these Japanese women, some of whom were abandoned by their families in both countries and had to live with neither a Korean nor a Japanese passport.

When they arrive here, they all have made-up Korean names, said Song Mi-ho, the head of the nursing home, Nazarewon, which takes its name from the biblical Nazareth. One of the first things we do is to call them by their Japanese names. When this happens, they are in tears, as if they are getting their life, their identity, back.
BERLIN  You know times have changed when the Germans announce they are expanding their army for the first time in 25 years  and no one objects.

Back when the Berlin Wall fell, Britain and France in particular feared the re-emergence of a German colossus in Europe. By contrast, Berlins pledge last month to add almost 7,000 soldiers to its military by 2023, and an earlier announcement to spend up to 130 billion euros, about $148 billion, on new equipment by 2030 were warmly welcomed by NATO allies.

It has taken decades since the horrors of World War II, but Berlins modern-day allies and, it seems, German leaders themselves are finally growing more comfortable with the notion that Germanys role as the European Unions de facto leader requires a military dimension.

Perhaps none too soon. The United States and others  including many of Germanys own defense experts  want Germany to do even more for Continental security and to broaden deployments overseas.
I have had guns pointed at me, slept in a shipping container and walked past the corpses of shelling victims since the separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine began two years ago. But I had never been blacklisted as a terrorist before.

So when my name recently appeared on a terrorist list of journalists published by a website with close ties to the Ukrainian government, I viewed it with a mix of trepidation and sarcasm.

Trepidation because it suggested powerful people in Ukraine, a democracy that aspires to the free flow of information, were going after me and others on the list for simply doing our jobs: reporting both sides of the war, including the pro-Russian rebel side.

And sarcasm because, this being Ukraine, the list was not likely to have much credibility elsewhere. I have not, for example, had any trouble flying after appearing on what may be the worlds first list of terrorist journalists.
Hossein Kamaly is a professor at Barnard College who specializes in Islamic studies and Middle Eastern history. In an interview, he explained the basic tenets of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, which begins on Monday for most of the worlds Muslims. The interview has been edited and condensed.

What is the significance of Ramadan? What is the event being observed?

All days may be equal on a secular calendar, but on religious calendars they are not: Some are more equal than others.

On the Muslim calendar, the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Arabic lunar calendar, marks the most special of all occasions. It is a celebration of the descent of the word of God, the Quran, from heaven to the earth.

During Ramadan, the gates of heaven are open wider than ever. Just as the word of God has come down, the word of supplicants goes up to God, more efficaciously than any other time.
The production also attracted a remarkable parade of replacements for Mr. Hopkins, including Anthony Perkins, Alec McCowen, Leonard Nimoy and Richard Burton. Burton subsequently starred in the 1977 film version, directed by Sidney Lumet. (A 2008 Broadway revival starred Richard Griffiths as Dysart and Daniel Radcliffe as Strang.)

Though the play drew much praise  stunning, Walter Kerr called it in The New York Times  it also courted controversy. A few amateur shrinks (that is, critics) offered a variety of interpretations, including that the play was about closeted homosexuality  a suggestion that especially flummoxed Mr. Shaffer  and professional ones complained about the portrayal of their profession.

By weaving together many clinical syndromes, therapeutic methods and psychoanalytic cliches, Shaffer presents us with a fictitious piece of psychopathology, one doctor, Sanford Gifford, wrote in an article in The Times, adding that the playwrights skillful mixture of truth, banality and pretension establishes a spurious air of importance.

In Amadeus, set in Vienna in the late 18th and early 19th century, Mr. Shaffer took on the mystery of genius  in this case in the guise of a musical visionary who imagined whole, elaborately gorgeous compositions in his head, but who presented himself to the world as a boor and a self-destructive libertine. That Mozarts music, of which Salieri speaks reverently as the voice of God, could be created by such an unholy man, is a torment that Salieri cannot abide, and he works to undermine Mozarts success  and his health  only to be riddled by guilt for decades after Mozart dies at the age of 35.

The play opened at the National Theater in London in 1979, directed by Peter Hall, with Paul Scofield as Salieri and Simon Callow as Mozart. The next year, with Ian McKellen and Tim Curry in the leading roles, Mr. Hall staged it on Broadway, where the production won five Tonys and ran for three years. (There was a Broadway revival, also directed by Mr. Hall, with David Suchet as Salieri and Michael Sheen as Mozart, in 1999.)

Amadeus was widely scrutinized for historical accuracy, and scholars later debunked the portrayal of Mozart as a puerile genius poisoned by Salieri. (One Mozart biographer, Robert M. Gutman, who died in May, maintained that Mozart died from illness, possibly rheumatic fever.)
The evolution in how managers view hotel artwork is similar to the shift toward showcasing more local ingredients in hotel restaurants, Mr. Vinh said. In their restaurants, he said, hotels have begun striving to create an environment that is part of the local community, and now thats happening in the general hotel ambience.

Image The Devil Wears Nada by Abby Goodman, at the Renaissance hotel. Credit... Emon Hassan for The New York Times

I think its all part of the same movement to help the guest experience something new, Mr. Vinh said.

For example, the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel opened in March and features works by New York City artists that riff on the hotels garment district location. The artist Andre Woolery created a work consisting of red buttons arranged onto a canvas to create an abstract design, evoking the large sculpture in the district of a needle threading a button.

Other major hotel brands increasingly are making local art a more prominent fixture. When it opened in 2011, the Omni Dallas Hotel was considered an anomaly with its 6,500 pieces of original art, including work by 150 local artists. Two years later, the brand repeated the initiative, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale, when it opened the Omni Nashville Hotel. Now, it plans to do the same with hotels coming in the next two years in Atlanta and Louisville, Ky.

People are really wanting to collect these experiences, said Jonathan Frolich, vice president for global brands at Hyatt Hotels Andaz brand. Theyre looking to be immersed in local culture.
BEIJING  The Chinese finance minister jabbed back on Monday at complaints from his American counterpart that Chinas glut of factories making mountains of steel, aluminum and other products was overwhelming foreign markets and makers.

The finance minister, Lou Jiwei, suggested that foreign officials should curb their complaints about industrial production surpluses because their governments had cheered on Chinas investment spree during the global financial crisis that began in 2008. That spree helped create the production gluts now worrying policy makers in Beijing and, increasingly, around the world.

At that time, the whole world applauded and thanked China, Mr. Lou told a news briefing near the end of a day of annual meetings in Beijing between senior Chinese and American officials. Now theyre saying that China has a production glut that is a drag upon the world. But what did they say at the time?
It thinned its ranks of middle managers at the Izhevsk factory in 2015, and diversified this year by buying companies that make motorboats and surveillance drones. While Kalashnikov does not break out sales receipts from its various divisions, it intends for firearms and clothing to make up about 80 percent of earnings by 2020, with motorboat and drone sales accounting for the rest.

A Kalashnikov-brand clothing line is being unveiled in September, and the company plans to open 60 retail stores in Russia by the end of the year, selling clothes and rifles. It also introduced a marketing campaign, with a new logo  a stylized letter K, with a curved ammunition magazine as one of the arms  and a slogan, Kalashnikov: Real. Reliable.

Kalashnikov is a global brand, Vladimir Dmitriev, the companys chief of marketing, said, likening Kalashnikov to Ferrari or Caterpillar, companies that sell clothing as a sideline to capitalize on brand recognition. We are certainly justified in thinking that clothes and souvenirs with our symbols will be in demand, as much as our primary products.

In Russia, Kalashnikov must navigate a different environment than in the United States.

Russian consumers can buy a long-barreled firearm only with a police permit. Potential buyers must have no criminal record, a diploma from a gun safety course and a medical certificate that clears them of any mental illness. With few exceptions, civilians are not allowed to own pistols.

Kalashnikov is playing to patriotic ideals.

As part of a marketing effort, the company erected a stand festooned with balloons promoting the rifle in Moscows Gorky Park on May 9, Victory Day, the holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The type of display  one associating itself with the Russian government and army  is a contrast to the United States, where antigovernment sentiment is strong among the gun-buying public.

The company is showing signs of improvement.

It says it expects to report a profit of 2.1 billion rubles, or about $33 million, when 2015 results are published this month, compared with a loss of 340 million rubles in 2014. It now sells fewer guns, but makes more money on each.
So how afraid should fashion be? After all, it is a pretty big potential target. Mr. McHale let slip a few clues during a phone interview on Friday before the awards.

How the job came about: I dont know. Its a logical next step after the ESPYs, right? I met Anna Wintour once at the Met Ball in 2015. I got invited because Yahoo was a host and they were streaming a show I was on. I said, Hi, can I come back next year? and she said, It depends how you behave. 

What to expect at the CFDAs: Everyone should be ready. If you dont have a sense of humor about yourself, youre not going to enjoy it. Its a pretty short monologue, so it has to be packed. Im not going to be like, Now I will take this person out for the next two minutes. On the other hand, it would be very strange for me to do a lot of jokes complimenting my subject. I went after [Robert] De Niro at the White House dinner. Of all the people to go after, you go after the national treasure? But he got it. It shows power and maturity. The job is not to be first mean, then funny. Then Ive failed. But if you are pointing out truths, hopefully people laugh.

Pointing out some truths about him and fashion: Its pretty impossible to out-absurd some of the fashion that exists. But I think it gets unfairly made fun of. People care deeply about what they wear, and they spend a lot of money on it. Clothes are certainly something I care about. Like sports. Growing up, it mattered to me very much what I looked like. I always wanted some jeans my parents would not buy me. As soon as I had some money, I went out and bought five pairs of Air Jordan 5s. My wife doesnt buy any clothes for me now, because I am very picky.

What he wears now: When we did The Soup, I was very concerned about what we were wearing; I thought we needed cool suits. When I am not on camera, I wear a lot of workout clothes. I like John Elliott  the clothes are very comfortable, and I can wear them on stage when I am doing standup. A Japanese denim line called Prospective Flow. Public School, Burberry, Zegna. I am wearing David Hart for the CFDAs. They offered a number of designers and he seemed cool, and lived up to his coolness. He made the suit for me, and I was as excited as a six-year-old. My wife is wearing Prabal Gurung.
If youve come to rely on opioids for chronic pain, as a growing proportion of older adults has, you may have noticed that the drugs are becoming more difficult to get.

Something had to be done, surely: More than 165,000 people died from overdoses from 1999 to 2014.

But recent restrictions on access to these painkillers are likely to disproportionately affect the elderly  despite the fact that abuse and misuse of these painkillers have historically been lower among older patients than younger ones.

Older patients are simply more apt to have chronic pain. Some of their doctors are going to get an earful when they suggest different medications or nonpharmacological alternatives, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in new opioid guidelines in March.

Dr. Mary Lynn McPherson, a palliative care specialist and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, told me about a 78-year-old patient with screaming pain from fibromyalgia (which doesnt respond to opioids anyway). Dr. McPherson urged her to undertake significant weight loss and begin regular aquatic therapy and stretching.
Before North Carolina passed its controversial bathroom law, before Caitlyn Jenner transitioned and before Transparent became a hit TV series, a little kid in rural Colorado was told she couldnt use the girls restroom at school anymore.

The story of Coy Mathis, a transgender girl who was born a boy, garnered international attention in 2013 when her parents, Jeremy and Kathryn Mathis, filed a complaint accusing the school district of violating the states anti-discrimination law.

The Mathises went on to win their case, but not before coming under heavy criticism for putting Coy, then a 6-year-old first grader, in front of reporters and camera crews and on television with Katie Couric. Now, theyre poised to be foisted back into the spotlight with the documentary Growing Up Coy, which has its premiere on June 16 in New York at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Directed by Eric Juhola and produced by his husband, Jeremy Stulberg, Growing Up Coy picks up with the Mathis family in early 2013, about six weeks before they went public with their case. Together with their lawyer, the Mathises believed that speaking openly was necessary to sway the public in Coys favor and to help win her case. But, as the documentary shows, the move unleashed a media feeding frenzy that previewed the fights that would roil America in 2016, fraying the couples relationship, drawing excoriations from talking heads and internet trolls, at times alienating their four other children and indelibly etching Coys name into cyberspaces inexhaustible memory bank.
The central message of Mayor Bill de Blasios re-election pitch appeared clear, even early in his administration: After a winning 2013 campaign that deplored the tale of two cities, the mayors bid for a second term would be founded on his mission to create one city for all New Yorkers.

Words of unity adorned banners placed behind Mr. de Blasio at public events and the official names on his agenda: a plan for the citys future titled OneNYC; a policing strategy named One City, Safe and Fair Everywhere; and a nonprofit formed to buttress the mayoral agenda, the Campaign for One New York.

But in recent months, as overlapping investigations have swamped his administration, the notion that Mr. de Blasio has brought about a unified city  a theme that mayoral advisers believed could lure New Yorkers into the fold who voted against him last time  appears to have all but vanished as an argument for his re-election in 2017.

While the one city banners remain, the inquiries into Mr. de Blasio and his aides have sapped much of the mayors ability to court new voters at the moment, some of his advisers believe, especially skeptical whites who have mostly shunned the mayors agenda.
Allure made clear and repeated promises to continue the operation of two nursing homes for the benefit of a vulnerable population  promises that proved to be false, said Matt Mittenthal, a spokesman for the attorney general, referring to Rivington House and a nursing home bought by Allure in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, which were closed within a year of a court petitions being filed. Until we conclude our investigation, we will object to Allure buying additional nursing homes.

In New York, any nonprofit seeking to sell its assets must petition a state court for approval; the attorney general reviews all such requests and can object if there are grounds to do so. The court has the final say.

The attorney generals position appeared to buttress an argument made by Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, soon after the sale of the nursing home came to light in March. The mayor claimed that Allure, a for-profit company, had misled city officials into approving the deed change. Those officials, Mr. de Blasio has said, believed the company would keep the nursing home at the site, a former AIDS hospice at 45 Rivington Street.

Karen Hinton, the top spokeswoman for Mr. de Blasio, said the letters made clear that the Rivington transaction was not an isolated incident, and that the de Blasio administration would cooperate with the investigations until a final determination is made concerning possible fraud against the city.

The letters from the charities bureau were sent to lawyers for the Greater Harlem Nursing Home and lawyers for the SS. Joachim and Anne Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Coney Island; Allure is seeking to buy the centers from the nonprofit organizations that own them. (Allure has been operating the Harlem center under a 2014 receivership agreement with the State Health Department.)
In early 2014, after decades of government and nonprofit work that reflected a passion for public service, Cassandra Butts got a reward  or so she thought. She was nominated by President Obama to be the next United States ambassador to the Bahamas.

It wasnt an especially high-profile gig at the crossroads of the days most urgent issues, but it was a longstanding diplomatic post that needed to be filled, and she had concrete ideas about how best to do the job.

She was very excited, her sister, Deidra Abbott, told me.

The Senate held a hearing about her nomination in May 2014, and then  nothing. Summer came and went. So did fall. A new year arrived. Then another new year after that.

When I met her last month, shed been waiting more than 820 days to be confirmed. She died suddenly two weeks later, still waiting. She was 50 years old.
LONDON  With just days remaining before the referendum on European Union membership, two anxieties are colliding: the fear of job losses if Britain leaves and the fear of high immigration if it remains. News headlines reflect a country that is not at ease with itself, trapped between what a former American secretary of state, Dean Acheson, once described as an imperial past it finds hard to relinquish and a future role it is reluctant to embrace.

Acheson argued that Britains paths to influence in the world, including its special relationship with the United States, were played out. Just one avenue remained: positive engagement with Europe. The only obstacle was British recalcitrance.

So it appears today, even after more than 40 years of European Union membership. The Leave campaign tries to summon a vision of Britain at its patriotic best when it stands alone, a race apart, an island unto itself and fiercely independent of Europe. The pro-European Remain camp would like to talk of a Britain that is outward-looking and at the heart of Europe.

But ministers of the Conservative government, under pressure from the euroskeptics within their partys ranks, find it difficult to break out of negative terrain. For most of the campaign, they have defended European membership merely as the lesser of two evils. At times, this bitter and bad-tempered referendum resembles a battle between those who want us half out of Europe and those who want us fully out.
BALTIMORE  The police officer charged with murder in the death of Freddie Gray chose on Monday to have a bench trial, eliminating a jury from his emotionally charged case and placing the verdict in the hands of the same judge who acquitted another officer two weeks ago.

The officer, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., a veteran of Baltimores police force, was driving the police wagon that Mr. Gray, a 25-year-old black man, was riding in when he suffered the spinal injury that killed him. Mr. Grays death, in April 2015, led to violent protests in the city and became a cornerstone of the nations wrenching debate over the way police officers use force against minorities.

Just over a year ago, the citys top prosecutor, Marilyn J. Mosby, charged six officers in the arrest and death of Mr. Gray  a move that effectively calmed the city but has yet to yield any convictions. The presiding judge, Barry G. Williams, granted each officer a separate trial. The first, of Officer William G. Porter, ended in December with a hung jury and led to months of delays. In the second trial, last month, Officer Edward M. Nero was acquitted by Judge Williams.

Officer Goodson faces the most serious charge  second-degree murder  in Mr. Grays death. His trial, which begins Thursday, will be watched closely in a city where many residents have hoped for a conviction in the case.
An aggressive campaign to recruit graduate students from India to study at Western Kentucky University has ended badly, with more than one-third of the students asked to leave the program after their first semester, a university official said.

The university used international recruiters to find the students, compensating the services based on how many students they enrolled. The outcome, which will force the students to return to India or find placement in another university or program in the United States, illustrates a pitfall of using such recruiters.

James Gary, the chairman of Western Kentuckys computer science program, said on Monday that almost 40 of the students did not meet the requirements of their admissions, even though they were offered remedial help by the university.

While some students will be allowed to remain, Mr. Gary said, at least 25 of the nearly 60 students in the program must leave.
Donald J. Trump expressed surprise on Monday that one of his supporters from the Republican Party, Newt Gingrich, had criticized him for his remarks about the heritage of the federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against the defunct Trump University.

Mr. Trump spoke in an interview with Fox and Friends, a day after Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, denounced the presumptive presidential nominee for calling Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel a Mexican. The judge was born in Indiana to Mexican parents.

Mr. Gingrich called the remarks inexcusable and the biggest mistake Mr. Trump has made.

I saw Newt, I was surprised at Newt, I thought it was inappropriate what he said, Mr. Trump said on the program.

Mr. Trump insisted he was only defending himself from questions from the news media. But Mr. Trump raised the topic of Judge Curiels heritage himself in a rally in San Diego, where the case is being heard.
An Ohio prosecutor said Monday that no charges would be brought against Michelle Gregg, the mother of a 3-year-old boy whose foray into an exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo led to the killing of a gorilla and set off a frenzy of condemnation online.

The Hamilton County prosecutor, Joseph T. Deters, made the announcement at a news conference in Cincinnati after an investigation that relied on the recollections of four witnesses.

She was being attentive to her children by all witness accounts, he said. And the 3-year-old just scampered off.

Ms. Gregg, 32, who was also accompanied on the trip by three of the boys sisters on May 28, had turned her back for a matter of seconds when the child made a beeline for the Gorilla World enclosure, Mr. Deters said.
DAVIS, Calif.  In a rally here last week, 9,000 people came to hear Senator Bernie Sanders speak, some catching a glimpse from a parking garage roof.

In Palo Alto, Calif., some of his 4,000 fans there pitched tents and put up umbrellas for shade from the sweltering sun. The wait to get into his speech in Irvine, Calif., where 6,000 people packed into an amphitheater, stretched to five hours.

One of those waiting was Al Pappalardo, 59, a school psychologist who brought his daughter Alix, 22, along to what he called Mr. Sanderss last stand.

It is like a farewell tour, Mr. Pappalardo said. Shes going to think back and say: I actually participated. I didnt sit back.
Congress returns this week after a Memorial Day break, with lawmakers needing to get busy on a pileup of legislation in a year shortened by the elections and by national political conventions in July.

Republicans are under increasing pressure to come up with a package to fund efforts to combat the spread of the Zika virus and to speed work on a vaccine now that warm weather  and mosquito season  is here.

House Republicans have resisted finding new money for the public health emergency despite a request from the Obama administration for $1.9 billion. The House has approved shifting $622 million and the Senate has allocated $1.1 billion. Negotiations have begun to try to find a compromise and the White House is prepared to point the finger squarely at congressional Republicans if the disease spreads and no federal prevention program has been approved.

Republicans in tough Senate races also want a quick resolution to negotiations on House and Senate bills to combat the nationwide heroin epidemic. Republican incumbents in swing states  particularly Rob Portman in Ohio and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire  have built their re-election messages around the legislation and are eager to declare victory.
No prominent elected Republican came to Mr. Trumps defense unreservedly. And others found themselves wondering aloud what it would take  what Mr. Trump would have to say or do  for Republicans who have endorsed him to start jumping ship.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, another former primary rival of Mr. Trumps, urged Republicans who have backed Mr. Trump to rescind their endorsements, citing the remarks about Judge Curiel and Mr. Trumps expression of doubt on Sunday that a Muslim judge could remain neutral in the same lawsuit, given Mr. Trumps proposed ban on Muslim noncitizens entering the country.

This is the most un-American thing from a politician since Joe McCarthy, Mr. Graham said. If anybody was looking for an off-ramp, this is probably it, he added. Therell come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary.

Republican hopes that Mr. Trump would tone down his language and heed advice were also undercut after he laced into his own campaign team during a strategy discussion with political surrogates.

On the conference call, reported first by the Bloomberg News website and later confirmed by two participants, Mr. Trump argued that talking points sent by his campaign to his allies, directing them not to discuss the Trump University case, were ill advised.

Take that order and throw it the hell out, Mr. Trump said.

He then went further in excoriating his campaign staff: Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks? Mr. Trump said, according to the Bloomberg News report. Thats one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that arent so smart.
Donald J. Trump found himself on the defensive on Sunday over his claims that he had opposed the intervention in Libya and the war in Iraq.

Mr. Trump has described himself in the presidential campaign as an ardent detractor of both interventions, but his critics cite evidence to the contrary.

In an interview on CBSs Face the Nation, the host, John Dickerson, pointed out that Mr. Trump had supported military intervention in Libya and the ouster of its leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, despite the fact he now criticizes Hillary Clinton on both points.

When you say supported it, I supported Libya? Mr. Trump said.

Yes, you supported the intervention in Libya, Mr. Dickerson replied.
WASHINGTON  President Obama, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him, is now ready to aggressively campaign for Hillary Clinton, starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week.

The White House is in active conversations with Mrs. Clintons campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her, according to senior aides to Mr. Obama.

Advisers say the president, who sees a Democratic successor as critical to his legacy, is impatient to begin campaigning. They say he is taking nothing for granted.

I want us to run scared the whole time, Mr. Obama told a group of donors on Friday night in Miami.
NAIROBI, Kenya  By 9 a.m. on Monday, clouds of black smoke blotted out the sky. A mountain of tires burned. Roads were blocked. Young men poured into the streets of a slum in Nairobi, gleefully carrying huge, jagged pieces of concrete.

In Kisumu, a city on Lake Victoria, witnesses said police officers had fired on a crowd. A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition after being shot in the back. A demonstrator was killed.

For the past several weeks, Kenyas opposition leaders have turned Mondays into protest days. Now they are threatening to hold demonstrations twice, and soon four times, a week. Many Kenyans are shaking their heads with a sense of fatigue and dread, saying, Here we go again.

Kenya is a relatively prosperous, developed and politically tolerant African nation. But elections have not been its strong suit. In the past 25 years, almost every presidential race has been marred by violence; the worst one was in 2007-8, when ethnic rivalries cracked open and more than 1,000 people were killed, many in deadly protests.
TOKYO  The United States Navy imposed a drinking ban on its roughly 19,000 personnel in Japan on Monday, ordering them confined to their bases after a sailor who was thought to have been drinking was arrested on the island of Okinawa in connection with a car accident that left two Japanese civilians injured.

The accident on Saturday occurred at a tense time for the United States military in Japan, and especially on Okinawa, a small southern island that is home to about half of the 50,000 American soldiers and sailors stationed in the country.



The American forces on Okinawa were already under curfew after a Marine veteran who was working as a civilian contractor at a base there was arrested last month in connection with the killing of a local woman.

The arrest caused a public outcry and prompted United States commanders to impose a 30-day nighttime curfew on military personnel on the island and to prohibit their drinking in public.


UNITED NATIONS  A year after it received the United Nations Security Councils approval to try to stop human smuggling out of Libya, Europe is seeking the Councils authorization to intercept illegal arms going into Libya.

Speaking to the Council on Monday, the European Unions top foreign policy official, Federica Mogherini, urged members to authorize European naval operations in the Mediterranean Sea to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on the high seas, off the coast of Libya.

That arms embargo, often violated, has been in place since 2011, during the revolt against Libyas longtime ruler, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

The new European request would allow the existing naval effort, known as Operation Sophia, to expand its mandate in international waters, from intercepting migrant boats leaving Libyan territory to intercepting weapons heading in.
BERLIN  President Joachim Gauck of Germany announced on Monday that he would not seek a second five-year term for the largely ceremonial office, a declaration that could create more problems for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The announcement is likely to intensify feuding in Ms. Merkels so-called grand coalition government of center-right and center-left parties, which is suffering from falling popularity ratings and has been particularly divided on the response to the more than one million migrants who arrived in Germany during the past year.

An opinion poll conducted last week for the Bild newspaper showed that the coalitions approval rating had fallen below 50 percent for the first time.

Ms. Merkel is expected to seek a fourth term next year, and the survey found that her conservative bloc would command just 30 percent of the votes if an election were held now, and her Social Democrat partners just 19 percent.
LONDON  The citizens of Draguseni, Romania, were presented with a predicament on Sunday when they had to decide who should lead their village of 2,500: the incumbent mayor, Vasile Cepoi, or one of four challengers  two of whom were also named Vasile Cepoi.

This was not the first time Mr. Cepoi, the mayor, was facing such familiar competition. In fact, electoral records showed that in all three of his successful bids since 2004, he faced at least one other Vasile Cepoi.

Vasile is a very common name in Romania, and Cepoi is a similarly common surname in Draguseni, a municipality in the rural northern region of Bucovina, in the eastern Carpathian Mountains.

Some residents there were confused by the lack of diversity, if not choice, in the mayoral race. A video posted online by the Romanian news channel Antena1 mocked some voters who appeared to have little idea which Mr. Cepoi was which, or what parties the homonymous contenders represented.
KIEV, Ukraine  The text message to Ukraines minister of economy and trade was as unwelcome as it was unexpected. The sender, a stranger, wrote that he wanted to be the new deputy minister.

The minister, Aivaras Abromavicius, a former investment banker from Lithuania, had joined the government amid promises by the new Western-backed leaders to clean up the countrys corrupt economy. Having no need or desire for a deputy, particularly someone he knew nothing about, Mr. Abromavicius tried to brush off the applicant.

We dont have the possibility to create a new position, he wrote back.

I think they will make one, the man replied in another message, this one saved on the phone and released after Mr. Abromavicius resigned, in part over this exchange.

I got this offer from the team of Petro Oleksiyovych, the man wrote, referring to the countrys president, Petro O. Poroshenko. Who specifically? the minister asked.
AMIRIYAT FALLUJA, Iraq  One of the Iraqi civilians who risked an escape from the sprawling battle for Falluja made it as far as the Euphrates River. He was there for all to see on Sunday morning: His body, tied to the side of a boat, bobbed in the muddy waters next to a rickety bridge that separates Baghdad from the violence of Anbar Province.

Sheikh, sheikh, see this man! He drowned, said a young boy, pointing, as he approached the window of a truck that was slowly crossing the bridge, carrying medicine. See, see his body.

The thousands of civilians who managed to flee Falluja and its outskirts and make it to government-controlled areas in recent days faced harrowing journeys, often at night and under fire from Islamic State militants who had been trying to use them as human shields.

Many crossed the wide Euphrates in makeshift boats, and local officials said more than a dozen drowned in the last few days, dying in their own country in the same way that thousands of Syrians and Iraqis have died on the seas trying to reach Europe.
AMMAN, Jordan  Three officers of the Jordanian intelligence service and two other employees of the service were killed on Monday in a Palestinian refugee camp near the capital, Amman, in what the government said was a terrorist attack.

The government has opened an investigation into the assault, which took place around 7 a.m. at an intelligence office in the Baqaa refugee camp, which was set up after the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and is the largest in the country.

The attack, on the first day of the holy month of fasting known as Ramadan, struck in a country that has remained relatively stable despite being surrounded by conflicts.

By attacking this office today, the terrorists want to send a message that they can attack at the heart of security in Jordan, said Hassan Abu Hanieh, a Jordanian expert on Islamist groups.
Mr. Grajewskis wife, Lucia, was born in the Philippines, and he decided that serving longaniza sausage, tocino pork and garlic fried rice would distinguish his diner from others. Lugaw would be his friendly hello.

Many countries can claim some variant of chicken rice soup as an elixir for what-ails-ya. The Philippines has lugaw (also called arroz caldo), a breakfast bowl with viscosity, a high comfort quotient and a flexibility with ingredients.

Lugaw resides in the family of congee, the catchall name for boiled rice porridge that has a version in almost every Asian nation. The accouterments stirred into the bowl are what give congee (called jook in Hong Kong, chao in Vietnam, bubur in Indonesia) its regional identities.
Word spread about what had become of the stolen ones  that they were held in a slave castle on the coast and taken across the sea. Those who remained could not comprehend the evil. The way they treat the slaves in America, James overhears his father say after reading of the brutality in the American South. It is unfathomable. Unfathomable. We do not have slavery like that here. Not like that.

Both branches of the family suffered for centuries. One side endured missing relations, war with the British, eventual colonization. The other: torture and whips, Civil War, chain gangs, lynchings, Jim Crow. And night terrors afflicted the entire line. In antebellum Baltimore, Beulah, Esis great-granddaughter, would wake herself up to the sound of her own screams or shed have scratches along her arms from where shed fought invisible battles. Other days she slept still as death, tears streaming down her face. In West Africa, near the turn of the 19th century, one of Effias descendants dreams of fire shaped like a woman holding two babies to her heart.

The West African chapters are the heart of the book, a deep channeling of multilayered humanity. Gyasi evokes what was lost to those who were sold away  the sense of individual and collective identity, a wealth of rituals and customs theyd be whipped for trying to retain in America. In the mother country, lifes losses and turning points were a time of communal recognition: The death of an Asante king was mourned for 40 days, weeklong puberty rites celebrated a girls first menstrual cycle. Identity and intimacy were bound up in language; a servant girl in mid-20th-century Ghana is shown speaking labored English to her employer, until he tells her to speak their own language. We hear enough English here, he says, and she breaks into Twi with relief. Thus begins one of the books lovelier courtships. But on a slave plantation in Mississippi, Esi tries to teach her young daughter, Ness, their native tongue and is given five lashes for every Twi word the girl speaks. Later, little Ness is sold off without warning or ceremony or permission to grieve.

The American chapters are full of harrowing scenes  gruesome whippings, torture, condemnation to the Alabama coal mines. There is even fear in freedom. In a section in Baltimore, we see the Fugitive Slave Act going into force, exposing any black person in the North to kidnapping and re-enslavement. Beulahs father, who had remembered the days of running through forests and living under floorboards to escape bondage, gathers his children and makes them practice showing their papers to any white person who might demand to see them without any back talk, always silently, in the way that African-American parents today give the talk to their children in preparation for interaction with the police.

In the first, magical half of the novel, Gyasi walks assuredly through the terrain of Alex Haley, Solomon Northup and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her intimate rendering of the human heart battered by the forces of conquest and history. The spell breaks as the narrative moves into the present and begins to be populated by familiar characters and themes: a single mother who finds solace in the church; a man who chooses to pass into the white world; their son, a drug addict whos done jail time. Gyasi seems more interested in broadly exploring American social ills rather than immersing us in the lives of her characters.

More disappointingly, the lyricism and depth of the scenes in West Africa give way to the coarser language and surface descriptions of life in America: West African men are shown courting their women, while, for a 19th-century African-American man: It was the butt that had done it. . . . Hed seen it coming around Strawberry Alley and had followed it four whole blocks. As the characters on the West African side of the family talk of breaking free of colonialism, inspired in part by the gains being made by the civil rights movement, the dialogue on this side of the Atlantic runs more to: We got so many roaches and rats, we got to keep the toothbrushes in the fridge, or a single mother haranguing her son: Yous a hardheaded fool. . . . You need to stop spendin time in jail and start spendin it with your kids. Thats what you need to do. And there is a jarring moment when the last of the West African line, a young girl named Marjorie, immigrates to America with her parents, settling in Huntsville, Ala. (as did Gyasis family). There, she learns that the people who look like her were not the same kind of black that she was. The only African-American student we meet is a girl named Tisha, who ridicules the studious Ghanaian. Why you reading that book? Tisha asks her. When Marjorie stammers that she has to read it for class, Tisha makes fun of her. I have to read it for class, Tisha says, mimicking her accent. You sound like a white girl. It is dispiriting to encounter such a worn-out cliche  that African-Americans are hostile to reading and education  in a work of such beauty.
The 2016 MACY Awards were announced Sunday to a packed house at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Segerstrom Hall. The MACY judges attend shows at schools throughout Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties.

The top musical award, known as The MACY Award, went to La Habra High Schools The Pajama Game.

Adrian Villegas, who played Stone in the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts production of City of Angels, was named best actor. Amanda Dayhoff, who played Fiona in the Orange Lutheran High School production of Shrek, was named best actress.

Villegas and Dayhoff are invited to New York to represent the MACYs in the 8th annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmys, which recognize high school musical talent nationwide. They join about 60 students from around the country for a week of workshops with Broadway professionals and a final- night performance on the Minskoff stage, home of the Broadway production of The Lion King.

In four of the past seven years, students from Orange County have won the top award at the Jimmys. Anthony Skillman of Orange Lutheran won last year. And from Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, Sarah Lynn Marion won in 2013, Elizabeth Romero won in 2012, and Kyle Selig won in 2010.

The MACY Awards, an acronym for Music and Arts Commendation for Youth, began in 1969 when high school principal John Childress and his wife, Lee, wanted to recognize students. John Childress died in 2004, and Lee Childress carried on the awards until her death in 2013.

Here is a list of some of the winners:

PRODUCTION AWARDS

THE MACY AWARD: La Habra High School, The Pajama Game

SPIRIT OF THE MACY: Fullerton Union High School, Sweeney Todd; Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, Pippin; La Habra, Beauty and the Beast and The Pajama Game; Mater Dei High School, Mary Poppins; Northwood High School, The Drowsy Chaperone; Orange County School of the Arts, Crazy for You and Urinetown; San Clemente High School, The Addams Family; St. Margarets Episcopal School, The Secret Garden

CLASSIC MASTERPIECE: El Rancho High School, Flower Drum Song

COMEDIA DEL ARTE: Tri-School Theatre, The Addams Family

CURTAIN RISER: Aliso Niguel High School, Oklahoma!

LIMELIGHT AWARD: Laguna Beach High School, Once Upon a Mattress

LITERATURE BROUGHT TO LIFE: El Dorado High School, Children of Eden

MAGICAL JOURNEY: Orange Lutheran High School, Shrek

SHOW OF SHOWS: Carlsbad High School, Cinderella

STARLIGHT AWARD: Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Guys and Dolls

TEATRO DEL ARTE: Rancho Buena Vista High School, Seussical

THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE: Anaheim High School, The King and I

ORCHESTRA OF THE YEAR: Mission Viejo High School, Sweet Charity

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: OCSA, Urinetown

BEST OVERALL TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE: Huntington Beach APA, City of Angels

BEST STUDENT TECH AND SET CREW: Anaheim, The King and I

BEST STUDENT SET DESIGN AND SCENIC ARTWORK: Santa Ana High School, Seussical

BEST ENSEMBLE: San Clemente, The Addams Family

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT WINNERS

BEST ACTOR: Adrian Villegas, Huntington Beach APA, City of Angels

BEST ACTRESS: Amanda Dayhoff, Orange Lutheran, Shrek

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Patrick Gray, La Habra, The Pajama Game

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Emily Taylor, La Habra, The Pajama Game

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR: Xander Pietenpol, El Dorado High School, Children of Eden

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS: Alexia Rosa, Anaheim, The King and I

BEST COMEDIAN: Bryce Satterfield, La Habra, Beauty and the Beast

BEST COMEDIENNE: Alison Pateros, Carlsbad, Cinderella

BEST VOCAL MALE: Alec Melosini, Santa Margarita Catholic, Guys and Dolls

BEST VOCAL FEMALE: Katherine Parrish, St. Margarets, The Secret Garden

BEST DANCER MALE: Oliver Rodriguez, Anaheim, The King and I

BEST DANCER FEMALE: Camryn Graves, Aliso Niguel High School, Oklahoma!

BEST STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHY: Katherine Paladichuk, Northwood, The Drowsy Chaperone

BEST STUDENT STAGE MANAGER: Vanessa Galvan, Anaheim, The King and I

BEST STUDENT LIGHTING DESIGN: Katya Beener, Patrick Lines, Fullerton Union, Sweeney Todd

BEST STUDENT ANIMATIONS AND PROJECTION ARTWORK: Shelby Nicholas, St. Margarets, The Secret Garden

BEST STUDENT MAKEUP: Sabrina Swathout, Julia Becker, San Clemente, The Addams Family
SUNSET BEACH  The sharks are back.

Five hours after Sunset Beach was reopened because it appeared that the sharks that prompted a Sunday afternoon closure had left, officials spotted more.

Two 12-foot-long sharks and a third about 10 feet were peacefully swimming 50 yards off the coast when spotted at 3:45 p.m. Monday from a Huntington Beach police helicopter. The sharks were joined with a few smaller ones, about 7-feet to 8-feet long.

So, like the day before, the water was cleared of swimmers and waders for the mile-plus of coastline.

It looks like a repeat, said Lt. Claude Panis, a marine safety lieutenant for the citys Fire Department.

The decision to close and reopen beaches doesnt come lightly. In recent years, marine and lifeguard officials have developed protocol for what to do when sharks are seen in the water.

We look at several factors, Panis said. It depends on what happened in the sighting, if there was any aggressive behavior or the location.

They also consider how close a shark is to the beach and how big the shark is.

Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, says he provides his expertise to lifeguard and marine safety operations from San Diego to Santa Barbara to help continually develop shark protocol.

Much of what he provides is education on shark behavior and their movement. His knowledge started coming in handy more frequently about two years ago, when it seemed that the sightings increased significantly, an increase often attributed in part to climate change.

Its really a different ocean now, Lowe said.

Mike Halphide, a Newport Beach lifeguard battalion chief, remembers the days when sightings were rare.

One time there was a shark off Balboa in the late 80s and thats it, said Halphide, a 31-year department veteran.

Just two years ago, Halphide said, the idea of a shark policy would have prompted him to roll his eyes.

Now throughout Orange County, with other lifeguard chiefs, weve developed a fairly uniform response to shark incidents, he added.

Many of the responses go like Sundays at Sunset Beach.

Officials received word of the sighting about 2 p.m. off Anderson Street near Sunset Beachs Tower 26 and moved to clear the water, post warning signs and close the beach for at least four hours.

When they post signs on the beach, its a really important public education message, Lowe said. They arent saying Oh my god, its dangerous out there. Youll be attacked. The whole point is to remind people that sharks are part of our beaches. Twenty years ago, people would never have expected to see a shark.

Although, sometimes attacks do happen.

Last week, 150 yards off of the coast of Corona del Mar, a woman was bitten by a shark.

Authorities usually reopen waters within a day or less if they dont see any more sharks, monitoring usually from boats or helicopters. Because the Sunset Beach sharks were big, and spotted 90 minutes later again on Sunday, officials waited overnight to reopen that beach, before closing it again Monday after another spotting.

Sometimes tension strikes after shark sightings, pitting beach-goers against authorities.

We cant please everybody, Panis said. Some people think we can be more aggressive (about monitoring for sharks) and then others ask us why were closing the beach since sharks live in the water. Others want to surf, so theyre not happy about the closure.
Marie Callenders wholesale pie business started in Long Beach, but its roots as a restaurant and go-to bakery for holiday desserts were in Orange.

Don Callender, son of the well-known piemaker, opened the first Marie Callenders coffee and pie shop in Orange on North Tustin Street in 1964. Over the weekend, locals dropping in for dessert saw the restaurants marquee name covered.

A note on the door said the restaurant, at 574 N. Tustin St., has closed due to the end of our lease.

Thank you for all the love and support. We are very thankful to have shared many meals (& pies), holidays, and memories with you, the note stated.

A spokeswoman for Perkins & Marie Callenders, the Tennessee parent company of Marie Callenders, said the restaurant closed May 31.

I do not have any additional specifics on the closure other than the fact that it was a lease expiration, Vivian Brooks said in an email.

Reached Monday, franchisee David Sun said it was a tough decision to close.

Over the years, our business has been declining, which resulted with the closing of Marie Callenders, he said in statement about the Tustin Street location.

He said he was proud to have owned the original restaurant for 12 years. He also operates the Marie Callenders on Grand Avenue in Santa Ana.

I feel so sad. That was a part of my life, he said.

The closure of the restaurant comes as family-style restaurants have struggled to compete with fast-casual concepts, a style of dining that offers made-to-order meals without table service.

Over the years, Mission Viejo-based Marie Callenders has diminished its presence in Southern California. In 1998, the chain had 156 restaurants; it now operates 61.

In 2015, Marie Callenders domestic sales dropped 3.5 percent to $148.2 million, according to Technomic, a Chicago-based market research firm. From 2014 to 2015, the number of locations dropped 8.1 percent to 68, Technomic said.

Marie Callender started her home-based bakery in the late 1940s. With the help of her husband, Cal, who did the books, and son Don, she sold the family car for $700 and moved her wholesale baking operations into a World War II Quonset hut stocked with a small oven, refrigerator and rolling pins.

Don Callender is credited with turning his mothers home-based bakery business into a restaurant and pie dynasty in Southern California. He opened the Tustin Street location in 1964. Other stores in Anaheim and La Habra soon followed.

Having grown the chain to its full potential, Don sold the business in 1986 to Ramada Inc. for about $76 million in cash and stock. The chain has had several owners since.

In 2006, Marie Callenders merged with Perkins Family Restaurants in a stock-for-stock transaction that combined two of the nations best-known bakery-cafe chains. Marie Callenders at that time had 138 locations.

In 2011, the combined Perkins & Marie Callenders company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The restructuring prompted 31 Marie Callenders in eight states to close.
TUSTIN  The name on the sign said Heavenly Chili, but Pastor Matt Montgomery admitted it was decidedly devilish.

Volunteers from Praise Chapel Tustin ladled cup after cup of black bean chili that packed a spicy punch Sunday, much to the delight of eager eaters.

Some years its spicy, some years its not, Montgomery said. Either way, its heavenly to us.

Making chili becomes an act of faith once a year for groups like Montgomerys at Tustins Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off. Of the 46 teams competing in the 32nd annual chili cook-off, five of them represented faith-based organizations, all of them taking different approaches to the venerable combination of meat, vegetables and spices.

For the past six years, Praise Chapel has held its own chili competition among its parish before the city-wide event takes place, and the winners recipe becomes the churchs entrant, Montgomery said.

With a different winner every year, theres little continuity with recipes for Praise Chapel, Montgomery said, but the cook-off never fails to bring the church community together.

The chili cook-off brings us together year in and year out, Montgomery said. There isnt much continuity with our chili recipe, but there is continuity with our family and team spirit.

Meanwhile, the Tustin council of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic mens service organization, serves a chili whose recipe allegedly dates back to the time of Pancho Villa.

Longtime Knights of Columbus member Fred Martinez has been serving his familys secret recipe for the past eight years. He said it was developed in Pueblo, Mexico, and had been served by his great grandfather to Pancho Villas army during the Mexican Revolution.

Martinezs meatless Five Hail Mary chili is also a spicy one, centered around pinto beans and a combination of chili peppers.

This recipe comes from a time when my family didnt have much, but they had beans and chilis, Martinez said.

Red Hill Lutheran Church started with a chili recipe 13 years ago offered by a church member, and over the years the recipe has evolved as need grew for greater quantities, said volunteer Joel Feeser.

This years 50-gallon batch of chili included smoked beef brisket instead of ground beef. The churchs medium-spice chili was filled with tender shreds of the brisket.

It takes a huge group of people, at least 30, to make this all happen, Feeser said. But it brings us all closer together, and we get to raise money for great causes.

Each individual cup of chili cost $1, and this years beneficiaries are the Tustin High School Model United Nations program and the Assistance League of Tustin. Every year, the city selects different beneficiaries for the event.

While most of the faith-based groups dont come in with expectations of winning awards, the team from St. Cecilias Catholic School in Tustin aims to win, said parent and school board President Benny Saputo.

The school won first place in the peoples choice category in 2013 and third place in 2015 with the same chili recipe  one that features ground beef, fresh vegetables and mild heat. Saputo said the student volunteers benefit from being exposed to competition.

Adversity helps make you stronger, Saputo said. And even if we dont win, the kids still have a good time.

Contact the writer: 949-667-1933, cyee@ocregister.com and @ChrisMYee on Twitter
OXNARD  Most of Albert Maganas friends are evenly split between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, but you wouldnt know it by looking at his social-media feed.

The lopsided public support for Sanders has taken a toll: He noticed that a few friends have gone over to the other side and now support Sanders over Clinton.

On social networks, you see a lot more Bernie support, said Magana, 26, who supports Clinton. A lot of the social networking posts reinforce this idea that shes not trustworthy. They think shes hiding something.

By supporting Clinton, Magana, who is Latino, feels like he is swimming against the tide. Just as young voters in general have overwhelmingly flocked to Sanders, younger Latinos have also expressed more of a willingness to back the senator from Vermont, even while their parents lean toward Clinton.

In a state like California, that trend is an acute problem for Clinton. The states 15 million Latinos are about a third of the Democratic electorate, and they are much more likely than any other minority group to be younger  prime targets for Sanderss message. The median age for Latinos is 27, compared with 34 for blacks and 43 for whites, according to the Census bureau.

It also foreshadows a weakness that could haunt her in the general election when Clinton will probably need to mobilize the growing Democratic constituency to help her defeat the presumptive Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump.

Clinton has spent most of her time campaigning in California without mentioning Sanders, but that has begun to change in recent days as the race has gotten closer.

Several recent polls show Sanders within two points of Clinton. In response to the growing pressure, Clinton has returned to critiquing Sanders over his past opposition to immigration reform legislation.

It is true we got close to immigration reform, Clinton said in Los Angeles, recalling a 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill that failed when she, Sanders and President Barack Obama were in the Senate. President Obama and I voted for it, and Sen. Sanders voted against it.

It was heartbreaking, she added, referring to the bills failure.

Sanders has explained the vote by saying he voted against the legislation because it did not sufficiently protect farmworkers.

But her allies also think that younger Latinos are not fully aware of Clintons past work on immigration issues, including registering voters in Texas, working with the families of farmworkers as a teen and advocating for immigration reform legislation in the Senate.

Immigration is at the center of this presidential campaign, Clinton said at Mission College as she sat at a lunchroom table sandwiched between two undocumented DREAMers. This is very personal to me.

Quietly, she began weaving a story of how she grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and through her church, volunteered to babysit the children of Latino migrant workers.

At the end of the day, a ramshackle bus carrying the workers would fly down a dirt road, and the children would run out to greet their parents.

I remember so vividly watching that and thinking, theyre just like our family, Clinton said. I used to run and see my father when he came home from work. I know what that feels like.

I never forgot that, Clinton added, wistfully.

Her campaign believes that the key to making inroads with Latino voters is in closing this information gap.

Its more just a matter of letting folks know her history, said California Rep. Xavier Becerra, a Clinton supporter. I remember going to speak at UCLA, and I mentioned shes been doing this for the longest time; they couldnt remember.

For them, these are all new things, he added.

With only three days left before the primary, Clinton is hustling to do as much outreach to Californias diverse electorate as possible. The immigration-focused event at Mission College targeted a community college campus that enrolls more than 1,200 undocumented students and is located in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Sylmar.

At the same time, Clinton has already begun a pivot to the general election, expecting that by Tuesday, she will win the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination. She probably wont need Californias delegates to do it, but a win here would be a symbolically important moment as she closes out the primary and looks toward the general election

Californias primary is also a moment in the campaign that would expose her weaknesses or show her strength with Latinos, a key group in the Democrats presidential coalition.

In recent days, Clinton has sharpened her argument to Latinos about the prospect of a Trump presidency. She warned that his proposal to deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants would necessitate massive deportation raids. And she seized on his criticism of a federal judge, Gonzalo Curiel, who will preside over a fraud case against Trump University, and whom Trump accused of bias because of his Mexican heritage.

Hes trying to distract people by making a prejudiced, bigoted attack on the federal judge who is hearing the case, Clinton said. Judge Curiel is as much of an American as I am, and hes as much of an American as Donald Trump is.

The searing critique of Trump that she delivered in a speech in San Diego is also a source of hope for some of her supporters.

Most of Leslie Milkes students at Mission College are Sanders supporters, because his tone is interesting to them, she said.

Clinton, on the other hand, comes across as a politician, Milke said.

That changed Thursday, according to Milke, who said she was energized by Clintons energetic and relaxed verbal confrontation with Trump.

Thats what she should be doing, Milke, 57, said. She was much more relaxed. She was free.

It was like the switch had gone off with her, she added.

The speech was both a warning shot to Republicans and a signal to Democrats in the primaries remaining that Clinton is up for the task of challenging Trump, added Becerra.

Everywhere Im going to go, Im going to tell young people to watch that speech, Becerra said. People want someone whos going to fight for them. Young people want someone who they can believe in.

It clears the deck and makes it obvious that we have a one-on-one race now, he added.
An emotional Roger Clinton is consoled by Darlene Woodall, holding his hand, as he sits in the seat his mother occupied in the 1992 convention, during the evening session of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1996. Roger Clinton is seated between George Frazier, right, and Jean Hervey, left, from Plumerville, Ark.
You can feel the buzz as soon as you walk into Fashion Islands Sushi Roku.

The year-old restaurant is a magnet, cutting-edge yet classy, and it appeals to many different kinds of diners.

Sushi Roku is one of several restaurants conceived and developed by Los Angeles-based Innovative Dining Group, with sister restaurants in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Las Vegas and Scottsdale. IDG has also created memorable single-concept restaurants that serve a variety of cuisines: Japanese, Italian, contemporary Californian, Hong Kong. They all share a distinctive visual flair  the companys most recognizable calling card.

The Fashion Island Sushi Roku represents a departure for his company, according to IDG co-founder Philip Cummins.

Historically, a lot of our Japanese restaurants have looked very Japanese. The original Sushi Roku, which we opened in L.A. back in 1997, felt like it was right out of a Japanese movie. But as times change, design elements change.

For Orange County, Cummins wanted a more laid-back and family-friendly look. We decided to alter the palate a bit  a more whimsical interpretation of a Japanese restaurant.

An example of that touch of humor can be seen atop a room divider in the middle of the restaurant, where several huge bonsai trees are perched in large planters.

Those trees are oversized, Cummins said. You couldnt actually grow them that large. It says, This is a Japanese restaurant, but its a little tongue in cheek.

The dining area is distinguished by wide-plank wood floors and comfortable, generously proportioned white chairs with seats that lean forward slightly. That touch was Cummins idea. People dont realize that when youre eating, youre leaning forward a bit.

Putting diners at ease means making the room warm and inviting, Cummins said. There are a lot of natural wood tones. And then the back walls of the sushi bar are a beautiful ceramic porcelain tile thats actually made in Japan.

Cummins spotted the tiles eight years ago in a Miami showroom. He bought them even though he had no immediate plans to use them. Theyve just been sitting here in my office, waiting for a proper home.

The tiles exemplify the adaptability Cummins was looking for in the restaurant. At night they light up warmly and make everyone look and feel beautiful, but at noon on a Sunday (the bar) has a completely different yet comfortable feel to it.

Cummins adheres to certain Japanese design and building traditions. Wood surfaces arent painted or stained. All of our wood is finished just with natural oil  no polyurethane or modern finishes.

Another Japanese touch: The room is almost totally devoid of art. The only exception is a large, backlit panel with an image of a cherry tree. A commissioned work by a prominent Los Angeles artist, its reminiscent of a Japanese screen.

We didnt want to go too traditional with that, but trying to find an artist who could give us a modern touch wasnt easy, Cummins said. We went though eight or 10 test panels before we got that happy balance of modern and whimsical.

While Cummins is an admirer of showy restaurants designed with a huge wow factor, that isnt what hes after for his companys creations.

Our restaurants cant feel too design-y or hip or cool, because I dont want them to look too of the moment. They have to feel trendy yet timeless. I like to call the look timelessly fashionable. You know, there are certain women who every year collect a couple of piece of clothing that they know will be able to stand the test of time, coordinate with their wardrobe, and look just as good a decade from now. Thats what Im after. Were signing 20-year leases, and I dont want to have to redo the interiors every few years.

And I never want our places to look like I hired a Hollywood set designer. There has to be a crucial element of comfort and casualness and a feeling of home  thats what keeps people coming back.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
BERLIN  You know times have changed when the Germans announce they are expanding their army for the first time in 25 years  and no one objects.

Back when the Berlin Wall fell, Britain and France in particular feared the re-emergence of a German colossus in Europe. By contrast, Berlins pledge this month to add almost 7,000 soldiers to its military by 2023, and an earlier announcement to spend up to 130 billion euros, about $148 billion, on new equipment by 2030 were warmly welcomed by NATO allies.

It has taken decades since the horrors of World War II, but Berlins modern-day allies and, it seems, German leaders themselves, are finally growing more comfortable with the notion that Germanys role as the European Unions de facto leader requires a military dimension.

Perhaps none too soon. The United States and others  including many of Germanys own defense experts  want Germany to do even more for continental security and to broaden existing deployments overseas.

President Barack Obama expressed frustration in an interview this year that the United States European and Persian Gulf allies were acting too often as free riders. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been even more scathing in his remarks, threatening to pull out of NATO altogether if he were to be elected.

As a July NATO summit in Warsaw approaches, Germany, Europes largest economy, is now key to how the alliance will face the twin perils that have transformed the strategic situation in Europe: a more menacing Russia and the Islamic States expansion beyond individual acts of terrorism like executions to seizing swaths of territory.

In Europe, where NATOs easternmost members, particularly Poland and the Baltic States, have clamored for permanent deployment of Allied troops to deter Russian meddling, Germany looks set to take command of a brigade in Lithuania, joining Britain and the United States in leading the effort to marshal a robust presence on Russias borders.

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, Berlin also is playing a part in NATO programs to pool individual resources of member states for greater collective security. Defense experts hold up increased German-Dutch cooperation as a model.

The path to even a semblance of collective European defense is littered with unmet promises of better cooperation: for example, the quarter-century-old Franco-German brigade which remains mostly a paper tiger, and the ongoing scramble before the Warsaw summit to find a fourth country to command a unit in the new NATO deployment in Eastern Europe. Britain and France, both nuclear powers, continue to set their own priorities.

But whether on its own or with others, Germany is showing signs of growing more comfortable with embracing a bigger military role, a gradual but distinct shift away from an instinctive pacifism that took hold starting in 1945, and a post-Cold War tendency to shrink the nations military.

The shift started becoming publicly apparent in 2014, when Germanys president, foreign and defense ministers all urged an increased global security role for the country at the annual Munich Security Conference. Weeks later, Russias leader, President Vladimir Putin, annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

Since then, Germany has responded by helping to build a NATO rapid response force in Eastern Europe, leading the diplomacy efforts in Ukraine and training and arming Kurdish peshmerga battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Now, a new government strategy document, the first such White Book in 10 years, is being prepared and is likely both to bolster Germanys role on the world stage  beyond its traditional sphere of activity in Europe  and talk explicitly of military contribution.

How far this thinking has spread outside the political and military elite is open to question. Polling shows that the general public is not very comfortable with the military dimension, said Sylke Tempel, editor of International Policy, the magazine of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

The policymaking elite, on other hand, know that strategic thinking includes the notion that you have to build a force in order to be taken seriously, and that you have to spend on this dimension, Tempel said.

Germany is not moving fast enough for defense experts such as Hans-Peter Bartels, the parliamentary commissioner for the military, or Karl-Heinz Kamp, the president of the governments Federal Academy for Security Policy.

Germany should grow its military as quickly as possible, as much as possible, said Bartels, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party. Despite the announced expansion, he noted, military spending is in danger of sinking to 1.08 percent of Germanys gross domestic product, which he said would be its lowest ever  and well below the 2 percent NATO member states committed to spend at the alliances last summit in Wales in 2014.

Kamp was more upbeat about German and NATO efforts, particularly the plans for meeting any Russian challenge on the alliances eastern borders.

We are almost at permanent presence, almost, Kamp said. More is being decided than Putin could ever have imagined.

The major danger he sees for these plans is the fact that we have these anti-establishment movements on both sides of the Atlantic  we have the Alternative for Germany, we have the National Front in France and in the U.S.A. we have Trump.

In German politics, the post of defense minister has traditionally proved difficult. The job is prestigious, but plagued by difficulties in securing finances and suitable, modern equipment.

Neither the defense minister nor the chancellor is commander in chief of the army  another legacy of post-Nazi efforts to constrain Germany. Control of the army belongs to the Parliament, and any military expense or deployment is subject to its approval.

Further, demographic decline and the lure of good civilian jobs in Germanys robust economy have made it difficult to recruit an all-volunteer force.

Thomas Wiegold, an expert on defense affairs, noted that regular troop strength  around 166,000 in April  already lags the current target of 170,000 and asked whether the defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, could reach that level and then keep her pledge of more soldiers by 2023.

The political message is that after decades of shrinking, we want to grow, Wiegold said. But how that translates practically, nobody yet knows.
BAGHDAD  In March, a senior commander with the Islamic State group was driving through northern Syria on orders to lead militants in the fighting there when a drone blasted his vehicle to oblivion.

The killing of Abu Hayjaa al-Tunsi, a Tunisian jihadi, sparked a panicked hunt within the groups ranks for spies who could have tipped off the U.S-led coalition about his closely guarded movements. By the time it was over, the group would kill 38 of its own members on suspicion of acting as informants.

They were among dozens of IS members killed by their own leadership in recent months in a vicious purge after a string of airstrikes killed prominent figures. Others have disappeared into prisons and still more have fled, fearing they could be next as the jihadi group turns on itself in the hunt for moles, according to Syrian opposition activists, Kurdish militia commanders, several Iraqi intelligence officials and an informant for the Iraqi government who worked within IS ranks.

The fear of informants has fueled paranoia among the militants ranks. A mobile phone or internet connection can raise suspicions. As a warning to others, IS has displayed the bodies of some suspected spies in public  or used particularly gruesome methods, including reportedly dropping some into a vat of acid.

IS commanders dont dare come from Iraq to Syria because they are being liquidated by airstrikes, said Bebars al-Talawy, an opposition activist in Syria who monitors the jihadi group.

Over the past months, American officials have said that the U.S. has killed a string of top commanders from the group, including its minister of war Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Haji Iman, Abu Alaa al-Afari or Abu Ali Al-Anbari.

In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the biggest city held by IS across its caliphate stretching across Syria and Iraq, a succession of militants who held the post of wali, or governor, in the province have died in airstrikes. As a result, those appointed to governor posts have asked not to be identified and they limit their movements, the Iraqi informant told The Associated Press. Iraqi intelligence officials allowed the AP to speak by phone with the informant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his life.

The purge comes at a time when IS has lost ground in both Syria and Iraq. An Iraqi government offensive recaptured the western city of Ramadi from IS earlier this year, and another mission is underway to retake the nearby city of Fallujah.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said some IS fighters began feeding information to the coalition about targets and movements of the groups officials because they needed money after the extremist group sharply reduced salaries in the wake of coalition and Russian airstrikes on IS-held oil facilities earlier this year. The damage and the loss of important IS-held supply routes into Turkey have reportedly hurt the groups financing.
WASHINGTON  It has been eight years since Congress passed a law requiring health insurers to provide Americans suffering from mental illness or substance abuse disorders with coverage for treatment thats comparable to what they would get if they were physically sick.

So far, that promise has largely not been met, many mental health advocates say. And, at a time the nation is facing an addiction epidemic, millions of people who suffer from mental illness or addiction are not getting the treatment they need as a result.

Most people with drug and alcohol addiction and mental health illnesses are still having problems with getting treatment, and if they get treatment, it is often out-of-pocket, said Alice Dembner, project director for substance use disorders at Community Catalyst, a national nonprofit that promotes access to health care for all. Frankly, its appalling.

There are many reasons why group health plans, health insurance companies and even state-run Medicaid programs are not complying with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, not the least of which is many states arent enforcing parity in coverage and treatment.

Many state insurance commissioners and Medicaid agencies have been overburdened in implementing the Affordable Care Act over the last few years and have not focused on enforcing parity, advocates such as Dembner say.

But the federal government shares in the blame, too. Washington didnt implement rules on parity for private insurers until January 2014. Only in March 2016 did it release rules for federal- and state-funded Medicaid plans, which cover about 72 million low-income Americans.

As a result, Dembner and other mental health advocates say, Medicaid agencies have done a poor job in ensuring recipients are getting care for their mental illnesses and addictions. And that could continue.

The new (federal) regulations dont go into effect for another 18 months, so unfortunately Medicaid enrollees with substance use disorders and mental illness are likely to continue to suffer from discriminatory practices for far too long, Dembner said.

As many as 22 million people have some kind of substance use disorder, but only 1 in 10 goes to a treatment center, according to the most recent survey by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. And the nations opioid and heroin epidemic continues to worsen. Every day, more than 70 Americans die from overdoses.

In 2014, 43.6 million American adults had a mental illness, according to SAMHSA; fewer than half received mental health care.

The public is largely uninformed about its rights as patients to receive benefits, such as equal copayments, deductibles and office visits, for the treatment of mental illness and addiction comparable to what their health insurance provides for physical illness.

Recognizing the problems, President Barack Obama in March announced creation of a federal task force to investigate what is stalling parity and how to fix it so that the law is actually enforced, that the concept is not just a phrase  an empty phrase.

Not every state is failing to enforce the parity law. Several are taking steps to ensure private insurance carriers comply, and taking action if they dont.

In California, for example, the Department of Managed Health Care levied a $4 million fine against Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in part for parity violations in 2013. The following year, it fined Health Net of California $300,000, also for parity.

In New York, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, has gone after a handful of insurers for parity violations; he has achieved several high-profile settlements that included fines and orders of restitution. Vermont also has imposed fines, and classified certain behavioral health and drug treatments as primary mental health care rather than specialized care, which means lower copayments for patients.

In New Hampshire, the Department of Insurance announced in November that it was undertaking a review of how carriers handle claims related to substance abuse to determine if they complied with parity requirements.

Louisiana, Oregon and Washington state have issued guidelines to carriers on how to comply with the parity law. And in 2014, to ensure parity compliance, Connecticut began random audits of how carriers handle the claims, according to the state insurance commissioner, Katharine Wade.

The goal of the parity law is simple: to ensure mental health benefits are on par with physical health benefits, which has not been the case with most health insurance coverage.

And ensuring patients who receive mental health or substance abuse treatment are charged the same out-of-pocket copays and deductibles as those who receive medical or surgical services is fairly straightforward.

Tim Clement, a policy director at Parity Track, an organization that follows enforcement, said most health plans have done a good job of achieving parity by those measures.

But Clement and other mental health advocates say that enforcing other aspects of parity are more complex, particularly for state insurance regulators overwhelmed with implementing the Affordable Care Act.

For example, he said, do mental health patients encounter more requirements for prior authorizations  approvals from an insurer for certain treatment or medication  than other patients?

And do insurance carriers require more medical necessity reviews for continuing care, such as residential treatment, for mental health patients?

Mental health patients face more of these types of requirements and restrictions, Clement says.

Insurers also are required to have an adequate number of providers in their networks for patients with behavioral health care needs, just as they have providers available to treat physical ailments.

But many insurers list mental health providers in their networks who have moved away, dropped out of the network or retired, according to Sita Diehl, director of state policy and advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. These are often called ghost or phantom networks.

In its defense, the insurance industry points out that there is a national shortage of mental health care providers; the industry also says that many refuse to join network plans.

But Diehl said insurers dont help matters by keeping reimbursements to mental health providers low and imposing red tape, such as frequent justifications for their treatment.

Regulators, advocates and the insurance industry agree that another problem in enforcing parity is the difficulty in comparing services offered in behavioral health with those in physical health.

How, for example, can you compare the treatment of chronic mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, to physical diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure?

Clare Krusing, a spokeswoman for Americas Health Insurance Plans, the trade group that represents health insurance carriers, said parity should not be measured by trying to identify and provide comparable, but often mismatched services.

Instead, parity should offer the right care in the right setting and at the right time, whether patients need mental or physical health services, she said.

For example, a patient with diabetes and one with depression have different treatment plans and clinical goals, she said; their outcomes cannot be measured in the same ways.

When youre comparing two treatment plans for two drastically different conditions, thats comparing apples and oranges, Krusing said. Thats why parity cant come down to a simple math formula.
Located on the island of Java, Jakarta is anything but relaxing. The capital and largest city in Indonesia, its a chaotic metropolis with millions of people and, it seems, even more cars and motorbikes. Maybe thats why its not seen as an Indonesian tourist destination like hotspots Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands.

Now, however, a portion of the bustling capital is getting new attention and appreciation thanks to its history and culture. Jakartas Kota Tua, literally Old Town, is undergoing a revitalization effort and bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The area is the northernmost district of the city, according to Frances Affandy, a consultant preparing the documentation for the World Heritage Site effort. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the area was known as Batavia and was a wealthy part of the trade network run by the Dutch East India Co. The entire world shopped with Batavia in some way, buying spices, tea, coffee, silk, ceramics and other goods, Affandy said.

With the trade came traders from all around the hemisphere who formed communities inside and outside the city walls of Batavia, Affandy said. Descendents of these communities intermarried and wedded their traditions with local practices  still in evidence today in Jakartas cuisine, furniture technology, music, arts, literature, language, religion, rituals and architecture.

Kota Tua is one of the citys few authentic destinations for foreign visitors, said Diana Ang, an architect who helped create the Creative Public Spaces program, which seeks to enliven these areas through creative industries. Kota Tua is the perfect place to understand the history of Jakarta, as many main historical events happen within the area, she said.

Today, the quarters main plaza, Fatahillah Square, is swarming with local and foreign tourists. The first thing youll notice are hordes of cyclists circling about on Dutch-era bicycles. They often wear matching sun hats and when they stop, snap photos using selfie sticks.

Several museums surround the square, including the Wayang Museum, or Shadow Puppet Museum, filled with the three-dimensional Javanese puppets. The museum contains various collections of them in different sizes and shapes, with information about theatrical performances.

There are also puppets from other Southeast Asian countries. UNESCO has designated Wayang as a part of Indonesias cultural history and stresses its preservation.

The buildings themselves are living history. The museum occupies the site of a church dating from 1640 and destroyed by an earthquake in the 1800s. The current building was constructed in 1912.

The Jakarta History Museum has also been repurposed. It served as the city hall of Batavia from 1710 to 1913. Full of old wooden furniture, the interior lacks some imagination. But the surrounding grounds are far more interesting. Visitors can explore basement prison cells and a courtyard at the back of the museum that offers a little respite from the crowds.

Afterward, its fun to head over to Cafe Batavia, a buzzing, two-story restaurant and bar with spectacular views of the square. Its the second-oldest building in central Jakarta, with walls filled with photographs and other historical elements. Grab a cocktail, kick back and enjoy the people-watching.

Contact the writer: Kristi Eaton is a Jakarta-based freelance writer and communications specialist. Visit her website at KristiEaton.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @KristiEaton.
JERUSALEM  Thousands of Israelis marched through the alleys of Jerusalems Old City on Sunday in a controversial parade through the Muslim Quarter that marks Israels capture of the ancient walled metropolis in the 1967 war against Arab armies.

The Jerusalem Flag Parade can be a tense episode because revelers, many of them high school students from nationalist religious schools accompanied by their rabbis, wind their way through the Arab section of the city, celebrating the Jews return to the holy city  but also shouting abuse at the few Palestinians out on the streets.

On Sunday, Israeli police vowed there would be zero tolerance for the racist chants that marked past parades  and although the march featured some pushing and shoving, there were few arrests and no serious violence and few arrests.

Arab shopkeepers were ordered to close their stores along the route; a few remained open.

I am not afraid. This is my shop. This is my Jerusalem. I am not closing, said Ahmed Dandes, a tailor who sells mens trousers at the Damascus Gate.

An hour later, Dandes had shuttered his shop and was headed home.

Israeli police were especially anxious about the march because it took place on the eve of Ramadan, Islams month-long celebration of daytime fasting and nighttime feasts, which begins Monday at sunset.

Israeli media reported scattered chants against the Muslims  shouts of Mohammad is dead! and Burn down the mosque!

At one Palestinian sweets shop, youths surged forward, singing, The people of Israel live! while giving the Arab bakers their middle fingers.

Police swept in and pushed them away.

At another store selling lanterns to celebrate Ramadan, a Jewish parade warden not much older than the high-school marchers yelled at them to leave the Arab shopkeeper alone.

At the Damascus Gate, Rabbi Andrew Sacks was with fellow activists, handing out red roses to Palestinians. This flag parade is an excuse for needless racism and provocation, and we are opposed to this, he said.

One member of his group handed a flower to a Muslim youth who walked a few feet away and made a show of dropping it on the street.

Earlier in the day, Israels High Court of Justice turned down a last-minute appeal and ruled that the annual parade could take place on its scheduled route through the Muslim Quarter to the Western Wall, the site of Jewish prayer and devotion.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said the parade should follow its traditional route, but he urged participants to be peaceful.

There were 1,200 police officers to meet an estimated 10,000 marchers and maintain order.

A police spokesman warned that attendees carrying signs or wearing clothes promoting incitement would be stopped from taking part - but hundreds of marchers could be seen wearing T-shirts that showed the destruction of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the imagined rebuilding of the Third Jewish Temple on the raised esplanade in the Old City that is holy to both religions.

As in past years, the march Jerusalem Flag March was a hot topic on radio stations throughout the morning. The question was why the parade needed to pass through the Muslim Quarter when there are alternative routes  through the Armenian, Christian or Jewish quarters to the Western Wall.

Its almost like spitting in the face of the Muslims, said well-known Israel Army Radio host Razi Barkai during an interview with Nati Rom, a lawyer representing the organization behind the parade.

It is not a provocation; it is something very moving that we do only once a year, Rom said. We celebrate Jerusalem, and according to the law here, Jerusalem is one city, so why cant we celebrate that?

But why this route? Barkai asked. If the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem was allowed to pass through (the Jewish ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of) Mea Shaarim, would you approve of it going there?

Amir Heshen, a lawyer representing the Israeli human rights group Ir Amim, which petitioned the high court to change the route, said celebrating a united Jerusalem was a falsehood because Jerusalem  which is about 63 percent Jewish and 37 percent Palestinian Muslim and Christian  has remained divided since Israel declared reunification 49 years ago following the Six-Day War.

Yoni Cohen, 18, was wrapped in an Israeli flag and marching in the parade for the third year. He said, This is our city. This is our day. Jews died to be here. They should let us pass. The Arabs can go home. We dont want to see them.

Jerusalem Mayor Barkat said there have always been frictions in Jerusalem between the populations  and there always will be.

When you talk about a united city, that does not mean everyone has to be the same. There are different people in the city with different interests. but we need to learn how to build bridges between them, Barkat said.

On Sunday, Israels Central Bureau of Statistics released population statistics for Jerusalem. The citys population has reached 870,000, with two-thirds Jewish and one-third Arab. More than a third of the Jews identify as ultra-Orthodox; about 1 in 5 called themselves secular. The number of Christians in Jerusalem has dwindled over the years, from 20 percent of the population in 1946 to less than 2 percent today.
Chapman University has appointed Dr. Thomas Piechota vice president of research, a new position at the university. He starts Sept. 1. Piechota earned his bachelors of science degree in civil engineering from Northern Arizona University, and his masters of science and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from UCLA. Piechota will relocate from Nevada where he is the vice president for research and economic development, and professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked at the school since 1999.

Sedgwick LLP in Irvine has added a four-person litigation group to its team. Margaret Peggy Holm (partner), Robert Zermeno (partner), Allyson Ascher (associate) and Christopher Hall (associate) have joined the firms Orange County office. Holm has tried in excess of 150 civil jury trials to verdict. Zermeno focuses his practice on defending and counseling clients against professional negligence, healthcare law, employment, insurance and breach of contract claims. All four attorneys join Sedgwick from Bonne Bridges, civil litigation defense firm with offices in Santa Ana.

New ventures

Irvine-based call center operator Alorica has acquired Expert Global Solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Expert Global Solutions, a call center operator based in Plano, Texas, employs more than 40,000 people and reported $1.1 billion in annual revenue. Alorica has 53,000 employees in 71 locations worldwide. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. The combined company, which will retain the name Alorica and employ more than 91,000 people in 16 countries, estimated combined revenues would reach $2.3 annually. Its headquarters will remain in Irvine.

Advantage Solutions in Irvine has acquired Sage Tree LLC, a national e-commerce sales agency in Naperville, Ill. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Sage Tree will operate under its current name as a unit within Advantage Digital Technology. Advantage, helmed by Tanya Domier, provides outsourced sales and solutions including retail services, financial management and marketing to big brands such as Unilever, Mars and Smuckers. Last year, the company reported nearly $2 billion in revenue.

Mad Systems in Orange has acquired LehmanAVC in Orlando, Fla. The combined company will specialize in audio video and the development of sensor based and electro-mechanical interactives. Mad Systems has a 20-year background in the technology market mostly specializing in audio, video and interactive exhibits and systems.

Diversified Technical Systems of Seal Beach has been chosen by Horiba Mira, an automotive engineering and development company, as part of a multimillion investment to upgrade the companys test facilities in the U.K. DTS data acquisition systems are designed specifically for crash, blast and in-dummy testing. The systems will be installed in Miras Proving Ground, High Energy Crash Centre, Kinematics & Compliance Facility, and Climatic Wind Tunnel. DTS data recorders and sensors have been used worldwide in crash, blast and bio-mechanics testing by automakers, aerospace and research facilities.

GOOD WORKS

Friedas Specialty Produce has donated three new salad bars to the Los Alamitos Unified School District. The schools include Oak Middle School, McAuliffe Middle School and Los Alamitos High School. Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Friedas Specialty Produce, and her sister, Jackie Caplan Wiggins, attended schools in Los Alamitos. The salad bar donations were coordinated with the United Fresh Start Foundation, supporting the national Lets Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative. To date, salad bars have been donated to more than 4,600 schools nationwide, benefiting nearly 3 million children every school day. This includes 1,060 salad bars for California schools, the most of any state.

MILESTONES

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has been named a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by Surgical Review Corp. The surgeons at Hoag perform the fifth highest volume of both gynecologic procedures and total robotic cases annually in the country, according to the hospital. The designation recognizes hospitals and surgeons who demonstrate a commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care.

GRANTS & NONPROFITS

Science@OC, an Orange County nonprofit focused on strengthening public school science education, has received a $20,000 grant from the RGK Foundation, which supports innovative projects in the area of education. The RGK grant will support the Orange County Middle School STEM Initiative. RGK was established in 1966 by Ronya and George Kozmetsky. George Kozmetsky was co-founder of Teledyne Technologies in Thousand Oaks.

Parkinsons Association of Orange County (PAOC) has recently relocated its headquarters to 7700 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 800, Irvine. PAOC is a non-profit volunteer-based organization that supports the Parkinsons community in Orange County through its support groups, programs and research.

The nonprofit Professional Alumni Chapter of the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association has appointed new officers, including:

 President: Danielle Tolentino Tuason, TRI Leadership Resources;

 Vice president of public relations: Reena De Asis;

 Vice president of membership: Nicolas Nick Mazzeo, Childrens Bureau;

 Director of events: Naheemah McMicheaux, Gesture.Com.

BY THE NUMBERS

$155 MILLION: Client assets accumulated in the first 120 days in business for wealth management firm Trilogy Capital, which was launched by Huntington Beach-based financial services company Trilogy Financial.

COMING UP

Orange County United Way is hosting free financial workshops from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Pretend City Childrens Museum, 29 Hubble, Irvine. The Income Day of Caring event will offering a variety of workshops geared toward improving the financial footing of Orange County families struggling to make ends meet. The volunteer project will provide local families with access to resources that help reduce the income gap, including SparkPoint OC Financial Empowerment Centers, resume building, interview practicing sessions, affordable banking options and tips on improving credit scores.

TOP WORKPLACES

The Registers ninth annual Top Workplaces nomination process launched Sunday. If you work at an outstanding Orange County business with more than 35 employees, nominate the firm at ocregister.com/nominate.

Submit executive promotions, business transactions and related high-resolution pictures to Samantha Gowen at sgowen@ocregister.com.
Randy Batistas two-out single brought Christopher Barr home for the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, and Miami won the Coral Gables (Fla.) NCAA Regional by downing Long Beach State, 9-8, Sunday night.

Willie Abreu and Zack Collins homered for the Hurricanes (48-11), who led 8-1 after four innings and then scrambled to oust the 49ers. Miami will play host to Boston College in a best-of-3 super regional next weekend.

Alex Muzzi drove in three runs and Jarren Duran (Cypress High) scored three times for Long Beach State (38-22), which scored six runs in the sixth inning and another in the eighth to tie the score. Long Beach, coming out of the losers bracket needed to defeat Miami twice to win the regional title.

Miami and Boston College are both members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, but havent met since the Hurricanes swept a three-game series in 2014. Miami is 18-6 all-time against Boston College.

Earlier Sunday, Long Beach advanced to the regional final by eliminating Florida Atlantic, 5-1, as Daniel Jackson hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBI.

Garrett Hampson, Luke Rasmussen and Duran each had two hits for the 49ers.

Tanner Brown (8-4), a former Fountain Valley High and Golden West College standout, allowed four hits and struck out seven in eight innings for Long Beach.

Brandon Rhodes (7-4) went the distance for Florida Atlantic (39-19), giving up 10 hits and fanning five.

Arizona 6, Sam Houston State 5: Alfonso Rivas III went 2 for 4 with two RBI and retired the final two batters for the Bearkats (42-22) as the Wildcats (40-21) won an elimination game in the Lafayette (La.) Regional. Arizona will face top-seeded Louisiana Lafayette today.

TCU 8, Arizona State 1: Brian Howard pitched eight strong innings, Cam Warner drove in three runs and the Horned Frogs (45-15) ousted the Sun Devils (36-23) to win an NCAA regional at home (Fort Worth, Texas) for the third year in a row. Howard (8-2) struck out nine with no walks and retired the last 17 batters he faced after David Greers RBI single in the third inning. TCU went to the College World Series the past two seasons. Arizona State avoided elimination earlier Sunday with a 6-3 win over Gonzaga.

Xavier 7, Washington 5: Rylan Bannon drove in three runs, and the Musketeers (32-29) beat the Huskies (33-23) in an elimination game of the Nashville (Tenn.) Regional. Xavier won its eighth in nine games while improving to 4-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East champs will play UC Santa Barbara today, needing two wins to advance to their first Super Regional. After losing 5-4 to UC Santa Barbara earlier Sunday, the Musketeers scored seven in their first three innings.

UC Santa Barbara 5, Xavier 4: Clay Fisher hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, and the Gauchos (39-18-1) held off the Musketeers to advance to the Nashville (Tenn.) Regional final today.

Tulane 4, Utah 1: Jeremy Montalbano and Hunter Hope both hit homers in the fourth inning to help the Green Wave (41-20) Tulane beat the Utes (26-29) in an elimination game of the Oxford (Miss.) Regional.
Heres a roundup of restaurant and retail news from across Orange County. Take a look at the slideshow for more details on each.

Ralphs: The location on Brookhurst and Adams in Huntington Beach will close by July 1, a spokeswoman for parent company Kroger confirmed. The location will become an Orchard Supply Hardware.

The Knowlwood: The restaurant, which has been at the Fullerton train depot on Harbor Boulevard since 1994, closed in March. It will become a a Crawfish Cave.

Kajun Kitchen: The Orange eatery has closed. We sold the business, the restaurant told the Register. A poke restaurant will replace it. The restaurant is at 424 S Main St., near St. Joseph Hospital.

Cafe Lafayette: The French-American bistro in downtown Seal Beach, has closed. While weve tried our best, we are not able to sustain a successful operation. I have met some absolutely wonderful people and shared special moments with many of you, and feel like each of you are family, owner Tim Liggett posted May 31 on the restaurants Facebook page. The restaurant was at 330 Main St.

Tuna Block Poke: The poke craze is hitting Dana Point. The latest restaurant inspired by the Hawaiian-style raw food bowl is Tuna Block Poke. It opened Sunday in the citys Lantern District. Address: 34805 Pacific Coast Highway, No. 109, Dana Point.

Lupo DAbruzzo: The Italian restaurant, just 2 miles from Knotts Berry Farm at 6032 Ball Road, is celebrating 50 years in business.

For charity: Negroni Week, a worldwide event in its fourth year, kicks off Monday. Bars and restaurants from 36 countries are participating, including several here. For every Negroni cocktail sold, participating restaurants donate $1 to a charity of choice. In Orange County, Vaca in Costa Mesa and The Blind Rabbit in Anaheim are donating their Negroni Week funds to Orange Countys Inspire Artistic Minds.

Irrawaddy Taste Of Burma: After a few years of working at Chinese and Japanese restaurants, Banny Hong said he decided to introduce Orange County to a new cuisine from his native country, Burma. Irrawaddy Taste Of Burma, next to a Smart and Final market in Stanton at 7076 Katella Ave., opened in March.

Mi Casita: Three years after a fire damaged its kitchen, Placentia eatery Mi Casita Restaurante re-opened May 27.

Casa Teresa: The Orange-based nonprofit opened a clothing store May 26 in a 1905 Victorian bungalow at 234 N. Glassell.

Ra Yoga: The yoga studio has opened in Newport Beach, its second studio in Orange County. The first is in Costa Mesa. The Newport Beach studio is at 1617 Westcliff Drive, Suite 107.

Sport Clips: The shop, which features haircuts in a sports-themed environment, re-opened Saturday in Ladera Ranch with new owners. Address: 27412 Antonio Parkway.

Send any retail updates to hmadans@ocregister.com and any restaurant news to nluna@ocregister.com
SANTA ANA  A former girlfriend of a powerful gang chieftain was sentenced Monday to 61/2 years in federal prison for helping him run Orange County Mexican Mafia affairs from a cell.

Susan Rodriguez, 53, was the only person to be tried alongside Peter Ojeda, the longtime head of the Orange County branch of the Mexican Mafia who for decades held unmatched power over street gangs and inmates in local lockup.

In January, a U.S. District Court jury found Rodriguez and Ojeda, 74, guilty of felony counts of racketeering and criminal conspiracy to commit murder and assault with serious bodily injury.

During the trial, prosecutors outlined how Rodriguez helped run messages between Ojeda, who was locked up at Lewisburg federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania on an earlier conspiracy conviction, and his allies in Santa Ana.

Her five-year involvement began in 2006.

Ojeda was embroiled in a struggle for control of Orange County with Armando Moreno, a former ally turned rival. The battle led to a wave of violence in Orange County jails.

Ojeda ultimately won after gaining the support of high-ranking Mexican Mafia members from Los Angeles. During the trial, prosecutors explained how a key meeting between the other Mexican Mafia leaders and Ojedas Orange County loyalists was held at Rodriguezs Santa Ana home.

On the eve of the trial, Ojeda, Rodriguez and other members of Ojedas inner circle agreed to plea deals.

Ojeda changed his mind at the last minute, and Rodriguezs plea deal was canceled by prosecutors, even as the deals brokered by Ojedas allies in return for their testimony against the gang leader moved forward.

Rodriguezs lawyer, Karen Kenney, has said Rodriguez would have received six months of home confinement and six months in a halfway house.

Ojeda was sentenced to 15 years; it is unclear what he would have received in the plea deal.

Despite prosecutors describing Rodriguez as Ojedas eyes and ears in Orange County, Kenney argued that Rodriguez had minimal involvement in the gang conspiracy and did not take part in any violence, coercion or use of force against any of the alleged victims.

In a sentencing brief, Kenney said Rodriguez had years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, a violent heroin user and frequent inmate whom she divorced in 2011, before her relationship with Ojeda.

More than a dozen letters in support of Rodriguez were written to the court, describing her as a frequent community volunteer with a big heart who is always willing to help family and friends.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna shaved 10 months off Rodriguezs sentence after she apologized for her actions Monday.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
Seacoast Yachts has acquired Newport Beach-based Heritage Yacht Sales for an undisclosed sum.

Together, the two companies sold 200 boats for a total of $20 million in 2015. Sales have been increasing 5 percent to 6 percent per year for the last few years, the company said.

The new name of the company will be Seacoast-Heritage Yachts. It will have locations in Newport Beach, Long Beach, Wilmington, San Pedro, and San Diego. Seacoast Yachts will continue to operate in Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands.

No employees will be affected, the company told the Register. Heritage employees, referred to as sales agents and brokers, are now Seacoast Heritage employees. There will be 17 employees in total.

Expanding into new markets by aligning talented, experienced yacht brokers with innovative technology and creative marketing strategies has always been my vision for Seacoast, said Brian Coryat, co-owner of Seacoast of Santa Barbara Inc. and Seacoast of Channel Islands, LLC. in a statement Its an exciting time for buyers and sellers in the boating world, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities as we continue to cultivate our passion for the nautical life.

Seacoast Yachts will operate as the exclusive sales agent for Heritage Yachts new boat lines which includes Marlow, Hunter, Mainship, and Elling boats.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
Back in the good old days, many diners and cafeterias would offer a blue plate special  an inexpensive daily deal featuring a main course and all the fixings. One day it might be roast beef, mashed potatoes and peas, and the next day it could be meatloaf, corn and a baked potato. But, while the offerings changed, it was always the chef who chose what made it onto the menu. Diners could take it or leave it, as is.

Fast forward to 2016, and its hard to find a restaurant with a blue plate special.

Why? Americans like to customize their meals exactly to their liking. We live in an a la carte world, where restaurants have learned to tailor their offerings to our individual tastes.

What does all this have to do with the 2016 presidential primary? What has happened to restaurants has also happened in politics  the politicians just dont know it yet.

Most political consultants will tell you that the country breaks down into a clearly defined binary world  Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, red states and blue states. Therefore, they think the winning strategy requires making a strong appeal to your base and getting them out to vote.

Theyre wrong, and pursuing that failed strategy is why their punches against now-presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump failed to land.

If you go back and look at the major policy critiques leveled against Trump, most centered around the accusation that he wasnt ideologically pure.

Jeb Bush said that Trump is not a consistent conservative.

At one debate, Ted Cruz famously accused Trump of having New York values. Cruz clarified his remark to reporters in the Bronx by explaining, Lets be clear. The people of New York know exactly what those values are.  Theyre the values of liberal Democratic politicians, like Andrew Cuomo, like Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer, like Charlie Rangel, all of whom Donald Trump has supported.

He went on to say, If you want to know what liberal Democratic values are, follow Donald Trumps checkbook.

Even Lindsay Graham got in on the action, saying, I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative.

These attacks not only didnt work nationally, they didnt even work in conservative states like Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi  all three voted for Trump.

How did Trump pull it off? Because the voters in these states are a lot more nuanced than the consultants imagine them.

The evangelical Christian in South Carolina who goes to church every Sunday may also be a guy who goes to NASCAR races on Saturday, watches Jimmy Fallon on Friday and meets his buddies for drinks on Thursday. He may also be a guy whose job just got outsourced to China, who has a kid on his third tour in the Middle East and is fed up with illegal immigration.

My guess is that this type of voter has long been deeply unhappy with the GOP positions on international trade, foreign wars and open borders  but this is the first time hes had the option to express himself at the ballot box.

Trumps willingness to break from party orthodoxy turned out to be his biggest selling point and was repeatedly reinforced by all of his opponents at every opportunity.

When offered actual choice, voters in both parties are surprising us with their enthusiasm. Who knew Donald Trump would end up winning the GOPs first a la carte primary?

Staff opinion columnist John Phillips can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips on KABC/AM 790.
Four days after announcing out-of-court settlements with former employees in Irvine, real estate website Zillow.com agreed to pay $130 million to the operator of archrival Realtor.com to settle a protracted trade secrets dispute.

The settlement averted a court trial in which the Seattle-based internet firm faced over $1 billion in damage claims, according to Inman News, which covers the real estate industry.

Move Inc., operator of Realtor.com, claimed at one point total damages amounted to $2 billion, according to HousingWire.com.

Neither side made any admission of liability or wrongdoing when announcing the settlement Monday.

The agreement allows us to put this litigation behind us, and continue our focus on innovation and the huge opportunity in front of us as the consumer-focused market leader, Zillow said in a statement.

Move Inc. issued similar comments.

We are pleased to have reached an amicable resolution of this litigation, its statement said. We look forward to putting the matter to rest and returning our full focus to simplifying the real estate process for consumers and the real estate professionals who serve them.

The legal battle pitted online industry leader Zillow, created by the founders of Expedia.com, against a rival acquired in 2014 by Rupert Murdocks News Corp., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and owner of HarperCollins book publishers.

Move Inc. operates Realtor.com on behalf of the real estate industrys lead trade group, the National Association of Realtors, a co-plaintiff in the suit.

NAR will get 10 percent of the settlement proceeds after deducting litigation costs, a News Corp. filing stated. Move Inc. will get the remainder.

The settlement comes after Zillow reported mounting legal fees, expected to exceed $77 million.

In public filings, the internet firm reported it spent $15.7 million in legal costs during the first three months of 2016, with legal expenses expected to reach $50 million to $55 million for the full year.

Thats on top of $27.1 million spent in legal fees last year, according to HousingWire.com.

The 2-year-old legal dispute stemmed from accusations that two former Realtor.com executives stole trade secrets and shared them with their new employer after defecting to Zillow.

Move Inc. complained in its Washington state lawsuit that Errol Samuelson  at one point, Move Inc.s second-highest paid employee  copied business data to an external drive before erasing all files on his company-issued iPhone, iPad and laptop, then resigned without notice. He then joined Zillow as its chief industry development officer.

Move Inc. later added former industry liaison Curt Beardsley to the lawsuit. Beardsley is now a Zillow vice president overseeing partnerships with multiple listing services.

Zillow executives stated that Move Inc.s allegations were without merit and its calculations of damages baseless, and expressed confidence they would prevail. In a countersuit, the company accused the plaintiffs of defamation and with publicly filing a document containing Zillow trade secrets. That claim also is being dismissed as part of this weeks settlement.

With 90 percent of home searches beginning online, competition between the two rivals is fierce.

Zillow, the nations 33rd most popular website according to comScore.com, overtook Realtor.com as the top-ranked real estate site in September 2011, a Zillow spokeswoman said. Realtor.com now ranks second. Trulia, which Zillow bought for $2.5 billion last year, ranks third.

Friction between real estate agents and Zillow first flared at a 2006 California Association of Realtors conference in Long Beach. Realtors expressed resentment at an appearance of company co-founder Lloyd Frink over Zillows home price Zestimates, calling them inaccurate.

The whole notion of suggesting to people that they can find out what their home is worth without a Realtor offends me, then Reator.com President Allan Dalton told the group.

On Thursday, Zillow announced it had settled four lawsuits stemming from abuse and harassment claims filed by sales employees at the firms Irvine office.

A settlement in principle also has been reached in a separate class-action lawsuit accusing the firm of failing to pay overtime to Irvine employees.

In one of the lawsuits, a female employee said members of Zillows management retaliated against her because she would not engage in sexual acts.

Other lawsuits accused Zillow management in Irvine of racial and age discrimination and of retaliating against a whistleblower. Terms of the Orange County settlements were not disclosed.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7734 or jcollins@ocregister.com
When 29-year-old Nina Zgurskaya, from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, started dating the charming director of a law firm, she thought she had finally met the man of her dreams. Little did she know he would one day take her to court for all the expenses incurred during their relationship.

Nina met 38-year-old lawyer at a ski resort and the two of them instantly hit it off. She remembers that the businessman seemed perfect in every way  he was attentive, courteous and calm, offered her flowers and picked her up from work. As their relationship evolved, the man confessed he had been married twice, so when he asked Nina to go on a romantic vacation, she thought he was going to propose.

She dreamed of traveling to a popular tourist destination abroad, but her boyfriend insisted on Feodosia, Crimea. As long as it involved romantic walks on the beach under the moonlight and an unforgettable marriage proposal, she didnt mind the destination too much. But time passed and her dream guy didnt seem to have any intention of popping the big question, so after losing her patience, Nina threw a tantrum and the pair got into a fight. The next day, her perfect gentleman threw her out of the hotel room, claiming he had paid for everything. The woman had to call her parents and ask for money for a return ticket, just so she could get back home.

Photo: Nina Zgurskaya/VK.com

But that was just the beginning of Ninas troubles. Shortly after returning to Krasnoyarsk, the woman received a subpoena demanding that she pay back her ex-boyfriend every single rouble he had spent during their time together. The diabolical ex-boyfriend had apparently keeping every receipt from flower shops, cafes and restaurants he had spent money at for her, and now he was asking for a full refund. The total amount claimed was 45,000 roubles ($685), including legal fees payable to himself.

It gets worse. To justify the lawsuit, the businessman claimed that he and Nina Zgurskaya had never really been romantically involved, but merely had a working relationship. He told the court that during their vacation in Feodosia they had separate beds, never held hands or walked on the beach together, and that the best proof of this was that they dont have so much as a photo together. The professional lawyer said the woman had merely wanted to relax at his expense, but he is a man of principle and believes a refund is appropriate.

Photo: Nina Zgurskaya/VK.com

Siberias Krasnodar regional court apparently didnt buy into the mans arguments and dismissed the case, but he is determined to get his money back. He filed an appeal and the pair are scheduled to meet back in court on June 9th.

She cant prove that we were even in a relationship, the lawyer told Russias STS television channel. I never said that I was giving her a present or a free ride. Is it immoral to go to court? Am I expected to give money to every woman on the street?

Zgurskaya simply said that the experience has undermined her faith in men.

Sources: Cosmopolitan Russia, CTC-Prima.tv, The Telegraph
Hamptons media, caving to political pressure, are short-changing the public on facts needed so democracy can function. Awareness and discussion of two current issues suffer from an info deficitthe proposed eruv and Wi-Fi radiation in the local library and schools.

The Southampton Press/27east.com bowed to political and religious powers June 3 by skipping mention of the major news of the June 2 Westhampton Beach board of trustees meetingthe adoption of an agreement with the East End Eruv Assn. allowing permanent affixing of Jewish religious symbols to 46 utility poles.

Also newsy was the fact that Mayor Maria Moore and the four other trustees refused to divulge the wording of the deal, saying they wont until it is signed.

This brought a demand by this reporter, a homeowner and registered voter in WHB, that no deal be signed until the public has had the chance not only to see the agreement but to have a town hall on it. Nothing should be done until the full summer population is restored and until the election June 17 which could depose Moore and the other trustees.

This issue is of national importance since blocking an eruv in WHB would jeopardize eruvim throughout the nation, as resident Arnold Sheiffer has said. He is chair of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB, which has 400+ members.

The local ultra-Orthodox community and the national Orthodox community are no doubt putting immense pressure on the local government and local media.

Not present at the meeting was New York Times reporter Matt Chaban who authored a third of a page article on the WHB eruv May 30. The article, by showing in color the WHB eruv on the Westhampton Synagogue website, demolishes court arguments that eruvim are invisible or nearly invisible.

NYT has nearly one million circulation throughout the U.S. and its stories are permanently archived on its web. Chaban's story did not mention the failure of the WHB trustees to provide a text of the agreement to the public.

Police Chief Gets Big Play

SHPress/27east s Erin McKinley only reported the appointment of Trevor Gonce as police chief. A 20-year veteran of the force, he already was provisional police chief. He flunked the civil service test last year but passed it in March with a grade of 79. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2007 but busted to sergeant amid a controversy surround a former deputy mayor, said the McKinley story. After a brief period, he was reinstated.

Gonce succeeded Police Chief Ray Dean who retired in 2014 with a package that included $403K for 15 years of unused sick, vacation and personal days and a pension estimated at $142K yearly. The New York Post called it a criminal payout. The WHB law that allowed that is apparently still on the books.

Trustees Block ODwyer

We took the podium at the end of the meeting along with other residents and put our remarks on the public record since the meeting is videotaped gavel-to-gavel for showing on Channel 22 in about a week.

Southamptons Council meetings are televised live by a municipal service which could do the same for WHB if the trustees embraced modern technology. The June 2 WHB meeting will be on the website of the village in about a week.

The remarks we had time to make in five minutes and before being ordered to leave the podium included reference to the 2005 Supreme Court decision of McCreary County vs. ACLU of Kentucky that barred permanent religious symbols on public property. Temporary symbols were allowed.

After withholding all details of the EEEA agreement on agendas that were published up until June 2 on the WHB website, the trustees then provided nine paragraphs relating to the deal in a handout to the 60 people at the meeting.

The text had a false statement. It said that the settlement does not create or recognize a religious boundary when that is exactly what it does.

If the WHB agreement is like the one adopted by Southampton Aug. 25, 2015, it will also say that the erection of the eruv is not an unconstitutional establishment of religion under the First Amendment when that is exactly what it would do. The statement on Constitutionality is on page one of the SH agreement.



Flaws Could Invalidate Agreement

Flaws in the agreement with the EEEA including mis-statements about the nature of an eruv and its Constitutionality could invalidate the agreement, lawyers tell us.

Unethical and undemocratic, in our view, is voting on the agreement with no public discussion allowed when the meeting began with a public hearing on an application by Elyse Richman, owner of Shock for Kids in WHB, for placement of three child size mannequins outside her store.

There was a public hearing for Richman but not for citizens who might have wanted to discuss the deal with the EEEA during the official portion of the meeting.

Also, ramming through approval of the agreement with EEEA on June 2 prevents many citizens from monitoring it since they dont return in large numbers until late June or even July.

Mayor Moore and the trustees face an election June 17 and now that they have shown their hand about the eruv/EEEA deal, while concealing up until now, they could all be replaced at the election by write-in candidates.

Keeping citizens in the dark and trying to squeeze in a controversial agreement before an election and before many citizens have returned are ethical violations of democratic principles.

The SHPress/271east.com should be editorializing in favor of full disclosure of the EEEA deal instead of skipping the story.

Radiation Danger in Library Told

We squeezed in at the end of our five minutes the fact that we have found high levels of pulsed, microwave radiation in the library.

We aimed our remarks at Tom Moore, president of the Westhampton Free Library board, who is the husband of Mayor Maria Moore and who was at the meeting.

Using an Acoustimeter, we found high levels in the childrens area on the second floor on the second floor and peak levels of six volts per meter and 2,500 micro-watts per square meter in the room used by the library board and a bridge group that meets Tuesday.

We visited the room last Tuesday when it was filled with 64 bridge players, most of them senior citizens. Seniors and children are especially susceptible to harm by pulsed radiation. Library staff get the most radiation because they are there five days a week for 7-8 hours a day. The Library of Paris, biggest in France, eliminated all Wi-Fi in 2008 mainly on complaints of the staff.

We found no area of the library to register in the safe zone of the Acoustimeter. Bioinitiative.org used to recommend 1,000 as a permissible level for continued radiation but now says it only allows .1 of radiation.

This writer spent four hours with about 60 Wi-Fi and pulsed radiation health advocates at a conference in New York May 22.

Anyone who downloads some of their research will be convinced of the dangers of radiation from cellphones, cordless telephones, computers, high-powered routers that Comcast, Cablevision and other companies are forcing subscribers to take, the more than 6,000 cellphone towers dotting the U.S., and plans by Google and others to float hundreds of thousands of Wi-Fi-emitting balloons worldwide plus Wi-Fi satellites.

AT&T wants to eliminate landlines throughout the U.S. and convert its entire system to wireless.

Everything Wireless is the slogan of the Cellular Telephone Industries Assn.

Offer Made to Library Director Waskiewicz

We have offered to walk through the library with director Danielle Waskiewicz and show her the readings on the Acoustimeter. There has been no response thus far.

The Ashland, Mass. library has purchased an Acoustimeter which it lends out to patrons so they can measure the radiation in their own homes. The library conducted a six-part lecture series on the dangers of pulsed radiation supported by videotapes that ended earlier this year.
Fraser Seitel

A few years ago, the hottest book about public relations was called, The Death of Advertising and the Rise of PR, which predicted that paid media was no match for earned media in the age of social media.

As it happened, while earned media through the third party endorsement of others is, indeed, more valuable these days, advertising is by no means dead. In fact, its thriving through all sorts of new channels.

But if a certain presidential candidate continues to shine, PR as we have come to know it may be headed for the scrap heap, particularly the traditional media relations counsel for which public relations professionals are known.

Just consider the way candidate Trump handled the media at his last press conference regarding contributing to veterans groups and how his answers differed from the way he would have been counseled by folks like us.

Q: How personally involved were you in deciding which military organizations were to be recipients of your gifts?

PR Advice: Indicate that you were intimately involved with the decisions, because all of us have so much to be thankful for regarding our fighting men and women; most of us pale in comparison to these selfless heroes.

Trump: I wasnt too involved in picking the organizations other than I gave a million dollars to the marine law enforcement; marines, they are fabulous people. They honored me last year.

Q: But you waited so long to follow through on your contribution promise. Dont you believe you should be accountable to the people?

PR Advice: Suggest that, of course youre accountable for your words and explain, without rancor toward the media, that these donations took some time to raise, but thats what now has been done, which is most important.

Trump: Im totally accountable, but I didnt want to have credit for it. We have given to groups that are unbelievable groups, and honestly, I wish you could hear the phone calls and see the letters, they are so happy. And Im happy to do it. I didnt want the credit for it, but it was very unfair that the press treated us so badly.

Q: But shouldnt a Presidential candidate expect scrutiny from the press?

PR Advice: Agree with the premise and point out how available youve been. But reiterate that all you are asking for is fairness in coverage. Be magnanimous, understanding the media have a job to do. Be careful not to antagonize them.

Trump: I dont mind scrutiny. What I dont like is lies. You can scrutinize me all day long but you set up false premises. You state things about me that are not true. Then you run stories on that. Thats why Im out here trying to correct the record.

Q: Have you examples of what you call unfairness?

PR Advice: Careful. Dont get sucked into a name-calling spat with the press. Keep your examples generic as to their benign treatment of Hillary versus the way youre always challenged. Just keep it general.

Trump: Im not looking for credit. But what I dont want is when I raise millions of dollars, to have people say  like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC. Hes a sleaze in my book.

Q: So you think the press is out to get you?

PR Advice: No. No. No. No. No. You cant win this one. Again, acknowledge theyre doing their job and appeal for fair treatment. Then drop it. Move on. And for Gods sake, dont point fingers at anybody else. Its a lose/lose.

Trump: Excuse me. Ive watched you on television. Youre a real beauty. When I raise money for the veterans, and its a massive amount of money, find out how much Hillary Clintons given to the veterans.

Q: Are you even going to be critical about Republicans if they dont support you?

PR Advice: Theyll come around; theyll come around. Dont take the bait. Express optimism about the big tent. At least, this will move away from the subject of you and the press.

Trump: If they attack me, yes. Somebody comes after me, maybe not as much if theyre Republican, but Im still gonna go after em, of course I am. But the media, the media totally wants Hillary Clinton to win, but theyre so conflicted.

Q: What purpose does it serve to call Republicans and conservatives losers?

PR Advice: None. So tell them thats why youre going to start to build up the party as it unifies behind you  one big happy family united against Hillary. And please, for the love of God, no more names!

Trump: No, I didnt say that. I said Bill Kristol is a loser. And Ill tell you why. He has called every single move  take a look, on me. Hes going to lose this state. I win in a landslide. I didnt say everybody. Many, but I didnt say everybody.

Q: If youre President, will we be having this kind of confrontation in the pressroom at the White House?

PR Advice: No, please, no. Just repeat that as long as they treat you fairly, you will be square with them. Reiterate that you understand the role of the press in our democracy and that you wholeheartedly believe that most working reporters just want to get it right.

Trump: Yeah, it is gonna be like this. If the press writes false stories, like they did with this, because, you know, half of you are amazed that I raised all of this money. If the press writes false stories like they did, then we have to read probably libelous stories, or certainly close, in the newspapers, and the people know the stories are false, Im gonna continue to attack the press. Look, I find the press to be extremely dishonest. I find the political press to be unbelievably dishonest. I will say that.

And that, in bone-chilling, verbatim detail is why if candidate Trump becomes President Trump, the days of the trusted, public relations advisor may be numbered.



* * *



Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He may be reached directly at [email protected]. He is the author of the Prentice-Hall text The Practice of Public Relations, now in its 12th edition, and co-author of Rethinking Reputation and Idea Wise.
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The Beatles had a song about the taxman.

Be thankful I dont take it all, the lyrics go. Cos Im the taxman, yeah Im the taxman.

Flash forward 50 years to all those IRS impersonation calls. We better add another verse: Oh, yeah, Im the scam man.

Yes, an iTunes card.

Ive been warning for a few years about crooks who pretend to be from the IRS. The scam can take various forms. The IRS has even warned that the crooks might try mailing or faxing falsified forms to seem more legitimate.

Sometimes the fraudsters sound like the real deal because they can rattle off your Social Security number, or at least the last four digits. And many are very aggressive and downright nasty when they threaten jail time and demand money on the spot.

But now some are asking for money on an iTunes card. Fraudsters can use an iTunes card to buy loot for themselves or they can resell the card online, according to Adam Levin, founder of Identity Theft 911.

Levin said scammers also have asked victims of the grandparents scam to load money onto multiple iTunes gift cards.

Vulnerable senior citizens who believe their grandchild is in danger and that they must pay to get them out of jail or harms way are told to read off the serial numbers on the backs of the cards, Levin said. The fraudster will use that information to sell the gift cards online and receive cash.

Levin offered another iTunes-related warning: Consumers would be wise to avoid the scammer who is peddling a promotion for an iTunes card via social media or email. If you click on that email link, you could download a malware infected link and the fraudster could get access to bank account information.

Tax officials in Canada have issued similar warnings. Calgary police reported that a woman was defrauded after putting $20,000 on iTunes cards in order to avoid a threat of jail time for unpaid taxes. She reportedly received a call April 20 from the Canada Revenue Agency.

The caller told the victim that he was at the courthouse trying to have the arrest warrant removed, according to the Calgary police.

He then noted that the warrant had been reissued, and once again told the victim that more money was required to have the arrest warrant removed, the police said in a statement.

The con artist was convincing enough to scare the woman into going to her bank to withdraw more money. But then she contacted a family member to ask for money, too.

The family member contacted police, who were able to locate the victim and stop the fraud, the police said.

In the past weve heard of scammers demanding tax dollars owed on Green Dot Prepaid Cards, MoneyPak Prepaid Cards, Reloadit Prepaid Debit Cards and the like. Those prepaid cards are scammers currency of choice because they can get access to money without being traced.

Ive been to some drugstores recently that actually have consumer alerts on the shelves about MoneyPak scams.

Green Dot MoneyPaks can be targets for phone scammers, read one such alert.

The notice warned consumers that its a scam if you receive a phone call from any agency, such as the IRS or a utility, saying you owe money and demanding payment for that bill with a MoneyPak.

Never give out a MoneyPak or any personal information or financial information over the phone, the notice said.

And now we can add iTunes and taxes to that list of warnings.

Any call requesting that taxpayers place funds on an iTunes Gift Card or other prepaid cards to pay taxes and fees is an indicator of fraudulent activity, according to a bulletin from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Regulators say consumers should be wary of a variety of money transfer scams in which you put money onto a prepaid card or wire money.

The Federal Trade Commission has warned that various schemes can be used by the con artists. Maybe you won a prize but have to pay taxes on it with a prepaid card. Or a friend or grandchild is in trouble and needs your help, again with a money transfer such as a MoneyGram. Or maybe suddenly theres a way for you to get a loan  even if you have bad credit  but youd have to pay a relatively small fee upfront.

Whatever the pitch, the callers only goal is to get your money  not to give you something in return, the FTC said in an alert.

When it comes to tax schemes, the callers frighten you into thinking the only way to get out of trouble is to pay quickly. But thats not true.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - More than 50 students from Shoemaker Elementary School attended the summer reading program at the Grand Island Public Library on June 2, arriving in a yellow school bus thanks to donors who made the reading adventure possible.

Youth Services Librarian Celine Swan said it was the second week for the librarys Summer Reading Enrichment Club.

Its for kids who need some extra help reading or kids who want to keep their reading level up, Swan said.

But it was the first week that students from Shoemaker Elementary were bused to the reading program. The bus brought the children from both the school and West Park Plaza mobile home park.

Trish Hedman, Shoemaker integration specialist, said nearly $600 was raised in a coin drive during the school year, along with business donations, to bring the kids to the library. The bus will bring the students to the library eight times during the summer.

Companies that donated are Kershaw Insurance, State Farm Insurance-Dayla Mamot-Sack, Woitaszewski Family, Grand Island Express, Grand Island Physical Therapy, Horst & Associates and Butler Orthodontics.

They have a bus that they are bringing the students to the library, Swan said. Thats awesome. Those kids dont have rides here, so it is a great opportunity for them to come in.

To get the kids excited about reading, she said, the club has a precursor to the reading event every week. On Thursday, it was a program by Holly Green of Nebraska Game and Parks, who works as Fort Kearny State Recreation Area education director. Her program was Fort Kearnys Wildlife First Impressions Game.

Green is a former Grand Island resident. As a youth, she attended the summer reading program at the library.

She presented a slide show of wildlife found in Nebraska, along with items, such as horns and pelts, that the kids could handle.

We talked about how wildlife can be both good and bad for the environment and develop a positive rapport with the kids, Green said.

Hedman said the program to bring the Shoemaker kids to the library was developed to help foster the love of reading.

I know these kids are reading at home as theyre logging in their minutes, as last year we won the reading contest, Hedman said. But I wanted to go a step further and get those kids who are reading but never get an opportunity to take part in the activities here and get them down here.

For years, Swan said, the summer reading program has helped kids advance in their reading skills.

Anything we can do to help kids do better with reading is important, she said. Studies have shown that kids who read in the summer do better when they go back to school.

Hedman agrees.

We know that, when kids read over the summer, their reading levels continue to progress, she said. If they dont read all summer, they will usually go back a reading level. We want to keep those kids reading so they can progress over the summer.
LINCOLN  Disagreement among Omahas development community contributed to a state senators decision not to introduce legislation aimed at providing new incentives for Crossroads Mall and other major projects.

State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha said he couldnt build consensus in time among interested parties in the Omaha area for a bill that would have helped cities spur redevelopment projects without using property taxes.

The measure likely would have first helped Omahas Crossroads Mall redevelopment, a project that for years has stalled.

It was about providing a new redevelopment tool for urban centers around the state as they want to continue to grow and redevelop in areas of their city that desperately need it, Mello said.

But Mello, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said he stopped hearing from Mayor Jean Stothert after a meeting about his proposal in early November, even though his office asked for her feedback and sent her copies of a bill.

Stothert, on the other hand, said she stopped hearing from Mello  and that a group of developers had hired longtime Lincoln lobbyist Walt Radcliffe to oppose the proposal.

The group, called Citizens for Responsible Development, thought that the proposal had the potential to cannibalize existing businesses, Radcliffe said. Public records show the group listed an address for Westroads Mall.

Still, the shift has no impact on the progress at 72nd and Dodge Streets, Crossroads developer Rod Yates said. But he questioned why a bill proposed to help statewide economic development would receive anything but great support.

Stothert said Mello met with Omaha officials and the Crossroads developers to discuss the idea late last year.

His proposal would have allowed local sales tax revenue from mixed-use developments  which typically offer a mix of retail, commercial, residential and civic buildings  to be diverted back into the projects infrastructure improvements. Initial plans called for the incentive to apply to projects that cost about $200 million or more.

The concept had gained the support of the Omaha City Council  and Stothert.

But as discussions continued, Mello said, concern grew that the incentives would simply shift where development occurs in a city and not promote new growth. He also fielded requests to allow smaller projects, such as ones that cost $25 million, to take advantage of the tool.

Without Omahas support, he said, he didnt feel comfortable moving forward.

I didnt want to see what I thought was a potential redevelopment tool be created and see Omaha not be able to use it, Mello said. I thought it was best not to introduce a proposal, and to study the issue further to see what other options and ideas we could talk through.

Radcliffe said he registered in early January to lobby for the Citizens for Responsible Development group.

The group was concerned about using public dollars from sales taxes to create incentives for retail without taking it to a vote of the people, he said. Radcliffe declined to name who is part of the group.

Jim Sadler, Westroads senior general manager, answered the groups registered phone number, but referred questions to David Pursel, a Chicago legal counsel for General Growth Properties, which owns Westroads and Oak View Mall. Pursel did not return a call seeking comment.

Said Radcliffe, Entities that are established, that have spent their own private resources to develop a project, to then have government dollars be used to create a competing project, and potentially cannibalize some of their tenants, is something they opposed.

Stothert said she was not involved in the Citizens for Responsible Developments effort, though she had informal conversations with some of its members.

The main reason that they described to me was that they felt like it would give that development an unfair competitive advantage over what they had been offered for their different developments, Stothert said.

Stothert said last year that she supported Mellos concept, but she noted Friday that she didnt take a firm position because the details hadnt been worked out.

Members of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce were split on Mellos proposal, though the group didnt take a formal position, said Randy Thelen, the chambers senior vice president of economic development.

The measure spurred a bigger, broader discussion on changes to Nebraskas incentives, he said.

The current mix of incentives we have are 10 to 15 years old, he said. We see our competing states reform and revise their tool kit, and we need to sharpen ours as well.

Omaha Sen. Burke Harr said he applauded Mello for meeting with a number of developers and community leaders on how to draft a better bill and trying to find new ways of economic development to spur our economy and grow the population.

Omaha City Councilman Pete Festersen, who represents the Crossroads area, said he met with Mello, the Governors Office and the Mayors Office about the legislative proposal. He said hes long supported the concept of a sales tax incentive.

I think the city and everyone involved supported it conceptually because were all looking for additional tools for the city to use, Festersen said.

Festersen said hes concerned that there is no redevelopment agreement in place for Crossroads, but noted that Yates remains optimistic about the project.

Gov. Pete Ricketts hasnt had any recent discussions with the City of Omaha on the subject but looks forward to continued conversation about improving Nebraskas incentive programs, spokesman Taylor Gage said. Ricketts supports tax incentives that work all across the state, Gage said.

Stothert said shes not concerned about Crossroads future, saying she believes theres a lot of interest in developing that area.

Yates said delays are only helping create and build a better end product. Though he at one point planned to begin some demolition in March, Yates said he now expects to submit plans to the city in early May and to start demolition shortly thereafter.

Mello said he would continue to work on the issue and try to provide research to the legislative committees that would likely hear a bill.

The term-limited senator said hes talking with colleagues about what hes working on in hopes that someone could introduce a measure in the future.

It was never about one project or another, he said. We wanted to create what we thought was good public policy.

***

Additional information on the Legislature
LINCOLN  A watchdog commission has imposed a $500 fine on a state senator for failing to disclose a financial interest in a company that could have been affected by a bill the senator sponsored.

Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis last week signed an agreement that listed a single violation of the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act. The nine-member Accountability and Disclosure Commission voted unanimously to approve the $500 civil penalty.

Under the settlement agreement, a second alleged violation of the law was dismissed.

In 2015, Davis disclosed that he held stock in NioCorp, a Canadian company that wants to mine a rare mineral, niobium, in southeast Nebraska. He bought the stock in 2011, before he was elected to the Legislature.

Davis filed the disclosure forms after he introduced, and later withdrew, a bill that would have imposed a severance tax on the rare-earth mineral. Severance taxes ensure that resource extraction costs, such as road construction and environmental protection, are paid by the producers.

Last year the citizen watchdog group Common Cause Nebraska filed a complaint with the accountability commission.

In response to the complaint, Davis said he did not intend to violate the law. And NioCorp officials said they did not oppose the tax bill. Davis said he withdrew the bill because it was premature, given that no mining was yet being done.

Davis is campaigning for a second term. In Mays primary election, he finished about 800 votes behind his challenger, Tom Brewer of Gordon. Both are registered Republicans.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.  For 24 years, Jennifer Hardie-Fehrer has replayed over and over in her mind what little she remembers of a 1992 car accident near North Platte that almost killed her.

On March 30, she turned to social media for help in finding the man who helped save her life that day. By June 3, the post had been shared 1,800 times, with still no hint of her heros whereabouts. That all changed with a phone call Friday evening.

* * * * *

Jennifer shifted in the passenger seat of her sisters red Pontiac Grand Am. She opened her eyes and unbuckled her seat belt so she could take off a layer of clothing; it was hot in the car.

It was June 4, 1992, and the girls were on their way from Colorado to Iowa to stay at their fathers house. Jennifer was 12, eager to enjoy her summer break. She drifted off to sleep without rebuckling her seat belt.

Not wanting to wake Jennifer, her sister Trisha, 23, reached behind her for something to drink. She lost control of the car near the Interstate 80 mile marker 163, just west of Hershey.

I remember that it sounded like we were turning onto a gravel road, Jennifer said. I thought, Thats really strange. 

Jennifer opened her eyes, saw Trisha fighting with the steering wheel and heard a crash that she describes as the sound of 1,000 pots and pans being thrown off a building and hitting the pavement at once.

According to the accident report, the car rolled multiple times. It stopped in the median and Jennifer was ejected. She landed in the passing lane of eastbound I-80.

As she tumbled through the air, she saw flashes of green. When she landed, everything went black. The concrete was warm against her back; her arms were wet, but she didnt know why. She opened her eyes and screamed.

A man peered into the drivers side window of the Grand Am, and Trisha realized the passenger seat was empty. Then they heard Jennifer screaming for her mother. He told Trisha that help was on the way and that she needed to get out of the car. Then he ran to Jennifer.

Jennifer doesnt remember the mans face. Just the flashes of green, the warm pavement and waking up in the emergency room of what is now Great Plains Health in North Platte.

She had a compound fracture in her left femur. Hospital staff began sliding boards under her, Jennifer said, she assumes for X-rays. She remembers crying; everything hurt.

* * * * *

Back in Colorado, their mother, Jane Huff, had been notified of the accident. She planned to drive to North Platte, but her co-workers pooled resources and got her a plane ticket instead.

Before she left, she called the Nebraska State Patrol. She told them a man in a black Ford Mustang would be speeding west down the Interstate from Iowa. He was trying to get to his little girl.

If you have to pull him over, wait until hes in North Platte, Jane said to the officer on the other end.

Jennifers father, Bill Hardie, made it to the Iowa-Nebraska state line and was met by a Nebraska state patrolman. He turned on his lights and escorted Bill to North Platte.

* * * * *

The sounds of beeping machines and muffled voices surrounded Jennifers hospital bed. She heard her mother say, Thank God Chris was there. Jennifers brothers name was Chris, and she briefly wondered what he was doing in North Platte. She didnt know about the man who had saved her, who was also named Chris.

Jennifer was later flown to Childrens Hospital in Denver to undergo surgery. Recuperation was a long road, with some complications. She went home eventually, although shes not sure when.

Jennifer kept hearing about Chris and finally asked Jane whom she was talking about. Jane told her about the truck driver who saw the accident and stopped to help, the man who wasnt deterred by the pool of blood surrounding Jennifer.

Chris had helped keep her stable until she could be transported and called the hospital to find out how she was doing after the accident.

The family kept in touch with Chris as Jennifer healed. He visited once; Jennifer stared at the man in front of her, and she felt bad  she wanted to remember, but she couldnt.

Chris invited them to his wedding later that year.

I dont remember going to the wedding, Jennifer said. I remember the reception.

Chris introduced Jennifer and her family to the other guests. Several asked Jennifer to tell them about how Chris saved her life, but she didnt know what to say.

I remember thinking, He didnt save my life. Twelve-year-olds dont die, Jennifer said.

As she grew into adulthood, Jennifer often thought of Chris, but his last name had been forgotten. She tried searching for him but had no luck.

While his role in her life had been brief, it influenced her future. She said his heroism made her more concrete in her faith.

It also paved the way for my career, Jennifer said. She went to nursing school and works as a registered nurse in Chariton, Iowa.

On May 30, Jennifer and her friend, Gina Brown, put together a post on Facebook asking for help locating Chris.

I wanted to do a better job saying thank you than I was capable of at 12, Jennifer said.

A Telegraph reporter reached out to Jennifer and offered to help. After reading through archived newspapers, obtaining accident reports, sending countless emails and calling people from Colorado to Pennsylvania, Chris was located.

* * * * *

Chris Scaff never forgot Jennifer.

I remember it like it was yesterday, Chris said over the phone Friday evening.

Chris spent most of his life working as an EMT, a paramedic and a firefighter, and had been to thousands of calls. Just a few stick out in his mind.

Hers is one of them, he said.

He was an emergency medical technician at the time of the accident, but drove a truck part time to pay for additional education. Chris said he was westbound on I-80 that day when he saw Trishas car roll.

I remember seeing (Jennifer) land on the eastbound side of the Interstate, Chris said.

He pulled his truck into the median just as an old Ford pickup slammed on the brakes. It stopped a few feet from Jennifer.

Jen was bleeding out, Chris said.

He told the woman driving the pickup to get his medical kit out of his truck. He tried to stop the bleeding and eventually ran out of bandages, so he had the woman grab his favorite blanket.

Others stopped, but no one would help him.

I asked one guy to help me and he said, No way, Im not touching her, and left, Chris said.

He had other passers-by keep Trisha away from her sister, because he wasnt sure if Jennifer was going to make it. It felt like a decade passed before help arrived.

Jennifer asked him to ride in the ambulance with her, but he told her he couldnt. He promised hed follow her to the hospital, but authorities couldnt tell him where she was being taken because she was a minor.

Chris kept calling law enforcement, asking someone to pass a message along to the girls mother. Eventually, Jane called him back. He found out they were in Colorado a town about half an hour away from where he lived at the time.

I was able to find out how she was doing and give her a hug, Chris said.

He saw her one more time and lost touch. He assumed hed never hear from her again. In the years since the accident, Chris moved from Colorado to Indiana, where he owned a motorcycle dealership. In 2013, an ATV accident left him paralyzed. Confined to his hospital bed, he had time to think about all those calls, and his mind kept going back to Jennifer.

He moved to Loganton, Pennsylvania, to be closer to family during his recovery. He now teaches fire and EMS classes at the local fire department. He said hed been thinking about Jennifer lately as the anniversary of her accident approached. I didnt even know if she was still alive, Chris said. It was nearly 9 p.m. Friday when Jennifers phone rang. Did you find him? she asked the Telegraph reporter on the other end of the phone. She hadnt expected that anyone would track down the man shed been looking for; she figured the newspaper would just help her get the word out about her search. Seven minutes later, Jennifer hung up the phone. She had Chris Scaffs phone number and full name. She decided to call him on Saturday morning. Their first conversation in 24 years was a long one, full of tears and catching up. Speaking later, Chris said it wasnt at all awkward and Jennifer added that it was like reconnecting with an old friend. Jennifer told Chris that she thought he was a hero, but he denied it. He said he was doing his job and that it was God who saved her life. Im not a hero, honey, Chris said. I was just somebody doing what I was supposed to do. He told her that 24 years of wondering about her had taken a toll on him, and he felt a weight lifted from his chest when he found out she was alive and doing well. She told him shed wanted to say thank you for years. Its all good now, Chris said. Hearing your voice is more than enough of a thank you. The pair are trying to find a way to reunite in person, but for now phone calls make the 931-mile gap between them seem a little smaller. We will never lose touch again, I promise, Jennifer said. Correction: A headline on a previous version of this story misstated where Jennifer Hardie-Fehrer lives. She lives in Iowa.
His sight nearly gone from the effects of macular degeneration, Duane Wiskus can barely see the beads his wife, Jeri, makes to give away to Vietnam veterans.

They are striped green, gold and red to match the ribbon on the Vietnam Service Medal, awarded to all veterans of the war.

It was Duanes idea, said Jeri Wiskus, a glass artist.

Duane, a native of Carroll, Iowa, was a mechanic and crew chief aboard an Air Force EC-47 aircraft, which snooped on enemy communications during flights over South Vietnam. He remembers seeing Agent Orange being loaded aboard C-123 cargo aircraft at Nha Trang, where he was based.

Nobody ever said anything about it, said Wiskus, who now lives in the Elkhorn area. It was just everybody doing their job.

Discharged in 1971, he helped his dad farm for a while. Then he began driving trucks long distance, a job he continued for 20 years.

One son, John, is an Omaha firefighter who served with the Marines in Fallujah, Iraq. But his other son, Clint, was born with infantile muscular dystrophy and died before age 2. Wiskus said his doctors suspected a link to Agent Orange.

The worst thing about it was losing my son, he said. My ex-wife  she said it was my fault.

Now he is 67, and the health problems are piling up. His blindness isnt connected to his service in Vietnam. But the series of heart attacks hes suffered since 2003  the last one in April  is presumed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be connected to his wartime exposure to Agent Orange. So is his Type 2 diabetes.

Im the only one (in my family) with diabetes, Wiskus said. My dad had a heart attack  but, heck, he was 94 years old.

Still, he doesnt waste a lot of time on self-pity.

A bullet killed my cousin over there. But I lose my friends now to Agent Orange every day, Wiskus said.

I dont cry about it, he added. I pray for my brothers.

Contact the writer:
Idael Fumero Valdes is not someone youd expect to see as an honored guest of the U.S. military. As chief of investigations for Cubas National Revolutionary Police, a part of the military-controlled Ministry of the Interior, he plays a key law enforcement role in a state where beating and arresting human rights activists is considered law enforcement. Yet there he was at a U.S. naval air base in Key West, Florida, on April 21, touring the facilities at the invitation of the U.S. military command for Latin America.

Accompanying Valdes were senior officials of the Cuban anti-drug agency and border guards, plus a diplomat. Separately, U.S. officials attended a security conference outside the United States with a Cuban delegation headed by Gustavo Machin Gomez, who was expelled from a previous diplomatic post in the United States 14 years ago due to his involvement with a Cuban espionage operation against the Defense Intelligence Agency. Apparently the White House has decided to let that bygone be a bygone.

Welcome to the brave new world of military-to-military contact with Cuba, the Obama administrations latest idea for engagement with that island nation. Direct communications between the two countries security forces have been going on for years, of course  in limited, operational contexts such as avoiding clashes around the Guantanamo Bay naval base and repatriating Cuban rafters plucked from the sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. Thats necessary and appropriate.

As the Key West visit suggests, however, the administration has a wider agenda in mind. For the first time, the United States accepted Cuban participation, alongside military officers from democracies, in this years Caribbean Nations Security Conference in Kingston, Jamaica. The deputy U.S. secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, visited Havana earlier this month to discuss law enforcement cooperation. At a recent conference on the benefits of expanded contacts, a retired Army colonel suggested that the United States could seek information from Cuban military intelligence about North Korea and other countries.

Latin American military and police crave the legitimacy that comes from ties with their U.S. counterparts. A great bipartisan achievement in U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America over the past three decades has been to condition military cooperation and assistance increasingly on respect for the rule of law and human rights  rather than turn a blind eye to military abuses in the name of either anti-communism or the war on drugs, as U.S. officials so often did in previous years.

Today, in a hemisphere where military dictatorship was once widespread, no generals rule. The exception is Cuba, where Gen. Raul Castros word is law. Normalizing military-to-military ties between the United States and Cuba, for the sake of fighting drugs or other common threats, would imply that civilian rule doesnt matter so much to us anymore  that Cubas military is morally equivalent to its hemispheric counterparts  when, in fact, it is deeply complicit in political repression and corruption.

Legislation pending in Congress would block full military-to-military normalization until Cuba democratizes. At a time when Cubas beleaguered civilian democracy activists need unequivocal U.S. moral support, the administration and outside supporters of its Cuba policy should not be eager for potentially compromising relationships with the Cuban peoples uniformed oppressors.
CINCINNATI (AP)  A prosecutor said Monday that he isn't seeking charges against the mother of a 3-year-old boy who got into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit, resulting in the shooting of an endangered gorilla to protect him.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the child's mother had three other children with her, and she was attending to them when the 3-year-old "just scampered off" on May 28. He said children's services made a visit to the boy and mother, and social workers were impressed by the child's environment.

Deters said the mother's actions were "not even close" to meriting reckless endangerment charges.

Legal experts had said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely. The family said it was pleased by the decision.

"This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life," the family said in a statement.

The zoo plans to reopen its Gorilla World on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the outer barrier before falling some 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe to protect the boy.

The zoo's role will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act. An animal protection watchdog group has urged that the zoo face federal fines.

The shooting caused a wide outpouring of criticism, blaming the boy's parents or the zoo for the gorilla death. A Cincinnati police spokesman said last week police planned to "reach out" to the boy's mother to advise her of threatening language in some posts.

The zoo said that there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World's 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high  a half foot taller than before  with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom.

A Cincinnati police report identified the boy's mother as Michelle Gregg, 32, who works at a preschool near Cincinnati. The child's father isn't named in the report, and it's not clear whether he was at the zoo that day.

The boy's family has said he is doing well at home. Police said he had scrapes on his head and knee, but was alert and talking when rescued.

University of Dayton law professor Lori Shaw said earlier that child endangering cases are complicated and fact-specific. She said Ohio law requires that the defendant be found "reckless" and to have exposed a child to "substantial risk," or a strong possibility of harm.

Police released 911 tapes of calls after the boy fell.

"He's dragging my son! I can't watch this!" a woman says in the 911 call, pleading for help. She shouts at her son repeatedly: "Be calm!"

A record of police calls shows nine minutes passed between the first emergency call about the boy falling into the enclosure and when the child was safe.

The police report states that witnesses said the gorilla initially appeared to be protecting the child, but after onlookers started screaming, it became "agitated and scared" and began dragging the child.

The boy's family has expressed gratitude to the zoo for protecting his life.
Don't write off Modi's Pakistan policy; he is slowly isolating Islamabad

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Many have opined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policy on Pakistan has not been coherent and things suggest that it lacks a direction. But the Modi regime is not perturbed by the criticism and is working silently on a long-term strategy and that is to isolate Pakistan without spending a single bullet.

Afghanistan after Iran: India is busy executing its strategy

The alacrity with which India wrapped up the Chabahar Port development pact with Iran last month and inaugurated the Salma Dam in Afghanistan on Saturday proves that New Delhi is now exploring new ways to bypass Islamabad in conducting its neighbourhood policy and eventually cornering it.

Even Pakistani defence experts are worried about their country's growing isolation

In fact, Pakistan's own defence experts have expressed worry over India's latest strategy. In a recent seminar on 'National Security, Deterrence and Regional Stability in South Asia' organised by an Islamabad-based think tank Strategic Vision Institute, two former Pakistani lieutenant generals who also served as defence sectretaries said the trilateral alliance between India, Afghanistan and Iran on the Chabahar Port is a security challenge to Pakistan for it can land in an "abyss of isolation" as a result.

They feared that this could also hurt the time schedule of the Pakistan China Economic Corridor and damage Pakistan's economic prospects and chances of restoration of internal peace. They blamed the country's "dysfunctional foreign office" and the absence of a full-time foreign minister for seeing such a disadvantage.

Chabahar can eclipse Gwadar in long run, given India's better records than Pakistan

The Pakistani establishment is worried for the opening of the Chabahar Port will nullify the advantage of the Gwadar Port which is operated by the Chinese to handle the maritime trade in South Asia. Given India's better economic and political records and the emergence of Iran in the post-sanctions era, Chabahar has every potential to eclipse the Gwadar Port as the main point of maritime trade in the region.

The Chabahar Port will also give India the opportunity to reach out to resource-rich countries of Central and West Asia without taking Pakistan into account. So far, India's limited access to the West because of Pakistan's hostility was a big obstacle. Now, by reaching out to Iran and Afghanistan, India has done itself a great service.

India has reduced its geographical and psychological gap with Afghanistan without touching Pakistan

The pact on Chabahar Port and the subsequent inauguration of Salma Dam has ensured that India has attached a big importance to its ties with Afghanistan. The closeness between New Delhi and Kabul---both logistical and psychological (Salma Dam) and geographical (Chabahar Port) will make Pakistan irrelevant in the scheme of things.

Besides, India's plans to connect Afghanistan through railways built on Iran's soil will cement the trilateral friendship further and contain Pakistan from three sides.

With US also turning away, Islamabad is in a big spot of bother

With the US also not favouring Pakistan currently and the probable leadership of Washington speaking more against it, Islamabad has every reason to feel more nervous. It's only credible friend at the moment is China but its support is more strategic to counter the growing India-US camaraderie. In effect, Pakistan is treated more like a client state by the Chinese, unlike India, which is seen more as a close partner by the US.

Hence, Modi might not be doing as poorly on the Pakistan front as many have believed so far. He tried to engage with the Pakistani leadership in the beginning by reaching out to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif more than once but the reciprocation from Islamabad hasn't been desirable, thanks to the lack of consensus among the multiple power centres there.

The Indian establishment hence has implemented a Plan B to deal with Pakistan for engagements with it have not produced any positive result per se. What we are terming as Modi's incoherent Pakistan policy could just be a transition to a more robust and effective policy.
Explained: Why are the Cheetahs travelling to India from Namibia on an empty stomach

The chosen one: Why Kuno was picked as cheetahs' home in India

How to spot the difference between a Cheetah, Leopard and Jaguar?

Indian Railways first Wildlife Tourism Train - Tiger Express

Feature

oi-Lisa

By Lisa

Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu yesterday on the occasion of the World Environment Day flagged off Tiger Trail Circuit Train from Delhi's Safdarjung Station. He flagged off the Tiger Express through video conferencing between Delhi and Mumbai.

Tiger Trail Circuit Semi-Luxury Tourist Train on World Environment Day flagged off by @sureshpprabhu @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/Su5npBfB5j  Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) June 5, 2016

Tiger Express was launched on World Environment Day to highlight the significance of environment in our lives. The Railway Minister took personal interest in conceptualising this train. The tourist train will be operated by Indian Railway PSU named Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

The route of the train:

The train has five days and six nights itinerary and it will start from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station and travel via Katani, Jabalpur, Bandhavgadh, and Kanha. It is a semi-luxury train and it will take the guests onboard to the world famous Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks in Madhya Pradesh.

The tourists will also get to enjoy Dhuadhar Waterfall in Dedhaghat near Jabalpur. Railway Minister said on the occasion of the flagging off the train that, Indian Railways is fully committed to address environmental issues. He also pointed out that he is assuming charge took the initiative of creating a separate dedicated Environment Directorate in the Ministry of Railways.

Indian Railway to change few rules from July 1: All you need to know

He informed the people that his ministry is taking various steps to be more environment friendly. Mr. Prabhu while flagging off the Tiger Express told that tiger is at the apex of the food chain and so it has tremendous ecological impact and hence the ministry found it befitting to launch a train on Tiger. He announced that Indian Railways through, its PSU, IRCTC will launch more tourist circuit trains like elephant circuit, desert circuit.

Here are some salient features of the Tiger Express:

The Tiger Express has been launched with the objective to create awareness about our national animal tiger. This train is one of the most innovative tourism product ever launched by Indian Railways.

The Kanha National Park which is part of the tour is known for the presence of tigers, swamp deer and barasingha. This national park is considered as source of inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's famous novel "The Jungle Book".

The Bandhavgarh National Park which is also part of tour is famous for its biodiversity. The density of tiger population in this park is highest known in India. This park hosts a large breeding population of leopards and various species of deer too.

The train's itinerary has been planned in such a way that tourists get to see three tiger safaris and have ample time to see the majestic wild cats in their natural environment and also get to see other wildlife.

Itinerary of TIGER EXP includes 03 Tiger Safaris & a visit to famous Dhuadhar water falls in Jabalpur @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/prIxoNLJz5  Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) June 5, 2016

Apart from journey by the semi luxury AC train the package also includes AC rooms in three star resorts, sightseeing and road transportation by AC vehicles, buffet meals, game safaris, inter-city transfers and travel insurance.

This is also the first semi-luxury train on a tourist circuit having a dining car. The objective behind it is to facilitate frequent interactions among travellers during the travel. No other semi-luxury train is equipped with a dining car.

The trip which was flagged off yesterday is the inaugural run and the regular monthly trips of this fully AC train will begin from October. The train has been decorated with vinyl wrapped motifs of the wildlife.

Indian Railways which efficiently conducts the Desert Circuit in Rajasthan and Heritage Circuit in North India is for the first time venturing into the exciting wildlife tourism.

Fare Structure:

The itinerary has a tariff structure starting from Rs. 38,500. For travelling in 1AC, tariff has been fixed at Rs. 49,500 for single occupancy, Rs. 45,500 for double occupancy, Rs. 44,900 for triple occupancy and Rs. 39,500 for child with bed (5-11 years).

The fares for those travelling in AC 2-tier is Rs. 43,500 for single occupancy, Rs. 39,000 for double occupancy, Rs. 38,500 for triple occupancy and Rs. 33,500 for child with bed (5-11 years).

However, these rates are valid for Indian citizens only. An additional surcharge of Rs. 4,000 per person will be charged from foreigners for the Safari booking at Bandhagarh and Kanha.

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Sunday Departure from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station at 1500 hours. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 2 - Monday Arrival at Katni by 5:40 hours. Breakfast on board, proceed for Bandhavgarh for hotel check in and lunch. Later proceed for evening safari (Khitauli Zone). Dinner and overnight at Bandhavgarh Hotel.

Day 3 - Tuesday Departure from Bandhavgarh and proceed for Kanha. Check in and lunch at Hotel. Later proceed for evening safari (Mukki Zone). Dinner and overnight at Hotel.

Day 4 - Wednesday Morning Safari (Mukki Zone) in Kanha with late morning breakfast. Lunch at hotel. Evening time for leisure, dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 5 - Thursday after breakfast proceed for Jabalpur. Lunch at hotel in Jabalpur. Proceed for Dhuadhar Waterfall in Bedhaghat. High tea in the evening before proceeding to train station. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 6 - Friday arrival at Delhi Safdarjung Station at 1550 hours as tour ends with happy memories. Breakfast and lunch on board.
Karnataka MLAs back in the resort ahead of the RS polls

Feature

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

No election in Karnataka is conducted without drama. Now ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, the politics of resorts has returned. The all important 10 independent candidates have been whisked away to the J W Marriott Hotel in Mumbai and asked to stay there until the 9th of the month. The RS polls in Karnataka will be held on June 10.

The task of safeguarding these MLAs has been assigned to Yeshwanthpur MLA, S Somashekhar. The Congress needs 12 votes if it has ensure the election of its third candidate, K C Ramamurthy. However it is still not clear how many MLAs have been taken away to Mumbai, but sources say that a majority of them are there.

Return of resort politics:

Karnataka has witnessed several such incidents over the past 8 years. Each time there is a trust vote or a new government is about to be formed, the all important independents in particular get an all expense paid resort treat. This time around it is no different and the votes of the 12 MLAs including independents and others is extremely crucial.

The BJP needs just one vote to push its candidate into the Rajya Sabha. The JD(S) would need 5. The entire drama is to ensure that the JD(S) does not get the 5 votes and also the Congress gets 12. The Congress will have no problem in pushing its first two candidates into the RS as they are assured 45 votes each. However in the case of Ramamurthy they are falling 12 short and hence this entire drama has been orchestrated.
Modi is popular because he has no opponent: A look at India's Opposition politics over the years

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said in early 2014 that Narendra Modi as the country's PM would be disastrous. Two-and-half years since that remark, Prime Minister Modi has proved his predecessor wrong and continued to rule over the hearts of an overwhelming number of Indians.

After over two years since he took over as the PM and despite certain odds that his government has faced in issues like economic reforms or mismanaging episodes related to late Dalit student Rohith Vemula or the JNU fiasco, Modi is still a popular leader. In an impatient democracy like ours, this is quite unique. In the past too, leaders like Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee, despite their initial popularity, could not maintain the same momentum after a 24-month period.

What then has helped Modi rewrite the story afresh?

The biggest reason of Modi's continued popularity is the lack of a credible Opposition leader. Even if there is no formal Opposition leader, a counter leadership is a key necessity for a balanced democratic functioning. Modi's India has neither of them and it has inevitably made him the boss of all business.

How India's opposition leaders have performed in the past?

Nehru's time was different for he himself had eclipsed everybody else

If we take a look at the past, most Indian prime ministers barring Jawaharlal Nehru had a strong opposition leader at some point of time. Nehru can be considered an exception for the Congress had a hegemonic presence in Indian politics then and though there were leaders of weight around, there was technically no Opposition party or a leader because nobody could attain the required number of seats in Parliament (10 per cent). Nehru more had ideological opposition from the communists or regional resistance from the South on issues like language and statehood.

Indira Gandhi's run was uninterrupted till early 1970s when JP challenger her

But after the Nehru years, there was always a credible Opposition face to counter the ruler of the day. Indira Gandhi had an uninterrupted run till the early 1970s but thereafter with the strong emergence of former Congress leader Jayaprakash Narayan, she had a tough challenge to handle.

JP's Total Revolution was met with the Emergency but there was no denying that the iron lady in Indira Gandhi was given the most difficult fight by a man 15 year older than her. Indira Gandhi ultimately lost power in 1977 and the Janata Party platform, which was formed under the guidance of JP, came to power. But JP's demise in 1979 saw the experiment weakened and political squabble saw Indira Gandhi returning to power the following year.

Rajiv Gandhi was defeated by Bofors and VP Singh gave the leadership

The next prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, came to power with a massive mandate (even his mother Indira or grandfather Nehru couldn't get over 400 seats) but after three years of serving in office, his government was hit by the Bofors scam and it was none other than Rajiv Gandhi's own former finance and defence minister VP Singh who rose to the occasion and capitalised on the anti-incumbency factor.

In those days when the slogan "Gali gali mein shor hain, Rajiv Gandhi chor hain" (There is noise at every nook, Rajiv Gandhi is a crook), Singh's face featured prominently on the streets. Rajiv Gandhi clearly had an alternative in Singh and the 1989 election saw the latter toppling the former.

Rajiv Gandhi also set the agenda as Opposition leader by seeing the fall of Chandra Sekhar govt

The era that set in thereafter was one of uncertainty. The governments of VP Singh and Chandra Sekhar after him were short-lived and just like his mother had set the agenda in 1979 to rattle the Janata government, Opposition leader Rajiv Gandhi pulled the strings when Chandra Sekhar's vulnerable government was in power in 1990-91. Rajiv Gandhi looked favourite to become the prime minister again but was assassinated during the campaigning for the 1991 Lok Sabha election.

Thereafter, it was the rise of the BJP: Advani set the agenda when Narasimha Rao was the PM by mobilising Hindu sentiments

Thereafter, it was the rise of the BJP. In the PV Narasimha Rao era, the BJP was no more a fringe player as its presence in Parliament had increased significantly and the two BJP stalwarts---LK Advani and Atal Behari Vajpayee (in that order) became the Opposition leaders in succession.



It was during this time that the Babri mosque was demolished and Advani particularly had given the Opposition BJP a massive boost by mobilising the Hindutva sentiments. Rao though had initiated the economic liberalisation, but his minority government's failure to stop the Babri demolition showed how the Opposition set the agenda in those days.

Period between 1996-1999 was uncertain: No stable PM nor any worthy Opposition

The period between 1996 and 1999 was again a turbulent one in Indian politics as three general elections were held in four years and there was no constructive role to play---either for the short-lived governments of Vajpayee, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral or the opponents (in fact all were opponents then aiming for even a 24-hour premiership). The chaos came to an end only in 1999 when Vajpayee formed his third government at the Centre. It was Sonia Gandhi, who had just taken over as the Congress chief then, who served as the Opposition leader.

Sonia Gandhi as the Opposition leader (1999-2004): Nothing extraordinary but yet not ineffective

It was not that Sonia had given a great leadership to the Congress as the party did poorly in the 1999 election but she did work hard to dethrone the NDA from power in 2004. Vajpayee was surely a premier who maintained a lead over the Opposition leader (who could beat Vajpayee in his unique political stance of reaching Parliament in bullock carts to protest rise in fuel price).

Sonia's only high points as an Opposition leader were during the defence scam in 2001 when the Congress forced adjournments and compelled the government to review plans to send troops to Iraq to join the US-led forces during the second Gulf war in 2003.

But yet, Sonia Gandhi was still seen as a leader who gave the grand-old party a direction and the supporters knew that she had her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, by her sides. She deserved the credit of single-handedly taking the Congress to the doorsteps of victory by puncturing the NDA government's much-acclaimed 'India Shining' slogan.

When Congress-led UPA came to power in 2004 and 2009, BJP had virtually an ineffective opposition till the rise of Narendra Modi around 2012

The Congress-led UPA came to power twice in 2004 and 2009 and on both times, the post-Vajpayee BJP could not make any visible impact till the rise of Narendra Modi around 2012. It was the UPA II's continuous slide under the silent leadership of Manmohan Singh which made Modi a natural preference as the Opposition leader though he had never been an MP till the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Post-2014, Rahul Gandhi has failed to do what his grandmother and father had done as Opposition leaders

Post-2014, one can see the same inertia in the Opposition's ranks as it was during 2004-12. In fact, the ageing Sonia Gandhi and the failure of Rahul Gandhi to take off against the ever-strengthening appeal of Modi meant that the Congress could do little as the Opposition (though technically it is not an Opposition party with just 45 seats).

Modi's only realistic opponents in this year have been Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee but all of them are more regional strongmen with geographically limited reach. The lack of a credible face in Opposition at the Centre and the non-starter politician in Rahul Gandhi (unlike Indira in 1977-80 and Rajiv in 1989-91) made sure that Modi remained the darling of an overwhelming section of the Indian voters even after two years of governance.
Kerala CM accuses Gov of 'acting as RSS tool' on his order to VCs to resign

47-day trawling ban in Kerala from June 15

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 6: Kerala government today decided to impose a 47-day trawling ban in the coastal belt from June 15.

A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting convened by Fisheries Minister Mercykutty Amma. The trawling ban would be in force from June 15 to July 31, an official release said here today.

The meeting also resolved to take a decision on the 61 day ban imposed by the Centre on trawling during the monsoon period, it said.

The minister requested the fishermen community to co-operate with the government on the trawling ban with a view to preserve and conserve ocean resources.

The relief extended to fishermen due to the ban would be distributed in June itself, the release said.

PTI
IRCTC: 89 trains cancelled on Oct 26 including some in Maharashtra, UP; check complete list

PM, LG responsible for jungle raj' in Delhi: Kejriwal

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, June 6: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday alleged there was "complete jungle raj" in Delhi and blamed Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung for it.

"Complete jungle raj in Delhi. LG/Modiji failed miserably. What have they done to control deteriorating law and order?" the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader asked in a tweet.

His comments came a day after a 50-year-old woman and her two daughters, aged 19 and nine, were found murdered at their house in Delhi's Brahmapuri area.

Separately, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an 11-year-old boy in Mangolpuri area.

Delhi Police reports to the central government in the capital, not to the city government headed by Kejriwal.

Complete jungle raj in Del. LG/Modi ji failed miserably. What hv they done to control deteriorating law n order? https://t.co/7L8USZvwzQ  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 6, 2016

IANS


Consular access to Indian spy- No official word from Pak as yet

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, June 6: India is confirming with Pakistan if a final call was taken on denying consular access to Kulbhushan Jhadav who was arrested in Balochistan on charges of spying.

While a newspaper in Pakistan had reported that Islamabad had decided not to grant consular access, India says there is no official word on it as yet.

It may be recalled that Jhadav had been arrested in March from Balochistan. Pakistan had accused him of attempting to undertake subversive activities. They also said that he was an agent of the Research and Analysis Wing.

However, India denied all charges and said that he was a businessman and being planted by Pakistan. India had also said that he had retired pre-maturely from the navy and since then there was no link with the government.

India had sought from Pakistan consular access to Jhadav. The request had been sent in April, but Pakistan has not responded as yet.

An Indian official said that he had learnt about the report in the Pakistan newspaper where it was said that consular access had been denied. However, we are awaiting an official word on it, the officer also said.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 8:43 [IST]
Dadri lynching: Section 144 imposed in Bisahada village ahead of 'mahapanchayat'

India

oi-Mukul

Lucknow, June 6: Amid high tension in Bishada village, police on Monday stepped up security in the area. Reportedly, prohibitory orders were also clamped after local called for a Mahapanchyat.

Tension gripped entire area after locals announced that they will organise a Mahapanchyat over registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaq's family for alleged cow slaughter case.

An official said that District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the Dadri district. Additional security personnel have also been deployed in the village, he further said.

Residents of Bishada village, include kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, yesterday met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaq's family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of "cow or its progeny".

Meat found in Dadri lynching victim's house was beef: Forensic report

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a mahapanchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaq's family.

"A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaq's house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard," he said.

"The villagers have decided to hold a mahapanchayat as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it," he claimed. VHP leader Surindera Jain had yesterday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

BJP leader supports the demand of registration of an FIR

Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding that the 17 accused in the killing of Akhlaq be released.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaq's family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

"The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them," the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

"Calling for mahapanchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped," P L Punia said.

OneIndia news

(with inputs from PTI)

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 16:48 [IST]
Girl who attains puberty can marry without parents' consent under 'Muslim Laws': Delhi HC

NCERT study links decline in student enrolment to dip in young population since 2011

Quality healthcare, life without fear: Kerala CM's wish on International Day of Girl Child

Girls outshine boys in Class X exam of Maharashtra Board

India

oi-PTI

Pune, June 6: With a pass percentage of 91.41 per cent, girls once again outshone boys in the Maharashtra Board Class X examination results of which were declared on Monday, June 6.

The overall pass per percentage of 89.56 per cent has been dropped by 1.90 per cent as compared to last year, Chairman of the Maharashtra Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Gangadhar Mhamane told reporters here.

In what seems to be a tradition now, girls once again outperformed boys with passing percentage of 91.41 per cent against 87.98 per cent.

Konkan division registered the highest pass percentage with 96.56 among nine divisions of the board, whereas, Latur division was lowest with pass percentage of 81.54 per cent.

Division-wise pass percentage -- Pune 93.30, Nagpur 85.34, Aurangabad 88.05, Mumbai 91.90, Kolhapur 93.89, Amaravati 84.99, Nashik 89.61, Latur 81.54, and Konkan 96.56.

Out of total 16,07,411 registered students,16,01,406 appeared for the exam and 14,34,143 students successfully passed the Secondary School Certificate (Class X) examination.

PTI
India offered Taliban money to arrest, hand over me, claims JeM chief Masood Azhar

India

oi-Jagriti

New Delhi, June 6: Maulana Masood Azhar, the prime mastermind of the Pathankot airbase terror attack, claimed that India offered cash to the Taliban government to capture and hand over him along with two others.

The alleged deal was made to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, the Taliban chief who was killed in a US drone strike last month by the then External Affairs minister Jaswant Singh after Masood Azhar and two others were exchanged for passengers and crew of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 at Kandahar in 1999, reported the Indian Express.

These three were personally received by the Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur.

This claim has been made by the JeM chief in an obituary of Mansur, posted under his pen name Saidi in an online mouthpiece of the terror outfit.

In the obituary, Azhar mentioned about his meeting with Mansur "Once I had a meeting with Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur at Kandahar airport. This airport came under his ministry. I was part of a delegation from Karachi. Taliban had provided a plane to bring the delegation from Kabul to Kandahar where Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur welcomed us. He took the guests to the VIP lounge... Mullah sahib made me sit next to him on the sofa. Then he told me that Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh sat on the same sofa when he brought you to drop you at Kandahar."

Azhar added: "... he (Mansur) started repeating the story of that day with a lot of pleasure. He said that Jaswant Singh had told him that our prisoners (Azhar, Zargar and Sheikh) would still be in Afghanistan and you arrest them and hand them over to us, hum aap ki hukumat ko malamaal karengey (we will make your government rich).''

China may support ban on Masood Azhar if India resubmits plea: Subramanian Swamy

Quoting Mansur, Azhar wrote: "...'I (Mansur) told him that if you are able to return (to India) safely, even that would be a big thing'."

However, the chief of India's Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) at the time, A S Dulat told The Indian Express that "money never came up at all" during that episode.

"It is bunkum. Unfortunately, the claim is regarding a conversation between two men that nobody can verify because one is dead and another is in coma," he said.

OneIndia News
Partial Solar Eclipse updates: See stunning photos of Surya Grahan from Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna and more

India, Vietnam to enhance defence ties

India

oi-Oneindia

By By Our Defence Bureau

New Delhi, June 6: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar arrived, who is in Hanoi on an official visit to Vietnam, met his counterpart Gen Ngo Xuan Lich. Parrikar is Gen Lich's first state guest since his appointment in April 2016.

According to Ministry of Defence officials, both ministers reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation initiatives between the two countries and focussed on measures to further strengthen their bilateral defence relations.

Parrikar is said to have complimented Vietnam on their successful participation in the International Fleet Review held at the port city of Visakhapatnam in February 2016. He also visited the elite 308 Division and complimented the efforts of the Vietnam People's Army soldiers on their contribution in the past.

The Defence Minister also visited the Research and Development facilities of Viettel Group of industries and both leaders emphasised the need for greater defence industry cooperation.

"The minister attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries. The meeting focussed on enhancing the defence industry networking, information sharing and exploration of possibilities for partnerships and collaborations between the two countries," says a MoD release.

The Vietnam Border Guards is said to have handed over a bid document to Larson and Toubro Limited during the meeting.

India has recently provided Vietnam with a US$100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by Vietnam for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

Both leaders agreed to share information in the maritime domain in addition to enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

MoD says the visit by Parrikar underlines the strategic importance of the defence relationship and the personal priority that the leaders of both countries place on their strong bilateral relationship.

Ahead of Parrikar's visit, media had widely reported that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared a proposal to offer BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam. Parrikar is expected to have discussions with the Vietnamese officials in this regard.

OneIndia News
Manipur government denies Rajnath Singh's remark on meeting

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Imphal, June 6: The Manipur government on Monday, June 6 denied Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's reported statement to a state BJP delegation that the state government had not sought any appointment with him on the three bills awaiting presidential assent.

Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said here that the Okram Ibobi Singh government had written letters through proper channels for proposed meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

"The chief minister even wrote personal letters to seek appointments," the minister said.

Ibobi has since maintained that there has been no response from the Centre so far to the requests for meetings on the three anti-migrants bills pending presidential assent since September last year but which have already been passed by the Manipur assembly.

Gaikhangam also took exception to the BJP leaders going alone for a meeting with the central leadership on the issue.

He said that an all-party delegation from Manipur was already in Delhi even as no assent for the meetings was forthcoming.

"The state BJP is a part of the delegation. It is both surprising and unwarranted that a BJP team met the Union Home Minister and Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju on the three bills.

"Let the BJP take full credit. But it would have been decent on the Manipur BJP's part to have invited other members of the delegation too. The BJP action shows the disunity among the political parties in Manipur," the deputy chief minister said.

Gaikhangam said he will join the delegation members camping in Delhi since Friday.

IANS


Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

Mathura violence: BJP workers clash with police during protest

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, June 6: BJP workers today clashed with police while attempting to gherao the Uttar Pradesh Assembly building here to protest against the Jawahar Bagh incident in Mathura.

The BJP workers took out a march from party office and attempted to gherao the building and were stopped by police following which the clash broke out.

"Demonstrations were held at district headquarters across the state demanding resignation of PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and a CBI inquiry into the Mathura violence," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

He said a party delegation would submit a memorandum to the Governor Ram Naik later in the day. Twenty-nine people, including two police officers, were killed during clashes between encroachers and police at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura last week.

PTI
In a case of bad karma Taliban outs Pakistan on what India had always said on Azhar

Maulana Masood is imagining, no money was offered to Taliban: Former R&AW chief

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, June 6: Maulana Masood Azhar in an obituary makes a note of a conversation he had with the slain Taliban chief, Mullah Mansour. He says that Mansour had met with Jaswanth Singh who was the external affairs minister during the Khandahar hijack.

Singh is said to have told Mansour to keep Azhar in Afghanistan and in return India would pay them money.

Maulana Masood Azhar and two other terrorists were handed over in Afghanistan in exchange for the hostages aboard IC-814 which was hijacked. A delegation led by Singh had landed in Afghanistan to hand over Azhar.

In an obituary that Azhar writes for Mansour who was recently killed in a drone attack, he quoted an alleged conversation with Singh. Azhar says during a meeting with Mansour was offered money by Singh to keep Azhar and the rest in Afghanistan.

He also said that Azhar and the rest should be sent back to India, but Mansour refused the offer and told him to worry about his own safety.

No money was involved:

Former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, C D Sahay who was part of the entire operation leading up to the release of the hostages says that he cannot recollect money being involved. No such offer was made ever and Azhar is speaking out of his imagination.

First and foremost, the Taliban which was running the government did not allow the plane to land in Khandahar when they realised it had been hijacked.

However 30 minutes later, they changed their stance and even informed us that the airport had night landing facility. Did they get a call from Islamabad or Rawalpindi to grant permission for the plane to land. I suspect that someone would have told the Taliban that the plane was hijacked to ensure the release of Azhar.

Now coming to the money part of it. The hijackers had a couple of demands which included money in exchange for the hostages apart from the release of Azhar and two others.

The demands were taken to Mullah Omar the then chief of the Taliban. He rejected the money offer saying that it is anti Islam to seek ransom money.

As far as I can recollect there were no talks held with the Taliban and hence the question of money coming up is ruled out. The Taliban was in fact trying to put up a benign face and making it seem that all was normal. They knew that the entire world's attention was on Khandahar.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 13:12 [IST]
37th anniversary of Operation Bluestar: What is Operation Bluestar, why was it carried out?

Security tight in Amritsar on anniversary of Operation Bluestar

Explained: What is Operation Bluestar, why was it carried out?

Operation Bluestar anniversary: Prayers offered at Golden Temple

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Amritsar, June 6: Prayers were offered at the Golden Temple complex on Monday morning as the 32nd anniversary of Indian Army's 'Operation Bluestar' passed off peacefully.

Except for a few pro-Khalistan and anti-government slogans by a small group of Sikh hardliners, the event passed off peacefully in front of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion located inside the temple complex.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members and police personnel in plainclothes kept a close watch on the hardliners trying to hijack the ceremony.

The task force members did not allow the hardliners to take control of the function.

Akal Takht Jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh read out his address to the Sikh community.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said scores of people attended the ceremony.

Security agencies were on alert in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, ahead of the Bluestar anniversary.

Paramilitary forces and Punjab Police personnel kept a close watch in different parts of the city, especially around the Golden Temple complex.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had appealed to all sections to exercise restraint and observe the anniversary peacefully.

The appeal came due to apprehension of clashes between Sikh hardliners and moderates.

In the last three-four years, pro-Khalistan slogans have been raised by hardliners during the anniversary function. Clashes also took place in the last two years.

The Punjab Police detained several radical Sikh leaders ahead of the anniversary as a preventive measure.

Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa has called for an "Amritsar Bandh" on Monday.

Several people, including security personnel, were killed in 'Operation Bluestar', the Army's action on Amritsar's Golden Temple complex in June 1984 to flush out armed extremists led by separatist Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

IANS
PM Modi should have avoided Switzerland visit, says Prof Vaidyanathan

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, June 6: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving in Switzerland, there is talk that he may bring up the issue of black money.

Although the main agenda is bi-lateral and mutual cooperation apart from seeking support for India's membership to the Nuclear Supplier's Group, there has been talk that the issue of black money too may be raised.

However, the experts feel that this will not help as the Swiss will not budge. R Vaidyanathan, Professor of Finance at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore says that ideally Modi should not have gone to Switzerland and now that he has the issue of black money should not be raised as it will not help.

Catch the peacock and take the feather:

Prof Vaidyanathan tells OneIndia that he personally feels that Modi should not have gone to Switzerland. However now that he is there, the issue of black money should not be raised as it will not help. They still feel that tax evasion is not a crime.

However, it is India's case that this is an issue that does not concern tax evasion alone, but the money parked there also has been raised through corruption. I feel that the Swiss need to be arm twisted as discussions in this regard will not help at all, Prof Vaidyanathan also points out.

He also says that there is a procedure that needs to be followed and if it is done there is hope of bringing back the black money.

First India would need to file an FIR against unknown entities who have illegal money in Switzerland. Then a resolution must be passed declaring that the money belongs to the government of India.

This would need to be approved by the President of India. We then need to take this resolution up to the Swiss and tell them that the money belongs to the government of India.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 12:41 [IST]
Sadhvi Pragya's bail plea- NIA will not oppose

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, June 6: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's bail plea will be heard by a special court in Mumbai today. The National Investigation Agency which had given her a clean chit in the Malegaon blasts case will not oppose her bail plea.

An NIA official informed OneIndia that there were no charges against her and hence we had suggested to the court that she be discharged.

The Malegaon blasts in 2008 had claimed several lives. The Maharashtra ATS which probed the case first had arrested Pragya and several others in connection with the case. Later on the probe was handed over to the NIA. The NIA in a chargesheet filed recently had dropped charges against her.

While the NIA has given her a clean chit, it is now up to the court to take a final call. It is the court which will decide on whether to uphold the chargesheet of the NIA or not. Officials say that in normal course, courts usually do not interfere with the chargesheet filed by the investigating agency.

Following the clean chit, Pragya had filed a bail plea. The hearing is expected to come up today before the special court. The NIA is unlikely to oppose her bail plea. There is no point in opposing the plea, the officer noted.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 8:25 [IST]
Vulnerable women were the targets of this suspected ISIS fab boy

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, June 6: Vulnerable women were his targets. He would scout on the internet for vulnerable women and attempt to lure them into his web and later convince them to join the ISIS.

The details of the investigation conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following the arrest of Mohammad Sirajudeen an official with the Indian Oil Corporation have revealed his modus operandi.

Interestingly in this case, it was the wife of Sirajudeen who testified against him to the investigation agency. She told the NIA about his conversations and how he had suggested to her that they all should move to Syria.

Women for the ISIS:

The NIA's case files show that he was in touch with a woman named Amina. She was a domestic help and had come to Hyderabad from Kenya. She was in touch with Sirajudeen and was ready to join him in his journey to Syria.

India taking tough stance on ISIS returnees

His wife said that when she was pregnant, he had called and told her that he wished to leave for Syria. He also informed her that he wanted to get married to Amina.

Investigations however show that Amina was not the only target. He would look for women on the web and attempt to radicalise them.

It is a well known fact that the ISIS uses women as sex slaves. The recruiters look for women all the time. Most of the times, the women are trapped and sent to Syria. However some of the women that Sirajudeen spoke with were willing to go to Syria and this was an indication that they were highly radicalised.

Chargesheet:

The NIA filed a chargesheet against Sirajudeen. Mohammed Sirajuddin, an Engineering Post Graduate, then working in IOCL as Assistant Manager in Jaipur was arrested on December 10 2015 by the RajasthanATS in Jaipur for promoting the ideology of ISIS, inciting others to become member of ISIS and indulging in terrorist and antinational activities through facebook, whatsapp and telegram.

One laptop (apple Macbook), one dual SIM mobile, two SIMs and one SD card was seized from his possession at the time of his arrest.

NIA files charge sheet against suspected ISIS operative

The case was later handed over to the NIA. Investigation conducted has brought on record evidences of his incriminating chats, posts, videos, images and comments on facebook, whatsapp, telegram and twitter shared and circulated in groups and channels on various social networking sites.

Investigation has also established his association with ISIS operatives from various countries who were actively online propagating, promoting and inciting peoples to join ISIS.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 10:46 [IST]
Kartarpur corridor: Why India can never afford to drop its guard against Pakistan

What is Operation Bluestar?: Explained

India

oi-Preeti

Punjab is observing 32nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star today (Monday, June 6). Let us know some facts about it.

Between June 3 to June 8, 1984, Indian military had conducted an operation, that came to be known as Operation Bluestar. It was launched on the orders of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi to eliminate Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers who had sought cover in the Amritsar Harmandir Sahib Complex.

The sentiments of Sikhs were hurt when a miitary operation was held at the holy shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar.

What Major General Kuldip Singh Brar said:

According to Brar, the announcement on the formation of Khalistan was about to take place in few days and that is why it was important to launch that operation and execute it sucessfully.

What led to Operation Bluestar?

The root of problems began in 1970 when differences cropped up in Akali politics due to their demands in Punjab.

In 1973 and in 1978, Akali Dal had passed Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

What were the demands of Akalis?

Chandigarh should be the capital of Punjab only.

Areas where Punjabi language is spoken should be made part of Punjab.

On the issue of rivers, the Supreme Court's advise should be sought.

Punjab should have the access to the basic structure of generating electricity from water.

Army recruitment should be on the basis of merit and certain restrictions on Sikhs in army should be withdrawn.

Akhil Bharatiya Gurdwara should be made a law.

Akali-Nirankari fight

On April 13, 1978, communal clashes took place between Akali and Nirankari workers in which 13 workers of Akalis and two Nirankaris were killed including Nirankari Gurbachan Singh.

Who was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale?

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, leader of the Damdami Taksal, took an active part in those clashes.

Bhindranwale was an extremist and he started blaming Congress-led Central government on the issue. He started giving speeches on controversial political issues and on religious matters.

Some believed that he was spreading hatred and agitation among public, while his supporters maiantained that he was only talking for the welfare of Sikh religion.

An era of violence in Punjab

In Sept 1981, Punjab Kesari group editor Lala Jagat Narayan was murdered. Communal clashes broke out in Amritsar, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran, in which many lives were lost.

During this period, various allegations of communal activities were levelled against Bhindranwale but police cited lack of evidence against him.

In Sept 1981, Bhindranwale surrendered himself in front of Mehta Chowk Gurdwara. It led to clashes between the crowd present there and police, in which eleven persons lost their lives.

On Aug 20, 1982, members of Sikh Students Federation had hijacked an Indian Airlines flight. Hijacker Manjit Singh had allegedly surrendered but he was shot dead by the police, when he came out of the plane.

Then, few politicians from Akali Dal also started speaking in favour of Bhindranwale, who had a massive support base.

Subsequently, Bhindranwale was released in October 1981. In 1982, he started addressing people from the Guru Nank Niwas of Golden Temple Parisar but later he reached out to masses from Akal Takht.

1982- Nahar Roko Morcha (Canal agitation)

In July 1982, Akali Dal launched an agitation against the linking of Satluj-Yamuna rivers. At the same time, Bhindranwale had launched a campaign for the release of All India Sikh Students Federation chief Amrik Singh.

Then Akalis merged their campaign with that of Bhindranwale's campaign and started surrendering themselves to police, as a mark of protest.

On April 23, 1983, Punjab Police DIG A S Atwal, was shot dead in broad-day light at Harmandir Sahib complex.

Few months later, some gunmen barged into a Punjab roadways bus near Jalandhar and killed Hindus for the first time. Then Indira Gandhi-led Congress government suspended Darbara Singh led-Punjab Congress governemnt, following which President rule was imposed.

Events that led to Operation Bluestar

By 1984, 298 people were killed in communal violence before the launch of three months of Operation Bluestar.

Before the onset of Operation Bluestar, Indira Gandhi had held talks with Akalis three times, according to reports. The last talks took place on April 5, 1982. Indira Gandhi had reportedly ordered armed forces to kill Bhindranwale.

In Haryana, protests erupted against Sikhs in Feb 1984. On June 1, 1984, firings were exchanged between security forces and Golden temple members.

On June 2, buses and rain services were suspended to and from Punjab. Even phone and electricity connections were cut off and media censorship was enforced.

By June 3, Indian military had entered inside the premises of the Golden Temple following which a 36-hour curfew was imposed in evening. The holy shrine had turned into a graveyard. Bhindranwale and his armed Khalistan supporters had taken refuge inside the Golden Temple.

The confrontation between military and sikhs began on June 4, under the command of General Kuldip Singh Brar.

On June 5, tanks, artillery, helicopters, armored vehicles and tear gas were also deployed to take control of the situation. Sikh Reference Library was also burnt in the violence.

After lot of blood-shed, centuries-old Akal Takht structure was destroyed completely. Due to mayhem, no religious discourse took place on June 6, 7 and 8, for the first time in its history.

Bhindranwale fell to bullets on June 6, 1984 and on June 7, the Indian army gained control over Golden Temple complex.

According to the Indian government's white letter, 83 soldiers were martyred and 249 were injured. 493 Sikhs were killed and 86 were injured. 1,592 people were arrested. But all these numbers are still under dispute till today.

According to sikhs, over thousand sikhs lost their lives during Operation Bluestar. Following the mutiny, many Sikhs resigned from armed and civil administrative office and several returned awards and honours they had received from the Indian government.

Four months later, the differences between Congress and Sikhs further deteriorated when two of her bodyguards- Satwant Singh and Beant Singh assasinated the then prime minister Indira Gandhi on Octber 31, 1984.

After Indira Gandhi's assasination, anti-Sikh riots took place in 1984 in which around 3,000 people lost their lives, most of them were sikhs.
Pakistan elections: US worried over people affiliated to LeT

Denmark: 2 held for attempting procurement of drones for IS

Days before Trump announced Syria withdrawal, a sinister report came out on IS in Iraq

New Zealand man who had joined IS to return

IS militants burn 19 Yazidi women alive for refusing to have sex

International

oi-Shubham

Mosul (Iraq), June 6: Nineteen Yazidi women were burnt alive by Islamic States (IS) militants here last week after they refused to have sex with the fighters.

The women were put in iron cages and burnt alive as several people watched in horror, said the Kurdish ARA News agency.

"They were punished for refusing to have sex with ISIS militants," the news agency quoted Abdullah al-Malla, a local media activist.

IS militants have raped, enslaved and killed thousands of women of the Yazidi ethnically Kurdish religious community since 2014 and forcing over 4,00,000 of the religious minority group to flee their homes in northern Iraq after accusing them as devil worshippers.

According to the UN, the Sunni militants took as slaves about 7,000 women and girls in 2014---mainly Yazidis who believe in blended elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam and are still holding around 3,500---some as sex slaves.

Oneindia News
Slip of Tongue in Pak Parliament: Speaker pronounces Nawaz Sharif's name instead of Shehbaz Sharif

Nawaz Sharif likely to return to Pakistan next month: Imran Khan

Maryam Nawaz gets her passport back after 3 years; meets father Nawaz Sharif in London

Nawaz Sharif's recovery 'on course', says daughter

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, June 6: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's recovery is on track, his daughter Maryam Nawaz has said, nearly a week after he underwent surgery.

"PM's recovery on course. Was made to walk several times in the corridor during the day, and up and down a flight of stairs twice," Maryam tweeted.

Since Sharif was hospitalised, Maryam has taken charge of the media management in the Sharif camp, feeding the press updates on her father's medical condition, Dawn online reported.

From announcing Sharif's decision to undergo the surgery, to tweeting his first picture after the procedure, Maryam's Twitter feed has provided minute details about how much time the premier would spend inside the intensive care unit (ICU).

Maryam also update the media about Sharif's plans to come back home.

Sharif underwent open-heart surgery at a London hospital and was moved to an intensive care unit in a stable condition last week.

He is expected to return to Pakistan before the end of Ramadan, Maryam said earlier.

"Three of his arteries were blocked. It will take five or six days for the prime minister to get discharged from the hospital and we expect that he will return home in three to four weeks," she had said.

Following his surgery, Sharif will be overseeing the affairs of government from London.

IANS


India always views war as last resort, but... : PM Modi to armed forces in Kargil

PM Modi leaves for US

International

oi-PTI

Geneva, June 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday June 6 left for the US after ending his engagements in Switzerland, where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Au Revoir Geneve! In under half a day, PM completes visit and emplanes for Washington DC," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. During the visit, India and Switzerland also agreed to step up cooperation to unearth blackmoney Indians stashed in Swiss banks.

In Washington, the prime minister will meeet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office, their sixth after Modi assumed power. He is also scheduled to address a joint session of US Congress on June 8. Modi is on a five-nation tour.

He began his travel in Afghanistan, then travelled to Qatar and Switzerland. After the US, he will visit Mexico at the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

PTI
President Obama to make final Europe trip in July

International

oi-PTI

Washington, June 6: US President Barack Obama will visit Poland and Spain in July, in what will likely be his final trip to Europe, a continent that has often presented more problems than opportunities during his presidency.

The White House said that Obama will travel to Warsaw on July 7-9 for "his fifth and final summit with NATO leaders," before going on his first trip to Spain. During his nearly eight years in office, Obama has at times had difficult relationships with America's oldest allies. For most of his first term, Europe was frustratingly slow to contain sovereign debt crises that were fed by and prolonged the Great Recession.

Relations with Europe were further tested by Obama's "pivot to Asia" -- which was widely perceived as capping a decades-long strategic shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Obama has publicly said that it was a mistake to depend on European allies to manage Libya's emergence from decades of Moamer Kadhafi's dictatorial rule. Five years after Kadhafi was killed, the country is still in turmoil and is now a base for the Islamic State group.

That is likely to be a topic of discussion in Warsaw, along with Russia's continued testing of NATO resolve in eastern and central Europe.

The Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region was followed with active support for separatists in the east of the country. The country is today de facto partitioned, posing a significant obstacle for Kiev's reform efforts and plunging the West in Russia into the biggest standoff since the Cold War. Meanwhile Russian aircraft have launched a series of provocative intercepts of NATO, Swedish and other craft.

(AFP) ANP
PM Modi to interact with participants of Smart India Hackathon finale on August 25: MoE

UK PM Liz Truss resigns after 45 days in office, successor to be elected next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in US on a three-day visit

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Jun 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama to review bilateral ties and address a joint session of the US Congress.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews from Switzerland where he secured the European nation's support for India's NSG membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

"Penultimate leg of PM Narendra Modi's journey begins as he arrives in Washington D.C. on a sunny summer afternoon," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

US' Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal were among the top officials present at the base to receive Prime Minister Modi.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the US Congress. He will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to do so.

Why PM Modi's latest US visit is significant

Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Obama. Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit "reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world", a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.

This is Prime Minister Modi's fourth visit to the US.

"In my meeting with the President on June 7, we will seek to build upon the progress achieved in providing new vigour and momentum to our strategic partnership in diverse areas," Modi had said before departing for his five-nation tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

Modi will begin his US visit by paying tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery. He will then meet heads of a number of American think tanks and will attend an event to repatriate Indian antiquity by the US.

Modi will also address the 40th AGM of the USIBC (US India Business Council) and meet US business leaders. "India and USA are natural partners, two vibrant democracies that celebrate their diversity and pluralism.

Strong India-USA ties benefit not only our two nations but also the entire world," Modi had said. From the US, Modi will visit Mexico before heading back to India.

Penultimate leg of PM's @narendramodi's journey begins as he arrives in Washington D.C. on a sunny summer afternoon pic.twitter.com/tMMSz8qdKk  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Washington D.C. Meets his supporters amassed at Joint Base Andrews #ModiInUS pic.twitter.com/elMzulvS2R  ANI (@ANI_news) June 6, 2016

#WATCH PM Narendra Modi arrives in Washington D.C. Meets his supporters amassed at Joint Base Andrews #ModiInUShttps://t.co/KwctzWabWF  ANI (@ANI_news) June 6, 2016

PTI
Sanders vows to fight till the end, criticizes Clinton for foreign donations

International

oi-Pallavi

Washington, June 6: As the D-Day of the final primary contests approaches, the US election campaign is growing aggressive and complicated. None of the candidates are leaving a chance to pin th eother one in the face of the race for acquiring delegations.

While Hillary Clinton is way ahead of Bernie Sanders, the latter is hell bent to be in the race till the end. If Sanders wins in California, he will get a significant lift. However, Clinton is only 60 delegates short of the threshold and may indeed be declared victorious tomorrow.

Adding to the pressure on Sanders is the fact that Clinton won the primary in Puerto Rico, where both she and Sanders campaigned. Sanders only hope now is the convention, where he is still lobbying superdelegates, who are the party officials and state leaders who cast their vote at the convention.

Sanders is now trying to make the case stronger for himself by convincing the delegates to withdraw their support from Clinton.

Sanders next bait is Clinton Foundation, which draws a lot of foreign donation. He said, "We need a real change in this country. And we need a government which represents all of us, not just the 1 percent."

He further said that it would be unfair of Clinton to claim her victory on Tuesday based on her total delegate count.

[Read: Clinton to win Puerto Rico caucuses, closer to secure party nomination ]

"It is extremely unlikely that Secretary Clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on Tuesday night. Now, I have heard reports that Secretary Clinton has said it's all going to be over on Tuesday night. I have reports that the media, after the New Jersey results come in, are going to declare that it is all over. That simply is not accurate."," Sanders further said.

Speaking of the Clinton Foundation, Sanders said, "If you ask me about the Clinton Foundation, do I have a problem when a sitting secretary of state and a foundation run by her husband collects many millions of dollars from foreign governments, governments which are dictatorships? You don't have a lot of civil liberties or democratic rights in Saudi Arabia."

[Read: Hillary Clinton says Trump's rhetoric 'hateful, very prejudicial' ]

"You don't have a lot of respect there for opposition points of view for gay rights, for women's rights. Yes, do I have a problem with that? Yes, I do."

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, June 6, 2016, 14:41 [IST]
Trump says he made 'a lot of money' in deal with Gadhafi

International

oi-PTI

Jersey City (US), June 6: Donald Trump says he made "a lot of money" in a deal years ago with Moammar Gadhafi, despite suggesting at the time he had no idea the former Libyan dictator was involved in renting his suburban New York estate.

"Don't forget, I'm the only one. I made a lot of money with Gaddafi, if you remember," Trump said in an interview with media ' "Face the Nation" that aired yesterday.

"He came to the country, and he had to make a deal with me because he needed a place to stay." "He paid me a fortune. Never got to stay there," Trump said. "And it became sort of a big joke." The presumptive Republican nominee was talking about a bizarre incident in 2009, when Gadhafi was in desperate search of a place to pitch his Bedouin-style tent during a visit to New York for a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

After trying and failing to secure space in Manhattan's Central Park, on the Upper East Side and in Englewood, New Jersey, the Libyan government turned to Trump's 213-acre Seven Springs estate in suburban Bedford, New York. Gadhafi never stayed at the property, but it was nevertheless a spectacle.

Reporters flocked to the town to watch construction crews erect a white-topped tent that was lined with a tapestry of camels and palm trees and outfitted with leather couches and coffee tables. At one point the tent was torn down after the Town of Bedford threatened to sue Trump personally and was then re-erected, to the town's chagrin.

At the time, Trump distanced himself from the matter, hinting that he'd been tricked into renting his land. Representatives of Gadhafi loathed in the US due to his ties to terrorism had falsified the identity of their client in other instances to make renting property easier.

Before the tent was re-pitched, Trump said he had "no idea" that Gadhafi might be involved in the deal to rent a section of the estate, a town official said.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts told The Associated Press at the time that Trump told her that, as far as he knew, his arrangement was with partners in the United Arab Emirates. "We have business partners and associates all over the world.

The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter now," Trump Organization spokeswoman Rhona Graff said in a statement at the time.

PTI
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NPR 05 Jun 2019
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The Papua New Guinea Defence Force Band has been given a major boost of a grant of approximately 340-thousand Kina.The grant from the Japanese Government through its Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects will go towards the purchase of a thirty-two men band set.The grant was officially signed by the Japanese Ambassador to PNG Mario Matsumoto and PNG Defence Force Commander Lieutenant Gilbert Toropo in Port Moresby today.Commander Toropo thanked the Japanese Government for the kind and important gesture.Ambassador Matsumoto appealed to the Force to manage the band set well in order to build and enhance the capabilities of the band.The Japanese Government is also looking to provide technical expertise to officials of the military band in future. NBC News / ONE PNG
Reprinted from Consortium News

The Dutch-led investigation into the 2014 shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 relies heavily on information provided by the Ukrainian security service and operates primarily from a field office in Kiev, despite the fact that Ukraine should be a principal suspect in the mystery of who was responsible for killing 298 people.

The cozy relationship between the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and the Ukrainian government's secret service emerges from a report presented to Dutch families of MH-17 victims in the last few days, a portion of which was made available to me.

What was perhaps most startling in the breezy travelogue-style "e-zine" report was how dependent the investigation has become on data supplied by Ukraine's security and intelligence service, the SBU, which also is an active participant in the war against ethnic Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine and is responsible for protecting state secrets.

Yet, according to the report, the SBU has helped shape the MH-17 investigation by supplying a selection of phone intercepts and other material that would presumably not include sensitive secrets that would implicate the SBU's political masters in Ukraine. But the JIT report seems oblivious to this obvious conflict of interest, saying:

"Since the first week of September 2014, investigating officers from The Netherlands and Australia have worked here [in Kiev]. They work in close cooperation here with the Security and Investigation Service of the Ukraine (SBU). Immediately after the crash, the SBU provided access to large numbers of tapped telephone conversations and other data. ...

"At first rather formal, cooperation with the SBU became more and more flexible. 'In particular because of the data analysis, we were able to prove our added value', says [Dutch police official Gert] Van Doorn. 'Since then, we notice in all kinds of ways that they deal with us in an open way. They share their questions with us and think along as much as they can.'"

The JIT report continued: "With the tapped telephone conversations from SBU, there are millions of printed lines with metadata, for example, about the cell tower used, the duration of the call and the corresponding telephone numbers. The investigating officers sort out this data and connect it to validate the reliability of the material.

"When, for example, person A calls person B, it must be possible to also find this conversation on the line from person B to person A. When somebody mentions a location, that should also correlate with the cell tower location that picked up the signal. If these cross-checks do not tally, then further research is necessary.

"By now, the investigators are certain about the reliability of the material. 'After intensive investigation, the material seems to be very sound,' says Van Doorn, 'that also contributed to the mutual trust.'"

So, despite the fact that some "cross-checks do not tally" and require "further research," the JIT has decided that the SBU's material is "very sound" and underpins a "mutual trust."

Personnel Concern

Another personnel concern is that the long assignments of investigators in Kiev over a period of almost two years could create compromising situations, especially considering Kiev's reputation as a European hotbed for prostitution and sex tourism as well as the possibility of less transactional human interaction.

According to the JIT report, four investigating officers from Australia are stationed in Kiev on three-month rotations while Dutch police rotate in two teams of about five people each for a period of a "fortnight," or two weeks.

The relative isolation of the Australian investigators further adds to their dependence on their Ukrainian hosts. According to the report, "The Australian investigators find themselves a 26-hour flight away from their home country and have to deal with a large time difference. 'For us Australians, it is more difficult to get into contact with our home base, which is why our operation is quite isolated in Kiev,' says [Andrew] Donoghoe," a senior investigating officer from the Australian Federal Police.
Reprinted from The National

In a familiar muddying of the waters, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past week talking up peace while fiercely criticizing Friday's summit in France -- the only diplomatic initiative on the horizon.

As foreign ministers from 29 nations arrived for a one-day meeting in Paris, Mr Netanyahu dusted off the tired argument that any sign of diplomatic support for Palestinians would encourage from them "extreme demands."

France hopes the meeting will serve as a prelude to launching a peace process later in the year. French president Francois Hollande said he hoped to achieve a "peace [that] will be solid, sustainable and under international supervision."

With astounding chutzpah, Israeli official Dore Gold compared the summit to the "height of colonialism" a century ago, when Britain and France carved up the Middle East between them.

Earlier, Mr Netanyahu and his new defense minister, the far-right Avigdor Lieberman, had publicly committed themselves to an "unceasing search for a path to peace."

In a two-minute interview on CNN, spokesman David Keyes managed to mention the formula "two states for two peoples" no less than five times.

Rather than the French initiative, Mr Netanyahu averred, Israelis and Palestinians should be left to engage in the kind of face-to-face talks "without preconditions" that have repeatedly failed. That is because Israel, as the much stronger party, has been able to void them by imposing its own conditions.

Mr Netanyahu, it seems, is keen on any peace process, just so long as it's not the current one launched in Paris.

Part of the reason for bringing Mr Lieberman into the government was to provide more diplomatic wriggle room. With Mr Lieberman cementing Mr Netanyahu's credentials with the far-right, he is now free to spout vague platitudes about peace knowing that his coalition partners are unlikely to take him at his word and bolt the government.

But while the domestic front has been secured, rumbles of dissent reverberate abroad.

Europe is increasingly fearful that an emboldened Israeli government may soon annex all or major parts of the West Bank, stymieing any hope of creating even a severely truncated Palestinian state.

The Paris conference is a sign of the mounting desperation in Europe to restrain Israel.

While France is not about to engineer a breakthrough, Mr Netanyahu is nonetheless worried.

It is the first time Israel has faced being dragged into talks not presided over by its Washington patron. That risks setting a dangerous precedent.

Although US secretary of state John Kerry attended, he was decidedly cool towards the summit. Yet Mr Netanyahu worries that this time Washington may not be able -- or willing -- to watch his back.
Business and policy are sure to be closely tied in the US. American businessmen, corporations and wealthy donors finance electoral campaigns of politicians who, in case they win, promote these business interests, often while enriching themselves too. These are the rules of the game. This is how the American political system works. Is it good, bad or ugly? Not so easy to say, but it is clear that this is an inevitable devil we, the American people, consider as our centuries-old tradition. For instance, the Clintons have a close connection with The Coca-Cola Company: Wendy Clark, former Senior Marketing Executive at the company, served as Hillary Clinton's image maker at the beginning of her campaign for President.

However, not only the most prominent Washington officials are close to the largest companies. Even those who are less powerful, benefiting from their contacts with Washington, help the private sector to resolve their issues without missing an opportunity to ask for something in return. Capricia Marshall, a former Chief of Protocol, who is currently serving as Clinton's special assistant in her run for the Oval Office, is a good example of such cooperation.





Mrs. Marshall maintains useful contacts with Kate Irvin, Group Director of Coca-Cola's "K Street office" in Washington, D.C. office. Before finding out what favors Marshall does for Irvin, let's look at the background of these warm relations between a former federal official and a top business lady.

Nowadays the US Administration is focusing on America's health issues as the authorities realize the obesity crisis is a real challenge the American society currently faces. In particularly, partly due to excess soft drink consumption obesity is an epidemic affecting over 100 million adults and children. In this regard for example, Philadelphia's mayor Jim Kenney plans to reduce the harm and enrich the local budget by introducing a soda tax. The American soda giants are certain to witness bad days. According to some experts, to find a pretty way out, they are looking for expanding their presence at foreign markets. So, the markets of the Central and South America and the Caribbean one are indeed far reaching. Restored relations with Cuba, which Obama has qualified as one of his most important achievement, is also on the list. As manufacturing is easy to be moved to that region from the continental US, considering a huge amount of cheap workforce and rather "thirsty" markets, the initiative looks pretty attractive. There is just one missing point: to make it the corporations require contacts with the region's political elite. So here she is, the ex-Secretary of State's assistant Capricia Marshall, appears on the stage.

As it has been told, Mrs. Irvin asked Mrs. Marshall to help with an invite list for an event held by The Coca-Cola in Washington, D.C., during February 2016. Irvin said that she needed 20 or 25 powerful politicians from Haiti, the Caribbean and the Latin America, insisting on the great number of "powerful persons". The business lady truly has an entrepreneurial spirit.

Now let's take a look at the mentioned event held by the Coca-Cola. As the company has issued an appropriate release available on the Web, we can easily do it. What a romantic pretentious name -- Haiti Hope! -- "to improve the livelihoods of more than 25,000 mango farmers". What are they really talking about?

Since when has the Coca-Cola been so worried about the livelihoods of Haiti mango farmers? Bullpucky!

The American business' cynicism has no limits indeed. The event aims is to find new markets for soda corporations squeezed by the American government concern about the health harm they cause in the US.

So, this is far from charity! Even the opposite! But nobody is confused. Neither business tycoons nor former U.S. State Department officials including Hillary Clinton, are promoting the soda industry's interests. Both politics and business that are closely tied always use lying (i.e. advertising, propaganda, and PR) as a tool to achieve their goals.

The American Big Business interests doesn't need to worry as long as the Clintons are on their Team!

[Previously published on Ron Paul Forums]
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Reprinted from Consortium News

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in a legal pickle over her careless email practices -- in that she appears to have endangered national security secrets including the identity of covert CIA officers and done so for selfish reasons (personal convenience or keeping her documents out of reach of transparency laws).

The facts of the case would seem to merit criminal charges against her, since Clinton's situation is analogous to problems faced by other senior officials, including former CIA directors John Deutch and David Petraeus who were accused of mishandling classified information, Deutch by having secret material on his home computer and Petraeus for giving notebooks with highly sensitive information to his lover/biographer.

Deutch agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor but was preemptively pardoned by President Bill Clinton; Petraeus pled guilty to a misdemeanor in a plea deal that spared him from jail time and was widely criticized as excessively lenient, especially since the Obama administration had jailed lower-level officials, such as former CIA officer John Kiriakou, for similar violations.

In 2012, faced with a multiple count indictment, Kiriakou agreed to plead guilty to one count of violating the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act for giving a reporter the phone number of a former CIA officer whose work for the spy agency was still classified. Though the reporter did not publish the ex-officer's name, Kiriakou was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The Intelligence Identities Protection Act was also a factor in the "Plame-gate affair" in 2003 when officials of George W. Bush's administration disclosed the CIA identity of Valerie Plame as part of a campaign to discredit her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had challenged Bush's claims about Iraq seeking yellowcake uranium for a nuclear program, one of the falsehoods that was used to justify invading Iraq.

Right-wing columnist Robert Novak blew Plame's undercover identity but a special prosecutor chose not to indict anyone, including Bush's aides, under the 1982 law. He did, however, convict Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, of obstructing justice. However, Bush commuted Libby's sentence so he avoided jail time.

The recent State Department Inspector General report makes clear that Clinton blithely disregarded safeguards designed to protect the most highly classified national security information and that she included on her unprotected email server the names of U.S. intelligence agents under cover.

In other words, there is legal precedent for Hillary Clinton to be charged in connection with her decision to handle her State Department emails through a personal server in her home in Chappaqua, New York, rather than through official government servers. But there's political precedent as well for the well-connected to be either slapped on the wrist or let off the hook.

A Biblical Warning

Beyond Clinton's legal predicament over secrets, there is also the question of how she manipulates information on small matters as well as big. There's a pertinent Bible quotation: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities." (Luke 16:10)



Army veteran and ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern, standing in protest of a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Feb. 15, 2011.

(Image by Justice Online) Details DMCA



And I happen to have personal experience with how Clinton has been dishonest in the little matter of my brutal arrest on Feb. 15, 2011, after I stood with my back turned toward her while she delivered a speech at George Washington University about the importance of respecting dissent (in other countries, that is).

I have looked closely at her relevant email exchanges from late February 2011 after Secretary Clinton didn't miss a syllable as I was roughly dragged away by security personnel right in front of her. From my review of those emails, I had two take-aways: (1) Secretary Clinton is not truthful about the smallest of things; and (2) she had a much more important issue to worry about at the time; namely, rallying support for a "no-fly zone" as a gateway to a "regime change" war on Libya.

Could that be why she never took up her confidant Sidney Blumenthal's suggestion that an apology to me might be in order? Since the emails speak so eloquently to both issues, I will cite them below:

On my standing silently at George Washington U. on Feb. 15, 2011:
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Global Textile Chemicals Market will Grow at a CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period by 2024

Textile Chemicals Market Market

http://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/textile-chemicals-market

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New York, June 03: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Textile Chemicals (Coating & Sizing Chemicals, Colorants & Auxiliaries, Finishing Agents, Surfactants, Desizing Agents, Bleaching Agents, and Yarn Lubricants) Market for Home Furnishing, Apparels, and Industrial & Other Applications - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024Textile chemicals are speciality chemicals which are in demand due to increase in variety of fabrics manufacturing. These chemicals help obtain the fabrics better quality, flexibility and durability. They are the crucial part of textile industry and play a vital role in manufacturing different type of fabrics like water resistant fabrics etc. As textile manufacturing process includes consumption of large volume of water and speciality chemicals for dyeing, washing, bleaching, desizing and other processes which apparently also includes high amount of wastage of water which contain surfactants and other toxic chemicals which can cause potential harm to the environment.Browse Full Report:Global textile chemicals market was valued more than 9.5 million tons in 2015. The revenue of this market is anticipated to increase at CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period.Asia Pacific is leading market for textile chemicals industry by revenue which accounted over half of the gross revenue in the world over the past couple of years. Increasing government initiatives in countries like India to retain healthy growth in textile industry is one of the driving factors of this market. The fast growing markets like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Malaysia in textile industry are triggering the demand for textile chemicals market.The growing demand for textile owing to its various end-use applications is a major driving factor. Improving lifestyles is stimulating the demand for fashion and apparel industry which is obliquely driving the global textile market.The exponential demand for apparels industry is stimulating market growth. Textile industry brings forth discharging of waste water which causes possible harms on environment is a growing concern. The major restraining factor for textile chemicals market is its harmful effects on environment.The global textile chemicals market by product is segmented assurfactants, desizing agents, colorants & auxiliaries, coating & sizing chemicals, yarn lubricants and finishing agents. According to its applications the market is further segmented in to home furnishing, apparels, industrial and others.The market segments in terms of geographical regions include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World(ROW).This report provides:1) An overview of the global market for textile chemicals and related technologies.2) Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2013, estimates for 2014 and 2015, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2020.3) Identifications of new market opportunities and targeted promotional plans for textile chemicals market.4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for various types of coatings with the reasons given for variations in the growth of the industry in certain regions.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include BASF Corporation, Dow Chemicals, Bayer, Huntsman International, Clariant International, Sumitomo Chemicals, Kiri Dyes, Omnova Solutions, Kimera and Lubrizol Corporation. Company profile includes assign such as company summary, financial summary, business strategy and planning, SWOT analysis and current developments.The Top Companies Report is intended to provide our buyers with a snapshot of the industrys most influential players.The Textile Chemicals Market has been segmented as below:By Product Coating & Sizing Chemicals Colorants & Auxiliaries Finishing Agents Surfactants Desizing Agents Bleaching Agents Yarn LubricantsBy Application Home furnishing Apparels Industrial & othersBy Geography North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World (ROW)Reasons to buy this Report:1) Obtains the most up to date information available on all active and planned textile chemicals industry globally.2) Identify growth segments and opportunities in the industry.3) Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast of textile chemicals industry and unit capacity data.4) Assess your competitors refining portfolio and its evolution.About MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging, niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862, +91-860-565-7204Country: United StatesWebsite:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States
Omnex Announces ISO 26262 Collaboration Project Moving Ahead

Omnex, Inc., the leading innovator of product launch and engineering software solutions, announced on May 10th an exploratory effort to determine the global automotive supply chains interest in sharing the time, cost and risk of developing an ISO 26262 Functional Safety Collaboration including training, processes, and software with multiple automotive companies. The answer was a resounding YES!Omnex announced today, at the 5th International USA ISO 26262 Conference in Rochester, Michigan, that they will lead this global effort. Several of the organizations attending this event are either in conversations with Omnex or will be soon, stated John M. Cachat, Managing Director of Omnex Systems and Executive Sponsor of the ISO 26262 Collaboration Project. We have learned a great deal in a very short amount of time from OEMs, Tier 1s, and further down the supply chain, from many road vehicle companies around the world. Omnexs global presence and proven experience drove several companies to quickly respond to this project. The marketplace has also shown its appreciation of Omnexs participation in the ISO 26262 committee and their direct knowledge of the committees vision and ideas for the upcoming 2018 release of the standard.Even companies that have been in critical safety projects for decades still have much to learn with regard to ISO 26262, said Chad Kymal, founder and CTO of Omnex. The 2011 standard has a total of 98 distinct work products and of these, 57 of which overlap with the requirements of ISO/TS 16949; 41 are "new" requirements, including Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) and Hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA). There is a lot of work to be done and no time to waste.The Omnex feasibility study has identified that several organizations are trying to deploy ISO 26262 in a global, multi-lingual, distributed development environment, with engineering, software developers, hardware developers, and suppliers working together. These groups have made it very clear that they want an integrated work product that provides traceability, and that this cannot be accomplished without software that connects with existing Engineering and Quality tools, explained Cachat. Others have very specific ideas on business processes, for instance, how to measure Controllability, which is critical in defining the level of risk regarding the ability to avoid a specified harm or damage through the timely reactions of the persons involved, possibly with support from external measures.Omnex Inc. is a global business consulting solution provider with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, serving the automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, high technology, manufacturing, and service industries. Omnex provides implementation, consulting, training, software, and staffing in subject areas ranging from ISO 26262 Functional Safety, New Product Development (APQP) to Lean / Six Sigma from its numerous global offices. Omnex is dedicated to bringing together world-class talent with local presence to deliver high impact expertise in today's global business environment.Omnex, Inc.325 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Ste. 4Ann Arbor, MI 48108734-761-7940M. Haneymhaney@omnex.com
Global Dermatology Market to 2022 - Innovative Pipeline and Increasing Uptake of Biologics to Diversify Treatment Options and Drive Strong Growth

http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/gbihc390mr/global-dermatology-market-to-2022--innovative-pipeline-and-increasing-uptake-of-biologics-to-diversify-treatment-options-and-drive-strong-growth

http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=gbihc390mr

www.marketintelreports.com

The global dermatology market is set to experience strong growth from $20 billion in 2015 to $33.7 billion by 2022.Dermatological conditions are one of the most common types of disorders worldwide, and approximately one-third of the US population suffers from at least one active skin condition.For the past decades, the majority of the dermatology market has remained saturated with established products. However, the clinical and commercial success of biologics in the treatment of psoriasis, as well as advancements in the understanding of the disease pathways of many dermatological conditions, have led to a renewed interest from pharmaceutical companies in the dermatology market, and subsequently the emergence of an innovative pipeline.This report covers all dermatological disorders, but there is a particular focus on three key diseases: atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris and psoriasis, as these conditions have the highest prevalence and the largest pipeline. The global dermatology market was valued at $20.0 billion in 2015, and is projected to grow at a considerable Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.73%, reaching $33.7 billion in 2022. Key drivers of this growth will be the uptake of recently approved premium biologics, as well as promising late-stage products that are expected to be highly valuable.Read Report Brief @According to the companys report, the rise will occur in spite of the patent expiries of many marketed monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs), which are unlikely to have a significant impact due to the practical and regulatory barriers faced by biosimilars. Growth will be driven by a strong late-stage pipeline, which includes several highly valuable targeted therapies, such as dupilumab, AN-2729, AMG-827 and ixekizumab.Jennifer Goossens, commented: There are currently a number of promising biologics in the pipeline for major skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris and rosacea, with 17 biologics in Phase III of development. This sizeable number suggests that they could have a considerable impact on treatment algorithms in the dermatology therapy area over the forecast period.In terms of specific products, Regeneron/Sanofis dupilumab is the leading candidate to bring about a paradigm shift in the treatment moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. At the same time, the use of older systemic immunosuppressants in dermatology is likely to decrease once biologics for other key indications besides psoriasis enter the market from 2016.However, the dermatology space is not likely to experience major shifts in terms of its big players by 2022. Goossens added: Key market players, namely Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, and Roche, are expected to maintain their strong market shares throughout the forecast period, despite the fact that many of the approaching patent expiries  especially AbbVies Humira and Johnson & Johnsons Remicade  will affect these companies directly.Download Sample Brochure of Report Here @Key Questions Answered in the report:The dermatology market landscape is expected to change substantially with the advent of promising novel pipeline products.Overall, there are 801 dermatology products in the pipeline, with biologics representing 37% of the pipeline, despite the fact that this molecule type represents only a small fraction of the marketed products landscape. Which molecular targets are most prominent within the pipeline? How do the key indications differ in terms of molecule type? How does the composition of the pipeline compare with that of the existing market? What mechanisms of action are most common for pipeline drugs? Global revenues for the dermatology market are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 7.73%, from $20 billion in 2015 to $33.7 billion in 2022. Which products will contribute to market growth most significantly, and which will achieve blockbuster status? Will the current market leaders retain their dominance over the forecast period, and how is their revenue share of the dermatology market set to change? What CAGR will these companies register in the forecast period?About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.Contact us:Sales ManagerMayur S.2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United States
What are the Market Drivers & Market Challenges of World Heparin Testing Market?

Heparin Testing

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http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=vpco16346

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The growing cost-containment pressures in major industrialized nations and continued technological advances will radically change coagulation testing practice during the next ten years. New specific and sensitive markers of hemostasis will be increasingly used on automated instrumentation. Coagulation testing in general, and Heparin testing specifically, will become more standardized, offering opportunities for quality control products and services. Moreover, the continuing contraction of the hospital system and technological advances will facilitate decentralization of the Heparin testing closer to the patient, creating additional opportunities and challenges for suppliers.Read Report Breaf @This report presents a detailed analysis of the Heparin testing market in the US, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK) and Japan, including clinical significance and current laboratory practice, as well as 5- and 10-year test volume forecasts by country and market segment.Download Sample Brochure of the report @The report examines market applications of chromogenic substrates, monoclonal antibodies, immunoassays, IT, DNA probes, biochips/microarrays, and other technologies; reviews features and operating characteristics of automated analyzers; profiles leading suppliers and recent market entrants developing innovative technologies and products; and identifies alternative market penetration strategies and entry barriers/risks.Contains 200 pages and 8 tablesAbout us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand  Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Sales ManagerMayur S.2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statessales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-684-6088
FOURMIDABLE Names New Executive Team

www.fourmidable.com

FOURMIDABLE announced the promotions of three leading members of its executive team, effective immediately.The Bingham Farms-based Real Estate Management and Brokerage Company appointed Jeri Hays Chief Executive Officer, Michael Schocker President, and Sheldon Olson Vice President.Hays, who joined FOURMIDABLE in 1986, formerly served as Executive Vice President of the firm, a position she held for 12 years. Schocker has been the Director of Real Estate Services and Business Development as well as Regional Property Supervisor for FOURMIDABLE since 2008. Olson was most recently Vice President of IT services for the Company and has been a dedicated employee for over 20 years.FOURMIDABLE Chairman J. Ronald Slavik said the changes position the firm to retain its role as a premier management company, in our 41 years of business, we have always strived to continually try and improve our Company, and I believe our executive team is a great example of what we are aiming to achieve.The focus of our organization has always been, and will continue to be, excellent service to the clients we serve, said Hays. This will continue to be our strength as we compete in an ever tougher market, she added.In addition to a customer service focus, the executive team will continue to develop and implement their strategic plan as they review the firms growth and marketing strategies. Other goals include further employee development, continually applying technological advances and ancillary amenities that improve services to clients.About FOURMIDABLEFOURMIDABLE is a national real estate management and brokerage company that specializes in managing, marketing and leasing market rate, tax credit, senior and family government assisted, public housing and rural development apartment communities. Founded in 1975, FOURMIDABLE currently manages 84 communities in eight states, with more than 8,280 units under management. FOURMIDABLE is a member of the elite AMO (Accredited Management Organization) and is an approved management firm for HUD, MSHDA and other State Agencies. Additionally, FOURMIDABLE affiliated companies offer support for property management companies and owners, including agility-pm, a provider of back office accounting, HR, IT and compliance support; eCrosstown, a provider of free WiFi amenity services to apartment residents; ePhonz, a specialized telephone product for apartment management companies and Geeked Apartments, which provides smart devices to each residents apartment.For more information, please call 248-593-4634 or visitFOURMIDABLE is a national real estate management and brokerage company that specializes in managing, marketing and leasing market rate, tax credit, senior and family government assisted, public housing and rural development apartment communities. Founded in 1975, FOURMIDABLE currently manages 84 communities in eight states, with more than 8,280 units under management. FOURMIDABLE is a member of the elite AMO (Accredited Management Organization) and is an approved management firm for HUD, MSHDA and other State Agencies. Additionally, FOURMIDABLE affiliated companies offer support for property management companies and owners, including agility-pm, a provider of back office accounting, HR, IT and compliance support; eCrosstown, a provider of free WiFi amenity services to apartment residents; ePhonz, a specialized telephone product for apartment management companies and Geeked Apartments, which provides smart devices to each residents apartment.Sue VoylesLogos CommunicationsPO Box 871346Canton, MI248-593-4634
York Solutions Named as One of Chicagos Best and Brightest Companies to Work For

www.yorksolutions.net

http://101bestandbrightest.com/

National Association for Business Resources Announces This Years Best andBrightest Companies to Work For in ChicagoCHICAGO, IL (June 2, 2016)  York Enterprise Solutions, a national information technology consulting firm based in Westchester, Illinois, announced today they have been named as one of Chicagos Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. The award recognizes organizations who display a commitment to excellence for employee development and enrichment operations.According to a press release distributed by the National Association for Business Resources, Only companies that distinguish themselves as having the most innovative and thoughtful human resources approach can be bestowed this honor. The press release continued, An independent research firm evaluates each companys entry based on key measures in various categories. They include Compensation, Benefits and Employee Solutions; Employee Enrichment, Engagement and Retention; Employee Education and Development; Recruitment, Selection and Orientation; Employee Achievement and Recognition; Communication and Shared Vision; Diversity and Inclusion; Work-Life Balance; Community Initiatives; Strategic Company Performance and the Best of the Best Small Business, Medium Business and Large Business.We feel so honored and proud to receive this recognition, said Richard Walker, CEO at York Solutions. Being named one of Chicagos Best and Brightest Companies to Work For just reinforces our mission to provide more and more value to our team members to help them achieve their personal, professional, and financial goals as its our people who are the driving force behind our success as an organization. I feel so lucky to work with such hardworking, driven people and am excited for all that the future holds as we not only grow our team, but enhance our internal programs to support our team members.About York SolutionsFor more than 20 years, York Solutions has been singularly focused on delivering value to its clients in the form of IT contract resource selection, deployment, and management. Our mission is to provide creative, cutting edge IT solutions to help companies achieve business, technology, and operational goals and objectives. We are committed to putting our clients and consultants first at all times. For more information, please visitAbout The Best and Brightest Companies to Work ForThe Best and Brightest Companies to Work For is a program of the National Association For Business Resources that provides the business community with the opportunity to gain recognition, showcase their best practices and demonstrate why they are an ideal place for employees to work. This national program celebrates those companies that are making better business, creating richer lives and building a stronger community as a whole. It is presented annually in several markets including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Houston, Milwaukee, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, and Nationally. For more information, please visitNational Association for Business Resources Announces This Years Best andBrightest Companies to Work For in Chicago1 Westbrook Corporate CenterSuite 910Westchester, IL 60154
Malwarebytes Signs Redington Gulf Value Distribution as First Middle East Distributor

Anthony OMara, Malwarebytes Vice President of EMEA

www.malwarebytes.com

Dubai, UAE - June 05, 2016 - Malwarebytes, the advanced malware prevention and remediation solution for consumers and businesses, today announced that it has appointed Redington Gulf Value Distribution as its first distributor in the Middle East.Having recently started operations in Dubai and launched a channel offering headed up by newly appointed Executive Chris Green, the Silicon Valley based company has significant momentum in the region. Redington Gulf Value Distribution will build upon this by providing a focal point for enterprise customers and resellers to purchase products through a local distributor.Redington Gulf Value Distribution is the value-added distribution division of Redington Gulf  the largest distributor of IT products in Middle East and Africa. The partnership further supports Malwarebytes wider dedication to the channel in EMEA, joining an ever-growing operation in the UK, Ireland, Estonia, France, and Germany, with more to be announced in the coming months.To this day, the Middle East has some of the biggest malware infection rates across the globe. According to Deloitte, since 2012, every country in the region has had at least double the number of infected systems than the global average.Hishamul Hasheem, VP - Security & Software at Redington Gulf said, Cyber-security is a top priority for businesses across the Middle East and our mission is to provide organisations with the very latest technology that allows them to address these advanced threats. Malwarebytes has established a great reputation for stopping and removing nefarious, cutting-edge threats. This is why we chose to work with the company.Anthony OMara, Malwarebytes VP of EMEA said, Our enterprise solution has a strong track record for being highly effective against the most advanced, pernicious threats. Because of this, we now protect over 10,000 businesses, detecting and blocking 605,000 threats per hour and saving 750 million IT hours on over 28 million endpoints.This proven ability to protect companies is driving significant demand across all sectors and in numerous territories. For this reason, we are delighted to be further expanding our presence in the Middle East with Redington Gulf Value Distribution.About MalwarebytesMalwarebytes protects consumers and businesses against malicious threats that escape detection by traditional antivirus solutions. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, the companys flagship product, has a highly advanced heuristic detection engine that removed more than five billion malicious threats from computers worldwide. More than 10,000 SMBs and enterprise business worldwide trust Malwarebytes to protect their data. Founded in 2008, the company is headquartered in California with offices in Europe, and a global team of researchers and experts. For more information, please visit us atMalwarebytes reflects the operating philosophy of its founder and CEO Marcin Kleczynski: to create the best disinfection and protection solutions to combat the worlds most harmful Internet threats. Marcin has been named to the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 Rising Stars of Enterprise Technology list and the Silicon Valley Business Journals 40 Under 40 award, adding those to a 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.Villa 41, 81D StreetUptown MirdifPO Box 78835, DubaiUnited Arab Emirates
Ellis and Reid Join Australia And New Zealand On The Australasian Investment Highway

Ellis & Reid Investments

Ellis and Reid have one purpose for there continued expansion into Australia, New Zealand and China.The continued growth of the second largest economy in the world will help create opportunities for Chinas two favorite places to invest. The continual outpouring of capital fueled by the passion for New Zealand property has led to a surging boom in the housing industry and the construction industry, with even larger investment's in the Australian market ranging right across the board from technology to farming. China will also utilise Australia's engineers to help them capitalise on the productivity and efficiency issues it has run up against lately.The Australian medical industry has seen a boost with plans in place to allow the quality of Australia's medical facilities, arguably among the best in the world to be reproduced in China.The real innovation is they will be Australian owned though heavily financed by Chinese capital, Australian staffed, ensuring the same top quality service as many Australians enjoy today.This is the new business model China is adopting to services the country will need to see it steer itself into it's next phase of development.It is important to realise that this is not a brain drain, or a one sided siphon of the best talent and resources. This is a highway, with capital flowing in and out with many products being actively sought by a significant number of Chinese buyers.With the recent free trade agreements the gates are now open, and when the worlds second largest economy comes knocking on your door with an open cheque book that has to be good news for anyone's bottom line.One of the reasons for Ellis & Reids continuing expansion into these regions is the amount of investment capital coming in from China, with orders for financial products and services actively being sought. Having had a proven track record of being correctly positioned early, Ellis & Reid is very excited to be expanding into Asia mid 2016, hoping to gain access to what will be one of the most important economic regions of the world.Jack Ma, owner of Alibaba, who recently announced plans to open a business embassy in New Zealand believes the capital flow will run in both directions. He is establishing and consolidating sales to the Chinese markets from New Zealand and Australia for producers, builders and farmers as the Chinese investors want the quality of life that they now associate with Australia and New Zealand.With growth coming out of China and the capital pouring into successful economies in countries like Australia and New Zealand, it is an absolute necessity that Ellis and Reid is significantly represented in these regions.It continues to be a top priority for the Dublin based investment firm to expand their client base across Australia and New Zealand as they increase brand awareness and continue building on their solid reputation within the Asia Pacific region.Ellis And Reid are a Dublin based investment company founded by Samantha Ellis And Simon Reid in 2009Ellis & ReidFirst Floor8-9 Westmoreland StreetDublin 2Ireland+353 1901 4265contact@ellisandreid.com
Computer Expert Pens New Book For Business Owners With IT Problems

http://www.cttsonline.com/book/

Josh Wilmoth, owner and founder of CTTS, Inc., an IT services company serving business owners in Central Texas, has recently released a new book to educate small business owners about what to look for and what to avoid when outsourcing their IT support. The book, The I.T. Survival Guide for Business Owners, provides a basic, non-techie education on how to avoid overpaying for IT services, what questions to ask your IT consultant before signing a contract and how to spot an incompetent or dishonest IT person before giving them access to your computer network.With companies relying heavily on email and technology, its more important than ever to make sure the company you outsource your computer support to is competent in guiding your decisions, said Josh Wilmoth, CEO for CTTS, Inc. Hiring the wrong person or company can be expensive in many ways, and companies need to make sure that the person they trust to secure their data and protect them from hackers is doing all the right things to avoid litigation, data loss or the violation of federal laws around storing and securing sensitive data like medical files, credit cards, social security numbers or other confidential information.The book also features advice on cloud computing, security, backup and disaster recovery, as well as case studies and cost-saving tips for avoiding expensive and unexpected computer repair bills. For more information about The I.T. Survival Guide for Business Owners or to purchase copies of the book, please visitor contact CTTS, Inc. at (512) 717-9061.Josh started CTTS, Inc. in 2002 with a passion for helping people and businesses through the use of technology. He has vast experience in the IT industry from the small business to the large corporation prospective. A computer Engineer by school and training, Josh now focuses on working directly with each Client on crafting Information Technology solutions based on their needs. From 2003  2006 Josh was Director of Information Technology for Sport Clips, one of the fastest growing franchise concepts in the nation. Every year since 2005 CTTS has been named by the Austin Business Journal to be in the Top 25 of Network Integration Firms in the Central Texas area. Josh is a member of InfraGard, a non-profit organization serving as a public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security.CTTS, Inc.557 S. Interstate 35Suite 201Georgetown, TX 78626
Global Vape Market (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer)  Strategic Assessment and Forecast  Till 2021

E-Cigarette Market Research by Beige Market Intelligence

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-consumer-and-retail-market/vape-ecigarette-vaporizer-market-research-report/

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-consumer-and-retail-market/vape-ecigarette-vaporizer-market-research-report/

Vape Market (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Market  Report InsightsA vape product or broadly known as e-cigarette, electronic cigarette, and vaporizer is a battery operated device and has been reckoned as an alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes by many vendors. Without the inhalation of smoke, it gives the experience of tobacco smoking where the user inhales the vaporized nicotine emitted by the device. Vape products are smoke and tobacco-free consumer products. These are also designed and used as a tobacco harm reduction (THR) product and are sold as medical devices in many countries. The major turning point for the vape product market was the year 2014 as the market witnessed a record number of major acquisitions, the launch of technologically advanced product, patent warfare, and the introduction of government regulations.The effects of vaping on the human body are not yet fully known. However, they are considered less toxic than traditional tobacco cigarettes because they produce vapor instead of smoke. They are considered as an effective method that helps smokers quit smoking, though there is no scientifically grounded evidence for this.Vape market (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) research report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Worldwide Vape Products (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Market for the period 2015-2021. The report provides in-depth analysis of market size and growth of Worldwide Vape market. This market research report includes a detailed market segmentation of the Worldwide Vapor Products Market byVape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products Segmentation1) Closed System Vape Productsa) Cigalikes (also known as disposables/first-generation e-cigarette)b) Rechargeables (also known as second-generation e-cigarette)c) Refill Cartridges2) Open System Vape Productsa) Vapor/tanks/mods or VTMs (also called personal vaporizer/modulars/electronic cigarette/third-generation e-cigarette)b) E-liquids/e-juicesVape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products Geographic Segmentation1) North America2) Europe3) APAC4) ROWVape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products Distribution Channels1) Online2) Retail2.1) Convenience stores2.2) Vape shops2.3) Tobacco shops2.4) Grocery2.5) Drug stores2.6) OthersTo know more about the report, please visitThe report also provides market share and profiles the key vendors operating in the Worldwide Vape Products Market and also provides the detailed competitive landscape of key players.Vape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products  Market Size and DynamicsA vaping device or vapor product is a battery-powered inhaler that simulates tobacco smoking. It is designed to provide inhaled doses of e-juice by vaporizing the flavored liquid, and then simulating the effects of smoking by vaporizing the liquid, which the user inhales and exhales. A vaping device, also known as an e-vaping device, a personal vaporizer, or an ENDS uses a heating element to vaporize the flavored liquid. The e-juices in the market are available in more than 3,000 flavors with many more being added every month.Vape products are broadly classified into two categories: closed systems (cigalikes, rechargeables, and refill cartridges) and open systems (VTMs and e-liquids). Market research analysts at Beige Market Intelligence, expect the Worldwide Vape Products Market to reach approx. US$32.11 billion by 2021.The Worldwide Vape Products market has been segmented on the basis of distribution channels and geographical region. North America accounted for the largest market share of more than 40% of the market in 2015; it is expected to grow at a high CAGR of around 27% between 2015 and 2021. However, APAC market is expected to account for a share of around 21% of the market in 2021.Vape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products  Drivers and TrendsThis market research report provides market overview of the factors driving and restraining the growth of the market. The report also outlines the key trends emerging in the market that will contribute to the growth of Worldwide Vape Products (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Market during the forecast period. The factors driving the growth of the market include consumers' perception of vapor products as an alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes. There is increased desire among consumers worldwide to quit smoking tobacco and this has made vaping a rapidly growing concept worldwide. The global sales volume of traditional cigarettes has declined owing to an increase in sales of e-cigarette and vaping. The US witnessed about 19% decline altogether in traditional cigarette sales among adults, i.e., a drop from 20 of every 100 adults (19.8%) in 2008 to nearly 16 of every 100 adults (15.7%) in 2015. Due to this, the majority of the global players in the tobacco industry witnessed a massive decline in the shipment of traditional cigarettes in 2015, prompting bigger tobacco companies like Altria Group, Imperial Tobacco, and Reynolds American to rush into the vapor products market. Also, the increasing number of deaths caused by smoking-related cancer has propelled people to stop smoking traditional cigarettes. For instance, as per the US government, approximately 480,000 people, due to active smoking, and nearly 42,000 people, due to passive smoking, die in the country every year. The tobacco smoking is attributed to one in every five deaths in the US.Some of the major challenges confronting the Worldwide Vape Products (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Market include governments introducing stringent norms to regulate vapor products. Vape products are banned in many major economies such as Brazil, Japan, and Indonesia. Also, the governments of Poland and India are considering imposing a complete ban on the sale and use of these products. In March 2016, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) banned the use of e-cigarette, vape pens and vaporizer or vapes in flights. Moreover, growing health concerns related to the use of vapor products is acting as a challenge to the growth of the market. Regulatory bodies are still not clear on how much nicotine or other chemicals are actually being inhaled by the body while vaping. In addition, the effectiveness of these products in helping people quit smoking has not been fully studied. Researchers have indicated that e-liquids containing chemical flavoring have substances which cause lung diseases. About 90% of the flavored e-liquid or e-juice in the market contain an organic compound called Diacetyl. This flavoring chemical, i.e., Diacetyl has also been linked to severe lung diseases. Exposure to this chemical leads to Bronchiolitis obliterans, spirometry abnormalities and other harmful respiratory symptoms.To get 20% discount on report, please visitThe market research report also provides the Porters five forces analysis along with a description of each of the forces and its impact on the market.Vape (e-Cigarette and Vaporizer) Products  Key Vendors and Market ShareThis market research report profiles the major companies in the market and also provides the competitive landscape and market share of key players. Within the report covers the entire market outlook regarding the value chain operating within the market. The major players in the market include Altria Group, British American Tobacco (BAT), Imperial Brands (earlier Imperial Tobacco), Japan Tobacco, NJOY, and Reynolds American.Other prominent vendors in the market include Ballantyne Brands, CB Distributors, Gamucci, Nicotek, RRR Chemicals, Vapor, ECIG, VMR Products, and White Cloud among others.Please contact Beige Market Intelligence atMail: contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473Beige Market Intelligence: We are a new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization. Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and smartly presented, but is completely customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base does not look beyond Beige when it comes to any kind of industry and market analysis.Name of the company: Beige Market IntelligencePostal Address: Chinnapanahalli Main Road,Doddanekundi Village, Bangalore Bangalore KA 560037, IndiaPress Contact: Jency Jacob (media@beigemarketintelligence.com)
Global Specialty Chemicals Market - Strategic Assessment and Forecast Till 2021

Specialty Chemicals Market Research by Beige Market Intelligence

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-chemicals-materials-and-materials-market/specialty-chemicals-market-research-report/

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-chemicals-materials-and-materials-market/specialty-chemicals-market-research-report/

Specialty Chemicals Market  Report InsightsChemicals constitute an integral part of the global manufacturing industry for that they constitute the raw materials for most of the key end use industries driving the world economy. The global chemical output, valued at $180 billion in 1970 has grown to more than $4 trillion in 2015, driven by rapidly growing demand for a wide variety of products and processes that throughout their lifecycles stand as indispensable parts in making the modern human life more comfortable and productive. Specialty chemicals play an even more important role as they stand as the pillars for innovation driving the efficiency in each end user industry, while resolving complex issues pertaining to human health and ecosystem.The word Specialty chemical is used to refer to unique molecules or mixtures of molecules that are used on the basis of their performance or function. They are also referred to "formulation" chemicals. The differentiating component between specialty chemicals and commodity chemicals is that the former has specified target segments and unique applications. Commodity chemicals or base chemicals on the other hand has more than one application and constitute a major portion of the worldwide chemical output by weight.Worldwide Specialty Chemicals market research report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the worldwide Specialty chemicals market for the period 2015-2021. The report provides in-depth analysis of market size and growth of worldwide speciality chemicals market. This market research report includes a detailed market segmentation of the worldwide speciality chemicals Market by the following segmentation typesBy Application1) Paints and Coatings2) Polymers and Plastic Additives3) Agrochemicals4) Food Additives5) Homecare Surfactants6) Water Management Chemicals7) Leather and Textile Chemicals8) Construction Chemicals9) Lubricant and Fuel Additives10) Pulp and Paper ChemicalsGeographic Segmentation1) APAC2) Europe3) Latin America4) Middle East and Africa5) North AmericaMarket Share Analysis1) APAC (Degree of competition and fragmentation of vendors in the region)2) Europe (Degree of competition and fragmentation of vendors in the region)3) Latin America (Degree of competition and fragmentation of vendors in the region)4) MEA (Degree of competition and fragmentation of vendors in the region)5) North America (Degree of competition and fragmentation of vendors in the region)Specialty Chemicals Market  Market Size and DynamicsSpecialty chemicals is expected to account for a little under a billion US$ by 2021. As of 2015 speciality chemicals still account for less than 25 percent of the worldwide chemical output which was valued at a little over $4 trillion. Specialty chemicals as of date are priced higher than the standard commodity chemicals because of the specific application for these chemicals. Furthermore, these chemicals need to confirm to very strict environmental regulations and as such need to be of the highest quality. The price of these chemicals will continue to be higher than the standard commodity chemicals considerably as it is expected that there will be more niche applications for these chemicals by the end of the forecast period.To avail 20% discount on the report, please visitFocussed players in the Specialty Chemicals market  Changing competitive landscape driving the marketThe application of specialty chemicals is specific to the chemical that has been manufactured and cannot be used across multiple applications as is the case with commodity chemicals. As such, speciality chemicals cannot be manufactured in large volume unless there is a concrete demand for these chemicals. In such a scenario, it was always the larger players that would dominate this market as they had the resources and could target their already large customer base. The competitive landscape has changed with a number of several specialty chemical players and commodity players integrating vertically or horizontally to make the best of this high-growth chemical market. The bargaining power no longer rests with the few of the major vendors but rather is being challenged by the rise of niche players who aspire to be the market leaders in their particular segments. These focused players constantly stave off competition and commoditization of the industry by aggressively investing in R&D to improve their product capabilities.Regulatory requirements  specialty chemicals to help address various regulatory and environmental concernsSpecialty chemicals are being used in fuel and lubricant formulation on account of them playing a major role in controlling viscosity, lubricity and thus chemical breakdown and contaminant generation during the use of combustion engines. Environment regulators across the world emphasize on reduced automotive and industrial emissions, there has been a growing need for energy-efficient combustion engines and environment-friendly fuels and lubricants. In order to constantly comply with the stringent emission standards, refiners and lubricant formulators are increasingly relying on innovative chemical compounds that can not only reduce harmful emissions but can also prolong the lifecycle of the combustion engines. Thus these compounds play a significant role in saving billions of dollars that otherwise would have been incurred in wear and tear of engine and industrial spares.APAC region leading the Specialty Chemicals market Vast market potential in the APAC region driving the growth for speciality chemicals marketThe regions chemical industry has grown at an impressive rate of over 6 percent over the past five years with the specialty chemical industry posting even a higher growth of more than 7 percent. On account of cheap factors of production, progressive government policies and huge domestic consumption, the region is the hub for chemical manufacturing, as the leading chemical companies across the world set up their manufacturing locations in the region. While the developed markets in Europe and North America are unable to keep pace with the growth of emerging markets of Asia, these markets are growing both in consumption size and purchasing power. The region is expected to account for a little less than US$ 500 million by 2021 in the speciality chemicals market.To order a free sample copy of the report, please visitSpecialty Chemicals Competetive Landscape  Market ShareCompanies that are changing the landscape of the market include Akzo Nobel, Ashland, BASF, DOW, DSM, DuPont, Eastman, Evonik Industries, Exxon Mobil, Henkel, Huntsman, Lanxess, SABIC, Solvay and Sumitomo Chemical.Please contact Beige Market Intelligence atMail: contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473Beige Market Intelligence: We are a new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization. Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and smartly presented, but is completely customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base does not look beyond Beige when it comes to any kind of industry and market analysis.Name of the company: Beige Market IntelligencePostal Address: Chinnapanahalli Main Road,Doddanekundi Village, Bangalore Bangalore KA 560037, IndiaPress Contact: Jency Jacob (media@beigemarketintelligence.com)
Global Postpartum Hemorrhage Treatment Devices Market Driven by High Prevalence of PPH to Reach US$926.1 mn by 2023 The global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market is progressing at a CAGR of 4.9% within a forecast period of 2015 to 2023. Owing to this positive growth rate, the market is expected to reach US$926.1 mn before the end of 2023. The global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market was recorded at US$604.4 mn in 2014, according to a research report released by Transparency Market Research. The report, titled Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Treatment Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023, is an all-inclusive analytical guideline for any client who wishes to create a stronger business position within this market.



Browse the full Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Treatment Devices Market (Product Type: NASG, Uniject Prefilled Injection System, Uterine Balloon Tamponade (Foley Catheters, Condom Catheters and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023 report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/postpartum-hemorrhage-treatment-devices-market.html



A patient is diagnosed with postpartum hemorrhage only after there has been a loss of at least 500 ml of blood after a vaginal delivery, and at least 1,000 ml in the case of cesarean delivery, both within a certain time frame. If the mother has lost the specified amount of blood within 24 hours of delivery, it is known as primary PPH, while it is classified as secondary PPH if she bleeds after 24 hours of delivery.



According to the report, the global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market is primarily being driven by the rising cases of PPH across the world. This market is also benefitting from the increased investment efforts taken up by multiple governments, along with the steadily growing education programs and awareness towards the complications caused by PPH and the various treatment solutions available.



The global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market is currently, however, still facing the major hindrance of a very low awareness rate. This applies especially to developing economies where the market is stifled by a high rate of social rejection rates related to any modern and unconventional treatments and preventive devices.



The report divides the global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market on the basis of products into uterine balloon tamponade, Uniject prefilled infection systems, and non-pneumatic anti-shock garments. The segment of uterine balloon tamponades led the market in 2014 owing to low cost and a higher availability rate. The segment of Uniject prefilled injection systems is exhibiting the fastest growth rate for the reports forecast period.



Get a Sample of this Report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=6164



Geographically, the global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market was led by North America in 2014 owing to several factors. These include the rising number of PPH cases and related maternal mortality rate along with the higher availability of modern and advanced healthcare. At the same time, Asia Pacific is expected to report the fastest growth rate due to a rapidly increasing awareness rate and major improvements in healthcare infrastructure. Another factor to consider, especially for developing economies such as Hong Kong, China, and India, is the high rate of anemia among women. More than 60% of the average population of women is suffering from anemia, which is one of the leading causes of PPH.



The key players in the global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market are discussed in detail within the report. These include Zoex, Utah Medical Products, Inc., Teleflex Incorporated, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), C. R. Bard, Inc., Cook Medical, Inc., Bactiguard AB, and 3rd Stone Design, Inc.



Key Segments of the Global Postpartum Hemorrhage Treatment Devices Market



Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Treatment Devices Market, by Products



Non-pneumatic Anti-shock Garment (NASG)

Uniject Prefilled Injection System

Uterine Balloon Tamponade

Foley Catheters

Condom Catheters

Others

Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Treatment Devices Market, by Geography



North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

U.K.

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

Japan

China

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America (LATAM)

Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

Rest of the World



Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.



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Transparency Market Research

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Global Cloud Based Language Learning  Strategic Assessment and Forecast  Till 2021

Cloud based language learning - Market Research by Beige Market Intelligence

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/market-research-reports-education-industry/cloud-based-language-learning-strategic-assessment-market-research-report/

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/market-research-reports-education-industry/cloud-based-language-learning-strategic-assessment-market-research-report/

Cloud Based Language Learning  Report HighlightsWorldwide Cloud Based Language Learning market research report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning Market for the period 2015  2021. The report provides in  depth analysis of the market size and growth of the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning market. This research report includes a detailed market segmentation of the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning Market shown byTarget Use1) K12 (kindergarten to Class 12)2) Higher Education3) Vocational Training4) Corporate Training5) Examination Training6) OthersLanguage Type1) English Language Learning2) Chinese Language Learning3) Spanish Language Learning3) Arabic Language Learning5) OthersGeographic Segmentation1) APAC2) EMEA3) Europe4) Middle East5) Africa6) North America7) Latin AmericaThe report also provides market share and profiles the key vendors operating in the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning Market and further shows a detailed competitive landscape of key players.To pre-book the report at 20% discount, please visitCloud Based Language Learning  Market Size and DynamicsMarket Research Analysts at Beige Intelligence, expect the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning Market to reach approx. US $6 billion by 2021 and the market to grow at a CAGR of 6.05% during the forecast period. The Cloud-based platforms are turning out to be perfect language learning environments for that they not only offer seamless access to information and enable easy sharing of data but also foster multi-user collaboration effectively. The global language-learning market is undergoing a dramatic shift on account of a rapid increase in adoption of cost-efficient and technology-based products that challenge the traditional classroom pedagogy. The growth in adoption of cloud based technologies is primarily driven by an increasing consumer appetite for platforms that can overcome geographical barriers, while offering the best of content for user access. Further, the cloud technologies are promoting effective peer communication and cross-cultural awareness at a fraction of cost incurred on the conventional pedagogic methods.The Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning Market has been segmented on the basis of language, user segment and geography. Vocational training accounted is the largest application segment, constituting as much as of 26% of the revenue share. While English is the majorly learnt language with a revenue share of 63% in 2015, APAC stands as the largest market for cloud based language learning both in terms of users and revenues.Cloud Based Language Learning  Trends, Drivers and ChallengesThis market research report provides an overview of the factors driving and restraining the growth of the Worldwide Cloud Based Language Learning market. The report also outlines the key trends emerging in the market that will contribute to the growth of market during the forecast period. Some of the factors driving the growth of the cloud based language learning market include rapidly growing penetration of internet and internet enabled devices and an increased emigration of students and workforce. The introduction of cost-effective cloud-based platforms is further enabling the entry of several startups that are revolutionizing the way language is taught. These startups are attracting significant interest from private equity and venture funds. There are more than 350 language learning start-ups globally which are funded privately, through angel investors or established venture capital or private equity firms. There has been an investment of US$ 186 Million in just 1.5 years since January 2014 until July 2015. A total of $ 464 million was invested in the language learning market over the period 2010-2013 with a majority of investments channelled from companies based out of US.Some of the impending challenges confronting the Cloud based Language Learning Market include the lack of a viable monetization model and the need for continuous investments. Most of the new age learning solutions are being provided free to the end consumers, with very few companies recovering the costs incurred on the content creation and management. Also, the intensity of price-based competition between the players is on a rise with the entry of new players in the market. The revenue and monetization models of these new generation companies are often questionable.One of the major trends observed in the Cloud Based Language Learning market is the growing prominence of gamification in language learning. With a growing number of applications choices in the market, the success of any platform is primarily determined by its ability to engage customers over a longer term. Gamification fills in this need, ensuring language learning can be fun and engaging, highlighting and challenging the monotonous and conventional language learning methods. The report also provides a commentary on the Porters five forces analysis along with a description of each of the forces and its impact on the market.To know more about the market research report, please visitCloud Based Language Learning  Key Vendors and Market ShareThis market research report profiles the major companies in the market and also provides a competitive landscape of key players. The major players in the market includes Speexx, Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, Busuu and Babbel. Some of the other prominent vendors featured in the report include 50 Languages, Linguatronics, Sanako, Okpanda, Sans, Voxy, Sanoma, Memrise and Edusoft.Please contact Beige Market Intelligence atMail: contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473Beige Market Intelligence: We are a new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization. Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and smartly presented, but is completely customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base does not look beyond Beige when it comes to any kind of industry and market analysis.Name of the company: Beige Market IntelligencePostal Address: Chinnapanahalli Main Road,Doddanekundi Village, Bangalore Bangalore KA 560037, IndiaPress Contact: Jency Jacob (media@beigemarketintelligence.com)
World Biopsy Devices Market is Expected to Reach $2,399 Million by 2022

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A new report published by Allied Market Research titled, World Biopsy Devices Market Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 - 2022", states that the world biopsy devices market generated $1,621 million in 2015. The MRI-guided biopsy segment held a dominant share in 2015, and is expected to maintain this trend over the forecast period.View more at:The world biopsy devices market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2016 to 2022, owing to increase in several types of cancer such as breast, prostate, & lung, and rapid technological advancements in the field of diagnostics. The emerging economies have witnessed an upsurge in the prevalence of chronic diseases due to increase in the aged population and change in lifestyles. Emergence of novel biopsy techniques and advanced integrated imaging technology, such as MRI, CT, ultrasound scan, and others, are expected to supplement the diagnosis of chronic diseases namely, cancer using biopsy procedures. However, high cost associated with advanced biopsy technologies may restrict the market growth.Breast biopsy application segment is expected to continue to lead the market because of increased incidences and mortality rates of breast cancer. Moreover, initiatives by various government bodies to spread the awareness about breast cancer is expected to supplement the growth of the breast biopsy devices market. Breast biopsy is followed by liver & bile duct biopsy, which is the second highest revenue-generating application segment globally.Key findings of the study: CT-guided biopsy segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. The diagnostic centers would continue to lead the revenue generating end use segment by garnering around half of the share in the overall market. Lung biopsy is projected to be the fastest growing application segment, registering a CAGR of 7.0%. The robotic guidance system segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 7.0%. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing market, with a CAGR of 7.2%. Hospitals are projected be the fastest growing end use segment, owing to increase in integration of diagnostic facilities within the premises.North America was the highest revenue generating region due to rise in incidences of chronic diseases in 2015. North America and Europe, collectively, accounted for more than three-fourths of the overall market in 2015; this trend is likely to continue over the forecast period. Factors that drive the growth of biopsy devices in the developed regions are awareness about cancer diagnosis, high purchasing power, and availability of skilled personnel to perform biopsy procedures.The key companies profiled in the report are C.R. Bard, Inc., Leica Biosystems, Hologic, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Ethicon EndoSurgery Inc., Fujifilm Medical Systems, Veran Medical Technologies, Boston Scientific Corporation, MDxHealth, Mauna Kea Technologies, Cook Medical, Inc., Medtronic, Argon Medical Devices, Inc, Intact Medical Corp., and others.Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Dhananjay Potle5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesInt'l: +1-503-894-6022Toll Free: + 1-800-792-5285 (U.S. & Canada)E-mail: sales@alliedmarketresearch.com
Paclights  A Renowned Service Provider for LED Flood Lights

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Paclights is a company that has gained enormous recognition for its manufacture of high-intensity variants of LED Flood Lights. The company has presented a wide-spectrum of clients with an incredible range of LED light fixtures, with formidable UL/ETL and DLC listing. The companys range of LED light fixtures are said to be great on power savings, thus having benefited several individual setups and commercial establishments. Moreover, all the companys LED Flood Light illuminations are value-for-money. The company has gained the status of being a trustworthy provider to several industrial setups, in supplying the choicest of LED variants that are reasonably priced.Paclights has been consistent in delivering LED Flood Lights variants to a wide range of clientele. It has a sturdy network comprising of well-known light suppliers. Customers thus can avail flexible options in procuring the best lighting fixtures for both, homes and offices. Being efficient and affordably priced, its LED Flood Lights are hailed as one of the fast-selling LED options from the companys LED illumination range. The LED Floodlight range of illumination is known to be power-packed with special characteristics embodied, namely its articulately embedded LED chips and superior LED Drivers, amongst other inclusion of high performance drivers. Clients that need an optimized mix of aesthetics and performance can rely on these specialty LED Flood Lights from Paclights. These variants are also high on longevity and do not heat up as much as non-candescent bulbs. The LED Flood Lights make use of the best thermal management technology for giving its clients value-for-money service offering.The FL series of Paclights LED Flood Lights has been in consistent demand. The company has assisted clients in making their LED light selection based on light beam emission as well as wattages. Clients who desire to get their LED variants operating for a period exceeding 50,000 hours have opted for the FL series in LED Flood Lights. Besides the superior technology embedded in this LED variant, clients have also liked the 5000K color light along with the aesthetics featured in its wiring technology. Clients also have affordable options from the inclusion of ballasts in the technical arrangement contained in LED Flood Lights.The FL series from Paclights can be used for daily use. Clients can look at the extensive catalogue provided by the company to view through the array of products online. LED Flood Lights are known to inherit superior technology, in tandem with the mechanism adopted in canopies, retrofit kits, wall packs, parking lot lights, and such other LED lighting variants. VisitPacLights is a renowned LED setup based in Chico, California. It is renowned for its assortment of LED lighting fixtures, each of which inherits superior technology. All its LED fixtures are DLC and UL/ETL listed and is value-for-money. The company has rendered clients value-additions in procuring light fixtures.P.O BOX 928,Chino Hills, CA. 91709United StatesPhone Number: 800-988-6386Fax Number: 800-685-5689Email Id: info@paclights.com
Bitumen Market expected to to reach US$ 94,748.2 Mn by 2022, Globally

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research, titled Global Market Study on Bitumen: Paving Grade Bitumen to Hold Significant Share during the Forecast Period, 2016 - 2022 , the global bitumen market is estimated to reach US$ 94,748.2 Mn by 2022.A mixture of highly sticky, black, viscous organic liquids that is entirely soluble in carbon disulfide and primarily composed of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is called bitumen. Naturally occurring bitumen is a tar-lie form of petroleum which is so dense, heavy, and thick that it must be heated or diluted before it could flow. Bitumen mostly contains sulfur and various heavy metals such as vanadium, lead, nickel, chromium, mercury, and other toxic elements.Request Brochure of this Report:Among the various regions, the market in North America is expected to account for 31.69% volume share of the overall global bitumen market, followed by APAC and Western Europe, by 2022. Due to rise in road construction activities in APAC, the bitumen market in the region is projected to expand at a higher than average CAGR of 7.0% between 2016 and 2022 in terms of revenue. The market in the MEA, which is anticipated to account for 8.21% revenue share of the overall global market by 2022 end, is expected to be driven by an increase in the use of bitumen in the paints and coatings industry in the region. The bitumen market in Latin America is estimated to witness an average increase in revenue due to lower GDP growth in the region.The hard grade segment in the global market is expected to expand at a lower than average CAGR of 3.4% in terms of volume between 2016 and 2022 when compared to the paving grade segment, which is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.9% during the same period. Application of paving grade bitumen is expected to be the highest in APAC, due to its cost effectiveness as well as increasing road construction activities in the region. Use of oxidized grade bitumen in North America is expected to grow significantly by 3.3%, in terms of value, during the forecast period.View Detail Report With TOC:By end-use, the road construction segment is expected to expand at a higher than average CAGR as compared to other end-use segments, such as waterproofing and others, both in terms of value and volume. The increase in GDP output is one of the major factors driving the market currently. The bitumen market in APAC, with an exponential increase in GDP of various developing economies of the region, is expected to witness high revenue growth during the forecast period. Meanwhile, the market in developed economies is expected to decline in the near future due to lower GDP growth, thereby implying lower consumption compared to other economies.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007USUSA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Gin Market 2016 Industry Share, Review, Sales, Trends, Growth & Analysis 2025

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Market Research Report on Gin Market 2016 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Gin worldwide. First of all,"Global Gin Market 2016" report provides a basic overview of the Gin industry including definitions, classifications, applications and Gin industry chain structure.The analysis is provided for the Gin international market including development history, Gin industry competitive landscape analysis.Request For Report Sample Here:After that, Gin industry development policies as well as plans are discussed and manufacturing processes as well as cost structures for Gin market. This report "Worldwide Gin Market 2016" also states import/export, supply and consumption figures and Gin market cost, price, revenue and Gin market's gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), as well as other regions can be added in Gin Market area.Do Inquiry About This Report Here:Then, the report focuses on worldwide Gin market key players with information such as company profiles with product picture as well as specification.Related information to Gin market- capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Aslo includes Gin industry's - Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Gin market development trends and Gin industry marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, "worldwide Gin market" Analysis- feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.About Us:QY Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact US:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Website: QY Market ResearchEmail: sales@qymarketresearch.com
Global Lignosulfonates Market to Rise to US$960.2 mn by 2024 as Demand in Animal Feed Industry Rises

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A thorough overview of the global lignosulfonates market has been given in a recent market research report published by Transparency Market Research. The report states that the market, which had a valuation of US$691.9 mn in 2015, will expand at a moderate 3.8% CAGR from 2016 through 2024. If the forecast holds true, the market will rise to a valuation of US$960.2 mn by 2024.The report is titled Lignosulfonates Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Lignosulfonates are eco-friendly and cost-effective anionic biopolymers formed during the production of wood pulp through the sulfite pulping process. These water-soluble biopolymers are the most commercialized source of lignin available at low costs in the market. They are an ideal source of lignin for wide-ranging applications and are used primarily in the animal feed, paper and pulp, construction, and oil and gas industries.To make the market data more streamlined and easy to comprehend, the market has been segmented on the basis of three criteria: Product type, application, and geography.Download And Get FREE Sample PDF File Of Lignosulfonates Market :On the basis of product type, the market has been segmented into calcium lignosulfonate, magnesium lignosulfonate, and sodium lignosulfonate. The segment of sodium lignosulfonates accounted for a dominant share of 40% in the global market in 2015, majorly owing to the low cost and plethora of applications of the product. The segment of calcium lignosulfonate acquired the second position in the market and is expected to see healthy demand over the forecast period from the animal feed binder industry.On the basis of application, the market has been segmented into concrete admixtures, animal feed binders, oil well additives, dust control, and other applications such as bricks and tiles. Of these, the segment of animal feed binders led the global lignosulfonate market, accounting for a 35% share in 2015. Over the reports forecast period, this segment is expected to remain the dominant sector owing to the high demand for a variety of animal feed in developed regions across the globe. Concrete admixtures emerged as the second largest application segment of the market and are expected to witness healthy demand from the fast-paced construction sector in developing regions.On the basis of geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market for lignosulfonates over the forecast period. The high demand for a variety of lignosulfonates in the region will originate majorly from the construction industry in rapidly developing countries such as India and China. The use of lignosulfonates as cement slurry retardants in the oil and gas industry will also propel the market for lignosulfonates in the Middle East and Africa. The rising oil and gas procurement activities in Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia will be the major driver of the lignosulfonates market in this regional market.Some of the most influential vendors operating in the moderately consolidated global lignosulfonates market are Tembec Inc., Burgo Group Spa, Green Agrochem, Borregaard LignoTech, Flambeau River Papers, Shenyang Xingzhenghe Chemical Co., Ltd., Domsjo Fabriker AB, Sappi, and Qingdao Newworld Material Co., Limited.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. STransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020

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Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) is a cellulose derivative which possesses both water solubility as well as organic solubility. It is primarily used as a lubricant and topical ophthalmic protectant. Hydroxypropyl cellulose is a type of cellulose ether and is manufactured by the chemical modification of cellulose. Cellulose ethers are mainly used as thickeners, stabilizers and viscosity agents in several industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, personal care, construction, oil field chemicals, textiles, adhesives and paper. Hydroxypropyl Cellulose, in particular, is used in the manufacturing of adhesives, aerosols, binders, coatings, cosmetics, encapsulation, extrusion products, food, molding, paint removers, paper, pharmaceuticals, plastic foams, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) processing, printing inks and other miscellaneous applications. The growing demand from end-user industries such as plastics, personal care, chemicals, textiles and adhesives is expected to drive the global hydroxypropyl cellulose market in the years to come.The growing demand for hydroxypropyl cellulose from several industries can be attributed to its highly useful properties. Hydroxypropyl cellulose exhibit characteristics such as thickener, thermoplastic, stabilizer, foaming aid, film-former, binder, water, alcohol and solvent soluble, oil, fat and alcohol barrier, low residue, glaze, heat sealable, emulsion stabilizer, pH insensitive, acid resistant and suspending agent. Owing to such numerous properties, hydroxypropyl cellulose is widely used in the production of diverse range of application products such as whipped toppings, electrical insulators, ceramic glazes, matrix boards, alcohol core wash compounds, edible food coatings, film coatings, paper and textile coatings, hair styling aids, perfumes and colognes, alcohol based preparations, shampoos, lotions, emulsion creams, profiles and filaments, films and sheets, confectionaries, fabricated food products, compression, injection and blow molding, tablet binder and coating, foamed sheet, tube and road, printing inks, cleaners and polishes. The rising demand from all such applications is anticipated to drive the global hydroxypropyl cellulose market in the next few years.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical insights :As far as regional markets are concerned, Asia Pacific is predicted to emerge as the fastest growing market for hydroxypropyl cellulose in the coming years. The main reason for this is the shifting of manufacturing base of FMCG and other consumer goods to China, India and South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, the population in these countries is rising at a rapid rate which is resulting in an increase in the overall customer base. Also, due to the economic development of these countries, the disposable income and the purchase parity of the consumers is rising which is ultimately increasing the number of potential customers across these emerging nations.Moreover, the countries such as Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Algeria, Sudan, Nigeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel are rapidly coming up with robust manufacturing infrastructure. Furthermore, the U.S. and European economies are showing strong signs of recovery after a severe economic turmoil. All these factors are ultimately creating a positive outlook for the global economy. Subsequently, the demand for hydroxypropyl cellulose in diverse application areas is expected to rise in the near future and hence, the global hydroxypropyl cellulose market is predicted to record a strong growth in the next six years.Some of the major companies operating in the global hydroxypropyl cellulose market are Ashland Inc., Akzo Nobel N.V., CP Kelco, Daicel Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Lamberti S.p.A, Penn Carbose Inc., Sichem LLC, SINOCMC Co. Ltd. and Yixing Tongda Chemical Co. Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. STransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Report explores the Global and Chinese Petrolatum Industry, 2016 Market Research Report

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The 'Global and Chinese Petrolatum Industry, 2011-2021 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Petrolatum industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Petrolatum manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company.View Complete Report With TOC at:-Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Petrolatum industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021 market development trends of Petrolatum industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Petrolatum Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021 global and Chinese Petrolatum industry covering all important parameters.Download Sample at:-Table of ContentChapter One Introduction of Petrolatum Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Petrolatum1.2 Development of Petrolatum Industry1.3 Status of Petrolatum IndustryChapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Petrolatum2.1 Development of Petrolatum Manufacturing Technology2.2 Analysis of Petrolatum Manufacturing Technology2.3 Trends of Petrolatum Manufacturing TechnologyChapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers3.1 Company A3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Product Information3.1.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.1.4 Contact Information3.2 Company B3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Product Information3.2.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.2.4 Contact Information3.3 Company C3.2.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Product Information3.3.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.3.4 Contact Information3.4 Company D3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Product Information3.4.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.4.4 Contact Information3.5 Company E3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Product Information3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.5.4 Contact Information3.6 Company F3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Product Information3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.6.4 Contact Information3.7 Company G3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Product Information3.7.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.7.4 Contact Information3.8 Company H3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Product Information3.8.3 2011-2016 Production Information3.8.4 Contact InformationChapter Four 2011-2016 Global and Chinese Market of Petrolatum4.1 2011-2016 Global Capacity, Production and Production Value of Petrolatum Industry4.2 2011-2016 Global Cost and Profit of Petrolatum Industry4.3 Market Comparison of Global and Chinese Petrolatum Industry4.4 2011-2016 Global and Chinese Supply and Consumption of Petrolatum4.5 2011-2016 Chinese Import and Export of PetrolatumChapter Five Market Status of Petrolatum Industry5.1 Market Competition of Petrolatum Industry by Company5.2 Market Competition of Petrolatum Industry by Country (USA, EU, Japan, Chinese etc.)5.3 Market Analysis of Petrolatum Consumption by Application/TypeChapter Six 2016-2021 Market Forecast of Global and Chinese Petrolatum Industry6.1 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Capacity, Production, and Production Value of Petrolatum6.2 2016-2021 Petrolatum Industry Cost and Profit Estimation6.3 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Market Share of Petrolatum6.4 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Supply and Consumption of Petrolatum6.5 2016-2021 Chinese Import and Export of PetrolatumChapter Seven Analysis of Petrolatum Industry Chain7.1 Industry Chain Structure7.2 Upstream Raw Materials7.3 Downstream IndustryChapter Eight Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Petrolatum Industry8.1 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Analysis8.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis8.1.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Analysis8.2 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend8.2.1 Global Macroeconomic Outlook8.2.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Outlook8.3 Effects to Petrolatum IndustryChapter Nine Market Dynamics of Petrolatum Industry9.1 Petrolatum Industry News9.2 Petrolatum Industry Development Challenges9.3 Petrolatum Industry Development OpportunitiesChapter Ten Proposals for New Project10.1 Market Entry Strategies10.2 Countermeasures of Economic Impact10.3 Marketing Channels10.4 Feasibility Studies of New Project InvestmentChapter Eleven Research Conclusions of Global and Chinese Petrolatum Industry?Tables and FiguresFigure Petrolatum Product PictureTable Development of Petrolatum Manufacturing TechnologyFigure Manufacturing Process of PetrolatumTable Trends of Petrolatum Manufacturing TechnologyFigure Company A Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company A Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company A Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company A Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company B Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company B Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company B Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company B Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company C Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company C Petrolatum Product Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value ListFigure 2011-2016 Company C Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company C Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company D Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company D Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company D Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company D Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company E Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company E Petrolatum Product Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value ListFigure 2011-2016 Company E Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company E Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company F Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company F Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company F Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company F Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company G Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company G Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company G Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company G Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareFigure Company H Petrolatum Product and SpecificationsTable 2011-2016 Company H Petrolatum Product Capacity, Production, and Production Value etc. ListFigure 2011-2016 Company H Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2011-2016 Company H Petrolatum Production Global Market ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Capacity ListTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Capacity Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Manufacturers Capacity ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production ListTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Manufacturers Production ShareFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production Value ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Production Value and Growth RateTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production Value Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Manufacturers Production Value ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin ListFigure 2011-2016 Chinese Share of Global Petrolatum ProductionTable 2011-2016 Global Supply and Consumption of PetrolatumTable 2011-2016 Import and Export of PetrolatumFigure 2015 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Capacity Market ShareFigure 2015 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production Market ShareFigure 2015 Global Petrolatum Key Manufacturers Production Value Market ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Capacity ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries CapacityTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Capacity Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Capacity ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Production ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries ProductionTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Production Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Production ShareTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Consumption Volume ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Consumption VolumeTable 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Consumption Volume Share ListFigure 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Key Countries Consumption Volume ShareFigure 78 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Consumption Volume Market by ApplicationTable 89 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Consumption Volume Market Share List by ApplicationFigure 79 2011-2016 Global Petrolatum Consumption Volume Market Share by ApplicationTable 90 2011-2016 Chinese Petrolatum Consumption Volume Market List by ApplicationFigure 80 2011-2016 Chinese Petrolatum Consumption Volume Market by ApplicationFigure 2016-2021 Global Petrolatum Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure 2016-2021 Global Petrolatum Production Value and Growth RateTable 2016-2021 Global Petrolatum Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin ListFigure 2016-2021 Chinese Share of Global Petrolatum ProductionTable 2016-2021 Global Supply and Consumption of PetrolatumTable 2016-2021 Import and Export of PetrolatumFigure Industry Chain Structure of Petrolatum IndustryFigure Production Cost Analysis of PetrolatumFigure Downstream Analysis of PetrolatumTable Growth of World output, 2011  2016, Annual Percentage ChangeFigure Unemployment Rates in Selected Developed Countries, January 2008  March 201560Figure Nominal Effective Exchange Rate: Japan and Selected Emerging Economies, September 2012-March 2015Figure 2008-2016 Chinese GDP and Growth RatesFigure 2008-2016 Chinese CPI ChangesFigure 2008-2016 Chinese PMI ChangesFigure 2007-2016 Chinese Financial Revenue and Growth RateFigure 2007-2016 Chinese Total Fixed Asset Investment and Growth RateFigure 2016-2021 Chinese GDP and Growth RatesFigure 2016-2021 Chinese CPI ChangesTable Economic Effects to Petrolatum IndustryTable Petrolatum Industry Development ChallengesTable Petrolatum Industry Development OpportunitiesFigure Map of Chinese's 33 Provinces and Administrative RegionsTable Selected Cities According to Industrial OrientationFigure Chinese IPR StrategyTable Brief Summary of SuggestionsTable New Petrolatums Project Feasibility StudyRequest Discount at:-About Us:Market Reports Center is an e-commerce platform obliging the needs of knowledge workers, experts, professionals who are subject to market research information for their work, or to make strategic business decisions. Market Reports Centers team consistently works to update and extend our existing repository of market research reports by partnering with new publishers and adding their studies to our website.Contact Us:Market Reports CenterCall: +1-646-883-3044 (US)Mail: info@marketreportscenter.comFollow us:Twitter:Facebook:LinkedIn:
On June 1 in Gostiny Dvor, the VIII International Forum ATOMEXPO 2016 closed. It was organized by ROSATOM.

On June 1 in Gostiny Dvor, the VIII International Forum ATOMEXPO 2016 closed. It was organized by ROSATOM.More than 5,000 people visited the Forum (last year there were 4,131 participants) over three days. Fifty five countries were represented by 508 participants of the Forum, a record number in the forums history (last year 48 countries participated). In particular, representatives from Bolivia, Guatemala, Greece, Zimbabwe, and Namibia participated in ATOMEXPO for the first time.The forums business program included two main plenary sessions: Nuclear Power as a Basis for Zero Carbon Energy Balance and Future of Nuclear Power. New Players. They were attended by top managers of large Russian and foreign companies, as well as representatives of non-governmental and professional organizations.The main topic of the Forum was the role of nuclear power in the low-carbon energy mix of the future. In particular, CEO of ROSATOM Sergey Kirienko noted that the current development of nuclear power gives guarantees of energy supplies to consumers at stable prices and greatly contributes to prevention of CO2 releases into the atmosphere. To keep the balance, it is important for low-carbon power generation to have the baseline generation, which can be provided by nuclear power, he emphasized. Sergey Kirienko also noted that the International Energy Agency estimated that today nuclear power plants prevent effluents to the atmosphere of 56 megatons of 2. In Russia only NPPs by 2030 will prevent releases of 711 million tons of 2. Thats too much. Therefore, nuclear power plant construction programs are launched by countries where sun is shining 365 days a year or there are plenty of hydrocarbons, he said.The exhibition ran as part of the forum. Ninety nine Russian and foreign companies took part in it. Thirty agreements and memoranda of understanding between various countries and companies were signed during the event. For example, the agreements on the peaceful uses of atomic energy were signed with Kenya and Tanzania. Cumulative economic value of the signed documents was about US$10bn, Sergey Kirienko said.In addition to plenary meetings ATOMEXPO 2016 included 12 round-table discussions. Some of the topics were Fuel Supply and Back End  Integrated Solutions. Competitiveness and Environmental Acceptability of Nuclear Energy Now and in the Future; Lifecycle Management. From NPP Construction Management to NPP Information Management Throughout the Lifecycle; Energy Balance Optimization, Environmental and Economic Aspects. Nuclear and Renewable Energy; Countries on the Threshold of Nuclear Development: Global Challenges and Solutions by ROSATOM; and Eco-efficient Technologies of Nuclear Industry: Today and Tomorrow.The last day of the Forum was dedicated to the Youth. It framed 11 events for students and schoolchildren and included contests and Q&A sessions. In particular, at ATOMEXPO 2016 June 1 the ROSATOMs Process Factory was operating, where different interactive education formats in educational programs of universities were illustrated. A students contest Nuclear Power as the Basis of Carbon-free Energy Mix was also carried out.More than 450 journalists were covering the forum, including more than 240 representatives of foreign mass media.Private institution of Atomic Energy Power Corporation has been established for the development and management of regional representative offices of Rosatom all over the world. The main objectives of the company are supporting of the Rosatom divisions activity at the foreign markets, searching for new business opportunities, promotion of production and services of the Russian nuclear industry enterprises at the global market, assistance in creating effective business alliances, marketing and PR support of Rosatom enterprises; performing other functions in the sphere of international business by order of Rosatom and its divisions.One Raffles Place, Tower 2, #1961; Singapore
NetZealous Announces Being Nominated for Indian Achievers Award

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Bangalore, India: NetZealous Services India Pvt Ltd., DBA NetZealous LLC, a well-known provider of professional trainings for multiple domains, has announced that it has been nominated for the prestigious Indian Achievers Award from the Indian Achievers Forum.This nomination is made by Indian Achievers Forum from a selected group from different fields and regions.About the IAF: Indian Achievers Forum is an independent, apex body that consists of senior leaders, prominent bureaucrats, accomplished journalists and well-known CEO's and other Indian and foreign dignitaries who have come together to showcase Indias talent and make the country proud at the level of global business.The Indian Achievers Forum is headed by Shri Sunil Shastri, President of Lal bahadur Shastri Foundation, who is Chief Patron of this forum. Shri K. N. Jayaraj is President. While Harish Chandra is the Executive Director of this forum, Dr. Sudipta Narayan Roy and Roob Kirath act as Directors.The award winner will be presented the Indian Achievers Award at its India-International Achievers Summits, which will be held in New Delhi on July 8, 2016, and in Bangkok in Thailand on August 12, 2016.India-International Achievers Summits: These summits discuss areas of common interest among the business communities of the two countries. They enhance cooperation between the corporate sectors of the two economies. These summits will be a platform for Indian companies, institutions and individuals to discuss opportunities of business with Thailand and other countries in the region.The Forum invites senior leaders, Indian government ministers, chief ministers of different States, and other highly placed dignitaries such as Ambassadors/High Commissioners of different countries and distinguished dignitaries to speak on issues relating to trade and commerce between the two countries.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reacting to this nomination, Satisha Naraharimurthy, Founder and CEO of NetZealous Services India Pvt Ltd., expressed pleasant surprise that his organization was being recognized by a transnational forum such as Indian Achievers Forum. It is a measure of how well-known our organization is becoming externally. We look forward to getting awarded in our respective category. Coming close on the heels of our winning the Best SME of the Year in Customer Satisfaction in the professional services sector from the Karnataka Small and Medium Business Owners Association at the first annual KSMBOA Business Excellence and Achievement Awards late last year, this nomination is a huge boost to the image our organization is cultivating, he said.Shahanshah Manzoor, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of NetZealous Services India Pvt Ltd., said that he was elated that the organization he helped to found and nurture over the past eight years is being recognized by a nonprofit, independent forum. This shows the level of importance the organization is gaining in the community, he said.For an organization to get noticed by an external apex body and get bunched alongside achievers in many other prominent achievers is a tribute to the growing prominence the organization is finding, said Liju Mathew, Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer of NetZealous Services India Pvt Ltd. He is hopeful that NetZealous will be among the award winners at this forum.About NetZealous:NetZealous, LLC, is an established player in the professional trainings and e-learning areas in the US and elsewhere. It leverages the latest technologies to impart professional trainings across the globe on a wide variety of areas. These trainings are highly focused, current and are offered by experienced Experts who have made a name in the industry.NetZealous LLC is headquartered in Fremont, CA and has offices in different geographies, such as Bangalore, Singapore, and UK.A professional training provider run by professionals, NetZealous understands its clients learning needs and provides them solutions with which they raise the level of their professional performance and scale the professional ladder.o Its courses are flexible and tailored to the exact needs of the learning communityo Its Experts carry several decades of collective experience in their respective professionso NetZealous courses come with supreme ease of access and flexibility. Some of its courses can be downloaded, while others can be learnt from being in close proximity with the Experto NetZealous courses are affordableAreas on which NetZealous offers professional trainings:NetZealous offers professional trainings in diversified, niche areas. These include:Regulatory compliance: Under its flagship brand GlobalCompliancePanel, NetZealous offers a number of trainings on the areas of regulatory compliance.Human resources: Under its specialized brand TrainHR, NetZealous equips todays human resources professional with all the learning needed to enhance their careers.Healthcare: Another of NetZealous primary brands, MentorHealth, keeps healthcare professionals updated with the latest regulations and happenings in their industry by offering trainings in areas of importance to them.IT: Under another of its brands, ITTrainingCenter; NetZealous offers the latest and more relevant IT trainings to professionals to help them keep up-to-date with the developments of this industry, in which obsolescence is very rapid.Imparting professional trainings for nearly seven years now has given NetZealous the expertise to diversify trainings into a number of mediums. At present, NetZealous offers trainings in the following channels:Web seminars: NetZealous webinars are very well received by their participants from around the globe. Its Experts make these webinars interesting, lively and interactive. NetZealous has organized no fewer than 1500 web seminar sessions, which have been attended by over 50,000 professionals.In-person, live Seminars: In order to facilitate greater understanding of critical areas of their respective subjects, NetZealous organizes long-duration, in-person seminars. These are spread across the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, India, and many countries of the EU. One of NetZealous primary lines of business, these seminars offers their participants the opportunity to reach out to Experts and have their doubts clarified. In addition, these are also opportunities for them to interact and network with likeminded professionals in their areas of interest.Consulting: Another of NetZealous unique lines of business is that of offering organizations the opportunity to have a renowned expert come over and conduct in-house consulting. This is aimed at helping resolve their unique pain areas. These trainings are focused, customized and peculiar to the participants.ClientsNetZealous has worked with and has gained the appreciation of leading names in the respective industries with which it works. A snapshot of NetZealous clients:o Abboto Alkem Laboratories Ltdo Alcatel-Lucento American Expresso AstraZenecao Bayero Baxtero Boehringer Ingelheimo Bristol-Myers Squibbo Ciplao Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltdo Ernst & Youngo GlaxoSmithKlineo Hospirao Johnson and Johnsono Medtronico Mercko Novartiso Panacea Biotec Ltdo Pfizero Piramalo Rocheo Sanofio Serum Instituteo Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.o USVo Wockhardto Zydus Cadila pharmaceuticalsPress Contact:Shahanshah Manzoor161 Mission Falls Lane, Suite 216, Fremont, CA 94539, USA1-800-447-9407smanzoor@netzealous.comWe are NetZealous, a Provider of Innovative Professional Trainings in these Diversified, Niche Areas:Regulatory ComplianceHuman ResourcesHealthcareITBeing innovators in providing professional trainings in these areas, we augment professionals careers. Our trainings help them grow in their chosen paths and enable them to scale new peaks. Our courses are designed to suit the latest requirements of the industry. These take professionals closer to their desired levels of excellence.We have a vast pick of clients that range from startups to mid-level companies to Fortune 500 companies. Our trainings and courses promote their professional development. NetZealous is a major partner in professionals career growth, much as they have been part of our growth.Our training services set new benchmarks, as a result of which our customers get customized, cost-effective, on-demand training solutions from us. Our trainings are effective and tailored to suit their exact needs, and are from Experts who are well-known in the industry.NetZealous LLCGuraraya Mansion, 3rd Floor,759 to 764, 8th Main Road,J.P.Nagar 2nd Phase,Bangalore - 560078. INDIA
Top-Class Delegation from Israel, Romania and Hungary to Visit Frey Architekten in Freiburg, Germany

Sustainable Architecture. Buildings by people, for people.

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On Wednesday, June 8, 2016 Frey Architekten will gladly welcome a top-class delegation from Israel, Romania and Hungary consisting of CEOs, CFOs, General Manager, Directors and Planner of Shikun&Binui R.E.D., ASBUD GROUP, Horizon Holding und Direct Capital. After a brief reception, head architect Wolfgang Frey will present his innovative ideas for sustainable architecture in his Rieselfeld office. The eleven delegates will then enjoy a tour of Rieselfeld to view several already completed projects.The organizer of the event is the Israel Green Building Council (ILGBC) with local partner Freiburg Future Lab.Shikun & Binui R.E.D. is an affiliate of the Shikun & Binui Group, which has been active worldwide for more than 50 years in construction and development of residential and commercial buildings. Shikun & Binui R.E.D. is widely involved in Central and Eastern Europe (in such countries as Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Germany and Hungary), and has already built 80,000 square meters of commercial, office and residential projects in Budapest.The ILGBC is a non-profit organization, founded in 2007 with the goal of promoting green architecture in Israel. The ILGBC connects industry, politics, science and environmental protection organizations. Today, the ILGBC is viewed as the leading organization in the field of sustainable planning and building in Israel. It is also committed to international cooperation.Founded in 1959 by Friedrich Frey, Frey Architekten is a sustainable architecture office located in the German eco-city of Freiburg im Breisgau. As one of the pioneers in sustainable architecture, Frey Architekten has been using solar panels since 1972. In addition, the office has an international presence in China, Russia and other parts of Europe.Frey ArchitektenBertha-von-Suttner-Strae 1479111 Freiburg, GermanyPhone: +49 761 477415-0Fax: +49 761 477415-23E-Mail: info@architekten-frey.dePress contact:Christine Hohlbaum+49/177 8638661christine@butterflypr.de
THE FIRST BUSINESS LUNCH MEET UKRAINIAN PRODUCERS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY HELD IN CANNES

The first business lunch MEET UKRAINIAN PRODUCERS at Cannes

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After the 69th Cannes Film Festival opening, the Ukrainian State Film Agency with support of the NGO "Initiative for the Future" founded by philanthropist Igor Iankovskyi, successfully conducted the first ever Cannes business lunch for Ukrainian and foreign film producers MEET UKRAINIAN PRODUCERS.The initiative to create an international platform for business communication professionals in the field of cinema to the world's largest Cannes Film Festival belongs head Ukrainian State Film Agency, Philip Illienko. It supported the patron Igor Iankovskyi, known long-term support of Ukrainian cinema.The result of this public-private partnership in the field of film exceeded expectations of organizers. In business reception at the Radisson Blu hotel in Cannes came more than 70 Ukrainian and foreign producers, directors, selector international film festivals. "I want all the guests to discover new and Ukraine to find reliable partners to implement the boldest projects in the field of cinema" - welcomed guests of the patron Igor Iankovskyi.As it turned out, cooperate with Ukrainian filmmakers want professionals from Italy, France, Georgia, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Norway, Poland and other countries. Ukrainian business lunch even film producers interested in such distant countries as India and Australia.Opening an informal meeting filmmakers, head of Ukrainian State Film Agency, Illienko Philip stressed the importance of continuous dialogue with the professionals of the cinema around the world."Ukrainian cinema is on the rise. Only with the support of the state is realized about 50 projects. For us as a public body it is important to create a platform where Ukrainian producers could find partners abroad to co-production to create new movies. So we are delighted that our initiative has caused such interest in Cannes ", - said Philip Illienko.Participants business lunch with interest listened to the presentation of the current state of Ukrainian cinema, which is held in English Ukrainian State Film Agency head. With short presentations are filmed and future projects were domestic producers Vladimir Filippov, Andrei Suyarko (films "turtles nest", "Red") Elena Demyanenko (film "My grandmother Fanny Kaplan"), Vladimir Yatsenko (film "Vorochilovgrad") .Also, their new projects to foreign producers presented the young directors, members of the Ukrainian union of Contemporary Cinema (bitches), winner of the National Competition - Romanchenko Nikon (the movie "Coma") and member of the Berlin Film Festival, Nariman Aliyev (the movie "On the border").Representing a new generation of filmmakers Ukrainian Igor Iankovskyi noted that lays great hopes on young talented Ukrainian. "These guys make their first steps in film and very important for us to support them at this stage. This is why we have the fourth consecutive year of funding in Ukraine National Competition of short films, successfully held a positive Ukrainian competition film "Ukraine. The path to peace! ". Finalists and winners we traditionally bring on such big film festivals like Cannes and Berlin that they could find a foreign partner and continue to make films, "- said Igor Iankovskyi.This year the NGO "Initiative for the Future", founded by Igor Iankovskyi, not only organized jointly with the State Cinema and held the first business lunch MEET UKRAINIAN PRODUCERS, but also financed a trip to Cannes and market films 10 young Ukrainian filmmakers participating in the section Short Film Corner. With the support of a patron, they can attend workshops, listen to lectures stars of world cinema, to explore the cuisine's most famous film festival in the world and strike up useful contacts in the world of cinema.For more information, please,you can visit web-site of Igor Iankovskyi Foundation:"Initiative for the Future"  is Ukrainian Charitable Foundation, founded by Igor Iankovskyi - a successful Ukrainian businessman, financier and philanthropist.Charities unite like-minded people in a common goal - to develop and implement educational and cultural programs in Ukraine. Activities of the organization based on voluntary initiatives.Igor Iankovskyi Foundation "Initiative for the Future" was founded June 5, 2012, and since its foundation supports talented young people from all over Ukraine, contributing to a highly cultured society in the future. Projects that have already been implemented charitable foundation, got success not only in Ukraine, but also in USA and some European countries - Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Poland.12, Amosova Street, build. 1,5th floor, Horizont Park Business Center,Kiev, 03680, Ukraine
Global Decoquinate Market - Region-wise Outlook and Segments

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11798

Decoquinate Market: OverviewGet a Free Sample Report:Decoquinate (ethyl 6-decoxy-7-ethoxy-4-oxo-1H-quinoline-3-carboxylate) is an antiprotozoal agent that acts against coccidia parasites (coccidiostat). This drug is majorly used in veterinary medicines. Decoquinate acts on the sporozoite stage of the coccidian parasite life cycle. The sporozoite apparently penetrates the host intestinal call and prevents the further development. Decoquinate has low toxicity levels and is administered by the oral route in a range of mammalian and avian species.Various studies conducted on decoquinate suggested that the drug is well tolerated by a range of possible targeted species including cattle and lambs while studies conducted on rats and dogs, the minor changes in food consumption, feed conversion, subdued behavior and changes in body weight and organ weight were observed in some of the animals.Decoquinate Market: SegmentationThe market for decoquinate could be segmented depending on the type of formulations which are as follows:PowderTabletNanoparticlesDecoquinate in the powder form dominates the decoquinate market owing to its ease of usage. Decoquinate in the powder form is added to animal feed which helps the drug to be absorbed quickly. Decoquinate when provided in powder form reaches the effective concentration within an hour. However nanoparticles formulation is the fastest growing segment in the Decoquinate market due to added advantages over the powder form. According to a study conducted on mice at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, US, oral administration of nanoparticle decoquinate to mice effectively repressed the liver-stage parasite growth and helped in providing the complete casual prophylactic protection. The efficiency of nanoparticle decoquinate was observed as 15 times superior than that observed for microparticle decoquinate used for powder and tablet formulations.Moreover, the dosage provided to the mice that is 1.25mg/kg was also very less in comparison to dosage provided through powder and tablets which is 20 mg/kg. All the above mentioned factors are encouraging the market players and researchers to develop more effective nanoparticle decoquinate for use in veterinary medicines.Decoquinate Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, the decoquinate market has been classified into four segments: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. North America and Europe currently dominate the decoquinate market majorly due to strong economic conditions and huge population of cattle. The major market of Europe is driven by Switzerland, which is known for cows and cattle. In 2010, there were 1,591,233 cattle in Switzerland. Additionally, the government of U.S. and Europe has also setup some regulatory firms which are also helping the market to grow. As in Canada, Canadian food inspection agency (CFIA) provides grants and funds for developing new and novel veterinary biologics and animal health products such as antibody products, vaccines, diagnostic kits which are used for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of infectious diseases in animals. These grants help researchers in developing new and novel decoquinate formulations, hence driving the market.Asia Pacific market is also growing rapidly for decoquinate market due to increasing awareness among the usage of decoquinate among cattle and poultry animals.Decoquinate Market: Key PlayersMany major pharmaceutical companies are involved in manufacturing decoquinate formulations. Major market player among them include Alpharma, subsidiary of Pfizers Inc. The company offers deccox, 3 nitro, albac, chlormax, lincomycin, rumicox and many other decoquinate formulations in its portfolio. Other major brands names include Laboratories Bioves acti decocci and lacto decocci, Pharmacia & Upjohn Companys lincomix, Pennfields Animal Healths pennchlor, Sogeval Laboratories rumicox and Qualians ucamix v decoquinate.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207
Budding Economies Shine Bright in Global LED Lighting Market

http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/led-lighting-market-for-residential-architectural-and-outdoor-z37625

http://goo.gl/0ufR1w

http://www.marketresearchstore.com

Zion Research has published a new report titled LED Lighting Market for Residential, Architectural and Outdoor Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 - 2020 According to the report, the global LED lighting market was valued at approximately USD 20.0 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach approximately USD 42.5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of around 13% between 2015 and 2020.LED lights are packaged arrays of light emitting diode, which offers long lasting, economical & environment friendly lighting. Light emitting diode is semiconductor device that produce light through a process called "electroluminescence. LED lighting products deliver high electrical efficacy, high reliability, and longer lifespan. This results into energy savings, lower maintenance cost and environmental sustainability. Additionally, LED light offers uniform & bright light, high efficiency and durability. LED lights saves up to 80% energy cost. As compared to traditional technology LED Lighting technology is more eco-friendly as it doesnt emits harmful gaseous like CO2.Browse the full "LED Lighting Market for Residential, Architectural and Outdoor Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast 2014 - 2020" report atThe LED market is primarily driven by increasing demand for cost effective and long lasting LED lights. Many governments across the world have imposed stringent regulations on production, import and sale of incandescent light. Moreover, strong demand from countries like China, Japan, and South Korea is expected to exhibit witness fastest growth of the LED lighting market over forecast period. Stringent environmental regulations in the regions like Europe and North America have been remained major market driving force for the LED lighting market. Growing urbanization, increasing LED production and the rising concerns about cost and emission of CO2 are driving the growth of this market. However, LED light manufacturers are expected to face major challenges such as high initial investment and low awareness among end users regarding benefits of LED lights.Residential, architectural and outdoor lighting are the key application markets of LED lighting market. Among all the applications, residential lighting segment dominated the global LED lighting market in 2014. Residential application market accounted for over 40% share of the global LED market in 2014. Architectural is another important outlet for LED lighting market followed by outdoor applications. Architectural was the second largest application market for LED lighting in 2014 and is expected to exhibit rapid growth owing to the price efficacy and luminous efficiency of white light.The global LED market dominated by Europe and it accounted for over 30% share of the total demand in 2014. Strong demand for LED lights in countries such as, Germany, France and UK is expected to trigger the growth of this industry in the region. Furthermore, Asia pacific expected to be major contributor in growth of the LED lighting market due to government initiatives and rapid urbanization in the region. China, Japan, South Korea and India will be major growth markets for LED lights in the region.Sample Report @Zion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
IGOR IANKOVSKYI HAS ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS OF THE SHORT-FILMS CONTEST UKRAINE: THE WAY TO PEACE!

The main winners of short film contest "UKRAINE: THE WAY TO PEACE!" with it's founder, Igor Iankovskyi

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In the BEL ETAGE concert hall at April 25, 2016 has accommodated the solemn prize-awarding ceremony for the winners of the short-films contest: UKRAINE: THE WAY TO PEACE!. The initiative of the contest belongs to the philanthropist Igor Iankovskyi, whereas the organizing committee presided by the young Ukrainian director Nikon Romanchenko.The organizing committee has announced the kick-start of the competition on the 17th of November 2015, and the films for the contest were accepted until the 10th of April 2016. During the collection period the unprecedented number of films from all the corners of Ukraine has been received: the whooping number of 145 films! This fact has once again testified on the enormous creative potential of the Ukrainian youth, who produce really positive pieces, imbued with hope and sense of optimism, despite the complicated situation and pessimistic ambience in Ukraine.In his opening word, the founder of the National charity foundation Initiative for the Future  Igor Iankovskyi has noted that by initiating this short-films contest with a simple and clear theme, close to all Ukrainians, he has been encouraging the young film-makers to express themselves on the issue of rebuilding the peaceful ways in Ukraine. To my opinion, it is crucial to clearly identify these reconciling subjects, which sound equally to East and West, North and South of Ukraine. Because in reality, we have much more that unites us, than that separates us. I hope for the new contest to become the very framework for the young film-makers to express their citizenship and create movies about the new Ukraine, - has added the philanthropist encouraging the young directors to shoot movies, create and not be afraid of making mistakes, which also constitute the valuable experience.Joining the awarding ceremony, the head of the State Film Agency of Ukraine Philip Illienko has noted the significance of this and similar contests for the development of not only Ukrainian cinema, but also for the general culture of the mankind. We have to remember the fact that Ukrainian cinema owes its survival to the short-length movies during the hard times of the end of the 1990es  beginning of 2000 and its chance to revive and develop today. Without the short-film format there would not have been the contemporary cinema of Ukraine! Such pieces of young artists will allow us to cultivate new cultural symbols and archetypes, which would reflect our identity and thus making us more valuable to the rest of the world, - has added Philip Illienko in his acknowledgment to the Initiative for the Future Foundation and Igor Iankovskyi personally for his support of the cinematographic art.The jury that judged the pieces of half-finalists comprised the creative producer of the TV-channel Ukraine Olena Kanishevska, the CEO of the TV-channel ICTV Oleksandr Bohutskyi, well-renowned cinema producer and CEO of the SOTA Cinema Group Oleg Kohan and the Head of the Cultural Diplomacy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olgs Zjhuk under the leadership of the national film expert and Head of Oleksandr Dovzjenko National Center Ivan Kozlenko.|The professional jury has selected the following winners of the contest: Who framed Kim Kuzyn? by Antonio Lukich (III place); Golden Love by Pavlo Ostrikov (II place) and Say Kukurudza by Valeriya Kalchynska (I place). The special nomination Audience Award, which has been decided by the students of the Economic College, was given to the film The One Who Taught Us to Fly by Volodymyr Vlasenko.It is to be recalled, that the prize fund of the contest has amounted to 270 000 UAH. That kind of support in the opinion of Igor Iankovskyi plays an important part in subsequent creative development of youth. It is for the next generation of Ukrainians to make the qualitative push in advancing our country further, and that is why it is so important to give them the comprehensive support and enhance their self-belief. And this is exactly the aim of Igor Iankovskyi Nationalcharity foundation Initiative for the Future.The finalists pieces will suite as the base for the compilation, that will be projected all-over Ukraine. The Igor Iankovskyi Foundation also has a good experience of conducting large-scale events, dedicated to the Ukrainian cinema in European capitals, which is intended to be used in promoting the works of the finalists abroad, notably during the 69th Cannes Film Festival. It is planned to bring ten young Ukrainian film-makers to present their pieces in special section of the festival, the Short Film Corner. Such projections form an important part in inter-cultural dialogue, so much needed between Ukraine and European spectators, as well as the world audience. It is the unique language of contemporary cinema by the young artists that will tell the Ukrainian story in the best way.If you need more information about Igor Iankovskyi Charity foundation "Initiative for the future", please, call to our Information Center:+380 44 459 03 04 and visit web-site:also, visit Facebook page:"Initiative for the Future"  is Ukrainian Charitable Foundation, founded by Igor Iankovskyi - a successful Ukrainian businessman, financier and philanthropist.Charities unite like-minded people in a common goal - to develop and implement educational and cultural programs in Ukraine. Activities of the organization based on voluntary initiatives.Igor Iankovskyi Foundation "Initiative for the Future" was founded June 5, 2012, and since its foundation supports talented young people from all over Ukraine, contributing to a highly cultured society in the future. Projects that have already been implemented charitable foundation, got success not only in Ukraine, but also in some European countries - Belgium, France, Germany and Poland.12, Amosova Street, build. 1, 5th floor,Horizont Park Business Center,Kiev, 03680, Ukraine
Global Study on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market and Overview

http://goo.gl/MmzK37

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023 the global active pharmaceutical ingredient market for was valued at US$ 12.9 bn in 2014 and is estimated to reach US$ 21.9 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2015 to 2023.Get Free Sample Research Report:An active pharmaceutical ingredient is the ingredient in a pharmaceutical drug that is biologically active. Demand for low cost medicines and increasing number of ANDA filings are fuelling the growth of the global active pharmaceutical ingredients market.The active pharmaceutical ingredient market is categorized into manufacturing process, type of API, drug type and therapeutic areas. The API manufacturers include those for captive or in-house API and contract API. Captive API manufacturing refers to production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients for internal consumption of a pharmaceutical company. Contract manufacturing involves outsourcing of API manufacturing by the innovator/formulator company to CMOs. Captive manufacturing also known as in-house manufacturing held the largest share of the global active pharmaceutical ingredient market in 2014. However, the market of captive manufacturing is declining due to high production cost and limited for the manufacturing niche APIs that offer high operating profit margins or for companies that are into generics and have their own formulation plants.The adoption rate of contract manufacturing is increasing due to soaring R&D costs and pricing pressure on finished products. Improving quality and time-to-market, along with reduction in fixed costs are the other important factors propelling the growth of the API contract manufacturing segment. Outsourcing of API production to countries such as India and China have introduced innovative production processes and advanced manufacturing technologies to remain competitive in the market.The synthetic chemical API segment had the largest share of this market in 2014 and has evolved in the past few years due to innovations in the methods of synthesizing chemical APIs, which improves their stability and potency., Whereas, the market for biological API is expected to have the highest growth rate in the forecast period of 2015 to 2023. The global API market is transforming, as large pharmaceutical companies are shifting focus toward the biological APIs segment. Protein-based therapeutics (peptides, proteins, enzymes and antibodies) have emerged as a major growth engine in the biological API market. Apart from the currently marketed blockbuster biologics such as Humira and Herceptin, several other promising biologics such as mepolizumab (GSK), dupilumab (Sanofi/Regeron), alirocumab (Sanofi), evolocumab (Amgen), brodalumab (Amgen), ixekizumab (Eli Lilly) and secukinumab (Novartis) are expected to enter several geographical markets during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023. This factor has attracted higher investments in the biologics and biosimilars market.Based on the drug type, the global API market is segmented into branded prescription drugs, generic prescription drugs and OTC drugs. The branded API segment accounted for the largest share of the global API market in 2014. According to the USFDA, 44% of the pharmaceutical products launched in the U.S. between 2007 and 2012 were new molecules. This reflected the frequency of novel molecules entering in the market. Increasing demand for new treatments will certainly increase the branded API market in the near future. The generic prescription drugs segment is expected to grow at the highest rate in the forecast period owing to their low cost. Currently, the major pharmaceutical companies are also focusing on generic drugs along with branded drugs due to eroding product pipeline and patent expirations. Over-the-counter (drugs) are considered sufficiently safe and effective and increasing access to these medicines through expansion of distribution channels would further drive this market during the forecast period.The global API market categorizes therapeutics areas segment into different disorders such as cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, oncology, musculoskeletal, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and other therapeutic uses. Cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological disorders together held the largest share of more than 50% in 2014.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207
Europe Hydroxyurea Industry Report 2016

Global QY Research

http://globalqyresearch.com/europe-hydroxyurea-industry-2016

http://globalqyresearch.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-qy-research

The recently published report titled Europe Hydroxyurea Industry 2016 Market Research Report is an in depth study providing complete analysis of the industry for the period 2016  2021. It provides complete overview of Europe Hydroxyurea market considering all the major industry trends, market dynamics and competitive scenario.The Europe Hydroxyurea Industry Report 2016 is an in depth study analyzing the current state of the Europe Hydroxyurea market. It provides brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on Europe Hydroxyurea market provides analysis of market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape. Competitive analysis includes competitive information of leading players in market, their company profiles, product portfolio, capacity, production, and company financials. In addition, report also provides upstream raw material analysis and downstream demand analysis along with the key development trends and sales channel analysis. Research study on Europe Hydroxyurea market also discusses the opportunity areas for investors.View Full Report With Complete TOC, List Of Figure and Table:With 153 tables and figures, the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.7 Analysis of Hydroxyurea Industry Key Manufacturers7.1 Bristol-Myers Squibb7.1.1 Company Profile7.1.2 Product Picture and Specification7.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.1.4 Bristol-Myers Squibb SWOT Analysis7.2 Euticals7.2.1 Company Profile7.2.2 Product Picture and Specification7.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.2.4 Euticals SWOT Analysis7.3 Tecoland7.3.1 Company Profile7.3.2 Product Picture and Specification7.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.3.4 Tecoland SWOT Analysis7.4 Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceutical7.4.1 Company Profile7.4.2 Product Picture and Specification7.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.4.4 Qilu Tianhe Pharmaceutical SWOT Analysis...About UsGlobal QY Research () is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QY Research holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Contact Us:Unit 1, 26 Cleveland Road,South Woodford, London,E182AN, United Kingdomsales@globalqyresearch.com
Electronic Health Records (EHR) Market Trends and Study in Globally

http://goo.gl/E0o7mV

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research Electronic Health Records Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023 the global EHR market was valued at US$18.93 bn in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2015 to 2023, to reach an estimated value of US$30.28 bn by 2023.Get Free Report Sample and Customization:Electronic health record (EHR) are a summary of the various electronic medical records which are generated during any clinical encounter. An EHR stores a wide range of data such as medical history of a patient, medication, laboratory test results, diagnostic images and demographics. In the past, EHR adoption has been higher among medium to large-sized hospitals as compared to small-sized practices, primarily because hospitals have a larger budget than small-sized practices. However, during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023, the market for EHR systems used in small-sized practices is expected to witness significant growth rate.Significant advantages associated with EHR systems and financial incentives by government of various countries are among the major factors driving the growth of EHR market worldwide. Benefits to EHR system encompasses accurate and upto-date patient information, reduced healthcare cost in long term, quick access to patient related data, reduced medical errors, increased patient participation and improved efficiency of healthcare providers. These advantages encourage healthcare providers to equip themselves with technically advanced EHR systems, and thereby drive the market growth. During the forecast period from 2014 to 2020, financial incentives by governments in developed countries will continue to drive the growth of EHR market.The global EHR market based on installation type is studied for three prominent categories: web based, client server based, and software as a services. Rapid technological advancement with data access through smartphones, government initiatives, need for improved efficiency and the quality of service delivery, and increasing disposable income are the major factors fueling the growth of global electronic health records (EHR) market, by installation type.Web-based EHR systems are popular among medical professionals because these reduce deployment costs. On the other hand, client-server based EHR systems have up-front installation fees, which acts as a major restraint among small and mid-size practices. For instance, in March 2014, CoxHealth deployed a comprehensive web-based population health and patient engagement platform from Phytel, Inc. to enhance health outcome of patients and ease the transition from fee-for-service to outcome-based payment model, currently prevailing in the U.S. under Obama Care. The software as a service (SaaS) segment is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period i.e. 2015 to 2023. Software as a service (SaaS) is gaining higher preference among physicians as it eliminates technical glitches and offer low upfront costs.Overall considering the installation type of EHR systems, the client-server based EHR helps to gain more control on both the software as well as the data. Similarly, the cost is reduced significantly in web-based EHR systems and the data is backed up automatically by the vendor. The data can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Software as a service EHR systems are typically beneficial for standalone centers or older physicians who are in the industry for few years in order to avoid the penalty charges by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207
India Electronic Security Industry Potential to 2020  Growing System Integrators Market with Real Estate Development in Upcoming Smart Cities

https://www.kenresearch.com/defense-and-security/security-devices/india-electronic-security-market-2020/30045-16.html

India Electronic Security Industry Potential to 2020  Growing System Integrators Market with Real Estate Development in Upcoming Smart Cities provides a comprehensive analysis of electronic security market in India. The report focuses on the electronic security products sales and solutions revenue by system integrators separately in detail. The report covers market size and segmentation of overall electronic security market by verticals (i.e. Video Surveillance  CCTV, Fire Detection, Access Control, Intrusion Alarm and Speciality devices), by end users (residential and non residential  commercial, government, hospitality, transportation, education and others), by organized and unorganized and by domestic and foreign companies operating in the sector. The report puts forth in-depth analysis on system integrators market size and potential for multiple players including Firepro, Chubb Alba, Polixel, and others including statistics on business models, market share and detailed company profile. The potential and future outlook for electronic security solutions has also been discussed in the publication at each product level. Detailed analysis of major OEMs such as Zicom Electronic Systems, Honeywell Automation, Tyco Fire and Security India, Johnson Controls India, Aditya Infotech and Prama Hikvision India has been presented in the report. The report covers margin analysis, growth drivers, trends and development, barriers have been covered in the publication. The report also provides future outlook and constraints, security solutions based opportunity along technological limitation and global opportunities that can applied in India.India Electronic Security MarketThe electronic security market in India has recorded revenue worth INR ~ million in FY2010, which grew at a rate of over ~% during FY2011, amounting to INR ~ million. Number of property crime cases augmented from ~ in 2012 to ~ during 2014. The revenue of the electronic security industry was reported at INR ~ million in FY2014 which was further increased to INR ~ million in FY2015.In FY2010, contribution of the organized sector in the overall electronic security market revenue was ~%, while unorganized market accounted for the remaining ~% share. By the end of FY2015, the contribution of the unorganized sector declined to ~%. Foreign players such as Honeywell, Bosch, UTC, Axis Communications and others have expanded their base in the market over the period from FY2010 to FY2015.System Integrator MarketThe electronic security system integration market in India has been fragmented with the presence of over ~ organized as well as around ~ unorganized system integrators in the market. The market size of the organized space in the system integrators market has been evaluated at INR ~ million in 2015.Video Surveillance MarketVideo surveillance systems have been the largest product category in India electronics security products market over the period FY2010-FY2015. It has accounted for a revenue share of ~% in FY2015. The demand for these systems is majorly driven by the government, banking, commercial and transportation sector which require high level of security systems. Government has tightened the security in all the major states significantly post Bombay and Pune attacks. Completion of various large infrastructural projects further aided the growth in revenues of the CCTV market over the period FY2013-FY2015. Government sector has accounted for the largest revenue share during FY2015. Commercial offices and buildings which include the banking and financial sector, accounted for a revenue share of ~% in FY2015. Public places such as Airport, Railway Stations has captured ~% share in the revenue of video surveillance. CP Plus has been the largest player in the domestic video surveillance market. After starting a joint venture with Prama technologies in 2008, Hikvision has established itself as a major player in the CCTV section. Zicom garnered revenue share of ~% in FY2015. Dahua Technology contributed ~% in the revenues of the video surveillance market during FY2015.Fire Alarm SystemsHoneywell has been the markets leader in fire alarms category with a revenue share of ~% in FY2015. Tyco has been a major provider of fire and security equipments in India since its incorporation in 1996. Players such as Siemens, Bosch, UTC, Zicom, Johnson Controls, Agni, Gunnebo and Others also accounts for considerable share in the market. The commercial buildings and offices contributed the highest share of ~% in the overall revenue of Indian fire alarm system market during FY2015. In FY2015, the fire alarm market had generated revenues worth INR ~ million.Access Control MarketAccess control systems have been the third largest segment in the overall electronic security equipment market as they accounted for a revenue share of ~% during FY2015. The electronic access control systems market in India registered revenue worth INR ~ million in FY2015 as compared to INR ~ million in FY2010, growing at a rate of ~%. The increase in revenues has been attributed to the technological advances in the access control systems market and improved usage of smart cards and biometric solutions. Tyco, Honeywell, UTC products, Lenel, Siemens, Johnson Controls and Other companies such as Bosch, Kaba, HID, Zicom, ESSL are the major players in this space. Unorganized sector contributed ~% to the revenues of the access control market of India during FY2015.Intrusion Alarm MarketTyco, Honeywell with Lyric home security, Zicom, Bosch, Siemens Intrusion Detection Products & Systems, UTC, Securens and Diebold are the major players operating in this category. Intrusion alarms are most popular amongst the residential sector. The revenue of intrusion alarm systems category has increased at a CAGR of ~% during the period FY2010-FY2015. Banking sector is one of the major end user of intrusion alarm systems in India.Key Topics Covered in the Report: The Market Size Of The Electronic Security Market In India, FY2010-FY2015 The Market size of Electronic Security System Integration Market in India, FY2010-FY2020 Market segmentation of the India electronic security market on the basis of basis of Products-CCTV, Fire Alarm systems, Access Control Systems, Intrusion Alarm Systems and Specialty Devices such as VMS, Metal Detectors, X-Ray Scanners and Barriers, Industry structure-Organized and Unorganized, Sector- Residential and Non Residential and others. Market Share of leading manufacturers in India Electronic Security Market by Products on the basis of Revenue,FY2015 Expected Margins Of Manufacturers By Different End Users. Landscape of Major System integrators in India electronic Security Market Trends and Development in the India Electronic Security market. Government Regulations in the India Electronic Security Market. Growth Drivers for India electronic Security Market Future outlook and projections of India electronic Security Market on the basis of revenue, FY2016-FY2020. Future outlook and projections of India Electronic Security System Integration Market on the basis of revenue, FY2016-FY2020. Opportunity AnalysisSource:Contact:Ken ResearchAnkur Gupta, Head Marketing & CommunicationsAnkur@kenresearch.com+91-9015378249Ken Research is a Global aggregator and publisher of Market intelligence research reports, equity reports, data base directories and economy reports. The company is engaged in data analytics and aids clients in due-diligence, product expansion, plant setup, acquisition intelligence to all the other gamut of objectives through our research focus.27A, Tower B-2, Spaze I Tech Business Park, Sohna Road, sector 49 Gurgaon, Haryana - 122001, India
Tightening Up of Marine Security in the Americas Drives Marine Propulsion Engine Market in the Region

MarketResearchHub

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=720740

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/

Albany, New York, June 6, 2016: Market Research Hub has announced the addition of a new research report to its online repository. The research report, titled Marine Propulsion Engine Markets in Americas to 2020 - Market Size, Development, and Forecasts, provides a thorough analysis of the trends and dynamics governing the marine propulsion engine market in the Americas. The research report offers an insight into the recent industry-related data, highlighting the present-day market situation. For a clearer understanding of the marine propulsion engine market in the Americas, the researchers have studied it through a political, social, technological, environmental, and legal perspective. The report aims to document every development in this market to present to its readers a holistic document.Security agencies, intelligence agencies, and armed forces across the Americas are devising ways to fight terrorism and upgrade their equipment in the event of any kind of an attack. In order to do so, the countries in this region are strengthening their naval equipment, which in turn has been the biggest driving force for the marine propulsion engine market in the Americas. The only factor holding back this market is the stringent emission regulations pertinent to diesel engines. However, as manufacturers in this industry are looking at ways to develop engines that work on alternative fuel, they are expected to open up a plethora of opportunities for this market in the near future.The study shows that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the proposed alternative fuel to run the marine propulsion engines. Reports suggest that North America is leading the LNG medium to use these engines. The use of LNG is being given a serious thought due to plummeting shale gas and conventional energy reserves. Solar and wind energy are also being considered to run marine propulsion engines, however, LNG still remains in the forefront due to easy availability.Click here to get more info with TOC in a PDF Format:Geographically, the marine propulsion engine market in the Americas has been segmented into Ecuador, Argentina, United States, Canada, Peru, and Mexico. On the basis of product, this market is segmented into diesel propulsion, gas turbine propulsion, and others. Segmentation allows the readers of this research report to understand the specific market drivers and restraints. Furthermore, it also highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that each segment thrives and falls on.The research report dedicates an entire chapter for explaining the competitive landscape of marine propulsion engine market in the Americas. It profiles the key operating players and provides a fair assessment of their management styles that are likely to define the growth of this market in the coming years. The report also explains the research and development strategies adopted by these companies, their business and marketing plans, expansion plans, and strategic mergers and acquisitions.MarketResearchHub.com is the most comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports from over 720 top publishers and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Provides Reports and market research are available according to industry, country, demographic or trend, with the option to purchase many of the reports "by the slice"-meaning you only pay for those sections of the report you need.Mr.Sudip S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:
2016 Demand Analysis of Global Foie Gras Industry Featured in New Market Study

MarketResearchHub

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=712115

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/

Albany, New York, June 06, 2016 - Market Research Hub has added a new research report titled Global Foie Gras Consumption Industry 2016 Market Research Report, to its expanding repository of research reports. The research report is a comprehensive analysis to gauge growth trends and consumption patterns in the global foie gras industry in 2016. The report also looks into factors such as socio-economic conditions and geographical locations that are pertinent to understand the progression analysis of this industry in the future. The market study comprises an analysis of the markets of the U.S., China, Europe, and China for foie gras over the past to assess developments in the coming years.The report is compiled as a result of meticulous planning and systematic research for data collection and data scrutiny. Major dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities are examined in detail and are illustrated by graphical representations.Foie gras is listed among the top luxury food products in the world. Of the 20,000 tonnes of foie gras produced worldwide each year, France contributes for 70% of the production and 85% of the global consumption. However, the production of foie gras has been a contentious issue due to discomfort caused to the animal because of force-feeding. While in some countries it is still considered to be at the apex of luxury food products, several countries have banned the production of foie gras on animal protection grounds. An increasingly large number of animal protection activists, veterinarians, and consumers have criticized that ducks and geese suffer confinement and are force fed only to provide a different taste experience.Some of the key players that are actively involved in the global foie gras industry are Hudson Valley, Comtesse Du Barry, DArtagnan, Rougie, and Ducs de Gascogne. The report provides competitive details about each of the players, which include business positioning, product portfolio and specifications, and production capacity.The introductory part of the report briefs about definitions, classifications, applications, and value chain in the foie gras industry. This is followed by a detailed overview of regulations that market players need to adhere to for raising and slaughtering animals and their further processing.Click here to get more info with TOC in a PDF Format:The report looks into the manufacturing cost structure of foie gras at length. This is inclusive of raw material costs, labor costs, equipment costs, and other costs that are aggregated to calculate the production cost of this commodity. The report studies the global foie gras industry on the basis of type, application, and geography. For each criterion, the sales volume and sales revenue for foie gras for the 2011-2016 period are presented herein. Sales volume and sales revenue indices for the top companies are also presented for the 2011-2016 period in this report.The various marketing channels for the foie gras industry, which primarily include trade groups and industry associations are looked into in the report. The influence of these channels has a significant impact on import/export patterns of foie gras globally.MarketResearchHub.com is the most comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports from over 720 top publishers and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Provides Reports and market research are available according to industry, country, demographic or trend, with the option to purchase many of the reports "by the slice"-meaning you only pay for those sections of the report you need.Mr. Mark Hub90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:
Free Webinar About Piezoelectric Sensors & Transducers, June 21

Noliac's webinar on sensors and transducers take place June 21

http://www.noliac.com/?id=661

http://www.noliac.com/?id=661

www.noliac.com

Noliac offers a free, online course about piezoelectric sensors and transducers June 21. The webinar gives a thorough introduction to the different aspects of piezoelectric sensors and transducers and other piezoelectric systems.Principles, different designs and application examplesThe webinar Sensors & transducers describes the basic working principles of piezoelectric sensors and transducers. In addition, the webinar gives an introduction to the most common piezoelectric sensor and transducer designs explaining the functions, advantages and differences. The webinar describes the typical applications for the different designs, and includes examples of specific sensor and transducer applications.1.5 hours free piezo webinarNoliacs webinars are held by two experienced engineers from Noliac giving you a thorough introduction to piezo sensors and transducers. The webinar is live, and with a chat function, it is possible to ask questions to the presenters during the webinar.Practical informationThere is a limit of 25 participants for each webinar. The webinar takes place on June 21 at 3 pm Copenhagen time. All participants will receive a link approximately 1 week before the webinar takes place with all the practical information.Sign up atWebinars and tutorials about piezo technologyThe purpose of the piezo webinars and tutorials is to get the participants closer to the world of piezo. Noliac provides insight ranging from the basics of piezoelectricity and different types of piezo actuators to complex piezo motors.All the tutorials can be found atMore information about sensors and transducers?If there are any questions about customized sensors or transducers, please contact Noliac using the Request for Quote form or contact sales. All contact information is available onNoliac presents a unique proficiency in the field of piezoelectric technology. We design, develop and manufacture the total range of piezoelectric products - from powders to mono- and multilayer components and all the way to finished plug-and-play applications.Noliac A/SHejreskovvej 18DK-3490 KvistgaardAtt.: Lotte Beckinfo@noliac.com
Cholesterol-lowering drug kills melanoma cells  if messenger substance is present

www.meduniwien.ac.at/homepage/1/homepage/

http://www.fwf.ac.at/en

http://www.prd.at/en

Special cholesterol-lowering drugs can hamper the growth of metastasising melanoma cells if the cellular messenger substance Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is present. This link was observed in a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the results of which were recently published in the journal "Melanoma Research".In laboratory tests, statins (cholesterol-lowering agents) trigger a suicide programme in melanoma cells  however, it is not yet known why this does not lead to any clinically detectable reduction in the melanoma frequency in humans. Scientists working on a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF have now discovered a link that advances the understanding of the anti-tumour effect of cholesterol-lowering agents considerably.Suicide messageThe team led by Martin Hohenegger from the Institute for Pharmacology and Christoph Minichsdorfer from the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Medical University of Vienna succeeded in showing that the messenger substance IL-6 is a necessary prerequisite for triggering the suicide programme by statins. The group recently published an article about this first-time observation in the journal "Melanoma Research".PhenomenalThe starting point for Hohenegger's research was the idea that two phenomena observed in melanoma cells could be linked. Hohenegger explains: "Comparisons carried out by different studies showed that melanoma cells have very different sensitivities to the triggering of the suicide programme by statins. We did not know why this is the case. The other phenomenon was, that one already knew that the cellular messenger substance IL-6 inhibits the growth of early-phase melanoma cells but not that of more developed melanoma cells. So we asked ourselves whether these two apparently independent phenomena might in fact be linked."SensitivityThe FWF-funded research group therefore analysed the extent to which the different sensitivities for the triggering of a cellular suicide programme by statins could be related to the effect of IL-6. "We were able to show that the statin Simvastatin did not immediately trigger a cellular suicide programme in early-phase melanoma cells  it only activated this programme when we made additional IL-6 available. This is a good indicator that statins need the messenger substance IL-6 to trigger this anti-tumour effect."Inhibition through antibody-bindingThe group gathered further proof of the link in an antibody experiment. To this end, they used the fact that the antibody Tocilizumab binds to cellular receptors for IL-6 and suppresses the inflammatory effect of the messenger substance. This effect has been successfully exploited in the treatment of advanced stages of rheumatoid arthritis since 2014. "We were able to show that the anti-tumour effect of Simvastatin in metastasising melanoma cells was eliminated by the simultaneous blocking of the IL-6 receptor by the antibody Tocilizumab. This is a further indicator that the inhibiting effect of statins on tumour growth only works efficiently in conjunction with that of IL-6."Molecular questionsThe scientists are still completely in the dark regarding the details of the interaction between IL-6 and statins at molecular level. However, for early-phase melanoma cells, initial indicators point to the involvement of the proteins Bcl-XL and Bcl-2. These usually inhibit the melanoma's suicide programme and are reduced by IL-6. As opposed to this, in metastasising cells, statins appear to have little or no regulatory effect on the two proteins.Clinical relevanceHohenegger and his team gained numerous insights of potentially significant clinical relevance for the treatment of both melanoma and rheumatoid arthritis, in which antibodies like Tocilizumab are used. The team also managed to show that the anti-tumour effect of statins observed in melanoma cells also arises in other tumour types, for example neuroblastoma. This is a further indication of the importance of their findings.FWF Austrian Science FundThe Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria's central funding organization for basic research.The purpose of the FWF is to support the ongoing development of Austrian science and basic research at a high international level. In this way, the FWF makes a significant contribution to cultural development, to the advancement of our knowledge-based society, and thus to the creation of value and wealth in Austria.Scientific Contact:Prof. Martin HoheneggerMedical University of ViennaInstitut fur PharmakologieWahringer Strae 13A1090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 40160 - 31358E martin.hohenegger@meduniwien.ac.atAustrian Science Fund FWF:Marc SeumenichtHaus der ForschungSensengasse 11090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8111E marc.seumenicht@fwf.ac.atCopy Editing & Distribution:PR&D  Public Relations for Research & EducationMariannengasse 81090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 70 44E contact@prd.at
Pre-owned Medical Devices Market: Demand for Pre-owned X-Ray and Mammography Machines Propels Global Market at 10.60% CAGR 2013-2019

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http://bit.ly/1sualXt

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Pre-Owned medical devices are defined as the devices that were owned earlier by any healthcare institution and that are now subject to sale or repurchase after refurbishment. Refurbishment is defined as restoration of the device to its original specifications including replacement of basic wear parts and aesthetic changes to a complete end-to-end refurbishment.Many organizations such as the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR), Japan Industries Association of Radiological Systems (JIRA) and Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) endorse this definition of pre-owned medical devices.Avail a Free Sample Research Report:Challenging macro-economic conditions and the impending end of the lifecycles of installed medical devices have fuelled the growth of the global pre-owned medical devices market. Increased screening initiatives, favorable after-sales service, and environmental considerations have further boosted overall market growth prospects during the forecast period between 2013 and 2019.However, various regulatory restraints coupled with the negative perception about the quality of refurbished pre-owned medical devices will have a negative effect on the global pre-owned medical devices market. In fact, in Europe, many countries have banned the usage of pre-owned medical devices. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) operating in the refurbishment market will also hamper the growth of the market. The refurbishment of CT machines, C-arm devices, and nuclear imaging and medicine devices will emerge as the key growth opportunity for OEMs. Also, North America and Asia Pacific will evolve as the core markets for OEMs during the forecast period from 2013 to 2019.On the basis of the type of pre-owned medical devices available in the market, the overall market has been segmented into pre-owned CT machines, pre-owned MRI machines, pre-owned ultrasound machines, pre-owned nuclear imaging and medicine devices, pre-owned C-arm devices, and pre-owned X-ray and mammography machines. The rising prevalence of breast cancer across the globe has fuelled the demand for X-ray and mammography machines for detection and diagnosis. Pre-owned X-ray and mammography machines have emerged as the leading segment of the market and are expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast horizon.The global pre-owned medical devices market is divided into four key regions: Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific and North America lead the global market and these two regions are expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period from 2013 to 2019. In Europe and Rest of the World, many nations have discouraged the usage of pre-owned medical devices, which has led to the slow growth of the market in these regions. In the Rest of the World region, the pre-owned medical devices market is highly fragmented. During the forecast period, RoW will not contribute substantially to overall market growth.The major players in the global pre-owned medical devices market are Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare Ltd., Agito Medical, Siemens Healthcare, Soma Technology Inc., and Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation. As there is a negative perception about pre-owned medical devices, key market players need to gain accreditation and enhance their after-sales service to contribute to the growth of the market during the forecast horizon.Browse Full Research Report:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Downtown Portland's 18-year-old Southpark Seafood has spent the past five years trying to shake its reputation.

This week, after three months of construction, the restaurant will reopen with a completely renovated dining room and bar, sans drab curtains and, the restaurant hopes, its "Mediterranean seafood" moniker.

"We should be a more prominent restaurant," general manager Jason Gerlt said. "Now is the time to change that."

The restaurant-wide renovation began in early March, starting with the bar before moving into the dining room. For regulars, the most noticeable addition to the 250-seat restaurant will be the gleaming oyster bar, with its dozen plus options of oysters, clams and crab from both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Come opening, Southpark's selection will be the largest in the city.

The menu, once filled out with large entrees, is now dotted with seafood-focused small plates, house-made pastas, meats and vegetable and grain sides from chef Ryan Gaul. Look for dishes like uni with mussels escabeche and nasturtiums, octopus with blood sausage and romesco, and fermented freekah with hazelnuts and brown butter. Larger plates, including a whole crab for the table, and boards decked out in house-smoked fish, cheese and charcuterie, are also available.

Behind the bar, expect a new, local-focused liquor selection with more than two dozen Oregon spirits, an expanded tap list pouring Northwest beers and a refreshed wine list.

Southpark Seafood officially reopens June 8 at 901 S.W. Salmon St.

-- Samantha Bakall

sbakall@oregonian.com

Follow @sambakall
Working in a railcar? Why not?

Just as shipping containers are being spiffed up and repurposed into cool modern office spaces, so too are vintage railroad cars.

Just look at the newly minted offices parked across the street from OMSI in Portland's Southeast Waterfront. It's easy to see the structures are renovated 1950s railcars.

According to train historian Justin Nelson of Grand Forks, North Dakota, who researches Milwaukee Road cars, this one, #191, called the "Wisconsin Valley," was one of eight first-class parlors built for Minneapolis to Chicago service.

Only three of the cars have avoided being scrapped and Nelson says this railcar is probably the second most complete survivor after Car #197, "Spring Valley," which is parked in northern Minnesota.

Car #191 was ordered in May 1947 and built by the railroads' shop forces in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at a cost close to $79,000, says Nelson. It was delivered between March and April of 1948 and was assigned to the Morning and Afternoon Hiawathas. It was retired in 1971.

Nelson added: "It is unlikely that the car ever made it to Portland during its career, as the Milwaukee Road did not have passenger service there. It would have typically stuck to the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor, but would have sometime found work on other trains where additional first-class accommodations were needed."

In its glory, the railcar had seating for 30 in the main room and five in the drawing room. It was originally painted orange and maroon with a gray roof and black under body. Cast aluminum Hiawatha logos were attached to the car's sides.

Changes over the decades, based on old photos, show that there once was a drawing room. That's gone.

The women's bathroom is still being used as an office bathroom, but the original women's powder room is now a kitchenette and the men's bathroom is now a casual meeting space, "which is kind of funny," said Ben McKinley of Cascade Web Development, one of the three companies using the cars. The other two companies are brand communications agency ECHOS and digital marketing agency Foghorn Labs.

All three companies wanted to be in an environment as creative as the work they produce for local, national and global clients.

"One of our company's core values is sustainability, which we embody every day we come to work, walking aboard a railcar that was once used to transport people," said McKinley, who used a maple slab rescued from an old bowling alley to make the conference room table.

A huge improvement was adding a flushing toilet. "It's something we take for granted in our lives, but a major upgrade here on the tracks," joked McKinley.

Other parts of the renovation included installing a ductless heating-and-air conditioning system to manage temperatures in the railcars.

"This has been a nice update and should result in solid cost savings and lower environmental impact than existing HVAC systems," said McKinley.

Clustering the agencies has benefits, too.

"Agency partnerships have always existed in one form or another, but communication and quality of work tend to suffer when everyone's not in the same room," said Adam Lewis, founder of Foghorn Labs, in a news release.

Birdsmouth Construction, which specializes in environmentally sensitive building, occupies two vintage railcars nearby.



-- Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




talib.jpeg

Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib suffered a wound to his lower right leg after being shot at a Dallas nightclub Sunday morning. He is expected to make a full recovery and is not expected to miss any training camp time.

(Associated Press)

Denver Broncos cornerback Aqub Talib suffered a wound in his lower right leg after being shot at a Dallas nightclub early Sunday morning.

According to a statement from the Broncos sent to foxsports.com, Talib is "Ok" and expected to make a full recovery.

Broncos statement via PR man @psmyth12 on Aqib Talib pic.twitter.com/E9TABJtSMY  Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 5, 2016

Talib, 30, was one of multiple individuals shot during a fight. A customer pulled a gun and shot one person inside the club. Another person was wounded outside the club as the fight continued, according to Dallas police.

The Broncos say the injury isn't serious and expect Talib to be ready for the team's training camp this summer.

Talib went to high school in the Dallas area, and is no stranger to incidents during his career.

In 2015, Talib and his brother were questioned at the scene of an aggravated assault at a Dallas nightclub. Talib was questioned by police and his car was towed and examined for evidence, but he was not charged in the incident.

Talib was indicted on an aggravated assault charge for an incident near Dallas in 2011; he allegedly pistol-whipped his sister's boyfriend and fired shots at the man, but the charges were later dismissed for lack of evidence.

In 2009, Talib was jailed on charges of simple battery and resisting arrest without violence after he was accused of punching a taxi driver in St. Petersburg, Fla.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold
Cascade Locks and Nestle: How is it that the Cascade Locks City Council can attempt to circumvent the will of the voters in Hood River County? If I'm not mistaken, it's not their prerogative to ignore it unless it's found unconstitutional. If the City Council is unhappy with the power structure of a "home-rule county," then it should seek change in that area.

I'd like to make the following suggestions should the plant become a reality: 1) Since Nestle wants your water, do not give them tax breaks. 2) Require that local Oregon contractors be used. 3) Demand decent-paying, full-time jobs for plant workers.

Chris Salopek

Warren
Dalai Lama.JPG

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gives a religious talk at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharmsala, India, last Wednesday.

(AP Photo)

By Leonid Bershidsky

The Dalai Lama is one of the most admired people in the world; he is also the world's most famous refugee. That makes his recent comments to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung -- that Germany has too many Muslim refugees -- both surprising and controversial; perhaps more so than they should be.

Taken out of context, the Dalai Lama's words in the interview with the German daily seem to fit right in with messages from the anti-immigrant Alternative fuer Deutschland party. "There are now too many," he said. "Europe, for example Germany, cannot be an Arab land. Germany is Germany."

It's as important, though, that he said two other things. One essentially signifies approval of Chancellor Angela Merkel's initial urge to accept the escapees from the Syrian war: "If we look into the face of each individual refugee, especially the children and the women, we will feel their suffering. A person who is doing somewhat better has the responsibility to help them."

The other remark is in line with Merkel's statement in January: The refugees's status in Germany is temporary and they are expected to go back to Syria and Iraq when the war is over. The Dalai Lama considers that morally right: "From a moral point of view, I believe that these refugees should stay only on a temporary basis. The goal should be for them to return and help rebuild their own countries."

The Dalai Lama, who doesn't have a passport from any country, is clearly applying his own situation to the Syrian refugees. He wants to return to Tibet and develop it as part of China, but with "a high degree of self-rule" that would allow Tibetans to take care of their culture, spirituality and environment. Most of the roughly 100,000 Tibetans who had followed him to India, and many of the roughly 30,000 who live in Bhutan and Nepal (often facing discrimination because China exerts pressure on Nepal's weak government), would probably follow him back.

The Dalai Lama lives in hope of return, as did many of the White Russian emigres for decades after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917; but like them too, he isn't likely to get a chance to come back. He will then have to be "reborn" in exile.

Many Syrian refugees in Germany also say they'd like to return, if not home then at least to the Muslim world. To them, integration in Germany means watering down their faith and identity. In practice, though, bringing back people who fled chaos and violence is often difficult.

Even when the UN helps them to come back, and the international community pressures the local authorities to make them welcome, things often don't work out as planned. In 1999, when bringing back about 40,000 Cambodian refugees from Thailand, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees miscalculated the availability of land in the areas where they were being channeled; many repatriates ended up homeless in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

In Bosnia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, local authorities, under international pressure, agreed to the restitution of land and buildings to former owners. Hundreds of thousands came back but many didn't: There were no more massacres in the towns and villages they had fled, but the tension was still there. So the refugees took legal possession of their homes but sold them or rented them out, choosing to remain where they were.

In Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the occupation authorities and the weak local government initially discouraged refugees from returning. There was nowhere for them to live, government services were non-existent, and in some areas such as Kirkuk in the north, the refugees increased ethnic tensions. These flared up in earnest years later, after the Islamic State emerged and Kurdish military strength grew.

Today, the biggest refugee repatriation effort is taking place in Afghanistan, just as that country's natives file tens of thousands of new asylum claims in Germany. A 2015 report from the UNHCR said:

"The deteriorating security situation and withdrawal of international security forces, high levels of unemployment, landlessness, limited access to basic services (particularly in areas of high return) and disputes over property rights will continue to present impediments to return and reintegration."

The United Nations considers the return of refugees to formerly war-torn countries "a fundamental objective of state rebuilding." Apart from providing human capital for development, returnees are a test for fragile postwar governments. "The state cannot achieve legitimacy when a significant proportion of its population remains outside the territory it controls," wrote Sara Petrin in a working paper for the UNHCR. "Repatriation signifies that the population has confidence in the state's ability to reconstruct order."

People will often try to come home, even into ugly, hopeless and potentially violent situations, as the Afghan refugees do today. They also face pressure in host countries to get out. Yet returning a significant proportion of the more than 1 million people who came to Europe last year would be an operation far exceeding the scale of the effort in Afghanistan -- or, for that matter, anywhere in recent memory. Add to that the almost 4 million displaced Syrians who hadn't made it to Europe, and the scale becomes overwhelming.

Processing and settling the newcomers has overwhelmed even efficient government systems in Germany and Sweden so it's hard to imagine what a fragile post-war Syrian government will be able to do with them if even a quarter of them come back. Homes and infrastructure are destroyed and state bureaucracy will need to be rebuilt from scratch.

There is a heartening ecumenical consensus between the Buddhist leader and the German Chancellor, who leads the Christian Democrats, about both welcoming refugees and expecting them to go home. Yet in practical terms, getting the Muslim refugees to rebuild Syria would be an operation that nobody in the world has the logistical expertise and resources to execute. It's more realistic to work hard to give refugees an opportunity to integrate where they are than to expect them to get out at some point.

Those who remain in Europe will still help rebuild their home countries by remitting money home. And an aging Europe could use these newcomers to keep its economies growing. There is no getting all of the toothpaste back into the tube.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View

Leonid Bershidsky, a Bloomberg View contributor, is a Berlin-based writer.
Photo from Mealtrain.com site

Authorities in Van Buren County are investigating a fatal crash that has taken the life of a Midland man.

According to WOOD-TV, two people were killed in a head-on collision that occurred in Glendale about 5:20 a.m. Sunday. The two vehicles were engulfed in flames when rescue crews reached the scene.
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Bomber is there.

When Gregory Jajo walks into his Lexington Court backyard. When the 48-year-old Iraq veteran scans the thickening vegetation and reenters a militaristic mindset and becomes vigilant.

When he feels trapped by an underlying and undying posttraumatic stress disorder.

Bomber is there.

The 2-year-old yellow Lab-Great Dane rests his paw or head on the beds edge when a sweat-soaked Jajo has nightmares and night terror. Hes there when Jajo is awake and feels the need to do a perimeter check for intruders in the house.

Bomber is a canine force pulling Gregory Jajo up from the depths of PTSD.

Jajo arrived in Iraq in late October 2006, serving with the 144th Military Police out of Owosso. On April 16, 2007, he was on patrol with a group of American soldiers driving near Mosul, Iraq. An improvised explosive device blew up, giving Jajo a concussion and traumatic brain injury.

I was so close to the blast. Approximately 4 feet away, Jajo told the Daily News in 2010.

It effectively ended his military career. The Bay City native was given a Purple Heart, among other medals, before retiring from the military in 2009 and moving to Midland. His PTSD would not stay behind.

In April, Jajo met Bomber through Patriot PAWS, a Texas-based nonprofit that places service dogs with disabled veterans.

It was on the first day, Jajo said of the connection that formed between the two.

I had just started petting him and he went back on his hind legs and put his paws on me. He sensed my stress and anxiety and responded to it.

Hed spend two weeks learning to train the dog before Bomber could arrive at his new home.

Once there, it took some getting used to  especially with all the hair, Jajo said. Because Bomber isnt a pet, he must be fed from the hand and not a bowl, Jajo said.

But the companionship has evolved.

Ive already found myself talking to him, he said.

The dog will follow him around the house and lie at Jajos feet on the floor in the kitchen.

So hes right there, Jajo said. Hell put his paw right on my foot.

The dog is there for the long, quiet nights, too.

Hell come over and put his head on the bed, which has helped me, Jajo said. I hear him get up and I know hes looking at me.

In many ways, Bomber and Jajo are alike: Both have long, slender limbs. Both can seem hesitant, cautious, orderly. According to Patriot PAWS, Bomber was rescued from a high-kill shelter just before he was scheduled to be euthanized. Jajo said he spent time as a child in a foster home and grew up without a father.

A fenced yard is part of the requirements to receive a service dog from Patriot PAWS. Roxanne Gregg captains the Midland Home Depot team building Jajos fence, backed with support by the Humane Society of Midland County and the Home Depot Foundation.

A crew of 10 to 15 started building a tall white fence around Jajos backyard on Friday.

Working with the veterans, its really rewarding, Gregg said. Theyve given so much and we should give back to them.

Patriot PAWS says since 2006, it has placed 109 dogs with disabled veterans. It takes two to two-and-a-half years and costs up to $34,000 to teach dogs 65 different behaviors to help veterans, the nonprofit says. Dogs are taught to pick up dropped objects, retrieve a phone in case of emergency and check doors and windows to ensure the house is secure.

Problem is, Gregg said, there are so many servicemen and so few dogs available.

And the problem for Jajo for the past year and a half: going outside.

I do sit indoors quite a bit, look out the window, Jajo said. I guess you kind of call it seclusion.

It was a task to even walk out the door: hed complete a mental checklist. Look left to right. Inspect the surroundings.

That protocol has been greatly reduced with the fence in place, and Bomber alongside has brought the stress level down, he says. But the state of mind may never cease.

Combat is combat, Jajo said.

While those on the other side may see the tall white fence as a wall, it helps secure the harmony between Bomber and Jajo.

(Now) I dont have to worry about whats going on, he said, adding it means fewer distractions for Bomber from squirrels and rabbits across the yard.

Im already pretty excited about it, Jajo said. Its just going to be fantastic. Fantastic.

But, leaving the home can be troubling.

Jajo says the public needs to be aware of service dogs. There are certain conditions for petting them  among them, not on the head and when the dog is properly sitting  and people should not try to feed them.

People should know the difference between a comfort animal and a service animal, he said. Its got its vest on for a reason. Its right there, (in public), obeying commands. The dog is there to provide a barrier between the general public and me so I can go out in public and not have such a high stress level.

Nowadays, Jajo says he does a lot of volunteer work with the VA hospital in Saginaw and Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 514, in Bay City. There, he can socialize with other veterans and gain perspective from an older generation, some of whose members suffer from the same war-related ailments.

Its a little therapy for me, too, Jajo said.

With Bomber, Jajo knows the bonding period will take a few months. Theres at least one thing already apparent.

He provides unconditional love, he said. I think thats the good part.

EDITORS NOTE: The Daily News first told the story of Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Jajo on June 29, 2007. Subsequent articles told of his ongoing rehabilitation and struggles with his injuries. Read of his recovery here: http://bit.ly/1XWUoF4 and of others helping to fix the veterans roof in 2008 here: http://bit.ly/1UmyYf2.
On the tag-line to his columns, Wayne Allyn Root describes himself as a Capitalist Evangelist, serial entrepreneur, conservative national media commentator, and proud champion of the middle class.

So what did this poor guy do? He went on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher and opened himself up to the firing squad.

Root was asked about President Obamas recent visit to Japan, where he paid a visit to Hiroshima, the site of the first U.S. nuclear attack.

Was it appropriate? Root was asked of the presidents stop in Hiroshima on May 27.

Root then talked about how his father served in the South Pacific, fought at Okinawa and saw atrocities first-hand committed by the Japanese.

A few days later, heres what he wrote in a column about his time on Mahers show: Our nuclear bombs didnt just take lives. They saved many American (and ironically, Japanese) lives. Experts estimated the invasion of Japan would have cost at least 1,000,000 lives. Those atomic bombs actually saved far more lives than they cost. One of them might have been my father. So my answer to Bill Maher was that Im not a fan of even the appearance of apologizing for those atomic bombs, unless of course Japans prime minister is willing to come to Hawaii to apologize to the American victims of Pearl Harbor.

Root dared to speak out negatively against the presidents visit to Hiroshima  then came the blow-back. And it was intense.

I received many death threats and people wishing me a long slow painful death. Some lectured me on all the apologies we owe to Japanese survivors, American Indians, and of course, African-American slaves, Root wrote.

In reality, Root has lots of company in experiencing this type of hatred, including Breitbarts Ben Shapiro. Shapiro, a conservative, was the scheduled speaker at an event in February at California State University on the topic of censorship and diversity on college campuses. The title of his talk was billed as: When Diversity Becomes a Problem.

So what happened that night? Student protesters barricaded the entrances of a theater where he was set to deliver a speech. According to a Los Angeles-based news report, the protest was led primarily by the schools Black Student Union and Black Lives Matter chapter. There were hundreds of demonstrators, including some professors. They attempted to block students from attending the event. It was an intimidating atmosphere.

Shapiro later tweeted: We had to be escorted by a full police cordon as well as a motorcade thanks to safety concerns.

Here are two more examples published in a magazine report:

1. A year ago at the College of William and Mary, sophomore Bryan Stascavage, an Iraq veteran, wrote an opinion column for the Wesleyan Argus, the student newspaper. He was critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly its anti-police rhetoric. The article contained neither name-calling nor racial stereotyping of any kind. By the next day, students were stealing and destroying newspapers around campus. The author was called a racist and the Arguss editors published an apology on the front page.

2. At Amherst College in 2015, hundreds of students filled the Robert Frost Library and demanded that students who had posted Free Speech and All Lives Matter posters go through extensive training for racial and cultural competency and possibly discipline. They wanted the administration to apologize for our institutional agency of white supremacy, among many other forms of discrimination like heterosexist, cis-sexism, xenophobia, ableism, mental health stigma and classism.

These types of incidents are becoming more commonplace, particularly on our supposedly tolerant college campuses. The name-calling, intimidation tactics, threats and hostility seem to be picking up steam in recent years.

Root, Shapiro and many like-minded others are exercising their right to free speech, and some groups and individuals just cant accept it, so they resort to intimidation tactics to get them to shut up.

Indeed, free speech is a threatening concept, especially to tyrants and bullies who are determined to get their own way.

Chris Stevens writes columns for the editorial page. Email him at stevens@mdn.net.


I've written about why Persian / Farsi is not only not a difficult language as a lot of people seem to think, and why it's actually easier than the languages most people study in university, such as German, French, Spanish, Latin, and so on. Today I think I'll try to write up a more complete overview that can put the matter to rest and act as a good reference point for the next time you notice a discussion on which language is easier / harder than others.



First, a general overview of what kind of language Persian is: Persian is an easy language cloaked in an air of seeming difficulty. It's not easy to learn for two reasons: 1) it uses the Arabic alphabet; 2) it's just not as easy to find places to use it as with languages like Spanish, French, German, and so on.



The language itself is quite easy to learn though, and because of reason 1) above I would recommend that anybody seriously learning or teaching the language over a long period of time (say over a 4-year period in university) should spend the first six months or so without learning the alphabet. It's much easier to get an idea of what the language is like when you don't have to up and learn a whole new alphabet at the same time.



Lastly, before beginning a detailed explanation of where Persian is easier to learn than a lot of other languages, I'd like to make clear the distinction between passive and active understanding. German is a perfect example of a language with relatively high passive understanding but with a complex grammar. Something like this for example:



Die deutschsprachige Wikipedia gratuliert der chinesischsprachigen Wikipedia zu 200.000 Artikeln.

Persian verbs are ridiculously easy.

Every single verb is regular in the past tense.

The only verb irregularity ever seen is in verbs that have an irregular present stem. Once you have learned this stem, however, it conjugates regularly like any other.

All verbs end in -tan or -dan in the infinitive.



or in the infinitive. Take off the -an from this to get the past stem.

from this to get the past stem. Now we add a suffix to this. Suffixes are: -am for I, -id for you, -im for we, -nd for they, and no ending for he/she/it.

for I, for you, for we, for they, and no ending for he/she/it. All done! Close your book, there's no more learning the past tense anymore.

budan.

-an

bud

budam

budid

budim

budand

bud

raftan

Raftam, raftid, raftim, raftand, raft

-tan

-dan

mi-

-d

Mikhanam

mikhanid

mikhanim

mikhanand

mikhanad

raftan

rav

raftan

rav

miravam

miravid

miravim

miravand

miravad

je, j-

suis



tu

es



il/elle/on

est



nous

sommes



vous

etes



ils/elles

sont





je, j-

vais

tu

vas

il/elle/on

va

nous

allons

vous

allez

ils/elles

vont



je, j-

donne



tu

donnes



il/elle/on

donne



nous

donnons



vous

donnez



ils/elles

donnent

Persian has no articles.

mard-e-khub

Ich bin ein Berliner

Ich bin Berliner

Persian has no cases.

(Note: this depends a bit on what you consider to be a case, but the main point here is that there's much less to learn)

man

be,

be-man

shoma

beshoma

ab

ab-e-man

daftar,

daftar-e-shoma.

Persian adjectives can be used as adverbs.

khub

Persian words are intuitive and easy to build.

Kaghaz (paper) + khosk (dry) + kon (present stem of 'to do') = Kaghaz-e-khosk-kon (blotting paper, literally paper of dry make ).

(paper) + (dry) + (present stem of 'to do') = (blotting paper, literally ). Shahr (city) + dar (present stem of 'to have') = shahrdar , municipality. Adding an i to the end of this makes it into an adjective, giving shahrdari , municipal.

Persian has quite a few cognates with English and other Indo-European languages.

bad

madar

baradar

pa

ast

nist

to

And some other random notes:

Ordinal numbers except 1st are all regular. Just put - om on the end of the number.

on the end of the number. Plurals are regular, ending in -ha or -an for living things. There are Arabic plurals for some words but there is nothing wrong with not using them (like Latin plurals of words like octopi for octopus).

Relative clauses are easy, just using ke to join two clauses. "The coffee that he drank" for example is literally "Coffee ke he drank it". "The boy that went to school" is "Boy ke he went to school".

Conclusion

Persian grammar is similar to many other Indo-European languages, especially those in the Indo-Iranian family. Since Middle Persian it has had a relatively simple grammar, having no grammatical gender and few case markings.

Plurals: Persian plurals are regular; Arabic, like Latin, pluralizes words depending on what kind they are (gender for example). In Persian you can pluralize a few Arabic loanwords in the Arabic way if you want, but it's not necessary. Here are a few examples (note that the Arabic pronunciation is probably a bit different): heivan (animal) becomes heivan at, mive (fruit) becomes mive jat , manzel (house) becomes man a zel, khatar (danger) becomes a kht a r, zarf (bowl) becomes z o r u f, mosafer (traveler) becomes mosafer in . In Persian the basic rule is just that -ha is suffixed to non-living things, and -an to the living.

mive (fruit) becomes mive , manzel (house) becomes man zel, khatar (danger) becomes kht r, zarf (bowl) becomes z r f, mosafer (traveler) becomes mosafer . In Persian the basic rule is just that is suffixed to non-living things, and to the living. Arabic also has dual number in addition to the singular and plural.

Arabic has 28 consonant phonemes, Persian 23.

Arabic nouns and adjectives are marked for case, number, gender and state.

Arabic verb conjugation is more complex, and depends on gender, number (including dual), etc. Here's a good example of how Arabic conjugation works.

Being a Semitic language, there are almost no cognates like the Persian bad (bad), madar (mother), baradar (brother) etc. given above. They certainly aren't the majority in Persian, but at least there are some. There are quite a few French loanwords as well; here is a list of some of them.

is quite easy for anyone with an elementary knowledge of German: it says "The German language Wikipedia congratulates the Chinese language Wikipedia on (to) 200,000 articles". Writing this is on your own is a different level of difficulty however, because you need to know that Wikipedia is feminine (die), that deutschsprachig (German speaking) becomes deutschsprachige after die, and so on. It's certainly not the world's hardest language but there's a lot to remember when writing things by yourself.Persian is the opposite - it has much lower passive understanding for the English speaker but it's much, much easier to use. Now, let's get into the details:Verbs in Persian are extremely easy. Like most Indo-European languages, they conjugate by using suffixes after the stem of the verb. Unlike most Indo-European languages, they are extremely regular. This regularity is seen in the following:Here is how it works:Some examples:To be isTake off theand we get. Now put on the suffixes, giving(I was),(you were),(we were),(they were),(it/he/she was). Another example is, to go.The present tense is like this except it takes off the wholeorwhereupon you add aprefix, and some verbs have the irregular stem that you will need to learn once. Some examples:To read is khandan. Take off the -dan and you have khan. Put the mi- prefix in the front, then put the same endings on the end (add an extrain the 3rd person). Now you have(I read),(you read),(we read),(they read),(he/she/it reads). That's easy. For verbs with the irregular stem you just remember that along with the regular stem when you learn it, and you're done. One example:The verb to go,, has an irregular- present stem. When learning, remember that its present stem is, and you're done. Now it conjugates as regularly as the rest:(I go),(you go),(we go),(they go),(he/she/it goes).This may seem complicated at first glance, but remember that I've just explained just about everything you need to know to form the past and present tense in Persian. Let's compare this to a Western European language. We'll go with French etre, to be:Hmm, all irregular. How about:aller, to go:Irregular again! Hm, thinks the French student, maybe French verbs in the first person all end in -s. Nope:donner, to give:Up to six irregular forms for each verb in French. In Persian you'll find maybe one, and after you know that both past and present tense conjugate using the same suffixes.Persian has no words for the English the/a. That means thatfor example means good man, a good man, or the good man. But since English has articles too, not having them wouldn't be such an advantage, would it? Admittedly this is a bigger advantage for people that have a mother tongue that has no articles, but note that articles aren't used in the same way between languages, which is why you'll see the definite article for general terms like philosophy in French ("the" philosophy) and place names ("the" Canada), whereas German is the opposite in that you don't use the indefinite article when talking about professions (Ich bin Portier - I am doorman). That's where thebit comes from, that Kennedy would have been better off saying. With Persian you don't even have to think about that in the first place.Cases almost don't exist in English except in pronouns, which is why you have to say "she gives it to me" as opposed to "she gives it to I", and "for them" instead of "for they". Cases are bad enough when they apply to all nouns like in German, but even in languages where they don't you have to learn extra words with I, me, my, his, him, her, hers, their, them, and so on. Persian doesn't have this.I isin Persian. To isso "to me" is. You is, so to you isGenitive case (her, my, his, their, etc.) is the same thing. You take a noun, put an -e- in between, and then put the pronoun on the end. Water is, so my water is. Office isso your office isFor the most part adjectives can be used as adverbs. This means that, good, can also mean well, just like how English often says "you did good" instead of "you did well". In Persian this is grammatically correct, however.Here are a few examples:Given the large amount of Arabic and Turkish loanwords these aren't as frequent as the student might like, but a lot of words are the same or almost the same:(bad),(mother),(brother),(foot, think pedestrian),(there is, think German ist),(there isn't, think German nicht), pedar (father),(informal 'you', think thou), etc.This post was written not with the intent of convincing anyone to drop German/French/what have you for Persian, because in spite of its grammatical simplicity Persian remains difficult to use in terms of finding places to use it, and economically it doesn't have that much clout.However, due to the script there seems to be a lot of grouping it in with Arabic as one of those insanely hard languages capable of breaking even the most dedicated of minds. Arabic is certainly up there in terms of difficulty. Persian is not. If for example you are entering university and thinking of a career to do with the Middle East / intelligence gathering / international diplomacy and fluency in languages such as Persian / Arabic / Turkish is a plus, you might want to give Persian a closer look. Avoid the Perso-Arabic script for the first six months, focus on sentence structure and grammar, and then you'll realize that this language you've chosen to study is not the grammatical demon it's made out to be. And then after you learn it you can pretend that it was insanely difficult.See, even Wikipedia agrees with me:Anything else to add on or any corrections? Feel free to leave comments below and I'll add them to the article if necessary.----Edit August 2nd: A member on reddit.com has made the point that I didn't really address how Persian is easier to learn than Arabic, which is a valid point because the title I used there was in reference to how much easier Persian is to learn, and that people interested in the Middle East / intelligence gathering / foreign relations and the like that don't like the thought of trying to learn Arabic might be interested in learning Persian instead. Since the two are unrelated (Arabic is a Semitic language whereas Persian is Indo-European) besides a lot of foreign loanword borrowing and using the same script (much in the same way that Japanese is unrelated to Chinese but has borrowed a lot of vocabulary) there are many ways in which Persian is easier for your average English speaker to learn than Arabic. I won't go over them all but here are a few good examples:Those are just a few examples of how Arabic takes more time to learn than Persian, but suffice to say that Persian is basically just an Indo-European language in disguise whereas Arabic requires a lot more effort before being able to use it with confidence. In addition, Arabic varies from region to region much more than Persian does.
BLOOMINGTON  In an effort to track how a heavy supply of opiates such as heroin makes its way into Central Illinois, you not only have to think like a criminal, you have to think like a businessman, say law enforcement officials.

Some of it comes from Mexico. Some arrives from South America, said Anthony Kestner, commander of Task Force 6, a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit consisting of local, county and state agencies from the Bloomington Police Department, Clinton Police Department, Illinois State University Police Department, DeWitt County Sheriffs Department, Mclean County Sheriffs Department and Illinois State Police.

Much of the heroin supply to the U.S. comes from Mexico, but most of the heroin that goes to the eastern portion of the country and to Chicago, comes from South America, said Kestner.

We are in an interesting place, because we are between Chicago and St. Louis. Chicago is among the most profitable for the white powder, while St. Louis has a fluid heroin market for the white powder and the black tar. We are right in between and we are getting it from both sides.

Kestner said drug traffickers are business-minded people.

They have main distribution hubs in Chicago and St. Louis and then it spreads out from there, he said.

Heroin is a powerful opiate drug that looks like a white or brownish powder (white powder), or as a black sticky substance (black tar). It is diluted with other drugs or with sugar, starch, or powdered milk and can be injected, smoked or snorted to produce a euphoria.

Arresting the problem  putting the users in jail isnt enough, Kestner said. More emphasis should be put on education prevention and treatment for addicts.

We cant arrest our way out of this situation, he said.

When heroin addicts are accused of criminal conduct and taken to the McLean County Jail, they are housed in the booking area where their withdrawal symptoms can be monitored, said Shelly Welch, administrator of the jail's Medical Services Department.

Symptoms mirror a bad case of the flu with nausea and vomiting, said Welch.

Some people dont want to tell us about their drug use, but they know what to expect. They know theyre going to be sick, said Welch, adding addicts start to feel better after a few days.

On average, heroin addicts are booked into the jail once or twice a month  compared with about a dozen alcoholics who are brought to jail each month.

Lawmakers are aware of the problem and many are trying to learn more, said Congressman Darin LaHood, the Peoria Republican who recently held three roundtable discussions in his district and  like most in the health and law enforcement fields  describes heroin use as an epidemic.

Heroin and opioid overdoses continue to wreak havoc on our communities in Central and west central Illinois, he said. As a former state and federal prosecutor who has litigated narcotics cases, I have seen the devastation these drugs can bring. As a congressman, I am determined to help battle this problem. This multi-faceted problem is in need of multi-faceted solutions.

At one of the roundtables in Peoria, McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage, McLean County States Attorney Jason Chambers, Bloomington Police Chief Brendon Heffner and Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner all participated.
BLOOMINGTON  For heroin addicts, the first step to recovery can start with a near-death overdose, followed by a phone call that leads them to the threshold of a treatment center  where the tough work begins.

Since it opened its doors in April 2015, Chestnut Health Systems' Crisis Stabilization Unit has provided medical detox services to about 400 people  the majority of them looking for help with an opiate or heroin-related addiction.

If a stereotype of a heroin user ever existed, that profile has been replaced by a version that includes more people than it excludes, said Sonia Endress, regional nurse manager for the Bloomington facility.

"It's a wide open gamut, from mothers, fathers, nephews, business executives to homeless," said Endress.

How people arrive at the center also varies, with referrals coming from doctors, sponsors in 12-step programs, the local mental health crisis team and the jail. Admission is voluntary.

A Chestnut partnership formed in December with police in Lee County has resulted in a steady stream of patients looking for help with their addiction to heroin and other opiates.

Dixon Police Chief Danny Langloss Jr. said the Safe Passage Initiative that uses police as the conduit to drug treatment was created by law enforcement and community leaders in response to three local drug deaths in 10 days in 2015.

Chestnut's detox unit is one of 11 facilities that have agreed to provide services to addicts who come to the Dixon Police Department or Lee County Sheriff's Department. About a third of the 70 people who have come to Lee County police so far have been brought to Chestnut, said Langloss.

A team of volunteers, or guides, brings the addict to the Chestnut treatment facility, picks them up after treatment and offers support when they return home. Safe Passage, modeled after a similar program in Glouchester, Mass, requires police to think differently about addiction, said Langloss.

"I've done a 180-degree change since I came on with the department. When you understand it's a disease, I don't think there's any other strategy than to help people," he said.

The approach that attempts to reduce the drug market by shrinking the number of potential customers will soon be coming to Livingston County where Pontiac Police Chief Jim Woolford plans to join Safe Passage in mid-June.

Woolford heard about the program from a speaker at a January forum on local heroin issues.

Ten Livingston County volunteers have signed up to take people to detox centers at St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur and the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery through Unity Point Health at its unit based at Advocate BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal under Woolford's program that will include other county police agencies as planning progresses.

"We're not reinventing the wheel, but providing another option. The approach is, if a person is so rock bottom they are going to the police looking for help, why not help them?" said Woolford, adding that weekly heroin-related calls are routine for his officers.

Chestnut, one of 30 medical detox facilities in Illinois, begins its opiate treatment regimen with an assessment of the person's drug problem followed by medical treatment to lessen the uncomfortable effects of withdrawal. Intense nausea, vomiting, cold sweats and anxiety can last several days.

Then, the challenging recovery work begins with development of an individualized patient plan, said Allie Fields, a case manager for Chestnut detox patients. The plan may expand to include mental health services as people talk about what led them to using drugs.

"The majority of them have some kind of anxiety and depression," said Fields, adding about half of the referrals for mental health care come from the detox side of the crisis unit.

Group sessions help people deal with anger, trauma and family issues. "Some people have really burned their bridges" and need to rebuild relationships, said Fields.

Caring for patients, who stay between four to seven days for detox services, requires good listening skills, said nurse Katy Northcutt, who previously worked in a hospital emergency room where mental health-related calls were common.

"There's always a story that comes with the patient," said Northcutt.

The story often begins with opiate-based painkillers prescribed after a surgical procedure to a person who is unaware of their vulnerability to addiction, said Tamara Childress, Chestnut director of mental health services.

"Some got started with pain meds and transitioned to heroin because it was cheaper," said Childress, who supervises the unit that has cared for patients ranging from 18 to 69.

For others, the powerful drug came from a friend who offered it as relief for the emotional pain of a personal crisis and there was no turning back after the first dose. The sooner addicts understand the unrelenting appetite for opiates is a chronic condition, the better off they will be, said Childress.

"We are working to change the mindset from this being a personal flaw to it being seen as a chronic illness like diabetes or heart disease," said Childress, supervisor of the crisis unit and its 15 employees.

The positive changes can be seen on patients' faces as they regain control of their health and their lives, she said.

"We take a photo of them when they walk through the door. When we show them later, they're appalled at what they looked like," said Childress.

The length of time Chestnut patients have used drugs before seeking help varies from two weeks to 25 years, said Endress.
BLOOMINGTON  When Rex Beard was just 17 years old, he bought a used 1962 Chevrolet Impala for $450. On Sunday, it was one of about 100 cars in downtown Bloomington for the third annual Cruising Downtown Bloomington Car Show. The event was postponed one day because of rain.

This is the best car Ive ever bought in my life, the Bloomington resident said. I bought it from a man who ordered it new from Dick Baum from Baum Motors in Carlock and Dick is still alive today. I know Scott Baum at Baum Chevrolet in Clinton would love to have this car.

The odometer shows 87,000 miles, Beard says, and admits it has rolled over once.

This is the eighth year for this car in this type of condition, he said. I completely took it apart. Every nut and bolt. I had the frame sandblasted and powder coated. I wanted to do it right so I never had to redo it again. I just wanted to have something I could drive.

At about the same time he was rebuilding the car, his daughter gave birth to his first grandchild. While bragging about his new grandson, a friend told him about a 1962 Chevrolet Impala pedal car frame on the Internet. Pauls Body Shop redid the frame and included a paint job identical to the 62 Impala on the house. Now, his grandson, Hagan Corry, who has long since outgrown the pedal car, still often accompanies him to car shows, as well.

Its great, Corry said. And I won an award for my car once.

Stepping back in time was a consistent theme for car owners at the show. Christopher Myers of Bloomington, for instance, is only 19, but has a love for the 1950s ever since he was a child, he said. He has a hairstyle, some rolled up jeans and a car to match.

My father played oldies music while I was in the crib, he said.

When his late model car broke down, Myers went searching for the car to fit his love for the '50s and found a 1954 Chevrolet 210 for sale in rural Clinton.

It was only five grand, he said. This is my only car. Its my daily driver. Its funny because when people pull up beside me, I know they are expecting to see a 70-year-old man at the wheel. But its me, and Im not even 20 yet. I want this to be my only car until the day I die.

Just a few cars over was Reggie Hankins, who brought his 1931 Pierce Arrow Club Sedan to the show.

This was sitting in a barn in Downs for about 40 years, he said. Someone bought it and then sold it to Hankins and his wife, Janet.

It was fully restored four years ago.

Ive been doing restoration work on cars since high school, Hankins said. The ambiance of the Pierce Arrow is just amazing. I was looking for a big sedan and found this. There are only about 2,000 of these left in the entire world.

Hankins is still hoping to learn more about the history of his car. He knows it was built in Buffalo, N.Y., and discovered that the original owner lived in Cicero, just outside of Chicago.

You know, 1930s, Chicago? A car like this? he said. The original owner didnt leave any name or anything so I cant trace it, but it makes you wonder about the stories behind this car.
More and more parents are choosing to take their children out of the school system and opt for homeschoolin instead. Jeanette Everson is one the ever increasing number of parents who took the challenge and was convinced she made the right decision.

The statistics showed that 1.77 million of students between 5 to 17 were educated at home in 2012. This year it reached the mark of over 2 million in United States alone. This may be shocking especially if you're a stranger to the growth of the homeschooling movement.

Mrs.Everson observed how life in school was affecting her daughter. "It was something I wish I had always done because school didn't suit her right from the start." She said.

The experience of helplessness became taxing to Mrs. Everson as she has to go about very early to send her daughter to school everyday. There were a lot of other facotrs that added to the mom's predicament such as peer pressure and lack of alternatives for a better school environmet for her daughter. This made Mrs. Everson send her daughter to school when she was only 4 because the only alternative was another year in pre-school. - Reports Westmeath Topic.

Still, parents may not shake the fact of the decision-making of taking a child out of school is daunting and intimidating. Many parents cannot help but wonder if this is right for their family or if they are capable of teaching academically. An article from CBN News might help answer these questions.

Now it happens that parents like Mrs.Everson find a lot of resources and curriculums online making homeschooling simple. In the end, families like the Eversons, who took the venture of homeschooling their children instead of sending them to school, affirm that the right decision they've made.

Here's a video of Fox News interviewing Sam Sorbo, wife of actor Kevin Sorbo, and author of the book 'They're Your Kids: An Inspirational Journey from Self-Doubter to Home School Advocate', was quoted saying "Anything is better than public school".
Most children are being pressured to invest their time on studying instead of play. Though most parents would prioritize education, little did they know that lack of play can potentially increase the child's risk of developing mental health disorders.

A study published in the Journal of Play, the author Peter Grey highlighted that children who are not given the privilege of play are most likely to develop mental health disorders. Children in nature should be given a chance to explore through play.

Play is necessary for children to develop their cognitive, emotional and sensory skills. Children who were not given a chance to play may develop mental health issues including depression, anxiety, narcissism and other mental health related concerns.

Through play, children are given the chance to explore and venture the world around them. It is their way of de-stressing as they learn at the same time. Play lets the children develop their creativity, which is often barred by school work.

In his study focused on children and play, it was revealed that in the United States and other well-developed countries, it was mentioned that lesser time is a lot for children to play and explore on their own. As the hours of playtime among children decline, a significant increase of children diagnosed with mental health disorders reached an alarming state. It was discovered that children who spent less time playing suffered from depression, anxiety, suicide, and narcissism.

It came into conclusion that play has a significant effect on a child's psychological health. It helps them with their decision making, problem solving skills, self-control and more.

A mother shared her story on Washington Post as to how lack of play affected her daughter. The decline of play not only affected her child's social skills, Angela Hanscom also shared that her child also suffered from sensory issues.

"Kids are just different," Hanscom said. "When I asked her to clarify, she said, "They are more easily frustrated - often crying at the drop of a hat." I see children who were frequently falling out of their seats "at least three times a day," less attentive, and running into each other and even the walls. "It is so strange. You never saw these issues in the past."
Teenage students entering college in the fall will be preparing for plenty of things. However, not many might be aware, including their parents, to prepare for vaccinations. In some states and schools, inoculations for incoming freshmen are required, especially since the kids are going to encounter health risks when they are living in a dormitory.

According to Vaccines.Gov, young adults should get vaccinated for college to prevent developing or spreading sickness in campus. Thousands of students converging in closed environments -- such as classrooms, recreation centers or dorms - means they will always be in close contact with people who are sick. The vaccines will help curb an outbreak. Among the highly needed college vaccines are enumerated below:

1. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine: The Center for Disease Control recommends this vaccine, but it is mandatory in many states. This college vaccine helps curb meningitis bacterial infection, which can spread fast and have known to cause an outbreak in college campuses, per The Washington Post. If an incoming freshman has had meningitis vaccine a few years before, it is recommended that the individual gets a booster shot before going off to college.

Paige's son contracted #meningitis in #college. She wants college students to get BOTH the booster & the B vaccine! https://t.co/0FSxBbq2dJ  NMA (@NMAtweets) May 24, 2016

2. Flu vaccine: The standard recommendation for flu vaccine is at 6 months old. This is a seasonal vaccine, which means individuals should get it every year as even healthy people can develop flu when the strain is at its peak. The peak usually occurs when school is about to begin, so it makes sense for college students to get vaccinated for this.

3. Tdap vaccine: This vaccine is usually administered between the ages of 11 to 12, but some kids at age 18 or 19 might not have gotten their Tdap inoculation. Thus, they need to get their shots now. The vaccine is for protection against diseases like tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, as well as whooping cough. For more information on this, the CDC has a Tdap page.

4. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine: Highly recommended for sexually active individuals, the HPV vaccine protects against genital warts, cervical and anal cancer. It should be noted that HPV vaccine is introduced during the pre-teen years as well, similar to the Tdap vaccine. But for young adults or college students who have not had them, now is a great time to start with the inoculations.

Parents and students should also take note that some of these college vaccines are administered as a series. It's better to get started early, especially if the freshman is going to a school off-state. Prepare and schedule inoculations with the help of this CDC tool. Also take note that some schools might require proof of previous vaccines as well. Parents and incoming college students can refer to specific state information on immunization laws, via Immunize Org.
A science teacher from Mexico is putting the extra effort when it comes to making learning fun for his students. He comes to the school dressed up in a "Spider-Man" costume, which might look funny to everyone else. However, he believes that the students love attending his class better because of this.

Moises Vasquez, 26, leaves the house in a "Spider-Man" costume and commutes via a subway with his mask on to National Autonomous University of Mexico where he's in the faculty. He doesn't claim to have the best class in the school, but his dedication to teach is becoming legendary. "I just want to make the classroom a better place," he said, per Reuters.

Vasquez started wearing the costume in 2014 despite advise from family that he might be laughed at in school. But the opposite actually happened as his students were more eager to go to his classes. Some students in school even thought that "Spider-Man" was filming in town.

Increible lo que transmiten las imagenes de Edgar Garrido Mexico's Spider-Moy teacher via @reuterspictures https://t.co/a0kt4LxyQI  PLATA (@jlplatafoto) June 4, 2016

The teacher told Semana that he got into "Spider-Man" since the release of the movie starring Tobey Maguire in 2002. Then he decided to make his own costume with a plan to wear this in his class. He has taught over 300 students in his Spidey suit and has been known as "Spider-Moy" around school. Now and then, the teacher still get surprised looks and laughs, but what really matters to him is that the he's able to connect to the students.

However, Vasquez admits he only dons the costume occasionally. When the students have to take tests or when he needs to explain a difficult theorem in class, the teacher wears the suit as a way to motivate the kids.

Coincidentally, Peter Parker, the alter-ego of "Spider-Man," used to be a science teacher before he worked as a photographer and this has inspired Moises Vasquez to be in character even more. Watch Moises Vasquez as he prepares for work in the video below:
A new study done by a group of researchers says that some serious pregnancy disorder could now be detected using a simple urine test. It is a non-invasive way of determining whether a pregnant woman has preeclampsia.

According to Science Daily, different scientists found out that urine samples could now detect if a woman has preeclampsia in during the early stage of her pregnancy. This disorder involves high blood pressure and their urine having a large amount of protein, which is not good during pregnancy. This also means that their pregnancy would be difficult since they too are prone to experiencing headaches that could be unbearable and would also result in fainting. The body could also swell and there are even more dangerous symptoms that await a pregnant woman should she be diagnosed with preeclampsia.

Mayo Clinic wrote that this disorder has the ability to damage other vital organs of a pregnant woman, which includes her kidneys. This usually occurs right after the first three months of pregnancy and it is quite tricky because her blood pressure would appear to be normal. But after that first three months, if she is positive with preeclampsia, the slightest rise in her blood pressure would indicate danger towards her and the baby she is carrying.

A photo posted by Kate Blue (@kateireneblue) on Jun 5, 2016 at 12:55pm PDT

This should be treated as soon as it was diagnosed because preeclampsia could actually be fatal due to the complications that it would bring to both the mother and her unborn child. But if it is too late for treatment, the only solution is to deliver the baby. This case would be very challenging for doctors, especially when they would have to choose between who they would have to save. Unfortunately, those instances happen when preeclampsia is detected late during pregnancy.

Share this information with your loved ones because it might just help save a life today. We would like to know about your thoughts on this matter using the comments section below.
Turkey's president has labeled women as "incomplete" and "deficient" if they failed to bear an offspring. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent controversial remarks aim to encourage women to have children through his statements to increase Turkey's birth rate.

Erdogan urges women to have at least three children, The Guardian reported (via Agence France-Presse). The president added that he supports females who are competitive in their careers. However, Erdogan also thinks that having a career and a professional life shouldn't hinder a woman's ability to have children.

According to the president, renouncing motherhood means "giving up on humanity," the news outlet further reported. Erdogan said that family planning and contraception don't suit Islam's teachings.

Feminists And Women's Rights Activists Fire Back

Erdogan's statements have sparked outrage among feminists and women's rights activists. In his past remarks, he said birth control is a form of "treason" that threatens a country's population, according to a separate report from The Guardian. Erdogan said that Turkey's government has great ambitions and those will be attained if every member of the country will contribute.

A group called Platform to Stop Violence Against Women said Erdogan's remarks come straight out "of the Middle Ages," the news outlet added. The group argued Erdogan has no right to seize their right to access contraception.

Turkey's cabinet under Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was also criticized by activists for its lack of women officials. Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya is the only female minister in the family and social policy ministry, a post which has been always offered to a woman.

Turkey's Population Rate

Turkey's population has already increased to around 78 million in 2015, which is a 1.3 percent growth rate. In 2000, the nation's population went below 68 million.

Didem Danis, an associate professor at the sociology department of Galatasaray University in Istanbul, said Turkey has one of the fastest-aging populations in the whole world, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. By 2023, 10.2 percent of the country's population will be composed of people aged 65 years old and above. That aging rate was only at 7.7 percent in 2013, and 8.2 percent last year.

The Turkish government is giving 300 Turkish liras ($102) to married couples who have their first offspring, 400 liras ($136) for the second child and 600 liras ($205) for the third. This way, couples will be more motivated to produce children and boost Turkey's fertility rate numbers. Turkey is also planning to pay mothers' part-time work in full after their maternity leave, which lasts for 16 weeks.
A young girl from Union City, California is sharing her story to encourage dyslexic kids like her to consider their selves special just like everyone else. She said that children with dyslexia should realize that the reading disorder is a gift, not a punishment.

Children With Dyslexia Are Gifted

Makayla Halbower, a 9-year-old fourth grader at Prince of Peace School in Fremont, California, wrote on Additude Mag that dyslexia is a challenging condition; however, dyslexic kids like her can always make it through if they will try harder. The young girl, who is the author of the book "Dyslexia Rules!" said that children with dyslexia should not feel that they are being punished because the condition comes with many gifts.

Halbower narrated that just like other children with dyslexia, she once felt bad about having the condition. The dyslexic kid said that she once considered the reading disorder a punishment because it made her feel embarrassed and frustrated with her failures to learn despite trying so hard.

The young girl disclosed that after years of seeing the reading disorder as punishment, she later discovered that children with dyslexia like her are not dumb or stupid. "In fact, I discovered that my brain just works differently, and, in some ways, better than others without a learning difference," the dyslexic kid stated.

What Makes Children With Dyslexia Gifted

Halbower stated that God gave her dyslexia for a reason. She also cited that Albert Einstein and Picasso were sufferers of the reading disorder. Moreover, the young girl also enumerated what made her gifted as one of those children with dyslexia.

The dyslexic kid said that she has a very creative brain and big imagination. She added that she excels in figuring things out and in creating almost anything using her imagination and hands. The young girl also stressed that the reading disorder made her to be good at making artworks and other creative pieces.

"So don't be sad about your dyslexia. Be proud of it. We are as great as everyone else, and sometimes even greater," Halbower stated.

According to Understood.org, dyslexia is the most common learning disability in the U.S. It is estimated that children with dyslexia comprised 17 percent of the U.S. schoolchildren population.

Do you agree that children with dyslexia are gifted? Share your thoughts below.
American research has revealed that most of the children in India are not receiving their vaccines on time. This is based on the vaccination of almost 270,000 children in India using data from 2008.

The Free Press Journal reported that researchers from the University of Michigan have found that only 12 percent of children in India receive the measles vaccine by the required age of 9 months. By age of 10 months, a third of the children get the vaccine.

By age five, 75 percent of children in India receive the measles vaccine. Delays in vaccination are said to be a possible factor to the frequency of measles outbreaks in India.

Only 18% of children in India are vaccinated with the recommended three doses of DPT vaccine https://t.co/8T02Amftvr  News18 (@CNNnews18) June 3, 2016

Indian Vaccine Problem Ironic

Another gap that the researchers found out is in the DPT vaccine. Media reports that only 18 percent of Indian children receive this vaccine in the three recommended doses.

The loopholes in vaccinating children in India happen even as the country is said to be leading producer and exporter of vaccines. Reports also said that India is also the top country where children die below five years old and most of the deaths are from those that vaccine can prevent.

Indian Vaccine Problem 'Systemic'

"This is a systemic problem," said Nijika Shrivastwa, the lead author of the study, as per Indian Express. Shrivastwa said that getting vaccines six months after the recommended age can lead to "dramatic implications" when it comes to vulnerability to disease.

According to India West, Matthew Boulton, senior associate dean for global public health at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, said that there are 26 million Indian children born in every year. Boulton said that the delays in immunization coupled with the added children annually who need one causes further backlog.
Countless fans have celebrated when they first learned that Nina Dobrev is definitely making a return in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8. However, it seems unlikely now since the former girlfriend of Ian Somerhalder had her heart broken again after learning that Austin Stowell is dating "Easy A" actress Emma Stone.

Nina Dobrev cancels return in 'The Vampire Diaries' Season 8 as she tries to mend broken heart

Celeb Dirty Laundry reported that Nina Dobrev has got broken hearted again after she learned that former boyfriend Austin Stowell is currently dating Emma Stone. The ex-girlfriend of Ian Somerhalder has not been linked to anyone since she broke up with Austin Stowell.

Several followers of Nina Dobrev were in shock when they first learned that she broke up with Austin Stowell. No one has ever expected the breakup since "The Vampire Diaries" actress has been very showy on her romantic moments with Austin Stowell on Instagram at that time.

Rumor has it that Nina Dobrev had already gone tired of having a relationship with guys and started liking girls. As a matter of fact, "The Vampire Diaries" star was linked with "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" co-stars Ruby Rose and Deepika Radukone, but it was later confirmed that they are all just friends.

Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder confirmed Nina Dobrev's return in 'The Vampire Diaries' Season 8

Meanwhile, GamenGuide reported both Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) and Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) have already hinted that Nina Dobrev, who plays the role of Elena Gilbert, will definitely be returning for "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8. It is undeniable that the departure of Nina Dobrev in The CW series has badly affected the show's ratings.

As a matter of fact, several fans have already projected that "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 is impossible. However, it seems like The CW is giving the show another chance and Nina Dobrev's return is they only way they see that could possibly redeem the glory days of the once popular American TV series.

"The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 has no official air date up to this writing. Stay tuned to Parent Herald for more "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8 spoilers, news and updates!

Do you think Nina Dobrev will be returning for "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8? What are the things you expect to happen in the upcoming "The Vampire Diaries" Season 8? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube made their entry in the media market, the PatnaDaily had already registered its presence in...
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was a busy person on Sunday launching several new schemes while also attending a religious program at Patna's Gandhi Maidan.

Kumar, who recently replaced Sharad Yadav as Janata Dal  U national President, launched a nationwide campaign to bolster party membership pledging to induct 50 lakh new members by the end of this month.

Personally handing over party membership certificate to 25 new inductees who were required to pay the obligatory Rs. 5 in membership fee, the Chief Minister himself renewed his membership in the presence of JD-U state President Vashisht Narayan Singh and other party members.

"Our senior leaders, including Sharad Yadav, are in their respective constituencies where they are overseeing the launch of membership drive. Our goal is to induct 50 lakh members by the end of this month," he said.

Singh said that each member or worker was required to induct a maximum of 25 new members. "Once a member successfully inducts 25 new members, he or she becomes an 'active member'," he said.
Patna: Taking his idea of holding Janata Durbar at his residence once a week to listen to people's problems one more notch, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday launched the Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Act of 2015 that aims to address people's complaints and grievances within a specified timeframe.

Calling it a 'historic day' in the state's ongoing attempt to bring administrative reforms, Kumar, speaking at an event at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna, said that the Act has put more power in the hands of the people so they could get fast response to their complaints.

"Today is the anniversary of Loknayak Jaya Prakash Narayan's call for 'total revolution' and on this auspicious day, Bihar has launched the Public Grievance Redressal Act to empower its people to get their grievances answered within a reasonable period of time. Now the government officials will not be able to ignore the complaints and will have to respond to them without any delay. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response, he or she will be able to file an appeal," the Chief Minister said.

Expressing his confidence in the success of the new Act, in a repeat of his self-declared victory on prohibition issue, Kumar said that he would soon ask other states to follow his footsteps in passing similar laws in their own states to address complaints of the citizens.

While it was not clear if he would continue to hold his Janata Durbar at his residence, Kumar said that since he started the tradition of hearing public grievances in 2006, he successfully disposed off 233,260 applications out of a total of 277,249 complaints.

Kumar also inaugurated the State Public Grievances Receipts Center in Patna and similar offices in all 38 districts across the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav and other government officials were also present on the occasion.
Podcast

About 75% of military recruits arrive at a training base with no bank account and have to be bussed to a local bank to open one, says Jill Castilla, CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond. The bank's team is building a platform that will help service members save and build credit.
Orange County Doctor Sets Out to Combat Party Politics

06/06/16

Source: NIAC Action

When Dr. Max Gouron moved to Texas in 1972, getting involved in politics was a distant thought. Born and raised in Tehran, Gouron moved to the United States to attend Rice University in Houston on a full scholarship and later went on to obtain his M.D. from the University of Texas Health Center. In 1999, he moved to Orange County and has been a practicing anesthesiologist for almost two decades.

But, like most immigrants, he faced a variety of challenges.

Assimilating into American culture takes time, he said. As a first-generation immigrant you face multiple hurdles ... you have to worry about your finances, and then you have to familiarize yourself with the language and social behavior, and after all of that you start to become aware of your rights as a taxpaying citizen.

Now, having conquered these hurdles, Gouron is campaigning to represent Californias 45th district in Congress. He attributes his interest in politics to his immigrant background and Iranian roots, which he said, helped him see the value in civic participation.

To win the seat, Gouron, who is running as a Democrat, must beat Republican incumbent Mimi Walters, which will prove to be a challenging task. Gourons district has not elected a Democrat in more than 30 years and Walters won her last election with 65 percent of the vote. Nevertheless, Gouron is optimistic.

There is something unusual going on this election year. That Trump and Sanders are still in contention indicates that voters are fed up with the status quo, Gouron said. It is just possible that, with the right choice of rhetoric, we might be able to sway the no party preference and some Republican voters to our side.







Gourons district includes a large population of Iranian Americans, many of whom have expressed disappointment over recent visa waiver discrimination measures. Gouron said he intends to fight against such discriminatory policies, including the new Visa Integrity and Security Act (HR 5203), which targets visa seekers from Iran, as well as Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, for enhanced security measures.

Walters, Gouron argues, consistently votes against the interests of the Iranian American community. She opposed the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal, supported the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act (HR 158), as well as a variety of bills to expand sanctions against Iran.

Gouron believes that he offers a unique and fresh approach to politics that distinguishes him from his opponents and people he refers to as career politicians. At the core of his platform is a desire to change the status quo in Washington and return to integral politics.

Our representatives have been replaced with career politicians who pledge themselves to special interest groups and big money corporations to get reelected, he said. There has been a major loss of autonomy. Congressmen dont represent our interests anymore, they represent the interests of themselves and big-money corporations.

Gouron said that, if elected, he will focus only on the interests of the voters in his district.

I will not immediately vote for a bill if it is being sponsored by Democrats, and I will not immediately vote against a bill just because it is being sponsored by Republicans. I will only vote for bills that serve the interests of my district, he said.

The California primary will take place on June 7 and will advance the two candidates who receive the most votes to the general election in November.

Given that there is still a big interest in Bernie Sanders, the Democrats will show up in droves ... so that may work in our favor, Gouron said.

Despite this, Gouron recognizes the challenges that lie ahead, and has reached out to the Iranian American community in Orange County for support.Volunteers have helped with canvassing, social media, and creating banners and signs.

However, Gouron said that the sobering reality is that Iranian Americans are not yet politically engaged enough to be a key factor of winning the election. He said he hopes he can help change that.

Iranian Americans are just now reaching the point of assimilation and are just now getting involved in politics ... Many are either not registered to vote, or if they are they just dont vote, he said. Despite that, he added, Iranian Americans are one of the most successful diaspora communities in the United States.

If elected, Gouron would be the first ever Iranian American to serve in Congress, a feat that he views as a big achievement among a long list of successful Iranian American accomplishments. Referring with pride to other Iranian Americans like Omid Kordestani and Anousheh Ansari, who are decorated doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, business people, entrepreneurs... he said he believes that Iranian Americans have proved that they can be successful. He hopes his achievement will augment this list.

Im very proud to be Iranian American, he said.

If youre interested in volunteering, donating, or learning more about Max Gourons campaign, visit www.MaxGouron.com.



This is the second of many profiles in a series highlighting civically engaged Iranian Americans, as part of NIAC Action's Beshkan the Vote campaign.
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Just as you were getting used to the power of 4G LTE, the carriers are already looking ahead to a world of 5G cellular connectivity. AT&T announced on Monday that it plans to add Middletown, N.J. to its 5G-based home broadband trials. AT&T previously announced that Austin, Texas would be part of its broadband tests. The trial locations, which could include more cities, will roll out by the end of the summer. AT&T also announced it was partnering with Nokia to expand its 5G lab trial work.

The early trials in various locations are part of AT&Ts efforts to help finalize an international standard for 5G connectivity. AT&T says 3GPP, the international standards organization responsible for 5G, is expected to complete the first phase of setting the 5G standard by 2018.

Why this matters: Unlike the advent of 4G, and 3G before it, the arrival of 5G is about more than faster phones and better movie downloads. The super speeds promised by 5G are expected to help usher in drastic changes in our technological reality including autonomous cars capable of making real-time decisions backed by the cloud. 5G will also power the ever-growing range of smart home devicesthe so-called IoTand possibly commercial delivery drones dropping packages on your doorstep.

How fast is it?

5G is expected to be anywhere from 10 to 100 times faster than 4G. AT&T says it was able to achieve speeds greater than 10 gigabits per second in early tests, but that is well under the expected 5G speeds ranging from 20 to nearly 80Gbps.

Before we get to our next sci-fi future, however, a lot of hard, boring work must be done, such as deciding how to utilize sub-6Hz and millimeter wave spectrum, and technologies like advanced beamforming. 5G is expected to roll out commercially by 2020.
A couple of big decisions are coming up for California students in the states worst-performing schools. First, the California Supreme Court will decide in the coming weeks whether to hear an appeal in Vergara v. California.

In Vergara, nine plaintiffs contended state statutes were biased against poor students because last-in, first-out teacher layoffs mean that, during a budget crunch, talented young teachers, who are more likely to be assigned to low-income areas, are laid off before less capable teachers with more seniority. And its almost impossible to dismiss incompetent teachers, who often get relegated to schools in poor areas, to the detriment of the kids.

In 2014, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu sided with the plaintiffs. He found, Evidence has been elicited in this trial of the specific effect of grossly ineffective teachers on students. The evidence is compelling. Indeed, it shocks the conscience.

Unfortunately, in April the California 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned that decision. On May 24, the plaintiffs and their lawyers, whose case is funded by Students Matter, an education reform group, decided to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court. We urge it to take up the case.

In a related development, Assembly Bill 934 addresses some of the problems highlighted by the Vergara trial. Authored by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, AB934 would increase the time to earn tenure from 18 months to three years. And, to make it easier to fire incompetent teachers, the bill would authorize proceedings based solely on charges of unsatisfactory performance.

AB934 passed the Assembly unanimously on May 22. The bill will be heard this month in the state Senate Education Committee.

We hope the Senate will make AB934 stronger, Manny Rivera told us; hes the director of Rally, a communications firm working with Students Matter. We need to start putting students first, not adults. AB934 addresses some of the issues in the Vergara lawsuit, including teacher tenure and layoff decisions. However, even should the bill pass, he said, the Vergara plaintiffs still might pursue their appeal to a final decision.

We encourage the Senate to improve AB934, such as by granting tenure only after four years, then pass it. The California Constitution guarantees, A general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence [is] essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people. And the 1976 California Supreme Court decision Serrano v. Priest stipulated public schools must provide substantially equal opportunities for learning.

Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature have acknowledged the problem of low-performing schools in poor areas by creating the Local Control Funding Formula to funnel extra money to these schools. But, more than money, whats needed is quality teachers.
The stream of dogs trickling out of the 1,880-square-foot home on Bennett Road in Howell, New Jersey, seemed to last forever.

There were pugs, Chihuahuas and terriers. Workers in hazmat suits came out with arms full of puppies, according to the Asbury Park Press.

By the time the exhausted rescuers were finished, half a day had passed, and 276 dogs had been rescued.

Ross Licitra, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the paper that it was the worst hoarding case in Monmouth Countys history.

There were so many animals that they had become one with the house itself, with dogs found on book shelves, atop jury-rigged platforms and even inside the walls of the home, according to the Asbury Park Press.

The conditions of the house are deplorable, Licitra told the paper. We actually have dogs in there that are giving birth at the moment. As we speak, were bringing out newborn puppies that are only just minutes old.

The homes owners  identified by the paper as Joseph and Charlene Hendricks  were described as cooperative. They told investigators that they originally had eight dogs but that three years and lots of reproduction later, the number had skyrocketed.

Theyre just not stopping it, Licitra told the paper. I think its just completely uncontrolled.

The pair hasnt been charged, but that could change depending on the condition of the dogs, which was initially described as fair.

Although no dead animals were found on the property, Licitra told NJ.com that possible charges could include failing to provide veterinary care and allowing animals to live in inhumane conditions.

None of the animals had been vaccinated, spayed or neutered, Licitra said, and their flea-infested fur was matted and their nails overgrown. He noted that the dogs were covered in their own excrement, which led to their paws being filthy.

The owners said that the animals ate 100 pounds of food a day, Licitra told NJ.com.

We have to charge them, he said. We have to get the message out to people (that) we cant allow this to happen.

Kim Tamborra, office clerk at the Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey, in Tinton Falls, told NJ.com that the animals were neither house-broken nor socialized.

Suzanne DeGrande, a neighbor, told WNBC that she hadnt seen Charlene Hendricks outside the house in five years.

I would knock on her door and say: Charlene, open the door. You have a dog loose.And she would never open the door, DeGrande said.

Authorities discovered the hoarding by chance, when an officer for the Associated Humane Societies knocked on the door trying to place a dog that was on the loose, NJ.com reported. After knocking on the door, the officer heard enough barking to estimate that the home might have 20 dogs.

Investigators returned to the home several times before finally making contact with the owners last week, NJ.com reported.

When they realized how many dogs were in the home, they were shocked.

When you opened the door, there were at least 80 dogs staring at you  lined up on shelves like statues, Licitra said.

WNBC reported: One shelf was specially built near the ceiling of the living room, like a hamster cage for dogs, according to Tierney Park, a Monmouth sheriffs deputy. They have steps that go up to the shelf, and there were dogs looking down and barking.

After their dogs had been confiscated, according to the Asbury Park Press, the couple spoke to a reporter from the paper who approached them.

Could you trim it down and not give us so much attention? Joseph Hendricks said. Were not bad people.

Noting that he was exhausted and cant even think, Hendricks declined to explain how the hoarding had unfolded.

Its more than you think, he said.
A pair of powerful Senate Republicans on Sunday warned Donald Trump to drop his attacks on a Latino judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, joining the widespread rejection of their presumptive presidential nominees treatment of the federal jurist.

A third prominent Republican who also supports Trump urged the candidate to start acting like a potential leader of the United States.

Were all behind him now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned, adding that its time for unifying the party, not settling scores and grudges. I hope hell change his direction.

So far, Trump has refused, reiterating in interviews broadcast Sunday that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiels Mexican heritage means he cannot ensure a fair trial involving a billionaire who wants to build a border wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-born parents  making him, in Trumps view, a hater of Donald Trump.

I couldnt disagree more with Trumps central argument, McConnell said on NBCs Meet the Press.

I dont condone the comments, added Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on ABCs This Week.

And Newt Gingrich, who became speaker of the House promising to open the GOP more to minorities, delivered the harshest warning of all.

This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think its inexcusable, Gingrich, a former presidential contender, said on Fox News Sunday.

Their remarks solidify the line GOP leaders have drawn in recent days between themselves and Trump, with whom theyve made a fragile peace over their shared sense that almost anyone would be a better president than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The GOP pushback against Trump comes two days before presidential primaries in California, home to more Latinos than whites. Its the final major battleground between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Far ahead of Sanders in the delegate race, Clinton is poised to clinch her partys nomination in the next few days.

Trump has no more competition for the GOP nomination, but he does have significant issues with the most senior elected members of the party he hopes to lead.

On Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan tepidly endorsed Trump  but 24 hours later disavowed the billionaires remarks about Curiel.

Trump University is the target of two lawsuits in San Diego and one in New York that accuse the business of fleecing students with unfulfilled promises to teach secrets of success in real estate. Trump has maintained that customers were overwhelmingly satisfied. Trumps legal team has not sought to have Curiel removed.

Trump already has rejected calls for him adjust his approach.

Im not changing, he said Tuesday at a fiery news conference at Trump Tower.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on the idea. Asked on CBS whether a Muslim judge would be unfair given Trumps plan to ban Muslims from the U.S, Trump responded: Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.

For a party that in 2012 explicitly pinned its survival on drawing support from Hispanics, Trumps words create an ugly series of headaches.

Asked three times whether Trumps attack on Curiel was racist, McConnell thrice refused to respond directly and repeated a statement about disagreeing.

I think its a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans, said McConnell, R-Ky.

Gingrich answered: I think that it was a mistake  I hope it was sloppiness. (Trump) says on other occasions that he has many Mexican friends, et cetera, but thats irrelevant. This judge is not Mexican. This judge is an American citizen.

Gingrich urged Trump to become more of a statesman.

Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level, he said. This is no longer the primaries. Hes no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States and hes got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader.

McConnells advice was blunt.

This is a good time, it seems to me, to begin to try to unify the party and you unify the party by not settling scores and grudges against people youve been competing with, he said. Id like to see him reach out and pull us all together and give us a real shot at winning this November.

Associated Press writers Eileen Sullivan and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has attracted 39 newly registered investment projects into the country at an estimated value of $249.49 million between January to March in the first quarter of 2016.



The investments are expected to create a total of 2,489 jobs. The results of the quarter investment showed a significant increase as compared to 2015 of over 200% in the local component of total estimated value of registered projects.



The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) component of the estimated value was $157.57 million while the local component amounts to $91.92 million. Thirty of the newly registered projects representing 76.92% were wholly foreign owed enterprises valued at US$163.61 million and constitute 65.58% of total value of the first quarter registered entities.



The remaining nine (9) new companies constituting 23.08% were joint ventures between Ghanaians and their foreign partners valued at $85.88 million which is 34.42% of the total estimated value of registered new projects.



A total of 12 investments were made in the services sector at an estimated percentage value of 60.36%, building and construction at an estimated value of 25.84%, manufacturing at 5.98% and general trading valued at 4.63%.



The rest of the quarters investment includes liaison which estimated at a value of 2.5%, agriculture at a percentage value of 0.04% and tourism at an estimated valued at 0.24%.



A total of 188 projects were renewed in a quarter under review representing an increase of 11.40% compared with an initial investment value of $363.33 million.

Source: Business Day









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.

Featured Video
Meridian Port Services Limited (MPS) AGAIN?!!!



We members of Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGGH) have learnt with much excitement the refusal of Parliament to approve the request for tax concessions amounting to $982 million in respect of the proposal for the Tema Port Expansion Project, development of a container terminal and port access road that the Meridian Port Services Limited (MPS) wants to undertake.



For us, as a group, we think that both minority and majority in long while have activated their oversight responsibility given them in the 1992 constitution as overseers or watchdogs.



We were overjoyed when the MAJORITY teamed up with the MINORITY in Parliament to demand for the necessary details of the contractual agreement to guide them in their decision making whether they would approve or do otherwise.



As a group, we think that giving those exemptions to foreign companies especially to Meridian Port Services (MPS) is nothing but hawking the fortunes of this country for nil.



We were shocked to see the concession agreement between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and Meridian Port Services (MPS) that was laid before parliament which proposes to allow for MPS, the later, to DESIGN, FINANCE, CONSTRUCT and MANAGE the new Harbour infrastructure with modern container terminal.



What confusingly amazes us the most is about the aspect that talks about exclusion or exemption of payment of corporate income tax for 10 years after date of first commercial use of facility and a reduced corporate tax of 15 per cent after 10 years for five years and an exemption from tax on dividend for 20 years to both resident and non-resident shareholders.



The quick question is who are the resident and non-resident shareholders?



We without mincing words are reminding the people of Ghana about the similar contract between GPHA and MPS in about a decade ago which did not go through parliament.



Our research as a group has resulted in very serious findings about the said company (MPS) that is trying to enter into that agreement with the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority hence our desirous wish to unequivocally pray Parliament to honourably disapprove of the treacherous, fruitless and nation wrecking proposal before the August house.



We for the sake of furnishing the general public with enough details on this matter will hold a press conference within this week.

LONG LIVE GHANA



Listowell Nana Poku

(Executive Secretary ) 0502714506



Kwadwo Yeboah

(Operations)

0244758666



Charles Akowuah

(Spokesperson) 0244472659



Charles McCarthy

(Research)

0544133187





Source: Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana









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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Two Ghanaian women were reportedly prevented from entering parliament on Wednesday for indecent dressing.



One of the ladies, Kathleen Addy, obviously incensed by the altercation with the police, took to her Facebook page to tell the world about her experience.



She explained that she had gone to the House with her friend, Jemima Nunoo to attend to some private matters, only for the police to rudely block them from entering the main foyer.



Kathleen says their second attempt to use the main entrance was met by fierce resistance by the security officials on duty.





Source: Kathleen Addy/facebook









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 Chief, Elders and Youth of Sakumono, Saturday, installed NPP Vice-Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as Youth Chief of the Sakumono Traditional Area when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Sakumono and his Elders at his Palace as part of a two day tour of the three Tema Constituencies.



The NPP Vice-Presidential candidate was also honoured with a carved wooden object to signify his intelligence and truthfulness.



The youth in honouring Dr. Bawumia explained that despite numerous attacks on his person, he has been proven right on all the issues he raises and pointed to his intelligence and competence, noting that he is a great role model for the youth of Ghana.



The youth of Sakumono in unison have also decided that since their Chief and Elders have installed Dr. Bawumia as Youth Chief, then the youth also have a gift for him.



This carving is called the wise man. They chose this wise man because even though Dr. Bawumia always gets insulted for his analysis and comments, he is always proven right. Anytime he comes out, he is right and that is why the Youth have chosen the wise man carving as his gift, they said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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.

Featured Video
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.
Director of Electioral Affairs for Centre for African Democratic Affairs (CADA), Mr. Kwame Damoah-Agyemang has revealed that the 2016 general election is likely to face chaos and violence, looking at the just ended Limited Voter Registration Exercise (LVRE).



In a press release copied to Peacefmonline.com, CADA is impressing upon the Electoral Commission and the countrys Security Forces to work together to incorporate stringent security management for electoral processes into its existing core activities to steer 2016 general election from violence.



The perception gathered so far from public discourse after the 2012 general elections in the media, press releases and conferences and demonstrations by political parties and expert opinions shared by Security Analysts as well as the observation of the LVRE point to the fact that the 2016 general elections, if care is not taken, is likely to be marred by chaos and violence. Electoral violence during bye-elections and other electoral related functions within this past four years were all laced with avoidable violent incidences orchestrated by militant groups supported by known political parties. But surprisingly there was neither arrest nor prosecution of any kind, this has over the period emboldened perpetrators and have now become daring and acting with impunity even in the presence of the state security.





Below Is Full Press Release By Centre for African Democratic Affairs (CADA):



Election Security a Challenge for Ghana Electoral Commission in 2016 General Elections



The Centre for African Democratic Affairs (CADA) over the past four years has taken keen interest in following up all the electoral related activities by the electoral stakeholders in Ghana including the just ended Limited Voter Registration Exercise (LVRE) that took place between 28 April and 8 May 2016. CADA will like to bring to bear the Ghana Electoral Commissions (EC) role in Election Security going into 2016 general elections.



CADA also believe that it is important to state from the outset that the intent is to impress upon EC and the countrys Security Forces to work together to incorporate stringent security management for electoral processes into its existing core activities to steer 2016 Ghana general election from violence.



The perception gathered so far from public discourse after the 2012 general elections in the media, press releases and conferences and demonstrations by political parties and expert opinions shared by Security Analysts as well as the observation of the LVRE point to the fact that the 2016 general elections, if care is not taken, is likely to be marred by chaos and violence.



Electoral violence during bye-elections and other electoral related functions within this past four years were all laced with avoidable violent incidences orchestrated by militant groups supported by known political parties. But surprisingly there was neither arrest nor prosecution of any kind, this has over the period emboldened perpetrators and have now become daring and acting with impunity even in the presence of the state security.



The irony is that in the midst of the abhorrence and condemnation of these incidences by Ghanaians, the EC will look into the eyes of Ghanaians, and declare the election results as free, fair and transparent with the usual saying the security incidence did not affect the elections creating the impression that the violence is permissible. To say the least, this attitude of turning the blind eye is unacceptable and only serve to dent the image of EC in the eyes of the international community and some concern citizens in the country. It is also saddened to note that some Domestic Election Observers who go out to observe, particularly the general elections and bye-elections always come out to say that elections as usual were free and fairs to concord the results declared by the EC.



CADA will like to remind the countrys sole Electoral Management Body that the 1992 constitution states that the EC of Ghana shall not be subject to the control or direction of any authority--- This by extension and in the opinion of CADA means that no private or state institution can directly or indirectly get involved in matters of elections without the express permission of EC and once the permission is given, EC must have oversight responsibility to ensure that activities, actions and inactions of any private, public institution or individual involved in elections do not impinge on the integrity of the electoral process.



It is the considered opinion of CADA that EC has enormous responsibility to strictly provide assistance to the Ghana Police Service to guide their activities and actions before, during and after elections, irrespective of the fact that Ghana Police is a State institution with primary responsibility over state internal security for the simple reason that election security is a specialised area and not all security personnel have this requisite experience to be left on their own and also not allow the Police to be just establishing Electoral Security Task Force without leading the group to function effectively.



CADA believes that over the years it is the ECs neglect to supervise the Police activities during electoral processes that has fuelled the perception that influential politicians and those in power do take advantage to manipulate the electoral process, the police and expose it to public ridicule. For instance EC knows better, the specific role Security Agencies must play, when it comes to elections and that, it is the EC that must give the Police the tasking orders.



Security management procedures during threat to elections are handled differently from existing police mechanisms for dealing with other security situations. Threat to elections is defined as any activity, event or actions that are intended to have adverse effect on election staff, facilities or equipment as opposed to security risk, defined as those events or circumstances which exist in the operational environment but are not purposely directed towards election interests. These are two different scenarios; the latter can be dealt with in normal police operation.



In the opinion of CADA, election threats come in different forms and may include intimidation, registering minors and foreigners, multiple registration, etc. during voter registration exercise or targeting of election officials, intimidation or harassment of journalists, incitement to violence in the media or public, protecting, expanding, or delineating turf or no-go areas, attacks on election rallies or candidates, intimidation of voters to compel them to vote or stay away, physical attacks on election materials such as snatching and destruction of ballot boxes, armed clashes among political parties, violent clashes among groups of rival supporters, vandalism and physical attacks on property of opponents, targeted attacks against specific candidates or political parties, attacks on rivals who have either won in elections or were defeated, violent street protests and efforts by armed police to maintain or restore order, tear gas, firing on protestors, attacks by protestors on property or the police, escalation and perpetuation of ethnic or sectarian violence.



Going into the 2016 general elections, CADA will like to mention that EC should appoint an Elections Security Officer or make a request to the Police to get an experienced staff seconded to it as a Focal Point, to oversee the design and implementation of a country-wide security plan in coordination with the Security Agencies. EC will then make sure the political, civil and human rights of the citizenry, a cardinal principle in election security are protected.



In addition to above his function should include coordination of EC security activities at the EC Headquarters level, the supervision of field security, as well as the provision of all appropriate operational briefings and training for the security agencies, the establishment of a Joint Elections Operations Centre (JEOC) at the EC headquarters or any appropriate location in Accra and replicated in the regions and districts to serve an equivalent function at the local level;



Monitor and ensure thorough adherence to the security plan, to respond to the wide variety of envisioned security scenarios to which the election process may be exposed. If EC will ensure strict compliance, security personnel will not have the time to work for any faceless politician;



To keep a close liaison and coordination with state security elements for the activities - the use of armed escort as much as possible and maintaining strong security training and awareness for the personnel; careful selection of all election related sites and the maintenance of security for polling staff, electoral materials and equipment and situational awareness through a well-developed public information strategy to support election operation and ensure timely distribution of security information/advisories; identify hotspots (fragile security locations) in coordination with the Security Agencies and the most likely threats in each constituency and provide a clear order of priority for concerted efforts to be made to mitigate and manage these concerns and to allow resources to be targeted for maximum effect. In cases where the Police fail to deploy the right number of personnel to hotspots and poorly equipping them, the Elections Security Officer must insist on having the full compliment. In the past, where the police deployed fewer men than expected while at the same time police threaten from high roof to deal with miscreants, posed little or no deterrence to macho men and armed or militia groups loyal to political parties to visit mayhem on voters.



CADA is optimistic that the above-mentioned recommendations, if EC accepts them in good faith and implement them, the overall security environment that seem threat to election operations in Ghana will be minimised in 2016.



Thank you.

.Signed

Kwame Damoah-Agyemang

Director

Electoral Affairs, CADA

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com.gh









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.

Featured Video
While the United States and Europe has been contending with what their country might look like if a far-right leader were thrust into power by populism and civil unrest, The Philippines is already looking at the reality.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who won last months election, has urged the public to join him in cracking down on crime  offering huge bounties for citizens who kill drug dealers.

If they are there in your neighbourhood, feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun. You have my support, he told followers at a rally.

If you are involved in drugs, I will kill you. You son of a whore, I will really kill you.

This isnt necessarily just empty bluster, either. Duterte was the longtime mayor of Davao City in the countrys south, and his tenure was a chequered one: he was long associated with vigilante gangs who slaughtered drug dealers, drug users and criminals. This resulted in Davao becoming the safest city in the Philippines after a long reputation as the countrys murder capital.

During his run for president, Duterte confirmed his association with extrajudicial killings in Davao, and made wild promises that he would kill up to 100,000 criminals if elected.

Now hes promised citizens a medal if they kill drug dealers. I will pay, for a drug lord: five million pesos if he is dead. If he is alive, only 4.999 million.

You can see the Trump connection here. Much of the Philippines is wracked by civil unrest and violence beget by drug trafficking, and Dutertes blunt speech and take-no-prisoners attitude  which earned him the title of The Punisher  clearly resonates with large sections of the electorate.

He has, perhaps expectedly, dismissed the concerns of human rights groups and activists over the implications of rewarding killings.

Source: ABC News.

Photo: Getty Images.
By now youre probably on the precipice of being completely and totally done with any more stories about Harambe, the gorilla who was shot dead after a child fell into his enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo. Youve undoubtedly read the hottest takes imaginable on the ape, including this necessary angle:

Or perhaps this wonderful rumination, from American conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh:

By the way, you know theres another factor in this, Snerdley? A lot of people think that all of us used to be apes. Dont doubt me on this. A lot of people think that all of us used to be gorillas, and theyre looking for the missing link out there. The evolution crowd. They think we were originally apes. Ive always had a question: If we were the original apes, then how come Harambe is still an ape, and how come he didnt become one of us?

Yes. Yeeeeeess. Now, despite the burdensome world-weariness you probably feel over another story about Harambe, we feel like we need to give you some closure, seeing as we have covered the other major points of the story.

Heres the update: the mother of the boy, who faced an enormous wave of online criticism for allegedly allowing her son to wander off and fall into the enclosure, wont face any charges. Prosecutor Joe Deters confirmed that charges would not be laid, and that the boy had merely scampered off while his mother was looking after her other three kids.

She did not act in any way where she presented this child to some harm, Deters said.

As expected, the mother and her family were pretty chuffed about that outcome. This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life, they said in a statement.

Gorilla World, the exhibit in which Harambe lived, is expected to reopen on Tuesday with higher barriers to hopefully prevent something like this from happening again.

Source: BBC.

Photo: Getty Images.


Ah, the special edition Q&A. Those proud moments when they pull the show out of its inner Sydney enclave and force the crowd to address people that arent inner west self-confessed politics junkies, Liberals from north of the Bridge or University of Sydney students.

Last night, it was in Tamworth.

Youd think Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce would feel comfortable addressing people in a regional centre like Tamworth, but that wasnt the case. The other panellists basically sat there and swallowed lowball questions as poor oldmate Barnaby copped it repeatedly from a fired up audience.

The big issue on the agenda? Mining. Joyce gets a lot of heat in regional New South Wales for being a perceived sellout on coal seam gas mining  with the general wisdom being that he has left behind his Nationals farming constituency in the name of supporting big mining.

One questioner demanded to know why he wasnt stepping in to stop mining as happened with sand mining on Fraser Island.

.@Barnaby_Joyce responds to whether the Fed Govt has precedence to stop mining. @afsnsw says we need an end #QandA https://t.co/0KxqFaEGG8  ABC Q&A (@QandA) June 6, 2016

Sweat, my dude, sweat. His independent challenger for the seat of New England, Tony Windsor, was probably absolutely loving it as the interrogations continued  on mining, the NBN health, and corruption.

Alright, Barnaby. Ya cant say you werent warned about all this.

Source: Q&A / Twitter.

Photo: Q&A.
For the most part, New South Wales uber-storm has subsided. We know this much, because The University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory were able to get a drone in the air without it being immediately pelted back to Earth.

Just as well, too. The unit was able to capture the devastating erosion caused by the storms king tides and violent surf along Sydneys Northern Beaches, and the results are honestly jaw-dropping.

In a sequence thats actually a bit stunning, the pool that was wrenched from the waterfront at Collaroy can be seen, resting askew on the rocks.

Look, we know its annoying when you get urged to watch a clip in 1080p, but this one is worth the bandwidth, just to gain another level of appreciation for Mother Nature  and how powerful she can choose to be.

The Bureau Of Meteorology have warned that abnormally high tides can be expected again tonight, with heavy surf continuing to pummel portions of the coast.

As always, stay up to date on the latest BOM warnings here, and get around SES alerts here. And once youre high and dry, well, back to drone footage of the storms aftermath.

Source and photo: UNSW Water Research Laboratory / YouTube.
Ive never donated blood.

While I spent the first two-thirds of my life polarised by a fear of needles, Ive spent the last seven years spontaneously covering myself in a number of questionable tattoos and enjoying the occasional perks of being a sexually active gay man.

Which means that for as long as Ive reservedly embraced the stomach-sinking prick of needles, Ive been legally unable to donate blood.

Which sucks for any number of reasons  not least because theres a notable shortage of blood in this country, with the Red Cross Australia only having a few days worth at any given time.

Its not only gay men; my mother cant donate blood due to her epilepsy  and neither can any one of my friends who have worked in the sex industry over the last twelve months. But for gay men, it feels personal. Its stigmatising. It paints gay men as a threat; anchored in the remaining paranoia born from the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

I only bring this up because it was recently announced that a controversial lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland is set to be lifted. A similar ban was also ended in England, Scotland and Wales in 2011, and replaced with adjusted rules that now allow gay men to give blood 12 months after their last man-to-man sexual encounter. Oh, and earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US took steps to redress their blanket ban on gay men donating blood.

And its time Australia gets with the fucking times.

For the past five years the Red Cross Blood Service (along with the Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity and the Victorian Aids Council) has pushed for a change to the unnecessarily preclusive rules set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration  but to no avail.

This despite The Victorian Aids Council already calling the Red Cross Blood Services present policy obviously discriminatory. And the Co-Convenor of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Council, Sean Mulcahy saying, The ban sends out an incorrect and irresponsible public health message by suggesting that all gay sex is a health risk while all heterosexual sex is safe.

Speaking with my friend, gallery owner, and cancer survivor Kere Baker, its clearer than ever that our community needs to start pushing harder for reform in this area.

I am a 38-year old-woman, wife, and mother of a beautiful 14-year-old girl who five years ago (in 2011) received the news that I had Angio Immunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma, Kere tells me. It was stage 4, right through my bone marrow, and the cancer was consuming my Haemoglobin (red blood cells). I had 30+ litres of ascites fluid on my abdomen, my organs had begun shutting down, and I was between unconscious and more pain than I had ever imagined. Grim was understating the facts, and my reality. I am only here today because of the grace of blood products donors and ultimately a bone marrow donor in May 2012. During this time I witnessed many things, including the unnecessary deaths of some that couldnt find a donor or blood match. To not allow homosexuals to donate blood product is discriminatory  and every argument against it falls down. If there is legitimate concern that blood cannot be appropriately screened for HIV, then potentially anyone, everywhere that is or has ever been sexually active is a risk. When Hetero people have intercourse, you dont get a dossier of all previous partners, their partners, their partners ex-partners. It makes no sense.

Kere argues that recipients should be allowed to have a voice in the ongoing discussion around donation policies  particularly given how much rides on them.

If this is a factual argument  if this is the official stance, then I should be legitimately afraid of every blood donation I received. Im talking 4 transfusions a day in the early days, countless platelets and the transplant itself, she says. How is that assumption okay or even valid anymore? As a recipient, I deserve a voice on this, or to be given an option.

Hear-bloody-hear.

If youd like to contact the TGA for clarification on their stance, you can do so here: info@tga.gov.au.

This article and image has been republished with permission from HeapsGay.com.





Samuel Leighton-Dore is the Editor of Heaps Gay. Hes a writer interested in sex, dating and mental health, particularly within the LGBTQIA community. His childrens book I Think Im A Poof was released earlier this year, and we had a chat to him about it.
Oh FFS.

Remember how last year, Daily Mail Australia spoiled the winner of The Bachelorette by publishing long lens shots of Sam Frost and winner Sacha Mielczarek just hours before the finale?

Looks like were in for a repeater.

Filming for the upcoming season of The Bachelor  the one starring Richie Strahan  wrapped up in Bali over the weekend, and despite rumours that producers had enlisted the help of the Indonesian military to prevent the paparazzi from snapping pics, it looks like they were unsuccessful.

Richie, host Osher Gunsberg, and three finalists flew on separate planes to Bali, took a special airport exit, and were chauffeured to a security- (and possibly Indonesian Independent Army-) guarded hotel, but paparazzi managed to track them down and get the money shot anyway.

Its just so disappointing, said last years Bachelorette + human sunshine Sam on Rove & Sam this morning. No one in the general public wants to know the outcome. Were not even invested in the show yet.



She did, however, concede that the finale photos are worth too much money for the photographers not to do it, with a local pap telling the Daily Telegraph that the first shots of Richie and a girl on a date in Sydneys northern beaches went for $25,000.

However  if were lucky, and if Sams theory is correct, and if the shows producers have deep pockets  we may not see any spoilers this season at all.

If the publications dont want them, or dont want to spoil it for their audience, well guess what, there is a certain company that would want to shut that shing down, said Sam  and yes, she really did say shing. The production company. They would pay a lot of money to get those shots, so they own the shots, so no one can ever see them. Ive got absolutely no idea, but I think thats the likely choice.



Then again, maybe said paparazzi are simply waiting for the audiences emotional investment to jack up the price of said photos.

So we may get spoilers, we may not. Either way, if anyone can sort our a Bachelor spoiler blocker Chrome extension before the show starts (date tbd), thatd be just swell.

Source: Daily Telegraph / 2Day FM.



Photo: Instagram / Richie Strahan.
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France.

According to www.army.mil/d-day/, "more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day's end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 allied soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler's crack troops."

From history.com: "The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe."
Barry Glass.jpg

Barry Glass

(submitted)

An Altoona truck driver and his rig have disappeared, said state police at Hollidaysburg.

Barry Lee Glass, 53, of Broad Avenue in Altoona, left Pennsylvania for California May 28, driving for D & R Transportation in Bellwood.

He made his last delivery at Chief Eaglehead in Porterville, California, and last had contact with his employer June 1, police said.

Anyone who has had contact with Glass or knows the location of his tractor-trailer is asked to call state police at Hollidaysburg at 814-696-6100.
badly-decomposed-body-pulled-from-pa-river.jpg

A badly decomposed body was recovered Saturday from the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. But the work of finding out who this person was and how he or she died could take a while as the body is so badly decomposed that authorities couldn't immediately tell the person's race or sex.

(screen shot/NBC-10)

A boater joyriding on the Delaware River Saturday evening made the grim discovery of a badly decomposed body floating in the water off South Philadelphia. But the work of finding out who this person was and how he or she died could take a while.

According to NBC-10, the body is so badly decomposed that authorities couldn't immediately tell the person's race or sex. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner is now examining the remains.

The body was spotted by the boater around 7 p.m. Saturday, prompting a call to 911. The Philadelphia Police Marine Unit responded and pulled the body from the water, NBC-10 reports.

The investigation continues.
Papal Mass

Catholic parishioners across the state this past weekend were read a letter urging them to encourage their state lawmakers to defeat a bill that would amend the state's child sex crime laws. House Bill 1947, which is now in the hands of the Senate, would reform the statute of limitations.

(James Robinson/PennLive)

At 72, Nancy O'Brien has been a devout Catholic all her life.

On Sunday, O'Brien walked out of Mass in disgust. She did so after her priest at St. Anthony of Padua in Ambler, just outside Philadelphia, read a letter from the head of the archdiocese encouraging parishioners to help defeat a proposed legislation that would reform the state's child sex crimes.

St. Anthony's wasn't the only parish to receive the letter. All 219 parishes across Philadelphia were read the letter from Archbishop Charles Chaput urging them to contact their lawmakers by mail or telephone and encourage them to vote against House Bill 1947, which would reform the statute of limitations.

"It was bull (expletive)," O'Brien said on Monday. "I don't have to listen to this bull (expletive) anymore. I've been a practicing Catholic all my life. I'm not going to be anything else. I thought it was an insult. I know what's been going on."

House Bill 1947, which was approved in the House by a near-unanimous vote in April, is slated to be taken up for a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee next Monday.

In his letter, which was provided in English and Spanish, Chaput argues that the bill "poses serious dangers" to all parishes, ministries, charities and schools. He urges parishioners to write or telephone their local state senator and members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against HB 1947, especially any retroactivity provision in the civil statute of limitation covering sexual abuse.

"All of us are rightly angered by the crime of sexual abuse," Chaput writes. "Over the past decade the Church has worked very hard to support survivors in their healing, to protect our children and to root this crime out of Church life. But HB 1947 and bills like it are destructive legislation being advanced as a good solution. The problem with HB 1947 is its prejudicial content. It covers both public and religious institutions -- but in drastically different and unjust ways. The bill fails to support all survivors of abuse equally, and it's a clear attack on the Church, her parishes and her people."

In addition, parish priests also distributed inserts in both languages, explaining the statute of limitations issue, as well as steps the Philadelphia Archdiocese has taken to address clergy sex abuse and the needs of victims. The second document outlined the negative impact the bill would have on parishes, schools, and charitable ministries.

Proponents for the reform of statute of limitations have long fought to expand the time window on state law to allow victims of child sex abuse more time to come forward and identify predators. Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm speaks at the Crime Victim Awareness Rally at the Capitol in April.

Ken Gavin, spokesman for the archdiocese, said the reading of the letter was not a mandate.

"The Archbishop requested that pastors do this and strongly encouraged it, but he did not mandate it," he said.

The main provisions of House Bill 1947 include:

The elimination of criminal statutes on future sex crimes against children;

A 20-year extension to the current civil time limit (to age 50 for victims under 50)

The waiving of sovereign immunity for state and local public institutions (such as public schools) in cases of gross negligence.

A retroactive component that would allows past victims of child sex abuse to file civil claims up to the age of 50. (Under current law, victims of child sexual abuse are barred from seeking civil action after they reach the age of 30.)

Gavin said efforts by the Catholic Church to reform the law and to help victims are often overlooked in the conversation on reform.

"As people learn more about HB1947 and what the Church has done for more than a decade to help survivors of abuse and prevent child abuse, they're seeing that the Church has done more in these areas of reform than any other private or public institution," he said. "They're also seeing that the currently proposed legislation excludes the many victims who suffered abuse in public institutions and that it holds public and private institutions to drastically different standards for the same bad acts."

Requests for information from the Harrisburg Diocese and the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese were not immediately granted Monday.

Monsignor Stephen P. McHenry, senior pastor at St. Anthony of Padua, said he read the archbishop's message because he agrees that the legislation is flawed - primarily its lack of uniformity in its retroactive provisions.

"I don't think that's fair legislation," McHenry said. "I don't think it's a good bill. If abuse is as bad as it is and it is, everybody should have coverage."

McHenry said he has been dealing with the clergy sex abuse scandal since 2002, the year of the first grand jury report showing widespread clergy sex abuse and its cover-up by church officials.

"I know some of those priests and the people abused," he said. "It's been a very, very bad period for over 10 years but I do think we are trying to do things to be helpful. I think there is need for legislation but I don't think this is the legislation."

McHenry has written to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, asking him to amend the bill so it has a wider scope or write new legislation.

He said he is aware that some of his parishioners feel strongly about reform.

"I think some of my parishioners have experience with the people that were abused," McHenry said. "They would like the church to have to pay big penalties so that it understands it did a very bad thing. I understand that viewpoint but this viewing of only singling out certain groups and not extending it to every child, I don't think it's good."

In his letter, Chaput echoes a long-held stance by the church - particularly its legislative branch, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference - that the bill would have a catastrophic financial impact on the archdiocese.

Private and religious entities, he argued, would face "unlimited liability for exactly the same evil actions," and not just going forward, but also in the past.

"This is not justice," Chaput writes. "In fact, HB 1947 actually excludes most victims. And it also targets innocent Catholic parishes and families, like your own, who will bear the financial burden of crimes committed by bad individuals in the past, along with the heavy penalties that always result from these bad bills."

The archdiocese, like scores of other dioceses across the country, was rocked by grand jury investigations that found decades of widespread clergy sex abuse and its cover-up by church officials. Earlier this year, the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese became the latest diocese in Pennsylvania to be investigated for allegations of clergy sex abuse. A grand jury investigation out of the diocese found patterns now similar across other diocese - that of years of the abuse of children at the hands of diocesan priests and the cover-up of the abuse by church leaders.

O'Brien, a member of Voice of the Faithful, a reform advocacy group, anticipates the church is not going to let up trying to defeat the bill. She said she would continue going to Mass - noting that attendance at her parish is on the decline.

"They say we are so afraid we won't be able to help the poor," she said. "Give me a break. They could care less about the poor. I've seen so many people get hurt by their refusal to do anything."
errol bedford.png

Errol Ezequiel Bedford

(Lancaster County district attorney's office)

A 26-year-old Elizabethtown man faces multiple charges after taking his ex-girlfriend and his 2-year-old son hostage during an hours-long standoff Sunday night into Monday morning.

Errol Ezequiel Bedford is charged with two felony charges following the 6-hour standoff that started Sunday night at a home on Locust Drive in West Donegal Township, according to a news release from the Lancaster County district attorney's office.

The incident was reported around 8:20 p.m. after a 911 hang-up call. Northwest Regional police responded, recognizing Bedford because he was wanted on outstanding warrants, officials said.

Bedford then ran inside the home and barricaded himself in a room with his child's mother and his young son, officials said. The Lancaster County Special Emergency Response Team, including a negotiator, was called to the scene to assist with the incident.

Bedford told authorities his son was all he had left and he didn't want to leave the boy. Authorities discovered that Bedford was wielding a knife in the room he had locked the woman and boy in, according to the release.



About 45 minutes after police arrived, Bedford released the boy from the room. A few minutes later, Bedford also released his ex-girlfriend, officials said.

During talks with police, Bedford said he wanted to be shot and knew officers would fire if he charged at them. After several hours, the special response team entered the bedroom and apprehended Bedford, but not before he stabbed himself.

The scene was cleared around 2:45 a.m., officials said.



Officials did not disclose where Bedford stabbed himself with the butcher knife. He underwent emergency surgery and is being treated at a local hospital and will be there for several days, officials said.

Bedford will be arraigned after being released from the hospital. He faces felony counts of unlawful restraint and endangering a child, as well as a a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person.

Officials said Bedford will also be held on active warrants in Dauphin and Lebanon counties.
walter smith.png

Walter Mark Smith

(Adams County Adult Correctional Complex)

A 44-year-old Hanover man is accused of beating another man to death Saturday night in Conewago Township.

Walter Mark Smith is charged with killing Mitchell Robert Jones after an altercation between the men turned fatal. Smith is being held at the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex without bail.

Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett called the beating death "brutal," in a news release. The Adams County Coroner ruled that Jones died of blunt force trauma to the head.

The following is a police account of the incident taken from charging documents filed by Conewago Township police Det. William Hartlaub:

At around 10:25 p.m. on Saturday, Conewago Township police responded to a 911 call reporting that Jones had been found dead. Police found evidence of a struggle, blood throughout the second-floor bedroom, and a bloody hand print on the room's wall.

Jones' body was found lying in a bedroom with a black trash bag covering his head. Police also found a shattered ceramic water pitcher in a first-floor room.

Police interviewed two witnesses who found Jones's body and said Smith spoke with them explaining what led up to the altercation and Jones' death. One of the witnesses told police Smith said he "(expletive) up real bad and would not be seeing him for a while."

The first witness said that Smith explained he had been in a fight with Jones after partying together. During the fight Smith hit Jones with a chair, knocking him down.

Smith told the witnesses that Jones was stiff and that he "beat him to death." Smith then showed the witness his swollen right hand.

The second witness to Smith's description of the altercation related that Smith had been drinking and smoking crack with Jones. The second witness also told police Smith left the witnesses home to drink a six pack and tell his mother what happened.

Smith drove Jones' red 1997 Chevrolet truck back to the crime scene and was arrested at around 12:30 a.m. June 5. Jones showed signs of intoxication and reportedly confessed to the crime.

While being detained at the scene in a police cruiser, officers said Smith made the following statmements:



"At least he fought like a man."

"I'm drunk as (expletive) and have been drunk all day."

"Mitch tried to stab me with a (expletive) screwdriver."

"Life got wrong real quick."

At around 1:30 a.m. Sunday a third person confirmed that Smith drove to his mother's home in Jones' truck and admitted to killing the man after a confrontation. The third witness noted that Jones said he "blacked out" and discovered Jones dead on the floor.

Smith is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 15, officials said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Conewago Township police at (717) 637-7361.
Obama clinton

This Associated Press file photo shows presidential candidate Barack Obama hugging Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail in October 2008.

(Associated Press)

Once a campaign rival, President Barack Obama could soon be one of Hillary Clinton's strongest supporters.

Multiple reports, such as those by CNN and the New York Times, say the president is set to endorse her this week after a round of primary elections.

The Associated Press on Monday night said Clinton reached the 2,383 delegates needed to become the presumptive Democratic nominee with a decisive weekend victory in Puerto Rico and a burst of last-minute support from superdelegates.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is giving no indication he'll bow out of the race anytime soon - even though the current delegate count makes it mathematically impossible for him to win.

Obama and Clinton had a long fight for the nomination in 2008, and that's all the more reason his endorsement will matter, according to a New York Times report.

He "can be a persuasive voice for voters who may find her difficult to relate to or who have supported the more liberal stances of Senator Bernie Sanders," the newspaper reported.

Obama has a 50 percent approval rating and is highly popular among Democrats.

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, told the New York Times the frontrunner "hoped to earn" Obama's endorsement and participation in the campaign during the summer and fall.

"As former opponents, they have an amazing story," she told the New York Times, adding that it would be "hard to imagine a more convincing advocate for her."

Obama's aides said he is "particularly enthusiastic" about taking on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to the newspaper.

When it's time for Obama to go on the campaign trail, he's "go out guns ablazing," his communications director Jennifer Psaki told the New York Times. "We are actively thinking through how to use the president on the campaign trail -- what works for the nominee, what works for him, and how to utilize his strengths and his appeal."

White House officials and Clinton aides are still determining when Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will formally give their endorsement, according to CNN.

"Eager to exploit his recent spike in popularity, Obama is looking to become the most active lame duck campaigner in recent presidential history," the network reported.
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Edward Friday, 80, of Westmoreland County, allegedly helped slash his wife's throat after both survived an initial suicide attempt late last month in their home. He now faces criminal homicide charges in his wife's death.

(Courtesy of TribLive.com)

Late last month, we told you about a western Pennsylvania couple who were found in a botched, bloody suicide pact. Since then, things have gone from bad to worse for the 80-year-old husband who survived.

Edward Friday, 80, of Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, allegedly helped slash his wife's throat after both survived the initial suicide attempt late last month in their home. The two were then discovered by neighbors and taken to a hospital. His wife, Wilma Friday, 82, died days later of her injuries.

Wilma Friday, 82, was initially found alive in a pool of blood, but later died of her injuries.

Now, TribLive.com in Pittsburgh reports that Edward Friday faces criminal homicide charges after an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the May 22 death of his wife. He was jailed on those charges on Friday.

Police Sgt. Raymond J. Dugan, who handled the case, is quoted by TribLive.com as follows:

"(Edward Friday) stated that he and his wife had a suicide pact. She started to cut her throat with a knife. The defendant said she couldn't do it," Dugan wrote.

Friday allegedly told the sergeant: "I grabbed the knife and started to cut her throat," Dugan stated.

According to the affidavit, he asked Friday if he knew he was killing his wife.

"... He said, 'Yes,' " Dugan wrote.

Wilma Friday was initially found alive in a pool of blood. Police believe she attempted to slit her own throat, and when she failed, her husband tried to help her.

Meanwhile, Edward Friday took 20 OxyContin pills and was found with cuts to his wrist. But he has since recovered.

Friday was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond pending a preliminary hearing June 13, TribLive.com reports.
Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, Thursday, May 26, 2016, in Bismarck, N.D. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

By Dick Polman

Predictably, America's Troll is still attacking the federal judge who's handling the lawsuit against Trump University.

Dick Polman (PennLive file)

On Memorial Day, Donald Trump twice tweeted that the judge he derided last week as "Mexican" (Gonzalo Curiel was born, raised, and educated in Indiana) is "totally biased" against the inherent greatness of Der Leader.



All because Judge Curiel has declined to dismiss the lawsuit and thinks the students who paid up to $35,000 for tuition, and got nothing in return, should at least have their day in court. As an officer of an independent branch of government, Curiel simply wants the judicial process to play out. In Trump's words, all this is "negative, negative, negative."



There's something way worse going on here than just tagging Curiel as "Mexican" (the latest of Trump's serial lies).

If you read the full text of Trump's remarks on the stump (courtesy of Josh Blackman, an assistant law professor), you'll get the full flavor of his authoritarian spirit and his utter contempt for constitutional democracy and the separation of powers.

Especially this:



"I am getting railroaded by a legal system, and frankly they should be ashamed.....It is a disgrace. It is a rigged system....This court system, the judges in this court system, federal court."



Attacking the credibility and legitimacy of the judiciary is a tyrant's timeworn tactic. It is designed to erode checks and balances, and is an open invitation to mob intimidation.

As legal ethics expert Charles Geyh tells Reuters, "He has impugned the honesty of the judge in a pending case, and has done so in the context of a political rally that seems calculation to intimidate by inciting anger among his supporters."



What aspiring tyrant Trump instinctively believes (if he believes anything) is that he is the law.

And that if a public servant in an independent branch of government dares suggest otherwise, then clearly the system is "rigged," and any public servant who refuses to bow down should be investigated.



Or, as Trump put it on the stump, the system "ought to look into Judge Curiel."



So are Trump's followers so deaf and blind that they truly don't realize what is happening here?

Has their faith in our democratic institutions eroded to the point that they're happy to feed a junkyard dog who would treat our institutions as his personal chew toy?

Are they so ignorant of world history that they can't see the danger of a leader cult? And can the complicit Republican party sink any lower?



David Frum, the conservative analyst and former George W. Bush speechwriter (who coined the term "axis of evil"), has nothing but contempt for the voters and leaders in his party who are indulging Trump's trampling of democracy.



"They knew that Trump was ignorant, and coarse, and boastful, and cruel. They knew he habitually sympathized with dictators and kleptocrats - and that his instinct when confronted with criticism of himself was to attack, vilify, and suppress," Frum wrote recently in The Atlantic.

"They knew his disrespect for women, the disabled, and ethnic and religious minorities. They knew that he wished to unravel NATO and other U.S.-led alliances, and that he speculated aloud about partial default on American financial obligations. None of that dissuaded or deterred them..."



According to Frum, regardless of the outcome of the election, "conservatives and Republicans will have brought a catastrophe upon themselves, in violation of their own stated principles and best judgment."



I can't say I disagree.



The real question for November, prompted anew by Trump's attack on the courts, is whether there will be enough voters - patriots with common sense - to save this constitutional democracy from what the Republicans have so disgracefully wrought.



Dick Polman is the national political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia (newsworks.org/polman) and a "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania. His work appears on Mondays on PennLive. Readers may email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com.
A vast majority of Americans support the use of medical marijuana, according to a poll released Monday, while a growing number also support legalizing it altogether.

Eighty-nine percent of registered voters told Quinnipiac University pollsters that they supported allowing adults to use marijuana with a doctor's prescription. About 87 percent said that U.S. Veterans Administration doctors should be allowed to prescribe marijuana in pill form to vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

So far, VA doctors have been prohibited from discussing marijuana as a potential treatment method, even in states where it is legal to do so. Both the U.S. House and Senate have passed legislation to lift those restrictions, but the two bills must be reconciled and then signed into law.

A 2015 VA study of veterans with both PTSD and substance abuse disorders found that 23 percent of those veterans were using cannabis versus 15 percent who used cocaine and 12 percent who used opioids. No large-scale study of veterans' marijuana use has been conducted.

"If you serve your country and suffer for it, you deserve every health remedy available, including medical marijuana in pill form," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "That is the full-throated recommendation of Americans across the demographic spectrum, including voters in military households."

Pennsylvania became the 24th state (including Washington, D.C.) to legalize medical marijuana in April. Pediatric patients are expected to be able to access the drug this summer as the state Department of Health works to open a market for adults -- including those diagnosed with PTSD -- within 18-24 months.

There have also been several proposals in the state to decriminalize or legalize marijuana for recreational usage, although such a move would face an uphill battle in the state Legislature.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, 54 percent a respondents supported legalizing marijuana versus 41 who were opposed. That's an increase from 51 percent in 2012, the last time the question was asked.

The poll included 1,561 registered voters contacted via cell phones and land lines, with a 2.5 percent margin of error.

What do you think? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
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Surrounded by school officials, Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, discusses the findings of a survey of school districts on their financial health at a Capitol news conference on Monday.

(Jan Murphy/PennLive)

Pennsylvania school district officials paint a picture of a sinking ship when they discuss the financial outlook ahead unless the state pursues a new path when it comes to funding public education.

Mandated pension, health care, special education and charter school payments are outpacing the additional funding provided through state funding and higher property taxes, according to a report released on Monday based on the findings from a survey of 371 of the state's 500 school districts conducted in April.

It showed 50 percent of districts plan to reduce or eliminate academic and extra-curricular programs, 46 percent plan to reduce staff; and 73 percent plan to increase elementary class sizes, which now are approaching 25 students or higher in many school districts, said Jim Buckheit, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.

The school administrators group along with the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials commissioned this now annual snapshot of district finances. Since its first survey was conducted in 2010-11, business officials' executive director Jay Himes said the findings show the continued fiscal deterioration of districts.

"Schools as indicated in this report, are continuing to march backwards in terms of resources versus expenditures. We've been unable to balance our income with our expenditures and we continue to be out of balance by hundreds of millions of dollars every year," Himes said.

School officials indicated that they anticipate that trend will continue next year. Himes said mandated increases are anticipated to exceed $600 million in 2016-17 while even the increases that Gov. Tom Wolf proposed in his budget, districts could still come up $200 million short.

Also unclear is when districts will receive the state reimbursement for school construction they were promised this year. As part of the 2015-16 state budget, a commitment was made to borrow money to cover that reimbursement but Himes said he doesn't expect districts will receive any of that money until December at the earliest.

"We simply cannot afford to continue the failed strategy of cutting our way to success," Himes said.

Both organizations support increasing the state's personal income and/or sales tax to raise the amount of revenue needed to fund schools more adequately and equitably.

Himes acknowledged increasing those taxes is probably the most politically difficult to achieve but "if we're going to make a significant investment in school finance I believe the only way that can be accomplished would be with one of the two state broad-based taxes.
Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says efforts to bring Pope Francis to the city for its 375th anniversary next year are going well. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Alessandra Tarantino)
Zo Karim in the Lead After Day 1c of Poker Night in America $1,675 Golden Nugget Event

June 06, 2016 Mo Nuwwarah Editor

Zo Karim fired up a dose of his patented "brown magic" to hold with aces in a monster pot and bag the chip lead on Day 1c of Poker Night in America $1,675 Main Event at Golden Nugget. Karim is an experienced tournament grinder with a number of final tables in major tournaments to his credit and nearly $1.4 million in cashes.

A total of 59 runners turned out for Day 1c, and just 11 of them bagged up for Monday's Day 2. Some others joining Karim in punching tickets were Chad Eveslage (296,000), Maxim Sorokin (273,000), experienced voice actor Nika Futterman (237,500), Kyle Frey (73,000), and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Joey Weissman (42,500).

Karim had aces come through for him in a big pot to surge into the lead late. It was Level 14 (1,200/2,400/400) when the big hand went down, starting with an early-position raise from Alex Keating to 5,000. Michael Lipman called and Karim made it 16,400 with the bullets. Raymond Dandrea cold-called on his left on the button, and both Keating and Lipman helped bloat the pot preflop before hit the felt.

Action checked to Karim, and he fired 27,000. Dandrea shoved for 140,000 or so, and Keating tanked before calling off about 50,000. Lipman folded. Dandrea had and Keating , but two bricks on the last two streets sent the huge pot to Karim, as he doubled through Dandrea for about 95,000. Dandrea still managed to find a bag with 102,000.

Some of the players firing and bricking on this last chance to qualify for Day 2 were Mike Dentale, Anthony Spinella, Sylvain Loosli, Kane Kalas, Michael Rocco, and 2016 Aussie Millions champ Ari Engel.

The players who did bag will be meeting at noon local time on Monday for Day 2. There will be 25 total players, and 15 will reportedly be paid, although PokerNews is still awaiting a payout list. Come back tomorrow for that and much more when Day 2 coverage gets going.

Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

It is a sad fact in 21st Century America, but there are a significant number of the population that desperately wants a blatant racist sitting in the Oval Office. Oh, it is true there are some Americans who are appalled at any form of bigotry, especially racial bigotry, but their voices are being drowned out by the constant clarion call from the right to make America white at all costs. Although Republicans are generally racists according to their past and present statements and dog whistle politics, their warm embrace of Donald Trump informs that they seriously want a bigot as president.

The highest ranking Republican in the nation, House Speaker and Ayn Rand disciple Paul Ryan, recently revealed that he will help elect and readily accepts the idea of a racist president solely because he will assist congressional Republicans in advancing their conservative anti-government agenda. Obviously, Ryan wants a racist president because he knows Donald Trump will help congressional Republicans eviscerate Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, food stamps, and aid to children and the elderly. And, a racist president will give the richest Americans greater tax cuts at the rest of the nations expense; a goal Republicans have sought to achieve for decades..

During an interview with a Milwaukee radio show host, Speaker of the House Ryan said that Donald Trumps nasty racist comments about the judge the other day just was out of left field, and that he completely disagrees with the thinking behind that. According to Ryan, just because the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency attacked a sitting federal judge and cast doubts as to whether he will ever respect the rule of law if he is elected is no reason to vote for a Democrat.

Ryan was commenting on Trumps three-month racist attacks on Federal District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel his claim that the Judge must remove himself because he is of Mexican Heritage is not the right attitude, but he will still help Trump get elected and vote for a blatant racist. A racist, by the way, that agrees with Paul Ryan that the morally upright thing to do, among many other morally upright things, is gut Social Security as well as advance a conservative agenda the effectively targets over half the population for destitution.

Ryan took the time to explain why having an inept reality show celebrity who is also a rank racist as president is so crucial to Republicans and the Koch brothers libertarian agenda. He said,

If you want to get rid of Obamacare you need to pass a new law that the president must sign. We need a partner in the White House to help us advance these bills that weve been passing  these conservative reforms that we want to get in law.

It is important to reiterate that in Republican parlance reform is synonymous with entirely eliminate programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, TANF (food stamps), and aid to mothers, children, Veterans and the elderly; the people Ryan parrots his demigod Ayn Rands label as takers.

Of course, that desperately-needed willing partner Ryan supports is racist Donald Trump. In fact, in describing that willing partner Ryan said It is clear to me that we have somebody who is a willing partner in advancing the conservative legislative agenda. I know for darn sure Hillary Clinton is going to go in the opposite direction. Ryan knows Trump will be that willing partner because they already had a one-to-one meeting where Trump assured Ryan that his moral compass is exactly the same, and twisted, as establishment Republicans who want social and domestic programs eliminated to fund tax cuts for the rich and corporations.

Even though Ryan only noted getting rid of the healthcare reform law that insures millions of Americans, his so-called conservative reforms include much more than eliminating all of President Obamas legislative achievements. For example, while Republicans led by Ryan have sought to make extremely harsh cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, Ryans own signature proposal is eliminating Medicare in its entirety and replacing it with a coupon; a coupon that will amount to a 76-percent increase in medical costs to senior citizens and the disabled. It is a plan that self-identified Republicans oppose by a 2 to 1 margin, but that is of no consequence to the Koch brothers libertarian agenda and why Paul Ryan wants a racist in the White House who will help advance the conservative agenda.

As if Americans needed any other reason to oppose Republicans and their nasty conservative agenda, the fact that the highest ranking Republican wants a blatant racist, hard-core nativist, and threat to national security and the world in the White House to take healthcare, food, retirement, and assistance to the poor should seal the deal. However, and this is the pathetic state of Americas population, it is more than likely that each and every Republican voter and Trump supporter wants to impoverish more Americans just as much as they want to vanquish people of color from the nation. It is possible Paul Ryan is not an avid nativist, but he is a Republican and the fact that he wants a racist to advance his conservative agenda exposes him as bad of a human being as Donald Trump.
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Trumps refusal of Republican pleas for him to stop making racist statements has resulted in top Republicans already running away from their own presidential nominee.

NBC News reported:

The absence of a response to the Trump U story left the candidate to fill the vacuum with a torrent of demagoguery against the federal judge overseeing the case, Gonzalo Curiel, who Trump said was biased by his Mexican heritage despite his Indiana birthplace.

Trumps comments against the judge horrified many supporters, but the real estate mogul rebuffed efforts by campaign staff, donors, and party officials to back off the incendiary claim this weekend, per sources, telling them he was unwilling to look like he had caved to pressure.

These are things that will defeat [us], a second source within the campaign lamented.

The Curiel story made Trumps already difficult task of lining up surrogates even harder, as supporters like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell distanced themselves from Trumps remarks over the weekend.

All of the weaknesses of the Trump operation that Republicans were warned about are coming back to crush their party. Donald Trump has no real presidential campaign operation. Trump has a barebones staff that spends more time fighting with each other than pressing the campaigns message. The Trump campaign is a cult of personality centered around a candidate who is more concerned with how he looks in the media than actually doing the nuts and bolts work required to win an election.

Donald Trump doesnt have any surrogates in the media speaking for him because elected Republicans are too busy running away from him. A perfect example of this was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bending over backward to distance himself from the Republican nominee when asked about Trumps racist rant against Judge Curiel.

The fact that Trump was able to win the Republican nomination with a non-existent campaign operation speaks volumes about the weakness of the Republican Party. Republicans now find themselves in a situation where an organization that has lost 4 of the last six presidential elections and 5 of the last six presidential popular votes is being counted on to carry Trumps campaign.

Trump conned Republicans into handing him their presidential nomination, and now the burden of carrying his deeply flawed campaign is crushing their party.
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President Obama may endorse Hillary Clinton as soon as this week, as the President is itching to get out on the campaign trail and take on Donald Trump.

The New York Times reported:

President Obama, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him, is now ready to aggressively campaign for Hillary Clinton, starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week.

The White House is in active conversations with Mrs. Clintons campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her, according to senior aides to Mr. Obama.

..

Mr. Obama is particularly enthusiastic, aides said, about taking on Mr. Trump. The Republican candidate has personally offended the president with his conduct on the campaign trail  Mr. Trump referred to a black supporter on Friday in one of his crowds as my African-American  and as the most visible champion of the birther conspiracy theories that falsely hold that Mr. Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii.



Obama is ready to get back on the campaign trail and take out Donald Trump, while supporting Hillary Clinton. The President made it clear that he is itching to go after Trump. Obama never holds back when asked about Trump, and has been reasonably open with his thoughts on the Republican candidate for months.

Trump represents everything that President Obama has long opposed. The presumptive Republican nominee is running division and fear, which is the opposite of the unity and optimism that has been a guiding message of the Obama presidency. Trump is the embodiment of the bigotry that President Obama has had to overcome during his years in the White House.

When evaluating the 2016 presidential election, many in the media have not given enough weight to the impact that President Obama will have. Obama is popular with Democrats and Independents. He is extremely popular with millennial, female, Hispanic, Asian, and African-American voters, and no one in this country has a bigger platform to deliver a message against Trump than President Obamas bully pulpit.

While Republicans cant find capable surrogates within their own party to speak on behalf of Trump, Hillary Clinton is getting ready to deploy President Obama.

Republicans should start worrying now because Barack Obama is fired up and ready to go.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse *

It is probably true that one doesnt have to be a Latin scholar to at least have a basic grasp of the term quid pro quo. It means what for what, something for something, or in the modern era it means a favor or advantage granted or expected in return for something. Now, when the term is used in politics it can be relatively harmless, and that is also the case in the legal world, but when there is money in the form of a donation involved, such as in payment for a political decision to halt or kill an investigation into wrongdoing, then it would appear to be a bribe.

Although not a case of bribery, there are clear indications that there was some very serious quid pro quo going on between presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and more than one Republican state attorney general. However, in one case quid pro quo does not necessarily apply because there was a payment provided prior to a favorable decision; what any sane person would define as a bribe.

First, the Associated Press began reporting late last week that a former Texas Deputy Chief of Consumer Protection, John Owens, made public copies of a 14-page internal summary of the Texas case against Donald Trump for scamming millions from students enrolled in the now-defunct real estate seminar; or as Donald Trump called it Trump University. Mr. Owens claims that in 2010 he was ordered to drop the fraud investigation case into Trump University for political reasons by then-attorney general and current governor Greg Abbott.

Although Mr. Owens is now retired, he said his team spent a fair amount of time building a solid case against Trump to try and recover over $2.6 million students spent on the scam university and an additional $2.8 million in penalties and fees. Owens could hardly believe the stand down order on Trump, a decision he said was highly unusual and left the students without recourse to recover their hard-earned money. In fact, he was so taken aback by the order to stand down that he made a copy of the case file and took it home.

Mr. Owens told the AP that, It (the order) had to be political in my mind because Donald Trump was treated differently than any other similarly situated scam artist in the 16 years I was at the consumer protection office. Owens boss at the time was none-other than stand-up guy Greg Abbott who is now Texas governor; he was the Texas Attorney General at the time. Closing down a sold fraud investigation is untoward enough, but the AP also reported that Trump donated $35,000 to Abbotts gubernatorial campaign after the attorney general dropped the Trump U. fraud case; it is why it appears the case was shut down for political reasons.

Of course, Abbott claims that as the states top law enforcement official and head of the states investigative agency, his office played no role in shutting down the investigation. However, in the same mendacious breath an Abbott spokesman said,

The Texas Attorney Generals office investigated Trump U, and its demands were met  Trump U was forced out of Texas and consumers were protected. Its absurd to suggest any connection between a case that has been closed and a donation to Governor Abbott.

If Republicans were not pathological liars it would be mind boggling that in the same breath Abbott claimed his office played no role in the investigation or shutting it down, and then has the audacity to say his office investigated Trump and forced his fake university out of Texas.

The story was enough of a problem for Abbott that his current attorney general took the time and effort to issue a media release about the cease and desist order against Mr. Owens claiming that he divulged confidential and privileged information.

Mr. Owens, a lawyer, responded saying I have done nothing illegal or unethical. I think the information I provided to the press was important and needed to be shared with the public.

It is noteworthy that current Texas attorney general Ken Paxton himself is no stranger to legal troubles involving ethics. Last August he was indicted on three felony charges for fraud for persuading Texans to invest in a tech startup and failed to disclose that he did not invest his own money because he was being paid in company stock. The SEC indicted Paxton earlier this year for securities fraud; he is not an upright politician but he is a typical Texas Republican.

In another case that can certainly be considered close to bribery, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was considering joining a multi-state lawsuit against Trump and his fake university for fraud. Within three days of Ms. Bondis spokeswoman being quoted in the media as saying her office was investigating Trumps fraud, Trump made a $25,000 contribution to the political fundraising committee supporting Republican Attorney General Bondis re-election campaign.

Right on cue, and why it appears to be a bribe, the Republican attorney general dropped her investigation citing insufficient grounds to proceed; even though the multi-state lawsuit against Trump did proceed. At least two states not controlled by Republicans are in the midst of legal actions against Trump for defrauding students out of millions of dollars, likely because they cannot be bribed or are unwilling to grant a favor or give Trump a legal advantage in return for something, such as a hefty campaign donation.

There isnt much dispute among sane human beings that Trump is a fraud. However, donating to Republicans does not necessarily make him any more of a fraud than he already is, but that is not the case with the Republican attorneys general whose campaigns profited for doing the Donald a legal solid. In the Texas case, there is clear evidence that then-attorney general and now-governor Greg Abbott shutting down a fraud investigation was political and Trumps campaign donation clearly is quid pro quo if for no other reason than Trump does not live in Texas or involved in its politics. In the Florida case, quid pro quo would be understating what clearly appears to be a payoff to scuttle an investigation.

Some in the media continue saying that Republicans are not happy about Trumps success in taking over the Party. But they are embracing the lying, cheating fraud with open arms because, although they may wince every time he opens his lying racist mouth, he is as dirty a cheat and fraud as they are.
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Ron Buzard had a few goals Saturday, but the main one was "just to raise awareness of the plight of refugees in the world."

There was no better place to do that than the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association 's "Walk Around the World" event, designed to mark World Refugee Day by also recognizing the successes of refugees and immigrants.

The day featured cultural exhibits, food, art, dance, music and singing from around the globe. Attendees took away bookmarks, henna tattoos and new knowledge.

But Buzard, the executive director of IMAA for the past 25 years, has heard the complaints, too; it's hard not to, when you've been helping people for as long as Buzard has.

"We can become set in our ways and complacent in our lives," he said, and that makes it that much easier to complain about others. "But the United States is the largest re-settler of refugees  more than the rest of the countries combined  and some of those individuals are coming" to southeast Minnesota.

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Saturday's celebration allowed them "to share the beauty, the culture, the energy they bring to this community," Buzard said. "We want people to join us, to build bridges in the community."

So what does he tell the people who don't support his mission?

"My remedy to that is to tell them to get to know someone," Buzard said. "Get to know their story and see if they can still say (they don't deserve the help.) If they can, then they're hopeless."

A mighty Ouk

He also might point them to Sambath Ouk, who moved to Rochester with his family in 1982, at the age of 2.

The extended family left Cambodia to escape the terror of the Killing Fields  mass killings carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime.

"My grandfather was actually buried up to his neck" and tortured, Ouk said. His mother, who as a teenager was in charge of meager food rations, watched as her younger sister starved to death.

They had survival stories of "tremendous courage," said Ouk, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after the family fled.

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They landed in Rochester initially, then traveled the country for the next few years, seeking a spot to sink roots.

His grandfather, Ouk said, "was very adventurous. No matter what had happened to him, he was always looking forward to the future."

The family settled for good in Rochester when Ouk was about 8.

"The first few years were very tough," he admits. "One of my very first memories of living here was playing outside one day, and two older kids on bikes rode by and spat on me."

They also mocked his language, Ouk said, "and I just didn't have the words to respond."

At school, his teachers believed he belonged in special education classes; English as a Second Language instruction wasn't well-developed. Eventually, though, his parents found Holmes Elementary School, which had an established ESL class.

'They came for their children'

Ouk thrived  so much so, that after graduating from Hamline University , he became an ESL teacher himself. He became an ESL coordinator, first for Rochester Public Schools, now in the Faribault School District.

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Today, he believes the things he experienced were "some discrimination, some just misunderstanding."

Growth, Ouk said, "needs to happen on both sides." It's important for natural-born citizens to recognize the challenges faced by refugees, "but just because you got off an airplane and you're in America doesn't mean you've arrived. There's still a language barrier, still a cultural barrier" to work on, he said.

Ouk shares his own family's story with his ESL students and their parents.

"I wear a suit and tie to work, and I bring my karate trophies," he said. The hardware is a conversation starter with the kids, the clothes are an indication of success to their parents.

"Then they open up, and I can share what it takes to be successful, because I've had the same (refugee) experience," Ouk said. "What we're experiencing now is nothing new  People (used to) change their names to stop being harassed."

Though he realizes most immigrants and refugees tend to focus on their successes, "I think it's important that we remember our challenges, too."

Ouk talks about the fourth-grader who once told him he believed his life would be easier if his parents were both white. While he understood what the child meant, he also felt a pang for the boy's parents.

"If you talk to just about any of these parents, they'll tell you: They didn't come here for themselves, they came for their children," Ouk said. "A lot of 'refugee' things are just human things."
The Place , which has been open for more than two years and is a collaboration between the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester and Families First of Minnesota-Head Start, is making a final push to raise the remaining $400,000 of an $8 million goal.

The Place, at 1026 E. Center St., is home for the two groups' programs and services for youth up to age 18. It brings together two organizations in a 55,000-square-foot campus that provides assistance for young people.

The fundraising campaign has raised $7.6 million to date, and the Otto Bremer Foundation is offering a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $200,000, until August. To date, $54,000 of the $200,000 has been raised.

"This is a great opportunity for the community to show its support of youth by supporting the final efforts to fully fund The Place," said Randy Chapman, the campaign's honorary chairman. Chapman is publisher of the Post-Bulletin.

Since The Place opened, Head Start has served more than 500 children in early learning and school readiness programs. Founded in 1973, Families First of Minnesota, formerly Child Care Resource & Referral, is an umbrella organization that provides support services to child care professionals and centralizs programs and services for young people and families.

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Boys & Girls Club of Rochester, now in its 16th year, has served 2,900 youth ages 6-18 in programs addressing academic success, college and career readiness, workforce development, health and life skills, and the arts.

Construction of The Place has allowed both programs to expand in services and size. The organizations own 50 percent of the facility and have spaces designed for specific needs of kids and families. The joint leadership operates, manages and finances the facility together.

For information on how to contribute, call The Place at 507-287-2300.
At a climate change conference a colleague tells me 2 degrees is an estimate. ... I tell him for my islands 2 degrees is a gamble ... at 2 degrees, my islands, the Marshall Islands will already be under water ... this is why our leaders push for 1.5 read part of a poem that Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, poet and activist from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, read during the forum In Defense of the Sacred: A Regional Forum on Human Rights and the Communities That Defend Them, at the Latte of Freedom last week.

The poem was written by Jetnil-Kijiner as a piece about the importance of the 2 degree number to climate change, a reference to one of the gains at the Paris Agreement-- which is to establish a global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The landmark global climate accord was signed in April at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.

Jetnil-Kijiner shared her experience as part of the climate change activists pushing for this critical number during the COP21 conference in Paris. Prior to the meetings, she along with the other climate change activists met with stakeholders to discuss what messages to get across.

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1.5 is the crucial number that we need to get. We need to keep temperatures at 1.5 and it is rising at the moment. At 2 degrees, RMI, Kiribati, and low lying islands will be underwater, she said.

This led to the birth of the 1.5 to stay alive campaign, according to Jetnil-Kijiner. The campaign, which was founded by their non-profit Jo-Jikum, drummed interest across the globe for the target goal days before the start of the conference. She showed photos of supporters holding signs with 1.5 to stay alive and climate justice posted in social media.

She also described collaborating with other indigenous organizations to put the message across during COP21. Jetnil-Kijin said while they were not allowed in the meeting space, they held their demonstration out in the sidewalks of Paris. Demonstrations, she said, is a way of diverting the media into spaces that they are not allowed.

Emphasizing the importance of addressing climate change, she told how RMI has been experiencing frequent inundation, destroying homes, lands, and crops. She described it as showing the vulnerability of the islands.

Jetnil-Kijiner presented during the session on Oceania Rising: Small Island States, Climate Change and the Struggle for Environmental Justice.

The human rights law firm Blue Ocean Law together with health and human services organization WestCare-Pacific Islands hosted the forum which featured three separate panels tackling human rights issues that affect/impact Pacific communities, from deep sea mining and extractive industries, struggle for self-determination, and climate change and rising sea levels.
We have reached many milestones and witnessed plenty of success stories at the Guam Department of Labor during my current tenure, but I will b Read moreGDOL wants to be a part of your employment solutions
Emily Smith of the New York Post reports on some of the revelations in Crisis of Character, the soon-to-be-released book by former Secret Service agent Gary Byrne about life at the White House with Hillary Clinton. I discussed the book briefly here.

According to Byrne, Hillary Clinton would be friendly one moment and then go into a rage. She repeatedly screamed obscenities at her husband, Secret Service personnel and White House staffers  all of whom lived in terror of her next tirade.

Secret Service agents are, of course, charged with protecting the physical well-being of the president. Byrne says they had discussions about the possibility of having to protect Bill Clinton from Hillarys physical attacks. He recalls that the couple had one violent encounter the morning of a key presidential address to the nation.

Byrne also remembers arriving for work one day in 1995 following a loud fight between the Clintons the night before. He says the dustup resulted in light blue vase smashed to bits and left Bill with a real, live, put-a-steak-on-it black eye.

Dont let anyone tell you that Hillary isnt a fighter.

From Byrnes account, and from what we already knew, its easy to see why Hillary would rage at Bill. Byrne says he once walked into a room where the president was involved inappropriately with a woman who was neither his wife nor Monica Lewinsky. Another time, Byrne threw out a White House towel stained with a womans lipstick  and the presidents bodily fluids.

For Hillary, her options regarding Bill may have seemed like fight or flight. Flight, apparently, was out of the question, given her ambitions.

Whats problematic, assuming the accuracy of Byrnes account, is Hillarys treatment of Secret Service agents and White House staff.

Voters are left in the unenviable position of weighing Hillary Clintons character flaws against Donald Trumps. In both cases, the flaws are legion.
Donald Trump has revived the matter of Vince Fosters suicide, calling claims of possible foul play very serious and the circumstances of Fosters death very fishy. Trump added, I dont know enough to really discuss it but I will say there are people who continue to bring it up because they think it was absolutely a murder.

As he often does, Trump is barking up the wrong tree, and irresponsibly so (if you dont know enough to discuss it, dont discuss it). In my view, and I once spent a fair amount of time looking into this, the claim that Foster was murdered is baseless. Investigators repeatedly have so found.

But, as is often the case with Trump, theres a nearby tree worth barking up. Did Hillary Clintons behavior contribute significantly to Fosters suicide?

The question has two components. First, did she contribute directly through the way she behaved towards Foster? Second, did she contribute indirectly by engaging in indefensible conduct that Foster had to defend? Both questions go to her character.

As to the first question, Alana Goldman of the Washington Free Beacon is reporting that Jim McDougal, the Clintons close business associate, said Clinton bullied Foster just before he committed suicide. According to Goldman:

Hillary Clinton relentlessly browbeat her clinically depressed former law partner Vince Foster shortly before he committed suicide in 1993, according to [previously unreported] notes from a final jailhouse interview with a former close business partner of the Clintons. Jim McDougal, a long-time member of the Clintons Arkansas inner circle and a central figure in the Whitewater scandal, passed away from a heart attack in prison in 1998. But he said in a final interview before his death that Hillary Clinton had a hard, difficult personality and was riding [Vince Foster] every minute about Whitewater before Foster took his own life.

Goldman adds that McDougals comments support a Daily Mail report last week on the FBIs 1993 investigation into Fosters death. Federal investigators reportedly concluded that Hillary Clinton triggered Fosters decision to take his own life after she publicly humiliated him during a White House meeting.

Foster was profoundly depressed, but Hillary lambasting him was the final straw because she publicly embarrassed him in front of others, Jim Clemente, a senior FBI investigator on the probe, told investigative reporter Ron Kessler.

McDougals comments are also consistent with the recollection of former Secret Service Agent Gary Byrne in his forthcoming book about the Clinton White House. Bryne says Hillary berated Vince Foster until he could stand no more.

McDougal summed things up this way: [Foster] had so much of their sh*t on his head and Hillary was riding him every minute.

The sh*t on his head line leads to the second question I posed above: Did Clinton contribute indirectly by engaging in indefensible conduct that Foster had to defend?

An affirmative answer makes intuitive sense, and is buttressed by strong evidence that Clinton also induced Foster himself to engage in indefensible conduct. Recall that, from all that appears, Foster participated in the theft of Whitewater related Rose Law Firm billing records. Copies were found in Fosters attic some years after his death.

Federal prosecutors came close to indicting Hillary for stealing the billing records. Its my understanding that they fell one witness short. In Ken Starrs view, they needed the testimony of either Webb Hubbell, Seth Ward (Hubbells father-in-law), or Foster before they could indict the First Lady.

Hubbell and Ward were men with no shame, but Foster was fundamentally decent. Prosecutors believed he felt remorse over his behavior. If they were to get one more witness, it would be Foster.

If this account is true, then Foster was under even more Hillary-related pressure than commonly supposed. And it becomes even more plausible to conclude that Hillary contributed to Fosters suicide through her indefensible actions in connection with the Whitewater scandal.

If, Hillary was also riding and humiliating Foster, as apparently she was, then her behavior is all the more unconscionable. This is the tree Trump should consider barking up, especially as Hillary continues to open the door with an assault on Trumps problematic character.

NOTE: I changed the paragraph about Byrnes book. When I wrote the original post, I forgot that Bryne wrote about Vince Foster specifically.

Imagine how Foster must have felt during his final days. This pillar of the Arkansas legal community had, from all that appears, been a party to the illegal removal of documents in order to help Bill and Hillary Clinton. In Washington, hes burdened with trying to deal with the various legal problems created by the Clintons misconduct.

He has, in effect, sold his soul for the Clintons, yet Hillary, it seems, cant stop berating him. The situation must have been unbearable.
Reader Patti Kruse writes to say she was surprised to see no mention that today is the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy.My dad landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was one of the fortunate ones, as he was never physically injured and managed to survive from D-Day all the way through the Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day. He rarely spoke about his experience except to say how much he loved America and was grateful to have served (he had immigrated from Ireland as a very young man).

She adds: Ive attached a picture of my dad (Pat Nichols, at right in the photo above) taken somewhere in Belgium December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. I asked him once about the picture and he said they were told, Only Yanks would be crazy enough to take their picture during the Battle of the Bulge. He loved being called a Yank, especially as he used to be teased about his magnificent Irish brogue. Here is our annual post in observation of the anniversary of D-Day, this year in honor of Pattis dad:

Seventy-two years ago today our fellow Americans and their allies stormed the beaches of Normandy to vanquish the Nazis supposed thousand-year regime. In his D-Day message to the troops, General Eisenhower declared: We accept nothing less than full victory!

The landing was necessary if the war was to be won. In 1984 President Reagan called it a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history. Yet success was far from inevitable. Eisenhower tucked a second message away to use in case of failure: Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.

We seek to remember the fallen and honor all those living and dead who performed their duty that day. They performed fearsome tasks with awe-inspiring fortitude.

In his 2004 Wall Street Journal column Too much, too late, Professor David Gelernter expressed his revulsion over the tidal wave of phoniness that he detected in the celebration of the greatest generation by the boomer crowd. As a remedy for the phoniness he detected, Professor Gelernter prescribed teaching to our children the major battles of the war, the bestiality of the Japanese, the attitude of the intellectuals, and the memoirs and recollections of the veterans.

Complying with Professor Gelernters prescription, I have been working through Rick Atkinsons brilliant Liberation Trilogy. Last year I read the late Dartmouth English Professor Harold Bonds moving Return to Cassino.

Professor Gelernter failed to assign a paper topic for the course he has prescribed. I would assign an essay on the subject of sacrifice. Do we deserve the sacrifice made on our behalf? What we can do to make ourselves worthy of it?

The battle of Omaha Beach of course represents only a small part of Operation Overlord and the other battles that occurred on the Normandy beaches. The story of Omaha Beach is nevertheless deserving of special recognition.

S.L.A. Marshall was commissioned to serve as a combat historian with the Army in World War II. By 1960, he was already concerned that the passing of the years and the retelling of the story have softened the horror of Omaha Beach on D Day. That year the Atlantic Monthly published Marshalls essay on Omaha Beach based on the field notes he had compiled during his service as combat historian. The essay  First wave at Omaha Beach  is available online. Marshalls essay was the original source for some of the telling details that Stephen Ambrose lifted for his account of Omaha Beach in his book on D-Day.

Please read it. Then print it out and save it for your kids as part of the required reading for the course Professor Gelernter has prescribed. (First posted in 2004, updated in 2013 & 2014.)
In continuation of last weeks piece on how giving makes us happy, rich and healthy, we cite more interesting real life examples and provide more scientific evidence of the benefits of giving. We start with an example from Pastor E.A. Adeboye (Daddy G.O.), leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Pastor Adeboye: I was planning to buy a panel van, the type known as Shalanke in those days. It was not because my income then could not afford a Toyota car. It was by choice. But there was this young man who had just bought a brand new Peugeot 504. As he was rejoicing at having been able to buy a car at long last, God spoke and said him, Go and give the car to Pastor Adeboye.

I wish I knew what went on in his mind at that point, but he obeyed. Thank God for those who obey Him. He came to me and I noticed his countenance. It showed that he had been touched by God.

Today, that same man I know has at least three houses in Lagos. I have dedicated one house for him in London and I know one or two other houses that I didnt have time to go and dedicate. And he probably has about three or four cars of his own, not to mention those for his wife and children. All that happened in a short span of time.

I have said this one thing many times before  anytime God wants to give you something, He asks you to give to Him first.

Oral Roberts

The experience of the late Oral Roberts Oral founder of Oral Roberts University is another confirmation of the power of giving. In 1946, he accepted a pastorate in Enid, Oklahoma, to enable him continue his university education.

According to his account, usually when someone accepted a pastorate, they were provided with a personage or another place to live, but he was not given. Without money of his own to rent or buy a house, he was stranded after preaching on the first Sunday morning.

Finally a member of the church asked Orals family to stay a few days with them in their two-bedroom house. Weeks after, the benefactor was being transferred and the beneficiaries were about to end up in the street.

When they survived that they resorted to cultivation crops to sell to pay their bills, buy new clothes, etc. But the practice of sowing and harvesting crops gave oral a fresh idea of giving. Enthusiasm of giving burst out within me and he saw giving not as a debt but as a seed.

One day when about $100 came in, he had a leading to sow it as a seed in the church, but his wife was livid over that poor investment choice, when they had a long list of needs to worry about. He went ahead all the same.

But a miracle happened that day. Late in the night, he heard a knock on his door he wasnt sure about. When he opened the door eventually, he was handed an envelope by a stranger who introduced himself as a farmer. Ownership of his farm was been threatened and he had been led by divine intervention to bring the contents of the envelope to Oral not as a gift or tithe, but a seed. The envelope contained seven times the amount Oral had sown earlier that day.

It was a mutually beneficial exercise  the man Art Newfield had his farm back and went on to be a prosperous farmer, while Oral, Roberts resigned his pastoral ministry with the Pentecostal Holiness Church during 1947 to found Oral Roberts Evangelistic.

In addition to the facts that giving makes us happy and healthy, Jason Marsh and Jill Suttie, referenced last week, and other experts also cited the following advantages of giving.

Cooperation and social connection: When you give, youre more likely to get back: Several studies, including work by sociologists Brent Simpson and Robb Wilier, have suggested that when you give to others, your generosity is likely to be rewarded by others down the linesometimes by the person you gave to, sometimes by someone else.

These exchanges promote a sense of trust and cooperation that strengthens our ties to othersand research has shown that having positive social interactions is central to good mental and physical health. As researcher John Cacioppo writes in his book Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, The more extensive the reciprocal altruism born of social connection the greater the advance toward health, wealth, and happiness.

Whats more, when we give to others, we dont only make them feel closer to us; we also feel closer to them. Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more positively and more charitably, writes Lyubomirsky in her book The How of Happiness, and this fosters a heightened sense of interdependence and cooperation in your social community.

Evoking gratitude: Whether youre on the giving or receiving end of a gift, that gift can elicit feelings of gratitudeit can be a way of expressing gratitude or instilling gratitude in the recipient. And research has found that gratitude is integral to happiness, health, and social bonds.

Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, co-directors of the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness, found that teaching college students to count their blessings and cultivate gratitude caused them to exercise more, be more optimistic, and feel better about their lives overall. A recent study led by Nathaniel Lambert at Florida State University found that expressing gratitude to a close friend or romantic partner strengthens our sense of connection to that person.

Barbara Fredrickson, a pioneering happiness researcher, suggests that cultivating gratitude in everyday life is one of the keys to increasing personal happiness. When you express your gratitude in words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity but [other peoples] as well, she writes in her book Positivity. And in the process you reinforce their kindness and strengthen your bond to one another.

Giving is contagious: When we give, we dont only help the immediate recipient of our gift. We also spur a ripple effect of generosity through our community.

A study by James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread by three degreesfrom person to person to person to person. As a result, they write, each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met.

Giving has also been linked to the release of oxytocin, a hormone (also released during sex and breast feeding) that induces feelings of warmth, euphoria, and connection to others. In laboratory studies, Paul Zak, the director of the Centre for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, has found that a dose of oxytocin will cause people to give more generously and to feel more empathy towards others, with symptoms lasting up to two hours.

And those people on an oxytocin high can potentially jumpstart a virtuous circle, where one persons generous behavior triggers anothers, says Zak.

So whether you buy gifts, volunteer your time, or donate money to charity, your giving is much more than just a one-off choice. It may help you build stronger social connections and even jumpstart a cascade of generosity through your community. And dont be surprised if you find yourself benefiting from a big dose of happiness in the process.
In this interview, Coskun Dicle, Managing Director, PMINTL Nigeria Limited, explains why the Nigerian economy remains attractive to global brands and how his company intends to compete here.

Why should any global brand consider coming to Nigeria now?

Beyond Nigerias position as Africas largest economy, Nigeria is also home to a consumer population that is both sophisticated and discerning. Nigerians recognize and appreciate quality while placing significant importance on the value-for-money proposition. This type of environment is one where Philip Morris International and its products can add value and thrive. In fact, we estimate that our employment footprint will reach approximately 2,000 Nigerian talents, through direct and indirect employment.

Furthermore, through our global efforts on tobacco harm reduction and reduced risk product development, which we hope to make available in all of the markets where we operate, we are committed to meeting the markets demands for the best quality, innovative products, now and for many years to come.

Are there immediate challenges?

We recognize that both the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria are great  not least of all the highly competitive nature of our industry. However, we have invested considerable time and resources to better understand the market and how to work in it. As a result, we are confident that with fair competition and a level playing field, we will be able to operate with integrity in Nigeria and provide meaningful contribution to the community while delivering long-term sustainable growth.

There are those who accuse your firm of irregularities in business practices in Nigeria

These allegations are false. PMINTL Nigeria Limited, the PMI affiliate in the country, was incorporated in December 2014 and during 2015 received all regulatory approvals required at the time to commence operations as a tobacco company in Nigeria.

PMI is the largest international tobacco company in the world and is committed, above all, to operating with integrity. We are proud to apply the highest standards everywhere we operate.

Whether it is in the quality of our products, manufacturing process, conduct of our staff, treatment of our stakeholders, adherence to the rules, laws and regulations in all communities where we operate, PMI provides a benchmark on responsible business conduct.

But why would anyone make such allegations?

I cant speak to the intentions of those who made such allegations. However, I can tell you that we are committed to operating with integrity in every market where we operate, and strongly advocate for fair competition and a level playing field  as this competition is what drives the best quality, choice and value to the consumers.

How do you hope to compete, being relatively new here?

Quite simply by providing better products at a better value than those that are currently available to Nigerian consumers. This consumer quality-and-value proposition, along with our commitment to maintaining the industrys highest standards, is in our DNA and is what has helped PMI to become the worlds largest international tobacco company.

These are values on which we never compromise and which will allow us not only to compete in this market, but to thrive in it.

Additionally, with our global efforts on tobacco harm reduction, including the development and commercialization of products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes, and which we hope to make available in all of the markets we operate, we believe we can change the face of the industry.

What would PMI do differently in Nigeria?

PMINTL Nigeria intends to have significant positive, long-term impact on the Nigerian market.

First, we expect that the work that we are doing in tobacco harm reduction will transform the tobacco industry.

Next, we have already created approximately 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the country and are still creating new ones with the hope to grow our footprint by as much as four times in the near future. To aid in this, and in pursuit of our long term investment plans in Nigeria, full-scale local manufacturing of our brands will begin before the end of the year through strategic partnerships.

Additionally, we have started exploring the possibility to produce in Nigeria, with key partners and local farmers, tobacco and/or other agricultural crops for the local and international markets. We would work with local business partners to share our know-how and help to ensure good agricultural practices to obtain good quality crops, high yields and good income for farmers, while minimizing environmental impact and fostering sustainability.

PMINTL Nigeria, through our investment plans and commitment to Nigeria, will be a significant tax payer  contributing to the government revenue, providing foreign direct investment into Nigeria, creating sizeable direct and indirect employment opportunities to Nigerian talents with ongoing focus on education and development.

Overall, we are committed to contributing to the local communities, while operating with integrity, and look forward to becoming a major player in the Nigerian economy to establish a long-lasting presence.
APPOINTED:

Mohammed Barkindo (former Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation), emerged Secretary General of the Organization of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The appointment came on Thursday, June 2, 2016, at the OPEC held in Vienna.

Nigerias Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, was in attendance at the OPEC meeting where his appointment was announced.

Mr. Barkindo was the managing director of the NNPC from 2009 to 2010, and served as acting secretary-general of OPEC in 2006.

He replaces Libyas Abdalla El-Badri, who completed two full terms. Mr. Barkindo was born in Yola, Adamawa state on February 14, 1944. He attended Barewa College, Zaria, and then Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a Diploma in Law in 1969.

He later attended North London Polytechnic (19731975) and St Clements University in the Turks and Caicos Islands (20002002).

ELECTED:

Michael Olusina Fape, the Bishop of Remo Diocese (Anglican Communion), elected the new Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos.

His election was announced at the just-concluded Episcopal Meeting of Bishops headed by the Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Revd Nicholas D. Okoh, held at Ibru Centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State.

Bishop Fape was elected and consecrated as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Remo on November 16, 2003 and was enthroned on November 20, 2003.

Mr. Fape was born on January 28, 1959 in Ipogun, Akure, Ondo State, and had his primary education at St. Judes Primary School, Ipogun, from 1966 to 1971 and attended St. Pauls Secondary Modern School, IlaraMokin between 1972 and 1974 where he obtained Secondary Modern School Leaving Certificate in 1974.

Later he went to St. John/Marys College, Owo, where he trained as a Professional Teacher and obtained Teachers Grade II Certificate, between 1975 -1978.

Bishop Fape went to the University of Ibadan in 1984 and graduated in 1987 with Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Religious Studies: Second Class Upper Division.

He then travelled overseas for his Masters Degree at Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, CT (U.S.A.) between 1989 and 1990 where he obtained a Master of Sacred Theology degree (S.T.M.), in Pastoral Counselling and Ethics.

LAUNCHED:

Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State, launched the sales of Kaduna branded fertiliser at N4,000 per bag for the 2016 farming season to farmers in the state.

While kicking-off the fertiliser sales in Giwa Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, the governor said his administration had pulled the state out of the waste and fraud of fertiliser subsidy being practiced in the past.

The governor warned against diversion of the products for commercial purposes,saying anyone found sabotaging the scheme would be prosecuted.

HONOURED:

Ibikunle Amosun, governor of Ogun State, was on Friday, June 3, 2016, presented with an award of Excellence in Good Service in Leadership by the Trade Union Congress in Congress in Abuja.

The award was In recognition of his pedigree as a labour-friendly governor, one of the few that still manages to pay salaries regularly.

Speaking shortly after receiving the award, Governor Amosun described it as yet another affirmation of the giant strides his administration had made in Ogun State.

Like I always say, awards of this nature represent a challenge to do better than our best, Governor Amosun said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday warned the Nigerian government against returning the internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes in Borno and Yobe States, saying the states were not yet safe.

UNHCR Regional Representative for West Africa and Regional Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation, Liz Ahua, gave the warning in Abuja at the Lake Chad Basin regional protection dialogue for the victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

She said the Boko Haram insurgency and the spill over in Cameroon, Niger and Chad had led to the loss of thousands of lives and massive displacement of over 2.7 million people in the region and affected the lives of over 20 million persons in the countries.

She also noted that about 60 per cent of the affected population were children, and that among the affected children, 20,000 of them were unaccompanied.

Ms. Ahua stated that many of them were living in areas where the humanitarian and civilian government actors had limited access to help them because of insecurity.

We note that there are returns that are taking place even as we talk today, but I simply would want to underscore that the conditions are not fully ripe yet because we still have persistent threats from Boko Haram, presence of mines, unexploded Improvised devices as well as absence of some basic services, she said.

All of these put acute humanitarian and protection risks for the populations affected. We have visited these areas and we know precisely of what we are saying.

The UNHCR Representative said in Nigeria alone, about 3.5 million IDPs and host communities live in areas of Borno and Yobe states that were still largely inaccessible to humanitarian actors.

She expressed joy over the successes achieved by the military operations that had brought back a number of areas occupied by the insurgents in the north eastern Nigeria under government control.

She however noted that these had not fully degraded the capacity for the harassment, the maiming and killing of the defenceless civilians.

Consequently, condition of lives in the northeast is not yet fully conducive for the return of Nigerian refugees and IDPs particularly in Borno state, Ms. Ahua stated.

The Lake Chad Basin today faces a fundamental protection crisis in Nigeria and across the neighbouring states.

The UN Representative expressed fear that about 50,000 persons might have been dislocated from their homes in a town in Niger Republic following an attack that took place on that town last Friday.

According to her, the number of IDPs in that country would certainly swell to 180,000 while Cameroon and Chad had been reported to be hosting over 160,000 and 54,000 IDPs respectively.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Interior, Bassey Akpanyung, underscored the importance of the regional dialogue on protection of Boko Haram victims as a result of the progress Nigeria and other members of Lake Chad Basin Commission had made in the fight against the insurgency in the north eastern region of Nigeria.

He noted that the significant degradation of the potency of the insurgent group by Multi National Joint Task Force came with attendant social and humanitarian challenges, one of which was the emergence of refugee camps.
The Federal Government on Monday said it had evolved two strategies  engagement and security  to halt attacks on oil installations in the country as a result of the renewed insurgency in the Niger Delta region.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this on Monday at the State House during a meeting with a delegation of the European Union, led by the EU Ambassador in Nigeria, Michel Arrion.

A new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, recently vowed to bring Nigerias oil production to zero point, having carried out audacious attacks on installations belonging to international oil companies, including Eni and Shell.

The renewed insurgency in the oil-rich region has impacted negatively on the economy, affecting gas supply to power plants and drastically reducing the countrys oil production to as low as 800,000 bpd.

Mr. Osinbajo said government was engaging leaders and people of the Niger Delta regarding the spate of attacks on oil installations, an act he described as economic sabotage.

But besides reaching out to the people of the area, Mr. Osinbajo assured, government was also beefing up security in the region.

Mr. Osinbajo added that government is working round the clock to minimize the losses arising from the attacks.

We are talking, we are ensuring that we minimize losses and we are stepping up security. We are also engaging the international oil companies, IOCs, to see what options exists, Mr. Osinbajo said.

According to him, the focus of the Buhari presidency is to ensure that the man on the street in the Niger Delta receives the benefit from all that is available there.

He also called on leaders in the region to be accountable to the people.

Further on economic issues, the Vice-President restated governments commitment to driving its diversification policy and encouraging investors from European countries to take advantage of the situation especially in the agro-allied processing industry.

He restated the determination of the administration to ensuring that Nigerias ranking in the World Bank ease of doing business survey goes up by at least 20 steps.

To this end, he said the President had approved the composition of a Presidential Commission on the matter to be chaired by himself, the VP, and the Industry, Trade and Investment Minister, Okey Enelamah, as Vice Chairman.

In the next few months, we should be seeing some changes, he said.

Mr. Osinbajo also commented on the failure of the government to disclose names of those who returned loots.

Releasing the names of persons from whom the Federal Government recovered looted funds and assets may jeopardize ongoing investigations, Mr. Osinbajo said.

While the government released a list of sums of monies and assets already recovered in the last one year, names of individuals involved were not included.

We have released the list of recovered loot, we know people are asking for the names, but releasing the names may jeopardize ongoing investigations, the Vice President said.

Earlier, Mr. Arrion said he came to consult the Vice President as a follow-up on President Buharis meeting with EU leaders during his visit to the continent, adding that Nigeria has a huge market we can invest in. It is also a place we can export from.

Both Mr. Osinbajo and the European Union envoy also discussed the EU trade deal with ECOWAS, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was also one of the main issues tabled at the meeting of West African leaders over the weekend in Dakar.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has asked state police commissioners across the country to ensure adequate security checks at key places during this Ramadan season.

Mr. Arase gave the order in a statement, while extending his regards to Muslim faithful as they commence the Ramadan season, Monday.

The statement, signed by Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, quoted Mr. Arase as also calling for the understanding and cooperation of the masses during the period.

To ensure a peaceful fasting period across the country, the IGP has directed State Command Commissioners of Police to personally ensure that key and vulnerable points, all places of worship, recreation centres, resorts and other public places are adequately and effectively protected, to enable worshippers and the general public enjoy maximum fulfillment, during and after the period, which will lead to Eid-el Fitri celebration, the statement said.

The IGP expresses the belief that Almighty Allah will, in His infinite mercy and in answer to the fervent prayers of Muslim faithfuls, resolve the countrys numerous challenges and grant the countrys leaders the wisdom to lead the nation aright.

Finally, the IGP seeks the prayers, support and understanding of Nigerians, assuring that by Gods grace, the battle against crime and criminality will eventually be won, the statement said.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, announced the sighting of the Ramadan crescent in various places in the country on Sunday, marking the commencement of the fasting season.
Some Christian organisations led by a senior Nigerian lawyer, Solomon Asemota, have called on the Federal Government to abide by the rule of law in the ongoing war against corruption.

Mr. Asemota, who chairs the National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, while speaking with PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja, said although the war against corruption was a necessary and welcomed development, the attitude of government agencies towards the fight was worrisome.

We fully support the current all out war against Corruption. We believe that this monster should be firmly dealt with.

However, we are concerned that the rule of law in this process should be adhered to. We are concerned about the deliberate disregards of court orders on the Fundamental Human rights of Nigerian Citizens. Unfortunately, the wheel of Justice which is known to grind slowly-grinds more slowly in Nigeria.

Nevertheless, we live in a democracy. The protection of this hard fought democracy is for the benefit of all. Perceived selective action in this fight against corruption is sending out very wrong signals. We call on the government and the law courts to ensure that those currently invited by our anti-corruption agencies have their bail rights fully protected and ensured, said Mr. Asemota.

Mr. Asemotas call comes on the heels of allegations that the anti-graft agency, EFCC, is disrespecting court orders.

The EFCC has held a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, for months after he was rearrested by operatives of the State Security Service in December for allegations of corruption.

Mr. Dasuki is accused of diverting of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms for Nigerian soldiers. He had earlier been granted bail by three different courts.

Shortly after one of the bails was granted on September 1, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Diri, sought revocation of the said bail.

Mr. Diris application hinged on the grounds that Mr. Dasuki was under investigation for alleged unlawful possession of firearms in addition to the money laundering charges earlier brought against him.

Also a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Friday sued the EFCC, demanding his fundamental rights after he was arrested for over three weeks without trial on allegation of corruption.

The counsel to the EFCC, Salisu Maji-dadi, told Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that Mr. Fani-Kayode was held based on a court order.

According to Mr. Maji-dadi, the EFCC obtained a court order to detain Mr. Fani-Kayode, ahead of his arrest on May 9 and also obtained another court order, at the expiration of the first one to further detain the former Aviation Minister till June 15.

President Muhammadu Buhari had noted his administrations unwillingness to release Mr. Dasuki and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, during his maiden presidential media chart. He said their crimes were grievous.

If you see the atrocities these people committed against this country, we cant allow them to jump bail, Mr. Buhari stated.

Mr. Asemota also expressed the groups displeasure over some federal appointments by the current administration. He accused President Muhammadu Buhari of violating the Federal Character principle in the appointments.

We, the Church in Nigeria are worried over wanton violation of the principle of federal character in the appointments of key positions of government by the present administration, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said.

We are worried because we know that justice and fairness are germane to progress and development and their lack could breed anarchy in the polity.

Section 171 subsection 5 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended stipulates that the president in exercising his powers of appointment under this section shall have regard to the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, he said.

He specifically noted the appointments into key security agencies and demanded an immediate reversal.

Today, the following appointments have been made in key security units in the nation: Director General, Department of States Services -Muslim North; Minister of Defense-Muslim North; Minister of Internal Affairs-Muslim North; National Security Adviser-Muslim North; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-Muslim North.

One is bound to ask, with these lopsided appointments, in favour of the Muslim North, are the intelligence services Nigerian institutions or Northern Islamic institutions?

We are certain that if previous administrations headed by Christians from the South had attempted this type of flagrant insensitive appointments, the Muslim North would have cried foul, stated Mr. Asemota.

He added that the policy direction of the present administration amounts to what he described as a source of future intimidation.

We are disturbed by the virtual northern Islamization of the key security units in the country. Under the present administration, the signal we are receiving is that it is only Muslims from the North that are capable of managing security units in Nigeria.

Not only is this policy direction a total negation of the Federal Character principle in appointments into Federal offices, it also promotes the possibility of a section of the country using the instruments of the state to oppress, suppress, and intimidate other parts of the nation, he said.

Mr. Asemota who condemned President Muhammadu Buharis exclusion of Fulani herdsmen in his May 29 broadcast on Nigerias Democracy Day, said a major solution to Nigerias problem would be the implementation of a Truth and Reconciliation committee.

He called for a full implementation of the recommendations of the National Confab and the removal of Sharia law in Nigerias constitution.

The Senior lawyer said he was speaking for 14 different Christian groups including the NCEF, Think Tank for the body of Christians, NCGF, Christian lawyers forum of Nigeria, CLASFON, Association of Christian schools in Nigeria, ACSIN, Students Christian Movement, SCM, Christian professionals forum, CPF, Intercessors for Nigeria, IFN, International Prophetic Ministerial Association, IPMA, Intercessors Without Walls, IWW, Wailing Women International, WWI, Full Gospel Business Fellowship, Nigerian Fellowship of Christian Students, NIFES, and University Joint Campus Christian Fellowship, UJCM.
The different groups claiming the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are set to meet on Monday.

The meeting will also be attended by governors elected on the partys platform and members of the Board of Trustees, BoT. The meeting is to try to end the partys leadership crisis.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt on Sunday that the meeting will hold at the Ondo State Governors lodge in Asokoro, Abuja by 8 p.m.

PDP was thrown into crisis after its national convention which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on May 21.

The then national chairman, Ali Sheriff, announced the cancellation of the convention hours before it was billed to commence, citing different court orders.

However, the PDP governors and BoT, went ahead to conduct the convention without electing new set of leaders for the party.

Instead, the convention announced the appointment of former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi as caretaker chairman. Mr. Sheriff rejected that and said he remained the partys chairman.

Also, some founding members who organised a simultaneous convention in Abuja appointed a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, as its factional chairman of the PDP.

The Mantu-led group has since aligned with the Makarfi group

The Director General of the PDP Governors Forum, Osaro Onaiwu, told journalists on Sunday that the agenda of Mondays meeting is to resolve the crisis rocking the party.

He also said a decision will be taken on the forthcoming Edo State gubernatorial election. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had earlier stated that the PDP risks being barred from participating in the election if its leadership crisis is not resolved.

The leaders of the party, the Governors Forum, National Assembly Caucus, BoT, Makarfi group and Sheriff group will meet tomorrow to address the issues in the party.

We want to resolve the crisis in party once and for all. We want to find lasting solution to the party. All parties involved are invited for this meeting. The forthcoming Edo election will also be addressed, Mr. Onaiwu said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to utilize the funds recovered from looters of public assets on rehabilitation of critical infrastructure to stimulate the countrys economy.

The federal government on Saturday partially fulfilled its promise to publish specific details of funds traced to and recovered from corrupt former government officials.

Although the names of the officials from whom the funds were recovered were not disclosed, details of the recoveries between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016 showed total cash at about N78.33 billion, $185.22 million, 3.51 million and 11,250, while recoveries under interim forfeiture, including cash and assets were N126.56 billion, $9.1 billion, 2.5 million and 303,399.17.

The report said anticipated repatriation from foreign countries totalled $32132 million, 6.9 million and 11,826.11.

But beyond the significance of the recovery on the fight against corruption, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said focus should be on the bigger picture by ensuring that these monies were spent on construction of roads, development of power infrastructure, key industries and other sectors capable of stimulating the economy.

Hailing the recovery as a good start, Mr. Wabba commended the federal government for rendering a transparent account of the proceeds, noting that the quantum of these recoveries vindicated our unqualified support for the fight against corruption and our insistence that more stringent punishment be prescribed for corruption cases.

He said the recoveries exposed the extent of the rot in the system and why virtually everything in the polity failed to work.

In spite of challenges, the NLC president urged the government not to relent in its recovery drive and its general fight against corruption, saying available information suggested the recovered funds so far were just the beginning of the revelations to come.

He said the NLC was convinced of the importance of the fight against corruption, saying its members would not want to continue being the laughing stock of the rest of the world as a result of corruption.

The growing population of unemployed Nigerian youth who look up to the country for their means of livelihood would not fold their hands, while a few privileged individuals cornered the national resources.

We believe for the war against corruption to endure. As a people, we must be firm and resolute in our support for good governance and fight against corruption. We must entrench the culture of accountability, ensuring that public officers are accountable even out of office, he said.

To strengthen the capacity of the anti-corruption agencies, the NLC called for the establishment of special courts to try corruption cases, with the judiciary allowed to play its role by ensuring timely and speedy disposal of such cases.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday berated Joseph Daudu, SAN, the counsel to a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki over his attempt to further stall the trial of Mr. Dasuki and four others.

Mr. Dasuki (first defendant), alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration in the office of the National Security Adviser; Aminu Babakusa, a former General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 19-count charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N13, 570,000, 000.00( Thirteen Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira).

Mr. Daudu, who was represented by Adeola Adedipe at the last adjourned date, May 23, had urged the court to adjourn the trial of his client sine die on the grounds that the prosecution had frustrated the order of the court given on April 6 to provide adequate facility for him to be briefed by his client.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Baba-Yusuf had consequently ordered that the first defendant be brought to the court premises during business hours between Monday and Friday to allow him brief his counsel.

However, at the resumed hearing today, Mr. Daudu told the court that he was not ready to proceed with the trial.

He told the court that he had filed a motion asking that the prosecution consolidate the charges involving the first defendant before Justice Baba-Yusuf and Justice Peter Afem of the FCT High Court.

According to him, It is unconstitutional to try the defendant over a similar matter before two different FCT High Courts.

Counsels to the other defendants also acknowledged receipt of the motion, but did not object to the commencement of the trial today.

However, in his reaction, prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, stated that it was not right for the court to hear the motion.

Mr. Jacobs, who also confirmed receipt of the motion by the counsel to the first defendant, said: There are other parties in the other suit that are put on notice. Those parties have not shown up (in court today) or served the motion. In fact, there is no date on the motion indicating when the other parties in the other suit should appear before your Lordship, even if they have been served. Their absence is understandable.

Quoting Section 396, Sub-section 1 and 2 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, Mr. Jacobs said counsel to the first defendant could file the motion, but the court would only decide on it at the end of the trial.

Mr. Jacobs, who said Mr. Daudu had raised an issue over the validity of the charge before the court, further said that the defendant has filed three objections with the intention to stall the trial and frustrate the day-to- day trial of the case.

After the court ordered at the last adjourned date that the first defendant be brought to court to brief his counsel, his counsel insisted that he was not going to have any meeting with his client, thereby showing that he is not interested in the commencement of the trial.

Though counsel to the first defendant is asking that the charges be consolidated, each matter will still retain its separate identity.

The prayer is self-defeating. Besides, the second file is not before this court. So, they should apply to the Chief Judge to transfer the other matter to this court. Or will my Lord decide on a matter that is not before him?

My Lord, I urge you to compel us to proceed with this trial. Enough of time wasting tactics by the first defendant.

Justice Baba-Yusuf, who was obviously miffed by Mr. Daudus argument, initially said he would go into the trial today.

According to him, You should go to the other court and ask that the case be struck out, since this case had first been filed before me. I am going into the trial today.

I have granted you enough respect. So, what you asking for is an insult on me. If you have a court where people dance to your music, go there. As the matter is, I will give the file to the Chief Judge for re-assignment

At that point, Mr. Daudu interjected that he would not mind if the matter was re-assigned.

Reacting to Mr. Daudus statement, Justice Baba-Yusuf further said: People come to court with dishonest motive. I knew this was going to happen. This is what you do.

Counsel to the second defendant, Shuaibu Salisu, Akin Olujimi, SAN, pleaded with Justice Baba-Yusuf to adjourn the case to enable all parties involved to sort out things among ourselves.

Consequently, Justice Baba-Yusuf adjourned to June 15, 2016 for hearing on the motion filed by counsel to the defence counsel.
The trial of a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, continued on Monday with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presenting its 10th witness, as it closed its case against him.

Mr. Dariye, who fled to Nigeria in 2004 while being tried for money laundering in the UK, is being prosecuted by the EFCC on charges bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, Abuja.

He is alleged to have siphoned the states ecological fund to the tune of N1.16 billion.

The witness, Kawu Mohammed, an operative at the EFCCs Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section, told the court that the unit, which was created in 2009, had the task of executing court orders of interim forfeiture of assets owned by individuals being prosecuted by the EFCC.

Among the court orders we received was that of Joshua Chibi Dariye, which was an interim forfeiture order pending the determination of the charges against him, he said.

Identifying the certified true copy of the court order, which were accepted as exhibit W, by the court, Mr. Mohammed noted that out of the 11 properties on the list of forfeited properties belonging to Dariye, 10 were in Jos, and one in Abuja.

We proceeded to Jos, Plateau State for inspection and we were able to trace them but we could not take possession due to security challenges, he said.

Explaining further, he said: When we went for inspection of Yelwa Club, one of the properties, we were accosted by some people who trailed us; they came in three motorbikes, and a Peugeot car.

He further added that: There was a little drama between them and the mobile policemen that came with me, so I ordered my men to go into the vehicle so that we can avoid unnecessary confrontation.

According to him, we were able to take over possession of the property in Abuja belonging to him located at 14 Frederick Chiluba Close, Asokoro, and it is being managed by the assets managers of the EFCC.

He noted that since 2012 the agency had recovered N67 million in rent of the property being managed by the assets managers.

Earlier in the proceedings, prosecution counsel, Tayo Olukotun, who led Mr. Mohammed in evidence, told the court that the prosecution had an amended charge dated May 9, 2016, which it would want the court to accept.

Defence counsel, G. S. Pwul, SAN, had no objection to the amended charge.

Count one of the amended charge, reads: That you Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye on or about 19th July, 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory while being the Governor of Plateau State and in such capacity entrusted with dominion over certain properties, to wit: the cheque in the sum of N1,161,162,900,000 (One Billion, One Hundred and Sixty-One Million, One Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand Nine Hundred Naira) which you collected from the Ecological Funds office in Abuja for and on behalf of Plateau State Government and which sum was meant to address the ecological problems of the state committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties when you deposited the cheque with your banker (All States Trust Bank Plc) Abuja branch and cleared same through the said bank where you operated an account in the name of an unregistered company (Ebenezer Retnan Ventures), without paying the cheque into the account of Plateau State Government that it was meant for and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.

Count 23 reads: That you Chief Joshua Dariye on or about 19th July, 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Teritory while being the Governor of Plateau State and in such capacity entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: Plateau State Government Ecological Funds released by the Federal Government of Nigeria to address ecological problems of the state, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property by diverting the sum of N250,000,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) thereof into the private account of a company known as Pinnacle Communications Limited and part of which money was used to purchase for you, Flat 28, Regents Plaza Apartment, 8 Greville Road, London NW8 at the sum of 395,000 (Three Hundred and Ninety Five Thousand Pounds) and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Mr. Dariye pleaded not guilty to the 23-count amended charge, when they were read to him.

Mr. Olukotun told the court that with the cross-examination of Mr. Mohammed, the prosecution was closing its case.

Justice Banjoko, thereafter, adjourned till June 10, 2016 for the defence to open its case.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has withdrawn from the ongoing trial of former Benue governor, Gabriel Suswam.

Mr. Suswam and his former Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Oklobia, are standing trial on alleged diversion of N3.1 billion, money laundering and breach of public trust.

Mr. Mohammed withdrew from the trial in protest following an allegation by an online medium, the SaharaReporters, that he had been compromised by the defendants to give judgment in their favour.

At the resumed hearing on Monday, the judge raised the issue of the publication by SaharaReporters.

He claimed that his image as a judge and that of the Federal High Court as an institution had been brought to disrepute in the eyes of the ordinary Nigerian.

My attention has been drawn to a publication stating that the first defendant in this matter entered into a financial agreement with me to give him a soft landing in this case, Mr. Mohammed said.

He said the court had been caught in between two devils because whichever side was favoured in his judgment at the end of the trial, the issue of the publication could be used to justify or rubbish the decision.

He said it was in the interest of justice that he stepped down from the trial for another judge to adjudicate on the matter in the interest of public confidence.

It is correct to say that the publication should not be taken seriously because it is the trend these days to accuse the judge handling a matter of all sorts of wrong doings.

It has happened to the learned justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeal.

My worry, which is fundamental, is that justice or the fairness of it is not as the judge or the prosecution or the defence see it.

No, it is that a reasonable man sees it as being fair, he said.

He subsequently announced his withdrawal from the trial and the transfer of the case file to the Chief Judge of the Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment.

The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, Oklobia, F. R Onoja, had prevailed on the judge to discountenance the publication and proceed with the trial.

Mr. Jacobs noted that no court had been spared by the said media organisation.

The same source has claimed that I collected money from a person I am prosecuting. If my Lord takes into account all these, it would be difficult to go on with the case.

On the side of the prosecution, I urge my lord to continue as we have full confidence in your lordship to do justice.

It will cost the state more money if my lord withdraws because we will have to bring back all the witnesses from Lagos and Benue.

Mr. Daudu also urged the judge not to take anything published by SaharaReporters seriously.

He he googled himself in the last few weeks and found at least 10 lies published against him by the organisation.

If my lord takes this publication too seriously, the next judge too will be open to that cheap blackmail.

Mr. Daudu also said that his team had full confidence in the judge and that it would be traumatic to begin the case afresh with a new judge.

Mr. Onoja aligned himself with the arguments of Messrs Jacobs and Daudu.

He added that it was his strong belief that the publication was the handiwork of mischief makers who were bent on truncating the trial.

Mr. Onoja said that it would cost a lot of hardship on the second defendant if judge took the publication seriously and withdrew from the trial.

The judge was however not assuaged by their appeal.

In a report titled, How former Governor Gabriel Suswam bribed Justice Mohammed for a soft landing in corruption trial, SaharaReporters had alleged that the judge entered into an illegal financial agreement to give Mr. Suswam a soft landing.

The newspaper also accused Mr. Suswam of not only meeting the trial judge but also indirectly bribing him by picking the medical bills of a relative last year to secure lenient bail conditions.

The paper reported that as early as October 2015, Mr. Suswam had started plotting to compromise the imminent proceedings against him by the EFCC.

According to the report, the former governor further promised to bribe the judge with various sums in local and foreign currencies to get soft landing.

But in his reaction to the publication, Mr. Suswam denied the allegations, saying he had never met the said judge outside the courtroom.

Part of the statement reads, I want to state in very unmistakable terms that the entire report published lavishly by Sahara Reporters is completely false, highly malicious, wicked and lacking in the least measure of facts and truth.

It is a fabrication from the professional indiscretion and warped imagination of the Sahara Reporters news writers.

For the avoidance of doubt, I wish to state with all the power of truth at my disposal that I have never met the judge in question outside the court room neither do I have his telephone contact with which to send the alleged text messages.

So for anybody to insinuate or directly allege that I am engaged in any form of negotiation with the judge to secure the so called soft landing is grossly untrue as such a situation does not exist and will never exist.

I wish to use this medium to tell Nigerians that I have never tried in any way directly or indirectly to meet the said honourable judge or any other judicial officer in all my life in public service to secure a favourable decision and I have no intention to do so.
Amidst mounting refuse heaps in parts of Calabar metropolis, the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has appealed for patience as the government tackles the situation.

The governor made the appeal on Monday after inspecting dump sites in Calabar as part of efforts at ensuring effective waste management in the city.

Mr. Ayade, who visited the Lemna dump site, expressed surprised at the level of stench oozing out of the over 30 trucks waiting to discharge waste at the area,

It is unacceptable and totally unhealthy for both wastes and human beings to coexist side by side as we have witnessed here today, the governor said.

I am sure that when this place was designated as dump site, nobody was living here. But now that it is sharing the same environment with human beings, we have to consider an alternative dump site.

The governor appealed to the people of the state to be patient with him as he works to ensure proper waste disposal in the city in line with the clean and green status of the state.

Once more, I want to plead with you for your understanding as my team and I aggressively seek to address the challenge of waste disposal, he continued.

We are concerned about your interest, health, welfare, safety and security. These are keys to me. Have a little patience; this waste will soon be a thing of the past.

While looking for a site, the governor said his administration was deploying more bulldozers to push the refuse further into the ravine located in the area and compact it too.

He blamed the growing heaps of refuse seen in many parts of the metropolis and its environs on the fact that the traditional dump site along Lemna Road had been filled to capacity.

He said, The Lemna Road where we have our traditional refuse dump is completely filled. We are trying to see how we can push back the refuse further down, but it appears that the dump site has reached its maximum carrying capacity.

While arguing that refuse collection was not a challenge to the state, he, however, noted that what constituted a problem was the disposal.

To address the problem, Mr. Ayade said the government had concluded plans to partner with a team from Israel and Dublin to carry out proper waste management that entails segregation and optimal utilization.

The governor later moved from the Lemna Road dump site to a proposed dump site in Idundu, a settlement located in the outskirts of Calabar.

We are making a proactive attempt to look for an alternative dump site to address the issue of waste disposal. The challenge we have currently is not one of waste evacuation but that of disposal.

So we are looking for how to make a calibration that is within reasonable distance from the city centre with a price reasonable, which is the reason for this new location here in Idundu.

The governor, however, said he budgetary provision for waste disposal in the state had been increased to meet the challenges of the time.

I beg of you, recognise that I have you at heart, the challenge is temporary. I am already working out the solution. We will soon overcome this, Mr. Ayade pleaded with Calabar residents.

It is very certain now that I have gotten a new location and within the next two or three weeks, I would have made this location available for waste disposal to commence properly.
President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda (fot. Krzysztof Sitkowski / KPRP)

It will be a special event in a special place. We are waiting for you with open arms and open hearts. See you in Cracow! - said the president of Poland in a video message to the participants of the World Youth Day. It will take place in Poland from 26th to 31st of July. Pope Francis is also due to take part in this international event.
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.




Multiyear collaboration to develop ophthalmic gene therapy platform targeting hereditary corneal dystrophies with potential for wider application in ophthalmology

MENLO PARK, California, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Avellino Labs, global leader in genetic science concerning corneal health, today announced that it has entered into a multiyear collaborative research and intellectual property agreement with Ulster University, located in Northern Ireland, to develop new gene editing technologies and create a therapeutic platform applicable to a wide range of inherited ophthalmic conditions. The alliance aims to validate the latest state-of-the-art gene therapy technology using CRISPR genome editing, as a new therapeutic platform in ophthalmology.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130514/SF12152LOGO

The agreement between Avellino Labs and Ulster University complements the recent appointment of Tara Moore, PhD, as Director of R&D at Avellino Labs. Professor Moore and her team at Ulster University are the recognized leaders in transformational research related to CRISPR gene editing of mutations associated with epithelial and stromal corneal dystrophies.

Avellino Labs intends to leverage its global footprint in ophthalmic DNA testing to accelerate the transition of CRISPR gene editing from the lab to human clinical use. Gene Lee, Chairman and Founder of Avellino Labs, stated, "We were the first movers in DNA testing for genetic diseases of the cornea; we are now looking to be the global leader in gene therapy for corneal diseases by partnering genetic diagnostics and therapeutics for personalized patient eye care."

Tara Moore, PhD, concurrently Director of R&D at Avellino Labs and Director of the Biomedical Research Institute at Ulster University, commented, "My laboratory team and I are committed to developing groundbreaking methods in the cell and gene therapy field. Advances in gene editing technologies with an ever growing list of CAS9 variants and rapid advances in delivery techniques are enabling us to translate our research into a viable gene therapy platform."

About Avellino Labs

Avellino Labs is global leader providing genetic testing services for corneal health. Avellino Labs' proprietary genetic diagnostics system provides fast, safe and affordable DNA analysis. Currently, Avellino Labs' Universal Test detects the TGFBI mutations that are responsible for Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (GCD1), Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 2 (GCD2), Lattice Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (LCD1), Reis-Bucklers Corneal Dystrophy (RBCD), and Thiel Behnke Corneal Dystrophy (TBCD). Based on test results, patients and their physicians can make an informed decision when considering vision correction surgery. The company continues to develop new applications for genetic analysis of various ocular conditions, with the ultimate goal of using gene editing technology to create a new therapeutic platform for treating inherited eye disease.

To learn more please visit www.avellinolab.com/us/ or follow us on Twitter @Avellinolab_USA

About Ulster University

Ranked in the top 3 per cent of universities worldwide, Ulster University is one of the top 150 global young universities under 50. Ulster University is a modern, forward-looking institution with student experience at the very heart of everything we do. Our high quality teaching, informed by world-leading research across key sectors, boosts the economy and has a positive impact on the lives of people around the world. Ulster University has an international reputation for biomedical sciences research and is ranked among the top five universities in the UK in terms of research power in this area with 100 per cent of its research rated 4 star world-leading.

For more information please visit www.ulster.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter @ulsteruni

Media Contact:

Paul Hook

Avellino Labs

Director of Marketing Communications

972.517.1784 / 214.356.4427 (mobile)

paula.hook@avellinolab.com

Related Links

http://www.avellinolab.com



SOURCE Avellino Labs
LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

An ensemble of Global Business Leaders NGO'S and academics has joined forces to call for a, sustainable global economic model to be adopted by Governments and Businesses alike.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375306 )

Peter Lacy, Managing Director (Accenture Strategy); Werner Furhmann, Executive Board Member (Akzo Nobel N.V).and Leonie Schreve, Global Head of Sustainable Lending (ING Bank); join the cast in an engaging new 18 minute documentary film called "Circularity-Preparing For The New Economy" produced by Digital Content and marketing specialists The Business Debate Ltd (http://www.thebusinessdebate.com).

The film, 'Circularity: Preparing for the new economy', provides a broad overview of what the "circular economy" is and contains commentary from a number of business analysts. It asks how we can sustain economic growth in a world of finite natural resources and a growing global population.

In the film, Peter Lacy says:

"The idea of a true north version of capitalism that provides the economic development, prosperity and positive growth that we want, but does it in a way that is socially just and environmentally sustainable, is the key challenge that we face as a generation, not just of business leaders, but of governments and citizens around the world."

Background

Since the industrial revolution, global population, waste, natural resource and energy use has grown exponentially and our economies have used a "take-make-consume and dispose" pattern of growth - a linear model which assumes that natural resources are abundant, available and cheap to dispose of.

The film describes how our current economy, one dependent on virgin, finite, natural resources a "linear economy" simply cannot work in the long-term and how globally we need to adopt an economic model that is built for the world we face today and tomorrow.

This new economic model has become known as "The Circular Economy" and offers a model for an economy that would be more resilient in the long-term and create more prosperity for a changing world.

According to The United Nations we live in a world where if we don't change our methods of production and consumption-in the face of exponential global population growth and the accompanying industrial production, we will face a forty percent shortfall in the availability of fresh water, anticipating global forecasts for demand and available supply by 2030 and, where we know that the demand for food will grow by 70% by 2050 at the same time as we face declines in agricultural yields and fresh water sources.

While our present "linear economy" has been successful in creating wealth and taking millions out of poverty, it's now "past its sell by date" because the surplus available from cheap oil and materials has declined, natural resources are in decline and we now need to move to a more resilient economic system that would feature the reuse of materials and "closed loop cycles".

According to research by Dutch Bank ING sustainable business is more profitable business-, as Leonie Schreve, says:

"Companies that are pro actively approaching sustainability and resource scarcity we already see in research that the financial performance of these companies is better. It can range from 30-40% better".

Peter Lacy continues: "The circular economy is a concept that is pro-business and pro-growth but it's about driving a different kind of growth - a growth that innovates for customers, and eliminates wasted and harmful materials. It's based on the idea of using assets more effectively, closing loops, extending product lifecycles, while not cannibalising business".

Research from Accenture Strategy, unveiled in its book, Waste to Wealth, suggests that The Circular Economy can unlock $4.5 trillion in value by 2030 for "organisations that get it right".

Quotes.

Dustin Benton-Head of Energy-The Green Alliance

"The best way of describing the circular economy is to contrast it with the linear economy which is what we have today. And the linear economy is pretty simple. We dig things up, we use them for a bit and then we shove them back in a hole in the ground. If you imagine yourself as an alien looking down on the planet at all this activity you'd think it was pretty crazy".

Professor Julia Stegemann UCL.

"Change is always an opportunity. This is a change that is happening, it's going to happen, it's inevitable. Companies do need to prepare themselves and the opportunity is to be on the leading edge".

Sophie Thomas-Founder The Great Recovery Programme.

"This is a circular economy, This is a whole new economic model. It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be painful".

For commentary on the film and issues therein .

simon.baker@thebusinessdebate.com, +44-(0)203-733-6374

sophie@thomasmatthews.com

justyna.gnyp@accenture.com

Renee.Schnitzler@ing.com

APenfold@green-alliance.org.uk

vivi.hollertt@akzonobel.com

SOURCE The Business Debate Ltd
- The E500 offers high-powered processing in any outdoor environment with the flexibility of end-to-end cloud-based network management -

ROLLING MEADOWS, Illinois, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambium Networks, a leading global provider of wireless broadband solutions, today debuted the cnPilot E500, a high-capacity controller managed outdoor WiFi access point that provides connectivity under demanding conditions. The IP67 grade 802.11ac dual-band AP supporting 16 SSIDs and up to 256 users is perfect for Enterprises, Service Providers, and Industrial users looking for an affordable, yet reliable high-performance WLAN solution.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prn/20140613/117974

The cnPilot E500 delivers features typically found in access points at twice the price. Packing a high transmit power of 29 dBm, the ability to daisy-chain power via a PoE out port to power a security camera or a wireless backhaul link node, an LTE co-existence filter to filter out nearby small cell LTE interference, the E500 can support a large number of users in difficult outdoor conditions perfect for any location where a high-performance outdoor 802.11ac WLAN Access Point is needed. The E500 is easily managed through cnMaestro, the Cambium Networks cloud-based or on-premises based WiFi controller.

Key features of E500 include:

Designed for high-capacity situations, supporting up to 256 active users and 16 SSIDs

IP67 rated with pressure vent - made to withstand demanding outdoor environments, resistant to wind, sand and rain, and prevent internal damage from moisture accumulation

Mesh backhauling capability for convenient outdoor deployments

Best radio for the price point, offering reliable, high-capacity solution at a significantly lower cost than comparable competitors

Easy to deploy and integrate, supported by cnMaestro's controller capabilities

"The E500 has proven that it can support the extensive network demands of our public WiFi and public safety equipment," said Brian Magnuson, President of Cascade Networks, Washington, USA. "The radio is positioned in an area subject to extreme outdoor environmental and RF conditions and the network has performed reliably no matter the situation. The product was extremely easy to deploy and has brought much-needed connectivity and processing power to an otherwise underserved area."

"High capacity Outdoor deployments need the power of backhaul flexibility when wired networks are not available, and cnPilot E500 provides two options," said Vibhu Vivek, Senior Vice President of Products for Cambium Networks. "It can be configured to be backhauled by Cambium's proven ePMP, PMP or PTP solutions for longer distances, or deployed in a mesh configuration where it can form wireless links with any of our indoor and outdoor WiFi access points."

Cambium Networks will present a webinar on the E500 and other WiFi solutions on June 8 and 9. Click here to register. The cnPilot E500 is available now through Cambium Networks distributors.

For more information on Cambium's cnPilot line of Wi-Fi solution products, please visit our user community at http://community.cambiumnetworks.com/t5/cnPilot/ct-p/WiFi or http://www.cambiumnetworks.com/products/wifi/.

About Cambium Networks:

Cambium Networks is a leading global provider of wireless broadband solutions that connect the unconnected. Through its extensive portfolio of reliable, scalable and secure wireless broadband point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PMP) platforms, Cambium Networks makes it possible for all service providers; enterprises; governmental and military agencies; oil, gas and utility companies; Internet service providers; and public safety networks to build powerful, easily sustainable communications networks. The company currently has over five million of its access and backhaul radios deployed in thousands of demanding networks in more than 150 countries. Headquartered outside Chicago and with R&D centers in the U.S., Ashburton, U.K. and Bangalore, India, Cambium Networks sells through a range of trusted global distributors. For more information, visit: www.cambiumnetworks.com and www.connectingtheunconnected.org.

Contact

Golin for Cambium Networks  Cyrus Hedayati

+1 415 318 4377

chedayati@golin.com

Related Links

http://www.cambiumnetworks.com



SOURCE Cambium Networks
- 59% of entrepreneurs globally expect to increase their workforce in 2016, more than double the proportion of large businesses expecting to do so

- Disruptive and innovative entrepreneurs hiring significantly faster than the rest of those surveyed

- Organic growth a clear priority for entrepreneurs this year

LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the EY Global Job Creation Survey 2016, entrepreneurs are more than twice as likely to be hiring new staff this year as large corporates. The survey of nearly 2,700 entrepreneurs globally also finds that disruptive entrepreneurs (who change some or all of the rules of their sector) and innovative entrepreneurs (who have created a brand new product or service in the past year) are also growing their workforces at a much faster rate than more conventional entrepreneurs. The research has been launched ahead of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year event.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130701/NY40565LOGO-b

Mark Weinberger, EY Global Chairman and CEO, said:

"The disruptive force of technology is transforming individual companies and creating entirely new sectors. In this environment, entrepreneurs are pivotal drivers of global job creation, and in some cases are navigating economic and political uncertainty better than established players.

"Technology is also transforming some of the most fundamental aspects of how we do business. This evolution will change what job skills are needed, which new businesses are created, it will impact our education systems and will challenge our regulatory systems."

Confidence is driving a global appetite to hire

Over half (59%) of the entrepreneurs from 12 key markets surveyed expect to increase their total global workforce in the next 12 months, up from 47% in 2015, a jump of 25% year-on-year. What's more, the proportion of entrepreneurs planning to hire this year is more than double that of large corporations (28%), according to EY's latest Capital Confidence Barometer.

Taking into account all anticipated workforce changes for 2016, entrepreneurs expect to grow their overall global workforce by 9.3%, and expect 12% of new hires to be young people in their first jobs.

India, China and Brazil top the leader board in terms of the proportion of their entrepreneurs anticipating growth. Indian and Brazilian entrepreneurs also expect to hire at a faster rate than anywhere else, but China's rate of growth is slower than the global average (8.5%). France, Canada, the UK and the US follow closely behind in hiring expectations, with entrepreneurs in the UK leading the developed markets by rate of growth, at 10.5%. Entrepreneurs in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are least likely to anticipate growing their overall workforce in the year ahead (see Figure 1).

This hiring is driven by strong confidence levels in the economic direction of their domestic market and the global economy  up slightly year-on-year at 72% and 67% respectively overall. However, there are interesting variations by country and region. Confidence is up on both counts year-on-year in the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, France and Australia. Confidence is down in China, India, SSA, Germany and Japan.

Disruption and innovation pay dividends for entrepreneurs and employment

The survey also shows that the more disruptive and innovative the company, the more they hire and the faster they do it.

The most disruptive entrepreneurs  the 17% of respondents who say they have changed all or many of the rules in their sector  are 58% more likely to forecast an increase in their overall workforce in 2016 compared to their more conventional competitors. At 18%, the net workforce growth level of these most disruptive entrepreneurs is twice the average global figure. Even when companies changing only "some" of the rules are added to this, the impact of disruption remains clear: they are 46% more likely to grow their workforce compared to more conventional businesses and, at 12%, net workforce growth is still higher than the global average of 9%. This suggests that any level of disruption has a positive impact on anticipated workforce growth.

Globally, there are more disruptive entrepreneurs in MENA (70%), India (64%), Sub-Saharan Africa (60%), Australia and the UK (both 57%).

Innovative entrepreneurs  those who say they have created an entirely new product or service in the past year  have similar hiring plans. They are 95% more likely to expect to grow their workforce in the next year compared to those who have not created a new product or service. Their net workforce growth levels (at 18%), like their disruptive counterparts, are also twice the global average figure.

Uschi Schreiber, EY Global Vice Chair  Markets, says: "The numbers validate what we have known for some time: the majority of entrepreneurs do well in business by challenging the status quo, asking difficult questions of incumbents and redefining the boundaries of sectors and industries. What is encouraging is that these disruptors are blazing a trail of growth in today's fast-moving and transformative business environment, spotting opportunities and relentlessly executing on them, very often blind to existing sector or industry boundaries.

"In our view, the findings could be something of a stark warning to businesses that are not embracing innovation, change or disruption, as they risk being left behind by disruptors who, we know from the survey, are laser-focused on attaining the talent that will allow them to attract customers and drive growth. Governments too need to focus on fostering an environment in which innovative and disruptive entrepreneurs can flourish."

Young entrepreneurs are more disruptive, but older entrepreneurs are more inventive

Youth clearly has a role to play in disruption levels: 65% of entrepreneurs under the age of 35 are "disruptors" compared to just 27% of entrepreneurs over the age of 55. Younger companies are also much more likely to be in the most disruptive category  59% of entrepreneurial organizations less than five years old identify as disruptive, compared to just 27% that have been in business trading for more than 25 years.

Unlike disruption levels, however, inventiveness and innovation is not linked to youth or tenure of business  in fact, the age group containing the most innovative entrepreneurs is the 65+ segment.

Organic growth will be key to entrepreneurs' success

Organic growth is seen as key to success with nearly half (46%) of the entrepreneurs reporting growth in the past 12 months saying this was primarily achieved organically.

Rather than focusing on deals, entrepreneurs see generating new business as both their top priority and biggest challenge in the year ahead, with almost half (48%) saying that identifying, attracting and serving new customers is a priority, 27% saying it's their top priority and 30% saying it's a challenge for growth. Developing new products and services (34%) and attracting bright new talent (32%) were the next most cited growth priorities. Only 15% see M&A or alliances as a growth priority at all this year, and only 3% see it as their top priority. This is in direct contrast to larger corporates, where half are planning an M&A transaction in the next year and 40% are considering alliances, according to EY's Capital Confidence Barometer.

Schreiber says: "Entrepreneurs play a key role in helping realize the benefits of disruption through the jobs and wealth they create, the new products and services they produce and in the way they encourage creativity and competition.

"We know from our work with entrepreneurs around the world that they have the best chance of success when they operate inside a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem. Whether they are targeting organic or inorganic growth, entrepreneurs need an environment where governments, large businesses and entrepreneurs can work closely together to create the right conditions for entrepreneurship to thrive."

Figure 1: Hiring plans by territory

Territory % expect to increase

overall workforce Net anticipated workforce growth %

(includes growth/static/decline) Global total 59 +9.3 India 76 +14.5 China 68 +8.5 Brazil 67 +19 France 66 +10 Canada 64 +7 UK 63 +10.5 US 63 +10 Australia 61 +9 Germany 53 +3 MENA 41 +5 Japan 28 +3 Sub-Saharan Africa 7 +1

For the full report please click here.

Notes to Editors

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

The EY Global Job Creation Survey 2016

The EY Global Job Creation Survey 2016 was conducted online between January and March 2016 with an independent panel of global entrepreneurs in 12 key global markets, including input from 245 of the world's most dynamic entrepreneurs  EY Entrepreneur Of The Year participants. The results are based on the responses of 2,673 entrepreneurs in Germany, China, India, France, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. Opinion Matters, part of the markettiers4dc group of companies in the UK and overseas, conducted the research for EY. The research adheres to strict industry codes of conduct and ICC/ESOMAR global market research guidelines.

Related Links

http://www.ey.com



SOURCE EY
BEIJING and NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, announced today that Eric Zhang, former Global Partner and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, has joined General Atlantic as Managing Director and Head of China. Mr. Zhang will lead the firm's investments in growth companies across China.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150818/259242LOGO

"We are excited to build upon our 16 years of experience partnering with leading entrepreneurs and growth companies in China," said Bill Ford, Chief Executive Officer of General Atlantic. "Eric's impressive track record in Asia, deep local expertise, and proven ability to invest in and partner with outstanding companies make him an ideal leader for our local team and long-term efforts in China."

General Atlantic has been investing in China since 2000 and has invested $1.5 billion in 17 different investments. General Atlantic currently has four offices in Asia located in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mumbai.

"General Atlantic has capitalized on the emergence of innovative entrepreneurs and rapidly scaling companies. GA's unique global capability and unparalleled experience working with growth companies make GA the partner of choice for disruptive companies in China. I look forward to building and leading the firm's presence in China for many years to come," said Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang joins General Atlantic from The Carlyle Group where he worked as Global Partner and Managing Director focused on buyout and growth investments across Asia from 2006 to 2016. At Carlyle, he led numerous successful private equity transactions. He is currently on the board of directors of 58.com and has previously served on the boards of China Reading, Soufun, Yashili, Plateno Group, Crystal Orange Hotel Group, Kaiyuan Hotel Group and New Century Asset Management Co. Ltd, and AnNeng Logistics Group.

Previously, Mr. Zhang was a Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at Credit Suisse based in Hong Kong. Prior to that, he was a Vice President in the Investment Banking department at China International Capital Corporate Limited. Mr. Zhang received his master's degree in economics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector-specific expertise, long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great management and build exceptional businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 100 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, Sao Paulo and Singapore.

Media Contact

Jenny Farrelly

General Atlantic

+1-212-715-4080

media@generalatlantic.com

Elizabeth Xu

Edelman

+86 10 5676 8715

elizabeth.xu@edelman.com

SOURCE General Atlantic
When: June 9-10, 2016

Where: Mensvic Hotel; Lome Street; Accra, Ghana

Press Contacts: Daniel Anthony, Daniel.Anthony@AtlasNetwork.org or local Accra, Ghana contact Zakita Bentum, bentum.zakita@mail.ic.edu or + 233 50 148 4238. For more information, visit atlasnetwork.org/event/africa-liberty-forum-co-hosted-with-imani.

Africa Liberty Forum Highlights:

-- Presentations from (among others):

Ace Anan Ankomah, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah

Temba Nolutshungu , Free Market Foundation

, Free Market Foundation Dr. Kwesi Aning , Kofi Anan International Peace Keeping Center

, Kofi Anan International Peace Keeping Center Dr. Jemima Nunoo , Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration Ethel Cofie , Women in Tech Africa

, Women in Tech Africa Dr. Tony Oteng Gyasi , Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd

, Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd Herman Chinery-Hesse , SOFTtribe

-- Discussions on:

Civil liberties, national security, and the law in a technological age

How do we tame the state from capturing resources meant for everyone?

Lessons from the Chinese economic downturn

Why businesses must support knowledge creation and intellectual capital in the policy space

And much more!

FULL SCHEDULE AVAILABLE HERE

About the IMANI Center for Policy and Education (IMANI)

Based in Ghana, IMANI seeks to stimulate public discussion of the promotion of economic prosperity rights, the rule of law, open and unconditional trade, free speech, and decentralization of power and resources. IMANI has been ranked the most influential think tank in Ghana and the second most influential think tank in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2014 and 2015 by the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania in the Global Go To Think Tank Index. To learn more, visit imaniafrica.org.

About Atlas Network

Washington-based Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization that strengthens the worldwide freedom movement by connecting over 450 independent partners in 97 countries that share the vision of a free, prosperous, and peaceful world where limited governments defend the rule of law, private property, and free markets. To learn more, visit atlasnetwork.org.

Related Links

http://atlasnetwork.org



SOURCE Atlas Network
LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

GOURMIO, the new ready-to-cook recipe box from Italy, has signed its first sponsorship deal with Opera Holland Park, which includes up to 200,000 worth of savings on authentic Italian food and wine.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375203 )



The online retailer, which delivers delicious Italian meals next day nationwide, will also offer the chance to win a luxury opera trip for two to Tuscany.

Gourmio is the first food box to offer the traditional ingredients and recipes of a single country. Its easy-step recipes make it convenient to cook authentic Italian meals using traditional ingredients from the artisans and PDO producers of Italy. Chefs in Italy select speciality ingredients then design regional recipes to recreate at home.

Around 40,000 are set to flock to London's Holland Park during its 10-week opera season, which starts on June 7th. Head of development Felicity Sutherland said: "Opera Holland Park are delighted to be working with Gourmio. Their commitment to excellent authentic Italian food is the perfect accompaniment to our productions of beautiful Italian opera."

Inside 10,000 programmes will be 20 gift vouchers towards recipe box orders at gourmio.co.uk. Opera lovers can also enter Gourmio's fantastic competition to win a luxury trip to Lucca, Tuscany, to see a Puccini opera.

Gourmio founder Marco Sargiani said: "Opera Holland Park has a wonderful season that includes two Italian operas and we are proud to support this special summer event. We hope opera lovers will be as curious about the traditional food of Italy as they are about Italy's finest composers such as Puccini and Rossini."

Boxes contain beautifully packaged ingredients, step-by-step recipe cards and the traditions behind each dish. Choose from a range of starters, main courses and desserts without subscribing, or buy Gourmio's box of the month. In June the 'Mountain & Sea' meal box for 39 takes Italian food lovers on a journey from the Mediterranean to the Alps.

Notes to editors:

Gourmio is based in Wimbledon , London .

, . Recipe boxes come lined with wool insulation and ice packs.

Gourmio is subscription-free. Simply select recipes and wine at gourmio.co.uk then check out.

Delivery nationwide Tuesday to Friday.

Minimum order: two main meals each for two people (four meals in total).

Price of main meals: 6.40-8.25 per head.

w: gourmio.co.uk

SOURCE Gourmio
HANNOVER, Germany, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

GISMA Business School has partnered with Porto Business School to offer The Magellan MBA programme in Germany. The Magellan MBA is aimed at fast-tracking professionals who seek to enhance career opportunities in management with a strong international perspective.

Dr Thorsten Thiel, Managing Director of GISMA, said: "GISMA is known for its internationally-recognised management education with the mission to attract and retain globally-minded talents from around the world to study and work in Germany. This partnership with Porto Business School is a perfect fit with GISMA's mission. The Magellan MBA will offer a unique opportunity for students to get the most out of a really international learning experience strongly linked to the business world in Germany, Europe and beyond."

The Magellan MBA, which is both AMBA and EPAS accredited, will be delivered in partnership with Porto Business School, leading to a Porto Business School degree. Students will have the opportunity to customise their studies through a choice of four specialisations: Operations Management, Finance, Marketing, and Organisational Development.

The programme will be offered full-time over 14 months and will give students an 'International Week' opportunity to study at a higher education institution in USA or Asia.

Ramon O'Callaghan, Dean of Porto Business School, said: "We are delighted to enter this partnership with GISMA. We believe it will allow us to share our institutions' expertise with the global market, and encourage students from around the world to develop their management skills with us."

The programme presents students with strong career opportunities and offers them the possibility to take German language lessons, thus facilitating their access to the German and European job markets. Reflecting on this, Dr Thiel said: "The demand for skilled professionals in Germany is high, and MBA graduates can obtain a post-study work permit valid for 18 months. We want to offer students the opportunity to accelerate their professional development through the excellent career services available to them."

To find out more about The Magellan MBA, click here.

About GISMA Business School

GISMA, the German International Graduate School for Management and Administration, was founded in 1999 with the purpose to support the business community of Lower Saxony in its internalization efforts by providing international management education to young professionals and executives from Germany and all over the world. Since then GISMA has graduated over 850 alumni who have accelerated their careers in Germany and abroad with a sound foundation in management theory, diverse practical experience and invaluable connections with fellow graduates and other GISMA alumni. GISMA classes are taught by expert faculty from around the world who bring both academic and practical experience to the classroom.

About Porto Business School

Porto Business School (PBS) is the business school of the University of Porto, in Portugal. For almost 30 years, PBS has been dedicated to improving management through MBA, postgraduate and executive education. Its MBA programmes are accredited by EFMD and AMBA. PBS has an enviable relationship with the corporate world as reflected in its governance model, i.e. an association of companies and the University of Porto. As a result, the school has a strong focus on executive education, and has consistently been ranked among the top schools in Portugal and in Europe by the Financial Times.

Media Contact:

GISMA Business School/Global University Systems

Phone: +44 (0) 2035351294

Email: news@globaluniversitysystems.com



SOURCE GISMA Business School
ALBANY, New York, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A new research report published by Transparency Market Research states that the global non-invasive prenatal testing market is expected to witness a robust growth rate in the coming years. The report, titled "Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Volume, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2022", includes a 360-degree view of the market. The researchers have used primary and secondary data to compile this trustworthy document.

According to the research report's estimates, the global non-invasive prenatal testing market was worth US$0.5 bn in 2013 and is expected to grow at an incredible CAGR of 17.50% from 2014 to 2022 to reach a figure of US$2.4 bn by 2022. The impressive growth of the global non-invasive prenatal testing market is mainly due to the growing chances of fetuses developing chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau syndrome, and others. Non-invasive prenatal testing equipment is used for screening pregnant women who might have fetuses with these complications due to, among other reasons, higher maternal age than average.

Request a PDF Brochure: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=374

The global non-invasive prenatal testing market is segmented on the basis of test and region. The tests in this market are Harmony, MaterniT21 PLUS, NIFTY, BambniTest, informaSeq, Panorama, VisibiliT, PrenaTest, verify, and others. Geographically, the global non-invasive prenatal testing market is segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World.

All of these tests use the mother's blood to study the cell-free fetal DNA. Back in 2011, MaterniT21 PLUS was the first ever non-invasive prenatal test launched in the market for diagnosing trisomy 21. Over the course of two years, this diagnostic test had already grabbed a share of 36.1% in the overall market. However, analysts predict that as the popularity of other testing equipment such as NIFTY, Panorama, and verify grows, MaterniT21 PLUS' share will drop. Furthermore, demand for the Bambni test, which was recently approved by the CFDA, will also shoot upwards in the coming years.

Browse Research Report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/noninvasive-prenatal-diagnostics-market.html

Unfortunately, the global non-invasive prenatal testing market faces certain hurdles such as a tough regulatory framework and conservative ethical outlook towards prenatal testing. The other challenges complicating this situation are limitations of non-invasive prenatal tests and alternative screening and testing methods. However, the emerging economies of Asia Pacific are offering a new avenue for growth to the global non-invasive prenatal testing market in the near future.

Some of the important companies profiled in the global non-invasive prenatal testing market report are Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Natera Inc., Illumina Inc., Berry Genomics Co. Ltd., LifeCodexx AG, BGI Diagnostics, Sequenom Inc., and Ariosa Diagnostics Inc. The research report gives a complete understanding of the competitive landscape of the market and offers an insight into the financial overview, product portfolio, research and development activities, business and marketing strategies, and investment outlook in the coming years.

Browse Research Article: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/article/noninvasive-prenatal-diagnostics-market.htm

Key segments of the Global NIPT Market

By Test

BambniTest

Harmony

informaSeq

MaterniT21 PLUS

NIFTY

Panorama

PrenaTest

verifi

VisibiliT

Others

Major regions analyzed under this research report are:

Europe

North America

Asia Pacific

Rest of the World

Other Reports by TMR:

Surgical Procedures Volume Market:

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/surgical-procedures-volumes.html

Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Market:

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ultraviolet-germicidal-irradiation-market.html

Dental Laboratories Market:

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/dental-laboratories-market.html

About Us:

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.

Contact:

Mr. Sudip. S

90 State Street, Suite 700

Albany, NY 12207

United States.

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453



Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Although 5-inch screen is a very popular size, flagship smartphone is rarely seen in the small-screen phone market, until the Lenovo ZUK Z2, which is perfect for small-screen smartphone lovers who also eager to enjoy superior flagship performance.

The Lenovo ZUK Z2 makes the best use of 2.15 GHz Snapdragon 820, not only so, its speed can be boosted by its turbo switch, making the dominant frequency surprisingly up to 2.3GHz. In terms of GPU, the performance of the Adreno 530 graphics processor has been improved by 40%, whilst the power consumption has been reduced by 40%.

Android smartphones may become slow and sluggish over time, but this problem will never bother Lenovo ZUK smartphone users. The pre-installed ZUI OS by Lenovo ZUK keeps the operation fast and smooth. The smart task manager of ZUI can effectively target the apps from starting automatically or running in the background, together with accurate system cleaner function, the slow down problems can be prevented from the very beginning.

The ZUK Z2 features double-sided 2.5D glass design and high strength glass fiber middle frame, making it feel great in hand. The creative U-Touch function combines three traditional Android phone buttons - back, home and multiple tasks - into one. The ZUK Z2 comes with the U-Touch 2.0: fingerprint unlock which only needs 0.1 seconds, and it supports fingerprint unlock with wet fingers.

The third generation of high density lithium-polymer battery, energy density up to 674Wh/L, brings Lenovo ZUK Z2 super-long battery life. The "self-adapting frequency engine 2.0" can save power by variable frequency, therefore the battery life is greatly extended and it is more durable.

The ZUK Z2 is fitted with the newest generation of Samsung 13 million pixel 2M8 sensor featuring 1.34um high-pixel particles. It supports 960fps ultra-high-speed shooting.

Based on the Snapdragon 820 SPU and embedded sensors, as well as the "U-health" app developed by ZUK, the Z2 makes it easier for users to live a healthy life. The device can monitor and analyze exercise data such as steps, distances, running gestures and provide professional exercise suggestions.

The exclusive ZUI can sync with Apple's iCloud, including contacts, calendars and tasks, which makes it easier to switch from iPhone to Android smartphone or the other way round.

A month ago, the ZUK Z2 Pro was launched by Lenovo made a great breakthrough with its 9 world's firsts and has commended a huge success. The freshly released handset Z2 is from the same series, with impressive performance yet at an affordable price.

SOURCE Lenovo ZUK
HATFIELD, England, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FOR EMEA MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR AUSTRIAN/SWISS/US MEDIA

Some people live up to four years after initiation of treatment with lenvatinib in differentiated thyroid cancer. Lenvatinib plus everolimus in kidney cancer also shows significantly improved progression free survival (PFS) compared with everolimus or lenvatinib alone according to new data presented at The American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

Duration of overall response in people who receive Lenvima (lenvatinib) is superior to placebo according to new efficacy data[1] from the pivotal SELECT study. Updated results at longer follow-up also show that progression free survival (PFS) continues to improve for people with progressive radioactive iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAI refractory DTC).[1]

At the time of the primary analysis median duration of overall response was not reached.[2] Today new efficacy data show that 157 patients (60.2%) respond to lenvatinib and the median duration of response is 30 months (95% CI 18.4-35.2), whereas three patients (2.3%) respond to placebo with a median duration of response of 14.7 months (95% CI 7.5-not evaluable [NE; median not yet reached]).[1]

Median duration of overall response to lenvatinib is similar among all subgroups, except for patients with greater disease burden and patients with liver metastasis. Two patients, both with Hurthle cell variant thyroid cancer, remain on treatment with prolonged responses to lenvatinib. Both patients are alive almost four years after treatment initiation with lenvatinib, including one who has significant multiple metastases.[1]

A statistically significant improvement in PFS continues to be seen at further follow-up for patients receiving lenvatinib compared with placebo (HR=0.24, 99% CI 0.17-0.35, p<0.0001). For lenvatinib PFS is 19.4 months (95% CI 14.8-29.3) versus 3.7 months for placebo (95% CI 3.5-5.4).[1]

Lenvatinib is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with progressive locally advanced or metastatic, differentiated (papillary, follicular, Hurthle cell) thyroid carcinoma refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI refractory DTC).[3]

"These are important results as they provide further data on the long term response of patients to lenvatinib. These patients are very ill and we seldom see such prolonged responses to treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer," comments Martin Schlumberger, Professor of Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, University Paris Sud, Paris, France

In a Phase II lenvatinib study in RAI refractory DTC, medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) tumour shrinkage occurred in most patients,[4] including those with ATC. ATC is a rare and aggressive cancer that is very difficult to treat.[5] This is a single-arm, open-label study conducted in Japan in 51 patients.[4]

Safety is the primary endpoint of this study. Data show lenvatinib has manageable toxicities with dose modifications. All patients in the study had at least one treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE), and the most common any-grade TEAEs included hypertension, decreased appetite, hand-foot syndrome, fatigue, proteinuria, stomatitis, and diarrhoea. Grade 3 and 4 TEAEs were similar among subgroups and only one patient discontinued treatment due to a TEAE.[4]

For the secondary endpoints, median progression-free survival for RAI refractory DTC is 25.8 months, for MTC 9.2 months, and for ATC 7.4 months. Median overall survival is 31.8 months, 12.1 months, and 10.6 months respectively. Overall response rates for RAI refractory DTC are 68%, for MTC 22%, and for ATC 24%, and Disease Control Rates are 100%, 100% and 94% respectively.[4]

Subgroup analyses from the Phase II trial of lenvatinib, everolimus, and lenvatinib plus everolimus in metastatic renal cell carcinoma [6]

Patients treated with lenvatinib plus everolimus following one prior VEGF targeted therapy have significantly improved progression free survival (PFS) compared with everolimus or lenvatinib alone.[7] The PFS advantage of lenvatinib plus everolimus vs everolimus alone remains following one prior VEGF targeted therapy, regardless of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) risk group, baseline tumour size, or metastasis site. For the study secondary endpoint, updated median overall survival in the intent-to-treat study population continues to trend towards improvement with lenvatinib plus everolimus (25.5 months (95% CI 16.4-32.1)) compared with lenvatinib alone (19.1 months (95% CI 13.6-26.2)) and everolimus alone (15.4 months (95% CI 11.8-20.6)).[6]

Median PFS, mos HR 95% CI); P-value LEN LEN+EVE EVE (LEN+EVE vs n n = 52 n n = 51 n n = 50 EVE) MSKCC risk 0.25 (0.08-0.76); Favourable 11 18.4 12 20.1 12 9.8 P = 0.009 0.35 (0.15-0.80); Intermediate 18 7.2 19 14.6 19 5.5 P = 0.0243 0.44 (0.20-0.98); Poor 23 5.6 20 5.6 19 3.5 P = 0.0936 Baseline tumour size 0.34 (0.16-0.71); < Median 27 7.4 24 14.7 25 5.5 P = 0.0035 greater than 0.39 or equal to (0.19-0.80); Median 25 7.2 27 11.2 25 5.3 P = 0.0134 Metastasis site 0.41 Bone 23 7.2 16 5.4 17 3.6 (0.18-0.94) Visceral 0.44 organs 49 7.4 41 9.5 44 5.5 (0.26-0.77) 0.28 Lymph nodes 32 8.0 29 14.7 31 5.5 (0.14-0.58)

"These new data confirm those seen in prior reports and show that patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma regardless of prognosis do benefit from treatment with lenvatinib plus everolimus. Improved progression free survival is very important, and with the trend towards improved survival, these are really impressive results for a disease with a significant unmet need," comments Dr Hilary Glen, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, UK.

The full data set, published in the Lancet Oncology and presented at ASCO 2015,[7] show that, for the primary endpoint, progression-free survival is significantly extended in people with mRCC for lenvatinib plus everolimus versus everolimus alone (14.6 versus 5.5 months; HR 0.40; 95% CI: 0.24-0.68; p<0.001).

"Eisai remains committed to the investigation of lenvatinib in advanced thyroid cancer. We are encouraged to see that some people with advanced thyroid cancer experience a long-term benefit with lenvatinib. Lenvatinib also continues to show promise in renal cell cancer," comments Kenichi Nomoto, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the Oncology Business Group, Eisai.

The development of lenvatinib underscores Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission, the company's commitment to innovative solutions in disease prevention, cure and care for the health and well-being of people worldwide. Eisai is committed to the therapeutic area of oncology and to address the unmet medical needs of patients and their families.

Notes to Editors

Lenvatinib (E7080)

Lenvatinib, discovered and developed by Eisai, is an oral molecular tri-specific targeted therapy that possesses a potent selectivity and a binding mode different to other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Lenvatinib simultaneously inhibits the activities of several different molecules including vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR), RET, KIT and platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR).[8],[9] This potentially makes lenvatinib the first TKI that simultaneously inhibits the kinase activities of FGFR 1-4 as well as VEGFR 1-3. In addition, lenvatinib was found to have a new Type V binding mode of kinase inhibition that is distinct from existing compounds.[10],[11]

Eisai is currently conducting clinical studies of lenvatinib in several types of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (Phase III), renal cell carcinoma (Phase II), non-small cell lung cancer (Phase II) and endometrial cancer (Phase II).

Lenvatinib has been approved for the treatment of refractory thyroid cancer in the United States, Switzerland, Europe, Canada, Russia, Australia, South Korea and Japan, and has been submitted for regulatory approval in Singapore and Brazil. Lenvatinib was granted Orphan Drug Designation in Japan for thyroid cancer, in the United States for treatment of follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and metastatic or locally advanced papillary thyroid cancer and in Europe for follicular and papillary thyroid cancer.[3]

Lenvatinib mesylate in combination with everolimus has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma following one prior anti-angiogenic therapy. In January 2015, Eisai submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the use of lenvatinib in combination with everolimus, to treat people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who have received one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy.

About Lenvatinib's Novel Binding Mode (Type V)[10],[11]

Kinase inhibitors are categorized into several types (Type I to Type V) depending on the binding site and the conformation of the targeted kinase in complex with them. Most of the currently approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors are either Type I or Type II, however according to X-ray crystal structural analysis, lenvatinib was found to possess a new Type V binding mode of kinase inhibition that is distinct from existing compounds. In addition, lenvatinib was confirmed via kinetic analysis to exhibit rapid and potent inhibition of kinase activity, and it is suggested that this may be attributed to its novel binding mode.

About SELECT[2]

The SELECT ( S tudy of ( E 7080) LE nvatinib in Differentiated C ancer of the T hyroid) study is a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study to compare the PFS of patients with RAI refractory DTC and radiographic evidence of disease progression within the prior 13 months, treated with once-daily, oral lenvatinib (24mg) versus placebo. The study enrolled 392 patients in over 100 sites in Europe, North and South America and Asia and was conducted by Eisai in collaboration with the SFJ Pharmaceuticals Group.

About Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer refers to cancer that forms in the tissues of the thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat near the trachea.[12]

Thyroid cancer affects more than 52,000 people in Europe each year.[13] The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased significantly in the last decade by 69% and 65% in men and women, respectively.[14] The most common types of thyroid cancer, papillary and follicular (including Hurthle cell), are classified as differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and account for approximately 90% of all cases.[13] The remaining cases are classified as either medullary (5-7% of cases) or anaplastic (1-2% of cases).[15]

About Study 205[7]

Study 205 is a randomised Phase II trial which shows lenvatinib when used in combination with everolimus, significant extends progression-free survival in people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) versus everolimus alone following one prior VEGF targeted therapy. People treated with the combination regimen experience a median progression-free survival of 14.6 months compared with 5.5 months for those who receive everolimus alone (HR 0.40; 95% CI: 0.24-0.68; p<0.001). These data were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in June 2015 and more recently published in Lancet Oncology.[7]

About Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer. The standard treatment for metastatic or advanced renal cell carcinoma is molecular targeted drug therapy, which is designed to interfere with the specific molecules necessary for tumour growth and progression. Despite this, it remains a disease for which patients have very few treatment options. Progression free survival is important as it extends the period of time before a tumour progresses and with it a potential for improved prognosis for the patient.

RCC accounts for approximately 90% of all kidney malignancies and represents an estimated 2-3% of all cancer cases, with the highest incidence occurring in Western countries. During the last two decades, until recently, there has been an annual 2% increase in incidence of the disease worldwide.[16]

About Eisai Co., Ltd.

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology.

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com.

References

1. Gianoukakis A, et al. Duration of response to lenvatinib treatment in patients with radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC). American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting 2016; Abstract # 6089

2. Schlumberger M, et al. A phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of lenvatinib (E7080) in patients with 131I-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (SELECT). ASCO 2014 abstract #E450

3. Lenvima (lenvatinib) Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/30412 (last updated June 2015). Accessed: May 2016

4. Takahashi S, et al. Phase II study of lenvatinib in patients with differentiated, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancer: final analysis results. American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting 2016; Abstract # 6088

5. MedlinePlus. Available at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000352.htm. Accessed: May 2016

6. Hutson T, et al. Subgroup analyses from the phase 2 trial of lenvatinib (LEN), everolimus (EVE), and LEN+EVE in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting 2016; Abstract # 4553

7. Motzer R, et al. Randomized phase 2 three-arm trial of lenvatinib, everolimus, and the combination in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The Lancet Oncology 2015;16:1473-82. Available at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)00290-9/abstract. Last accessed: May 2016

8. Matsui J, et al. Multi-kinase inhibitor E7080 suppresses lymph node and lung metastases of human mammary breast tumor MDA-MB-231 via inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF-R) 2 and VEGF-R3 kinase. Clin Cancer Res 2008;14:5459-65

9. Matsui J, et al. E7080, a novel inhibitor that targets multiple kinases, has potent antitumor activities against stem cell factor producing human small cell lung cancer H146, based on angiogenesis inhibition. Int J Cancer 2008;122:664-671

10. Wu P. Small-molecule kinase inhibitors: an analysis of FDA-approved drugs. Drug Discovery Today, July 2015;1-

11. Okamoto K, et al. Distinct Binding Mode of Multikinase Inhibitor Lenvatinib Revealed by Biochemical Characterization. ACS Med. Chem. Lett 2015;6:89-94

12. National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/thyroid/Patient/page1/AllPages#1. Accessed: May 2016

13. EUCAN 2015. Available at: http://eu-cancer.iarc.fr/EUCAN/Cancer.aspx?Cancer=35. Accessed: May 2016

14. Cancer Research UK. Thyroid cancer incidence statistics. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/thyroid/incidence/uk-thyroid-cancer-incidence-statistics Accessed: May 2016

15. Thyroid Cancer Basics. 2011. Available at: http://www.thyca.org. Accessed: May 2016

16. Ljungberg B, et al. Guidelines on Renal Cell Carcinoma. Available at: http://uroweb.org/wp-content/uploads/10-Renal-Cell-Carcinoma_LR-LV2-2015.pdf. Last accessed May 2016

SOURCE Eisai
Recent publication in Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrates that Oncotype DX predicts late distant recurrence in breast cancer

GENEVA, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Genomic Health announced multiple data presentations with the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score at the recent 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The presentations about the test included new results from the European PlanB outcomes study and four new sub-analyses of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) with more than 44,600 breast cancer patients.

Collectively, these data confirm the test's ability to accurately predict clinical outcomes, reinforcing the unique value of Oncotype DX as the only multi-gene breast cancer test with prospective outcomes evidence in more than 50,000 patients.

New results from European PlanB outcomes study presented at ASCO 2016

Clinical outcome results from the prospective PlanB trial, one of the largest contemporary adjuvant breast cancer trials in Europe, showed that patients with low Breast Recurrence Score results treated with hormonal therapy alone had 99 percent five-year overall survival.[1] The results are consistent with conclusions of the Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment (Rx), or TAILORx, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, and previously-presented results from the SEER Registry.[2]

PlanB was conducted by the West German Study Group (WSG) in 93 centres across Germany and enrolled more than 3,100 patients who were considered candidates for chemotherapy by traditional parameters including those with node-positive disease (up to three nodes). The study used the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score results to identify patients who, despite high clinical risk, would be spared adjuvant chemotherapy.

"These new study results show that a low Breast Recurrence Score result identifies patients who can be safely spared chemotherapy without compromising outcomes," said Prof. Nadia Harbeck, WSG Scientific Director and Head of the breast center at University of Munich (LMU), Germany. "This is especially important for patients who would be considered as intermediate to high risk of recurrence based on traditional clinical parameters. The results confirm previous retrospective studies with Oncotype DX as well as the prospective TAILORx trial, which already provided results for the node-negative population."

Results of SEER sub-analyses presented at ASCO 2016

In node-positive disease, the Breast Recurrence Score added considerable additional independent prognostic value for five-year breast cancer survival when reported separately for patients with micrometastases, one, two or three positive nodes. [3]

In node-negative disease, worse breast cancer survival was observed in older patients (over age 70) who were tested and had an intermediate or high Breast Recurrence Score result, contrary to the general perception that older women tend to have favorable outcomes. Patients age 70 or older also had lower reported chemotherapy use, supporting continued examination of the often reported issue of under-treatment of the elderly. [4]

The utilisation of Oncotype DX in clinical practice significantly varied based on age, race, socioeconomic status, marital status, insurance, tumor grade, tumor size (p < 0.01 for each) and geographic location. Patient age and geographic location were particularly strong factors that influenced test use. Overall, about 40 to 50 percent of women who met the guideline criteria for Oncotype DX had the test, underscoring the opportunity to bring precision medicine to more patients.[5],[6]

The National Cancer Institute's SEER Registry, the premier source of cancer statistics in the United States, collects incidence and cancer survival data for 30 percent of all U.S. cancer patients.

Publication in Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrates that Oncotype DX predicts late distant recurrence in breast cancer

Separately, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), recently published results from a large study confirming the ability of Oncotype DX, in combination with quantitative estrogen-receptor (ER) expression, to accurately predict after five years of tamoxifen therapy the risk of late distant recurrence up to 15 years in patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. These findings suggest that the Oncotype DX test may help identify which patients are most likely to benefit from extended hormonal treatment with tamoxifen.

"Extending tamoxifen treatment for 10 years has been shown to be associated with better outcomes, but not all patients have the same risk of late distant recurrence - meaning cancer coming back after five years - and it is important to know a patient's risk in order to better understand who will benefit the most from extended hormonal treatment," said Norman Wolmark, M.D., chairman of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Foundation, the organisation that carried out the study in conjunction with Genomic Health. "The results of this large study confirm that Oncotype DX helps better define who is at greatest risk of a late distant recurrence and who would likely derive the greatest benefit from extended tamoxifen therapy."

About Oncotype DX

Oncotype DX is the only genomic test validated for its ability to predict the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit as well as risk of recurrence in early-stage breast cancer.

Healthcare systems across Europe are recognising the value of the test, which is incorporated in all major international clinical guidelines. Following assessment and recommendation by NICE in 2013, the Oncotype DX test is now widely available to patients across the UK. Other European countries that reimburse the test include Switzerland, Ireland, Greece and Spain. To learn more about the Oncotype DX test, visit: www.OncotypeDX.com

About Genomic Health

Genomic Health, Inc. is a world's leading provider of genomic-based diagnostic tests that address both the overtreatment and optimal treatment of cancer. With its Oncotype IQ Genomic Intelligence Platform, the company is applying its state-of-the-art scientific and commercial expertise and infrastructure to translate significant amounts of genomic data into clinically-actionable results for treatment planning throughout the cancer patient's journey, from diagnosis to treatment selection and monitoring. The Oncotype IQ portfolio of genomic tests and services currently consists of the company's flagship line of Oncotype DX gene expression tests that have been used to guide treatment decisions for more than 600,000 cancer patients worldwide. Genomic Health is expanding its test portfolio to include additional liquid and tissue-based tests. The company is based in Redwood City, California with international headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information, please visit, www.GenomicHealth.com and follow the company on Twitter: @GenomicHealth, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the ability of any potential tests Genomic Health, Inc. may develop to optimize cancer treatment and the ability of the company to develop and commercialize additional tests in the future. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risks and uncertainties associated with the regulation of the company's tests; the results of clinical studies and their impact on reimbursement and adoption; the applicability of clinical study results to actual outcomes; the company's ability to develop and commercialize new tests and expand into new markets domestically and internationally; the risk that the company may not obtain or maintain sufficient levels of reimbursement, domestically or abroad, for its existing tests and any future tests it may develop; the risks of competition; unanticipated costs or delays in research and development efforts; the company's ability to obtain capital when needed and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's yearly report on Form 10-K for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Genomic Health disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

NOTE: The Genomic Health logo, Oncotype, Oncotype DX and Recurrence Score are trademarks or registered trademarks of Genomic Health, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

[1] Gluz O. et al., J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 556)

[2] Shak et al., Poster session 5, P5-15-01, Presented at SABCS 2015

[3] Roberts M. et al., J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 6575)

[4] Petkov V. et al., J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 574)

[5] Petkov V. et al., J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 6552)

[6] Cronin K. et al., J Clin Oncol 34, 2016 (suppl; abstr 6553)

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Related Links

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SOURCE Genomic Health, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The global Preclinical imaging market is expected to reach around USD 3.6 billion by the year 2024, according to a report performed by Grand View Research, Inc. The swift increase in the number of clinical research organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical companies, and research and development organizations is propelling the demand for preclinical imaging.

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Heavy investments in research and development are encouraging research projects worldwide. As a result, the demand for Preclinical imaging is steadily increasing. Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences, medical devices, and cosmetics are the wide application areas, where imaging modalities are widely used in research and development. Furthermore, veterinary hospitals and educational institutions also create an additional demand for this market.

North America comprises the U.S. and Canada markets. North America and Europe together accounted for the largest market share in 2015. The increased research and development funding coupled with the presence of a highly developed research infrastructure is accelerating the growth of the market in Europe and North America.

On the other hand, the governing stringent regulatory guidelines are restricting the growth of the market in North America. Asia Pacific is expected to show the fastest growth rate during the forecast period owing to the easy availability of resources, the presence of an advanced research infrastructure, and the allocation of government funds for R&D activities.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Preclinical Imaging Market Analysis By Product Type (Devices: CT, MRI, PET/SPECT, Multi-modal, Optical, Ultrasound, Photoacoustic (PAT), Reagents and Services) And Segment Forecasts To 2024" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/preclinical-imaging-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:

The optical imaging devices segment captured the largest market share of the overall market in 2015. The largest market share was mainly attributed to the extensive application of these devices in small animal imaging and research projects.

The multimodal imaging devices segment is anticipated to show a significant growth rate from 2016 to 2024. The increasing adoption of these devices owing to the integration of multiple imaging modalities into a single unit is the major factor expected to drive the growth of this segment during the forecast period.

The reagents segment accounted for a significant market share in 2015 as these products are purchased repeatedly, unlike in the case of imaging devices

North America captured the largest market share of around 35% in 2015. The market is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Well-established research infrastructure, the growing number of research and development activities, and the rising investments in R&D are some of the factors supporting the growth of the market in this region.

captured the largest market share of around 35% in 2015. The market is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Well-established research infrastructure, the growing number of research and development activities, and the rising investments in R&D are some of the factors supporting the growth of the market in this region. Asia Pacific is anticipated to show a significant growth rate from 2016 to 2024 owing to the rapidly expanding contract research organization (CRO) industry in this region

is anticipated to show a significant growth rate from 2016 to 2024 owing to the rapidly expanding contract research organization (CRO) industry in this region The exit of the major players from the market is creating growth opportunities for the other smaller, domestic Preclinical imaging system manufacturers

The major market players include Bruker Corporation, Siemens A.G., General Electric(GE), TriFoil Imaging, PerkinElmer, Inc., VisualSonics, Inc. (Fujifilm), Mediso Ltd., MILabs B.V., and Agilent Technologies

Grand View Research has segmented the Preclinical imaging device market on the basis of product type and geography.

Preclinical imaging product outlook, 2014 & 2024 (USD Billion) Medical Devices CT Imaging MRI Imaging PET/SPECT Imaging Multimodal Imaging Optical Imaging Ultrasound Imaging Photoacoustic (PAT) Imaging Reagents Services

Preclinical imaging regional outlook, 2014 & 2024 (USD Billion) North America U.S. Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type Canada Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type Europe Germany Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type France Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type Asia Pacific China Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type India Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type Latin America Brazil Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type Mexico Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type MEA South Africa Preclinical Imaging Market by Product Type



Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Live Cell Imaging Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/live-cell-imaging-market

Diagnostic Electrocardiograph (ECG) Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/diagnostic-electrocardiograph-ecg-market

Acute Coronary Syndrome Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/acute-coronary-syndrome-market

Airway Management Devices Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/airway-management-devices-market

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.
OYSTER BAY, New York, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the greatest IoT market challenges for enterprises is how to manage, track, and analyze all of their data. ABI Research forecasts global revenues from the integration, storage, analysis, and presentation of IoT data to triple over the forecast period and top US$30 billion in 2021, with a 29.4% CAGR.

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"Descriptive analytics currently generate more than 75% of IoT analytics revenue," says Ryan Martin, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. "But over the next five years, rapid uptake of advanced analytics will overtake descriptive analytics' share of revenue to the extent that predictive and prescriptive analytics will account for more than 60% of IoT analytics revenue by 2021."

The general shift from batch to event-based processing signals a growing interest in real-time/streaming analytics as a lever for IoT value creation. ABI Research data analysis suggests that early adoption of predictive and prescriptive analytics is occurring in more developed, mature M2M/IoT verticals. Growth is specifically targeting asset-intensive industries in which machinery cost is high, such as within the industrial, manufacturing, field, oil, and gas sectors.

"The need to harmonize IoT ecosystem components without creating or simply shifting the bottlenecks that come with the management of high-velocity variable data puts pressure on connectivity providers, edge analytics platform players, and system integrators to stand up new and distributed frameworks," concludes Martin. "The purpose of these frameworks is to not only support and add value to data, but to also be able to do so at any level."

Major investments from companies like Cisco, Dell, GE, IBM, Microsoft, PTC, and SAP, as well as a flurry of startup-level vendors like Blue Yonder, mnubo, Mtell, Predixion, and Seeq, further underscores the momentum and importance of analytics in IoT.

These findings are part of ABI Research's Big Data and Analytics in IoT and M2M report (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1024282-big-data-and-analytics-in-iot-and-m2m/). This piece is one component of the company's Internet of Everything Service (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/internet-of-everything/), which includes research reports, market data, insights, and competitive assessments.

About ABI Research

For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info: Mackenzie Gavel Tel: +1.516.624.2542

pr@abiresearch.com

Related Links

http://www.abiresearch.com



SOURCE ABI Research
LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The latest joint research from The IWSR and just-drinks has predicted that the global market for ready-to-drink (RTD) products will go from "strength to strength" over the next five years.

In research published this month, The IWSR and just-drinks have forecast that the overall category will swell from 393m cases last year to 455m cases by 2020. The growth would represent a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3%.

Key to the overall growth is "explosive" expansion in China which will join the US and Japan as the principal national markets for RTDs. Together, the US, Japan and China will account for more than 280m cases by 2020.

While there were signs of a slowdown in China last year, the report states, growth in the country over recent years has been phenomenal. As recently as 2012, RTD volumes were only just above 1m cases, but China grew to an 8m-case market by 2014. With a CAGR of 37.2%, volumes in China will reach 64m cases in 2020, the report forecasts.

Growth trends in the more mature markets of the US and Japan look "unspectacular" by comparison, the report states, "but both will exhibit solid growth". The US will expand by a CAGR of 1.1% to reach 116m cases in 2020, and Japan is expected to grow by a CAGR of 2.1% to 103m cases.

Recent dramatic volume declines in Russia, however, are set to continue.

While other principal developed markets - namely Australia, the UK and South Africa - will experience slow category declines of less than 1% (CAGR) to 2020, the report says this will be partially offset by gains in a number of emerging markets such as Brazil, Argentina, India and the Philippines.

Other emerging markets of note are to be found in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Angola, Cameroon and Namibia are all predicted to show good growth during the forecast period.

The predicted pattern for the coming five years builds on strong success between 2010 and 2014 that saw the global market for mixed drinks add almost 70m cases to reach nearly 390m cases.

About just-drinks.com

Established in 1999, just-drinks is the online resource for the global beverage industry, publishing around 20 news articles, analysis features and insights every working day. Under the direction of managing editor Olly Wehring, its experienced team of journalists, consultants and analysts provide a unique and comprehensive blend of reports and interpretation of the beverage industry, including key events, trends, interviews and research that are delivered to over 92,000 business executives per month.

Through its drinks industry analysis, research, news and CONSULT bespoke market research service, just-drinks offers insight into wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, and bottled water industry developments, statistics and key supply-chain trends. For details of how just-drinks is helping decision makers make decisions, visit just-drinks.com For further information and images please contact James Lawley, Public Relations at Aroq Limited on +44 (0)1527 573 606, email james.lawley@aroq.com

About The IWSR

The IWSR is the leading source of data and analysis on the alcoholic beverage market. The IWSR's database, essential to the industry, quantifies the global market of wine, spirits, beer and RTDs by volume and value, and provides insight into short- and long-term trends. IWSR statistics are used by all of the largest multinational wine and spirits companies, as well as many more local companies. The IWSR's unique methodology allows them to get closer to what is actually consumed and better understand how markets work. The IWSR conducts face-to- face interviews with 1,500 companies in 118 countries each year, with further input from 350 companies. The IWSR tracks overall consumption and trends at brand, quality and category level.



Contact

James Lawley

james.lawley@aroq.com



SOURCE just-drinks/The IWSR
LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading Sportsbetting supplier SBTech will showcase its cutting-edge product portfolio at the iGaming Super Show in Amsterdam June 7th - 10th at stand B60.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/327805LOGO )



The combination of localized offerings, expert legal oversight, versatile tools and unrivalled industry knowledge has positioned SBTech as a world-leading Sportsbetting provider and trusted partner of operators in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Bahamas, Malta, and many other regulated markets.

SBTech, continuing its commitment to delivering the best all-round player experience, will showcase its semi-managed Sportsbetting product, intelligent Chalemelon360 iGaming Platform, advanced Retail Solutions, and Omni-Channel Solution.

The Omni-Channel Solution provides a unified experience, for both operators and their customers, across all products, channels and devices, through a single online wallet. It includes front-end connectivity to retail systems and all interactive channels, all of which share the same central back-office system, allowing players to access their accounts, funds and even collect/ cash out their bets, regardless of the channel and product used.

SBTech was once again recognized for its commercial success, game-changing innovations and world-beating in-play betting product, taking home the award for best In-Play Betting Software from the prestigious EGR B2B Awards on June 1st, 2016. This award contributes to the company's previous achievements seen in 2014 and 2015, winning the EGR Award for Innovation in In-Play Betting, as well as the 2016 EGR Nordics award for Best Sportsbetting Supplier.

"2016 has been a very strong and successful year for SBTech," comments Richard Carter, CEO at SBTech. "We are excited to exhibit at the iGaming Super Show and showcase our latest product developments that prove all of the hard work, dedication and innovation together has contributed to the success achieved by SBTech."

About SBTech

Established in 2007, SBTech is a leading provider of interactive sport betting solutions and services to traditional and regulated markets. The complete offering includes an innovative, dynamic and customizable suite of turnkey and fully managed solutions, specifically designed for top gaming operators, existing bookmakers and land-based networks.

http://www.sbtech.com

SOURCE SBTech
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

In a letter to delegates at the 23rd International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference in Baku, U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron praised Azerbaijan's role in the global supply of energy. Both of them further applauded Azerbaijan's efforts to develop the Southern Gas Corridor project, which stretches from Baku to the coast of Italy. "The Southern Gas Corridor will play an important role in diversifying the EU's gas market and strengthening European energy security," Cameron said.

The largest event in the energy sector in the Caspian region brought together more than 400 industry leaders from more than 30 countries to discuss key projects and identify the main trends in the oil and gas field.

In his message of congratulations to event participants, Obama noted that Azerbaijan and its partners have achieved significant milestones in making the Southern Gas Corridor a reality over the past year and that the "United States stands ready to assist and continues to underscore the importance with our international partners."

"Azerbaijan continues to play a critical role in the global supply of energy and is a reliable partner in our shared goal of increasing regional supply diversification, market competition and energy security," Obama said. He further encouraged Azerbaijan to achieve its full potential by promoting a diversified economy, enhancing the investment climate, strengthening accountability and the rule of law and boosting the standard of living of the Azerbaijani people. "Azerbaijan continues to have a committed partner in the United States," Obama said in his message.

In his congratulatory letter, Cameron welcomed "the continued strong bilateral relationship" between Azerbaijan and the UK, noting that the country's energy resources "will play a vital role in the European and world economy and in the energy security of Europe."

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stressed Azerbaijan's leadership and active involvement in the implementation of large-scale transnational projects, noting that the Southern Gas Corridor was progressing on schedule. He further stated that proven gas reserves in Azerbaijan constituted 2.6 trillion cubic metres. "As a result of development of new fields, gas production in Azerbaijan will increase even more," he said.

The Azerbaijani President also outlined the country's energy policy and noted that it contributed to developing cooperation and ensuring stability in the region and beyond.

SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor
MOBILE, Ala., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi has approved a $149,950,000 class action settlement negotiated by attorneys with the law firms of Cunningham Bounds, LLC in Mobile, Alabama and Reeves & Mestayer, LLC in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Court's decision followed a two-day hearing in which the Court heard testimony from witnesses, reviewed documentary evidence, and evaluated the arguments of counsel for all parties. The settlement resolves claims on behalf of more than 3,000 Singing River Health System ("SRHS") employees, retirees, and other plan beneficiaries related to the pension crisis that has been embroiling the hospital for more than a year.

In its 43-page order approving the settlement, the Court found that "[i]t is in the best interest of all  proponents as well as objectors, elected and appointed officials, and importantly, all the citizens of Jackson County, to make every reasonable effort to protect and nurture the hospital system upon which they depend for their critical health care needs." The settlement both restores the missing pension funds and helps to ensure that Jackson County's primary healthcare provider remains economically viable in the future.

In October 2014, SRHS announced that it had not made a contribution to the Singing River Health System Employees' Retirement Plan and Trust ("Trust") since 2009. The law firms of Cunningham Bounds, LLC and Reeves & Mestayer, LLC were the first to file a class action lawsuit seeking recovery of the missed contributions that they alleged SRHS should have been making to the Trust each year. They conducted extensive written discovery, hired experts in forensic accounting, and engaged in rigorous and lengthy negotiations involving more than two dozen attorneys from 12 different law firms before finalizing the terms of the agreement, which then had to be approved by the Court.

Under the settlement, SRHS has agreed to pay $149,950,000 to the Retirement Trust over time. This amount is equivalent to the Plaintiffs' calculation of the present value of the missed contributions that SRHS failed to make to the Trust between 2009 and 2014. Additionally, Jackson County will pay $13,600,000 to SRHS between 2016 and 2024 to support indigent care and principally to prevent default on outstanding bonds. The settlement also provides that a Special Fiduciary, whose sole fiduciary responsibility is to the Trust, will report to the Jackson County Chancery Court on a quarterly basis regarding the financial condition of SRHS, the pension plan, and the status of the repayment schedule. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the pension plan cannot be modified without the approval of the Special Fiduciary and the Jackson County Chancery Court after sixty (60) days' notice to the Class Members and an opportunity for a hearing.

"Within a few days of the pension crisis being made public, Cunningham Bounds began fighting for the hard working employees and retirees of Singing River Health System  and we have aggressively litigated on their behalf ever since. This was an extraordinarily complex case involving more than 150 parallel state court actions, 3 federal class actions, and multiple appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court. We are thrilled that our determined efforts have resulted in the restoration of the six years' of contributions to the pension plan that the Hospital should have made, but didn't until we got involved," said Lucy Tufts, an attorney with Cunningham Bounds.

Steve Nicholas and Lucy Tufts of Cunningham Bounds, LLC and Jim Reeves of Reeves & Mestayer, LLC were appointed by the Court as Class Counsel. Also representing the Plaintiffs in the federal class action lawsuit was Matthew Mestayer of Reeves & Mestayer, LLC.

The law firm of Cunningham Bounds, LLC, founded in 1958, is based in Mobile, Alabama and has been representing plaintiffs for over 50 years. Today the firm continues its tradition of representing victims in cases involving catastrophic personal injury, industrial accidents, defective products, truck and automobile accidents, and medical malpractice. The firm also has expertise in business litigation, complex litigation, and national and state class action litigation involving defective products and consumer fraud.

For more information, contact:

Joan Cumbie

251-471-6191

SOURCE Cunningham Bounds, LLC

Related Links

http://www.cunninghambounds.com


DALLAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) is an organization dedicated to the preservation of a fair and impartial judiciary and the right to trial by jury. Recently, we have seen highly publicized attacks by presidential candidate Donald J. Trump, who is a litigant in a case pending before Judge Gonzalo Curiel in Federal District Court in California.

These attacks include charges that Judge Curiel, who was born in Indiana, cannot be fair because of his Mexican heritage. Mr. Trump also described the judge as a "hater" because he issued multiple rulings against him.

Mr. Trump is represented by highly capable attorneys who can invoke a legal process if Mr. Trump truly believes any judge is acting unfairly. The legal mechanism of recusal is available to all litigants if either a conflict exists or if there is a question of impartiality. The fact that his counsel have not elected to ask for the recusal of Judge Curiel demonstrates the political nature of Mr. Trump's public comments.

The judicial code of conduct prevents the judge from responding to such attacks, so Judge Curiel's silence on this matter demonstrates that he is following the rules.

ABOTA has a long history of responding to unfair attacks on judges who cannot respond for themselves and believes that political and special interest interference in the judicial system is contrary to the American concept of justice.

ABOTA views these attacks on the federal judge to be a threat to the independence of the judiciary, which in turn is a threat to the rule of law. An independent, fair and impartial judiciary is the bulwark against the whims, wishes and demands of the government and other special interests.

When attacks on a judge's impartiality because of his ethnic background come from a litigant who is a candidate for the highest office in the land, such attacks unfairly misrepresent to the broader public the truly independent role of judges. One could view these highly publicized attacks by an individual who may become the President of the United States as an attempt to influence the judge in his rulings and make the judge bend to his will due to the candidate's position of influence.

ABOTA stands for respect of our judicial system and the right of trial by jury as we believe such principles are fundamental to preserving our democracy. Our judicial system cannot function without the lawyers, the litigants and the courts treating each other with civility.

We have a very diverse country made up of women and men from every walk of life, from every ethnic group and from many different points of view. We have a federal judiciary selected from many of the best and brightest minds in the law and made up of individuals from many different cultural backgrounds who are overwhelmingly dedicated to being fair and impartial. It is a system upon which the public can have confidence in and accept the outcome of each case.

This should not be considered an endorsement for president of one candidate or another. ABOTA does not endorse political candidates nor does ABOTA become involved in political races. This commentary is limited to what ABOTA considers unfair attacks on the judiciary.

Charles H. Baumberger is from Miami and is the national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation only organization dedicated to defending the American civil justice system and elevating the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession. ABOTA members are represented equally between both plaintiff and defense lawyers and includes state and federal judges.

For more information contact:

Brian Tyson at (800) 932-2682

[email protected]

SOURCE American Board of Trial Advocates

Related Links

http://www.abota.org


PUNE, India, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Actuators Market by Type (Pneumatic, Hydraulic, Electric, Mechanical), Industry Application (Oil & Gas, Power, Chemical, Water & Waste Water, Iron & Steel, Pulp & Paper, Mining, Food & Beverage, Others), End-Use (Aerospace, Automotive, Defense, Marine), Region (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Row) - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is projected to grow from USD 36.63 Billion in 2016 to USD 47.72 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 5.43% by 2021.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 80 market data Tables with 62 Figures spread through 192 Pages and in-depth TOC on " Actuators Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/global-actuators-market-59465451.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization On this report.

This can be attributed mainly to the increasing installation of automated systems in the automotive industry in emerging markets, along with increasing need to reduce power consumption in aircraft whose number has increased due to the rise in air traffic. Therefore, the demand for cost effective and high performance actuators systems is driving the growth of the actuators market globally.

Oil and Gas application segment to dominate the actuators market

Rise in oil and gas explorations across the globe has propelled the demand for efficient automotive oil exploration vehicles, which require high performance actuators systems for operation. This segment is projected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Automotive end user segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Under the end user segment, the automotive is projected to grow at a comparatively higher CAGR during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the rise in demand for automotive vehicles in emerging markets such as India and China. Increase in the size of middle class income group is the main driver for the growth of the automotive market, which again is driving the actuators market as it is an essential component used in vehicles.

Asia-Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR in the actuators market between 2016 and 2021

The Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at a higher CAGR in the Actuators Market due to the emergence of rising automotive vehicles demand in the region. Increase in the middle class income group in the region is driving the automotive market demand giving rise to the need for high performance actuators systems in vehicles.

Inquiry Before Buying : http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=59465451

Top players in the actuators market

Key players operating in the actuators market are Rotork Plc (U.K.), Festo AG & Co. KG (Germany), Pentair Plc (U.K.), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Emerson Electric (U.S.), and Cameron International Corporation (U.S.).

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http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/nondestructive-testing-market-257342201.html

Aircraft Seat Actuation Systems Market by Seat Type (First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy Class, Economy Class), Actuator Type (Electro-mechanical, Others), Mechanism Type (Linear, Rotary), Fit (Line fit, Retrofit) & Geography - Forecast & Analysis to 2015-2020

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About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firms in terms of annual published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical info graphics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

Markets and Markets

UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ

Magarpatta city, Hadapsar

Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India

Tel: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Visit MarketsandMarkets [email protected] http://mnmblog.org/market-research/aerospace-defence

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC honored Vian Dakhil, the only Yazidi member of Iraq's Parliament, with its Moral Courage Award.

"Vian Dakhil is a beacon of inspiration for all who fight against the evil of genocide," said Cori Berger, chair of AJC's Women's Leadership Board, who presented the award at the opening session of this year's AJC Global Forum. While thousands of Yazidis have been killed, said Berger, "tens of thousands more survived, thanks in large measure to the relentless efforts of individuals like Vian Dakhil. She exemplifies the power to act, the power of one human being to make a difference."

Dakhil's moving address to the Iraqi Parliament in August 2014, which went viral on You Tube, raised global awareness of the tragic plight of the Yazidis. She has tirelessly sought international recognition of the genocide ISIS is perpetrating against the Yazidi population, and, after accepting the AJC award, offered a passionate plea for international protection and assistance.

"It is incumbent on the international community to help Yazidis return to their normal lives, to comfort and reassure them," Dakhil said. She emphasized that the ISIS assault launched in August 2014 "was a devised plan."

Dakhil stressed that liberating and protecting all the Yazidis cannot be achieved without military action on the ground. But she also made an emphatic plea for humanitarian aid for the thousands of Yazidis who have escaped and need urgent assistance.

Dakhil thanked AJC for its efforts to assist the Yazidis. "We see you in the lead, with an outstretched hand towards those in need or oppressed," she said.

AJC has supported IsraAID, the Israeli humanitarian relief organization, to provide humanitarian assistance to Yazidis in northern Iraq, as well as to those Yazidi refugees who have resettled in Germany.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


Beginning June 6, and throughout the summer pride season, Alaska Airlines and the ridesharing service Uber will each donate $1 to the It Gets Better Project for every tweet, Facebook post or Instagram post tagged with #LoveMovesUs, up to a total of $28,000.

"The It Gets Better Project is honored to partner with Uber and Alaska Airlines for the 2016 pride season," said Brian Wenke, executive director of the It Gets Better Project. "These forward-thinking corporations are helping to create a better world for LGBTQ young people by fostering a welcoming environment for open discussion about their community. Together, the It Gets Better Project,Uber, and Alaska Airlines will share the #LoveMovesUs initiative with those poised to reap the greatest benefit from its positive message."

People who enter a city-specific promo code into the Uber app and ride on uberPOOL or uberX during pride weeks in the following seven cities will also be entered to win round-trip flights anywhere Alaska Airlines flies:

Los Angeles ( June 6-12 )

( ) Portland, Oregon ( June 13-19 )

( ) San Francisco ( June 20-26 )

( ) Seattle ( June 20-26 )

( ) San Diego ( July 13-19 )

( ) Honolulu ( Oct. 16-22 )

( ) Palm Springs, California ( Nov. 1-6 )

"We believe the world is a better, more connected place when our differences are celebrated and when people from all walks of life feel welcome and supported," said William Barnes, West Coast Regional General Manager for Uber. "We're thrilled to join Alaska Airlines and the It Gets Better Project in sending a powerful message of hope and support to the entire LGBT community in cities up and down the West Coast."

Learn more, and find the promo codes, at lovemovesus.com.

Alaska Airlines employees will also have a presence at pride events up and down the West Coast in 2016, including marching in parades, hosting events and enjoying pride. Alaska street teams will be joining in the celebrations at pride festivals in Anchorage, Alaska, Portland, Oregon, Honolulu, San Diego, and Palm Springs, California. In Alaska's hometown of Seattle, street teams may be found at events around the city throughout June, including at the Seattle Pride Parade, parties at Sun Liquor and the White Party at the Baltic Room, various GSBA events and Seattle Men's Chorus performances.

"Alaska Airlines has been longtime supporters of our LGBT community, and we're looking forward to joining our friends, customers and fellow employees at pride events throughout Pride Month here in Seattle, as well as in seven other West Coast cities," said Kevin Larson, vice president of Alaska's GLOBE group for LGBT employees and supporters.

On the Alaska Airlines blog: Why we're proud to support pride

Earlier this year, Alaska received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index, a national report on LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation  for its fifth year in a row.

Alaska is also offering travel discounts to a number of cities for pride weekends this year, including Gay Wine Weekend in Sonoma, California, San Diego Pride, Honolulu Pride, and more. Learn more at alaskaair.com/gaytravel. Join the celebration online, with the hashtag #FlyWithPride.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for nine consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan also ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375475

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Anchin, Block & Anchin, a full service accounting and consulting firm headquartered in New York City, is proud to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.anchin.com. The upgraded design has been crafted to provide clients and friends a platform to easily access to firms' knowledge base.

The new website will feature client testimonials, industry specific news and alerts, and other enhanced resources. The design of the website has been transformed to improve user experience and interaction. The new responsive design allows users to navigate the same clean design and is optimized for desktop, tablet and smartphone use.

"We are pleased to launch our upgraded website and believe it will demonstrate our commitment to constantly improving our client experience. Our clients and friends can utilize this website to get to know us better, understand who we are as a company, and utilize resources developed by the Anchin team," said Frank Schettino, Anchin's Managing Partner. "The website allows our clients, friends and community to understand the depth and variety of assurance, tax and advisory services we provide."

Biographies have been updated to include new content, as well as links to social media, publications, news features, and other information. Interactive content will continue to be shared through the website, offering increased value on the platform.

Serving privately held businesses, investment funds and high net worth families for more than 93 years, Anchin is a leader in the accounting industry. For more information visit, www.anchin.com.



Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP today is recognized as one of the "best of the best" accounting firms in the country, a Best Place to Work in New York City and New York State, and a Best Accounting Firm to Work For nationwide. The full-service firm, with a staff of approximately 350, serves privately held businesses, investment funds and high net worth families with a wide range of assurance, tax and advisory services, including accounting and assurance services; tax planning and compliance; tax advisory services; tax credits and incentives; management and succession advisory services; and litigation support, forensic accounting and valuation services. Additional information is available at www.anchin.com



CONTACT: Lee Peretz

212.840.3456

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140129/NY55579LOGO

SOURCE Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP

Related Links

www.anchin.com


Mr. Martin Wilczynski joins Ankura as Senior Managing Director with more than 30 years of professional experience. His background includes 10 years of auditing experience at an international accounting firm and six years on the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where he served within the Enforcement Division. Mr. Wilczynski's practice is focused on SEC enforcement proceedings, Department of Justice (DOJ) matters, internal and forensic investigations, FCPA and anti-corruption reviews, financial reporting and revenue recognition issues and related litigation support. He has assisted outside counsel representing corporate boards of directors and special committees in a number of high-profile, complex, fact-finding accounting investigations involving financial restatements, whistleblower allegations and SEC enforcement and reporting issues. Most recently, Mr. Wilczynski served as the North American leader of FTI Consulting's Forensic Accounting practice.

Mr. Jason Flemmons joins Ankura as Senior Managing Director with more than 20 years of experience in forensic accounting, corporate investigations and financial statement auditing matters. He is the former Deputy Chief Accountant of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, where he supervised and performed numerous financial fraud investigations involving accounting, disclosure and audit issues. Mr. Flemmons provides a wide range of consulting services to corporate clients and their legal counsel, including fraud examination, financial reporting advisory, litigation support and expert testimony. Mr. Flemmons provides expert assistance to accountants, auditors and other clients involved in regulatory inquiries by the SEC, the DOJ and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. He was most recently Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting.

Ms. Amy Gonce joins Ankura as Senior Managing Director with more than 20 years of experience in forensic accounting, financial investigations and analysis, technical accounting and internal control reviews. She has worked with senior management and boards of directors of public and private companies in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services and software. Ms. Gonce's client work is comprised of forensic accounting, internal investigations, SEC enforcement actions, DOJ investigations, technical accounting support and review, post-acquisition disputes and serving as an expert witness. She was most recently Managing Director at FTI Consulting.

"Marty, Jason and Amy each bring specialized knowledge of SEC enforcement, accounting and financial forensics to Ankura and its clients," said Roger Carlile, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ankura. "As we build upon the momentum created by other recent additions, their individual skills and leadership experience will strengthen the firm's corporate investigations and financial forensics group and provide Ankura's clients access to the market leading independent SEC enforcement consulting practice."

"Joining Ankura at this time in the firm's growth provides an exciting opportunity to build a truly client focused corporate investigations and financial forensics group," said Martin Wilczynski. "I look forward to working with Ankura's leadership team and its outstanding professionals to grow an organization that delivers exceptional service to clients."

"The opportunity to build a client-focused SEC enforcement and forensic accounting practice that brings together the best professionals and resources is very exciting," said Jason Flemmons. Amy Gonce added, "I am very excited to be part of such a talented and collaborative team of recognized industry leaders and the growth story that lies ahead for Ankura."

About Ankura Consulting Group

Ankura Consulting Group is a business advisory and expert services firm. Its deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges clients face enables its team to provide impactful, senior-level counsel. As an independent firm built on five key principles  Integrity, Quality, Diversity, Collaboration and Longevity  Ankura's relationships extend beyond one engagement or issue. The firm empowers its industry experts to provide a high-touch, unique approach for its clients in critical times. Ankura's offering includes a wide range of compliance, corporate investigation, data analytics, disputes/litigation support, expert witness, economic and financial analysis, forensic accounting, geopolitical advisory, mass dispute resolution, risk advisory and management, transaction advisory, trust services, turnaround and restructuring, valuation, visual communications and business advisory services. For more information: www.ankuraconsultinggroup.com.

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SOURCE Ankura Consulting Group

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NEW CASTLE, Pa., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a press release on May 6, 2016, Axion Power International, Inc., (OTCQB: AXPW) a leader in carbon battery technology and energy storage, announced meetings with LCB International, Inc. a BVI investment company, to renew negotiations towards a refined and simplified technology licensing agreement to take Axion Power's patented PbC Technology to China.

As a result of the successful set of meetings in China in May, Richard Bogan, CEO, Axion Power, has invited his Chinese counterparts to attend a reciprocal set of meetings in New Castle, which are tentatively set for the third week in June, pending travel authority granted to the Chinese executives by the Chinese Government.

"The meetings were successful and lay a groundwork and path forward on a renewed structure of the joint effort to commercialize the PbC Technology in China and set the basis for our continued work at meetings to be held in New Castle as early as the third week in June," said Bogan.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of the meetings in China, and we are pleased that Axion will be holding reciprocal meetings for my Chinese colleagues in the U.S. in the near future. I am hopeful that through this next set of meetings, Axion and LCB are able to accelerate the conclusion of a refined and simplified technology license agreement to commercialize the PbC Technology in Greater China," said Dr. WJ Gesang, principal of LCB International.

Axion Power's patented PbC Battery brings unique features to the market, including faster recharge, longer cycle life and a wide operating voltage window. The battery offers the added benefit of being nearly 100 percent recyclable, allowing for a smaller environmental footprint than traditional lead acid batteries.

As reported in various Axion Power public filings in 2015, the company had been working with LCB International to consummate a multi part comprehensive agreement regarding a relationship between the two entities surrounding Axion Power's PbC Technology and other related matters. Axion Power will continue to report further developments as they are confirmed.

About Axion Power International, Inc.

Axion Power is a technology leader in lead-carbon energy storage. Axion's patented lead carbon battery is the only advanced battery technology with an all carbon negative electrode. Axion's negative electrodes are designed to be directly substituted for lead acid negative electrodes producing the unique benefits of the Axion carbon technology. Axion Power's primary goal is to become the leading supplier of carbon electrode assemblies for lead-acid battery companies around the world. For more information, visit http://www.axionpower.com/

About LCB International, Inc.

LCB International, Inc. is an investment and business development firm focusing on the electrical energy storage system for motive and stationary utility applications in Asia.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this Press Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risk factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the risk for the Company to complete its development work, as well as the risks inherent in commercializing a new product (including technology risks, market risks, financial risks and implementation risks, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the Company), as well as other risks that have been included in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available at http://www.sec.gov/. We disclaim any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, financial estimates, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

For More Information, please contact:

Meghan Snyder for Axion Global Vision Communications Phone: 703-909-2975 Email:[email protected] Wei CHA LCB International Inc. Phone: +86 13301092921 Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Axion Power International, Inc.
DALLAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Jay Wireless attended the National Lifeline Association (NaLA) Spring Conference, held May 17th-19th in New Orleans. The conference included sessions related to current events and hot topics in the Lifeline industry.

Blue Jay's objective at this year's conference was to express the need for the industry to engage more in communities and go beyond simply providing Lifeline service. Shannon Davis, Blue Jay Wireless' Community Relations Manager, spoke as a presenter at the conference. Ms. Davis emphasized the importance of increasing community service throughout the industry. "As an industry whose goal is to improve the lives of those in need," she stated, "We should be at the forefront of community service initiatives."

Blue Jay strives to be the industry leader in community outreach and impact by going beyond offering services through the Lifeline Program. One way that Blue Jay accomplishes this goal is through its Give a Day initiative. Each employee at Blue Jay has a goal to give one out of ten working days back to the community in volunteer service, all for a good cause. Blue Jay believes giving time to serve the community is a rewarding way to make a positive impact.

By leading the way, Blue Jay hopes to influence others to follow suit and join the endeavor to make a difference in our world, one community at a time.

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SOURCE Blue Jay Wireless

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https://www.bluejaywireless.com


AUSTIN, Texas, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Catapult, a leading IT consulting firm, today announced that it has been named the Top 50 of Fifty Five and Five's Inbound Marketing Excellence Report. The announcement of this award occurred the same week that Catapult was recognized as Microsoft Partner of the Year for the United States.

"We are proud to have made this prestigious list," said Mindy Russell, Vice President of Marketing, Catapult. "With so many Microsoft partners evaluated in this year's report, this recognition is a testament to Catapult's dedication to leadership in digital marketing. This announcement comes on the heels of Catapult being recognized by Microsoft as the United States Microsoft Partner of the Year, which was certainly influenced by our marketing efforts. We couldn't be more thrilled at the news of both of these awards."

Fifty Five and Five's 2016 Inbound Marketing Excellence Report is set to be released at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, July 10-14. This year's report opened up the field to a wider range of partners, closely looking at the digital marketing efforts of more than 25,000 companies. The companies analyzed were all partners that work with or supply enterprise IT productivity tools and solutions. The criteria that Fifty Five and Five based their selection off of included the partner's blogging output, their overall website, and their social media activity.

ABOUT CATAPULT

Catapult is a full-service consulting firm that uses technology to solve complex business challenges, delivering exceptional value to our clients based on their priorities and timeframes. Recognized as the 2016 Microsoft Partner of the Year (U.S.), Catapult specializes in digital transformation and cloud-based technologies. We work on behalf of our clients to imagine, build, and sustain IT-enabled business solutions that people love to use. Catapult has offices in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

Press Contact:

Jessica Cowan

Marketing Communications Manager

Catapult Systems

512-605-3903

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SOURCE Catapult

Related Links

http://www.catapultsystems.com/


CLEARWATER, Fla., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When you need complex back surgery, it is critical that you choose a doctor and hospital that is top rated and is at the cutting edge of technology and techniques. CBS News recently featured a team of neurosurgeons that are making a difference in the Tampa Bay area.

Dr. Ashraf Hanna, a board certified physician and director of pain management at the Florida Spine Institute in Clearwater, Fl discusses some of the reasons that set the Florida Spine Institute apart from other clinics: "The Florida Spine Institute has top neurosurgeons, with a combined 20 year military medical field experience, that are highly skilled and very successful. The Florida Spine Institute offers a comprehensive wellness program and multi-disciplinary treatment modalities ranging from physical therapy, simple injections to procedures such as radiofrequency ablation and spinal cord stimulation implants."

"The majority of our patients do well with conservative care and only 5-10% of patients will have to undergo spine surgery. When it comes to spine surgery, our neurosurgeons offer all aspects of surgical procedures from minimally-invasive surgery to the more complex multi-level fusion surgery, instead of being limited to only one procedure like laser spine surgery."

Dr. Robert Kowalski discussed some of the more complex procedures that he has performed, such as a patient with severe cervical spine disease: "A recent patient had diseased discs in many parts of the spine that required very complex surgery. We performed multiple surgeries in the front and back of the spine with very successful results. Other surgery centers may not have been able to perform this type of complex surgery, but we have the experience and skills to be able to do this safely and effectively."

One of the other treatments performed by the neurosurgery team is minimally invasive spine surgery. Dr. Christopher Koebbe explains: "The goal of minimally invasive spine surgery is to make the smallest incision as possible to minimize post-operative pain and recovery time, while maximizing the recovery of function for the patient. This allows the patient to go home the very same day of the procedure."

"We always strive to give the patient a return to the quality of life they are looking to achieve. We have patients traveling from all over the country to visit our team of doctors and our state-of-the-art facilities," Added Dr. Koebbe.

For over 25 years, Florida Spine Institute has been the leader and most trusted medical facility in the Tampa Bay area, providing the latest advancements in spine surgery, and the treatment of spine and joint pain.

For more information regarding spine surgery and other spine treatments, please visit: http://www.floridaspineinstitute.com or call 727-797-7463

SOURCE Florida Spine Institute

Related Links

http://www.floridaspineinstitute.com


HOUSTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheniere Energy, Inc. ("Cheniere" or the "Company") (NYSE MKT: LNG) held its annual meeting of shareholders on June 2, 2016. Three proposals, as described in the Company's Proxy Statement dated April 21, 2016 (the "2016 Proxy Statement"), were voted upon at the meeting.

Shareholders elected all ten members standing for re-election to the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company. The Board members are G. Andrea Botta, Neal A. Shear, Vicky A. Bailey, Nuno Brandolini, Jonathan Christodoro, David I. Foley, David B. Kilpatrick, Samuel Merksamer, Donald F. Robillard, Jr., and Heather R. Zichal. Each of the nominated directors was elected as a director to serve for a one-year term until the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. In addition, the Board appointed Jack A. Fusco, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, as a member of the Board.

In an advisory and non-binding vote, approximately 83% of the shares entitled to vote on the matter voted for the compensation paid for 2015 to the Company's executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table, as disclosed in the 2016 Proxy Statement.

The shareholders ratified the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, with approximately 99% of shares entitled to vote on the matter voting in favor.

About Cheniere Energy, Inc.

Cheniere Energy, Inc., a Houston-based energy company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses, owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana. Directly and through its subsidiary, Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., Cheniere is constructing and developing liquefaction projects near Corpus Christi, Texas and at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal, respectively. Cheniere is also exploring a limited number of opportunities directly related to its existing LNG business.

This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements" within the meanings of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Included among "forward-looking statements" are, among other things, (i) statements regarding Cheniere's business strategy, plans and objectives, including the development, construction and operation of liquefaction facilities, (ii) statements regarding expectations regarding regulatory authorizations and approvals, (iii) statements expressing beliefs and expectations regarding the development of Cheniere's LNG terminal and pipeline businesses, including liquefaction facilities, (iv) statements regarding the business operations and prospects of third parties, (v) statements regarding potential financing arrangements and (vi) statements regarding future discussions and entry into contracts. Although Cheniere believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Cheniere's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in Cheniere's periodic reports that are filed with and available from the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required under the securities laws, Cheniere does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required under the securities laws, Cheniere does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Cheniere Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cheniere.com


FORT MYERS, Fla., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS) today announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in connection with its upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on July 21, 2016. Shareholders of record as of May 16, 2016, will be entitled to vote at the meeting.

In conjunction with the definitive proxy filing, Chico's FAS is mailing a letter to the Company's shareholders. Highlights from the letter include:

Under the direction of a new Chief Executive Officer and President, Shelley Broader , Chico's FAS is executing a new strategic plan built around four focus areas that we believe will usher in a new era of profitable growth and value creation for Chico's FAS shareholders.

, Chico's FAS is executing a new strategic plan built around four focus areas that we believe will usher in a new era of profitable growth and value creation for Chico's FAS shareholders. Just 180 days into Ms. Broader's new role, the Company is making measurable progress on this plan  with more to come.

In addition to improving operations and making key new hires, Chico's FAS is proactively enhancing its governance practices.

The Company has proposed new world-class leaders to be added to the Board to ensure Chico's FAS has the most relevant skill sets and expertise to successfully execute its strategy.

The Board determined that Barington's nominees lack the relevant skills and expertise needed to support the progress being made and the Company's new strategic plan.

Chico's FAS' definitive proxy materials and other materials regarding the Board of Directors' recommendation for the 2016 Annual Meeting can be found at the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.chicosfas.com.

The full text of the letter being mailed to shareholders follows:

VOTE THE ENCLOSED WHITE PROXY CARD TODAY

"FOR" ALL FOUR OF CHICO'S FAS' HIGHLY QUALIFIED DIRECTOR NOMINEES

June 6, 2016

Dear Chico's FAS Shareholder:

At Chico's FAS' 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on July 21, 2016, you will be asked to make an important decision regarding the composition of the Company's Board of Directors that we believe will impact the future of the Company and the value of your investment in Chico's FAS.

Under the direction of our new Chief Executive Officer and President, Shelley Broader, Chico's FAS is executing a new strategic plan built around four focus areas that we believe will usher in a new era of profitable growth and value creation for Chico's FAS shareholders. We are making measurable progress on this plan  with more to come.

To support the Company's success and its new operating priorities, and after an extensive search process, we recently nominated two new independent directors to stand for election to your Board: Bonnie Brooks, Vice Chairman of Hudson's Bay Company, and Bill Simon, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S. Ms. Brooks brings considerable apparel, merchandising, and turnaround expertise to Chico's FAS, and Mr. Simon has an impressive track record of driving cost efficient operations with other leading retailers. They  along with Ms. Broader, and Janice Fields, an independent director of Chico's FAS since 2013 and the former President of McDonald's USA, LLC  will stand for election at the 2016 Annual Meeting. We believe that, together, these four candidates  Shelley Broader, Bonnie Brooks, Janice Fields and Bill Simon  have superior qualifications to build the value of your investment.

As you may be aware, Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P. ("Barington") has indicated it will solicit proxies in opposition to your Board in order to elect two of its own nominees to the Chico's FAS Board. Your board has already thoughtfully reviewed and ultimately rejected Barington's nominees. We believe that replacing any of the Company's director candidates with Barington's nominees would deprive the Company of skills and expertise that would significantly contribute to the progress we are making.

Your vote is very important. We encourage you to protect the value of your investment in Chico's FAS by voting online, by telephone or by signing and dating the enclosed WHITE proxy card and returning it in the postage-paid envelope provided TODAY.

POSITIVE CHANGE IS UNDERWAY AT CHICO'S FAS NEW CEO AND PRESIDENT

EXECUTING ON ADDITIONAL OPERATING INITIATIVES

KEY NEW HIRES

ENHANCED GOVERNANCE PRACTICES

NEW WORLD-CLASS BOARD NOMINEES

CHICO'S FAS APPOINTED A NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT WHO IS DRIVING EXECUTION THROUGH FOUR NEW FOCUS AREAS

Chico's FAS is an industry leader with a strong platform for growth and value creation. The Company benefits from three powerful and differentiated brands that serve growing and attractive consumer segments, one of the most loyal customer bases in the industry, and leading omni-channel capabilities.

To ensure we fully capitalize on these strengths, six months ago, the Board brought in Ms. Broader as the Company's new Chief Executive Officer and President. Ms. Broader has more than 25 years of experience leading premier retail businesses, including Walmart, Michael's Stores, and several banners within Delhaize Group. In these roles, she has worked to drive revenue growth, standardize processes, disciplines and metrics, and better align store operations and resources with the buying patterns of the retailers' customer bases  all areas of skills and expertise that will benefit Chico's FAS.

In February 2016, just three months into her appointment, Ms. Broader introduced, and the Board approved, four new focus areas for the organization:

Evolving the customer experience by better integrating the digital and physical retail environments, and creating and leveraging a more agile supply chain;

by better integrating the digital and physical retail environments, and creating and leveraging a more agile supply chain; Strengthening the position of each brand , including articulating and executing against a clear role in the marketplace for each brand and its related merchandise, leveraging the connection the Company has with its loyal customers, attracting new customers, and continuing to deliver unparalleled service and fashion that resonates with our customers;

, including articulating and executing against a clear role in the marketplace for each brand and its related merchandise, leveraging the connection the Company has with its loyal customers, attracting new customers, and continuing to deliver unparalleled service and fashion that resonates with our customers; Leveraging actionable retail science by using the vast amounts of customer and operational data available to the Company to develop algorithms and predictive analytics that enable real-time decision-making and improve how the Company goes to market, stocks product, and interacts with customers; and

by using the vast amounts of customer and operational data available to the Company to develop algorithms and predictive analytics that enable real-time decision-making and improve how the Company goes to market, stocks product, and interacts with customers; and Sharpening the Company's financial principles to optimize the allocation of free cash flow and drive further cost savings across the Company through the shared service model, the combination and negotiation of contracts, a more effective use of marketing dollars and modernizing processes, among other areas.

THE COMPANY'S PROGRESS ON ITS NEW STRATEGIC PLAN IS BUTTRESSED BY ADDITIONAL OPERATING INITIATIVES AND KEY NEW HIRES

Beginning with a meeting of the Board on February 23, 2016, Ms. Broader and her team began studying certain significant initiatives to drive shareholder value, several of which have already been announced and are well underway.

On April 25, 2016, we announced a realignment of the Company's Marketing and Digital Commerce functions, placing the decision makers directly into the Company's three brands, Chico's, White House Black Market and Soma. This realignment enables us to better support the individual brand's needs and places these important functions closer to our customers, both of which we believe will help drive traffic. In addition, this realignment reduces costs and complexity, resulting in approximately $14 million of expected savings annually.

On May 26, 2016, we announced three additional initiatives, which together are expected to result in incremental annual savings of between $50 million and $70 million, while also fundamentally changing and improving our operating model and the cadence in which we go to market:

Supply chain initiative: Through increased product testing, positioning fabric, optimizing seasonal product flow, and collaborating more effectively with our vendor partners, we can better provide the product our customers want, when they want it and realize expected savings of $30 million to $40 million annually. These cost savings reflect reductions in average unit cost and a reduced level of markdowns.

Through increased product testing, positioning fabric, optimizing seasonal product flow, and collaborating more effectively with our vendor partners, we can better provide the product our customers want, when they want it and realize expected savings of annually. These cost savings reflect reductions in average unit cost and a reduced level of markdowns. Non-merchandise procurement initiative: Given our scale as a multi-brand operator, we have the opportunity to reduce our non-merchandise spend by an estimated $10 million to $20 million annually through a formalized process of strategic supplier rationalization, negotiation and collaboration.

Given our scale as a multi-brand operator, we have the opportunity to reduce our non-merchandise spend by an estimated annually through a formalized process of strategic supplier rationalization, negotiation and collaboration. Marketing initiative: In addition to the marketing realignment announced in April, we expect to save at least another $11 million in annual marketing expense by better using our unparalleled customer specific data, incorporating predictive analytics, to determine the most effective marketing techniques to not only communicate with each customer personally but also ensure that merchandise pricing and allocation is optimized no matter where she wants to shop  in our boutiques or at home.

Notably, these recently-announced initiatives (including the April marketing realignment) are expected to result in aggregate costs savings of between $65 million and $85 million annually  equivalent to 2.5% to 3.3% of our trailing twelve months revenue and reflecting significant progress towards achieving our 10% operating margin goal. Of this run rate target, we expect to deliver $15 million of savings by the end of fiscal 2016.

In addition to these operating improvement initiatives, Ms. Broader has begun to build out her management team with new leaders who bring skills and expertise to support and accelerate the progress we are making. She has made new hires in real estate and construction, planning and allocation, legal and human resources, including among others:

Susan Lanigan has been appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Ms. Lanigan has more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, including serving as Executive Vice President, General Counsel of Dollar General Corporation, where she was instrumental in the Company's growth and strategic planning work.

has been appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Ms. Lanigan has more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, including serving as Executive Vice President, General Counsel of Dollar General Corporation, where she was instrumental in the Company's growth and strategic planning work. Kristin Oliver has been appointed Chief Human Resources Officer. She joins the Company from Walmart U.S., where she was Executive Vice President of People, supporting 1.4 million associates. Ms. Oliver has significant experience implementing world-class talent attraction, development and retention programs.

Clearly, positive change is underway at Chico's FAS. In less than six months since Ms. Broader's appointment, she has launched a new plan and is executing on it with new team members and multiple initiatives designed to improve how we operate, enhance our brands' growth and reduce costs by between $65 million and $85 million annually. The Company's cost review is ongoing, and we expect to identify additional opportunities for savings and efficiencies.

As we look ahead, we intend to direct capital to further fortify our brands and drive profitable growth.

Continued capital returns to shareholders through quarterly dividends and our share repurchase program will also remain a priority. Since 2010, more than $1.1 billion, or approximately 131% of free cash flow, has been returned to shareholders through quarterly dividends and share repurchases. This is significantly higher than the median of our peers as defined in our 2015 proxy statement, who have returned only 103% of their free cash flow to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases over the same time period. Chico's FAS has returned $398 million, or approximately 302% of free cash flow, to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases since the beginning of 2015.[1]

IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING OUR OPERATIONS, WE ARE PROACTIVELY ENHANCING OUR GOVERNANCE PRACTICES

As we work to improve our operating performance, the Chico's FAS Board has also continued to evaluate how best its governance structure and board composition can drive value.

In this regard, we are pleased to highlight the Board's recommendation "FOR" a Company-sponsored proposal to declassify the Board over a three-year period, such that the entire Board would stand for election at the 2019 Annual Meeting.

We also recently adopted a formal policy limiting directors to service on four public company boards of directors, in addition to the Chico's FAS Board.

These governance enhancements further exemplify our desire to embrace change as we seek to improve all aspects of our business and organization.

AND WE HAVE PROPOSED NEW WORLD-CLASS LEADERS TO BE ADDED TO THE BOARD TO ENSURE WE HAVE THE MOST RELEVANT SKILL SETS AND EXPERTISE TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE OUR STRATEGY

In February 2016, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Chico's FAS Board began a search for new independent directors with the assistance of Herbert Mines Associates. After a thorough review of the field of candidates, the Chico's FAS Board unanimously determined that Ms. Brooks and Mr. Simon have the most current and relevant skill sets and experience to support the Company and the actions being taken to improve performance and drive value.

Ms. Brooks brings more than 30 years of global executive leadership experience in retail and merchandising, including having led three major international department store turnarounds. After previously serving as its President and Chief Executive Officer, she is currently the Vice Chairman of Hudson's Bay Company, which owns and operates Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor ( USA ), Kaufhof ( Germany ), and Hudson's Bay ( Canada ) department stores.

brings more than 30 years of global executive leadership experience in retail and merchandising, including having led three major international department store turnarounds. After previously serving as its President and Chief Executive Officer, she is currently the Vice Chairman of Bay Company, which owns and operates Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor ( ), Kaufhof ( ), and ( ) department stores. Mr. Simon is a seasoned executive with a proven track record leading large, complex global retailers with best-in-class cost structures and premier consumer brands. As the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S., he was responsible for more than $280 billion in revenue and 1.2 million associates. In addition to helping implement one of the best supply chains in retail, Mr. Simon's vision and execution placed Walmart on a path to future growth with the expansion of small format stores and the integration of the digital and physical retail experience.

With the election of Ms. Brooks and Mr. Simon, four of the Company's nine directors, or almost half of the Board, will have been new to the Board in the past three years.

YOUR BOARD DETERMINED THAT BARINGTON'S NOMINEES LACK THE SKILLS AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRESS

As part of its search, the Board also reviewed five director candidates that Barington recommended, two of whom Barington has nominated for election  Jim Mitarotonda and Janet Grove. Based on this review and multiple conversations with the candidates and our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, and Chair of the Board's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board determined that Barington's candidates lack the skills and expertise we believe are most essential for your Company to continue to execute on our strategic plan:

With regard to Ms. Grove, in the course of its review, the Board observed that while Ms. Grove has experience in the retail industry, this experience is five years dated, which is a significant gap in an industry as dynamic as retail. Unlike Ms. Brooks, Ms. Grove also lacks digital and ecommerce expertise, which are essential components of the Company's strategy, and Ms. Grove has never served as a public company Chief Executive Officer. In addition to her significant merchandising and retail expertise, the Board believes Ms. Brooks' experience and insights as a former Chief Executive Officer can be particularly helpful to Ms. Broader in her role as the Company's new Chief Executive Officer.

in the course of its review, the Board observed that while Ms. Grove has experience in the retail industry, this experience is five years dated, which is a significant gap in an industry as dynamic as retail. Unlike Ms. Brooks, Ms. Grove also lacks digital and ecommerce expertise, which are essential components of the Company's strategy, and Ms. Grove has never served as a public company Chief Executive Officer. In addition to her significant merchandising and retail expertise, the Board believes Ms. Brooks' experience and insights as a former Chief Executive Officer can be particularly helpful to Ms. Broader in her role as the Company's new Chief Executive Officer. With regard to Mr. Mitarotonda, the Board determined that much of the experience and skills he offers are represented by current directors and/or Ms. Brooks and Mr. Simon, and that Ms. Brooks' retail, merchandising, and turnaround skills, and Mr. Simon's cost cutting and supply chain expertise, together with their executive leadership experience at other premier retailers, better address the Company's needs and new operating priorities. Further, Mr. Mitarotonda's suggested cost reduction actions are duplicative with efforts already underway, and his traditional bricks and mortar growth strategy conflicts with the realities of the current retail environment and the more disciplined growth plan that the Chico's FAS leadership team is pursuing.

Given these facts and Barington's candidates' lack of relevant expertise, in our view, the Board's nominees are far better positioned to enhance the positive change already underway at Chico's FAS.

PROTECT THE VALUE OF YOUR INVESTMENT 

VOTE THE WHITE PROXY CARD TODAY

The future of Chico's FAS is bright. We are confident that the changes we are making and the actions we are taking will lead to improved performance and enhanced value creation for all Chico's FAS shareholders.

We urge you to protect the value of your investment in Chico's FAS by using the enclosed WHITE proxy card to vote "FOR" each of Chico's FAS' four nominees TODAY by telephone, by Internet, or by signing and dating the WHITE proxy card and returning it in the postage-paid envelope provided.

On behalf of your Board of Directors, we thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

/s/ David. F. Walker

David F. Walker

Chair of the Chico's FAS Board



If you have any questions or require any assistance with voting your shares,

please contact the Company's proxy solicitor listed below: Innisfree M&A Incorporated

501 Madison Ave

New York, NY 10022 Toll-free at (877) 825-8971 (from the U.S. or Canada) or (412) 232-3651 (from other locations)

ABOUT CHICO'S FAS, INC.

The Company, through its brands  Chico's, White House Black Market, and Soma is a leading omni-channel specialty retailer of women's private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories, and other non-clothing items.

As of April 30, 2016, the Company operated 1,517 stores in the US and Canada and sold merchandise through franchise locations in Mexico. The Company's merchandise is also available at www.chicos.com, www.whbm.com, and www.soma.com. For more detailed information on Chico's FAS, Inc., please go to our corporate website at www.chicosfas.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Certain statements contained herein may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect our current views with respect to certain events that could have an effect on our future financial performance, including but without limitation, statements regarding our plans, objectives, and future success of our store concepts, the implementation of our previously announced restructuring program, and implementation of our program to increase the sales volume and profitability of our existing brands through four previously announced focus areas. These statements may address items such as future sales, gross margin expectations, SG&A expectations, operating margin expectations, planned store openings, closings and expansions, future comparable sales, inventory levels, and future cash needs. These statements relate to expectations concerning matters that are not historical fact and may include the words or phrases such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "approximately," "our planning assumptions," "future outlook," and similar expressions. Except for historical information, matters discussed in such oral and written statements are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based largely on information currently available to our management and on our current expectations, assumptions, plans, estimates, judgments and projections about our business and our industry, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those currently anticipated. Although we believe our expectations are based on reasonable estimates and assumptions, they are not guarantees of performance and there are a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors (many of which are outside our control) that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, there is no assurance that our expectations will, in fact, occur or that our estimates or assumptions will be correct, and we caution investors and all others not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, conditions in the specialty retail industry, the availability of quality store sites, the ability to successfully execute our business strategies, the ability to achieve the results of our restructuring program, the ability to achieve the results of our four focus areas, the integration of our new management team, and those described in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and in the "Forward-Looking Statements" disclosure in Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Form 10-K. There can be no assurance that the actual future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur. Investors using forward-looking statements are encouraged to review the Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K, its filings on Form 10-Q, management's discussion and analysis in the Company's latest annual report to stockholders, the Company's filings on Form 8-K, and other federal securities law filings for a description of other important factors that may affect the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. All written or oral forward-looking statements that are made or attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.

Additional Information

Chico's FAS, its directors and certain of its executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from Company shareholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the Company's 2016 Annual Meeting. The Company has filed a definitive proxy statement and WHITE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with any such solicitation of proxies from Company shareholders. COMPANY SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Information regarding the identity of the participants, and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the proxy statement and other materials filed with the SEC. Shareholders will be able to obtain any proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC for no charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies are also available at no charge at the Company's website at www.chicosfas.com, by writing to Chico's FAS at 11215 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33966, or by calling the Company's proxy solicitor, Innisfree, toll-free at (877) 825-8971.

Contacts:

Investors:

Jennifer Powers

Vice President - Investor Relations

Chico's FAS, Inc.

(239) 346-4199

Arthur B. Crozier / Jennifer M. Shotwell / Jonathan E. Salzberger

Innisfree M&A Incorporated

(212) 750-5833

Media:

Barrett Golden / Leigh Parrish / Joseph Sala

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

(212) 355-4449

[1] Capital returned includes dividends and share repurchases, which are calculated gross of withholding tax for comparability with peers; free cash flow is calculated as cash flow from operations, less capital expenditures.

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SOURCE Chico's FAS, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chicos.com


CHICAGO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a report released today by A.T. Kearney, China, one of the most dynamic retail markets in the world, is ranked as the top country in the 2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), titled "Global Retail Expansion at a Crossroads." India's high market potential, fast growth, improved regulatory environment, and ease of doing business pulled it up to second in the rankings.

The 2016 GRDI marks the 15th annual edition of the report. During the past 15 years, developing markets have seen tremendous growth both in terms of population, which has grown 21 percent to 6.2 billion, and in terms of retail sales, which have increased 350 percent in developing countries and now represent more than half of total global retail sales.

The GRDI ranks the top 30 developing countries for retail investment worldwide (see chart below). The Index analyzes 25 macroeconomic and retail-specific variables to help retailers devise successful global strategies to identify emerging market investment opportunities. The study is unique in that it not only identifies the markets that are most attractive today, but also those that offer future potential.

Hana Ben-Shabat, A.T. Kearney partner and co-author of the study, commented, "Despite China's slowing economic growth, the GRDI's top-ranked country remains one of the most attractive global retail markets. The economy is gradually shifting from an investment-driven model to one driven by consumer consumption. The growing middle class coupled with strong demand from inland and lower-tier cities and the loosening of the one-child policy will continue to drive growth over the next 10 years."

Mike Moriarty, A.T. Kearney partner and co-author of the study, said, "India's high ranking is driven by GDP growth, improved ease of doing business, and better clarity regarding FDI regulations. India is now the world's fastest-growing major economy, overtaking China, and retail demand is being fueled by urbanization, an expanding middle class, and more women entering the workforce."

GRDI Regional Results

(The full GRDI report includes detailed commentary for each one of the 30 countries ranked in the Index.)

Asia

Overall, Asia is a regional winner in 2016, with four of the top five countries in the IndexChina (#1), India (#2), Malaysia (#3), and Indonesia (#5) due to a combination of large populations and high growth.

The official launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which created a $2.6 trillion market with a population of more than 622 million, is an important milestone, although implementation will be a long process. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), if ratified, could boost GDP in several Asian countries, including Vietnam (#11) and Malaysia (#3).

E-commerce continues to grow in Asia, rising 35.7 percent in 2015 to reach $878 billion. Asia is now not only the largest e-commerce market, but it also holds a majority share of global online sales (52.5 percent).

Central Asia and Eastern Europe

Economic growth flattened and currencies devalued in this region, creating struggles for mass-market retailers and leading grocery retailers to focus on smaller formats. Turkey (#6) rises into the top 10 of the GRDI thanks to solid growth and a young and urban population, but rising unemployment, limited disposable income, and recent security challenges are threatening its broader retail development.

Despite the plunge in oil prices, Azerbaijan (#10) has remained a luxury hot spot behind its fast-growing tourism sector. In Russia (#22), the turmoil continues, but a weak ruble has boosted some sectors, particularly luxury.

Middle East and North Africa

The MENA region retail market has generally fared well in this year's index, with two of the large Gulf economies ranked among the top 10 most attractive retail markets in the world, and Egypt (#30) opening up as an opportunity for retail investments. Despite challenges in the United Arab Emirates (#7), where tourism has slowed and the market is reaching maturity, and Saudi Arabia (#8), which is reeling from depressed oil prices, absolute retail sales still grew over the past year. With the expected stabilization of Egypt in the medium term, the market offers access to a large and still relatively fragmented retail market. Many strong local retail champions have moderate expansion plans in the region, but foreign players are becoming a little more reticent about adding stores.

Latin America

Although Latin America has fewer countries at the top of the ranking this year, the region remains a vibrant and exciting retail investment opportunity. Mexico and Chile have graduated from the GRDI due to market saturation. Peru (#9) moves into the top 10 behind free trade stimulus and steady growth, as retailers expand to emerging neighborhoods and secondary cities. Brazil's (#20) position continues to drop as the recently booming market suffers the impact of increasingly eroding political and economic conditions.

Retailers are adapting by adjusting store formats in large cities, investing in promotions, and seeking out relatively untapped markets with steady GDP growth, such as Paraguay (#25) and the Dominican Republic (#17).

Sub-Saharan Africa

The region's massive potential is reflected in the six Sub-Saharan African countries ranked in this year's GRDI. Opportunities for retailers continue to open up as household incomes rise, countries become urbanized, and the rising middle class embraces organized retail and demands more and better services. However, informal trade still dominates and expanding into the region remains far from easy.

Retailers experience different levels of success in different markets. Nigeria (#19) has a population of 180 million people, but with a challenging business environment and a deeply rooted informal trade market it remains a high risk, high reward bet. South Africa (#27) is big and highly urbanized, but it also has strong local players and a saturated market.

To read the full 2016 GRDI report, please go to www.atkearney.com/consumer-products-retail/global-retail-development-index

2016 Global Retail Development Index Ranking Country 2016 Rank China 1 India 2 Malaysia 3 Kazakhstan 4 Indonesia 5 Turkey 6 United Arab Emirates 7 Saudi Arabia 8 Peru 9 Azerbaijan 10 Viet Nam 11 Sri Lanka 12 Jordan 13 Morocco 14 Colombia 15 Philippines 16 Dominican Republic 17 Algeria 18 Nigeria 19 Brazil 20 Cote d'Ivoire 21 Russia 22 Zambia 23 Romania 24 Paraguay 25 Tunisia 26 South Africa 27 Ghana 28 Kenya 29 Egypt 30

About A.T. Kearney

A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world's foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit www.atkearney.com.

About the A.T. Kearney Global Consumer Institute

The A.T. Kearney Global Consumer Institute is a worldwide network of professionals and executives. The Institute combines proprietary and public data resources with local knowledge to deliver strategic and operational insights to executives in consumer-facing industries seeking long-term growth and competitive advantage. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Contact: Meir Kahtan

Meir Kahtan PR

Phone: +1 212 575 8188

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE A.T. Kearney

Related Links

http://www.atkearney.com


LUXEMBOURG, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ContourGlobal Power Holdings S.A. (the "Issuer") today announced that it has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for any and all of its outstanding 7.125% senior secured notes due 2019 (the "Notes").

The Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, June 14, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated (such time, as may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Holders who validly tender the Notes prior to the Expiration Time will be eligible to receive $1,037.51 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes, plus any accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the settlement date.

Tendered Notes may be withdrawn at any time on or prior to the Expiration Time. Completion of the Tender Offer is subject to certain market and other conditions, including the consummation of one or more debt financing transactions. Settlement of the Tender Offer will occur promptly after the Expiration Time, unless earlier terminated, which is expected to be June 17, 2016.

The Issuer intends to deliver a notice of redemption in order to redeem any Notes outstanding following the consummation of the Tender Offer.

The complete terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are described in the Offer to Purchase, dated June 6, 2016, and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, copies of which may be obtained from Lucid Issuer Services Limited, the tender and information agent for the Tender Offer, at http://library.lucid-is.com/contourglobal or Attn: Paul Kamminga, +44 (0)20 7704 0880, [email protected].

The Issuer has retained Goldman Sachs International to serve as the dealer manager for the Tender Offer. Questions regarding the tender offer may be directed to Goldman Sachs International at Attn: Liability Management Group, +44 (0)20 7774 9862, +1 (800) 828-3182 (toll-free), +1 (212) 902-6941 (collect).

None of the Issuer, the dealer manager, the trustee for the Notes or the tender and information agent make any recommendations as to whether holders should tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer, and no one has been authorized by any of them to make such recommendations. Holders must make their own decisions as to whether to tender their Notes, and, if so, the principal amount of Notes to tender.

This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell the Notes or any other securities, nor shall there be any purchase of the Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or purchase would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The tender offer is being made solely pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, dated June 6, 2016, and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, which set forth the complete terms of the tender offer. Any offers of concurrently offered securities will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum.

About ContourGlobal

The Issuer is a finance subsidiary wholly-owned by ContourGlobal L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "ContourGlobal"). ContourGlobal is a premier developer and operator of wholesale electric power generation businesses in 20 countries worldwide.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The Issuer undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, including, without limitation, changes in ContourGlobal's business or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE ContourGlobal

Related Links

http://www.contourglobal.com


LONGMONT, Colo., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc., recognized as a Denver Post Top 100 Workplace since 2013, is pleased to announce an Open House celebrating the company's recent growth in Boulder County. The Longmont office, located at 916 S. Main Street in Suites 203 and 208, will host the Open House on Thursday, June 16 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

The Longmont office is home to dedicated mortgage professionals who offer more than 100 years of combined industry experience. Thirty-year mortgage veteran Kerrin Reichen manages the Sales Division, which currently consists of Mortgage Loan Officers Laura Phillips, Mark Powell, and Susan Davis. Jeanette Garcia, who also has over 30 years of experience, manages the Builder/Operations Division. Her team is made up of six talented operations staff members.

With offices in Northern Colorado, the Western Slope, Southern Colorado, and several other Western States, Cornerstone's expansion continues as more offices are expected to open throughout the region.

"At Cornerstone, our mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of others," says Gene Humphries, Division President for Cornerstone Home Lending. "We're grateful for the continued opportunity to pursue our purpose and help support homeownership in communities like Longmont."

ABOUT CORNERSTONE HOME LENDING, INC.

Founded in 1988 by Chairman Marc Laird and Chief Operating Officer Judy Belanger, Houston-based Cornerstone Home Lending (Company NMLS 2258) is a refreshingly unique national home lender with thousands of highly-satisfied clients who return year after year, loan after loan. In 2010, Cornerstone celebrated the grand opening of its Mountain West Region headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado. Since then, the Mountain West Region has quickly grown from 50 employees to more than 300 employees, and continues to expand throughout Colorado and other states including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska.

To learn more about Cornerstone Home Lending's Mountain West Region, please visit www.houseloan.com/mountainwest.

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SOURCE Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.houseloan.com


NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

On June 1, 2016 , Credit Suisse declared coupon payments for the following ETNs: Credit Suisse X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSE Arca: AMJL) Credit Suisse X-Links Multi-Asset High Income ETN (NYSE Arca: MLTI)

, Credit Suisse declared coupon payments for the following ETNs: On June 6, 2016 , Credit Suisse announced expected coupon payments for the following ETNs: Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (NASDAQ: GLDI) Credit Suisse X-Links Silver Shares Covered Call ETN (NASDAQ: SLVO)

, Credit Suisse announced expected coupon payments for the following ETNs: Summary coupon information is provided below.

Declared Coupon Payments

ETN Ticker ETN Name Closing Indicative Value on 5/31/16 Ex-Date Record Date Payment Date Coupon Amount Coupon Frequency Current Yield1 AMJL Credit Suisse

X-Links Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN $24.9912 6/9/16 6/13/16 6/21/16 $0.00 Monthly 0.00%2 MLTI Credit Suisse X-Links

Multi-Asset High Income ETN $26.5146 6/9/16 6/13/16 6/21/16 $0.0965 Monthly 6.44%3

Expected Coupon Payments

ETN Ticker ETN Name Closing Indicative Value on 5/31/16 Ex-Date Record Date Payment Date Expected

Coupon Amount4 Coupon Frequency Expected Current Yield5 GLDI Credit Suisse X-Links

Gold Shares Covered Call ETN $10.2245 6/20/16 6/22/16 6/27/16 $0.1176 Monthly 16.85% SLVO Credit Suisse

X-Links

Silver Shares

Covered Call

ETN $9.4877 6/20/16 6/22/16 6/27/16 $0.1215 Monthly 14.08%

For each ETN, the Current Yield equals the Coupon Amount annualized and divided by the Closing Indicative Value, as discussed in more detail below. The Current Yield is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on the ETNs. You are not guaranteed any coupon payment or distribution under the ETNs. Coupon payments for the ETNs (if any) are variable and do not represent fixed, periodic interest payments. The Coupon Amount may vary significantly from coupon period to coupon period and may be zero. Any payment on the ETNs is subject to Credit Suisse's ability to pay its obligations as they become due. Accordingly, the Current Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant. For more information regarding any ETN's coupon payments, please refer to such ETN's pricing supplement. The ETN launched on May 17, 2016 . The Current Yield for the ETN equals the Coupon Amount, multiplied by twelve (to annualize such amount), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. The Current Yield for the ETN equals the sum of (i) the Coupon Amount plus (ii) the amount of the ETN's two most recent coupon payments, multiplied by four (to annualize such amounts), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. On May 16, 2016 , the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Gold FLOWS 103 Index and the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Silver FLOWS 106 Index (the "Indices") concluded the notional sale of options on GLD shares and SLV shares with June 2016 expiration. We expect that the notional cash distribution generated by this sale of options will be withdrawn from the Indices on June 13, 2016 , subject to adjustment in the event of any market disruption events. Assuming no redemption or acceleration of GLDI and SLVO, and that the notional cash distribution is withdrawn from the Indices on June 13, 2016 , we expect to declare a Coupon Amount for GLDI and SLVO, respectively, equal to the corresponding Expected Coupon Amount. The Expected Coupon Amount is subject to change upon the occurrence of a disruption event or other unforeseen circumstances. For each ETN, the Expected Current Yield equals the Expected Coupon Amount annualized and divided by the Closing Indicative Value, as discussed in more detail below. The Expected Current Yield is not indicative of future coupon payments, if any, on the ETNs. You are not guaranteed any coupon payment or distribution under the ETNs Coupon payments for the ETNs (if any) are variable and do not represent fixed, periodic interest payments. The Expected Coupon Amount may vary significantly from coupon period to coupon period and may be zero. Any payment on the ETNs is subject to Credit Suisse's ability to pay its obligations as they become due. Accordingly, the Expected Current Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant. For more information regarding any ETN's coupon payments, please refer to such ETN's pricing supplement. For each ETN, the Expected Current Yield equals the sum of (i) the Expected Coupon Amount plus (ii) the amount of the ETN's two most recent coupon payments, multiplied by four (to annualize such amounts), divided by the Closing Indicative Value, and rounded to two decimal places for ease of analysis. The Expected Current Yield is subject to change upon the occurrence of a disruption event or other unforeseen circumstances.

The ETNs may not be suitable for all investors and should be purchased only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of investing in the ETNs. The ETNs are subject to the credit risk of Credit Suisse. You may receive less, and possibly significantly less, than the principal amount of your investment at maturity or upon repurchase or sale. Coupon payments on the ETNs will vary and could be zero. There is no actual portfolio of assets in which any investor in the ETNs has any ownership or other interest. Investors in the ETNs do not have voting rights, distribution rights or other rights with respect to the assets included in the tracked indices. An investment in the ETNs involves significant risks. For further information regarding risks, please see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the applicable pricing supplement.

Credit Suisse AG

Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies (referred to here as 'Credit Suisse'). As an integrated bank, Credit Suisse offers clients its combined expertise in the areas of private banking, investment banking and asset management. Credit Suisse provides advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as to retail clients in Switzerland. Credit Suisse is headquartered in Zurich and operates in over 50 countries worldwide. The group employs approximately 47,760 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse's parent company, Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.

Credit Suisse has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, for the offering to which this press release relates. Before you invest, you should read the applicable Pricing Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015 and the Prospectus dated May 4, 2015 that Credit Suisse has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Credit Suisse and this offering. You may obtain these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or clicking the hyperlinks below:

AMJL:

Pricing Supplement dated May 17, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015:

https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=AMJL

MLTI:

Pricing Supplement dated September 29, 2015, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015:

https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=MLTI

GLDI:

Pricing Supplement dated April 14, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015:

https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=GLDI

SLVO:

Pricing Supplement dated April 14, 2016, including the Prospectus Supplement dated May 4, 2015, and Prospectus dated May 4, 2015:

https://notes.credit-suisse.com/csfbnoteslogin/etn/prospectus.asp?Ticker=SLVO

Alternatively, Credit Suisse, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC or any agent or any dealer participating in this offering will arrange to send you the applicable pricing supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus if you so request by calling 1-800-320-1225.

This document was produced by and the opinions expressed are those of Credit Suisse as of the date of writing and are subject to change.

Copyright  2016, CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Credit Suisse AG

Related Links

http://www.credit-suisse.com


Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors, to attend a virtual event

TOKYO, Japan, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (JP: 4568.T, OTC Pink: DSNKY) based in Tokyo, Japan and focused on pharmaceutical business, today announced that Senior Director, IR group, Mr. Junichi Onuma will present at the dbVIC - Deutsche Bank American Depositary Receipt (ADR) Virtual Investor Conference on June 9th. This virtual investor conference is aimed exclusively at introducing global companies with ADR programs to US investors.

DATE: June 9th, 2016

TIME: 9.00am ET

LINK: www.adr.db.com/dbvic

This will be a live online event where investors in the US are invited to ask international companies their questions and to download a company's information in their "virtual trade booth" in the Exhibits section. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an on-demand archive will be available for 90 days.

Participation is free of charge.

It is recommended that investors pre-register to save time and receive event updates.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 16,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to its strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension, dyslipidemia, bacterial infections, and thrombotic disorders, the Group's research and development is focused on bringing forth novel therapies in cardiovascular-metabolic diseases, pain management, and oncology, including biologics. For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com.

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.daiichisankyo.com


NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OnDeck (NYSE:ONDK), the leader in online lending for small business, announced today that Daniel S. Henson was elected to its Board of Directors effective June 2, 2016. Mr. Henson brings nearly 30 years of experience from General Electric Company (GE), where he held a variety of senior positions at GE and General Electric Capital Corporation, Inc. (GE Capital), including Chief Marketing Officer of GE and CEO of a number of GE Capital's commercial lending businesses in North America and overseas.

"We are delighted to have Dan Henson join OnDeck's Board of Directors," said Noah Breslow, Chief Executive Officer, OnDeck. "Dan ran one of the largest commercial lending operations in the U.S. and his deep experience in strategic growth initiatives, process excellence and risk management will be a tremendous asset for OnDeck as we continue providing small businesses in the U.S., Canada and Australia with the capital they need to succeed."

Mr. Henson most recently served as an officer of GE and Executive Vice President of GE Capital, where he led all commercial lending and leasing businesses in North America. He also provided oversight for the Enterprise Risk Committee of GE Capital's North American lending and leasing units, oversaw capital markets activities and successfully managed GE Capital's lending and leasing business through the 2008 financial crisis. He retired from GE and GE Capital in March 2016.

"As the largest online small business lender, OnDeck has transformed how business owners access capital," said Henson. "I am excited to join the Board and utilize my commercial lending and capital markets experience to help OnDeck continue to grow in a responsible and customer-centric manner."

Mr. Henson's appointment as a director is for an initial term extending until the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders.

About OnDeck

OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the Company has powered Main Street's growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck's proprietary credit scoring system - the OnDeck Score - leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry's widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the Company has deployed over $4 billion to more than 50,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website www.businessloans.com. For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com.

OnDeck, the OnDeck logo and OnDeck Score are trademarks of On Deck Capital, Inc.

Media Contact:

Miranda Eifler

917.677.7112

[email protected]



Investor Contact:

Kathryn Harmon Miller

646.558.7860

[email protected]

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SOURCE On Deck Capital, Inc.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diatherix Laboratories, LLC, a leading provider of multiplex diagnostic services and solutions, has become a designated supplier of laboratory services for Prime PPO, a preferred provider organization of Prime Health Services, Inc.

Prime Health Services is one of the largest and fastest-growing national PPOs and medical cost containment companies in America. With more than 6 million covered lives, Prime PPO has a nationwide network of more than 700,000 providers.

"Our company's services bring considerable value to managed care organizations and the physicians and providers who care for their members," said Dennis Grimaud, CEO of Diatherix Laboratories. "We are pleased to provide our specialized services to Prime Health's extensive and diverse solutions nationwide."

Diatherix offers patients and physicians access to highly complex testing methods that assist in more timely and accurate diagnoses of infectious diseases.

"Prime Health Services specializes in quality PPO network development and is uniquely positioned to offer the largest directly contracted network of providers to our clients," said Todd Hurt, Vice President of Provider Contracting, of Prime Health Services. "Relationships with laboratories such as Diatherix provide our physicians and clients with access to new technologies that help reduce time to diagnosis and improve patient care. We bring the best possible solution to the industry and the best possible care to patients, all while lowering the overall cost of medical care."

ABOUT DIATHERIX

Diatherix Laboratories, LLC, is located in the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. Diatherix operates as an independent, high complexity, CAP-accredited clinical laboratory providing advanced multiplex molecular diagnostic services to assist healthcare providers in the simultaneous detection of bacteria, viruses, parasites, Candida and antibiotic resistance related to infectious diseases  providing one-day results and single-sample collection. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.diatherix.com.

ABOUT PRIME HEALTH SERVICES

Prime Health Services, Inc. is a leading national managed care company whose mission is to reduce unnecessary health care costs through a variety of functions of health insurance, delivery of care, and administration, including our noteworthy primary Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Network that is customizable for each client's needs. The Prime Health Services PPO (PrimePPO) Network includes workers' compensation, commercial group health, auto liability, corrections, and Medicare Advantage focused networks. Over 700,000 nationwide providers and facilities make up the PrimePPO Network, which is available to the insurance carrier, third party administrator (TPA), self-insured, governmental, and captive entities. More information is available at www.primehealthservices.com or by calling 866-348-3887. Connect with Prime Health on Twitter (@PrimePPO), Facebook (@PrimeHealthServices), LinkedIn (/company/Prime-Health), and Google+ (+PrimeHealthServices).

Media Contact: Rosemary Plorin

Lovell Communications [email protected]

615.297.7766

SOURCE Diatherix Laboratories, LLC

Related Links

http://www.diatherix.com/


LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The #DMWF team are excited to be hosting the third of their high-level digital and social marketing conferences of the year, which is being held in London, 20th - 21st June 2016!

Organised by the team that brought you #SMWF - Social Media World Forum - #DMWF has evolved from this to include a wider scope of digital marketing topics. It is a global digital and social marketing conference series which brings together the worldwide digital marketing community to tackle the challenges that the digital future presents.

The digital marketing agenda includes case-study led content, interactive debates and structured innovation labs. The conference programme features a wide array of expertise in the keynote track, examining topics including:

Content marketing

Customer experience

Data marketing

Social media marketing

Digital commerce and more

Just to give you a little glimpse of the high-calibre speakers that will be at #DMWF London, please see below:

Antonia McCahon , Global Head of Digital Acceleration, Pernod Richard

, Global Head of Digital Acceleration, Pernod Richard Mark Adams , Senior Vice President & Head of Innovation, VICE Media

, Senior Vice President & Head of Innovation, VICE Media Mario Bosaz , Global Senior Digital Director, Coca-Cola

, Global Senior Digital Director, Coca-Cola Bian Salins , Head of Social - Digital, TSB Bank

, Head of Social - Digital, TSB Bank Georgina Goode , Group Head of Engagement & Social Media, Government Digital Service

, Group Head of Engagement & Social Media, Government Digital Service Kai Gait , Senior Global Digital Director, GSK

, Senior Global Digital Director, GSK Selena Gabat , Director Social Media, Sky Deutschland

, Director Social Media, Sky Deutschland Paul Gill , Head of Digital Engagement, Oxfam

, Head of Digital Engagement, Oxfam Richard Shilton , Head of Social Media, Virgin Trains

, Head of Social Media, Virgin Trains Alex Alying, Head of BBC Worldwide Digital Studios, BBC

#DMWF are also hosting events in:

New York: 19th - 20th October 2016

Dubai: 5th - 6th December 2016

For more information on #DMWF 2016, including details of how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, please visit http://www.digitalmarketing-conference.com/london. You can also see a full list of speakers.

Notes to editors:

#DMWF is part of an international event series owned and organised by Six Degrees Events.



Contacts

Matt Jakubiec

+44(0)117-973-23-53

[email protected]



SOURCE DMWF
FLINT, Mich., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO) announced today that it is launching a month-long campaign to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day and the people touched by the disease. The company also released a video highlighting one of their own patients' personal stories and her experience with acute myeloid leukemia.

Meet Mallory: Facing Cancer as a Diplomat Patient

"Mallory's story is a window into the life of a Diplomat patient," said Diplomat chairman and CEO Phil Hagerman. "Our work is about helping people like Mallory and her family, in the hopes that one day they, too, will celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day."

Cancer treatments can be complex, and patients need coordinated care to guide them through the process. Diplomat's oncology program connects the entire health care team, providing expertise and personal support throughout the patient's therapy.

Sunday, June 5 is National Cancer Survivors Day, an annual celebration of life recognized in hundreds of communities across the nation. On June 7, Diplomat will focus on the disease in its first online "Diplomat Dialogue," the launch to a series of live conversations planned between patients and health care professionals. Each "Diplomat Dialogue" will explore the triumphs and struggles faced along the patient's treatment journey.

To learn more about Diplomat, visit www.diplomat.is.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events or our future financial or operating performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's good-faith belief and reasonable judgment based on current information. These statements are qualified by important risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forecasted or indicated by such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, you should review Diplomat's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including "Risk Factors" in Diplomat's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by any applicable laws, Diplomat assumes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date hereof or the earlier date specified herein, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

About Diplomat

Diplomat (NYSE: DPLO) serves patients and physicians in all 50 states. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the company focuses on medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, specialized infusion therapy and many other serious or long-term conditions. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients, and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continuesalways focused on improving patient care and clinical adherence. For more information visit www.diplomat.is. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.

CONTACT:

Kali Lucas, Public Relations Coordinator

810.768.9580 | [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140928/148820

SOURCE Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.diplomat.is


PHILADELPHIA, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

'No Wrong Door' System Offers Better Way to Navigate Access to Long-Term Services and Support

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, in collaboration with the Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC/CL) at the University of Minnesota's Institute for Community Integration, today announced that its new Person-Centered Counseling Training courses are available to purchase. These courses were created after DirectCourse was selected by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to develop and provide content for a newly-developed Person-Centered Counseling (PCC) Training Program pilot designed for systems navigators working in the No Wrong Door (NWD) System.

The PCC Training Program launched January 4, 2016, in 12 pilot states and the District of Columbia. It is available for purchase to any state seeking to provide training to systems navigators of the No Wrong Door System. The NWD Person Centered Counseling Training Program content is authored jointly by the RTC/CL, the University of California, San Francisco and Support Development Associates (SDA).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Community Living has selected Elsevier and the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota to develop and provide this new content as part of DirectCourse, an online training curriculum designed for the workforce that supports people with disabilities.

"The commitment to person-centered community-based services translates well into education for NWD professionals as they assist individuals in finding community-based long term services," said Amy Hewitt, Director, RTC/CL. "It can be challenging for people seeking services to determine which agency to access for long term care services. Now, service coordinators across all state agencies can work with a common set of person-centered skills and knowledge of services in the community to make the appropriate referrals."

The PCC Training Program is comprised of six online courses developed by the RTC/CL and the University of California, San Francisco and one in-person course developed by Support Development Associates (SDA) that will train support coordinators within participating states on the four key functions of a state's No Wrong Door System, including:

Public outreach and coordination with key referral sources

Person-centered counseling that helps make sense of a fragmented system and facilitates the best informed choices by those seeking services

Streamlined access to public long-term services and support (LTSS)

State governance and administration (data-driven decisions)

"Elsevier and the RTC/CL is proud that DirectCourse is working so closely with ACL on this important project and excited to play a significant role in a program that establishes national training for the No Wrong Door System person-centered counselors," said Barbara Cullen, Vice President, Strategy and Product Development at Elsevier. "No Wrong Door is creating a paradigm shift in terms of how agencies and organizations collaborate to successfully implement a LTSS access system."

The eight Part A States that initially were awarded grants to participate in the No Wrong Door System pilot include: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington. Since that time, an additional four states have been included, along with the District of Columbia: Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii and Virginia.

For more information about these new courses, including how to purchase, visit the DirectCourse website at http://www.directcourseonline.com/pcc.

About the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota

The Research and Training Center on Community Living provides research, evaluation, training, technical assistance and dissemination to support the aspirations of persons with developmental disabilities to live full, productive and integrated lives in their communities.

About the Administration for Community Living

The Administration for Community Living was created based on a commitment to one fundamental principle-that people with disabilities and older adults should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose and fully participate in their communities. A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACL works with other federal agencies, states, tribes, academic and research institutions, and local community networks to ensure access to needed community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health and technology professionals; empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

Christopher Capot

Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier

+1 917 704 5174

[email protected]



SOURCE Elsevier
PUNE, India, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market by Product (Pacemakers, Cochlear Implants, Spinal Cord Stimulators), by Type of Device (Implantable, Non-Invasive), by Application (Arrhythmia, Depression, Migraine), by End User (Hospitals) - Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, This report studies the global market for the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. This market is expected to reach USD 25.20 Billion by 2021 from USD 17.20 Billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 7.9%.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 144 market data Tables and 50 Figures spread through 218 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/electroceutical-market-222053956.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

A number of factors such as rising geriatric population, regulatory approval for new and advanced electroceuticals, growing investments and funds for the development of novel therapies and electroceuticals, rising prevalence of neurological disorders, and growing prevalence of hearing loss are expected to drive the growth of the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market during the forecast period.

In this report, the global Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is segmented on the basis of product, type of device, application, end user, and region.

Talk To Our Research Experts:

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=222053956

Based on product, the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is categorized into implantable cardioverter defibrillators, cardiac pacemakers, spinal cord stimulators, cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, sacral nerve stimulators, retinal implants, and other electrical stimulators (gastric electrical stimulators, transcranial magnetic stimulators, and respiratory electrical stimulators). The implantable cardioverter defibrillators segment is expected to account for the largest share of the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market in 2016. However, the retinal implants segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on type of device, the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is segmented into implantable electroceutical devices, and non-invasive electroceutical devices. The implantable electroceutical devices segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2016; while, the non-invasive electroceutical devices segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period.

Based on application, the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is segmented into product wise such as cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (used for arrhythmia), cochlear implants (used for sensorineural hearing loss), retinal implants (used for retinal pigmentosa), spinal cord stimulators (used for chronic pain, failed back surgery, and ischemia), deep brain stimulators (used for Parkinsons disease, tremors, depression, and others), sacral nerve stimulators (used for urine incontinence and fecal incontinence), vagus nerve stimulators (used for epilepsy and other conditions), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators (used for treatment-resistant depression and others), and other electric stimulators (used for gastro paresis, obesity, depression, migraine headaches, and spinal cord injuries).

On the basis of end user, the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is segmented into hospitals, research institutes, and individual users. The hospitals segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2016; while, the individual users segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period.

Geographically, the global Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (Latin America, Middle East, and Africa). North America is expected to account for the largest share of the Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market in 2016, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The Asia-Pacific market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR, and serves as a revenue pocket for companies offering electroceuticals/bioelectric medicine devices.

Prominent players in the global Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market include Medtronic plc (Ireland), St. Jude Medical, Inc. (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Cochlear Limited (Australia), Sonova Holding AG (Switzerland), LivaNova PLC (U.K.), Biotronik (Germany), Nevro Corporation (U.S.), Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (U.S.), and ElectroCore LLC (U.S.).

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.



Contact:

Mr. Rohan

Unit No. 802, 8th Floor,

Tower - 7, Magarpatta City SEZ,

Hadapsar, Pune - 411013,

Maharashtra, India.

Tel: +1-888-6006-441.

Email: [email protected]

Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://mnmblog.org/market-research/healthcare/medical-devices

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets



SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
HOPKINTON, Mass., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights:

EMC special meeting of its shareholders to be held on July 19, 2016

Close of business on May 13, 2016 announced as the record date for the special meeting

announced as the record date for the special meeting Shareholders planning to attend must pre-register no later than July 12, 2016

The transaction is on schedule under the original timetable and the original terms

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) announced today that a special meeting of its shareholders will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on July 19, 2016 at EMC's facility at 176 South Street, Hopkinton, Massachusetts. At the special meeting, shareholders will be asked to take actions to approve the merger agreement among Denali Holding Inc., Dell Inc., Universal Acquisition Co., and EMC.

The EMC board of directors has fixed the close of business on May 13, 2016 as the record date for the special meeting. Only holders of record of EMC common stock as of the record date are entitled to attend and vote at the special meeting. Shareholders planning to attend must pre-register no later than July 12, 2016, by visiting www.emc.com/specialmeeting and completing the registration form.

As announced on Oct. 12, 2015, the combination of Dell and EMC will create the world's largest privately-controlled, integrated technology company. The transaction is on schedule under the original timetable and the original terms. The combined company will be a leader in the extremely attractive high-growth areas of the $2 trillion information technology market with complementary product portfolios, sales teams and R&D investment strategies.

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset  information  in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

Disclosure Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking information about EMC Corporation and the proposed transaction that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) the failure to obtain the approval of EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction; (ii) the failure to consummate or delay in consummating the proposed transaction for other reasons; (iii) the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or that required financing for the proposed transaction may not be available or may be delayed; (iv) the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is delayed, is not obtained, or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; (v) risk as to the trading price of Class V Common Stock to be issued by Denali Holding Inc. in the proposed transaction relative to the trading price of shares of VMware, Inc.'s common stock; (vi) the effect of the proposed transaction on VMware's business and operating results and impact on the trading price of shares of Class V Common Stock of Denali Holding Inc. and shares of VMware common stock; (vii) the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; (viii) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ix) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (x) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (xi) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (xii) component and product quality and availability; (xiii) fluctuations in VMware's operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware common stock; (xiv) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (xv) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (xvi) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xvii) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xviii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centers or networks; (xix) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xx) war or acts of terrorism; and (xxi) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC Corporation's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Except to the extent otherwise required by federal securities law, EMC Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this communication.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication is being made in respect of the proposed business combination transaction between EMC Corporation and Denali Holding Inc. The proposed transaction will be submitted to the shareholders of EMC Corporation for their consideration. In connection with the issuance of Class V Common Stock of Denali Holding Inc. in the proposed transaction, Denali Holding Inc. has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-208524) that includes a proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction. The registration statement has been declared effective by the SEC, and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus is being mailed on or about June 10, 2016, to each EMC Corporation shareholder entitled to vote at the special meeting in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TRANSACTION FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors may obtain copies of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and all other documents filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction, free of charge, at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). Investors may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from EMC Corporation's website (http://www.EMC.com) under the link "Investor Relations" and then under the tab "Financials" then "SEC Filings", or by directing a request to: EMC Corporation, 176 South Street, Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 01748, Attn: Investor Relations, 866-362-6973.

Participants in the Solicitation

EMC Corporation and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction and a description of their direct and indirect interest, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. You can find information about EMC Corporation's executive officers and directors in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 1, 2016 and in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2016, and the amendment thereto on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on March 11, 2016. You can obtain free copies of these documents at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). You can also obtain free copies of these documents from EMC Corporation using the contact information above.

SOURCE EMC Corporation

Related Links

http://www.emc.com


NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Experiential marketing has emerged as an incredibly effective platform for creating and distributing content between brands and consumers, according to the fifth-annual EventTrack study, fielded by The Event Marketing Institute and leading experiential marketing agency Mosaic, unveiled this week.

Findings include:

More than half of marketers (51%) plan to invest more in experiential content this year.

98% of consumers capture content at live events, and 100% of those who capture content share it across their social media networks.

Marketers are putting more emphasis on cultivating consumer-created content than their own brand-created content. And almost a third (32%) use content from live events as content for their traditional above-the-line media campaigns.

More than three-quarters (77%) of brands use content from live events and experiences across their social networks. And 83% of consumers share content from events up to 15 timessome 47% of them would prefer to share content they capture versus content fed to them by a brand.

"Using live experiences to create content for the rest of the marketing mix is one of the fastest-growing trends in the world," says Mosaic President Jeff Stelmach. "Experiential marketing has become the modern CMO's content factory. And consumers themselves are, more and more, creating, capturing, distributing content across their own social networks."

Growth of experiential marketing, the use of live events such as sponsorships, mobile tours, street marketing, pop-up stores, in-store experiences, sampling, proprietary events, mall tours, trade shows, b-to-b meetings, p.r. events and street stunts, continues to outpace growth among other marketing channels such as advertising, promotion and emarketing. "Using content from experiences across the marketing mix is adding to the growth of experiential marketing," says Event Marketing Institute Group Editor Jessica Heasley. "And as consumers themselves continue to create and share content from experiences, the trend is only expected to heat up."

EventTrack is the largest annual research fielded on event and experiential marketing. Hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and upwards of 1,000 consumers participated in this year's study, created and fielded by The Event Marketing Institute and top experiential marketing agency Mosaic. Unique to EventTrack is its "Split Ecosystem" format. Each year EventTrack focuses on a specific trend to exploreseparate surveys to marketers and consumers dive deep into the use of that trend by marketers and its acceptance and reaction among consumers.

The EventTrack 2016 executive summary and a collection of the report's top charts are available to the press at HERE.

ABOUT THE EVENT MARKETING INSTITUTE

The Event Marketing Institute serves the information needs of Fortune 1000 marketing departments and top marketing agenciesit is the only association of its kind in the world. The Institute provides such member companies as Microsoft, Boeing, Oracle, Coca-Cola, Toyota, HP and hundreds of others with comprehensive education, research and analysis related to event and experiential marketing. Learn more at eventmarketing.com.

ABOUT MOSAIC

Mosaic is among the fastest growing agencies in North America, delivering branded experiences to consumers in-store, in the community and onlinewhere two-way interactions happen. Mosaic designs dynamic, shareable experiences at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds that are rooted in emotion and delivered through human interaction, giving our audience a story to tell and a feeling to cherish. We connect brands with consumers through People as Media  our one-to-one approach to delivering deeper engagement along the path to advocacy. From events to retail connection to social platforms, we use the power of dialogue to change minds, drive purchase and create belief, inspiring people to become the authentic voice of the brands they love. Learn more at Mosaic.com.

Media Contact: Sarah Bush, [email protected], 312-526-3126 x 6216

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Event Marketing Institute

Related Links

http://eventmarketing.com


KRAKOW, Poland, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SALESmanago, an all-in-one, cloud based online marketing automation platform used by over 5,000 companies worldwide, following a $6minvestment from 3TS Capital Partners (Cisco, EIF, EBRD) early this year, has launched a range of new solutions for Online Stores & B2C companies. Those include new extended possibilities of behavioral profiling, predictive marketing and next best offers to cover new models of customer behavior.

Headquartered in Krakow, Poland, SALESmanago was founded in 2011 by Polish entrepreneurs, Greg Blazewicz and Konrad Pawlus. Currently SALESmanago has over 200 employees and offices in NYC, London, and Bangalore and over 500 reselling partners. The company has built a leading position in the marketing automation market with over 80 percent of its revenue coming from Online Stores and B2C companies, including significant brands like Orange, WWF, Yves Rocher, Aviva and thousands of small & medium-sized companies.

"While working directly with B2C companies and Online Stores, we have developed a completely new range of marketing automation features specifically designed for B2C that you will not find in sets of features offered by traditional marketing automation platforms," says Greg Blazewicz, CEO of SALESmanago.

This unique solution for B2C includes dynamic 1-to-1 e-mail marketing, anonymous marketing automation, online-offline marketing & sales integration, mobile marketing automation with customer behavior tracking in mobile apps and full data integration, dynamic website content and marketing campaigns configurator for B2C and Online Stores. Today the platform was equipped with a totally new range of features for Online Stores with individual customer behavioral profiling based not just on clicks on the website but also on the information what the products, pictures the customer was looking at while browsing the website.

The complete individual profiles of customers with such behavioral and transactional data are then used in real time to build automatic predictive offers that are delivered individually in all marketing channels, from e-mail marketing and dynamic product recommendations on the website to mobile (push and in-app messages), social media and advertising networks.

SALESmanago was positioned by Venturebeat as a global leader of marketing automation for the B2C and SMB segments and in its recent analyst report GetApp (Gartner's company) named SALESmanago a marketing automation category leader. The company's 2015 revenue growth was over 200 percent compared to the previous year.

More information: http://www.salesmanago.com, http://www.appmanago.com

Contact:

Ewa Wojciechowska

PR & Content Manager

ph. + 48-570-989-299

email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160603/375287LOGO

SOURCE SALESmanago

Related Links

http://www.salesmanago.com


The recipients are:

Eli Apted - Conyers, Ga

- Lia Stone - Sandy Springs, Ga

- Dana De La Parra - Marietta, Ga

GSO will provide the recipients any necessary orthodontic work including braces, retainers, surgeries and more at no cost. GSO will also provide the children who were nominated but not selected with a $500 reduction in the cost of their orthodontic treatment.

The Georgia School of Orthodontics is now accepting patients. All patients will have access to GSO's state-of-the art technology, like the CS 3600 intraoral scanner, which eliminates goopy impressions and awkward intraoral photos and features greater accuracy and speed for the orthodontic residents. GSO is the first orthodontic school in the nation with this technology.

Patients will receive high quality care at an affordable price. The practicing doctors are licensed dentists seeking specialty training in orthodontics and are overseen by board-certified faculty. The Georgia School of Orthodontics' presence in Georgia will address a critical need for orthodontists and affordable care in the region. Schedule a complimentary consultation today by calling 770-351-7737 or visiting www.gaorthodontics.org.

About Georgia School of Orthodontics

The Georgia School of Orthodontics (GSO) will enroll its first class in the fall of 2016. Based in Atlanta, Ga., GSO will offer an advanced specialty education program in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. The 36-month residency program is structured to provide collaborative and evidence-based learning for residents while providing quality orthodontic care to patients in the school's clinics. GSO's mission is to educate outstanding dentists to be proficient in the clinical specialty of orthodontics while providing affordable care to the underserved population. GSO faculty and staff are dedicated to diversity in both education and practice. The program is sponsored by Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center and is a division of its Department of Dentistry. GSO has applied for initial accreditation through the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). For more information, visit www.gaorthodontics.org or call (770) 351-7737.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375781

SOURCE Georgia School of Orthodontics

Related Links

http://www.gaorthodontics.org


WAYNE, N.J., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Getinge Group announced today the launch of a new campaign in collaboration with the Association of Physician Assistants in Cardiovascular Surgery (APACVS) called "Harvesting Heroes." The campaign recognizes healthcare professionals in the field of cardiac surgery and celebrates 20 years since the endoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH) technique was pioneered. EVH is performed for patients during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG, or "bypass surgery") and is done by takingor "harvesting"a healthy blood vessel from the leg or forearm via a minimally invasive procedure, which is then used to bypass a blockage in the patient's heart.

"We are very excited to collaborate with Getinge Group through 'Harvesting Heroes' to acknowledge healthcare professionals across the country who are helping patients every day and giving back to the community," said Steven M. Gottesfeld, PA-C, APACVS Vice President and Board Member, Cardiac Surgical Physician Assistant, Sharp Rees Stealy Medical Group, Division of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego.

EVH has increasingly become the standard of care for bypass surgery given the significant clinical and cosmetic benefits without compromising long-term patient outcomes or safety. Today, nearly all U.S. hospitals are performing EVH, with more than two million procedures completed worldwide since the technique was first introduced in 1996. EVH is performed in the operating room by a harvester, who is typically a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, surgical or medical assistant.

"It takes an entire team of healthcare professionals to perform bypass surgery," said Ed Cueto, RN, BSN, CNOR, RNFA, Senior Cardiac Surgical Assistant with MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. "The 'Harvesting Heroes' campaign spotlights those physician assistants, surgical assistants, medical assistants and nurse practitioners who are critical to ensuring the success of the surgery and providing the patient with the best outcome possible."

Through the "Harvesting Heroes" campaign, Getinge Group and APACVS are asking healthcare professionals to nominate one of their peers who have made a difference both inside and outside the operating room, focusing on those who support cardiac surgeons during bypass surgery. For each nomination, Getinge Group will donate $20 to the American Heart Association, the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.

"We want to recognize and thank the healthcare professionals who have contributed to the 20 years of EVH and give back to those who help save patient lives day in and day out," said Raoul Quintero, President of the Americas at Getinge Group. "Through our 'Harvesting Heroes' campaign, we are committed not only to celebrating those in the operating room, but also to ensuring the continued advancement of cardiovascular research through the donations provided to the American Heart Association. All you have to do is nominate a hero."

To learn more or to nominate a "Harvesting Hero," visit EVHheroes.com.

Getinge Group's Maquet brand has been at the forefront of EVH technology for the past two decades, engineering nearly a dozen advances and new product generations in partnership with clinicians to make the procedure easier, faster, and more protective of the harvested blood vessel -- ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.

About Getinge Group

Getinge Group is a leading global provider of innovative solutions for operating rooms, intensive-care units, hospital wards, sterilization departments, elderly care and for life science companies and institutions. With a genuine passion for life we build quality and safety into every system. Our unique value proposition mirrors the continuum of care, enhancing efficiency throughout the clinical pathway. Based on our first-hand experience and close partnerships, we are able to exceed expectations from customers  improving the every-day life for people, today and tomorrow.

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SOURCE Getinge Group

Related Links

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PUNE, India, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Glazing Market by Polycarbonate Material by Application (Sidelite, Backlite, Sunroof, Lighting), Advanced Application (HUD, Large Windscreen, Switchable & Hydrophobic Glazing, SunControl), On-Highway & Off-Highway Vehicles, and by Region - Forecast to 2021", The Automotive Polycarbonate Glazing Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.53% from 2016 to 2021, to reach a market size of USD 3.94 Billion by 2021.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 71 market data Tables with 58 Figures spread through 170 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Glazing Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/auto-glazing-market-133207870.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The growing trend of vehicle weight reduction, increasing focus on passenger safety, and rising demand for complex automotive designs are expected to drive the market for automotive polycarbonate glazing.

Sidelite: To be the largest application market for polycarbonate glazing by 2021

The study analyzes four key automotive applications of polycarbonate glazing namely, sidelite, backlite, sunroof, and lighting. Given the introduction of stringent emission reduction and fuel efficiency norms, vehicle weight reduction is a key concern for OEMs. One of the easiest ways to achieve vehicle weight reduction is to use polycarbonate glazing in sidelite applications. Owing to the lightweight nature and molding ability of polycarbonate glazing, the polycarbonate sidelite market (by value) is projected to surpass the lighting market by 2021, and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Passenger cars to constitute the largest vehicle segment for polycarbonate glazing

Polycarbonate glazing helps reduce the overall weight of a vehicle. Given the stringent emission norms imposed on passenger vehicles, OEMs are likely to switch to lightweight polycarbonate glazing materials. As the production of passenger cars is increasing at a global level, these vehicles are estimated to constitute the largest segment for polycarbonate glazing.

Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=133207870

Asia-Oceania: Increasing production & sales of electric vehicles to drive the market

Asia-Oceania is the largest producer of vehicles in the world, with China being the largest market for electric vehicles (in terms of sales) in 2015. Owing to its lightweight nature, polycarbonate can be used as a glazing material in electric vehicles to enhance their efficiency. Considering the recent trend of growing vehicle production in this region, Asia-Oceania is projected to be the largest market for automotive polycarbonate glazing, followed by North America and Europe.

The report covers all the major players in the global automotive polycarbonate Glazing Market, including companies such as Freeglass GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Webasto SE (Germany), Covestro AG (Germany), Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Saudi Arabia), Teijin Limited (Japan), and Trinseo S.A. (U.S.).

The report covers the global automotive polycarbonate Glazing Market, in terms of volume (million square meters) and value (USD million). It explains the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the market on the basis of region, application, and vehicle type from 2016 to 2021. It also provides an overview of technical factors and other important aspects of the automotive polycarbonate glazing market.

The report also analyzes the polycarbonate Glazing Market for off-highway vehicles based on window glazing and lighting applications. Additionally, it studies the advanced applications of polycarbonate glazing, such as head-up display, large windscreen, switchable and hydrophobic glazing, and sun control. Presently, the market for advanced applications of polycarbonate glazing is very limited, owing to regulations related to the use of polycarbonate in windscreen applications and the high cost of polycarbonate glazing. However, assuming that these regulations will be lifted in the near future, and taking technological advancements into consideration, the report offers a scenario-based market sizing approach for the next five years.

Browse related reports:

Automotive Glass Market by Vehicle & Glass Type (Tempered, Laminated, & Other), Smart Glass Market by Technology (Active and Passive), Application (Sunroof, Windshield, Sidelites /Backlites, & Side View/Rearview Mirrors), & by Region - Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-glass-market-229009655.html

Automotive Lightweight Materials Market by Material Type (Metals, Composites, & Plastics), Application (Structural, Powertrain, Interior, Exterior, & Others), Manufacturing Process, Vehicle Type, and by Region - Global Trends and Forecast to 2019

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-lightweight-materials-market-23937731.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Greenspoon Marder is pleased to announce the opening of new offices in Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego  three cities in regions that are central to the advancements, legalization and regulation of cannabis including medical marijuana, hemp, and Cannabidiol (CBD).

Greenspoon Marder maintains a national corporate practice in highly-regulated industries such as healthcare, alcohol, firearms and tobacco, which positions the firm to expand these existing practice areas to include a national Cannabis Law practice focused on representing investors, private equity funds, public companies, health care providers, growers, processors and retailers navigate complex and evolving regulations governing the cannabis sector. The firm also intends to implement a rigorous compliance program for its clients, including educational and safety initiatives which are necessary as the industry matures.

Greenspoon Marder's substantial expertise in representing clients in regulated industries will allow it to be one of the first firms of its size with a dedicated team of attorneys servicing the $5.4 billion legalized, medicinal cannabis market. Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C. have currently legalized cannabis and medical marijuana in some form, and several states have cannabis bills pending legislative approval.

"We recognize the evolving needs of the cannabis business community and aim to service clients on a national level," commented Gerald Greenspoon, Co-Managing Director of Greenspoon Marder. "Our firm plans to continue to extend our presence and open additional offices in states that are likely to play a key role in shaping the cannabis industry."

As a cornerstone of Greenspoon Marder's expansion, the firm welcomes five new attorneys; each will play a critical role in the growth of the new practice areas and new offices.

Rachel K. Gillette joined the firm as a Shareholder and the founding member of the Denver office, and Lance Rogers has joined the firm as a Shareholder to found the San Diego office. As recognized authorities on cannabis law in the United States, Gillette and Rogers will spearhead the launch and growth of the firm's Cannabis Law practice.

Gillette's areas of practice include marijuana/cannabis business licensing and regulatory compliance, business law and transactions, contract drafting and review, civil litigation, corporate formation, and tax matters, including audit representation. Gillette has vast experience in the cannabis and hemp industries, having represented state and locally licensed marijuana and hemp businesses in Colorado since 2010.

Rogers handles a wide array of matters related to cannabis in both his litigation and corporate practices including civil rights, asset forfeiture, land use, business disputes and municipal zoning challenges. He has represented many of the country's leading cannabis retailers, manufacturers and agriculture companies. Rogers obtained the first dispensary license in Southern California through the County of San Diego in 2011 and continues to assist clients in securing commercial cannabis licenses in San Diego and throughout California.

Additionally, the firm welcomes Phillip Silvestri, Neal Gidvani and Vincent Aiello to its new Las Vegas office. Silvestri and Gidvani represent creditors in complex default-related litigation, bankruptcy, and foreclosure matters, as well as work with state and local officials in representing clients in the cannabis sector and other highly regulated industries. Aiello's practice encompasses business succession and asset protection planning, employment law, fiduciary litigation, and real and intellectual property development. Aiello also handles complex commercial real estate transactions, land development, land use, planning & zoning matters including time-share projects and multi-family residential acquisitions.

The attorneys will join current firm shareholder Amy Sances, a prominent member of the firm's Resort & Hospitality Practice, in the new Las Vegas office. Together with Messrs. Silvestri, Gidvani and Aiello, Ms. Sances will work to expand the firm's core capabilities in real estate, hospitality, gaming and alcohol beverage law into the West.

Greenspoon Marder is committed to providing excellent client service through our cross- disciplinary, client-team approach. Our goal is to understand the challenges that our clients face, build collaborative relationships, and craft creative solutions designed and executed with long-term strategic goals in mind. Since our inception in 1981, Greenspoon Marder has become a full-service, Am Law 200 law firm with more than 180 attorneys. We serve Fortune 500, middle market public and private companies, start-ups, emerging businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs across Florida and the United States. For more information, visit www.gmlaw.com.

SOURCE Greenspoon Marder

Related Links

http://www.gmlaw.com


CHICAGO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) today announced that it has named Eric Feldstein as senior vice president and chief financial officer and Blair Todt as senior vice president and chief legal officer. Feldstein and Todt will report to HCSC President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Steiner.

"Both Eric and Blair are well accomplished and respected in their fields and will further strengthen our leadership team with their depth of experience, strategic perspectives and collaborative approach to the important work we do," said Steiner. "As the largest customer-owned health insurer, HCSC remains committed to expanding access to health insurance across our five states, and adapting and positioning our company for long-term success to better serve our members."

As SVP, CFO, Feldstein is responsible for HCSC's accounting, financial planning, treasury, tax and procurement activities. He also oversees the company's actuarial group and decision-making processes related to underwriting and product pricing. Feldstein joined HCSC in May 2016 after serving as executive vice president of American Express Company's Enterprise Growth Group. He also held senior operating and finance positions at other Fortune 100 companies, including vice president of finance and treasurer at General Motors Corporation, CFO and CEO of GMAC Financial Services, and chairman of GMAC Insurance. Feldstein holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Columbia University.

Feldstein will succeed Ken Avner, SVP and chief financial officer, who announced his retirement earlier this year. "On behalf of our members, I'd like to thank Ken for his more than 30 years of dedicated service," said Steiner. Avner was an early architect of HMO Illinois  still one of the largest HMOs in the country. More recently, he helped guide HCSC through several consolidations and has been instrumental in driving HCSC's diversification strategy. Avner will continue to report to Steiner as a special advisor for a period to assist with the transition.

In the coming weeks, Todt will join HCSC, leading HCSC's legal affairs team. As SVP, CLO, Todt will oversee management of HCSC's legal division and will provide legal advice and consultation on legal matters affecting the company. Todt will join HCSC on July 1 from WellCare Health Plans, where he has held several senior management positions since 2010, most recently serving as senior vice president, chief legal and administrative officer and secretary. Todt's experience includes serving as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Medcath, Inc., deputy general counsel for BearingPoint and a partner in Carter Conboy Case Blackmore Maloney and Laird. He holds a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in political communication from The George Washington University.

About Health Care Service Corporation

Health Care Service Corporation is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall, with more than 15 million members in its Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A Mutual Legal Reserve Company, HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit HCSC.com, visit our Facebook page or follow us at www.twitter.com/HCSC.

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SOURCE Health Care Service Corporation

Related Links

http://www.hcsc.com


CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hikvision USA, the North American leader in innovative, award-winning CCTV and IP video surveillance products, is a proud supporter of the Electronic Security Association (ESA) Youth Scholarship. With co-contributors DMP and Monitronics, Hikvision is making it possible for ESA to provide college scholarships to two recent high school graduates whose parents are first responders.

Since its creation in 1996, the ESA Youth Scholarship Program has awarded $621,500 in scholarship funds to children of police officers and firefighters. ESA, its affiliated chartered chapters, and sponsoring companies within the security industry make these scholarships possible and help young people achieve their goals of higher education.

"The police officers and firefighters that protect and serve our communities are true heroes and deserve our unwavering gratitude," said ESA President Marshall Marinace. "These men and women put their lives on the line every day, and ESA on behalf of the electronic security industry is pleased to support these incredible families. Awarding scholarships to the first responders' impressive children is one of the ways we can thank our deserving public safety partners and do our part to make their lives just a little easier."

Applicants were asked to write essays explaining what it meant to them to have their parent involved in securing the community. This year's first-place winner was Katherine Waugh of Joel Barlow High School in Easton, CT. Her father, Steven Waugh, is chief at Easton Volunteer Fire Company #1 and was on the front line when Hurricane Sandy struck Connecticut. The second-place winner, Trevor Carney, recently graduated from Irondequoit High School in Rochester, NY. His father, Patrick Carney, is a member of the Rochester Police Department. Both winners will be recognized at the Public Safety Luncheon at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) in Fort Worth, TX on June 9.

"Hikvision recognizes the invaluable contributions of first responders in keeping all of us safe," commented Jeffrey He, president of Hikvision USA and Hikvision Canada. "It is our honor to support the children of first responders, and we wish these young people the greatest success in their future endeavors."

To learn about Hikvision's comprehensive product suite of video surveillance solutions, see them in person at ESX, booth 311, June 8-10.

About Hikvision

Hikvision is the world's leading supplier of video surveillance solutions. Featuring the industry's strongest R&D workforce, Hikvision designs, develops, and manufactures standard- and high-definition cameras, including a variety of IP cameras, analog cameras, and cameras featuring the latest in high-definition analog technology. Hikvision's product suite also includes digital video servers, hybrid and standalone DVRs, NVRs, and other elements of sophisticated security systems for both indoor and outdoor use.

SOURCE Hikvision USA
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hondros College of Business will expand its real estate education offerings in Michigan this summer, specifically at campuses in Jackson, Grand Rapids, and Southfield. All campus locations will now offer Real Estate Pre-Licensing Courses.

Classes will begin at the Southfield location on June 20. Below is the full schedule for all three locations:

Southfield Grand Rapids Jackson June 20-24 July 11-15 July 25-29 August 15-19 August 22-26 September 12-16 September 19-23





Hondros College of Business offers an incredibly flexible schedule with classroom as well as online courses. After passing the licensing exam, a career in real estate allows agents to make their own schedule as well as independently reach a high earning potential. The average Real Estate Broker in Michigan earned $62,370, while the average Real Estate Sales Agent earned $42,760.1

All classes will be held at Spring Arbor University in the respective city. The price for the Michigan package is $198, which includes the class, textbook and handbook. The above services, plus CompuCram software which helps students pass the exam, is priced at $249. Hondros will donate a portion of the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity for every registered student in the new three Michigan locations. These donations will go to local chapters of Habitat for Humanity.

"We are looking forward to being part of these Michigan communities," said President Tina Lapp. "Habitat for Humanity is an organization near to us and we're thrilled to be able to combine donations to the Michigan chapters with our new locations."

Location Addresses: Jackson Grand Rapids Southfield 113 W Michigan Ave 2620 Horizon Dr 26200 Lahser Rd Ste 201 Ste 200 Ste 100 Jackson, MI 49201 Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Southfield, MI 4803

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Michigan,

on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_mi.htm (visited May 24, 2016).

About Hondros College of Business

Hondros College of Business, based in Columbus, Ohio, educates individuals who want to improve their lives by entering new careers that offer stability, flexibility, independence and financial rewards. Hondros College of Business, with six Ohio campuses and with course offerings in many states nationwide, offers a variety of professional certificates and continuing education programs, as well as an Associate Degree in Business Management. Professional programs include real estate, appraisal, home inspection, mortgage, insurance, securities, personal training, online marketing and oil and gas safety. For more information, visit http://www.hondros.com.

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SOURCE Hondros College of Business

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http://www.hondros.com


LOURES, Portugal, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Hovione is pleased to announce the opening of its new sales and customer support office in Osaka, Japan.

The new office underlines the importance of Japan for Hovione's business activities. Japan is a strategic market for Hovione where the company is growing both its off patent API and its contract manufacturing businesses. The new office will support customer relations and help in the development of new business within Japan, while reinforcing Hovione's global position.

"We are delighted to be opening our office in Osaka. Hovione's advanced technologies and focus on quality gives us an excellent fit with the Japanese market so we wanted to have a local presence offering the best possible support to our customers" said Mrs. Kristine Senft, Hovione's Vice-President of Marketing and Sales.

"We are fortunate to have Mr Yasushi Usuda leading our office as he is a Japanese national with 20 years international business experience. Mr. Usuda will ensure seamless communication with our customers and help us to develop our business even further." said Dr. Roger Viney, Senior Director of Off-Patent APIs.

The new office is located at 20F Hankyu Grand Building 8-47 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku Osaka 530-00178, Japan. The office offers a good accessibility and is centrally located in Osaka next to the main train station.

About Hovione

Hovione is an international company with over 50 years' experience in the development and compliant manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Drug Product Intermediates. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland, and Portugal, and development laboratories in Lisbon and New Jersey the company focuses on the most demanding customers in the most regulated markets. The company also offers branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative new drugs, and is able to support highly potent compounds. In the inhalation area Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services. Please visit http://www.hovione.com

Contact

Isabel Pina

Director of Corporate Communications

Tel: +35121-982-9362

[email protected]

SOURCE Hovione
LAS VEGAS, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce today the completion of distribution coverage for all of Canada, with the signing of a second Distributor Agreement with West Grow Farms which covers Western Canada provinces as well as Eastern Canada.

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"The team at West Grow Farms, headed by Randy King and Jim Philpott, brings a high level of capability to folks who want to construct an indoor agriculture facility, from small to large scale," stated David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America. "Randy and Jim have many years in building complex structures in the potentially harsh climates found in Canada, and bring that talent to our team in Western Canada, Quebec and the Eastern provinces. We are very pleased to now have put in place two quality companies to bring our equipment to Canada to grow many vegetables and fruits more cost effectively and sustainably, year round in any location."

Randy King, Managing Partner at West Grow, said: "We are extremely excited for the opportunity to bring this amazing technology into the Canadian markets we will serve. After exhaustive research, we were unable to find a comparable system that was nearly as productive as IFOAs'. With food sovereignty becoming a significant concern for many countries with short growing seasons; we are confident that IFOA's growing system will revolutionize how produce is grown in northern climates. We are thrilled by the prospect of providing fresh, locally grown, all natural produce to Canadians year round."

The founders of Indoor Farms of America spent nearly 2 years in R&D developing a comprehensive array of --now with multiple patents awarded-- reliable, economically viable high yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment which provides a much more affordable means to grow a variety of crops in a sustainable manner, literally anywhere in the world.

"We also want to follow up to our prior release about Wheelchair Accessible farms," says Ron Evans, company President, "We have now built and delivered the first accessible farm in a shipping container, and it will open doors for so many who can be productive and enjoy being actively involved in running a farm every single day. We know our aeroponic equipment is a game changer, but this new development has really set a high bar. Schools, adult rehabilitative centers, and more can easily and affordably deploy a commercial scale farm where access for wheelchair bound people is part of the program."

Response to all the Company offerings has been overwhelming, says Martin. "We are appreciative of all the visitors to our facility, in these first few months of production, and it is reflected in the numerous sales we have made of our equipment to entities in the U.S. and around the world, as we launch our marketing campaigns and bring distribution to areas that want and need it."

An example is a recent visit to the Las Vegas showroom and demonstration farm, from members of the Parliament of the country of Jordan, including the heads of Agriculture there. In depth discussions about sustainable farming and providing access to their people for truly fresh and locally grown produce all year long were reflective of the needs in so many areas, according to Martin.

With Canada fully covered, along with South Africa and some surrounding countries on the African continent, Indoor Farms of America is focused on vetting distributors in key areas of Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia, as it begins to develop major markets of the U.S. through operators seeking their equipment.

"When we have engineers tell us we represent a far better value, very highly engineered and quality product, and a more strategic partnership than going it alone and attempting to do their own thing, we know we are doing our job," stated Martin.

CONTACT:

David W. Martin, CEO - Email - IndoorFarmsAmerica.com

4020 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. B Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 664-1236 or (702) 606-2691

CANADIAN CUSTOMERS CONTACT:

West Grow Farms

Randy King, Managing Partner

Email Phone: 780-963-1733

SOURCE Indoor Farms of America
LANSING, Mich., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Insight School of Michigan (ISMI), a tuition-free online public charter school for Michigan students statewide in grades 6 through 12, will honor its Class of 2016 at a graduation ceremony on June 11 at the Michigan Historical Museum. About 50 students will graduate with their high school diploma from ISMI as part of the school's second  and largest  graduating class.

This year's Valedictorian is Jayah Johnson. The Salutatorian is Madigan Branan.

Laura Gibbs, who graduated in 2015 from Insight School of Michigan, will address this year's graduates as the guest alumni speaker. Laura graduated as part of ISMI's first graduating class, after the school opened for its inaugural year in September 2014. Other past graduates of ISMI have been accepted into colleges and universities including Henry Ford College, Lawrence Technological Institute, and Macomb Community College.

"In celebrating our Class of 2016, we are also celebrating the growth and success of our school," said Marcus Moore, Head of School at Insight School of Michigan. "We set out to help students who have experience setbacks get back on the track toward their high school diploma, and this year's group of graduates proves that with hard work and support, these students can meet their full potential."

Also in attendance at the Insight School of Michigan graduation ceremony are its Board members, Mary Gifford, SVP of Academic Policy and External Relations for K12 Inc. and Dan Quisenberry, President of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, who will deliver this year's keynote speech.

ISMI is an education option available to students of every ability level, but possesses a competency in helping students who are struggling academically. A credit recovery program is available for students who need to catch up in certain subjects, as well as highly targeted remediation sessions to build specific skills. With a unique and highly supportive approach, ISMI works with students and their families to help them overcome obstacles, including learning or behavioral issues, bullying, family challenges or changes in lifestyle.

To inspire students to work hard and succeed, ISMI combines engaging web-based lessons, live online learning sessions and support from experienced teachers and counselors. ISMI teachers provide instruction and guidance, regularly interacting with students and parents via email, web-based classrooms, online discussions and phone. The online curriculum is bolstered by a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program, as well as a Family Support Team to help students achieve success both academically and personally.

Parents and students can learn more about the curriculum and support program during online information sessions hosted by the school. Visit ISMI's website to learn more: InsightMI.net.

About Insight School of Michigan

Insight School of Michigan (ISMI) is a tuition-free online public charter school authorized by Central Michigan University that serves students in grades 6 through 12. As part of the Michigan public school system, ISMI is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the award-winning curriculum and tools provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs. For more information about ISMI, visit InsightMI.net.

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SOURCE Insight School of Michigan

Related Links

http://mi.insightschools.net/


NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Deutsche Bank today announced the lineup for its June 9th and 10th Depositary Receipts Virtual Investor Conference ("dbVIC"), featuring live webcast presentations from international companies with American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programs in the US.

Representatives from participating companies based in Australia, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa and the UK will respond to questions during formal presentations, and will also interact with investors via virtual trade booths. The conference is targeted to all types of investors as well as analysts interested in non-US companies.

There is no fee for participants to log-in, attend live presentations or ask questions.

To register, please use the following link: www.adr.db.com/dbvic

Pre-registration is suggested to save time.

June 9 Agenda (US Eastern Time):

ET Company Name Country Local Ticker ADR Ticker 9:00 Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited Japan 4568.T OTC Pink: DSNKY 9:30 Vodacom Group Limited South Africa VOD OTC Pink: VDMCY 10:00 AMEC Foster Wheeler UK AMFW NYSE: AMFW 10:30 ISS A/S Denmark ISS OTC Pink: ISSDY 11:00 Smith & Nephew UK SN NYSE: SNN

June 10 Agenda (US Eastern Time):

ET Company Name Country Local Ticker ADR Ticker 9:00 Hutchinson China Meditech Limited Hong Kong HCM NASDAQ: HCM 9:30 China Distance Education Holdings Limited China -- NYSE: DL 10:00 IOOF Holdings Limited Australia IFL OTC Pink: IOOFY 10:30 Nufarm Limited Australia NUF OTC Pink: NFRMY 11:00 National Australia Bank Limited

Australia NAB OTC Pink: NABZY

After the Conference, presentations will be available for replay.

Deutsche Bank's Depositary Receipts team is part of the Issuer Services business within Global Securities Services. In addition to specializing in administering cross-border equity structures such as American and Global Depositary Receipts, Issuer Services provides corporates, financial institutions, hedge funds and supranational agencies around the world with trustee, agency, escrow and related services. The Bank offers a broad range of services for diverse products, from complex securitizations and project finance to syndicated loans, debt exchanges and restructurings.

About Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank provides commercial and investment banking, retail banking, transaction banking and asset and wealth management products and services to corporations, governments, institutional investors, small and medium-sized businesses, and private individuals. Deutsche Bank is Germany's leading bank, with a strong position in Europe and a significant presence in the Americas and Asia Pacific.

Deutsche Bank is sponsoring the Deutsche Bank Depositary Receipt Investor Conference solely for informational purposes. Deutsche Bank does not prepare, review, approve or edit any presentations, statements, documents or other information or materials, whether in written, electronic or verbal form, provided by any company participating in such conference, and disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of any such information or materials. Deutsche Bank is not promoting, endorsing or recommending any company participating in the conference.

The Depositary Receipts have been registered pursuant to the US Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary Receipts are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by, Deutsche Bank or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries. The Depositary Receipts also are NOT insured by the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested.

Nothing in this communication constitutes an offer or solicitation by Deutsche Bank or any other issuer or entity for the purchase or sale of any securities, nor does it constitute a solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction. No part of this communication may be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of Deutsche Bank. Depositary receipts services referenced in this communication are provided by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, an indirect subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG and a member, FDIC. Copyright June 2016 Deutsche Bank AG. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Deutsche Bank
IOOF invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors, to attend virtual event

MELBOURNE, Australia, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IOOF Holdings Limited (IOOF) (ASX: IFL, OTC Pink: IOOFY) based in Australia, today announced that David Coulter, Chief Financial Officer, will present at the dbVIC - Deutsche Bank American Depositary Receipt (ADR) Virtual Investor Conference on June 10. This virtual investor conference is aimed exclusively at introducing global companies with ADR programs to US investors.

DATE: June 10th, 2016

TIME: 10:00am ET

LINK: www.adr.db.com/dbvic

If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an on-demand archive will be available for 90 days.

Participation is free of charge.

It is recommended that investors pre-register to save time and receive event updates.

About IOOF Holdings Limited

IOOF has been helping Australians secure their financial future since 1846. During that time, we have grown substantially to become one of the largest independent groups in the financial services industry. With $131.0 billion in funds under management, administration, advice and supervision as at 31 March 2016, we currently service more than 650,000 customers around Australia. IOOF is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in the S&P ASX top 100 (ASX: IFL, OTC: IOOFY).

Further information about IOOF can be found at www.ioof.com.au.

SOURCE IOOF Holdings Limited

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The IU-IDB SSFP is administered by the Institute for Defense and Business ( IDB ) in partnership with the Center on American and Global Security ( CAGS ) in the School of Global and International Studies ( SGIS ) and the Kelley School of Business ( KSB ) at Indiana University ( IU ).

"We began this program five years ago in North Carolina. We're thrilled that, based on the success of the program there, we've been able to expand to Indiana University," said MG (Ret) Jim Hodge, President of the IDB. "The core focus of the program is to support the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Broadening Initiative. With IU's robust network of faculty with cybersecurity experience, we feel that we've not only met the call for broadening, but also provided students with a deeper understanding of cybersecurity that will be particularly relevant as these graduates advance in their careers."

About the SSFP Program

The three-week course is a graduate-level leadership seminar dedicated to broadening the ability of emerging military leaders to adapt to the increasingly uncertain and complex international environment, with an emphasis on cybersecurity. It is designed to enhance the critical and strategic thinking capabilities of U.S. Army officers, chief warrant officers, senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and federal government civilians. The core curriculum of the program includes: National Security Decision Making; Global Flash Points; Strategic and Business Communications; Negotiations; Information Security and Risk Management; Innovation and Management Strategy; Strategic Global Outlook; and Strategic View of the U.S. Government (non-DoD).

During this year's SSFP, Gen Victor Renuart, Jr., USAF (Ret), visited the class for a personal discussion with the students about current national security issues. Other highlights included a local corporate visit day where students met with senior leaders at the Indianapolis Colts and Rook Security, a managed security services provider for data and intellectual property, to discuss leadership across these two diverse cultures. Other highlights included lectures from the Faculty of SGIS, the Kelley School, and throughout the Bloomington campus.

Capstone Team Project

The program culminates with an applied strategic capstone team project, consisting of a team presentation and academic paper, demonstrating the students' application of the curriculum. At the end of the course, students presented their findings before a panel consisting of MG (Ret) Jim Hodge, President of the IDB; BG Maria Barrett, Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Force Headquarters  Cyber, U.S. Army Cyber Command; COL Christopher Croft, Sr., Director, Center for Army Leadership; CPT Jonathan Rupel, Cyber-Operations Officer, Indiana National Guard; and Dr. Scott Shackelford, Capstone Project Lead Faculty, Kelley School of Business.

Graduating Class

Graduates received a joint certificate from IU and the IDB and membership into IDB's expansive alumni network.

The graduates are:

1SG Shannon Lacy , 369th Adjutant General Battalion

, 369th Adjutant General Battalion CPT Russell Smith, Army University, Vice Provost for Learning Systems

CPT Rachel Acciacca, Marine Corps Special Operations Command

CPT from 160 th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) CPT Nathan Lubba, Jr., 91st Civil Affairs Battalion, Charlie Company

CPT Andrew Malon, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 1-91 Cavalry Squadron

CW4 Kenneth Sinker, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Headquarters and Headquarters Company 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4 th Infantry Division

Infantry Division CPT Daniel Brady, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District

CW3 Heath Stamm , 3rd BN 314th Field Artillery, First Army

, 3rd BN 314th Field Artillery, First Army CPT Jacinta Nelson, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, G3 Training

CPT Steven Huckleberry, Operations Group, National Training Center

MAJ Brian Canny , 2-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division

, 2-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division SSG Avery Hoxworth, 10th Regional Support Group, S2 Intelligence

CPT Benjamin Meintel, 130 th Theater Engineer Brigade, 8 th Theater Sustainment Command

Theater Engineer Brigade, 8 Theater Sustainment Command CPT Thomas Leiter, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

CPT Jeff Klobucar, 25th Infantry Division, Combat Aviation Brigade

1SG Randy McCoin , 2nd Infantry Division (Combined)

, 2nd Infantry Division (Combined) CPT Brian Schultz, Army Cyber Institute

CPT Kirstin Aubele, Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 91 st HHC

HHC CPT Mathew Young, U.S. Army Reserve Command, G-37 Training

CW3 Cipriano Trujillo , U.S. Army Central Engineers

, U.S. Army Central Engineers MAJ Christina Gilroy , North Carolina National Guard

, North Carolina National Guard MAJ David Crockett , Utah Army National Guard, 97th Aviation Troop Command

About the IDB

The IDB is a nonprofit research and education institute formed in 1997 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina. The Institute provides custom executive and degree-granting education programs for all career levels from the military and government, non-governmental organizations, private sector, and international organizations. IDB features curriculum in logistics and technology, life cycle systems, leadership and organizational transformation, strategic studies, and stabilization and economic reconstruction. www.IDB.org

Media Contact: Claire Puncer, 919-969-8008, [email protected]

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SOURCE Institute for Defense and Business

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BOSTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Investments today announced the addition of two new funds focused on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues with fundamental stock research. John Hancock ESG All Cap Core Fund and John Hancock ESG Large Cap Core Fund are both managed by Trillium Asset Management, LLC, the country's oldest investment advisor exclusively focused on sustainable and responsible investing.

The announcement follows yesterday's observance of World Environment Day, which is promoted annually by the United Nations Environment Programme and is intended to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet.

"This is an exciting new direction for John Hancock Investments," said Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO. "While younger investors have traditionally been one of the driving forces behind the growth in ESG funds, investors of all ages are now recognizing how ESG funds can play an important role in their portfolios. We're proud to be able to offer portfolios that seek to influence positive change by investing in companies that meet a high bar for environmental, social, and governance characteristics. We are also pleased to be working with Trillium Asset Management in this new venture, as the firm has been at the forefront of socially responsible investing for nearly 35 years."

Trillium CEO Matthew W. Patsky, CFA, added, "We are very excited to combine the trusted brand of John Hancock Investments with our history and expertise in ESG investing. John Hancock Investments has one of the most stringent due diligence processes in the industry, and we are proud to have been selected as the manager for these funds."

The new ESG portfolios offer a well-diversified core exposure. John Hancock ESG Large Cap Core Fund invests predominantly in large-capitalization companies, while John Hancock ESG All Cap Core Fund invests in companies across the market capitalization spectrum. Trillium seeks out companies with high-quality characteristics from financial, strategic, and ESG points of view, such as strong workplace practices, product safety, and environmental protection. Neither fund will include companies with material exposure to agricultural biotechnology, coal mining, hard rock mining, nuclear power, tar sands, tobacco, or weapons/firearms, nor will they include companies with major recent or ongoing controversies related to animal welfare, the environment, corporate governance, human rights, product safety, or workplace practices.

Trillium Asset Management, LLC is an employee-owned firm founded in 1982, and has a long history of using its voice as a shareholder to push America's largest companies to improve on key issues of ESG materiality, an approach that will be reflected in the new funds. The portfolio management team for the John Hancock Investments ESG funds includes Cheryl I. Smith, Ph.D., CFA, managing partner, economist, and investment manager; Elizabeth R. Levy, CFA, senior vice president, portfolio manager, and research analyst; and Stephanie R. Leighton, CFA, partner, portfolio manager, and research analyst.

John Hancock ESG All Cap Core Fund is available in the following share classes: Class A: JHKAX; Class C: JHKCX; Class I: JHKIX; and Class R6: JHKRX.

John Hancock ESG Large Cap Core Fund is available in the following share classes: Class A: JHJAX; Class C: JHJCX; Class I: JHJIX; and Class R6: JHJRX.

The new ESG funds are the latest product offerings from John Hancock Investments, which earlier this year launched John Hancock Global Focused Strategies Fund, managed by Standard Life Investments; three target-date 2060 retirement funds; and five new sector exchange-traded funds, with underlying indexes designed by Dimensional Fund Advisors.

A fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses should be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the fund. To obtain a prospectus, contact your financial professional, call John Hancock Investments at 800-225-5291, or visit jhinvestments.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money.

About John Hancock Investments

John Hancock has helped individuals and institutions build and protect wealth since 1862. Today, we are one of America's strongest and most-recognized brands. As a manager of managers, John Hancock Investments searches the world to find proven portfolio teams with specialized expertise for every fund we offer, then we apply vigorous investment oversight to ensure they continue to meet our uncompromising standards and serve the best interests of our shareholders. Our unique approach to asset management has led to a diverse set of investments deeply rooted in investor needs, along with strong risk-adjusted returns across asset classes.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife

John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada, and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents, and distribution partners. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were $904 billion (US $697 billion) as of March 31, 2016. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

Investing involves risks, including the potential loss of principal. There is no guarantee that a fund's investment strategies will be successful. Large company stocks could fall out of favor. The stock prices of midsize and small companies can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large companies. Foreign investing, especially in emerging markets, has additional risks, such as currency and market volatility and political and social instability. A portfolio concentrated in one sector or that holds a limited number of securities may fluctuate more than a diversified portfolio. Hedging and other strategic transactions may increase volatility and result in losses if not successful. Illiquid securities may be difficult to sell at a price approximating their value. The fund's ESG policy could cause it to perform differently than similar funds that do not have such a policy. Please see the fund's prospectus for additional risks.

SOURCE John Hancock Investments

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SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC and Janssen Research & Development today announced the launch of the World Without Disease QuickFire challenge. The competition is the largest and most ambitious QuickFire challenge to date, representing an ongoing commitment to support life science innovators and the development of integrated, cross-sector solutions to prevent, intercept and cure diseases. Johnson & Johnson Innovation will consider global applicants with solutions across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer sectors. The competition seeks to find entrepreneurs, researchers or startup companies who are advancing potentially game-changing, early stage innovations that have the potential to cross traditional boundaries of the pharmaceutical, device or consumer health sectors. The recipient will receive a research grant totaling up to USD 500,000 and entrance to a Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS (JLABS) community.

"We are passionate about finding and deploying comprehensive, integrated healthcare solutions that take into account the world in which we live today, which is why this challenge is focused on innovations that address disease along the entire spectrum of healthincluding prevention and interception," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson.

Added William N. Hait, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Janssen Research & Development, "Our aim is to stop disease in its tracks by identifying ways to not only treat, but prevent or intercept disease. We are inspired by the opportunity to work with innovators around the globe on this mission and to fully leverage our expertise to bring transformational treatments to patients."

One or more grants totaling up to USD 500,000 will be awarded to the person(s) or team(s) submitting the best solution that addresses a critical global health need. Solutions will be evaluated based on their ability to meet the following criteria:

Address a particular cohort with a critical unmet medical need in Johnson & Johnson's strategic areas of interest, such as lung cancer and metabolic diseases.

Integrates a novel approach that combines therapeutic, devices and/or consumer health solutions.

Address part or all of the spectrum of prevention, interception and cure.

Outline how the award would help them reach a critical milestone within the timeframe of a single year and provide a full "time-to-market" plan for their solution.

The solution may originate from anywhere in the world, and from one or more individuals, teams or companies; subject to certain eligibility requirements set out in the terms and conditions for the challenge. If more than one technology is selected, the award will be shared among recipients; all finalists are eligible for residency at JLABS. Award recipients will be announced in Q4 2016.

To apply to the challenge and review the applicable terms and conditions, please visit http://jlabs.jnjinnovation.com/quickfire-challenges. The deadline for applications is August 31, 2016. Past QuickFire Challenge recipients include Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, Alkahest, Driver BioEngineering, EpiBiome, Goleini, Cyteir Therapeutics, Riparian Pharmaceuticals and XTuit Pharmaceuticals.

JLABS supports entrepreneurs by helping them overcome common barriers to discovery and development, such as the large initial investment of time and money that is necessary to establish working labs and other business infrastructure. JLABS sites are located throughout North America in life science clusters, including the flagship location in San Diego, San Francisco, South San Francisco, Boston, Houston and Toronto. These facilities are currently home to more than 140 early stage companies advancing biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health programs.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC focuses on accelerating all stages of innovation worldwide and forming collaborations between entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson's global healthcare businesses. Johnson & Johnson Innovation provides scientists, entrepreneurs and emerging companies with one-stop access to science and technology experts who can facilitate collaborations across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer companies of Johnson & Johnson. Under the Johnson & Johnson Innovation umbrella of businesses, we connect with innovators through our regional Innovation Centers, JLABS, Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JJDC, Inc. and our Business Development teams to create customized deals and novel collaborations that speed development of innovations to solve unmet needs in patients. For more information, visit www.jnjinnovation.com or follow @JNJInnovation.

About Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenUS and www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal.

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SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC

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 JSS Medical Research, an international contract research organization active in over 20 countries acquires Bonne Sante in Poland as catalyst for European expansion

MONTREAL, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - JSS Medical Research Inc., an International Contract Research Organization (CRO) with offices in Canada, Latin America and Asia/ Pacific, announced the acquisition of Bonne Sante, a Polish CRO, to accelerate the expansion into Europe.

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JSS Medical Research provides the entire range of clinical research services to the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The worldwide expansion is driven by the growing demands of its clients for presence in these countries. Presently the largest Canadian-owned CRO, JSS Medical Research has offices in Canada, Colombia, India and Poland with more than 300 full time employees.

Dr. John S Sampalis, President and CEO of JSS Medical Research said: 'The decision to acquire Bonne Sante was based on the excellent reputation of the Company built over 25 years, the highly regarded management and staff, established long-term hospital and investigator relations and customer-focused philosophy. While the spectrum of phase II  IV offerings of the two companies are comparable, Bonne Sante will now provide the foundation upon which we can leverage our expertise in late phase, post marketing, epidemiological and health economics / outcomes research to provide our clients with an enhanced spectrum of clinical research covering all pre- and post-marketing phases.

The acquisition will focus on the competitive advantages realized by the complementary geographical coverage of the two companies, operational efficiencies and international business development to expand client / patient service offerings. This expansion enables us to provide our services to our large pharmaceutical clients and their regional affiliates in Europe and surrounding regions. For our biotech clients the expansion will provide them with access to academics, key opinion leaders, investigators and that will facilitate the completion of their clinical development programs and access to the European markets.

Stella Boukas, COO at JSS Medical Research added: "The operational efficiencies realized through our merger and acquisition strategy will translate to expedited project completion without compromising quality."

About JSS Medical Research

JSS Medical Research is a fullservice International Contract Research Organization (CRO) with its corporate office in Montreal, Canada and regional offices in Colombia and India. The company offers comprehensive clinical trial management services from study design to publication of results, in Phase IIV trials across a broad range of therapeutic areas. With science and clinical epidemiological expertise at its core and early phase services of the highest quality adhering to industry standards, JSS Medical Research is a leader in PostApproval Clinical Epidemiology Studies (PACES) including PostMarketing Observational Studies, Health Outcomes Research (HEOR) and Health Economics. Currently, JSS Medical Research is conducting research studies in over 21 countries around the world for its clients that include the top 25 Pharmaceutical companies and Biotechnology/Device companies, worldwide.

For more information, visit www.jssresearch.com.

About Bonne Sante

Bonne Sante was established in Poland in 1990 by Albert Czetwertynski as a marketing company specializing in promotion of pharmaceutical products. Responding to a growing demand, in 1999 Bonne Sante began conducting clinical trials in Poland for its clients. The company's reputation for excellent quality, often exceeding client expectations, efficiency that was combined with competitive cost and flexibility to address the needs of the project made Bonne Sante one of the most successful CROs in the region. Currently the Company provides clinical research, regulatory and consulting services covering Phase II  IV studies for a wide range of regional and international companies.

For more information, visit http://www.bonne-sante.com.pl

SOURCE JSS Medical Research Inc.

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CHICAGO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kendall College is proud to welcome Chef Rick Bayless to its 2016 commencement ceremony, which will be held Saturday, June 25, 2016 at the Chicago Symphony Center at 10:00am. During the ceremony, Kendall College will honor students from across the globe who have earned associate and bachelor's degrees from the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, School of Hospitality Management, International School of Business and School of Early Childhood Education. Bayless, an award winning chef, author and educator will address graduates with personal stories and words of wisdom in celebration of their academic accomplishments.

"We are honored to welcome Chef Bayless as our 2016 commencement speaker," said Kim Shambrook, interim president of Kendall College. "Throughout his life and career, Chef Bayless has been an agent of change and an inspiration. His passion for food and diverse cultures, his success in building remarkable businesses and his steadfast commitment to social responsibility and continuous education makes him a perfect role model for our Kendall students and graduates as they prepare to take the next step in their careers."

As chef and proprietor, Bayless oversees seven restaurants, including Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and the newly opened Lena Brava in Chicago, and the Frontera Farmer Foundation, which has supported Midwestern farms since 2003 by awarding nearly 200 grants and nearly two million dollars to date for capital improvements. He was awarded Humanitarian of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his many philanthropic endeavors in 2007, the same year he launched the Frontera Scholarship. The full-tuition scholarship is awarded annually to Mexican-American Chicago Public School student to attend Kendall College to study culinary arts.

Bayless has won seven James Beard Foundation Awards, authored nine cookbooks and been nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Culinary Host for his highly-rated Public Television Series: MexicoOne Plate at a Time. Last month, he was named the recipient of the Julia Child Award.

"It's truly an honor to stand before Kendall's eager group of graduates," said Chef Bayless. "I hope, in some small way, to contribute to their future success."

For more information about Kendall College and its degree programs, visit www.kendall.edu.

About Kendall College:

Kendall College, founded in 1934 and located in Chicago, offers undergraduate degrees in culinary arts, hospitality management, business and early childhood education to a diverse and passionate community of more than 2,100 students each year. The curriculum combines strong academics with practical experience and international educational opportunities to give students in business, hospitality and culinary arts programs the skills and expertise to be leaders in their professions. Kendall College was ranked the No. 1 program in Chicago for preparing students for careers in hospitality management and culinary arts in a survey of hiring managers at Chicago's leading hotels and Michelin Guide restaurants (TNS Global - 2013 Survey). Kendall College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit www.Kendall.edu.

Kendall is part of the Laureate International Universities networka global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities in 28 countries. For more information, visit www.laureate.net.

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SOURCE Kendall College

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BOCA RATON, Fla., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest national index produced by Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University faculty indicates the United States housing market as a whole is moving deeper into buy territory, suggesting that, on average, residential housing markets around the country are sound.

Based on numbers from the end of the first quarter, the latest Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index comes on the heels of the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which found home prices nationally climbed 5.4 percent since March 2015.

"This appears to be driven by a steady but strengthening job market, rising rents relative to rising ownership costs and recent slower growth in traditional financial portfolios consisting of stocks and bonds," said Ken Johnson, Ph.D., a real estate economist who is one of the index's authors and an associate dean of graduate programs and professor in FAU's College of Business.

The BH&J Index measures the relationship between purchasing property and building wealth through a buildup in equity versus renting a comparable property and investing in a portfolio of stocks and bonds. It examines the entire housing market in the United States and isolates the markets of 23 major cities.

In terms of wealth creation, the U.S. housing market, when considered as a whole, has swung marginally more in favor of home ownership over renting a comparable property and investing monthly rent savings in a portfolio of stocks and bonds. Overall, 16 of the 23 metropolitan markets investigated moved in the direction of buy territory.

The metro areas of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis remain solidly in buy territory.

"These cities should have room for price growth without much worry of overheating," said Eli Beracha, Ph.D., co-author of the index and assistant professor in the T&S Hollo School of Real Estate at FIU. "This is especially true for Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Detroit."

Cities such as Honolulu, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle are hovering around what the index's authors refer to as the "indifference point" between buying versus renting. In almost all of these metro markets, the BH&J Index score for the quarter moved in the direction of ownership.

"This movement suggests that most consumers in these markets appear to have learned from the real estate crash and now understand that residential property prices can get too high," Beracha said. "This is a good sign for future housing price stability in these markets."

Meanwhile, two hot housing markets, Dallas and Denver, continued to move deeper into rent territory but at a slower rate than earlier quarters.

"Strong economic support within these two markets should make for a soft landing in terms of slowing property price growth, increased marketing time for properties and lower probabilities that sellers will actually transact and close during a given marketing effort of their property," Johnson said.

One particular market, Houston, continues to cause concern. Houston was already deep into rent territory, and its recent BH&J score plummeted significantly toward buy territory  a scenario that has foreshadowed noticeable property price declines in the past.

"A perfect storm seems to be developing in Houston," Johnson said. "I expect a lot of folks in Houston to be on the safe side and opt for renting over ownership."

Johnson's collaborators in this ongoing independent research are Beracha and William G. Hardin III, Ph.D., director of the T&S Hollo School of Real Estate at FIU's College of Business. The BH&J Index and other FAU real estate activities are sponsored by Investments Limited of Boca Raton.

The BH&J Index is published quarterly and is available online at http://business.fau.edu/buyvsrent. Due to data availability and the time necessary to calculate the most current index values, the index is produced two months after the end of the quarter.

About Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

Contact Info: Jim Hellegaard

Media Relations Director, Business

[email protected]

Phone: 561-319-2233



SOURCE Florida Atlantic University

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Layne Christensen Company (NASDAQ: LAYN) ("Layne" or the "Company") today announced financial and operating results for the fiscal 2017 first quarter (Q1 FY 2017) ended April 30, 2016.

Highlights

Reported net loss from continuing operations for Q1 FY 2017 was ($8.8) million , or ($0.45) per share, compared to ($6.6) million , or ($0.34) per share, for Q1 FY 2016. Q1 FY 2016 results included a $4.2 million gain, or $0.22 per share, on extinguishment of debt.

, or per share, compared to , or per share, for Q1 FY 2016. Q1 FY 2016 results included a gain, or per share, on extinguishment of debt. Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure as defined below) was $4.5 million in Q1 FY 2017 compared to $4.8 million in Q1 FY 2016.

in Q1 FY 2017 compared to in Q1 FY 2016. Consolidated revenues declined 8% to $159.7 million in Q1 FY 2017 from $174.3 million in Q1 FY 2016, largely related to lower activity levels at Mineral Services and Heavy Civil. Water Resources produced strong revenue growth while Inliner revenues were relatively flat.

in Q1 FY 2017 from in Q1 FY 2016, largely related to lower activity levels at Mineral Services and Heavy Civil. Water Resources produced strong revenue growth while Inliner revenues were relatively flat. Unallocated corporate expenses reflected in our Adjusted EBITDA calculation continued to decline, benefiting from Layne's overall cost reduction efforts, and were $7.0 million in Q1 FY 2017 compared to $9.5 million in Q1 FY 2016.

in Q1 FY 2017 compared to in Q1 FY 2016. As of April 30, 2016 , cash and cash equivalents were $59.8 million , and total debt was $159.9 million . Total liquidity, which includes availability under Layne's credit facility and total cash and cash equivalents, was $126.1 million at April 30, 2016 , compared to $131.7 million at January 31 , 2016.

, cash and cash equivalents were , and total debt was . Total liquidity, which includes availability under Layne's credit facility and total cash and cash equivalents, was at , compared to at , 2016. Total backlog was $316.1 million at April 30, 2016 compared to $346.3 million at January 31, 2016 and $380.4 million at April 30 , 2015. The decrease in backlog was primarily within the Heavy Civil division and related to the continuing strategic shift towards more selective opportunities.

CEO Commentary

Michael J. Caliel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Layne, commented, "Our first quarter results reflect our continued progress on several fronts and the challenges we continue to face in the minerals market. Notably, Inliner delivered another quarter of strong performance driven by improved margins and Water Resources generated top line growth although margins were impacted by some execution issues, including within the energy business, and increased bad debt expense. We continue to make meaningful progress in transforming our Heavy Civil division where we produced positive Adjusted EBITDA for the first time in more than two years. The ongoing commodity-related headwinds continue to adversely impact our Mineral Services business although we benefitted from improved profitability of our Latin American affiliates.

"We remain focused on reducing costs and rationalizing our asset base, where appropriate. As part of our ongoing strategy to reshape our portfolio, we divested our non-core vibration technology business during the quarter. In addition, we continue to implement our company-wide business performance improvement initiative and have taken our next planned step to focus on sales and operations efficiency improvements within Water Resources. Our plan is to take advantage of our water expertise and realigned Water Resources operating structure to enhance our work processes and improve job execution while also reducing our cost structure in order to improve overall profitability and cash flow. Lastly, we have made significant progress in reducing our corporate overhead. While clearly there is more work to be done, we expect our overall financial performance in fiscal 2017 to show improvement over last fiscal year and for Layne to be profitable in fiscal year 2018."

LAYNE CHRISTENSEN COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA





Three Months



Ended April 30,



(unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data)

2016



2015 Revenues

$ 159,739



$ 174,271 Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown below)



(130,369)





(143,231) Selling, general and administrative expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown below)



(27,250)





(29,245) Depreciation and amortization



(6,428)





(8,735) Restructuring costs



(455)





(190) Equity in earnings (losses) of affiliates



1,269





(108) Gain on extinguishment of debt









4,236 Interest expense



(4,246)





(3,852) Other income, net



150





1,041 Loss from continuing operations before income taxes



(7,590)





(5,813) Income tax expense



(1,213)





(761) Net loss from continuing operations



(8,803)





(6,574) Net income from discontinued operations









16 Net loss

$ (8,803)



$ (6,558) Earnings per share information attributable to Layne Christensen Company shareholders:













Loss per share from continuing operations - basic and diluted

$ (0.45)



$ (0.34) Earnings per share from discontinued operations - basic and diluted









0.01 Loss per share attributable to Layne Christensen Company - basic and diluted

$ (0.45)



$ (0.33) Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and dilutive



19,773





19,633





As of





April 30,



January 31,

(in thousands)

2016



2016





(unaudited)



(unaudited)

Balance Sheet Data















Cash and cash equivalents

$ 59,849



$ 65,569

Working capital



128,075





131,280

Adjusted Working Capital (excluding cash and cash equivalents)



68,226





65,711

Total assets



483,067





488,657

Total debt



159,862





159,074

Total Layne Christensen Company equity



122,651





128,658

Common shares issued and outstanding



19,803





19,789



Summary of Operating Segment Data

The following table summarizes financial information for the Company's operating segments. A discussion of the results for Q1 FY 2017 for each segment versus Q1 FY 2016 follows the table.





Three Months





Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

2016



2015

Revenues















Water Resources

$ 61,950



$ 58,152

Inliner



47,534





48,020

Heavy Civil



39,093





45,083

Mineral Services



11,255





23,524

Intersegment Eliminations



(93)





(508)

Total revenues

$ 159,739



$ 174,271

Adjusted EBITDA















Water Resources

$ 4,097



$ 6,573

Inliner



7,218





6,981

Heavy Civil



131





(1,276)

Mineral Services



51





2,009

Unallocated corporate expenses



(7,039)





(9,520)

Total Adjusted EBITDA

$ 4,458



$ 4,767







































Water Resources









Three Months





Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

2016



2015

Revenues

$ 61,950



$ 58,152

Adjusted EBITDA



4,097





6,573

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues



6.6 %



11.3 %

For the three months ended April 30, 2016, Water Resources' revenues increased by 7% compared to the prior year period. The revenue growth was driven mainly by the increase in repair and installation projects and increased activity in the injection well market, partially offset by decline in water management services within the energy sector.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended April 30, 2016 decreased by $2.5 million due primarily to the write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable amounting to $1.0 million during the current quarter, as well as operating losses in our water management services within the energy sector. Additionally, we encountered execution issues with certain projects and reduced margins on drilling projects in the western region as a consequence of increased competition.

Backlog was $91.7 million at April 30, 2016 compared to $97.6 million at January 31, 2016 and $110.0 million at April 30, 2015.

Inliner









Three Months





Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

2016



2015

Revenues

$ 47,534



$ 48,020

Adjusted EBITDA



7,218





6,981

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues



15.2 %



14.5 %

For the three months ended April 30, 2016, Inliner revenues decreased slightly by 1% versus the three months ended April 30, 2015, primarily related to product mix of rehabilitation work.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended April 30, 2016 increased by $0.2 million due primarily to improved project execution and reduced selling, general and administrative expenses.

Backlog was $121.8 million at April 30, 2016 compared to $113.6 million at January 31, 2016 and $120.1 million at April 30, 2015.

Heavy Civil









Three Months





Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

2016



2015

Revenues

$ 39,093



$ 45,083

Adjusted EBITDA



131





(1,276)

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues



0.3%





(2.8%)



For the three months ended April 30, 2016, Heavy Civil revenues decreased by 13% versus the three months ended April 30, 2015 as a result of our continuing strategic shift towards more selective opportunities, including negotiated and alternative delivery contracts and less emphasis on traditional fixed-price contracts. These negotiated and alternative delivery contracts are typically lower risk and are contributing to improved margins. Additionally, delays in the start of certain projects contributed to reduced revenues during the current quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA of $0.1 million for the three months ended April 30, 2016 improved relative to the three months ended April 30, 2015 of ($1.3) million, as a result of continued progress in completing certain fixed-price troubled contracts and improved profitability related to the strategic shift towards more selective opportunities mentioned above.

Backlog was $102.6 million at April 30, 2016 compared to $135.1 million at January 31, 2016 and $150.3 million at April 30, 2015.

Mineral Services









Three Months





Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

2016



2015

Revenues

$ 11,255



$ 23,524

Adjusted EBITDA



51





2,009

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues



0.5 %



8.5 % Equity in earnings (losses) of affiliates



1,269





(108)



For the three months ended April 30, 2016, Mineral Services' revenues decreased by 52% versus the three months ended April 30, 2015 primarily due to lower activity levels as a result of the continued softness in global commodity prices. Furthermore, our decision to exit from our operations in Africa and Australia during FY2016 contributed to approximately $4.0 million in revenue decline compared to Q1 FY 2015.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended April 30, 2016 decreased by $2.0 million as a consequence of lower activity levels. Included in these results are wind-down costs of $1.1 million during the current quarter related to our exit from Africa and Australia, partially offset by a tax audit settlement credit of $0.7 million.

Equity in earnings (losses) of affiliates improved during the three months ended April 30, 2016, due to improved profitability in our Latin American affiliates.

Unallocated Corporate Expenses

Unallocated corporate expenses reflected in our Adjusted EBITDA calculation were $7.0 million for Q1 FY 2017 compared to $9.5 million in Q1 FY 2016. The improvement was primarily due to reductions in legal and professional fees, consulting expenses and compensation expenses.

Use of Non- GAAP Financial Information

We use Adjusted EBITDA to assess performance which is not defined in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Adjusted EBITDA represents income or loss from continuing operations before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash share-based compensation, equity in earnings or losses from affiliates, certain non-recurring items such as restructuring costs, gain on extinguishment of debt, and certain other gains or losses, plus dividends received from affiliates. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA included in this report helps us understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends and provides useful information to both management and investors. In addition, we use Adjusted EBITDA as a factor in incentive compensation decisions and our credit facility agreement uses measures similar to Adjusted EBITDA to measure compliance with certain covenants. Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results.

The following table reconciles Adjusted EBITDA to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, which we consider to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to Adjusted EBITDA.

Three Months Ended April 30, 2016

































Unallocated





















Water











Heavy



Mineral



Corporate



Other Items/











(in thousands)

Resources



Inliner



Civil



Services



Expenses



Eliminations





Total

Revenues

$ 61,950



$ 47,534



$ 39,093



$ 11,255



$ 



$ (93)





$ 159,739





























































Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

$ 300



$ 5,645



$ (782)



$ (347)



$ (8,160)



$ (4,246)





$ (7,590)

Interest expense

































4,246







4,246

Depreciation expense and amortization



3,153





1,254





469





1,219





333













6,428

Non-cash share-based compensation



204





251





37





49





706













1,247

Equity in (earnings) losses of affiliates





















(1,269)



















(1,269)

Restructuring costs















391





64



















455

Other (income) expense, net



440





68





16





(756)





82













(150)

Dividends received from affiliates





















1,091



















1,091

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 4,097



$ 7,218



$ 131



$ 51



$ (7,039)



$ 





$ 4,458

































































































Unallocated



















Three Months Ended April 30, 2015

Water











Heavy



Mineral



Corporate



Other Items/











(in thousands)

Resources



Inliner



Civil



Services



Expenses



Eliminations





Total

Revenues

$ 58,152



$ 48,020



$ 45,083



$ 23,524



$ 



$ (508)





$ 174,271





























































Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

$ 2,891



$ 5,242



$ (2,023)



$ (2,552)



$ (9,755)



$ 384





$ (5,813)

Interest expense

































3,852







3,852

Depreciation expense and amortization



3,450





997





695





3,101





492













8,735

Non-cash share-based compensation



149





539





178





122





621













1,609

Equity in (earnings) losses of affiliates





















108



















108

Restructuring costs



63





19





41





21





46













190

Gain on extinguishment of debt

































(4,236)







(4,236)

Other (income) expense, net



20





184





(167)





(154)





(924)













(1,041)

Dividends received from affiliates





















1,363



















1,363

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 6,573



$ 6,981



$ (1,276)



$ 2,009



$ (9,520)



$ 





$ 4,767































































We also use Adjusted Working Capital, which is not determined in accordance with GAAP, as an indicator of operating efficiency and our ability to manage our receivables and inventory. Adjusted Working Capital excludes cash and cash equivalents from the traditional measure of working capital.

Conference Call

Layne Christensen will conduct a conference call at 9:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM CT Tuesday, June 7, 2016, to discuss these results and related matters. Interested parties may participate in the call by dialing 1-877-407-0672 (Domestic) or 1-412-902-0003 (International). The conference call will also be broadcast live via the Investor Relations section of Layne's website at www.layne.com. To listen to the live call, please go to the website at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. If you are unable to listen live, the conference call will be archived on the website for approximately 90 days. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through June 14, 2016 and may be accessed by calling 1-877-660-6853 (Domestic) or 1-201-612-7415 (International) and using passcode 13637329#.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements of plans and objectives, statements of future economic performance and statements of assumptions underlying such statements, and statements of management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "should," "intend," "continue," "believe," "may," "hope," "anticipate," "goal," "forecast," "plan," "estimate" and similar words or phrases. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including but not limited to: prevailing prices for various commodities, unanticipated slowdowns in the Company's major markets, the availability of credit, the risks and uncertainties normally incident to the construction industry, the impact of competition, the effectiveness of operational changes expected to increase efficiency and productivity, worldwide economic and political conditions and foreign currency fluctuations that may affect worldwide results of operations. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially and adversely from those anticipated, estimated or projected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this filing, and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements.

About Layne

Layne is a global solutions provider to the world of essential natural resourceswater, mineral and energy. We offer innovative, sustainable products and services with an enduring commitment to safety, excellence and integrity.

Contacts

J. Michael Anderson

Chief Financial Officer

281-475-2694

[email protected]

Dennard Lascar Associates

Jack Lascar

713-529-6600

[email protected]

[LAYN-F]

SOURCE Layne Christensen Company

Related Links

http://www.layne.com


TOANO, Va., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL), the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring in North America, has provided the Indianapolis Opera with more than 1,600 square feet of hardwood flooring to renovate their Recital Hall stage.

The only professional opera company in Indiana, the Indianapolis Opera has inspired generations with engaging educational, cultural and community activities. It plays a lead role in arts-focused community collaborations throughout the state, including free concerts, programs in senior living communities and events that help children explore music and art.

Lumber Liquidators donated and installed Hunter Red Oak Engineered Hardwood flooring as the new stage for the Indianapolis Opera's Recital Hall. It was selected for its durability and style, which offers a harmonious blend of a classic honey color and strong oak graining.

"We very much appreciate the corporate leadership shown by Lumber Liquidators in the Indianapolis community," said Kevin Patterson, general director of the Indianapolis Opera. "The donated wood flooring represents not only a welcome addition to our performance hall, their participation sends a strong and lasting signal that the arts are valued in our community."

Lumber Liquidators' support of the Indianapolis Opera was administered through its philanthropic program, Lay It Forward, which supports organizations that benefit generations to come. This principle also inspires the lasting quality and sustainability of Lumber Liquidators' products.

About Lumber Liquidators

With more than 370 locations, Lumber Liquidators is North America's largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring. The Company features more than 400 top quality flooring varieties, including solid and engineered hardwood, bamboo, cork, laminate and resilient vinyl. Additionally, Lumber Liquidators provides a wide selection of flooring enhancements and accessories to complement, install and maintain your new floor. Every location is staffed with flooring experts who can provide advice and installation options for all of Lumber Liquidators' products, much of which is in stock and ready for delivery.

With premier brands including Bellawood and Morning Star Bamboo, Lumber Liquidators' flooring is often featured on popular television shows such as HGTV's Dream Home and This Old House. For more information, please visit www.LumberLiquidators.com or call 1.800.HARDWOOD.

Lumber Liquidators aims to be the industry leader in sustainability. For more information, please visit www.LumberLiquidators.com/Sustainability. Learn more about our corporate giving program at LayItForward.LumberLiquidators.com. You can also follow Lumber Liquidators on Facebook and Twitter.

For further information contact:

John Feld  One Simple Plan

Tel: 612.677.2248

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130529/NY21644LOGO

SOURCE Lumber Liquidators, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lumberliquidators.com


CHICAGO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade celebrates 83 years of holiday tradition with giant helium balloons, magnificent marching bands, majestic equestrian units and marvelous performance groups representing the best talent in Chicago and across the country. The parade is the second largest Thanksgiving parade in the nation with hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the streets of Chicago to see the spectacle in person. The parade is broadcast live for three hours nationally on WGN America and locally on WGN 9 Chicago. The 2016 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade takes place LIVE on State Street between Congress Parkway and Randolph Street in downtown Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24 from 8 to 11 a.m. (CST).



Originally called the Christmas Caravan in the 1930s, the Parade was created in 1934 to help lift the spirits of residents suffering though the Great Depression. Since then, it has developed into a full-scale spectacle celebrating the holiday season. What once started out as an attempt to boost Chicago's economy has evolved into a cherished tradition for Chicagoans and Americans alike. The Parade includes performers and special guests representing every part of the country as well as representing many cultures from around the world. Over 20 different cultures were represented in the 2015 parade.



The parade's line-up includes over 100 diverse units, including Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald, the parade's loveable mascot, Teddy Turkey, the Harlem Globetrotters and of course, Santa Claus. This year's parade will feature performances from the world-renowned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the exhilarating Black Ensemble Theater, the pitch-perfect Apollo Chorus of Chicago, an intense performance by Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament and a show stopping performance by the Texas State University Strutters. Crowd favorites such as the Jesse White Tumblers, The Barefoot Hawaiian and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project will make this a show one not to be missed!



McDonald's Owner/Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, the title sponsor of the parade, will also present the McDonald's Community Fire Truck, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile in partnership with Advocate Children's Hospital, and Ronald McDonald and his Big Red Shoe. Sheraton Grand Chicago is the official hotel of the parade. Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, will be presenting live cooking segments during the parade broadcast. Other sponsors include Chicago Blackhawks, Mercedes-Benz of Chicago, and RE/MAX.



Additional information about the 2016 line-up and special guests will be announced after Labor Day. For more information, visit our website at www.chicagofestivals.org. Find us on social media with our Twitter and Instagram handle, @TeddyTurkey, and on our Facebook page, McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Chicago Festival Association

Related Links

http://www.chicagofestivals.org


"While he expressed an intent to resign some time ago, Classic appreciates Brent remaining to ensure a smooth transition and execute on certain critical company priorities," states Jeff Gault. "We appreciate Brent's contributions during his tenure and all of us wish him well in his future endeavors," adds Gault.

About: Classic Party Rentals is the nation's leading full service event rental company that focuses on "creating memorable life moments." With 25 locations nationwide, the company services most major markets across the U.S. with its china, glassware, flatware, specialty linen, lounge furniture, lighting, heating, flooring, and kitchen and catering equipment. Classic is also the leading nationwide provider of tents and clear-span structures. In addition to providing event rentals, Classic offers sales support, product, and event management for more than 200,000 events per year including major sporting events, brand promotion, corporate events, celebrity weddings, Hollywood awards shows, movie premieres, charity events and social events. For more information, please visit www.ClassicPartyRentals.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375625

SOURCE Classic Event & Tent Rentals

Related Links

http://www.ClassicPartyRentals.com


OMAHA, Neb., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Richard M. Brown has been named National Sales Manager of the newly formed Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, a joint venture of Mutual of Omaha Bank and Dallas-based residential mortgage lender PrimeLending.

Brown brings more than 20 years in the mortgage banking and financial services industries to Mutual of Omaha Mortgage. He most recently led mortgage banking sales in a five-state region for a national banking organization.

"Rich brings a wealth of experience in building mortgage sales to Mutual of Omaha Mortgage and will be instrumental in setting our sales and growth strategies as we launch this new enterprise. We're thrilled that he is joining our team," said Mutual of Omaha Mortgage President Terry Connealy.

Brown earned his bachelor's degree from Creighton University in Omaha.

Joint venture partners PrimeLending Venture Management LLC and Mutual of Omaha Bank announced the creation of Mutual of Omaha Mortgage in April. Expected to begin operations in the third quarter, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage will offer a wide range of home financing products and services.

For more information, connect with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage on LinkedIn.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375904LOGO

SOURCE Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
NEW YORK, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Loving Day Project is the world's largest network of multiracial celebrations. They commemorate the June 12th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court decision that struck down laws against interracial marriage.

"Loving," a film about Richard and Mildred Loving, the real-life couple who inspired Loving Day, world-premiered on May 16th at the Cannes International Film Festival in France. The film is generating Oscar buzz ahead of its U.S. release this November.

The Loving Day Project is calling on President Obama to recognize Loving Day as a federal observance. A White House petition was launched on May 31st with the goal of 100,000 signatures within 30 days. https://wh.gov/isdTY

An ad tweeted by Old Navy generated a racist backlash for featuring an interracial family. This generated national press and a reaction from Jack McCain, son of Arizona Senator John McCain (May 2, 2016). A 2014 Super Bowl commercial for Cheerios received a similar reception.

11% of Americans still do not approve of interracial marriages (Gallup 2013). 10% of all U.S. married couple households (32M) are interracial or interethnic (U.S. Census 2010). 6.9% of adult Americans (22M) are multiracial, comparable to the Asian American population at 5.6% (Pew Research 2015).

Thousands will participate in Loving Day Celebrations on or around June 12th in cities worldwide. They range from family gatherings to large public festivals like the Loving Day Flagship Celebration in New York (1,000 guests) and the Mixed Remixed Festival in LA. Celebrations are also planned for 16 other cities including DC, Philadelphia, Birmingham, New Orleans, Amsterdam, and Lyon, France. Additional events are expected on http://www.lovingday.org.

About the Loving Day Project

Created in 2004, Loving Day's mission is to fight racial prejudice through education and to build multiethnic community. Our vision is to create an annual tradition that will make the Loving case a universally recognized civil rights landmark.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Loving Day

Related Links

http://www.lovingday.org


More than 23 percent of children in the greater New Orleans area are at risk of hunger; that is an astounding 140,000 kids (*) living in low income households who may not be certain about where they will get their next meal once school lets out for the summer. Supplemental nutrition programs like Feeding Our Future and other federally-funded programs like the USDA Summer Meal Program help fill the gap. In addition to partnering in New Orleans to operate some of the federal programs, Sodexo's Feeding Our Future will provide 12,000 meals to support children under age 18 in the City of New Orleans this summer at five City Community Centers  Behrman Park, Gernon Brown Recreation Center, Joe W. Brown Park, Sanchez Multi-Purpose Center, and St. Bernard Recreation Center.

"Sodexo has a long history of commitment to the City of New Orleans and once again they have illustrated that through public-private partnerships, we can work together to solve major issues," says City of New Orleans Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu. "We appreciate that Sodexo not only funds these programs, but also engages their local workforce of over 800-strongempowering them to make a difference in our city."

The New Orleans program is in its first year in 2016, but Sodexo currently operates Feeding Our Future in 23 additional U.S. cities, nine in Canada, and has provided more than 5.6 million meals to children at risk of hunger since it began in 1997. This summer, the program is estimated to serve nearly 500,000 healthy meals to those in need.

"Feeding America reports that 84 percent of their client households with children report purchasing the cheapest food available, even if they know it is not the healthiest option, in an effort to provide enough food for their family," says Patrick Connolly, Global CEO, Universities for Sodexo. "Our teams are committed to improving the communities where they live, work, and serve and Feeding Our Future gives them a unique opportunity to give back by helping to fill that summer meal gap with a healthy and nutritious meal."

FINDING LOCAL SUMMER MEAL PROGRAMS

Families and organizations can locate "open programs" offering free summer meals in their community by contacting Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation partners at No Kid Hungry, visiting the USDA Summer Food Rocks website or calling the National Hunger Hotline at 866-3-Hungry or 877-8-Hambre for information in Spanish. You can also text the word "Food" to 877-877 to find a site nearby.

Sodexo delivers more than 100 services across North America that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life. The Fortune Global 500 company is a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations.

Learn more about the company at its corporate blog, Sodexo Insights.

(*) SOURCE :

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana http://map.feedingamerica.org/congressional/2014/child/louisiana/organization/second-harvest-food-bank-of-greater-new-orleans-and-acadiana

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/376005

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349448LOGO

SOURCE Sodexo

Related Links

http://www.sodexoUSA.com


NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with consolidated revenues of approximately $17.5 billion and approximately 14,300 employees in 27 states and Canada as of year-end 2015, as well as approximately 45,000 megawatts of generating capacity, which includes megawatts associated with noncontrolling interests related to NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) as of April 2016. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than 4.8 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the United States, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2016 list of "World's Most Admired Companies." For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com , www.FPL.com , www.NextEraEnergyResources.com .

NextEra Energy Partners, LP

NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) is a growth-oriented limited partnership formed by NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) to acquire, manage and own contracted clean energy projects with stable, long-term cash flows. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy Partners owns interests in wind and solar projects in North America, as well as natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. The renewable energy projects are fully contracted, use industry-leading technology and are located in regions that are favorable for generating energy from the wind and sun. The seven natural gas pipelines in the portfolio are all strategically located, serving power producers and municipalities in South Texas, processing plants and producers in the Eagle Ford Shale, and commercial and industrial customers in the Houston area. The NET Mexico Pipeline, the largest pipeline in the portfolio, provides a critical source of natural gas transportation for low-cost, U.S.-sourced shale gas to Mexico. For more information about NextEra Energy Partners, please visit: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com.

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SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.; NextEra Energy Partners, LP

Related Links

http://www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com


QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Novik, a premier manufacturer of shake, stone and accessory products that replicate the natural beauty and texture of wood and stone, acquired Exteria Building Products of Miami, FL, effective June 2, 2016. Clearview Capital Fund III, LP, principals of Novik since 2014, completed the purchase from an affiliate of Graham Partners, owner of Exteria Building Products and its co-investors. Clearview Capital is well known in the building products industry for having created and built the AZEK brand of cellular PVC trim, deck and railing products.

Novik is best known for its NovikShake and NovikStone brands. Led by innovation, Novik's world class surface treatment features StainNatural, a proprietary semi-transparent wood stained cladding. "We are thrilled to be partnering with the excellent team and product lines of Exteria Building Products," said Ralph Bruno, President, Novik. "The power of bringing together these two industry leaders will give us the size, scale and breadth of products to accelerate growth and demand throughout our existing channels."

According to Bruno, it will be business as usual moving forward, as Novik will be keeping both manufacturing facilities, both brands and both sales teams. "The entire Novik team looks forward to working with Frank McCormack, Senior VP of Sales for Exteria and his team to serve our combined customer base," he said. Francois Giroux will continue as CEO of the new combined entity.

Exteria is best known for its "weathered series" and color match shake offerings as well as its cutting edge masonry line. "These are exciting times for our employees, our customers and our ever-increasing network of builders and contractors as we join with Novik to take our business to the next level," said Frank McCormack.

About Novik

Novik is a premier manufacturer of NovikShake, NovikStone and accents that replicate the natural beauty and texture of wood and stone materials. At the forefront of technology, Novik offers attainable luxury that is attractive and easy to install. Novik products are a perfect fit for builders, contractors, facility managers and consumers who take pride in the aesthetic appearance of their home or building. For more information, visit www.novik.com.

About Exteria

With over three decades of experience, Exteria Building Products has established itself as a leading composite siding manufacturer. Exteria's early design engineers helped invent the cedar and masonry replica category. Life-like stone textures and color variations deliver unprecedented authenticity, while a proprietary coating system enhances the sense of realism. For more information, visit www.exteriabp.com.

SOURCE Novik

Related Links

http://www.novik.com


HAVERHILL, Mass., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The registered nurses, who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United at Steward Holy Family Hospital at Merrimack Valley (Merrimack Valley Hospital) in Haverhill filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week over the hospital's continued refusal to bargain a new union contract. The charges also assert that the company officials who have been sent to bargaining meetings have been given no authority by the company to negotiate.

Steward's alleged illegal effort to stonewall the negotiations with the nurses and deprive them of any wage or benefit increase comes at a time when the combined Holy Family Hospital Haverhill and Methuen campuses posted profits of more than $14 million and a profit margin of 8 percent, which is double the state average for the state's acute care hospitals, according the latest official reports filed with the state's Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). (Most recent data reported by the hospital to CHIA for the first nine months of 2015).

"The nurses of Merrimack Valley Hospital feel disrespected by Steward's refusal to negotiate in good faith, particularly in light of the great sacrifices all the nurses have made to ensure this hospital's most recent financial success," said Jane Emery, RN, a nurse in the hospital's Med/Surg. Telemetry unit and co-chair of the MNA local bargaining unit for HFHMV. "We have been here for this hospital through thick and thin. When the hospital was losing money, we took zero percent wage increases in 2012, 2013 and 2014  three years in a row. We agreed to this because we care for the people of this community. But now that the company is making millions, they treat nurses like they have no use for us, and now nurses are resigning faster than we can hire."

The hospital's refusal to provide a meaningful wage and benefit package is now impacting nurses' ability to recruit and retain the staff. In the last year, as many as 27 nurses have left the facility, a high turnover rate of more than 20 percent.

"We are very proud of the quality of care we provide at Merrimack Valley. But we have had so many nurses leave in just the past six months that the hospital administration literally has been turning away patients and sending them to other hospitals on days when we don't have the staff available to meet the demand. It's a shame the way management is driving away nurses and limiting our ability to serve this community," Emery said.

In addition, Steward is reneging on a contractual promise made in 2014 to provide Merrimack Valley Hospital nurses access to a defined pension benefit plan in this new agreement. Merrimack Valley Hospital is the only hospital, of the 52 acute care facilities represented by the MNA, which does not have an employer financed retirement plan.

"The nurses at this hospital deserve and need a pension to be able to retire with income security," said Emery. "Steward made a promise to our nurses that they would negotiate this benefit in this contract. Now they refuse to even discuss it. It's a shameful way to treat people."

Despite this treatment by management, the nurses have consistently supported the hospital's continued success. On March 22, 2016 nurses appeared before the Haverhill City Council to promote the hospital and to encourage the city and the community to utilize the hospital, as it enjoys some the shortest emergency department wait times in the state, and provides first rate care. They have also been meeting with city and state elected officials and public employees' unions to promote the hospital. The nurses were praised by the City Council for their efforts to support such a vital community asset.

The MNA represents a total of 145 registered nurses at Merrimack Valley Hospital. The nurses' previous contract with the hospital expired on March 31, 2016, but was extended through May 31, 2016. In December, the MNA began its efforts to work with Steward to begin negotiations for a successor agreement, yet Steward refused to begin the process until March 29  two days before the contract expired. At the same time, Steward refused to provide necessary information requested by the MNA to begin fruitful talks. In response, the MNA filed its first charge of unfair labor practice against Steward Holy Family on February 22, 2016 with the National Labor Relations Board. At this point, Steward finally supplied some of the information requested. To date, nine negotiating sessions have been held, and the MNA has made numerous requests for Steward to present an economic proposal, or any substantive proposal to move the process along. Steward has refused to make virtually any proposals or to respond to the MNA's proposals, which necessitated the most recent charge with the NLRB.

The National Labor Relations Act makes it a federal Unfair Labor Practice to fail or refuse to bargain or to send representatives to the bargaining table without the authority to bargain and to refuse to provide relevant information in bargaining.

"As nurses, we want a fair contract that prevents the loss of some of the best nurses in the region, and which allows us to recruit great nurses back to this hospital. We want to be treated with respect, and to negotiate an agreement that recognizes the contributions we make to this hospital and that allows us to continue to provide the best care possible to our community," Emery concluded.

The next negotiating session with the hospital is scheduled for June 10, 2016.

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest professional health care organization and the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. The MNA is also a founding member of National Nurses United, the largest national nurses union in the United States with more than 170,000 members from coast to coast.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United

Related Links

http://www.massnurses.org


MADRID, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OII is the first U.S. organization to receive a Fundacion MAPFRE Award, which recognize individuals and institutions for outstanding contributions to society. The jury valued this novel initiative for its transferability to other countries and regions and for its contribution to tackling two of the main challenges that the insurance industry faces in Ohio: to cover 26,000 job openings in four years and to guarantee the good health of the sector in a state that currently employs 100,000 people in this industry, where over 250 companies operate.

"We believe that to effectuate change and inspire others to join the burgeoning career field within the insurance industry, one must educate job seekers on the key tenets of how insurance is more than simply numbers on a sheet of paper, but a safeguard that truly helps people during what is often one of the most difficult experiences they will encounter," explained Jeff Anthony, Director of Government Relations with the Ohio Insurance Institute, today at Fundacion MAPFRE's 2015 Awards presented by Her Majesty Queen Sofia.

"With Ohio's insurance industry facing an increasing demand to fill over 26,000 jobs by 2020, we are aware of the challenge and excited about the opportunity to educate and inspire the next generation on the great opportunities within the industry," Mr. Anthony said, accepting the award, which includes a prize of 30,000 euros.

OII's Insurance Careers website was developed as the result of Ohio Governor John Kasich convening a CEO Insurance Education Taskforce in 2011 to examine current and future workforce needs of one of Ohio's largest employment and economic contributors: insurance. Ohio ranks seventh in the U.S. in insurance industry employment with a workforce of over 100,000.

"Because of OII's long-standing commitment to educating youth on insurance and safety matters, an insurance careers initiative was a natural extension for our association," said Dan Kelso, OII President and representative on the Governor's Insurance Education Taskforce.

The purpose of the site is to serve as a clearinghouse for information on careers and to promote the variety of career opportunities in Ohio's insurance industry. It includes interactive tools such as a careers survey that translates site visitor's skills, interests and goals into possible insurance career paths; 30 featured insurance careers that include information on duties, educational requirements, career perspectives and salary information; career videos that feature insurance professionals sharing their advice, experiences and insights from within the industry, and the Ask a Pro program that connects job seekers with an insurance industry professional that serves as a personal resource on career strategies and development.

The awards ceremony was also attended by Mr. Inigo Mendez de Vigo y Montojo, Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, and Antonio Huertas, President of Fundacion MAPFRE. Leading figures from the social, cultural, political and business world also attended the event.

For more information: www.salaprensa.fundacionmapfre.org

Follow us at @MAPFRE and on the hashtag #PremiosFM2015

For more information, please contact Nuria del Olmo and Alejandra Fernandez in the MAPFRE Corporate Communication Division.

Tel: +34 91 581 22 16, +34 606 53 78 89 and +34 91 581 84 64.

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

SOURCE MAPFRE
VIGO, Spain, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Otis advanced technology elevators and escalators have been selected for four new cruise ships that will be built by Meyer shipyards. The new ships will be constructed by Meyer Werft in Germany and by Meyer Turku in Finland and will include 160 Otis elevators and 16 Otis escalators. Otis is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

"Being awarded Meyer shipyards' new project demonstrates that Otis' leading products and advanced technology are the preferred choice of customers," said Bernardo Calleja, president, Otis South Europe. "This project is very important because it showcases our ability to support iconic ships by providing more energy efficient, reliable elevators and escalators for a very special environment."

Each of the four next-generation ships will have a total capacity of 2,500 cabins, exceed 180,000 gross tons in size and incorporate an extensive number of guest-friendly features.

The 160 elevators and 16 heavy duty escalators provided by Zardoya Otis, the company's operating unit in Spain, are specially designed to withstand damp and salty environments at sea. The elevators are equipped with special operational modes such as luggage mode, gangway deck mode and RFID-based priority service for certain passengers. In addition, they are equipped with the Otis EMS Panorama management system and ReGen technology.

Scheduled for delivery in 2018 and 2020, the four new ships will be the first in the cruise industry to use liquefied natural gas in dual-powered hybrid engines to power the ship both in port and on the open sea.

For more information about Otis, visit www.otisworldwide.com or follow Otis on Twitter @OtisElevatorCo.

About Otis

Otis is the world's leading manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. Founded more than 160 years ago by the inventor of the safety elevator, Otis offers products and services through its companies in more than 200 countries and territories. Otis is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.otis.com or follow @OtisElevatorCo on Twitter.

About Zardoya Otis

Zardoya Otis is an Otis operating entity in Spain. The company sells Otis branded products to a wide range of customers, including the marine industry. For more information follow @AscensoresOtis on Twitter.

About Meyer Werft

Founded in 1795, Papenburg-based MEYER WERFT has meanwhile been owned by the seventh generation of the Meyer family. This well-established company has some 3,300 employees. MEYER WERFT's extensive production program covers a wide range of ship types, from cruise ships, gas tankers and passenger ferries. In order to stay successful in worldwide competition, production technology has been continuously extended. Today, MEYER WERFT has the most modern production premises in the shipbuilding industry.

About Meyer Turku

Meyer Turku Oy employs 1,500 persons and specializes in building highly complex, innovative and environmentally friendly cruise ships, car-passenger ferries and special vessels. Together with two sister shipyards in Germany, Meyer Werft in Papenburg and Neptun Werft in Rostock, Meyer Turku is one of the world's leading cruise ship builders. The successful shipbuilding tradition in Turku has been continuing since 1737. The company is currently building cruise ships for TUI Cruises and a fast ferry for Tallink. The company will also build two cruise ships for Costa Crociere.

The design and construction of the ships are supported by the subsidiaries of Meyer Turku: Piikkio Works Oy, which is a Cabin Factory in Piikkio, Shipbuilding Completion Oy, which provides turnkey solutions to public spaces in ships, and ENGnD Oy, which is an engineering company offering services for shipbuilding and offshore.

Contact:

Katy Padgett

860-674-3047

[email protected]

SOURCE Otis

Related Links

http://www.otis.com


COBURG, Germany, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Outertech has released Clipboard History Pro 3.15, a Windows clipboard manager that optionally supports synchronization between computers with AES encryption, and includes the unique ability of using the usually idle CAPS LOCK key as a global hotkey to show a clipboard history menu in every application. Version 3.15 of the app improves filtering and introduces more text macros.

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Clipboard History Pro configuration Clipboard History Pro global paste menu

Clipboard History Pro 3.15 is a Windows clipboard manager featuring optional cloud synchronization and AES encryption. Clipboard History Pro keeps a repository of text snippets that have copied to the clipboard before. Additionally, frequently used word phrases called stickies can be added to the global paste menu. Pressing a configurable hotkey, a tray icon, or the usually idle and useless CAPS LOCK key will bring up a paste menu of last clipboard items and saved text snippets. When using the hotkey or the CAPS LOCK key the clipboard history paste menu will be available in every Windows application.

Download Clipboard History Pro at http://www.outertech.com/en/clipboard-manager

Clipboard History Pro can optionally synchronize clipboard content between multiple computers. The software has built-in support for Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and others. The synchronization process will also work perfectly in multi-user environments, even if several users add text to the clipboard at the same second. Clipboard History Pro safeguards user data with AES encryption.

At the heart of Clipboard History is an archive feature. Every text ever copied to the clipboard can be stored away for future use. A JSON database guarantees a high level of security and performance. Clipboard History has been vested with more than 1 million data records in the text archive. The archive can be searched by text and date. Search keywords can be combined and even excluded with the "-" sign. A search for foo -bar will find all archive items that contain the text foo, but don't contain the text bar.

System Requirements: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista or XP (32 and 64 bit)

Clipboard History Pro starts at $24.95(US) for a single computer license. A less advanced version is also available as freeware. Both editions can be downloaded at: http://www.outertech.com/en/clipboard-manager

Journalists may request a reviewer's license by contacting [email protected]

Contact

Thomas Reimann, Outertech

+49 95619762733

Email

@outertech

About the Company

Incorporated in 1999, Outertech is a software development company based in Coburg, Germany. Its mission statement: "To make computers more stable, more useful, faster, and easier to use." Outertech's lead products include Cacheman (short for Cache Manager), an award-winning Microsoft Windows performance optimization program initially developed in 1996 as the very first Windows optimization software ever. Cacheman is currently available as version 10.01 with Windows 10 support. Linkman (short for Link Manager), another exciting Outertech product is a bookmark manager that integrates with the Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Opera browsers. Initially released in 1997, Linkman's optionally password protected XML databases have been praised for twenty years of bookmark data security.

SOURCE Outertech

Related Links

http://www.outertech.com/en


BOSTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pingup, the nation's largest transaction platform for local services, today announced an integration with Yahoo, expanding Pingup's publisher network to deliver a better search experience for users. As a result of this relationship, consumers will be able to easily search across the web on Yahoo for local businesses and take action immediately, whether it be booking an appointment or ordering food delivery.

Pingup's technology brings consumers real-time availability and allows them to make decisions in-context, seamlessly scheduling a fitness class or spa day. Consumers can close the commerce loop within seconds without needing to contact a merchant or visit a company's website. This provides local merchants on Yahoo the opportunity to increase business activity 24/7, even outside of open business hours.

"Consumers live in an on-demand world and expect to go from search to purchase with the click of a button. Pingup manages the complex data normalization and gives publishers easy access to this fragmented marketplace with a simple integration," said Mark Slater, CEO at Pingup. "The local services economy is $2.5 trillion - five times that of e-commerce. Consumers expect a level of service transaction that brings the same ease as purchasing products on Amazon. Working with Yahoo, we're excited to bring users relevant information and allow them to take action right away."

About Pingup

Pingup is the nation's largest transaction platform for local services businesses, using proprietary technology to connect tens of thousands of local merchants with leading publishers such as Yahoo, YP, Citysearch and Superpages that have over 100 million monthly users and 250 million monthly local searches. Pingup aggregates 100,000 US businesses, more than triple OpenTable's quantity in the US and continues to add thousands of businesses each month. The company is headquartered in Boston's Innovation District and backed by Avalon Ventures. For more information on Pingup, visit us at http://pingup.com. Follow us on Twitter:@pingupapp.

Press Contact:

Heather Sears

(617) 752-1691

Pingup

[email protected]

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SOURCE Pingup

Related Links

http://pingup.com


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) management will meet with analysts and investors this week in New York City.

Management is expected to affirm the company's 2016 consolidated ongoing earnings guidance of $1.55 to $1.76 per diluted share during the meetings. Presentation materials are available on the company's website at http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/events.cfm.

Background:

PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2015 consolidated operating revenues of $1.4 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources has approximately 2,787 megawatts of generation capacity and provides electricity to more than 760,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com.

CONTACTS:

Analysts Media

Jimmie Blotter Pahl Shipley

(505) 241-2227 (505) 241-2782

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements made in this news release that relate to future events or PNM Resources, Inc.'s ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico's ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company's ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses ongoing earnings, ongoing earnings per diluted share (or ongoing diluted earnings per share), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and funds from operations (FFO) to debt to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP). The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings, EBITDA and FFO to debt guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings, EBITDA and FFO to debt guidance are appropriate measures, these are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings, EBITDA and FFO to debt guidance to represent expectations of net earnings or operating cash flow as defined by GAAP. Management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between ongoing earnings, EBITDA and FFO to debt guidance and forecasted GAAP earnings or operating cash flows, nor their probable impact on GAAP earnings or operating cash flow; therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings, EBITDA and FFO to debt guidance.

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SOURCE PNM Resources

Related Links

http://www.pnmresources.com


LOS ANGELES, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AccuWeather predicts 2016 will be the most active Atlantic hurricane season in three years, with 14 named storms in the Atlantic basin, eight of which are predicted to become hurricanes and four slated to be major hurricanes. Although Florida and Texas are the two states most commonly hit by hurricanes, all states along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable during Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 until November 30)1, and Mercury Insurance (NYSE: MCY) is urging people to take precautions to protect themselves ahead of time.

"Hurricanes can be unpredictable because there are a lot of factors that determine their strength and the path on which they will travel," says Randy Petro, Mercury's chief claims officer. "However, if one is predicted to make landfall near your area, don't try to ride out the storm. It's always better to be safe than sorry, so evacuate when officials instruct you to do so."

Here are a few things you can do to prepare for a hurricane.

Stock an emergency kit. If you are unable to stay with family or friends out of town, or you were unable to evacuate, be sure to keep the following items handy: A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person), non-perishable food items and pet food, if applicable; A battery-powered or hand-crank radio (and extra batteries); A flashlight; A first aid kit; A whistle to signal for help; A can opener; Blankets; Pliers or a wrench to turn off utilities; $200 in cash in small bills, as power may be out, making ATM, debit and credit cards unusable; and Prescriptions for you and your pets.

If you are unable to stay with family or friends out of town, or you were unable to evacuate, be sure to keep the following items handy: Create an emergency plan. Know where family members will meet if instructed to evacuate, as well as several options to get out of the city in case routes are blocked. Establish a meeting point ahead of time. Staying with friends or family who live outside of the local area is a good option, but you should also research hotels and shelters.

Know where family members will meet if instructed to evacuate, as well as several options to get out of the city in case routes are blocked. Establish a meeting point ahead of time. Staying with friends or family who live outside of the local area is a good option, but you should also research hotels and shelters. Be aware of flood zones in your area. Hurricanes can cause high winds, flying debris and flash flooding. Get out of town and go to higher ground. If your home is located in a flood zone and you can't leave before the storm, remain indoors and get to the highest level possible.

Hurricanes can cause high winds, flying debris and flash flooding. Get out of town and go to higher ground. If your home is located in a flood zone and you can't leave before the storm, remain indoors and get to the highest level possible. Reinforce your home. Close shutters or use plywood to board up windows and doors. Secure outdoor furniture, potted plants and other items that could become projectiles during the storm.

Close shutters or use plywood to board up windows and doors. Secure outdoor furniture, potted plants and other items that could become projectiles during the storm. Store important documents in a safe place. This includes copies of insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, important financial documents, passports and other identification. Scan a set of these documents and bring them with you on flash drive, or upload them to a cloud based digital storage site.

This includes copies of insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, important financial documents, passports and other identification. Scan a set of these documents and bring them with you on flash drive, or upload them to a cloud based digital storage site. Call your local insurance agent. Verify what is and is not covered in the event you're affected by a hurricane. Homeowners insurance doesn't usually cover weather-related flooding, but flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program. If you live in a high-risk area, consider purchasing a policy. If your vehicle is damaged in a hurricane, it may be covered by your auto insurance policy if you carry comprehensive coverage, but it's best to make sure.

Petro also advises policyholders to follow a few simple procedures to help speed up claims if your home or vehicle is impacted by a hurricane.

When filing a claim

Contact Mercury immediately to report your loss.

Be prepared to provide your policy number.

Do not remove debris or damaged property that may be related to your claim.

Steps after filing a claim

Prepare a detailed inventory of destroyed or damaged property.

Offer photos or videos of your home and possessions to your adjuster, if these are available.

Keep copies of communications between you and your adjuster.

Keep records and receipts for additional living expenses that were incurred if you were forced to leave your home, and provide copies to your adjuster.

Visit Mercury's blog to learn more tips to protect your home and family.

ABOUT MERCURY INSURANCE

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices. For more information visit www.mercuryinsurance.com or Facebook.com/MercuryInsurance and follow the company on Twitter.



1 Mercury Insurance offers homeowners and auto insurance in the following states along the U.S. coastline that might be impacted by a hurricane: Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Texas. Mercury auto insurance is available in Florida.

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SOURCE Mercury Insurance
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five young AJC staff members met in Jerusalem for an unprecedented  and wide-ranging  discussion on global Jewish affairs with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The video-recorded conversation was arranged in connection with the AJC Global Forum, the advocacy organization's signature annual event, which began yesterday and was shown today.

"The leadership that you have shown, that [AJC CEO] David Harris has shown, is valuable and admirable," Netanyahu said during the conversation, which touched on Jewish security in Europe, Israel's relations with Asia, Europe and the U.S., religious pluralism in Israel, and the BDS movement.

In response to Fabian Weissbarth of AJC Berlin, who asked about Israel's relations with the European Union, the prime minister said that many European leaders appreciate Israel's importance as a "bastion of freedom" in the Middle East. At a time when large parts of the region are undergoing the ravages of civil war and terrorism, Europeans are well aware that Israel is "keeping the western part of the Middle East intact."

In addition, he noted, they see the Jewish state as their partner in preserving Western, democratic values. But he expressed concerns about continuing efforts by some in Europe to delegitimize the state of Israel and "the unholy alliance between radical Islamists and the radical ultra-left," which, he added, is not good either for Europe or for peace.

Shani Benoualid of AJC Paris raised an issue close to her heart. Like many of her friends in France, she struggles with the question of whether to emigrate in the face of rising anti-Semitism, and she asked the prime minister his opinion. Netanyahu stated that "every Jew should have the right to live anywhere," but, at the same time, Israel welcomed "any Jew who wants to live here," and so it was a matter of individual choice.

AJC Jerusalem's Ella Goldberg asked for clarification about recent shifts in Israel's governing coalition, to which the prime minister replied that in pursuit of peace and security, he is seeking the widest possible government. And when the American-born Goldberg, who made aliyah, spoke of how she and her Israeli husband had to get married legally in the U.S. because of Israel's restrictions on non-Orthodox weddings, he expressed his commitment to the principle of religious pluralism, noted the difficulties in achieving it given the political constraints he faced, and pledged to continue trying to alter the status quo.

Janna Smith of AJC Los Angeles brought up the problem of apparent strains in U.S.-Israel ties, as well as the impact of the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement that has gained a foothold on some campuses, including in California. Netanyahu stressed the overwhelming importance of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel in the U.S., and said that while BDS has inflicted no economic harm on Israel whatsoever, it constitutes a "moral outrage" and must be fought.

Responding to a question on Israel's relations with Asian nations from Daniel Silver of AJC's Asia Pacific Institute, the prime minister noted that the accelerating pace of Asian interest in economic ties with the Jewish state was likely to continue, since Asian political leaders and businesspeople understand that Israel is the "innovation nation."

The two-day annual AJC Global Forum marks the 110th year of AJC. The event is the largest in the organization's history, attracting over 2,700 people from across the U.S. and over 70 countries, including key political figures, high-ranking diplomats, and hundreds of young people from around the world.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


QINGDAO, China, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. (SHA: 600690; "Qingdao Haier"), a Shanghai stock exchange listed company that is 41% owned by Haier Group ("Haier") and General Electric Company (NYSE: GE; "GE") today announced the signing of closing documents for Qingdao Haier's acquisition of GE Appliances from General Electric. Today marks the beginning of GE Appliances being part of Qingdao Haier.

As previously announced, GE Appliances will continue to be headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and operated independently under the day to day direction of the current management team. A board of directors, with representatives from the senior leadership teams of Qingdao Haier and GE Appliances, and two independent directors, will help guide the strategy and operations of the business.

Mr. Zhang Ruimin, Chairman and CEO of Haier Group, said: "Haier and GE Appliances have always sought to adapt to changing times and customer preferences. We share the same vision of the future and, by acquiring GE Appliances, both companies will be able to achieve significant synergies. Haier is on an exciting journey as it transforms itself into a true 'Internet enterprise', which fosters and cultivates innovation and customer choice. GE Appliances has great employees and a strong global customer base and I am confident that, together, we will be able to embrace the digital era and offer customers the best possible choice and service now and in the future."

Mr. Liang Haishan, Chairman of Qingdao Haier, said: "Today's announcement is positive news for employees, customers, business partners and shareholders. Investing and growing in the U.S. is a key part of Haier's strategy and the acquisition of GE Appliances will help us accelerate that expansion. We have great respect for and trust in GE Appliances' talented management team and we look forward to working closely together to create a truly global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative, high-quality home appliances."

Mr. Chip Blankenship, President and CEO of GE Appliances, said: "We are excited to become an important part of a global appliance company. Haier loves appliances as much as we do and shares our goal to be the most competitive, innovative and customer-focused company in the world. Together we will find new and better ways to help people improve their lives at home."

Today's announcement follows the previously announced Memorandum of Understanding between Haier Group and GE to cooperate globally and pursue joint growth projects in areas including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and Industrial Internet.

Advisors

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and PwC Corporate Finance are acting as financial advisers to Qingdao Haier. PwC Corporate Finance ran project management for the transaction. White & Case is acting as overseas legal adviser to Qingdao Haier. China International Capital Corporation Limited and King & Wood Mallesons are acting as independent financial advisers and domestic legal advisers to Qingdao Haier, respectively.

About Haier Group

Haier is the world's leading home appliance provider, with global revenues amounting to US$30.3 billion and profits of US$2.89 billion in 2015. Its mission is to create innovative home appliances that anticipate the fast-changing needs of consumers all around the world. Haier has been named the number one global home appliance brand every year for the last seven years by Euromonitor International, a world leader in strategy research for consumer markets, and in 2012 the Boston Consulting Group named Haier one of the ten most innovative companies in the world as well as the most innovative company in the consumer and retail category. Its global headquarters are based in the Chinese city of Qingdao and it also has regional headquarters in both Paris and New York to serve its clients in Europe and America. Haier also has 5 R&D centers, 66 trading companies and 21 industrial parks worldwide.

About Qingdao Haier

Qingdao Haier Co., also a subsidiary of Haier Group, is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHA: 600690) and focuses on driving innovation in smart home technologies.

About GE Appliances

GE Appliances, a Haier company, makes moments that matter for our owners through our passion for making great appliances and providing unparalleled services. We make with our hands, heads and hearts. We make with integrity, inventiveness and ingenuity. For more than 125 years we have been creating a legacy of invention  we've electrified and modernized life, bringing convenience and fun to kitchens. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.geappliances.com.

Disclaimers

This press release, as Haier Group's introduction of this transaction, does not constitute any supplement, amendment or adjustment to any public announcement made by Qingdao Haier with respect to this transaction; for any information relating to Qingdao Haier and this transaction, please refer to the public announcements made by Qingdao Haier on Shanghai Stock Exchange. This press release does not constitute any representation, warranty, business performance commitment or guarantee of Haier Group or Qingdao Haier in respect of the target assets of this transaction, nor does it constitute any recommendation, offer or invitation, express or implied, for any individual or entity to purchase any securities of Qingdao Haier. Any forward-looking statement contained in this press release, which may involves the company's development strategy, finance, business performance and operation plan, is based on certain hypothesis and is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may be materially different from or even opposite to what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statement does not constitute any commitment or binding obligation of Haier Group and Qingdao Haier, including any obligation to update any statement contained in this press release.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

FOR HAIER

Brunswick, Communications Advisors to Haier

Emma Schultz, Brunswick, 202.393.7337

[email protected]

Alex Finnegan, Brunswick, 202.393.7337

[email protected]

FOR GE APPLIANCES

Kim Freeman, 502.452.7819

[email protected]

FOR GE

Jennifer Erickson, 646.682.5648

[email protected]

SOURCE Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd.
DAYTON, Ohio, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced the release of the Reynolds LAW Kentucky F&I Library, which is a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance (F&I) documents for automobile dealers in the state of Kentucky. The Reynolds LAW Kentucky F&I Library, which was jointly developed by Reynolds Document Services and the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (KADA), carries both paper-based and electronic formats of the forms.

"We are pleased to announce the availability of the LAW Kentucky F&I Library and add Kentucky to the growing list of states that have adopted LAW F&I libraries," said Jerry Kirwan, senior vice president and general manager of Reynolds Document Services. "This library of standardized documents can help dealers better manage risk as well as prepare for the transition to electronic transactions.

"At the same time, using documents in the LAW F&I Library can streamline the F&I process, making it more efficient and help dealers deliver a better customer experience for buyers at the dealership."

Kirwan noted LAW brand documents are regularly reviewed for compliance with the latest automotive regulations. Reynolds' industry-leading forms specialists lead the review, in conjunction with Reynolds' outside legal partners and representatives from KADA.

"KADA is proud to be a part of this project with Reynolds Document Services. The LAW Kentucky F&I Library gives our dealer members the opportunity to improve day-to-day operations and customer service and increase overall efficiency in their dealerships," said Gay F. Williams, CAE, president of KADA. "We appreciate the level of expertise and effort Reynolds has put forth in creating this valuable tool. The program will also continue to offer forms that are specific to Kentucky and to KADA."

In addition, the LAW Kentucky F&I Library can help facilitate the conversion to laser-printed transactions or e-contracting, since the documents are available in both paper-based and electronic formats. Reynolds Document Services maintains licensing agreements with all major providers of electronic F&I (e-F&I) solutions.

About KADA

The Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (KADA) was incorporated in 1938. The primary purpose of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association is to promote high principles of commercial honor and integrity in the sale and service of motor vehicles and to serve as the voice of the dealer with state government.

About Reynolds LAW Brand Documents

Reynolds' LAW brand is well established as one of the most trusted brands in the automotive industry. LAW documents are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and have been endorsed by a number of state automobile dealer associations and leading automotive finance institutions.

The flagship product of the LAW brand is the Reynolds LAW 553 Universal Retail Sale Contract, the most widely accepted document in auto finance. The Reynolds LAW 553 is available in a variety of languages and is regularly reviewed by industry experts to help keep pace with new legislative and regulatory developments.

Reynolds and Reynolds was founded in 1866 as a business forms printer. Since the 1920s, Reynolds has been known as the leader in serving automobile dealerships nationwide with standard and custom business and vehicle sales and service documents to help dealers manage their operations more efficiently and serve their customers more effectively.

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. (www.reyrey.com)

SOURCE The Reynolds and Reynolds Company

Related Links

http://www.reyrey.com


WASHINGTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanford Heisler, LLP, a dominant U.S. plaintiffs' firm, today announced the promotion of Charles Field, Esq., who is based in the firm's San Diego office, to Partner and Chair of the firm's Financial Services Litigation practice. The firm also announced the addition of Cleveland Lawrence III to the firm's Qui Tam practice in the firm's D.C. office.

Vincent McKnight, Jr., currently a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. Office, will assume the role of Managing Partner of that office, after former Managing Partner of D.C. office Katherine Kimpel announced her decision to depart the firm to pursue other public interest issues.

The Firm has also hired five associates and two litigation fellows.

"As we have earned win after win for ordinary citizens by taking on some of the world's largest corporations in individual and class actions, the demand for our representation has increased," said David Sanford, the Firm's Founding Partner and Chairman. "With each case we pursue, we strive to set the bar higher and provide an example to employers about how individuals should be treated in the workplace. These strategic hires and promotions at the firm will ensure we are well prepared for continued success."

CHARLES FIELD: CHAIR OF THE FIRM'S FINANCIAL SERVICES LITIGATION SECTION

New partner Charles Field is uniquely suited for his role leading the firm's Financial Services Litigation Section. Field was General Counsel of Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management and its successor, Allianz Global Investors Capital, from 2002 to 2013. He has considerable private practice experience and a deep knowledge of investment law, which he uses to assess whether sellers have breached their legal obligations and whether an aggrieved investor can recover damages.

Field also has considerable experience protecting elders from financial abuse and investors of all ages from stockbrokers, investment advisers and financial planners whose actions are not in investors' best financial interests. Field is licensed to practice law in California, Indiana and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

"Charles and Financial Services Co-Chair Grant Morris are among the top litigators focused on protecting the interests of investors and individuals injured by financial fraud," said Sanford. "Charles has been active for nearly three decades in the securities law arena. His perspective as a former General Counsel of an investment firm has provided him with significant knowledge of the laws that apply to investment advisers and he understands the many ways that financial advisers are able to take advantage of their clients. In his new role, Charles will be an even greater force for advancing consumer financial rights."

CLEVELAND LAWRENCE III: WHISTLEBLOWER DIRECTOR

As one of the leading qui tam lawyers in the country, Cleveland Lawrence III joins a national qui tam practice headed by Ross Brooks in New York and Vincent McKnight in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lawrence is an authority on the False Claims Act (FCA), and on whistleblower, fraud and compliance issues. Most recently, Lawrence was the Co-Executive Director of Taxpayers Against Fraud, where he served for eight years.

Lawrence has filed numerous amicus curiae briefs on whistleblower issues in federal and state courts across the country--including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also drafted proposed legislation and has testified before Congress and state legislatures regarding FCA and other whistleblower-related issues. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences, seminars, and student groups.

Prior to his service at Taxpayers Against Fraud, Lawrence spent seven years as a litigation attorney in the D.C. office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, working principally on qui tam matters. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, and graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School.

KATHERINE KIMPEL TAKES ON NEW PUBLIC INTEREST CHALLENGES

FIRM APPOINTS VINCE MCKNIGHT, JR. AS MANAGING PARTNER OF D.C. OFFICE

Washington D.C. partner H. Vincent "Vince" McKnight, Jr., today assumes the role of Managing Partner of the Firm's Washington, D.C. Office upon Kimpel's departure.

A 1978 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, McKnight is Co-Chair of Sanford Heisler's whistleblower practice, representing whistleblowers in sealed and unsealed False Claims Act and qui tam suits under investigation by federal authorities and other governmental stakeholders. He also represents whistleblowers in active litigation, as well as plaintiffs in employment, discrimination and medical malpractice cases and cases filed under the Federal Employers Liability Act. Right now the firm is handling more than 20 cases under seal and numerous whistleblower cases in active litigation.

McKnight is renowned for winning the first case in which the D.C. Court of Appeals departed from the employment-at-will doctrine in the District of Columbia. Prior to joining Sanford Heisler, he was co-founder and a principal at McKnight & Kennedy, a premier plaintiffs' litigation firm in Washington D.C.

"We welcome Vince to this key leadership role at the firm, knowing he will capably maintain the momentum Sanford Heisler has established in the nation's capital," Mr. Sanford said.

Katherine Kimpel announced her decision to turn her attentions to new public interest challenges; she left the firm effective June 4. "This is a bittersweet moment as it has been an honor and privilege to represent our clients with such an unparalleled group of colleagues," said Kimpel. "However, the passion and commitment shown by the firm's clients, lawyers and legal assistants which inspired me every day compel me now to begin this new chapter. The national conversation surrounding women and work recently has taken on a new depth and urgency, and our political leadership is focusing more acutely on the challenges that working women and families face. I am excited to do all that I can to help make sure we can realize the promise of this moment."

In her nine years at the firm, Kimpel charted an impressive rise, becoming a partner only three years after joining and, in 2012, becoming a member of the Executive Board of the firm while also assuming the role of Managing Partner of the firm's Washington, D.C. Office. Kate achieved landmark successes as Lead Counsel on major class action and civil rights matters. Her victories include helping to secure the largest verdict in a gender discrimination class action in U.S. history, representing Albert Woodfox and the other members of the Angola 3 in their challenge to the constitutionality of the use of indefinite solitary confinement, obtaining collective-action treatment and equitable tolling for more than 1,000 professional women at KPMG, and authoring influential amicus briefs before the Supreme Court in Wal-Mart v. Dukes and Young v. UPS.

David Sanford said, "Kate is a brilliant attorney who has come to define excellence in the law. The firm has grown significantly since Kate's arrival in 2007, and she has helped manage that growth through her careful and tireless stewardship over the D.C. office these past four years. We will miss her terribly and, even more importantly, our clients will miss her vision, her commitment, and her stellar work in every phase of representation. Kate has an unflagging commitment to fighting on behalf of working women and people of color, and we wish her great success."

A 2006 graduate of Yale Law School, Kimpel has dedicated her entire career to social justice causes. Before joining the firm, Kimpel served as Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as staff on the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, and as a D.C. public school teacher. Kimpel also serves on the board of the Institute for Women's Policy Research and teaches anti-discrimination law at Yale Law School.

FIVE NEW ASSOCIATES AND TWO NEW FELLOWS

The firm's new associates are Kevin Love Hubbard in the San Francisco office, and James E. "Jimmy" Richardson, Saba Bireda, Aimee Krauss Stewart, and Christine Dunn in the Washington, D.C. office. Nicole E. Wiitala and Joseph Kolker will join the firm as new civil rights litigation fellows in the firm's New York office.

Kevin Love Hubbard is a 2012 graduate of Yale Law School. Mr. Hubbard clerked for the Honorable Neil V. Wake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. He then worked for two years in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster, where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation, as well as pro bono constitutional civil rights matters.

Jimmy Richardson is a 2009 graduate of Harvard Law School. Mr. Richardson clerked for the Honorable Mary H. Murguia on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He comes to Sanford Heisler from the World Bank Group Sanctions Board, where he handled corruption and fraud cases in connection with global development projects. He began his law career in the New York City offices of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, where his practice focused on complex commercial matters, civil rights, the arts and investors' rights.

Saba Bireda is a 2007 graduate of Harvard Law School. Ms. Bireda joins the firm after three years as a member of the senior political staff at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and two years as Senior Counsel in the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. Her experience includes service as a policy and legal advisor at Educational Counsel LLC, as Deputy Director of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, and as an Education Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress. Bireda was also a Philadelphia Bar Foundation Fellow, spending one year as a Litigation Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and a second as Staff Attorney at the Education Law Center, both in Philadelphia.

Aimee Krauss Stewart is a 2013 graduate of Stanford Law School. Ms. Stewart is now a Legal Fellow at the New York Civil Liberties Union. Before that, Ms. Stewart clerked for the Honorable Margo K. Brodie of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. During her time at Stanford Law, Stewart worked with the school's Immigrant Rights Clinic, at the San Francisco Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center's Gender Project, and in New York at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. Ms. Stewart will join the firm in the fall of 2016.

Christine Dunn is a 1999 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. Ms. Dunn clerked for the Honorable Michael Farrell of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Since then, she has worked as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia; a trial attorney in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice; an associate at Williams & Connolly, LLP; and an adjunct professor at the American University Washington College of Law. Ms. Dunn previously worked as an associate at Sanford Heisler, LLP.

Joseph Kolker is a 2016 graduate of Harvard Law School. After his fellowship with Sanford Heisler, Mr. Kolker will serve as a law clerk for the Honorable Janet Bond Arterton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Mr. Kolker was previously an intern at Neufeld Scheck & Burstin, and served as a student attorney at Harvard Law School's Predatory Lending/Consumer Protection Clinic.

Nicole Wiitala is a 2016 graduate of Pace University Law School. Ms. Wiitala served as Editor-in-Chief of the Pace Law Review. Ms. Wiitala has been a Law Clerk at Sanford Heisler since September 2015. Prior to that she was a summer associate at Havkins Rosenfeld Ritzert & Varialle LLP and a judicial extern for the Honorable Edgardo Ramos in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The firm will revert to its former name, Sanford Heisler, LLP.

About Sanford Heisler, LLP

Sanford Heisler, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Our attorneys have graduated from the nation's top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients.

The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, whistleblower, consumer fraud, and other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the firm also represents individuals and has achieved particular success in the representation of executives in employment disputes. More about the Firm and its successes can be found at www.sanfordheisler.com. For information call 202 499-5200 or email [email protected]. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027, [email protected]

SOURCE Sanford Heisler, LLP

Related Links

http://www.sanfordheisler.com


WASHINGTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution designating the week beginning June 12 as National Hawaiian Foods Week. Introduced by Senator Brian Schatz (D) of Hawaii and co-sponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono (D) of Hawaii, and Johnny Isakson (R) and David Perdue (R) both of Georgia. S. Res. 416 honors Hawaii's contributions to the culinary heritage of the United States and raises awareness of Hawaiian foods.

"We're grateful for the opportunity to introduce Hawaii's favorite dishes to the rest of the country," said Senator Schatz. "Sharing the foods we've grown up with is integral to sharing the very culture of our state."

Hawaiian cuisine is characterized by a unique fusion of flavors from French Polynesia, China, Japan, Portugal, Korea, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa and others. During National Hawaiian Foods Week, the public will be encouraged to experience these distinctive flavor combinations.

Across the country, retailers will recognize Hawaiian Foods Week with special in-store merchandising, promotions, information and recipes that seek to celebrate the rich, diverse food culture found in the Aloha State. The public will have the chance to learn about the cultural and culinary significance behind some of Hawaii's favorite food brands, with King's Hawaiian, Dole, Mauna Loa, Kona Brewing Company and SPAM participating in special grocery store promotions.

"We appreciate the Senate for recognizing the irresistible cuisine and culture of Hawaii on a national level," said Mark Taira, CEO of King's Hawaiian, a national food company founded in Hilo Hawaii in 1950 with bakeries in California and, since 2011, also in Georgia where they have created nearly 600 new jobs. "We're committed to doing everything we can to support this movement, which will provide greater visibility and success to Hawaiian food manufacturing, agriculture and culinary industries."

Visit www.HawaiianFoodsWeek.com starting June 1st for more information on great recipes and companies supporting the National Hawaiian Foods Week resolution, and to enter a recipe sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii to attend the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival.

A copy of the Resolution can be found at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-resolution/416/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22national+Hawaiian+Food+week%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1

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SOURCE King's Hawaiian

Related Links

http://www.HawaiianFoodsWeek.com


BOSTON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Launchpad Digital Health (LDH), a leading firm focused exclusively on digital health, has announced it has chosen Sober Grid for a seed-stage investment. Launchpad Digital Health is leading the round of financing and Sober Grid will participate in Launchpad's year-long immersive accelerator program. Sober Grid was one of a handful of companies chosen for support by LDH out of some 300 applicants.

"It is humbling to be identified as one of the most promising digital health technologies in the market," said Sober Grid creator, Beau Mann. "By providing a global support community at the touch of a button, we know the Grid can keep people in recovery and away from drugs and alcohol. This relationship with LDH will allow us to reach even more people in need."

Sober Grid, a free mobile app that connects those struggling with addiction to a peer support network on demand, was launched nationally last fall and has already acquired more than 45,000 members. Over the next year, it will work closely with LDH's founders, partners and mentors as critical business decisions are made to successfully meet benchmarks and goals.

"We are delighted to lead the funding for Sober Grid," said Fred Toney, CEO of Launchpad Digital Health, a seed fund and leading digital health accelerator in San Francisco. "Sober Grid fits squarely into our thesis of finding great companies early that can impact the health of people in a fantastic and positive way. Sober Grid can dramatically impact the lives of people in rehabilitation, getting sober and remaining sober by allowing for ongoing direct interaction with clinics and other individuals in their network via its social media platform."

"With the backing and expertise of LDH, we'll be able to fine-tune the app and add additional features, increasing the number of members and further strengthening the community," said Andrew Gelinas, Chief Development Officer at Sober Grid. "As the epidemic of substance addiction continues throughout the country, we believe this tool will play a critical role, providing hope and supporting recovery."

About Sober Grid

Sober Grid is a free mobile app for people in recovery from substance addiction that enables them to access peer support  anytime, anywhere.

SOURCE Sober Grid
ATLANTA, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Momentum, a leader in healthcare data analytics, announced today it has named David Earle, MD, FACS as their Chief Medical Officer. For the previous 17 years, Dr. Earle was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at a community based academic medical center in Springfield, Massachusetts. His areas of expertise include process improvement for clinical surgery and surgical education, along with device development, natural orifice surgery, and hernia repair. "David has a wonderfully well-rounded background with expertise in a variety of specialties that will help us expand our portfolio," stated Kevin Jackson, President and CEO of Surgical Momentum. "This enables us to grow even more in maximizing patient outcomes, while further clarifying our value analysis role for a wide range of healthcare enterprises."

Bruce Ramshaw, MD, a founder and immediate past CMO of Surgical Momentum was recently named Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. "I've known David for many years," stated Dr. Ramshaw. "His expertise in general surgery, training, education and quality improvement will help Surgical Momentum expand into disease states that truly can benefit from what Surgical Momentum provides." Dr. Ramshaw welcomes the addition of Dr. Earle to the team.

"A critical part of this effort will be creating more collaboration with clinicians and administrators by integrating clinical pathways that consider the entire cycle of care, and keep the patient at the center of the process," stated Earle. "Disease based team building in areas such as joint replacement and robotic assisted surgery will add significant value to patients, and improved efficiency for hospitals," explained Earle. "Our process will improve patient outcomes, while simultaneously improving the daily lives of the surgical team and lowering hospital costs." Additionally, revealed Earle, "We have figured out when surgical residents become proficient with a particular operation, and hope to bring the concept of continuous quality improvement (CQI) into the surgical education arena with our patented processes. This will not only benefit surgical training programs, but also those contributing the approximately $25 billion dollars annually towards graduate medical education (GME) in the United States."

Dr. Earle also highlighted the position of Surgical Momentum as a registered AHRQ patient safety organization. "This allows access to patient data not available to other firms," he said. "Analysis of real-time, real-world data empowers decisions to be based on the local environment, instead the one-size- fits-all formula commonly employed by others to assist facilities with simply reducing costs."

About Surgical Momentum

Surgical Momentum, LLC is a Healthcare Data Analytics firm. The company brings a specialized knowledge that allows the healthcare community to service patients better, more economically, and with better outcomes. Surgical Momentum provides data analysis and solutions in a context that defines, measures and improves outcomes for all stakeholders within the medical profession. Surgical Momentum's collection of real world data from surgeons, hospitals, and academic medical centers is analyzed and used to improve decisions, patient outcomes, and reduce costs. The company facilitates collaboration between providers, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies.

Contact:

Sheri McQuarrie

(855) 900-4274

SOURCE Surgical Momentum, LLC
NUREMBERG, Germany, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SUSE and HPE are delivering a Scalable Object Storage Solution with SUSE Enterprise Storage, allowing customers to effectively manage their problems of data storage at massive scale. The solution is supported on HPE storage-optimized Apollo servers and HPE general-purpose ProLiant servers. The solution enables customers to transform their enterprise storage infrastructure, delivering highly scalable and resilient storage that is fully supported, cost efficient and able to adapt to changing business and data demands.

In related news, SUSE today also announced the availability of SUSE Enterprise Storage3, the first commercially supported intelligent software-defined storage management solution based on the Jewel release of the Ceph open source project. That announcement can be seen here.

"We are entering an era when data will be the real differentiator among companies and competitors," said Nils Brauckmann, CEO of SUSE. "Those who can effectively collect, store and analyze huge amounts of data will be able to outmaneuver others in the market. This solution is built to provide customers a strong foundation for their future data growth."

The HPE Scalable Object Storage Solution with SUSE Enterprise Storage provides a fully supported and validated software-defined enterprise storage solution that is scalable and cost effective. It lowers the total cost of ownership for customers developing cloud and archival storage systems at petabyte scale, and it is deployable on HPE servers from general-purpose rackmount to servers optimized for storage.

"When the Orchard Park Police Department made a significant investment in body cameras to increase the safety of our officers and citizens, technology to manage the information was a major concern," said Mark F. Pacholec, chief of police at the Orchard Park (New York) Police Department. R. Paul Warriner, network coordinator in the Orchard Park Information Technology Department, explained, "We obviously needed to upgrade our storage capacity to manage the growing pool of data. Cost was a concern, and the solution needed to be easy to implement, stable and scalable. After reviewing proposals from several major vendors, it wasn't even close. SUSE Enterprise Storage running on HPE hardware provides the value, security and stability we need to effectively serve our many constituents."

Chuck Smith, vice president, Business Development, HPE Server Global Business Unit at HPE, said, "Human data and machine data are growing 10 times faster than traditional business data, so IT infrastructure and processes need to adapt to keep up. SUSE Enterprise Storage on HPE servers will enable customers to stay ahead of the explosive growth of digital data without crippling their budgets."

The HPE and SUSE storage solution is available on three hardware platforms to address a wide range of customer requirements, including HPE Apollo 4000, a high-density server family built for the highest levels of storage performance and efficiency; HPE ProLiant DL380, a modern infrastructure with a comprehensive portfolio of versatile compute offerings; and HPE Cloudline CL5200, a new server portfolio tailored to service providers building and operating massively scaled data centers following Open Compute Platform standards. In addition, the solution is integrated and certified to work with HPE Data Protector, backup and recovery software that provides comprehensive data protection, real-time analytics and guided optimization.

For more information about this and other SUSE and HPE solutions, visit www.hpe.com/servers/slesservers and www.suse.com/hpe.

About SUSE

SUSE, a pioneer in open source software, provides reliable, interoperable Linux, cloud infrastructure and storage solutions that give enterprises greater control and flexibility. More than 20 years of engineering excellence, exceptional service and an unrivaled partner ecosystem power the products and support that help our customers manage complexity, reduce cost, and confidently deliver mission-critical services. The lasting relationships we build allow us to adapt and deliver the smarter innovation they need to succeed  today and tomorrow. For more information, visit www.suse.com.

Copyright 2016 SUSE LLC. All rights reserved. SUSE and the SUSE logo are registered trademarks of SUSE LLC in the United States and other countries. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE SUSE

Related Links

https://www.suse.com


JACKSONVILLE, Florida, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

TapImmune,Inc. (TPIV), a clinical-stage immune-oncology company specializing in the development of innovative peptide and gene-based immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment of cancer & metastatic disease, today announced it will be presenting at the LD Micro Invitational on Tuesday, June 7 at 9:00am. Dr. John N. Bonfiglio, a TapImmune Board member and Strategic Advisor, will be giving the presentation and meeting with investors.

The presentation will cover recent company developments including TapImmune's Phase 2 ovarian cancer trial with AstraZeneca and Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute.

Interested investors may view TapImmune's profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/TPIV.

About TapImmune Inc.

TapImmune Inc. is an immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of innovative technologies for the treatment of cancer, including metastasis, and infectious disease. The Company's peptide or nucleic acid-based immunotherapeutics comprise one or multiple naturally processed epitopes (NPEs) designed to comprehensively stimulate a patient's killer T-cells, helper T-cells and to restore or further augment antigen presentation by using proprietary nucleic acid-based expression systems. The Company's technologies may be used as stand-alone medications or in combination with current treatment modalities. Please visit the Company's website at http://www.tapimmune.com for details.

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release concerning the Company's expectations, plans, business outlook or future performance, and any other statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stored in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings which are available through EDGAR at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:

TapImmune Inc.,

Glynn Wilson, Ph.D.

Chairman & CEO

+1(866)-359-7541



SOURCE TapImmune Inc.
AUSTIN, Texas, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas will showcase its powerful biotechnology and life sciences industry to a global audience this week at the world's largest biotechnology conference, BIO International, being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on June 4-9.

More than 22,000 people are expected to attend this year's BIO International Convention, including more than 2,500 leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical CEOs from across the globe. Representatives from 69 countries will participate in intensive networking and educational sessions to form partnerships and advance the global industry as a whole.

"We're proud to showcase the vibrant life sciences ecosystem in Texas at the industry's most important event," said Tracye McDaniel, President and CEO of Texas Economic Development Corporation and TexasOne. "Texas' position as a global contender in the industry is growing thanks to our highly skilled workforce, multiple top-tier medical and research institutions, first-rate transportation and logistics infrastructure and top-ranked business climate. We look forward to sharing all that Texas has to offer to this key global audience."

TexasOne will join the state's top life sciences and economic development leaders at the BioTexas Pavilion (Booth #7523), hosted by Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute (THBI). The Pavilion will showcase the diversity of the state's industry as well as the collaboration among leading organizations, including the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the second-largest taxpayer-funded cancer research organization in the country; Johnson & Johnson's JLABS @TMC, an incubator housed at the new Texas Medical Center accelerator (TMCx); and ten leading small businesses selected by the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism.

These include medical device and equipment companies, such as G-CON Manufacturing and Spot On Sciences; manufacturers, such as Castle BioSciences, Equitech-Bio and iBio CMO; experts in regenerative medicine, such as INCELL Corporation and StemBioSys; pharmaceutical wholesaler DisperSol Technologies; antibody sales and research company IGY Life Sciences USA and life science technology provider Design 1 Solutions.

"Collaboration is at the heart of Texas' healthcare and bioscience success," said Tom Kowalski, President and CEO of Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute (THBI). "Partnering with Texas' top life sciences leaders at BIO International Convention allows us the opportunity to showcase our dynamic ecosystem and to forge and expand partnerships across the industry."

With recent investments from McKesson, Galderma, Allergan and Monsanto, Texas boasts a growing, robust life sciences industry presence. More than 3,900 firms involved in life science manufacturing and R&D in the state employ more than 97,600 high-salary workers. Dozens of global biotech companies, such as Novartis, Abbott, and Medtronic have major operations in the state.

The state's companies, medical centers and institutes of higher learning continue to churn out innovations that keep Texas on the cutting edge of discovery. According to the National Institute of Health, Texas ranks No. 3 in the nation for number of clinical trials, with approximately 20,400 studies underway.

Texas is also home to the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, which is considered the largest concentration of medical professionals and experts in the world; four NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which ranks No.1 for cancer care by the U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Hospitals" survey; and the new Dell Medical School at UT Austin, the first medical school in nearly 50 years to be built from the ground up at a top-tier research university in the United States.

For more information about the biotechnology and life sciences industry in Texas, read the 2016 Biotechnology and Life Sciences report, or visit www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com for information on the Texas Economic Development Corporation.

SOURCE Texas Economic Development Corporation

Related Links

http://www.texaswideopenforbusiness.com


WOODLAND, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Agriculture Museum will be holding Tractors and Brews from 6 PM to 9 PM on Thursday, June 16th at 1962 Hays Lane in Woodland. The museum's annual fundraiser showcases a tractor reveal, folk band Biscuits 'n' Honey, and Jeff Myers with his paintings of tractors. The evening punctuates the community's contributions that supported redesigning the museum. The new arrangement sets the stage to tell stories that highlight the historical and economic significance of tractors.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160602/375103

"The evening celebrates a long tradition of agriculture's summer celebrations," Board President Rusty Lucchesi says. "I want people to enjoy themselves and experience how relevant collecting and agriculture is to our lifestyle today." There will be a cash bar featuring a signature drink showcasing distilled grains that celebrates California's heritage as a grain producing state. Guests can support the museum by purchasing a take-home "bottomless" glass with endless refills or purchase beer, wine, or the signature drink by the glass. Food and drink samples will be provided from favorite businesses such as Lagunitas Brewing Company, Carvalho Family Winery, and Buckhorn.

Come to the California Agriculture Museum party on June 16th from 6 PM to 9 PM at 1962 Hays Lane in Woodland! Take the first Woodland exit traveling north on I-5. Event proceeds benefit the California Agriculture Museum. Our evening fundraising goal is to raise enough funds to purchase an electrical vehicle to transport visitors through 45,000 square feet of gallery space. Tickets are $50 each and are available online at www.CaliforniaAgMuseum.org or at the museum, open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 5:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 4:00.

About the California Agriculture Museum (CalAgMuseum): The Museum is a place to gather around art exhibits, kids and adult activities, and hundreds of old iron tractors, harvesters, and horse drawn wagons and artifacts. It highlights stories from down on the farm that illuminate what it was like for California pioneers 100 years ago. The galleries and courtyard punctuate the significance of agriculture and the innovation that evolved yesterday and today.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lorili Ostman at 530.666.9700 or [email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE California Agriculture Museum

Related Links

http://www.CaliforniaAgMuseum.org


BOLTON, England, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

UK Forklift Truck Training, a professional forklift truck training company, have launched their official website. They are a company that specialises in ITSSAR accredited forklift training, providing training onsite. UK Forklift Truck Training is owned and is managed by Dean Powell together with his team who have been in the industry for more than 26 years.

UK Forklift Truck Training offer a competitively priced, professional and friendly service to all their clients. The company is located in Bolton, Lancashire and cover the following areas: Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire, West and South Yorkshire and Merseyside. They use current training techniques integrating practical and theory exercises in line with the Health and Safety Executive Guidelines. They continually attain high success rates. According to UK Forklift Truck Training, forklift training onsite comes with the benefit that the operators become familiar with the equipment as well as with the types of loads that they would be using within their everyday working environment. There's no travel time wasted and expenses for the company or trainees. The advantages for the companies that invest in fork lift operator training outweigh the price of a training course. Aside from meeting their health and safety responsibilities, a skilled and knowledgeable workforce would lead to a much more efficient management operation and reduced accidents.

UK Forklift Truck Training cater for various operator skill levels on various types of trucks which include counterbalance, pallet truck, reach truck and pivot steer. They also provide courses for novices and semi-experienced operators. These courses are likewise available for refreshers plus they offer conversion courses.

UK Forklift Truck Training can accommodate as much as 3 delegates who possess the same ability to be trained all at the same time. This company can offer bespoke courses that will match their precise site requirements. When it comes to non-accredited training, there is no difference in the standard of training, although the operator would not be registered with ITSSAR which is the governing body or on TOPS which stands for trained operator passport scheme.

To learn more about UK Forklift Truck Training, please do not hesitate to visit http://www.ukforklifttrucktraining.co.uk/.

https://youtu.be/JCf3LKCB9tQ

[email protected]

SOURCE UK Forklift Truck Training
SOLANA BEACH, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned for its super-service culture, multiple award-winning British travel company Scott Dunn moves into the United States after acquiring Aardvark Safaris Inc. in San Diego, California. Scott Dunn, considered a global authority in high end private travel, has added experts in Europe, Asia, India and Central and South America to the existing highly respected Africa team, to provide a worldwide private travel service to the US market. The new business, Scott Dunn USA, is led by Aardvark's current President, John Spence, who becomes President, Scott Dunn USA and reports to Scott Dunn's CEO Simon Russell.

Scott Dunn was founded by Andrew Dunn in 1986 as a luxury ski company. Mr Dunn, who is the company's Global President and remains actively involved in the business, transformed the ski experience in the Alps, introducing new levels of luxury and service that have become the envy of the industry. Over the last 30 years, Scott Dunn has grown to become the UK's leading high end travel company, crafting highly experiential, customized journeys to destinations all over the world.

Simon Russell, CEO of Scott Dunn, commented: "We're excited to be taking Scott Dunn's renowned service into the United States and believe our high end customized vacations will really appeal to discerning US guests looking for incredible experiences all over the world. John Spence and his team at Aardvark have built a successful business and an enviable reputation for African travel. The addition of our worldwide experts will ensure the business continues to grow strongly under the Scott Dunn brand."

John Spence, President, Scott Dunn USA, added: "I'm proud of what we've achieved with Aardvark in the United States and excited about the future with Scott Dunn. There's no doubt we share the same service culture and commitment to quality. The ability to service our US guests with a complete range of worldwide destinations for their vacations is the logical next step for the business here."

Scott Dunn has consistently been voted "favorite" travel company by readers of prestigious Conde Nast Traveller Magazine and its website is the go-to directory of high end private travel. Scott Dunn doesn't have customers or clients but "guests" and prides itself on its loyal following.

Further information on Scott Dunn can be found at www.scottdunn.com

Blog

Instagram: scottdunn_usa

Twitter: scottdunntravel

Facebook: Scott Dunn Travel

For media inquiries, please contact:

RESONATE PR

Pamela Devaney

[email protected]

T: 760-846-4640

Kelly Reed

[email protected]

T: 303-859-4981

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375633LOGO

SOURCE Scott Dunn

Related Links

http://www.scottdunn.com


SALT LAKE CITY, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- USANA Health Sciences congratulates its Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Brand Ambassador, Kristina Mladenovic on her recent Roland Garros success, as she captured her first Grand Slam doubles title over the weekend. Mladenovic and doubles partner Caroline Garcia defeated No. 7 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in three gripping sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to become the first all-French pair to win their native Slam since 1971.

"We are extremely proud of Kristina and what she has accomplished in her young career," said USANA Chief Communications Officer Dan Macuga. "It has been a privilege to work alongside her and watch her excel during her most successful year to date."

Capping an extremely successful clay court season, the French athlete has also captured three WTA titles with Garcia in the past two months  including back-to-back final wins over reigning co-No. 1's Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Mladenvoic currently holds 16 doubles WTA doubles titles, including two mixed Grand Slam titles from the Australian Open (2014) and Wimbledon (2013) with Daniel Nestor.

"It's never logical to win a Grand Slam," Mladenovic said in their post-match press conference. "It's never obvious. You know, you don't win a Grand Slam every single day  two young French women players who win Roland Garros. So there are the big tournaments that we have already won, which is a good success in itself, but, you know, winning a Grand Slam, and here in Roland Garros, it's ten steps above what is logical or normal."

USANA also commends Brand Ambassador Samantha Stosur on an impressive run in women's singles where she made it to the semifinals before falling to Garbine Muguruza in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Learn more about Mladenovic, Stosur and the 1,000+ elite athletes that trust their health to USANA at usanaathletes.com.

*The mentioned athletes are either distributors or dedicated users who have received compensation for their partnership and/or complimentary USANA products.

About USANA

Founded in 1992, USANA Health Sciences (NYSE: USNA) is a U.S.-based nutritional company that manufactures high-quality supplements, personal care and healthy products in its FDA-registered facility in Salt Lake City. Learn more about USANA by visiting our website http://www.usana.com or the official USANA blog http://whatsupusana.com.

Media Contact: Ashley Collins

Executive Director of PR and Social Media

(801) 954-7629

media(at)us.usana(dot)com

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120807/LA53885LOGO

SOURCE USANA

Related Links

http://www.usana.com


ZURICH and NUREMBERG, Germany, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Big data analytics company, Teralytics, partners with sustainability solutions specialist, South Pole Group, mobile phone operator, Telefonica Germany, and the city of Nuremberg to find a smart data solution for air pollution.

As urban areas are confronted with the challenge of accelerating rates of CO 2 emissions, officials seek new solutions for cleaner air. However, the first step starts with collecting accurate data to identify major air pollution hotspots. Taxpayer resources need to be carefully allocated and expenses need to be justified. That's where big data can help. Teralytics is a technology company helping telecom operators, like Telefonica Germany, transform massive amounts of mobile signal data into useful insights about traffic and crowd mobility patterns on a real-time, nationwide scale.

For cities, air quality measurement projects can be costly. It requires people to sit at intersections and manually count traffic. This is not only expensive, but inaccurate - providing only a small snapshot at a single point in time. The goal of this pilot project is to find a better solution using a more accurate, scalable and cost-effective method: mobile data. This technique is more dynamic, and provides a larger sample size compared to traditional means of data collection.

Telecom data as the key to traffic measurement

How fast are cars traveling? Which roads are the most congested? And what mode of transportation are commuters using? Anytime a mobile device communicates with a cell tower, it sends a signal and transmits data. Teralytics transforms terabytes of this signal data to provide real-time crowd movement analysis. Customer data remains fully protected during this process. Telefonica Germany anonymizes the data using a three-step process, which removes any personally identifiable information in the data. Conclusions can thus only be made about larger groups of people, rather than individuals. By correlating the amount of mobile signal data with the corresponding traffic patterns, estimates about air pollution emissions are derived.

Pilot project in Nuremberg

For the city of Nuremberg, tackling air pollution is a high priority. Officials are in the midst of drafting a new clean air plan, and the results of the pilot project will help shape the priorities in the plan. As Germany's largest mobile communications provider in terms of subscribers, Telefonica Germany is providing the anonymized mobile data. Teralytics will transform the data using their advanced technology platform based on machine-learning and advanced algorithms. The South Pole Group will provide the analysis to calculate air pollution emissions. Data quality checks will be done using historical data for comparison.

Using the results of this project, the city of Nuremberg will enact measures in the regions where air quality is worst. For example, the city council could substitute transportation options that have high emissions with options that produce lower emissions, or they could identify areas to expand bicycle lanes. By having better traffic data, cities like Nuremberg now have new ammunition in the fight against smog.

Executive quotes

Markus Haas, COO Telefonica Germany: "A large number of data is available to us through our standard business processes, including a large percentage of data that is only produced for us as a network operator, for instance mobility data. This pilot project shows that we can contribute to climate protection by analyzing data. We plan to realize further projects in the future for which our mobility data can provide added value for society."

Georg Polzer, CEO and Founder of Teralytics: "Aggregated mobile phone data provides us with insights into the movement patterns of the population. Until now, it has been hard to gather this data at scale.

With this pilot project we want to demonstrate the importance and value this data holds for economic as well as a social benefits."

Renat Heuberger, CEO South Pole Group: "The accurate measurement of CO 2 and short-lived air pollutants in cities is a complex task. Through our pilot project, we can develop an entirely new approach to assist in this task not only cities like Nuremberg, but also cities in emerging countries, who are faced with rapidly increasing emissions. This new method could significantly contribute to ensuring to better climate protection in the urban space."

For more information contact [email protected]

About the Project Partners

Teralytics is changing the way you do market research. We use breakthrough technology and machine learning algorithms to transform terabytes of data from telecom operators, one of the richest sources of human behavioral data. Analyze crowd movement, track mobility patterns, and uncover behavioral trends based on billions of aggregated, real-time mobile signals. We provide the retail, real estate, transportation, financial, and mobile advertising industries access to intelligence from the largest global consumer panel available. As the leading expert in big data analytics for mobile carriers, our partnerships span the globe with some of the largest operators in North America, Europe, and Asia. Headquartered in Zurich, Teralytics has offices in New York, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.teralytics.net

Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG, with its operating subsidiaries Telefonica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG and E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH, is listed in the Prime Standard at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company offers its German private and business customers post-paid and prepaid mobile communications products as well as innovative mobile data services based on GPRS, UMTS and LTE technologies with its product brand O 2 as well as several secondary and partner brands. In addition, the integrated communications provider also offers fixed line products such as DSL telephony for private customers and innovative IP telephony and networking solutions for business customers. The offer is topped off with modern high-speed internet products. With a total of 48.3 million customer lines (as of 31 March 2016), the company is one of the three leading integrated telecommunications providers in Germany. In the mobile segment alone, Telefonica Deutschland is responsible for 43.0 million lines  making it the German market leader. In the 2015 financial year, the company generated revenue of 7.89 billion euros. Telefonica Deutschland is part of the Spanish telecommunications group Telefonica S.A. with its headquarters in Madrid. With a presence in 21 countries and a customer base of 322 million lines, the Telefonica Group is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.

South Pole Group began as a project-driven company focused on developing and selling high-quality carbon credits. Today, it is the world's leading provider of climate solutions, helping public and private sector organisations develop climate proven policies and strategies. Areas of expertise cover every key sustainability-related area of climate change, including but not limited to: forests & land use, water, sustainable cities & buildings, as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency. For more information, visit www.thesouthpolegroup.com or follow the company @southpolegroup.

SOURCE Teralytics

Related Links

http://www.teralytics.net


ATLANTA, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertera Spine, a developer of medical devices using advanced biomaterial technologies, today announced the first wave of implantations with the COHERE Cervical Interbody Fusion System. COHERE is Vertera Spine's first device featuring the company's patented porous PEEK (polyetherether ketone) Scoria biomaterial technology. While porous metal or metal-coated implants have found their way into spinal fusion applications, COHERE is the first device in clinical use to be manufactured entirely out of PEEK and contain porosity.

Intended for use in anterior cervical fusion procedures to treat complex, single or multi-level spinal pathologies, COHERE combines the benefits of introducing a porous osteoconductive environment to bone without compromising the mechanical integrity of the implant.1 Multiple studies in the literature report the advantages of adding porosity over two-dimensional roughness to implants to improve their ability to osseointegrate.2 PEEK Scoria's three-dimensional porous structure has been specifically tailored to optimize bone formation on the cellular level as well as effectively form a strong interface with bone. Since the implant is made entirely out of PEEK polymer, COHERE also provides the additional advantage of not producing any medical imaging artifacts, allowing accurate visualization of the fusion site when compared to metallic implants.

To date, COHERE has been implanted at a select number of premier orthopaedic and spine surgical sites, including Rush University in Chicago, Ill. Frank Phillips MD, Professor at Rush University was one of the first surgeons to use COHERE in a cervical fusion surgery. Dr. Phillips will be presenting new data on the PEEK Scoria technology at the upcoming State of Spine Surgery Annual Symposium on June 30-July 2 in Los Cabos, Mexico.

"I think the porosity of the COHERE PEEK interbody device will allow for more rapid osseointegration seen with textured surface devices, while at the same time allowing for excellent radiographic visualization of the fusion," said Dr. Phillips. "From the substantial research compiled, we have learned that Scoria's porosity promotes implant osseointegration with the surface characteristics being more important than the implant material."

While competitive PEEK fusion devices are treated with metal coatings that can delaminate during and after surgery, porous PEEK Scoria is grown directly from the solid PEEK implant through a patented processing method, exhibiting twice the shear strength of vertebral trabecular bone.1

"Using the COHERE implant was a seamless transition from the allograft cage I previously used. I have been impressed with its easy insertion as well as the durability of the porous PEEK during implantation," said Richard Fessler MD, also professor at Rush University.

Several of the first surgeries have also been performed in the state of Georgia, near Vertera Spine's headquarters in Atlanta. James L. Chappuis MD, FACS, CEO, and chief surgeon at SpineCenterAtlanta in Atlanta, Ga., has implanted over a dozen COHERE implants to date.

"I have been looking forward to adopting COHERE into my clinical practice. Vertera Spine's porous PEEK Scoria addresses the challenges of current PEEK cages that are bioinert as well as metal cages that make it difficult to assess fusion on X-ray and CT," said Dr. Chappius.

Likewise, J. Kenneth Burkus MD, another COHERE clinical user from the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Ga. shares similar sentiments.

"The ability of COHERE to osseointegrate and not produce any imaging artifacts is unprecedented for spine fusion devices. What convinced me to use this device is the fact that the porous PEEK implant is made from one material and does not have to rely on any coatings to provide osteoconductivity," said Dr. Burkus.

"The first clinical use of porous PEEK represents a significant milestone for Vertera Spine and can be contributed to the hard work and ingenuity of our entire team," said Chris Lee PhD, president and CEO of Vertera Spine. "The adoption of COHERE by this initial group of key opinion leaders, along with research support from leading academic institutions, speaks volumes about the impact that COHERE and other implants made with our multifunctional PEEK Scoria biomaterial can have on the spinal fusion market."

COHERE is available in multiple footprints and heights with a 7 lordotic angle. Vertera Spine is planning a full market release of COHERE in the coming months.

About Vertera Spine:

Vertera Spine is a privately-held medical device company working to develop and commercialize a portfolio of surgical solutions that use or complement its patented porous technology to address critical clinical needs in spine procedures. The company has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Georgia Research Alliance, and Duke Angel Network to translate its growing technology portfolio into commercial products. For more information, visit www.verteraspine.com or call 678.705.9039.

COHERE and Scoria are trademarks of Vertera Spine. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective holders.

1 Evans NT, et al. Acta Biomaterialia, 2015; 13: 159-167.

2 Walsh WR, et al. The Spine Journal, 2015; 15(5): 1041-1049.

SOURCE Vertera Spine

Related Links

http://www.verteraspine.com


CHARLESTON, S.C., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vireo Labs, a career focused education tech startup, today announced the formation of a product advisory board comprised of top school counselors, teachers and administrators from around the United States.

The advisory board is playing a critical role in testing and providing feedback on critical areas of C'reer  a mobile career and education matchmaking application due for release by Vireo Labs in late 2016. Members of the advisory board include:

Michele Aselstine of Albany High School in Albany, Calif.

of Albany High School in Salvador Contes, Jr. of New Dorp High School in Staten Island, N.Y.

of New Dorp High School in Denise Latour of Ponchatoula High School in Ponchatoula, La.

of Ponchatoula High School in Corey Powell of STEM Academy in Savannah, Ga.

of STEM Academy in Amanda Sterk of Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School in Cape Coral, Fla.

of Florida SouthWestern Collegiate High School in Vita Vaccaro of the High School of Fashion Industries in New York, N.Y.

of the High School of Fashion Industries in Nancy Yarbrough of Freedom High School in Oakley, Calif.

"The first step towards college is answering the question: 'What do I want to be when I grow up?'" said, Jose Mallabo, co-founder and chief executive officer of Vireo Labs. "No one knows better how to help answer that question than the school counselors who work with students every day. We're excited to have them be part of the team and know C'reer will be a much better product and platform with their input."

According to the Lumina Foundation, the United States will fall 23 million college degrees short of meeting the demands of the job market in 2025.

Mallabo added, "More than 50 million Americans do research on college every year, most through the filter of a career aspiration. From our experience in higher education, we've seen firsthand that enrollment and graduation is based on finding the right match for the student and degree program that supports career and lifestyle objectives."

The free native mobile app is due to release in late 2016.

About Vireo Labs

Vireo Labs is an early stage startup based in Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. The founding team is leveraging its higher education and ecommerce experience from eBay and Amazon into the development of its first mobile product C'reer. For more information about the company visit www.vireolabs.co or sign up for product updates at www.creer.us.

SOURCE Vireo Labs

Related Links

http://www.vireolabs.co


SAN JOSE, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CDNetworks - When it comes to validating China CDN vendors, the recommended approach is to utilize an independent third party monitoring company to run a performance test. Each test entails a side by side comparison over a given amount of time. But, since China's broadband infrastructure is so fragmented, the standard performance tests do not apply. Third party monitoring tools provide a very limited picture.

Here are the three most common limitations that must be considered when testing China CDN vendors:

The Great Divide  China's network of state-owned ISPs has one of the world's most well-known peering issues, causing widespread website outages and connectivity problems. Standard performance monitoring will seldom reveal how a CDN provider addresses these performance challenges because of the monitoring provider's limited backbone presence.

Geographic Limitations  In a country with 22 provinces and the fastest growth of broadband usage, there are not enough agents to indicate true website performance over such a large geography outside of the major municipalities. Unless your website visitors reside in Beijing or Shanghai, then your testing data is very limited. It's the equivalent to making a performance decision based on the response times from New York to Los Angeles.

CDN Bias  It's the unspoken industry secret. CDNs can map their network closer to the agents of performance monitoring services by optimizing their routing scheme or by physically hosting POPs closest to those agents. While this bias is true globally, it is especially common in China and makes performance testing inaccurate.

While these pitfalls make evaluations difficult, it is not impossible. Now the question becomes how do organizations use these same performance testing tools to achieve a fair and accurate test without hiring a hundred local China users with stop watches?

Here are some recommended best practices for performance monitoring in China:

The Last Mile Effect  This means utilizing a monitoring service that measures automatically from the actual end user and not the data center. This will allow one to evaluate CDN performance by overcoming the "CDN bias" and can better represent a company's geographic presence in China. The downside to last mile of course, is the variety of variables that can affect performance for each participating end user (local machine, connectivity, etc.). This is why we recommend using last mile monitoring alongside standard performance monitoring.

Real User Monitoring vs. Synthetic  For realtime traffic monitoring, companies such as CatchPoint, SOASTA and Cedexis provide RUM solutions that collect data directly from a user's browser, capturing performance metrics such as bandwidth and page load times. All three can measure results in mainland China. Synthetic monitoring simulates agents sitting in datacenters, so you will want to ensure they have agents in mainland China and not just "near" China, such as Hong Kong.

China Based Performance Monitoring  Look at how major Chinese companies monitor their web sites. http://www.tingyun.com is a popular performance monitoring service for large web-based companies in China. Tingyun provides data for every metropolitan region inside China (30+ monitoring agents). On top of this, they analyze the performance against the two major ISPs in China, giving you visibility into "The Great Divide".

Local Agent Monitoring  Similar to last mile monitoring, the local agent monitoring method actually uploads copies of the monitoring software and makes them available as monitoring agents in your local machines. If the application you are looking to accelerate is an internal application, this can address all the limitations previously mentioned.

Evaluate the Numbers Beyond the Graph  When using standard performance monitoring, look at the performance of individual objects for "connect time", "1st byte time" and "download time". If the numbers for "connect times" for one CDN vendor are vastly different from the other vendors, then this is a red flag that one of the CDN's results is most likely skewed. At this point proceed with caution and cross reference with another monitoring provider.

These testing tools and methodologies can go beyond CDN vendor testing and into your production environment for ongoing website performance measurement and alerting.

CDNetworks can help with testing, utilizing several tools to provide an accurate picture of what to expect when you go live with a China CDN vendor. To learn more about CDNetworks' China Acceleration Solution visit: http://www.cdnetworks.com/products/china-acceleration/

SOURCE CDNetworks

Related Links

http://www.cdnetworks.com


SAN FRANCISCO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. announced today two additions to its board of directors effective immediately. Expanding from eight to ten members, the company's board now includes Priya Cherian Huskins and Christopher Kakel, both of whom are partners/shareholders in the company.

"Priya and Chis have been vital contributors to the sophisticated risk needs of our clients and are highly regarded as experts in governance and risk financing, respectively," said Chairman Stan Loar. "Their addition to the board supports our firm's culture of strong growth14% in 2015and continued expansion in our client verticals and geographic footprint."

CEO Charlie Rosson added, "Priya brings to the board her deep expertise as a corporate securities attorney and an independent board member of an S&P 500 company. Likewise, Chris' strategic and analytical acuity as well as his expertise in financial analysis will be critical as we continue to invest in the growth of our colleagues and organization.

Priya and Chris also represent our staunch commitment to remaining independent and our deliberate approach to developing new generations of senior leadership internally. Their addition aligns extremely well with our long-term perpetuation plans."

For the full list of Woodruff-Sawyer's board of directors, go to www.wsandco.com/our-experts.

About Priya Cherian Huskins, Esq.

Priya has been with Woodruff-Sawyer for 13 years and consults with clients on directors & officers liability insurance, corporate governance, and risk mitigation. She works with public and private companies through all stages, including IPOs and M&A transactions. Priya is a frequent speaker on D&O issues and a guest lecturer at Stanford's Directors' College, among others. She's on the board of an S&P 500 company and a FinTech start-up. She's also on the board of the Silicon Valley Directors' Exchange (SVDX) and the advisory board of the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance. Formerly with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Priya has a bachelor's degree with high honors from Harvard University and a juris doctorate with honors from the Law School at the University of Chicago.

About Christopher Kakel

Chris joined Woodruff-Sawyer in 2014 and is a founding partner of the firm's Colorado office. As Casualty Practice Leader, he engages with the firm's largest and most complex clients to provide strategic casualty advice, insurance and risk financing options, analytics to support insurance decisions, and direct advocacy in the marketplace. Chris has been working on complex domestic and multinational risks as a casualty broker since 2000, serving in senior vice president roles with Marsh in Denver and New York prior to joining Woodruff-Sawyer. He has twice been named a "Power Broker" by Risk and Insurance magazine. Chris has a bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Duke University and an MBA with honors from New York University  Stern School of Business with a focus in finance and management.

MEDIA CONTACT

Melinda Mui

Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

415.402.6593

[email protected]

About Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

Woodruff-Sawyer is one of the largest independent insurance brokerage firms in the nation, and is an active partner of Assurex Global and International Benefits Network. For 98 years, Woodruff-Sawyer has been partnering with clients to implement and manage cost-effective and innovative insurance, employee benefits and risk management solutions, both nationally and abroad. Headquartered in San Francisco, Woodruff-Sawyer has offices throughout California and in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii and New England. For more information, call 844.WSANDCO or visit www.wsandco.com.

SOURCE Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

Related Links

http://www.wsandco.com


CHICAGO, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no secret that the same volatility that the stock market experienced in the first quarter of this year, also impacted the mutual fund industry and fund investors. Many retail investors have a portion of their money in mutual funds, either directly or through a retirement plan. Despite the rebound in stock prices though, it's still difficult for these fund investors to identify market outperformers. With forecasts for more periods of market volatility going through the rest of 2016 combined with other market headwinds, identifying mutual funds that may help maximize returns will no doubt continue to weigh on investors.

In its second year of live performance the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank has built upon it's initial success of 2014 with another successful year in predicting relative returns of Mutual Funds during the year 2015. "This is the second year of live performance of the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank which classifies funds into categories and predicts relative performance within each category." says Adam Cohen, EVP of Zacks Institutional Services division. "We are confident that over the next decades the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank will deliver the same type of stellar performance as has the Zacks Stock Rank  whose top portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 in 23 out of the last 26 years."

The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, provided to Zacks clients at the beginning of 2015, was able to separate funds with similar objectives into quintiles such that, during the year 2015, the average fund in the top quintile outperformed the average fund in the bottom quintile by up to 4.0 %. As illustrated in the 2015 performance table below, Zacks Rank #1 Mutual Funds outperformed Zacks Rank #5 funds in 8 of 11 mutual fund classifications.





2015 Live Performance



Zacks Mutual Fund Rank Performance



US Equity Funds



Ranked as of 12/31/2014 - Held for Year 2015































All US Equity Funds Large Blend Large Growth Large Value Mid Blend Mid Growth Mid Value Small Blend Small Growth Small Value All Cap Growth All Cap Value



























Zacks Rank 1

-1.3 0.3 2.2 -2.6 -1.7 -1.4 -3.8 -3.7 -2.6 -5.1 -2.3 -3.3 Zacks Rank 2

-1.9 -1.1 2.6 -4.4 -4.3 -2.3 -3.4 -4.8 -1.5 -4.2 0.1 -3.1 Zacks Rank 3

-2.5 -1.4 2.5 -4.2 -4.1 -3.4 -4.5 -2.6 -3.2 -6.1 -2.6 -5.1 Zacks Rank 4

-2.7 -1.9 2.8 -4.4 -4.7 -2.1 -4.9 -4.0 -3.1 -7.3 -4.4 -3.9 Zacks Rank 5

-3.4 -3.2 3.2 -5.7 -5.7 -1.8 -7.1 -4.7 -2.4 -11.0 1.4 -6.6 All Funds

-2.3 -1.6 2.7 -4.2 -4.1 -2.2 -4.9 -3.9 -2.5 -6.7 -1.7 -4.7



























Spread (ZR 1 - ZR5)

2.1 3.5 -1.0 3.1 4.0 0.4 3.2 1.0 -0.2 5.9 -3.8 3.3 Spread (ZR1 - All Funds)

1.1 1.9 -0.5 1.7 2.4 0.7 1.1 0.2 -0.1 1.6 -0.6 1.4



























# of Funds

1458 271 301 225 75 147 52 99 123 165 56 89

The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, which was formulated during 2013, is based on the findings of academic finance that although the equity markets may be highly efficient, Mutual Fund performance is influenced by organizational, institutional and behavioral factors and can be predicted.

For more information about Zacks Mutual Fund Rank GO TO http://www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds

Or contact Adam Cohen, EVP Zacks Institutional Services, 312-265-9227, [email protected] or Terry Ruffolo, Director Media Relations, 312-265-9213, [email protected].

Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities.

SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.zacks.com


SURRY, Maine, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The recent launch of Zoe Weil's book, The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries (Lantern Books), has inspired educators to bring solutionary-focused education into their schools. So far, more than 300 books have been purchased by public schools in Princeton, NJ, the DC-based Lab School, NYC Eco-Schools, and for Peace Sites sponsored by World Citizen. The Institute for Humane Education (IHE) is working with school leaders to bring solutionary-focused education to students through teacher professional development and participation in its Solutionary Congress Program (SCP) pilot.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375677

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160606/375678

"Education should empower students to become compassionate, positive change agents who problem-solve to create just, humane, and sustainable societies. If adopted nationwide, the solutionary-focused educational model could potentially impact 60 million U.S. students, transforming our educational system and world," said Emily Fano, senior manager, Eco-Schools USA, a program of the National Wildlife Federation.

Weil's book calls for a shift in the purpose of schooling, and offers practical ideas to prepare children for their critical roles as solutionaries: people with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to create a more just, healthy, and humane world for all.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with educators to offer students the opportunity for devising meaningful, practical, and visionary solutions to the challenges we face in the world," said Zoe Weil, IHE president. "This is just the beginning of a far-reaching shift to make education ever more relevant to students and the world they will inherit."

IHE has been asked to collaborate with schools to bring solutionary-focused education to middle and high school students through participation in IHE's SCP, which is described in Weil's book. Through the SCP teams of students create practical solutions to real-world problems affecting people, animals, and the earth, presenting their solutions to a panel of judges, including local legislators, media, and social entrepreneurs who can implement the most viable ideas. As part of the two-year Solutionary Congress Program pilot, IHE is working with a cohort of diverse schools in the US and abroad, with plans for a more extensive launch in 2018.

Digital and hard copy versions of the book can be purchased on Amazon or the IHE website.

About Zoe Weil

Zoe Weil is co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE). In addition to The World Becomes What We Teach, she is the author of Nautilus Silver Medal winner, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life (2009), The Power and Promise of Humane Education (2004), and Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times (2003). She has also written books for young people, including Moonbeam Gold Medal winner, Claude and Medea (2007), and So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals (1994). Weil has written numerous articles and book chapters on humane education and sustainable living and speaks regularly around the world about education and creating a healthy and just world for all.

About the Institute for Humane Education (IHE)

The Institute for Humane Education (IHE) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Surry, Maine. Founded in 1996, it offers graduate degree programs, online courses, workshops, summer institutes, and an award-winning online resource center. Humane education approaches human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection as interconnected global issues. Through IHE programs, students and participants use their humane education training to provide others with the tools and skills to become "solutionaries" for a healthy, peaceful, and sustainable world for all people, animals, and the earth we share.

Contact:

Alison Foster

Email

917.331.1715

SOURCE Institute for Humane Education

Related Links

http://humaneeducation.org


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
Beijing, May 31 : Beijing will pressure Washington over maritime issues during the upcoming annual strategic and economic dialogue, as the US's increasing military presence in the South China Sea is among the country's major concerns, officials here said.

China will bring up topics including the Taiwan question, Tibet and maritime security, and it will respond to the Korean peninsula nuclear issue which the US is expected to raise, China Daily on Tuesday quoted officials as saying.

The two countries have differing pursuits on major issues at the strategic level. However, the two still have many common interests, the officials said.

Whether it is on the South China Sea issue or on Korean peninsula, China and the US have a shared security goal to maintain regional stability, they said.

The annual dialogue will take place in Beijing on June 6 and 7, authorities said on Monday.

China hopes to "properly tackle differences" with the US, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

The dialogue, which started in 2009, has become the highest-level, regular bilateral communication channel for the world's two largest economies to compare notes on key issues concerning diplomacy, security and economy.

Observers noted that the eighth dialogue will be the last to be co-chaired by US President Barack Obama's administration.

Nathan Sheets, US undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, reaffirmed on May 24 the Obama administration's commitment to reaching a bilateral investment treaty before the president's term ends in November.

Sources also said China will urge the US to provide a level playing field for Chinese investment.

China's investment in the US in the first quarter of this year is expected to be more than double that of the first quarter of last year, according to the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York.

Ruan Zongze, Vice-President of the China Institute of International Studies, said the South China Sea issue will be brought to the table because it has affected the two-way ties, and the US has been "undermining regional stability" while "rebalancing to Asia" in the past two years.
New Delhi, May 31 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched the DVAT MSewa Application, a mobile phone app, through which traders can register with the VAT department.

He said the app will ensure the instantaneous registration of business and will ensure end of the 'inspector Raj'.

"In the last one year, a number of steps have been taken to end inspector raj, make doing business a pleasant experience and resolve problems faced by the trader community," Kejriwal said here.

A Delhi government statement said that the app will help total 41,000 pending requests waiting registration.

The government also announced that it will soon start a special 24x7 helpline number - 155055 - backed by a professionally managed call centre to facilitate start of a new business and resolve problems of registered dealers.
London, June 2 : A British man is facing multiple life sentences for numerous sex crimes against Malaysian children which he boasted about on the "dark web".

Richard Huckle, 30, from Ashford in Kent, admitted the offences against victims aged between six months and 12 years, from 2006 to 2014.

It is believed that Huckle abused up to 200 children.

His sentencing hearing began at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, and is expected to conclude on Friday.

The 91 charges related to 23 children from mainly poor communities in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

He admitted to 71 of the charges, and the prosecutor asked that the other counts "lie on file".

Huckle, a freelance photographer, was arrested at Gatwick Airport by National Crime Agency officials in December 2014.

Huckle, who presented himself as a practising Christian, first visited Malaysia on a teaching gap year when he was 18 or 19.

He then went on to groom children while doing voluntary work.

Investigators uncovered numerous indecent pictures and videos Huckle took of himself abusing girls and boys. More than 20,000 indecent images were found on his computer.

Huckle wrote a paedophile manual called "Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide", as well as a series of notes in which he detailed rapes and various sex acts.

The encrypted manual was on Huckle's laptop ready for publication on the dark web -- part of the World Wide Web that is not indexed by traditional search engines. At his first plea hearing at the Old Bailey, it took more than an hour to read out all the charges.

According to one charge, Huckle had said: "I'd hit the jackpot, a 3yo girl as loyal to me as my dog and nobody seemed to care."
New Delhi, June 3 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday assured "strict action" against the perpetrators of the Mathura violence, which claimed 24 lives including those of two policemen.

"Uttar Pradesh government will ensure the strictest action under law against the perpetrators in the Mathura incident, speedy prosecution of the accused," tweeted the Chief Minister.

Yadav also promised to support the families of the killed police officers.

"My deepest condolences go to the families of these bravehearts. My government will ensure all support to the families," another tweet said.

The Chief Minister also announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of the two police officers.

On Thursday evening, protesters opened fire at a police team when it went to Jawahar Bagh area in Mathura to get it evicted following the orders of Allahabad High Court.
New Delhi, June 3 : The Delhi High Court on Friday posted for August 24 a PIL seeking to declare as unconstitutional certain provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act that allow a convicted person to contest elections six years after their conviction.

The plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay said convicted people should be barred for their lifetimes from contesting elections.

The petitioner said sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act 1951 should be declared unconstitutional and void as they restrict disqualification period up to six years only.

Disqualification rule for convicted person cannot be applied differently on executive, judiciary and legislature, it said.

"Hence section 8 and section 9 of the Part-II, Chapter-III (disqualification for membership of parliament and state legislature) of the Representation of the People Act 1951, is violative of the fundamental rights, unconstitutional and inconsistent with Article 13 and 14 of the Constitution of India," the plea stated.

In the executive and judiciary, when one is convicted for any criminal offence, he or she is suspended automatically and their services are terminated for lifetime.

However, this rule is applied differently in case of a convicted person in a legislature, said the plea.

Even after conviction and undergoing sentence, one can form a political party, become the office bearer of a political party, contest the election, and become member of legislature after expiry of six years from the date of their conviction, Upadhyay said.

The petition questioned why should not there be a lifetime ban on convicted person on contesting elections, forming a political party and becoming office bearer of a political party.

Upadhyay told a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice V.K. Shali that a similar petition has been pending before Madras High Court.

The bench said the copy of that petition be produced before it and then it will decide the issue. The court posted the matter for August 24.

The petition sought direction to set minimum educational qualification and maximum age limit for contesting candidates.

"Direct the Law ministry to implement the Election Commission's Proposed Electoral Reform and Law Commission Report No-244 and 255, which is necessary for de-criminalization and de-communalization of politics," the petition stated.

Certain immediate measures need to be taken feasibly to mark the first successful step towards an attempt to cleansing the electoral system, it said.

The Representation of the People Act has not provided for any proper guidelines in the form of minimum educational qualifications, good character and conduct, the petition said.
Algiers, June 4 : At least 33 persons were killed on Saturday when a passenger bus collided with a semi-trailer truck in Algeria's Laghouat province, officials said.

The accident occurred at 1.50 a.m., Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescue officials said 22 others were injured in the accident.
Chandigarh, June 5 : Road and railway traffic remained normal and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere on Sunday as a section of the Jat community renewed their agitation for reservation in various parts of Haryana.

Home Secretary Ram Niwas said that the agitation remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the state.

In many districts, no dharna (sit-in) was staged, while at some places where the protesters sat on dharna, they submitted the memorandums to the Deputy Commissioner concerned and lifted the protest, he added.

"The traffic was normal as neither any highway nor any railway line was blocked by the protesters.

"Some people did try to add fuel to the fire on social media and cases have been registered against them. The government is maintaining vigil constantly and video recording was being done to identify those who would indulge in vitiating peaceful atmosphere of the state," he said.

Noting that some anti-social elements were trying to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state, he urged people not to be misled by rumour-mongers.

Assuring Jat leaders that the state government supported their demand for reservation, Ram Niwas said: "The state government is vigorously pursuing the case of reservation (for Jats and five other communities) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court."

Additional Director General of Police Mohammad Akil also said that law and order were under control in the state on Sunday.

The high court had recently stayed a notification of the state government granting reservation to Jats and five other communities. The Haryana assembly had passed a legislation giving quota to these communities.

At least nine out of 21 districts in Haryana were on high alert on Sunday as a section of Jat community renewed their agitation for reservation. The districts on high alert include Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Panipat and Kaithal.

The Jat community has served a 15-day ultimatum to the Haryana government for implementation of reservation.

The call for the renewed agitation has been given by the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS), whose leader Yashpal Malik assured that the protests would remain peaceful.

Reports said the agitators, who started their agitation in rural areas instead of towns this time, were holding dharnas at different places in Rohtak, Hisar, Jind and some other districts.

Ram Niwas said that 55 companies of paramilitary forces were stationed to deal with the agitation.

Paramilitary forces and Haryana Police personnel were deployed at sensitive areas, including national and state highways and railway tracks to prevent blockade.

The administration in Sonipat and Rohtak districts had banned all internet services.

Haryana saw the worst violence in its five decades of existence in February during the Jat agitation for reservation.

As many as 30 persons were killed, 320 others injured and property worth crores was destroyed during the agitation. The state remained paralysed for nearly 10 days.
Chennai, June 6 : Filmmaker Venkat Prabhu and actor Simbu might join hands for the reboot of Tamil actioner "Billa". The film was earlier twice made with superstar Rajinikanth and Ajith Kumar.

"Billa" was the Tamil remake of Amitabh Bachchan-starrer "Don".

During a periscope session with his fans on Sunday, Simbu revealed that he plans to work on a script along the lines of "Billa".

Later, during a Twitter conversation with director Venkat Prabhu, he said he can't wait to work on "Billa 2018".

Following their chat, fans went gaga over the announcement and even trended the "Billa 2018" hashtag.

Currently awaiting the release of Tamil romantic-thriller "Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada", Simbu is shooting for Adhik Ravichandran-directed Tamil actioner "Anbaanavan, Asaraathavan, Adangaathavan".
Chennai, June 6 : Filmmaker Trivikram's latest Telugu drama "A...Aa" has struck gold by minting $1.5 million in its opening weekend in the US, despite earning mixed reviews from critics.

"Despite releasing on a weekday, it's exceptional that the film collected $1.5 million in the opening weekend. It will easily rake in $2 million to become one of the top five Telugu grosses in the US," trade analyst Trinath told IANS.

Also starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Anupama Parameswaran, Nadiya, Naresh and Rao Ramesh, the film is performing decently at the Indian box-office.

Produced by S. Radha Krishna, the film has music by Mickey J. Meyer.
Lucknow, June 6 : The administration and police in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh has been put in a state of high alert as a 'panchayat' has been called on Monday afternoon in Bisahada village, an official said.

This is the village where a Muslim named Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on September 28 last year on the charge that he and his family consumed cow's meat.

A government forensic lab in Mathura said in its report released last week that the meat in question was of "cow or its progeny".

The report has revived the controversy over the legal and moral issues surrounding the lynching. People in Bisahada village have demanded that a case of cow slaughter be registered against Akhlaq's family.

Some villagers and Hindu organisations are also demanding that the 17 accused in the killing of Akhlaq be now released.

An official, however, informed IANS that the accused would be produced before a fast-track court on Monday where charges would be fixed on them. A juvenile has already been granted bail by the high court.

The jawans of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary have been patrolling the village since Sunday evening.

Security has been increased following announcement by some Hindu frontal organisations -- Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtrawadi Pratap Sena, Goraksha Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini -- that they will participate in the panchayat, said officials.
Beijing, June 6 : US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is visiting Beijing for the eighth session of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue that kicked off on Monday, has urged China to obey the rules of international law to resolve the South China Sea issue.

"The only position we have taken is not to sort this out through unilateral actions, but resolve it through the rule of law, diplomacy, negotiation," Kerry said as the world's two largest economies hope to reconcile their geopolitical disagreements and negotiate mutually beneficial investment deals in the two-day talks.

The talks will be held between Vice Premier Wang Yang and Chinese Councillor Yang Jiechi and Kerry and US Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.

Kerry had warned Beijing at a news conference days earlier that the Chinese establishment of an air defence zone over the South China Sea would be a "provocative and destabilising act".

China had last month insisted on its rights to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) extending up to 482 km beyond its territorial seas based on a 1947 map of the disputed, resource-rich South China Sea islands, Efe reported.

A verdict by Permanent Arbitration court in The Hague, on the appeal launched by the Philippines to thwart China's growing domination over the archipelago, is also expected to darken the Sino-American dialogue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said differences between the two countries are "natural", and Washington should "avoid using the differences as an excuse for confrontation", referring to US military redeployment in many of the six countries embroiled in the maritime spat.

Kerry has also expressed wishes for a consensus to pave the way for pending bilateral economic deals valued at about $30 billion -- more than twice the $15 billion invested by Chinese companies in the North American nation last year.

According to the US Council on Foreign Relations, if the vital trade routes through the South China Sea and East China Sea are not managed wisely, multilateral conflicts are likely to erupt into battlefields that will mar economic gains.

"It's up to us to ensure that America and China are more partners than rivals," the US Secretary of State tweeted on Monday.
Washington, June 6 : Democratic party front-runner Hillary Clinton won Puerto Rico's primary on Sunday, putting her on a trajectory to claim the party's presidential nomination on Tuesday.

At the time the race was called, she had 64 per cent of the vote to 34 per cent of the vote for rival Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Now, Clinton needs 30 more delegates of the 2,383 needed to secure the nomination, Politico reported.

Clinton is closing in on a historic nomination as the first female presidential nominee with one more round of states -- California, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Montana -- set to vote on Tuesday.

Her nomination would become official during July's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

So far, Clinton has clinched a total of 2,354 votes (superdelegates: 547, pledged: 1,807) and Sanders has garnered 1,561 (superdelegates: 46, pledged:1,515).

Neither candidate campaigned extensively in Puerto Rico, instead they are focusing more on resources and campaign events in California with its 546 delegates.

Clinton, who won the territory by a landslide margin in 2008 over then senator Barack Obama, was the heavy favourite to win the territory's primary.

In her two terms as senator from New York - the state with the largest population of Puerto Rican Americans - she gained a strong degree of familiarity with the island. Those relationships helped her build strong institutional support from top Puerto Rico Democrats, including Governor Alejandro Padilla.

Clinton's Puerto Rico victory follows her win in the US Virgin Islands caucuses on Saturday.
Bengaluru, June 6 : English-Australian chef, restaurateur and judge of the "MasterChef Australia" Gary Mehigan, who loves using some Indian spices to cook delectable treats back home in Australia, says social media has played a huge role in giving a fusion touch to the food sector globally, including in India.

Mehigan was in India to be part of a Knorr masterclass session where IANS spoke to him about his observation of the Indian food sector and global culinary trends.

"I think people are experimenting," Mehigan said.

"I feel the good stuff stays and the bad stuff goes away. What changed the industry around the world is social media, for example, Instagram and Facebook. We can see constantly that what restaurants in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong or Delhi are serving."

"That fusion of ideas and sharing of ideas is really important to how the professional world develops their own sense of self. In India, people are increasingly interested in food and that interest draws change," elucidated the 49-year-old, who held 'The KNORR Masterclass' along with Masterchef India 2010 winner Pankaj Bhadouria before a live audience here.

This was not Mehigan's first visit to India.

He featured the country along with other places like Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong and South Korea in his TV series called "Far Flung with Gary Mehigan". In the show, the Australian gastronomy king was seen learning local cooking techniques and recipes, which he used as inspiration for a recipe he demonstrated at the end of each episode.

Mehigan says he was completely fascinated with the Indian spice market in old Delhi during his last visit to the country. And he made use of them to prepare food for his wife and daughter back home.

"It was a thrilling thing for a food tourist (like me) to go to a spice market in Delhi. I have never seen anything like that in my life, so that was a unique experience. You have to see the way vendors with big trolleys roam here and there."

"I have never seen such a quality of home spices and nuts like in Delhi. In fact, I took some home and luckily, the Australian government has let me through with pretty much 95 per cent of it which is amazing. I used that for three to four months and it was amazing," he said, and added that while he doesn't "push too many boundaries" at his restaurant, he is "quite adventurous" at home.

And his adventure also sometimes includes south Indian dishes.

"I play with spices. My spice boxes are massive at home. My daughter and wife love spices. I make south Indian dishes at home that I learnt from my trip to Chennai," said Mehigan, who even gorged on sambar, vada, coconut chutney and dosa on this trip.

Mehigan, trained at The Connaught and Le Souffle in London before moving to Melbourne in 1991, has headed the kitchen in some of Melbourne's most prominent restaurants, including Browns, Burnham Beeches Country House and Hotel Sofitel, before opening the award-winning Italian restaurant Fenix in 2000.

He was selected as one of the entrants to the Who's Who in Australia 2012 edition.

With over 15 years' experience in the culinary field, he has some pearls of wisdom for aspiring chefs.

"There is going to be lot of hard work. My whole life is about food until I die, and it's a pleasure for me. I love it. If you feel that way, you are going to be a successful chef and if you don't feel like that, then you have to see."

(The writer's trip was at the invitation of the event organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, June 6 : The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar, seeking trials in the 74 kg free style wrestling to enable him win a berth in the Indian squad to the Rio Olympics.

Sushil Kumar won a bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver in the 2012 London Olympics in the 66 kg division. But the category was abolished by the International Wrestling Federation in 2014.

This prompted him to move up to the 74 kg weight category, which brought him into competition with Narsingh Yadav, who was the top Indian wrestler in this class till then.

Sushil Kumar missed the qualification for Rio Olympics due to injury, and Narsingh Yadav secured the berth to represent the country.

After repeatedly requesting the Wrestling Federation of India to hold trials anew, Sushil Kumar moved the court.
Mumbai, June 6 : Director Rohit Jugraj Chouhan says it will be a "fanboy moment" for him to work with actor Sanjay Dutt, who will co-produce his upcoming Bollywood project.

"We have been trying to plan something since a few years now with Sanjay Dutt... I have been a fan of his work always and it will be a fanboy moment for me to work with him," Chouhan said in a statement.

Chouhan, who has helmed "Sardaarji 2", says the "Khalnayak" star has expressed love for his style of filmmaking.

"Sanjay has always expressed his love for my style of filmmaking, of how I portray my actors in the movie and how my movies are family entertainers," he added.

The duo are planning to make a period movie which would be made in Hindi but the story line would be of based in Punjab.

The cast is still not finalised. The shooting of the movie is expected to start in the end of this year.
London, June 6 : A British man who abused up to 200 Malaysian children and posted videos of his depraved acts on the 'dark web', was sentenced to 22 life sentences on Monday after admitting to 71 charges of sex abuse.

Freelance photographer Richard Huckle, 30, from Ashford, Kent, admitted the offences against victims aged between six months and 12 years, from 2006 to 2014, BBC reported.

Sentencing Huckle, Judge Peter Rook at the Old Bailey said, "It is very rare indeed that a judge has to sentence sexual offending by one person on such a scale as this."

It is believed Huckle, who masqueraded as a devout Christian, philanthropist and English teacher to prey on poor Christian children in Kuala Lumpur over nine years, abused up to 200 children from mainly poor communities in the Malaysian capital.

The judge said Huckle was consumed by and obsessed with his own sexual gratification and his "campaign of rape" was of "deep concern".

"In my view, you may well harbour feelings of regret but there is no feeling of genuine remorse in this case," he added.

His trial began on June 1.

Huckle was arrested at Gatwick airport by National Crime Agency officials in December 2014.

He first visited Malaysia on a teaching gap year when he was 18 or 19.

Investigators found more than 20,000 indecent pictures and videos of his assaults on children, which were shared with paedophiles worldwide through the now-defunct dark web site TLZ - The Love Zone, hidden in the dark web -- part of the World Wide Web that is not indexed by traditional search engines.

He even tried to make a business out of his abuse by crowd-funding the release of the images and was compiling a paedophile's manual called "Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide" at the time of his arrest by the National Crime Agency.

He boasted about his crimes in online posts, saying in one discussion that "impoverished kids are definitely much easier to seduce than middle-class Western kids".

Ahead of his sentencing, Huckle claimed to a psychiatrist that he wanted to put his "madness" behind him and settle down with a south Indian woman.

But the court was shown a posting from 2013 in which he outlined his plan to marry one of his victims in order to help him abuse more children.
Moscow, June 6 : Russia on Monday reiterated its support to Syria and said that it will provide "the most active" air support for Syrian ground troops in and around the city of Aleppo to prevent terrorists from seizing it.

"We will decide on how our air forces should act, depending on the situation," RT online quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying. "This will not be a surprise for the Americans," he added.

Al-Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, went on an offensive in Aleppo last week. The Russian military blamed the US for stalling Russian airstrikes against the terrorist group's forces in the region. The US said moderate rebel groups mingled with the terrorists in some areas and that Russia should use caution and not strike those groups by mistake.

"We believe there was plenty of time for the 'normal' opposition to leave Nusra Front territories since February. Those who didn't part ways with the terrorists have only themselves to blame," Lavrov added.

Moscow hopes that the US was not trying to do anything behind Russia's back, Lavrov said.

"We expect our partners to cooperate with us honestly and not try to use our regular contacts to secretly go with a Plan B, C or D behind our back."

Russia and the US jointly support a peace process in Syria that aims to produce a transition government approved by both the what they called "moderate rebel" groups and the government of Syria. A truce between all sides who claim to share this goal was established in February, reducing the violence in the war-torn country.

Terrorist groups Al Nusra Front and Islamic State were not part of the process and do not uphold the ceasefire. Russia accuses certain other Islamist militant groups operating in Syria of not being honest and siding with the terrorists, but the US opposes designating those groups as legitimate targets for military attacks, arguing that they have the backing of Saudi Arabia and a place at the negotiating table in Geneva.

The situation was further complicated by the sheer number of armed groups in Syria and the complexity of their allegiances and rivalries, which makes distinguishing terrorists and "moderate rebels" often problematic.
Hyderabad, June 6 : The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will begin in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday as the new moon was sighted on Monday.

Central Ruwait Hilal Committee or moon sighting committee comprising eminent religious scholars announced that Ramadan moon was sighted in Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh.

Following reports received about sighting of moon, the committee announced that Tuesday will be first 'roza' or fast.

Announcements were made on loud speakers and sirens went of from mosques, announcing the beginning of the holy month. Muslims were seen congratulating each other.

Special arrangements were made at hundreds of mosques in Hyderabad, its twin city Secunderabad and other mosques in various districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 'namaz-e-taraweeh' or special prayers offered every night for the whole month.

Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for Ramadan. The government released special funds for making all arrangements at the historic Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahender Reddy held a meeting with various departments on Monday to ensure coordination. He reviewed law and order and traffic arrangements for the month.

The police chief has permitted hotels and shops to remain open throughout the night during the Ramadan period.

The Telangana government has issued an order permitting Muslim employees to leave offices daily at 4 p.m., an hour before the scheduled time, during Ramadan.
New Delhi, June 6 : President Pranab Mukherjee will pay official visits to the West African countries of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire from June 12.

Mukherjee will leave New Delhi for the Ghanaian capital Accra on June 12, an official statement said here on Monday.

He will be accompanied by a Minister of State, four members of Parliament, senior officials and a business and media delegation.

The president is scheduled to have one-on-one meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama.

A number of agreements, including one on setting up of a joint commission, are also to be signed during his visit to Ghana, it said.

On June 14, Mukherjee will leave Ghana for a two-day visit to the Cote d'Ivoire.

Mukherjee will be conferred the National Order of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, the highest order of the West African country.

He will meet his Cote d'Ivoire counterpart Alassane Ouattara during the visit.

This will be the first high-level visit from India since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the statement said.

India and Cote d'Ivoire enjoy warm and friendly relations based on the common values of democracy, development and secularism, the statement said.
Damascus, June 6 : A woman has been chosen as Syria's new parliament speaker on Monday for the very first time, in a historic move for the war-torn country.

Hadiyeh al-Abbas secured an uncontested victory during the first session of the People's Assembly.

Abbas, 58, previously served as a member of parliament from 2003 to 2007. Prior to that, she served as part of the governing body of the regional branch of the ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party for a decade, from 1988 to 1998.

The female politician, according to RT online, holds a PhD in agricultural engineering and was a professor at al-Furat University in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. She has also worked with the National Union of Syrian Students.

The move was a historic one for Syria. Although the country's parliamentary history dates back to 1919, women only gained the right to vote and run for parliament under the constitution in 1953.

The seat was won by Abbas at the first session of the People's Assembly, which was elected in April.

Najdat Anzour, a well-known producer and director in Syria, was also chosen as deputy parliament speaker on Monday. He is a staunch supporter of President Bashar Assad.

Although Abbas was the first woman to hold the position of parliament speaker, female politician Bouthaina Shaaban has been the political and media adviser to Assad since 2008.

Syria has elected two parliaments since the beginning of the 2011 uprising, which has led to a civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 12 million, according to UN figures.
Mosul (Iraq), June 6 : Militants from the Islamic State group executed 19 Yezidi girls who refused to be sex slaves by burning them alive inside iron cages, news site ARA News reported.

The victims were set ablaze in the centre of Mosul on Thursday in front of a large crowd, ARA News reported, citing activists and witnesses.

"They were punished for refusing to have sex with IS militants," media activist Abdullah al-Malla was quoted as telling ARA News.

"The 19 girls were burned to death while hundreds of people were watching. Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment," a witness said.

IS jehadists took over 3,000 Yezidi girls as sex slaves after they overran Sinjar in northwest Iraq in August 2014, causing a mass displacement of nearly 400,000 people to Duhok and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

IS continues to hold about 1,800 abducted Yezidi women and girls in Iraq and Syria, according to Kurdistan regional government officials.

During a lightening offensive in 2014, the IS captured Mosul, making it the 'capital' of its self-styled Caliphate, which extends across a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Supported by air strikes from the US-led coalition, by Kurdish Peshmerga troops and a Shia-dominated paramilitary force, Iraqi forces on March 24 began a long-awaited offensive to re-take Mosul from the IS.
New Delhi, June 6 : Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday gave his approval to the bus lane notification for dedicated bus lanes on the capital's streets to ensure smooth movement of traffic, an official statement said.

"File was submitted to LG office on June 3 (Friday evening) and disposed of on Monday, no delays as reported," said the statement from the Lt. Governor's office.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday had accused Jung and the BJP of "blocking" the government's ambitious bus-lane proposal, under which motorists who obstruct the way of the buses in the dedicated lanes, would be fined Rs.2,000.

The LG also directed the Delhi government to clarify whether motorized vehicles other than buses and goods vehicles are to be allowed in the dedicated bus lanes, and if so, under what conditions. It also asked to clarify penal provisions for violation of restrictions/conditions for plying other vehicles in identified bus lanes.

LG's secretariat on February 26 had sought a clarification from the Delhi government on its dedicated bus-lane proposal, and the government sent back the plan to LG office after making minor changes in it.
New Delhi, June 6 : The Congress on Monday said the Narendra Modi government's two years in power at the Centre have been marked by exaggeration and prevarication.

"We have already seen that this is a government of exaggeration and prevarication, that of misrepresentation of facts and drum beating," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media here.

"Modi ji unfortunately presides over a government of great event management skills but event management becomes hollow in the absence of all fundamental facts," he said.

He accused the central government of lying and misrepresenting facts related to crucial schemes.

"No less than the prime minister said that Rs.15,000 crore was saved by plugging LPG subsidies and leaks but some media reports have suggested that only Rs.143 crore was saved from cash transfers and subsidies for LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) in over two years," the Congress leader said.

"Even the government's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramaniam says that potential savings from these schemes could be Rs.12,000 crore as against the claimed Rs.15,000 crore," Singhvi added.

He also said that the government had issued only 60 lakh new LPG connections to the poor in the last two years, instead of 3 crore connections claimed by the prime minister.

"This is very clear because the government's press release in January 2016 said that by January 45 lakh gas connections had been issued through 'Give Back' scheme. In April, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told the media that 60 lakh new gas connections had been released," Singhvi said and wondered aloud: "Where did this mythical three crore connections come from?"

He said Modi claimed more than 1.65 crore fake ration cards were cancelled since May 2014 while the actual figure was only 66 lakh.

Singhvi also accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of misrepresenting facts.

"The Finance Minister says more than 20 crore bank accounts were opened during the first 100 days of the 'Jan Dhan Scheme' but the actual figure is 8.7 crore, which is less than 40 per cent of what you are claiming," the Congress leader said.

"The government's own report says on the 100th day of the government, 8.7 crore bank accounts were opened. "So, where did the 20 crore figure come from?"

The Congress leader alleged that the central government did not give out the country's actual Gross Domestic Product figures.

"India is the fastest growing country in the world. Remember, the 7.6 per cent GDP is on the basis of a new calculation system. Even Arvind Subramaniam and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan have publicly expressed scepticism about the new method of calculation," Singhvi said while asserting that the government's own figures show at least three other countries ahead of India.

"They are not big countries but the figures should be correct when the country's Prime Minister speaks. The GDP in Myanmar is the highest at 8.6 per cent, followed by Ivory Coast at 8.5 per cent, Bhutan at 8.4 per cent and India at 7.5 per cent as per the new method of calculation which is doubted by many experts," Singhvi said.
Panaji, June 6 : AAP leader Ashish Khetan on Monday demanded a ban on Hindu right wing group Sanatan Sanstha, alleging that the Goa-headquartered organization's members were involved in the murders of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, M.M Kalburgi and Govind Pansare.

Responding to the allegation, the Sanstha dismissed it as a "political stunt".

Addressing a press conference here, Khetan said: "Unfortunately since the BJP has come to power in 2014, there have been attacks on free thinkers, liberals and secularists... Sanatan Sanstha is a religious organization... it has been targeting people who they label 'dharma-dhrohi (anti-religion). Murders of Dabolkar, Kalburgi and Pansare was the handiwork of Sanatan Sanstha. It should be banned ..."

He also alleged that since its inception, the Sanstha had targeted Hindus as well as Hindu liberals.

"We should all remember that Sanatan Sanstha is an organization which professes to be the upholder of Hindu dharma, but so far since their inception they have only killed Hindus.

They targeted Hindus when they threw bombs in theatres of Maharashtra, they have targeted Hindus in Goa and they have been targeting free thinking Hindu liberals from Maharashtra and Karnataka. It has no place in a country like India," Khetan said.

Reacting to the AAP leader's statement, the Sanstha's trustee Virendra Marathe said it was a mere political stunt.

"Khetan's statement is one of the many political stunts by political parties which oppose Hindutva. For a decade now, the Congress and like-minded parties have failed to ban Sanatan Sanstha, which itself proves the Sanstha's innocence," he said.
Hanoi, June 6 : India and Vietnam are looking at deepening defence cooperation, an official statement said on Monday after Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his counterpart here.

Parrikar, who arrived here on an official visit on Sunday, and met Vietnamese National Defence Minister, Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich, and they reviewed the "entire spectrum" of defence cooperation initiatives and focussed on measures to further strengthen their bilateral defence relations, the statement said.

The two ministers welcomed the efforts made by their armed forces to further extend collaboration in new fields.

Parrikar complimented Vietnam on their successful participation in the International Fleet Review held in India in February 2016. Visiting the elite 308 Division, he complimented the efforts of the Vietnam People's Army soldiers on their contribution in the past.

He also visited the Research and Development facilities of Viettel Group of industries even as both ministers emphasised the need for greater defence industry cooperation.

Parrikar also attended a business roundtable meeting comprising defence industry delegates from the two countries with the focus on enhancing defence industry networking, information sharing and exploration of possibilities for partnerships and collaborations between the two countries.

It also saw the handing over of the bid document by Vietnam Border Guards to Larson & Toubro Ltd. India had recently provided Vietnam with a $100 million Line of Credit which is being utilised by it for procurement of Offshore Patrol Boats for their Border Guards.

On the mechanism of exchange of information, both leaders emphasised the necessity for sharing of white shipping information to facilitate exchange of information in the maritime domain. The two sides also focussed on enhancing hydrographic cooperation.

Parrikar also extended an invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart to visit India at an early date and the invitation was accepted.

He also called on Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday.

"The leaders reviewed the Strategic Partnership and the new initiatives undertaken to further strengthen it. They reiterated the resolve to continue high-level contacts between the leaders of both countries," the statement said.
Raipur/New Delhi, June 6 : Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and rebel Congress leader Ajit Jogi on Monday announced that he is floating a new party and asked people to suggest a name for it.

He made the announcement while addressing a rally in Kotmi in Marwahi assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh.

Talking to media persons later, Jogi said: "The fate of Chhattisgarh should be decided in the state. We will not accept decisions taken by people sitting in Delhi. The state is very rich in resources, but people are very poor. We will not tolerate this anymore. The development of the state will now be done by the poor and labourers."

Former minister D.P. Dhratlahre, Vidhan Mishra and former legislator Paresh Bagbahara were among others who were present at the rally.

Jogi was accompanied by his wife Renu, who is also legislator from Kota and deputy leader of Congress legislative party, his son and Marwahi legislator Amit Jogi, and Congress legislators Siyaram Kaushik (Bilha) and Rajendra Kumar Rai (Gunderdehi) who ignored the party instructions not to attend the event.
New Delhi, June 6 : In view of prevailing security threats on India's coastline, the central government has decided to convene a meeting of all chief ministers of coastal states in Mumbai on June 16 for enhancing entire security paradigm, an official said.

The decision to convene such a high-level meeting was taken shortly after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed coastal security and related issues at a meeting here with officials of various security agencies and departments concerned.

"The meeting of the chief ministers of all coastal states will be held in Mumbai on June 16," an official source told IANS.

The proposed meeting under the chairmanship of Rajnath Singh will review all aspects of security along the country's over 7,500 km coastline, which is dotted with 12 major ports and 187 intermediate ports.

The central government has been implementing a 'Coastal Security Scheme' since 2005 for strengthening infrastructure for coastal patrolling and surveillance.

The states those will participate at the key meeting include Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, while administrators of the union territories of Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and lt. governors of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also likely to attend the meeting.
Washington, June 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the US from Switzerland on the fourth leg of his five-nation tour.

Air India One touched down at Joint Base Andrews a little before 3 p.m. here on Monday.

This is Modi's second bilateral visit to the US after his trip in September, 2014.

Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Barack Obama, who in the last year of his presidency is inviting a few world leaders with whom he shared a "close and productive working relationship".

On Monday, Modi will visit the Arlington National Cemetery and lay a wreath.

He will also attend a meeting of heads of US think tanks and a function at which some rare Indian artifacts will be repatriated.

On Tuesday, Obama will host Modi for a lunch at the White House after which the Prime Minister will attend a meeting of US business leaders and address the US-India Business Council.

This will be the seventh meeting between Modi and Obama as Prime Minister and President.

The highlight of Modi's visit will be his address to a joint sitting of the US Congress on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, he will leave for Mexico on the fifth and final leg of his five-nation tour.

Earlier on Monday, Modi and Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann headed delegation level talks in Geneva during which the issues of black money and India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) figured.

Switzerland extended support for India's membership in the group.

Modi also held a meeting with Swiss business leaders and pitched India as an exciting investment destination to them.

Prior to Switzerland, Prime Minister Modi visited Afghanistan and Qatar.
Leading members of the Build to Rent sector in the UK have signed a pledge to offer tenants three year tenancies in any of their new developments.

The three year pledge, but together by the British Property Federation (BPF), could mean the start of longer tenancies which research shows people in the private rented sector, especially families, want.

The signatories include 20 of the Build to Rent sectors most active investors and developers who say they are responding to the recently published Housing White Paper in which Housing Minister Gavin Barwell asked for this new generation of purpose built, professionally managed rented homes to offer family friendly tenancies, such as for three years, for those who want longer term stability when renting.

The BPF and a cohort of the build to rents key players have responded and published the pledge to demonstrate the sectors commitment to providing three year tenancies and working with Government to ensure the sector can play its part in rolling back 20 years of housing undersupply.

The Housing White Paper states that Government said it would be working with the BPF to consolidate this approach across the sector.

The BPFs pledge says: One of the benefits of the UKs new Build to Rent sector is its ability to offer longer tenancies to its customers. We, the undersigned, therefore pledge to offer our customers the option of a three year tenancy in any of our new Build to Rent buildings.

Our customers will not be under any compulsion to take up this three year tenancy option, and can still opt for shorter terms. To further assist customers with their budgeting, we pledge to review rents no more frequently than once a year or at the end of the initial term, and to set out clearly at the start of the tenancy the basis on which rents will be reviewed. Such tenancies will allow the tenant to break, after a short period of notice.

According to Ian Fletcher, BPF director of real estate policy, explained that the pledge underlines one of the many benefits of the sector to Government and the sectors customers. While many Build to Rent providers already offer longer tenancies, our aim is that three year tenancies become a trademark of the sector, he said.

The pledge has been welcomed by Barwell. Our Housing White Paper sets out plans to create a bigger, better private rental sector for tenants and landlords, and to give renters a fairer deal. So, its great news that British Property Federation members have pledged to offer family-friendly three-year tenancies for renters in build to rent properties, he said.

This Government has already helped deliver more than 10,000 purpose build private rented homes since 2012. This important move gives additional security to those tenants and their families, as well as encouraging change in the wider market, he added.
Landlords in the UK, particularly so called accidental landlords, are being urged to make sure they are aware of and understand the latest safety obligations for renting out property.

By law, landlords are obliged to ensure gas appliances are checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and must provide their tenants with a Gas Safety Certificate within 28 days of the annual check taking place.

Landlords also need to install a working smoke alarm and, since October 2015, regulations require carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with a solid fuel appliance.

The landlord or owner must also ensure that electrical installations and wiring are maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy and electrical appliances must be checked on change of tenancy or at least every five years.

But a new survey suggests there is lack of basic knowledge among landlords and tenants with many people renting in the private rented sector not aware of the legal obligations of their landlords.

The research by Gas Tag found that 28% of respondents either didnt have or did not know if their rented home had a Gas Safety Certificate and 24% did not think their landlord was obliged to install a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm if there was a solid fuel burning source like wood or coal.

It also found that 81% did not know that a landlord is responsible for checking all electrical appliances every time a new tenant moves into a property while 36% wrongly thought they, rather than their landlord, should be responsible for electrical safety.

Their also appears to be a lack of knowledge on safety organisations. Some 50% of those surveyed thought a gas engineer should be Corgi registered but this scheme changed to Gas Safe Register almost 10 years ago. Also, 29% did not realise they should call the National Grid helpline if they smell gas.

Our findings reveal that there is a huge amount of confusion about what someones landlord is responsible for. This lack of basic safety knowledge means that thousands of people renting in the UK could be putting their lives at risk, said Paul Durose, chief executive of Gas Tag.

The number of accidental landlords has soared in the UK in the last few years and were extremely concerned that many dont even know their legal obligations to their tenants, he added.
After eight years of record or near record residential sales, the Miami real estate market is normalising with steady growth, according to various prominent local market experts.

The fast sales growth of Miami middle market properties, the continued high percentage of all cash buyers, preconstruction condo inventory in the rapidly-growing Downtown Miami area and South Floridas overall population and job increases are boosting the market, they told the recent Real State of the Miami Market event.

According to Anthony Graziano, senior managing director of Integra Realty Resources, 2013 and 2014 were extremely strong for the Miami market for fundamental reasons, including pent-up demand.

When we look at our numbers today, we are getting back to normal. Its okay that our market is not growing 15 to 20% every year. In fact, its a good thing. I want to grow 5% a year because at some point our wage growth cant keep up, he told the meeting.

The event hears that single family homes priced between $200,000 and $600,000 saw a 5.8% year in year increase in April, with the sector representing 63% of total Miami single family home sales.

Existing condos priced between $150,000 and $300,000 saw a 2.7% rise in sales in April, representing 39.2% of total existing Miami condo home sales in April 2016.

The audience also heard that Miami offers bargain prices compared to other world class cities and the lack of available land are also key factors in todays market. For example, a 120 square meter condo in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach cost $149,900 on average, according to the National Association of Realtors NAR. Prices for the same condo in London would be $960,840, in Hong Kong $776,280 and in New York $1.6 million.

It was also pointed out that the lack of Miami-Dade County available land means the value of local single family homes will rise and more residents will purchase multifamily units.

Most Miami preconstruction condo developers require a 50% cash deposit on new units, one of the highest in the United States and significantly higher than the 20% required during the last real estate cycle. However, the experts said that the large all-cash deposits are a strong sign home buyers are committed and invested in the Miami market.

The majority of new construction is happening in Downtown Miami, and developers are being cautious not to overbuild. About 85% of condos under construction in Downtown Miami are sold, according to Integra Realty Resources and the Miami Downtown Development Authority. Downtown Miami has about 7,200 units under construction, a 61.2% smaller inventory than the 18,500 units under construction in 2006.

The reason downtown Miami is important is because it is what is leading Miami in the marketplace. Its our urban core. Downtown is the poster child of what is happening in the market, said Graziano.

While noting preconstruction sales have normalised compared to the previous record activity, Graziano believes developers are taking a break and doing site plans before announcing future plans. He pointed out that the overall percentage of all-cash buyers is 48.6% and is double the national average. However, in hot submarkets such as Brickell in Downtown Miami, the all-cash percentage is 82%.

The conference also heard that South Floridas growing population will continue to fuel more home sales. The Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach metro area recently became the eighth most populous region in the US, eclipsing six million residents for the first time, according to new Census Bureau data. South Florida has gained almost 500,000 new residents in the past five years.

Another strong indicator for housing is job growth. The number of employed Miami-Dade County residents increased 2%, growing from 2.13 million residents in 2013 to 2.18 million in 2014. The percentage of Miami-Dade residents earning more than $75,000 a year increased 4.1% in the same time period.

The remainder of the 2016 will see fewer sales than last year and pricing will be hard to predict, according to Graziano, who added that waterfront properties or other unique projects will outperform. The pricing for properties below $1 million will remain strong but inventory expansion should be watched.

The overall average pricing remains strong in South Florida. Sellers should expect to see more competition as buyers become more selective. South Floridas economic growth and population increases will play key roles in the direction of 2016 residential pricing.

Miami is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and I dont see that slowing down, said Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate.
I am very proud of the work done by the Safe at Home program. The Safe at Home program helps bring an orderly resolution to a chaotic situation in the life of a child involved in a custody dispute.

The Law Firm of Nikolaus & Hohenadel, LLP celebrates the selection of Partner Jeffrey A. Mills, Esquire, as a recipient of the 2016 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) Excellence Award. The PLAN Awards, presented annually, honor deserving members on behalf of their work to benefit the local community.

The 2016 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Award presented to Nikolaus & Hohenadel partner Jeffrey A. Mills was awarded on March 15, 2016 in recognition of his work as chairman of the Safe at Home campaign in conjunction with his pro bono efforts at MidPenn Legal Services. Safe at Home offers hope amid chaos to needy families in the area, those who fall within MidPenns eligibility requirements. Partnering with law firms and private businesses, Safe at Home works to raise funding to supply a Family Law attorneys salary and benefits through MidPenn allowing a full-time attorney to aid vulnerable women and children and have a judge provide safety and restore order to unhealthy and often dangerous family situations.

Attorney Jeffrey Mills work at Safe at Home and MidPenn Legal Services are just a part of his caring and compassionate legal persona. He is a partner in the Law Firm of Nikolaus & Hohenadel, LLP where he chairs the Litigation Department and serves as expert legal counsel specializing in Workers Compensation Litigation (http://www.ItsWhatWeDo.com). He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Lancaster Bar Association and Foundation where he serves as chair of the Safe at Home Campaign. In the past, he served as a Commander in the Judge Advocate Generals Corps of the United States Naval Reserve. He is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College and the Temple University of Law.

"I am very proud of the work done by the Safe at Home program. The Safe at Home program helps bring an orderly resolution to a chaotic situation in the life of a child involved in a custody dispute. I am happy to accept the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence award for my work on the Safe at Home program. But I accepted the award on behalf of the Lancaster Bar Association Foundation, the Sales Committee that helped raise the funds and the very generous legal and business community of Lancaster County who gave so generously to the program." Jeff Mills, Esquire.

Always an advocate for civil legal aid, his work as the spearhead of the Safe at Home campaign assisted more than 238 affected family members last year alone. If you or your company would like to assist in the Safe at Home Campaign ensuring that low-income families have access to an expert Family Law attorney, reach out to Jeffery A. Mills today to find out how your contribution can make a difference in the lives of women and children in the area.

Of course, if you find you or a loved one are in need of expert legal counsel in a workers compensation case, call on Jeffrey Mills (ItsWhatWeDo.com) and find the expertise, compassion, and guidance needed for your case.
FinTech Sandbox, a nonprofit that helps FinTech startups access data and build products, today announced that EDGAR Online, a leader in helping finance professionals uncover intelligence from SEC filed financial disclosures, will make its streamlined fundamentals, institutional ownership, and insider trade data available to Sandbox residents. Sandbox residents will gain access to this valuable data via EDGAR Onlines configurable and mobile-friendly DataFied API.

FinTech Sandbox facilitates access to financial data and infrastructure for highly qualified FinTech startups. Residents of the Sandbox are expected to collaborate with each other in order to share learning and promote advances that benefit the entire FinTech ecosystem. The six-month program includes:



A robust set of data feeds and APIs from a wide array of data partners

Cloud hosting from industry-leading infrastructure partners

Learning, networking and collaboration opportunities in a dynamic FinTech community

EDGAR Online has long been a premier resource for investment data derived from SEC filings and disclosure documents, said Jean Donnelly, Executive Director at FinTech Sandbox. Adding EDGAR Online as a data partner provides our FinTech entrepreneurs with broader access to SEC-filed data, which our residents use in a number of ways, such as converting this data into useful signals on a companys history, progress and perhaps a glimpse into its future.

Were demonstrating our support of FinTech Sandboxs mission to reduce the barriers for FinTech entrepreneurs to access public company data, said Craig Clay, the Executive Vice President of R. R. Donnelley & Sons EDGAR Online group. We look forward to engaging with Sandbox residents and helping them introduce further innovation to financial solutions.

About EDGAR Onlines Data Solutions:

For more than 18 years, EDGAROnline has been a leader in helping professionals uncover intelligence from SEC filed financial disclosures, offering distribution of company data and public filings for equities, mutual funds and other publicly traded assets through online subscriptions and data licenses. Our new DataFied API is advancing how financial data is consumed, delivered and analyzed and is transforming data points into constructive, valuable information. You can now access SEC filings through our DataFied API.

About FinTech Sandbox

FinTech Sandbox is a Boston-based nonprofit founded to promote financial technology innovation globally by providing free access to critical data and resources to FinTech entrepreneurs and startups. Sponsors include Fidelity Investments, F-Prime Capital, Thomson Reuters, Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon Web Services, Intel, SIX Financial Information, Goodwin Procter, and .406 Ventures. For more information, please visit http://www.FinTechsandbox.org and https://twitter.com/FinTechSandbox.

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A reliable objective measure of the biologically meaningful dose of substance use could revolutionize how we conceptualize and manage substance use disorders. - Dr. Tracy Gunter, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University

Behavioral Diagnostics Inc. (BDI) is pleased to announce that the National Institutes of Health has awarded it a $1.4 million grant to complete the initial commercialization of an epigenetic test for the detection of heavy alcohol consumption. Alcoholism is the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States and costs the American economy nearly $200 billion annually. The new DNA based tests, which cannot be obscured any known means, being developed by BDI will allow clinicians to better detect and treat alcoholism.

BDI is an Iowa City based biotechnology company (http://www.bdmethylation.com) founded in 2009 by Robert Philibert MD PhD, a Professor of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa. BDIs focus is the development of DNA based epigenetic biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of substance use and substance use related illnesses, such as depression, for the medical and civil markets. Dr. Tracy Gunter, a collaborator on the project who is a nationally known forensic psychiatrist and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University states that A reliable objective measure of the biologically meaningful dose of substance use could revolutionize how we conceptualize and manage substance use disorders. It could also provide a means for monitoring the recovery process and intervening in early relapse rather than waiting for the person's life to become out of control. In the current world, individuals with substance use disorders face their own denial and the biases of others when seeking treatment.

These efforts build upon a set of findings made by Dr. Philibert and his colleague, Dr. Anup Madan, that substance use changes the DNA methylation signature of white blood cells. These patented findings have been replicated by dozens of research groups from around the world. One of the new tests using this approach, referred to as Smoke Signature, allows nearly absolute quantification of smoking, even in its earliest phases, and is being introduced to the research market in collaboration with IBI Scientific, a Dubuque based vendor of scientific products. BDI expects that the blood based smoking detection test will be available as a direct to consumer test in early 2017 with general clinical introduction of a saliva DNA based test to follow in the fall of 2017. The alcohol detection test is scheduled to be ready for civil and forensic use in the fall of 2017 as well.
Promevo, one of the largest Premier Google Apps and Chrome Device Resellers in North America, announced today a new partnership with Google Maps. This adds a fourth partnership with Google for Promevo including Android for Work, Google for Education and Google for Work.

This partnership means new opportunities to expand the holistic Google solution to customers looking to integrate Google Maps into their practice. Promevo provides Google Maps API reselling as well as Google Maps consulting, with a focus on mobile apps. With a certified Google Maps development team, Promevo can help design, implement and deploy custom use cases into websites, mobile applications, and/or internal platforms.

We are extremely excited to launch our Google Maps partnership and practice. As a software company at heart, we have the ability to help our customers develop custom Google Maps applications to better their business. No matter the use case, we can provide the services and consulting to give customers the best Google Maps experience, stated Aaron Gumz, co-founder and Managing Partner of Promevo.

Promevo looks forward to helping all customers discover the possibilities of location services to improve their business. For pricing, information or to get started, visit us at http://www.promevo.com/google-maps-for-work.html

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Promevo is one of the largest Premier Google Apps and Chrome Device resellers in North America, focusing solely on our customers Google lives. Founded in 2001, Promevo is a Premier Partner for Google for Work and Google for Education as well as a Partner for Google Maps and Android for Work. Promevo believes that the customer experience is the most important aspect of the business and aims to satisfy the individual demands and needs of each customer. For more information about Promevo, please visit Promevo.com.
Its a great opportunity for us to learn from the community, and introduce them to the benefits our performance-optimized Magento hosting platforms.

Nexcess, a leading provider of performance-optimized Magento eCommerce hosting, has announced its attendance at two major European eCommerce retail conferences.

Magento Live UK  sponsored by Nexcess  is the UKs leading gathering of eCommerce retailers, Magento users and developers, and eCommerce service providers. Magento Live UK takes place on June 2021 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London. MLUK is a great opportunity to hear talks from the leaders of the Magento community, including Magento CEO Mark Lavelle and Magento CPO Steve Yankovich.

The eTail Europe conference will bring together eCommerce retailers and multi-channel retail innovators from across the UK and Europe on 2123 June at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Center in London. eTail Europe features speakers from many leading European retailers, including Amazon Retail, House of Fraser, and Marks and Spencer, among many others.

We always look forward to visiting the UK and meeting with British and European eCommerce retailers and Magento community members, commented Chris Wells, President and CEO of Nexcess, Its a great opportunity for us to learn from the community, and introduce them to the benefits our performance-optimized Magento hosting platforms can bring to their retail businesses both in Europe and internationally.

In recent years, Nexcess has rapidly expanded its European Magento hosting operations, including the addition of a new facility in Amsterdam. This facility augments the companys existing UK infrastructure, enabling Nexcess to offer unbeatable low-latency Magento eCommerce hosting across Europe.

Members of the Nexcess team will be at both conferences to meet members of the Magento community and the wider eCommerce world. Nexcess Magento experts are particularly excited to discuss the companys new OroCRM hostin g platform, which offers powerful customer relationship management tools with deep Magento integration.

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About Nexcess

Nexcess is a Southfield, Michigan-based managed Magento hosting company founded in 2000, with data centers throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. Nexcess offers a variety of Magento hosting services ranging from entry-level packages to custom clustered/complex hosting configurations, with an emphasis on achieving maximum performance for high-profile stores. For more information, visit http://www.nexcess.co.uk.
Promevo, one of Googles Premier Partners for Education and Work, announced a new business practice - Android for Work. As an Android for Work Partner, Promevo will offer the Nexus 5x and 6P smartphones as well as the Google Pixel C tablet. Each phone will also be sold with the Android for Work Assist license, which provides two years of Google support. With a selection of innovative Nexus devices and value-added Google support, Promevo aims to expand its Google solution offerings including Google for Work, Google for Education, Google Maps, and Android for Work technologies.

We realize the importance of mobility in the workplace. More and more employees need an entire ecosystem of devices to keep them connected and on the go. Android for Work offers the ability to provide secure and manageable mobile devices to better help the end user, stated Tom Mason, co-founder and managing partner of Promevo. For IT administrators, managing company phones has never been easier or more secure with Android. Google services combined with Android for Work enhancements deliver comprehensive data, app and device protection.

Promevo looks forward to serving all customers looking to implement a mobile device solution into their business. For more information about Android for Work with Promevo, visit http://www.promevo.com/android-for-work.html

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Promevo is one of the largest Premier Google Apps and Chrome Device resellers in North America, focusing solely on our customers Google lives. Founded in 2001, Promevo is a Premier Partner for Google for Work and Google for Education as well as a Partner for Google Maps and Android for Work. Promevo believes that the customer experience is the most important aspect of the business and aims to satisfy the individual demands and needs of each customer. For more information about Promevo, please visit Promevo.com.
Professional Solar Panel Installation in San Diego The ocean is our backyard, and we have to protect it. Going solar is true to our core beliefs about doing our share for the community and the environment.

Sunline Energy has just announced that it will install 12.21kW of solar PV capacity on La Jolla-based surfing school and boutique, Surf Diva. The San Diego solar installer will use bifacial PV modules  a technology ideally suited for commercial properties with limited roof space.

Like many businesses in Southern California, Surf Diva was concerned about its high energy bills and wanted to reduce some of its utility spending  especially with rates expected to increase in the near future. Sunline Energys solar installation will generate 20,000 kWh of clean electricity per year, delivering $5,000 in savings within the first 12 months and more than $250,000 over the next 25 years.

Another motivation for this project was the schools desire to more closely align its power consumption with its broader environmental vision. According to Surf Diva co-owner and director of operations, Carlos Pardo, Surfing is already a low-carbon activity, but were always looking for ways to reduce the ecological impact of our school and boutique. Pardo also says, The ocean is our backyard, and we have to protect it. Going solar is true to our core beliefs about doing our share for the community and the environment.

Once completed, the PV system will deliver carbon offsets of 350,000 lbs. annually  or the equivalent of planting more than 500 trees. Carbon savings like these could help make Surf Diva the first net-zero energy surfing school in the region.

Pardos wife and Surf Diva co-founder, Coco, hopes this installation will inspire others to follow suit. She points out that San Diego is already a leader in solar, and the citys new Climate Action Plan provides plenty of incentive for businesses to green their operations.

About Sunline Energy

Founded in 2010, Sunline Energy is a fully licensed solar contractor that specializes in the design, customization, and sale of professional PV installations for a broad range of residential and commercial clients throughout the greater San Diego Metro area.

About Surf Diva

Established in 1996 by twin sisters Izzy Tihanyi (the Surf) and Coco Tihanyi (the Diva), Surf Diva has introduced thousands of women from all over the world to the sport and spirit of surfing. The Surf Diva Boutique launched in 2004 and has been selling a variety of fashion forward and functional surf gear ever since.
The SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting is co-located with The Washington Auto Show.

SAE International announces that Stephane Thiriez will serve as the General Chair for the SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting.

The SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting will be held Jan. 25-27, 2017, in Washington, D.C. USA; Executive Leadership is provided by Mitsubishi Motors. The event provides opportunities for technical authorities from government, industry, and academia who are leading regulations, pending legislation, and the advanced testing and technology to address these issues influencing future decision making within the industry.

Mr. Thiriez is responsible for the Safety Regulatory Affairs and Certification group, the Safety Engineering group, and the Advanced Vehicle Electronic group. He is also Chief Engineer for North America Product Strategy. He is the primary liaison for safety regulatory, certification, compliance and consumer information matters between Mitsubishi Motors Japan and U.S. government agencies, manufacturer trade association, and other vehicle manufactures. Mr. Thiriez joined Mitsubishi Motors in August 2007. Before joining Mitsubishi Motors, Mr. Thiriez worked for General Motors in the advance safety and vehicle integration group. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in controls systems from the George Washington University, and an MBA from Virginia Tech.

The SAE 2017 Government/Industry Meeting is co-located with The Washington Auto Show. To register or for more information, visit http://www.sae.org/events/gim/.

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series.

http://www.sae.org
Dear God, It's Maddie Bell is an endearing story that encourages us to reach out to those in crisis and to trust God with the simple faith of a child. A moving and well written story with well-defined characters that will tug at your heartstrings.

Author LaShaunda Jackson-Williams grew up in Dayton, Ohio in her family church. Now she taps that experience in the first of a three book series about a ten-year-old girl named Maddie Bell. Maddie's grandmother, Bertha, dies and Maddie is left in the care of her Aunt Faye. She is quickly put into a foster home. LaShaunda K. Jackson-Williams shows us a confident yet frightened child through her letters to God and her granny, letters that cry out for help and reveal events that are leading Maddie into danger.

LaShaunda K. Jackson-Williams' novella, Dear God, It's Maddie Bell, draws you in with the sweet and innocent letters written by a ten-year-old girl to her only friend, God. As Maddie waits for God's answer, her life goes from bad to worse. LaShaunda K. Jackson-Williams demonstrates the power of the faith of a child as we watch Maddie trust God in the sometimes frightening situations she encounters.

Find this book on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Books-A-Million. com. Find LaShaunda Jackson-Williams, Author on Facebook.
With CleverIS solutions, organizations can now securely plan the modernization or migration of their most critical legacy applications.

Today, CleverIS Technologies launched a unique and adaptive solution capable of executing projects of modernization, migration or transformation of legacy applications up to 50% faster than traditional solutions. Through an ownership transfer from Clip Informatica S/A in Brazil, CleverIS now offers these proven and powerful migration and transformation solutions in North America.

The CleverIS product services solution re-platforms, re-writes, re-hosts, re-designs or transforms part or entire legacy applications - from business rules and database language definitions to introducing a new graphical user interface - without the need for experts, detailed legacy documentation or prior experience.

We are excited about the ownership transfer of Clip Informatica S/A. They have a very mature solution with a complete portfolio to support any type of legacy application modernization, said Julia Ito, CEO of CleverIS North America. With CleverIS solutions, organizations can now securely plan the modernization or migration of their most critical legacy applications.

Clip Informatica has migrated over 200 million lines of code in the past 15 years, helping organizations of all sizes to leverage the investment and knowledge deposited into existing core applications and enabling them to adopt innovation, thus sustaining their competitive advantage.

We leveraged knowledge and experience accumulated over the years and transformed it into a robust product services solutions. Whether migrating from Mainframe to Linux, or re-writing COBOL applications into Java or adopting a new .NET or Java interface, we know what it takes to get the job done, said Ademilson Lubke, CEO of Clip Informatica. I am very confident that now as CleverIS we will continue to help customers achieve greater value and extend the life of their prior investments.

Clip Informatica migrated our entire mainframe platform to an IBM Power System I. The migration was done successfully, resulting in a 70% cost reduction in processing time and with no downtime to our end users, Edgardo Chacc, Managing Director of Operations and Technology of Itau Bank Chile. The experience and commitment of Clip Informatica to seek out the right solution proved to be the key to our success. Clip Informatica provided a first class migration service and we look forward to working with CleverIS in the future.

CleverIS is committed to providing a world-class portfolio of solution services that helps organizations modernize and migrate legacy applications, adopt new technologies and use innovation to increase their competitive advantage.

About CleverIS Technologies

CleverIS is a leading provider of product solutions and services that modernize legacy applications. CleverIS helps organizations to adopt innovation, eliminate the need for proprietary platforms, and extend the life of valuable IT assets. CleverIS is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Contact CleverIS at +1 832-390-2521 or visit http://www.CleverIS.com for more information.
We wanted to lead by example and show others that employee wellness efforts can have a really big impact.

A Wisconsin-based third party administrator (TPA), Cypress Benefit Administrators is the recipient of a 2016 Alla Tua Salute! Corporate Wellness Award from New North B2B in the Mid-Sized Employer category.

This honor  with translation of To Your Health!  is awarded to companies in Northeast Wisconsin each year who are committed to providing their employees with exceptional wellness programs that focus on improving health.

Tom Doney, president and CEO of Cypress, explained that employee wellness programs are one of the top tactics the TPA emphasizes when working with its clients to help contain the costs of their health benefits. We wanted to lead by example and show others that employee wellness efforts can have a really big impact, he explained. I feel weve accomplished that when you consider the success our team has had in getting healthier and the fact that our benefit costs have dropped by 13% since the wellness program first launched.

Doney shared that Cypress introduced a coordinated wellness effort five years ago, and since that time, its Appleton location alone has recorded a combined weight loss of 600+ pounds. He says that part of the reason for such positive results is the constant evolution of the program.

Its not as simple as announcing a new wellness initiative and then hoping the program will sustain itself once the initial hype wears off, Doney said. In our case, we like to make it fun and change things up a bit. Cypress has a dedicated wellness committee that researches ideas, puts them in place and gauges employee participation to keep the momentum going.

One of the tactics Cypress implemented was swapping out a traditional vending machine filled with snacks and sodas for a HUMAN version that dispenses healthy alternatives. The TPA has also participated in the national KrowdFit movement and taken part in multiple activity challenges. Cypress Bucks have been a hit, too, as employees can earn and exchange them for personal time off.

Theres a really great energy with our wellness program and its nice to see employees respond with such enthusiasm whenever theres another healthy challenge announced, Doney said.

The factors considered among nominees for the 11th Annual Alla Tua Salute! Corporate Wellness Awards included the use of health risk assessments, employee participation and communication related to wellness efforts. Winners were selected by a panel of professionals.

In addition to receiving a Corporate Wellness Award from New North B2B, Cypress was also featured in the June 2016 edition of the organizations business magazine.

About Cypress Benefit Administrators

A privately held company headquartered in Appleton, Wis., Cypress Benefit Administrators has been pioneering the way toward cost containment in self-funded health benefits since 2000. The third party administrator (TPA) is the countrys first to bring claims administration, consumer driven health plans and proven cost control measures together into one package for companies ranging from 50 employees to thousands of employees. It serves employer-clients across the U.S. with additional locations in Portland and Salem, Ore., Omaha, Neb. and Denver, Col. For more information on Cypress and its customized employee benefits, visit http://www.cypressbenefit.com.
Sheltering Arms The Honest Company has donated thousands of diapers, baby carriers, bath time supplies, and personal care items valued at over $50,000.

Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services announced its 3rd Annual Community Baby Shower event for 150 low income expectant mothers and fathers residing in Queens, New York on June 9th, 2016. Attendees will take home gifts and supplies for their new babies including diapers, play pens, car seats, and more. The Community Baby Shower is being held from 12 to 3 p.m. at The Harvest Room located at 90-40 60th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432.

The Honest Company has donated thousands of diapers, baby carriers, bath time supplies, and personal care items valued at over $50,000. The Honest Company, founded by Jessica Alba, Brian Lee, Christopher Gavigan and Sean Kane in 2012, specializes in safe, effective, and delightful products across a wide range of consumer categories, including baby, personal care, home care, and vitamins & supplements. Step2, manufacturer of childrens playhouses and wagons, has donated brand new toy bins and wagons, and the New York Knicks have donated signed memorabilia for the winners of the baby shower games.

Highlights of the event include raffles, a photo booth, baby shower games, cake and catering, music, and presentations from the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, WIC, and more so that parents gain key information for accessing family resources.

Our parents make incredible sacrifices to give their babies what they need to thrive, but with rising costs for baby supplies, parents in our communities are still forced to make impossible decisions between basics like healthy food, clean diapers, and safe cribs or strollers. With the support of donors like The Honest Company, we can give parents relief to focus on what is most important  their babys healthy development and their familys strength, said Elizabeth McCarthy, CEO of Sheltering Arms.

Despite the challenges of poverty, parents in the Sheltering Arms Healthy Families program are empowered to give their young children everything they need for a strong start. The programs prenatal/natal specialists partner with low-income parents to build safe and nurturing spaces for their babies. During regular home visits, specialists monitor healthy growth and teach parents strategies for facilitating on-time childhood development. By participating in the Healthy Families program, parents instantly gain a community of fellow mothers and fathers who support each other in navigating parenthood on the margins. Healthy Families also connects parents to resources such as safe housing, WIC, food stamps, car seats, diapers, medical care and more.

About Sheltering Arms

Sheltering Arms strengthens the education, wellbeing, and development of high-need children and families across the New York metro area. We serve more than 20,000 people a year from the Bronx to Far Rockaway. Through compassion, innovation, and partnership, we respond to our communitys greatest needs and enable individuals to reach the greatest heights of their potential.

For information about Sheltering Arms NY visit shelteringarmsny.org.
Stephen M. Napier, Esq. the 40 under 40 award is presented to 40 of the best and brightest professionals in Fairfield County under the age of 40 who have shown leadership and contributed to Fairfield Countys business growth

Attorney Stephen M. Napier, of Ivey, Barnum & OMara, LLC, has been named as a recipient of this years Fairfield County 40 under 40 award by the Fairfield County Business Journal for his business leadership, professional success and commitment to the community. Each year, the 40 under 40 award is presented to 40 of the best and brightest professionals in Fairfield County under the age of 40 who have shown leadership and contributed to Fairfield Countys business growth.

Mr. Napier practices in the areas of tax and estate planning, trust and estate administration and business succession planning. Mr. Napier regularly advises individuals, families and business owners on developing tax-efficient and practical wealth management strategies, including the preparation of wills, revocable living trusts, insurance trusts and business succession plans. He also helps guide fiduciaries and beneficiaries through the trust and estate settlement and administration process.

Active in community matters, Mr. Napier serves on the Board of Directors, Development Committee and as chair of the Young Professionals Group for Inspirica, a charity based out of Stamford, Connecticut, that focuses on breaking the cycle of homelessness in Fairfield County. He is also a member of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.

A native of Connecticut, Mr. Napier grew up in Orange, Connecticut, and currently resides in Stamford, Connecticut. Mr. Napier received his B.A., summa cum laude, in 2006, from the University of Connecticut, and his J.D., in 2009, from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Mr. Napier and other winners will be honored at an awards ceremony on June 21, 2016, at Dolce Norwalk.

Ivey, Barnum & OMara, LLC is a general practice law firm which was established in Greenwich, CT in 1950. It is the largest Greenwich-based law firm, with additional offices in New Canaan, CT and New York City. The firm has more than thirty attorneys who handle a wide range of legal matters in areas such as Trusts & Estate Planning, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Corporate, Employment, Litigation and Personal Injury.

Visit our websites at http://www.ibolaw.com and http://www.ibopersonalinjurylawyers.com
Novus Medical Detox Center CFO, Bryn Wesch, comments on the regulations needed in sober homes. Novus is a strong proponent of sober home regulations, and we truly believe they are in the best interests of those struggling to overcome alcoholism and addiction.

State lawmakers across the country have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to regulate sober homes, which are currently allowed to operate as a business in residential neighborhoods because recovering alcoholics and addicts are protected under federal anti-discrimination laws (1, 2, 3). However, Novus Medical Detox Center, a leading Florida-based drug treatment facility, asserts that sober home regulations and standards can help improve outcomes for those struggling to overcome addiction without compromising their rights or privacy, and maintains that such measures would also address the concerns of neighboring homeowners.

In Novus home state of Florida, recent bills aimed at regulating sober homesalso called halfway houses or recovery residencesdid not make it through the state legislature, though funds were approved for a study of relevant industry laws (1). In Palm Beach County, known for decades as the addiction treatment capital of America, homeowners are calling for action against sober homes and maintain they should not be allowed to operate in neighborhoods zoned as single-family residential (2). Meanwhile, city officials in Palm Beach County are following the progress of local ordinances in Costa Mesa, California, where sober home restrictions have withstood legal challenges but are currently under appeal (3).

Novus is a strong proponent of sober home regulations, and we truly believe they are in the best interests of those struggling to overcome alcoholism and addiction, said Bryn Wesch, CFO of Novus Medical Detox Center. Detox and rehab facilities are regulated and accredited to ensure patients safety and a proper standard of care. But since sober homes are unregulated, there is no way to tell if individuals with substance abuse disorders are receiving the support they need for a successful recovery or if lax oversight may put them at risk for a relapse.

Wesch maintains that certification of sober homes is an important step in the right direction. A Florida law passed last year encouraged voluntary certification by stipulating that as of July 1, 2016, licensed residential drug treatment centers would only be allowed to refer their patients to certified sober homes (4). The Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR) requires sober homes to meet 48 standards to earn certification; these include mandates that benefit residentssuch as onsite laundry facilities and at least one bathroom for every four residentsas well as good-neighbor policies, such as parking, loitering and smoking rules (4). But as of March 2016, it was unclear if FARR would receive the funding it needs to oversee and enforce the certification requirements (1).

Sober home operators that are genuinely concerned for their residents wellbeing should welcome the opportunity to obtain certification, stated Wesch. It not only shows their commitment to their clients recovery but also demonstrates a good-faith effort to address the concerns of neighboring homeowners. However, the ongoing opposition from some operators suggests that they are driven by profits rather than clients positive outcomes. We believe well-considered regulations, certification and standardization can benefit residents without imposing on Fair Housing Act protections for the disabled and those recovering from substance use disorders, and will help create an environment that is conducive to successful long-term recovery.

Novus offers medically supervised alcohol and drug treatment programs that are designed to help patients overcome withdrawal symptoms with minimal discomfort. The Florida detox facility provides individually customized treatment plans based on proven medical protocols, including 24-hour access to nursing care and withdrawal specialists. Novus is acclaimed for its expertise in treating high-dose methadone cases, and is proficient in detoxing patients from prescription medications, illicit drugs and alcohol just as safely, comfortably and effectively.

For more information on Novus Medical Detox Center and its alcohol and drug treatment programs, visit http://www.novusdetox.com.

About Novus Medical Detox Center:

Novus Medical Detox Center has earned The Joint Commissions Gold Seal of Approval for Behavioral Health Care Accreditation as an inpatient medical detox facility. Licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families, Novus provides safe, effective alcohol and drug treatment programs that are based on proven medical protocols and designed to minimize the discomfort of withdrawal. The facility is located on 3.25 acres in New Port Richey, Florida, in a tranquil, spa-like setting bordering protected conservation land. Intent on proving that detox doesnt have to be painful or degrading, Novus set out to transform the industry by bringing humanity into medical detox with individually customized treatment programs and 24/7 access to nursing care and withdrawal specialists. Today, Novus is renowned as a champion of industry standardization and a staunch advocate of patients fighting to overcome substance use disorders. Frequently recognized for its contributions to the industry and local community, Novus has become a regular source to media publications such as The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and has ranked in the Tampa Bay Business Journals Fast 50, the Florida Business Journals Top 500 and the Inc. 5000 list of Americas fastest-growing companies. For more information on Novus medically supervised detox programs, visit http://novusdetox.com.

1. Mower, Lawrence and Christine Stapleton. Session Ends With Sober Home Legislation Knocked Down to a Study; Palm Beach Post; March 9, 2016. mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/session-ends-with-sober-home-legislation-knocked-d/nqhBR/

2. Capozzi, Joe. Sober Home Invasion; Palm Beach Post; May 1, 2016. mypalmbeachpost.com/sober-home-invasion/

3. Gottesman, Marisa. Palm Beach County Cities Tracking Sober Home Regulations in California; Sun Sentinel; February 5, 2016. sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/delray-beach/fl-delray-sober-home-regulations-20160205-story.html

4. Stapleton, Christine. Sober-Homes Laws Effect Will Take Time  Like Turning a Battleship; Palm Beach Post; June 14, 2015. mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional/sober-homes-laws-effect-will-take-time-like-turnin/nmcHt/
Avalanche Creative Services received top honors from DiversityBusiness.com, the nations leading multicultural business resource. Over 1,500,000 businesses in the United States had the opportunity to participate in the 16th annual business survey.

I'm excited and honored to be recognized among the top 50 Women Owned Businesses in New York, said Ava Seavey, CEO and President of Avalanche Creative Services. "We've continued to work hard and push the envelope as the advertising industry shifts and changes with new viewer habits and technological advancements, not just within the DRTV and infomercial production community, but pervasive throughout the advertising and marketing environment. I truly love what I do. It is exhausting and challenging and it's incredibly rewarding to be acknowledged and recognized with this award.

Seavey is a 25-year DRTV industry veteran sporting a lengthy resume in direct response television production as well as digital marketing. Seavey's ability to evolve with the marketplace with a bird's eye view focused on ROI is what has enabled her to be such a persistent driving force in the industry year after year and why her clients keep coming back. For more information visit http://avalanchecreative.tv/

The top 50 Women Owned Business in New York award is designated to privately-held businesses in sectors including professional services, manufacturing, food service and technology. The list of those recognized is utilized by fortune 500 companies, government agencies and educational facilities across the United States. Honorees are recognized for overcoming obstacles on their journey towards success as entrepreneurs and helping to build better communities and strengthen the overall U.S. Economy.
John S. Beulick and Michael A. Chivell I am honored that my partners have entrusted me to serve as managing partner and I am deeply committed to our people, our clients and our mission  exceeding expectations and excellent client service.

Armstrong Teasdale, a law firm with offices across the United States and in China, is proud to announce that John S. Beulick has been elected managing partner of the firm, effective June 1, 2016. Former managing partner Michael A. Chivell has been elected chairman of the firm.

Were fortunate to have John as the next leader of our firm, said Chivell. Im confident that he will bring a passionate commitment to the values of our firm and deliver for our clients.

Beulick has more than 25 years of experience in intellectual property law, which includes securing and enforcing patent rights for national and international clients. He joined Armstrong Teasdale in 1995 as an associate after serving in various capacities in the legal organization of General Electric Company and is a registered U.S. patent attorney. He was elected partner in 1996, and has played a significant role in establishing and growing the firms Intellectual Property Group, which the St. Louis Business Journal has named the largest patent practice in St. Louis for nine consecutive years.

Mikes strong, unwavering leadership has positioned our firm well for sustained growth, said Beulick. I am honored that my partners have entrusted me to serve as managing partner and I am deeply committed to our people, our clients and our mission  exceeding expectations and excellent client service.

Having served on the firms Executive Committee since 2002, Beulick has been very actively involved in opening and growing the firms Las Vegas and Denver offices, and played an integral role in firm management prior to this election.

Beulick is listed in Chambers USA as one of America's Leading Lawyers for Business for Intellectual Property Law. He has been named a Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer and was also featured in the Super Lawyers Business Edition. Beulick is active in the community and serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

Chivell has served as managing partner since 2007. He joined the firm in 1983 as an associate and in 1990 was elected partner. As chairman, Chivell will focus on client relations, strategic planning, community relations, and lateral recruitment.

About Armstrong Teasdale: With lawyers in offices across the United States and in China, Armstrong Teasdale LLP has a demonstrable track record of delivering sophisticated legal advice and exceptional service to a dynamic client base. Whether an issue is local or global, practice area specific or industry related, Armstrong Teasdale provides each client with an invaluable combination of legal resources and practical advice in nearly every area of law. The firm is a member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 independent law firms with locations in more than 100 countries, and the United States Law Firm Group, a network of 18 law firms headquartered in major U.S. cities. Armstrong Teasdale is listed in the Am Law 200, published by The American Lawyer, and the NLJ 250, published by The National Law Journal. For more information, please visit http://www.armstrongteasdale.law.
The term Cultural Genocide is now being coined as the term to describe this intentional destruction of our worlds culture.

Symbols of our heritage and culture worldwide are being destroyed by climate, earthquakes and time, but in recent years, the most destructive force has been man. Monuments and memorials in Iraq and Syria and many other countries worldwide, the symbols of ancient cultures, are being destroyed at an alarming rate with the sole intention of destroying the culture of current and past civilizations.

CyArk is a non-profit organization dedicated to digitally preserving these sites. CyArk has released an update on this destruction.

The world is getting its first true glimpse of the intentional and systematic destruction of our culture by the ravages of war in the Mideast. Recently, the ancient Roman city of Palmyra in Syria was liberated from ISIS occupation. Experts are assessing the damage to this key Roman city despite recent counter advances by ISIS just outside of Palmyra. Like many other cities, monuments and memorials in Iraq and Syria and other countries worldwide, the symbols of ancient cultures are bring destroyed at an alarming rate.

Sights destroyed or targeted for destruction in Iraq and Syria, including Palmyra, Hatra, Ninevah and Nimrud, are valued global treasures and directly affect the livelihood of many people in those poor countries whos formerly supported their families from tourists visiting these ancient sights. Thus, destruction is not just physical stone and mortar, it has economic consequences to the poorest of the poor.

The term Cultural Genocide is now being coined as the term to describe this intentional destruction of our worlds culture.

Destruction of physical sites also affects the thread of our culture, religion and national pride. One can only consider the destruction of our monuments and memorials such as the Stature of Liberty or the Washington Monument. This type of destruction is happening almost daily in the Mideast and Africa due to war.

What can be done?

Initial steps such as intercountry cooperation and UNESCO protection is a start. Other efforts are being led by foundations and non-profit organizations dedicated to the preservation of the worlds heritage.

Following the liberation of Palmyra, Vladimir Putin and Irina Bokova began a dialogue to jointly assess the damage and further protection of Palmyras ancient sites. World organizations are mobilizing to record and preserve these sites before they are destroyed.

Additionally, organizations such as CyArk, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the worlds heritage and culture, have made progress in digital preservation on many global sites allowing for the restoration of the sites not only destroyed in the Mideast but worldwide.

Project Anqa (meaning a bird that rises from the ashes in Arabic) led by CyArk is dedicated to the preservation of remaining sites in Syria, Iraq and other Mideast countries so that these countries will have an opportunity to preserve and rebuild their culture and economy after the wars end.

CyArk has already preserved over 200 sites in 42 countries and is actively working to digitally preserve multiple high risk sites on the fringes of active conflict zones lest they too become a target. CyArk has previously collaborated with UNESCOs Emergency Safeguarding of Syrian Cultural Heritage Project.

We are losing our heritage sites and the stories they tell faster than we, the human race, can physically preserve them. If we dont know where we came from and dont know our history, then who are we? says Ben Kacyra, Founding President of CyArk.

We refuse to be bystanders in this tragic culture and heritage crisis, says CyArk CEO, Michael Evans We have the technology available to record these sites and digitally safeguard them so that our history is not lost, but time is running out and we need the publics help to save them. Everyone can do something to help address this crisis. People can help sponsor a project site by donating whatever they can. For more information on how the public can help, call +1 (510) 832-5440 or visit CyArk.org today.

Download the CyArk Newsletter here

In June 2015, CyArk initiated Project Anqa in partnership with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and Yale Universitys Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. In January 2016, CyArk began working with groups of Middle Eastern heritage professionals, to train them on methods and technologies relevant to digital preservation.

CyArk is an international nonprofit organization that uses 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry, and traditional survey techniques to create an online, 3D library of the worlds cultural heritage sites before they are lost to natural disasters, destroyed by human aggression, or ravaged by the passage of time. CyArk was founded to ensure that the worlds collective heritage is available to future generations, while also making it uniquely accessible today. To date over 200 sites spanning all seven continents have been digitally preserved. For more information visit http://www.cyark.org or contact Makenna Murray at makenna.murray(at)cyark.org.
Each year, the Dallas Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Dallas area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2016 Dallas Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Dallas Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Dallas Award Program

The Dallas Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Dallas area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Dallas Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Dallas Award Program

CONTACT:

Dallas Award Program

Email: PublicRelations(at)awardconnections(dot)org

URL: http://www.awardconnections.org

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LendingQB, a leading provider of mortgage technology solutions, today announced the addition of Susan Hartsock in the new role of Strategic Partnership Manager.

Hartsock comes to LendingQB with more than 20 years of operational and IT experience in the mortgage industry. Most recently, Hartsock worked as Business Process Analyst for Mountain West Financial, facilitating operations for 300 employees and 150 licensed mortgage professionals in 40 locations across 10 states. Hartsock successfully managed large-scale IT initiatives that helped Mountain West Financial grow from a small, family-owned business to one of the largest mortgage lenders in the Western United States.

"Susan was instrumental in getting LendingQB implemented at Mountain West," said Binh Dang, President of LendingQB. "When I had the opportunity to hire her, I immediately reached out and offered her the Strategic Partnership position. Susan has a proven record as a communicator and understands the mortgage industry well. She knows how to work with vendors and sees the strategic fit that results in a win-win situation. Her knowledge, background and professional expertise is a great fit with LendingQB's mission and values."

Hartsock has held a variety of positions throughout her long career in the mortgage industry, advancing from loan processor to underwriter to IT manager. Her hands-on industry knowledge and experience will add tremendous value to her role as Strategic Partnership Manager.

"I'm excited about this opportunity," said Hartsock. "As a former client of LendingQB, I was impressed with their ability to work well with lenders and vendor partners. I now have the chance to use my unique experience to strengthen the relationship between lenders, vendor partners and the LendingQB."

About LendingQB

LendingQB is a provider of 100 percent web browser-based, end-to-end loan origination software offering residential mortgage banking organizations lean strategies for optimal performance resulting in faster cycle time and lower costs per loan. For more information, please call 888-285-3912 or visit our website at: lendingqb.com.
Aaron Faber Gallery's 4th Annual Watch Collectors' Roundtable Are the days of obsessing over chronographs, perpetual calendars, retrogrades, minute repeaters and tourbillons giving way to a new era of the simpler, cleaner dial?

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at 5:30pm Aaron Faber Gallerys fourth annual Watch Collectors Roundtable will reconvene panelists to investigate a new trend -- the rebirth of the elegant, dress timepiece and the demise of the complicated wristwatch. Are the days of obsessing over chronographs, perpetual calendars, retrogrades, minute repeaters and tourbillons giving way to a new era of the simpler, cleaner dial? And while the Apple watch didnt quite ravage fine timepiece sales as originally predicted, did the smartwatchs minimalist design pique interest of watch collectors to look beyond their modern Rolex watch?

Moderated by Randy Brandoff, Founder and CEO of Eleven James, watch industry insiders Michael Clerizo, Off Duty columnist for the Wall Street Journal; Edward Faber, co-owner of Aaron Faber Gallery, author of American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design and one of the foremost experts on Rolex watches; Gary Girdvainis, editor of WristWatch magazine and AboutTime magazine; Michael Fossner, Consignment Director for Timepieces at Heritages New York; Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte, General Manager of Montres Journe America; and Nicholas Manousos, Vice President of Horological Society of New York will examine just what this new era of timepiece collectors want in their watches.

Watch collectors and aficionados are invited to attend the Roundtable and encouraged to bring questions for the experts. The event will be held at Aaron Faber Gallery, 666 Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street, New York, NY. Those unable to attend the Roundtable will be able to watch the complete discussion online at http://watchstyles.lmrpr.com within a few days after the event.

2016 marks the fourth year of Aaron Faber Gallerys well-attended and well-regarded Watch Collectors Roundtable. Scheduled annually in June around several high profile fine watch auctions at New York City-area auction houses, the Roundtable attracts a diverse audience of watch connoisseurs, enthusiasts and those just beginning their journey into fine timepiece collecting.

Past roundtables have addressed the potential impact of the smartwatches to the Swiss watch industry, why certain watches appreciate in value over time while others dont, and the history of grand complications. Video from previous roundtables may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLilianRajiAgency.

For more information or to RSVP for the Roundtable, please contact The Lilian Raji Agency at (646) 789-4427 ext 701 or aaronfaber(at)lmrpr(dot)com or visit the online press room at http://watchstyles.lmrpr.com.

About the Roundtable

Moderator:

Randy Brandoff

Randy Brandoff is the founder of Eleven James, an annual private membership club that reimagines how luxury timepieces are consumed and enjoyed. Members access a vast, curated collection of exceptional watches while enjoying a myriad of additional benefits.

As a well-respected entrepreneur in the luxury market, Brandoff started Eleven James in 2013 following his tenure as Chief Marketing Officer of NetJets, a Berkshire Hathaway company, where he served since the NetJets acquisition of Marquis Jet in 2010. As the first employee of Marquis Jet in 2001, Brandoff co-created the marketing and business development departments that drove $4 billion in sales and 80 percent customer retention, helping to grow the company to become the premiere private jet card company in the world.

Brandoff also helped to launch Tequila Avion, a leading spirits brand made popular by the HBO series Entourage, where he was a co-founder and principal prior to the Companys sale to Pernod Ricard in 2014.

Panel:

Michael Clerizo

Michael Clerizo writes a monthly column on watches for Off-Duty, the weekend section of the Wall Street Journal. He is also a contributing editor at the Journal's monthly magazine, WSJ, and has contributed innumerable articles to watch magazines and websites.

Michael says he prefers writing for the Journal as opposed to the specialist media because rather than preach to the converted he wants to enlarge the congregation. He is the author of two books: Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking and George Daniels: A Master Watchmaker and His Art.

Edward Faber

Edward Faber is the author of American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design, now in its third printing and the definitive text on collecting American vintage watches. He founded Aaron Faber Gallery in 1974, now at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York City, as a showcase for artist-made jewelry for which the gallery is world-famous.

He began adding 20th century estate jewelry to complement the contemporary work and then, in 1980, Faber began collecting and presenting vintage watches and timepieces. Now this personal passion has grown into a formidable part of the gallery's design collection. In the "Best of New York", New York Magazine noted, "He's a picky curator with a critical eye, and his shop's 1000-or-so offerings range from incredible one-of-a-kind pieces to a huge stash of sought-after brands."

Faber is a founding member of the International Watch and Jewelry Guild, a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and a member of the American Society of Jewelry Historians and Jewelers of America. He is a frequent lecturer on the history and value of timepieces and jewelry, with appearances on the Today show, as well as numerous cable programs; he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, numerous watch magazines, the Cigar Aficionado and Departures and recently in blogs relating to the field of watch collecting. For more information, please visit http://www.aaronfaber.com.

Michael Fossner

Michael Fossner is the Consignment Director for Timepieces at Heritages New York office. Michael is a Graduate Gemologist, an Accredited Jewelry Professional and the fifth-generation of a family in the watch industry.

Growing up, Michael learned the trade in his fathers business, New Yorks J & P Timepieces, while attending trade shows with his family. He eventually became the companys website and sales manager, focusing on ecommerce sales of high-end timepieces. Michael also has degrees in International Business and Marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Following his studies, he served as an apprentice for a major watch dealer in Switzerland. Michael has appeared as an appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow and is on the Board of Trustees of the Horological Society of New York.

Gary Girdvainis

Gary Girdvainis entered the watch industry in 1990 through a chance conversation with the owners of PMG Inc (publishers of several exotic automotive themed magazines and hardcover books) about their interests in importing and distributing into the US a new watch magazine. Girdvainis ran with the idea, and soon an independent North American edition known as International Wristwatch USA was born. Under Girdvainis leadership, the magazine blossomed from an 80-page bi-monthly to the only monthly watch magazine with page counts upwards of 256 pages per issue. Having cemented its place into the hearts and minds of passionate watch aficionados, the magazine is now known simply as iW.

Girdvainis two decades as Editor-In-Chief of the watch industrys most revered publication gave him an insider perch to deeply explore the heartbeat of many legendary watch brands. He has firsthand accounts of the meticulous steps brands took to regain respect for mechanical watches in the early 90s after decades of the Japanese invasion of quartz watches and has seen (and sometimes predicted) the rise and occasional fall of some of the worlds finest watch companies. Girdvainis has jumped out of planes with Breitlings Jet Team; held on for dear life on the aft of Corums Team Energy catamaran, and raced remote controlled sailboats in Central Park with Baume et Mercier. Through it all, he has gained the respect and admiration of movers and shakers within the watch world, and the loyal following of millions of watch fans.

In June 2011, Girdvainis left iW to form Isochron Media LLC, a company founded to embrace, enhance, promote and develop watch culture in North America and around the world. Through Isochron Media, Girdvainis publishes and editorially directs both WristWatch Magazine and AboutTime. His early success with these two publications has led to international licenses for both magazines, each scheduled for local market launches in Arabic and Chinese in January 2014. Isochron Media also serves as editorial consultant and advertising placement service provider for Wristwatch Annual. For more information, please visit http://www.isochronmedia.com.

Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte

Pierre Halimi Lacharlotte entered the watch industry in 1987 after a chance meeting with Vincent Calabrese, the iconoclastic watchmaker-philosopher known for his innovative movements. Calabrese would take Lacharlotte to an exclusive dinner, where watch industry luminaries Francois Paul Journe, Philippe Dufour, and Franck Muller surrounded him. This dinner would eventually lead to a business partnership between Lacharlotte and F.P. Journe.

Before becoming General Manager for Montres Journe America, however, Lacharlotte owned three retail stores in Palm Beach and Miami in 1987. He was one of the first retailers to launch Breitling, Franck Muller, FP Journe and Ikepod in the US.

In 1995, he became the US distributor for Bell & Ross, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, British Masters and FP Journe. In 2000, he began working with Technomarine to sell the brands distribution contracts and focus on developing its worldwide operations and licenses. In working with Technomarine, Lacharlotte created a distribution center in all of North America for very high end timepieces. His success with Technomarine lead to Lacharlotte launching both De Witt and De Bethune in the US in 2004.

In addition to building distributor networks for these esteemed brands, Lacharlotte also served as consultant to Ashford.com, the biggest online retailer of watches. With his assistance, Ashford.com was able to buy Timezone.com, the highly popular online forum for watch enthusiasts worldwide, for $5,000,000 in cash and stock.

After decades of working together in an informal capacity, Francois Paul Journe and Lacharlotte formalized their relationship in 2009 with the opening of the brands first boutique in New York City. Lacharlotte relinquished his distribution ties to other watch brands and focused his full efforts into developing F.P. Journe in the Americas and the Caribbean. He has since succeeded in making F.P. Journe one of the most coveted timepieces of true American watch connoisseurs.

Nicholas Manousos

Nicholas Manousos is a watchmaker based in New York City. A veteran of the Silicon Valley tech industry, Nicholas pursues watchmaking from an engineering perspective. In addition to his work as Technical Editor at HODINKEE, Nicholas is the Vice President of the Horological Society of New York.

About Aaron Faber Gallery

Aaron Faber Gallery was founded in 1974 to present the work of studio jewelers, those artists creating one-of-a-kind jewels that are inspired by creativity and originality, made in the artists studio and imbued with the artists spirit, concept and style. In 1980, the gallery began showcasing vintage watches and collectible timepieces, a category which has grown into a formidable part of the gallerys prominence.

The gallery, owned by Edward and Patricia Faber, is located on West 53rd Street down the block from the Museum of Modern Art, where its contemporary interior is the backdrop for changing exhibitions by studio jewelers as well as permanent collections by the gallerys artist group. For more information, please visit http://www.aaronfaber.com.
Today Share Rocket announced significant product enhancements to its social ratings platform for local media markets. In addition to incorporating Instagram into its local media measurement scores, the new upgrades include more robust tools for content curation; responsive framework for its web application; richer insights in Top and Trending content, and additional reporting tools and filters.

Share Rocket is the market leader for local social ratings and real-time social analytics and we are please to include these upgraded features at no additional charge to our existing clients, said Tim Capper, President and Director of Product at Share Rocket. We are raising the bar once again by bringing deeper insights and actionable data to the platform.

Share Rockets social ratings platform solves challenges that local broadcasters and publishers face in accurately measuring their entire social media footprint. Its real-time measurement and ratings platform empowers its clients to improve their social performance and drive social revenue. Share Rocket revolutionizes the performance and productivity of its customers staff by providing detailed insights on all social media assets in the market. Powerful enhancements in the new software release (Version 2.0) include:

Instagram Integration: The Share Rocket platform now includes Instagram data in its local social ratings scores and ratings. Station brands, sub-brands and individuals with Instagram profiles will now have this highly engaging platforms equity included in their overall SHARE and Social Equity Index (SEI) scores.

Responsive Framework: The Share Rocket web application has been completely re-designed around a mobile friendly responsive framework. Customers can now access all of the Share Rocket features from their favorite Android or iOS mobile device.

Content Curation Tools: With the Share Rocket 2.0 release, new content curation tools are available via a new content module. Content can now be tracked across multiple markets as well as filtered by platform, post type, the scope of the poster, as well as Top or Trending. In addition, spark line graphs have been added to all content tabs to instantly identify the life-cycle trends of posts. A pop-up content modal has also been added to allow for deeper analysis into engagement trends, engagement types and additional post information.

Reporting Enhancements: In addition to easier market navigation for clients tracking multiple markets, more granular reporting features have been added to Share Rockets suite of report tools. Customers can now filter Market Reports by social platform, allowing for deeper understanding of how each social network contributes to its overall social equity.

Our proven social ratings solution has been validated by the largest local broadcasters in the U.S. for Share Rockets real-time social scores, comprehensive social footprint measurement, and our ability to drive improved performance inside our clients stations, said Chris Kraft, CEO of Share Rocket. The new features in the latest software release unlock the door to supporting the ever growing demands by our customers to improve every aspect of their social strategy.

The enhancements will be available in June, 2016. Current Share Rocket customers will be automatically upgraded to the new release (Version 2.0) at no-charge under their existing software service and support contracts.

About Share Rocket

Share Rocket is a social media ratings and audience measurement platform providing broadcasters and digital publishers an easy way to quantify their social media equity, benchmarked against their peers. Share Rocket provides market intelligence and actionable insights that drive social media ROI.
Anne Fulton We believe that any talent platform that hopes to improve employee engagement should include Fuel50 to provide a proven career pathing solution.

Fuel50, a career pathing solution that drives individual employee engagement and enriches the entire workforce, was named a next-generation solution within talent management.

Fuel50s career pathing was prominently included in the 2016 Employee Engagement Vendor Brandscape Report and recognized for its proven ability to drive employee engagement within an emerging HCM technology category valued at $74.3 billion.

The industry report said of career pathing and its ability to improve employee engagement:  career pathing remains a rarity in many organizations. With its U.S. base in Los Angeles, Fuel50 has built a software platform that activates career pathing and has demonstrated giant leaps in employee engagement scores among clients.

Career pathing has a high potential to impact employee engagement, and we see talent management platforms increasingly adopting career pathing point solutions like Fuel50 that significantly move the needle on employee engagement and retention, said Steve Smith, partner at The Starr Conspiracy and one of the authors of the brandscape.

Fuel50 is the 2015 winner of the prestigious Gold Award for Best Advance in Career Management or Planning Technology in the 2015 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology Awards for its career pathing software.

Fuel50 was recognized for its work with Z Energy, a New Zealand-based company that supplies fuel to retail customers and large commercial customers. After engagement data analysis indicated that career development needed to become a key area of focus, Z Energy partnered with Fuel50 to create a shift in personal career ownership among employees and give them greater insight into whats in it for them. After three years of helping map out potential career paths for employees and tailoring individual support for leaders, Z Energy increased engagement from 66 percent to 78 percent and also experienced increased equity value, return of capital employed, and a 34 percent increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS).

We believe that any talent platform that hopes to improve employee engagement should include Fuel50 to provide a proven career pathing solution, said Anne Fulton, CEO and co-founder of Fuel50.

Fuel50 held a unique position in the 2016 Employee Engagement Vendor Brandscape Report by being named one of the few solutions that effectively improves engagement and retention outside of rewards and recognition, wellness, or analytics.

About Fuel50

Fuel50 is a career pathing solution that helps organizations inspire employees and increase engagement, retention, and productivity. Our data-rich, science-based career solution empowers employees and organizations to better match talents with workforce needs in an agile way. Fuel50 is the only solution that helps employees find greater fulfillment in their work while creating agile, proactive organizations capable of answering any talent or business challenge.
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files stay protected with Vitriums 256-bit encryption security technology.

Vitrium announced today that its popular document security solution, Protectedpdf, will be expanding beyond PDF files with the upcoming release of a Microsoft Office add-in that will allow document owners to protect their Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. The new add-in will not only provide encryption for confidential documents, such as financial statements, board materials, and sales sheets, but also digital rights management for revenue-generating content, such as training materials, research reports, eBooks, and more.

Document owners will be able to protect their Microsoft Office files in one of two ways: they can protect a file directly from within the Microsoft Office application theyre working in (Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint), or they can send an email using Microsoft Outlook and attach the desired Microsoft Office file, which is protected during the sending process. There is also the option to include a secured web link in the email rather than attach a file.

Whether the files are shared or distributed outside the corporate network, saved onto an unsecured platform, synced to a device, or found on a lost or stolen device, the files stay protected with Vitriums 256-bit encryption security technology. As with any Vitrium-secured document, authorized viewers can access the secured file without needing to download any plug-ins, apps, or additional software using Vitriums zero footprint web viewer  accessible on any device, mobile or desktop, using any modern web browser.

In addition to applying encryption, document owners can take advantage of all the rich document security and DRM features offered by Vitrium, such as password protection, copy and print control, document expiry, device limits, reader access control, user-specific watermarks, and more.

With Vitriums release of document analytics earlier this year, content producers will be able to track the performance of their secured documents with detailed, real-time data. With document-level and page-level statistics such as document views, page views, time spent, and read-through-rate, content producers will be able to use these metrics to optimize their content for better reader engagement. They will also discover who their most active readers are, what applications or browsers are used, and where their readers are located to ensure that their content is reaching the right target audience.

Our mission is to make documents better by providing document security solutions that empower content owners to protect their valuable, sensitive and revenue-generating content. Although securing PDF files will always be at our core, Im thrilled to announce this latest release from Vitrium as the expansion beyond PDF is the pivotal first step to being able to offer a more versatile document security solution to the corporate institutions we sell to. Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files are the ubiquitous document formats for small, medium and large businesses and were committed to working with these formats. There will be more announcements in the months to come as Vitrium continues its path to become the leading content security and analytics provider in the market.

-Susan Daly, CEO, Vitrium Systems Inc.

The Microsoft add-in is expected to be released at the end of June 2016. If you would like to be notified when it becomes available, sign up here: http://www.vitrium.com/notify-me.

About Vitrium

Vitrium is on a mission to make documents better by providing document security solutions that empower document owners to protect their valuable, sensitive and revenue-generating content no matter where it goes. Vitriums flagship product, Protectedpdf has been trusted by over 1,000 companies and accessed by over a million users worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.vitrium.com.
College and university leaders and human resource professionals can now access a versatile new search tool for finding top job candidates from Vitae, a service of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Vitae is the largest higher education-only talent community, and now Vitae Recruiter gives recruiters access to that talent.

Our research showed no one was serving the unique career and community needs of higher education professionals, said Tim Froemling, Senior Director of Innovation for The Chronicle. We talked to hundreds of faculty, staff and administrators and created Vitae to help them achieve their career goals.

For the nearly 800,000 faculty and administrative staff who make up its growing membership, Vitae offers career management tools, career advice and insights, job opportunities, and a thriving online community.

Vitae Recruiter allows human resource professionals, academic officers, and others who are searching for higher education job candidates to easily access Vitae members profiles, which contain education, experience, bodies of professional work, and much more. Built with hiring needs in mind, Vitae Recruiter includes:



Deep searches based on 17 different advanced fields, designed specifically for higher education. For instance, a taxonomy of academic disciplinesoften a pain point for recruitershas been carefully developed by experts with feedback from Vitae members.

Instant access to candidates dynamic profile information, and unlimited messages to those candidates.

A feature allowing adjunct professors to indicate their teaching availability, so that academic departments can connect them with teaching opportunities quickly and easily.

Unlimited saved searches with specific criteria, and the ability to share top candidates among the hiring team.

Vitae Recruiter gives colleges and universities the tools to discover and actively pursue the most qualified candidates that fulfill their campus needs, whether theyre from far across the country or next door, said Chronicle Publisher Mireille Grangenois. Its a game-changer for institutions that have struggled to expand and strengthen their talent networks.

The most important part of Vitae Recruiter is that it creatively harnesses technology to solve an ongoing problem, said Chronicle Chief Technology Officer Don Sargent. Vitae Recruiter represents exactly what our audiences need and want, and does it with a seamless, powerful user interaction.

A small group of universities beta-tested Vitae Recruiter last fall, and based on their experiences, The Chronicle is making it more widely available now. Interested human resource professionals, academic administrators, and others looking to connect directly with an engaged audience of higher education professionals can click here for more information.

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Vitae, a service of The Chronicle of Higher Education, gives higher education professionals access to free resources and advice so they can network, collaborate and grow in their careers.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc. is the leading source of news, data, and jobs for the higher education and nonprofit communities. The Chronicle of Higher Education, the companys flagship publication, has more than 270,000 print and digital readers weekly, and reaches 2.1 million college and university faculty members and administrators online every month.
Adelhardt Juniors hard at work The day was terrific reflection of our company. Were a tight-knit family who believes it takes a village to raise a child.

A group of employees family and friends, ages 7 through 17, raided Adelhardt Constructions offices on April 28 for National Bring Your Child to Work Day. Each child had their photo taken at the beginning of the day for their Passport to Learning journals. They then split up into groups and traveled to each of the Adelhardt departments: Project Management, Estimating, Field Supervision, Human Resources, Business Development, and Accounting. They were invited to learn something new at each stop. They even learned how to investigate jobsite safety!

Upon completing each experience, their Passport was stamped to indicate their participation. The children then raided the lunch room for pizza and a movie. After lunch, they used Legos to build banking and retail building designs following the safety standards they learned during field training. At the end of the day the children were awarded certificates of completion and made honorary Adelhardt Kids Day Alumni!

CEO David Adelhardt indicated his happiness with the program, stating, I would like to thank everyone for supporting and participating in Bring Your Child to Work Day. The day was terrific reflection of our company. Were a tight-knit family who believes it takes a village to raise a child.

About Adelhardt Construction

Adelhardt has proudly served the construction industry since 1929. The Company has been under current ownership since 1998. They are educated and experienced problem solvers, made up of architects, engineers, and business people who are sensitive to the business needs and goals of the clients they serve.

The Company is guided by its philosophy of equality: We treat everyone equallyClients, Subcontractors, and Team Memberswith respect. Their philosophy has created long term relationships with clients, employees, professional firms, and subcontractorssome for over 50 years. Adelhardt Construction continually invests energy to raise the bar in the construction industry.
The Virtual Guard Business Intelligence Service is a valuable tool for many types of retail and commercial centers, is cost effective, and can make a positive difference in the clients bottom line, says Virtual Guard CEO Steven Sarfati.

A leading security services company is transforming cutting edge security and protection technology to include helping managers at retail and commercial sites to increase sales and improve customer services.

Virtual Guard, the next generation in cost-effective perimeter security, currently provides clients in the United States and Canada with national security-grade active monitoring, detection, and stopping power to prevent loss, crime, and intrusion before it happens. Virtual Guard currently provides security solutions for auto dealerships, hospitals, museums, scrap yards, construction sites, government facilities, warehouses, estates, commercial buildings, and industrial and manufacturing sites throughout the United States and Canada.

Expanding the use of Virtual Guards military grade security technology, the Virtual Guard Business Intelligence Service (VGBIS) uses similar path tracking and heat mapping analytics to determine the number of customers, the flow of customers, and the preference of customers as they shop.

The VGBIS technology, discreetly placed inside of retail and commercial showrooms and sites, provides a real-time monitoring of the number of customers, their flow and product interests, and areas of highest interest, or hot spots, within the site. Managers can easily use this customer relations analytic service to better serve the interest of their customers and to improve service and sales opportunities.

Virtual Guard is building on its high tech security technology to offer clients an opportunity to maximize their business by better understanding their customers, says Steven Sarfati, Virtual Guard CEO. By counting, analyzing and tracking the path of a customers movements, and identifying the hotter areas they visit, managers can more effectively determine product placement, resulting in higher sales through better exposure of products.

With the Virtual Guard Business Intelligence Service, clients can monitor their business statistics for one or more locations in each category on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, making it the ultimate intelligent customer service tool. Additionally, the VGBIS system includes a counting feature to monitor customer flow in and out of retail and showroom sites, allowing managers to better strategize an approach towards potential sales gains, according the Mr. Sarfati.

Virtual Guard recently announced the breakthrough VGBIS customer relations management service at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Expo in Las Vegas. We believe that our VG Business Intelligence Service will be a valuable tool to automotive dealerships, as well as many other types of retail and commercial centers. Our system eliminates the complexity of customer analytics, offers an easy to navigate cloud-based system of comparative measurements over time, is cost effective, and can make a positive difference in the clients bottom line. We protect during the night and provide business process improvement during the open hours, the 24-hour solution, says Mr. Sarfati.

Virtual Guard is a leading developer and integrator of cutting edge technology, combined with experienced security professionals, designed to cost-effectively prevent a loss prior to intruders breaching the perimeter of the secured site. Virtual Guard has its Interactive Command and Control Center in Los Angeles, and designs for clients security solutions based on national systems used by the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and verified by leading national testing laboratories. The technology we use has been rigorously tested to ensure that it is active at all times. It has been field-tested under circumstances far exceeding the demands of civilian commercial, residential or construction sites. Additionally, we can provide a complete stand-alone system fully capable of providing service without wired electrical or phone connections, says Mr. Sarfati.

About Virtual Guard:

Innovative Site Security. Watching. Protecting. Always on Guard

Virtual Guard Customer Analytic Services

The Virtual Guard Solution provides Innovative Site and Perimeter Security.

The Virtual Guard Service intercepts a crime before it happens.

Virtual Guard develops and uses cutting edge technology and experienced security professionals to identify a possible threat before it happens and to act on it immediately.

Virtual Guard can prevent a crime before it happens and alert the appropriate authorities whenever necessary.

Virtual Guard national headquarters is 4645 Van Nuys Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Phone: (888) 435-3533

The Virtual Guard East Coast Sales Office is located at

113 Krewson Lane, Cheltenham, PA. 19012. Phone: (215) 966-1166

http://www.virtualguard.com
Texas based nonprofit, Soldiers Angels, announces the expansion of its popular Veteran Mobile Food Pantry to serve the San Diego area. Since the inception of the Veteran Mobile Food Pantry service in September of 2015, Soldiers Angels has served over 1800 veteran families at its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.

After months of building the program in the San Antonio area, Soldiers Angels is expanding the service to other major cities across the countrythe first of which will be San Diego. Partnering with local food banks, the goal of this service is to provide food relief to low income veterans and their families on a monthly basis.

Soldiers Angels is proud to be able to provide food relief to our veterans and their families. No veteran who served their country proudly should ever have to worry about going hungry or finding their next meal for their spouse and children said Amy Palmer, President and CEO of Soldiers Angels. As citizens of this great country it is the least we can do to give back to those who have given so much for our freedom.

The inaugural San Diego event will be held at American Legion Post 434 in Chula Vista on Thursday, June 9th, 2016 from 11:00am  2:00pm. Veterans interested in receiving food relief at this event must sign up ahead of time via the following link: https://soldiersangels.formstack.com/forms/sandiegofoodpantry.

Those interested in sponsoring or volunteering at future San Diego food pantry events should contact Soldiers Angels at (210)629-0020.

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About Soldiers Angels: Soldiers' Angels is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, their families, and the growing veteran population. Founded in 2003 by the mother of two American soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Soldiers' Angels "Angel" volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. (Tax ID# 20-058-3415). Learn more at http://www.soldiersangels.org.
Unlock the value of your reinsurance data The launch of Connector is an incredible milestone for TAI. From a market perspective, the need for data quality, analysis, and collaboration of reinsurance data has been escalating.

TAI (Tindall Associates, Inc.) the U.S. market leader in life reinsurance software solutions announced the launch of CONNECTOR, one of two newest offerings from their suite of products. The company, with over 30 years of experience, prides itself on delivering reliable software solutions to automate life and annuity reinsurance processing while ensuring timely and accurate electronic data exchange.

CONNECTOR is an intuitive, self-service data extract tool that enables individuals to fully utilize and unlock the value of their reinsurance programs within the TAI Reinsurance System. Minimal expertise in SQL or understanding complex table structures is required, allowing users to query the data, create custom extracts and securely transfer data to external parties and feed internal peripheral insurance systems without the reliance on traditional IT support.

Connector is a simple and powerful tool to extract the value of the data stored in the TAI system, says President & CEO of TAI, Tom Freitas. The use of Connector will eliminate the Easter Egg hunt for quality data within any organization.

Data security is essential within the insurance industry. CONNECTOR uses dual authentication, point-to-point encryption, and file encryption in a SSAE 16 approved environment, allowing users to have utmost confidence in the secured transmission of data delivered in standardized CSV, XLS, PDF, and XML formats.

Mitch Ocampo, EVP and Product Development lead of TAI adds, the launch of Connector is an incredible milestone for TAI. From a market perspective, the need for data quality, analysis, and collaboration of reinsurance data has been escalating. This is our response to what were seeing in the market.

CONNECTOR is available to insurers and reinsurers receiving and transmitting TAI data on a one-time license, set up and annual maintenance basis.

To learn more about the benefits that TAI CONNECTOR offers, visit http://www.taire.com/connector or contact TAI at info(at)taire(dot)com for additional information.

About Tindall Associates (TAI)

Based outside Chicago, TAI offers a complete suite of software solutions for life insurance companies to self-report all their reinsurance information; assumed, ceded or retroceded, in an electronic format to share with trading partners on a cost-effective basis. With over 30 years of experience, TAI has over 100 active licenses representing 96% of market share of the top 50 ceding insurers in North America by premium volume.

To learn more about TAI, visit http://www.taire.com

Media Contact

Natalie Ho

Vice President, Sales & Marketing

LOGiQ3

natalie(dot)ho(at)logiq3(dot)com

Direct: 1-647-427-4752

Product Contact

Mitch Ocampo

Executive Vice President

TAI

mitch(dot)ocampo(at)taire(dot)com

Direct: +1 617-359-8194
CCEOC Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual Canadian Telecom Employer of Choice (CTEOC) Award.

The "Canadian Telecom Employer of Choice" recognition award is a national program dedicated to identifying, recognizing and promoting the best employers in Canadas telecommunications industry.

The process included completing the on-line application form, Company Profile (HR Inventory and Leadership Review) and Employee Commitment survey. Winners were recognized and presented with a trophy at The Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto on June 7th, 2016. They will also be listed in a special edition of the Telecom Review NA trade publication.

The winners for this years award include: TeraGo Networks, WIND Mobile, Advantage Tower, Teksavvy Solutions, Versature, Xplornet Communications, and Infobip. All winners successfully completed the CTEOC assessment and scored a minimum of 75% overall to qualify for the award.

This is the third year for the award and the interest continues to grow every year, said Jeff Doran, president of CCEOC Inc. Im very excited for these companies. They have worked hard to create world class cultures and preferred employer brands. The winners can now take advantage of unique branding opportunities to help attract and retain the best talent in the market. They can also use the data reports to improve employee engagement and help make their companies even better places to work.

We are excited, once again, to be associated with the CCEOC, said Michael Sone Co-Chair of The Canadian Telecom Summit. "It's appropriate that the best ICT employers are being recognized among their peers at the top event in Canadian ICT."

Companies that want to be recognized as a top Telecom/ICT employer next year can sign up right now, for free, by filling in an application form on the CCEOC website: http://www.ccemployerofchoice.com/eoc-application.html.

This years award will be presented at The Canadian Telecom Summit, taking place June 6-8 in Toronto at the Toronto Congress Centre. Winners will also be profiled in the North American Telecom Review magazine. Mark your calendar, you dont want to miss it!

About CCEOC Inc.

CCEOC Inc., a leader in employer of choice initiatives and corporate culture development, has been establishing industry specific Employer of Choice recognition award programs since 2004.

CCEOC experts also work with corporate clients to assess, develop and advance employer of choice cultures, improve the employee/customer experience and provide innovative solutions to help build high-morale, high-performance organizations.

For more information on an Employer of Choice award program or to find out more about workshop, seminar and training services, please email info(at)ccemployerofchoice(dot)com or call 416 886-7007.

About The Canadian Telecom Summit

Taking place each June, The Canadian Telecom Summit, http://www.telecomsummit.com, is the largest and most prestigious gathering of stakeholders interested in the Canadian information and communications technologies industries. Attendees represent a broad cross-section of interests, including communications services providers, equipment vendors, customers, applications providers, solutions developers, professional services organizations, government policy makers & regulators and the financial community.

Contacts:

Jeff Doran

President

CCEOC Inc.

+1.416.886.7007

jdoran(at)ccemployerofchoice(dot)com

Mark Goldberg

Co- Chair

The Canadian Telecom Summit

http://www.telecomsummit.com

+1.905.882.0417

Michael Sone

Co-Chair

The Canadian Telecom Summit

http://www.telecomsummit.com

+1.416.360.0424
Historical Romance is alive and well.

The historical romance fantasy "Khafa The High Priestess,"soon available in stores across the United States. We, Elevation Book Publishing are excited with the signing of Lory La Selva Paduano says, Rhonda Wilson Publisher.

Most historical romance lead characters are Dukes but Pharaohs are making a comeback such as in Khafa The High Priestess. Some thought the Historical Romance genre had fallen off but not so, according to Huffington Post and Romance Writers of America. "Put away the smelling salts: the historical is not dead." The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayarodale/historical_romance_novel_b_5731130.html) The Romance Writers of America,  historicals account for approximately 34 percent of the romance genres sales. (https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=582)

"Khafa the High Priestess" tells a story of past conspiracies, the debut of Freemasonry and more. Lory definitely shows you another side of Antediluvian Egypt, set in modern day Georgia U.S.A, The main characters in the novel are the Hawanns, a momentous family with lineage to an indigenous civilization of ancient times.

"Khafa The High Priestess" releases in December 2016.

About Lory La Selva Paduano:

Lory La Selva Paduano adores the genre she vividly brings to life, and as an avid reader herself, she's always possessed a profound love affair with Historical Fiction. Lory is known for "The Legacy Legend" and "Wonderland Series." Contact Lory online at: http://lorylaselvapaduano.weebly.com/

About Elevation Book Publishing:

Elevation Book Publishing, dedicated partners who agreed to create a unique relationship with writers to elevate their creation to best seller levels. Elevation Book Publishing is open for submissions; Genres: Fiction  Drama, Romance and Self-Help. Visit http://www.elevationbookpublishing.com for more information.

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DSM Technology Consultants, is pleased to welcome Matt Sanders to their growing team as their National Director of Channel and Wholesale. Sanders comes to DSM Technology Consultants from WOW! Business, where he was the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships. Sanders had various roles, all of which surrounded the advancement of their Cloud and Data Center Business.

At DSM, Sanders has been tasked with the creation of DSM Alliance, a true industry leading, channel focused program. DSM Alliance will focus on IT Cloud Distribution partners like Master Agents, Traditional IT Distribution, and OEM Vendors. When it comes to the strict requirements around security, documented process, staff certifications, and compliancy regulations put in place by government and SLED organizations, DSM not only meets, but exceeds those expectations. Sanders will provide DSM Alliance partners the ability to offer these same Cloud and Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery solutions to the enterprise and mid-market businesses.

DSM is thrilled to have Sanders extensive pre-existing relationships in the channel joining DSM in this new position. For the last eleven years Matt has lived in the Tampa Bay area with his wife and their two children. When he does get to wind down, you can find him taking out his boat with his family or enjoying a local sporting event. Matt is originally from Michigan where he attended Western Michigan University.

About DSM Technology Consultants, LLC.

DSM is Floridas leading managed cloud provider and is presently developing a national footprint. By utilizing the largest inland private cloud network in Florida, DSM delivers fully managed private cloud solutions as well as hybrid cloud networks utilizing both private and public cloud environments. DSMs white glove services provide customers with cost effective solutions that drive to business objectives, including Managed Infrastructure Services, Disaster Recovery as a Service, Data Protection as a Service, Security as a Service, and custom Platform as a Service. These highly scalable solutions are delivered from CJIS, SSAE16, SOC 1, SOC 2 and HIPAA certified facilities. DSM leverages its Professional Services organization with deep technical expertise and strong client-centric focus to enable its clients to achieve their business needs and goals. For more information, visit http://www.dsm.net.
Joshua Barrett, Chievres Branch Manager, Beautiful Lawson, and Rhonda Lawson. Photo courtesy of Wallace Turner.

Andrews Federal Credit Union sponsored the 2016 Installation Volunteer Awards Ceremony at the SHAPE Club, located on S.H.A.P.E., outside of Mons, Belgium.

The annual event, hosted by Army Community Service (ACS), honors the many volunteers within the SHAPE/Chievres Air Base Community for all they do to help out within the community. Winners are selected from five categories, with each receiving a medal, certificate and a Bronze Mons Monkey. The Monkey, a statue located outside the City Hall in Mons, Belgium, is a local symbol of achievement.

Two of the winners this year were a mother and daughter. Beautiful Lawson won for the category of Youth Volunteer of the Year and her mother, Army Master Sergeant Rhonda Lawson, won for the category of Active Duty Volunteer of the Year. Collectively, they amassed over 600 volunteer hours over the last year.

Andrews Federal Credit Union is proud to be able to sponsor this great event honoring the sacrifice and service that every volunteer in our community puts forth, said Joshua Barrett, Chievres Branch Manager. Our Community would not be what it is without the many volunteers that give selflessly of their valuable time, effort and energy.

About Andrews Federal Credit Union

Andrews Federal Credit Union was founded in 1948 to serve the needs of military and civilian personnel by providing a vast array of financial products and services. With over $1 billion in assets, Andrews Federal has grown to serve more than 113,000 members in the District of Columbia, Joint Base Andrews (MD), Springfield, Virginia (VA), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (NJ), and military installations in central Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, the Credit Union serves as a financial partner with many select employee groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and New Jersey.

To learn more about Andrews Federal Credit Union and its community involvement, or to become a member, call 800.487.5500 or visit http://www.andrewsfcu.org.
As the IT landscape evolves, so does our approach and portfolio. Our goal is to optimize business outcomes through transformative services and solutions.

Netelligent Corporation, a technology solutions company, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Netelligent to its 2016 Solution Provider 500 list. The SP500 list is CRNs annual ranking of the largest technology integrators, solution providers and IT consultants in North America by revenue.

The SP500 is CRNs predominant channel partner award list, serving as the industry standard for recognition of the most successful solution provider companies in the channel since 1995.

Netelligent takes a neutral approach when helping customers evaluate solutions best suited for their environment and business objectives. Using a Hybrid IT model, Netelligent presents clients with agnostic on-premises, managed and cloud services options that map directly to their business requirements.

We are honored to be recognized for our dedication to providing forward-thinking solutions and services to our clients in todays changing IT landscape, shared Bob Hollanders, VP of Sales & Marketing. As the IT landscape evolves, so does our approach and portfolio. Our goal is to optimize business outcomes through transformative services and solutions.

The 2016 Solution Provider 500 represent a total, combined revenue of over $334 billiona testament to their success in keeping pace with the rapidly changing demands of todays IT market, said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. This prestigious list recognizes those companies with the highest revenue and serves as a valuable industry resource for vendors seeking out top solution providers to partner with. We congratulate each of the Solution Provider 500 companies and look forward to their continued success.

A sampling from the 2016 Solution Provider 500 list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and at http://www.CRN.com/sp500.

About Netelligent

Netelligent Corporation is a technology solutions company. Netelligent provides companies with the basic technologies they need to run their business (security, phone system, servers/virtualization, disaster recovery, networking, and video). Our mission is to help elevate business above technology as we take a neutral approach in helping to determine what IT consumption model best benefits each clients organization (on-premises, managed, or cloud services). Founded in 2003, Netelligent is headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri with a regional office in Kansas City and two data centers located in Denver and St. Louis. Netelligent is a Cisco Gold Partner and SOC II Certified. Additional information about Netelligent can be found on their website http://www.netelligent.com.

About the Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. http://www.thechannelco.com
Photo by John Isaac. UN to showcase premier on Weds June 8th in New York. Working with John on this documentary was instrumental to raising awareness of the ecological balance provided by these tigers. This is one of the most memorable films that Ive worked on during my entire UN career. --Mary Ferreira

John Isaac, world renowned photographer and endangered animal documentarian, is pleased to announce his participation in Saving the Indian Tiger, One Photo at a Time, a documentary produced by the United Nations 21st Century a half hour news magazine. The episode will make its debut Weds June 8th from 12-2pm at the United Nations Headquarters building in New York City.,

I am honored and would like to thank the United Nations for taking the time and providing the resources to shed light on this important topic, said Isaac. The tiger population in India is in danger of extinction, mainly because of loss of habitat and poaching. According to the latest estimates, the number of tigers in the wild is 2,226 in India; at the turn of the century, there were about 40,000 tigers in the wild.

Isaac who has taken countless self-funded trips from New York to India to document the life of the tigers especially those in Ranthambore, India, will be attending the premier. Isaac, former UN Chief Photographer left his position in the late 1990s to pursue his passion of wildlife photography.

Working with John on this documentary was instrumental to raising awareness of the ecological balance provided by these tigers. This is one of the most memorable films that Ive worked on during my entire UN career. It was a privilege to work with John who didnt hesitate when I first proposed the film four years ago, said filmmaker, Mary Ferreira.

It is important that we all do our part to prevent the extinction of these beautiful animals. They dont have a voice and we need to be their voice, said Isaac.

The premier will be held in Room 2727, UN Secretariat Building, New York. For reservations contact ferreiram(at)un(dot)org. For more information on John Isaac log on to http://www.johnisaac.com

About John Isaac:

John Isaac was a United Nations photojournalist for over 30 years. His experiences led him to a dramatic career change in the late 1990s. Back then he was chief photographer at the United Nations, for which he had traveled to more than 100 countries over two decades to shoot the death and destruction of human conflict and natural disasters. He bore witness to Pol Pots Cambodian Killing Fields, the Iranian Revolution, and the Ethiopian famine of 1984. But the Rwandan genocide of 1994 pushed him over the edgeinto an emotional abyss that made him realize he just couldnt do that kind of photography anymore. Indeed, Isaacs emotional involvement with his subjects, and his impulse to help them rather than use them as tools of photographic advocacy, may have made him less successful as a photojournalist. Not long after he resigned from the U.N., Isaac had a reawakening triggered by his lifelong love of the natural world. Shifting around the same time to digital capture, he began to photograph wildlifeperhaps an antidote to the toxins of human rancor that had built up in his psyche. With a few detoursamong them to Kashmir, where he shot the daily life and natural landscape of that contested territory to show that peace is possible anywhere, work that was published in a 2008 bookhe has been shooting wildlife for over ten years.

For more Information on John Isaac click here http://www.johnisaac.com
Courtyard by Marriott Saskatoon Airport The hotel features "Tech Drop" ledge for guests to plug in devices for seamless technology integration, complimentary wi-fi and media pods throughout the lobby...

Crescent Hotels & Resorts has been hired to manage The Courtyard by Marriott Saskatoon Airport. The 140 room hotel is located less than 1 km from Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, and is the only hotel in Canada to receive the 2016 Loved by Guests Award from Hotels.com in the Business category.

This is a newer design, high-tech and very business friendly property, said Michael George, Chief Executive Office of Crescent Hotels & Resorts. Which fits perfectly with our portfolio of managed hotels, and our award-winning standards for service.

The Courtyard by Marriott Saskatoon Airport opened in December of 2014, and is owned by Calgary-based Triple One Properties Ltd. Triple One Properties was founded by the late Shiraz Sam Mawji in 1988.

The hotel features "Tech Drop" ledge for guests to plug in devices for seamless technology integration, complimentary wi-fi and media pods throughout the lobby, as well as a "Luggage Drop" for storage of guests bags. This property also boasts Courtyard's latest contemporary room design, including a light desk on wheels that allows guests to work from anywhere in the room. There is more than 1,500 square feet of meeting space on-site, as well as a business library computers, printers, and separate computer stations dedicated to printing airline boarding passes and checking flight status. The hotel also has a well-equipped fitness center and indoor salt water pool to help guests stay refreshed and energized.

The property offers guests convenient access to Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, downtown Saskatoon, Midtown Plaza, SaskTel Centre and TCU Place-Saskatoon's Arts & Convention Centre. For more information, or to book your next meeting or stay at The Courtyard by Marriott Saskatoon Airport, please visit http://www.Marriott.com/yxecy or call 1-306-986-4993.

About Crescent Hotels & Resorts

Crescent Hotels & Resorts is a nationally recognized, top-5 operator of hotels and resorts. Crescent currently operates over 100 hotels and resorts in 6 Canadian provinces and 28 of the United States. Crescent is one of the few elite management companies approved to operate upper-upscale and luxury hotels under the brand families of Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, Hyatt and IHG. Crescent also operates a collection of legendary independent hotels and resorts. Crescents clients are made up of hotel REITs, private equity firms and major developers. For more information, please visit http://www.chrco.com.

About Courtyard by Marriott

Courtyard by Marriott Courtyard by Marriott offers a refreshing environment that helps guests stay connected, productive and balanced. Intuitive services and design accommodate guests' needs for choice and control. With more than 950 locations in 38 countries and territories, Courtyard hotels participate in the award-winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information or reservations, contact the Courtyard Saskatoon Airport directly at 306-986-4993, call the Courtyard toll-free number at 800-321-2211 or visit courtyard.marriott.com.

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Telrad offered the right solution at the right time and price, and they were able to help us overcome non-line-of-sight challenges created by heavy Pine tree growth. Their personnel are fantastic, giving us unbelievable customer and technical support.

Mountain Connect Conference 2016  June 5, 2016  Telrad Networks, a global provider of TD-LTE broadband solutions, today announced that SkyWerx Industries has selected the Telrad LTE solutions for its point-to-multipoint wireless broadband network in Southwest Colorado, delivering high-speed Internet services to residents and small businesses in rural areas of the community, including Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Durango, Ignacio, and beyond.

Using Telrads BreezeCOMPACT LTE solution in the 3.65 GHz frequency band, SkyWerx has partnered with La Plata and Archuleta counties and is planning to reach 100% coverage of the two counties within three to five years. The first phase of deployment is already being completed at a pace twice as fast as originally anticipated, bringing hopes that full coverage will be reached during 2017 or 2018.

The addition of the Telrad LTE infrastructure to its network falls in line with SkyWerxs ongoing commitment to delivering higher quality, high speed Internet. SkyWerx, founded in 2003, has a well developed, 400 square mile microwave and fiber network, providing wholesale bandwidth to many cable companies, Internet Service Providers, phone operators and other companies. Building on its core business, SkyWerxs noticed several local areas that were left underserved, with few options for Internet connectivity. The Company began its wireless broadband access arm of the business to fill these service gaps. Owning and operating its microwave/fiber network enabled the delivery of a solid backhaul system to support the wireless network. This same reliable backhaul will continue to serve the newly deployed Telrad LTE network, which will deliver faster speeds with better coverage.

Upgrading and expanding our network to LTE was a no-brainer. Choosing Telrad was also an easy choice. We wanted to deliver quality Internet to rural customers, which supports high-bandwidth online applications, including streaming media services, commented Justin Davis, Founder and COO of SkyWerx Industries. Telrad offered the right solution at the right time and price, and they were able to help us overcome non-line-of-sight challenges created by heavy Pine tree growth. Their personnel are fantastic, giving us unbelievable customer and technical support.

"We see great potential in this Colorado region for LTE, and look forward to continuing the network expansion with SkyWerx," said Chris Daniels, Vice President and Regional GM of North America for Telrad. "We value this operators approach, and are happy to help them build a sustainable and viable network. By using our turnkey, standards-based LTE solution, SkyWerx will be able to reduce its operating expenses through improved network capacity, performance and operational efficiency."

Telrad provides a comprehensive, end-to-end LTE solution. At its heart is the combination of a powerful standards-based EPC core with a reasonably priced entry point and immense scalability, paired with the flagship BreezeCOMPACT base station, which provides the ability to solve complex communication challenges. Employing Telrads solution helps to build seamless, pervasive connectivity, delivering on the promise of superior service and support.

About SkyWerx Industries

Founded in 2003, SkyWerx is a locally owned Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Our continually expanding wireless infrastructure has been designed to effectively deploy high-speed wireless broadband to the communities in Southwest Colorado. Our mission is to provide the highest quality Internet related service and technology to our customers. (skywerx.com)

About Telrad Networks

Telrad Networks is a global provider of innovative LTE broadband solutions, boasting over 300 4G deployments in 100 countries. Telrad stands at the forefront of the technology evolution of next-generation TD-LTE solutions in the sub-6 GHz market. Since 1951, the company has been a recognized pioneer in the telecom industry, facilitating the connectivity needs of millions of end-users through operators, ISPs and enterprises around the world. (telrad.com)
Ashley Stewart, Inc (Ashley Stewart or the Company) today announced that an affiliate of The Invus Group LLC (Invus), in partnership with senior management, has acquired a controlling interest in the Company from affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (Clearlake) and FirePine Group, LLC (FirePine Group). Terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Secaucus, NJ, Ashley Stewart is a leading global lifestyle brand for plus size womens fashion. The Company, led by James Rhee and Kristen Gaskins, offers on-trend clothing and accessories through 89 retail stores across the country, a leading social media platform and a rapidly growing e-commerce platform.

We see in Ashley Stewart an iconic brand with an incredibly loyal and growing customer base. We are excited to partner with James, Kristen and the rest of the management team to support the customer-first, omnichannel strategy that has catapulted Ashley Stewart into becoming a next generation, multi-channel retail leader, said Jonas Fajgenbaum, a managing director at Invus.

We are pleased to have sponsored Ashley Stewarts management team during a period of significant transformation as the Company has become an industry leader with some of the best e-commerce, loyalty and asset productivity metrics in retail. The Company is well positioned for its next phase of growth with Invus, added Jose E. Feliciano, founder and managing partner of Clearlake.

Under Clearlake and FirePines ownership, Ashley Stewart has achieved record profitability, growth and market share expansion. Less than three years removed from not having wi-fi at its former corporate offices, Ashley Stewart now boasts industry leading e-commerce and mobile penetration, customer engagement on its social media platforms and organic revenue growth.

James Rhee, founder of FirePine, will continue as Chairman & CEO of Ashley Stewart. We are proud of our successful partnership with Clearlake, and appreciative that they supported managements vision in transforming Ashley Stewart into a digital leader. We feel incredibly fortunate that Invus will be bringing to bear its expertise in building great consumer brands as we introduce Ashley Stewart to the world, said Mr. Rhee.

Robert W. Baird & Co. served as financial advisor to Ashley Stewart. OMelveny & Myers served as legal advisor to Ashley Stewart. Morgan Lewis served as legal advisor to FirePine Group. Patterson Belknap served as legal advisor to Invus.

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About Ashley Stewart

Ashley Stewart has captured the hearts and minds of curvy women since its founding in 1991 in Brooklyn, New York. Today, Ashley Stewart offers the hottest looks with stores across the United States, a rapidly growing ecommerce presence at http://www.AshleyStewart.com, and an industry leading social media presence. Ashley Stewart stands for uncompromising style, fashion, fit and empowerment for the trend-savvy woman who flaunts her curves. From the perfect pair of jeans to churchflow dresses, smoking hot outfits to #DaretoBare intimates, Ashley Stewart has you covered.

About Clearlake

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a private investment firm with a sector-focused approach. The firm seeks to partner with world-class management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlakes operational and strategic expertise. The firms core target sectors include industrials, energy and power; technology, communications and business services; and consumer products and services. Clearlake currently has over $3.5 billion of assets under management. More information is available at http://www.clearlakecapital.com.

About FirePine Group, LLC

FirePine was founded in 2009 and invests in special situations requiring structured capital and operational catalysts. FirePine provides high impact and bespoke solutions, with a particular focus on the rapidly transforming retail-consumer product industries. FirePine is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Invus

The Invus Group, LLC was founded in 1985 to empower entrepreneurs to transform their industries. Since inception, Invus has grown its original pool of family capital into a $5 billion equity investment firm with offices in New York, Paris and Hong Kong. More information is available at http://www.invus.com.

Media Contact

For Ashley Stewart, contact LaForce PR- Ernest Bannister, EBannister(at)LaForce.nyc, 1-646-374-0816

For Clearlake Capital Group, contact Owen Blicksilver Public Relations, Inc. - Kristin Celauro, kristin(at)blicksilverpr(dot)com, (732) 264-1131; Jennifer Hurson, jennifer(at)blicksilverpr(dot)com, (845) 507-0571
NEWSCYCLE Solutions announces it has signed a Newscycle Connect partnership agreement with Youneeq, a predictive analytics content recommendation company based in Victoria, British Columbia. The agreement enables Newscycle to offer the Youneeq data-driven technology to news media companies world-wide.

The Youneeq patent-pending system matches and delivers relevant news content to readers across all platforms and from all traffic sources, which provides Newscycle customers with higher real-time audience engagement levels. The Youneeq software targets and identifies users via behavioral big data, resulting in increased fill rates, improved effective cost-per-thousand impressions (eCPM), and time-on-site. The software tracks real humans, not robots, and revenue attributed to Youneeq pages on average range between 5 and 20 percent.

We are excited about this new partnership and the many options it presents to Newscycle customers, said Mark Walker, President of Youneeq. Our customers have experienced a 150 percent increase in page views per session and dwell-times from search. Also, as a result of recommended content, social media referrals have increased as much as 500 percent for companies using the Youneeq software.

Donna Beasley, Newscycles Director of Product Strategy, Core Technology, said, News publishers need an advanced content targeting strategy, and we are happy to include Youneeq as a Newscycle Connect partner. Content should be created and delivered based on analytical decision-making tools. Youneeq brings automated, behaviorally targeted full-site content curation to Newscycle customers.

For more information about Youneeq, Newscycle Connect, or to become a Newscycle Connect partner, contact Donna Beasley.

About Newscycle Connect

Newscycle Connect is a technology alliance program designed for Newscycle customers offering Newscycle-approved third-party partner products, innovative technologies, open integrations, and new revenue-generating solutions.

About NEWSCYCLE Solutions

Newscycle develops and delivers software technology that empowers the global news media industry. Our solutions enable publishers to thrive in a rapidly transforming market. We help our clients in their mission to create stronger, better informed communities, while protecting the integrity of news, advertising and customer information. Newscycle is a trusted partner serving more than 750 media enterprises, including 1,200 companies with 8,000 properties across 45 countries on six continents. The company is headquartered in Bloomington, MN and has U.S. offices in Florida, Michigan and Utah; with international offices in Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom; and satellite offices in Australia, Canada and Norway. For more information about Newscycles technology innovations for 2016, go to: newscycle.com/innovations2016

Media Contact:

Lisa Speth

NEWSCYCLE Solutions

Marketing Communications Manager

lisa.speth(at)newscycle(dot)com
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will host Rachel Held Evans, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and Eric H. F. Law for the Being Church conference June 5-11, 2016. The 20th century church is not meeting the needs of the 21st century world. Over the course of one week participants will join together in community to consider Church.

About the Conference

Eric H. F. Law of the Kaleidoscope Institute will be at the Seminary June 5-8 to offer certificate training in Gracious Leadership. The goal of this training is to give laity and clergy the skills to create diverse communities grounded in grace and hospitality. June 9 there is the opportunity to earn one of two professional development certificates in areas that greatly affect the church of the 21st century: Youth Ministry or Cyber Ethics. On June 10-11, Nadia Bolz-Weber and Rachel Held Evans will join us to further the conversation of being Church. Nadias work is the work of a pastor living out gracious leadership in diverse communities. Her newest book, Accidental Saints: Finding God In All the Wrong People, will guide our communal consideration. Rachel Held Evans will join us to continue engaging Church as she works with us to consider her newest book Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church.

As the Henderson Summer Leadership Conference celebrates 75 years and the Miller Summer Youth Institute celebrates 20 years of ministry, this event brings together an intergenerational, inter-racial, interdenominational group of laity and pastors to consider being Church today.

Registration information is online and group discounts are available. http://www.pts.edu/Being_Church.

About the Speakers

The Rev. Eric H. F. Law is founder and executive director of the Kaleidoscope Institute, which provides resources to equip church leaders to create sustainable churches and communities. For more than 25 years, he has provided transformative and comprehensive training and resources for churches and ministries in all the major church denominations in the United States and Canada. He is the author of nine books including The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, and his latest, Holy Currency Exchange: 101 Stories, Songs, Actions and Visions of Missional and Sustainable Ministries.

The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints, an ELCA church in Denver, Colo. She is the author of Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television (Seabury 2008) and the New York Times bestselling theological memoir Pastrix: The Cranky Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint (Jericho 2013). Her writings can be found in the Christian Century, The Lutheran Magazine, and Patheos.com. Nadia has been featured in The Washington Post, Bitch Magazine, NPRs Morning Edition, More Magazine, The Daily Beast, and on CNN.

Rachel Held Evans is a New York Times best-selling author and popular blogger with more than 250,000 visits to her blog each month. She's been featured in interviews on The View, The Today Show, NPR, Slate, The BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian (UK), The London Times, The Huffington Post, and Oprah.com. Rachel is the author of three books, A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head and Calling Her Husband Master (Thomas Nelson, 2012), which documents her year of following all of the Bibles instructions for women as literally as possible; Faith Unraveled: How A Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions (Zondervan, 2014), which explores the relationship between faith and doubt ; and Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church (Thomas Nelson).

About the Seminary

Founded in 1794, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate theological school of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Rooted in the Reformed tradition, the Seminary is committed to the formation of women and men for theologically reflective ministry and to scholarship in service to the global Church of Jesus Christ.

Located on a 13-acre urban campus in the East Liberty/Highland Park neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa., Pittsburgh Theological Seminary houses nationally and internationally recognized programs such as the Church Planting Initiative, Continuing Education program, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology, Metro-Urban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission Initiative.

Students come from more than 30 states and represent more than 20 denominations. The Seminarys degree programs include Master of Divinity (MDiv), also offered with an emphasis in church planting; Graduate certificate in urban ministry; Master of Arts; Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry; Master of Sacred Theology; and Doctor of Ministry as well as joint masters degrees in Divinity and Social Work in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, Divinity and Law with Duquesne University, and Divinity and Public Policy with Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has more than 3,000 alums in Pennsylvania and the United States and in several countries around the world serving in churches, community agencies, universities, hospitals, prisons, the armed forces, educational institutions, and other places.
To have Foxlink invest capital and guidance in MedWand's virtual medical exam technology gives us the opportunity to reach markets worldwide.

Telemedicine device startup MedWand announced today that it has received a major investment from Foxlink Group, a renowned multi-billion dollar Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer. The amount of investment was not disclosed.

MedWand, with offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orange County, California, creates technology that allows patients to be examined remotely with a multi-diagnostic handheld device over Internet and satellite links. Dubbed the telephone of medical exams, the MedWand has won numerous awards and accolades for its ability to allow patients to be examined from anywhere. MedWand was the winner of the 2015 Health 2.0 Launch event after its inventor, Dr. Samir Qamar, examined a patient hundreds of miles away in front of a live audience.

MedWand CEO and Chairman, Dr. Qamar, commented on the deal. Foxlink is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of electronics from companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. To have Foxlink invest capital and guidance in MedWands virtual medical exam technology gives us the opportunity to reach markets worldwide. We are excited about our new relationship, and the international impact we will have on medical technology. MedWand is honored to have Foxlink as an investor.

Foxlink, which typically makes Series A investments, made an exception with MedWand by investing in its seed round.

As the world moves towards digital health and telemedicine, MedWand is exceptionally well-positioned to make a global and lasting impact with its remote medical examination capabilities, remarked Rodney Chiu, Foxlink Groups Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Investments. In addition to believing that MedWands technology is the leader in its space, we find MedWands team to be a unique blend of healthcare and engineering experts, a necessary ingredient for success. In addition to investment, Foxlink will provide technical, manufacturing, and distribution guidance to validate MedWand in markets around the world. Foxlink looks forward to building on the early successes of MedWand.

With significant pre-orders and global distribution deals in hand, MedWand is currently welcoming Series A investors, according to company officials.

About Foxlink 

Headquartered in Taipei Taiwan, Foxlink has over 15 design, manufacturing and sales sites worldwide. Since 1986 Foxlink has been designing, manufacturing and selling connectors, cable assemblies, power management devices, battery packs on an OEM/ODM basis to some of the worlds leading makers of communications devices, computers and consumer electronics. In addition to its expertise in the components, Foxlink and its subsidiaries have successfully developed diversified products in the area of wireless communications and optical technology, targeting to provide customers the total solution from components to turnkey products with the highest quality.

About MedWand Digital Health 

U.S.-based MedWand Solutions, Inc. creates award-winning telemedicine technology, allowing consumers to be remotely-examined by medical providers. Designed to be used by patients and doctors together, the handheld MedWand device is portable and combines a digital stethoscope, high-definition video camera for looking at skin and inside passages, thermometers, pulse oximetry, respiratory and heart rate monitors, EKG, and Bluetooth for peripheral device data. MedWand DOCs (Digital Onsite Clinics) combine MedWand devices with computers and tablets to create virtual clinic capabilities for consumers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.MedWand.com, or follow on Twitter @MedWand.
Kenneth Kort has been announced as the 2016-2017 Arthur H. Guenther Congressional Fellow. His scientific and technical background will allow him to meaningfully contribute to the legislative process, particularly in areas pertaining to renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and optoelectronics.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and The Optical Society (OSA) have announced the selection of Kenneth Kort, a graduate of the University of Buffalo (New York), as 2016-2017 Arthur H. Guenther Congressional Fellow. Kort will serve a one-year term as special legislative assistant on the staff of a U.S. congressional office or committee in Washington, D.C. The Fellowship is co-sponsored by OSA and SPIE.

Korts one-year term will begin in September, starting with comprehensive training and orientation facilitated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He and other Congressional Fellows will participate in an interview and selection process with offices of senators, representatives, or committees on Capitol Hill before selecting the offices in which they will serve for the next year.

The Congressional Fellowship program aims to bring technical and scientific backgrounds and perspectives to the decision-making process in Congress, and provide scientists with insight into the inner workings of the federal government. Typically, Fellows have the opportunity to conduct legislative or oversight work, assist in congressional hearings and debates, prepare policy briefs, and write speeches as part of their daily responsibilities.

Each year, following a formal application process, finalists are interviewed and Congressional Fellows are selected by a committee comprised of volunteer members from OSA and SPIE.

Kort holds B.S. and Ph.D. in degrees in chemistry from the University at Buffalo (UB). As an undergraduate, he was a member of the universitys Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society and a representative to the UB Student Association. He is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, and Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity, both of which he continued to be active with while in graduate school by serving as an advisor.

Korts graduate research focused on the synthesis, characterization, and spectroscopic studies of novel nanostructured materials. In 2011, he was selected as a National Science Foundation East Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellow, where he spent a summer in South Korea carrying out research at Pusan National University.

In 2014, he served as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences where he worked on the National Materials and Manufacturing Board. He was also the recipient of the 2014-2015 New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Graduate Student Award for his research on Raman spectroscopy for the determination of free-electron density in III-V semiconductors.

After graduation, Kort was hired by UBs New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics to assist with the launch of Buffalo Manufacturing Works, an advanced manufacturing institute to be operated by EWI. After his one-year appointment, he became a full-time employee of EWI where he has worked within their additive manufacturing group and materials and testing group.

Kort said he is eager to serve as the 2016-2017 Arthur H. Guenther Congressional Fellow. He has a long-standing interest in policy, and his scientific and technical background will allow him to meaningfully contribute to the legislative process, particularly in areas pertaining to renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and optoelectronics.

About SPIE

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2015, SPIE provided more than $5.2 million in support of education and outreach programs. http://www.spie.org

About OSA

Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and entrepreneurs who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org/100.
Liberty University received this week a $1.882 million bequest from the estate of Cloyce Keith Avey, who died March 4 at the age of 97.

Avey informed President Jerry Falwell of his intentions to include Liberty in his estate plans in a letter in 2012, stating, I watched your Dad persistently and laboriously bring Liberty University up and running as a viable institution. I can think of no better place to distribute some funds than Liberty University. Of course, I trust that your Board of Trustees will put it to good use.

He said he hoped by the time it was distributed that it would be a million dollars.

At the time of the letter, Avey lived in Rockledge, Fla.

President Jerry Falwell said, The university is deeply grateful for Mr. Aveys bequest. We consider it our solemn duty to honor the wishes of Mr. Avey to use his generous donation to fulfill the mission of Liberty University to Train Champions for Christ for generations to come.

It is not clear whether Avey ever visited Libertys campus. He did not specify how his gift was to be used.

About Liberty University

Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 500 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. More than 250 programs are offered online. Libertys mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrows world.
Its truly heartwarming to see the guidance and support found at PACE Lee...helping kids to succeed and become productive citizens must always be the cornerstone of any strong, healthy community.

Coppin Insurance Agency has unveiled a new charity campaign in their ongoing community involvement program serving the families of greater Fort Myers. Nonprofit PACE Center for Girls has been nationally recognized as being one of the most effective programs for keeping at-risk girls from entering the juvenile justice system. Compassionate community members who wish to provide a brighter and more productive future for girls may contribute at: https://www.crowdrise.com/a-brighter-future-for-local-girls/fundraiser/traceycoppin.

PACE Center for Girls began in 1985 with one Center in Jacksonville, Florida serving 10 girls. Today PACE includes 19 Centers throughout the state, which have changed the life trajectory of over 37,000 girls. PACE has created a gender responsive culture celebrating the power and potential of girls by addressing their specific needs. Focusing on education, counseling, training and advocacy, PACE is widely recognized as a national model for reducing recidivism and improving school success. PACE Lee, the local chapter, serves over 100 girls every year between the ages of 12 and 17 by addressing academic underachievement and at-risk behaviors in a nurturing, empowering environment which encourages strength, dignity and responsibility.

Its truly heartwarming to see the guidance and support found at PACE Lee, said Tracey Coppin Caruso, owner of Coppin Insurance Agency. Its a perfect fit for our new community enrichment program, as helping kids to succeed and become productive citizens must always be the cornerstone of any strong, healthy community.

Utilizing its own resources and seeking the help of its vast network of customers and business partners, Coppin Insurance marches on to ensure customers, friends, family and neighbors are always in good hands. Social media and an email awareness campaign will be used to help the agencys caring team to spread the word about the campaign for PACE Lee. They have also featured the cause in their monthly magazine, Our Hometown, which is delivered to thousands of households in the Fort Myers and surrounding communities. The electronic Flipbook version of the current issue may be viewed here: http://www.coppininsurance.com/Our-Hometown-Magazine_39.

Supporting their latest Community Cause has never been easier, as Coppin Insurance has pledged to donate $10 to PACE Lee for each and every recommendation they receive for an insurance quote, with no purchase necessary. Readers who would like to view the campaign, recommend a friend or make a personal donation may do so here: http://www.coppininsurance.com/A-Brighter-Future-For-Local-Girls_13_community_cause.

The agency just recently launched their master charity program, promising to choose a new local organization, family or person every two months to receive support. To keep track of their campaigns, please bookmark: http://www.coppininsurance.com/community-cause. Further information about Coppin Insurance Agency and PACE Lee are available at http://www.coppininsurance.com/ and http://www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee.

About Coppin Insurance Agency

Serving west Florida coastal families from offices in Fort Myers, Coppin Insurance Agency is committed to bringing local people an agency which understands their needs. Tracey Coppin Caruso and her team of dedicated professionals work with carriers to assemble a variety of products and services which will ensure their clients peace of mind. From all of the products a typical consumer needs (home, auto, boat, ATV, etc.), to financial planning services, Coppin Insurance delivers consistently superior service. Their caring experts may be reached by calling 239-489-2442.
Russ T. Piggott Joins Guardian Jet as Vice President Having spent his entire life immersed in aviation ... Russ absolutely has what it takes to buy and sell aircraft on behalf of our discerning business aviation clients." -- Don Dwyer, Managing Partner, Guardian Jet

Aviation veteran Russ T. Piggott was recently named Vice President, West Coast for Guardian Jet (guardianjet.com), the Guilford, Connecticut-based business aviation consulting and brokerage firm. In his new position Russ will lead the effort to build a stronger, more vital company presence on the countrys west coast.

Don Dwyer, Managing Partner of Guardian Jet, LLC, expressed a high degree of enthusiasm for Piggotts appointment and role with the company. "I consider it a major win that we were able to recruit Russ Piggott to the Guardian team, he said. Having spent his entire life immersed in aviationboth in the Air Force as a fighter pilot and now in civilian life as an aviation consultantRuss absolutely has what it takes to buy and sell aircraft on behalf of our discerning business aviation clients.

Prior to joining Guardian Jet, Piggott served as a vice president for Boston Jet Search, where he represented clients through the corporate jet search and acquisition process. He has also worked as a business process consultant with Afterburner, Inc., teaching business executives and leaders how to accelerate their performance.

Piggott began his career in the active-duty U.S. Air Force, where he spent 10 years serving as an F-16 fighter pilot. During that time, he flew 33 combat missions in the opening stages of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and was the F-16 West demonstration pilot. Piggott continues to serve in the California Air National Guard, flying the F-15C Eagle.

He graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a degree in Business Administration and earned a Masters of Operational Arts and Science from Air University. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating with more than 4,000 hours of flight time, and is an avid aerobatic pilot.

"Its extremely important for me to be part of an organization that has a high degree of integrity, a positive reputation and provides world-class products and services, explained Piggott, about his new job. As Ive learned, the Guardian Jet business model is built upon five pillars that are broader and much more inclusive than simply buying and selling airplanes, as most brokers are. Its important that I get to live where my wife and I want to raise our family, and, at the same time, Ill be able to share my passion for business aviation as a member of a very capable company built upon sound fundamentals. Its a perfect match.

About Guardian Jet

Founded in 2002, Guardian Jet, LLC, offers business aviation brokerage, consulting and oversight services for thousands of clients worldwide. The company distinguishes itself with its focus on integrity and industry expertise, and by consistently providing business value to clients. Guardian Jets core mission has always been to earn the right to buy and sell aircraft on behalf of its clientele by providing great consulting advice, market intelligence and flawless execution. For more information, visit guardianjet.com.
Taking loving care of these preyed upon members of our community is something our team feels passionately about...we see it as another step in building a stronger community.

Carlson & Associates Insurance Agency has announced a new partnership with Rubys Place as part of an ongoing community enrichment program serving the families of the East Bay area of California. Rubys Place is a nonprofit organization which has provided shelter and supportive services since 1972 to women and children struggling against domestic violence, homelessness and, recently, human trafficking. Readers wishing to show their support for this worthy cause may now contribute here: https://www.crowdrise.com/a-gem-of-hope-for-women-and-children.

Rubys Place has spent almost 45 years providing shelter, assistance and care to Alameda County and the Bay areas women and children in need. Their staff, which is composed of people from 7 different cultures speaking 8 different languages to ensure clients receive the most culturally responsive interactions, includes therapists, social workers, advocates and business leaders. Compassionate and educated, these dedicated people render assistance from a trauma-informed perspective, utilizing a no-cost 42-bed emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, case management, therapy, childrens programs and supportive transitional housing. Over 360 low-income individuals are served every year.

We are honored to do what we can to further the fundraising efforts of Rubys Place, said Todd Carlson, owner of Carlson & Associates Insurance Agency. Taking loving care of these preyed upon members of our community is something our team feels passionately about, and we see it as another step in building a stronger community for all.

Putting their money where their mouth is, Carlson & Associates has promised to donate $20 to Rubys Place for each and every person recommended to the agency. Anyone willing to help spread the word about this worthy campaign may recommend someone they know for a new insurance evaluation for their auto, home, life, business and more, with no purchase necessary. To view the campaign, recommend a friend and/or make a personal donation, please visit: http://www.carlsonagency.com/A-Gem-of-Hope-for-Women-and-Children_21_community_cause.

Meanwhile, the agencys caring team is busy mobilizing social media, email and text message communications to promote the initiative for Rubys Place, and have also dedicated a full page of their monthly magazine to spotlight the cause. The current issue of Our Hometown magazine, which is delivered to thousands of households in the East Bay area, may be viewed here: http://www.carlsonagency.com/Our-Hometown-Magazine_39.

Carlson & Associates will continue to work for deserving causes such as Rubys Place as part of their commitment to operate as Agents of Change in their community. Readers are invited to suggest ideas for future campaigns through this link: http://www.carlsonagency.com/Add-Community-Cause_52. To learn about past initiatives and keep track of future causes, please visit: http://www.carlsonagency.com/community-cause. More information on the agency is available here: http://www.carlsonagency.com/.

About Carlson & Associates Insurance Agency

A full service, award-winning, family-owned and operated firm serving the East Bay area of San Francisco from offices in Hayward and San Ramon, Carlson & Associates has one simple mission: to provide the finest insurance and financial products in the industry, while delivering consistently superior service. Todd Carlson and his dedicated team of caring professionals focus on helping clients to protect the things which are most important to them (their families, homes, cars and more) and in developing strategies to fulfill long-term financial goals. An expert at Carlson & Associates Insurance may be reached by calling 510-582-7900.
With a simple and methodical story-like style, Looming Black Shadows: The Rise of Terrorist States and the New Generation of al-Qaeda (published by Partridge India) helps readers understand the events in the evolution of Islamic terrorism, specifically al-Qaeda. It addresses the different aspects of the terrorist movement and the socio-political and religious background that shaped the group.

(The) world could not recognize the threat (of terrorism) until a vast part of Syria and Iraq fell to a marauding extremist army of ISIL, a regional malignant mutation of original Al-Qaeda, author Sawad Hadi explains. Not many assessments of these new developments were available. Repeating (the) mistakes (and) painful lessons from history in the modern world was shocking and clueless.

Diving deep into the anatomy of terror breeding grounds, symptoms of an impending religious extremist movement, the roots of dangerous religious reinterpretations, the psychology of extremists and various elusive sponsors of world terror networks, Looming Black Shadows examines these threats and suggests ways to slow their progress.

Through his work, Hadi hopes his readers come away with an Understanding (of) what went wrong in history and (the) awareness not to repeat the mistakes of history.

Looming Black Shadows

By Sawad Hadi

Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 306 pages | ISBN 9781482870862

Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 306 pages | ISBN 9781482870855

E-Book | 306 pages | ISBN 9781482870893

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Sawad Hadi, with his social background and personal experience in religious extremism and politico-religious violence, has formulated a comprehensive strategy on combating terrorism and indoctrination. He introduces his first book after extensive research on what he perceives as the biggest security threat in the world. Hadi currently lives in India.

Partridge India, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors in India, all priced appropriately for the Indian market. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, Partridge India assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Partridge India shares its headquarters with Penguin Books India in New Delhi. For more information or to publish a book, visit partridgepublishing.com/india or call 000.800.10062.62. For the latest, follow @PartridgeIndia on Twitter.
With the rapid expansion of virtual reality technology, we immediately saw the potential to allow consumers to experience our programs remotely in a more robust way than traditional video tours, said FRNs Chief Marketing Officer Lee Pepper.

For years, virtual reality (VR) has been more promise than practical execution, with little impact on the average persons life. But now those struggling with addiction or mental health disorders can use virtual reality to get a sneak peek at the treatment process. Foundations Recovery Network (FRN) is charting new territory with the launch of virtual reality tours of their residential treatment location The Oaks at La Paloma in Memphis and their outpatient facility Foundations Nashville.

From the comfort of their home, someone seeking treatment can take a tour via virtual reality and feel as if they are physically walking through that facility. It can be unsettling for someone to spend an extended period of time somewhere theyve never visited. FRNs new VR tours help ease some of those concerns by adding an element of transparency.

In a May 2016 article, Fortune.com showcased new ways companies are using VR technology to allow consumers to explore new vehicle models, check out seats at concert venues before purchasing tickets and reinventing amusement park rides.

With the rapid expansion of virtual reality technology, we immediately saw the potential to allow consumers to experience our programs remotely in a more robust way than traditional video tours, said FRNs Chief Marketing Officer Lee Pepper.

FRN has plans to expand the program, providing VR tours for more of their 19 (and counting) locations in the future. To experience VR, Google Cardboard viewers can be purchased for $15 and other VR headset brands are also available. Even without VR glasses, the FRN website has an option to take a 360-degree tour of the facilities.

About Foundations Recovery Network

Foundations Recovery Network (FRN) is the premier provider of integrated treatment for co-occurring addiction and mental health concerns, offering residential and outpatient services nationwide. FRN is committed to providing evidence-based treatment for individuals with co-occurring disorders through clinical services, education and research. FRN offers treatment programs in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Palm Springs, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Malibu, California; Atlanta and Sautee, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Detroit and Augusta, Michigan. Each facility focuses on patient-centered care and an individualized approach, upholding a high standard of innovative treatment and compassionate attention to each patients needs. For more information, visit FoundationsRecoveryNetwork.com.
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Dave Barry has had great success writing juvenile humor for adults, but the Miami newspaperman says his second act is even more satisfying: writing juvenile humor for actual juveniles. The Pulitzer Prizewinning columnist will deliver a talk at Childrens Institute titled I Dont Want to Grow Upfitting for an author who, with Ridley Pearson, added to the Peter Pan canon with their Peter and the Starcatchers series, which was adapted into a Tony Awardwinning Broadway musical.

Barrys latest book, The Worst Night Ever (Disney-Hyperion), is the second in his Worst series; the first, The Worst Class Trip Ever, chronicled the same characters worst-ever field trip, to Washington, D.C. He launched the new book in April at Books & Books, a Miami independent bookstore, where he was introduced by a sixth grader. [Shed] read everything Id ever written and was just vibrating with excitement, Barry says. When you write for kids, you find those kinds of readers all the time. I just wish I knew how to make more of them.

As he does for many of his newspaper columns, Barry finds inspiration for his work for young readers in the wacky moments of real life. It was extremely helpful when I started writing this book, which sends [protagonist] Wyatt and his friends to high school, that my daughter, Sophie, was starting high school at the same time, he says. He expects to write at least one more Worst book, as soon as he can crib a new plotline from something that happens at his daughters school, he saysonly partly in jest.

In the meantime, Barry has been touring and taking his wild and crazy stories to schools across the country. That never happened when I was a kidwe never had an author come to our school, he says. But now a book tour for a childrens book means you go to a school and meet 300 or 400 sixth and seventh graders at once. His goal is to win them over to our side, the side thats reading, and you can almost see it happen. Barry adds: You get them into your storyI use a lot of slides, an idea I stole from Ridleyand theyre always willing to listen. Its less boring than math.

Barry often tours for his adult titles, but says its not the same: [Young readers] react so honestly. They dont pretend to be interested if theyre not.

Barry is optimistic about the future of bookstores and reading. I mean, getting 100 people to a bookstore compared to how many people there are in the world is nothing, but when I do signings, a lot of people still show up, he says. And it always amazes me because people have to make an effort to get up, go out, drive to Coral Gables [where Books & Books flagship store is] or wherever, when they could easily decide to stay home instead.

Barry continues to write for the Miami Herald and plans to cover the Olympics and the political conventions this year, as he always does. Hes particularly interested in the Republican side of the race because, like having a daughter just starting high school, it has provided him with a lot of good material. Of course Im voting for Trump, he says. Im a humor columnist.

Dave Barry will give the breakfast keynote on Thursday, June 23, 7:458:45 a.m., in the Salon E Ballroom.

Return to the main feature.
QUINCY, Ill. (AP)  Quincy is highlighting Abraham Lincoln's historic ties to the city by hosting the first Lincoln in the District festival.

The Quincy Herald-Whig reported that the festival will be held Saturday in Washington Park, where Lincoln in 1858 debated Stephen A. Douglas in his bid to unseat the incumbent U.S. senator. Lincoln lost the election, but the campaign helped him rise to national prominence and eventually become president.

The festival will feature actors portraying historical characters, including Lincoln and Douglas. There will also be children's activities, carriage rides and period-appropriate demonstrations, including yarn spinning and broom making.

Organizers say the festival will allow attendees to step back into Lincoln's time.
WASHINGTON (AP)  David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Secretary of State John Kerry called the attack that killed Gilkey and Tamanna "a grim reminder of the danger that continues to face the Afghan people, the dedication of Afghan national defense and security forces to securing their country, and of the courage of intrepid journalists  and their interpreters  who are trying to convey that important story to the rest of the world."

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email. Known as Zabi, he also worked as a photographer and reporter, taking pictures for China's Xinhua news agency and writing for Turkey's Anadolu News Agency. The stories he covered ranged from the inauguration of the new president, to the daily attacks and drone strikes in the war-ravaged country.

Veteran correspondent Phillip Reeves, who recruited Tamanna to the network, called him "a great colleague."

"He was a lovely man, with a great eye for a story and deep wisdom about his country," Reeves said in a statement. "He clearly loved his family."

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.
BASEL, Switzerland  Swiss voters Sunday rejected by a huge margin the introduction of an unconditional basic income.

The proposal to guarantee every adult a minimum monthly income of $2,535 lost 76.9 percent to 23.1 percent 2,500. It could have, over time, lead to scrapping unemployment, social and pension payments.

The initiators of the referendum still clled the vote as a sensational success, saying it was significantly more that we expected, spokesman Daniel Haeni said. It means the debate goes on, and also internationally.

The main reason the proposal was rejected was a lack of clarity and doubts about how it would be financed, said Claude Longchamp, head of gfs.bern.

The progressives who proposed the basic income said it would be a necessary reaction to the digital revolution, which has resulted in fewer jobs.

The Swiss government was opposed to the concept, arguing that austerity measures or tax increases would have been necessary to finance it.

The government also worried that the basic income would attract many migrants.

Left-wing parties in Germany and the anti-globalist Five Star Movement in Italy also advocate basic income.
In recent years I have been on the outer fringe of the periphery of Illinois politics and government. To refresh myself, I spent the last two days of the recent legislative session haunting the corridors of our stately capitol.

I talked with former college students of mine who are now senators, reps, lobbyists and agency officials throughout the bureaucracy.

Frustration isnt a big enough word to capture their overall mood. Despondency, with all hopes for a better day slipping away, says it better.

Everyone in the capitol except for Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan will tell you, if some must do so off the record, that this second year without a state budget is hurting the state down to its foundations.

These alpha males are locked in a now highly personal death struggle that blocks out consideration of anything but political victory and, each hopes, vindication that all the state has suffered will have been worth it.

Even when a budget is enacted, the well will be so poisoned that constructive, farsighted policymaking may be impossible until both men are gone from the scene.

Madigan seems to think he has the upper hand at the moment. His three-fifths Democratic majority in the House stands shoulder to shoulder with him, capable of blocking anything Rauner wants to achieve in the way of business-friendly, union-weakening changes.

For Madigan public policy has always been a means not an end (the end has always accruing yet more political control).

Now he relishes the prospect of rubbing Rauners nose in the dirt, to show that the plucky kid from the Irish Southwest Side of Chicago has bested the privileged, snot-nosed brat from the North Shore.

During my visit to Springfield, I did see a few chinks in the armor of the two combatants.

Two House Republicans broke ranks to vote for a successful override of a Rauner veto of a pension bill that would help Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, gave a calm, thoughtful explanation on the House floor of his vote to override Rauner.

But there was no jeering, no cat calls from fellow GOP lawmakers, as I might have heard in decades past for similar apostasy.

It was as if Harriss colleagues were silently cheering, as if to send a message to Rauner that they also wont treated as toadies forever.

Across the capitol rotunda, the Senate Democrats resoundingly defeated a Madigan-crafted budget that included $7.5 billion more in spending than revenues to support such.

Now the legislative conflict carries into the summer.

I believe the flashpoint to force the alpha males to sit down and talk political turkey for the first time will be the prospect of some public schools not opening in the fall.

Politicians can shaft the poor and put college careers on hold by withholding scholarship funding, but no politician will risk catching the blame from parents of 2 million school kids should the opening of school in August be iffy.

Of course, the lawmakers could, once again, enact a bill to fund schools and leave the rest of the state without a budget.

As for the two principals, Rauners spine is steeled by repeated editorials from the Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune, cheering him on, whispering in his ear that the only way to straighten out Illinois is to destroy Madigan.

The fundamental problem with that is that Rauner lacks the tools, even with his bottomless pit of money, to destroy the deeply bunkered Madigan, much as many might wish it could be done.

Madigan is, on the other hand, showing signs of political hardening of the arteries. He is so consumed by his decades-long game of maintaining and building political power that he has now totally lost sight of the fact that some things other than political control matter.

Enterprising University of Illinois graduate student Melissa Heil has created an Illinois Austerity Atlas, which documents the scores of thousands of people who suffer from lack of a state budget.

Unfortunately, the hurt goes much deeper. As I have mentioned before, and it is just one example, morale at my beloved U. of I. is rock bottom because of the debilitating uncertainty over its future.

I continue to weep for Illinois.
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G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
The order, which has been approved by Kenya Railways Corporation, comprises 43 DF8B freight locomotives, five DF11 passenger locomotives, and eight DF7G shunters.

The locomotives will be delivered by next May for use on the 472km Mombasa - Nairobi standard-gauge line, which is due to open in June 2017. An update on the project is included in the June issue of IRJ (p30).
I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish to be an interstate passenger railroad tonight.

Not so fast. Although a proposed Texas Central high-speed passenger railroad seeks from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) an interstate appellation, there are statutory pre-conditions first to be met.

This instant case before the STB is significant because what the proposed Texas Central seeks is a protective cloak making it possible to evade Texas law that could slow or prevent the use of eminent domain power to acquire private property for the right-of-way.

Texas Central seeks to become by 2021at a conservative cost estimate of $10 billionAmericas first truly high-speed passenger railroad, operating more than 60 trains daily at speeds of 205 mph along a 240-mile route linking the endpoints of Dallas and Houston. The track would sit atop a 14-foot earthen berm constructed over private range land. And theres the rub, as much of that land for the right-of-way would be acquired using eminent domain power.

Opponents contend the STB lacks jurisdictionthat the fate of Texas Central should be determined by Texans in Texas.

The alleged lack of STB jurisdiction is tied to the nature of the proposed railroad, which is described by its promoters in state filings as an interurban electric railway that will not be connected to the national railroad network. Federal law does not allow STB jurisdiction over street, suburban or interurban electric railways not operating as part of the general system of rail transportation.

Texas Central says that since its passengers could be busedor even walkto Amtrak stations in Houston or Dallas, it meets the requirement of being connected to the national rail network. But if that doesnt provoke the STB as a fellow traveler, Texas Central says its potential for connections with future high-speed rail systems, such as might be constructed across state lines, should be sufficient. Those dogs dont hunt, says a commerce lawyer familiar with the federal statute and case law attending it.

Texas ranchers dont typically cotton to land grabsno matter their purposeespecially when Japanese banks are said to be fronting the cash for Texas Central. (The system will employ Japanese Shinkansen Series 700 high-speed trainsets.The photo here was downloaded from the Texas Central website.) More infuriating to affected ranchers is the proposed 14-foot-high earthen wall upon which the track will sita berm slicing through range land stretching through 11 counties, surely limiting the roam of cattle, horses, deer and antelope, as well as Texas cowboys in their ubiquitous pickup trucks who despair of being fenced in.

Compounding the kerfuffle is that Texas Central wants to fast-track the process and avoid filing a tell-all application. Opponents say the hurry is to avoid close scrutiny of finances.

With an expedited exemption process, said an opponent, the STB and affected public may not get the whole truth as to the financial viability. It was former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping who famously observed, If you open the window for fresh air, you have to expect some flies to blow in.

Opponent Blake Beckham, an attorney and affected rancher, said Texas Central has not shown the regulators, much less the public, a shred of proof supporting any ability to build this project. Although promoters once predicted the project would be 100% privately financed, a columnist in The Hill newspaper wrote that Texas Central acknowledged it wouldnt rule out applying for federal loans.

In Texas, where razor-sharp budget hawks appear as numerous as longhorn cattle, queuing up for the dole is not a popular vocation. Naysayers fear the projects eventual financial failure, which could require perennial taxpayer financed subsidies. Similar anxiety caused fiscally conservative governors in other states to reject federal stimulus funds intended to encourage high-speed rail projects.

Skeptics question the Texas projects $10 billion cost estimate, pointing to an embattled California high-speed rail project whose initial cost projections levitated from $33 billion to as high as $80 billion.

Opponents especially fret that should the STB approve Texas Centrals fast-track request, promoters will commence using eminent domain power against unwilling sellers before identifying the railroads actual alignment. Promoters have two routes in mindwith environmental review still pendingmeaning even before a final route is determined, many landowners could be unnecessarily forced into state court, at their own expense, to fight for equitable compensation for land Texas Central may not want after all.

Where Texas humorist, author and songwriter Kinky Friedman might utter, oy vey, many of the citizenry of the 11 affected counties are collectively chanting, hell, no, comparing the project and its sought-after premature land grab to the evil of Baptist preachers who cuss and carouse.

Buy America advocates have yet to comment, perhaps hopefully expecting an epidemic of new domestic construction jobs. But if replacement of the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is a leading indicator, Texas Central Railroad may come with a made in Japan label. Officials in California boasted they saved plenty by outsourcing much of the Bay Bridge work to Chinadubbed the made in China affair by The New York Times.

Comedian Mel Brooks once counseled, If you get a chance to go to Texas, dont! Perhaps he was referring to a proposed Texas Central high-speed railroad, as it has emerged as a Texas-sized pain on the range.

The case is docketed before the STB as FD 36025_0, Texas Central Railroad and Infrastructure, Inc. & Texas Central Railroad, LLC  Petition for Exemption  Passenger Rail Line between Dallas, TX and Houston, TX.
Citing reductions in new railcar demand and improved efficiencies of the railroads in North America for the foreseeable future, Amsted Rail is temporarily idling its Bessemer, Ala., Griffin wheel facility. Amsted Rail expects to accomplish this before the end of September 2016.

Amsted Rail said it intends to closely monitor the North American market demand and will be prepared to react as customer demand changes. Our customers will continue to be served from our other four wheel manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

The dedication of our Bessemer employees in meeting customer demand will be matched by our dedication in assisting them through this difficult time, said Amsted Rail President John Wories. Employees will be provided with pay and benefits above and beyond the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification act (WARN) and will have opportunities to transfer to other locations with financial relocation assistance. Additionally, employee assistance services, out placement services and, where the employee elects, employment recall opportunities will also be provided. We want to make sure our employees are treated with a level of respect and dignity that will ensure their availability to quickly restart operations when customer demand returns.

Amsted Rail is focused on ensuring our capacity is closely aligned with our key customers requirements noted Wories. Bessemer became an important contributor to meeting these customer requirements during peak demand and we are especially thankful to the hard-working, skilled and dedicated employees who contributed to that success.
EXIM Bank (Export-Import Bank of the United States) has financed the sale of Railserves LEAF locomotives to Societe dExploitation du Transgabonais (SETRAG), a railway operator in Gabon, Africa.

The Bank guaranteed a $10 million loan extended by American Trade & Finance Company (Atrafin) to facilitate the export. This created up to 20 jobs at Railserves manufacturing facility in Longview. Railserve approached EXIM Bank in 2013 to finance the export sale to SETRAG. This was a whole new ball game for the business, and Railserve needed to be sure it had the financial security to confidently and successfully engage, said EXIM Bank.Our loan guarantee mitigates the potential risks associated with selling to foreign buyers and ensures that the U.S. business gets paid. The program provides competitive financing options and flexible repayment terms for international buyers that otherwise may not have been available from lenders. We have a Congressional mandate to support the export of U.S.made goods and services to sub-Saharan Africa, and authorized more than $2 billion in financing to support such exports in 2014, the largest total in the Banks 81-year history.

With this transaction, weve not only leveled the playing field for an American manufacturer in a highly competitive global market, but weve also empowered Railserve to hire more American workers in Longview said EXIM Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. This deal is a great example of how the Banks financing equips American exporters to beat the competition overseas while supporting jobs at home.

EXIM Bank noted that Railserve was able to outbid Chinese competition thanks to the financing it applied for and received from the Bank. As a result, the companys locomotives are now being used in Gabon as part of SETRAGs plans to improve railway operations.

Its our first sale outside of North America so this is a big step for us, said Railserve LEAF Program Manager TJ Mahoney. It was very important that we had the support of EXIM, because that was a critical element in the buyers selection of Railserve. We added new positions in our manufacturing plant due to the SETRAG order and are able to secure the jobs of all employees at the plant. Were very pleased with this level of business and we think its going to open doors for us across Africa, where theres a lot of rail development under way.

EXIM Bank describes itself as an independent federal agency that supports and maintains U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees and export credit insurance, to promote the sale of U.S. goods and services abroad. Almost 90% of its transactions directly serve American small businesses. In fiscal year 2015, EXIM Bank approved $12.4 billion in total authorizations. These authorizations supported an estimated $17 billion in U.S. export sales, as well as approximately 109,000 American jobs in communities across the country.

Railserve, a Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway company, is one of the largest providers of in-plant rail switching and associated services, operating in more than 70 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Railserve manufactures the Railserve LEAF and Railserve Dual LEAF Gen-Set Locomotives at its Longview, Tex., facility. Railserve uses its own locomotives and employees to move railcars within industrial, manufacturing, and production plants. In addition, Railserve provides other services including railcar loading and unloading; and track maintenance, inspection and repair.
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As it continues to divest assets to pass regulatory scrutiny of its planned takeover of Media General, Nexstar Broadcasting Group is planning to continue its local TV station divestiture process, with plans to sell two stations for $270 million.





Nexstars planned $4.6 billion acquisition of local US TV affiliate powerhouse Media General was announced in January 2016. The proposed divestitures are required to meet the mandated 39% US television household national ownership cap; the company said that it will be announcing additional station divestitures shortly, especially in overlap markets.The broadcaster said it was selling WBAY-TV, the ABC affiliate serving the Green Bay, Wis, market, and KWQC-TV, the NBC affiliate serving the Davenport -Moline-Rock Island, Iowa, market, to Gray Television Inc.In May Nexstar Broadcasting sold off five of its local TV stations in four markets as it began to fulfil regulatory requirements.Two of the three proposed transactions represent opportunities for minority television station owners. It will sell KADN-TV (FOX) and KLAF-LD (NBC) in Lafayette (DMA #121) to Bayou City Broadcasting Lafayette (BCBL) for $40 million in cash. BCBL is a minority-led broadcaster owned by affiliates of Bain Capital Credit and Bayou City Broadcasting.It will also sell KREG-TV in Denver (DMA #17) to Marquee Broadcasting, a women-owned broadcast group that owns three local broadcast stations in Maryland, Georgia and Delaware. KREG-TV currently operates as a satellite station of Nexstar-owned CBS affiliate KREX-TV but upon consummation of the sale will no longer do so.The third agreement is to sell WCWJ, the CW affiliate serving Jacksonville market (DMA #47), and WSLS-TV, the NBC affiliate serving the Roanoke-Lynchburg, market (DMA #69), to female-owned Graham Media Group, for a total consideration of $120 million.Acquisition and divestiture is part of the companys DNA. As of 31 December 2011, it owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to 55 television stations and 11 digital multi-cast channels, including those owned by Mission, in 32 markets. In December 2012, the company divested KBTV, the FOX affiliate serving Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas to San Antonio Television LLC and Deerfield Media. In December 2012, it acquired ten television stations and two associated digital sub-channels in seven markets as well as the Inergize Digital e-Media operations from entities controlled by privately-held Newport Television. In January 2013, the Company announced that Mission had acquired two television stations in Little Rock, Ark.In its next iteration, the Nexstar-Media General combination, to be called Nexstar Media Group, will have 171 full-power TV stations in 100 markets and reach 39% of US households."The acquisition of Media General's broadcasting and digital media assets represent a transformational growth opportunity for Nexstar and is strategically and financially compelling," said Perry Sook, CEO of Nexstar . "The transaction increases Nexstar's broadcast portfolio by approximately two-thirds, with very limited overlap with our existing properties, more than doubles our audience reach, provides entree to 15 new top 50 DMAs and offers synergies related to the increased scale of the combined digital media operations."
Vladivostok mayor accused of bribery appeals against detention

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) - Mayor of Vladivostok Igor Pushkarev charged with abuse of office and commercial bribery, has filed an appeal against his detention, Moscows Basmanny District Courts press office told RAPSI on Monday.

On June 2, the court ordered the detention of Pushkarev until July 31.

Pushkarev has pleaded not guilty to charges brought against him and expressed his willingness to cooperate with investigators.

Earlier, official representative for Russias Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin announced that between 2009 and 2014 Pushkarev from mercenary or other personal motives organized the acquisition by Roads of Vladivostok of a large volume of construction materials from the group of companies Vostokcement allegedly controlled by his relatives. Investigators believe that construction materials have been purchased at inflated prices. Pushkarev has received upwards of 45 million rubles ($673,000) for this.

The damage allegedly caused by Pushkarev has been estimated at more than 158 million rubles ($2.4 million), according to investigation.

Moreover, in the period from 2012 to 2014, the mayor of Vladivostok funneled about 1.4 million rubles ($21,000) to Andrey Lushnikov, the CEO of the municipal unitary enterprise Roads of Vladivostok, supposedly controlled by the City Administration. Lushikov in turn organized purchase of building materials at overcharge price, investigators claim.
Prosecutor seeks $22,400 fine for eccentric artist Pavlensky

MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI)  A prosecutor on Monday asked the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow to impose a 1.5-million ruble ($22,400) fine on performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky for setting fire to the Moscow headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB), RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

According to prosecution, Pavlenskys guilt has been proven.

Defense in turn asked the court to acquit Pavlensky.

Earlier, the Federal Security Service (FSB) filed a lawsuit seeking 481,000 rubles ($7,200) in compensation from Pavlensky.

Eccentric artist Pavlensky was arrested on November 9, 2015, along with several other people who claim to be journalists that were invited to the artists performance. The next day Pavlensky was detained under a court decision.

Initially Pavlensky was accused of vandalism but later investigators reclassified charges against him to destruction of cultural heritage sites.

Pavlensky is known for a number of controversial performances.

In July 2012, he sewed up his mouth and stood at the Kazan Cathedral with a poster in support of Pussy Riot.

In May 2013, Pavlensky lay down on the ground in front of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly naked with barbed wire around his body.

In November 2013, also naked, Pavlensky nailed his scrotum to the Red Square pavement near the Lenin Mausoleum.

In October 2014, he staged an eccentric stunt on the roof of the Serbsky Mental Institution in Moscow by cutting off one of his earlobes.

In February 2015, Pavlensky and his accomplices burned car tyres, waved Ukrainian flags and banged sheet metal with sticks in a show of solidarity with the anti-government protesters in Ukraine. The performance was held near the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg.




As we see a surge in inflation globally, it is now critical that everyone is aware of the implications this will have along every step of the insurance and reinsurance value chain.
It took far too long to put Chadian ex-dictator Hissene Habre on trial. Yet because the verdict was handed down by an African court, it sends a robust message across Africa and beyond.

Victims of the dictator Hissene Habre, who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, had to wait a long time for justice. For more than a quarter of a century, there was no official recognition of the suffering they had endured. To make matters worse, the ex-dictator who had spread so much misery was able to lead a carefree existence in exile in Senegal where he resided in an elegant villa.

Habre was shielded by former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade. Wade made no attempt to prosecute Habre, despite a mandate Senegal had received from the African Union in 2006 to open proceedings against him. For many years, it looked as if Hissene Habre was to be yet another case of an African head of state going unpunished for crimes he had committed.

Habre's secret police, the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS), terrorized his opponents - real or imagined - for eight years. This was a deplorable example of a state abusing its power. Tens of thousands were tortured or maltreated and at least 40,000 people were killed.

Habre was brought to trial by the persistence of victims' groups and a number of NGOs. The judges of the special tribunal, known by its French acronym CAE (Chambres africaines extraordinaires), also deserve words of praise. They ensured that the ex-dictator was given a life sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity, rape, kidnapping and other charges.

This was an African Union special tribunal. As such, it has sent a powerful signal from Africa and for Africa. A precedent has been set. Habre was the first African president to be convicted on the continent and in the name of the continent. The judges have thereby helped to strengthen independent African justice and perhaps even more importantly they have given a boost to civil society in Africa.

It is a pity that it took so long. But the reluctance to prosecute displayed by Wade shows that there is still a long way to go. African presidents are generally unwilling to tear each others eyes out. Even Wade's successor, Macky Sall, speaking in an interview with DW two years ago, was unwilling to call Habre a dictator.

Yet it was Sall who promised to put Habre on trial and he kept that promise. But many African leaders refrain from taking such a step because they fear they, too, could end up in court one day. That is why the CEA verdict is so important. Heads of state - many of whom are ex-rebels - will only change their attitudes once they appreciate that crimes will not go unpunished.

There are also lessons here for the international community. Firstly, the CEA judges have shown that they are just as capable as their counterparts in the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Secondly, the verdict should also help the international community realize that it often supports the wrong leaders or heads of state.

Far too many African presidents enjoy prestige abroad while permitting serious rights abuses at home; for example, because they are supporting the struggle against terrorism outside their country's borders. The presence of terror within such borders is apparently only of limited interest to international policy makers.
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News / Africa

by Staff reporter

JOHANNESBURG - The South African government's international relations spokesperson Clayson Monyela has hit out at the US embassy on Twitter, saying its terror alerts caused "panic".This comes after the US government warned its citizens in South Africa about possible terror attacks by Islamic militants.In a tweet on Saturday night, Monyela said: "The last advisory by @USEmbassySA to US citizens in SA warning of an 'imminent attack' proved to be a false alarm. I see there's another 1."US ambassador Patrick Gaspard, however, hit back, saying: "The price of freedom is eternal diligence, and through Grace we are all made safe. The only false note is arrogance."Monyela chose to end the debate by replying: "I won't engage you on that road Amb. You know my views on these advisories & the panic they cause."News24 understands, however, that the South African authorities had been informed about the terror alert and was co-operating with the US on the matter.In an alert issued on Saturday, the US government said it had "received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where US citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town"."This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan."US Embassy spokesperson Cynthia Harvey said: "Protection of US citizens overseas is among our top priorities. When we receive specific, credible, non-counterable threat information, it is our worldwide policy for US embassies and consulates to share the information."We are co-operating with local authorities, as we do in any investigation into terrorist threats around the world."She said US citizens were advised to enroll their international travel plans on a government website."There will be no change to operations at US Embassy Pretoria or our Consulates in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg," she said.The US issued a similar alert in September last year, but the South African State Security Agency said at the time that they had no such information and that there was no need to panic.
Kanye West sent the Big Apple into chaos early Monday morning when thousands of fans showed up for a surprise performance at the city's famous Webster Hall.

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Police shut down the impromptu sold-out show when some 4,000 people crowded in to the East Village about 2 a.m., People reported.

There were allegations of police using pepper spray to disband the crowd, which police denied, CNN reported.

West called the concert after his Governor's Ball performance got cancelled due to weather.

"We're doing PABLO at 2 a.m. in Manhattan. sorting out where now," Virgil Abloh, West's creative director, posted on line Sunday night about 10 p.m.

The Grammy winning artist had planned to perform songs from his seventh studio album, "The Life of Pablo," during the Governors Ball.

While the hastily called concert got cancelled, it wasn't before Yeezy made a special appearance.

In a video captured by Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian, and posted on Snapchat and Instagram, her husband can be heard saying "Either call the mayor and shut down the block about four streets... so they can have a party outside. I know it's sold out already."

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The boisterous crowd of both locals and tourists chanted Kanye's name and posted Snapchat videos of the chaos, roaring as celebrities like ASAP Rocky made their way through the throngs.

In an effort to deter the swelling crowd, Kanye tweeted about 1 a.m. "Show at 2 a.m. SOLD OUT."

Still, fans stuck around, even after someone spoke in to a bullhorn telling them the concert was "not happening."

It was not until about 2:30 when police began using dispersal tactics that the crowd began to break up. While a few fans claimed police used pepper spray or tear gas, police said that was not the case.
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

The head teacher for Botshabelo Primary School, Malebogo Mthunzi has said that her school is faced with the challenge of pupils of Bazezuru tribe who abscond from school at the end of August until end of the year to attend a pilgrimage in Zimbabwe.Mmegi reported that Speaking during the First National Bank shoe donation at the school last week, the school head said her school has a considerable number of pupils of Bazezuru tribe and that usually when the period of the pilgrimage arrives, parents travel with them to Zimbabwe until the end of the event. She said this affects their studies as they miss examinations."It is a challenge because when they return we are forced to make them repeat while they want to progress to the next classes. We are trying our best to sensitise parents on this," she said.The school head also said the school currently has an enrollment of 731 students but the number fluctuates depending on the status of the BCL mine. She also noted that the school absorbs many students from surrounding cattleposts whose attendance and punctuality sometimes is a problem but added that they are able to minimise the number of dropouts.She was happy that her school was able to achieve an 87 percent pass in the last Primary School Leaving Examinations despite the fact that the school went for four weeks without food supply.Chief Education Officer in Selebi-Phikwe region, Lillian Matshameko said their wish is to see every child attending school and performing well. She said this is only possible if children have all the basic needs hence theFNBB donation provides an enabling environment."We often fail to reach the 100 percent pass mark mainly because children fail to attend school well as a result of shortage of basic needs," she added.Selebi-Phikwe East MP, Nonofho Molefhi said education is very expensive hence it is upon every parent to make sacrifices to meet their children's needs. He said where government is lacking, parents must come in and decried that men are lagging behind when it comes to their children's education.He said abuse of children must be condemned at all costs and regretted that some parents tend to turn a blind eye and fail to report this."If we can establish that parents fail to report child abuse cases they will face the wrath of the law. We are also disturbed by teenage pregnancies and all perpetrators must face the music because it destroys the future and psychological wellbeing of the child," he added.FNBB donated 743 pairs of shoes to the school and since the initiative started in 2001 the bank has used P40 million in charitable programmes. It donates 3,724 pairs of shoes across the country annually. The bank representative, Kegomoditswe Mosupi said the donation came at an opportune time because it is winter. He said the bank's gesture does not mean that parents should neglect their responsibilities.
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By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP)  A burlesque dancer says JetBlue employees at Boston's Logan International Airport forced her to change clothes before she was allowed to board a connecting flight to Seattle.

The 26-year-old dancer uses the stage name Maggie McMuffin. She tells The Boston Globe she was waiting for her flight May 18 when a JetBlue employee requested that she change out of her high-waisted shorts or risk not being admitted onto the plane.

McMuffin says her black-and-white short shorts "covered everything" and her body was "90 percent" covered, given that she was also wearing thigh-high socks and a sweater.

JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw says airline employees discussed McMuffin's clothing and determined it might offend families on the flight.

McMuffin complied but called it embarrassing and vowed to never fly JetBlue again.
FILE - In this May 11, 2016 file photo, Arnold Schwarzenegger poses at the Rebels With A Cause Gala at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. Schwarzenegger got up close and personal with an elephant while on safari in South Africa. The movie star posted a video on Instagram Tuesday, May 31, that shows an elephant coming right up to the windshield of the Jeep in which Schwarzenegger was a passenger. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Arnold Schwarzenegger had a close call with an elephant while on safari in South Africa.

The movie star and former California governor posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday that shows an elephant coming up to the windshield of the Jeep that Schwarzenegger was riding in. The elephant initially walks away, then returns and chases the vehicle as it drives away.

Schwarzenegger wrote that he couldn't have written the encounter any better if it had been a movie scene.

He wrote: "I'm absolutely in awe of these beautiful, strong animals, even though some of us had to change our pants after this."

Schwarzenegger publicist Daniel Ketchell confirmed Tuesday that the video is "real and unstaged."
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By Ryan Sabalow

Opponents of a decade-old push to put fluoride in Redding's drinking water say they felt vindicated when they learned this month that national public health officials plan to lower the recommended levels of fluoride in municipal water supplies for the first time in nearly 50 years.

On Jan. 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it was considering lowering the amount of fluoride put in public water sources after a fresh review of the science suggested some Americans, particularly children, may be getting too much fluoride.

The new findings show a small risk that some could be getting too much thanks to fluoride being placed in most toothpastes and a host of other dental products.

"We brought that up," said CT Carden of Mountain Gate. "We said it happens mostly with the young folks, but these folks wouldn't believe us."

Carden was a member of Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, which in 2002 led a campaign to keep Redding officials from putting fluoride in the city's water supply.

Voters that year shot down the fluoridation efforts, against the protests of a better-funded group of community health leaders.

Those same leaders continue to advocate for fluoridation of drinking water.

Shasta County health officer Dr. Andrew Deckert said the Department of Health and Human Services is merely suggesting toning down the amount of fluoride to protect against a minor cosmetic defect called fluorosis, a spotting of teeth with no other adverse health effects.

Deckert said fluoridating water supplies has been shown to greatly decrease the amount of tooth decay in a community.

He said from the late 1970s until recently the prevalence of tooth decay in U.S. teens has gone down from 90 percent to 60 percent.

That's despite an increase in the amount of sugar being consumed through soda and the use of sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup in a growing number of foods, he said.

"The Centers for Disease Control has designated community water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century," Deckert said.

In 2002, Redding's voters didn't buy similar arguments raised by members of Citizens for Healthy Smiles, a coalition of doctors, dentists and educators that raised nearly $31,000 against Measure A, which voters approved in November of that year.

The measure didn't ban fluoridation outright, which would have bucked state fluoridation mandates.

Instead, the measure forbade the city from adding chemicals to the water supply lacking federal Food and Drug Administration approval for their health claims.

The FDA hadn't approved hydrofluorosilicic acid, the fluoridation chemical Redding would use.

Nor could it  the agency doesn't regulate public drinking water.

It wasn't the first time Redding's voters shot down fluoridation. They also did so in 1962.

Water fluoridation originated with discoveries almost a century ago that people who grew up in areas with high amounts of naturally occurring fluoride in the water had fewer cavities. Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first community to fluoridate in 1945, just as World War II was ending and the Cold War was heating up.

A conspiracy theory soon emerged: Fluoridation was a communist plot to make Americans compliant.

Director Stanley Kubrick lampooned the idea in his 1964 film "Dr. Strangelove," with Air Force Gen. Jack D. Ripper's famous soliloquy about communists, fluoridation and "our precious bodily fluids."

Some U.S. communities still reject fluoridation, although the nationwide rate of communities that do fluoridate their water has climbed to 72 percent.

Opponents of Redding's fluoridation push had concerns about the health dangers of fluoride, but Carden said Redding's residents rejected fluoridation mostly for one reason.

"They weren't giving us the right to choose what we're going to put in our mouths," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight

Gregory Cheadle, right, was singled out by Donald Trump during his visit to Redding on Friday as "my African-American over there."



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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

The recognition Gregory Cheadle received from Donald Trump felt good, considering he was singled out at a rally of about 4,000 people at Redding Municipal Airport on Friday. But the fallout after Trump said, "Oh, look at my African-American over here," has left Cheadle feeling dumbfounded.

And not because he was offended, but because of how the country has perceived his reaction.

Cheadle, the Happy Valley resident and Republican candidate running for the 1st Congressional District said after the rally he made his way back to his car and no one stopped to ask him if he was offended by Trump's comment.

Then his phone began to ring and he went online to see what was being said.

"At the time I couldn't possibly see how this became a story. I think that there is an element of [the media] wanting me to be upset over it. I was not. I know the context that the statement was made. Right now it's race baiting and it's working to get people upset," said Cheadle.

The context: an anecdote Trump shared with supporters at Redding Municipal Airport on Friday of a violent exchange between an African-American supporter and someone wearing a traditional Ku Klux Klan hood at another rally.

The comment has caused much criticism of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Cheadle said the comments he has seen on the internet have been far worse compared to Trump's choice of words at the Redding rally.

"The comments I see about me on social media are far more hate filled and racist than what Mr. Trump could have been construed as saying at the rally," said Cheadle, who does not see the issue going away anytime soon.

On Friday, Cheadle arrived at the airport at 7 a.m. He had his own campaign signs for his race and he wanted to be close to the front row at the rally. Cheadle wore a tie, suit and addressed voters on the issues he wants to address as a challenger to incumbent Doug LaMalfa in the 1st Congressional District.

Despite his name being on the tongues on political pundits on TV and online, Cheadle has not received any type of Trump bump or any type of outpouring of donations since the rally.

Instead, Cheadle has been held up as an example of Trump's troubled relations with African-Americans throughout the country.

But Cheadle does not see himself as an apologist for Trump and doesn't even know if he will be voting for the presidential candidate.

"I don't like the racist policies of Hillary Clinton. I think Bernie Sanders has a good message, but he fails in his execution. And I don't know anything about Donald Trump. I don't know how he's going to relate to the elderly, the poor and the disabled. Those are the people I'm concerned about," said Cheadle who has positioned himself as an 1856 Republican.

There was no immediate response from Trump's camp as of Sunday afternoon.

The backlash has not soured Cheadle's outlook. He knows how he's going to internalize the recognition from Trump, despite what the rest of the country is expecting him to feel.

"I'm confident in who I am. Fortunately I'm a strong black man who thinks and does the things that I think are important," Cheadle said. "I know I don't belong to anyone. I refuse to stay on anyone's plantations. We need to be able to have the freedom to be able to do what we want to do. Black people have been forced to think and act a certain way for a long time."
The Southwind Women's Center in Wichita, Kan., is an increasingly common destination for women in neighboring states unable to access services closer to home. (Mike Hutmacher/Wichita Eagle/TNS)

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By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times

WICHITA, Kan.  When she discovered she was pregnant, the 22-year-old aspiring veterinarian started calling abortion clinics in her home state of Oklahoma. It was a short list  there are only two, and neither could get her an appointment quickly.

Unemployed, no car, and still living with her parents, Pearl thought about trying Texas, but knew the state had also recently tightened restrictions on clinics.

Finally, Pearl  who asked not to use her full name for fear of upsetting her conservative family back in Comanche County  got her boyfriend to take her to South Wind Womens Center in Kansas, a four-hour drive north.

Its ridiculous that I have to travel, Pearl said as she waited at the clinic last week to get abortion medication. Not everyone is as strong as this. Not everyone is made of stone. Its stressful to travel all this way.

The National Abortion Federation hotline referred 209 Texas patients to New Mexico last year, compared with 21 in 2013, said Vicki Saporta, the groups president and chief executive. The number of Texas patients at one Albuquerque clinic alone more than tripled, jumping from 19 to 67 last year, she said.

As more states adopt more-restrictive laws and the number of clinics dwindles in the so-called abortion desert  an area that stretches from Florida to New Mexico and north into the Midwest  women are increasingly traveling across state lines to avoid long waits for appointments and escape the legal barriers in their home states.

As states have embraced laws requiring waiting periods for abortion, hospital admitting privileges for abortion doctors and medical upgrades for clinics, the number of facilities where a woman can get an abortion has declined rapidly and wait times for appointments have grown longer. Longer waits can mean the difference between women taking abortion medication, generally available up to 10 weeks, and progressively more expensive surgical abortions.

In Texas, the number of clinics has fallen from 41 to 19 in the last three years. In Louisiana there are four; in Arkansas three. Missouri and Mississippi have one clinic each.

Roughly 49 percent of women in the South live in counties without an abortion clinic, as do 53 percent of women in the Midwest, compared with 38 percent nationwide, according to the most recent study by the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for reproductive rights.

When we see women having to travel long distance, across state lines or hours away from their home to get the care they need, it has a rippling impact, said Whitney Phillips, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, whose clinics have also recorded an increase in out-of-state clients. They are having to arrange their work schedules, child care, travel and finances in order to see a provider. In the event they need more than one appointment, that can be crippling  especially for lower-income women.

In Texas, abortion provider Whole Womans Health has sued to block a new law that would force about half the states remaining clinics to close, alleging it amounts to an undue burden for women forced to travel long distances. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case this month, its first major ruling on abortion in two decades.

If the high court sides with Texas, or sends the case back to the conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, similar laws stayed by the courts could be enforced in Kansas, Michigan and Wisconsin, closing clinics there, too.

Since the Texas law passed, women have had to drive four times farther for abortion services  from 17 to 70 miles  and often wait three times longer for appointments, according to studies by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project. About 10 percent of the women surveyed report having to drive at least 250 miles to reach a clinic.

Because of the new laws, a clinic in Dallas started encouraging West Texas women to make appointments at its facility in Albuquerque, which had shorter waits and restrictions  but was still about 300 miles away. Since the law passed, the number of women traveling to New Mexico for abortions has more than doubled. In Kansas, the number of women arriving from Oklahoma and Texas soared from 38 to 243. The trend is similar at clinics in Louisiana.

New Mexico clinics can treat more patients because the state has not passed many of the laws Texas has, including a 20-week abortion ban passed by a dozen other states.

The need has really exploded, said Joan Lamunyon Sanford, executive director of the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

She says many women cannot afford to fly, so they take buses instead, some traveling for days from California and the East Coast.

Nobody should have to go across two or three states to get health care, said Sanford, whose volunteers provide women with transportation, childcare and housing during clinic visits.

Doctors are also on the move to handle the shifting waves of patients, flying to New Mexico and Kansas to help staff clinics.

Dr. Colleen McNicholas flies from St. Louis to work at the Wichita clinic, where 40 percent to 50 percent of her patients are from out of state, usually Oklahoma and Texas, occasionally Missouri.

McNicholas says she has seen women sleeping in their cars in the parking lot.

Either they dont want to wait or cant because of how far along they are, she said. So they look at a map and map it out, keep trying, keep calling clinics until they find one that can take them.

Dr. Willie Parker recently relocated from Illinois to Alabama to perform abortions there and in Georgia and Mississippi. Many providers in the region wont handle abortions beyond 15 weeks, he said, creating watershed areas where women must seek care across state lines.

If they dont make the cutoff, theyre coming over to Tuscaloosa, Parker said. People are coming from everywhere.

He says he has placed dilating devices in out-of-state patients for a two-day procedure only to see them drive hundreds of miles home to avoid paying for a hotel.

Some out-of-state patients are no-shows, unable to handle travel costs, he said: You have a lot of women who are staying pregnant because they cant surpass that barrier.

Anti-abortion activists say they are encouraged to see clinics close due to laws that they say protect womens safety.

I do think thats a good thing. I think there should be regulations. It should be safe, like going to a hospital, said Courtney Love, 30, a self-described sidewalk counselor distributing anti-abortion leaflets outside the Wichita clinic. The fenced-off clinic has been a battleground in the abortion debate, drawing large crowds of protesters and closing for several years after its director, Dr. George Tiller, was fatally shot by an anti-abortion extremist.

Love and other anti-abortion volunteers say they have noticed more cars with out-of-state license plates arriving at the clinic. She says she doesnt like the idea of women being forced to travel to get services, but theres other choices for them other than abortion.

She pointed to a neighboring anti-abortion counseling center.

Next door theres help, people who will help with their rent and adoption, Love said.

Brittany, 22, of Oklahoma City, already gave up a son to adoption last year, and says she didnt want to do that again.

A heroin addict, she came to the Wichita clinic in maternity jeans for a surgical abortion at 17 weeks. She would not have been able to get there without her father, an Air Force officer in Tampa, Fla., who rented a car, booked a hotel and paid $1,300 for the procedure.

I was scared I would be too far along, she said. Now Im scared I may have to stay overnight again and my dad may have to miss work.

As Pearl prepared to return to Oklahoma, she said she realized her situation wasnt unique.

I have two friends who are pregnant wondering if they can get abortions because of the laws, she said.



2016 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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SACRAMENTO (AP)  Special interest groups have poured a record $24 million so far into California legislative races ahead of Tuesday's primary election as real estate agents, dentists, businesses, charter schools and others seek to influence the makeup of the Legislature.

California Republicans are often on the margins in a state dominated by Democrats. With that being the case, some traditional GOP donors are now throwing their money behind business-friendly Democrats.

Instead of giving directly to candidates, groups representing oil companies, education interests, developers, and businesses are increasingly likely to make independent expenditures that leave politicians with little control over campaigns that promote or tar candidates with mailers and other advertising.

"Outside groups have figured out there's a lot of return on investment," said Kimberly Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at California State University, Sacramento. "Business-friendly Democrats suddenly have a big advantage in getting outside interests to benefit their campaigns."

Traditional Democratic allies like labor unions, consumer attorneys and environmental advocates are now dumping in their own money to counter the conservative swing.

The more than $24 million in outside spending by at least 79 independent committees shattered the old record a week before Tuesday's balloting, according to the California Target Book, which tracks legislative races. It said independent expenditures have eclipsed the less than $17 million spent in primary legislative campaigns two years ago and are nearing the roughly $30 million that was spent in the 2014 general election.

The trend is accelerating.

Six years ago, just one legislative primary race had more than $1 million in outside spending, and four races had over $500,000.

This year, independent spending exceeds $1 million in eight races and tops $500,000 in 15 contests.

More than $2 million, much of it pitting energy companies against environmental groups, is flowing into San Bernardino County's 47th Assembly District. There, union-backed attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes is trying to unseat incumbent Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, who is supported by a campaign committee financed by oil companies.

A similar dynamic is playing out in the 15th Senate District in the south San Francisco Bay Area as Sen. Jim Beall fights a same-party challenge from San Jose Democratic Assemblywoman Nora Campos.

Beall backed a 2015 proposal to cut petroleum use in California by half within 15 years; Brown is among moderate Democrats who blocked the gas cuts. Billionaire climate change activist Tom Steyer spent about $500,000 on independent ads supporting Beall to help counter the oil money backing Brown and Campos.

"This is sort of a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party," said Reyes' campaign manager, Leo Briones.

"I think these expenditures by special interests are a huge reason why voters have so much disdain for the political process," Campos said in a statement.

In the largely rural, Democratic-leaning 3rd Senate District between Sacramento and San Francisco, special interest groups have spent more than $2.25 million trying to set up the November contest to succeed termed-out Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis.

Most of the money has gone to help Assemblyman Bill Dodd of Napa, a Republican-turned-Democrat who has had outside support from EdVoice, which backs education reforms, and business-backed Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy. He is likely to face Democratic Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada of Davis.

Political analyst Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, said several developments appear to be driving the increase in independent spending: more competitive legislative districts drawn by an independent commission and the voter-approved top two primary system, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the November general election, regardless of party.

Term limits periodically open up legislative seats and create competitive races without incumbents.

"Those reforms have made races more competitive and another way of saying competitive in politics is 'expensive,'" she said.

The outside spending can leave candidates and their campaigns reeling. They are not allowed to coordinate with independent expenditure committees.

"All I know is what everyone else knows when it arrives in their mailboxes," said Concord City Council member Tim Grayson, another former Republican who is running as a Democrat for the open 14th Assembly district seat in the San Francisco Bay Area.

More than $1.97 million has been spent by special interest groups in that race.
Both Obama and Modi have taken bold steps towards laying the groundwork to give a big push to Indo-US trade, and now it's time to execute, says Bikash Mohapatra.

The last few years, Indo-US commercial relationship have witnessed a positive change.

Both President Barack Obama, in his second tenure, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first term, have made attempts to forge deeper partnership between the communities, businesses and economies of the two nations.

To their credit both leaders have been fully committed to building a revitalised 21st century framework for commercial cooperation.

In 2013, shortly after assuming office for a second time, US Vice President Joe Biden delivered a memorable speech at the Bombay Stock Exchange, recognising that bilateral trade between the United States and India had increased five folds, between 2000 and 2013.

Why cant we grow five-fold once more? he asked. If the answer to his question is mentioned in numbers it would amount to $500 billion.

Likewise, in January 2015, Obama and Modi advanced their vision by launching the first ever US - India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD).

The US Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Ben Pritzker, along with their Indian counterparts, chaired the inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, last September.

The benefits of success are clear and compelling for both the United States and India. In particular, it is a shot in the arm for Modis much publicised Make in India initiative.

US companies have unique capabilities that can address India's priority needs, and help meet many of Modis economic development priorities like e-commerce, tourism, defence and clean energy.

As Obamas final tenure nears it ends, and that of Modis nears the halfway stage, the two leaders are meeting once again to take their vision forward. However, theres one question that begs for an answer.

What happens when Obamas term ends?

If Arun Kumar, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce is to be believed, things are on the right track.

In the context of this meeting the important question is what is going to happen to the US - India commercial engagement. We are working very hard to institutionalise things so that, irrespective of the political leadership, the mechanism, structure and the momentum will be there to continue, he explained, before proceeding to elaborate on his point.

Let me point specifically to two areas. One is the CEO Forum. We have integrated that into the (S&CD).

"The CEOs jointly came up with 10 recommendations and that happen to be part of the work stream for the S&CD. So we have these mutual reinforcement mechanism where the CEO Forum informs the S&CD and we, in turn, quicken the proceedings in the government way.

This CEO Forum is going to continue, which would launch an avenue to boost innovation and related two-way investment and trade, he continued, adding, two, you have to remember that we have an outstanding group of public servants. A few of them deeply know India. We have got 17 officers in the commerce department, a team that works very hard, and with great commitment. So the future of US and India trade is secure.

While things have moved in a positive direction, in recent years, the proverbial speed breakers continue to exist. Question mark remains as regards the ease of doing business in India, where high tariffs, localisation requirements and other trade barriers and policies continue to be a challenge.

Overall, US exports to India face an average tax on the border of more than 30 per cent that is over six times the US duties levied on Indian goods.

To enhance its position in the global supply chain, and to deepen its integration into the world economy, India will need to harmonise product standards with international rules, observed Kumar.

Standard barriers, such as certain certification and registration requirements, not only pose obstacles to the American companies but also hamper the pace of Indias integration to the global economy.

The issue is fundamental to the future growth trajectory of Indias commercial relationship with the US, and as Modi realises, to Indias overall economic future. As such theres been some improvement.

Many US companies are increasingly optimistic about the shift in the official tone and increased willingness to engage from New Delhi, but are waiting to see further tangible progress in the Indian business climate.

There has been a noteworthy cooperation between the two countries in this area. Arguably the most important S&CD focus was on making it easier for our companies to work in each others countries, he added.

Ashok Wadhwa, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ambit Holdings Private Limited, concurred.

Theres no doubt theres a certain commitment about changing the archaic rules and regulations. But we all know that commitment is necessary but not adequate.

"We need to have conviction on the other side, he said, adding, We are all delighted to see the Bankrupcy Bill being passed.

The passage of Indias first National Bankruptcy Law is being seen as a significant milestone. It makes it more likely for the Indian banks to recoup their investments and therefore, lend to promising Indian entrepreneurs in the future. Building on this momentum we are planning to hold a first ever, private sector led, US - India Innovation Forum, to exchange ideas and share best practices.

The other important issues relate to the visa restrictions imposed by the US and policies to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), that are essential to support innovation. Earlier this year Modi presided over the launch of Start Up India, and he would be keen to take one of his pet projects a step ahead.

The US Assistant Secretary of Commerce doesnt see any impediment in this regard.

"Many American technology start-ups - from the Silcon Valley, Boston and New York, at a very early stage, set up an operation somewhere in India, be it in Bangalore, Hyderabad or Mumbai. So that is already happening, explained Kumar.

The other interesting aspect would be Indian companies/entrepreneurs, who start-up here and are interested in the global market, would like to come to the Silicon Valley and create a platform for global expansion.

We are encouraging that in a big way, helping entrepreneurial companies come and scale up in the US, he added.

There are a lot of Indian owners and entrepreneurs in the midcap segment who are spending considerable amount of the time on the West Coast, just understanding and talking to companies in that space, added Wadhwa.

In his final tenure, Obama has taken significant strides when in comes to strengthening trade relations. In the last year alone, the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)  that includes countries that comprise 40 per cent of the worlds GDP  was signed.

The United States is also making significant progress towards a similarly groundbreaking trade liberalisation agreement with Europe.

As regards India, both Obama and Modi have taken bold steps towards laying the groundwork for success. Now is the time to execute.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
As controversy plagues foods again, brandification will bridge the trust deficit, critical for stakeholders, says Ambi Parameswaran.

The latest product to come under attack of the CSE (Center for Science and Environment) is the humble bread.



As the big brands find themselves under attack, all bakeries around the country will be feeling the heat.

Reports also indicate that FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority of India) regulations permit some amount of potassium bromate, while the CSE says it is a carcinogen.

My first question is to both CSE and FSSAI: Did the two of you talk to each other before issuing the report to the press?



Do you have a joint action plan on how to get it removed from the permitted list of ingredients?



And do both of you report to the same government of India ministry?

That said, let me move to a bigger topic that we in need to address.

Professor Kevin Lane Keller has a term brandification to describe the level of branding in product categories.



So if you were to take a product like cars or two wheelers, the category is 100 per cent brandified.



If we go to a category like soaps or toothpaste the brandification may drop to less than 75 per cent.



In India the lowest level of brandification is in food products.



If we take cooking oils, only about 30 per cent may be consumed as branded packaged cooking oils.



In the case of atta or bread, even if we include store brands, the level of brandification is probably in single digits.

Branding is critical for the development of any category.



A brand stands for a level of quality that saves consumers a great amount of search time.



For the manufacturer, a brand ensures loyalty and a price premium. Parle G is a living example of how a brand has managed to cut across all geographical, culinary and language boundaries to become a truly national processed packaged food brand.



They achieved this by focusing on acceptable quality at an affordable price.



If we take this mantra, acceptable quality at an affordable price, many other categories can be tapped and brandified.

In a vast country like India with huge unorganised trade and millions of small retailers, a food product, unlike soap or a detergent, starts with an inherent disadvantage.



It has a limited shelf life and its taste rapidly declines.



While doing a competitive strategy study in the food category, I remember a mantra of one of the large snack manufacturers: never supply goods to a retailer who is more than 200-300 km away from the factory (I could be wrong about the exact distance though). Food products have to be made, shipped and consumed in a matter of days.

Manufacturers are therefore always fighting against time to ensure that their products are tasty and edible when it reaches the final destination  the consumers mouth.

It is here that ingredients like potassium bromate play a role in preserving the taste of the bread.

The food sector was reserved for small scale and most big players had to resort to sub-contract manufacturing through small units.

While this is a laudable objective from the point of view of business and job creation, it adds a huge burden in terms of supply chain efficiency, GMP (good manufacturing practices) and regulatory supervision.

We, therefore, have several issues facing us. The country desperately needs reforms to kickstart the food processing industry.

We need world class large manufacturing plants that can make breads, biscuits, buns and more.

We need powerful brand building efforts to ensure consumers smoothly migrate to packaged branded foods, even if they have to pay a minor premium.

We also need these brands and plants to absorb all the foodgrains that are spoilt or wasted.

We must guard against a new era of food policing that has its own set of harmful side effects and the government needs to take a more long-term holistic view.

Ambi Parameswaran is brand strategist and founder brand-building.com.
The enforcement agency had received queries from the Interpol to this effect in May last week.

Interpol has sought reasons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on why a Red-Corner Notice (RCN) should be issued on liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing a probe related to alleged money laundering in India.

An RCN is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action in a criminal case probe.

The enforcement agency had received queries from the Interpol to this effect in May last week.

Among the queries raised by the Interpol Secretariat to the ED the evidences available against Mallya, the details of the other accused in the case, and the offence based on which the agency registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), besides reasons for the delay in the investigation.

Interpol has also informed the ED that Mallyas version needs to be heard before going ahead with the notice, as its a case of financial irregularities.

On May 12, the ED had sought an Interpol arrest warrant against Mallya to make him join a probe in connection with Rs 950-crore IDBI bank loan fraud case, for which the ED had registered a criminal case under the anti-money laundering laws early this year.

Sources in the ED said the agency had submitted all documents to the Interpol along with a non-bailable warrant and investigation details.

The ED is yet to reply to the queries raised by Interpol.

According to sources, ED sleuths are not surprised with the queries raised by Interpol, like the latter did in former IPL chief Lalit Modis case.

Interpol is yet to issue a wanted notice against the former IPL chief, citing lack of evidence.

The ED has so far received seven rounds of queries for issuance of an Interpol notice against Modi.

The ED had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to obtain RCN against Mallya from the global police body.

The CBI acts as the nodal office for execution of Interpol warrants in India.
Decisions of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) have been under scrutiny for a while.



Rajeev Chandrasekhar, 52, in his second Rajya Sabha term and a former president of business chamber Ficci, beside a record as an entrepreneur, including in the sector, has been a strong critic of the regulator.

Image: Trai sends confused signals to investors and consumers. Photographs: Reuters

He talks to Malini Bhupta on the subject.



Edited excerpts:

You were among the earliest to flag the need to define net neutrality (NN) and nothing happened on it till last week. What do you think of the pre-consultation report on it from Trai?

It is their much overdue attempt to define net neutrality, 18-24 months after the debate started. It remains a mystery why they waited so long, started two independent consultations and now a third one on NN.



This is not the way I would have liked the regulator to approach an important consumer issue like NN.



It sends confused signals to investors and consumers. Arriving at a definition on NN and its principles should have happened much earlier, in a transparent manner.

How has India approached the NN debate?

Where Trai went wrong on both the call drop regulation and differential pricing of data is that it has been caught up too much by what is out there in the media and public discourse.



Trai has not spent time on precedence, law, data and economics. A regulator cannot ignore facts and focus on sound bites and slogans.

Is there a method behind Trai s differential data pricing rules? Is there a paper on free data and now a pre-consultation paper on NN?

Clearly not. They should have come up with a comprehensive paper on NN and then look at differential data pricing and free data, along with other principles like throttling. To regulate NN, you must know what it is about.



Today, Trai is regulating differential data pricing or free data without defining what net neutrality is.



It is cart-before-horse, the consequence of finding yourself in a situation where you have done something which is likely to be subjected to a legal scrutiny; therefore, you are doing this.



It is a badly flawed approach and they must improve their processes. Trai does not have an overall road map of what it wants to achieve.

Why are the rules on differential pricing of data flawed?

The order is similar to the order on call drop penalty and very vulnerable to judicial scrutiny. Trai has decided to prohibit differential data pricing without proving that allowing it will lead to problems. Trais objective is that telcos do not exercise control on consumers choices.

Unfortunately, telcos have not held themselves up as responsible stakeholders. Having said that, they have a right to be heard. It should not be a personal view that should decide the fate of a telecom company or consumer.

Evidence-based conclusion should decide what telcos are doing is good or bad.

What went wrong with the call drops regulation?

On the one hand, the regulator said the call drop problem had been created by the telcos, with which I agree. Then, it issued a technical paper that said 40 per cent of call drops were because of consumer behaviour. You have to be clear how you arrived at the first conclusion.

Somebody must explain to the regulator that you are a quasi-judicial authority; personal opinions are not important.

Is it time to amend the Trai Act?

You got an answer from the regulator himself on this, when he said he could not levy a penalty on telcos and the Supreme Court says the same thing.

The Act was previously amended in 2000, to address the issue of licensing. Technology has transformed in 16 years and the Internet has transformed everything; the Trai Act is completely inconsistent with that.

I have argued the Act must be amended, to give it more powers to intervene in consumer issues. Second, Trai must be accountable to Parliament. It is not accountable to anyone and it must be made so, for its orders and performance.
News / Local

by Tendai Gukutikwa

A MUTARE magistrate turned down the withdrawal of a criminal case after the complainant told the court that he was bribed by the accused person's relatives with $500.Manica Post reported that Tendai Jekwa told Mutare provincial magistrate, Lucie-Anne Mungwari, that Togara Mupazi (39) and Tafadzwa Matika (35)'s parents had promised to give him $500 if he withdrew the charges before plea."They said if I withdraw the charges, it will spare Mupazi and Matika jail and by doing so they will pay me $250 for my medication and another $250 as compensation, making it $500," he told the court.The pair appeared before Mungwari facing assault charges emanating from an incident in which they assaulted Jekwa with logs and fists.Public prosecutor, Fletcher Karombe, said: "The two accused persons where with Jekwa when he attempted to restrain them from attacking a colleague. This did not go down well with both of them as they turned against him."Jekwa sustained swollen cheeks and bruises and was medically examined.Mungwari said the court could not withdraw the charges as it was clear that the accused people's relatives were trying to bribe the complainant.The pair was, however, sentenced to three months imprisonment which was wholly suspended on condition of good behaviour for the next five years.
On April 20, the court had convicted Mallya and others in connection with bouncing of two cheques of Rs 50 lakh each under relevant sections of Negotiable Instruments Act

The III Special Magistrate Court in Hyderabad, on Monday, adjourned to July 5 its order on two cheque bounce cases filed against beleaguered industrialist Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

The court is yet to pronounce its order on the quantum of sentence for Mallya, who was convicted in two cheque bounce cases.

On April 20, the court had convicted Mallya and others in connection with bouncing of two cheques of Rs 50 lakh each under relevant sections of Negotiable Instruments Act.

It had issued warrants directing the police to produce Mallya before it to pronounce the quantum of punishment, as the industrialist, who left the country, was not present in the court.

The Mumbai Police had earlier filed a report before the court saying the warrants could not be executed on the address of the accused as it was sealed by a bank and there were no Kingfisher officials/ employees at the premises, and hence the warrants were returned.

Following this, Judge M Krishna Rao today adjourned the matter to July 5 with a direction to the complainant (GHIAL) to furnish correct address of the accused for issuance of fresh warrants.

Earlier, during hearing on quantum of sentence, GMR lawyer G Ashok Reddy had insisted that the court pass the sentence against Mallya, citing certain provisions of CrPC and saying the court has power to impose sentence even in absence of accused.

The matter relates to cheques issued by Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to GHIAL, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, towards charges for using the facilities at the airport for its Kingfisher Airlines flights.

The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against the Kingfisher Airlines, its chairman Vijay Mallya and senior company official A Raghunathan.

As per the GMR counsel, a total of 17 cases have been filed against Kingfisher Airlines in different courts over outstanding amount of Rs 22.5 crore which it owes to GMR, and the cases are in different stages of trial.
Indians are the biggest non-Arab investors in Dubais real estate market.

Image: Indians own the largest number of apartments in the iconic Burj Khalifa.. Photographs: Reuters

The key drivers are end-use, childrens education and investment returns.

If you trawl the internet, you will come across several news items of Indian billionaires purchasing prime properties in central London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York.

Indians are the biggest non-Arab investors in Dubais real estate market.

Incidentally, Indians own the largest number of apartments in the iconic Burj Khalifa.

With Indias domestic real estate market slowing down in the past couple of years, and the luxury segment in particular taking a hard knock, the well-heeled Indian is taking his love of real estate abroad and buying properties in some of the toniest localities all over the globe.

Image: London, a nine-and-a-half hours flight from Mumbai, has emerged as the summer capital of the rich and famous. Photographs: Reuters

The drivers

Several factors are propelling the affluent to buy a luxury property (defined here as properties of $1 million and above) abroad.

The first is self-use. People typically tend to buy a property in a location where they go often, either for work or on holidays.

London, a nine-and-a-half hours flight from Mumbai, has emerged as the summer capital of the rich and famous.

Among discerning real estate investors, it also has the reputation of being a safe realty market.

Childrens education is another driver. Many high net worth individuals (HNIs) buy a house in the US, UK or Singapore because their children study and subsequently take up a job there.

The quest for investment return is another motivation.

At eight-nine per cent, the rental yield from residential property is much higher in a developed market like the UK or US than in India, where it hovers at three-four per cent.

These markets are also very well regulated and safe, and properties can be easily managed with the help of a broker who charges 10 per cent of rent. Hence, you can look forward to a healthy and regular cash flow, says S G

Raja Sekharan, lecturer on wealth management at Bengalurus Christ University and an avid real estate investor.

HNIs are also venturing abroad because they want to diversify their real estate portfolios.



Investing in foreign markets enables the rich to hedge their real estate portfolio against single-market risk. This factor has become important in the wake of the weak performance of the Indian realty market in the recent past, says Shveta Jain, director-residential services, Cushman & Wakefield India.

Some investments also go into leisure and beach-front properties, such as in Mauritius, Thailand, etc.

Image: Some investments also go into leisure and beach-front properties, such as in Mauritius. Photographs: Reuters

Funding the purchase

The first option is to transfer money under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

A person (including minors) can remit $250,000 per family member in a financial year.

If you have four members in your family, you may send $1 million in March and another $1 million in April to use the potential of this scheme to the hilt.

Some HNIs also use their income from global sources which doesnt fall under the purview of the LRS limit.

Image: When buying for self-use look for a place that is close to where you work. Photographs: Reuters

Location vs cost

As with all real estate purchases, choosing the right location and developer is crucial even within the luxury segment.

The location will depend on your budget, since in most cities the price range varies enormously from the centre to the periphery, says Jain.

When buying for self-use look for a place that is close to where you work.

When buying for investment returns, you may consider upcoming locations where prices are still relatively low and there is scope for appreciation.



Jain warns that when you invest in the developed world, you must have a longer investment horizon to enjoy good price appreciation.



Check the market for the size of the property that enjoys high demand. Larger sized properties may fare better in some markets, such as in parts of the US, whereas smaller sized apartments may have greater demand, as in London.

If you are under-exposed to the Indian market, compare the returns you are going to earn from the foreign property vis-a-vis one in India.

When buying a property for rental return, look at the areas rental yield.

Try to get an idea of the demand for rental housing. Places that are well connected to work hubs tend to enjoy high demand, says Ashutosh Limaye, head of research and REIS, JLL India.

Next, do the due diligence on the developer, especially when buying in an Asian market like Dubai (another favourite due to its proximity and high Indian population) or South East Asia.



Look up the developers financials. Also, check the kind of price appreciation its past projects have given, says Limaye. Avoid players that are highly leveraged.

Financial planner Vishal Dhawan suggests investors should look up the past trend in currency movement.

Over the long term, the rupee tends to depreciate against the US dollar, a factor that could provide a boost to your return.

But if you invest in a country whose currency could depreciate against the rupee, your returns could get eroded.

Finally, evaluate the countrys macro-economic environment. If it is poor, your rental return could take a hit as people will have less money to spare for housing, says Dhawan.

Image: If you are a resident Indian, the rent you earn from a house abroad will be taxed in India.. Photographs: Reuters

Understand the tax implications

If you are a resident Indian, the rent you earn from a house abroad will be taxed in India.

It may also be taxed abroad (though not in Dubai) and you may be entitled to credit on taxes paid abroad, depending on the provisions of the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) between the two countries. The same rules apply to capital gain.

To mitigate tax liability, many people set up a company abroad and buy the house in its name. If you do so, the rental income does not get added to your personal income and is not taxed in India, says Rakesh Nangia, managing partner, Nangia & Co. When people set up a company, they declare their shareholding in it, here in India.

Often, they set up the company in tax havens like British Virgin Islands where the tax rate is low or zero. This route is perfectly legitimate.

Image: In developed countries like the UK, if you gift the property to your child and die within seven years, the latter has to pay an inheritance tax. Photographs: Reuters

Give a thought to estate planning

In developed countries like the UK, if you gift the property to your child and die within seven years, the latter has to pay an inheritance tax.

So make the gift deed while you are still in good health.

The rate of tax is reduced for gifts over the threshold of 325,000 made between three and seven years before death.

This is known as taper relief. If the person gifting the property survives that period, no inheritance tax is payable.

Today, in countries like the US, insurance policies are available which take care of the liability of estate duty.
'Bringing Rahul in now would be like throwing petrol on the flames consuming the Congress,' says Aakar Patel.

IMAGE: 'She has a credibility that her son lacks,' says Aakar Patel. 'Despite her thick accent, when she makes a statement on an important issue, it is more likely to receive attention than when Rahul makes it.'

Once again, there are reports on Rahul Gandhi taking over the Congress leadership. He will be 46 on June 19, and has been in active politics for a decade. It is natural that his supporters in the party should want him to take over officially.

What is less clear is why his mother Sonia Gandhi should make way for him.

There are two things that are thought to be the reason for seeking the change.

First, that it is inevitable that at some point the older must make way for the younger. Sonia will have to retire sooner or later and so it makes sense for her heir to be annointed, which he has been, and then for him to take over.

The second, less transparent reason, is that she has been keeping indifferent health. It has been reported in the past that Sonia has required some sort of medical treatment abroad. The details have not been revealed, but the condition was serious enough for her to seek advanced help.

Could this be the reason for the fresh move to elevate her son? Probably not, because the last time she was treated abroad was not recent and current pictures show her to be in reasonably good health.

Why then the rush to elevate Rahul? One reason could be internal pressure. Congressmen who are alarmed at the rapid decay of the party want to see some change in direction. Unless something drastic and dramatic is not done, the party will die very soon.

The Congress has fallen from about 200 Lok Sabha seats to about 45. The 150 Congressmen and women who are not in the Lok Sabha will each have spent a few crore rupees in a losing election.

Many of them have invested decades of their life in the party. They have a personal stake in it and its collapse will mean that their investment and their future is lost.

It could be that some or many of them are anxious and are seeking clarity about the party's leadership. Losing power at the Centre and in almost all major states means that the party is struggling to raise money. That is another reason for seeking urgent change.

The question is whether such a change will benefit the Congress. Sonia Gandhi's record in leading the party has actually been quite good. She took over the party in a time similar to the present.

The Congress had been in power (under a non-Gandhi prime minister) and had been involved or accused in many scandals. Its former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao was himself accused in a case and had to appear in court.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's rise to power happened in the same period and its charismatic and respected leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime minister, winning a plurality (though not a majority) in three elections.

It was in this period, when the BJP was the dominant party and the Congress was losing, that Sonia took charge. She revived her party and, once the BJP lost its sheen, was able to bring the Congress back to power in 2004.

It was returned in a second election on the back of high growth and excellent laws like the Right to Information. So Sonia has a record of delivery and competence. She lost the last election very badly, but she knows and has experience of what is needed to nurse a wounded Congress back to health.

Does Rahul? No.

It was in the second Manmohan Singh term that the noises in favour of Rahul began. His elevation to vice-president of the party clarified the future. For whatever reason, he was not able to perform.

The Congress lost many states in is period and then, when he was shown as its leader in the 2014 campaign, suffered a terrible beating.

Many have noticed his lack of focus, lack of energy and lack of enthusiasm. He is two decades younger than Narendra Modi but almost seems out of date compared to the prime minister.

Sonia is not yet 70. She is trim and fit and, assuming she has no serious health problem, likely to be active for a few years.

She also has a credibility that her son lacks. Despite her thick accent, when she makes a statement on an important issue, it is more likely to receive attention than when Rahul makes it.

When his father Rajiv Gandhi was struggling, in the late 1980s, Arun Shourie came to our college in Baroda and made a pitch for the alliance of the BJP and V P Singh to take over.

When one's house was on fire, Shourie said, one did not look for Ganga Jal to douse the flames with.

One student in the audience got up and told Shourie that one did not throw petrol on the fire either. It seems to me that bringing Rahul in now would be like throwing petrol on the flames consuming the Congress.

Like Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who is refusing to step aside for her 67-year-old son Prince Charles (perhaps because she doesn't think he will make a good king), Sonia should continue. Her son may not like it, but it is the party that she has to think of first.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
IMAGE: President Pranab Mukherjee at the Forbidden City in Beijing. Photograph: PTI

On his recent visit to China, the President made eminently sensible suggestions to improve relations except that they can't work in the present atmosphere.

Rajeev Sharma explains why.

India and China have learnt to live with their differences -- a fact that was noted when President Pranab Mukherjee was in the Middle Kingdom last month.

China and India quibble over the delineation of the boundary since the 1962 war, though it is a different matter that Chinese troops sometimes stray into what India considers its territory.

After the long period of no talks in the wake of the 1962 war, India and China have been talking to each other -- no matter how sporadically -- for well over 30 years. During that time nothing much has happened that can pave the way for a real all round healthy relationship between the Asian giants.

India and China agreed to expand trade ties, but it is turning out to be a one-way street with India continuously increasing imports from China and China refusing to agree to India's request to open its market to India's IT, pharmaceutical and other sectors to boost Indian exports.

China has firmly entrenched itself in Pakistan, freely using that nation to unsettle India and put obstacles in the way of India's efforts to achieve its full potential as a big power.

Without China's cooperation and help Pakistan would not have been able to position itself as the number one 'nuisance' for India.

The troika of border delineation, the opening of Chinese markets and the China-Pakistan nexus will determine whether India and China move forward in their relations. There has long been a status quo, meaning an absence of booming guns and bomb raining jets at the border and tensions are not allowed to go out of control. But, I feel, this is no 'improvement' in relations.

While waiting for a real improvement in India-China relations, India has also to put up with unfriendly and provocative Chinese actions. Indian nationals from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir can travel to China only on a 'visa' issued on a piece of paper.

Then there is Chinese torpedoing India's effort to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its blatant partisanship at the United Nations in preventing a Pakistani terrorist on being placed on the UN sanctions list.

China's increasing expansionist policies, laying claim to the South China Sea and almost all the islands nearby has threatened international maritime trade. China has asked India to desist from helping friendly countries in the region explore oil and gas in the South China Sea. Surely, these two developments add to the sourness of relations with China.

President Mukherjee reportedly suggested an eight-point plan -- eight 'pillars' -- to improve India-China relations, basing his optimism on 'political acumen' and 'civilisational wisdom'.

These include more people-to-people contacts, exchange of think-tank scholars, and closer partnership to foster mutual cooperation which will discourage the talk of two countries competing against each other.

All these are eminently sensible suggestions except that they can't work in the present atmosphere which remains anything but friendly.

A big factor is the nature of the Chinese polity; China is a one-party State where the entire nation rallies behind the government's view on relations with foreign countries.

People-to-people exchange won't work with China if the citizens of that country are brainwashed to 'hate' those of another country. Public opinion polls in China invariably reveal that most Chinese don't have a favourable view of India or Indians.

Think-tanks in China reflect the government view; they are not known to have independent opinions that may appear to be in opposition to government thinking on various issues. If the Chinese think-tanks have anything to say about India, it is only to repeat the official line which leaves no room for looking for an opening in breaking a deadlock.

In free countries, think-tanks play an important role in Track II diplomacy. It cannot be so in China where little or no flexibility is possible once a decision has been taken.

Any process of achieving a major breakthrough will have to start from the Chinese government. President Pranab's visit seems to have contributed to the process.

How then to deal with China? It's a one-way street and all one can do is wait for a signal from Beijing!

Rajeev Sharma, an independent journalist and strategic analyst, tweets @Kishkindha
'I would rather have an HRD minister who concentrates on her job rather than bicker on Twitter.'

A war of words broke out on Twitter recently between Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi and Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani after Priyanka received an open threat of 'rape and murder like Nirbhaya' on the micro-blogging site.

The two women took on each other over a range of issues, from personal security, women's safety, the Congress' loss in Assam and the HRD ministry's handling of dissent on campuses.

The spat went viral and an inevitable controversy.

In the concluding segment of her interview to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Priyanka Chaturvedi discusses online trolls and Smriti Irani.

How did you get into a Twitter spat with Smriti Irani?

I had spoken about the rape and death threats that I got online. I had written a blog on it which went viral.

One of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) supporters started talking about abuse. Abuse is very different from threats. Abuse is someone coming and slandering on your (Twitter) timeline, saying pathetic words and insinuating about you which can be largely ignored.

When you talk about death threats or rape threats, it becomes a serious issue.

I would have expected that when a minister steps into a conversation, she talks more about the issue at hand rather than the person she is talking about.

It is a known fact, and it has been reported widely that after the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) protests, that the home ministry was considering giving her (Irani) 'Z' category security.

I said after getting threats she got security while here, I am struggling to even file an FIR (First Information Report) against the person who made a death threat to me. That is what I was trying to differentiate.

The Union minister of education is someone who is supposed to show direction and give narrative to the future generation. My point was not about security, the point was about the threats which women face online.

It fell down to a level which I would have expected a Union minister would not fall down to. Considering she started it, I chose to end it.

Was there some previous enmity between you two?

I don't know what her problem is, but I would rather have an HRD minister who concentrates on her job rather than bicker on Twitter.

I am not one to back away or to feel that I am in any way lesser than any other lady who might have an opinion or strong point of view. Even I have an equally strong, if not stronger, point of view.

Did you get to register the case against the person who threatened you on Twitter?

Absolutely, there is an FIR against a person and the Mumbai police are looking into it. I am thankful to the Mumbai police and the Mumbai police commissioner who has taken this seriously and not disregarded it.

Whether it is Smriti Irani who is disregarding this entire issue, or whether it is (Arun) Jaitley who chooses to ignore this issue, the trolls are getting more emboldened every passing day. But we have a Mumbai police commissioner who is taking this case seriously.

Till date we have not seen any arrest for trolling on social media. Do you think we need a new law for such things?

We have laws in place but they are bailable offences. This is not the first time I have sought police help.

On an earlier occasion, when I was trolled heavily and it was like cyber-stalking, I complained about one particular handle.

Since these are bailable offences, a person might get arrested and get bail within 24 hours. Due process in courts takes place and that takes months and years to settle.

Probably it is time the communication minister or the I&B (information and broadcasting) minister engages in this platform and ensure there are stricter India specific guidelines.

Do you think you are being targeted because you are a Congress supporter? Or is it because you target Prime Minister Modi?

Recently, an IAS officer was transferred because he praised Jawaharlal Nehru and was critical of Modi. When an environment like this exists, a woman, who has a very strong point of view which is totally against this government and against the political party which is in the government, is bound to face more trolls and negativity.

Moreover, there is active encouragement coming from senior leaders of the political party (BJP) who totally dismiss it, disregard it or choose to ignore it.

Do you think they can't win a debate with you and therefore they abuse you?

I think there is the sense of feeling that we are the single largest party and what we say is correct while another's point of view is incorrect or uncalled for or is worth abusing.

This happens when you don't want to engage in dialogue or debate.

Democracy gives you space to engage, debate, discuss and dissent. We are seeing that is being throttled almost on an every day basis.

This is just one path of many things that we are seeing happening across the country.

What would you expect from Smriti Irani to do in this case (of trolling)?

I have zero expectations from this government. I have zero expectations from Smriti Irani. I have moved on from that chapter.

I had hoped as a fellow woman she would have stood up for an issue that I was talking about rather than reducing the debate to her security and making it more political.

Like I said, if you come on my timeline to fight with me, I will give it back to you, equally if not more.
Prohibitory orders have been clamped and security stepped up in Bishada village in the wake of a proposed maha panchyat on Monday over the demand for the registration of an FIR against Mohammad Akhlaqs family for alleged cow slaughter nine months after he was lynched over rumour that his family had eaten beef.

District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar NP Singh has clamped Section 144 CrPC and issued prohibitory orders banning gathering of five or more persons in the district after Bishada villagers in Dadri announced panchayat for Monday and additional security personnel have been deployed in the village, officials said.

Residents of Bishada village, include kin of the accused in the September 2015 Akhlaq lynching case, yesterday met the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP to press their demand for registration of an FIR against Akhlaqs family after a forensic report stated that the meat found in his house was that of cow or its progeny.

Sanjay Rana, father of accused Vishal Rana, had threatened that a maha panchayat will be held in the village as police have failed to register an FIR against Akhlaqs

family.

A complaint was filed with police after the forensic report said the meat in the freezer at Akhlaqs house was beef. No FIR has been filed yet in this regard, he said.

The villagers have decided to hold a maha panchayat as police have failed to register an FIR based on our complaint. Residents of Satha Chaurasi village will also attend it, he claimed.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Surindera Jain had on Sunday visited the village and claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinay Katiyar supported the demand for registration of FIR against Akhlaqs family members and demanded that the compensation given to them be withdrawn.

The question is that cow slaughter had taken place. The report has come and now FIR should be lodged against those involved in cow slaughter. Those who have been locked up in jail should be released. The compensation should be withdrawn. Government should take back the three houses given to them, the BJP leader said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the statements of BJP leaders, saying it will vitiate the atmosphere.

Calling for a maha panchayat and the statements being made after the forensic report came are not proper. Whether it is the Centre or the state government, it should be stopped, P L Punia said.

Image: Stray bulls fight on a roadside as a man watches in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Parivartan Sharma/Reuters
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday refused to vacate the stay granted by it last month on Haryana government's decision to grant reservation to Jats and five other communities in jobs and educational institutions.

Taking up the matter, the vacation bench of justices Daya Chaudhary and Arun Palli fixed June 13 for arguments.

The court also directed all parties in the case to file their replies by June 10, while making it clear that no adjournment would be granted on the next date of hearing.

The development took place on Haryana's plea for vacation of ex-parte interim orders.

The counsel for Haryana said the petitioner had approached the high court without exhausting the available channel for redressal of his grievances.

He said it was mandatory for the petitioner to move the Haryana Backward Classes Commission, the statutory authority to entertain and examine complaints/issues raised by the petitioner. As such, the writ petition was not maintainable.

"It was premature at the current stage. Therefore, the impugned stay orders were liable to be set aside on this score alone," he added.

The state counsel said the process for carrying out recruitment to various posts had already been initiated by Haryana Staff Selection Commission and Haryana Public Service Commission.

Besides, admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the session 2016-17 were also open; and candidates had applied under the backward classes category.

The admission process for professional courses such as the MBBS had also started for the 2016-17 session, he added.

On May 26, the high court had stayed the reservation for Jats and five other communities provided by the Haryana government under a newly carved Backward Classes (C) category.

The court passed the order while hearing a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Haryana Backward Classes (reservation in services and admission in educational institutions) Act 2016 that was passed unanimously by the state assembly on March 29.

The act was challenged by Murari Lal Gupta of Bhiwani, who sought a direction to quash block 'C' of the Act, which provides reservation to Jats under the BC (C) category.

The petitioner submitted that reservation to Jat community was provided under the new Act on the basis of Justice KC Gupta commission report, which had already been quashed by the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the petitioner, Mukesh Verma, said the reservation on the basis of the Justice Gupta Commission report would amount to revision of a judicial order, which could not be done by the legislature.

He submitted that in 2014 too, the state government had introduced a bill to include Jats in the list of other backward classes for reservation in job and educational institutes.

But the Supreme Court in case of Ram Singh and others versus the Union of India had held that Jats were not backward socially, educationally and politically.

Sube Singh Samain, spokesperson of the Sarv Khap Jat Panchayat also hit out at the Yashpal Malik led All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, saying people in Jassia village in Rohtak and elsewhere were turning out for dharnas not because of his call.

"People of Jassia village and elsewhere have their pain which they have gone through during the February stir. These people are also protesting booking of many of their relatives, mostly youths, who have been booked on various charges during the February stir. These people believe many of these youths are innocent. They are not there for Yashpal Malik, they have not come out (for dharnas) because of Malik," Samain said.

The Jat protesters are demanding quota under OBC category, withdrawal of cases registered against community members during the previous stir, status of martyrs for those killed and jobs for their next of kin, besides compensation for the injured.

After the Jat agitation, which paralysed normal life in Haryana and affected Delhi and other neighbouring states too, the state government recently brought in laws to provide reservation for Jats and five other communities under a newly carved Backward Classes (C) category.

However, the high court stayed it, acting on a public interest litigation, after which some Jat groups announced the fresh stir.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 remained in force at sensitive places in eight districts as the administration was geared up to ensure that there is no repeat of earlier incidents when 30 people were killed, property worth hundreds of crores of rupees destroyed and key routes blocked by agitators.

A special round-the-clock control room has been set up in Chandigarh to monitor the situation.

The police and administration are keeping a close watch on miscreants trying to use the social media to spread rumours.

Sonipat District Magistrate K Makarand Pandurang has issued orders banning all mobile internet services. The ban would be effective till further orders, an official release said.

In the wake of severe criticism for failing to check violence during the Jat quota agitation in February this year, the Khattar government had set up Prakash Singh Committee whose inqury report had indicted 90 officials for "deliberate negligence" during the stir.

The panel, in its 451-page report, had said that "administrative paralysis" had gripped the state and the "highest functionaries in the government failed to show the kind of guidance, direction and control that is expected in a crisis of such proportions".
Amid reports of several Independent members of the legislative assembly being flown to Mumbai by ruling Congress to keep its flock intact for Rajya Sabha polls, the Returning Officer has asked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to clarify if he has promised increased development funds to legislators in return for their votes.

The missive to the chief minister came as the MLAs were reportedly shepherded to Mumbai last night and kept in a five-star hotel to apparently prevent them from being poached for the June 11 biennial polls to four RS seats from the state.

When asked about the issue, Siddaramaih said, I dont know, they may have gone for their personal work, how will I know?

To a question if Congress MLA S T Somashekar was with them, he said, Why cant Somashekar go along with them? He might also have gone to Bombay. I dont know anything; no one has spoken to me. Congress MLAs wont go.

Meanwhile, a report along with an unedited copy of the sting operation purportedly showing MLAs negotiating money deal in exchange for their votes has been submitted to the Election Commission of India.

Assembly Secretary and Returning Officer for the RS polls from Karnataka S Murthy said he has written to Siddaramaih seeking his clarification on the alleged money deal.

He said a similar letter has also been written to other two secretaries, including the finance secretary, seeking clarification on these activities.

The letter was shot off by Murthy after he received a written complaint from the Janata Dal-Secular.

Replying to a query, Murthy said, So far the chief minister has not replied to my letter.

"I would sincerely bring to the notice of the ECI, if somebody hands over the footage of the chief minister assuring Independent MLAs of allotting Rs 100 crore as constituency development fund, he said.

Murthy said nothing has come to his notice on Congress herding Independent MLAs and nobody has given a written complaint to him.

"If somebody does it, I will bring it to the notice of the higher-ups, the returning officer said.

He said the JD-S in its complaint letter to the Election Commission had not mentioned the name of Energy Minister D K Shiva Kumar for assuring constituency development fund to Independent MLAs in lieu of voting for the Congress.

"The JD-S had lodged a complaint with the EC and in that there is no mention of D K Shivakumar's name for corruption. The JD-S has not sent any visuals, he said.

Murthy said he has submitted to the EC a report along with an unedited copy of the sting operation that purportedly showed MLAs negotiating money deal in exchange for their votes.

He said one channel had handed over the CD to him and after transcribing its contents, he had sent it to the EC.

Asked about another CD having contents of another sting operation, Murthy said he had been informed by Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha that the other channel had directly submitted the CD to the election body in Delhi.

The footage of sting operation by one channel showed a JD-S MLA purportedly talking about money in crores of rupees for supporting a candidate.

A parallel sting operation by another channel showed Congress candidate K C Ramamurthy and Independent MLAs purportedly speaking about getting increased development funds for the constituency from the government in return for votes.

Meanwhile, JD-S MLA from Turvekere M T Krishnappa has written to the EC alleging that the 14 independent MLAs have been shifted to Mumbai by the Congress.

Demanding countermanding of election and a Central Bureau of Investigation enquiry, he said, 10 independent MLAs have signed the nomination paper of JD-S candidates.

"Today 14 MLAs (Independent) have been shifted to Bombay by Congress party members i.e. (the) chief minister and his cabinet colleagues are involving in this connection by showing a favour in the form of crores of money to the members to improve their constituencies, he said.

"They are trying to woo JD-S and Independent MLAs by offering up to Rs 100 crore to vote in favour of Congress candidates," he alleged.

To a query, Murthy said he has also taken into consideration the TV crew mentioning off-the-record conversation with the accused individuals before conducting a sting operation.

Asked what could be its implication, he said, That you should be asking the EC. I am just a forwarding entity and do not have the power to take decisions. I cannot even express my views in the report.
The Shiv Sena on Monday suggested that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had "secretly" worked to oust his former cabinet colleague and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Eknath Khadse, who resigned after a string of allegations, including irregularities in a land deal.

"Khadse might have thought that Devendra Fadnavis, a yesterday's lad, would not understand politics. He thought he was the government. But he failed to know that this yesterday's lad was packing the (fire)cracker with gunpowder," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

It said the ACB was behind Khadse's personal assistant Gajanan Patil for the last six months, but Khadse had no idea about that.

"By this, we understand the secrecy in the working style of Fadnavis," it said.

Sena sought to know why Fadnavis did not once come forward to defend his colleague.

"Khadse is saying there is no proof against him and he will leave politics if he is proved guilty. Even Chhagan Bhujbal is saying the same thing in jail; Ashok Chavan, accused of Adarsh scam, is also saying the same thing. Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra is also saying he is innocent of the allegations levelled against him," it said.

Khadse resigned on Saturday in wake of a series of allegations including irregularities in a land deal in Pune, getting calls allegedly from fugitive Dawood Ibrahim's residence in Karachi on his phone besides the alleged bribe sought by his personal aide.

Following this, Fadnavis announced an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the allegations against Khadse, as sought by the senior leader himself.
Pakistan on Monday handed over 18 Indian fishermen to India at Wagah Border, a day after they were released by the authorities upon completing their sentences for allegedly trespassing into Pakistan's territorial waters.

Punjab Rangers handed over the 18 Indian fishermen, who were released on Sunday from the Malir jail of Sindh province, to the Border Security Force at Wagah Border, a Rangers official, Muhamamd Asif, said.

The fishermen were allowed to cross over the border after verification of their documents, he added.

The fishermen had been in the Malir Jail for the past few years for violating the territorial waters of the country.

The Edhi Foundation, which paid for the arrangement for the fishermen's return to their home, said each fisherman was given Rs 5,000 and gifts -- clothes of themselves and their family members in India -- before their departure.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

Recently, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen who had completed their term while over 400 others are currently in Karachi prisons.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Generation 40 (G40)-aligned war veterans have said Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's allies are "daydreaming" about the Midlands godfather succeeding President Robert Mugabe.Addressing a news conference in Harare yesterday, Manicaland Provincial minister Mandi Chimene said war veterans throughout the country together with other Zimbabweans would strongly resist any attempts to impose Mnangagwa as Mugabe's successor."Don't threaten Zimbabweans with bloodshed because we already shed our blood for this country and no other blood will be spilled unless it is your own blood," Chimene said referring to statements recently attributed to chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), Christopher Mutsvangwa.The Mutsvangwa-led war veterans have endorsed Mnangagwa as their preferred choice to take over from 92-year-old Mugabe.But Chimene and her faction of former freedom fighters distanced themselves from the endorsement saying Mugabe was only in his "first" presidential term under the new Constitution and that they expected him to complete his two terms.She blamed Mnangagwa for keeping quiet while "rogue" elements were campaigning for him."That is a cause for concern because we are beginning to doubt if he is not the one sending them to say such rubbish."If he is not involved, why doesn't he come out in the open to refute the claims that he wants to stampede the president from power? He should be clear so that we know who the enemy really is."That is subversion and it is treasonous. The rest of the war veterans disassociate themselves from such statements and we are prepared to die in defence of the president. I am particularly ready to put my head on the block for that cause," she said.Another war veteran George Mlala said those who say Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko deserted the war had played "peripheral roles that they were not visible and must therefore let those who were visible and commanded the war speak.""There are some among us who go about saying we have endorsed so and so. Those who are calling for school treasonous moves are lunatics or if they are not, they need their sobriety checked, that is if they are genuine war veterans in the first place," Mlala said.He accused Mnangagwa and his allies of harbouring "misguided ambitions" which led them to forgetting the liberation war principle that "politics leads the gun"."They think they are super war veterans who have the misguided thinking that they can decide everything for Zimbabweans and one wonders whether during the war they were using seven guns each."The people who really fought the war are quiet and you will never hear them make noise because they respect the will of the people."
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute at 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States on Tuesday. All Photographs: @MEAIndia/Twitter

Starting his first engagement during his three-day bilateral visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery.

IMAGE: The prime minister lays wreath at Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial.

The prime minister also paid tribute to Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and other US astronauts who were on board the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia and perished when it disintegrated while reentering the earth's orbit on February 1, 2003.

IMAGE: Modi along with family members of the late Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and American astronaut Sunita Williams.

In homage to heroism and indomitable courage. PM Narendra Modi at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial, he said in another tweet.

After the wreath laying ceremony, he also interacted with American astronaut Sunita Williams and her father Deepak Pandya who among others were present there.

IMAGE: The prime minister meets astronaut Sunita Williams.

In the presence of astronaut Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawlas family, Swarup tweeted.

In memory of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia, the PMO tweeted with photographs of the PM laying wreath at the memorial.

IMAGE: Modi and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Modis other engagements on Tuesday include two events at Blair House.

The prime minister would be meeting President Obama on June 7, followed by a lunch in his honour.
India on Monday got the backing of Switzerland in its bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group ahead of the elite group's crucial meeting even as the two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and blackmoney.

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country's support to India's membership in the 48-member grouping after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the Swiss Confederation, Johann Schneider-Ammann, during the joint press statement, in Geneva, Switzerland. Photograph: PIB

Agreeing to expand cooperation in tackling the problem of Indians stashing blackmoney in Swiss banks was one of the key focus areas of the talks between the two leaders besides stepping up ties in areas of trade, investment and vocational training.

"We have promised India support in its efforts to become a member of NSG," Schneider-Ammann said at a joint media interaction.

India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12. The grouping will take up India's application in its plenary meetings on June 9 in Vienna and June 24 in Seoul.

"I am thankful to the president for Switzerland's understanding and support for India's membership of the NSG," Modi said.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to the nuclear sector and its membership will help India expand its atomic energy sector.

Modi also said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was "shared priority" for both the countries.

"We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders. An early start to negotiations on the agreement on the automatic exchange of information would be important in this respect," Modi said.

IMAGE: (From left) Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann. Photograph: MEA/Twitter

On his part, the Swiss President said both the countries are making considerable progress in fighting tax fraud and evasion.

Indian tax authorities are probing cases of tax evasion and blackmoney stashed abroad. The probe had gained momentum after a leaked list of hundreds of Indian clients of HSBC's Geneva branch found its way to the Indian tax authorities.

Last month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said India had signed an agreement with Switzerland and received details of those people having accounts in HSBC.

"We completed assessment of those people who had accounts in HSBC, Switzerland. We assessed Rs 6,000 crore black money which was in HSBC. We filed criminal cases against them," he had said.

Modi said India and Switzerland also shared a commitment to reform international institutions in line with current global realities.

"India and Switzerland have both been the voices of peace, understanding and humanitarian values in the world. In last seven decades, our friendship has consistently seen an upward trajectory. Today, the president and I reviewed our multifaceted bilateral ties. We also held detailed discussions with Swiss CEOs," said the prime minister.

Talking about strong trade ties between the two countries, Modi said many Swiss companies are household names in India and both sides are keen to further expand the economic engagement.

The prime minister said India has affirmed its readiness to resume talks on a free trade agreement with European Free Trade Association.

The trade talks between India and EFTA -- the grouping of Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein -- have been stalled on a host of issues like Intellectual Property Rights and data safety.

The negotiations for the Free Trade Association were launched in 2008.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ammann hold delegation level talks. Photograph: MEA/Twitter

"We are all aware of the strengths of the Swiss economy. But, India too is undergoing profound transformations. We are today the fastest growing economy in the world. But, that alone is not enough.

"I want the Indian economy to be driven by smart and sustainable cities, robust farm sector, vibrant manufacturing and dynamic service sector. And, its engines to run on world class network of rail, roads, airports and digital connectivity," Modi said.

The prime minister said both sides have agreed to build on the Swiss Vocational and Educational Training system suited to India's needs.

Referring to energy security, Modi said reliance on renewable energy, rather than on fossil fuels would be India's "guiding motto".

"We see a perfect connect between our development needs and Swiss strengths. I, therefore, invite the Swiss companies to avail of this great opportunity to be a key partner in India's economic growth. Ultimately, the economic prosperity of 1.25 billion plus would also benefit the entire world," Modi said.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing business leaders. Photograph: PIB

The prime minister also talked about Switzerland being a popular destination for shooting of Indian films, noting the strong ties between the people of the two countries are an important "base and benchmark" in bilateral ties.

In this regard, he also mentioned about India launching the e-tourist visa facility earlier this year for Swiss nationals.

"Thanks to the Indian film industry, we are very familiar with the enchanting beauty of the Swiss landscapes. But, we are also keen to welcome larger number of Swiss visitors to India," he said.

The prime minister also referred to Indian tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes winning a number of Grand Slams while pairing up with Swiss player Martina Hingis.

"There are many success stories of our relationship. One that has been making waves in the Grand Slams of the tennis world is the partnership of famous Swiss player Martina Hingis with Sania Mirza and Leander Paes of India.

"I am confident that our common commitments and values, people to people links and a strong and growing economic partnership will take our relations to new heights," said Modi.

Paes and Hingis had won the French Open mixed doubles last week. The pair had won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2015.

The PM arrived in Geneva late Sunday night from the Qatari capital Doha on the third leg of his five-nation tour.

Modi began his five-nation visit in Afghanistan. From Geneva, Modi will travel to the United States and then to Mexico.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC on Monday. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington, DC on Monday on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama to review bilateral ties and address a joint session of the United States Congress.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews from Switzerland where he secured the European nations support for Indias Nuclear Suppliers Group membership ahead of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.

Penultimate leg of PM Narendra Modi's journey begins as he arrives in WashingtonDC on a sunny summer afternoon, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal were among the top officials present at the base to receive Modi.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the US Congress. He will be the sixth Indian prime minister to do so. Modi is visiting the US at the invitation of President Obama.

Since 2014, there have been six meetings and countless phone calls between Obama and Modi, and this visit reflects the significance that the two leaders place on the natural alliance between the two largest democratic countries of the world, a senior US official had said ahead of the meeting.

This is Modis fourth visit to the US.

In my meeting with the President on June 7, we will seek to build upon the progress achieved in providing new vigour and momentum to our strategic partnership in diverse areas, Modi had said before departing for his five-nation tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

Modi will begin his US visit by paying tributes at the ArlingtonNationalCemetery. He will then meet heads of a number of American think tanks and will attend an event to repatriate Indian antiquity by the US.

Modi will also address the 40th AGM of the US India Business Council and meet US business leaders.

India and the US are natural partners, two vibrant democracies that celebrate their diversity and pluralism. Strong India-US ties benefit not only our two nations but also the entire world, Modi had said.

From the US, Modi will visit Mexico before heading back to India.
Elaborate security arrangements are in place at Amritsar and several parts of the state, even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal exhorted the people to exercise restraint and observe the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar peacefully.

We have made sufficient deployment of security forces in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala, a senior Punjab police official said.

As many as 15 companies of paramilitary forces including Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force, besides police personnel in strength, have been deployed.

Six companies of paramilitary forces have been placed at Amritsar while rest will be deployed in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala, he said.

As part of a statewide police crackdown on radical Sikhs, police has already rounded up activists of Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar and Damdami Taksal from several places to avoid any trouble in the wake of 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar.

Several activists have also gone underground in the wake of the preventive arrests, official sources said.

Meanwhile, tight security arrangements have been made in Amritsar to thwart any attempt by miscreants to disturb law and order.

We will not allow anyone to disturb peace and harmony in the city, Amritsar Police Commissioner, A S Chahal said.

While a few radical Sikh organisations have given a call for a shutdown in Amritsar, Chahal said nobody will be allowed to close shops forcefully.

We will not allow anyone to force shopkeepers to shut down their shops and brandish swords, he said.

Over 8,000 security personnel including paramilitary forces have been deployed in Amritsar, Chahal said, adding that police will keep an eye on people to thwart any attempt by miscreants to create disturbance.

Security personnel have also been deployed around the Golden Temple in Amritsar, he said.

CCTVs have been installed at key locations for surveillance purposes, Chahal said.

Devotees coming to Golden Temple will not face any problem, he assured.

He also said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has deployed its task force inside the Golden Temple and will remain on alert.

On June 6 last year, five youths were injured in a clash inside the Golden Temple when people had gathered there to mark the anniversary of Operation Bluestar.

Image: Rapid Action Force personnel take out flag march to instill a sense of security and safety among the residents of Amritsar. Photograph: PTI
A new app calculator has been found on smart phones of terrorists infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir which helps them to remain in touch with their handlers in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir without being detected by technical surveillance mounted by army.

With the number of militants infiltrating from PoK showing a steep rise this year, the army found that terrorists carried a smart phone with no messages stored in it.

The armys signal unit, which relies mainly on technical intercepts like usage of wireless and mobile phones by infiltrating terror groups to track them, is burning the midnight oil along with National Technical Research Organisation and other agencies to crack this mechanism used by the terrorists.

The technology was first used by a US-based company during Hurricane Katrina so that the affected residents could remain in touch with each other.

During interrogation of some of the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the agencies came to know that the terror outfit had modified it and created an application calculator which can be downloaded on smart phones attached to the off-air network created specifically for them.

The technology is based on the concept of cognitive digital radio that enables users to turn their smartphones into peer-to-peer, off-grid communication tools.

The network generates its own signal through proprietary adhoc networking protocols and automatically coordinates with other units within range which enables users to send and receive text messages, share their GPS locations on offline maps regardless of access to WiFi or cellular service.

The terrorists apprehended had their phones paired with the radio sets along the border and were receiving instructions about the route and terrain, official sources quoting interrogation details of some apprehended militants said.

In a related development, the army is trying to plug the holes in the anti-infiltration grid and has already started redeployment of troops.

The infiltration of terrorists from across the border by end of April this year stands at around 35 in Kashmir area.

All the security agencies were unanimous about infiltration from the Jammu side where they claimed militants made three infiltration bids which were foiled by troops.

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.

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.

In 2014, there were 222 infiltration attempts in the state of which 65 were successful.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival.

"This visit celebrates the remarkable transformation in United States-India ties. Over the last seven years, the US and India have cemented an enduring bond of friendship, built on democratic values, open societies, and a respect for a rules-based order," a senior administration official told PTI.

At the invitation of President Barack Obama, Modi arrives in the US capital on Tuesday afternoon as he and Obama are scheduled to meet at the Oval Office.

The president will host a lunch for the prime minister after the meeting. "The prime minister's visit will also highlight the growing collaboration between our two countries and, more consequentially, our shared leadership on the world stage," the official said.

"From addressing climate change and providing clean energy solutions, to deepening our economic and trade ties, to preserving cyberspace as an engine for growth and development, to protecting our shared spaces on the sea, in the air, and in space, the world is better when the US and India lead together," the official said.

On Wednesday, Modi would address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first foreign leader to do so this year and also the first to address a joint meeting of the Congress under Speaker Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile two leading US dailies -- the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal -- have said that Obama building a relationship with Modi is primarily aimed at China.

The two leaders "have each invested in developing a close relationship", Benjamin J Rhodes, deputy national security advisor was quoted as saying by NYT.

The daily said the US is encouraging the rise of India as a giant Asian partner to balance China, and India is trying to accelerate its economy with an injection of investment from American companies.

The Wall Street Journal said among the factors propelling India-US the relationship is China's growing footprint in India's traditional sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean.

The White House is looking to increase economic and defence cooperation during the visit and to cement the new momentum in ties before turning the relationship over to the next US president, the WSJ reported.

Since their first meeting at the White House in September 2014, after Modi came to power in May that year, the two leaders have met six times.

Obama was the first foreign leader to congratulate Modi over the phone after his historic victory. "The hours they've spent together have allowed them to have a good understanding of their respective worldviews and domestic circumstances, and made it possible to deepen defence ties, advance our civil nuclear cooperation and achieve a breakthrough on climate change," he said.

"It is also an indication of how important President Obama thinks our relationship is with India, as the world's largest democracy and an increasingly important partner," Rhodes said.

"For each country, the other country has really emerged as an incredibly important and vital partner," an administration official was quoted as saying by WSJ.

"India has global interests, and it's looking to protect those interests, but it lacks sufficient capability to do that. So India is looking to make a big bet on the United States to help it gain that capacity. And we are very comfortable with helping India do that," the daily reported.

"India made a big shift under Prime Minister Modi," the official was quoted as saying by WSJ according to which Obama sees a gradual change in India's role in the world as one of his major achievements.

"I think it's really hard to overestimate the rapid pace of progress in our defence relationship," the official said.

IMAGE: US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this picture taken on September 28, 2015.Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
When Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi was beaten to death by a murderous SBVS mob, the killers included women and teenagers.

Why did the district magistrate take over an hour to order retaliatory firing on the murderous SBVS mob?

Rashme Sehgal reports from Mathura on the battle for Jawahar Bagh.

IMAGE: A scene of the chaos after the brutal battle in Mathura between the police and members of the the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah, SBVS, an organisation that swore allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Photograph: PTI

The Mathura police have launched a major cover-up operation so that their glaring lapses in the handling of the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah, SBVS, an organisation that swore allegiance to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

A 3,000-strong armed SBVS contingent had been camping on the 270 acre Jawahar Bagh located in the heart of Mathura city next to the army cantonment, the tehsil complex and the city jail for the past two years. There, men, women and children were receiving training in arms, with no intervention by the police.

When Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi was beaten to death by a lathi-wielding murderous SBVS mob on the evening of June 2, the killers included women and teenagers, both boys and girls.

Doctors at the local hospital who examined Dwivedi reported that he suffered 12 fractures on his skull and face. The bullet that killed Farah Station House Officer Santosh Yadav, who was trying to save Dwivedi's life, is reported to have been /fired by a woman.

City Magistrate Ram Araj Yadav -- who had accompanied Diwedi on a reconnisance mission on the evening of June 2 to see how the authorities could evict the SBVS squatters following an Allahabad high court directive ordering that they be forced to vacate government land, and who himself suffered injuries -- says, "Since we could not enter from the main gate, we decided to enter from the side and to do so, we used a JCB machine to break a part of a 5-foot wall."

"As we entered," City Magistrate Yadav recalled, "the mob inside pelted bricks and stones at us. Dwiwedi was hit by a brick. He fell, and within seconds he was attacked by rioters wielding lathis. My right arm was also hit by a brick and I suffered fractures."

The city magistrate admits that Dwivedi's gunner, whose job it was to protect the SP, fled for his life as did members of the Provincial Armed Constabulary -- comprising primarily fresh men and women recruits armed with plastic lathis who were no match for the well armed SBVS mob.

IMAGE: Smoke from the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah camp site. Photograph: PTI

SBVS leader Ram Vriksh Yadav, who reportedly died in the subsequent battle with the police, had long boasted that he was training a 'Bhindranwale army', referring to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had led an armed movement for Khalistan in Punjab in the early 1980s and perished in Operation Bluestar on June 6 32 years ago.

Viresh Yadav, Ram Vriksh Yadav's lieutenant, provided security training with groups of ten members patrolling the SBVS camp night and day.

Chandan Bose, his IT specialist, provided technical inputs. SBVS had cameras to photograph people entering and leaving the complex. None of its members were permitted to step outside the SBVS camp.

"When our PAC company recruits were entering the complex, we were armed with rubber bullets which we fired on these squatters," says City Magistrate Yadav, "but we were hardly in a position to take these people on."

Tthe key question being asked by Mathura residents is that despite having lost two senior police officers, why did the district magistrate take over an hour to order retaliatory firing on the murderous SBVS mob?

When District Magistrate Dr Rajesh Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Rakesh Singh were asked this question, they replied almost in unison, "The state government has ordered an enquiry being headed by Commissioner of Police Chandra Kant heading the Aligarh district. All questions must now be directed to him."

Chandra Kant was equally evasive. "I have just stared my enquiry," he said, adding, "I have spoken to officials in the administration and independent observers, I plan to submit my report to the state government within the next 15 days."

Once District Magistrate Dr Rajesh Kumar gave permission for the police to retaliate, residents living in the colonies adjacent to Jawahar Bagh confirm that the firing went on for 90 minutes, between 5.30 pm and 7 pm.

The non stop firing was followed by loud explosions caused by exploding gas cylinders and grenades.

"The police have been telling us that they have recovered 29 dead bodies. We understand that around 300 people who were injured are being treated in the local district hospital," says Kunwar Narendra Singh, one of the tallest political leaders in Mathura, adding, "our suspicion is that between 300 to 500 people would have died in this operation."

"But since the people living there were not locals and were brought there from Madhya Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh," he said, "we have little idea about their antecedents."

IMAGE: The day after at the Jawahar Bagh, Mathura, battle site. Photograph: PTI

Local sources confirm that the death toll is much higher than the figure of 29 being claimed by the police.

Commissioner of Police Chandra Kant insists that the death toll is 23, but locals say over 25 SBVS men trying to escape were lynched by angry residents, incensed by Dwivedi and Yadav's deaths.

Narendra Singh helped set up the Jawahar Bagh Sangarsh Samiti whereby a group of 30 to 40 government staffers held protests outside the collectorate, demanding that the SBVS encroachers be evicted. Their offices were located inside Jawahar Bagh including office belonging to the state horticulture and agriculture departments.

Once the encroachers had settled on this land inside Jawahar Bagh, they did not allow outsiders to enter. Fearing retaliation by the SBVS encroachers, the authorities forced Samiti members to hold their protests at another site.

"The government knew from the start that they were a bad lot," says Narendra Singh. "When a group of patwaris went there, they were beaten up. Later, they destroyed a part of the tehsil and yet no action was taken against them."

"Following the Allahabad high court order, a team of PAC jawans led by Chakrapani Tripathi went to persuade Ram Vriksh Yadav to vacate the premises," Narendra Singh adds. "A media team went with Tripathi. Ram Vrikish Yadav's men gheraoed these people and did not release them for an hour. The writing was clear on the wall. This was a dangerous vigilante group."

IMAGE: The police opened fire after using lathis and tear gas at the murderous encroachers. Photograph: Sandeep Pal

"Whenever Ram Vriksh Yadav stepped out of Jawahar Bagh, he used to strut around with a team of armed guards. How was he allowed to build up this private army?" Narendra Singh asks.

He also questions how Ram Vriksh Yadav was paid a government pension of Rs 15,000 each month. "How were these squatters given Aadhar cards? Who was financing this group because not only were trucks carrying food items reaching the site every day, but this group had also started a daily bazaar where they sold vegetables and fruits at half rates."

Ram Vriksh Yadav's SBVS is a splinter group of a sect run by Jai Gurudev who came to Mathura from Etawah in 1968 and who allegedly secured land in a similar manner. The land was apart of the UP state industrial area where Gurudev built a massive ashram which bore a resemblance to the Taj Mahal. He was said to be close to Samajwadi party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brothers.

Ram Vriksh Yadav appeared to have government contacts as well. In 2014, the then DM reportedly provided the squatters with an electricity connection. His contacts in Lucknow, Mathura residents allege, had assured him that the Jawahar Bagh land would be transferred to him at the nominal rate of Rs one per square foot.

There are precedents of such transfers -- Sadhvi Ritambara was reportedly given a large tract of land in Mathura at nominal rates by then UP chief minister Kalyan Singh.

Were it not for the public interest litigation filed by local advocate Vijay Pal Tomar, the SBVS plan could well have succeeded.

"They wanted to grab government land and our city would have lost one of its most beautiful parks. As it is, following the massive fire, the entire park with its trees and orchards has been burnt to ashes," says Tomar.

Questions about the police operation are being openly asked in the city. Officials in the state intelligence wing had issued several warnings to the local administration about the weaponry that had been acquired by the SBVS sect. All these warnings went unheeded.

Residents from the colonies overlooking Jawahar Park say over 100 ambulances were requisitioned from Agra and Aligarh to carry the injured on the fatal night of June 2. Independent observers wonder if dead bodies were ferried out of the city because the ambulances worked through the night.

"How was the police allowed to carry out such a botched out operation?" asks Narendra Singh. "If the police had wanted to carry out a recee, they should have gone about it in a quiet manner without alerting Ram Vriksh Yadav's group."
Wide, 4 lane expressways have taken the pleasures out of seeing life along the roads like the highways of old -- homes, bazaars, dhabas, women filling water, elderly folk sitting under the peepal tree...

True Indian scenes most often lie on less travelled routes, along roads that have fallen off the map, after modern highways have come up.

On the fourth leg of their 2,148 km journey, Rediff.com's Archana Masih and photographer Rajesh Karkera discover one such forgotten place in the Thar Desert.

IMAGE: Biba Khatoon lives in a hamlet in the Thar Desert. From Chhattargarh to Bikaner, this is the most scenic route of the journey. Photographs: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com

Day 4: The Thar Desert, Rajasthan

It is 42 degrees, but it seems like 45 and the soot-covered ceiling fans at the Midway Dhaba in Birdhwal, Rajasthan, are taken by truckers snoozing on cots.

We had driven out of Bathinda with hopes of having alu, gobi, paneer parathas with lassi at some inviting dhaba, but such culinary encounters elude us.

One sad discovery of our travel is that the dhabas of old are gradually disappearing or have given way to more modern eateries.

You can find tea shacks, but not dhabas open for an early breakfast. "A McDonald's on the Mumbai-Pune expressway opens at 7 am, but not dhabas here," laughs Rajesh, my colleague.

In Gujarat, the highway restaurants get fancier. These are large enterprises that provide rooms to stay, with a Havmor ice cream parlour and confectionary shops selling foreign goods.

IMAGE: Modern highways have resulted in the disappearance of dhabas.

The most delicious breakfast of the trip we have is outside the Nokha Mandi station in Bikaner district -- but that is on the next day. Fresh, fat mirchi pakodas and kachoris wrapped in newspaper with two cups of hot tea.

Rs 40 for two mirchi pakodas and two kachoris; Rs 5 for a thimble-sized tea cup.

The previous day, at the Midway dhaba on the Punjab-Rajasthan border, when we ask what is on offer, the cook gruffly tells us, "The menu is hanging there, read it."

Most of the items on the list aren't available. The oily food is served with green chillies and two fat bars of lard, brought by Chowmein, a young Nepali boy in shorts and t-shirt.

His colleague is called Burger. The boys traveled from Nepal after the April 25, 2015 earthquake to earn a living and plan to return home after a year-and-a-half.

IMAGE: Bikaner district lies in the Thar Desert. The Indira Gandhi Canal runs alongside and beyond, on the right, is Pakistan.

After a very forgettable meal, we set course on a quieter route to Bikaner via Chhattargarh, cutting through the great Thar desert. The vast mounds of sand smoulder under the merciless sun, yet look gloriously beautiful.

Sharing space with us on the deserted road are sundry camel carts and army convoys.

We are somewhere near the area where the Indian Army, especially the armoured forces, conduct training manoeuvres. Most units come here for annual firing and training which keeps this stretch milling with tank transporters and hordes of army men in camouflage gear.

On the right, beyond the sand dunes and the Indira Gandhi Canal, lies Pakistan. The road, partly constructed by the Border Roads Organisation, is strong enough for tanks to roll on during war time and the proof is there to see.

IMAGE: An army convoy makes its way. The numbers on the tank have been blurred intentionally.

An army convoy with tanks and huge guns makes its way, giving us a glimpse of the mechanised infantry. A train station goes by, where a goods train with flat wagons are being loaded with tanks, instantly reminding me of what Zarine Boyce, the daughter of 1965 war hero Colonel A B Tarapore, Param Vir Chakra, had told me last year.

The last time she had seen her father, he had left on a tank being carried on a train like that. She never saw him again; he was martyred in the 1965 war. I had seen Colonel Tarapore's statue at the entrance of the Bathinda cantonment the previous day.

In another square in the state, I see the statue of another Param Vir Chakra hero and Jodhpur native Major Shaitan Singh, who died along with 114 soldiers, fighting to the last man, repelling the Chinese in Ladakh in 1962.

IMAGE: The young couple had taken a lift from the biker and had stopped at a railway crossing.

Beyond the tanks, armoured vehicles and memories of heroes, we see something we haven't seen before -- camel carts on wheels made of aeroplane tyres!

The tyres are sturdy in the difficult desert terrain, allowing easy traction with least resistance and are bought from traders dealing with second-hand jet tyres.

According to a report on downtoearth.org, a one-humped camel can cover 32 km in 8 hours with a 180 kg load and more than 900 kg on the cart with jet tyres.

IMAGE: This couple offers us water and a meal ahead of Jodhpur.

One area where India has seen real change is on the highways. The wide 2-4 lanes certainly give a smooth ride, but have taken the pleasures out of seeing life along the roads like the highways of old -- homes, bazaars, women filling water, elderly folk sitting under the peepal tree, children running out of a school...

True Indian vignettes most often lie on these less travelled routes, along roads that have fallen off the map after better, modern ones came up.

The road we are on is somewhat like that, where after long expanses of the desert we see little hamlets, shepherds with herds and tractors carrying mountains of cattle feed.

After looking for a place to have tea for a long time, we stop at a small thatched tea shop at a road junction in Kela Phata, a place that is hard to find on the map.

Behind the counter which stocks beedis, biscuits and chips of popular brands stands Khansaab, an old man brewing tea in his shop-cum-home. The house has thick mud walls and is cool to touch while the desert blazes outside.

Much against his wishes, he has to be persuaded to add more water and less milk. "Special special tea is made only with pure milk," he says.

IMAGE: Biba Khatoon sells milk and works in the fields in Kela Phata. All the women are in colourful Rajasthani clothes.

Kela Phata is 50 odds kilometres from Bikaner. On a water tap opposite the tea shop are Shaheen and Asma whom we met as Khansaab makes tea. Their beautiful faces remind me of Steve McCurry's famous National Geographic cover photograph of an Afghan girl.

The girls attend a private school which costs the family an annual fee of Rs 12,000 and Rs 4,000 in transport. The children of a daily wager, their mother tells us the nearest government school is too far.

Biba Khatoon, their neighbour, who makes a living selling cow milk at Rs 25 a litre, says no girl in the village has been to college.

"Neither has any neta ever come to speak to us women," says Biba, a single woman who lives with her father.

The women speak loudly and confidently. They wear beautiful Rajasthani ghagras with bright dupattas and it is a joy to see them in their native garments in an India that is losing the diversity of its dress culture.

They soon ask us as many questions about our lives as we do about theirs. Children, elders and younger women come and join in, as we set aside the distances of miles and minds to talk and laugh.

IMAGE: Khansaab runs a tea shop from his mud-walled home in Kela Phata. This is the only tea shop for miles.

Meanwhile, Nathuram from the next village has stopped outside the tea shop to re-fit his moped's tyre. A friend who borrowed one of his tyres to go to a friend's wedding has returned it after attending the ceremony. As we sip tea, he tells us his peeve about not getting his widower's pension in three months.

"When there are no jobs for the educated, you can imagine what is the plight of the uneducated. And most are uneducated here," says Rahim Khan, a former sarpanch, sitting with his granddaughters on a charpoy.

The men point to a man on a motorcycle fastening plastic milk cans on his carrier. The milk is being taken to dairies in Bikaner for which villagers are paid Rs 25 per litre.

In Mumbai, a one litre packet costs almost double, Rs 40.

"What we sell is pure milk, unlike what you get in cities," laughs Rahim chacha.

IMAGE: Shaheen and Asma remind me of Steve McCurry's iconic photograph of the Afghan girl.

As we prepare to head to Bikaner, Rajesh asks the women for their address so that he can post them their photographs. The women say they don't know how to write. He then turns to the two school-going girls attending Class 4 and 5. They laugh shyly and say they can't write either.

I am not sure if Shaheen and Asma refuse to write because they are shy or really don't know how to write. We cajole them, but they just smile their beautiful smiles and refuse.

A report conducted by the education NGO Pratham last year revealed that almost 50 per cent of rural school children in Class 5 could not read textbooks meant for Class 2. Five percent couldn't even recognise letters.

India has managed to send almost 96 per cent children to school, but hasn't been able to provide a proper education to all. Each year, city children make the news with mind-blowing high percentages when Class 10 and 12 results are announced.

As long as children can't write, read, add, subtract we will continue to lose a battle in a classroom everyday. And I hope Shaheen and Asma were only being shy that afternoon.

Next: The cow hospital, Nagaur
News / National

by Staff reporter

As food prices rise further beyond reach amid cash shortages, struggling Zimbabweans are losing belief in their president and his promise of a brighter future.The country has been hit by persistent cash shortages - but its leaders tell the people that adversity will make them stronger.This offers scant comfort to many ordinary Zimbabweans struggling to support their families as high unemployment and low wages take their toll.They had pinned their hopes on President Robert Mugabe, who won power in 2013 with pledges to improve the economy - but the promises have remained pie in the sky."All these promises of improving the economy are just nice words," said Moses Moyo, a father-of-five who owns a small grocery shop in Mbare."I can't feed my children with empty promises."Mid-way through Mugabe's seventh term, he has not only angered political opposition who oppose his policies, but is losing the belief of many of the middle and lower-income Zimbabweans who are now shouldering much of the burden of the economic woes.Amid this growing disgruntlement, is also a culture of resistance that is slowly building up in people's minds, which analysts say has left Zimbabwe on a cliff edge as they believe more and more that Mugabe is at his weakest.And with the MDC regaining its mojo and beginning to be more visible through anti-Mugabe demonstrations that have attracted tens of thousands of participants, Zanu-PF is at war with itself, owing to factional and succession wars."The regime is at its weakest currently with frustration evident within the regime... They don't know how to take the country forward and there is little hope among citizens on how this regime can redeem us from the current economic abyss," University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure told the Daily News on Sunday.He, however, said opposition parties cannot afford to relax, saying Zanu-PF had the "baboon tendency because they can afford to quarrel now but come election time, they will close ranks and fight a common enemy".This tendency can be seen through the behaviour of the police - often used by Mugabe to restrict political space for his opponents by blocking them from demonstrating - leaving them to seek reprieve from the courts.But Masunungure said while he did not expect a change in attitude towards Mugabe's opponents, law enforcement agents were finding the country's Constitution an obstacle in their efforts to thwart the growing anger against the 92-year-old's 36-year rule.Recently, the African Economics (NKC) in one of its research instalments on Zimbabwe, predicted an escalating crisis ahead of the next polls.The think tank also pointed out that, currently, Zanu-PF is at its weakest due to factional fights, adding that the economic woes will be a final blow to its existence."The decision by central bank chief John Mangudya to introduce what amounts to a 'play money' version of the US dollar, as well as new measures to severely curtail withdrawals, suggest Zimbabwe is edging closer to the brink of a new currency crisis," NKC said.The think tank added that the situation could "herald significant instability in the country"."As the cash shortages spark panic, there are new signs that the ailing Mugabe may not see out his current term, let alone be prepared to start a new one in 2018."What makes this different is the increasing pace of the disintegration of Zanu-PF and the rivalries and competition for power that it will inevitably spark, specifically in the security establishment and the formal military."Zimbabwe has faced serious crises before, but not with such a divided party and so few ideas on how to proceed. The country is going to need clear heads if sanity is to prevail but clear heads may be in short supply."Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development said the efforts made by the monetary authorities as a response to the current cash crisis and "simultaneously stabilisation and stimulation of the economy", was addressing symptoms while the fundamental causes are left out."The ordinary Zimbabweans have been disturbed particularly by the proposals to bring the bond notes as a solution to the economy."It is clear that the citizens are no longer confident in the country's financial sector in particular and the government's economic measures in general."It is significant that the government undertakes a trust and confidence-building exercise for the people to be able to support any policy measures taken by the monetary authorities."Wide consultation of the public before any policy intervention is announced is key for a buy in of the stakeholders," Zincodd said in a critique of the imminent bond notes.Another analyst Shakespeare Hamauswa said the idea of disrupting demonstrations was a clear sign that Mugabe was gradually losing his grip on power.However, it being a democratic right for people to demonstrate as provided for in the country's new governing charter, the judiciary system has in recent times been coming to the rescue of the citizens by sanctioning the street marches."They (courts) probably wanted to show the world that they have reformed and that in Zimbabwe people are free to demonstrate," Hamauswa said.Hamauswa was, however, quick to point out that the institutions that have been making Zanu-PF strong are still intact, although because of the infighting in the party, it is difficult to say how the party reacts when cornered."What we can suggest are just descriptions reminiscent to the blind man who describes the parts of the elephant his hands can feel."This means that we are living in a complex situation overshadowed by factional fights such that the real drivers of critical decisions are unknown," he said.For several years, Zimbabweans have been docile, as their right to demonstrate was denied in a move that flew in the face of perceived democracy attained at independence in 1980.If there is anything that the governing party Zanu-PF managed to achieve since it took over power was to instil fear in citizens, analysts said, and the use of violence to cow and crush every pocket of resistance.This has grown in people's minds to an extent that they have failed to assert their rights, but as the growing injustices continue to take toll on the hapless citizens, they are now taking to the streets to register their disgruntlement.
China: 2014 hukou reform policy and its local implementation; security features and other physical characteristics of hukou [household registry] documents issued in 2013-2014; anti-fraud measures introduced for hukou documents; whether features are standardized across the country

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 23 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol CHN105053.E Related Document(s) Chine : information sur la politique de 2014 sur la reforme du systeme de hukou et sa mise en oeuvre a l'echelle locale; caracteristiques de securite et autres caracteristiques materielles des hukous [certificats de residence] delivres en 2013-2014; mesures instaurees pour prevenir la fraude liee aux hukous; information indiquant si les caracteristiques sont normalisees dans l'ensemble du pays Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, China: 2014 hukou reform policy and its local implementation; security features and other physical characteristics of hukou [household registry] documents issued in 2013-2014; anti-fraud measures introduced for hukou documents; whether features are standardized across the country, 23 December 2015, CHN105053.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57551d0c4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. 2014 Hukou Reform Policy

According to sources, China's State Council announced a proposal to reform the hukou [household registry] system in July 2014 (China Policy Institute 2014; China Economic Review 8 Sept. 2014; The Diplomat 16 Jan. 2015). Sources indicate that the Chinese government has set a target date of 2020 for nation-wide implementation of the reform policy (China Daily 18 Dec. 2013; Migration Policy Institute 10 Dec. 2014). UK-based daily newspaper The Guardian reported in July 2014 that the reform is aimed at easing the settlement of 100 million migrant workers into cities over the next six years (31 July 2014).

1.1 Removal of Distinction Between Urban and Rural Populations

East Asia Forum, an online forum that focuses on analysis and research of the Asia Pacific region that is based at the Australian National University (East Asia Forum n.d.), states that the new policy establishes "a single national resident registration (jumin hukou) system for both rural and urban populations" (ibid. 13 Jan. 2015). A 2014 policy paper published by the China Policy Institute, a think tank based at the University of Nottingham, which promotes collaborative research that "challenges stereotypes and conventional wisdom on contemporary China" (China Policy Institute n.d.), likewise states that "the new policy will establish a uniform household registration system that does not distinguish between 'agricultural' and 'non-agricultural'" and that instead, "every Chinese citizen will have a 'resident's' hukou registered to their place of origin" (ibid. 2014, 3). Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported in July 2014 that "[f]rom now on, citizens will be classified simply as 'residents' rather than as 'agricultural' or 'non-agricultural' workers" (SCMP 31 July 2014).

However, the SCMP states that the social entitlements received by citizens "will still be determined by where they are registered, and in rural areas these will remain far lower than in cities for years to come" (ibid.). The Guardian reports that "[t]he reforms include exemptions for major cities" (31 July 2014). Other sources also note that the 2014 hukou reform policy encourages Chinese migrants to settle in smaller cities, and that there are more stringent requirements to settle permanently in larger urban areas (East Asia Forum 13 Jan. 2015; Business Spectator 1 Aug. 2014; The Wall Street Journal 4 Aug. 2014). The China Policy Institute paper states that

[w]hile small cities (with a population of less than 500,000) will have completely open hukou applications, medium to extra-large cities (population 500,000-5 million) will apply various conditions. These become increasingly strict with size, and include type and seniority of employment, type of housing, payment into urban social insurance schemes and length of residence. (2014, 4)

According to sources, China's largest cities will continue to apply a "points" system, which will eliminate a large number of hukou applicants (China Economic Review 8 Sept. 2014; The Wall Street Journal 4 Aug. 2014; Business Spectator 1 Aug. 2014). East Asia Forum states that "as city size increases, local authorities can set stricter settlement criteria by specifying a narrower list of occupations, more years of residency, or higher levels of social insurance contributions" (East Asia Forum 13 Jan. 2015). According to Business Spectator, an online Australian business news source (Business Spectator n.d.), the new policy "has only lowered entry barriers for smaller and medium-sized cities. Mega cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are still fortresses for migrant workers," which means that it will get "progressively harder for migrants to get urban residential permits as the size of the city gets bigger" (ibid. 1 Aug. 2014).

1.2 Local Implementation of 2014 Hukou Reforms

In a report on the reform of the hukou system, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office describes guidance issued by China's State Council in July 2014 on hukou reform measures that should be taken as "the first concrete statement from the centre clarifying for local government what reform should involve" (UK 15 Aug. 2014).

However, sources report that local governments have authority over the implementation of hukou reform (EU July 2013; China Dialogue 22 Oct. 2013). A 2013 report by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs at the European Commission notes that "[t]he modalities of reform vary greatly across provinces and municipalities as a result of the devolution of responsibility for hukou controls to the local government in the late 1990s" (EU July 2013). According to the China Policy Institute paper, "it is unclear how successfully the new regulations can be implemented locally, especially since compliance will be encouragedrather than rigidly enforced" (China Policy Institute 2014, 6). The Guardian states that "analysts say key measures are not enforceable by the centre" (31 July 2014).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lecturer in Chinese politics and development at the Lau China Institute, King's College London, stated, in reference to the 2014 reform policy, that while the "2014 national reforms provide a clear national guideline," it is "nonetheless  up to the provincial-level governments how and when to implement the changes, so the pace of hukou reform varies" (Lecturer 26 Jan. 2015). The same source explained that,

[s]ince September 2014 the central government has urged provincial governments to replace urban/rural hukous with a new, unified "resident" hukou. Pilot experiments for doing this had already been in operation in certain provinces, since around 2004, and a total of 12 provinces and one autonomous region had already modified hukou registration before the 2014 reforms.



Henan, Heilongjiang, Hebei and Xinjiang have already abolished the rural/urban distinction. Guizhou and Jiangxi are supposed to abolish the distinction this month (January 2015), but perhaps with slightly different results - Guizhou, for example, has proposed registering households as "collective" or "family" households depending on whether they register their hukou through an organization such as an employer or through their family. Even within those provinces which have already scrapped the rural/urban distinction, there are different rates of take-up, since people can convert their hukou at local public security stations as and when they choose. (ibid.)

English-language daily newspaper China Daily similarly reports in November 2014, that Henan, Heilongjiang and Hebei provinces and Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region had removed the rural/urban distinction and that Guizhou and Jiangxi provinces had introduced draft reform plans (21 Nov. 2014). The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office also notes that the province of Guangdong had previously announced its own hukou reforms in June 2014, but added that

while the policy reforms announced satisfy all the requirements set out in the State Council guidance, their impact is likely to be limited. The main focus is on making it easier for university educated rural residents to get a Hukou. (UK 15 Aug. 2014)

According to sources, local governments are reluctant to implement hukou reforms due to financial burdens (The Diplomat Oct. 2013; Business Spectator 1 Aug. 2014). A 2013 article published by the Diplomat, a current-affairs magazine covering the Asia-Pacific region (The Diplomat n.d.), states that "it is estimated that while local government is responsible for around four fifths of expenditure, they only receive half of this from tax  Consequently local governments are deeply opposed to hukou reform" (ibid. Oct. 2013). Referring to the 2014 reform policy, Business Spectator reports that "under the new system, cities are allowed to set their own admission standards for migrant workers under an over-arching framework and many are reluctant to take on the additional spending responsibility" (Business Spectator 1 Aug. 2014). The same source notes that "[l]ocal governments must also bear most of the responsibility for social security spending  it is understandable why municipal governments are not in a hurry to open their gates to admit rural migrants in a larger number until their fiscal positions have been improved" (ibid.).

2. Physical and Security Characteristics of Hukou Documents

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official from the Embassy of Canada in Beijing stated that "most" hukou documents have "a burgundy coloured jacket with stitched light blue pages" (Canada 30 Jan. 2015). The same source added that

Hukou documents may vary slightly in size but the majority of them measure ~14cm by length and ~10.4cm by width. Hukou documents issued prior to 2006 were comprised of a booklet and loose pages. Since 2006, hukou pages are stitched to the booklet. Persons are known to have added or removed pages and stitched them back in. (ibid.)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. An example of a hukou document provided to the Research Directorate by a professor of international relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology is attached to this Response.

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a professor of international relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who has published research on China's hukou system, stated that "[t]here have been  national regulations on the standardization of the main hukou-related documents such as the hukou booklet and personal ID card, and the forms for the digital networks of hukou files" (Professor 20 Jan. 2015). However, the same source notes that "there are clear regional variations of the appearances (style and color of the cover, for instance) of some hukou documents such as residence permit and temporary permits" (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior researcher at the China Law Center at Yale University Law School, who has conducted independent research on hukou documents, stated that the physical and security features of hukou documents are standardized across the country and that the Ministry of Public Security "issues the standard formats" of the documents (Senior Researcher 26 Jan. 2015). Conversely, according to the embassy official, "hukou document registration is not centralized, standardized, nor well regulated" (Canada 30 Jan. 2015). However, the same source notes that "[h]ukou documents are relatively the same in terms of appearance and security features (the primary one being the stamp). There may be some slight differences between provinces, municipalities, and rural regions, especially among older hukou documents" (ibid.).

2.1 Anti-fraud Features of Hukou Documents

According to the embassy official,

[t]he primary anti-fraud feature of a hukou document is the stamp ... There are no ultra-violet or electronic security features. Page numbers are not indicated in the booklet. The paper quality and print font is verified upon examination. It is considered not unusual to come across altered hukou documents. (ibid.)

A diagram illustrating how to detect fraudulent hukou stamps provided by the embassy official is attached to this Response.

The Professor of international relations stated that hukou documents since 2008 "use better anti-fraud technology," noting that Chinese authorities can verify the authenticity of hukou documents by logging into the "national hukou network" and examining "various stampings" on the surface of the document (Professor 23 Jan. 2015). The same source noted that there have "always been various and numerous incidents of fraud regarding hukou. The PRC government does not release systematic data on that. Anecdotal reporting suggests that such fraud has not had [a] meaningful decrease [since 2008]" (ibid., 20 Jan. 2015). For further and corroborating information on fraudulent documents in China, including hukou registries, see Response to Information Request CHN104579.

2.2 Enforcement of Anti-Fraud Measures for Hukou Document Security

Information on local level enforcement of anti-fraud measures against hukou fraud was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the embassy official, "hukous may be verified with the local Public Security Bureau (PSB, which issues hukous), however many local PSBs will only verify hukous in person" (Canada 30 Jan. 2015).

According to the Professor of international relations, the "Chinese government at all levels has been trying to control and reduce [hukou] fraud, but the effectiveness of such effort is limited and an elimination of hukou-related fraud remains to be largely an ideal than [a] reality" (20 Jan. 2015). The lecturer similarly stated that "many local authorities do attempt to eliminate fraudulent hukous, but how active these campaigns are varies considerably by region and over time" (26 Jan. 2015).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Business Spectator. 1 August 2014. Peter Cai. "The Limitations of China's Hukou Reforms." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

Canada. 30 January 2015. Embassy of Canada in Beijing. Correspondence from an official sent to the Research Directorate.

China Daily. 21 November 2014. Ma Danning. "Four Regions to Scrap Urban-rural 'Hukou' Distinction." [Accessed 17 Jan. 2015]

_____. 18 December 2013. An Baijie. "Hukou Reforms Target 2020: Official." [Accessed 19 Jan. 2015]

China Dialogue. 22 October 2013. Kam Wing Chan. "A Road Map for Reforming China's Hukou System." [Accessed 16 Jan. 2015]

China Economic Review. 8 September 2014. "Hukou Reform: Beijing Abolishes 'Agricultural' Residence Class, but Rural-Urban Split Remains." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham. 2014. Charlotte Goodburn. The End of the Hukou System? Not Yet. Policy Paper No. 2. [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About the Institute." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

The Diplomat. 16 January 2015. Gaurav Daga. "Reforming China's Migration Barriers." [Accessed 16 Jan. 2015]

_____. 11 October 2013. John Marshall. "China: Urbanization and Hukou Reform." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 29 Jan. 2015]

East Asia Forum. 13 January 2015. Anu Bingqin Li. "China's Hukou Reform a Small Step in the Right Direction." [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About." < http://www.eastasiaforum.org/about/> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]

European Union (EU). July 2013. European Commission, Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs. A. Melander and K. Pelikanova. "Reform of the Hukou System: A Litmus Test of the New Leadership." ECFIN Economic Brief. Issue 26. [Accessed 16 jan. 2015]

The Guardian. 31 July 2014. Tania Branigan. "China Reforms Hukou System to Improve Migrant Workers' Rights." [Accessed 17 June 2015]

Lecturer, Lau China Institute, King's College London. 26 January 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

The Migration Policy Insitute. 10 December 2014. Victoria Rietig. "Top 10 of 2014- Issue #10: Migration with Chinese Characteristics: Hukou Reform and Elite Emigration." [Accessed 30 Jan. 2015]

Professor of international relations, Georgia Institute of Technology. 23 January 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

_____. 20 January 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Senior Researcher, China Law Center, Yale University Law School. 26 January 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

South China Morning Post (SCMP). 31 July 2014. Mandy Zuo. "China Scraps Urban-rural Distinction in 'Hukou' Registration System." [Accessed 19 Jun. 2015]

United Kingdom (UK). 15 August 2014. Foreign & Commonwealth Office.China: Central Government Vision on Hukou Reform. [Accessed 19 Jan. 2015]

The Wall Street Journal. 4 August 2014. Richard Silk. "China's Hukou Reform Plan Starts to Take Shape." [Accessed 19 Jan. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral Sources: China - Embassy in Ottawa; professor of business administration, Harvard Business School; professor of economics, University of Buffalo; professor of political science, McGill University; professor of political science, University of Chicago; professor of politics, Goldsmith's University of London; professor of politics and international relations, University of Auckland; professor of political science and international relations, Victoria University of Wellington.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asian Legal Information Institute; Association of American Geographers; Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation; Bloomberg Businessweek; British Broadcasting Corporation; Brookings Institution; Canada - Embassy to China; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; China - Public Security Bureau; China Law Blog; Chinalawinfo; Dui Hua Foundation; ecoi.net; The Economist; Eurasian Geography and Economics; Factiva; Freedom House; Fujian Provincial Public Security Department; Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department; The Heritage Foundation; Human Rights Watch; Ireland - Refugee Documentation Centre; Keesing's Documentchecker; The Paulson Institute; Pkulaw.cn; Quartz; Radio Free Asia; Reuters; United Kingdom - Home Office; United Nations - Economic and Social Council, Refworld, World Bank; United States - Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Department of State; University of Washington - Perspectives; Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Xinhua News Agency.

Attachments

China. N.d. "Example of Hukou Document." Sent to the Research Directorate by a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 20 January 2015.

Canada. N.d. "Hukou Stamps." Sent to the Research Directorate by an official at the Embassy of Canada in Beijing, 30 January 2015.
Belarus: The United Civil [Civic] Party (UCPB, UCP), , including its structure (national and local), number of members, duties of members; whether the party issues membership cards, appearance and format of membership cards, including a sample; treatment of party members

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 12 January 2016 Citation / Document Symbol BLR105405.E Related Document(s) Belarus : information sur le Parti civil uni (United Civil [Civic] Party - UCP ou UCPB), y compris sur sa structure (nationale et regionale), le nombre de membres du parti et les fonctions des membres; information indiquant si le parti delivre des cartes de membre; information sur l'apparence et la dimension des cartes de membre, y compris un specimen; le traitement reserve aux membres du parti Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Belarus: The United Civil [Civic] Party (UCPB, UCP), , including its structure (national and local), number of members, duties of members; whether the party issues membership cards, appearance and format of membership cards, including a sample; treatment of party members, 12 January 2016, BLR105405.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5755222c4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

According to Forjournalists, an informative website for journalists, the United Civic Party of Belarus is a "liberal-conservative opposition party" (Forjournalists n.d.a). Sources report that it was created from the merger of the "United Democratic Party of Belarus and smaller Civic Party" (Silitski & Zaprudnik 2005, 237; European Forum 13 Oct. 2015; UCPB 10 Aug. 2011). According to the party's website, "[i]t has registered branches in all regions, Minsk and in 62 districts of Belarus" (ibid.). The same source states that UCPB is one of the officially registered parties created in 1995 (ibid.).

1.1. Coalition

According to European Forum, an organization founded in 1993 "by the social democratic parties and political foundations from EU countries," whose mandate is to promote democracy and solidarity in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe (European Forum n.d.), "[t]he [UCPB] Party [was] one of the two main members of the opposition coalition [-] The United Democratic Forces of Belarus [for the 2015 election]" (ibid. 13 Oct. 2015). Sources indicate that in 2015, the For Freedom Movement and the Belarusian Christian Democracy planned to consolidate their resources with the UCPB party to form the centre right opposition coalition in order to participate in the [2016] parliamentary campaign (Belarusinfocus 15 Dec. 2015; Belsat 2 Nov. 2015). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, Tatsiana Kulakevich, a PhD candidate in Political Science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey who specializes in Eastern European Politics, Comparative Politics and International Relations, stated that "[r]ecently, the UCP, For Freedom Movement and Belarusian Christian Democracy have declared  their cooperation for the parliamentary election in 2016" (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015). Belsat, the first independent Belarusian TV station (Forjournalists n.d.b), indicates that the Belarusian People's Front is also seeking to join the new coalition (Belsat 2 Nov. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Leadership and Structure

UCPB's chairman is Anatoly Lebedko [Liabedzka, Lyabedzka] (UCPB 7 Aug. 2011; Belarusinfocus 15 Dec. 2015; Belsat 16 Oct. 2015). According to the party's website "[t]he highest governing bodies of the party are the Congress, the Political Council (15 people) and the National Committee (39 people)" (UCPB 10 Aug. 2011). The same website provides the following information on the board members and their positions:

Anatoly Lebedko, the Chairman

Stanislav Bogdanovich, Honorary Chairman

Lev Margolin, Deputy-Chairman

Antoina Kovaleva, Deputy Chairman

Lyudmila Petina, Deputy Chairman

Vasily Polyakov, Deputy Chairman, Gomel Regional Organization

Alexander Dobrovolsky, head of the Expert Committee

Yury Istomin, Grodno Regional Organization

Gennadiy Ananiev, Vitebsk Regional Organization

Vladimir Vuek, Brest Regional Organization

Artem Agafonov, Minsk Regional Organization

Anatoly Pavlov, Minsk city Organization

Vladamir Shantsev, Mogilev Regional Organization

Oksana Krischanovich, Chairperson of the UCP Executive Committee

Yuri Lavrentiev, International Secretary.

(UCPB 6 Aug. 2011)

3. Members

3.1 Membership

An article written by Kulakevich and published in Belarus Digest, a project of Ostrogorski Center, a private, non-profit organization that "provides analysis and policy advocacy on  [Belarus'] transition to market economy and the rule of law" (Ostrogorski Center n.d.), indicates that "[i]t is hard to determine the real number or the number of active members" of the UCPB (Belarus Digest 16 June 2015). On its website, the UCPB indicates that, as of August 2011, there were between 3,609 and 4,000 members (UCPB 10 Aug. 2011). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, Kulakevich stated that "[a]s of June 2015, [there were] 3,668 members" in the party (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015). A table on "membership over time" that can be found on Belarus Digest indicates that there were 3,125 members of the UCBP in 2002 and 3,668 in 2015 (Belarus Digest 13 May 2015). However, an article written by Kulakevich cites the Chairman of the UCPB, Anatol Liabedzka, as stating that "[he] recognises that the number of active members of his party adds up to less than the reported total of 3,668 members" (Kulakevich 16 June 2015).

Kulakevich indicated that UCPB issues membership cards to its members (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015) and also that there is only one standard card for all members (Kulakevich 7 Jan. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. An example of the membership card is attached to this Response.

3.2 Duties of the Members

In regards to specific responsibilities assigned to local members, Kulakevich cited the UCP Charter as stating that "[the] District (city), regional (Minsk city) organizations determine the shape and nature of their activities themselves in accordance [with] the program objectives, the charter of the United Civil Party and decisions of the parent bodies of UCP" (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015).

Kulakevich further indicated that the party's delegations are sometimes assigned specific tasks such as "collecting signatures, distribution of leaflets, etc." and that "tasks are usually assigned to people who volunteer" to undertake them (ibid.). Further information on the duties of members could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Other Organisations Within the UCPB

According to European Forum, "UCP has a Women's organisation and a Youth Organisation" (European Forum 13 Oct. 2015). The party's website states that its youth organization, the "Young Democrats (YD)," aims to "actively engage its members in the political life of the state" (UCPB 14 Jan. 2014). The group reportedly unites more than 500 "young people" between the ages of 18 to 35 years and has established branches in "five out of six regions of Belarus including the city of Minsk" (ibid.). According to the contact section of their website, the YD Council consists of the following members: a Chairperson, Vice-chairperson, International Secretary, Secretary, PR Coordinator, Chairperson of Minsk city organization, Chairperson of Gomel regional organization, Chairperson of Grodno regional organization, and a Chairperson of Mogilev regional organizations (ibid.).

With regards to the women's organisation, sources indicate that in the late 1990s, individuals affiliated with the "League of Women-Electors" were also often members of the United Civil Party (Everyculture n.d.; Encyclopedia.com n.d.; United Nations. n.d.). Further information on women's organizations within the UCPB could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to Kulakevich, the party also has an "Organization of Entrepreneurs" (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015). Further information on entrepreneur organizations within the UCPB could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. Treatment

Kulakevich stated that, "[u]nlike other countries, Belarusian parties do not provide social opportunities, personal status or business contacts" for their members (Kulakevich 16 June 2015). According to an article published by Belarus Digest, "[n]ew members are hard to recruit due to the low visibility of the opposition, the persistent lack of electoral success, and the high risk of being associated with groups that oppose the incumbent regime. Intra-party conflicts sometimes lead to the outflow of existing members"(13 May 2015).

Belarus Digest further states that "[t]he government has used the tools of state coercion to demobilise, marginalise, or criminalise the opposition's activities" (16 June 2015). According to European Forum, in 2007 "the United Civic Party (UCP) and Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) [withdrew] 65 candidates from the election in protest over unfair electoral campaign conditions" (European Forum 13 Oct. 2015). Belsat notes that before the 2015 election, "Anatol Lyabedzka, the chairman of the United Civic Party, was meeting with ex-presidential candidates [when he] found a bugging device" (Belsat 16 Oct. 2015).

The European Forum indicates that Lyabedzka was "one of the oppositional leaders that was jailed as a result of the protests following the December 2010 parliamentary elections" (European Forum 13 Oct. 2015) [1]. Similarly, sources indicate that on 20 November 2015, the court of Central district of Minsk fined Liabedzka nine million Belarusian Ruble [approximately C$674] for "active participation in the unsanctioned protest in front of the KGB [Committee for State Security] building on October 29" (Viasna 2 Dec. 2015; Charter97 20 Nov. 2015).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, Kulakevich stated that the situation is still the same and remains the same for all opposition activists regardless of the party and that "if you are an active opposition leader (party or no party), you will experience coercion" (Kulakevich 21 Dec. 2015).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] Following the 2010 Elections, hundreds of Belarusians have been charged with public disorder offences and detained; seven presidential candidates were also charged, most of them receiving prison sentences (The Guardian 21 Dec. 2010; Index 19 Dec. 2012).

References

Belarus Digest. 13 May 2015. Volha Charnysh. "Political Opposition in Belarus: Movements Instead of Parties." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. 16 June 2015. Tatsiana Kilakevich. "Political Parties in Belarus - Do They Really Matter?" [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2015]

Belarusinfocus. 15 December 2015. "Belarusian Centre-Right Opposition Coalition Will Participate in Parliamentary Elections." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

Belsat. 2 November 2015. "'Weddings' of Belarusian Opposition: Attempts to Unite." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. 16 October 2015. "Opposition Leaders Find KGB Bug at Meeting in Minsk Cafe." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016]

Charter97. 20 November 2015. "Anatol Liabedzka: Judges in Belarus Act as 'Political Killers.'" [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016]

Encyclopedia.com. N.d. Ludomir Lozny. "Belarus." [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016]

European Forum. 13 October 2015. "Belarus." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. N.d. "General Information and History." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016]

Everyculture. N.d. "Belarus." [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016]

For Journalists. N.d.a. "United Civil Party." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. N.d.b. "Belsat's 7th Anniversary: Yuliya Slutskaya talks about Belarus' Independent Media." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]

Index. 19 December 2012. "Nothing to Celebrate on Second Anniversary of Belarus Protests." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]

Kulakevich, Tatsiana. 7 January 2016. PhD Candidate in political science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

_____. 21 December 2015. PhD Candidate, in political science Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Ostrogorski Center. N.d. "About." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]

Silitski, Vitali and Jan Zaprudnik. 2005. The A to Z of Belarus. Blue Ridge Summit, PA. USA, Rowman & Littlefield Publisher.

The Guardian. 21 December 2010. "Belarus Protests: More than 600 Charged and Opposition Leaders in Jail." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]

United Nations. N.d. United Nations Public Administration Network. "Women's Movement in Belarus - Formation, Development, Problems." [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016]

The United Civic Party of Belarus (UCPB). 14 January 2014. "Young Democrats." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]

_____. 10 August 2011. "United Civil Party (UCP)." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]

_____. 7 August 2011. "Chairman." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]

_____. 6 August 2011. "Political Council." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]

Viasna. 2 December 2015. "Human Rights Situation in Belarus: November 2015." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016]

_____. 24 June 2002. "About Viasna." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Belarus Digest; Belarusian Association of Journalists; professor of politics and international relations at University of Kent, UK; University of New Jersey.

Internet sites, including: Eapyouth.eu; EU Observer; International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights; Political Handbook of the World 2015; University of Kent.

Attachment

United Civic Party of Belarus (UCPB). N.d. Sample of Membership Card. Sent to the Research Directorate by Tatsiana Kulakevich, PhD Candidate in political science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 21 December 2015. Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Benin: Criminality, including organized crime, measures taken by the state and their effectiveness; state protection available to witnesses and victims of crime (2014-January 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 23 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol BEN105386.FE Related Document(s) Benin : information sur la criminalite, y compris sur le crime organise, les mesures prises par l'Etat et l'efficacite de celles-ci; information sur la protection offerte par l'Etat aux temoins et aux victimes d'actes criminels (2014-janvier 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Benin: Criminality, including organized crime, measures taken by the state and their effectiveness; state protection available to witnesses and victims of crime (2014-January 2016), 23 February 2016, BEN105386.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575522f24.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Criminality

With regard to safety in the streets of Benin, sources stated in telephone interviews with the Research Directorate that citizens are [translation] "relatively safe" (DHPD 29 Jan. 2016b) or "safe" (Criminal lawyer 29 Jan. 2016b). The government of Canada advisories for travellers to Benin indicate that [English version] "[t]he security situation is generally stable" (Canada 30 Dec. 2015). According to the same source, [English version] "[p]etty crimes such as purse snatching and pickpocketing occur, but are not as common as in other West African countries" (ibid.).

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicates that the rate of wilful homicide for every 100,000 inhabitants in 2012 was 6.3 in Benin (UN 13 Apr. 2015). In comparison, the rate in 2012 for Canada was 1.6, and in the border states of Benin from west to east it was 9.4 in Togo, 0.7 in Burkina Faso, 4.7 in Niger and 10.3 in Nigeria (ibid.).

1.1 Types of Crimes

Sources indicate that the following crimes are committed in Benin:

aggravated theft against targeted individuals (DHPD 29 Jan. 2016b; US 7 May 2015, 1-2);

carjackings (ibid., 2; Canada 30 Dec. 2015; France 8 Feb. 2016), particularly at night (ibid.; Canada 30 Dec. 2015);

card fraud (US 7 May 2015, 2);

cybercrime (France 10 July 2015; Le Monde 7 Jan. 2013);

acts of violence resulting from demonstrations (Canada 30 Dec. 2015).

1.2 Risky Areas

According to sources, crimes are more likely to be committed in the following areas of Benin:

the port, near railways and along the beaches, in Cotonou (France 8 Feb. 2016; US 7 May 2015, 3; Canada 30 Dec. 2015);

along the border with Nigeria (ibid.; France 8 Feb. 2016).

France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (ministere des Affaires etrangeres et du Developpement international) provides a geographical map dividing Benin according to the levels of security and strongly advises avoidance of the area between the national interstate highway (Route nationale inter-Etats, RNIE) No. 2 and the Nigerian border, from Tchaourou to Malanville, the orange coloured area on the map, and the W National Park, the red coloured area, which it [translation] "officially" advises against (ibid.). This map is attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

2. Organized Crime

The 2015 Crime and Safety Report, published by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) of the US Department of State, indicates that transnational organized crime groups "exploit" the porous borders of Benin, the lack of law enforcement resources, and the convenience of an international airport and port through illicit activities, such as the shipment of stolen vehicles, money laundering, bulk cash smuggling and drug trafficking (US 7 May 2015, 8). The same source explains that transnational organized crime groups and foreign terrorist organizations have established illicit financial networks in Benin to launder "millions of dollars in funds for narcotics traffickers" (ibid., 5). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In its travel advisories, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France indicates there are traffickers [translation] "in areas bordering Nigeria" (France 8 Feb. 2016).

2.1 Human Trafficking

Sources indicate that human trafficking is widespread in Benin and that the majority of victims are girls (Freedom House 28 Jan. 2015; UN 8 Nov. 2013; US July 2015, 91). Sources report that children are forced into labour, for example, in market, fields, quarries or mines (UN 8 Nov. 2013; US July 2015, 91), at construction sites, and in homes as domestic servants (ibid.). Similarly, the Trafficking in Persons Report 2015, published by the US Department of State, states that women from other countries in West Africa are subjected to domestic servitude and forced prostitution in Benin (ibid.). The Global Slavery Index 2014, published by the Walk Free Foundation, a foundation committed to eradicating modern slavery in the world, ranks Benin 28th in the world in terms of the prevalence of its population in modern slavery, a concept that includes various forms of exploitation of persons, such as sexual exploitation, human trafficking and forced labour, and estimates that 77,000 individuals were victims of modern slavery in Benin in 2014 (Walk Free Foundation 2014, 6, 10, 18).

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 also indicates that "the majority" of children are sent to neighbouring countries, "where they are forced to labor in homes, mines, quarries, restaurants, markets and on cocoa farms" (US July 2015, 91). The same source notes that, according to government officials and NGOs in Benin, victims who manage to return to Benin - or their siblings - are often sent back to the trafficker by their parents in order to uphold their initial agreement (ibid., 92). The same source reported allegations in 2014 of Beninese diplomatic personnel being complicit in the trafficking of children; instead of helping to rescue Beninese victims, officials colluded to return them to a trafficking network (ibid.). In 2014, [i]mmigration officials in Cotonou also allegedly supplied falsified travel documents to traffickers to facilitate the illegal movement of children as adults (ibid.). Additional information on crossborder trafficking of Beninese children could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014, published by the US Department of State, states that, in 2013, Social Promotion Centers, established by the Ministry of the Family, recorded 354 cases of child abduction and 670 cases of child trafficking (ibid. 25 June 2015, 19). Corroborating information or additional statistics on human trafficking in Benin could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Measures Taken by the State

3.1 Police

In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a lawyer in criminal law in Cotonou stated that the police force in Benin was made up of approximately 3,000 officers (Criminal lawyer 29 Jan. 2016a). In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a representative of Human Rights, Peace and Development (Droits de l'homme, Paix et Developpement, DHPD), a nonprofit, apolitical association that promotes human rights in Benin and provides legal consultation services (DHPD 11 Feb. 2016), stated that, according to the information he had, as of March 2010 the national police consisted of 2,360 employees, 2,206 of whom were men and 154 of whom were women (ibid. 29 Jan. 2016a).

According to INTERPOL, the Central Branch of the Judicial Police, which is part of the national police of Benin, is responsible for fighting crime and has specialized services, including the Central Office for Combatting Illegal Drug Trafficking and Drug Prevention and the Central Office for the Protection of Minors, the Family and for Combatting Human Trafficking (INTERPOL n.d.). The INTERPOL website also states that

[translation]

[t]he Joint Container Control Unit (Unite mixte de controle des conteneurs, UMCC)  is located at the Port of Cotonou and controls the containers by targeted scans in search of prohibited products such as drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods (ibid.).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a lawyer practicing criminal law in Cotonou stated that specialized squads had been created, including an antigang squad in 2012 and a cybercrime squad in 2014 (Lawyer 12 Feb. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources note that in 2015, 150 police officers with the Special Border Surveillance Unit (Unite speciale de surveillance des frontiers, USSF) took part in a onemonth training program offered by a team of US Marines (La Nation 28 Sept. 2015; Notre Voix 27 Sept. 2015; Xinhua News Agency 30 Aug. 2015). According to an official representative of the Embassy of the United States in Benin, cited by the Xinhua News Agency, the objective of the training program was to enable USSF officers to [translation] "respond to possible terrorist threats in the West African subregions and to track down drug traffickers and other narcotics" (ibid.). Similarly, among the measures taken by the state to fight crime, the lawyer referred to [translation] "the increase of police personnel" but did not provide any further details (Lawyer 4 Feb. 2016). He also noted [translation] "the purchase of more suitable equipment and the use of new techniques, such as sniffer dogs" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3.1.1 Effectiveness of Police Protection

Without providing details, sources state that the police provide effective protection to victims of crime in Benin (DHPD 29 Jan. 2016a; Criminal lawyer 29 Jan. 2016a). According to the criminal lawyer, victims do indeed file complaints with the police, who followup on them (ibid. 29 Jan. 2016b). In its Crime and Safety Report 2015, the OSAC states, however, that police responsiveness to reported crimes is limited due to lack of equipment and training, and it considered police response and investigative capabilities in Benin to be "severely limited" (US 7 May 2015, 9). Country Reports 2014 indicates that the police "generally ignored vigilante attacks" (ibid. 25 June 2015, 23). The same report cited the following example:

on August 22, in Vedoko, a neighborhood of Cotonou, a group of motorcycle-taxi drivers chased, beat, and burned to death two individuals who reportedly attempted to steal a bag from a woman on her motorcycle. Police reportedly did not investigate the killing or arrest the perpetrators (ibid.).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Beninese newspaper La Nation, the Report on Justice in Benin and the Perception of Litigants (Rapport sur l'etat de la justice au Benin et la perception des justiciables [1]), published in 2014 by the Observatory of Justice in Benin (L'Observatoire de la justice au Benin), a group established by the Centre Afrika Obota (CAO-Benin), DHPD and the Centre for Research and Studies on Law and Judicial Institutions in Africa (Centre de recherche et d'etude en droit et institutions judiciaires en Afrique, CREDIJ), indicates that 51 percent of Beninese litigants believe that the police use violence to obtain confessions (La Nation 9 Apr. 2015).

According to sources, there is corruption in the police force (Criminal lawyer 29 Jan. 2016b; DHPD 29 Jan. 2016b; US 25 June 2015, 14). According to Country Reports 2014, police corruption is "widespread"; for example, the police extort money from travellers at roadblocks (ibid.). Without providing more details, the DHPD representative stated that in the last few years, police officers and magistrates have been dismissed for corruption (DHPD 29 Jan. 2016b). The criminal lawyerstated that he did not think that complainants were required to give money to the police for their complaint to succeed (Criminal lawyer 29 Jan. 2016b). The same source stated that [translation] "individuals without money still have access to the police in Benin" (ibid.). According to surveys conducted for the period of 2011-2013 by Afrobarometer, a nonpartisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance and economic conditions in more than 30 countries in Africa, 7 percent of people surveyed in Benin stated that they had paid bribes to the police at least once in the past year, compared with-from west to east-15 percent in Togo, 10 percent in Burkina Faso, 14 percent in Niger and 19 percent in Nigeria (Afrobarometer 2 Nov. 2015, 1, 10). According to the same survey, 45 percent of Beninese surveyed perceived "most or all police" to be corrupt in Benin (ibid., 4).

3.2 Judicial System

3.2.1 Legislation and State Protection Available to Victims of Crime

Law No. 2006-04 Relating to the Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking in Benin (Loi n 2006-04 portant conditions de deplacement des mineurs et repression de la traite d'enfants en Republique du Benin) provides for prison sentences for perpetrators of and accomplices in child trafficking (Benin 2006).

According to the DHPD representative, Law No. 2012-15 Relating to the Code of Penal Procedure in Benin (Loi n 2012-15 portant Code de procedure penale en Republique du Benin) introduced imprescriptibility in Beninese law for economic crimes, and disciplinary and criminal liability for judicial police officers (DHPD 29 Jan. 2016a). Law No. 2012-15, adopted in 2012, states the following:

[translation]

Article 8: There are no limitations  on economic crimes.

Article 24: The failure of officers or high-ranking officials of the judicial police, in their capacity as such, to meet their obligations under this Law may result in the public prosecutor's using its jurisdiction to issue a warning or reprimand in their file under the control of the Attorney General. Any refusal of a judicial police officer to respond to a request from a judicial authority shall be subject to a fine of 50,000 francs [approximately CA$119] to 500,000 francs. (Benin 2012).

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 states that, in 2015, the government extended the child protection services of the Office for the Protection of Minors (Office central de la protection des mineurs, OCPM), previously present only in Cotonou, to Benin's 12 geographic departments (US July 2015, 91). The same source indicated that, in 2014, the OCPM identified 220 potential child trafficking victims, to whom it provided temporary shelter, as well as legal, medical and psychological services, before transferring them to longterm NGO shelters (ibid., 92).

3.2.2 Effectiveness of the Judicial System

According to the criminal lawyer, [translation] "in fact, the victims file complaints with the courts" (29 Jan. 2016b). Without providing further details, the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in 2014 states that [English version] "[a] weak judicial system  [is one] of the main human rights challenges in Benin" (EU 22 June 2015, 204). Sources confirm that Benin's judicial system is faced with the following problems:

ineffectiveness (Freedom House 28 Jan. 2015; US 25 June 2015, 6);

corruption (ibid.; DHPD 29 Jan. 2016a; Freedom House 28 Jan. 2015);

lack of funding (ibid.; DHPD 11 Feb. 2016; Criminal lawyer 11 Feb. 2016);

lack of qualified personnel (ibid.; DHPD 29 Jan. 2016a).

According to the Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 from the US State Department, 10 offenders were convicted of child trafficking and the illegal movement of children in 2014 (US July 2015, 91). According to an article from the United Nations News Centre on the trip to Benin made in 2013 by the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography,

[English version]

Although Benin has a relatively complete legal framework regarding child protection, it suffers from a lack of implementation. This is partly due to a lack of access to justice mechanisms, and to corruption and impunity. Amicable settlements at the community level occur at the expenses of the child's best interest. The child's voice is rarely, if ever, taken into account (UN 8 Nov. 2013).

Country Reports 2014 also states that "many cases" of crimes against children never reach the courts "due to lack of awareness about the law and children's rights, lack of access to courts, or fear of police involvement" (US 25 June 2015, 21). The same source states that "enforcement [of laws against child prostitution] was limited" (ibid.).

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 notes that the Law No. 2006-04 Relating to the Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking in Benin (Loi no 2006-04 portant conditions de deplacement des mineurs et repression de la traite d'enfants en Republique du Benin) focuses on prohibiting the movement of children rather than on child exploitation and that, in 2014, the Beninese authorities had not investigated any sex trafficking or forced labour offences that did not involve the movement of victims within Benin or across borders (ibid. July 2015, 91).

Furthermore, sources indicate that there is no legislation against the trafficking of adults (Freedom House 28 Jan. 2015; US July 2015, 91). The Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 states that, in 2014, the government of Benin "failed to systematically investigate instances of trafficking of adults and provide protective services to adult victims" (ibid.).

4. Protection of Witnesses

The provision for the protection of witnesses is set out in articles 120 to 124 of Law No. 2012-15 Relating to the Code of Penal Procedure in Benin (Loi n 2012-15 portant Code de procedure penale en Republique du Benin) (Benin 2012). These articles are attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

Without providing further details, sources confirmed that these provisions were indeed enforced (Criminal lawyer 11 Feb. 2016; DHPD 11 Feb. 2016; Lawyer 12 Feb. 2016). However, the lawyer stated that, according to him, [translation] "many witnesses in danger did not know about the provision in the Code of Penal Procedure and therefore preferred to remain silent rather than seek protection under the law" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] According to the La Nation newspaper, 1,076 persons over the age of 18, including justice participants and offenders, were interviewed as part of this report. (La Nation 9 Apr. 2015).

References

Afrobarometer. 2 November 2015. Pauline M. Wambua. "Police Corruption in Africa Undermines Trust, but Support for Law Enforcement Remains Strong." Dispatch No. 56. [Accessed 12 Feb. 2016]

Benin. 2012. Loi n 2012-15 portant Code de procedure penale en Republique du Benin. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2016]

_____. 2006. Loi n 2006-04 portant conditions de deplacement des mineurs et repression de la traite d'enfants en Republique du Benin. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Canada. 30 December 2015. Voyage.gc.ca. "Benin." [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016]

Criminal lawyer, Cotonou. 11 February 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

_____. 29 January 2016a. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

_____. 29 January 2016b. Telephone interview.

Droits de l'homme, Paix et Developpement (DHPD). 11 February 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate by a representative.

_____. 29 January 2016a. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate by a representative.

_____. 29 January 2016b. Telephone interview with a representative.

European Union (EU). 22 June 2015. Council of the European Union. Rapport annuel de l'UE sur les droits de l'homme et la democratie dans le monde en 2014. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2016]

France. 8 February 2016. Ministere des Affaires etrangeres et du Developpement international. "Benin." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2016]

_____. 10 July 2015. Embassy in Cotonou. "La cybercriminalite au Benin." [Accessed 12 Feb. 2016]

Freedom House. 28 January 2015. "Benin." Freedom in the World 2015. [Accessed 25 Jan. 2016]

INTERPOL. N.d. "Benin." [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016]

Lawyer, criminal law, Cotonou. 12 February 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

_____. 4 February 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

Le Monde. 7 January 2013. Hermann Boko. "Le Benin tente de s'organiser contre la cybercriminalite." Blogs from Le Monde newspaper. [Accessed 12 Feb. 2016]

La Nation. 28 September 2015. Alain Allabi. "Securite aux frontieres du Benin : 150 policiers specialises formes." [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016]

_____. 9 April 2015. Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji. "Rapport 2014 sur l'etat de la justice au Benin : avancees et limites des trois codes votes ces dernieres annees." [Accessed 25 Jan. 2016]

Notre Voix. 27 September 2015. "Lutte contre la criminalite sous toutes ses formes : les capacites operationnelles de l'USSF renforcees." [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016]

United Nations (UN). 13 April 2015. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "Intentional Homicide, Counts and Rates per 100,000 Population." [Accessed 26 Jan. 2016]

_____. 8 November 2013. UN News Centre. "Une experte de l'ONU appelle le Benin a renforcer la protection des enfants." [Accessed 4 Feb. 2016]

United States (US). July 2015. Department of State. "Benin: Tier 2." Trafficking in Persons Report 2015. [Accessed 25 Jan. 2016]

_____. 25 June 2015. Department of State. "Rapport 2014 sur les droits de l'homme au Benin." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 25 Jan. 2016]

_____. 7 May 2015. Department of State, Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). Benin 2015 Crime and Safety Report. [Accessed 25 Jan. 2016]

Walk Free Foundation. 2014. The Global Slavery Index 2014. [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

Xinhua News Agency. 30 August 2015. "Benin : 150 policiers suivront une formation accordee par des marines americaines." [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Association des femmes juristes du Benin; Benin - Embassy of Canada, Commissariat central de police de Cotonou, General Directorate of the National Police, Ministry of Interior, Public Security and Religious Affairs; Observatoire de la justice; United Nations - Office of the United Nations Population Fund in Cotonou, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the United Nations Development Programme in Benin.

Internet sites, including: actubenin.com; Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch; IRIN; Transparency International; United Nations - United Nations Development Programme.

Attachments

1. France. 15 December 2015. Ministere des Affaires etrangeres et du Developpement international, Centre de crise et de soutien. Map of Benin dividing the country according to level of security. [Accessed 26 Jan. 2016]

2. Benin. 2012. Loi n 2012-15 portant Code de procedure penale en Republique du Benin. Excerpts. [Accessed 26 Jan. 2016]
Colombia: Organizational structure of the Black Eagles (Aguilas Negras), including whether the group operates under a unified command and the nature of cooperation among different Black Eagles groups across the country; activities in 2015; relationship to the government, including instances of infiltration or collusion (March 2015-May 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 10 May 2016 Citation / Document Symbol COL105522.E Related Document(s) Colombie : information sur la structure organisationnelle des Aigles noirs (Aguilas Negras); information indiquant si les Aigles noirs exercent leurs activites suivant une structure de commandement unifiee; information sur la nature de la cooperation entre les differents groupes des Aigles noirs au pays; activites exercees par les Aigles noirs en 2015; relation que les Aigles noirs entretiennent avec le gouvernement, y compris les cas d'infiltration ou de collusion (mars 2015-mai 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Organizational structure of the Black Eagles (Aguilas Negras), including whether the group operates under a unified command and the nature of cooperation among different Black Eagles groups across the country; activities in 2015; relationship to the government, including instances of infiltration or collusion (March 2015-May 2016), 10 May 2016, COL105522.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575524044.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an independent researcher, who is currently a graduate student at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota and who has researched paramilitary violence in Colombia, indicated that to his knowledge, the Black Eagles have influence in [translation] "the urban areas of the main municipalities" of Colombia and in areas such as Bajo Cauca [the northeastern part of the department of Antioquia] and the southern part of the department of Cordoba (Independent researcher 1 May 2016). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a professor at the Institute for Political Science and International Relations (Instituto de Estudios Politicos y Relaciones Internacionales, IEPR) at the National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), whose research focuses on violence and conflict in Colombia and urban violence in Latin America, stated that the activities of the Black Eagles are often [translation] "very local" (Professor 28 Apr. 2016).

The Institute for Development and Peace Studies (Instituto de Estudios para el Desarollo y la Paz, INDEPAZ), a Bogota-based organization focused on training, research, and dialogue (INDEPAZ n.d.), which has been monitoring the presence of [translation] "narcoparamilitary groups" since 2006 (ibid. 6 Nov. 2014), reports that in the first three months of 2016, the Black Eagles had a presence in the department of Cauca, and in the cities of Cali, Bogota, Cartagena and Saravena (ibid. 18 Apr. 2016, 2). On 2 April 2016, the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion), a Bogota-based not-for-profit organization that aims to generate knowledge to contribute to public debates (Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion n.d.), reported that, based on information provided by the Colombian national police, the Black Eagles [translation] "operate" in 62 municipalities in the country (Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion 2 Apr. 2016). A map of the presence of the Black Eagles in Colombia in 2016, produced by the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation with information provided by the Colombian national police, is attached to this Response (Attachment 1). For further information on the areas of operation and activities of the group from 2014 to March 2015, see Response to Information Request COL105254.

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate professor of political science and international relations at the Bogota-based Pontifical Xavierian University (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana), who researches paramilitary groups in Colombia, stated, without providing further details, that

[translation]

it is difficult to find information about armed groups in Colombia since the 2006 paramilitary demobilization, due to a lack of interest in the topic on the part of the authorities. When reliable official information exists, it is very difficult to access, given that recognizing those groups would expose the ineffectiveness of authorities in such matters (Associate Professor 27 Apr. 2016).

The independent researcher stated that the police do not identify the Black Eagles as a BACRIM (banda criminal or criminal gang) or any other form of organized crime group (Independent researcher 1 May 2016). Similarly, according to the Professor, the police [translation] "maintain vehemently that the Black Eagles do not exist, that it is a ghost organization" (Professor 28 Apr. 2016). Colombia Reports, a Medellin-based English news source (Colombia Reports n.d.), quotes the Minister of Interior in January 2015, in reaction to death threats sent to 39 people, that "neo-paramilitary group 'Aguilas Negras' does not exist and that death threats sent in the name of the group are authored by 'enemies of peace'" (Colombia Reports 15 Jan. 2015). Similarly, El Nuevo Dia, a Tolima-based newspaper, quotes the same minister as saying in March 2015 that the Black Eagles as a group no longer exists, but that [translation] "those opposed to peace [with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC)] continue to use the name to terrorize social leaders" (El Nuevo Dia 26 May 2015). For information on the peace negotiations between FARC and the Colombian government, see Response to Information Request COL105467.

2. Organizational Structure

The Professor indicated that the Black Eagles [translation] "make appearances" through threats and other criminal activities; he gave the opinion that it is not a group with a central command or defined structure, like other neo-paramilitary groups (Professor 28 Apr. 2016). The independent researcher similarly stated that he has not seen evidence of centrally commanded actions, such as can be seen in other paramilitary groups (Independent researcher 1 May 2016). The Associate Professor stated that the structure of the Black Eagles is [translation] "unstable and flexible," and that they do not have a unified command structure like other BACRIM (Associate Professor 27 Apr. 2016). InSight Crime, a foundation that studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean (InSight Crime n.d.a), notes that there is "little evidence that [the Black Eagles] operate as a systematic organization," describing them as a "non-cohesive group" lacking central leadership (InSight Crime n.d.b).

Without providing further details, the independent researcher expressed the opinion that rather than operating as a single group under a unified command, the name Black Eagles tends to be a [translation] "registered trademark" or name used to intimidate and threaten people (Independent researcher 1 May 2016). Similarly, the Associate Professor gave the opinion that the name Black Eagles is a [translation] "brand that different groups or networks use at their convenience" (Associate Professor 27 Apr. 2016). InSight Crime notes that "[i]t is possible that in some areas, low-level street gangs adopt the name" to intimidate extortion victims and land theft restitution victims (InSight Crime n.d.b).

The Professor stated that Black Eagles has become an expression that can be used by [translation] "any person" who wants to engage in "social or political extermination" threats and activities (Professor 28 Apr. 2016). For information on "social cleansing" in Colombia, see Response to Information Request COL104418. According to InSight Crime, Black Eagles seems to be a "blanket name" for paramilitary successor groups (InSight Crime n.d.b). According to the same source, Black Eagles "is often used as a generic term to describe the many fragments of ex-paramilitaries" still involved in the drug trade, as well as a name used by paramilitary successor groups to threaten or murder journalists, lawyers and human rights activists (ibid.). Without providing further details, the Associate Professor stated that the name Black Eagles [translation] "is used as a wild card by the counterinsurgency units of the Colombian military and their local allies for different purposes" (Associate Professor 27 Apr. 2016). He added that [translation] "if there is no national organization [of the Black Eagles], strictly speaking, there is a broad, but clear, 'national agenda' when it comes to what is considered a 'threat' to the local order" (ibid.).

A more detailed profile of the Black Eagles by InSight Crime is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

Sources report instances of groups operating under variations of the name Black Eagles, including:

Black Eagles' Capital Bloc (Bloque Capital) in Bogota (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 36);

Black Eagles' Central Bloc (Bloque Central) (El Espector 1 Dec. 2015);

Black Eagles' Military Bloc of Valle del Cauca (Bloque Militar del Valle del Cauca) (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 26-27);

Black Eagles' Northern Bloc (Bloque Norte) (El Colombiano 23 Oct. 2015);

Black Eagles' Northern Atlantic Coast Bloc (Colombia Reports 15 Jan. 2015);

Black Eagles' Southern Bloc (Bloque Sur) (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 44);

Joint Command Black Eagles-Los Rastrojos (Comando Conjunto Aguilas Negras-Los Rastrojos) in Caloto and Buenos Aires, department of Cauca (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 25).

Information on the ability of different Black Eagles groups to coordinate or cooperate across different regions of Colombia and the nature of such coordination or cooperation could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Activities and Targets

Information on the activities of the Black Eagles from 2015 to 2016 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Professor indicated that in general, the Black Eagles are involved in the "social and political extermination" of social and political activists, as well as disappearances, homicides and extortion (Professor 28 Apr. 2016). Similarly, without providing further details, the independent researcher stated that [translation] "local elites  [use] the brand [of the Black Eagles] to intimidate and kill left-wing leaders, union leaders, land restitution claimants, and anyone who threatens to undermine the established social classes" (1 May 2016). In April 2016, COLPRENSA, the national press agency of Colombia, reported on [translation] "[s]elective killings, threats and the circulation of pamphlets alluding to organizations involved in social cleansing, the Black Eagles in particular," targeting social organizations representing farmers, indigenous people, Afro-Colombians and "other social voices," primarily in southern Colombia, in departments such as Cauca and Putumayo (COLPRENSA 4 Apr. 2016).

3.1 Incidents

Sources report that on 6 February 2015, two indigenous persons were assassinated by unknown assailants, their bodies showing signs of torture, in Caloto, department of Cauca, where the Black Eagles had announced that it was time to "cleanse" the area, by way of a pamphlet distributed the previous day (AI 23 Feb. 2015) or week (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 23-24).

Without providing further details, Diario Occidente, a Cali-based newspaper, reports that the community of Tumaco [department of Narino] asked the authorities for protection, because the Black Eagles were distributing pamphlets where they announced a curfew that would start on 15 June 2015 (5 June 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

On 1 December 2015, El Espectador, a Bogota-based newspaper, indicated that since the beginning of 2015, the human rights observatory of Affirmative Caribbean (Caribe Afirmativo), a sexual diversity organization (Caribe Afirmativo n.d.), had recorded 4 murders against the LGBTI community in San Marco, in the department of Sucre, and 17 threats in [translation] "the rest of the Caribbean region of Colombia," mostly against LGBTI leaders (El Espectador 1 Dec. 2015). The same source reports that these crimes were attributed to several criminal gangs, including the Black Eagles (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that the following groups received threats from the Black Eagles, or variations on that name, in 2015-2016:

members of the indigenous community of Pradera, in the department of Valle del Cauca, on 8 March 2015 and 16 May 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 25-27); indigenous leaders and the Association of Indigenous Councils of North Cauca (Asociacion de Cabildos Indigenas del Norte del Cauca) in Caloto and Buenos Aires, department of Cauca, on 15 March 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 25);

14 people, including human rights activists and demobilized insurgents involved in social, political or humanitarian activities, on 9 March 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 44);

eight environmentalists in Bogota on 10 March 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 41);

people who initiated the establishment of a memorial hall in Bogota on 12 March 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 41);

two human rights activists and leaders involved with the displaced community in Bogota on 6 April 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 42);

leaders or members of the Patriotic March (Marcha Patriotica), a political movement, as reported by media sources on the following dates: 8 April 2015 (COLPRENSA); 29 March 2016 (El Pais); and 15-16 April 2016 (El Espectador 15 Apr. 2016; Caracol Radio 16 Apr. 2016);

the president and other candidates of the Patriotic Union (Union Patriotica) political party at its Bogota location on 4 May 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 45);

11 student leaders at the National University in Bogota on 7 May 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 36); students at the same university on 11 May 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 36); a human rights activist and 3 students of the Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca (UCMC) in Bogota on 27 May 2015 (CINEP/PPP 30 Sept. 2015, 36); 4 UCMC students around 1 June 2015 (Agencia EFE 1 June 2015);

people living in Ituango, a town located in northern Antioquia, who were ordered to vote a certain way on 25 October 2015, in the [regional] elections (El Colombiano 23 Oct. 2015);

a group of female victims of the conflict seeking reparations, as reported on 12 March 2016 (Caracol Radio);

professors of the University of Cauca (Universidad del Cauca), journalists, unions, indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups, and a women's group [and the secretary and public servants of the departmental government of Cauca (CNAI 29 Mar. 2016; El Pais 29 Mar. 2016)] on 28 March 2016 in the department of Cauca (El Espectador 29 Mar. 2016; CNAI 29 Mar. 2016).

3.2 State Response

Information on the Colombian state response to the activities of the Black Eagles was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Sources reported on 19 June 2015 that the police had captured two alleged members of the Black Eagles in Cartagena, on charges of extortion (El Espectador 19 June 2015; Caracol Radio 19 June 2016).

The Office of the Attorney General (Fiscalia General de la Nacion) reported on 7 April 2015 on the arrest in Bojaya, department of Choco, of a presumed member of the Black Eagles who was suspected of homicide (Colombia 7 Apr. 2015), and on 13 April 2015 on the arrest of a person in Herveo, department of Tolima, noting that he had pretended, along with his accomplice, to be a member of the Black Eagles in order to extort money and that he had killed someone for not paying (ibid. 13 Apr. 2015). Further information on these cases could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

On 8 April 2015, COPLRENSA cited the chief of the Attorney General's National Anti-Organized Crime Unit as stating that they established that a bodyguard and driver of a member of the Patriotic March Movement sent a threat to a leader of this same party by way of a pamphlet in name of the Black Eagles (COPLRENSA 8 Apr. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Relationship to the Government

Information on specific incidents of collusion or infiltration of the Black Eagles in public institutions could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Associated Professor, without providing further details, gave the opinion that [translation] "the relationships between the paramilitary successor groups, also called BACRIM, and the military might continue to exist based on testimonies from affected local groups, or that counterinsurgency units operate without proper identification or under the name Black Eagles or other similar names" (Associate Professor 27 Apr. 2016). Similarly, the New Rainbow Corporation (Corporacion Nuevo Arco Iris, CNAI), a Bogota-based think tank and research centre for peace (CNAI n.d.), in a report on an expert panel discussion held on 2 February 2016 on paramilitarism, quotes political scientist Carlos Medina Gallego as describing the Black Eagles as an example of a paramilitary network [translation] "that is used by the state 'to put pressure on regional social movements'" (CNAI 5 Feb. 2016). Without providing further details, the independent researcher gave the opinion that [translation] "it is common that subsequent to military operations, threats against left-wing politicians and 'social cleansing' threats increase," and he stated that there have been "various" cases of human rights activists receiving a Black Eagles death threat "immediately after" filing reports of abuse with the local Attorney General's office (1 May 2016).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agencia EFE. 1 June 2015. "Asesinan a un lider sindical y defensor de derechos humanos en Colombia." (Factiva)

Amnesty International (AI). 23 February 2015. "Indigenous People Threatened and Killed." (AMR 23/1045/2015) [Accessed 29 Apr. 2016]

Associate Professor of Political Science, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. 27 April 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

Caracol Radio. 16 April 2016. "Mientras cenaban con el presidente Santos, amenazan a Piedad Cordoba." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. 12 March 2016. "Denuncian amenazas a grupo de mujeres victimas del conflicto." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. 19 June 2015. "Policia de Cartagena capturo a dos extorsionistas de las Aguilas Negras." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

Caribe Afirmativo. N.d. "Quienes somos?" [Accessed 2 May 2016]

Centro de Investigacion y Educacion Popular (CINEP) / Programa por la Paz (PPP). 30 September 2015. "Panorama de derechos humanos y violencia politica en Colombia." Noche y Niebla. No. 51. [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

Colombia. 13 April 2015. Fiscalia General de la Nacion. "En el paramo de Letras capturan a hombre buscado por homicidio y extorsion." [Accessed 2 May 2016]

_____. 7 April 2015. "Asegurado por homicidio presunto integrante de Las Aguilas Negras." [Accessed 2 May 2016]

Colombia Reports. 15 January 2015. Pjotr Wojciak. "Aguilas Negras Don't Exist: Government." [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 9 May 2016]

COLPRENSA. 4 April 2016. "Grupos 'neoparamilitares' intimidan en el sur de Colombia." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. 8 April 2015. "Un propio escolta seria autor de la amenaza contra Piedad Cordoba." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

Corporacion Nuevo Arco Iris (CNAI). 29 March 2016. "'Aguilas Negras' amenazan a lideres y organizaciones sociales del suroccidente del pais." [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. 5 February 2016. "El paramilitarismo como principal obstaculo para la consolidacion de la paz y la democracia en Colombia." [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "Quienes somos?" [Accessed 6 May 2016]

Diario Occidente. 5 June 2015. "Crece temor en Tumaco." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

El Colombiano. 23 October 2015. Vanesa Restrepo. "Falso panfleto aparecio en Ituango a pocas horas de las elecciones." [Accessed 2 May 2016]

El Espectador. 15 April 2016. "Aguilas Negras amenazan de muerte a Piedad Cordoba." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. 29 March 2016. "Nuevas amenazas y asesinatos contra lideres sociales en Cauca." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. 1 December 2015. "Comunidad LGBTI de San Marcos (Sucre) esta amenazada." (Factiva)

_____. 19 June 2015. "Capturan extorsionistas de las Aguilas Negras." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

El Nuevo Dia. 26 May 2015. "Quien esta detras de las 'amenazas fantasma' de las Aguilas Negras?" [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

El Pais. 29 March 2016. "Investigan panfleto que amenaza a lideres y comunicadores del Cauca." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion. 2 April 2016. "Bandas criminales, el riesgo del postconflicto." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "Quienes somos?" [Accessed 2 May 2016]

Independent researcher. 1 May 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

InSight Crime. N.d.a. "About Us." [Accessed 2 May 2016]

_____. N.d.b. "Aguilas Negras." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2016]

Instituto de Estudios para el Desarollo y la Paz (INDEPAZ). 18 April 2016. Informe presencia de grupos narcoparamilitares en los primeros tres meses de 2016. [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. 6 November 2014. IX informe sobre presencia de grupos narcoparamilitares. [Accessed 2 May 2016]

_____. N.d. "Quienes somos?" [Accessed 2 May 2016]

Professor, Instituto de Estudios Politicos y Relaciones Internacionales (IEPRI), Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 28 April 2016. Telephone Interview.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Colombia - Policia Nacional; Director, Center for Latin American Studies, Georgetown University; Director, Centro de Recursos para el Analisis de Conflictos; Instituto de Estudios para el Desarollo y la Paz; Professor of political science, Universidad de los Andes; Senior Research Fellow, Netherlands Institute of International Relations "Clingendael."

Internet sites, including: Americas Society/Council of the Americas; BBC; Brookings Institution; Centro de Recursos para el Analisis de Conflictos; Colombia - Centro de Memoria Historica, Defensoria del Pueblo, Policia Nacional; Diario Nacional; ecoi.net; El Nuevo Siglo; El Tiempo; Factiva; Freedom House; Fundacion Ideas para la Paz; Human Rights Watch; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; International Crisis Group; International Federation for Human Rights; IRIN; La Republica; North American Congress on Latin America; Organization of American States; Programa Somos Defensores; Radio France internationale; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; RCN Radio; RCN Television; Red Nacional de Programas Regionales de Desarollo y Paz; Semana; Teleantioquia; United Nations - Refworld, ReliefWeb; United States - Department of State, Drug Enforcement Agency; Verdad Abierta; Vivir en el Poblado.com; Washington Office on Latin America.

Attachments

1. Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion. 22 February 2016. "Presencia BACRIM Aguilas Negras 2016 (Presence of BACRIM Black Eagles, 2016)." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2016]

2. InSight Crime. N.d. "Aguilas Negras." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2016]
Republic of the Congo: Resident status, including the requirements and procedure for renewing residency, particularly for citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; whether a person may lose their resident status and the requirements and procedure to re-acquire such status; residents' rights (2014-2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 11 January 2016 Citation / Document Symbol COG105397.FE Related Document(s) Republique du Congo : information sur le statut de resident, y compris sur les exigences et la marche a suivre pour le renouveler, notamment pour les citoyens de la Republique democratique du Congo; information indiquant si une personne peut perdre son statut de resident et information sur les exigences et la marche a suivre pour l'obtenir a nouveau; information sur les droits des residents (2014-2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Republic of the Congo: Resident status, including the requirements and procedure for renewing residency, particularly for citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; whether a person may lose their resident status and the requirements and procedure to re-acquire such status; residents' rights (2014-2015), 11 January 2016, COG105397.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575524924.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Temporary Residence

Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 on the Conditions for the Entry, Residence and Exit of Foreigners (Loi no 23-96 du 6 juin 1996 fixant les conditions d'entree, de sejour et de sortie des etrangers), enacted on 6 June 1996, defines the term 'immigrant,' as well as the various resident statuses in the following way:

[translation]

Article 5: An immigrant is a foreigner or stateless person admitted into the Republic of the Congo to reside for a period of more than three (3) months.

Article 6: A temporary resident is a foreigner or stateless person bearing a resident card valid for a maximum of one year.

A temporary resident must leave the national territory when their resident card expires, unless they obtain a renewal or are issued an ordinary resident card.

Article 7: An ordinary resident is a foreigner or stateless person bearing a resident card valid for a maximum of three (3) years.

An ordinary resident must leave the national territory when their resident card expires, unless they obtain a renewal or are issued a privileged resident card.

Article 8: A privileged resident is a foreigner or stateless person bearing a resident card valid for a maximum of five (5) years.

A privileged resident card is fully renewable in compliance with the provisions of articles 9 and 29 [see below] of the Act.

Article 9: To obtain the privileged resident card, the foreigner or stateless person must:

establish uninterrupted residence of at least ten (10) years in the Republic of the Congo;

be less than 35 years old upon entry into the Republic of the Congo. This age may be increased by three (3) years by a minor child accompanying the foreigner. This age may be increased by five years if the foreigner is married to an individual of Congolese nationality who retained their original nationality, or if they are the mother or father of a legally-recognized Congolese child (Republic of the Congo 1996, Art. 69).

Information on the renewal conditions for temporary resident and ordinary resident statuses could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Obtaining and Renewing the Resident Card

Article 18 of Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 on the Conditions for the Entry, Residence and Exit of Foreigners states the following:

[translation]

A foreigner who is 16 years of age or older, who entered the Republic of the Congo legally and is authorized to reside there, must apply for a resident card within eight days following their entry or they may be escorted back to the border (ibid., Art. 18).

Article 29 of the Act provides the list of documents that must be presented to obtain an initial resident card:

[translation]

To obtain a resident card, a foreigner must provide a file that includes:

A valid passport or document in lieu, with an entry visa, if the foreign national is from a country with which the Republic of the Congo has not signed a particular immigration agreement;

A judicial record extract issued less than three months prior by the judicial authority of the place of birth;

An international vaccination record;

A receipt for the payment of the repatriation bond for nationals from countries other than those in the Central African Customs and Economic Union [1] and the Republic of Zaire [2].

An employment contract signed by the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of the Congo, if the foreigner is paid;

A certificate of enrolment in a school or university in the Republic of the Congo if the foreigner is a student;

A certificate of incumbency issued by a religious leader of the Republic of the Congo, if the foreigner is a minister of religion; or a certificate of incumbency or membership issued by the highest Congolese authority of a duly authorized initiatory order, if the foreigner is a follower;

A trade licence, if the foreigner is self-employed;

A certificate of accommodation, if the foreigner lives with a third party;

Four identity photographs of the face;

Tax stamps required depending on the category of card requested;

Approval from the Minister of Communication for press correspondents;

An invitation or authorization to teach and/or conduct research sent from or issued by an authorized Congolese institution or organization, if the foreigner is an academic and/or researcher (ibid., Art. 29).

The Act stipulates that [translation] "to obtain the resident card, foreigners who have a Congolese spouse and do not have Congolese nationality must present the supporting civil registration documents and a receipt of payment of the repatriation bond, for those to which it is deemed applicable" (ibid., Art. 30).

The Central African Information Agency (Agence d'information d'Afrique centrale, ADIAC), a news agency based in Brazzaville, states that the immigration act [translation] "is not clear. That is why the term temporary resident certificate (Certificat de [r]esidence [t]emporel, CRT) was not part of the vocabulary" (ADIAC 10 May 2014). According to the same source, the CRT is the [translation] "only document that may guarantee the right of residency in the Congo" (ibid.). ADIAC states that to obtain a CRT, an individual [translation] "requires a valid passport, a consular card, two photographs and one hundred and six thousand CFA francs [CFA francs, about C$249]" (ibid.).

Further information on the CRT could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 states that [translation] "applications for resident cards must be submitted to the Department of Immigration and Emigration or to the national police or national gendarmerie stations, at the immigration unit" (Republic of the Congo 1996, Art. 32). According to ADIAC, the application for a resident card must be submitted [translation] "either directly to the immigration office in Brazzaville, or to the immigration service in the department where the applicant resides" (ADIAC 10 May 2014).

An application for a resident card may only be made by the applicant, as stated in in Article 47 of the Act:

[translation]

In compliance with the provisions of Article 18 of the Act, only foreigners interested in obtaining the resident card or temporary residence may complete the application and the necessary formalities with the competent services. Any representation or delegation of power is prohibited and subject to the sanctions set out in articles 44 [on fake or forged resident cards] and 45 [on civil registration misrepresentation] of the Act (Republic of the Congo 1996, Art. 47).

With respect to renewing the resident card, Article 31 of the Act states that [translation] "the documents required for renewing the resident card are the same as those for obtaining the card. However, the renewal of the resident card is subject to a police or gendarmerie investigation" (ibid., Art. 31).

3. Residents' Rights

According to Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996, the employment rights of residents are the following:

[translation]

Foreign nationals may only hold employment or exercise an activity in the Republic of the Congo if they have satisfied the immigration conditions set out in the provisions of title II of the Act [conditions on entry into the country]. Without prejudice to the provisions of the Labour Code, foreign workers must possess an employment contract and may only exercise the profession indicated on the contract (Republic of the Congo 1996, Art. 22).

Further information on residents' rights could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. End of Stay and Loss of Resident Status

Article 23 of Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 defines the end of stay conditions for residents who have an employment contract in the Republic of the Congo as follows:

[translation]

A foreigner who entered the Congo after signing an employment contract may stay until the contract expires, subject to the foreigner's compliance with the legislation in effect.

The foreign worker may extend their stay if they have proof of another professional activity likely to guarantee their freedom, dignity and independence (ibid., Art. 23).

In addition, articles 24 and 25 of the law state the following:

[translation]

Article 24: Any foreign worker found breaching the above provisions [articles 22 and 23] must be escorted to the border without prejudice to possible legal proceedings that may be exercised against them.

Any deportation decision made by the national gendarmerie or the national police authority must be approved by the administrative tribunal or, failing that, by the court of first instance in the applicable constituency.

Article 25: The anticipated termination of the employment contract leads to the invalidation of all the travel documents and the repatriation of the incumbent within two months. However, if the foreigner obtains employment in the category of their profession during that period, after their repatriation, they will be subject to the same conditions of entry and stay in the national territory as for the previous contract.

The provisions of the previous paragraph do not apply if the foreigner becomes an employee of the state or a member of a local cooperative (ibid., Art. 2425).

According to Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996,

[translation]

[a] temporary, ordinary or privileged resident may not accommodate a foreigner who entered the Congo fraudulently. The resident is required to present the foreigner to the competent authorities within 48 hours of accommodating the individual, or they may be punished under the sanctions set out in Article 43 of the Act (ibid., Art. 10).

Article 43 states the following:

[translation]

Any individual who, by direct or indirect assistance, facilitated or tried to facilitate the unauthorized entry, stay or exit of a foreigner may be punished by imprisonment of one to five years or receive a fine of one to five million CFA francs [about C$2,350 to C$11,750].

These provisions may be associated with immediate deportation from the national territory if the offender is a temporary, ordinary or privileged resident (ibid., Art. 43).

Further information on the loss of resident status could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In addition, the Research Directorate was unable to find information indicating that the entry conditions would be different than those set out in title II of the Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 on the Conditions for the Entry, Residence and Exit of Foreigners.

5. Situation of Citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the Republic of the Congo

According to an article in KongoTimes!, a DRC news website, the government of the Republic of the Congo requires DRC nationals to have a passport and visa to enter the Republic of the Congo (KongoTimes! 26 May 2014). The source cites the Minister of the Interior of the DRC, who stated on 21 May 2014 that citizens in his country who [translation] "'held only the laissez-passer'" had begun to be deported from the Republic of the Congo (ibid.). The article states that the Migration Branch (Direction generale des migrations) of the DRC in Kinshasa was informed of this in May 2014 and that the measure was implemented the next day (ibid.).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to an article on the website of Processus de Rabat [3], signed by the Director of Immigration and Emigration of the Republic of the Congo, [translation] "with respect to the removal of foreigners residing without authorization, last April [2014] the police force launched operation Mbata ya Bakolo, which aims to fight the growing insecurity in a number of neighbourhoods in Brazzaville because of the aggressive behaviour of some foreign nationals residing without authorization in the Congo, including some criminals called 'Kutuna,' who came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (Republic of the Congo n.d.). During the operation, [translation] "over three thousand  foreign nationals of various nationalities, including 2,000 Congolese from the DRC, were deported for criminality and residing without authorization" (ibid.). ADIAC states that the first phase of operation Mbata ya Bakolo [translation] "involved fighting illegal immigration and organized crime," while the second phase, announced in January 2015, concerns "all the foreign nationals" (ADIAC 18 Jan. 2015). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The Central African Customs and Economic Union (Union douaniere et economique de l'Afrique centrale, UDEAC) was replaced in 1994 by the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communaute economique et monetaire de l'Afrique centrale, CEMAC) (CEMAC n.d.). The CEMAC, which groups together Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and Chad, aims to institute [translation] "a true common market" (ibid.).

[2] According to Article 41 of Act No. 23-96 of 6 June 1996 on the Conditions for the Entry, Residence and Exit of Foreigners, nationals from the DRC [formerly the Republic of Zaire] and the countries of the CEMAC are [translation] "exempt from paying the guarantee" (Republic of the Congo, 1996, Art. 41).

[3] Processus de Rabat is a partnership between the member countries of the EuroAfrican Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development (Conference euro-africaine sur la migration et le developpement) (Processus de Rabat n.d.).

References

Agence d'information d'Afrique centrale (ADIAC). 18 January 2015. Rock Ngassakys. "Immigration et emigration : Les etrangers vivant au Congo s'activent a regulariser leur situation." [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015]

_____. 10 May 2014. Quentin Loubou and Rock Ngassakys. "Immigration : Des etrangers vivant au Congo s'empressent de regulariser leur situation." [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015]

Communaute economique et monetaire de l'Afrique centrale (CEMAC). N.d. "Connaitre le CEMAC." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016]

KongoTimes! 26 May 2014. "RDC : 240 dollars pour obtenir un visa du Congo-Brazzaville." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

Processus de Rabat. N.d. "Presentation du Processus de Rabat." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016]

Republic of the Congo. 1996. Loi no 23-96 du 6 juin 1996 fixant les conditions d'entree, de sejour et de sortie des etrangers. [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016]

_____. N.d. Direction de l'immigration et de l'emigration. "Gestion de la migration en Republique du Congo." By Paul Bernard Ondze. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Canada - embassy in Kinshasa; constitutionnaliste, Universite libre du Congo; Forum pour la gouvernance et les droits de l'homme; France - embassy in Brazzaville; Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme; Republic of the Congo - embassy in Washington, consulate in Toronto; United States - embassy in Brazzaville.

Internet sites, including: 123visas; AllAfrica; Canada - voyages.gc.ca; Congopages; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited; Les Depeches de Brazzaville; IciBrazza; Mediacongo.net; Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme; Le Patriote; Radio Africana; Republic of the Congo - Embassy in France, Consular services; Reseau de recherche sur les operations de paix; La Semaine africaine; Star du Congo.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Republic of the Congo: The Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral, MCDDI), including its objectives, activities, leaders, participation in government, role as part of the opposition, and treatment of its members by authorities (January 2015-November 2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 25 November 2015 Citation / Document Symbol COG105351.FE Related Document(s) Republique du Congo : information sur le Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI), y compris sur ses objectifs, ses activites, ses dirigeants, sa participation au sein du gouvernement, son role en tant que figure de l'opposition et le traitement reserve a ses membres par les autorites (janvier 2015-novembre 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Republic of the Congo: The Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral, MCDDI), including its objectives, activities, leaders, participation in government, role as part of the opposition, and treatment of its members by authorities (January 2015-November 2015), 25 November 2015, COG105351.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575526114.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Origins and Objectives

Some sources note that the MCDDI is a political party that was founded [[translation] "clandestinely" (MCDDI n.d.a.)] in 1989 by Bernard Kolelas (PHW 2015, 336; MayimaMbemba 30 Nov. 2012; MCDDI n.d.a.). According to the MCDDI website, the party was officially founded by Bernard Kolelas in 1990 (MCDDI n.d.b).

According to the MCDDI website, its principles are [translation] "Justice, Work and Fraternity," with the "goal of building a strong and united Congo" (ibid.). According to the Statutes (Statuts) of the MCDDI, which are published on its website,

[translation]

The MCDDI is a mass movement. Its main objective is to create and improve the conditions for the development of the whole person, body, mind and spirit, through the economic, social, cultural and political promotion of the Congolese people and country. The goal is to guarantee the humanistic and transparent management of public affairs for the Congolese people by supporting them in political action on religious ethics and spiritual values. (ibid. 30 May 2008a)

A copy of the Statutes of the MCDDI is attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

2. Party Leaders

According to the Political Handbook of the World (PHW), the party's former leader, Bernard Kolelas, died in 2009; his son, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, was subsequently appointed interim party president, then permanent president in 2012 (PHW 2015, 336). Other sources also note that Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas is the secretary general of the party (Congo-site 12 July 2015; RFI 5 Aug. 2015; MCDDI n.d.b). Some sources indicate that Bernard Tchibambelela is the deputy secretary general (ADIAC 21 July 2014; MCDDI n.d.c; Congo-site 12 July 2015). These sources also indicate that Noel Loutounou is the permanent deputy secretary of the party (ibid.; ADIAC 21 July 2014; MCDDI n.d.d). According to PHW, Jacques Mahouka is a party leader, but his role is not indicated (2015, 336).

In an interview with Radio France internationale (RFI) in August 2015, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas stated that he would be the MCDDI candidate in the 2016 presidential election (RFI 5 Aug. 2015).

The MCDDI website provides a list of the general secretariat and a list of names of national advisors (MCDDI n.d.e). The list is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

3. Structure

The Statutes (Attachment 1) and the Internal Regulations (Reglement interieur) (attachment 3) of the MCDDI are attached to this Response.

4. Participation Within Government

Sources indicate that in the 2012 elections, the MCDDI won 7 seats (PHW 2015, 336; Journal de Brazza 9 Aug. 2012; Congo-site 8 August 2012) of the 136 seats in the National Assembly (ibid.). The list of those who were elected (Attachment 4) is attached to this Response.

According to the Republic of the Congo Country Report published in 2014 by the Bertelsmann Foundation (Bertelsmann Stiftung) [1], "A large part of former opposition parties," including the MCDDI, "has been co-opted into the presidential system" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2014, sec. 5). This source also indicates that the MCDDI "chose to cooperate" with the Congolese Labour Party (Parti congolais du travail, PCT), the President's party (ibid.). Similarly, other sources indicate that the MCDDI is a government majority party (il d'Afrique 6 Aug. 2015; Congopage 8 Apr. 2015). According to Congopage.com, a [translation] "a portal for news, analysis and discussion about Congo Brazzaville" (Congopage.com n.d.), the MCDDI is the [translation] "second largest majority party after the [PCT] in terms of deputies and representation in the government" (ibid. 8 Apr. 2015). Similarly, the BBC notes that the MCDDI is the "second largest party in the presidential majority" (BBC 5 Apr. 2015).

The Bertelsmann Stiftung report states that the MCDDI is strategically important to President Denis Sassou Nguesso because it has a strong constituency in Brazzaville and within the Bacongo ethnic group (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2014, sec. 5). This source describes the MCDDI as a "co-opted, but potentially opposition" party and states that the relationship between the ruling party and the MCDDI remains "uneasy and burdensome" (ibid., sec. 1, 5).

Some sources note that the secretary general of the MCDDI, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, was the minister of the Civil Service and State Reform (Fonction publique et de la Reforme de l'Etat) (MCDDI n.d.f; AFP 16 Sept. 2009) since 2009 (ibid.). He was removed in 2015 (see section 5, below) (Star Africa 11 Aug. 2015; IHS Global Insight 12 Aug. 2015; APA 11 Aug. 2015a).

5. Role of the MCDDI as Part of the Opposition

According to several sources, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas opposed the President's plan to change the constitution in order to lift the twoterm limit on the presidency of the country, which would allow current president Sassou Nguesso to run in the upcoming presidential elections in 2016 (StarAfrica 11 Aug. 2015; RFI 5 Aug. 2015; Le Pays n.d.). A statement signed by the secretary general of the MCDDI and posted on the party's website indicates that the MCDDI is opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment (MCDDI 12 July 2015). Similarly, African media reports that the MCDDI, along with other opposition political parties, took part in the [translation] "alternative dialogue" held in Brazzaville on 26 July 2015 to express opposition to the proposed constitutional changes (APA 30 July 2015; La Semaine africaine 29 July 2015).

Some sources report that President Sassou NGuesso removed two ministers from his government, including Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, because of their opposition to the proposed constitutional changes (IHS Global Insight 12 Aug. 2015; APA 11 Aug. 2015a; Jeune Afrique and AFP 11 Aug. 2015). This cabinet shuffle took place on Monday, 10 August 2015 (Republic of the Congo 10 Aug. 2015; RFI 11 Aug. 2015). According to sources, in this same shuffle, Landry Euloge Kolelas joined the Sassou Nguesso government and became minister of Trade and Supplies (Commerce et des Approvisionnements) (ibid.; APA 11 Aug. 2015a; Jeune Afrique and AFP 11 Aug. 2015); he is the brother of the secretary general and a member of the MCDDI (ibid.; APA 11 Aug. 2015a). Some sources indicate that Landry Euloge Kolelas, who declared that he supports the constitutional referendum, thus opposes his brother, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas (il d'Afrique 13 Aug. 2015; ADIAC 10 Aug. 2015).

According to an article published by France24 with the Agence France-Presse (AFP), on 25 October 2015, the Congolese government held a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment; the [translation] "yes" side earned 92.26 percent of the votes and, consequently, the draft of the new constitution will be enacted by the President (France24 with AFP 27 Oct. 2015). According to some sources, the participation rate in this vote was 72.44 percent (ibid.; SlateAfrique with AFP 29 Oct. 2015; iTele 27 Oct. 2015). However, an article published by Jeune Afrique with AFP reports that the First Secretary of the PanAfrican Union for Social Democracy (Union panafricaine pour la democratie sociale, UPADS), the largest opposition party in parliament, said that the participation rate was less than 10 percent (Jeune Afrique with AFP 26 Oct. 2015).

6. Treatment of Opponents to the Constitutional Changes by the Authorities

According to some sources, four opponents to the proposed constitutional changes were killed by Congolese law enforcement (France24 with AFP 21 Oct. 2015; Slate Afrique 21 Oct. 2015), when hundreds of protestors took to the streets on 20 October 2015 (ibid.). Information on the party to which these four victims belonged could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Congolese minister of the Interior, cited by the BBC,

[translation]

According to preliminary reports on this organized and coordinated uprising, there have been four deaths, including three in Brazzaville and one in PointeNoire; seven people were wounded and have been hospitalized in Brazzaville; and three law enforcement officers suffered serious injuries (BBC 20 Oct. 2015).

According to the International Federation for Human Rights (Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme, FIDH) and the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights (Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme, OCDH), on 21 October 2015, police violence against protestors who opposed the constitutional reform led to the deaths of five civilians, including three in Brazzaville and at least two in PointeNoire (FIDH and OCDH 21 Oct. 2015). Human Rights Watch notes that, according to local activists, the death toll is much higher (Human Rights Watch 3 Nov. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

7. Treatment of MCDDI Members by the Authorities

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, whose research is focused on the political situation in the Republic of Congo and who has completed field research in the country, stated that the government of President Sassou Nguesso "targets" MCDDI leaders and party members who express their political opinions and that "the MCDDI has always been among the historical opponents of the Sassou regime"(Postdoctoral researcher 24 Nov. 2015). He noted that the government targets "community organizers" in order to prevent protests from emerging (ibid.). The same source also stated that "there have been documented cases of assassination and arbitrary arrest" and that MCDDI members have been arrested because of their party membership (ibid.). He added that there have been instances of "gang rapes" of MCDDI journalists and activists affiliated with the MCDDI and the Patriotic Union for National Renewal (Union patriotique pour le renouveau national, UPRN) [another opposition party (RFI 11 Sept. 2013)] (Postdoctoral researcher 24 Nov. 2015). He further stated that it is not only MCDDI members who are treated this way, as members of other opposition parties are treated similarly (ibid.).

The Postdoctoral researcher stated that MCDDI members, from card-carrying members to activists and even leaders, have been targeted by the Sassou Nguesso government (ibid.). He added, however, that in many cases, lower-level MCDDI members "confront more serious dangers" than senior party leaders, who often have extensive professional and social contacts in the government, which can help to "insulate" them from the worst human rights violations, such as "brutal assault and torture and potentially assassination" (ibid.). He further stated that senior MCDDI leaders also benefit from greater visibility and "international attention," whereas the treatment of lowerlevel members is rarely reported on by the media (ibid.).

According to the Postdoctoral researcher, because "the regime has longstanding relationships" with opposition party leaders, it often treats party leaders differently than common members, who can face "harassment and assault, in addition to other abuses," even if the party leader is appointed to a ministerial position in the government (ibid.). The government would not assume that the members of these parties have suddenly become "regime supporters"; they are still considered opponents (ibid.).

The Postdoctoral researcher provided the following example of an MCDDI member in Pointe-Noire who was targeted by the authorities:

[A]n MCDDI member there  would distribute online party writings or criticisms of the government. He would make copies of documents attesting to the government's corrupt practices  and distribute these materials. Because of these activities, this person was incarcerated without due process by the police, tortured, and narrowly escaped the country. (ibid.)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Some sources indicate that Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas was placed under house arrest [in October 2015 (La Lettre du continent 11 Nov. 2015)] and that his house was surrounded by soldiers (Le Monde 10 Nov. 2015; RFI 27 Oct. 2015; Opinion internationale 22 Oct. 2015). According to Voice of America (VOA), the Secretary General and about 30 of his supporters are under house arrest (VOA 27 Oct. 2015). RFI reports that Abdoulaye Bathily, United Nations Special Representative for Central Africa, intervened to have the house arrest lifted (RFI 27 Oct. 2015). According to an article published in the magazine La Lettre du continent, [translation] "the leading publication about Africa aimed at both professionals and the general public" (Africa Intelligence n.d.), Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas' house arrest started in late October and ended "about 10 days later" (La Lettre du continent 11 Nov. 2015).

8. Treatment of Lari

According to the Postdoctoral researcher, the government considers members of the Lari ethnic group to be opponents since this group generally supports the MCDDI (Postdoctoral researcher 24 Nov. 2015). He added that the Lari face "blatant" and "widespread" economic and political discrimination (ibid.). The researcher also said that the Lari face a risk of "rape, extortion, harassment and incarceration" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The Bertelsmann Foundation is a private German foundation whose objective is "to promote research and understanding in the areas of religion, public health,  international cultural exchange , democracy and government, and civic engagement" (Bertelsmann Stiftung n.d.).

References

Africa Intelligence. N.d. "Qui sommes-nous?" [Accessed 24 Nov. 2015]

Agence de presse africaine (APA). 11 August 2015a. "Leger reamenagement ministeriel au Congo-Brazzaville." (Factiva)

_____. 30 July 2015. "Les Congolais appeles a defendre l'ordre constitutionnel en cas de violation." (Factiva)

Agence d'information d'Afrique centrale (ADIAC). 10 August 2015. Roger Ngombe. "Vie des partis : la question du changement de la constitution divise le MCDDI." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

_____. 21 July 2014. "MCDDI : les organes de base et intermediaires approuvent l'action du Secretaire general." [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 16 September 2009. "Congo : remaniement ministeriel apres la presidentielle." [Accessed 10 Nov. 2015]

Bertelsmann Stiftung. 2014. BTI 2014: Republic of Congo Country Report. [Accessed 16 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d. "The Beliefs Behind Our Work." [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 20 October 2015. "Congo : 4 morts et 10 blesses." [Accessed 29 August 2015]

_____. 5 April 2015. "Congo : la majorite au pouvoir divisee." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2015]

Postdoctoral researcher, Stanford University. 24 November 2015. Telephone interview.

Congopage.com. 8 April 2015. Benjamin Bilombot Bitadys. "Le MCDDI sonne la revolte contre le changement de Constitution." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d. "A propos." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2015]

Congo-site. 12 July 2015. Gos-Gaspard Lenckonov. "Le torchon brule au sein du MCDDI, Joseph Malonga appelle au ressaisissement." [Accessed 9 Nov. 2015]

_____. 8 August 2012. "Resultats definitifs des elections legislatives de juillet 2012 au Congo." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2015]

Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH) and Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme (OCDH). 21 October 2015. "Four Days Before the Referendum on the Constitution, Repression Comes Crashing Down on Opponents." [Accessed 16 Nov. 2015]

France24 with Agence France-Presse (AFP). 27 October 2015. "Referendum constitutionnel au Congo-Brazzaville : victoire ecrasante du 'oui'." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

_____. 21 October 2015. "Quatre morts dans des heurts a Brazzaville entre policiers et manifestants." [Accessed 30 Aug. 2015]

Human Rights Watch. 3 November 2015. Anneke Van Woudenberg and Ida Sawyer. "Africa's Softer, Gentler Coups d'Etat." [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]

IHS Global Insight. 12 August 2015. Robert Besseling. "Congolese Political Dissent over President's Power Extension Plans Indicates Increasing Risk of Protests and Riots in Cities." (Factiva)

iTele. 27 October 2015. "Referendum au Congo : L'opposition rejette les resultats et appelle a la desobeissance." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015]

Jeune Afrique with Agence France-Presse (AFP). 26 October 2015. "Referendum au Congo-Brazzaville : un "camouflet"pour le pouvoir, selon l'opposition." [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]

_____. 11 August 2015. "Remaniement au Congo-Brazzaville : deux ministres opposes a la modification constitutionnelle exclus." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015]

Journal de Brazza. 9 August 2012. Ngouela Ngoussou. "La nouvelle composition de l'Assemblee nationale." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2015]

La Lettre du continent. 11 November 2015. "Congo : Son hold-up constitutionnel reussi, Sassou se met au vert." No. 717. [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]

Mayima-Mbemba, Jean-Claude. 30 November 2012. "Le MCDDI : hier, aujourd'hui et demain." [Accessed 9 Nov. 2015]

Le Monde. 10 November 2015. Joan Tilouine. "Le pasteur Ntumi, gourou liberateur ou marionnette de Sassou-Nguesso?" [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI). 12 July 2015. "Declaration du secretaire general du MCDDI." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2015]

_____. 30 May 2008a. Statuts. [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

_____. 30 May 2008b. Reglement interieur. [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015]

_____. N.d.a. "Bernard Kolelas - Biographie." [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015]

_____. N.d.b. "Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral." [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015]

_____. N.d.c. "Notre equipe : secretariat general adjoint - conseiller politique." [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d.d. "Notre equipe : secretariat general adjoint - permanent." [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d.e. "Secretariat general." [Accessed 28 Oct. 2015]

_____. N.d.f. "Biographie de Kolelas Guy Brice Parfait." [Accessed 27 Oct. 2015]

il d'Afrique. 13 August 2015. "Congo : bras de fer entre les Kolelas pour diriger le MCDDI face a Sassou N'guesso." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

_____. 6 August 2015. "Parfait Kolelas, ministre congolais avertit Sassou : 'Meme le Christ n'a pas fini son oeuvre'." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

Opinion internationale. 22 October 2015. Stephanie Petit. "L'opposant Parfait Kolelas decrit la situation a Brazzaville." [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

Le Pays. N.d. "Limogeage de ministres opposes a la modification constitutionnelle : Sassou prend l'ombre pour la proie." [Accessed 10 Nov. 2015]

Political Handbook of the World 2015 (PHW). 2015. "Republic of the Congo." Edited by Lansford. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Radio France internationale (RFI). 27 October 2015. "Congo : Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas encercle chez lui par des militaires." [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]

_____. 11 August 2015. "Congo-Brazzaville : Le president remanie son gouvernement." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2015]

_____. 5 August 2015. Christophe Boisbouvier. "Congo-B: Parfait Kolelas 'oppose a un referendum anticonstitutionnel'." [Accessed 10 Nov. 2015]

_____. 11 September 2013. Christophe Boisbouvier. "Mathias Dzon, opposant congolais, president de l'Union patriotique pour le renouveau national (UPRN)." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2015]

Republic of the Congo. 10 August 2015. Cabinet du Chef de l'Etat. "Remaniement de l'equipe gouvernementale de Denis Sassou Nguesso : Gouvernement de la Republique du Congo au terme du decret No 2015-858 du 10 aout 2015." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2015]

La Semaine africaine. 29 July 2015. Cyr Armel Yabbat-Ngo. "Dialogue alternatif des forces opposees au changement de la Constitution : 'Gouvernance electorale et respect de l'ordre constitutionnel'." [Accessed 13 Nov. 2015]

Slate Afrique. 21 October 2015. "Au Congo, la 'pire journee' depuis la guerre civile de 1997." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015]

Slate Afrique with Agence France-Presse (AFP). 29 October 2015. "Apres le referendum, l'opposition congolaise appelle a une marche patriotique." [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015]

StarAfrica. 11 August 2015. "Congo : Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas et Claudine Munari limoges." [Accessed 10 Nov. 2015]

Voice of America (VOA). 27 October 2015. Nick Long. "Opposition in Congo Brazzaville Rejects Referendum Result." [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: African bureau official, Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Associate Researcher, Chatham House; Journalist, Journal de Brazza; Journalists, Agence d'information d'Afrique centrale; Journalist and Researcher, Electronic Immigration Network; Member, Institut des mondes africains; Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme; Postdoctoral candidate, Universite de Geneve; Professor, Centre d'etudes et de recherches sur les droits africains et le developpement institutionnel des pays en developpement; Professor, Universite Marien Ngouabi; Professor, Universite Omar Bongo; Professor of SubSaharan African politics, Florida International University; Professor, Institut d'etudes politique de Bordeaux; Researcher, Ecole normale superieure in Brazzaville; Researcher focusing on Africa, Universite de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines; Researcher focusing on the Republic of the Congo, Human Rights Watch.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Cour nationale du droit d'asile; ecoi.net; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Liberation.fr; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld; United States - Department of State.

Attachments

1. Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI). 30 May 2008. Statuts. [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015]

2. Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI). N.d. "Secretariat general." [Accessed 28 Oct. 2015]

3. Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI). 30 May 2008b. Reglement interieur. [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015]

4. Mouvement congolais pour la democratie et le developpement integral (MCDDI). N.d. "Les elus." [Accessed 28 Oct. 2015]
News / National

by Staff reporter

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is back in Zimbabwe itching to get back to work as soon as possible following his medical operation in Johannesburg two weeks ago.Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday after flying back home on Friday evening, the former prime minister in the government of national unity said he was "fighting fit" and raring to lead from the front the MDC's quest to dislodge President Robert Mugabe and his warring Zanu-PF from power."There are times when people think it's the end when it is actually the beginning  my absence has had no effect whatsoever on our programme of action. The momentum is there and we remain on course," a jovial Tsvangirai said.The MDC president said he couldn't wait to pick up from where he left his "mission" when he led a massive demonstration in Harare last month.He also implored the country's opposition to work together and take advantage of Zanu-PF's seemingly unstoppable factional and succession wars to pressure Mugabe to relinquish power."Zimbabweans want change, a better life, a viable economy and that is what the MDC is working to deliver. The MDC will roll out more mass programmes in various provinces that will eventually culminate in a major national protest effort," he said.While thanking Zimbabweans who wished him well, Tsvangirai also took the unusual step of thanking his "mortal enemies and those who wished me ill" as they were "a source of inspiration" to him.His operation in South Africa - decided on by his family after advice from local doctors - came at a time that there have been signs the MDC leader and his party are getting their mojo back, after he recently led the mega demonstration against Zanu-PF's misrule.Thousands of people - most of them MDC supporters clad in the party's trademark red regalia - brought the capital's central business district to a temporary halt then, as they marched in the peaceful demo that culminated in Tsvangirai calling on Mugabe to leave office now or face the wrath of the people.Observers told the Daily News at the time that the demonstration, the first of many to come ahead of the keenly-anticipated 2018 national elections, had shown that contrary to Zanu-PF propaganda that Tsvangirai and the MDC were now spent forces, the main opposition was very much alive and still the major threat to the ruling party's thuggish hegemony.Ahead of the march, all eyes were on Tsvangirai as he plotted the first serious mass action that the MDC had embarked on in a decade - with both friends and foes keen to see the impact, or lack of, of the demonstration as the 2018 national elections beckon.Since Zanu-PF controversially won the 2013 elections, the economy has been on a precipitous downward slide, with thousands of companies closing shop and hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs in the process.And despite the best efforts of Reserve Bank governor John Mangudya to mitigate the situation, debilitating cash shortages continue to ravage the country, sending long-suffering citizens into panic mode that Zimbabwe has once again hit the depths of humanitarian and economic despair that were experienced in 2008.Analysts say the cash crunch manifests "the sad reality" that the country's economy is continuing on its catastrophic downward spiral - a consequence of the country's decades-old political crises that are widely blamed on Mugabe and Zanu-PF.Many political and economic observers have also warned that 2016 will in all likelihood be harder all-round than 2015, which was itself generally described as an annus horribilis (horrible year).They said there was "little hope" that life would get better for most Zimbabweans, and that if anything, the country's ailing economy would get sicker, while the deadly factional and succession wars ravaging the post-congress Zanu-PF would worsen.
Cameroon: Prevalence of forced marriage in southwest Cameroon, particularly as practiced by chiefs; whether the girls/women that are forced to marry chiefs must be virgins and childless

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 27 February 2013 Citation / Document Symbol CMR104325.E Related Document(s) Cameroun : information sur la frequence des mariages forces dans le Sud-Ouest du Cameroun, tout particulierement ceux pratiques par les chefs; information indiquant si les femmes ou les jeunes filles contraintes d'epouser des chefs doivent etre vierges et sans enfant Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Cameroon: Prevalence of forced marriage in southwest Cameroon, particularly as practiced by chiefs; whether the girls/women that are forced to marry chiefs must be virgins and childless, 27 February 2013, CMR104325.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575527104.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information about the prevalence of forced marriage in southwest Cameroon, particularly as practiced by chiefs, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1. Prevalence

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the Executive Director of Reach Out, a non profit organization based in Buea, southwest Cameroon (Reach Out n.d.), that conducts advocacy, awareness-raising, and "empowerment" related to the issue of forced marriages (ibid. 22 Feb. 2013), stated that both forced marriage and early marriage occur in southwest Cameroon (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, whose specialization includes Cameroon and migration, similarly stated that, "in rural areas, it can easily happen that women have to marry without consent and at an early age" (25 Feb. 2013).

According to the Executive Director of Reach Out, it is "common" for girls to be forced to marry chiefs (22 Feb. 2013). The Postdoctoral Researcher indicated that "if the chief wants to marry a person, the power games with the parents are more complicated and the degree of force can be greater than for forced marriages with ordinary men" (25 Feb. 2013).

2. Whether Women Forced to Marry Chiefs Must Be Virgins and Childless

According to the Executive Director of Reach Out, whether a woman who is forced to marry a chief must be a virgin depends on the chief's preference, as the decision is "up to the chief" (Reach Out 22 Feb. 2013). The Executive Director added that "there have been cases" of chiefs forcing women with children from another man to marry them, but she has heard of only "very few" such cases (ibid.). She also stated that sometimes chiefs take other men's wives, and that this practice is particularly "rampant" in remote areas (ibid.).

The Postdoctoral Researcher stated that "generally speaking, there are no virginity tests before marriage in South West Cameroon" (25 Feb. 2013). Once again referring to the general situation, the Postdoctoral Researcher stated that, depending on the ethnic group, already having had a child may "increase the value of a woman because she has proven her fertility" (25 Feb. 2013). The Postdoctoral Researcher noted that practices relating to forced marriage to chiefs, and whether a woman must be a virgin, "greatly depend on the socio-economic position of the parents of the woman" (25 Feb. 2013).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Postdoctoral Researcher, Free University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 25 February 2013. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Reach Out. 22 February 2013. Telephone interview with the Executive Director.

_____. N.d. "Reach Out Cameroon." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following individuals and organizations were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Action Centre for Rural Community Development; Assistant Professor of History, University of Ottawa; Association of Human Rights and Torture Defenders - Cameroon; Cameroon - Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Family; Cameroon Education Corporation; Centre for Cross-cultural Research on Women, University of Oxford; Institut national de statistiques; Jeunesse Verte du Cameroun; Link-up Cameroon; Pinyin Youth Organisation for Rural Development; Professor of African Anthropology, University of Amsterdam; Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Cape Town; United Action for Children. The following individuals and organizations could not provide information for this Response: Association de lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes; Associate Professor of Political Science and History, South Carolina State University; Associate Professor, Social Demography and Anthropology, Carleton College, Northfield Minnesota; Child Care Cameroon.

Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Amnesty International; Cameroon Postline; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; Plan International; Rural Women Development and Environmental Organisation; Rural Women Development Center; United Nations Refworld, UN Women; United States Department of State.
Philippines and India: Whether an Indian man married to a Filipino woman can obtain Philippine citizenship; whether a Filipino woman married to an Indian man can obtain Indian citizenship; requirements and procedures (2014-March 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 4 March 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ZZZ105459.E Related Document(s) Philippines et Inde : information indiquant si un Indien marie a une Philippine peut obtenir la citoyennete philippine; si une Philippine mariee a un Indien peut obtenir la citoyennete indienne; information sur les exigences et la marche a suivre (2014-mars 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Philippines and India: Whether an Indian man married to a Filipino woman can obtain Philippine citizenship; whether a Filipino woman married to an Indian man can obtain Indian citizenship; requirements and procedures (2014-March 2016), 4 March 2016, ZZZ105459.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575527f24.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Dual Citizenship

1.1 India

According to the website of the Embassy of India in Manila, the Constitution of India does not permit dual citizenship (India n.d.a). The website of the High Commission of India in Ottawa indicates that "Indian citizens acquiring any foreign citizenship on or after 1 June, 2010 must formally renounce Indian citizenship" [1] (ibid. n.d.b).

According to the Citizenship Rules of 2009, formulated by the Central Government to outline the implementation of the Citizenship Act of 1955 (ibid. 2009, 1,), an individual married to a citizen of India, who would like to acquire Indian citizenship, must renounce his or her previous citizenship (ibid., Sec. 5).

1.2 Philippines

The website of the Philippines Bureau of Immigration indicates that an individual who wants to acquire Philippine citizenship must renounce his or her "former nationality" (Philippines n.d.a). The website of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles notes that, according to the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act No. 9225 of 2003, "only natural-born [2] citizens of the Philippines" who acquired citizenship of another country "shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship" (Philippines n.d.b).

2. Citizenship of India

2.1 Eligibility

According to the 1955 Citizenship Act of India, Indian citizenship can be acquired by registration by

c. a person who is married to a citizen of India and is ordinarily resident in India for seven years before making an application for registration. (India 1955, Art. 5(1)(c))

The same source states that an applicant is considered to be an ordinary resident of India if

he has resided in India throughout the period of twelve months immediately before making an application for registration;

he has resided in India during the eight years immediately preceding the said period of twelve months for a period of not less than six years. (ibid., Art. 5, Explanation 1)

The Citizenship Rules indicate that

An application from a person, who is married to a citizen of India, for registration as a citizen of India under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 5 [of the Citizenship Act] shall not be entertained unless -

the application is made in Form III [A copy of Form III is attached to this Response (Attachment 1)];

he gives an undertaking in writing that he shall renounce the citizenship of his country in the event of his application being sanctioned;

on the date of making the application he,-

has been ordinarily a resident of India; or

has been in the service of the Government of India; at least for a period of seven years; and

he makes the oath of allegiance as specified in the Second Schedule to the Citizenship Act, 1955.

Explanation.- In computing the period of seven years, any broken period of residence and service under sub-clauses (i) and (ii) of clause (c) shall be included in the period specified therein.

The Central Government may, in consideration of the special circumstances, exempt, any foreign national married to such an Indian citizen who is in the service of the Government in India, from the operation of clause (c) of sub-rule (1).

The Central Government may, in consideration of the special circumstances, exempt any foreign national who has been married to an Indian citizen for not less than seven years and who has visited India at least once in a year during any seven years out of nine years, from the operation of clause (c) of sub-rule (1). (ibid. 2009, Sec. 5)

2.2 Application Procedures

The applicant must submit the application for citizenship to the "Collector/Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate within whose jurisdiction the applicant is ordinarily resident for transmission to the Central Government through the State Government or the Union territory administration" (ibid., Part II). The applicant must also provide the following documents with his or her application for citizenship:

A copy of the valid foreign passport;

A copy of the valid residential permit;

Proof of his or her husband's or wife's Indian nationality, such as a copy of Indian passport or birth certificate;

A copy of a marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriage;

An application fee of 500 Indian Rupees [approximately C$10.00] (ibid.).

According to the Citizenship Rules, an individual who is registered as a citizen of India will be issued a certificate of registration in Form X "signed by an officer not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India" (ibid., Sec. 14). A copy of Form X is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

3 Citizenship of Philippines

3.1 Eligibility

According to the website of the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine citizenship can be acquired by birth or through naturalization (Philippines n.d.a). An article published by the Manila Times indicates that, according to the Public Attorney's Office, an individual, who was born in India, and who is married to a Filipino woman, "may only acquire Philippine citizenship through the process of naturalization," in accordance with the Commonwealth Act 473 (Manila Times 30 Apr. 2015). The Commonwealth Act 473 of 1939 states that in order to become a citizen of the Philippines through naturalization, an individual

must-be not less than twenty-one years of age on the day of the hearing of the petition;

He must have resided in the Philippines for a continuous period of not less than ten years;

He must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution, and must have conducted himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence in the Philippines in his relation with the constituted government as well as with the community in which he is living;

He must own real estate in the Philippines worth not less than five thousand pesos [approximately C$145.00], Philippine currency, or must have some know[n] lucrative trade, profession, or lawful occupation;

He must be able to speak and write English or Spanish and any one of the principal Philippine languages;

He must have enrolled his minor children of school age, in any of the public schools or private schools recognized by the Office of Private Education of the Philippines, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught or prescribed as part of the school curriculum, during the entire period of the residence in the Philippines required of him prior to the hearing of his petition for naturalization as Philippine citizen. (Philippines 1939, Sec. 2)

Section 3 of the Act indicates that the ten years of continuous residency required under condition 2 of the previous section, will be reduced to five years for a person who is married to a Filipino woman (ibid., Sec. 3 (3)).

3.2 Application Procedures

Section 5 of the Commonwealth Act states that

[o]ne year prior to the filing of his petition for admission to Philippine citizenship, the applicant for Philippine citizenship shall file with the Bureau of Justice a declaration under oath that is bona fide his intention to become a citizen of the Philippines. Such declaration shall set forth the name, age, occupation, personal description, place of birth, last foreign residence and allegiance, the date of arrival, the name of the vessel or aircraft, if any, in which he came to the Philippines, and the place of residence in the Philippines at the time of making the declaration. No declaration-shall be valid until lawful entry for permanent residence [has] been established and a certificate showing the date, place, and manner of his arrival has been issued. (ibid., Sec. 5)

According to the Commonwealth Act, a person who wants to acquire Philippine citizenship should submit his or her application to the Court of First Instance of the province in which the applicant has resided for at least one year prior to applying for citizenship (ibid., Sec. 7-8). The Manila Times quotes the Public Attorney's Office as stating that the application may be submitted to the Regional Trial Court of the city or province where the applicant has been residing (The Manila Times 30 Apr. 2015).

According to the Commonwealth Act, the applicant has to attend a hearing and

[i]f, after the hearing, the court believes, in view of the evidence taken, that the petitioner has all the qualifications required by, and none of the disqualifications specified in this Act and has complied with all requisites herein established, it shall order the proper naturalization certificate to be issued (Philippines 1939, Sec. 10).

3.3 Exclusions from Naturalization

The Commonwealth Act states under Section 4 that the following persons are not eligible to be naturalized as citizens of Philippines:

Persons opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments;

Persons defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault, or assassination for the success and predominance of their ideas;

Polygamists or believers in the practice of polygamy;

Persons convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude;

Persons suffering from mental alienation or incurable contagious diseases;

Persons who, during the period of their residence in the Philippines, have not mingled socially with the Filipinos, or who have not evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions, and ideals of the Filipinos;

Citizens, or subjects of nations with whom the United States and the Philippines are at war, during the period of such war;

Citizens or subjects of a foreign country other than the United States, whose laws do not grant Filipinos the right to become naturalized citizens or subjects thereof. (ibid., Sec. 4)

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] In order to renounce Indian citizenship, an individual must surrender his or her Indian passport for cancellation and obtain a "'Surrender Certificate' endorsement on the cancelled passport" (India n.d.b). According to the website of the High Commission of India, an individual can obtain the Surrender Certificate in Canada by submitting an application form and the required documents to the "outsourcing agent," BLS International (ibid.). BLS International is an organization that provides services for "administrative and non-judgmental tasks of outsourcing of Visas, Passports and Attestation Applications" in India and abroad (BLS International n.d.a). According to the website of BLS International, the applicant must provide the following documents:

An application form;

Original Indian passport and a copy of the passport;

Copy of the Canadian citizenship certificate;

Copy of Canadian passport, if available;

Copy of Record of Landing, and

The applicable fees (ibid. n.d.b).

The website of the High Commission of India in Ottawa indicates that the Indian passport will be cancelled and returned to the applicant along with the issued Surrender Certificate (India n.d.b).

[2] The website of the Embassy of the Philippines in Brussels indicates that, according to the Philippine Constitution, a natural-born citizen is an individual born to "one or both parents who are Filipino citizens at the time of birth" (Philippines n.d.c).

References

BLS International. N.d.a. "About Us." [Accessed 24 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. "General Information - Surrender of Nationality." [Accessed 24 Feb. 2016]

India. 2009. The Citizenship Rules, 2009. [Accessed 18 Feb. 2016]

_____. 1955 (amended 2005). The Citizenship Act, 1955. [Accessed 18 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.a. Embassy of India in Manila, Philippines. "Overseas Citizenship of India." [Accessed 12 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada. "Persons of Indian Origin to Obtain Surrender Certificate on Renunciation of Indian Citizenship." [Accessed 18 February 2016]

The Manila Times. 30 April 2015. Persida Acosta. "Foreigner Can Become Filipino Citizen Through Naturalization." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

Philippines. 1939. Commonwealth Act No. 473, June 17, 1939. [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.a. Bureau of Immigration. "Citizenship." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. Consulate General in Los Angeles. "Dual Citizenship: Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 (R.A. 9225)." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.c. Embassy of the Philippines in Brussels. "Reacquisition of Filipino Citizenship." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Immigration lawyers in India and Philippines; India - High Commission of India in Ottawa; International Organization for Migration in the Philippines; Philippines - Bureau of Immigration, Embassy in Ottawa.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; The Daily Tribune; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Helplinelaw; Human Rights Watch; The Filipino Express; India - Consulate General in Toronto, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs; India Times; LawPhil Project; The News India; Nolo Networks; Philippines - Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, embassies in New Delhi, Ottawa, Washington D.C., Supreme Court, Supreme Court E-Library; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Department of State, Embassy of the United States in Manila; University of Southeastern Philippines.

Attachments

1. India. 2009. Ministry of Home Affairs. "Form III." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

2. India. 2009. Ministry of Home Affairs. "Form X." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]
Venezuela: Treatment of members of the Primero Justicia (PJ) party [Justice First] by authorities, including instances of violence (January 2015-December 2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 22 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol VEN105385.E Related Document(s) Venezuela : information sur le traitement reserve par les autorites aux membres du parti Justice d'abord (Primero Justicia - PJ), y compris sur les cas de violence (janvier 2015-decembre 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Venezuela: Treatment of members of the Primero Justicia (PJ) party [Justice First] by authorities, including instances of violence (January 2015-December 2015), 22 December 2015, VEN105385.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5755286e4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Treatment of Members of PJ by Authorities

On 3 November 2015, Venezolana de Television (VTV), a state television network based in Caracas, reported that workers of several unions planned to go to the Office of the Attorney General on the following day to request an investigation into the actions of Tomas Guanipa, a member of the National Assembly for PJ, who allegedly committed a [translation] "'series of economic and financial crimes'  related to an international conspiracy against Venezuela's currency" (Venezuela 3 Nov. 2015). Sources reported on 4 November 2015 that PJ denounced the government's accusations against Guanipa for his alleged links with Dolar Today [a Miami-based website that provides news on Venezuela and its currency exchange rate (Dolar Today n.d.)] (Notitarde 4 Nov. 2015; ACN 4 Nov. 2015). Thomas Dangel [a local coordinator of PJ (ACN 4 Nov. 2015)] [translation] "qualified these accusations as 'persecution' against" Guanipa (Notitarde 4 Nov. 2015). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

On 15 September 2015, the website of PJ posted a press release in which the party denounced President Nicolas Maduro's [translation] "unfounded accusations" against Wilson Castro, PJ coordinator in the state of Bolivar (PJ 15 Sept. 2015). The press release indicates that Castro has been accused by the government of having ties with [Colombian] paramilitaries (ibid.). Sources report that Castro was accused [by Maduro (El Universal 15 Sept. 2015)] of being responsible for looting that occurred in the town of San Felix [state of Bolivar] on 31 July 2015 (El Universal 15 Sept. 2015; Correo del Caroni 10 Aug. 2015). Clarin, a newspaper based in Buenos Aires, reports that the looting in San Felix occurred because of the shortages of basic goods, which President Maduro attributes to [translation] "an 'economic war' fostered by businesses and the opposition to destabilize the government" (Clarin 31 July 2015). According to sources, during the looting, 60 people were detained by authorities and one person died (qtd. in Notiminuto 31 July 2015; Clarin 31 July 2015) [translation] "from a bullet in the chest, under unclear circumstances" (ibid.).Clarin reports that business people attributed the shortages of basic goods to the [translation] "severe controls over prices and exchange rates" (ibid.).

On 15 September 2015, El Universal, a Caracas-based newspaper, reported that the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace accused Wilson Castro of [translation] "orchestrating  [a] 'sabotage plan during the back-to-school'" season, "with the support of 'ultra-right-wing elements'" (El Universal 15 Sept. 2015). Castro was accused of doing this from Colombia (ibid.). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The website of PJ reports that on 12 September 2015, during a meeting with the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) in the municipality of Caruachi, President Maduro accused Wilson Castro of colluding with a criminal organization that committed a series of break-and-enters in [translation] "several schools" in the state of Bolivar (PJ 13 Sept. 2015). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Notiminuto, a news portal based in Venezuela, quotes Rachid Yasbek, General Secretary of PJ, in an August 2015 article, as stating that [translation] "the party suspects that they are being subjected to persecution" as they see "'suspicious' vehicles with tinted windows in front of PJ members' residences" (12 Aug. 2015). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The website of PJ reports that, on 13 June 2015, the party organized a political demonstration in the state of Zulia to express its support for political prisoners and to denounce President Maduro's [translation] "political persecution" against dissident sectors in Venezuela and leaders of the opposition (PJ 13 June 2015). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In February 2015, sources reported that PJ denounced the government's accusations against Julio Borges, National Coordinator of PJ, for being associated with an alleged coup (El Nacional 14 Feb. 2015; PJ 18 Feb. 2015). The website of PJ indicates that these accusations are [translation] "unfounded" and accuses the government of "criminalizing dissent and persecuting those who think differently" (ibid.). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agencia Carabobena de Noticias (ACN). 4 November 2015. Yasmielen Beatswine. "Primero Justicia Carabobo rechaza persecucion contra Tomas Guanipa." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2015]

Clarin. 31 July 2015. "Un muerto en saqueos por alimentos en Venezuela." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

Correo del Caroni. 10 August 2015. Jhoalys Siverio. "Primero Justicia denuncia persecucion contra Wilson Castro por saqueos en San Felix." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

Dolar Today. N.d. "Terminos y condiciones de uso." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

El Nacional. 14 February 2015. "Primero Justicia rechaza acusaciones del Gobierno contra Julio Borges." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

El Universal. 15 September 2015. Alicia de la Rosa. "PJ rechazo acusaciones del Gobierno contra su dirigente Wilson Castro." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

Notiminuto. 12 August 2015. Victor de Abreu. "Pediran extradicion de dirigente de PJ por sucesos de San Felix." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

_____. 31 July 2015. Victor de Abreu. "Un muerto durante trifulca por alimentos en San Felix." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

Notitarde. 4 November 2015. "PJ Carabobo rechaza 'persecucion' a Tomas Guanipa." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2015]

Primero Justicia (PJ). 15 September 2015. "Primero Justicia rechaza persecucion del Gobierno a su dirigente Wilson Castro." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2015]

_____. 13 September 2015. "PJ rechaza acusaciones presidenciales contra Wilson Castro." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2015]

_____. 13 June 2015. "Primero Justicia Zulia marcho contra la persecucion politica del Gobierno." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015]

_____. 18 February 2015. "Grupo Parlamentario Europeo rechaza acusaciones del Gobierno contra Julio Borges." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2015]

Venezuela. 3 November 2015. Venezolana de Television (VTV). "Por presuntamente incurrir en delitos financieros, trabajadores piden investigar a Tomas Guanipa." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ContraPunto; ecoi.net; El Diario de Guayana; El Mercurio Web; El Sol de Margarita; Factiva; Freedom House; Globovision; Human Rights Watch; La Patilla; Notisemana; Political Handbook of the World; United Nations - ReliefWeb; United States - Department of State, Embassy in Caracas; Venezuela - Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz; Zulia por Dentro.
Venezuela: Police corruption at the Pariaguan municipal police station in the Miranda district; police corruption at the Freites municipal police station, including in connection to the Director (2014-August 2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 9 September 2015 Citation / Document Symbol VEN105297.E Related Document(s) Venezuela : information sur la corruption policiere au poste de police municipal de Pariaguan, dans le district de Miranda; corruption policiere au poste de police municipal de Freites, y compris celle concernant le directeur (2014-aout 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Venezuela: Police corruption at the Pariaguan municipal police station in the Miranda district; police corruption at the Freites municipal police station, including in connection to the Director (2014-August 2015), 9 September 2015, VEN105297.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575529e04.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information on police corruption at the Pariaguan municipal police station in the Miranda district, as well as police corruption at the Freites municipal police station, including corruption in connection to the Director, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1. Corruption at the Pariaguan Municipal Police (PoliPariaguan) Station, Miranda District

On 1 December 2010, Venezuelan news source Informe 25 reported that after the intervention of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional, SEBIN), a [translation] "commission" requested Tomas Bello, Mayor of Pariaguan, to remove the Chief of the Pariaguan municipal police, surname Vidal, due to his [translation] "extensive background" in planting evidence on innocent victims, and his participation in extortions and kidnappings (Informe 25 1 Dec. 2010). Information on this commission could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The same article indicates that a public prosecutor at the Public Ministry and the Chief of Police were reportedly complicit in the commission of these crimes; the Mayor did not take any action (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Informe 25 also reported in September 2013 that sources linked to the Miranda district police in the state of Anzoategui sent a communique to Informe 25 indicating that newly appointed police officials at the Pariaguan municipal police station are officers who have been expelled from other police forces (ibid. 16 Sept. 2013). According to the communique, as reported by Informe 25, Alvaro Ortega Obregon, who was appointed Director General of the Pariaguan municipal police, was expelled from the Bolivar state police in 2002 for [translation] "extortion and serious offenses against internal police regulations," and Marvelis Guevara, who was appointed Deputy Director of the Pariaguan municipal police, was expelled from the Anzoategui state police for extortion and fraud (ibid.). Other appointees included Miguel Barreto, who had been expelled from El Tigre municipal police for his alleged involvement in extortion and vehicle theft, and Luis Alberto Basanta, who had been expelled from the Anzoategui state police on 22 September 2009 for failing a drug test (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In October 2013, Guanipa Noticias, a digital newspaper based in Anzoategui, reported that Pariaguan City Hall councillors from the Democratic Unity Table (Mesa de la Unidad Democratica, MUD) [the main opposition coalition made up of more than 50 political parties (PHW 2014, 1593)] indicated that they had received multiple complaints against Director of the Pariaguan municipal police Alvaro Ortega Obregon, and mayor of Pariaguan Tomas Bello, of disproportionate use of force and human rights violations (Guanipa Noticias 22 Oct. 2013). According to the councillors, Pariaguan municipal police officers shot both rubber and real bullets at detainees who were protesting the lack of water in prison for their personal hygiene; several detainees were injured (ibid.). Additional information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Police Corruption at the Freites Municipal Police (PoliFreites) Station

Sources report the following instances of investigations of police misconduct involving Freites municipal police:

On 9 April 2014, El Tiempo, a newspaper based in Puerto La Cruz, quoted Heriberto Carrera [Eriberto Carrera], Chief of the Freites municipal police, as stating that 4 police officers were detained and dismissed from the force for the killing of a 22-year-old man and wounding 5 other people during a brawl at a local club (El Tiempo 9 Apr. 2014). According to Carrera, in addition to these officers, 12 more had been dismissed during the [translation] "purging process" at the Freites municipal police station (ibid.).

On 19 January 2015, El Tiempo quoted Carrera as stating that 5 police officers from the Freites municipal police force were being investigated for negligence that allowed three people accused of theft to escape from jail (ibid. 19 Jan. 2015).

On 24 February 2015, El Tiempo quoted Carrera as stating that 214 employees, including officers and administrative staff at the Freites municipal police station, were tested for drugs by the National Anti-doping Office (Oficina Nacional Antidopaje, ONA) (El Tiempo 24 Feb. 2015). Two police officers were dismissed after they refused to undergo the testing (ibid.). The article reports that, according to Carrera, [translation] "it was the first time a drug test had been performed since his arrival in the Freites municipal police force approximately one year ago" (ibid.).

On 4 May 2015, Nueva Prensa de Oriente, a newspaper based in Barcelona, Anzoategui, reported on the recent dismissal of 10 police officers from the Freites municipal police force for crimes including homicide and conspiracy, totaling 25 dismissals in the year and 8 months since Carrera took over the post of PoliFreites Police Commissioner (Nueva Prensa de Oriente 4 May 2015).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

El Tiempo. 24 February 2015. Maria Alejandra Aguilera. "Polifreites realizo prueba antidopaje a 198 uniformados." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

_____. 19 January 2015. "Investigan a cinco funcionarios de Polifreites." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

_____. 9 April 2014. Danela Luces and Eleida Briceno. "Cuatro funcionarios de Polifreites fueron detenidos por crimen." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

Guanipa Noticias. 22 October 2013. "Responsabilizan a director de Policia de Pariaguan por violacion de derechos humanos." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

Informe 25. 16 September 2013. "(Anzoategui) Denuncian que funcionarios expulsados de otros cuerpos policiales serian nuevos directivos de policia municipal de Pariaguan." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

_____. 1 December 2010. "Jefe policial de Pariaguan presuntamente implicado en secuestros." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

Nueva Prensa de Oriente. 4 May 2015. "Polifreites ha destituido 25 funcionarios por irregularidades administrativas." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2015]

Political Handbook of the World 2014 (PHW). 2014. "Venezuela." Edited by Tom Lansford. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Transparency International Venezuela.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Diario El Progreso; Diario La Nacion; Diario Metropolitano; ecoi.net; El Norte; Factiva; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; InSight Crime; Jaque Mate; United Nations - ReliefWeb; United States - Central Intelligence Agency, Department of State, Embassy in Caracas, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Venezuela - Cuerpo de Investigaciones Cientificas, Penales y Criminalisticas, Cuerpo de Policia Nacional Bolivariana, Guardia Nacional Bolivariana, Ministerio de Defensa, Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz; Washington Office on Latin America.
India: Treatment by authorities of Indian citizens who are deported back to India, who return without a valid passport and/or who are suspected of having requested refugee status while abroad (2013 May 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 9 May 2016 Citation / Document Symbol IND105497.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur le traitement que reservent les autorites aux citoyens de l'Inde qui sont expulses d'un autre pays vers l'Inde, qui retournent en Inde sans passeport valide ou qui sont soupconnes d'avoir demande l'asile a l'etranger (2013-mai 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Treatment by authorities of Indian citizens who are deported back to India, who return without a valid passport and/or who are suspected of having requested refugee status while abroad (2013 May 2016), 9 May 2016, IND105497.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552a6a4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015, Indian law "provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation," and the government "generally respected these rights" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 26).

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a staff attorney for Voices for Freedom (VFF), an international human rights NGO serving India, Canada, the UK and the US with the objective "to publicize the plight of the oppressed" (VFF n.d.), stated that while she was not aware of cases in which failed refugee claimants were returned to India, she expressed the opinion that their treatment on arrival is "likely to be on a case-by-case basis" (VFF 26 Apr. 2016).

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch said that "there is no problem" for failed refugee claimants or other deportees to return to India, provided that they are not accused of a crime back home (Human Rights Watch 28 Apr. 2016). She explained that

[a]uthorities are aware that there are people who claim refugee status for economic reasons and these people are not treated badly.  However, if the person was wanted for a political crime or other crime in India, then they would face arrest. (ibid.)

According to Country Reports 2015, Indian authorities generally cooperated with the UNHCR and humanitarian NGOs in providing protection and assistance to returning refugees, among other groups (US 13 Apr. 2016, 26).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), a New Delhi-based research organization focussed on "issues relating to peace, conflict and human development" (SSPC n.d.), said that failed refugee claimants who are returned to India should not face any punishment if they were not involved in trafficking or other criminality (SSPC 29 Apr. 2016). However, he also said that if the person was attempting to obtain refugee status elsewhere, "stringent scrutiny" would be applied upon return, and the person could be "considered a foreign national" if he or she could not produce documentation to prove his or her Indian nationality (ibid.). The Executive Director also noted that the treatment of the returnee "depends on the situation and the person" (ibid.). The same source indicated that if the person is deported and has a travel document from an Indian consulate abroad instead of a valid passport, the immigration authorities could detain them and conduct verification "for a prolonged time until the authority is satisfied" (ibid.). The Executive Director explained that the deportee would be subject to "scrutiny," including checks by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, and might face a "monetary fine/jail or deportation back to his departure destination" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the UNHCR, who contacted UNHCR staff in Delhi, said that the following information, originally provided to the Research Directorate by the UNHCR in 2005, continues to be accurate:

Indian nationals who returned after having their asylum applications rejected abroad did not have problems if they returned with valid travel documents, and, if their departure had taken place with valid travel documents. Those who had not complied with Indian laws on departure and return to India might be prosecuted. Refused  asylum-seekers who returned to India with temporary travel documents could enter without any problems as such, but if they arrived after their passport had expired then they would be questioned about the reason for this. (UN 26 Apr. 2016)

According to the website of India's Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian citizens travelling abroad are required to have a valid Indian passport and a visa for the destination country, if required, prior to departure (India n.d.a). The same source notes that citizens who have an "Emigration Check Required (ECR)" category of passport require clearance from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for some destinations [1] when travelling on an employment visa (ibid.). The Bureau of Immigration website also states that Indian citizens are required to have a valid Indian passport or a travel document issued by Indian authorities in order to re-enter India (ibid.). The Bureau of Immigration also notes that immigration authorities conduct an immigration check on all passengers both at the time of departure and arrival and stamp the person's passport accordingly (ibid. n.d.c).

The UN representative said that "[t]he legislation or guidelines pertaining to Indian returnees are governed by Indian immigration laws. There may be specific administrative instructions on the treatment of returnees to India where there are security concerns, however, such instructions are not available in the public domain" (UN 26 Apr. 2016).

The VFF staff attorney stated that people who are deported back to India are "given a hard time and are interrogated for a longer time compared to others" (VFF 26 Apr. 2016). The UNHCR representative said that, based on media reports, "some returnees have been questioned in detail at Indian airports" (UN 26 Apr. 2016). Media sources report of cases from January 2016 in which Indian students, who were deported from the US to India because the universities at which they were planning to study had been "blacklisted" by the US authorities, were held at the airport for several hours (The Times of India 11 Jan. 2016; The Hindu 4 Jan. 2016). In one case, the Hindu reports that 21 deported Indian students were delayed for more than three hours at the immigration counter at Chennai airport (The Hindu 4 Jan. 2016). However, immigration authorities at the airport reportedly stated that the students "were only questioned and they were not detained or arrested" (ibid.). In another case, the Times of India reports that 16 deported Indian students were held at the Hyderabad airport for eight hours for "'paperwork,'" even though they had "valid documents" (The Times of India 11 Jan. 2016). The article states that the students were released after a deputy chief minister, who was at the airport after returning from a trip, intervened on the students' behalf and instructed airport authorities to release them (ibid.).

When asked whether age, ethnicity, religion and/or political affiliation were factors affecting treatment of returnees by immigration officials, the South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch stated that they were not factors, "[unless] the official found the person to be suspicious in some way" (28 Apr. 2016). The Executive Director of SSPC said that Indian authorities do not profile individuals based on race or religion, but if someone was coming from a war zone, such as Syria or Iraq, they would be subject to "[u]sual questioning or monitoring of movements can be undertaken" (SSPC 29 Apr. 2016). New Delhi Television (NDTV), a "news and lifestyle" television network in India (NDTV n.d.), reports on a case in which nine Indian citizens, who were held close to Syria and deported to Bangalore on 30 January 2015, were questioned by the city police and central government agencies at the airport when they returned, but that the Bangaluru Police Commissioner explained that the deportees "had neither been arrested nor detained; they were only being questioned about why they were headed to Syria" (NDTV 1 Feb. 2015).

The VFF staff attorney was aware of some cases involving members of the Sikh diaspora in which immigration officials "searched their luggage and 'found' things, such as bullets, which had not been there" (VFF 26 Apr. 2016). She expressed the opinion that this "may be for both corruption and political issue[s]" (ibid.). She noted that many Sikhs in the diaspora, particularly those who are politically active, are afraid to return to India because some have been arrested (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] Emigration clearance is required of ECR category passport holders, as per The Emigration Act 1983, for the following countries: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, Thailand, Iraq (India n.d.b).

References

The Hindu. 4 January 2016. T. Madhavan. "Students Quizzed at Airport." (Factiva)

Human Rights Watch. 28 April 2016. Telephone interview with the South Asia Director. .

India. N.d.a. Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. "Indian Passengers." [Accessed 13 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. "ENCR/ECR." < http://www.boi.gov.in/content/encrecr > [Accessed 13 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.c. Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs. "General Information/Instructions." [Accessed 13 Apr. 2016]

New Delhi Television (NDTV). 1 February 2015. Maya Sharma. "Nine Indians Held Near Syria Border, Deported to Bangalore." [Accessed 28 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 6 May 2016]

Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC). 29 April 2016. Correspondence from the Executive Director to the Research Directorate.

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 13 Apr. 2016]

The Times of India. 11 January 2016. "16 Deported Students 'Held' for 8 Hours at Hyd Airport." (Factiva)

United Nations (UN). 26 April 2016. Correspondence from an representative to the Research Directorate.

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "India." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 28 Apr. 2016]

Voices for Freedom (VFF). 26 April 2016. Telephone interview with a staff attorney.

_____. N.d. "Profile." [Accessed 27 Apr. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Asian Human Rights Commission; Human Rights Law Network; India - Bureau of Immigration, High Commission in Ottawa, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Human Rights Commission; Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies; People's Union for Civil Liberties; Professor, Indiana University; nine lawyers based in India.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asian Human Rights Commission; BBC; ecoi.net; FIDH; Freedom House; India - Bureau of Immigration, High Commission in Ottawa, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Human Rights Commission; Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; International Organization for Migration; People's Union for Civil Liberties; UN - Refworld.
India: Reports of police and government authorities seizing passports of political dissidents or suspected terrorists to prevent their departure from India (2010-May 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 13 May 2016 Citation / Document Symbol IND105496.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur les cas de saisies, par la police ou les autorites gouvernementales, de passeports de dissidents politiques ou de presumes terroristes afin de les empecher de quitter l'Inde (2010-mai 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Reports of police and government authorities seizing passports of political dissidents or suspected terrorists to prevent their departure from India (2010-May 2016), 13 May 2016, IND105496.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552b434.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Legislation

Section 10 of the Passports Act, 1967, titled "Variation, Impounding and Revocation of Passports and Travel Documents," provides that the passport authority or central government may impound or revoke passports as follows:

(3) [t]he passport authority may impound or cause to be impounded or revoke a passport or travel document,-

if the passport authority is satisfied that the holder of the passport or travel document is in wrongful possession thereof;

if the passport or travel document was obtained by the suppression of material information or on the basis of wrong information provided by the holder of the passport or travel document or any other person on his behalf;

[Provided that if the holder of such passport obtains another passport the passport authority shall also impound or cause to be impounded or revoke such other passport]

if the passport authority deems it necessary so to do in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country, or in the interests of the general public;

if the holder of the passport or travel document has, at any time after the issue of the passport or travel document, been convicted by a court in India for any offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for not less than two years;

if proceedings in respect of an offence alleged to have been committed by the holder of the passport or travel document are pending before a criminal court in India[;]

if any of the conditions of the passport or travel document has been contravened;

if the holder of the passport or travel document has failed to comply with a notice under sub-section (1) requiring him to deliver up the same;

if it is brought to the notice of the passport authority that a warrant or summons for the appearance, or a warrant for the arrest, of the holder of the passport or travel document has been issued by a court under any law for the time being in force or if an order prohibiting the departure from India of the holder of the passport or other travel document has been made by any such court and the passport authority is satisfied that a warrant or summons has been so issued or an order has been so made. (India 1967, Sec. 10(3))

According to Section 14 of the Passports Act titled "Power of Search and Seizure,"

(1) [a]ny officer of customs empowered by a general or special order of the Central Government in this behalf and any [officer of police or emigration officer] not below the rank of a sub-inspector may search any place and seize any passport or travel document from any person against whom reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed any offence punishable under section 12 [Offences and penalties].

(2) The provisions of the [Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974)] relating to searches and seizures shall, so far as may be, apply to searches and seizures under this section. (ibid., Sec. 14)

1.1 Court Rulings on Passport Seizure

In 2008 the Supreme Court of India ruled that, while the police have a right to seize passports under Section 102 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.), they do not have the right to impound them, which can only be done by the passport authority based on Section 10(3) of the Passports Act (India 24 Jan. 2008, Sec. 13). The court described the difference between seizing and impounding in the following way:

[a] seizure is made at a particular moment when a person or authority takes into his possession some property which was earlier not in his possession. Thus, seizure is done at a particular moment of time. However, if after seizing of a property or document the said property or document is retained for some period of time, then such retention amounts to impounding of the property/or document. Thus, the word impounding really means retention of possession of a good or a document which has been seized." (ibid., Sec. 12).

According to the court,

if the police seize[] a passport (which it has power to do under Section 102 Cr.P.C.), thereafter the police must send it along with a letter to the passport authority clearly stating that the seized passport deserves to be impounded for one of the reasons mentioned in Section 10(3) of the [Passport] Act. (ibid. Sec 13).

[]

In our opinion, even the Court cannot impound a passport. Though, no doubt, Section 104 Cr.P.C. states that the Court may, if it thinks fit, impound any document or thing produced before it, in our opinion, this provision will only enable the Court to impound any document or thing other than a passport. This is because impounding a passport is provided for in Section 10(3) of the Passports Act. The Passports Act is a special law while the Cr.P.C. is a general law. It is well settled that the special law prevails over the general law.Hence, impounding of a passport cannot be done by the Court under Section 104 Cr.P.C. though it can impound any other document or thing. (ibid., Sec. 15)

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a judge in Delhi who was formerly a practicing lawyer in the Supreme Court of India, stated that the police "have the authority to seize passports for a limited time under the ordinary criminal law" (Judge 26 Apr. 2016). the same source stated that upon seizing a passport,

the police [are] required to report the seizure forthwith to the Magistrate concerned, as per S.102(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. As per judicial guidelines, the passport ought to be forwarded, thereafter to the Passport office for necessary action. The Regional Passport office can impound the passport for reasons as laid down under the Passports Act. The courts and police have no authority to impound the passport or retain it for a long period of time (ibid.).

A 2009 article by the Times of India, an English-language Indian daily newspaper, reports that, following the 2008 Supreme Court ruling, the home department of the state of Maharashtra took away the power to impound passports of suspects involved in criminal cases from the state police (The Times of India 26 Apr. 2009). According to the joint commissioner of police, quoted in the article, the police would still have a right to seize a passport from a suspect, but would need to refer the case to the passport authority if the police officer believed that the passport should be impounded (ibid.). Information on the length of time that police and passport authorities may hold a passport could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Reports of Police and Authorities Seizing Passports

According to sources, an anti-nuclear activist and the founder of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) had his passport impounded (The Times of India 17 Sept. 2014; The Hindu 1 Sept. 2012), in April 2012 by the Madurai Regional Passport Office (ibid.). According to Human Rights Watch, the activist was leading protests against the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, in Tamil Nadu (23 Sept. 2014). An article by the India-based Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) quotes the activist as claiming that his passport was impounded "'under the false pretext of facing several protest-related cases'" due to his role in the anti-Kudankulam protests (IANS 15 June 2015). An article in the Hindu notes that,

[a] reliable source in the Regional Passport Office (Madurai) said the authorities had impounded [his] passport on the ground[s] that a case was pending against him and there was an arrest warrant too. The action was taken after issuing him a show-cause notice.All airport and immigration authorities had been informed of the action. (The Hindu 7 May 2013)

The activist, against whom the police registered "a case of unlawful assembly and other charges," challenged the 2012 order to impound his passport by approaching the Madurai High Court, which overturned the decision of the passport office (ibid.). The court ruled that the passport office did not have a right to impound the passport under Section 10(3)(e) of the Passports Act on the sole basis that the police had registered 98 charges against him, as, according to the court, "there [was] no reference to the court in which the cases [were] pending and the criminal cases [were] only in the stage of FIRs [1]" (ibid.). However, the article states, according to the passport office, because ran arrest warrant was pending against the activist, "the authorities could impound his passport after serving show-cause notice" (ibid.). The IANS reports that in June 2015 the activist had not yet recovered his impounded passport, and had sent a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs requesting that it be returned to him "on humanitarian grounds" (15 June 2015).

Sources from January 2014 report that the regional passport office in Ranchi, Jharkhand state, impounded the passport of a human rights activist involved in work on indigenous peoples' rights in India (The Times of India 21 Jan. 2014; The Hindu 15 Jan. 2014). In an article in the Hindu, the activist stated that, in his opinion, the action was taken either as a retaliation for him refusing to pay bribes when he applied for his passport back in 2010, or as way "to harass [him] because of [his] activism" (The Hindu 15 Jan. 2014). The Hindu reports that, while the activist travelled to Germany and Thailand in October 2013 to speak at events on indigenous peoples' rights, he received a letter informing him that there was "an adverse police verification report" linked to his 2010 passport application and that he would have to "submit a fresh application" for a passport (ibid). When he visited the passport office upon his return, his passport was impounded and he was asked if he "engaged in any anti-national activity" (ibid.). The article quotes a senior police officer as saying that "if an adverse report or case shows up in our files, then such a notice may be sent" (ibid). According to the Times of India, the passport office acted on the recommendation of local police and impounded the passport after receiving "sensitive information" from the state police (The Times of India 21 Jan. 2014). The article alleges that the passport office has not provided for adequate recourse for the activist to defend himself (ibid.). Further information on this case could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

An article in the Indian Express reports that, among other things, the police seized the passport of "a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist" during his arrest in December 2015 in Cuttack (The Indian Express 16 Dec. 2015). Further and corroborating information on police or other authorities seizing passports of persons suspected of terrorism could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.1 Recourse

Section 11(1) of the Passports Act stipulates that "[a]ny person aggrieved by an order of the passport authority under  sub-section (3) of Section 10  may prefer an appeal against that order to such authority (hereinafter referred to as the appellate authority) and within such period as may be prescribed" (India 1967, Sec. 11). According to the information available on the website of the passport authority, appeals of decisions made under the Passports Act may be lodged with the Chief Passport Officer, who is the head of the Central Passport Organisation and acts as the appellate authority under the Act (India n.d.b). In a 2013 interview with the eGov, a magazine devoted to e-governance (eGov, n.d.a), based in Noida, India (ibid., n.d.b), the Chief Passport Officer stated that "people whose passports have been seized by any agency" are "free to appeal" before him (eGov 5 Mar. 2013). Regarding an appeal based on seizure from another agency, the Chief Passport Officer explained that

[i]n such cases, people lodge a complaint, not against the RPO [Regional Passport Officer], but against some other agency. [T]he immigration [authorities], they are not empowered to keep the passport. If there is any doubt, the immigration authority will seize the passport and send it to the issuing authority. [For example,] [e]ven if the passport is issued from Trivandrum and it is held at the Delhi airport, it will be sent to Trivandrum. The applicant will then ask the passport office at Trivandrum to make an application with requisite fees. Then those dossiers will be sent to the Chief Passport Officer. This may take some time. The RPO will send the application with a case history to us, and on receipt of the same we will slot a date for hearing. Under the Passport Act we have the power to register aFIR and on conviction, the punishment can be up to two years and the penalty of Rs [rupees] 5,000 [approximately C$97]. (ibid.)

The Chief Passport Officer added that a grievance can be lodged online, and that appeal cases against passports being seized by other agencies "can take a few months" before a decision is reached by his office (ibid.). Information on the passport authority's website states that grievances regarding passports can be registered through the passport portal website, by emailing the passport India helpdesk, through a government-wide grievance portal or by contacting the public grievance cell at the CPV by email, phone, or fax (India 10 Sept. 2014, 2-3). According to the Chief Passport Officer, the fee is 25 rupees [approximately C$0.47] (eGov 5 Mar. 2013).

The judge stated that the possibility of internal appeal with the passport authority exists; however, he added that "most people" whose passports were seized or impounded would challenge such a decision in a high court (Judge 26 Apr. 2016). The judge gave the opinion that challenging the seizure through a high court is the "most effective way to challenge such decisions in India, as India has quite a robust court system and the access to justice in those cases is not difficult for ordinary citizens" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Examples of cases whereby a high court overturned the police or courts seizure or impound of a passport include the following:

In 2013, the Madras High Court ordered a lower court to return a passport to a man who returned to India and was arrested on a warrant related to a criminal case and had his passport seized by police and retained (The Hindu 24 Jan. 2013). The High Court stated that the lower court did not have the authority to impound the passport without referring it to the Regional Passport Officer (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In 2015, the Karnataka High Court ruled that the police did not have the right to keep in its custody the passport it had seized from a person it accused of cheating and forgery, as this seizure can only be done by the passport authority (Daijiworld 21 July 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that high courts have also been rendering decisions in cases against the passport authority for withholding passports for an extended period of time (Outlook 26 Sept. 2014; Tamil Nadu 15 Sept. 2014). For example, in September 2014, the Madras High Court ordered the Regional Passport Officer (RPO) to return the passport to the accused in a domestic violence case, noting that "a period of nearly six months has passed from the date of seizure. Therefore, the respondents have no authority to continue to retain the passport  since the contingency for invoking Section 10(3) [of the Act] has not yet arisen" (Tamil Nadu 15 Sept. 2014, para. 29, 35). Sources report that a special court presiding over a coal scam case in 2014 that involved the accused seeking the return of his impounded passport, declared that the passport authorities cannot delay in making decisions regarding impounding of passports (Outlook 26 Sept. 2014; The Economic Times 29 Jan. 2015). According to the court,

"[i]t is thus incumbent of all the passport authorities to lay down specific time-frame during which necessary action in any matter, be it impounding or release of passport or any other proceedings, are carried out by the concerned officers lest the public at large is made to run here and there or approach the courts of law (ibid.).

Further information on this case could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] According to a brochure by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), a New-Delhi based international non-governmental organization promoting human rights in the Commonwealth countries (CHRI n.d.), a First Information Report (FIR) is "a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence. FIR is a very important document as it sets the process of criminal justice in motion. It is only after the FIR is registered in the police station that the police takes up investigation of the case" (ibid.).

References

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). Police and You. Know Your Rights. [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

Daijiworld. 21 July 2015. "Police Cannot Seize Passports from Accused, Says HC." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

The Economic Times. 29 January 2015. "Coalscam: Passport Authority Can't Sit over Matters, Says Court." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

eGov. 5 March 2013. "Speedy Resolution to Pass Port Related Grievances." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.a. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. "Contact Us." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

The Hindu. 15 January 2014. Anumeha Yadev. "Jharkhand Human Rights Activist Gladson Dungdung Alleges Harassment." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016]

_____. 7 May 2013. "Udayakumar's Passport Impounded." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

_____. 24 January 2013. "Neither Police, nor Court Can Impound Passports." [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

_____. 1 September 2012. Mohamed Imranullah S. "HC Quashes Order Impounding Udayakumar's Passport." [Accessed 11 May 2016]

Human Rights Watch. 23 September 2014. "India: Stop Harassing Anti-Nuclear Protesters." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

India. 10 September 2014. Ministry of External Affairs. Consular, Passport and Visa Division. Dissemination of Information and Grievance Redressal Mechanism for Passport Services. [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

_____. 24 January 2008. Suresh Nanda v. C.B.I. on 24 January, 2008. {Accessed 19 Apr. 2016]

_____. 1967. The Passports Act, 1967. [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.a. Ministry of External Affairs. Consular, Passport and Visa Division. "About Consular, Passport and Visa Division (CPV)." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

_____N.d.b. Ministry of External Affairs. Consular, Passport and Visa Division. "Chief Passport Officer." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

The Indian Express. 16 December 2015. Debabrata Mohanty. "Suspected al-Qaeda Terrorist Arrested in Cuttack." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016]

Indo-Asian News Service. 15 June 2015. "Kundankulam Activist S.P. Udayakumar Demands Passport from Sushma Swaraj on 'Humanitarian Grounds.'" [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

Judge, Delhi Court. 26 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

_____. 25 April 2016. Telephone interview.

Outlook. 26 September 2014. "Court Issues Showcause Notice to Chief Passport Officer." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016]

Tamil Nadu. 15 September 2014. High Court of Madras. Arockia Jeyabalan v. the Regional Passport Officer et al. Writ Petition, No. 18637 of 2014 and 22205 of 2014. [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

The Times of India. 17 September 2014. "Anti-Nuclear Activist Udayakumar Stopped From Flying to Nepal." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

_____. 21 January 2014. Jaideep Deogharia. "Human Rights Activist's Passport Seized." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016]

_____. 26 April 2009. Asseem Shaikh. "Police Cannot Impound Passports: Centre." [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Human Rights Defenders Alert - India; Human Rights Watch; Lawyer, firm in New Delhi; World Sikh Organization of Canada.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Criminal Lawyers India; Deccan Herald; Dnaindia; ecoi.net; Factiva; First Post; Freedom House; India - Border Security Force, Directorate of Public Grievances, Law Commission, Supreme Court; LawWeb; Lawyers Collective; NDTV; The New Indian Express; United Nations - Human Rights Council, Refworld; United States - Department of State, Library of Congress.
India: Communication between police offices across the country, including the use of POLNET; whether police across India can locate an individual, particularly as a result of registration requirements for employment, housing and education, security checks, and surveillance technology (2013-May 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 10 May 2016 Citation / Document Symbol IND105494.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur la communication entre les services de police a l'echelle nationale, y compris sur l'utilisation de POLNET; information indiquant si les services de police de l'Inde peuvent determiner ou se trouve une personne, notamment grace a l'enregistrement exige pour l'emploi, le logement et l'education, aux controles de securite et a la technologie de surveillance (2013-mai 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Communication between police offices across the country, including the use of POLNET; whether police across India can locate an individual, particularly as a result of registration requirements for employment, housing and education, security checks, and surveillance technology (2013-May 2016), 10 May 2016, IND105494.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552c2a4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Communication Between Police Offices

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer with the Delhi High Court stated that police departments typically communicate with one another through the use of wireless messaging, such as text messaging and email, and in "urgent cases, phone or fax is used" (Lawyer 10 Apr. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an assistant professor with the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto, who has conducted research on policing in India, stated that communication methods such as fax, phone, email and databases "may be used to varying degrees by various departments," however, to her knowledge, "there is little inter-state police communication except for cases of major crimes like smuggling, terrorism, and some high profile organised crime" (Assistant Professor 14 Apr. 2016).

According to information posted on the website of the Kerala Police Department, police stations across India are "virtually unconnected islands in the case of Crime & Criminal Tracking. There is no system of effective data storage  sharing and accessing data," and there is "no single system" by which a police unit can "talk to another directly" (India n.d.a).

1.1 Communication Mechanisms and Initiatives

1.1.1 Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS)

According to the website of the Kerala Police Department, at the national level, the goal of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project is to create "an IT enabled system" that will allow police stations to "talk to [one] another directly" (ibid.). In a 2015 article, India Today, a news magazine, reported that "CCTNS had its origins" in POLNET [1] (India Today 25 Nov. 2015). According to the source, POLNET "never took off," nor did "its successor, the CCTNS" (ibid.). According to the Indian Express, a daily newspaper, "over 11,600 police stations countrywide are now using the CCTNS software to register FIRs [First Information Reports]" (20 Nov. 2015). Without providing further details, the India Today article states that "[o]nly six states have so far implemented the CCTNS network in all police stations," which is

[j]ust the  first stage in getting all police stations to file FIRs online. After this begins the challenge of integrating state databases with central servers and then the second phase with new features such as mobile applications, fingerprint identification systems and an integration with the Integrated Criminal Justice System, a comprehensive database of courts, prisons and forensic evidence. (India Today 25 Nov. 2015)

According to the lawyer, "CCTNS is being used, but not to the fullest" (10 Apr. 2016). According to sources, the initial deadline for completing the CCTNS project was 2012, which was then extended to 2015, and has now been extended to March 2017 (India Express 20 Nov. 2015; India Today 25 Nov. 2015; Governance Now 18 Jan. 2016). Further information on the CCTNS project could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1.2 Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET)

According to the lawyer, ZIPNET [Zonal Integrated Police Network] is being used to "share information amongst neighboring states" (10 Apr. 2016). According to the ZIPNET website, the project was introduced in 2004 in order to "share crime and criminal information in real-time" and provide "search engines to match information from [the] central repository in [an] online environment" (India n.d.b). The same source states that the project began with the Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan police, followed by Punjab, Chandigarh and Uttrakhand police in 2008, and then the Himachal Pradesh police in 2012 (ibid.). According to the site, ZIPNET contains the following information for the public and the police:

FIR (Heinous Cases: Murder, Dacoity [gang robbery], Robbery & Snatching)

Arrested Persons (Heinous Cases: Murder, Dacoity, Robbery & Snatching)

Most Wanted Criminals

Missing Children

Children Found

Missing Person (including action taken module for authenticated Users Only)

Un-identified Dead Bodies

Un-identified Person Found (Unconscious, Minor, Abandoned, Mentally Disturbed)

Stolen Vehicles

Unclaimed/Seized Vehicles

Missing/Stolen Mobiles

Police Alerts

Daily Police Bulletin (Authenticated Users Only)

Jail Releases (Authenticated Users Only)

Bail Out (Authenticated Users Only)

Press Releases (Authenticated Users Only)

Messaging (Authenticated Users Only). (ibid.)

Information on the use and effectiveness of ZIPNET could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1.3 National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

According to a 2016 article by Governance Now, a "fortnightly print magazine" that provides analysis of governance and institutions in India (Governance Now n.d.), under the NATGRID program, the "home ministry [Ministry of Home Affairs] wanted to link 81 databases," including those of "10 law enforcement agencies  user agencies, and that of 22 provider agencies, including banks, telecoms and internet service providers, railways, airlines and future databases" (ibid. 18 Jan. 2016). The Indian Express similarly reports that the project

entails combining 21 sensitive databases relating to domains such as banks, credit cards, cellphone usage, immigration records, motor vehicle registrations, Income-Tax records and NCRB [National Crime Records Bureau] into a single database for access by authorised officers from 10 central agencies. (The Indian Express 20 Nov. 2015)

According to sources, the implementation of the NATGRID program has been stalled for several years (ibid.; India Today 25 Nov. 2015). The 2016 article by Governance Now similarly states that the NATGRID project has "not been rolled out" and cites a government official who is associated with the project as stating that the "project exists only on paper" (18 Jan. 2016). Further information on the implementation of the NATGRID program could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Information on the ability of police to locate an individual specifically through the use of registration and security checks could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Use of Surveillance Technology

According to a September 2013 article in the Hindu, a daily newspaper, "the Internet activities of India's roughly 160 million users are  subjected to wide-ranging surveillance and monitoring" (8 Sept. 2013). According to a 2014 report co-produced by the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC)[2] and the World Wide Web Foundation[3], "Indian citizens are routinely and discreetly subjected to Government surveillance on a  staggering scale" (SFLC and Web Foundation Sept. 2014, 2). According to the same source, an application filed by SFLC "under the Right to Information Act, revealed that on an average, around 7500 - 9000 telephone interception orders are issued by the Central government alone each month" (ibid.).

In 2013, Human Rights Watch reported that "[i]n recent years, authorities have repeatedly used the Information Technology Act to arrest people for posting comments on social media that are critical of the government" (7 June 2013). In March 2014, Reporters Without Borders stated that "[w]ith the CMS [Central Monitoring System] fairly recently established, only a handful of cases have come to light in which web users have been prosecuted based on  surveillance" (Reporters Without Borders 10 Mar. 2014). According to sources, in November 2012 two women were arrested for posts on Facebook critiquing a citywide shutdown due to the death of a prominent politician (ibid.; Human Rights Watch 7 June 2013; BBC 20 Nov. 2012).

2.1 Lawful Interception and Monitoring (LIM) Systems

According to the SFLC and Web Foundation report, LIM systems are "a generic term" used to describe "any surveillance system sanctioned by law" (SFLC and Web Foundation Sept. 2014, 2). The same source states that "a number" of LIM systems have been "installed into India's telephone and Internet networks," which exposes "phone calls, texts, emails and general Internet activity" to government surveillance, in real-time (ibid.). The September 2013 article by the Hindu similarly states that LIMs monitor "internet traffic, emails, web-browsing, Skype and any other Internet activity of Indian users" (The Hindu 8 Sept. 2013). In June 2013, the same source reported that at the state level, there are approximately 200 LIM systems (ibid. 21 June 2013).

In its June 2013 article, the Hindu reports that the following agencies "are authorized to intercept and monitor citizens' calls and emails":

the Intelligence Bureau (IB)  the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)  the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Narcotics Control Bureau, DRI [Directorate of Revenue Intelligence], National Intelligence Agency, CBDT [Central Board of District Taxes], Military Intelligence of Assam and JK and Home Ministry. (ibid.)

2.2 Central Monitoring System (CMS)

According to sources, the CMS program will give centralized access to telecommunications networks and monitor phone calls, text messages and Internet use (Human Rights Watch 7 June 2013; US 13 Apr. 2016; The Hindu 21 June 2013) as well as provide capability to identify a user's physical location (ibid.; US 13 Apr. 2016). According to the SFLC and Web Foundation report,

[a]s of June 2013, the following Government agencies are rumoured to have been authorized to make intercept requests through CMS: Central Board of District Taxes (CBDT), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Military Intelligence of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, and the Home Ministry. (SFLC and Web Foundation Sept. 2014, 26)

A 2014 article produced by the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS), a non-profit organisation based in Bengaluru and Delhi that conducts research on "internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives" (CIS n.d.), states that

prior to the CMS, all service providers in India were required to have Lawful Interception Systems installed at their premises in order to carry out targeted surveillance of individuals by monitoring communications running through their networks. Now, in the CMS era, all TSPs [telecommunications service providers] in India are required to integrate Interception Store & Forward (ISF) servers with their pre-existing Lawful Interception Systems. Once ISF servers are installed in the premises of TSPs in India and integrated with Lawful Interception Systems, they are then connected to the Regional Monitoring Centres (RMC) of the CMS. Each Regional Monitoring Centre (RMC) in India is connected to the Central Monitoring System (CMS). In short, the CMS involves the collection and storage of data intercepted by TSPs in central and regional databases  all data intercepted by TSPs is automatically transmitted to Regional Monitoring Centres, and subsequently automatically transmitted to the Central Monitoring System. This means that not only can the CMS authority have centralized access to all data intercepted by TSPs all over India, but that the authority can also bypass service providers in gaining such access. This is due to the fact that, unlike in the case of so-called "lawful interception" where the nodal officers of TSPs are notified about interception requests, the CMS allows for data to be automatically transmitted to its datacentre, without the involvement of TSPs. (CIS 30 Jan. 2014)

According to the SFLC and Web Foundation report, the CMS is not "a surveillance system per se, since the  interception and monitoring of communications will be carried about by the pre-existing framework of LIM systems" (SFLC and Web Foundation Sept. 2014, 25). The same source states that the CMS will automatically access the information that has "already been intercepted by the LIM system" and will have "central and regional databases that will store intercepted data," and provide access to authorized users of the CMS (ibid.). According to the report, users will "no longer need to approach telecom/internet service providers on a case-by-case basis to retrieve intercepted information" (ibid.).

2.2.1 CMS Implementation

In 2013, Human Rights Watch reported that in April of that year, the Indian government began implementing the CMS (Human Rights Watch 7 June 2013). According to the 2013 article in the Hindu, "only Delhi and Haryana have tested 'proof of concept' (POC)[4] successfully" and "Kerala, Karnataka and Kolkata are the next three destinations for CMS's implementation" (21 June 2013). Freedom House, in their 2015 Freedom on the Net report for India, states that "[n]ews reports indicate that the government is continuing to develop the [CMS], its ambitious nationwide mass surveillance program directed at monitoring individuals' digital communications" (Freedom House 2015, 2). The same source further states that in early 2014, a "minister told parliament  that [CMS] is being phased in over the next three years," and in 2015, "parliament was informed that New Delhi and Karnataka have been chosen for the initial phase" (ibid., 25). According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 for India, the CMS program, which "began pilot operations in 2013, continued to allow governmental agencies to monitor electronic communications in real time without informing the subject or a judge" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 23). Further information on the implementation of the CMS program could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a company in defence electronics (BEL n.d.a) that has partnered with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to establish the Police Communication Network (POLNET), states on its website that POLNET is "a satellite based network that provides voice, video, data and message communication" (BEL n.d.b).

[2] The SLFC is a New Delhi-based "donor supported legal services organisation that brings together lawyers, policy analysts, technoligists, and students to protect freedom in the digital world" (SFLC n.d.).

[3] The World Wide Web foundation (Web Foundation) is an advocacy group that works in "partnership with over 160 organisations" in order to "advance the open Web as a public good and basic right" (Web Foundation n.d.).

[4] According to PC Magazine, a website that provides "independent reviews" of technology products (PC Magazine n.d.a), Proof of Concept (POC) is the "evidence that a product, technology or an information system is viable and capable of solving an organization's particular problem" (PC Magazine n.d.b).

References

Assistant Professor, Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto. 14 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). N.d.a. "About Us." [Accessed 10 May 2016]

_____. N.d.b. "Country Network for Police (POLNET)." [Accessed 10 May 2016]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 20 November 2012. "India Woman Arrested over Facebook Post in 'Shock.'" [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS). 30 January 2014. "India's Central Monitoring System (CMS): Something to Worry About?" [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

Freedom House. 2015. "India." Freedom on the Net 2015. [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

Governance Now. 18 January 2016. Pratap Virkam Singh. "Tracking Slow and Tardy Progress of CCTNS and NATGRID." [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

The Hindu. 8 September 2013. Shalini Singh. "Govt. Violates Privacy Safeguards to Secretly Monitor Internet Traffic." [Accessed 21 Apr.2016]

_____. 21 June 2013. Shalini Singh. "India's Surveillance Project May Be as Lethal as PRISM." [Accessed 21 Apr. 2016]

Human Rights Watch. 7 June 2013. "India: New Monitoring System Threatens Rights." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016]

India. N.d.a. Kerala Police. "About CCTNS - National Level." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET). "The ZIPNet Project." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016]

The Indian Express. 20 November 2015. Sagnik Chowdhury. "CCTNS Project to Let Police Stations 'Talk': Where it Stands, and How it Can Help Fight Crime." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016]

India Today. 25 November 2015. Sandeep Unnithan. "Anti-Terror Grid in Deep Freeze." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016]

Lawyer, Delhi High Court. 10 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

PC Magazine. N.d.a. "About." [Accessed 10 May 2016]

_____. N.d.b. "Definition of: Proof of Concept." [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016]

Reporters Without Borders. 10 March 2014. Enemies of the Internet. "India: Big Brother Up and Running." [Accessed 14 Apr. 2016]

The Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) and the World Wide Web Foundation (Web Foundation). September 2014. Communications Surveillance in India. [Accessed 14 Apr. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "India." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 18 Apr. 2016]

World Wide Web Foundation (Web Foundation). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 Apr. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Indiana University; India - Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless; Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Economic Times; Factiva; Transparency International; United Nations - Refworld.
India: Information on the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI(Marxist) or CPI(M)) in West Bengal, including party structure, objectives and political affiliations; whether the party engages in extortion; capacity to track an extorted person who relocates (2014-February 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 26 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol IND105428.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur le Parti communiste de l'Inde (marxiste) (Communist Party of India Marxist, CPI(Marxist) ou CPI(M)) au Bengale-Occidental, y compris sur la structure du parti, ses objectifs et ses affiliations politiques; information indiquant si le parti se livre a l'extorsion; information sur son aptitude a retrouver une victime d'extorsion qui a fui (2014-fevrier 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Information on the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI(Marxist) or CPI(M)) in West Bengal, including party structure, objectives and political affiliations; whether the party engages in extortion; capacity to track an extorted person who relocates (2014-February 2016), 26 February 2016, IND105428.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552d2b4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Background on CPI(M)

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a professor of political science at Indiana University, who specializes in Indian politics and security, stated that CPI(M) is "the dominant Communist party" in India, especially in West Bengal (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). Similarly, the International Business Times (IB Times), a digital global news publication that covers business, economic, political and technological issues (IB Times n.d.), reports that CPI(M) is "the largest of India's far-left parties" (IB Times 4 Oct. 2014). According to the Political Handbook of the World (PHW), the CPI(M) was organized in 1964 by "'leftist' deserters" from the Communist Party of India (CPI) who favoured a "more radical line" and who took with it the majority of CPI members when it broke away (PHW 2015, 645-646). Al Jazeera reports that the main communist parties in India participate in the electoral process; however, the Naxalites or Maoists [1] do not, and have continued a "decades-old insurgency" that is not supported by India's mainstream communists (Al Jazeera 24 Oct. 2011).

According to the Professor, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tripura have been the "main stronghold areas" of the CPI(M) (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). Sources report that the party has lost support in these three states (ibid.; PTI 21 Apr. 2015), as well as in Bihar (ibid.). Sources report that support in the former strongholds is "dwindling" (Professor 5 Feb. 2016; Senior Lecturer 8 Feb. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior lecturer in anthropology at the University of London, who has two decades of experience working in West Bengal and publishes on urban politics and social change in India, stated that the CPI(M) has been in "crisis," though it has had success competing in elections in Tripura (ibid.).

CPI(M) reportedly won only nine seats in the national Lok Sabha legislature in elections (PHW 2015, 646; PTI 17 May 2014) in 2014 (ibid.). According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), in 2014, the "Left" won 10 seats (1 to CPI and 9 to CPI(M)), made up of 6 in Kerala, 2 in West Bengal, and 2 in Tripura (ibid.). This marked a decline from 5.3 percent of the vote share in 2009 to 3.2 percent of the vote share in 2014 (ibid.).

Al Jazeera writes that, at the state level, the Left Front coalition, "dominated" by the CPI(M), governed West Bengal, with a population of 91 million people, uninterrupted, since 1977 (Al Jazeera 18 May 2011). Sources report that the party was defeated in 2011 elections by the Trinamool Congress party (ibid.; Professor 5 Feb. 2016). PHW 2015 indicates that the CPI(M) was voted out of office in Kerala in the same year (PHW 2015, 646). In the 2013 Tripura legislative elections, CPI(M) won 49 of 60 seats (ibid.). According to a 4 October 2014 article published by the IB Times, the CPI(M) has controlled the local government in Tripura for 21 consecutive years. According to the CPI(M) website, the party heads one state government (Tripura), and "though uneven," it has representation in eight state legislative assemblies (CPI(M) n.d.a).

2. Party Objectives

According to the Constitution & the Rules Under the Constitution of the CPI(M), available on the website of the West Bengal State Committee of the CPI(M), the aim of the party is as follows:

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is the revolutionary vanguard of the working class of India. Its aim is socialism and communism through the establishment of the state of dictatorship of the proletariat. In all its activities the Party is guided by the philosophy and principles of Marxism-Leninism which shows to the toiling masses the correct way to the ending of exploitation of man by man, their complete emancipation. The Party keeps high the banner of proletarian internationalism. (CPI(M) Jan. 2006, Art. II)

A copy of the CPI(M) constitution is attached to this response (Attachment 1). According to the party's website, CPI(M) "has sought to independently apply Marxism-Leninism to Indian conditions and to work out the strategy and tactics for a people's democratic revolution, which can transform the lives of the Indian people" (ibid. n.d.a).

3. Party Structure and Leadership

For information on the CPI(M)'s party structure, see Articles XIV and XV of the constitution of the CPI(M) in Attachment 1. The website of the CPI(M) states that the party has a 91-member Central Committee, 5 "special invitees" and 5 "permanent invitees" to the Central Committee (CPI(M) n.d.b). PTI reports that the CPI(M)'s Central Committee elected Sitaram Yechury as the General Secretary in April 2015 (21 Apr. 2015). PHW 2015 lists the leaders of CPI(M) as follows:

Basudeb ACHARIA (Lok Sabha Leader), V. S. ACHUTHANANDAN, Buddhadev BHATTACHARJEE, Manik SARKAR (Chief Minister of Tripura), S. Ramachandran PILLAI (All India Kisan Sabha President and Politburo Member), Prakash KARAT (General Secretary). (PHW 2015, 646)

A Central Control Commission is also listed containing 5 members (CPI(M) n.d.b). A list of the CPI(M)'s Central Committee members is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

The Senior Lecturer explained that the CPI(M) is a membership party that has "built its power on a strict organization of cadres in rural areas, and was very rigidly organized around central committees" (Senior Lecturer 8 Feb. 2016). She explained that the "spread and depth of its organizational structure enabled the party to stay in power for decades in West Bengal as the main democratically elected party" (ibid.).

According to the party's website, CPI(M) claims to have 1,065,406 members in India as of 2013 (CPI(M) n.d.a).

3.1 West Bengal CPI(M) Party Structure and Leadership

For information on the state-level, district-level and local organs of the CPI(M), see Article XVI and XVII of the constitution of CPI(M) (Attachment 1). According to the Professor, in West Bengal, the CPI(M) has a central committee, district level committees, and "these party structures permeate all the way down to local communities" (Professor 5 Feb. 2016).

According to the "Leadership" section of the website of the CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee, there are 85 State Committee members, who were elected by the West Bengal 24th Conference of the CPI(M) in March 2015 (CPI(M) n.d.b). A list of the West Bengal State Committee members is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

4. Political Affiliations

According to PHW 2015, the CPI(M) is part of the Left Front coalition, with the CPI, and the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), which is "a leftist party confined primarily to West Bengal" (PHW 2015, 646). The same source reports that the CPI(M) has been "unable to bring together a broad coalition at the national level," but maintains regional alliances with other parties (ibid.). The Professor explained that the CPI(M) "works with other parties as necessary," giving the example that when in office, they shared power with a now-defunct political party, the Socialist Unity Centre (SUC) (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). He also gave the example that CPI(M) have also "made common cause" with the CPI and are now in discussions with the Indian National Congress (INC) [2] to challenge the ruling Trinamool Congress in the next state-level elections in West Bengal (ibid.). A 2014 article by PTI explains that following a decline in its parliamentary strength in 2011, the CPI(M) joined with CPI(ML)-Liberation [3], Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), CPI, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc to create a "broad Left platform" to "take on the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]-led government's 'anti-people' policies," as well as its "neoliberal policies, communalism and imperialism" (PTI 30 Dec. 2014). The same source reports that the group conducted a week-long protest across different parts of the country in December 2014 as part of a "nationwide campaign against communalism and the problems afflicting the people's lives and livelihood" (ibid.).

For information on the youth wing of CPI(M), the Democratic Youth Federation of India, refer to Response to Information Request IND104479.

5. Incidents of Violence and Extortion Perpetrated by CPI(M)

5.1 West Bengal

Al Jazeera reports that during its governing of the state, the CPI(M) network of cadres resorted increasingly to "strong-arm" tactics to win elections, including "intimidating ordinary people as well as outright fraud" (18 May 2011). The Professor noted that, although the CPI(M) has a centralized structure, "the ability of the central committee to control all members is questionable" (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). According to the same source, the CPI(M) is a "heavily criminalized organization" and many members join the party "not as ideological followers, but in order to make money, extort people, and engage in patronage politics" as well as to "enrich themselves" (ibid.). He explained that CPI(M) uses violence "to the extent that there is electoral violence to intimidate voters and other party members, and occasional clashes between CPI-Marxist cadres and the ruling party in West Bengal [the Trinamool Congress] since 2011" (ibid.). He added that extortion often occurs around the time of elections (ibid.). Similarly, the Senior Lecturer stated that the practice of extortion is "often localized" and "very closely related to electoral politics" (Senior Lecturer 8 Feb. 2016). She explained that extortion happens for the purpose of extracting funds and exercising political control (ibid.). Sources report that the CPI(M) engages in extortion in order to fund the party [called a "party levy" (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016)] (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016; Professor 5 Feb. 2016). The Professor characterized extortion activities as a "normal part of political life in West Bengal," noting that once CPI(M) was voted out of office in 2011, some "opportunistic cadres" of the party left and joined the ruling Trinamool Congress in order to carry on extortion activities for the party in power (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), an "independent, non-governmental body which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region" (AHRC n.d.), explained that the party would "never refer to this as extortion, but only as contribution from the working class [to] support political activities" (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016).

According to the Professor, the main targets of extortion by the CPI(M) in West Bengal are usually members of other political parties, businessmen, and local entrepreneurs (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). The AHRC stated that the typical targets of extortion are small business owners (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016). He explained further that the relationship with the victim may sometimes be "complex" and that many people pay the party so that they are not threatened or bothered (ibid.). He added that others pay "as a form of protection," and that there are also cases where "those who pay are themselves engaged in illicit businesses, like black-marketing" or other illegal activities (ibid.). He explained that the local police will also take a "'cut'" from the CPI(M) leaders in the locality so that there will be no intervention by the state into such activities (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5.2 Outside West Bengal

According to the Professor, extortion by the CPI(M) does occur outside of West Bengal, but this is mostly in the areas where the party has a "stronger footing" and "more influence, but this is less and less the case as the party has weakened" (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). The AHRC representative similarly stated that the CPI(M) carries out extortion in other parts of India "where the CPI(M), through its Local Committee, has muscle power" (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016). The same source stated that the CPI(M) has lost substantial support from their "mass base and therefore the muscle power they once had in large parts of West Bengal" (ibid.).

The Indian newspaper the Deccan Chronicle reports that in 2014, in Kerala state, three CPI(M) leaders and eight others were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for their role in the 2012 murder of a rival member of the CPI(M) who was attacked by a gang and cut 51 times (Deccan Chronicle 28 Jan. 2014).

Further information on instances of violence by the CPI(M) outside of West Bengal could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

6. Tracking Capacity of the CPI(M)

Information on specific cases where the CPI(M) tracked down a person who relocated outside West Bengal could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Senior Lecturer stated that "extortion serves to preserve power in the locality, as this is a democracy, parties want to keep [staying] in power in order to be able to extort money and have access to government funds and agencies  there would be very little impetus to follow those who leave the state and no longer operate locally" (8 Feb. 2016). The Professor explained that

[t]he ability of the CPI-Marxists to locate an extorted person who has left West Bengal would depend on where that person moves, because if they relocate to a state where CPI-Marxist has a significant presence, then local cadres would more easily be able to find a person. Locating a person in this way would still likely be extremely difficult to do, however. The ability of the CPI-Marxists to find someone who leaves West Bengal would also depend heavily on that person's profile and if they had created a lot of problems for the CPI-Marxists. Someone who was a low-level operative of a rival party for example, or a rank and file member of an opposing party, or a defector from CPI-Marxist would more easily relocate without detection and be unlikely to draw the attention of the CPI-M enough to be tracked down than someone of great prominence or who had caused significant problems for the CPI-Marxists. The CPI-Marxist party does not have the kind of networks in India that would allow them to track down a person who left West Bengal unless they were a wanted person of some prominence or great importance to the CPI-Marxists. (5 Feb. 2016)

The AHRC representative stated that the CPI(M) "does not have the capacity -manpower, resources and political will -to chase a person across state borders" (AHRC 17 Feb. 2016). Further information on the ability of the CPI(M) to track down a person across states could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] According to the Professor, the CPI-Marxist-Leninist [CPI-ML, CPI-Maoist, Naxalites, Naxals] is a faction that split from the CPI-Marxists in the 1970s and has "eschewed the parliamentary path" and "embraced violence for decades" (Professor 5 Feb. 2016). PHW 2015 describes CPI-ML as an "extreme faction" of the CPI(M) organized in 1969, committed to "Maoist principles of people's liberation warfare" and "actively involved in the Naxalite terrorist movement in West Bengal" (PHW 2015, 650). The same source reports that the CPI-ML was banned by the government during the "state of emergency" (ibid.).

[2] INC holds 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, and forms part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which is the second largest coalition in the Lok Sabha, with 60 seats (PHW 2015, 652).

[3] The CPI(ML)-Liberation is a "legal" political party of the CPI-ML (see note [1]) (PHW 2015, 650).

References

Al Jazeera. 24 October 2011. "Q&A: The Maoists of India." [Accessed 24 Feb. 2015]

_____. 18 May 2011. Sumantra Bose. "The End of an Era in West Bengal and India." [Accessed 19 Jan. 2016]

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 17 February 2016. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016]

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). January 2006. Constitution & the Rules Under the Constitution. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.a. "About Us." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d.b. West Bengal State Committee. "Leadership." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

Deccan Chronicle. 28 January 2014. "Eleven Convicts, Including Three CPI(M) Leaders, Get Life Imprisonment in TP Chandrasekharan Murder Case." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

International Business Times (IB Times). 4 October 2014. "India 2014 Elections: Communists Thriving in One Remove Corner of Subcontinent as Marxism Wanes Globally." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2016]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 24 Feb. 2016]

Political Handbook of the World 2015 (PHW). 2015. "India." Edited by Tom Lansford. Washington, DC: CQ Press. [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

Press Trust of India (PTI). 21 April 2015. "Shiv Sena Calls Sitaram Yechury 'Captain of Sinking Ship'." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

_____. 30 December 2014. "Left Parties Hit New Low in 2014." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

_____. 17 May 2014. "Election Results 2014: Left's Performance in Lok Sabha Polls Sees Drastic Decline." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2016]

Professor of political science, Indiana University. 5 February 2016. Telephone interview.

Senior Lecturer in anthropology, University of London. 8 February 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights; Common Cause; Legal Aid Services West Bengal; West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

Internet sites, including: Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights; Common Cause; DarjeelingTimes.com; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Ganashakti; The Hindu; Hindustan Times; India - National Human Rights Commission; International Crisis Group; Legal Aid Services West Bengal; Radio Free Asia; Tara TV; The Times of India; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Department of State; West Bengal - Calcutta High Court, Kolkata Police, West Bengal Human Rights Commission, West Bengal Police.

Attachments

1. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). January 2006. Constitution & the Rules Under the Constitution. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2016]

2. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). N.d. West Bengal State Committee. "Leadership." [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]
India: Treatment of sexual minorities, including legislation, state protection, and support services, including in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi (2013- December 2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 24 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol IND105380.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur le traitement reserve aux minorites sexuelles, y compris sur les lois, la protection offerte par l'Etat et les services de soutien, notamment a Mumbai, a Kolkata et a Delhi (2013-decembre 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Treatment of sexual minorities, including legislation, state protection, and support services, including in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi (2013- December 2015), 24 December 2015, IND105380.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552e3e4.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Legislation

According to sources, same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in India (Freedom House 26 Aug. 2014; The Hindu 1 Mar. 2014), under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (The Hindu 1 Mar. 2014). Section 377 on Unnatural Offences reads:

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal, shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend ten years, and shall also be liable to fine. (India 1860)

The Hindu, a newspaper based in India, states that courts have interpreted this law to include the "criminalisation of bestiality, child sexual abuse, and also consensual homosexual intercourse" (The Hindu 1 Mar. 2014). A news special by the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) notes that the law is "essentially used to target LGBT individuals" (ABC 1 Dec. 2015).

Human Rights Watch reports that LGBT people "suffered a setback in December 2013 when the Supreme Court reversed a landmark 2009 Delhi High Court decision striking down a colonial-era law criminalizing adult consensual same-sex relations" (29 Jan. 2015). Freedom House similarly states that in 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the criminalization of same-sex relationships by claiming that "only Parliament had the authority to change the legislation" (Freedom House 26 Aug. 2014, 3). A report on India by Human Rights Watch states that, at the time of its publication, "a petition to review the decision was pending before the Supreme Court" (29 Jan. 2015). According to a 2014 article in The Hindu, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition to amend Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and decriminalize homosexuality (1 Mar. 2014). The same source indicated that a "legislative amendment" on the criminalization of same-sex sexual activity "does not appear to be a priority" for the Indian government (ibid.).

1.1 State Efforts

According to sources, in April 2014, the Supreme Court recognized transgender individuals who identify under a "third gender" (Human Rights Watch 29 Jan. 2015; Freedom House 26 Aug. 2014, 3; US 25 June 2015, 59). The Gay & Lesbian Review, a bi-monthly magazine of history, politics, and culture, published an article about the LGBT community in Mumbai, stating that people who often identify as a "third gender" are known as Hijra, "a term that describes a range of male-to-female transgenders and transvestites" (2 Nov. 2015). Human Rights Watch indicates that the Supreme Court ruling asked the government to treat transgender persons as a "minority eligible for quotas in jobs and education" (29 Jan. 2015). The US Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2014 states that the April 2014 ruling gives "a person the right to identify as a 'third gender' when registering to vote, own property, marry, or apply for a passport, ration card, and driver's licence" (25 June 2015, 59). The same source states that the judgement instructed state and central governments to "extend affirmative action or reservations to transgender individuals for admission to higher-education facilities, public appointments, and healthcare services" (ibid.). The Supreme Court also reportedly "assigned a committee to study problems faced by the transgender community and provide suggestions on how to address discrimination" (ibid.).

2. Treatment

2.1 Societal Attitudes

Sources report that in India, homosexuality is considered "taboo" (ABC 1 Dec. 2015; GlobalGayz n.d.) by "both Indian civil society and the government," according to GlobalGayz, a charitable organization that reports on LGBT life in countries around the world (GlobalGayz n.d.). ABC states that homosexuality is also "condemned by many of the country's influential religious leaders" (1 Dec. 2015). Dna India, a Mumbai-based newspaper (Dna India n.d.), quotes an Indian LGBT activist as stating that, in India, children are taught that a hetero-normative, patriarchal family is the "only" acceptable family model (ibid. 24 Nov. 2013).

Dna India indicates that there are LGBT pride parades held in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Pune (Dna India 24 Nov. 2013). According to sources, the Delhi LGBT pride parade occurred in November 2015 (NDTV 30 Nov. 2015; The Indian Express 30 Nov. 2015), and "[t]he parade saw participation by several hundred people belonging to [the] LGBT community as well as those outside of it" (ibid.).

2.2 Discrimination

According to Dna India, there are "many cases" where LGBT people have had to run from their families "for fear of intimidation" (24 Nov. 2013). Country Reports 2014 states that "LGBT groups reported that they faced widespread discrimination and violence throughout society, particularly in rural areas" (US 25 June 2015, 59). ABC quotes an Indian lawyer and gay rights activist as stating that LGBT people are "harassed and discriminated against at the workplace" (ABC 1 Dec. 2015). Similarly, Country Reports 2014 states that "[homophobic] slurs and unjustified dismissals" are documented forms of workplace discrimination against LGBT people (US 25 June 2015, 59).

Country Reports 2014 indicates that transgender persons who are HIV positive have difficulty accessing medical treatment due to discrimination (US 25 June 2015, 21). The Hindu article similarly states that sexual minorities in India have difficulty accessing sexual healthcare due to the criminalization of same-sex acts (1 Mar. 2014).

Additionally, Country Reports 2014 notes that Indian activists stated that there were instances of "homophobia among students at certain university campuses" and " a systematic disregard for LGBT rights on university campuses" (US 25 June 2015, 59).

2.3 Violence

Sources report that LGBT persons in India are subjected to blackmail (US 25 June 2015, 59; ABC 1 Dec. 2015). Country Reports for 2014 indicates that LGBT persons experienced physical attacks as well as rape (US 25 June 2015, 58). Dna India quotes an LGBT activist who stated that there have been reports of "corrective rape" of lesbians and transgender persons, and of "electro shock therapy" administered to gay men (24 Nov. 2013). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to Pink News, a UK-based LGBT news service (Pink News n.d.), the Chairman of India's Law Commission stated publicly that Section 377 is "discriminatory in its application" and that the consequences of the laws on same-sex activity in India "include damage to the psychological well-being of homosexuals, encouragement of violence and facilitation of police harassment and discrimination against the LGBT community" (ibid. 17 Feb. 2015).

Sources report on instances of killings of LGBT persons:

In April 2015, a man was murdered in Delhi after inviting a partner for "unnatural sex" (UNI 13 Apr. 2015);

In February 2014, a man was murdered in Mumbai by a former partner who was afraid that their relationship would become known to others (PTI 26 Feb. 2014).

2.4 Treatment by Authorities

The Hindu reports that "there have been less than 200 reported judgements [under Section 377] in 150 years of the law's existence" (The Hindu 1 Mar. 2014). In contrast, the Deccan Herald newspaper states that according to the National Crime Records Bureau, since the Supreme Court struck down the decriminalization of homosexuality, nearly 600 people had been arrested under Section 377 during 2014 (Deccan Herald 1 Jan. 2015). The same source indicates that not all states had reported figures, and that the state of Delhi had the highest reported number, with 140 cases and 110 arrests up until September 2014 (ibid.).

ABC quotes an Indian lawyer as stating that "although prosecutions for sex between consenting adults are rare, as long as the law remains, it will be used to intimidate" (ABC 1 Dec. 2015). According to The Hindu, Section 377 of the Penal Code has been "used by the police to harass and intimidate sexual minorities" (The Hindu 1 Mar. 2014). According to an LGBT community activist interviewed by Dna India, there have been "many reports" of sexual violence by police (24 Nov. 2014). Country Reports 2014 similarly states that "[s]ome police committed crimes against LGBT persons and used the threat of arrest to coerce victims not to report the incidents" (US 25 June 2015, 59). According to Dna India, "[t]he police [force] has repeatedly shown its insensitivity towards the LGBT community" (Dna India 24 Nov. 2013).

ABC reports that people continue to be arrested in India for same-sex sexual activity (ABC 1 Dec. 2015). According to Pink News, seven men were arrested in Bangalore in the summer of 2014 for suspicion of violating Section 377 (Pink News 17 Feb. 2015). Dna India also reports that in November 2013, 13 people were arrested by police in Hassan, Karnataka for violating section 377 of the Penal Code (Dna India 24 Nov. 2013). The same source quotes the coordinator of an Indian NGO focused on LGBT issues as stating that "[t]he police went to the homes of some of those arrested saying that they were from an HIV prevention unit. Then they coerced these people into naming a few others and arrested them as well" (ibid.). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Dna India further reports an incident in which police placed a transgender female in a prison cell with male inmates (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. State Protection

The Indian newspaper, Mint, interviewed a peer counsellor of a phone helpline for LGBT people in New Delhi, who stated that when LGBT people approach the police, "emboldened by a law like Section 377, policemen can easily take on the role of extortionists themselves" (MINT 5 Dec. 2014). The counsellor stated that she "often" encounters cases of police blackmail of LGBT people who approach them (ibid.). Dna India quotes an Indian LGBT activist as stating that it is "very difficult for a queer person to report partner assault to the police. Mostly, they are turned away, or worse, threatened with section 377 (24 Nov. 2013).

4. Support Services

According to an article regarding the LGBT community in Mumbai, published by the Gay & Lesbian Review, there are a "wide range" of LGBT community organizations in India, noting that the largest organization working on issues of gender diversity is the Humsafar Trust, a community organization based in Maharashtra State, for self-identified gay men, MSM, transgender people, Hijras and lesbian, bisexual, transsexual people (2 Nov. 2015). The same source describes the organization as a "major service delivery organization" which receives considerable international funding and has assisted thousands of people in greater Mumbai (ibid.). According to the website of the Humsafar Trust, the organization offers legal support, crisis management, mental health counselling, and projects on health, advocacy, and research on LGBT issues (Humsafar Trust n.d.). For further information on shelter services and hotlines available to LGBT Indians, please see Response to Information Request IND104060.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 1 December 2015. James Bennett. "Indian Minister Calls for Review of Country's Stance on Homosexuality." (Factiva)

Deccan Herald. 1 January 2015. Shemin Joy. "600 Homosexuals Arrested in 2014." [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015]

Dna India. 24 November 2013. Amrita Madhukalya. "Violence Against LGBT Groups Still Prevails in India." [Accessed 30 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 30 Nov. 2015]

Freedom House. 26 August 2014. Margaret Marshall. "LGBTI People Face Harsh Laws in Both Free and Unfree Countries." [Accessed 30 Nov. 2015]

The Gay & Lesbian Review. 2 November 2015. Dennis Altman. "In Mumbai, a Community Struggling to be Born." [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015]

GlobalGayz. N.d. "India, Asia." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2015]

The Hindu. 1 March 2014. Akila R.S. "Section 377: The Way Forward." [Accessed 4 Dec. 2015]

Human Rights Watch. 29 January 2015. "India." World Report 2015: Events of 2014. [Accessed 30 Nov. 2015]

Humsafar Trust. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 24 Dec. 2015]

India. 1860. Penal Code. [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015]

The Indian Express. 30 November 2015. Aneesha Mathur. "After Jaitley's Comments, LGBT Community says BJP Shouldn't 'Speak with Two Mouths'." [Accessed 3 Dec. 2015]

Mint. 5 December 2014. Vinay Chandran. "Vinay Chandran: No Need for Treatment." (Factiva)

New Delhi Television (NDTV). 30 November 2015. Sunetra Choudhury. "Will Section 377 Go for Gay Sex? Political Leaders Not Too Keen." [Accessed 3 Dec. 2015]

Pink News. 17 February 2015. Scott Roberts. "Judge: India's Anti-Gay Law is 'Discriminatory' and Mentally Damaging." [Accessed 30 Nov. 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015]

Press Trust of India (PTI). 26 February 2014. "Nine-Month-Old Murder Mystery Solved, Police Claim." (Factiva)

United News of India (UNI). 13 April 2015. "One Held on Charge of Murdering Homosexual." (Factiva)

United States (US). 25 June 2015. Department of State. "India." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 3 Dec. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The following were unable to provide information for this Response: ARC International The Humsafar Trust; International Lesbian and Gay Law Association; The Naz Foundation; OutRight Action International; Research Fellow, Human Rights Watch; The Sangini Gender Resource Centre.

Internet sites, including: 76crimes.org; Agence France Presse; Al Jazeera; BBC; ecoi.net; Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere; The Gay and Lesbian Review; Gay Star News; The Globe and Mail; The Hindustan Times; International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association; International Lesbian and Gay Law Association; IRIN; Mission for Indian Gay and Lesbian Empowerment; The New York Times; Orinam; OutRight Action International; Reuters; Ryot; The Sagini Gender Resource Centre; United Kingdom - Home Office; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Central Intelligence Agency; The Washington Post.
India: Treatment of Ahmadis [Ahmadiyyas, Ahmadiyas] by society and authorities; state protection

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 30 September 2015 Citation / Document Symbol IND105313.E Related Document(s) Inde : information sur le traitement que reservent la societe et les autorites aux ahmadis [ahmadiyyas, ahmadiyas]; la protection offerte par l'Etat Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Treatment of Ahmadis [Ahmadiyyas, Ahmadiyas] by society and authorities; state protection , 30 September 2015, IND105313.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552ea64.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

According to an article written for the Huffington Post by Qasim Rashid, a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program, Ahmadis are a "sect" of Islam whose members believe that the "Messiah and Mahdi has come in the person of Mizra Ghulam Ahmad [Ahmed] of Qadian [the founder of the sect]" (The Huffington Post 24 Sept. 2014). The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs at Georgetown University similarly states that the Ahmadis "revere Mizra Ghulam Ahmed as the Messiah/Mahdi" (Georgetown University n.d.). The same source also notes that Ahmadi Muslims reject "terrorism in any form" and believe in the "separation of mosque and state" (ibid.). According to Rashid, in 1974 Muslim leaders from the 72 other sects met in Pakistan and "unanimously declared all Ahmadi Muslims to be 'non-Muslim'" (The Huffington Post 24 Sept. 2014). For further information on the ideology and history of the Ahmadis, see Response to Information Request PAK104254.

Sources indicate that the headquarters for Ahmadi Muslims in India is in Qadian, Gurdaspur district, Punjab (Outlook 14 June 2010; Hindustan Times 2 Oct. 2011; The Times of India 31 Jan. 2015). According to Outlook, an Indian news magazine based in New Delhi, it was estimated in 2010 that there were 60,000 to 1 million Ahmadis in India (14 June 2010). Further and corroborating information on the Ahmadi population could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Treatment by Society

According to sources, other Muslims in India do not consider Ahmadis to be Muslim (The Hindustan Times 2 Oct. 2011; Asia Times 15 May 2012; US 20 May 2013, 12). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a postdoctoral research associate at Cambridge University who has performed field research within the Ahmadi community in India, stated that there has been a longstanding "theological dispute" between Ahmadis and other Muslims in India, that can "occasionally" result in incidences of "communal violence" (Postdoctoral Research Associate 28 Sept. 2015). According to the same source, there have been reported cases of Ahmadi missionaries being kidnapped by other groups of Muslims while operating in towns and villages across India (ibid.). Further and corroborating information on reported kidnappings could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources state that Ahmadis are not allowed to sit on the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (Tehelka 28 July 2012; Asia Times 15 May 2012; US 20 May 2013, 8), a "body of religious leaders that the central government recognizes as representative of Indian Muslims" (ibid.).

Sources state that in September 2011, a Quran exhibition held by Ahmadi Muslims at the Delhi Constitution Club was cancelled due to protests by other Muslim groups (Hindustan Times 2 Oct. 2011; The Times of India 24 Sept. 2011; Tehelka 28 July 2012).

According to Indian weekly news magazine Tehelka, in February 2012, the Andra Pradesh Wakf [Waqf] Board [1] issued a decision to take over Ahmadi mosques and graveyards "'since Sunni or Shia mosques cannot be administered by non-Muslims" (28 July 2012). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to Two Circles (TCN), a non-profit news site "for the marginalized sections of India" (TCN 30 Jan. 2009), in March 2012, local Muslim organizations and political parties in the Hyderabad state demanded a ban on the "activities and community halls" of the Ahmadis (ibid. 27 Mar. 2012). According to sources, that same month, an Ahmadi mosque [considered to be a community center or hall] was attacked in Saidabad, Hyderabad (ibid.; Tehelka 28 July 2012; US 20 May 2013, 12). Sources further state that the attack was instigated by 200 members of the Majlis Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat [Khatm-e-Nubuwwat] (ibid.; TCN 27 Mar. 2012), a group described as "extremist" (US 20 May 2013, 8) or "anti-[Ahmadis]" (TCN 27 Mar. 2012). TCN reports that two commercial buildings belonging to Ahmadis were also damaged by "stone pelting" (ibid.).

Tehelka reports that in May 2012, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind [2] called for a "'complete social boycott' of Ahmadiyyas" during a public meeting in New Delhi (28 July 2012). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources state that Islamists attacked a small group of Ahmadis during a meeting in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu in April (Ahmadiyya Times 7 Apr. 2012) or May 2012 (Tehelka 28 July 2012). Sources also report that in May 2012, the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir requested that the Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly pass a law that would deem Ahmadis to be non-Muslims (ibid.; Asia Times 15 May 2012). Further information on the response of the State Assembly could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In August 2015, sources reported that ten Ahmadis were injured in West Bengal when a large group of local "extremist" Muslims attacked the home of an Ahmadi Muslim family (The Rabwah Times n.d.; Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International Press & Media Office 17 Aug. 2015). Without providing details, the same sources reported that a similar attack took place in July 2015 (ibid.; The Rabwah Times n.d.).

3. Treatment by Authorities

Information on the treatment of Ahmadis by state authorities was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Sources state that Ahmadis in India are legally recognized as Muslims (Outlook 14 June 2010; Tehelka 28 July 2012; Asia Times 15 May 2012). The Postdoctoral Research Associate expressed the opinion that, to his knowledge, as a result of their "avowed allegiance to the Indian state" and their rejection of "all forms of violent Jihad," Ahmadis are viewed "positively" by the government (ibid.).

The Hindustan Times, an English-language newspaper, quotes Syed Tanveer, the spokesperson for Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, as stating that India "is one of the few countries where [Ahmadis] have the same rights as others" (Hindustan Times 2 Oct. 2011). In contrast, according to the US International Religious Freedom Report for 2012, the government of the state of Andra Pradesh "has classified Ahmadi Muslims as non-Muslims and declared that it would not consider any property owned by the Ahmadiyya[s]to be Muslim" (US 20 May 2013, 8). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. State Protection

4.1 State Response

Sources report the following responses by police to incidents against Ahmadis:

In response to the attack in 2012 by a Muslim extremist group in Saidabad, Hyderabad, sources report that police responded to the situation, dispersed the crowd (US 20 May 2013, 12; TCN 27 Mar. 2012), and "provided protection" to the 500 Ahmadis trapped inside their mosque (ibid.).

In response to the attack in 2012 by a Muslim extremist group in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, sources report that the police responded and relocated the group of Ahmadis to Coimbatore (Ahmadiyya Times 7 Apr. 2012; Tehelka 28 July 2012).

In response to the attack in 2015 on the home of an Ahmadi family by a group of Muslim extremists, sources report that the police did not respond promptly, nor did they disperse the crowd (Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International Press & Media Office 17 Aug. 2015; The Rabwah Times n.d.). The same sources report that the police prevented injured residents from seeking medical treatment right away (ibid.; Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International Press & Media Office 17 Aug. 2015); only after the crowd left the next morning were the injured residents able to seek medical treatment (ibid.). According to the Rabwah Times, a local newspaper in Rabwah, Pakistan, those injured had difficulty seeking medical treatment as they did not receive an incident report from the police, which is required in order to treat injuries related to a criminal offence (The Rabwah Times n.d.).

In response to a similar attack earlier in 2015, sources report that the police were able to control the situation (ibid.; Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International Press & Media Office 17 Aug. 2015).

According to the Postdoctoral Research Associate,

[t]he official position of the current [Ahmadiyya Community] administration in India is that acts of communal violence against Ahmadis are the work of isolated Muslim extremists, and they insist that when such incidents occur, they can rely upon the full support of the Indian police and authorities to resolve problems.  [i]t is worth pointing out that such claims  are part of a more general programme of fostering good relations with the Indian state. For Ahmadis, allegiance to the secular nation state is an article of faith  [and] in order to avoid conflict with Indian authorities, the official spokesmen of the [community] tend to downplay acts of communal violence against their community. (28 Sept. 2015).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4.2 Legal Remedies

Information pertaining to the availability of legal remedies specifically for Ahmadis could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. However, the following information may be useful.

The US International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 states that there are legal remedies for violations of religious freedom (US 28 July 2014, 4). The same source further states that federal bodies exist to investigate allegations of religious discrimination, including the Ministry for Minority Affairs, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) (ibid., 4-5). MRG states that the Minorities Commission [National Commission for Minorities] was established in 1977 to monitor the situation of "the non-scheduled caste and non-scheduled tribe minorities such as Muslims, although it has no powers to implement changes" (MRG n.d.).

The US International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 states that the government "generally enforced legal protections for religious freedom," though, they "did not always efficiently or effectively prosecute those who attacked religious minorities" (US 28 July 2014, 5). According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)'s Annual Report 2015, "India has long struggled to protect minority religious communities or provide justice when crimes occur" (US 2015, 149). The same source further states that conflict between Muslims and Hindus has been a "longstanding" issue and that religious minority groups allege that police are biased and fail to investigate and arrest those accused of violence (ibid.). A 2015 report by Human Rights Watch similarly states, citing a report by an unnamed think tank and another by senior police officials, that Muslims mistrust the police and view them as "communal, biased, and insensitive" due to police misconduct "especially during communal tensions" (Human Rights Watch 2015).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The Times of India reports that waqf is a "religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes," such as a madrassa, mosque, tomb or graveyard (The Times of India 2 Oct. 2010). The same source further reports that waqf boards are "formed by the government" under the Waqf Act, 1995 (ibid.). According to the same source, waqf boards manage the properties through custodians that track revenues, expenditures and ensure that the property "is used for the purpose [for which] it was created" (ibid.).

[2] According to their website, Jamaat-e-Islami was established in 1941, before partition, in Lahore as an Islamic reformist movement (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind n.d.). After partition, two independent organizations were formed, including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (ibid.). The same source further states that they have approximately 6,000 members, 29,000 karkuns (workers) and 308,000 muttafiqs (sympathizers) (ibid.). The associated "trusts" and "societies" run "masajid, madrasas, schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, vocational training centres, interest-free loans, relief activities and housing projects" (ibid.).

References

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International Press & Media Office. 17 August 2015. "Report: Attack on Ahmadi Muslims in India Leaves Ten Injured." [Accessed 21 Sept. 2015]

Ahmadiyya Times. 7 April 2012. "India: Ahmadiyya Convention Attacked by Islamist Extremists in Tamil Nadu." [Accessed 25 Sept. 2015]

Asia Times. 15 May 2012. Sudha Ramachandran. "Kashmir Mufti Takes Aim at Ahmadiyyas." [Accessed 21 Sept. 2015]

Georgetown University. N.d. Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. "Ahmadiyya Muslim Community." [Accessed 28 Sept. 2015]

Hindustan Times. 2 October 2011. Zia Haq. "'Heretical' Ahmadiyya Sect Raises Muslim Hackles." [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

The Huffington Post. 24 September 2014. Qasim Rashid. "10 Fabrications Muslim Leaders Need to Stop Making About Ahmadi Muslims." [Accessed 28 Sept. 2015]

Human Rights Watch. 29 January 2015. "India." World Report 2015: Events of 2014. [Accessed 25 Sept. 2015]

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. N.d. "History." [Accessed 24 Sept. 2015]

Minority Rights Group International (MRG). N.d. "India - Muslims." [Accessed 22 Sept. 2015]

Outlook. 14 June 2010. Amir Mir. "Wretched of the Land." [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge. 28 September 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

The Rabwah Times. N.d."Ten Ahmadiyya Muslims Injured in Sectarian Attack in West Bengal, India." [Accessed 21 Sept. 2015]

Tehelka. 28 July 2012. Sai Manish. "The Minority's Minority." Vol. 9, Issue 30. [Accessed 21 Sept. 2015]

The Times of India. 31 January 2015. Yudvir Rana. "Following Obama's Advice Ahmadiyya's Married to Pakistan Brides Writes to Modi." [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

_____. 24 September 2011. Shreya Roy Chowdhury. "Ahmadiyyas Face Protest at Peace Mission." [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

_____. 2 October 2010. "Waqf Board Handles Muslim Rulers' Property." [Accessed 24 Sept. 2015]

Two Circles (TCN). 27 March 2012. Mohd. Ismail Khan. "Hyderabad Muslim Groups Demand Ban on the Activities of Qadiyanis." [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

_____. 30 January 2009. "About." [Accessed 24 Sept. 2015]

United States (US). 30 April 2015. US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). "India (Tier 2)." Annual Report 2015. [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

_____. 28 July 2014. Department of State. "India." International Religious Freedom Report for 2013. [Accessed 23 Sept. 2015]

_____. 20 May 2013. Department of State. "India." International Religious Freedom Report for 2012. [Accessed 22 Sept. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Assistant professor of Islamic studies, Department of Religious Studies, Loyola University New Orleans; associate professor of social anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University; freelance lecturer, Islamic studies, Leeds Univeristy and Bradford University, United Kingdom.

Internet sites, including: Ahmadiyya Muslim Jammat - India; Al Jazeera; Amnesty International; Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development; Asian Human Rights Commission; Dawn; ecoi.net; The Express Tribune;International Federation for Human Rights; Factiva; Foreign Policy; Gatestone Institute; The Hindu; Human Rights First; Human Rights Quarterly; India - National Commission for Minorities, National Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Minority Affairs; International Crisis Group; Minority Rights Group International; The Indian Express; IRIN; The Jamestown Foundation; Jane's Intelligence Review; Open Doors; Reuters; Saddarlaq; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld; United States - Central Intelligence Agency.
News / National

by Abigail Mawonde

A woman believed to have facilitated the trafficking of Zimbabwean women to Kuwait where they were turned into slaves has been identified as Norest Maruma.According to the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs Kindness Paradza, Maruma is believed to have worked with her Ghanaian boyfriend to dupe the women into believing they had landed well-paying jobs in the Gulf country.Fifteen victims arrived home from Kuwait last Thursday evening after Government intervened and bought them tickets to return home."A Zimbabwean woman who was working in cahoots with these Kuwait agents is currently at our embassy. We want her to come. So, Kuwait authorities are monitoring her so that she can be repatriated to be in custody," said Paradza.On arrival at a shelter where some victims of human trafficking were being housed in Kuwait, Maruma was severely assaulted by some women who identified her as the architect of their misery."What happened was that when she arrived at the shelter, she met the girls whom she had facilitated their travel to Kuwait, and upon identification of the agent, they started assaulting and insulting her."She was beaten thoroughly only to be saved by some Ghanaian women, he said.The Herald saw the video in which Maruma was severely attacked by the victims.Maruma faces arrest on landing at Harare International Airport.She is expected to assist authorities in apprehending culprits behind human trafficking in the country.Paradza said five more women were said to have fled to the Zimbabwean embassy in Kuwait seeking assistance to be repatriated home.He said Government had already set aside a fund through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to cater for the women's travelling expenses.Paradza said his committee was happy that Government had intervened in the matter and hoped more victims would soon be repatriated from Kuwait.There are indications more Zimbabwean women could be stuck in some Arab countries like Saudi Arabia.
Georgia: The Georgian Labour Party (GLP), including treatment of its members by authorities and other political parties; state protection available (2010-2015)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 22 June 2015 Citation / Document Symbol GEO105205.E Related Document(s) Georgie : information sur le Parti travailliste de la Georgie (Georgian Labour Party - GLP), y compris sur le traitement reserve a ses membres par les autorites et les autres partis politiques; la protection offerte par l'Etat (2010-2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Georgia: The Georgian Labour Party (GLP), including treatment of its members by authorities and other political parties; state protection available (2010-2015), 22 June 2015, GEO105205.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57552fd94.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview of the GLP

1.1 Objectives

According to sources, the (GLP) was founded in 1995 and their main objectives include furthering democratic principles in Georgia and attaining EU membership (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; GLP n.d.a). The GLP's website indicates that its platform also includes the protection of human rights and promoting a free-trade market (ibid.). According to Democracy & Freedom Watch, a news service based in Tbilisi that reports on "the state of democracy and freedom in Georgia" (Democracy & Freedom Watch n.d.), the GLP also aims to increase financing for education and health care, reunite Georgia with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and repair relations with Russia (ibid. 23 Oct. 2013).

1.2 Members

The GLP website indicates that the party has 220,000 members (GLP n.d.a). According to the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, a "platform for co-operation" and the development of democracy in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity n.d.), the GLP typically draws support from "the poorer strata in Georgian society" (ibid. 28 May 2015).

1.3 Leadership

Sources indicate that Shalva Natelashvili is the leader of the GLP (ibid.; Caucasian Knot 24 June 2011; PHW 2014, 520) and that Giorgi Gugava is the Secretary (ibid.). The GLP website notes that in 2007, Natelashvili organized an opposition rally (GLP n.d.b). He was reportedly accused of "espionage" (Eurasia Review 13 Dec. 2010; European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015) or "high treason" (GLP n.d.b). The GLP website indicates that Natelashvili and the GLP have never been part of any coalitions (ibid.).

1.4 Participation in Elections

In 2008 the GLP won six seats in the parliamentary elections (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; PHW 2014, 520). However, they subsequently suspended their parliamentary operations in a boycott (ibid.; European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; GLP n.d.a), alleging that Saakashvili had falsified election results (ibid.).

The GLP received approximately 1 percent of the vote during the 2012 parliamentary elections and did not secure any seats in parliament (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; US 15 Oct. 2012, 3).

During the 2013 presidential elections, Natelashvili, who was the GLP's candidate, received 2.88 percent of the vote (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; US 4 Nov. 2013, 3).

According to Civil Georgia, a daily news service based in Tbilisi that was founded by the UN Association of Georgia [1] (Civil Georgia n.d.), during the 15 June 2014 local elections, the GLP ran for seats in all 71 sakrebulos (municipal and city councils) and surpassed the 4 percent threshold for representation in 27 of them (ibid. 25 June 2014).

2. Relations with Other Parties

Sources indicate that Natelashvili was openly critical of Mikheil Saakashvili (Center for the National Interest 12 Sept. 2012; Eurasia Review 13 Dec. 2010; GLP n.d.b). Saakashvili took power in 2004 after the Rose Revolution (European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015; BBC 31 Jan. 2012). He and his party, the United National Movement (UNM), remained in power until their loss to the Georgian Dream (GD) coalition [2] in the 2013 presidential elections (The Economist 2 Nov. 2013; European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015) and the parliamentary elections in 2012 (ibid.; Freedom House 28 Jan. 2015). Sources report that in 2011, Natelashvili called for the impeachment of President Saakashvili (PHW 2014, 520; Georgia Times 24 June 2011; Caucasian Knot 24 June 2011). For further information on the UNM, including its political history and the treatment of UNM members by the GD coalition, see Response to Information Request GEO105151.

According to a 2011 article by Civil Georgia, prior to coming to power, Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the GD coalition, announced his intention to work in cooperation with some political parties, but named the GLP as a "'pseudo-opposition'" party and claimed that he did not intend to work in cooperation with Natelashvili (12 Oct. 2011). Georgia Times, a Georgian news website, similarly reports confrontations between Natelashvili and Ivanishvili, noting that Ivanishvili accused the Labour Party of "'pseudo opposition'," while Natelashvili accused Ivanishvili of being "'a new project of Washington'" (1 Nov. 2011). According to the Center for the National Interest article, Natelashvili is opposed to the GD coalition and claimed that the GLP is "the only opposition party not controlled by Ivanishvili" (12 Sept. 2012). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Treatment of Members of the GLP

Information on the treatment of members of the GLP was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that in November 2010 there was an explosion in Tbilisi outside the office of the GLP that killed an individual (Civil Georgia 28 Nov. 2010; US 22 Aug. 2013; Eurasia Review 13 Dec. 2010), and injured a GLP security guard (ibid.). According to Civil Georgia, Natelashvili claimed that the explosion was "aimed at 'terrorizing' his party" (28 Nov. 2010). Eurasia Review, "an independent journal and think tank" that aims to provide an alternative to "Western dominated media" (Eurasia Review n.d), similarly reported that the headquarters of the GLP "were targeted in the bombings" (ibid. 13 Dec. 2010). In December 2010, six people were arrested for the November and other bombings in Georgia, and were accused of having links to Russia (ibid.; BBC 31 January 2012). However, according to Eurasia Review, the GLP blamed the government and alleged the bombing near their office was in retaliation for the political activity of the GLP against the UNM (13 Dec. 2010). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to a monitoring report of the 2014 local elections by the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), an association that promotes the protection of human rights, public awareness and increasing government accountability (GYLA n.d.), on 5 June 2014 Jaba Endeladze, "a majoritarian candidate of the Labour Party," was physically assaulted (ibid. 12 Nov. 2014, 71). The same report also states that on 2 June 2014, authorities searched the house of Ushangi Tsestkhaldze, Labor Party candidate for Khelvachauri municipality (ibid., 72). The same source further notes that the Internal Ministry searched his home "according to their information that the candidate was keeping an unregistered weapon, which [the] search didn't confirm" (ibid.). Further and corroborating information about these incidents could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. State Protection

Information on state protection available to members of the GLP and police response to incidents of violence against GLP members could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG) is an NGO established in 1995 that promotes "the principles of human rights and democratic governance" and the integration of Georgia into the international community (UNAG n.d.). It is a member of the World Federation of UN Associations (ibid.).

[2] The GD coalition was established by Bidzina Ivanishvili (Center for the National Interest 12 Sept. 2012; PHW 2014, 520; European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity 28 May 2015). According to sources, the GD coalition is comprised of political groups with diverse political perspectives (ibid.; The Economist 2 Nov. 2013; PHW 2014, 520).

References

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 31 January 2012. "Timeline: Georgia." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

Caucasian Knot. 24 June 2011. "The Labour Party of Georgia Demands Saakashvili's Resignation." [Accessed 15 June 2015]

Center for the National Interest. 12 September 2012. "Georgian Labour Party Leader Shalva Natelashvili." [Accessed 15 June 2015]

Civil Georgia. 25 June 2014. "Round-up of Local Elections' Preliminary Results." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

____. 12 October 2011. "Ivanishvili: 'I Will Definitely Come into Power'." [Accessed 12 June 2015]

_____. 28 November 2010. "One Dies in Two Blasts in Tbilisi." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Civil.Ge." [Accessed 10 June 2015]

Democracy & Freedom Watch. 23 October 2013. "Labor Party Leader Threatens to Rally Supporters After Election." [Accessed 2 June 2015]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 10 June 2015]

The Economist. 2 November 2013. "The End of Saakashvili's Reign." [Accessed 4 June 2015]

Eurasia Review. 13 December 2010. Robert Amsterdam. "The Tbilisi Bombings." [Accessed 2 June 2015]

_____. N.d. "About." [Accessed 2 June 2015]

European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity. 28 May 2015. "Georgia." [Accessed 2 June 2015]

_____. "Home." [Accessed 4 June 2015]

Freedom House. 28 January 2015. "Georgia." Freedom in the World 2015. [Accessed 4 June 2015]

Georgia Times. 1 November 2011. "Laborists vs Ivanishvili." [Accessed 15 June 2015]

_____. 24 June 2011. "The Georgian Labour Party Claim Impeachment to the President." [Accessed 15 June 2015]

Georgian Labour Party (GLP). N.d.a. "History." [Accessed 1 June 2015]

_____. N.d.b. "Biography of a Presidential Candidate of Georgia Shalva Natelashvili." [Accessed 17 June 2015]

Georgian Young Lawyer's Association (GYLA). 12 November 2014. 2014 Local Self-Government Election Observation Mission: Pre-election Environment, Election Day and Post-Election Period Monitoring Report (April 1 - July 22 2014). [Accessed 9 June 2015]

____. N.d. "Mission." [Accessed 10 June 2015]

Human Rights Center (HRIDC). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 4 June 2015]

Political Handbook of the World 2014 (PHW). 2014. "Georgia." Edited by Tom Lansford. Washington, DC: CQ Press. [Accessed 12 June 2015]

United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG). N.d. "About UNAG." [Accessed 6 June 2015]

United States (US). 4 November 2013. Congressional Research Service. Georgia's October 2013 Presidential Election: Outcome and Implications. By Jim Nichol. [Accessed 3 June 2015]

_____. 22 August 2013. Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).Georgia 2013 Crime and Safety Report. [Accessed 10 June 2015]

_____. 15 October 2012. Congressional Research Service. Georgia's October 2012 Legislative Election: Outcome and Implications. By Jim Nichol. [Accessed 3 June 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The following were unable to provide information for this Response: Georgian Young Lawyers' Association.

Attempts to contact the following were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Georgian Democracy Initiative; Human Rights House - Tbilisi; visiting professor, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Caucasus Analytical Digest; Central News Network; ecoi.net; Eurasianet; Factiva; Georgia - Public Defender of Georgia; Georgian Democracy Initiative; Georgian Institute of Politics; Georgian Journal; Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization; Human Rights House; Human Rights House Tbilisi; Human Rights Quarterly; Human Rights Watch; IRIN; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; International Crisis Group; International Foundation for Electoral Systems; The Jamestown Foundation; Kavkasia TV; Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung; Modern Diplomacy; The Moscow Times; Munk School of Global Affairs; National Democratic Institute; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Transparency International Georgia; United Nationalist Movement; United Nations - Refworld.
Cuba: Treatment by authorities of failed asylum seekers that have returned to Cuba, including treatment of family members that remained in Cuba (2014-April 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 4 May 2016 Citation / Document Symbol CUB105498.E Related Document(s) Cuba : information sur le traitement reserve par les autorites aux demandeurs d'asile deboutes qui retournent a Cuba, y compris sur le traitement reserve aux membres de leur famille qui sont demeures a Cuba (2014-avril 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Cuba: Treatment by authorities of failed asylum seekers that have returned to Cuba, including treatment of family members that remained in Cuba (2014-April 2016), 4 May 2016, CUB105498.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575530544.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Treatment of Returned Failed Asylum Seekers

Information on the treatment by Cuban authorities of failed asylum seekers that have returned to Cuba was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The following information was provided to the Research Directorate in 2013 by the chairman of the International Institute for the Study of Cuba (IISC) [1], who presented his own views; he asserted on 5 April 2016 that, to his knowledge, it continues to be accurate:

What happens to failed asylum seekers in Cuba after they return depends upon what they did before they left [Cuba]. If they were good citizens before they left, very little if anything is done to them. However, if for example the asylum seeker was wanted for a felony in Cuba before they left[,] it is certain that they will be arrested and dealt with accordingly.

Until the change in the migration law recently, it became an offence if a Cuban remained outside the country for longer than 11 months without registering with the Consulate in the country they were residing in and obtaining permission to remain abroad. That in itself would result in a fine and a criminal record if they returned. Such people in effect lost their citizenship and their property was taken by the state in their absence. They would not get it back automatically if they did not return voluntarily and faced the music so to speak. That has now stopped following the recent reforms. (Chairman 5 Apr. 2016)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A report based on a research project on returning failed asylum seekers, conducted by a team based at Sciences Po Paris and coordinated by a research fellow at the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), states that the "new Migration Law [in Cuba] was adopted on 16th October 2012 and entered into force on 13th January 2013 (Decreto Ley 302 modifying Law 1312, or 'Ley de Migracion')" (Blondel et al. May 2015, 11). A June 2013 US Congressional Research Service paper indicates that the change in the Cuban migration policy went into effect on 14 January 2013 (US 13 June 2013, 44). The same source states that the new policy allows Cubans to stay outside of Cuba for "up to two years" without losing their rights as a citizen (ibid.). For information on the procedures and requirements for Cubans who have been outside Cuba to return to Cuba, including the 2013 legislation, see Response to Information Request CUB104521.

2. Treatment of Family Members of Returned Failed Asylum Seekers

Information on the treatment by Cuban authorities of family members of failed asylum seekers that have returned to Cuba was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The chairman of the IISC stated that, to his knowledge, family members of failed asylum seekers that have returned to Cuba "suffer no consequences" (5 Apr. 2016). Corroborating and further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The IISC is a membership association with the aim to "support and ensure the continued publication of the International Journal of Cuban Studies and to organize educational and academic events that disseminate research on Cuba, in particular its history, culture and scientific achievements" (IISC n.d.).

References

Blondel, Charlotte, Marie Conciatori, Nausicaa Preiss, Meritxell Sayos Monras, Suzanne Seiller and Janine Uhlmannsiek. May 2015. Post-deportation Risks: Criminalized Departure and Risks for Returnees in Countries of Origin. Edited by Maybritt Jill Alpes. [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

Chairman, International Institute for the Study of Cuba (IISC). 5 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

International Institute for the Study of Cuba (IISC). N.d. "Home." [Accessed 13 Apr. 2015]

United States (US). 12 June 2013. Congressional Research Service (CRS). Cuba: U.S. Policy and Issues for the 113th Congress. By Mark P. Sullivan. [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Florida International University - Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic; Cuban Research Institute, Former Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Initiatives; International Organization for Migration - Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Carribbean; Senior Lecturer, University College London; University of Miami - Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies; Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago; Professor of Spanish Language and Literature, Ramapo College of New Jersey

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asylum Research Consultancy; BBC; Bohemia; Cuba - Gaceta Oficial; Cuba Encuentro; Cuban Affairs; Cubanet; Cuban Studies; Cuba Study Group; Diario de Cuba; ecoi.net; The Economist; El Nuevo Herald; El Pais; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Freedom House; Granma; Granma Internacional; Havana Times; Human Rights Quarterly; Human Rights Watch; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; International Crisis Group; IRIN; Jane's Intelligence Review; La Cubanada; Los Angeles Times; Marti Noticias; Miami Herald; Migration Policy Institute; Minority Rights Group International; National Public Radio; Norway - Landinfo Country of Origin Information Centre; NTN24; Primavera Digital; Radio France internationale; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Transparency International; United Kingdom - Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office; United Nations - Development Program, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, ReliefWeb, UNHCR; United States - Department of Homeland Security, Department of State.
Afghanistan: UN condemns attack targeting Logar judicial officials

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 5 June 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Afghanistan: UN condemns attack targeting Logar judicial officials, 5 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575534ea40b.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

5 June 2016 - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned today's attack in Pul-e-Alam town of Logar Province in which seven civilians were killed and more than 20 injured.

According to UNAMA, three armed Taliban entered the provincial judges' and prosecutors' compound in Pul-e-Alam and began shooting Afghan civilians, killing seven, including the chief provincial appeals prosecutor and a juvenile prosecutor, and wounding at least 23 others, including at least three judges and another prosecutor. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

"I condemn today's attack and urge authorities to do everything in their power to ensure adequate protection of judicial officials and other civilians seeking access to judicial institutions," said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.

"Judicial officials and other civilians can never be considered combatants and thus should not be targeted," the UN envoy stressed.

This incident, which UNAMA said represents a pattern of attacks that have intensified in severity and increased in frequency, follows last week's attack on the provincial court compound in Ghazni city that killed four civilians and injured 15 others. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Since the beginning of January, UNAMA has verified 18 separate attacks targeting judges, prosecutors and judicial staff, which have resulted in 32 civilian deaths and 67 civilians injured. The Taliban claimed responsibility for 11 of these incidents.

The UN mission reiterated that international humanitarian law, to which all parties to the armed conflict are bound, prohibits attacks directed against civilians and the use of indiscriminate violence.

UNAMA also expressed its condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in these attacks and wishes a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.
UN chief condemns attacks in Yemen's Taiz, calls on parties to negotiate 'in good faith'

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 June 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief condemns attacks in Yemen's Taiz, calls on parties to negotiate 'in good faith', 4 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5755353b40d.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

4 June 2016 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned attacks in the Yemeni city of Taiz, which were carried out with heavy weapons, including rockets, mortars and artillery.

Rocket fire reportedly hit a busy market in the city. Attacks directed against civilians and populated areas, including markets, are strictly prohibited, stressed a statement issued by Mr. Ban spokesperson.

The UN chief underscored to all parties that targeting civilian areas is a violation of international humanitarian law and urged them to fully respect their obligations in this regard. Mr. Ban also called for an independent investigation to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

The Secretary-General continues to urge all parties to the conflict to cease all military activities in accordance with the nationwide cessation of hostilities. He further calls on them to refrain from any actions that could result in further civilian casualties. It is particularly regrettable that Taiz continues to pay a heavy toll in civilian losses despite the cessation of hostilities, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ban called on the parties participating in the peace talks in Kuwait to negotiate in good faith and urgently work with his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to bring a peaceful end to the conflict. He also urged the importance of the immediate release of prisoners and detainees.

The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, the statement concluded.
'Operating space for humanitarian actors is shrinking' in Syria, UN relief chief warns Security Council

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 3 June 2016 Cite as UN News Service, 'Operating space for humanitarian actors is shrinking' in Syria, UN relief chief warns Security Council, 3 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5755368240c.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

3 June 2016 - The top United Nations relief official said today he remains extremely concerned about the welfare of civilians across Syria, who he said continue to face "horrific deprivation and violence," particularly those trapped in besieged areas.

Briefing the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, especially on critical access issues, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien said he is concerned about people trapped in the towns of Mare'a and Sheikh Issa, as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) forces advance, and for the people in eastern Aleppo, and is "appalled" at the mortar attack on the Mseifra camp for internally displaced people in Dar'aa Governorate that occurred this past weekend.

"I told the Council that the operating space for humanitarian actors is shrinking as violence and attacks across Syria increase; and that recent attacks are creating new humanitarian emergencies and compounding the challenges in existing emergency areas," Mr. O'Brien said after consultations with the body.

He also warned members of the Council that attacks on medical facilities and health personnel have continued in the past few days, despite the recent resolution passed by the Council, and despite the expressions of concern and commitments to action.

"This is unacceptable," Mr. O'Brien emphasized.

He also reminded the Council that needs are the most acute in besieged locations.

"It is there that the parties to the conflict actively breach the basic laws of war. While humanitarians press for access, there remain areas where access continues to be denied," he said.

During his briefing, Mr. O'Brien stressed that the only sustainable solution is a complete lifting of all sieges.

"Besiegement is not a natural or necessary consequence of conflict, it is a deliberate policy of parties, and one which can be undone if the political will to do so can be mustered," he said.

Despite the escalating challenges to humanitarian operations, millions of Syrians in need are being reached through regular and cross-border assistance each month, Mr. O'Brien said, noting that he was able to report that just today a UN inter-agency convoy completed a delivery of desperately needed food for 45,000 civilians in Moadamiyah.

Humanitarian aid being unloaded in East Ghouta, Syria. Photo: OCHA

"We are slowly accessing more and more people - since January over 820,000 have had assistance, many of them more than once - but the progress, while encouraging, is far from enough," he said.

During the month of May, only two locations had been reached by land - East Harasta and Yarmouk - representing 20,000 people. This is only 3.4 per cent of the total besieged population of 592,700, he said.

"While we continued to reach those in Deir ez-Zour through high-altitude airdrops, the one-off and inconsistent land access throughout May was simply not enough," he said.

He noted, however, that they had been able to reach 40 per cent of people in 14 of the 19 besieged locations, delivering vital supplies as well as assessing the needs of people and monitoring the impact of the response.

Mr. O'Brien, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted that when aid workers entered Darayya on Wednesday, for the first time in four years, they encountered a "truly dismal situation." People have acute medical needs and clearly do not have enough food, he stressed.

Regarding the question of air bridges and air drops to be used for areas denied humanitarian access - which was the focus of the Council's discussion today - Mr. O'Brien said his position remained firm and clear: "We need to see full approval of the June plan for humanitarian access."

"We need the consent of the Syrian Government and all necessary security guarantees, in order to conduct airdrops. We need all parties to allow freedom of movement for civilians and humanitarian access. Above all, we need the fighting to stop and a political solution to start," he added.

As such, the firm action and political resolve of the international community was necessary to break the impasse and ensure that people receive the life-saving aid and protection they need, Mr. O'Brien said.

"As humanitarians, we can deliver humanitarian action - we can't fix the politics or the root causes," he said.

Mr. O'Brien also urged all parties to the conflict to not just reflect on Islam's core values of charity, mercy and peace as they entered the holy month of Ramadan, but to use that moment to apply the values to "improve the situation of those innocent civilians who suffer so terribly in this conflict."
Sudan: Five years on, refugees still fleeing conflict in South Kordofan, UN reports

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 3 June 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Sudan: Five years on, refugees still fleeing conflict in South Kordofan, UN reports, 3 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575536ce40b.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

3 June 2016 - The United Nations refugee agency today warned that tragically people are still fleeing violence in Sudan's South Kordofan State, most crossing into neighbouring South Sudan, as the conflict marks its fifth year this weekend.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 250,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan, mostly to Unity and Upper Nile, since the start of the war in the Nuba Mountains in 2011.

"A solution to the conflict and an end to the suffering are needed more than ever, as South Sudan is itself home to some 1.69 million internally displaced people," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.

So far in 2016, more than 7,500 refugees have arrived in Yida in South Sudan's northern Unity, nearly 3,000 in May alone. The area is already home to some 70,000 refugees.

"With the conflict intensifying, thousands more are expected in the coming weeks," Mr. Edwards said.

Refugees, mainly from Heiban, Um Doreein and Al Boram Counties, speak of escalating violence, including ground attacks and aerial bombings.

Mr. Edwards noted that the recent arrivals also cite lack of food and no access to schools for children as reasons for leaving, especially in and around Um Doreein.

According to refugees who have arrived this week, the conflict has recently shifted to the north-east part of South Kordofan, with some people trapped in conflict areas and unable to escape.

90 per cent of new arrivals women and children

Nearly 90 per cent of new arrivals are women and children. One child in every 10 is alone or without a family member.

At the Yida transit centre, UNHCR and its partners are providing immediate assistance to the arrivals, including a hot meal, water, a measles vaccination, and a place to rest.

From Yida, refugees are transported by bus to Ajuong Thok, a camp established in 2013 to help ease some of the pressure.

There, they are provided with plastic sheeting and poles to build a temporary home, as well as cooking pots and pans, mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats and food. Children who are unaccompanied or separated from their families are reunited with their families or placed in foster care.

With nearly 41,000 Sudanese refugees already living in Ajuong Thok, the camp has almost reached its capacity of 46,000 people. UNHCR and its partners have been expanding camp infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing population.

A new camp is underway at Pamir, some 50 kilometres south of the border, to receive new arrivals and refugees who have been living in Yida for the past five years.

As the refugee influx continues, services are becoming overstretched. In the past four weeks, available water has dropped from 19 litres per person per day to 16. Schools have become extremely overcrowded with more than 100 students sharing the same classroom. With UNHCR's operations in South Sudan funded at just 17 per cent, services and service quality are inevitably threatened, Mr. Edwards said.
Ethiopia: Detainees beaten and forced to appear before court inadequately dressed

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 3 June 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Ethiopia: Detainees beaten and forced to appear before court inadequately dressed, 3 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575538654.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Authorities in Ethiopia should immediately stop the ill treatment of political opposition members and human rights defenders who were beaten in detention and then forced to appear before the court inadequately dressed, Amnesty International said today.

The 22 defendants, including political opposition leaders Gurmesa Ayano and Beqele Gerba, Deputy Chief of the Oromo Federalist Congress, were brought today before the court inadequately dressed. According to complaints lodged with the court by Beqele Gerba, some defendants were beaten while in detention, and prison officials confiscated all the defendant's black suits, which they intended to wear to court. The rest of their clothes were taken by other prisoners.

"Aside from the beatings they suffered in detention, degrading the defendants by making them attend court in their underpants is a new low in the behavior of the prison authorities and a total outrage," said Michelle Kagari Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Eastern Africa and the Great Lakes.

"The Ethiopian authorities and the Court cannot let this ill-treatment go unanswered. They must ensure a prompt credible investigations and that those responsible are held accountable."

The 22 defendants were charged under the Anti-terrorism Proclamation law for organising the November 2015 Oromia protest. On 26 April 2016 the court adjourned their hearing for 11 May 2016. However on 11 May 2016 the prison authorities failed to present the defendants in court. The defendants all wore black suits in mourning for those killed during the protests, which apparently caused the prison authorities to refuse to take them to court.

"Ethiopia's long time muzzling of dissent has had a devastating effect on opposition members and human rights defenders who are completely prevented from exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," said Michelle Kagari

Beqele Gerba and the co-defendants in the case were arbitrarily arrested following the largely peaceful protests which began in November 2015 against the dispossession of land without adequate compensation in Ethiopia's Oromo region.

In response to the protests, the authorities arbitrarily arrested thousands of people, and several hundreds of people participating in the protests have been unlawfully killed by the security services.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Palestine: ICC Should Open Formal Probe

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 June 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Palestine: ICC Should Open Formal Probe, 5 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/575539004.html [accessed 26 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza entered its 50th year, Human Rights Watch called today on the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to open a formal investigation into serious international crimes committed in Palestine by Israelis and Palestinians.

Given strong evidence that serious crimes have been committed in Palestine since 2014, including new population transfers into occupied territories, the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, should undertake a formal probe consistent with the ICC's Rome Statute, Human Rights Watch said. An ICC investigation is needed given the grave nature of many of the violations and the pervasive climate of impunity for those crimes.

"After nearly a half century of impunity, it's time that those responsible for some of the gravest crimes, whether against Palestinians or Israelis, pay the price," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. "The ICC prosecutor should move forward and investigate the crimes by all parties so that the victims can obtain a measure of justice that has long eluded them."

Human Rights Watch issued its statement on the 49th anniversary of the start of the June 1967 (or Six Day) War that resulted in the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The ICC treaty officially went into effect for Palestine on April 1, 2015, giving the court jurisdiction over serious crimes in violation of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on or from Palestinian territory. On January 1, 2015, the Palestinian government gave the court a mandate back to June 13, 2014, to cover the 2014 conflict in Gaza.

Based on her policy for responding to declarations accepting the court's jurisdiction, Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine on January 16, 2015. During the preliminary examination phase, the prosecutor determines whether the criteria have been met to merit pursuing a formal investigation on the basis of information that is either publicly available or submitted to her office. Human Rights Watch wrote to Bensouda in November 2015, to share materials from its own research that are relevant to her inquiry.

The prosecutor's current preliminary inquiry includes analyzing whether crimes specified in the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding document, have been committed; whether those crimes are sufficiently grave to merit the court's attention; and whether national authorities are genuinely carrying out credible investigations and, if appropriate, prosecutions of the cases under ICC consideration, since the ICC is a court of last resort. The prosecutor's 2015 preliminary examinations report, issued on November 12, said that her office was assessing whether there was a reasonable basis to believe that ICC crimes have been or are being committed in or from Palestine.

During the 2014 hostilities in Gaza, Human Rights Watch, as well as a United Nations Commission of Inquiry and local and international human rights organizations, documented unlawful attacks by the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including apparent war crimes. Fighting killed more than 1,500 civilians in the Gaza Strip, damaged hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, and destroyed the homes of more than 100,000 Palestinians. Palestinian armed groups launched rockets and fired mortars toward Israeli population centers, killing five civilians and causing thousands to temporarily leave their homes. Palestinian armed groups also endangered Palestinian civilians by firing from populated areas and hiding weapons in UN schools, according to UNRWA.

The UN Commission of Inquiry found substantial information suggesting that Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups had committed serious violations of the laws of war and that such violations appeared to be part of policy decisions by the leadership on both sides.

The alleged crimes at issue are not limited to the 2014 Gaza fighting, Human Rights Watch said. The ICC statute also classifies as a war crime an occupying power's transfer of its own civilians "directly or indirectly" into territory it occupies. The transfer of inhabitants of the occupied territory from their homes to other places within or outside this territory is also a war crime.

Since it occupied the West Bank in 1967, Israel has actively facilitated the movement of its citizens into settlements there. Successive Israeli governments have enabled these transfers, even though settlements in occupied territories are unlawful under international humanitarian law and are integral to Israeli policies that dispossess, discriminate against, and violate the human rights of Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said. Israel's Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over the Israeli military's activities in the West Bank, has declined to rule on the legality of transferring Israeli civilians into the West Bank, saying it is primarily a political issue.

A January report by the UN secretary-general on Israeli settlements said that the "presence and continued development of Israeli settlements lie at the root of a broad spectrum of human rights violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem." All of these policies have continued since June 13, 2014, including new transfers of thousands of Israeli citizens into the West Bank.

Without a request by either an ICC member country or the UN Security Council, the ICC prosecutor can seek to open an investigation on her own initiative, but she would need the authorization of an ICC pretrial chamber. Judges would rely on the materials submitted by the prosecution to determine whether there is a "reasonable basis" to proceed, taking into account the court's requirements concerning the gravity of the crimes and the inability or unwillingness of national courts to prosecute. The prosecutor's office has acted on its own motion in the cases of Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, and Georgia.

On June 25, 2015, the Palestinian foreign affairs minister, Riad al-Maliki, submitted information to Bensouda's office to assist with her inquiry. Palestine submitted further information on August 3 and October 30. Staff from the prosecutor's office also met with Palestinian officials on March 19, 2016, in Amman, Jordan, news reports said.

While Israel announced in July that it would open a dialogue with Bensouda over her preliminary examination, a senior Israeli official said that Israel intended to make clear its position that the ICC did not have any authority over the situation in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel signed but has not ratified the Rome Statute, and in 2002, it announced that it did not intend to become a member of the court. Israel is thus not under a legal obligation to cooperate with the court.

A number of Palestinian nongovernmental organizations have also submitted information for the ICC prosecutor's consideration, including Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq, Aldameer, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. In recent months, an Al-Haq staff member based in The Hague received death threats that the group believed were linked to its ICC advocacy.

The ICC prosecutor has indicated that there is no specific timeline for her preliminary examination. If the prosecutor pursues a Palestine investigation, it would be the court's 11th situation under investigation. Bensouda is also considering whether investigations are merited in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Ukraine, among others.

The ICC is mainly funded by contributions from member countries. Its financing is under pressure due to the austerity budgets of many governments, and the prosecution is struggling to carry out several much-needed investigations on its docket, including in Cote d'Ivoire and Libya. The ICC's ability to meet the ever-increasing demand for international justice is inextricably linked to having necessary resources, Human Rights Watch said.

"The ICC prosecutor's crowded docket should not deter her from moving forward on the Palestine situation and chipping away at the wall of impunity," Whitson said. "ICC member countries should be stepping up with support for the court to ensure that all the preliminary examinations under way get the proper attention they deserve."

Recent Settlement Construction

More than half a million Israeli settlers live in 237 settlements in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. In 2014, the population of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem, grew by about 14,000, according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and other buildings in the West Bank displaced 1,177 Palestinians in 2014, and 757 Palestinians in 2015, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The United Kingdom, France, and the European Union have recently condemned Israel's continued settlement activity as illegal under international law.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2015, construction began on 1,913 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank, not including East Jerusalem, and workers completed construction of 2,033 housing units there, intended for Israeli settlers. In 2014, construction began on 1,516 new housing units in West Bank settlements, and workers completed construction of 1,615 units. The Bureau of Statistics does not aggregate construction data by month, and Human Rights Watch could not determine how much of the 2014 construction took place after June 13, the date when the ICC mandate begins.

In addition to the actual construction, in 2015, the Israeli government published tenders for 1,143 new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli nongovernmental group Peace Now. Also according to Peace Now, in 2015, the Israeli government approved regional building plans to accommodate thousands of additional settlers in the West Bank.

Policies of Deliberate and Indiscriminate Attacks

The UN Commission of Inquiry reported that intentional and indiscriminate attacks against Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups appeared to be part of a deliberate policy. The commission noted that, "statements made by Palestinian armed groups with regard to the firing of rockets indicate intent to direct those attacks against civilians." Human Rights Watch has also documented rockets and mortars that Palestinian armed groups fired toward Israeli population centers. The unguided rockets launched by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza are inherently indiscriminate and incapable of being aimed at possible military targets in or near Israeli population centers.

The commission also reported the large number of Israeli strikes on apparent civilian objects such as homes and other residential buildings, noting "that these strikes may have constituted military tactics reflective of a broader policy, approved at least tacitly by decision-makers at the highest levels of the Government of Israel."

In particular, the consistency of behavior among different units of the Israeli military, in different parts of the Gaza Strip, indicated to the commission that the conduct observed of Israeli troops was planned and approved by the military leadership. For example, the commission found that the use of precision-guided missiles against residential buildings in 15 examined cases indicated that the destruction was deliberate and planned.

The commission also noted that Israeli authorities did not provide information indicating activity that would have made these buildings legitimate military targets. The Israeli military stated instead that it warned the civilian population, but the commission found that in many cases, the warnings were inadequate, and that Israeli troops treated people in areas where warnings had been issued as legitimate targets, even when escape was difficult or impossible.

The commission further found that widespread destruction of civilian property, failure to protect civilians, and the use of imprecise or inaccurate weapons in densely populated areas also appeared to be part of patterns of conduct authorized by senior Israeli officials. It noted that even after the deadly impact on civilians of destroying residential buildings became apparent to Israeli military leaders during the hostilities, there did not appear to be a re-assessment of the practice.

Similarly, the fact that the Israeli military did not modify its practice of firing heavy artillery in densely populated areas, even after the extent of civilian death and injury became apparent in real time, as daily news reports provided casualty numbers, suggested to the commission that Israel's policy on artillery use in populated areas did not comply with international humanitarian law prohibitions on indiscriminate attacks.

Impunity and Lack of Accountability

Neither Israel nor Palestine has made meaningful progress in providing justice for serious laws-of-war violations during the 2014 conflict. The commission noted the track record of impunity by all sides. The history of accountability for violations by both Israel and Palestinian forces is poor, Human Rights Watch said.

Israeli military inquiries into the 2014 Gaza hostilities are ongoing. Thus far, two soldiers have been charged with looting about US$600 from a Palestinian home and a third with covering it up. In January 2015, Israel also announced an investigation by its state comptroller, but no report is yet available. In May 2015, Israeli authorities published a report on the "factual and legal aspects" of the 2014 Gaza conflict, including a summary of military inquiries to date. However, the Commission of Inquiry expressed its concern about "a number of procedural, structural and substantive shortcomings, which continue to compromise Israel's ability to adequately fulfil its duty to investigate." On May 25, 2016, an Israeli human rights organization, B'Tselem, announced that after 25 years of referring to the IDF reports of alleged human rights and humanitarian law abuses by its personnel and urging the IDF to investigate them, it was halting such referrals, describing the IDF's apparatus for investigating abuses as a "whitewash mechanism."

The Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza are not known to have carried out any investigations of alleged war crimes committed by Palestinian armed groups, including the deliberate or indiscriminate firing on civilians in Israel.

Israel and Hamas have acted to obstruct external investigations. Neither Israel nor Hamas responded to questions posed by the Commission of Inquiry, and Israel refused to allow commission investigators to enter Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza. Israel does not allow international human rights investigators into Gaza and has repeatedly refused requests by Human Rights Watch staff to enter Gaza. The Hamas authorities have intimidated journalists and human rights workers seeking to document violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by Palestinian armed groups and have failed to protect them from attacks.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
News / National

by Walter Nyamukondiwa

A self-styled prophet was recently slapped with a 22-year jail term for indecently assaulting two women who sought spiritual deliverance at his shrine before raping them.Iden Muzvondiwa Chabvutagondo (27) would insert a cooking stick in the privates of his clients and later rape them as part of the rituals to cast out evil spirits tormenting them.Chabvutagondo of Mapfumo Village in Zvimba, who denied the charges, was found to be unreliable during the trial as he was contradicting himself.As a result, Chinhoyi regional magistrate Mr Felix Mawadze found Chabvutagondo guilty of two counts of indecent assault and a further two counts of rape involving two women.The prosecutor, Miss Chipo Hungwe, proved beyond reasonable doubt that Chabvutagondo systematically lured the women with conditions that eventually led to their abuse.Mr Mawadze said Chabvutagondo preyed on the women's vulnerabilities and took advantage of his position. He said religious leaders should not misuse the gifts they have to abuse their followers."From the evidence led, it is clear that the women had been converted as one of them went to the shrine on more than one occasion," he said.The magistrate said the spirit misled Chabvutagondo when he chose to indecently assault and rape the two women.Such people, he said, should be taken away from society for a long time.For purposes of sentencing, the two counts of indecent assault were treated as one, attracting a 10-year jail term which was reduced to seven years after three years were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.The other two counts of rape were also combined and he was sentenced to 18 years before three years were set aside.
See what to expect in coming months along I-69 Finish Line corridor

As the leaves begin to fall and air temperatures begin to cool, the 2022 road construction season will soon slow down.
The 2016 wheat crop can be compared to a roller-coaster ride. And most of the up and downs have been weather-related.

This past fall, wet field conditions hampered planting, with not all intended acres going into wheat.

Then, January and February's dry conditions reduced growth.

As the wheat began to break dormancy in March, the rains came. That was a very good thing then, but in some fields it became too much of a good thing as a fungus disease, known as rust, began to emerge. That was due to extended moist and humid conditions.

As warmer weather reduced rust, spring storms produced hail, damaging the crop in locations across the area. On the plus side, moisture during the grain-fill stage was adding to the quality of the remaining crop. As the rains continued, producers were beginning to become concerned about 'head sprouting,' in which the mature wheat begins to germinate before harvest. Also, because of the moisture many other weeds and plants such as wild oats began to emerge.

Wheat was once considered a 'windshield crop' planted in the fall, and harvested in the late spring, requiring little maintenance. Not the case these days.

A former extension entomologist compared wheat to a cat with nine lives, able to bounce back from some minor setbacks.

The small grain program conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service provides producers with the tools to help this regional crop withstand most of these setbacks. For several years, the research and variety plots in northeast Taylor County have been the focal point for this needed research. Besides grain yields, disease resistance, weed control and insect tolerance have been addressed.

To reduce input cost, Dr. Jake Mowrer, soil nutrient and water resource management specialist, is exploring the nutrient needs of wheat and comparing available soil levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium at different levels in the soil profile.

Mowrer stresses the need for a soil test to determine the amount of fertilizer to be applied, and the timing of the fertilizer.

'Economically, producers must only applied what is needed,' he said.

Mowrer plans to begin detailed survey and fertility plots in the region to address this subject.

Besides crop conditions, wheat is facing lower prices this spring. At the recent Wheat Field day, the question of what will a certain variety yield was posed. The answer was 40 bushels, but one producer said it needed to make 80 to cover costs this year.

Dragging on prices are back-to-back record world wheat crops. USDA estimates the world produced 725.12 million metric tons in the 2014-15 marketing year, with another 732.79 million metric tons estimated for the 2015-16 marketing year.

World ending stocks, meanwhile, are seen ballooning to a record 227.3 million metric tons for the current year, according to Darrell Holaday of Country Hedging in Frankfort, Kansas. With enough wheat to go around, the U.S. faces a lot of competition on the export front, Holaday says.

Dr. Mark Welch, grain marketing specialist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, keeps a close watch on the wheat crop throughout the Midwest. He notes that crop conditions have dropped somewhat, but overall a large crop is expected from U.S. producers this year.

Wheat in the Big Country is a multipurpose crop providing grain, grazing and, at times, hay. While production levels look promising, the financial returns are not so great in 2016.
News / National

by Pamela Shumba

POLICE in Bulawayo are appealing for information on the whereabouts of four missing people.Bulawayo provincial spokesperson, Inspector Precious Simango said Oscar Bango, 50, Brighton Moyo, 30, Minenhle Moyo, 24, and Wesley Chidochashe, 16, went missing in Bulawayo in April and May this year.Insp Simango said Bango, from 4103/23 Kumalo Flats in Kumalo North was last seen on May 2 at about 2PM by his wife Nonsikelelo. Bango allegedly left home saying he was going to town but never returned. "Bango's family has been trying his mobile phone since he left home but it's not going through."He's dark in complexion, tall and stout," said Insp Simango. She said anyone with information that may lead to Bango's whereabouts can contact the investigation officer Constable Sibanda on 0777 487 773, ZRP Bulawayo Central on 09-71515 or the nearest police station.Insp Simango said Chidochashe from Selborne Brooke went missing on April 21 at about 7PM. "She disappeared from home without carrying any extra clothes. She is dark in complexion, about 1,6 metres tall and of medium built," said Insp Simango.Anyone with information on Chidochashe can contact the investigation officer Constable Munemo on 0712 260 557, ZRP Bulawayo Central on 09-71515 or the nearest police station.Brighton, a first year student at the National University of Science and Technology was last seen on May 18, at about 11AM. He was a tenant at 30099/15 Entumbane suburb where he was living with a friend.His father, Edmore Moyo who lives in Mberengwa said he was offering a reward to anyone with information on the whereabouts of his son. He said Brighton is tall, dark and stutters when he speaks. Minenhle, a mental patient from B5254 Old Pumula went missing on May 24.Her sister Sithembokuhle Baloyi said Minenhle, a student at Mzilikazi Craft Centre was last seen wearing a black and white uniform. "She left home on May 24 at 6.45AM but never returned," she said. Baloyi said anyone with information that may lead to Minenhle's location can contact her on 0777 637 011 or the nearest police station.
MONDAY

Movie at the library

A showing of a 2004 movie based on a best-selling book will begin at 10 a.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Popcorn will be served. Admission is free.

Cemetery meeting

LAWN  A meeting regarding the Dewey Cemetery will begin at 7 p.m. at the Cook-Mayfield Library.

Dance

SWEETWATER  A dance featuring Exit 277 will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Nolan County Coliseum Annex. Admission is $6.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, noon, Hinds Square Building, 100 Chestnut St., Room 112.

Blood drive, 12:30-3:30 p.m., Rentech Boilers, 5025 E. Highway 80.

Schizophrenia Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Anorexics Bulimics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Central Texas Gem & Mineral Society of Abilene, 7 p.m., 7607 Highway 277 South. 325-692-0063.

Abilene Toastmaster's Club 1071, 7 p.m., Conference Center, Texas State Technical College, 650 E. Highway 80. 325-692-7325 or abilene.toastmastersclubs.org.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.

Memory Men (4-part a cappella singing), 7 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 1165 Minter Lane. Park on east side, enter through kitchen. 325-676-SING.

Taylor County Libertarian Party, 7 p.m., Winery at Willow Creek, 4353 S. Treadaway Blvd. 325-675-0266.

Abilene Community Band rehearsal, 7:30 p.m., Bynum Band Hall, McMurry University. 325-232-7383.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Avoca United Methodist Church. 325-773-2611.

Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Group. 325-676-1400.

TUESDAY

Summer reading program

WINTERS  A summer reading program for children age 2 through fifth grade will be presented at 1:30 p.m. at the Winters Public Library, 120 N. Main St. Nancy Robinson Masters will be the guest speaker. For more information, call 325-754-4251.

Puppet show

A puppet show for children ages 6 and up will begin at 3 p.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Admission is free.

Business workshop

The Texas Tech Small Business Development Center Abilene will conduct a Texas Comptroller Workshop from 6-8 p.m. in the Texas Tech Training Center, 749 Gateway St., Suite 301. For reservations, call 325-670-0300.

Other ...

Veterans benefit meeting, 10 a.m. to noon, Disabled American Veterans, 2555 Grape St. 325-793-9699 or 325-480-6175.

Mission on the Move Soup Kitchen, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Southwest Drive Community United Methodist Church, 3025 Southwest Dr.

Abilene Southwest Rotary Club, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St.

High Noon Al-Anon, noon, Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road (south end; follow the yellow signs).

Blood drive, 1-6 p. m. m, Cash Saver, Hamlin.

Stroke/Aphasia Recovery Program support group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. West Texas Rehabilitation Center boardroom, 4601 Hartford St. 325-793-3535.

Dystonia Support Group, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Not Without Us, 3301 N. First St. Suite 117.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), 5:30 p.m., Brook Hollow Christian Church, 2310 S. Willis St. 325-232-7444.

Legacies Al-Anon Family Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-280-7584.

Dining For Women  Abilene Chapter, 6 p.m., First Christian Church, 1420 N. Third St.

Family (of Mental Health Consumers) Support Group, 6-7 p.m., Mental Health Association in Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

MHAA Bipolar/Depression Peer Support Group, 6-8 p.m., Ministry of Counseling & Enrichment, 1502 N. First St. 325-673-2300.

Free certified nurturing parent class (pregnancy to toddler), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Abilene Star Chorus, 6:15 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1333 N. Third St. 325-829-1470.

Overeaters Anonymous, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Exodus Metropolitan Community Church, 1933 S. 27th St.

Al-Anon Parents Group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. Use Church Street entrance.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., Doug Meinzer Activity Center, Knox City. 940-658-3926.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 7-8:30 p.m., 2043 N. Second St.

Parents, Family, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of the Big Country, 7-9 p.m., Unity Church, 2842 Barrow St. 325-232-4726, www.pflagbc.weebly.com.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

WEDNESDAY

Culinary arts bake sale

The annual Culinary Arts Bake Sale, featuring food made by Texas State Technical College in Abilene students, will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the T&P Building, 901 N. First St. Proceeds will go to the school's Culinary Arts program.

Catfish fundraiser

ASPERMONT  A catfish buffet fundraiser will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Stonewall County Senior Citizens Center, 536 S. Washington. The cost is $10. Takeout will be available.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 8 a.m., Hinds Square Building, Room 112, 100 Chestnut St.

Blood drive, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Abilene Regional Medical Center, 6250 Highway 83/84.

Abilene Cactus Lions Club, 11:45 a.m., Cotton Patch Cafe, 3302 S. Clack St.

Abilene Wednesday Rotary Club, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway. $12 for lunch. Jo Ann Wilson, 325-677-6815.

Kiwanis Club of Abilene, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd.

Clearly Speaking Toastmaster Club, noon, Westgate Church of Christ, 402 S. Pioneer Drive. 325-795-5570.

Diabetes Support Group, 2-3 p.m., Stonewall County Library.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Veterans Peer Support Group, 6 p.m., 765 Orange St. 325-670-4818.

Mid-week Al-Anon Family Group, 6-7 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-698-4995.

Advanced Square Dancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wagon Wheel.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

DivorceCare support group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. 325-691-4200.

THURSDAY

Women's luncheon

A Christian Women's Connection luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd. Sue Oman will be the guest speaker. Tickets are $16. For reservations, or for more information, contact 325-370-6567 or AbileneCWC@aol.com.

Children's Art & Literacy Festival

The Children's Art & Literacy Festival, featuring author and illustrator Mark Teague, will begin with a costume contest at 4 p.m. at the Elks Arts Center, 1174 N. First St., and will continue with ArtWalk events. The festival will continue at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday in downtown Abilene, with shows, activities, music and exhibitions open throughout both days. Registration is $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 3-12. To register, or for more information, go to www.abilenecalf.com.

ArtWalk

ArtWalk, a program of the Center for Contemporary Arts, will take place from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Abilene. The theme will be 'Some Enchanted Evening,' and will celebrate the Children's Art & Literacy Festival. An exhibit of Mark Teague's work will be open at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St., and a storybook parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. Teague will give a talk and sign books at 6:20 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Admission is free.

Barbarian Festival Parade

CROSS PLAINS  The annual Barbarian Festival Parade will begin at 6 p.m. in downtown Cross Plains. The parade will begin lining up at 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. A fish fry will be served from 5-7 p.m. at the Cross Plains Senior Center. The Barbarian Festival scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to flooding.

'Noises Off!'

A production of the comedy 'Noises Off!' will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at Abilene Community Theatre, 809 Barrow St. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, seniors and military. For reservations, call 325-673-6271.

Other ...

Abilene Garden Club, 10 a.m., 300 Westwood St.

Chronic Pain and Depression Group, 11 a.m. to noon, Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St., 325-673-2300.

Abilene Founder Lions Club, 11:30 a.m., Al's Mesquite Grill, 4801 Buffalo Gap Road.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St. 325-695-0092.

Mental Illness Open Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Blood drive, 1-6 p.m., First Baptist Church, Albany.

Abilene 42 Club, 6 p.m., Rose Park Senior Center.

PEP (People Enjoying People) Club, 6 p.m., Wylie Baptist Church, 6097 Buffalo Gap Road 325-692-4909.

Teen Recovery Group, 6-7 p.m., Mission Abilene, 3001 N. Third St.

Free certified nurturing parent class (all ages), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 6:30 p.m. Brook Hollow Christian Church. Weigh-in begins at 5:30 p.m. 325-665-5052.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 6:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Gambler's Anonymous, 6:30 p.m., Unity Spiritual Living Center, 2842 Barrow St. 325-338-2575.

West Texas Genealogical Society, 6:30 p.m., Rose Park Senior Citizen Center.

Round Dancing, 7 p.m., Wagon Wheel. 325-829-1517.

Tea Party Patriots of Eastland County, 7 p.m., Myrtle Wilks Community Center, Cisco.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

Hendrick Hospice Care sponsors a 'Gone But Not Lost' support group the second Thursday of each month for any bereaved parent who has lost a child of any age. Information: 325-677-8516 or 1-800-622-8516.
Movie at the library

A showing of a 2004 movie based on a best-selling book will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Popcorn will be served. Free.

Summer reading program

A summer reading program for children ages 2 through fifth grade will be presented at 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Winters Public Library, 120 N. Main St., in Winters. A guest speaker will be presented each week, starting with Nancy Robinson Masters. For more information, call 325-754-4251.

Puppet show

A puppet show for children 6 and older will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Free admission.

Bake sale

The annual Culinary Arts Bake Sale, featuring food made by students from Texas State Technical College in Abilene, will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the T&P Building, 901 N. First St. Proceeds will go to the school's culinary arts program.

Women's luncheon

A Christian Women's Connection luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd. Sue Oman will be the guest speaker. Tickets are $16. For reservations, or for more information, call 325-370-6567 or AbileneCWC@aol.com.

Children's Art & Literacy Festival

The Children's Art & Literacy Festival, featuring author and illustrator Mark Teague, will begin with a costume contest at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Elks Arts Center, 1174 N. First St., and will continue with ArtWalk events. The festival will continue at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday in downtown Abilene, with shows, activities, music and exhibitions open throughout both days. Registration is $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 3-12. To register, or for more information, go to www.abilenecalf.com.

ArtWalk

ArtWalk, a program of the Center for Contemporary Arts, will take place from 5-8 p.m. Thursday in downtown Abilene. The theme will be 'Some Enchanted Evening,' and will celebrate the Children's Art & Literacy Festival. An exhibit of Mark Teague's work will be open at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St., and a storybook parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. Teague will give a talk and sign books at 6:20 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 352 Cypress St. Free admission.

'Noises Off!'

A production of the comedy 'Noises Off!' will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at Abilene Community Theatre, 809 Barrow St. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, seniors and military. For reservations, call 325-673-6271.

Quilt show

The 2016 Stars Over Abilene Quilt Show will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Vendors, workshops, lectures and more will be available, and more than 200 quilts will be on display. Admission is $6. For more information, go to www.abilenequiltersguild.org.

Truby reunion

The biennial Truby reunion will begin with registration at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Jones County Activity Building, 1008 West Court Plaza, in Anson. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish for a potluck lunch, as well as photos and memorabilia. For more information, call 325-725-7393, 817-805-1964 or 325-928-3869.

Movie at the library

A showing of a G-rated 1993 animated movie will begin at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the South Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1401 S. Danville Drive. Popcorn and drinks will be served. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and a pillow. Free admission.

Chautauqua

The Chautauqua Learning Series will continue with a presentation by Catherine Lansdowne on 'Fashion and Music' from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday at Buffalo Gap Historic Village, 133 N. William St., in Buffalo Gap. Free admission.

Beatles Fest

The sixth annual Beatles Fest will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at Play Faire Park, 2300 N. Second St. Fraid Knot, Happy Fat, Jonathan Hester and others will perform and a Beetle car show will be presented. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Admission is $10, with a $5 cooler fee.

Cooper reunion

The Cooper High School Class of 1976's 40-year reunion will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 34 Fairway Oaks Blvd. Registration is $60. For reservations, contact ggalbraith@sbcglobal.net, mgem@suddenlink.net or 325-864-3902.

Showcase concert

The annual Abilene Music Teachers Association showcase concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church, 1333 N. Third St. Dozens of piano students and teachers from around the area will perform. Free admission.

Memory workshop

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Taylor County will present a two-part workshop, 'Master of Memory,' June 16 and 23 at the extension office at 1982 Lytle Way. Sessions will be available from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 5:30-8 p.m. both days. Information will presented on how memory works and how it can be improved. Admission is $10, and registration must be made by Friday. To register, call 325-672-6048.

Exercise classes

Classes featuring low-impact aerobics will be presented to the public from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through June 29 in Room 200 of the Hunt Physical Education Center at McMurry University. Admission is $3 per session or $30 for all sessions. For more information, email jmcmurray@mcm.edu.
City of Cisco employees are working to restore water service to residents after the water treatment plant flooded last week.

Some 300,000 gallons of partially treated water received further treatment and was pumped into the city's water towers for use in toilets and bathing, according to a Facebook post by Councilman Jason Weger.

City officials hope that will tide the city over until a portable water treatment trailer brought in Sunday is operational, he said.

The city will remain under a boil-water notice, even after the portable water treatment plant is put in use Monday. Residents are asked to conserve water.

Meanwhile, bottled water is available at Myrtle Wilks Community Center and Calvary Baptist Church. Volunteers at Calvary will deliver water if necessary.

A boat was used to deliver water and supplies Sunday to residents stranded at Lake Cisco.

Red Cross volunteers will be at the community center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday to help victims of the flooding, including handing out cleanup kits.

City crews will be working to make North Shore Drive passable Monday, Weger posted.

Republic Waste Service will bring trash containers to North Shore and South Shore drives Monday to be used for cleanup efforts. The Cisco convenience station will be free of charge to all lake residents and flood victims.

The water level at Lake Cisco has dropped by more than a foot since Friday, according to the Texas Water Development Board.

Mayor James King posted on the city's Facebook page Saturday that the Lake Cisco dam 'is holding nicely,' and wrote that additional inspections will be performed. The dam began impounding water in 1923.

Meanwhile, water is also receding at Lake Brownwood and in the Pecan Bayou.

All streets that were closed in Brownwood reopened by Sunday evening, according to a news release from the city.

Cleanup of streets and parks will begin Monday and take at least a week.

'The city of Brownwood appreciates the assistance of the local, regional and state law enforcement, emergency response and public safety entities throughout this extended flooding event,' according to the release by City Manager Emily Crawford. 'Additional thanks is extended to the media for their partnership with the city to inform the public of updates and announcements.'
DUBLIN  Pretty Peggy Pepper lost her head, but it wasn't over a boy.

'In March, we had a tornado and it took the roof off the fire station and the roof off the city hall, which was already being repaired from our storm last year,' said Luanne Schexnider, executive director of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

We met in the pocket park at the intersection of Blackjack and Patrick streets, called the Corner Lot by some and the Dublin Pretty Peggy Pepper Park by others. The centerpiece namesake for the latter park title is a large billboard of a young lady dressed like a Rangerette but wearing a garrison cap rather than a Stetson.

'That was on a Tuesday and we had our St. Patrick's (celebration) on the next Saturday,' Schexnider continued. 'Peggy lost her head sometime in that storm.'

What's left of the display faces west, still greeting visitors entering town after State Highway 6 turns into Blackjack. The head and upper torso are missing, but the legs and boots still sit on the swing. It just doesn't rock beneath its tree anymore, except when the wind blows.

Each year on the second weekend in June Dublin used to change its name to Dr Pepper in honor of being the home of the soft drink's oldest bottling plant. But after a 2011 lawsuit between Dublin Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper/Snapple resulted in the loss of the beverage's local production, the town and the bottling plant have done their best to move on.

In some ways, what to do about Pretty Peggy Pepper reflects that.

'I know there are those people who would really like to keep it as the icon of this area,' Schexnider said, adding not everyone in town shares those feelings.

Manager Kenny Horton's business card describes him as the 'Head Soda Jerk' for Dublin Bottling Works, which is the name the Dublin Dr Pepper took after the lawsuit.

'A big storm knocked her head off, but we found it,' he said of the sign. 'It's been a focal piece for a lot of people who come into town.

'I know there are a lot of people who want us to restore it to exactly what it was before, there are some people who want us to change it, and there are some people who want us to tear it down.'

Horton said the sign was installed at the park in 1998 through the efforts of William P. Kloster, the former owner of the plant who died the following year.

Would they like to see the sign repaired?

'It would look a lot better than it does now, that's really why we're trying to get all the red tape figured out so we can know what to do with it,' Horton said. 'There's always a good time for change; so to do something new, maybe something that incorporates Pretty Peggy Pepper from our history, or that brings us into a new era but yet holds to the history of the company, I'm cool with.'

Saturday will mark the 125th anniversary of the bottling plant. Pre-lawsuit, that would be been an excuse for a wild blowout, but Dublin Bottling Works efforts this weekend will be focused on what's ahead.

'We're in the process of getting equipment for a brand-new bottling facility, we've kind of put all of our funds toward that,' Horton said. 'In order to do that, we decided to go a little bit more low-key, there's been years past where we've spent upwards of $100,000 on the celebration.'

Rebranded as 'Dublin Fun Day,' Schexnider said visitors to the community would not want for lack of something to do.

'We'll have a big reunion, there will also be the Irish Stampede, which is the annual run sponsored by the Lions Club,' she said.

In addition to that activity, also billed as the 10-5-2K Run, a bike ride sponsored by Kids Across Cultures that used to be called Tour de Pepper is now known as the Tour de Agua. KAC is a nonprofit raising money to provide clean drinking water, among other things, for people in developing nations.

Schexnider and Horton both said Old Doc's Soda Shop and the plant's museum will be open.

'A lot of people still want to come to Dublin for that,' she said. 'So we're incorporating a little museum crawl because we have five museums, which is pretty amazing for a small town.'

Time has moved on for the bottling plant, too. No longer restricted to the 44-mile radius it was limited to for selling Dublin Dr Pepper, the presence of Dublin Bottling Works products has increased exponentially in the Big Country since the lawsuit.

'Absolutely, West Texas has been one of our fastest-growing areas of late,' Horton said. 'We're in quite a few places around Abilene.'

The History Channel's 'American Pickers' television show featured a segment on the museum this month, too, with the show's hosts purchasing some items from the museum's back-stock from a warehouse.

Also from one of the warehouses is a display in the company store of 8-ounce bottles of Dublin Dr Pepper from the last bottling run. Going for $4.99 each, they are also labeled 'Not for Consumption.'

'We were cleaning out a warehouse the other day and found a few cases,' Horton said. 'If somebody wanted a little token of our history, we figured we would let a few of those go.'

But not drinkable? My own stash in the garage would beg to differ.

'You can still taste the semblance of the old flavor, but they're quite flat. They are over five years old,' he said. 'It's not as bad as you might think they might be, but you can definitely tell they have some age to them.'

I guess it's time to stop hoarding and start drinking.
The Abilene City Council will again discuss a possible ordinance that would ban texting while driving when the board meets Thursday.

If approved, the city will schedule a public hearing and final vote on the proposed ordinance for June 23.

In other business, the board will look at awarding a bid to replace the water main under part of Ambler Avenue before street repairs under the bond program can begin.

Additionally, the council could approve an agreement with a private developer of a Wylie subdivision to provide financial incentive to construct a sewer main extension.

The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. in the council chambers, 555 Walnut St.

Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said the proposed texting while driving ordinance would prohibit typing or reading messages, including on social media, while driving. It will not prohibit talking on smartphones, he said.

'We want council to provide us with definitive direction,' Standridge said. 'Do they want to consider this ordinance for a second reading? Do they want to modify any of the language? Or do they want to opt for an educational component and forego an ordinance completely?'

Standridge said the ordinance, if adopted, would be difficult to enforce. Out-of-town travelers likely would not be aware of the ordinance either, he said.

'I've heard people say it will keep honest people honest,' he said.

It would behoove the state for the Legislature to examine the issue on a holistic level, Standridge said, so that all residents of the state would be informed. Regardless, he said there needs to be a public awareness campaign on distracted driving even if the ordinance does not pass.

Ambler Avenue could get closer to reconstruction if the council approves a contract with Bill Starks Construction to replace 20,360 feet of existing cast iron water main. The city wants to replace the water main before beginning street work to help prevent future water main breaks.

The replacement water line would run from Meadowbrook Drive to Treadaway Boulevard at a cost of $1.9 million.

Lastly, council members will discuss in closed session a potential agreement with Red Dirt Holdings Inc. for the Elm Creek at Wylie subdivision. The agreement would allow the city to provide funds upfront to the developer to build an off-site sewer extension of about 3,900 feet, which Red Dirt would later reimburse to the city. The company is required to build the extension.

Because the sewer extension would reduce long-term maintenance costs for the city, the agreement would benefit the city to make sure the extension is built. The estimated cost of the sewer extension is $550,600, according to the proposed agreement.

Twitter: BrookeCrum_ARN
FORT HOOD  A San Angelo soldier was among nine service members killed during a June 2 training accident when their vehicle overturned in Central Texas flood waters, according to Fort Hood officials.

According to a Fort Hood news release, Pvt. Isaac Lee DeLeon, 19, of San Angelo, entered active-duty military service in November as a motor-transport operator. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division since April.

DeLeon's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

DeLeon was a 2015 graduate of Central High School.

According to his Facebook page, he found out in March that he would be coming home to Texas after completing basic and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Officials say the accident is still under investigation by a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center out of Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Other soldiers listed in the report include:

Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, who joined the Army in July 2003.

Colonvazquez deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-06 and in support of Operation New Dawn from May to November 2011. He also deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from March 2008 to May 2009 and from July 2013 to March 2014.

Colonvazquez's awards and decorations include five Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, three Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Korea Defense Service Medals, Army Service Ribbon, three Overseas Service Ribbons, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Driver and Mechanic Badge with wheeled vehicle and Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Marksman with Carbine.

Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, 27, of Twentynine Palms, California, who joined the Army in February 2014.

Armstrong's awards and decorations include a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.

Spc. Yingming Sun, 25, of Monterey Park, California, who joined the military in October 2013.

Sun's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.

Pfc. Brandon Austin Banner, 22, of Milton, Florida, who enlisted in March 2014.

Banner's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Sharpshooter with Carbine.

Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, 23, from Palmetto, Florida, who entered the Army in November.

Fuller's awards and decorations include a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Pvt. Eddy Raelaurin Gates, 20, of Dunn, North Carolina, who entered the Army in December.

Gates' awards and decorations include a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, 21, of Jersey City, New Jersey, entered active-duty service in November.

James' awards and decorations include a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medhe Army al and Army Service Ribbon.

Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, 21, of Valparaiso, Indiana, was a member of the United States Military Academy Class of 2018, assigned to Company B, First Regiment. He was a graduate of Chesterton High School in Chesterton, Indiana. He reported to West Point on July 2, 2014.
SAN ANGELO  Journalist Tom Brokaw wrote in 'The Greatest Generation:' 'When the United States entered World War II, the U.S. government turned to ordinary Americans and asked of them extraordinary service, sacrifice and heroics. Many Americans met those high expectations, and then returned home to lead ordinary lives.'

San Angeloan Jack Brownfield, a sprightly 97-year-old, is one such American.

He volunteered to join the war effort in May 1941 after a friend  Claude Armstrong  had been drafted.

'Yes ma'am, I volunteered,' he said. 'I told him I'd go and keep him company.'

They boarded a bus in front of the Bevans Hotel in Menard and rode all night long to Fort Bliss, El Paso, where they were inducted.

'I was just 21 years old. I didn't have no worries,' Brownfield said with big grin. 'Scared? Heck no, I wasn't scared of anything.'

Fort Bliss was home to one of the last horse-drawn artilleries in the Army.

'I have never seen so many horses in my life,' said Brownfield, who grew up around West Texas ranches.

And that was the last time Brownfield saw Armstrong for about four years because they were split up and sent different places.

Brownfield went on to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training. From there he went on to Camp Claiborne in central Louisiana.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The two-hour barrage destroyed or damaged almost 20 American naval vessels and more than 300 airplanes. About 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died and an additional 1,000 were wounded.

'It was Sunday morning and we heard about it on the radio,' said Brownfield, who was in Louisiana still. He also remembers President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war on Japan.

He was then sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey, and then to New York for overseas travel.

There were about 50 troop boats, and it took them around 14 days to go across to Europe. It was his first time on a ship.

'Yeah, I got sick,' he recalled. 'Most of the boys got sick.'

'When we landed in (Northern) Ireland, it was foggy that morning. Then the sun came out,' Brownfield said. 'I have never seen such pretty country in my life. It was green. It rained quite a bit there and it sparkled.'

Some of the other places the military sent him to included England, France and Germany. Asked what else he saw in his wartime travels, he said softly, 'I saw a lot of graves.'

On June 6, 1944  also known as D-Day  he was with the Corps of Engineers, waiting to land on a beach along the coast of Normandy in France.

'D-Day the sky was black with airplanes going over, bombing. It was nine days before we got to the shore, it was so crowded with soldiers.'

He helped build a lot of roads and bridges throughout Europe during the war.

He got out of the Army in October 1945, at age 25, and made his way home to Menard. 'I was just wanting to get there.'

He did a 'little cowboying' after his return, pulling mistletoe for cattle, cutting brush, breaking horses and burning cactus  all for $1 a day and board. Of course, he said, back then beer was 15 cents.

One of the last ranches he worked at was the Rocking Chair Ranch in Schleicher County.

'Nobody had any money back then. We'd done a lot of trading,' he said.

He used to raise pigeons and break horses.

'I had a bunch of pigeons,' he said. One day he and a friend decided to exchange the pigeons for a horse.

'I loaded the pigeons up in a tow sack (burlap bag) and took them down to him,' Brownfield said. The pigeons 'beat me and the horse home.' He had to take the pigeons back to his friend  a couple of times.

Later, he traded a blaze-faced sorrel mare for his first car  a 1924 Model T Ford.

He used to own a Victrola that he had to wind by hand. He'd place it on the passenger seat and drive up and down the street 'like I had a radio.'

He has fond memories of the car. 'We'd done a lot of running around in it. Me and the boys would come down to San Angelo for stock shows. We listened to a lot of Jimmy Rogers.'

'You had to make your own fun back then.'
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News / National

by Staff reporter

UNITED Family International Church (UFIC) leader Emmanuel Makandiwa has launched Brand Makandiwa, a feat aimed to celebrate his success.The rebranding exercise was held at a colourful ceremony in Harare on Saturday and was attended by Makandiwa's Ghana-based spiritual father, Victor Boateng, who spoke glowingly of his "son".Prophet-Emmanuel-Makandiwa-,his-wife-Ruth-and-prophet-Boateng-at-the-official-launch-of--Brand-Emmanuel-Makandiwa-at-the-Rainbow-Towers-hotel-on-SaturdayThe function drew delegates from across the continent and local business executives.The Brand Makandiwa, according to the brand managers led by Randy Bediako of Ghana, seeks to celebrate Makandiwa's achievement through various products that will be released on the market, such as books and branded wares, among others.Boateng said he was proud of his spiritual son, as his "legacy will live beyond his generation and his brand is beyond measure"."In this generation, it's very difficult to get a man like Makandiwa, for me, Makandiwa is more than a brand, but a movement because he is a totality of perfection," he said."Let us rise up and preserve what is ours and here it is . . . this is a movement called Makandiwa. I am here to challenge all Zimbabweans, let us rise and tell the world that we have a noble man, a man of principles, a man of love, a man of God, who is not just for us, but for generations to come," he stated."It is starting as a brand, but in its totality, it's a movement. This is a movement that we can't match."The towering preacher told over 500 delegates that he was humbled by the honour that had been bestowed on him by his spiritual father and his church."Papa I love you so much," he said before he praised his biological parents, who also graced the occasion.Makandiwa took time to laud his wife, Ruth, saying she has stood by him even when there was no hope."All I can I say is God you are so wonderful and merciful . . . some of us are fearfully made, but she is wonderfully made. I understand I am not an easy puzzle to put together, but her ability, her commitment and her love is so amazing," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's fear to name a successor stems from a deep sense of mistrust and fear that the chosen heir-apparent could make a volte-face and persecute him, a former Zanu-PF activist has claimed.Expelled Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central provincial youth leader, Godfrey Tsenengamu, made the disclosures on his Facebook page yesterday, saying Mugabe's continued indecision was triggered by his family's fear and insecurity over what a new leader might do.He confirmed his assertions in an interview with NewsDay."Some in Zanu-PF choose to criminalise it (succession) and say it's treasonous to discuss the matter," he said."No, I prefer to differ. My President (Mugabe) should preside over this matter while he is still around and it is in his best interests to do so. We must understand that the succession issue is being fuelled by the insecurity that a lot of people are feeling. There is lack of trust and that is dangerous."Tsenengamu issued an ominous warning that if Mugabe failed to deal with the succession issue now, Zanu-PF was doomed."He (Mugabe) must preside over the matter now or else Zanu-PF is doomed. His family remains insecure, the economy continues to go down and those feeling insecure in the party continue to cause unnecessary divisions and fights," he said."It's not taboo to plan for our future. We can't afford to postpone reality."If anything were to happen to him, given the current factional fights, there will be chaos in both the party and government. Talking about a succession plan does not mean people do not want the President. It is in his best interests."Mugabe, two weeks ago, told a Zanu-PF gathering in Harare that "the small groups discussing succession are treasonous", adding, "I am not going anywhere."Tsenengamu insinuated Mugabe's family was discussing the succession issue."I am taking a cue from the First Lady (Grace Mugabe), who, at the Chiweshe rally, said they had been considering someone as a successor, but had lost confidence in that person," he said."That means they discuss the issue and are weighing the options. It's important that the President sees this process through. No investor will bring their money where they are not sure of the future and a clear succession plan will instil confidence in our people and the international community."Tsenengamu was expelled from the ruling party early this year, along with six other provincial youth leaders for alleged gross misconduct.His remarks came as war veterans have upped their demands for Mugabe to name Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa as his successor.The former freedom fighters have also demanded that Tsenengamu and his colleagues be unconditionally reinstated into the ruling party.Zanu-PF is bedevilled by fierce internal factional fights centred around the succession issue with Grace and Mnangagwa touted as possible contenders.Tsenengamu said Mugabe needed to open up and allow members to start discussing the matter and allow for a new leader for the country in 2018, while he retains the ruling party's presidency."Our leaders have come a long way and have every reason to be together and work together. We also have a role to play and help them mend relations and rebuild trust," he said.But Zanu-PF political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday scoffed at the suggestion, saying the succession debate was being fanned by those who wanted to side-track Mugabe."We have always said the issue of succession is not on the agenda. But for us, we need to ensure that the party continues to run the government under President Mugabe. We have a President and he is our candidate for 2018. So we wonder whom the successor is going to succeed," he said."The President has consistently said Zanu-PF has a time-honoured tradition of leadership renewal that should be followed at congress when the timecomes."Our party is comfortable with President Mugabe. He has the confidence of the membership and given the numbers that turned up at the million-man march (last month), he has confidence of Zimbabweans."
A steep drop in China's oil investment may make it more dependent on imports than ever and more determined to advance its interests in the South China Sea, recent data suggests.

So far this year, China's growth in fixed-asset investments (FAI) like buildings and machinery has fallen short of forecasts with a major decline in the petroleum sector, according to official reports.

While overall FAI, outside rural households, rose 10.5 percent in the first four months of the year, investment in the oil and gas sector plunged 27.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The sharp cutback is a reaction to low crude prices and profit pressures on China's state-owned oil companies, analysts say.

The result was a 5.6-percent dip in domestic oil production to 16.6 million metric tons in April, or an average of 4.04 million barrels per day (mbpd), the lowest in nearly three years.

At the same time, China's crude imports in April jumped 7.6 percent from a year earlier to nearly 8 mbpd, according to customs figures. Domestic output was off 2.7 percent, while imports were up 11.8 percent in the first four months of the year.

The net result of all the numbers is that China has become more import dependent for oil supplies as production stagnates and demand continues to grow, raising the stakes for control over import routes.

Over the past decade, China's oil production has increased by about 9.5 percent while imports have climbed 157 percent.

In 2006, crude imports accounted for 47 percent of China's total supplies. This year, imports have risen to nearly two-thirds as domestic investment and production wane.

New factors explain growth

Some of the growth in the import share can be explained by new factors.

China is gradually filling a strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) to make it less vulnerable to world oil shocks and buying for inventories when prices are low.

Reuters estimated that China had 870,000 barrels per day (bpd) available for storage in the first four months of the year, based on a comparison of total supplies and refinery throughput.

The country was expected to be filling a second stage of its SPR at a rate of only 245,000 bpd this year, the news agency said.

Another new factor is greater competition in China's oil market with the licensing of independent refineries to import crude for processing since last July.

In April, mostly-crude feedstock consumption at independent refineries in eastern Shandong province climbed 75 percent from a year earlier to 1.65 mbpd, Platts energy news reported, citing data from Beijing-based JYD Information.

But even taking new factors into account, China has become more import dependent as low oil prices dampen investment in domestic production.

"The investment slump is unavoidable, given the low level of oil prices and the state of the major old oilfields," said Philip Andrews-Speed, a China energy expert at National University of Singapore.

China's national oil companies (NOCs) have depleted resources like China's Daqing oilfield in northern Heilongjiang province for decades, using costly "enhanced recovery methods" in some cases for over 20 years, Andrews-Speed said.

Old fields like Daqing have relied on high prices, which collapsed last year.

"Now that prices are 'back to normal,' the fields are clearly uneconomic, even for a Chinese NOC," he said.

In April, the official Xinhua news agency reported that Daqing lost 5 billion yuan (U.S. $761 million) in the first two months of the year. An official told The Wall Street Journal that production costs had risen to U.S. $45 (295 yuan) per barrel.

Although China also has smaller pockets of "tight oil" that can be recovered with modern technology, production costs there are also high.

The result is lower production at lower prices, reducing capital for investment, Andrews-Speed said in an email message.

If prices stay at this level for the next few years, I would expect domestic production to decline," he said. "So, China will progressively become a 'normal' country, importing cheap crude oil and happy to do so, because prices are cheap, as well as building ever larger strategic stocks."



Tougher commercial pressure

Mikkal Herberg, energy security research director at the Seattle-based National Bureau of Asian Research, noted that China's NOCs also face tougher commercial pressures as the government pursues its campaign to reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

"They're forcing the oil companies to begin operating like real companies," said Herberg. "They're a little less inclined to keep subsidizing domestic oil production unless it drops dramatically."

At the current rate of decline, an increase in low-cost imports may be the best economic alternative, but it is also one that is likely to have implications for disputes in the South China Sea.

Greater import dependence can be expected to magnify China's motivation for securing the maritime routes that carry its oil supplies from the Middle East and Africa.

"It's already a stated mission of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) navy to strengthen China's control over China's vital energy sea lanes," Herberg said. "That's clearly part of their mission over time and what they hope to achieve."

The oil factor may add to China's determination in pressing its border claims as it braces for a decision by an international tribunal in The Hague expected this month in an arbitration case brought by the Philippines in 2013.

Apparently fearing an unfavorable ruling, China has denied that the court has jurisdiction in its disputes over islands and other geological features under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Two ships from China's South Sea Fleet take part in a drill near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, May 5, 2016. Credit: AFP Quantifying import dependence

It is hard to quantify how great a role China's rising import dependence will play in calculations over how far to push its sovereignty claims in conflicts with countries including Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as navigation rights of the United States.

But sea lane protection seems likely to grow even stronger in strategic importance to China as its domestic sources of commercial oil decline.

Speaking in Singapore at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference on Sunday, a high-ranking Chinese military official rejected international pressure to restrain its buildup in contested waters of the South China Sea.

"We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble," said Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, in comments reported by Reuters.

Sun spoke after U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Saturday that China's activities could create a "great wall of self-isolation" in the region.

Speaking Monday at the opening of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue talks in Beijing, President Xi Jinping struck a conciliatory tone.

"The broad Pacific Ocean ... should not become an arena for rivalry, but a big platform for inclusive cooperation," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

A lesser consideration

Some analysts have pointed to offshore oil development in the South China Sea as a factor in China's calculations, but studies suggest that the petroleum resources may be a lesser consideration than control over import routes.

In 2013, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated the proved and probable reserves of the South China Sea at 11 billion barrels (1.5 trillion metric tons) of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet (5.4 trillion cubic meters) of gas.

Herberg said the Asia-Pacific region consumed 11.2 billion barrels of oil last year alone, making the potential resources of the South China Sea relatively small. The estimate of gas reserves is equal to about four years of Asia-Pacific consumption, he said.

"These are not really big numbers to be something to really be willing to fight for," said Herberg.

The costs of developing the deepwater resources will also be relatively high, even without the political problems.

Herberg concludes that China's nationalism and territorial ambitions play a greater part in its motivation for pushing sovereignty claims in the disputed waters. Securing the sea lanes for its rising oil imports is a "related but distinct" motive, he said.

Oil prices and investment

Analysts have been citing China's vulnerability to sea lane disruptions as a strategic factor for years, so there is nothing new about it.

What's new is the connection between low oil prices and falling Chinese investment, leading to declines in domestic production, rising imports and greater dependence on transit through the South China Sea.

When oil prices were high, it was widely assumed that lower prices would ease energy security tensions. It now appears from the forces at work in China that low prices are a source of security risks for the country, as well.

Recent comments by the chairman of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) suggest that the company is counting on higher prices to turn the situation around.

In an interview with Russian television, CNPC's Wang Yilin predicted that oil prices will "ultimately return to more rational levels" of U.S. $60-$80 (394-525 yuan) per barrel, the Interfax news agency reported on May 30.

Last week, a Reuters report cast doubt on China's official data showing much higher than expected oil imports, suggesting that currency speculators may be using fake invoices to move capital abroad as the value of the yuan declines.

The report quoted a Bank of China official as saying that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) is trying to verify the figures after finding "many trades to be fake." The agency did not comment on the report.
Cambodian authorities in Phnom Penh on Monday arrested seven women participating in the ongoing anti-government Black Monday protests, but later released them after they signed an agreement to stop demonstrating, a member of the group of activists said.

The protesters, who wear black clothing and hold protests on Mondays, were calling for the release of human rights workers and a national election official jailed on what many say are politically motivated charges.

Hundreds of security personnel armed with batons arrested the women and took them to a police station in the Dangkor district, said Chray Nim, a land activist from the SOS Community who was among those arrested.

Six were land activists from various communities, with the other a citizen journalist from the Phnom Penh-based Community Legal Education Center, she said.

Authorities released them after they agreed to sign a document pledging to stop participating in the protests, she said.

Speaking from the Dangkor district police station, Chray Nim told RFAs Khmer Service that authorities had pressured the seven women to stamp their thumbprints on a document promising they would not participate in any campaigns or in illegal activities that would cause social instability.

She said authorities told them they would not allow such campaigns unless participants get permission from the Ministry of Interior.

RFA could not reach authorities in Phnom Penh for comment.

Suon Bunsak, secretary of the Cambodia Human Rights Action Coalition, strongly criticized the police move, calling it a human rights violation.

On this point I think that the government should take positive steps so that people can have freedom of expression as they wish, and the government should listen to their intentions, he told RFA.

Third crackdown

The arrests marked the third time that authorities have cracked down on the Black Monday campaigners who planned to gather outside Prey Sar prison, Cambodias largest detention facility where activists and opposition party members are routinely jailed.

On May 23, police stepped up a crackdown on the protests and clashed with villagers in the capitals Boeung Kak Lake area after ordering the previous weekend that Black Monday campaigners obtain government permission before posting their views online.

A week before, authorities arrested five land activists and sent them to Toul Kouk district police station for further questioning about their plans to meet every Monday until the government releases four imprisoned staff members from the domestic rights group Adhoc and the national election official.

The five have been incarcerated as part of the governments investigation of Kem Sokha, acting leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), for his involvement in an alleged affair with a young hairdresser.

The allegations emerged in March when supposed recordings of telephone conversations between the two were leaked online.

Last Tuesday, CNRP members and supporters rallied in front of the party headquarters in an effort to protect Kem Sokha, who has been living at the partys headquarters following attempts by police to arrest him.

The CNRP plans to hold a second mass gathering in front of its headquarters on June 14, the day on which Kem Sokha has been summoned to appear in court for questioning related to the sex scandal.

The conflict with Kem Sokha is just one of several legal cases the government or the ruling CPP has brought against opposition party members. Rights activists say the cases are attempts to crack down on the opposition and silence critics ahead of elections in 2017 and 2018.

So far, Kem Sokha has refused to adhere to a court order to testify in the case, citing parliamentary immunity from court questioning and arrest.

Movement against CPP

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that the CNRP campaign is a movement against the legitimate leadership of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) under Prime Minister Hun Sen.

CNRP lawmakers have been collecting petitions signed with Cambodians' thumbprints urging King Norodom Sihamoni to press Hun Sens government to release human rights activists, respect parliamentary immunity, and stop harassing Kem Sokha and the CNRP.

But the CNRP issued a statement Monday saying that it will stop collecting thumbprints from members of the public on June 13, and will employ another method to submit petitions to King Norodom Sihamoni, seeking his intervention in the tense political drama.

The party has yet to set a date to petition the king.

The party held its first mass rally on May 30, a day after hundreds of police temporarily blocked the road near CNRP headquarters as some CNRP lawmakers attempted to deliver another petition to the king.

That day, CPP lawmakers unanimously voted to allow the court to continue to prosecute the Kem Sokha case, using an exception written into the Cambodian constitution that allows a lawmakers arrest for flagrant offenses. CNRP deputies boycotted the vote.

CNRP President Sam Rainsy has been staying in France or traveling since an arrest warrant was issued for him in November over a 2008 defamation case and he was removed from his office and stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

Reported by Samnang Rann and Maly Leng for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sarada Taing. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
As U.S. and Chinese officials met in Beijing to discuss human rights amid calls for greater pressure on the ruling Chinese Communist Party, detained lawyer Wang Yu was awarded a European prize for her work defending the rights of her clients.

Wang Yu, currently detained in the northern port city of Tianjin on suspicion of "subversion of state power," was awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux Prize in Athens on Saturday.

The award comes as the families of dozens of rights lawyers detained on similar charges hit out at the government for denying the detainees access to their lawyers, and amid concerns that some detainees may have been tortured or sexually abused in police detention centers.

The prize jury said it wanted to "hail the courage" of a woman who "decided that she could no longer keep her mouth shut," founder Bernard Favreau said.

"She chose to expose herself to dangers in order to defend the rights of women, children and persecuted minorities," he told Agence France-Presse.

Wang's defense attorney Wen Donghai welcomed the award.

"They used a serious of objective criteria, for example, the fact that Wang Yu often gave legal assistance to clients from vulnerable groups," Wen said. "This has nothing to do with any government, nor with diplomacy."

But he said the award is unlikely to help Wang's case with the Chinese authorities.

"I don't hold out much hope of that, because our government has a very biased attitude to such prizes, and they see human rights groups as trying to interfere in China's internal affairs," Wen said.

"In reality, rights groups aren't targeting China, but trying to help victims and vulnerable people around the world."

Strategic and economic dialogue

The announcement came as officials met for the U.S.-China strategic and economic dialogue, which includes discussion of human rights issues.

"This is the Obama administrations last best chance to show it incorporates human rights across the scope of the bilateral relationship and demands change, from law enforcement cooperation to surveillance on ethnic minority regions, to Beijings ferocious assault on civil society," Sophie Richardson, China director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Monday.

"U.S. human rights advocacy with China can succeed when it is unapologetic, public, and argued by diverse interests," Richardson said.

After the detention of top rights attorney Wang Yu, her husband Bao Longjun, and their colleagues at the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm on the night of July 9, 2015, police launched a nationwide operation targeting hundreds of rights lawyers, law firm staff and activists nationwide.

Wang is being charged with the more serious charge of "subversion of state power," while Bao's arrest is for the lesser charge of "incitement to subvert state power."

"Subversion of state power" carries a minimum jail term of 10 years in cases where the person is judged to have played a leading role. Jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo is currently serving a 13-year sentence for "incitement to subvert state power," which attracts a minimum penalty of five years' imprisonment in cases deemed "serious."

Hong Kong march



In Hong Kong, protesters marched to Beijing's Liaison Office in the former British colony on Monday, demanding an inquiry into the 2012 "suicide" death of Chinese labor rights activist Li Wangyang in police custody four years ago.

Democratic Party politician Cheung Man-kwong said the anniversary was a rare opportunity to focus minds on Li's death, which is still widely regarded as suspicious.

"This anniversary only comes around once a year," Cheung said. "By standing here, we are waging a battle against forgetting, and we hope to show that the people of Hong Kong haven't forgotten Li Wangyang."

Li was photographed hanged in his hospital room in Hunan province, but reports that his feet were touching the floor sparked suspicion around police claims of suicide. However, a government inquiry found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Rights activist Ou Biaofeng said Li's friends and relatives are under house arrest or close police surveillance on the anniversary of his death.

"They are all under surveillance by the state security police, and are cooperating," Ou said. "There are dozens of state security police mobilized in [Li's home city of] Shaoyang."

"All the dissidents or people close to Li Wangyang are under restrictions," Ou said.

Calls to Li's sister Li Wangling and her husband rang unanswered on Monday.

No online memorials

Hunan activist Tian Zhenglin said the activist community would remember Li in their own way, however.

"We're not allowed to post memorials online, because the state security police came to my house and warned me not to do this on June 3," Tian said.

"I'm not allowed to say anything against the government or [ruling Chinese Communist] Party," Tian said.

HRW and nine other organizations on Monday signed a joint letter calling on U.S. officials to make a point of calling for the release of peaceful activists and lawyers, as well as meeting with nongovernmental groups and taking Beijing to task for the governments persecution of religious groups.

"Chinese authorities have committed or tolerated gross human rights violations," the group said.

"Few members of the police or other security forces are held accountable for torture or other abuses, and there is no political or legal impulse for fundamental reforms necessary to curb their power," it said.

In February, United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein hit out at Beijing for its imprisonment of peaceful critics and activists who appeared to have committed no crime.

But Beijing rejected the comments as "irresponsible", adding in a statement that Zeid had a "biased, subjective and selective" view of the country.

Reported by Wong Lok-to and Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
United Wa State Army soldiers stop a truck at a checkpoint in the Wa region of Shan state in a file photo.

Two armed ethnic groups from Myanmars Shan state that did not sign a nationwide peace agreement with the Myanmar government last year agreed on Monday to meet a government committee working on an upcoming peace conference, an official involved in the process said.

The United Wa State Party (UWSP) and its political wing the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) have agreed to talk with the convening committee of the 21st-century Panglong Conference, said committee secretary Hla Maung Shwe.

Under the previous government, the two rebel groups, who are not members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)an alliance of armed ethnic groups that did not sign the nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) last Octoberhad called for separate autonomous states. The MNDAA, which had been fighting the Myanmar army in Shan states Kokang self-administered zone, was excluded from the NCA talks.

Tin Myo Win, the new peace envoy of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, met with leaders from the UWSA and MNDAA to get them to agree to a sit-down meeting in the run-up to the peace conference scheduled for late July.

Our Chairman Tin Myo Win himself contacted them on the phone and made an agreement to sit down with them for a meeting, Hla Maung Shwe told RFAs Myanmar Service. Its likely we will have it in a few days; we just need to find a suitable venue.

Tin Myo Win, who was appointed to his position by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, also plans to contact the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which was also excluded from the NCA.

But Hla Maung Shwe said representatives from the governments peace team had yet to meet TNLA leaders to clarify the governments position.

Committee members attempted last weekend to meet the armed ethnic groups that had not signed the NCA in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the TNLA did not respond to a request for a sit-down.

Nevertheless, the TNLA has been invited to the commercial capital Yangon for further talks this month.

Last week, Tin Myo Win met in Thailand with representatives from the UNFC to invite them to the Panglong Conference.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto leader, has opened the door for all rebel groups to participate in what she has termed a 21st-century Panglong Conference, modeled on a similar meeting that her father, late General Aung San, held with ethnic groups in 1947.

Unity among Shan groups

Also on Monday, Khun Tun Oo, chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), called for unity among all ethnic groups at the Panglong Conference.

This conference can only be a success if all individuals, groups and parties representing the Shan people, who deserve to be among the participants, are invited to take part in it with the spirit of preserving the Union and all work together, he said during a speech marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Shan State Joint Action Committee (SSJAC) in Lashio.

Members of the SNLD attended the anniversary celebration along with leaders from the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), Hsinkyaut militia leaders, and 400 members from various local groups.

The SSJAC was formed jointly in 1996 by the SNLD and the two Shan armed groups in a bid to resolve the war-torn regions problems through political means.

The meeting participants also discussed the latest round of fighting between the Taang and Shan groups in northern Shan state.

Support from former activists

Students and worker activists who participated in various demonstrations in the mid-1970s pledged on Monday to support the governments efforts to hold the new Panglong Conference.

The activists held a gathering in South Okkalapa township in Yangon to commemorate riots that took place during that time.

We have new hope after seeing a new political scenario and the encouraging efforts of the new government, including the plan for a 21st-century Panglong Conference, said Kyaw Aung, a former student leader of the 1975 demonstrations.

And so, to continue carrying out our historic tasks, we have decided to join hands with all political forces, ethnic forces and new student generations to support Aung San Suu Kyis new government.

Authorities under former military commander and president Ne Win violently attacked laborers who demonstrated in mid-1974 for adequate rice supplies and workplace guarantees, shooting dead about 100 of them. Authorities also violently attacked student demonstrators in December 1974 and June 1976.

Reported by Tin Aung Khine, Kan Tha, Thiha Tun and Htet Arkar for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Police in northwestern Chinas Gansu province attacked a group of Tibetan villagers at the beginning of June after the Tibetans, residents of a township near a sacred mountain, protested the mining of gold at the site, according to a Tibetan exile source.



The Tibetans had gathered at Khelpa village, Amchok township, in Gansus Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county on June 1, Amchok Yonkyab, a resident of France, told RFAs Tibetan Service.



But a large group of armed paramilitary police arrived in the town at around the same time, and there were arguments and clashes between the security forces and the Tibetans, Yonkyab said, citing local sources.



Six of the protest leaders were beaten, one so severely that he was rushed to a hospital in the provincial capital Chengdu, while the other five were taken to a nearby military hospital, Yonkyab said, naming two of the five as Tsewang Kyab of Amchoks Angon village and Gogen of Pung village.



Residents of Amchoks eight villages later gathered on June 4 in an open area to burn incense and carry on their protest against the mining on Gong Ngon Lari mountain, Yonkyab said.



Many armed police arrived at the site and surrounded the Tibetans, and tensions began to build. But on the advice of senior religious figures who were present, the Tibetans abandoned their protest.



The six protesters who were beaten were then released from hospital on June 5, he said.



Frustrated appeals



The protest in Amchok began on May 31 and followed 15 years of frustrated appeals to authorities to halt the mining on the mountain, which has been regarded for generations as a sacred site by the townships cluster of eight villages, one local source told RFA in an earlier report.



Two years ago, more than a hundred Tibetan residents of another Sangchu county township protested the seizure of farmland for the construction of roads tied to state-linked gold mining and industrial operations, sources said in earlier reports.



The April 2, 2014 protest by banner-carrying residents of Hortsang township came two weeks after other local demonstrations against government seizure of Tibetan land, and quickly drew police to the protest site.



Tibet has become an important sources of minerals needed for Chinas economic growth, and Chinese mining operations in Tibet have often led to widespread environmental damage, including the pollution of water sources for livestock and humans and the disruption of sacred sites, experts say.



Reported by Palden Gyal for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Authorities in northwestern China's troubled Xinjiang region have detained 17 people for encouraging the region's mostly Muslim Uyghurs to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, overseas rights groups said on Monday.



Five Uyghurs were taken away by plainclothes police in Qaghiliq county (in Chinese, Yecheng county) near the Silk Road city of Kasghar on Friday, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) said as Ramadan began.



And police in Kuqa county, Aksu (Akesu) prefecture, detained 12 people at the gates of a major mosque in the county town, taking them away in minivans, WUC spokesman Dilxat Raxit told RFA's Mandarin Service.



"According to our sources, the police said they were spreading propaganda at the gates of the mosque about observing Ramadan," he said.



Beijing has implemented strict rules in Xinjiang forbidding anyone under the age of 18 from following a religion, levying hefty fines against families whose children study the Quran or fast during Ramadan.



Parents and guardians of Uyghur children and teens are frequently pressured by local officials into signing pledges promising not to allow them to take part in any religious activity.



Muslim members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party are forbidden to openly follow their religion, while state-run organizations are routinely ordered to encourage everyone to eat during daylight hours, sources in the region have told RFA.



"The Chinese government has forbidden Uyghurs from leaving their places of residence during Ramadan, and if they do leave, they have to give the authorities details of their itinerary or destination," Raxit said.



Payouts to mosques



In the regional capital Urumqi, which saw 200 people die in ethnic violence in 2009, officials are handing out payouts to the city's mosques in return for their cooperation with security personnel during Ramadan.



"They want the mosque staff to assist the security personnel who are installed in the mosques 24 hours a day to carry out surveillance," Raxit said on Monday.



"They want to confirm the identities of every person who comes to pray at the mosque."



The texts of any sermons preached during Ramadan must also be passed by Beijing's censors before they can be delivered, Raxit said.



In Ili (Yili) prefecture in the north of Xinjiang, officials were being ordered to read guidelines issued to Communist Party members on party discipline and on the punishments meted out to officials who fast, before signing pledges not to observe Ramadan, he said.



Muslim officials caught observing the fast face expulsion from their jobs and from the party, according to the regulations.



Meanwhile, Uyghur-run restaurants are forbidden to shut their doors during fasting hours, according to a government directive.



A Han Chinese resident of Xinjiang surnamed Zhang said some will seek to evade the policy, however.



"I asked some Uyghurs about this, and they said they will use indirect methods, such as saying that there were no customers ... or they will prepare all of the food in advance," Zhang said.



"Anyone who takes a government salary or pension has been ordered not to observe Ramadan, so they have to comply, because the government is their source of income," he said.



'Effectively contained'



Zhang said the measures began to be implemented only following the July 5, 2009 riots in Urumqi, which exile groups said were sparked by police firing on an unarmed crowd of demonstrators.



"They never used to have these policies in all the decades before July 5," Zhang said. "But they are seldom written down in black at white. No official will actually say that they don't want people to fast."



China last Wednesday issued a white paper lauding "unprecedented" levels of religious freedom in Xinjiang, official media reported.



It said "the proliferation and spread of religious extremism is being effectively contained" in the region, while claiming that "no citizen suffers discrimination or unfair treatment for believing in, or not believing in, any religion."



"The government's capacity to administer religious affairs is constantly being strengthened," the document said.



Raxit said the white paper was "unacceptable."



"Uyghurs are subject to all manner of government bans and controls on their religious activity," he said. "Public anger will lead to more disturbances, and Beijing will bear the political responsibility."



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Pan Jiaqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




A man walks among dead fish lying on a beach in Quang Trach district in the central coastal province of Quang Binh near the Formosa steel plant that is under attack for industrial pollution, April 20, 2016.

Police in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi broke a weekend protest by dozens of young people who were trying to highlight what they said was a slow, irresponsible government response to a mass kill-off of fish.

Sundays aborted protests were inspired by the washing ashore in April of tens of thousands of fish along the central coast of Vietnam. Government experts have variously cited "red tide or other factors, but many Vietnamese blame a huge steel plant run by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics Corporation of Taiwan.

Thirty youths went to the center of Hanoi for the rally but they could not gather at the Grand Theater or the fountain, blogger Nguyen Xuan Dien told RFAs Vietnamese Service by telephone from Hanoi.

They somehow managed to gather together and walked without chanting, he added.

They were all forced into a vehicle and taken to Long Bien district police station where they keep protesters, said Dien.

The Associated Press quoted a protester as saying the group members were held for several hours and then released without charge.

Dien echoed widespread complaints about the governments handling of the mass fish deaths, which have decimated fishing and tourism in the Southeast Asian country.

Its been 60 days since the mass fish deaths in the central region but they have not announced the result. Many issues have pointed to their irresponsibility towards the people, the environment and the countrys natural resources, he told RFA.

Facebook blocked

A second blogger, Ho Chi Minh City-based Pham Thanh Nghien, said many more youths had tried to rally in that southern city, formerly known as Saigon.

I had a phone call from a protester in Saigon telling me that they use barbed wire in the center of the city where there was supposed to be a peaceful protest, he said.

Many small groups of people went ahead with their protest plan but they could not gather together. My friend told me the largest group had 100 people. They were stopped after a short walk, Nghien told RFA.

He added that Facebook was blocked by the government.

The government always blocks social media whenever there are legitimate demands or pressure from people. In this case it is about transparency and accountability in environment issues, Nghien said.

AP reported that Vietnamese state media said last week that scientists from Vietnam and abroad have reached a conclusion about the cause of the fish deaths, but will not announce it until after consulting with experts.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, issued a statement calling it appalling that the authorities cracked down and detained peaceful protesters in Hanoi and elsewhere instead of providing even the most basic answers about the massive fish kills.

The Vietnam government should be leading the investigation into what caused these fish kills, not suppressing peoples efforts to demand answers and accountability, he said on Sunday.

Reported by Gia Minh for RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
SUKHUMI -- Abkhazia is in one of highest-risk parts of Europe for the Zika virus this summer.

But you might not hear about it in the breakaway Georgian region, where officials in the de facto government are outwardly dismissive of the danger and Russian vacationers appear unaware of any potential threat from the mosquito-borne virus.

"To be honest, this is the first I've heard of it," says Denis Varava, 32, a salesman from St. Petersburg who is vacationing in Sukhumi, capital of the Russia-backed region, with his wife and 3-year-old child. "Studying WHO reports is the last thing I do before planning a holiday," he adds, referring to the World Health Organization.

Little known just a year ago, Zika now affects dozens of countries and territories in the Americas, and cases have been reported around the world. In Brazil, the virus has caused more than 1,400 confirmed cases of microcephaly -- a birth defect that can cause babies to have unusually small heads and lead to severe developmental problems -- and raised concerns about the Rio 2016 Olympics in August.

There have been no recorded cases of local transmission of Zika in Russia or Georgia, which share the Black Sea's lush northeast coast -- a popular vacation destination for centuries. The northern stretch of Georgia's coast is taken up by Abkhazia, which broke from central government control in a bloody conflict in the early 1990s and is under the powerful influence of Russia -- one of only a few countries that recognize its independence claim.

On May 18, the WHO said there was only a "low to moderate" risk of the virus spreading to Europe, but that the Portuguese island of Madeira and the northeastern Black Sea region are at greater risk because of the indigenous aedes aegypti mosquito, which can carry the virus -- and potentially bring isolated cases into broad circulation. It warned of a "high likelihood" of local transmission in the northeastern Black Sea region this summer "if no measures are taken."

In a brief and combative interview on May 27, Abkhazia's de facto health minister flatly dismissed the threat from Zika -- but said local and Russian authorities had jointly taken preventive steps.

Flanked by several stone-faced officials, Andzor Goov spoke to RFE/RL in the rundown Health Ministry building where sick residents of Abkhazia come with folders of documents to seek authorization for treatment abroad if local medical facilities are unable to help.

He said a mosquito-elimination program had been carried out for the first time since the 1992-93 war with Georgian government forces, and that scientists had studied the region and established that the virus was not present. In the Soviet era, the government used to eliminate mosquitoes in the region to combat malaria.

"This is the first time since the war that this action has been carried out. And it will be carried out constantly," he said. "If this action continues in July and Augustthen there are no grounds for the spread of Zika -- and there also never were," he added. "This is a preventive action conducted in open reservoirs and in closed buildings to kill mosquitoes."

Two Sides To Isolation

In addition to eliminating mosquitoes, the WHO also urged authorities to communicate the threat to people at risk, especially pregnant women, so they can protect themselves.

There is little evidence of any such communication in Abkhazia, whose economy relies heavily on tourism from Russia.

The disputed status of the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, which is recognized as independent by only Russia and a handful of other states, makes its participation in international Zika conferences problematic. A WHO spokesperson told RFE/RL that the Georgian government in Tbilisi -- which in practice has no ties with the separatist leadership in Sukhumi -- should decide whether Abkhazia will send representatives to a meeting of European health experts in Portugal on June 22-24 to discuss the Zika threat. Russia, however, appears to be taking the lead in countermeasures in Abkhazia.

Perhaps ironically, Abkhazia's isolation may be one of its best defenses from the virus.

Goov said local transmission of the virus would first require an infected person to enter Abkhazia and infect a mosquito. The breakaway region's airspace is closed and there are no flights in, while border control from Georgia and Russia is staffed by the Russian security services.

"Mosquitoes can't fly more than 200 kilometers," Goov noted.

Georgian officials have also expressed little concern about Zika.

In February, Paata Imnadze, the deputy head of Georgia's National Center for Virus Control and Public Health, said the threat of an outbreak was minimal because Georgians rarely travel to Latin America, while the carrier mosquito is very rare. He said the mosquito had been sighted only twice in Georgia in the last two years -- once near Batumi, the main city on the government-held stretch of Black Sea coast south of Abkhazia, and once in Zugdidi, near the de facto border.

Nonetheless, Imnadze said health agencies were monitoring closely for potential isolated cases of Zika brought into the country.

Russia Concerned, Despite Denials

In Russia, they are already there. There have been four reported cases of Russian nationals infected with Zika after trips to holiday destinations such as the Dominican Republic.

Several others are displaying symptoms and are being monitored.

In March, government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that a mosquito fumigation program was under way targeting the aedes carrier, which inhabits the coastal region from Abkhazia to the small Russian town of Dzhugbi, north of Tuapse.

That includes Sochi, the resort city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics and -- like Abkhazia -- has seen an increase of Russian vacationers since popular destinations Turkey and Egypt were placed virtually off-limits due to tension between Moscow and Ankara and security concerns after the passenger jet bombing that killed more than 200 Russians returning from Sinai beach vacations.

In March, Anna Popova, the head of Russia's consumer-health watchdog, acknowledged that Sochi faced a potential threat because of the presence of the carrier mosquito and what she called the inflow of "foreign tourists."

In February, one prominent Russian health official pointed the finger more firmly at the West, suggesting any Zika outbreak in the area would be the result of a U.S. plot.

Gennady Onishchenko, a longtime Russian consumer-health chief who is now an aide to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, said Russian scientists in Abkhazia had identified a surge since 2012 in the mosquito that carries Zika. He went on to speculate publicly that U.S. intelligence services might be deliberately infecting mosquitoes and unleashing them in the breakaway region.

The latter comment was dismissed as Onishchenko's trademark brand of conspiracy theory, and Medvedev 11 days later issued Onishchenko a public warning -- which was subsequently retracted without reason -- for not "following the established rules of public speaking."

But there are signs that Russia has genuine concerns that have nothing to do with the United States. Less than a month later, Popova announced that Russia was helping Abkhazia eliminate mosquitoes.

On the ground, there is little apparent concern as summer approaches. Varava, the Russian vacationer, is skeptical about the WHO warning. "Every year they need some kind of new virus," he says.

"There's an expression in Russia that means to take things with a pinch of salt," he adds. "What's more, the Black Sea region includes Russia and there the security services work well."
The pretrial hearings for Khalid Sheikh Muhammad and his four co-defendants resumed in the last few days of May. The accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States has been held in Guantanamo Bay's detention center since March 1, 2003, and he and his fellow detainees have become the focal point of a debate about how the U.S. deals with terrorism suspects in a post-9/11 world.

Thirteen years after his detention, there is still no indication of when his trial will be held. The Guantanamo hearings were suspended in 2015 when one suspected terrorist, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, relayed messages back home to his family in Yemen through his defense council, raising concerns that the detainees could still be sending coded messages to Al-Qaeda. But as Public Radio International's Arun Rath points out, this was hardly the first delay, and the proceedings at Guantanamo Bay have revolved around the debate about the legal status and treatment of the detainees more than they have focused on the 9/11 attacks.

"The court had to deal with the discovery of hidden microphones in rooms where the defendants had confidential talks with their lawyers; authorities "ransacking" the defendants' cells while they were in court; and a mysterious, invisible censor shutting down audio feeds from the courtroom, to the confusion of the judge."

Rath also suggests that the narrative on the trial may be shifting. This week prosecutor Ed Ryan petitioned Judge James L. Pohl to let the court hear statements from the victims' families -- before the trial even begins. This is an unusual step, since court statements would be public and would hypothetically be accessible to potential jurors. Rath explains:

"In an impassioned delivery, prosecutor Ed Ryan referenced two witnesses whom he said the government had intended to call, but who passed away in the last several months. 'Passages of life are happening, and can happen quickly,' Ryan said, arguing they needed to record witness testimony now, rather than to "just sit back waiting for bad health to arrive.' He went on to list 10 potential witnesses with advancing age and health concerns.

"More broadly, it sounded like Ryan was trying to change the narrative of the hearings. The court had heard 'much about the treatment of the accused...the word "torture" used over 500 times,' he said, while noting the phrase '9/11' had only been used about 200 times."

Despite the complicated legal and moral issues at play in Guantanamo Bay, the prosecutor appears to be trying to remind the court, and perhaps the American people, that the entire purpose behind the infamous prison was to house those who are most capable of bringing about another nightmare like 9/11.

But we have not witnessed another attack of similar magnitude anywhere, much less on U.S. soil, in the 15 years that have followed 9/11. What are the chances of another 9/11-style attack occurring, and is it possible to measure the importance of the detainees who are still locked up in Guantanamo Bay?

There are many reasons why we have not seen another 9/11. The Al-Qaeda that Osama bin Laden built in the late 1990s does not resemble terrorist organizations that exist today. Terrorist groups are hunted wherever they try to settle. U.S. drones hunt terrorists from Africa to Asia, and raids like the one that led to the death of bin Laden demonstrate that even international borders cannot keep terrorists safe. It is not that terrorists have no place to hide; it is that there is no longer any country in the world where they can live without hiding. This is one reason why these groups have focused on establishing their own state-like organizations in places like Yemen, Libya, and of course Syria and Iraq: No sane government in the world would openly harbor these terrorist groups the way the Taliban did in Afghanistan.

The good news is that 9/11-style attacks have become more logistically difficult. In an interview with RFE/RL, Nicholas A. Heras, Middle East researcher at the Center for a New American Security and an associate fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said that U.S. intelligence is now shared and counterterrorism efforts are coordinated at the federal, state, and local levels. Aggressive intelligence sharing, security procedures at air and sea ports, and if necessary counterterrorism operations, are also coordinated with overseas partners.

According to Heras, sophisticated attacks like 9/11 require too much coordination among the attackers at various levels, and so they are more likely to be disrupted by the United States and its allies. Both Heras and another expert we consulted, Kyle Orton, a research fellow with the Henry Jackson Society, agreed that there remains the strong possibility that a bomb could be detonated on an airliner; but 9/11-style hijackings and complex coordinated attacks are likely a thing of the past. Heras also pointed out that blind luck has played a role in thwarting some of these attacks.

But terrorism is very much alive. Terrorist groups have traded fantastic weapons for familiar ones. Large and relatively expensive operations like 9/11 have been replaced by less sophisticated attacks that utilize homemade bombs and readily available guns like the attacks in Paris, Brussels, and before that in 2008 in Mumbai. The 9/11 attacks gave Al-Qaeda the aura of an almost mythical all-powerful international terrorist organization, like Cobra from the fictional world of G.I. Joe. For months, or years, every jet airliner in the sky was cautiously eyed as a potential threat, every high-rise building and landmark was seen as a potential target. Sadly, terrorism has evolved. The smaller-scale attacks of the last decade are simultaneously harder to stop and more terrifying, since anyone capable of carrying a gun could be a threat and every shopping mall, coffee shop, or movie theater is a potential target.

Worse yet, terrorist organizations have proliferated in recent years, and while they have focused on developing state-like organizations in the Middle East and elsewhere, rather than launching attacks on the West, they have also adopted a strategy of appealing to those who already live in the United States and Europe to launch attacks for them. Heras explains:

"The global jihadist movement as a whole is more widespread and controls more territory than it did prior to 9/11/2001, and this includes the recent rise of the ISIS organization in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. Many of the affiliates of the global jihadist movement, whether they identify with Al-Qaeda or ISIS or another organization, are generally more focused than bin Laden's Al-Qaeda was on controlling local territory, and building statelets that can then be used for community cover for global jihadist networks to plan attacks on the United States, or, increasingly, on Europe.

"In particular, ISIS has developed a more advanced form of strategic deterrence threat against the United States Coalition partners in Europe, and from the Middle East, from its territorial base in Syria and Iraq, than al-Qaeda ever enjoyed in Sudan and Afghanistan, or what it has in Yemen, and what it is trying to build in northern Syria's Idlib governorate. ISIS's network in Europe that conducted the Paris and Brussels attacks are an example of ISIS' increasing realization that even as it loses territory in Syria and Iraq, it can present a real and deadly strategic deterrent threat to use against the West, if not the United States as directly."

Kyle Orton, research fellow with the Henry Jackson Society, agrees. Islamic State (IS) "has been able to inspire true 'lone wolves' in a way Al-Qaeda largely failed to do, and IS is happy to claim credit for these attacks by people who are basically fanboys -- low-skilled and with no direct connection to the organization," he told RFE/RL. "This is a microcosm of the differences between Al-Qaeda and IS in their conceptions of jihad: For Al-Qaeda, it is an elitist pursuit of a vanguard; for IS, it is a more 'democratized' endeavor."

In many ways this is harder to stop -- a speech given in Syria or Yemen, echoed through the Internet, can inspire terror attacks on the other side of the globe without having to be coordinated and financed by Middle Eastern terrorists.

Virtually no one would argue against the notion that the dismantling of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda has made the world a safer place to live, but the ideology of terror has not yet been defeated. Guantanamo Bay's inmates still pose a threat. Both Heras and Orton stress that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence estimates that about one-third of the prisoners who have been released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to their home countries have conducted terrorist attacks.

This is why the Obama administration, even while it has pushed to close Guantanamo Bay, has not advocated returning all of the detainees to their home countries. Most of the remaining prisoners at the facility are said to be the "worst of the worst," who may eventually be transferred to the mainland United States to serve out their sentences in super-max prisons, but in all likelihood none will ever be sent to their home countries.

But as a result of the "democratization" of terrorism, the fate of those detained in Guantanamo Bay is unlikely to have a larger impact on the war on terror.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Mthwakazi Republic Party spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo has said the application by Ndebeles living in South Africa for extension of their permits in that country claiming that they were being unfairly treated by Zimbabwean government which comprises many Shonas was a right move.Zimbabwean Ndebeles repo5rtedly applied for separate extension of permits from their counter parts Shonas in SA stating that they are persecuted by Zimbabwean government."Following a publication by SABC that Zim Ndebeles have applied for a separate extension of permits from their Shona counterparts , stating that they are persecuted by Zimbabwean government," Gumbo said. "The letter stated unambiguously that the Ndebeles are segregated by a tribal government of Zimbabwe. Apparently this development has ignited a number of talking points from many interested parties, both the Ndebeles and the Shonas have portrayed mixed feelings some sympathetic some appalled."He said some Ndebeles fundamentalist even questioned the authenticity of the author (Victor Mthethwa) and questioned his mandate."In my view , the letter is spot on, (Shot and Sharp).(1) It is true that the Ndebeles are persecuted by the government through genocide , skewed employment tendency , deployment of Shona teachers , police state in Matebeleland," he said. "It is true that the Ndebeles face different problem from their Shona counterparts , this is evident from migration statistics. The Shonas face a problem of economic collapse which is caused by a government that they have selected or continue to select in tribal perspective."Gumbo said while the Ndebeles face a problem of being driven to extinction by all means necessary."Based on this the Ndebeles have migrated to South Africa many years back they were dispersed by Gukurahundi while the Shona only migrated in advent of economic disaster," he said. "If the world can condemn Xenophobia , racial Rhodesia , Apartheid South Africa what is so special about tribal Zimbabwe such that it cannot be condemned ?. Even though some of my friends I regard with great esteem felt that the letter is nothing short of groveling, the letter exposed many things even the issue of precolonial borders were discussed in SABC , that is good publicity."
ASTANA -- Kazakh authorities have accused a detained businessman of funding recent mass antigovernment protests against land privatization as part of a plot to seize power.

Businessman Toqtar Toleshov from the South Kazakhstan region was arrested in January on suspicion of financing criminal groups and illegal drugs possession.

Kazakhstan's National Security Service (KNB) said on June 6 that Toleshovs plan included destabilizing the situation in the country by creating flash points, organizing protests and mass unrest."

KNB spokesman Ruslan Karasev told reporters that several people, including a former deputy prosecutor-general and two high-ranking military officers, have been detained over the weekend on suspicion of being Toleshov's accomplices.

Toleshov ran the Kazakh office of a Russia-based organization, the Center for the Analysis of Terrorist Threats.

Thousands protested across Kazakhstan in April and May against the government's plans to privatize agricultural lands.

Hundreds of activists were detained for taking part or calling for unsanctioned protests. The majority of them were released, but some were fined or sent to prison for 10 to 15 days.

With reporting by Reuters
The June 5 violence in Kazakhstan's northwestern city of Aqtobe was surprising. Such incidents don't usually happen in Kazakhstan.



But on those rare occasions when they do, it seems like it's in western Kazakhstan, or more specifically, the Aqtobe area.



Kazakh officials were scrambling on June 6 to explain who was behind the shooting that had left at least 18 people dead, at latest count, including 12 of the attackers, or why they'd done it.



But the explanation might be staring them in the face.



Aqtobe, with a population of around 400,000, is located in Kazakhstan's western oil region. Oil sales have driven Kazakhstan's economic success for years (or at least they had until the recent drop in world oil prices), but little of that money has trickled down to the major oil cities of western Kazakhstan, Aqtobe among them.



Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been spent building up the capital, Astana, and the commercial capital, Almaty.



So there is general discontent over state neglect of the social conditions in western Kazakhstan in general, and especially in Aqtobe. To make matters worse, western Kazakhstan has been portrayed as a region where Islam has deeply rooted itself since the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991 -- leading Kazakh officials to ascribe acts of violence to Islamic extremists or their influence and giving parts of western Kazakhstan an image many residents feel it doesn't deserve.



Aqtobe has the dubious distinction of being the only place in Kazakhstan where a suicide bomber has staged an attack. That happened on May 17, 2011, when 25-year-old Rahimjan Makhatov walked into a regional branch of the National Security Committee and detonated his explosives, killing himself and injuring two other people. Kazakh authorities were quick to claim that Makhatov had connections to Islamic extremists, but there was never much proof available publicly.



Some Kazakh officials have already linked the June 5 attacks in Aqtobe to "nontraditional" religious groups, a term that usually denotes Islamic extremists. At this early stage, there is no publicly available evidence of such a connection. But it would not mark the first time Kazakh officials have linked unrest in western Kazakhstan to Islamic extremism.



Following Makhatov's 2011 suicide bombing, Kazakh media reported the existence of Salafi communities in western Kazakhstan, villages with young bearded men who were extremely pious and, the reports hinted, potentially dangerous.





When two policemen were killed in late June 2011 in a village some 200 kilometers south of Aqtobe, authorities sent elite forces to the area. During the ensuing operation, nine suspects and one policeman were killed. The initial official suggestion that the group was influenced by Islamic extremism eventually evolved to claiming the suspects were members of a criminal organization operating under the guise of religion.



A bit farther away, there was also the so-called Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate) terrorist group founded by three Kazakh citizens from Kazakhstan's Caspian Sea port city of Atyrau, around 500 kilometers southwest of Aqtobe. That group claimed responsibility for two bombings in Atyrau in November 2011 and for an attack days later in Almaty, in which five militants and two policemen were killed.



Though Kazakh authorities claimed that Jund al-Khilafah had links to Pakistan's tribal region, the three founders of the group were all later found and arrested in Kazakhstan.



Kazakhstan's western regions have proven to be the most restive in the country in the last half decade. There was also the six-month strike by oil workers in Zhanaozen that ended with at least 15 people being killed when police opened fire on demonstrators on Kazakhstan's Independence Day on December 16, 2011.



So if violence was going to happen, it is perhaps unsurprising that it struck in western Kazakhstan. Nor is it a surprise that investigators are having a hard time establishing a motive for the June 5 attacks.



But as much as many officials in the Kazakh government would like to believe this latest violence was inspired, or even planned, by forces outside the country, the reasons are probably easy to see in the everyday lives of residents of western Kazakhstan.

RFE/RL's Kazakh Service contributed to this report


President Gjorge Ivanov has revoked all the remaining pardons he granted to officials implicated in Macedonia's wire-tapping scandal.

The move on June 6 was demanded by Macedonia's opposition party and had been urged by the European Union and the United States.

In an EU-brokered deal last year, Macedonia's political parties agreed to hold early elections and that a special prosecutor should investigate allegations that former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his close allies authorized eavesdropping on more than 20,000 people.

Ivanov in April issued pardons for 56 officials who were prosecuted over their involvement in the scandal. The pardons led to nationwide protests and the cancellation of elections set for June 5.

Macedonia's parliament last month passed legislation that enabled Ivanov on May 27 to revoke his decision to pardon 22 politicians.

On June 6, Ivanov announced the cancellation of the pardons for the other 34 people.

With reporting by Reuters and Balkan Insight
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have detained opposition activists who planned to hold a rally to challenge next month's early presidential election.

Bibigul Imanghalieva, a member of the unregistered Algha, Qazaqstan (Kazakhstan, Forward) party, told RFE/RL by phone that she and several of her colleagues were detained for several hours early in the morning in different parts of the city before they could hold the demonstration, which was to fall on October 25, Republic Day, which commemorates Kazakhstan's declaration of state sovereignty in 1990.

According to Imanghalieva, leading activists, Aset Abishev, Aidar Syzdyqov, and Qanatkhan Amrenov, were among those detained. She added that she and other activists were released three hours later.

Imanghalieva says she and other members of the unregistered party had officially filed a request with the Almaty city administration last week asking for permission to hold a rally on October 25.

Other activists told RFE/RL that the chairwoman of an independent group of election observers, Arailym Nazarova, was also detained by police. Her mobile phone has been switched off since the morning of October 25.

In the capital, Astana, police cordoned off a square near Zhengis (Victory) Avenue where activists had planned to gather, not allowing anyone to enter the site. At least two activists were detained there.

Opposition activist Amangeldy Zhakhin said on Facebook on October 25 that police did not allow him to leave the village of Shortandy on October 25 as they tried to prevent his trip to Astana, the capital, where he planned to organize a rally to question the election, scheduled for November 20, at which incumbent President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev will face off against five relatively unknown candidates.

Activists in the cities of Aqsai, Pavlodar, and Oskemen also said they were blocked from travelling to Astana to take part in a rally.

Toqaev, who has tried to position himself as a reformer, called the early presidential election on September 1 while also proposing to change the presidential term to seven years from five years. Under the new system, future presidents will be barred from seeking more than one term.

Critics say Toqaev's initiatives have been mainly cosmetic and do not change the nature of the autocratic system in a country that has been plagued for years by rampant corruption and nepotism.

Toqaev's predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who had run the tightly controlled former Soviet republic with an iron fist for almost three decades, chose Toqaev as his successor when he stepped down in 2019.

Though he was no longer president, Nazarbaev retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council. He also enjoyed substantial powers by holding the title of elbasy or leader of the nation.

Many citizens, however, remained upset by the oppression felt during Nazarbaev's reign.

Those feelings came to a head in January when unprecedented anti-government nationwide protests started over a fuel price hike, and then exploded into countrywide deadly unrest over perceived corruption under the Nazarbaev regime and the cronyism that allowed his family and close friends to enrich themselves while ordinary citizens failed to share in the oil-rich Central Asian nation's wealth.

Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of his Security Council role, taking it over himself. Since then, several of Nazarbaevs relatives and allies have been pushed out of their positions or resigned. Some have been arrested on corruption charges.

In June, a Toqaev-initiated referendum removed Nazarbaev's name from the constitution and annulled his status as elbasy.
Police in Russia-controlled Crimea have forcibly broken up a protest by locals upset over amusement rides being set up near the shores of the Black Sea that they say obstruct access to the beach.

Among those hauled away at the June 4 gathering in the city of Alushta, some 50 kilometers from Crimeas capital, Simferopol, was local lawmaker Pavel Stepanchenko, who resisted police officers demands to halt what they called an unsanctioned public meeting.

The officers dragged away Stepanchenko and other protesters who stepped in to defend him amid chants of shame from the crowd of protesters that numbered in the dozens.

The crowed also reportedly yelled criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putins ruling United Russia party and called the police officers Banderovtsy, which in Russia -- including on state-run television -- is used as a derogatory term to describe Ukrainian nationalists.

Stepanchenko managed to get away, while three other demonstrators were reportedly detained and charged with minor offenses, including participating in an unsanctioned rally and resisting police.

Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 following its secretive military seizure of the peninsula after pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country amid mass protests against his government.

With reporting by echo.msk.ru
A Russian prosecutor on June 6 asked a judge to punish the radical performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky with a large fine rather than sending him to prison for torching the door of Russias security service headquarters.

Pavlensky doused a massive wooden door of the FSB security service's Moscow headquarters with gasoline and set it on fire in a November performance he called Threat.

He has been charged with damaging a cultural site and, if convicted, could face a maximum jail sentence of three years.

Prosecutor Anton Sizov on June 6 asked the judge to fine Pavlensky 2 million rubles ($30,400) rather than jailing him.

An FSB official told the court Pavlensky also should pay 481,461 rubles ($7,380) in damages for the cost of the door.

Judge Yelena Gudoshnikova is expected to announce her verdict on June 8.

Pavlensky is known for intense performances that protest against Russias restrictions on political freedom.

He has previously nailed his scrotum to Red Square, sewn his lips together, wrapped himself in barbed wire, and chopped off part of his ear.

Based on reporting by AFP and The Guardian
Russia's Defense Ministry says its warplanes did not launch an air strike that hit a marketplace in eastern Syria on June 6 and reportedly killed at least 17 civilians.

At least eight children were reported to be among those killed by the attack, which came on the first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian or Syrian government planes were suspected of launching the air strikes in the town of Al-Shaara in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ez-Zor.

But Defense Ministry spokesman General Major Igor Konashenkov told Interfax that Russian planes did not carry out any combat missions in the area on June 6.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to "actively support" Syrian troops from the air around Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo.

His remarks came after a weekend of fierce fighting that left dozens dead in the divided city.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. court has ordered a Russian woman arrested last month in a child-custody battle that has angered the Kremlin to remain in the United States pending a resolution of the legal dispute, according to her lawyer.

A circuit court in Chicago on June 6 released Olga Pimanova, 30, from house arrest but ordered her to surrender her Russian passport and remain in the country until a decision is made in her clash with her ex-husband over her 3-year-old daughter, lawyer Fedor Kozlov told RFE/RL.

The domestic dispute, which has gone virtually unnoticed in the American media, has become a minor cause celebre in Russia thanks to the Kremlin's official children's rights ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov, who has accused U.S. authorities of holding Pimanova "as a hostage."

It is one of several cases in recent years in which top officials in Moscow have accused U.S. authorities of failing to protect the rights of Russian children and families, including in politically charged abuse cases that have strained bilateral relations.

Pimanova was detained by sheriffs in Cook County, Illinois -- where Chicago is located  after arriving by air and booked on May 20 on a charge of indirect civil contempt, according to police records.

Kozlov said the court had previously ruled that Pimanova's ex-husband, Jorge Castillo, is the father of the child and that she must bring the girl back to the United States.

She was arrested upon her arrival in Chicago because "the court found her in violation of the court order because she didn't come back with the daughter. She came back only by herself," Kozlov told RFE/RL.

Crossborder family disputes involving Russians and cases of alleged abuse of adopted Russian children in the United States have become flash points of Kremlin anger in recent years, with officials and state-run media often implying that kids face myriad dangers in the West.



In 2012, Russia passed a law banning adoptions of Russian children by Americans. Officials said the law was prompted by the case of a boy who died in 2008 three months after being adopted from Russia when his American father left him in a sweltering hot car for nine hours.

But critics of the law say it was passed in response to sanctions imposed by the U.S. government related to a brazen tax fraud case and the death of whistle-blowing tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Astakhov said after the June 6 ruling releasing Pimanova from house arrest that he would work with the Russian Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Washington to erase any challenges to her custody of the child.

"A Russian girl cannot be handed over to the United States," Astakhov, a high-profile advocate for the law banning Americans from adopting Russian children that was widely criticized by Western governments and rights activists, wrote in all-caps in a June 6 Instagram post.

He posted a photograph of the girl's Russian birth certificate showing that she was born in the southern city of Krasnodar in January 2013.

Kozlov told RFE/RL that the girl was born in Russia 10 months before Pimanova and Castillo were married.

Julia Bikbova, another attorney for Pimanova, said Castillo had not asserted his parental rights and that her client had not been properly served in the matter.

Jennifer Huston, a lawyer listed for Castillo in the case, did not immediately return a phone message requesting comment.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on June 6.

Embassy spokesman Yury Melnik told RFE/RL last week that the embassy "had requested from U.S. authorities official documentation explaining the circumstances of her arrest and the charges she is facing" but that they had yet to receive a reply.

Will Stevens, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, referred RFE/RL "to local authorities on this legal case."

The Cook County Sheriff's Office told RFE/RL in a statement that it had been "asked by the Department of Homeland Security to assist them with this arrest" and that "we are very pleased she has been released from electronic monitoring."
For years, former Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's policy of "zero problems with neighboring countries" was a flagship concept of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A few years ago when a wave of protests inside Turkey started against the government and the Arab Spring began in the Middle East and northern Africa, everything went wrong. Ankara started to have problems and even serious conflict with almost all neighboring and regional countries as well as with big powers.

Today, there is almost no "country of immediate interest" for Ankara that Turkey has no problems with.

But that "zero problems" policy worked for some time. And it worked quite fine

As of 2002, when the AKP came to power, the EU and accession talks were still top of Turkey's foreign policy agenda. The still new "Islamic-conservative" government of Erdogan was increasingly considered both in Washington and European capitals as a "model" to act as a "bridge" between Western democracies and the Muslim world of the Middle East.

There was a thaw in Ankara's relations with Armenia and Greece. With respect to the Cyprus issue, unlike the previous, rather obstructive, approach of the northern Turkish Cypriot government, Ankara was leaning more toward EU policies aimed at the ultimate unification of the divided island.

'Boost Trade With Everybody'

Ties with Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria were very good and even Erdogan himself had established a decent personal relationship with Assad.

With Georgia and Iran there were no major problems. Turkey even offered to mediate between Iran and the United States on the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

Russia had become a "close friend" and the increasingly cordial relations between the two maritime neighbors occasionally raised eyebrows among Turkey's NATO allies.

Relations with Iraq were a little more complicated because a Shi'a government was sitting in Baghdad while the Turkish government consisted of devout Sunni Muslims. Also, a semi-independent Kurdish regional government was acting in a quite sovereign way across the Turkish-Iraqi border. While both Turkey and the northern Iraqi Kurdish government were interested in increased trade and investment, Ankara was still careful enough not to undermine the central Iraqi government in Baghdad.

Ankara gave every indication that the Erdogan administration was simply not interested in causing problems or interfering in other countries' affairs.

"Boost trade with everybody" seemed to be the mantra of the Turkish government under the "moderate Islamists" of the AKP.

When speaking about all the countries he visited, Erdogan himself mainly cited increased volumes of trade with those nations and talked about major growth in business and investment involving these partners.

This continued until sometime around 2013 and then everything started to fall apart.

What Went Wrong?

Yes, something went wrong, but we cannot say what exactly.

Interestingly, however, everything started in 2013 when a group of rogue prosecutors revealed a bribery scandal and abuse of power by the AKP, involving some ministers and relatives of government officials.

Erdogan and other AKP leaders rejected the allegations although they were later reiterated by American prosecutors investigating the case of an Iranian-Turkish gold trader who was accused of breaching U.S. sanctions on Iran and bribing Turkish officials.

Erdogan reacted swiftly, in his favored role as a victim.

He accused the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen of heading an "international plot" and "parallel state" that was intent on overthrowing the AKP government. His rhetoric against internal opposition and foreign countries -- especially Western governments -- became much sharper.

Everybody outside of the government and his AKP party was now being viewed as part of this "plot." All allegations of wrongdoing were denied by Erdogan and the ruling AKP. And soon all prosecutors investigating the allegations were arrested themselves and the defendants were quietly acquitted.

Arab Spring

The period 2012-13 was also the time of the so-called Arab Spring movements, which erupted in Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia.

Erdogan clearly sided with the Islamic opposition movements in these countries who were trying to lead demonstrations for civil and human rights in Arab lands.

Erdogan strongly supported individual Islamic groups' campaigns against their governments -- regimes that the Turkish leader had been on good terms with for so long. However, very much to Erdogan's dismay, the groups he backed so strongly did not succeed in Syria and they also failed in Egypt after the pro-Islamic government they established there proved to be short-lived.

Erdogan started to actively support, even with money and arms, rebel groups against neighboring governments, including Syria and Iraq. His support did not exclude backing radical, armed Islamist groups.

The increasing confrontation with Syria and Russia on the one hand and the Sunni-Shi'a confrontation in Iraq on the other, pushed Erdogan toward a more aggressive, sectarian, and pro-Sunni policy and rhetoric. This new, assertive approach alienated Turkey, both from its own Alevi minority as well as Shi'a Iran and also brought Ankara closer to its old, wealthy allies in Saudi Arabia.

Western Concerns

At the same time, Western countries became increasingly concerned about Turkey's more radical and aggressive approach to human rights and press freedoms. They were also worried about how Erdogan began concentrating legislative and judicial powers in the hands of the government and taking a more controlling attitude toward the media and business.

Eventually, the West became openly critical of Ankara -- and of Erdogan's penchant for an oriental style of authoritarian, one-man rule, in particular.

All those years of not interfering in other countries' internal affairs and preferring a "friendship and trade first" policy went up in smoke in just a short space of time.

Of all those neighbors and countries who were friendly in the past, one remains even closer to Turkey today than at any time previously: Saudi Arabia.

Otherwise, from Washington to Berlin and Moscow, from Tehran to Baghdad and Damascus, you can hardly find a government in Turkey's immediate neighborhood and beyond that has "zero problems" with Ankara.

Recently, when he was asked about long-time EU applicant Turkey's chances of joining the bloc, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the country would probably not be ready to join "until the year 3000" based on its current rate of progress.

This gave Erdogan the perfect opportunity to react and accuse Western countries of "plots." However, the Turkish president added a new element to his "Western plot" when he claimed a day later that the West was "jealous" of Turkey and "of our dams, bridges, and metros."


4 Schoolchildren stand beside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he arrives to attend We Are The Happiest In The World, a performance of schoolchildren to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Korean Children's Union in Pyongyang. (Reuters/KCNA)
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The MDC- secretary for legal affairs David Coltart has said he under went biopsy tests in South Africa to check if he has developed prostate cancer.He said it was important for the public figures to make their health status public saying the situation surrounding P5resident Robert Mugabe's health left [people with no0 option but to guess about his condition because all was kept secret."I have always believed that public figures do, by virtue of the position they have sought in society, lose some of their privacy when it comes to their finances, relationships and health. That is not to say they lose all their rights but there is a need to keep the public informed on aspects which concern them, such as the physical ability of a politician to continue to hold office," Coltart said."In Zimbabwe that has been a particularly acute problem with all the speculation which flies around Robert Mugabe's health. Much of that speculation could have been tempered through regular, accurate , short, health reports."He said in that spirit he need to update friends and colleagues regarding his own recent health issues."As many men do when they turn 50, I have kept a check on my prostrate by having regular blood tests which result in PSA numbers. If your number gets too high that is a possible indicator of prostate cancer and biopsies are done to check," he said."Recently my PSA increased to a level which my Zimbabwean doctor thought needed more investigation . One of South Africa' s top urologists was seen and he too recommended a biopsy, which I had last week. Fortunately the biopsy found no cancer, but unfortunately an infection resulted which has necessitated my hospitalization in Johannesburg to clear up the infection.""So I am rather weak and poorly at present but pray the good Lord brings me back to full health. I would obviously appreciate your prayers. God bless Zimbabwe," he added.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Liberation Front has dismissed as lies the claims by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko that people of Matabaleland are cowards.Mphoko reportedly made the claims during his tour of Matabeleland."The claims that the Mthwakazians are cowards by the VP Mphoko on his tour to Matabeleland North is not true. The VP stressed that the people from this region cannot stand their grounds in acquiring jobs locally is a result of cowardice as a result of employment of foreign nationals especially from Mashonaland and other related areas is somehow biased," said the party official Ndabezinhle Fuyane. "Actually, the marginalization that has hit the region has therefore suppressed this people."He said the Mthwakazians have been referred to as uneducated and notorious by the head of state of Zimbabwe, our neighboring country."It arose from this wake that the employment and deployment of Shonas in this region is the fulfillment of the Zanu 1979 grand plan . So we are not even shocked about that," he said. "In fact VP Mphoko is trying to divert our focus . The insult was made publicly, even Mphoko knows of this insult but prefers to call us cowards . How dare should we abandon our heritage for greener pastures."He said its time that people should know the truth, an eye for an eye ,a spade a spade."We mustn't betray our people because we are holding high posts in the Zimbabwean government, the statements are a total betrayal of own people and therefore the Mthwakazians need not to be moved by such statements .However,the fears instilled to our people has led to this silence, senior government officials from this region in the Zanu PF have resolved to disown their population because of being puppets of the present government,but home is always the best, that is being fooled," he said."The restoration processes advocated by MLF engulfs also these greedy officials who are not even ashamed . The truth shall avail itself."
A Louisa County man is in critical condition after being shot in the stomach, the sheriff's office said.

The victim was arguing with another man when he was shot, said sheriff's office spokesman Maj. Donald Lowe. The shooting happened on Richmond Avenue in Mineral.

The sheriff's office is not releasing the men's names, but Lowe said both are from Louisa.

The victim was taken to University of Virginia Hospital, where he underwent surgery, Lowe said.
The state Department of Environmental Quality on Monday released the first draft of a permit that will regulate how coal ash ponds are drained at the Chesterfield Power Station.

The permit, one of four Dominion Virginia Power needs to comply with federal rules requiring the closure of coal ash ponds, will allow the company to drain up to 5 million gallons of treated ash pond water daily into the James River.

Environmental groups vowed to pore over the permits thousand-plus pages in the coming days and weeks to make sure it sufficiently protects the river. But the draft permit already includes stricter cleaning standards that the James River Association won in a settlement with Dominion Virginia Power after challenging the dewatering permit for the Bremo Power Station in court.

Were very pleased to see that made it in there. It sort of sets a new benchmark for permits like this that are coming out, so thats great news, said Jamie Brunkow, the associations Lower James Riverkeeper. I think we want to build on that. ... Were going to be digging into that over the next few weeks to provide substantive comments.

The DEQ took the same approach with the Chesterfield permit as it did with two permits already approved at Dominion Virginia Powers Bremo and Possum Point power stations, said Fred Cunningham, director of water permits for DEQ. So far, testing of the water treated at both of those locations has found contaminants at well below the permitted limits.

The DEQ will accept written comments through July 21 on the Chesterfield permit and hold a public hearing next month. The State Water Control Board, which makes the final decision on the language in the permit, is scheduled to make a decision at its September meeting.

Coal ash has been stored for decades by saturating it with water to keep it from becoming airborne, then pumping it into enormous holding ponds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is requiring those ponds to be closed in the wake of the 2014 coal ash spill in North Carolina and a 2008 spill in Tennessee. The ash contains toxic metals including arsenic and hexavalent chromium.

Dominion and DEQ said the permit is written to protect human and aquatic life in the river. Bunkow, the riverkeeper, said he has some concerns in particular about endangered Atlantic sturgeon that have been found in the area.

In Chesterfield, a small amount of stormwater remains in the mostly drained and dried upper ash pond, which is being piled with dried coal ash as Dominion prepares to bury it. The lower pond, which is still filled with water, likely wont be drained until later next year. Dominion Virginia Power still burns coal at its Chesterfield plant, so the utility must wait until it has finished a new lined landfill for dry coal ash storage before it can close the lower pond.

The closure of the ponds and conversion to dry storage of the ash also means Dominion will need to build a permanent water treatment facility for all of the other wastewater from the plant.

Youre going to see big improvements as we install different components of that system between now and 2022, Dominion Environmental Manager Jason Williams said.

The burial of the coal ash in place, with no liners around the bottom and sides, is drawing at least as much scrutiny as the draining of the ponds.

Numerous groups have tested private wells in areas near the Chesterfield Power Station and others in the state to try to gauge whether contaminants from coal ash are leaching into groundwater. Those test results have varied.

The main thing is that this coal ash is toxic waste. In terms of what is going to be put into the river, there are some concerns there. I think the biggest concern we have is allowing the remaining coal ash that remains in those pits to just be dewatered and remain there, said Kate Addleson, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.

There are other states like North Carolina where we feel there is a much better solution that is being applied to these type of sites, where theyre actually excavating the coal ash and moving it to a lined pit.

Dominion has estimated the additional cost of hauling all its ash from ponds to lined landfills at about $3 billion. Its current plan has a $500 million price tag.

A bill that would have required coal ash to be excavated and stored in a modern, lined landfill rather than capped in place died in February on a 7-7-1 vote in a state Senate committee. The abstention was Sen. Rosalyn Dance, a Democrat whose 16th District includes the Chesterfield Power Station.

In an interview last month, Dance said she didnt get enough information about the merits of the clean closure plan to make a decision. She also was concerned about the cost, which would have been passed on to the utilitys customers.

Why would I ask someone to pay for a Cadillac if a Toyota will do the job? said Dance, a former state delegate and mayor of Petersburg who has been in the Senate since 2014. I did not feel that I had enough evidence to warrant siding with either side.

Dominion has been one of Dances top donors over the past 10 years, giving nearly $22,000 since 2006, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The donations had nothing to do with her decision to abstain, however, Dance said.

I dont let who donates to me determine how I vote, Dance said. For me, its the people.  The benefits to the people come first.
A Hopewell woman and employee of CBM Managed Services has been arrested and charged with carnal knowledge of an inmate, according to Chesterfield County Police.

Kelsey A. Nouioua, 25, of the 2700 block of Walnut Street in Hopewell, is an employee of CBM Managed Services, which is a contracted vendor at the Chesterfield County Jail.

According to police, Nouioua had inappropriate sexual contact with an adult male inmate at Chesterfield County Jail. The investigation indicates the offense occurred at the jail between April and May 2016, according to police.
Richmond police asked for help locating a suspect and the suspects vehicle in connection with a sexual assault Wednesday.

On the morning of June 1, officers responded to a local hospital for a report of a sexual assault that occurred between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. in the 2100 block of Lumkin Avenue, police said.

The vehicle of interest is believed to be a dark-colored Dodge Durango with a work ladder on the roof. The suspect is described as a white male who was wearing a white T-shirt, according to police.
Chesterfield had the most teacher resignations in the Richmond area, with 538 in the past five Junes, followed by 363 in Henrico, 333 in Richmond and 131 in Hanover.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Politicians and business people targeted by a current government anti-corruption blitz say it is nothing more than" a sham and factional hatchet job" targeted at perceived political opponents of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.This comes in the wake of a hotly disputed captain by the Zimbabwe anti-corruption commission (Zaac) to track down individuals ,business, local authorities parastatals and housing cooperatives accused of engaging in underhand deals involving millions of dollars.But targeted individuals - many of them linked to Zanu-PF's ambitious young tucks generally known as the G40 group, which is rabidly opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding president Robert Mugabe, said they were innocent victims of the ruling party's brutal factional and successional wars.
A Spotsylvania County man is accused of shooting his girlfriend Sunday night during a domestic altercation, according to police.

Sheriffs Capt. Jeff Pearce said the incident occurred about 8:40 p.m. The victim was at a neighbors house when deputies arrived and saw she had a gunshot wound in her arm.

Pearce said she told police shed been at her boyfriends house when an argument erupted. During the altercation, police said, the suspect picked up a handgun and fired a shot into the victims arm.

The victim ran to a neighbors home and called 911. She was later taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and released.

It was not clear what spurred the altercation.

Deputies went to the suspects home and took him into custody without incident. Evidence, including the gun, was retrieved from the scene, police said.

Clyde Alan Cross, 52, was charged with malicious wounding, shooting in an occupied dwelling and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Several mental health and civil rights advocacy groups on Monday formalized their plea for a federal investigation into the 2015 death of a mentally ill man in a Portsmouth jail.

Neither the FBI nor the state police has decided whether to investigate the death of Jamycheal Mitchell, 24, who was arrested in April 2015 for allegedly stealing $5 worth of snack food from a convenience store near his home. Mitchell, who was diagnosed at 10 years old with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, thought his father owned the store, his family has said.

He lost 46 pounds over 101 days while he was incarcerated in a cell smeared with feces at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail.

Several agencies have conducted investigations into Mitchells death, but its still unclear how he was able to lose so much weight under near-constant supervision by correctional officers and the jails medical staff.

A lawsuit filed last month alleges Mitchell was subjected to repeated physical abuse and neglect. His family is seeking $60 million from more than 30 defendants.

On Monday, the Hampton Roads, state and national offices of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the D.C.-based Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law jointly submitted a letter to the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice requesting an investigation into Mitchells death.

They also asked the DOJ to examine whether a lack of coordination between state and local agencies and a lack of accountability played a role in his death.

We are extremely concerned about the likelihood of future deaths if the problems are not remedied, the letters authors wrote. We believe that the problems illustrated in this case, including neglect and possible abuse within the jail as well as lack of systemic coordination among responsible systems, are not isolated to this particular example.

The Department of Justice declined through a press assistant to comment directly, but referred a reporter to the FBIs Norfolk office.

The FBI, which is a part of the Department of Justice, is prepared to investigate Mitchells death if a Virginia State Police inquiry uncovers potential civil rights violations, said Christina Pullen, spokeswoman for the FBIs Norfolk division.

Virginia State Police are still reviewing the case to determine if there is a need to initiate an investigation, said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the agency. Even if an inquiry is launched, it will not include a review of civil rights issues, which are federal.

The purpose and function of our ongoing review is to determine if a criminal violation occurred at the state level, Geller said.
Last year 100 journalists died on the job.

They include Ibrahim Abdul Qader, who was found beheaded in southern Turkey. He had been trying to expose some of the atrocities committed by ISIS. Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist who had traveled to Syria, met a similar fate. Bernard Maris died with 10 colleagues in the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. TV reporter Alison Parker was gunned down on live TV while filming in Moneta, Virginia. Avijit Roy was hacked to death in Bangladesh because of his opposition to Islamic militancy. Rubin Espinosa was found in an apartment in Mexico City, shot in the head.

Hating the media is good old-fashioned sport here in the U.S.  though we suspect those who like to bash the press actually want to see it do a better job, or at least do the same job differently  rather than cease doing its job altogether. In other parts of the world, though, hating the press is no game. In some countries the punishment for reporting basic facts can include summary execution.

Today, through its #WithoutNews campaign, the Newseum pays tribute to journalists who have died recording the first draft of history, and encourages the public to reflect on what it would miss in the absence of good journalism and those who practice it.

Its not simply a question of what might happen without foreign correspondence. The barrage of change that has battered American media has blown holes in coverage of every kind, at every level, and many unseemly practices that once withered in the sunshine can now fester in the dark.

Political leaders of both parties have signified hostility to the media in their own way. The Obama administration is facing a record number of lawsuits over public-records requests, and has prosecuted twice as many leaks as all previous administrations combined. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have endorsed rewriting the First Amendment. Donald Trump has threatened to overhaul libel laws so he can go after critics.

One-half of college students today think the press should be barred from covering protests if the protesters think coverage might be unfair. Some of todays students will be tomorrows legislators and judges.
WASHINGTON

The robots are coming  but not in numbers that would imperil most Americans jobs.

Few subjects have inspired as much hype as robots. Consider some sample headlines: Robots and Computers Could Take Half Our Jobs Within the Next 20 years, Robots Could Put Humans Out of Work by 2045, Why the Highest-Paid Doctors Are the Most Vulnerable to Automation.

Heres why you should be skeptical, at least in the near term.

First, theres little evidence that robots have yet had much effect on job creation in the current recovery. Since a low point of payroll jobs in February 2010, the economy has added 14 million jobs. These figures surely obscure countless thousands of jobs lost to automation, but thats a normal part of a dynamic economy.

Second, the actual number of robots doesnt suggest a huge impact either. In 2014, American firms installed 26,200 industrial robots, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Thats tiny compared with present payroll employment of 144 million, including 12 million manufacturing jobs. Even making generous assumptions about robots in stores or service jobs, the total remains modest. (In 2014, the U.S. industrial robotics market was the third largest, ranking behind China with 57,096 installations and Japan with 29,300.)

Finally, robots arent new. In his monumental study of U.S. innovation (The Rise and Fall of American Growth), economist Robert Gordon notes that General Motors introduced industrial robots in 1961. By the mid-1990s, robots were welding automobile parts and replacing workers in the lung-killing environment of the automotive paint shop, he writes. But the adoption of robots outside the manufacturing and wholesaling sectors will be a long and gradual process.

The alarmist headlines at the start of this article appeared in various publications and are quoted in an essay by Richard Freeman, a Harvard labor economist. As he notes, most economists (including Freeman) doubt the gloomy predictions of mass unemployment. True, robots enjoy some advantages over humans; they can work 24 hours a day and dont have fringe benefits. Still, the economists have history on their side. Its all happened before.

There is no conceptual difference between robots and earlier labor-saving technologies, including the switch from steam power to electricity and the adoption of the assembly line. Although innovation hurts some industries and workers, it helps others by inspiring new products or reducing prices. Low prices spurred demand for both the Model-T and smartphones. Meanwhile, new satellite industries arise  say, cybersecurity now.

Finally, theres inertia. Some innovation occurs slowly, because it encounters practical problems. Take driverless vehicles  self-propelled robots  which have received huge publicity. They are unlikely to become widespread soon. Dozens of regulatory issues need to be settled. Nor is it clear what the demand for driverless vehicles will be.

Consider. An opinion survey by Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan found that only 16 percent of respondents wanted self-driving vehicles; 39 percent preferred partially self-driving and 46 percent wanted no self-driving features. Safety is one anxiety. Cost may be another. Presumably, car prices would be higher, reflecting the costs of software, sensors and electronics. Will drivers pay the premium, especially when todays cars last longer than ever? (The average age of todays vehicles is 11 years, up from five years in 1969, reports the Department of Transportation.)

All these factors argue against the doomsday specter of robots creating mass unemployment. Of course, dramatic increases in the minimum wage will quicken the pace of automation. More jobs will be lost.

Still, the real problem, suggests Harvards Freeman, is not jobs but wages. The added competition from robots will depress workers wages and salaries. This could happen, but its an open question and overlooks an important countervailing force. As baby boomers age and retire, growth in the labor force is slowing. Workers may become scarce, pushing up their wages.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Prosecutor-general Johannes Tomana is being accused of violating the Constitution after engaging the services of senior army officers to do administration work in his office, the Daily News can reveal.More than a dozen military officers are working in the Prosecutor-General's office, including a colonel and four majors.The Daily News understands Tomana requested the army officers' deployment to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a letter to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Justice minister in 2013, and the request was approved."We have close to 20 military people here performing administration work. It's patently illegal what is happening."There's a lot of friction between lawyers and these soldiers whose presence has never been explained. But what we know for a fact is that they are causing mayhem here," one NPA official said.Early signs of the friction first came to public light last year when Colonel Solomon Siziba, who is the director of administration in the NPA, allegedly assaulted Tomana's deputy, Florence Ziyambi.The other members of the military recruited by Tomana are Major Garikai Manyeruke and a Major Msipa.Section 208 of the Zimbabwe Constitution says that "serving members of the security services must not be employed or engaged in civilian institutions except in periods of emergency."With Tomana battling to keep his job after criminal charges were filed against him and the Judicial Service Commission separately found him unfit for office and recommended his removal, the Daily News understands the military officers have drawn up a plan to ensure he stays by intimidating prosecutors lining up to testify against him in his criminal abuse of office trial.The Daily News understands that Siziba, who is reportedly leading the operation, has called for a meeting of the NPA board on Wednesday this week which Tomana will chair  thumbing his nose at the JSC and sending a message that he is still in charge. Siziba's role as the director of administration in the NPA automatically makes him the NPA board secretary.Official sources say Tomana's decision, working with Siziba, to call a board meeting this week is already causing ructions in the NPA with fears that it is the start of a sinister fightback plot by the embattled Prosecutor-General, a key ally of Mnangagwa in Zanu-PF's internecine succession drama.Last week, Tomana requested the postponement of his trial to July after his lawyer, advocate Thabani Mpofu, told a Harare court that he (Mpofu) was unwell.Watchers of the trial say the postponement, now gives Tomana time to crack down on prosecutors who will testify in his trial in which he stands accused of dropping charges against two army officers implicated in a plot to bomb a dairy plant owned by President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace.An NPA source said: "Tomana wants to intimidate and scatter the prosecutors, and the military guys are at the heart of it. He has called a board meeting which we understand he wants to use to engineer the transfers of some of the prosecutors involved in his trial."For as long as he remains not suspended, it makes it very difficult for those prosecutors to give evidence against him because he has a lot of options at his disposal to make their life hell."The board meeting appears to have also been timed to coincide with the absence of Ziyambi, Tomana's deputy and the vice chair of the NPA board. Ziyambi, who reported being assaulted by Siziba on February 13 last year and is thought to be at loggerheads with Tomana, received government authority to go on an overseas trip this week."What has really heightened everyone's fears about Tomana's intentions is that the notice for this board meeting went out without an agenda. It simply says the agenda will follow in due course'."How can you call a meeting whose agenda you don't know? Something really sinister is afoot," an NPA official added.
RICHMOND  The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a challenge to Virginia House of Delegates districts to determine if state lawmakers improperly packed African-American voters into a dozen districts.

A three-judge panel of federal judges upheld the districts as constitutional last year.

In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. District Court panel found that the plaintiffs, who argued the map was drawn to benefit Republicans by diluting African-American voting power, failed to prove race was the primary factor in drawing 11 of the 12 districts.

Race was found to be the driving force in one district. But the majority ruled race-focused redistricting can be permissible in order for the state to comply with federal anti-discrimination law.

The Supreme Court on Monday added the case to its docket for the fall.

House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford, said he expects the high court to reach the same conclusion.

The Eastern District Court plainly laid out the constitutionality of Virginias House of Delegates redistricting plan and we are confident that upon review the Supreme Court will affirm the lower court ruling, Howell said in a statement.

Marc Elias, a Democratic attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he is very pleased the court decided to hear the case.

It is the second time this year that the court has had to review the Republican legislatures cynical use of the [Voting Rights Act] as an excuse for racially gerrymandering black voters, Elias said in an email.

Last month, the Supreme Court dismissed a GOP appeal of the states redrawn congressional districts. The ruling upheld a new map that tilted the 4th District toward Democrats by adding Richmond and Petersburg.

A federal court redrew the congressional district lines after finding that the Virginia legislature had packed too many African-American voters into the Hampton Roads-centered 3rd District, represented by Democratic Rep. Robert C. Bobby Scott of Newport News.

The second case going to the Supreme Court centers on House of Delegates districts redrawn in the 2011 redistricting process.

In an October ruling, the two-judge majority found that the legislators goal of having all 12 districts contain black voting-age populations of at least 55 percent did not drown out other redistricting factors, including political protection for incumbents.

The mere awareness or consideration of race by legislators in their districting decisions does not, on its own, provide sufficient evidence to support a claim of racial sorting under the Equal Protection Clause, wrote Judge Robert Payne, joined by Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

Writing in dissent, Judge Barbara Milano Keenan said the harm caused by racial stereotyping is apparent when racial sorting manifests itself in odd district boundaries that are visible to any observer.

Here, the plan contravened the rights of individual voters by applying a one-size-fits-all racial quota for black voters in twelve highly dissimilar districts, without regard to the characteristics of the voters or of their communities, Keenan wrote. The 55 percent quota thus is a classic example of race-based stereotyping and unequal treatment prohibited by the Equal Protection Clause.

The districts at issue in the case are located in the Richmond, Petersburg and Hampton Roads areas.

If the map is ruled unconstitutional, new lines could be drawn before Virginias 2017 elections, when all 100 House seats will be on the ballot.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

The Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) president Charity Jinya has said her body would soon stop importing $50 and $100 bills.Jinya told parliament's Finance and Economic development committee Monday evening that importing smaller denominations would reduce externalisation."We are going to be soon importing smaller denominations up to only $20 notes to deter externalization," said Jinya.Jinya also told the committee that it was more prudent to "make it expensive to do withdrawals and cheaper to use electronic cards."We recommend the increased use of plastic money to reduce queues in our banks".Monetary authorities have of late been encouraging use of plastic money.
Opinion / Columnist

Former Zanu-PF central committee member, Jimaya Muduvuri, tells war veterans to stop campaigning for VP Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe because that is divisive."If Mugabe is alive, then Zanu-PF is solid. I grew up in Zanu-PF and I won't be intimidated. If they think I will fear anything then they are wasting their time. I love my president and his wife. I am their child and I cannot be intimidated here in Zimbabwe as long as President Mugabe is there," he said."We will only start to fear when he is gone. I am trying to protect my father's throne and this is why I asked Vice-President Mnangagwa about those rumours that he wants to take over. I am glad he said he has no such plans."If President Mugabe had not created this de facto one-party cum one-man dictatorship to gratify his insatiable greed for political power and looted wealth, which is the root cause of the economic meltdown and political chaos we are facing today; then the nation would have nothing to fear now or when he is gone! It is naive and gullible people Muduvuri who love burying their head in the sand like an ostrich who have help tyrants like Mugabe land the nation in this mess!If Muduvuri opened his eyes for once in his life then he would see that it is President Mugabe himself and his wife Grace who are the divisive forces in Zanu-PF.Muduvuri should ask himself who falsely accused former VP Joice Mujuru of plotting to assassinate President Mugabe and then became hysterical about having her "baby dumped" out of Zanu-PF. It was none other than Grace Mugabe herself.It is all very well Muduvuri asking VP Mnangagwa to confirm he had no plans to succeed President Mugabe; why has he not asked Grace the same question. And just to make sure she does not get away with some blatant lie; he must ask her to explain the real purpose of her "meet the people" rallies if it was not to de-campaign VP Mnangagwa.Zanu-PF is imploding and, unfortunately, is dragging the whole nation into the abyss with it.The economic meltdown and political chaos are causing untold human suffering and many lives are being lost unnecessarily; very survival of the nation is now at stake."I am trying to protect my father's throne," Muduvuri tells us! It is sickening that people like Muduvuri should continue to put the selfish interests of a murderous tyrant above the very survival of the nation as millions of ordinary Zimbabweans' very lives are now the price we are now paying for Mugabe's continued rule!Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because of naive and incompetent leaders like Muduvuri who have put their own selfish interests and those of a murderous above the very survival of the nation. We want regime change and get rid of the tyrant Mugabe and all his cronies, apologists, the lot!------------------Patrick Guramatunhu
SSEF and UNIMEC introduce worlds most precise automated small synthetic diamond screener The Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF and UNIMEC SA, a robotics company also headquartered in Switzerland, have announced the release of the ASDI-500, a new version of the Automated Diamond Spectral Inspection device.

De Beers moves to entice buyers with sweeter terms  report De Beers will offer sweeter terms to diamond buyers at its next sale as the market is slowing after a rally that began during the global pandemic, according to media reports. Bloomberg quoted unnamed people familiar with the goings on as saying that...

Lucapa to auction seven Lulo diamonds in Angola Lucapa Diamond will place seven diamonds recovered by its 40%-owned Sociedade Mineira Do Lulo (SML) at the Lulo Mine in Angola. The diamonds include a 170-carat fancy-coloured diamond Lulo Rose, three +100-carat white Type IIa diamonds...

Mountain Province Diamonds announces planned notes refinancing Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. today announces that it has set a date for a special meeting of shareholders of December 1, 2022. The record date for shareholders entitled to receive notice and vote at the meeting has been set as October 28, 2022.
TransHex said its 33 percent-owned Somiluana Mine, in Angola produced 99 572 carats during the year ended 31 March 2016 from 94 483 carats, a year earlier due to a 14,2 percent increase in average grade, partly offset by a 7,7 percent decrease in gravel treated.

Diamond sales from the Angolan mine dropped to $34,2 million or $351 per carat during the period under review from last years $43,9 million or $458 per carat.

The loss from the Angolan continuing operations amounted to $2.4 million compared to a profit of $0.16 million realized last year.

However, profit from the discontinued Luarica and Fucauma operations reached $1.6 million up from $1.4 million in 2015.

TransHex said Angolan mining operations would continue on the east bank of the Luana River while prospecting activities would also be focused on the new location to direct operations to areas of interest.

In order to speed up the expansion of the production footprint, external funding is being sought, it said.

Production results and geological work through drilling and bulk testing indicate that carat production for the 2017 financial year will surpass the 99 500 carats achieved in 2016.

Meanwhile, TransHex said its production in South Africa decreased by 21,5 percent to 48 435 carats from last years 61 688 carats, mainly as a result of a 13,4 percent reduction in gravel treated and a 5,4 percent decline in average grade at the Lower Orange River operations to 1,22 carats/100 m3.

Sales revenue from the South African operations also decreased by 28,6 percent in Rand terms from R939,7 ($62.2) million in 2015 to R671,4 ($44.4) million in 2016.

The disposal of the Remhoogte mining right and the discontinuation of operations at Reuning Mine accounted for 14,4 percent of the decrease, it said.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




ALROSA launches childrens recreation campaign

06 june 2016 News

PJSC ALROSA, the world leader in diamond mining, will send over 2.5 thousand children of the Companys employees on vacation to Russias health resorts during the summer holidays.

The first charter flight Mirny-Gelendzhik has already brought the first group of children from Yakutia to the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar territory. Two hundred children will spend 21 days in Niva, a sanatorium recreation camp for children. The health resort meets the children for the second year in a row.

The Companys experts from the social department and trade union carried out an extensive research to choose a childrens camp. First and foremost, we were focused on security, comfortable accommodation and balanced meals for children, says Tatiana Volk, lead specialist of ALROSAs social and regional development section.

Childrens recreation expenses exceed RUB 200 million every year. The Company pays for air transportation and accompanying of the children to the holiday resort. More than two thousand children of ALROSAs employees will spend their summer holidays in the childrens holiday camps in Mirny district.




The New Zealand dollar weakened against most major currencies in the Asian session on Monday.

The NZ dollar fell to a 10-day low of 73.77 against the yen and a 4-day low of 1.6408 against the euro, from Friday's closing quotes of 74.07 and 1.6320, respectively.

Against the U.S. dollar, the kiwi edged down to 0.6910 from last week's closing value of 0.6952.

If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 72.00 against the yen, 1.67 against the euro and 0.67 against the greenback.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Forex News
Opinion / Columnist

The MDC welcomes the recent announcement by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to the effect that several individuals and corporations have been formally placed under investigation for corruption. We have always argued that corruption in Zimbabwe has become so deeply entrenched to the extent that it is permeating through all facets of our lives; from politics, to business, to the churches and even in the field of sport.Corruption is a cancer that has wrecked havoc in the entire socio-economic fabric of our society. As a direct result of corruption in both the public and private sector, billions of dollars worth of taxpayers' and other public funds have been siphoned out of the country over the past 36 years.A few months ago and in a rare public admission of the existence of high level corruption, President Robert Mugabe himself stated that no less than $15 billion worth of diamonds from the Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields has been stolen. Unfortunately, to date, not a single individual and/or corporation or organisation has been held accountable for this staggering theft of diamonds money. Little wonder Zimbabwe is in such a financial and economic mess!Corruption has become endemic in the Zanu PF government. Day in and day out, we read about reports of Cabinet Ministers and other top level civil servants being implicated in cases of massive corruption. The rot at the Ministry of Energy and at ZESA Holdings is a case in point. What boggles the mind is the fact that inspite of these reports of naked corruption, Energy Minister Samuel Undenge, the ZESA Holdings CEO Josh Chifamba and several other bureaucrats who have been implicated in the $400 million dollar Gwanda solar project scandal are still scot free and reporting for duty as if nothing untoward has happened. It turns out that the Zanu PF regime has never been genuinely interested in firmly identifying, clamping down and ultimately, eliminating corruption. The Zanu PF regime has become insipidly corrupt; from the highest office in the land right down to the shop floor worker. This is just how corrupt this regime has become!Going forward, the MDC expects the ZACC to not only talk the walk but to also walk the talk. The blitz on corruption must and indeed, should be all-embracing and holistic. No corrupt politician, civil servant, businessperson and/or business entity should escape the clampdown on corruption if at all Zimbabwe is going to meaningfully exorcise the ghost of graft from within our society. In this respect, therefore, the MDC also calls upon the ZACC to immediately institute investigations into how the $15 billion dollars from the country's diamonds was stolen. All the culprits, no matter who they are, should be promptly brought to book and the stolen funds should also be repatriated to Zimbabwe. It is only when this is done that the nation will sincerely believe that the anti-corruption blitz that was announced a couple of days ago is genuine and not just another facade meant to wood wink the suffering and toiling masses of Zimbabwe.MDC : EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALLOBERT CHAURURA GUTUMDC NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON
Internet service provider Gogo's stock declined around 16 percent on Friday as American Airlines ditched the firm for rival ViaSat Inc. to provide satellite-powered WiFi to aircrafts.

Worried by the poor performance of Gogo, its current provider, American Airlines filed a lawsuit back in mid February, notifying that it has found a faster Internet service offered by ViaSat. Gogo then said it intends to submit a competing proposal.

In the lawsuit filed in a Texas court, the airline asked a judge to allow the company to break its existing contract with Gogo. There was a clause in the contract allowing American Airlines to switch providers if it finds one service that materially improves on Gogo's current offering.

ViaSat's satellite-based WiFi experience is said to be 8 to 10 times faster than any existing in-flight WiFi solutions. The service is currently used by United, JetBlue, and Virgin America.

As per the new contract, American Airlines will outfit its 100 new Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts with ViaSat's in-flight internet service by next September.

In a statement, ViaSat noted that the new American planes will tap into the power of ViaSat's advanced high capacity Ka-band satellite system, which will include ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3 satellite platforms. When the first ViaSat-3 class satellite platform launches in 2019, it will more than double the capacity again.

Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO, said, "We believe we are now approaching the end of an era where passengers have paid very high prices for very slow connections. Our agreement highlights a significant initial step for American to deliver an onboard Wi-Fi experience every passenger will want to use."

Meanwhile, Gogo reportedly will continue to provide service to a number of American's fleet, including 134 Airbus planes. These have been outfitted with the WiFi provider's 2Ku satellite service.

On Friday, Gogo stock fell 16.08 percent at $9.29 and American stock dropped 2.72 percent to $30.81. ViaSat stock gained 4.53 percent to settle at $73.08.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Deshauna Barber, an Army Reserve officer and IT analyst from the District of Columbia, has been crowned Miss USA 2016.

Deshauna won the beauty pageant, held at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sunday night, ahead of first runner-up Chelsea Hardin, Miss Hawaii, and second runner-up Emanii Davis, Miss Georgia.

The 26-year old Deshauna was born in Columbus, Georgia, as the daughter of an Army Master Sergeant.

After graduating with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Management from Virginia State University, Deshauna moved to Washington D.C. where she is currently working as an IT Analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Deshauna joined the Army as a Quartermaster Officer in 2011 and is currently a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland.

She loves to dance, hike and enjoy quality time with her family. Deshauna has a passion to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, specifically focusing her platform on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention in the Armed Forces.

Judges selected Deshauna Barber from beauty queens from 50 US states and District of Columbia, as well as Miss 52 USA, Alexandra Miller, who was selected via #FindingMiss52, a nationwide search for a 52nd contestant to compete in this year's event.

The new winner will compete at Miss Universe later this year.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) is reportedly offering voluntary buyouts to its employees.

According to Crain's Chicago Business, managers who received the offers at the fast food chain said several hundred of the company's office workers have received buyout offers. The packages, which are reportedly being offered to employees at the director level and above, are planned to start in July.

While a spokesperson for McDonald's did not confirm the buyouts, she said that the hamburger chain is in the midst of a turnaround plan launched by CEO Steve Easterbrook. The turnaround plan aims to save the company $500 million by the end of 2017.

McDonald's is striving to boost its U.S. sales, which declined 3 percent in 2015. It's sales in the U.S. are now benefiting from the launch in October last year of All Day Breakfast.

The company has also been caught in the national debate over raising minimum wage to $15 per hour. About 2,000 workers marched near the company's Oak Brook headquarters last month while it was holding its annual shareholders' meeting, demanding that the company raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The President will travel to Warsaw, Poland, and Spain during July 7-11, the White House announced Monday.

From July 7-9, the President will attend the 2016 NATO Summit, his fifth and final Summit with NATO leaders. The meeting will afford an opportunity to underscore Alliance solidarity, to advance efforts to bolster security to NATO's east and south, and to project stability through new partnerships beyond the North Atlantic area.

The President will hold a bilateral meeting with the Polish President to discuss U.S.-Polish relations, reaffirm the American commitment to Poland's security, and exchange views on the broader security environment in Europe.

While in Warsaw, the President will also meet with the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission to discuss U.S.-EU cooperation across a range of shared priorities, including countering terrorism, fostering economic growth and prosperity, and addressing the global refugee crisis.

Following the visit to Poland, the President will travel to Spain from July 9-11. The visit to Spain, an important NATO Ally, will highlight robust security cooperation, a strong political and economic relationship, and longstanding people-to-people ties, White House Press Secretary said in a statement. The President's agenda in Spain will include meetings with His Majesty the King of Spain and the Acting President of Spain, it added.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
A new poll by Amnesty International has shown that a majority of people around the world are willing to accept refugees into their country.

The new Refugees Welcome Index is based on a global survey of more than 27,000 people, carried out by the strategy consultancy GlobeScan and commissioned by Amnesty International.



It ranks 27 countries based on their citizens' willingness to let refugees live in their countries, towns, neighborhoods, and homes.

CLICK HERE for Amnesty's Top Ten Most Welcoming Nations For Refugees

The ranking is on a scale of zero to 100, where zero means all respondents would refuse refugees entry into their country, and 100 means all respondents would accept refugees into their neighborhood or home.

The first-of-its-kind global survey by the London-based human rights watchdog showed that people are willing to go to surprising lengths to make refugees welcome. Globally, one person in ten is willing to take refugees into their home, while 32 percent said they would accept refugees into their neighborhood.

The survey results also showed that people support access to asylum and want governments to act. Globally, 66 percent of people said their national governments should do more to help refugees.

Russia, Indonesia, and Thailand - where thousands tried to reach by boat after fleeing Myanmar last year - are the least welcoming countries for refugees. Russia was at the bottom of the list with an overall index score of 33.

CLICK HERE for Amnesty's Top Ten Most Welcoming Nations For Refugees

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The all-new 2021MY Audi A3 features revamped styling and a new 1.5-litre mild-hybrid TFSi engine

Audi AG has debuted the 2021MY avatar of its popular entry-level compact sedan. Compared to its predecessor, the all-new Audi A3 sedan boasts of several exterior and interior upgrades while getting better in terms of overall dynamics. The 2021 Audi A3 series started in a Sportback avatar while the Chinese market will get an A3 L model soon. Audi India  which currently has only three models on sale  is expected to launch the sedan sometime around mid-2021.

Starting with the exterior design, there is a lot going on in modern-day Audi fashion. The sharp lines and cuts seem fitting on the Audi A3 Sportback but one might initially find the sedans design a bit hard to digest. In spite of getting edgier boundaries, extended fenders and fresh bumper components, the overall silhouette remains typically A3  compact and coupe-ish.

At the base of the rear doors, there is a small Audi logo which could be a no-cost option. If regular Audi models start to look this radical, we cannot help but imagine how their RS versions would be like. The car has slightly grown in size compared to the outgoing model. Plus, the higher rear-end and larger diffuser has helped bring down its drag coefficient to 0.25. The suspension has been tweaked as well to achieve the best balance between comfort and dynamics.

On the inside, the design philosophy has made a massive leap. Physical buttons are minimum while features and equipment are aplenty. The 10.1-inch touchscreen is driver-centric and is surrounded by premium quality materials. It blends well with the centre console (which sports a Porsche-like gear lever) and is placed in close proximity with the updated 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit TFT instrument cluster. The latest version of Audis MMI system is claimed to have 10x faster processing capability.

The 2021 Audi A3 range was introduced with a new 1.5-litre 35 TFSi petrol mild-hybrid powertrain. While the petrol unit makes 148bhp and 250Nm by itself, the 48V mild-hybrid unit can bump up the torque by 50Nm. In global markets, the engine is available mated to a 6-speed manual or 7-speed S-Tronic DCT. The other option is a 2.0-litre TDi motor good for 148bhp and 360Nm while mated to the 7-speed S-Tronic unit.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has ditched their diesel powertrains ahead of BS6 era. Even the BS6 Volkswagen Polo and Vento come with just petrol options. Hence, Audi India would bring the new A3 sedan in just its petrol format, with no mild-hybrid assist in the lower variants. The Audi A3 sedan primary rivals the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Limousine and BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.
Opinion / Columnist

It is very mischievous for the former Finance minister, Tendai Biti, to say that President Robert Mugabe has this year alone blown almost $20 million on foreign trips. There is nothing wrong for the Head of State and government to visit other countries as this improves international relations. People who are not patriotic and lack in the national vision criticize these crucial trips as a sanction busting measure.The foreign trips has helped a lot in trying to improve Zimbabwe's tainted and demonized image as mega deals have been made with a number of countries. Landmark deals worth $4 billion dollars signed between Zimbabwe and China will convert provisions of the government's economic blueprint, ZimAsset, into programmes of action.The two nations signed 12 investment agreements covering different sectors of the economy. The deals include financing for the expansion of Hwange Power Station, construction of a new parliament building and a pharmaceutical warehouse, expansion of a national optic broadband project and provision of wildlife mining equipment.Deals were also made with Russia which included the hydro-power plant deal. Russia is part of a group of the world's fastest growing economy that includes Brazil, India, China and South Africa going by the acronym Brics. It is a known fact that Zimbabwe has for the past 15 years, been unable to secure long-term loans to fund infrastructure because it has been in arrears with global lenders IMF and the World Bank.President Mugabe's trips abroad are meant to help the country to come out of the economic quagmire it is in because of the economic sanctions imposed by the West. He is penetrating the international markets, thereby retaining faith in a country under economic and trade sanctions. Taking into cognizance the amount of mega deals made, the alleged $20 million spent is just a drop in the ocean. Moreover, international trips help to improve the country's image and in diplomatic cycles we say that no country can stay in isolation.Biti's efforts to blame President Mugabe's decision making on economic matters is both importune and unfortunate and leads to the conclusion that the leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is a lightweight on issues of economic importance. It seems that he believes that Zimbabwe's economic woes, past and current should be solely laid at the door of one man and his party. He is in a desperate mode to raise his political profile.Biti and the PDP on their own are insignificant coterie of individuals politically; it is who they represent that is a great threat, which is White Western capital. During his hay days in the Inclusive Government as the Finance Minister he used to sanction these trips; and now the grapes are sour. The truth is that this man suffers from an extreme case of premature self-congratulation.It is a shame that Biti and his British counterpart, John Longworth have likened President Mugabe to the embattled British Prime Minister David Cameroon, after his government has been accused of spending 9.3 million pounds of taxpayers' money on a pro-EU mailshot. It is the anti-thesis of reality as the Zimbabwean government does not abuse public money as alleged. In fact the President should try by all means necessary try to lure many investors in order to make Zim Asset a reality.A close analysis of the President's trips abroad shows that these trips have a lot to do with bilateral relations and investments. In fact the trips have helped a lot in terms of maintaining stability in the country.---------------------Stewart Murewa
Opinion / Columnist

It has always been our wish to see the Zimbabwean Opposition burying their egos,differences and greediness for a better and united Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe is in a serious governance crisis and it may continue if nothing has been done to kick Robert Mugabe and Zanu pf out of power.I would like to congratulate the genuine parties involved in the Coalition of Democrats CODE for a job well done.We have seen retrogressive forces like cde Charlton Hwende a known anti development internet fool battling to wrestle Obert Gutu's post in the MDCT trying to dismiss the impact and efforts of the people who gathered in Harare to append their signatures on the historic document.There is a group of opposition comrades who believe that there will never be anything meaningful if it does not involve Morgan Richard Tsvangirai the ailing president of the MDCT.Zimbabwe is bigger than individuals like Robert Mugabe,Morgan Tsvangirai,Joice Mujuru or Welshman NcubeIt has been brought to our attention as news consumers that Morgan Tsvangirai is keen to participate in the Coalition of Democrats though noone is desperate for him.People like Nathaniel Manheru have come out guns blazing trying to discredit the bold move and the long awaited initiative that will shake Robert Mugabe in 2018. Douglas Mwonzora a former Abel Muzorewa loyalist and bootlicker has been shuttling between MDCT headquarters and various newsrooms shamelessly lying about Code and over valuing himself as if he has any value at all.The mdct was invited to the CODE signing ceremony and all was done through Douglas Mwonzora who today want the nation to think that water is black,he is the only divisive fool from the East and i am not aware of any other.If they are not interested they should keep away and watch from the terraces because with or without Morgan Tsvangirai and the mdct CODE will never collapse or concentrate on sentiments of some jealous characters pretending to be supporting and working with or for Mr Tsvangirai.Some characters in the mdct are out in full force misleading and discrediting Morgan Tsvangirai over the idea of a coalition.As Zimbabweans advocating for Mugabe ouster we sympathise with Mr Tsvangirai and and honestly wish him a speedy recovery.I travelled 450 kilometres to Harare to witness the signing ceremony of the coalition deal and i have a sincere dream to see Zimbabweans coming together to challenge Robert Mugabe who has been in office for 36 years.Unfortunately i will not be comfortable working with lacoste,G40 or Zanu pf 2 calling itself People first.Zanu pf,CIO agents and some jealous internet activists and analysts will not stop code which has the blessings of some of the most powerfull people in the world.The involvement of Professor Welshman Ncube,Dr Simba Makoni,Elton Mangoma,Tendai Biti,Dr Dumiso Dabengwa,Professor Lovemore Madhuku in CODE has boosted our confidence as advocates of political change in Zimbabwe.We are ready to support and vote for code and if there is anyone thinking that we will listen to jealousy utterances that person will be shocked.We are very much aware of the disruptive initiatives that have been lined by some political criminals who are against CODE and all is being done to divide the opposition but it will never work.It is unfortunate that the spirit of Morrison Nyathi is being seen in Joice Mujuru,Didymus Mutasa and Dzikamai Mavhaire from rural Masvingo who thinks can fish or swallow strong individuals from CODE member parties to build a new Zanu pf they are calling or they would want to call People first.We are aware of the antics and tactics employed by Mujuru to weaken the real opposition.Its quite shocking to see a political reject like Dzikamai Mavhaire using cheap tactics to destroy or confuse the electorate.By Mavhaire i mean that former Energy Minister who was fired at the middle of the night by Mugabe after selling out and conniving with Mutezo to loot $50000 from ZESA for Mugabe's birthday bash.He is the same Mavhaire who at 73 years has many young children in nappies across the motherland sired with different women who are claiming maintenance today.If statements that appeared in the Newsday on the code signing day are proven to be those of Gorden Moyo i will be shocked.We shall proceed through the amber robot with caution if indeed sentiments being attributed to Gorden are his.People first should shut up now because their agenda is now very clear and only fools will leave their respective political parties to join Joice Mujuru.I was personally impressed at the code signing ceremony by this guy called Professor Welshman Ncube the current president of the Movement for Democratic change that has survived several storms since the split in 2005 and People's Democratic Party President Tendai Biti for showing serious commitment to the idea of a coalition in 2018.Prof Ncube and Mr Biti's responses to media questions were exceptionally excellent and inspiring.Those speculating lies about numbers and trying to portray a numberless arrangement should be ashamed of the losing battle that they are fighting because the people of Zimbabwe will never listen to such selfish and jealous characters.This is the first step towards building an inclusive coalition in Zimbabwe and Morgan Tsvangirai has an opportunity to work with others if statements at the signing ceremony are anything to go by.We will stand by those in the coalition not the so called big brothers and stupid big sisters masquerading as democrats.Those criticising CODE or talking trash because Tsvangirai was not involved in the first stage are misguided.There are so many parties involved with or without people and and it is the requirements and other circumstances that will separate real men from opportunists.My advice to all coalition partners is to avoid overloading the tractor with junk and opportunists as is the case with NERA.They should immediately go through a screening process once everybody who claims to be leading a political party is at the assembly point.We want a credible coalition made up credible people not street opportunists looking for a job who are hiding behind the name of a non existing political party.My advice to small or minute political parties is for them to swallow their pride and join existing parties such as PDP,MDC,RDZ or MDCT instead of calling themselves "President" when they do not have a single dog behind them.Real players should be picked and announced on the actual day of play because there are some parties that are currently double dipping in search of opportunities who are in both NERA and CODE.It shows lack of principle and direction on the part of those parties that can join any party even when fronted by Satan.Those already on the stage should not dream of anything yet because the screening will be done by the electorate not their friends in the coalition.The only good thing about those on the stage is their commitment to the idea.It is us the ordinary voters in all spheres who have been urging people like Tendai Biti,Welshman Ncube,Morgan Tsvangirai,Elton Mangoma and Simba Makoni to swallow their pride and gang up against Mugabe's rotten government.We are now happy because we now have a resemblance of a coalition and there is talking of having everybody on the stage.It is my prayer that the good Lord oversees the progress of this very important Zimbabwean project.Some of us in the terraces fed up with the clueless Mugabe regime are looking forward to the success of this arrangement.------Gugugu Magorira
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
By SA Commercial Prop News

Brian Wilkinson has decided to step down as the CEO of Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).



The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) today announced, its chief executive officer, Brian Wilkinson, will be stepping down as CEO for his early retirement.

Wilkinson has occupied the CEOs position the past five years and will officially finish with the organisation until the end of August 2016.

He steered the organisation through an exponential growth phase corresponding with the remarkable upsurge in the green building movement in the country.



The World Green Building Trends 2016: Developing Markets Accelerate Global Green Growth - SmartMarket Report shows that South Africa is the country with the highest share of green building projects out of a global sample of 69 countries. More importantly, it also has the highest share of expected green building projects leading up to 2018.



Seana Nkhahle, Chairperson of the GBCSA, attributes this incredible recognition to Brians energetic leadership and to the team he has put in place.



Brian, while proud of the organisations role, prefers to credit the success to the manner in which the South African property sector has stepped up to assume the vital role the built environment plays in climate change mitigation.



Commenting on the significant progress of green building in the country, Brian says the property industry has been swift to recognise the simultaneous opportunity to do well by doing good, referring to the well-established and proven business case for green buildings.



He adds: Our purpose is to inspire property owners to design, build and operate better, greener buildings. Formal Green Star SA certifications are rapidly approaching 200 projects, up from only six certifications five years ago. I believe we are on the cusp of green buildings becoming standard, rather than limited to leading practice.



GBCSA has also partnered with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to build capacity and green buildings skills at local government level and anticipates extending this into the public sector as a whole.



The Chairperson of the GBCSA has asked Rudolf Pienaar, Deputy Chairperson and Growthpoint Properties Office Division Director to drive the process for recruitment of a new CEO for the GBCSA.
LOS ANGELESUnless youve living under a rock, you should know the California primary election takes place Tuesday, June 7. In fact, my colleague Mark Kernes posted an op-ed on Friday about the election and why hes voting for Bernie Sanders. As for me, Im voting for Hillary Clinton.

While, for me, its not a case of voting against Bernie as much as it is voting for Hillary, I have been accused of supporting Hillary because she has a vagina. Actually, one of the many reasons I am voting for Hillary is because I have a vagina, and its important to me. But more about that later.

Ive also been told I dont support Bernie because I just dont know him, and his fans claim he hasnt received much media attention. In Bernies defense, that might be to his advantage. While I dont agree the media has ignored him, I do believe the GOP has. Yes, I have seen the polls that show Bernie polls better against Trump than Hillary does (never mind that most of those polls still show Hillary beating Trump, too), but the GOP has yet to launch any real attack against Sanders.

Republicans have done their best to bury Hillary ClintonWhitewater, Vince Foster, her email server, Benghazifor more than 30 years, and she is still here. Maybe the GOP doesnt see Bernie as a credible threat; or maybe they are hoping the longer he stays in the race the more he will help their cause to weaken Hilllary; or maybe they are hoping he does indeed get the Democratic nomination so they can really unleash on him.

Have you heard about Bernies 1985 trip to Nicaragua where he was in a crowd that chanted Here, there, everywhere/the Yankee will die? Have you read the 1985 Los Angeles Times interview piece on Sanders where he said, I believe in the redistribution of wealth in this nation? Have you seen the 1985 video where Bernie praises Fidel Castro? If he gets the nomination, you can bet you will see this and plenty more. (Do I personally think Bernie is the same person he was in 1985? No, but that wont matter to the GOP, nor will it matter to millions of voters.)

To be fair, these are not the main reasons why I am not voting for Bernie and instead supporting Hillary. I have a hard time voting for someone who only joined the Democratic Party a little more than a year agoand although he has caucused and generally voted with them since taking office, he has said Democrats make him sickand has done nothing but complain (and sue, which he later withdrew) about the partys primary election rules and cries foul or claims fraud every chance he gets. My biggest complaints with Bernie lie in the fact he seems to have no real plan to implement his campaign promise of free college tuition (hes too busy running for president to figure it out) or overcome extreme partisanship of the establishment he loves to rail against. For me, his biggest fault is that hes said he has no interest in continuing the progress made under President Obama.

There are more reasons why I am not voting for Bernie, but enough about that. Lets talk about Hillary, and why I do support her and will vote for her in the primary and the general election.

She fought hard for the Clinton healthcare plan, which yes, did fail (thanks to Republican obstruction  where have I heard that before ) but theres no denying it laid the groundwork for todays Affordable Care Act.

She spearheaded investigations into what we now refer to as Gulf War Syndrome.

She helped create the office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice.

She played a major part in the investigations into the health issues faced by first responders of 9/11 and drafted the first bill to compensate and offer health services to those same people. (The bill was passed by her successor in the Senate.)

Clinton played a major part in the bipartisan compromise to address civil liberty abuses in the renewal of the U.S. Patriot Act.

Hillary has actively called out climate change deniers and has a stellar reputation in that area.

And as for my vagina? Hillary has done more for womens rights worldwide than anyone who even entertained the idea of running for president this year combined. Have you heard the phrase womens rights are human rights? She coined that phrase.

Is she perfect? Do I look at Hillary with rose-colored glasses? That would be a big "no" on both accounts. (Yes she voted for the war in Iraq, but she later admitted, on multiple occasions, she was wrong; she was against gay marriage for many years, but she has since changed her mind, much as most of the country has.) But do I think she is progressive? Yes. As progressive as Bernie? Yup. (In the two years they were both in the senate, they voted together 93 percent of the time and they are pretty close on many major issues.)

Do I hate that we are essentially a two-party system here in the United States? Sometimes, yes. Would I love to see sweeping changes in our government, especially changes that would mean unquestioned funding for Planned Parenthood, an increased minimum wage, and elimination of the gender wage gap and the elimination of institutional racism? Hell yes. Do I think Hillary can bring those changes about in four years? No. But neither can Bernie. But I also believe that, for better or for worse, change will come, and I believe Hillary has much more experience from her time as First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State to know how to make a difference with a GOP filled with right-wing troglodytes working against her. And I believe that she will carry on the progress that has been made under President Obama.

For me, the bottom line is yes, I would love to have a revolution. But how exactly is voting for a 74-year-old white man revolutionary?
By SA Commercial Prop News

Limpopo's liquidity and solvency challenge has been solved and payments to suppliers have begun returning to normal, while a number of provincial departments that were last year placed under administration have been able to reduce overspending, the National Treasury told Parliament on Wednesday.

Kenneth Brown, the National Treasury's Deputy Director General of Intergovernmental Relations, detailed figures that showed that the National Treasury's interventions to assist provincial departments placed under administration last year were beginning to show progress.

Briefing the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on the financial status of provincial departments under administration, Brown said the Departments of Education in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo and both the provincial Treasury in the Free State and Limpopo had began making a turnaround.

However, the Department of Education in Gauteng and a number of Limpopo departments still had some way to go before showing an improved financial position, he said.

The National Treasury had also instructed the Free State's Department of Police, Roads and Transport to initiate a forensic investigation into 23 road projects that it had entered into illegally and without funded contractual commitments.

Turning to Limpopo, Brown said the province's treasury had improved from a shortfall in November to close at a positive of R231 million in March 2012.

"Although the total payments outstanding are R1.1 billion in terms of the audited financial statements, the bank balances now exceed this amount," he said.

A notice had been posted in local media requesting that suppliers still waiting for payment submit their invoices and purchase orders directly to the provincial treasury so that these can be verified and settled.

Brown said outstanding textbooks were being delivered to learners this month.

"Going forward, the payment intervals of the province will be aligned to receipts from national government in order to avoid future liquidity problems," he said, adding that a credible budget had been drafted and tabled in March by the province.

Brown said added to this:

- A revenue enhancement strategy is being finalised and a human resources team set up to control personnel-related pressures.

- A detailed plan has been developed to capacitate the budget planning and cash management functions within the provincial treasury.

- A recruitment process is under way to fill the vacant head of department position and other critical positions in the provincial treasury.

- An integrated support plan to assist departments is being finalised.

He said Limpopo's Education Department had lowered overspending from 2.6% of its budget for compensation of employees in 2010/11 to 0.4% in the last financial year.

The Free State's provincial Treasury had also improved its financial performance - moving from a figure of 3.8% in underspending of its budget in 2010/11 to underspending of 1.7% in the last financial year (2011/12), he said.

The provincial treasury had completed a capacity evaluation assessment and prepared a remedial plan to address identified skills gaps and critical posts had also been filled in the provincial treasury.

The Department of Education in the Eastern Cape has also improved and had as of March 31, cut overspending on salaries, from a budget overrun of R500 million to an overrun of just over R350 million. The department had effectively reduced overspending from a 2.9% surplus to 1.9% surplus of the budgeted salaries.

But Brown noted that because of the poor management of personnel by the department, the capital budget was still effectively subsidising the budget for the compensation of employees.

To remedy this, the finance section of the department had been temporarily stabilised by the deployment of national and provincial treasury officials to the positions of chief financial officer as well as to supply chain, risk and internal control and internal audit positions.

A project plan had also been finalised between the Departments of Basic Education and Public Services and Administration, the National Treasury and the province's Education Department.

The plan includes a headcount audit and clean up and audit of those on the payroll system.

Brown noted that there had been a number of turnaround plans and strategies drafted for the province's Education Department before, but pointed out that the key to success in this instance would be improved co-operation with districts as well as better labour relations.

However, for Gauteng's Department of Health, he said the budget outcomes indicated that the department's financial position remained a significant challenge and it would take time to fully stabilise the department.

He said the draft audited financial statements for 2011/12 reflected accumulated unauthorised of R3.6 billion.

An amount of R1.5 billion had since March been made available to the department by the provincial treasury which had helped in restoring the supply of medicines and medical consumables to Gauteng hospitals.

Brown said austerity measures focusing on contract management and core services were expected to yield savings of R2.1 billion, which will be redirected to offset accruals during the current financial year.

He said added to this, the national Department of Health was assisting the department in carrying out a review of its organisational structure.

A team is also working on addressing contract management practices within the department.

Detailing the measures that the departments under financial administration in Limpopo were taking, Brown said in the Health Department a clean-up of the payroll system was under way, a new record-keeping system was being designed and a new contract management process and verification process for payments was being designed and implemented.

In the Department of Roads and Transport, a review is under way to create a new organisational structure, appropriate job descriptions and a project-based learning programme.

Brown said the provincial Department of Public Works needed to address irregularities in lease management - as it was paying higher than market rates for property leases, while the immovable asset register was incomplete.

The Director General of the Department of Public Services and Administration, Mashwahle Diphofa, said as part of steps to stabilise Limpopo departments, steps had been taken to reduce the budget for the compensation of employees by two percent by doing away with funded vacancies and by deferring the filling of posts.

Diphofa said the budgets for travel and subsistence, cellphone calls and goods and services had been cut, while better control measures around payments had been put in place.

However, the large number of vacancies which had not been filled in the last 12 months, remained a concern.

For example, as of March 31, the vacancy rate at the Department of Education had increased - from 37% in October last year to 38%, as had the vacancy rate for the Education Department, from 30% to 31% and for Public Works - from 4% to 6%.

The vacancy rate for roads and transport had, however, come down, from 21% to 18%, as had the vacancy rate at provincial treasury - from 16% to 11%.
MAMAIA, RomaniaAliceX.com, the newly-launched state-of-the-art VR adult webcam company, will demo its service at the live webcam industrys AW Summit 2016 on June 7-9.

Our goal has always been to create a global footprint and develop our efforts in both the VR and webcam industries, so the AW Summit is the ideal place for us to present our cutting edge technology, said Fabian Grey, AliceX.com CEO. AW Summit is one of the largest gatherings of international webcam industry professionals, performers, and companies, making it a great opportunity for us engage with friends, colleagues, and potential partners.

Media and industry members may email [email protected] to book a time to meet with Fabian Grey and receive a private demo of AliceX.com.

The AW Summit brings together the biggest and the most innovative brands in the webcamming world, as well as its most notable personalities. The event, held at the Black Sea resort town of Mamaia, Romania, will also feature a variety of events for industry professionals, including keynote speakers, networking opportunities, product demonstrations and educational workshops.

Moreover, AliceX.com has been nominated for Emerging Cam Site of the Year at the AW Awards, which is a part of the Summit. The nomination is the first for the company from the fan-voted awards, which honors the live webcam industry.

Uncomplicated and easy to use, AliceX does not require users install an app or extra software, as the service is available via AliceX.com through a web browser, whether on a laptop, desktop, or a mobile device.

AliceX.com, which began its public beta test in March 2016, is positioned as one of the industrys leading virtual reality websites, with live streaming and adult webcam models. Users only need an Android smartphone and VR goggles, which are provided for free by the site, to enter a state-of-the-art virtual reality world.
8ID conducts Joint Operation Baklas in Catbalogan City

By DPAO, 8ID PA

May 23, 2016

CAMP VICENTE LUKBAN, Catbalogan City  The 8th Infantry (Stormtroopers) Division launches its Operation Baklas, a campaign to remove election paraphernalia on trees, major thoroughfares, road nets, facade of business establishments, street lights, parks and plaza last 2016 automated National and Local Election, here on May 19 2016, Thursday.

This activity is part of the whole of nation approach wherein contingents of cleaners composed of soldiers from the Command, led by Maj. Gen. Jet B Velarmino, AFP, Commander 8ID; Col. Perfecto M Rimando, 801st Brigade Commander; and Lt. Col. George M Domingo, 87th IB, Commanding Officer with the participation of the LGUs, DENR, PNP, BFP, PCG, Guardians Brotherhood, Kabalikat Civicom, Samar Bikers Association and Catbalogan City Rescue.

The event was requested by the COMELEC to ensure the removal of all campaign materials and political ads and, to raise the consciousness of the general public that cleanliness is everybodys concern. The bulk of recyclable materials will be donated to the community-based organization which makes coin purses, pouch bags and laundry baskets for their livelihood.

Maj. Gen. Velarmino AFP, Commander 8ID, said that the Command will continue to support the programs to assist the Local Government Unit and other agencies and will always convey support from all stakeholders for a cleaner and greener environment in Eastern Visayas.
Some time last year, an Australian woman was bound, gagged and raped by an intruder in front of her boyfriend during a trip to Samoa.

Breaking their silence for the first time recently, the couple who are fundraising to return to give evidence against the alleged offender, told of how the man who was armed with a pair of scissors, sexually assaulted the woman before running off with their money and belongings.

This story shocked the nation then when it happened and with the couple speaking out for the first time, the idea that this story has been making rounds all over the globe cannot be more harmful for Samoa.

Indeed, the consequences of such behavior is making a mockery of all the efforts being made to attract tourists to Samoa. The worry is that this is just one of many sickening incidents weve experienced on these shores lately.

Take the past couple of days for example. On the front page of the Weekend Observer, a story revealed the death of a young man from Taufusi who was stabbed senseless after a night out in town.

A source said the deceased man was beaten by three young men who have since been arrested and are held in custody. The Taufusi man had apparently gone into a local nightclub where a dispute started. Booted from the nightclub, the men continued the fight onto the road where the deceased man was allegedly stabbed several times.

Mind you, the death last Friday was the second such serious incident reported to have started from a nightclub in recent memory.

Earlier this year, two young men were jailed for four years for beating a Fijian student and leaving him lying unconscious after a fight outside a local nightclub.

According to the Police Summary of Facts, the victim went out with his friends to a nightclub in Apia on the night in question. When the victim came outside, Wilson and Mafi started exchanging words with him and the victim ended up being punched on the mouth.

The Fijian student went back inside the nightclub and around midnight, he and his friends walked outside and were about to go home. Wilson and Mafi together with their friends then again attacked him and his friends. The victims friends managed to escape but the victim was caught up by the accused and he was brutally beaten. The accused did not stop until they saw the victim was unconscious which was when they ran away.

Folks, such behavior merely confirms what weve known for sometime now that there is a serious sickness that needs to be eliminated from this country.

Now we agree that these sorts of incidents are not new. They happen from time to time and they are not confined to Samoa. But they are not normal and as a community, we should seriously be alarmed by it.

Whats wrong with these people? And in Samoa? A church going country with people who love to talk about God and love? Where is our so-called respect, ava fatafata and va fealoai?

As if the incidents highlighted above are not graphic enough, on the front page of your Sunday Samoan, a story titled Gang threat or hungry youths? added another dimension.

The story warned members of the public about a gang of youths who are making rounds in Apia, beating up people, stealing food and whatever else they can find on them.

The group has not only caused fear to individuals who regularly hangout in town but even businesses are concerned about the violence and the damage they are causing.

We were eating with a friend and spouse there (government building) when a bunch of lowlife kids came and threw punches at my spouse, Jay Retzlaff told the Sunday Samoan.

We didnt do anything wrong. They grabbed our pizza and coke, ate it and threw bottles at our carthey even tried to open the car to steal more from us. Not only that but they stole our phones.

These little boys around 14 to 19 years kicked, punched and swore at my partner threatening to kill him. We were lucky to hop in the car and drove off to the Police station

Another male of Luatuanuu, Gordon Viliamu, went through the same trouble on the same night.

I was heading back from Pinati restaurant where I went to buy some food when they attacked me, said Mr. Viliamu. Two of them were standing on one side of the bridge (in front of Mulivai) and more than ten others were on the other corner. I wasnt paying attention to them until I fell down when I was punched from the back. They took my food and ran off.

Ladies and gentlemen, these stories and more are becoming far too common. Not a week goes by without some sort of sickening crime turning the stomach. These incidents do not reflect well on progressive Samoa.

It does not augur well for a country that prides itself on its Christian and cultural values. These barbaric acts of violence tell a story, they speak about the contradictions within our society today. They also destroy the positive contributions others have worked hard to achieve.

Now weve said this before and we will say it again today. There is definitely something amiss in the makeup of Samoan society. Weve become a society of contradictions.

We say one thing and we do the opposite. Ladies and gentlemen, these incidents are not normal. They shouldnt be happening.

You see, when an innocent tourist is violated the way that poor Australian woman was, it tells us that there is something very, very wrong with our society. The stabbings and the wanton violence being perpetrated for food or whatever speak of an undiagnosed ill that is screaming out to be dealt with.

The question is, where are our leaders?

Where are the government, church, village and family leaders?

What are they doing in response?

Here we are in Samoa, by the looks of it, it appears that we are treating it as if its just another case. Oh the apathy is absolutely unbelievable.

And this is our biggest problem today.

Weve become disinterested in dealing with wrongdoing; weve accepted that its normal. Ladies and gentlemen, it is not normal and we have been silent for far too long.

Where are our values? What has happened to morality? What do we stand for anymore? Where is the restrain? Where is God in all this? Does anyone care?
Shock and outrage shook the world-famous legal brothel today in Carson City, Nevada as Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof and his working girls learned of news reports from Oklahoma City that their long-beloved co-worker, and HBO-TV Cathouse co-star, Brooke Phillips, had been murdered "execution-style"forced to her knees before being shot in the head. The gruesome revelation came in the early stages of testimony at the so-called "HBO-Cathouse Murders" trial, where six people including reality-TV star and popular Bunny Ranch courtesan Phillips, who was pregnant at the time, were slaughtered in 2009 in a drug-related massacre.

"The girls here are enraged, they are seething with anger. Everyone is buying airplane tickets to Oklahoma City right now. They're going out to demand justice for Brooke," said Bunny Ranch owner Hof, who promised he would be leading the charge to the sensational in-progress murder trial. "We knew Brooke's killing was grisly, but we didn't know just how horrific it was until we found out the details today. There's going to be a dozen gone-ballistic hookers on those courthouse steps shortly, and there's no telling what they will do."

"They were hit. They were cut. They were stabbed. They were shot. And their bodies were set on fire," stated Assistant District Attorney Merydith Easter during opening statements at the trial of Denny Edward Phillips (no relation to Brooke) and Russell Lee Hogshooter, who each face six counts of first degree murder and one of conspiracy, according to NewsOK.com.

Caressa Kisses, a Bunny Ranch working girl who was a close friend of Phillips, said she and her fellow "Bunnies" were inconsolable when they read of the last grim seconds of the ill-fated mother-to-be's life.

"To have a girl like Brooke, who was the nicest, sweetest, most loving person you could ever meet, be murdered like that, it's beyond barbaric," said Caressa through tears. "I am so angry, and the girls here are so mortified, that we are going out there to the trial in Oklahoma City, to stand up for Brooke, to demand justice for Brooke, and see that these disgusting animals get what they deserve!" The exact date and time of the bordello group's arrival at the criminal proceedings has not yet been finalized.

Two of four "Cathouse" killers have already pleaded guilty and are serving long prison terms for their roles in the killings. The other two accused gunmen are currently on trial, and face the death penalty if convicted. Because of the HBO-TV connection, the case has received worldwide media coverage, and the courthouse where the trial is taking place has been placed under 24-hour heavy security.

Dennis and the Bunny Ranch girls are available for interviews by contacting [email protected] or 775-720-9090.
Dear Editor,

Re: A future we all want

A future we all want includes responsible leaders, and a strong justice system to address corruption and white-collar crimes thats sucking million of dollars out of the economy every year.

People are dying needlessly in underfunded hospitals and children are begging on the streets because millions of dollars have been diverted from government initiatives by greedy government officials - Christian followers.

Theres no point singing about a bright future when corruption by Samoas government officials are complicating progress and encouraging borrowing by the government.

The future looks bleak for the children of Samoa not the children and families of Samoas government officials. A mounting foreign debt and corruption in government are burdens for Samoas future generations and with an increasing number of children begging on the streets.

The chances of having an educated population to take Samoa forward in this modern era is dangerously diminishing leaving decision making to a selected few. Its a popular tactic by dictators to create a culture of reliance from the majority on a selected few.

Remember your favourite quote stui A person will commit a sin if they do wrong like lying and assaulting someone else but the other sin is knowing that the other person has done wrong and you dont do anything about it

Address corruption eg. O.P.C Report 2010 ae aua le pepelo and Samoa will be full of prosperity.

Le Mafa P




The scourge of corruption hurts everyone.

In an effort to address the issue, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations Develop Programme (U.N.D.P.) and the government, started a two-day Integrity Workshop for Senior government officials to discuss the issue in all of its varieties in the public and governmental sectors.

The workshop, which is being held at Hotel Millenia in Apia, is intended to help build further understanding of the UN Convention against corruption, known as U.N.C.A.G.

This convention has by now been ratified by 178 states worldwide.

However, in the Pacific area, there are still states which are expected to sign the convention, including Tonga as well as Samoa. Our project aims to help 15 Pacific island nations to fight corruption, said Lizbeth Cullity, UN Resident Coordinator and U.N.D.P. Resident Representative at the workshops launch.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi delivered the keynote address. Ms. Cullity said the training will encourage people in authority to get more involved and demand transparency and integrity in government programmes.

To achieve these aims, there will also be enough time for the workshops participants, who come from all different governmental branches, to discuss the issue and stress how important a banishment of any kind of corruption is for Samoa as an individual country.

Therefore, the training program will include different presentations which aim to address the various forms of corruption, for instance by demonstrating ways of Anti Money Laundering or discussing the role of existing governance mechanisms in Samoa in particular to prevent corruption and promote integrity.

All the experience is showing that when public servants are consulting with the community, you get better decisions being made, said John Hyde, who takes part in the workshop as UNs Pacific Regional Anti-corruption Project Consultant. The more transparency there is, the more accountability you get in the end. Despite of that, this can also have a big impact on the budget.

The workshop, which was also held the year before, already exhibits progress that has been achieved so far. Weve done a lot of engagement with young people in Samoa and the civil society [in general]. There was also a big involvement with an induction programme with the new Members of Parliament.

Concerning the yet to be ratified Convention by Samoa, Mr. Hyde seemed confident that the overall outcome of this years workshop for senior government officials will make some progress in that area as well.

Samoa remains one of only three Pacific countries which have yet to sign the UN convention against corruption, and were hoping that through more cooperative work with the government and Parliament, with local society and with the media as well, we can get Samoa moving towards looking closer at this excellent convention.
The Royal New Zealand Navy offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago is on its way to Samoa and other Pacific countries to conduct fisheries patrols and port visits over the next two months.

Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said the ship will be carrying out the patrols to help detect and deter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activity on behalf of several Pacific Islands countries.

Port visits to Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu and Tonga are scheduled, as part of defence diplomacy activities.

We have been supporting fisheries management in the south west Pacific by deploying our ships and aircraft to conduct these annual patrols. Vessels fishing for tuna will be the focus of our inspections, Major General Gall said.

The operation is sponsored by New Zealands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the ship will carry fisheries officers from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Pacific Islands countries.

Major General Gall said a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft will conduct surveillance sorties in support of Otagos maritime patrols.

We contribute to maritime surveillance in the region as New Zealand is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, M.P.I compliance manager Gary Orr said.

Overfishing of tuna stocks affects Pacific Islands countries. By conducting these patrols, we help progress the Pacific-wide campaign to educate and improve compliance with existing laws and regulations.
A student attending Vaimoso Primary School found a cockroach in her pork bun yesterday at lunch time.

Italian Tavita, Year 7, said the pork bun was bought from the shop opposite the school.

The student had eaten a portion of her pork bun when she saw something black inside.

According to Ms. Tavita when she peeled off the bun, that was when she realised it was a cockroach. A concerned mother from the school contacted the Samoa Observer yesterday to report what she had seen.

The woman, who did not want to give her name, said she wanted to alert everyone through the media about the food their children are consuming.

I think every parent needs to check what they are buying their children, said the mother.

This is the only way I know we can let everyone know about these incidents because I know for sure if it gets back to the store they would just throw it away and not do anything about it. Who knows there could be more of these out there that our children are eating and they do not know about it.

The principal of Vaimoso Primary, Sasola Amataga Niko, said the school would issue a warning to parents about the food they are buying their children.

She said the school has a policy where they are not allowed to buy and bring in pork buns to school including other kinds of food. Sasola added the school will report the cockroach to the Health authorities. It was not possible to get a comment from the owner of the shop at the Vaimoso intersection.

The shopkeeper at the store yesterday said they had asked the girl to bring back the pork bun and have given her back her $1.00

The shopkeeper who identified herself as Palepa said they do not make the pork buns as its delivered to their store every day.

We dont make them and we want her to return the pork bun because we are also losing money, she said.
The village of Apia is serious about catching the youth gangs who are causing trouble in the Apia Township.

In an attempt to capture the young culprits, the Mayor of Apia, Tuiletufuga Siaosi Tuiletufuga, said the men of the village are monitoring the streets.

Disappointed with the ugly image that the youth gangs have painted about the town of Apia, Tuiletufuga said these thugs are not from the Apia village.

We dont know where they come from but I can assure you they are not kids from our village, Tuiletufuga said.

They are causing trouble in Apia giving our village a bad name and we do not accept that.

Our village has met over the issue and the matai and men of our village are keeping an eye on these trouble makers

The difficult thing is catching them because I know they plan their attacks at odd hours  when our men are not seen.

Tuiletufuga said the stories of the victims that were attacked in Matafele are disturbing and sad.

Its very sad to hear about Ms. Retzlaff and those that were attacked, said the high chief.

We are not resting, we are also playing our part in helping the authority. We just want to catch them  whoever these youths are and when we do we will happily hand them over to police for the law to deal with them.

Tuiletufuga pointed out that the village matai and untitled men are walking the streets of Apia to regularly monitor it to ensure the safety of the public traveling to the area and that tourists are protected.

He added he had also met the Minister of Police about incidents happening in town.

Tuiletufuga believes that a youth fellowship programme taking place in front of the government building is a factor to the crimes happening in Apia.

While he agrees that the programme was initiated for a fellowship to strengthen the relationship between youths, he said there are groups of youths who are taking advantage of the opportunity to do bad things.

Two weeks ago several people were attacked in Apia by a gang of youths targeting individuals and vulnerable people hanging around the area.

The victims of the attacks had their belongings taken from them together with food and phones.

Some of them are a group of friends who were sharing a pizza behind the government building when the culprits struck and took their food.

They were lucky to have gotten away.

Another male who went to Pinati restaurant to buy some food on that same day was punched from behind and had his food taken from him.

Lastly, a young man was beaten by three other men and later died at the hospital.
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- The AMDR market is estimated to be valued at USD 8.79 Billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 12.52 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 7.34% from 2016 to 2021. The report considers the following segments to define, describe, and forecast the AMDR market: By Platform (ground-based, naval-based, airborne), By Range (short range, medium range and long range strategic system), By Application (conventional and ballistic missile defense) and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Rest of the World).



Browse 89 market data Tables and 75 Figures spread through 193 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Air and Missile Defense Radar Market - Global Forecast to 2021"



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Ground-based radar segment expected to be the major contributor to the overall AMDR market



Ground-based AMDRs are used to get real-time information in warfare situation. They are used along with airborne, naval, and satellite platform radars for target integration. It is a missile detection radar, positioned on the ground and is used for air defense through ground-controlled interception, command guidance, along with ground-directed bombing, air traffic control, instrument landing systems, and radar bomb scoring. Defense budget cuts in developed economies shifted the focus towards automation, and miniaturization of military radar system. Ongoing war against ISIS in Syria, Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and conflicts in the Crimean Peninsula are driving the demand for ground-based military radar.



Long range and strategic system segment to register the highest growth



Long range and strategic system AMDR market is expected to dominate the AMDR market during the forecast period. These system have range up to 100 kilometers, while strategic systems are used for the range more than 100 kilometers. These systems are used against conventional and ballistic missile targets. LRSAM is an example of long range AMDR system. High demand for ballistic missile defense system is expected to drive the market for long range and strategic system AMDR market. Joint efforts from the U.S. and South Korean government to develop the missile defense system in South Korea, similarly, India and China's efforts towards the development of indigenous missile defense system is expected to drive the AMDR market. Nevertheless, disputes between countries in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are expected to drive the market for short range AMDRs.



Asia-Pacific region to witness highest growth in AMDR market during the forecast period



In 2016, Asia-Pacific is expected to have the third largest share in the global AMDR market with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Existence of inter-country conflict over the disputed area of South China Sea is a major factor that compelling the authorities to increase naval surveillance capabilities in the affected region. Border issues among countries is making them to strengthen their defense system, which is driving the market for AMDRs.



On the other hand, the Brazilian Army is also spending huge amounts over sensors and remote sensing and command & control systems for defense that is driving the radar market in the country.



The key global players in the AMDR market are Lockheed Martin Corporation (U.S.), Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.), Raytheon Company (U.S.), SAAB Group (Sweden), and Thales Group (France).



Report Information : http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/air-missile-defense-radar-market-140105037.html



The report provides a detailed information and forecasts the AMDR market on the basis of platform (ground-based, naval-based, Airborne), application (ballistic missile defense, conventional), range type (long range & strategic systems, medium range, short range), and geographic regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Rest of the World).



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Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- German economic growth will remain solid over the coming years, as the economy rebalances away from exports and to domestic demand.



A rise in domestic consumption will reduce Germany's large national savings ratio, which is one of the largest structural imbalances in the eurozone.



Germany will run small budget deficits in the years ahead, but its overall credit risk position will remain very favourable compared to most large eurozone economies.



Chancellor Angela Merkel will struggle to retain popular support in the coming months, but will still win the next federal election in 2017 if she decides to run.



For more information Visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/business-monitor-international/germany-country-risk-report-q3-2016



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Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- As the late Spring months turn to summer, men across the Delaware Valley will be searching for the looks that accommodate the warmer days and formal festivities that come with it. A new season requires a few tweaks to a wardrobe and in the world of formalwear quality suit pieces are a necessity.



Thankfully, Henry A. Davidsen, one of the premiere suit stores in Philadelphia, is able to provide men with the clothing that makes an impression in the new season. The company's process and products have been raved about on social media and has been the subject of several glowing write-ups in major publications.



The process begins with image consulting. The tailors work with patrons to find the colors, styles, fabrics and aesthetics that suit them. Then the expert tailors get to work crafting clothes, weaving fabrics and crafting the formal wear that makes a man look his absolute best.



With the upcoming summer wedding season, many will be in need of a new tuxedo in Philadelphia. Henry A. Davidsen can assist with that, as well. As black tie occasion experts, the tailors can forge formal attire worthy of the lasting image of a wedding day. They can individualize and personalize every detail of a tuxedo to account for both aesthetics and the most flattering fit.



To learn more about Henry A. Davidsen, their expertise in creating bespoke formal attire or to read their blog, interested parties are encouraged to visit their website at http://henrydavidsen.com.



About Henry A. Davidsen

Henry A. Davidsen Master Tailors & Image Consultants offers perfectly tailored professional, upper casual and special occasion clothing by appointment only. Exclusively located on the second floor at 1701 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA, Henry A. Davidsen offers one-on-one consultations for the finest custom tailored clothing, casual wear, accessories and image consulting for professionals. Recently being awarded their 2nd prestigious "Best of Philly" for tailoring and accessories, Henry A. Davidsen was founded in 2006 and is owned and operated by CEO Brian Lipstein.



For more information about Henry A. Davidsen, please call 215-321-0219 or visit http://www.henrydavidsen.com.
Jonesboro, AR -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- Hytrol hosted an Open House event on May 20 to celebrate the completion of its $12 million expansion with a presentation, ribbon cutting, and group tour of the facility. Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin, members of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Mike Preston, and other community members were in attendance.



The expansion was announced in May of 2015 and was completed earlier this year. The reinvestment into the company came partially as a result of the tremendous growth Hytrol saw in 2014 and 2015; the manufacturer experienced record sales numbers both years. In addition to the 62,000 square foot building expansion, the company invested in a new facility cooling system, 100 new parking spaces, a new paint system that more than doubles the company's manufacturing capacity, new company equipment, and dozens of new permanent positions.



"Hytrol is a great example of an Arkansas-based manufacturing company that has created great jobs for Arkansans for decades," said Preston. "Today we celebrate another very significant investment Hytrol made in northeast Arkansas and look forward to the impact these new jobs will have on area families. The technology that Hytrol continues to add to the Jonesboro facility keeps the company on the forefront of 21st-century manufacturing."



Hytrol President David Peacock touched on the project's importance for the future of Hytrol, its Integration Partner Network, and the community of northeast Arkansas.



"Hytrol is the largest material handling manufacturer in North America and is a key contributor to the economy of northeast Arkansas," said Peacock. "We're proud to bring such a positive impact to our surrounding community."



The ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by tours of the new facility for guests in attendance.



"Hytrol is proud to expand and make even more of a positive impact on the community of Jonesboro," said Chris Glenn, Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering Operations. "As we grow, we recognize the importance of the support that comes from Northeast Arkansas to the manufacturing industry; it was meaningful to us to recognize our employees, the Loberg family, the board, our partner suppliers, and everyone who has had a role in our efforts."



About Hytrol

Hytrol (http://www.hytrol.com) designs and manufactures advanced conveyor systems, controls, and solutions for customers with processing, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution needs. For almost 70 years, Hytrol has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to understanding the unique material handling needs of businesses. Hytrol is focused on creating innovative, customized conveyor solutions that help companies achieve their goals.



Hytrol's Technology Center is the birthplace for many industry-changing innovations, such as EZLogic zero-pressure accumulation and E24, an energy efficient, 24-volt solution and an extensive line of advanced sortation offerings, ProSort 400 Elite series high speed shoe sorter, as well as the ProSort MRT series narrow belt sorter. Hytrol's Pivot Warehouse Control System software offers the agility and inclusive synchronization to handle the dynamic needs of multi-channel distribution operations. Serving as the essential link between people, conveyor, and automation, Pivot offers real-time information to direct each process for an efficient and successful experience.



Hytrol is experiencing consistent growth; 2016 will be the company's best year ever and significant plant expansion continues. Hytrol is strengthened by its Integration Partner Network with 100+ locations worldwide. Hytrol is a proud member of RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association) MHI, CEMA (Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association), along with IABSC (International Association of Baggage System). Follow Hytrol on Twitter @hytrol.
Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- Reliance Consulting, a distinguished provider of business support functions, is now providing a range of taxation services for both domestic businesses and multi-national companies. The taxation services they provide are planned and executed by their skilled team of professionals who have decades of experience and practical knowledge working in this domain.Availing their taxations services can help save a lot of time as well as money for any business. The taxation services that the company offers covers Preparation and filing of Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI), Preparation and filling of Corporate Income Tax Return (Form C or Form C-S), Detailed Tax Computation, Preparation of Supporting Schedules for tax computation, Preparation of Full Annual Financial reports to be submitted to IRAS, Expatriate tax services and etc. Business owners looking for a reliable taxation services provider can rely on this taxation firm for their impeccable services.



When it comes to offering taxation services in Singapore, Reliance Consulting reigns on top. With years of experience in accounting, auditing, tax and secretarial services, the company has built solid and long lasting relationships with a broad range of clientsfrom MNCs to SMEs. In addition to providing taxation services, the company also provides audit and assurance, accounting and payroll services, company incorporation and corporate secretarial services.



Speaking more about their taxation services, a representative from the Reliance Consulting stated, "It is vital that a company manages their tax requirements efficiently and meticulously. Businesses today can either be compliant or padlocked. IRAS has been rigorous in enforcing Singapore's taxations laws. Thus, proper and efficient compliance is pivotal in securing the long-term success of any business. At Reliance Consulting, our trusted tax professionals will keep you abreast of any developments that may affect your business. Our approach is to partner closely with you to identify and implement up-to-date tax planning strategies that are most suitable for your organization. We ensure that you are 100% tax compliant, whilst meticulously securing every tax deduction your business is legally entitled to."



About Reliance Consulting Services Pte. Ltd.

Reliance Consulting Services Pte. Ltd. ("Reliance Consulting") is an accounting, payroll, tax, corporate secretarial and advisory services provider servicing local and multinational corporation (MNC) clients in Singapore. They visit, listen and understand each and every of their client regardless of size. The company aims at adding value to their client business and assist their growth and development at reasonable cost. Reliance Consulting together with its partners and affiliate companies has the competence and experience necessary to advise and assist clients comprehensively in all stages of a business lifecycle from the incorporation of a Singapore business vehicle and ongoing support services such as accounting, payroll, audit, tax, secretarial and advisory up to the dissolution of a company. Their motive is to provide quality service in terms of accuracy and delivery of the service on a timely basis to their clients. Overall, Reliance Consulting Services strike to be the "One Stop Financial Solutions for All Your Business Needs".



For more information, please visit: www.relianceconsultingservices.com



Contact Details:

Reliance Consulting Services Pte. Ltd.

55 Market Street, #10-00 Singapore 048941

Phone no: +65 6521 3139 and Fax: +65 6521 3001
Waxhaw, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2016 -- The Isabella Santos Foundation is a foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina, for children with cancer. This foundation was started in memory of Isabella Santos, a young girl who battled and succumbed to Neuroblastoma. Her dream is to fight cancer for other children through the funds raised in her memory. She dreamed of a world with "No more cancer." The Isabella Santos Foundation wants to help make that dream come true. They are holding events this September, including the annual 5K/10K race and the annual Fun Run in Charlotte, NC, to raise money for pediatric cancer research and local children's charities.



The Isabella Santos Foundation holds annual fundraising events to fight for Isabella Santos' cause. They believe the best way to celebrate Isabella's life is to bring the community together to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. In the last eight years, over $1,000,000 has been raised by the Isabella Santos Foundation for Neuroblastoma research and local charities. This neuroblastoma Foundation looks forward to fighting this disease while bringing the community together in the process.



Cancer is the leading cause of death among children in the United States. The Isabella Santos Foundation holds annual fundraising events to help stop this disease. Their 9th annual 5K/10K and 1 mile Fun Run for children's cancer will be held on September 24, 2016, in Charlotte, NC. For those who don't consider themselves a runner, other activities will be held during this event, including a Kids Zone, a raffle, and a silent auction.



To learn more about the Isabella Santos Foundation's annual Fun Run, contact 704-361-3074.



About Isabella Santos Foundation

The Isabella Santos Foundation was created in honor of Isabella Santos, a courageous young girl who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at the age of 2. Losing her battle in 2012, the Foundation stands strong in the honor and memory of not just her fight, but for many other children fighting with the disease throughout the world.



To help create awareness and raise money for Neuroblastoma research, please visit http://www.isabellasantosfoundation.com.
Mexico and Central American countries can use census data to predict where people will migrate and better focus their efforts to control malaria, a study says.

The study confirms that long-term government census data can be used as a proxy to predict peoples short-term movement patterns. This is important because migration data are generally easier to obtain than short-term movement data such as mobile phone records, says the paper, published last month (11 May) in Malaria Journal.

Analysing data from Haiti, the researchers found a strong link between peoples short-term travel patterns across borders  described using 2010 mobile phone records  and long-term migration flows, projected from 2003 census data.

While results from Haiti may not necessarily be extrapolated to other countries in the region, the study confirms a correlation that previous studies had suggested in other parts of the world, such as Kenya.

Using geographical mapping tools is an interesting option to strengthen surveillance and detection of imported cases. Ana Morice, Costa Rica ministry of health

Short, regular movements are the most important ones for malaria transmission, says lead author Nick Ruktanonchai, a malaria modeller at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. In Haiti, we confirmed the correlation between census data and mobile phone data. We used this as a basis to model daily movement patterns in Central America from census data.

Workers frequently migrate between neighbouring countries in this region. Although malaria is not transmitted directly from one person to another, people who are infected with malaria can be bitten by mosquitoes that can then transmit the disease to others.

These are often people who work in rural areas, in marshland areas, or who enter illegally and obtain precarious jobs, explains Ana Morice, an epidemiologist at the ministry of health in Costa Rica, who was not involved in the study.

The teams findings provide another tool to fight malaria and focus efforts on the areas where they are most useful. In Costa Rica for example, Limon province has a high incidence of malaria but has few infected migrants, so local transmission seems to be the main source of infection, the paper says.

In contrast, Alajuela province had relatively few cases of malaria between 2008 and 2010, but is expected to receive relatively high levels of infected migrants.

The paper says these results justify extending malaria diagnosis and treatment to highly mobile populations (particularly undocumented migrants) in provinces where international-specific importation is high.

Using geographical mapping tools is an interesting option to strengthen surveillance and detection of imported cases, Morice tells SciDev.Net. She adds that the studys main weakness is the poor quality of the data used, but admits that these are the only data sets available.

A version of this news article originally appeared on SciDev.Nets Latin America and Caribbean edition.
[NAIROBI] An initiative has been formed to help African and Asian societies understand climate change-related impacts such as extreme weather events and prepare for future ones.



The initiative called Raising Risk Awareness will involve a team of scientists who will examine whether climate change has contributed to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and heatwaves in East Africa and South Asia, and disseminate findings to a variety of audiences such as journalists, policymakers and the public.

This initiative is going to be an excellent bridge between science and policy. Samwel N'Marigi, Kenya Meteorological Department

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UK's Department for International Development (DfID)-funded Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN)  one of the initiatives partners  said in a joint statement last month (11 May) that scientists from the World Weather Attribution, a new international effort that aims to increase the analyses and communication of the impacts of climate change, will help implement the initiative.



Suzanne Carter, senior project manager of CDKN Africa, says that science has progressed substantially in recent years, enhancing more accurate assessment of how much extreme event is driven by climate change and other factors.



This [initiative] will help African and Asian policymakers to understand the future risks of extreme events that may increase with climate change, Carter tells SciDev.Net. In Africa we will be working in Kenya and one other East African country still to be confirmed. CDKN has worked with the government of Kenya for many years.



She adds that because of a focus on heatwaves the pilot countries in South Asia are India and Bangladesh.



According to Carter, the primary objective of the initiative is to engage with interested stakeholders in pilot countries to ensure that if an extreme event were to happen the networks are in place to conduct an analysis and that local scientists can work with climate attribution tools to build their local capacity.



Carter explains that the team will use global climate models of future climate, regional climate model of the area in question and historical datasets of weather observations in a given area.



Carter says that the initiative, which started last month, hopes that academic partners will be able to conduct analyses even after the programme ends in March next year because the programme is building capacity by training local experts.



The initiative intends to work with some local institutions that they are still identifying, and will include academic institutions, policy makers and journalists, Cater adds.



Samwel N'Marigi, senior assistant director of climate services at the Kenya Meteorological Department, says this is a very good initiative which should have commenced even a decade ago.



This initiative is going to be an excellent bridge between science and policy as it will bring scientific findings closer to policy- and decision-makers in a somewhat simpler and understandable formats, he tells SciDev.Net. You might also like Reporting impactful stories on climate change

Youth key to climate change awareness

Climate change awareness in Africa and Asia varies greatly

.

According to N'Marigi, who is Kenyas focal point of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate change threatens sustainable development in countries, and thus actions such as the initiative are needed to increase resilience.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Elon Musk, Teslas Motors' CEO will be sending a mission to Mars beginning 2018. Based on the reports, the company, along with SpaceX, will launch the Flying Dragon version 2 rocket, with no humans on it, every 26 months. Musk confirms plan to send the rocket first before ultimately bring the astronauts to the International Space Station.

Musk made the announcement during the Code Reference held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on Wednesday night. However, that is not the company's biggest intention. If things become successful, Musk said that the first rocket that will carry human cargo is going to be launched in 2024. With an interior capacity of an SUV and has the capability of loading up to seven people, the Flying Dragon 2 is expected to take 18 months before it can get to Mars, Universe Today reported.

According to Musk, he would not suggest going to the red planet in such capacity as it would be a long time to consume it on an SUV. He also added that it has no capability to return to earth as indicated in their fine print. Musk noted that Mars is not a bad option if one is about to select a place to die.

While he did not provide a lot of information about his plan of Mars colonization, the Tesla Motors CEO is considering to show his architecture for the Mars colonization during the International Astronautical Congress held in September. When asked regarding the scientific accuracy of the film "The Martian" which starred Matt Damon, Musk gave the film a rating of eight out of ten.

For Elon Musk, an unguided rocket can never be taken off from Mars while pricking one's finger and direct to a spaceship. While he notes that this may be possible, it may also be very unlikely. Based on reports, Musk himself has never been into space, but intends to return into orbit in four or five years, according to Space Flight Insider.
The recently discovered underwater ruins near the island of Zakynthos, Greece may not really be a sunken city. The "lost city" is actually a natural phenomenon that creates stone formations.

The structures that were discovered by underwater divers which were originally thought to be ruins of an ancient city like a leftover part of cobblestone floors, courtyards and columns. However, when Greek authorities examined it carefully, they found that there were no sign of human life that may have existed along with the city. There were no pottery shards, coins or even tools. Now, researchers explained that the structures were not made by humans at all. According to Science American, the ruins were formed naturally and sculpted by the breakdown of methane gas within the ocean floor millions of years ago.

Archaeologists connected with the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of Greece, a department within the Greek Ministry of Culture specializing in marine archaeology, looked at the sight carefully and found no evidence to suggest that this was an ancient city. Live Science reported that the Greek Ministry brought researchers from the University of East Anglia and the University of Athens to investigate the oddly shaped structures after suspecting that there may be a geological explanation to the formation of structures.

"The site was discovered by snorkelers and first thought to be an ancient city port, lost to the sea," lead study author Julian Andrews, a professor at UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, said in a statement. "There were what superficially looked like circular column bases and paved floors but, mysteriously, no other signs of life - such as pottery."

In a piece published by Tech Times, it said that through the X-rays, microscopy and stable isotope analyses, the research team analyzed the texture of the objects underwater, as well as their mineral content. After the analysis, the team found out that these formations were actually caused by natural geological event.

Andrews said that the structures, especially those that looked like the bases of column resulted from the mineralization of seeps made of hydrocarbon. This can often be seen in both ancient and present-day seafloor settings.

The way some of these objects were lined up shows there may be an underwater fault that partially ruptured the surface of the seafloor. This fault may have also emitted gases, such as methane, into the ocean. Andrews also said that microorganisms may have used the carbon included in methane as fuel to drive the oxidation of the sediment. This changed the chemistry of the stones, and created a natural kind of cement known as concretion.

The cement that was formed in the Zakynthos ruins was made of a mineral known as dolomite, which can be found in sediments rich in microbes. "These features are proof of natural methane seeping out of rock from hydrocarbon reservoirs," Andrews said.

"The same thing happens in the North Sea, and it is also similar to the effects of fracking, when humans essentially speed up or enhance the phenomena."
About 5,000 people were forced to evacuate the areas of Calabasas and Topanga when a wildfire burned over 500 acres of land of these cities on Saturday. The Calabasas, which is an affluent city, is a home for celebrities and a rugged hills and ranches 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the hills of Topanga Canyon is famous as the resident of musicians and artists.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department said that the wildfire had burned about 516 acres by sunrise and was 30 percent contained. The cause of fire is believed to be due to an increase heat, abnormal high temperature and dry winds in the parts of southern California, according to Daily Mail.

The officials also said that Topanga was 75 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon. They further said that one house suffered damage and one commercial structure was ruined from the 516-acre fire, according to ABC News. The evacuation orders have remained in the hills of Topanga Canyon. John Tripp, deputy chief of the LA county Fire Department said that there were about 400 firefighters combating the blaze that burned the areas. Three of them had suffered injuries.

Brush fire closes 101 Highway in California https://t.co/UxMPkwvInR pic.twitter.com/mSN4T5P7xy  Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 26, 2015

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who live in their Calabasas homes left on Friday. Tony Coroalles, the city manager of Calabasas said that three thousand homes are evacuated, which is about 5,000 people. The fire officials said that fire forced mandatory evacuations in the Eddingham, Highlands and Adamsville neighborhoods. On the other hand, the temperature began to cool down at night. It was reported then that 15 percent of the fire had been contained.




FLORENCE, S.C.  The Democratic special election primary for Florence City Councils 2nd district  a seat held by the late Ed Robinson for nearly 25 years  will be held Tuesday.

Five Democrats are on the special election ballot: Florence County Democratic Chairwoman LaShonda NeSmith, Florence School District 1 Board Member Pat Gibson-Hye Moore, McLeod nurse Gary A. Summerfield Jr., Florence 1 Board member Alexis Demetrious Pipkins Sr. and Tyron Jones, vice president of information technology at Florence-Darlington Technical College.

Election officials say a runoff election is likely in this race because of the high number of candidates.

If a runoff is required, it will be held June 21. The general election for the District 2 seat is set for July 26 but the primary winner will face no Republican opposition in that race.

Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Anyone already in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Voters will be asked to show one of the following IDs at their polling place:

 S.C. Driver's License

 S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card

 S.C. Voter Registration Card with Photo

 Federal Military ID

 U.S. Passport

For more information about this race and the candidates running, click here. For questionnaires filled out by each candidate, click here.

Stay with Morning News and SCNow.com for continuing coverage of this special election.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Senate President Pro-tempore Hugh K. Leatherman Sr., Florences District 31 incumbent for 36 years, has two Republican challengers in the June 14 primary  former County GOP Chairman Richard Skipper and current County Treasurer Dean Fowler.

At the center of this race are questions on ethics reform, road fixes, term limits and contentious exchanges over these policies.

The race has drawn not only the eyes of the city and county but statewide attention with several high profile endorsements. Gov. Nikki Haley came to Florence last Wednesday to endorse Skipper and called Leatherman the hardest part of her job as governor.

Leatherman was endorsed by former Gov. David Beasley and the president of the state Sheriffs Association, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone  who recently said he lost a great deal of respect for the governor after her endorsement of Skipper.

While Leatherman refutes accusations and insinuations made by critics  including Skipper and Haley Fowler has taken the political outsider approach by raising no outside money and campaigning door-to-door rather than ads and road signs.

Ethics

The House and Senate passed an ethics bill last week that allows independent investigation of legislators.

Haley accused Leatherman of holding up ethics reform for years so he could pad his pockets and give himself copious pension increases. Leatherman said those are lies.

I voted on most of the ethics reform bills, theyre in conference committees and well get that done this year, he said. She either has no knowledge of what were doing in the General Assembly or shes pretty reckless with the truth.

Skipper said that legislation is a good start but it isnt nearly enough to keep entrenched politicians in check.

Real ethics reform in my opinion is full, complete and total income disclosure. Not just W2 disclosure, not just partial disclosure, Skipper said. Why in the word would an elected official be opposed to disclosing all sources of their income? I dont know. People should be able to look at how you vote, look at how you govern and see if youre benefiting from personally from your position as a House member, a Senator or congressman. Unbiased, unfiltered sunshine is the best disinfectant. 

Several online publications and citizen columnists have accused Leatherman in the past of receiving Department of Transportation kickbacks through his minority ownership of a company he founded in the 1960s, Palmetto Concrete.

Leatherman said these are lies created to try and remove him from a position that finally helps the Pee Dee rather than the states metropolitan areas.

Id like to see some evidence of that, he said. Its easy to make false claims and Id like to see where exactly theyre getting that information from. Those allegations are simply allegations and rhetoric to try and tear me down.

Fowler, the treasurer of Florence County for nearly 16 years, said state government has become too secretive. He wants to fight for legitimate openness.

For 15 years I have fought for open government and have even gone as far to ask that every county check be put online so the people can see where their money is going, Fowler said. Ive been sued a few times for trying to stay transparent and stand up for the law. The government belongs to the people, its the peoples information. Government is out of control.

Jobs

Leatherman has said economic development in Florence County  think Otis Elevator, Honda of South Carolina, QVC, McCall Farms, and others -- was made possible because of his role in the Senate

Skipper argues that it took Leatherman decades to bring about the aforementioned investment, which isnt outstanding compared to economic growth in other counties in the state. He said the fact that a two-term senator (Shane Massey) was chosen as the Republican Majority Leader is proof that a freshman Senator has more say in state politics than many might think.

Power and influence are good but they certainly havent manifested themselves in vastly increasing jobs in Florence County since his time on the Senate Finance Committee, he said. Other counties have highly out performed Florence in job growth. What I see is us losing good high paying jobs like Roche and ESAB, and replacing them with minimum wage jobs.

Leatherman said saying is easier than doing. He said Florence has grown more that ever before under his leadership and will continue to grow if hes re-elected.

My response to that is my opponent is promising to do all these things for the people  but Ive done it, Leatherman said. Im leaving it to my constituents. As long as Im in good health, Ill serve them well and continue to work for this area. I think people can see what Ive done for this area.

Fowler said the back and forth between Leatherman and Skipper is laughable and self-serving.

I am just as interested in observing the gyrations of these candidates as others in this district, Fowler said. It is amusing to think that the vast amounts of money being spent and the powerful friends coming to the forefront to speak on behalf of a candidate are just to pull for the little people of the community. It is apparent that these state positions wield a great deal more clout in Columbian than for the folks back home.

Vote

Fowler said hes not a politician; hes a Florence County citizen who wants the truth restored to government.

I am offering myself to the people of District 31 as a man whos only outside influence is God and the people of District 31, he said. I do not believe that all this big money being thrown in a campaign is what demonstrates the desire to serve. Government should be friends and neighbors coming together to choose their own to go up to and insure service for their community and they get a fair and equitable return on their tax dollars. We need to bring government back down to a level or reality and integrity with honorable people seeking to truly insure fair and honest handling of money and authority.

Leatherman said his critics have attempted to drag his name and work through the mud but his constituents know what he stands for  Florence County.

While the governor was in Florence running me down, I was on the Senate floor working for the people of this state, he said. Ive served the people well. I have a good record and the people at home know they can reach me anytime with any concerns and me and my staff will make sure theyre taken care of. Im not interested in all this rhetoric, the people of this county and this state are who I care about.

Skipper said he will fight for true ethics reform, term limits on politicians and a small-business minded approach to government functions.

I have 25 years business experience. Im not a career politician. The government is meant to be influenced by the people and function for the peoples benefit, he said. Our government in both Washington and Columbia is being abused. Because of long-term incumbency, more people arent allowed to be a part of the process. Good leadership delegates authority, it trusts people, it brings people up so their voices are heard. Long term incumbency breed coalitions of power that ultimately lead to the benefit of that individual rather that the people who put him or her there. If it takes me 36 years to be effective as your senator, Im the wrong guy for the job.
The Chinese tanker and bulker shipowner will change its company name to Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation (CSET), as a result of the merger of its parent firm China Shipping Group with China Cosco Group.

Shanghai and Hong Kong-listed CSDC said the proposed change of name is subject to approval by shareholders and the ministry of commerce and the relevant authorities.

The new CSET will focus on seaborne transportation of oil and LNG going forward.

Meanwhile, CSDC has appointed a new chairman, Sun Jiakang, effective 3 June, replacing Xi Lirong, who has tendered his resignation so as to focus on attending to matters incidental to the restructuring of the controlling shareholder of the company [CSDC]. Xu is named as the chairman of the merged China Cosco Shipping Corporation (Coscocs).
The job will be carried out by a joint venture company owning Malaysian-flagged panamax vessel with Halim Mazmin Group (HMG), K Line announced. HMG has businesses including ship owning, flight training academy and tourism.

The co-owned panamax vessel will transport 1.5m tonnes of steaming coal a year from Indonesia or South Africa or Australia to Malaysia for 10 years starting from September 2016.

A total of four Malaysian shipowning companies have won the term contracts from Tenaga Nasionals tender, according to K Line.
The barge Ever Dignity was carrying the cargo and being towed by tug boat Ever Prosper when the crime happened, according to an update by Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

ReCAAP ISC said it received information from the Sarawak and Sabah Shipowners Association (SSSA) on 3 June that the tug boat owner had lost communication with both the tug boat and the barge on 2 June.

In the morning of 3 June, the barge Ever Dignity and tug boat Ever Prosper were reported off Mukah, Sarawak, East Malaysia.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) sent two naval ships to the location of the incident, and reported that the crew were robbed and the crude palm kernel oil cargo was siphoned away from the barge.

The 10 crew were safe and one of the crew suffered injury to one of his eyes, believed to be punched by the perpetrators, ReCAAP said.

Both Ever Dignity and Ever Prosper have been escorted by the MMEA ships into Bintulu port on Saturday morning and the injured crew was brought to the hospital.

This is the second incident of hijacking of ship for oil cargo theft in 2016. The first oil cargo theft occurred on board Hai Soon 12 [product tanker] on 8 May 15 off Pulau Belitung, Indonesia, said ReCAAP, adding that the Indonesian authorities managed to arrest the perpetrators and recovered the full cargo.